Epi.8-4: The Visitor Who Met the First Place Ghost

It had truly been nothing more than coincidence.

I opened a suspicious-looking livestream—one that supposedly featured a ghost girl—on a whim.
There, a mysterious segment called “Cute Ghosts” was underway.

I hadn’t believed it. And yet, for some reason, it had stuck with me.

They never said where the stream was being filmed, but somehow, I just knew—this was the place.

The sun was still high. She was said to appear at dusk, so even if I happened to run into her, it probably wouldn’t be that frightening.
Besides, once it got dark, I wouldn’t even be able to tell whether she was “cute” or not.

With that lighthearted thought, I continued walking.

Leaving the forest trail, I followed a narrow animal path.
Before long, I came out into an open area—but my steps felt strangely heavy.

I should’ve been close to my destination, yet my body suddenly felt sluggish.

—I really need to start exercising.

Cursing my own lack of discipline, I kept moving forward.

Before I knew it, fog had settled in, blurring my vision.
The air felt heavy… hard to breathe.
And then, in the next instant, a sensation shot through me—as if someone—no, something—had grabbed my arm.

I at least wanted to make it to the lake.
Clinging to that single thought, I dragged my feet and pushed on.

—Is that it…?

In a spot where nothing had been just moments ago, a white figure was now standing.
It seemed to have noticed me as well.

I figured I should at least say hello—somehow, that’s what crossed my mind.
But in that very instant—

A sharp pain slammed into my head.
Nausea surged up inside me.
The ground swayed beneath my feet.
And then—my consciousness sank into darkness.

I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious.
By the time I came to, everything around me had already fallen into darkness.

I’d planned to be home before sunset, so I hadn’t brought any kind of light with me.
Relying only on the weak glow of my phone, I staggered my way through the forest and somehow made it back onto the path home.

For the next week, I continued to suffer from a mysterious illness with no apparent cause.

I went to the hospital, but all the doctor said was, “It’s a spiritual affliction.”

—What an unbelievable quack.

That was what I thought—though I no longer had the energy to complain.