As I walk down on the Diad Street I'm beginning to recall the stories in this area. The street is always rumored to be haunted by ghosts and evil spirits. It has been like this for a long time, so people in Acadasia are already used to ignoring it. Sure there are people who live and do their business here but few. Some people live here; the rent is cheap I've been told, but yet not the cheapest. The majority of society has no reason to live here.
And the government sees no reason to fix it either. Almost all of the street lamps I passed had died, few are still coughing lights. The pavement looks as if they were punches from small meteors.
So is there a ghost?
Maybe. Even if I see one I will ignore them as if I'm normal.
Why am I here?
What do you know, the place I will be visiting is in Diad Street.
It is already late-evening when I step in front of what once was Oba Ramen I'd like to go after school. Still, it's still not down yet, hasn't crumbled down, remains for a while after the fire. Judging by the wet street, the store has been barely saved by the rain from yesterday. The building looks fragile, just like its owner. All this feels as if it wants to deliver some sort of final message before sitting down on the ground. If building can feel pain, this one is hurt badly. Thin, wet and half-burned planks, glass shards hiding under the pools of water on the street. Luckily, the report (researched and texted by Ayane) says no one got hurt. I mean, there's no much people to hurt here anyway. I assume the granny is safe.
I step closer. There was no smell of ramen lingering anymore, now it's all dust and hints of burn and, huh, ghouls? Sniff sniff… Achoo…There is another weird smell. These ashes and dust are covering something. Where have I tasted that scent?
Alright, smells wouldn't be much of a help for the investigation here.
I easily walk in the mess, though the responsible party for this area should've tried to keep people away from the scene. There was no sort of, even tiny sign for that. I don't blame them, for all they know, no one ever dares to pass this abandoned street. But you should consider that not everyone has common sense. What if a stupid human decided to check the inside? Like, what if he's really curious--that is my excuse if someone were to see and ask what I'm doing here. I broke no law!
Hm, they don't even care if a building or two is burned. Why would they bat an eye at me?
I put one thing in mind, to get ready for anything. This ramen store is not normal as Ayane had deducted the first time I brought her here. It was all normal for me until we met the cyan-headed girl in a KFC hat.
'I'll investigate it,' I've assured Ayane before but never had the time to fulfill it until now. I've spent all of my time and brain cells on everything that has happened between Remelia and I.
If the cheerful girl was actually a dangerous entity, am I at fault?
That's why I have the feeling of huge responsibility for this.
The wooden floor cried when I stepped into the room's darkness. I pull out my phone and use it as a flashlight. I take another step carefully while looking up at the jumping ceiling. Please just stay put, I'll finish this quickly. Then you can go out with a bang, peacefully
Let's see; checking every side of things.
After five minutes of walking around the dust and ashes, I've kinda got the story here. Chairs and tables provide indirect evidence that paranormal things happened here. Now what I mean by that, I have to put the broken furniture in imaginary to find marks of sharp claws were left. No blood, hence these were broken just as a threat to someone.
Claws? Animal? If I have to say it, it has to be at least a bear. But we know bear is not the case here, you can't find it in a city anyway. They were ghouls'. That proved those ghouls I smelled outside were responsible for this.
If I look closely again, something is odd here. The counter table. I had assumed they were ghouls' marks, but I was wrong. No ghoul can slash calmly. When ghouls are in their form, they're always shaking and trembling—uncontrollably. Another interesting fact about them, they are always stupidly merciless.
A contrast of the new evidence I see. The claw marks were clean and straight. Three sharp crescents.
Something was jogging in my mind, trying to find who's done this. After years of leaving the exorcist business, I doubt I'm successful. Or it's just me denying the information to come back to me. After all, I've almost become a normal human. But then I hear it.
Click.
Now I now who.
Why is for another time. For now, GTG before I am too accidentally makes a new situation for myself again—
Thud.
…
Too late. He's already behind me.
I sigh and turn around to meet the man with a cigarette in his mouth. And somehow, my brain decides to flash my phone to his eyes. I'd sprint past him when he flinched. But he doesn't react, just continues staring like a chad. Wow. Okay. Um. "Sorry about that, aha" I lower my phone. Hope he's not offended by that.
He snorts, "I knew I recognized that smell. So it was you," he pull out the nicotine, some remains drops on his hairy arm. "And it seems you've been expecting me too."
Since his kind can hear people's heartbeats, he knows I am perfectly calm right now.
"You were not trying to be stealthy anyway," I reply.
He steps closer, "You look a lot like a normal human. But you're far from them, right?"
"I mean… I'd like to be. Like, if you're not going to do anything to me, I'll be out of here in a completely normal way."
"Not so fast, dead-eyes."
Hey, no attacking someone's eyes appearance. So low!
"What's your business in here?" His glare grew.
Thankfully, I have a card for that. "I just want to know what did this, you know? Like, you know, normal human curiosity?" I remained in my spot, still facing him.
"This is the dead street. No normal human would be here in the first place. And isn't it already obvious what did this, was it not the fire?"
Thud.
He steps closer.
Ah, he's looking for an opportunity to strike me. It looks like he is watching my movements, trying to figure out where I should run. My muscles are being watched to see how much I can fight. It seems, no matter how I wanted to steer the situation out, is useless.
I had to fight my way out or get buried in this store.
"Fire," what's he talking about, "It was more of… you right?"
The man puts back his cigarette in his crook mouth and blows out clouds at me, "Is that you, figured everything out? Like, me?"
I shrug, "I've known what you are since the first time we met."
It's no-brainer that this guy is the same guy who I met in the alleyway with three ghouls under him. He ran before Ayane and I got to confront him.
He laughs out small puffs, "And you're still so calm about it." He stops everything what he's doing. Lowers his chin and stares at me deadly, "The more reason I'm not letting you go anywhere."
This is my last effort to get away by using words: "My sister needs me back at home. So can we go?"
"No."
"Huh."
Luckily, I've silenced my phone so when I dialed for Ayane it wouldn't be obvious. I step away from him, not that I'm intimidated, just as giving him a wrong meaning of the scene. That I'm cornered.
Until I'm really is.
My feet stumbled on something as I moved backward.
WOah.
Pap.My phone and my ass are now on the ground.
The wolf steps closer than ever with a smile. It seems he found his time.
I try to reach for my phone.
Creak.
Ah. And now he's leaping at me, to a man without any weapon to defend himself. And to make it worse, there's two figures coming my way now. None of them are human. Hm.