Introduction
Ghost World
Faceless
Mr. Lantern, could you shine your light here, the ground is rocky here, I hope you don't break the shovel! Ms. Jiniba will scold you very much in this case.
Mr. Lantern
You're right, Mister Faceless, you need to be careful when you shine it! Oh, what's wrong with you?
Faceless
I found something. Something hard, and it rings when I hit the shovel. Now I'll try to dig it up. Shine your light here, Mister Lantern!
Mr. Lantern
Yes, yes, I'll try my best! What is it, my friend?
Faceless
I don't know. But the shovel can't help me dig, I'll try with my hands!
Mr. Lantern
Maybe it's better not to? Let's wait until tomorrow evening. Let's start when it's still light!
Faceless
No. I don't want any junk lying around in good Mrs. Jiniba's field. Oh, my God! What's wrong with me?
Mr. Lantern
Mr. Faceless, what happened? Why are you silent? Here, I'll come closer, even closer, now you can see? What? What are you doing? Why are you doing this to me, we're friends! Stop! It hurts!
Faceless
There's so much pressure on my temples! It hurts so much. My head's about to explode, I need to relieve the pressure!
Part One. The Real World
Chapter Zero
School. Class is in session
— Chihiro, I'm talking to you, are you prepared for class?
— Yes, Mister Teacher.
— Why don't you answer when I call you?
— Excuse me, were you calling me, Mister Teacher?
— Yes. Please answer the question I asked the class!
- Okay, Master, if you allow me, I will answer the question you asked the class.
- Chihiro, there is no need to waste time. I am listening to you.
Chihiro understood that her parents would be unhappy today, because she would return from school with a bad grade for the lesson. The girl had indeed studied her homework, she had been studying it for so long that she had only managed to sleep for three hours at night, perhaps that was why she was inattentive now. Most likely, this was the case. However, Master would hardly be satisfied with such an answer. Yes, the homework had been done, but today's explanation of the new educational material did not fit into Chihiro's head. As they say, it went in one ear and out the other.
The situation was becoming critical, when suddenly the door creaked, and someone entered the classroom. However, when Chihiro looked up at the front door, it turned out that there was no one behind it. Master also noticed that someone knocked and opened the door, but did not enter. However, it was unlikely that this would have stopped the teacher, who was determined to wake Chihiro from her half-asleep state, but at that moment something else happened.
Despite the fact that the windows in the classroom were closed, a whirlwind suddenly swept through the room, scattering textbooks and notebooks to the sides. Even the tablet on which the teacher took notes and gave grades got hit. Chihiro's classmates reacted to the incident in different ways: some were scared, and some laughed. However, the teacher quickly restored order. He told the students that the air duct was probably being blown out, which is why this unfortunate incident occurred. Fortunately, the lesson ended there.
The students received a message on their tablets that the lesson was over, and there would be no next lesson, since the English teacher was sick. Chihiro was the only one who did not believe the teacher, because out of the corner of her eye she saw something unusual in the doorway. However, this vision lasted only a few seconds, and now, returning home, Chihiro tried to understand whether she had really seen something.
The way home ran past a park with stone sculptures - small gods that appeared in this town, where Chihiro moved a year ago, no one knows when. The history teacher, who taught the subject "History of the native land", said that these small stone figures of gods have been in this region for five thousand years. He urged Chihiro's classmates to take care of nature and not to engage in vandalism if they suddenly came across a statue of a stone god on their way. Vandalism included desecration of stone gods: drawing, gluing, spraying, as well as attempts to dig the god out of the ground and take it somewhere.
Chihiro wanted to tell the teacher that recently stone gods have been appearing out of nowhere. Just yesterday there was nothing in the flowerbed next to Chihiro's house, but in the morning she discovered a whole brood of stone gods. There were, it seems, six of them, and they were all different sizes. Next to each of the stone gods there was a house, because a god cannot stand in the open sun or rain. This is what Chihiro wanted to tell the teacher, but did not, fearing the ridicule of her classmates. Chihiro was a cheerful and sociable girl, only sometimes she was attacked by a strange state, the girl thought that she had forgotten something, and it was then that at these moments she became unrecognizable. Returning home, Chihiro refused to go with her parents to an amusement park, where there was a huge open-air restaurant. The girl herself did not understand her condition, she loved to try a variety of dishes, but when she went with her parents to a restaurant or a cafe, fear settled in her heart. Two weeks ago in the park, her father, not having waited for the sale vca, took a treat that Chihiro liked from the display case of a street cart. The father took the treat and put the money on the counter. It seems, well, what's so special about that? Everyone did it. The town where Chihiro lived with her parents was small, and almost everyone knew each other by sight. Sometimes, when the seller had to leave on his own business, he left the display case of the street cafe open, and a box was put on the counter, into which people themselves put the payment for the goods they took. That is, I repeat, there was nothing special in the fact that the father took the treat without asking the seller's permission. Turning to his daughter, the father wanted to give her the treat, but suddenly saw that Chihiro had turned pale. The girl's face was distorted by a grimace of fear, Chihiro tried to say something, but her voice did not obey her. Finally, she managed to squeeze out a few words:
- Dad, put this food back, - she whispered, - otherwise Yubaba will turn you into a pet again.
- What are you talking about? - her father was surprised. - Who will turn me? What will he turn me into?
- Dad, just put this food back.
- Calm down, Chihiro, I didn't just take it, I paid for it.
The girl stood and looked at her father in despair, it seemed to her that her world was shaking and was about to collapse. It seemed to her that something terrible had burst into her life from the past, something was pushing in her memory, trying to tell her about what once happened to the girl and her parents. Suddenly, Chihiro screamed: "No, put the treat back!"
Luckily, at that moment the seller returned, and everything fell into place. The seller got his money, and Chihiro got her treat on a stick. As soon as the situation became, in Chihiro's opinion, right, the girl calmed down and took the treat from her father's hands. The girl's father was not the kind of person who thought long and tediously about the situation that had just happened, moreover, it seemed that after a minute the father no longer remembered that Chihiro was screaming and crying. And then her mother returned, who had gone out for a few minutes on her own business.
Chihiro woke up, she was so deeply immersed in her memories that she lost track of time, and she still had to do her homework.
The next day, an interesting event happened. Sorry, I incorrectly called this event simply interesting, this event was explosive, epochal for the class in which Chihiro studied. During the first lesson after the bell, the curator entered the classroom, next to her stood an unfamiliar boy, the boy had green eyes. The curator sat her students down and announced that from today on this class had grown by one student. That is, there was a new student in the class. Yes, there was a new student in the class. The last time such an event happened was a year ago, when Chihiro joined the class. The town where Chihiro had been living for a year was small, and new students rarely appeared here. Chihiro had been getting used to the new class for almost half a year, and the class was getting used to her. And now there was a new student in the class. During the break, the girls all took out their makeup bags and jewelry. Yes, the new student was a handsome guy, and each of the girls dreamed of becoming his girlfriend. Chihiro was no exception, but it so happened that today she forgot her bag with makeup at home. The third lesson on the schedule was physical education. Chihiro was not allowed to do physical education today, and that is why she was able to take a closer look at the new boy. Today the boys took the longest running and high jump tests. When the new boy completed the running distance in record time, all the girls screamed with delight and clapped their hands. One of the girls, the most beautiful and best student in the class, tried especially hard. She did everything she could to get the new boy to notice her. However, he only talked to the boys in the class and did not even look in the direction where the girls were doing physical education. The next three days were a national holiday, and there were no classes at school. After the holidays, the class supervisor announced that it was time to switch places. Once every three months, the supervisor held such an event so that the boys could get to know each other better. Suddenly, the new boy raised his hand and expressed a desire to sit next to our heroine. Silence fell in the class. Chihiro was well-liked by her classmates, but she was not the most popular girl in the class. Chihiro was surprised and looked up, the new student was standing next to her desk and looking at her questioningly. The girl had no choice but to agree. However, this shining medal that the girl was suddenly given today had another side. During recess, Chihiro suddenly caught the eye of the best student in the class, I already told you about her. This girl was not just the best student in the class, but also the most popular student. Probably, the best student was used to getting all the best for free, but in this case, the best of the students, I mean the new student, suddenly slipped out of her net. Chihiro shrugged her shoulders, for all the time she studied in this class, she tried not to get in the way of the most popular classmate, he was too good and knew how this confrontation would end. Chihiro turned her head to the empty desk. At this desk sat a girl who, for some reason, the star of their class disliked. The girl came home several times with bruises and contusions, now she no longer studied in their class, her parents transferred her to another school. To put it more simply, the best student of the class organized a gang of classmates who beat up students she didn't like. Some fought back, some paid off with the money their parents gave them for lunch, and some were forced to simply leave the class for good. And now, it was probably Chihiro's turn. Everything was crystal clear, and so that Chihiro wouldn't think of making a mistake, the best student of the class made a face and showed her fist. Chihiro pulled her head into her shoulders. She became scared. A classmate, and by the way, I think it's time to name the best student in the class, so, Chihiro's classmate, and her name was Malvina, was merciless to those she didn't like. The classmate's parents, professors at the local university, specialized in the study of Russian literature, maybe that's why they named their daughter after one of the heroines of Russian fairy tales. The beautiful Malvina, a girl with blue hair, was the heroine of the Russian fairy tale "Buratino". Surprisingly, the rebel Malvina had nothing against the name her parents gave her. And to match this name even more, she dyed her hair in a different spectrum, from purple to blue. But most often her hair was blue. The teachers tried to fight this circumstance, but soon admitted their defeat. Malvina believed that her hair emphasized her individuality and peculiarity. As for Chihiro, this girl, that is, our main heroine, tried, on the contrary, not to stand out from the crowd. She had a few friends in the class, and she treated them with sincerity and care. However, today, her friends were unlikely to be able to help her. Chihiro's friends were just as afraid of Malvina and her gang as she was. However, what was about to happen could not be pushed aside under any circumstances or in any direction. Haku, that was the name of the new classmate, tried to talk to Chihiro several times during class, but the girl was afraid that the teacher would punish her, and did not answer. Finally, the new boy made a worried face and pointed to the tablet with his eyes. The girl followed his gaze. Well, now she understood, the new boy had sent her a message on the tablet. All the children from this class were in the same group chat, and it was easy for Haku to single out Chihiro's email address from the crowd. The girl put her finger on the tablet, and the message opened.
"You don't remember me," the message read, "but I know you. We need to talk. I'm waiting for you today in the gazebo behind the school. While Chihiro was reading this message, a million thoughts and assumptions rushed into her brain and created a whirlwind there. Chihiro also thought that she knew this boy, or rather, knew him before, but no matter how hard the heroine of our book tried, she could not remember where their paths had crossed and when it had happened. Haku looked at Chihiro questioningly, and the girl, after a slight hesitation, nodded, which meant agreement. Classes were over. And since children usually spend almost the entire daylight hours at school, Chihiro left school already at dusk. It was starting to rain, Chihiro bent over her schoolbag to pull out a raincoat, but then someone knocked her down. Then they threw something dark on the girl and, taking her by the hands, dragged her towards the backyard of the school. Yes, probably behind the school. Everything happened very quickly, Chihiro didn't even have time to comprehend what had happened, as she felt the first blow. Probably, the gang of cruel Malvina decided to deal with her. As you remember, Malvina did not tolerate when something she had set her sights on went to someone else. However, it ended with a few blows, suddenly someone scattered the girls, pulled off the fabric and pressed Chihiro to himself. In this school and in this class, it was not accepted for boys to interfere in conflicts between girls. When Malvina's gang and other girl gangs dealt with classmates, the boys preferred not to interfere in these conflicts. However, Haku, and it was Haku who saved Chihiro, did not want to obey the general informal laws of this school. Haku was waiting for Chihiro behind the school, as agreed, in the gazebo, when he heard screams and the sounds of blows nearby. Even if the victim had not been Chihiro, Haku would have intervened anyway, so in this particular case, his intervention in the conflict was logical. Seeing that the victim had eluded her, Malvina hissed and rushed at Haku, but Haku only extended his hand in Malvina's direction, and she could do nothing about it. Snapping, baring her teeth and promising all sorts of punishment to Chihiro, Malvina and her gang with multi-colored hair stepped aside for now. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the girls who were part of Malvina's gang also dyed their hair different colors, that was the price for joining this gang. The girls' parents were unhappy, the teachers were unhappy, but the discontent of the adults were just a small price to pay to join Malvina's gang. Soon it became quiet behind the school. Chihiro was sitting on the ground and crying. Malvina hadn't managed to inflict too much damage on the girl, but she had taken her revenge on Chihiro's schoolbag. Before leaving, she had thrown Chihiro's schoolbag on the ground and bounced on it several times. The tablets were smashed to pieces. There were four classes today, and Chihiro had her own tablet for each class. Those were the rules of the school.
Haku calmed Chihiro down as best he could, and then told her that he would walk her home.
The girl was in no condition today to absorb the information that Haku's classmate wanted to tell her. Chihiro was crying, Haku was comforting her, and so they almost passed by a drugstore where they sold all sorts of plasters and ointments for bruises. Malvina and her gang knew where to hit so that the next morning there would be no traces visible, and the parents of their victims could not make claims. Usually, they hit the arms, legs and spine of their victims. Well, as you know, in this case, Malvina did not have time to hit Chihiro much. However, what she did manage to do was quite painful. Haku bought an ointment for bruises and told the girl to apply it to the wounds in the evening before going to bed. Malvina's parents were, as I already mentioned, professors at the local university. They were highly spiritual, well-read people whose entire lives were dedicated to raising the younger generation. Malvina's house was always crowded with young people, whom Malvina's parents helped with the difficult material of studying Russian literature. There is a Russian proverb "a shoemaker without shoes", in this case it was very suitable for Malvina's family. The girl's parents, who spent a huge amount of time raising other people's children, did not see what was happening to their daughter. Malvina's parents adhered to humane methods of upbringing, which included: the theory of non-interference in the daughter's personal life, the theory of non-interference in the daughter's educational life, joint trips to nature, long conversations on highly spiritual topics, and so on. However, what was happening to Malvina recently began to worry the parents. For example, today, today after school, the daughter refused to have dinner, and after all, joint breakfasts, lunches and dinners were so important in this family, moreover, after the girl went up to her room, the apartment was filled with the sound of a song, the melody of which sounded aggressive and which pressed on the ears. However, Malvina's parents could have endured all this if the sounds of music were not accompanied by the sounds of destruction. When the parents, unable to bear it, knocked on their daughter's room, they saw a room in which almost not a single whole object remained. Everything was broken and destroyed, and Malvina sat in the middle of this chaos and pounded the floor to the beat of the music. Do you think that humane methods of upbringing were forgotten in this family for some time? You have definitely made a conclusion. Malvina's parents were reluctantly forced to delve into their daughter's problems, which caused her condition to become inadequate. And where are Haku and Chihiro now? I don't know where Haku is, the boy prefers that I not know his place of residence for now, and Chihiro is at home in his room. Our heroine, as before, prefers not to involve her parents in her problems. She has pocket money, a small amount, which is still enough to order four new tablets. Fortunately, all the information about homework and lessons was saved in the Cloud, and it will not be difficult for Chihiro to put it back on the tablets. With your permission and with Haku's permission, I will tell you why he appeared in the class where Chihiro studied. I think there is no need to hide the fact that my story is a continuation of the story "Spirited Away", which you probably saw on TV or in theaters. I have probably re-watched this anime 30 times and each time I watched it as if for the first time. The anime was ending, and I was left with a passionate desire to find out the continuation. Many years have passed since the anime was released, but there is still no continuation. And so I decided to give the anime characters a chance to live on. So, if you are a fan of the anime "Spirited Away", then you remember how the story of Haku and Chihiro ended. Haku remained in the magical world, where the mistress of the bathhouse for ghosts Yubaba rules, and Chihiro returned to the real world with her parents. Before parting, Haku told Chihiro to go without looking back. The girl did so. However, the further the car took her from the gate to the magical park, the harder it was to remember the events of the last days. By the time the car with her parents drove up to the gates of their new house, the girl had forgotten almost everything. By the way, the magical park and the house where Chihiro now lived were located very close to each other. Remember, Chihiro's father, almost at the moment when they were approaching the new house, turned the wrong way. What it was, a navigator error or magical powers, we will not know now. For those who have not watched the anime, I will give a brief summary. Entering the gates of the magical park, The children and Chihiro caught the smell of something delicious. After crossing the river, the uninvited guests of the magical park found themselves on a street for ghost gourmets. Cafes and restaurants lined the street. However, the establishments for eating were closed at that moment, only one cafe had huge dishes of food on the counters. But there was no seller here either. The girl's parents did not find anything better than to load their plates with a variety of food and start eating. Chihiro asked her parents to give up the idea of dining in a restaurant where there was no owner, but the girl's father said that his wallet was always with them after dinner, he would pay. The girl cried and screamed, but no one listened to her. As a result, this is what happened: the parents, having eaten their fill of magical food, turned into a couple of fat, plump pigs, and the girl had to get a job with the sorceress Yubaba. Yubaba was the owner of everything in the magical park, which included restaurants, cafes, and a bathhouse where ghosts and phantoms could steam their bones. This story ended with Chihiro helping her parents return to their previous state. Haku and other magical heroes actively helped her in this. Before parting, Haku promised Chihiro that they would meet again. The boy planned to leave Yubaba's students and return to the real world. Yes, in Yubaba's world, Haku was a dragon, the master of the Keukugawa River.
Chapter One
The next day, when Chihiro came to class, Haku was absent. But Malvina and her gang were there. Malvina cast angry glances at Chihiro, but did not take any action yet. However, Chihiro was not under any illusions, she knew that Malvina never deviates from her plan. Haku came only for the third lesson. Chihiro shrank, she thought that Haku would be scolded, but for some reason what was not allowed for other students passed without a trace for Haku. The message from Haku came only in the evening, closer to the end of classes. Self-study. Girls and boys were doing self-study in separate classes, and therefore Chihiro had not seen Haku for the last two hours. Haku suggested that Chihiro meet at a cafe around the corner to eat ice cream and talk. Chihiro liked ice cream. However, she could not even guess what Haku wanted to talk to her about. When the ice cream in the bowl was finished, Haku bought Chihiro juice. But soon the glass of juice was empty. Chihiro pushed the glass away from herself and looked questioningly at the boy.
- You know, Haku, I ... - Chihiro began to say, but Haku interrupted her.
- Don't chatter idlely and call me Mr. Haku - the boy smiled and looked at the dumbfounded girl. - Does this dialogue remind you of anything?
Chihiro shook her head.
- Okay, - the boy suddenly stopped smiling and became serious. - And you're probably wondering why I invited you to the cafe today?
Chihiro nodded.
- I need your help.
- Help? - the girl was surprised. - How can I help you?
- First of all, I want to ask, do you remember me?
Chihiro hesitated, not knowing what to answer. There was a pause at the table. Finally, Chihiro quietly said:
- I remember you, but I can't remember why I remember.
- That's how it should be, - the boy summed up, looking into the girl's eyes. - After all, when we parted, I told you not to look back. Judging by the fact that you forgot everything, you did. You didn't destroy your memory, your memory is just sleeping.
- And when will it wake up? — Chihiro smiled timidly. — And what do I need to do for that?
— I would like you not to remember, but, as I already said, I need your help. And you can only help if you remember. I came up with something to jog your memory.
From the information that the school committee sent to the tablet, I know that tomorrow there will be an anime costume festival in the park, which is in the neighboring area of the city. I invite you, will you come with me?
— You probably don't know, but tomorrow our whole school is going there.
The seniors will participate in the festival, and the juniors are going as a support group.
— Really? — Haku was surprised, — I really didn't know, but all the better. I quickly
ran through the festival program and saw that one of the schools will be showing excerpts from the anime based on our magical story.
— Really? — Chihiro laughed, — what story are you talking about? And how can it be that someone knows about the story that involved me and you, and I don't know about this story?
— It's sad to say, but a traitor appeared in our magic park, it was he who leaked, that is, told the story that the scriptwriter then turned into an anime.
— How so, — Chihiro became alarmed, — a traitor is always bad. And did you find out who it was?
— No, but when the anime came out, Yubaba, the owner of our magic park, was furious. She was very unhappy with such popularity. Let's start with the fact that schoolchildren and older kids climbed all the amusement parks to find our magic park. Fortunately, sometimes the owner can make the park invisible. But to do this, she has to put in a lot of effort, and it's very difficult. But... Chihiro, you're not at all surprised by what I'm telling you, do you remember? remember everything?
- No, I don't even understand what you're talking about, but I really want to remember.
- Wow, - Haku looked at the street through the cafe window, - it's already so late. Let's go, I'll walk you home.
- Okay, - Chihiro looked at Haku and simply nodded her head. - Do you live far away?
- No, - the boy smiled, - I live not far from you. So, we'll meet tomorrow
in the park. Let's meet at the entrance, and then we'll find the dragon school team,
which will be showing costumes from the anime "Spirited Away".
If you didn't understand, the team of this school will be dressed in costumes from our story.