Edward thought that the whole matter had finally come to an end. After all, Kayako had personally stepped in—surely Toshio, that troublesome little brat, wouldn't go any further.
But even Edward himself did not expect that the resentment festering in Toshio's heart was so overwhelmingly deep.
On a stormy night with wind and rain lashing wildly, Oono sat alone in his hospital room. The bright lights remained steady despite the violent wind, but the ward's window rattled nonstop, shaking as if it might fall off at any moment.
"In this type of weather… if I were at home, things would be much better, right? I could even get some writing done. But…"
Oono paused as a thought struck him. He felt a little regretful.
But when he recalled the reason he was hospitalized, and the terrifying hallucinations he had suffered, Oono felt completely unsettled.
What was real?
What was fake?
Oono could no longer distinguish the difference.
He thought of that reporter from before, and all those unbelievable things the reporter had said. Oono felt conflicted. It was the first time he had heard something so absurd—yet when he remembered what he had experienced that day, chills crawled down his spine.
"But at least… I can be discharged tomorrow."
Oono exhaled in relief. This period in the hospital had given him enough material to write several stories.
But when he thought of Toshio and Kayako… Oono hesitated.
He decided to abandon writing any more Ju-On fanfiction. It was simply too dangerous, not worth the money at all.
Oono yawned. Exhaustion hit him, and he planned to sleep.
But just as the yawn left his mouth, Oono was struck with terror—
because he suddenly discovered he was no longer in his hospital room.
He was standing in his study.
Outside lay a pitch-black corridor, but moonlight filtered through the windows and faintly illuminated a small, pale boy.
That pallid face carried no expression at all, but in his eyes lurked a bottomless darkness.
In an instant, Oono recognized him.
Toshio.
And at that very moment, Toshio slowly inched toward the study door.
Each step felt as though it landed directly upon Oono's heart.
The next second, Toshio gently pushed the door open—the creaking "squeeeeak" sounded painfully loud in the silent night.
Oono couldn't help but shiver.
"Y-you… what on earth are you!?" Oono cried in terror.
He continuously pinched and twisted his own thigh so hard he left bruises but everything before him remained horrifyingly real.
Toshio did not answer him. The boy simply stood there, silently, staring at Oono with those deathly dark eyes.
Suddenly, Toshio let out a strange, twisted laugh—a sound like countless needles stabbing into Oono's ears.
Oono felt as though an invisible hand was squeezing his skull, the pain unbearable.
Then Toshio began darting around the room at frightening speed, leaving behind only streaks of blurry afterimages in Oono's vision.
At the same time, countless black cats emerged from every direction.
Their cries made Oono feel as though he desperately wanted to die—his heart raced wildly, like a battered old car with the most violent engine stuffed inside.
His body felt utterly unable to withstand the violent pounding of his heart.
Toshio, meanwhile, jumped onto a chair, making it rock back and forth with sharp creaking noises.
The swaying made Oono feel like he was trapped in a tiny boat on a raging ocean, ready to capsize at any moment.
Then Toshio hid behind the bookshelf, occasionally poking his head out.
His half-exposed face, caught between shadows and light, looked terrifying.
Oono's heartbeat surged, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Pain wracked his entire body.
He remembered what happened before—how all his joints had seemingly been twisted apart.
Although the doctor said nothing was wrong, Oono knew what he felt.
The sensation of his joints being torn apart had left him with lingering trauma.
Toshio, bored of his little games, finally approached Oono.
Oono tried to retreat, but to his horror, he couldn't move at all.
No matter how he struggled, it was useless.
When Toshio came close, Oono felt a wave of freezing cold wash over him—like ice-type Pokémon exhaling frost right into his face.
The bone-deep chill made him tremble violently.
Toshio reached out his small hand, moving it slowly toward Oono's neck.
Oono stared at that approaching hand with despair.
Toshio's fingers clamped around his throat.
Oono's face flushed bright red as he frantically tried to pry those small hands off.
But the boy's grip was like iron clamps.
On the verge of suffocation, Oono saw the malevolent expression twisting Toshio's face.
His life felt as though it were being drained away bit by bit, his vision growing blurrier with each passing second.
His heart thumped wildly—faster and faster.
Dizziness overwhelmed him.
In that moment, Oono felt he could already see the spirit world—the soul-harvesting ferryman standing beside him, awaiting his death.
Just when Oono thought he was about to die, Toshio suddenly let go.
Oono gasped desperately for air, then broke into violent coughing that echoed throughout the room.
But Toshio still did not leave.
In the blink of an eye, Toshio vanished from the room—
and the surroundings instantly reverted back to the hospital ward.
But Oono didn't relax for even a second.
He touched the marks on his neck—proof that none of this had been a hallucination.
He tried to flee.
He ran toward the door, planning to seek help from the nurses outside.
But when he grabbed the doorknob, the door wouldn't open.
Toshio appeared in front of him.
His body blocked the faint light about to enter the room, plunging everything into complete darkness.
Oono felt a tremendous force pushing him from behind, dragging him back into the room.
No matter how much he struggled, it was useless.
He could only watch in despair as Toshio laughed—
laughed louder and louder—
while Oono himself could only make muffled sounds of pain.
A cold hand was yanking on his tongue, preventing him from opening his mouth.
Toshio dragged Oono into a corner.
From his pocket, he pulled out a small pair of scissors.
Under the light, the blades gleamed ominously.
Toshio waved the scissors around Oono.
Oono stared at the icy blades in terror, trying to shrink away, but he was completely immobilized—forced to watch.
Then, without warning, Toshio stabbed the scissors into Oono's arm.
Oono screamed as blood streamed from the wound, staining his white shirt red.
But what horrified him even more—
was that an eye slowly grew from the cut…
an eye staring directly at him.
Oono screamed hysterically, but no one outside responded. It was as if the Nurse Joy's had vanished.
Toshio sniffed the bloody scissors, then set them on the table—and even nudged them toward Oono, as if inviting him to look closer.
Oono's wound widened grotesquely.
A pale hand suddenly pushed out from inside his arm—
and Oono saw clearly that the hand belonged to Toshio.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have written that! I get it now—just spare me!"
Oono wailed, trembling uncontrollably.
Had he known writing this fanfiction would cost him his life, he'd never have taken the job.
But Toshio showed no reaction to his begging.
He simply tilted his head, smiling cheerfully at Oono.
Oono collapsed to his knees in despair.
What was he supposed to do now?
Suddenly, Toshio jumped onto the table and swept everything off it with a violent swipe.
Then he opened his mouth—
and a black cat crawled out of it.
The cat leapt at Oono.
Knowing he couldn't sit and wait to die, Oono mustered his courage.
He grabbed a vase from the floor and hurled it at the door.
Surely such a loud noise would attract the attention of the Joy nurses outside.
That was what Oono hoped—what he desperately hoped.
But the vase shattered loudly…
and nothing happened.
The outside remained silent.
Toshio crawled toward Oono with an unnervingly twisted posture.
Oono scrambled backward in fear, though he couldn't move much at all.
As Toshio drew closer—his expression increasingly sinister—Oono, in pure desperation, grabbed the scissors beside him.
He truly had no choice.
If he couldn't control the situation, then he might as well fight back.
If he was going to die, he wouldn't let Toshio have it easy either.
But before Toshio reached him, Oono felt his vision spinning—
and the next second, he collapsed into unconsciousness, still clutching the scissors.
The hospital room was in utter chaos, and a Nurse Joy was desperately trying to save him.
Earlier, when one of the Nurse Joy's came to check on him, the flying vase nearly smashed her head in. Furious, she rushed inside—only to see Oono's expression twisted in terror, as if seeing something horrifying.
She immediately called for the others and prepared her Pokémon to calm him down.
But before she could approach, Oono brandished the scissors like he would stab her if she came closer.
The sight was unsettling.
After repeated warnings failed, the Nurse Joy had no choice but to have her Pokémon use Hypnosis to put Oono to sleep—finally bringing an end to the chaos.
"…I'm not trying to be rude, but Toshio, this really is too much."
Edward looked at the three broken restraining straps on the ground, then at Toshio standing silently before him.
He really wanted to scold the boy but held back.
In a way, Toshio was avenging his mother. From that perspective, he wasn't entirely wrong.
But… the situation was far too complicated.
Oono had no idea Kayako and Toshio actually existed.
From the standpoint of "ignorance is innocence," Oono technically hadn't done anything wrong.
Looking at Toshio, Edward felt helpless.
The kid's killing intent was too strong.
Oono had nearly been discharged, yet ended up hospitalized again. He had nearly stabbed a Joy nurse.
Toshio had come dangerously close to sending the woman straight into eternal damnation.
"Kayako, if this doesn't work, you should make Toshio maintain his previous state again. Otherwise, you won't be able to control him."
Edward sighed.
Normally, Kayako would have been able to sense Toshio's behavior, but she had taken on most of the curse herself so her son could attend school normally.
That left her unable to monitor his condition.
"But… Toshio…"
Kayako hesitated.
But when she considered the consequences—especially the possibility of causing a death—she knew she would be forced back to their own world.
So in the end, she agreed.
Without needing to burn off resentment, Kayako's appearance grew even more terrifying—her pale face and the blood trickling from her orifices sending chills through anyone who saw her.
Edward, however, was used to her appearance.
In fact, on some level, she looked more "normal" to him that way.
"Kayako, you'd better keep Toshio by your side. Otherwise, things will get troublesome."
Edward added.
He had already learned that Oono was hospitalized again, and a troublesome reporter had begun investigating.
The reporter's intuition was sharp and seemed to suspect Edward.
So Edward did not want to be dragged into trouble—properly controlling Toshio was necessary.
Kayako nodded, then left with the silent Toshio.
Edward sighed.
This matter really was difficult to handle. He could only hope Kayako could restrain him.
Otherwise… Edward would have to intervene directly.
After feeding Q so many ghost candies, Little Q could now inflict significant damage even to someone like Kayako.
So if Toshio refused to behave, Edward might have to discipline him himself.
And if Toshio remained stubborn…
then he would have no choice but to send the boy back.
"…Huh?" Edward suddenly realized something.
Right—he could send Toshio back.
Kayako would have to return too, but that was exactly the point.
If Kayako put on an act and showed Toshio just how much trouble he had caused her, then perhaps the boy would finally understand and stop causing chaos.
Edward felt that this plan had a promising chance of working.
(End of Chapter)