Summary
At 10:30 pm, Maiko and her friends anxiously observe the quiet school building. They try to get her to reconsider but Maiko remains stubborn, reminding them what occurred a few days ago.
School just ended and everyone was preparing to leave for holiday break. She was snacking on cookies as she met up with her friends, who were discussing a rumor involving a ghost who was said to appear on New Years eve when the clock struck twelve at the abandoned school nearby. If one can find her, she will grant a wish. Impressed, Maiko suggests they check it out to see for themselves when she bumps into another classmate, Shimizu. He isn't very social but he's popular despite being a jerk. Shimizu insults Maiko and her friends and she angrily approached to tell him off, only for him to insult her again. Maiko was furious and she recalls that he's harassed her for no reason plenty of times; such as insulting her behavior or appearance, rubbing her poor grades in her face. But now he's crossed a line and she refuses to let him leave it at that. She will go and test out that ghost rumor for the sake of one thing: making him vanish!
Maiko is frustrated when her friends cower behind the nearby gate, refusing to step foot into the building. She sneaks into it through the window and is startled by the atmosphere but quickly covers her mouth to avoid screaming. Her friends warned her that if you did that, you risk being dragged into the ghost world. Maiko begins to feel hungry and she pulls out her bag of cookies to snack on- unaware of the disturbing figure with a long, stretched out neck behind her.
By 11:30, Maiko's friends worriedly try to contact her. She won't answer her phone. It's then Shimizu and his friend approach, surprised to find the girls there. They were on their way to the shrine and saw them. Maiko's friends explain what happened.
As this is going on Maiko runs away from the terrifying ghost and takes shelter beneath a teachers desk within a room. It hadn't been the ghost she was looking for and by now she's beginning to regret her decision of coming in there when she realizes her backpack was left behind. It's then she sees something dripping above her, and in a panic she looks to see the head of a very large, frightening ghost with its wide opened mouth surrounding the desk.
Shimizu's friend, Satoda makes a remark upon the stupid rumor when Shimizu suggests they get going. But seeing how worked up Maiko's friends are, he complains and jumps over the fence to get inside. He warns them to call the police if they can't contact him later. Once inside, he comes across a singular figure sitting at one of the desks in a nearby room. He asks if she's seen another girl running around and she points upward. He looks up for a moment before returning his attention to the girl, who is now gone. Currently it is 11:45 pm.
Maiko remains in her hiding spot, worn out and shaken. She's surprised to find Shimizu there and she tries to tell him what she saw, but he brushes it off as her being delirious. He suggests they leave, until Maiko reveals that she hurt her back. Shizimu picks her up to carry her out of the room, and he explains to the flustered girl hearing the rumor from his sister. He asks what she intended on asking the ghost, but she isn't given a chance to answer when they hear hissing nearby. Realizing it's coming from the floor above, they are horrified when they find a terrifying creature on the stairs.
Try as they might to escape it, they run in vain when Shimizu is forced to stop. They realize that the stairwell hasn't changed and they're trapped. The monster advances on Shimizu from behind and Maiko screams his name, only to realize she just broke that rule her friends told her. The area surrounding them begins to crumble and distort, causing Maiko to express remorse for having dragged Shimizu into this ordeal. Just then, the clock strikes midnight and Maiko is shocked to see a strange girl at the opposite end of the hallway, holding her cookies. She begs the ghost for help and suddenly, they find themselves in the yard outside.
As Maiko attempts to determine what happened, Shimizu mentions that she must have liked the "gift" Maiko brought with her. His sister told him that the ghost was more likely to grant ones wish if she was given a gift. He collapses with relief as Maiko realizes she wasn't told that, and she tearfully attempts to confess to what she planned on doing. Shimizu stops Maiko and admits that he can be cruel at times, and from now on he suggests that they sort out any problems they have face-to-face. Maiko smiles and agrees as reunite with their worried friends. They exchange greetings and decide to head to the shrine together.
Tropes:
- Berserk Button: Maiko gets enraged if someone insults her appearance or lack of feminine traits.
- Crush Blush: Maiko gains these around Shimizu later in the story.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The story begins on New Year's Eve.
- Make a Wish: Maiko's intention for finding the ghost was to make a wish to get rid of Shizimu.
- Nightmare Face: The first chapter to start pulling the scary faces out.
