While Edward was busy shooting his movie and laying the groundwork for his future retirement career, he unexpectedly ran into a troublesome issue.
Calling it a "small problem" wasn't quite accurate; to be precise, it was a rather vexing matter. He had discovered something unusual about one of his employee contracts. Although the issue wasn't impossible for him to resolve, it did require extra trouble.
After thinking it through, Edward sighed, but he still decided to deal with it. After all, this new employee contract belonged to Kawamata Naoko, Kayako's younger sister, that unlucky exorcist. Even though this Naoko wasn't from the same timeline as Kayako, she still seemed to have been affected.
Once the call connected, Edward was immediately bombarded with information. Faced with the extremely displeased Naoko, he couldn't help feeling both helpless and amused. Now he finally understood why things had turned out this way. It turned out that Naoko had been holding a deep grudge about being killed by her sister in her original timeline.
But ever since turning into a vengeful spirit, she had also been forced to admit that she couldn't defeat Kayako. It couldn't be helped, Kayako's death had been far more tragic, leaving her with unbearably thick resentment, elevating her to the level of a full-fledged grudge spirit.
Naturally, Naoko wasn't strong enough to win. Even though she had been a powerful onmyoji in life, that strength belonged to her living days; she had never prepared herself for the possibility of becoming a ghost. As a result, she had no way to overpower Kayako and had to look for other solutions.
In an old apartment building on the outskirts of Tokyo, residents had recently been feeling an inexplicable sense of unease. At night, strange footsteps echoed down the hallway. Bathroom faucets would turn on by themselves. Food inside refrigerators rotting instead. Even more terrifying were the late-night sightings: some residents claimed they saw a long-haired woman standing by their bed, while others swore they saw another woman in a white dress silently staring at them.
The source of all this chaos was none other than the two vengeful spirits, Saeki Kayako and Kawamata Naoko. The two sisters had never gotten along while alive, and even in death they were unable to reconcile. They decided to settle their resentment by terrorizing the apartment tenants in a competition of fear.
However, their battle ended in an unexpected draw—and in some twisted way, brought them to a partial reconciliation.
Though both Kayako and Naoko embodied the curse of grudges, their personalities were completely different.
Kayako was gloomy, twisted, and delighted in tormenting her victims through slow, eerie methods.
Naoko was more direct, preferring sudden appearances and jump-scare style shocks. Even in death, they couldn't stand each other and frequently quarreled in the spirit realm.
"You always scare people with those disgusting methods, it's so boring!" Naoko complained, her voice echoing irritably.
Kayako let out a cold laugh. "At least my methods work. Those people break down under my resentment. And you? You just pop out suddenly. So shallow."
Neither would back down, so they decided on a "competition" to determine who was the more terrifying ghost. The rules were simple: each would pick a side of the same apartment building and frighten residents using any method they wanted but without actually harming anyone. Whoever frightened the most people would win.
Kayako chose the older, more decrepit side of the apartment, a perfect stage for her oppressive aura. Naoko took the opposite wing. The two began separately, making sure not to interfere with each other.
Kayako struck first. Without a sound, she slipped into various units. Slow, dragging footsteps echoed through the hallways at night. Sometimes she pushed open a bedroom door in the darkness and simply stood at the bedside, watching with hollow eyes. Her presence was overpowering—residents often woke up shivering, the room inexplicably freezing cold, only to find her standing motionless in the corner, her lips raised in a distorted smile.
Naoko's approach was far more direct. She would yank open the bathroom door while someone was showering, or bang on doors in the dead of night before vanishing instantly.
Sometimes she left eerie traces in refrigerators—twisted finger drawings in the frost, or a strange sticky residue smeared across someone's food. Before long, the residents fell into collective panic.
Some had seen the long-haired woman at their bedside; others discovered faucets turning on by themselves or their food appearing to have been touched by something uncanny. Worst of all were the whispered voices some heard late at night—low, muffled murmurs brushing their eardrums like a curse.
The residents shared their experiences, desperate to uncover the truth. Some blamed ghosts; others suspected cruel pranks. Yet no matter how they investigated, they found nothing. Kayako and Naoko kept escalating their tactics. Kayako created terrifying dreamscapes and daytime hallucinations. Naoko went bold, appearing briefly even in broad daylight.
Panic peaked. Some tenants moved out. Others stayed awake all night, terrified of what they might see the moment they closed their eyes. The property manager received countless complaints, but found no explanation.
Both sisters believed they were winning. Kayako thought her psychological torment was more effective; Naoko thought her instant shocks were unmatched. However, when they tallied their "results," they discovered that both sides had frightened roughly the same number of people. Neither could claim victory, and both reluctantly accepted a draw.
"It seems we're evenly matched," Kayako said coldly.
Naoko shrugged. "Yeah… but I have to admit, this was kind of fun."
They exchanged glances and noticed that some of their hostility had softened. They still disliked each other, but they had acknowledged each other's strength.
After ending the competition, they returned to the spirit realm. The residents' panic gradually faded. Though occasional sightings still occurred, they were far less frequent. The property manager still had no explanation, but since there were no serious incidents anymore, they decided to stop digging into the matter.
Kayako and Naoko remained vengeful spirits, but their relationship subtly shifted. They still argued, but no longer with the same deadly hostility.
Perhaps someday, they might even find a new way to coexist. But for the residents, the experience became an unforgettable nightmare. Late at night, they still recalled the long-haired woman, the silent figure in a white dress, and the bizarre, terrifying contest between them.
Kayako and Naoko, however, were deeply unsatisfied, they wanted a winner. But neither wished to target family members again. Naoko now understood her sister's pain; Kayako felt guilt when looking at the sister she had once killed in another timeline.
In this world, Kayako had not killed her sister. She still cared for her deeply. Her sister had been the only warmth in her dark life, visiting frequently and offering comfort. That memory never faded.
Even if they lived together, Kayako would never harm her unless her own life was threatened. In such a scenario, survival instinct would have forced her hand. But for now, she simply continued competing with Naoko in harmless ways—a strange but oddly enjoyable routine.
"All right, I understand both of your situations," Edward said. "But there's really nothing for you two to fight over. The root of your family problems lies with your mother and Saeki Takeo. If your mother hadn't forced Kayako to consume those cursed substances, she wouldn't have had such dangerous potential. And if Takeo had even a shred of patience—"
Edward paused, suddenly irritated. Why was he getting angry?
Damn that Saeki Takeo. If Edward had been in his place, he believed he could have made Kayako love him wholeheartedly, preventing everything from happening. She would never have become a vengeful spirit. She could have lived a normal life.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Takeo truly was a fool. Of course, Kayako's diary had also worsened the family conflict.
…
A moonless, windy night. In the wilderness stood an eerie old Japanese house, half-visible in the darkness. Its wooden door hung ajar as though an unseen force beckoned visitors inside.
Messy footprints cluttered the entrance, whispering of unfinished terror. A bone-chilling cold seeped from the cracks, merging with the night wind into a mournful lament. Inside, in the dim light, ancient furniture lay thickly coated with dust, as if time itself had frozen.
The cracked walls seemed to hide countless watching eyes. Every step made the decrepit floorboards groan, and the wavering candlelight cast warped, monstrous shadows that stretched endlessly down the hallway. The stale air vibrated with whispers too faint to decipher, yet unmistakably filled with resentment.
On the tatami in the bedroom, dark stains marked the floor like an ancient curse. A pale face flickered at the edge of the lantern's glow, waiting for some unspeakable ritual to finish its destiny. The air felt thick with the scent of death. Outside, the bamboo rustled as though conspiring.
Whenever someone tried to escape the house, they became disoriented, eventually perishing in some shadowed corner—becoming part of the curse. The house became a rural horror legend. No one dared approach, for fear of becoming the next permanent resident. But the curse continued to spread, consuming every stray soul that wandered in.
When Edward opened his eyes, this was the sight before him. His mouth twitched. Within moments, the house shifted, transforming into an ordinary home, but Edward knew better.
This was the Grudge House, the origin of everything. And he had been brought here because his earlier thoughts had triggered a strange mission. This mission had transported him inside to demonstrate his ability: to see how far he could go in redeeming Kayako. Edward was stunned. But then his rebellious spirit flared—so what if he had to save Kayako? Not a big deal. Bring it on.
He tidied his clothes excitedly. After all, this was basically a hyper-realistic game—one-to-one scale, absolutely immersive. His avatar was Saeki Takeo, because he couldn't break the main storyline. Edward had no psychological resistance to this; in fact, he was a little thrilled. He wanted to win over Kayako and change the storyline of the Grudge, turning the whole story around.
It would be difficult—but that only made it more interesting.
(End of Chapter)