Chapter 54

The subway at midnight was eerily quiet, with only a handful of ghostly passengers scattered about. A few lifeless bodies, both men and women, lay slumped near the doors. The spectral riders looked exhausted and on edge, huddled in corners, avoiding the empty seats.

Chika tilted her head, puzzled. "That's weird... Why aren't any of the ghosts sitting down? The seats look fine to me."

"Well..." the short-haired girl mused, "Maybe something bad happens if you sit?"

Hearing this, the blonde girl's face drained of color. She glanced nervously at her seat, realizing she'd just sat down moments ago. Does that mean I'm in for it now?

The female ghost, still wrestling with writing on her thigh, looked up with a wicked grin. "Human, you've made a big mistake sitting there. I'll be waiting for you. Soon, we'll be two of a kind."

The blonde's face went even paler. She gripped her wrist tightly, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

Suddenly, a strange buzzing filled the air, like surging electricity. The subway began to slow, and the lights flickered ominously.

Chika's expression turned serious. "Hey, Natsuki. What do you think would happen if we used our fusion technique on Umi?"

Natsuki quickly replied, "No clue, but it's worth a shot."

They'd only ever used it on vengeful spirits before, never on a living person.

Chika pointed at the blonde girl, her face dead serious. "Outlaw Zhang San. If I call you, will you answer?"

The blonde looked utterly confused, but her mouth started moving on its own: "...Zhang San is here!"

It worked!

Natsuki reached out, touching the blonde's shoulder. He felt that familiar surge of power: "Outlaw Zhang San, you're under arrest."

"Wait, what? Who's Zhang San?" The blonde's eyes went wide as she tried to move, but found herself paralyzed except for her mouth and eyes. "My name's not Zhang... I... I'm Zhang San!"

"Don't freak out, Umi," Chika said quickly. "It's just a skill Natsuki and I can do together. We're hoping it'll help."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the subway plunged into darkness.

"Something's got my legs!" Umi cried out, terrified.

Natsuki held his breath, gripping Umi's shoulders tightly. He could feel something pulling at her, but his hold didn't budge.

As long as you're Zhang San, nothing can take you from me – not even a god!

It seemed even outside forces couldn't break their technique.

When the lights flickered back on, Natsuki gently released Umi's shoulders. "We should be okay now."

"My feet..." Umi's eyes welled up with tears as she clung to Natsuki's arm.

Looking down, Natsuki saw angry purple handprints on Umi's ankles. If he hadn't been holding onto her, who knows what that thing in the darkness would have done?

"You're all okay?" The ghost woman looked surprised, but her sneer quickly returned. "Two more stops till the end of the line. You'll all be dead by then."

Natsuki glared at her. "Pipe down, subway skank."

"You little—"

"I know what's really going on," Natsuki said, touching his forehead. "Shimizu, you can come out now."

"Roger that."

A pleasant voice suddenly came from behind the ghost woman. She spun around to see a passenger lifting her bangs, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. The woman approached Natsuki, holding a calligraphy brush.

"Sorry," she smiled at the ghost. "I was undercover. After three long years, I finally got my chance to defect."

"Who are you?" The ghost woman gasped. "I've never seen you before!"

Chika beamed. "Evening, Shimizu!"

Natsuki realized that Ms.Kaguya, who'd been posing as a ghost, was surprisingly useful. Unlike his evil-dispelling abilities that only worked in reality, she could join him in the game world, like a pet for normal players.

He could even share equipment with Ms.Kaguya, like the special brush that only wrote certain characters. They could communicate telepathically too, though it drained Ms.Kaguya's energy quickly. Her form was already fading.

"So," Natsuki mused, "if a normal ghost wants to grab someone, where would they aim?"

He glanced at the ghost woman covered in symbols. "Like our subway skank here."

The subway hummed ominously as Natsuki's cool voice cut through the air.

"The wrist?" Chika guessed.

"Shoulders," the blonde girl offered.

The short-haired girl chimed in, "Well... in horror movies, they usually go for the throat, right?"

"Basically, a ghost will grab whatever's easiest," Natsuki explained. "So why would one go for the ankles?"

Chika's eyes lit up. "Oh! The thing that attacked Umi could only reach her feet for some reason!"

Everyone's gaze shifted to the body by the subway door. It was a balding, middle-aged man in a suit. He lay face-down, skin pale and lips purple – every bit a corpse.

"All the ghost passengers are huddled in corners," Natsuki continued. "I thought they were scared of something outside. But maybe... they're afraid of our friend by the door."

"If everyone here is either a ghost or a player, why is there a dead body?"

Natsuki's voice dropped dramatically. "There's only one explanation – he's not actually dead!"

With that bombshell, Natsuki caught Chika's eye, silently signaling her to act.

"Meow?" Chika tilted her head, her pink eyes full of confusion.

"Use the combo move already," Natsuki hissed under his breath. What's with the cat impression in a horror game?

Though logically, the spirits shouldn't be able to move until the lights go out – otherwise, he'd have been toast when looking for the lighter. Still, better safe than sorry. Only arresting 'Zhang San' would put his mind at ease.

"Got it," Chika nodded, pointing at the body on the floor. "Outlaw Zhang San, I summon you. Dare you answer?"

A cold, raspy voice creaked from the corpse's mouth: "...Zhang San is here!"

"It talked!" Umi, the blonde, stumbled back. "It really is a ghost!"

Natsuki stepped forward, touching the middle-aged man's body. He felt that familiar surge of power. Ghost or game boss, as long as you're Zhang San, I've got you.

The ghost remained motionless throughout.

Ms.Kaguya picked up the man's fallen briefcase, pulling out an empty pill bottle. "Heart medication," she said softly, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. "...I used to take these a lot."

"We caught the guy, so why isn't the game over?" Chika asked.

"There's still something to do," Natsuki turned to the female ghost. "You falsely accused this man of being a pervert, didn't you?"

"Everyone else chose to look the other way. Even when he collapsed from a heart attack, no one helped."

"That's why you're all trapped here."

"I see now," Umi said, realization dawning.

Chika frowned. "That's awful. Perverts are bad enough, but falsely accusing someone is even worse!"

Natsuki explained how in Japan, the burden of proof often falls on the accused. It costs women nothing to make false accusations, and some use it to extort money.

"We've uncovered the truth, but the game's not over yet," Natsuki mused. "There must be more to do."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow, puzzled. So clearing the man's name wasn't enough to beat the level? Did they need to throw him off the subway?

"Natsuki," Shimizu leaned in close, her whisper soft in his ear. "That buzzing we heard earlier... it was a defibrillator."

It clicked for Natsuki. The man on the floor didn't just need his name cleared. He needed someone to help him live.

The subway began to slow, darkness creeping in once more.

Natsuki flipped the ghost over, starting CPR based on what he'd learned in health class.

Suddenly, everything froze.

A game prompt chimed in all the players' ears: [Level cleared. Exiting in 10 seconds. Prepare yourselves.]

"Shimizu!" Natsuki spun around, locking eyes with Ms.Kaguya. "Quick, come back!"

He wasn't sure if she'd follow them out of the game or be left behind in this ghostly subway. He couldn't risk losing her – Ice Queen would have his head!

"On it," Shimizu nodded.