“Oh, you want to hear that story?”

“Just in case. We were halfway through the conversation. I am curious.”

“Well, you know, I probably shouldn’t disclose it.”

“Hey, Aoyama. Please don’t be pretentious. From today on, I am a member of the late-night shift as well.”

“You’ll be frightened if you hear it.”

“It’s fine. I’m not particularly frightened.”

“Hmm, but I won’t say it after all. Some things are better left undisclosed.”

Hey.

In the end, you won’t tell me.

“Oh my, don’t make that face.”

Saying that, he poked me on the cheek. In a flash, goosebumps rose from the nape of my neck down to the bottom of it.

Yeah, something even dreadier than a specter was right in front of me…

“If you want to find out so badly, why don’t you ask Takenaka directly next time?”

“Takenaka…? The same late night…”

“Yeah. He’s a rather handsome guy, despite being unsociable. While I don’t dislike the bad boy type like Hakamada, Takenaka is the kind of innocent handsome guy that makes a maiden’s heart flutter.”magic

Maiden’s heart…

Hahaha. That would mean that your work on your heart has already been done, Aoyama.“He’s a year older than you, and he doesn’t really communicate much, but he’s a nice guy.”

He didn’t speak much huh. I was a bit concerned about whether my shyness would suit his personality.

“No problem, you’ll get along with him and be able to converse with him reasonably well.”

“Hopefully.”

When I heard that he wasn’t sociable, I was a little scared.

“Haha, I’m rooting for you, good luck.”

“Yes. Oh, what kind of person is Hirai?”

You mentioned that earlier. That the night shift here consisted of Aoyama, Takenaka, and Hirai.

I wondered what kind of person was the last one, Hirai. I would like to ask him about it on this occasion.

“Hirai is… well, if I were to sum it up in a nutshell, I’d say she’s a ‘mysterious person’.”

“Mysterious person!?”

“Yeah, she’s a nice one too but I wonder where she picked up that strange language she speaks with. She uses strange words.”

“Heh…”

What exactly was this?

What did you mean by “strange words”? Was she a radio wave girl who communicated with the universe or something…

No way.

It was a bad idea to get an impression from just listening to what someone said, though.The night shift members here seemed to have more individualistic personalities than anywhere else, so I was concerned about whether I would be able to properly interact with the other people before wondering about the ghosts.

“Then, can you go take out the trash? Oh, the garbage disposal area is right behind here.”

At Aoyama’s words, I gathered up all the garbage inside and outside and headed to the back of the convenience store. Just like Aoyama said, the garbage disposal area was right behind the convenience store.

Silence reigned in the area, and the air was humid and hot.

Darkness amidst the copse was so dense that I felt as if I would be sucked in if I stared into it.

Did people really die here…

Could there be people who hang themselves or die from smoking charcoal briquettes in their cars, as often reported on TV?

I didn’t see specters, nor believe in them, so I didn’t think anything of it at all just by staring at the copse, but imagining that there might be people hanging themselves over there, a chill crept abruptly down my spine.

…I should head back quickly.

“―Eek!”

Ugh, this was the worst.

Dozens of cockroaches that had amassed in other garbage bags dispersed en masse within the blink of an eye as I approached the garbage dumpster.

They were huge black ones with gleaming backs. Not that it was unusual at this time of the year, but they were just too big and disgusting.

They must be attracted to leftover chicken and bento boxes. So this place was a paradise for cockroaches, huh? I wondered if a nest or something had formed there. There was no doubt about it. A genetic level rejection.

With that thought in my mind, I shivered and turned back the way I had come and went back to the store, which was still glowing in the darkness.

“I am back.”

Through the automatic door, I returned to the counter. As expected, no customers seemed to have arrived when I looked around the store.

And then.

“Aoyama?”

Aoyama was nowhere to be found too.