The hallway was quiet that morning, too quiet. Shin walked alone, the sound of his shoes tapping against the wooden floor echoing far louder than it should have. It felt like every step pulled him deeper into some unseen weight pressing against the school walls.
He tried to shake it off, telling himself it was just his imagination. But then—
"Do you remember me?"
The whisper slid through his ears, chilling his spine. He turned sharply, but no one was there. Just the endless corridor stretching in both directions.
Shin pressed his hand against his chest, steadying his breath. His body reacted before his mind could; fear first, thought later.
"Shin?"
Ayumi's voice cut through the silence. She was standing at the other end of the hallway, her expression tense. "Why are you just standing there? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He forced a shaky smile. "Maybe I did."
She frowned, stepping closer, her bag swinging at her side. "Don't joke about that. You've been acting strange lately."
Her words were careful, but her eyes held something sharper—worry mixed with suspicion. Ayumi wasn't the type to ignore things. That's what made her different… and dangerous to his secrets.
As they walked together toward class, Shin couldn't shake the feeling that the voice wasn't speaking only to him anymore.
That night, he dreamt again. But this time, the corridor was endless, stretching into shadows that never ended. Ayumi was there, walking just behind him, her footsteps echoing his own.
And then the whisper returned—louder, clearer.
"Do you remember what you promised?"
Shin froze. Promised? To who?
Ayumi's hand brushed against his shoulder in the dream, but when he turned—her face was gone, swallowed by shadows.