Chapter 45, The Curse.

Nikami POV

I passed Emica, and she didn't seem fazed by it, and placed my breakfast on a table, I sat down staring at it. Normal bacon and eggs, with it a cup of coffee. I took the mug and held it under my nose, inhaling the hot scent of caffeine. The mug also warmed up my hands which made me feel slightly relaxed.

"How nice…" I blurted out, Emica flinching at my sudden words.

"I did my best Nikami-sama, you always loved your coffee black, and oh! I'll go prepare the bath. I'll come back when it's ready, please excuse me." Emica let out a small giggle, doing a bow and going inside the bathroom.

I let out a sigh of relief, glancing over at the door to Yasachu's room. I narrowed my eyes in frustration and sipped the coffee, put down the mug, and started to eat.

"How annoying…" I mumbled to myself.

"Of course, it was annoying, having a roommate was annoying enough, but having the center of the universe as a roommate? More infuriating." I grumbled.

As I finished my food I saw myself talking a lot, about the texture of the bacon, the scent of the coffee… This curse is worse than I thought.

"The bath is done Nikami-sama, would you like to take a bath now?" Emica asked me.

"Yes, make sure to prepare my clothes." I answered, standing up and going over to the bathroom. I took off my clothes, undid my braids, and I put on fingerless gloves on my left hand. Got in the tub, I put in my feet first then my whole body.

I let out another sigh as I looked down at the water.

"It's too cold." I whined, looking around for the shampoo and soap. and started to wash myself.

Right after I finished that, I groaned and got out of the bath.

"Emica!" I called out to her, and she immediately rushed in with a towel and a bathrobe.

"Come here," I called her once more, water dripping off my body, she nodded and wiped off the water and also put on my bathrobe.

"Can you style my hair?" I asked, running my hand through my hair, taking all of the water on it and guiding it in front of me, my hair was immediately dried up as the water blob stayed hovering in front of me. I took off my fingerless gloves and poked the blob for a second and it quickly frosted up and froze.

"Of course Nikami-sama." She answered, also slightly confused about the fact that I kept on talking but still kept on smiling. She took my long white gloves and put them on my left hand.

"Good. Let's carry on." I walked over to the outside, sitting on the couch and waiting for Emica. She quickly went behind me and braided my hair, going all around my head as I adjusted my bangs.

Right after I did so, Emica helped me put on my clothes and she asked a question.

"Nikami-sama, you are awfully talkative today, did something happen?" She asked, adjusting my green tie.

"It's just a weird masked girl who went inside my room and cursed me or something. It only takes a day or so, I hope she was actually telling the truth." I spoke without hesitation, but then quickly covered my mouth.

"Shit." I mumbled under my breath.

"Ah?! What?! Why didn't you tell me?! This is extremely serious!!" She lifted up her head to look at me in the eyes.

"It's nothing that bad, I just talk a lot. And that's really it. I can get through this, it's absolutely nothing to me." I sighed, speaking with confidence as I walked towards the door to the outside.

"W-wait a moment Nikami-sama, maybe we should tell a teacher about thi-" Before she could even finish I cut her off.

"Why is she not awake yet?" I asked her, glancing over at Yasachu's room. 

"I finished my food, got into a bath, and yet she still hasn't woken up?" I told her my concerns, letting out another sigh.

"That is true…" She nodded, looking over to it as well.

"Want me to lock pick her room and open it?" She snickered with a grin.

"No." I replied quickly.

"Ahaha! Okay, okay, I'm just joking Nikami-sama." She laughed. 

"Though I guess that isn't in your concerns, you should probably get to class now right?" Emica looked back at me, smiling.

Good. She was always so easily distracted. I wrote in my notebook, walking out the door. 

I looked behind me and saw Emica just cleaning the dorms, and in confusion I said something.

"You aren't coming with me?" I blurted out.

"Ah! They said I couldn't really follow you around always. Only when you specifically call me. It is a weird system, but Nikami-sama is perfect anyway. She doesn't need anyone's help." She flashed a smile at me.

"That's not true." I mumbled, but walked out anyway.

As I kept on walking along the halls, towards the outside of the dorms, and then towards the campus I found myself keeping on writing.

"Must be perfect… I can get through this all on my own." I spoke out.

"Tch." I clicked out my tongue in response, irritated by always speaking or writing.

My face slightly lit up when I saw Shukona and Raijin in the entrance, talking to each other. But… I also saw some girls around Raijin and couldn't help but feel something prick my heart.

"Look! It's Gakerumi-sama! He is such a cool prince…" A girl spoke.

"Hey look, it's the sister of the Amatarini brothers, I heard she's a brat." A boy spoke.

"Tch, why is highschool always so dumb, even here it's full of gossip…" I grumbled as I walked towards the two, glancing over at Raijin blissfully talking with the girls.

"And then I said, What did you just say about my hair?!" Raijin chuckled loudly in a joking manner.

"And you punched him didn't you?" Shukona added.

"Oh look, it's mister playboy." I glared at the girls who were talking with Raijin.

"Hah? And what? Are you jealous, miss bookworm?" Raijin rolled her eyes at me.

"And is there a problem?" I clicked my tongue.

"Excuse me?" Shukona was startled at the sudden response, I usually wouldn't answer that quickly.

"You are my fiancee. I am engaged to you. So please, act like it. You dolt." I spat, just staring right at him.

"W-what the? And here I thought you never had a filter?!" Raijin got a bit taken aback at my words.

"Nika, you are awfully talkative today, did something happen?" Shukona asked.

"Curious. Emica said the same thing." I turned to Shukona.

"Eh? Seriously? Weird." Raijin chuckled.

"But yea! You are being super talkative! Maybe more honest as well?" Raijin put her hands on her pockets and stared at me.

"I'll explain later, there are people here." I glanced over at the girls and students looking at us.

"Come on." I took Raijin's hand and went straight towards inside the school.

"H-hey?! What the hell?!" Raijin yelled out, confused at me suddenly holding her hand. She turned red at this action as Shukona followed up behind.

"You are being straightforward as well, you are usually more stoic…" Shukona added.

"I guess, is it really that obvious? I know I don't talk a lot, but really?" I continued to drag Raijin towards the back garden of the school.

"Hah! One thing for sure! I like it more this way! You may insult me a lot, but at least it's more honest!" Raijin chuckled loudly.

"I am always honest with you two. I just rarely open up. I guess." I spoke to them, finally arriving at the garden. I let go of Raijin and walked towards in front of them, letting out a small sigh.

"So? What did happen?" Shukona folded her hands and looked at me up and down.

"I got cursed."

"HAH?!? YOU FUCKING WHAT?!?"

"Cu-cursed?! This is only your first day!! How did you make someone mad already?!"

"Well, I don't think the curse is the right word, but rather brain manipulation… I don't have a curse mark after all… I saw my body when I was in the bath and there wasn't anything there." I added.

"Th-that doesn't make things better!" Shukona cried out, groaning as she clenched her fists.

"What is the curse?! Or, brain manipulation, or someshit-" Raijin asked me.

"Everything I think, I communicate." I answered immediately.

"That's… Slightly weird, however, when the target is you, someone who thinks a lot, is very bad…" Shukona took out of her pigtails, playing with it in stress.

"Do you know how long it lasts? It is it… Forever?" Shukona asked.

"Only a day. But it's going to be painful." I replied.

"What the hell?! Who even did this?! Why?! HOW?!" Raijin yelled once more.

"Stop shouting! You're making noise, the others might hear you!" Shukona turned towards Raijin.

"Shut up! You're yelling too!" Raijin argued back.

"A masked girl came inside my room at night, I wanted her out, but we talked for a bit. Right after she held my head, I tried freezing her arm but it felt shallow inside, so I could only freeze the surface, and I don't know why. She said stuff about me not knowing how to communicate, which is right, but whatever, then she did that. I'm pretty sure she had dark magic, she made my ice spikes enveloped in darkness but they did come back when she left. And speaking of when she left, she just walked towards the dark area of the room and disappeared. So in conclusion she obviously had dark magic." I explained to them, not pausing to think about what I was saying.

"Uh-" I quickly covered my mouth, looking away.

"Tch. Damn it." I mumbled.

"Masked… Girl…?" Shukona froze for a bit, her eyes widened at the thought of that.

"Seriously?! Dark magic?! And why you? Out of all people?!" Raijin pointed at me.

"You think I know? However, I can try to determine why. First off, she seems slightly fond of me, calling me a friend, and she said that I laid out the pieces for her, which I do not understand. What did I do? I don't even remember who she is, why would she know what I di-" Before I could finish what I was talking about, Raijin covered my mouth and yawned.

"Blah blah blah, It only takes a single day right? No need to overthink everything. But you know, you think a lot huh? It's creepy seeing you like this. But that means you're going to tell a lot of truths! Hey hey, can I ask you personal questions?" Raijin let out a small smirk, but that was quickly taken off by Shukona gently slapping her head.

"You pervert! Don't you see this is something serious?!" Shukona grumbled at Raijin.

"Esh, Gurt chour haizs off ble." I spoke but it was muffled by her hands, I was trying to say «Ew, get your hands off me».

"Ow! Geez! Don't hit me!" Raijin gritted her teeth as she took her hands off my mouth.

"Your hands feel extremely rough, you do a lot of hard work don't you?" I asked.

"Well, He performs a lot of battle skills. It would be natural." Shukona answered for me.

"Hmph! Yup I do! I'm super stronger than you, haha." Raijin scoffed, lifting her arm and flexing it.

"I don't really like your body too muscular, you look cuter that way." I blinked.

"Wait-" I once again, didn't write down something embarrassing so I quickly opened my notebook and took my pen out.

"Wh-wha… What are you-" She turned red as she took a step back, Raijin's voice was rough and deep but then turned into soft and soothing, something completely different. This was her real voice she hides, and when she noticed it she quickly coughed.

"Sh-shut up! I'm not cute! I'm strong! And being strong isn't cute! You… You are so mean!" Raijin ran behind Shukona and pointed at me with a pout.

"What are you doing-" Shukona looked down at the small prince(ss) behind her.

"Hah." I scoffed, starting to walk back inside.

"Nika? Where are you going?" Shukona asked me, now turning her full body.

"Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Raijin quickly followed up behind me, grumbling.

"Let's go back inside, we wouldn't want to be late on the first day." I said to them.

"But we need to tell a teacher about this-" Shukona followed up behind me.

"Nah! It's more fun this way! And being early to our classrooms wouldn't hurt. Miss perfect over here wants to be there immediately." Raijin chuckled, putting her arms behind her head.

"We should go to your classroom first, I haven't seen that girl out of her room all day. Emica hasn't seen her as well." I spoke to them, still walking. Looking around the halls of where their classroom was, since we entered the homerooms of the first years.

"What?! Where is she?! Don't tell me she's late…" Shukona sweated a bit, clenching her fists. 

"Huh? Ya worried for a commoner like her? I wouldn't be surprised if she overslept." Raijin continued.

"It is possible. She does seem clumsy. And Shu would be the type of person who would be concerned for someone like her, no lie, even myself is quite worried for that puppy." I said, once again not hesitating to something embarrassing.

And at that time, I saw the sign for the class Flavo.

"Puppy?" Shukona blinked.

"Hah?! That's your nickname for her?! Gotdamn it! Why am I so mad?!" Raijin roared out, gritting her teeth as she stomped towards me.

"Ignore that, anyways, here is your classroom. Enter now. I'll have to go to my classroom as well, it is only two doors apart, tell me what happened to her later-" Before I stopped, I heard a yell coming towards us.

"I-I'm late!!" A familiar voice echoed, I turned towards her and there was the protagonist, a cookie on her mouth as she was bringing a bag close to her chest.

"Typical MC." I rolled my eyes.

"MC? Another nickname Nika?" Shukona glanced over at me.

"You aren't late yet, so shut up shortie!" Raijin exclaimed, taking the bag off her hands. Grinning as she put the bag above Yasachu's height, chuckling. 

"A-ah! I'm… So-sorry… Pl-please don't take that away-" Yasachu looked up Raijin, shivering at her presence. In her nervousness, she bit on the cookie on her mouth as fast as she could.

"Cute." I blurted out.

"K-kh?! Who did you call cute?! I mean… I-I think we need to do something about your curse Nika-" Shukona blinked even more at me.

"No. It's nothing that bad. I can get through something like this." 

"What even is this?" Raijin looked inside the bag, raising her eyebrows. Upon seeing what was inside lightened up, and picked one up.

"Cookies? And they are still hot too! I don't think the cafeteria would make these so early." Raijin popped a cookie on my mouth.

"Hah, so you could shut up, sassy shortie." Raijin scoffed.

"You made these, yes?" I asked, ignoring Raijin's claim as I took a bite out of the cookies.

"Y-yes… I-I woke up super early to bake these! I-I know… That the nobles would never like me, so I made these because maybe they would hate me less if they can see me as a useful tool to bake." Yasachu answered me.

"This is unacceptable!" Shukona raised her voice.

"E-eeekk! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have made something with my dirty commoner hands that you would eat-" Yasachu quickly panicked at her yell. 

"No! That is not what I meant, why would you think we would want to use you?! Sure, you are a commoner, and there is no doubt you are lower than us. But that doesn't mean we can't like you. I appreciate the thought, you are low, but hard-working, I'm sure you will get there someday. Bu-but don't think it will be easy! Hmph!" Shukona folded her hands and pouted.

"A-amatarini-sama…" Yasachu stared at her in awe, happy that the tall girl would say something like that… 

Meanwhile, Raijin was laughing at me.

"Shut up." I took a cookie from the bag and put it on her mouth too.

"Awwee, thanks for feeding me, babe." Raijin rolled her eyes at me.

"I will ice you." I glared back.

"Here's your daily shut up cookie." Raijin took another cookie and put it on my mouth.

"You are wasting the cookies." I spoke, eating the cookies in my mouth.

"Like hell I'm the only one guilty!"