“I heard Shuichi from the next class died... right after receiving a strange death-omen phone call.”
“Didn’t Shuichi say it was just a prank call at the time? How could...”
“Apparently, he was watching TV right before he died. When the police arrived at his house, the VCR had just finished playing.”
“They say the expression on Shuichi’s face when he died was terrifying...”
A group of girls huddled together, whispering about the ghost stories circulating through the school.
“Tang, aren’t you scared?” one of them turned to ask a classmate who was still sitting in her seat, focused on a book. Ever since Shuichi’s incident, rumors had spread that others were receiving similar prank calls, throwing the entire school into a state of panic.
Even with exams approaching, most students were in no mood to study. Seeing Que Tang so composed and focused, her friend asked out of genuine concern.
“Tang wouldn't be scared. She’s from China, and doesn't China have tons of mysterious legends? Maybe Tang has some magical talisman to protect her from these things,” another girl chimed in immediately.
The topic of talismans instantly piqued the girls' interest, and they crowded around her.
“There’s no such thing...” A look of helplessness crossed Que Tang’s delicate face as the girls' expressions turned to disappointment. “But... when exactly did Shuichi receive that call?”
“Yuko from Class A said Shuichi was laughing in the classroom, bragging about meeting a beautiful girl online. They even exchanged videos of their lives. The night he received the package, Shuichi was all excited, asking Hikaru if it was something ‘erotic.’ But when he came to school the next day, he looked awful. When asked what was wrong, he just said he’d encountered a ‘ghost story geek.’”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard that too! Then during PE in the afternoon, when they ditched class to go smoke, he got the call. There were a lot of people there at the time.”
“I see.” Que Tang smiled. “Then you don’t need to be afraid.”
“Eh? Why?” The group looked at her curiously.
“Because as long as you don’t watch the tape, nothing will happen, right? Most people don’t even have VCRs at home these days,” Que Tang said nonchalantly, leaning back against her chair.
“But... I heard it can happen with DVDs or Blu-rays too... and supposedly someone at the neighboring school had the same thing happen.”
“Then it’s even simpler. Just put all the players away and you’ll be fine.” On the surface, Que Tang was calm, but internally, she was already screaming for a certain god-forsaken cat.
*Get out here right now!*
“Meow~ Host, what’s the haps?” Little Mushroom’s voice was muffled because its mouth was stuffed full of dried fish.
*Haps my foot! Didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth full?* Que Tang’s temper flared at the sound of its voice.
“We of the Meow Star don’t have such outdated maxims. My mommy only told me: ‘Eat the fish while it’s there to be eaten; do not wait until the fish is gone and you have nothing to eat.’ Meow.”
Que Tang’s face went dark as she realized she was actually trying to have a serious conversation with it after all this time. She immediately pivoted to business. “Why... why did we transmigrate into this kind of world this time? Didn’t I tell you I’m most afraid of horror movies?”
“Meow... it can’t be helped. It’s randomized.” Little Mushroom sat amidst a pile of dried fish, thinking to itself that everything was actually decided by the Female Lead, who had even requested to wipe Que Tang’s memory before throwing her into the system. Thinking about how the Host would probably make the Female Lead sleep on a motherboard once they returned to the real world... it felt quite ‘moe’ today.
“Out of every ten words you say, eleven are lies,” Que Tang rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Fine, whatever. What’s the mission this time? Do I have to help the female supporting character win over the male lead again? But everyone dies at the end of this movie, so what’s the point of a romance?”
“This time, the Host’s mission is to investigate the cause of death and break the curse. Meow~”
“...And if I fail?” Que Tang asked expressionlessly.
“Then we use the S/L method until the Host succeeds. Meow~”
“S/L?” Que Tang had a breakdown. “You mean even if I fail, I can’t give up the mission? I have to keep restarting until I succeed? Oh, heavens...”
“That is indeed the case, meow~”
“Stop trying to act cute!”
“I’m naturally cute, meow~”
“No dried fish for you today.”
“No~ Meow~ You can’t abuse a cat like this!”
Que Tang cut the connection.
“We thought so too. But Hina said that when she talked to her cousin from far away a few days ago, her cousin said the same thing was happening at their school. It seems to be spreading through cell phones...”
“...*The Ring* really is keeping up with the times,” Que Tang muttered to herself.
“Hmm? What did you say, Tang? What ‘Ring’?”
“Nothing, it’s nothing.” Que Tang looked at them with a smile. “Speaking of which, shouldn't you be more worried about the exams than these baseless rumors? This exam determines the track placements for next semester.”
“Ugh~ Tang, you’re so mean!” With that, the group scattered to go back to their studies.
Once everyone was gone, Que Tang casually asked the girl sitting next to her, “By the way, do you know who received a call after Shuichi?”
“I thought you weren't interested in this stuff, Tang?” the other girl said with a laugh.
“Girls always love a bit of gossip.” Que Tang stuck out her tongue. “Come on, tell me~”
“Fine, fine. I think it was Shuichi’s good friend, Hikaru.” Seeing Que Tang’s contemplative look, the girl frowned. “What’s wrong? You’re not thinking of going to watch that video, are you?”
“Eh, of course not.” Que Tang smiled and denied it. “I’m terrified of that kind of thing.”
“I didn’t expect there to actually be a physical videotape.” Que Tang held a tape she had managed to get from Hikaru. “That said... even if I have it, I have no way to play it... where do they even sell these ancient things anymore?” She sighed, carrying the snacks and dinner she’d bought on the way home. “Whatever, I’ll just see how it goes.”
Returning home, Que Tang tossed the videotape onto the coffee table. She opened a can of cat food for Little Mushroom and set it aside, then began eating her convenience store bento while watching a drama.
“Host, this mission has a time limit, meow~” Ever since Little Mushroom realized the Host was the one it truly needed to suck up to, its explanations regarding missions had become much more efficient.
“I can’t find a player right now. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.” She focused on the screen while eating her pudding. Suddenly, the computer screen flickered a few times and went black.
“Huh? Is the power out? No, it’s still plugged in. Is it broken? Oh god, this is my only source of comfort in this world!” Que Tang put down her pudding and hugged the monitor in shock.
*Sizzle...*
Que Tang froze. She turned to look at Little Mushroom. “Was that you?”
Little Mushroom shook its head, eyes wide.
*Sizzle...*
This time, Que Tang heard the sound clearly coming from her hands. She slowly moved the computer away. On the previously pitch-black screen, a strange black-and-white film was playing.
“So, as long as you have the tape, it automatically converts to the most suitable playback format even without a player...” With a grim expression, Que Tang silently placed the machine as far away from herself as possible, then curled up on the sofa, clutching a pillow as she stared at the screen.
In the footage, a woman with long hair was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. The next second, it cut to a Japanese sliding door; a shadow was cast upon the paper, looking like the silhouette of a girl. A few seconds later, it shifted to an old well. The image remained fixed on the well for seven seconds before cutting off, returning to the original screen.
“My screen is so small...” Que Tang remarked after watching. “How is Sadako supposed to crawl out of that?”
Little Mushroom secretly rolled its eyes where she couldn't see.
***
