Let's go KAIKIGUMI (レッツゴー怪奇組)

You ever hear weird voices behind you when you're alone?

I do.

Who the hell are you?

Me? A man who loves solitude.

And yet, whenever I'm alone, I'm plagued by these incessant voices.

Then, go see an ENT.

It's not my ears ringing. It's definitely someone's voice.

I figured talking to someone might distract me.

That's why I'm talking to you.

Quit following me.

Don't be so cold.

People tend to think about all sorts of things when they're alone.

For example...

You're all alone in your room,

and you suddenly sense someone in your closet.

What's the matter?

N-Nothing.

I'm kidding.

Even if you sense something, it's your mind playing tricks.

After all, there's no one in the closet, right?

No one living, at least.

What's that supposed to mean?

Cut the act. It was you, wasn't it, Keiichiro?

You're the one who killed the woman in the scarf behind me.

She follows me and keeps whispering in my ear,

telling me to take revenge on Keiichiro, the man who strangled her.

Every damn day! It's enough to drive anyone nuts!

Don't you dare run!

H-Hold on! Take it easy!

Don't patronize me by telling me to calm down!

You've got the wrong guy!

Huh?

My name isn't Keiichiro! See for yourself! Here's my student ID!

My bad.

At least get the right face before you go looking for revenge, moron.

Oh, you're back.

Something wrong?

You usually tell me to leave. Did something happen?

Well, I can't really put it into words...

But this neighborhood might be kinda sketchy.

Mysterious legends of apparitions, ghosts, and all kinds of supernatural phenomena.

In other words, ghost stories.

Behind them all is a secret organization that makes a living by terrifying folk

and sending them into a frenzy.

It's called the Kaikigumi! Or something.

MYSTERY 7

Hey, do you hear something?

You're right. It sounds like a kid crying.

There! Over there! That's a kid standing there, right?

It's a little girl. What's she doing out all by herself?

She's obviously lost. We should take her to the police.

Wait. Something's not right.

We just came from that direction.

It's a straight road with a clear view.

How could we have missed her until we heard her crying?

This is creepy.

Um, this is literally the first time we've met.

We just happened to be walking the same way.

So the fact you keep talking to me like we know each other

is also pretty creepy.

So what? Who cares about that when a little girl just appeared out of nowhere?

We probably just missed her in this darkness.

Hey!

Bah. What a hopeless woman you are.

Huh?

A girl walking home at night called out to an eerie kid who'd seeped out of the darkness,

then vanished into thin air!

Whew. I needed that.

I was dying to tell someone. That kept me up all night.

What the heck are you going on about?

Basically, a high school girl disappeared yesterday.

That's ridiculous.

What's that? You think I'm lying?

I saw it all happen.

Yes, with these very eyes.

You're not helping your credibility acting like that.

Maybe she was spirited away.

Snatching one person when there were two there. That's pretty bold.

True.

It's easier to go after people when they're alone.

You're thinking like a total creep.

That's rude!

A high school girl has been missing since shortly after 5 PM yesterday.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police.

Sounds like she's still missing.

Additionally, a man in his 40s has been reported missing.

Huh?

As well as a man in his 20s, a woman in her 50s...

A second man in his 40s...

Whoa, people just keep getting added.

They're not getting added. They're being taken away.

TEN MINUTES LATER

The missing man is large, bare-chested, has an ancient mizura hairstyle,

and a fur pelt draped over one shoulder.

Anyone with any information...

What kind of person is that?

TEN MORE MINUTES LATER

That concludes the list of missing persons. Repeating, uh, the information...

I feel sorry for whoever's reading this.

Hey, boss. Are we really just gonna let this get out of hand?

You're right.

Is this the place?

Apparently, you can hear a child's voice calling out from nowhere.

I'm already regretting this.

What are you doing?

A tether.

This way, even if you disappear, we won't get separated.

Makes sense.

I'm not a dog!

Why'd you assume I'm gonna disappear?

Your solutions to supernatural problems are always physical!

I-I hear it.

H-Hey there. What's the matter? Are you lost?

H-Hey, Mechako. It's her.

Wh-Why are there only arms? H-Hey!

Mechako! Where'd you go?

See? Aren't you glad we tied ourselves together?

Looks like this is where folks end up when they disappear.

So I disappeared?

Bingo.

Too bad. You found me.

Shurako?

I knew it. She's your cousin, right?

The nudist who's into collecting hair from bathtubs.

That's how you remember her?

So this was your doing? What do you want?

Hide-and-seek!

Hide-and-seek?

If the person left behind finds all the people who are hiding, you win,

and I let you go home.

But if the seeker goes home before finding everyone, I win,

and I play with you here forever and ever.

So you two have to go hide.

Don't you recognize me?

Don't bother.

The curse made her a kid inside and out, so she doesn't know who you are.

And what are you? A mud puddle?

Yup, a mud puddle.

By "curse," you mean the middle-aged guy's soul she stepped on?

That thing messed with her personality, too?

Yeah.

If she were an ordinary human, she'd probably just be a hopeless little kid.

But Shurako-san's from the Kaikigumi bloodline,

so she's got some incredible innate powers.

And those powers have gone completely out of control.

Ugh, I really don't want to do this.

Shurako-chan. Shurako-chan.

Spank. Spank. Spank. Spank. Spank. Spank.

Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta.

S-Stop it, Mechako. Have mercy on her!

I hear ya. But a sweet, innocent child like this

only exists in the twisted fantasies of adults.

Spank, spank. Spank, spank.

Whoa, something escaped.

It's the twisted middle-aged guy's soul.

Yikes. No more for me.

Its goofiness doesn't match how nasty it is.

Wh-Why, you. You ain't gettin' away!

BURST

Ooh, pretty fireworks.

By the way, what are we doing out here?

Yeah, let's go home.

Damn you, klutz.

You've got some nerve spanking me like that.

It was the only way to rid you of that curse.

Huh?

It was written on that paper you stole from my doll. Didn't you read it?

What a messed-up way to cure it.

I wasn't exactly thrilled about doing that to a child, either.

Or did you want to keep playing that deadly hide-and-seek?

Don't go thinkin' this means I owe you one.

If I get the chance, I'm comin' for your spot as the boss.

So watch your back.

How can she act so cool walking away in a skintight outfit?

Don't start. We finally got everything worked out.

Negative emotions of all kinds swirl throughout the world.

Evil spirits that bring calamity to mankind feast upon them.

That's what I am.

Rage. Hatred. Bloodlust.

I am constantly in search of malicious intent.

Gimme a break, bladder.

I'm not about to wet myself, but my tank's full enough to make it uncomfortable.

Ouch. Watch where you're going.