The classroom was sealed the next morning.
Officially, for "structural inspection."
Unofficially, because too many students had started whispering.
About the writing on the board.About the scream.About the girl no one remembered—yet now, couldn't forget.
Shi Mu stood outside the taped-off door, arms crossed, face unreadable.
Beside her, Fu Yunshen held the system tablet, scrolling through old case files.
Zhou Zhi arrived late, breathless and clutching a sugar bun.
"Did she show up again?"
"No," Shi Mu replied. "But she will."
"She's an echo spirit," Fu Yunshen added. "Her appearance is tied to memory. The more people talk about her, the stronger she gets."
Zhou Zhi blinked. "So we're basically her PR team?"
"No," Shi Mu said. "We're the cleanup crew."
They broke the seal by late afternoon.
The room was colder than yesterday.
The windows fogged over despite the open vents.
And on every desk, something new had appeared:
Notes.
Scattered. Scribbled. In different hands.
"Where did she go?""Did anyone see her leave?""We forgot her name."
Dozens of messages. All dated the same week. Five years ago.
Fu Yunshen bent over one of them.
"These aren't echoes," he said. "They're real."
Zhou Zhi frowned. "You mean…"
"She didn't die in anger," Shi Mu murmured. "She faded out of memory."
That made her more dangerous.
The classroom door slammed shut behind them.
Zhou Zhi jumped a full step.
"Okay! This is not tofu-vendor-friendly!"
Shi Mu ignored him. Her hand reached into her sleeve for a charm.
Then the windows fogged again—
This time forming a single name across the glass.
"Lin Xue."
Shi Mu froze.
"That name…" she whispered.
Fu Yunshen turned. "You know her?"
"I don't remember how."
The Gu inside stirred.
"She shared your seat once. Shared your notes. Shared your silence."
Shi Mu clenched her jaw.
"I forgot her."
[System Notification]
Echo Spirit Identified: Lin Xue
Spirit Type: Passive-Bound – Memory-Based Manifestation
Risk Level: Escalating – Emotional Anchor Detected
Brotherhood Value +105 (Spirit Name Recovered + Identity Link Established)
Current Total: 3,605 / 1,000,000
They left the classroom without another word.
But as they stepped into the hallway, the lights above flickered.
And a voice whispered—
faint,
fragile,
but clear:
"Please… don't forget me again."