In a certain high school in Japan, in an almost-empty classroom, there were four students huddled around a single desk.

One of them was a girl. Sakayuki Satomi. With straight black hair that reached down to the middle of her back, and green eyes, her height was on the short side. She was gripping a mobile phone tightly, her face white. That was me, having just been killed in the online game, Yamata no Orochi SNS.

Another was a boy, who was average in every way- average height, average looks, average grades, with black hair in a bowl cut. Nobody would look at him twice on the street- that was how ordinary he was. He was Takaki Takamori, and he was the boy who had just killed me online. He was special- though he might not look like it, his every action was cold and calculating, as though he was a computer, an artificial intelligence. You could never let your guard down around him, because he could take any situation and twist it to his advantage.

Third came a girl who was somehow even shorter than I was, who wore her light brown hair in pigtails. In fact, she was so short her sitting height and her standing height weren't very different. That was Takaki Hanako, Takamori's twin/little sister, and bookworm extraordinaire. As usual, her nose was buried in a book, completely oblivious to how I had just suffered a brutal defeat against her brother.

The last was another boy, who was chubby, wore constantly foggy glasses, and seemed to know just about everything related to anime, manga and the like. In short, the stereotypical otaku- except he was actually well-groomed, and his behavior was actually quite refined, unlike the unsanitary, disgusting misogynists who so often dirtied the cast list in famous anime. He was eagerly commentating on our match, and was holding Takamori's hand high up in the air as though announcing the victor in a boxing match. He was Minami Gon, resident super-otaku of our special group.

How did this strange group come to be? Well, that's a complicated story, but telling that story's what I'm here for, anyway, so let's get to it.

From birth, I had always been ignored. It was almost as though my very existence was 'thin', as though people simply didn't notice me unless I actively tried to get their attention. Once, this led to a commotion where my mother, having left me in my baby stroller, looked for me for hours before I got hungry and tired of having a full diaper and started bawling my head off.

My parents were good people. They didn't intentionally ignore me- it was all due to this strange power I possessed. They tried consulting experts on the supernatural, but even they were stumped.

Though this power might seem convenient, it got me into more trouble than you might expect. Whenever I crossed the street, cars would carelessly charge at me, the driver not even offering an apology as the car sped by, having missed me by inches. Whenever I bought things at a convenience store, I had to wave my hand in front of the cashier's face for the checkout to proceed.

Of course, I did some- alright, quite a few- naughty things with this, too. I started fairly tame, with minor things like swiping a pack of gum in a way so I wouldn't be caught by the cameras. To me, cameras were the worst enemy. They weren't affected by my power, so they captured my misdeeds in frightening detail. This was why I avoided them as much as possible. I started dressing in black and covering my whole body so I wouldn't be recognized by the cameras. After all, nobody on the street would notice me even if I wore such suspicious-looking clothes.

After stealing came vandalizing. One night an entire parking lot's worth of cars had their windows smashed in, and nobody could tell who did it. Sometimes the crimes were by day, sometimes by night. It didn't matter to me. I was drunk on the sensation of power.

But I was still bored. Horribly, crushingly, bored. I only showed up to class every once in a while, since nobody noticed anyway.

And then came a transfer student. No, a quick series of them.

First were the Takaki siblings. Though they were technically twins, as Takamori had been born 30 minutes earlier he insisted on Hanako calling him 'onii-chan'. But that wasn't the most extraordinary fact about them. The first time they came to school, as they stood at the front of my class, their eyes met mine.

And they didn't look away or look through me like everyone else did.

After they were finished introducing themselves, they took their seats, their eyes still fixed on me. Later they explained this was because of my haggard, worn expression, and my disheveled clothes which didn't even match the dress code. They had been curious why nobody called me out. Being stared at was a new sensation for me- but I didn't dislike it.

And so, during the next break, I asked them to be my friends, and they readily agreed. It was the beginning of a lasting friendship. Takaki Takamori, the older brother, could somewhat sympathize with my situation, as he was similar to me (but without the whole supernaturally ignored thing)- he was so average most people didn't care about him. All the attention directed at him instead went to his precious sister, which he didn't mind at all, but he was often treated as though he was merely an accessory attached to Hanako, which he did mind.

His personality intrigued me- outwardly he was normal, but I soon noticed his actions were machine-like and meticulous, always choosing the most advantageous option. Truly a frightening person. I couldn't help but be happy he was my friend.

That wasn't to say I wasn't interested in his sister, Hanako. She was a treasure trove as well. Despite looking like a proper ojou-sama, she acted more like an annoying know-it-all, constantly spouting facts from the books she read. I personally found it endearing. Her honest enthusiasm for books was simply adorable.

For the first time in my life, I was able to live a normal life, with friends. People I could talk to, confide in, and have fun with. Before they came by, I had always been alone. Even on my birthday, my parents would forget about congratulating me half of the time, all due to this stupid curse, or whatever it was.

Gon's story was a little different. He didn't look at me like the first two had, so I ignored him, disappointed. Imagine my surprise when after school, he came up to me and asked why I was ignoring him. I replied to him honestly- that I thought he was ignoring me like everyone else, so I didn't really pay attention to him.

Gon's addition to our little group of friends was something I rather forced, I admit, but over time the Takaki siblings grew to like the fourth member of us eccentrics.

This brings us back to the beginning. We had a tradition of staying at the school even after it ended, doing whatever we felt like doing. Recently, I had gotten hooked on Yamata no Orochi SNS, a fairly old multiplayer game that was surprisingly still active, with a decent amount of players. When Takamori learned of the fact, he immediately challenged me to a duel, aiming for my hard-earned items. I accepted, thinking I could beat him, but was beaten into the ground before I could do anything. I put my face against the desk and moaned. I'd put so long into properly developing that character, making the right equipment build for my playstyle.

"Cheer up, Satomi. I'm sure you're going to beat him in revenge sometime."

One thing Gon severely lacked is tact.

"That's not very motivational, you know? What's with that last word? It makes the whole thing sound as though you're riduculing me for my lack of skill."

I retorted, face still pressed against the desk, looking out the window. Then I jerked backwards and hurriedly walked to the window, taking a good look at the school grounds.

"What is it?"

Takamori asked.

"Nothing."

I wasn't about to tell them I had seen what looked like a red-haired little girl suddenly vanish from the middle of the grounds. Even to me, who was affected by the supernatural, it sounded insane.

"Anyway, Mizuno-sensei's leaving, right? I wonder what her replacement's going to be like."

Takamori cupped his chin in thought.

"As long as she doesn't care about me reading books in class, I'll be happy."

Said Hanako, looking up from her book for a brief second before focusing her eyes on it once more. Now that I took a proper look, it seemed to be a book about various poisons and antidotes.

'Uwah, how scary. Also, I wonder why Hanako is reading that book in the first place? Could it be she wants to poison Taka- no, can't be... Right?'

As such random thoughts ran across my mind, I once again caught a glimpse of red hair out of the corner of eye, but this time I didn't go looking for the head it was attached to. It wasn't any of my business, anyway.

After that, we had fun talking about this and that until the sun went down and we went our respective ways. As I stared up at the moon while lying on my bed, I reflected on just how much happier my life had become after my friends had started coming to school. Though I was still ignored by most, it was okay. I had people who were willing to share my burden, to help me out though they had no reason to.

With that happy thought in mind, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, completely forgetting about the red hair I had seen.

The next morning proceeded as usual. I made myself breakfast and packed lunch, then walked to school as fast as my short-ish legs would take me. The sky was a wonderful clear blue, and there was a cool breeze, uncharacteristic of June weather.

When I arrived at my class, the new homeroom teacher hadn't arrived yet. My classmates were abuzz with what they thought the new teacher would be like. Would it be a muscle-bound gori-macho, or a strict-looking yet kind person like Mizuno-sensei?

The door slid open, and in walked what could only be described as a beauty. She wasn't tall- in fact, she could be mistaken for a high schooler. Her hair was curly, and seemed to be a very, very light brown, almost blonde, reaching to just below the nape of her neck, and her eyes were of the same color. She'd worn standard teacher-wear, but of course, my eyes went to her chest first, and was slightly gladdened by the fact that they weren't all that big. I gave my own underdeveloped chest a pat of encouragement.

No, I wasn't a pervert. I was just a firm believer that as long as it tastes good, who cares if it's an apple or a peach? If you still couldn't get the hint, I was bisexual.

"Um, hi, everyone! I'm Tsukuyomi Sasami, and I'll be your homeroom teacher from now on. Yoroshiku~"

At this point half of the class had fallen for her. This half contained all the boys (including Takamori, as he knew how to imitate a normal person very well) and me. At the time, I thought to myself there should be an upper limit to how cute one could get.

"Why couldn't Tsurugi-san do it in my place...? She already has teaching experience, so why me?"

Sasami-sensei mumbled, before clearing her throat with an obviously fake cough.

"Before we start first period, do you have any questions you'd like to ask me?"

"Yes!"

The boys shouted in unison. I refrained from joining in as I didn't want to be embarassed.

"Alright... Hmm... You there! What's your name?"

"Fumito Hajin, sensei! My question is: how old are you?"

"I'm 22 years old, Hajin-kun. Next, you!"

"I'm Takasugi Sousuke. Sensei, are you single?"

"Nope, I'm married. Hm? Did I say something wrong?"

The moment she said those words, all the boys (and me) slumped down in their seats in obvious disappointment. I could practically hear their thoughts:

'That lucky bastard! I swear I'll beat him up if I see him!'

"Um, sensei, what's your husband like? I'm Kobashiri Sakura, by the way."

"When did I ever say anything about a husband? Eeh? What now?"

This time it was the girls' turn to be shocked.

'Same-sex marriage???'

Sure, talk of it being legalized and all that was common in TV, but to see a living example with my very eyes was much different.

At this new reveal, the boys were crushed even further. If it was a man, they could at least envy him; as it was another woman, they couldn't help but give up.

'Ah, I envy Sasami-sensei. And whoever it is she married. I wonder if there'll be someone like that for me someday?'

I slouched down and stared out the window. And then-

"Um, you over there, could you please concentrate on the class?"

Sasami-sensei was talking to me. Me. The girl who was always ignored during roll call, the girl who most of the class thought didn't exist, the girl with no presence.

"Sasami-sensei can... See me? Who... Is she? I've never met an adult who could see me so easily before."

The fact that yet another person who wasn't affected by my curse had shown up made me giddy, and I barely managed to pay attention until the end-of-school bell rang.

"Satomi-chan, please wait. I have something to talk about with you."

Sasami-sensei's voice rang out from behind me, and I motioned the rest of the oddballs to go ahead without me. As the students filed out of the classroom one by one, I sat at my desk rather rigidly, wondering what was about to happen.

"Ah, all the students are gone. Tsurugi-san, Tama-chan, Kagami-chan, it's time."

As though rehearsed in advance, the door at the front of the classroom slammed open and three women entered. No, two girls and a woman, more like.

"I know you! I saw you on the school grounds yesterday!"

The red-haired girl who I'd seen blinked in surprise.

"Huh, you could see me? I guess I let my guard down. But more than that-"

I felt a feeling of intense discomfort as the girl looked at me with a gaze that seemed as though she was stripping me inside her mind.

"Tsurugi-san, please don't try to seduce my students."

"My bad, my bad."

"Satomi-chan, please don't let Tsurugi-san leave a bad impression on you. The blonde girl over there's Yagami Tama-"

The aforementioned Tama waved at me happily, bouncing on her feet.

"The bad-mannered, perverted older-than-she-looks girl with the red hair is Yagami Tsurugi-"

"Hey!"

"But you didn't deny any of it."

"Tch."

"And the cute girl over there is Tsukyomi Kagami."

"Tsukuyomi?"

I widened my eyes at the black-haired, crimson-eyed girl Sasami-sensei had referred to as Kagami.

"Yep! She's the person I married."

Said Sasami-sensei, blushing slightly.

"... Jealous..."

I muttered under my breath.

"Jealous of what?"

Kagami-san asked. I'd thought I spoke quietly enough to avoid being heard, but that was obviously not the case.

"Your relationship, that's what. You two obviously get along really well."

It was merely the complaints of a solo player against the living, breathing fragments of injustice that are riajuus.

'Seriously. Both of them are beautiful, and they're happy with each other to boot. It's almost like their relationship was taken straight from a fairy tale!'

"I see. I'm glad that you think so."

Kagami-san replied in a monotonous voice, before yawning cutely and putting her head on the desk.

"Back to the main issue here."

Tsurugi-san snapped her fingers.

"You. Satomi. Tell me, have you experienced anything strange? Something... That couldn't be explained through scientific means?"

Whatever I'd expected, it wasn't this.

"My entire life."

I managed to croak out, my throat suddenly having gone dry, my tongue feeling like sandpaper.

"Really? What kind of strangeness?"

"People... People tend to not notice me. Pedestrians, drivers, cashiers, security guards, everyone- well, almost everyone. It's like they can't see me until I purposefully try to get their attention."

"I see."

Tsurugi-san said while nodding.

"What do you think, Tsurugi-san?"

Asked Sasami-sensei.

"Probably a curse. Must be fairly major if it can distort the perception of everyone that looks at her."

"B-but there are people it doesn't work on!"

I blurted out. Tsurugi-san raised her eyebrows as she turned towards me.

"Who?"

"My only friends... Takaki Takamori, Takaki Hanako, and Minami Gon. All of them can see me properly. Hey, how come you guys can see me?"

Sasami-sensei, Tsurugi-san, and Tama-san seemed to exchange a glance that seemed to mean 'should we tell her?' The three then played rock paper scissors, with Tama-san using a second hand to represent Kagami-san, who was sleeping, which resulted in Kagami-san's representative hand losing. Sasami-sensei gently shook the napping Kagami-san awake.

"Kagami-chan, could you explain just what we are to Satomi-chan?"

"... Un."

Kagami-san made a noise of assent, and tilted her head to face me.

"Basically, Tsurugi and Tama over there are gods, and Tsurugi is Amaterasu."

"Ha?"

I let out an involuntary noise of disbelief.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaah?! When did Shinto mythology get involved with this? Also, there's no way you're that Amaterasu, right?"

In Shinto mythology, Amaterasu represented the sun. Tsurugi-san shook her head.

"Unfortunately, this is very much real. For example, Tama-chan, please eat this desk."

"Okay~"

Tama-san spread her arms, and suddenly there was a yellowish sphere around her. When the desk touched the sphere, the touched parts disappeared. When it was all gone, Tama-san belched and frowned.

"Not very tasty! Tama doesn't like untasty things!"

I was rather taken aback by Tama-san's childish way of speaking, but the more important matter was that she'd- what did Tsurugi-san call it?- 'eaten' the entire desk using some sort of magical power.

"Yes, yes, I'll get you chocolate later."

"Really? Yay!"

Tama-san jumped at Tsurugi-san and hugged her tightly, burying Tsurugi-san's head in her melons. The fact that the red-haired girl's spine didn't crack from the sheer pressure the hug seemed to be causing impressed me more than the declaration that she was a god.

"As expected of Tama-chan! Your mind may be young, but your body is top-notch!"

Said Tsurugi-san while happily burying her face deeper into Tama-san's canteloupes before being dragged away by Kagami-san.

"Hey!"

"It's embarassing being seen with you in public."

"Erm..."

I said in a quiet voice. Both Tsurugi-san and Kagami-san turned to look at me, which rather intimidated me.

"What about Sasami-sensei and Kagami-san?"

"Sasami is an ordinary human. However, she has received Amaterasu's power from Tsurugi onee-san. As for me, I am what you would consider an android. Or a cyborg, depending on how you look at it."

Kagami-san informed me.

"This is... This is a little too much for me. So you're saying gods exist, and one of them put a curse on me?"

"That's right."

"But why?"

Kagami-san shrugged.

"Who knows? Gods are fickle creatures. Most of what they do are based on fleeting whims."

"I... See."

I really didn't. Of course I couldn't. I knew the supernatural was real, but gods? Moreover, two of them right in front of me? It was a wonder I didn't simply faint out of shock.

"Do you have any ideas on how you could get rid of the curse?"

"Well, I do, but I wanted to get your permission before trying it."

Said Tsurugi-san.

"Is it something dangerous?"

"Well.. Sort of. I'll be using my godly powers to alter reality a bit."

"Alter... Reality?"

My mind really couldn't handle any more incomprehensible things like this.

"I don't really understand, but if you think it'll get rid of my curse, then please, do it."

"If you're sure."

I waited for something to happen. Something so obviously supernatural that it would shock me into unconsciousness. But nothing did.

"Huh. It didn't work."

Said Tsurugi-san with a frown.

"A curse laid by a god who is powerful enough to resist Amaterasu... Exactly who would that be?"

Inquired Sasami-san.

"I can think of a number of candidates off the top of my head, but I don't think any of them would do something like this... Regardless, I'll check around."

"Thank you, Tsurugi-san."

Though I was disappointed, I wasn't about to be rude to a god.

"Well, I'm off!"

"Tama is going, too!"

And only me, Sasami-sensei and Kagami-san were left in the classroom.

"I apologize for bothering you like this so suddenly."

Sasami-sensei apologized.

"No, no, it's not a bother at all. I should be the one apologizing, since you're helping me out with my problem."

I looked at the clock and was surprised to find that it was already an hour after school ended, despite it only having felt like a couple minutes had passed.

"I really have to go home now, sensei, so if you'll excuse me."

As I left the classroom I thought I saw something rather licentious out of the corner of my eye, but that couldn't be right, could it? Sasami-sensei's not the type of person who would kiss someone like that in public, right?

At the entrance, I was met by my friends, who, in an admirable display of friendship, had waited for me.

"What did you talk about with Sasami-sensei?"

Asked Gon.

"Well, it's about my curse. She thinks there's a way to get rid of it."

"What?!"

Everyone, even Hanako, face now stuck in 101 ways to grow sea anemones, was astonished.

"Yep. It seems that she has experience with this kind of... Supernatural things."

"Woah, that's way cool!"

Shouted Gon with typical otaku enthusiasm.

"Really. I was surprised she could see Satomi, but to think she was already experienced in cases like this."

Said Takamori. He was surely thinking of some way to exploit this knowledge, and sure enough, when I sent him one of my Super Satomi Suspicious Stares he flinched, as though hiding something.

"Supernatural... I wonder if I could meet something that looks like it's from a fantasy novel?"

Hanako's eyes were glittering.

"Well, it seems Sasami-sensei herself isn't an average human, so maybe you can ask her."

"What? But she seems so normal! Except for how pretty she is..."

"That reminds me, I met Sasami-sensei's, uh, wife. She was- waiting for Sasami-sensei outside the classroom."

I had to make up a suitable excuse. They wouldn't believe me if I said Sasami-san brought in three people who claimed to be gods and androids and had me talk to them about my curse.

"Really? Was she pretty?"

Said Takamori.

"Mm, I suppose you could call it pretty. But I personally think she leans more towards cute than pretty."

As we walked away from the school, our topic of discussion changed multiple times. During the whole thing, I was smiling

Even if Tsurugi-san couldn't find a way to lift my curse, I still had these three friends with me.