"Earthbound spirits are not human beings after all. They may seem to be no different from when they were alive, but in fact, they have no real self-awareness..."
Having accidentally contracted Mrs. Shinomiya as a guardian spirit, Amamiya naturally sensed Mrs. Shinomiya's condition.
"But it doesn't matter now." Amamiya looked at the big Kaguya and explained to little Kaguya, "The guardian spirit is very special. Its self-awareness has been restored. It has no problem learning and thinking."
Mrs. Shinomiya smiled warmly, stretching out a slender finger to gently poke her daughter, Kaguya, on the cheek. "I became a ghost, but it doesn't feel any different. It's like I slept for years, and now, Little Kaguya has grown into an adult."
Kaguya stepped back, avoiding her mother's touch. "Please don't."
Kaguya had lost her mother to a heart attack at a very young age, and after more than a decade of absence, her memory of her mother had grown faint. Despite the bond of mother and daughter, rekindling that closeness was not an easy task.
"Ouch…" Mrs. Shinomiya's expression turned sorrowful as she held her face, her shoulders trembling as though on the verge of tears. "Mom didn't mean to leave you, Little Kaguya. I had no choice because of the heart attack… You must hate me for leaving you alone."
"I don't hate you," Kaguya replied, her voice calm but firm.
"Yes, you do!" Mrs. Shinomiya's voice grew more plaintive. "You used to laugh so much when you were younger. Now, you can't even smile at your mother. You must hate me."
"I said I don't."
"Then show me a smile."
Kaguya fell silent.
Since becoming "Ice Kaguya," her ability to genuinely smile has seemingly disappeared. The only expressions she'd grown used to were cold, calculating, or disdainful. Even when her friend Chika shared jokes, Kaguya never found them funny, nor could she recall the last time she had smiled from her heart.
But in front of her mother, who was now pleading with her, she couldn't refuse outright.
"Fine," Kaguya sighed, massaging her temples as she relented. "Stop pretending to cry."
Mrs. Shinomiya revealed one eye through her fingers. "I'm not pretending! I just can't shed tears anymore. Now, smile for me."
With a soft exhale, Kaguya forced the corners of her mouth upward, producing a stiff, awkward smile.
"No, no! That's clearly fake," Mrs. Shinomiya scolded, placing her hand on her hip. "Do it again."
Kaguya bit her lip in frustration. "It's not a fake smile."
"Master, what do you think?" Mrs. Shinomiya turned toward Amamiya, who was silently observing the exchange.
After a brief pause, Amamiya gave in to his instincts. "Well… from an outsider's perspective, it 'does' seem a bit forced."
Kaguya's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as she crossed her arms. The intensity of her "Death Stare" bore down on him.
Amamiya raised his hands in surrender, taking a cautious step back. "You two can carry on without me."
"Little Kaguya, keep going!" Mrs. Shinomiya urged, undeterred by her daughter's icy demeanor.
With mounting frustration, Kaguya tried once more, forcing a more natural-looking smile.
"Still too half-hearted. Do it again!"
Amamiya, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but pull out his phone, hoping to capture this rare moment. Through practice, Kaguya's smile quickly improved, until she finally achieved a smile that made Amamiya's heart skip a beat.
He was too late to snap a photo, though. Had he been quicker, he mused, he could have sold pictures of Kaguya's smile for 10,000 yen apiece at school—an opportunity missed.
The moment was cut short when the door opened, and the blonde maid, Ai Hayasaka, entered the room. She froze upon seeing Kaguya smiling and blinked in disbelief.
Was she dreaming? Could Kaguya actually smile that beautifully? Or had Amamiya hypnotized her somehow?
The instant Hayasaka entered the surrounding, the smile vanished, and Kaguya returned to her cold, stoic demeanor.
"What is it?" Kaguya asked, her voice back to its usual icy tone.
"It's already evening, Miss. It's time to head home," Hayasaka reminded her.
Kaguya fell silent for a moment before glancing at Amamiya. "... Let's go."
They left together, heading downstairs.
"I need to tell you something," Amamiya whispered as they walked. "Now that your mother is my guardian spirit, she has to stay with me. She can't return home with you."
Kaguya's steps faltered slightly, and she gave a barely perceptible nod. This outcome had been expected. Guardian spirits had limitations; they couldn't simply wander off freely.
Still...
'(My mother is now contracted as a boy's guardian spirit? What a strange situation!)'
'(What am I supposed to do when I'm bathing or going to bed?)'
'(And… I stayed up late last night reading "The Manual for Raising a Loyal Boyfriend." How am I supposed to practice any of that now with my mother around?!)'
She kept these chaotic thoughts to herself, maintaining an outward composure.
"Just drop me off at the nearest subway station," Amamiya said once they reached the car. "Thanks for the ride."
Mrs. Shinomiya sat beside her daughter, chattering away, though Kaguya and Amamiya remained silent due to the presence of Hayasaka and the driver.
The car stopped at the station, and Amamiya got out. But Mrs. Shinomiya remained in her seat, hesitant to leave her daughter.
As the car drove away, a flash of light appeared, and Mrs. Shinomiya reappeared beside Amamiya, startling him.
"So the range of a guardian spirit is only a few dozen meters," he muttered to himself, making a mental note.
"I really can't go that far," Mrs. Shinomiya said with a hint of regret as she watched the car disappear into the distance. "The farther I get, the more I feel pulled back. When I reached my limit, I was suddenly drawn right next to you, Amamiya-kun."
Though Mrs. Shinomiya instinctively wanted to call him "Master," Kaguya had strongly objected, and they settled on "Amamiya-kun."
It would be too awkward if her mother started calling a classmate "Master." Kaguya would never agree to that!
"I'm going back."
Amamiya walked into the subway station.
"Amamiya-kun, should I buy a ticket?" Mrs. Shinomiya asked curiously. After being in a state of confusion for more than ten years, she could not stop once she regained her self-awareness.
"Of course not."
You're a ghost, what's the point of buying a ticket!
Amamiya got on the subway and started to go home.
No conversation along the way.
When he got home, the sun had already set and it was dusk.
Amamiya turned on the light, put on slippers, went to the refrigerator, exorcised the human-headed evil spirit inside, and then took out a can of green tea.
"Amamiya-kun, I want a drink too." Mrs. Shinomiya looked expectantly, "I haven't had a drink in a long time."
Amamiya glanced over and asked, "Can you drink something?"
"I should be able to touch something..." Mrs. Shinomiya tilted her head in thought, stretched out her right hand, and took the green tea from Amamiya, "But it will consume physical strength."
"It actually works."
Amamiya was slightly surprised.
It seems that guardian spirits are indeed very special beings.
Just as Amamiya was about to test Mrs. Shinomiya's other abilities, the doorbell suddenly rang.
He walked over and opened the door. Miko was standing outside the door: "I saw the lights in your house were on, so..."
Looking at Mrs. Shinomiya sitting on the sofa drinking tea, Miko opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
A-Amamiya, actually abducted the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family and brought her home?!