Chapter 4: Miko: Hello, Bestie. Goodbye, Bestie.
"Good morning, Miko."
Natsuki raised his hand in greeting.
"Morning~"
The black-haired girl replied drowsily.
Miko Yotsuya.
The eldest daughter of the Yotsuya family next door.
A quiet girl who loved studying.
The Amanomiya family had moved in three years ago, and by coincidence, Natsuki and Miko attended the same middle school. In a way, they could be considered childhood friends.
"Your dark circles look worse. What have you been up to lately?" Natsuki asked casually.
"Nothing," Miko bit her lower lip lightly. "I... just watched a horror movie and didn't sleep well."
"Bold of you to watch horror movies alone. You've got guts, girl."
"..."
The two chatted as they walked to school.
At a crosswalk, Natsuki's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Among the crowd across the street stood a strikingly conspicuous office lady—well-dressed, with a graceful figure and a pretty face that drew attention.
Natsuki silently observed her, though his focus wasn't on her face but rather her back—
Perched on the woman's back was a grotesquely swollen infant vengeful spirit, its long tongue lolling out as it occasionally flicked it toward passersby. Yet, no one else seemed to notice.
"Hmm?"
Natsuki suddenly noticed Miko's pale face. She was staring at her toes, her fingers gripping her sleeves so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Miko?" Natsuki lowered his voice. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine."
Miko bit her lip and shook her head slightly.
The light turned green.
Pedestrians on both sides of the crosswalk began to move.
The beautiful woman stepped forward, the infant vengeful spirit on her back wriggling excitedly.
Natsuki took a deep breath, preparing to cross, when a hand suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
"Wait."
Miko looked up at him, her eyes misty, as if she were on the verge of tears but holding them back. "I just remembered I need to buy something... Come with me to the convenience store?"
"What do you need?"
"Don't ask. Just hurry."
Miko grabbed Natsuki's wrist and pulled him away.
"Phew..."
Watching the woman and the infant vengeful spirit disappear into the distance, Miko exhaled quietly, her expression easing slightly.
Then... her face froze again.
At the entrance of the convenience store, a twisted vengeful spirit in a store uniform was bent over, seemingly bowing to customers as they entered and exited.
Even after turning into a vengeful spirit, they still can't forget about work... truly the spirit of Japan!
Miko paused for two seconds, then silently turned around. "Let's not buy anything. I just remembered I have spare pencils in my bag... Let's head to school."
"..."
Natsuki quietly observed the distorted vengeful spirit at the convenience store entrance, a possibility forming in his mind.
Could Miko see them?
If that were true, did that mean Miko was also a player in the supernatural game?
After a moment of contemplation, Natsuki decided to ask directly. He leaned down slightly, bringing his lips close to the girl's ear.
"W-what are you doing?"
Miko leaned back slightly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.
"Supernatural game?"
Natsuki whispered the words carefully to avoid being overheard.
"Huh? What game?" Miko's expression turned blank as she tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Never mind." Natsuki straightened up with a quiet sigh. "Let's keep going."
It seemed he'd been overthinking things. Miko wasn't a player after all... That was for the best. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her facing the unknown penalties for game failure.
But that raised another question—why could Miko see the vengeful spirits?
Just as Natsuki was about to ask, a clear, cheerful voice called out from the distance.
"Miko!"
A golden-haired, short-haired girl with an impressively curvaceous figure came running toward them, waving energetically.
"Ah, Amanomiya-kun, good morning!"
The short-haired girl beamed at Natsuki with a radiant smile that seemed to brighten the sunlight itself.
"Good morning, Yurikawa-san."
Natsuki responded politely.
Hana Yurikawa.
Miko's new friend from the semester, who now seems to have evolved into a bestie, occasionally runs into her on the way to school.
"Hey hey, Miko, your dark circles look even worse today?" Hana's attention quickly zeroes in on her best friend. "Staying up late is a girl's worst enemy, you know."
"Yeah, I know..."
Miko yawns again.
"You're already tired right after waking up? Don't tell me you didn't sleep at all last night?"
Hana's eyes widen.
Miko repeats the same excuse: "I watched a horror movie with my little brother last night and couldn't sleep well... that's all."
"Ah, I get it. Even when you know horror movies are fake, they still scare you so much you can't sleep."
No, you don't get it.
The vengeful spirits are all real.
And what happened to the invincibility of blankets?
If you lift the covers and find a severed head lying there, how the hell are you supposed to sleep?!
But she can't tell anyone about seeing spirits. No one else can see them—only her. There's no proof they exist either... If she says anything, she'll either be labeled a chuunibyou or suspected of having mental issues.
Another day of despair.
Smack.
Hana slaps her forehead with a crisp sound. "Oh yeah, I ran out of pencils last night. Let's stop by the convenience store and grab some?"
"Huh?"
Miko's eyes widen as she scrambles for an excuse. "I can lend you some..."
"The convenience store is right there. Why borrow?" The busty blonde girl grabs Miko's arm and pulls her toward the store, her voice bright. "Come on, we can stock up on snacks too."
She then turns to Natsuki. "Amanomiya, you go ahead to school."
"...Definitely besties."
Natsuki silently agrees, watching as Miko—eyes brimming with tears—is dragged into peril by her oblivious best friend.
Outside the convenience store.
A twisted spirit in an employee uniform bends down to leer at Miko. "Wel... come..."
Natsuki hesitates for a moment before activating his Evil Spirit Repelling Aura and stepping closer to the teary-eyed Miko.
He can't just stand by while his childhood friend is tormented by evil spirits!
Soon, he's within five meters.
The employee spirit recoils as if scorched by flames, its body dissolving into mist as it flees in terror.
"Wha—?!"
Miko's eyes widen in disbelief. "How... did it just disappear?"
"It looked... like it was repelled?"
Miko whips her head around to see Natsuki standing behind her, giving her a slight nod.
"...Natsuki?"
"Come on, let's go shopping already!"
Her bestie cuts her off, pulling the bewildered girl into the store.
Natsuki turns and heads to school.
Soon, he arrives at Shuchi'in Academy.
This school... well, those who know, know. No need to elaborate.
Natsuki makes his way to the shoe lockers in the corner of the first floor to change into his indoor shoes when he spots a black-haired girl with waist-length hair standing by the girls' lockers. Her entire being radiates an icy, unapproachable aura—none other than his gaming teammate from last night, Kaguya Shinomiya.
Though they've been classmates for half a month since the start of the school year, Natsuki has never spoken to her.
With the Ice Princess's aura in full force, anyone foolish enough to approach would instantly freeze into a statue.
"Weird..."
Natsuki quickly noticed something was off with Lady Kaguya. Her body was stiff, frozen in the motion of opening her shoe locker like a statue.
After staring for a moment, a line of text appeared above Kaguya's head:
[So scary so scary so scary... What do I do what do I do what do I do... Why is there something like this in my shoe locker?]
Curious, Natsuki looked over and saw a vengeful spirit's head glaring at the ice-sculpture-like girl with its crimson eyes from inside Kaguya's shoe locker.
Noticing Natsuki's gaze, the head turned to stare directly at him.
"You... can see me?"
Not this line again. Are all you spirits just broken records?
Keeping a straight face, Natsuki walked over to Kaguya and activated his "Spirit Repelling" aura ability. The head spirit in the locker twisted and screamed as if burned by flames before dissipating into black smoke.