041. Nightmare Fragment

"What is going on with Wakaba Mutsumi?"

Nagumo Ugetsu felt a faint sense of oddity in his heart.

During the first class just now, Wakaba Mutsumi had suddenly slumped forward as if she were about to fall asleep, keeping her head bowed the entire time. Fortunately, her seat was in the back corner of the classroom; otherwise, falling asleep like that near the front would have surely earned her a roll-call from the teacher.

At first, Nagumo Ugetsu simply assumed she hadn't slept well the night before due to insomnia. After all, Mori Minami had just told him yesterday that a very important guest was arriving over the weekend, and given Mutsumi's personality, that matter was bound to put immense pressure on her.

Therefore, he chose not to disturb her rest until the class ended.

Since the second period was physical education, many students had already rushed out of the classroom the moment the previous bell rang, just like they did every day. Toyokawa Sakiko had initially wanted to invite Wakaba Mutsumi to come along, but seeing her still slumped over her desk, she left with the others.

Nagumo Ugetsu remained behind in the classroom, idly flipping through Natsume Soseki's *Kokoro*. He intended to wait for Wakaba Mutsumi to wake up and head to the athletic field together, but her head remained buried in the crook of her arm, as if she were still deep in slumber.

"Wait."

Connecting it with Wakaba Mutsumi's unusual state, Nagumo Ugetsu quietly activated his "Precept".

[Domain of Seclusion]

Ever since his return last time, Nagumo Ugetsu had learned his lesson and invested two available skill points into the authority of the "Domain of Seclusion," leaving only a single skill point in reserve.

By now, the Domain of Seclusion had reached Level 3, and its range had expanded further. Even without his deliberate use of the "Precept" to suppress things, a remarkably potent effect remained in place.

With the Precept active, Nagumo Ugetsu quietly walked over to Wakaba Mutsumi's side and gave her a gentle poke.

"Mutsumi."

Mutsumi's body stirred slightly, though the movement was barely noticeable.

Nagumo Ugetsu gently touched her fair arm once more.

The young girl was slumped over her desk, her pale green hair cascading like a waterfall, concealing half of her face.

This time, there seemed to be a reaction.

Mutsumi's long eyelashes fluttered faintly, as if she were on the verge of waking up. A moment later, her pair of golden pupils slowly opened, carrying a hazy mist of sleep.

She lifted her head and happened to see Nagumo Ugetsu standing beside her desk.

"Mm."

Mutsumi subconsciously let out a soft murmur.

Nagumo Ugetsu spoke:

"It's time for PE. Do you want to go to the athletic field together?"

Mutsumi blinked, looking as though she hadn't yet fully escaped from the realm of dreams:

"Wait a moment."

She reached out her hand and made a grasping motion toward the empty air, as if trying to catch something.

Within her "field of vision," a gray, snowflake-like fragment was quietly drifting upward.

This was a nightmare fragment that had leaked outward after the out-of-control "Baku" was suppressed, carrying within it elements recorded from the depths of her consciousness. Because this fragment had leaked out while she was unconscious and possessed no direct lethality—somewhat like items dropped after defeating a monster—the Precept had not erased it.

*Rustle.*

The snowflake-like fragment traced an arc through the air and landed directly upon Toyokawa Sakiko's seat. The next instant, it vanished completely, dissolving into the desk like melting snow.

"Ah..."

Mutsumi parted her lips slightly.

Fortunately, Toyokawa Sakiko was not in the classroom right now. However, Mutsumi had no clear idea what kind of impact this melted nightmare fragment would have upon leaving its traces on that seat.

She stood up, glanced at Toyokawa Sakiko's desk, and then turned her gaze back to Nagumo Ugetsu.

For reasons unknown, Mutsumi felt a slight sense of reassurance.

Nagumo Ugetsu said, "Let's go."

The two of them walked out of the classroom side by side. The very moment they stepped across the threshold, a prompt rang out precisely in Nagumo Ugetsu's ear:

[You have used the Precept to prevent the leakage of the 'Baku', Free Skill Point +1]

[Progress toward unlocking the 'Sanctuary of Buried Gods' (2/6)]

*Boom!*

A wave of shock rippled through Nagumo Ugetsu's heart.

"So her Word Spirit is the Baku..."

"Judging by the system prompt, thank goodness I activated the 'Precept' beforehand."

"Otherwise..."

He glanced sideways at Mutsumi. She was still keeping her head lowered, appearing to focus entirely on the tiny square of ground right beneath her feet.

Thoughts churned within Nagumo Ugetsu's mind.

Bearers of this particular Word Spirit tended to be sensitive and fragile—they were artists by nature.

Recalling the countless "puppets" Mutsumi had once played the roles of within the depths of her consciousness, this Word Spirit truly suited her to perfection.

"The reason the 'Baku' hasn't gone out of control until now is probably because she started playing the guitar."

"I wonder what Mori Minami said to Wakaba Mutsumi this time to make the pressure inside her heart swell to such an explosive degree."

Even though several minutes of class had already passed, Nagumo Ugetsu and Mutsumi walked side by side at an unhurried pace.

"That doesn't make sense. I went to the Wakaba family banquet last time too, and there certainly were plenty of social elites present back then."

"Yet during that previous occasion, Mutsumi's mental state managed to hold together barely enough. Just who on earth is coming to this weekend's Wakaba family banquet?"

Nagumo Ugetsu thought to himself as they walked.

*Tap, tap, tap.*

Descending a few more steps, he gently pulled the sleeve of the girl beside him to remind her that they had reached the stairway landing.

"Careful, don't miss a step."

"Mm." Mutsumi lifted her head and looked ahead.

Right at the corner, a figure was hurrying up the stairs in a rush.

"Tachibana-san."

Nagumo Ugetsu offered a greeting.

Nagasaki Soyo had just finished an impromptu extra rehearsal for the Tsukinomori Music Festival and was rushing back to her classroom for the next lesson. She hadn't expected to spot Nagumo Ugetsu right at the corridor's turn.

"Ugetsu-kun, hello."

She subconsciously flashed a gentle smile.

It was only then that Nagasaki Soyo noticed Wakaba Mutsumi standing beside him.

"Oh..."

"Isn't this the daughter of the comedian Wakaba Takahumi and the A-list actress Mori Minami—Wakaba Mutsumi?"

"Why are the two of them together?"

Nagasaki Soyo was unfamiliar with Class C's schedule and assumed the two of them had sneaked out of class and been caught by her purely by coincidence. Unsure of what to say for a moment, she greeted Mutsumi as well:

"Hello, hello."

Mutsumi kept her head lowered and offered no reply.

*???*

Since Nagasaki Soyo had never interacted with Wakaba Mutsumi before, this reaction only served to validate her internal suspicions.

"Could it be that I've stumbled upon something I shouldn't have?"

However, when she looked at Nagumo Ugetsu, she found his expression entirely natural, while Mutsumi kept her head down so low that her expression remained obscured.

"Our brass band had to make sudden adjustments to the music festival performance arrangements, which is why I'm only heading back to class now," Nagasaki Soyo explained.

"So that's how it is," Nagumo Ugetsu smiled.

"I've just arrived at Tsukinomori and haven't participated in this kind of event before. The ones held at Kamogawa Middle School were far less significant than what Tsukinomori places on this. I'm really looking forward to your performance."

The two of them exchanged a few polite words with a smile before waving goodbye.

Afterward, Nagumo Ugetsu and Wakaba Mutsumi continued their descent toward the lower floors.