"You Saw It, Didn’t You?"

Students at Katsuro High turned their heads as a black SUV pulled up at the main gates. Whispers spread like wildfire through the morning crowd.

"Who is that?"

"Damn, he's hot... is he doesnt look Japanese?"

"No way—look at that woman! She's gotta be a model."

Eyes locked on the trio stepping out of the car.

Kids saw as Ezio Valenti adjusted his coat with practiced flair, golden-brown eyes scanning the school.

Beside him, Alyssa Vetrova pulled her golden hair into a ponytail, sunlight catching on her sunglasses as she calmly surveyed the students.

Trailing slightly behind, Rei Ashbourne slouched with his hands in his hoodie.

"Ugh… Can't they be a little less obvious?" Rei muttered under his breath, throwing a half-glance at the whispering crowd.

Alyssa smirked as she slid off her sunglasses.

"What's the matter, Rei? Getting shy?"

"Nervous? Nah," he shot back. "Just annoyed they keep calling me your assistant."

He nodded toward a group of blushing girls by the entrance.

 "Pretty sure they think Ezio's their new Spanish teacher."

Ezio tilted his head, checking out the grounds: red-and-white buildings, a wide athletic field, and a tall dormitory off to the side.

"First a high schooler nearly loses his face flirting with an urban legend, now this. Kids these days really love finding new ways to die."

Rei rolled his eyes.

"Hey, not Toma's fault he believed in love at first sight."

"With Kuchisake-onna," Ezio deadpanned. "Peak romance."

A small, balding man in a suit walked towards them, eyes locked on Alyssa.

 "Ah, Miss Vetrova! Thank you so much for coming," he gushed, grasping her hand a little too eagerly. "I'm Kizuki, principal of Katsuro High. It's an honor."

"Of course," Alyssa said politely, though Rei saw her force the smile.

Kizuki's eyes ignored Rei and Ezio like they weren't there.

"nice to meet you im..." Ezio began.

"Yes, yes—must be her assistant," Kizuki waved him off.

Alyssa now had a wicked smile.

"You must be her bellboy," she said with a wink. "Grab her stuff from her from the car, will you?"

Rei blinked.

"Bellboy?"

"Come now, Miss Vetrova," Kizuki said, ushering her away with a sleazy grin. "Let me escort you to the scene."

As Alyssa walked ahead, she glanced back over her shoulder and smirked.

"Don't take too long, assistants."

Ezio and Rei stood still .

"Hey, Ezio..."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I know. But I can't punch a client."

They smiled through gritted teeth, both imagining it anyway.

Each footstep from the trio echoed too loudly against the polished tile, Past the second staircase, Rei the air thickened. Students loitered in the hallway but gave a wide berth to the door at the far end, marked with yellow tape and a crooked talisman.

Alyssa squinted at the paper charm taped to the frame, its ink smudged. "Looks like someone printed that off a internet."

Ezio chuckled dryly. "Gotta love a budget exorcism by dear locals."

A man stood like a statue outside the door. Dressed in a crisp black suit. "Im Haruki, im the paranormal investigator around this area. I'll need to verify your license." He said

"Ah yes, we are from Veilwatchers here's our id," responded Ezio as he and Alyssa handed it over to the man.

"Wow! A contacted investigator that too A rank," Haruki seemed surprised. " you can enter."

As Rei tried to enter he was stopped.

"You aren't certified. No ID, no entry." Haruki said.

Rei turned toward Ezio, brows raised. "This guy for real?"

Ezio offered a helpless shrug. "Can't argue with red tape, kiddo. Go stretch your legs."

Alyssa flashed a calm smile. "We'll handle it. Grab a snack."

Rei muttered something under his breath and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Guess I'm on snack duty again. Man i need a license quick."

Inside the restroom, the lights buzzed overhead like a warning. The third stall door was open and the floor just in front of it, a brown stain refused to be scrubbed away. The edges were jagged—like fingers clawing toward escape.

Ezio knelt beside it, pulling a compact scanner from his coat. The screen glowed faint green, numbers rising.

"Residual spiritual energy's spiking. B-rank minimum," he muttered.

Alyssa tapped the side of her own device, eyes narrowing as frequency data loaded in pulses. "7.3 Hz... That's well above typical. It's mimicking Hanako san, but this isn't her."

Behind them, Principal Kizuki hovered like a forgotten ghost. "The girl's name was Keiko," he said quietly. "Second-year. They found her before first bell. Blood coming out of her eyes.

Ezio stood slowly, dusting off his gloves. "We're sending this to HQ. It's not just a haunting—it's feeding."

Alyssa didn't look up. "From now on, no students alone. Double every shift. And lock this washroom down. Permanently."

Kizuki nodded, face pale. "Understood."

Meanwhile, Rei sat on a plastic chair in the cafeteria. He popped the tab on a melon soda and took a long sip. The room buzzed with teen chatter.

"You with the foreign crew?" a voice asked.

He glanced up to find three girls standing by his table.

The first had cotton-candy-pink hair and a mischievous grin. The second wore a pair of comically oversized glasses and hugged a thick manga to her chest. The third stood with one hip cocked, her blazer tied around her waist and chewing gum like it was a challenge.

"That obvious?" Rei asked, already bracing.

"Please. You walked in like you're about to solve a murder and brood about it in the rain," said the pink-haired one.

"I'm Rika," said the girl with glasses, pushing them up as they slid down her nose. "That's Saya with the gum. And that troublemaker's Nene."

"Im Rei, Rei Ashbourne." He said.

"Nice to meet you, Ashbourne," Nene said with a wink. "What brings you here, ghostbuster?"

Rei smiled faintly. "Paranormal tourism. Very niche."

The girls laughed, then went quiet as a figure passed behind them.

Rei saw A girl, small and quiet, moved through the cafeteria. Her eyes stayed fixed on the floor, backpack clutched tightly to her chest. Her sleeves covered her hands entirely, and her shoes barely made a sound.

The girls at the table exchanged a look.

"That's Kana," Rika whispered. "She never talks."

"Creeps me out sometimes," Saya added, glancing away.

Rei said nothing, but his gaze lingered.

His earpiece crackled.

"Rei. We're done here," Ezio's voice said. "Hallway. Now."

Rei stood, nodding to the girls. "Nice meeting you. Try not to get in any trouble."

"We make no promises," Nene called after him.

Outside the washroom, Ezio leaned against the wall like he was waiting for a train. Alyssa was already inputting data into her terminal.

Ezio cocked an eyebrow as Rei approached.

 "Cafeteria dating sim going well?"

"Just students," Rei said. "Unlike you, I don't flirt during ghost hunts."

"I flirt with results," Ezio replied, dead serious.

Alyssa handed Rei a small data stick. "We're forwarding the ghost's frequency pattern to HQ. It's not behaving like a typical bathroom spirit."

Ezio added, "It's a B grade. The pattern's emotional signature doesn't match any recorded Hanako san variants. 

That afternoon, behind the gym building, three boys surrounded Kana. Their voices were low but sharp, the tone meant to bruise without raising alarm.

"Come on, say something. Don't act like you're better than us."

One of them shoved her shoulder. She stumbled but didn't speak. Just stood there, gaze lowered.

Another boy laughed. "Mute freak. Creeping everyone out."

In the distance, a third boy— Isamu watched. He didn't laugh. He didn't intervene.

He just turned away.

Ezio and Alyssa stood outside the hotel balcony, reviewing the resonance data.

"Confirmed," Alyssa said. "The energy spike we recorded matches known patterns from the Mikko Yamada incident five years ago."

Ezio exhaled slowly. "So she's not just a residual ghost. She's back. And stronger."

He looked toward the school in the distance.

"Question is—who brought her back?"

A shadow passed through Rei's thoughts, the memory of a girl with covered sleeves and a silent walk.

And the feeling that something was watching him hadn't gone away since.

"Her attack pattern is simple, she picks a bystander of bullying, haunts him on the first day by whispering— you saw it didn't you, and ifnon 2nd day of the bystander doesnt show guilt...there dead." Explained Alyssa.

That night, the boy Isamu who turned away sat in his hostel alone, finishing up his up assignment. The halls outside were dark, the air still.

A soft tap echoed against the window behind him.

He turned. Nothing.

The lights flickered.

Then came the voice, so faint it might have been imagined:

"You saw it... didn't you?"

He froze. His breath caught.

The light buzzed and the window fogged.

The whisper came again,

"You could have stopped it."