Saturday's dusk teetered on the edge of night. Miwa Chisei had changed into Jujutsu High's dark uniform, hiding her dazzling silver hair beneath a dark cap. She looked like a prowler in the night.
After parking her car, Miwa Chisei leaned against a secluded corner not far from Yasohachi Bridge. Before long, four figures in casual clothes appeared.
Some cursed spirits hid themselves, only emerging at specific times.
The four descended the steep stone steps along the river. The stream here had nearly dried up, and the riverbed lay far below ground level, making it a natural "suicide spot."
It was like a ravine carved into the city, steeped in an ominous air.
The two girls, Xiao Sui and A Ming, were both excited and frightened. Beside them, however, Megumi Fushiguro's expression was grim.
He sensed an ominous presence. A suffocating stench washed over him relentlessly, but the ordinary people noticed nothing.
All four carried flashlights, but the moon had already hidden behind the clouds, and the darkness easily swallowed that little bit of light.
"Megumi, are you okay?"
Noticing Megumi Fushiguro's grim expression, Tsumiki Fushiguro was filled with guilt and unease.
"Is there really... something like that here?"
"I'll call Qianxing."
Megumi Fushiguro said no more. He took out his phone to notify Miwa Chisei. Had he been alone, it would have been one thing, but he couldn't gamble with Tsumiki Fushiguro and the other two ordinary people's lives.
He had still had reception up above, but after entering the riverbed, he had lost it completely.
Something was blocking the signal.
Unease rose within Megumi Fushiguro. He called out to the two girls walking ahead.
"Let's go back. Don't go any farther."
Xiao Sui and A Ming stopped, looking back with playful smiles.
Megumi Fushiguro's pupils abruptly contracted.
Several