At 3:20 PM, the school bell rang right on time, and students began packing up their books one after another. Those in clubs would stay at school a while longer; in truth, J-Country’s school clubs weren’t as spirited and passionate as one might imagine.
For mainstream competitive clubs like basketball and soccer, there was often a strict hierarchy, with upperclassmen bossing around their juniors and ordering them about. Still, many chose to participate, not entirely out of passion, but to use their club experience as a plus for university admissions.
However, Uzuki wasn’t interested in such perks. Unlike her classmates who weighed the pros and cons and judged the situation, Uzuki preferred going home early to study more. In the future, she also wanted to apply to the University of Tokyo, becoming classmates with her cousin, and from time to time could visit Sijin’s campus to play with him.
After school today, Sijin had said he would come to find her.
Uzuki took out her phone, opened Line, and told Gao Sijin that school was out. Within seconds of sending the message, Gao Sijin replied, saying he and Katakura Eiko were already waiting for her at the school gate.
“Eiko-nee came too…”
During May’s Golden Week, Uzuki visited the Katakura household; only Kazue was home at the time, who told her that Katakura Hayabusa had gone on a trip, and only a distant cousin was home.
And that distant cousin was Katakura Eiko.
Uzuki felt that Hayabusa-senpai and Eiko-san, whom she met for the first time, had many similarities, almost like a gender-swapped version, but she didn’t think much of it at the time and treated them as different people.
Uzuki put her books into her bag, and her friends waved goodbye to her.
“Bye, Uzuki.”
“See you tomorrow, Amano, Aoi, and Kaoru.”
In her old school, there would have been absolutely no one to say “goodbye” to her when she left the classroom.
She wore a fulfilled smile; today, Uzuki spent the day like an ordinary high schooler. Before leaving the classroom, Uzuki asked again:
“Are we really going to investigate the Seven Mysteries?”
“Of course,” Aoi said with a serious face. “In this heat, not going to explore these hair-raising supernatural phenomena would be a total waste.”
“This weekend or next weekend, you absolutely have to come, Uzuki,” Kaoru chimed in supportively.
Class President Amano, however, was a bit hesitant. Entering the old school building without permission was against school rules, but under Aoi and Kaoru’s persuasion, Class President Amano had no choice but to agree.
In this little circle, the fashionably dressed, wealthy Aoi was the real shot-caller.
“Fine, after all, ghosts are just tricks,” Amano said.
“Anyway, as long as the four of us are together, any difficulty will be easily solved. Even if we really run into a ghost, I’ll punch them all away.” Aoi declared confidently, and the other girls smiled in agreement.
Uzuki didn’t know if the school’s Seven Mysteries really existed, but supernatural entities definitely did.
Though her memory was hazy, Uzuki knew that her former friend was a supernatural entity.
However, ever since she made real friends and could freely use her smartphone to log into Line, Facebook, and Twitter, that supernatural friend had vanished without a trace.
Next, she was going to see Sijin. Having not seen her secret crush in so long, Uzuki couldn’t help feeling a flutter in her heart. She also knew that, given her cousin’s personality, she would surely have someone secretly watching Sijin’s movements, so she wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.
Leaving the school, Uzuki, in her JK uniform, happily jogged toward the gate, and saw Gao Sijin in casual clothes standing with Eiko.
“Sijin, Eiko, long time no see.”
Uzuki was as obedient as a gentle puppy. Slightly shorter than Tsukiyuki Rio, Uzuki was an unripe girl, cute but with a hint of youthful naivety.
“Hello, Uzuki. Did you have a good holiday?”
“My holiday was very fulfilling, and I made many new friends. They don’t mind my tattoos, and they’re all very kind.” Upon seeing Gao Sijin, Uzuki immediately opened up, pouring out countless thoughts like water from an opened tap.
To Uzuki, Gao Sijin was her benefactor; without him, she would have continued to be tormented by her mother, Fumiko, with no peaceful days.
“I really missed you, Sijin. How was your holiday? Did you have fun in Karuizawa with my cousin?”
“It was a lot of fun, Uzuki. I was just thinking at the time, it would have been great if you could have come too,” Gao Sijin said softly.
In truth, Uzuki also wished she could have gone to Karuizawa with Gao Sijin, but Cousin Rio hadn’t invited her, which greatly disappointed her.
“If you two want to chat, do it in the car,” Eiko cut in, seeing the two talking nonstop as soon as they met. “In a bit we’ll head to our apartment for a meal, and Sijin-sensei can take a look at my newest drawing. You probably know, Uzuki? Sijin-sensei’s latest volume is about to be released.”
“I know, I’ve been really looking forward to Sijin’s,” Uzuki’s eyes lit up. “Let’s not waste any time, hurry up and go.”
Gao Sijin and Uzuki got into the Honda Odyssey driven by Eiko, heading toward the luxury apartment in Meguro Ward.
Gao Sijin’s current memories had been altered, but he had heard from Rio that Uzuki had endured a miserable childhood, so he always treated her with extreme care, protecting her like fragile glass, and Uzuki basked in his gentleness.
Both the memory-altered Gao Sijin and the one before the tampering gave Uzuki a complete sense of security in her soul. It was actually fine this way; even if Sijin lived in a false world, at least he lived happily, and Uzuki was content with that.
For Uzuki, her current life was truly too perfect.
However, a fierce, malevolent gaze fixed on Uzuki from behind the car. The forgotten “friend” kept watching Uzuki. After Uzuki’s mother, Fumiko, died, having absorbed her dying obsession for control and paranoia, the “friend” had long since become twisted.
It was not a benevolent being.
It was a supernatural entity mutated through extreme abuse, with countless memories of being tortured and killed—those were the souls who had died at the hands of Tsukiyuki Fumiko.
It hadn’t erupted, because in the past, Uzuki treated it as a friend, and the two could rely on each other for warmth and comfort.
But now, Uzuki no longer needed it.
“So you really have forgotten me… haha, hahahahaha…”
Negative emotions made its dark eye sockets flow with blackish-red blood.
The friend that once blessed Uzuki with happiness now held only a venomous curse, with scarlet claws, beastly fangs, and a body covered in black fur.
