"The more outstanding a girl performed, the more jealous the others became. In truth, even if she did nothing at all, those around her would still ostracize her."
"Sometimes, when God shows too much favor, it isn't necessarily a good thing — because there are devils hiding right beside us."
"Among the other five girls in the dance studio, one of them fell in love. What followed was a rather clichéd story."
"She wrote a love letter, wanting to confess her feelings, but the boy had no interest in her at all. He'd only gotten close to her so he could learn more about the other girl."
"When she found out the truth, shame and jealousy drove her to make a crazed decision."
"She tracked down the staff at the equipment management office. The group hashed out a plan together, deciding to destroy that girl as a team."
"The provincial dance competition was approaching. All six girls went to the dance studio every afternoon to rehearse. It was summer break at the time, and the school was nearly empty."
"The other girls pretended to mend fences with her. The girl was kind-hearted and tried her very best to fit into their circle."
"She took on a great deal of menial work by herself and even hand-made candies, planning to give them to her new 'friends.'"
"But what she never expected was that it was all a trap."
"It was her very own 'friends' who wanted to push her into the abyss."
Number 2's story continued. By this point,
Found you!
The perpetrator was reciting his crimes as a story for everyone present, and there wasn't a trace of remorse in his words.
"
The shadow shifted in color ever so slightly, but Zhang Ya did not appear.
Perhaps it was because she had devoured too many ghosts inside Ward Three — she was still digesting them.
As if sensing something, Number 2 glanced toward the spot where Chen Ge stood.
"The girl cried out to her 'friends' for help. Not only did they refuse to help her — one of them pulled a love letter from her backpack. It had been written by the boy she liked most, but sadly, it wasn't written to her."
"With nowhere left to turn, the girl looked at the window behind her. She fell from the fourth floor. Blood pooled across the ground, but she was still alive at that point."
"She couldn't make a sound. Her eyes were open, fixed on those 'friends' of hers as they walked away."
"Her white dance dress turned crimson red. No one knew the exact time of her death. Her body wasn't discovered until the next day."
With every sentence Number 2 uttered, the blood-red lines within Chen Ge's shadow deepened. Having devoured two of the gaunt, elongated monsters and the vast majority of the red-robed director's body, Zhang Ya seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.
Chen Ge had no way to awaken Zhang Ya. She had intervened on his behalf three times, and each time she had appeared on her own.
"Besides the injuries from the fall, there were no other wounds on the girl's body. Combined with the fact that those wretched girls had coordinated their story in advance, the incident was ultimately classified as a suicide."
Number 2 had managed to keep his composure at first, but as he spoke, his breathing grew increasingly ragged. He kept glancing, almost involuntarily, toward the spot where Chen Ge was standing.
He seemed to have sensed something. He picked up the pace, hurriedly recounting the final fates of the other five girls.