Chapter 3:
Attack by Night
“AHHHH!”
Akane’s scream echoed through the dark, quiet residential streets.
“What the hell?! Are we being invaded by centaurs or something?” Saito jolted upright in a daze.
On the bed, Akane was curled up in the fetal position, sitting with her knees to her chest and her hands covering her head—full defensive posture. She looked like an armadillo under attack from a mountain lion.
“A-a ghost…there was a ghost…”
“A ghost? Where?”
“There!” Akane pointed to the side of the bed on her side.
“…There’s nothing there,” said Saito.
“It was there just now! Something with a deathly pale face, muttering incomprehensibly… Was it a cursed doll? A vengeful spirit? Whatever it was, it was terrifying! And dangerous!”
“Oh, I see. Good night.” With a sigh, Saito gave up and slid back under the covers.
“Waaake uuup! Wake up! Don’t leave me alone!” Akane frantically shook Saito. This was no environment for Saito to get a peaceful night of sleep, so he stuck a hand out from under the blanket and gave her a thumbs-up.
“It’s all right. You’re not alone. The majesty of nature and everyone around the world are on your side…” mumbled Saito.
“Don’t say random things and fall asleep! To keep the ghost away, it’s important for both of us to keep our eyes open now.”
“That’s not how ghosts work! Go back to sleep!”
“I can’t sleep! And now, I’m not letting you sleep either!”
Akane ripped the blanket off Saito. It was pure desperation—if she was going down, he was going down with her. Saito, who had just started his second round with Mr. Sandman, was now completely awake. And given how Akane had overreacted to his horror game in the past, he had a decent sense of how she was feeling.
“…You’re seriously terrified, aren’t you?” asked Saito.
Akane flinched. She tilted her chin up stubbornly.
“I-I’m not scared!”
“You’re shaking.”
“That’s because it’s cold!”
“I’m not cold,” said Saito.
“Girls have less muscle mass to generate heat, so we get cold easier! Shut up! What are you going to do if a ghost steals your soul?!” Akane’s eyes were deadly serious. She was clearly at her limit.
“What am I supposed to do with a question like that?”
Saito didn’t believe in the existence of ghosts, so there wasn’t much he could say. It’s not that he thought science explained everything, but there just wasn’t enough credible evidence for him to justify believing in the paranormal. That said, he knew if he didn’t find some way to reassure Akane, they would both be in for an all-nighter.
Saito reached into the drawer of the bedside table, pulled out a notepad, and scribbled “Evil Spirit Begone” on a sheet. He handed it to Akane.
“Here, it’s a super effective talisman for defense. Just hold onto it while you sleep. Good night.”
“Don’t mock me!” snarled Akane, mercilessly tearing Saito’s special talisman to pieces.
“Hey, what are you doing? I put my heart into making that!” said Saito.
“It’s obvious there wasn’t even a milliliter of heart in it!”
“Yeah, true enough,” admitted Saito.
“I’ve got it! At this point, the only way to calm the ghost’s wrath is to offer you as a sacrifice…” Akane pondered the idea, rubbing her thumbnail thoughtfully.
“Wouldn’t that just make me a vengeful spirit too?!”
“You’d probably be a weak ghost anyway, so I’m not worried.”
“You sure do cut deep.”
As the two argued, a sudden clatter came from the room next door. With a shriek, Akane leapt into Saito’s arms.
“H-hey, wait…” said Saito.
Clinging to Saito’s chest, Akane looked nothing like her usual cheeky self—she became fragile and small. He noticed the soft texture of her sleepwear and the gentle warmth of her girlish body. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Saito’s back, holding him in a firm embrace. The floral scent of her shampoo lingered, fresh from her bath. He could feel her trembling and pressing against him, her shaky breaths carrying with them a vulnerable intensity.
In the dim bedroom, the vividness of the moment was too overwhelming for Saito to bear—especially for a moment shared alone in bed. That normally brash and headstrong girl now showed a frightened, delicate side Saito had never imagined. And somehow, he found it…adorable.
“Let me go check if something’s there,” said Saito.
“N-no! Don’t! Stay here!” pleaded Akane.
“But if I don’t go, we won’t figure this out.”
“Please don’t leave me!” Akane clung to Saito even tighter, as if determined never to let him go.
There was no way he could leave her like this. Saito let out a small sigh.
The following night, as Saito was reading a novel at his desk, Akane burst into his room clutching a stack of textbooks. Without a word, she ran to the corner of the room, sat down hugging her knees, and began trembling.
“N-no… This is impossible… I’m moving, or we need to do an exorcism…” Akane muttered as if she was reciting a spell.
“Tell me what happened,” said Saito. He had just gotten to a particularly steamy scene in his novel and had hurriedly shut his book. Saito was caught off-guard—it wasn’t like it was straight-up erotica that he was reading, but still, a female classmate catching him in a moment like that was awkward.
“It showed up again—the ghost,” said Akane. “I was studying in my room, and I heard quick footsteps from the living room…like tmp, tmp, tmp…”
“I see. You should go get some evidence of it with your smartphone,” suggested Saito.
“Are you kidding?! What if I get cursed and my phone explodes?!” Akane screamed, her face pale.
“Ghosts these days really pack a punch, huh.”
“The whole house might get blown up with us inside it…”
“What, does this ghost have missiles or something?” Ghosts were starting to reach beyond the veil a little too much, if that was true.
Ignoring Saito’s exasperated sigh, Akane went on to spread her textbooks out on the floor and begin studying. She had even brought along a notebook and writing utensils.
“Um, why are you doing all this here?” asked Saito.
“I-I’m keeping an eye on you to make sure the ghost doesn’t attack you, duh!”
“Pretty sure I’ll be fine. You can go back to your room now.” Saito stepped forward to try and usher her out, but Akane arched her shoulders like a stray cat and hissed.