"Although I could guess that sooner or later there would be a problem at the Oniko Mother Shrine, I didn't expect it to go wrong......"

Kamiya walked down the mountain trail quickly.

The well-meaning ghost ghosts on both sides of the road followed him curiously, and when the torii gate crossed the mountain road, they laughed back and waved goodbye to him.

The conversation with the ghost mother went well, whether it was the power of the ghost mother god or the proposal to move the family, the other party agreed. However, the devil made an additional request-

Hopefully, Kamiyagawa can help her find a Mizuko who escaped from the shrine's area.

As long as the escaped Mizuko can be recovered, the devil will fulfill her promise.

The promise given by the ghost is very reliable, and there is no need to worry about the ghost child and mother going back.

Moreover, just doing a "search mission" can surrender a Aragami and a group of mizuko who seem to be able to be sent to Santu River to "work as child laborers" without blood, which seems to be a good deal.

So Kamiyagawa took over the commission.

"According to the confession of the devil's mother, that Shuizi has been on the run for half a month. And the ghost mother itself has to control a large number of other disgruntled water in the cemetery, and it is difficult to get out, at most, it is to arrange for those good children to explore the situation in the surrounding area...... I haven't found it yet, so I have to entrust it to me? ”

"The devil said that the water who escaped was not a bad boy. Oh, considering her doting personality, this sentence can probably only be heard. ”

True.

Considering the large number of water children around the devil's mother, their common feature is that they are all difficult to measure by flexible means, but not necessarily each of them is a natural bad seed with malicious intent. However, the water children carry resentment due to their early death, and they are children's minds, chaotic and indistinguishable from good and evil, and it is inevitable that their personalities will be distorted.

Allowing a mizuko to move freely will definitely cause trouble.

"Moreover, being able to escape under the nose of the devil's mother, this Mizuko's strength is estimated to be much stronger than the other companions in its cemetery."

Kamiya pondered as he continued to climb the stairs.

As he walked to the base of the mountain, his phone rang.

It was a call from the Yamagata Prefecture Countermeasures Office Branch.

"Mr. Kamiya, there have been no strange attacks in the Kitamurayama-gun area recently...... In addition, two days ago, there was a disappearance of a female high school student in the nearby county of Satsumi, and a case has been opened for investigation there, and it has been confirmed that it has nothing to do with the strange story. ”

After receiving the commission to "find escaped Mizuko" from the Oni Child, Kamiya called the countermeasures office in Yamagata Prefecture and asked about the recent situation in Kitamurayama County.

The ghost and god disciples, who are in high demand in the soul slayer industry, are still easy to inquire about this kind of official news.

After the other party confirmed Kamiya's identity, he didn't even ask the reason, so he cooperated to contact the subordinate unit to confirm the situation.

"Okay, thanks. I'll be back to you if I need to. ”

Kamiya hung up.

There have been no definite attacks in Kitamurayama County, but there has been a recent disappearance in the nearby Mankai County.

According to the report of the Yamagata Prefecture Countermeasures Office, this case of disappearance is not a strange incident.

In other words, there is a high probability that the escaped Mizuko has not hurt anyone.

"Anyway, it's better to find that Mizuko quickly."

With that in mind, Kamiya reached the road down the mountain and walked back to the waiting ghost car, summoning the scout at the same time.

"Little old man, big stone, let's work."

……

1 p.m.

At the foot of Oishidayama Mountain, Kitamurayama-gun.

Three junior high school students dressed in civilian clothes met here.

Two boys and one girl.

They are students of Kitayama Junior High School, and they are all members of the school news club, led by the president Shimazaki Shinji.

Today is Saturday, so naturally the students are not going to school.

The members of the news club are preparing for the next issue of the school news these days.

But there isn't much worth reporting in a school.

At Shimazaki's suggestion, in this issue they prepared the entire large-

Explore and crack the urban legends of the campus.

In Japan, it seems that there are some urban weirdos in many schools.

However, the content is mostly cliché.

What is the 13th staircase, the flower in the toilet, the piano that no one plays in the music classroom, the Beethoven sculpture that moves the eyes, and so on.

The students at Kitayama Middle School occasionally tell this type of weird story.

However, the strange stories they tell tend to focus on the old school buildings that have been abandoned.

This brings us to the situation at Beishan Middle School.

This national high school has two campuses. The old one, located on Mt. Oishida, was abandoned more than 20 years ago, and the new campus is located in the center of the town, which is convenient in every way.

And the students of Beishan Middle School, when they talk about strange stories, they start with -

"Let me tell you, more than 20 years ago, when the old school building was not deserted......"

The old campus was abandoned and unattended.

With a mysterious quality of its own, it is only natural that the locations of various weird stories are set there.

In addition, there is a rumor among the students of Kitayama Middle School that the old school building was abandoned because it was haunted.

However, for the news feature of this "strange talk on campus", Shimazaki kinji deliberately did research and consulted some local materials. What is certain is that this kind of rumored statement is actually just groundless.

The old school building was abandoned simply because of normal administrative planning.

In addition, Shimazaki didn't think that any supernatural events would really happen when he went to the old school building to collect materials, and how could those old-fashioned ghost stories be true.

His original intention was to go there and take some pictures, and then discuss in the news feature how the school was born into several mainstreams.

Well, it's a scientific direction, breaking the report of strange legends.

From this point of view, this news feature is also quite interesting.

Shimazaki himself held a Sony A7 camera in his hand: "Everyone is here, let's go?" While it's still early, I'm going to have dinner after exploring the old schoolhouse. ”

"Wait a minute, Bandong-kun hasn't come here yet." The girl on the team, Chinata Hamanaka, waved her hand.

"Bandong? Oh, you seem to have mentioned that he is coming too. ”

"yes, I told him all about it yesterday when school got out."

Banto, who is in the mouth of Chinatsu Hamanaka, is also another student at Kitayama Middle School and is not a member of the news agency.

President Shimazaki also recently met each other through Hamanaka.

It seems to be a boy one level below them, and I haven't seen much of it in school before.

I have the impression that he is a very gloomy person, and he is also paralyzed, and there is always no expression on his face, and he rarely speaks. There are so many people in the school, and it is normal for students with such a character to be obscure.

I just don't understand how Hamanaka got acquainted with each other.

"Hamanaka, did you make an appointment with that Banto? Why hasn't he come here yet, won't he not come? Another boy on the team, Yoshiyo Abe, spoke.

"No, we said yes."

"And you're going to give him a call?"

"Ah...... I, I don't actually have Bandong-kun's contact information. ”

"Huh?"

"That's it! It's just that we've only known each other for a short time. The girl's voice was small, and her cheeks were slightly red.

"And how did you get acquainted?"

"We've been meeting in the library a lot these days."

"I said, Hamanaka, you don't like that Banto, do you? Obviously, I've only just met each other. ”

"Talent...... Not at all! The girl argued with a red face, but did not forget to add, "I tell you, although Bandong-kun doesn't like to talk, he is actually a very good person, so don't bully him for a while." ”

"Okay, okay."

The other two boys winked and laughed.

After waiting for a few more minutes, a well-proportioned boy walked over on the side of the road.

"Bandong!" Hamanaka raised his hand to greet the other party.

Bandong approached and said with a glance: "Hamanaka senior." There are also Shimazaki seniors and Abe seniors, good afternoon. ”

All three responded in turn.

Shimazaki looked at Bandong, although today was a holiday, the other party was still meticulously wearing the winter uniform of Kitayama Middle School, and then he still had that poker face with no expression.

Sure enough, it's a little weird.

But Shimazaki didn't care too much, his personality was still relatively friendly.

"Now, then, let's go to the old schoolhouse."

When the personnel arrived, the students of Beishan Middle School began to make their way towards the old school building.

……

An abandoned campus located at the foot of Mt. Oishida, the former site of Kitayama Junior High School.

It was once a vibrant place, but it has been abandoned for many years and is now only shrouded in a desolate atmosphere. The buildings are dilapidated, the walls are covered with moss and vines, and the bleak greenery is eating away at the entire campus.

A few students pushed open the rusty iron door and stepped inside.

"It's good that I came in the afternoon, but if it's evening, I don't dare to come inside." Abe looked around at the old school building and smacked his lips.

Although it was afternoon and the sun was shining, the oppressive and desolate atmosphere in the abandoned campus still made people feel a little hairy.

"It's a deserted area, who would choose to come here at night?" Shimazaki took over the conversation, raised his camera and took a few photos of the school building, and then looked at Hamanaka again, "Hamanaka, the incredible and strange things we want to sort out and explore, did you bring them?" ”

"Yes." Hamanaka pulled out a notebook from his bag, "I'll take a look, first of all, the statue of Beethoven in the sculpture room." ”

It's also a classic campus weird story.

And classic, sometimes means old-fashioned.

In other words, the eyes of the Beethoven statue in the sculpture room will move on its own, and no matter where you go, you will notice that the statue is looking at you strangely.

A few students entered the old school building and found the sculpture classroom by following the old house signs.

After rummaging through some dusty sculptures for a while, I found a bust of Beethoven's head.

They placed the statue in the center of the classroom, and Shimazaki took several pictures with his camera from all angles.

The statue was dead from beginning to end, and the direction of the eyes remained the same.

Look, a strange legend is easily dismantled.

Isn't there enough to write about the news report after I go back?

"I came here with the mentality that nothing would happen, but there was really nothing, so I was a little disappointed, what's going on?" Abe quipped in a half-joking tone.

"If you do move, you'll run as fast as you can." Hamanaka ticked a box in his notebook, "However, it is true that humanoid things are easy to be told such strange stories, and you can start from this aspect when writing reports later." According to folk legends, things in the form of humans are more likely to be possessed by ghosts, which can lead to strange things. In scientific terms, it's the uncanny valley effect or something. Another uncanny tale we're going to explore this time, the 'moving mannequin', is pretty much the same. ”

"Humanoid things tend to attract ghosts, and I've heard that too." Shimazaki put away the camera and nodded.

"Hey, don't talk about ghosts or anything like that here, do you? Maintain our original intention and talk about science first. Abe waved his hand repeatedly.

Several students laughed more easily.

While talking and laughing, Shimazaki glanced at Bandong.

The boy was still standing beside Hamanaka without saying a word, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

It's boring, it's boring.

Just like the sculptures here.

Because of a good start, the students went into the other incredible and strange stories in one go.

There are about seven strange stories that have been spread in the old school building.

Subsequently, they went to the music room.

The piano, which claims to be able to play by itself, is silent.

So, take pictures.

Go to the gymnasium again.

It is said that when the gymnasium is unoccupied, the sound of slapping balls can be heard.

But after exploring, there are still no anomalies there.

So, take a picture again.

Shimazaki: "What's next, what's next?" ”

Hamanaka: "Let me see, thirteen steps." ”

Thirteenth step.

It's also a classic campus weirdo, and it seems like there will be one in many schools.

The saying on the side of Kitayama Middle School is-

The staircase next to the physics classroom in the old school building was originally 12 steps, but if you go up and down the stairs while counting the steps, the original 12 steps will have one more step. And the extra steps will be corpses.

Whoever steps on the thirteenth step will be dragged into hell.

Several students found the physics classroom, first counted the steps, and then Abe Kayo shook his head with a smile: "What, I can't even match the number of steps, the steps here are obviously fifteen floors." ”

But in the spirit of the news club, which is to come and break the strange rumors, the students still plan to do something.

lest you go back and have nothing to write about.

It was Yoshiyo Abe who walked the steps, and Shimazaki himself came to shoot.

"Then I'll get started."

"Stand a little bit longer, yes, it's better lit here. Let's go, I'm ready. ”

"One."

Smack.

"Two."

Smack.

"Three."

Smack.

Yoshiyo Abe deliberately slowed down, and with each step, he reported a number.

In the dusty and cobweb-strewn corridors of the staircase, only his voice and the sound of shredded footsteps echoed.

"Fourteen."

Smack.

Soon, he was at the top of the stairs.

There was only the last step left in front of me.

Sure enough, there was no extra order at all.

Abe, who was still a little nervous, relaxed a little and took the last step.

"Fifteen."

Smack.

Smack.

"Huh?" Abe, who had walked to the top, was suddenly stunned.

Just...... Is there more footsteps?

As Abe stopped, no sound could be heard in the silent hallway.

(End of chapter)