Toa Matsubara, sporting two massive dark circles under her eyes, stood behind a utility pole near the Yotsuya household. Leaning against the wall, she listened to the sparrows chirping on the power lines, her gaze fixed on the Yotsuya family's door and windows.
Smack.
A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Toa nearly jumped out of her skin—someone was behind her, and she hadn't noticed?
"Who are you?!" The unfamiliar boy's face threw her off, and Toa's guard shot up, her eyes narrowing at his eerie crimson pupils.
"Just a passing hero of justice. Sneaking around at dawn? I can tell you're not human. Take my Great Heavenly Dragon—"
"Die!"
Toa genuinely thought he was some powerful, unknown entity. Gritting her teeth, her tentacles burst forth, aiming to strangle the boy.
"Hey, hey, it's just a meme! No need for that!" Muxiao's sleeve-hidden tentacles moved faster, blocking all of Toa's tendrils.
The braided girl froze, realization dawning after a moment. "…Tentacle-kun?"
"That's me."
Toa's face transformed in a flash. The fierce, murderous aura vanished, replaced by a frail, aggrieved look, like an ordinary girl. "Tentacle-kun, why didn't you say you were coming? And you…"
Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, lingering on his face, her tongue practically tripping over itself. "Your appearance…"
He turned human?
Well, not entirely—his limbs were still tentacles—but it was astonishing. Toa knew Muxiao wasn't like her, a mere tentacle monster; he was a far more mysterious being.
"Not important. But you—did you stay here all night?"
"…Pretty much," Toa admitted, sounding helpless. "The girl you're fixated on is definitely special. I've figured that much out."
She paused for a few seconds. "Are there really ghosts in this world?"
Then she gave a bitter smile. "With monsters like us, ghosts aren't hard to believe in. But… I can't sense them at all. Can't see or hear them. It's hard to accept."
Muxiao shrugged, saying nothing, and slipped into the Yotsuya yard. Under Toa's gaze, his body swiftly morphed back into his original round, tentacled form.
In the Yotsuya household, on Miko's bed, the black-haired beauty hadn't slept well. Curled up under her covers, she'd been awake for a while but refused to emerge.
She knew her room was filled with several terrifying, grotesque evil spirits.
Their dark auras nearly overwhelmed the small space, their raspy, eerie murmurs filling the air. "You can see me, right? You can…"
What do I do? It's coming closer!
Why do these things keep haunting me? Tears welled in Miko's eyes. She was exhausted by this daily torment, teetering on mental collapse. And Muxiao…
Suddenly, the advancing spirit's expression shifted, as if spotting something terrifying. It glanced out the window, then whoosh—it fled.
Miko barely registered it before every spirit in the room vanished in a single breath.
"???"
"Wait, could it be—"
Muxiao leapt onto the roof, peering through the window. His [Super Intuition] activated, sensing spiritual presences in Miko's home—despite seeing none at school or last night.
"It's probably Miko's father…"
The window opened, and the black-haired girl stood there, scanning left and right. Muxiao slipped inside. "Yotsuya—"
Before he could finish, she threw her arms around him.
"???"
"What's going on?"
"It's you… you idiot, where were you yesterday?!" Miko's voice trembled with a sob. "Do you know how scared I was last night? I saw so many terrifying monsters—"
She was genuinely frightened, unable to share her secret with anyone. Muxiao, the only one who knew and could help, had become her sole lifeline.
"I was just running an experiment. So, I can't sense the spirits because I scare them off?"
Miko's anxious excitement settled, and she shyly released him, lowering her head with a soft "Mm." "They were crowding my room this morning, but just now, they fled, like they saw something terrifying."
Curiously, she studied the tentacle monster. To her, Muxiao, who scared off those spirits, wasn't frightening at all. Strange.
"I know it's not great to say, but Muxiao-kun, could you… stay with me for a bit? Otherwise, I'm…"
Hearing her mumble, Muxiao rolled his eyes. "Using me as a talisman, huh? That's a band-aid fix. What, you expect me to stick around forever?"
He grinned mischievously. "Though, if you became my wife, we could stay together always."
"W-Wife?"
Her delicate face flushed, steam practically rising. "Tch-That kind of thing—"
"Men, such pigs," Toa interrupted, stepping up with a sour expression, glaring at Muxiao with a hint of darkening. "Eating from the bowl while eyeing the pot. Natsumi's not enough, so you're flirting with another girl?"
"…"
Hold on, I'm not your brother. My flirting's none of your business. Why're you going yandere?
Muxiao was speechless.
"Who're you?"
Miko was baffled.
"Hi, Yotsuya-san. I'm Tentacle-kun's friend," Toa said with a sweet smile. "Be careful, Yotsuya-san. Muxiao's quite the player, loves toying with girls."
"Hey! Stop slandering me! Am I as dangerous as you?"
What's with this woman? Why's there a sudden harem showdown vibe?
Miko: "…"
Miko gave an awkward smile, unsure what to say but wondering if this girl was one of Muxiao's women. Why else would she be hostile?
Muxiao changed the subject. "Back to business. We've confirmed that, for some reason, those spirits fear me. No wonder I couldn't sense them."
"But here's the issue: if spirits fear me, why is there one in this house that doesn't? It hasn't fled."
"What?"
Miko didn't catch on.
Muxiao's gaze grew complex, locking eyes with her. "You know who I mean, Yotsuya-san. That spirit… it's your father."
Boom—
Her mind reeled, memories of her father's recent passing flooding back—painful memories she'd suppressed and lied to herself about resurfacing.
"A spirit that should fear me and flee didn't. It stayed in this house," Muxiao sighed softly. "For you. He loves you deeply."
Miko's face paled, her lips trembling as she bowed her head in sorrow.
"Dad…"