Chapter 620
Chapter 620: Friday Morning Was Not Peaceful
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13 min read
Friday.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
The wail of a police siren pierced the quiet that usually belonged to early morning, painting the air with a thick, tense atmosphere.
"Unbelievable. I was just about to clock out, and now I hear there’s another new case. What’s going on with Japan lately? The streets are getting more dangerous by the day."
Inspector Ishimizu pressed down on the accelerator, trying to reach the destination faster. Having worked through the night, he had planned to head home that morning, get some rest, and return for the evening shift.
But before he could even grab his jacket from the back of his chair, he heard hurried footsteps and voices of several officers rushing out.
"Start up the patrol car—I’ll call Takada. Don’t forget to turn on the siren; we’re heading straight for Chiba City General Hospital."
"Understood!"
Sensing instinctively that another case had just occurred—and that it was likely at the hospital again—Ishimizu broke into a jog to catch up with the others. "What happened? What’s going on at Chiba City General Hospital?"
"Inspector Ishimizu?!"
"Don’t slow down! Every call is a race against the truth!"
"Yes, sir! The scene’s on the fifth floor of Chiba City General Hospital. It’s... complicated. Hard to explain right now. Maybe once we’re back—"
"Idiot! You think I could just go home and rest knowing there’s another murder in Chiba? Forget it—I’ll drive there myself. Don’t waste a single second. Get to the scene immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
With the siren blaring, Inspector Ishimizu reached Chiba City General Hospital in no time. Without hesitation, he rushed inside. Seeing a few officers waiting near the elevator, he didn’t stop and instead sprinted toward the stairwell, running all the way up to the fifth floor.
The moment he stepped out of the stairwell, his instincts as a seasoned detective kicked in—there was something off about the air itself, heavy with unease. From down the hall, he could already hear shouting from two distinct voices.
Quickening his pace, Ishimizu arrived at the door of Room 509, where several officers had already set up a cordon. The door was tightly shut, and two policemen stood guard, keeping order and pushing back the curious onlookers gathering nearby.
"I’m Inspector Ishimizu from Chiba Prefectural Police, First Investigation Division. What’s the situation here?" Ishimizu said as he helped disperse the onlookers, showing his police badge.
"Inspector Ishimizu!"
The two officers snapped to attention and saluted before one of them began explaining.
"We received an emergency call from Chiba City General Hospital this morning. Two nurses who had just finished their night shift were resting in the break room, but around 5 a.m., they suddenly went berserk—as if terrified by something. They smashed open the door to the break room and ran straight into the empty Room 509, destroying everything inside."
The other officer’s expression showed visible unease as he added quietly:
"I was just relieved from duty in there. To be honest, sir... those two nurses didn’t look human anymore. The strength they had—it was terrifying. And their eyes... completely lifeless. They kept muttering the same words over and over again. It was horrifying—like watching two deranged corpses."
Hearing their report, Ishimizu’s face darkened. Even without seeing the scene, the description alone was enough for his instincts to tell him this was no ordinary case—perhaps even connected to others.
Two people, suddenly and inexplicably driven mad?
Placing a firm hand on the trembling officer’s shoulder, Ishimizu said in a deep, steady tone:
"As police officers, it’s only natural to feel fear when faced with scenes like these. But remember— to the public, we are the guardians who uncover truth and protect their safety. Never let fear show on your face."
"Yes, sir! Thank you for the reminder!"
"Good. Now, keep maintaining order out here. Don’t let anyone approach the room—and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious in the crowd."
After giving his orders, Inspector Ishimizu ducked under the police tape. With swift precision, he opened and closed the door to Room 509 behind him.
The moment he stepped inside, he was stunned by the sight before him. The ceiling, walls, bed, floor—everything within reach—had been completely wrecked. The window frames were all that remained, the glass shattered to pieces. Fortunately, Room 509 faced north; otherwise, if anyone had been walking below, the falling shards from the fifth floor could have caused serious injury.
Ishimizu’s gaze fell on the two women restrained by several officers, their wrists bound in handcuffs. Their hair was disheveled, their eyes wild with madness, their lips moving incessantly as they mumbled something over and over. They hardly looked like nurses anymore.
"Inspector Ishimizu?" The officers present looked surprised to see him—they hadn’t expected a division chief like him to be at the scene. Normally, at this early morning hour, very few senior officers would even still be in the building.
"I was just about to clock out when I heard there was an incident here, so I came to take a look," Ishimizu said simply. "Have you figured out what caused them to lose their minds? Any way to bring them back to their senses?"
"Unfortunately, no, sir. We’ve already had a psychiatrist check on them, but even he couldn’t determine why they suddenly went insane. We tried to make out what they’re repeating, but their speech is so slurred it’s impossible to understand."
"I see..." Ishimizu rubbed his chin, his expression grim. This case was already more complicated than he’d expected.
Just then—
The two nurses, who had been muttering faintly, suddenly threw their heads back and screamed in unison. Their shrill, manic laughter echoed through the corridor as they shouted the same phrase they had been repeating since the beginning:
"The first one will appear! The first one will appear! The first one will appear! The first one will appear! The first one will appear! The first one will appear!"
Kotomi Izumi jolted upright in bed, gasping as though she had just escaped death.
She had seen a nightmare.
In it, she was lying on a bed covered with white sheets, a white pillow beneath her head, a white blanket over her body. A thick, suffocating mist surrounded her, sealing her in.
A woman with hair so long it nearly touched the floor stood at her bedside, staring down at her with eyes full of venomous hatred.
Fear gripped Kotomi instinctively—but she found she couldn’t move, as if she were still trapped in sleep. Even trying to pull the blanket over her head or curl into a ball was impossible.
For what felt like an eternity, the woman’s hateful gaze pinned her in place. The fear slowly began to twist into anger.
Until finally, her heart burned with fury—so intense it felt as though it could set the entire world ablaze. The rage shattered whatever invisible restraints had bound her body.
In a surge of pure instinct, Kotomi Izumi grabbed something from beneath her pillow, her face contorting in fury as she let out a primal scream, eyes blazing with murderous intent—and lunged straight at the woman to fight back.
Until Kotomi Izumi found herself covered in blood, she didn’t fully regain her senses. She looked down at the unicorn hammer in her hands—its surface glistening with fresh crimson. There was no fear in her heart. Instead, as she looked at the woman lying before her, barely clinging to life, Kotomi’s lips curled into a chilling smile.
"So this is what I pulled out from under my pillow—a unicorn hammer, huh? Now that I think about it, the last time I was in danger, Kazumi used this very hammer to kill Tetsunosuke Isshiki and protect me...
This time, Kazumi isn’t here. I’ll have to protect myself—and everyone around me. You showed hostility toward me... so I’ll kill you."
As Kotomi spoke, she raised the unicorn hammer high and swung it down again and again, slamming it into the long-haired woman’s body. Kotomi didn’t know who this woman was—didn’t know her name, nor whether they had ever met before.
All she knew was this: if she didn’t kill her, the woman might hurt her—or the people she loved.
To protect those dear to her, Kotomi didn’t hesitate to stain her hands with blood. If necessary, she would kill anyone who threatened the peace of her ordinary life. Since Kazumi’s long slumber, Kotomi had realized how much she feared loss—and loneliness.
When she swung the hammer, she looked less like a girl and more like a blood-crazed beast. No matter if her opponent was human or monster, anyone who dared to disrupt her world would be torn apart without mercy. She would crush their bones, shred their flesh, and destroy them in the most brutal way possible.
But when the violence finally stopped, Kotomi stood frozen—still in the nightmare. Alone, gripping the blood-dripping hammer, she stared at the corpse beside her. Only then did she realize just how hysterical she had been.
Perhaps she seemed fierce and terrifying, but in truth, she was more like a small creature freshly hatched from its shell—facing mortal danger the moment it opened its eyes. She was afraid, anxious, desperate to release everything inside.
Maybe all she wanted was to drive out those three words—loneliness, fear, loss—from her life completely.
Kotomi glanced once at the woman’s corpse, then tossed aside the hammer and turned toward the bed, intending to lie back down and end the nightmare.
But before she could, the woman’s unnaturally long hair began to move—lifting her mutilated, blood-soaked body off the floor. Her hateful eyes locked on Kotomi as she grinned coldly.
"Next time... we’ll meet in the real world. Do you like songs, Kotomi? Let me sing one for you."
Her voice was a venomous whisper.
"The lightless lamb walks the path of hell; the deformed celestial maiden, God bestows moonlight upon her."
The moment Kotomi heard that verse, her expression twisted with fury. Like a beast provoked, she lunged at the woman.
This time, she didn’t need the hammer. Her pink eyes seemed to glow with a blood-red light. She wanted to tear the woman’s mouth—no, her entire head—off her neck with her bare hands.
Just as she was about to succeed, Kotomi awoke from the nightmare, sitting up abruptly, gasping for breath.
"What... what was that? That woman... I’ve never seen her before," she muttered, her heart still pounding.
It took her a long time to calm down. Lifting her blanket slightly, she peeked underneath and sighed in relief.
"Good. Didn’t wet the bed."
Though in her dream she’d been more terrifying than afraid—like a monster soaked in blood—there had been a few moments of fear at the beginning. What if that fear had carried over?
Others might face ghosts and monsters with courage and holy light. But Kotomi Izumi? Once her anger ignited, even armed with only a hammer, she’d charge forward to fight. And when that wasn’t enough, she’d throw away the weapon and keep attacking.
One might even wonder—if she were given a bigger hammer, or a better weapon, would she start hunting ghosts for sport?
But alas... there are no ghosts in this world.
And even if there were, could they possibly be more terrifying than the malice that hides in the human heart?
Humans are far scarier than ghosts.
Kotomi Izumi shook her head. It was just a nightmare—no big deal, she told herself. Maybe it was because she’d read a few horror manga Chapters on her phone before bed after rehearsal last night?
She picked up her phone and checked the time. It was only 4 a.m.
"Mm... looks like I can still sleep a little longer."
Murmuring to herself, she shifted under the blanket. Since she’d gone to bed last night without pajamas—or even any undergarments—she’d ended up sweating a bit, probably from the nightmare.
As Kotomi settled back down, ready to drift off again, she suddenly noticed something. Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced to the side—and saw a certain silly little dumpling snuggled up in her blanket, one hand holding hers.
Yui Yuigahama.
Kotomi blinked, staring at the sight. Her mouth opened as though to speak, but no words came out. There were a hundred things she could’ve said, yet none seemed appropriate—so she decided not to say anything at all.
After all, both Yui and Yukino were still fast asleep.
Still... realizing that she and Yui had shared the same blanket all night, hand in hand—it made Kotomi feel a little happy. She even chuckled softly to herself. The feeling was warm and sweet, like honey washing away the lingering dread of her nightmare.
Kotomi drifted back into a peaceful sleep, perhaps because she knew Yui was right beside her.
Ring ring ring!
Yukino Yukinoshita’s alarm went off. She was the first to wake—no hesitation, no grogginess. Lifting the blanket, she began to change into her uniform. Though she hadn’t looked toward Kotomi and Yui yet, she called out to them while buttoning her shirt.
"Kotomi, Yui, it’s morning. Time to get up. Weren’t we going out for breakfast? Don’t oversleep—it’s the first day of the cultural fes—"
But Yukino stopped mid-sentence.
Turning her head, she glanced toward the still motionless pair—wanting to make sure at least one of them was awake. If both were still asleep, she knew she’d have a hard time waking them quickly.
And then she froze.
Kotomi Izumi and Yui Yuigahama were both there, yes—but they were under the same blanket.
And far too close.
Yukino’s expression didn’t show anger. Instead, she simply stared in silence at the two of them lying together.
Still half asleep, Kotomi wrinkled her cute little nose. Though the gesture was adorable, her half-conscious mind was filled with mild confusion.
—She’d been sleeping perfectly fine, but why did the air suddenly smell like vinegar?
More importantly... why did that scent feel so familiar?
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— End of Chapter 620 —