Not a detective

After moving the bed aside, I saw something truly incredible—

It was a square gap, out of place with the surrounding floor tiles, perfectly hidden under the original bed, just big enough to accommodate a little over one person.

“A hidden door.” Chizuko’s expression instantly turned serious. “This is a hidden door. I’m afraid the ‘step’ we’re looking for is right here.”

After searching for so long, I never imagined that there would be such a "hidden area" in the school building.

No matter where it is, as long as it meets the criteria of twelve steps, it meets the requirements of a ghost story.

This is the last possible truth... and also the last [unbelievable] thing.

The hidden door was very well concealed. Not only would most people never think of it being hidden under the bed, and no one would look in for no reason, but even if they did, it would be difficult to lift or move the entire bed. Asakawa Riku discovered that there was no obvious switch or handle on the hidden door, nor was there a lock or a password input area. He had no idea how to open the mechanism.

Double insurance... Not only do you need to find the location of the secret door, but you also need to find the location of the mechanism, making it extremely safe.

"But it doesn't matter."

His expression remained unchanged as he placed his hands against the hidden door, slowly inserting his fingers into the crevice...

Gradually, it emitted sounds of mechanical structure breaking down and failing.

With extraordinary grip strength, they forcibly tore open the hidden door bit by bit.

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Thirty-One, Floor Thirteen

The steel bars and mechanical structure that locked the secret door were all destroyed, and Asakawa Riku casually tossed the brick aside.

Because he anticipated this situation, he didn't take "leaving traces and fingerprints" seriously, knowing there would always be a time when he had to resort to brute force.

If all else fails, you can clean them all up at the end.

After the hidden door was cleared, the true appearance inside was revealed: a bottomless vertical shaft leading to endless darkness underground.

Even Asakawa Riku couldn't see what was below. He has good eyesight, but it's not to the point of violating the laws of physics. As long as it doesn't emit light, it's impossible to see clearly.

He shone his phone's flashlight on the ground, and now he could see clearly. It wasn't very deep, only about 4-5 meters in height. But the flashlight only illuminated a blurry area of ​​the ground, a dark gray cement floor. The rest of the area was still unknown, as if shrouded in black fog. If he didn't go down, he wouldn't be able to find anything.

"So this is considered a step..."

Chizuko sighed.

On one side of the shaft, there are iron pull rings, spaced apart in layers, which seem to be vertical ladders for people to climb.

This must be the only way up and down. The space is just big enough for one person to climb. The iron rings seem to have mottled rust, and they look very old.

"Something feels off."

This was not what Asakawa Riku had expected. He had thought it would be a staircase leading downwards to the basement, but it turned out to be such a simple vertical shaft.

But it doesn't matter, as long as it meets the rules and conditions of the Blue Lantern. Ghost tales are strange products in the first place.

He thought for a moment, then pointed to the shaft and said, "I'll go down first and see what's going on."

Asakawa Riku felt that he was tough and could withstand any danger, but Chizuko-senpai was different. Even with the help of a shikigami, she was still an ordinary girl and would get hurt and bleed. If that was the case, he should go and scout ahead first and then make a plan based on the situation.

"No." To everyone's surprise, Chizuko shook her head and said, "It's better if I'm on the bottom and you're on top."

"why?"

She squatted down beside the shaft, looking down, and explained, "Don't forget, Asakawa-kun, this is a ghost story, not a knife-wielding thug. Your resistance to this kind of strange ability isn't actually that strong. I have some other ways to deal with it. Letting me take the lead is the most reasonable choice. Besides, if we encounter danger, I can also use teleportation to escape."

Asakawa Riku thought about it for a while and felt that what she said made sense.

Just like when he was pulled into a dream by the tapir last time, he is actually very weak in resisting the abilities of monsters he has never seen before, but Chizuko-senpai might have a solution.

With Kiku's help, she could use her ghostly teleportation ability to escape; if it were him, he might have no choice but to start tearing down the walls...

"Senior, be careful. If you encounter any danger, call my name."

He gave a serious word of advice.

"And besides, if Asakawa-san, you were on the bottom..."

Chizuko smiled, then suddenly covered the hem of her skirt: "You might accidentally expose yourself."

"I won't watch it." Asakawa Riku couldn't help but laugh. Her joke eased the tense atmosphere and made it less serious.

Thus, the choice of the vanguard was made. Senior Chizuko stood still, her palm pressed against her forehead, muttering something in an unintelligible language.

He must have done some preparatory work that he couldn't understand. In gaming terms, it might be called "adding a buff." But unfortunately, Asakawa Riku himself had zero inspiration and couldn't see anything. It was like a behind-the-scenes shot without movie special effects, which was actually quite boring. He also wanted to see some special effects particles that transcended reality.

"Then, I'm off."

Chizuko gripped the iron ring with both hands, slowly lowered her feet, and stepped onto the second "step".

I was initially worried about whether her prosthetic leg could handle such climbing work, but now it seems that there is no problem.

"Keep it up." Asakawa Rikuya squatted down beside the shaft, ready to provide rescue and support at any time.

"Ok!"

Chizuko started to go downstairs.

...

If there were other people here, they might not understand why the two of them were taking it so seriously and as if it were a major threat.

Or to put it more directly: Why did Riku Asakawa and Chizuko immediately treat the school doctor, Suzuki-sensei, as a "suspect"?

The clues are actually quite simple.

Riku Asakawa didn't know what Chizuko had heard from Kiku, but he sensed it from his own sense of smell.

He smelled blood; it was the smell of decay and death.

People who frequently deal with blood in their work will understand that the smell of fresh blood is absolutely different from that of stale blood. Fresh blood that spurts from a blood vessel has a pungent, fishy smell, just like the pungent smell that almost overwhelms the Beethoven portrait in the music room.

However, blood, if left for too long, will rot and stink, leaving behind a nauseating and terrible stench that is even more indescribable.

That was the smell of death… Without a doubt, that was exactly how vividly Asakawa Riku felt it from the bottom of the shaft.

There must be a lot of putrid, stale blood in there, the kind of smell that has seeped into the floor and invaded the walls, and can't be wiped away no matter how much you wash it.

That is sin.

The school clinic is not a hospital, and there is no need to set up a "morgue" in its basement. It should not be a place to store corpses, nor should it have such a strong smell of blood.

Asakawa Riku sensed a conspiracy. He could treat ghost stories as lighthearted entertainment, but things were different when he saw "villains".

—If it's confirmed that school doctor Suzuki is involved in something wrong, then kill him…

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt that childish thought returning. Asakawa Riku was stunned for a moment, just then a voice came from below, interrupting his thoughts.

"...Asakawa-san, I've reached the twelfth step. Get ready."

Chizuko's gentle voice came from below.

She was very thoughtful, even knowing to give a final reminder beforehand. Asakawa Riku couldn't let her down, so he also became serious and focused:

"Okay, go down now," he said, getting into a ready position.

“Okay…” Chizuko’s voice suddenly changed from steady to panicked. She cried out in terror, “It’s here…! It’s the thirteenth floor!”

Without the slightest hesitation, Asakawa Riku flew out like an arrow released from a bow!

Using his running pace down the stairs, he quickly stepped on the iron rings, falling headfirst straight down, catching up with Chizuko's figure...!

Aoandon's Autumn: Chapter Thirty-Two - Fracture and Separation

"Hold my hand!"

In desperation, Asakawa Riku shouted.

He saw that Chizuko's lower body had been swallowed by darkness and disappeared into some unknown place, as if swallowed by an invisible giant mouth.

A ghost story has emerged...! The mysterious thirteenth staircase will open the gates to the underworld, leading those who step inside into it!

"Wait... grab the line!"

Chizuko's final expression was one of utter terror. Her eyes widened as she stared at Asakawa Riku lunging at her: "Don't grab me—"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

Due to years of training, Asakawa Riku's physical instincts have surpassed his consciousness. Consciousness requires a 0.5-second delay, but the body must be faster. Therefore, before he could figure out what Chizuko meant, he had already reached out and grabbed his senior's right hand, holding it tightly!

Click.

It sounded as if I heard a strange noise.

A bizarre and unbelievable phenomenon occurred before our eyes.

Asakawa Riku tore off the girl's right hand.

The girl's body continued to fall, disappearing into a gap in the void—

Because the weight was different from what he expected, he lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground before he could adjust his center of gravity.

"Uh……"

Although she was not injured, when she stood up again, Chizuko was no longer in sight.

Her severed right hand remained in Asakawa Riku's palm, cold and light.

Here's what happened—

In an instant, a massive amount of information seemed to flood Asakawa Riku's mind, almost overwhelming his brain and leaving him speechless for a long time.

Chizuko was very thin, and her arms were also very slender, like a small bone, soft and weightless. This description may not be very aesthetically pleasing, but that is the truth.

He felt as if he were holding a strange object.

...Could I have really torn off her arm? The thought had barely crossed his mind when Asakawa Riku dismissed it.

He had long since passed the initial stage of not being able to control his strength. No matter how strong he was, maintaining a sense of proportion was a fundamental skill for martial artists, and it was impossible for him to make such a mistake.

Or perhaps when the so-called "underworld" closed the entrance, it cut off Chizuko's arm?

That's possible, but Riku Asakawa quickly dismissed it.

The reason is simple... If you look closely at the arm, you will find that there is no blood or wound at the end of the arm, nor any traces of skin being torn.

It doesn't look like it was cut open, but rather like it "detached" on its own.

"So... even the arm is a prosthetic!"

Asakawa Riku said in surprise, he had never expected this possibility.

Sure enough, although the skin texture of the arm was very realistic and the slender and soft fingers matched the feeling of a young girl, once you held it in your hand, you could tell that this was not the weight that human bones should have. The inside should be made of titanium alloy, and there were no muscles or blood vessels at the connection with the shoulder. It was a very complicated and intricate mechanical structure that you couldn't understand.

This, like Chizuko's right leg, is a prosthesis. It turns out that her disability wasn't just limited to her legs, but also included a "right hand."

Riku Asakawa suddenly understood many things. For example, Chizuko had always been left-handed. Whether she was writing or eating, she always wore a long-sleeved uniform, almost never showing her wrists, but rather wearing it in a "cute sleeve" style. Several times when he held her hand, he was told "don't pull too hard." In fact, there were many clues, but he had never thought of them.

I thought it was just shyness...

"If only you had told me sooner..." he said with some regret.

Perhaps Chizuko had her reasons for not wanting to tell him, but if she had just found out, she wouldn't have held his hand; instead, she would have pulled the red thread.

But Asakawa Riku knew he hadn't been able to deduce it. How could he have gone so long without noticing that his senior's right hand could move on its own? It must have been with the help of a yokai.

—Now is not the time for regrets or for deciphering secrets. The most urgent task is to rescue Chizuko. We can talk about the rest later.

He quickly glanced around and realized he had fallen into the basement. It was a small, dark room with some cabinets, simple tables and chairs, and what seemed to be a large operating bed in the center. There were various bloodstained instruments on the shelves, and the cold, pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with a fishy stench, which was disgusting.

The atmosphere is somewhat similar to "The Spider's Nest"...

Although there was still much to investigate, Asakawa Riku only confirmed that Chizuko was not there before turning his attention away.

Saving lives is the top priority.

Where did Chizuko go?

As Asakawa Riku recalled what happened in that instant, his senior's petite body seemed to be swallowed by darkness, gradually erased in the narrow shaft.

It was as if a portal opened and sucked her in. Did she really go to the underworld? If so, how can we save her?

"The red thread..."

He murmured unconsciously, "Oh right, there's this connection too."

Chizuko had anticipated this possibility, so she used the "red thread" to connect them. If they followed the thread, they might be able to find it.

But when Asakawa Riku raised his left hand, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.