"According to the legend… at exactly midnight, if you walk the stairs of the school building, a thirteenth step—one that doesn't exist—will appear. And anyone who steps on it will cross the boundary between the living world and hell…"
The three members of the occult club listening to Keisuke's story all looked visibly tense.
But Gen Naoto seemed completely unfazed.
"Everyone knows that story already," she said. "Are there any real incidents?"
Keisuke's eerie expression faltered slightly.
"Well… there is one. But it happened about four years ago. I only heard it from upperclassmen…"
He cleared his throat.
"Back then, a security guard disappeared while patrolling the main school building. The police investigated, but they couldn't find anything. The surveillance footage didn't show how he left—and even after searching the entire campus, he was never found."
"That's when all kinds of rumors started spreading. Some said he was killed by a demon and buried under the field. Others claimed his vengeful spirit roamed at midnight, targeting students who were alone…"
"There were tons of stories. Eventually, the school banned all discussion about it to calm things down. Since then, it's become more of a hidden rumor."
"And… the security staff turnover here is really high. Some people say it's because of that incident."
Keisuke hesitated, then added:
"Naoto… you're not seriously thinking about trying this, are you?"
"I know you've never been scared during our ghost hunts, and honestly, most of those are just rumors—people scaring themselves."
"But this one… feels different. You really shouldn't go."
"From Class 3—Risa and her group—you know them, right? A while ago, they forced a girl to test the legend at midnight. She got badly frightened. I don't know the details though…"
Naoto frowned.
"…Was that girl named Ayako? The quiet one from my class?"
Keisuke nodded uncertainly.
"Probably. Those people only pick on easy targets. They rely on their family connections to get away with things."
"…Is she your friend?"
Naoto's expression darkened.
"…Yes."
"I noticed something was off about her before… I didn't realize it was this bad."
She stood up immediately.
"Keisuke, I'm going to find her. Thanks for the information."
"Hey! Don't do anything stupid!" Keisuke shouted after her.
"Got it!" she called back.
Naoto led Tokiya Shingen straight to her classroom.
There weren't many people inside, but Ayako was there.
Shingen leaned casually against the wall outside while Naoto went in. He could hear classmates greeting her warmly.
A moment later, she came out with another girl.
Ayako was exactly as described—fragile, timid.
She kept her head slightly lowered as she walked, as if afraid to look straight ahead.
When she saw Shingen, she instinctively hid behind Naoto.
"Naoto… who is he?"
Naoto gently pulled her along and began explaining in a low voice.
Behind them, Shingen adjusted the case slung over his shoulder, scanning the building.
As expected—
There was no trace of cursed energy.
According to Keisuke, the last disappearance had been four years ago.
If a curse did exist here, it was either extremely conditional… or relatively weak.
Otherwise, it would have been dealt with already.
Naoto led Ayako to a secluded pavilion on campus.
Thick vines covered the structure, casting cool shadows and creating a sense of privacy.
After hesitating, Naoto spoke:
"Ayako… were you bullied by Risa and the others?"
Ayako's shoulders trembled.
Fear surfaced clearly on her face.
She lowered her head, gripping her skirt tightly.
"…Naoto… please don't get involved."
Naoto immediately stood up, angry.
"They've gone too far! I'll report them to the principal!"
"I heard from someone else—you were forced to test the thirteenth step at midnight, right?"
Ayako's fear returned even stronger.
She grabbed Naoto's hand.
"Don't… don't ask anymore… because…"
From a short distance away, Shingen spoke calmly:
"…Because it's real, isn't it?"
Ayako turned toward him, hesitant.
Naoto squeezed her hand.
"Ayako, this is Shingen. He specializes in dealing with things like this."
"You don't have to be afraid. Tell him anything you know."
After a long pause, Ayako finally spoke.
"I didn't see anything… but it's real."
"After I saw the thirteenth step…"
Naoto and Shingen exchanged a glance.
That made sense.
Even if a curse existed, Ayako shouldn't have been able to see it.
Which meant—
Her experience was credible.
Ayako stared ahead blankly.
"I didn't see anything… but something was there. Hiding in the dark."
"And we heard crying… faint, but real."
"Risa and the others ran away. My legs went numb—I thought I was going to die…"
"But even when I crawled away… nothing touched me."
Seeing her emotional state deteriorating, Shingen signaled Naoto.
He stepped aside while Naoto comforted her.
Afterward, they arranged for Ayako to take leave and escorted her back to the dorms.
"So… what do we do now?" Naoto asked.
Shingen didn't answer directly.
"Do you really want to come with me tonight?"
Naoto nodded firmly.
She was about to speak, but Shingen raised a hand to stop her.
"Resolve is enough."
"We'll act at night."
"I'll teach you some basics first—at least enough to keep yourself alive."
He began teaching her the fundamentals of cursed energy control.
The previous incident had been mostly luck—and likely aided by Dōjigiri.
Even if this curse seemed minor, it wasn't something to take lightly.
They returned to the Gen estate.
After retrieving White Wolf and coordinating with Sugihara Riko, they cleared out a courtyard for training.
The basics weren't too difficult.
By afternoon, Naoto had already learned how to consciously draw out cursed energy and reinforce her body.
The newfound strength thrilled her.
Night fell quickly.
Shingen had also contacted Gojo Satoru earlier.
Due to the school's size, all students and staff had been relocated.
The main building now stood completely empty.
Under the dark sky, the school loomed with an eerie presence.
Neither Shingen nor Naoto showed fear.
Shingen formed a hand sign and spoke:
"From darkness, emerge.Blacker than darkness.Purify that which is impure."
A Curtain descended, sealing the building.
Naoto watched in amazement before following him inside.
Shingen opened his case, taking out Dōjigiri and his other blade.
They began climbing the stairs.
"One… two… twelve."
Naoto sighed.
"Still twelve steps. Is the thirteenth even real?"
White Wolf found nothing either.
"Let's keep going," Shingen said.
They checked all the way to the rooftop.
Nothing.
Naoto checked the time.
"Maybe it only appears at midnight. Five minutes left."
They returned to the first floor and waited.
Watching.
Listening.
As the clock struck midnight—
Shingen's expression changed.
White Wolf immediately became alert.
"It's here."
From Shingen's perspective—
A thirteenth step forced itself into existence, seamlessly connecting to the staircase.
Naoto gasped.
"It's real…"
The staircase looked normal—
Except for the faint cursed energy.
"Another possibility," Shingen muttered.
"This could be a conditional domain trigger."
"Stepping on it might activate it."
Before testing that—
He fired a burst of cursed energy.
The step shattered—
But the fragments dissolved into black mist and vanished.
Then—
It regenerated instantly.
He increased the power.
This time, the entire section of stairs exploded apart.
Yet—
The thirteenth step reformed.
Floating in midair.
Disconnected from everything.
"…So this isn't the core."
Shingen activated his technique.
Wheel of Time — Reverse.
The stairs reset.
"Let's go."
He stepped forward and stopped just before the thirteenth step.
"Step on it together."
"If I'm right, we'll enter its domain."
"We might get separated."
"Take Dōjigiri. Hold on until I finish things."
They stepped forward.
Together.
The world warped.
Like a camera pulling away—
Everything stretched, distorted, vanished.
In an instant—
They stood in a long corridor.
Darkness stretched endlessly at both ends.
Doors lined both sides.
All closed.
White Wolf began tracking.
Then suddenly—
It growled.
A door ahead creaked open.
Shingen held out his hand.
Naoto passed him Dōjigiri.
They watched.
A pale hand pushed the door open.
A student stepped out.
Unknown uniform.
Empty eyes.
"…Is he a curse?" Naoto stammered.
Before she could finish—
Shingen vanished.
He reappeared behind the figure.
A single strike.
The student collapsed.
Its legs severed.
No blood.
Only dark, viscous fluid seeped out.
"…Of course," Shingen said calmly.
"No normal human could exist here."
He drove the blade down.
The body disintegrated into black ash.
He glanced at Dōjigiri.
The strike had felt… effortless.
But before he could think further—
More doors began to open.
One after another—
Figures emerged.
Dozens.
Shingen handed the blade back to Naoto.
"Huh?" she blinked.
He tilted his head toward the approaching figures.
"These are yours."
"I'll cover you."
"I—I—"
He placed the sword firmly in her hands.
"You'll be fine."
"These aren't the main curse."
"They're weak."
"Just reinforce your body with cursed energy and swing."
"You've practiced swordsmanship, right?"
"…A little," Naoto admitted.
She stared at the grotesque figures—
Their bodies twisted, swollen with tumors.
She took a deep breath.
Her expression hardened.
"…Okay."
"I'll try."