296-300

*Chapter 296: The Ball of Thread*

As he left home, Kojima's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the red threads covering his body.

Without a doubt, the sheer number of red stitches on him made it clear that this was not the "Thousand-Person Stitch" his grandfather had mentioned.

Of course, it also couldn’t be the rare skin disease the doctor had suggested.

That left only one possibility—what Miharu had called the "red thread of fate."

The red thread that was originally meant to connect him and Miharu had been severed unilaterally. Now, with no destination, it had wrapped itself entirely around him.

*Swoosh, swoosh—*

As Kojima walked toward school, the red threads on his body began shifting, writhing like living things, growing at an accelerating rate.

Suppressing the discomfort caused by their rapid growth, he pressed forward, step by step, toward the school.

"This is bad… I can’t see out of one eye anymore."

On the way to school, many students heading in the same direction gasped in shock when they noticed his condition.

But Kojima had no time to care about their reactions—he needed to move faster.

The red threads were growing at an alarming rate, to the point where they were starting to obscure his vision. If he didn’t find a way to get rid of them soon, he feared they would completely entangle his body, rendering him unable to move.

"Miharu… I have to find Miharu again. If I can reconnect the severed thread, everything will return to normal. No one can defy the red thread of fate. Miharu and I are destined to be together—these threads are proof!"

Picking up his pace, Kojima broke into a sprint, running toward the school faster than ever before.

By now, the growing red threads had covered his entire face, leaving only one eye barely able to see the path ahead.

His anxiety deepened.

The red threads seemed limitless, expanding endlessly. In just a matter of minutes, he felt as if he were carrying a thick, heavy cloak on his back.

"Miharu… Miharu… it’s Miharu! Thank goodness!"

Hori River High School was just ahead.

Suddenly, near the school gate, Kojima spotted the familiar figure he had been longing for.

"Miharu!"

With all his strength, he shouted her name.

His voice, muffled and distorted by the threads wrapping around him, barely reached beyond the entanglement. Fortunately, Miharu, who wasn’t too far away, seemed to hear something and stopped in her tracks.

"Thank goodness!"

Seeing her pause, relief flooded Kojima’s face beneath the layers of red threads. He quickened his steps, rushing toward her.

"As long as… as long as I can reconnect the red thread… I’ll return to normal… I just need to reconnect it…"

A desperate glimmer of hope flashed in the one eye still visible as Kojima stretched out his hand toward Miharu.

"Ahhh!"

However, the moment Miharu turned and saw Kojima's current state, she let out a terrified scream.

To her, he no longer looked human. The red threads had completely engulfed him, transforming him into a monstrous figure wrapped in a tangled mass.

"What’s happening?!"

"Look! Over by the school gate—something’s wrong!"

"So it’s true! The reports weren’t lying—Hori River High really is haunted!"

"It’s an evil spirit! It’s taking revenge…!"

Miharu’s scream drew the attention of students and bystanders near the school.

As people gathered and saw the horrifying sight of Kojima entangled in red threads, expressions of fear spread across their faces.

Some might have believed the online reports left by Takayama. Others might have been influenced by TV shows. Some were just following the crowd.

But in this moment, as they witnessed the scene unfolding before them, all of them reacted with the same horrified gasps.

"No… Miharu… it’s me… I’m Kojima… Kojima… Yoshiki…"

Kojima tried to speak, his voice trembling as he saw Miharu’s terrified expression.

But before he could say anything else, the red threads wrapped around his mouth, sewing it shut in an instant.

Then, his legs were bound tightly as well. He lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

"No… no… I can’t let these threads trap me… Miharu… I just need to get closer… if I can wrap the threads around Miharu, everything will return to normal…"

Lying on the ground, unable to move his limbs, Kojima’s desperation turned to madness.

With no other choice, he began writhing, inching toward Miharu like a caterpillar.

To him, Miharu was his last hope.

"Hurry! Get away from that thing!"

The bystanders panicked as they saw Kojima crawling toward Miharu.

A few individuals stepped forward, trying to pull Miharu away from him.

"No! I won’t let you take Miharu away! She’s my destined other half!"

Seeing the people blocking his path, a crazed look flashed across Kojima’s face beneath the threads.

With a flick of his body, the red threads shot forward—

"Ahhh! What is this?!"

However, due to the interference, the threads missed Miharu. Instead, they wrapped around a completely unrelated middle-aged man.

"Damn it! I grabbed the wrong person! It’s not Miharu—it’s some random old guy!"

Realizing his mistake, a horrified expression spread across Kojima’s face.

He had no intention of being bound to an older man.

But no matter how much he struggled, the moment the red threads latched onto a new target, they refused to let go. Worse still, they seemed to spiral out of control.

"Damn it… the red threads are completely out of control because I grabbed the wrong person…!"

That was Kojima’s last coherent thought before—

The red threads forcefully dragged the ensnared man toward Kojima, entangling him within the growing mass.

Within minutes, the red threads expanded, forming an enormous ball of tangled strings at the school entrance.

—

Half an hour later, after receiving an emergency call, Officer Yamamoto arrived at Hori River High School.

Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he couldn’t hide his shock at the sight before him.

A massive ball of red threads, towering two to three stories high, stood in front of the school gates.

"What the hell is this…?!"

By the time the police had received the call, images of the scene had already flooded the internet.

Online, people were calling it a "phenomenon."

But Yamamoto couldn’t ignore the critical detail mentioned in the emergency report—

There were two people trapped inside that massive red thread ball.

"Get a perimeter set up immediately!"

Taking a deep breath, Yamamoto issued orders to his colleagues.

"No one is to approach this thing without permission. Lock down Hori River High School immediately. Also, notify the fire department…"

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 297: Accountability*

"Endo..."

At the entrance of Horikawa High School, Shimada spotted Endo from a distance and waved at him.

"What happened?"

As he reached Shimada’s side, Endo glanced around at the crowd gathered near the school and the construction barriers set up at the entrance, a puzzled expression appearing on his face.

From within the barriers, he could faintly hear the sound of an electric drill.

"You’re late. You missed the best part."

Shimada shook his head and made a regretful expression at Endo.

Pulling out his flip phone, he brought up a photo and showed it to Endo, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Just now, the police sealed off the area and blocked something that had appeared at the school gate. But I already took a picture. According to people who arrived earlier, the massive bundle of threads that appeared at the entrance came out of someone’s body..."

"Really? That’s a shame."

Endo glanced at the photo on Shimada’s phone and expressed his regret, though his face remained indifferent.

"You have no idea what you missed. That massive bundle of threads was as tall as a three-story building, coiled layer upon layer. It looked like something that shouldn’t exist in the real world."

Shimada turned to glance at the barriers behind him, still caught up in the shock of witnessing the enormous mass of threads.

Around them, a crowd had gathered, including several reporters.

Ever since Takayama exposed the events at Horikawa High School online, the government had lost control over the public narrative. The media wasn’t about to let this story go.

---

"Impossible!"

Inside the restricted area, a firefighter put down the smoking, overheated drill in his hands.

Looking at the unscathed mass of threads in front of him, he shook his head at Yamamoto.

"These threads are even tougher than we thought. Not even an electric drill can penetrate them."

"What about a chainsaw?"

Yamamoto frowned at the firefighter’s report.

"It won’t make much of a difference."

Taking a deep breath, Yamamoto stepped closer, scrutinizing the thick mass of interwoven threads.

To the naked eye, the structure appeared completely normal.

However, the firefighters’ failed attempts proved otherwise.

Even hardened metal should at least show some damage when drilled into. But this bundle of threads remained completely intact, without even the slightest mark.

"We’ve identified the person involved in the incident. His name is Yoshikuma Kojima, an ordinary student from Horikawa High School..."

Lifting a section of the barrier, an officer in charge of the investigation stepped in and reported to Yamamoto.

"The anomaly first appeared three days ago. That was when he broke up with a middle school girl named Miharu. After that, he started showing unusual symptoms—red stitches appearing on his body. Every day, more red threads appeared on him, and by this morning, they had completely covered his entire body. Then, he turned into what you see here."

"Kojima’s family mentioned something called the Sen’nin-bari. I looked into it—historically, it was a protective charm. Mothers or wives would take a piece of cloth to a train station and ask women to sew a single stitch into it, gathering a thousand stitches in total for good luck and protection."

"You think there are only a thousand threads here?"

Yamamoto, though mildly intrigued by the Sen’nin-bari, knew that what stood before him had no connection to that old superstition.

"Have you investigated the middle school girl he broke up with?"

"We’ve questioned her. After the breakup, she never contacted Kojima again. This morning was the first time she saw him since, and she was deeply shaken. The officer handling her questioning is trying to console her."

Yamamoto nodded.

Looking back at the enormous bundle of threads, he felt a headache coming on.

Cases involving supernatural elements were far beyond what a mere police inspector like him could handle.

---

"Officer... will you be able to save Kojima?"

Inside the sealed-off Horikawa High School, Miharu glanced in the direction of the thread-covered Kojima. She turned to the investigating officer, her face full of fear.

"..."

The officer hesitated for a moment before carefully choosing his words. "We’ll do our best."

In reality, he knew the truth.

Given Kojima’s current state, his chances of survival were close to zero. The officer had only said that to keep Miharu from feeling too distressed.

After all, according to their investigation,

Not too long ago, she and Kojima had been a couple. Seeing her former boyfriend end up like this must have been heartbreaking.

Hearing the officer’s reassurance, Miharu lowered her head as if overcome with sadness.

However, unnoticed by the officer, she discreetly pulled down her sleeve, covering the red stitches on her wrist. A glint of relief flashed in her eyes.

"As I thought, this red thread is terrifying... Thank goodness I cut it off when I broke up with Kojima. Otherwise, I would have been the one caught in that tangle of threads."

---

"Editor-in-Chief..."

The urgent ringing of a phone broke the silence.

Takayama picked up the call.

"What the hell did you do, Takayama?!"

The voice on the other end belonged to the Kyoto branch editor of Kyodo News. He sounded both furious and panicked.

"I simply told the public the truth."

Despite the editor-in-chief’s furious reprimand, Takayama remained calm.

He looked at the overwhelming number of comments on his article and the skyrocketing view count. His lips curled into an irrepressible smile.

He knew he had won his gamble.

Especially when his eyes fell on the latest report about the "phenomenon" at Horikawa High School—his excitement only grew.

"Because of your unauthorized article, not only is the Kyoto branch in trouble, but even our headquarters is being questioned by the Ministry of Internal Affairs! I don’t care why you did this, but you will immediately publish a retraction and hold a press conference to apologize."

"Sorry, Editor-in-Chief, but I don’t believe I wrote anything incorrect."

"Takayama, do you understand who you’re talking to? I’m not asking you—I’m ordering you. If you refuse to comply, the next call you get won’t be from me but from someone much higher up. And by then, things won’t be so simple anymore. Think carefully!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 298: Escape

Over the phone, the editor-in-chief spoke to Takayama in a threatening tone, making it clear what the situation was.

There was no doubt—by publishing an article online exposing Horikawa High School’s actions, he had drawn the ire of those in power.

The high-ranking officials in the Cabinet didn’t care about what was happening inside Horikawa High School. Their only concern was whether their authority remained secure.

To that end, they had covered up the truth about Horikawa High School, ensuring that the majority of the public remained oblivious to the bizarre events occurring there.

However, Takayama’s article had completely undermined their long-standing efforts.

Online, the article about Keiko from the time capsule spread at an alarmingly unnatural rate, far exceeding the expectations of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet.

By the time the senior officials—who controlled Japan’s political power but were clueless about the digital world—realized what was happening, the Horikawa High School incident had already become one of the hottest topics across the entire Japanese internet.

The public’s fascination and obsession with ghosts and the supernatural made the viral nature of the event impossible to suppress, let alone extinguish.

To cool things down, it was only natural that the authorities would go after the source—Takayama, the one who had set everything into motion.

As long as they could "persuade" Takayama to clarify the "truth," admit in a press conference that everything was a fabrication and a lie, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would have the justification it needed to bury the issue.

To achieve this, the higher-ups had already prepared various contingency plans. They had even pressured Bungeishunjū, a major publishing company, and in doing so, obtained scandals from the entertainment industry. These were to be strategically released after the press conference, diverting public attention away from the Horikawa High School incident.

This tactic was one they had mastered—a play they had run countless times before.

"I can't just let you cover this up so easily."

Watching Takayama and his editor-in-chief through the system interface, Allen remained unfazed.

He had spent a considerable amount of Plot Points to shape the current storyline, and there was no way he was going to sit back and watch as the Japanese government buried everything once again.

As his thoughts shifted, the Plot Points on the system interface decreased once more.

Immediately after, Takayama’s hesitant expression on the screen hardened into one of firm resolve.

"I understand, Chief Editor."

On the other end of the call, Takayama took a deep breath as he listened.

Hearing this, the editor-in-chief assumed his threats had worked. A smug expression crossed his face.

"In that case, I regret to inform you that I will no longer be working for this newspaper."

The next second, Takayama’s words froze the editor-in-chief in place.

Without waiting for a response, he hung up the phone.

Inside the Kyoto branch of the Kyodo News Agency, the editor-in-chief stared at the disconnected call, stunned for several seconds. Then, cold sweat began to pour uncontrollably from his forehead.

"I'm sorry… I didn’t expect Takayama to have the guts to do this..."

He bowed repeatedly to the man beside him, wiping his forehead frantically as his face turned pale.

"Forget it. I didn’t have high hopes anyway."

The man in the office glanced at the deeply bowing editor-in-chief and shook his head.

"Notify the ‘Special Assault Team’ stationed outside his apartment. Have them bring in the target."

The Special Assault Team (SAT) was an elite counterterrorism unit under the Japanese National Police Agency. Their primary mission was rapid-response suppression of crimes involving hijackings, terrorism, and high-powered weaponry.

Though Takayama hadn’t committed any acts of violence, the Japanese government had officially classified this case as a serious disruptive incident. To suppress it as quickly as possible, they had pulled several strings, including mobilizing the SAT.

On the surface, the government was covering up the Horikawa High School incident. But in reality, they understood all too well that the supernatural forces involved defied logical explanation.

This much was evident from the rising number of paranormal cases occurring in the United States.

Even the mighty U.S. had failed to suppress the growing wave of supernatural incidents, allowing them to spread freely across the internet. Japan, whose national power was far weaker than America’s, had even less of a chance.

When it came to the U.S., Japan had long taken an inherently deferential stance—a subconscious habit ingrained over decades of geopolitical influence.

Following the man's command, the disguised SAT operatives outside Takayama’s apartment sprang into action.

They moved swiftly, heading straight for his residence. Without issuing any warnings, they smashed open the apartment door and stormed inside.

"Freeze! We are the Special Assault Team! You are under arrest for endangering—"

They drew their handguns, issuing a sharp warning to anyone inside.

To them, capturing a mere journalist should have been an effortless task.

However, when the SAT officers breached the apartment…

All they found was an empty room.

They conducted a quick search, confirming that Takayama was nowhere to be found.

The operatives exchanged glances, holstering their weapons. Their expressions were grim.

They hadn’t expected such a simple capture mission to go wrong at such a critical moment.

"Where the hell did he go?!"

From the moment they arrived, the SAT team had been surveilling Takayama, ensuring that he remained inside his apartment. Under normal circumstances, an ordinary civilian like him should have had zero chance of escaping under their watchful eyes.

After all, the SAT was the real deal—the elite of Japan’s National Police Agency, unlike the Self-Defense Forces, who were little more than an ornamental military with no actual combat experience.

"I knew it! I just knew it!"

Hiding behind a utility pole outside the apartment complex, Takayama peeked at the SAT officers storming into his home. His face was a mix of anger and relief at having narrowly escaped.

Ever since hanging up on the editor-in-chief, he had felt an overwhelming sense of unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Acting on pure instinct, he had climbed out of his balcony window, ignoring his fear as he descended from the third floor to the ground.

And the moment his feet hit the pavement, the SAT operatives rushed into his apartment.

If he had hesitated for even a second, he would have been captured.

"Actually, scratch that. It wasn’t just a possibility—it was a certainty."

Back at the system interface, Allen raised an eyebrow as he watched.

He had successfully helped Takayama escape from the SAT.

For a mere civilian, evading an elite counterterrorism unit should have been impossible.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without Allen’s assistance.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 299: Covering Up the Truth*

"Escaped?"

Inside the Kyodo News Agency, a man listened to the message relayed by the Special Assault Unit.

The man in the office frowned slightly, clearly astonished by the outcome.

He hadn't expected that even with the intervention of the Special Assault Unit, the target would still manage to escape.

"It seems we have underestimated this journalist, Takayama."

He muttered to himself, though his expression remained calm.

"Since we haven't located him, withdraw for now and leave the follow-up to the Metropolitan Police Department. The Special Assault Unit has more important matters to handle."

Although they had failed to apprehend Takayama, it did not hinder the overall plan.

After hanging up the call with the Special Assault Unit, the man turned to the editor-in-chief standing beside him and gave his next order.

"Now, the press conference is in your hands, Editor-in-Chief Mizuno."

"But, Takayama..."

Hearing the man's instructions, Mizuno instinctively spoke up.

"Takayama is important because of the impact he has created. His reckless actions have exposed cracks in the carefully maintained ‘normalcy’ of the authorities. However, right now, the focus is not on Takayama himself but on the chaos his online article has stirred up."

"To restore ‘normalcy,’ the authorities are fully prepared. All you need to do, Editor-in-Chief Mizuno, is hold the press conference. ‘Takayama’ will appear at the event."

Initially, Mizuno was skeptical of the man's words.

After all, he had just overheard that the Special Assault Unit had failed in their mission.

But in the next second, realization dawned on him. He shut his mouth, his face pale with unease, and nodded in obedience.

"Understood. I'll start preparing for the press conference immediately."

...

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"The incident at Horikawa High School..."

"What about Horikawa High School?"

"What? You don’t know? It’s all over the news! They uncovered a corpse from twenty years ago, and now the school is cursed."

"No way! Are you serious?!"

"Of course! Even the TV stations have reported on it. A spirit medium confirmed that an evil spirit resides within Horikawa High School."

"A bound spirit..."

...

"Look! Check this out!"

"What is it?"

"The latest update on Horikawa High School. I have a friend who lives nearby and took a picture of the school entrance. Apparently, a monster appeared and trapped everyone inside a giant web of threads. My friend barely escaped!"

"That’s terrifying! Is it real?"

"Of course! Here’s the picture my friend took—look at the massive tangle of threads! The police have already cordoned off the area, and the school is on lockdown."

"That’s horrifying. I’ve been to Horikawa High before..."

"Same here."

"But what kind of creature uses thread?"

"A thread monster?"

"That name sounds ridiculous."

"Who knows..."

...

Outside an apartment building, Takayama caught a glimpse of the Special Assault Unit from a distance before quickly leaving the scene.

As he moved through the streets, carefully concealing his appearance, he overheard passersby discussing the Horikawa High School incident. Their conversations helped him piece together the situation.

The topic had spread even further than he had anticipated, reaching a level of public concern he hadn’t expected. He never imagined that people would react so strongly.

Perhaps this was why Editor-in-Chief Mizuno had called him earlier with instructions.

Lowering his head to stay unnoticed, Takayama quickened his pace.

"That so-called curse at Horikawa High School is nothing but a lie..."

Just then, a firm voice caught his attention.

A man walking past him, speaking into his phone, continued, "Didn’t you watch the press conference? That journalist—what’s his name, Takayama? He already admitted it. The ‘Keiko’ from the time capsule at Horikawa High was just a fabricated story for attention. Even former classmates at the reunion confirmed that the capsule only contained letters from twenty years ago. There was never a female corpse..."

"That Takayama is nothing but a complete fraud!"

Hearing this felt like a punch to the gut.

"Why... Why is this happening? I refuse to accept it!"

"No way... No way I would do such a thing!"

"Even the Bunshun Weekly leaked it. They supposedly tracked them for three months and caught them going to a hotel together. The proof is undeniable..."

Before Takayama could process his thoughts, the street filled with chatter.

Many pedestrians, especially women, were discussing the latest celebrity scandal that had just surfaced online.

The scandal involved a beloved idol who had dominated the entertainment industry for over a decade—someone considered a dream figure by many fans.

This revelation sent shockwaves through the entire industry, eclipsing the Horikawa High School incident.

Especially since, just moments ago, a press conference had "clarified" that the entire story about Horikawa High School was nothing but a publicity stunt.

Standing in the middle of the bustling street, Takayama watched in disbelief as public attention shifted from Horikawa High to the entertainment scandal.

His face turned pale as he realized the truth behind it all.

As a journalist and someone directly involved, he understood better than anyone that the ‘Takayama’ at the press conference wasn’t him.

And considering the timing of the scandal’s exposure, it was clear—

Everything was orchestrated by the authorities.

The press conference was staged to discredit him.

The celebrity scandal was strategically released to bury the Horikawa High School story.

Once the public’s focus shifted away, all of Takayama’s efforts would be rendered meaningless.

Standing alone in the center of the street, surrounded by people engrossed in gossip about the latest scandal, Takayama clenched his fists, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

"No... I won’t let this happen. I’ve sacrificed too much to bring the truth to light..."

"I haven’t received the justice I deserve."

"If no one believes what happened at Horikawa High School—then I’ll prove it to them myself!"

*(End of Chapter)*

Chapter 300: The Subject

*"From now on, the investigation of Horikawa High School will be taken over by the 'Special Raid Force'..."*

Kyoto, Metropolitan Police Department.

A man calmly conveyed the Cabinet’s directive to the assembled officers of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police.

*"Inspector Nakamori, can you provide a detailed report on the mysterious tangle of threads that appeared in front of Horikawa High School?"*

*"Yes, sir."*

Upon hearing the man's inquiry, Inspector Nakamori of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police took a deep breath instinctively. With a tense expression, he picked up the report provided by Yamamoto and his team.

*"We have a problem, Chief Sakai!"*

However, just as Nakamori began his report, a voice from outside the conference room interrupted him. It was a member of the Special Raid Force, reporting an urgent situation.

Immediately after, the captain of the Special Raid Force stepped into the room and whispered something to the man named Sakai.

After listening to the report, Sakai's composed expression tightened into a frown.

*"Now, find Takayama’s video on YouTube immediately."*

At Sakai's command, the Special Raid Force sprang into action. They accessed YouTube using the laptop of a Kyoto police officer attending the meeting. Moments later, Takayama’s face appeared on the screen.

*"I don't know how many people will see this video..."*

In the video, Takayama looked pale and exhausted.

Clearly, the government's actions had put him under immense pressure.

Facing the camera, Takayama took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and continued speaking:

*"My name is Takayama—Takayama Touichi. I am the journalist who published the article 'Keiko-san in the Time Capsule.' I know that many people who watched the press conference have denounced me online, calling me a fraud and a liar. But I am here to prove that I did not lie. Everything I wrote in my article is true. In fact, I never attended any press conference at all. That so-called press conference was nothing more than a fabricated sham..."*

*"What are you trying to do, Takayama?"*

Inside the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, Sakai silently watched Takayama’s face on the screen, questioning his true intent.

If Takayama was merely exposing the press conference as a hoax, it wouldn't be a real threat. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, which controlled the national machinery, could easily suppress the entire story and label Takayama as a fraud.

*"...I know you're watching this video. In fact, that is one of my main objectives."*

In the video, Takayama seemed to anticipate the reactions of Sakai and the others.

He forced a smile, though his voice carried a hint of excitement.

*"You covered up the truth. You even staged a fake press conference using someone who pretended to be me. You wanted the world to believe that everything that happened at Horikawa High School was nothing but a fabricated lie—an attention-seeking stunt."*

*"But you made one mistake. No matter how hard you try to cover it up, what happened at Horikawa High School—including Keiko-san in the time capsule—is real."*

*"So this was your real objective all along, Takayama!"*

Inside the police headquarters, Sakai's expression finally changed upon hearing Takayama’s words.

*"How long will it take to take this video down?"*

Turning to the Special Raid Force beside him, Sakai demanded an answer.

*"YouTube is owned by Google, an international company based in the United States. We have no authority over them."*

A cyber expert from the Special Raid Force responded with a harsh reality.

*"...Now, let me prove it to you..."*

In the video, Takayama pointed the camera at his wristwatch. The hands clearly displayed the time—00:56.

*"In truth, the legend of Keiko in the time capsule is far from over..."*

Placing his hand on a landline phone, Takayama turned to face the camera. Then, he began recounting the chilling story of Keiko.

*"Keiko’s full name was Watanabe Keiko. She was a student at Horikawa High School in the second year of the Heisei era. Throughout her time at school, she was relentlessly bullied by her classmates. In an act of revenge, Keiko locked herself inside the time capsule. She tore apart everything stored within it and used the phone to take her revenge on those who had tormented her. Anyone who received a call from Keiko would be found dead the next day..."*

*"Isn't it terrifying? The story of Keiko?"*

In the dim glow of his computer screen, shadows enveloped most of Takayama’s face. His expression grew increasingly sinister.

*"But Keiko has been dead for twenty years. The students at Horikawa High School today never met her. They never bullied her. So why have they been dying?"*

*"The reason is simple: because Keiko was once bullied. And so, if anyone picks up a phone at exactly 1:00 AM and says into the receiver—*

*'Keiko-san, Keiko-san, can you hear my voice?'*

*"If Keiko answers, it means she has received your call. And you will have inherited the power to take revenge on those who tormented you—the ones who believe they hold power over you, who use you for their own gain. They will suffer Keiko-san’s ultimate vengeance..."*

As Takayama spoke eerily, the clock on his wristwatch finally struck 01:00.

*"Now, let us witness Keiko-san’s arrival with our own eyes."*

With excitement in his voice, Takayama picked up the phone. He spoke into the receiver:

*"Keiko-san, Keiko-san, can you hear my voice?"*

*"..."*

The video fell silent.

The only sound was the monotonous beeping from the phone’s receiver.

Inside the Kyoto Metropolitan Police Department, everyone held their breath.

They were completely drawn into the eerie moment unfolding in the video.

*"I hear you~"*

Suddenly, a soft chuckle echoed from the other end of the line.

*"Keiko-san, Keiko-san, I want revenge on those who bullied me..."*

Hearing Keiko’s response, Takayama’s previously excited expression instantly turned eerily calm.

He looked directly into the camera and, enunciating each word clearly, declared:

*"No. That’s not enough. Killing a few bullies won’t solve anything. The true source of all these problems lies in those who have taken root in this society—the self-righteous rulers who control Japan’s lifeline. It is their existence that has turned Japan into what it is today."*

*"Before, I was nothing more than an insignificant insect in their eyes—someone they could crush without a second thought. But now, I am different. Now, I possess the power to change everything—to change Japan itself."*

*"Keiko-san, help me kill the ones who truly deserve it. Start with the Prime Minister."*

(End of Chapter)