The ghost in you

She don't fade

Inside you the time moves

And she's living in you.

"The Ghost In You" ~ The Psychedelic Furs

The summer festival at Musashi Shrine was in full swing. The warm evening air buzzed with excitement, lights from the game booths flashing as the smell of grilled corn and takoyaki filled the air. Toman's First Division wove through the crowd, all of them enjoying the energy of the festival—though, as usual, it wouldn't be a First Division outing without some kind of ridiculous challenge.

"Missed again, Chifuyu?" Ryusei taunted, leaning against the shooting stall with a smirk. "Maybe you need glasses."

Chifuyu rolled his eyes, handing the air gun back to the booth operator. "Shut up, Ryusei. It's rigged."

"Oh yeah?" Ryusei grinned. "Then let's see if you're up for something else." He pointed down the hill, to the entrance of a dark tunnel outside the shrine grounds. "I bet you can't walk all the way through that haunted tunnel and snap a picture of the other end."

Chifuyu raised an eyebrow. "Haunted tunnel? Seriously?"

Ryusei's grin widened. "Maybe. Or maybe not. I heard it collapsed years ago and now it's full of angry spirits." He wiggled his fingers, voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. "Creeeepy."

Hikari glanced at the tunnel, amused. "So, we're ghost hunting now?"

Baji cracked his knuckles, looking a little too excited. "Sounds fun. I'm in."

Chuu, on the other hand, looked a little green. "I dunno… tunnels freak me out, man."

"Which is why you have to go," Ryusei said with a wicked grin. "Prove you're not a chicken."

Chuu groaned, but after some nudging, they convinced him. Soon enough, they found themselves at the tunnel entrance. There was a noticeable chill in the air despite the humid summer night. Ryusei shoved Chifuyu forward, his flashlight waving dramatically. "Go on, Chifuyu, let's get this over with."

Watching Ryusei and Chifuyu disappear into the tunnel, Hikari's lips curled into a grin. Think you're so tough, huh, Ryusei? She slipped in behind them quietly, her phone light off, moving like a shadow as she closed the distance.

Meanwhile, Baji had other plans. He tugged his hair over his face, covering himself with a dark curtain of hair, a wide grin hidden behind it. "Hey, Chuu," he called, lowering his voice into a groan.

Chuu turned, and Baji began to stagger forward, dragging his feet through the dirt with his face hidden.

Chuu's eyes went wide. "W-what the hell? Baji?!"

"Ghoooost…" Baji moaned, dragging one foot as he staggered closer, his face still hidden.

Chuu let out a scream, stumbling backward before tripping over a root and tumbling down the hill collecting a mess of dirt, twigs, and leaves along the way. He finally came to a groaning stop at the bottom, completely disheveled.

Inside the tunnel, Ryusei was in full act mode. "Feel that chill?" he whispered, his voice close to Chifuyu's ear. "The spirits are all around us, man…"

Chifuyu rolled his eyes, but he was definitely looking paler. "You're full of it, Ryusei. There's no such thing as ghosts."

A sharp, echoing laugh rang out from the darkness behind them. Both boys froze, whipping around as they caught sight of a shadowy figure moving toward them in the dark.

"What the—" Ryusei stammered, his confidence cracking as he backed up. "Who's there?"

The figure took another step forward, and a low, guttural, unnatural growl filled the tunnel.

"I'lL DraG YouUu dOwn To hELL…"

'Holy shit, it's a demon!" Chifuyu screeched, diving behind Ryusei, who was already stumbling backward, his face pale as a sheet.

And then Hikari stepped into the light, laughter echoing off the tunnel walls. "Gotcha, dumbasses."

Ryusei groaned, rubbing his head as he realized what had happened. "Goddammit, Hikari. I think you actually stopped my heart."

She smirked, crossing her arms. "Didn't like my death metal growl? I've been working really hard on it. Thought you'd appreciate it, Ryusei."

He glared, though a grin tugged at his lips. "Yeah, thanks for the heart attack. Payback's coming, I swear."

Hikari folded her arms, a smirk still on her face. "You deserve it, Ryusei. Trying to scare Chifuyu with that lame-ass ghost story."

As the three emerged from the tunnel, looking rumpled and shaken, they paused, staring in surprise at Baji and Chuu, who were standing there looking like they'd just crawled out of a grave, covered in twigs, dirt, and leaves.

"What the hell…" Ryusei whispered, eyes wide. "They look like zombies."

Before anyone could explain, Ryusei and Chifuyu bolted back up the hill, their panicked yells echoing all the way back to the festival.

Baji chuckled, dusting off his clothes and picking the leaves out of his hair. "Think they've had enough horror for one night?"

Hikari grinned. "Eh, probably."

And as they headed back toward the festival lights, the sound of their laughter echoed through the summer night.