Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun! Teiichi-kun!

Teiichi:
Uh, Yuuko-san...
Wait a second.
Have I been here this whole time?

Yuuko:
This whole time?
You just fainted and fell over a second ago.

Teiichi:
Huh?
So then, no time has passed?

Yuuko:
No.

Teiichi:
What about Shadow Yuuko?!

Yuuko:
Shadow Yuuko?

Teiichi:
The one chasing us earlier.
I guess she made herself forget again.
She banished it from her consciousness, discarded its existence from her mind.

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, can you stand?

Teiichi:
Uh, yeah...

Yuuko:
Ugh!

Teiichi:
What just happened?

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, you... my past...

Teiichi:
Huh?

Yuuko:
You just...
I saw the memories of my past...

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san... Yuuko-san! Yuuko-san!

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun... Where are you?
Teiichi-kun, where are you?!

Teiichi:
What's going on, Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, where are you?!

Teiichi:
Over here... I'm right here!

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, answer me!

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san! Hey!

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, don't leave me here alone!

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san...



Teiichi:
Uh, Yuuko-san.

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun...
I guess he isn't here yet.



Yuuko:
I'm sure he's right here beside me.
He has to be.

Kirie:
That must have happened because you found out... about what happened in Yuuko's past.
Yuuko's excised the memory of the time immediately before her death.

Teiichi:
It was very sad--too much sorrow for one person to bear.

Kirie:
Seeing that memory created a copy of the memory in you.

Teiichi:
But that's...

Kirie:
And so, Yuuko has shut you out of her consciousness, too.
I'm saying that you've become a being just like Shadow Yuuko.

Teiichi:
That can't be...

Kirie:
Yuuko can't see Shadow Yuuko.
Sometimes, a trigger can render her visible for a moment, but Yuuko represses it right away, becoming unable to see her again.
I'm afraid that's what's happened to you.



Momoe:
Huh? Aren't you eating lunch today?

Teiichi:
No, I don't have much of an appetite.

Momoe:
What? Hmm... oh, really? That's weird.

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun...

Teiichi:
I'm right here.

Momoe:
What?

Teiichi:
Oh, it's nothing!

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun... Are you there?

Momoe:
Niiya-san, what's wrong? What's the matter?

Yuuko:
I knew it.
It's like he's become a ghost...

(Shriek)
I'm a ghost.
No one is aware of my existence. No one...

Teiichi:
That's not true.

Yuuko:
No one sees me at all.

Teiichi:
I can see you.

Yuuko:
No one hears my voice when I speak.

Teiichi:
I can hear your voice.

Yuuko:
Worst of all, no one touches me.

No!



Teiichi:
It's like I'm the one who've become a ghost now.

Kirie:
Kind of.

Teiichi:
At this rate, Yuuko-san might completely forget me someday.

Kirie:
Generally, humans and ghosts shouldn't mingle like that anyway.
It was probably just time for it to end.
Oh, come on. No reaction?

Teiichi:
You might be right.
Now that I think about it, if my touch causes Yuuko-san to suffer, then I shouldn't go near her.
If my existence forces her to remember her past, if that makes her sad...

Kirie:
Do you seriously believe that?

Teiichi:
Huh?

Kirie:
Don't lie and say you're pulling away for her sake!
The truth is that you're just too frightened!

Teiichi:
But I...

Kirie:
Do you really think she wants that?
You know what pisses me off?
Having to watch you two all over each other because you think no one else can see!

Teiichi:
Kirie-san...

Kirie:
But you know what's even worse?
That neither of you is doing anything about this!

Teiichi:
Th-That's ridiculous...

Kirie:
Yes, it is.
Just decide what you want!
You love her, right?
You don't wanna lose her, right?
Then don't use BS rhetoric to deceive yourself.

Teiichi:
That's... That's not what I meant.

Kirie:
You two need to take responsibility...
You worked so hard together on all those cases.

Teiichi:
Kirie-san...

Kirie:
I won't let you two split up over something this stupid!



Teiichi:
Uh...
Yuuko-san...

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun...

It's still warm.

Teiichi-kun...

Teiichi:
Yes, Yuuko-san.

Yuuko:
Thank you.

Teiichi:
I'm having fun, too.
Even if you can't see me, I can still see you.
I can hear your voice.
And we can at least tell each other how we feel this way.

Yuuko:
No.
I'm so lonely... It hurts so much...
I thought I'd forgotten all of this.
I thought I'd left all of these emotions behind...

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san...

Yuuko:
Someone, help me.



Momoe:
Good morning!

Teiichi:
G-Good morning, Okonogi-san!

Momoe:
What's the matter?

Teiichi:
N-Nothing, nothing at all...

Momoe:
Guess what, I brought a special present for you today.
Here you go.

Teiichi:
Huh? This is...

Momoe:
The legendary candy, Okonogi Ceremony Drops, from the Okonogi Confectionery!

Teiichi:
The Okonogi Confectionery?

Momoe:
We make them at home.
We'll be releasing some old favorites again, and this is the first item!
Tell me what you think. I want the truth!

Teiichi:
Oh, it's true.
They really do taste just like they used to.

Momoe:
Huh? You mean you've had them before?
But this candy hasn't been out for decades.

Teiichi:
Uh, I mean, i-it has like a really nostalgic flavor.
Yuuko-san ate these with Asa-chan, didn't she?
Asa-chan... Asa-chan?
That reminds me!

Momoe:
What is it?

Teiichi:
Uh, thank you, Okonogi-san...

Momoe:
Uh, I don't really understand what's going on, but I'm honored if I could help.



Teiichi:
I'm sorry for asking you to do this.

Kirie:
Don't mention it. This is nothing.

Teiichi:
Wait, but this...

Kirie:
Yeah. My grandmother is the academy's chairman of the board.

Teiichi:
Really?

Kirie:
Please don't tell anyone.
It wouldn't be good for the other students and teachers to start treating me differently.
That's why it's a secret.

Teiichi:
All right.

Kirie:
Until today, I hadn't actually told my grandmother that I was able to see Yuuko's spirit.

Teiichi:
Why not?

Kirie:
Because she'd be really sad.

Yukariko:
Come in.

Teiichi:
I'm sorry to bother you.

Kirie:
This is my grandmother, Yukariko Kanoe.

Teiichi:
So this is Yuuko-san's younger sister.

Yukariko:
You've grown up so very much, Teiichi-kun.

Teiichi:
Huh?

Yukariko:
Kirie told me the story.
Is it true... that you can also see Yuuko?

Teiichi:
"Also"?
You mean that...

Yukariko:
Yes. I've been able to see my older sister's ghost all this time.
I've been able to see that horrifying form, stained with rage and hatred.
It seems that the people who buried my sister also saw that form, and it terrified them.
For a long time, any talk of it was forbidden in the village.

Teiichi:
I see.

Yukariko:
After the adults died, though I was still young, I was tasked to lead this school.
Knowing that my sister's body was buried in the old school wing, I never had it torn down, preserving it as a memorial.
However, my sister's spirit cannot rest, and it continues to haunt the school grounds.
There's nothing I can do for her...

Teiichi:
That's not true at all.

Yukariko:
Huh?

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san is doing fine.
She's kind and pretty...
She does get peeved easily, but she's always cheerful.

Yukariko:
Is that really how you see my sister?

Teiichi:
Yes, ma'am.
She's the same nice, pretty older sister just like she was back when she took care of Asa-chan.

Yukariko:
How do you know about that?

Teiichi:
I... I wanna talk to Yuuko-san again. My Yuuko-san.
The reason I came to see you today is that I need to learn more about Asa-chan.

Yukariko:
About her?

Teiichi:
Hm?

Yukariko:
I suppose her feelings have been transferred to you.

Teiichi:
Huh?

Yukariko:
Why don't I show you?
Take a look at this.

Teiichi:
Asa-chan...

Yukariko:
You haven't noticed yet, have you?
This picture is...

Teiichi:
Ah!



Teiichi:
Yuuko-san, I'm sorry!

Yuuko:
What? Is that snow?
Huh? What's happening?
Why? What is that?
No... No... No... No... No... No... No!
Stop it!
Teiichi-kun...

Teiichi:
So you can finally see me, right, Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
How?

Teiichi:
I thought if I did this, you might become aware of me.
I saw your memories, so I know all these items were important to you, weren't they?

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun...

Teiichi:
And then I thought that if you became aware of my existence, after that, you might also be able to see the other Yuuko-san.
You can, right?

Yuuko:
You're wrong, Teiichi-kun!
That's not me! That isn't me at all!

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san...

Shadow Yuuko:
That's right.
All the memories you wanted to forget...
All the feelings you didn't want to acknowledge...

Yuuko:
Stop, please stop it!

Shadow Yuuko:
You have to remember me.
Let's suffer through that day together.
Suffer with me.

Yuuko:
No!

Teiichi:
I've wanted to meet you... for a while now.
When I touched you, I saw your memories of the past.
And then, I knew what had happened.
I know the truth.

Shadow Yuuko:
You don't know anything.
You don't know the real truth...
That wasn't everything.
That wasn't the end!
Don't think you know what happened just because you saw that!

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun...

Shadow Yuuko:
You don't know my suffering.
You don't know my sorrow...
You don't know the faces that trembled in fear, even though they were murderers.
The terrified look in my younger sister's eyes when she saw me...
The people who stir up all the boiling negative emotions, and my own self who forced all that suffering onto me!
All that hate, that pain, that sadness, that suffering!
I have not done anything wrong, and I still had to suffer that fate.
I was forced to bear all those horrible feelings!
So how can you even pretend to understand me at all?!

Teiichi:
You're right.
I don't understand those things.

Shadow Yuuko:
What...?

Teiichi:
I don't.
But I do understand that it's painful!

Shadow Yuuko:
Uh...

Teiichi:
And also sad!
And it hurts just to think about it.
To only be able to hate and curse... to hold a grudge against all those people!
To be capable of feeling nothing but those emotions for all this time...
It's just too painful.
Who could expect to forgive them?
'Course you'd hold a grudge after suffering through that.
When you showed me that memory, it hurt me too.
I was terrified.
I felt so horrible...
So helpless.
Being unable to do anything while you suffered like that...
Nothing but watch, powerless...
That was what I hated the most.
That was just unthinkable!
I'm sorry.

Shadow Yuuko:
How... How can you touch me?
This lump of hatred?
This horrid form?

Teiichi:
Because... Because you're Yuuko-san, too, aren't you?
Because you're also the Yuuko-san I love...
That's why... That's why...

Shadow Yuuko:
Stop.
You have to stop crying. I can't...

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
That's right. If you cry for me...

Shadow Yuuko:
If you cry for me...
If you hold me tight...
Even though I suffered so much...

Yuuko:
Even though I wanted to discard it...

Yuuko and Shadow Yuuko:
Everything will disappear.

Shadow Yuuko:
I've been living these frightening and horrible emotions for such a long...

Yuuko:
I've been shutting them out for so long...

Shadow Yuuko:
So very long...

Yuuko and Shadow Yuuko:
But that will all become irrelevant.

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san.

Yuuko:
Teiichi-kun, is this really all right?

Shadow Yuuko:
Am I all right?

Teiichi:
Yes.
After all, both of you are the Yuuko-san that I'm in love with.

Shadow Yuuko:
I...

Yuuko:
I...

Shadow Yuuko:
It'll be scary.

Yuuko:
It's okay now.

Shadow Yuuko:
If Teiichi-kun will accept me...

Yuuko:
...there are no more regrets.

Yuuko and Shadow Yuuko:
Welcome back... me.

Teiichi:
Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
I'm back, Teiichi-kun.



Teiichi:
Apparently, all the names of those who plotted the human sacrifice were carved onto the Stone of Curses memorial.

Yuuko:
I see.

Teiichi:
In the end, the epidemic was the cause of all of this.

Yuuko:
I don't care anymore.
I'm going to leave all my sad memories and the happy ones... all the ones that hurt me, and all the ones that don't, right here.

Teiichi:
Oh, yeah. I wanted to show you this.

Yuuko:
It's Asa-chan...

Teiichi:
Yukariko-san let me borrow these from her album.
Asa-chan's real name was Asagi, right?

Yuuko:
The character is the color "asagi," the light blue you see between the bands of red and purple at sunset.

Teiichi:
Well, the funny thing is Asagi is actually my grandmother's name.

Yuuko:
What? But then, that could mean...

Teiichi:
Yup. It looks like I'm Asa-chan's grandson.
Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
It wasn't for nothing.

Teiichi:
Huh?

Yuuko:
I didn't suffer for nothing...
Asa-chan was able to survive, and I was able to meet you like this!
There was a reason for all of it.
I don't mind being a human sacrifice over and over if it means that I can be united with you!

Teiichi:
What do you mean by united? Yuuko-san!

Yuuko:
Uh...

Teiichi:
What's wrong, Yuuko-san?

Yuuko:
Oh, nothing.



The cracked heart is whole.
The lost time is rewound.
To relive it again.
In its true form.
Ghost Story Twelve: "The Dusk Maiden"