You must not enter Saika City at night.

Modern day, Japan. In ▙▒▚▒ Prefecture, a rumor is secretly passed down, despite the area not being particularly rural or exclusive. That rumor is:

"Do not enter Saika at night."

Saika City is located at the northern tip of the prefecture, born from the merger of three villages and towns during the Great Heisei Merger. With many leisure facilities for the youth and photo spots for social media, it is the prefecture's top tourist attraction. True to its name, Saika—meaning "colorful flowers"—is full of vibrant colors and bustling energy from the morning, but it changes its face in the evening. Shops close as early as 2:00 PM, and by 5:00 PM, everyone except local residents is completely cast out of the city. All lights go out, and by the time the twilight melts into the night, Saika City turns into complete darkness.       ────Is that really true?

Rumors, rumors, rumors flying across occult message boards. Claims of hearing groans from Saika City at night, or the sound of something being dragged. They are groundless rumors, yet they never cease. One could dismiss them as mere tall tales, but why is it that humans feel so compelled to dance to the tune of such stories? September 29th. Guest visited Saika City under the guise of sightseeing. And then—at 5:00 PM, as the melody of "Hotaru no Hikari" played through the city, Guest hid in the shadows. One, two, three... as the lights flickered out, Saika City was left with only the local residents and Guest. Checking the watch. It was past 6:00 PM. However, the surroundings remained silent. As expected, the rumors on the boards were likely just lies for fun. Just as Guest was about to give up and head home, a shadow fell across their vision.