Foreclosure of a Dream

“Hasumi-san... is a Specter!” Naomi breathed, her voice trembling as she struggled to reconcile the friendly college student with the cold presence standing before them.

“What gave it away, Exorcist? Tell me.” The woman’s gaze was like ice. “I thought my performance was flawless.”

“Everything, really. Why were you the only one who didn't sleep? Why did you insist this had never happened to you before? Why did you run when that man called you a demon?” Eiji ticked the points off, stuffing a hand into his pocket. “Then there’s the sky. A full moon? That was last week. And that 'stranger' knew the name of the station before we even said it.”

“You scum...” Hasumi gritted her teeth, her polite mask fracturing.

“You’re the puppet master. This isn't the real world—it’s your domain. A pocket realm built on your own lingering attachment.” Eiji smirked, though the expression didn't reach his eyes.

“Senpai! You knew all that and didn't say anything?!” Naomi cried.

“Why would I? You’d only have blown the lid on the trap.”

“Jeez...”

A hysterical, jagged laugh cut through their bickering. “Hahahaha! You’re the first Exorcist to ever make it this far!”

“The first, huh?” Eiji glanced back toward the tunnel. “So that spirit back there... the one-legged man?”

“Devoured,” Hasumi purred, licking her lips with predatory satisfaction. “Not long before you arrived, in fact.”

Naomi shuddered. “Why would you do this, Hasumi-san?!”

“Why? Because I had to suffer!” Hasumi roared, the sound echoing unnaturally across the barren land. “On my way to Hachioji, on a train just like that one, I was shot to death. A man entered the carriage and killed four of us before they stopped him. And nobody helped me. Nobody came in time!”

Eiji watched as her breathing turned into a series of sharp, ragged wheezes.

“Nobody... nobody...” She exhaled a hissed breath. “So why should I let anyone else reach their destination? Why should they get to live while I’m stuck here?!”

“Just because you were murdered doesn't give you the right to hunt the innocent,” Eiji reasoned, his voice steady even as her face began to contort. “They were once just like you.”

“None of them helped me! They just watched me die! Just like you two did when I ran away!”

As Hasumi screamed, her body convulsed. Her limbs stretched and warped, her skin turning the metallic, glossy red of the train she haunted. She grew in a series of sickening cracks and wet thuds until a gigantic, worm-like monstrosity loomed over them, its mouth a cavern of razor-sharp teeth.

“Senpai, I think we need to run!” Naomi clutched his arm, her terror peaking.

“Pull yourself together.” Eiji’s voice was firm, grounding her. He clenched his fists, his expression an iron mask. “Stay close and wait. It’ll be over soon.”

He brought his fingers before his face. With a sharp exhale, his irises flared into crimson pits. Red lightning began to dance across his skin, snapping and popping against the oppressive silence of the domain.

The Specter-train coiled into the air like a skyscraper of flesh and steel. For a moment, time seemed to slow for Naomi. Her fear vanished, replaced by a strange, calm premonition. As long as he’s here, everything will be okay.

The monster-worm swung its head down like a massive hammer.

Eiji raised an arm. A red, translucent dome of energy flickered into existence. The impact was deafening—the shield shattered, sending ripples of red lightning through the ground and throwing the teenagers back. The flashlight flew from Eiji’s hand, spinning into the dark.

The creature didn't relent. It lunged again, forcing them to dive across the dirt-riddled earth.

“Into the tunnel, now!” Eiji commanded. They scrambled back into the darkness just as a devastating strike pulverized the ground where they’d been standing.

Eiji stood tall at the entrance, shielding Naomi.

“What now, Senpai?”

“We wait.”

On cue, the murderous worm roared and shoved its massive head into the tunnel opening, its teeth gnashing as it tried to squeeze through.

Eiji’s arm shot forward. A violent beam of red lightning erupted from his fingertips, lancing straight down the creature’s throat.

An unearthly shriek tore through the air. The worm convulsed, smoke pouring from its maw as it recoiled out of the tunnel.

“Did we... win?” Naomi whispered.

“Not yet.” Eiji stepped out of the tunnel, pursuing the wounded spirit.

But the Specter wasn't finished. In a blur of movement, its head dropped from the sky, coiling around Eiji’s body before he could react. In one swift, sickening motion, it gulped him down and ascended back into the dark.

“EIJI-SENPAI!”

Naomi bolted from the tunnel, her mind a screaming void of panic. She stared up at the monster as it writhed in the air, seemingly cackling at its victory. Eiji was gone.

He couldn't have... there's no way...

Just as despair began to take hold, the monster froze. A muffled, rhythmic thrumming started from within its gut.

A bright red glow began to bleed through the Specter’s metallic skin. It grew stronger, the creature’s triumphant cries turning into wails of agony. The red light coursed through its entire length like a surge of high-voltage power.

BANG.

The Specter’s body erupted from the inside out. A massive splatter of red energy painted the void, followed by a blinding, absolute white light that swallowed the world whole.

⌁◉⌁

“Mhhh…”

Naomi stirred as a sharp beam of light flitted across her eyelids. Her head felt heavy, her thoughts sluggish.

“What’s going on?”

“I have no clue…”

Upon opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of two police officers in full uniform, sweeping the carriage with heavy-duty flashlights. The harsh beams bounced off the faces of dazed, waking passengers.

“Where… are we?” Naomi asked, squinting against the glare.

“Uh… Hachioji Station,” one of the officers replied. He looked just as bewildered as she felt.

“Hachioji?” Naomi sat up with a start, her memory rushing back in a violent flood. She looked to her side.

Eiji was there, slumped in his seat, stirring just like the rest of the passengers.

“Senpai!!” Naomi cried out, a massive wave of relief crashing over her.

“Huh…?” Eiji muttered, his eyes fluttering open to see her tear-stricken face inches from his own.

“Senpai! You’re alive!!!”

Before he could even process where he was, Naomi tackled him into a desperate bear hug. Eiji blinked, his brain rebooting as he stared at the ceiling of the train car.

“What the hell? Get off me…”

“Senpai! You’re as alive and mean as ever!” Naomi chuckled, finally letting go as the other passengers began to sit up, murmuring in confusion.

“Officer Machida here,” one of the policemen reported into his shoulder radio. “The passengers are awake. Repeat, everyone is accounted for.”

Looking out the window, Eiji realized they were back in the real world. The station was a swarm of activity—flashing blue lights, ambulances on standby, and frantic train attendants.

They had done it.

At 1:00 AM, the "Ghost Train" that disappeared yesterday had simply… reappeared. It had pulled into Hachioji right alongside the scheduled last run, as if it had never left the tracks. To the authorities, it was a miracle; to the passengers, it was a collective blackout. They all described the same thing: departing Shina, a sudden lapse in memory, and waking up at the final destination.

Families were reunited, charges were dropped, and the mystery was tucked away into the "unsolved" files of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

“Haaah… we really saved all those people, didn't we?” Naomi breathed in the crisp morning air as they walked toward school.

“We?” Eiji muttered.

Meh popped out of thin air, looking uncharacteristically gloomy. “It is a pity Meh missed all the excitement. Meh feels… neglected.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Meh-chan! I’ll tell you the story as many times as you want!” Naomi beamed.

“While Meh appreciates the gesture, it doesn't change the fact that he wasn't there to assist his master.”

“There was nothing you could’ve done,” Eiji said, his voice surprisingly level. “We were in a pocket realm. A dream world.”

It was the closest thing to a consolation Meh had ever received. The shikigami perked up instantly. “If Eiji-dono believes so, then Meh shall not argue further!”

“Oh, that reminds me, Senpai!” Naomi tilted her head.

“...What now?”

“Isn't it kind of unfair?” Naomi asked, her tone dipping into disappointment. “You do all that work, you save thirty people from a life of wandering in the dark, and you get zero recognition. You’re like a superhero, but nobody knows what you go through!”

“I just do the job,” Eiji replied flatly as the school gates came into view. “Nothing more, nothing less. Besides… nobody ever knows the shit people go through on the daily. I’m fine with it.”

“How about we make it official? A superhero thing! We find you a cool name, a tight-fitting costume, and—boom!”

“Hell nah.”

“Eh? Why not? I’ll be the sidekick and draw the manga! We’ll be swimming in cash!”

As they stepped through the gates, Naomi’s animated chattering was cut short by a wall of students blocking the path.

“Well, well… look who finally decided to show up!”

A familiar, cocky grin emerged from the center of the mob. It was Mitsuaki Ishida, sporting his signature pompadour and a look of supreme confidence.

“Kanzaki!”

“Haah…” Eiji sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Not today, Ishida.”

“Ah-re? Is this a friend of yours, Senpai?” Naomi asked, eyeing the delinquent.

“Does it look like we’re friends?”

“A rival, then?”

“How did you even get to that?”

Mitsuaki stepped forward, pointing a finger dramatically. “Kanzaki! Today is the day I finally—”

He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze sliding past Eiji to land on Naomi. His jaw practically hit the pavement. “Who is this… beautiful creature beside you?!”

“Eh?”

“Who?”

“I believe he is referring to Mizuno Naomi, Eiji-dono,” Meh clarified helpfully.

“Me? No way!” Naomi scoffed. “Besides, I’m already Senpai’s—”

“Come at me, Kanzaki!” Mitsuaki roared, his face turning a bright, passionate red. “I will free this lady from your slimy, delinquent grasp and—”

THUD.

With a perfectly timed punch to the solar plexus, Eiji drove the delinquent to his knees. He didn't even slow down, simply walking past the gasping Mitsuaki.

“Agh… dammit…”

“Boss! Are you okay—?!”

“The bell’s about to ring,” Eiji grumbled pas the crumbling gang members.

“Oopsie daisy.” Naomi stepped neatly over the writhing Mitsuaki and followed her upperclassman into the building, leaving the rest of the "mob" standing there in stunned silence.

“So, Senpai, do you want to come see me practice karate today?”

“I have wor—” Eiji stopped, remembering he’d been fired yesterday.

“Ah-re? What was that?”

“..Nevermind."