A/N: ...The story somehow ended up this way. And I legit got paranormal activity today, so... ARC END PLZ K THX >.>
===
"Warm. Er. Behind. Counter."
The talkbox artificial voice echoed again as Erie and Hope made their way back towards the entrance.
Hope smiled and said, "This is fun! It's like marcopolo!"
"Marcopolo?" Erie tilted her head as she adjusted her visors. "What's that?"
Hope gasped. "You've never played marcopolo?! Have you never gone to a swimming pool before?!"
"O-Of course I have!" Erie coughed. "...But hypothetically, if I hadn't, what would that be?"
"L. O. L."
"Shut it, Sadako-chan."
"Wheeze. Dying. Dead."
"...Oh my god, are you a Gen Alpha?"
"Gen. Alpha. What. That."
Hope paused, thinking for a bit. Then she said, "Wait. Sadako-chan... when were you born?"
"2.0.2.0."
Erie froze.
Hope stopped walking.
A hushed silence fell.
Then the talkbox in Hope's hand lit up.
"Why. Stop. Onee. Chan."
"...Nothing." Erie let out a strained smile and said, "Just doing math, Sadako-chan."
Hope's eyes teared up a bit in both anger and sorrow before she said, "It's okay, Sadako-chan. You aren't alone anymore."
"Super. Good. Glad. Alone. Boring."
"...Yeah. I bet." Erie took a deep breath and let out a calm exhale. "...What's in the drawer anyway, Sadako-chan?"
"Secret. If. I. Say. Poof."
"...Poof?" Hope's eyes narrowed. "...What do you mean, poof?"
"Secret. Okay. If. You. Earn. But. Else. Poof."
Hope shared a look with Erie.
Erie nodded and deliberately put on a warm smile. "Well, Sadako-chan. Your onee-chans here won't let you go poof. And there are lots of friends listening in too, you know?" She held up her phone and said, "They're all listening here. Do you want to say hi?"
That time, Erie's talkbox lit up, almost as if Sadako-chan had sprinted over to look at her phone. "Oh. Phone. Streamer. Not. Know. Cool. Onee. Chan. Hi. Everyone. Me. S.A.D.A.K.O."
Erie let out a sad smile and glanced at the chat on her phone.
===
> @questioningquail: Holy crap. Did they find a murder mystery?!
> @purplebunny: Looking into missing children cases now!
> @happyhippo: This is staged, right? Right? Someone tell me it's not real... T_T
> @ohanadayo: Oh, you poor baby...
> @hanas_imouto: Noooooooooooooo!
> @thebeginningandend: Hello, Sadako-chan. I am now your big sister.
> @tsukidayo: Me too... T_T
> @miraizfan101: Can't I make it through one damned Project MirAIs stream without crying...? T_T
===
...It seemed like everyone had picked up on the implications too.
'I was wondering why Sadako-chan seemed to know modern slang...'
If it was the ghost of a little girl from a while ago, then she wouldn't have used lol or even understood the equipment that Erie and Hope had.
But Sadako-chan did.
And now with her saying she would 'poof' if the locked drawer in her room was forced open...
"Sadako-chan. Sweetie." Hope spoke in a soft voice and held out her hand. "Do you want to hold hands for a bit?"
"Oh. Yes. Yes. Yes. Can. I. Please."
"Of course. Here." Hope waved her open hand a bit. "You can just hold my hand."
Erie adjusted her visor and carefully watched the thermal vision.
A shimmering blue haze shifted over to Hope's right side where her open hand was. Then a vaguely humanoid blob, and a small one too, reaching only up until Hope's waist. It reached up and held Hope's hand.
Hope gasped, shivering a bit from the contact.
And from how cold it looked on the thermal vision, Erie was sure it probably felt like holding an ice block.
But Hope just let out a sad smile and said, "There you are, Sadako-chan."
Hope's talkbox lit up as Sadako-chan spoke through it again.
"Warm. Hand. First. Long. Time. Nice. Love. Love. Love. Best. Onee. Chan."
It was the enthusiastic and bubbly speech of a young girl.
Unmistakeable.
Realizing that made Erie clench her hands a bit.
As a long time fan of the paranormal, Erie knew quite a bit about ghosts.
And for there to be one this active meant one of two things... or maybe both.
The first was that they died an extremely violent death to the extent that they couldn't pass on because they didn't know HOW to pass on.
Or that the death had been recent. VERY recent. And it was a lingering spirit trying to pass final messages.
Since Sadako-chan said she was five, and that she was born in 2020...
And since it was May 11th of 2025... That meant she had JUST turned five. Recently.
And that thought made Erie's heart ache.
She had wanted to throw her life away because of how depressed she had been. Because she thought things could only get worse, Erie had given up on life entirely.
But seeing this young girl who had already died be so lively, and who seemed so eager to interact with people... who so clearly had her entire future robbed from her...
Erie was reminded of just how fragile life could be. How wonderful it was. And how many people would trade everything for just another day.
Hope's footsteps echoed as she let Sadako-chan lead her back towards the countertop.
Erie watched from behind, following them both as she saw the faint blue haze start to leave footsteps on the floor in icy blue, slowly gaining shape. As if interacting with Hope and Erie were giving Sadako-chan enough energy to pull herself back together.
===
Back in the Ghost Busters van.
John had finished fixing the misfortune heading to everyone watching the stream and offset it with some good luck as compensation.
Juliet had fallen into deep sleep this time, clearly passed out from the adrenaline of the horror throughout the day as well as just the late hour.
Which meant that it was just John, the live videofeeds from all the cameras, and the soft audiofeeds as well.
A quick glance towards Rin and Hana showed that they were absolutely fine. And that the ghosts were actively avoiding them since Rin was radiating 'can and will kill on sight' energy.
They were also slowly approaching the White Hand's location.
Realizing that, John made a mental note to deliberately corrupt that footage and audio.
Mostly because he knew the internet was not ready for acknowledging the existence of literal monsters formed from the bodies and grudges of vengeful souls.
But that aside...
John quietly listened in on the interaction between Hope, Erie, and the little ghost girl they had met.
And as he did, his blue eyes slowly turned into a jade green as fury started to well up in his heart. "...I see. So there are still people like that in this world."
He remembered a book and a movie he experienced once, long ago. About a girl's life being cut short after heading home and running into her neighbor. Then being stuck in-between due to the sudden and violent death, as well as her lingering sentiments.
It was supposed to be a fun night out for Erie and Hope.
John had picked the area because there were reports of heavy spiritual activity, and he had confirmed it himself. Since that was the case, he thought they could have some fun playing Ghost Hunters.
Of course, he didn't think there would be actual yokai and a mad science experiment gone wrong in the basement, but that was par for the course. And he set up proper countermeasures already.
Since that was the case though... and since he had been focusing on strictly supernatural things, he didn't pay attention to the normal things.
Like the fact that an abandoned place like this was the perfect place for certain types of men to lure victims and dispose of bodies.
John was quiet.
He already knew what was in the drawer. For someone like him, it was easy to see.
And Sadako-chan was mistaken.
Since John was here, she wouldn't go 'poof' afterwards.
"...I really hate tragedies. Argh... Yue's going to scold me again."
It was a bad habit.
A REALLY bad habit.
But John kept seeming to come across girls at the ends of their rope.
And today, it seemed like he had managed to see one who only he could help.
"...It's a bit too sad to leave it like this," John murmured.
It only took an instant for John to parse the world's history to find the root of the incident.
Sadako-chan didn't have anyone. A cute young orphan who the world wouldn't miss if she went missing.
That was why the 'creepy old men' she mentioned had targeted her.
It was something that undoubtedly happened everywhere in the world. Plenty of children disappeared like that. And it was impossible to save everyone.
...At least. For people who weren't John.
"I'm getting pissed off again."
John shouldn't do it.
He really, really, REALLY shouldn't.
But...
"...I'm not going to live in a world where things like this can happen."
...What was the point of his life until now if he allowed these things to happen?
A small tap of his finger on the edge of his keyboard.
An invisible ripple.
Like that, a quiet law etched itself into the world: Death shall come fast and swift to those who target children with no other recourse.
Or in other words.
For those defenseless young children who didn't have anyone, John would be there.
Not physically, but he could nudge things. Get them to somewhere safe and get rid of those who would hurt them.
Raising the dead wasn't something John should do. That would lead to complete chaos.
But the ones who would have died, were going to die, and who were in danger... they no longer were.
"Still, for Sadako-chan..." John murmured and stared at the camera feed.
Erie and Hope couldn't see the little girl skipping alongside them.
John could.
...And he felt it was too tragic to let a girl like that simply disappear. Too dark to allow her to vanish with such a tragic fate.
So...
"...No one knows for sure. So..." John stared at where Sadako-chan's body was.
Then he stared at the locked dresser. The one that had the key that would unlock the chest where her Sadako-chan's body was hidden in the cellar out back.
"...Let's rewrite this ending, shall we?"
===
Back at the Smith family household.
Yue had just tucked Rory into bed after picking her up from Jenny's and was winding down for bed by making some golden lotus tea.
Just as the kettle finished brewing the tea, she felt it.
Glancing in the direction of where John and the other girls were, Yue shook her head. "You just cannot help it, can you, Husband?"
The laws of the world were bending. An exception was being written out in life and death for a single tiny soul.
And not delicately either.
Yue's dear husband had practically thrown the gauntlet down against death and time while declaring dominion over that tiny soul.
Still...
Yue chuckled and poured herself a cup of tea. "Well... I suppose you are quite lucky."
Her dear husband had yet to notice.
But it was something Yue had noticed the moment she arrived in this world.
"This world originally was meant to be filled with despair. But your 'Project MirAIs' gave it hope. And now that hope made it commonsense for miracles to happen. For 'good endings' to be obvious, even if unlikely. So..."
Yue flicked her wrist, smoothing over the rough waves her husband made in reclaiming that single soul by pointing to the collective wishes of the light that the Project MirAIs girls had created. "...Behave, world. This law is nothing new. After all, every soul wishes for children to be saved, do they not?"
===
Time passed.
Erie and Hope went along with Sadako-chan, collecting keys, opening rooms, solving the puzzles needed to get the last piece.
And then they unlocked the drawer.
Erie paused when she saw the tiny silver key inside the drawer. "...Another key?"
Hope, on the other hand, covered her mouth and gasped. Her blue eyes teared up as she quietly mouthed 'no.'
Erie noticed and then her emerald eyes trembled.
At that time, Hope's talkbox lit up.
"Fun. Fun. Fun. Thank. You. Drawer. Key. Find. Me. Back. Hospital. Chest."
After that, the talkbox went silent.
The temperature returned to normal, and all the activity went completely quiet.
Hope stared at Erie.
Erie stared back. "...Hope."
Because of the emotional moment, Erie slipped. Thankfully, the auto-filter would catch it.
But even so...
Hope nodded, looking at the key. "Let's... find her."
Erie picked up the key. Then she quietly said, "Sorry guys. We'll be back tomorrow." After that, she ended the long stream. Then Erie let out a deep sigh. "...Sadako-chan said to find her. Right?"
Hope let out a shuddering breath. "...We have to." She let out a pained smile. "We're her Onee-chans, right? So... We should find her." She looked at her talkbox, reading the last words. "...Back hospital chest... There's a chest in the back of the hospital then?"
Erie stared at the key and nodded. "...This looks like the key to one. But... Hope. If..."
"I know."
If Sadako-chan had died recently... then what they would find wouldn't be pretty.
Even so...
"Let's go."
Erie started jogging towards the back.
Hope followed.
As they moved, the talkbox lit up, saying 'Warmer' or 'Colder.'
But eventually, they arrived at a small shed in the back.
Erie hesitated and tried the door.
It was unlocked.
Taking a deep breath, Erie opened it.
Silence.
Hope followed after Erie, shining her flashlight around.
And then they both saw it.
A wooden chest, large enough to hold a child inside. One with a rusted padlock the same metal as the key Erie had.
Erie swallowed and looked at Hope.
Hope let out a determined nod. "...If you can't, then I will. Should I?"
"No. I've... got it." Erie slowly approached the chest.
Strangely, a part of her realized that she didn't smell any decay. And it realized that she should have.
But the trepidation and terror of what she might find pushed that thought out of her head.
Instead, Erie inserted the key and unlocked the padlock, dropping it to the ground with a thud.
Hope shifted her flashlight to focus on the chest.
Erie took a deep breath and opened the chest.
Silence.
Then a loud squeaking as Erie lifted the heavy lid.
But after that...
"HOPE!" Erie jumped up, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Wh-What?!" Hope flinched and quickly shone her light into the chest. And then she froze.
Because there, tied up with tattered twine and a stained oversized shirt...
"S-Sadako-chan...?" Erie cautiously approached the chest, looking inside. "Are you... alive...?"
...Was a cute five-year old girl with pale skin and a body thin from malnourishment.
The implications were clear.
The way she was bound up and with tape over her mouth also showed what was going to... what might have happened to her.
But...
Hope gasped. "She's breathing, Erie!"
"What?!"
...She was alive.
Erie quickly reached into the chest, ignoring her fear. And when she felt the impossible warmth from that thin body, Erie immediately focused and scooped Sadako-chan out. "We've got to get to Pops. Now."
Hope quickly pulled out her phone. "I'll call him! H-He'll know what to do!"
With that, Hope and Erie frantically ran back through the hospital, carrying a tiny miracle between them.
===
Meanwhile, in the depths of the hospital basement...
"Oh." Rin's voice was flat as she slowly looked around the photos on the wall with 'creepy old men' in the middle of something. "...I thought it would just be ghosts. But it's actually scum."
Hana quietly stepped into the hidden room and said, "It seems like it. Mister John should be more thorough."
"..." Rin quietly stared at the walls.
"...Burn it?"
"Burn it."
Hana nodded and held up her left hand. Energy slowly gathered before turning into pure heat. She tilted her head and said, "Hope and Erie are out already. So it's fine. Anything worth salvaging?"
"No." Rin started walking out. "Just burn it all."
"Okay."
===
Flames spread throughout the hospital and its old buildings, lighting it up like charcoal before scorching it to ash.
But Hope and Erie didn't notice, too busy hugging and feeding the impossible miracle they had found.
Sadako-chan giggled and said, "I-I'm okay, Onee-chans. Really."
Erie wiped away her tears and shoved a piece of chocolate into Sadako-chan's mouth. "Sh-Shut up and eat this, you ridiculously strong kid."
Hope nodded, teary-eyed as well. "Y-Yeah! Let your Onee-chans spoil you!" After that, she held up a thin cup of warm tea for Sadako-chan to drink.
Sadako-chan smiled and sipped on it. "...Thank you."
"No." Erie immediately cut Sadako-chan and said, "No thanking. Thank you. Thank YOU for being alive. Okay? And for being so strong and brave and-"
At that time, Juliet stirred due to all the activity. Then she noticed Hope and Erie fussing over Sadako-chan. After that, she saw John staring at monitors filled with fire. Then she saw Rin and Hana hop into the van without saying another word.
After that...
"We. Are NEVER. Going ghosthunting again."
...Juliet clearly drew the line in the sand.