"I never expected the intestines to be so thick."
"So this part looks like this."
...A scene that should only exist in Hell unfolded in a shrine dedicated to the gods.
Under the gaze of the Inari God statues,
Tomie's classmates, led by Teacher Takagi, wildly unleashed the malice hidden deep within their hearts.
But in a scene they couldn't see,
a bizarre humanoid figure was gradually coalescing.
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, Teacher Takagi was leading the students, distributing 42 "Tomies" into the hands of each student.
He had no turning back; since that was the case, he would make everyone present an accomplice.
That was the safest and most secure approach.
The students scattered, discarding each "Tomie" in places they considered either hidden or filthy.
But something unexpected happened to everyone.
Not long after,
that person who shouldn't exist appeared in the classroom again.
Soon, some classmates in the class went mad... After Reiko finished speaking, she pulled her legs onto the sofa and hugged them, curling her body tightly.
She seemed to be afraid of something deep down.
Kento 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 caress on her head, Reiko couldn't help but look up.
"Thank you for the information. Leave the rest to us. Don't worry, you'll be fine."
Kento 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, and she said in a barely audible voice.
Seeing the fear on Reiko's face disappear, Kento Nanami gently patted Reiko's head, then stood up and left.
Reiko silently watched the two leave, her right hand unconsciously resting on the spot on her head where Kento Nanami had just stroked... "Where are we going next?"
In the Assistant Supervisor's car, Yu 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, Kento Nanami had already determined that Tomie belonged to an Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit born from a curse.
He just didn't know her Rank yet.
In the past few days, Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara had visited several cities.
They questioned the few remaining sane individuals involved in this curse incident.
Normally, this step wouldn't be necessary; they would simply investigate, track, and exorcise based on the on-site situation.
However, this Cursed Spirit was different.
The Cursed Spirit, named Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit Tomie by Kento Nanami, not only had no fixed dwelling place,
but also rarely left any useful traces.
Moreover, while the victims' deaths were bizarre, most of the deceased were suicides.
Even those who were 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, Teacher Takagi escaped from the mental hospital.
Second, a suspect resembling Kawakami Tomie appeared in the direction Teacher Takagi fled.
Kento Nanami picked up the latest intelligence and carefully read through it.
"Haibara, did those classmates from before mention if they could touch Tomie, or take pictures of Tomie?"
Kento Nanami suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
Yu Haibara, who was eating a rice ball, stopped his movements and fell into thought.
"I think someone mentioned that they could touch Tomie."
Yu Haibara scratched his head, saying with some uncertainty.
"Is that so? I understand."
Kento Nanami also had a similar impression; asking Yu Haibara was just to confirm his thoughts.
After all, he had read too many Materials recently.
Kento Nanami couldn't guarantee that what he remembered was definitely correct.
"What happened?"
Yu Haibara leaned closer to Kento Nanami.
After a period of trial, Yu Haibara deeply realized that he was still more suited for charging into battle.
Thinking was a job for Senior Eichi and Kento Nanami.
"Look at this."
Kento Nanami handed the folder in his hand to Yu Haibara.
"This girl is quite pretty. Eh, isn't this Tomie?"
Looking at the slightly blurry but still recognizable person in the photo, Yu Haibara couldn't help but exclaim.
"That is the problem."
Kento Nanami said in a deep voice.
"Ordinary surveillance cameras can't 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 for the name?"
Yu Haibara pointed to the name column in the document.
It didn't say Tomie, but rather the characters for Mizutani Reiko.
"First, look at the next page."
Yu Haibara flipped the document to the next page as he was told, and another photo of "Mizutani Reiko" appeared before his eyes.
Compared to the previous photo, Mizutani Reiko in this photo was much more ordinary.
"Eh? Could it be..."
An unsettling guess appeared in Yu 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 take over another person's body."
Kento Nanami concluded.
"Moreover, based on the students' testimonies and the information currently obtained, it's 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's not ruled out that Tomie awakened some peculiar Cursed Technique under the threat of death, and came back for revenge after being safe."
If one were to infer based on this conclusion, then Tomie might not be an Over-Cursed Grudge Spirit, but rather a Curse User after her Awakening.
However, since they were not at the scene when the incident occurred, they couldn't definitively conclude.
"Let's go. We'll know the truth once we get to the scene."
Kento Nanami stood up, put on his jacket, and walked towards the door.
"Oh!"
Yu Haibara's CPU, which was almost smoking, was also saved by this sentence, and he jogged to catch up with Kento Nanami's pace.
In a place unknown to the two, a chunk of flesh wrapped in a futon began to take root and grow after touching the ground.
A Tomie, whose entire body was covered in viscous liquid, hair like seaweed, and two small hands like underdeveloped ones, was rapidly growing into shape.
Her bizarre yet alluring expression, two weakly waving slender hands, and a body rooted in the cave like a plant all sent chills down one's spine.
Not just here, but in the distant woods, by the riverbank, and in the alleyways.
One "Tomie" after another, each with a different appearance, was rapidly growing.
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