SCIAW: Chapter 286/287

Chapter 286: Takahashi Ryoichi Behind the Darkness

"Tokumoto Atsuko had a deep inferiority complex. She was introverted and came from a poor family. She was short, thin, and not particularly attractive. In front of people who were stronger in appearance, stature, and capability, she seemed even smaller."

"The only thing she could be proud of was her imagination and her delicate writing style. But not many people could understand or appreciate those strengths. There was only one person who truly resonated with Tokumoto Atsuko."

At this moment, Ayako and Chikako exchanged glances. They had already reached the same conclusion.

Takahashi Ryoichi.

He wasn't very tall, had a similar inferiority complex, lacked any remarkable skills, and had a plump, awkward appearance. He was the kind of boy most girls would avoid.

From this standpoint alone, Takahashi Ryoichi and Tokumoto Atsuko shared a high level of compatibility.

In the past, neither Ayako nor Chikako ever imagined that Takahashi Ryoichi had any kind of connection to Atsuko.

But now, they were convinced otherwise.

Because now they saw the overlapping emotional threads between the two, threads that suggested an undeniable bond.

After stating this, Ren stepped toward the table, opened one palm over it, and slowly raised a crystal ball from the shadow between his hand and the surface.

He gently tapped the crystal ball, and within it appeared the image of three people carrying luggage, walking through a forest.

The boy at the front wore a green forehead band, and his hairstyle was carefully styled. His face appeared delicate, likely enhanced with makeup. This makeup improved his overall appearance, making him look refined.

The boys walking beside him also looked decently prepared, though not as impressive as the first. The contrast was obvious in their expressions and overall aura.

All three were around 1.7 meters tall, which wasn't bad, but they looked significantly taller than the boy in the back.

The boy bringing up the rear was only presentable at best. Unlike the others, he wore no visible makeup.

He was shorter, only a little over 1.6 meters tall, and slightly chubby.

These were the images shown inside the crystal ball.

As Ren tapped the sphere again, the three figures began to change.

The two boys in front were revealed to have two layers of appearance. The outer layer, transparent and enhanced, looked refined. But beneath it was a plainer, more tired-looking face.

"Whoa… the difference with and without makeup is insane."

Sonoko couldn't help but comment.

"Ota Masaru's entire face is covered in acne and sunken patches, probably from overusing cheap skincare products. Without makeup, it's honestly hard to look at."

Chikako immediately spotted Ota Masaru's condition.

As a former screenwriter for stage and drama, she was all too familiar with the damage caused by inferior cosmetics. She knew that squeezing certain types of acne left permanent scars.

It was obvious that Ota Masaru's face had suffered this exact fate.

Chikako had understood these risks early on, which was why she always paid extra attention to skincare and was especially cautious when using makeup.

"Kadotani is clearly better off. His face just looks a little darker, probably from constant sun exposure. Though the bags under his eyes are pretty heavy."

Ayako examined closely. Ignoring the makeup, she felt that Hiroki Kadotani looked far better without it compared to Masaru.

"Hiroki Kadotani works as an editor for a film magazine. It makes sense that he stays up late a lot. Judging from his skin, he's probably the type often sent abroad for work and doesn't hold a high-ranking position."

Chikako knew a bit about her old classmates. Especially since Kadotani was still in the film industry, she would occasionally hear some updates about him.

But that was all she knew. Over the past two years, she hadn't had much time to focus on others. What she knew already was the extent of her awareness.

Perhaps because she had gained the Reader's power, her cognitive abilities had also improved. It now seemed easy to make such assessments.

"The focus isn't on them," Ren reminded, "but on the man behind them."

With that prompt, everyone's eyes shifted to Takahashi Ryoichi.

And in that moment, all three of them visibly shuddered.

The short, chubby Takahashi Ryoichi was entirely revealed under the crystal ball's gaze.

First, what appeared to be a fat belly was nothing more than padding stuffed under his clothes.

Second, beneath his seemingly innocent smile lay something far more disturbing—eyes filled with cruelty and twisted malice.

And finally, behind his body loomed something far more terrifying: a black ghost.

Ayako and Chikako recognized the ghostly figure at once.

The face, though distorted, retained faint outlines of its former self.

But even just looking at it caused intense discomfort. Its face was filled with death, and its eyes radiated pure hatred.

"An evil spirit," Ren explained calmly. "A soul born from overwhelming malice and murderous intent at the moment of death. It appears to be about two years old. It was born after Miss Atsuko's suicide and is driven by hatred toward Miss Chikako. It clings to Takahashi Ryoichi's desire for revenge and has lived within him ever since."

Ren had already predicted this outcome.

Two years of festering hatred had clearly formed a murderous spirit—one that intended to unleash all its rage at this class reunion.

Having dealt with such spirits before, Ren knew how deadly one born from two years of pure resentment could be. He didn't believe the result would be as simple as Takahashi Ryoichi making a confession.

Takahashi Ryoichi, who had unknowingly formed a connection with the spirit and gained power from it, had long since lost the ability to return to being a "normal" person.

Even if there were traces of humanity left, they were only superficial, deliberately put on for appearance.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 287: The Flame of Revenge Is Burning

Pure malice.

According to the divination, the revelation Ren received wasn't simply that the evil spirit was driving Takahashi Ryoichi to kill one person—Chikako—and that would be the end of it.

No, the evil spirit wanted to kill everyone in their old university club.

She loathed this world where no one could understand her, and she even projected her mother's betrayal onto her former classmates.

Well, that outcome made sense.

It was completely natural for Tokumoto Atsuko to feel this way. It aligned with the darker aspects of human nature.

Even if it was her mother who betrayed her, she was still her biological mother. No matter how much she resented her, she couldn't bring herself to direct that hatred toward her.

Since she couldn't direct her hatred at her mother, then the one who bought her story became the scapegoat. The place where the hatred settled had already been decided.

And now, after two years of festering, her hatred had expanded beyond Chikako. It now encompassed everyone in that university club who had better living conditions, appearances, or lives than hers.

Hatred born from inferiority, huh... this is kind of like how I used to be.

Ren couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought.

Back then, compulsory education was far too kind to people like them. If they hadn't been pushed to the brink, people like them would never have taken up arms.

But once a seemingly harmless person is pushed over the edge, no one can predict what they'll do.

Ren's gaze returned to the evil spirit called Atsuko, displayed within the crystal ball.

All the things she hadn't dared to do while alive, she now dared to do freely as an evil spirit.

The truth was, one's environment could fundamentally change a person.

Still, you've blamed the wrong person this time.

Ren believed that Atsuko knew that deep down. But even so, she had no choice but to redirect her hatred toward others—because no matter what, she couldn't raise a hand against her own mother.

She knew everything had been legally sound. If she leaked her story early, her family would have been destroyed by the resulting breach of contract.

If they couldn't afford the penalties, her family would have been ripped apart instantly. If her mother was arrested, she wouldn't be spared either.

Backed into a corner where she'd suffer either way, Atsuko chose revenge by the most extreme means.

She used her own death to vent her hatred.

Ren acknowledged that Atsuko's method had worked and he also sighed at how tragic her fate had been.

The moment she became an evil spirit, Atsuko was no longer a human being with rational thought, but a vengeful ghost born entirely for the purpose of killing.

Ren looked at the image in the crystal ball and shook his head slightly.

"The flame of revenge seems to have already been lit."

The three girls present all turned their attention to the crystal ball, where Takahashi Ryoichi brought up the rear of the group.

They could clearly see the malicious light growing in his eyes, even though he still wore a seemingly harmless smile on the outside.

"Ota, Kadotani, mind waiting a second?"

"Hm?"

Ota Masaru and Hiroki Kadotani turned around and saw Takahashi Ryoichi's shy expression. They immediately guessed the reason.

"Takahashi, I told you not to drink so much water on the way here."

Ota sighed helplessly.

"I've just been really thirsty lately…"

"Alright, alright. Go handle it quickly. I don't want us running into Miss Ayako and looking like we're begging for a restroom break."

"Sorry, sorry."

Takahashi Ryoichi apologized with a smile and jogged toward a nearby haystack, holding his stomach.

Once he left, Ota pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

"Kadotani, want one?"

"Thanks."

Kadotani took one and lit it himself.

"Hard to believe it's already been two years since graduation. Feels like just yesterday."

Ota exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone filled with nostalgia.

"Yeah. Time flew by. Life was easy in college, but the minute we graduated, we slammed into reality—employment problems right off the bat."

"Good thing I'm decent at networking. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived in sales."

These past two years hadn't been kind to him.

Like many graduates from ordinary backgrounds and irrelevant majors, Ota had basically been unemployed after graduation.

"True."

Kadotani nodded grimly.

"We both ended up in jobs unrelated to our fields. You're doing sales, and I became an editor for a movie magazine. Not that it's glamorous. I'm basically a glorified errand boy."

His job kept him outside more than in the office, running all sorts of minor tasks.

"Going around distributing surveys, then compiling results... most of my time is wasted on tedious, meaningless stuff."

Kadotani glanced at Ota, a bit envious.

"Ota, your life seems way better than mine. You wear brand-name clothes, so your income must be solid, right?"

Ota laughed bitterly and took another drag of his cigarette.

"Sales is like that. If you don't look the part, no one's going to sign a deal with you."

"The base salary's practically nothing. Your pay depends entirely on how many contracts you land. And to land those… talking alone isn't enough."

They were adults now. Kadotani immediately understood the implication.

Having worked near the entertainment industry, he knew exactly what that meant.

He patted Ota on the shoulder.

"Sounds like my job is easier after all. At least I'm finally moving into an office role. You might be stuck where you are for a while."

"Yeah…"

Ota sighed helplessly.

"The only one from our class with a decent life after graduation is Ayako."

"Well, she is a lady. Her situation's completely different from ours."

Kadotani agreed with a bitter smile.

Only after graduation had they truly realized the importance of background. Back in college, they dreamed of the future. But in reality, they had no future to look forward to—only a fate of endless toil.

"If I'd known, maybe I would've tried to get closer to Ayako."

His ambition made Ota roll his eyes.

"Give it up. Miss Ayako's not stupid. Try something like that, and you won't even be able to call her a classmate anymore. I'm just hoping she'll introduce me to a rich lady so I can stop worrying about food and bills."

Kadotani chuckled bitterly. He knew the truth of it. He was just venting.

Suddenly, they heard faint footsteps behind them. The sound was deliberately quiet, but as it grew closer, it became noticeable.

"Finally done, huh... Takahashi—"

Turning around, Kadotani froze.

Takahashi Ryoichi was holding an axe, a twisted grin on his face.

The axe swung down viciously.

A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the forest trail.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

(To be continued.)