1:55 AM — The Hour When Spirits Whisper Among the Energy Drinks
The Konbini breathed with the slow rhythm of a terminal patient. I, Hiroto, was rearranging a stack of onigiri no one would buy, while Aoi, sitting on the counter, swung her legs and played with a broken omamori she'd found in the lost and found.
"Did you know yūrei hate mustard?" she asked out of nowhere, shaking the charm like a rattle. "I read that if you throw mustard at them, they get scared and run away. Wouldn't it be fun to see a ghost sneezing?"
"The only scary thing here is your ability to believe that nonsense," I replied, even though I knew engaging with her topic was a mistake.
"It's not nonsense!" She jumped off the counter, sliding over to the condiment aisle. "Imagine it: an office ghost, grey suit, loose tie... Pum! You shoot him with spicy mustard and he runs away crying."
"I'd rather save the mustard for the living customers."
She laughed, but her laughter cut off abruptly. Her eyes focused on the empty entrance.
"Hey..." she murmured, faking an exaggerated yawn. "I think... I'm going to the bathroom. Don't do anything fun without me."
"As if that were possible," I said, but she was already hopping towards the staff room door, disappearing like a ghost.
The Konbini fell silent. Or almost. Until the ding of the entrance sounded.
She was there.
An impeccable black sailor fuku uniform, hair black and straight like spilled ink, round glasses that reflected the fluorescent light. And over her shoulders, a black cloak so ridiculous even a cosplayer would hesitate to wear it.
"Good evening..." she said with a bow that would have been perfect if she hadn't tripped over her own cloak. "D-do you have... white chocolate Pocky?"
"Aisle 3, next to the broken ghosts," I replied, pointing without looking up.
The girl blinked, then laughed. A soft sound, like little bells at a summer festival.
"You're funny," she said, adjusting her glasses. "Let me introduce myself, my name is Miyu. I'm part of the Shinozaki School Ghost Hunting Club. Have you seen... any paranormal activity around here?"
I blinked.
"Just my coworker, who tells ghost jokes like she's doing stand-up."
Miyu leaned forward, her eyes shining behind her glasses.
"I'm serious!" she whispered, pulling out a thermos with a ghost logo drawn in white-out. "I felt a presence here... Something cold, sad... But now..." She frowned, looking around. "It's gone."
"That's normal. The only specters here are the customers trying to steal Kit Kats."
She blushed, toying with her cloak.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she said, more to her thermos than to me. "But I'm a real ghost hunter. My mom taught me. I've even..." She lowered her voice. "...seen one."
"A ghost or a customer with no money?"
"A y-yūrei!" she exclaimed, weakly hitting the counter. "Its face was deformed, and... it whispered lottery numbers!"
This time, I couldn't help but smirk.
"Sounds like my manager."
Miyu laughed, but stopped instantly, as if humor were a mistake in her war against ghosts.
"Well, if you see anything..." She handed me an ofuda with scribbles that looked like they were drawn by a five-year-old and placed it on the counter. "...call me."
"I don't have your number."
"Ah!" She wrote something on a receipt with trembling hands. "Here. It's... the club's number."
The receipt said "Shinozaki High School - Ghost Hunting Club (Do not call after 9 PM, the president goes to bed early)."
"I'll come back another night to investigate further," she promised, raising her thermos like a sword. "Until then!"
She left with another bow, tripping over her cloak again.
The ding of the door was still echoing when Aoi reappeared, jumping out from the drink aisle as if she'd been spying behind the beer cases.
"Nyaaa~! Did you miss my voice, Hiroto-kun?" she sang, though her smile seemed tense, like a spring about to snap.
"Not at all. Just had a customer spouting nonsense about ghosts. Like you."
"Nonsense?" She made a move to jump and sit on the counter as usual, but stopped when she saw the ofuda and just spun around instead. "What was she like?"
"A schoolgirl with a cloak. From your old school, by the way."
Aoi froze. Just for a second. Then, she laughed too loudly.
"Ah, from Shinozaki! Must be from that club of weirdos who believe in UFOs and ghosts. They like to go out at night looking for ghosts."
"Do you know her?" I asked.
"Me? Of course not." She jumped, moving away towards the candy aisle. "I just... spent my time doing things alone in middle school, didn't have time for clubs."
"Things like trying to jump off the roof," I murmured, remembering her own words.
She didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed a Pocky and snapped it in two.
"And that Miyu?" she asked, chewing forcefully. "Was she... annoying?"
"Just a girl playing at being a ghost hunter. Like you playing at being an Idol."
Aoi threw the remaining Pocky at my head.
"It's not the same," she grumbled. "Idols are..." She searched for the words. "Fun. That girl... sounds like a joke."
"And you? Are you more original?"
"Exactly!" She recovered her smile, but her eyes avoided mine. "I'm the one and only Aoi-chan, and I sing about..." She looked around. "...customers who don't pay!"
The night continued, with forced jokes and Aoi glancing at the door. Every time the ding sounded, her shoulders tensed, as if she expected Miyu to return with more ofudas and nonsense about ghosts.
As we left, the sky was grey, heavy with a rain that never came. Aoi stopped in front of the Konbini, looking at Miyu's receipt, which I had left on the counter.
"Are you going to call her?" she asked, without turning around.
"No. I already have enough with one weird girl in my life."
"Good," she said, crumpling the receipt and throwing it in the trash. "Those things only bring trouble."
And so, among ghosts that didn't exist, another night ended.
As always.