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Chapter 4 - First Job (Part 1)

After that, we spent several hours training. Haruka taught me how to properly use my new weapons. From what I understood, using spells requires a type of mystical energy called ether. Anomalies are made up of this same energy.

Another thing I learned is that one of the fundamental requirements to be an OHRA agent is the ability to manipulate ether. When I asked Haruka how they could tell if someone had that ability, she told me that if you can feel ether, then you can also manipulate it. From there, the level at which you control it depends on each person's talent and training.

The strange sensation I felt when looking at my new weapons was the remnants of the cat's will, manifested through ether. A normal person wouldn't have noticed they were being influenced, simply because they wouldn't be able to sense that energy. So the good news is that, as long as I'm aware of that influence, it shouldn't affect me. Or at least, I hope not...

When the sun began to set, we decided to end the training session. I made some progress: now, if I concentrate, I can sense ether in a radius of a few meters around me.

—"You've made great progress, Mochi," Haruka congratulated me. "If you continue training with discipline, you'll improve your ether sensitivity, and might even begin to awaken your weapon's special ability."

Even if she praised me, I'm still far from her level. Haruka can perceive ether without needing to focus—almost unconsciously—and at more than a hundred meters away. Plus, her fan possesses a unique ability: it was forged from a Yuki-onna, a powerful anomaly she defeated when she was younger. Thanks to that, she can now manipulate ice at will.

The ability of my weapons is still a mystery. Every weapon created from an anomaly inherits a unique ability, but it only manifests when the wielder reaches a certain level of synchronization with it. I still have a long way to go before that happens.

—"Mochi, it's time to head out for your first assignment as an agent. This will be the only time I'm allowed to accompany you. Ofelia decided that, because of our closeness, she doesn't trust me to train you properly. She thinks I might be too overprotective of you. So I'm going to make the most of this one chance to teach you everything I can before they assign you a new guide."

—"I see... What a shame we won't be able to go on more missions together. Then I'll make the most of today to have fun with you."

—"Mochi! This isn't a game. You can't take assignments lightly or you might get hurt. Understood?"

—"Yes, yes, I got it... So tell me, what's this mission about?"

 

—"Haa..." —she sighed, resigned—. "Today I'll make sure to keep a close eye on you. The assignment is a fairly common one: we need to check out a suspicious location. In this case, it's an old tunnel—the one on the old road that wraps around the mountain. Ever since the new highway was built, that road has pretty much fallen out of use, making it the perfect spot for an anomaly to inhabit: isolated, dark, with no traffic… ideal for growing in silence."

"Also, there have been reports of some disappearances in the area. Our mission is to investigate, and if we run into the anomaly, we need to eliminate it."

Haruka stood up and began getting ready to leave. I hurried to prepare as well. Once we were both ready, we headed out toward the bus stop. That tunnel is located outside the city, so it will take us about an hour to get there by bus. Luckily, my parents won't be back home until late tonight, so I don't have to worry about what time I return.

***

A few meters north of the tunnel, three young people were gathered: two boys and a girl. They walked until they stopped in front of an old phone booth. The area was almost completely swallowed by darkness. The streetlights, rusted and corroded by time, hadn't worked in years.

The road, cracked and filled with fissures, looked like it had been forgotten long ago.

And yet, in the midst of that abandonment, the phone booth was in inexplicably perfect condition. It was clean, lit from the inside, with its glass walls and door completely intact, as if someone had installed it just the day before.

—"I guess this is the infamous haunted phone booth?" —asked Daichi, the first of the youths, in a skeptical tone.

—"Obviously it's this one. The forum mentioned a phone booth just north of the old tunnel," —replied Shunji as he adjusted his thick glasses

—. "Do you see another booth around here?"

—"Shut up, you damn otaku, don't get smart with me," —Daichi snapped irritably, turning toward him with a threatening look.

Shunji, unfazed, ignored him completely and approached the booth.

—"If it weren't for my research, you'd never have found this place. Plus, the plan was for me to come here alone with Miyu, but you tagged along at the last minute."

—"Of course I came! I wasn't about to let Miyu come alone to such a dangerous place, especially not with a weakling like you."

—"Come on, stop fighting, you two," —Miyu intervened with a smile as she lifted her camera—. "First I'll take a few photos for my blog, then we can start the ritual."

Miyu Tachibana was, without a doubt, the reason two such different people like Shunji and Daichi found themselves together in a place like this. She was quite popular, partly due to her physical attractiveness: she had long, straight, jet-black hair, and green eyes that sparkled as if they had a light of their own. But what truly stood out about her was her personality: cheerful, curious, a bit eccentric… and with an unusual obsession with the paranormal.

Miyu ran a blog where she collected all sorts of urban myths, legends, and haunted places. Then, she personally visited each of those places to investigate whether there was any truth behind the stories. So far, all of them had turned out to be disappointments, but she was excited and hopeful that this time would be different.

—"Guys, don't you think this phone booth is weird? I'm not just saying that because it looks new. It feels... strange. I feel like there's something truly unusual about it," —Miyu said as she carefully observed the brightly lit interior.

—"I don't feel anything strange," —Shunji replied, shrugging.

—"Don't be afraid, Miyu. Unlike this otaku, if anything happens, I can protect you."

Shunji shot back sarcastically as he sat down on the ground.

—"Muscles aren't everything. The best thing in life is to have brains. B-R-A-I-N-S!"

Calmly, he unrolled a sheet of paper with the alphabet written on it. He placed a coin in the center and, from his backpack, took out a red candle, lit it, and placed it beside the improvised circle.

—"Everything's ready. We can begin the ritual."

After his words, Daichi—reluctantly—and Miyu—eagerly—sat in a circle with Shunji. The three of them placed their index fingers on the coin and began the ritual, asking questions in low voices, waiting for an answer... or a sign from the beyond.

Minutes passed in silence. Aside from the whisper of the wind and the crackling of the candle, absolutely nothing happened. Half an hour later, impatience erupted.

—"This is a waste of time. Obviously nothing's going to happen! You dragged us here for nothing, otaku," —Daichi complained as he stood up in frustration.

—"Shut up! My research on this place was accurate."

Riiiing... Riiiing...

The argument was abruptly cut short when the sharp sound of the public phone began to ring.

The three of them froze. No one dared to move. They just stared at the booth, as if something might come out of it at any moment.

Riiiing... Riiiing…

—"It's the spirit! I'm sure of it! It's responding to the ritual!" —Miyu exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. This was her first real contact with something paranormal.

—"What should we do? Should someone answer it?" —she asked anxiously, looking at the boys.

—"I'll do it, Miyu. After all, I'm not afraid of a public phone," —Daichi said firmly.

But despite his apparent bravery, his steps were slow and stiff, every movement full of tension. When he reached the booth, he cautiously extended his hand and opened the door. He stepped inside, took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, and slowly picked up the receiver, bringing it to his ear.

Kukuku...!

A sinister laugh echoed from the phone, chilling the blood of anyone who heard it. In that instant, the booth door slammed shut, trapping Daichi inside.

—"What...?!" —he shouted, struggling in panic.

He tried to open the door, pushing it with all his strength, but it didn't budge an inch. He was trapped.

—"Help me! The door... the door won't open! It's stuck!" —Daichi screamed desperately from inside the booth.

Miyu and Shunji ran to him and began pulling at the door, trying to force it open with all their strength, but they couldn't move it even a little.

—"Aaaagh!" —Daichi's scream of agony stopped them in their tracks.

He fell to his knees on the floor of the booth, clutching his stomach with both hands as he screamed nonstop, his voice filled with indescribable pain.

—"Move aside, Miyu!" —Shunji ordered with determination.

He gently pushed her back and, without wasting a second, picked up a heavy rock from the ground. He hurled it forcefully at the glass door. They both braced for the sound of shattering glass... but it never came.

The rock struck the surface with a dull thud, without leaving a single crack. Not even a mark. The glass remained intact, as if it were unbreakable.

Daichi's screams continued, now accompanied by a wet, viscous sound—like flesh being slowly torn apart. A dry, unnatural crack echoed out, like thick branches being violently snapped.

Daichi's final scream was short, high-pitched… and suddenly cut off.

PLOSHK!

At that moment, Daichi's body exploded inside the booth with a thick, revolting sound. The interior was splattered with dark red, a dense mixture that soaked the glass walls as if someone had dumped a bucket of blood from above. A thick stream began to slowly slide out from under the door, carrying with it more than just blood.

—"GYAAAAAAA!" —Miyu's scream of terror shattered the silence that had followed the explosion.

***

After a short walk from the bus stop, Haruka and I finally arrived at the southern entrance of the tunnel.

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