( After the incident , Reiko again changed her school , so that the Miya-zaki shadow never touch her but -------
The train rattled through tunnels carved deep into the mountains, its wheels screeching on cold iron rails. Outside, the pale moonlight bathed the dense forest in silver, but inside, Reiko's thoughts were darker than the night itself.
She sat by the window, clutching the pendant around her neck—the same pendant that had once burned with cursed fire and whispered ancient secrets. Now it pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat caught in a cage, pulsing not with warmth but with something cold and distant.
Her fingers trembled.
The journey was long. When the train finally slowed to a halt, Reiko found herself standing on the platform of Hinokawa Academy, a sprawling, old-fashioned boarding school perched on the edge of the forest near the mountain. Its gothic architecture cast long shadows beneath the flickering lamps that lined the stone walkways.
Students in dark uniforms wandered the grounds, their voices low and conspiratorial. Some glanced at Reiko with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Whispers floated through the chilly air like phantoms:
"That's her, the cursed girl..."
"They say she brought death wherever she goes."
"The one who lived through the Miyazaki curse."
Reiko ignored them, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. She stepped forward, her footsteps echoing hollowly against the stone.
---
Inside the grand oak doors of the main building, the warmth of the academy was suffocating. The walls seemed to breathe—a soft creak here, a whisper of old wood there. The scent of aged paper and cold stone mingled with something else… something faintly metallic and sharp.
A tall figure awaited her in the dimly lit entrance hall.
"Welcome, Reiko Maizono," said the woman with a voice like silk over steel. Her black hair was streaked with silver, and her eyes gleamed with an unsettling intensity. "I am Amagiri Saya, headmistress of Hinokawa Academy."
Reiko nodded silently, her gaze fixed on the woman's unblinking stare.
"I am aware of your... heritage," Saya continued. "The history you carry is not something this world easily forgets."
A chill ran down Reiko's spine. The pendant around her neck pulsed more rapidly, a quiet, persistent thrum like a warning.
"Your room is prepared," Saya said, turning sharply on her heel. "Follow me."
---
The corridors were labyrinthine, lit by flickering sconces casting elongated shadows that seemed to crawl along the walls. As Reiko followed Saya, she noticed the portraits lining the hallways—eyes that seemed too lifelike, tracking her every move. The faces were stern, some faintly twisted in silent screams, their paint chipped and cracked as if the years themselves had tried to erase their stories.
"This school has stood for centuries," Saya explained. "Its walls hold secrets much older than the mountain itself. You will find that the past here does not stay buried."
Reiko swallowed hard. She felt the pendant's pulse grow erratic. Suddenly, a cold draft swept through the corridor, snuffing out some of the candles, plunging the hall into near darkness.
Saya stopped. "That will be all for now. Your room is at the east wing, third floor."
With a nod, Reiko turned and made her way alone toward the stairs.
---
The east wing was quiet—too quiet.
Reiko's footsteps disturbed the silence, echoing like distant thunder. The floorboards creaked beneath her feet, the shadows twisting and stretching as if alive. At the end of the hallway was her room: 313.
She slid the key into the ancient lock and pushed the door open.
Inside, the air was thick, heavy with a musty smell—damp wood and something faintly sickly sweet. The room was sparsely furnished: a narrow bed, a desk, a wardrobe with peeling paint, and a large mirror framed in dark wood that dominated one wall.
Reiko's reflection stared back at her—but for a moment, the eyes in the mirror shimmered and darkened, as if something behind her reflected self was watching.
She spun around.
The room was empty.
A tremor of unease settled deep in her bones.
---
That night, Reiko lay awake, the pendant cool against her chest. The moonlight filtered through the window, painting silver stripes across the floor. Outside, the wind moaned like a lost soul drifting through the mountain trees.
Suddenly, the pendant pulsed sharply, awakening something long dormant.
Reiko's eyes snapped open. The mirror across the room seemed to ripple like water, distorting her reflection. Slowly, a shadow separated itself from the glass—a pale figure with hollow eyes and a mouth sewn shut.
Reiko's breath caught.
The figure raised a finger and pointed at her.
Then, with a sudden, unnatural lurch, it disappeared back into the mirror, leaving behind an icy silence.
---
The next morning was thick with dread. Reiko's sleep had been shattered by dreams of drowning in black water, of being trapped beneath layers of hair that suffocated her.
At breakfast, the whispers followed her. The students avoided her, but their eyes burned with unspoken accusations.
Kino, who had arrived earlier that day, sat beside her quietly.
"Did you sleep at all?" Kino asked, eyes scanning Reiko's pale face.
"No," Reiko whispered. "The mirror… it moved."
Kino frowned. "This place feeds on old pain. You must be careful."
Before Reiko could respond, the headmaster appeared again, standing nearby with that unsettling smile.
"Miss Maizono," she said smoothly, "the academy holds many secrets. Some… better left alone. But I sense you will uncover them regardless."
Reiko felt the pendant pulse again—a strange, rhythmic thudding—like a heartbeat counting down.
---
That evening, Reiko explored the school grounds under the guise of searching for quiet. The forest surrounding Hinokawa Academy was dense and cold, shadows clinging to the trees like cobwebs.
As she walked, the wind whispered her name.
"Reiko…"
She froze.
From the shadows, a figure emerged. It was Shin, his face pale, eyes haunted.
"I came as soon as I heard," he said softly. "This place... it's different. Dangerous."
Reiko nodded, gripping her pendant tightly. "I feel it too. The curse... or whatever is left of it... it's not finished with me."
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the forest.
Both of them turned toward the sound. Glowing eyes appeared among the trees.
---
Back inside, the school was alive with unseen watchers.
In the corridors, the portraits shifted—the eyes in the paintings followed Reiko's movements with growing intensity. Doors slammed shut on their own. Faint voices whispered from the walls, calling her name in tones both pleading and accusing.
Reiko tried to retreat to her room, but the halls twisted, changing. Doors led to unfamiliar places. The walls seemed to close in.
In a sudden panic, she reached for her pendant—it pulsed violently, the warmth returning like a flame sparked to life.
A figure appeared in the shadows—a tall, cloaked man with eyes like burning coals.
"You cannot hide from your fate, Vessel," he said. "The mountain calls, and the darkness rises."
Before she could respond, the lights flickered and went out.
---
In the darkness, Reiko was alone.
Or so she thought.
Cold breath ghosted over her neck.
A whisper breathed into her ear, "You belong to us."
Her scream was swallowed by the night.
---
Morning came with a red sky, bleeding into the clouds.
Reiko was found in her room, unconscious, clutching the pendant. Her eyes fluttered open, but the fear did not leave.
The academy was no longer a place of refuge.
It was a prison.
And the shadows that had once haunted Miyazaki had followed her here—waiting to claim what was theirs.
---
The soft rustling of sakura petals outside the window was suddenly drowned by a sharp crack—the sound of glass breaking.
Reiko's reflection shattered.
And in the fragments, hundreds of eyes stared back.
---
To be continued…
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