COMMON SENSE [常識]

THE TEST [試験]

夜 –night

Head still reeling from today's events – of which there were plenty – you finally retire to your bedroom. The door slides shut behind you, mellow lamp light illuminating your surroundings: pictures, books, old stuffed animals pushed into the very corner, almost as if ashamed to be here but not quite yet ready to let go. Deep night pools behind the window; howls of swaying trees and distinct, chipper bells ring outside. You sigh, plopping onto your mat.

How do you even begin to process everything? You suppose your afternoon verbal battle with Bakugou is something you'll have to get used, and deserves as little attention as possible. No, what happened after you left U.A...That woman...Was she a villain? You have never heard of villains like her, never seen anyone even remotely similar in appearance. She was sickly, a walking corpse almost, and terrifying to look at. Had it even been a person? You shudder.

You take your phone out and decide to hunt for some information. Surely, if she was a villain, people are bound to be talking about her...Only that you can't find anything. Your search result for "Slit-Mouthed-Woman", because what else could you even possibly name her, has resulted in nothing but loose ends. Definitely not a villain, all though...You click on a forum website, scrolling past the comments discussing Urban Legends. This is stupid, you think, worrying your lower lip and skipping past useless notes. Urban Legends aren't real, and even if they were, what are the chances of you encountering one?

...Then again, you are a medium. Yokai and yurei should, technically, be drawn to you. Could this be the case now...?

A short comment catches your eye and you frown.

"Does anyone know anything about Kuchisake-Onna? My cousin's friend said a woman stopped him at night asking if she was pretty. Weird stuff, lol."

Though the rest of the commenters sadly replied with: nope, wtf lol, it do be like that, nah who? The person asking, however, mentioned nothing of Kuchisake-Onna actually attacking this supposed cousin's best friend. Weird stuff is definitely the right term for it.

Have you experienced a spiritual awakening? If that's the case, you should really invest in channelling your useful powers, like summoning familiars or calling on holy spirits to protect you. Because if Todoroki hadn't been there today, you would have returned to the Shrine on the other side of the veil. So much for the great Kawakami powers, you think bitterly, rubbing your temples to ease a forming headache. You just feel so...useless.

Deciding sleep would not come even if exhaustion weighs on your shoulders like a stone, you slowly stand up and wander out of your room into the dark corridors of the Shrine. The pale moon, your only source of light, guides you to your grandfather's study. You're almost certain he had a tomb on Urban Legends and Japanese Mythology, and you might as well get a good look at everything you are now certain you'll run into one way or another.

The study is small, cramped. The walls are piled with old books; a deep earthy smell of parchment and ink dawdle in the air as you inhale, letting the scent resonate and linger in your lungs, calming you down. Stalking to the desk in cautious, slow steps, you blindly grasp around for the box of matches. You sigh in relief once you find it.

Soon the room glows with warm candle light.

Carrying it you scrutinize the worn out books and notes on the shelves: most are religious texts and completely useless to you. Your fingers trail the leather spines and the kanji printed on them, the silence of the Shrine deafening. Wax drips hot tears and lands on your knuckles. You continue your search, feeling your eyes drying, stinging, and drooping as you make your way around the room. Prudently, your fingers latch onto an unfamiliar, nameless tomb bound in fabric and black ink stains. Sliding it out the shelf, your hand heaves from the pressure. Heavy.