Chapter 187 - 185 Iroha Isn't Being Honest Either_1

Adachi District, Takezuka. The cold streetlights shone on the deserted street. Two or three-story residential buildings, none of them very tall, lined either side. Aozawa stood in front of a closed, paint-peeling iron gate. Behind the gate was an abandoned factory, its exterior blackened from a fire. It stretched up six floors, unlit, its surface cloaked in deep darkness. With a creak, Ayatsuki Ayaka pushed the gate. The eerie sound echoed in the silent night. The gate had originally been locked, but Takahashi Saeko had broken that lock. Ayatsuki Ayaka felt it was wrong to damage someone else's property, but Takahashi Saeko said they could just buy a new lock for it later. Ayaka agreed with this idea. After all, if the gate had a good lock afterward, it was as if no damage had been done, more or less. Ayaka pushed open the gate and turned on her flashlight; a beam of light illuminated the overgrown weeds in the yard. She turned back and asked, "Aozawa, are you scared?" "It's not too bad." Aozawa gripped her small, wheat-colored hand. He wasn't afraid, but he had quite a few ideas about using feigned fear as an excuse to get closer to Ayatsuki Ayaka. His body pressed against her back, and his nose caught a faint scent. Judging by how close he had to be to smell it, the scent seemed to be either shower gel or her natural body fragrance. Iroha might be one of the few girls with a natural body scent. "Don't be scared!" A smile appeared on Ayatsuki Ayaka's face as she said, "If anything really happens, I'll protect you." "Iroha, you're really reliable!" Aozawa was generous with his compliments for Ayatsuki Ayaka. This made her smile proudly. "It's said this fire happened thirty years ago," she began. "At that time, thirteen workers burned to death here, and forty to fifty people were injured to varying degrees and admitted to the hospital. The owner bribed the investigators to blame the accident on the dead workers' operational errors. Later, an investigation by the insurance company revealed the truth and brought this matter to light." As Ayatsuki Ayaka recounted the factory's past, she slowly walked inside. Since no one had come by in a long time, the yard was flourishing with overgrown weeds. The blackened walls showed traces of cracks. The windows and doors were completely dark, a testament to how severe the fire had been. "After the incident, that boss did something terrible. He absconded with all the money and moved to Canada. Because so many people died here and demolition costs were too high, the factory has been abandoned by the government ever since." "Iroha, you know so much." "Saeko told me all this. She always knows these obscure details, though I have no idea how she finds them out." Ayatsuki Ayaka didn't take all the credit. She pointed her flashlight inside and, deliberately lowering her voice, said, "They say that late at night, nearby residents can hear wailing sounds from inside. They claim it's the souls of those who burned to death, cursing that boss. Tonight, let's see if it's true." Aozawa chuckled; an evil thought of pranking Iroha crossed his mind. If he were to animate something in the factory, would it scare her enough to wet her pants? Imagining that scene, a mischievous urge stirred within Aozawa. But after some thought, he decided against playing such an excessive prank. He and Ayatsuki Ayaka walked to the entrance. He habitually touched the charred wall, using his Catalyst sensing ability. In an instant, his perspective shifted, and the entire factory, inside and out, materialized in his mind. In those scenes, he spotted three people. More accurately, people dressed as ghosts. Takahashi, Tama, and Miyahara—had Iroha arranged for them to be here to scare people? Aozawa pondered this, also considering what posture he should adopt to seek comfort in Ayatsuki Ayaka's arms after being scared. 「...」 Ayatsuki Ayaka held Aozawa's hand as they stepped into the factory, her flashlight scanning the surroundings. This was the western entrance. There were stairs leading to the second floor and doors to the first-floor workshop. Half of a door lay on the ground; the other half was still hanging, buffeted by the howling night wind. When the wind pushed the door, it made a squeaking noise. Ayatsuki Ayaka wasn't afraid of horror movies; she didn't believe ghosts existed in this world. Even so, this atmosphere made her a little scared. But holding his hand filled Ayatsuki Ayaka's heart with sweetness and a flicker of anticipation. She remembered a blood-stained skull painted on the workshop floor. Seeing that upon entering would probably make Aozawa scream in terror, wouldn't it? "Let's go inside and have a look," Ayatsuki Ayaka said, imagining the scene and leading Aozawa toward the silent workshop. In the darkness, the flashlight's beam cast a circular glow. Ayatsuki Ayaka stepped inside, intending to shine her flashlight on the skull painted on the ground, but then she heard a rolling, thudding sound near her ear. She instinctively pointed the flashlight towards the source of the noise. A head came into view. Terrifying burn scars covered its face. Its hair, scorched and very short, exposed patches of burnt, peeling scalp. One eyeball bulged from its socket. It seemed to be staring right at her. "It hurts so much," the head spoke. "Ah!" Ayatsuki Ayaka let out a sharp scream. This wasn't in the script! A thought flashed through her mind: Had she disturbed the ghosts here, causing them to appear? Ayatsuki Ayaka hastily turned, pulling Aozawa as she ran for the exit. Just as they were about to rush out of the factory, a headless corpse suddenly appeared at the entrance. Its hands were covered in burns, most of its clothes were singed away, and its hands were ceaselessly groping as it mumbled, "My head, where is my head?" "AAH!" Ayatsuki Ayaka screamed. There really were ghosts in this world! She quickly grabbed Aozawa's hand and ran upstairs. Entering the workshop was impossible—a head blocked it. The main entrance was also blocked. Her only option was to run upstairs. This was an entirely instinctual choice, made without any thought. Ayatsuki Ayaka just wanted to avoid the ghosts at the entrance and in the workshop. THUMP, THUMP. Ayatsuki Ayaka raced up the stairs, her panic making her hands shake and the flashlight beam wobble uncontrollably. Light and shadow danced erratically before her eyes. The air carried a biting chill. She reached the second floor in one breath, turned her head, and asked in a quivering voice, "It—it didn't follow us, did it?" "No. Iroha, are you okay?" "Nothing's wrong! I just used a sonic blast to repel it." Ayatsuki Ayaka managed a smile and comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you." Aozawa looked at Ayatsuki Ayaka's attempt at a brave face and suddenly realized that Takahashi and her friends had probably set this all up secretly, without Iroha's knowledge. Although it was amusing to see Iroha so panicked, Aozawa felt a little uncomfortable that Takahashi and her friends were the ones scaring her. Only he was allowed to bully Iroha! His expression shifted. Like Lin Daiyu, he leaned against Ayatsuki Ayaka, his voice trembling as he said, "Then I can only rely on you. Iroha, I've heard that a person's yang energy can repel ghosts and deities. I'm naturally a bit scared of these things and lack yang energy. You're very courageous, so your yang energy must be strong. Maybe your fists can drive away ghosts and spirits!" "Where did you hear about that?" "Chinese zombie movies." "Eh, but this is Japan... I'll try." Ayatsuki Ayaka muttered to herself. It should be fine, she thought. The two countries weren't that far apart, after all. She looked down at her fist, a sense of mission stirring in her heart. She had to protect Aozawa! Since she brought him here on this adventure, she absolutely had to get him out safely. "We can't go back down. Let's see if we can escape by climbing out a side window." That being said, asking Ayatsuki Ayaka to go back down and fight the Headless Ghost was still a bit much for her. In this peace-loving era, Ayatsuki Ayaka wanted to find a way to part from them peacefully, without conflict. She walked towards the open door of the second-floor workshop and shone the flashlight inside. A charred corpse suddenly dangled down from above. Its face was a mass of grotesque burns, its eyes burned into hollow sockets that stared at her. "ROAR!" Ayatsuki Ayaka bellowed. Instead of turning to run, she punched forward with all her might. BANG! She saw that the ghost's head had been knocked off; only its headless body remained, swaying there. Her heart pounded in her chest. She pulled Aozawa and quickly ran further in, intending to press her advantage, but then she suddenly noticed something odd about the head. Suppressing her disgust, she took a closer look and found threads at the neck. She then turned and shone her flashlight above the doorway. Sure enough, there was a rope hanging there. It was all just props! Realizing this, Ayatsuki Ayaka didn't expose it. Instead, she kicked the head a bit further away and wrapped an arm around Aozawa's shoulder, consoling him, "Don't be scared. I've already exorcised the evil spirit." "Is that so?" Aozawa looked up from her shoulder, his face full of pleasant surprise as he said, "Iroha, you're so amazing!" "Of course. I told you, I will definitely protect your safety." Ayatsuki Ayaka answered with conviction, though inwardly she was furious with Maru, Saeko, and Kaoru. She had told them not to come and cause trouble, yet they still set up these ridiculously over-the-top things! That headless figure downstairs must have been one of them in disguise. Darn it! Once this was over, she would definitely teach them a lesson. Spying on someone's date wasn't a good habit, and they'd made her let out such an embarrassing scream! However, looking at Aozawa clinging to her like a little bird, a sense of satisfaction welled up inside Ayatsuki Ayaka. Having Aozawa this close, relying on her like this... maybe Saeko and her friends had done something useful after all. Now that she knew it was fake, Ayatsuki Ayaka was no longer in a hurry to leave the abandoned factory. Instead, her curiosity was piqued. She wanted to see what other tricks Saeko and her friends had up their sleeves. "Since I can repel ghosts and deities, I'll exorcise every single one of them to stop them from harming humanity!" "Iroha, you're like a ghost-busting master from the movies!" "Now I am the ghost-busting master!" Ayatsuki Ayaka said triumphantly, then quickly composed her expression. Laughing so happily would ruin the scary atmosphere. "Let's go. Don't let your guard down, and make sure you hold my hand tightly so I can protect you." "Okay." Aozawa nodded, appearing to hang on her every word. This made Ayatsuki Ayaka's confidence swell rapidly. A wild thought even flashed through her mind: Should she confess right now? Her heart leaped, but she quickly suppressed the urge. No, Saeko and her friends were still watching from the sidelines. Holding Aozawa's hand, Ayatsuki Ayaka continued forward.