The black Alphard stopped smoothly at the carport of a modern minimalist luxury house. Luca opened the door and stepped out quickly, followed by Raffa and Xavier.
For him, stepping out of that car meant escaping the absurd supernatural business talk Xavier had been pushing on the road.
However, the moment the front door opened, the real challenge of Luca's life began.
"Oh my god, Senaaaa! My handsome son is finally home!" Aurel exclaimed, rushing out in her premium silk daster.
The beautiful woman immediately pinched Luca's cheeks affectionately, completely ignoring the two strangers behind her and failing to notice Luca's face turning sour.
"Ma... please. Stop calling me Sena. My name is Luca, Ma. L-U-C-A. 'Sena' sounds like a girl's name! I'm a macho guy!" Luca protested instantly. His former ojek driver soul rebelled every time he was called by such a feminine name.
"No way! In this house, you are Sena, period!" Aurel snapped, hands on her hips.
Hearing the argument, Xavier stood up straighter behind them. His usually flat eyes suddenly gleamed with mischief as he found his friend's new weakness.
'Turns out you got a better family than your first life, you burden. At least you get to feel a mother's love in this life... but...' Xavier smirked, cleared his throat formally, and bowed politely like a royal butler.
"Good evening, Tante Aurel. Let me introduce myself, I am Xavier, a school friend of your son... who apparently goes by the functional name of Sena." Xavier deliberately emphasized the word 'Sena' while glancing at Luca with a mocking look.
"Xavier, you piece of sh*t, shut up!" Luca whispered, veins starting to pop on his neck.
Aurel beamed, feeling supported. "Wow, Sena's friend is so polite! Come in, dear. You're just in time, Tante just finished cooking a lot."
Raffa, stepping into the house for the first time, walked in a bit awkwardly. He was still finding it strange to see such a normal interaction between a mother and son.
As they reached the spacious living room, the atmosphere changed drastically. Sitting on a luxurious leather sofa was a middle-aged man with a stern face, wearing reading glasses while focusing on his iPad. Yes, he was Deo, a cold-blooded CEO feared in the business world. His gaze alone was enough to make division managers tremble.
Hearing footsteps, Deo put down his iPad. He stared sharply at Luca, then switched to Raffa and Xavier. His corporate ruler aura flared, intimidating anyone seeing him for the first time.
"What time is it? Just getting home? Who are they?" Bram asked coldly, his voice heavy and authoritative.
'Halah, this old man is definitely wearing a corset right now. At least he's not embarrassing me and Mom in front of others for once...' Sena thought, rolling his eyes lazily.
Raffa and Xavier instinctively held their breath. This wealthy CEO father's aura was no joke—the typical cruel big boss, though strangely, it felt a bit different from their new fathers, Aziz and Arya.
"You guys aren't bullying my son, are you?—"
Plakk!
A thick fashion magazine rolled up and landed perfectly on the cold CEO's shoulder.
"Papa! Don't put on that scary face for Sena's friends! Don't furrow your brow, you'll get wrinkles, and then Mom will go looking for a younger guy at her arisan meeting, just you wait!" scolded Aurel, who had just returned from the kitchen with a tray of syrup.
In less than a second, the legendary cold CEO's aura defense collapsed completely. His sharp gaze turned soft, switching 100% into 'henpecked husband' mode.
"Eh... y-yes, Darling. Sorry, Papa didn't mean that at all," Deo said nervously, immediately reaching for his wife's waist and flashing the sweetest smile he had. "Don't talk about younger guys, Yang. Papa's heart is weak. Should I buy you that stake in the cosmetic company you were looking at yesterday? So you don't have to go to those meetings anymore."
Luca slapped his forehead, feeling his new family's dignity crumble in one night.
"Pa, please maintain your dignity as a CEO in front of my friends."
Deo, finally realizing, cleared his throat loudly, trying to pick up his shattered authority from the floor. He glanced at Xavier and Raffa stiffly. "Ahem. Fine. You three go change your clothes, and then we'll have dinner together."
"Yes, Om. Thank you," replied Raffa, still a bit shocked seeing the lightning-fast change of his brother's new father.
Meanwhile, Xavier nodded along as he followed Luca upstairs. On the stairs, Xavier deliberately whispered in a flat but deadly tone near Luca's ear.
"Sena... please show me where the bathroom is, Sena. I need to wash these dusty hands, Sena."
Luca clenched his fists hard, restraining himself from throwing Xavier off the second floor. "If you call me Sena one more time, I'll make sure your ghost psychology industry goes bankrupt before it even launches, Xav!" Xavier just raised an eyebrow, feeling he had won tonight.
"Just ignore the crazy guy, Bang," Raffa said, patting his brother's shoulder.
Luca sighed deeply. "I think we should skip dinner, I need to talk about something important." Xavier and Raffa nodded, then walked into the room.
Once the door was locked tight, Luca's annoyance vanished, replaced by eyes gleaming with dollar signs. His greedy soul stirred. He slammed his desk excitedly.
"Xav! Your idea in the car... it's genius! Why didn't I think of that before?!" Luca exclaimed, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen.
Raffa, who was about to take off his jacket, stared at his brother in confusion. "Bang? In the car, you looked like you were going to die when Xavier brought this up. Why are you the most excited one now?"
Xavier walked casually to Luca's chair, arms crossed, face as flat as a wall. "Raffa, please understand. Your brother's soul is very sensitive to financial stimuli. In short, he's greedy."
"Hey, former gossip-system! Shut it!" Luca snapped, focusing back on his paper. "Forget the past. Listen to me. The business potential is huge. Spirits these days are having mental breakdowns because humans are losing their morals. We have to seize this market!"
Luca started scribbling. "Okay, let's divide the structure of this Ghost Psychology Agency. First, me. Because I have infinite empathy and need capital for my future, I'll be the Head Psychologist. The fee per session... we'll take payment in gold bars or valuable antique artifacts."
Xavier raised an eyebrow, still confused by the roles. "A very selfish structural analysis. Then what is my function and Raffa's?"
"You, Xavier, because your face is as flat as a cutting board and you talk formally but hurt people's feelings, you're perfect as the Receptionist and Registration Admin," Luca pointed out. "Your job is to note the initial complaints before they see me."
Xavier nodded, accepting his new fate. "Accepted. I will ensure the ghosts fill out their mental health forms correctly before facing you, Psychologist Sena."
"LUCA!! My name is Luca, you BASTARD Xavier!" Luca roared, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't be heard downstairs.
Raffa sighed, leaning against the wall. "Then what about me, Bang? Don't tell me I'm in charge of ghost snacks."
"No, Cil! You're aggressive, fierce, and your aura is scarier than a genderuwo. You're officially Head of Security," Luca said proudly. "Simple: if a patient goes berserk, mass-possession, or refuses to pay... you beat them until their supernatural existence disappears!"
Raffa smirked. "That sounds good. I've been wanting to punch something anyway."
Raffa glanced out the window, remembering Hiro's face in the car.
'Mass-possession? They're ghosts, can a ghost possess another ghost? Is that a thing?' Xavier wondered to himself.
"Now, the problem is the location," Luca tapped his pen. "We can't open a practice in my house, right? My CEO dad would call an entire village of shamans to exorcise this room."
Xavier snapped his fingers, providing a location with the accuracy of his former system functions. "Based on a scan of the local environment, there is an abandoned, very creepy house at the end of this alley. The structure is sturdy, has authentic horror aesthetics, and most importantly: it's free."
Luca's eyes sparkled. "Empty house at the end of the alley? Perfect! That's our headquarters."
"So tonight we start—"
Tok. Tok. Tok.
The knock on the door made the three of them freeze.
"Sena, come down for dinner, bring your friends."
Xavier looked at the door hopefully. He was hungry. He waited for Luca's reply. Surely his friend would let him eat?
"They're not hungry, Ma!! I'm not hungry either," Luca said.
Xavier's eyes widened. He glared at Luca. 'You bastard... this kid loves to torture people...'
"Are you sure? Don't lie," Aurel replied from outside.
"Yes, my dear Mama, we've already eaten, right?" Luca glared at Xavier, silently ordering him to agree.
"I'm hungry—"
Without warning, Luca covered Xavier's mouth with his hand. "Just say you're not hungry," he whispered.
"Hurry up!!!!"
'You idiot, how am I supposed to talk if you're covering my mouth?' Xavier thought.
Luca finally removed his hand. "Sorry, man. My bad."
"Na? Sena?!"
"I'm not hungry, Tante," Xavier replied, annoyed.
"Oh, okay then. If you get hungry later, just come down, I'll have the maid bring you snacks."
"Yes, Ma!! Thanks!!" Luca yelled back.
After the footsteps faded, Luca glared at Xavier who was radiating dark energy. "Burden, you're really testing my patience today... but I learned a valuable lesson."
"What lesson, you idiot?"
"Today's lesson: Trust the parents' offer, but never trust a friend who says 'no need to eat'. My stomach is your friend too, don't torture it."
Luca ignored him, acting as if he didn't hear. "Fine, I was wrong, sorry. You... are you hungry too, Fa?"
Raffa just nodded. He was still annoyed thinking about Hiro's gaze earlier.
"Man, Cil, sorry. But it's okay, I'll get you some food," Luca said, running out of the room to get food.
Xavier grumbled, 'If it's Raffa, he's instantly on it, but I've been talking for ages like he's deaf.'
After a while, Luca returned, not alone, but with maids carrying plates of food. After they left, Xavier stared at the food. "Are you sure you're giving us this much, Burden?"
"Yeah, Bang, it's a lot."
"It's fine, I'm a bit hungry too. Eat up, prepare for tonight."
They ate until all 15 plates of rice were empty.
"Gosh, are we hungry or just greedy?" Luca asked, staring at the empty plates.
"Both," Raffa replied.
"This is more like it," Xavier added, leaning back on the sofa.
"Ever since you became a human, you're such a glutton. Back when you were a system, you weren't this bad. But never mind, consider this a warm-up because we're working overtime tonight," Luca said, checking the wall clock. It was 11:00 PM. Outside was quiet, and downstairs, the TV was off—a sign his parents were asleep.
"Since Mom and Papa are asleep... why don't we go scout the place now?" Luca whispered.
"I'm in. I want to check the security," Raffa agreed, cracking his knuckles.
Xavier straightened his collar. "Let's go. Preparing the Ghost Psychology Agency must be done as efficiently as possible."
"Go change, then we leave."
They nodded. After changing, they sneaked out the window like professional thieves, jumping over the side fence, and walking fast through the dark toward the empty house.
They had no idea that in that pitch-black house, their first client was already sitting in the corner, lamenting their fate.
The night air grew colder as they walked down the alley with flickering streetlights. At the end of the road stood a two-story old building almost covered in banyan trees and bushes. The empty house.
To a normal person, this house was a nightmare. The paint was peeling, leaving black stains like dried blood. Broken windows, and a cold aura so thick it made hair stand up within a ten-meter radius. If a sane person passed by here, they'd be running while reciting prayers.
But these three teenagers were anything but sane.
"Hm, the building structure is okay. No need for much renovation," Luca said casually, lighting the front yard with his phone's flashlight. "Just a bit of dusting and a cashier desk for Xavier."
"I need to coat the iron fence with anti-human energy, so the locals don't interfere with the supernatural counseling process," Xavier said in his robotic tone.
Raffa walked to the front, kicking the rotten wooden door.
BRAKK!
The door opened with a long creak. Thick dust flew, along with a musty smell.
"Safe, Bang. No physical traps," Raffa said after surveying the room. His warrior soul wasn't disturbed by the creepy atmosphere at all.
They walked inside, passing through a living room filled with broken furniture. Luca smiled, satisfied. To him, this creepy place was a new gold mine.
"Okay, the functionality is great," Luca said, clapping his dusty hands. "Tomorrow we bring the equipment. Xavier, prepare the registration forms..."
Luca's sentence stopped abruptly.
Sreeeeeet... sreeeeet... hiks... hiks...
A faint rubbing sound followed by soft sobbing came from the second floor. The sound was very sad, but strangely, the frequency of the crying was unusual. It wasn't the screeching of the senior Kunti they hazed at school earlier, but a sound that was... very frustrated and modern.
Raffa instantly got into a defensive position, moving forward to protect Luca while his right hand was balled into a fist. "Something's upstairs," Raffa whispered coldly.
Xavier raised an eyebrow, his flat eyes staring at the stairs. "Based on acoustic analysis, the subject appears to be experiencing severe emotional depression. The probability that this is a potential client is 98%."
Luca smiled wide, his eyes gleaming. "Just scouting, and our first customer is already waiting upstairs!"
Without fear, Luca led the way up the creaking stairs, followed by Raffa on alert and Xavier holding his phone—ready to record the first administrative data.
Right in front of a room on the second floor with the door half-open, the sobbing sounded even clearer, accompanied by a supernatural aura that felt... very miserable.
Luca grabbed the doorknob and pushed it open slowly.
Honestly, he had no idea what was lurking inside that room once he opened it...