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Hey, have you heard about the ghost?
What is this, English class? Ghost...as in yuurei?
(Japanese word for ghost) Or maybe a dissheveled image?
Ghost as in the one from the urban legend.
Everyone's been talking about it recently.
Oh, that! I've been studying so much lately that I'm
completley out of the loop. Speaking of which, you
seem to have a lot of time on your hands, being able to
spend time chasing after those rumors like that.
No, I really don't. I just heard about it during lecture
from some girl who likes to gossip at my prep school.
So, what were you saying about the ghost?
Apparently its been appearing around the older part of town.
Oh, I think I know where you mean! But that place has
always been an occult spot, hasn't it?
Why is everyone talking about it now?
It seems there've been some disappearances recently.
And there are a bunch of people who've said they saw
the people who disappeared being taken away by ghosts.
Hmm...disappearances, huh? Are they really because of ghosts?
I mean, this time of year is tough for everyone, you know?
I think it was Takeda-san from class C. In order to
get away from the stress of exams, he went skiing without
telling anyone. His parents panicked and requested for
the police to search for him. Apparently it was a giant mess.
If there's something scarier than ghosts, it's exams.
Ahh, I want to disappear to a world without exams too!
Cheer up, cheer up!
Besides, what did the ghost even look like?
How do you know its a ghost?
I dunno, maybe because it was ghost-like?
What's that even mean? We probably shouldn't believe it.
Rumors evolve quickly, so pretty soon people will be
saying that the willow tree looks like a ghost too, right?
Hmm...you're probably right...
Hmm?
I was drowsily nodding off until I was woken by the
vibration of my cell phone.
A text.
It's cold today, isn't it? But when I think of you,
my heart warms right up, it's weird. Hey, I want
to see you now, ok?
Seeing the sender and the contents of the text on
the screen, I scowled.
Damn Kurusu...
Irritated, I shut my phone and decide to look
around the area a bit.
Normally I would have class now, but on the blackboard,
"Study hall" is written in big letters, and the teacher
is nowhere to be found. Although there is a stack of
outlines near the podium.
As the school day approaches its end, most of the students
are in high spirits, enjoying their break chatting with one another.
At the desk next to mine, two girls with their backs
toward me are talking loudly.
They seem to be trying the cheer themselves up from the
thought that exams are coming up. Is it just my imagination
that their shrill talking is piercing my eardrums...?
Hey.
I force myself into their conversation.
Huh?
Upon seeing me, their eyes widened.
They were definitely a bit startled.
W-what is it?
Uhh, I have a bit of a favor to ask, if that's okay?
No, it isn't!
Huh...?
As I was about to ask again, I could hear them saying things
like "Crap!" and "Oops!" while covering their mouths with their
hands, which were shaking slightly.
U-umm, s-sorry! Umm, we didn't do anything wrong!
...
How should I put it...
She's obviously scared because I suddenly came up to them even
though I've never talked to them before.
First, I should probably ask for her name to calm her down.
Umm...who are you again?
...Kumiko
Kumiko?
Yes.
That doesn't ring a bell. At the best of times I'm unlikely to
even remember my classmate's family names, so there's no way I
would ever remember their given names.
What's your family name?
Please don't make me say it.
Why?
Please don't...please don't lay a hand on my family!
I don't plan to lay a hand on anyone. I just have a favor to ask.
A favor?
I mean, if Kurusu comes by, could you tell her that you
haven't seen me since this morning?
Since this morning...
Are you making an alibi?
Why does it immediately come to that?
Are you about to go kill someone?
.....What?
S-s-s-sorry! I shouldn't have asked that!
Whatever, so whatdya say?
Okay! Okay!
I won't tell anyone, so please just don't hurt my family!
.....
Just what on earth does she think I am?
Ah...
At some point my classmates had begun to nervously
look in my direction.
Well, I guess no matter how you look at it it looks like I'm
bullying Kumiko(?)-san.
What're you guys looking at?
.....
My classmates averted their eyes by reflex, and I gave them
a sidelong glance as I left the classroom.
What's up with them? Getting upset over something
so stupid like that.
.....
The coldness of the outside air swooped down upon my cheek
which had been warmed by the heater inside.
Massive clouds envelop the sky. It looks like it could start
falling any second. At this temperature, it might even be snow.
My head hurts.
It's cold...
Really cold.
I leave the school behind, and somehow end up all the way
in front of the station. I don't have money or anyone
to kill the time with.
Be that as it may, I don't want to go home either.
As I've been aimlessly wandering around, my body has
gotten pretty cold.
Before I know it, it's begun to drizzle.
Maybe I'll hang around the mall...
Ugh...it's so cold.
At some point while I killed time in a fast food restaurant,
the sun had set.
As the street begins to fill with salarymen returning from work,
I curl up my back and walk.
They seem relieved to leave, even in spite of this cold. I guess
it feels good to make the trek home. The faces of the people
walking down the street looked cheerfully calm.
*sigh*
I would drink anything right about now so long as it was warm.
So I begin to search for a nearby vending machine.
Hmm?
Snow floated through the dark sky.
Ahh...it's snow.
It seems at some point the rain that began falling around
dusk turned to snow.
....
This is the first snow of the year.
It's so cold.
Hastening my stride, I walk towards the vending machine
under the dim streetlight on the other side of the street.
I'd even drink sweet red-bean soup.
On cold days, I limit myself to alcohol or sweet things.
Wicky (An approximation of the noise)
Huh?
An odd noise came from down at my feet.
......
......
What is this thing?
A rabbit...?
......
You are a rabbit, aren't you?
Wicky!
It stood skillfully on two legs, looking at me with a
fearless face. I thought it was a wind-up toy or something.
However, it does certainly seem like a normal rabbit.
Its red eyes looked about restlessly, in a way
that showed it was alive.
You look really creepy.
......
Not to mention bold. It doesn't seem to be
afraid of humans. I guess that means its a pet rabbit.
You look warm. Could you become a scarf for me?
Wicky!
It made that weird noise again, leaping up as it did.
Wha-
The rabbit grazed the edge of my hand, and softly
landed on the other side of me.
Huh?
Ah!
When I looked, I saw that the 1000 yen bill that
I'd been holding was gone!
And it was fluttering as it dangled from the
rabbit's mouth!
H-hey!
Did I just get tricked by a rabbit?
As I was staring in amazement, the rabbit nimbly
hopped away and was gone in the blink of an eye.
It's just a rabbit, and there it goes acting
like a thief!
Hey, wait!
You damn long-eared ***!
Wicky!
That ***! What the hell do you mean, wicky?
Wait!
Wicky!
*pant* *pant*
That damn rabbit. Where the hell did it go?
Huh?
This is near the older part of town, isn't it?
I ran this far just chasing after that rabbit...
The old streetlights dimly illuminated their
surroundings on the deserted street.
I don't see the rabbit anywhere...
*sigh*