Yotsuya Miko was a good girl.
Black hair, golden eyes.
Her features were delicate, her complexion fair, giving her an impression of quiet gentleness. She carried herself with a natural softness, the kind that made people unconsciously lower their voices around her.
Her personality matched her appearance—kind, polite, and easily flustered. Otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up with a friend as carefree and blunt as Yurikawa Hana.
On the train, Miko felt inexplicably unsettled.
Just moments ago, everything had been normal.
She vaguely heard Hana muttering beside her, "Maybe Miko likes that kind of person."
Miko didn't quite understand what she meant.
Sunlight streamed in through the train windows, illuminating the crowded carriage. The scene outside passed by clearly—platforms, buildings, people waiting for their stop.
Noisy. Chaotic.
Normally, such background noise would fade into nothing for Miko. But today—
Fragments of conversation slipped into her ears against her will.
"Did you watch another psychic show last night? Aren't you scared of that stuff?"
"Mom… do ghosts really exist?"
"Haha, this post is ridiculous. It even classifies ghosts and says as long as you pretend not to see them, they won't hurt you."
"Clairvoyance? That's fake, right?"
"Do ghosts hurt people? I don't know… maybe?"
The words piled up.
Suddenly—
Miko snapped back to herself.
Her temples were damp with sweat. Her breathing had grown shallow, her heartbeat uncomfortably fast.
"H-Hey, Miko!"
Hana shook her arm, clearly unhappy about being ignored. Miko wiped her forehead in confusion and glanced around, unsure which conversation had disturbed her so deeply.
What… just happened?
Hana pulled her off the train with the crowd.
As the doors slid shut behind them, Miko thought she heard a voice—low, calm, almost gentle—
"No… you can't see anything."
Her body stiffened.
She turned around abruptly.
The train had already departed.
No one stood there smiling or watching her reaction. Only the usual bustle of commuters filled the platform.
"…That scared me," she muttered under her breath.
It had sounded like an adult's voice.
Probably just someone's joke.
As long as it was a person, it was fine.
Embarrassed by her own imagination, Miko let out a shaky breath and pressed a hand to her chest to calm herself.
Hana tilted her head, watching her with curiosity.
"Miko? Are you feeling okay today?"
"I—I'm fine," Miko replied quickly.
But unease lingered.
Elsewhere.
System Points: 103.
Mizunotsuki Seiren glanced at the number and allowed himself a faint, controlled smile.
Just a slight emotional disturbance—
And it had already yielded triple-digit returns.
As expected of someone with narrative weight.
If the intensity were increased carefully, the gains would only grow.
Walking toward Sobu High School, Seiren blended seamlessly into the morning crowd. In the eyes of passersby, he was nothing more than a polite, well-mannered student with a warm smile.
No one noticed the thin thread of cursed energy slipping away from him.
No one sensed the presence drifting through the city—a faint, distorted echo that brushed past alleys and corners, stirring unease where it passed.
Seiren issued his first instruction.
Make some noise.
Just a little.
Something unusual.
That evening, Yotsuya Miko couldn't focus at all.
She drifted between distraction and forced concentration, missing parts of every class. By the time she was called in for a serious talk by Hiratsuka Shizuka, the day already felt unreal.
When she finally left the office, it was time to go home.
Hana, eager to buy snacks, waved goodbye and hurried off.
So Miko walked alone.
Did I not sleep well last night?
She scratched her head lightly.
Those voices from the morning echoed again in her mind.
Ghosts… clairvoyance… pretending not to see…
The sky darkened as rain began to fall.
Clutching her bag over her head, Miko hurried toward the bus stop, her steps awkward and rushed.
No one else was there.
The rain tapped softly against the pavement.
She twisted the hem of her skirt to shake off water and frowned.
Why does today feel so unlucky…
Standing alone under a gloomy sky—
This really felt like the start of a horror movie.
"I'm not scared," she muttered quietly, more to convince herself than anyone else.
Then—
A shadow flickered at the edge of her vision.
Miko froze.
Her breath caught.
Her gaze snapped back, heart pounding violently.
A sharp sense of danger stabbed into her chest.
That was—
No.
Impossible.
Her thoughts raced as she forced herself to stay calm.
It had to be an illusion.
Rain blurred her vision. Darkness played tricks on the eyes.
She looked again.
Nothing.
The shadow was gone.
"…See?" she whispered shakily. "Nothing's there."
She hugged her bag tightly.
Still—
The empty bus stop felt colder.
I'll take a taxi.
That thought alone sent relief through her.
The moment she decided, Miko broke into a run, rain be damned.
Better safe than sorry.
Her footsteps splashed loudly as she fled down the street.
Behind her, faint and indistinct, a familiar whisper seemed to echo—
You can't see anything.
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