The next day.
It was the last day before vacation, and every student was buzzing with excitement.
Miko walked into the classroom and sat down, only to notice that Hana hadn't arrived yet.
"Did you guys see what the girl from the next class posted?"
"Oh, that? I heard she's been doing that kind of thing."
"Huh? What kind of thing?"
"Taking money from guys and then…"
"Seriously? I always knew something was off with her, dressing so flashy every time—like she wanted her skirt hem at her butt."
"You're talking about Kitagawa from the next class…"
"Shh! Yesterday she even posted a luxury car—a sports car! She rode off into the mountains at night, who knows what for."
"Everyone knows, hahaha!"
Several girls huddled together, whispering.
But Miko could hear every word loud and clear.
At that moment, Miko's expression turned complicated.
Someone glanced at Miko; after all, in the photos Kitagawa had posted yesterday, both Miko and Hana were in them.
"Miko!"
Hana burst in from the corridor, thrilled.
"Our photos from yesterday got tons of likes! I really do have a talent for photography!"
"Ta-da! Here's my mom's gift—a Polaroid! Snap a picture and it develops instantly!"
Miko opened her mouth, then closed it.
She wanted to say most of those likes were probably from people with bad intentions, but decided against ruining Hana's mood.
Click!
Just as Miko forced an awkward-but-polite smile, Hana pressed the shutter.
"That expression was perfect!"
Hana shook the photo and handed it over. Miko spotted a spirit flickering behind her in the shot and twitched.
"Hana definitely has a scary knack for taking photos…"
It wasn't a compliment.
"Right? I've got real talent!"
Hana beamed at the photo, proud as could be.
Just then a hand took the picture, glanced at it, and praised,
"It really is a great shot!"
Hana blinked; when she saw it was Yuria her face fell, but since it was a compliment she quickly brightened.
"You think so too?"
Yuria nodded firmly.
"I think you've got serious photographic talent."
Miko frowned at Yuria, still finding it hard to accept the girl's reckless antics.
"Still not giving up, huh."
Noticing Miko's look, Hana snatched the photo back.
"Hey, what are you doing in our classroom?"
Yuria, unaware that Hana knew everything, gave an awkward laugh.
"Miko and I were just messing around, right Miko?"
Miko had no idea what Yuria was planning, but to stop her from doing anything else stupid, she nodded.
Hana, missing the undercurrent, saw that the two were "reconciled" and dropped the hostility.
"Oh! Were you just talking about pretty scenery?"
"I know tons about that!"
"Really?"
Hana, eager to show off her skills, jumped at the topic.
"If you want, we could go together tomorrow on vacation—I know some amazing spots!"
"Sounds like nowhere good."
Miko already guessed Yuria's aim, but she didn't expose her.
"If I don't teach her a lesson, she'll keep clinging to me and might get others killed."
And so the photo outing for tomorrow was cheerfully decided.
Of course, a minor hitch occurred.
"Miko! Are you going out tomorrow? Can I come, can I come?"
Marin, who'd come to find Miko, bounced over in excitement.
Two girls passing by in the corridor overheard.
"Did you hear? They're going on a trip."
"Let's follow them! We'll snap photos of them doing whatever and expose Kitagawa's lies!"
"Yeah! We'll reveal her true colors!"
…After school, Miko and Hana looked at each other.
Fear filled their eyes.
They remembered!
Remembered everything!
"Yesterday—we didn't ask for leave!!"
"So scary! So scary! Is Teacher Okuma going to kill us?"
Hana refused to set foot in the dojo, so Miko had to drag her inside.
Teacher Okuma's dark face turned toward them.
Just as Miko braced for a storm, Teacher Okuma produced a bottle of water and forced an ugly smile.
"Are you two tired?"
"Want to rest a bit before training?"
"If you've got issues with me, speak up! I can take feedback, you know!"
His tone and that catchphrase made Miko and Hana shudder.
Hana apologized at once.
"I'm sorry! It was my birthday yesterday, so I forgot to ask for leave!"
"Teacher Okuma, please don't make that face—it's kinda gross."
Gross!
The word shot through Okuma's heart like an arrow.
He'd assumed his brutal training had scared the girls off, so today he'd changed his approach.
He never expected to be called "gross."
"Sorry, Teacher Okuma, we'll ask for leave next time. Please go back to normal."
It was just a small interlude.
Okuma knew they didn't hate him and felt much better.
Of course, his relief meant misery for Hana and Miko.
Double training.
Plus practical instruction—Okuma worked them hard, and they limped out of the dojo… The next day.
Miko, Hana, Yuria, and Marin met up and boarded a bus heading out of the city.
None of them noticed the two girls hidden in the back corner.
Cameras in hand, their eyes full of malice.
"We'll get dirt on Kitagawa today and post it online!"
"Yeah! Get her expelled!"
The bus reached its stop, and Yuria took the lead.
"This way, this way!"
"The view here's great, but it's even better up ahead!"
She glanced back at the tunnel ahead, a triumphant smile on her face.
"Right past here is the famous 'gathering spot'—anyone who can see avoids it."
"It's so dark… kind of scary…"
Hana wanted beautiful scenery and photos, but not a creepy place like this.
"Are we really going through, Yuria?"
"Yep, just a bit farther—it's gorgeous on the other side!"
Miko frowned; the place gave her a bad feeling.
But she sensed nothing too powerful—probably just some 4th-grade cursed spirits.
She could handle it.
"Let Yuria see how terrifying spirits are—then she'll give up."
With that, Miko didn't stop her.
Inside the seal, Akuto opened his eyes.
"This place… I see."
He remembered—he and Marin had been here two days ago.
He'd been chasing a spirit that vanished into the mountain.
And this was inside that very mountain!
Turns out there are two paths: one skirts the peak and loops west, the other cuts straight through the mountain from south to north.
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