The Bear Doll Returns
Writer: Ares
Title: What should I do with this?
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“Ugh…”
I stared hard at the cute bear doll. It had a pretty realistic design mixed in—more like a 3D animation bear than a classic teddy bear.
“They said not to burn it…”
If something really nasty was possessing this doll like I suspected, burning it might release the worst kind of curse. Way worse than the choice curse. So burning it was definitely a bad idea…
‘It might just be an ordinary bear doll, but there’s no point risking total disaster.’
Still, keeping it felt too unsettling, so I decided to throw it away.
“Wait… don’t people usually ask a priest to seal stuff like this?”
The movie cliché popped into my head, so I made another gallery post.
Writer: Ares
Title: What if I leave it at the cathedral??
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“Just throw it away.”
Leaving it at the cathedral didn’t feel great either. Claire could end up in danger.
‘It’s probably just a normal bear doll anyway.’
The choice curse had dumped something on Jayden right before it activated, so this bear doll was definitely just an ordinary toy. Only unsettling because I was overthinking it.
So I chose to throw it out.
Thud.
Before sunset, I left the dorm and dropped the bear doll at the trash dump. Contrary to my worries, it would be properly disposed of.
‘Wait… if it ends up in the incinerator, does that mean the janitor who burns it gets screwed…?’
For a second I worried someone might burn it, but I quickly brushed it off. It was a supernatural entity anyway. As long as it wasn’t me or the other girls getting cursed, who cared?
Feeling refreshed, I headed back to the dorm.
Writer: Ares
Title: Date outfit check
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After setting up the date with Lana on Wednesday, I asked Ellie and Claire out on Thursday.
“D-date…?”
Ellie blushed but looked secretly thrilled. Of course she said yes.
“A date? Are we watching a movie?”
Claire immediately brought up movies. “Hmm, probably not a movie.”
“Ah… I see.”
— Disappointed
— I wanted to watch a movie together after so long…
“……”
“…What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
She looked pretty let down that it wasn’t a movie date. Did she really want to watch something spicy that badly…? Maybe I should tempt her with one next time? No, no—showing Claire any more suggestive stuff might be dangerous.
Anyway, the schedule was set: Lana on Friday, Ellie on Saturday, Claire on Sunday. Pretty packed.
And then Friday arrived—the first date.
“───Aaaaaagh!!”
──Crack.
First thing in the morning, Jayden jumped off the school rooftop in a minor incident. Ellie’s future diary only predicted up to Thursday, so I hadn’t known, but apparently Jayden’s end came Friday morning.
‘He chose suicide over offering his body, huh.’
I heard the scream and the watermelon-splitting sound from the classroom and went out to find students gathered. Jayden left the world looking just like Noel. Maybe he died happy, ending up the same as the girl he loved?
Anyway…
‘…Come to think of it, I need to reactivate the puppet doll too.’
Seeing Jayden’s burst head reminded me the puppet doll was inactive. Nothing dangerous right now, but in this fucking ghost-story academy, I had to stay prepared for anything.
So during lunch I went to see Teacher Rapori.
“Been well, little friend?”
Teacher Rapori greeted me with her usual gentle smile. Luckily her next class was free, so she allowed magic use starting from lunch.
“Just the doll this time?”
“Yes, please.”
“Alright, this way.”
We were both used to this by now. I sat on Teacher Rapori’s cozy lap and rested my head against her chest. Soft, warm sensations wrapped around my back and head.
What can I say… maybe I only use magic for this moment.
“Ugh, heh, hng…”
As usual, Teacher Rapori rummaged through my head with magic and restored the puppet doll’s power. That gave me one extra life for emergencies.
‘…Of course, even this isn’t 100% reliable.’
Noel thought it would protect her too, but she still died. I should treat it like a life vest or helmet. Last time I learned that in truly dangerous situations, the ghost stories will find a way to kill me no matter what.
After spending lunch like that and finishing afternoon classes, I returned to the dorm to change for the date.
‘Kinda nervous…’
It was just dinner together. Plus Lana was a supernatural entity. Even so, my heart pounded at the thought of meeting her alone for a date.
…Was it just lust?
‘Yeah, no matter how I look at it, it’s just lust.’
I knew my desires ran pretty high. Objectively, I was aware of that. So these feelings toward Lana were, when it came down to it, just part of that lust. She did tempt me with her feminine side pretty easily.
“Okay…”
After calming my nerves, I stored the puppet doll in the drawer and left the dorm.
And then—
“What’s up~, you’re super late.”
“……”
Lana was waiting outside the dorm, wearing a pretty casual outfit I didn’t usually see.
“Shall we go?”
“……Y-yeah.”
“Hehe, nervous? Because I’m too pretty?”
“…No way.”
I thought I’d steeled myself, but the moment I saw Lana my resolve crumbled and my heart started racing hard. My face felt hot. Lana grinned playfully and linked her arm with mine.
Writer: Ares
Title: Lana is insanely pretty…
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A newly opened Italian restaurant in the shopping district. The sign and interior were exactly the kind of vibe girls would love.
“Welcome~, this is Gastronival~. How many?”
A pretty waitress greeted us as we stepped inside.
“Gastronival? What does that mean?”
“Who knows?”
When Lana muttered about the odd name, the friendly staff explained while guiding us.
“It’s a mix of Italian and English—Gastronomia Carnival. Means ‘gourmet festival’~.”
“Oh, I see.”
Still weird that Italian and English existed in this fantasy world… This place really was a strange mishmash, just like I’d always thought. History was pure fantasy, yet here we were.
“Here’s the menu. Take your time~.”
After explaining the name, the waitress handed us the menu plus another sheet.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a special service we offer only to couples~. We give it to every couple who comes in~.”
“Hehe, calling us a couple…?”
“……”
Lana leaned in playfully at the waitress’s words. I felt embarrassed and looked away.
“Our manager really loves student couples~. If you fill out this survey, we’ll check your compatibility once you’re done eating.”
“You even check compatibility?”
“Wow, that sounds fun.”
Now I understood why couples liked this place. Besides the food and interior, they had tons of couple- and girl-targeted services. Lana’s reaction showed she was pretty into it too.
‘Compatibility, huh…’
I looked at the paper the waitress gave me. The survey was simple: blood type, MBTI, birthdate, hobbies, likes, ideal type, etc.
‘Blood type compatibility, personality compatibility, and fortune-telling.’
All the stuff girls went crazy for. Lana was already filling hers out. Noticing my gaze, she covered her paper and teased, “What, cheating?”
“…What’s the point of cheating on a compatibility test.”
“You never know. Maybe you want our compatibility to come out super good~?”
“……”
Not a chance.
‘If it comes out good, that’d actually be bad.’
Lana was a supernatural entity. She couldn’t even choose at graduation—if our compatibility was great too, that would be a problem.
‘Might as well be honest…’
Still, I was a little curious, so I filled it out sincerely and submitted it.
“Since you’ve submitted, would you like to draw a card too?”
“Kyaa, tarot cards? Sounds fun!”
“Hehe, it’s part of our new opening event~. Please recommend us to your friends~.”
“I’ll recommend you a lot!”
They even did tarot readings. …If the owner was going to do this, maybe he should’ve opened a fortune-telling shop instead?
‘Anyway, pretty novel.’
Lana and I each drew a tarot card.
“Hold onto the cards and show them after your meal. A staff member will come interpret them for you.”
After handling all that before even ordering, we finally placed our food orders.
“…Kids’ meal?”
“Why? There’s lots of tasty stuff.”
“No, but you’re a grown student…”
Lana picked the kids’ set with hamburger, pasta, and pizza—complete with a little flag stuck in the hamburger. …She actually liked that kind of thing. Kinda cute, honestly.
“This place is really nice though.”
After ordering, Lana leaned in and whispered, “Ares has good taste, huh?”
“Ugh… I just picked randomly.”
“Liar~. You just happened to choose a place full of couples?”
“……”
Just like she said, the restaurant was packed with couples. Pink, flirty vibes filled the air.
“Maybe… you wanted to act like a couple with me?”
“No way.”
“Ehh, lie. Your ears are all red.”
“Th-this is just because it’s hot…!”
“Cute.”
Tap, tap.
Maybe because she liked the restaurant, Lana seemed in a good mood and kept nudging my leg under the table with her foot. Annoying, but… not entirely unpleasant. A weird feeling.
“Mmm! This is so good!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, want a bite?”
“Just a little then…”
“Here, ah~.”
“……”
“What, my arm’s gonna fall off. Ahh~.”
Eating with Lana was… pretty nice. Honestly, it was really fun. Her giggling was cute. Watching her happily eat the kids’ set was cute too.
‘…If Lana were human.’
Looking at her like that, a strange feeling bloomed in my chest. Hard to describe. Kind of like the feeling you get when summer break has only ten days left.
“Let’s come again. …Together.”
Near the end of the meal, Lana smiled and took my hand.
“……Yeah.”
“Really?”
“……I said yeah.”
“Hehe, you didn’t deny it this time and answered honestly. So now you can answer other things honestly too?”
“What…”
“Do you like me?”
“……No.”
“Ehh, lie~. You like me so much.”
By the time we finished eating, our table had the same fresh, couple-like atmosphere as the others around us. Our fingers intertwined, holding hands. Under the table our feet playfully bumped.
Honestly… it was really fun.
“Was everything to your satisfaction?”
“Yes, it was delicious.”
After finishing, we moved to the room opposite the entrance. The restaurant’s layout was unique—you ordered at the entrance, then entered this room on the way out. It was where you paid and where they interpreted the tarot cards and survey for compatibility. Everything about the setup felt special, like experiencing a full course.
“So, how’s our compatibility?”
Seated, Lana held my hand tightly and asked the staff cheerfully.
“Just a moment~.”
The same waitress who’d guided us earlier looked over the survey and tarot cards, then—
“Ah…”
She let out a small sigh, looking slightly flustered.
“Eh.”
“Huh?”
Lana and I both sounded surprised.
“I-I’m sorry! But when compatibility is this extremely bad, some people say it’s actually good!”
“……”
“……”
Our compatibility… came out the worst.
“That was fun.”
“……Yeah.”
“Did you have fun, Ares?”
“Sort of…”
After the meal, Lana and I walked back toward the dorm together, just like we’d walked to the restaurant. The sun was already setting—it was getting late.
‘Worst, huh.’
That was the result I’d wanted… but for some reason, the fact that our compatibility was the worst bothered me. No, it was just baseless superstition anyway.
‘Blood type and MBTI aren’t even reliable.’
That should’ve been true, but why did this result feel like it was revealing the reality between Lana and me…? My mood soured.
‘Maybe my feelings aren’t just lust after all…’
Complicated feelings.
“Hey, Ares.”
“…Yeah?”
While we were walking, Lana called me and took my hand.
“Eep…”
“They said our compatibility is the best. How do you feel?”
“Wh-what?”
“Huh? Happy? Because we’re such a perfect match?”
Lana clung to my side, still holding my hand, and asked playfully. I was dumbfounded.
“It’s not best, it’s worst. You misheard, right?”
“Come on, Ares. Didn’t you hear what the staff said?”
“What…?”
“When it’s extreme, it’s actually good, remember?”
“……”
“Think about it—if you deliberately score zero on a test, that’s actually amazing, right?”
“……Huh?”
It sounded ridiculous, but Lana’s words strangely made sense. Now that she mentioned it…
“Our compatibility is actually super good, huh?”
Seeing my blank expression, Lana giggled and said it again.
“How about it? Happy?”
“……No.”
“Ehh, you look like you’re in a good mood. You’re happy, aren’t you?”
“I said no!”
“Hehe, I see~ Ares is happy because our compatibility is good~.”
“It’s not!”
Somehow the unpleasant feeling that had been stuck in my chest disappeared. Yeah, deliberately getting zero points was just as impressive as getting a hundred. No, no—it wasn’t because I was happy our compatibility was good. But anyway, good was good.
“Good night, sleep well, Ares.”
“…Yeah, you too.”
After that, we parted ways at the dorm intersection. The warmth from her hand lingered a little wistfully.
Thud, thud, thud.
Still, my mood was good. Why? Because the food was tasty? Either way, my steps felt light.
“I’m back~!”
And in that good mood, I entered my dorm room.
“……Huh?”
“……”
There on the floor, waiting for me—
──was the bear doll.
“Th-this… fuck.”
“……”
My good mood instantly sank. The bear doll I’d hoped was ordinary. It really was possessed by something…