Like two quick-footed hares, Doutang and Lu Zizhen vaulted over the school gate.
The campus beyond lay shrouded in stillness — no lights, no sounds, not even the flicker of a
guard's flashlight.
Even the security booth was empty.
Doutang frowned. That was… strange.
Zizhen, on the other hand, looked entirely unfazed. Adjusting her GoPro, she whispered,
"Relax. The night guard's one of our subscribers. He's the one who leaked the story. He
promised to keep his supervisor busy for a while. As long as we don't cause a full-blown ghost
parade, we're in the clear."
Doutang rolled his neck until it cracked. The motion echoed faintly across the silent yard.
He was ready.
A cheerful ding! chimed inside his mind.
[High-level malevolent spirit detected nearby! Please complete your mission —
purify them all!]
The bright, childlike tone made his skin crawl.
That system voice always sounded far too happy about sending him to face things that could
barely be described as alive.
There were levels to spirits.
Nameless Wraiths — the lost and forgotten.
Vengeful Spirits — those who remembered enough to hate.
And above them, the Legends: entities born from rumors and fear itself — creatures like the
Slit-Mouthed Woman, or the train to Kisaragi Station.
He'd only purified one such being before — the nameless horror that had destroyed the Kiryu
family a year ago.
He hadn't expected to encounter another.
Not here.
Not in the school that he and Huaiyin had once called home.
Could this one be drawn by Huaiyin's curse again?
No… impossible.
These hauntings had been happening for over a decade — long before she was born.
He exhaled slowly, pushed the thought away, and pulled something from his jacket pocket — a
mask.
A pink Fall Guy mask.
When full transformation wasn't necessary, he wore it for convenience… and anonymity.
The internet loved mysteries, and his audience loved that pink mask.
Zizhen adjusted her camera. "So there really is something nasty here tonight?"
"Mm."
Her eyes lit up. "No way! You mean the students have been sharing classrooms with ghosts this
whole time? What is this, some kind of human–spirit co-op zone?"
"…," Doutang said flatly. He didn't even bother responding.
He switched on his flashlight. The beam sliced through the darkness, brushing across rows of
windows.
And then — something moved.
A flicker in the glass.
Fourth floor.
A girl in a school uniform, watching them.
Not a spirit. A real human.
Great. Just what he needed — a witness.
And he was standing there in a mask, looking like a burglar.
Perfect.
"Start recording?" Zizhen whispered, finger hovering over the GoPro.
"Not yet. Wait for something to show itself."
They exchanged a nod and crept toward the main building.
Meanwhile—
"Oh no, oh no, oh no!"
Kume Chinatsu ducked below the window of the faculty office, clutching her chest.
Her heart hammered like it wanted to break free.
She'd seen them. Two figures — one in black, one with a camera — scaling the gate like
burglars.
And one of them had put on a pink mask.
That mask.
The Fall Guy.
Earlier that day, she'd tried to push everything from last night out of her mind. But curiosity —
and fear — had gnawed at her. So she'd searched online.
And there it was.
A channel filled with ghost-hunting videos.
A pink Fall Guy exorcising spirits across Tokyo.
And the thumbnail…
It was him.
Not some viral prank. Not a stunt.
It was all real.
The thing that had chased her last night — was that even human?
She'd come to school today only to drop off paperwork for her teacher. But mischief won out
over caution; instead of heading home, she'd gone exploring.
She'd been looking for the updated itinerary for the upcoming class trip — the school had
gotten a huge donation, and she wanted to see where they'd added the new destination.
But instead of finding the file, she'd found them.
And now… panic took over.
She shoved the paperwork back into the drawer, grabbed her bag, and yanked open the office
door.
The sliding door rattled loudly — too loudly.
The sound cut through the silence like a scream.
Kume froze. Her flashlight trembled in her grip.
The school at night felt… wrong.
During the day, it was noisy and bright — all laughter, chatter, and sunlight.
But now? Every hallway looked endless. Every shadow, bottomless.
The wind pressed against the windows — tap, tap — like a polite ghost asking to come in.
She swallowed hard and forced herself to move, her flashlight sweeping over the walls and
desks. The beam was weak, but it was the only thing keeping her from collapsing.
Don't look behind you. Don't stop walking.
But she couldn't help it.
Every few seconds, she turned.
And every time she did, she swore she saw something shift — just out of sight.
The silence was too complete.
Even the air felt thick.
Just get out. Just get out.
If that masked man really was the Fall Guy, and he caught her here…
Her breath hitched.
She wasn't sure she'd make it out alive.
Then — movement.
At the far end of the corridor, a figure appeared.
Tall. Wearing a white lab coat. Moving quickly down the stairs.
The school doctor?
Relief flooded through her. A teacher — finally!
She followed, steps light and cautious.
So focused was she on staying quiet that she didn't notice something crucial.
The man in white… made no sound at all.
Not even a footstep.
A ghostly doctor.
A trembling school idol.
Two hunters prowling in the dark.
Under the waning moon, Yiyan Private Academy was waking from its slumber.
And as if the night needed one more player—
A sleek black car rolled to a stop outside the gate.
"Miss, we've arrived," said the driver, bowing slightly. "As promised — the night of the waning
moon."
The door opened.
A woman stepped out, her shrine maiden robes rippling in the cold night breeze. She took a
deep breath, her expression calm — almost reverent — as her gaze lifted toward the silent
school.
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