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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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiffUxzp5kR
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... 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QsX0e4MNH
"Nani?" a female voice said, unfamiliar but close. "Oii, it's Akira!" the voice said, but it didn't sound like her at all. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3Go6NSXq0
"Great to hear she has fans," Kanzaki said sarcastically. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKRbyOnOhq
"Ah, how foolish of me..." the voice said before hanging up. Kanzaki stared at his phone for a moment. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8faEYBTvB
He didn't know what to do so he decided to ignore it. Kanzaki walked towards his house. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjR77pppJM3
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iKYth9WkI
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DU2wvlO2k
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFWSXxsjMw
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjhSUsVTK3
The room felt cold. He looked around. It was as if something... Or someone was watching him. This definitely wasn't Akira's handwriting. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uOhU25bVV
Kanzaki opened the map fully, his mind racing. He snapped a picture of the back and sent it to Akira. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4j90qQblOU
A few minutes later, she replied: "Who wrote that? It's not a prank, right, Kanzaki?" He called her immediately, it was urgent. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW9i9LSWw2
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQFvuxpq1k
The woman's presence was suffocating. "She reeks of blood... Ugh..." Kanzaki thought, struggling to break free from her grip. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFBpBqbcDO
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... 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ8JCMs4m6q
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMA1etkT1BZ
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlWzNpQVaHt
"What a hassle..." he thought, sighing. He shuffled to the door, embracing himself for a polite talk. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3XMc3PR8p
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zpV2NGjpk
The silence was broken when Aoi suddenly fell on the ground. "Ouch..." she muttered, squinting one of her eyes in pain. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdykmuSu9l
''Are you okay?!'' Remi asks, worried. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg3BWd7lwq
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJt8wewtdsi
"What's a 'Yurei' exactly?" Remi asked. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzC3XQoRDmx
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC5WB1vpH67
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdjfVodu8z
"Hm... I see one right in front of me," he says, going upstairs to his room. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH40Cjmazkw
"Woah, Remi... You just got violated by our neighbour," Takahiro says, clearly impressed. Remi freezes at her brother's reaction. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHvYizgfUQ
"S-shut up!" she yells. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ49RzaZFBu
Takahiro tilts his head to the side. "What's wrong with him anyways...?" he asks. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYYsUM48lX
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFtqcwtO2e
Kanzaki opens the door, looking down at her because of the height difference. "What do you want?" he asks, annoyed. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0heYCbYspi
"You've seen her, haven't ya! Tell me about it," she orders. Kanzaki gestures her to call the others too. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUQrBo7VQ7
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QbVK2zaHe
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡssKA6hIV1W
"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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bKQyBOSil
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ0OQewDoTY
Kanzaki looks down... "If Akira was here..." he thinks, dozing off. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9sKJG1pZH
"Are you okay...?" Remi asks. Takahiro slapped Kanzaki, snapping him back to his senses. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBYfczHqa0f
"What was that for..." Kanzaki says. Aoi looked at the group with excitement. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uBRSSGQHe
"Can we go into the forest? It'll be night, so it's fine, right?" Aoi asks, not scared at all. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfu4bNT4ftd
Kanzaki turned to her, his expression serious. "Let's go to my grandpa first. I need some answers," he suggested firmly. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmcPfsfRkP
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJpZauFai7
Without a word, he turned it over, revealing the back to them. The group leaned in closer. Kanzaki studies everyone's expression. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3dTlyd0wv
"One of them isn't human," Kanzaki thought, his mind racing as pieces started to fit together. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIvjW6Trk18
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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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4fJOi6KhC
Aoi is definitely not human. There's no way she'd know so much about the Yurei at her age. And those posters... 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DQ1Dnhv85
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. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZluK2EOlYE
His eyes narrowed. Yet, she knew. She knew everything. 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡav17kUQN4q
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... 39Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPNejuBVha
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.
