"I dunno, but it doesn't feel right..." Naomi murmured, mostly to herself. "But, then again, what does?" She shrugged it off, wondering off to investigate the room further. Laying on the ground she found a bloody cassette, which made her frown. Why did it have the stains? What happened to it? And most of all, would they be able to read it? There wasn't a possibility of finding anything to work it on... Or at least, she guessed so. It appeared to be from a digital camera, but that's all she could tell. The label over the top read: Kibiki Research Data 2005-11-19.
"... Sensei..."
Seiko let out a muffled squeal of terror at the unknown voice, bringing herself closer to Naomi. She inched towards the doors, trying to open them again. Without further success. "To worry so much for another's well-being that it torments you to the core... It's an exquisite stigmata that afflicts the living and the dead alike." Continued the foreign voice, and as she turned, she found Naomi standing before a girl with black hair and blue eyes, some beads in her hair also.
"Um... Who are you?" Naomi asked, staring straight at the teen ahead. She had odd eyes, like those of a dead fish, cloudy and lifeless. "I'm... the spirit of a girl who died here." The teen explained bluntly. "Oh... I-I'm sorry, I suppose." Naomi answered, getting slightly flustered. That must be a sensitive subject, no? "Happiness and unhappiness are linked. Whenever one attempts to gain good fortune with little effort, there is always a risk."
"What does that mean, miss?" Seiko joined into the conversation, curiosity lining her tone. "You and your friends have become trapped in this school because you performed the Sachiko Ever After charm... and messed it up." The girl explained, not exactly answering the question properly, but answering another. "Sachiko... You mean that paper doll thing we all did? How did we mess it up?"
"One of you chanted the phrase too many times, or too few. The number of participants determines the number of repetitions that must be spoken. And somebody goofed." The girl shrugged nonchalantly, not really caring too much for the nine fates that were at the edge of living. Well, a few less at this point. "..." Was it really? Naomi remembered that she had spoken it nine times, and was certain that Seiko would do that too. Who would do that, then? Or maybe, the teen was lying? Trying to put fault on someone else.
"It may have been on purpose. One of your friends probably thought the whole thing was silly, and just didn't bother to count. Or maybe a misguided member of your group didn't want the fun to end, and knowingly flubbed the charm in a vain attempt at prompting a do-over." The teen moved on, blaming different individuals at turn. "No! They wouldn't do that!" Seiko protested.
"Even if it wasn't on purpose, some of your friends have a tendency not to take things very seriously, no? It's not inconceivable that they'd mess up... and just say, "Oh well! It's not like I'll ever be found out!" ...without even realizing that their actions would ultimately doom you all. Heeheehee! No one's owned up to it, right? Not a single one of your friends has said to you, "I screwed up! I'm so very sorry!"" The girl giggled, a smile appearing on her face.
What got her so happy? Naomi asked herself, stepping back. "My apologies. I've proposed far too many likely scenarios, it seems." She giggled. "Perhaps it's the nature of my job. I have long since abandoned my writings, after all. You do...still have your scrap of paper doll, no?" She asked, changing the subject like the last one suddenly wasn't as interesting.
"Be sure to hang onto it. And hang tight. Treat it like a memento. A memento...of those who are dear to you."
"Sorry to leave you hangin', but we have to go. We have to find our classmates..." Seiko interrupted her, slightly blunt. She couldn't really help herself, though. What was she supposed to do? If what the girl said was indeed true, they would have to ask their classmates, no? But before that could happen, they had to be found. "Such concern for your friends...and all the impulses that go with it, spurring the heart into action... It's a truly noble sentiment. That's all charms really are, you know. They represent one's regards for other people, they're like microcosms of the soul... Whether it be love or hate, all you need is a truly strong emotion to set them off. The stronger it is, the more powerful the charm."
Seiko blinked, inching closer to Naomi with a whimper in fear. "Splend... mans... hook..." The teen started to chant, and Naomi closed her eyes in pain. What was happening? She could feel herself burning up. She cringed in pain, causing Seiko to try and push the girl, at least scoff her. "Hey! Stop it! Please! Stop!" She begged, shooting worried looks towards her crush, who was still feeling the burning throbbing pass through her body.
"Frigide...tsui...ball...Ball...tsui...frigide... Hook...mans...splend..." The girl concluded, smiling widely, almost abnormally. We will not allow anyone to stand in our way. Those who do will suffer without mercy! Now go. Go to the ones who occupies your thoughts..." She cheered, doing a little twirl. "Though... You probably wouldn't make it in time... Hehehe... Hahahahaha!" She laughed for what seemed to be forever, the sounds slowly echoing as she disappeared, taking Naomi and Seiko with her.
At the voice from behind, the girl perked up, walking back to the podium to read whatever Kizami had found. It was a message from the class rep, Ayumi Shinozaki that read: "I have found an outdoor walkway on IF leading to a second wing. I'm going to go check it out. If you see this, Ms. Yui, please come find me. Somebody left some kind of hidden message over there on 3 old school flyers. Apparently, you have to lay them one on top of the other to read it. -Shinozaki." Yuka read, blinking a few times.
"We have to go there, please! Maybe Shinozaki knows where big brother is..." Nodding, Kizami led her to the second wing. As they reached the spot, they went to the east, where beforehand the cabinet blocked the way. Out of sheer curiosity, they headed towards the Music classroom, piano music once again sounding from within with it's creepy tune. Looking down at a fallen cabinet, blocking the way to a desk, that seemed to have something underneath it. With ease, the teen lifted the cabinet and let Yuka walk by, before joining her as well.
"Kaori: Be very careful around the green goo spattered all over the floor. It can kill you. I ran into a spiritualist here, who left behind a pair of shoes blessed with holy water. If one person wears them, and all in attendance join hands, then - and only then - is it safe to traverse the accursed green goo.
Whenever I see the sorrowful bodies of those who died here, I feel as if I may go mad with worry. I beg of you, survive these ordeals. Live!" Kizami read, while his companion knelt down and reached under the desk, scooping out a pair of shoes. They were made of black leather with a barely imperceptible blue glow. As she lifted them close, the music stopped, sending a shiver down her back. "Try them on." The boy urged, while obediently, Yuka slipped on the pair, taking her own in her hands.
"I know where the goo is!" Yuka said with a little glee to her tone, mixed with pride. It was all for the better if she could leave the place earlier. As they began to head up towards the stairs, and the corridor that would lead to the goo, Yuka stopped for a moment before a statue. It was cheaply made, produced for use in still-life paintings. She stopped before it, studying it closely. "Wasn't this in the Art room before?" She asked herself, inaudible. Hearing the murmur, but not the context, Kizami only looked down at her. "Hmm? What's the matter?" He asked with fake concern.
"Uh, umm... N-Nothing. Probably just my imagination. Would you mind if we went to check the Art classroom?" With a shake of a head in response as a 'no', she began to walk over to the classroom nearby. Something inside of it also changed. In the very middle of the room laid a note. "- 3. - O. Wait! Remember the message Shinozaki left us?" Yuka took out two more flyers and layered them over each other.
"SEARCH DESK IN MUSIC ROOM. HT SIDE BY THE WINDOWSIGR. DESK FROM THE BACK ECS NDO. Do you think it's about the shoes?" She mused, and her companions simply shrugged. "That's all that was in there, right?" The girl nodded, leaving the notes to be in the odd class. They wouldn't be needed anymore. As she looked around, the weird girl from before... She was gone too. Frowning, she let herself be led outside, and towards the goo.
Carefully, Yuka took a step on it, scared to be hurt. Nothing. She opened one eye, which she closed in instinct. Grinning, she reached out her hand for Kizami to hold onto, before walking forward, through the length of the goo. At the top, she found something sparkling on the floor. Picking it up, she looked cautiously at a sort of crystal. "Hmm? What seems to be the problem, Yuka?" She snapped out of her thoughts, looking up. Was she straining again? "I...uh...really have to go to the bathroom." She admitted.
"Oh? Don't tell me you've been holding it in all this time, have you?" At the next question, she could feel her cheeks become warm in embarrassment. "Uh-huh...I...ohh... Ooooooh..." She moaned, feeling pain burn through her stomach again. "My, my! Well, we'd best find you a place to relieve yourself, then. Though I seem to recall our options being rather limited..." Kizami mused, looking around carefully as he spoke. "There was a toilet downstairs, if I recall correctly. Would you like to check that?" Yuka nodded slowly.
As they began to head towards the bathroom, locked with charms, they stopped before a corpse. She saw that girl before. She run away from her and Naomi and Seiko. She was not breathing. Her eyes had a hollow appearance to them, yet still retain a tiny echo of life - and reflect a palpable sense of terror. It almost seems as if she could "snap out of it" at any moment, stand up and walk away. The corpse is so fresh, simply being in its presence is disquieting. It's skin still warm in touch.
Yuka exhaled softly. It was another of Kizami's classmates, based on the uniform. She retched and gagged at the sight, turning away. "A-Are you all right? ...This is...terrible..." She didn't reply, panting uncontrollably in a struggle to get the image out of her mind. "Yuka, have you seen the ghosts of the children?" Deciding to finally reply, she nodded. "Yeah... I have..."
"I've been reading the school flyers and dying messages scattered throughout this school...and it seems the ghost of the man who killed those children is in here somewhere as well." The girl gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in shock. Disregarding the behavior, he continued. "He's apparently quite large, and wields a hammer. You'd better be on your guard. I've had a great many of my friends...many, many, many people...killed by that man and those wretched children!" He sounded angrier as he spoke, and Yuka gasped softly. "...At any rate, it seems clear we should stick together, as there's simply no telling what may happen if we part ways."
"Come. We must find my sister and your brother, before... before it's too late." He finished curtly, taking her hand in his and heading towards the sealed bathroom once more. As they reached the spot, he fumbled in his pocket for the crystal. Pulling it out, he stood before the doors with the object in hand, and successfully, the flyers burned. Along with the charms, the crystal also was destroyed, shattering into dust. "Seems usable now. Will you be alright by yourself?"
"Uh-huh... I-I'll be okay." Yuka agreed, slowly walking towards the doors, eyeing them. "Get to it, then. I'll be waiting right here for you." Nodding, she murmured a thanks, before walking inside, disappearing in the restroom without another word.