Epi.1-1: A Shadow in the Silence

It was raining. Softly, quietly, the rain was wetting the forest.

Deep within, there stood a solitary abandoned house. A two-story structure—its stone entrance, tiled roof, and wooden upper floor looked as if awkwardly added on, giving it a distorted form.

It was neither a Western-style mansion, nor a Japanese house, nor even an ordinary home. Multiple architectural styles seemed mixed together, forced into one—as if compressed unnaturally into a single form—such a strange structure.

Its outer walls, worn by wind and rain, were cracked, and part of the roof was on the verge of collapse. Even so, as though being swallowed by the forest yet still asserting its own place, it stood there.

Standing before the entrance was a single girl.

Her hair, a light shade, was tied in twin-tails. She wore a hoodie and a short skirt—light clothing—and on her feet, white sneakers. Neither the forest’s dampness nor the chill of the rain seemed to bother her in the least.

“…This should be the place that kid told me about, right?”

She muttered those words quietly, almost under her breath.

Her voice, addressed to no one in particular, melted into the rain. Yet her face was full of anticipation.

“Yeah, nice atmosphere. All right… charge!”

She broke into a light run—and went straight for the door.

A sound came as her forehead hit it. For several seconds she simply stood there, blankly staring at the door.

“…I see how it is.”

She gave a faint laugh, then reached for the doorknob. Creak… The sound of damp wood straining was drawn into the air.

Stepping one foot inside, she found the interior dim, cooler than outside. The door closed. The sound of rain receded, and it felt as though the very space itself had changed into something slightly different.

She took another step forward.

And then—suddenly, she stopped.

In the corner of the entrance hall, near the wall’s shadow, there was someone crouching down.

Long black hair hung over her cheek, covering half her face. Her navy blouse seemed to melt into the darkness; she was so still, so quiet, as if hiding her very presence, completely blended into the air of the place.

Yet, from between strands of that hair, a pair of eyes were staring this way.

Their eyes met.

It was a gaze that seemed frightened, and yet straight and unwavering.

“Hello. I’m Sayuri. I came to explore, and… who are you?”

When spoken to, the girl gave a start and her shoulders trembled. After a brief silence, a faint, rasping voice replied.

“…I’m… Shinobu…”

“Shinobu, huh. Nice to meet you.”

Sayuri gave a small smile. At that closeness with no walls between them, Shinobu slightly averted her eyes.

“…This building… there are… so many of them…”

She held her arms around herself, curling up small. Her voice was quiet, trembling ever so faintly.

“Are you afraid of ghosts? That’s unusual.”

Sayuri spoke, tilting her head slightly.

At those words, Shinobu’s shoulders twitched again, just a little.

“What’s scary… is scary…”

Yet Sayuri seemed entirely unconcerned, and lightly turned her gaze back toward the door.

“Then why not just go outside? It’s raining, but maybe there aren’t any ghosts out there, right?”

“…I… can’t get out of here.”

“I see.”

Sayuri looked thoughtful for a few seconds—then quickly returned to her smile.

“Okay then, let’s look for another way out. Think of it as an adventure!”

“Eh… but…”

“It’s fine. I’m with you!”

Sayuri lightly held out her hand. Shinobu hesitated for a moment—and yet, she gently took it.