『Higu-Ano-Co』
【Chapter I — Creeping Horror】
「ＳＡＣＨＩ ＩＳ ＭＹ ＰＲＩＤＥ ＡＮＤ ＪＯＹ
Ｓｈｅ`ｄ ｄｏ ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ ｆｏｒ ｍｅ
Ｉ ｄｏｎ`ｔ ｔｈｉｎｋ ｓｈｅ ｅｖｅｎ ｒｅｃｏｇｎｉｚｅｓ ｍｅ ａｎｙｍｏｒｅ
Ｂｕｔ Ｉ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｌｏｖｅ ｈｅｒ ｗｉｔｈ ａｌｌ ｍｙ ｈｅａｒｔ」
"It was a rainy evening after school, just like this one...
Running down the stairs, the kindly teacher lost her footing. She tumbled, and she fell...and she died.
...You've all heard the stories, no? Before Kisaragi Academy was built here, there was another school on this property.
Heavenly Host Elementary School, it was called.
Such a horrible thing to happen...
The principal was completely devastated.
He cared for the school almost as if it were his own child, you see.
But one thing led to another after the incident... and ultimately, a decision was reached. The school was to be shut down.
The principal was so stricken with grief over losing his precious child that on the day of its closure...
...he climbed up to its roof and threw himself to his death. Or so the story goes..."
Satoshi let out a gasp as Ayumi spoke.
"People thought Heavenly Host was cursed, you see. This was just the latest of many deaths to occur there. That's why it was torn down...
However!
They say the teacher who fell down the stairs still has no idea she's dead, even to this very day...
And on rainy evenings like this, after our school day's come to an end...
...some claim she roams these darkened hallways...
ｓｔｉｌｌ ｂｅｌｉｅｖｉｎｇ ｔｈｅｍ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｈｅｒ ｏｗｎ。。。
In fact, it's almost time for her to make her rounds! Just after seven o'clock...
That's when she appears, always accompanied by a sudden blackout that leaves the entire building dark as night...
`Knock knock` you'll hear from the blackness... followed by the sound of the classroom door ssslowly sssliding open...
As her pale white face cuts through the stillness, her soft voice always echoes the same question:
`Ｉｓ ａｎｙｏｎｅ ｓｔｉｌｌ ｈｅｒｅ？` And then..."
ＣＲＡＳＨ！ A flash of lightning illuminated the classroom for only an instant. Then, the lights flickered out, enveloping the room in darkness...
"Yaaaaaaaaaargh!"
Satoshi let out a loud scream.
"Eeeeeeeeek!"
The four girls in the classroom all screamed as well.
Satoshi fell down. Stuttering, he managed to let out a few words.
"I-I-I-I-It's...a blackout!"
"Satoshi! Pull yourself together! Don't scare us like that!"
Naomi exclaimed.
Standing back up, Satoshi spoke in reply.
"But, it was scary!"
"I don't like this...
This shouldn't be happening..."
Ayumi said with a sign of fear in her voice.
"Not bad, Shinozaki. You had me going there for a minute."
Yoshiki said aloud.
"It wasn't me! I've been standing right here the whole time! This is a real blackout!"
Ayumi announced in response.
"Does...anyone else hear that?!"
Mayu's sudden words alerted everyone's attention.
"Sounds like it's coming from the music room..."
Morishige spoke out.
Ｋｎｏｃｋ ｋｎｏｃｋ。
"...!"
Everyone in the darkened classroom drew their eyes towards the classroom door.
Ｋｎｏｃｋ ｋｎｏｃｋ。
"No way..."
Ayumi said, taking a step back.
"First the blackout...
and now the door..."
Mayu whispered to herself.
"...Hnnnnnng..."
Satoshi whimpered, reaching his hands out and grabbing hold of something within the blackness surrounding them.
With a blush barely visible through the darkness, Naomi spoke out.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Satoshi?! Get ahold of yourself!
...And get off of me! That's my chest!"
Immediately, Satoshi withdrew his hands.
"Ack! Sorry, sorry! I couldn't see where I was grabbing!"
Ｋｎｏｃｋ ｋｎｏｃｋ。
"...!"
The girls, Mayu, Ayumi, Seiko and Naomi, all gasped at the sound of the knocking.
"I-I told you it was a bad idea to stay here so late and tell ghost stories!"
Satoshi said.
"Hey, Satoshi. Aren't you gonna get the door?"
Yoshiki questioned.
"What?!"
Satoshi exclaimed in a mixture of shock and surprise.
"The girls are all trembling in fear. Doesn't it just break your heart to see them like that?"
"So why don't YOU get the door?!"
"Well, it doesn't break MY heart..."
Yoshiki said with a slight smirk.
"...That's cold, man."
Satoshi said with a sigh.
Stepping through the darkened classroom, Satoshi neared the door.
"Is anyone still here...?"
Just then, a voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Ｇｏ ｈｏｍｅ、 ｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ。。。"
The classroom door quickly slid open with a bang.
At that instant, lightning flashed outside.
"YAAAAAAAGH!"
Satoshi screamed loudly, stumbling and falling onto his back.
"Heehee. Did I scare you?"
Shishido Yui said with a laugh as she entered the classroom.
"...Y-Yui-sensei...?"
Satoshi said with a hint of surprise in his voice.
The lights flickered back on, covering the whole classroom in light once again.
"Heya, Sensei!"
Ayumi said with a smile upon her face.
"Shinozaki-san!"
Yui-sensei replied.
Ayumi walked towards Yui, and the two then high-fived each other.
"All right!"
They exclaimed simultaneously.
"I'd call that a rousing success!"
Ayumi said aloud.
"Maaan, we've been had!"
Mayu and Seiko said in unison. With that, the spooky atmosphere preying upon the classroom vanished.
"Sensei, your timing couldn't have been more perfect."
Ayumi said.
"Heheh. I wasn't a student here too long ago myself, so when it comes to the "Seven Wonders of Kisaragi High" ...I'm pretty well-versed!"
Yui-sensei responded.
"Heh... Satoshi..."
Yoshiki let out a slight laugh himself.
"Hahaha! I thought Shige-nii's reaction was priceless, but yours was on a whole different level altogether, Mochida-kun!"
Mayu spoke with a laugh of her own as she approached the fallen-over Satoshi.
"It was pretty impressive. I could never hope to compete with that."
Morishige said.
"Hmm-hmm! Mochida-kun's always got the best reactions."
Ayumi said, satisfied.
"I just LOVE it when my scares are so thoroughly effective! It's simply...delicious..."
Finally returning to his feet, Satoshi responded defensively.
"Hmph! Who ever heard of a class representative with such a sadistic streak, anyway?!"
"Sorry about that, Mochida-kun! But I can't deny, your reaction WAS pretty amusing."
Yui-sensei spoke.
"Ugh..."
"All pranking aside, though, I ran into a rather adorable individual in the hall who's come to see you."
"Hmm?"
Satoshi raised a brow.
Yui-sensei turned to the open classroom door.
"What are you standing around out there for? Come on in! He's right here!"
As she moved aside, a smaller girl, Yuka, walked into the classroom.
"...H-Hello, everybody..."
Yuka said quietly.
His eyes widening, Satoshi spoke aloud.
"Yuka! What are you doing here?!"
"Onii-chan!"
She replied in a normal tone, all shyness from a second ago disappearing. She immediately ran towards Satoshi, giving him a tight hug.
Meanwhile, Yui-sensei began explained the situation.
"Seems Mochida-kun forgot his umbrella this morning, so little Yuka here has come all this way to deliver it."
"Oh, yeah, I guess I did. Sorry about that, Yuka. Thanks!"
Satoshi said.
"Eheheh..."
With a bright smile on her face, Yuka giggled, releasing her brother from the hug.
"Is she from the junior high?"
Naomi asked.
"Nice to meet you. Onii-chan's always like this."
Yuka replied.
"Always really kind, I mean!"
"Awwww!"
Ayumi and Mayu said in unison.
"I had no idea you had such a cute little sister, Satoshi."
Naomi said.
"...Really? I never told you?"
Satoshi questioned.
"You never said a word!"
"You sure do love your onii-chan, don'tcha?"
Yoshiki said, taking a step towards Yuka.
Yuka giggled.
"Heehee. I sure do!"
"Oh-ho!"
Said Ayumi.
"Hmm? Seems like she's met Kishinuma before..."
Naomi turned towards Yoshiki.
Meanwhile, Seiko sat on a nearby desk next to Naomi.
"Hey Naomi... Looks like you've got yourself a rival, eh?"
"Uhh... I'm sure I don't know WHAT you're talking about..."
Closing her eyes as a wide smile crossed her face, Naomi approached Seiko, roughly pushing on her cheeks.
"I swear, this mouth of yours says the craziest things!"
As Seiko struggled, Yui-sensei clapped her together, speaking aloud to everyone in the room.
"All right, everybody! It's past seven. Isn't it about time you all get ready to head home?"
"...Ooh..."
A saddened expression came upon Mayu's face.
"Awww, do we have to? Shouldn't we clean up all the red bean cafe stuff first? It'd be a shame to leave so soon!"
Ayumi complained.
Yoshiki took a few steps around, examining the classroom.
"Yeah, with the classroom like this, it almost seems like we could hold another culture festival tomorrow."
"Isn't that what you were supposed to be doing here in the first place? You promised me this room would be ready to go by the time I got here, as I recall!"
Yui-sensei responded.
"Hnn..."
Ayumi let out a disappointed hum.
"Heh. Well, it's getting late. How about you leave it for now, and come in early tomorrow?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
With that, Yui-sensei walked towards Mayu. Meanwhile, Seiko got off the desk she had sat down on.
"Suzumoto-san... I know how hard it is to say goodbye..."
Yui-sensei spoke.
"...but I wish you the best of luck at your new school. I know you'll do just fine."
"..."
Mayu couldn't say a word.
"..."
Naomi, Seiko and Ayumi were all silent as well.
"...Thanks..."
Eventually, a single word escaped Mayu's lips.
"Won't be the same around here without you, Suzume..."
Seiko said with a sad look on her face.
"I know you, Suzumoto. You'll make new friends in no time flat. I'm sure of it!"
Ayumi said, attempting to cheer her up even a little bit.
"And it's not like you're moving THAT far away. Come winter break, we'll all make sure we come visit!"
Naomi added.
"Yeah, totally! Don't look so glum. We're friends forever, after all!"
"You guys..."
Mayu said, struggling to hold back tears.
Meanwhile, Yuka turned towards Satoshi, whispering.
"Hey onii-chan, is that girl transferring to a new school or something?"
"Yeah. Today's culture festival is her last day."
He whispered back.
"Aww..."
"Thank you so much...all of you..."
Mayu said aloud, a few tears beginning to escape from her eyes.
"I'm so grateful...to have you as friends...
You all have a special place in my heart...and you always will!"
"..."
Morishige couldn't help but notice the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. For only a moment, it seemed as if he was fighting back tears of his own.
"Heh..."
Naomi sniffled.
Seiko fell to her knees, sobbing.
"Ohhhh... Suzume... Take care out there..."
She then began to bawl.
"...I'll always be watching over you from above!"
"...Uh, Seiko? Earth to Seiko?"
Naomi said as Seiko continued her dramatic fit.
"My spirit will guide your path!"
"You're not dead, you know..."
Meanwhile, Morishige turned towards Mayu, taking out his cell phone and facing it towards her.
"Mayu? Come on... Let's see that smile of yours."
He said, getting down on one knee.
Facing Morishige, Mayu spoke.
"...O-Okay... But how about we get everybody in the shot?"
"Ooh, yeah! I totally want in!"
Ayumi exclaimed, picking up a candle that had previously been placed in the room for the duration of the earlier ghost story, and taking a spot next to Mayu.
"Me too!"
Yoshiki said, coming towards the group.
"Hahaha. Me three."
Said Satoshi, who took a spot behind and to the left of Ayumi.
"Me four!"
Exclaimed Yuka, as she stood in front of Satoshi.
"Heehee!"
Naomi and Seiko said simultaneously as they took their spots. Seiko standing behind Mayu, and Naomi standing to Seiko's right.
Yui-sensei took a spot behind Seiko, and Yoshiki finally took a spot behind Ayumi.
As Morishige prepared to take the shot, Yuka turned slightly towards her brother.
"Onii-chan?"
"Hmm?"
Satoshi questioned.
"Your friends are really great, you know?"
"...They sure are."
Satoshi replied with a smile.
Yuka turned back towards Morishige, who was still focusing the cellphone's camera in order to capture the perfect shot. A few seconds later, a flash and a high-toned 'bling' sound signaled the taking of the photo.
Immediately, Seiko began speaking.
"Ahahaha! Gimme, gimme! I wanna see!"
"Send it to my phone, would you, Morishige?"
Naomi asked.
With a nod, Morishige replied.
"Of course. I'll send it to all of you right now."
Then, Ayumi spoke.
"...Hey, Sensei... Before we head back, there's something I'd like to do with everyone..."
Ｔｈｕｎｄｅｒ ｒｏａｒｅｄ。
The sound of the storm outside could be heard behind Ayumi's voice. The fact that it occurred in unison with that specific sentence almost gave it the aura of a bad omen.
"Hmm?"
Yui-sensei replied.
"Since we're losing one of our own, do you mind...if we try it? It's called 'Sachiko Ever After.'"
With this, Ayumi pulled out a paper doll from her bag.
"Who's Sachiko? And what's with the paper doll? Is this another one of your occult things?"
Naomi questioned.
"Yeah, kind of. This is... Well, it's a charm that I found on the internet.
If we do it right, then all of us will be together forever!
...Or we'll always be friends, anyway. That's the gist of it."
"Interesting."
Yoshiki said.
Mayu took a step towards Ayumi.
"Ooh, it's a charm?"
"Yep! A mystical charm!"
Ayumi replied.
"So how does it work?"
Mayu asked.
Before Ayumi could answer, Satoshi suddenly spoke up.
"No! Don't do this!"
Everyone turned towards him, each of them raising a brow.
"Seriously, don't do this! It's dangerous! Our lives are on the line!"
"Satoshi..."
Yoshiki said with an amused smile.
"Pff...hahaha!"
Ayumi let out a laugh.
"Hmph. Don't you think that's going a bit overboard?"
Morishige asked.
"Hmmm?"
Questioned Mayu.
"Nhee hee hee..."
Seiko began chuckling.
Ｌｉｇｈｔｎｉｎｇ ｆｌａｓｈｅｄ。
"Look! I'm not joking! I'm dead serious here!"
Satoshi shouted out.
"Don't worry, Mochida-kun! This isn't my usual creepy fare."
Ayumi said.
In the end, only eight of them proceeded with the ritual. Satoshi sat off to the side, tears in his eyes.
"All right, we're ready to go.
Everybody, gather in a circle around this paper Sachiko doll."
Ayumi announced to the eight participating in the ritual.
"And in your head, repeat the words, 'Sachiko-san, we beg of you'...uhh...
...Seven...eight! Yeah, repeat it eight times!
Don't worry if you flub it a little, just make sure you don't stop partway through.
You have to say it one time for every person present. No more, no less, or the charm will fail."
"This whole paper doll thing seems a little sketchy to me..."
Yoshiki said.
"Failure is not an option. Just give it all you've got!"
"Please, I'm begging you, stop this! Don't go through with it! Why won't anyone listen to me?!"
Satoshi continued to plead.
"It's a time loop. This has happened before. All of this. I remember it. And what's coming next is worse than you can possibly imagine!"
Ayumi giggled.
"Sorry, but I'm through trying to convince you. Just be a good boy and wait for us to finish, okay?"
"STOP!
Everybody, stop!"
Satoshi screamed out.
"Mochida-kun? What is it? Do you want in after all?"
"No, absolutely not! I just... This charm is dangerous! Why won't you understand?!"
"I gotta say, it's pretty unusual for you to get so worked up!"
Yoshiki exclaimed.
"Heheh... Well, we're almost finished, so just sit tight, okay? It'll all be over soon..."
Ayumi said with giggle.
Shutting his eyes, Satoshi finally gave in. Walking into the circle with everyone, Satoshi grabbed hold of the paper doll.
"Ghk..."
"All right! Let's welcome one more into the circle!
Now, let's get started. Everybody remember the charm?
'Sachiko-san, we beg of you.' Eight...Nine! Nine times.
...Ready? Begin!"
At that moment, silence filled the room. Rain pounded against the classroom windows outside.
Ｃｒａｓｈ！ Another flash of lightning broke the silence.
Ayumi exhaled.
"...Everybody said it nine times?"
"Yep!"
Mayu exclaimed.
"Yeah."
Satoshi answered.
"If we don't get on with it, I'm afraid I'll wind up saying it again..."
Yoshiki said.
Ayumi proceeded with the instructions.
"Okay. Now, everyone, reach toward the paper doll and grab hold of it, anywhere you can."
Following Ayumi's words, everyone grabbed onto the doll.
"Got it, I think..."
Naomi spoke.
"Like this?"
Yui-sensei asked.
Ayumi then replied.
"Exactly. Now, hold on reeeeeally tightly. Dig your nails into it if you have to — just don't let go.
We're going to pull on it until it rips apart into nine pieces, okay? On the count of three.
One...
Two...
Three!"
Ｔｅａｒ ｔｏ ｐｉｅｃｅｓ。
The nine of them all pulled on the paper doll, until it tore into nine scraps.
With yet another flash of lightning, Satoshi fell down with a scream.
"Gyaaack!"
"Nicely done, everyone! Now, just make sure you keep that scrap of paper safe."
Ayumi said.
"Slide it in your student ID holder, or your wallet. Basically, anywhere it won't get lost."
"Hmmm... So the paper doll scrap has some sort of meaning to it, then?"
Yoshiki questioned.
"Yep. As long as we all have a little piece of Sachiko with us...
...we'll always be connected with one another as friends. That's the purpose of this charm."
"Wow. That's actually pretty cool!"
Naomi said.
"PRETTY cool? Try SUPER cool! I'll have to be extra careful not to lose my piece!"
Exclaimed Seiko.
"Thank you, Shinozaki-san. I'll treasure this."
Mayu said, her face red from crying earlier.
"No problem. Consider it our promise that we'll all definitely hang out together again."
Ayumi replied.
"Definitely!"
"Heheh..."
Naomi, Seiko and Ayumi all let out a giggle.
Walking behind the teacher's podium, Yui-sensei spoke out.
"Well, I hate to say it, but I think it's about time we all get packed up and start heading home."
As Satoshi finally stood up again, everyone turned to face Yui-sensei.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Everyone, except for Satoshi, replied.
Just then, the room began to shake.
"Eep!"
Naomi shouted.
"Gah! An earthquake!"
Exclaimed Satoshi as he began bracing himself, as if he knew what was about to happen.
"Woah!"
Unable to keep his footing, Morishige fell back.
Mayu quickly approached the fallen Morishige, as the earthquake's intensity grew.
The classroom's lights began to flicker.
"Eeeeeeeeek!"
Naomi, Seiko, Mayu and Ayumi all screamed.
"What the hell?! This is like, holy crap big!"
Exclaimed Yoshiki.
The classroom's lights began to fall from the ceiling, shattering once they hit the ground.
"Onii-chan!"
Yuka shouted.
"Yuka! Take my hand!"
Satoshi responded.
Another light fell to the floor.
"Everyone, stay calm! Get under your desks until it passes!"
Yui-sensei announced.
Another light fell directly in front of Mayu.
"Aaaah!"
She screamed, stepping back.
"Under the desks! Now!"
Yui-sensei commanded.
"Aaaaaahh!"
Naomi, Seiko and Ayumi all screamed simultaneously as the floor below began to crack.
Satoshi gripped Yuka's hand tightly.
"No... This can't be happening!"
Ayumi screamed out in fear.
"Is this for real?!"
Yoshiki shouted.
More and more, the floor below gave way, as a large hole opened up right in the middle of the classroom.
"Onii-chan!"
Yuka grabbed onto her brother as the two fell into the gaping abyss.
"YEEEEEEAAAAARRRGGGGHHH!"
Everyone screamed out as the floor seemed to almost completely disappear.
And together...
...they all fell...