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The boys rattled off example after example, eventually listing all seven of the school's most infamous horror legends.
By the time he finished, the classroom had gone eerily quiet.
"So… those are the Seven Mysteries of the campus?"
"It's noon, but after hearing all that, I swear the temperature just dropped…!"
"Do you think ghosts actually exist in this world?"
"Of course not. We should believe in science."
"But still… they sounded way too real."
"Yeah. If no one had experienced them personally, there's no way someone could make up stories that detailed and terrifying."
"..."
In an instant, the quiet atmosphere shattered. The classroom filled with chatter about whether evil spirits or gods really existed.
After a while, one student clapped his hands loudly to grab everyone's attention.
"Isn't it easy to find out whether this stuff is real or not?"
"Tomorrow's the weekend anyway. Why don't we come back to school tomorrow night and explore?"
"So, anyone brave enough to come with me?"
As he spoke, a proud smile crept onto the boy's face.
He was the same guy who had just insisted, "No superstitious nonsense. Believe in science."
Maybe he thought that if he proved the campus legends were fake, showed how fearless and courageous he was, some girl might fall for him.
Then, finally, he could shed the shameful title of being a lifelong virgin.
The moment his words landed, the class erupted.
Both the boys and the handful of girls stared at him in shock.
"Takahashi, I didn't know you were that bold!"
"But what if those stories are actually true…?"
"I don't believe it! I trust Takahashi. I'm going tomorrow night too!"
"Me too, me too!"
In no time at all, several boys had signed up.
"..."
Off to the side, Asher watched quietly.
Sure enough, if you go looking for trouble, trouble finds you.
As the saying goes, there are gods three feet above your head.
Even if you don't believe, you shouldn't casually test things like this.
Asher wasn't interested in this sort of thing anyway.
Campus horror stories existed in almost every school.
Most of them were made up by bored students or people chasing attention, with no truth to them at all.
He had no desire to waste time on such pointless activities.
However.
Just as Asher was thinking that—
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding! The host has encountered a supernatural legend: The Ancient Campus Ghost!]
[Mission Objective: Locate the source of the campus legend and resolve it.]
[Mission Rewards: Shikigami Gacha x10, Onmyoji-exclusive Skill Draw x1]
[Do you accept?]
"…?"
Asher froze when he heard the system's voice.
He had just assumed these were fabricated ghost stories.
They were real?
But the rewards…
They were ridiculously generous.
"I accept."
After only a brief moment of thought, Asher accepted the mission.
The rewards alone made the risk worthwhile.
[Mission accepted. Time limit: Three days.]
[Please complete the mission within the allotted time.]
Three days, huh?
Asher rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
If today counted as one day, then tomorrow and the day after would land on Sunday.
That meant he had to finish before next Monday.
Plenty of time.
While he was quietly planning—
"Asher?"
"Asher?"
"…?"
Several voices snapped him back to reality.
He refocused and looked at the girl calling his name.
"Asher, are you coming with us tomorrow night?"
Hearing the question and seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Asher shook his head without hesitation, wearing an apologetic smile.
"Sorry. I'm not going."
"I'm not interested in that kind of thing."
Would Asher go?
Of course he would. He had already accepted the mission.
Just not with them.
If he acted together with those students, his identity as an onmyoji might be exposed.
Asher had no interest in inviting that kind of trouble.
"Ah… that's a shame," one of the girls said regretfully.
The others looked disappointed too.
They had been hoping that if Asher joined, maybe something unexpected might happen in such a scary atmosphere.
They hadn't expected him to refuse so cleanly.
Still, since he had made his decision, they couldn't press the issue.
...
Noon passed just like that.
When the dismissal bell rang, Asher packed up and left the school.
Walking home, he considered whether he should turn back now, wait until night fell, and investigate the so-called campus ghost to finish the mission early.
But thinking about the generous rewards, he decided it would be smarter to prepare properly first.
Great opportunities always came with risks.
The rewards alone proved this mission wouldn't be easy.
Asher was the cautious type. He wasn't about to charge in headfirst like a reckless idiot.
As he made up his mind—
Suddenly, his gaze stopped.
Following his line of sight, he noticed something not far away.
On the lid of a roadside trash can sat a palm-sized doll, dressed in a red-and-white Lolita-style dress.
It was beautiful.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, clearly not cheap.
It was hard to imagine why such a delicate doll would be abandoned on a foul-smelling garbage can.
Asher glanced at it a few times, then thought nothing of it and continued walking.
What he didn't know—
Was that as his figure gradually disappeared into the distance—
The elegant little doll on the trash can had already turned its head at some point, moving stiffly, mechanically.
Its large, beautiful eyes followed Asher's retreating back.
And within them flickered a very human emotion.
Confusion.
"....."