Posted: 2026 01 23

"Hey, why do you always wear that?"

Amatsu, my friend, was sitting across from me in the university cafeteria and pointed to the pendant hanging from my neck.

Houken looked down at the glossy stone on his chest. The oval reflected blue, light or dark depending on the angle of the light. It was something he had been wearing since he could remember, and probably even before that.

I recalled  my mother, who passed away when I was a child, telling me it was a lucky charm. In my hazy memory, I can see her gently enveloping my hand and saying it would protect me.

"I don't know. But I'm kind of scared to take it off."

As he answered, Houken unconsciously gripped the stone. The stone, which should have been cold, felt warm for some reason.

"Hmm."

Amatsu's expression darkened for just a moment. He frowned as if he was thinking deeply about something, but returned to his usual carefree expression.

Keiichi Amatsu was the first friend that Houken had made at university. Shortly after he enrolled, Houken was often alone, and Amatsu was the first to approach him.

Tall and handsome, he always had a crowd around him. He was popular with the girls like a celebrity at school. Houken never expected that someone like Amatsu would become friends with him.

In his rural hometown, Houken was known as "The Cursed Child."

When he was five years old, he lost both his parents in a traffic accident. He was raised by his grandparents, but misfortune continued to follow him. A girl who lived next door, when they were friends, fell down the stairs and was seriously injured. The house of a classmate from elementary school burned down in a fire. In junior high, a friend he often played with was hospitalized for a month with a fever.

"If you get involved with Houken-kun, bad things will happen."

Rumors like this spread throughout town, and before long it became normal for Houken to be alone. His grandparents were kind, but they often looked at Houken with pity.

That's why Amatsu’s company was such a relief to Houken. Amatsu didn't know about Houken's past. He treated him normally without any prejudice. When they were together, Houken felt like he was a "normal person" for the first time.

"Hey, Houken."

Amatsu's expression suddenly became serious. The chatter of other students nearby suddenly felt distant.

“Have you ever looked into the history of that stone in detail?”

"Huh? What do you mean? That’s random."

"Actually……"

Amatsu leaned over in front of the Houken and began to speak in a hushed voice.

"I was researching local history at the library and I came across some old records from the area where your family is from."

"My local history? Why would you do something like that?"

"I was thinking of using it as a reference for my report for a class. But then I happened to come across some information about your hometown," Amatsu took a breath and continued. "There was a description of something very similar to that stone. It was apparently called the 'Blue Cursed Stone'".

“Cursed stone?”

A bad feeling fell over Houken. The stone on his chest suddenly felt heavy.

"Long ago, there were a series of strange deaths in that area. When they investigated, they found that all of the deaths were caused by people wearing the same blue stone. Records said that misfortune would follow those who wore the stone, and that eventually the wearer would lose their own life."

Amatsu's voice gradually became lower and lower. Houken was struck by the sensation that the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria had suddenly faded away.

"That can't be..."

Houken shook his head. He had never heard of such a thing. He wanted to protest that that was pure superstition, but the words got caught in his throat.

The many misfortunes around him flashed through his mind: his parents' accidental deaths, the misfortunes of his friends, and the stares of people who have started to avoid him out of fear.

"But, my mother said it was told to protect me..."

"Did your mother know the history of the stone? Maybe she didn't know?"

Houken was at a loss for words. The memories of his mother were vague, and what a five-year-old child could remember was limited. It was no longer clear whether his mother had really said "charm," or whether the memory was a product of his own desire.

"Just think about all the misfortunes that have happened around you. What if it was all because of the stone?"

Amatsu's words struck a chord of doubt in his heart.

–

That night, Houken was alone in his apartment, unable to get Amatsu's words out of his head.

On his laptop screen on the desk was a copy of the documents sent from Amatsu, with a description of the "Blue Curse Stone." It was a record of mysterious events that occurred in his hometown during the late Edo period through the Meiji period*.

* Edo Period (1603–1868) Meiji Period (1868–1912)

"Those who carry the blue stone often experience strange happenings around them, eventually end up losing their lives, and the stone goes missing only to reappear and repeat the cycle."

As I read the record, written in an old dialect, my hands began to tremble.

Suddenly, memories from my childhood come back to me. The look of worry, yet a resignation, that my grandmother would sometimes have. The silence of my grandfather as he stared at the stone, as if he wanted to say something.

Maybe they both knew something.

Maybe deep down he also knew something was up.

Houken picked up his phone and stared at his grandfather’s contact, but his finger stopped just before pressing the call button. If the stone really was cursed, why did his grandparents continue to make him wear it?

Anxious, Houken called Amatsu.

"Hello, Houken? What's going on?"

Amatsu's voice was as cheerful as usual, and it instantly put Houken more at ease.

"Could you tell me more about that document you found?"

"Oh, so you're curious. Actually, I was looking into it at the library when one of the librarians came up to me and showed it to me. He seems to be from the same area as you, and he told me that there have been stories like that since ancient times."

Amatsu’s explanation was so specific and detailed, it seemed impossible that it was a lie.

"But I can't believe I've been living a normal life up until now."

"Normal, huh?"

There seemed to be a hint of sarcasm in Amatsu's voice.

"If you think your life has been normal so far then... Houken, what's the truth? Because of the stone, you could have made more friends. Don’t you find yourself alone a lot?"

Amatsu's point was spot on. It's true that Houken has avoided getting too involved with people, out of fear that it might cause trouble for them.

"You and I still became friends."

"Maybe it's because I'm special."

Amatsu said with a laugh.

His laugh was as affectionate as ever.

– – 

The next day, they met in the university library. Amatsu was frantically leafing through a pile of thick local history books.

"Good morning, Houken. Did you sleep well last night?"

"Not bad, I guess." 

In reality, Houken had barely slept. He kept dreaming of stones. He dreamed that he was surrounded by blue light and someone kept calling his name. He couldn't see who the voice was, but it felt very nostalgic.

"Look at this." The page Amatsu pointed to contained an old map of the land that Houken knew. "This is where your family home was, right?"

Amatsu's finger pointed to a spot on the map. Sure enough, that spot is where Kenshin's grandparents' house was, where Kenshin grew up.

"Mysterious fatal accidents have occurred periodically in this area from the Edo period through the early Showa period. The intervals are roughly 20 to 30 years. And there are always sightings of a blue stone."

As he listened to Amatsu's explanation, Houken calculated his own date of birth. It had been exactly twenty years since the last recorded incident.

"It's a coincidence."

Houken muttered, but deep down he was beginning to realize that this was no coincidence.

"Houken, I'm worried about you." Amatsu suddenly said with a serious expression. "You are my precious friend. If you continue to wear the stone and something terrible happens... I will never be able to forgive myself for not being able to convince you."

Houken looked into Amatsu's sincere eyes. This man was genuinely concerned about him. For the first time in his life, he felt that someone cared about him so deeply.

"But if I remove the stone..."

"What's going to happen? If nothing bad happens, that's a good thing."

Houken could not refute Amatsu's words.

"Think about it. Has anything bad happened around you in the past year since we’ve been friends?"

Now that I think about it, that was true. Since I met Amatsu, my life has changed dramatically. I had been talking normally with other students and participating in club activities. If there was a curse on the stone, maybe it had weakened.

"Perhaps the stone's power has weakened. So it can be safely removed now?"

Amatsu's logical proposal made Houken waver.

–

That weekend, the two were walking along a mountain path away from the city, a place Amatsu had suggested.

"It's better to be somewhere remote. If something happens, it won't affect anyone."

The mountain path was steeper than he had expected, but Houken continued walking, out of breath. The eerie chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves on the trees made Houken’s heart uneasy. The sky was covered with thick clouds, and it looked like it was about to rain.

"Hey, Amatsu."

"What?"

"Why did you become friends with me?"

As they walked, Houken voiced a question he had been wondering about for some time.

"You're popular, smart, and everyone likes you. There's nothing appealing about being with someone like me, right?"

Amatsu stopped and turned around, gazing at Houken with an indescribable expression. It looked like he wanted to give me a hug in comfort.

"You say ‘someone like me’, but I find you very attractive."

“Attractive?”

"That's right. You have something special that no one else has. I was strongly attracted to you from the first time we met."

Amatsu's words made Houken feel itchy.

Until a year ago, I couldn't have imagined that there would be someone who cared about me so much.

"...Thank you, Amatsu."

The words that came out of his mouth were simple, but Amatsu nodded with his usual smile. Houken once again appreciated Amatsu’s consideration towards him.

"If I remove this stone, I might lose that special attraction you speak of."

"Don't be silly. Your worth isn't determined by stones. It's yourself."

The two of them went further into the mountains. Eventually, they came to the edge of a small pond. The water in the pond was surprisingly clear, and they could see all the way to the bottom. The area they were in was surrounded by a deep forest, and there was no sign of anyone else.

"Is this it?"

Houken asked in a small voice, and Amatsu nodded.

"Yes. If there really is a curse, the water in this pond should purify it."

With trembling hands, Houken touched the chain of the pendant. He had never taken it off in his twenty years of having it, and struggled to remove it.

The moment I put my hand on the chain clasp, the wind suddenly got stronger, almost as if the stone was resisting it.

"Don't worry, I'm with you."

Encouraged by Amatsu's encouraging voice, Houken finally took off the pendant. The stone in his palm glowed a strange deeper blue.

“–Sorry”

Houken murmured softly to the stone, apologizing to the only memento that his mother had left him.

Then, with all his might, he threw the stone into the pond, the splash creating small ripples on the water's surface before sinking.

A loud ringing in his ears began to overwhelm Houken.

With a ringing in his ears that wracked his body, he barely managed to stop himself from collapsing, watching as the stone sank to the bottom of the pond. Strangely enough, it continued to glow faintly until it was out of sight.

Just as the ringing in his ears was about to subside, the phone in his pocket vibrated. 

It was his grandfather. Houken hurriedly answered the phone.

"Hello, Grandpa?"

"Houken"

When I put the smartphone to my ear, I heard my grandfather's usually calm voice twisted with apprehension.

"You removed the stone."

Houken couldn't hide its bewilderment as his grandfather declared in a serious voice. How did he know? It was almost as if he watched him throw it in the water.

"Grandpa, why..."

"Get out of there right now. Get away from whoever you're with."

"Eh?"

Houken turned to look at Amatsu, who continued to stare at the pond, not seeming to mind Houken's conversation.

"What are you talking about..."

"Listen, Houken. The stone was protecting you. It wasn't a curse. It was a barrier to protect you from that person going after you."

His grandfather's explanation left Houken confused.

"Who is that person?"

"Someone who's been after you for a long time. As long as the stone was there, they couldn't do anything. But now that the stone is gone..."

My grandfather's voice became choppy from the static, and the call was abruptly cut off.

"Grandpa? Grandpa!"

I tried calling again several times but couldn't get through.

Houken stared at the screen of his smartphone. It displayed an out-of-range message. Perhaps the signal was poor because they were deep in the mountains.

What do you mean, run away? Who was targeting him?

‘Get away from the person you're with’, was he talking about Amatsu?

While various questions were running through my head, my arm was grabbing suddenly.

“Amatsu?”

Houken turned around to see Amatsu, his arm held in an abnormally strong grip.

"At last."

Amatsu was looking down, hiding his expression. His voice was not his usual cheerful one, but icy and low.

"I can finally touch you."

An indescribable sense of anxiety ran down his spine. Houken tried to shake off Amatsu's hand, but it wouldn't budge.

"Amatsu, it hurts. Let go."

“...Amatsu?”

Amatsu slowly raised his head.

Amatsu still looked the same. However, there was something off about his face. His eyes almost didn’t look human. It looked like peering into the depths of the void.

"Thank you, Houken."

Amatsu was smiling with more glee on his face than I had ever seen before.