"Since Hana can't release them, then we'll go in ourselves and bring them out." Kitahara Makoto's tone relaxed, "The ghost has already been dealt with, so there shouldn't be any danger."
"Let's go together, let's go together." Nagasaki Soyo's voice was curious, "I still don't know what the space behind the mirror looks like."
Mutsumi: "Curious."
Takamatsu Tomori: "Curious."
Shiina Taki: "I'll go protect Tomori."
"…"
The ghost inside the mirror had already been dragged out and pummeled by Kitahara Makoto, so naturally, no one was afraid anymore. The girls were excited, curiously discussing what the space behind the mirror was like.
At the same time.
Kitahara Makoto looked at Hana:
"Hana, how do we enter behind the mirror?"
Hana trotted forward with her short legs, extending her small arm to touch the mirror's surface:
"It's ready."
Kitahara Makoto curiously extended his right hand and immediately discovered that the originally cold and solid mirror surface seemed to have turned into some kind of liquid. With just a gentle push, he could insert his hand into it.
"It feels quite strange."
Kitahara Makoto quickly said:
"I'll go in first to check the situation. After one minute, everyone else can come in one by one."
"Alright."
"Kitahara-kun, be careful."
"Makoto-kun, don't act rashly. Wait until we're all in before you move."
"…"
The girls all nodded in agreement.
Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly, indicating he understood, then directly slipped into the mirror.
What greeted his eyes was a dimly lit, dilapidated and musty small space. A faint smell of mold clearly lingered in the air, causing Kitahara Makoto to frown slightly.
"The space behind the mirror doesn't seem to be what I imagined…"
Kitahara Makoto looked around and found himself standing in an unfamiliar bathroom, with a washbasin and a mirror directly in front of him.
Only Kitahara Makoto's face was visible in the mirror; he couldn't see the world outside the mirror.
It would still be a minute before anyone else came in. Kitahara Makoto turned and walked to the bathroom's exit, quietly peeking out.
Outside was not a villa, but a gloomy and silent corridor.
By the faint lamplight, a nurse's station was vaguely visible.
"Is it a hospital?"
Kitahara Makoto pondered.
He had previously thought that since the ghost girl was capturing people in the villa, the space behind the mirror would naturally be a replica of the villa. Now it seemed it was clearly not that simple.
"Hana, do you know what the situation is behind the mirror?"
Kitahara Makoto silently communicated with Hana in his mind.
The next second.
Hana's response echoed in Kitahara Makoto's mind:
"Fear, space."
"Don't speak in riddles."
"…"
After careful inquiry, Kitahara Makoto quickly learned two pieces of information.
Good news: His and Hana's 'mount bond' was high enough that the connection wasn't broken by entering the mirror space.
Bad news: The specific name for the mirror space was the Fear Space. The scene was not static; it would transform itself into the most terrifying scene for the person caught within, based on their inner fears.
In addition, there was another piece of bad news.
That was...
Hana had just devoured the ghost girl and was currently in a 'digestion' period, so the unlocked abilities were quite limited.
Currently, she could only open the mirror space and couldn't provide other assistance for a short time. The Fear Space would continue to evolve according to its original predetermined trajectory.
"Tsk~"
Kitahara Makoto let out a soft click of his tongue, then turned and returned to the bathroom:
"So, it's quite dangerous, isn't it?"
Stepping up to the mirror, Kitahara Makoto silently contacted Hana in his mind:
"Temporarily close the entrance. Don't let anyone else come in."
Since he knew there was danger behind the mirror space, Kitahara Makoto would be safer acting alone. More people might not be helpful and could even become a burden.
The next moment, Hana's voice sounded in Kitahara Makoto's mind:
"They're already in."
"Huh?"
Kitahara Makoto's brows immediately furrowed. He scanned the empty bathroom.
"Where are they?"
"Inside."
"…"
Taking a deep breath, Kitahara Makoto's eyes quickly calmed down.
"Stay calm."
"Hana doesn't lie. Since she said someone came in, then they definitely came in."
"Now I don't see anyone… so, even if they come in from the same mirror, they won't appear in the same location?"
Kitahara Makoto cleared his thoughts and quickly contacted Hana in his mind:
"Hana, don't let anyone else come in."
"Okay."
"Who came in?"
"Good person."
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
In Hana's eyes, everyone except him and Nijika was referred to as a Good person.
"Be more specific." Kitahara Makoto pondered for two seconds, then quickly thought of the most distinctive feature, "What color is their hair?"
"Gray hair."
"How long is their hair?"
"To the neck."
"Got it… That's Tomori." Kitahara Makoto quickly said, "Has anyone else come in?"
"Yes."
Why don't you just say everything at once, instead of only answering what I ask!
Kitahara Makoto helplessly pressed his brow. He continued to inquire carefully and was speechless to find that besides Tomori, Taki and Mutsumi had also come in; only Soyo and Sakiko remained outside.
"Understood." Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly, "Under no circumstances let Soyo and Sakiko come in."
Ending the mental communication, Kitahara Makoto turned and walked out of the hospital room.
He didn't know what would happen in the Fear Space. In any case, he had to find the girls who had entered as quickly as possible.
Thump thump thump.
In the eerie, dimly lit corridor, only Kitahara Makoto's footsteps echoed hollowly.
Looking at the scattered beds and wheelchairs in the corridor, Kitahara Makoto frowned slightly, a subtle sense of déjà vu growing increasingly familiar.
"Tomori, Mutsumi? Are you here?"
To save time searching, Kitahara Makoto directly called out.
His voice reverberated, echoing throughout the hospital corridor.
However, the entire hospital corridor was silent, with no response.
"No one?"
Kitahara Makoto walked up to the nurse's station, then suddenly raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Hm?"
Kitahara Makoto let out a soft sound of surprise, his gaze falling on a notice board at the nurse's station. The text on it was clearly Chinese.
"Strange... why is it Chinese?"
Kitahara Makoto furrowed his brows, his heart rate involuntarily quickening. Those almost blurred memories quietly surged into his mind.
Creak~
A strange creaking sound of a door opening quietly echoed in the corridor, followed by heavy, suppressed gasps.
Kitahara Makoto ignored it, picking up the record sheets behind the nurse's station and quickly flipping through them. Before long, a complex expression suddenly appeared on his face.
"I remember now..."
Kitahara Makoto turned his head to look at the source of the sound. They were patients, or rather, former fellow patients, wearing hospital gowns, emaciated and almost unrecognizable.
"This is the hospital I stayed in during my previous life."
The memory of suffering from cancer and lying alone in the hospital, waiting for death, was a fear that haunted him through two lifetimes.
The fear space behind the mirror had clearly recreated his memories directly.
And as Kitahara Makoto's memories gradually resurfaced, his former fellow patients quietly appeared in the previously silent and empty corridor...
"Hana-chan, how can I leave?"
Kitahara Makoto silently asked in his mind.
Hana quickly responded:
"Forget, fear."
"..."
Kitahara Makoto pondered for a moment, then quickly thought of a solution. He decisively activated Sage Time, his eyes quickly becoming devoid of desire, calm as an ancient well.
[Ability: Sage Time of No Desire]
[Category: Active]
[Description: When you activate this ability, you will enter a state of no desire, immune to any negative mental states]
After activating Sage Time, all feelings of fear instantly vanished.
Without the support of fear, the space before him suddenly became blurry, and he could even vaguely see what was outside the space, as if an opaque eggshell had suddenly become transparent.
"Someone?"
Kitahara Makoto focused his gaze and clearly saw a blurry figure in another space.
"Is that... Tomori?"
After identifying Tomori, Kitahara Makoto simply squeezed through the wall, as if passing through a curtain of water, and quickly arrived at another terrifying space.
This space was a lounge. Takamatsu Tomori stood alone in the corner, holding her knees and burying her small face in her arms. In front of her, four girls were arguing. They were a drenched Sakiko, Soyo, and Taki.
"This is Tomori's most feared scene?"
Kitahara Makoto was slightly surprised.
He had expected some horror movie scene, but he didn't expect it to be something that had happened in reality.
But it was understandable.
A saying perfectly suited Tomori—if one had never felt light, then one could have endured loneliness.
Tomori had lived alone since she was little, always solitary, until Togawa Sakiko entered her life, bringing her the warmth of friendship. Unfortunately, she was pushed away in the end, ultimately becoming an indelible shadow.
At this moment.
Takamatsu Tomori seemed to return to that rainy night in middle school, facing the arguing group, helpless and not knowing what to do, only able to silently blame herself for everything.
Takamatsu Tomori felt as if her world was once again experiencing a torrential downpour, and endless gloom once again enveloped her heart.
The arguments grew more intense.
Compared to the reality of the past, physical conflict even broke out now.
"Makoto-kun... help me..."
Takamatsu Tomori hugged her head, trembling, and softly murmured for help.
"I'm here."
An incredibly familiar, gentle voice fell into her ears.
"..."
Takamatsu Tomori looked up and saw Kitahara Makoto had appeared beside her at some point, his eyes gentle, extending his right hand to her.
"Makoto-kun... is this an illusion?"
"Of course it's not an illusion. Get up first."
"Okay."
Takamatsu Tomori took Kitahara Makoto's hand, feeling the warmth radiating from his palm, and finally confirmed that the Kitahara Makoto in front of her was not an illusion.
Kitahara Makoto exerted a slight force, pulling Tomori into his embrace, then explained the whole situation:
"The space behind the mirror is quite special; it can materialize the scenes and beings that people fear most in their hearts... Clearly, this is Tomori's lingering fear."
"Without a special method, you might be trapped in fear forever."
Hearing this, Takamatsu Tomori gently bit her lower lip:
"Makoto-kun, I'm sorry..."
"What are you apologizing for?" Kitahara Makoto said casually, "Ordinary people have no way, but we can totally skip class."
"Eh?"
"Let me try if I can share the ability with Tomori-chan."
Kitahara Makoto's eyes burned as he looked down at Tomori-chan's delicate cherry lips.
Hearing this, Takamatsu Tomori's small face quickly flushed. She naturally knew the method of ability sharing, and with a red face, she softly said:
"Then I'll leave it to Makoto-kun..."
Kitahara Makoto lowered his head, directly covering the girl's soft, cool lips.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto lifted his head, wiped the thread of saliva from the corner of his lips, and smiled:
"Tomori, thank you for the treat."
"..."
Togawa Sakiko's small face was burning, and she was panting, her head bowed, not daring to look up at anyone.
"Tomori, the ability should have been successfully shared." Kitahara Makoto said softly, "Try it."
Good luck.
The space behind the mirror did not belong to daytime, so it would not hinder ability sharing.
"Okay..."
Takamatsu Tomori steadied her breathing and silently activated the ability [Sage Time], her eyes quickly becoming devoid of desire, without joy or sorrow.
As the source of fear was cut off, the entire space quickly became transparent.
Kitahara Makoto held Tomori's soft hand and softly said:
"Now we can leave."
"Tomori..."
"Don't go."
"Stay and be with us."
"Didn't you say we'd be friends forever?"
"..."
The four girls materialized from the space gathered around, trying to keep Takamatsu Tomori permanently, with the nightmare Taki being the most agitated.
"I'm sorry, I already have someone I want to be with forever, and everyone in reality has already reconciled." Takamatsu Tomori turned around, her tone serious, "So... goodbye."
"You can rest assured." Kitahara Makoto gripped Tomori's right hand tightly, "Tomori's future life is in my hands."
"..."
The two left Tomori's fear space and arrived at a new scene.
"Makoto-kun, Tomori-chan."
A slightly excited female voice rang out first.
Kitahara Makoto looked over at the sound. Who else could the speaking girl be but Mutsumi?
Mutsumi's fear space was quite desolate; it was a pure white, empty room, completely bare, with no monsters, no tables or chairs, no beds, no sounds... nothing existed except Mutsumi herself.
"Mutsumi's space is very special."
Takamatsu Tomori's tone was curious.
"It's certainly different." Kitahara Makoto nodded, looking at Mutsumi, and explained the current situation, "The space behind the mirror evolves based on what each person fears most..."
At this point, Kitahara Makoto's voice suddenly paused, and he said in a deep voice:
"I know what Mutsumi fears most."
"Eh?" Takamatsu Tomori looked over curiously, "What is it?"
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"It should be loneliness."
Mutsumi lacks emotions and rarely experiences the seven passions and six desires. Most of her life has been spent in solitude, so her greatest fear is loneliness.
Mutsumi tilted her head and looked over: "Do I have to face my fear to leave?"
"No need for such trouble." Kitahara Makoto shook his head, "Of course, we'll continue to skip class."
Takamatsu Tomori looked up upon hearing this:
"So... Makoto-kun has already done that kind of thing with Mutsumi?"
Kitahara Makoto: "..."