Aoishiro
Chapter 8
Migiwa: Then, let's listen to this. It's a scary and eerie ghost story.
Migiwa: Since we're near the ocean, let's have a ghost story that deals with the ocean.
Migiwa: Then...
She temporarily paused and slowly looked at all of us, who were sitting in a circle. To create an atmosphere, Momoko illuminated the area only with candles. The flames that flickered in the slight breeze caused the shadows in the area to sway. The shadows which were lit by the flames melted into the four corners of the temple and become one.
The voice of Migiwa, who was covered in shadows, made a slight echo and though it was probably just the imagination, it was as if something were there. The echo was the only thing that returned and after confirming the tense atmosphere, Migiwa started speaking.
Migiwa: This is a story of a friend of an acquaintaince's relative. It took place when that friend was in college.
Migiwa: Let's call that college student Ata-san.
Momoko: Why is everyone looking at me!? (Note: Momoko's last name is Akita)
Syouko: Nothing, just for some reason...
Momoko: And Migi-san, what's with picking that name. Do you have some ill will or something!?
Migiwa: Ill will? No? That's just a piece of the story.
Migiwa: Momo-chi, the high school student and Ata-san the college student don't conflict. And that name would apply to your brothers and sisters too.
Momoko: I'm an only child...
Migiwa: That's fine too.
Saying that was true.
Migiwa: Anyways, saying Ata-san, Ata-san is annoying so let's just call the person A-san for now.
Syouko: You could've just said that from the beginning.
Migiwa: Please be quiet. Though you play the tsukkomi part, you shouldn't interrupt the speaker. It disrupts the atmosphere.
Momoko: Yah...and who was the person who made a mess with the dashi stock!?
Aoi: Ata-san, please be quiet.
Momoko: Ok...
As expected, if it was an order from sensei, Momoko couldn't say anything. With a can of beer in one hand and wearing jerseys, sensei didn't have the presence of a leader at all.
Migiwa: A-san, who got into A-san's first choice of college, wanted to have a part time job in the spring.
Migiwa: A-san's interest was photography and decided to get both a car and driver's license by summer. A-san decided to make a trip and wander around taking photographs.
Migiwa: Then, summer came.
Migiwa: Getting a driver's license and car as planned, A-san decided to travel somewhere to take a journey alone.
Migiwa: Taking pictures of flowers, taking pictures of the moon, taking pictures of the mountains, taking pictures of the oceans, taking pictures of houses, taking pictures of people...
Ayashiro: Well, that sounds nice.
Syouko: It does sound nice.
Making a leisurely tour around the country by car...
In the past, with Natsu nee-san driving...
Yasumi: .....
Migiwa: After traveling for two weeks, there were no places that A-san wanted to take pictures of and just wandered around by car.
Migiwa: During that time, A-san arrived in a rustic, seaside town called Katata. Though the ocean was pretty, it wasn't a famous place and the transportation facilities were also poor.
Syouko: In other words, it's like where we are now.
Migiwa: That person was practical.
Migiwa: A-san had already taken many pictures of the sea so was planning on passing by the down, but suddenly a big storm occurred.
Migiwa: Even with lights and wipers, you couldn't see through the large rainstorm. And since A-san still had a sticker for new drivers and was inexperienced, it was better not to move, so A-san pulled to the side of the road to rest.
Migiwa: After the sudden evening storm stopped and the light showers afterwards weakened, it was already dark. A-san was wondering if spending a night in the car would be better...
Migiwa: When, A-san suddenly remembered...
Migiwa: The place where A-san had a late lunch, the store clerk gave a weird warning...
Migiwa: You can't stay in the next town. If that's not possible, then don't go walking at night. If you can't even do that, then don't stay in a place where you can hear the sound of the waves...
Migiwa: A-san, who heard that, thought that because the ocean was crowded in summer, this was because of the reckless youths in the summer...
Migiwa: And after seeing the town, A-san thought it was a needless fear and forgot about the warning.
Migiwa: But then A-san thought, what if the store clerk was talking about something else.
Migiwa: No way, that can't be. It would be more dangerous to move in this rain. I should at least wait until the rain stops...
Migiwa: Thinking that, it suddenly because hard to breathe in the car and A-san started hearing something that bothered the ear.
Migiwa: A-san shut A-san's eyes and covered A-san's ears and stayed that way in the dark...
Migiwa: .....
Migiwa stopped to take a breath. She looked at the electrified surroundings. In the quiet of the main temple, the sound of the rain outside sounded like the story and there was also the sound of the summer tsubaki's leaves. The wind died down and the sounds cut through the air.
Migiwa: Though A-san's ears were covered up, the vibration of the rain could still be felt. At some time, A-san noticed the rain had stopped and it was the middle of the night.
Migiwa: A-san felt cooped up in the car and in a conditioned response, reacher towards the window and...
Syouko: .....
Migiwa: Opened the window. The heat of the afternoon was lowered by the rain and the evening was pleasantly cool. The sound of the waves could be heard.
Migiwa: A-san stuck A-san's head out the window and looked at the weather.
Migiwa: Maybe it was because the clouds used up their water vapor, but the bad weather before falling asleep was like it was an illusion and fine, golden dust was sprinkled in the sky to make the starry night.
Migiwa: Without thinking, A-san took the camera and stepped out of the car.
Migiwa: One picture of the stars in the sky. One picture of the high waves that were the vestiges of the bad weather. One picture of the pine groves near the beach filled with white mist...
Migiwa: Looking through the viewfinder and walking, A-san arrived at the pine grove forest near the beach.
Migiwa: At a rock in the middle of the pine grove forest, a girl appeared, bent over.
Migiwa: That girl was looking at the open sea.
Migiwa: Looking at her from the side, she was pretty.
Migiwa: Her hair was very long, and the ends expanded like a sandy desert.
Migiwa: There was someone else here besides A-san who was here not of A-san's own volition...and at this time of night...at a place like this...exactly what was she...
Migiwa: There was something strange about this, something weird, that would be common sense and thinking that, A-san went closer...
Migiwa: A-san ignored the calm part of A-san's brain that gave that warning and was drawn closer, holding the camera.
Migiwa: And then at a moment that A-san's muse determined, A-san pressed the button of the camera...
Migiwa: At that sound, the girl who kept looking at the open sea slowly turned to face A-san...
Migiwa: The focus of the girl's eyes were like when they were facing the sea, eyes that resembled the camera lens, reflected A-san's figure and...
Migiwa: Kya...................!
Everyone: .....!?
Migiwa: It was like, the soul was lost...as if the soul had disappeared, as if it would break the eardrums, that kind of sharp voice emanated.
Saying that, Migiwa smirked. Though I was anticipating something like that, it was still surprising when it suddenly appeared.
Migiwa: Yes, A-san was also surprised.
Migiwa: Rushing in here like an idiot, being surprised by the voice, forgetting the camera strap, the precious camera was also covered in sand.
Migiwa returned to her storytelling voice.
Migiwa: The girl stood up and slowly approached A-san.
Migiwa: Slowly, slowly, with an expression like a Noh mask, the girl approached A-san.
Migiwa: This was not good, this was bad, that girl couldn't be human..
Migiwa: A-san's consciousness returned and A-san was startled and wanted to run, but A-san's legs wouldn't move. The body still seemed to be petrified.
Migiwa: Why? Why? Why won't my legs move?
Migiwa: A-san was in a hurry to run, but A-san's legs wouldn't move of their own accord. A-san's back became cold and the body also became colder.
Migiwa: Ah, if I stay like this, if I stay like this...
Migiwa: A-san thought it was already too late...
Migiwa: The girl's footsteps stopped.
Migiwa: She stared at A-san.
Migiwa: From a distance in the dark, the girl's face looked pale. There was a little bit of life in her face. A-san thought that made her look more human.
Migiwa: The identity of the ghost, was like a dried up pampas grass...
Migiwa: Maybe they were both startled and that inhuman scream earlier was the sound of a buzzer used to prevent crime or something.
Migiwa: Hearing a buzzer on vacation in the summer, it wasn't a strange sound.
Migiwa: Um, I should apologize for taking your picture without permission.
Migiwa: As usual, though A-san couldn't move, A-san made as much courteous talk as A-san could.
Migiwa: The girl had an otherwordly beautiful face and her lips were red as if she had on lipstick...and gave a bewitching smile...
Migiwa: At that smile, A-san's field of vision burned white and felt dizzy...
Migiwa: The heat which was lowered by the rain and the cool evening suddenly became lukewarm...it actually felt hot...
Migiwa: Maybe it was because the wind stopped or because A-san's body was cooling down.
Migiwa: .....
Migiwa: Though the wind had stopped, why was it that the girl's long hair flowed with the rhythm of the waves...
Migiwa: And the sound of those waves caused A-san's heart to thump in tune.
Migiwa: As I thought, she's not human.
Migiwa: A-san's instinctual fear surpassed the mental fear that was stopping A-san's legs from moving, and like a compressed spring that was released, A-san started running.
Migiwa: A-san's body, which lost its sense of feeling moved like a marionette and A-san rushed past the sandy beach and out of the pine groove forest.
Migiwa: At the shoulder of the road past the sandy beach, A-san's beloved car was parked. If I could just reach that place. If I could just reach that place.
Migiwa: Twenty meters remaining...
Migiwa: Ten meters remaining...
Migiwa: Remaining...
Migiwa: Just a little longer to reach the stairs that went up to the road ...at that time, something grabbed A-san's legs and A-san fell.
Migiwa: My, le..leg...
Migiwa: A-san looked at A-san's leg and there was a single thread...no, it was a hair, wrapped around it.
Migiwa: That hair bound itself about A-san's leg, the tip was like a syringe...
Migiwa: It buried under A-san's skin...
Migiwa: Because of fear and the sprint, the heart was beating at its limit. With a shaking finger, A-san tried to remove the hair from A-san's leg.
Migiwa: When? When? When did this...
Migiwa: It was not cold like expected. When touched, it was hot. It pulsed and throbbed to the beat of A-san's heart.
Migiwa: And then, A-san realized for the first time.
Migiwa: This thing sucks blood. That pale face that had a bit of red color in the lips was blood.
Migiwa: Suddenly feeling cold, my vision getting white, it was because my blood was being drained.
Migiwa: Then...
Migiwa: A sound omade A-san look back. In front of A-san, the girl came closer.
Migiwa: He...Help me!
Migiwa: At A-san's plea, the girl licked her red lips and smiled.
Migiwa: As if that were a signal, it was transferred to the long, long hair that was wrapped around A-san, though the girl that was still far from A-san...
Migiwa: The hair that was wrapped around A-san's ankle, as if acting like a vine of a morning glory, wrapped around and went up.
Migiwa: And then A-san's whole body was covered by the hair, and like a snake, the tip rose.
Migiwa: The countless threads of hair wrapped around A-san's eyes, nose, mouth, ears...
Migiwa: They poised to enter all the orifices of A-san's body...
Migiwa: .....
Migiwa: And the next thing A-san saw was the white ceiling of the emergency room.
It seems like a police officer investigating illegal parking in town took care of A-san.
Yasumi: Hah...
Migiwa's story went past the climax and everyone let out a breath.
Ayashiro: A-san lived.
Migiwa: If A-san died like that, then it would seem like a suspicious story from an unspecified person.
Momoko: When you say it like that, it seems true.
No, the weird parts of the story already sounded suspicious. After the ghost story, Migiwa continued with the sequel.
Migiwa: And that was the end of the trip. A-san returned home and told the story. My acquaitance's relative's friend developed the film from the camera.
Migiwa: If it was such a beautiful woman, it didn't matter if she was a monster, just one glimpse would be enough.
Ayashiro: That's right, A-san took a picture at the very beginning.
Migiwa: Though it might be cursed, or it might be a picture of a ghost, A-san's pictures were developed along with the other pictures.
Migiwa: And, the picture of the girl was...
Migiwa: It was an ordinary scene. Besides the footprints on the beach, there was nothing else there.
Migiwa: And the girl, is still searching for A-san who escaped, at the beach near that town...
At that time,
The wind filled with salty air causing the flames of the candles to flutter widely. That sudden, momentary attack caused the flames to go out. We needed time to get used to the dark, but it felt like something besides the wind had wandered into the temple.
The small sound of footsteps...
The sweeping sound of a kimono...
The slight sound of something that resembled rustling clothes or might be the sound of waving hair.
Momoko: GiNya.....!!
Everyone: Momoko!?
With Momoko's sudden shout, everyone turned to look at her, but we saw nothing but darkness.
Momoko: S...something's back there!? It's like h....hair!?
Aoi: Wait...Akita-san, calm down...
Momko: Hiiii!? My skin's feeling cold!?
We couldn't see her, but Momoko's thrashing transferred her feeling to us.
Syouko and Momoko: .....!?
Then, for a moment there was a sudden attack and my field of vision became white. After that, the darkness became darker.
Syouko: ......
Momoko: ....Uohhh.....
It wasn't a 80 or 90 percent chance, Momoko, who was sitting in the seat next to me, got confused and hit me with her head.
Geez, it was like I was seeing stars, getting hit with Momoko's head which was as hard as a rock.
Syouko: .....
My brain was whirling from the sudden attack. I was strangely unable to settle down and placed my hand on the alcove which was supporting the upper half of my body. I felt something smooth in the alcove slab.
This was the hair Momoko was talking about...
It was probably Aoi-sensei who I heard lighting a lighter.
After lighting up a number of candles, there was enough light to chase away the darkness.
Momoko, whose features were frozen, had what looked like long hair wrapping around her back...
Syouko: ...Nami?
Nami: .....
In the darkness, no one saw her enter. She also looked like she went to the wrong target.
Nami, who was at Momoko's back, looked around. She looked at me, who had tears leaking out of my eyes, and Yasumi who was watching how things developed.
She walked past Momoko and settled down between Yasumi and me.
Yasumi: Nami-chan?
Momoko: You s...s...surprised me...
Yasumi: Nami-chan, did you wake up and didn't see anyone so you searched for us?
Nami: .....
Nami nodded.
After the bath, she fell asleep, so we were going to leave her sleeping, but maybe we gave her a scary, lonely feeling instead.
Ayashiro: And more than no one being there, it's probably because Syouko-san and Yasumi-chan weren't there.
Momoko: And Hime-sempai, she mistakenly hugged me.
Finally, the reaction of hitting me with her head reached her.
Momoko: ....O...Ouch
Momoko, whose eyes were filled with tears bent her head down and squatted.
Yasumi: Momo-chan, you yelled really loud just then, are you ok?
Momoko: What was that...
Yasumi: What about Syouko-sempai?
Syouko: I think there will be a bump.
It was going to hurt for a while.
Momoko: Osa-sempai, it was an accident. I'm sorry. Please forgive me...
Momoko: ....Oh!?
Momoko sat down sharply and her head that hit me, hit the alcove this time.
Momoko: Ohhhhh...
Syouko: Geez, it can't be helped. As you said it was an accident...
Syouko: Though it's rare, it's lucky that Yasumi wasn't next to you.
Momoko: Ohhh...it's true...you could say that...
Syouko: Of course it's true.
With a sign, the pain gathered in my head. Nami raised her body and stretched out her hand.
Ayashiro: Hehe, Syouko-san has it good.
Syouko: Well...I guess so.
Her small, thin hand, as if imitating me, petted me on the head. It was a little embarassing but her cool, smooth skin eased the throbbing in my head.
Syouko: Hah...
Nami: .....
Syouko: Nami, I'm fine now.
Nami: .....?
Syouko: It doesn't hurt anymore, I'm fine.
My head, which Nami touched, mysteriously didn't hurt anymore. Like recovering from a sickness, I felt better. I used my fingers to touch both sides of my head. It didn't look like there'd be a bump.
Ayashiro: By the way, Migiwa-san, was that a true story?
Migiwa: Who knows...
Aoi: Sensei says it's not a true story.
Twirling the beer can in her hand, her eyes thinned behind her glasses.
Aoi: The summary of the story was about an
iso-onna (rocky beach woman) and the
nure-onna (soaked woman) and was like a modern retelling of both legends, right?
Migiwa: Yes, there were modern elements mixed in.
It was a simple logical explanation and Migiwa's answer was an indirect yes.
Aoi: In folklore, the nure-onna had the body of a snake, but there are also variations in the stories of women by the beach. Like having a mermaid where the bottom half of the body is a fish.
It was sensei's interests, but part of it was also her work. But still, to guess all the origins of the story was a little tough.
Aoi: But, what about the part where the picture can't be taken?
Yasumi: That's normally about a vampire, I think.
The person who made that guess was the person in our club who liked to read the most. She was like a fountain of knowledge.
Ayashiro: Like Count Dracula?
Migiwa: Vampires are famous for not having reflections in a mirror, right? If you don't have a reflection in a mirror then you won't be captured by a camera either.
The only part of the camera that uses a mirror was the viewfinder. What gets stored on film has nothing to do with the mirror though...
Well, in this case, let's not pour water on this explanation in a rude way.
Migiwa: Something that shouldn't be shown is shown and something that should be shown is not shown...
Migiwa: That's a easy thing to understand and is characteristic of a ghost story
Aoi: That's true, but if you mix in a Western vampire, then even if you were an iso-onna, you wouldn't be able to cross running water...
Aoi: Huh? If you were an iso-onna instead of a nure-onna, you normally wouldn't able to cross water anyways.
Migiwa: Iso-onna were said to be able to change into 'gani'
Momoko: Gani?
Aoi: Kani (crab) call also be pronounced 'gani' or 'gane'
Migiwa: Besides, Ebisu-sama (god of fishing) gathers crab and shrimps first.
Momoko: Crabs are scary! Girls with a horoscope of Cancer are scarier than those under Scorpio!
Imagining that, Momoko let out a scream.
Yasumi: Ah...I'm a Cancer...
Momoko: Zawacchi....!?
Aoi: The fishermen in the past used fishing nets attached to a ship and it was said the crabs on that line turned to iso-onna and climbed aboard the ships.
Aoi: That's why they don't use nets and use an anchor and fishing poles instead, it's said.
Syouko: Heh...
It's not related to anything but the oni that appeared in Japan's oldest oni story was Ooushikani (big cow crab)
Syouko: By the way, sensei?
Aoi: What is it?
Syouko: Migiwa can also answer.
Migiwa: About what?
Syouko: Since we're going to be going to check out the true identity of the ghost, could we not get sidetracked by ghost stories?
Aoi: Ah...(cough)
She seemed to realize that she was getting sidetracked too much and reflected on that.
While sensei drooped her head, Migiwa playfully closed one eye.
Migiwa: I'll be careful from now on.
She looked around the room.
Migiwa: You say you're going to search for the ghost's identity, but does anyone have spiritual sense so you can actually "see" the ghost?
Everyone: .....
There was no response.
I don't know about myself, but both Yasumi and Momoko said they didn't have any spiritual sense.
Momoko: Nami seems to have some.
Nami: .....
Momoko: Hiii!? Nami keeps staring at the wall!?
Starting with a cat, when certain animals stare at a space where there's nothing there, it's said their eyes can "see" spirits...
I've heard of stories like that.
And that was the excuse for going on this test of courage. Nami's eyes settled on Ayashiro who was attacked in the early dawn by what seemed to be a ghost...
She swallowed and a frightened voice leaked out.
Ayashiro: That's a sp..spider.
Momoko: Oh, that's it? A spider.
A spider of a size that's rarely seen in the city was on the wall.
Yasumi: Is Momo-chan ok?
Momoko: If I were afraid of spiders, I wouldn't be able to live in my country town. Besides, spiders are useful creatures.
Momoko: Well, it's said that night spiders will kill even those that look like their parents. Hime-sempai, here's our talisman, Kumouchi (Spider Attack).
We borrowed the miraculous talisman...Kumouchi, which is a bokutou (wooden sword) made from the Tokosaki no Tsubaki. Momoko was recommending it to Ayashiro to use against the spider.
Ayashiro: We don't have to go that far...
Migiwa: That's true. At worst, if you receive the spider's enmity, this time, your blood will get drained and Hime-san might even die.
Ayashiro: Eh?
She suddenly said something even more disturbing than what Momoko said. Ayashiro, who was declining the offer of Kumouchi, froze.
Whether it was a joke, or for real, Migiwa closed her left eye. She lifted one side of her lips and with a face full of ill will, looked into Ayashiro's scared face and continued.
Migiwa: Because, Hime-san's seen it right?
Ayashiro: What...
Migiwa: A girl ghost with long hair
She scrunched her left eye and opened her right, with a crooked expression. Migiwa brought her face close to Ayashiro's and whispered.
Migiwa: I have spiritual sense, so I can "see" it...
Her blue, right eye with an inner luster was like a snake's and stared at Ayashiro's exposed neck.
Migiwa: Hime-san has scars from when that thing touched you.
Migiwa loosened her gaze and Ayashiro's body was freed from her frozen state. Ayashiro stumbled back and widened the distance between her and Migiwa.
Ayashiro: A c..crab and a spider aren't related to each other, right!?
In the previous talk, the crabs turned into iso-onna, so the real identity of the vampire girl with long hair was...
Migiwa, who was asked the question, smiled. Her eerie expression was covered by her usual smile and she returned to her seat to continue the story.
Migiwa: About the iso-onna that are transformed from crabs, crabs and spiders are friends.
Ayashiro: Eh?
That confused Ayashiro, and sensei quietly nodded.
Aoi: In the past, spiders were called, "thin crabs"
Though they were different according to biology, in terms of kotodama, they were the same kind in the metaphysical sense.
Ayashiro: .....
Aoi: Now that I think of it...
Yasumi: Sensei, I think Matamu is also a variation of a story. There's a story about an oni with the head of an ox, an oni call
ushi-oni (ox ogre)...
Momoko: Like the legend of the minotaur from Greece?
Aoi: According to legend, that Ushiki was not an oni but had the body of a spider.
Aoi: An also, ushi-oni was combined with the nure-onna and the nure-onna was also called that.
Migiwa: With the transformation of a crab and that the thin crab's monster's body being the same, that's interesting.
As if the scare she gave earlier was just acting, Migiwa returned to her normal behavior...
Momoko: In other words, the ghost with the long hair that Hime-sempai saw was the nure-onna, ushi-oni, Matamu and the Demon King?
Ayashiro: Hii...
But the one scared was Momoko who looked on the verge of tears...
Momoko: But also, why do they drink blood? I would think meat would have more nutrition.
As I expected, Ayashiro wasn't the only one scared, and the one scared was the organizer of this event, Momoko, who asked a question.
In addition, the topic was meat again.
Migiwa: For humans, meat may be more nutritious, but people sometimes drink the blood of soft-shelled turtles or pit vipers, right?
Migiwa: It's because blood has special "power"
Special "power"
Migiwa: The "power" that vampires and oni need exists in a large amount in blood. So it's faster to drink blood.
Migiwa: So compared to meat, it's blood...
Migiwa seemed to be considering how to best explain.
Migiwa: In order to repair or instruct a building, you need materials. Living things are the same and need materials daily to create and change things.
But to connect trees and bamboo was not good, so for construction work, it's better to have compatible materials...
Living things are the same. For things that can be digested and absorbed, it's better to have materials that are close to the body.
Momoko: In order to get meat you have to use meat...
Aoi: In the past, people believed that you could replace a bad part of your body by eating that same part.
Migiwa: So for oni that have a physical body, they have been known to eat an entire person, so it does have a certain meaning.
Migiwa: But that has a low concentration.
So she was saying it was useless.
Migiwa: Like if you only wanted a strawberry, eating a strawberry shortcake whole would only be because you liked it, right?
Ayashiro: So, blood...
Migiwa: Blood is special. It contains part of the body which has a physical form and also contains part of the soul which has no physical shape.
Migiwa: The "power" in blood is something that can create many things. It has the secret to take on many forms...
So as long as you have blood, it's enough.
Migiwa: If stone and wood can be compared to meat, then blood would be like petroleum.
Using cards as an example, blood would be the joker which could be used as any card.
Migiwa: So if an oni was to replenish its "power" quickly, the best way is to attack a person and drink their blood
Migiwa: Yes, yes...a person who has their blood drunk by a vampire becomes one, right?
It seems she hadn't surprised us enough, and had fun staring at each of the team members in turn.
Migiwa: Even if you don't become an oni, the host of an oni might still drink human blood.
She was saying that anyone could become the puppet of a blood-drinking oni.
Migiwa: The person wouldn't realize it, since there are some oni which are like somnambulists.
So if you weren't aware of it, there weren't any exceptions.
Migiwa: Hime-san still looks ok though...
Migiwa: It could be, that the culprit...
Was one of us.
Syouko: .....
Migiwa: Just...kidding... Were you scared? Were you scared?
Momoko: Within horror stories, everything will look suspicious.
Thinking that others are the culprit and suspecting the real culprit, and killing the other person before you yourself were killed, there was also that pattern in stories.
Migiwa: Suspicions will raise bogies, if they're really not there it's all right though.
Syouko: .....?
Momoko: Ok, ok...we've all gotten into it so let's go to the main event!
Momoko cleared the eerie atmosphere, and the ghost story prologue to the test of courage was over.