Mariko extinguished an upper cyan lantern. The well-lit room became more ominous. Darkness clung to the lantern. Shu and Aya unconsciously glanced at it. Their brains told them to note, quantify, and acknowledge the inconsistency repeatedly. It’s like when a neon sign letter goes out. You stare in wonder at the thing that’s wrong. Maybe because it’s funny or because it feels like death is approaching. Mariko’s back was to the lantern. She noticed the attention it was getting, especially from Shu.
“Shu, do you remember the rules?”
“Yes,” Shu said with a start. Aya snickered. Shu looked at his sister and saw her I’m waiting on you look. “Every time you tell a story, you put out your lantern. We keep doing that until all one hundred lights are out.” Shu smiled at Mariko.
“But our twist is that you mention something from each previous story,” Aya said. She cleared her throat and switched to her deep, creepy yamauba voice while reaching out towards Shu with a clawing motion. “After the stories are done and the light fades; It will come.”
“What, it?” Shu looked at his sister and then at Aya.
“It will come.” Aya sat up and moved closer to Shu. Her manicured nails were inches from his face. Shu turned to his sister again.
“It will come,” Mariko said with her face right next to Shu’s.
“Why does your breath stink?” Shu pulled back from Mariko.
“Shut up.” Mariko sat back down with her hand over her mouth. “That’s not how you talk to girls. Anyway, something supernatural will appear, like a ghost.” Her deflated, erratic, and muffled tone made her words sound dubious. “Aya, it’s your turn.”
“Alright. Prepare to be scared. This story is true. I confirmed it myself using reliable sources.” Aya narrowed her eyes. “My first terrifying true tale is ‘Nostalgia’.”

Nostalgia

The following is from a dead post on Night Haunt. This post’s media still works but may be inaccessible for some.

2025/10/25
My name is Omoide-chan. This is my first time posting. I need help. Weird things have been happening to me and my friend. Since this is Night Haunt, I figured someone might know how to stop curses or whatever this is. This is the site that solved the mystery behind Yuto Kodoku’s killings. Those were freaky. I’ll start from the beginning. I hope I make sense.
Two months ago, my friend A-kun told me that his cousin’s boyfriend, B-kun, was acting strangely. B-kun, who was normally outgoing, became reclusive and obsessive. He constantly talked about a TV show he saw as a kid. Every time someone denied seeing it, B-kun flew into a rage. After about two weeks, he started watching a blank TV screen. A week later he shut himself away in his bedroom. After several days, he was dead. His parents found him lounging on the floor; his glossy black eyes reflecting the TV screen. A blissful smile etched into his face.
After the funeral, A-kun’s cousin brought him a box of B-kun’s anime stuff. It contained vintage posters, Blu-rays, and figures. Despite being a high schooler, he had an impressive collection of old-school anime. He had some super obscure 80s titles too. A-kun brought the box to me after he looted what he wanted. One disc caught my eye because the case and the disc were sort of blank. I mean there was no title or artwork on the insert or disc. Instead, a blur like a censor covered it. It reminded me of those secret government documents. I asked A-kun about it.
“You know what this is, right?” A-kun said. He flashed his usual big, stupid grin.
“What?”
“Mahō Rōnin Shōjo! We watched it in middle school. You even had her katana wand.”
“I did?” A-kun liked to prank me sometimes, but he never kept a straight face, and his lies always fell apart. He wasn’t lying about this. His face was so earnest and excited, as if he remembered something wonderful. After all, his job was stressful. It was nice to see him smile like that. His job was toxic and miserable. My job sucks too. I had my doubts about the show, but I asked him to tell me about it. This is how he described it:
‘Ronin magical girl, Lady Akina, wanders Japan after being exiled from her world during a coup. The Empty Empire has stolen the memories of Akina’s people and now sets its eyes on Earth. Her only way home is to regain her stolen memories and her full power. Which means defeating the empire’s ninety-nine generals and its empress.’
When he finished, I recognized the story. It felt nostalgic. As soon as that feeling crept into my mind, the humming began. A-kun hummed a piece of the theme song. It got stuck in my head. Every day after that it would pop into my head at least four times. It’s so hard to think straight. I want it to stop. Thank you in advance for your help. I made a recording of A-kun and included it below:

After the previous post, Night Haunt was down for four days. The comments section sitewide was corrupted.

2025/11/1
It’s been a week now, and A-kun and I are seeing things. That blank Blu-ray case now has artwork on it. This whole time it was the 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition box set. It’s the coolest thing with all ninety-nine generals on it. Plus, the central image shows Lady Akina fighting against her rival, Princess Shizuka. There is also an art book included. A-kun noticed the change first and desperately wanted to watch it. I scratched all the discs, and things calmed down. Two days later, I found it online. I was so happy. Someone uploaded the entire series on VideoOtaku. I’m going to invite A-kun over so we can watch it like we used to. Thanks for listening to my story. I included a link, so you guys can watch it too.