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As Kanzaki arrived at the entrance of Kawasaki village, the sweet scent of trees greeted him. The quietness of the place felt natural. Kanzaki's eyes lingered on the rooftop where he and Akira sat that night. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjXX8eCkek
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was an unknown number. He answered, and a whisper came down the line. "Hey, I think you have the wrong number," he said, but it was silent on the other end... 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMX6lO6SvY
"Nani?" a female voice said, unfamiliar but close. "Oii, it's Akira!" the voice said, but it didn't sound like her at all. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ069XJt1z7Y
"Great to hear she has fans," Kanzaki said sarcastically. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ690Fn7xGBv
"Ah, how foolish of me..." the voice said before hanging up. Kanzaki stared at his phone for a moment. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6UrJ85NsR
He didn't know what to do so he decided to ignore it. Kanzaki walked towards his house. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkUjDWrMxC
As he entered, he quickly opened KakaoTalk, but closed it again immediately. "I don't wanna be a nuisance..." he thought, pushing away the bad thoughts and focused on getting home. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLPyA6drjCh
Kanzaki greeted his mother, who was planting in the garden, before heading to his room. He sat down at his desk, eyes falling on the map unfolded in front of him. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpF9PUbM14
"Come to think about it... I haven't seen that woman since I went into the bathroom..." Kanzaki mumbles, tracing his fingers over the map. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3pMM6mhDH
As he turned the paper over, his eyes narrowed. Written in thick, jagged handwriting, the words read: "I see you, but you don't see me. We will meet soon, but you wont just meet me." His heartbeat quickened. She was here again. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVOUEcDyKZ
The room felt cold. He looked around. It was as if something... Or someone was watching him. This definitely wasn't Akira's handwriting. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFH6GtuUp8
Kanzaki opened the map fully, his mind racing. He snapped a picture of the back and sent it to Akira. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjKR088dbKa
A few minutes later, she replied: "Who wrote that? It's not a prank, right, Kanzaki?" He called her immediately, it was urgent. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡayJnUsERdP
"Akira. Sorry if I can't keep my prom-" But before he could finish, a cold hand covered his mouth, making him unable to speak. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JtDrKO9VG
The woman's presence was suffocating. "She reeks of blood... Ugh..." Kanzaki thought, struggling to break free from her grip. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPZOJJmvDB
His eyes flickered to his phone... Akira was still talking on KakaoTalk, unbeknownst of the danger. Kanzaki hung up the call and shut off his phone, his heart racing. She can't find her... 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXsqx5hGaP
The woman's voice, soft yet chilling, echoed in his ear: "You will not escape from me..." It was silent and her hand slowly let him go before vanishing. Kanzaki was left there, his breath ragged. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZBMerBbnF
A day later... The sun was rising. ''Kanzaki! Come meet the neighbours!'' his mother yells. They're getting new neighbours, on both sides because the owners went missing and wont come back. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYA7kwZD6vp
"What a hassle..." he thought, sighing. He shuffled to the door, embracing himself for a polite talk. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hyYw5WWwC
The neighbours turned out to be pleasant. The family on the left had a boy and a girl around Kanzaki's age, while the family on the right had a girl, probably twelve or thirteen.
Remi is a 16-year-old girl, born in Fukuoka on March 6th. She loves gaming and nature, and has blonde wavy hair and blue eyes. Takahiro is a 14-year-old boy, born in Fukuoka on December 18th. He loves fighting and action/adventure, and has short blonde hair and blue eyes as well. Aoi is an 12-year-old girl, born in Sapporo on August 2nd. She loves cooking and is a fan of fantasy and history. She has black short hair and green eyes.
The parents and Mio went for a walk around Kawasaki, leaving the children at Kanzaki's house. They sat in silence, doing nothing in particular. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRpWfbUSMy
The silence was broken when Aoi suddenly fell on the ground. "Ouch..." she muttered, squinting one of her eyes in pain. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkoIJX3o78p
''Are you okay?!'' Remi asks, worried. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlhJbzWdlK
Takahiro was just watching as Remi helped Aoi. Kanzaki was leaning on the wall. He had to tell Akira about this. "I heard there are Yurei's in this village!" Aoi says, looking at Remi. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrj1yBwjmn
"What's a 'Yurei' exactly?" Remi asked. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ96tW4C0QWv
"Yurei are ghosts. They're usually women in long white dresses, which get stained with blood easily. I only know one of them... And, oh yeah! They have long black hair that covers their faces. The one I know leads all the Yurei, especially in this village, because of the forest! Her name is the Queen of Yurei's or Fumiko, and I've seen missing posters. It's probably them who did it, and..." Aoi explains. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6UlZCl0F52
Remi speaks up, breaking Aoi off. "So, there are ghosts in this village..." She looks at Kanzaki. "Have you ever seen one?" she asks, leaning closer. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdZ4Rk4HnR
"Hm... I see one right in front of me," he says, going upstairs to his room. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlvKnIucxYh
"Woah, Remi... You just got violated by our neighbour," Takahiro says, clearly impressed. Remi freezes at her brother's reaction. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRwAm8FIMv
"S-shut up!" she yells. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDWYffybfw
Takahiro tilts his head to the side. "What's wrong with him anyways...?" he asks. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMkcwPaqsu
"Maybe... he has seen the queen once but hides it! I'm interested..!" she says, her eyes sparkling. Aoi heads upstairs and knocks on the door where was written 'Kanzaki' "Open up, baka!" she says, kicking the door. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHSfx1EKBR
Kanzaki opens the door, looking down at her because of the height difference. "What do you want?" he asks, annoyed. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0NM6mDrA3
"You've seen her, haven't ya! Tell me about it," she orders. Kanzaki gestures her to call the others too. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzP4oiuYBo
They were in Kanzaki's room, which was simple yet cozy. A modest bed with a plain comforter. A desk cluttered with books. A small, tidy bathroom. A chair, slightly worn from use was tucked under the desk. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFLRAnojr2
"So... I had a best friend named Akira. She liked history. We were just chilling on a roof, watching a red full moon, but when we went to her house, her parents were dead on the ground. There were devil symbols everywhere, and that woman... The Queen... She was just sitting there. We ran away, but she was watching us. She has eyes everywhere, so you could say she knows you're here. She wanted Akira for some unknown reason, but I didn't give Akira to her and let her get out of the village. Now, she's keeping an eye on me," he explains. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ImoIOLhrr
"But I'm glad that she's not following Akira now. You could say... It's like a sacrifice. It's fine..." he says, ending the story. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEI7EfWbVah
Aoi looks at him. "Woah, you really did meet her! Amazing!" she yells. "Legends say she was the one who worked for Astaroth!" she informs, excited. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vk8QQUgtz
Kanzaki looks down... "If Akira was here..." he thinks, dozing off. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjSFCzYpXL
"Are you okay...?" Remi asks. Takahiro slapped Kanzaki, snapping him back to his senses. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1koRi1pYWM
"What was that for..." Kanzaki says. Aoi looked at the group with excitement. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYz0prUu2yN
"Can we go into the forest? It'll be night, so it's fine, right?" Aoi asks, not scared at all. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL89pQo7tqm
Kanzaki turned to her, his expression serious. "Let's go to my grandpa first. I need some answers," he suggested firmly. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFcvrkf2Oz
Kanzaki stood up abruptly, his gaze heavy as he looked at the group. "This has been bothering me..." he muttered, his voice low and uncertain. They watched him with curiosity as he walked over to his desk, picking up a folded map. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvA7TuB3PQT
Without a word, he turned it over, revealing the back to them. The group leaned in closer. Kanzaki studies everyone's expression. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEilhulYu8
"One of them isn't human," Kanzaki thought, his mind racing as pieces started to fit together. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyXM1VbFTA
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~~~
His gaze locked briefly on Aoi. It has to be her. He clenched the map in his hand, summing every bit of information up. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuP0JlJobJ
Aoi is definitely not human. There's no way she'd know so much about the Yurei at her age. And those posters... 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9l5rC3Oj8
He glanced toward the window. My house is far from where those posters are, at least two miles from the entrance of the village. She couldn't have seen them from here, let alone memorized their details. The news about the Yurei is only shared at the far end of Kawasaki, close to the forest. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixd8aWRsQW
His eyes narrowed. Yet, she knew. She knew everything. 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoyKxHSPUk
The realization hit him like a punch to his gut. She is the Yurei. I'm sure of it. She stole a girl's soul and now pretends to be her. Clever... 40Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrGiL0W7az
The voice in his memory echoed faintly. Her voice... it sounded just like the person who called me that night. I won't do anything... I'll wait for the right moment. I'll act like a friend.
