An hour later, they stood on a stone bridge in Chiyoda Ward.
"Huh? It's… here?"
Asuna looked around, then leaned over the railing to stare at the stream below. The water was fairly clear, and fish were visibly swimming around. Her expression turned puzzled.
"A place like this… how could it…"
"Stop admiring the scenery."
Hojo cut her off and pointed at the flowing creek.
"Look at the depth."
"Depth?"
Asuna studied it more carefully and instantly understood what he meant.
The stream was only about 1.2 meters deep—yet people had drowned here, and not just one.
Unless…
Asuna's imagination started sprinting. A chill crawled up her spine and she unconsciously moved closer to Hojo. He didn't dodge—he just laughed.
"Why are you clinging to me? You look like you're about to strip naked and crawl into my clothes to hide. Aren't you a bit too timid?"
"Don't say something that embarrassing!"
Asuna lightly punched his shoulder, flustered and annoyed.
"It's normal to be scared, okay? It's something I've never seen before. And if that vengeful spirit looks terrifying, you're telling me you wouldn't be afraid either—"
Halfway through, she noticed Hojo's eyes.
He was looking at her like she was an idiot.
"Afraid? Nervous? Terrified?"
Hojo frowned, righteous to the point of absurdity.
"My heart contains only pure hunger for a new kind of food!"
Asuna stared at him, speechless.
"How do you make something like that sound so inspirational…"
Just then, Asuna heard a strange voice behind them.
"Ho… Hojo-kun…"
"Eek!"
Asuna jolted like she'd been struck. Thinking the vengeful spirit had finally appeared, she instantly dove behind Hojo—her face practically pressed against his back.
"D-don't come any closer…"
"Can you be normal for once, Asuna?"
Even Hojo—who was usually the king of nonsense—was genuinely at a loss.
He tossed that complaint over his shoulder, then looked toward the nearby girl clutching a long bread roll, her face full of anxiety, and greeted her with a smile:
"Yo, Nishimiya."
Shouko Nishimiya raised a hand and gave a shy, adorable smile in response. Then she hesitated for a long moment before speaking again in that awkward, effortful voice:
"Y-you and Yuuki-san… a-are you on a date?"
Only then did Asuna realize the voice wasn't a ghost at all—it was their classmate, Nishimiya Shouko.
Her entire mood could be summed up in one sentence:
She wanted to die of guilt.
People with severe hearing impairment often struggle to learn correct pronunciation, so their voice and intonation can sound unusual. Asuna would never mock that—yet she'd just reacted like Shouko was a literal horror-movie spirit.
She might've hurt Shouko without meaning to.
"I'm sorry, Nishimiya-san, I—"
"It's okay."
Shouko shook her head, stopping the apology. Then she pulled out her communication notebook and wrote a sentence, holding it up for them to see:
"Yuuki-san, you're Hojo-kun's friend. I believe you didn't mean anything bad. You don't need to apologize."
Asuna looked up at Shouko's face—gentle, bright, and sincerely kind.
"Nishimiya-san… no, Shouko, I…"
Asuna looked like she was about to cry.
Hojo couldn't resist ruining the vibe:
"I'm not trying to sabotage the atmosphere, but she trusts you because of me. I still call her 'Nishimiya-san,' and you're already on a first-name basis—wow, you really don't see yourself as an outsider."
Asuna rolled her eyes.
"Tch. Food-guarding."
"Ho… Hojo-kun…"
Shouko stepped a little closer and asked timidly:
"Do you want to feed the fish together?"
Hojo nodded.
"Sure."
Shouko beamed, handed the long bread to Hojo first, and after he tore off a piece, she passed it to Asuna.
Asuna stared at the bread… then at the stream below, eyes complicated.
Feed the fish?
Here?
Seriously?
Shouko didn't know—but Asuna did: several people had drowned here, and there might be something like a grudge spirit lurking.
How was she supposed to casually feed fish here?!
Still, thinking of Shouko's feelings, Asuna forced a smile and tore off a piece. When Shouko got absorbed in feeding the fish and wasn't watching them closely, Asuna leaned up to Hojo's ear and whispered anxiously:
"Is it really okay to let Shouko stay here? What if something happens—"
"Nothing's happening."
Hojo tossed bread crumbs into the water, totally calm.
"Even if there is something like a ghost here, it's not going to pop out and attack us in broad daylight. And honestly—if it did, that'd be great. Lamb walking into the tiger's den. Saves us the trouble of investigating."
Asuna nodded… then, staring at his side profile, the same thought resurfaced:
This guy is seriously handsome.
Even just him leaning on the railing, casually feeding fish, had her spacing out.
"Ahem."
Realizing she'd been staring like a creep, Asuna coughed twice and changed the subject fast:
"Is there anything you're afraid of?"
Hojo smiled. "Of course. I'm human."
Asuna thought, That's debatable, but asked anyway:
"What is it?"
"Supernatural monsters."
Asuna frowned. Are you messing with me?
"You're afraid of supernatural monsters?"
Then Hojo added—completely straight-faced:
"I'm afraid there aren't enough supernatural monsters for my Ouroboros to eat. Sigh… I worry every day about the sustainable development of supernatural monsters. I'm truly a great philanthropist."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( Ending )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
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