Remember in Episode 2, when Yuuka talked about her friend's mysterious disappearance? Well, we'll finally learn of the events that led to it. However, I'll have to switch up the way I do things for this episode because it has a ton of game-overs, and not only that, but it has a "Dead End Route". As such, I'll be showing every game over as they become accessible and that route first, which will create a different experience from usual, as they can reveal some plot points earlier than usual. But I think this might not be a bad thing since having some foreknowledge might make the events clearer than if we just went along the normal way. Anyway, let's begin, shall we?
This is a story of three years past... from when I was still a high school student.
This event sparked my interest in the occult and brought me to the lifestyle I lead today.
However, I have no regrets about it.
Instead, I'm even grateful that it gave me the opportunity to meet with so many different people and have various experiences.
I'm sure I wouldn't be collecting occult stories, which has now become a daily routine if it had not been for this event.
I would be living the ordinary youth of an ordinary university girl...
That's not a bad thing by any means, but something is missing... I bet I would've thought so.
This incident was a major turning point in my life. This is the story of my first experience of the bizarre...
And, a past... sorrowful memory...
That day, we were waiting at a bus stop near my school for my friend {Kaoru Haguro}.
Next to me was my senior, who was making a delighted face... {Tomoko Sakura}.
She was my senpai, an upperclassman that was in the same drama club as I was, known for her love of pranks and the occult. Skilled at acting, she was someone I respected.
Her mannish personality was her only flaw, however... Come to think of it, she was in a big fight with a guy around that time.
Of course, it ended with her crushing victory. Well, she may be that kind of person, but she's a really kind and dependable person to us.
---Let's return to the original topic.
Looking up at the sky, it seemed like a heavy snowstorm was about to start falling at any moment, as if somehow suggesting what was to come.
"It's starting to give off a good vibe, heh..." She said happily.
I was of the same opinion. "This gray feeling really adds to the atmosphere, doesn't it~?"
"Yeah... Looks like it's gonna be fun!" My mannish senior had a tendency to talk like a boy. She had no intention of fixing it.
So, why are we here? It goes back to a few days ago, after school, when we were having a snack at an okonomiyaki restaurant... [Okonomiyaki is a type of pancake fried on an iron griddle with vegetables, meat and-or seafood and topped with various sauces and condiments.]
[I hope that person-like thing is a painting...]
It was when I was eating okonomiyaki together with Kaoru---
"Oy, Yuuka! You're here, eh?" Someone spoke to me from behind, and I looked back by reflex.
And... there stood Sakura-senpai.
It seems she came looking for me since I'm known to come here often.
"Have you heard of the {rumor of the schoolgirl preserved in formalin}, you know, from our school's seven mysteries?"
She had asked me without any preamble. "No, that's news to me... Besides, I'm in the middle of eating..."
"Next time, we should go see that, Yuuka!" Why go to the trouble of coming here to make such an invitation...?
At her words, I took a peek at Kaoru's expression, since she's not a fan of this kind of topic...
However, she didn't say anything and continued filling herself with okonomiyaki.
Oh yeah, Kaoru... Kaoru Haguro is my classmate. She was the first friend I made since moving in from Tokyo.
I'm told she was born into a prominent local family, but... I don't know the details.
Although there were rumors of a dispute between the two prominent local families, it did not affect Kaoru and me. We were enjoying our days as {best friends}.
Kaoru is the complete opposite of my personality. When she talks, she speaks in a whisper, and her actions are a bit slow, to the point people around me say, "Doesn't she get on your nerves?", but I don't think so at all.
On the other hand, Kaoru has this part of her, what you might call her refined side? It's to the point that I wanted to take it for myself and become a fine lady.
Oh yes, before that---
I had just transferred from Tokyo to a high school in this village a year ago, so I have to admit that there was still a lot I didn't know about it...
To be honest, I was full of apprehension before I came here. The word "village" gave me an image of a closed-off place.
But when I actually arrived, it was quiet, the people were friendly and welcoming... At any rate, it soon became clear that my imagination was wrong.
I first became friends with Kaoru for a really run-of-the-mill reason: when I transferred to this high school, she was sitting next to me. As you can see, that's how mundane it was.
Although Kaoru was not one to talk much about herself, we grew close naturally and began to understand each other, albeit little by little.
In short, Kaoru is the person I trust the most in this high school, and she will always be my only best friend no matter what.
She'll always be...
Now we're off topic again, so let's get back to what happened after school.
"I heard of it, Sakura-senpai!"
Suddenly, {Miki Shimohashi}, the self-proclaimed "hope" of the {newspaper club}, wedged her way into the conversation.
One after another pops up... Why did everyone decide to gather here?
"That's the fifth rumor of the seven mysteries, isn't it?" Miki asked the senior, paying no attention to my confusion.
Miki Shimohashi shows up wherever she hears of something that might make a good story for the newspaper.
Perhaps she's more overzealous than necessary because there is only one member of the newspaper club now.
Some people use words like "brazen" and "shameless" to describe her, but what is she really like?
I'm not that close to Miki, so I don't know what the reality of her situation is yet.
However, once in a while, I do think, "You shouldn't poke your nose into other's affairs..."
She wasn't at all bothered by others' judgment of her. Miki continued speaking happily.
"Speaking of that, have you heard of this story? The legend of {spiriting away} that's passed down in this area..."
"Never heard of it. What's that about?" Senpai-senpai asked back, seemingly lacking much interest.
"This area has been famous for a long time as a place where people get spirited away. I thought Senpai-senpai knew about it..."
Senpai's and Miki's conversation is a long way from being over. I wonder if Kaoru is alright...?
But, these two... What did they come here for? I can understand if Senpai was searching for us, but Miki...?
Was the rumor that 'wherever there's an incident, Miki's always close' true, after all?
I didn't listen to their talk in earnest, but the sound of the "Legend of Spiriting Away" sounded very new to me, having been born and raised in Tokyo.
"So, Yuuka, you comin'?"
"Eh?"
"Don't "eh?" me~, I'm asking if you're coming to see the schoolgirl preserved in formalin we talked about earlier!" The way she spoke made it seem like there was no way to say no.
"...Ah, alright. Let's go!"
"Good, you've decided. Then, Ms. Kaoru's participating too, right?" Senpai was trying to strong-arm Kaoru into this.
Kaoru... kept her earlier silence and continued eating her okonomiyaki. Could it be that... she's angry?
"Nice! Then it's decided! We'll carry it out on the first day of winter break! On the 25th of December~!" Without asking for Kaoru's answer, Senpai steadily progressed of her own accord.
"Um, Kaoru... Is this okay?"
"...Yeah. I can't decline anymore, can I...?"
"Um, Sakura-senpai. It would be alright for me to go with you, too, correct?"
"......" Without even throwing a glance at the requesting Miki, Senpai moved on with her talk. Is something wrong, I wonder?
Our high school is located deep in the snowy mountains. The school is completely closed during the winter vacation, and no one can set foot inside.
The plan was to explore the school grounds during that time.
"However, is it true, that schoolgirl preserved in formalin story...?" I inquired suspiciously about that dubious tale.
"Of course! Do you think of me as a woman that acts without any proof? There's some evidence for it, alright."
Saying so, she pulled out a newspaper clipping from her pocket.
The date was... 40 years ago?
"Uhmm, 'Female Student from the City's Inuyama Girl's High School Spirited Away'...?" It was a headlined article with a big banner.
"And that article says... '{Science Teacher} of the Inuyama Girl's High School Spirited Away'..." This one has comparable content, but the article is smaller.
"Inuyama... That's our school, isn't it!?" I accidentally shouted.
"Yes! Right answer~! These two cases happened at the same time."
"Oh wow~. Spiriting away, hm...? For something like that to actually happen..." Maybe it's not all dubious after all.
The Incidents from 40 Years Ago
The spiriting away cases happened...
>10 years ago.
>40 years ago.
All of the questions here are very easy.
>40 years ago.
They're incidents from 40 years past... According to the article, these cases are...
>"Spiritings away", as written.
>"Murder cases", as written.
>"Spiritings away", as written.
At the time, the incidents were called "spiriting away". The newspapers gave the science teacher a small article, but the female student a large one.
In these cases...
>Only the science teacher was "spirited away".
>Both were considered to have been "spirited away".
>Both were considered to have been "spirited away".
Both incidents were reported as 'spiriting aways'. However, currently, it's told that the science teacher...
>Preserved the schoolgirl in formalin. (Conclusion)
>Murdered the schoolgirl. (Conclusion)
It's an interesting jump to make. What could have caused this?
>Preserved the schoolgirl in formalin.
Now, 40 years later, the case is described as the science teacher preserving the female student in formalin...?
At the very least, Sakura-senpai seems to have connected the spiriting away cases with the "schoolgirl preserved in formalin" rumor...
While I think it's ridiculous, for some unknown reason, it also stirs up curiosity within me.
The newspaper clipping Sakura-senpai held out brought about a considerable amount of interest in me.
Spiriting away, these days... I didn't think it was possible, but there you have it. It must be one of the special privileges (?) of country life.
If that's how it is, then I want to positively enjoy these circumstances. Besides, it's already too late to go back, so it'd be my loss if I didn't try my best to have fun.
Spiriting away, and the schoolgirl preserved in formalin... I know they're just rumors, but my curiosity has been roused.
I want to ascertain with my very eyes the extent of the disparity between rumor and reality.
And so, we decided to enter the empty school during winter break...
...It's for that reason that we stood at this bus stop. Even so, you're pretty late, Kaoru... Did the bus run behind schedule?
"Ms. Kaoru's late, isn't she?" Despite Sakura-senpai's impatience, she didn't seem particularly irritated.
But it'd probably be better if I changed the course of the conversation. I don't know when she might explode...
"Um, Senpai?"
"Hm? What's up, Yuuka?"
"The case from 40 years ago was reported as a spiriting away, right?"
"That's right, they said the two were spirited away..."
"What didja say!?!" The {old lady} waiting for the bus to our side, out of nowhere, started yelling.
"That incident... wasn't a spiriting away or anythin'!!"
It appears that this old lady knows something about the case from that time...
Should I talk with her for a little while? Or---
>"...Do you know about that case?"
⬢ >"...Would you kindly be quiet?"
As I said, I'll be going the Dead End Route first, so I'll have to choose the rude option.
⬢ >"...Would you kindly be quiet?"
"Um, would you kindly be quiet?" I said bluntly.
"Kah---!! Do the youths of today not know a thing ‘bout courtesy!? Speaking to others like that... How! What's with that attitude!? For shame! Shame!!"
"...I-I'm sorry..." I bowed my head many times to soothe the old lady's anger.
"Hmph! That's enough... I ain't saying anything more to you."
"Women like you! They end up invoking the wrath of {Tengu-sama}! Truly revolting!!"
"What is it!? Do you want to hear ‘bout it?"
"Yeah, well... Would you kindly tell us?"
"Hmph! Who'd want to tell you! But, well, if we meet again, maybe I'll tell you ‘bout it... But now's not a good time! I'm not in the mood to chat!"
"I-I see..."
"Ah, it's here, it's here, Kaoru's in that bus!!" I, in order to change the atmosphere, spoke in a deliberately cheerful voice.
[Bus stopping and door opening sounds]
"Sorry to keep you waiting~!" Kaoru wasn't the only one who showed up.
"Huh? Miki...?" Kaoru was silent, making a troubled face.
"Um~, actually, I'm having trouble finding a story for the next school newspaper, so... I ended up following her! Hehe..." Miki scratched her head and showed a smile.
"Seriously!? I said that only us three would be going!" Senpai suddenly started to get angry.
"W-well, Senpai, it should be fine, right?"
"...I'm sorry, Ms. Sakura."
"Now, now, one more person is fine, isn't it? You know what they say about travel."
"...Pardon me..."
I desperately back Kaoru up as she earnestly apologizes. However, Senpai's mood didn't improve. Why is she so angry? I have no idea.
"...Hm? From what I can see, you're the Haguro's daughter, aren'tcha?"
"...Eh?"
"I say, you've angered Tengu-sama! You'll come to know his wrath yourself!!"
The old lady was glaring at Kaoru's face while spewing out curses. Kaoru... looked downwards without uttering a word.
"Ah, it's Teacher Kosugi..." From the direction of the school, {Mr. Kosugi} walked into our view. What should we do, should we say something...?
Mr. Kosugi is popular with many students because of his personality. However, if what we're doing is exposed... not even Mr. Kosugi would let us go.
And all of our plans would come to naught.
Generally, seeing 4 students at a school bus stop despite it being closed would be considered a strange situation no matter how you slice it.
"Hello there." Mr. Kosugi spoke with a smile.
"H-hello..."
"Teacher, you're working even on a day like this?" Moron...! Miki, you idiot! This should have been only a greeting and a goodbye!
There was no need for this question that only drags out a conversation. What if we get exposed?
"Yes, I have a job I can't really avoid, after all. I narrowly make it to the last bus every time."
"...Oh wow... Sounds troublesome..."
"Teacher! Thank you for your hard work! Let's meet again once the next year comes."
"Indeed. Have a good year, everyone."
"A good year to you, too, Teacher..."
"Please don't get too carried away just because it's winter break."
"Understood! I have confidence in that area."
Senpai... What's with that answer...?
"Ah, looks like the bus is about to leave."
For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. You're not taking the bus? If he questioned us like that... I don't know how we could give a good response.
But Mr. Kosugi didn't seem to have any doubts, and after giving us a light bow, he helped the old lady get on the bus before boarding it himself.
"Now then, please excuse me."
"Goodbye, Teacher!" The bus door made a springy 'pshu' sound before closing with a clang.
The bus carrying Mr. Kosugi and the old lady who appeared to know about the incident drove away, honking its horn.
"Phew~, we got in a pinch out of nowhere, didn't we?" Miki spoke, gesturing to wipe her forehead.
"Oh yeah, that's the last bus out of here, isn't it? There's no one on school grounds anymore, then." Saying so, Senpai turned around to face us---
"Okay! Let's go! Even if we've got more people than I planned..." She looked at Miki, then started walking to school.
Speaking of which... I'm suddenly feeling kind of nervous... I wonder if there really is nobody inside the school anymore...
"That's right! The spiriting away story from the other day, how about I finish it while we walk?" That spiriting away story we talked about after school, it still wasn't over...?
"To get us in the mood, why don't I tell you guys the rest of the story on the way to the school?"
Miki began to tell the rest of the spiriting away legend. "In this village, there are two prominent houses, the {Tatara family} and the {Haguro family}..."
The Haguros again...? Do they have a connection with the case, like how the old woman said a while back...?
Miki looked at Kaoru's face. "...It's fine... Please continue..."
Kaoru said so while staring straight ahead. "Then, let's continue. A long time ago, around 40 years from now..."
"Until then, the Tataras held the most power in the village. That's because they worshiped Tengu-sama, who they believed protected the village from disaster."
"What happened then?"
"Then... the incident from Sakura-senpai's newspaper article, the disappearance case of the science teacher and the female student, happened and things changed drastically!"
"The spiriting aways... eh?"
"Yes, that caused the Tatara family's support to poof away in an instant."
"Could that case be connected to the seven mysteries... to the rumor of the schoolgirl preserved in formalin? That's what I think."
"Come to think of it, that old lady from earlier..." She said the case wasn't a spiriting away.
"......" Kaoru has remained silent since a while ago.
She looked like she wanted to say that it didn't matter, but I don't know if that's what she really was thinking.
And then, we finally arrived at the school...
Our bizarre tale, one which surrounded the "schoolgirl preserved in formalin"... had at last begun.
The sky was covered with snowy clouds, and it looked as if a blizzard might break out at any moment.
Metropolitan Police Department Unofficial Case Record Unregistered
"Spiriting Away"
Subject Yuuka Mamiya
Our surroundings were already growing darker.
With the setting sun opposite heavy clouds in sight, my heart pounded with the increasing feeling that the school's figure had changed.
The school building was as if a completely different beast from the school we regularly commuted to.
"Senpai, there's nobody inside the school, right?"
"Yeah, the {caretaker}'s only in during the day."
That's not what I meant, but... Well, I'd go nowhere if I kept being scared. I'll try to get myself fired up...
...It was right then that I incidentally noticed something.
Kaoru's bag... It looked to be a bit fuller than if it held only the absolutely necessary. What could she have brought in there? A change of clothes? There's no way it could be that, right?
"Kaoru, isn't your bag too full for an overnight stay?"
"Ah, this...? They're sweets..."
"Sweets~?"
"I thought we might get hungry... during the night..."
Sweets, huh...? That reminds me, I didn't bring anything. The other two are also lightly packed, I wonder if we'll be fine.
"Kaoru, share some with me later, would you?"
"...Alright..."
Nice. I won't have to worry about my belly with this.
"Sakura-senpai, what should we do now?" Miki inquired with Senpai.
"First of all, let's hide ourselves in a room... and wait until night, is that alright?"
"I agree, let's do that."
"Wow, this is getting kinda exciting."
"...Yeah..."
"Okay, let's go to the locker room!"
Once we arrived at the drama club's locker room, Senpai put her hand on the doorknob and...
[Sound of a door creaking open, then being shut]
The winter dusk is short. A few dozen minutes later and it was already dark...
I must have misheard something because just now, something like footsteps sounded out... Miki, with an uneasy expression, said in a quiet voice. "Senpai... the caretaker's not here, right?"
"Shh! Be quiet!"
At her words, everyone held their breaths...
[Footsteps]
I wonder how much time has passed? The footsteps of the person who seemed to be the caretaker paced back and forth in front of the locker room.
At times like these, the flow of time feels really slow...
[Footsteps]
The footsteps suddenly stopped... right in front of the drama club's locker room, where we hid.
What do we do... If were's found here... we're done.
But the footsteps that stopped didn't move from there. Our environs were completely dyed in black, making it hard to say that visibility was on our side.
[Quick flash]
For an instant, the light of a flashlight flashed in our direction. The tension made it hard to even breathe.
And then, the footsteps once again moved, now to far away. "Phew... We're good for now, right?"
"I think so, but still..."
Senpai looked out the window. [Brief snow effect] Before we knew it, a snowstorm was brewing outside...
"Well, looks like we won't be able to leave until the blizzard ends, eh?" The situation outside the window suggests that we won't be able to go outside for some time to come.
"That sound now..." Kaoru mumbled something like looking outside.
"Probably the gates closing. The caretaker doesn't stay overnight. He left before the blizzard got worse, I'm sure."
"...That means that there really are only us inside the school, right...?"
"........."
We can't leave here anymore, at least not until tomorrow morning. I should have known that before we came here, but... now that it's actually happening, I can't help but feel uneasy.
"By the way, ever heard of this story?" Senpai turned to face us, making a genuinely terrifying face.
"W-what?"
"The urban legend of the three babaa..."
"What is that?"
"If you go to the school toilets in the middle of the night, at exactly 3:33... the three babaa will appear."
"...That's it?"
"Who comes out when you go to the toilet at 4:44?"
"Fufun, that's incorrect." Senpai spoke with an elated face.
"The four o'clock babaa comes out on the fourth day of the fourth month, at exactly 4 hours, 44 minutes, and 44 seconds, after you knock on the toilet's door 4 times..."
"...And then?"
"And then the four o'clock babaa will transport the person who knocked at the door to the spirit world..."
"Huh. But, why is it a toilet ghost story?"
"That's for later... fufu."
"Fufu...?"
[Check the FOAF entry, it's a really dumb reason :^)]
[Background fades to black]
"Let's go. According to the rumor, the 'schoolgirl preserved in formalin' appears in Science Preparation Room Two..."
Senpai turned on her flashlight and left the locker room behind with quick steps.
The path to the Science Preparation Room Two felt greater than usual. The flashlight held by Senpai was the only thing we could rely on, which is also disconcerting.
"Let's talk... about something..." Kaoru anxiously requested a conversation.
Hmm. Who should begin talking...?
⬢ >Let's get Kaoru to do it.
>I'll do the talking here.
>Senpai, like before.
Let's hear another ghost story.
>Senpai, like before.
The one to do it should be Sakura-senpai, like before. "Senpai! Please tell us a funny story."
"A funny story, eh~... Alright! Then, I'll show off my best!"
From the way she's talking... is it really going to be a fun story? I think we're proceeding in the wrong direction... "Er... What I'm about to tell is a real story..."
"......*gulp*" I wonder who was it... The sound of saliva being swallowed echoed through the area.
"This is a true event that occurred in a certain high school in the Kantou area..."
"One day, A-kun went to school and saw that the classroom had blue blood... all over the floor... Blue blood was densely packed..."
"What happened then...?"
"A-kun was startled. There was nothing there just the day before..."
"So, A-kun summoned his courage and went to confirm it... What that... blue blood was..."
"A-kun scooped up the blue blood with his finger and... licked it."
Eh? Would you normally lick something like that...? "...And after licking the blood, A-kun couldn't help but let it slip!"
"Goo~d blood♪!"
"...Huh?"
"Goo~d blood... Good blood... Blue blood."
"Blue blood...?"
[I'm sorry, but puns are hard to translate, this was the best I could think of.]
"Hahaha, so? Wasn't it funny?" It was so stupid both Miki and I were astonished beyond words.
"Fufu... That story's pretty funny..." Kaoru... laughed... I didn't know Kaoru liked this type of stuff...
Over the course of this dumb conversation...
We had finally reached the Science Preparation Room Two, currently unused by anyone.
This has been a sealed door since before I changed schools...
A door that seemed to completely deny incursion...
There are so many planks stuck there, as many as physically possible. It doesn't seem like we can enter.
"Voilá! Don't worry, I've prepared for this, too!"
Senpai said so and took out an L-shaped iron bar from her pocket. It's a... "Crowbar! Let's tear these boards apart!"
"Tear them, hm..."
"...Is that okay? To do such a dangerous thing..."
"It's fine, it's fine! Leave it to me!" Senpai seemed to be forcing herself to act cheerful. Her voice was somewhat shaky.
That makes sense. Just imagine if the schoolgirl preserved in formalin was on the other side of the door...
Of course, I'm also pretty scared, having wandered around in this utterly pitch-black school building.
Senpai ripped off the affixed boards with the crowbar she held and slowly reached out for the doorknob. Then, the forbidden door was opened...
[Very quick flash of cat eyes, it hisses]
"Uwaah!!?"
A {black cat}, which somehow entered the room, bolted out from inside.
Two eyes, floating in the jet-black darkness... This room hasn't been used for a long time, and yet... Where in the world did this cat come from...?
"...A cat..." Kaoru curiously murmured.
"Why was a cat in there!?" After trying to hide her surprise, Senpai said so loudly.
"I couldn't have... survived in there for 40 years, could it?" I had been plunged into ridiculous delusions.
"Hey... don't say scary things." I was seriously afraid.
"If we catch that cat, we'll find out if it's a nekomata or not."
Miki bent forward as if she found the perfect material. "Hey, why don't we chase after it?"
What do we do? Should we...
⬢ >Try to pursue the cat.
>Hurry on ahead.
Okay, this will be the first round of game overs, and they're long. The rest of this post will only be for them.
⬢ >Try to pursue the cat.
All right. Let's follow that cat now. Maybe we'll find a secret path.
However... it's dark, this place.
The cat's... over there. It's briskly and rhythmically walking down a pitch-black corridor.
I earnestly traveled through the dark hallway. I wonder how far this corridor continues onward?
I suddenly felt uneasy. I've been chasing a cat, but that reason no longer mattered halfway through...
At any rate, I want to go to a well-lit place... to break free from the fear of the dark as soon as possible...
How far have we traveled? I'm not even sure... "......Huh?"
I looked behind me... and saw nobody was there anymore... "No... no way..."
Naturally, I thought everyone else went along for the ride... The anxiety in my gut radically grew...
I looked forward and the cat wasn't there as well... What do I do? I'm all alone.
This is bad. I have to reunite with everyone.
I then proceeded to walk back to Science Preparation Room Two.
But... How cruel of everybody. I did this in the first place because Miki looked like she was going after it...
However, it's also true that I arbitrarily ran off alone. Maybe I just didn't notice them calling out to me...
I... really don't know how long I've walked... I feel like I've walked... for a lifetime.
Having lost track of that cat, until I came back to the science prep room, I'd only feel disheartened...
If I returned, I'd be able to see everyone. That was the only thing that kept me going...
Nobody was there.
"W-where did you all go!?"
It's no use. In my confusion, I couldn't restrain my will. I was on the verge... of screaming...
I'm starting to feel kind of sick... Ah... What do I do...
"Kaoruuu!! Sakura-senpaii!! Mikiii!!"
......No reply......
I'll return to the locker room... Or maybe... Ah, that's right!
Come to think of it, there's a night-duty room. The caretaker shouldn't be there now, so everyone else might be there too.
Besides, the least terrifying spot in the school is... there. It's at least a dozen times better than being here alone.
I walked down the corridor, which was as cold as a refrigerator, for a while. Compared to my normal walks through this corridor, I can definitely say I'm feeling something new.
What could this sensation be?
I need to meet with everyone quickly... With this as my only emotional support, I walked on and on.
I was leaning forward a little more than usual, probably because my mind was restless...
[Piano notes]
It happened when I was approaching the music room. I'm sure... I heard a piano's notes. Please, stop it already... seriously...
I doubted my ears, but... the sound I heard was real.
Maybe Miki, or Senpai... or Kaoru were playing, that faint hope filled my chest...
Should I try to... open the music room's door?
⬢ >Investigate the music room.
>Ignore it and proceed onward.
Both of these options lead to game-overs, but I'll take the lower one first.
>Ignore it and proceed onward.
At last, I reached the night duty room, but there was no one inside. Where could everyone have gone to?
After leaving the night duty room to search for them, I encountered Miki.
"Sakura-senpai told me to go to the staff room and look for a phone, but..." Miki kept looking downward.
"...It couldn't connect?"
"Yes... It was no good..."
"Where's Senpai and Kaoru?"
"They said they were going to call for help."
"Do you mean... they went outside, to the blizzard!?"
"Yeah... Senpai said she would take responsibility... I tried to stop her with Ms. Kaoru..."
Miki continued hanging her head.
"Kyah!?" [Fluttering of wings]
The shadow of a large bird-like creature passed outside the window. What was that just now...? It wasn't an ordinary bird, was it...?
"That startled me..." Miki held her hand to her chest with wide-open eyes.
"It's cold in here, let's go back to the night duty room. Senpai's going to give up soon and come back too."
"...I hope so..."
[It's that face again, now in the darkness]
We arrived at the night duty room, then slowly survey the inside.
"Kyaah!!"
"Eh? What's wrong, Miki?"
"That... over there..." I looked at the direction Miki pointed to, and there I saw a large pool of blood.
It still hasn't dried... Surely, it must be recent. Is this... really happening...?
Why is there a puddle of blood in this place...?
"Hey, Miki...?"
"......"
Miki was looking at a spot on the ceiling. Is there something there?
"Hey, Yuuka. Want to go the toilet?"
Suddenly, Miki started fidgeting. "Eh? No... not that much..."
"Let's go! I... can't hold it in any longer..."
"But, this... are we just going to leave it alone?" Suddenly wanting to go to the restroom, something feels weird. I wonder why Miki's acting like this.
"......Then... I'll be going alone." Saying so, Miki went to leave.
Now alone, I began to feel uneasy... A mysterious pool of blood suddenly appeared... Then, Miki stared at the ceiling... What in the world was Miki looking at?
What's... on the ceiling...?
[Background cuts to black]
"Kyah!" Abruptly, the room's lights went off. What? What happened?
A power outage? Or...
[Thud]
"Hih..." Something... fell from the ceiling...
This thing was... breathing heavily... and seemed to be coming closer to me...
I-I can't move...
There's something... just a few millimeters in front of me. If I move just a little, I can escape... but my body remained frozen, and I couldn't speak.
What should I do...
What will happen...?
What will happen... to me?
It's already... too late... I'm a goner...
This breathing... It's like it's licking all over me... slowly, leisurely wriggling around my face. What... is this? Is it... a person? Or is it...
Suddenly, a siren went off. It was a siren meant to warn of heavy snowfall. For a moment, the thing stirring in the darkness stopped moving.
Now! I have to escape now!!
I recklessly ran. Nothing else.
I don't remember exactly where or how I ran, partly because it was in the middle of a snowstorm, but...
It seems... I somehow got away. That's good...
Really... good...
[Fade to black]
By the time I regained consciousness, I already was in the village's hospital. I tried moving my body, but it still hurt here and there. "Um... I..."
"You need to rest. You have bruises and broken bones... You're in pretty bad shape." The nurse beside me smiled.
"Um... How was I saved?"
"The Tataras' grandmother... she found you. You should thank her."
"Is that so..." Tataras' grandmother... huh...
Surely, it must be the old lady from the bus stop. That old lady, she...
"Ooh, you're awake, eh, sleeping beauty?"
"...Uh... Who are you?"
"Ah, I'm Safuji. A detective from the prefectural police."
"...Is that so...?" He looks like a somewhat flippant guy... The detective had a faint grin on his face.
"Old lady Tatara was pretty worried about you."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. Here, you should properly thank her."
Behind the detective was an old woman with red swollen eyes. That's... the old lady from the bus stop.
"Um, thank you very much..."
"......"
"...Madam?"
"Ah, she's frozen again. I'll definitely find your son, lady, so cheer up."
"I know that! My son... He's... not that weak!!"
"Oho. Lively, aren't you? Guess you'll be living a while longer."
"Uhh..." I asked the detective, unable to grasp the situation.
"Um... Mr. Detective, what about everyone else?"
"......" The faint smile disappeared from his face.
"H-hey, how's Kaoru? Senpai? Miki?"
"They all went missing." A merciless reply spun out of the detective's mouth.
"...Eh?"
"The prefectural police opened a search today morning. We still haven't found them."
"Went... missing...?"
"They were spirited away! Because they went to Tengu-sama's shrine... they were spirited away!!"
"Old lady..."
"Why were you the only one!! Why were you the only one who wasn't taken!? Give back my son! My son... my son...!!"
"......"
I couldn't say anything... Why was I the only one who returned? I don't know...
And, where did they all go...
That, too... is still unknown... This year, I became 20 years old. Close to three years have passed since then.
But... their whereabouts stayed unknown to the end... I alone remained... If only... I had made a different choice back then...
No, maybe there wasn't anything I could do at that time... I don't even know whether to be happy or sad when I think about that...
With this, the curtain closed on my first supernatural case. I remember it from time to time, even today. Everybody's faces... from that time...
Comprehensive Evaluation: D Class
Yuuka Chapter - Spiriting Away - End
[Let me show you the other option]
Should I try to... open the music room's door?
⬢ >Investigate the music room.
>Ignore it and proceed onward.
This option technically leads to two other game-overs, but only one of them is new.
⬢ >Investigate the music room.
The music room at night... It's kinda scary. I felt as if the many portraits in the room were looking at me at once, making me look over my shoulder...
I couldn't calm down for some reason.
But what was that sound from before? Even after entering the music room, I didn't find anyone... What should I do, maybe go outside?
I don't want to stay here for too long, so I'm gonna go outside and, once again, look for the night duty room.
Exiting to the corridor, there stood a human silhouette. Miki? Senpai? Or maybe Kaoru? While itching to grab them, I quickly move towards them.
"Ah..."
The person standing there wasn't Miki, or Senpai, or Kaoru, but instead, Mr. Kosugi... "Ah, T-teacher..."
He should have gone home... In the middle of this fierce snowstorm, why is he here...?
"Is that you, Mamiya-kun?"
"Y-yes... W-what are you doing here, Teacher? I thought you had gone back to town on the bus..."
"I got worried."
"Eh?"
"You see, I saw you girls walking toward the school, right? I thought you might be up to something."
"W-what do you mean, up to something?"
"Well, that was a joke..." A joke, huh. For a moment, I really was terrified.
"This blizzard, it made me worry for you."
"So you came back for us? Teacher... Thank you very much."
"No, no, it's alright. As long as you're safe, that is."
"But, how did you make it here through this snowstorm? It would be dangerous to use a car, wouldn't it?"
"Mn, ah... I walked here."
"Eh!? You came on foot? All the way here?"
"Y-yeah, that's right. On foot."
However, his coat didn't have a speck of snow on it... Did they all melt away and dry already?
"And the other students? What are they doing?"
"Eh? Ah... I don't know... where everyone is..."
"You don't know?"
"I lost sight of them halfway through... Then, I..."
"Is that so... I understand."
"I think they may have gone to the locker room, or the night duty room, but... I don't feel comfortable going alone... Teacher, can you go with me?"
"Yes, that would be good. I'll also worried about the others. I'll be going with you."
"Thank you!"
"Okay. Well, shall we go?" Thus, we decided to head for the night duty room.
[Quick fade to black]
"Uh, ugh..."
"Eh? Is something wrong, Teacher?"
"No... it's... nothing..."
"That doesn't look like its nothing, though..."
"U-uhm... It seems like my stomach isn't doing very well... I'm sorry, but... may I quickly go to the bathroom? Doing it in front of a girl... would be inexcusable, however...."
"It's okay. Then... I'll wait here."
This is somewhat sudden... But it's pretty cold. Getting a stomachache isn't shocking.
It might be my imagination, but my belly is hurting too... But I'll bear with it.
However... A school at night... Even further, a toilet at night is a nasty place. They say spirits gather near water, after all...
...Is he done? "......"
Huh? He's not coming out. Why is that?
Entering the male bathroom... Naturally, I'm reluctant to do so, but... What should I do...?
I'll wait one more minute, and if he doesn't come out, then I might try going in...
It's not like there's anyone else in here... It should be alright for me to go in to see what's up... "...But still..."
As expected, there's some resistance. Before anything else, let me try to call for him.
"Teacher--!! Teacher Kosugi!! Are you okay? Teacher-!" My loud questions recieved no answers.
"Huh? That's strange... Teacher?"
No way, could he have collapsed in the bathroom...?
I've... never been in a men's restroom before... I see... It's built completely differently from the girls'... Hmmm. Oh yeah, the toilet Teacher's in is...
This one... right?
[Knock knock]
"......" No response...
Teacher... What happened to him? I'm certain that he went inside this one.
Maybe the person I was with until a while ago wasn't Teacher? ...That couldn't be, but...
...What if he was a ghost...
There's no way it's something ridiculous like that... Or rather, I shouldn't think about that... It's only going to make me even more scared.
[Knock knock]
"Teacher--! Are you okay-?"
Teacher... please come out... I can't see... any signs of him being inside.
"Teacher-!?" W-what do I do? Should I try opening it?
"Teacher, I'll open the door, okay?" There is no reply from within. If nobody's inside when I open it...
Then would the Teacher from back then... really be a ghost's mischief? No way. That... couldn't... be... but... just imagining it gives me goosebumps.
Then, it happened---
[A dark-green noh mask with red highlights appears for less than a second]
"Hih!"
Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opened and I saw a green face fly out from inside...... It was a tengu-like face...
I can feel my consciousness fading... My life didn't flash before my eyes, so... I guess I'm not dying...?
I somewhat feel like... I'm lightly floating in the air...
Huh? I... fainted... but... my consciousness... faintly remains... That person with the tengu-like face... I wonder who they were?
What? I feel like someone's dragging me into the stall... Who? What will... happen... to me....?
"Ugh, uuuhn..." With my head still fuzzy, I slowly surveyed my surroundings. From the looks of it, this is the inside of a toilet stall?
But... I don't remember why I'm in here... Err...
That's right... Teacher entered the bathroom... He didn't come out at all... So I went in to see what happened...
When I tried to open the door, a tengu...
Tengu...
A tengu, that's...
It's no use... My thoughts aren't making sense.
First of all, the thing that came out of the toilet, what in the world was that?
It resembled a tengu I saw once in a picture book, but is it really something like that...?
[Flapping of wings]
"Hiiih!"
That shadow now... What was that?
It looked like a tengu's shadow...
With so many things happening in rapid succession, it's hard to know what's real and what's imaginary...
A tengu... There's no way such a thing really exists... yet it seems as if it's real, but I'm sure it's just due to this unusual situation.
Anyway... I need to clear my head. I won't be able to think of anything until I do so.
"Eh?" The door... won't open...
Looking closely, the inside lock is broken. And it appears that something is blocking the other side.
"Kh!" What do I do... But I have no choice. In a situation like this, I can't do anything but this!
[Bam!]
I kick down the stall door and go outside. I looked around the area, but.... Teacher is nowhere to be found.
"Mr. Kosugi...?" I tentatively called for him, but didn't recieve a reply as I hoped.
I have no idea how much time has passed since then.
I don't have a flashlight or anything, but... Let's just head to the night duty room. Everyone might be there...
Outside, the furious snowstorm still raged and strong winds rattled the windowpanes. The snow was sticking to the glass, so the conditions outside were completely unknown.
Total darkness and clattering windows... Just that made me almost faint again.
I can't seem to reach the night duty room... Time feels... really slow...
In the distance, I can see a window with faint light spilling out of it. Thank goodness... I made it safely to the night duty room...
In the brief time it took for me to think so, I could hear some kind of noise coming from the room. A rattling sound coming from above...
What is that noise...? Shall I go in to check it?
Entering the room, I found nobody there. Huh? Where is everybody...?
I'm sure I had heard something from above the ceiling, but... There's no way something could be up there, right?
...Maybe I'll give a little peek...
Opening the sliding door of the closet built into the wall, I found a gaping hole on its ceiling.
To be precise, the piece of wood that should have been there had been removed.
Could it be, it's over there...?
"Ugh, it kinda smells like mold..." Little by little, my eyes grew accustomed to the darkness.
From the looks of it, nothing's in here... [rumble] "Hih!?"
[The wings from the other bad end show up for a second]
Eh? What was that I saw now for an instant...? It seemed a little like a hand, but...
[Rumble] "Eh...?" This time, I felt a presence from behind me. Someone's... up here?
What should I do? What... what can I do?
"Nh?" After advancing through this crawlspace for a while, I saw a light in the distance.
"That's... a small window, isn't it?"
If I proceed further, I'll reach the small window, and might be able to use it as an exit.
Outside is a fierce blizzard, however... that person's presence is definitely approaching...
What do I do...? That presence is surely heading after me...
Gradually, meter by meter... it slowly approached...
Into my blurred view... it entered.
It... wasn't something of this world... There was no other way to describe it.
The sharp glint in its eye... stopped my movement. Despite my wish to move, despite I yearning to escape... I was unable to advance.
At times like these, you should calm down... Starting from my right hand's fingers, I begin to move bit by bit...
I thought about chanting something, but...
I believe that was the way to cope with being stared at by a rabid animal... I wonder if that would work?
I slowly made my right index finger move... Apparently... I can move just fine now.
But while I was doing that... That person... certainly continued its approach.
Their breath is already... hanging over me...
It's no use. I don't seem to have any more time. I have no choice... I need to move in one go.
"...Uh...gh..." My body... seems to be moving.
What do I do now? What should I do? I have a feeling this will decide my fate...
What do I do...
>Just run to the exit.
>Wait and see just a little longer.
The first option goes to the blizzard scene, but the other choice gives a different ending.
>Wait and see just a little longer.
Okay! I have to calmly observe the situation... I say that, but... it's pretty dark in here, isn't it?
After advancing forward a little more, I bumped into something. What is this...?
Slowly, the object entered my field of vision. Amidst the darkness, it gradually began to take on a clearer outline...
I immediately realized that it was a human's hand. "Kyaaaaaah!!"
T-that scared me... W-what is this? Could it be a dead body? Stop it, please...
"Huh?" I'm feeling some kind of presence... A presence of someone wriggling in the darkness...
No way, again...? I want to go back already...
That someone's presence... It seems to be getting even closer.
What should I do? What do...
[Fluttering of wings]
"AAAAAHHH!!"
It happened so suddenly. That presence rapidly approached and clung to my back.
I-I can't shake free... I-it's... too strong...
No good... I can't... move... And... for some reason... my strength... my energy... I feel like they're slowly being taken from me...
...Ah... I should have known... I shouldn't have climbed to this attic... due to curiosity alone...
But... it's already too late... for regrets...
Everything... is already... over...
[Fade to black]
Years have passed... since then. I'm still here... wandering the earth... I could never have thought astral bodies were real...
Until I actually became like this... Right now, I'm above a professor's office in the university I wanted to go to.
He's having a somewhat serious-sounding conversation... I wonder what he could be talking about?
The other person seems to be a detective? That's what it seems to me, but...
But it's impossible for me to interfere. Because I'm only a consciousness... Lightly... Just lightly drifting around, like a floating weed...
Ahh... I'm feeling kind of sleepy... Is my life as a floating weed... finally reaching its end?
Perhaps... I'll be going to the next... world...
Comprehensive Evaluation: D Class
Yuuka Chapter - Spiriting Away - End
This marks the end of this part. That second bad ending honestly hurt a bit, but not as much as the blue blood pun. Anyway, we'll continue from before the bad endings in the next part, but that doesn't mean there won't be other interruptions to show them off, even in the good route. The number of them is actually ridiculous. Either way, I'll probably avoid talking about what happens in them in the summaries at the start of my posts because I still don't really know how to feel about this change. Pardon my undecisiveness.
But still, see you next time!
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