She walked alone. Her left hand gripping a small bottle of mineral water, her right hand holding the strap of her backpack, slowly making her way toward the third first-year classroom building located at the back of the school grounds.
"Huh, just as I thought," she said to herself.
"Turns out I got the lowest score and now I have to take the punishment."
"If only the bet had been about the art exam, I wouldn't have lost."
"Now I have to fetch water from the third toilet.
But… is it really true? Is there actually a ghost?
It's hard to believe, but there are already many victims according to the rumors."
"A third-year student from class three-B named Nurul reportedly suffered a mental breakdown, and several other students were said to have been terrorized by that ghost."
"Whatever… no matter what, I have to go through with it."
"It'll only take a moment—get the water, place the flower, and I can go home in peace."
"It's still daylight, not even sunset yet. There's nothing to be afraid of.
The only thing to fear is fear itself," she reassured herself.
"Besides, I've trained in martial arts. I shouldn't be a coward."
She walked along the corridor of Building three for first-year classes.
She noticed a wooden branch, about the length of an arm, leaning against one of the trash bins lined up in front of the building.
She picked it up and cleaned it off, "Just in case," she muttered and continued walking.
She then followed a narrow sidewalk lined on both sides with waist-high cherry-like trees.
As she walked, she scanned her surroundings. There was no one around. The sunlight was beginning to be blocked by the trees and would soon set.
Its rays pierced through the gaps between leaves and the rooftops of the school buildings.
Even so, the place was still brightly lit.
When she arrived in front of the school restroom, her gaze swept across the area.
As part of the punishment, she had to knock on the third stall door, take water from the tap, and fill it along with flowers found nearby to show her friends as proof.
She walked into the girls' restroom, heading toward the third stall, intending to open it.
But—
Suddenly, from the front—
A cold wind blew.
It came so suddenly and forcefully that it startled her.
The late afternoon sky, painted in golden-orange hues, suddenly turned dark in an instant.
And even more terrifying—every stall door swung open at once.
As if they had been slammed open from the inside.
At the third stall, standing in the darkness, was the figure of a girl wearing a white-and-gray vocational school uniform, a short-sleeved top and a skirt reaching below her calves, with shoulder-length wavy black hair.
Slowly, she raised her face. She looked like a young girl with distinctly Asiatic features, clear and beautiful eyes—but in that moment, she appeared terrifying.
A truly dramatic appearance.
She raised her right hand forward.
Her palm trembled slightly.
From her palm, thick black smoke began to pour out.
"Black Vortex!" the ghost Hanako shouted.
The black smoke twisted into a vortex that seemed to suck in and swallow anything in its path. The girl's eyes turned a blazing red.
From within the vortex, more thick black smoke emerged.
It slithered like a giant snake, hissing as it moved, then suddenly lunged toward Fatheema.
For a moment, Fatheema froze, shocked by what was happening.
But she quickly regained her composure.
She took a deep breath and pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth—a technique she had learned long ago to regain awareness and draw out the power of the soul.
"Oh my God, what kind of creature is this!" she exclaimed as she dodged.
She swung the wooden branch in her hand and jumped backward to evade the attack.
The smoke serpent did not stop—it stretched and lunged again.
Fatheema leaped to the side and rolled across the ground.
Before she could fully stand, the serpent twisted and attacked again.
She jumped back—
But before her feet could land, the smoke split into two.
Both struck her at once.
Bugh!
Fatheema was thrown back, her body tumbling across the ground. She slowly got up, her head spinning, her vision blurry.
She tried to stand, gathering her strength—
But—
Bugh! Bugh!
The twin smoke heads struck her again, sending her flying backward.
"Evil spirit, leave! Don't disturb me!" she shouted.
She clutched her chest in pain. A thin line of blood trickled from the corners of her lips.
The ghost known as Hanako did not relent.
She lunged forward, moving in a strange way as if she wasn't touching the ground.
Hanako laughed eerily, her voice high-pitched, echoing, and chilling.
Fatheema dodged to the side again, swinging her branch.
Black smoke swirled once more from Hanako's palm.
Another serpent lunged.
Her eyes burned red again, and her smile revealed sharp fangs.
Fatheema spun her body, dodging, and swung her branch again.
She leaped to Hanako's side and struck toward her head.
But instead of impact—
It felt like hitting smoke.
She punched and kicked—but it was the same, like striking air.
Hanako's eyes flared red again, and the vortex reappeared.
Fatheema couldn't dodge in time.
The smoke wrapped around her body, lifting her into the air.
"Aaahh!" she screamed.
Summoning all her strength, she twisted her body midair—
She succeeded.
Her feet hit the ground, and she quickly ran a few steps back to create distance.
Hanako grinned.
Something's wrong… she can't be hurt by this wood, Fatheema thought.
She steadied herself and regulated her breathing.
Then softly, she recited a mantra:
"Earth's light gives life,
Heaven's light gives awareness,
The soul's light gives strength,
By my will, my art becomes Solomon's whip,
By the grace of the True Lord."
She charged forward.
Hanako's body released swirling black smoke. Tendrils reached out toward Fatheema.
Fatheema advanced while dodging left and right, striking the smoke.
This time—
The branch made contact.
It felt like hitting something soft—like foam.
Sparks and white smoke appeared with every strike.
"Whaaa!" Hanako screamed in pain.
A burnt rubber smell filled the air.
The smoke snake began avoiding her attacks.
When they were only steps apart, Hanako suddenly screamed.
Her body transformed into a massive cloud of black smoke, ready to devour everything. The vortex spun faster and grew larger, red sparks flashing within it.
As she moved around Hanako, Fatheema opened her water bottle and took a mouthful.
Then, at the right moment—
She spat the water into the vortex!
Hanako's scream stopped.
A sizzling sound followed—
Zsshh!
The vortex shrank, leaving Hanako's fading form.
"You… you're lucky this time. I will return," Hanako hissed.
"I will take you, Fatty… I will absorb you and make you my servant."
Then she vanished.
As Hanako disappeared, the surroundings returned to normal.
The golden-orange sunlight streamed through the trees once more.
Fatheema walked toward the restroom, entered the third stall, turned on the tap, and filled her bottle.
She stepped outside and looked around for flowers.
She spotted a rose growing nearby.
"Ah, perfect, so be it!" she said with a smirk, bringing it to her nose.
"Smells nice."
She picked it and placed it into the bottle.
So the rumors about the Japanese ghost were true…
Hard to believe, but I'm grateful I survived.
Turns out my martial arts training wasn't useless.
That must have been the one who attacked Nurul from class three-B.
And she tried to attack me too…
Why? What is she really? What does she want?
With her mind filled with questions, Fatheema walked away.
***