"Then, let's bring him out!"
The host shouted himself hoarse. "The new century's most popular spiritual medium! The messenger from Hell! Mr. Don Kanonji!"
All the spotlights converged on a man dressed in excessively flamboyant fashion.
Black dreadlocks, a carefully groomed upturned mustache, black sunglasses, and an exaggerated cape, red on the outside and black on the inside.
Amid thunderous applause and cheers, the man raised his voice as if making a proclamation to the entire world.
"SPIRITS ARE ALWAYS WITH YOU!"
The audience responded in unison, copying his pose by crossing their arms over their chests, their mouths pulled into the same exuberant grin as their hero's.
"Wahahahahaha!"
The air inside the television was filled with unrestrained cheer.
Outside the television, Muten Natsu's home was just as lively.
Muten Natsu opened the refrigerator, took out some Calpis, mixed it with ice water, and downed a big gulp.
Calpis was a concentrated lactic acid drink. Mixed with five parts ice water, it tasted refreshingly sweet and cool all the way down.
With no AD Calcium Milk on hand, Muten Natsu could only make do with Calpis.
Orihime Inoue lowered her arms, took the Calpis he handed her, and took a long, satisfied sip, her face lighting up with happiness.
"Muten, don't you like this show?"
"I wouldn't say I dislike it. I'm just not very interested," Muten Natsu said as he passed the other cup to Rukia Kuchiki. "After all, I already know too much about ghosts and things like that. Why are you so into it?"
Rukia Kuchiki looked at him strangely.
"Don't you think it's fun?"
Muten Natsu glanced at the oddly dressed, deliberately mysterious Don Kanonji on the screen.
"Fun?"
"You're always like this," Rukia Kuchiki sighed, shaking her head. "It's not that life lacks fun. It's that people lack the eyes to discover it."
Muten Natsu felt that Rukia Kuchiki seemed noticeably more cheerful than before.
Thinking about it more carefully, though, she wasn't wrong.
Most of the time, Muten Natsu stayed in energy-saving mode, barely interacting with the outside world. Naturally, it was hard for him to notice anything interesting, which was why everything felt dull.
"You've already decided this show is boring," Rukia Kuchiki said seriously, "so of course you focus on the boring parts and feel more bored the longer you watch. If you want to feel enjoyment, you have to put aside your preconceptions first and try to understand it with a calm mindset."
"You need to learn how to discover the fun in life. Try to wake up your tired heart. Look, understand, feel, and then enjoy the happiness."
Muten Natsu took a sip of Calpis to steady himself and turned his attention back to the TV.
That's right.
If he wasn't even willing to understand it—
How could he ever understand where the fun was?
Orihime Inoue's eyes sparkled.
"Rukia, that was amazing!"
"Of course~" Rukia Kuchiki hummed smugly. "So, what kind of show is this, anyway?"
Muten Natsu: "...?"
Noticing his stare, Rukia Kuchiki muttered in confusion, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm thinking of how to get you to give back the inspiration I just felt," Muten Natsu replied.
It wasn't actually that complicated.
The show was called Ghost Bust, a paranormal program that aired every Wednesday night during prime time.
It had only started broadcasting this spring, yet it had already become a massive hit with a staggering 25% viewership rating.
The main star, the man on television, was the new century's super-popular spiritual medium, Don Kanonji. Not only was he an idol among mediums, he was also a hero in the eyes of children nationwide.
Orihime Inoue treated the show entirely as a substitute for a comedy program.
Rukia Kuchiki, on the other hand, was just watching it for the spectacle.
"Next week, a special emergency live broadcast! A surprise raid on the abandoned hospital in Karakura Town!" Don Kanonji's farewell rang out from the TV. "Well then, good night, baby! Wahahahaha!"
Coming to Karakura Town…
Muten Natsu took another sip of Calpis.
He'd thought the show was prerecorded. He hadn't expected it to be live.
"Muten!" Rukia Kuchiki's eyes lit up. "I'm going!"
"Have you finished reviewing?" Muten Natsu reminded her. "Your last test scores weren't great. The first semester finals are coming up, and if your grades are too low, you'll have to take makeup exams."
Rukia Kuchiki's face flushed. "Reviewing… reviewing and stuff needs a balance between work and rest!"
"Ah… I get it." Muten Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You're in that phase where you know you should study, but you don't want to, and you feel awkward doing nothing, so you'll do literally anything else."
No wonder she was suddenly interested in a goofy paranormal show.
At this point, Rukia Kuchiki was interested in everything except studying.
"Are you provoking me?!" Rukia Kuchiki slammed the table in embarrassment and anger. "Back in school, my Kidō grades were way better than yours!"
"And that still didn't stop me from graduating and ending up in the same squad as you."
"Guh…" Rukia Kuchiki made a frustrated sound.
"Muten, how about we go take a look together?" Orihime Inoue tugged lightly on Muten Natsu's sleeve. "It seems like it'd be really interesting. And with so many people there, if there really is a ghost, we could deal with it right away."
"That's true," Muten Natsu said after thinking it over. "It's a live broadcast. If something happens, it really would be hard to clean up."
Rukia Kuchiki shot him an indignant glare.
Muten Natsu looked back at her, confused. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Fine, you two go," Rukia Kuchiki huffed. "Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka shield works even better than my Kaidō healing. Even if someone gets hurt, you won't need me."
"I honestly hadn't thought of that," Muten Natsu said, clapping his hands. "You're right."
Orihime Inoue poked him lightly, her tone soft and aggrieved. "Muten~"
"But this time we're going to watch, to understand, to experience, and then enjoy ourselves," Muten Natsu said, nudging Rukia Kuchiki with his elbow. "If I think about you staying home alone, I'll feel guilty, and that'll ruin my mood."
"Oh, is that so~" Rukia Kuchiki glared at him. "Then I definitely won't go. I'll make you feel guilty and ruin your mood."
Muten Natsu shrugged helplessly.
"Rukia…" Orihime Inoue spoke up timidly. "But I'm still not very good at using my abilities yet. I'd feel much safer if you were there. Can we go together? I'll help you review over the next few days."
"…Since you put it that way…" Rukia Kuchiki shot Muten Natsu another glare. "Fine."