Chapter 178: Ghost Stories (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 178: Ghost Stories (2)
A gloomy noon for autumn.
Abel looked up at the sky, propping her chin on her hand at a slant.
With the sky so heavily overcast, the major incident from a few days ago came to mind. The Joaquin Disaster—a tragedy for the academy, yet paradoxically, the day Kang Geomma became a hero.
After spacing out for a while, Abel slumped onto her desk. She slightly turned her head to look out the window.
Her pure gold pupils reflected the gloomy, gray scenery. The color seemed to mirror her current state of mind.
"Sigh..."
Staring into empty space, Abel let out a deep sigh. She was steeped in melancholy. This, too, was an aftermath of the Joaquin Disaster.
Ever since that day, Abel had been lost in thought. It was because of the rumor about Kang Geomma—that he and Saki were dating. Among the cadets who witnessed that day, it was already treated as an established fact.
However, having lived under the same roof with Kang Geomma for a month, Abel found it puzzling.
This was the same Kang Geomma who had worn his academy tracksuit to a date with her. Him dating someone? That was complete bullshit.
Even so, her chest kept aching. It was because she couldn't find a definitive answer about the relationship between the two.
In that situation, Saki had thrown herself forward without hesitation. She, on the other hand, had failed to do so.
Abel was deeply disappointed in herself. In the Undead Dungeon, Kang Geomma had saved her father. In contrast, she had been paralyzed by fear, merely watching the bloody battle unfold.
That was what tormented Abel the most. Burdened by guilt, she hadn't been able to sleep for several nights now.
Just then, a shadow fell over the slumped Abel. She knew who it was just by the presence. Rachel.
"Abel~ Are you sleeping~?"
"..."
No wonder she was so quiet today. Abel squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to sleep.
Rachel stared intently at the crown of Abel's snow-white head. Then, she muttered to herself in a listless voice.
"Well, if you're asleep, I guess it can't be helped... I just found out that Weapon is going somewhere with Kang Geomma this evening."
Instantly, Abel bolted upright.
"Tell me everything."
* * *
Since long ago, schools have always had their share of ghost stories.
For instance, a reading statue that moves at night, or the sound of a woman sobbing from the third stall of the boys' restroom.
Usually, ghost stories are nothing more than hearsay passed from mouth to mouth.
They might have been chilling back in elementary school. But by middle school, the number of students who seriously believe them drops drastically.
But what about high schoolers? Aside from a tiny minority with a deep interest in the occult, few believed them.
By that age, one becomes desensitized to the supernatural and focuses on reality.
Naturally, as people grow older, they become cynical about things like ghosts.
Because they realize that the scariest thing of all is humans.
Ghost stories are nothing but obvious rumors, lacking clear evidence or actual eyewitnesses. I had always thought so, and I still did.
'However...'
Lying on my bed, I recalled Weapon's face. He had been completely pale, white as a sheet.
It was probably the most terrified I had ever seen him. Honestly, if that had been all, I would have just brushed it off.
Weapon was naturally a coward. Despite looking like a delinquent, his heart was more fragile than anyone else's.
Even so, I was currently feeling a strong sense of incongruity.
It was because of Ryozo and Chloe's reactions when Weapon said he seemed to have gotten caught up in a ghost story.
Their expressions had darkened heavily. Then, they had conversed with dead-serious faces.
I was dumbfounded. We were seventeen years old. In three months, we'd be eighteen.
Sure, let's say ghosts exist. With monsters like magical beasts running rampant, why wouldn't there be ghosts?
What baffled me the most was our status. We were cadets of Joaquin Academy, of all places. Future heroes duty-bound to fight against demons.
Yet they were scared of ghosts? I didn't even know how to react.
And as for how they concluded we should visit the Aaron Annex this evening, the flow of that conversation was hard for me to follow.
I checked the time on the wall clock. It was around 6:00 PM, thirty minutes until my appointment with the club members. If I didn't hurry, I'd be cutting it close.
"A courage test at my age."
Letting out a bitter chuckle, I got out of bed. Honestly, I still didn't understand the reason for their reactions.
Even if you saw a ghost, couldn't you just wash up and go to sleep?
But Weapon didn't seem to have any intention of doing that. He insisted that we had to go to that place and shake off the spirit. Apparently, in this world, that was an absolute must.
'...Though as someone from a different world, there's no way for me to know.'
Still, I told the club members I would go to the annex with them. Everyone was pleased. In particular, Weapon's face, which had been deathly pale, brightened up instantly.
Weapon had worked hard for me during the recent election. Since I hadn't been able to give him proper compensation, accompanying him to a haunted spot was the least I could do.
Having finished preparing to head out, I stood in front of my desk. Sashimi knives were scattered messily across it.
"It's not like we're going to a dungeon, just a haunted house. Do I really need these...?"
My hesitation was brief. I packed a few blades and left the room.
* * *
"Kang Geomma! Over here, over here!"
As I approached the Aaron Annex, Weapon greeted me. Ryozo and Chloe were already there as well. I pulled out my phone to check the time. 6:15 PM.
'I hurried as best as I could, but they're already here.'
As I drew closer to the annex entrance where the club members were waiting, an extremely old stone building came into view.
It wasn't a figure of speech; the building was truly on the verge of collapsing. It was a miracle they had managed to use it until last year.
Since it was said to have been in use since the academy's founding 700 years ago, the grime of ages was fully on display.
I muttered blankly.
"It'd be more of a plot twist if ghosts didn't appear in there."
Since it was autumn, the sun set early, and a bluish shadow blanketed the building. The evening air was chilly enough to bite. It was a textbook haunted house.
'But Weapon, as cowardly as he is, used a place like this as a practice room?'
Tilting my head in confusion for a moment, I joined the club members.
Once gathered, we first checked our belongings. Walkie-talkies and headlamps. All of this could have been handled with a single smartphone, but everyone had gone out of their way to bring them.
Even though they were on the verge of tears from fear just a few hours ago... it seemed they wanted to get into the proper mood.
"Looks like we're ready. Shall we head in?"
Weapon said with a bright face. The club members and I nodded.
Creeeeak—
A haunted house where even the sound of the door opening was ominous. We stepped into such a place.
* * *
...Fifteen minutes later, people gathered one by one at the entrance of the Aaron Annex. It was Saki, Weapon, and Chloe.
The minute hand pointed exactly to the 30-minute mark. Looking at her wristwatch, Saki's face filled with confusion.
"It's time. Why isn't Geomma here yet?"
"Yeah. Has the President ever broken a time commitment? Usually, he's early, not late."
"Hold on, let me call him."
Ring, ring—beep!
[The subscriber you are trying to reach is out of the coverage area and cannot be connected...]
Weapon looked at Saki.
"Where does it say the President is?"
"...The call won't go through because he's out of the coverage area."
"Out of the coverage area? Then where is he? In the first place, Joaquin Academy's infrastructure is all state-of-the-art, so there shouldn't be any dead zones. The Wi-Fi is great everywhere."
"..."
Saki silently turned her head toward the annex. Though old, it was so well-maintained that its hundreds of years of history seemed almost irrelevant.
Just as Chloe had said, it looked like it would be perfectly usable with just a bit of interior renovation. However, Saki frowned at the indescribable, eerie atmosphere.
At that moment.
Footsteps echoed from afar. It was the sound of two people walking.
Saki whipped her gaze toward the sound. The next moment, her face went blank with shock.
"Abel and Rachel...?"
Saki's eyes widened as she saw the two approaching. Beside her, Weapon explained with an awkward grin.
"Ah, well. I invited them. I mean, four people is too few for a haunted place. We need at least six to feel secure!"
Saki stared at Weapon with a look of utter pity.
Soon, the two arrived at the annex entrance. Abel looked around like a meerkat.
Saki glared coldly at Abel and spat out a word.
"Kang Geomma isn't here."
"Ah..."
For a split second, disappointment flashed in Abel's eyes. But she immediately shook her head.
"I-I just followed Rachel here."
Abel claimed. Saki responded to the excuse with a short snort.
Rachel burst into a ringing laugh and chimed in.
"When did you two get so close? Even when you were in the same Star Class, you were so awkward around each other! I guess people really need some distance, nyaha!"
* * *
The inside of the annex was beyond dark; it was pitch-black. Even though the sun was still setting outside, it was hard to see an inch ahead.
It was a relief the club members had brought flashlights. The small light from a phone screen wouldn't have stood a chance.
Creak, creak.
With every step, the rotten wooden floorboards shrieked. Ironically, it was thanks to this noise that I knew I was moving forward.
'It's this dark, yet they're walking so well.'
I slowly followed behind the club members leading the way. I stared quietly at their backs.
Relying solely on the light of their headlamps, the club members walked in silence.
...But how were they moving forward so effortlessly?
Weapon was one thing, but Saki and Chloe were also moving as if they knew the layout by heart.
Even with my senses heightened by the [Blessing of the Sword God] and [Blessing of Transfer], it was difficult to gauge our direction. It was due to a stuffy, claustrophobic feeling, as if we were trapped in a sealed room.
There was another strange thing. All conversation had ceased the moment we entered. Even if they were extremely tense, it was far too quiet.
I asked Weapon, who was leading the way at the front.
"Weapon, how much further to our destination?"
He shone his headlamp on the stairs ahead.
"Just go up those stairs over there, and then a few more steps."
Weapon answered without turning around. His voice was flat and dry. The fuss he had been making earlier was nowhere to be found.
"Ah, really? That's quicker than I thought. I want to get this over with and go back."
"Indeed. It's so scary here, I want to leave quickly."
As my eyes crinkled slightly, Saki and Chloe added. They, too, did not look back at me.
Creak.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Along with me, the club members' footsteps also halted.
Only then did Weapon ask.
"Why, Geomma? Is something wrong?"
"Ha."
I let out a hollow laugh. Why hadn't I noticed this sooner?
"Weapon, you've been calling me Geomma for a while now. Have you ever called me that lately? You always call me President."
"..."
"Not just you, but Ryozo and Chloe, all of you. What are you?"
A dreadfully dark silence hung over the hallway. The flashlights in their hands flickered intermittently.
"I don't know about other things, but I fucking hate being tricked."
"..."
Chring.
I drew my sashimi knife. The ring of the blade echoed through the darkness.
"If you don't want to get sliced, turn your heads this way right now."
The club members twisted their heads all at once. Crack— the sound of neck bones snapping. With their bodies fixed forward, only their heads spun 180 degrees to face me.
Their faces were drenched in blood. The corners of their mouths were grotesquely torn all the way to their ears.
The creatures pulled the corners of their mouths up even further. Sticky blood strung between their upper and lower teeth.
The bizarre sight seemed to shake the very depths of my soul. Wearing distorted smiles, they opened their mouths.
"""Am I pretty?"""