Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Through a single light source.

The concrete walls of the tunnel were severely peeling off, and the steel reinforcement skeleton inside was clearly visible. Moisture seeped out from the cracks, condensing into tiny water droplets that dripped from unseen corners.

The underground distance between the two subway stations is approximately 1.5 kilometers.

Proceed carefully; it should take about 30 minutes to get there.

However, after walking for about 10 minutes, they both stopped in place.

Under the headlights of the remote-controlled car, what lay before me was no longer an endless expanse of darkness, but rather an iron fence that stretched from the top of the tunnel all the way down into the ground.

The next subway station is just ahead. The railway tracks on the ground haven't been dismantled, but they're separated by an iron fence.

It looks like it was added on the spot.

Kurokawa turned around and gave Chinatsu a look, then led her closer to the iron fence.

The iron fence was made of rebar about the thickness of a thumb, with no more than five fingers' width between each rebar. Even someone as petite as Chika couldn't possibly squeeze through it.

The rust is obvious, and it's been there for at least a year or two.

"Why is this place completely sealed off?"

Shining the headlights of the remote-controlled car behind us, we could only see flying dust mites in the air; nothing else was visible.

After much deliberation, Kurokawa asked Chinatsu to give him the hydraulic shears. While remaining vigilant, he cut through six strands of threaded steel before finally managing to open an entrance.

They made quite a commotion, yet they were not attacked by any vengeful spirits.

However, it cannot be definitively concluded that the vengeful spirits inside are not very sensitive to sound.

As soon as they passed through the entrance and took only a couple of steps, even Kurokawa felt a dull ache in his head.

The vengeful spirit is getting closer.

Kurokawa took out his phone and started playing a pre-prepared audio file, looping the 20-20000 Hz audio.

Through research in his previous life, he learned that vengeful spirits are not very sensitive to the loudness of sound, but are exceptionally sensitive to the pitch of sound.

But so far, they have not been attacked by any vengeful spirits.

"So, the sound doesn't trigger the vengeful spirit's rules, right...?"

After having a rough idea of ​​what was going on, I realized that...

Continue along the track for about four or five hundred meters.

The cracks in the surrounding tunnel walls were widening, indicating that the tunnel structure was clearly very unstable.

Rainwater seeped in from above, creating small puddles on the ground, and the air was damp and cold.

The further in you go, the more rubble there is on the ground, making it difficult for the remote-controlled car to pass through.

A short while later, one of the remote-controlled car's wheels got stuck among the gravel.

Just as Kurokawa was about to step forward, a small pile of sand and gravel suddenly slid down from a crack in the tunnel wall with a "whoosh," which was particularly eerie in the dead silence.

The two froze instantly, their gazes both fixed on each other.

The discovery was simply a natural loosening of the structure.

Chika breathed a sigh of relief, but Kurokawa noticed that the fallen sand and gravel had covered the lower half of a blurry warning sign that looked like it had been sprayed on with red paint.

"The detection equipment is far too outdated..."

But now is not the time to complain too much.

When we arrived at the deepest part of Akabanebuchi Station platform.

After confirming that the sound and light would not attract any vengeful spirits, Kurokawa then had Chinatsu turn on her headlamp.

"Turn on the lights, everything's alright now."

Whispered instructions.

Chika then turned on her headlamp.

The light was blinding, but it unexpectedly allowed Kurokawa to see more details around him.

The surrounding tunnel walls are reinforced with a mesh of wire.

Moreover, the glass doors in front of the platform were not damaged, but had been removed long ago, and the passage to the upper level was completely blocked by fallen rubble.

This doesn't look like something that's going to be repaired and reopened at all.

Instead, it underwent some kind of special modification.

Having finally been given permission to speak, Chinatsu lowered her voice and tugged at Kurokawa, pointing to the 'ghost eye' that she had noticed earlier.

"President, the club president, a vengeful spirit!"

"A vengeful spirit!?"

As the light swept across the box, Kurokawa realized it was an electrical distribution box.

Because of the red light, Chika mistook it for the eyes of a vengeful spirit.

"Idiot, that's a distribution box, not..."

Kurokawa froze halfway through his sentence.

The power's still on here?!

He walked up the stairs on both sides of the platform to the electrical distribution box, carefully used the scabbard of his katana to pry it open, and only after confirming that there was no danger did Kurokawa get closer to take a closer look.

The dust on it is very obvious, which means that no one has used this place for a long time.

Even so, the power was still on here.

"If it wasn't a case of forgetting to turn off the power, then it means... this place has been converted into some kind of special facility, using independent power distribution equipment?"

I hesitated for a moment.

Kurokawa pushed open the main gate.

Om-!

The energy-saving chandelier above their heads flickered twice before reluctantly turning on.

"I didn't expect it to still be working..."

"Hmm." The surrounding lights suddenly turned on, and Chinatsu immediately sensed danger. "President, is it really okay for us to turn on the lights?!"

Turning her head, Qianxia's face was still pale, seemingly having some difficulty adapting to the vengeful spirit's influence. "It's okay, I just tried it, and the spirit isn't sensitive to light. Besides, we can see more clearly with the lights on."

"I see..."

"Stop wasting time, help me find the passage to the upper level."

"good!"

This subway station is located at the end of the subway line, making it the terminal station. The platform is not large; you can complete the search in just a couple of circles.

The passage to the upper level has been blocked by collapsed rocks.

The only entrance they could get through was the tunnel they had previously traversed.

"I can sense the presence of a magical vengeful spirit, but there's no way forward..."

Time is ticking away, and if the containment isn't completed before midnight, there won't be any way to contain this vengeful spirit.

Just as Kurokawa was at his wit's end, wondering if he could get to the upper level through the ventilation shaft.

Chinatsu suddenly called out to Kurokawa, "President, over there! Look over there!"

Chika lay on the platform, pointing to the end of the tunnel.

Kurokawa walked over and looked in the direction Chinatsu had pointed.

About 300 meters deeper in the tunnel, in the shadows of the circular U-turn area, a faint light source struggled to emerge.

It was an energy-saving lamp, its shade covered with cobwebs, the light flickering on and off.

Under the dim, yellowish light that the lamps barely managed to create, a single, pure black door was embedded in the concrete tunnel wall, standing like a tombstone at the end of this abandoned tunnel.

"This is....."

If he hadn't turned on the main power switch, he might not have even noticed that there was a door deep inside the tunnel...

It looks like an equipment room? But it doesn't quite look like one...

"Let's go take a look."

Kurokawa pushed the remote-controlled car's control stick forward one notch.

The car, bathed in a faint glow, silently slid toward the door.

He wanted to confirm whether there was still a security system in place, or if something worse was going on.

But nothing unexpected happened until they reached the door.

The door also looked surprisingly normal, a typical fire door.

The only abnormality was the door lock, which was a combination lock that required an ID card to open. However, since it was powered on, it was still functioning normally.

"Looks like this is the place."

If it's just a regular equipment room, it probably wouldn't need a separate power supply or an ID-based door lock system.

Kurokawa waved his hand behind him, signaling Chinatsu to step back.

He gripped the hilt of his katana with one hand, ready for battle at any moment.

After Tsubaki Chika retreated to a safe position, Kurokawa kicked the single door three times.

Bang-!

After a loud bang, the door was kicked open.

The wind stirred up the dust on the ground, the lights in the room seemed to be broken, and it was pitch black, but there was no trace of any enemy.

Kurokawa threw in another headlamp, and only after confirming there was no danger did he lead Chinatsu inside.

The room is not big, only about 20 square meters.

On the left side of the room was a long, rusty metal table and a security screening machine.

Directly opposite are two turnstiles and a military-grade security door...

"President, where is this..." Chika looked at the equipment, not understanding why it was in the room at the end of the tunnel.

Kurokawa, however, had already connected all the clues.

"This is the facility's security room. There should be a hidden laboratory behind this door."

"A hidden laboratory? What are they researching?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, the research will focus on magical vengeful spirits."

The information he found online said that the subway station was closed in 22 due to an accident.

However, at the previous subway station ticket office, he saw that the subway station had been closed since 21.

Based on the available intelligence...

The laboratory was built here in 21, but it was completely abandoned in 22 for some reason.

As for whether it was abandoned due to an accident...

Judging from the relatively orderly security room, it seems they evacuated safely and then abandoned it completely.

only.....

Kurokawa looked at the military-grade protective door in front of him and felt helpless.

This type of door is typically used in bank vaults or military facilities. Its presence here suggests that what lies behind the door is far more secure and dangerous than he anticipated.

It's impossible to open without using a bomb or heavy specialized equipment.

It's impossible for them to do that with their hydraulic shears and jacks.

"Is this the end...?"

drop--!

Suddenly, a crisp recognition sound made Kurokawa's hair stand on end!

The lock on the military-grade security door in front of us seems to have successfully recognized the ID card!

Could it be that there are still people inside?

impossible!

When he came in, he took a special look at the dust on the ground, but there was no sign of anyone having walked on it!

The ID card has now been successfully recognized...

Then there's only one possibility.

Because he turned on the main power switch, something inside is about to be released!