Although Kayako herself had no intention of taking revenge on that man named Oono, once Toshio learned that such an article existed, a shard of icy coldness flashed across his once innocent eyes. In his small, fragile heart, his mother was everything—she was the only existence in this world that he truly cherished. Yet this shameless man, this Oono, had actually dared to slander his mother in such a despicable way?
He even wanted to become his stepfather?
This thought made the flames of fury inside Toshio ignite completely.
One had to understand—Saeki Toshio was definitely not some kindhearted child. Toshio was an extremely terrifying entity, and together with his mother Kayako, he had hunted down countless fools who had carelessly trespassed into the their house. And those fools, every single last one of them, had died. Naturally, Toshio was no ordinary evil spirit.
The author, Oono, made his living by writing horror stories. He spent his days running around searching for material, never imagining that a piece he casually made up would unexpectedly bring him a substantial profit.
"Didn't expect this, didn't expect this at all~ Everyone's tastes sure are heavy, huh~"
Oono was in an excellent mood. He never imagined that simply writing a random fanfiction would suddenly make him popular, bringing him a surprising amount of income. His days were no longer as impoverished as before as his life was drastically better, far beyond what he had ever expected. Even he couldn't believe he was now living like this.
The difference between his old life and the one he lived now was simply worlds apart. Back then, Oono had struggled daily just to survive, his dream being nothing more than owning a small place of his own. But now, his dream had upgraded—he wanted a luxurious big home.
After all, he really had made a lot of money recently.
"But to think, these fabricated evil spirits, Kayako and Toshiom, would actually become so popular. Director Edward really is my lucky star."
Oono grinned as he toyed with the Kayako and Toshio collectible figures in his hands. These figures, produced by Ghost Films, were cute-looking versions rather than horror-styled ones.
There were also creepy versions available, but Oono had no intention of bringing those home. For him, these cute ones were more than enough. Why would he purposely bring terrifying figures home just to scare himself every day?
Yawning in his study, Oono was about to start another day of writing when suddenly—the door to his study creaked open.
That long "creeeak" echoed especially sharply in the silent night.
"Huh?"
Oono froze for a moment. He was still living in his old rental apartment, after all. Despite earning money, he wanted to save up first and only buy a house later. So, by all logic, there should only be one person in this room—himself.
A jolt of alarm flashed in his heart. He instinctively turned around, only to see a little boy wearing an old, tattered school uniform standing in the doorway. At first, Oono didn't think much of it and assumed it was just his imagination—after all, these days he had been watching horror films and browsing countless spooky images for inspiration. Visual fatigue could easily lead to hallucinations.
But when he saw the boy's pale face and pitch-black eyes staring straight at him, a chill suddenly climbed up his spine.
This appearance… it looked disturbingly familiar.
"I've read the story you wrote about my mother."
Just as Oono was about to speak, the little boy suddenly opened his mouth. His tone was cold.
Oono's heart dropped instantly. Only now did he realize that the seemingly harmless little boy before him was none other than the fearsome Toshio himself. In that moment, it felt as if something had clamped around Oono's throat. He wanted to say something, but not a single word would come out.
Toshio simply stood there quietly, as if waiting for Oono's reply.
But Oono didn't know what to say. His mind had completely fallen into chaos.
He genuinely didn't understand why Saeki Toshio would appear before him. Wasn't Toshio supposed to be a fictional creation made up by Director Edward?
And… what had Toshio just said?
His mother?
His mother shouldn't—
A sudden wave of bone-piercing cold engulfed Oono. Of course, he knew exactly who Toshio's mother was. Kayako's name had echoed through all three Grudge films, becoming the very foundation for the Grudge series' reputation as the most terrifying horror franchise among countless film enthusiasts in the League.
"Why did you write those things?"
Toshio's voice was low, gloomy—like a whisper from hell.
Oono's entire body trembled instinctively.
In his manuscripts, he had written himself and Kayako as lovers, as husband and wife and had even wanted to make Toshio his stepchild. He had already planned how the protagonist would handle his relationship with Toshio. It would be the first major challenge in the story—one that could easily be stretched across many chapters, earning him enough money to scrape by.
But now that he was truly face-to-face with Toshio, Oono felt a terror that surpassed imagination—fear so overwhelming that his mind simply stopped functioning.
He wanted to defend himself but found he couldn't even form words. Fear had already consumed all his rationality.
Seeing no response, Toshio took a step forward.
Every step made the wooden floor creak—creak… creak…—echoing through the silent room like a countdown to death.
Unable to bear this suffocating dread any longer, Oono grabbed a pencil holder from his desk and flung it at Toshio.
But right before it touched Toshio, it passed straight through—as if Toshio were shielded by an invisible barrier. The pencil holder clattered to the floor.
Toshio's smile widened.
That smile was warped, eerie—deeply chilling.
He opened his mouth and let out an ear-splitting catlike scream.
With that scream, the temperature in the room plummeted. Time itself felt frozen. Oono struggled to breathe, his body growing heavier, his vision blurring until all he could see was Toshio's horrifying silhouette.
"N–No… don't…"
Oono's voice was hoarse. He tried to plead, but it was useless.
Just before his consciousness faded, he seemed to glimpse his study drenched in blood—his own body twisted and mangled—as if he had glimpsed his future death.
Overwhelming terror surged through him, and he fainted on the spot.
A while later—because his screams had been so loud—his frightened neighbors called the police. By the time Officer Jenny arrived, Oono was found collapsed in his study, barely breathing, his expression twisted in pure terror.
He was quickly carried to an ambulance and taken to the hospital.
And the culprit Toshio stood quietly by the window, watching the ambulance leave, his face completely expressionless.
This was far from over.
Toshio would never forgive Oono.
If not for being unable to kill people, Toshio would have already ended him.
But even if he couldn't kill him, Toshio would definitely make sure Oono paid dearly. Paid painfully.
Thus, when Oono was taken into the hospital, Toshio followed.
At the same time, a reporter who had received insider information also arrived out of curiosity. Was this incident connected to The Grudge? Although the previous sibling incident had convinced him that Director Edward was a good man, a person being good once didn't guarantee they would always be good.
So, he wanted to investigate for himself and confirm his suspicions.
When Oono finally woke up in the hospital, he saw something horrifying—
Toshio was standing on the ceiling.
Smiling at him.
With a severed head in his hand.
His head.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!"
Oono's scream summoned Nurse Joy. But Toshio still clung to the ceiling, staring. Strangely, Nurse Joy couldn't see him at all. The two nurses exchanged glances, then prepared a sedative—his blood pressure and heart rate were spiking dangerously.
Toshio grinned smugly.
He waved his hand—and the approaching Nurse Joy suddenly transformed into the twisted figure of Kayako.
Toshio couldn't physically kill the man, but he could hurt him through clever means.
"Don't come near me!"
Sure enough, when Oono saw Kayako, his face contorted. He flailed wildly, trying to keep "her" away.
Just as everything was about to spiral beyond control, the entire room fell silent.
Everyone except Toshio and Oono froze in place.
And Oono heard a familiar sound—the bubbling, rattling croak.
Trembling, Oono looked toward the door—unaware that Toshio was shaking even harder than him.
The door opened.
A stunningly beautiful woman appeared.
Oono was so dazzled by her that he was momentarily dazed.
She gave him a gentle smile—
And Oono fainted instantly.
The moment he passed out, Kayako's true form emerged. Her venom-filled gaze locked onto her son.
Moments before, Toshio had been strutting confidently. Now he trembled like a quail.
"Enough, enough, Kayako, stop hitting him."
Director Edward sighed helplessly as he looked at Kayako beating her son—Toshio being hung up and whipped with a slipper. Edward was stunned speechless. He even wondered whether that slipper was the legendary Asian mom weapon.
A storm of comedic lines popped into Edward's mind.
Watching Toshio getting whipped while hanging, he was both amused and speechless.
Where on earth did Kayako learn such a skilled technique? She was so practiced at it! Too terrifying. Was she going to take out a belt switch next?
"This brat! While I wasn't here, he actually went to take revenge on that author! He even tried to get him to attack others!"
Kayako panted furiously. Hearing this, Edward glanced at her again. Honestly, considering the situation, she was hitting him lightly.
If someone died because of this, regardless of circumstance, both Kayako and Toshio would be sent back and forced once again under the curse of The Grudge. Their employment contract made that very clear.
A person who has tasted light can never bear to return to endless darkness.
That was human nature.
Edward could only give Toshio a "you're on your own" expression. This matter really was serious. He understood Toshio's anger, but that didn't mean he could tolerate Toshio committing a massacre. Even Edward wouldn't be able to protect him. Early discipline was necessary.
He sighed.
He never expected Kayako's temper to become this violent.
But Toshio would be fine. And truly, this mentality needed correction. Edward could tell—Kayako genuinely wanted Toshio to have a normal childhood, not to sink endlessly into the curse as she once had.
Parents who love their children think far into their future.
But judging by Toshio's rebellious look, Edward knew the kid probably wasn't listening.
Still, if Toshio hadn't died, he'd already be in puberty anyway. Edward decided not to lecture too much.
As for poor Oono, Edward had no intention of visiting him.
If he did, wouldn't that make him look like the culprit behind all of this?
Better to act like he knew nothing.
Otherwise, people would line up claiming they'd fainted after being scared by The Grudge.
The filming of Harry Potter continued for a while, and Edward finally finished shooting. Next came editing—and more importantly, composing the soundtrack. Edward cared deeply about this. He even wanted to bring out the Hedwig Theme, since when it came to Harry Potter music, the Hedwig Theme was unavoidable.
But he had a headache.
He had heard the Hedwig Theme, but he had no musical talent whatsoever. Composing it himself would be impossibly difficult.
So, he had no choice but to look for an external composer.
Thankfully, Edward had already prepared himself mentally.
His next task was to find a professional music specialist.
(End of Chapter)