Mia had barely walked five steps before thirst began tickling her throat.
"There should be a water pitcher in my room, but..."
She was pretty sure Anne usually brought one in for her before she slept... but once Mia fell asleep, she stayed asleep. Never once had she woken up in the middle of the night and helped herself to some water. Consequently, the more she thought about it, the less sure she became about whether that pitcher was there overnight or if Anne brought it in early every morning.
As a matter of fact, Anne — bless her devoted soul — was actually bringing in a pitcher before she slept and changing it out for a new one every morning. Anyway...
"...If I go back to my room and find out there's no pitcher, I feel like I'll be too thirsty to fall asleep."
Being a bit of a worry wart, once Mia started worrying about something, it was hard for her to stop. Granted, gulping down more water right now would likely lead to another trip to the restroom later on, but for the time being, she wanted to quench her thirst.
It's not that far from here to the cafeteria. Maybe, instead of going back to my room right away...
The cafeteria always had a readily available supply of drinkable water that flowed in from a spring. Belluga was rich in water, and while it wasn't possible to furnish each room with its own supply, the Holy Principality's water infrastructure was, in general, highly developed.
After a moment's deliberation, Mia, her confidence bolstered by her successful trip to the restroom, set out toward the cafeteria.
...As though pulled toward it by some invisible force.
When Mia arrived at the entrance to the cafeteria...
"My? What's that sound?"
She focused, trying to make out what it was. It reminded her of sniffling. Or, perhaps, the sound a girl made when she was quietly sobbing by herself...
Suddenly, she remembered the story she'd heard during lunch break. It was about... the ghost of a female student who took her own life!
"N-No way... It can't be.."
She should have turned and ran. Instead, morbid curiosity got the better of her, and she squinted through the dim light in the direction of the sound.
"Eee—!"
She swallowed a squeal and froze. There, in the darkness, was a young girl who looked to be a little younger than Mia. The girl's hair was long and disheveled. She was dressed in rags, and her skin was mottled with dirt and grime. Her appearance was starkly at odds with her surroundings, resembling not a student of Saint-Noel, but a denizen of the slums. What caught Mia's eye more than anything, however, was how much of her was red.
There wasn't much light in the cafeteria, but it was more than enough for the sight to be seared into Mia's eyes. From head to torso, the girl was covered in a red liquid. It dripped off her, forming a pool on the ground, looking every bit like...
"Gyaaaaaaaah!"
Mia screamed. At least, she meant to. What came out of her throat was more of a high-pitched whimper.
Wh-What is that?! I-Is it the bloody ghost of that student?! Eeeeeek!
She stumbled out of the cafeteria in a panic and ran as fast as she could toward her room. Her slippers flew off her feet in her rush, but she could hardly be bothered to retrieve them. Her bare feet hit the ground hard with each step, trying to propel her forward at maximum speed, but progress still felt slow. The hallway seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance as if she were trapped in some sort of nightmare. Also, was it just her or...
Eeeeeek! S-S-Something's chasing after me!
There it was! And again! The sound of footsteps behind her. They were fast. And they were getting closer. Mia broke out in a sobbing whimper as she desperately tried to outrun whatever was coming after her. She reached her room, scrambled through the door, and shrieked in a terrified voice, "Anne! Anne!" as she dove into her maid's bed.
Only to realize it was empty.
"Anne?! Wh-What's going— Where are you?"
Left to her own devices in an empty bed, her imagination quickly began to get the better of her.
What if, she thought, everyone's gone, and I'm alone in the world with that thing?
She remembered a scene from her previous life, wherein her horror-loving classmate Dora had enthusiastically told a story to that effect.
Wh-What is the matter with me?! Of all the times to remember something like that, why now?! No way! That story isn't real! Anne must have woken up and realized I wasn't here, so she went looking for me! That's all! There's no way everyone would just disappear like that. That would be a nightma—
She froze, realizing she'd made a terrible mistake.
I... I forgot to lock the—
As if on cue, the door creaked open. Her heart let out a silent wail of terror.
Eeeeeek!
In a desperate attempt to survive the imminent encounter, Mia sprung into action — by throwing her blanket over herself and shutting her eyes as tightly as she could.
I-It has to be Anne! I know it is! Anne's back! It couldn't be anyone else! It couldn't— Eek!
Something crawled onto the bed.
Th-That's strange. If it's Anne, she should at least say something!
Slightly, ever so slightly, Mia opened her eyes and peered nervously toward the foot of the bed... Only for the face of a young girl, streaks of red liquid trickling down her cheeks, to pop into view mere inches away from her own.
Gyaaaaaaaaa—
With that, Mia fainted dead away.