Chapter 294: Ghost-chan, I'm here again~ (17)

"Let's verify it again," Umi suggested, her lips pressed into a firm line. "One instance doesn't prove anything. If others come in later and encounter danger, it could become a real problem." 

Amamiya nodded slightly. "That's reasonable." 

They had recently learned that the Curse of Pain wasn't a permanent debuff. Once someone left the alternate dimension, the curse would naturally fade, making it unnecessary to worry about long-term harm. 

"The next location where the stairs will 'refresh' is on the second floor," Amamiya said, flipping open his notebook. A line of elegant handwriting materialized on the page, pinpointing the location of the thirteenth step, like a guide from a mysterious insider. 

"Let's head there directly," he said, turning to Umi with a faint smile. "Incidentally, there's a vengeful elementary school spirit in the bathroom on the first floor. You can use her to verify the theory." 

"Eh? What kind of spirit?" 

"You'll see soon enough." 

---

The campus bathed in blood-red twilight carried an eerie stillness as Amamiya and Umi made their way to the first floor. 

"Woo… woo…" 

Faint sobbing sounds, halting and uneven, drifted through the air. 

"Amamiya-kun, do you hear that?" Umi asked nervously, clutching the hem of Amamiya's shirt as a shiver ran down her spine. 

"I hear it." 

They stopped several meters away from the bathroom. Amamiya gestured toward the entrance and explained, "That's the spirit I mentioned. She's in the last stall of the bathroom. Her name is Aqua—fifth grade, thirteen years old. She wears a blue-and-white sailor uniform and has shoulder-length hair. She's actually quite cute." 

"Wait, hold on," Umi interrupted, staring at him incredulously. "How do you know all of that?" 

Amamiya shrugged helplessly. "I had no choice. When I first arrived in this space, I didn't know my way around or where Hanamori-san was, so I had to ask someone for directions." 

"You 'asked a vengeful spirit' for directions?!" 

"Basically," Amamiya replied with a nonchalant wave. "But don't worry. Most of the spirits here are harmless. Speak firmly to them, and they'll immediately apologize and say, 'sorry.' Use Aqua to test the theory. I'll wait for you outside." 

Umi took a deep breath, clenching her fists as her resolve solidified. "Alright, I'll do it." 

---

Umi was not one to hesitate once she made up her mind. With her head held high, she marched into the bathroom, her steps steady despite the gnawing unease in her chest. 

To say she wasn't afraid at all would have been a lie. 

However, Amamiya had entered this same alternate dimension alone before, even going so far as to investigate the bathroom without hesitation. Now, armed with more information than he had, how could she back down? 

As Umi stepped into the dimly lit bathroom, Amamiya flipped open his notebook outside and began communicating with the others. 

Inside, the air felt heavy, as though the room itself was holding its breath. 

"It's so dark," Umi muttered under her breath, trying to steel her nerves. 

Darkness had a primal way of instilling fear, she realized. Even knowing what awaited her inside didn't make the foreboding atmosphere any easier to bear. 

After pausing a moment to let her eyes adjust, Umi called out softly, "Hello? Is anyone here?" 

The sobbing stopped abruptly. 

Silence descended, thick and oppressive. 

"Do you need help?" Umi ventured cautiously. 

No response. 

"If there's something you need, you can tell me." 

Still, nothing. 

Each step toward the last stall made her heart pound faster. Despite her awareness of what awaited her, the tension built relentlessly. 

'Crunch.' 

The sound of wood creaking under her touch broke the silence as Umi pushed the door of the stall. To her shock, it swung open without resistance. 

"E-eh?!" Umi's heart raced as her pulse quickened further. "What's going on? Didn't Amamiya-kun say this door wouldn't open?!" 

But since they had already started, backing out now wasn't an option. 

Umi gritted her teeth, inhaled deeply, and steeled herself. She braced her hands against the wooden door of the stall and pushed it open. 

In the dim light, the figure of a vengeful spirit emerged. She was a petite girl wearing a black-and-white sailor uniform, her shoulder-length black hair clinging to her like drenched seaweed. Water dripped from her body, forming small puddles beneath her feet. 

Her face was unnervingly blank, but her eyes—pure white voids, devoid of irises or pupils—tilted upward to meet Umi's. 

"Ah!" 

The sudden sight made Umi scream reflexively. Without a second thought, she slammed the door shut and bolted out of the bathroom. 

As she fled, an odd sensation crept over her body. 

Outside, Amamiya, who had been calmly waiting, looked up from his notebook and regarded her with an unimpressed expression. 

"I heard your scream from here," he remarked dryly. 

"Of course I screamed!" Umi retorted, pressing a hand to her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. Her face was pale, and her tone carried a mix of reproach and frustration. "Why didn't you tell me that the eyes of that creepy little ghost were so terrifying?!" 

"It's just 'Byakugan Syndrome'," Amamiya replied with a casual wave. "The first time I saw her, I thought she was from some ninja clan. Didn't scare me in the slightest." 

"It's 'absolutely' scary!" Umi protested. 

"..." 

Amamiya moved on. "How are you feeling now?" 

"I'm not feeling the pain like before," Umi admitted, hugging herself tightly as she shivered. "But I feel so cold... freezing, actually." 

"Cold?" 

Amamiya considered this thoughtfully. 

It seemed that the sensations "synchronized" by the vengeful spirits weren't uniform for everyone. 

The spirit of the boy who wiped the desks had left bloody handprints, which caused pain to those who encountered him. 

In contrast, this vengeful girl was drenched in water—clearly the victim of bullying where she had been splashed or soaked by others. As a result, Umi now felt as though the cold had seeped into her very bones. 

Without hesitation, Umi stepped closer, extending her arms and wrapping them around Amamiya. She pressed her face to his chest. 

"Phew~ So warm," she murmured. 

"Don't hug me, you're freezing," Amamiya muttered, his tone edged with mild annoyance. 

"Hmph, I don't care. I'm hugging you anyway." 

Tightening her grip, the succubus girl nestled closer, as if to absorb as much warmth as possible. Lifting her gaze, she spoke softly, her voice tinged with compassion. 

"It's not their fault they were bullied. Not everyone would take their pain out on others... Maybe, if we just gave her a hug, it could help?" 

Amamiya sighed lightly but didn't push her away. Instead, he gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist, his voice a murmur. 

"Whether it works or not, we can't know by guessing. We'll find out by trying." 

"Right." Umi nodded, her determination evident. "Let's verify it now... but you're coming with me." 

"Me too?" 

"Of course! What if something happens?" 

"..." 

The succubus girl clung to Amamiya's arm, pulling him along as they re-entered the bathroom. 

The moment Amamiya stepped inside, the sobbing that had echoed within abruptly ceased. The vengeful spirit in the last stall clearly remembered the fear he had instilled in her before. 

When they reached the last compartment, Umi carefully pushed the door open. 

Inside, the vengeful girl trembled, clutching her head in her hands. 

"It's scary to be alone, isn't it?" Umi said softly, stepping closer. 

Extending her arms, she gently embraced the soaked spirit. 

The vengeful girl froze. Slowly, she raised her head, her pure white eyes filled with disbelief as she gazed at Umi. 

With a kind smile, Umi whispered, her voice tender and reassuring, "Don't worry. No one will hurt you anymore." 

The spirit remained silent, but the tension in her small frame seemed to lessen.