Chapter 5: There's No Need to Be Afraid Anymore

“At first, it was simply insomnia.”
“Later, there was a voice in my dreams, and as I lived here longer, it grew clearer.”
“He keeps saying, ‘Give it back, give it back, give me my house, give me my life.’ In my dreams, I can’t make out his face.”
“One night, after another nightmare, I woke up suddenly and felt as if something was behind the curtains, as though... a pair of eyes were watching me.”
“I hurried out of bed and pulled the curtains aside, but there was nothing except the tightly shut window.”
“In that moment, I saw reflected in the glass not my own face, but the face of a man, with a deathly pallor and his tongue lolling out.”
“He opened his mouth and spoke to me.”
‘Give it back, give it back, give me my house, give me my life!’”
The man's face flickered under the dim light. His voice was low, casting an eerie, cold silence over the room.
Qiao Qiao frowned slightly.
“Mr. Arai, may I ask what you do for work?”
“I’m a software engineer.”
Arai Shin’nosuke seemed puzzled.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, I just feel that you don’t seem very frightened by all this—in fact, you seem rather interested.”
Qiao Qiao smiled.
“Haha, my colleagues and friends always say I have a knack for this sort of thing. Back in university, during club retreats, the ghost stories I told could make all the girls flee in terror!”
Arai Shin’nosuke rubbed the back of his head, speaking with enthusiasm.
“So after graduating, I joined Grey Hat Software. Actually, our company is developing a horror game right now. I never expected to encounter a supernatural event myself—what a coincidence! Recently, I shared my experience with our game designers, and they were flooded with new ideas, even praised me for it.”
“Forgive me for asking, Mr. Arai, but do you have a girlfriend?”
Qiao Qiao couldn’t help but inquire.
“Not yet. Honestly, games are more fun than women… Why do you ask?”
Arai Shin’nosuke sighed, then asked in return.
“No reason.”
The supernatural issue remained unresolved, but Qiao Qiao had a pretty good idea why Arai Shin’nosuke was still single.
“To be honest, if it weren’t for how badly it’s affecting my sleep lately, I wouldn’t have sought your help for exorcism…”
With a shift in tone, Arai Shin’nosuke began complaining about the changes in his apartment.
While he continued his idle chatter, Qiao Qiao glanced around.
They were in a café near Arai Shin’nosuke’s residence.
At this hour, aside from a few students hunched over their books in a study group, there were suit-clad office workers staring vacantly into their coffee cups.

The culture of the island nation is peculiar—in the working world, after-hours socializing among colleagues is crucial.
If an office worker heads home promptly after work, his wife might even suspect he’s being ostracized at the company.
So, some salarymen, even with nothing pressing, would kill time at izakayas, cafés, or internet lounges, then leisurely catch the train home when it’s late enough.
Naturally, Qiao Qiao could not simply walk straight into Arai Shin’nosuke’s apartment—it was impossible to know what level of oddity might lurk there.
After listening to more details about the apartment, Qiao Qiao suddenly spoke.
“Oh, this is quite serious.”
“What’s wrong?”
Arai Shin’nosuke grew anxious and pressed for an answer.
“Mr. Arai, how much do you know about the supernatural?”
Instead of responding, Qiao Qiao asked a question of his own.
“Uh, like Sadako or Kayako?”
Arai Shin’nosuke wasn’t sure what Qiao Qiao meant.
He looked around.
The café, once bathed in orange light, suddenly seemed to take on a sinister, chilling atmosphere.
Some of the students kept sneaking glances over, and the barista occasionally cast a curious gaze their way, making Arai Shin’nosuke’s spine tingle.
“According to the official certification by the Exorcist Association of the island nation, supernatural phenomena fall into three categories,”
Qiao Qiao took a sip of coffee and explained.
“First, spirits—that is, the souls and consciousness of the dead, merged with grievances and obsessions, forming ghosts. This is the most common supernatural occurrence.”
“Second, monsters—creatures or objects that, after prolonged exposure to spiritual energy, become self-aware entities. These are adept at hiding themselves.”
“Third, demons—extremely rare, and whenever one appears, it’s a disaster-level event. In the past fifty years, there have only been five recorded cases.”
He finished, then smiled again.
Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating his smile and lending it a peculiar, eerie quality.
“So, the supernatural presence in my apartment is…?”
Arai Shin’nosuke grew increasingly afraid; the thought of vengeful spirits was terrifying enough, but monsters or demons…
“According to the information, it’s an ordinary vengeful spirit.”
Qiao Qiao answered matter-of-factly.
“Pfft—”
Arai Shin’nosuke nearly spat out his coffee.
“Don’t underestimate vengeful spirits, Mr. Arai. Last year alone, the number of deaths caused by vengeful spirits in the island nation nearly equaled the total deaths from all other supernatural incidents in the previous ten years.”
Qiao Qiao explained further.

“Moreover, vengeful spirits accumulate resentment, and living long-term in places saturated with such negative energy can affect your health. So, even the smallest vengeful spirit needs to be dealt with promptly.”
He looked at Arai Shin’nosuke.
Perhaps ordinary people couldn't see it, but someone with spiritual power like Qiao Qiao could discern it instantly.
Indeed.
On Arai Shin’nosuke’s back, a thick, inky black mist clung, enveloping his head.
Around his neck, a dark band, like a rope, bound him tightly.
If this continued for another month or two, Arai Shin’nosuke might fall seriously ill, perhaps even die.
But there was no need to worry anymore.
For Qiao Qiao had arrived.
And judging by Arai Shin’nosuke’s situation, the vengeful spirit haunting his apartment was not strong—only able to erode him bit by bit through resentment, incapable of any physical interference.
In fact, Qiao Qiao suddenly thought,
Had it not been for Arai Shin’nosuke’s occupation in horror game development, and his lack of aversion—indeed, even a measure of expectation—toward such spirits, this one might have faded away over time.
Belief gives power to the supernatural.
That is their nature.
After exchanging all necessary information, the two left the café.
Though the sight of a middle-aged salaryman and a handsome high school student in uniform together might trigger questionable associations, the barista said nothing.
Despite the odd looks.
Qiao Qiao followed Arai Shin’nosuke up to the apartment by elevator.
At Arai Shin’nosuke’s insistence, he accompanied Qiao Qiao for the exorcism.
He wanted to witness the process firsthand, to gather inspiration.
With a click, the door unlocked; Qiao Qiao went ahead, leaving the lights off, illuminated only by moonlight.
It was a standard one-bedroom apartment, showing its age in the wallpaper and windows, but generally spacious and tidy.
Qiao Qiao drew open the curtains and looked outside.
Nakano ward was full of residences, and at this prime hour, thousands of lights shone, engulfing the city in lively bustle.
A cloud drifted by, obscuring the moonlight.
Qiao Qiao saw his reflection in the glass.
That face was smiling at him.
A smile split from ear to ear.