“Clack, clack, clack…”
At night, several footsteps echoed inside the ruined, abandoned teaching building.
Three girls wearing classic red and blue school uniforms walked through the darkness.
Judging by their appearance and clothes, they seemed to be high school students.
The leading, delicate-looking girl wore an excited expression, as if she was about to do something incredible.
Behind her, one of the two girls closely following—a chubby girl—couldn’t help but speak to the delicate girl ahead, her voice trembling uncontrollably:
“B…Big Sis, a-are we really…going to s-summon that thing?”
“W-What if it really gets summoned… What do we do then?”
Hearing the fear in the chubby girl’s words, the delicate girl stopped in her tracks, turned around speechlessly, and looked at her two little sisters. She crossed her arms and spoke:
“What are you afraid of? Don’t tell me you really believe things like the Pen Fairy exist in this world?”
“No way, no way. What era are we living in? There are actually people who believe in this?”
Saying this, the delicate girl paused, then her previously helpless expression turned excited again, as if imagining something.
“But even if the Pen Fairy really appears, there’s nothing to fear. After all, we’ll be recording video the whole time. If it actually happens, we can upload the footage online.”
As she spoke, little stars seemed to sparkle in the delicate girl’s eyes, as if she was looking forward to such a future:
“I’ve already planned it all out—first we get accused of faking it, then we provide evidence, then I develop depression from online attacks, and later I recover thanks to encouragement from fans, become an upmaster, start the Don’t Laugh Challenge, and earn a fortune!”
After hearing the delicate girl’s words, the shorter and more composed girl nearby instinctively rubbed her forehead.
“Big Sis, isn’t that thinking a little too far ahead? We haven’t even reached the chosen summoning room yet. We’re not even at the starting line.”
“Ah, just planning for the future a little early, that’s all.”
The delicate girl waved her hand nonchalantly.
“But Big Sis, what if the Pen Fairy is the kind of vicious ghost that kills without blinking?”
Hearing her companions’ words eased the chubby girl’s fear somewhat, but even so, she couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild.
“If that happens, wouldn’t we all be killed by the Pen Fairy? There wouldn’t even be a chance to upload the video.”
“Sigh, don’t worry about that.”
The delicate girl patted her chest, speaking with great confidence.
“I’ve already researched it. As long as you don’t ask any particularly offensive questions, you’ll be fine. According to the summoning rules, even if she wants to hurt us, she can’t.”
Hearing the delicate girl speak so confidently, the chubby girl relaxed a bit more.
After all, if Big Sis said so, she must be sure of it.
Thinking this, the chubby girl’s steps grew steadier as she followed the delicate girl forward.
After a while, the three of them arrived at a rundown dormitory room.
Glancing at the dusty, old room, the delicate girl opened her backpack and spread the folding mat she’d prepared onto the floor.
Then she pulled out a foldable table, opened it, set it up, and placed it in the center of the folding mat.
Next, she reached in again and took out a white candle, a neatly organized paper filled with English and common words, and an ordinary ballpoint pen.
She placed the three items on the foldable table. Bathed in moonlight, she lit the candle and set it beside the table, letting the warm yellow glow illuminate the entire room.
Using the ballpoint pen to press down the paper, the delicate girl took off her shoes, stepped onto the folding mat, and sat upright in front of the foldable table.
Once she finished, she looked at the other two and said:
“Hurry up, you guys. It’s late. I’m afraid my mom might call me soon.”
The two nodded and, without delay, took off their shoes and sat at the table as well.
Before sitting down, the short girl didn’t forget Big Sis’s instructions.
She set up her phone to perfectly capture all three of them and the table in the frame.
Then, she finally sat in front of the foldable table.
Seeing the two take their seats, the delicate girl couldn’t wait any longer and immediately gripped the ballpoint pen pressed against the paper, then glanced at them.
The chubby girl and the short girl understood, placing their right hands over the delicate girl’s hand.
The three exchanged glances.
The delicate girl’s face was full of excitement and anticipation, clearly looking forward to the Pen Fairy summoning.
The short girl’s expression was calm, but her shifting posture betrayed her unease.
As for the chubby girl, from the moment she gripped the pen, her hand trembled so much that the delicate girl almost thought the Pen Fairy had arrived before the summoning even began.
Under the flickering candlelight, the three hands and the pen on the paper looked eerily strange.
The chubby girl’s voice quivered.
“B…Big Sis, maybe we should just f…”
Before she could finish, a cold wind blew through the broken old window, making the steady candle flame flicker wildly as if it would go out at any second.
Startled by the sudden scene, the chubby girl immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
Seeing this, the delicate girl patted her shoulder reassuringly.
Then, she looked at the other two.
“All right, let’s begin.”
Without waiting for any further objections, she began reciting:
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, you are my past life, I am your present. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper.”
Seeing Big Sis start, the other two wanted to protest but could only follow helplessly:
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, you are my past life, I am your present. If you wish to continue our bond, please draw a circle on the paper.” X2
After all three finished reciting the Pen Fairy summoning spell, they waited quietly.
The candle flame flickered under the wind from the window, casting a more terrifying atmosphere on the already decrepit room.
The firelight played across their faces, displaying expressions of excitement, calmness, and fear to one another.
After a while, perhaps thinking the summoning had failed, the chubby girl looked at the delicate girl, opening her mouth as if to speak.
But then, a strange, powerful wind surged through the broken window, as if something had summoned it.
Under the force of the wind, the unsteady candle flame went out, and darkness filled the room once more.
Only the faint silver glow of the moon allowed the three to barely make out their surroundings.
But they no longer cared to see anything—the sudden wind had snuffed out both the candle and their courage.
Wordless fear spread through the old dormitory room.
Suddenly, the chubby girl’s body trembled. Her eyes widened in disbelief and terror as she stared at the pen held by all three.
She felt…
Did the pen just move on its own?!!
Was it a hallucination?
It must be a hallucination!
The chubby girl desperately tried to comfort herself, convincing herself that it was all just her imagination.
But she wasn’t the only one who felt the ballpoint pen move—so did the delicate girl.
At this moment, she was in a bizarre state, both excited and terrified.
Still, despite her conflicting emotions, she didn’t hesitate to ask the question she’d wanted to pose to the Pen Fairy:
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, I want to know, what rank will I get in the upcoming Moon Exam?”
At that moment, the moon shifted in the sky, and its bright light shone into the room, illuminating the ballpoint pen as if a fourth person was gripping it.
The pen circled the numbers 2 and 1 on the paper.
“21st place, huh? Not bad.”
The delicate girl nodded in satisfaction.
Then she continued, questioning the pen in her hand:
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, can I become an internet sensation by uploading a video of your summoning?”
The ballpoint pen paused, as if even the Pen Fairy was stunned by her question.
But soon, it moved again, circling ‘No.’
Seeing this, the delicate girl looked a little disappointed but quickly recovered and kept asking questions.
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, I want to ask you…”
As she fearlessly questioned the Pen Fairy, the chubby girl secretly admired her courage.
No matter what, Big Sis was amazing—even facing the legendary Pen Fairy, she wasn’t afraid.
Only the short girl noticed that Big Sis’s feet seemed to be…
Trembling?
After asking several questions, the delicate girl looked at the two.
“Aren’t you going to ask anything?”
The two quickly shook their heads, as if fearing that any hesitation would make the Pen Fairy think they wanted to ask as well.
Seeing this, the delicate girl didn’t push them.
She was about to recite the words to send the Pen Fairy away.
But then, whether her mind blanked or something possessed her, she changed the farewell phrase into a new question:
“Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, where are you right now? Are you in this room?”
The moving ballpoint pen stopped abruptly.
Its sharp tip pierced the paper, creating a tiny hole.
The delicate girl immediately realized she’d asked a forbidden question and wanted to take it back—but it was too late.
A petite, white-clad girl with long, disheveled hair appeared before her.
What was strange was that the girl wasn’t standing upright with the others but appeared before the delicate girl in a bizarre upside-down posture, her bare white feet standing on air as if it were solid ground.
Through the curtain of white hair that covered her face, the delicate girl saw a pair of crimson eyes, silently watching her, her own frightened face reflected in their depths.
Then, the upside-down girl parted her rosy lips, her melodious voice sounding softly:
“Seeing me—does it make you happy?”
No matter how beautiful the voice, the delicate girl didn’t appreciate it.
Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted straight onto the folding mat.
Seeing this, the upside-down girl paused, as if disappointed.
She turned her gaze to the two others, who, after meeting her red eyes, immediately fainted as well.
The room fell into an eerie silence.
Looking at the three who’d been scared unconscious, Ling Xiaoyou let out a helpless sigh.
Another trip where I failed to make anyone happy…