Under the beautiful night sky, three figures walked toward the mountain behind the school. Their destination? The old abandoned temple.
"Miyuki~ can we please not go? Especially at night. We can go in the day to look for it,"
Maya pleaded, her expression pale with fear.
Shiraishi, walking right beside her, nodded.
"Miyuki, I think Maya is right. It's not a good idea to go out in the forest at night."
Miyuki turned back with a teasing grin.
"Ohoho, if the great Shiraishi-sama is afraid of ghosts—"
Shiraishi shook her head in denial.
"That's not what I meant. What if there's someone in the forest? What if they attack us?"
Shiraishi's tone was heavy with worry.
"Oh, come on, Shiraishi. Who would be there at night? And besides, it isn't that late anyway. It's just past 8."
"That's what I'm talking about,"
Shiraishi pressed.
"No normal person would be out at this time of night and go inside the forest. Only crazy people do. And I don't think the people we encounter inside the forest would have good intentions towards us."
But Miyuki only smiled. She dug into her bag and proudly pulled out a small object.
"You see this?"
Shiraishi's eyes narrowed.
It was a taser gun.
"I bought this specifically for this purpose. If anyone dares to come toward us, I'll use this to tease them, and then we'll run away. How about that? Feel more secure?"
Shiraishi's expression grew more troubled. She knew Miyuki too well. Her enthusiasm for supernatural things had burned brightly for years.
They had known each other since childhood, she'd seen Miyuki's obsession drag them into risky situations more than once.
Maya, on the other hand, was the exact opposite , a girl who feared ghosts more than anything. Even though she clearly didn't want to come, she was still pulled along by Miyuki's reckless drive.
Shiraishi sighed as she gazed toward the dark outline of the mountain.
"Alright. But we will only go to the temple, look around, and quickly come back. I don't want to take any risks, because there might be some bad people in that temple."
"Of course, that's given. I just want to record a few videos and see if there's any activity."
Miyuki's eyes gleamed as she pulled out another item, this time a camera.
"You see this? This is specifically to capture supernatural activities."
Shiraishi looked at the gadget skeptically.
"Where did you even get those things? Are you sure you weren't scammed?"
Miyuki puffed her cheeks in displeasure.
"You don't get it, do you? Well, no matter. I will prove you wrong today. That supernatural beings exist."
She tucked the camera back into her bag, produced a torch, and marched up the path.
Shiraishi could only shake her head and follow. Maya clung to her sleeve, trembling. With a soft sigh, Shiraishi took Maya's hand, and together they followed Miyuki, who led the way with the torch.
Their destination was an old, abandoned temple on the far side of the mountain. Once, people had come there to pray, but it had been deserted for years.
Some said the place was haunted. Others said it was simply inconvenient, a newer shrine had been built, and no one wanted to climb the mountain in bad weather.
But Miyuki believed differently. 'If a place is abandoned for too long, spirits accommodate that place.' She always said.
And tonight, she intended to find those spirits.
They started their climb.
The path wound upward, mud carved into rough stairs reinforced with planks so the mountain wouldn't wash away in rain. Step by step, they ascended, Miyuki's torchlight flickering across the woods.
By the time they reached the midsection, all three were drenched in sweat. Their breaths came heavy.
"Hey, Miyuki, let's take a break. I need to catch my breath,"
Maya panted, bent over with her hands on her knees.
Shiraishi was also breathing hard.
"Alright. Let's sit under that tree for a few moments to catch our breath,"
Miyuki said, pointing to a tree with a bench beneath it.
They sat, panting, gazing out at the glittering city lights below.
Then, a faint crunching sound echoed from the brush behind them.
All three froze.
Miyuki sprang to her feet, taser in hand, her fingers trembling. The sound of footsteps grew louder, closer.
Moonlight painted faint silver patches on the path, but the forest remained dense and shadowed. Their hearts thumped as the footsteps drew near.
Finally, a figure stepped out from the bush.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?"
The voice was familiar.
As the figure came closer, his face was revealed under the moonlight. All three girls gasped.
It was Morvathos.
Miyuki, her fear mixing with sudden anger, snapped.
"What are you doing here?!"
She raised her taser at him.
"Woah there!Be careful! That thing hurts, you know."
Morvathos lifted his hands in mock surrender, taking a few steps back.
"I came here for a night walk. You see, I was feeling quite bored. And my house is being renovated, so it's even more troublesome to stay there with all the paint smells and mess. I came to refresh my mind."
He tilted his head at them.
"Now tell me, why are you guys here? You do realize that beautiful girls such as you are eye candy for molesters and rapists, right? If some thugs were to come and gang up on you, you wouldn't be able to do anything at all. And that stun gun? How many are you going to stun if there are multiple men surrounding you?"
His casual tone carried heavy weight. Miyuki's excitement faltered. She hadn't thought it through. Her judgment had been clouded. For the first time, she felt guilty for dragging her friends into danger.
"Um, Morvathos-kun, why were you coming from that way? Wouldn't it be better to just go to the summit? The view is better there, you know,"
Maya asked hesitantly.
"Oh, that? Well, I was scrolling through the history of this place and stumbled on the history of this mountain. There was a temple here that people used to visit. But now, it's abandoned for some reason. Some say evil spirits, some say it was simply replaced by a new one elsewhere. But I came here because I like to feel the melancholic feeling of abandonment. You see, when you look at something that was once alive with people but is now empty, it grounds me. It keeps me from letting emotions overcome rationality. Actually, it helps a lot."
His words sounded convincing, though only partially true. In reality, he had discovered the temple's formation that sealed away nether beasts. The place was a time bomb, one disturbance, and disaster would spill out. But for now, he kept that truth hidden.
"I see,"
Maya said softly.
"Well then, since the misunderstanding is over, let's get off the mountain. Or do you guys want to go to the summit too? Sightseeing?"
Morvathos asked.
"No! We want to explore the abandoned temple. That's why we came here,"
Miyuki declared.
Morvathos stared at her, eyes unreadable.
*Sigh~*
He shook his head.
"I advise you not to."
"Why? Is there some kind of supernatural beings there?"
Miyuki asked eagerly.
He could already tell persuasion would only fuel her. He exhaled sharply.
"No. That's not what I meant. There may not be supernatural beings, but there are humans hungry for some tender high school girls' flesh. Taking drugs there. They would really like your company, no? And it looks like you're into that kind of social service. You can bring them back from the darkness to the light using yourself as a sacrifice for the greater good."
He gave a mocking laugh and turned to walk away.
The three girls stood frozen, stunned by his words.
"Hey! You! Stop! How dare you say that!"
Miyuki burst out, stepping forward.
"Apologize now!"
Morvathos looked over his shoulder.
"For what?"
"You just insulted us by saying that we are whores."
"Oh? Is that how you interpreted it? Well, doesn't matter. But really though, what do you think others will interpret your actions as? Late at night, wearing revealing clothes, going to mountains. Tell me, which normal person would think that you're going to do something good rather than whoring around? Tell me."
His words cut sharp. Miyuki glanced down at her outfit, a short T-shirt baring her midriff, shorts showing most of her legs. Heat rose to her cheeks.
He wasn't wrong.
"If that's all, then I should get going. Have a great night."
Morvathos turned and strode down the mountain path.
Miyuki glared at his departing figure, her excitement soured into humiliation.
"Miyuki, I think we should go,"
Shiraishi urged.
"If what Morvathos-kun said is true, I don't think it's safe for us to stay here."
Miyuki took a shaky breath and nodded. Shiraishi and Maya both sighed in relief.
"That guy, Morvathos, he has such a foul mouth. How dare he say something like that to us, to you."
But Shiraishi, unlike Miyuki, had read his intent. His words may have been cruel, but his goal was clear: to drive them away from danger.
"Although I hate to admit it, he was right, you know,"
Shiraishi said, adding fuel to keep Miyuki from second-guessing herself.
"You too, Shiraishi?!"
Miyuki looked stricken, as though betrayed.
"Please don't give me that look, Miyuki. I'm just telling the truth. And what I felt."
"Shiraishi is right, Miyuki,"
Maya added softly.
Feeling cornered, Miyuki stormed ahead, her pride wounded.
Shiraishi exhaled in relief. If it worked, Miyuki wouldn't dare turn back. Maya didn't understand, but she followed quickly after.
Together, the three descended the mountain.