Four Letters
"Alright, then. Time to resume Paranormal Investigation Club activities."
The holiday for the Paranormal Investigation Club—which had felt both long and short—had come to an end. A new week was beginning. I announced the resumption of club activities and looked around at the members gathered in the club room after what felt like ages. Fortunately, they all seemed full of energy, having apparently made good use of their break.
"Hmm. No one looks like they didn't rest properly or is whining about wanting more time off."
"Too much rest can be worse than none at all, after all."
"Don't worry, sir! Thanks to you, I got a great rest! I'm all recharged to hunt more ghost stories!"
"I had a peaceful holiday as well. It was lovely spending time with friends after so long. The party went off without a hitch, so I'm fully prepared to focus on club activities now."
"No one in our club is that immature, sir."
Elaine, Rone, Rozalia, and Aurora. Though their words varied, they all boiled down to the same thing: they'd rested well. I smiled in satisfaction at their responses.
"Good to hear. Then let's dive into club activities for real!"
Of course, resuming club activities didn't mean we were proactively doing anything. The Paranormal Investigation Club's routine was basically waiting in the club room for a ghost story to pop up, passing the time however we liked. Unless one appeared, it was naptime, reading, or whatever else we felt like.
"First things first—let's check if any letters came to the Paranormal Investigation Club over the past week."
I fetched the mailbox installed in front of the club room. It was our request box for when we were away or for people too shy to approach us directly. The very one that had tormented the club members during the Letters of Misfortune incident.
However, since that incident, not a single request letter had arrived. Still, I checked the contents every day. No requests had come so far, but ignoring it would defeat the purpose of installing it in the first place.
"Now that activities are back on, it'd be nice if there was at least one letter. Not that there ever has been before."
"Haha, Rozalia, don't jinx it like that—bad things happen when you say stuff like that."
I said that, but I wasn't expecting much as I habitually unlocked the mailbox. Then I flipped it upside down and shook it over the table like I was dusting it off. As always, only dust fell out...
"...."
My smiling expression froze in an instant. Not just mine—the other students' faces stiffened too.
Because along with the dust, four neatly folded letter envelopes tumbled onto the table.
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The moment they saw the four envelopes on the table, the club members' faces lost all mirth, replaced by grim seriousness. It was only natural. On the first day back from a long holiday, we'd received four ghost story requests.
"Kyaaah!! I jinxed it, and now there really are letters!"
"I-Is it my fault!? But the letters were already there or not before I even said anything, right!?"
"Sir... those aren't prank letters, are they?"
Rone asked cautiously. I tore open one envelope and checked the contents. Inside was a neatly folded sheet of paper, densely packed with a description of a ghost story and ending with a plea to resolve its source.
"No, it looks like a legitimate Paranormal Investigation Club request."
I shook my head.
"Th-Then maybe all four letters are the same content...?"
Aurora's unease showed through her glasses.
"Oh, right! We took last week off, so maybe someone sent the same letter four times because we didn't respond...!!"
Rozalia chimed in, flustered. But I dashed their hopes by ripping open the remaining three and showing them to the students.
"Hmm, the contents... they all seem different."
I'd have to read them carefully later, but the ghost story descriptions visible at a glance were all distinct. The students fell silent, their faces paling slightly. Only now did the reality of resumed activities sink in.
I let out a short sigh.
"Well, requests are requests. We have to handle them."
That was why we'd installed the mailbox, after all. I picked up the topmost letter from the table. Neat handwriting caught my eye.
To the members of the Paranormal Investigation Club.
I have one mystery of Everlight Academy that I wish you would investigate.
It concerns the exceedingly strange events occurring on the island where our Everlight Academy is located.
The site of this bizarre phenomenon is the road leading to the academy—specifically, the uphill path known as Lighthouse Hill.
It's clearly an uphill slope to the eye, yet oddly, objects placed there don't roll downward but upward instead.
There are even numerous eyewitness accounts of horseless carriages or driverless carts moving up the hill on their own.
At first, people thought it was just mistaken perception, but with so many students testifying to the same phenomenon, it can't be dismissed that easily.
Some students whisper that ghosts are pushing things along, calling it the "Road Pulled by Ghosts."
This oddity makes traveling to and from the academy frightening and confuses our sense of reality.
Please, Paranormal Investigation Club—unravel the secret of Lighthouse Hill.
The club members' faces filled with worry and concern as they read the letter.
"...At least it doesn't seem like a deadly dangerous ghost story."
Rone muttered in slight relief. But Elaine warned her with a cautious expression.
"Don't let your guard down, Miss Rone. No matter how harmless a ghost story appears, it's still a ghost story. They exist to harm humans, after all. This type is especially tricky because it looks benign—you never know how it might strike."
"Exactly... A ghost story that messes with space could be far more dangerous than it seems,"
Aurora agreed gravely. Rozalia frowned anxiously.
"A ghost story that manipulates space... Like that apartment?"
The mention of the Ghost Story Apartment instantly darkened the mood. But I responded with an unexpectedly nonchalant attitude.
This one was...
The students noticed my demeanor late and looked at me questioningly.
"What's with that look, sir?"
"The first letter seems straightforward. Because..."
I started to explain the ghost story in the letter but stopped myself. Better safe than sorry. If it was what I thought, we might not even need to do anything—but if not, things could get complicated. No point giving them false hope.
"Never mind. I'll explain in detail once we get to Lighthouse Hill."
I pocketed the letter and stood up.
"Hey, don't just cut off like that!"
"What is it? What'd you figure out?!"
"Keeping secrets again and dragging it out! Not even surprised anymore!"
"...Sir. You know that habit is really annoying, right?"
They whined but obediently stood and followed me.
"Ahh, I see. So that's how it is. You don't know that story? In that case... we'll save it for later. It's still too early for you all."
"Ughhh, so frustrating!"
I teased the exasperated students as I led them out of the club room. They grumbled but trailed after me without complaint.
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As the Paranormal Investigation Club members left the club room and walked the corridor toward Lighthouse Hill, a gaze watched them from afar.
At the end of the hall, a female student hid against the wall, staring at their backs.
From the moment club activities resumed, she had been relentlessly observing them. Or rather, not the club—but one person specifically.
The Paranormal Investigation Club's advisor, Allen Jest.
Intense hostility burned in her eyes. Her pale fingers gripped the wall tightly as she muttered lowly with venom.
"Allen Jest. Your mask... will come off soon enough."
After all, those letters to the Paranormal Investigation Club were traps she had set to bring him down.