CHAPTER 9 - Preparations.
"I really missed cooking! Being able to touch things again feels amazing!"
Noel is cooking, while I'm jotting down some notes in my notebook about my plan.
First, Noel will keep an eye on Iris, his ex-wife, and will let me know when she leaves her house.
Second... Well, the rest is a secret for others, they don't need to know what I'll do, and I'll avoid writing it to save myself unnecessary trouble.
According to Noel, Sylphie had Noel's personality when she was a little girl, but the current Sylphie has her mother's personality. Living with Sylphie might help me better understand her mother, while also helping her become more social, or at least improve her self-esteem.
Ah, helping two people at the same time, all to get a ghost to help me study. Noel, you're so lucky that my current self wants to be normal and isn't forcing you to obey me using my power.
I really hope I don't regret this.
"I feel the heat of the stove, the smell, and even the taste. It's really like I'm alive... I wish I could use it to hug..."
"Pity won't work," I said before he could finish the sentence.
"I don't plan on convincing you to do something you don't want to, I respect your decision. I'm sorry, I'm just so excited that my thoughts are coming out on their own through my mouth."
"Don't be mad at him, Saik. You should understand," Yuki said.
"I'll try."
If the current Sylphie has her mother's personality, that means Noel never managed to change Iris... Or didn't he try?
I glanced at Noel out of the corner of my eye. He has a smile on his face as he cooks. He seems innocent and kind, a person who will undoubtedly go to paradise. And I don't sense he's a bad person, he doesn't radiate negative energy. He didn't harm any innocent people, let alone do bad things like theft. In short, a good person.
But did Sylphie's mother really never change despite having Noel?
I understand that Sylphie's mother, when she's drunk, has a rude and somewhat violent personality, but she doesn't go so far as to fight with anyone. But when she's not drunk, her personality is like that of a puppy that has just been abandoned by its owners. A woman who only thinks about what she lost and cries. A woman who lives only in sadness and pain, while using alcohol to feel a little less worse.
She has always had the personality of the current Sylphie; Noel never managed to change her for the better, because if that had happened, she would never have fallen into the world of alcoholism.
The current Sylphie is very fearful, shy, and nervous, but she still has a bit of Noel in her, as she dared to reject a handsome boy, not letting social pressure dominate her. She said no, putting her mother as a priority, even though her mother had hurt her so much. She still loves her and hopes that one day she'll recover.
I've met people like Sylphie before, and most of them end up in a bad way.
Becoming sexual playthings for certain people, or in the case of boys, becoming the dogs of "delinquent" guys, condemned to do whatever they want, being physically and psychologically abused. Some end up committing suicide because they can't bear that life anymore.
I never cared. Those delinquents were afraid of me and never dared to try to harm me because they knew perfectly well that I, unlike their victims, am capable of defending myself, even leaving them quite worse off. And since the delinquents didn't bother me, I didn't care about what they did. As long as it didn't affect me, I didn't act.
But this time, I have to, because I promised Noel in exchange for his help. It's a relatively easy task compared to the things I used to do in the past, but it's still difficult because I've never done anything like this.
And my only experiences with people like Sylphie ended up very badly. No one genuinely tried to help them. There were some who tried, mainly guys trying to save shy girls so that they would fall in love with them, but they ended up getting beaten up and their attempts at help amounted to nothing. They all stopped getting involved with those girls out of fear of getting into trouble again. Those experiences don't help me either, as those idiots didn't achieve anything useful.
Sylphie was a victim of bullying since Noel's death, but fortunately, no guy took advantage of it. I didn't feel that Noel was lying about his daughter being a virgin, both in body and lips. Sylphie was fortunate not to encounter any sickos... Or... Maybe...
"Noel, did Sylphie only experience bullying at school? Did she never experience sexual harassment?"
He stopped moving, and I felt sadness in him.
So she did experience it. Well... This might slightly complicate the plans, but considering she's a virgin, not all hope is lost. That girl still has a chance.
"I'd be lying if I said no, but yes, some guys tried to force a kiss on her, even touch her, thinking she wouldn't dare accuse them, but fortunately, she always managed to escape and accuse them. When I was alive, I had teacher friends from other schools, even principals, so..."
"Sylphie knew how to use the connections at her disposal to protect herself, huh?" Yuki said, understanding the situation.
"Yes. They always ended up expelled. But Sylphie only accused those who attempted sexual harassment."
"Because it's harder to expel someone for bullying than for sexual harassment," I said, taking more notes.
"Exactly."
Sylphie has the mentality of a victim, but she doesn't stoop so low as to let others take advantage of her that much.
If Sylphie learns to overcome her past, becoming someone better who can defend herself from problems, she... She...
Wait... Saik, are you an idiot? Yes, I am.
My deal with Noel is to help his wife so that Sylphie can have a loving mother again. Why did I jump to the conclusion that I should also help his daughter?
"Noel, our deal is to help your wife overcome alcoholism so that she becomes a better mother to Sylphie, right? I just want to confirm."
"Yes, that would be the foundation for my family's life to improve. I don't want to take advantage of you by asking for more than you're already giving me."
Well, that lessens the workload. Goodbye, Sylphie, you don't interest me. I'll only think about helping your mother from now on.
It's nothing personal, I don't know you, and you won't bring me any benefit. I'm not a hero, and I'm not interested in becoming one.
I crossed out a few things on the list. I'll only focus on Iris Yui, Noel's ex-wife.
Iris Yui. Sylphie Yui... Yui... What a strange last name.
"Saik, what exactly are you planning? You've only told us that Noel will watch."
"Yuki, you only need to know that part of the plan. I'll take care of the rest."
"Oh, you have an air of mystery. It's not fair; I want to know!"
Yuki began shaking me with her hands. Oh, I'm starting to feel dizzy.
I deactivated her body, and her hands passed through me.
"Uwaaaah!"
She fell to the ground. Ah well, that fall was funny.
"No means no."
"Hmmmh!"
... She's pouting, crossing her arms.
She's truly adorable and clever, knowing that it's my weakness. But I'm sorry, Yuki, what I'm planning to do is something too low, even evil. I'd rather you not know anything.
I pulled a lollipop from my pocket and gave it to her.
"I reactivated your body. Here you go."
"Thank you!"
She quickly forgets her anger.
"Dinner is ready!" Noel said.
First phase of the plan: Getting close to Iris.
Second phase: Problem development.
Final phase: Becoming someone important to her.
Ah, I hope everything goes well. Mother, father, see what I'm doing, risking my normal life to get a teacher's help, and I'm not even forcing him to help me. Would you be proud of me for my significant change?
Ah, I hope so.
We gathered at the table for dinner. I never imagined I would eat like this with... No... Forget your past, Saik... Forget your past.
"So... Do I just have to let you know when my wife leaves the house?"
Wife, wife, wife. Oh, Noel, don't make my job harder.
"Ex-wife. Legally, she's no longer your wife. A ghost can't have a human as a partner."
"Since I died, she hasn't been with anyone, so I still consider her my wife."
"Believe me, you need to let go of that."
"Huh? What are you trying to say?"
I have two reasons, but there's no need to tell him the first one.
"In order for you to go to heaven, you need to leave your life behind. There are severe consequences for ghosts that stay in this world too long."
"Uwaaaah! What will happen to me, Saik?! How much time do I have left to live?! Will I die again?" Yuki said, frightened.
"Yuki, a ghost can't die, but its soul can be destroyed, which is worse than dying."
"Will my soul be destroyed?"
"After 10 years, ghosts start to change. They become more violent. They reach a point where they go insane and attack people."
"Attack? How?" Noel said.
"They become true monsters. Unsolved murders. People who disappear without a trace. Most of those cases are caused by living humans, but they're also caused by ghosts."
"B-but... Ghosts can't touch or speak to living humans," Yuki said.
"They take control of people. I suppose you know the cliché of ghosts entering people's bodies and controlling them. It's something like that. When that happens, the humans they control become aggressive, stronger, and dangerous. They become something akin to demons. There are three types of control: being controlled by a ghost, controlling the ghost, and fusion."
"Fusion?" Yuki said.
"The ghost and the human merge their souls and collaborate to control a single body."
"B-but... Something so strange wouldn't go unnoticed. Why didn't we know anything about this?" Noel said.
"There are secret organizations that exterminate ghosts. In every, literally every country, there's an organization... In every city. In every town. There are always people from that organization exterminating ghosts. I suppose that's why there aren't as many ghosts here. There's a person from an organization, and quite active from what I can tell. Both of you were lucky to be found by me. Those from the organization are responsible for exterminating ghosts, and if it's too late, killing the infected humans. And if there are witnesses, regardless of gender, age, or social status, they're murdered without leaving evidence."
"How do they do it? How do they kill ghosts?" Yuki said.
"Ah, well... Yuki, there are more people like me, with my ability to see ghosts. Most of them obtain their abilities artificially. I think very few in the world are born with that power, and as there are possibly hundreds of thousands of ghosts in the world, even more, these kinds of organizations managed to create a way to artificially empower their members."
"... Saik, are you part of that organization?" Noel said.
Yuki and he stared at me, and I simply crossed my arms.
Be a part of those useless people? No, thank you. I do have some dignity.
"No. I'm not, and I never will be."
"And how do you know so much about it?"
Ah, I would like to tell you the truth, Yuki, but I can't, I'm sorry.
"Once, a ghost entered my house because he was hiding from one of those people. He was part of that organization, but he was killed by an infected person. He became a ghost and knew what awaited him, so he escaped because he wanted to see his family again. The organization didn't want to let him go, and that's why he escaped. He told me all that in exchange for my help in hiding."
"Oh, I see. A secret organization... So cool! Although it doesn't seem like they're that good," Yuki said.
"Noel, you need to leave your old life behind. If you don't, you'll regret it. And it's not a threat, it's a reality. Holding on too tightly to this world is dangerous."
"Yes... After hearing that, I realized I'll become a danger if I stay here... I must leave my life behind."
"W-wait... Saik, Yuki is always with you! Will they kill me if they find out?"
"The ghosts I control can't be seen by others, no matter if they can see ghosts. You and Noel have my protection... But, Noel, my protection drains my energy. I can control one ghost without issues, but two, in the long run, will be a problem. You can't stay with me for too long. I'll only help you, you'll help me study, and then I'll remove my protection from you."
"... Can I stay with you for two or three months?"
"Yes. Maximum one year."
"That's more than enough time. Thank you very much," he said, smiling.
"Saik, what about me?"
I patted Yuki's head. You're a special case, Yuki, don't worry.
"You can stay with me forever. Ghosts under my protection don't turn into aggressive monsters. You'll be safe by my side."
"Yuki is happy!"
She jumped on me and gave me a kiss on the cheek while hugging me.
It's true that I was never part of that organization, but that doesn't mean I haven't been involved with them.
After what happened with the "100 Legendary Ghosts," I left my past behind.