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The day passed quickly.
After school.
At the school gate.
"Go-good afternoon..."
Hitori Gotō, carrying her guitar, appeared quietly behind Kitahara Makoto like a elusive groundhog.
Kitahara Makoto retorted:
"As expected of Guitar Hero, your stealth skill must be maxed out, right?"
Hitori Gotō nervously looked around, waving her small hands anxiously:
"D-don't shout that name outside..."
Kitahara Makoto looked down: "So I can call you that when we're alone?"
Hitori Gotō stammered: "N-not then either..."
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice and said:
"As Guitar Hero's number one fan, I should have some special privileges, right?"
"Eh?" Bocchi-chan looked up blankly, "Number one fan?"
"That's right, it's me." Kitahara Makoto said shamelessly, "No one else recognizes you, only I can recognize Hitori-chan's hidden identity. It's normal to say I'm the number one fan, right?"
"Mm..." Hitori Gotō was a little dazed and nodded subconsciously, "It-it seems correct..."
"So that's why." Kitahara Makoto smiled, "Hitori-chan should give me some special treatment, right?"
"Wa-wait a moment..."
Bocchi-chan finally realized belatedly that Kitahara Makoto's way of addressing her had changed to Hitori-chan at some point. Her small face instantly turned red at a visible speed, and then she nervously looked down at her toes.
(Su-sure enough, I didn't mishear!)
(He really called me Hitori-chan just now!!!)
(Ah ah ah ah! He actually called me by my first name directly! Since I was little, besides my mom, dad, and sister, no one has ever called me by my first name directly!)
(A first name is a form of address only for people who are very close, right?)
Watching Bocchi-chan's small face suddenly turn red, as if she wanted to hide in a cardboard box, Kitahara Makoto's mood instantly brightened.
In psychology, there's a symptom called 'cute aggression syndrome,' which describes how humans, when seeing something cute, can't help but want to 'aggress' it and derive pleasure from it—
He had probably contracted a strange illness of 'feeling happy when bullying Bocchi-chan'.
As they spoke, Togawa Sakiko jogged out of the school, slightly out of breath:
"Sorry, I'm late."
Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and said:
"No, you're just in time."
Togawa Sakiko: "???"
"..."
The journey was silent.
Tsukinomori Academy was not far. The three took the train, and in just twenty minutes, they arrived at Tsukinomori Academy.
"Is it okay to just walk in like this?" Kitahara Makoto complained, "That security guard is staring at us with fierce eyes."
Togawa Sakiko: "...The security guard is clearly only staring fiercely at you!"
"Don't worry." Togawa Sakiko softly assured, "...I used to be a student here, and the security guard and teachers all know me, so there's nothing to worry about."
Led by Togawa Sakiko, the three successfully passed the gate guard and entered the campus. Along the way, several girls even greeted Togawa Sakiko.
"Togawa Sakiko is very popular..."
Bocchi-chan mumbled softly, her eyes filled with envy.
She really wanted a school life filled with fun and friends.
Togawa Sakiko was slightly silent, then changed the subject and said:
"I usually go to the music room to play the piano after school. A week ago, in the afternoon, the usual music room was already occupied, so I could only switch to an unused classroom... Now that I think about it, that music room seemed to have been locked for a long time before, which was clearly a bit strange."
Led by Togawa Sakiko, the three quickly arrived at the abandoned music room.
Pushing the door open and entering, bright sunlight streamed in from the window, making it look ordinary with nothing special about it.
"Kitahara-kun, have you found anything?"
Togawa Sakiko looked over expectantly.
"Hmm..." Kitahara Makoto narrowed his eyes slightly, seriously surveyed the room, then shook his head and said, "I haven't seen anything strange."
"When I first came in, there was nothing in the classroom either. It wasn't until I finished playing the piano that the evil spirit suddenly appeared." Togawa Sakiko raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear, contemplating, "Could it be related to my playing the piano?"
Kitahara Makoto heard this and said:
"Since there's a direction, let's verify it."
"Okay."
Togawa Sakiko exhaled softly, walked to the piano and sat down, her beautiful eyes slightly closed. After a moment of concentration, she extended her fair, slender hands, and her delicate, onion-like fingers elegantly rested on the piano.
The music, like the clear sound of a spring, quickly began to play. Even those who didn't understand the piano could feel the beauty of the melody.
"So amazing!" Hitori Gotō's eyes widened, her gaze filled with admiration, "Togawa Sakiko's piano playing is super beautiful!"
"It's indeed very beautiful, but..." Kitahara Makoto leaned in slightly, lowering his voice, "I think Guitar Hero's guitar playing is even more beautiful."
Little Miss Anxiety's neck recoiled, and she nervously looked down at her toes, her pink ear tips rapidly turning red.
(I was praised by Kitahara-kun... Ehehehe...)
"Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto looked at the piano, his gaze suddenly narrowing.
What was originally just an ordinary piano, at this very moment, in Kitahara Makoto's vision, clearly had black mist emanating from it.
"Black mist has appeared on the piano."
"Eh eh eh?" Hitori Gotō quickly hid behind Kitahara Makoto, cautiously peeking out her small face, looking bewildered, "Where? Where? Why don't I see it?"
Can't see it?
Kitahara Makoto gently raised an eyebrow, quickly realizing that his ability to see the black mist was most likely due to the Demon Subduing Monk's power.
Does this mean he'll frequently encounter evil spirits and such in the future?
Damn it!
He really just wanted a peaceful daily life!
The piece ended.
Togawa Sakiko stood up and looked over: "Kitahara-kun, did you find anything?"
"I saw faint black mist emerging from the piano, so I can confirm that this piano is special." Kitahara Makoto stated honestly, "But I didn't see the evil spirit appear."
"Is that so..." Togawa Sakiko raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear, looking thoughtful, "Maybe it's related to the time."
"The first time I saw that evil spirit was at dusk."
"Dusk is the hour of meeting demons, perhaps that's why."
Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly and said:
"Very possible... Then we'll wait a while."
"..."
It was already past four in the afternoon. The three quietly waited in the music room. As time subtly passed, dusk quietly arrived.
"It's almost time." Togawa Sakiko stood up again, walked to the piano and sat down, taking a deep breath, "...Kitahara-kun, I'm counting on you."
Ding-dong.
The beautiful piano music sounded again.
This time, the black mist on the piano quickly intensified, and even the air temperature began to drop rapidly, with a chilling cold sweeping through.
"Achoo..."
Hitori Gotō covered her nose and sneezed, her gaze inadvertently sweeping across the corner. Her round, beautiful eyes immediately widened, and she subconsciously grabbed Kitahara Makoto's sleeve:
"Ki-ki-Kitahara-kun!"
"...I see it."
Kitahara Makoto looked in the direction she indicated, only to see a transparent girl in white, covered in bloodstains, with disheveled hair, faintly revealing half of a lifeless, pale face, in the shadow cast by the curtains.
His worldview collapsed.
He came this time, firstly for the 100,000 yen reward, and secondly to witness with his own eyes whether evil spirits truly existed.
Now, seeing the transparent girl appear, he no longer had any doubts.
So, this seemingly ordinary everyday world really has evil spirits?
He just wanted a peaceful life and didn't want to encounter evil spirits!
"Kitahara-kun, what should we do now?"
Togawa quickly walked over, nervously approaching Kitahara Makoto.
What to do?
Of course, it's a cold dish!
After all, it was a special existence he had never encountered in two lifetimes, and Kitahara Makoto was also a little flustered.
However, the next second, looking at the evil spirit girl who had quietly appeared, a strange impulse suddenly arose in Kitahara Makoto's heart.
I see this evil spirit is also quite charming and beautiful, wanting...
Wait!
Kitahara Makoto suddenly woke up, a drop of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
What just happened?
Why did he have the urge to give this ghost maternity leave!
The Female Ghost tilted her head, as if observing the three people in front of her, then suddenly floated over.
Kitahara Makoto clenched his fists, ready for battle.
He had a subtle premonition in his heart that with one punch, the evil spirit girl in front of him would instantly turn to ashes...
However, the next second.
Under the bewildered gaze of the three, the evil spirit girl suddenly knelt down in a perfectly standard dogeza:
"...Spare me, my lord!"
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