Takahashi was in a terrible state of mind. All he could think about was Ono's death and that leaky faucet.
It should have been him who died, not Ono. If Ono hadn't knocked on the door and urged him to hurry, he would have stayed in the washroom a little longer, and then it would have been him...
Takahashi hadn't actually seen how Ono died.
The less clearly he'd seen it, the more terrifying it seemed. He began imagining the scene of Ono's death. He couldn't picture anything specific, but that only made it more frightening.
Takahashi clutched his head and huddled in the corner of the room.
The people around him stole glances at him. When they saw that he wouldn't look up, they became increasingly brazen about it. They whispered about Ono's death.
The sounds crept into Takahashi's ears, turning into a buzz, then into an ear-piercing ringing.
Takahashi's body began to tremble.
Drip, drip... rush...
It sounded like water.
I turned my head and looked around. There were no pipes in the dormitory-style room.
I looked at Takahashi.
He was imagining the sound of water.
Amid the whispers, one voice gradually grew louder.
"...It has to be a haunting!"
The words cut through the air, and the room fell silent.
Takahashi stopped trembling. He quietly raised his head and looked toward the voice.
"Think about it. That cat wasn't with our film crew, and it wasn't from the Shimada family either. The way Honda died... He died with his eyes open! That pool was so shallow. All he had to do was stand up!"
"The police said he'd sprained his ankle."
"He only sprained one ankle! Does that mean you can't crawl out?"
"Maybe he was too panicked..."
"It's so strange! It's just too strange!"
"Ono... The