"No! Don't send us back!" Toshio shouted in frustration, but it was already too late. With a crisp snap of Edward's fingers, the next second, both he and Kayako felt a wave of distorted space and time wash over them. In an instant, the bright, clear daylight surrounding them warped and twisted, transforming into a gloomy, suffocating atmosphere filled with dread.
Toshio stared blankly at his surroundings. He knew this place far too well. After all, this was where he and his mother had lived for a long time. But right behind that familiarity came a surge of overwhelming resentment climbing up his body—latching onto him and Kayako, swallowing their minds whole. In a mere heartbeat, Toshio's heart became saturated with venomous hatred, with a burning resentment toward all living beings.
But soon, those emotions subsided. Toshio turned to look at Kayako. She was smiling at him gently, reaching out to stroke his head like she always did.
Yet Kayako's expression twisted in the very next moment—from a kind, motherly smile to one filled with bitter malice. Toshio's heart was flooded with regret. If he had known things would turn out like this, he never would have gone to scare that useless Ooya. Toshio didn't want to drag his mother into harm, but…
Meanwhile, Edward was sitting in front of his computer, handling matters related to the first Harry Potter film as well as some Devon Corporation business.
This "lesson" for Toshio was something Edward and Kayako had already discussed. Both felt that Toshio had gone far too overboard lately, so they agreed he needed a wake-up call. Otherwise, it would be difficult for Toshio to ever understand Kayako's painstaking efforts.
And so, Edward sent Kayako and Toshio back. The one replacing them at his side for the time being was another vengeful spirit—Kayako's younger sister.
Kawamata Naoko.
"...Miss Naoko, you seem to be quite interested in my screenplay?" Edward said, glancing at Naoko sitting nearby, watching a movie. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He really hadn't expected to summon this one. Originally, Edward thought he would summon Mimiko Mizunuma, (the One Missed Call ghost) a spirit he had interacted with before.
"Yes, Mr. Edward. Your screenplay is very fascinating, and you even wrote about my story." Kawamata Naoko replied with a gentle smile. She was already dead in her own timeline, but in Edward's timeline, Kayako had not yet taken that step. Whether Kayako would encounter it again after being sent back—Edward wasn't sure. But he had already agreed with Kayako that no matter what, she would need to wait a full month before she could come back to him.
Edward scratched his head. This was getting interesting. And through Kayako's sister, he might learn more about Kayako's past. Thinking of that, he decided to ask Naoko exactly how she became a vengeful spirit.
Kawamata Naoko, however, did not show any discomfort at the question. She simply paused to think.
"Mr. Edward, my story may be a bit different from the version here. Would you like to hear it?" Naoko asked with a soft smile.
Edward's curiosity immediately spiked. Most spirits he summoned followed the plot he wrote for them, so it was rare to encounter someone whose development diverged completely.
"May I?" Edward asked, curiosity overflowing.
Naoko nodded with a calm smile. To her, this wasn't anything she couldn't share.
"Well… at that time…" Naoko's eyes drifted, as if she had sunk into her memories.
At the edge of the city stood an old, decaying house. It should have been a warm home shaped by the passage of time, but because the entire Saeki family and the Murakami family had all died there, people believed the place was cursed. It had become a haunted house that everyone avoided.
The house stood silently, the cracked exterior walls covered in dried ivy, surrounded by overgrown weeds that looked as if they wanted to swallow it whole. The neighbors always avoided mentioning the place. Occasionally, when an uninformed passerby wandered near, they would see the official warnings posted by the Tokyo Governor outside the door—lists of bright red names, each one proof of Kayako's deadly curse.
Those who had died under the curse also became fuel for the grudge, strengthening Kayako further—so much so that her power had reached the point of warping space itself. Completely absurd.
But in every horror story, there were always some unbelievably reckless people. A particularly unfortunate married couple—the Yamamoto husband and wife—moved in because of financial hardship and their longing for a peaceful home. They gritted their teeth and bought the property, becoming the house's newest victims.
"…Wait. Didn't your local government try to stop them?" Edward asked, unable to hold back. Earlier, Naoko said there were government notice boards everywhere, so he assumed they must have some effect. Apparently not.
"No money. And they thought it was a government conspiracy. So, they just moved in. Besides, the Tokyo Mayor probably didn't mind. Those idiots believed some street charlatan who told them that blood sacrifice could appease my sister's anger." Naoko said with a disdainful pout. If not for those fools, she believed she might have successfully sealed Kayako, allowing the curse to fade over time.
Edward scratched his head. When you think about it, it did sound plausible. Sometimes, watching horror movies, he would think the characters were acting unrealistically stupid—but real life often had even dumber people. That thought alone made him lose all concern about "unrealistic writing."
Mr. Yamamoto was a simple, honest man, working grueling physical labor in a factory. Every day, he would return home exhausted. His wife, Miye, was a warm and gentle homemaker who kept their home spotless and orderly.
After moving into the house, Yamamoto felt life was surprisingly good. The Tokyo government even subsidized them—500,000 yen a month. Not a huge sum, but significant enough for them.
And since nothing strange happened during their first month, the Yamamoto couple slowly relaxed and adapted to life there.
But everything changed in the second month.
Out of nowhere, the house began to fill with a stale, rotten smell. Even with every window thrown open, the stench wouldn't fade. Miye sprayed air freshener repeatedly, but the odor only grew stronger—like something dead was decomposing.
Then one night, Yamamoto heard faint crying in his half-asleep state. It sounded like a child—filled with resentment. He rubbed his eyes but dismissed it as hallucination from overwork.
But that was only the beginning of the nightmare.
One evening, Miye was preparing dinner in the kitchen, humming softly while cooking her husband's favorite pork cutlet rice. Suddenly, the kitchen lights began flickering violently.
Startled, she almost dropped her knife. That was when she felt someone staring at her from behind. She turned slowly…
And on the second-floor landing stood a pale woman with hollow, lifeless eyes—staring straight at her.
Miye's eyes widened. She wanted to scream but no sound came out. Kayako slowly lifted her hand and began walking toward her—each step unnaturally twisted and jerky, sending chills down the spine. Miye fainted instantly.
When Yamamoto returned home and found his wife unconscious on the floor, he panicked. He rushed toward her, preparing to call an ambulance…
But when he looked up, a pale little boy stood at the staircase, staring at him with unblinking eyes. The boy opened his mouth and let out a piercing, cat-like wail.
Then came movement from upstairs. The next moment, Kayako crawled down the staircase.
Yamamoto collapsed in fright, mind completely blank. All he could do was watch as Kayako crawled onto him and grabbed his clothing. Then everything went black.
When he regained consciousness, they were already in the hospital.
Miye had multiple lacerations across her body and was rushed into emergency care. Her injuries were so severe she soon fell into a coma.
Mr. Yamamoto's injuries were mild. After waking, he stayed by Miye's bedside, red-eyed and crying. He knew now that the house had truly been cursed. At last he believed the horrible truth.
Fortunately, the Tokyo Governor did not simply let the Yamamoto couple suffer. He arranged for a highly skilled onmyoji to help—Kawamata Naoko.
Naoko was Kayako's younger sister and a powerful onmyoji. Growing up together, Kayako became the vessel of the curse while Naoko inherited their mother's spiritual lineage.
Previously, Naoko had been dealing with an even more dangerous exorcism case, so she had ignored Kayako's situation. But after realizing her sister's curse was spreading too much, she came to intervene.
"And what were you dealing with at the time?" Edward asked curiously. In his mind, Kayako's curse was already one of the biggest headaches possible.
"Hachishaku-sama. That thing strikes often… and likes to eat children." Naoko said solemnly.
Edward raised an eyebrow. Okay—that one he understood.
Hachishaku-sama, despite its questionable appearances in certain… illustrated mediums, was a well-known Japanese urban legend. Mimicking familiar voices, making its signature "pop-pop-pop" sounds, towering in height—yes, that one.
When Naoko arrived at the house, her expression turned grim. The force she felt inside was incredibly powerful and malicious—so much so that she could barely perform any spellwork. She had not expected her sister to become that strong.
Naoko searched the house carefully and found many strange traces—deep scratches along the walls, as though gouged by sharp nails, and blood-painted symbols. She told Mr. Yamamoto that the house was thoroughly cursed and only by finding the method to dispel the curse could they save Miye.
But such a method was not easy to find. Kayako had already killed far too many people.
Later, Naoko happened upon Kayako's diary. The pages were yellowed, the writing faint. She read through it carefully. Inside were records of the tragedies Kayako and Toshio had endured in that house.
Naoko's heart ached. Although she and her sister had never been close due to their childhood experiences, she still cared deeply for Kayako. Ever since Naoko was sent for harsh spiritual training, the sisters had grown distant.
"So basically… the reason you didn't know much about your sister was because of that?" Edward said, expression strange.
Naoko nodded. She cared about her sister, but fate had pushed them apart. That didn't mean she didn't love her.
Edward scratched his head. Honestly, he felt this was the official writers' fault—patching Kayako's backstory later created inconsistencies. The easiest fix was simply making the sisters estranged. Problem solved.
"Truthfully, I always felt guilty toward my sister," Naoko admitted softly. "I witnessed what happened when we were young, but I never spoke up for her. I just ran away."
Perhaps because of that guilt, she ultimately died during the sealing ritual and became a new grudge spirit herself.
But Naoko only killed the man who had murdered her. Unlike Kayako, she did not target others. She wanted to be the master of her curse—not be controlled by it.
"And then?" Edward asked with great interest. Since this Naoko never went to America, how did she die?
He was genuinely curious. This version of the story felt much more grounded, and it might even be good enough to adapt into another Grudge film someday.
"And then… Mr. Yamamoto twisted my neck and killed me." Naoko said calmly.
(End of Chapter)