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The girl skidded to a stop in front of Rosen, sweat beading on her forehead like she'd just fought a tough battle.
"I… I became one!"
Rosen didn't answer right away. Instead, he reached out and ruffled her hair.
She didn't flinch. When his palm touched the top of her head, a faint warmth spread through her. Miko's eyes softened, and without really thinking about it, she tilted her head forward so he could pat her more easily.
"So," Rosen said with a small laugh, "did you run right into a ghost the moment you went downstairs?"
"Not exactly. At first, I couldn't find any… so, um… to be honest, I went to the bathroom. And the second I opened the door, bam—face-to-face with a female ghost. I thought my heart was gonna stop! But I managed to react in time and took her out."
"Oh, and Rosen—while I was fighting, a glowing spear suddenly appeared in my hands. What was that about?"
As she spoke, light particles began forming in her palm, condensing into the unstable shape of a long spear.
"That's your basic ability. You left in such a rush, I forgot to tell you."
It wasn't anything fancy—just projecting the divine power inside her. But against ordinary ghosts, it was basically the perfect weapon.
"This thing's amazing! The second I jabbed her with it, she was gone. But right before she disappeared, she said something… something like 'Hanako'?"
Hanako… from the girls' bathroom.
If that was true, then the "ghost" she'd just taken down wasn't just a random spirit—it was practically an urban legend made flesh.
Unfortunately, Rosen's first thought, thanks to a certain anime he'd seen, was of "Hanako the Reluctant Exorcist."
"How do you feel now?"
"I feel like… even if there were a hundred ghosts, I could take them all down!"
Miko lifted her head, fists clenched, looking like she was ready to dash right back downstairs for round two.
Going from quiet, well-behaved beauty to full-on battle maniac wasn't surprising. Anyone who'd spent months being terrified out of their mind by ghosts would jump at the chance to get some payback.
Kind of like how some people go on shopping sprees the moment they get rich.
"Rosen, I'm going back down!"
Her eyes burned with determination. Today, she was going to make this school very uninhabitable for the dead.
"Hold on a second—I've got a question for you."
At his words, Miko froze.
"What is it?"
"While you were up here, did you see anyone else?"
"Anyone else? It's just you and me here. I haven't even seen a single ghost."
She even glanced around to be sure. The rooftop was small enough to see from one end to the other, and the only entrance was the stairwell.
"Nothing at all? Try sensing more carefully—say, right next to me."
Miko squinted, focusing on the space beside Rosen. She could see the tiniest details—down to the ants crawling on the ground—but all she saw there was… air.
Her eyes even started to glow faint red, a sign her spirit-sight had kicked in. Still, nothing.
"I still can't see anything. But… I think I can feel something there. Is it some kind of special ghost?"
Her hands tightened on the spear, and she leveled it at the empty space—right where Mai Sakurajima was standing.
Mai's eyes went wide. She instinctively darted behind Rosen.
What is this girl doing?!
Just because nobody else could see her didn't mean she was literally invisible to the physical world. She had no interest in testing whether or not she could get hit by a truck.
Probably could, though. And knowing her luck, the driver wouldn't even notice—just think they'd gone over a speed bump and maybe picked up some roadkill.
"That thing just moved behind you!" Miko said sharply.
"Not 'thing.' A person."
Rosen raised a hand and waved it toward Mai.
Mai didn't feel anything—but Miko suddenly jumped back like she'd seen a monster.
When her eyes finally focused on what was standing behind Rosen, her pupils shrank. Her expression twisted into something complicated.
Why… why was there a bunny girl here?
And not just anywhere—with Rosen.
She was here first!
"..."
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