"And besides that, what do you mean by ritual? This is clearly the work of some sadistic gang at best. Maybe even some 'lover boy' who got rejected by her and, in a fit of rage, killed her. Not everything is related to demonic stuff. Please…"
Ryuga's voice was tense, and his face was scrunched. Whether it was because of the dead body or the mention of rituals was upto anyone's guess.
"Okay, okay. Enough with your fighting. What should we do next now? We're exploring a haunted mansion and come across a body— isn't this the best horror movie scenario? I'm actually expecting some ghosts to pop up now. Hell, maybe this girl will wake up like a zombie and munch on us."
Souta's teasing wasn't taken as he expected.
"Don't make fun of the dead. While I don't believe in ghosts, it's not 'funny' to disrespect the dead. They were once someone's family. Think about those still living—how bad they'd feel."
"I'm sorry…"
"It's alright… just make sure not to repeat the same mistake twice. Also, Daichi, call the police. I'll contact Naoya-san and inform him about the incident."
Ryuga quickly took out his phone and called Naoya-san while Daichi dialed the police.
The call rang a few moments before an extremely sleepy voice answered. "Hello, Ryuga… what is it? Why are you calling me at… 2:46 AM? Is it something serious… haaahhhh."
"Yeah, something serious did happen. My friends and I were venturing inside a supposedly 'haunted' mansion because of a bet, and we found a dead body hidden in one of the rooms. From the looks of it, it's been months since the person died… Ah, and yeah, the body's of a girl, possibly in her late teens. We haven't touched anything, so don't worry."
There was the sound of rustling from the phone, followed by a quick and furious shutting of a door.
"I'll be there in a jiff. Send me the location and stay away from the body as much as possible. You must've already damaged the crime scene with your antics, so don't ruin it further. I'll be there as soon as I can… also, stay together as a group. Make sure your friends don't wander off unnecessarily."
"Kk, I'll keep that in mind. Be here soon—this case is different from your usual 'ghost' ones. This'll be very interesting to solve."
"Now, I have a feeling you were the one who chose that location. What are the chances of this happening?"
"Possibly like 30%? I don't know… I don't do such things. I have standards…"
"Which are very questionable… and didn't you say the location was supposedly 'haunted'? You know what… now my suspicions of you have heightened by leaps and bounds."
"Stop with your useless prying, detective. Don't waste your brain cells for nothing. There are far more important cases to use them on. Don't waste them, or you'll go bald."
The call was abruptly cut. Ryuga slowly took the phone away from his ear with a sly smirk, then opened the messenger app to send Naoya-san his location.
'We should regroup now… as Naoya-san warned, someone could wander into the crime scene.'
"Guys, let's regroup. I've contacted Naoya-san—he'll be here in a bit. He warned us not to wander around so we can preserve the crime scene as much as possible. So, keep your asses together and stay put."
Daichi immediately saluted. "Aye, aye, captain. I've also completed my mission and contacted the police, but since they're infamous for being late, they'll be late."
"Did they say that themselves?"
"Ah, no, I'm just improvising. Don't mention it, I know I'm just too good."
After the light banter, all three of them left the room, leaving the body as it was. In their haste, they didn't notice the changes happening around it—more so, the changes within the room itself. The once cobweb-filled and dust-ridden space was slowly cleansing itself, returning to its former pristine condition.
…
Outside, Hina was lost. She had bolted out madly because of the unbearable stench, but in her panic, she hadn't paid attention to her surroundings.
Now, she was trapped in the darkness of the mansion. All she remembered was the staircase she had taken, and she was fairly certain she was on the ground floor, which was one small comfort that steadied her vigorously pounding heart.
The ground floor was pitch dark. There wasn't even a hint of light seeping through. It was as if the darkness had devoured the light whole—this was the purest domain of the night.
All she could make out were vague silhouettes of furniture around her, which she kept bumping into again and again.
A stinging pain shot through her right knee—she was sure she had scraped it.
"Sayo was probably calling me then… I should've stayed back there and come down with her. With the two of us, we could've reassured each other."
But there was no point in lamenting now. What was done was already done. All she could do was face the problem alone.
"I need to find the exit… or maybe a window or something. How come there isn't a single source of light here? I was sure the windows were open when we entered. How come they're all closed now?"
Her mind began churning with endless possibilities—none of which were remotely helpful. Thoughts of ghosts and spirits muddled her 'rational' side.
The stories and rumors surrounding the haunted mansion started buzzing in her ears and flashing before her eyes. As much as she wanted to stay grounded, she couldn't help but think of the supernatural.
After all, everyone claimed not to believe in ghosts… until night fell.
"No, no, no. Those were just made-up stories by those first years. Yeah… think about it, Hina. How could a perfectly normal person live in this place all alone? Those sightings of a skinny man glancing at passersby must've been made up."
She was similar to Ryuga—a firm believer that ghosts and spirits didn't exist. But her belief was less extreme than his.
Still, she had refused to bring her phone or any flashlight to help explore the mansion. It had been a perfectly veiled show of courage.
Not because she was brave, but because she knew her friends would bring theirs. She never planned to stray from them. How could she have guessed they'd end up finding a dead body?
"Hina…"
Suddenly, a cold voice called out her name. Though it spoke clearly, there was no trace of familiarity within it. If anything…
It felt dead.