"Are you two afraid of ghosts?"
Hearing Arthur's first question, both Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana's expressions shifted slightly.
Hana scratched the back of her head awkwardly and said,
"Actually, I'm really scared of ghosts and stuff… I mean, most girls would be, right?"
Then she turned to her best friend.
"What about you, Miko?"
If it weren't broad daylight with plenty of people around, she probably wouldn't have agreed to this interview at all—no matter how handsome Arthur was.
"Mhm, me too."
Miko withdrew her gaze from Arthur and gave Hana a small, strained smile.
But the smile was forced.
Of course she was afraid.
How could she not be?
If anyone here was the most terrified, she was certain it had to be her.
"Alright, second question."
Arthur nodded and continued.
"Do you think ghosts really exist in this world?"
"Uh…"
Hana froze.
Do ghosts really exist?
Having gone through normal schooling, even though she was scared, she honestly didn't believe ghosts were real.
So after a brief pause, she chuckled and said,
"Of course not, there's no way ghosts really exist. Right, Miko?"
She looked over at her friend again.
"Y-Yeah…"
Miko clenched her fists tightly, forcing a smile as her gaze slid to the side.
The horrifying spirit that had been clinging to Hana's side had, at some point, closed its gaping mouth.
It was now staring straight at Arthur.
In its hollow, pitch-black sockets swirled endless malice.
It stretched out a withered, corpse-like hand and waved it in front of Arthur's face, before retracting it and resuming its feeding on Hana's life energy.
A new, blood-red eye suddenly opened on its left cheek, its gaze swiveling to survey everyone present.
"Any other questions?"
Unaware of the danger, Hana turned back to Arthur.
If possible, she wished this topic would end quickly. She really hated talking about ghosts.
As if sensing her reluctance, Arthur smiled and said,
"No more. Thank you both for letting me interview you. To show my gratitude, how about this—let me treat you to some drinks?"
"Oh, that's too much, really."
For a moment, Hana was tempted, but she quickly shook her head. After all, he had only asked two questions.
Miko stayed silent, struggling to suppress the dread twisting in her chest.
The spirit seemed to have grown stronger!
That bloody eye… even catching it in her peripheral vision made her shiver.
It felt like her mind was being tainted.
So scary. Too scary!
Arthur, seemingly oblivious to the spirit's change, just smiled when Hana refused.
"No, I insist. Since I dragged you into a conversation you didn't enjoy, please allow me to make it up to you."
"…Alright then."
Hana hesitated, but eventually nodded. She glanced at Miko.
Miko, trying her best to focus on them instead of the ghost, gave a small nod as well.
Arthur was strange.
She wanted to observe him more closely—maybe she could find out why.
And so the three of them—plus one spirit—headed toward a nearby café.
They chatted as they walked, and soon, the girls introduced themselves.
Arthur looked at them with a smile.
"Judging by your appearance, you're a high schooler, right?"
"Mm, first-years." Hana grinned.
"And which school?" Arthur asked.
"Private Unified Academy."
The full name was Private Unified High School Academy.
"What a coincidence. I'm from Unified too."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, genuine surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Huh, really?!"
Both girls looked astonished.
They hadn't expected the random handsome stranger who struck up a conversation to actually be a schoolmate.
What a coincidence indeed.
"Yeah. Seems like we were fated to meet," Arthur said with a light chuckle.
In truth, he really was surprised. He'd been at Unified for two weeks, but hadn't run into Miko or Hana on campus.
Yet he had met them here, outside of school.
Of course, that was partly because he had chosen to follow his curiosity today. Otherwise, this meeting never would've happened.
Knowing he was a fellow student, the two girls relaxed a little more.
A short while later, inside the café.
Not only did it serve drinks, but desserts as well.
The three of them queued at the vending machines and picked their beverages.
"You two find us a table, I'll check out the desserts!"
Hana handed her drink to Miko with a cheerful smile before skipping off toward the sweets section, her eyes lighting up at the menu.
Arthur and Miko found a table and sat down.
Taking a sip of his drink, Arthur looked across at her and said with a small smile,
"Miko, you didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
"…What do you mean?!"
Miko's expression shifted instantly, her heart like a calm lake suddenly struck by a stone.
"No big deal."
Arthur smiled faintly, speaking in riddles.
"I'm just a passerby who happens to enjoy ghost stories. Don't read too much into it."
"???"
Miko's mind spun.
Telling her not to think too much only made her think harder.
Every word seemed pointed, deliberate.
Could it be… he can see them too?
And he's realized that I can see them as well?
But he hasn't acted like someone who can see ghosts at all… Is he faking it?
Does he actually see them or not? And why is he deliberately hinting at me like this?
Thoughts raced through her mind, but one thing was clear: Arthur wasn't going to explain himself now.
The infuriating riddle man!
Soon, Hana returned with desserts.
Twenty minutes passed in a blink.
As they left the café, Arthur turned to the two girls with a smile.
"Shall we exchange email addresses? Since we go to the same school, maybe we can hang out sometime."
He took out his phone.
"Sure!"
Hana agreed readily, exchanging contacts with him.
Then Arthur turned to Miko, smiling faintly.
"Miko, won't you exchange with me too?"
"…Alright."
Their eyes met, hers flickering briefly before she pulled out her phone.
They quickly finished exchanging information.
Arthur slipped his phone back into his pocket and said with a friendly smile,
"Then let's part here. See you next time."
"See you, bye-bye!" Hana replied cheerfully, radiant as always.
Arthur gave them one last smile before turning to leave.
"!!"
Miko's eyes widened.
The spirit that had been clinging to Hana suddenly shifted its gaze.
And then—it followed Arthur, leaving with him.
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