Chapter 3: Rumors of Ghosts
“Do you know? A ghost visits this police box…”
As she was offered barley tea, which was always kept in the refrigerator, Houzuki heard this from the young police officer.
“It was just yesterday, the phone at the police box kept ringing persistently. At first, I thought it was just a prank call, but…”
With a somber expression, the young police officer continued.
“What I heard from the phone was the sound of footsteps… but strangely, I couldn’t hear any breathing or voices. Normally, you’d at least hear some breathing if someone was walking, right?”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
Houzuki couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
She hadn’t actually heard the phone call herself, so she couldn’t say for certain.
But it wouldn’t be surprising if it were true. This is Tsukinashi Town, where incidents involving ghosts are more common than conflicts with humans.
Yuiru, who couldn’t drink the barley tea, started doing the backstroke in mid-air again.
“Did the ghost come to the police box?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if it came. Didn’t it?”
Yuiru, pressing the young police officer with keen interest, received a somber response.
“Ac-actually… I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Embarrassingly, I don’t remember. That part of my memory is just blank.”
The young police officer spoke apologetically.
Houzuki thought it couldn’t be helped. It wouldn’t be surprising if the shock had caused him to lose his memory.
In fact, he might not be able to work night shifts anymore. It’s best if he doesn’t recall the incident at all.
Yuiru, backstroking in the air, said, “How boring.”
“Well, if we wait at this police box, maybe a meal will come wandering in on its own. That would be delightful.”
“Hey, Yuiru. You’re causing trouble for the police officer.”
“N-no… I’d actually feel safer if someone were here.”
The young police officer’s face was alarmingly pale, looking as if he might faint at any moment.
Houzuki couldn’t bring herself to leave such a visibly distressed officer alone. Maybe it would have been better to call Towako to join them here.
Just as she decided it wasn’t too late and reached for her phone to call home, it happened.
Jiriririririririri~n, jiririririririri~n.
Jiriririririririri~n, jiririririririri~n.
In the quiet police box, the phone’s ringing echoed loudly. The young police officer, visibly shaken by the loud noise, jumped out of his chair with a high-pitched scream. Even Houzuki was startled by the sudden ringing; anyone would be. The only one not surprised was Yuiru, already a ghost.
Yuiru, his red eyes fixed on the still-ringing phone, asked,
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
The young police officer, covering his ears, was too terrified to respond. Glancing at his pitiful state, Yuiru stepped onto the linoleum floor and reached for the phone.
Normally, a civilian shouldn’t answer a police phone. If it were a real emergency call, it could have serious consequences.
“Yuiru, stop,” Houzuki warned, trying to intervene.
“If it’s a real emergency call, I’ll hand it over to the officer immediately. I have at least that much common sense.”
“And what if you’re held accountable for something?”
“If they can charge a ghost with a crime, I’d like to see them try.”
With a laugh, Yuiru finally picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
After listening for a moment, he grinned and beckoned Houzuki over, pressing the receiver into her hand.
“Listen.”
“Eeh……”
Houzuki said reluctantly. She put the receiver to her ear.
“Hello?”
Zarizari, zari, zari.
Zarizarizari, zari.
Zari.
She could hear, footsteps.
“I hear footsteps.”
“Listen closely, Houzuki. Can you hear another sound aside from the footsteps?”
“Huh?”
Houzuki pressed the receiver to her ear again, focusing intently.
Zarizari, zarizari.
Zarizari, zari.
Zari, zarizari.
Zari, zari.
She could only hear the sound of someone walking.
There were no breathing sounds, no other noises, nothing at all.
Just the footsteps coming through the receiver. It seemed unlikely that someone would go to the trouble of recording just the sound of footsteps to prank call from a payphone.
This was indeed…
“It’s most likely going to drop by this police box.”
Yuiru stared at the pitch-black police box entrance,
“I’m so happy that the food is coming to me. I want to eat it as soon as possible.”
A few seconds later, they heard footsteps coming from outside the police box.
It’s the same thing Houzuki heard on the receiver.
There was a sound like scraping concrete, but also like stepping on dirt.
Zarizari, zari.
Zari, zari.
Zari.
Houzuki still held the receiver to his ear,
“Yuiru.”
“What is it, Houzuki?”
Their exchange could be heard through the receiver as well.
Zari, zari, ――Yuiru――, zari.
Zari, ――What is it, Houzuki?――, zari, zari.
Amidst the walking sounds, their conversation was audible.
Could it be that the person on the phone was approaching the police box?
Were they planning to visit while keeping the call connected?
“Uhm, excuse me~”
The footsteps finally stopped in front of the police box, and an unfamiliar voice that sounded both female and male touched their ears.
