1) "Have you heard the story about a ghost appearing after lessons?"
2) "I haven't, so tell me"
3) Me and my friend always chat while breaks, and one time he decided to tell me about the ghost.
4) I don't believe in such nonsense, so I was a bit sceptical.
5) "The ghost seems to be counting people"
6) "What? Counting people, not other things?"
7) "Seems like that"
8) And this was the point where the story lost it's credibility...
9) "It's just some boring ghost, what is so scary about it?"
10) "Once it finishes counting, you better be on the run already"
11) Why?
12) "Something scary will happen if it finishes counting"
13) And again, a boring ghost story cliche.
14) "If you don't know what happens after that, then how do you know that something scary will follow?"
15) "Is it 10? Or 9? Anyway, try not to wait until it counts down to 9"
16) "What a weirdo of a ghost..."
17) "My friend's friend was brave enough to wait just until the ghost finished counting, but even then he ran away from it in the end"
18) Then where is this friend's friend now?
19) "Just be careful"
20) "Alright"
21) He stopped talking then walked away toward his desk.
22) I wonder whether the others will tell me the same identical story when it comes to it.
23) I felt sleepy, but the lesson started immediately after I thought about getting a nap.
24) ... And now it's time to go home.
25) I had some things to do after school, so it became dark right after I had finished them.
26) Unfortunately, everyone had gone home already.
27) I felt a chill running down my spine for a moment.
28) Oh, some people are still playing soccer in the yard.
29) Where does their energy even come from?
30) I think I can play some soccer too.
31) I go through a long passageway to get to a changing room, then change my shoes and enter the schoolyard.
32) They are still playing football, what a vigor.
33) And then, the sound...
34) Yes, I think I heard something...
35) "Hitooooriiiii"
36) What a strange sound.
37) What?
38) Come to think of it, wasn't it more like a voice than some strange sound?
39) "Futaaaari"
40) After hearing it again, I looked around.
41) "Sanniiiiii"
42) I don't see anyone around here who would be able to make these sounds.
43) "Yoniiii"
44) But the voice continued nevertheless.
45) Oh, I know, someone is playing hide-and-seek, right? I'm gonna turn around quickly and expose the owner of the voice!
46) "Goniiii"
47) W-what.
48) A strange woman was standing there, her hair unkempt and being rustled by the wind.
49) I unintentionally moved back from her.
50) Come to think of it, it wasn't until I turned back that she appeared here...
51) Is she a maniac or some pervert?
52) One boy looks in our direction with an axiety in his eyes...
53) ...but continues to play football nevertheless.
54) Normally, they should be interested in such a strange person, but this time they completely disregarded her presence.
55) It feels unpleasant, and eerily so...
56) How can you not see this woman?
57) Alright...
58) The woman continues with her counting.
59) And now I recall that ghost story which I was told earlier during the break.
60) But now it doesn't really matter whether that story is true or not.
61) "Nananiiii"
62) Should I run away right now, and will this person chase after me?
63) What should I do? Call teachers, perhaps?
64) But this woman is standing right in front of me, staring intensely. Will I even be able to escape in such circumstances?
65) In case this is not really a ghost, maybe the boys will notice her?
66) What should I do, when exactly should I do it?
67) Of course, inbetween one of her counting mumbles...
The choice: top - eight people, left - nine, right - ten
Eight
68) "Waachiinyiiii"
69) Once I heard it, I ran away in a matter of seconds.
70) I have to call for help, even if she is on my tail!
71) Damn, it indeed sucks when someone is chasing after you. God, somebody help me already!
72) Haaaa, haaaa.
73) I ended up on an empty main street.
74) That woman wasn't to be seen anymore for the time being.
75) Haaa... Haaa... How scary it is...
76) Such pscychos are definitely muh more horrifying when you meet them face to face.
77) I have to tell about this incident to a teacher.
78) I made my way back home while still thinking about all of it.
79) "Kyutsuuuuniiiiiii"
80) WHAT?
81) As soon as I started walking, that voice appeared again!
82) There is nobody around to panickily look around in a search of a strange voice.
83) Thus, there is no one to muster such a voice in the first place.
84) Hmm.
85) It's different now.
86) There is nobody here on the main street!
87) "IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
88) I think I ran away so hard that I left some footprints deep inside an asphalt.
89) I didn't even care that I could drop something out of my bag because of how fast I ran.
90) As far as I remember, there should be a police station nearby...
91) Gotta run there as fast as I can.
92) After this hell of a marathon I finally found it...
93) ... and the voice disappeared
94) In the end, the police officer saw me out to my house.
95) Several years passed.
96) I have entered a university in another town.
97) I don't think I will hear about that psycho ever again.
98) But... who was she?
99) Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had heard the end of the countdown.
100) I don't even know...
101) Because.
102) I hear it...
103) I still hear it...
104) It's right behind me... the owner of the voice... is still counting down...
105) I've been hearing it since that incident at school.
106) Have I gone insane?
107) How long until "something scary" will happen?
108) Huh? Tell me!
109) TELL ME.
110) Oh God is this scary...
111) Help me... please.
Nine
112) I could't move, my legs were frozen to a ground.
113) My body was shaking, I was scared shitless, I felt I could fall down on the ground because of my weakness.
114) "Kyutsuuuuniiiiiii"
115) The woman was coming closer to me as she counted up to 9.
116) "Hiiiiiii"
117) I couldn't move anymore, and she came as close as possible to me.
118) Looking down on me, she laughed.
119) "Please! Don't kill me!"
120) She didn't so much as pay attention to my desperate outcry.
121) "One is not enough..."
122) "NO! NO!"
123) "I will have to increase..."
124) I shut my eyes and tried to withstand an assailing feel of dread upon me.
125) Not enough of what, what will you have to increase?
126) I don't get it.
127) Damn, can't even run away because I'm paralyzed by fear.
128) Huh?
129) Nothing has happened for a while.
130) I opened my eyes saw no one.
131) Not even the boys who played football, only a ball was left there on a field.
132) A totally empty yard...
133) What happened?
134) I went back home, without so much as a clue as to what happened back there.
135) Next morning I was eager to tell about that incident to my friend, and when I came to classroom a student which I couldn't recognize was there in a centre of a room.
136) A transfer student perhaps?
137) "Who is it?"
138) My friend was perplexed by the question, and replied confusingly.
139) "Oh, what is this, one of your new jokes?"
140) You have known each other since when, a childhood?
141) He thought it was a joke. Did I really forget everything about this student?
142) "Oh, then this a student from another class, isn't he?"
143) "What are you saying? You two have been in the same class, always playing together!"
144) So he said.
145) But I didn't seem to recall it.
146) "How rude of you, we were always close friends"
147) Even that student-at-issue seemed to be confused by my behaviour.
148) But I can't recall any memories related to him, neither what his name is, nor how we used to play together!
149) "Do you really not remember? Are you sufferning from amnesia?"
150) You can't say this is amnesia when I have forgotten only one person!
151) I doesn't even feel like amnesia at all. It's more like there is simply one more person in my life.
152) Feeling that the number of persons in my life was increased...
153) That incident!
154) I was struck with an idea.
155) Something that happened yesterday...
156) Hmm, yesterday...
157) Let me see, after school, after school...
158) Oh, I met that strange woman who counted people, and then she said...
159) She said... "One is not enough, have to increase".
160) Of course...
161) Of course!
162) "What is the matter?"
163) Classmates worriedly came closer to me.
164) "Of course, so that is how it is..."
165) To increase because there are not enough persons!
166) And that "new" student...
167) That unknown student laughed as soon as I realised it...
Ten
168) "Waachiinyiiii"
169) The woman began to laugh.
170) Will it be dangerous for me now that she counted this far?
171) I guess I'll definitely be in danger if I don't run away NOW.
172) It doesn't matter whether this woman is ghost or not, she is dangerous nevertheless.
173) Alright, I think I will slowly advance to the exit doors with backward steps while still looking at her face.
174) "Kyutsuuuuniiiiiii"
175) She is still counting...
176) Is she counting a number of people?
177) I don't really want to know it.
178) The woman raised a hand once she counted nine times.
179) She slowly grasped her palm in a tight fist.
180) I couldn't stand it anymore, and I ran as fast as possible.
181) And then...
182) "Juuniiiiii"
183) She said that name and pointed right at me, laughing all the while.
184) Am I... the tenth one?
185) The woman then stopped laughing despite having something akin to a fit while pointing out at me not even a minute ago.
186) And then...
187) "You are the one..."
188) She said this much.
189) I was paralyzed as soon as I heard it.
190) I couldn't move either.
191) She continued moving toward me as I stayed there.
192) But I couldn't move a muscle.
193) One step after another...
194) She came as close as only possible, saying only one thing...
195) "I finally have enough, and I will take them with me"
196) Everything went dark around me as soon as those words came out of her mouth.