Was it a ghost or a human?
Uzuki’s legs were trembling slightly. The chaotic piano piece had already thoroughly disrupted her state of mind. Minako was half-kneeling on the floor, the mature and steady label she wore earlier now seeming like nothing more than a disguise.
“Minako, calm down.”
Uzuki gently pressed her hands on Minako’s shoulders and said softly:
“If it’s really too much, let’s just go back. No one will blame us. After all, we’re experiencing a real paranormal event right now.”
Inside the dark corridor of the Old School Building, Uzuki couldn’t see the expression on Minako’s face. Aside from the piano music, only their heavy breathing remained. To be honest, Uzuki was terrified inside too, but having experienced true hell before, she hadn’t completely lost her nerve compared to Minako at this moment.
After the comforting words, Minako’s breathing gradually steadied.
“I’m fine. This is probably just someone’s prank. It has to be! There is no such thing as the supernatural in this world!”
Minako took the lead, walking in front. The soles of her shoes stepped on the old, wooden floorboards. The creaking wood echoed like the shrill screams of departed spirits in hell. Uzuki followed behind her as the two of them climbed to the Second Floor. Minako shouted:
“Who is it?!”
The melody of the piano piece paused for a moment before immediately speeding up, growing even louder, as if mocking Minako. The door to the Music Room was right in front of them; that was where the sound was coming from. Uzuki placed her hand on the doorknob of the Music Room, wanting to open it, but the door was locked tight.
“Stop this prank!” Minako kept shouting.
The piano piece in the Music Room suddenly changed, switching to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. The player seemed to be going mad, playing frantically, but the door to the Music Room couldn’t be pushed open no matter what.
Uzuki’s heartbeat began to accelerate. However, she wasn’t alone; she had Minako, whom she had just met tonight. As long as someone was by her side, it was fine. Even encountering the supernatural was far better than facing it alone. Besides, Minako was Aoi’s friend. To integrate better into Aoi’s circle, she absolutely couldn’t lose face.
“Maybe we should let it go. Let’s go explore the other mysteries,” Minako said, seeing that Uzuki couldn’t pull open the Music Room door.
“Are you really okay?”
“Although it’s a bit scary, isn’t it also thrilling? I’m probably just the cat that gets killed by curiosity. If I can’t verify all of the Seven Wonders, I definitely won’t be able to sleep,” Minako swallowed hard, forcing a very stiff smile in the darkness. “Don’t look down on me. At my school, I’m the president of the Supernatural Club.”
“Minako just said she doesn’t believe in the supernatural, yet she’s the president of the Supernatural Club. Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”
“It’s not contradictory at all. I know a lot of stuff about the supernatural, and I’ve tried all kinds of spirit summoning, but it’s never succeeded. That’s why I don’t believe in real paranormal phenomena,” Minako shrugged somewhat regretfully.
“What if we really encounter a paranormal?” Uzuki pressed.
“If we really encounter one, I brought salt and a video camera. If they really come, I’ll use these to exorcise the ghosts,” Minako said confidently.
They walked away from the door of the Music Room, deciding to record the second mystery for the time being.
—Hee hee hee hee hee hee.
The two of them hadn’t gone far from the Music Room when they suddenly heard the chuckling sound of a baby. It was sharp and grating. Or perhaps it wasn’t a baby at all; it sounded more like some kind of creature imitating a baby’s manic laughter. Hearing this laugh, Minako immediately clung tightly to Uzuki in fright.
Even so, she still hadn’t given up on the idea of exploring. The two of them decided to skip the third legend about Hanako in the toilet. If the legend of Hanako was real, it would definitely kill someone. They deliberately bypassed the Bathroom and planned to head to the Art Room.
“Minako, we’re friends now, right?”
“Of course we are, Uzuki. Even though we just met, we’re already very good friends…” Minako’s teeth were chattering, and her brows were tightly furrowed.
The entire space was enveloped in fear and darkness. This place didn’t feel like a school, but rather hell. Uzuki even felt that seeing a corpse in the Old School Building wouldn’t be strange at all.
The corridor, bathed in moonlight, was dead silent, like a deep-sea world. They walked along the corridor, intending to explore the Fourth Mystery in the Art Room. According to rumors, fresh blood would ooze out in the Art Room at night.
In the corridor leading to the Art Room, many portraits of famous people could be seen.
Suddenly, Uzuki seemed to hear the sound of a switch being flipped.
—Click.
In an instant, the eyes of the portraits in the corridor glowed with a red light. The crimson light was faintly laced with a deep, profound evil. It also emitted a terrifying hissing sound. Their greedy, bloodthirsty eyes looked as if they wanted to tear Uzuki and Minako to shreds.
The Sixth Mystery: At night, the portraits of famous people in the Old School Building come to life and stare at you with malicious gazes.
Uzuki already wanted to leave.
“Minako, should we keep going?”
If they kept walking, they might actually die…
But Minako still forced herself and said:
“Of course we have to go. These paranormal events tonight are once in a lifetime. When it comes to the supernatural, I’ll even risk my life to seek the truth!”
Immediately after, Minako took out salt from the canvas bag she was carrying. She threw it at the eyes of the portraits in the corridor in a desperate, all-or-nothing manner. The red light in the eyes of the famous portraits instantly faded, returning to their lifeless state. Uzuki could finally recognize who these famous portraits were. Most of them were world-renowned figures in the art world, such as Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Picasso, Beethoven, and others.
“I didn’t expect salt could actually exorcise ghosts.”
Minako looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. Uzuki hadn’t either, seeing the previously terrified Minako actually able to exorcise a ghost.
“Minako is so amazing…”
“It seems these mysteries aren’t such a big deal after all.”
After much hardship, the two finally arrived at the entrance of the Art Room. Uzuki tried to push open the door. This time, the door lock only let out a squeaking, groaning sound before it was easily pushed open. This ancient Old School Building had not been used for a long time. The Art Room was filled with dust, causing the two girls to cough violently right after entering.
The Fourth Mystery: The Art Room oozes bloodstains at night.
Uzuki looked around. The unused desks and easels were placed crookedly inside the Classroom. On the easels were many works of art. Uzuki used her flashlight to illuminate the paintings and saw many strange images: a corpse being devoured by African Hyenas, rotting flesh stripped from a white bone, a skeleton hand clutching a rose and laughing maniacally, and a human body drawn completely distorted, with the eyes and mouth scribbled over with black thread-like tangles…
Every single painting made one feel physically ill. In the very center was the world-famous artwork “Rain Woman”.
“Eeeeeeek!!!”
Minako fell to the ground with a strange cry. She used her flashlight to illuminate the blackboard and the walls. They were covered in bloody handprints, and the floor was also starting to ooze bloodstains…
