"O-Okay..." Clint muttered, closing his eyes.
A sharp spike of anxiety hit him, freezing him in place. Suspicion regarding Enega flooded his brain again, until a fleeting, logical thought brought him back to reality.
Wait. If she wanted to hurt me, couldn't she have done it way faster and sooner? Why drag it out like this?
"What's up with you?" Enega asked, noticing his tension.
"Nothing... Just tired."
If Enega gave him the doll but didn't know anything about the spirit, that meant the entity attached itself later... So why didn't it show up before? Why today? How did it move the doll to the shelf? How did it open the closet?!
"Enega, where did you even get that doll?" Clint asked as they climbed out of the car.
"Hmm..." She leaned against the roof, searching her memory. "Flea market. Some girl was selling dolls she made with her Quirk."
"Phew..." Clint exhaled, dismissing his stupid theories about his aunt. But then, a fresh wave of goosebumps washed over him. "Wait. You mean there isn't just one of them?!"
"How should I know? It was the only one on the table." Enega shrugged and started walking toward the apartment complex.
"Great gift. Really turned out well..." Clint grumbled gloomily, following her.
"Oh, shut up. How was I supposed to know it would turn into... that?" Enega grumbled back, waving her hands, unable to find the right words for the monster in his apartment.
"And why did it only start moving for me?"
"Maybe that's the Quirk."
"The doll's Quirk?" Clint followed her into the apartment, stepping over a sleeping cat.
"Well, yeah. maybe the seller births life into the dolls and then sells them to see what they grow into." Enega flipped on the kitchen light and filled the kettle. "Actually, that's a pretty cool movie plot."
"I'd prefer it if it stayed a movie..."
"Don't panic so much. Nothing terrible has happened yet."
"Are you serious?" Clint grimaced in disbelief, staring at how calm she was. "A giant invisible freak has been living next to me for a month, probably breathing right into my ear, and you say 'nothing terrible'?"
"Okay, fine, I admit it sounds creepy." She tilted her head up, imagining it. "Hypothetically... it's either a spirit or a person with a passive invisibility Quirk."
"Sooo?.." Clint waited for a solution.
"And the doll is obviously linked to him. Maybe it's like a curse?" She suddenly recalled a book written about seventy-six years ago. "Evil spirit possesses poor dolly and controls it?"
"You think destroying the doll will fix it?" Clint asked, taking a sip of water.
"Maybe. Or maybe simple amulets would work. Hell if I know," Enega speculated, finishing her tea. "Alright, I'm going to sleep. You know where to crash."
"Okay." Clint replied, forcing his voice to sound relaxed, even though he knew he'd never fall asleep outside his own home.
Once he was sure Enega was out cold, he poured himself a coffee and pulled out his phone. He knew the address of that flea market, they went there often to hunt for oddities. It was practically a hobby.
Dolls.
He typed the name of the market and the keyword into the search bar, hunting for anything.
….
He's touching me...
Some guy I've been living with for a month dares to grab me by the waist. The audacity. I hope he doesn't swing that way, although... No, it's pretty obvious what he beats his meat to when no one is looking, heh-heh. Anyone would want a piece of a masterpiece like me. Too bad he's not into incest, otherwise I would've seen some live action porn by now.
Oh! Time for the end of the recording. I love this part.
Someday he's definitely going to check the security footage. And here I am, watching him. Even ignoring my handsome appearance, I know I look creepy, so I always try to pop into the frame at the start of every recording loop and act as friendly as possible. No idea if it's working, but hopefully, I don't look too terrifying...
Bored of watching the kid, I went back to my little project and tried to squeeze into the closet when suddenly…
CRASH.
"Ah, fuck me..." I whined as the shelf collapsed under my weight.
As I've figured out through trial and error, I stop being intangible eventually. How does it work? Who the hell knows. But when I try to relax and lean on something, my body gains weight. I can influence reality, sure, but doing so drains my essence dry. So, I figured out I have some kind of "mana," like a mage, but I still have no clue what this shit actually is.
Watching him jump out of his skin and sprint to school, I looked down at the doll.
It's changed a lot lately, and not for the better. The button eyes are worn and seeing through them is getting harder.
That's why I stopped possessing it directly, leaving it as a sort of Horcrux. Or like Koschei the Deathless with his needle in the egg.
Hmm, maybe I really am in a fairy tale world and I'm Koschei? Nah... Thinking isn't my strong suit. But still! I need to figure out what world I'm in.
If it turns out to be a normal world, that's awesome, because I'm literally immortal and can mess with reality if I want to!
If it's an anime world, like in those fanfics, then even better... Although... No. Even in slice-of-life anime, people fight evil spirits. Just look at "Mieruko-chan." It's a slice-of-life, sure, but there are shamans there who can exorcise spirits. That would suck for me.
Sigh. Whatever. Time to train.
Approaching the doll, I focused, straining my mind to lift my own physical vessel.
Yeah, I could just pick it up with my hands, but that's boring. I want telekinesis! Am I a spirit or am I just chopped liver?!