Chapter 4: The number you dialed is not in service
“Um…”
The voice from beyond the night’s darkness could have been either male or female.
In fact, it was a terribly ambiguous voice, mixing high and low tones.
It was a voice that induced anxiety just by hearing it, an endlessly frightening sound. Yet, the owner of the voice remained unseen.
—Even though the voice sounded so close.
“Hiihh”
The young police officer hurriedly retreated to the back of the police box.
Houzuki stood frozen, gripping the receiver in one hand, unable to turn around.
Her instincts whispered devilishly, “Turn around,” but her rational mind insisted, “Don’t turn around.” Her body refused to move, as if she were a stone statue.
In her paralysis, the voice, now even more ambiguous in gender, called out again.
“Excuse me.”
She couldn’t turn around.
“Um, excuse me.”
She mustn’t turn around.
“Hello?”
Closing her eyes tightly, Houzuki gripped the receiver.
The receiver was still pressed to her ear.
That’s why the other party’s horribly distorted voice slipped into her ears through the receiver.
“He, llo, he, llo~?”
The cracked voice was chilling, sending shivers down Houzuki’s spine.
She instinctively threw the receiver away.
The harsh noise echoed through the quiet police box as the receiver, still connected by its cord, swung aimlessly.
Her heart pounded loudly, as if she had just run a marathon.
Had she ever felt this terrified before? No, even though she has been through many scary situations.
Then, previously swimming near the ceiling, Yuiru,
“―― The number you dialed is not in service.”
“!!!”
Houzuki jerked her head up, only to see Yuiru pressing a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
She nodded, covering her mouth with her hand.
She minimized her breathing and tried to erase her presence, telling herself, “I’m not here.”
Someone’s voice had been calling out to the police box for a while, saying, “Excuse me.”
“Tsk”
He clicked his tongue in irritation and could no longer be heard.
“……Yuiru.”
“What is it, Houzuki?”
“Are you fine not eating it?”
Yuiru’s red eyes were still directed towards the outside of the police box.
“Well, I’m currently not hungry. Another opportunity will come.”
Yuiru, who was swimming leisurely near the ceiling, landed on the linoleum floor. He then taps on the door at the back of the police box and calls out to the police officer, who may have hidden inside.
“We’re going home.”
“Huh, uh, wait.”
“Later.”
Yuiru leaves the Tsukinashi Town Police Box with a very carefree attitude.
After calling out, “goodbye”, to the young police officer hiding behind the door, Houzuki quickly ran after Yuiru.
What had happened? Why had Yuiru suddenly lost interest in the rumored haunted police box?
☆
“Wait, wait a minute, Yuiru.”
“What’s wrong, Houzuki?”
Yuiru grabbed the ghost of a long-haired woman stuck to a telephone pole he was passing by, and deftly dismantled it with a silver knife as he ate his meal. He also comes with food commentaries, saying things like, “Hmm, it tastes salty.”
Just moments ago, Yuiru had been intensely interested in the haunted police box, but the moment a ghost appeared, he seemed to lose all interest and left. He had seemed determined to consume the ghost of the haunted police box.
It didn’t appear that he was full; otherwise, he wouldn’t be crudely eating the ghost of the woman stuck to the pole as he walked.
Houzuki watched as Yuiru stuffs the thrashing female ghost into his mouth and asked,
“Hey, why did you suddenly leave the police box? Weren’t you going to eat the ghost?”
“You’re right.”
“Then, couldn’t you have eaten that ghost and helped the policeman?”
“Fool, I don’t help people out of goodwill. To hell with that.”
Yuiru easily ate the female ghost,
“Houzuki, now you don’t know about the truth behind the rumors about the haunted police box, do you?”
“What, I, I don’t……”
“I thought so. It also looked like it was your first time hearing about such a thing.”
The grinning Yuiru then said,
“Then let me tell you the truth, Houzuki. Take out that thing of yours called the cellphone.”
“Why?”
“We’re going to make a call.”
Houzuki took out her cellphone, sliding her finger across the spacious LCD screen to unlock it. She then brought up the dial screen to make a call.
“Okay, I’ll tell you. The number is ――”
What Yuiru recited was a seemingly ordinary phone number.
The number you have dialed is not in service.
It was a typical, everyday announcement.
“It didn’t connect.”
“What did it say?”
“‘The number you have dialed is not in service.'”
“That’s weird?”
Yuiru seemingly deliberately tilted his head,
“That phone number is the Tsukinashi Town Police Box’s number.”
“What……”
That’s strange.
Because there is only one police box in Tsukinashi Town. That police box is supposed to be the only one, so why can’t she connect? It’s hard to imagine that Yuiru is joking.
Houzuki stood dumbfounded while holding the cell phone that was playing a synthesized voice announcement, and Yuiru said with an overly amused laugh.
“Now then, I wonder what that police box is~?”
