A little bit of hope was what we were all looking for.

At least, it was something I was able to know now that I've been hearing an incredible story from Shiro with regards to the possible identity of that ghost causing disturbance in this bookstore and had even went to my house just to seek help.

"They said that she was just living alone here ever since moving out from her parents' house. But at times, people could hear her talking to someone after returning home from work so they thought that she decided to finally have a roommate. They weren't sure about that, though. Then one night, she disappeared. No one knew where she had gone to. Until a week later, they found her body sealed in a chest box just beneath the basement of this house."

"Does the case remains unsolved until now? About who killed her?"

Shiro nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. That case had also reached its statute's limit, if we were to base it from the number of years since they found the body. No witnesses were found, either. No possible suspects were identified, as well." He paused for a while before facing me all of a sudden. "By the way, why are you asking me about that?"

"Does the dead woman's hand... had a hole on it? Particularly the palm of her left hand."

Of course, I was already expecting Shiro to be surprised with that. But from the look on his face, he looked unsure as to whether he would ask me something or not.

"Did that woman's ghost appeared to you, Ellie?" he asked all of a sudden, which surprised me this time.

Did he know?

For some reason, I only chose to avoid his gaze and faced the locked door. Moments later, the pounding on the door began. Along with that, that chilling sensation at the back of my neck started again. When I turned around, I saw her again ー the ghost of that dead woman who was killed here.

At the same time, I saw the chains around her slowly starting to leave her, except for that around her left leg. Upon carefully looking at it, there were definitely chain marks on that part of her leg.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I could only whisper as I saw that.

"One more thing. When they found her body, there was definitely a hole on her right palm caused by a gunshot. The bullet passed through her palm and ended up hitting her chest. She died of strangulation when the gunshot wasn't enough to kill her, they said. Not to mention that the chain wrapped on her left leg was the one used to strangle her."

But the manner on how the woman died wasn't the thing that was bothering me. The moving chains on her leg at the moment... It was something I needed to find out.

However, if that pounding on the door kept on going, it would only be a matter of time before that man broke in here and try to kill us.

"Ellie... You better get going. I don't think that woman will ever stop causing disturbance here if you don't find out what she wanted you to do," Shiro suggested moments later.

That one made me look at him. "But what about you? And that man outside?"

"I can handle him. I may not look like it, but I can handle guys trying to cause trouble like this. Besides, if he's this determined to break in here despite the impact-resistant glasses I specifically used for the store's windows, then he wanted something in here. You should find out what it was before he gets his hands on it."

Normally, it would be hard for me to believe Shiro like this. But the way he was looking at me at the moment only told me that he was serious. A lot of things must have happened since he left the town for him to become like this.

To be even more dependable than he ever was when I was a child.

I nodded and soon headed to the place where the chain binding that woman at the moment could possibly end.

The answer was there.

I just have to find it.

xxxxxx

I finally reached it.

After running for a short while, I finally found the end of the chain. And it was...

"Beyond that wall, huh?" I muttered as I tried to prepare myself to approach it.

But then, something made me frown a bit as soon as I got a closer look at that wall.

Why was it wooden?

Now that I realized it, that part seemed to be the only one which was made of wood. If that was so...

Wait... This all seemed to be a bit easy. But no doubt, the chain that the female ghost was bound to had ended there. Beyond that wooden wall.

The answer as to why she was still restless, besides the fact that the killer hadn't been found after all these years, was kept beyond that wall for 20 years.

I shook my head to shrug off the thoughts running in my head that only made me hesitant to do anything. I had to put an end to this commotion. That woman was hoping for the same thing, as well.

At least, I was able to figure that out.

Taking the axe that Shiro probably decided to keep there, I took a deep breath and gathered all my strength to break that wooden wall with the axe I was holding.