A WORLD WHERE GHOSTS EXIST ALONGSIDE HUMANS. TO CAPTURE THEM, THERE ARE SPECIALLY WARRIOR'S KNOW AS GHOST CATCHERS. THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO MULTIPLE GROUPS BASED ON RANK: HIGH RANK, MID Rank, AND LOW RANK. THESE GHOST CATCHERS PROTECT THE WORLD USING THEIR POWERS.
TO BECOME A GHOST CATCHERS, STUDENTS ARE TRAINED in A SPECIAL HIGH SCHOOL. THOSE WHO DO NOT HAVE POWERS ARE GIVEN GUNS TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. GHOSTS ARE ALSO CLASSIFIED BY RANK: HIGH RANK, MID RANK, AND LOW RANK.
THIS IS A WORLD WHERE THE FIGHT BETWEEN HUMANS AND GHOSTS DECIDES THE FATE OF HUMANITY.
A BOY NAMED JUNSEI FROM A NORMAL FAMILY STUDIED IN HIGH SCHOOL. HIS MOTHER AND FATHER WERE LOW RANK GHOST CATCHERS. JUNSEI WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS-HE HAD TWO WHITE LINES BESIDE ONE OF HIS EYES. BECAUSE OF THIS, NOT MANY PEOPLE TALKED TO HIM, AND GIRLS DIDN'T LIKE HIM.
JUNSEI WAS THE FASTEST AMONG EVERYONE AND WAS ALSO VERY GOOD AT SPORTS.

STORY START.....
MASARU WAS RUNNING WHILE SHOUTING LOUDLY, COMPLETELY OUT OF BREATH.
MASARU: "JUNSEI!"
JUNSEI STOPPED AND TURNED BACK CALMLY.
JUNSEI: "WHY ARE YOU BREATHING SO HARD?"
MASARU BENT FORWARD, GASPING.
MASARU: "I'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR SO LONG! I WAS RUNNING, YOU WERE WALKING, AND STILL YOU REACHED HERE BEFORE ME. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?"
JUNSEI: "YOU'RE JUST SLOW. AND YOUR VOICE IS SO WEAK, I CAN'T HEAR IT."
MASARU: "HEY! I RUN NORMALLY! AND MY VOICE IS GREAT-TEN GIRLS TURN AROUND WHEN THEY HEAR ME!"
JUNSEI: "YEAH. THEY TURN AROUND BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU."
MASARU: "ARE YOU INSULTING ME?" 😭
JUNSEI: "HOW COULD I INSULT YOU?"
MASARU: "FINE... I FORGIVE YOU."
JUNSEI: "SO, HOW ARE YOU?"
MASARU: "DON'T ASK. YOU KNOW ABOUT MY CRUSH, RIGHT?"
JUNSEI: "YEAH. WHAT ABOUT HER?"
MASARU: "SHE DOESN'T GIVE ME ANY ATTENTION."
JUNSEI: "THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE WAY YOU ACT."
MASARU: "WHAT DID I DO?"
JUNSEI: "TRY BEING COOL. CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOR."
MASARU: "ALRIGHT. FROM TODAY, YOUR FRIEND WILL COMPLETELY CHANGE."
JUNSEI: "HMM. LET'S SEE."
THEY SOON REACHED SCHOOL.
MASARU PUT ON HIS GLASSES CONFIDENTLY.
MASARU: "SO? HOW DO I LOOK?"
JUNSEI: "WEARING GLASSES WON'T CHANGE YOU."
MASARU: "THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO?"
JUNSEI: "BE COOL IN FRONT OF YOUR CRUSH. PROTECT HER. DO SOMETHING HEROIC."
MASARU: "OHHH... I GET IT."
SUDDENLY, TWO GIRLS SHOUTED INSIDE THE CLASSROOM.
GIRL: "THIS IS OUR SEAT! MOVE FROM HERE!"
TWO NEW BOYS WERE SITTING THERE. JUNSEI AND MASARU LOOKED TOWARD THEM.
JUNSEI: "THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. GO BE A HERO."
MASARU: "OKAY..."
MASARU WALKED FORWARD AND SHOUTED.
MASARU: "HEY! MOVE FROM HERE! THESE SEATS BELONG TO THEM!"
THE ENTIRE CLASSROOM WENT SILENT. MASARU STOOD THERE, SCARED. JUNSEI STOOD RIGHT BEHIND HIM.
ONE OF THE BOYS LAUGHED.
DIACHI: "WHAT? YOU THINK SHOUTING WILL SCARE US?"
DIACHI CAME FROM A POWERFUL FAMILY WITH HIGH RANK BLOOD, WHICH ALLOWED HIM TO USE POWERS AT A YOUNG AGE. HIS ABILITY LET HIM TURN ANY PART OF HIS BODY INTO STONE.
DIACHI SLOWLY TURNED HIS ARM INTO SOLID STONE AND THREW A PUNCH.
BEFORE ANYONE COULD REACT, JUNSEI MOVED.
JUNSEI PULLED MASARU DOWN INSTANTLY, GRABBED HIS ARM, AND USED MASARU'S HAND TO STRIKE UPWARD WITH INCREDIBLE SPEED, SMASHING DIACHI'S JAW.
EVERYTHING HAPPENED TOO FAST FOR ANYONE TO NOTICE.
EVERYONE THOUGHT MASARU HAD PUNCHED DIACHI.
BUT THE TRUTH WAS-
IT WAS JUNSEI.
AND NO ONE REALIZED IT.
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ALL THE GIRLS SUDDENLY GATHERED AROUND MASARU, EXCITED AND TALKING AT ONCE. MASARU STOOD THERE, CONFUSED AND PROUD AT THE SAME TIME. BUT THE ONE PERSON HE WAS WAITING FOR-HIS CRUSH-NEVER CAME.
DISAPPOINTED, MASARU SLOWLY STEPPED OUT OF THE CROWD. SOON, THE FIRST PERIOD STARTED.
MASARU AND JUNSEI WERE SITTING ON THE SAME BENCH.
MASARU: "BRO, HOW MUCH COOLER DO I NEED TO BECOME? SHE DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME A LITTLE ATTENTION."
JUNSEI: "LEAVE THAT. BECAUSE OF ME, YOUR FACE IS STILL SAFE."
MASARU: "BRO, THANKS FOR THAT... BUT HOW DID YOU EVEN DO THAT?"
JUNSEI: "I DON'T KNOW."
THE TEACHER SUDDENLY LOOKED AT THEM.
TEACHER: "WHAT ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT? I'M TELLING SUCH AN IMPORTANT THING HERE."
MASARU STOOD UP QUICKLY.
MASARU: "YES MISS, WE WERE DISCUSSING THE SAME IMPORTANT THING."
THE TEACHER NARROWED HER EYES.
TEACHER: "OH REALLY? THEN TELL ME-WHAT IMPORTANT THING AM I TALKING ABOUT?"
MASARU SMILED NERVOUSLY.
MASARU: "MISS... WE WERE DISCUSSING IT, SO WE DIDN'T HEAR THAT PART."
THE CLASS LAUGHED QUIETLY.
TEACHER: "IF YOU BOTH TALK AGAIN, I'LL THROW YOU OUT OF THE CLASS."
JUNSEI & MASARU: "SORRY, MISS."

THE TEACHER TURNED SERIOUS.
TEACHER: "LISTEN CAREFULLY. LONG AGO, A HIGH RANK TEAM WENT ON A VERY IMPORTANT MISSION. EVERYONE WHO WENT ON THAT MISSION DISAPPEARED. ONLY THEIR LEADER CAME BACK."
THE CLASS WENT SILENT.
TEACHER: "HE WAS THE STRONGEST AMONG THEM. HIS NAME WAS LYUJI. PEOPLE CALLED HIM 'THE GREAT CAPTAIN.' BUT WHEN HE RETURNED, HE WAS TERRIFIED AND KEPT SAYING STRANGE THINGS."
A BOY FROM THE CLASS RAISED HIS HAND.
STUDENT: "WHAT WAS HE SAYING, MISS?"
TEACHER: "HE SAID-'THIS WORLD IS GOING TO END. NO ONE WILL SURVIVE. THEY WILL KILL EVERYONE.'"
THE STUDENTS WHISPERED AMONG THEMSELVES.
TEACHER: "HE SAID THERE ARE 30 GHOSTS STRONGER THAN EVEN HIGH RANK GHOSTS. THEY ARE CALLED THE GODS OF GHOSTS."
TEACHER: "EVERYONE THOUGHT LYUJI HAD GONE MAD. SOME SAID A GHOST HAD CAST MAGIC ON HIM. PEOPLE SHOUTED TO KILL HIM... AND IN THE END, THEY DID."
THE ROOM WENT COMPLETELY SILENT.
TEACHER: "BUT WHEN LYUJI WAS DYING... HE WAS SMILING. AS IF HE WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN."
THE BELL RANG LOUDLY.
JUNSEI: "WHAT A STUPID STORY."
MASARU: "WHAT? IT WAS A GOOD STORY."
JUNSEI: "YOU DIDN'T EVEN LISTEN, DID YOU?"
MASARU: "NO. I FELL ASLEEP."
JUNSEI: "SITTING?"
MASARU: "YES."
JUNSEI: "YOU'RE WEIRD."
MASARU: "THIS IS CALLED TALENT."
JUNSEI: "YEAH, SURE."
SCHOOL WAS OVER.
MASARU AND JUNSEI WALKED HOME TOGETHER, TALKING.
JUNSEI: "WHY DO YOU LIKE SAMIKO?"
MASARU SMILED SOFTLY.
MASARU: "HOW DO I EXPLAIN... IT'S A LONG STORY."
JUNSEI: "TELL ME SOME OTHER DAY. I'M HOME ALREADY."
MASARU: "HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST CUT ME OFF!"
JUNSEI: "NOT TODAY. BYE."
MASARU: "BYE."
JUNSEI ENTERED HIS HOUSE.
JUNSEI: "I'M HOME."
HE PAUSED.
JUNSEI (THINKING): "I FORGOT... NO ONE IS EVER HOME. MOM AND DAD LEAVE BEFORE SCHOOL AND RETURN AT NIGHT, WHEN I'M ALREADY ASLEEP."
JUNSEI CHANGED HIS CLOTHES, LAID DOWN ON HIS BED, AND FELL ASLEEP.
AT 6 A.M., A PHONE STARTED RINGING.
HALF-ASLEEP, JUNSEI ANSWERED IT.
UNKNOWN MAN: "HELLO. ARE YOU JUNSEI?"
JUNSEI: "YES... THIS IS JUNSEI."
UNKNOWN MAN: "YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD."
JUNSEI'S SLEEP VANISHED IN AN INSTANT.
JUNSEI: "WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"
THE CALL ENDED.
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🌟CHAPTER END 🌟