——
Hayasaka: "I can't take this anymore..."
——
The thirteenth step—a chilling legend found in nearly every school and considered the strangest of the seven campus ghost stories.
According to the tale, at certain ominous times, such as the Demon Sealing Hour, a staircase with twelve steps might inexplicably gain a thirteenth step.
Anyone unlucky enough to step on this thirteenth step is said to vanish without a trace. What happens to them or where they go remains a mystery, adding to the eerie allure of this legend.
"I really managed to stumble upon the strangest ghost story," Amamiya sighed. "Just my luck."
"Hanako-chan, what exactly is this 'thirteenth step'?" Chika crouched slightly as she asked the question.
"I don't know," the Wraith Loli admitted, shaking her head. The earlier act of feeding her had clearly improved her mood, making her more talkative. She continued, "Anyone who steps on the thirteenth step just disappears and never comes back. I've never stepped on it myself, so I have no idea what happens to them."
Ghost stories vary greatly in nature.
Some, like Hanako, are sentient beings capable of speech and interaction—and even, to some extent, domestication.
But other ghost stories, like the thirteenth step, are purely phenomena: events without personality or intent, incapable of communication. They simply exist. Not even the vengeful spirit Hanako dared to test its mystery.
"Is that so?"
Amamiya stroked his chin thoughtfully before glancing down at Hanako's feet.
"Why don't you try stepping on it and see for yourself?"
"Absolutely not!"
Hanako quickly stepped back, clutching the hem of her skirt protectively.
Amamiya attempted to coax her. "You're the great Hanako-sama, aren't you? So strong and fearless. Are you really afraid of something as trivial as a staircase?"
"I'm not scared!" Hanako retorted, puffing out her chest with a hint of pride. Children—even ghostly ones—loved being praised. "But the thirteenth step isn't fixed. The moment I get near it, it vanishes. I can't step on it even if I try."
Amamiya silently reached out and patted Hanako's head. Her pale complexion aside, her hair was unexpectedly soft and cool to the touch—oddly comforting.
"Well, let's not waste time talking about it. Let's go verify it."
The Wraith Loli opened her mouth wide and bit at him angrily. "Human, how dare you touch my head?!"
Her icy presence made him shiver slightly.
"I am a ghost story, you know! I've never been humiliated like this!"
Amamiya skillfully avoided her bite and calmly made an offer.
"I'll give you another bite of the food."
Hanako's eyes lit up instantly. "...Deal!"
---
The group left the restroom, following Hanako as she led the way to the location of the infamous thirteenth step.
"I can sense where the staircase is. It's on the fourth floor..."
Rather than walking properly, the Wraith Loli stubbornly crawled along the walls like a lizard. Fortunately, her ghostly nature defied physics; her skirt refused to follow Newton's law of gravity, staying in place even as she hung upside down on the ceiling.
"We're here," she announced.
The lights throughout the school had long since stopped working.
Standing in the dim hallway, Amamiya raised his flashlight and aimed its beam at the staircase.
As the light illuminated the steps, the group instinctively began counting aloud.
"One, two, three, four, five... There really are thirteen steps," someone murmured in disbelief.
"When I was in junior high, I used to explore ghost stories like this with my friends after school," Chika admitted with a nostalgic sigh. "Looking back, I was so naive."
Umi cleared her throat awkwardly. "Ahem, I did the same thing."
A passerby player whispered, "Same here..."
Amamiya shrugged. "Me too."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
It wasn't surprising that protagonists in manga were usually middle or high school students. They had endless curiosity and energy for adventures like these.
Office workers, on the other hand?
By the time they finished work at nine, they were already exhausted. After obligatory drinks with coworkers, they'd stumble home at eleven, collapsing into bed. Who had the energy for ghost-hunting adventures?
---
"Hanako," Amamiya turned to the Wraith Loli with a mischievous smile, "Why don't you give it a try?"
Hanako hesitated, torn between fear for her mother's safety and her love of food. After a brief internal struggle, she reluctantly approached the stairs.
With everyone watching closely, Hanako reached the bottom of the staircase.
The thirteenth step disappeared into thin air before her eyes.
"Is there really no other way?"
Amamiya sighed in disappointment.
Faced with the bizarre phenomenon of the thirteenth step, the safest option would be to drive away any malicious spirits. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be any loophole to exploit in this situation.
"Where is the staircase now?" Amamiya asked, lowering his gaze.
Hanako closed her eyes for a moment, sensing its location. "It moved to the second floor," she said.
"Alright, let's head to the second floor."
---
The group made their way to the second floor, where Hanako quickly guided them to the new location of the thirteenth step.
"It looks like I have no choice but to go myself," Amamiya said, turning to face the group.
The objective of this mission was to find Hayasaka, and with the mysterious thirteenth step now before them, hesitation wasn't an option.
Since sending Hanako in was out of the question, the task had to fall to him.
"Amamiya-kun, I'll go with you," Umi volunteered resolutely.
The succubus girl's loyalty shone through once again. When it mattered most, she was always willing to risk her life for her friends.
"I'll go," Kaguya said, crossing her right hand over her chest. Her voice was calm and composed. "Even if we encounter danger, I'm confident I can get us out."
"Me, me, me!" Chika raised her hand energetically. "Of course I'm going! How could you possibly leave me behind in a fight against evil?"
---
Sajuna parted her pink lips as if to volunteer, but the words got caught in her throat.
In the end, she held herself back. She knew that her presence wouldn't help; if anything, she'd only be a hindrance.
Umi quickly chimed in, "Then why don't we all go together?"
The suggestion made the three passerby players visibly uneasy.
The thirteenth step was infamous for being a one-way trip. No one knew what lay beyond it. To be honest, none of them wanted to find out.
---
Amamiya turned to the quiet girl with long black hair.
"Komi-san," he called softly.
The girl flinched at the sound of her name being called, her posture straightening as if she were a student suddenly called on by her teacher.
"Could you give me a spare notebook?" Amamiya asked.
"Uh... uh-huh," she stammered, quickly handing over a notebook she'd retrieved from her bag.
"I'll go in alone for now," Amamiya explained, holding up the notebook as he addressed the group. "You all know how effective paper skills are. I'll scout ahead first. If I need backup, I'll signal for you."
It wasn't an option for everyone to go in together. Someone needed to stay behind and continue training the vengeful spirit Hanako.
---
Amamiya's gaze met Kaguya's.
A silent understanding passed between them.
Kaguya nodded slightly, her expression firm.
---
"I'm heading up," Amamiya said, handing the flashlight to Kaguya.
As the group watched, he climbed the staircase to the thirteenth step. He stopped just before it, turned, and held up the notebook.
"Wait for my signal," he said, his voice steady.
Then, without further hesitation, Amamiya stepped onto the thirteenth step.
The world around him warped and twisted instantly.