A romantic comedy with a little ghost girl.

CHAPTER 15 - The Mindset of a Widow. Part 5

(POV - Yuki)

"… So… How was your day?"

"… I guess it was fine."

Ah… Eating dinner without Saik is awkward. Where did that idiot go?! He left without telling us anything. That was rude of him… Though it's something he'd do.

He didn't even say goodbye; he just left, and he didn't let us leave the house! Maybe he just wanted some privacy, but he could've at least said bye. Why's he acting so weird? Well, weirder than usual.

"Where could Saik have gone? It's weird that he left without saying anything."

"It's not weird; it's something he'd do, Noel."

Saik is pretty nice to me, but his true personality is kind of… selfish. He only cares about his own well-being. He's not that selfish, since he cares about me, but I guess today was an exception.

I still remember the homeless guy he kicked when the guy grabbed his arm. I know the guy's action was rude, but there was no need to kick him!

And he did it with people watching; he didn't care about being seen.

Saik isn't a good person, but he's definitely not evil.

If he's not evil but does bad things like kicking a homeless guy, that leaves me with one option: Saik is someone who only thinks about himself.

You don't need to be evil to seem like it. Saik doesn't care about others' opinions, not even mine; he only cares about his own, which is why he refuses to comb his hair. He's comfortable with that style and doesn't want to lose that comfort just to please others.

It's not arrogance; it's selfishness—the act of only thinking about and caring for oneself. The fact that I had to strong-arm him into helping Sylphie is proof of that. To avoid unnecessary trouble (and out of laziness), he didn't want to help her, even though he knew the pain Sylphie was going through with her mother and the bullying.

Saik didn't want to help someone like Sylphie, despite knowing her pain.

Saik, a guy who feels no empathy for others… At least not for humans.

Saik is very kind to me, treats me really well. Is it because we're friends or because I'm a ghost?

He's told me several times that he feels uncomfortable around humans. Could that be why he doesn't feel empathy for them?

"Yuki, hey, Yuki."

"Huh? What's up?"

"You got lost in your thoughts. I was asking if you're sure about what you said. Saik seems like a very kind and polite guy."

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard that.

Kind and polite? Yeah, right. Kind, the guy who ate a burger in front of a hungry homeless man just because the guy insulted his mom? Sure, the homeless guy was wrong to insult Saik's late mother, but what Saik did was pretty cruel, especially since he even bought another burger for a dog to eat in front of the guy (though that was kind of nice, since the dog was a stray and really skinny. It was heartwarming to see it eat so happily).

Saik is vindictive (at least when it comes to his family); he's far from being considered kind. He's a guy who only cares about what he thinks and doesn't give importance to others.

He's only helping Iris because Noel will help him study.

And today, he helped Sylphie only because I threatened to stop helping him cheat.

Saik only thinks about himself.

If there's no benefit for him, he doesn't do anything… He doesn't do anything…

Is he kind to me because… he's afraid I'll hate him? I mean… Saik lost his family… And he considers me his little sister… Is he afraid I'll end up hating him, and that's why he treats me so well?

Ah… I don't know. And it's pretty depressing to think about.

"Saik may seem kind, but he's not… Huh?"

S-someone put their hand on my head. I-I recognize this hand.

Uwaaah! How did he get in without me noticing?!

"Not kind, huh? You're breaking my heart, Yuki."

"W-welcome back, Saik. Will you forgive me if I give you a back massage?"

"No need; I agree with you. I like your honesty, Yuki."

He started patting my head and sat next to me.

Phew. I'm saved. See, Noel? Saik is kind. Why did you doubt him? No, no, no. Very bad, Noel.

"Ah, I had a long night. So sleepy."

"Where did you go, Saik?! And why didn't you let me come with you?!"

"I went to eat."

"To eat?! And why didn't you invite us?! That's pretty selfish, Saik! I thought we were friends. Oh, my heart. I feel so betrayed. I'm packing my bags and leaving the house!"

"It's your life; you decide what to do with it. I'll miss you, Yuki."

"Okay, okay, you convinced me. Stop crying for me; I'll stay. I'm not cruel enough to abandon you, Saik. Oh, I'm such a great friend, huh?"

"I like it when you act like that, Yuki. It's fun and adorable. Don't you think so, Noel?"

"Well… I guess so, though that sudden mood swing catches me off guard sometimes," Noel said.

Fufu. Someone's gotta be the fun one around here. I'm the only normal and fun person in this house! Noel's a boring professor who only cooks and writes study guides for Saik. And Saik's a cold, expressionless guy who's only fun when he plays along with my jokes… Or is he answering seriously? N-no, he's definitely playing along with my jokes; I doubt he actually took me seriously about leaving the house… Right?

"Actually, I went to buy some updated study guides for Noel to read and teach me his way. Ah, and I ate a burger with someone because I got hungry. I didn't take you because… Well, I suspect the ghost hunters are onto me. You know, because of my perfect score on the entrance exam, despite my past grades. I feel eyes on me, and I'd rather avoid it."

"T-they're here?"

Uwaaah! I'm in dan…! Hmm… Wait… Fufu. They can't see me. Hahahahaha! Phew. I'm safe.

As long as Saik isn't caught talking "alone," we don't need to worry.

"Yeah, but we can talk freely here. I'm not a threat to them; I'm just a human who can see ghosts. With all the demons and evil ghosts in the world, they can't afford to watch me too closely."

"But don't they have devices that let them hear what's going on in here? Isn't it dangerous to talk here?" Noel said.

True, a secret organization like that probably has super advanced tech.

"Yeah, I think they would, which is why I bought this."

He pulled out… a black heart-shaped earring?

"The black heart represents mourning in some countries, but it has another meaning. In the spiritual world, the black heart represents the soul. It's heart-shaped because the soul resides in the heart, and the black represents spiritual power."

"Spiritual power?" Noel said.

"Yeah. For example, you can pass through objects because you use spiritual power, which is a power not of this world. In other words, ghosts are spiritual beings, and those who can control spiritual power can control ghosts, like me. Spiritual power comes in many forms and colors, but the base spiritual power is black. This is an earring a ghost got for me from a certain secret shop. It took a while because it was hard to get this item, but I managed."

Huh? A secret shop?!

"A secret shop that sells ghosts, magical items, or stuff like that?!"

"Something like that, but they mainly sell items for ghost protection. Ghost hunters use their own ghosts to fight and use these kinds of items to make them stronger and protect them. I found a ghost and forced it to buy this item for me. The shop is independent of the ghost hunters; they sell to anyone, or so the ghost hunter who became a ghost told me. It was expensive, but I think it'll be worth it."

Ugh, that sounds so complicated. My head hurts. But in short, I think that earring has some kind of power or something.

"What does the earring do?"

"It absorbs sound generated inside the house—sounds made by ghosts and my voice. We'll be safe."

"… Oh… I see…"

"It's hard to believe something like that exists, but well, I'm a ghost; logic went out the window for me," Noel said.

"What if a ghost hunter's ghost gets into the house?"

"True, they could find Yuki's clothes," Noel said.

"No, I don't need to worry about that, right, Yuki?"

"Oh, I see, I see! No wonder I have to keep my clothes in a secret compartment behind the wall! I thought you were just being paranoid when you built it, but now it makes sense."

"The black paint I used inside that secret compartment is special too. Only you can see inside it; other ghosts and humans ignore its existence because the paint's power makes them think there's nothing there, just a wall."

"Ugh… My head hurts trying to understand how that works."

"I agree," Noel said.

"Don't worry, you two; we'll be fine."

Saik placed a plastic bag on the table.

"I brought you burgers."

"I take back what I said; you are kind! Gimme, gimme!"

Saik yawned and walked away from us.

"I'm going to sleep. Good night."

He left the dining room.

Wow… He really looks tired.

Poor guy. No parents. Studying almost all the time… And he thinks not having friends is good… Saik, how much are you really suffering?

I need to help him make more friends!

Yup, that's what I'll do. Saik, friends will make you enjoy your life, I guarantee it!

•

•

(POV - Saik)

Just for tonight… Just for today, I won't study.

I lay on my bed and wiped the blood from my nose.

"It's been a long time since I did this, but it was necessary… I hope I never have to do it again… Never again."

Ah… I know that's impossible.

I'll always need to do that, whether I like it or not.

It's my destiny, and I've accepted it.

"But the less I do it, the better."

Sorry for lying to you, Yuki, but it's necessary. I don't want you to find out the truth… Not yet, at least.

"Fufu. A magical earring? That's the best you could come up with?"

Ah…

Number 31 appeared above me and lay on top of me, hugging me and pressing her cheek against mine. With an up-and-down motion, she started rubbing her cheek against mine, as if I were a puppy.

"A spiritual object is more believable than a legendary ghost's power. Good night; I'm really sleepy."

"Sleepy, huh?"

She lay beside me and hugged me.

"Can I sleep with you?"

"As long as you don't try anything weird, yes."

"I'll try," she said, smiling.

Ah… So sleepy.

•

•

In a certain part of the country's capital, beneath a large shrine of the Dog religion, lies a secret underground base belonging to the secretive organization known as Black Air.

There, ghost hunters gather to plan attacks, train, or simply socialize with other hunters.

It's a massive underground base with 100 floors. The first 20 consist of laboratories, dormitories, and meeting rooms, while the remaining 80 are built for training. A hunter's rank depends on two factors: experience and the extent of their abilities, measured by the number of floors they've cleared. On average, hunters only reach the first 15 of the 80 floors.

Only those who've cleared at least the first 50 floors are entitled to the organization's best benefits, but very few have achieved this, and they all share one trait: the natural ability to see ghosts.

The current leader of the organization is an old man known as 89.

An 87-year-old man with one foot in the grave. Young for the average lifespan of a leader, which is 130 years, but past events shortened his life.

He was a renowned ghost hunter, respected and admired by thousands in his field, and he only ever faced defeat against one person… And that person's name is…

"Shadow… He's back."

The skin of everyone in the room crawled when he uttered the name Shadow, as everyone there knows exactly who Shadow is and what he was capable of.

89 met with three others to discuss something very important and strange that happened today.

An event too bizarre, with no logical explanation, and if it lacks a logical explanation, it means one thing: it's related to ghosts.

"Father, it's too early to say that. Shadow only captured ghosts; he didn't kill for the sake of killing. Or so we know. Yes, he killed innocents to capture legendary ghosts, but why kill those people? What would he gain? It makes no logical sense," said 90, 89's daughter.

Each generation inherits a higher number, indicating who the next leader will be.

She's a 50-year-old woman with a strong, cold personality, but even someone like her fears Shadow's power.

"Mother, I agree with Grandpa. From what we know, Shadow is the only one capable of killing so many people without being caught. He left no trace, or at least none so far," said 91, 90's daughter.

A young 13-year-old girl with a personality identical to her mother's.

"And with this, our suspicions will be confirmed."

A 25-year-old man named Faye pulled a folder from his backpack and placed it on the table.

He opened it, revealing photos and information about a certain boy.

"And who's this shaggy guy?" said 90.

"His name is Saik Norsai, yes, that Norsai. He's 16, born on September 4th, his parents are dead, and he has no one—no family at all. He lives alone. Pretty sad, right? And what caught my attention most are his grades. He got into the elite Raikon school with perfect scores."

"Perfect…? That's pretty… incredible?" said 90.

"And this is the most suspicious part. His previous grades at other schools were average… No, below average. How did someone like that get perfect scores?"

"Are you saying he used ghosts to cheat?" said 91.

"Yes, I'm sure he's Shadow."

"… Yeah… It's likely… Shadow had the voice and appearance of a 6- or 7-year-old. Hard to believe given how he spoke and acted, but he wasn't lying about his age… If we consider the time since we last saw him, he'd be 15 or 16 now," said 89.

"16, the same age as Hanako," said 90.

"According to what he told Hanako, he came from another country, moved here with his mother and stepfather. He even had a grandmother. We never detected lies in his words. I know the Norsai family, and Saik is very different from the information we have on Shadow. Could he have deceived us without us noticing?" said 89.

"And look at this."

Faye showed them images captured by a security camera.

"The men who died in Ceels today were following Saik. A security camera caught them. And this is the most suspicious part. Saik went to a part of the city with no security cameras. Twenty-five minutes later, another camera found them, but they looked strange. Their faces were expressionless; they went straight to other men and killed each other."

"They were controlled by ghosts… Saik knew where there were and weren't security cameras… That kid… That kid is definitely Shadow," said 90.

"But don't you think it's too obvious?" said 89.

"It's worth checking. Our situation is critical; we need Shadow's power. Rookie had already noticed Saik before and sent his younger sister, Hanako, to the school. So far, everything seems normal with Saik. They exchanged glances once, but Saik didn't seem to recognize her. Saik and Shadow seem so different, but his actions are definitely suspicious," said Faye.

"He didn't recognize her, and his heart didn't race? Considering their past, that's unlikely. I don't think he's Shadow," said 90.

"Mother, I want to meet him. I want to confirm it's really him," said 91.

"Be careful. Remember, he's no longer our enemy."

"Yes, I know. Unlike others, Shadow is a special case… I need to be very careful."

A massive, grotesque ghost began emerging from her back, and she smiled as the deformed ghost laughed with a deep voice behind her, unsettling everyone.

The ghost had a black aura, with distorted faces covering most of its body. It was huge, fat, and repulsive to look at.

A ghost made up of the ghosts of people brutally murdered by a certain cult in the past.

"I want to meet the man who defeated you in a second, Grandpa."

She had a strange smile for a girl her age.

A smile that was terrifying, even to her mother.

And combined with the ghost behind her, it made her look horrifying and evil.

"This will be fun."

•

•

(POV - Saik)

My third day of school.

I think I've gotten used to waking up early for school.

It used to feel like such a drag to wake up early.

And now? It's still a drag, but I don't complain as much as before.

After a shower and breakfast, I brush my teeth and leave the house, as always, carrying Yuki on my shoulders, though this time, it's a bit different from usual.

"Saik, your hair smells amazing! You'd be popular with girls if you combed it a bit."

Why bother combing it? I'd just be wasting my time. I like my hair messy.

I turned a corner and "accidentally" bumped into a girl.

She was waiting for me; I could sense her presence. Yup, as I suspected.

She fell to the ground, letting out a little "kya" when her butt hit the pavement. You're not a good actress, are you?

"Sorry. You okay?"

I offered her my hand and helped her up.

"Thanks."

Out of nowhere, a ghost emerged from her back and tried to scare me. How boring.

"I'll kill you!!"

"Kya! A monster!" Yuki screamed, terrified.

That "kya" was cute.

Yuki fell to the ground from the scare, and I patted the girl's head, completely ignoring the ghost that kept trying to scare me.

"Hey, you gotta be more careful. Bye."

"Huh?"

I walked away from her and passed through the ghost as if nothing was there.

I showed no signs of fear or emotion. My heart kept beating normally.

The ghost kept trying to scare me, showing me horrible things with its body, but I kept walking without paying attention.

"Ah, I'm still hungry."

I pulled a chocolate bar from my pocket and started eating it.

"I didn't have time to do my homework because I was hiding. Ah, I hope someone takes pity on me and lets me copy," I said, speaking softly.

"Hiding? Hey," the girl said, grabbing the sleeve of my uniform.

I knew she was following me. What I said was suspicious, but it was necessary to justify my alibi.

"Huh?"

I stopped and turned to look at her.

"What's up? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"You said you were hiding. Why?"

"Ah, yeah… Why do you care?"

"Just curious."

"Sounds suspicious… Ah, whatever. Some kids from my school wanted to beat me up, so I had to hide from them. I just hope I don't run into them again. Remember, kid, don't support bullying and report aggression. Wow, wow. I feel like a teacher lecturing a student. Or a dad? Well, same thing."

Yuki kicked the ghost.

"Leave Saik alone, you gross thing!" Yuki said.

"Get out of my sight, girl! Want me to kill you?!" the ghost said.

"Kya! Gross, gross!"

"Sorry, I gotta go. I'll be late for school."

Yuki hid behind me, and I walked away.

"… Hey."

I stopped and turned to look at her.

"What's up?"

The ghost tried to scare me again, but I didn't care. It didn't stir any emotion in me.

Meh, I've seen worse.

"I'm in a hurry; I want to get to school early to copy homework."

"It's useless; this guy can't see me."

"… No… Nothing," she said.

"Nothing? Wow… You're kinda weird. Well, it was a pleasure, but I gotta go. Ah, yeah, by the way…"

I pulled out another chocolate bar and offered it to her.

"Want it?"

"Huh? You're giving it to me? Why?"

"You're adorable."

"Don't treat me like a little kid, idiot!"

Ah, an aggressive girl. How adorable.

Well, it's adorable when you know you're stronger than her. It stops being adorable when the aggressive girl is stronger than you.

Her long blue hair, combined with those blood-red eyes, makes her look evil… Yeah, she's pretty adorable.

And she's completely flat… Definitely adorable.

"You don't want it? Fine, more for me."

She snatched the chocolate bar.

"I'll take it only because I'm hungry, idiot!"

"Wow… You're more adorable than I thought."

"Stop calling me adorable!"

"Yeah, yeah. Take care. Bye."

I walked away.

Good, everything went perfectly.

"I hope I never see you again, you gross monster!"

Yuki stuck out her tongue.

"Saik is mine; I won't let you get near him!"

Ah, sorry, but this is gonna hurt, Yuki.

"Kill that ghost," the girl whispered.

A normal person wouldn't hear her, but I heard her perfectly because I'm not normal. One last test to confirm my identity.

The ghost attacked Yuki, smashing her head with its massive fist, disintegrating her.

The ghost vanished, and I closed my eyes.

Yuki will reappear in… Now.

When I opened my eyes, Yuki appeared in front of me, crying.

"You said it wouldn't hurt! Liar, liar! It hurt a lot!" she said, crying her eyes out.

Ugh… It pains me to see her like this.

I told Yuki about what might happen today, and we planned this.

The ghosts I control can't be seen by others… But if I want them to be seen, others will see them.

When the ghost hit Yuki, it used a soul-destroying technique, which doesn't affect Yuki because I protected her with my power.

That technique only made Yuki disappear for a few seconds.

When she reappeared, only I could see her because I don't want others to see her.

My plan worked perfectly.

If the ghost killed Yuki in front of me and I didn't react, they'd be convinced I can't see ghosts.

A cruel plan, but necessary. I don't want ghost hunters messing up my life.

"It hurt so much, so much, so much! Saik, I hate you!"

"I'll give you double what we agreed on," I said, whispering, out of the girl's earshot.

I spoke softly as always; I'm not at risk.

"That won't work this time…!"

"With a huge chocolate cake just for you. With chocolate bars around it. And, of course, a giant lemon snow cone. All for you."

Yuki started drooling and hugged me.

"I forgive you, Saik!"

"Thanks."

Well, I solved one problem, but it won't be the only one.

I need to stay on guard at all times.

The slightest hint of fear would make them suspicious, and they'd kidnap me.

•

•

"No… It wasn't… He showed no signs of emotion… He didn't seem scared or nervous… His heart was beating normally… Even when Dob eliminated that little ghost girl following him, he was the same; it didn't affect him at all."

91 was talking to her mother on the phone, reporting what happened.

"Anything strange about him? Any identifying traits?"

"Other than his weird fashion sense of not combing his hair, I didn't find anything odd… He even gave me a chocolate bar because, according to him, I'm adorable. He's an idiot; he's not the Shadow I admire."

"I see… Bring the chocolate bar; I want to analyze it."

"Yes, yes, I know."

She hung up and sighed.

"Something weird is happening in this city… I'll stay a bit longer."