Laid-Back Life in Tokyo: I Really Didn't Want to Work Hard

The atmosphere around was pushed to its limit, even Uesugi Sakura instinctively held his breath.

He slowly pushed open the only iron door at the end of the corridor.

Inside, there was still a passageway...

The passageway had a 90° turn, beyond which emitted a ghostly green glow, the overall atmosphere was dull and lackluster.

Among the three girls, only Kyujuu Rika still maintained a relatively good mindset in the darkness.

Uesugi Sakura led the way, in the dim corridor, the four walked in a line, slowly...

Just then, the lights suddenly flickered madly, mixed with bizarre red and green, accompanied by the sizzling sound of electric burning.

The already tense nerves were immediately stirred.

The entire corridor emitted an ominous and noisy sound.

Hanamaru Hanabi fearfully shut her eyes tight, Kitagawa Sakisa was so nervous she looked around, tightly hugging Kyujuu Rika's waist.

As Uesugi Sakura looked up, he noticed a long strand of hair hanging from the ventilation duct, at some point unknown.

...

This is indeed a bit terrifying...

Uesugi Sakura admitted that this haunted house was really realistic.

Even knowing that these things are fake... but when surrounded by darkness, it's impossible not to fear these inexplicable things...

Like the female ghost's hair hanging overhead.

Kitagawa Sakisa saw it and was so shocked she let out a scream on the spot.

Just the continuously flickering high-intensity lights were enough to unsettle... not to mention those things that appeared and disappeared...

"Sakura, what's wrong?"

Hanamaru Hanabi had her eyes closed, so she didn't know what happened, only aware of a red light flashing.

"Nothing, let's go quickly."

Uesugi Sakura chose to lead them quickly through this area.

This area marked the last position on the third floor, Doctor Fujiko's office was right there, directly opposite.

An exceedingly ordinary door was half-open.

"...Are you alright?" Uesugi Sakura asked with concern.

Hanamaru Hanabi shrank her neck, shook her head with her eyes closed, only held his hand tightly.

After spending half an hour exploring... they finally found Doctor Fujiko's office...

Uesugi Sakura pushed the door open and walked inside.

"It's really atmospheric in here," Kyujuu Rika was the second to walk in, she examined the scattered documents on the floor with Uesugi Sakura's flashlight.

Some of the documents were burnt, others stained with blood...

The furnishings in the room appeared chaotic, as if someone had gone crazy here...

"Uesugi... what's that?" Kitagawa Sakisa seemed to have discovered something, took a small step back at the door.

Uesugi Sakura shone his flashlight over to reveal a hanging female nurse, she had no legs, disheveled hair, facing away from the four, quietly swaying in the small room.

Hanamaru Hanabi was so frightened she froze for a few seconds, then suddenly threw herself onto Uesugi Sakura, burying her face in his chest...

The girl's body was warm, and her slender waist had a kind of softness that relaxed one's mind.

This is the one good thing about a haunted house.

Worth the ticket price.

Thank you, female ghost.

Uesugi Sakura thought to himself.

.....

In the quiet room, darkness surrounded, with the flashlight being the only light source for the four, yet the light would frequently illuminate the partial figure of that female nurse... inevitably bringing to mind that tragic image.

Finding things in such an environment was difficult.

Uesugi Sakura was responsible for taking care of the two frightened girls at the door, while Kyujuu Rika used the flashlight to search for Doctor Fujiko's mirror among the collapsed bookcases.

She searched area by area in the darkness but didn't find anything related to the mirror.

Only found an old photograph on a dusty stool.

The photograph was quite old, framed in wood.

The two people in the photo were a young woman wearing glasses and a young boy.

The woman's right hand was placed on the boy's hand, both smiling at the camera, appearing happy and sunny.

From the slight resemblance in appearance, it was not difficult to tell they were mother and son.

Kyujuu Rika recognized the people in the photo were from the short introduction film earlier, as Doctor Fujiko, she turned the photo over, several abrupt, twisted blood-red characters suddenly appeared, she stared at them in place for a while.

[Murder for a life, blood debt must be paid]

"Did you find it?" asked Uesugi Sakura, standing at the door.

"No," Kyujuu Rika replied, and then looked again at the photograph, "only found this photo."

"...Anything special about it? Could be a plot line cue item." Uesugi Sakura continued to inquire.

"...Hold on."

Kyujuu Rika found a clasp on the frame, she used her fingers to slide the clasp down...

The frame disassembled, and the photo fell to the ground.

She picked up the photo, glanced at the smiling mother and son, then turned it over.

Text recorded on the back of the photo:

[The surgery was successful! Thank you, my dearest mother!

——February 23rd]

Kyujuu Rika stood up, showing the photo to Uesugi Sakura.

Uesugi Sakura's gaze moved from the photo, "Is there anything else in the room?"

"No," Kyujuu Rika answered.

"Then this is the only clue?" Uesugi Sakura pondered for a moment, "The small mirror was a gift from Doctor Fujiko's son... In the photo, Doctor Fujiko as a surgeon is wearing a white coat..."

"The photo... could it be on the day the gift was given?"

"Right."

"Since it was a gift from her son, it should have been carried or placed in the office, but there's no trace of a mirror in the office, nor in the drawers..."

As they pondered, Hanamaru Hanabi spoke up in a weak voice:

"Could it possibly be left in the operating room...? Mrs. Fujiko is a surgeon... and someone also rushed in during surgery..."