3rd Mystery: Kamishana StationYuiru
Chapter 1 “An Unfamiliar Station”
Gatan1, goton. (TN: clank)
Gatan, gatan.
Gatan, goton2. (TN: rumble)
Gatan, goton.
Gatan, goton.
“Hm――――？”
The male student from XX High School, swaying on the train, finally woke up.
He was on his way home, having boarded the train from the nearest station to his high school. He thought he had managed to catch an earlier train than usual, which meant he could get home sooner. He had planned to stop by his favorite bookstore in the local area when he arrived, thinking of checking if any new releases were available.
But for some reason, the train continued to move without stopping.
“Oh no, I missed my stop…!”
In his hurry to stand up, he noticed that the scenery passing by outside the window was completely unfamiliar. The train was traversing a dilapidated track laid across an endless expanse of overgrown grassland.
Weeds were flourishing, the tracks were rusty, and the whole scene appeared ancient. It seemed improbable that the train could run on such a neglected track. In fact, the line itself might have already been discontinued. Why was it still operational?
More importantly, where was this place?
“Eh…….?”
The male student mumbled in bewilderment.
He was the sole passenger on the train, and the train continued to move without stopping, its destination unknown.
Nothing was displayed on the electronic board, and it was unclear where this train was headed.
Where was he being taken?
“Uh, next station is…”
An announcement played in the train.
“Kamishana, Kamishana. The doors will open on the right side.”
The station name was unfamiliar to him.
The male student hastily grabbed his belongings and rushed to the front of the train.
If there was a conductor on the train, they might be able to stop it. If they couldn’t stop it, he could board a train going in the opposite direction. He just needed to inquire about the availability of such a train.
Stepping into the front car, the male student knocked on the door of the driver’s cabin.
“Excuse me, excuse me!!”
The curtain-covered door of the driver’s cabin allowed him to make out some faint movements.
He could see that there was someone inside, but they didn’t appear to acknowledge the male student’s presence. They were simply operating the train’s machinery in silence.
The male student continued to knock on the door in an attempt to get their attention, but the figure at the controls of the train didn’t even turn around. Despite calling out in a fairly loud voice, for some reason, the conductor seemed to be pretending not to hear.
“Excuse me, excuse me!! Can you hear me!?”
Gatan, gatan.
Gatan, goton.
“Excuse me, excuse me!! Can you hear me!?”
Gatan, goton.
Gatan, goton.
“Excuse me!! Can you hear me!? Hey, are you listening!?”
He continued to pound on the door until his hand ached, and the train finally began to slow down.
It was coming to a stop— the male student breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, if he could just find out about the opposite route, he could get back home. He wondered how long it would take. Hopefully, he wouldn’t get scolded by his father or mother.
His relief was short-lived, as it turned out that the driver didn’t stop the train because he heard the male student’s plea.
“Kamishana, Kamishana…”
He had arrived at an unfamiliar station.
“The doors will open on the right side… Please watch your step when exiting…”
The station standing alone in the middle of the grassland was incredibly old. It resembled a countryside station straight out of an old movie.
Tough weeds pushed through cracks in the worn concrete, the corrugated metal roof was so weathered that it looked like it might blow away in a strong wind. The bench placed quietly in a corner of the platform had faded from exposure to the elements, and the timetable posted on a pillar was so old it seemed like it could peel off at any moment.
The train doors remained wide open, waiting for the male student to disembark at the station.
“…………”
The male student attempted to seek help using his mobile phone. He took his phone out of his bag, but it was out of range, and he couldn’t connect to the internet.
Even when he tried to open a messaging app to send a message, he couldn’t send it, and an announcement played saying, “You are not connected to the internet.”
Would he have to get off the train?
“………………”
He understood that if he got off the train, he wouldn’t be able to return home.
Still, someone whispered in his ear that he needed to get off the train to find a signal. Despite knowing he shouldn’t get off, he felt an irresistible urge to do so.
So, what would he do?
“…………”
The male student got off the train at the station.
The dilapidated station platform was isolated in the vast grassland, and there was no station attendant in sight. It seemed like an unmanned station.
There was a broken ticket gate, and beyond that, a similar grassy landscape stretched out. There were no signs of any houses. It was a strange world.
Gatan, gatan.
Gatan, goton.
Gatan, gatan.
Gatan, goton.
The train that had carried the male student until now slowly departed from the station platform.
Left behind, the male student gazed in astonishment at the receding train. He watched the train grow distant without any intention of chasing after it. There was no return platform for a train home, and he could only resign himself to a growing sense of despair.
He couldn’t get back home—it was a premonition that lingered.
“Maybe a taxi… or could Dad come pick me up?”
His mobile phone was still out of range, and the messaging app was utterly useless.
Holding the now useless mobile phone, the male student stood frozen on the station platform. For some reason, he suddenly glanced over his shoulder.
Kamishana Station.
That’s what was written on the worn-out sign.
“Is it the same as Kisaragi Station, I wonder?”
The male student suddenly mentioned the name of a famous internet ghost story. If he remembered correctly, that scary story was about a woman who got stranded at an unmanned station just like this one. In that story, the internet still had a signal, but the map made no sense, and after going through a tunnel, she disappeared in a different world when she got into a car.
While this station was different from that story, it seemed to follow a similar pattern. In that case, he needed to look for a tunnel.
“Hey…”
Startled by the sudden call, the male student turned around.
“Are you here for some reason at Kamishana Station, too?”
Standing in front of him was a disheveled black-haired girl in a sailor uniform, blood streaming from her forehead.
☆
“I’m hungry.”
The old building of ×× High School.
This forgotten structure, lost to time, was rumored to be haunted.
The ghost in question, a silver-haired, red-eyed male student named Yuiru Enen, pursed his lips in dissatisfaction and spoke.
“I’m hungry. I’m hungry, Houzuki. Summon a ghost for me.”
“It’s not like I can just conveniently summon a ghost for you.”
Kasugadani Houzuki, who was sitting on a weathered chair in the old school building, replied,
“For me, it’s peaceful.”
“For me, it’s just a time when I get hungry.”
Yuiru pouted in dissatisfaction and then said,
“Are you not troubled by your ability to attract ghosts? Hurry up and bring me my meal!”
“It’s impossible. I don’t want to attract anything.”
While Kasugadani Houzuki was using her mobile phone to ask her best friend, Aoyagi Towako, for help with homework, a notification popped up on her screen.
It was an update from a news app. It was a pre-installed news app on her phone, and she occasionally checked it.
The news app had apparently received a new update. She casually tapped the notification with her finger, and the news article appeared on her screen.
“…They’ve gone missing.”
“Oh? Who are you talking about?”
“A student from our school. It seems like one of my classmates has gone missing.”
“Well, that’s quite something.”
Yuiru smiled with delight and said,
“I smell food.”
“Huh?”
“Houzuki, where did that missing male student disappear?”
“Well, um…”
Upon being prompted by Yuiru and checking the place where the missing male student was last seen, the route name was written.
It’s likely that he went missing while on the train. It’s still a bit puzzling, though.
Yuiru nodded in apparent agreement and said,
“Kasugadani, we’re going to that route.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I sense a meal there.”
With his crimson eyes shining brilliantly, Yuiru licked his lips.
“Tonight’s dinner has been decided.”
