"I hope he'll be alright…"
Watching the ghost that had been clinging to Hana now follow Arthur instead, Miko silently prayed.
There was nothing else she could do.
If Arthur could see ghosts, then judging by his composure, he was clearly far more experienced at dealing with them than she was.
If he couldn't see them—
All the better.
After all, ghosts couldn't harm people who couldn't see them.
At least… that seemed to be the rule, so far.
Now that the spirit had gone with Arthur, Miko finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At least she could relax a little—for now.
"Hey, Miko…"
Hana noticed her friend staring off after Arthur, and her eyes immediately lit up.
Could it be?!
She waved a hand in front of Miko's face.
"Hellooo? Snap out of it. He's already gone."
"Huh? What is it, Hana?"
Miko shook off her thoughts and turned to her best friend.
"What do you mean, what is it?"
Hana shot her a side glance, then grinned mischievously.
"Miko, don't tell me… you've got a crush on him? Was that love at first sight?"
"No way!"
Miko's eyes widened.
"Absolutely not. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Really?" Hana squinted at her suspiciously. "Then why were you staring at him for so long just now?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Miko gave a helpless little smile.
It wasn't that Arthur wasn't handsome—he was. Extremely so.
Tall, lean, and with an effortless charm.
But how could she even think about romance right now?
As long as the ghost problem wasn't resolved, as long as her safety wasn't guaranteed—
How could she even consider dating anyone?
Still… Now that Hana had brought it up, another thought suddenly popped into her mind.
What if one day my act slips, and the ghosts realize I can see them?
If I die without ever having experienced love… wouldn't that be such a waste?
The thought wasn't random.
She'd already been scared witless so many times.
There were even a few incidents so terrifying that… Well, she hadn't managed to hold it together.
If things kept on like this, she honestly didn't know how long she could last.
"…Fine, I'll believe you," Hana finally relented, dropping the teasing.
Then she giggled again.
"But seriously, Arthur is so handsome. Probably the most handsome guy I've ever seen. I really envy his girlfriend. If only I could have a boyfriend like him someday… Don't you think so?"
"…I guess."
Miko's eyes flickered as Arthur's face resurfaced in her mind.
In terms of looks and presence, yeah… he's exactly the type most girls would fall for.
And she had to admit… She was no exception.
Meanwhile,
When Arthur parted ways with the two girls, he deliberately released just a tiny trace of life energy.
To him, it was insignificant—barely even a drop.
But to a spirit, the temptation was irresistible. Even stronger than the energy Hana unconsciously radiated.
So the ghost abandoned Hana and turned its sights on him instead.
Ten minutes later.
Arthur stepped into an empty alley. Six spirits had gathered behind him, including the one he'd deliberately lured away.
All drawn by the bait of his life energy.
He stopped, hands in his pockets, and turned to face them.
For an instant, a crimson light flickered in his sapphire eyes.
Six flames materialized, shaping themselves into fiery arrows that streaked toward the spirits.
They struck true and exploded on impact.
In the blink of an eye, all six spirits were engulfed and devoured by scarlet fire, vanishing without a trace.
The alley fell silent, as though nothing had ever happened.
Arthur walked out calmly, summoning his Compendium of All Things.
Seven new entries lit up.
One of them was Hana's.
That had happened surprisingly easily. Honestly, it startled him a little—
Hana had already come to regard him as a friend.
Entry: Yurikawa Hana
Rank: Green
Description: A lively foodie
Reward: Invisibility
Entry: Soul-Siphoning Spirit
Rank: Green
Description: Mutant mid-tier wraith
Reward: 99 units of medium energy
"Huh… Invisibility?!"
Arthur skimmed past the spirit's reward, focusing on Hana's instead.
Invisibility. The classic.
Alongside x-ray vision, it was one of the two "most desired superpowers" among ordinary people.
He accepted the reward with a thought.
"…Wait. This kind of invisibility? (⊙o⊙)"
After obtaining it, Arthur couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.
It wasn't true invisibility. More like a flawed version.
It only worked on a single target at a time—making him vanish from their sight.
But everyone else could still see him.
Cameras, phones, surveillance—all could still record him.
And his movements and sounds were still perceptible.
Realizing this, Arthur immediately thought of a certain wife of his who had the exact same ability.
The only difference was that his version was permanent—it wouldn't suddenly disappear.
"…Well, better than nothing."
After all, it was just a green-tier reward. Not particularly rare or powerful.
He also claimed the spirit's energy reward.
Once fused into his body, his Force increased—pushing his power and energy output limit higher by a fraction, about one hundred-thousandth.
Force—that was the name he had given to his unique energy.
It was a fusion of seven elemental spiritual energies and magic, endlessly versatile.
So he'd named it after the Primordial Power.
After absorbing the energy, he reviewed the spirit's entry.
A mutant mid-tier wraith.
Its very name, "Soul-Siphoning," explained why it could directly drain Hana's life force.
Most spirits couldn't do that.
Because of that special trait, its reward had been so substantial—99 medium energy units.
Exiting the alley, Arthur made his way toward the station.
This time, he didn't use his spiritual sense. No more "fishing for ghosts."
From here on, he'd just leave it up to fate.
Half an hour later, he returned to his apartment.
No more spirits. No new compendium entries.
It seemed fate wasn't ready yet.
Slumping onto the living room sofa like a salted fish, he pulled out his phone.
He opened LINE.
A message blinked from Akashiya Moka.
"Arthur, are you free this afternoon?"
He typed back:
"Yeah."
On the other hand,
"Great!"
Moka's eyes lit up as she saw the reply. She hurriedly typed back, biting her lip, a trace of nervousness in her gaze.
"I was thinking of going out to have some fun. Do you want to come with me?"
After sending it, she hesitated, her heart beating fast.
What if he refused?
But her worry proved unnecessary.
Arthur:
"Sure. When and where should we meet?"
The moment she saw his reply, Moka's face blossomed with joy she couldn't hide.
Her fingers flew as she typed back—
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