Mochi circled the glass phone booth once more, her eyes narrowed.
No matter how closely she inspected it, there was nothing visibly wrong. But the context told a different story: a pristine booth, lights on, with an active phone line in a completely abandoned place—obviously a trap, Mochi thought.
She considered stepping inside for a second, but then felt Miyu's hand trembling. The girl stayed glued to her side, clutching her arm tightly. She couldn't force her to get any closer.
"Miyu, I don't feel comfortable here. Let's move a bit farther away from the booth. We'll wait for Haruka to come back with your friend somewhere more open. Does that sound okay?" Mochi tried to sound brave, even though she also felt uneasy about the phone booth.
Miyu nodded silently, her eyes fixed on the ground. They moved away and sat near the tunnel entrance.
Riiing… Riiing…
The phone rang again.
Mochi tensed instantly, feeling the fur on her tail bristle. Miyu turned her head in fear.
"M-Mochi… it's there… the ghost… it's inside…"
Mochi stared at the booth. At first glance, the cubicle remained just as empty and gleaming as before. There was nothing inside. But Miyu wasn't imagining it—Mochi could see the fear reflected in her eyes.
Focus, Mochi… feel the Ether. Just like Haruka taught you, she told herself.
She closed her eyes and cleared her mind of unnecessary noise. She took a deep breath. At first, she felt nothing… but then something changed. She could sense it—a presence in the direction of the booth. It was faint. She couldn't see what Miyu saw, but she could feel it.
"You're right… there's something in there."
"I don't want to be here, let's go, please…" Miyu pleaded, tugging at Mochi's sleeve. "Daichi died right after answering… if we pick up that call, we'll end up the same… Don't go, Mochi. Please."
CLACK!
The booth door suddenly swung open.
"RUN INTO THE TUNNEL, MIYU!"
Mochi reacted first, thanks to her sharp reflexes.
Both of them tried to flee into the tunnel, but they didn't make it. A sudden gust of wind slammed into them. Mochi staggered, digging her heels into the asphalt, but Miyu had no chance.
"MIYU!!"
Miyu's body was pulled toward the booth, dragged by the air straight inside. Her back slammed against the metal casing of the public phone with a dull thud, knocking the breath out of her. She fell into a sitting position, dazed, her eyes wide with pain.
Then, the receiver slipped from its hook and began to swing in front of her face like a pendulum.
A macabre laugh echoed from the other side of the receiver.
"Hehehe… hehe… haaah…"
The booth door slammed shut, trapping Miyu inside. Before Mochi's horrified eyes, the black cord of the receiver came to life. It rose into the air, twisting like a snake ready to strike… and lunged straight for the girl's neck.
"MIYU!!" Mochi threw herself toward the booth, forgetting all of Haruka's warnings.
The cord wrapped itself tightly around Miyu's throat and began to squeeze. She instinctively grabbed at her neck, struggling desperately to breathe, but the coil was merciless.
Mochi hurled herself against the structure with all her weight. She struck the glass, kicked it hard, again and again.
"MIYU!! HOLD ON, PLEASE!!"
But the glass remained intact, as if it were indestructible. Mochi felt a wave of helplessness; she could see Miyu weakening with every passing second, watching the light in her eyes begin to fade… and yet, the girl still reached out with a trembling hand toward the glass, searching for Mochi.
Mochi's hands trembled violently. Panic was starting to take over.
Think, Mochi! Think! Damn it, do something! she told herself as she saw Miyu's eyes beginning to roll back.
And then, the metallic clink in her pockets made her remember.
The knuckle dusters. Her weapons.
She fumbled them out and slipped them on. Without hesitation, without thinking of the consequences, she drove her weight forward and threw a punch straight at the center of the glass door.
CRACK!
A deep fracture burst from the point of impact, spreading across the surface like a spiderweb. Mochi gasped in shock—but she didn't stop.
CRACK! CRACK!
She struck again, twice. The cracks spread further. With a roar, Mochi delivered a fourth punch.
SHRAAASH!!
The glass shattered into a thousand fragments.
But before she could rush in to save Miyu, something emerged from within. A dense shadow—a blurred figure that seemed made of soot. Mochi didn't think. She simply reacted. Her instincts took over as she threw a left hook straight at it.
THUD!
The impact felt strange. There was barely any resistance, as if her fists had struck a dense cloud. In that brief moment of contact, the shadow disintegrated. It vanished into the air like smoke carried away by the wind.
Inside the booth, the receiver cord—just moments ago tightening around Miyu's neck—lost all its strength and fell to the floor with a metallic clatter. Miyu collapsed forward onto the shattered glass, coughing violently as her body struggled to draw breath. She was alive.
Mochi rushed inside, ignoring the crunch of glass beneath her feet.
"Miyu! MIYU! I'm here!" she cried, dropping to her knees beside her and wrapping her in her arms, her own hands trembling uncontrollably. She cupped her face, feeling the warmth of her skin and the pulse beneath her fingers. "It's over… you're safe now, Miyu. I've got you."
Even though her heart was still racing wildly, seeing Miyu breathe again filled Mochi with relief. She had done it. She had saved her.
At that moment, the yellowish light inside the booth flickered violently and went out. Mochi helped Miyu to her feet to guide her out of the cubicle, and as she cast one last glance inside, she froze in surprise.
The glass that hadn't shattered now looked chipped and yellowed. The red paint, which had once shone as if brand new, had faded into a dull, peeling tone. The metal was corroded with rust, old and buried under a layer of dust. It was no longer a pristine booth—just a heap of scrap.
Mochi closed her eyes once more, trying to sense the Ether.
Nothing.
That disturbing presence had completely vanished.
I defeated it… Mochi thought, and a spark of pride began to swell in her chest. I can't wait for Haruka to get back so I can tell her!
At that very moment, a figure emerged from the tunnel. It was Haruka—but she was alone. When she saw the shattered glass and the two girls on the ground, she rushed toward them with a look of deep concern.
"Mochi! What happened? Are you alright?" Haruka began checking her from head to toe, her hands moving quickly as she searched for injuries.
"Relax, Haruka, we're fine!" Mochi exclaimed, raising her hands to reassure her.
Mochi recounted everything that had happened. At the end, after a brief scolding for acting without waiting for her, Haruka let out a sigh and placed a hand on Mochi's shoulder.
"Good work, Mochi."
"Excuse me…" Miyu spoke up weakly, glancing toward the tunnel. "What happened to Shunji? Why isn't he with you?"
"I couldn't find him, Miyu. I searched the tunnel from end to end. There's no trace of him. I didn't see any signs of a struggle either. Most likely, in his panic, he ran all the way to the main road and managed to make it home on his own."
"I see…"
As the three of them returned together to the bus stop, Haruka explained the protocol: Miyu had to accompany her to the OHRA headquarters for a checkup. Mochi had to go straight home.
* * *
Time rewinds a few minutes. Haruka was chasing the boy through the tunnel. With each step she took, the air grew heavier, saturated with contaminated Ether.
"…Help… please… help me…"
Haruka heard a voice coming from ahead and recognized the tone. It was the boy who had fled. She raised her flashlight, trying to locate him.
"Follow my voice! I'm here!"
Haruka quickened her pace, staying alert.
Then she saw him. Shunji was standing in the middle of the tunnel, just a few meters away. He was motionless, except for a faint, unsettling sway of his torso. His head was tilted at an unnatural angle, his arms hanging limply at his sides.
"It hurts… so much…" he whispered mechanically. "It hurts… so much… it hurts… so much…"
His voice sounded hollow, stripped of anything human. Haruka stopped.
I'm too late, she thought.
Even so, her voice didn't waver when she spoke.
"Don't worry… I'll help you."
She advanced calmly. As she walked, she slipped her right hand into the sleeve of her coat, reaching for her fan.
The boy suddenly lifted his head. Without warning, Shunji's body tensed and lunged at her.
Haruka didn't step back. She didn't even flinch.
In one smooth, elegant motion, she drew her crystal fan and snapped it open with a metallic click. Her voice, steady and composed, echoed through the tunnel:
"Pierce."
The ground beneath the boy's feet erupted. Long, sharp icicles burst upward.
SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK!
The ice pierced through Shunji's body as easily as if it were paper. One spear drove through his abdomen, another through his chest, and a third severed his neck. Blood sprayed out in a violent stream, staining the translucent ice a deep red.
The boy's body convulsed in spasms, like a puppet with its strings cut. He let out one final, muffled sound… and then silence returned to the tunnel. Blood slowly trickled down the icicles, dripping onto the ground.
Haruka remained still, watching the impaled body, making sure it was no longer a threat. Only when she was certain did she exhale softly and close her fan, hiding it once again inside her coat.
"I'm sorry… I wish we had gotten here sooner," she murmured to no one.
Without looking back, she turned on her heel and began running toward the exit.
Mochi was waiting for her.