This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 196 - 174. Oh, Imperial River (8000 words completed! Asking for monthly votes!)_2

Chapter 196: Chapter 174. Oh, Imperial River (8000 words completed! Asking for monthly votes!)_2

Beichuan Si must have agreed to visit in person this time because of this matter.

"

"Actually, I have some personal matters and would like to meet the author of ’The Lost Mikawa,’ Seto Cheng. Uncle Tsukishima, could you introduce me?"

Upon hearing this, Tsukishima Sen’s eyebrows twitched subconsciously, his tone somewhat surprised, "You want to meet Seto?"

He hadn’t expected Beichuan Si’s request to be about this, and he did indeed know Seto Cheng.

After all, he was present at the award ceremony, had sent his blessings to the other party, and exchanged contact information.

Tsukishima Sen didn’t think for long, feeling that such a small favor was entirely no problem: "I can definitely help with that, but may I know what Mr. Beichuan wishes to discuss with Seto?"

"I’d like to talk to Mr. Seto about some issues concerning the creation of ’The Lost Mikawa.’"

"If that’s the case, contacting him for you wouldn’t be much of an issue..."

"There’s no need for hassle; I’ll visit Mr. Seto in person. Just trouble Uncle Tsukishima to give him a heads-up for me," said Beichuan Si, declining Tsukishima Sen’s kind offer.

Tsukishima Sen didn’t mind: "Do as you wish, Mr. Beichuan. Just let me know when you’re ready to visit Seto, and I’ll contact him for you."

And so the matter was settled.

Afterward, Tsukishima Sen and Tsukishima Ling Mei also insisted that Beichuan Si stay for dinner. After repeated strong requests, Beichuan Si had no choice but to stay.

There was no helping it; after all, it would be incredibly rude to leave right after someone had agreed to a request.

In that manner, Beichuan Si ended up staying.

...

The time was now seven in the evening.

Beichuan Huili had taken the day off purposefully to hang out with her four best friends—Takiyama Nanako, Sakurai Saki, Otomoto Ai, and Sakura Miori.

But it was already past seven o’clock, and she still hadn’t returned home. On the contrary, guided by her four girlfriends, she had come to an old school district.

"Hey! Nanako... and Saki, is this really... okay?" Beichuan Huili followed the four girls with flashlights, looking nervously around.

In February, after seven o’clock, the sun had long set, and the moon had risen early. Due to spring break, the old school district in Bunkyo District was deserted.

Although this place was an old school district, it was still in Tokyo, naturally consisting of towering concrete buildings. Under the moonlight, the entire old school district seemed quite sinister and fearsome.

"Really, Hui Li, there’s no need to be scared. We’re just playing a game. You don’t have to participate, you’ve always been controlled by your brother, haven’t you?" Sakurai Saki made a face at Beichuan Huili behind her.

Sakurai Saki was a girl with purple square-framed glasses, pretty and cute. It was also her idea to come to the old school district.

Behind Beichuan Huili was a girl who dyed her hair yellow and looked like a delinquent.

She couldn’t help rubbing her arms with both hands, and her gaze around her also seemed somewhat uneasy.

If Beichuan Si were here, he would definitely recognize her.

Wasn’t this the girl who gave the white kitten, Magong Tong?

"Hey, I really feel the atmosphere is kind of off; how about we call it off for today, Saki?" Takiyama Nanako’s cat spirits seemed to be alerting her to leave, the warning directly affecting her, making her feel inexplicably cold and chilly.

"Hui Li feels this way, and so do you, Nanako, seriously, it’s hard for us five super cute girls to get together like this!" Sakura Miori pouted.

She was a tall girl with long hair and bright big eyes, apparently the tallest among them.

As she said, she was also the most self-absorbed of the bunch.

"It’s just doing a game; there’s no need to make a big fuss about it, let’s finish it quickly, my mom’s waiting for me to have dinner," Otomoto Ai, who had been silent, spoke up indifferently.

She had short hair and disliked superfluous talk, a minimalist, probably the brain of the group.

Beichuan Huili touched her head and opened her mouth:

"But... Brother Temple said not to get involved with supernatural tales... and there really are spirits in this world! I’m not joking! Making a joke out of them is definitely not a good thing! So—"

"Hehe... got it, got it," Sakurai Saki pushed up her glasses: "So we didn’t involve you in the game, Hui Li, really, sometimes I doubt you’re a brother complex. I haven’t seen you like this before."

"Recently, when going out with us, it’s always ’Brother this and Brother that’; I wonder what your brother is really like. Is he a handsome guy?"

Beichuan Huili puffed her flat chest out with a touch of pride: "Of course, Brother Temple is the most handsome!"

The group chatted and moved closer to the old school district.

In no time, everyone had gathered at the school entrance.

"First, let me explain," Sakurai Saki cleared her throat, "The ghost story game we’re about to play is called ’Four People Hide and Seek,’ and it’s a hot topic on the internet lately."

Ghostly Game—

At the mention of those few words, Beichuan Huili shrank her neck.

"Relax, Huili, and you too, Nanako, there’s no need to make that face," Sakurai Saki sighed, "I looked it all up online. Many people have played this game, and absolutely nothing happened to them. Do you really think I would let you guys do something dangerous?"

Indeed, whenever Sakurai Saki played these kinds of games, she would research them on the internet.

Since nothing had happened to those who played this four-person game of hide and seek, naturally, nothing would happen to them either.

Sakurai Saki waved her hand:

"Besides, look, this is just an old high school building, not according to the game rules at all, so a strange occurrence is just impossible, please rest assured, ladies."

"... The four-person hide and seek game requires an elementary school building," Otomoto Ai glanced at Sakurai Saki and reluctantly stated the rule.

She really didn’t want the other to go on talking any further.

"Exactly, so let’s get the game started quickly, ladies," Sakurai Saki rubbed her hands together and made a goofy face.

Beichuan Huili stood not far behind them, her large eyes unblinkingly watching the four girls who, under Sakurai Saki’s lead, held hands and formed a small circle.

The moon hovered above the old schoolhouse.

For some reason, tonight’s moon seemed unusually large.

It instilled an inexplicable uneasiness in one’s heart.

Under the moonlight, their shadows became distorted; the circle didn’t look like a circle but instead resembled a child’s face leering with a sinister smile.

"Repeat after me, ’Oh Miohara, oh Miohara, we have never forgotten about you. Oh Miohara, oh Miohara, we have never forgotten about you,’ and so on four times."

"Oh Miohara, oh Miohara, we have never forgotten about you." That was the first time.

The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees, and Takiyama Nanako shivered.

"Oh Miohara, oh Miohara, we have never forgotten about you." That was the second time.

An eerie atmosphere pervaded the air, spreading an unspoken fear.

The third time was chanted as well.

A feeling of being watched crept up on everyone.

The fourth time—

Takiyama Nanako couldn’t continue, the other three looked at her strangely.

Takiyama Nanako felt even more that something wasn’t right, but her friends all turned their heads and stared at her.

Their faces seemed to be twisting and swelling...

Her own friends... did they really look like that?

Struggling to suppress the discomfort in her body, Takiyama Nanako slowly recited her part of the incantation.

"Oh Miohara, oh Miohara, we have never forgotten about you."

Hiss—

Terror made sound! Like thunderclap out of nowhere!

When Takiyama Nanako looked again, her friends were staring back at her with horrifying faces!

What in the world... had happened?

Her brain seemed to short-circuit.

Meanwhile, Beichuan Huili’s eyes were also wide open.

Did a black shadow just dart out from her body?

It seemed to be a doll?

And also...

"Where is everyone?"

At the entrance of the old schoolhouse shrouded in a grim moonlight.

Not a soul in sight!