At checkout, the cashier was a girl likely working part-time to earn pocket money.
Her face was slightly round, pale with a blush, her eyes big and bright, and she had a lively, cheerful personality.
Right now, when the girl saw Mafuyu and Haruto, her eyes suddenly lit up and she greeted them: "Good evening, you two. Together again today, I see. I'm so jealous..."
Mafuyu blushed and quickly explained, "You misunderstand, we're not in that kind of relationship."
The girl quickly nodded and smiled, "I understand, I understand."
Most girls are shy, and it's natural to be embarrassed to admit things.
To say there's nothing between them would be impossible. They often shop for groceries together, and the guy always helps carry the groceries—it's hard to claim they don't have good feelings for each other!
The girl giggled softly, noticing that Mafuyu was quite shy. She didn't say anything more but winked at Haruto, clearly implying, "Young man, I can only help you this much. Good luck..."
As they left the supermarket, the wide twilight gradually covered the earth.
Only a faint red remained on the horizon.
Because of the cashier's joke, Mafuyu felt embarrassed and pretended to be serious, staying silent all the way home.
Haruto cleared his throat, "Mafuyu-chan..."
Mafuyu angrily and said, "Don't say anything. If you do, go back and write a review!"
Haruto feeling helpless, "Mafuyu-chan, you're taking this too far."
So now, he couldn't say even a word?
Then, if the two of them stayed together in the future, wouldn't he have to write a daily review?
"I'm going back."
Mafuyu rolled her eyes at him, then slightly lifted her lips and quickened her pace.
'Don't think I don't know what you want to say, but I'm not agreeing to it, not even in private. What if we get caught? And you like to push boundaries. If I agree, or don't stay strong... just like last time, if I hadn't reacted on my own, maybe...'
The supermarket was only five or six minutes from their apartment, and they walked back one after the other.
The night was dark, and a cold wind blew.
With her soft pink hair flowing gently, she passed by the people on the street. The night was chilly, and a little clarity suddenly appeared in Mafuyu's heart.
It was highly likely she would never see those people passing by again in this lifetime.
Even if they met again, they'd be strangers.
And how rare was the fate that brought two people together?
If she let it slip by, it would be hard to let go in this lifetime.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Mafuyu shook her head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and softly said, "Let's hurry back; I need to clean the room when I get back."
"..."
As soon as they returned to the apartment, Haruto opened the door and saw a ghostly girl standing in the front hallway, bowing, lifting her small face, and giving a very happy smile: "Onii-chan, welcome home."
Haruto: "😐"
What was going on?
Coming home to a ghostly, pretty girl welcoming the owner back like a maid?
Haruto's gaze landed on the ghostly girl, and then he raised an eyebrow slightly.
The ghost girl with the super bright smile in front of him was Ruka, who had already left.
But hadn't she already gone to fulfill her wish?
Why did she look like she was about to disappear?
And why was she appearing in his home?
"Onii-chan, good night."
"...Yeah, good night."
Haruto averted his gaze, changed his shoes, and walked into the living room.
He threw his schoolbag onto the sofa and, standing at the entrance, said expectantly yet speechlessly, "Why are you still standing there? Come in!"
"Hmm~"
Ruka quickly stepped forward and firmly said, "Onii-chan, excuse me."
Haruto sat on the sofa, then looked at the nervous and anxious ghost girl: "Why are you back?"
"Well..."
Ruka gently tapped her fingers in front of her chest, lifted her small face, and looked up with her big eyes shining. She shyly said, "Mhm... it seems Ruka forgot her way. I couldn't find Renta..."
Haruto: "😐"
'How do you get lost at this point? As a ghost, you can still get lost? Even if you get lost, you nearly made yourself disappear!'
Haruto slightly twitched his mouth: "What's next?"
Ruka snapped her fingers gently and cautiously said, "I met Nana-chan today. Nana-chan asked Ruka to come over. So..."
"Ruka can help Onii-chan water the flowers, wash the clothes, mop the floor..."
"Stop!"
Haruto felt something ominous in his heart: "You said you met Nanako?"
"Mm."
Ruka nodded quickly. Initially, she wanted to continue searching, but Nanako had said, "Just leave the troublesome matter to that dumb Nii-san."
Haruto covered his forehead: "What about Nanako?"
At that moment, there was some noise from the bedroom. He got up and walked to the bedroom.
When he opened the door, he saw Nanako sitting at the computer desk, playing a game.
"Idiot, you're the support! Don't rush in!"
"Damn it! How dare you ambush me, you stupid assistant, hurry up and scale up..."
"Ahhhhh... I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."
"Damn it!"
The screen turned gray, and Nanako was so angry she slammed the table hard: "If you weren't coming to help, forget it, but you kept nagging me. Damn, I lost the game. It's all your fault."
Shouting angrily, Nanako grabbed a handful of potato chips and stuffed them into her mouth, puffing her cheeks.
At the door, Haruto glanced at the snack bags on the table, the leftover fruit cores, and finally the potato chips scattered on the floor.
Whether Nanako was gaming or snacking, she'd made a mess of the once-clean bedroom.
At that moment, Nanako felt something, looked at Haruto standing at the door, and couldn't help but shiver.
'So scary! Nii-san is terrifying!'
Nanako blinked, then put on a pitiful expression: "Onii-chan, Nanako is hungry..."
Haruto with a blank face and said: "Come here and lie down!"