——
[A-Note: Changing the name from Mrs. Shinomiya to Shimizu.]
——
"Good morning, Amamiya-kun."
Shimizu, with her long black hair cascading down her back, sat on the sofa, completely engrossed in her phone. When she noticed Amamiya coming downstairs, she looked up and greeted him cheerfully.
"I remember when I died, I only had a Nokia phone. It could barely make calls or send texts. Now you can even make video calls! Technology is truly the driving force behind progress!"
'You're a ghost, why are you talking like a tech enthusiast now?'
"Put down the phone for a second," Amamiya said, raising an eyebrow. "Are you feeling... alright?"
"Huh?" Shimizu tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Her body had become faint and semi-transparent—clearly something was wrong.
Only a night had passed, but Shimizu's appearance had noticeably degraded. If yesterday she was in HD clarity, today she looked like she had dropped down to 720p.
"This is strange... What happened?" Shimizu looked down at herself, eyes widening in surprise.
Amamiya sighed. "You really don't know?"
"Well," Shimizu looked embarrassed, crossing her arms over her chest, "this is my first time being a guardian spirit, Amamiya-kun. I have no experience. Am I... sick?"
'You're a ghost! How could you be sick?!'
"Tell me," Amamiya said seriously, "what did you do last night?"
"Let me think..." Shimizu tapped her lip with her finger. "After you went to bed, I stayed in the living room playing with my phone. My phone died, so I charged it and kept playing. Then suddenly... it was morning."
'So she basically pulled an all-nighter playing with her phone. Classic.'
Of course, ghosts don't need sleep, but apparently, staying up all night drains their energy too.
Shimizu looked uncertain. "I feel a bit weak... Maybe I'm hungry?"
As a guardian spirit, Shimizu could interact with objects, even eat and drink, but it gave her no sustenance or satisfaction. Where the food went after she ate it, however, was a mystery.
Amamiya thought for a moment. "Yesterday you mentioned that touching physical objects consumes some kind of energy, right?"
"That sounds... correct." Shimizu nodded, still unsure.
'Case solved.'
There was only one explanation. She had drained her spiritual energy staying up all night playing with her phone.
"You exhausted yourself just playing with a phone!" Amamiya said incredulously. "As a ghost, you really should take better care of yourself!"
Shimizu looked at him with puppy-dog eyes. "What should we do now, Amamiya-kun?"
"I don't know," Amamiya admitted. "But first, let's get to school."
After a quick breakfast of bread and milk, Amamiya grabbed his school bag and headed out, Shimizu floating behind him.
"I wish I could have stayed home and played with my phone some more..." she muttered wistfully.
'If you keep this up, your phone might outlive you!'
As they left the house, Miko stepped out from next door.
"Morning, Miko," Amamiya called out with a casual wave.
"Good morning," Miko replied, her eyes flicking to Shimizu. "Good morning, Mrs. Shimizu."
Shimizu smiled elegantly, giving Miko a nod. "Good morning, Miko-chan."
Miko hesitated, then whispered, "Why does Mrs. Shimizu look different from yesterday?"
Before Amamiya could stop her, Shimizu covered her face dramatically. "It's because Amamiya-kun made me do all sorts of things last night..."
'Stop saying stuff like that! If Kaguya hears you, she'll kill me!'
Miko blinked, turning to Amamiya. "What... happened?"
Amamiya sighed and quickly explained the situation. "Basically, she stayed up all night playing with her phone, and now her energy is drained."
Miko frowned. "Aren't you the one who always stays up late playing games?"
——
The two walked together to school, chatting along the way. Ever since learning that Amamiya had the power to banish spirits, Miko had made it a point to go to school with him for safety. Childhood friends or not, she didn't care if people misunderstood their relationship.
Once they reached the school, they said their goodbyes at the entrance and went to their separate classrooms.
The classroom was quiet, only a few students were there. In the corner by the window sat Kaguya, her long black hair shining in the morning sunlight. Her flawless profile and cold aura made her untouchable to the boys walking by, though they could only admire her from afar.
"Kaguya-chan, Mommy's here!" Shimizu's eyes lit up as she called out.
Shinomiya pursed her lips and ignored her.
"How cold!" Shimizu pouted dramatically. "My own daughter won't even say hello to me..."
Kaguya bit her lip in frustration. 'Mom... no one can see or hear you! How am I supposed to explain this?'
It didn't help that her mother, who had once been a quiet and composed woman, had now become so... different.
"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked quietly.
"It's... complicated," Amamiya replied, sighing.
Before he could continue, Chika suddenly burst into the room, her face lighting up. "Good morning, Amamiya-kun... wait, is that Kaguya-chan's mother?!"
Shimizu immediately struck a pose, flashing a peace sign. "Yup, that's me!"
Chika covered her mouth, giggling. "We need to talk! Let's go to the board game club right now!"
---
Board Game Clubroom
After listening to the whole story, Chika puffed her cheeks in mock indignation. "So many things happened and I wasn't invited! That's not fair!"
Kaguya, sitting with her arms crossed, asked, "So... what happened to my mother? Why is she like this?"
Amamiya explained his theory. "It's likely she used up too much energy staying up all night playing with her phone."
Kaguya frowned. "Is there any way for her to regain energy?"
"We tried food," Amamiya explained. "But it didn't work."
Suddenly, Chika raised her hand excitedly. "I know! Maybe she needs to recharge her... magic!"