The alarm clock rang once again. Chihiro woke to another day as usual. After changing into her uniform, but before going downstairs, she checked her smartphone. A weird app icon showed on the screen. She pressed her finger on it and a blank window opened, much to her dismay.

"I wonder if my phone has a virus now. I should run a scan later," Chihiro sighed. The previous day, she had summoned all her courage to download the infamous 'Demon Summoning Program' that was in the link of the spam email everyone was receiving. Over and over, she tried using it after it downloaded, but, like her friends said, nothing happened. To make things worse, the rumors about it being unable to be deleted were true as well. Every single time she tried to remove the app, it gave her an error screen. That aside, her phone seemed fine for now, but there was no way it was going to be left unscanned.

"Good morning, mom!" Chihiro greeted, descending the stairs.

"...Ah. Good morning, Chihiro." Yuuko Ogino finally noticed her presence. She had finished making breakfast, and was eating while watching television. Maybe the television was what distracted her. It wasn't natural, though. Usually, her mother would always turn it off before eating. She always said it was bad manners otherwise. Noticing her daughter's surprised look, Yuuko frowned, apologetically. "I'm sorry, Chihiro. This is important news. It happened in our neighborhood."

"Important news?" Chihiro sat down on the chair and held her chopsticks, saying a quick thank you for the food. Like her mother, soon her attention was drawn to the news that was airing.

"Around 6:00 am, a body was discovered in the park near Yellow Flower High School. The deceased's identity is-"

Chihiro had stopped eating completely. Normally, such news would certainly not be acceptable during breakfast. Still, Chihiro understood why her mother kept watching it. It wasn't like she knew who was killed, but she did know the place where the person died.

"That's...my school. Wait, isn't that the park I pass by everyday on my way to it?"

The news report continued.

"-the body was found in such state that it was almost unrecognizable. 'It was as if it was mangled by a wild beast', was what the first person who discovered the body said. Currently, police have been checking animal shelters, zoos, and forestry services to make sure that-"

Finally, Yuuko turned it off.

"I'm sorry you had to listen to such an unpleasant thing while eating, Chihiro," she sighed. "But it was in the park you usually pass by, you see. You understand, right? Can you please take another path today to school? The park is barricaded anyway, so I doubt you will be able to go through there."

"Ah. Sure," Chihiro nodded, looking a bit gloomy. She wasn't sure why. Weird murders happened all the time across the globe. Still, to have one so close to home made her shiver. Her mother, noticing her daughter's apprehension, put a hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"Don't worry. There are lots of police officers patrolling the city. You will be alright. Dad went to work normally today as well. You are safe."

"Thanks." Chihiro smiled, looking down at her half-empty rice bowl. "I know."


It was just like her mother said. There were police officers everywhere. They were patrolling every street. Probably because it was a small city, and incidents like that simply didn't happen there. Especially such a bizarre death, Chihiro smiled dryly. Police officers should make people feel safe, yet it made her just feel more unsettled. It was an ominous feeling she didn't know how to describe. The feeling of a danger lurking underneath everyone's nose.

Chihiro shook her head. "Stupid, stupid!" She said to herself. Nothing had changed. She was still going to school as always, going to have a normal day as always, and the next day would also be the same as always. In a few months she would have her much-awaited school trip to Tokyo. Of course, before that, there were final exams which she would have to study for. That was it. Just things that normally happened to a human. The world wouldn't end so suddenly like that. No magical turn of events. No super-powered villains, no monsters, no dragons- Just her dull, yet cherished life.

"It would be nice if magic existed, though." Feeling more relaxed, Chihiro hummed, trying to change her bad thoughts with happy ones. The magic she imagined was something that made people happy. The monsters she imagined were creatures who also had their own dull and cherished lives. They weren't so different from humans. Yes, if it was that way, it would be fine. She wouldn't even mind living in a world full of strange creatures if that was the case.

Lost in her fantasy, Chihiro only noticed she had arrived inside the school once she was in front of her classroom. A bit embarrassed for spacing out so easily, she slid open the door, giving her usual good morning, yet only being answered by Nao. That was also normal. The teacher soon arrived and the homeroom started.


"My parents were totally freaked out, you know…" Nao said as the trio of friends were once again eating in their secret spot during lunch. They had a rule to always share what they wanted to there and nowhere else. That was because, while Chihiro and Nao were in the same class, Yuka was in a different one. Chihiro and Nao could use the intervals between classes to talk to each other, but that would mean leaving Yuka out. So they didn't talk much during class. Instead, they waited for their friend to join them during lunch.

"With the freak murder incident?" Yuka asked, waving her chopsticks slightly.

"Yeah, they even tried to convince me to stay home." Nao shrugged. "I mean, I would love to, but then they would come back later complaining I didn't get good grades because I was skipping classes. They're unfair like that."

"So? You're already settled for bad grades," Chihiro sighed. "You know, if you try to study ahead of the time, maybe you can get better grades."

"Impossible." Yuka sighed. "Nao always only crams the last minute."

"Objection!" Nao argued. "I always try to study but my comic books always calls me back!"

"Overruled! You are basically admitting you only study at the last minute!" The blonde replied, but Nao just grinned.

"Hah! You don't know anything. I can't even cram at the last minute because I end up playing games instead!"

"That's even worse," Chihiro muttered.

For a while, they kept joking around. Finally, Yuka asked:

"So...what do you think happened? To the man in the park. People at school were saying it was probably some wild animal that attacked him."

"I heard the newscaster saying something about the police investigating animal shelters, but my mother turned off the television at the time." Chihiro laid down her chopsticks. While she was curious about the situation, the conversation itself wasn't really appetizing.

"There are also people saying it was a murder disguised as an animal attack," Nao commented. "I'm not really sure, though. I mean, how could someone pretend to be an animal?"

"...In truth, this isn't the first case." Yuka finally said, earning surprised stares from both Chihiro and Nao. "Do-don't look at me like that! It is the first case in this city. But you see, my father is a detective, so I heard him saying a few things on the phone this morning. From what I heard, there have been a few similar cases around Japan in the last few weeks. Mostly in Tokyo, but one or two in a few other cities as well. They are trying to keep it confidential though, so don't mention this to anyone, okay?"

"As expected of a detective's daughter! She knows what's going on!" Nao clapped and then stared at Chihiro. "That reminds me, it was Yuka's father who handled Chii-chan's family case right?"

"I didn't know Yuka-chan back then, so when I met her I was surprised when she had the same family name as the detective who questioned me," Chihiro smiled. It was six years ago, after the mysterious three-month gap in her life. Detective Hashimoto visited their house over and over again after that, but nothing could be explained. They couldn't remember anything, after all. Not even now.

"You know, maybe Chii was spirited away," Yuka suggested.

"You think so too, Yuka?" Chihiro frowned.

"Spirited away? What was that again?" Nao asked curiously.

"Oh, that's what it's called when a child disappears for awhile, and then reappears without any memories. They say the child has wandered into the spirit world. Or maybe taken by spirits and hidden there."

"Well, I don't know," the brunette sighed. "I mean, what happened was obviously not normal. I truly believe something extraordinary happened. Whether it was being spirited away, time traveling, or even being abducted by UFOs... anything that would explain what happened. There is also the more common explanation the doctor said: 'It was probably caused by some sort of traumatic experience that the family doesn't want to remember'."

"Someone actually said that?! That is totally inconsiderate!" Nao stood up, getting angry. "I mean, there are so many explanations for what happened, and yet they come up with something to make the whole family afraid for no reason!"

"It's okay, Nao. After all, the case couldn't be solved." Chihiro smiled sadly. "Because no one could explain what happened, people assumed that was because I was cursed."

"You aren't cursed, Chii-chan! You are a bit weird, and kind of a klutz, but those aren't bad things!" Nao said firmly, while Yuka nodded along with her.

"It's fun talking to you, Chii. You are kind, and sweet, and always come up with interesting and unexpected things to talk about." She smiled.

"Thank you, you two." Chihiro also smiled, feeling encouraged by them.

Lunch break would probably be over soon. There was still one thing Chihiro wanted to talk about.

"Talking about unexpected things…" She continued in a resigned tone. "I'm sorry. I did it. My phone probably has a virus, now." She showed the phone screen, with the strange app icon.

"...Chii-chan," Nao said seriously. "I don't know if you are brave, or just an idiot."

"I'm sorry."

"Then? Did something happen?" Yuka asked curiously.

"Nothing. It was like you said. A blank screen when opening the app, and it won't let me delete it."

Nao sighed. "I'll give you the name of a good anti-virus program for you to download after you get home, okay? So just relax."

"Thanks, Nao."

The bell announcing the lunchtime was over rang. Saying goodbye to each other, the trio dispersed.


After classes were over, Chihiro went straight home. Unlike her friends, she didn't have club activities after school. That was mostly because she couldn't fit in any club. Even if it was basketball (which Nao belonged to), or the theatre (which Yuka was in), Chihiro didn't feel like receiving weird stares from people who she should work together with. She went home taking the alternate path she took this morning, so it would be safer.

Even though it was supposed to be safer, there were a lot less police officers than in the morning. In all honesty, Chihiro felt relieved by that. It meant slowly, things were returning to normal. She really was worrying too much, after all.

Her phone buzzed, earning a surprised 'huh' from Chihiro.

"It must be Nao," Chihiro smiled, picking up the phone. "She was going to send me an antivirus after all."

Wait.

Wasn't Nao having club practice at that moment? ...Could she be ditching it?

Chihiro finally realized it wasn't Nao. Rather, the Demon Summoning app was making her phone buzz. She was about to open it when she heard a piercing scream.

It was the voice of a woman. A scream that would freeze anyone's blood. The scream of someone who was in danger.

Chihiro began panicking. A feeling of dread started to overtake her. No, that wasn't right. She had to calm down. Taking a deep breath, she looked around for a police officer. There were so many this morning, why wouldn't they patrol during the afternoon as well? Did they deem areas outside of the park of no importance? That made sense. Policemen had shifts as well. And, considering it was a small city, they probably didn't have many personnel to spare.

Shaking her head, Chihiro ran in direction of the scream. She couldn't just stand around thinking! If someone was in danger, a minute could make difference, right? She was only going to check. If there was something really dangerous like an armed robber or a wild animal, she would call the police. That was common sense!

Following the voice, the brunette found herself in an alleyway. There was still no sign of police officers. The screams also died down just a few seconds before she arrived. Was the woman alright?

"Ah…"

That puddle on the ground.

It was blood.

Ahead, there was a woman laying face down. She was injured and blood seeped from her wounds. There was no one else there, but that didn't matter. Someone was really dying before her eyes.

For some reason, she felt this wasn't the first time.

"Ah, focus!" Chihiro shook her head. It wasn't time for her fantasies now, she had to do something! That decided, she ran towards the woman and kneeled close to her.

"Miss! Are you alright? Answer me!" She shook the woman, to no avail. There wasn't any response at all. Chihiro examined her face and sighed in relief. Yes, she was still breathing. She wasn't dead yet. "I have to call the police...and an ambulance!"

Chihiro's breath was unstable and her fingers were trembling. Using a touchscreen in this situation was not something fun. She tapped the wrong numbers over and over again. Maybe she should be glad. This reaction meant her life had been a carefree one, one where she never had to call for help. It wasn't something she was used to. Of course, in school, children were always taught about safety measures like emergency numbers, or who to call when finding someone in trouble. Everyone would agree, but there was no doubt no one would ever wish to dial these numbers.

Chihiro took a breath and tried to dial the number again. This time she was calmer. This time she was going to do it.

Or not.

It just happened that her eyes wandered over one of the woman's wounds. At first, Chihiro had thought they were wounds from a knife. But they weren't. They were like…

"Claws." She gulped.

Who...or what was able to do that?

'Hungry.'

"!?" Chihiro suddenly stood up. She heard a voice. They weren't alone!

'Woman isn't enough. Still hungry.'

Something appeared from the shadows. Something that shouldn't be there. A small, yet ugly and purple creature caressing its inflated stomach with claws stained with blood. That thing wasn't a human, but it wasn't an animal either. She didn't know what it was. She was afraid. But the thing didn't care. It saw Chihiro and was approaching slowly.

Then, it occured her.

She had to run.

If that thing caught her, she would die for sure!

And then Chihiro ran. As fast as she could, without looking back. Maybe, if she didn't look back, the creature would disappear as if it was a mere dream. Still, she could hear the footsteps from the monster. They simply wouldn't go away.

Those footsteps kept chasing her for a good while, before finally stopping. Chihiro still kept running without care, until she finally noticed she was in front of the door of her house. With a ragged breath, she stopped for the first time in what it seemed an eternity and looked back to see if she was still being chased.

"There's nothing…"

In relief, Chihiro relaxed her body, letting herself fall on her knees. She was scared and tired. Once again, she questioned what that creature was. If it wasn't an animal, nor a human, what was it?

Her hand wandered to the smartphone that was buzzing just a little before meeting the monster. On the screen, a notification from the app showed.

A notification that it was detecting a demon nearby.

"A...demon…"

That night, Chihiro took a long time to sleep. Even after she fell into a slumber, the events of that day kept haunting her in her dreams.


Author's note: Thanks for reading chapter 2! In this chapter, a recurring demon from Shin Megami Tensei series appeared. The name is Preta (or Gaki). That aside, I don't have much else to say, except that I hope everyone enjoyed it!