Surviving in a School of Ghost Stories-Chapter 22

"That's quite a story."

Kira shook her head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Well, when she first enrolled at this school, the nobles who were bullying her told her to get a limited edition, high-end fountain pen that commoners couldn't get. But, of all things, the dean was using that same fountain pen."

"You're kidding...?"

"Nope. That idiot went up to the dean and asked to borrow the fountain pen, claiming that the nobles had told her to get it for them. The dean really hates class discrimination, so the school was turned upside down."

"So, did the bullying stop?"

"No. It got worse. After they were punished by the dean, they swore revenge."

"...What happened then?"

Hearing that Raven had been bullied like that...

I suddenly felt cold.

"That idiot started a student human rights league. Thanks to that, many students who were opposed to the class system banded together and staged a protest. The dean was moved by their actions and agreed that their behavior, along with some nobles', didn’t align with the school's founding principles. Eventually, those idiots were officially suspended."

"...Huh?"

Suddenly, the direction of the story shifted.

If that was the reason, I would probably be the dean's dog too. You could almost call him a benefactor, right?

From Raven’s perspective, it must have been really unfair to be called the dean's lapdog.

But, at the same time, hearing the story made me feel better. That's my little brother. So cool.

As I was feeling proud, Kira pulled out her pocket watch, checked the time, and seemed surprised.

"Ah! Senior, it's almost time. I’ll go now. We’ll talk more later."

Kira waved and walked off. I waved back at her, checking the time myself.

It was 8:50 PM. It would soon be 9 PM.

There were a lot of girls gathered in the lobby, heading back to their dorms, since the girls' dorm curfew was at 9 PM.

I hid below the stairs and kept an eye on the lobby.

As I watched, exactly at 9 PM, the lobby was completely empty.

The lights were out in the lobby.

I saw the dorm supervisor walking out of the supervisor's office, likely about to patrol the dorm after turning off the lights.

Since the dorm spanned from the 1st to the 7th floor, it would take quite some time for her to patrol every floor.

'It's about time for Kkamang to show up.'

But there was no one at the 1st-floor lobby elevator.

I didn’t see Raven, Eastern, or Kkamang.

'Huh? Erika?'

I couldn’t see anyone waiting, but some unexpected figures appeared.

The elevator on the 1st floor opened, and from inside came Lady Sutherland and Erika.

Lady Sutherland, her red hair flowing, hit Erika's shoulder as soon as she stepped out of the elevator.

"Prove it."

Erika glared at her with a tense expression.

"What am I supposed to prove?"

"Prove that Lady Airose's dropout wasn’t because of you."

Since we were off the record, unlike before, the two seemed to be talking quite comfortably. Their relationship seemed closer than I had thought.

'Airose...?'

That name had come up when Lady Sutherland’s group was bullying Erika.

Was this about that incident where Erika supposedly did “that thing” to Lady Airose last semester?

'When is Raven coming? Why isn't Kkamang here?'

I anxiously tapped my foot.

Though I was concerned about Erika, I couldn’t focus on her because I kept thinking about Raven.

Ghosts were floating around in the lobby. They started to gather around me with curious faces.

'No... why is this happening?'

The ghosts spun around me excitedly. I could barely see Erika and Lady Sutherland through the ghosts.

Most of all, if I acknowledged the ghosts, it would likely cause a scene, so I tried to ignore them as best as I could.

I see nothing. I see nothing.

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"I heard Lady Airose asked for help before she dropped out. I don't know what kind of help she asked for, but Lady Airose was ignored by Lady Airose. So, her dropout was all because /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ of you."

Lady Sutherland shot Erika a poisonous look, filled with resentment.

It seemed like she had cared deeply for Lady Airose, who had dropped out.

Erika remained silent.

"What help did Lady Airose ask for? You should be telling me now."

I sat among the ghosts, eavesdropping carefully on their conversation.

Erika hesitated for a long time before cautiously speaking.

"...She said she saw ghosts. In this dorm building."

"What? What kind of strange nonsense is that?"

"I knew you'd react like that. When Lady Airose first said that, I reacted the same way you did."

"...I’m just surprised, I didn’t expect that kind of story."

"Do you think I didn't?"

"Then the rumors about the elevator ghost story on the student bulletin board being Lady Airose’s work... is that true?"

"...Yeah."

Was there a connection between the elevator ghost story and Lady Airose's dropout?

So, it wasn’t just about being a ghost story enthusiast for Erika—she had been investigating this.

It seemed that Lady Airose, Erika, and Lady Sutherland were all friends.

But last semester, Lady Airose had suddenly dropped out after blaming her roommate, Erika, for no reason.

Erika never mentioned the reason, and since then, Lady Sutherland had hated Erika.

'So there was something between the two of them.'

It was also surprising to hear that Erika had had another roommate before.

At that moment, Lady Sutherland shouted fiercely.

"I don't believe it! You're just making things up because you're backed into a corner! There's no such thing as ghosts!"

But why were these two talking like this in the 1st-floor lobby at this hour? After 9 PM, walking around like this was a violation of the school rules.

"So, you called me here to check, right? If the elevator ghost story is true, something should show up now that it's past 9 PM."

Erika took out her pocket watch and checked the time. I followed her lead, checking the time as well while continuing to eavesdrop.

"Isn't it just ridiculous? Ghosts, elevator ghost stories... ridiculous."

Lady Sutherland continued mocking Erika.

As soon as 'ghost' was mentioned, the ghosts that had been gathering around me like playful puppies turned their attention toward Lady Sutherland.

They seemed to know they were being talked about.

'They're ghosts, alright.'

I pulled out my pocket watch and checked the time again. It was already 9:10 PM.

The promised time had already passed.

'Did Raven and Eastern leak false information to Leonard?'

That seemed likely. It didn’t seem like the disciplinary committee and the student council were on good terms.

I looked again at Erika and Lady Sutherland, who were still arguing in front of the 1st-floor lobby elevator when the anomaly occurred.

Screech. Creak—

Suddenly, the elevator’s double doors opened by themselves.

The elevator required the passenger to open the sliding iron door and the hinged wooden door themselves to board.

So, it was impossible for the elevator doors to open by themselves without anyone inside.

"What... what is this?"

Lady Sutherland's sharp voice echoed.

Screech—

The ghosts started panicking.

They darted around in excitement, tugging at my school uniform, almost as if trying to drag me out of the building.

Could it be...?

Are they trying to warn me to run?

The ghosts’ signals felt ominous, so I stood up from my seat.

I had to let Erika and Lady Sutherland know about this too.

"Erika..."

I took a step forward, calling Erika’s name when suddenly, my vision changed.

I had been crouching beneath the stairs, watching Erika and Lady Sutherland.

But as soon as I stood up, I found myself suddenly inside the elevator.

And two people were now inside the elevator with me—Erika and Lady Sutherland.

"What? What is this?"

"When did you get here? Melody? What are you doing here?"

Erika looked at me with a surprised expression.

Lady Sutherland, confused, frantically looked around and tried to pull the elevator lever to open the door.

Click. Click.

"It’s broken, isn’t it?"

As she said, pulling the lever didn’t open the elevator door. Pressing the floor buttons didn’t help either.

"We’re stuck in here, aren’t we?"

"This can’t be happening!"

Lady Sutherland banged on the door in disbelief, but it was useless.

As she turned back to face us, ready to give up, Lady Sutherland froze, startled.

"What is this...? Ah! Who are you?"

She rushed to Erika and me, clinging to us with a white, terrified face.

'What did she see?'

I turned my head toward where Lady Sutherland had screamed, and in the corner of the elevator, there was one more girl—another student.

"...Huh? There was no one here just now."