A summer night bathed in neon, a vivid and bustling scene, like an ukiyo-e painting.
Drunks staggered through the streets clutching bottles, while dancers in lavish makeup sang and danced.
"Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~"
The clear, pleasant sound of copper bells echoed through the deserted street. For no apparent reason, the summer night was suddenly shrouded in thick, eerie, silent fog. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of copper bells.
"There's no need, Yu, you can relax. I'm already close to home, what could possibly happen? I'm almost there, I won't talk anymore."
On the night street, a girl carried a box of desserts and talked on the phone.
The girl wore a long dress with a floral pattern and a light linen jacket. Her shoulder-length pink hair was fastened with two black butterfly-shaped hairpins. Her delicate face was filled with happiness, showing that the person on the other end of the line was very important to her.
The girl, Nakano Nino, was a student at Sobu High School, a well-known aristocratic academy in Tokyo.
Normally, Nakano Nino would return home before sunset, but the reason she was coming back so late today was that she had been invited to a storytelling gathering.
That storytelling gathering was actually a ghost story gathering, to which she had been invited by a good friend.
Since they were all girls, and because she wanted to test her courage, Nakano Nino went without any worries.
However, Nakano Nino found it boring.
At that gathering, none of the stories were particularly interesting, except for one horror story called [Shirai], told by a girl named Rokushi, which was fairly good.
She still remembered how the story of Shirai went.
It was said that during the Warring States period, there existed a tribe called Shirai who wore blindfolds over their eyes. After her death, in order to force people to remember her, she became a cursed female specter with bells tied to her arms. Anyone who heard the story of [Shirai] would be found by Shirai.
Accompanied by the sound of bells, if Shirai approached and made eye contact, the person would die of a heart attack, and their eyes would burst.
This story wasn't particularly scary. After all, how could a cursed female specter kill people just so they would remember her?
At least, Nakano Nino didn't believe it. Although her grades weren't great, she was a firm materialist; how could such a story scare her?
But… why had it suddenly become foggy around her?
Stopping in her tracks, Nino clenched her phone and looked around fearfully.
Silence reigned all around her. Even though it was a city street, it was unexpectedly empty.
Moreover, the white fog grew thicker and thicker, as if something were constantly approaching, trying to swallow her whole.
Swallowing hard, Nino's delicate face was now colored with fear.
"Bzz~"
The streetlamp above her head emitted a sound, and the dim yellow light flickered rapidly. Fortunately, the lamp was of good quality and did not go out after a few flickers.
Only now, the light was somewhat dimmer.
Nino quickly regained her composure, patted her face, and bravely encouraged herself:
"What are you thinking about, Nino? You're only two blocks away from home. I don't know what you're so scared of!"
"Hello? Nino? Are you still there?"
At that moment, a young man's voice came from the phone.
The young man was Nakano Yu, Nino's adoptive brother who had been taken in by their family since childhood. The box of desserts Nino was carrying was also for Nakano Yu and her four other sisters.
"Yes, I'm here, Yu."
As she replied, Nino nervously glanced behind her and, after confirming there was no one there, continued walking toward home.
"Nino, are you sure you don't need me to come pick you up?"
Nakano Yu asked from the other end of the phone with a hint of concern, but he was met with Nino's confident words: "Don't worry, I'm on Ukiyoe Street now, it's not far from home. I'll be back quickly."
"If you say so, Nino, then alright. If you run into any trouble, remember to call my name and I'll be there immediately!"
Hearing what Nino said, Nakano Yu didn't dwell on the matter any further and simply reminded her.
"Okay, okay, don't worry. By the way, I just bought sweet rice cakes from Nanatsuji-ya. I'll bring them home for you to eat, Yu likes them the most."
Nino smiled and nodded. While chatting with Nakano Yu, she was no longer afraid. As she spoke, she lifted the box of desserts she was carrying.
"Alright, alright, alright. Come back early, dinner is already ready."
"Don't worry, I'll hang up now."
"Okay, remember to call me if anything happens, it has to be my full name! Remember!"
"Got it!"
After a few more words, Nino finally ended the call.
At that moment, the girl's heart was completely free of fear, filled only with happiness. At a glance, she looked just like a girl who had just finished talking to her boyfriend.
"Hehe~ Yu will definitely be very happy."
Humming a tune, Nino looked at the dessert in her hand. After that, she hurried home.
Lost in thought, she had only taken a few steps when the sound of bells pierced the night and entered Nino's ears: "Ding-a-ling~ Ding-a-ling~"
The sound came in waves, like a funeral bell, constantly drawing closer to Nino.
"W-what?"
Carefully retreating backward, Nino reached into her pocket for her stun gun, but her trembling hand betrayed her fear.
"Meow~"
Just as Nino stared ahead with trembling fear, a calico cat with a bell around its neck suddenly darted out of an alley. The cat stopped, its shining beastly eyes gazing at Nino through the night fog. After one meow, the calico cat quickly ran away.
Seeing that it was only a cat, Nino let out a sigh of relief, put away the stun gun, and patted her chest with her small hand: "Phew~ Nino, Nino, why are you so timid? Yu doesn't like timid girls."
Calming down, Nino was just about to continue on her way when a figure suddenly rushed out of the alley she had just passed. The figure staggered into view and, without any hesitation, ran straight toward Nino.
"Aaaa!!!"
Because of the fog around her, Nino couldn't clearly see the person's outline, but her feminine instincts still made her scream and turn to run.
However, Nino's physical stamina wasn't good, and the figure was running extremely fast, as if fleeing for their life, quickly catching up to her.
"Don't come closer! Don't come closer!"
In panic, Nino grabbed the box of desserts and swung it at the dark figure, but it had no effect at all.
"Miss Nakano? Miss Nakano, it's me, Rokushi."
Hearing the familiar voice, Nino froze, and her panicked heart gradually calmed. She opened the eyes she had tightly shut in fear and saw an ordinary girl standing in front of her.
That girl was Miss Rokushi, the one who had told them the story of [Shirai] at the storytelling gathering.
"Oh, Miss Rokushi. You almost scared me to death."
Seeing that the person was alive and, moreover, a girl, Nino remembered her reaction just now and immediately felt her cheeks burn, forcing an awkward smile.
But Rokushi ignored Nino. Her dull eyes, with dark circles and bags beneath them, stared at Nino. After a long moment, Rokushi pointed at herself, then at Nino, and slowly said, "You're next!"
After saying that, Rokushi suddenly pushed Nino and, without caring about anything else, fled into the fog, gradually disappearing from sight.