It had truly been nothing more than coincidence.

  I opened a suspicious-looking livestream—one that supposedly featured a ghost girl—on a whim.

  There, a mysterious segment called “Cute Ghosts” was underway.

  I hadn’t believed it. And yet, for some reason, it had stuck with me.

  They never said where the stream was being filmed, but somehow, I just knew—this was the place.

  The sun was still high. She was said to appear at dusk, so even if I happened to run into her, it probably wouldn’t be that frightening.

  Besides, once it got dark, I wouldn’t even be able to tell whether she was “cute” or not.

  With that lighthearted thought, I continued walking.

  Leaving the forest trail, I followed a narrow animal path.

  Before long, I came out into an open area—but my steps felt strangely heavy.

  I should’ve been close to my destination, yet my body suddenly felt sluggish.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  —I really need to start exercising.

  Cursing my own lack of discipline, I kept moving forward.

  Before I knew it, fog had settled in, blurring my vision.

  The air felt heavy… hard to breathe.

  And then, in the next instant, a sensation shot through me—as if someone—no, something—had grabbed my arm.

  I at least wanted to make it to the lake.

  Clinging to that single thought, I dragged my feet and pushed on.

  —Is that it…?

  In a spot where nothing had been just moments ago, a white figure was now standing.

  It seemed to have noticed me as well.

  I figured I should at least say hello—somehow, that’s what crossed my mind.

  But in that very instant—

  A sharp pain slammed into my head.

  Nausea surged up inside me.

  The ground swayed beneath my feet.

  And then—my consciousness sank into darkness.

  I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious.

  By the time I came to, everything around me had already fallen into darkness.

  I’d planned to be home before sunset, so I hadn’t brought any kind of light with me.

  Relying only on the weak glow of my phone, I staggered my way through the forest and somehow made it back onto the path home.

  For the next week, I continued to suffer from a mysterious illness with no apparent cause.

  I went to the hospital, but all the doctor said was, “It’s a spiritual affliction.”

  —What an unbelievable quack.

  That was what I thought—though I no longer had the energy to complain.

  Upcoming Releases

  Main story: "Two in the Abandoned House"

  ?Episode 8-EX & Author’s Note: October 24 at 8:00 PM (PDT).

  Update Schedule & Related Links

  : Contains the full update schedule and all related links.

  : Get early access and support the project here.

  : Read the Japanese version here

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