"…A secret entrance...?" Noah echoed in disbelief.
What he saw was a small metal hatch embedded into the floor. Its surface was worn down by age, its edges rusted as if it hadn't been touched in decades.
And yet...
What truly caught his eye was the thin electric panel attached to it.
A small rectangular device—cracked, slightly dusty—yet still faintly glowing with a weak blue light...!
And at its center was a narrow slit...
Slim enough that he couldn't help but think it was meant for something to slide right in.
"...What in the world...?"
"Hehe, surprised~?" Sophia let out another chuckle, her grin sharpening into something smug. "While you ran off to god knows where, I instead stayed behind and actually continued my investigation~!"
Noah grimaced at her words, feeling somewhat guilty for leaving her behind... yet also mildly annoyed by her teasing tone.
"Lo and behold, Junior~," she presented the floor hatch once more with a flourish of her hand, "I found the big lead to our big mystery~!"
"Huh..."
Even though he couldn't take her theatrics seriously, he was still impressed nonetheless at her managing to find it.
"...Did you open it? And you actually went inside it...?"
"Of course I did~," she replied without the slightest hesitation. "There's a ladder leading straight down!"
"Seriously...?! Where does it even lead?" He fired off another question, his concern rising with each word. "...What did you find, Sophia?"
"Hehe~, hear this, Junior—what I found was... a lab~!" she exclaimed brightly. "There's a whole giant underground laboratory beneath this hospital, I tell you!"
"A lab...?!" His eyes widened even further. "There's a whole go damn lab under us...?!"
"Hehe, I was surprised too, Junior~."
Hearing this only made Noah even more uneasy, a bad feeling settling deep in his chest.
However, his concern wasn't just about the mere fact that there was a secret, ominous underground laboratory beneath what he assumed to be the office of a high-ranking hospital official—no...
Instead—
He turned toward his ghost companion, noticing the still-pouting floating woman nearby.
"...What? What do you want, mortal?" Evangeline inquired, her tone clearly annoyed.
He didn't answer her. Instead, he narrowed his eyes... then subtly tilted his head toward the hatch on the floor.
"...Sigh, fine," she muttered with mild irritation, already understanding his intention.
She floated closer to the hatch, hovering just above it, and then—
"Uhmm..."
She focused herself, attempting to extend her senses beyond the surface below...
"...I do not detect any spiritual presence from beneath," she finally concluded with a frown, "...or perhaps I am unable to sense anything at all."
"...What? You can't sense anything from below?"
"Quite so, unfortunately. There's a possibility that something is interfering and even blocking my spiritual sense's reach," she continued, irritation creeping into her voice, "...whatever lies below has been deliberately concealed, not allowing anyone to perceive further—especially those with spiritual awareness."
Her explanation, however, did nothing to ease his worry. In fact, the implication that something was actively hiding itself only deepened his unease, as he realized there was far more lurking beneath this abandoned hospital than he had ever imagined.
"—Hey! Are you listening? Noah!"
Sophia's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned back toward her, only to be met with the pouting face of his upperclassman.
"Geez! Don't ignore me, junior!" She huffed with mild irritation. "We are this close to uncovering the mystery behind this once-renowned hospital, you know! Try to keep up and focus on the investigation!"
However, he did not immediately answer her enthusiasm. His brows, instead, furrowed with lingering concern.
Sophia herself failed to notice his unease, still basking in her excitement.
"Anyway~, I was planning to explore the lab more, but then... I heard a couple of really loud explosions coming from above!"
"…Explosions?" Noah echoed quietly... feigning ignorance.
"Yeah! Did you not hear it, Junior? It startled me so much that I thought the whole building was about to collapse or something...!"
"I see..."
She tilted her head with curiosity. "Hmm? Do you know something about it?"
"…Not really, no."
"Hmm?"
His stiff expression only served to further confuse her.
In the end, she brushed off his odd attitude. "...Well, no matter—what's important now is to uncover the truth!"
She then rummaged through her jacket pocket, fingers digging around with exaggerated flair—before triumphantly pulling something out—
An ID card.
"Alright then, Junior! Let's resume our investigation—"
But then—
Noah suddenly grabbed her wrist.
"—Let's get out of here."
"…What?"
Before she could react, he rose to his feet, yanking her up with him and pulling her out from beneath the table.
"Ah!? W-wait, Junior—?!" Sophia gasped, stumbling as he dragged her along. "W-what are you doing—?!"
"We have to leave," he said flatly. "Now."
"Huh—?!"
He didn't slow down his pace, never looking back at her confusion-filled face...!
"W-what's going on, Noah?! Ugh...!"
Sophia struggled against his grip, trying to pry his hand off her arm...!
"H-Hey! Knock it off, already...!" she protested, still tugging at his firm hold. "What do you mean we have to leave?!"
But Noah didn't answer—he just kept dragging his upperclassman out of the room against her will...!
Nearby, Evangeline hovered in stunned silence, eyes widening as she watched her vessel's sudden, decisive action... but she understood his reason all too well.
"So be it, mortal..." she murmured quietly, before following them out of the abandoned office room.
Sophia, breathless from her struggle, finally managed to speak again.
"N-Noah—why?!" she demanded. "We just found something incredible! This is huge for the investigation!"
"This place is too dangerous."
"D-dangerous?!" she repeated, incredulous. "W-what do you mean dangerous, Noah?!"
He fell silent once more, refusing to elaborate.
"N-Noah...? Please...!" she pressed, her voice wavering with confusion and unease.
But then—
A realization struck her.
"…Wait. Where are the others?"
Her expression shifted—dread slowly settling in.
And Noah... stopped in his tracks.
"Noah..." she asked quietly, her voice trembling now. "...Where are the other members? Didn't you run off to check on them...? Why aren't they with you...?"
He didn't answer. He still hadn't turned around.
The corridor of the hospital felt cold... colder than it should have been, as the stale air carried an unsettling chill.
"…Noah, please...!" she whispered with desperation. "What's going on...?"
His grip loosened slightly...
Then tightened.
"I'm sorry," he said at last, his voice low with restraint, "...but I can't let you become another casualty. You need to leave. Now."
"Huh...? W-what are you even saying, Noah...?"
Yet again, he didn't answer—
And instead, he resumed pulling her forward.
"N-Noah—wait!" she cried, stumbling once more. "Just—listen to me!"
However, he didn't slow down, ignoring her pleas.
Her teeth clenched as desperation finally overtook her...!
"Noah—!"
And then—she shouted at the top of her lungs—!
"—I KNOW THAT YOU CAN SEE GHOSTS!"