More Frightening Than Ghost Stories
“Heung, at night……?”
“Yeah. There’s a place I’d like you to come with me to.”
“Hee, Shirabayashi-kun. I wonder what you’re planning?” Yang Bok-ja asked with a bright, teasing smile.
From beside her came another voice. “So, has your treatment finished?” It was Lee Yuha.
Now that I thought about it, she had been quite worried about me too. I rolled up my sleeve and showed her the smooth, fully healed skin.
“Yeah. Aikawa’s pretty skilled.”
“That is a relief. I have much to prepare for the next class, so I shall take my leave first.”
With that, Lee Yuha turned away, her long daenggi swaying, and disappeared down the corridor. Even though there was still plenty of time before afternoon classes, she had left early, claiming she had preparations to make.
Well, everyone says Professor Kurobe’s classes are brutal.
Lee Yuha’s major was magic studies, and Professor Kurobe was in charge of it. I hadn’t had much reason to run into him since the Choi Seonggil incident, but the magic studies students seemed to be suffering under his merciless workload and strict attitude.
Lee Yuha really is dedicated to her studies.
She already possessed outstanding natural talent, but talent only shone when paired with effort. Satisfied with my squad member’s growth, I turned my attention back to Yang Bok-ja.
Yang Bok-ja, an esper type, had already developed mind control and hypnosis abilities on top of her telekinesis. Good. I needed to take her to the beast enclosure and have her put the magic beasts to sleep. But—
Asking her to go somewhere with me at night still feels too abrupt.
Even if I used Renka as an intermediary, I needed a plausible reason to suggest going to the beast enclosure in the middle of the night.
I need a reason she’d actually be interested in.
What kind of reason would make this girl willingly agree and be convinced? After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I lowered my voice and spoke.
“I heard a rumor. There’s a ghost at the academy.”
“A ghost?”
Yang Bok-ja was the type to go crazy over rumors, especially eerie ones. As expected, her eyes lit up with interest.
“Yeah. They say a ghost appears in the basement of the practice beast enclosure. I was thinking of checking if it’s real. I was worried about going in alone, but you can put the beasts to sleep, right? So I wanted to go with you. What do you think?”
Yang Bok-ja’s face brightened even more. “I’ve heard something similar from my club seniors too! The school basement ghost story!”
“What?”
I had just made that story up on the spot, yet she had heard something similar? Also—
“Club activity? You mean like the soccer or baseball clubs?”
“Yep! I’m in the Mystery Research Club! Didn’t you know?”
I had known the academy had various sports and cultural clubs and that they encouraged club activities, but I hadn’t expected something as absurd as a Mystery Research Club. Then again, it suited Yang Bok-ja perfectly……
『U-um……』
While Yang Bok-ja and I stood in the corridor speaking in Korean, the left-out Aikawa spoke up timidly.
Oh, right. She was here too.
『W-what are you two talking about……?』
『Oh, I’ll explain in Japanese since Aikawa’s here too! It’s a ghost story about the school basement!』
Yang Bok-ja began recounting the eerie rumors she had heard in the Mystery Research Club.
. . .
1. It happened during the Taisho era. T had a friend, W, who died in an accident during practical training at school. Even back then, it wasn’t uncommon for cadets to die at the Hunter Training School, but losing W, with whom he had been close, was difficult for T to bear. A few days later, a joint memorial service was held at the school shrine. T attended as well. However, he dozed off and when he awoke, it was already deep night and all the worshippers had left. The weather that day was terrible—a pitch-black night with neither moon nor stars. Wandering through the darkness, T fell into a well beside the shrine. After struggling for a long time in the deep well water, he finally climbed onto dry ground below and found himself in a vast underground cavern where countless vengeful spirits were gathered, calling out to him. Drawn to their call as if entranced, T approached—only for W, who had died just days earlier, to appear before him and say, “This is no place for the living,” before pushing him back into the water. T lost consciousness as he fell. He awoke several days later in the school infirmary. Those who heard his story said he must have dreamed while drowning in the well, but T could not believe what he had seen was merely a dream. Afterward, he developed severe phobia and eventually became unable to continue his studies. He is said to still be hospitalized at the psychiatric hospital in Cheongnyangni.
. . .
2. This happened a few years ago. F, who lived in the dormitory, attempted suicide out of despair over his grades. After locking his dormitory door and lighting charcoal briquettes before going to sleep, F suddenly felt his soul separating from his body. Just like the near-death experiences he had read about in occult magazines, F could see a heavenly light. However, as his soul tried to move toward it, something blocked its path. Instead of ascending, it was pulled downward, falling deeper and deeper. Finally dragged into a scorching-hot place deep underground, F’s soul witnessed countless souls—not in human form—entangled and wailing. Realizing this was hell and that he had come here because of his suicide, F was regretting his choice when he suddenly regained consciousness back in his dormitory room. Another cadet had noticed his door was locked, called the dorm supervisor, and they had broken in to save him. Having gained profound insight from nearly going to hell, F dropped out of the Hunter Training School and transferred to a Catholic school. He now serves as a priest at the French church in Honmachi.
. . .
3. If you walk along the boundary markers surrounding the school grounds at night, you may witness a strange sight. Like the aurora shining in the northern sky, blue will-o’-the-wisps glow against the invisible magical barrier of the markers. Scientifically speaking, will-o’-the-wisps are said to ignite when phosphorus from corpses is exposed to air, so it would be reasonable to conclude that the phosphorus from the corpses of magic beasts that died in the school’s training grounds is the true nature of these lights. However, if vengeful spirits truly exist as in old superstitions and these will-o’-the-wisps are them, then just how many such spirits are trapped here, unable to cross the boundary……
. . .
『Hik……』
Aikawa clasped her hands together, trembling. I scolded Yang Bok-ja.
『The last story has nothing to do with the school basement.』
『Really? I got carried away by the atmosphere…… Hehe. How was it?』
How was it? To me, who knew there was a vacuum-tube computer buried underground instead of ghosts, Yang Bok-ja’s ghost stories were nothing but baseless rumors. But Aikawa clearly felt differently.
『I-it was scary…….』
『Hihi! It is scary! What about you, Shirabayashi-kun?』
『Hmm…….』
I mulled over the stories Yang Bok-ja had told. Even if they were just rumors, parts of them—especially the mention of the shrine’s basement—unexpectedly touched on the truth. This couldn’t be mere coincidence. Moreover, if you ignored the will-o’-the-wisp part at the end, they all shared the common thread that there was a hell filled with vengeful spirits beneath the school. Thinking about it, over the academy’s long history, there must have been one or two others besides me who had accidentally entered the shrine’s basement. Seeing those incomprehensible machines there had probably been twisted through rumor after rumor into stories of seeing ghosts or hell.
I spoke to Yang Bok-ja again.
『Well, getting back to my story—there’s supposedly a space inside the beast enclosure that leads underground. I heard someone saw a ghost there. How about it? Want to go check it out with me?』
『I’ll go! I’ll go!』
Yang Bok-ja bounced on her toes, eyes sparkling. Stop jumping, it’s embarrassing to watch…… Still, recruiting Yang Bok-ja had gone smoothly.
With Yang Bok-ja’s mind control ability, putting the beasts to sleep will be a breeze.
I turned to Aikawa.
『Aikawa, do you want to come too?』
『H-hik! I’m not going!…… I-I have to go to class now……』
Aikawa bolted away as if someone might grab her. Yang Bok-ja burst into laughter.
『Kyahaha! Teasing Aikawa-chan is so fun! Right, right!』
I shook my head. Aikawa’s potential for healing arts was clearly exceptional, but anyone in the healing field—whether as a doctor or a hunter’s assistant—would inevitably see many unpleasant sights in their career. I wondered if someone with such a timid personality would be all right.
Well, personality isn’t something you can fix overnight.
It wasn’t like I could drag her along to something like a test of courage by force. Still, as she continued attending this academy, an opportunity to overcome her fragile nature would come, whether she wanted it or not. Whenever that might be.
***
While strolling through the school grounds, Renka heard the news that Baek Chulyeon had been injured during practical training.
Shirabayashi-sama was injured during training?
Even though only low-grade magic beasts had appeared in the squad tactics practical since yesterday, the Baek Chulyeon that Renka knew wasn’t the type to be defeated by mere low-grade beasts. What had happened?
Renka stopped and spoke quietly.
『Ose.』
『Yes.』
Ose appeared behind her. Renka began, “I heard Shirabayashi-sama was injured. Tell me the details—”
She stopped herself. Hadn’t she already withdrawn the order to monitor Baek Chulyeon?
……What should I do?
But Renka quickly reconsidered. Ose was in the same class as Baek Chulyeon. Even without specifically monitoring him, she would have witnessed what happened. It was only natural to ask a school friend about it.
『Report, milady. Shirabayashi-sama……』
After hearing Ose’s report, Renka finally understood the full story. She went to the main building’s infirmary, but Baek Chulyeon had already left. Had he gone to his afternoon major class after finishing treatment? Renka headed straight for the swordsmanship training ground. But he wasn’t there either.
As Renka looked around, Professor Genryu Gonzaemon, the swordsmanship instructor and veteran swordsman, recognized her and approached.
『Well, if it isn’t Lady Shimazu. What brings you here?』
『Professor Genryu.』
Renka bowed in greeting and got straight to the point.
『Has Shirabayashi-sama not come for class?』
『Ah, that fellow skips class so often that I’ve mostly stopped paying attention. And today, I heard he was injured? In that case, there’s nothing to be done.』
『…….』
Renka turned her head, scanning the training ground where swordsmanship cadets were swinging their blades. She spotted Murasaki practicing diligently alone and thought, That fool is in the same squad as Shirabayashi-sama, so he should know something.
Renka approached Murasaki and called out to him.
『Murasaki-sama.』
Unlike before, she used polite speech. It wasn’t because Murasaki’s father was the Jongno Police Station chief—it was simply because, even if he was just another student, he was a squad member alongside Baek Chulyeon, so she showed him at least basic respect.
『I heard Shirabayashi-sama was injured. Do you know where he is? He wasn’t in the infirmary.』
『Uh, well, um, that guy……』
Murasaki trailed off before suddenly shouting, “Tch! I’m not his servant. How would I know every little thing he does!”
Even though Renka had spoken politely and respectfully, Murasaki raised his voice instead. Feeling her patience tested, Renka spoke again.
『I heard he was injured while trying to help you.』
『……I never asked for help! He got hurt because he butted in on his own!』
『How insolent—!』
Renka’s anger flared at Murasaki’s shameless attitude, and she reflexively raised her right hand to strike. But—
『…….』
Her hand never reached Murasaki’s cheek. Even though nothing stopped her, Renka froze mid-air. She remembered Baek Chulyeon saying that violence was wrong. He was right—problems couldn’t be solved this way. Striking Murasaki now would only be meaningless venting.
Renka lowered her hand.
『I hope you’ll watch your words from now on. That will be all.』
With that, she left the swordsmanship training ground. She shouldn’t have bothered speaking to such an unsightly fellow. But once outside, Renka found herself unable to decide where to go next. Had she relied too much on information from Ose?
If it’s come to this, maybe I should have Ose monitor Shirabayashi-sama again……
As she was thinking this, Renka spotted a female cadet with beige pigtails in the distance. The girl was carrying thick medical textbooks in both arms and heading toward the dormitory. Renka recognized her face.
Aikawa Satomi.
She was a healing-type cadet in the same squad as Baek Chulyeon. They had crossed paths a few times. When Renka approached, Aikawa recognized her and spoke in surprise.
『Ah, milady……?』
『It was Aikawa-sama, correct? You’re in the same squad as Shirabayashi-sama.』
『Y-yes!』
Aikawa answered with stiff formality. Even though she had done nothing wrong, she found Renka intimidating. Having grown up in poverty delivering tofu on Chuniljeong Street in Daejeon, South Chungcheong Province, until coming to Gyeongseong, Aikawa found it extremely uncomfortable to face someone of Renka’s high status. Unlike Lee Yuha—who carried the dignified yet benevolent air of a descendant of Joseon’s yangban class—Renka, as a high-ranking Japanese noble, exuded an oppressive, realistic pressure.
Renka asked the trembling Aikawa, “I heard Shirabayashi-sama was injured. What happened?”
『Ah……! I treated him! It-it wasn’t that serious! He’s completely healed now!』
Only after hearing that Baek Chulyeon’s injury hadn’t been serious and that he had fully recovered could Renka finally relax. But more than anything, she needed to confirm it herself. Besides, if she showed him how worried she was, she might earn his favor as well.
Renka asked, “Where is he now?”
『Ah, um…… I don’t know where he is right now, but…… Ah!』
Even as a squad member, Aikawa couldn’t know Baek Chulyeon’s every move. As she gave her evasive answer, she suddenly remembered what she had heard earlier—Baek Chulyeon was going to the beast enclosure tonight with Yang Bok-ja for a ghost experience.
After hearing this from Aikawa, Renka thought, A ghost experience?
What nonsense was that? And alone with a female cadet in a remote place like the beast enclosure……
Surely not.
The “rope play” incident was one thing, but was he really planning to do something shameless with a female cadet again? People said men had no personality below the navel, but this was going too far.
I need to see this for myself.
Moreover, the location was the beast enclosure. There was a chance he could get hurt. Of course, she didn’t think Baek Chulyeon would be defeated by the low-grade beasts left in the enclosure, but just like when he had been covered in blood underground yesterday and injured during training today, one moment of carelessness could lead to disaster.
Shirabayashi-sama, you really are surprisingly careless.
Renka turned to Aikawa. “You’re a healing type, correct?”
『Y-yes……』
“Then you’re coming with me. To the beast enclosure.”
『Eee?! B-but I, um, I’m scared……』
Renka frowned. This was a trip to help Baek Chulyeon from potential danger. She herself was going out of her way even though she wasn’t that close to him—why were his own squad members being so uncooperative?
“You’re not coming?”
『E-eeee…… I-I’ll go…….』
“Good.”
Having obtained Aikawa’s agreement, Renka smiled. To Aikawa, that smile was nothing short of terrifying.
“Let’s go, then.”
『Yes…….』
Aikawa followed behind Renka with slumped shoulders. The invisible ghosts were frightening, but the high-ranking Japanese noble girl right in front of her was far more terrifying.