I'm a teacher in Tokyo!

She wasn't actually afraid of ghosts, because she had subdued many evil spirits in real life, some of which were even more powerful than this one.

But with the help of the "gods," one can still subdue or destroy them.

What Matsumoto Mizuki truly fears is this powerlessness in the face of demons, the ability to flee in panic like an ordinary person.

In this dream, I lost all my abilities, all spells and magic, and I couldn't even communicate with "God".

As mentioned before, this method of entering dreams can bypass all defenses and enter the mind.

Its most important point is that it does not carry power with it.

It wouldn't even endanger my life, after all, even if I died right now, it would just be a permanent sleep.

I am still alive until I starve to death in reality.

Eternal sleep is no different from death.

So she ran frantically, using both her hands and feet, like a wild dog.

At this moment, the corridor ahead seemed to have turned into a bottomless abyss, and all that remained was to run, to keep running.

Only then can you escape the invasion of the evil spirits behind you!

……

Meanwhile, inside the room;

There's no Kayako or Mako to speak of; it's all just a fantasy from Tomie's nightmare.

She hugged her knees, lowered her head, and curled up in the corner, her long hair hanging to the ground, her body trembling slightly as tears streamed down her face;

Tomie is like a lonely child with no one to rely on; she is timid but craves recognition and attention from others.

But after receiving mostly malicious stares as a child, she developed an outwardly strong image.

In truth, my heart is still empty.

At this moment, her outwardly strong exterior was torn away by the illusion, and in the dream, she was at her most vulnerable.

Even more frightening than Kayako and Yoshizaki Kawa's affair was the words that followed, those words that pierced her heart, tore off her armor, and left her speechless and powerless to refute.

Aside from his beautiful appearance, he was utterly useless, and this very appearance had even brought him countless troubles.

Previously, she could use her sharp tongue and arrogance to disguise herself, just as the smaller the snake, the more likely it is to evolve highly venomous venom glands to protect itself.

Venomous snakes will attack any enemy that comes their way, but this is also to ensure their own safety, because other large animals might just crush them with a single stomp.

But in essence, venomous snakes are still weak.

Just like her, no matter how strong she appears on the outside, she is sensitive and vulnerable inside.

She was unwilling to accept this true version of herself.

She was even unwilling to leave the room again, fearing that Yoshizaki Kawa would appear outside and say those heartless words to her in the same mocking tone as Kayako.

"—Perhaps, I really am that kind of person."

……

Yoshizaki Kawako, who had just lain down in bed to sleep, felt a little panicked. He thought it was about the videotapes and lesson plans.

I got up, organized the lesson plans, and then put them in a folder.

I also wrote a sticky note reminding myself to retrieve that deadly videotape tomorrow, lest some unlucky soul opens it and I'd probably be kicked out on the spot.

Even if the possibility is small, since he locked the videotape in the drawer, no one other than a thief should be able to get it.

Moreover, if it's a thief;

Why would he steal a worthless videotape?

This completes the logical loop.

Even so, he still wanted to provide a final layer of insurance, after all, there are many oddballs in this world.

He put his lesson plan away and drank a cup of hot water.

He took off his shoes, then lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and prepared to continue sleeping.

Perhaps it was because of the hot water, but this time he fell asleep quickly.

then,

It was another strange lucid dream;

This time, he actually returned to the villa he had stayed in before.

Yoshizaki Kawa had just fallen asleep in reality, but immediately woke up from a dream.

However, according to past practice.

Every time I have a similar dream, something big will happen; it's similar to a precognitive dream.

Thinking about this, he felt a little worried.

Given Kotoko's rapid death and the terrifying events that match his dreams, Yoshizaki suspects that if he has a few more dreams, Kotoko might go to see Ennozuno.

He felt a little guilty, but after thinking it over, he couldn't think of anything that could be related to this villa.

As he got out of bed, he found his abdomen to be very firm;

"Eight-pack abs??"

He touched his abdomen, pulled open his shirt, and discovered that his once flat stomach now had eight-pack abs.

By the way——

Did I originally have this desire myself?

Yoshizaki pushed up his glasses, finding it hard to believe that he was actually such a vulgar man who adored abs.

He put down the clothes on his abdomen and pushed open the door to Kayako's room in the villa;

The large room was empty, so it seemed that the dream had nothing to do with Kayako.

He pushed open the front door and walked into the corridor;

Perhaps due to the mirror imagery of the dream, the corridor was reversed, and from time to time, through the corridor walls, one could hear violent running and unsettling sounds of splashing water, as well as screams, as if they were playing some kind of hide-and-seek game.

Yoshizaki Kawa pushed open the doors one by one. Mako wasn't there either, and Tomie... Hmm?

He saw that there seemed to be traces of human activity in the bedding in Tomie's room. As he walked closer, he could smell a milky scent from a woman, while there was no smell in the other rooms.

So it seems this dream is related to Tomie?

Thinking of Tomie, he recalled the tragic death she had suffered, and a sense of unease settled in his heart.

He covered himself with the blanket, then walked out of the room and went upstairs to the second floor.

At this moment—

Suddenly, a "bang" came from the wall next to me, followed by the sound of a whole packet of ketchup bursting on the ground, and the next moment, the sound of chewing that made my teeth ache.

Yoshizaki knocked on the wall in front of him, and the wall made a solid sound. He had no idea what was happening on the other side of the wall.

He did not find the door to the other side of the wall.

Upon reaching the second floor, the hallway was brightly lit, and Yoshizaki Kawa seemed to faintly hear sobbing sounds;

Follow the sound forward.

Walking to the place where Kayako, Tomie, and Mako had played Ouija together before, Yoshizaki Kawa pushed open the door with a wary heart;

The next moment, he was slightly taken aback;

The room was in disarray, the lights were on and off, the table was broken in two, and chairs were scattered all over the floor.

In the innermost corner of that room,

A naked girl with black hair hugged her knees, her body trembling slightly as she sobbed, seemingly sensing someone's arrival;

She slightly raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, her rims slightly red, and her face displayed a pitiful and heart-wrenching expression.

"What happened?"

Although he didn't know whether the dream was real or not, seeing Tomie's appearance, he instinctively felt that something must have happened.

He walked over, slowly squatted down to be level with the naked girl in front of him, and gently wiped away the tear stains from the corner of her eyes with his hand;

Why are you crying like that?

Tomie in her dream glanced at Yoshizaki Kawa, her eyes filled with fear. She was terrified that Yoshizaki Kawa's gentleness was fake, terrified that after waiting for her to speak, he would reveal that she was a prostitute, terrified that he would recount the details of his time with Kayako—

I'm so scared, so very scared.

"Don't be afraid, you can tell me anything, and your teacher will help you."

"After all, I'm the kind of guy who can kill a dog with one punch!"

These words brought tears to her eyes instantly. She thought of the day Yoshizaki Kawa protected her and was bitten by a dog, and she thought of the way he carried her all the way forward that day.

She broke down, shouting hysterically, as if responding to someone's words, or perhaps venting her own frustrations, a reckless outburst within the dream:

“Yoshizaki Kawa, I’m not a prostitute. I didn’t use you as a tool. Everyone wants to sleep with me. I know, I know.”

"But—what can I do?"

"I'm really scared."