《Investigation of the Occult School Club - Case "Kids of the Station"》 The club ¡¸1993, end of summer. A second-year student was going home later than usual from his part-time job, and passed near a forest on the way to the station. ¡¹ It was already kind of late that day, so I took a shortcut through a trail. If I got home any later than that my parents wouldn''t like it, and I''d end up missing the train if I didn''t use extreme methods. Till the next one came by¡­ It''d take a while. I''m not a coward, a forest at night is nothing. That trail didn''t even go inside it, just went around, too. Then I heard something... "Hihihihi..." "Hahahaha..." Further inside the forest, there was a group with some kids. They were laughing for some reason. Why would there be a group of kids there? It was already late at night. Something about those kids was weird as well, they smiled in a¡­ macabre way. Somehow I felt I shouldn''t go that way, but it was like I was magnetized. And I couldn''t just do nothing after seeing unsupervised kids so late at night... My parents would be more understanding if I got home late for a reason like that, too. As I got closer, the presence of the kids got more¡­ dark? Unsettling? Or maybe the right way of saying this is¡­ Ominous? It''s hard to explain, but basically, it gave a sensation that wasn''t good in the slightest. I couldn''t even see their eyes, even after getting really close. That''s when I noticed, one of them was different. While I can''t remember anything about the others, I remember him perfectly. He was a boy with that basic haircut, the one that remembers a bowl. He had black hair and black eyes, seemed normal. Among the kids, he was the only one serious. His gaze also felt empty and somewhat distant. When I was almost beside them, he was the first one to look my way. Then the kids with macabre smiles. ...and the next thing I know, I was inside the station, feeling as if I had just woken up. And just in time for the train. That day was sinister! "...The end." The young lady closes the book in a dramatic fashion, her blonde hair dancing from the kinetic energy created.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "An account a senpai of the club collected in 1993." She puts the book on the table to the side, in an equally dramatic fashion, and points toward her clubmates using the index finger. Her blue eyes were shining enthusiastically. "So?! Doesn''t this one seem perfect for our investigation?!" Her two clubmates, who appear used to this, sigh. "No, not really." The tall youth says, without hesitation. Different from her eyes, his brown eyes showed worry. "Walking around so late at night is dangerous, you do understand this, right?" He sighs again, putting his hand on his head. His dark brown hair being swayed lightly by his fingers. "Makoto''s right. There''s even a forest nearby, who knows what could be hidin'' there." The other clubmate also gives his opinion. He adjusts his glasses before continuing, or at least wanted to continue, but is interrupted by a cheerful youth. "Supernatural things, of course! That''s why we need to investigate, duh!" As if all light in the young man''s dark brown eyes had vanished, he straightens his glasses once more. "And here we go, again..." He thought. "Besides, this is not the only account from the same area. There''s a plethora of them, the first one is from the 80s..." "Yes Sheila, we know..." "You''ve been readin'' one of those every day. I expected things to end like this, but..." They both sigh at the same time. "Well if that''s the case let''s go, Makoto, Kyou! The day we investigate this shall be none other than today!" "We need to tell our parents, don''tcha think they''ll be worried-" "Don''t worry, Kyou, I notified our parents last week." "Last week?" "I have also obtained the permission for the outdoor club activity last week." "..." "I already got the allocated budget and got stuff we could need as well¡­ Flashlights and such, the usual you know?" "....." As if showing his surrender and acceptance, he sits on the nearest chair, like a defeated boxer. Sheila smiles as she sees one of the obstacles being toppled. Like an official fight, Makoto goes to his friend and they bump their hands¡­ "It''s up to ya, Makoto..." With this, the second fighter enters the match. "Sheila¡­ It''s dangerous, you know?" "It''s close to a busy station, it is not *THAT* dangerous, even in the middle of the night." "But-" "And that is why we are going together, no one would think of attacking a group of 3~" "But what if it''s a group of people-" "I trust you two~!" "..." "Using that argument is unfair", he thought. "....." Makoto sits beside Kyou. "Makoto..." "Looks like we have no choice..." They''re both seated, defeated¡­ Resistance is futile when Sheila wants something of the sort, this same situation repeated itself almost every time the "investigation of the occult school club" had activities outside the school. She always made at least two "victims", people forced to go with her to suspicious places, Makoto and Kyou. "Besides, you two¡­ shouldn''t you be more worried about hostile supernatural beings? You guys, geez..." "Yes, yes." Makoto says while shaking his head to the sides. "Yep, yep." Kyou does the same, which makes his relatively long black hair shake as well. "One of those days we will find a real one, then you''ll see!" She looks at them with an angry face. "You say that every time, Sheila." Makoto says with a provocative face. "In any case, I have been meaning to investigate this area for a while now..." Nicknamed in the club archives as "Kids of the Station", it was a supernatural phenomena she wanted to look into ever since reading an account about the case for the first time. The club had existed ever since the 70s, the school''s opening year. Generations of investigators collected accounts and made club activities related to the many legends of the city. The quality of the accounts varied alongside the generations, as did the types of legends and tales told by students, professors and people from outside the school who wanted to share their experiences with someone. Time flowed on, the school''s building was reformed, the name of the club changed, people came and went¡­ But someone''s passion for the occult, even if only a single person, kept it open all those years, becoming one of the "original clubs" of the school. And during all those years of accounts, records, researches and investigation reports, "kids of the station" was one of the phenomena with the most accounts gathered about itself. And for some reason, despite that, 0 investigation reports. The oldest accounts date from back in the 80s, with the newest ones from the beginning of the 2000s¡­ Since then the practice of coming to the club to make accounts diminished, and people just posted things on online forums instead of going to a school club "This is obviously a golden case, there''s 100% something supernatural here!" She says, triumphantly. "The same thing you said about all other cases, Sheila." Makoto answers with the cruel truth. "No, but this time for sure... " Her confidence starts to crumble... "Ya also said that all the other times, Sheila." Kyou declares, cementing the cruel truth. "But this time! Certainly!! I assure you!!!" Her lost confidence returns completely, and stronger than before. Departure The scarlet hue gave place to the deep blue of the nocturnal sky, while the three did random things to pass the time. "All is ready, backpacks stocked, special charms stored¡­ Let''s go!" "Let''s go..." The two say simultaneously, equally uninterested¡­ Because for some reason, she always left the explanations for when they were on the way. "So, I''ll explain this time''s investigation..." Sheila starts reciting the details of the case. In the middle of the night, walking near the station. Be it in the forest, the park, or the stairs of said station¡­ The presence of kids is noticed. Even if hesitant, the people felt a strong allure, and went towards them. The people are then noticed, and come to their senses just in time for the next train. If you compare everything, you will notice¡­ they also always awaken in the same area of the station. Without any memory of what happened after approaching the kids, and only being able to remember the features of one. "Which means, we only need to walk around the place until we see those kids!" "At least there''s no abandoned house invasions this time..." Kyou seems relieved after noticing that. "But won''t we just forget what happened?" Makoto points out the obvious logic flaw. "Do not worry, my dear Makoto¡­ For this is what the special memory protection charm is for! It should also help with other things, apparently." Sheila points to her own charm, put in her neck like a necklace and hidden below her shirt. "...This cute thing?" Makoto lifts his charm to see it better. It was hard to believe an omamori made with cute and colorful fabric would protect them from something like that. "Ah! No, you need to keep it hidden Makoto!" He reluctantly puts it back inside his gakuran. "You must not leave it exposed, I already put them inside the omamoris, but even so it''s best to hide them well..." "So the real deal ''s inside this?" Sheila then notices Kyou did the same as Makoto. She stares at him for a second, and he hides it below his shirt. Even if they didn''t believe those things, Sheila did. Not doing what she asks in times like that just brings headaches, and so they just accept what she demands, usually. "In my case, the bow should hide it well¡­ The ideal would be you closing the gakuran, but I guess there should be no problems like this." She sighs. "If they notice our charms, they might not appear..." "So that''s why..." the two thought. "Ah, we''re here. From this point onwards, do not say anything about the legend or club, ok? Just chatter and idle talk~" The station was around 15, 20 minutes from the school. Since the tale included the place surroundings, they were already inside the area of effect. Since it was a poorly lit place, they turn on the flashlights. For a while, no one said anything. The path beside the forest was dark even with lights around, and they were the only ones there. As they reached the park just beside the station, there were more street lights, and they turned their flashlights off. Kyou finally broke the silence right after.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "I think I''ve never seen this place so empty before..." That station was used daily by students and workers, and that park had toys and was popular with kids. They themselves had already used the station many times, and played with those toys when younger. For such a bustling place, seeing it lifeless, surrounded by silence and darkness, was somewhat shocking. "I know things get calmer after rush hour, but here''s¡­ Really hella quiet." You couldn''t even hear animals, or the sound of the wind blowing. Even their own voices were somehow muffled by the quietude. No one tried to start a conversation, they just stayed still or looked around, waiting for time to go by. But then¡­ "Hey, why don''t we go home?" Makoto said something unexpected. Sheila and Kyou look at him, surprised by this. That man, who would even dye his hair blond and pick a fight with cops if his courage was doubted, wanted to go home early. "Hey bro, I get that the mood here''s kinda weird, but I don''t think we gotta get outta here or anythin''." "..." "And stayin'' here''s much better than invadin'' abandoned houses..." From Makoto''s point of view, he agreed going home now would have consequences. Kyou really disliked invading abandoned places and old tunnels in the name of "investigations". Going home earlier than expected would leave Sheila unsatisfied, and she''d most likely choose such a place as the next "target". ...She certainly would. They were lucky until now, but if criminals or drug addicts appeared it''d be a disaster. Makoto understands what Kyou means, but¡­ "There''s something weird in the air. I don''t think we should stay here." Sheila, who was listening, noticed Makoto had goosebumps. She made a smile as brilliant as a star, and playful like a joker. "Makoto, that means we have even more reason to stay here..." That changed to a provocative smile. "Looks like the time you two will have to admit I was right all along is about to come!" "..." He stayed serious, and looked down at the ground with an apprehensive expression. "Makoto?" Sheila''s smile vanished, and gave place to a confused face. She never saw Makoto like that. "Sheila, maybe we should listen to Makoto? Maybe there''s a good reason why they did 0 investigations here till now¡­ Ain''t it better if we check that first? Or at least go home for today." She never stopped to think about that. She only thought no one got interested in the case till now. After all, there was nothing dangerous in it, or exciting- You would just go somewhere, and be unable to remember what happened... She thought she''d be the difference, the first person to regard that case as a possible paranormal activity. But maybe, that was not the reason? "Yeah, let''s just-" Makoto lifted his head to agree, when he saw something in the forest. "Kids?" Without giving it a thought, he said out loud what he saw. "Hihihi..." "Hahahaha..." As if that was the only noise permitted there, the laughter echoed through the park. The other two looked in the direction. At that moment, Makoto could only think of one thing. That they should get out of there. "Hey, let''s get out of here. Please." His pleas were useless. Maybe due to the effect of the charms, none of them felt the weird urge to go that way... But one of them never needed such things to brave the unknown. Sheila was already heading there, with Kyou right behind so as to not leave her alone. It was too late to escape. Makoto ignores the growing sensation of discomfort, and runs after them so he won''t be left behind. The air felt colder the closer he got, and the shivers went from only his neck to the rest of his body. Was he the only one who could feel that? The other two didn''t seem to be affected the same way. When he reached them, the three had just gotten right in front of the kids. Or rather, the masses of darkness in the form of kids. You could see them perfectly, even in the lightless forest, where you couldn''t even see your own hands. Maybe it was like a flashlight being used on your eyes during the day, a stronger light can be noticed and blind you, and a stronger darkness can be seen even in the gloom. Their eyes and mouth were like holes of an even deeper darkness. Their clothes were made of the same dark matter, that moved as if it was smoke. In the group of five kids, there was a single girl. Among the shadows, there was a single one without any face. None noticed them, and just kept laughing. The laughs, that from far away felt like they were from normal kids, from close up they are¡­ "Hihihihi" "Hahahaha" They are horror movie worthy. Ignoring all that, acting as if it was the most natural thing, Sheila walked a step, then another. Until she reached the only exception. Makoto was stunned by the scene, while Kyou tried to stop her. "Sheila, don''t-" But it was too late. She puts her hand on his shoulder, the only person not made of shadows. The common boy, with the bowl haircut, and empty eyes, that was quiet. "Yo, youngster!" Maybe she was the only person who''d be able to smile in that situation. Seeing that made Makoto get a grip, and go in her direction, like Kyou. The distance of a few steps felt so far away. Ever since Sheila spoke, all the shadow kids looked their way. Their laughter stopped, and the abyss that made their smiles became distorted. Makoto felt like he''d pass out, but he kept going forward. Kyou was right behind Sheila, and was about to grab her hand and get away from there¡­ But the youth with the bowl cut turned their way first. "Who?" He asks, looking straight into Sheila''s eyes. He was in front of them, but his voice sounded far away. Makoto, who was farther away than the others, could see well- The kids exploding, leaving only the faceless and the common looking one. Were those truly "shadows"? It was like putting an egg inside the microwave. Because everything looks¡­ It all looks¡­ Shadows that were like organs, shadows that looked like clothes, until all that''s left were the distorted smile and eyes like the abyss intact, before dissipating, and... It was like seeing a person being disintegrated. Torn apart. Exploded. Slowly. Graphically. Every part of the body, in a few seconds¡­ Those¡­ shadows¡­? And then, as if it was liquid, as if it was smoke, that darkness expanded. It swallowed everyone there. There''s no way to see your own reflection without a mirror or reflective surface, this much is obvious. So why? Why can I see my own despaired face even so? And everyone vanished. Leaving no trace. As if from the beginning, there was no one there Dizziness Empty. A strong sensation of emptiness... It was like being in nothing and being nothing, but that didn''t last long. After slowly opening his eyes, what was in front of him was just grass. Some trees in the distance, asphalt not too far away. Yes, he was lyin'' on the ground, and still with his glasses. By tryin'' to get up it was obvious he was dizzy, but even with some difficulty, he managed. It was weaker than gettin'' hit in the chin, so nothin'' much. That place, was the park. Cars drove by the street, there were people walkin'' in the distance. But there''s somethin'' weird. There''re many weird things. "Makoto, Sheila...?" They both vanished. It was already day, and it wasn''t early. The cars on the street, all old models. The people''s clothes are different, and the only common link was students using uniforms. "What the f- heck is this?" How did he end up here, and why does everythin'' look so different? Maybe that was real, the supernatural stuff.. Or is he hallucinatin''? "...I should''ve agreed with Makoto and made us get outta there on the spot, huh?" he thought. Or maybe just refused to come with Sheila, but¡­ She''d just come by herself. That occult obsessed person. So that was never an option. Kyouichirou looks at his hand, and makes it into a fist. "I''d better find those two." There''s no time to lose, who knows what the hell is happenin'' to the others right now. He starts to walk around, but in that moment all changes, like when a TV''s channel is changed. "What-?!" At that moment, Kyouichurou''s scenery transformed completely¡­ She was also there, before that happened. Not too far from there, just a small walk away. When Sheila opened her eyes, she was standing. Her head was a bit dizzy, but she managed to stay standing after almost falling over. The first thing she noticed was the sunlight bathing her skin. Then, as she looked around, that that was the park they were in before, and that there were many things out of place. Everything looked older, as if that was the past. "Time slip!" she almost screams, but succeeds in holding it back, when she sees walking towards her direction none other than the boy from before. "I shall nickname you bowl boy." she jots it down mentally. That boy wasn''t alone, he walked beside another boy. The boy seemed to chat enthusiastically, even if the bowl boy stayed quiet, looking forward without avoiding his gaze for even a moment. In a few steps, they were close enough gor it to be possible to hear what they were saying. "And then Yuki, that new movie that''s gonna come out, it''s the same as the space warriors show and..." Mere casual chatter between children, but that provided many clues. The bowl boy had a name, thus a nickname wasn''t needed anymore, and¡­ That movie, although Sheila didn''t possess broad knowledge on the subject, she knew it. It was a classic, and part of a renowned show which runs to this day, whose initial release dates back to the 80s. "Time slip!! A real time slip!" she thought, with even more vigor. The two boys passed where she was standing, heading towards the crosswalk.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Sheila followed right behind, observing the inhabitants of the past with a wide smile. Step by step, the boy kept talking, and answered even with Yuki staying silent. "Hey, why don''t we go to the arcade? We need to commemorate the good grades! My mom said you should always commemorate that sort of thing to incentivize getting even more good grades¡­ and we can play the new game that came out the day before yesterday!" During that moment, they had just gotten to the crosswalk, with Sheila right behind them. The two boys were turned to the side of the street, waiting for the light to shine red so they could cross it. As soon as the boy said that, Yuki''s face changed. Fear, his eyes showed pure dread. His gaze, that stayed looking straight ahead all along, changed it''s focus to the cars. It was subtle, but Sheila noticed. That he almost threw himself forward, in the middle of the cars, at that moment. "Something wrong, Yuki?" And was stopped by those words. Yuki looked downcast, facing the ground. He slowly shook his head in a "no". Her smile slowly disappeared. Like a drunk person who got sober after being slapped on the face, she finally noticed the heavy air hovering that place. She finally listened to the sensation of "there''s something very wrong here". "Ah, look! We can go now!" The next second, when he puts his foot on the crosswalk¡­ Yuki stayed downcast, but Sheila could see. His hands, that held the straps of his bag tightly, were trembling. Why? The answer seems to come even without a question being asked. The minute Yuki hesitantly walked a step forward, the scenery changed. Like turning the page of a book, she was in a completely different place¡­ But before that happened, not too far from there. There was a person. The third of the group. Makoto came to, and could feel something on his back. Was he leaning on a tree, perhaps? An uncommon smell immediately reaches his nose, and before he could even open his eyes¡­ "A paradise, a paradise~" His ears hear something. Chop, chop, chop. The sound of some liquid gushing out. "Haha! It''s marvelous." A man''s voice. An euphoric voice. Makoto slowly opens his eyes. He was slightly dizzy, but the adrenaline made him recover almost instantly. It seemed to be the forest beside that park they were in before. The noises came from behind, he really was leaning on a tree. He uses the tree as a hiding place and takes just his head out carefully, to look in the direction. Red. All over the floor. There''s a person in the middle of that red, holding a giant saw. He looked at the ground with a genuine smile. And a person by his feet¡­ A person by his feet¡­ The¡­ person by his feet¡­ That smell was¡­ Makoto rapidly goes back to hiding behind the tree. He covers his mouth with both hands, it''s like his eyes are going to pop out from their sockets. All the strength in his body vanishes, and he slowly slides towards the ground, making no noise, while he holds his breath. "If that man notices me, I''ll die." That single phrase echoed infinitely in his mind. It felt as if his heart would stop at any moment. Those images, vividly. That person, that which used to be a person, even when covered in blood you could see. That person had cried, that person died while desperate. You could see that¡­ even with his disfigured face, there were even burns¡­ All over the face... The dismembered arm, it was broken, you could see the exposed bone fracture. What was probably the hand, was like ground beef The legs were bent, folded in many directions. It was like a crumpled up paper doll. Was a human even capable of such things? What kind of strength did that man have? He used a green coat, now red, but even so he didn''t look like someone muscular, and seemed to be just a bit taller. How did he do that? "Ah, dead." Should he be happy? That he came to after the end, that he didn''t have to witness that live? Makoto saw that for only one second, but that image was burned into his memory. The many smaller cuts all over the¡­ body. The liquids that weren''t red, maybe the contents of the victim''s stomach. The way something that appeared to be the feet was cut up and left on the side. It was like minced meat¡­ put in a glass compartment¡­ did he show that to the victim before¡­? Makoto felt what he had eaten earlier that day coming back to his mouth, but he stopped the nausea by pure willpower. His body wanted to tremble, but he wouldn''t let it. He could hold his breath forever, but kept it limited to a minimum. "I am not here. I don''t exist. Ignore me." All his actions screamed that. "Well. Time to go to the next party!" That voice, it was pure euphoria. It made every hair on his body stand on end. "I already have everything ready, which to go first¡­ Ah, I know!" The sound of something heavy falling to the ground, was it the saw? "Now it''s always¡­ the family pack! I get so happy I forget sometimes." A laughter echoes through the forest. Not long after, the scenery changes. Makoto finds himself in a dark place, with a little bit of light coming in from the small crevices above. He is surrounded by clothes and coats. He gets up carefully and can see where he is, it seems to be inside an apartment. There''s a middle aged mister watching TV, a woman making food in the kitchen further inside, and a little girl who appears to have just gotten home from school. Makoto was going to open the door and try to explain himself, when he heard another door opening. "Good afternoon~" A voice that made him become an statue, stopping immediately. "Welcome back brother¡­? Huh, who are you?" Alarmed by what the girl said, the middle aged mister, who''s most likely her dad, gets up from the sofa and goes toward the door. The lady in the kitchen stopped and went to see what was happening. "Who are you?" The middle aged man stared at the door. "Hello, I just came to visit! Actually, I''m a friend of your son." The voice that came from the door was unmistakably that man''s. "Yuki''s friend? Next time knock before entering." As she hears that the lady that was coming to check the situation did an u-turn and went back to cooking. The little girl walked away, probably towards her room. "Sorry, sorry! The door was open so I thought there''d be no problem." That man stopped just in front of where the closet was. "Come on, hiding is useless, I know you''re there." At that moment, his blood cooled. "If you want to pull a prank, try harder! Yuki will notice you immediately." Different from the green coat from before, he used stylish and colorful social clothes. He looked as young as someone in highschool. He really seemed like a normal person. "Who are you talking to?" The middle aged mister found it strange, his son''s friend suddenly started talking to a closet, who wouldn''t? That man was an assassin. That man could make people turn into¡­ that. Staying in the closet won''t help. He needs to get out. If he gets out, he can try to escape. Maybe that from before was a nightmare? No. Certainly not. The only exit is to come out from there. You need to get out. Staying still there is useless. "Will you take long?" He kept smiling. "Don''t worry, I won''t play with you now." It was a smile befitting a saint. Makoto slowly opens the door of the closet. "People like you are a true rarity, did you know that?" He then turns to the middle aged man, who is surprised there was someone there. "This is another of Yuki''s friends, he wanted to play a prank, you know?" Makoto doesn''t know the man''s intentions. He only knows that¡­ Something horrible is going to happen, and he is completely powerless to stop it. Observation Sheila finds herself in front of a building. Inside are all types of games, and the loud music alongside the laughter of people having fun could be heard even outside. Confusion. Wasn''t she in the park, just now? "It''s really packed, but the line doesn''t look that bad." A familiar voice, it was the boy who walked around with Yuki. The two were a few steps from her, entering the establishment. She felt a slight dizziness, a lot weaker than when she woke up the first time. Perhaps it''s related to what just happened? In the end, just what is happening? Some kind of supernatural phenomena, certainly. And the key to understanding it must be¡­ Those two. Observing them from outside the establishment, Yuki had a different expression from before. He looked restless, anxious. Why? The curiosity, it''s reaching a certain peak. It''s hard to stay still in this kind of situation, the first type of truly mysterious situation. "Yes, this is something that must be done." She thinks, while going towards them. Staying the same way, despite understanding the gravity of the situation, is it bravery or pure lack of judgement? Probably both. ...But It''s not something that''d be done differently, even if she could go back and never visit this place. However, she was not alone. At the same time she opened her eyes, not far from there, he also opened his eyes. "-is this shit?!" Kyouchiriou suddenly saw himself on a quiet busy street. It wasn''t so full of people to the point of actually being full, but it had a constant flow of people walkin'' by. A commercial street without a single car passin'' by in the middle of the day. Alongside the sudden change in ambient, once more came the uncomfortable feelin'' in the head. If before it was close to gettin'' punched in the mandible, this time it''s the equivalent of someone grabbin'' ya by the collar and shakin'' ya slightly Lookin'' around, different from the park, he didn''t know this area. It was full of stores he''d never seen, not even the ads on the outdoors and posters were familiar. How can he search for those two if he doesn''t even know where he is? He wasn''t very fond of doin'' this, but decides to ask one of the people passin'' by. He goes toward someone walkin'' slower, and¡­ "Excuse me, could''ja tell me where this is?" The person kept walkin'', ignorin'' him. "..." Maybe that person was in a hurry? "Excuse me..." One try, two tries, three tries¡­ Silence. "....." Kyouichirou''s patience couldn''t handle more than that. He goes towards a passerby and stops them, holdin'' them by the shoulder. "Oi, could ya tell me where..." He gets surprised. "...we are?" The person he stopped was a little taller than him. This whole time, he hadn''t looked at the facd of one of the people passin'' from so close up and for so long. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. It was blurry. Like a video in 144p. The person bein'' held said nothin'', and weirdly had no weight, now that he paid more attention. Holdin'' that person was the same as holdin'' a page of paper against the wind. As soon as he let go, the person kept walkin''. As if nothin'' had happened. Kyouichirou feels shivers down his spine. Those people¡­ Were they really "people"? He makes a quiet "tch". "Guess I''ll have to search blindly." He can feel a bit of cold sweat forming on his forehead and back. He needs to find the others and get outta there as fast as possible. After walkin'' for few minutes, there was loud music and people''s noises. When hearin'' it ya can notice, how silent it was away from there. Kyouichirou runs in the direction of the sounds, while avoiding the "people". The noises came from an¡­ arcade? It was still a bit far, but it seemed like an arcade¡­ That person there, in the front...?! Was Sheila?! Finally, someone other than him. She was enterin'' that place. "Sheila!" He screamed, but it didn''t appear she heard it. ¡­Or maybe she just ignored him. That occult obsessed... Hurryin'' up, he got there and stops by the entrance to catch his breath. He looks around searchin'' for Sheila, but she already went in. Inside the place, she kept walkin'' towards¡­ someone he can recognize. It''s that boy from before, most likely the reason why they''re there. He doesn''t need even three seconds to know what she plans to do, and starts to run again. From Sheila''s point of view... Yuki and the other boy are sitting in front of the game machine, Yuki is holding the controls but doesn''t move. His friend achieves easy victories and keeps playing. It looked like a fighting game. While going in their direction, she observed both the boys and the ambient. She noticed some things. Which made her question other things. She wondered about it with every step, eventually getting besides the game chairs. She extended her hand toward Yuki. "Sheila, don''t!" She could hear a familiar voice screaming nearby, but she didn''t stop. The extended hand is put on his shoulder. "Yo, youngster!" Kyouichirou saw a repetition. An act that fits perfectly into the definition of insanity. The boy did the same as in the beginnin'', and looked in her direction. He was too late again. "Who?" A voice that, different from before, wasn''t distant. ...But nothin'' happened. "Huh? Who is she, Yuki?" The person answered? He looked at the scene, confused. The two boys who could talk got up from their chairs, and stared at Sheila. They appeared to be middle schoolers, the boy they saw before, he was shorter than the other. While this new boy could almost reach his shoulder, the other one was probably just below his elbow. They both seemed normal. After his shock that lasted a few seconds, Kyouichirou starts to walk again and reaches them. "Sheila¡­ Whatcha think ya doin''?" His annoyance was apparent. "Kyou." But to Sheila, that didn''t matter, as she had an objective in mind at that moment. She looks Kyou in the eyes, that immediately changes from anger to surprise. While she smiled, her eyes showed a certain unexpected seriousness. She turns back to the boys, and looks at Yuki with the same eyes. "Your name is Yuki, correct?" He reluctantly shakes his head in a yes. "Have you looked at the people around here?" He showed confusion upon hearing that. "Hey, what''s that girl''s problem?" Sheila goes toward the other boy, and puts her hand on his shoulder the same way she did to Yuki. "Hello to you as well!" She blinks a few times, and gives his shoulder some slaps. For some reason, something was different from Yuki. Everyone looks at her, all of them confused. It was very quiet. Ever since the conversation started, the only noise that could be heard was their voices. "Sheila¡­ what is¡­. happenin''?" She smiles, and looks directly into his eyes. Her eyes had a certain special glow as she answers. "I have no idea." Kyou''s frustration was palpable. "But¡­ it''s certainly something supernatural!" That was the last straw, he thought. Kyouichirou''s patience for the insanities of this occult obsessed person was at the limit. He was about to say somethin''. "Who¡­ are you people?" But someone else did it before him. Yuki, who was lookin'' around all this time, didn''t look too well. He held his head, as if it was hurtin'' a lot. And the other boy, why did he look happy with that? He was smilin''. And Sheila, what kind of face was that? Why did she suddenly seem so shocked? And then, the face of the boy who still had Sheila''s hand on his shoulder. It slowly turned disfigured. It was different from before, it wasn''t a huge blur. It was somethin''¡­ nausea inducin''. In a way, it''s almost as if he''s disintegrating. The Yuki, he has his eyes closed and was shakin'' his head, meanwhile. And, outta nowhere, again. A different place again. The other boy vanished. Now in front of what appears to be an apartment complex, only three people are. That Yuki boy opens the door and enters the complex, we all follow him. What the heck is goin'' on? I think neither of us really knows. At this point, we''re all probably just going with the flow, without questionin'' things too much. But all three are in a cold sweat. And by opening the apartment''s door... "Welcome!" A friendly voice. A person that doesn''t appear to be much older welcomes us from the inside. He uses vibrant and colorful clothes, and is stayin'' still in the middle of the livin'' room. "You all came just in time for dinner!" Kyouichirou was gonna take his shows off, when¡­ Sheila casually enters shoes and all and passes by the man, to deeper inside the house. That when, by lookin'' to the side¡­ He was tremblin''. That boy was tremblin'', breakin'' a cold sweat, white as milk. He looked like he''d pass out any second. "Oh? You''re not going in?" Kyouichirou turns to the man, who has an even more radiant smile than before. "Are you sure?" "Oh hello there, is the young lady also Yuki''s friend?" From somewhere deeper into the house, came the voice of a middle aged lady. The boy runs inside after hearin'' that. The only one still in the entranceway, he gives ups on takin'' off his shoes. "You won''t be coming in?" Kyouichirou follows the others, and stops shortly after passin'' by the smillin'' man. He noticed. Somethin'' he only witnessed a few times, durin'' fights with dangerous people. Killing intent that gave ya goosebumps. But only for a second. He looks behind him, and there''s only a smilin'', friendly man. "Oh? Something''s wrong?" The man asks, with a curious expression. "No¡­ nothin''." As soon as he enters the kitchen, a surprise. Makoto''s sittin'' on the chair, with his head down. At least the three of them were reunited... Sheila looked distracted watchin'' the boy hug a middle aged lady. The lady looked confused, she wouldn''t stop blinkin'' and gently pattin'' his head. No one said a word, for some reason. There''s somethin'' strange in the air, maybe that''s why. But that wouldn''t stop Kyouichirou from checkin'' if his friend is OK. "Makoto? Are you alright dude?" Silence. He slowly lifts his head and looks in the direction of the livin'' room with his eyes. "Yo, Kyou." He''s pale, and his eyes are temblin''. Makoto carefully put his finger in front of his lips, askin'' for silence. Why he did that would become obvious soon. Dinner Makoto, who just came out of the coat closet in the house''s entrance, was at a loss about what to do. That man could kill him and that family at any moment. "A prank? Haha, the youth of today..." The middle aged mister seems to accept the new presences without a problem. "I noticed your wife is making dinner, I actually brought a gift!" He goes to the entrance, picks some kind of bag up, and takes a glass compartment out of it. That glass compartment was familiar. "A portion of meat! It should be delicious in a special stew~" It was familiar meat. From earlier that day. It was¡­ a piece... A piece of that person from earlier. Various pieces, actually, pickled into smaller pieces. Makoto thought the man had made that to torture that person, but... It was worse. "Dear, Yuki''s friend brought a present!" Much worse. "My, I''ll prepare it right now!" He felt the nausea, that was controlled until then, start acting up again. His total focus was on not vomiting. "Why doesn''t mister take a nap until the food is ready?" After hearing that, the middle aged man goes to the room in the deepest part of the house, probably the couple''s bedroom. "Certainly, I was sleepy anyway!" He enters and closes the door. Not long after, snores. "Hey, little sister! Why don''t you take a nap as well~?" He speaks a little louder. A voice answers from the other room, which must be the room of the little girl from earlier. "Ok, mister!" The snores now came from the two bedrooms. "Sleep quietly, yes?" And it became quiet. It was surreal. Going away from where Makoto is, the man goes to that lady in the kitchen, and stops beside her. Silently watching her cook. "Your cooking is always impressive. If you could make the dish in a way that amplified the smell of the meat, it''d be wonderful!" He keeps smiling. "But of course, I''ll do my best."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. You can feel his smile, even by only looking at his back. And all that he says is carried out. No hesitation, no resistance, the person won''t even think about it. They¡­ just accept what he asks for. As if it was the most natural thing. "And you, my dear guest." He says, still facing the other way. "Why don''t you sit?" Makoto reluctantly obeys, fearing what he might do if he didn''t. Sitting in the first chair of the table of the ample kitchen, which leaves his back to the living room, giving his best to not show his fear in a noticeable manner. The man soon after turns around. "Very good." He laughs lightly. His eyes seemed to smile, more than usual. "Soon someone important will be getting here for a very special dinner." The man goes to the living room, and gets out of the field of vision. "I can entertain my guests afterwards, but until then..." His voice gets a little deeper than before. "Avoid¡­ no, just staying quiet where you are is enough." The smell of the food that the lady is making is starting to remember... ... "The less you do, the better." The man then begins cheerfully humming an unknown melody. I don''t know how much time has passed. Was it minutes? Hours? Days? It felt like an eternity. Breaking it was the sound of the door opening. "Welcome!" It seems the "important person" is here. "You all came just in time for dinner!" You all? Someone passed beside me, but I can''t lift my head to check who it is. I''m scared. "Oh? You''re not going in?" Who was he saying that to? "Are you sure?" As soon as he said that... "Oh hello there, is the young lady also Yuki''s friend?" The middle aged lady, who was silent this whole time, she said something. Young lady¡­ Could it be¡­? Then¡­ I can hear a person running. But I can''t. I''m unable to look up. It can''t be. "You won''t be coming in?" There was somebody else. Familiar steps that stopped briefly. "Oh? Something''s wrong?" Please no. "No¡­ nothin''." That voice was no doubt¡­ The steps came closer, and stopped by my side. "Makoto? Are you alright dude?" It was them. It was them It really was them. ¡­ Mustering all his courage, Makoto raises his head. He looks into Kyou''s eyes, and discretely turns them towards the living room right after. "Yo, Kyou." Putting his fingers in front of his lips, while simultaneously pointing to his nose. If there''s anyone who would notice what he meant, that''d be Kyou. Makoto understands. In that place, it''s hard to notice the small details due to the great absurdities. Those two, they must''ve also gone through weird situations. So you need something. A thing that points where you should look, what you should notice. He begged that Kyou understood. But his face showed confusion. Kyou shakes his head in a yes motion, and stays quiet. ...It should be ok, at least for now. Turning to the side, Sheila. It really was her¡­ And an unknown boy hugged the middle aged lady. He must be the "important person". "I''m glad you got home now. I don''t know what happened at school, but..." The middle aged lady gently caresses his head, and makes him let go of her. "A nice and hot meal should help. Go sit down, Yuki." She pats him on the head once more, and starts setting up the table. A table with six seats, with Makoto sitting in one of the two chairs with their back turned to the living room. The unknown boy sits directly in front of him. Sheila closely observed the stove, Kyou stayed beside Makoto. "Here''s the food, son. I''ll go call you father and sister." After a small pause. "We love you." The woman exited the kitchen. Soon after, Makoto feels a presence behind him, on the side opposite to Kyou''s. At first the boy looked so happy he could cry, but after messing around with the food using the fork a bit... He appears to have noticed. Instantly turning pale, and the hand holding the fork trembled. He looks in the direction of the man, but Makoto doesn''t dare do the same. The boy seems to have the same opinion, and almost immediately turns back to the food. He was going to eat that food. He¡­ probably knows what''s going to happen if he doesn''t. ...But does doing it really change anything? The trembling hand tried to take a bit of the stew to the mouth, reluctantly. At that moment, Kyou holds his hand, which makes the stew fly away and land on the ground. He stopped the boy. Maybe by the boy''s reaction when he was checking the food, Kyou finally understood the hidden meaning of that action:"The smell of that meat is putrid." Makoto immediately gets up, and sees the reaction of the man. But mouth smiled, but not his eyes. "What''s in this?!" Kyou screams, directed to the smiling man. The other hidden meaning:"He''s the reason." At some point, Sheila went to the other side of the kitchen, close to the other two. "Interesting." The man answered. Unexpectedly, he didn''t seem angry. He was¡­ Curious? The unknown boy was taken by the arm by Kyou to the corner of the kitchen, away from that man, at that moment. With the other hand, the youth held his appear, seemingly in pain. Makoto was about to go there, alongside them, when they vanished. And only two people stayed in the kitchen. Memories It was the day the test results were out, and Yuki managed to be top of his class. Expecting good grades, his mother said she''d make her special stew. Like always, the way home passed by the station''s park. "And then, how are we celebrating?" His friend, that lives the same way, is also with him. "Mom said she''s making a special stew." The two chattered casually. "Damn, she''s so confident in your good grade she said that before even knowing it." Both him and his friend were the same height, and were the shortest of the class Yuki wondered when they''d grow taller, it''d be high school for them next year. "Well, I study, different from you." "Bro I got a 70! It''s good enough and some." That moment, Yuki felt goosebumps. He rapidly turns to the forest, but there wasn''t anything out of the ordinary there. "Something wrong?" His friend stops, worried. "Nothing, it just seemed like¡­ Must be my imagination." Lately this had been happening sometimes, but it wasn''t anything to worry about. The two start walking again. "That reminds me, didn''t they find a dead body around here these days? We should be careful." "...Are you seriously talking about that now?" His friend starts laughing. "Sorry man, sorry. But, and then, that new movie that''s gonna come out, it''s the same as the space warriors show and..." "That one only comes out next month." "Really?!" "You saw the wrong month on the poster." He looked shocked by that. "Hey, why don''t we go to the arcade?" "You tell me about assassins roaming around and now you want to stay out late?" "We need to commemorate the good grades! My mom said you should always commemorate that sort of thing to incentivize getting even more good grades..." "And I will, with stew." "Both you and I know that''s not enough! And we can play the new game that came out the day before yesterday!" Yuki starts laughing. "...You never had the intention of not going, did you dude?" "You know I''ll never refuse a chance to destroy you in games." They cross the crosswalk, and walk by the city until they reach the nearest arcade. It was in the middle of many stores and not too far from either of their homes, in a busy street.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The two played, and Yuki won all the matches, making his friend frustrated. It was a fighting game unlike anything they''d seen before, and he ended up getting the hang of it faster, making the winner of the day obvious. "Man, you really have no mercy..." It was close to sunset. "See you tomorrow Yuki, next time I''ll win!" "Later, Manabu." On the way home, the sky was a beautiful scarlet hue. It was a beautiful sunset. He gets home, while appreciating the scenery. Their apartment was a big one, and in a just finished building. They were one of the first residents of the city''s new residential area, which meant, no noisy neighbors. Opening the door, going up the stairs¡­ There was someone in the middle of the corredor. "A new resident?", he thought. As he came closer, they looked like his dad. He was about to speak to him, when the person turned around. Exposed flesh and no eyes. That person didn''t have a face. They were bleeding. Yuki immediately ran to his apartment, which was by the end of the corridor. He tries to avoid the person, but ends up bumping into them. ...And even so, passing right through. He enters, locks the door, and takes a deep breath. As he does that, an unknown metallic smell. He looks up. His dad''s face. "Oh, hello." On the ground further inside, dismembered bodies, he can count 6 arms. Two of them were smaller. The person in the middle of that was using his dad''s face like a mask. Their clothes were stained with blood. "You¡­ Are called Yuki. From now on, you''ll be my little brother!" At that moment, while passing out, he could hear something. "Ah, he passed out..." The voice sounded worried. Yuki wakes up with the daylight coming through the curtain''s blind spots. His back was covered in cold sweat. "I had a nightmare..." He goes outside the bedroom and into the corridor, and slowly makes his way into the living room... It was normal, no bloodstain. No dismembered body in sight. Just the usual smell of the cleaning product used at home. The sound of food being made coming from the kitchen. He breathes a sigh of relief, and proceeds to go eat breakfast. "Good morning..." In the middle of a yawn, he continues his common daily routine. "Morning little brother, do you like pancakes?" ...Who was that person? "Your parents went to live in another country. I am your new older brother." Ah, so it really was a nightmare. That man was just my new big brother. Everyone is fine. "I see. Pancakes are ok." They eat in silence. "If you hear any weird noise, it''s because I like horror movies. Even if you can''t notice me, if anyone asks, I am always home." "I see. Horror movies are cool." Silence. "Ah, I made your lunch! There''s omelet and fried veggies." "Thanks, brother." A month later, from the horror movie, was a voice really similar to that landlady from the neighboring building. But that''s just a coincidence. Sometimes it was the voices of men, others from women. There were some younger and some older. Some time went by like that. Yuki and that man, for him, were a true family. One day, his friend came go visit unannounced. He got there at the wrong time. He saw something he shouldn''t. But his older brother didn''t seem bothered by it. He went with him, at night, and saw his friend''s body being buried, until he couldn''t anymore. "You''ll get used to it." Brother. Like always, smiling. Yuki''s gaze was distant. He wandered around until he got into the station. There wasn''t anyone anymore around the area. He made a wish, actually two wishes in the form of one, without noticing. And¡­ When he opened his eyes, he was in the school''s yard, close to the exit. Sometimes Yuki had this nightmare, even awake. It even felt like memories, it was so realistic. But every time he thinks about that, he''d look to the side, and his friend would be there. This time¡­ There were only two people he didn''t know. "Are ya ok boy?" It was someone he never saw before, much taller than him, who had a worried face. He held the youth''s arm with certain strength. And beside him was a blonde girl, with blue eyes, who was like a foreigner. She was smiling while staring, but her eyes looked sad. That when the person holding him looked around, and let go of his arm. "Sheila, where''s Makoto?!" Sheila, surprised, looks around, and the two become desperate. Who is Makoto? Yuki grows increasingly uncomfortable, especially since there''s no one other than them, even though it''s the time people go back home from school. "...Tch." The person picks him up, and puts him on his back. What is happening. "Sheila, we''re goin'' back there! That fella is dangerous!" He starts running really fast, and she follows him. That girl was much more athletic than Yuki, which made him even more shocked. "Kyou, actually I think I understand what is happening¡­ more or less, and-" "Sheila, leave this for later! Focus on runnin'', Makoto''s in danger! Can ya tell which''s the way there?!" "Just barely!" How can those two chat as they run like this? This Kyou-senpai is evn carrying him on his back. In a few seconds they reached the street, and for some reason there''s no cars passing. "Perfect! Kyou, follow me!" The girl takes the lead. The three of them run to the apartment, that is a few blocks away. "Hey ya! Don''tcha dare get a headache now, got it?!" Yuki couldn''t understand why that senpai said that, but he''d try. Finale Time flowed without pause for Makoto, ever since they vanished. "...Done!" The smiling man asked for him to wait on that same chair while he "prepared everything". "I liked you, so I''ll show you something special!" Makoto stays silent. "You can come now." ...He gets up slowly, and turns toward the living room. There were many kinds of blades and unknown instruments all over the ground. The three members of the family from before were smiling in the background. "You can sit on the sofa." Makoto reluctantly follows the order. The sofa had been moved to the corner of the room, and moved from facing the tv to facing the corridors, where the bedrooms were. "These three are this time''s assistants, mister Papa, lady Mama, and the little one!" Makoto stares silently. "Don''t forget to clap to the show." He claps with a smile, that must be more like the face of someone dying. "Let''s start with the simplest of them all, the little one and the fast cut!" She walks beside the smiling man, and makes the same reverence an actor does before a play. The man squats and picks up one of the many blades on the ground around him, and in the next moment, it is on the ground of the other side. Nothing happened. "Voil¨¤!" Afterwards, the smiling man puts his hands beside her head while doing the jazz hands, as if he was saying "take a look at this!" with them. That''s when the thin line of blood appeared on her neck. The eyes of the girl had lost their light, and she falls to her knees, her head falling to the side afterwards, and rolling to his feet. A small fountain of blood pours from her neck before the rest of the body falls down. That moment, the eyes of the man shone. Makoto knows that''s the signal for clapping, and he''s forced to do so while smiling, like before. "Isn''t it beautiful? How the red overlaps all other colors?" Was that why he was dressed up like that? Makoto stays silent. "And now for the next show..." This time it was the gentle looking middle aged lady. He throws the remains of the little girl to the side, and pick up a chair he had prepared, the lady sits immediately after. "The last show was something fast I improved after much training. Obviously, this one as well." He picks up a curved blade. "I call this one Mama and the perseverance!" He inserts the curved blade into her abdomen, which makes her scream in agony. Makoto couldn''t help but look at the mister, who''s probably her husbando, as that happened¡­ The mister kept smiling, but there seemed to be tears forming in his eyes. "Eyes on the show, Makoto." He instantly turns his attention back to the man as he hears his name. Using another knife now, he was opening the woman''s stomach, and the exposed intestines started to come out. "I actually wanted to show this to Yuki, but I don''t think he can handle it, yet..." The blood gushed out, but the woman wouldn''t stop screaming. It was as if he cut perfectly in a non lethal way, to maximize the victim''s suffering. He picks up some kind of medical instrument and stops the bleeding, then starts to remove the intestines. Following that, he removes her legs piece by piece, starting with the fingers. There were many small pieces. The most impressive was the speed at which he did that, and the cuts as precise as a surgeon''s. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. When the woman''s legs were fully removed till the minimum needed for her to sit, he did the same with the arms. The removed pieces from the arms were even smaller, the size of a bean. The woman hadn''t stopped screaming since the beginning. Her voice started to grow hoarse. "Woah, I need to hurry!" He went even faster. Left arm, right arm, nose, ears¡­ he removed even the breast area. All that was left of her was an exposed heart and lungs, and whatever someone needed to scream. That moment, the woman''s voice vanished, and a dagger was thrust upon her heart. "Finale." He curved himself like an actor after a play. Makoto could clap while making a fake smile, but tears rolled down his eyes. The smiling man seemed to take that in a positive light. "For the last show¡­ We''ll have Papa, the pure flesh!" The tears wouldn''t stop, alongside the fake smile. The chair the woman was in is thrown to the side. But the pieces stayed on the ground The middle aged man stays still. The next second, the man held a skin piece. And in some area of the mister''s body the clothes started getting drenched in blood. "I actually couldn''t do this before, but this wonderful place taught me many things." Eventually, the mister was all red. The skin was removed perfectly, save for the face, that was then removed as well. As he ripped it off, the eyes fell, and the mister dropped to his knees. "Ah, I always remove the eyes as well by accident, I''m sorry for the mistake!" He trembled. The sensation the mister must feel at that moment was inimaginable. "And with your number done, we say goodbye!" He inserts a long knife in the back of the man''s neck, ending his suffering. Was this mercy or an even greater cruelty? Makoto did the same as before, and clapped. He soon stops, and can''t smile anymore. Not even the tears stayed. "You remind me of Yuki a bit." He puts the mister''s face atop Makoto''s. "A souvenir." He felt as if he could hear "sorry" that moment, and right afterwards he could see something. It seemed to be someone''s memory, a man comes home after the day''s work and his wife and daughter are in front of a person. He runs and tries to stop the person, but ends up being knocked down and forced to see his younger daughter and wife brutally murdered. The mister manages to beg, almost pray, for Yuki to not go home today in his last breaths. "So he''s named Yuki?", he notices that was a mistake. Sleep at a friend''s house, loiter around somewhere, it doesn''t matter how. Just save yourself. The man soon comes to end what he started, and the mister suddenly sees himself in the corridor outside. Yuki was coming, but he couldn''t stop him. Makoto comes back to, confused. The smiling man was looking at him in a different way. It seemed to have affection. "You too¡­ From now on, you''re also my little brother." He seemed happy, for some reason the indifferent face felt happier than his smiles. "Now I have two little brothers." Soon he''s back to smiling. At that moment, the man turned to the door, as if he knew what was about to happen. It was destroyed by a kick. "Makoto!" The man immediately looks on the eyes of that boy, which are reflected in the man''s own eyes, it seems the boy''s name was Yuki. Yuki saw the scene of his nightmares. This time, the killer had a face. "Hello little brother." That was reality. There was no way to escape it anymore. "Thanks for the paradise." An indifferent face, and smiling eyes. It was as if the world broke apart. As if waking up from a long dream, Sheila, Kyou and Yuki were in the station. The first one to awaken was Kyou. He looks around, and sees Makoto goin'' down the station''s stairs. "...Guys!" Havin'' just woken up, Kyouichirou was still somewhat dizzy. "Makoto, are ya alright my dude?!" His scream woke the other two up. "We''re¡­ outside?" She said, confused about the why. She then proceeds to get up from the ground, and soon Kyou does the same, while Makoto ran in their direction, who were in the middle of the station. "We really woke up here." Sheila appeared pensative, while Kyou hugged Makoto. "Bro, I thought you''d die..." The three were close childhood friends, and Sheila felt the same. Relief. She almost felt guilty about making this the club''s outdoor activity, almost. ...But since everyone was fine at the end, the feeling did not last long. She then notices the other person on the ground, with their hand massaging their head. A young man with messy long black hair that looks like it has not been cut for a long time, using a summer uniform from their school. He gets up slowly, and is a bit taller than Kyou, seemingly being the same age as them. "Yuki?" Sheila asks. The youth seems to answer to that name. "How do you know my name?" She makes an "aha" with her hands, lightly punching her palm with the other hand as if it was a hammer. "I was right! A true supernatural phenomena!!" Kyou and Makoto, who were in an endless cycle of "Are ya really ok? Ya don''t look fine at all!" and "I am dude, you can relax." were baffled by what they just heard. "Ah, right." Sheila''s smiley and guiltyless face changes to a serious one. "Manabu said sorry for not noticing before." As he heard that, it was like Yuki had truly awoken. He felt complicated feelings at that moment. "Manabu¡­ No, I''m the one who should''ve woken up before..." "And we are in 2021, too." Yuki wasn''t sure he heard properly. "I''m sorry, what? I can''t remember how I got here, but that year only comes in more than 30-" The young lady shakes her head to the sides. "These people, geez, look, you made something that created some kind of supernatural fridge and now you''re in 2021. Just accept it." Everyone gets dumbfounded by her lack of sensibility. "That''s not good", thought Makoto. To try and make the mood lighter before Kyou loses the last bit of his patience, he changes topics. "O-our bags and flashlights are in the park! I''m not sure why, but only us ended up in that place." The other two sounded confused upon hearing that, weren''t they using them all along? ...They weren''t. Yuki just kept being confused. "I can''t remember anything properly from the moment Manabu..." Makoto heard that. While Sheila and Kyou were distracted by the fact their bags truly weren''t there, he went to speak to Yuki. "It''s better like that, believe me." When they came back, the blood that sprayed on him and the skin mask vanished, but not the memories. Was it because of the amulet? Everything happened so fast the others thankfully didn''t catch on to what happened before they got there. ...It was enough for only him to have such nightmares. And he doesn''t want to explain, either. When Makoto woke up, he was sitting and leaning by a tree, with their things all organized beside him. It was like someone left them there for him. ...However, he didn''t want to think about it. It was better to just forget. "But wait, if you''re someone from the past, what happens now?" As Makoto says that, everyone there notices that Yuki''s situation was complex. "...For now ya can come over to my house, we see the rest later." Kyou, who lived in a big traditional japanese home, saved the day. So many absurdities happened the last few hours that no one there questioned what Sheila said earlier about supernatural fridges, at least for now. Makoto went to stay the night at his friend''s house as well, but first they took Sheila home, after picking up their things left at the park. As soon as she got home, she went straight to the table to write for a while. On her desk, now laid and unfinished investigation report. ¡¸Investigation of the phenomena "Kids of the Station" Participating members: Yamazaki Sheila, Yamamoto Makoto, Nagato Kyouichirou. Area Investigated: The park of the aforementioned station. Budget provided by the school: 10.000£¤. Results: Supernatural activity confirmed. Cause of the phenomena: Unknown. Details of the operation: We found a phenomena of the alternative space type, and...¡¹ Sheila slept peacefully, too tired to finish it that day. That was the first true supernatural phenomena the club found ever since her entering the club at the beginning of that year, her first year of high school. ...Maybe the first of many.