Malice!
Katsura Kotonoha could feel the strong malice coming from the spirits around her. That chilling feeling was like winter's cold wind on her face.
But besides these hateful stares, the spirits did not attack her in any real way.
Why was that?
Katsura Kotonoha had planned to kill them all, but now she held back her urge to kill. She sensed there was some hidden reason or secret behind this. Her curiosity pushed her to dig it out.
Anyway, with her power, spirits of this level could not threaten her.
Katsura Kotonoha's senses were not the best, but she still had some. Even if fuzzy, she could roughly tell the level of the spirits on the bus.
For example, the cat-eyed old woman and the students were evil spirits. The headless man sitting on the left was a fierce spirit, stronger than evil spirits.
In truth, fierce spirits were very rare. Their appearance often brought huge disasters and deaths. It took more than eight bishop-level exorcists working together to suppress one.
But for some reason, Katsura Kotonoha had seen at least five fierce spirits in the few months since coming to New York. Was she the legendary spirit-attractor?
She grumbled that in her mind as the girl boldly walked up to the cat-eyed old woman. She wanted to test the limits of these spirits and why they would not attack her.
The moment she got close, the calm cat-eyed old woman went wild.
Church books said spirits had no real thoughts. Most were once human, but after turning into spirits, they lost all human memories and minds.
Their behavior and habits became like a different species, left only with hate and resentment toward the living.
Clearly, the closer the living got, the stronger their hate.
The cat-eyed old woman now showed her true spirit face. Her cheeks were full of deep lines and wrinkles. A red tongue stuck out, and her wide-open mouth was full of sharp fangs.
Her bony hand reached out, grabbing toward Katsura Kotonoha in front of her.
Buzz buzz buzz.
But at that moment, the bus lights started flickering wildly. The driver in the front cab, dressed in a uniform, slowly turned his head.
Of course, it was not like a normal human turning. His body stayed still, but his head twisted 180 degrees on his neck. Even so, his hands gripped the wheel tight, and the bus speed stayed steady.
The driver looked over, but not at Katsura Kotonoha. His gaze went to the cat-eyed old woman.
Stared at by the driver's blank face, the evil spirit acted like a naughty schoolkid caught in the act. It quickly hid its scary look and sat back down properly.
Click, click.
Only then did the driver turn his head back forward.
Even ghosts fear ghosts?
Katsura Kotonoha blinked. This strange scene sparked her strong interest. She raised her hand and slapped the cat-eyed old woman's shoulder with a smack.
She wanted to see how deep this fear went. It could even make a spirit hold back its instincts?
For the cat-eyed old woman, being patted on the shoulder by a human was a first since becoming a ghost. Her body shook, and her face showed a very fierce look.
But she did not dare move. Not at all. She could only bluff, baring her teeth at Katsura Kotonoha.
This is fun!
Katsura Kotonoha ignored its scary face. Her hand pressed harder and harder. The whole bus filled with dull thumping sounds. You could see the old woman's shoulder blade sinking in.
Of course, as a spirit, it felt no pain. But the living presence kept washing over it up close, and it could not tear her apart. This was clear torture for the cat-eyed old woman.
It started growling low from its mouth, and its eyes turned blood red.
But whenever it seemed about to attack, the bus lights flashed fast. Each time, the old woman's attack urge got crushed, and she sat back down obediently.
It seemed that as long as they were on this bus, spirits really could not attack humans. But why did these spirits insist on riding this bus?
Katsura Kotonoha's curiosity grew even more. Just then, the bus stopped again.
In the distant shadows, the outline of a building appeared. With Katsura Kotonoha's eyesight, she could clearly see it was a school. The few pale-faced ghost students in the back all stood up together in perfect sync and got off one by one.
Their destination was clearly that school. Even in death, they had to go to school. They probably never imagined this in life.
After the ghost students got off, the cat-eyed old woman stood up too. She waved at Katsura Kotonoha with a venomous glare, as if inviting her to follow.
Normally, only an idiot would do what it wanted. But out of nowhere, Katsura Kotonoha heard a whisper in her ear, urging her to get off.
Was this the evil spirit's power?
Katsura Kotonoha frowned. With her strong mind, she would not be tricked by such whispers. But for an ordinary person, it would be different. They would follow along blindly.
This is you asking for it!
Thinking that, Katsura Kotonoha pretended to be tricked and got off with the cat-eyed old woman.
Plop.
The bus door closed again, and the bus sped away.
The cat-eyed old woman led Katsura Kotonoha to the roadside. Then she dropped her disguise and lunged at her with claws out.
Pfft.
A silver flash lit up in the air.
The cat-eyed old woman's ugly head flew off. Her body fell limply to the ground. Katsura Kotonoha sheathed her blade and looked toward where the bus had gone.
Damn, I got careless!
That bus clearly hid a big secret. Following it might have led to clues about the source.
She had planned to kill this evil spirit and get back on the bus. With her Shunpo, she could easily catch up. But after she got off, the bus was completely gone, like it had entered another world.
---
Read 30 advanced chapters on my patreon
patreon.com/GustinaKamiya
---