As Camilla made her way towards the Spirit Lake, the Academy's most terrifying place, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She turned her head and there stood Amy, the ghost, grinning from ear to ear.
"What? Why do you keep following me? I don't want anything to do with you."
[Too bad, I'm so happy to have someone I can talk to after all this time.]
"Play with other ghosts. Ghosts should play with ghosts. Why would you want to play with people?"
[The ghosts in the academy are not fun.]
I don't find you fun either.
"So what? What do you want me to do?"
[I just want to talk, I'm so bored.]
"What? Do you think I'm an idle person?"
I have a life! I have to make money!
She furrowed her brow, and after a moment's consideration, Amy asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.
[Do you really want to know?]
Camilla nodded vigorously. If you know where my money is, tell me quickly.
[Over there.]
Over there?
Camilla glanced absentmindedly to where Amy was pointing with her hand, and then froze.
Not far away, Arsian stood, staring off into the distance.
'Since when?'
[From the beginning.]
As if reading Camilla's thoughts, Amy whispered in a low voice.
'That means you heard everything I said to the ghost!'
Camilla quickly managed her facial expression. Try to look natural!
"Oh, I just like talking to myself."
…Did it work?
"…"
Well…!
Camilla let out a small sigh as she watched Arsian's gaze drift over to the person she'd been talking to, Amy.
"Just as I thought. You can see it."
What?
Arsian's words, spoken almost to himself, made Camilla look up sharply.
"You can see them, too, right?"
"C-Can see what…?"
Wait.
Camilla's eyes widened as she realized there was something else about his words.
"Right now… you, too…"
Camilla said nothing for a moment, watching Arsian's eyes grow even colder as he looked at her.
* * *
'Brother…'
'Eat it.'
'I- I don't want to.'
'Eat, or else you're not going to live.'
'Brother… It's been a week already and… heuk.'
'If you don't eat it, I'll throw it away.'
A fragment of an old memory.
A memory he can't forget, nor did he want to.
Wham!
A sudden sound made Arsian open his closed eyes.
A person was standing in front of him, smiling broadly.
"I've got a nice item, would you like to take a look?"
It's her. The woman who recently caught his eye.
'Why is she here?'
Arsian stared at the woman who stood before him with a strange smile on her face.
Waiting for her to say something else, he watched her remain silent for a moment longer, then stood up.
He was mildly intrigued, but quickly became bored.
"Oh?"
He could see her panicking, but she didn't stop walking.
He made his way to the start of the less traveled part of the forest near the Spirit Lake.
"Come to think of it…"
He'd seen her here, too. His steps halted as he made his way to the Spirit Lake.
Maybe it's worth confirming it? If his assumption is correct, he'll be able to find out-----
He was about to walk back to the classroom building when he noticed something.
"What? Why do you keep following me? I don't want anything to do with you."
At that moment, he heard a voice. It was her.
"Play with other ghosts. Ghosts should play with ghosts. Why would you want to play with people?"
The woman who keeps talking to the empty space.
Arsian stared at the scene in silence for a moment.
"So what? What do you want me to do? Do you think I'm an idle person?"
She even waved her finger, and then suddenly stopped.
"Oh?"
She looked at where I was.
The woman panicked for a moment, but then managed to keep her expression straight and smiled.
"I just like talking to myself."
"…"
She didn't think I'd buy that, did she? Arsian glanced to her side.
"Just as I thought. You can see it."
Those things that linger like black smoke.
The things that follow you around for the rest of your life.
"You can see them, too, right?"
Watching her expression harden, Arsian reached out toward the black smoke.
"What are you doing!?"
Momentarily stunned by his words, Camilla hastily blocked Arsian's path as he reached for the schoolgirl ghost, Amy.
"You can see it."
You threatened a ghost just to make sure!?
'You had a murderous look just now!'
He's crazy!
"Haaa."
Letting out a short sigh, Camilla turned her head to look at Amy. Amy was visibly shaken.
Do ghosts feel alive? What's there to be afraid of when you're already dead?
No matter how many powerful weapons you use, you can't kill a ghost, can you?
"Are you okay?"
[I'm… I'm not okay! I thought I was going to die!]
"But you're already dead."
[I know, I know… but I thought I was going to be extinguished! That man, he's a natural enemy to a being like me!]
A natural enemy?
Camilla's gaze shifted back to Arsian.
"You can make ghosts disappear as well?"
"You can talk to them, too?"
"…"
"…"
The two of them asked the question at the same time and stared at each other in silence for a moment, but it was Camilla who spoke again.
"You can't just extinguish ghosts. They all have a reason, and if it's solved, they will ascend on their own. So don't use your energy."
"Why would I do something so bothersome?"
Wow--- but you just tried to exorcize a ghost.
"Can't you see how scared she is?"
"…You can see her face?"
"What?"
Camilla looked at him in disbelief. One minute he's asking if she can see ghosts, and the next he's asking if she can see their faces?
"What are you talking about?"
"Their faces."
"You can't see them?"
"…"
What?
"Can you not see their faces?"
"All I see is black smoke."
Black smoke? Camilla looked at Amy in disbelief.
That's not what I see though?
'So what are you saying?'
Are you saying that you don't see the ghost as they should be?
You mean you can sense the presence of spiritual beings, but you can't fully see them?
"Hey!"
Camilla shouted at him in a condemning tone.
"Then you shouldn't be giving off that kind of aura, like you're the bogeyman trying to scare them away!"
They're not all evil.
"You can't just do that to a regular ghost, right? She's a young student, too! Just look at her face! Because of you…!"
I didn't expect to side with a ghost, but here I am. But they're not all bad, though!
Suddenly, she remembered Derrin, the butler ghost, who was helping her, Ferrol, the cook ghost, and Herschel, who had left this place not long ago, smiling.
"…"
"…"
Oops.
Faced with Arsian's cold, black eyes staring back at her, Camilla lowered her eyes.
I had forgotten about that guy's nasty personality for a second. Why the hell did I just yell at him…
"Then, can you see this one too?"
Arsian's voice, now lowered, resumed. She looked up to see him staring at a spot.
Right where he's standing, right next to him.
Camilla's gaze fell on it, too. Her eyes finally locked with the being she'd been trying so hard to avoid.
Camilla involuntarily bit her lip.
The reason she averted her gaze wasn't just because the being was a ghost.
A tiny body that looked really thin, and big eyes that looked like they could burst into tears at any moment. Ripped and tattered clothes....
A young boy, looking pitiful to see, clutched the hem of Arsian's garment.
'Who is he?'
And why does he look like that?
* * *
'Just who is-----'
After returning home, Camilla was still preoccupied with what transpired.
When Arsian asked her about the black smoke next to him, she told him the truth.
A skinny little boy who looked to be about seven years old was the source of the black smoke.
'However…'
Arsian's cold expression changed in an instant.
He expressed an intense emotion, as if he had been greatly traumatized by something, but it disappeared just as quickly.
'Why were you so surprised?'
Is he someone he knows?
"Haaa."
A short sigh escaped Camilla's lips. She remembered the face of the little ghost she'd seen today.
What on earth could've happened for him to turn out like that? His gaunt form replayed in her mind.
"Whew, that really…"
That's why I don't like kids.
It's the little things that make you wonder, even if they seem a little strange.
[Kyuu?]
The white kitten… no, the White Tiger looked up at her and let out a small cry at her sigh.
The Divine Beast, still summoned — still young and doesn't know how to keep a low profile — has been taken care of by Duke Sorpel while Camilla is away at the Academy.
She couldn't take the Divine Beast with her to the Academy.
"King."
[Kyuu!]
The Divine Beast is still young, but he's already a very good listener.
Some time ago, the Duke of Sorpel had ordered her to give him a name.
She decided on 'King'.
She wanted something that indicated he was the best of the best. The Duke of Sorpel was pleased.
When Ravi heard the name, he made fun of my lack of naming sense, but hey, it's better than chocolate flavor, right?
[Kyuu!]
"Yeah, you like it, right?"
Camilla patted King's head lightly.
As she watched King purr in pleasure at her touch, Camilla's mind drifted back to her thoughts.
'Will it be too much to go again?'
Finding Arsian would have to wait. The look in his eyes the last time she saw him bothered her.
She didn't dare go after him again, feeling that if she probed him any further, he would snap.