The Third Rumor: The Last Train
The Third Rumor: Last Train is the fourth chapter of Twilight Syndrome: Search. This chapter follows Mika Kishii, Yukari Hasegawa and Chisato Itsushima's investigation into the rumored ghosts that inhabit Murayamadai Train Station.
Summary[edit]
Some time after Mayumi Fujita's suicide; at Hinashiro High School Yukari Hasegawa meets with Kazuya Kitamura in the hallway. Yukari asks Kazuya to meet her by the gate after school as the two of them have not seen each other recently. Kitamura gets agitated and reminds her that Mayumi Fujita is still on everybody's mind and the two should not be seen together. Yukari sarcastically calls him sensitive and calls him out for hitting on her in the first place. He agrees to call her later that night. Yukari tries to flirt with him but he quickly removes himself leading Yukari to call him a jerk.
Yukari arrives home that night and goes to her room, locking the door behind her. Yukari's mother knocks on her door and asks to talk with her. Yukari attempts to have the conversation through the door, but her mother finds it difficult to say what she wants to say. Yukari tells her to leave and that she needs to study, but her mother reveals she found a large sum of money (10,000 yen) in Yukari's school bag. Yukari lies that worked a part time job over the spring but her mother is not satisfied with the answer. Yukari's mother once again insists on having a face to face conversation fearing the worst, Yukari however is more angry about her mother going through her belongings. Yukari accuses her mother of not trusting her and her mother walks off. Yukari proceeds to eavesdrop on her mother while she makes a phone call. Yukari's mother calls Yukari's father and accuses him of no longer caring about his daughter after their divorce. She begs him to talk to Yukari but he doesn't seem to want to.
After her mother hangs up the phone Yukari calls Chisato, but her Chisato's mother answers the phone instead. She tells Yukari that Chisato isn't home yet. She then calls Kitamura, but it goes straight to voicemail. Yukari leaves a message reprimanding him for not calling and then hangs up. Finally Yukari calls Mika. Mika answers and is shocked that Yukari called her. Yukari asks her if she heard any interesting rumors and Mika says she'll tell her about them in person.
Later that night, Yukari meets up with Chisato and Mika at a small restaurant. The girls order food and Chisato asks Yukari about Kitamura. Yukari explains her frustrations with him and her mother. She then explains that she is embarrassed by her father as he pretends to call about Yukari only as an excuse to talk to her mother as he still harbours feelings for her. Chisato expresses her sympathy and assures Yukari that she is there for her. Mika then begins to tell the others about the mysteries surrounding Murayamadai Train Station. As the girls eat she continues on that numerous people have died there, most recently a man jumped in front of the train only to gruesomely be torn apart by the wheels. Yukari chides Mika for sharing such graphic details while they are eating, to which Mika apologizes. Mika explains that it is a local hotspot of paranormal activity. Yukari assumes that Mika wants to explore the station to which Mika corrects her and reveals she wants to take photos of the spirits to send to paranormal magazines. Yukari tells Mika that if she keeps up this kind of lifestyle she is going to die one day. Mika rebuffs her and confidently declares that her luck will keep her safe. Chisato reminds Mika of the first time they encountered ghosts and how dangerous it was. Mika decides to go on her own but the other two tag along to keep an eye on her.
On their way to the station Mika recalls a particularly horrific incident at Murayamadai where a child fell onto the tracks and was struck in front of her mother. Yukari expresses anger towards the mother for not doing anything to prevent it but Mika tells her she doesn't have any more information. Yukari begins to wonder why ghosts would be attracted to a train station which inspires Mika to call Aramata; a local paranormal writer and ask him. Yukari voices her apprehension but Mika ignores it promptly hopping into a nearby phone booth and calling him. Entertained by Mika's enthusiasm he helps her through her question. He explains that ghosts usually appear in extremely private places such as haunted houses for deeply personal reasons. He continues to explain that rumors of ghosts in public places such as parks, schools and even train stations are the result of urbanization. It's a result of a new kind of fear or strangers or outsiders existing not around places but within places. A sort of fear of strangers separated from the actual strangers surrounding people everyday. Mika concludes her call feeling somewhat confused and rejoins with the others. Yukari wonders how Mika became acquaintances with Aramata but Mika coyly tells her that it's a secret.
The trio arrive at Murayamadai station but the staff is still present despite the fact that the last train already departed. Unwilling to wait Yukari opts to climb the fence to get to the platform. After climbing over they are startled by a passing train, Chisato comments on how sharp the turn is at the station. Mika notifies the others that the they can find the ghost of a female office worker that committed suicide at the connecting bridge. The trio passes the restroom on their way to the bridge prompting Mika to tell them about another woman that slashed her wrists in the bathroom. Yukari scolds Mika for describing these horrible stories nonchalantly, Mika however tells that because she has nothing to with them personally they do not feel real to her. Yukari asks Chisato if she feels anything but Chisato says that she doesn't much to Mika's disappointment. Mika however takes a photo anyway. The trio checks the other bathroom, much to Yukari's chagrin. Yukari notices that Chisato is staring at a ghostly reflection in a mirror that Mika quickly photographs. The trio rush out of the bathroom back to the platform. Yukari denies that what they saw was legitimate but Chisato assures her it was in fact real and was trying to speak to her but was scared away by the flash of the camera.
The girls arrive at the connecting bridge and Mika explains more details about the office worker that committed suicide. Mika claims an acquaintance was present at the sight of her suicide. The woman apparently was torn apart by the train leaving only her arm still attached which she waved around repeating the word "unforgivable" until she finally died. After Mika finishes her story Chisato starts to feel cold and suddenly lets out a surprised gasp. Mika and Yukari turn to Chisato, startled by her sudden noise. Chisato points behind them revealing an apparition of a woman at the end of the bridge. The woman makes eye contact with the girls and Mika quickly snaps a shot before the spirit vanishes. Chisato warns that something terrible will happen if they follow her but Yukari proceeds nonetheless. The trio follow the apparition down to the other side of the platform until she once again vanishes. The girls search around the platform but find nothing, feeling frustrated Mika accuses Chisato of lying to get attention. Yukari comes to Chisato's defense and the two briefly argue until they are interrupted by the a disembodied voice uttering the word 'unforgivable'. Mika then suddenly collapses and falls onto the tracks. She gets back to her feet narrowly avoiding being struck by the train.
Chisato speculates that the woman hasn't accepted her own death yet and still clings to something terrible that happened in her life. Mika returns to the platform and accuses Chisato of pushing her, Yukari asserts Chisato's innocence but Mika remains adamant in her accusation. Frustrated with Mika, Yukari decides that she and Chisato are going to go home and leave Mika behind. As Chisato and Yukari leave a nearby phone begins to ring. Mika realizes that the phone was not there earlier. The caller seems to ignore everything Mika says and refers to her as 'Keiko'. Mika hangs up the phone, confused. Mika's pager beeps but it's from a number she does no recognize. She calls the number again only for it to be the same caller from before. Mika insults him but he continues to ignore her and apologizes for being late before devolving into manic ranting regarding the crossing signal. Mika hangs up again but the phone continues to ring. When she tries to leave over the connecting bridge she however arrives once again on the same platform. Feeling scared, Mika sits down on the platform and wishes to go home.
Meanwhile, Yukari and Chisato are on their way home. Yukari tells Chisato she is too nice to Mika and that is why she acts like a brat. Chisato stops in her tracks and decides they have to go back for Mika. Yukari follows Chisato back to the platform and they find Mika sitting on the ground. Mika tells them about the phone calls but Chisato assures her that the presence is gone and that she is safe. Chisato makes Mika and Yukari apologize to each other before they continue their investigation, Mika and Yukari are hesitant at first but eventually do so. The girls decide to continue their search and pass by a noodle stand. Yukari notices sounds coming from the stand and decides to bang on the glass door. Upon doing so a bowl falls out of the air and shatters against the ground. Chisato confirms that Yukari scared away whatever was holding it. On the other side of the tracks the girls are called by a man from across the tracks that comments on how cold the air is, he then complains that he is sobering up. A train passes in front of him and he vanishes into thin air much to the trio's surprise. Mika claims he is the legendary "Man That Moves at the Speed of Light" but quickly admits that she made that one up. Further down the platform the trio notices an apparition of a small boy trying to order a drink from a vending machine, Mika snaps his picture as he vanishes. The trio find a small flower in a bottle of water placed behind the stairs, Chisato confirms it was placed there as a memorial to the boy. Chisato explains that he was given some money by his parents to buy a drink but dropped it and tried to retrieve it from the tracks where he was struck and killed. As an offering to the boy Yukari buys him a can of plum juice hoping that it will bring him some comfort. Chisato however follows her senses back over the crossing bridge, much to everybody's horror there is now a third platform to descend to.
As they arrive on the third platform the girls notice the thick presence of fog that was not there before. Yukari checks the schedule for the platform and apparently this train goes to Yuuyamigaoka (The Hill of Dusk) which neither Chisato nor Mika are familiar with. The trio are approached by a strange station attendant that asks what they are doing at the station at such an hour. He tells them that the last train is approaching despite the last train having already arrived before the trio even arrived. Mika chases after the station attendant but doesn't manage to get any information about Yuuyamigaoka from him. The train arrives emmitting an eerie blue light from it's windows, Yukari snaps of a photo of the train and the attendant. Mika decides to board the train but Chisato protests that it might be dangerous. Yukari agrees with Chisato and doesn't let Mika on. The attendant crypically asks if the girls are railroad enthusiasts and vanishes. The girls suddenly find themselves in front of a tiny cemetery behind the station.
The following day back at the school, Mika excitedly shows her newly developed photos to Chisato and Yukari. The first shot of the bathroom reveals nothing but the second shot of the mirror clearly displays the apparition of a hand. Yukari questions it's authenticity but becomes a bit scared when Chisato confirms it's legitimacy. The third photo of the bridge has the image of scowling eyes superimposed over it. The fourth photo of the noodle stand doesn't show anything but Chisato elaborates that it was only because it was taken too late. The fifth photo of the vending machine failed to display the boy, but the final photo Mika took shows numerous white apparitions boarding the train to Yuuyamigaoka. Chisato speculates that the spirits inhabiting the tiny cemetary were leaving aboard this final train as the continuing urbanization of Hinashiro City made it impossible for them to enjoy their eternal rest. Chisato quietly reflects on the spirits that inhabited the train station itself and hopes they boarded the final train to a place of peace and quiet.
Bad Endings[edit]
If Mika is allowed to board the last train she goes missing for multiple days before being found catatonic and unresponsive outside of Murayamadai Train Station by the police. She never quite recovers and becomes a shell of her former self.
