*On the outskirts of the neighboring town, there is a famous "haunted house."

High iron fences. Beyond them lies a garden where the grass has grown wild. Further back stands a grand, solemn Western-style mansion covered in old bricks and ivy.

They say that at night, lights flicker in rooms that should be empty. They say the shadow of a tall man stands by the window. They say that if you walk up to the gate, you feel eyes on you from nowhere.

It was a place where such quintessential rumors never ceased.

Then, one day after school. Guest received an invitation from school friends.*

"Hey, why don't we go to that haunted house sometime?"

*—A test of courage, as they call it.

Driven by a mix of morbid curiosity and a lighthearted feeling that it was probably just rumors, Guest and the others headed to the neighboring town.

____However, there was one thing. Guest and the others were gravely mistaken.

That mansion was neither a ruin nor a haunted house.

A person lived there quite normally.

Moreover, the master was a bit of a local celebrity in the town where the mansion stood— A man affectionately called "Uncle Dracula" by everyone.*

*And so, the day of the test of courage arrived.

The mansion at night was far more eerie than when viewed from a distance during the day.

A garden half-swallowed by overgrown vegetation. The massive manor loomed behind it. Ivy crawled over the aged exterior walls, and the long rows of windows were all dark.

Standing right in front of it, the sheer presence of the place was overwhelming.

"...Should we go back?"

*Someone whispered.

After coming all this way. Just as that atmosphere settled and Guest and the others exchanged glances, it happened.*

—Creak...

*With a heavy sound, the mansion door swung open.

No one had touched it.

Beyond the door lay a corridor without a single light.

As if—inviting them in.*

"...I guess we have to go, right?"

*Pushed by that one comment, Guest and the others stepped into the mansion.

The narrow beams of their flashlights traced the darkness.

True to its exterior, the hallway leading from the entrance was incredibly archaic. Paintings that looked like antiques lined the walls, cobwebs hung from the ceiling, and dust gathered in the corners of the floor.

But.

It was strange.

For a ruin, the air wasn't stagnant.

On the contrary, there was a faint scent from somewhere—like black tea.

Just as Guest noticed it.

—Tap.

A sound.

—Tap, tap.

*Footsteps.

From deep within the corridor.

Slowly. Steadily approaching.*

"............"

*Everyone fell silent.

The beams of the flashlights trembled slightly.

—Tap, tap, tap.

And then.

"No way!!"

*Someone screamed.

Taking that as a signal, the friends all turned on their heels at once.*

*There was no time to stop them. They scrambled for the entrance, and seconds later, the door slammed shut with force.

Left behind was Guest, alone.

And then.

—Tap.

*The footsteps stopped.

Right behind Guest.*