*hides underneath a pile of blankets* Happy New Year?! Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for being so inactive on this story! I truly had writer's block for this story for this entire year and I FINALLY got some inspiration from my cousin when I was discussing my dilemma with him. I originally wanted this story to be posted on the last day of December, December 31st, but due to bad internet connection, that wasn't able to happen, so here it is, a year and a couple of weeks late. Before the story starts and I get into review replies, I'd like to mention that Masquerade, in this story, would be referred to as Matthew. (I know that I should have kept his original name but I think it's kind of weird for someone to be named Masquerade in real life.) But anyways, here are some replies to your reviews~:
Kamen Rider Evol: Thank you~! (＾ω＾)
InnocentDiamond: I'm sorry that Alice's death was very grotesque! I blame this all on me watching too much Investigation Discovery and one of the most frustrating things to watch is to watch a whole case being unsolved, even today. Ahaha, I feel like Shun screaming is WAY too OOC, but hey, who wouldn't scream if you saw a ghost? (・・；)
Sugar Spice Rush: Well, I'm glad that you liked the part where Shun was terrified of Alice! I was worried if it seemed to be a bit too OOC-which it is-but I'm happy that someone liked it! Ah well, let's see if he'll finally regain his conscious to eat! ｛・ω-*}
cherry-tree-of-life: Ooh, 'Ghost Whisperer' seems interesting! I want to check it out now! I watch too much Investigation Discovery, so that could possibly explain why Alice's death is so gory. Ahaha, well, who wouldn't be terrified of a ghost? ( 〃．．)
FabiaOkamiVentus: Oh, thank you so much for understanding my poor attempt at some humor! *hugs you* Ah, thank you for pointing out my mistakes! I often times am forgetful of my tenses. Thank you so much for your encouragement~! ⊂((・▽・))⊃
Guest: Well...here's an update~! ＼(￣O￣)
Chapter 3: The Deal
Shun stared at the apartment door in front of him, his hand shaking as he tried to insert his key into the door lock. It had been approximately a week since the last time he had actually set foot into his apartment ever since the...incident.
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"Oh my God.." Was the last thing that he remembered mumbling before taking a deep breath and screaming.
"Not again! Oh, I'm so stupid! Why did I do that?! What do I do...he fainted!"
...
A splash of water hitting his face woke Shun up from unconsciousness, leaving him sputtering and coughing as he sat up. As he wiped the remaining water droplets from his face with the palm of his hand, a voice that he had heard earlier spoke.
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" He slowly turned his head towards the direction in which he heard the voice and saw the same blurry silhouette of the ghost of Apartment 86 as well as cup of water floating in mid-air besides her.
Trying his hardest to not scream, he bolted out of the worn-out couch that the ghost must have somehow set him on, and dashed towards his bedroom, grabbing his discarded backpack from the floor in the process. Quickly shoving in a random and somewhat decent amount of clothing in his backpack alongside his grandfather's credit card, he ran out of his bedroom and towards the door.
"Oh no! Wait! Please don't leave!" The ghost's plea was pitiful, but now wary of the rumors that he had heard about the ghost, he fumbled with putting on his shoes before stumbling out of his apartment. He kept on running and didn't bother to look back at his fully exposed apartment door and the blurry silhouette with an arm outstretched, as if asking him to stay. Shun continued running and finally made it back to his school's campus grounds and headed in the direction of the school's dormitories. He still didn't even stop running until he had reached his friend's dorm room door and pounded on the door with such aggressive force that it seemed as if the poor door would break from its hinges. It didn't take long until his friend, Matthew, opened the door.
"Who is it-oh, Shun. It's you. What's wrong?" Matthew asked worriedly, noticing Shun's heavy breathing and disheveled person.
"Matt...the ghost...it's...it's real!" Shun managed to wheeze out in-between his short breaths.
"Wait, what?"
...
"Shun, it's been a week now. You really can't just hide out here in my dorm forever." Shun glared at his friend who was sprawled out onto his bed with a highlighter and a psychology textbook. The raven-haired male was currently lounging on the small couch which was also his makeshift bed. For the past week, he had been staying in Matthew's dormitory room and Shun was profoundly grateful for his friend's generosity alongside the fact that his friend had somehow managed to get a single person dorm, which was quite rare for college sophomore students. While it had been difficult for him to adapt to his new surroundings, he was able to get along quite well, despite the fact that his textbooks were back in his apartment and that he only had at least two decent outfits.
"Matt, you know I can't go back there. Besides I-"
"You're a broke college student with no other place to go, I get it. But Shun, think about it. We're college students. We're constantly stressed out and we all deal with stress differently. You did mention a couple of times last week that you started having migraines over that one lab assignment or whatever. I think that the stress is getting to you, so you probably just started hallucinating about that ghost." The blonde male tried reasoning it out.
The raven-haired male nodded slowly, trying to comprehend his friend's words. "But the rumors about the ghost-"
"Shun, the first tenant was an alcoholic and I'm pretty sure you know what people say and do when they're drunk. The second one was a culinary student and I'm pretty sure you know how difficult it is for culinary majors to get jobs. And again, the stress most likely got to them." The psychology major raised an eyebrow.
When Shun didn't make any indication that he was convinced with Matthew's reasoning, the blonde male sighed. "All right, all right. Okay, how about this: you go back to your apartment and if it was just a figment of your imagination, move back. If not..." Matthew sighed once more in defeat, "I guess you could stay here until you find somewhere else."
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When he finally managed to get the key through the lock, he turned the door handle and cautiously stepped inside the apartment. He took a look around his apartment and found out that, for the most part, everything was exactly the way it was the day he left it. A few things were reorganized a bit here and there, but other than that, nothing was damaged or broken. Either from adrenaline or the false courage that Matthew had just recently gave him, Shun hesitantly called out, "Hello?"
A few moments passed with no answer and Shun began believing that Matthew was right, that he was probably not in his right state of mind that Thursday afternoon. He wasn't a biology major by any means, but was it that inhumane amount of ramen noodles that he had been consuming for almost half of the semester finally had an effect on him? Probably. He made a mental note to himself to start eating healthier from now on and to stop living off of instant noodles when a reply back startled him out of his thoughts.
"Y-You're back."
He turned to the direction from which he heard the voice so fast the he swore he could have gotten whiplash. The same blurry silhouette came into his view and the college student felt as if his knees were about to give away. The male opened his mouth to say something but his throat suddenly felt dry and he was unable to say anything so he opted instead to nod.
As if sensing his fear, the ghost spoke instead. "I...I didn't think you were going to come back. I...I thought that you were going to be like the rest of them." The last part was whispered but to Shun, it rang loud and clear.
"The-The rest of them?" He asked, surprised at himself for actually managing to speak.
"The other tenants...I never got this far." The ghost's confession sounded like a mixture of innocence alongside pity, but to Shun, who had spent more than half of the semester listening to Matthew talking about the human behavior, it sounded a lot like the words of a serial killer...or was it psychopaths? Sociopaths? Either way, he really SHOULD pay more attention to the psychology major...that is, IF he's still alive.
His silence must have been either suspicious or odd, since the girl quickly added on, "N-No. What I mean is, I've never gotten this far with such a close interaction with any of the other tenants before. You're the first."
"W-Why would you want a close interaction with the other tenants?" The college student mentally scolded himself once the words left his lips, reminding himself that the spirit probably wanted to murder the tenants living in her apartment as vengeance for her own murder.
"So...so I can finally be free from here. It's been forty-two years." The spirit of the murdered girl replied back truthfully and it was then that realization finally hit Shun. The girl has been dead for forty years and counting and never got any closure for her murder. He couldn't even imagine being stuck in the same place you were murdered for eternity or the pain that she must have felt all of those years. "I've been trying to get close to the tenants so that they could help me find my murderer. It looks like it hasn't been working." She let out a sad laugh.
"I-" He started before yet another realization dawned on him. So that was why she cooked and cleaned for him that fateful day! She was trying to get him to help her through simple gestures."So that's why you did..." He motioned about the relatively clean apartment, "everything. You wanted me to help you."
The spirit nodded. "Yes. I apologize for scaring you. I really didn't mean it." She said rather bashfully, looking away from him. Up close and once his fear dissolved, Shun realized that the ghost no longer looked like a blurry presence. Although she looked like a relatively clear ghost, he could still make out some of her features. He reasoned out that when she was still alive, she must have been beautiful with somewhat wavy hair and large, innocent doe eyes. Her outfit, which consisted of a long-sleeved blouse and a long skirt, gave away her time era.
"I'm sure you meant well and I'm sorry for acting the way I did." The college student felt rather awkward of his past actions and mentally scolded himself for being so ridiculously stupid.
The girl giggled slightly and Shun couldn't help a small smile escape his lips. "That is quite all right. I suppose that I would have reacted the same way you did if I ever encountered a ghost as well." Silence settled upon them and feeling uncharacteristically brave, the raven-haired male broke the silence.
"My name's Shun Kazami and I'm pretty sure you know this." He introduced himself, ready to lift a hand for a handshake before stopping mid-way, remembering that ghosts can't physically touch anything.
A small smile appeared on the ghost's face. "I'm Alice Gehabich and it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Shun." She answered back politely.
Once again, silence settled upon them and with new profound sympathy towards Alice's tragic demise, the college student spoke up again. "Alice...I know that this is a sensitive topic, but...do you remember anything remotely significant that happened the day before you died?"
Alice's smile slowly disappeared. "I...nothing much happened that day, it was quite normal. Except...I must have been very tired or something must have happened, since I don't recall feeling myself getting killed. I didn't know I was killed until I woke up the next day and found myself as a ghost. I...I don't know anyone who would do this." She whispered the last part.
Filled with sudden desire to bring Alice some closure, Shun said determinedly, "I'm not promising that I would find your murderer, Alice, but I can promise you that I'll try my best to bring you at least some closure on your death."
The spirit nodded, a small smile returning back to her lips. "Thank you, Shun. I'll hold you to it."
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"Seeing that you're still here and alive, I assume that the ghost of that haunted apartment was just a figment of your imagination then?" Matthew asked as he grabbed a seat next to Shun. The two were in a lecture hall alongside a couple of hundred other students, waiting for their biology professor to come in.
The raven-haired male scoffed. "Far from it. But by the way, how much do you know about murders?"
The blonde male furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused. "Murders? Well, not that much, but well enough to probably find a good motive. Why?"
Shun smirked a bit mischievously. "Well, get ready then. There's a murder case I need you to help me with."
End of Chapter 3.
Note: Ahahaha...I didn't touch this story for over a year and this is what I come with? I apologize that this chapter is the epitome of terrible! This is essentially the chapter to get me out of this writing slump that I've been experiencing and I'll try my best for a better fourth chapter-LMAO, watch me update the fourth chapter an eternity later. :') But anyways, yay! Shun's conscious again and no longer terrified! And yes, Matthew/Masquerade is a psychology major! LOL, my reasoning for his psychology major was because of the anime's first season, where the biggest plot twist of our childhood was when Masquerade was Alice's alter-ego. For some weird reason, I somehow connected that plot twist to psychology and poof! He's a psych major! Anyways, I am so sorry that this chapter is, yet again, so OOC. I know that in the anime, Shun would never run away but hey, who wouldn't be when they found out that there really was a ghost in their house? Please review your thoughts on this chapter and I'll try my best to update much more frequently~!