Chapter 10: Digging Into Shadows

The warning lingered in Kai's mind all night.

You're already too late.

Sleep didn't come. Even in the dim morning light, the envelope remained where he left it — like a curse carved into paper.

Something had changed in his world, and now he could feel it watching him, just out of sight. He had to understand. He had to know the truth.

He skipped school that day.

Instead, Kai took the train to a part of the city he rarely visited — old residential blocks and quiet alleys, where time seemed to move slower. He knew from whispers at school that Saito Hoshina lived somewhere in this area, though no one ever had a clear answer.

He started by checking the old, ivy-covered house he'd seen that night — or thought he had.

But when he arrived, it wasn't there.

In its place was an empty lot.

The ground was cracked and uneven. Rusted fences bordered the space, and weeds pushed up through every corner. It looked like nothing had stood here in years.

Kai walked slowly across the dead grass, staring at the empty space where he knew the house had been.

Am I losing my mind?

But then, he noticed something odd: a single tile.

Buried just beneath the dirt near the center of the lot — a small piece of black-and-white floor tile, faintly cracked. He knelt and brushed it with his fingers.

It was real.

Someone had buried this place.

Feeling a chill crawl up his spine, Kai moved on.

He spent hours asking locals nearby, showing them a printed photo of Saito from the school's public event gallery. Most had never seen her — but one old woman running a flower stall frowned when she saw the image.

"You shouldn't go asking about that girl," she said quietly. "She's not meant to be found."

Kai's breath caught. "You do know her?"

"I knew her once," the woman replied. "Or someone who looked like her. Lived in that house long ago — the one that's gone now."

Kai's heart pounded. "Do you know what happened?"

The woman hesitated, then finally said:

"She vanished. Years ago. People said she ran away. But I don't believe that. I think something took her. And I think... something brought her back."

Kai stood in silence, her words sinking into him like cold water.

That night, back in his apartment, he opened his laptop and dug deeper.

School records, old articles, archived pages. After hours of searching, he found something — a newspaper clipping from seven years ago. The image was grainy, but his blood turned to ice.

Saito Hoshina — Missing. Presumed dead.

There was no doubt about it. It was her. The same eyes. The same name.

But how could she be alive now? And walking among them like nothing happened?

His heart raced. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

He scrolled further.

Then, he found another article.

Three students who were close to the missing girl — all dead. One suicide. One accident. One vanished without a trace.

Kai leaned back in his chair, staring at the screen.

What have I gotten myself into...?

And then — his lights flickered. The screen glitched.

A new message popped onto his laptop, though he hadn't opened anything:

"You shouldn't have looked."