Kōki's shoes pounded against the concrete as he ran.
"No way... What the hell is going on?"
He stumbled forward but caught himself.
"Why am I seeing Sayoko's ghost? And who the hell is that other guy?"
His breathing grew ragged.
Am I seeing things? Have I seriously lost my mind?
Sayoko... She's been gone for years. There's no way she's standing there.
The street around him began to blur.
In the next instant, he was younger again, walking home from school with two classmates. Their voices carried through the neighborhood as they chatted.
Up ahead, Sayoko stepped out of a café. The sleeves of her uniform were neatly rolled up to her elbows.
She spotted him.
Her eyes lit up, and she raised a hand, waving in his direction.
"Kōki-kun! Welcome back!"
His two classmates turned toward Sayoko.
"She's beautiful. You know her?"
Kōki's ears turned red. He quickly lowered his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Huh? No, she's just saying hi to everyone."
Sayoko's smile faltered. Her raised hand slowly lowered to her side.
Another memory surfaced.
Kōki stood near the living room doorway, peeking inside.
Ayaka sat at the table, stretching her arms above her head. Sayoko had stopped by to return some study materials she had borrowed. The two chatted over cups of warm tea as afternoon sunlight streamed through the curtains.
Ayaka laughed.
"You're always so polite, Sayoko. I don't know how you put up with my scatterbrained brother."
Sayoko smiled and set her cup down.
"It's nothing like that. Kōki-kun is sweet. He always looks so embarrassed whenever I greet him, though. I wonder if he'll ever warm up to me."
Sayoko glanced toward the doorway.
Kōki immediately ducked out of sight, pressing his back against the wall. His ears burned as he held his breath.
There's no way... If she's back, is she here to curse me? B-but... why me?!
Kōki's knees buckled. He stumbled against a lamppost, gripping the cold metal with both hands.
"This isn't real... It can't be..."
"Kōki-kun, you really can see me... right?"
His heart hammered against his chest.
Kōki slowly raised his head.
Sayoko floated in front of him, her head tilted slightly to one side. Her eyes remained fixed on his face.
"AHHH!"
Kōki spun around and sprinted down the street.
Sayoko cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Wait! Kōki-kun! Please, don't run!"
Behind her, Takuto hovered with his arms folded. He watched Kōki disappear down the street before releasing a slow breath.
"He's hopeless... A girl calls out to him, and his first instinct is to run."
Sayoko puffed out her cheeks.
"Takuto, don't act like this isn't terrifying! Who wouldn't freak out after seeing someone they know is dead?"
Takuto raised both hands.
"Fair enough. Honestly, I'd probably scream too."
Sayoko pressed her lips together, her gaze lingering in the direction Kōki had fled.
Takuto rubbed his chin as he drifted slightly to the left.
"Still... he might be just the person we're looking for. He can see us and hear us. If we can get him to cooperate, he could be our connection to the living world."
Sayoko blinked.
"Wait... You're right! But how are we supposed to talk to him if he keeps running away?"
Takuto turned toward her and pointed.
"Well, that's your problem to figure out."
"Mine?! Why is it my problem?"
"Because you knew him when you were alive," Takuto said.
"If anyone can get through to him, it's you. He might actually listen if the words come from you."
He paused, lowering his eyes for a moment.
"And if he listens... we might finally find out what happened."
Sayoko's expression changed. The faint glow surrounding her body grew brighter.
"I'll do it! Come on, I know exactly where he's headed."
Kōki slammed the front door shut. The impact rattled the walls.
He leaned against it, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Sweat soaked through his shirt and blazer, and damp strands of hair clung to his forehead.
I need something to keep them from haunting me.
He pushed himself away from the door and hurried up the stairs.
Once inside his bedroom, he rushed to his desk and yanked open the drawer. His fingers fumbled through its contents until they closed around a container of salt.
He hurried back to the doorway and poured a thick line across the floor.
he turned toward his nightstand, grabbed a Japanese Bible, and clutched it against his chest.
"If the movies are right... this has to work."
His legs finally gave out, and he dropped onto the edge of his bed.
Why me? I never did anything to her. I barely even spoke to Sayoko when she was alive. So why... why is she haunting me now?
"Kōki-kun... Do you really think those things will keep us away?"
Kōki's mouth fell slightly open. His eyes shifted toward the wall.
Sayoko slipped through it, her faintly glowing figure slowly crossing the room.
"Stay back! Stay away from me!"
He jerked the Bible up between them, his arms trembling as he swung it blindly through the air.
"What do you want from me?!"
A low chuckle came from above.
Takuto drifted down through the ceiling, his arms folded. He stopped a short distance away from Kōki.
"Relax. We're not here to hurt you. We just want to talk."
Kōki stared at them, his lips trembling.
"Y-You... You can't be serious..."
His eyes rolled back. A moment later, his body tipped forward and hit the floor with a thud.
"Kōki-kun?"
Sayoko drifted closer, staring down at him.
Takuto let out a sigh.
"Well... That didn't go as planned."
"You scared him!"
Takuto smiled.
"Maybe I can't help it. It just comes naturally."
Sayoko narrowed her eyes.
"You don't even have blood anymore. You're just as dead as I am, so don't forget that."
"Fair enough."
Takuto ran a hand through his hair.
"Are you still annoyed about what I said earlier?"
Sayoko turned away without answering.
Some time passed before Kōki finally stirred. His eyelids fluttered open.
"...Was that just a dream?"
"Nope. It was all real."
Kōki slowly tilted his head back.
His eyes widened.
Sayoko hovered directly above him.
"WAAAH!"
He jerked backward, banging his knee against the edge of the desk.
"Ow!"
A chair tipped over with a loud crash, its legs scraping across the floor.
Kōki barely glanced at it before scrambling toward the door.
"AYAKA!!!"
Across the hall, Ayaka shifted beneath her blankets.
Her eyes slowly cracked open. She let out a low groan and dragged a hand down her face before rolling onto her back.
"What is that idiot yelling about this early...?"
Ayaka threw the blanket aside and got out of bed. She stepped into the hallway, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders. She was still dressed in her sleepwear.
Kōki stood pressed flat against the wall, his shoulders trembling.
"Kō."
Ayaka stopped a few steps away and folded her arms, shifting her weight onto one hip.
"What's wrong with you?"
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You better have a good explanation for waking me up. Some of us have work in the morning. I need to sleep."
"A-Ayaka... There are ghosts!"
He pointed frantically toward his bedroom.
"They're in my room! I'm not lying!"
Ayaka's gaze sharpened. Her eyelids lowered as she looked him over from head to toe.
"You woke me up for that?"
Kōki lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders. His fingers dug into her nightclothes as his hands trembled.
"Hey! Hands off!" Ayaka said, pushing against his arms.
"I'm serious!"
Kōki refused to let go.
"It was Sayoko! She's in my room! She walked straight through the wall, and there was another guy! He came right through the ceiling!"
Ayaka's hands dropped to her sides. She slapped his hands away and took a step back, her jaw tightening.
"Kōki, this isn't like you. You're usually the brave one around here."
She rubbed her elbow and let out a tired breath.
"Just... go get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. You probably just had a bad dream."
Ayaka turned slightly toward the kitchen.
"Go drink some water and get back to bed."
"It wasn't a dream!"
Kōki shook his head, his eyes fixed on her.
"I know what I saw!"