A tall, raven-haired girl stood motionless before an enormous mirror, seemingly oblivious to the sound of his knock and the creak of the door as he entered.
The mirror evoked memories of the Mirror of Erised from Harry Potter, a mystical artifact that revealed the deepest desires of the heart. Large and imposing, framed in what appeared to be antique bronze, it stood amidst a clutter of objects, resembling a portal to another realm.
The girl remained silent, her fingers delicately touching her chin as she gazed thoughtfully at her reflection.
Her polished, glossy shoes—capable of catching an illicit glimpse beneath a skirt—adorned her feet, while sheer black stockings, faintly revealing the hue of her skin, encased her slender legs. Her long, ebony hair cascaded tranquilly over her shoulders, reaching her waist, rendering her a vision akin to a resplendent oil painting.
The school uniform, identical to those worn by Eriri and Sora, clung to her form with striking elegance, accentuating her alluring curves. Even from behind, Kagura could envision her captivating, graceful figure.
But wait—this wasn't Yukinoshita!
Gulp… Kagura swallowed hard, his mind racing to a chilling legend tied to the old school building.
Rumor had it that forty years ago, a girl was found hanged in a classroom on the fourth floor of the old school building. That room, cursed by her vengeful spirit, had since "vanished" from the school, becoming an enduring enigma at Sobu High.
The legend also spoke of a massive mirror in the old school building… and a warning: no matter what transpired before it, one must never turn back, lest the spirit of the murdered girl drag them into the mirror, trapping them in eternal, bewildered torment.
The name of that tragic girl was…
Swish…
The girl, still facing away, abruptly spun around.
Gulp!
Kagura's nerves tightened to their limit, his grip on the doorknob unyielding as he locked eyes with her.
This… this was the vengeful spirit? No way—could a spirit be this adorable?
Her flawless, porcelain face glowed faintly in the twilight, her profile in the mirror obscured by shadows, elusive to the eye. Her full chest strained against her blouse, her slender waist made the tailored uniform appear almost loose, and her sleek, stocking-clad legs melded with the darkness, exuding an air of mystery and beauty.
Her face stirred a profound sense of familiarity in Kagura—he'd score her at least a ninety-five. He felt as though he saw her often, yet her identity eluded him.
This eerie sensation, coupled with her extraordinary presence, left Kagura momentarily entranced.
"…"
Yet the girl seemed unperturbed by his gaze. She turned back, fixating on the mirror as if it held some hidden mechanism.
"Um…"
Kagura's throat bobbed as he took a tentative step forward, initiating a greeting.
"…?!" The girl whirled around, her eyes brimming with astonishment. She glanced at the mirror, then tilted her head, regarding him curiously. "This is quite unexpected. I didn't think you'd be able to see me…"
"Huh…?"
Kagura's nerves coiled to their breaking point.
—Could she truly be the fabled spirit of the old school building? The high school girl hanged forty years ago? Had he, freshly awakened with a system poised to conquer life, stumbled into a trap that would drag him into the mirror?!
But on second thought, Kagura wondered if she might simply be an eccentric, overgrown chuunibyou, deluded into believing she could turn invisible, posing as a ghost to haunt this rumored site and spook her peers for amusement.
Click, click… The girl approached with light, confident steps, her arms crossed as she appraised Kagura with keen interest. Noticing his tension, she let out a soft, amused chuckle, resting one hand on her hip. "Don't misunderstand—I'm not some vengeful spirit haunting the old school building. I'm merely here to investigate that spirit."
"Phew…"
Kagura exhaled silently, muttering to himself: Thank goodness. That was terrifying.
Still, she wasn't Yukinoshita. By all accounts, this was Yukinoshita's domain. Having been classmates with her for a year, Kagura knew her well enough to recognize her even in ashes.
"So, you're Sawamura Spencer Kagura, a second-year, right? What brings you here?"
The girl recited Kagura's name with calm assurance, casually leaning back to perch on an old but relatively clean desk behind her, carefully smoothing her skirt and crossing her legs.
"You know me…" Kagura relaxed further, straightening up and glancing around as he explained, "I heard Yukinoshita often comes to this classroom to read. I came to find her, but it seems she's not here."
"Well, it's the first day of the term, so she's probably elsewhere. Try again tomorrow."
The girl cast a glance around, speaking with a familiarity that suggested she knew Yukinoshita intimately.
"Hm… tomorrow works. And you are…?"
The more Kagura looked at her, the more familiar she seemed—not the superficial "familiarity" one might feign to flirt with a beautiful girl, but a genuine sense of recognition.
His question caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of disbelief crossing her face as if to say, "You don't know me?" Yet she refrained from voicing it, instead sighing and stating solemnly, "My name is Sakurajima Mai… Sakurajima as in Sakurajima, Mai as in Mai. I'm a third-year in Class C. At the very least, address me as 'Senpai' when you speak to me."
"Sakurajima Mai?!"
Kagura's eyes widened in shock, his face paling.
Yes, he suddenly recalled—the girl from the legend, hanged forty years ago in the old school building's fourth-floor classroom, was also named Sakurajima Mai!
"Ah…" Noticing his fear, Mai paused, then spoke with a hint of skepticism, "You don't actually think I'm that spirit, do you? I told you I'm not… Also, call me 'Senpai' properly."
"But you… uh, Senpai, your name…"
Kagura stole a glance at the mirror. Thankfully, it reflected nothing but the empty classroom.
"It's merely a coincidence that my name matches the spirit's from forty years ago," Mai said, rubbing her forehead with a sigh. "You've been at Sobu High for a year—you can't tell me you haven't heard about this."
"Sorry, I don't have many friends at school, and I don't keep up with gossip."
"…" Mai fell silent, visibly exasperated. Then, adjusting her skirt, she gracefully hopped off the desk and brushed past him with poise. "Well, that's that. Goodbye. Don't tell anyone about today."
"…???"
Utterly baffling.
Kagura stared at Mai's retreating figure, puzzling over her earlier remark: "I didn't think you'd be able to see me."
Could it be that others couldn't see her? A full-blown chuunibyou, indeed!