"What's happening to me?!" Sayoko's voice cracked, high and panicked. Her chest heaved, her hands trembling at her sides. "If this is some nightmare… please—please, I want to wake up already!" Tears blurred her vision as they streamed down her cheeks, hot against her cold skin. She sank to her knees, sobbing until her throat burned.
Minutes passed. Slowly, she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her sleeve, her breathing uneven. "Crying isn't going to help me…" she whispered hoarsely. Forcing herself to stand, Sayoko glanced once at her house—silent, dim, unfamiliar—and turned toward the school. Her feet moved almost on their own, dragging her back to the place where she had woken.
I don't understand… Why did I wake up in the old section of the school? Her brows knit tightly as she tried to piece together fragments of memory, but nothing surfaced. Just an oppressive blankness. Something happened. I know it did. But what? She bit her lip and clenched her fists. I'll have to retrace everything. Step by step. That's the only way I'll find out.
The closer she drew to the school gates, the louder the sound of students' chatter became—voices drifting in groups, the clatter of shoes against pavement. Normal life, as if nothing had changed.
Sayoko stopped mid-step. Her eyes locked onto a familiar face in the crowd.
Among the students, one boy lagged behind. He yawned deeply, rubbing at tired eyes shadowed with dark bags. His uniform hung loose and wrinkled, his black hair sticking up in messy tufts like he had just rolled out of bed.
Sayoko's heart jolted. Wait… that's—Kōki-kun? Her breath caught, and she stared harder. No, it can't be. But… it looks exactly like him. How…?
Her mind spun. The last memory she had of him was from years ago. He had been small, just an awkward boy of eleven. Yet the one walking past now was tall, shoulders broader, his features matured into that of a high schooler.
Sayoko pressed a trembling hand against her mouth. It really is him. Kōki-kun… but how is he here? Why does he look so grown up now?
Her knees felt weak. A heavy dread crept into her chest. I didn't imagine… life after death would be like this. I must really be dead. There's no other explanation. And if that's true… then it must have been a long time ago.
She closed her eyes tightly. Fragments of terror rose in her thoughts. But how did I die? Was it an accident? Was I murdered? Or… did I do it to myself? She shook her head violently, her hair whipping around her face. "I can't remember anything!" Her voice cracked, echoing against the old gatepost. "Why?! How could this be happening to me?! I didn't do anything to deserve this…"
Her body trembled as fresh tears fell. "I don't know what to do anymore…"
Then—
"…Sayoko… Sayoko…"
Her head snapped up. A low whisper drifted from the direction of the abandoned wing of the school. The voice was faint, drawn out, yet carried a strange pull.
"Sayoko… are you listening…? Come closer…"
Sayoko's stomach twisted. She froze, breath hitching. That voice… Her skin prickled as cold air brushed against her neck. It's the same one I heard last night… calling to me from the dark.
Her hands tightened into fists. Could it be connected to what happened to me?
She swallowed hard, the dryness in her throat painful, but she forced her legs forward. Curiosity clawed against her fear, step by hesitant step.
She stopped at the end of the hall, scratching her head nervously. "Weird… I swear I heard it just now…"
Then—
"Boo!"
A face burst out from the wall beside her.
"AAAHHH!" Sayoko shrieked, stumbling backward so fast she landed hard on her backside. Her heart pounded in her ears, her palms sweaty against the dusty floor.
Before her floated a pale, faintly glowing figure.
"A g-ghost?! It's a ghost!" she screamed again, scrambling with her heels against the ground. "Somebody, help me!"
The ghost scowled. "Calm down, you idiot! Or did you forget that you're dead too?"
Sayoko froze. The words cut straight through her panic. She stared at her hands—so pale, so faintly transparent that her own fingertips blurred. Her lips trembled. "…He's right…"
"Good grief," the ghost muttered, crossing his arms with an exasperated sigh. "You really are hopeless."
Sayoko pressed a hand over her thudding chest, trying to steady her breathing. Her voice came out shaky but loud, demanding, "W-who are you?! How do you know my name?! Why were you calling out to me?!"
"One question at a time." The ghost's tone was sharp, impatient, but not hostile. "Honestly, I don't know how I know you. The only thing I'm sure of… is that I recognized you the moment I saw you."
Sayoko's lips parted slightly. He knew me… before?
The ghost glanced back toward the wall he had appeared from, then looked at her again. "As for why I was calling you… it's simple. I woke up in this old building. You were the first person I saw. My body just… moved on its own. I had to reach out."
Sayoko lowered her gaze. So… he woke up here too. Just like me. He's confused as well…
She inhaled deeply, trying to calm the pounding in her chest. "Then… what should I call you?"
The ghost tilted his head as if digging into foggy thoughts. "…Takuto. Or at least, I think that was my name when I was alive."
"Takuto…" She let the name roll off her tongue, grounding herself. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you… remember anything? About how you ended up like this?"
Takuto's face twisted with frustration. "…Nothing. Not a single clear memory. It's like my past was erased. But—" His eyes hardened, voice dropping lower. "I think I understand why we're still here."
Sayoko blinked. "…What do you mean?"
"Normally, when someone dies, their soul either moves upward or downward—heaven or the underworld. But we… we're still bound here." Takuto gestured around them, at the shadowed, decaying halls of the school. "Specifically, to this old section."
Sayoko felt a chill crawl down her spine. She hugged her arms close.
Takuto crossed his arms, his expression serious. "That can only mean one thing. This was the place where we took our last breaths. The place where… we left something unresolved. A regret that chained us to this world."
Her knees weakened, and she leaned against the wall for support. "Y-you're saying… our deaths were… homicide? That we're stuck here because of regret?" Her voice trembled, almost breaking.
Takuto looked down, sighing deeply. "…That's my guess."
Sayoko shook her head in disbelief. Her chest tightened painfully. So it's true. I'm really dead. My soul is bound here, like his. But why?
She dug her nails into her arms, trying to grasp any memory, but all she found was emptiness. What happened to me? Why can't I remember anything?
Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "…Then how do we leave? Is there a way for us to move on?"
Takuto's expression softened slightly. "I don't know. But I think the only way… is to figure out what's binding us here. To uncover the regrets we left behind." He paused, glancing away. His ghostly form flickered faintly. "…I've been here longer than you. But even now, I haven't found a way. That's why… when I saw you, I called out. I thought maybe, together, we could find it."
Sayoko blinked rapidly, her tears threatening to spill again. Yet for the first time since waking in this nightmare, her chest felt lighter. She nodded slowly. "…Alright. Together."
Silence fell for a moment. The air was cold, heavy, yet she felt a fragile warmth—comfort—just from not being alone anymore.
"Do you… remember anything at all?" she asked again, desperate for even a fragment.
Takuto's gaze dropped to the ground. His jaw clenched. "…Flashes. Blurry images. Nothing solid. I know I died here, just like you. But the 'how' and 'why'… those questions won't stop haunting me."
Sayoko lowered her head. Her lips pressed together, her voice quiet. "…Same. I can't remember my death. But if I died here… if this school is where I took my last breath… then there has to be a reason."
Takuto's voice lowered. "…Maybe it's regret. Maybe that's the key. If we confront it… maybe then we can move on."
Sayoko closed her eyes, breathing slowly. Her fists unclenched at her sides. "Then let's find it. Whatever it is. I can't stay here forever."
For the first time, a spark of determination flickered in her fading hands.
And somewhere deep inside her emptiness… a fragile hope stirred.