Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 76

It seems the door to the "Other World" has opened.

As I’ve said before, just because all the doors in this world are open doesn’t mean they automatically lead to the "Other World."

However, Gloria Island was in a particularly unique situation, so when the right conditions were met, it seemed like these doors could open at any given moment.

Time was also crucial. The passage to the Other World usually opens between 9 PM and midnight.

And the time when they move is typically up until 2 AM.

I took out my pocket watch and checked the time.

Sure enough, it was already 9 PM.

I needed to resolve this ghost story and acquire the image of the girl who could see ghosts.

To do that, I met with Noah-sunbae tonight to solve the "library ghost story."

That image of seeing ghosts might also «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» be helpful for me in the long run.

After all, I would have to keep investigating ghost stories from now on.

It would be more believable if a girl who could see ghosts talked about ghosts than if a regular Melody did.

Click. Click.

At that moment, I heard the sound of teeth grinding from behind the bookshelf opposite me.

There didn’t seem to be anyone behind the bookshelf.

Then where was the sound coming from?

I turned around, and the librarian was turning the lights back on in the library, and the students were murmuring.

[The sound is coming.]

Noah-sunbae, who had been quietly nestled in my arms, spoke. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one hearing it.

I slowly walked toward the direction the sound seemed to be coming from.

Click. Click.

The eerie sound, like something scratching at my nerves, continued to come from somewhere.

I passed by one bookshelf.

There was no one there.

I passed the second bookshelf.

Still, no one.

I stopped walking and looked around again.

At that moment, I noticed a grandfather clock hanging on the wall behind the second bookshelf.

The time still pointed to 9 PM.

Click. Click.

Then, the ominous sound came again. This time, it was a bit closer.

I had thought it was the sound of teeth grinding, but on closer inspection, it sounded more like someone biting their nails.

"Is someone there?"

Aside from the free reading room in the center, where students usually gathered to study, no one really came down this way at night. It was too dark.

I continued walking, passing through the shelves to the next row of books.

As expected, there was no one.

It didn’t seem like there would be anything further ahead. I was just about to turn back to my original spot when...

Thud.

Someone grabbed my ankle. In that instant, I felt a bone-chilling cold.

When I lowered my head, I saw a pale hand gripping both my ankles.

Whoosh—

A gust of wind blew from somewhere.

The candles that the librarian had lit at the far end of the library started to flicker out one by one.

And finally, when the candle on the bookshelf in front of me went out, I heard a voice.

I’ve been here.

The voice came from below. At that moment, the head of the thing that had been holding my ankles twisted in an unnatural way.

Through hair that looked like seaweed, I met eyes with red pupils.

A chill ran down my spine.

Giggle. Giggle.

It laughed. For a moment, I felt disoriented, and in that split second, the hand that had held my ankle disappeared.

"Did it leave?"

I looked around before taking another step.

"Melody, what are you doing?"

At that moment, Leonard approached and grabbed my wrist. I saw Raven and Eastern following him with puzzled expressions.

"Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry."

I quickly pulled my wrist free and walked past Leonard.

Finding the medium was more urgent.

"It’s the library ghost story. There must be something connected to this place."

As I thought this, I scanned my surroundings, and before I knew it, I had reached the free reading area where students were gathered and studying.

The librarian was still walking around, lighting the candles, and the students were still murmuring.

When I appeared from the bookshelf, the students looked up and saw me.

"...Huh? What’s that?"

At that moment, someone pointed at me with wide eyes.

The other students turned to look at me.

In that instant, I felt a chill run down my back. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, my back felt incredibly cold.

The students who had been looking at me turned pale with fear.

Then, a shadow fell beside my face.

Something reached out from behind me, and only then did I realize it was a huge hand.

Where are you going!!!!!!!!!!!!

Someone screamed loudly right next to my ear. I was startled, and my heart sank.

I tensed up, shrinking my neck.

Then, Boom—!

A student in the free reading room jumped up from his seat and slammed his desk.

"Dammit! It’s so noisy!! You crazy ghosts! Shut up! It’s so loud! I couldn’t even memorize half of the math formulas today!!!! Aaah!!!! Damn!!!"

A first-year male student started tearing at his hair, ranting and shouting.

"Shut up!!! Shut up!!! What are you going to do if you’re a ghost!!! Will you take responsibility if I fail my exam!!!!!!!"

I’d never seen someone talk about ghosts taking responsibility.

Maybe the ghost was taken aback, because the cold feeling that had been behind me disappeared.

No matter what happened, the librarian calmly lit the candles, his face expressionless, as if he was used to it.

It seemed like it was because it was exam period.

"...Is this school okay?"

As the librarian lit the last candle, the library became brightly illuminated. freeweɓnovel.cøm

However,

Whoosh—

Once again, a gust of wind blew, and all the candle flames extinguished at the same time.

"AAAH!"

Everyone was silent, holding their breath, and it seemed like the moment the flames went out, chaos broke loose.

It was pure mayhem.

There were no open windows. Yet, the wind kept blowing from somewhere, and the flames went out.

"Sis, are you okay?"

Raven grabbed my shoulder and asked. Eastern, too, was looking at my expression with a confused look.

"Sunbae, this... is this real?"

Eastern’s question made me nod. He was the only one who could understand what was going on here.

I calmly scanned the now chaotic library.

"AAAH! Who stepped on my foot!"

"AAAH! Get away, get away!"

"The door won’t open! Librarian! The door...! The door!"

It seemed the library door was locked.

I didn’t know when the ghost story started, but until I found the medium, the door wouldn’t open.

"Damn! Why won’t the flame light?!"

A few students tried to light the candles, but the wind kept blowing, making it impossible.

Then it hit me.

This is like a "spot the difference" puzzle. To connect the medium and the passage to the Other World, I needed to find something that stood out, and right now, there was only one thing that caught my eye.

"Everyone, find a lantern in the library. I think it’s fire. Maybe the fire is the medium."

"Medium? What does that mean...?"

While Raven tilted his head in confusion, Leonard and Eastern, who understood, moved quickly.