"I… I can't see them anymore. They're really gone!"
Looking once more at the spot in the courtyard where a ghost had been just moments ago, Miko wiped her eyes. After confirming again and again that nothing was there, she nearly cried from relief"Don't get too excited just yet," Su Yang's voice chimed in, bringing her back to reality. "Your eyes can't handle too much of my ocular power. At most, you've got two or three days before the illusion wears off."
"That's fine," Miko shook her head. "Even just three days of peace... it's more than enough."
Then she turned to Su Yang and bowed deeply once again.
"Thank you so much, Su Yang-kun."
"I can tell you really mean that," Su Yang replied, nodding with satisfaction.
Just as Miko straightened up, his gaze flicked away,
So pale…
The enhanced clarity of his Mangekyō Sharingan certainly wasn't going to waste.
"Um…" Miko hesitated. "Do you… need any kind of payment?"
"Payment?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like someone who needs money?"
"Well…"
Miko glanced around the incredibly luxurious room.
Yeah, right. No way someone living in a place like this would care about money.
"Then… how should I repay you?" she asked, bracing herself.
Su Yang didn't respond immediately. He simply walked over to the window, peering outside.
"Your payment has already been made."
Huh?
Miko blinked, completely confused.
"Here's the deal," Su Yang said thoughtfully. "After school, come hang out here for an hour or two. If it's the weekend or a holiday, stay as long as you can."
Huh??
Her heart skipped a beat.
Wait a second… Is he… implying something?!
Just as her thoughts started to run wild, Su Yang added casually:
"You attract ghosts like crazy. If you're here, I can take care of them."
"O-Oh! R-Right, of course!"
Miko laughed awkwardly, wishing she could crawl into a hole.
Jeez, Yotsuya Miko, don't flatter yourself. Why would a guy like him… with your looks and figure… ugh!
Yeah, without ghosts around, Miko was still your average teenage girl, and teenage girls being flustered around handsome guys was just natural.
Later that evening, Su Yang had a driver take her home while he went down to the underground garage.
During the day, a new shipment of minerals had arrived.
Even though hunting ghosts now earned him Simulation Points, he still planned to fully convert the minerals he'd already purchased into more points.
At the Yotsuya Household
"Miko, what exactly was going on earlier?"
Her mom, Yotsuya Toko, looked at her daughter with concern.
Can you blame her? Any mother would freak out seeing their daughter getting dropped off in a luxury car.
"Oh, that?" Miko replied calmly. "One of my classmates needs someone to help organize their family library. I figured I'd give it a try."
She had already prepared this excuse on the way home.
In fact, she'd rehearsed multiple scenarios in her head just for this moment.
Still, she couldn't bring herself to meet her mother's eyes as she spoke.
Guilty conscience much?
But like hell she could tell her mom the truth!
"Was it a boy or a girl?"
Her mom's tone immediately sharpened.
"Mooom, seriously?" Miko went full-on cutesy mode.
"I just wanted to ease your burden a little. At the very least, I can start covering my own allowance!"
That part wasn't even a lie.
Miko really did feel guilty about freeloading at Su Yang's house, eating his food, using his place like a ghost-free safehouse.
So she'd offered to help out with some cleaning in return.
Su Yang agreed, thinking it was the perfect excuse to make her wear some of the maid outfits he'd collected. Totally reasonable, right?
And hey, it gave Miko a believable reason to keep coming over. Win-win.
As for the small wage he offered? Not even worth thinking about.
When she finished speaking, her mom's expression shifted.
Toko sighed inwardly.
After losing her husband and son in a car accident, the compensation had been generous. She'd since taken up a light job, not out of financial need, but just to keep herself busy.
But hearing Miko say that made her feel like her daughter misunderstood everything.
Even so, she didn't argue.
My little girl's growing up. Let her be.
Besides, she knew her daughter better than anyone.
There's no way Miko would go to a boy's house. Not even if it was for a part-time job.
[You have killed a Level 5 Ghost. Simulation Points +1]
"And that's the last one."
Su Yang punched through another ghost and glanced at his current point total.
[Simulation Points: 287]
Just a bit short of 300, but still, not bad at all.
Over 200 of those points had been thanks to Miko.
The moment she left, his villa had attracted more than a dozen ghosts.
"Hmm… Wasn't Kawakami Hana supposed to be even more of a ghost magnet?"
Su Yang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Maybe I should have Miko bring her over sometime.
Still, he put that thought aside for now.
"Time to run another simulation."
Looking at the refreshed simulation count, excitement sparked in his chest.
This time, he'd be starting with the Mangekyō Sharingan already unlocked.
What kind of results would that lead to?
He quickly returned to his room and gave the command:
"System, begin simulation."
A crisp notification responded.
[World confirmed. Entering simulation: Naruto Universe.]
[You may now spend Simulation Points to generate a Green-Grade Talent. Would you like to spend 100 points to generate one?]
"Only 100 points to roll for a green talent? And only one at a time?"
Su Yang tested it, and confirmed it.
Only one green-grade talent per 100 points.
Tch. Fine.
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Note: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 48. You can read 35 chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/Aurevynluv