Chapter 3 Chapter two

The school is stony and cold.Everywhere is smooth, straight, and hard. So, the school doesn't absorb anything, it all bounces back.Whether it's laughter or crying, all sounds are bounced.The school will not absorb the impact, so whether it is running, walking or falling, all the force will bounce back to yourself; whether it is hitting or kicking, only you will be hurt; Bear it yourself—the school said so, pushing everyone away with all its strength.School is not gentle at all. Although Wu Miyuki didn't know what kind of place a cage and a prison were, sometimes she felt that they must be very similar to a school.

When she said that, her friends laughed at her.Once in prison, there is no way to leave, but the school will drive people out.If you stay in the school building after school, won't you be scolded?Also, the prisoner must have spent years without sun, years without laughter, years without seeing anyone, just going through the day.But school is different from prison, there are many interesting things to do. The crisp laughter of the friends slid across the floor, bounced around, and disappeared. That kind of thing——that kind of thing Miyuki also knows.That's not what Miyuki thought. However, when it comes to a building with the same strong and reliable structure as the school, Miyuki only wants to get a prison.That's all.For Miyuki, no matter whether it is a building, a commandment, or a concept, as long as it has a solid structure, it all reminds her of rejection and despair.In this sense, they are synonymous.

No, she even thinks that the solid structure itself contains rejection and despair.so…… This is one such place. Speaking of which, even if you leave the school building, the only place you can go back is the dormitory, which is not dissimilar to a prison. Because this is a boarding system, and it is a girls' school in the Christian system. Therefore, laughing is originally one of the taboos.Then wouldn't it be no different from a prison? Miyuki is not a Christian.The old home I went back to during the summer vacation has a huge Buddhist altar. During the Obon Festival, monks will come to the house to chant scriptures, and Miyuki will burn incense and worship together.Although he didn't know what he was worshiping, at least he never thought about the Holy Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

This is what makes people laugh. The teacher told her not to laugh in school so she tried not to laugh as much as possible, but she still laughed when it was funny, even if she couldn't find it funny, she didn't know what to do.Speaking of which, there is no friend in school who doesn't laugh, and everyone smiles innocently. Even so, they were devout Christians in the prison buildings, Is this attitude called immorality? Then, Miyuki is quite far away from the gods. So sometimes she finds herself humming a hymn inadvertently, which can be extremely frustrating.Because she thinks that hymns can only be sung when the heart is pure, and they should not be sung casually like a ditty.

Is this the evil that will be revealed only after knowing the faith? Evil—this concept was also learned in school. Although Miyuki can judge right from wrong, when she was young, she never thought that there would be such a bad evil as absolute evil.She also thinks that if evil things must be evil, and good things must also be good, then no matter how hard they try, they must be the evil side. If gods really existed, they would never forgive Miyuki like this.Well, it's almost like believing in order to go to hell. A huge oil painting adorns the wall next to the library. I heard it was a copy of Titian's painting, but Miyuki didn't understand.She thought the painting was beautiful.It's just that even if a little girl from a foreign country like Miyuki came to praise the composition and the color, it was meaningless, and it seemed rude to the painter to praise the painting casually.

I heard that Christ in this painting is crying. Miyuki didn't look at it seriously, but upon closer inspection, there was indeed a line extending from under Christ's eyes to his cheek, which looked a bit like he was crying.It looks like it, but Miyuki thinks it's just that the dust attached to the surface of the painting absorbs the moisture in the air and flows down. — No wonder he wanted to cry. Not only this painting, this school is full of meaningful designs everywhere, but how many people in the whole school understand its full meaning? ——No, does anyone really know?Miyuki was very suspicious.Maybe no one knows at all.

Because Miyuki deeply feels that, including the teachers, all the people in the school are like Miyuki, who believe only for the sake of corruption. That's why she thought Christ would want to cry. Originally, there were neither real monks nor nuns in this school.Although everyone gathers in the place of learning faith, they have different ideas in their hearts.Teachers are hired for money, and students stay in this strong building because of someone else's will, with no faith in their hearts.Everyone put on a pious expression, but no one had real faith.It's not just Miyuki who is far away from the gods, it's just that everyone is more brazen than Miyuki.

Is this building the only place to truly know God? Therefore, what binds Miyuki is neither the teacher nor the punishment, but the building itself with its firm structure, and the precepts—faith—principle itself that has the same firm structure as the building. "Miyuki, what are you thinking?" Sayoko Watanabe stood at the door of the library. "Are you thinking about something boring again?" "Well, boring stuff." "Let's go to the garden." The two stepped on the footsteps of "click, click" and walked side by side. Xiao YeZi and Miyuki have a good relationship.Sayoko said, "The rumor about the Black Madonna..."

"That's ridiculous." "Yes, I heard it was a lie." "You don't even need to think about it." Just like every school, this one is not exempt, and has boring school strange stories-the so-called Seven Mysteries.The oil painting of the weeping Christ just now, and the rumor of the Black Madonna are all one of the seven incredible ones. Most of the meaning has been lost, and all that remains is low-brow hearsay. Each one is a common nonsense strange talk. "But..." Sayoko turned around and walked in front of Miyuki. "...Have you heard the reason why Yamamoto will die?"

"No." "I heard it's a curse." "That's ridiculous." "It's not funny at all, it's true." "What is true?" At the end of last year, a teacher died. Because it was the winter vacation, it didn't cause much commotion, but it became a hot topic on campus for a while.This is also of course. The deceased was a female teacher who taught world history and morality, named Junko Yamamoto. Ms. Yamamoto is also a dormitory supervisor, and she is notoriously strict-in other words, students don't think well of her, so the rumors are almost all ridicule, slander, slander and the like.Miyuki didn't like Yamamoto either, but she wasn't the type to follow and insult the dead, so she always pretended not to hear.

It is said that Yamamoto was a witch. It is said that Yamamoto is a perverted personality. It is said that Yamamoto was a devil worshiper. To put it bluntly, it's nothing at all, it's just slander.But the unusual way in which she died makes the slanders sound plausible.That's right, the fact that Yamamoto was killed seems to be causing a lot of trouble outside the school. It is said that Junko Yamamoto died after her eyes were gouged out, and she was a murderer. If it is groundless slander, it will disappear after a while, but as long as it is put on a serious statement, the situation will be different. Yamamoto Junko's eyes will be smashed, implying that she can't see the right way... What pierced her eyes was the nail of the curse... She's a witch with evil eyes... In this way, the school cannot sit idly by.Since the educational philosophy advertised by the school is based on faith, it cannot acquiesce in such rumors.All the teaching staff rushed to put out the fire. Teacher Yamamoto is not a witch, so don't be fooled by ignorant gossip - the teachers warned so earnestly, but the more sternly the school denied it, the more coldly the lambs would treat her. In the end, even the headmaster came out in person, warning that this was superstition. Some people even couldn't help laughing out loud.It is in vain to confuse people by only admitting the existence of gods but denying the existence of demons.It is too difficult for students to admit or deny the devil according to the situation, and it is not so easy to distinguish between superstition and belief. As a result, it was later found out that the person who killed Mr. Yamamoto was a perverted murderer named "Kaiyanmo", and the matter came to an end. It seems that Mr. Yamamoto was not the only one who was killed in the same way, so it is meaningless to add any serious claims. "But the murderer is the beholder, right?" "Yes, it's a perverted murder." "That……" "So, why was Yamamoto killed by the beholder? Anyone can be killed, right?" "Because the murderer did it randomly." "It's true that it was done randomly, but Yamamoto was killed." "Is it her bad luck?" "But no, she was cursed to death." "Curse... why is it a curse?" "It was the beholder. But Yamamoto met the beholder because of the curse. That's how it is." "Oh……" Whether it's accidental death or suicide, whatever the reason.She died because someone's will made her... --died. "How is it possible?" "it is true." The two walked down the courtyard.The courtyard is very artificial, smooth and straight. Because it is covered with stone slabs, even if she steps out of the courtyard, Miyuki still cannot be exposed to the tolerance of the soil. Sayoko looked around, but there was no one. Although the school teaches: "Even if there are no other people, the gods are always watching over us", but it is ridiculous to care whether other people are present. "Asada Xiko." "The one from class two?" "That girl is the source of the incident, this is a secret..." Xiao Yezi looked around again, "...she was caught by Yamamoto, that girl is blasphemy." "Profanity?... You mean the rumored..." "Rumours? What are you talking about? Why pretend like you don't know?" "I really don't know." The so-called blasphemy refers to prostitution.Miyuki didn't know the details, but since a long time ago, it has been rumored that there is a prostitution syndicate in the school.Up until now, Miyuki couldn't ask people what was going on, so she pretended to know what was going on, but she thought that Sayoko probably didn't know much about it. Everyone acted like they knew, but they didn't really know anything.Even if that kind of rumor is empty in the bones, it is true when it is told.So although Miyuki didn't say it out loud, she didn't think there was any prostitution syndicate at all. "Are the rumors true?" "At the end of the second semester, she seemed to be forced to question her by Yamamoto. Didn't Asada-san stay in the dormitory during the winter vacation and didn't go home?" "Is that so?" "Yes, so Yamamoto seems to have done a lot to her, like punishment or something. I heard that Yamamoto wants to force Asada-san to recruit other accomplices." "Corrective punishment on her?" "It should be, but Asada-san didn't seem to say it. But Yamamoto didn't seem to tell the other teachers, because this matter is very important, and it is also the responsibility of the dormitory supervisor." "So... how about it?" "I heard that Yamamoto asked Asada-san to drop out of school on the condition that he didn't tell the story." "What? How despicable." "That's right? Is this the so-called face problem? It's too much. But if the matter is made public, Asada-san will be very troubled. In that case, she will definitely be forced to drop out of school. And Asada-san is a rich lady .” "yes?" "Yes, she is a special student. I heard that her family is very rich, but not as powerful as Miss Orihime's. I heard that Asada's father seems to be a politician." "Oh……" "Wouldn't it be bad if you were expelled from school? It's the same if your parents find out." "But, that's what she did on her own." "But you will always find a way to save it? The only one who knows is Yamamoto, and other blasphemers will not turn a blind eye. Although I don't know how Yamamoto knew about the matter, it is impossible to end like this. For Asada-san, It's a matter of life and death, so..." "So what?" "I heard that she made a wish on the thirteenth constellation stone." "It does not make sense?" "That's the one..." Sayoko stretched out her finger straight. "...behind the chapel, the second Aries Palace." "You mean the slate?" That is also one of the seven inconceivables. The so-called constellation stone refers to a stone slab about one foot square in size embedded in the school grounds.They surround the chapel in a slightly circular arrangement, and each stone slab has engravings that symbolize the twelve constellations. Even so, but for some reason, there are thirteen stone slabs in total. Because there is no precise measurement, it is impossible to conclude, but the distance between some stone slabs is very wide, so the original number may be more.If some of the slabs have been lost, it is of course impossible to know what was carved on them, but so far only the shepherd's palace is repeated, and the second shepherd's slab is at the back of the chapel. Sayoko was talking about that stone slab. "That's right. Stand on that slab and make a wish." "Wait a minute, is that right in front of the ancestral hall?" There is an old ancestral hall directly behind the chapel. There is one thing inside, which looks like a pitch-black statue, the so-called Black Madonna. Although it is called the Virgin Mary, it is not a statue of the Virgin Mary, and judging from its shape, it feels that it has nothing to do with Christianity.Even with the rosary around the neck and the crucifix on the chest, it looked out of place and must have been put there later.Moreover, the ancestral hall it houses is basically Japanese style. If you add a torii gate, it will become an Inari shrine, and if you put a five-wheel pagoda, it will become the ancestral hall of a temple.The wooden statue of the Madonna is extremely smooth, as if several layers of ink had been applied to one face, it was pitch black, full of oriental flavor, it was really indescribably weird. No one knows what it actually is, but it has been called the "Black Madonna" for generations.Of course, the school does not recognize this title, but the ancestral hall of the Black Madonna was built slightly away from the school grounds, so the school stubbornly turned a blind eye to it, which meant that it was outside the jurisdiction.Teachers do not know its true colors. Like a normal ghost story, the Black Madonna wanders around every night. It is said that if you meet her, you will be sucked blood. Strange tales such as the Virgin Mary or the nun in black who are said to be wandering around are not uncommon, and they are common legends in foreign churches and other places. This kind of weird talk is indeed very novel in Japan, but that's only because Japan doesn't have that kind of god statue. Now this school happens to have one, so it seems that there is nothing incredible about it walking around.But Miyuki really didn't think there would be such a strange statue in a church in a foreign country, so it couldn't be concluded that it was the same monster.Miyuki didn't know what the Black Madonnas in other countries would do, but the Madonnas here would not only wander, but also suck blood when they encountered humans. Why would the Holy Mother do such a thing?This kind of questioning is too uninteresting. There are also pianos that can play by themselves, confessional rooms that cannot be opened, toilets that drip blood, etc. Although this is a holy city, there are all kinds of vulgar tales. The Black Madonna is just this kind Just one of the legends. Sayoko continued: "So, this is just my imagination, but the Black Madonna should fulfill the wish of the supplicant. It must be a cursed god, it must be." The gods of Christianity are unique, and there cannot be gods who curse or age.At least here, that kind of thing should be called a demon, right? Miyuki tilted her head in wonder and said, "That's ridiculous. Speaking of which, Xiaoyako, didn't you just say that the Black Madonna is a lie?" "It's a lie to be able to walk. It's impossible for that kind of thing to walk around. But the curse is different." "Ouch, I don't understand what you're trying to say." "Who told you not to hear the end. So, on the night of the full moon, perform the ceremony on that stone slab, and your wish will come true." "ceremony?" "Yes. It seems to be performing some kind of ceremony, and then say the name of the person you want to curse. If it is a woman, you should face the chapel, and if it is a man, you should face the shrine. In this way, on the next full moon Before that, that person will definitely die." "It still sounds fake." "It's true..." Sayoko walked up to Miyuki again and said, "...Sensei Yamamoto is not the first one. Before that, there were people who performed the ceremony, and the cursed person also died at that time." "So, who cursed whom and when did they die? Someone must have cursed someone, right?" "Yes...that's right..." "That's a lie" Including the rumors of prostitution, everything is false.It must be so, Miyuki couldn't believe that.Sayoko suddenly became listless, looking lonely at the cross on the roof of the chapel. "Is it really... fake?..." Sayoko lowered her gaze boredly. Miyuki felt that Sayoko's drooping face was very charming.In fact, every move of Sayoko is very cute, at least Miyuki thinks so.This is not derogatory. Sayoko must have acquired that femininity unknowingly.Miyuki is thin and tall, she thinks she just looks healthy and has no femininity at all. Miyuki didn't know where the standard was. At times like this, for some reason, Miyuki was always very gentle with Sayoko. "Where did you hear that rumor?" "In many places, I have also heard first graders talking about this matter." "Is this kind of thing so popular?" "No, there are almost no rumors. It must be... only the relevant people know." "Related people? Are you one of those blasphemy girls in the clubhouse?" "No, I think it should be related to the ceremony." "Is there anyone involved in the ceremony?" Ritual related people - sounds strange. "That's so strange, it must be a lie." Sayoko's expression became even sadder, and she said awkwardly, "Yes, it must be a lie." Once this happened, Miyuki would have no way to leave her alone.Miyuki has such a temperament. "Xiao Yezi, what's wrong with you? Why are you so obsessed with this matter?" "That's not it..." Sayoko said vaguely and flatly.Hang your head. Miyuki thought she was trying to appease the other party, but it felt like she was bullying.It's no wonder that comfort and bullying have the same basic feelings. "What's wrong with you? It's weird." "It's not weird at all, it's the same as usual." Sure enough, something was wrong, she was worrying about what to write. Miyuki is not good at dealing with such delicate feelings.She is sometimes extremely sensitive, and other times she is so dull that her feelings are uncertain.So she thinks she is simply dull. Sayoko said in a low voice with difficulty, "Let me tell you, I want to... directly ask Asada-san." "Ask? What do you want to ask her?" "Curse to death... a ritual method." "Sayako... don't you want to do that?" "...Well, I'm half-serious." A shadow cast over Sayoko's cheek. "You mean...Honda?" "Yes. That kind of man, I will kill him." --I see Miyuki was speechless. She failed to appreciate her friend's bitterness, and felt ashamed of her ignorance.Because regardless of other people, Miyuki is the only one who knows about that in the whole world. Sayoko has someone whom even a thousand cuts would not be enough to dispel her hatred. If Miyuki stood in Sayoko's position, she might have the same idea.Even if it is a curse that deceives children, they may want to believe it. The target of Sayoko's murderous intent is a teacher. After Xiao Yezi entered school, she was followed by that teacher.The teacher often used some trivial things as excuses, called Xiao Yezi over, and constantly forced her to accept personal instruction.Sayoko kept saying that the teacher was annoying, and Miyuki felt the same way.However, Sayoko didn't want to kill him just because of this. I remember... last September. Sayoko...was insulted by that super teacher. Strict priests, in the field of pious faith, committed cruel beasts that even the devil feared. This school, St. Bernard Women's College, was founded in the Taisho period, and it can be regarded as a prestigious school.The reason why I say "sort of" is because the geographical location here is remote, so there is no well-known name.Built alone on the edge of the Boso Peninsula and far away from the border area of ​​human settlements, even if it claims to be a famous family, it still has its limits. Even so, this school still has its self-respect and decency as a famous family, and most of the students are of high social status - that is, rich people - ladies.Even if you have no financial resources, you will still be treated courteously by the school as long as you have a good family background. Therefore, there are many daughters of the old Chinese and noble families who study. Therefore, it is difficult for daughters of ordinary families who have no status and livelihood to enter the school.At this time, the most effective way is to donate money.As long as you take out the money, you are not afraid of being made things difficult. Both Miyuki and Sayoko were born into fishermen's families. Although they have no status and reputation, and their family background is not good, they can't be called ladies.It's just that although Miyuki's father is a fisherman, he is also the president of a fishery company, and Sayoko's family is the owner of the ship, so they have some financial resources.Having said that, it is still a little different from the authentic Miss Qianjin. It's not about character.Miyuki understands that the difference in family status is just an excuse, and a person's family background has little to do with how he behaves.A good girl is a good girl, and a bad girl is a bad girl.To put it bluntly, it has nothing to do with bloodlines or upbringing. However, people around look at them differently and receive different treatment.In school, it is the teacher's attitude that is different. There may be prejudice in it, but the difference is the difference.The method of reprimand by teachers is different, and the degree of bullying by classmates is different.Students are sensitively aware of the differential treatment they receive due to factors over which they have no control. Even if there is no difference in the first place, once discriminated against, estrangement will arise.The reason why Miyuki and Sayoko became close was not because the two had similar temperaments, but because the family's financial situation was similar. But since last summer, Sayoko's family situation has deteriorated rapidly.It seems to be caused by an accident on the family boat, but Miyuki doesn't know the details, and there's no need to know.Because things haven't gotten to the point where the family is broken up or the whole family commits suicide.Having said that, the amount of donations from the Xiaoye family seems to have been greatly reduced as a result. Sayoko is having trouble getting a foothold at school But no matter what, the school will not drive students out of the campus because of reduced donations.The school is not that snobbish, and if it really does this, it is not only snobbish, it is simply devoid of humanity.Even so, Sayoko's treatment has indeed become quite bad invisibly. That's what happened in that situation. Miyuki thought it was too much. She remembered the cause as a trifle of insignificance.Because it was so insignificant, Miyuki even forgot.Like breaking a school rule, or getting a drop in grades, or talking back to a teacher—anything like that. After Sayoko was severely scolded, she was raped. "I let you go because I pity you, do as I say!" I heard that the teacher said so. "It's your own fault to go to this kind of school even though you have no money!" I heard that he still said so. Then he insulted Sayoko and said, "Even if women are educated, they are useless to society!" He also said: "Anyway, you women are born prostitutes, it's the original sin!" In the end, he threatened Xiao Yezi that if he didn't want his parents and everyone to know, he would not speak up, and he would still force Xiao Yezi to have a relationship with him in the future. Such things cannot be tolerated in the world. This is a place of faith.A teacher is not only a priest, but a believer, isn't he?Seeing Sayoko crying, Miyuki was so angry that her eyes turned black, it was really pitch black. Sayoko cried out to seek death, but Miyuki dissuaded her. Because suicide is not allowed. If you break the precepts, even Sayoko will fall into hell.The one who should go to hell is the other party. But Miyuki and Sayoko are too weak. They have no means of fighting evil. The saddest thing is the reality that even these days are still passing.There was nothing the two could do, one month passed, two months passed, and Sayoko regained her stability.In order not to let others see, she pretended to be innocent on the surface. In the midst of this, the surface seemed to change into the essence, or the daily life was only the surface, and in the days of drifting with the tide, even such a miserable state seemed to be taken for granted. up. That's all there is to it - Miyuki thinks so too. She deliberately said nothing. Sayoko even said that it is better now that she is not as easy to be bullied as before. Even so, Sayoko was forced to have sex several times a month, and every time that happened, Yeko would cry to Miyuki.Miyuki didn't know how to comfort her at all. Sayoko finally wanted to curse that teacher - Kozo Honda. Miyuki couldn't stop it with the word "ridiculous". Because she felt that even if it didn't work, that kind of man should be cursed. Cursing this kind of thing, just thinking about it is useless.It must be done in a certain way for the curse to work.Miyuki seriously thought, even if the curse is fake or a farce, it doesn't matter, if there is any suitable ceremony, she will accompany Sayoko to reverently curse that man. "Xiaoyezi, are you going to see Asada-san?" "Miyuki, would you like to go with me?" "We are friends." And maybe it will be difficult for me to protect myself tomorrow——Miyuki thought to herself. Suddenly, a bone-piercing cold wind rushed to his cheeks. The two wandered around the campus aimlessly.The landscape here is more like a monastery than a school.There is a circular pool in the center of the atrium.Although a device that looks like a fountain can be seen, few people have never seen it spray water.It looks very deserted in winter. Orchard, Greenhouse, Vegetable Garden, Kitchen and Dining Room.The ancient and huge sanctuary, with the chapel on the right. The three dormitories are juxtaposed on the right side of the chapel. On the left side of the church is a single-room dormitory for special students. Although it is a single-room dormitory, the building is not particularly luxurious, and its appearance is not much different from other buildings, and it is quite old. This building originally seemed to have other uses, but to put it bluntly, it's nothing. It's just that the rich and the parents with better backgrounds wanted to show off their differences from the common people, and demanded that their daughters be treated differently from ordinary students. Arrange such facilities.That's why they are called "special treatment students", which is a wonderful description. Directly opposite the church is the older school building. Because it was cold, the two entered the school building. No one was seen in the atrium, it seemed that it was because of the cold weather, and there were still many female students wandering around the school who hadn't returned from school. But the school isn't small enough to just wander around and meet the characters you're looking for.They grabbed two or three students who were in the same class as Asada Xizi to inquire, but no one knew where he was now. A girl pretended to be arrogant and said: "... She seldom comes to class recently, maybe she is unwell? But I don't know much about it. She seems to go to the restaurant during meal times, but I don't often talk to her." Listening to her answer, she seemed to want nothing to do with it, and she was very cold.Leaving aside curses or rituals, it seems that everyone knows that Asada Xiko has stabbed the basket.No matter how dull Miyuki is, she can still feel it "...I don't know what, I think the matter must have been exposed. Is Asada-san really blasphemy..." Miyuki couldn't believe it. From Miyuki's point of view, the curse is much more realistic than prostitution. "It's better not to ask her..." Sayoko said, "...Thinking about it carefully, even if you meet Asada-san, you don't know what to ask her." That's right, Miyuki is also thinking about this question.It's not easy to ask people: "Are you selling prostitution?" But because the prostitution first exposes the fact, the curses and rituals have credibility, so you have to ask about the curse without confirming whether the prostitution is true or not. "Is it the first grade who is preaching this?" "I heard it in the library, I don't know their names." Miyuki suggested that it would be better to inquire from them, and Sayoko nodded slightly. The two walked around the stone pillars covered with weird reliefs and walked through the oppressive corridor.Although the ceiling is inexplicably high, the hard walls add a sense of oppression without a sense of openness. The two passed the weeping Christ and entered the library. The size of the library is almost comparable to that of a church. Of course, there is complete silence inside. Even if a needle falls in a corner, its sound can be heard at the entrance.Subtle breathing sounds, the friction of turning pages, the sound of trembling footsteps, etc., barely humming and echoing in a low-key manner. Every time Miyuki came here, she always felt an urge to roar out loudly from her stomach. It's the same when going to church, where the sound seems to be louder, so the urge to scream is stronger.Whenever she feels this way, Miyuki thinks that although she is not evil, she probably won't be able to become a pious believer in her whole life. The bookshelf, which was much taller than the tall and thin Miyuki, was densely packed with countless books, including sample documents that no one could understand.The huge bookshelves form a queue, lined up, which is very spectacular.Although there wasn't even a single interesting book - Miyuki thought so - but in the school where there was no entertainment, quite a lot of people came to the library to read. "That's the girl." Sayoko opened her mouth and said silently. As far as the eye can see, a petite girl with freckles is standing on a tripod, preparing to put a large leather-bound book back on the shelf. It looks very dangerous. Miyuki was careful not to make a sound, and approached the girl.The distance between the two is very far, but they cannot be used to run.There was a librarian at the scene, so Miyuki pretended not to see the girl on the surface, but before Miyuki arrived in time, the girl's arms seemed to be unable to hold on. As expected, although the girl stretched her slender arms, the small palm in front of her seemed to be unable to support the heavy leather foreign text. The huge book slowly slid down, not only that, even the girl lost her balance and swayed back and forth.The book fell down. "Ah, danger!" Miyuki yelled, her voice almost drowning out the falling book, and then she ran over, dexterously supporting the tripod and the girl.The silence was broken in an instant, and the librarian stood up fiercely.Even if the movement stopped, the echo of the shout echoed in the room for a long time.Miyuki intentionally said clearly and clearly: "It's really a close call, do you want it?" The girl nodded slightly.The librarian swallowed the scolding and sat back.Miyuki picked up the book that fell on the hard floor, put it back to its original place, and whispered softly: "I have something to ask you, is it convenient?" The freckled girl opened her eyes round in surprise, and once again—this time she nodded vigorously. Sayoko was standing at the entrance blankly.He didn't think a hard-headed librarian would be able to see it, but Sayoko must. Very refreshing, her wish came true. It was like a dream to be able to yell like that in the library. The three peeped at the opportunity and came to the corridor together. They moved to the back of the empty restaurant. Girls are really petite. The eyes, nose, mouth, and hands and feet are all small, which is very different from Miyuki who has long hands and feet.Rather than being a girl, she is more like a child, with a cuteness different from Sayoko. Miyuki introduced herself, and the girl bowed politely and said, "Thank you just now." Then she introduced herself as Yuriko Sakamoto. "We wanted to ask you about the thirteenth zodiac stone. Have you ever talked to someone about it?" "I didn't..." "Don't be afraid. We don't know that at all, but we are too embarrassed to ask our classmates, that's all." "Sister... don't you know? Really?" "We really don't know. Is that something you can't tell others? Or will you be bullied if you tell others?" Yuriko's expression showed uneasiness, of course. "It doesn't matter, we will never say that we heard it from you, I swear to the gods." What an out of place word. Yuriko thought for a while, and said after a while: "I believe you." It may be that what happened in the library just now worked.If it wasn't for Miyuki's exaggerated actions, Yuriko would definitely be scolded.The unexpected and chaotic scene made the big thing smaller and nothing happened. Miyuki did not mention Asada Yuko for the time being, but only asked about the curse ceremony.A child like Yuriko can't talk about prostitution with her. "It's going to be doing some kind of ritual while praying to the Black Madonna at the back of the chapel, isn't it? And then what?" “不是的，学姐真的不知道呢。黑生母是女的，所以只有诅咒男人的时候要请求她。” “男人？欸，说清楚一点嘛。” “学姐知道七不可思议吧？” “知道。”美由纪屈指算起来，“……吸血的黑圣母、十三块星座石、流泪的基督像、打不开的告解室、滴血的厕所、自己弹奏的钢琴，还有……” “十字架后面的大蜘蛛。” 小夜子补充说。这么说来，好像有这么一个东西。十字架后面的话，有蜘蛛居住也没有什么好奇怪的，哪里算得上什么不可思议？所以忘得一干二净了。 “没错，那个大蜘蛛就是溃眼魔。” "what?" How can there be such a thing? ——美由纪想要反驳，但是百合子看起来实在太娇弱、口气也太认真了。真的有那种蜘蛛吗？ ——别说是如此基本的疑问，连蜘蛛是现实的猎奇杀人魔的真面目这种荒唐无稽的说法，百合子似乎也深信不疑。 “可……可是，那是蜘蛛吧？” “是蜘蛛呀，是有这蜘蛛外表的恶魔。可是那个恶魔是善良的恶魔，住在礼拜堂的十字架后面。” “善良的恶魔？” 如果善良的话，就不叫恶魔了吧？善良的话，就应该叫做善魔之类——不过善字底下接个魔也很奇怪，那种称呼还是太荒谬了。 姑且这么称之好了，但恶魔有可能住在十字架后面吗？而且美由纪虽然能够理解概念上的恶魔，却无法想象拥有实体的恶魔。 既然说恶魔住在哪里，那就代表恶魔在那里生活起居，不管怎么样，美由纪就是无法摆脱滑稽的印象。 可是挑语病也没有意义，而且认真地谈论用诅咒杀人这种事，本身就已经够滑稽了。 “大蜘蛛是男的恶魔，会咒杀女人。男人的话，是由黑圣母来杀。黑圣母也是善良的恶魔。” “善良……的恶魔啊……”美由纪总觉得这个称呼很刺耳，“那些善良的恶魔会实现人们的愿望是吗？” “不是任何愿望都可以实现，他们只会聆听咒杀别人的愿望而已，因为他们是恶魔嘛。可是，如果没有充分的理由也不行。像是遭到残忍的对待，或是痛苦的想死，伤心欲绝之类……” 小夜子抬起头来，她现在完全就是这样的处境。一想到此，美由纪的胸口就隐隐作痛。 “……恶魔会为人报仇雪恨、不是什么人都会杀。所以虽然是恶魔，也是善良的恶魔。” “换句话说，恶魔会替人惩罚危害社会的坏蛋是吗？” 总觉得好笑极了，这个恶魔简直就像鞍马天狗。 “可是如果要制裁坏人，用不着去拜托恶魔吧？神明很严格，对世人是公平的呀。” “咒杀别人这种野蛮的愿望，神明……不会答应的吧？” “不是有天谴吗？神明总是看顾着我们这群迷途羔羊……” 美由纪这样想着突然感觉到背后一阵恶寒。 超越者总是监视着每个人——这种想法，有时候想想实在非常恐怖。 “……所以坏家伙迟早有一天……” “可是那也要等到死后，坏人才会被制裁吧？得等到最后的审判才行。要是等那么久，好人也都死了，而且要是怀恨而死，好人反而会下地狱……” 道理还真多。 “……所以恶魔才会代替神明玷污他的双手，我是这么听说的。” “玷污他的双手……” 不管怎么听，都是骗小孩的讲法。美由纪偷偷窥看小夜子，朋友寂寞地望着墙壁。她的肩膀线条浑圆柔和，让美由纪有点羡慕。 “那么，那个咒法要怎么做呢？” “不是咒法，是仪式。” “哦，仪式。” “在满月之夜的半夜时分，站在那里的星座石上，说出想要咒杀对象的名字，还有想要杀他的理由。” “这部分我听说了一点，想知道更详细的内容。像是说，那个仪式是自己一个人进行吗？需要什么道具吗？” “一个人……我想不行。” “这样啊，那是需要两个人或三个人一起吗？” “不是，唔……要很多人一起……” “很多人？很多人一起诅咒吗？大家一起祈祷吗？那样岂不是向弥撒一样吗？好奇怪啊。” “原来有那种团体呀？”小夜子说道。百合子揉着手，偏着头，露出困惑的表情。 “这……我不知道，我不清楚细节。” “很清楚啊，我觉得你知道的非常清楚了。” “但是我并没有亲眼看过。” “那你怎么会知道？” “有一个朋友看过。” 原来如此，有目击者。 “可以告诉我她叫什么名字吗？” “这……我不能说。要是被别人知道她看到了，那个女生还有说出去的我……”百合子垂下头去，“……都会被杀掉。” “被杀掉？为什么？” “因为……那是秘密的仪式。” ——以秘密而言，你也说得太多了吧？ 美由纪心想，煞有介事地说的天花乱坠，事到如今还有什么秘密可言？泄露到什么程度没问题，哪些部分又是秘密，他不知道基准在那里，而且如果这是说出来就会招来杀身之祸的重大秘密，一般来说，打从一开始就根本不会泄露出去。 “可是，那个大蜘蛛和黑圣母都是善良的恶魔吧？那么你们为什么会被杀呢？难道是那些进行仪式的人会来杀你们吗？” "yes." “那些人是谁？” "I have no idea." She is afraid. 小夜子默默地注视着百合子，说：“我说啊，那个看到仪式的女生……难道是刚才在图书室角落跟你窃窃私语的那个人？是不是她？我听到你们在说话。对吧？是不是？” 听到这番话，百合子不以话语，而是以态度回答。少女转眼间脸色苍白，双肩颤抖，最后激烈地摇头。 “这……这我不能说。不，不是那个女生，绝对不是，你搞错人了。” 这跟承认没有两样。在这样下去没有结果，美由纪改变策略。 “那好吧，我明白了，不是那个女生是吧？我知道了，你别那么激动，我不会再问你是谁看到了。可是，你能不能帮我问问那个看到的人？” “……问……什么？” “问问她进行仪式的那些人当中，有没有认识的人。那些人一定是这所学校的学生吧？虽然学生很多，但都是同校学生，总有一两个认识的面孔才对。要是有认识的人，能不能请她告诉我们是谁？” "why……" “我们想要联络进行仪式的人。” 百合子露出诧异的表情。 美由纪向小夜子使了个眼色，然后问道： “我希望你对这件事绝对保密，你能够守口如瓶吗……” 接着她不等百合子回答，径自说下去： “……其实，我们想要咒杀一个人，不管怎么样都想杀了他，所以想知道对他下诅咒的方法。我们有正当的理由，不管是圣母还是蜘蛛都可以，他们要是知道我们的理由，绝对会答应的。或者是，恶魔只会实现那些参加仪式的人的愿望？” “我想……应该没有那种事……” “那么你能帮我们问问吗？对了，和那些人碰头的时候，就说目击到仪式的是我们好了。我们不会说出你朋友的名字。” 百合子想了一会儿，说：“那样的话，我可以答应。”美由纪单方面地说出秘密、强迫缔结信赖关系的策略好像奏效了。 “……里面有一个人……我并不直接认识，好像是二年级的，是叫做麻田……夕子的学姐。” “哦，麻田夕子同学。” 美由纪姑且装作不认识。 话说回来，百合子也坦白的太快了。 这个娇小的少女尽管胆小，却似乎意外地大嘴巴。 或许她是想要早点脱身，才会这么多嘴吗？ “下诅咒的时候，诅咒的人好像要报出自己的名字才行。我朋友看到的时候，那位麻田同学好像就是诅咒的人，诅咒的对象是？——山本老师。” “哎呀，那个老师？这么说来，那个老师是被溃眼魔给杀死的呢。” 我也太会装了吧——美由纪连自己都这么觉得。 “是的，所以山本老师一定是被蜘蛛给杀掉了。因为我朋友看到仪式的时候，山本老师还没有过世，后来老师真的死掉了，我们怕得要命……” 她的表情真的很害怕。美由纪注视着她，心头一片冷静。山本会死，一定只是碰巧。老实说，美由纪一点儿都不相信诅咒。她认为诅咒的意义在于诅咒这个行为本身，至于效果如何，就不必追究了。说穿了只是心情的问题，她觉得如果小夜子能够因此而舒坦些，陪她下咒也无所谓。 不过即使山本不是因为诅咒而死，其实杀人犯就是蜘蛛——虽然这绝对不可能——但那也真的很恐怖，就算这只是单纯的巧合，还是叫人毛骨悚然吧。美由纪最后转念如是想。 “……听说麻田学姐冒渎的是被山本老师发现，吃足了苦头，所以她才向恶魔求救。冒渎虽然是件坏事，但她好像真的被山本老师整得很惨。” 卖春流言的出处原来是麻田夕子本人，她对恶魔的表白对目击者听见了。 ——麻田夕子。 她真的在卖春吗？ 比起诅咒成真，同学卖春曝光一事，更让美由纪大受打击。山本的死能够以偶然解释，但是卖春却不能用一句偶然带过。而且怨恨他人、诅咒他人的心情——例如小夜子的心情——美由纪还能够了解，但是卖春的人的想法，就算再怎么故作老成，美由纪依然完全不懂。 这个一年级生——百合子和她的朋友，难道完全没有这类感想吗？ 卖春的事曝光了——既然百合子可以蛮不在乎地说出口，就代表她对这件事没有什么想法吧。 这种毫不怀疑地相信有蜘蛛恶魔的纯真——单纯，实在不是成熟大人的感性，而那种幼稚的感性，却不知为何对卖春这件事完全没有反应。 话说回来——这真是自私自利的愿望。 如果卖春是现实，就算遭到斥责，也没有道理抱怨。犯错的是麻田夕子，山本舍监只因为责备她就惨遭杀害，实在太倒霉了。这根本是挟怨报复，而且山本死后还被说成女巫。就算她是个讨人厌的老师，美由纪也觉得这太过分了。 说起来，就算请求的对象是恶魔，诅咒的理由是因为坏事曝光而想要善后，这实在太说不过去了。和麻田夕子的动机相比，小夜子的理由名正言顺多了。不过美由纪也觉得，正因为是恶魔，所以才连那种岂有此理的愿望都能够实现吧。就算被称做善良的恶魔，恶魔在怎么说都还是恶魔。 ——how did it happen?我竟然习惯这种称呼了。 美由纪发现自己不知不觉间对善良的恶魔这种词汇不感到怪异，也完全不怀疑恶魔的存在了。她被百合子的感性给传染了。 她决定暂时不理会这些琐事。 “说到麻田同学，她最近好像身体不舒服，很难找到她。除了麻田同学以外，还有没有其他认识的人？” 百合子面露困惑。“这个……呃，我会去问问……对，还有那个织……不，我去问问，所以……” 织？ Just at this time. 百合子“咿”的轻声尖叫。 她的视线盯着美由纪肩膀后头，而且定住了。 ——被看见了？ 神……在看我们…… 美由纪敏捷地回头。 不是神在那里，只有一名男子茫然伫立着。作业服上绑着围裙，手里拿着沾满了煤灰的大锅和刷子。 煮饭的大叔——是负责炊事和杂物的厨房职员。那是一个年过三十、无精打采的男子，记得是去年秋天起在这里工作的，不知道叫什么名字。 ——他在听我们说话？ 美由纪心生戒备。男子注意到美由纪等人的视线，害羞地背过脸去，慢吞吞地往厨房移动，不久后从她们的视野中消失了。 小夜子瞪着厨房说：“那个人……感觉有点恐怖。” 小夜子充满嫌恶、不屑地说。 如果那个男的真的在偷听，那真的很令人不舒服。 可是，美由纪认为就算被那种人听见，也不会有什么影响。小夜子从以前就常说那个大叔很奇怪、不对劲、很讨厌，但是美由纪从来不觉得他让人讨厌到那种程度，需要刻意拿出来说。这么一说，美由纪也觉得那个人有点怪，但总之就是没兴趣。 百合子站着一动不动地好一会儿，然后小声地说“那我失陪了”，逃也似地匆匆跑掉了。小夜子一直目送着她娇小的背影直到看不见为止，然后说：“简直像个小孩子呢。” 美由纪也不懂她心里在想些什么。 ——织，牢狱吗？ 牢狱。这所坚牢的建筑物是一座牢狱——她是这个意思吗？impossible.在美由纪看来，百合子并没有感受到这么深的闭塞感。那么她是说知吗？还是织？织，在这所学院里，说到织…… 小夜子开口了：“她说的是织姬吗？” “怎么可能？不是啦。” 不可能，应该没关系。 那个像天使般纯洁无垢的少女织姬与诅咒、卖春这种忌讳的话题是最沾不上边的。 织姬品学兼优，是个出类拔萃的才女。他是学院中最美丽的女孩，大财阀的千金，同时也是学院创立者的孙女，现任理事长则是她的姐夫。 这样一个女孩，通常都会引来反感。 在封闭的社会里，成员的水平半斤八两，彼此相互抗衡，优秀杰出的人通常都会受到排挤。而这所学院里的学生每一个都娇生惯养，认为自己才是最优秀的。稍微漂亮一点、聪明一点的人，全都会被讨厌、被欺负、受到孤立。为了避免如此，每个人都致力于变得与他人相同。 但是，织姬例外。 织姬在学校里极受欢迎，没有一个人讨厌她，连教师都对她惟命是从。这也是理所当然的，因为即使拿掉家世的光环，织姬也完美的无可挑剔。每个人都羡慕她、憧憬她，甚至有人崇拜她。 因为相差太过悬殊，根本成不了比较的对象。鳖会嘲笑乌龟的弱小，嫉妒玳瑁的亮丽，却没办法顶撞月亮。 “织姬……会诅咒人吗？” “就是啊，她的话，根本没必要诅咒别人嘛。” 在这所学院里，织姬没有“不可能”这三个字。织姬就算不必特意去诅咒什么人，只要她希望，别说是学生了，就算是老师，她也能够轻易地将之解雇吧。 不，别说是诅咒了，美由纪不觉得织姬会憎恨别人，或怨恨别人。 因为织姬比别人优秀太多，根本不需要拿自己和别人比较。织姬虽然不会感到自卑，但似乎也没有任何优越感。听说织姬还继承了创校者的遗志，是个虔诚的基督徒。这样一个女孩，不可能会诅咒别人。她的身上完全找不到那一丝愚昧的感情——看起来。 那种纯洁无瑕的灵魂深深地吸引了众人。 所以要批评她是件难事。 因为去贬低纯洁的事物，只会让诽谤的人感到罪恶罢了。到了这种地步，织姬或许该说是个神圣不可侵犯的存在。 所以……对美由纪来说，织姬令人敬畏，无法亲近。 她们就读的班级不同，也从来没有热络地交谈过。 美由纪不知道织姬究竟是什么样的人。 她只是听说而已 “为什么……可以相差这么多呢？”小夜子好像也在想织姬的事，“总觉得……好傻。” 两人回到中庭 仰望庄严的圣堂 “就去看看吧，牧羊宫。” 美由纪这么说，邀小夜子一起去，但小夜子一副魂不守舍的模样，“嗯”了一声。 两人穿过圣堂前面，走进礼拜堂旁边的小径。 石板仍延绵不绝。 入学的时候，美由纪听说原本应该是回廊的地面上铺的都是石板。 上面排列了几块星座石。 天蝎宫，金牛宫，天平宫。 已走到外面，石板地就结束了。前面是一片茂密的树林，杂草遍布。第十三块石板约在礼拜堂的正后方，而更过去的树林前面，则是一所倾颓的木造祠堂。 那就是黑圣母的祠堂。 木制格子门上的绞锁坏了，里头的黑暗透出来。虽然看不到，但是形状特异的神像在黑暗当中一定更显得漆黑，犹如染满了黑暗一般，监视着礼拜堂似地坐镇在内。 美由纪不是第一次来这里，但是重新审视，这里真是个慑人的地方。 礼拜堂背面的墙壁是一片黝黑而且坚硬的石墙，只有一道采光用的小床开在不自然的地方。墙壁上方由于长期暴露在风雪当中而变色，下方则被复杂纠结攀爬上去的红褐色藤蔓覆盖，即是奉承也称不上漂亮。尽管如此，它的威严也从未风化或隐藏，与其他建筑物相同，仍旧充满了威风凛凛的压迫感。 真是个讨人厌的地方，美由纪心想。 这里很不吉祥，是个非常可厌的场所。 明明这么冷，空气却腐败了，沉淀了。冷空气从后颈溜进身体，土和草这类有机质的味道刺激着鼻腔。明明不是夏天，却处处腐败。 美由纪平常明明对人工且无机质的空间无比反感，然而才踏出去一步，却感到如此地不安，为什么呢？ 是因为坚固的构造物虽然否定一切，但是只要待在里头，它便能够抵御一切外敌吗？ 美由纪瑟缩起来。 小夜子一点都不胆怯，小跑步跑向星座石，调到上头，短短地吸了口气之后大叫：“不管是谁都好，请杀了本田幸三。” “小夜子，笨蛋，会被听见的……” 小夜子不停美由纪制止，说道，“不要紧”，更拉大了嗓门接下去，“本田幸三是个坏蛋！我，渡边小夜子，被他侵犯了！被他玷污了！一次又一次，一次又一次！那家伙根本不是人！” 语尾在空气中回响着。 “因为我家捐款捐得少，因为我家不是有钱人，他就凌虐我，说女人都是卖淫的，玷污我！” rustle. 树林里枯树作响。 美由纪急忙全身戒备起来。 响声很快就停了。 ——有人在吗？ 视线。 Is anyone watching? 即使只是被学生听见——老师当然也一样——不管被谁听见都很糟糕。 但是小夜子却不肯罢休。“请杀了那个男的！” 语尾再次回响。 当回声完全消失之后，小夜子回过头来。 “啊，爽快多了。如果这样就可以了的话……”小夜子说到这里，硬是挤出笑容，“……就太好了。” 小夜子脸上带着笑——在哭。 不可能这样就好。这么简单的行动，根本称不上仪式。如果这样对方就会死掉，大多数坏人早就死光了。但是美由纪心想，如果小夜子这样就满足的话，这样就好了。 But…… 美由纪“沙沙”地踩响枯草，往刚才传出声音的方向走去。 应该不可能有老师在那里，但可能是学生，那么得要对方保密才行…… 黑圣母的祠堂。 没有人的气息。 声音也歇止了。 ——在看的…… 是神吗…… 如果是神明在看，他会怎么做呢？他会惩罚诅咒他人、口出恶言的小夜子吗？ ——不会那样吧。 如果有天谴，那么第一个应该被惩罚的是