Chapter 152: Ah, Stupid Miko!
'Ugh~ I've seen so many weird things that now I can't even tell humans from ghosts anymore. This is getting troublesome…'
Then again, some evil spirits could disguise themselves as ordinary humans.
'Okay, so maybe I really can't tell.'
Miko thought about it with a headache.
Still, she could not simply leave an unattended elderly woman sitting there.
After discussing it with Yuria, the two decided to take the old woman home.
Fortunately, her family had left an address on her.
So Miko carried the surprisingly light grandmother on her back while Niguredo Yuria walked beside her.
"Yuria-chan, how do you tell humans and evil spirits apart?"
Miko asked curiously as they walked.
"Hmm? Proper evil spirits normally wouldn't stay somewhere with sunlight this strong, right?"
Yuria looked at her strangely.
Whether someone could see them or not, everyone knew the same basic idea—Evil spirits disliked sunlight and preferred nighttime or shady places.
Miko had Yin-Yang Eyes, so she should know that already.
"I know that~"
Miko adjusted the elderly woman higher on her back.
But when she actually passed something suspicious at close range, she still could not stop herself from getting nervous.
Her nerves were nowhere near as strong as Sensei's.
'I should observe more carefully next time.'
"Haah!"
After walking for a while, Miko released an exhausted breath.
Even if the old woman was light, carrying someone who could not properly support their own weight was extremely tiring.
"Want to switch?"
Yuria noticed her condition and offered.
"Okay…"
Miko immediately turned around in interest.
Then she saw Yuria's tiny body and realized she was clearly not suited for the task.
The two blinked at each other.
"I'll check the house numbers."
With no room for argument, Yuria hurried ahead and started checking the signs beside the street.
Under Yuria's guidance, they soon located the old woman's address.
Just as they reached the entrance, a middle-aged woman came running from another direction, completely out of breath.
"Mom!"
Miko slowly lowered the elderly woman from her back.
"You went outside by yourself again without telling me! Do you know how worried I was?!"
"You even left your dentures by the entrance!"
She had clearly been worried sick, but once she saw that her mother was unharmed, she immediately began nagging.
The middle-aged woman handed over the dentures.
The old grandmother seemed completely accustomed to this and calmly put them back in.
"Sigh!"
The woman released a breath that was equal parts exhaustion and relief, then turned toward Miko and Yuria.
"Thank you so much for helping her. I'm sorry she caused you trouble…"
"It's fine."
The two girls hurriedly waved their hands.
"No, really, thank you. I need to properly repay you somehow."
"Eh? Ah, there's no need. Please don't trouble yourself…"
"It's fine. Please wait here for a moment."
With that, the woman hurried inside.
"You really don't… need…"
Too late to refuse, Miko and Yuria exchanged helpless looks.
'Eh? Hana sent me a message.'
Miko picked up her phone.
"Four… one."
At that moment, a hoarse, low voice reached their ears.
Creak… creak…
Both girls, capable of hearing voices from another world, felt chills run down their backs.
They slowly and stiffly turned around.
"…Six… three… one."
A mouth filled with decayed teeth repeatedly muttered incomprehensible numbers behind them.
The elderly man's face was covered in ominous black energy.
This time—He really wasn't human~
Yay.
Smack!
Just as Miko froze uncertainly, a surprisingly strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Her shoulders tensed instantly.
"Is this what they call a smartphone?"
The grandmother pointed toward Miko's glowing screen.
'Grandma! Please stop scaring me!'
Miko nearly died from fright, but hurriedly moved the phone in front of her.
"Y-yes. Smartphones can make calls, send messages…"
Yuria quickly leaned over too.
"You can search for information online! Livestreams have gotten really popular lately too!"
Their acting was completely natural.
Unfortunately, the evil spirit remained persistent and leaned closer.
"4631~"
'Seriously, why do evil spirits always appear when other people are around?'
'If you're so brave, come fight somewhere empty!'
'Damn naturally evil spirits!'
Miko wanted to cry as she watched it approach her.
Then it walked straight past.
"…Hm?"
Miko stared blankly.
The evil spirit ignored her completely, moved beside the grandmother, and continued repeating the same string of numbers.
Now wearing her dentures, the grandmother spoke to the girls.
"Thank you for helping me. If you don't mind…"
She suddenly paused.
Her gaze fell on the numbers displayed on Miko's phone.
4631
"I'm sorry, but all we have left are some homemade red bean buns."
The middle-aged woman came back outside carrying a bag.
Then she noticed her mother slowly walking back into the house.
Once again, the old woman stopped before a safe whose password she had long forgotten.
"Mom? You've already tried that so many times and couldn't open—eh?"
Click.
The safe opened.
The middle-aged woman stared at the letters and comb inside, realization spreading across her face.
"Ah… those are things Dad gave you…"
The grandmother picked up the comb and slowly ran it through her hair.
"Let's make tonjiru tonight, Haruko."
"M-Mom?"
Seeing her mother suddenly filled with energy again felt almost unreal.
"What are you standing around for? Come help."
The old woman turned toward the two girls in the yard.
"Oh, and you two should stay for dinner too. We're making tonjiru."
"Eh? We… I…"
Miko finally recovered and looked away from the memorial photograph that faintly resembled the elderly spirit.
"I promised Mom I'd be home on time. Otherwise she'll worry."
Miko smiled.
"Same here!"
Yuria quickly agreed.
"Thank you."
The old man's spirit spoke once again.
This time, however, it was no longer a string of numbers.
His voice was perfectly clear.
The two girls looked at the spirit, which now appeared almost indistinguishable from an ordinary person.
They gently closed their eyes and took a breath.
When they opened them again—The old man was gone.
"Then we'll be going."
Carrying the red bean buns they had received as thanks, the two finally headed home.
...
They did not take the bus.
Instead, they walked silently together for quite a while.
Miko closed the photo Hana had sent showing off her new pajamas and finally broke the silence.
"Yuria-chan."
"Mm?"
"I suddenly think having Yin-Yang Eyes might not necessarily be a curse."
...
That night, at Miko's home.
Drip~
A bead of condensation gathered on the ceiling and fell into the narrow bathtub.
Steam filled the entire bathroom.
Miko curled up comfortably in the tub, her head tilted back.
She had wrapped a towel around her hair, which was tied up in a bun, and kept her eyes closed.
Slowly, she cupped the warm water in her hands and poured it over her chest and collarbones, watching the droplets trace the curves of her body before splashing back into the tub.
"Mmm... this feels so good. I can feel all the tension leaving my body," she murmured, her eyes still shut.
After a day full of scares, a warm bath was exactly what she needed.
Her mind wandered back over everything that had happened.
Eventually, her thoughts returned to the elderly woman and the spirit of her husband.
'Was that a spirit capable of communication?'
Sensei had told her that such spirits existed, but she had never personally encountered one.
And could that grandfather really communicate normally?
He did not seem to want to hurt anyone.
His only lingering obsession had been delivering the password connected to his feelings for his wife.
'Even after dying… he still wanted to tell her something.'
Then what about the spirit that looked like her father?
Miko stared at the ceiling covered in tiny droplets.
She reached for her phone and began typing.
[Miko: Sensei, I kind of miss you.]
At the same time, the two were doing completely different things.
Luke sat doing his homework with manga, fruit, and desserts scattered beside him.
He lazily filled in the workbook one line at a time.
The instant his phone screen lit up, he grabbed it with lightning speed.
Proof that phones became exponentially more entertaining whenever homework was involved!
"Didn't we just see each other during the day?"
Luke muttered, leaning back in his chair and hooking his pencil behind one ear.
'If the homework doesn't get finished, then it doesn't get finished.'
His text reply matched his spoken words.
[Luke: Didn't we just see each other during the day?]
[Miko: But we never got to spend any time alone.]
[Luke: Then when I get the chance, I'll skip a club activity and come see you. No Niguredo tagging along.]
[Miko: Okay.]
[Miko: Oh, right. Something happened on the way home.]
Miko slowly told Luke what had happened with the elderly woman.
[Luke: Mm. You did well.]
[Luke: Spirit bodies are held together by lingering obsessions. Those obsessions can preserve their reason for a while, but with time they're still inevitably drawn toward the realm of the dead.]
[Luke: The spirit you met was like that.]
[Luke: It wasn't that he had absolutely no malice. Rather, once his obsession was resolved, the malice disappeared and he naturally returned to normal.]
[Luke: Whether you interpret what happened afterward as passing on, reincarnation, or going to heaven is up to you.]
[Luke: Anyway, you handled it beautifully. There'll be a reward.]
Miko pursed her lips, then sent another message about her father.
[Luke: A spirit that can speak normally? I'll find time to visit your house soon and check.]
[Miko: Then, Sensei… if he really can communicate, can you let me handle it myself? I want to properly talk with Dad.]
[Luke: Of course.]
Miko put down her phone, letting her legs dangle slightly above the water's surface.
The water had already cooled down. She quickly climbed out of the tub and dried herself off.
After a moment's thought, she draped a towel partially over her body and snapped a photo.
'It's not as good as Hana's, but it's still pretty…' Miko stared at the photo, then at her chat with Luke, and hesitated for a long time.
Send!
[Miko: (Image)]
[Miko: I'll be thinking of you as I fall asleep, Sensei. Please think of me too.]
Lock screen!
Starting to feel chilly, Miko quickly changed into fresh clothes and a pale green pajama set.
She wrapped a thick pink-and-white towel around her neck so her damp hair would not soak her back.
Feelings could cross even the distance between life and death.
Then hers could too!
Mm.
She had boldly expressed her feelings just like that grandfather had~
Miko clenched a tiny fist before her chest and marched confidently out of the bathroom.
Whoosh~
The summer windows were open, allowing a cross-breeze to flow through the hallway.
The sudden temperature difference between the bathroom and corridor instantly cooled Miko's overheated courage.
Wait.
No!
You didn't need to express your feelings by sending a photo!
So…
'What am I even doing?!'
'Waaaaah! Stupid Miko!'
"Ugh—!"
Miko frantically tapped her own head, then covered her face and released an embarrassed whimper.
Mm.
Even after crossing certain boundaries, sometimes she still became inexplicably shy.
So…
'Ah, stupid Miko!'
…
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