“As I thought, it’s better not to investigate The Thirteenth Step.” Hikita Shiori stood at the stairway entrance and said, “Why don’t we go investigate some other mysteries instead? What’s so interesting about an extra step?”
“You seem to be hiding something.” Yu Qingxue held her tachi in one hand, standing before the stairway.
“I don’t know anything, but how do you plan to investigate The Thirteenth Step?” Hikita Shiori furrowed her brow, her gaze fixed on the step beneath her feet.
“How to investigate? Like this, of course!”
Yu Qingxue suddenly swung her tachi. The blade instantly bit into The Thirteenth Step. The wooden stair let out a shrill, agonized scream—half-human, half-ghost.
From the damaged cut in The Thirteenth Step, thick black mist immediately billowed out.
The voices of Aoi, Amano, and Kaoru finally materialized completely.
“What secret is The Thirteenth Step hiding?” Gao Sijin asked, frowning.
“There’s a corpse hidden inside.”
Yu Qingxue stomped hard on the step with her high heel. The aged wooden stair instantly crumbled under the force.
Inside the stair lay stark white bones. Maggots crawled over rotting flesh, sending out waves of nauseating, pungent stench. Brain matter, blood, and chunks of white flesh spilled from the stairway opening, forming a “carpet” that was physiologically impossible to accept.
“Whose corpse is this?” Gao Sijin endured the urge to vomit as he asked.
“You can’t tell anymore. The face looks like it was treated with strong acid—as gruesome as a frog crushed underfoot.”
The stark white, rotting flesh resembled a plaster sculpture.
It turned out that the step, which had seemed so harmless at first, hid something so horrifying within. Gao Sijin covered Uzuki’s eyes so she wouldn’t have to see the highly impactful scene before her. Any person of sound mind who saw the “contents” inside that stair would never be able to sleep soundly again.
The time on their phones also changed from the original 4 AM to 2 AM.
The black mist dispersed. A young girl with a ponytail, dressed in a white skirt, stood on the first floor. Her demeanor and mannerisms made her look like an honor student.
“Welcome to the Inner World, Uzuki.”
“You’re…”
Uzuki remembered.
Her former “friend” had appeared before Uzuki in the image of this white-skirted girl. She had been Uzuki’s Class President before Uzuki transferred schools and had cared for Uzuki deeply. Until one day, she went to visit Uzuki’s house and was never seen again.
The former Class President had been killed by Mother.
But now, she was appearing right before her eyes.
“I’m sorry… I was so focused on my own happiness before that I forgot about you all…”
“That’s right. You forgot about us. When you were in Hell, you could still keep company with devils. But once you came to the world of the living, you were ashamed to be with us. How heartless, Uzuki.”
The hatred brimming in the White Skirt Girl’s eyes was palpable.
The days of being tormented by Mother were long gone, never to return. Uzuki now had real friends. She used to love keeping a diary, diligently recording the daily lives of her “friends” and herself. After being taken in by Cousin Rio, Uzuki only kept the diary for a short while at first. After transferring to Kaijo High School, the pages of her diary had become blank.
“Help, Uzuki! They’re going to kill us!!!”
From the Music Room came the cries of Aoi and Amano begging for help, while Kaoru laughed maniacally, mocking them. Just the sound was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.
“Uzuki, the screams of those who tormented you are the piano music of the Outer World. The content of the piece changes with the frequency and rhythm of their screams. The sound of humans shrieking is beautiful, isn’t it?” The White Skirt Girl pushed up her glasses and slowly walked toward the second floor.
Yu Qingxue gripped her tachi warily, but the White Skirt Girl didn’t seem inclined to fight.
Was it more anger, or more sorrow—being forgotten by your best friend?
In any case, Uzuki’s “friend” was undoubtedly filled with resentment at this moment.
“Follow me, Uzuki. Haven’t you always wanted to save your tormentors?” The White Skirt Girl sneered coldly.
“Actually, I want to apologize to you in person too… I forgot about you, even though we used to be friends who could talk about anything…” Uzuki gathered her courage and took the White Skirt Girl’s hand.
The hand was bone-chillingly cold, as if it wanted to freeze Uzuki’s heart.
“It’s too late, Uzuki. Saying these things now is pointless.”
The White Skirt Girl shook off Uzuki’s hand and opened the door to the Music Room. Yu Qingxue shielded Gao Sijin, Uzuki, and Shiori as they slowly advanced. Gao Sijin had no doubt that at the slightest disturbance, Yu Qingxue would spring into action like a startled hare.
The scene that met their eyes could only be described as utterly horrific. Aoi’s body was riddled with daggers and steel nails. Sliced-off pieces of her flesh were arranged on silver serving platters. Wine glasses were filled with their blood plasma. Amano’s legs below the knees were submerged in a large pot, stewing. The aroma of cooking meat filled the entire room. Kaoru had lost her hands and feet, her severed limbs rotating and roasting like Turkish kebab.
“It’s just the right time for breakfast. After running around the Old School Building all night, everyone must be hungry, right?”
The White Skirt Girl sat down at the table and took a sip of the blood plasma from her cup. The stench of blood made Gao Sijin’s knees go weak, wanting to collapse. Uzuki’s face turned deathly pale, her lips slightly parted, stuttering and unable to form a complete sentence. Hikita Shiori, however, stood calmly to the side, observing this supernatural feast.
“You ghosts really have twisted tastes.” Yu Qingxue curled her lip.
“Young lady, once you die, you’ll be just like us,” the White Skirt Girl said unhurriedly. “Ghosts are very interested in the flesh and blood of certain people, especially the wicked, or those with deep obsessions. For example, if you die, you’ll crave the flesh of your beloved, seeking to achieve a physical union.”
Aoi’s face turned toward Uzuki as she screamed:
“Uzuki, please save us! We know we were wrong! We’ll never do anything horrible to you again! Please!!!”
A woman with bloodshot eyes walked up, slicing the flesh from Aoi’s body with a cleaver. Aoi let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered.
Seeing that woman who still retained some charm, Yu Qingxue couldn’t help but mock her:
“Yo, yo, yo, isn’t this the Tokyo Godmother? How come you’re so pathetic after just a few days? Weren’t you a Gang Leader before? What happened, changed careers to a chef after dying?”
Tsukiyuki Fumiko turned her head. Her bloodshot eyes, completely devoid of whites, were extremely sinister. Her deep crimson lips parted slightly, emitting a smell like rotten eggs:
“If I remember correctly, you’re Tsukiyuki Rio’s Head Maid, right? You truly have a fine-looking body. Would you let me have a taste of your flesh?”
Tsukiyuki Fumiko’s nose twitched like a jackal’s. Her neck twisted at an angle that was utterly impossible for a human, and she crawled on all fours like a spider, approaching Uzuki:
“Uzuki, you’ve come too. As expected, you are Mother’s good child. Come, quickly, become one with Mother. You were born from Mother’s body. After I raised you to adulthood, you have the obligation to become a part of Mother’s body once again.”
