Evil Spirit Consultant

Chapter 303 Exploration
"Don't be afraid," Yang Liu said, her voice deliberately slow, low and steady, carrying a strange, calming power. "I'm Yang Liu, a teacher at Nokojima Municipal Elementary and Middle School. Did you also accidentally get on the wrong bus?"

teacher?

Aiko was stunned.

The man in front of me, who looks extremely intimidating, claims to be a teacher?

And it's only for elementary school students? Do elementary school teachers really have such a large physique?
Although she was somewhat skeptical, Yang Liu's words slightly dispelled the fear in her heart and allowed her brain to begin functioning again.

This is precisely why she found rumors about the station in her mind.

"T-Teacher?" she asked timidly, her voice trembling with fear, "Is this...the so-called Kisaragi Station?"

“Something does seem off here,” Yang Liu said vaguely, “but don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you out of here.”

His tone was calm and confident, as if he were simply stating a given fact.

This composure, so out of place in the terrifying and eerie environment, gave Aiko a faint sense of security.

At least, the person in front of me looks...very strong? And doesn't seem afraid at all?
"Really...really, teacher?" Aiko looked at Yangliu with disbelief, tears welling up in her eyes again. "I was so scared...that announcement...and the sounds outside..."

"It's alright." Yang Liu took a pack of tissues out of her pocket and handed it to her beloved son. "Wipe your tears. What's your name?"

"I...I'm called Aiko." Aiko took the tissue and wiped her face haphazardly.

“Aiko, right?” Yang Liu nodded. “Now, you need to calm down. Since you know the urban legend of Kisaragi Station, you should also understand that fear won’t solve anything, and might even make the situation worse because of your emotions…”

"But……"

Looking at the girl in front of him, Yang Liu knew that forcing him to change his mood was too difficult, so after thinking for a moment, he changed his approach:
"Aiko, do you know what Kisaragi Station is based on?"

"The prototype?" Aiko asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, based on the content and timing of the Kisaragi Station urban legend, many people believe that the prototype of this urban legend should be Ultraman Ace."

"Huh?" Aiko's expression froze for a moment, her eyes filled with confusion.

Yang Liu sensed her change in mood and smiled with satisfaction: "To be precise, it's episode five of Ultraman Ace, so although this space looks terrifying, an Ultraman might jump out from inside at any time to help you..."

"Ah this..."

Aiko had to admit that the teacher in front of her was quite good at comforting people; at least after his explanation, she suddenly felt less afraid.

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Yang Liu continued to ask, "I'm planning to go out and check the situation now. Do you want to stay here or come with me?"

Although the carriage was also eerie, Aiko felt safer in the slightly more familiar carriage than in the unknown darkness and noise outside.

She quickly shook her head: "I...I'd better stay here, teacher."

"Alright." Yang Liu didn't insist. In any case, according to the urban legends related to Ruyue Station, the subway was considered the initial "safe point".

"Then you stay in the carriage, try to keep quiet, and don't run around. I'll be right back."

After saying that, Yang Liu didn't linger and turned to walk towards the open car door.

Aiko watched the tall, composed figure disappear through the car door, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Although she was still terrified, it was slightly better than the feeling of being trapped in despair alone just now.

At least now there was a seemingly reliable "teacher" who knew of her existence and promised to take her away. She carefully moved closer to the car door and secretly observed the man outside who called himself "Teacher Yang" through the car window.

Yang Liu stepped off the train as if strolling leisurely and stood on the dilapidated platform.

He calmly looked around, as if he were just visiting an ordinary, slightly old, abandoned tourist attraction.

He would sometimes look up at the blurry bus stop sign, sometimes look down to check the marks on the ground, and even kick a loose paving stone at his feet with great interest.

That calm and composed demeanor created a striking, even somewhat comical, contrast with the eerie and gloomy surroundings.

Aiko rubbed her eyes, almost thinking she was hallucinating.

Who exactly is this Mr. Yang? Is he really just an ordinary elementary school teacher? Why isn't he afraid at all?
Perhaps... by following this strange "teacher," we can really escape from this awful place?
……

……

The platform lights were extremely dim, barely enough to see anything. The musty and dusty smells in the air were even stronger, mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, rusty odor.

Yang Liu first carefully observed the entire platform.

This is a typical old-fashioned Japanese train station design. The wooden benches are rotten and covered with a thick layer of dust.

The advertisements on the wall have long since faded and become blurry, and the content is in the style of more than ten years ago.

The most eye-catching thing is the sign at the end of the platform that indicates the station name. The words "Kisaragi" are written on it with peeling paint. There seem to be some smaller characters next to it, but they are too blurry to be recognized.

The entire station was shrouded in an eerie silence, except for the faint sound of wind coming from the darkness in the distance; there was no noise of modern society to be heard.

Time seems to have lost its meaning here; everything is frozen in a forgotten past.

Yang Liu was not affected by the atmosphere. His attention was focused on the "perception" of his five senses.

His powerful senses allowed him to clearly perceive the various "information" left in the air. He could "smell" the faint scent of a living person left behind when someone passed by not long ago, and he could also "see" the negative emotions that had accumulated over the years on the ground and walls.

More importantly, his mental energy detected two relatively "fresh" and unusually strong negative mental fluctuations.

There was a faint trace of a young girl's life force—this was undoubtedly left behind by Koizumi Rin.

The other was more complex and dark, filled with weariness, resentment, self-destructive impulses, and an aura tainted by some deeper malice.

At the heart of this aura is the office worker who was drawn into this place as a "coordinate," and the "enemy" that corrupted him seems to have left clear traces here as well.

Both of these auras pointed in the same direction—deep into the main building of the station.

"It seems they went inside," Yang Liu concluded.

He didn't chase after them immediately, but instead first surveyed the area around the platform and the station's perimeter.

Outside the station was an impenetrable darkness, seemingly without boundaries, and the whispers and strange noises in the distance seemed to be coming from that darkness.

Yang Liu could sense that something more chaotic and dangerous was lurking in that darkness, seemingly the "boundary" or "buffer zone" of this alternate dimension.

Reiko Sasaki's warning against leaving the main station area seems to have been wise.

(End of this chapter)