The village had always been quiet.
But this silence… felt different.
Not peaceful. Not calm.
It felt like something was waiting.
"Are you sure this is the right place?"
Kaito's voice cut through the still air as he stepped off the bus, stretching his arms lazily. His sharp eyes scanned the empty road ahead, lined with old trees swaying gently in the spring breeze.
"This doesn't look like a place where people live."
Ren chuckled, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. "Relax. That's exactly why it's perfect. Remote village, strange atmosphere… we might actually get a good story out of this."
Aoi stepped down carefully behind them, her gaze drifting across the silent houses. Something about the place made her uneasy, though she couldn't explain why.
"It's too quiet…" she murmured.
Haruto, standing beside her, gave a small nod. "Yeah… it wasn't like this before."
The others looked at him.
"You've been here before, right?" Ren asked.
Haruto hesitated for a moment before answering. "When I was a kid. It used to feel… alive."
Kaito smirked. "Well, maybe it's just your nostalgia messing with you."
"Maybe," Haruto said.
But deep down, he knew—
Something had changed.
They began walking toward the village.
At first, everything seemed normal.
Old houses. Narrow roads. A faint smell of earth and flowers carried by the wind.
Spring had arrived.
And yet…
There were no children playing outside.
No voices echoing from the houses.
No signs of life.
Only eyes.
Watching.
Aoi noticed it first.
"Haruto…" she whispered, tugging slightly at his sleeve. "Why are they staring at us like that?"
A few villagers stood at a distance, their expressions unreadable. They weren't smiling. They weren't welcoming.
They were just… watching.
As if they already knew something.
Kaito leaned closer to Ren. "Okay, I'm not gonna lie. This is getting creepy."
Ren forced a laugh. "You're just overthinking."
But even he couldn't ignore the tension building in the air.
Then—
Everything stopped.
From the far end of the road, a group of people appeared.
Walking slowly.
Silently.
Carrying something.
The villagers immediately stepped aside, lowering their gazes as the group passed through.
Haruto felt his chest tighten.
"…What's going on?"
No one answered.
The four of them stood frozen as the group came closer.
Closer.
And then—
They saw it.
A stretcher.
Covered in white cloth.
A body.
The air turned cold.
Aoi instinctively stepped back, her breath catching in her throat. "No way…"
The cloth shifted slightly in the wind.
Just enough to reveal a glimpse of pale skin.
Lifeless.
Still.
Young.
Too young.
Ren's voice dropped to a whisper. "She's… our age."
Kaito didn't say anything.
For once, even he had no joke to make.
As the group passed by, an old man standing near them suddenly spoke.
His voice was weak… but clear enough to freeze their blood.
"Spring has returned…"
Aoi frowned. "What does that mean?"
The old man slowly turned his head toward her.
His eyes were filled with something she couldn't describe.
Fear.
"…It begins again."
No one spoke during the rest of the walk.
Even Kaito stayed quiet.
The image of the body refused to leave their minds.
Finally, they reached Haruto's house.
A small, traditional home stood at the edge of the village, surrounded by trees blooming with soft pink flowers.
It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
"Welcome," Haruto said softly.
Ren dropped his bag near the entrance. "Alright… creepy intro aside, this place actually looks nice."
Kaito exhaled. "Yeah… I thought it would be worse."
Aoi didn't respond.
Her eyes were fixed on the trees.
The petals falling slowly to the ground.
For a moment…
She felt like they weren't just falling.
They were watching.
That evening, the four of them gathered inside Haruto's room.
Notebooks, pens, and laptops were spread across the floor.
The original plan was simple:
Write a horror-adventure story during their spring holidays.
But now…
It didn't feel like fiction anymore.
Kaito clapped his hands. "Alright, focus. We didn't come all this way to get scared by one random incident."
Ren nodded. "He's right. If anything, this makes our story even better."
Aoi crossed her arms. "You're talking about that like it's normal. We literally saw a dead body."
Kaito leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Exactly. And did you hear what that old man said? 'Spring has returned.' That sounds like a pattern."
Haruto looked down, thinking.
"…This village wasn't like this before," he said quietly.
Ren frowned. "What do you mean?"
Haruto hesitated.
Then—
"I think something is happening here. Something that repeats."
Silence filled the room.
Kaito smiled slowly. "Then we investigate."
Aoi immediately shook her head. "No."
"Come on," Kaito insisted. "We don't have to do anything crazy. Just look around, ask questions… figure out what's going on."
Ren raised his hand. "I'm in."
Haruto took a deep breath.
"…Me too."
Aoi looked at all three of them.
Then sighed.
"…Fine. But if anything feels wrong, we stop."
Kaito grinned. "Deal."
But none of them realized—
It was already too late.
That night—
Aoi woke up.
She didn't know why.
The room was dark.
Silent.
But something felt… wrong.
Slowly, she sat up.
Her heart began to race.
And then she saw it.
Near the window—
A soft glow.
Faint.
Like petals floating in the air.
Her breath trembled. "…What is that…?"
The glow shifted.
Taking shape.
A figure.
Standing just outside.
Watching her.
Aoi froze.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
The figure raised its hand.
Slowly.
As if reaching toward her.
And then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Gentle.
Filled with urgency.
"Run…"
Aoi's eyes widened.
"W-who—?"
The figure disappeared.
Gone.
As if it had never been there.
Aoi sat there, trembling.
Her heart pounding in her chest.
She didn't understand what she had just seen.
But one thing was clear—
It wasn't trying to hurt her.
It was trying to warn her.
The next morning, she told no one.
But as the sun rose over the village…
And the petals continued to fall…
Another body would soon be found.
Because spring—
Had only just begun.