"Are you alright?"
Daniel stood directly before Ryu, positioned between him and the threat as though his body had instinctively chosen to become a shield. A faint red light still bled from his hands, pulsing softly along his fingers as if some residual force refused to dissipate, the glow lending him an otherworldly presence that felt both reassuring and deeply unsettling.
Ryu, who had only moments ago been staring death in the face, remained seated on the ground, frozen in disbelief. His eyes were wide, fixed on the unfamiliar man who had struck down the ghost so effortlessly, as though his mind was still struggling to catch up with reality. Slowly, he lifted his gaze to meet Daniel's, awe and gratitude tangling together in his chest until he could barely tell them apart.
"Yes… thanks…"
As the words left his mouth, his sensory ability activated on instinct, reaching outward to read the man standing before him. Emotions, conditions, traces of existence—these things usually came naturally to him, forming clear impressions the moment he focused. What he felt from Daniel, however, was disturbingly familiar. It carried the same unnatural texture as the spirit girl who once inhabited Franca's body.
Yet it wasn't identical.
There was a subtle difference he couldn't immediately define, something off in a way that made his thoughts slow and sharpen at the same time. The body in front of him did not feel like it truly belonged to the soul residing within it. That realization settled uneasily in his mind.
So this body… isn't originally his.
A conclusion began to take shape, piece by piece. The body Daniel occupied was likely nothing more than a vessel—already seized, already under control. In other words, the body itself had been claimed, hosted by an entirely different soul or entity.
Who is this guy…?
His thoughts raced, curiosity momentarily overpowering caution. Last time, Suzie only took over Franca's body for a brief moment. But this time… this feels different. This body wasn't his to begin with. A stolen body, maybe? The idea unsettled him, yet he found himself fixated on it, forgetting for a second that he was still in danger.
Hold on… His mind jumped again. Sarah's soul and body don't align either. But hers was different—far more complex, layered in a way that resisted his ability entirely. Why can't I read what she is? He frowned inwardly, doubting his own assumptions. For now, I'll assume she's similar to him… but something about that doesn't sit right.
Before he could think further, movement snapped his attention back to the present.
The black figure—the ghost—rose unsteadily to its feet and turned toward them, its faceless form angling forward with clear hostility. Its posture shifted, one leg drawn back as though preparing to launch itself at Daniel in a sudden, violent dash.
But it never moved.
The ghost seemed to falter, its body locking in place as if some unseen force had seized it mid-intent. Confusion rippled through its form as it looked downward, seemingly checking its own feet. There was nothing there—no chains, no bindings—yet it could not take a single step.
Then, without warning, its body was yanked upward.
The ghost was dragged by its feet into the air, lifted off the ground as though an invisible hand had grabbed hold of it. It floated there, suspended upside down, struggling violently against whatever held it, its movements sharp and frantic.
What's going on? Ryu's confusion turned to alarm as he pushed himself up from the ground, his body moving before his thoughts fully caught up.
He scanned the space around the ghost, straining his senses, his eyes searching desperately for any sign of what restrained it. There was nothing—no physical presence, no visible energy, no distortion in the air.
Yet the struggle was undeniable.
From what he could see, and from what he could feel, only one conclusion made sense.
Something invisible was holding it in place.
The ghost hung suspended upside down by its feet, its body twitching violently as it struggled to free itself. In desperation, it attempted to dissolve into smoke, its form unraveling into dark wisps meant to slip away from any restraint. Instead, the smoke was forcefully compressed, twisted unnaturally, and dragged back together, reforming into the same black figure as if an unseen will refused to let it escape.
Confusion rippled through its presence. Unable to comprehend what was happening, it stilled for a brief moment and began to look around, as though searching for the source of this overwhelming control.
Then, someone appeared.
Ryu's breath caught as he saw a familiar girl descending onto the ground with an unnatural grace, her feet touching the surface as lightly as if gravity itself had softened for her. She faced the ghost directly, her back turned toward him. Even from that angle, even with only a partial view, recognition struck him immediately.
It was her.
The cashier girl.
Her? What is she doing here? his thoughts tumbled over one another in disbelief. Where did she even come from? Did she just… land from the sky?
The confusion lingered, but it no longer carried the same sharp edge of denial it might have before. By now, he knew better. He had already witnessed impossible things with his own eyes—starting with the detective who visited him in the nurse's office, casually revealing supernatural abilities as if they were nothing out of the ordinary.
Compared to that, seeing the man beside him with red light still seeping from his hands no longer felt shocking.
Somewhere along the way, he had crossed an invisible line. He had learned—perhaps unwillingly, perhaps too quickly—that supernatural beings and powers truly existed, and his mind had adapted faster than he expected. Instead of rejecting it outright, he found himself accepting it, allowing his understanding of the world to quietly but fundamentally change.
Still, acceptance didn't mean comfort.
He was new to all of this, standing at the edge of something vast and unfamiliar. A part of him felt curious, even drawn to it, wanting to know more, wanting answers. Yet another part felt overwhelmed, as though he had been dragged into something far beyond what his life was supposed to be.
All he ever wanted was simple—to graduate, to live a normal life, to become a regular game developer. That was it. Nothing extraordinary. But now, as he watched ghosts being restrained by invisible forces and familiar faces descending from the sky, it felt less like reality and more like he had stumbled into the middle of a novel or a movie.
The idea fascinated him.
And terrified him.
He was curious, undeniably so, but he wasn't ready—ready to fully face this new perspective of the world that was forcing itself upon him.
His thoughts were abruptly cut short as his attention snapped back to the present.
Sarah stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and the immobilized ghost with slow, deliberate steps. The ghost reacted immediately, sensing danger, refusing to let her approach unchallenged. It attempted to cast some sort of ability, dark energy gathering as it tried to extend its arm toward her.
Before it could complete the motion, a red thread appeared out of nowhere.
It wrapped around the ghost's body in an instant, coiling tightly and binding its limbs against its torso. The movement was precise, merciless. The ghost froze as the restraint took hold, its arms pinned, its body locked in place.
It struggled wildly, but the thread did not budge.
Unable to move, the ghost opened its mouth, preparing to unleash a scream filled with rage and desperation. Before a sound could escape, something struck its mouth without warning, sealing it shut mid-attempt.
Silenced.
Panicking, the ghost tried another approach. It reached out instinctively, attempting to recall the blood it had lost earlier—the blood spilled onto the ground when Ryu had stabbed through its chest.
The blood of a mortal.
In between these moments, Ryu found himself compelled to ask a question. He turned his head slightly toward the man standing beside him—the tall, strong-looking figure who still radiated an unsettling presence—and looked up at him.
"Um… why was the ghost floating like that?"
No sooner had the question left his mouth than his own mind began supplying possible answers, unconfirmed thoughts stacking rapidly atop one another before the man could even respond.
Is it some kind of psychokinesis? Telekinesis? he wondered. Or is it really being held by something invisible?
The man did not turn to face him. Without shifting his posture, he answered in a deliberately deep, restrained voice, "It was being held by an invisible hand."
The reply was brief, almost dismissive, yet it sent a quiet shiver down Ryu's spine.
Immediately after that answer, Ryu noticed another presence at the scene. Or rather, he wasn't entirely sure when the person had arrived—whether he had just appeared moments ago or had been standing there unnoticed all this time. The man moved forward slowly, approaching the scene with an oddly nonchalant air, as though witnessing something like this was routine.
He was tall and handsome, with hair that appeared dark blue, almost black, depending on how the light caught it. His hair was messy, slightly longer than Ryu's, giving him an effortless, unbothered look.
"It was his ability," the man beside Ryu said calmly.
Only then did it click. Ryu finally understood who had cast the power that kept the ghost suspended in the air. For a fleeting moment, he felt the urge to ask more—about the ability, about the man, about everything. But the chance slipped away before he could open his mouth again.
Another presence made itself known.
Just as his attention shifted, Ryu witnessed yet another person appearing on the opposite side—directly across from where Sarah stood and the man beside her, the one responsible for holding the ghost aloft with an invisible hand.
This time, it was a girl.
She descended onto the ground in much the same way Sarah had, landing with unnatural ease, as though gravity bent itself to accommodate her. The sight immediately sparked another realization in Ryu's mind. Sarah, and now this girl too, both seemed capable of flying or floating. As for the men—the one beside him and the one beside Sarah—he couldn't tell if they shared the same ability or relied on something else entirely.
Questions crowded his thoughts, piling up faster than he could organize them. He knew there was no way he could ask them now, not in the middle of everything unfolding before his eyes. For the moment, he chose to simply observe, to imprint the scene into his memory. He could gather his questions and ask them later—either to one of these people, or to Sarah herself.
The newly arrived girl had silver hair, lightly curly, its length reaching down to her chest. She wore modern, casual clothing—nothing that stood out as unusual, yet it somehow felt out of place in a scene like this. From what Ryu could tell at a glance, she seemed taller than Sarah, which meant she was either slightly shorter than him, or roughly the same height.
She moved closer and stopped at the opposite side of the hut, positioning herself across from the others. Her arms folded beneath her chest as she stared blankly at the ghost, her expression unreadable, as though she were examining an object rather than a hostile entity.
The ghost let out a distorted scream. The red thread had completely disabled its ability to use any supernatural power, and on top of that, its spiritual form was visibly weakened from the punch Daniel had landed earlier. It thrashed helplessly, its movements frantic yet futile.
I wonder what they're about to do, Ryu thought as he watched the three of them gather around the restrained ghost. The man beside him remained where he was, silently observing the situation. His cold demeanor made Ryu uncertain—he couldn't tell whether this was the type of person who would patiently answer questions, or someone who would ignore them entirely. Remembering his earlier decision, Ryu chose to stay quiet.
Sarah stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and the ghost.
"Targeting a harmless college student, huh?" she said, her voice firm. "What's your actual desire?"
Her expression was serious, her eyes fixed on the ghost. Despite that, the ghost refused to respond, remaining silent as though it were deliberately withholding an answer. Realizing this, Sarah didn't bother waiting any longer. She scratched her head and played briefly with her hair for a few seconds before pulling out a glass bottle shaped like a potion vial.
She opened the bottle and pointed its mouth directly toward the ghost's body.
For the first time, fear was clearly visible in the ghost's behavior. It shook violently, struggling with everything it had to escape both the red thread binding it and the invisible hand that held it upside down in the air.
"Stay calm, buddy," said the guy who had been standing beside Sarah before she stepped forward. "We're just going to imprison you and send you back to the spirit world."
Meanwhile, the silver-haired girl remained silent, continuing to observe the scene in front of her. Her behavior mirrored that of Ryu and Daniel—watchful, detached, and focused.
A moment later, the ghost's body began to change. Against its will, its form slowly dissolved into smoke, which then condensed into fine black dust. Little by little, the dust was drawn into the glass bottle. As the ghost was transferred, the red thread binding it loosened and fell away, dropping onto the solid cement ground beneath the hut.
The man who had used the invisible hand made a simple gesture, flicking his fingers. With that motion, the ability holding the ghost in the air was released.
For the first time since arriving, the silver-haired girl allowed a faint smirk to cross her face. It lasted only a brief moment and carried little expression, but it was there nonetheless. Soon after, she returned to her usual observant demeanor.
Once the ghost had been completely sucked into the bottle, Sarah quickly sealed it with the cork she had removed earlier. She made sure it was tightly closed before lifting the bottle to examine its contents. Inside, the black dust churned violently, dancing within the glass as if trying to escape even now.
"First, I'll purify you," she said deliberately, directing her words toward the bottle, "then I'll send you back."
She lowered it from her face and handed it to the dark blue–haired man. Without hesitation, he accepted it, letting out a slight chuckle as he looked down at the bottle in his hand.
The silver-haired girl finally moved, walking toward the others with unhurried steps. At the same time, the man who had been standing beside Ryu also began to approach them in silence. Ryu hesitated for a brief moment, unsure whether he should remain where he was or follow along. After a second of indecision, he chose to trail after the man, keeping a small distance between them.
Only then did he notice that the red light once emitting from the man's hands had completely vanished, leaving no trace behind, as if it had never been there in the first place. As Ryu walked, another realization slowly settled in—his body felt surprisingly fine. There was no lingering pain, no weakness in his legs, no sign that he had just been attacked by a ghost and forced to fight for his life. It felt as though nothing had happened at all, as if the struggle from moments ago had been quietly erased.
After a few steps, the two of them finally joined the group of unnatural people gathered together. Ryu couldn't help but feel out of place. Even though he could technically count himself as unnatural too, he was painfully aware that, among everyone present, he was likely the weakest one there.
The awareness made him feel awkward.
He was just someone who had been saved, while they were clearly a group that had come prepared to fight the ghost. Unsure of what to do with himself, he absentmindedly scratched the back of his head and forced a small smile when he noticed the silver-haired girl staring at him blankly.
His attention shifted to Sarah, who was looking up at him, her gaze meeting his. The man beside her did the same.
No—on second thought, it felt like all of them were looking at him.
Sarah's expression remained casual, almost relaxed, which helped a little. It was the others, with their unreadable stares, that made him feel uncomfortable.
"Um… sorry, but… what now?" Ryu asked, unable to hold the question back any longer.
Sarah let out a soft sigh before responding. "You should've come to meet me much earlier. I was waiting for you there…"
Yeah… Ryu admitted silently. I guess I could've avoided fighting the ghost one-on-one if I had just gone out earlier and met her at the convenience store.
He couldn't deny that. Still, another thought crept into his mind.
Either way, the ghost might've already been waiting for me to come out… maybe just a few minutes before I did.
Then again, another possibility followed.
It feels more like I could've avoided all of this if I'd gone out an hour earlier.
With that thought, Ryu gave a small nod, quietly accepting her words in defeat.
The man who had helped him earlier spoke up then. "Looks like we're all here… except for the other two who stayed behind at the academy for some personal reason we don't exactly know."
Academy? Ryu's attention snapped back to him. They're all from the same academy? What academy? And there's supposed to be the other two?
Ryu looked directly into the man's eyes. The man returned the look and smiled.
"We should introduce ourselves first," he said. "You must've been dying to know."
Among everyone present, only he and Sarah were smiling.
Then, the man stepped forward slightly. "I'm Daniel. Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand toward Ryu, offering a handshake.
For the sake of making a good impression, Ryu reached out and shook Daniel's hand. The grip was firm, steady, and brief—nothing unusual, yet it carried a quiet reassurance that eased his nerves just a little.
After that, Sarah turned her attention to him and spoke, "We should've already known each other, but I'll repeat it to fit the vibe. My name is Sarah. Nice to meet you."
The guy beside her lifted a hand and brushed his dark blue hair back, pushing it away from his face and revealing his forehead.
He has a big forehead, Ryu couldn't help but think at first. But almost immediately after, his attention was drawn to something else—a strange symbol etched onto it, one he didn't recognize and couldn't begin to understand.
What kind of symbol is that? his thoughts wandered. Was it hidden by his hair before? If so, why reveal it now? He tried to reason with himself. Maybe his hair was just in the way. Still… couldn't he just comb it properly?
Without realizing it, Ryu reached up and briefly checked his own hair. He had combed it carefully back in his dorm, yet now it had already turned messy again. He let it go, deciding it wasn't worth worrying about.
The man wasted no time and introduced himself. "I'm San."
Almost immediately after San finished speaking, the silver-haired girl followed up.
"I'm Hermit."
Her expression remained flat and emotionless, her blank gaze unchanged. Ryu found himself wondering whether she simply wasn't very expressive—or if that was just how she always looked.
With everyone else having introduced themselves, Ryu felt his curiosity settle, if only slightly. It still lingered, quietly simmering beneath the surface, but now it was mixed with a sense of formality. Realizing it was his turn, he straightened up a bit.
"Nice to meet you all too," he said. "I'm Ryu."