No words were spoken that night.
The next day.
It was Monday, and the nine-day Golden Week had quietly come to an end. The first day of school had arrived.
After finishing his breakfast, Amamiya grabbed his schoolbag and stepped out of the house. He waited for a moment before spotting his childhood friend, a girl with long black hair, emerging from the house next door.
"Good morning, Amamiya," she greeted, her voice weak. She raised her hand to stifle a yawn, and the fatigue on her face was evident.
Her disheveled appearance, complete with dark circles under her eyes, gave off a distinct air of laziness.
"You're already yawning, first thing in the morning? You're so lazy," he teased.
"Good morning," Amamiya replied with a nod, walking up to her. "Didn't sleep well last night?"
Seeing her biting her lower lip in frustration, she looked at him with a hint of grievance. "I haven't slept well any night."
"A bit of bad luck?" he asked.
"It's more than just a bit—it's terrible!" she sighed.
"I don't want any special abilities like advanced clairvoyance. I'd much rather just be a regular, stable person," she added, her voice filled with frustration.
"How's your mom?" Amamiya asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.
"She says she's feeling better now. She even got up early to make breakfast and pack lunches for Kyousuke and me. She mentioned wanting to go back to her job at the mall today..." The girl tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear. "I told her she should take a few more days off, though."
A heavy sigh escaped her, her delicate face shadowed with concern.
"The test results will come out today," she said, her voice edged with dread. "I've barely been sleeping, and I almost nodded off during the test. My score's going to be awful. When my mom sees it this afternoon, she's going to be so disappointed, isn't she?"
Amamiya nodded knowingly. "Right. Her once-stellar daughter, now sleep-deprived and barely hanging on. You're staying up all night practicing Taoism, plastering on that 'I'm so exhausted, I wish the world would end soon' look... Not just your mom, even Kyousuke's getting worried."
"Yesterday, she asked if I was being bullied at school," the girl muttered.
"Not exactly the wrong idea," she added, glancing toward a twisted spirit clinging to a pedestrian nearby. "But the 'bully' isn't exactly human."
She raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. "It'd be nice if I could use these evil spirits to scare them away."
Amamiya chuckled. "Next time I get an invite to the spirit games, I'll send one your way."
"Thanks, but that's a hard pass—a 200% no."
"…"
The two continued walking toward school, lost in conversation as they went.
For Miko, this journey was already quite pleasant—at least she didn't have to worry about the evil spirits.
"I think I've found a solution," Amamiya suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Huh?" She turned to him, curious.
"A way to help you sleep well at night, without waking up with dark circles under your eyes."
"What's the solution?" she asked, her eyes perking up with interest.
Amamiya looked at the long-haired girl beside him. "What time does your mom go to bed?" he asked.
"Umm..." She pursed her pink lips and thought for a moment. "Mom usually doesn't get home from work until nine in the evening. She works really hard, so she goes to bed around 10:30."
"And what time does she get up in the morning?"
"I'm not sure exactly, but it's usually around 7 a.m."
"That's enough for my plan to work." Amamiya gave her a thoughtful look. "Here's my suggestion: At 11 p.m., after your mom's asleep, you sneak into my room and sleep beside me. Then, at 6 a.m., quietly slip out before she wakes up. How about that?"
"…"
She paused, her heart racing a little.
It did sound feasible.
Up until now, she had been asking Amamiya to come over to her house every evening, but that wasn't a permanent or ideal solution. Evil spirits were omnipresent, and after a while, they would inevitably show up again, making it impossible for her to get a peaceful night's sleep.
"What if my mom catches me sneaking back home in the morning?" Miko still had her doubts.
Amamiya shrugged casually. "Just tell her you went out for a morning run."
"That... actually makes sense," Miko nodded, though she didn't fully commit. "I'll think about it. Let's talk more tonight."
"…"
At that moment, the shadow beneath Amamiya's feet twisted slightly, and from it emerged a ghost. Unfortunately, it wasn't the blonde vampire loli he hoped for, but Shimizu, absorbed in her phone.
"It's Hana-chan!" Shimizu exclaimed happily.
Amamiya looked up and saw Miko's friend, Hana, approaching.
"Hana, good morning!" Miko called out cheerfully.
Hearing her name, the blonde girl turned around. Upon seeing Amamiya and Miko, her face lit up with a bright smile. She waved energetically and jogged over.
"Good morning, Miko!"
'Boing, boing!'
Amamiya thought he could almost hear the sound of bouncing slime.
'She's definitely not lacking in certain areas.'
"Amamiya-kun, good morning... Hey, wait!" Hana leaned forward slightly, her eyes wide in curiosity as she stared at Amamiya. "Why do you seem... more charming than usual?"
"Must be because my charm stat went up."
"I have no idea what that means, meow."
"…"
"Hana, I missed you!" Shimizu interrupted, throwing her arms around Hana from behind in a joyful embrace.
Watching this, Miko's lips twitched slightly. 'Liar.' She knew the truth—Shimizu was clearly more interested in Hana's body than anything else.
As a ghost, Shimizu was beyond all desires except for her thirst for knowledge. However, Hana had a warmth that even ghosts couldn't resist. Like a flicker of fire in the dark, she was something Shimizu simply couldn't turn away from.
"Miko, is something wrong?" Hana tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"It's nothing..." Miko sighed softly. "Let's just keep walking."
Hana grabbed the straps of her schoolbag, walking energetically. "It's been a while since we walked to school together, Miko. I'm so happy!"
Amamiya, feeling a little left out, muttered, "I guess I've been forgotten."
"…"
They continued walking when Shimizu suddenly popped up in front of Amamiya, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Hana is so warm! Do you think she might have spiritual abilities like Miko?"
Amamiya pondered for a moment. "It's possible."
Looking at Hana from a 'real' perspective, Amamiya noticed a faint flame-like aura around the blonde girl, as if she were a Super Saiyan radiating power. She seemed to have a natural magnetism for evil spirits, and Amamiya often saw evil spirits lurking around her.
Shimizu's eyes gleamed. "So... could you copy Hana's abilities?"
"There's only one way to find out," Amamiya said, glancing over at Miko.
Miko frowned, lowering her voice. "Why are you looking at me?"
"Physical contact is needed for verification," Amamiya explained. "I'm asking for your permission."
"If you want to hold hands, just hold hands," Miko replied, turning her pretty face away. "You don't need to ask me for that."
"Alright then," Amamiya nodded. "You cover Hana's eyes, and I'll take her hand."
Unlike Miko, Hana was just an ordinary friend, and holding hands out of the blue wouldn't be appropriate. Amamiya couldn't exactly tell her the truth, so he had to rely on Miko to help deceive her best friend.
"…I'm not doing that!" Miko puffed her cheeks in frustration and glared at him.
'He actually wants me to cover Hana's eyes so he can hold her hand? How despicable!'
"O-Miko-chan, please," Shimizu clasped her hands together, giving her a pleading look. "This is my lifelong wish!"
Miko: "…"