Fuyuki Ghost (Chapter 5: The Innocent White-Clad)
The sky was twilight as Daitan and Fuyuki stepped out of the tent. A crowd had gathered near Selena's tent, and the market was noisy. Everyone was surrounding a tall man. Daitan pushed through the crowd to see what was happening. The man seemed to make a living spreading rumors, and he was telling the townspeople:
"That woman appears every night in that cabin at the end of the village! Yes, the one who betrayed her husband. They say you can still hear her screams and shouts when the cabin burned down!"
Daitan fell into thought for a moment, then glanced at Fuyuki. She gave him a look that said: What happened? Why are you looking at me? Daitan stepped closer and said:
"I thought you already realized. Come on, let's go. I think our disaster starts right now!"
The forest path was dark, and as they approached, the sound of the river grew clearer. At the end of the village, in Shragawaku, a burned-down abandoned house stood. Silence filled the area; only the creaking of wood swayed by the wind could be heard.
Inside the house, thick fog lingered, and the smell of smoke still permeated the air. In one of the rooms lay a white scarf soaked in blood. The blood was not fresh—it looked like it had been there for some time. A broken mirror sat in the corner. Daitan stood in front of the mirror and, besides his own reflection, saw another figure.
He quickly turned, and a trembling, angry woman's voice broke the silence:
"It hurts… no… stop! Forgive me! No… get out!!!"
Daitan froze, shocked and scared. Fuyuki looked at him and stepped closer:
"Excuse me, ma'am, but we don't mean to hurt you. As you can see, I'm also a spirit. We just want to help. Can we talk with you?"
After Fuyuki spoke, silence followed. She placed a hand on Daitan's shoulder and asked:
"Hey, Dai-kun, are you okay?"
Daitan shook his head slightly to indicate he was fine, coming out of the shock.
A white-clad spirit stood before them. Her clothes were torn and burned, her short hair framing lifeless eyes filled with hatred. She remained silent, slowly lifting her head to look at Fuyuki.
Daitan glanced at Fuyuki and softly asked:
"Umm… Fuyu-kun, spirits don't have powers to read others' memories, right?"
Fuyuki turned to him, glaring as if her face was shouting at him:
"I'm just a spirit! I don't even know what I can do! Are you mistaking me for some kind of sorcerer?!"
Daitan scratched his head:
"Well, Selena said you're different from other spirits. The spirit can't speak, so you're expected to answer?"
Fuyuki sighed and turned toward the woman:
"Ah, sorry. If you want help, shouldn't we first know what happened?"
The spirit paused, then stretched out her hand toward the scarf:
"Touch it."
Fuyuki bent to pick up the scarf, but the spirit said:
"I didn't mean you! Him!"
The woman pointed toward Daitan. He was shocked and, with a panicked tone, asked:
"Y-You mean me?!"