"... You want a food, Trisakti?"
Said one of the Ghosts, Tuyul, a Small, childlike humanoid with a bald head and greenish skin. Has big, round eyes and sharp teeth. It looked like a goblin but smaller and looked a little more human than goblins.
Tuyul is primarily known for stealing money or valuables from people's houses. It is believed that if humans keep Tuyul, they can get abundant wealth.
"Do you still want to keep stealing here, Tuyul?"
"Kakaka~ What else can I do besides stealing something?"
"..."
No one said anything when Tuyul said that what he was about to do was wrong, but somehow, it sounded right when he said it.
"Okay, I do need some food, go ahead, but don't overdo it!"
"Kekeke~ That's what I've been wanting to hear, just wait, this will only take a moment, Kekeke~"
Said Tuyul; then, at a speed that could not be followed by the eye, he disappeared along with the sound of his strange laughter, which slowly faded away.
Seeing Tuyul leaving happily as if his lifelong wish (He was dead) had been fulfilled, the other ghosts looked towards Trisakti with expectant gazes, as if they also wanted to be useful to Trisakti.
"... What? Why do you guys look at me like that?"
Trisakti said as he looked at the ghosts surrounding him, their expectant stares sending a chill down his spine. It wasn't the usual eerie, deathly chill he was used to. No, this was different.
It was the unsettling feeling of a group of useless creatures wanting to prove they were useful.
Kuntilanak floated closer, her long, messy black hair swaying unnaturally.
"Do you want me to scare some people for you~? Maybe make someone faint so you can take their stuff~?"
Trisakti groaned. Immediately rejected Kuntilanak's plan.
"No. That's a crime, Kunti"
Genderuwo crossed his muscular, fur-covered arms, his grin revealing sharp fangs.
"I could… shake some buildings, make a little chaos. Might scare off some of the competition if you're thinking of doing business in this town... Isn't that sound good?"
"No! I don't need a terrorist in my ghost squad!"
Pocong, a figure wrapped tightly in a burial shroud with a pale, expressionless face, suddenly hopped forward.
"I-I… can make someone trip~"
Heard that, Trisakti blinked in confusion. Then asked.
"…Trip?"
Pocong nodded slowly.
"Yes… I just stand in their way… and they trip…"
Trisakti massaged his temples.
"So, your big idea is a mild inconvenience?"
Pocong nodded again.
"…Great. Amazing. Truly, you are a force to be reckoned with"
The ghosts exchanged glances, clearly eager to help but lacking any sense of moral boundaries or practical usefulness.
"Listen"
Trisakti said, continuing again after he let out a long sigh.
"... I just need food. Something normal. Tuyul is already handling it, so you guys can just-"
Before he could finish, Tuyul reappeared in a blur of movement, giggling like a maniac.
"Kekeke~ I'm back!"
Trisakti barely had time to react before a small sack was tossed into his hands. He opened it cautiously.
Inside were fresh bread, some fruit, and a few silver coins.
Trisakti's eyes twitched. Looking at Tuyul then asks.
"Where… Where exactly did you get this?"
Hearing Trisakti's questions, Tuyul grinned, showing off his tiny, sharp teeth.
"I told you, I steal things~"
"Who did you steal it from?"
Tuyul tilted his head.
"A rich-looking guy who smelled like he never worked a day in his life~ He won't even notice~"
Trisakti sighed. On one hand, he was relieved it wasn't stolen from some struggling merchant. On the other hand… he had just become an accomplice to theft.
He looked at the ghosts, all still watching him, eager for approval.
"... Fine. Just this once"
Trisakti said, then took a bite of the bread.
"But from now on, no more crime unless I say so"
The ghosts exchanged confused looks.
"So… some crime?" Kuntilanak asked.
Trisakti sighed.
"I hate all of you."
Genderuwo grinned.
"Hate us all you want, kid. We're still in your squad, you said it on your own"
Trisakti took another bite, chewing slowly.
Yeah.
For better or worse, they were his crew now. The only one he knew in this whole new world he was in.
--------
After finally eating and regaining his composure, Trisakti decided it was time to explore this new world.
Not like others who also Isekai'd like him, he wasn't in some dark dungeon or an abandoned ruin, but in a town. A place where people lived their lives normally.
'So, why not take a look around?'
With that thought, Trisakti took a deep breath, stretched his arms, and walked out of the alley, stepping onto the main street.
It was lively. Vendors shouting their wares, children running around, knights patrolling. It's the kind of medieval fantasy scene you'd expect in a game of comics.
For the first time since arriving, Trisakti almost felt… at peace.
'... This is good'
That's what Trisakti thought as he was walking through the main street... Until it began.
First, a man carrying a large sack of vegetables suddenly tripped and face-planted onto the road, sending cabbages flying everywhere.
"MY CABBAGES!!!"
Trisakti paused mid-step.
'…Wait'
Then, a noblewoman walking elegantly down the street suddenly shivered violently.
"I-It's so cold! I-Is there an evil spirit around?!"
She said as she hugged herself, looking around in panic.
Trisakti's eye twitched.
'... Oh no'
Then, a merchant suddenly gasped, patting his pockets frantically.
"M-My coin pouch! I had it just a second ago!"
Trisakti clenched his teeth, slowly turning his head.
Behind him, floating ever so innocently, were his ghosts.
Pocong had been the one responsible for the man's fall.
Kuntilanak had sent a freezing chill down the noblewoman's spine.
And Tuyul… well, Tuyul was grinning mischievously while jingling a coin pouch in his tiny hands.
Trisakti inhaled deeply.
Then exhaled.
Then inhaled again.
"WHY?! WHY CAN'T YOU GUYS JUST BE NORMAL?!"
The ghosts looked at him, confused.
Kuntilanak floated closer. Tilt her head slightly and ask in confusion.
"But… this is normal for us"
Pocong bobbed slightly.
"Tripping people… is all I do…"
Genderuwo, watching from the side, grinned.
"Kid, you really thought you could walk around like nothing was gonna happen?"
Trisakti gritted his teeth, gripping his head in frustration.
People were starting to take notice.
More and more bystanders shivered. Some turned pale, feeling an unnatural presence. A priest from a nearby church started looking around suspiciously, mumbling prayers under his breath.
Trisakti felt cold sweat drip down his back.
'Oh no! No! No! Noo!! This is bad!'
He had seen this before.
In his old world, whenever people started noticing too much, they called them. The shamans. The exorcists. The ghost hunters or whatever.
And if this world had anything like that, especially if the Magic thing is real, then he was so screwed.
"That's it"
Trisakti whispered.
He turned around and walked out of the city.
"Trisakti? Where are you going?"
Kuntilanak asked, tilting her head.
"Away"
Trisakti growled.
"Far, far away from here"
"But why~?"
"Because I refuse to be arrested for ghost-related crimes!"
He picked up the pace, ignoring the growing chaos behind him.
The ghosts exchanged glances before happily floating after him.
Tuyul, still jingling the stolen pouch, giggled.
"So, does this mean we're camping in the wild?"
Trisakti clenched his fists. Then, as he ran, Trisakti screamed toward the sky.
"I HATE ALL OF YOU!!"
And so, Trisakti left the city, forced into exile by the pure chaos that followed him wherever he went.
--------
In the middle of the forest, a person who looks like a young man with white hair is seen kneeling while bowing his head with his back leaning against a large rock behind him.
"What's this? Lamenting your fate, part two?"
Hearing that, Trisakti raised his head and saw Genderuwo grinning at him sinisterly.
But there was not the slightest fear in Trisakti's eyes; the scary grin on Genderuwo's face was like the expression of an uncle smiling sweetly at his nephew, not afraid but only making Trisakti feel disgusted.
"... *Sigh* Can you guys just stay quiet? And Tuyul, where's the coin pouch you stole earlier?"
Trisakti said as he looked at Tuyul, who was also grinning, showing his small fangs.
"... What? Do you want me to give it back to them?"
"No, give me that pouch, That would be more useful to me than you just keeping it"
"But isn't it bad, Trisakti~?"
Kuntilanak Said.
"What happened has happened, so there's no need to think about it anymore, besides returning it now won't end well, so it's better to make the most of what you have than nothing at all"
"That sounds wise enough... So what are you going to do now? Are you going back to town?"
"I will, but not now, maybe after the situation is a little calmer, but for now, let's stay in this forest and... TUYUL! DON'T TRY TO RUN! GIVE ME THAT COIN POUCH!!"
Hearing this, the Tuyul who was about to disappear, condensed his presence again.
"Where's... The... Pouch!"
Hearing Trisakti's words, Tuyul sighed lightly, and then, in his small hand, a brown pouch appeared.
A moment after the pouch appeared in Tuyul's hand, Trisakti immediately snatched it, making Tuyul look sad.
"That was a crime you know?"
"Hehe~ Our Trisakti is learning to become a bad boy~ Hihihi~"
"Do you want me to teach you how to trip a person?"
"I can teach you how to crack your bones if you want?"
After that, one by one the ghosts tried to teach Trisakti what they could, but Trisakti didn't care and was instead busy counting the gold coins in the pouch.
But Trisakti's hand suddenly stopped when his ears faintly caught a sound and the sound did not come from the ghosts around him.
"Ssstt! Shut up!"
....
...
..
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