"I never expected intestines to be this thick."
"So this part looks like this."
...A scene that should have existed only in Hell unfolded inside a shrine dedicated to the gods.
Under the gaze of the Inari statues, Tomie's classmates, led by Takagi-sensei, wildly released the malice hidden deep in their hearts.
But in a scene they could not see, a bizarre humanoid figure was gradually taking shape.
It was a humanoid Cursed Spirit very similar to Tomie.
The rampant curses and malice in the area were continuously absorbed by this humanoid Cursed Spirit.
The immense malice and numerous curses made it difficult for her, who had just been born, to digest them all at once.
However, an instinct beneath her chaotic thoughts told her.
The body in front of her was her own.
She should return to her own body.
And so, the Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit born from the venomous curses of most of her classmates followed her instinct.
She returned to her shattered body.
At this moment, Takagi-sensei was leading the students and distributing forty-two "Tomies" into each student's hands.
He had no way back. Since that was the case, he would make everyone present an accomplice.
That was the safest and most secure approach.
The students scattered, throwing away each "Tomie" in places they thought were either hidden or filthy.
But something unexpected happened to everyone.
Not long after, that person who should not have existed appeared in the classroom again.
Soon, some of the classmates went mad... After Reiko finished speaking, she pulled her legs onto the sofa and hugged them, curling herself up tightly.
She seemed to be deeply afraid of something.
Nanami gently closed his notebook.
Then he stood up and walked over to Reiko.
A warm palm rested on Reiko's head.
Feeling the gentle touch on her head, Reiko could not help but look up.
"Thank you for the information. Leave the rest to us. Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Nanami squatted down, bringing his gaze level with Reiko's.
Then a reassuring smile appeared on his face.
After seeing that smile, for some reason, the fear in Reiko's heart truly disappeared.
"Thank you."
Reiko's face flushed slightly as she spoke in a barely audible voice.
Seeing the fear on Reiko's face disappear, Nanami gently patted her head, then stood up and left.
Reiko silently watched the two leave, her right hand unconsciously resting on the spot on her head where Nanami had just touched... "Where are we going next?"
In the Assistant Supervisor's car, Haibara, who had been waiting for a long time, asked loudly.
"Organize the information and determine the location of the Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit, Tomie, as quickly as possible."
During their previous conversation, Nanami had already determined that Tomie belonged to an Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit born from a curse.
He just did not know her Rank yet.
Over the past few days, Nanami and Haibara had visited several cities.
They questioned the few remaining sane people involved in this cursed incident.
Normally, this step would not have been necessary. They would simply investigate, track, and exorcise based on the situation at the scene.
However, this Cursed Spirit was different.
The Cursed Spirit, named Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit Tomie by Nanami, not only had no fixed dwelling place, but also rarely left behind any useful traces.
Moreover, although the victims' deaths were bizarre, most of the dead had committed suicide.
Even those who were still alive were going mad one after another, unable to provide useful information.
Therefore, the investigation was very difficult.
However, to their surprise, they soon obtained useful information.
First, Takagi-sensei escaped from the mental hospital.
Second, a suspect resembling Kawakami Tomie appeared in the direction Takagi-sensei fled.
Nanami picked up the latest intelligence and carefully read through it.
"Haibara, did those classmates from before mention whether they could touch Tomie, or take pictures of Tomie?"
Nanami suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
Haibara, who was eating a rice ball, stopped moving and fell into thought.
"I think someone mentioned that they could touch Tomie."
Haibara scratched his head, speaking with some uncertainty.
"Is that so? I understand."
Nanami had a similar impression as well. Asking Haibara was only to confirm his thoughts.
After all, he had read too many materials recently.
Nanami could not guarantee that what he remembered was definitely correct.
"What happened?"
Haibara leaned closer to Nanami.
After a period of trial and error, Haibara had deeply realized that he was still more suited to charging into battle.
Thinking was a job for Eichi-senpai and Nanami.
"Look at this."
Nanami handed the folder in his hand to Haibara.
"This girl is pretty. Eh, isn't this Tomie?"
Looking at the slightly blurry but still recognizable person in the photo, Haibara could not help exclaiming.
"That is the problem."
Nanami said in a low voice.
"Ordinary surveillance cameras cannot capture the appearance of a Cursed Spirit, but this camera did."
"Could it be that they look very similar, so there was a mistake in identification? Look, doesn't it say Mizutani Reiko here in the name field?"
Haibara pointed to the name column in the document.
It did not say Tomie, but rather the characters for Mizutani Reiko.
"First, look at the next page."
Haibara flipped the document to the next page as instructed, and another photo of "Mizutani Reiko" appeared before his eyes.
Compared to the previous photo, Mizutani Reiko in this one looked much more ordinary.
"Eh? Could it be..."
An unsettling guess appeared in Haibara's mind.
"That's right. Either Tomie killed the real Mizutani Reiko and is using her identity to act."
"Or Tomie has some kind of ability to infect, control, or seize another person's body."
Nanami concluded.
"Moreover, based on the students' testimonies and the information currently obtained, it is impossible to confirm whether Tomie is truly dead or not."
"Why do you say that?"
"It can currently be confirmed that Tomie indeed possesses a 'physical body.'
So it cannot be ruled out that Tomie awakened some peculiar Technique under the threat of death and came back for revenge after surviving."
If one inferred based on this conclusion, then Tomie might not be an Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit, but rather a Curse User after Awakening.
However, since they had not been at the scene when the incident happened, they could not draw a definite conclusion.
"Let's go. We'll know the truth once we get to the scene."
Nanami stood up, put on his jacket, and walked toward the door.
"Oh!"
Haibara's CPU, which was practically smoking, was also saved by that sentence, and he jogged to catch up with Nanami.
In a place unknown to the two of them, a chunk of flesh wrapped in a futon began to take root and grow after touching the ground.
A Tomie, whose whole body was covered in viscous liquid, with seaweed-like hair and two tiny underdeveloped hands, was rapidly taking shape.
Her bizarre yet alluring expression, two weakly waving slender hands, and body rooted in the cave like a plant all sent chills down one's spine.
Not only here, but also in the distant woods, by the riverbank, and in alleyways.
One "Tomie" after another, each with a different appearance, was rapidly growing.
(To be continued.)