Vili, however, seemed completely unaware of his predicament. He merely glanced at Yukimura Masashi before turning his gaze back to Kii Kanade.

His clear eyes met hers.

"Before that, shouldn't you explain to me what this ghost story is all about?"

Kii Kanade paused for a few seconds, then gave an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I forgot."

He remained composed, but Yukimura Masashi noticed and tightened his grip on the fan handle. Clearly, the fact that the seemingly docile prey also possessed its own claws made Kii Kanade... even more excited.

"This ghost story is called—'The Non-existent Thirteenth Person'."

"I don't know if Teacher Tianhai has told you before, but before you came, there were thirteen people in our class."

"Aren't there twelve?"

Willy remembered very clearly what he had said to Tianhai.

Kii Kanade raised her eyebrows in surprise, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.

"It seems that Mr. Tenkai likes you quite a bit..."

He murmured softly, his voice hidden in the noise of the break between classes.

“There are indeed twelve now,” Yukimura Masashi suddenly said, “but not three months ago.”

His voice was clear and melodious, like a mountain spring.

"A month before the holiday, a classmate misjudged the power of the demon and was devoured by it during the contract process."

"It's just that everyone has gotten used to it over the past three years, so much so that whenever we talk about how many people are in the class, we subconsciously say the number 'thirteen'."

“Teacher Amami probably didn’t want to scare you, so she didn’t mention it,” Kii Kanade added. “After all, fear is one of the reasons why rumors spread, and it’s also the source of power for ghost stories.”

"Let's get back to the main topic."

Kii Kanade got back to the main topic.

"After that classmate passed away, we also moved his desk and chair to the warehouse."

"But it came back the very next day."

Kii Kanade's voice was deep and resonant. As if to match his words, the surrounding noise gradually quieted down, leaving only the chirping of cicadas outside the window, stirring up the sweltering heat of midsummer.

Is this it?

Willy, however, patted the table next to him with great interest, and even got up and sat down.

"..."

The eerie atmosphere that Kii Kanade had created vanished instantly.

Masashi Yukimura turned his head away.

"That's right, this is it."

His voice sounded helpless, and he spoke faster.

"After that, there were rumors that the deceased classmate had returned."

“Even though we are all teachers of Yumi and know the power of words, the rumors still spread even more and more despite the teacher’s intervention.”

It goes without saying who was behind this.

"Therefore, strange tales were formed."

"Teacher Tianhai wanted to resolve the issue ahead of schedule, but the principal felt it was a good opportunity for us to improve, so the set of desks and chairs was left behind."

"That being said, most students are afraid of this place and are unwilling to go near it."

And Ju Huang, who voluntarily moved to sit here... is clearly no ordinary person.

"The day before the holiday, Sato and his friends were playing around in the hallway when they happened to pass by here. In the process of pushing and shoving, he accidentally sat on it."

"We later heard that he seemed to have a very interesting holiday, so much so that he ended up having to stay at the shrine temporarily."

"Although the time has not yet come, the monsters in the legends are still in the process of gestation. But if one is strong enough, one can still spare the power to harm others."

Masashi Yukimura added.

"And just now..."

Kii Kanade looked towards the doorway.

"Your younger brother... When Asami came, he was sitting in this seat, and that mindless monster just clung to him and followed him around."

Upon hearing this, Masashi Yukimura couldn't help but be surprised, his pupils dilating slightly.

"is that so?"

After satisfying his curiosity, Willy shook his head seriously.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Host, you're overacting!

The system silently complained in its mind.

The empty fan obscured the corners of Kii Kanade's upturned lips, but he didn't press further, simply continuing:

"First-grade students probably won't notice these things..."

"My level is not much different from that of a first-grader."

Vili's tone was firm.

"I had always lived abroad before, and I had never even heard of the Yumishi, let alone any ghost stories or supernatural beings. I couldn't see any of them at all."

"I'm super weak."

Kii Kanade didn't answer immediately; he simply turned his head to look at Yukimura Masashi, who was standing to the side, using the fan as a cover.

See, he's really interesting, isn't he?

Masashi Yukimura remained silent, simply nodding at Vili before straightening his posture.

Kii Kanade wanted to say something more, but the school bell rang, interrupting him. He smiled and turned around.

Watching the teacher enter, Willy spoke to the system with a hint of smugness.

"Il, I did a great job just now, didn't I?"

"Ah...ah?"

"Were you even listening to me?" Willie said, somewhat annoyed. "I deliberately showed off my stupidity, ignorance, and weakness!"

"Oh, and it's also a little bit vicious!"

He seemed completely unaware of the power of ghost stories, but the moment he heard that the seat was bad, he tricked his younger brother into going there. He's clearly not a good person!

"The main characters definitely wouldn't be interested in someone like me; they might even want to stay as far away from me as possible!"

"Although this was just a coincidence, I feel like I might actually have a talent for playing a supporting role..."

Upon hearing this, Il opened the dusty system task and was shocked to find that the progress... had been reduced by five percent.

"...Host, were you serious just now?"

"yes."

Vili nodded.

"..."

Host, you're doing a complete reverse sprint!

Not to mention Kii Kanade, even Yukimura Masashi, who always keeps people at arm's length, was now glancing at Vili from time to time.

But seeing Vili's expectant look, for some reason, the system, in a daze, uttered something else entirely.

"That's right, host, you acted exceptionally well!"

At the same time, the system secretly vowed in its heart that it must guard this world strictly and absolutely prohibit these bastards from approaching its host!

With this in mind, its tentacles on the internet have become increasingly deep, infiltrating all over the world and even alarming the cybersecurity departments of governments around the world.

However, when they tried to search in reverse, they couldn't find even a trace of the other party.

In the future, a rumor about a super hacker will emerge, spreading by word of mouth among people until it becomes... a ghost story about the internet.

However, neither the current system nor Vili knows anything about this.