NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22: Chapter 21: New Urban Legend
"I wanted to leave, but I was brought in anyway."
"I dont want to be here," Megumi thought, but she found herself being pulled into the house with Eriri and Utaha. The atmosphere inside felt strange, but before anyone could say anything...
"Is the air conditioner on? It's freezing!" Eriri shivered suddenly, hugging her arms as they walked further into the house. The early autumn chill was already in the air, and no one in their right mind would be blasting the AC this time of year.
Megumi flipped on the lights, and the cold, dark ambiance receded slightly. "It seems like Tomoya isn't home," Eriri said after taking a quick look around the living room.
Just as they were about to leave, Utaha, who had been standing in silence, furrowed her brow. "Wait a second," she said softly, scanning the room.
Eriri noticed her expression and asked, "What is it?"
Utaha's gaze shifted to a corner of the room. "There's something strange," she muttered. "Where are the daily necessities?"
"Daily necessities?" Eriri looked confused, staring around the room, thinking everything looked normal.
Megumi, standing beside Utaha, chimed in with her usual calm tone, "She's right. There's only one set of daily necessities." She glanced at the shelves, the bathroom door, and other places one might expect to find traces of another person. There was nothing.
Utaha nodded, confirming Kato's observation. "Tomoya said he was living together with someone, right? But there's no evidence of anyone else living here."
"True..." Eriri looked around more carefully, starting to realize the same thing. "If he's living with someone, where's the other person's stuff?"
The room suddenly felt colder again, and before anyone could speak, the bedroom door creaked open slowly, as if someone or something had pushed it open from the inside.
The girls froze, tension building in the room. Out from the door stepped Tomoya , but he didn't look like the cheerful, tired boy from earlier. His expression was grim and unnerving, his presence dark and foreboding.
"I was scared to death!" Eriri exclaimed nervously, taking a step back. "Why didn't you answer when we knocked? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
But Tomoya didn't respond immediately. His face remained eerily blank. Then, in a low, unsettling voice, he muttered, "Who let you in?"
Eriri blinked in confusion. "What are you talking about, Tomoya? It's us!"
But Tomoya didn't seem to hear her. His voice rose, repeating the question louder, "Who let you in? Who let you in? Who let you in!"
Utaha immediately sensed something was very wrong. She tugged at Eriri's sleeve. "Something's off."
Eriri glanced between Utaha and Tomoya, realizing the tension in the air was not normal. She started to back away instinctively, but Tomoya's eyes darkened, and his expression twisted into something feral.
"No one can disturb my life with Ellie!" he snarled, his voice now menacing and wild. His hand darted to his side, and when it came back up, he was holding a knife.
"Tomoya! What are you doing?!" Eriri shrieked, stumbling back.
"Ellie and I... no one can come between us! You all need to die!" Tomoya's voice cracked with madness as he raised the knife and lunged forward.
"Run!" Megumi's sharp voice cut through the chaos, and the three girls bolted toward the door.
As they ran outside, hearts pounding, they finally looked back. Tomoya didn't chase them. He stood at the threshold of the house, knife hanging loosely by his side, eyes dark and vacant. But it wasn't just him. Standing behind him was a tall woman, at least a head taller than him.
The woman's face was grotesquely beautiful on one side, but the other half looked like a decaying skeleton, her twisted smile sending chills down their spines. She stared at them with an eerie, unblinking gaze, her hand resting possessively on Tomoya's shoulder.
The sight was enough to make their blood run cold. Just a glance at the pair filled them with dread, and when they looked again, the door had slammed shut as if nothing had happened.
"What... what the hell was that?" Utaha muttered breathlessly.
The girls stood in stunned silence, their fear still fresh in their minds.
---
The next morning, Ryuji woke up to the muffled voice of Miko, who lay next to him in bed. She pouted as she buried her face against him, her voice barely audible. "Liar..."
Ryuji chuckled, still a bit groggy from the night. "What did I lie about this time?"
"You said I would only stay a little while... but I ended up staying the night..." Miko's cheeks were flushed with both embarrassment and happiness. She had initially intended to just stop by for a bit, but one thing led to another, and now... well, she was still here.
"Are you sure that's what you said last night?" Ryuji teased, his voice playful as he propped himself up on one arm, leaning over her.
Miko's face turned an even deeper shade of red. "D-Don't repeat it!" she squealed, covering her face with her hands. Despite her usual reserved nature, she had moments of surprising boldness. But in the quiet of the morning, those moments left her blushing.
Ryuji laughed, his voice warm. "Alright, alright. Your secret is safe with me. I already let your mom know last night that you'd be staying over. She was totally cool with it."
Miko peeked through her fingers, her heart racing. "My mom knows? She... agreed?" Her voice was small, and while she tried to sound embarrassed, the truth was, she felt overjoyed.
"Yup. She didn't seem surprised either." Ryuji stretched lazily, watching Miko as she slowly got out of bed. "You doing alright? You seemed a little sore earlier."
Miko winced slightly but nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine now.
"If you're really feeling okay, I won't push it. But, if you wanted to take the day off, I'd back you up." Ryuji smirked. "Just think about it: a whole day with me."
Miko shook her head, smiling shyly. "No, I'm fine. I'd rather go to school with you."
Ryuji shrugged. "Alright, but don't blame me if we end up continuing last night's activities later." He gave her a sly wink.
Miko blushed again and swatted him playfully. "You're terrible!"
---
Later that morning, as Ryuji sat in class, he could still feel a lingering sense of satisfaction from the night before. It was impossible to wipe the grin from his face, though that grin quickly faded when he felt a certain gaze on him.
Looking up, he noticed Shizuka staring at him from the front of the class, an unreadable expression on her face. The moment their eyes met, she quickly turned away, trying to focus on her lesson.
Ryuji smirked knowingly. Yesterday must've gotten to her. He thought about how flustered she had been during their conversation. Guess I left more of an impression than I thought.
Meanwhile, Shizuka clenched her fists, trying to maintain her composure. Damn brat... She had barely slept last night, her mind racing with thoughts about their conversation. Now, here he was, looking completely unfazed while she was the one feeling rattled.
How is he so calm? she thought, growing more frustrated by the second.
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