Kazuki and I were waiting with the other gentlemen in front of the dining table. He told me that we are like kindergarteners who just need to sit down obediently, while hoping for the meal to be served as soon as possible by those young and hot female teachers. Otherwise, we would be receiving some spanks of love on the butt for discipline. He looked totally perverted in those fantasies. In fact, I was kind of having the same feeling, but in a totally different nature. At least I felt uneasy about this. Not just because we weren’t helping them at all when they were so busy, and we were so free. We, gentlemen, were even visually harassing them. I mean looking so nonchalantly at busy people is rude.

Not sure whom they were looking at so thoughtfully, but only those two ex-trouble makers were so silent in this ruckus. But still looked as though they were communicating privately through their minds.

Here I come again, thinking too much for my own good.

“Actually my brother, I will tell you my secret of succession later after the dinner. You will need that reference for your future. Be prepared for the biggest revelation ever. No need to thank me. Ha-ha.”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about at all. But he seemed so happy, so I just pretended to understand.

The western style cuisines were finally ready to be served. With the help of six newly appointed maids, all meals and drinks were able to be delivered in one trip from the kitchen to the dining table. I coded to Kazuki, to at least help them serve the dinner while we were sitting. But his soul was already not in this world of present, maybe in the past, or future, or most likely perfect. Practically impossible to call him at the moment.

Though he still did help with the serving, but that doesn’t mean he had heard me. He just wanted to give good impression to those maids, subconsciously. His hands were moving on its own but not his head, which was still on the surveillance of every each of them. No hope anymore left for this misguided friend of mine.

Actually, it is pretty amazing.

Everything had been served on, and the female workers were also sitting together with us in front of a huge and long horizontal dining table. Twelve people divide into 2 rows that faced each other just like the lunch earlier. On the top side, from left to right are Ken, Fionna, Chika, Kaede, Elena, and Kaigo. On the bottom side are Takuma, Megumi, Ryouta, Kazuki, myself, and Ringo. We enjoyed the dinner on the same table packed together. Really noisy, but also very heartwarming for me.

The dinner was finished at around 7.30 p.m. Because from the many variations of drink available that they chose, or rather demanded were alcoholic beverages, Takuma and Ken passed out in just 2 or 3 glasses of strong wine. The gentlemen finally got their first job. Two of us volunteered to escort them to rest in their own room. Of course, one of them was the good man Kazuki. He helped Ken, and Takuma was assisted by the leader of this reunion, Ryouta.

The rest of us regrouped in the comfort and leisure drawing-room. Ryouta joined us a few minutes later. Now the room had had all members except the two drunk guys in their room, Kazuki who still hadn’t returned, Kaede who went to washroom, and Fionna who suddenly left us right after the dinner. So, there were only seven of us.

“It seems that all is quiet now. Nakano-kun is so drunk that he couldn’t lock by his key. But he should have fallen asleep.”

The twins chuckled. It is funny, I guess.

“Do you know why Kazuki is taking so long, Ryouta-kun?” I was caring for my inseparable mate.

“I don’t know either, haven’t seen him after that.”

What is he doing right now? But there is still no need to pay so much attention for it. After all, what is there supposed to be worried about? Everything is fine. The twins then started the topic about what we were doing during the free time in the afternoon. Of course, the five of us had schemed not to talk about that forbidden trip, nor strange discovery in the forest. But Elena, Chika, and I who were trapped in the room hadn’t had any prepared story beforehand. So, we tried very hard, and carefully not to contradict with each others’ instant creativity.

After our made-up legends were told safe and sound without any flaws, the others also started to share out what they had done. They were just doing some leisure walk around the garden, enjoying the beautiful view, or the other peaceful kinds of things. Come to think of it, we were so lucky not to be seen by anyone. We secretly giggled to each other.

After the dangerous topic had ended, Elena finally had the chance to burst out what she had been enduring so much since afternoon.

“When will we start the ghost story party plus barbeque?” seems she had had the whole purpose inverted, and had gotten even more aroused for that supporting atmosphere than its main intention, the barbeque party.

Chika was surprised with wide eyes. It was as though her sister had betrayed her. Ryouta just smiled.

“Sorry, Elena-chan. Don’t you think it will be better if we wait for the Kazuki-kun, Kaede-chan, and Fionna-chan first,” said the leader.

“No, the more people …,” Kaigo was frightened.

“…. Yes, the scarier,” Ringo was excited.

Elena seemed slightly disappointed, but she nodded. Didn’t she look so scared of those scary things earlier? Is she already so paranoid that had prepared so much that if that ghost thing really isn’t happening, would have caused some sort of curses, or ghost haunting inside herself?

We were playing cards as we were waiting. To be honest, the atmosphere now was kind of, um, somehow different than before. Since Takuma and Ken weren’t here, more relaxed and peaceful, I supposed? Nobody admitted it openly, but all of us must have been feeling the same.

The clock had shown at a little past 8 p.m. when Kaede returned to us. She looked really sullen. Her mind was nowhere but immediately forced herself to smile when she met our eyes. Did something happen? I know she isn’t the type of woman who likes to share what she is thinking. Thus, to make her cheerful again like her usual self, I asked her to play along with us. No need to, or rather couldn’t do anything else for her. She followed my advice even though she still didn’t seem to have the mood for it.

The night sky was spilling from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour which had automatically cancelled out Elena’s long-awaited event. This current freezing and thundering weather was unfortunately in pair with Kaede’s current mood. I was even more worried about her because I had really rarely ever seen her like this. And of course, Elena and Chika were feeling the same. Those curious sisters also didn’t try ask anything knowing her traits, and just gave out so many obvious chances in the play to brighten Kaede up. She knew that we were worried about her, and trying to cheer her up, thus she tried her best to be spirited as expected, like nothing ever happened. Kaede really is awesome. She did her job well, and we were convinced. All of us were now playing as though our lives were on stake until the cruel and shocking sound of breaking glass startled everyone.

*Prraaanggg.

“What was that?” Megumi was the first one to respond verbally.

“Seemed like a glass has broken or something?” I answered indecisively.

“Let’s take a peek …,” Ringo said excitedly with a little cold joke.

“… to see what has ruined,” Kaigo said excitedly with a little cold joke.

We ran toward the source of the previous piercing and unsettling sound. Seemed like it came from around Ken’s room. After a quick check that everything of the nearby rooms were still intact. What was really left just the inside of Ken’s room. After we arrived to the front of his door, we knocked, and called for him loudly. But there was still no answer from the inside. We tried to open the door, but it was locked.

“It is no use. We can’t open it. The door is locked!”

Ryouta seemed a bit frustrated. Then he saw Chika who was still running up the stairs because she was afraid, and not as fast as us. Kaede was also accompanying her little sister, a little more forward from her. He asked the most behind one.

“Chika-chan, please help me bring the master key. It should be around the right cabinet of the kitchen!”

“U … Um,” Chika nodded nervously, and braced herself to run for the errand alone even without knowing what was happening.

“Wait, Chika-chan. I am coming with you,” said Kaede worriedly.

Chika relieved a bit. She waited for her sister over her shoulder, then they went off together hastily.

“I am going to find Kazuki-kun, and Fionna-chan. I am worried about them.”

Without waiting for our answer, Ryouta had gone off alone to search for them.

“What is going on now!?” Megumi was starting to mess.

“Maybe just a prank, like the sound of prraaanggg,” The twins punned optimistically, but sounded pessimistically in an exaggerated behavior of tilting their head cutely. Did they know that would just make us feel even more unsettled? Yes, they do.

After that, not even a minute had passed. To be accurate, it was only about 30 seconds. But the tense air had made us felt like already having half an hour. There was still no news coming from Ryouta, Kaede, nor Chika who just went off. Kazuki, and Fionna who hadn’t returned from before. Takuma who was supposedly to be inside of his own room, and Ken who should be just in front of us but blocked by the walls and the locked door, still hadn’t responded at all. Now, there were only the 5 of us waiting, calling, and banging the door restlessly for no result. The waiting without any kind of positive response in this kind of tense situation really made one would think of any kinds of possibilities that would worsen the circumstances. Many unsettling potential happenings filled my head. Suddenly, I was reminded of Ryouta’s warning about the 13th person, and the weirdness of the twins that very much emphasized the unexpected things which would happen in this reunion.

“I am going to search for them as well. We wouldn’t get anything by waiting like this,” I was beginning to think of the worst possible outcome already.

“But it might be dangerous to go alone,” Megumi’s intention is a good one, but somehow, it agitated me.

“And so for the others!”

As I turned to leave them, I caught a glimpse of Elena considering about something. Seemed that she also wanted to join with me. But Kaigo captured her hand when she had just taken the first step, preventing her from running away while looking at Ringo who was checking for any irregularity around the door.

I, who was already too impatient about the others’ safety, never wished for any company from the start. I left them with a swift run to the mansion’s main entrance. So stupid really. If what I had been worrying, about those unexpected things, had happened. About that 13th person, had appeared. And even about that homicidal legend, being true. Then, what I was doing right now, wasn’t it wrong? Would I be the one to cause even more trouble for the rest of them?

I don’t know why I was going to search at the outside of the mansion. Maybe it was my intuition, or because I could still think clearly that if they are being inside, then they should have heard the glass breaking sound. Eventually, I exited through the unlocked main door, and welcomed by the sudden fierce freezing wind and rain.

I don’t care of drenching myself, and began searching for them. I just need to take a quick look at the front garden because everything is so flat, and not so dark. No hidden places whatsoever.

But nothing.

I recognized seeing two other structures besides the big main mansion, an open lounge on each of its sides. I dashed under the rain from the grassy field to the left open lounge first. Nobody is here. The rain was pouring down even harder, and more heavy thunders than before. But that didn’t slow me at the least from desperately making those distinguish sounds of soaking footsteps on the broad watery grass as I covered my head with just my bare hands. I was drenching swiftly to the other opposite one though the front of the mansion again. I accidentally noticed some weirdness around the garden’s entrance. The barred gate is open, and slightly swinging. We should have locked it before.

I suddenly remembered about that letter. The prank ‘asking-for-a-mysterious-date’ letter from that time. When does it say? Seems it isn’t fixed on hour, but specifically after the dinner. Maybe because I wasn’t considering about it seriously enough, I had completely forgotten until just now. Chika still suddenly came into my mind. Why Chika? It is impossible, right? But I am not interested in this anymore. My highest priority right now is to find Kazuki and the others, and ensure their safety. But just when I was going to leave my sight from that promised location, I suddenly caught a glimpse of something white, really white, all of it, fluttering just outside the gate.

What? I couldn’t be missing it when I was watching over there just before. Did it really so suddenly appear when I was only being distracted for a second?

The dark sky was still pouring heavily like a storm while the cold blowing wind and flashing thunders roared in explosions. All trees, branches, and bushes, basically everything of the natural here were being pushed back and forth so fast by the raging gust that had forced them to detach some of their leaves and twigs. Those freed flying members were rapidly yet still gracefully dancing in the wind along with the rain unaffected by gravity. If it wasn’t because of something so important like concerning to someone’s life, a normal person wouldn’t want to go, moreover to stay at the outside right now.

I was already fully drenched, and still being fiercely hit by the piercing drops and frizzing blows, but I was just unknowingly hooked there. Unable to restrain from trembling so hard that I had never experienced before, I hugged myself, and opened my mouth to further adapt my steamy breath to the current icy temperature while my teeth were chattering rapidly in its progress. But the white figure was still doing nothing but just standing out there, casually, as though nothing was actually happening.

Is she the one who gave me that letter?

I tried to open my eyes as big as possible, but still couldn’t clearly see that ‘thing’ because of the stormy rain with foggy and dark environment where it was out of reach from all lights. The figure resembles a young adult, female perhaps. Her lower body was facing at me, but her head was looking to her far right, causing her upper body to also rotated slightly onto that side. I could see nothing for what she was looking at so seriously because it was blocked by dense dancing bushes. Her white long hair, white smooth face, white princess gothic dresses set with its pairing gloves, shoes, socks, and a large European flowered bonnet with veil that covered her head, and even a white thick book hugged on her chest by her left hand, are so contrasted with the black forest. Everything about her is just and only white. Like a white silhouette on the black background. That is why I could still see her even in this blurry storm subconsciously.

Before seeing her, I was strangely thinking of her being like Chika. But now, I had automatically seen her as Fionna instead. Yes, she resembles my foreign friend a lot. Their figure, skin tone, hair length, most importantly their European style looks and face. The only differences are Fionna has a more straightened hair with purple color, and she wore a black dress for the dinner. This young woman instead, is, with wavy hair and double front braids, and is almost white in every part as much as I could see right now while having a very eerie and contradicted dark feeling around her. There shouldn’t be any more people around this location, right?

But, she still seems somehow familiar with all her original features.

As my eyes were starting to adapt more with the darkness, I could see her details more clearly now. Her small face really is perfectly white, but has many tiny dark freckles. Those marks aren’t freckles! Nor only on her face. There were more on her dresses, books, bonnet, and hair. Considering from the smearing direction of those dark splattered dots, it wasn’t caused by rain or anything above her. But more likely being sprayed from the location where she was looking at. Those small sprinkled dark marks on her entire body were slowly turning into deep pink water before being washed clean by the falling clean raindrops. From her gesture in more detail, she seemed like holding something on her white gloved right hand. I could only see some of the shining material that protruded from that grip. The rest of it was also being obstructed by the high fluttering bushes.

I was stunned, and unable to move when the white lady was starting to be aware of my presence. The rain was still falling densely with deafening thunder, and biting gust. But the latter still didn’t flinch, nor even blinked once. Looking as seriously as leisurely. Because her lower body was already facing at me, now it was her head’s turn to slowly twisting to my direction. The creepy and disturbing atmospheres were even greater than before. She should be still a living being, right?

From the distance of just 20 meters, I could see those cold as ice raindrops couldn’t reach her right-side face where it was being sheltered by her leaning down large bonnet. Thus, those dark liquids still remained there, and under the bonnet. The left edge of her lips curled up a bit as she licked one of those dark sprinkles near her small pale mouth. Her head finally stopped as our eyes met, and she just … smiled at me. I felt the chill down to my spine, and I was dumbfounded by the sight of her. A white princess who usually appears as main character in fairy stories has really come into existence before me. Her glowing and waving front bang which is still uncleaned on her right is barely covering her closed right eye, and her big-opened left eye which is just as beautiful and mysterious as an invaluable rare cold amethyst is making me felt that this isn’t a reality. Just like that kind of atmosphere when I first met with Elena at the park. Only the weather was considerably different.

Is she really … a princess? … a real Snow White?

A really fierce lighting lit up everything, and I saw her so clearly like in the usual daytime in just those milliseconds. She really was smiling at me. Those dark liquids really have some reddish element mixed in it. It doesn’t look like any usual red water at all. Because, while it was being cleared by the rain, it wasn’t dissolved so easily, and some remains were still sticking here and there. Clearly, it is something that has more mass than the raindrops.

I know it! Blood! Blood?

Then, as though she was so feeble, and not restraining with any strength. Her shoulder was also so reflexively turned to my direction together with her head earlier. Now, I could see what she had been holding all these time. Very clearly, and couldn’t be mistaken anymore. It is a bloody piece of metal attached to a white gold intricate handle that she was gripping so strongly despise all her relaxed gestures. It has a pointing shape at its top most edge, and shone as the flash thundered. It is a dagger, a very sharp one. And now, it was pointing directly and precisely at me when its motions stopped, along with all movements of the lady finally ended.

It is the same as the one Elena acquired before. Exactly the same.

But she is just like a newly born girl who had never ever encountered any evilness in the world. The smile of her is pure, coming from an extremely beautiful face that was being right-side covered by the veil of her large and unique flowered bonnet tied to the under of her small chin. What I had seen on the top of her is a very warm and innocent countenance. But everything was so contrasted on her lower half. It is practically a murderer’s frosty hand, holding on the weapon that was still dripping fresh bloods from its tip to the flowing watery soil.

Then, she closed her only opened left eye, and chuckled shyly. Slightly showing her very white teeth, and tilted her head to the right naively. Making anyone feels that there would be absolutely no harm at all, and blindly enchanted to come close to this plain and guiltless clumsy young woman. If and only if, we don’t see what she was clutching in her white gloved right hand, that bloody beautifully embellished dagger.

“Iih hii,” the Snow White was acting full of cuteness as though toward her beloved prince, with bloody mouth though.

I was frozen, and couldn’t express over what I was experiencing right now. Whatever! Is she a real human, or a haunting ghost? She did appear in front of me, and I was subconsciously walking toward her. Slowly …. Supposedly, I was going to meet with that letter prankster who named herself Snow White. Slowly…. Supposedly, I was going to show off to Kazuki that one of the females in the reunion had been admiring me secretly. Slowly…. Supposedly, I was looking for Kazuki because I was worried about him. Quickly …! Definitely, this reunion party would be my best memory!

“Yoru, why are you drenching yourself like that?”

A loud voice of resolution called, and a column of ray enlightened me from behind, awakened me from this sweet nightmare. Ah yes, I had even forgotten about myself exposing in the middle of the heavy storm without any shelter. I was too focused, or rather, hypnotized by the irrational scene in front of me. I had the feeling that if I wasn’t concentrating deep enough to the real world, I would be finished off in a blink of eye here and now.

“Hey, do you hear me!?”

The white beam was swinging right and left at me impatiently, and the voice was starting to sound annoyed after being ignored by the still dumbfounded me. I was slowly returning to my usual sanity, and turned around to see who in the earth that is as crazy as that white woman to stand in the heavy rain besides me. There I see Elena sheltering in a red with white polka dots plastic umbrella, and pointing with a flashlight, not far from me. She looked really exhausted and irritated.

I was so stupid really. There is a thing invented already in this modern world to help us see in the dark. Why was I so foolishly waiting for so long in the storm for that white lady to reveal herself?

“E … Elena!? There is someone …,”

I pointed my right hand to the wondered location, and quickly looked back again, trying not to lose track of that white mystical being. Elena also quickly responded, and shone the light over. The heavy rain, fierce wind, and deafening thunders were still torturing us. But there was already no such thing over there, even before I had the time to finish my sentence. She really had disappeared with the same kind of way she used to so suddenly appear before.

The definitely living person behind me should be curious, and looking at me questionably by now. But I was just as confused as her tone.

“Just what are you talking about!?”