A while later, in a corner of the green shade.
Two people and one ghost sat opposite each other, each with a different expression.
After the brief contact earlier, the three of them had calmed down, introduced themselves, and had a simple conversation.
Kitahara Shinji told Manhattan Cafe and the 'friend' his identity as Agnes Tachyon's trainer.
Manhattan Cafe, in turn, politely stated her own name and mentioned that she had heard of him from Tachyon before, who said he was a very kind trainer, and that she was very happy to meet him.
As for the 'friend'...
She said her name was Sunday Silence, a ghost who had been with Cafe since she was a child.
She had not a single memory of how she became a ghost, or of her life before, leaving only the solitary name 'Sunday Silence'.
As for how she appeared by Manhattan Cafe's side, she had no impression of that either. She only remembered that the first thing she saw upon gaining consciousness was a then-young Manhattan Cafe.
And then, the two of them became bound together.
From kindergarten, to elementary school, and then to entering Tracen.
During that time, they also tried to find others who could see Sunday Silence.
Urban legends, ghost stories, psychic girls...
They tried everything, but in the end, they found nothing.
In fact, the reason Manhattan Cafe became friends with Agnes Tachyon was that she thought Tachyon, as a famous mad scientist, might be able to create a potion that would allow others to see Sunday Silence.
But until today, despite Agnes Tachyon's repeated efforts, she had not been able to create such a potion. It was only in the process that she and Manhattan Cafe slowly became friends.
Then, as time went on, they had both more or less given up on this search.
After all, Agnes Tachyon was the most outrageous existence they had ever met. If she couldn't create the corresponding item after so much effort, then it was even more impossible for other, less eccentric people.
There was another point: as time passed, the girl and the ghost had slowly adapted to this life of being misunderstood.
At first, Manhattan Cafe would feel sad and sorrowful because others couldn't believe in and accept Sunday Silence's existence, and she would also be troubled by having no friends.
But now, she had grown accustomed to being with just Sunday Silence, and she also had a tangible friend in Agnes Tachyon, who was just as much of an oddball as her.
As for Sunday Silence, although she had initially felt guilty for scaring away Manhattan Cafe's friends and had even considered leaving her side, after Manhattan Cafe's sincere plea for her to stay, she ultimately chose to remain. She then began to wholeheartedly nurture her and had been trying to help her make friends, though she had yet to succeed even once.
But just then, when they were about to give up, Kitahara Shinji appeared.
A being who could see, and even touch Sunday Silence, had just suddenly appeared right in front of them.
Confirming this fact, Manhattan Cafe's eyes lit up, and the tail behind her began to wag wildly.
As for Sunday Silence herself, the one who was touched, she wanted nothing more than to stick to Kitahara Shinji and properly experience this 'sensation of touch' that she had never had since her consciousness began.
As an existence without a physical body since gaining consciousness, before being tangibly touched by Kitahara Shinji, not even Manhattan Cafe could make contact with her.
And it wasn't just living things; inanimate objects were the same.
Although it looked like Sunday Silence was standing on the ground, in reality, her feet were always a hair's breadth away from the real ground.
It wasn't that she could float, but that the ground seemed to have a repulsive effect on a creature like her, like a membrane, preventing her from truly setting foot on it, let alone feeling its touch.
As for other inorganic matter, the situation was similar. She was either separated by a strange thin film, completely unable to make contact, or, like tree leaves, they could easily pass through her body without any effect.
At most, she could squeeze through gaps like door cracks, like a cat squeezing through a pipe, without any sensation along the way.
But this time, the moment Kitahara Shinji touched her, she truly felt the sensation of being 'contacted'.
Feeling the tangible touch on her shoulder, feeling the warmth slowly seeping through her spectral clothes, a never-before-felt sensation awakened the instincts hidden within her. She subconsciously grabbed Kitahara Shinji's hand, wanting to feel more touch and warmth.
The simple touches and warmth that were commonplace for ordinary beings were things she had never experienced. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a miracle.
And, unlike the somewhat introverted and reserved Manhattan Cafe, Sunday Silence's personality couldn't be called introverted; it could only be described as extremely uninhibited.
The reason was simple. To the current world, she was a non-existent person. No matter what she said or did, no one would respond.
Over time, it was inevitable that she wouldn't form a normal set of values.
In fact, if it weren't for Manhattan Cafe's existence and the thought of not wanting to be a bad influence on her, Sunday Silence might have already become a wandering evil spirit.
After all, although she couldn't touch things, she still had a somewhat eerie presence.
And although her body couldn't touch others, when she passed through their bodies, it would give them a cold and sinister feeling, and others had no way to counter it.
For a Sunday Silence who had grown up under these conditions, things like shyness were non-existent.
If it weren't for considering Manhattan Cafe's feelings, the moment Kitahara Shinji touched her, she might have just latched onto him and refused to leave.
As for Manhattan Cafe...
Agnes Tachyon's various boasts about her own "guinea pig," coupled with his ability to see and even touch her 'friend,' and the fact that he wasn't afraid of her 'friend' at all and didn't reject her...
She was already trying to figure out how to squeeze into Kitahara Shinji's team.
On the other side, Kitahara Shinji was also, for once, considering actively inviting Manhattan Cafe to join his team.
After all, he was really interested in Sunday Silence.
The research value was one aspect, but another was that Kitahara Shinji was very interested in the concept of a "ghost friend" itself.
But the problem was, Manhattan Cafe currently had only two beings she could communicate with: one was Agnes Tachyon, and the other was Sunday Silence.
And now, the former was already clinging to his place and refusing to leave. If he took Sunday Silence away too, then Cafe would truly have no one to talk to, which was a bit too pitiful.
And looking at Sunday Silence's behavior, although she practically had 'take me with you' and 'keep touching me' written on her face, she clearly didn't want to be separated from Manhattan Cafe.
To take her away, he had to take Cafe along as well.
But there was no need to rush this.
After all, this was their first meeting. It wasn't appropriate to invite someone to join the team right away.
And he still had to deal with the Black Forest matter. Even if he brought Cafe into the team, he wouldn't have time to take care of her, let alone study Sunday Silence's problem.
So Kitahara Shinji didn't rush to bring it up. After a simple chat, he just asked Manhattan Cafe if she wanted to go to his place to find Agnes Tachyon and hang out for a while.
Manhattan Cafe, of course, did not refuse.
After all, the reason she was here today was that Tachyon hadn't been around lately, and Sunday Silence, wanting to cheer her up, had planned to bring her here for a stroll to relax.
Not to mention, now that she had confirmed that Kitahara Shinji could touch Sunday Silence, she was already trying to figure out how to build a relationship and join the team. Naturally, she wouldn't miss this opportunity.
So it was quickly settled, and the three of them (?) set off on the road back to Kitahara Shinji's dorm.
But just as they were about to reach his dorm, Sunday Silence suddenly stopped, pulling Manhattan Cafe with her, her expression gradually becoming grave.
"What's wrong?"
Kitahara Shinji noticed their strange behavior.
Sunday Silence frowned, then pointed towards Kitahara Shinji's dorm.
"Your office, is it that one?"
As mentioned before, for certain reasons that couldn't be stated plainly, the trainer's dormitory and office were one and the same, which was why Kitahara Shinji could so calmly invite Manhattan Cafe over.
Kitahara Shinji looked in the direction she was pointing, confirmed she was right, and nodded.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"No wonder..."
Sunday Silence muttered under her breath.
Agnes Tachyon and Manhattan Cafe were a package deal. Since neither of them had many friends, they would basically spend all their time together outside of class and training.
Under these circumstances, Kitahara Shinji should have met Manhattan Cafe when he was taking care of Agnes Tachyon. They should have known each other long ago.
But the truth was, when Agnes Digital and Nice Nature were being cared for, Manhattan Cafe was present. Although they didn't communicate much, they at least became familiar faces.
But whenever Kitahara Shinji went, Manhattan Cafe was sure not to be there. Even if she had been there just a moment before, she would leave before his arrival.
But that wasn't Manhattan Cafe's intention. It was because Sunday Silence, as a special existence, had a more sensitive perception in certain aspects.
So from a great distance, she would sense a rather terrifying aura. Before the other party arrived, she would take Cafe and avoid it.
And now, that terrifying aura was right in Kitahara Shinji's dorm, unmoving.
After hearing Sunday Silence's description, Kitahara Shinji thought for a long time but couldn't think of anything that could be described as terrifying that had been following him around, and that had also disappeared when they went into the woods...
Hmm? Wait a minute?
Something that had been following him around before, but not now...
He pinched his chin and said uncertainly.
"You, you're not talking about Eclipse, are you?"
"Eclipse?"
Hearing this name, Sunday Silence frowned. It felt very familiar, but after thinking for a long time, she couldn't remember where she had heard it.
"Who is that?"
Kitahara Shinji thought for a moment.
"She's a child I raised, I guess. Currently my charge. She's also a strange character, and likes to wear all black. I feel like she should get along well with Cafe."
After a pause, seeing that Sunday Silence still looked a bit uneasy, he added.
"If it's really a problem, I can go over first and bring her out. You can meet outside first and see how it goes."
"...Okay."
Sunday Silence nodded.
So Kitahara Shinji didn't dally. He went straight back to the dorm, explained the situation to Eclipse, and then brought her out to meet Sunday Silence and Manhattan Cafe.
Then, as the two sides approached, different expressions appeared on Manhattan Cafe's and Sunday Silence's faces.
Manhattan Cafe's eyes lit up. Looking at Eclipse, who was also dressed in black and had a calm demeanor, she immediately felt a sense of kinship.
She just wondered if she liked coffee...
But on the other side, Sunday Silence's eyes widened slightly when she saw the approaching Eclipse, a flash of horror in them.
What the hell is that thing?!
Perhaps due to their different forms of life, Sunday Silence could often see things that ordinary people and horse girls could not.
Aura? Domain? Or soul?
She didn't know what it was.
But the one thing she could be sure of was that whatever it was, the thing that this being named 'Eclipse' possessed was something that no other horse girl Sunday Silence had ever seen could compare to. It could even be said that they were not in the same dimension.
Dark, oppressive, powerful, and even faintly revealing a hint of madness and distortion.
The difference from Nice Nature was that she seemed to be able to control those things very well, restraining them all within her body, so only an anomaly like Sunday Silence could perceive it.
But that wasn't the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying part was that in Sunday Silence's sight, although Eclipse's physical body was perfectly fine, from another level, there was a huge void where her heart should be.
The opening was about the size of a fist, its edges twisted and shattered, as if some monster had dug out her heart with extremely cruel means.
Although it wasn't a heart in the physical sense and wouldn't threaten her life, Sunday Silence was sure that there was definitely something wrong with this person.
And just as Sunday Silence was thinking this, Eclipse silently turned her head towards her and spoke calmly.
"What's wrong? Am I strange?"
"No, not at all, it's just..."
Sunday Silence answered subconsciously, then realized something was wrong, a chill spreading from her heart.
"Wait, you can see me?"
"Yes, I can. Shinji told me just now. Miss Sunday Silence, my name is Eclipse. It's nice to meet you."
Eclipse's expression was calm, her tone without any fluctuation.
But Sunday Silence, being looked at by her, suddenly felt her heart tighten. A huge sense of crisis instantly enveloped her, as if she were a sheep being stared at by a beast, ready to be pounced on and killed at any moment.
And it was at this moment that a cool female voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
'Little Eclipse doesn't want someone to worry, so just act like you didn't see anything, understand?'
Sunday Silence was stunned for a moment when she heard this voice. Although she didn't know what was going on, she still subconsciously nodded.
And so, the terrifying feeling instantly dissipated.
On the side, Kitahara Shinji didn't know what had just happened, nor did he feel any terrifying aura. He just happily watched the interaction between Eclipse and Manhattan Cafe, thinking that after coming to Tracen, Eclipse had indeed become much more cheerful.
After they had a simple greeting, and Sunday Silence had returned to normal—at least on the surface—he brought Cafe and Sunday Silence into his dorm.
Then, Sunday Silence's eyelids twitched.
One, two, three, four...
Not counting her and Cafe, there were a total of seven horse girls in the room.
Although she had heard from Agnes Tachyon before that there were a total of eight horse girls in Kitahara Shinji's team, and she had also met Agnes Digital and Nice Nature, and had seen the anomaly in Nice Nature, she had at the time lamented with Manhattan Cafe about how interesting this team was. Out of just eight people, there were three monster-like individuals.
But looking at it today...
Where were there three monsters! Every single one of them had a special skill!
Again, because of the special nature of her life form, she could see many things that were invisible to ordinary people and horse girls. So as soon as she entered the room, she immediately noticed the anomalies in these horse girls.
But that wasn't the most important thing.
The most important thing was that, according to Sunday Silence's observation, these monster-like horse girls, although they didn't make any overt moves after Kitahara Shinji returned to the room, their "markers" had locked onto him the instant he entered.
What did this mean? Sunday Silence could figure it out with her tail. Her gaze subconsciously drifted to Kitahara Shinji.
Noticing her gaze, Kitahara Shinji turned his head, his expression puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
"You..."
Sunday Silence was about to say something, but suddenly remembered the voice that had sounded in her ear just now. Her expression stiffened, and she bit back her original words, replacing them with another set.
"It's livelier here than I thought..."
"It is a bit noisy."
Kitahara Shinji glanced around the room, but did not show any dissatisfaction or helplessness. On the contrary, he smiled with relief.
"But they are all good kids. They'll clean up the room themselves after making a mess. And they're also very obedient and sensible. There's no need to worry at all."
"Ah, is that so..."
Sunday Silence forced a smile.
Good kids...呵呵...good kids...
But no matter what she was thinking in her heart, Sunday Silence at least agreed with Kitahara Shinji on the surface, and then spent some time glossing over the topic.
After chatting about this, Kitahara Shinji didn't chat with her anymore and sat back down at his computer, returning to his work.
As for Sunday Silence, she stood in place silently for a while, then looked at Manhattan Cafe, who was getting along well with Eclipse on the side, then at the other horse girls, and finally shifted her gaze back to Kitahara Shinji, her expression gradually becoming bitter.
For the first time, she had someone she could interact with, and Cafe had also found a new friend, but why wasn't she happy at all right now...
After a long silence, Sunday Silence looked at the man in front of her and sighed.
Forget it, I'll put the contact thing on hold for now.
It wasn't easy to meet someone who can not only see me but also touch me. I can't just let him die. Let's figure out how to keep him alive first, and then talk about other things.
-------
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (261 Chapter) (Ending)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (130 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (80 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (130 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (120 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (78 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (75 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (65 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (189 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (135 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (55 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (145 Chapter)
The Chat Group Only Arrived After I'd Cleared the Game (102 Chapter)
Gojo Satoru Flat-Out Refuses to Admit He's a Supporting Character (40 Chapter)
Chat Group Isn't Supposed to Be Like This! (30 Chapter)
If You're Moriarty...then Who Am I? (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: Since I "Can't See," They Take Turns Stealing My Underwear (50 Chapter)
Arknights: Why Are All My "Brothers" Girls? (54 Chapter)
Danmachi: Start Training Haki (59 Chapter)
Emiya Shirou's Rebirth (30 Chapter)
I Can Get Stronger Just by AFK'ing—So I Joined a Chat Group (50 Chapter)
Endfield: I Can Always Pull Out One Yuan (65 Chapter)
Limbus Company : I Started a Company in Project Moon (50 Chapter)
Lobotomy: Do Cooks of Alley 23 Dream of Bloodfiend Knights? (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: Freya Familia's "One-Blade Shura" (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: Emiya, the Great Hero Becomes the Protagonist (90 Chapter)
TYPE-MOON: One Special Instance Every Week (40 Chapter)
From Danmachi: The Abundance Apothecary (70 Chapter)
Lord Shadow Descends on DanMachi (90 Chapter)
Fuse with Me, Exusiai! (41 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail — After I Die, I Forge Their Madness (60 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Last Zeus Familia (95 Chapter)
Endfield: Arknights Heroic Spirit Summoning (75 Chapter)
Toyokawa Family Finances (105 Chapter)
Starting From DanMachi to Become Stronger (90 Chapter)
DanMachi: My Familia Is Made Up Entirely of Heroines from Every World! (75 Chapter)
Arknights: My Intel Refreshes Daily (110 Chapter)
Digimon : I Never Meant to Do Evil, Even Though I Wasn't Chosen (40 Chapter)
Miss Holmes Could Never Be the Losing Heroine! (40 Chapter)
Takayama Gamu at Tracen Academy (40 Chapter)
Legendary Trainer Takes on MYGO (40 Chapter)
Arknights : Yandere Game: The Operators Have Come Knocking (100 Chapter)
Arknights: This Dating Sim Is Seriously Wrong! (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Ch'en Hui-chieh, I'm Done Being the Good Guy! (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Wasn't This Supposed to Be a Family Simulator? Why Am I the Family Heirloom? (40 Chapter)
Honkai: Star Rail : The Trailblazer Only Wants a Peaceful Life (45 Chapter)
Arknights: The Unlucky Dad? But I've Got the Chronicle of Time! (55 Chapter)
The Wheelchair War God Is Speedrunning Hogwarts (50 Chapter)
DanMachi: The Elemental Blaster of Orario (45 Chapter)
Playing Honkai in Star Rail (30 Chapter)
As an Alien, I'm Solo Leveling in Warhammer 40K (30 Chapter)
Arknights: A Symbiote's Survival Guide (70 Chapter)
My Yu-Gi-Oh! Deck Is Built Entirely from Stuff I Picked Up (30 Chapter)
I Can Hear the Thoughts of Uma Mutsume (30 Chapter)
Dead-Men Chat Group: Winning the Resurrection Bracket (40 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero: Saving the World While Falling in Love! (40 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: My Breathing Techniques Can Be Leveled Up (50 Chapter)
Type-Moon Age of Gods: Starting with a Simulation as Heracles (40 Chapter)
Terra Love Trap: They All Want Me to Themselves (40 Chapter)
Dimensional Ranking: Top Ten Saviors (40 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen: Naoya Zen'in Wants to Stay Alive! (40 Chapter)
Bleach: This Everyday Multiverse Is Seriously Falling Apart! (60 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it