Shizumi's trembling steps carried her higher. Her breath grew heavier with each stair she climbed toward the third floor.
Above, the half-open door of an abandoned classroom waited in unnatural silence. From inside, the faint, sinister rattle of chains continued.
She slowly pushed the door open.
Inside was absolute darkness—a suffocating void that pressed against her skin. She couldn't see her own hands, but the sharp stench of sulfur and ozone was immediate.
But then...
In the corner of the classroom, something small stirred. Tiny, fragile... like a lost puppy.
Her eyes widened with a desperate, innocent relief.
"Are you lost here too?" she whispered. "I... I can't find my way either."
Her quivering voice echoed strangely in the suffocating room.
And suddenly—a pale ray of moonlight slipped through a broken windowpane and fell directly upon that "puppy."
Shizumi's breath caught, freezing in her chest.
It was no ordinary creature. Its body was lithe and fox-like, covered in dazzling snow-white fur. Its eyes glowed like twin crimson embers, and three distinct tails shimmered in the silvery light.
The creature's voice was high and sharp.
"You… You smell like the outside. Did he send you?"
Shizumi froze, her blood turning to ice. She stammered, terrified, "Wh-What… what are you?"
As she instinctively staggered back, the solid sound of footsteps echoed at the doorway.
A tall boy entered the room. His features were completely hidden beneath a plain, stylized fox mask, turning him into a faceless enigma. Without acknowledging Shizumi at all, he looked straight at the creature and spoke.
"Soha… I've been searching for you for so long."
His voice was controlled, carrying both unquestionable authority and deep mystery.
But the moment his gaze finally shifted and fell upon Shizumi, he halted.
For the first time, a desperate flicker of relief crossed her frightened eyes. She stuttered, clinging to the familiar human presence—
"Oh… so you're lost here too? This… this creature… what is it? Do you know it?"
The boy turned toward her and said calmly, almost bored—
"Don't be afraid. It's just a small puppy."
At those dismissive words, the white fox—Soha—suddenly flared with cold, brilliant rage. Its three tails lashed furiously, stirring the dust in the air.
"Puppy?! Foolish, shortsighted human! Do puppies ever look like this?! Three tails… a tongue that speaks… And still, you dare call me 'puppy'?"
The entire room quaked as the creature's power swelled. A truly chilling wind swept through, seeming to emerge from the creature itself. Shizumi recoiled in terror, her heartbeat racing wildly, eyes wide—
🌑 Other Side The Academy:-
The air in the academy that evening was suffocating—too heavy for an ordinary day. Even before the last bell rang, hushed whispers had begun crawling through the marble halls.
"Did you hear? That scholarship girl…"
"They say she entered the old building this evening."
"No one who goes there comes back alive."
By sunset, the rumor had consumed the entire academy, a chilling wave of morbid fascination. And the name on everyone's lips was Shizumi Arai.
🌑 Principal's Office:-
The heavy oak door creaked open. Three girls entered, their steps measured, their eyes gleaming with a strange mix of fear and calculated satisfaction.
The Principal— looked up slowly from behind her desk. Her eyes were calm, but their depth carried the weight of a lineage that could make anyone tremble.
"Well, what is it?" she said quietly. "Speak."
The first girl stepped forward, lowering her head just enough to convey respect while delivering the blow.
"We saw her with our own eyes, Ma'am. Shizumi Arai. She deliberately violated the central rule and entered the old building after dark."
The second girl's voice trembled—not from guilt, but from the terror of the place.
"It's forbidden. You said it yourself—no student should go near it."
The third one smirked faintly, thinly veiling their malice with manufactured concern.
"We only wanted to ensure the academy's security, Principal. We thought you should know immediately."
The old woman's pen stopped mid-air. Her eyes narrowed slightly, focusing the full intensity of her gaze.
"Are you certain of what you saw?" she asked tensely.
All three nodded immediately. The faint shadow of a trembling, cold smile crossed the Principal's lips—unreadable.
Outside, the faint echo of students whispering filtered through the hallways, as if the academy itself was holding its breath.
At the same time, in a high-ceilinged clubroom across the courtyard, Ren stood near the desk, restless and agitated.
"She's still not back, Kaishiro. It's late. You can't just ignore this!"
Kaishiro didn't turn around. His tone was cool and perfectly composed.
"If she entered the old building, that was her choice. The academy's rules—and the consequences—are clear. She chose to defy the rules."
Ren's fists tightened, his frustration boiling.
"You call that an answer?"
Before Kaishiro could respond, the door creaked open and Sakura entered—calm, his expression absolutely unreadable.
He glanced between them, his eyes sharp like glass. His face gave nothing away, but there was a flicker of something knowing in his eyes.
"Don't waste your emotions," he said quietly. "If she went in there… something has already happened."
His gaze dropped to the floor, and for a moment, it looked like he was seeing far beyond the marble and wood, into the forbidden darkness itself.
Down the hall, the low whispers between the Three Heavenly Princes grew heavier.
Itsuki leaned lazily against a pillar, amusement dancing in his golden eyes.
"So… the little scholarship girl wandered straight into the cursed building, huh?" He let out a short, cruel laugh. "Let's see what's left of her now."
Renjiro stood a few feet away, silent, his expression dark and unfamiliar. His fingers brushed against the window frame, knuckles pale. For the first time, he looked genuinely worried.
Itsuki noticed the tension and smirked.
"Oh? Don't tell me the cold-hearted Prince has developed a conscience."
Renjiro didn't respond, but the visible tension in his jaw spoke his defiance.
And then Akihiro appeared at the corridor's end. The inherent authority in his voice silenced them instantly.
"Enough. I'm going to the Principal's office."
Itsuki raised a brow, teasing.
"Why? Suddenly feeling guilty, Akihiro?"
"....I just...." Akihiro said flatly, avoiding eye contact. "Just making sure she doesn't cause any more problems for the academy."
But his eyes betrayed him. Something uncertain flickered there—a conflict he didn't want to name.
The Principal's office door shut behind Akihiro with a tense click. Sakura was already inside, standing beside his grandmother(The Principal).
The resemblance between them was uncanny—the same calm composure, the same cold, calculating eyes. The Principal smiled faintly at Akihiro.
"Ah… Akihiro. I thought you'd come."
Sakura turned toward him, folding his arms.
"Don't tell me you're planning to go there," he said coldly. "You know what's inside that building, Akihiro."
Akihiro met his gaze, his tone even and firm.
"Someone has to rescue her."
The Principal's expression hardened immediately.
"No. You will not. Sakura is right."
Her voice carried the absolute authority of a matriarch—a leader of the shaman's bloodline. They all belonged to it—descendants of an ancient clan that dealt with spirits and forbidden powers.
But among them, Sakura was the one she favored: Calm. Controlled. Gifted. While Akihiro, though of the same blood, had never yet awakened his ability.
"You're still untrained, my grandson," she said quietly, her voice laced with warning. "Don't play with things beyond your grasp."
Sakura glanced aside, his eyes cold but subtly protective of his cousin.
"There are things in that place that even our ancestors sealed away. Let her fate decide itself."
Akihiro's fists tightened, a tremor running through his body. He turned to leave, his voice low but firm, a clear act of defiance.
"Even if I don't like her… I won't stand by while someone dies."
For the first time, the old woman's absolute expression cracked—just slightly. The silence in the office deepened, thick with unspoken power.
As Akihiro stepped into the shadowed corridor, the ancient seals carved into the marble walls flared—a brief, pulsing green light—as though the forbidden space itself had taken notice of his intention.
🌑 Other Side The Old School Building:-
Soha's three tails flared, each glowing a faint, menacing red in the darkness. His crimson eyes narrowed as he let out a low growl, his snow-white fur bristling with power.
"You dare mock me again, mask-wearing fool? I'll tear that smug voice right out of you!"
Before Shisui could even react, Soha launched forward, claws flashing—
A thunderous crack instantly echoed through the room. The air twisted violently, thickening with raw, volatile power. A shimmering bluish mist rolled across the floor, and from it stepped Moha—a fox spirit with stunning, silk lavender fur, red jewel eyes, and one dominant tail.
Her fur caught the moonlight leaking through the window, her tail swaying lazily behind her, radiating unquestionable authority.
Soha froze mid-pounce, his fierce eyes widening.
"M-Moha?! You—"
The newcomer cut him off with a long, utterly irritated sigh.
"Stop your childish fights, you both are idiots." Her tone dripped with sarcasm as she flicked her tail sharply toward them. "And get to the work for which this girl has been called!"
Both Shisui and Soha fell instantly silent, their power subdued like scolded children.
But Shizumi—who had been standing there the whole time, pale as chalk—let out a tiny, involuntary squeak. She stumbled backward as Moha's glowing eyes locked onto her.
The fox's sharp grin stretched unnaturally wide.
"Ah, so this is ourfreedom key!" Moha said with mock curiosity, tilting her head at an unnervingly slow angle. "She looks... fragile."
Shizumi gulped audibly, her voice barely a tremor in the darkness. "This is fine. Totally fine... Just... talking foxes... yep, that's... normal... I guess."
Desperate to anchor herself in reality, she looked toward Shisui's masked face.
"Um... we really need to get out of here," she blurted nervously. "I heard there are ghosts in this old school building! Maybe one is named Shui... or Sai... something like that?"
Her uncertain, terrified question hung in the thick air for a second—
—and then Soha and Moha both exploded into uncontrollable laughter.
"Shui?! Sai?!" Soha howled, rolling on the broken floor.
Moha's tail whipped as she cackled, "Did you just rename Shisui, the terrifying phantom of the old academy?!"
Behind his mask, Shisui's presence darkened instantly. His voice came out low, dangerous, and utterly offended:
"My. Name. Is. SHI-SUI!"
Shizumi blinked at him, completely untouched by the paranormal fury.
"Yeah, yeah, Shish-whatever. Look, we have to leave before something horrible happens!"
She reached out in a surge of panic, trying to grab his hand—
—but her hand passed right through his body.
The shock of absolute, freezing cold rushed up her entire arm, paralyzing her instantly. Her wide eyes slowly lifted toward the masked boy, the terrible realization dawning on her trembling face.
"Y-you're... not human...?"
The air turned eerily still. Soha and Moha grinned in eerie unison, their tails flicking like flames.
"Congratulations, human," Soha said with a chilling mock formality. "You just tried to hold hands with a ghost."
Shizumi's scream tore through the silence and echoed down the dark hallway, mixing violently with the delighted laughter of the two mischievous fox spirits and the soft, resigned sigh of the legendary Ghost—Shisui of the Old School Building.