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Haunted House Amusement Park.
Even though the afternoon sun was shining brightly outside, the air in front of the haunted house still carried a chill.
"Whoa! We're so lucky—this haunted house has a stamp rally, and if we collect them all, we get twenty donuts!"
"God, Miko, let's go inside!"
Hana Yurikawa was practically bouncing with excitement.
But the moment they bought their tickets and stepped inside, the creepy atmosphere immediately got to her.
The faintly swaying curtains, the dim green lights glowing in the corners, the blood-smeared dolls hanging from the walls and ceiling, the sealed windows, and the red-stained floors painted to look like gore—
They really nailed the horror vibe.
"So scary! It looks totally real!"
Thanks to the soundproofing, none of the noisy chatter from outside reached them.
Hana froze up as soon as she saw the setup, clinging to Rosen's arm like a frightened child, her eyes on the verge of tears.
"Uh… I don't really get what's so scary about this…"
Miko Yotsuya's face stayed calm.
After spending months surrounded by real spirits popping out at her every day, this kind of thing was child's play.
"Come on, Hana. You've seen actual ghosts. Why are you scared of a haunted house?"
"B-because it's terrifying, that's why!"
Her voice shook, and without realizing it she hugged Rosen's arm even tighter, pressing her chest around him like twin Mt. Fujis.
Just then, a rustling sound came from behind them.
A tall figure in a cowboy getup stepped out from a hidden door, a burlap sack over his head, brandishing a butcher's knife while letting out a guttural scream.
It was the classic "Texas Chainsaw" slasher type.
"Ahhhhhh! It's here!"
Hana spun around at the noise, spotted the NPC actor, and instantly jumped straight up like a cat with its fur standing on end.
They moved deeper inside.
Overhead, spiders suddenly dropped down on strings, severed heads swung from the ceiling, and other props popped out at random.
Hana kept shrieking the whole way.
Rosen, on the other hand, didn't react at all. To him, the word "fear" had long since been erased from his dictionary.
At least they managed to collect all the stamps without issue.
But just as they neared the end of the course, Miko noticed something strange in a shadowy corner—
A lanky ghostly figure in a gym uniform, its head grotesquely swollen like it was begging for release.
That was unusual. The haunted house was built around Western horror tropes. Something like this didn't belong.
Hana yelped when she spotted it, startled out of nowhere.
But even though they made eye contact with the spirit, it didn't lash out.
Rosen guessed it was because this was a haunted house.
That ghost must've tried to attack visitors in the past, but after realizing it couldn't hurt anyone, it eventually dulled, like an animal trained by reflex.
Even so, when it sensed the strong life energy radiating from Hana, its instincts kicked in again.
It staggered toward her step by step—only to be violently repelled the moment it touched her, her protective barrier blasting it away like a ragdoll.
"Huh? Was that one… real?"
Hana's eyes went wide at the unnatural reaction.
Miko silently nodded. Ghosts really did find their way into every corner.
"Looks like we're almost done. The last stamp should be just ahead."
The three pressed on.
But right before the exit, Rosen suddenly noticed two familiar silhouettes crouched up ahead.
"Huh? Is this another monster encounter?"
Hana ducked behind him, peeking nervously.
"No… they're people."
Miko shook her head. With her spirit sight, it was easy to tell the difference between humans and ghosts.
"But why are they hiding here?"
At that same moment—
Ayano Kimishima was anxiously leaning over her young mistress.
"Lady Yuki, are you alright?!"
"What's going on?"
Rosen's voice made Ayano look back. She expected random guests, but instead her eyes landed on someone she knew.
The very man Yuki Suou had been unable to forget since that day.
Ayano herself had never believed in Yuki's claims about "seeing ghosts," but just moments ago, Yuki had suddenly collapsed to the floor, trembling, like she'd seen something horrifying. Her hands and feet were icy cold.
Ayano's gut told her this wasn't something she could hide from him.
It had all started with Yuki's decision earlier.
Just as Rosen, Miko, and Hana headed toward the haunted house, Suou Yuki had cheerfully declared she wanted to test her courage here too.
Everything went fine at first. But right near the end, Yuki froze mid-step. Then, out of nowhere, a blast of wind swept through the haunted house.
After that, Yuki looked the way she did now—shaken and pale.
Ayano, trained in first aid, had already checked her over. No injuries, no nails through the feet, nothing like that. But Yuki was trembling all over, dripping with cold sweat. She'd gone through a pile of tissues already just wiping her face.
Ayano had been about to ask an NPC for help when Rosen's group showed up.
Miko and Hana exchanged confused looks.
Ordinary people weren't supposed to see spirits.
And even if Yuki somehow could… why had she made it this far before breaking down?
"Uh… could it be, you know… that time of the month?"
Hana asked with a kind of worldly authority.
Ayano's forehead darkened with several black lines.
Rosen, however, had already figured out the real reason.
His eyes could see things even Miko couldn't.
And right now, on Yuki Suou's body, he clearly saw a faint glowing mark shaped like a fox.
Coupled with the lingering traces of ghostly energy in the air, the picture came together.
In Miko's world, there weren't just ordinary spirits. Some were much stronger, far more dangerous.
The most iconic example? In the original story, when Hana and Miko once wandered into an abandoned shrine for no real reason, they prayed to the deity enshrined there—
A fox spirit.
Miko had received its protection three times. But once those three favors ran out, the price was her life.
"..."
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