The door creaked slowly, painfully, as if the town itself was breathing.
Renji, still lying on the dirt, could feel it.
This wasn't just an illusion. Something was alive here.
Something that wanted them to stay.
Aoi pulled him up, her hands shaking. "We can't keep doing this."
Kaito's jaw clenched. "This town is playing with us." He turned toward the newly opened door in the distance. "But I wanna know why."
Renji's chest was tight. His mother's voice still echoed in his mind.
You shouldn't have left us, Renji.
But she was dead.
And this town—this twisted version of Fujikawa—was trying to bring her back.
But why?
Aoi's voice broke through his thoughts. "We need to make a choice."
She pointed at the open door. "Do we go in?"
---
The Whispering Home
The house standing before them was different from Renji's.
It was smaller, older—but familiar.
Kaito muttered under his breath, "…I know this place."
Renji turned to him. "What?"
Kaito's expression darkened. "This was my uncle's house."
Aoi paled. "You mean—"
Kaito nodded stiffly. "The one who disappeared ten years ago."
Renji's pulse quickened.
Kaito's uncle, Haruto Sakamura, had vanished the night of the fire.
No body had ever been found.
Only his notebook.
Aoi swallowed hard. "Do you think he's…"
Kaito didn't answer. Instead, he stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the threshold—
A whisper curled through the air.
> "…Kaito."
Aoi gasped. "That was—"
Kaito's hands curled into fists. "Yeah. I heard it."
Renji followed him inside.
The house was cold.
Dust coated every surface, untouched by time. A single dining table stood in the center, chairs placed neatly around it—as if expecting guests.
And on the far wall—
A spiral.
It had been painted onto the wood. Dark, endless, twisting.
Renji felt his stomach churn.
But Kaito—his eyes were locked on something else.
An old notebook.
Sitting in the center of the table.
His uncle's notebook.
---
The Forgotten Notes
Kaito reached for it. His fingers hesitated over the cover before he flipped it open.
The pages were filled with writing. Frantic, rushed—obsessive.
Renji and Aoi leaned over to read.
The words were familiar.
Because they had seen them before.
The spirals are watching.
The town breathes. The town remembers.
Once you enter, you cannot leave.
Aoi inhaled sharply. "This is just like the pages from before."
Renji nodded grimly. They had found similar notes scattered throughout the town.
But this time—there was more.
One sentence had been underlined repeatedly.
> "They are trying to replace us."
Renji felt a cold weight settle in his chest.
Kaito's voice was rough. "What the hell does that mean?"
Aoi shook her head. "Replace us…?"
Renji suddenly thought of his mother's voice.
The thing that had worn her face.
He gritted his teeth.
"I think," he said slowly, "this town isn't just bringing back the dead."
He looked up, his eyes dark.
"It's trying to make us take their place."
---
The Shadow in the Hallway
The room was silent.
And then—
A floorboard creaked.
Renji's breath hitched.
He turned sharply.
At the end of the hallway—
A figure stood.
It was tall and thin, its arms too long, its head tilted at an unnatural angle.
A shadow of a man.
Aoi grabbed Kaito's sleeve. "Tell me that's not—"
Kaito's fists clenched. His voice was barely a whisper.
"…Uncle Haruto?"
The figure took a step forward.
The light overhead flickered violently.
And then—
The figure spoke.
> "Kaito… you should not have come back."
---
End of Chapter 27
---
To Be Continue