Chapter 6 “Ghost-eating Ghost”
Houzuki was dumbfounded.
Misako-sensei disappeared.
By the silver-haired, red-eyed male student rumored to appear in this old school building.
As for how she disappeared, to put it simply, she was eaten.
The pitiful ghost teacher, who didn’t want to disappear, didn’t want to die, and still wanted to continue the class, was meticulously sliced from head to toe with a silver knife and eaten.
“Why… What…?”
“Hmm?”
Yuil, who was licking his own fingers, tilted his head with a perplexed expression.
“Why, what? You’re a strange one, aren’t you? This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”
Yuil responded in a tone as if it were only natural,
“If you can’t see ghosts, isn’t that better? If you can’t attract ghosts, isn’t that better? Then, this should be fine. Why worry about it?”
“But, that ghost…”
“You think of it as a pitiful grudge-bound spirit clinging to this world? You’re quite compassionate, showing mercy to mere ghosts.”
Yuil casually tossed a wrinkled textbook left on the teacher’s desk onto the classroom floor and unhesitatingly used the desk itself as a makeshift chair.
Glancing at the blackboard, he furrowed his brows upon discovering several claw marks etched into the dusty surface. He quietly muttered, “Who’s going to clean this…” A phrase not missed by Houzuki.
The idea of one ghost eating another was unimaginable. Can ghosts engage in cannibalism?
Certainly, Houzuki had wished to somehow change his nature that attracted ghosts. That’s why he had desperately asked Yuil for help.
If he could attract them, he had anticipated that helping the attracted ghosts find peace was the solution. But why did this lead to eating ghosts?
Was this Yuil’s strategy?
“Houzuki, you’re very fortunate. I’ve been feasting on human fear for many years, but this is actually my true calling—or should I say, my true meal? That’s right.”
Yuil, with a smug smile, said as if he believed he had said something clever.
“Houzuki, I told you that we’d use your ability to attract ghosts. From now on, you’ll be the one bringing the meals.”
Yuil leaped down from the teacher’s desk, and…
“I will devour every ghost you attract, without leaving a single one behind. I’ll even feast on your fear as a snack. This is the only way to improve your ability to attract ghosts.”
At that moment, a lonely sound reached her from outside the old school building. It was the nostalgic melody of the evening chime, coming from a worn-out speaker.
Although it was meant to signal the children still playing outside to go home, in the crimson sky, it sounded oddly terrifying. Occasional static interference made the fear even more palpable.
She gathered her spread-out notebooks and pencils into her bag, and…”
“I’m going home.”
“Yeah, make sure to be careful on your way back.”
The silver-haired male student standing in the desolate classroom bathed in the setting sun smiled at Houzuki, who was about to leave the classroom.
That breathtakingly beautiful smile was likely the result of not witnessing the spectacle of devouring the ghost earlier.
Yuil waved his hand gently and said, “farewell” as he…
“I’ll be counting on you again tomorrow, Houzuki.”
☆
Passing through the gate of XX High School, Houzuki walked along her way back home.
The sky, tinged with the colors of the setting sun, burned a deep red, as if the entire sky had caught fire. Crows flying across the sky let out lonely cries, and children who appeared to be elementary school students hurriedly made their way home.
It was a typical evening scene found anywhere. In the midst of it, Houzuki was no more than one of the children heading home.
Her steps were remarkably heavy. They were so heavy that one might think they were tied down with lead on both feet, exceptionally heavy.
Kaa, kaa.
Kaa, kaa.
The lonely cawing of the crows sent shivers through Houzuki’s eardrums. She disliked the twilight hours. It was the time when ghosts were most visible.
More than that, she hated her home. She didn’t want to return there, but no matter how much she despised it, there was no place for her to go other than that home.
Kaa, kaa.
Kaa, kaa.
A crow perched on a utility pole, serving as a substitute for a tree, gave Houzuki a piercing stare. Did their eyes see her as if some malevolent entity were walking the streets? It didn’t matter. Birds, in their avian wisdom, certainly wouldn’t possess the ability to solve Houzuki’s troubles.
As she walked through the quiet residential area bathed in the evening sun, she was met with the cold stares of her neighbors.
“Hey, isn’t that the girl?”
“Yeah…”
“You know, the one who talked about ghosts and all…”
The gaze of the housewives gathered for a neighborhood discussion was cold, yet sharp as spears, making Houzuki feel stifled.
She tried to avoid making eye contact with them as much as possible and hurriedly walked past them.
Passing by the fronts of several similar houses, crossing the road, she was unexpectedly met with a scream from a salaryman on his way home, who happened to pass by. It was a routine occurrence for Houzuki to trigger such screams.
Eventually, she reached her home.
“…………”
It was just a run-down apartment building, the kind that looked like it could lose its roof in a direct hit from a typhoon.
Houzuki’s own home was on the ground floor of this apartment. Room 101—this was her dwelling.
She stood before the tightly closed door, reaching for the doorknob. Faint voices could be heard through the thin door from the other side.
“What’s for dinner today?”
“We’re having fried chicken tonight.”
“Oh, that sounds good. I’m getting one.”
“Oh my, Dad!!”
It was a lively exchange. To anyone else overhearing, it would seem like the usual family conversation.
Houzuki heaved a deep sigh and inserted her home key into the doorknob. With a simple turn, she heard a distinct click. Twisting the doorknob, the thin door opened easily.
With a creaking sound, the door swung open, and Houzuki offered her greeting upon returning home.
“I’m home.”
Gyii, patan.
