If you asked anyone at Takane Public High what kind of guy I am, they'd probably say one of three things:
1. That quiet kid who always sits by the window.
2. The one who somehow sleeps in class without getting caught.
3. The friend who always gets dragged into dumb ideas and somehow survives.
Today? Same thing.
The lunch bell rang loud, and I packed up fast. I didn't even bother folding my books neatly—I just shoved everything into my bag and rushed out.
The moment I stepped into the cafeteria, I smelled fried chicken, curry rice, and something weird coming from the microwave. It hit me like a punch in the face.
I spotted my friends sitting in the back corner, already eating.
"Oi, Noah!" Daichi Tanaka waved at me, his mouth full of food. "Hurry up, you walking zombie!"
I sighed and walked over, dropping into my usual seat. Daichi had a tray loaded with fries, two sodas, and four pieces of fried chicken. I stopped asking questions about his diet months ago.
"You're late," Yui Nakamura said, tapping her pen on her untouched salad. "We were just talking about you."
"Yeah?" I asked, opening a pack of melon bread. "Should I be worried?"
Ren Saito didn't even look up from his sketchbook. "Probably."
Daichi leaned closer, his eyes lighting up. "We were talking about ghosts."
I froze with the bread halfway to my mouth. "Oh no."
"You believe in them?" Keita Moriyama asked. He leaned back, relaxed as always. "Real ghosts. Spirits. Haunted stuff."
I took a bite. "Not really."
"What?!" Hina Ozawa gasped. "That's crazy talk!"
I looked at her yogurt. She was pouring hot sauce into it.
"…So is that."
"They're real," she said seriously. "And cursed. And full of regret."
"Like your yogurt?"
Keita laughed. "Some kid said he saw a ghost lady in a kimono near that old house by the arcade."
"You mean the one with the broken vending machines and angry raccoons?" I said.
"That's the one!" Daichi grinned. "We should go after school. Perfect spooky season adventure!"
"What adventure? We've never done that before."
"Exactly. Time to start a tradition."
"I'd rather start a tradition where we don't get haunted."
Yui smirked. "You scared?"
"Not scared," I said. "I just don't believe in ghosts. Or cursed vending machines."
Ren finally looked up. "You will."
Everyone stared at him.
"…Can you not say creepy stuff like that?" I muttered.
Daichi stood up like he was starting a superhero mission. "Alright! Haunted house after school. Bring flashlights. Bring snacks. Noah, you're coming."
"I never said I was—"
"Too late," Hina said, smiling. "We voted. You're in."
"Is this what betrayal feels like?" I sighed.
Later That Night.
Dinner was quiet. Mom made grilled fish and miso soup. I told her school was boring. She smiled like she didn't believe me.
I pretended to go to bed and then I sneaked out of the house.
As I passed my little sister's door, it creaked open a bit.
"If something tries to kill you," she whispered, "text me."
I blinked. "That's not comforting."
"It's realistic."
10:32 PM –The Haunted House.
We met in front of the house a couple minutes after ten-thirty. It was old, leaning to the side, covered in vines, and looked like something out of a horror movie.
And the front door?
Of course—it was already open.
"This feels like a bad idea," I said.
"If I die," Daichi said, "delete my browser history."
"Same," Hina added.
Keita yawned. "I'm too tired to care."
"Why am I here again?" I muttered.
"Oh right," I answered myself. "Because my friends are insane."
Yui pulled out her phone and took a picture. "This better get me likes."
We pushed the door open. It creaked loudly.
Inside, it was dark and cold. Not normal cold—it was the kind that sticks to your skin, like you walked into a freezer full of fog.
Something whispered in the distance. It sounded like chanting.
Everyone froze.
"…Please tell me that was you humming," I said.
"That wasn't me," Hina whispered, grabbing my arm.
The hallway was covered in dust. But the floor? It had fresh footprints.
Big ones.
I stared.
"You still don't believe in ghosts?" Daichi whispered.
I looked at the footprints again.
"…I'm starting to have regrets."
The air inside the house felt even colder as we moved deeper in. The wood creaked under our feet. Every shadow looked like it was ready to move.
We walked in a tight group at first—Daichi leading the way with a flashlight app on his phone, waving it like a sword. I stayed near the back with Yui, just in case someone decided to scream and run.
Then…something weird happened.
"Wait," I said, stopping. "Where's Ren?"
We all looked around.
"And Keita?" Hina asked, spinning around.
They were gone.
"What the hell?!" Daichi spin toward the hallway we just came from. "We were all walking together like thirty seconds ago!"
"Daichi?" I said.
"Yeah?"
"Where's the door?"
The front door—the one that had been slightly open just minutes ago—was gone. In its place was just more hallway.
"This house isn't even that big," I muttered, turning to Yui beside me. "There's no way this hallway goes on forever."
Yui's eyes were wide. She took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. "Let's turn back."
We both turned around.
The hallway behind us was gone. Like, completely gone. There was no corner, no entrance, no stairs—just a cracked wall blocking the path. I could've sworn we walked straight the entire time.
"But… we just came from that way," Yui said, her voice barely above a whisper. "We didn't even turn."
Then we heard it.
Laughter.
Not friendly laughter. Not even the creepy laugh Daichi does when he finds cursed memes online. This one was cold. Wet. Like it was coming from inside the walls.
Then something grabbed Yui's ankle.
She screamed.
"Yui!"
She fell backward, her leg yanked toward the darkness behind us. Her flashlight flew from her hand and bounced across the floor. I dove forward and grabbed her arm just in time.
Something in the shadows was pulling her Hard.
"Don't let go!" she cried.
"I'm not!" I grunted, digging my heels into the floor.
Yui kicked with her free leg, shouting in fear. Her foot struck something—I heard a squelch, like hitting wet wood. Whatever it was, it let go.
I yanked her back, and we both crashed to the floor.
Breathing hard, I looked up to grab the flashlight—then stopped.
There, floating at the end of the hallway…
…was a woman.
She wore a torn white kimono. Her hair was long and black, hanging in front of her face. Her hands were twisted, fingers too long, nails sharp like claws. Her feet didn't touch the ground. Her body hovered a few inches above the floor.
She didn't move.
She just stared at us through the dark.
"...Noah," Yui whispered behind me.
I stood slowly and moved in front of her.
"Stay behind me," I said.
Even though my legs felt like jelly, and my brain was screaming WHAT ARE YOU DOING, I stood between her and the floating woman.
The ghost tilted her head.
And smiled.
The woman in white floated closer. Her face was still hidden behind her long black hair, but her smile never changed. Cold. Sharp. Like a blade that wanted to laugh while cutting you.
I glanced behind me. Yui was still on the floor, breathing hard.
"Where's Daichi?" I asked. "Where's Hina?"
She looked around quickly. "They were just here!"
I looked left. Right.
Nothing.
The hallway swallowed them up, just like the front door. Just like Ren and Keita.
I stepped back and stood between the ghost and Yui.
"Listen," I said, not sure if I was talking to Yui or myself, "when I say run, you just run straight. Don't stop. Don't look back. Just go."
"Noah—"
"I mean it. Go."
The ghost's smile widened.
Then she attacked.
She moved fast—way too fast. One second she was floating, the next she was right in front of me. Her claws slashed through the air. I jumped back just in time, but one of her nails scratched my arm. It burned like fire.
"Go, Yui!" I shouted.
She got to her feet, shaking, and ran down the hallway in front us. I couldn't see where it led—but I hoped she wouldn't get lost like the others.
The ghost screamed and came at me again.
I blocked with my arm. Pain shot through my body. I stumbled back, crashing into the wall.
My breathing was heavy. My legs were weak. I wasn't a fighter. I wasn't strong. I was just a normal kid who somehow ended up in a nightmare.
The ghost raised her claw again.
I raised my arm, ready to get hurt again—
And then, suddenly—
BOOM.
A glowing circle of paper and light appeared in midair—like someone tore open the wall behind me. A portal.
Out of it stepped a girl.
She wore a long black coat over a clean white uniform. Her dark red hair was tied up, and her eyes were calm and cold.
In her hand, she held a small paper figure.
She threw it forward.
"Shikigami: Seal!"
The paper glowed and shot through the air like a bird. It struck the ghost right in the chest.
The ghost screamed.
A circle of red light appeared beneath her, glowing with symbols I didn't understand. Her body froze in midair like something locked her in place.
I dropped to the floor, breathing hard.
The girl stepped forward and stood between me and the ghost—like I had done for Yui.
Except she actually knew what she was doing.
Her shikigami flared brighter, wrapping the ghost in chains made of light. Then, with one final word I didn't understand, she snapped her fingers.
The ghost vanished in a flash of smoke.
Gone.
Just like that.
She turned to me.
"You're lucky I was nearby," she said calmly. "Next time, don't play with things you don't understand."
I stared at her.
"...What... are you?"
She looked at me for a moment.
Then, without answering, she stepped back through the portal—and disappeared.
A few minutes passed.
I sat there on the cold floor, staring at the spot where the ghost—and the girl—had vanished. My heart still beat like crazy. My whole body felt sore. The scratch on my arm burned like fire.
Then, the air changed.
The hallway flickered.
And suddenly—
The house looked small again.
No long hallway. No whispering. Just old wood and dusty air.
Yui was beside me, sitting up and shaking. Daichi and Hina were farther back, lying on the ground like they had just passed out. Ren and Keita were there too, looking around, confused.
"What the hell just happened?" Yui asked, holding her arms.
"I... I don't know," I said. "But I really don't wanna stay here anymore."
"Same," Daichi muttered as he sat up. "My brain feels like jelly."
"You guys disappeared," I told them. "One second you were there, and then—gone."
"You disappeared too," Hina said. "Everything went black."
Ren looked down at his sketchbook. "I think we got separated… but the house messed with our heads."
Yui turned to me. "That woman… she was floating."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. You saw her too?"
"She grabbed my foot," Yui whispered. "Her nails were like knives."
I didn't tell her that after she ran, things got even worse. That the ghost almost tore me apart. That someone strange appeared and saved me.
"Let's just go," I said.
We all nodded. Nobody wanted to stay a second longer.
Later That Night.
We ended up at a small café near the train station. One of those 24-hour spots with cheap food and bright lights. At that moment, it felt like the safest place in the world.
We sat around a table in the corner. I held a cup of hot chocolate, trying to stop my hands from shaking.
Yui sat beside me, still pale. Hina hugged her cup with both hands. Keita looked like he could fall asleep any second. Ren was quiet, still drawing in his sketchbook. Daichi had three plates of pancakes and was already halfway through the first one.
"Okay," Hina said. "That place was cursed."
"It wasn't just some dumb haunted house," I added. "Something was seriously wrong."
"You think it was real?" Keita asked.
I rolled up my sleeve and showed the scratch on my arm.
"Real enough."
Yui looked at the cut, then looked at me.
"That thing," she said slowly, "it wanted to kill us."
I nodded. "It almost did."
Daichi put his fork down. "And we thought this was gonna be fun."
No one laughed.
Yui leaned in a little closer to me. "Noah… after I ran, did you… see anything else?"
I stared into my cup for a long second.
"Yeah," I said. "But I don't think it was a ghost."
I didn't tell them about the portal. Or the girl. Or the paper spirit that lit up like fire.
I didn't even know how to explain it.