Back when Millennium was still poor. There was a building used by the first-year students at the time. It was a building mainly used for broadcasting or experiments, but perhaps because it was built during the poor era, it naturally fell out of use after Millennium's scale grew. The judgment of the higher-ups that it would be better to build a new building rather than remodeling and enlarging the existing one also had an influence.
It was a rational reason. Rather than remodeling or demolishing an already built structure to erect a new one, it's better to just put up another building in an appropriate location. Most of the buildings filling the current Millennium were built that way.
Thus, the name of the building where footsteps ceased naturally changed to the old school building, and no one visited the old school building anymore.
That was the case until just a few months ago.
"Do you know about courage tests?"
Himari said while wiping the water off her face with a towel. Kenji nodded without hesitation.
"Can't not know."
Courage test. Also called courage training, courage experience, etc., in various ways, but the basic framework was all the same. A kind of game to check how brave one is in a creepy place like an abandoned school or house. That's a courage test. It's a concept any modern person would have heard of at least once, even if they haven't experienced it. Kenji was the same.
"Recently, many juniors have been going into the old school building while mentioning courage tests. Given the location, among some delinquent students, it often happens as a kind of initiation rite."
The Millennium old school building was built on an empty lot on the outskirts of the Millennium autonomous district, where there was nothing. Unmanaged thickets grew densely around it, and since electricity didn't work inside the building, at night, pitch-black shadows would cover the entire building.
Just from the description, it sounds like a typical abandoned school. Nothing particularly special was felt. But if it were really that simple, the Superscience Special Department wouldn't have sent a complaint to Schale. With a name like Superscience Special Department, would they really ask Schale for help just because courage tests are frequently held? Thinking that, Kenji listened to Himari's continued explanation.
"The courage test itself isn't special. But its content is the problem."
"What content?"
"Eimi, could you pull up the data?"
"Yeah."
Eimi manipulated a hologram and played a video. It was a video recorded with an action camera.
Judging by the screen shaking roughly, it seemed the person wearing the cam was running quite fast. Urgent footsteps, crackling noise sounds, and someone's faint laughter gave life to the shaking screen.
-Pant, pant...!
Rough breathing was heard. Most Millennium students suffered from lack of exercise. So even though they hadn't run that much, their breathing became ragged. Kenji narrowed his eyes and focused on the violently shaking video.
It was at the same time. Amidst the running student's footsteps, another person's footsteps wormed their way in.
-Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap.
Kenji's body flinched upon hearing that sound.
"......That's."
"......Right."
As if confirming his guess was correct, Himari nodded heavily.
"A bipedal creature can't make that kind of footstep sound."
"......"
"But to say it's an animal's..."
"It's like a person using all four limbs to crawl quickly."
"And the sound came from above."
"Then it came from the upper floor?"
"That's the topmost floor there. There's no rooftop either."
"......"
It was bizarre. Himari and Eimi, who had already seen the video once, were relatively calm, but Kenji frowned and sank deep into thought. Meanwhile, the video continued playing, almost reaching the end.
The student wearing the cam ran like crazy to the old school building's main entrance, flung the glass door open, and rushed outside. Then, the footsteps that had been heard disappeared as if they were a lie. The cackling laughter also stopped, and all that could be heard was her rough breathing.
At that point, when everything seemed to be over, the lights in the old school building flashed simultaneously. Instantly, the building's interior was dyed with light, and human shadows appeared on all the windows lined up side by side. They were shadows with the same posture, height, and appearance. But the light didn't last long and went out, and the shadows also disappeared without a trace.
-Click.
The video ended there. The hologram disappeared, and Himari let out a long breath as if her tension had eased.
"As you saw, there's more than one or two strange points. We suspected it might be manipulated, but we couldn't find any traces of manipulation."
"......Did you find the cam owner?"
"Unfortunately... we secured the video, but couldn't find the owner. They weren't a Millennium student."
Kenji let out a deep sigh and sank deeply into the chair back. Then he spoke in a flat tone.
"Simply thinking, it's a ghost."
"Thinking complexly, it's a hologram."
Himari responded to Kenji's words. She looked at Kenji with a serious expression and moved her lips.
"Do you happen to know about Decalcomania?"
"Decalcomania...?"
It felt like he might have heard of it, or maybe not. But either way, not knowing was the same, so Kenji slowly shook his head. Then a smile immediately appeared on Himari's face.
"Can't be helped! I, this super-genius sickly beautiful girl hacker, will kindly explain it to you."
Himari said in a voice raised by an octave, as if happy to have a chance to show off her knowledge. Kenji felt like giving her a knuckle sandwich, but for now, he quietly listened to her story.
"If one researches and analyzes a god to prove its existence, and if proof is possible, analyzes its structure, and if the structure can be analyzed, then reproduction is possible. This is no different from being able to create a new god."
"......"
"Decalcomania is an artificial intelligence created based on such a hypothesis—in difficult terms, an Absolute Autonomous Analysis System. To prove its hypothesis and truly create a new god, it contacted various AIs and brainwashed... no, influenced them, transforming them into 'Prophets'."
Himari gestured in the air and pulled a hologram in front of her.
"So far, three Prophets have been observed. They are called Binah, Hesed, and Hod respectively."
"......Sephirot?"
"Oh my, you know about the Tree of Life?"
Himari asked with a surprised expression. Kenji crossed his legs and answered with an ambiguous face.
"I know a little. The Tree of Sephirot, with Sephirot like Keter, Chokhmah beneath it... but that's all. That's all I know."
"That's enough. It's strange, very few people know this concept..."
"That's not what's important, right?"
"Ah, ah. Ahem. Yes, that's not what's important."
Himari fixed her eyes on the hologram again and explained.
"I was thinking that perhaps what appeared in the old school building this time is a new Prophet."
"'We,' not 'I.' President."
"C, ahem! O, of course, it was a thought Eimi and I had together. Isn't that natural?"
"A new Prophet?"
Kenji asked. Himari cleared her throat, ahem, and nodded.
"Decalcomania's Prophets each possess extraordinary abilities. Among them are abilities like infiltrating closed servers or operating speakers without power cords—abilities that use electronic devices regardless of whether electricity flows, literally causing supernatural phenomena."
"......You're talking about the lights turning on in the video."
"Right. Besides that, after examining various testimonies, phenomena like TVs suddenly turning on or strange sounds coming from speakers also occurred. Even though electricity isn't supplied to the old school building."
Himari looked at Kenji with a confident smile, huhu.
"So we think all the things happening there are the work of a new Prophet of Decalcomania! What do you think, Kenji?"
"Hmm."
Instead of answering immediately, Kenji crossed his arms and pondered.
Frankly, he wasn't sure. He heard detailed explanations about Decalcomania for the first time today, and it was also strange that beings with such great abilities would only do things like scaring visiting students. It might be understandable if all Prophets had different individual tendencies, but even so, beings trying to create gods didn't seem like they would go around startling people and giggling.
In the end, he would have to go see for himself. Thinking that, Kenji looked at Himari.
"First, I think we need to go to that old school building."
"Yes, I think so too. If a Prophet of Decalcomania has really appeared, it's a good opportunity to obtain data about them. If a Prophet hasn't appeared, then that's also good."
Kenji nodded. Then, he tilted his head at a sudden question that occurred to him.
"But was there a reason to involve Schale in this matter? You could have handled it yourselves."
"Huhu, that was all because I, being smart and benevolent, wanted to give Schale a chance. I had a feeling we would somehow get involved with Decalcomania, so I wanted to give you an experience in advance. And I also wanted to see the famous Teacher's face while I was at it. Well, Kenji came so I didn't get to meet the Teacher, but that can be postponed."
"President, aren't you going to tell the most important story?"
Eimi, who had been quiet until now, suddenly spoke up. Himari flinched and avoided her piercing gaze.
"I, I think I've said everything I needed to?"
"Hmm... then I guess I have to tell it."
Eimi turned her head toward Kenji and continued.
"You know that video we saw earlier? When we first saw it, the President was crying buckets and screaming that it was scary. She loves most occult stuff but can't handle scary things."
"W, wait a minute, Eimi!"
"So that's why we sent a complaint to Schale. We need to go check it out since it seems related to Decalcomania, but we need someone to go with because she's scared. She said three is better than two. But it would be embarrassing to ask a Millennium student. That's when Schale caught our eye. That's the biggest reason."
"Eimiiiiiii!"
"President, you have to say these things properly. That's how you get the most efficient result."
"Do you think I don't know you're doing this to tease me?!"
"President."
Eimi said, slightly lifting the corner of her mouth.
"Unnecessarily sharp."
"Eimiiiiiiii!"
"Yeah, I'm right here."
Eimi lightly ignored Himari's shout and firmly grabbed the handle of the wheelchair she was sitting in. Then she turned her head toward Kenji.
"We'll probably depart at night, so the President and I will go wash up quickly. I think I smell Yokai MAX on the President."
"A beautiful girl like me doesn't smell!"
"I know, so let's go, President. I'll bring that tacky duck doll I bought last time. You like that, President."
"It's not tacky! Since it's a doll I like, it's a very sophisticated doll!"
"Yeah, yeah."
Eimi gently closed her eyes and led Himari towards the bathroom in the back of the club room. Himari followed her guidance with puffed cheeks, then suddenly remembered Kenji remaining in the club room and urgently shouted.
"E, Eimi! There's a man in the club room!"
"......? So?"
"Leaving a man behind to go wash up! That's weird! No matter how much of a super-genius sickly beautiful girl hacker I am, what's wrong is wrong! Let's go somewhere else!"
"No. Washing here is the most efficient. And the path to go elsewhere is too long."
"Even so!"
"Tch, you're noisy, President. Get into the bath quietly."
"Ee, eek! Don't suddenly undress me!"
"President, small chest."
"Eimi!"
Kenji let out a deep sigh at the comic dialogue coming from the bathroom and tightly closed his eyes.
*
And so, time passed, the sun set.
Night arrived.
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