Chapter 51 (Patreon)

Under the bridge.

“I told you. Those are just lies adults made up.”

Fujinuma gathered her courage and forced a smile.

“W-Well… I’d say this test of courage was a complete success.”

After all, this place really was eerie.

It felt as though something invisible was watching them from the darkness.

Tsumiki Fushiguro let out a quiet breath of relief.

“Yeah. It was a pretty good activity.”

However, at that moment, the other girl still looked unsatisfied.

“Hey, are you two seriously going back just like this?”

Fujinuma said, “This is enough. At least we proved those rumors are just rumors.”

Tsumiki nodded along.

“Yeah. Besides, it’s getting really late…”

“You can’t prove anything from under the bridge. Everyone who comes here to check it out goes onto the bridge.”

Tsumiki hesitated.

“That’s… not a good idea. There are cars on the bridge. It’s dangerous.”

Fujinuma quickly agreed.

“Yeah. Tsumiki-senpai is right.”

“Since we’re already here, you two can leave if you want. I’m going up to take a look.”

After saying that, she left the two of them behind and headed toward the bridge without looking back.

Tsumiki and Fujinuma exchanged glances.

Fujinuma immediately began to panic.

“Wh-what do we do, Tsumiki-senpai?”

Tsumiki sighed softly.

“It’s okay. I’ll go bring her back down. You stay here.”

The moment Fujinuma realized she would be left alone beneath the pitch-black bridge, a chill ran through her.

Seeing the fear on her face, Tsumiki tried to comfort her.

“It’s fine. We’ll be back soon.”

Fujinuma swallowed hard.

“O-okay. Good luck, senpai!”

“Mm. I’ll bring her down.”

Tsumiki walked up the stairs.

For some reason, every step felt like she was descending into an abyss instead of climbing upward.

Each step carried an inexplicable sense of danger.

As if she was walking toward death.

Even so, Tsumiki Fushiguro could not abandon her classmate.

Whoosh!

Just as Tsumiki reached the bridge, a sudden gust of wind swept past her, making her long hair whip violently behind her.

“Ugh… what strong wind.”

“Hey! The wind is too strong up here. Don’t stay on the bridge. Let’s go back down—”

Suddenly, her words stopped.

The girl was standing blankly near the edge of the bridge.

The fierce wind battered her thin figure, making it look as though she could be blown off at any moment.

“Come back! What are you doing?!”

Tsumiki rushed forward and grabbed her.

The two of them rolled onto the bridge deck together, the rough asphalt scraping painfully against Tsumiki’s skin.

But luckily, she had managed to save her classmate.

“Wake up! Hey, wake up! Damn it… why is she unconscious?”

Tsumiki patted her cheeks, but no matter how much she tried, the girl seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

Then, behind her, a blurry black shadow slowly appeared.

Its hollow eye sockets stared straight at Tsumiki Fushiguro.

In that instant, Tsumiki felt something behind her.

Her instincts screamed.

Every hair on her body stood on end.

“Who’s there?!”

Tsumiki turned around.

And met its gaze.

Instantly, the blood in her body seemed to freeze.

Her hands went numb.

Her feet became as heavy as lead.

“Wh-what… is that…”

Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

“Ahhh!!!”

The sudden scream startled Fujinuma, who was still under the bridge.

Her eyes widened.

Under the moonlight, she saw a black figure standing on the bridge with Tsumiki and the other girl.

“Haa… haa… haa…”

Fujinuma froze in place, staring at the black shadow above.

Her breathing grew faster and faster.

Her heart pounded harder and harder.

Thump!

Thump-thump!

Her vision gradually darkened.

In the silent space beneath the bridge, she could no longer hear anything else.

Only the violent beating of her own heart remained.

Then, her body reached its limit.

Her vision went black.

And Fujinuma collapsed.

2:30 AM.

Ragnar Kagenou glanced at Megumi Fushiguro, whose anxiety was becoming more obvious by the second.

“If you’re that worried, why not call her?”

Gojo Satoru chimed in from the side.

“Yeah. Making a phone call isn’t exactly hard.”

Megumi pursed his lips.

“I already called several times. She’s not picking up.”

Gojo tilted his head, thinking for a moment.

“Well, that’s not that strange. They’re middle school girls, after all. Maybe they went out with classmates. Karaoke, a family restaurant, maybe somewhere like that.”

Megumi bit his nail.

“No. That’s not right. My sister isn’t that kind of person.”

Ragnar thought for a moment before asking, “Do you remember who your sister said she was going with? Or where she was going?”

“This…”

Megumi frowned.

He vaguely remembered hearing Tsumiki mention something over the phone.

“Let me think… It was some bridge. And something about a test of courage.”

Gojo rubbed his chin.

“A bridge? A test of courage?”

Just then, Ragnar, who had been standing beside them, seemed to recall something important.

His expression changed slightly.

He remembered now.

In the original storyline, Megumi Fushiguro’s sister had encountered misfortune at that very bridge and ended up cursed, falling into a long slumber.

“Could it be… Yasohachi Bridge?” Ragnar blurted out.

The moment he said it, Megumi’s eyes widened.

“That’s it! That’s the one!”

Hearing Megumi’s confirmation, Gojo immediately turned his gaze toward Ragnar with interest.

“How do you know about that bridge?”

Ragnar paused for a moment, quickly organizing his thoughts before answering.

“There’s been a lot of talk about it online these past few days.”

“Apparently, a lot of people have been going there to imitate suicide attempts. Somehow, it turned into a popular check-in spot.”

Megumi looked confused.

“Imitate… suicide? What does that even mean?”

Ragnar explained further.

“Basically, some people tie ropes to the bridge and bungee jump from it. They treat it like they’re experiencing the thrill of jumping off without actually dying.”

After hearing that, Gojo’s expression became more serious.

“A place where people repeatedly imitate suicide… that kind of negative emotion can easily give birth to a curse.”

“If your sister really went there, then she may be in serious danger.”

After saying that, the three of them immediately went downstairs.

Ragnar drove toward Yasohachi Bridge.

Gojo glanced at Megumi and said, “Don’t panic yet. First, call the person who invited your sister out.”

Megumi clutched his phone tightly, his voice tense.

“I… I don’t have their number.”

His fingers trembled slightly.

“Please be okay… Tsumiki.”