Pure malice.
According to the divination, the revelation Ren received wasn't simply that the evil spirit was driving Takahashi Ryoichi to kill one person—Chikako—and that would be the end of it.
No, the evil spirit wanted to kill everyone in their old university club.
She loathed this world where no one could understand her, and she even projected her mother's betrayal onto her former classmates.
Well, that outcome made sense.
It was completely natural for Tokumoto Atsuko to feel this way. It aligned with the darker aspects of human nature.
Even if it was her mother who betrayed her, she was still her biological mother. No matter how much she resented her, she couldn't bring herself to direct that hatred toward her.
Since she couldn't direct her hatred at her mother, then the one who bought her story became the scapegoat. The place where the hatred settled had already been decided.
And now, after two years of festering, her hatred had expanded beyond Chikako. It now encompassed everyone in that university club who had better living conditions, appearances, or lives than hers.
Hatred born from inferiority, huh... this is kind of like how I used to be.
Ren couldn't help but smile bitterly at the thought.
Back then, compulsory education was far too kind to people like them. If they hadn't been pushed to the brink, people like them would never have taken up arms.
But once a seemingly harmless person is pushed over the edge, no one can predict what they'll do.
Ren's gaze returned to the evil spirit called Atsuko, displayed within the crystal ball.
All the things she hadn't dared to do while alive, she now dared to do freely as an evil spirit.
The truth was, one's environment could fundamentally change a person.
Still, you've blamed the wrong person this time.
Ren believed that Atsuko knew that deep down. But even so, she had no choice but to redirect her hatred toward others—because no matter what, she couldn't raise a hand against her own mother.
She knew everything had been legally sound. If she leaked her story early, her family would have been destroyed by the resulting breach of contract.
If they couldn't afford the penalties, her family would have been ripped apart instantly. If her mother was arrested, she wouldn't be spared either.
Backed into a corner where she'd suffer either way, Atsuko chose revenge by the most extreme means.
She used her own death to vent her hatred.
Ren acknowledged that Atsuko's method had worked and he also sighed at how tragic her fate had been.
The moment she became an evil spirit, Atsuko was no longer a human being with rational thought, but a vengeful ghost born entirely for the purpose of killing.
Ren looked at the image in the crystal ball and shook his head slightly.
"The flame of revenge seems to have already been lit."
The three girls present all turned their attention to the crystal ball, where Takahashi Ryoichi brought up the rear of the group.
They could clearly see the malicious light growing in his eyes, even though he still wore a seemingly harmless smile on the outside.
"Ota, Kadotani, mind waiting a second?"
"Hm?"
Ota Masaru and Hiroki Kadotani turned around and saw Takahashi Ryoichi's shy expression. They immediately guessed the reason.
"Takahashi, I told you not to drink so much water on the way here."
Ota sighed helplessly.
"I've just been really thirsty lately…"
"Alright, alright. Go handle it quickly. I don't want us running into Miss Ayako and looking like we're begging for a restroom break."
"Sorry, sorry."
Takahashi Ryoichi apologized with a smile and jogged toward a nearby haystack, holding his stomach.
Once he left, Ota pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
"Kadotani, want one?"
"Thanks."
Kadotani took one and lit it himself.
"Hard to believe it's already been two years since graduation. Feels like just yesterday."
Ota exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone filled with nostalgia.
"Yeah. Time flew by. Life was easy in college, but the minute we graduated, we slammed into reality—employment problems right off the bat."
"Good thing I'm decent at networking. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived in sales."
These past two years hadn't been kind to him.
Like many graduates from ordinary backgrounds and irrelevant majors, Ota had basically been unemployed after graduation.
"True."
Kadotani nodded grimly.
"We both ended up in jobs unrelated to our fields. You're doing sales, and I became an editor for a movie magazine. Not that it's glamorous. I'm basically a glorified errand boy."
His job kept him outside more than in the office, running all sorts of minor tasks.
"Going around distributing surveys, then compiling results... most of my time is wasted on tedious, meaningless stuff."
Kadotani glanced at Ota, a bit envious.
"Ota, your life seems way better than mine. You wear brand-name clothes, so your income must be solid, right?"
Ota laughed bitterly and took another drag of his cigarette.
"Sales is like that. If you don't look the part, no one's going to sign a deal with you."
"The base salary's practically nothing. Your pay depends entirely on how many contracts you land. And to land those… talking alone isn't enough."
They were adults now. Kadotani immediately understood the implication.
Having worked near the entertainment industry, he knew exactly what that meant.
He patted Ota on the shoulder.
"Sounds like my job is easier after all. At least I'm finally moving into an office role. You might be stuck where you are for a while."
"Yeah…"
Ota sighed helplessly.
"The only one from our class with a decent life after graduation is Ayako."
"Well, she is a lady. Her situation's completely different from ours."
Kadotani agreed with a bitter smile.
Only after graduation had they truly realized the importance of background. Back in college, they dreamed of the future. But in reality, they had no future to look forward to—only a fate of endless toil.
"If I'd known, maybe I would've tried to get closer to Ayako."
His ambition made Ota roll his eyes.
"Give it up. Miss Ayako's not stupid. Try something like that, and you won't even be able to call her a classmate anymore. I'm just hoping she'll introduce me to a rich lady so I can stop worrying about food and bills."
Kadotani chuckled bitterly. He knew the truth of it. He was just venting.
Suddenly, they heard faint footsteps behind them. The sound was deliberately quiet, but as it grew closer, it became noticeable.
"Finally done, huh... Takahashi—"
Turning around, Kadotani froze.
Takahashi Ryoichi was holding an axe, a twisted grin on his face.
The axe swung down viciously.
A gut-wrenching scream echoed through the forest trail.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!"
(To be continued.)