Is This Legend Actually True?

Uesugi Tetsu leaned toward the phone screen and stared at it for a long while before frowning and looking away.

This was White Brahma. Without a doubt, it was White Brahma.

Even though the figure flashing past in the photo was blurry.

How could Uesugi Tetsu be so certain? Aside from the mask being different, every other part was nearly identical to the Laughing Brahma he himself had transformed into. It was obvious at a glance!

Something was wrong.

This was seriously bad!

White Brahma had appeared in the real world?

Was it purely a coincidence, or was this the "seriously injured White Brahma" from the main quest in Arakawa Ghost Village?

Uesugi Tetsu rested his fingertip against the cold Walker Token in his pocket, unable to make up his mind.

Unlike the almost joking rumor that Laughing Brahma "loved playing pranks on cute children," White Brahma was a genuine vengeful spirit, a bloodthirsty demon that killed for pleasure.

If this was a coincidence, then Shizuma Manatsu, who had encountered a complete White Brahma at close range, could hardly still be sitting intact in front of them.

The scales of probability had already tipped to the other side.

"—Monsters from Everworld can come to the real world?"

The moment this thought occurred to him, even Uesugi Tetsu was startled.

Because if White Brahma could do it, there was no reason why the red-faced warrior Fangxiang he had encountered in Edo Castle couldn't.

If a killer who had achieved a thousand kills in ancient times came to the real world...

Uesugi Tetsu felt a chill crawl up his back.

At that moment, Ririko asked, "Manatsu, you said you found out what kind of monster this was on the trends list?"

"Mm-hm!"

Although she had no idea what was going on, Shizuma Manatsu happily replied after seeing the young couple move in perfect sync. "This topic was pretty popular a while ago."

White Brahma, Twitter trends, and popularity.

Uesugi Tetsu couldn't figure out how those words could possibly be connected.

"Because a lot of people said they saw a white shadow drift past behind them." Seeing the two of them lean over at the same time, Shizuma Manatsu quickly found that day's browsing history. "Look. Don't the things in these photos look a lot like me?"

Uesugi Tetsu narrowed his eyes and discovered that every one of the photos did indeed contain the figure of White Brahma, whether clearly or vaguely.

Ririko said coldly, "There's even a 'method for summoning White Brahma'?"

"Uh, yes." Shizuma Manatsu blinked. "What's wrong? To be honest, I only managed to take those incredible photos after trying this method."

The moment she said this, Kitano Runa, who had been cautiously observing the situation from the side, noticed the expressions on Uesugi Tetsu and Ririko's faces rapidly turn grim.

The shut-in girl secretly swallowed and thought, Oh my god, could this actually be real...?

"Move."

Uesugi Tetsu suddenly spoke. "Shizuma, I suggest you move immediately. At the very least, don't go home for the time being."

"Uh... haha. Uesugi-kun, you're making me a little scared."

Shizuma Manatsu gave a dry laugh and looked at Ririko. "Come on, little Tokugawa, you say something too."

"I support what Uesugi-kun said."

As someone who had also narrowly survived the test-of-courage event, Ririko stared solemnly into Shizuma Manatsu's slightly uneasy eyes. "I'm not joking, Manatsu."

Seeing how serious Ririko was, Shizuma Manatsu realized that something really might be terribly wrong.

She took several deep breaths before forcing out a strained smile. "Let's eat first, okay?"

Uesugi Tetsu silently picked up his chopsticks again.

It wasn't that he didn't want to speak. There was simply far too much sudden information to process.

Based on what Shizuma Manatsu had just said, Uesugi Tetsu already had a vague guess in mind, but he still couldn't confirm it.

"—Why does that sound exactly like it's real!?"

Kitano Runa took out her phone and stared at the dozens of similar summoning methods piled up in her notes, along with the dozen or so check marks behind them.

White Brahma was merely one insignificant little demon among them.

In an instant, Kitano Runa had already decided which funeral package offered the best value and which cemetery had the cheapest rent.

After clearing away all the food, Uesugi Tetsu took the initiative and said, "Shizuma, I know someone. If it's convenient, you can take your family and stay there for a couple of days."

Ririko paused while lowering her head to eat, then continued eating without saying anything.

Shizuma Manatsu seemed a little confused. Several seconds passed before she replied, "I live with my sister. It's very convenient."

"I-I'll go too!"

Kitano Runa hurriedly raised her hand.

Everyone immediately looked at her in confusion. Uesugi Tetsu, in particular, was still wondering what this girl was called and whether he had forgotten her name.

But Uesugi Tetsu didn't say much. Sister Nanjō could accommodate two people, so accommodating three would be no different.

In fact, Ririko's friend seemed to have a decent sense of danger. Most ordinary people would probably still be treating them like a joke right now.

After explaining the whole matter to Sister Nanjō on LINE, Uesugi Tetsu received a reply in less than two seconds.

[Sister Nanjō: Naturally, we noticed the phenomenon you mentioned. Whenever a topic related to the supernatural appears on the trends list, we take relevant measures within minutes.]

[Moon Sand-chan: Then why could I still see the browsing history on my friend's phone?]

[Sister Nanjō: Try not to investigate this. In short, it's not that we haven't tried to deal with it—we simply have no way to deal with it for the time being. Also, I'll send someone over this afternoon. Don't forget to answer the phone.]

[Moon Sand-chan: Okay.]

Prohibited matters, huh? Just like with the Friendship Club.

Uesugi Tetsu had no intention of investigating further. Since Nanjō Emi wasn't telling him, it was naturally for his own good.

Of course, his insufficient strength was also a factor.

If a mere one-and-a-half-star nobody like him dug too deeply into this sort of thing, he probably wouldn't even know how he had died.

"I'm done eating."

Ririko put down her bowl and chopsticks, breaking the silence.

And so, the four of them had their first meal together, which ended hastily. With all four of them carrying their own worries, it was clearly impossible for them to continue eating in a relaxed atmosphere.

After seeing Shizuma Manatsu and Kitano Runa off, Uesugi Tetsu walked over to Ririko, who had deliberately waited for him, and said:

"This afternoon, let's skip class and practice swordsmanship together."

Ririko swallowed the exact same words she had been about to say. Seeing so many people around them, she nodded casually. "Okay."

Uesugi Tetsu said, "But we might have to wait two or three hours first."

"Mm."

After parting from Ririko, Uesugi Tetsu decided to replenish his water supply first, then find a patch of grass to lie down on and enter the ghost village to deal with that workshop once and for all.

Unlike the varying levels of water quality found across the neighboring regions, most tap water in Japanese schools was safe to drink directly.

Twisting open a faucet and drinking was much faster than waiting for water boiled to a hundred degrees to cool down. Nor was there any problem with people crowding around during peak hours and those arriving late being unable to get water.

—But in fact, very few people knew that water from different faucets tasted different.

For example, the washbasin beside this school building was the farthest point from the water tank supplying the rooftop. The chlorine smell was naturally much fainter there, making the water especially sweet.

After walking beneath the shade of a tree, Uesugi Tetsu twisted the faucet's outlet upward.

He was just about to turn on the tap and gulp down the water when he spotted an extremely familiar figure across from him.

I forgot to set the timer at dawn, so I'm posting both chapters together today.