Chapter 181: A Bad Composition (SCP-012), From Three Years Ago

"Eh!? The Service Club!?"

Judging by Yui's shocked expression, it was clear that she had misunderstood.

Yukino shot a glare at Haruto.

How mean!

She immediately interrupted Yui's strange assumptions and explained,

"The Service Club isn't some shady club. It's about those who possess kindness offering it to those in need. In other words, we're volunteers. Reaching out to help those in difficult situations is what the Service Club is about."

Upon hearing this, Yui finally snapped out of her strange imagination.

"So that's what it is… phew."

She let out a relieved sigh, seemingly happy that her classmate hadn't gone down the wrong path. And with that sigh, combined with her nickname, one could truly feel the weight of a dango.

Yukinoshita Yukino, normally expressionless, twitched the corner of her eye twice in response.

At that moment, however, Haruto had already packed up his things, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and said,

"Alright, you two can take your time discussing the club. I'm heading out first. I just got back from Hyakkaou; I have other matters to handle."

With that, he climbed over the desk and made a swift escape.

"Hey!"

Yukino tried to stop him, but in the blink of an eye, Haruto had already disappeared through the classroom door.

Taking a deep breath, Yukino calmed herself and turned back to Yui. Only to find that Yui was also in a posture ready to run away.

In that instant, Yukino's mental state nearly collapsed.

So Yui had only come looking for that insufferable guy?!

"Yuigahama-san, would you like to join the Service Club?"

Yui's fleeing movements halted, and she flashed an awkward smile.

Under normal circumstances, Yukino wouldn't have pressed further upon seeing this and would have let the girl off the hook.

But… perhaps she had picked up some bad habits from Haruto.

Yukino forced herself to put on an expectant expression, gazing at Yui with hopeful eyes.

And Yui had one fatal weakness—

She wasn't good at expressing her own opinions and was the type to go with the flow.

After sneaking out of Sobu High, Haruto headed toward the containment site Megumi had mentioned earlier.

It was… a tomb.

Yes, a tomb.

Located in the northwest of the Kingdom of Lesotho, it was a burial site for many renowned musicians of the 17th and 18th centuries. Two unfortunate souls had attempted to steal artifacts from the site to exchange for… well, "high-energy" substances.

They broke open a tomb chamber, sneaked inside, and retrieved a parchment from a coffin.

On that parchment was an unfinished symphony, written in still-vivid red ink.

The two unlucky grave robbers didn't even have time to question how, after centuries, the ink remained so fresh before their minds were warped.

They tore at their own skin, letting their blood flow, attempting to complete the symphony with their own lifeblood.

The parchment seemed endless, their blood forming bizarre musical notes.

In the end, both died from excessive blood loss.

Days later, the local authorities discovered the traces of the grave robbers' activities.

The horrifying scene inside led officials to suspect some kind of curse, but no progress was made. That was until the Foundation took notice of the anomaly and intervened.

A team of D-Class personnel was sent into the tomb.

Upon seeing the sheet music on the parchment, they felt an overwhelming urge to touch it and attempted to complete the symphony using their own blood.

The Foundation concluded that the object possessed memetic properties.

Following a series of complex procedures, the Memetics Division was dispatched to Lesotho containment site to assist in the retrieval mission.

The operation was a success—

The Memetics Division successfully contained and sealed away the symphony.

[A Bad Composition (SCP-012), Containment Level 3 - Hazardous.]

[Object Description: This entity is an ancient musical score, written on an aged parchment. The title of the piece is "On Mount Golgotha." The manuscript remains incomplete, and the red ink used in the notation has been confirmed to be human blood.]

[Anomalous Properties: This entity has moderate memetic contamination effects, inducing madness in humans within a few meters. Those affected will attempt to complete the symphony using their own blood. However, after writing a portion, they will come to understand that the symphony is impossible to finish.]

At present, A Bad Composition (SCP-012) is contained in the light containment section of the site. The containment chamber is a seven-meter cube, designed to isolate the object's memetic influence.

SCP-012 is sealed in an iron box, suspended in the chamber to prevent any contact.

The room is dimly lit with only a single emergency warning light to discourage attempts at reading the music.

When Haruto arrived at the tomb, it had already been completely cleared out.

The Foundation was always meticulous in its cleanup.

Blood, bodies, and any items that could have been affected by the anomaly—

All of it had been collected and destroyed.

At this moment, the tomb was as empty as a barren dessert.

Haruto scanned the surroundings and quickly realized that he had likely made a wasted trip.

The nonexistent entity was clearly no longer here.

If "it" were present, there was no way Haruto wouldn't be able to detect it.

Whether it be sound, temperature, shadows, physical presence, or even the very concept of existence—

Haruto would have sensed it all.

Yet, even when activating his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, he found no anomalies.

Clearly, the nonexistent entity had already left.

Haruto frowned, deep in thought.

If it was able to leave, then it most likely wasn't originally inside the tomb.

Megumi had mentioned hearing the sound of high heels.

So… it came from outside?

Why would it come to this tomb?

Because of the Foundation, or… because of the anomaly?

"…Most likely for the SCP. An anomaly collecting anomalies? That's not funny at all."

Haruto recorded the incident in the Foundation's archives.

Going forward, he added a new task to the Foundation's global operations—

A purge of all anomalous forces around the world.

Afterward, Haruto took another look at the tomb.

At this moment, if he forcefully invoked the Power of the World to rewind time, he might be able to track down the nonexistent entity.

However, Haruto's world was bound to the supreme concept of frozen time.

Reversing time was possible, but it wouldn't be perfect.

In the process, he might nudge the timeline, potentially triggering other anomalous events.

After a brief contemplation, Haruto temporarily abandoned the idea.

Risking the world for an entity whose danger level remained unknown was simply irresponsible.

Leaving the site, Haruto prepared to return to his apartment. However, he was stopped right outside.

Looking at the two girls before him, Haruto felt momentarily dazed.

"As promised, we've come to find you, Haruto. You still remember our names, don't you?"

Mitsuha stared at him nervously.

It was the kind of tension that suggested she might just bite him if he said he didn't remember.

However, that nervousness instantly vanished the moment her gaze lowered.

Mitsuha noticed the bright orange-red hair tie wrapped around Haruto's wrist. The hair tie was wrapped twice around his wrist, tied into a neat bow, and stood out conspicuously against the boy's skin.

After a brief moment of daze, Haruto smiled and said,

"Of course, Mitsuha, Suzume, I'm very happy to see you again."

When Mitsuha heard her name, she smiled in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Suzume was staring intently at Haruto's wrist, puzzled about when these two had secretly added another thread of connection between them.

"Meow!"

A soft meowing sound caught Haruto's attention.

On Mitsuha and Suzume's shoulders sat two small cats—one black, one white—both adorably charming.

They were Left Minister and Right Minister.

Since Haruto had freed them from their duty of guarding the passage to the afterlife, the two cats had chosen to stay by Mitsuha and Suzume's side instead, becoming their guardians.

Haruto beckoned with a hand, and the two cats immediately leaped onto his arm.

"Geez, after raising them for three years, why is it that Haruto can still steal them away with just a wave of his hand?!"

Mitsuha puffed out her cheeks, looking adorably frustrated.

As Haruto petted the cats, he chuckled and said,

"It's already been three years..."

Three years had passed. The two young girls he had met back then had now fully matured, no longer the same naïve and inexperienced individuals.

To them, it had been three years. But for Haruto, it hadn't felt that long.

"Suzume and I got into Chiba University, so we'll be staying in Chiba for the time being. That means we're now your seniors, Haruto."

Suzume said with a smile.

Mitsuha also realized this and broke into a grin.

That miraculous experience from three years ago still felt vivid in their minds.

Back then, they had been young and inexperienced, growing step by step under Haruto's guidance.

Even though Haruto had borrowed Mitsuha's body at the time, he had still given them the reliable presence of an older brother.

And now, that 'big brother' had become their junior.

This unexpected contrast filled the two girls with amusement.

Haruto's lips twitched.

Why did everyone enjoy being his senior so much?

Was being a senior really that great?

Could it be that hearing someone call them "senpai" was just that irresistible?

"Speaking of which, that money you gave us back then helped us a lot... We managed to save up a portion ourselves, so we wanted to personally visit and express our gratitude. Haruto, could you introduce us to the person who helped?"

Mitsuha suddenly said.

Haruto was momentarily stunned before quickly realizing what Mitsuha was referring to, the piggy bank that Eriri had been tricked into giving away.

Clearing his throat, Haruto gave a sheepish smile and said,

"Another time. She's been in a bad mood lately, so I'll introduce you later."

Recently, Eriri had been sulking over the memory-erasure incident, and it was something she couldn't even talk about.

As a result, she hadn't been showing Haruto any kindness either.

So, for now, it was best not to provoke her.

Mitsuha and Suzume exchanged confused looks.

Not in a good mood lately?

Could it be… that time of the month?

Uh… yeah, maybe it really wasn't a good time to disturb her.

At that moment, Suzume suddenly smacked her forehead and tugged on Mitsuha's sleeve.

"Mitsuha, didn't your little sister also come to Chiba? Weren't we supposed to meet up with her?"

Mitsuha's eyes widened in realization.

Oh no! She had been so focused on romance that she forgot about her sister!

Yotsuha Miyamizu: Prioritizing romance over family… I'm in tears, everyone!