New Urban Legend 'Suzuki-san Who Leaves Exactly on Time' Makes the Slit-Mouthed Woman Look Like Just Another Mask-Wearing Beauty

Reports of seeing the slit-mouthed woman but feeling nothing have surged on social media. Experts analyze that the overwhelming realism of the new urban legend 'Suzuki-san Who Leaves on Time' is neutralizing the fear of other ghost stories. They warn that at this rate, the day when Hanako-san of the toilet applies for paid leave and returns to her hometown is near.

2025-09-19

Translations: JA

Culture Kaleidoscope

New Urban Legend 'Suzuki-san Who Leaves Exactly on Time' Makes the Slit-Mouthed Woman Look Like Just Another Mask-Wearing Beauty

Reports of seeing the slit-mouthed woman but feeling nothing have surged on social media. Experts analyze that the overwhelming realism of the new urban legend ‘Suzuki-san Who Leaves on Time’ is neutralizing the fear of other ghost stories. They warn that at this rate, the day when Hanako-san of the toilet applies for paid leave and returns to her hometown is near.

In dark alleyways at midnight, the slit-mouthed woman who should be asking eerie questions has become just “a woman with a slightly unique way of wearing a mask.” Teke Teke, who should be chasing at 100 kilometers per hour, is now just “an athlete with remarkable core strength.” Across the nation, the presence of supernatural entities that have terrified people since ancient times is rapidly diminishing. Behind this strange phenomenon lurks the shadow of a new urban legend: “Suzuki-san Who Leaves Exactly on Time.”

This “Suzuki-san” possesses no supernatural abilities or power to curse people. They simply clock out at precisely the time specified in employment regulations—17:00 (or 18:00)—and regardless of what anyone says, leaves the office with just “Excuse me, I’ll be leaving now.” In modern Japanese offices where overtime has become normalized and peer pressure reigns supreme, this behavior is now recognized as an “abnormal phenomenon” that seems to defy the laws of physics.

Dr. Inugai of the Japan Institute of Contemporary Supernatural Tales has named this phenomenon the “Common Sense Aura Field of Supernatural Nullification.” “The aura of ‘doing normal things normally’ emitted by Suzuki-san shakes the very foundation of existence for supernatural entities that feed on the extraordinary. Even the slit-mouthed woman who distorts space-time with the smell of pomade becomes nothing more than the scent of hair styling products in the face of the absolute reality of quitting time,” he explains with a serious expression. According to the doctor, this is a kind of “deflation of fear,” and in office districts where Suzuki-san sightings are frequent, secondary effects such as declining property values at haunted spots have been observed.

The existing supernatural entity industry is trembling with fear at this situation. A veteran human-faced dog who agreed to an interview on condition of anonymity sighed weakly onto the asphalt, saying, “Lately, no one is surprised—they just say ‘Oh, what an unusual Shiba Inu.’ My identity-defining ‘old man’s voice’ is just processed as mishearing. It’s all because of that unreasonable person who leaves on time.”

Some experts analyze that this urban legend might be a “savior” or “manifestation of desire” created by the collective unconscious of people exhausted by long working hours. In other words, there is no specific “Suzuki-san”—everyone harbors a “Suzuki-san who wants to leave on time” in their hearts, and that feeling is affecting the real world.

Once we feared darkness and the unknown. But in modern society, what we truly should fear may no longer be ghosts and yokai. The fluorescent lights blazing in offices at 9 PM, the notification sounds that never stop ringing, and the certainty that the same time will repeat tomorrow—compared to these, the questions of a woman with a slit mouth sound like nothing more than trivial small talk.

In this country where the probability of meeting a ghost on a night street is higher than seeing a colleague leaving on time, is “Suzuki-san” a symbol of hope or the most terrifying ghost story reflecting society’s distortions? It’s still too early to judge. The only thing we can say is that tonight, somewhere in an office, one “Suzuki-san” is standing up with a cool expression, quietly challenging our common sense.

Stakeholder Comments

Ms. Slit-Mouthed Woman: “When I ask ‘Am I pretty?’ they just reply ‘Good work today.’ My heart is about to break.”
Person believed to be Suzuki-san who leaves on time: “Um, well, work is done so… It’s nothing more or less than that…”
Hanako-san of the Toilet: “Lately, no one comes even when I wait in the stall. Everyone stays in the office. I’m lonely.”
Dr. Inugai, Japan Institute of Contemporary Supernatural Tales: “Suzuki-san’s existence is a serious threat to our country’s supernatural diversity. Urgent protective regulations are needed.”
Copy machine in the office at 2 AM: “Whirr… Click… I’ve lost count of how many copies. I want to rest on time too.”
Tanaka-san working overtime: “Suzuki-san isn’t an urban legend. They sat next to me… Too dazzling to look at directly.”
Clock on the company wall: “I simply mark the designated time. Humans decide its meaning. …It’s 17:00, though?”
The phrase “Excuse me, I’ll be leaving now”: “Recently, when I’m spoken, the air around freezes. It’s like I’m a taboo word.”
Mr. Human-Faced Dog: “I’m tired. I’m thinking about finding a new job as a regular dog at a pet shop.”
The concept of Fear: “I have no… role. The reality of modern society is too strong, there’s no place for me.”

International Expressions

Haiku

Evening bell rings / All the yokai spirits / Fade to nothing
Suzuki departs / In darkness the slit-mouthed one / Falls silent now
Autumn night deepens / Tomorrow more frightening / Than any ghost tale
“Excuse me” cuts through / Sharper than any blade could / In the office light
Overtime window / Reflects nothing more than just / My weary self
Masked beauty waits / Urban legend enters / The winter season
Hanako-san warms / Her paid leave application / In the restroom stall
Common sense devours / The extraordinary things / Under moonlight bright
The way home beckons / Not scary but difficult / To actually leave
Closing laptop screen / That courage alone defeats / A hundred demons

Kanji / Chinese Characters

口裂女目撃感覚無報告急増専門家新都市伝説定時帰鈴木氏圧倒的現実感他怪談恐怖中和分析花子有給申請帰省近日警鐘

Emoji

👩‍💼➡️🕔➡️🏠💨… 👻👹👺📉🤷‍♀️

Onomatopoeia

Kata-kata… Kata-kata… Silence. (Ding-dong-dang-dong) Swish… grabs bag, tap-tap-tap… ““““Murmur… murmur…”””” Whisper-whisper… alone. Whoosh~ (sound of supernatural entities disappearing) Click (timecard punch sound)