“You are…” the maid looked at the three high school students in familiar navy blue uniforms, a glint in her eyes.
“Ah, you’re from Tokun High School!”
“Are you… are you human or a ghost?!”
Hanyu Suoluo’s hand holding the flashlight was trembling violently, cold sweat pouring down his face, despite how calm he had been earlier.
Clang.
The katana, already half-drawn, shot out of its sheath and was held horizontally in front of Kazama Yin.
Kazama Yin was the calmest of the three. Gritting his teeth, he stared warily at the maid.
“Am I… human or a ghost…” the maid set down her mop, tilted her head slightly, and fell into thought.
“Yabai… could this be the legendary ‘ghost that doesn’t realize it’s dead yet’? If she finds out she’s dead, she’ll vanish into thin air, nya!”
Kagegaya Tsubaki’s pale face regained some color as she came up with a possibility.
“Nya what?!” Even at a time like this, Hanyu Suoluo couldn’t help turning his head to throw in a jab.
“I should be… human.” The maid touched the faint scar on her face, finally returning from her deep thoughts and looking at the trio.
“Hey, it’s already this late. It’s dangerous here.”
Kazama Yin noticed that she didn’t seem hostile, but he didn’t sheathe his sword.
Suddenly, he spoke in a loud voice: “I am Kazama Yin, a first-year Awakened Student in the Supernatural Club, A-Class Cicada Slough Body, Comprehensive Assessment: Geng. Yoroshiku!”
“Huh?! Why did you suddenly start introducing yourself?” Kagegaya Tsubaki couldn’t understand what her childhood friend was up to.
She tugged at his clothes, tears at the corners of her eyes.
Hanyu Suoluo took a deep breath and tried to steady his trembling voice: “I am Hanyu Suoluo, a first-year Awakened Student in the Supernatural Club, B-Class Cicada Slough Body, Comprehensive Assessment: Xin. Yoroshiku!”
‘These two… have they lost their minds?’ Kagegaya Tsubaki looked left and right, then noticed the ghost maid staring at her.
She was startled, her face turning pale.
“Gah—I, I, I am Kagegaya Tsubaki, a first-year Awakened Student in the Supernatural Club, B-Class Cicada Slough Body, Comprehensive Assessment: Xin, yoroshiku!”
The maid withdrew her gaze and slapped her own chest. “I am Hattori Yumeko. Unknown-grade Parasite Body, no Comprehensive Assessment.”
Hattori Yumeko made a V sign with her fingers, pressed it to her cheek, and smiled as she tilted her head. “Yoroshiku~”
‘Hattori…’
“Ah, you’re the one!” Hanyu Suoluo froze for a moment, the photograph from that office flashing through his mind—the woman in the wedding dress with a scar on her face!
His shoulders gradually relaxed. No matter how he looked at her, this woman was a ghost…
That meant that man named Koji Hattori… had lost his wife.
Hanyu Suoluo’s eyes reddened. He wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Miss Hattori, my condolences.”
But as soon as he said it, he felt it was a bit strange. Shouldn’t he say that to Mr. Hattori? Who offers condolences to a dead person?!
“Well, well, I told you I’m not a ghost.” Hattori Yumeko walked over to the trio, but that only confirmed their suspicions.
Her body was indeed translucent.
The three were invited into the living room by the “ghost.” They clearly saw the apparition pick up a very real kettle and pour water for them.
The three flashlights placed on the table as lamps illuminated the water and cups, spotless and dust-free.
‘Could it be… that Miss Hattori really isn’t a ghost?’ A big question mark appeared over each of their heads.
“Since it’s already this late, you’d better not leave for now. After all… it’s dangerous outside right now.” Hattori Yumeko finished pouring the water and smiled at the three children.
“Dangerous?” Kagegaya Tsubaki tilted her head, her crimson eyes full of confusion.
“Japan is very peaceful now, except for the occasional alien creatures that spill over due to the Insect God Mutation. But they’re all weak. The three of us can handle them.”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Hanyu Suoluo took over. “Thanks to the improved monitoring and registry system, Parasite Bodies are managed the moment they appear. Incidents of Devourers hurting people are becoming rarer.”
“The danger I’m talking about isn’t Devourers or the Insect God… what I’m talking about is…” Hattori Yumeko’s voice suddenly lowered. “The real ghosts.”
“Eek!” Kagegaya Tsubaki’s eyes flew open. She slammed her water glass down, glad she hadn’t drunk yet, or she’d have choked. “Hey, Sister Hattori, don’t scare us!”
“I’m telling the truth.” Hattori Yumeko looked out the window. “The solar eclipse two years ago—you remember it, right? Those ghosts came into the fortress after that eclipse.”
Kazama Yin and Hanyu Suoluo exchanged glances. The latter’s face showed a hint of surprise. “You mean… the Tokyo Unknown Incident?”
“Oh? You call it the Tokyo Unknown Incident?” Hattori Yumeko blinked and rubbed her chin.
“Ah, yes. That incident was resolved under the leadership of the Fourth Generation of the Supernatural Club, Senior Shimada, and Senior Makino of the Southern Cross.”
Kazama Yin’s face lit up with excitement as he mentioned the club.
“A vampire outbreak. The two seniors and other club members joined forces to slay that powerful ‘Blood Ancestor.’ The rest…” He paused.
‘Right, where did the rest… the vampires go?’
“The name ‘vampire’ sounds so fancy. I call them Ghost People. Well, same thing anyway.”
Hattori Yumeko recalled carefully. “When they first came in, I was shocked. I thought the government was going to demolish the place. But it turned out to be a bunch of NEETs who did nothing during the day. Those guys are vicious. They go out at night to catch and eat people—they specifically target loners…”
She looked down at her translucent hand, a bit dejected. “Like this, I can’t do anything. I can only watch…”
“Well then, Miss Hattori, why don’t you leave here and seek help? That way, you could prevent more deaths?” Kazama Yin asked impatiently.
“I wish I could…” Hattori Yumeko pouted. “But my range of activity only extends to the Sun Tower at most. Any further… I can’t go out.”
Hanyu Suoluo elbowed the rude Kazama Yin, then asked in a low voice, “What happened to your body…?”
“Hmm…” Hattori Yumeko fell into thought again. After a long time, she spoke: “I don’t know how to say it. I awakened my Heart Worm very early, but I never knew the activation conditions. They didn’t give me a manual. Until…”
“The Millennium Event.” Hattori Yumeko sat down in a chair, slumped over the table, her voice muffled.
“I was sick at the time and having surgery in the operating room upstairs in the apartment building. Then it happened. Tough luck, right? Killed by the equipment. The doctor had already… then my ability activated.”
She pointed at her translucent body. “My ability is what you see.”
‘The Millennium Event… the first major incident during the tenure of the Third Generation of the Supernatural Club, Yamanoi Yayoi. The old internet was completely destroyed. Aside from the many who went missing in the encirclement and suppression of the mysterious Parasite Body girl, the real-world damage was mostly secondary disasters from electronic equipment going out of control.’
‘Hattori Yumeko… was clearly one of the unlucky ones who encountered a secondary disaster…’
Hanyu Suoluo clenched his fists. He felt closer to the truth. His uncle had left Japan after the Millennium Event! And this Hattori Yumeko was from the DRG; she should know something.
But the atmosphere was too heavy now to ask that question, so he held back.
“Shh—” Hattori Yumeko’s translucent face, which had been gently smiling, suddenly froze.
Her non-corporeal eyes stared intently at the darkness beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, as if something terrifying was peering into the lonely apartment.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” Kagegaya Tsubaki shuddered at the sudden change. The glass she held nearly slipped, the water inside rippling with uneasy circles.
“Hide!” Kazama Yin’s hand pressed onto his sword hilt instantly. “Is it those Ghosts?”
Crash!
Before he finished speaking, the living room window shattered. Countless shards of glass exploded like a rainstorm, refracting deadly glints in the pale flashlight beams.
With the sound of breaking glass, several shadows as swift as beasts burst in from the night, carrying a nauseating stench of blood.
“Watch out!” Hanyu Suoluo reacted quickly, shoving Kagegaya Tsubaki aside.
A pale, skeletal hand with razor-sharp nails grazed Kagegaya’s cheek, a few strands of hair floating in the air.
The shadows landed, scraping across the floor with a harsh screech.
Only then did the three see the attackers clearly. They were humanoid, but with a beastlike, hunched posture.
Their skin was a sickly gray-white, their eyes sunken with a burning red hunger.
They wore tattered clothes— once trendy brands, now covered in filth and dried blood.
Their mouths were open, revealing jagged fangs, viscous saliva dripping from their lips.
“Is this… a vampire?” Kagegaya Tsubaki fell to the ground, pale.
“ROOOAR!!” The leading Ghost Person let out a piercing roar, its red eyes greedily fixed on Kagegaya on the ground.
It kicked off with its hind legs, shooting out like a cannonball.
“Don’t underestimate students from Tokun!” A clear clang rang through the living room.
Kazama Yin stepped forward and stood in front of Kagegaya Tsubaki.
“[Fantasy Sword Technique]!”
Kazama Yin’s Cicada Shell Host ability—as long as he had seen a sword technique in a work of fiction and understood its principles, even if it was pseudoscience, as long as he paid enough Heartforce and stamina, he could replicate it in reality.
The more unrealistic the sword technique, the greater the cost.
‘To deal with these Ghosts, I’ll use this!’
The katana in his hand drew a perfect arc in the air. The blade shimmered with a faint blue watery light.
The blue sword light flowed like water ripples, precisely cutting into the Ghost Person’s claws.
Splat!
Foul black blood splattered.