Chapter 3: The Children

As Sayuri faded from view and drifted along, she noticed a single child walking ahead.
It was a young girl, about the age of a lower-grade elementary school student.

Sayuri touched down a short distance behind her and quietly revealed herself. Then she spoke.
“Hey—”

In that instant, the girl let out a scream and spun around.

“Ah—did I startle you? I’m sorry…”
She hadn’t meant to scare her, and Sayuri couldn’t hide her confusion.

“…Um, my back—did you see it?”
the girl asked in a frightened voice.

“Huh? Yeah. I saw it, but…?”
Not understanding what she meant, Sayuri tilted her head.
Did she not want it to be seen? Or did it mean something else entirely?

“…I’m sorry.”
The girl lowered her head.

“W–wait!? Why are you apologizing!?”
Sayuri panicked and urged her to lift her face.

“Because—”
The girl was just about to explain her reason.
At that very moment—
Thud.
With a dull sound, a fist-sized stone struck the girl in the face.

It had originally been thrown at Sayuri’s head, but it passed straight through her ghostly body and struck the girl instead.

The girl collapsed to the ground, clutching her face as she began to cry.
Overwhelmed by what had happened, Sayuri reflexively vanished and turned around.

There, a girl about the same age—apparently the one who had thrown the stone—came running over.

“I’m sorry—are you okay? I thought there was a ‘back’ here, but…”
The girl looked around restlessly. But Sayuri was no longer there.

Unable to process what had happened and feeling a surge of fear, Sayuri quietly left the area.