-----
-----
Hana Yurikawa and Miko Yotsuya stood where they were, only slowly snapping out of it after Asher's figure completely disappeared into the night.
Just thinking about how she'd spent the day shopping with Mr. Asher made the corner of Miko's lips lift unconsciously, a small smile she didn't even realize was there.
But just as Miko finally managed to calm her racing heart and turned her head, she noticed something else.
Hana was still staring in the direction Asher had left, completely lost in thought.
"Hana?"
"Hana!"
"…"
It took several calls before Hana finally snapped back to reality.
"Huh? Oh! What's up, Miko?"
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Miko said, looking at her strangely. "I called your name so many times and you didn't even react. Are you… thinking about something?"
At that, Hana's heart skipped hard.
The panic only flickered across her face for an instant before she hurriedly scratched the back of her head and put on an awkward grin.
"Haha, what? Of course not. Nothing like that."
"You know me. How could I possibly have worries like that?"
"…Really?" Miko looked unconvinced as she listened to Hana's explanation.
"Of course it's true!" Hana nodded earnestly, meeting Miko's eyes head-on. "Have I ever lied to you?"
After a moment, Miko finally relaxed.
"Alright then. I believe you."
"But if you really do have something on your mind, you can't hide it from me, okay?"
"We're best friends, after all."
"Of course! I know, I know!" Hana nodded along enthusiastically.
What Miko didn't know was that Hana was secretly letting out a huge sigh of relief inside.If Miko hadn't been standing right there, she probably would've wiped the sweat off her forehead.
Thank goodness Miko didn't notice…
If she found out that I also have those kinds of feelings for Asher…
Hana wasn't the shy, thin-skinned type like Miko. She was very clear about what was going on in her own heart.
She knew it already.
Even though she hadn't known Asher for long, and had only met him because of Miko in the first place, she could tell that what she felt for him might already be more than just simple friendship.
But still.
Even if Hana was brave enough to face her own feelings, the moment she thought about Miko, her closest friend, she couldn't help but become cautious.
No matter how carefree she usually was, this wasn't something she could take lightly.
She didn't want anything to happen to the fragile little boat of friendship between her and Miko.
"Well, it's getting late. I should head home."
"Miko, you should go back early too!"
After saying that, Hana turned and left.
Her steps, however, looked hurried and a little flustered.
"…"
Miko watched Hana's retreating figure, her brows knitting slightly.
She could feel that something about Hana had been off since earlier, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the thought never even crossed her mind.
Not long after, Miko also turned around and began walking home.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side.
About half an hour later.
After parting ways with Miko and Hana, Asher arrived at the school together with Hotaru-gusa.
Standing at the front gate and looking at the pitch-dark campus, Asher felt something unusual stir in his chest.
During the day, the school was lively and full of energy.
But at night, shrouded in darkness, the campus felt like a beast lying in wait, giving off a heavy, eerie presence.
Could a single ghost from some minor campus legend really create an atmosphere like this?
Asher wasn't convinced.
Besides, that so-called school legend wasn't even well-known. Only a handful of students had ever heard of it.
Which meant that even if a ghost did exist, it probably hadn't caused many supernatural incidents.
In that case, there were only two possibilities.
One, the ghost was harmless and didn't want to hurt ordinary people.
Or two, the ghost simply wasn't very strong.
Unless… this school hid something else entirely, something beyond that campus legend?
Shaking his head, Asher stopped overthinking it.
He checked the time.
It was already around ten at night.
The group of students who had bragged about exploring the school tonight had probably already made their way inside.
Honestly, if it weren't for the system assigning him this mission, Asher wouldn't have taken that so-called ghost very seriously at all.
After all, just last night, with the combined combat power of six shikigami, he'd gone head-to-head with the infamous urban legend "Ghost Mary" and ended in a draw.
He hadn't even used his trump cards.
Compared to Ghost Mary, this campus ghost was almost certainly on a completely different level.
Dealing with it should be far easier.
That confidence was exactly why Asher felt so relaxed.
"Alright. Let's go in."
After observing the campus for a bit longer, Asher lowered his head and spoke to Hotaru-gusa beside him.
Hotaru-gusa nodded obediently and took hold of Asher's hand.
The two of them then stepped together into the comprehensive high school campus, now cloaked in darkness and faintly unsettling.
At the very moment Asher and Hotaru-gusa entered the grounds—
On the opposite side of the school, near the back gate—
Several shadowy figures crawled in through a low hole beneath the surrounding wall.
If Asher had been there, he would've recognized them immediately.
They were the same classmates from yesterday, the ones who'd boldly claimed they'd come to explore the school at night and uncover the truth behind the campus legend.
Six people in total: four boys and two girls.
Leading them was none other than Takahashi.
His full name was Takahashi Kuria. Well… certainly a memorable name.
"Brr… why does the school feel so creepy at night?" one of the girls whispered."It was pretty warm outside, but now I feel cold all of a sudden."
As soon as the two girls entered the campus, they instinctively pulled their clothes tighter around themselves.
Once they said that, the others suddenly started feeling uncomfortable too.
Takahashi Kuria, however, looked at them with clear disdain.
"Creepy? I think it feels pretty refreshing."
"This is all just in your heads."
"There's no such thing as ghosts or spirits in this world. Believe in science!"
"Or what? If you're scared, just turn around and go home."
"I, Takahashi Kuria, don't make friends with cowards."
The group flushed with embarrassment after being provoked like that.
Especially the three boys. When they noticed the looks coming from the girls, they immediately stiffened their necks and spoke up.
"Scared? No way!"
"I just didn't wear enough clothes, that's all."
"It's just a stupid campus legend. I'm not afraid at all!"
"Yeah, yeah! Same here!"
"....."