Yūki looked toward the entrance of the Abandoned Dormitory.
A cordon stretched across the path ahead, and several warning signs stood crookedly in the mud.
Asuka noticed the change in him.
"What's wrong?"
"There's something wrong with this dormitory."
"I haven't noticed anything."
"Of course you haven't."
Yūki pointed to his ears.
"I heard something moving inside."
Asuka looked toward the Abandoned Dormitory.
The building was pitch-black. Wind poured through the broken windows, sending scraps of curtains fluttering against the walls.
"Are you sure?"
"I rarely use ghost stories to scare girls."
"Who have you scared with ghost stories before?"
"Does Jaden count?"
"Would he even get scared?"
"He'd probably chase the ghost around asking if it could duel."
Asuka imagined that scene, and the corners of her mouth almost lifted.
But just as a smile appeared, she saw that Yūki was already heading toward the cordon.
"Wait."
Asuka reached out to stop him, but Yūki had already stepped over the warning tape.
"The academy sealed this place off."
"I can see that."
"If you can see that, why are you still going in?"
Yūki looked back.
"There's something inside."
"You're going to barge straight in without even checking what it is?"
"That's why I'm going in to check."
Looking at how matter-of-fact he was, Asuka felt the tension in her chest ease a little.
She had only come to leave a bouquet.
But the door of the Abandoned Dormitory was right before her, and the mystery of her brother's disappearance had remained buried in her heart.
Whenever anyone mentioned Fubuki, she would tell herself that the investigation had long since ended, and that her brother would return sooner or later.
Tonight, standing before this building again, she actually felt for the first time that the answer was within reach.