The woman's oddly messy hair could also grow longer, completely wrapping and binding an adult male. It wasn't difficult for her to extend strands to entangle and capture them.
Yet, she hadn't done so earlier. This was either because she didn't want to or because she couldn't.
Between the two possibilities, they were more inclined to believe the latter.
This teaching building must have its own set of rules and restrictions; otherwise, they, as humans, would stand no chance against such a terrifying entity.
"I need every detail of what happened before and after you encountered that ghost—don't leave anything out," Lin Ye said.
Now that the tall man, Kurosawa, was dead, the remaining three had no intention of arguing.
At this point, their hopes rested entirely on Lin Ye. This man, who had faced the horrifying woman with such calm and composure, seemed to be their best chance at surviving and escaping alive.
Kazuya was the first to speak.
"The four of us ran to the fourth floor, looking for a place to hide. Eventually, we found an open door to a classroom at the far end of the west wing, so we went inside to hide."
"Did you hear the broadcast after entering that classroom?" Lin Ye asked directly.
Kazuya paused and then shook his head. "No."
It seemed that the broadcast clues were only triggered upon entering a previously locked classroom.
"How many locked classroom doors were there on the fourth floor?"
"Uh, a lot," Kazuya replied. "We pushed on many doors, but most of them wouldn't open."
He continued, "We hid in that classroom for about seven or eight minutes. Then we heard footsteps in the corridor getting closer and closer. We panicked. Kosuke went to check and saw that the ghost was coming straight toward our classroom."
"And then?" Lin Ye prompted.
Before Kazuya could answer, the yellow-haired girl, Chiharu, angrily cut him off.
"That bastard! To save himself, he grabbed me and threw me at that thing like a shield, trying to escape. He deserved to die! Hahaha, serves him right."
Chiharu's voice trembled with both anger and fear, though she couldn't hide her grim satisfaction over Kosuke's fate.
Her boyfriend, Kawasaki, joined in, voicing his indignation at the tall man's selfish actions.
Meanwhile, Kazuya kept quiet, swallowing his words. He knew Kurosawa had done something unforgivable, but Kurosawa had also always taken care of him and wanted him to survive.
"Alright, tell me in detail about the woman's attacks and behavior," Lin Ye instructed.
Chiharu described her brief physical contact with the woman, saying her body was ice-cold, like touching frozen metal.
The woman's hair could extend, latch onto a person's feet, and then coil tighter until it swallowed the person whole.
As the three recounted what they had witnessed, they filled in gaps in each other's stories, ensuring that no detail was left out.
They knew their survival depended on piecing together as much information as possible.
Lin Ye processed the information carefully.
What intrigued him most was the nature of the ghost.
At first, she appeared to be in an intangible state, making her untouchable.
However, as time passed, she seemed to grow more and more tangible.
"Fujibayashi, share the information we've gathered with them," Lin Ye instructed.
The purple-haired girl, Fujibayashi Ryou, who had been silently observing until now, blinked in surprise.
"Oh, um, okay. I'll talk about the broadcast?"
"Go ahead."
The three immediately turned their attention to her.
"Lin-kun and I entered a locked classroom marked as 'Room 2-A.' When the lights turned on, the broadcast in the classroom began playing," Fujibayashi explained.
She recounted the broadcast's content.
While the three listened intently, their expressions darkened as they realized this information didn't provide any immediate solutions.
"This doesn't help at all," Kawasaki muttered angrily.
Lin Ye didn't respond, instead watching the trio's reactions closely.
Kazuya hesitated before speaking. "Brother Lin, maybe we should focus on the girl named Kuroshima."
Chiharu frowned. "She's the ghost, right? What do you mean, 'focus'? Are you suggesting we kill her?"
"No," Kazuya interrupted, "now that we know her name, we should look for items or clues tied to her."
Kazuya ignored Chiharu's outburst, his survival instincts overriding any lingering resentment. He spoke up, determined to prove his worth.
"If we go to the faculty office, we might find a roll call list. That could tell us her full name and class. From there, we could check her desk for more clues."
Lin Ye nodded approvingly. "Good. Staying calm is the key to survival in this place."
He patted Kazuya on the shoulder. "I'll leave that task to you."
Kazuya blinked, stunned. "Leave it to me? Aren't we going together?"
Before he could voice further objections, Lin Ye added, "Kawasaki, you'll go too."
"What?!" Kawasaki exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Don't tell me you're afraid," Lin Ye said flatly.
Kawasaki stammered, "It's not that… I'm just worried about Chiharu. What if something happens to her while I'm gone?"
"I'll take care of her," Lin Ye replied without hesitation. "She'll be safe as long as you come back alive."
Lin Ye's words left Kawasaki speechless.
"I'll make sure she's alive until you return."
Lin Ye had his reasons for splitting them up—he wanted to test whether the strange woman was drawn to larger groups.
If the ghost came for him and Fujibayashi while the others were away, it might confirm that the creature was more attracted to groups.
"But…" Kawasaki hesitated.
"Then take Chiharu with you" Lin Ye suggested, only for Chiharu to snap, "No way. I'm staying with Brother Lin. Are you even a man, asking me to follow you into danger?"
"I just want to protect you, Chiharu! It's safer if you stay with me!"
"Brother Lin can protect me better," she said coldly.
Kawasaki's nameless anger flared.
"Then what about you? What are you planning to do while we're out risking our lives for clues? Are you just going to sit here and wait for us to come back with the information?"
He couldn't hold back anymore, directing his dissatisfaction and fury at Lin Ye.
This man acted like some kind of leader, giving out orders while staying in the safest spot. Who did he think he was?
"Who even are you? What gives you the right to boss us around?"
Kazuya kept quiet, but the same thought lingered in his mind.
He had assumed they'd move as a group, yet here they were, being sent off on a dangerous errand while Lin Ye stayed behind. The unfairness of it burned within him.
"Shoe Cabinet."
Lin Ye's sudden comment caught everyone off guard.
"The shoe cabinet in the first floor. Since her last name is Kuroshima, you should be able to find her shoe cabinet there."
The group froze, then collectively remembered a detail from the video they'd seen earlier.
The heroine had found a letter in her shoe cabinet.
How could they have overlooked something so crucial?
"We'll head to the shoe cabinet," Kawasaki suggested immediately.
Searching the faculty office on each floor seemed far more daunting and time-consuming than checking the shoe cabinet near the entrance. It was a short distance away, and knowing the name of the ghost, they could find the right one in no time.
"Fine. I'll leave the shoe cabinet to you," Lin Ye said unexpectedly.
Kawasaki blinked in surprise.
That was too easy. Could the shoe cabinet be more dangerous than he realized?
A chill crept up Kawasaki's spine.
"I'll handle searching the faculty office in the teaching building with Fujibayashi," Lin Ye continued, his gaze falling on the yellow-haired girl, Chiharu.
The girl hesitated before making her decision.
"I'll go with Brother Lin," she said.
Kawasaki's face darkened.
His girlfriend trusted a stranger more than him?
He felt a flash of humiliation, as though someone had placed a green hat of betrayal on his head.
Words bubbled up in his throat, but before he could voice them, Lin Ye brushed past him, silencing him with an air of authority.
Kawasaki thought back to when the tall man had crumpled to the ground after a single blow from Lin Ye. As much as he wanted to protest, fear kept him quiet.
"Kazuya, let's go to the shoe cabinets," Kawasaki finally said, resigned.
The two set off together, their heads swiveling constantly as they scanned for any sign of danger. They were ready to bolt at the first hint of the ghost's presence.
Finally, they reached the shoe cabinets near the entrance.
In the dim lighting, the old, battered cabinets seemed ready to fall apart at any moment.
"I remember the video showed that her shoe locker were in the middle. Let's start looking there," Kawasaki said.
The two split up, each taking a row of cabinets and scanning the names on the labels.
"Kuroshima... Kuroshima..."
But there was no sign of the name.
"Hey, did you find it?" Kawasaki asked impatiently.
"Not yet," Kazuya replied, his voice tense.
"Move faster! Who knows when she might show up."
Finally, Kazuya shouted in excitement.
"Found it!"
Kawasaki hurried over, and the two stood before the half-open cabinet labeled "Kuroshima."
"You check it. I'll keep watch," Kawasaki said, pushing Kazuya forward.
Kawasaki's confidence swelled.
If he couldn't challenge Lin Ye, he could at least dominate Otaku. This was his moment.
For once, Kawasaki felt in control.
The otaku trembled, unable to summon the courage to open the shoe cabinet. His imagination ran wild, fearing that the moment he did, a pale, ghastly hand would shoot out to grab him.
As someone who had played his fair share of horror games and watched countless horror movies, he was no stranger to scenarios like this.
"Maybe we should... ask Brother Lin to come over. We've already found the cabinet anyway," he suggested hesitantly.
"Useless," Kawasaki spat, his frustration barely contained.
"You're such a coward. Afraid of something like this?"
Yet, despite his mockery, Kawasaki himself didn't make a move toward the cabinet either.
"Come on, if you're not useless, prove it and get over here," he urged, his bravado thinly masking his own reluctance.
Even patience has its limits, and Kazuya's temper flared at Kawasaki's taunts.
"Hah! Look who's talking! You don't dare either. No wonder your girlfriend ditched you and chose to stick with Brother Lin instead."
"Brother Lin? Brother Lin? You keep calling him that like he's some kind of savior. Do you think he'll help you just because you call him 'Brother'?"
Kawasaki's pent-up anger boiled over. Everyone had put their faith in Lin Ye, convinced that he could guide them to safety. The respect they lavished on him only deepened Kawasaki's resentment.
"At least I know one thing: I won't help you. But hey, your girlfriend might. After all..."
"Shut up!" Kawasaki roared, raising his fist.
Anticipating the move, Azai quickly stepped back, dodging the blow.
"If you want her to trust you, then stop posturing and start proving yourself. Show her you're capable—show her a way to survive. Otherwise..."
Kazuya stopped mid-sentence.
Kawasaki froze as well, sensing something amiss. Slowly, he turned his head.
Behind him, hurried footsteps echoed ominously. A sudden force sent him stumbling forward, his balance completely lost.
As he straightened, he saw her.
The figure was unmistakable—a school uniform drenched in a deep, blood-red stain. Her once-white shirt was now soaked, her long, disheveled hair obscuring most of her face. Through the strands of hair, glimpses of a bloodied, grotesque visage emerged.
"Ghost!"
Kawasaki's scream was shrill. His legs gave out beneath him, and he scrambled backward, crawling and rolling in blind panic.
Kazuya, who had been quicker to notice and react, didn't waste time. He threw open the shoe cabinet, reached inside without hesitation, and grabbed whatever his hand could clutch.
Without pausing to check what he'd found, he bolted, circling around the cabinets and sprinting toward the direction they had come from.
'Run. Run now'
The otaku's mind raced as fast as his legs. His survival instinct kicked in, repeating a single mantra: 'Just run faster than Kawasaki'
As far as he was concerned, Kawasaki was as good as dead. There was no saving him now.
With the evidence in hand, Kazuya was determined to make it back alive and contribute something valuable to their desperate situation.
But as he ran, a chilling realization hit him. He glanced over his shoulder and his stomach sank.
The grotesque ghost was chasing him.
"No, no, no! Why are you after me?" he yelled, his voice cracking.
'Didn't I leave someone behind for you? Why are you chasing me?!'
"Help! Brother Lin! The ghost is after me!" he screamed, his desperation palpable.
"I got a clue! Help!"
~~~
Meanwhile, Lin Ye and the others had just finished searching the first-floor faculty office when Kazuya's cries reached their ears.
"You two, head upstairs," Lin Ye instructed calmly.
"Shout if anything happens."
Ryou nodded emphatically and led Chiharu up the stairs. Lin Ye, however, turned and sprinted toward the source of the shout.
Activating his time stop ability, he quickly located Kazuya and the ghost whose not far behind.
Scanning the area, he noticed Kawasaki—alive but shaken, seemingly out of immediate danger. Lin Ye then turned back toward Kazuya and the ghastly figure pursuing him.
Reaching them, Lin Ye attempted to touch the ghost woman, only to find his hand passing through her body again.
'What's going on? Why can't I touch her?'
He frowned, accepting the unsettling reality.
Realizing there was no time to waste, Lin Ye grabbed the panicked Kazuya and dragged him several meters away. Once they were at a safe distance, he released his time stop and continued running with Kazuya in tow.
"Go, now!" he ordered.
Even with his power, Lin Ye understood the limitations of the situation. The information they had was still too little.
"Brother Lin… Brother Lin! Thank goodness! I knew you wouldn't abandon me," Kazuya gasped, his voice trembling with relief. His eyes welled up with tears as he clutched the object in his hands.
"I… I found the shoe cabinet. I found a clue—this..."
"Don't talk. Just run," Lin Ye interrupted sharply, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
He kept glancing behind them, expecting the grotesque figure to reappear. But to his surprise, the ghost woman had stopped pursuing them.
'Gone?'
To confirm, Lin Ye activated his time stop again. Searching the area thoroughly, he found no trace of her presence. The eerie figure had vanished completely.
'Why did she suddenly stop chasing us?'
The question lingered in his mind, but with too little information, Lin Ye knew he couldn't draw any conclusions.
Releasing the time stop, he turned back to Kazuya and led him upstairs. Together, they reunited with Fujibayashi Ryou and Chiharu at their designated meeting point. This was a prearranged spot in case they got separated.
"Where's my boyfriend, Kawasaki?!" the yellow-haired girl demanded, her voice trembling with desperation. "Why hasn't he come back yet?"
"I don't know," Kazuya replied coldly. "Maybe he's dead. Maybe he's not."
"No, no! Kawasaki will be fine. He has to be!" she shouted, refusing to believe otherwise. Her hands trembled as she clung to hope.
Kazuya ignored her outburst and handed the object he had retrieved to Lin Ye.
It was a book—a literary anthology, its worn cover bearing faint marks of age.
Lin Ye opened it carefully. As he did, a loose piece of paper fluttered out and landed on the ground.
Ryou quickly bent down, picked it up, and handed it to Lin Ye.
"Here," she said softly.
Under the dim light of the corridor, Lin Ye unfolded the note and began to read its contents. The words on the paper appeared fragmented and incomplete, but their meaning was still discernible:
[I am ■■ Tuo ■. If you are reading this, you have been drawn into the strange occurrences at ■■■ School]
[I don't know how much of this note remains intact or how much useful information you can extract from it]
[For this reason, I have left multiple notes with similar content in various places connected to her, hoping they will help you]
[Don't question why the notes were placed in locations tied to her. Only in those places can they remain preserved and useful to those who come later]
[By now, I believe you know who she is]
[■■ Kuroshima, the school beauty of ■■■ School, was brutally murdered. Filled with deep resentment, she turned into a ■■ and now haunts the school]
[Many students and teachers vanished mysteriously. When found, they were already dead, their lives ended in terrifying ways]
[The school fell into chaos and was eventually closed]
[But the curse persists]
[She continues to exact revenge on all who enter this school]
[Many have perished, many have disappeared]
[But some managed to escape]
As Lin Ye read, the group leaned in closer, their expressions tense and eager.
"This is it! There's a way to escape!" Ryou exclaimed, her voice filled with cautious hope.
The prospect of survival ignited a spark in all of them.
"Yes! We can get out of here alive now," Kazuya said, his hands trembling slightly.
Ryou couldn't suppress a smile, the first glimmer of hope they had felt in a long time.
"If we don't escape, my sister will be worried," she murmured softly, as if reminding herself of the stakes.
The group clung to the words of the note like a lifeline, knowing that amidst the terror, they had finally found a glimmer of hope.