“The only person at school who knows about this is our health teacher, Harukami. Just our health teacher Harukami, so far. Not Principal Yoshiki, not Vice Principal Shima, not Irinaka in charge of our year, not Hoshina, our homeroom teacher. Only Harukami─and you, Araragi.” “……” “So, what should I do to make you keep my secret to yourself? What should I do, for my own sake? What kind of deal are we going to have to cut to staple your mouth shut?” A box cutter. A stapler. Was she in her right mind? What a way to corner a classmate. Did she still call herself a human being? Knowing that I’d sat in the same room with such a terrifying person for over two years sent a real shiver down my spine. “The doctor at the hospital says that the cause is unknown─or rather, that there might not be a cause. Such a lame conclusion to come to after fiddling around for ages with a stranger’s body in humiliating ways. You know what he said? ‘It is as it was, as it is now.’ How ridiculous,” Senjogahara said, self-mockingly. “Until middle school, I was a normal, cute girl.” “………” Putting aside for now the fact that she called herself cute. It was true that she made regular visits to the hospital. Arriving late, leaving early, simply not showing up.