You Can Actually Hide Things in There Too!

Lin En looked at her doubtfully and said:

"Hey! What the hell is going on? Explain yourself! If you won't tell me, I'm leaving!"

As he spoke,

Lin En reached to push the door open.

"Don't!"

Hana Ye grabbed his arm, then clung to him like a limpet, trembling, her little face pale with terror.

"I... I don't really know what's going on either! Everything used to be fine, but these past few days, whenever school ends, I always feel like something horrible is following me. Sometimes a terrifying figure appears in the mirror, and even when I'm just walking down the street, I see bloody handprints..."

"At first, I thought some unclean thing had latched onto me, so I even went to the church for an exorcism."

"But I don't know why... it only got better for a few days, and then it happened again after school today!! If I hadn't run to my secret base, I probably would've been killed before I even got home!!"

She trembled with fear, peering outside through the gap.

"That's why I don't want you to leave! I finally found someone really powerful. If you leave, Hana Ye really will get killed!!"

(இ﹏இ`｡)

"For the sake of us both being human, please have a little pity on me..."

Lin En scratched the back of his head and asked doubtfully:

"So that's why you've been making such a fuss?"

"What do you mean, making a fuss!!"

She shouted with an o(╥﹏╥)o expression.

"I... if you hadn't suddenly barged in and ruined all the sacred items I set up here, I could've stayed hidden until dawn and then gone to find my sister! Now look! That monster's going to find me, and it's all your fault..."

"What the hell does that have to do with me!"

"How does it not have anything to do with you? You're the one who trespassed in the first place!!"

"Then I'm leaving!"

"Don't go (clings tightly), waaaah, (ó﹏ò｡) I'm scared!"

"..."

Outside the bedroom, a twisted black shadow slowly crept inside. With each step, it left a bloody handprint on the floor.

Its shadow fell across the wardrobe, which was making quite a racket.

"But it's okay! Luckily, Hana Ye hid two [Spirit-Sealing Talismans] here too! If... if we stick them on the wardrobe, it shouldn't be able to find us for a while!"

"Spirit-Sealing Talismans?"

"Yeah! The kind that drive away Evil Spirits! I begged for loads of them! W... wait! Let me fish them out! I hope they work!"

"Holy crap, impressive. You can actually hide things in there too (O_O)? Lemme see (curious)..."

Smack-

A little handprint appeared.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you! (〃＞皿＜) Is that somewhere a boy gets to look?!"

"..."

The shadow stood before the wardrobe, which kept emitting all sorts of infernal banging and clattering.

It had already clenched its fists.

Without a doubt,

hiding while continuing to make loud noises was clearly an utterly outrageous provocation.

Because the voices inside were still going.

"Has it left?"

"Have you got them out?"

"I'm... I'm getting them! Stop rushing me! The more you rush me, the more nervous I get!"

"You're so clumsy. I'll help you get them out!"

"Get away!! Why the hell are you sticking your hand in here (shouting)..."

Boom-

There was a tremendous crash.

The shadow spread its hands, its patience exhausted by the behavior inside that showed so little respect for its professional standards.

In an instant, the entire wardrobe exploded into pieces.

Hana Ye froze on the spot, her eyes vacant, a Spirit-Sealing Talisman held between her lips, one hand still stopping Lin En from helping her fish out the other.

"..."

A brief silence fell.

She and the Evil Spirit stared into each other's eyes.

"Heh heh, found you."

Right before them, the shadow revealed its full form. Writhing flesh covered its entire body, two eyeballs were embedded unevenly in its hideous head, and where its mouth should have been was a pitch-black hollow with maggots crawling out. It had no feet; rotting, bloody hands had replaced both its hands and feet.

One look was enough to tell that, in any horror movie, this thing would absolutely make children cry.

It sneered.

"Having a nice chat, aren't you? Do you really think so little of me? Huh?"

"Hic-"

Hana Ye went blank.

Her eyes rolled back, and she toppled over stiffly in sheer terror.

"A ghost-!!!"

A piercing little girl's scream rang through the entire street.

Several seconds later.

In front of the shattered wardrobe, Hana Ye wailed and clung tightly to Lin En's neck, her slender legs kicking nonstop. Tears poured from her big eyes like a burst dam, cascading down in terrified torrents that nearly soaked Lin En's pants.

"Stay away! Stay away from me!! Hana Ye doesn't taste good at all! Help! Help, waaaah!"

Without a doubt,

the terrifying creature before her was the shadow that had been frightening her for days, and today, it had come to take her life!

The twisted figure's eyeballs stared at her as its body kept making wet, contorted gurgling sounds.

Crack, crack, crack-

"Youzhi Family brat-you're the one-"

A horrifying voice emerged from that grotesque, abyss-like mouth.

"No wonder I couldn't find you-so you were hiding here with some lover-what a surprise-already so loose at such a young age-"

It sneered at Lin En.

Lin En (ー`´ー)!

Some lover?

"But tonight is the Night of the Red Moon-and it's time I took your life-heh heh-to feast on a soul from the Youzhi Family-what a delight that will be-"

A long tongue slid from the depths of its mouth.

Hana Ye kept burrowing into Lin En's arms with an (ΩДΩ) expression, so frightened that even her curly hair almost straightened out.

"Waaah... wh... what exactly are you?!"

"Why are you haunting me?! I've never killed a single Evil Spirit! If you've got a problem with my sister, you can go find her! She's an Exorcist, but I'm not o(╥﹏╥)o!"

The twisted monstrosity sneered, blood streaming down.

He extended a bony hand with a cracking sound.

"No-it's you-I don't know why-but since there's a bounty on you in our [Spirit Realm]-there's no escaping your fate-"

"Someone paid a hefty price-to have us take your life-heh heh-"

In an instant,

that bony hand suddenly stretched out, stabbing straight toward Hana Ye's big eyes.

But at that very moment,

Smack-

a strong hand caught its wrist.

"Oh?"

The twisted monstrosity glanced at Lin En beside her.

Lin En said with an (ー`´ー) expression:

"What do you mean, some lover? Explain that first!"

The twisted monstrosity immediately let out a sinister laugh, its eyes brimming with malice, its long tongue licking the maggots writhing across its face.

"Oh? What a surprise-a mere human wants to-play the hero and save the girl?-don't be impatient-once I've taken her soul-I'll feast on you right away-heh heh heh-"

Whoosh-

He tried to wrench himself free of Lin En's grip.

But he immediately discovered that the hand gripping his bony arm was like steel, not budging in the slightest.

His twisted grin and long tongue froze in place.

Trying harder.

No movement.

Trying harder again.

No movement.

"..."