"Do you see this, Hoshino-san? I could take a whole month off and not work! And FYI, this is just the tip! I still need to open a student bank account for my actual service fee!"
Ryo kept counting the cash in his hands, his saliva practically drying up, and his fingers on the verge of wearing out from flipping through the bills.
"Good for you. Now, you can buy a bunch of talismans. You're gonna need them—what if you end up facing an evil spirit?" Ayame said, watching him from the bench they were sitting on beneath a massive tree. They were waiting for the father and son to talk things out. Earlier, Ryo had given Momohito a blue talisman so he could see and speak with his father while visiting his mother's grave.
"Tomorrow, first thing, I'm hitting the shrine and stocking up on talismans," Ryo declared, dramatically fanning himself with the money. Nothing quite like the scent of cash—it was oddly therapeutic.
Ayame glanced at him, a flicker of concern in her eyes. Ever since they started encountering all sorts of ghosts, she couldn't help but worry.
"So, what do you do if your client turns out to be an evil spirit? Can you actually exorcise them with those talismans of yours?" she asked, absentmindedly nudging the grass with the toe of her shoe. Her hands were tucked behind her on the cement bench, her gaze fixed on the tree above.
"I haven't run into an evil spirit yet. Actually, Akito-san was my first real case. I wasn't even sure if my red talisman would work—I thought it was just a scam. But when the ghost actually burst into flames? That was legit," Ryo admitted, finally tucking the money into his bag and hugging it protectively.
He slouched, sighing as he eyed the lush grass in Momohito-san's garden. He had been itching to just lie down and relax.
"It was my first time seeing other spirits too... especially bad ones," Ayame murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to end up like them."
Ryo turned to look at her, suddenly noticing the unease in her expression.
Ryo watched as the sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled patterns across Ayame's face.
"You're not gonna end up like them. You'll return to your body for sure," he said, quickly looking away before she caught him staring.
"I hope so," Ayame replied, tilting her head down to meet his gaze—but the moment their eyes almost met, Ryo averted his again, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.
A thought crossed his mind. If Ayame did return to her body... would they still be this close? Would she still talk to him the way she did now?
To be honest, Ayame was the first classmate who had ever spoken to him so casually, without any awkwardness. He'd probably feel a little sad if they couldn't share moments like this anymore—just the two of them talking comfortably under the shade of a tree.
"Okame-kun! Hoshino-chan!"
Momohito's voice pulled them from their thoughts. They looked up to see him and his father walking toward them. Their expressions were lighter now, but the redness around Momohito's eyes and nose made it obvious that he had been crying.
"Otousan is leaving now," Momohito said, stopping in front of them with his cane. "But before he goes, he wants to speak with you both."
The two immediately stood up and approached them. Matsuhito-san smiled warmly at them before gently placing a hand on their heads.
"I can't wait any longer to find my body before I pass on. I want to be with my wife again and hold on to this happiness in my heart so I can ascend to the afterlife in peace," Matsuhito said. He had decided not to wait for his body to be found, afraid that if he did, his heart might waver again—or worse, he might be overcome with despair if his remains were never recovered. If that happened, he feared it would only make it harder for him to move on.
"Noted. Glad we could help. Honestly, it's better for you to move on now anyway—before Ryota sees you again," Ryo replied bluntly. The last thing he wanted was lingering ghosts roaming his house again. He had no intention of letting history repeat itself.
"Ah, right... One last thing—be careful of the man I told you about. I can't remember his face or voice anymore. But I know one thing for sure, he's been manipulating spirits, fueling their hatred," Matsuhito warned.
Ryo's brows furrowed. Who was this man? Why was he doing such a thing? Was he a spirit himself... or a living person?
"If you're ready to head home, I can have my driver take you," Momohito offered.
Ryo's eyes immediately sparkled. "In the limousine?!" he asked, practically bouncing with excitement like a kid about to ride a carousel.
"Haha, of course. Here, take my personal business card as well. The number you called earlier was our family's line," Momohito said, handing Ryo the card. That's when it finally realized how long they had been using that phone number for Matsuhito-san to remember it still?
"Jun! See our guests off," Momohito called out to his butler, who immediately stepped forward and gestured toward the path leading to the main entrance. There, parked and waiting, was the limousine Ryo had been dying to see.
Ryo and Ayame waved one last time at Matsuhito-san. He waved back before turning to say a few final words to his son. Then, just like that, his form scattered into the wind. His image dissolves like grains of sand.
Another restless soul had finally found peace.
Ryo let out a small sigh. Another client was sent off from this chaotic world. When would he ever get to rest? And no, not the dead kind of rest—he meant the kind where he didn't have to study or work anymore. Just pure, uninterrupted relaxation, doing whatever he wanted.
But, of course, he knew that day was still far off. There were plenty more clients to deal with before he could even dream of that kind of life.
For now, though, he was going to enjoy the luxury of riding in a limousine.
As he stepped inside, his legs trembled with excitement—his knees practically turning to noodles. Holy shxt, I'm actually inside one of my dream cars.
The interior was insanely long. It was like stepping into a mini-hotel on wheels. There was a built-in TV, a mini-bar with wine, and—was that a karaoke machine?!
Ryo was excited, bouncing in his seat the entire ride and snapping pictures on his old flip phone like a tourist. He wanted to savor every second of this moment.
Before he knew it, they had arrived.
"Ryo... your siblings," Ayame's voice pulled him back to reality.
That's when he finally noticed the limousine had stopped right in front of his worn-down house.
Jun opened the door for them, and the moment Ryo stepped out, he was met with his younger siblings' wide, stunned faces.
As if on cue, his father also arrived. Struggling to carry a sack of rice over his shoulder. But the moment he saw Ryo stepping out of the ridiculously expensive car, the sack slipped from his grasp and landed with a heavy thud.
"Ryo? What the hell is this?" his father demanded, looking completely bewildered.
From a distance, some of their neighbors had already started peeking from their windows, whispering among themselves.
Ryo swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their stares.
"...Shxt of paper."