"Was I seeing things?"
"Hey, Saki-chan, Komachi, the piano keys were playing by themselves just now, right...?"
Eri, with a dazed expression, gently shook Saki's arm.
"Ah... yeah, it seems like it..."
Saki, stunned, nodded. She was still caught up in the excitement of possibly uncovering a school ghost story, but who would have thought that there could really be a ghost?
"...What are you two talking about?"
A trembling voice came from behind them. Komachi stared blankly at the tall, ugly figure sitting on the piano bench. She shakily raised her hand, pointing at the grand piano. "Can't you see that monster?"
In Komachi's view, the creature had pale skin that didn't look human, almost like a vampire from a movie. Though it had a human head, it lacked facial features. Its long, thin fingers, like those of a walking stick insect, rested on the piano keys.
Clearly, the beautiful music had come from this monster's hands.
Now, the monster turned its head toward them. Although its face had no features, Komachi could tell it was looking directly at her and the other two.
"What... what monster?"
"Komachi, stop joking around, okay?"
The two middle school girls had already huddled together, trembling.
Seeing the monster rise from the piano bench, Komachi snapped back to reality and yelled, "Run! Run!"
"Huh?"
When the two girls hadn't moved, she couldn't wait any longer and grabbed Eri, pulling her to run.
Eri and Saki stumbled as they were pulled along. Saki tripped, her left foot catching on her right, and she fell to the ground with a loud cry.
"Saki!"
Hearing her name, Komachi's eyes widened, and she turned to look. She had already dragged Eri a couple of steps, but now she was about to turn back to help Saki up when the monster reached her from behind.
Saki, with her hands on the ground, was about to get up when she suddenly noticed the light around her dimming, as if someone had stood behind her, casting a shadow over her.
Instinctively, she turned around.
In her vision, a long, slender hand grew larger rapidly.
*Slap!*
"Saki!?"
Komachi's eyes went wide, and she followed Saki's fragile figure as she was slapped into the wall by the terrifying monster, falling unconscious.
Eri, still unsure what was happening, saw her friend suddenly fly through the air and crash into the wall.
She saw the dark red blood leaking from the back of Saki's head, and screamed at the top of her lungs. Komachi, closest to her, winced in pain from the loud sound.
But the scream pulled her back to reality.
The monster had now turned its attention to Komachi and Eri.
Komachi gritted her teeth, firmly grabbing Eri's hand, and started running toward the stairs. Two clear tears drifted through the air.
"Wait, wait, Komachi!?"
Eri's scream was interrupted as her mind turned to mush.
Unlike Komachi, Eri couldn't see the monster. She only felt that everything at school was starting to feel strange.
"Don't speak, we need to survive and get away from that monster first!"
Komachi shouted, her voice breaking with emotion.
The warmth from her palm helped calm Eri's frantic heart a little. She stopped speaking and silently ran alongside Komachi, their hurried footsteps and gasping breaths the only sounds in the air.
There was no time to look back and check if the monster was chasing them. The two just kept running forward with all their might, not daring to slow down for a second.
The music classroom was on the third floor. Komachi pulled Eri as they ran all the way down to the first floor. They were just about to burst out of the building when a glint of hope appeared in their eyes.
However, suddenly, dark ripples appeared on the ceiling of the first-floor lobby, and a horrifying white figure with a featureless head emerged from the ripples.
Komachi's steps came to a sudden stop, but Eri, who couldn't see the curse spirit, didn't react in time and crashed straight into her back. The two of them fell to the ground together.
The curse spirit dropped from the ceiling, completely blocking the exit of the building.
"Why did you stop all of a sudden?"
Eri groaned, holding her head which had turned red from the impact, looking confused.
"Can't you see that monster...?"
Komachi's bitter voice reached her ears. "It's right in front of us, blocking the way out."
"Monster? Why can you see it, but I can't? And why can't Saki see it either?"
"I wish I knew!"
Komachi struggled to get up from the ground, pulling Eri up with her. Then, she quickly turned around and started running in the opposite direction, dragging Eri along with her.
There was more than one way to leave the building. They could also exit through the door leading to the courtyard.
Suddenly, Komachi's running slowed down as a pulling force from behind nearly made her fall.
Without thinking, she let go of Eri's hand and looked back, only to find that Eri had been tangled up by ten disgusting, strip-like things. Upon closer inspection, she realized those were the monster's ten long, extended fingers.
Eri's terrified expression froze on her face as her arms, legs, and waist were bound as if by rough nylon ropes, forcefully stopping her from running. Her skin immediately felt the painful pressure.
She instinctively looked down at herself and saw the bamboo-like fingers. Turning back, she finally saw the monster that had knocked Saki away — the same one they had been running from.
The huge shock hit her brain, and the girl instantly passed out, her eyes rolling back.
The fainted Eri was easily dragged back by the curse spirit, and Komachi snapped back to reality, rushing forward to grab her friend's hand that wasn't entangled.
But what could a middle school girl do to stop a curse spirit?
All she could do was be dragged into the abyss, step by step, along with Eri.
"Komachi!"
Suddenly, hurried running footsteps echoed, followed by a loud, angry shout. A glimmer of hope flashed in the girl's desperate eyes.
She knew that voice all too well.
It was her brother!
But almost immediately, that spark of hope faded from her eyes.
With such a monster in front of them, even if her brother arrived, what could he possibly do? All they would get is both of them dying together at the hands of this creature.
But at least dying together with her brother would be much better than dying alone.
Mocking her dark thoughts, Komachi mustered all her strength and shouted, "Brother! Run!"
Before her words had even fully left her mouth, Hikigaya Hachiman's figure had already jumped high behind the monster, his face twisted with rage like she had never seen before.
And what she had never seen either were the blue flames burning on his hands.
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