After a few hours, he opens his eyes and jerks up realising that he had slept off while thinking about something which he couldn’t remember since he just woke up. He looks around and then sees Ayame studying on her table. He then asks in a daze-
“W-who are you?! Have you finally come for me… demon!?”
“What the hell is wrong with you? First, you sleep in my room and then you wake up to say stuff like that… What is wrong with you?” and she continues to study.
Thinking about the phone call he got, he gets out of bed and says in a hurry-
“I’m gonna go see a doctor. I completely forgot about my nose. I need to check it.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Middle of the night? How long was I sleeping?”
“When I returned and entered my room thinking nobody was there… I took off a layer of my clothes then realised you were there so I changed back…”
“Haha. Alright I get that I slept for a fair amount of time. Thank you and sorry for making you worry… God!” Says Akihiko while leaving the room and heading for the front door.
He wears his shoes and gets ready to leave.
“Alright! I’m all set for an adventure!”
“You sure? Going alone in the middle of the night to meet that person?”
“So you did catch on… Yes. I do feel that going alone will not put your family in trouble in case something does happen.”
“Hmm~ Alright. See ya then!”
“Yep! Take care!” says Akihiko and leaves the house.
While walking on the streets in the dark he switches his phone on to see where the location for meeting them was. He follows the directions given by the unknown caller and reaches the location.
A building with an eerie atmosphere surrounding it was in front of him. That was the location of the unknown caller.
“I really don’t feel like doing this. I feel like I’m some reporter from some video game…” he says and hesitatingly enters the building.
The building was abandoned. The inside of the building was not what he had expected it to be. The reception was a mess and the lights were blinking. Everything was destroyed in there and it looked like he had to climb up the stairs.
“The elevator probably won’t work so… it’s stairs then.” Says Akihiko while slowly climbing up the stairs.
There were at least 6 floors in that building since Akihiko had to climb 5 flights of stairs. Of course, he checked each and every floor for them. Although there was not much there, he took that little extra effort to look for them. On reaching the 6th floor, he walks in the corridor and the light bulbs on that floor start to light up one by one leading him to a door at the end of the hallway.
“This reminds me of a boss battle from some game… What was it again…? Hmm…” he thinks to himself while walking towards the door at the end of the hallway.
On reaching the door he hears the sound of rubble behind him so he immediately turns back but doesn’t see anyone.
“Weird.” And sees his shadow flicker in the dim light.
Opening the door in front of him, he finds himself to be in someone’s house the very next instant. He turns around and sees a different door than the one he saw in the building.
“What?” he says with a very confused face.
“He’s here!”
“If he is then shouldn’t you be leading him in here?”
“Tch.”
“Oye. I’ll give you less food.”
“Okay…” says one of the two voices and a small kid comes from one of the rooms with a lollipop in his mouth to Akihiko.
Akihiko who was still confused sees the kid and asks-
“Now, what? Did you call me?”
“Of course not, you idiot. Think about it a bit will you? Idiots everywhere… Follow me.” He says and walks toward the room where he came from.
Akihiko follows him without saying anything and then he sees a man setting the table for a meal.
“Oh! You’re here. And here I was thinking that you were still under the impression of me being a salesman scammer. Haha!”
“You were the one who called me! I remember your voice… But why do I feel like I’ve heard it from somewhere?”
“Leave that thinking aside and have some ramen!” he says and keeps three bowls of freshly made ramen on the table.
Akihiko sees the appetizing ramen and shamelessly dives in to eat it. The other two on seeing how gung-ho he was, join him and start eating their dinner.
After their meal Akihiko who had enjoyed his meal says-
“You both are pretty good people. I guess I was in the wrong for thinking about you that way.”
“Don’t mind it. Anybody would’ve thought the same thing.”
“Oh, alright then! Now….” Says Akihiko with a serious face and continues, “You called me regarding that thing and how it ruined my life, no?”
“You read into the situation too quickly. That’s not at all the reason why I contacted you. I merely contacted you because we need more personnel.”
“Personnel for?”
“Our comp- “
“Group!” says the child sitting on the chair.
“It’s a company.”
“With two people?”
“…”
“We’ve had this conversation before as well. Just call it a group from now on and don’t embarrass yourself.”
Akihiko was shocked on seeing the kid speak that way to the man in front of him and he says-
“Kids aren’t supposed to talk to elders that way! Shame on you! And what kind of parent are you, letting your child talk like that?”
They both start laughing on hearing him say that and the man says-
“He isn’t my kid… He’s just a brat who works with me.”
“Even though I look like this, in reality I am 25 years old. I’m just letting you know.
“Oh, right. Before all of that, I had to introduce ourselves. We both are part of the Hunter community and we specialize in hunting creatures from stories.”
“Just say spirits. It’ll be easier for him to understand.”
“Right. So, I am Yasuhiro Ritsu and this brat is…”
“I’m Seirei.”
“You don’t have a last name?”
“No. I wasn’t born with one. Why? Is there a problem?” he says while licking his lollipop.
“No. I thought that you both were related so…”
“So you thought I’d have the same last name as this guy. Well, can’t say I wouldn’t think of it.”
“You can stop being so blunt now brat… At least think about my feelings…” he says and snaps his fingers.
The scenery changes and Akihiko finds himself in a small office room. Yasuhiro takes a seat on the chair behind the table while Seirei was seated on the couch next to Akihiko.
“Now, take a seat. I shall explain about the situation that has occurred currently.”
He seats himself on the chair in front of the table and the conversation starts.
“We were actually hunting that yokai for some years now… You probably wouldn’t know the term ‘hunting’ here. Or do you?”
“No. I do not.”
“Okay. I’ll explain it in simple terms. There are three categories under which people or humans in general fall under… The cast, the off-cast and the hunters. Well, only if you’re out of your mind will you take the hunting route. My point being that the cast can interact with spirits, dead people, apparitions if they have not passed into the afterlife and they decide to stick around as a rumour. The off-cast are those idiots who can’t see these apparitions and they decide to use external devices like an Ouija board to disturb the dead. If these people are possessed then that can either take a turn for the worst or nothing will happen, the person who summoned the apparition will just die.”
“So they just die? How is death such a simple term for you?”
“Kid, you’re yet to see the underworld to talk like that. You just get used to it. That’s how our jobs are.”
“So, you play detectives while taking out these apparitions? These ‘Yokai’?”
“Coming to that topic… Yokai in specific have traits that apparitions don’t. They interfere with the human world. And by interfere I don’t mean teasing people or pulling pranks… They kill for either entertainment or just for the sake for it.”
“Well, I’ve experienced something of the sort so go on.”
“Yes, now we come to the main point. The one that ruined your life… the ‘Akaname’ (Filth licker) is the one we’ve been chasing around for a few years prior to your incident. At some point we gave up on it and decided to hunt something else but nothing ever showed up so we had to stick to it. After some research we finally found some leads on it. And because of that we did get the leads to the other ‘Yokai’ who were lurking in the darkness as well. I think there were at least 15 back then when we found a lead on the Akaname.”
“Wait. Are you sure it was the Akaname?”
“What do you mean? It hung from the ceiling, right?”
“Yes but it used me like a doll.”
“A doll? Then maybe it wasn’t an Akaname. What’s your say brat?”
“It could even be a ‘Tenjoname’ (Ceiling licker) for all I care I just want those apparitions to die.” And he continues to read a magazine which was kept on the table.
“No… Just no! Why is it just another licker? I mean it was on the ceiling but not like that.”
“Then how?”
“How?”
“Hm… How should I put it?” Akihiko thinks really hard to himself and then a voice comes from, “It was probably a ‘Tenjokudari’ (Ceiling-hanger).”
Akihiko suddenly speaks as if something had clicked and says-
“Yes! Exactly something like that!” and sees Ayame walking from behind him.
“Eh?”
“Surprised that I followed you?”
Seirei looked like an innocent yet mature child with casual clothes on. He didn’t have anything different from other kids and looked completely normal. Yasuhiro looked mature and he wore a suit when he was in the office. He had normal features too which didn’t make him stand out from the rest of the people out there. Getting up from his seat immediately Akihiko asks Ayame while gripping on her shoulders- “Why did you follow me?!”“Why? I’ll do whatever I want to and you can’t judge me for that.” “No. You don’t understand.” “I do. Which is exactly why I followed you.” The other two just stare at them while they argued with each other and Seirei claps his hands directing both of their attention towards him. “Now, now. No lover’s quarrels in here since we never came here for a soap opera.” The both of them stare at him with disgust on hearing him say that and then they say- “There is definitely no way I’m in a relationship with her.” “There is definitely no way I’m
“Do you know how to use a kitchen knife for battle?” “I know how to cook… So using the same principles…” “How are we even on the same page here?” Says Yasuhiro and sighs. Seirei was looking at a magazine with a lollipop in his mouth. Ayame confronts him and asks- “What is so interesting about the magazine?” “This magazine is from 10 years in the past. I treasure it.” “But what is it about?” “My dead parents are in here so I treasure it.” “Um… Were they models?” “No. My dad was an outstanding employee in a famous company and my mom was a normal person.” “And would you know how they met up?” “I thought girls were all sensitive about all this…” “Well, I’m a girl too and my curiosity gets the better of me.” “That’s probably the reason as to why you have idiots hang around you.” Ayame grabs on his cheeks and extends them sideways. “AHHHH! IT HURTS! I’M SORRY!” he shrieks in pain and Ayame lets go of him. “So are you up for it?” “Up for what?” he asks acting innoce
4 Hours in, “So how long am I supposed to hold this position for?” says Akihiko while doing a head stand while leaning on a wooden block. “Maybe an hour?” “My morale just dropped from 100 to 50 from that…” “Let’s just see how this goes for 15 minutes and then I’ll decide if you have to do more.” Says Yasuhiro and walks over to Ayame and Seirei. While Akihiko was desperately holding his head stand, he curses Yasuhiro to keep his motivation from not dying. “That’s kid’s tenacity is nothing like I’ve seen before.” “I know. Idiots have that in them.” “I agree too.” Says Seirei joining in on the conversation. “Now, it’s time for your training.” “T-Training? I don’t think I need…” “You’re going to fight against it as well. Prepare yourself.” “U-um. I want Seirei to teach…” “HUH?! Sorry I’m not up to it right now…” and as soon as he says it, she reaches out for his cheeks while facing Yasuhiro and laughing. “ALRIGHT! I’LL DO IT!” says Seirei while tears were about to flow f
On returning back they look outside the window. The Sun hadn’t risen yet and the clock had only moved by 6 hours. Ritsu takes his seat and says while leaning back on his chair- “If you have to either call someone like your loved ones or something like that… Go ahead. There’s little time before sunrise so make it quick.” “Why? Do they disappear in the day?” “No. They just become weaker during the day. Also, it’s a pain finding them since their size gets reduced to a ball too.” Akihiko takes out his phone and looks through his contacts and dials his mom’s phone. After a few rings- [Hello?! Akihiko! Are you alright?! You haven’t even messaged me all this time! I was worried sick! Where are you right—] “I’m fine mom… I’m fine. So please calm down.” [I’m calm… I’m calm. As long as you are fine…] “Listen mom. You remember that day… on that night?” [Of co
Few hours later, all three of them open their eyes to find themselves in front of an abandoned hospital. “Oh… Why are we back at the building?” asks Akihiko while rubbing his eyes and slowly waking up. “Just cause it looks like that doesn’t make it the same. God. You’re going to be a headache for people in the future.” Says Yasuhiro. After that, Akihiko pushes around the sleeping Ayame even when her eyes were wide open. “Once again…” “What? Are you dead…?” “If you do that once more… I’ll put a bullet through your head.” She says in a low voice while groaning in pain. “What’s wrong though? It’s not like you’ve broken a leg, right?” he says while lifting her leg and dropping it. Ayame passes out completely and then Yasuhiro comes up from behind and asks him- “Do you have any idea what we’ve been going through while you passed out midway on the ride?” “No. The last thing I remember was that there was this creature on the road and then it’s a blank.” “You don’t even re
“Alright… Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?! Why are there two high schoolers who look like they came back from a war?!” “Doctor this is an emergency! Please hurry up…” says one of the nurses to the doctors who was heading for the operating theatre with the nurses pushing the stretchers towards the room. The doors close and Yasuhiro and Seirei look at the door in the hopes of their complete recovery. Few hours pass by with them lying in wait. One of the doors open and a doctor exits. Removing his mask, he says- “I’m getting off my shift now…” “Doctor! So, will they be fine?” “Huh…? Ah, you might be the ones who brought them here. Yes, so the girl will be fine with a recovery and in a few months, she’ll have all her bones healed. The boy… Well, let’s just pray for the best.” Says the doctor and walks away. “He’s gonna be fine… He’s gonna be alright…” repeats Yasuhiro to himself. Seirei then gets up from the seat and says- “Ritsu.” “He’s gonna be all
Akihiko slowly opens his eyes and sees the light flickering a bit. He starts to float.“That’s a feeling I’m aware of…” he says and looks at his hands and feet in his astral form. Suddenly something comes flying and dashes into his body. A white creature which brought nostalgia to him.“Pei…” and the white object disappears. He closes his eyes and thanks Pei for his sacrifice and while floating he hears someone speaking outside the operation theatre. It was Ritsu and Seirei.“…stopping at an arm this time?”“Tch.”“What…?” says Akihiko while leaning on the door to try to hear them distinctly but they leave.“What did I just hear? I feel like it was a bad time to wake up… Anyhow, I need to wake up in my real body somehow.” He says while attempting to re-enter his actual body which was sleeping with an oxygen mask and a lot of wires hanging from his body.“I was really roughed up there. I still have to grow… I have to before I put those around me in danger.” He float
After getting back home, Ayame takes a quick shower and goes upstairs and locks herself in. Her room was messy and nothing like before. Books and clothes were scattered around the room. Without stepping on the dump, she takes a seat on her table and opens her new pc.“Now then… Waiting has got me nowhere. How about this group then.” She says as she types into the search box, ‘Yokai talk’ and opens a video in which 2 men appear who resembled Seirei and Yasuhiro.“I had my suspicions but I have to make sure now…” she says as she notes down things in her book.‘We’re here at this round school building thing in Hokkaido. One of our viewers said that there was something here that stared at them when they were passing by with their friends.’‘We’ve come to see if the myth was real.’“Streamers… Quite the confidence you’ve got for just 5 viewers.”‘This is gonna be a little brutal depending on what we will be facing so I hope you’ll stay and watch it.’[Go on! I want content and