The following afternoon.
Sunlight slanted through the dormitory window, cutting a bright strip across the floor. Kashimo sat cross-legged beside the bed, phone in hand. On the screen, his snake had grown so long it was about to trap itself. His thumb hovered over the directional controls as he hesitated between left and right, when a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Three knocks, neither soft nor loud, with a businesslike rhythm.
"Mr. Kashimo, sorry to disturb you."
He raised his head and glanced at the door, then looked down at the snake coiled like a mosquito-repellent spiral on his screen and pressed pause. He walked over and opened the door. An Assistant Supervisor in a dark suit stood outside, holding a brown envelope, his posture so formal he might have been attending a ceremony.
The moment he saw Kashimo, his gaze involuntarily lifted a few inches. This new Special Grade teacher was even taller than he had heard.
"Need something?" Kashimo leaned against the doorframe.
"Yes." The Assistant Supervisor handed over the envelope, his fingers gripping its edge a little too tightly.
Kashimo took the envelope, opened it, and pulled out an A4 sheet. It was standard official stationery, with neat corners and crisp printing, covered in densely packed lines of text and several photographs. He looked down at the sheet, scanned it from the first line to the last, and lightly tapped its edge with a finger.
"A mission? For me?" There was a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Yes." The Assistant Supervisor adjusted his glasses.
"A village in Yamazaki has been producing large fluctuations in cursed energy. Over a twelve-hour period, a Window also observed rhythmic fluctuations, suggesting a cursed womb. And since it lies between Osaka and Kyoto, it's been flagged for particular attention. You're