The Conjurer of the Academy

Chapter 11

Carefully approaching the silhouette, I leaned forward towards the hunched figure.

“What are you doing here, senior?”

The person was none other than the Occult Club president, Jin So-yul. Still, in the dress she wore at the welcome party, she was crouched down, vigorously rubbing her forehead.

“Ahhh, I hit my head against a pillar while walking! If this continues, I might get a bump, ow.”

With every rub on her forehead, Jin So-yul’s distinctive caterpillar eyebrows moved up and down.

‘What’s Jin So-yul doing here?’

My entry into the second-year building today was unplanned, it was essentially a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Obviously, other than Han Yuseong’s actions during the welcome party, it’s impossible to know what the other characters were doing that night.

And the last thing I expected was to find her here nursing a potential head bump.

I swiftly glanced around the crouching Jin So-yul. There was no object that could shed light nearby. It seemed she had been walking in the corridor without light and hit her head.

“Why didn’t you turn on a light in this darkness?”

“Well, if I turned on the light I might get caught by the night guard.”

Jin So-yul stood up straight with some sort of proud justification.

‘But there should still be about an hour left before the guard patrols the second-floor corridor of the second-year building.’

I knew the guard’s patrol routes through the building like the back of my hand. Jin So-yul should have been able to turn on a light if she knew that.

The question is, why would Jin So-yul, a second-year student, hide in the building, avoiding even the night guard’s eyes?

“Don’t tell me…”

I surveyed Jin So-yul. Unlike me, who was wearing sweats, she was still dressed in the one-piece from the welcome party.

Looking at her, I had an inkling as to why she might be here.

“Are you waiting for people to leave so that you can investigate one of the Four Great Mysteries?”

Jin So-yul jerked slightly in surprise.

Thanks to Yomi’s night vision, I could clearly see the expression on her face, as if she was wondering how I knew.

“You’re a second-year, Senior Jin So-yul, so you could just enter openly—”

“You don’t get it. It’s gotta be done secretly at night for it to be fun!”

Is that so?

I assumed she was here secretly at night because the location of the mystery was the boys’ restroom.

Although Jin So-yul’s role in the original storyline wasn’t very prominent, she indeed gave the impression of being quite eccentric.

“What about you?”

“I’m the junior who spoke to you earlier at the welcome party.”

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I didn’t recognize you because my night vision was poor. But can you actually see my face in this darkness?”

“My night vision is good.”

Only then did Jin So-yul stand up and reach out her hand, which went slightly off-target, possibly proving that her night vision was indeed poor.

“I’m Jin So-yul. That aside, what brings you to the second-year building?”

“I’m Seol Ha-baek. The reason I’m here is—”

I pondered over what to say, but quickly realized it wasn’t necessary. Jin So-yul might be eccentric, but she adhered to her own set of rules.

“Actually, I heard about the restroom ghost story by chance at the welcome party.”

If it were the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, Seo Geum-bi, who heard this, she would have been furious. Wandering around the school late at night just because of a rumor.

But my audience was Jin So-yul, the president and sole member of the Occult Club.

“Amazing!!”

Grabbing my hand, Jin So-yul shook it vigorously up and down.

“To think there’s another ghost story enthusiast beside me! You can’t resist checking out such thrilling mysteries yourself. Very wise decision!”

“Th-Thank you.”

Thinking she had found a fellow enthusiast, Jin So-yul beamed with a broad smile.

“You’re interested too, right? In the restroom ghost story!”

The Restroom Ghost Story.

One of the school’s Four Great Unsolved Mysteries, where mysterious crying is heard from the boys’ restroom every night.

According to Seo Geum-bi, students who accidentally heard the sound in the middle of the night either fainted or ran away in fright.

“Huh? You’re interested, right?!”

Maybe it was the darkness causing her to lose her sense of distance. Jin So-yul came so close that she was practically in my face, unhesitant as her breath touched my skin.

Overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, I nodded. I didn’t really have any other choice.

“Yes, I’m interested.”

The moment I answered.

Circle Quest!

Q. Uncover the truth of the restroom ghost story with Jin So-yul.

※ Rewards may vary depending on the method of resolution.

A sudden quest window appeared. Moreover, its content was something not found in the original storyline.

‘It’s worth checking out.’

The fact that it says ‘solve it’ implies there’s a definite cause. While I had already planned to investigate, this suspicious quest appeared to provide even more reason not to back out.

“The boys’ restroom is that way, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The opposite hallway was shrouded in darkness. And in the end was what we were seeking.

“L-Let’s go together!”

As I started to move, Jin So-yul grabbed my sleeve.

Given that she came to such a place without even a light, it wasn’t likely she was scared. She probably really did have poor night vision and needed a guide.

The hallway wasn’t long.

The sound of two pairs of footsteps echoed in the dark corridor. As the distance to our destination decreased,

“Sob… sob…”

We began to hear it.

The mournful crying sound.

* * *

Sob… sob…

The crying grew louder and more distinct as we approached the restroom.

“It sounds like there really is crying, doesn’t it?”

While the crying was clear to me, it seemed to be faint for Jin So-yul. I glanced at Yomi, who caught on to my cue and nodded.

[At night, spirits become more active, making it easier to connect with other spirits.]

As soon as Yomi finished speaking, the crying became audible.

Sob, sniffle

Now that we had reached the men’s restroom door, the crying was so loud it almost hurt our ears.

[I’m not saying this with any particular intention, but if the spirit goes wild, that girl might get caught in it, too.]

So inside there really was a spirit. I took Yomi’s caution to heart and glanced back subtly.

“I’m feeling a rush of adrenaline!”

While an ordinary student might have felt goosebumps, Jin So-yul bit her lip as if enjoying the situation.

“Shall we go in then?”

Just as Jin So-yul, who had placed herself in front of me, was about to enter the restroom.

“Wait a moment, senior.”

I hastily grabbed Jin So-yul’s wrist. The reason was simple: if what was really inside the restroom was a spirit significant enough to be part of a quest, Jin So-yul could get hurt.

Ensuring that characters don’t get hurt as much as possible will at least prevent things from turning unfavorable for future events.

Luckily, there was a good enough reason to stall.

“What’s the matter? You’re not getting cold feet after coming all this way, are you?”

I pointed a finger upwards towards Jin So-yul, who was chuckling.

“This is the boys’ restroom.”

“Huh? So what?”

Is she seriously out of her mind?

Maybe she’s mistaken or forgotten her own gender.

“Senior, listen. I’m more afraid of someone passing by and seeing you and me coming out of the boys’ restroom together than I am of any ghost that might be in there.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m fine with it~.”

This woman is really out of her mind.

Seeing as basic common sense doesn’t work with her, I had no choice but to take a different approach to keep her out.

“Actually, ever since the welcome party, my stomach has been hurting a lot.”

[You didn’t eat anything-]

“So I was wondering if you could give me about five minutes. No, make it ten minutes. In the meantime, if there’s a ghost inside, I’ll check it out first.”

“Hmm.”

Jin So-yul rubbed her chin like an immigration officer, weighing the mystery before her against her junior’s bodily needs.

“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. But if there’s really a ghost, I get to touch it first, no cutting in line.”

“…Understood.”

I didn’t know where to start with all the retorts I wanted to make.

But the important thing was that I succeeded in persuading Jin So-yul.

“Well then, excuse me for a moment.”

“I’m dying of curiosity, so come out quickly!”

“Okay, okay, don’t worry.”

Leaving the anxious Jin So-yul behind, I immediately locked the restroom door.

“Huh? Wait a minute, I think I heard a click. Did you just lock the door?”

I heard her calling from outside, but I didn’t pay further attention. There was a more pressing issue right before me.

Sob… sob…

The low but soul-piercing sound of crying. For those not as spiritually strong as Jin So-yul and me, such a sound could be enough to make someone faint.

And once inside the restroom, there was another problem.

Drip… drip… drip…

A strange, clear liquid was flowing from under the stall of the farthest toilet. It looked like water, but it was pooling on the restroom floor.

“Is it a spirit?”

[It is indeed.]

The sensation is transmitted through my skin.

The reverberation in the air made my head throb.

‘What kind of spirit is this?’

My gaze unconsciously shifted to the fluffball on my shoulder.

When I first met Yomi, it looked as if it embodied concentrated human fear.

If most yokai or spirits looked like that,

‘Then whatever is on the other side…’

Cautiously, I placed my hand on the stall door and applied a slight force.

The door, previously shut tight, creaked open, and upon seeing the identity of the spirit, I instinctively stepped back.

‘Is this the truth behind the restroom ghost story?’

There was a young girl.

Dressed in a white funeral robe, with long black hair reaching down to her waist.

[Waaaaaaah!!]

The girl, who appeared to be around middle school age, was sitting on the toilet, crying out loud with choking sounds.

The volume of her tears was so great that they flowed over the edges of the stall and soaked the floor.

[What, what are you doing here at this hour…?]

The girl, no, the restroom ghost, wiped her tears with the sleeve of her robe and glanced at me.

[Damn modern people! What do they eat that they’re still shitting at this hour! Just do your business and get out!]

Soon after, the ghost floating above the toilet seemed to mistake me for a student genuinely suffering from stomach pains.

[Sob, what should I do now…]

“Hey.”

[I’m now completely useless.]

“Hey.”

[If they develop portable toilets in the future, I’ll be really…]

“Hey!!”

Boom!

As I kicked the toilet, the ghost let out a startled ‘eek’ and twitched her shoulders.

[W-Wait a minute, you can see me?]

“Yes, who else would be here apart from you and me?”

[I’m here too, you know.]

Oh, right.

Anyway.

“Are you the restroom ghost? Why are you crying in a place like this?”

[Ah…]

At my words, the ghost’s expression fell. The amazement at finding someone who could communicate with her lasted only a moment before she recalled her sorrow and began to sob again.

[Scaring people by asking if they wanted red paper or blue paper was my only joy in this smelly place…]

“What was your joy?”

[Then they suddenly put up this building, and now everything is bidets. Yokai like me are no longer needed, waaaaaah!]

I see, Babel was built by leveling off a mountain. This ghost might have originally been a spirit bound to an old toilet in the mountains.

The red paper or blue paper question is a classic ghost story. It’s been a while since I heard that one.

“Sorry to interrupt your crying, but if you don’t mind, could you—”

[Hold on.]

Just as I was about to get to the point with the restroom ghost, she stopped crying and poked her head out to look at me.

[You seem to have a decent amount of spiritual power. You’re not an ordinary person, are you?]

“What?”

How should I explain this?

A chill ran down my spine, and every hair on my body stood on end with an ominous sensation. The spiritual power I carried was screaming at me to run away from this.

The ghost’s mouth suddenly stretched from ear to ear.

[Looks like I’ll have to kill you and take it.]

The atmosphere shifted dramatically.