It was getting colder with each day. Autumn was the period that called for a wardrobe assistance. In compensation, one would be able to experience the festival of the wind. Even in decay, this life cycle was something that could be seen as beautiful. With this in her mind, Marry decided to cherish her day. She took for a hike to an uninhabited peak. Desiring time for herself to think, she admired the scenery. However, it wasn't long until she got interrupted by Renko. Her friend was all this time by her side, though she didn't mind company. That girl wanted something from her, but Marry didn't simply listen. Whatever was the case, my friend should be fine, she thought. Renko sat beside her on the bench and watched over the sky. As clouds in the sky froze, both of them found themselves close to each other. Marry sighed, releasing her breath to air. Perhaps it meant that she wanted to release her soul towards the sky and fly beyond herself. She would chase after her dreams in a fantasy world, unlimited by any boundaries. Her soul soon left reality, abandoning her body behind. Meanwhile on the ground, Renko was looking at her friend curiously. She wanted to know what's going on in her mind, but no matter the gaze, she didn't learn anything. Because that girl was caring for her friend, she wanted her to feel at ease. She finally called her name out, summoning her consciousness. Did she just heard a faint response, she wondered. Renko decided to take closer to Marry, examining her facial expression. But despite her good intentions, her friend turned her head to the other side. Was she hiding something or was I too pushy? As the bold one was contemplating, the other girl turned back again and spoke. She proclaimed that it was time to go back, that she no longer wanted to reside here. Hence, why she stood up, and went her way, not looking back. Renko quickly caught up with her. She wanted to ask her friend about her sudden change in behaviour, but she apologized instead. Marry stopped for a second, and appeared that she was thinking about something deeply. And then, without a word, continued walking. In her secret place in mind, she was blushing and being too timid to say what she wanted.
There was a discrepancy between the two. Marry told Renko that she received clues about something haunting around this area. That was a lie. Her plan was to bring out her friend, and with enough courage, tell her about everything. Would she be running away from the challenge for the rest of her life, she feared. Both were not just good friends, but something more. It's not the time our hearts should meet, not now, she kept telling herself. Renko walked beside her, looking at her expressionless friend. Of course, she was aware that Marry was trying to say something and this farce was just her defence mechanism. But certainty, it didn't work out, and she had to be assertive in this matter. That's what at least she has been thinking until now. She accepted that she might have been wrong, but that changed nothing. Both were silent at the way back, which wasn't going to solve anything. Whatever pent up emotion Marry was carrying, her heart might soon explode because of it. Renko became worried, even more that her friend. She felt that whatever she would do take action, it might result in something even worse than doing nothing. Her strategy was to subtly ignore the whole situation and act as nothing happened. Surprising, it was not her who spoke first, but her timid friend. Marry asked if her friend was okay, if it was not too cold for her and if she still wanted to search for ghosts or to go home. Renko replied positively, saying she would be glad to take a trek off the road. She was in fact absolutely ready for any terrain and situation, because it would be a waste to not test the equipment on the field. With the first ice broken both girls smiling a little more now, as they went onto an adventure, or rather hoped that one meets them.
Marry looked at Renko, as she looked back at her. Both of their eyes met, in a luscious scenery of nature's sanctuary. No one else saw them, no one else knew that they were here. And besides that, there was no one else that could interrupt them now. That gaze, reflected in other's mind, was something magnificent and alluring for both of them. They stood, holding their hands together close. As the wind blew, hashing the foliage around them, the world stopped for a moment. That second, one of the girls spoke words that came not from their mouth. What they were and what they meant was not important. They carried the power to turn the time back to normal, but in a different universe. And thus, both girls found themselves in reality again, at the same place they were just an instant ago. However, they felt different, closer to each. But that wasn't distance between their bodies. It was their souls that finally met for the first time.
Hours passed, as both girls walked off the path and found themselves lost. No one blamed anyone, it just happened. But the fact remained that now they had to deal with this situation. How the present would come to this event, Renko asked, as she clearly felt something wrong for a while now. Normally, her sense of direction was peerless. Thus, this time she was having a notion that something ominous might happen. Marry originally was not going to hunt for ghosts, so it would be lucky to find something strange here. However, she wasn't worried that her compass friend was having problems with getting lost. She enjoyed spending time with her, and due the preparations, they both were fitted to stay here for a night or two. It was just a matter of holding hands together, that mattered for her. She even offered the best of her words to relief Renko. They were effective, but carried no change in the situation that they were in right now. It was getting dark and ominous wildlife noises were heard, concealed and out of sight. It was a perfect opportunity to find all kinds of scary things. Even if their senses here stretched out, both girls didn't even shiver an ounce of fear. With their lights out, they sturdy trod through the forest, in search for way home. What they found out soon, was indeed a place that people find shelter at, but it didn't appear as warm as a fireplace.
The Ghost Sealing Club was now facing a strange abandoned house. It resembled a normal Japanese homestead, but it also reminded Marry of a shrine. The unusual thing about it was that there were no gates, no ornaments and no donation box. However, there were still traces that pointed they were present here, at some point. Those significant items surely disappeared, or were stolen by someone. Thinking that, she couldn't hide her anger at the idea that an act of profanity might have been performed. Additionally, it would be unsettling to have it abandoned by its God. However, since the holy items were missing, the girl into occult asserted that despite her sanity. Renko, who agreed partially with her friend, suggested that they should check inside for anything interesting. Whenever was that a good idea, her partner doubted. It was simply because the long abandoned doors didn't look welcoming, neither would they appear operable. Marry was still standing thinking, as her adventurous friend took for the entrance, despite her hesitation. Unlucky, her claim was misfired as the door easily opened for Renko. She waved her hand, inviting her to join. The girls took little careful steps, in hope nothing will happen to them both inside.
As expected, nothing shocking was discovered. The nature have taken back some of the floor. It looked abandoned as ever and exploring further might have been dangerous. But for the girls it didn't matter, they wanted to at least look around the side rooms. The floor let out a squeaking sound, each time a shoe was placed on it. Going slowly, step by step, they both held hands not to sway away from each other. It also meant that if anything were to break, hopefully they wouldn't fall both. One door after another soon gave screeching sounds, revealing even more emptiness. They started to get disappointed, they didn't find anything at all. It was a waste of time, after all, both thought. However, as they both met the last possible secret of this place, they changed their minds. Beyond the entryway, stairs leading down to an endless void stretched before them. Renko was the one first to express her excitement. She asked Marry if she has ever heard of a Japanese basement. Her friend's reply was that of an annoyance, as they both were living in Japan long enough. Surely, that was just a joke, even if her fellow no longer had her appearance of a foreigner. In any case, Marry decided to let that one slide. Slowly they descended, as their lights guided them. Soon, they met something unpleasant for their noses. Several containers, all of them empty, gave out a smell of fermented alcohol. It wasn't uncommon for a shrine to storage their sake, but the scent was trapped here for all this time as it appeared to be waiting for someone to fall for its trap. Both girls coughed and protected their nostrils. Renko unfortunately didn't brought gas masks with her, as no one sane would expect something like that. There were labels glued onto the canisters, but they were blank, or simply lost their ink due time. Someone sure kept a lot of alcohol here, the girls thought, but now it was all empty bottles. Marry looked at her friend, trying to ask her what they should do now. She wanted to go back, away from the sake smell, since there wasn't anything here for them to poke around. However, Renko enduring the unpleasant odour had a hunch that something was indeed hidden here, other than what they obviously found. She dragged her friend, despite her protest, just to be sure they didn't miss anything. She promised that it would only take a moment longer, but she might have been mistaken. At this time Marry stood near the exit, away from the smell. She observed closely every move her friend was making. Suddenly, something else caught her attention. The walls in this room were all made out of old, worn out wood. However, one segment of it was unlike others. It was clean and polished, which gave out the thought it was placed there recently. That certain piece was also behind the bottles, which might have been the reason behind why wouldn't she be able to see it the first time. Renko turned her head, as Marry informed her of the discovery. Startling, her friend didn't know what she was talking about. The currently exploring girl had to confirm if it was this wall that they both were discussing. The other girl, one that stood near the exit, nodded in response. But as soon as she did, she discovered something else. There was a very unsettling thing coming out from the renovated wall, a human hand.
Marry, staggered from the shock, shouted as fast as she could, trying to warm her friend. Renko turned her head again, looking back puzzled at her partner. The arm reached out and came close to a human shoulder. It clearly was reaching out for something, in a spooky manner. In this moment, both girls froze in place, one from the unsettling image, the other girl looking towards her terrified and strangely behaving friend. But someone else did not pay attention to their staring and took the initiative. The hand's target was one of the girls, and if nothing would be done, something bad would happen. To prevent that, Marry acted on instinct, and in great haste, advanced on Renko. The hand was mere centimetres away, moving its fingers in a ghostly and frightening motions. It was about to grab human flesh, or perhaps rip it directly from its owner. The soon victim stood, as she were nailed into the place. She didn't know or sensed anything about the predator behind her. Her mind wasn't ready for any sort of an attack. Meanwhile, Marry reaching her friend, jumped onto her from the side, forcing her onto the ground and away from the hand. It was the only way she would save her, so she took the chance. Both girls fallen flat on the ground, one on top of the other, facing another from up close. Holding firmly Renko, Marry lost the sight of the hand and hoped it went away. That situation was a little too invasive, but as longest they were safe, it didn't matter. Her friend wore a strange and awkward expression, similar to confusion mixed with blushing. But then something happened that made her surprised instead. One of the empty containers slightly tripped over and crashed into the ground. It broke and scattered glass all over the basement. Both girls stood up terrified that something like that happened. However, Marry was the one scared the most. She grabbed the hand of her friend and took for a sprint up the stairs. Breathing heavily, she shut close the door to the cellar behind her. Renko was impressed that her friend was that fast, but still couldn't grasp the situation. She asked slowly if her friend was okay, to which she did have a confirmation. Calming both down, they pondered about what just happen. Whatever was that, they soon left the abandoned building and never looked back.
There was still the smell of something on their clothes. Apparently, the bottle that broke carried still some left over liquid, which splattered onto the girl's garments. The scent was something awful for both, but soon they simply got used to it. At the very least they both survived, from whatever happened to them. Released from the burden, they took for a further walk, in hope they find a way back to home. Soon, looking at the moon, Renko was able to find a track which they took returning to civilization. This was quite an adventure, they both agreed, as they were conversing about their trip. Still, it wasn't clear what actually happened there. One girl pondered, asking question to her friend. The answers she was looking for was why would her partner knew about that bottle, if she knew it would trip over. Was it the wind, something that she touched or maybe it was her friend, unconsciously doing that?
What Marry saw were indeed terrifying images. That hand reached out for her friend was not the only thing unsettling about that basement. As soon as she saved her partner from the cruel fate, the spirit retreated, tripping over the bottle. As it scattered onto the ground, the true nature of this place was revealed to her. She saw that the container wasn't empty at all. There was a human arm inside, confined in some kind of unknown persevering substance. Marry didn't knew what it was, but it smelled of alcohol. As she got up, the room appeared as it was turned back in time. The walls were similar to the strange segment she saw earlier. On top of that, the other jars she saw also carried some sorts of body parts. That image deeply disgusted Marry, as she panicked and evacuated. Luckily for her, it was over as she left the room. Her surrounding returned to the present and she felt relief. That is what she proclaimed to see, talking to Renko about it. She had hope now, that since she rescued her friend from the monster, that her partner won't have doubt that her visions are true.
