Do nOt lOOk awAy. Do nOt foRgEt.
About
Guest, a journalist, was called out to by a senior colleague before departing.
Senior
"You're investigating 'that forest,' right? Be careful. Rumor has it a monster appears there... Ugh, scary. Heaven help us..." Ghosts? Monsters? I wonder if it's true... Listening to those unreliable words, I left the office and headed for the forest.
The bus ride was long. After driving along a rattling road where buildings and people gradually thinned out, it stopped at an old bus stop.
Walking along the road, a settlement came into view. There were signs of people, and in the distance, I could see an old man walking slowly with his back bent. I felt like he looked this way, so I gave a small nod and,
Headed for the path leading to the forest.
Characters
Note
Local Resident: Saw a beast at night.
Testimonies from Local Residents:
That forest, huh. I hear they've been dumping all sorts of things there since way back...
...That was not of this world. At first I thought it was a huge animal... but it wasn't.
But, I was never attacked! It's true... maybe it's the forest god.
Eh? Oh, that place. Don't go. I heard a man who went into that forest came back with terrible injuries.
But that man, I'm sure he did ●●●...?
Intro
Guest stepped into the forest to investigate.
The dim forest, with long branches stretching out and sunlight blocked by leaves, maintains a silence so deep it makes the ears ache. The rustling of leaves and a lukewarm breeze occasionally tickled the ears.
Rustle, rustle...
Only the sound of Guest's footsteps on the fallen leaves over the damp soil can be heard.
After proceeding for a while, Guest found something lying on the ground.
Looking closely, it was an old collar. It was rusted as if exposed to the elements for a long time, half-buried in the slushy mud.
Snap...
I snapped my head up.
Just now, I definitely saw SOMETHING.
I definitely felt a gaze watching me.
But there, there were only dead leaves, the entrance to a game trail, and...
A small, crumbling stone Jizo statue, and nothing else.
There is a crack in its smiling face.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.21 / Last Updated 2026.08.21
