Hush, This Is a Ghost Story

Not a cloud marred the sky as the deep-blue night enveloped the place.

From above, a black-haired, black-eyed boy gazed down impassively.

Standing atop a tree, he coldly watched the unwelcome intruders moving below.

Bang.

His fingers tightened as he closed a blank book.

He spoke softly, his voice cool and detached.

"This is the most pointless death I've ever seen."

It meant nothing, yet it happened every few weeks.

What were they trying to do?

A bunch of ants.

Retaliation?

I wasn't the one who'd paid to have someone killed.

Revenge—had they come to the wrong place?

He leaped into the air and plunged downward.

The corners of his mouth lifted by the slightest degree.

In that case, let's put on a ghost story today.

I hoped this performance would teach you a thing or two.

Don't try to challenge death's authority on the Zoldyck Family's territory.

Who held power over death was anyone's guess.

But on Kukuroo Mountain,

the Grim Reaper was definitely not the one who controlled life and death!

His lifeless eyes swept meaninglessly over the outsiders.

Like a clown putting on a foolish act, Illumi hid in a dark corner.

He licked his lips.

He could hardly wait.

The hunter had begun to move.

But it seemed the prey wasn't ready yet.

It didn't matter. Whether they were prepared meant nothing to an experienced hunter.

"Aister, are you sure this is the right way?"

The yellow-haired young man, one eye wrapped in a bandage, finally spoke up.

"Are we sure we haven't gone the wrong way?"

Aister, the one he'd addressed, snorted. "How am I supposed to know when even this map can't tell us?"

He looked around. Even Aister wasn't sure.

After all, the Zoldyck estate was enormous.

You could almost say that all of Kukuroo Mountain belonged to them.

Half the grounds were buildings; the other half, forest.

This family of assassins was like a beast lurking deep in the mountains. You never knew when they might appear and take a bite out of you!

Aister stared at the expensive map for just a few seconds before irritably crumpling the scrap of paper and stuffing it into his pocket.

He looked around at the companions who'd come in with him, then spoke in a low, serious voice. "Up ahead is most likely that woman's delivery room. The closer we get, the more careful we need to be!"

"Judging by how they've been chasing us and trying to block our way, we're close. So we need to be even more cautious. The three of us are no match for a bunch of lunatics who kill people for a living!"

Who'd willingly walk into a den of danger like this if not for that money?

Thinking of his younger sister, who needed money for treatment, Aister knew he had to get the bounty.

If possible, he hoped they could escape alive, too.

Irritably scratching his head, Aister continued, "All we have to do is light this thing and throw it into one of the buildings. Remember, once I've done that, everyone—no matter who you are—needs to leave as fast as possible!"

At this point, there was no time to worry about whether his companions lived or died!

Life and death were up to fate; wealth and rank were up to heaven.

Whether they made it out alive depended on their luck.

As for what happened after they tossed in the advanced paralysis bomb, that wasn't their team's responsibility!

Aister looked at his still somewhat lackadaisical teammates and frowned. He stressed again, "Whatever you do, remember this: as soon as you see smoke, don't worry about anything else. Run for it immediately!"

After hearing their captain repeat himself over and over, the yellow-haired man finally spoke up again. "Aister, is it really that scary? We've already made it this far inside. Have you seen anyone who could stop us?"

The thugs couldn't keep up with their speed.

They'd been traveling for an hour, and the yellow-haired man still hadn't seen anyone they couldn't handle.

Did they really have to be this careful?

Aister snapped, "That's because the other teams drew them away. Otherwise, do you think you'd have made it in here?!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help feeling uneasy himself.

It didn't make sense. Under normal circumstances, their little team shouldn't have been able to get this far.

But today...

The people who'd tried to stop them had acted as if it were deliberate.

They hadn't seemed to want to stop or kill them at all.

Could it be a trap?

Then he dismissed the thought.

There was no need. The Zoldycks probably weren't in the mood to play cat and mouse here.

Aister shook his head and beckoned the team onward.

They couldn't stop for even a moment!

No one knew where their pursuers were.

The only right thing to do was finish the job quickly and get out.

With that in mind, Aister hurried after the team, keeping to the front.

Silence reigned, broken only by the rush of air as they ran.

Aister made his way through the dark forest.

Every now and then, his mind flashed with his younger sister's gentle smile.

"Big brother, would you like an apple?"

"Big brother, big brother, could you stay with me a little longer?"

"Big brother, be careful."

Her hair was a pale gold, and her cheeks were bloodless.

Her body had grown thin from the torment of her illness, yet she still radiated the warmth of the sun.

She was in so much pain, and suffered so much, yet whenever she saw him, she would smile and tell him about the day's little happenings.

Even swallowing was difficult, but she drank all the porridge he made, fighting back the urge to vomit so he wouldn't worry.

Her light-brown eyes flashed through his mind.

They held a longing to live,

a love of life, and a yearning for freedom.

"Big brother, when will I be able to stand up?"

"When you're better. I'll take you outside for a walk."

"Big brother, are the flowers blooming outside? When can I go see them?"

"Not yet. Once you finish taking all this medicine, I'll take you out to see them."

"Big brother, I heard there's an ocean on the other side of the mountain. When I'm better, will you take me to see it?"

"Of course."

"Big brother... I heard... pudding is... delicious... When I can eat again... will you buy me some?"

"Sure."

Scene after scene played through Aister's mind like a slideshow.

He didn't know why fate was so unfair, or why a girl of only fifteen had to suffer so much.

But he knew it would take a lot of money to keep her alive, and a fortune to give her any hope of survival.

As he hurried onward, Aister thought of his apologies to that woman and her newborn.

Yet his gaze remained firm. He needed the money.

Even if it was ill-gotten, tainted with the stench of blood,

he had no other choice.

For his sister.

Please, go die!

Suddenly, Aister, who'd been full of fighting spirit just moments ago, sensed that something was wrong.

As if jolted out of his thoughts, he hurriedly looked back for his companions.

At some point, the team of ten had been reduced to five.

He stared in disbelief and fear.

He rubbed his eyes, thinking he'd imagined it.

It was too dark to see clearly. That was all.

He opened his eyes again, trying to make sure.

But now, including him, there were only four!

His eyes widened in shock.

That meant someone had disappeared in the space of just a few seconds!

Seeing that Aister was acting strangely, the yellow-haired man asked in confusion, "What's..."

He never finished. Suddenly, he fell silent.

Aister watched his companion's mouth move, but heard no sound.

"You..." What's wrong?

The terrifying sight stopped the words in Aister's throat.

His lips parted, and the fear in his eyes was almost tangible.

A small nail had appeared in the center of the yellow-haired man's forehead.

Fine cracks spread out around it like spiderwebs,

and blood streamed down.

Within seconds, his face was drenched in blood.

But Aister could clearly see that the yellow-haired man's pupils were still moving, and his mouth was too.

They stood very close together, with less than half a body's width between them.

Aister's pupils trembled. He still couldn't understand what had happened.

Blood spilled from the yellow-haired man's mouth, and a kh-kh sound came from his throat.

"Help... help me..."

Suddenly, the yellow-haired man seemed to realize what had happened. Shaking, he reached out and grabbed Aister's sleeve.

He clung to it tightly.

He murmured, "Help... me!"

His voice was faint. Aister wouldn't have heard him if they hadn't been so close.

But what could he do now?!

All he could do was watch as his companion's voice grew fainter and the light in his eyes slowly went out.

Rrrip.

The sleeve couldn't bear the weight of an adult and tore.

Thud.

The body hit the ground, leaving a shallow dent.

Aister stood on a nearby branch, his expression frozen.

His face was full of confusion and horror.

What had happened?

H-How had he died?!

The gruesome death of his companion was too much for the young captain to bear. He stood there, stunned.

Now, he was the only figure left in the silent forest.

Of the original team of ten, only their captain remained.

And the sole survivor had no idea why his companions had died.

He didn't even know who had killed them or where the killer had come from!

The pain of losing his companions swept over Aister in an instant.

But he knew the most important thing now was to escape!

He stayed on the branch for less than three seconds before racing without hesitation in the opposite direction.

Run! Faster! Get out!

But in the end, it was too late.

"What are you running from?"

He'd barely taken a few steps when Aister heard a childish, icy voice.

The sound pierced straight through his brain.

His heart pounded violently, sending blood surging straight to his brain.

Aister felt a little dizzy.

His vision blurred.

A sharp pain struck between his brows.

In a daze, he felt as if something had pierced the back of his neck.

His consciousness grew hazy, and his vision dimmed along with it.

Through the fog, Aister could make out only half of the figure approaching.

It was a small child wearing a skintight outfit.

I think I'm going to die.

I'm sorry, Jasmine.

Your big brother seems to be going on ahead.

I'm sorry I can't take you to see the ocean.

Maybe in our next lives. We'll go then.

I'm sorry...

Thud.

His body could no longer struggle. He collapsed into a pool of blood.

Standing to one side, Illumi examined the thumbtack he'd picked up on a whim, looking pleasantly surprised.

"This thing's pretty handy. I should carry a few around from now on."

As he spoke, he didn't spare Aister so much as a glance. He turned and walked away.

"Gotoh, remember to send someone to clean this place up. I'm going to take a bath."

"Yes, young master."

Humming a tune, Illumi left without a word.

Mother didn't like the smell of blood, so he'd better wash up properly in a bit.

He hoped he'd get a little sister.

Though a little brother would be nice, too.

After Illumi left, the forest once again fell silent and empty.

The ink-blue sky blanketed the land.

Black crows croaked in the trees.

Desolate and deserted.

Only a few bodies lay in pools of blood.

Their faces were frozen in fear and terror.

As if telling of the suffering and despair they'd endured in life.