CHAPTER 3 “Yuiru Enen”
Houzuki woke up in a classroom bathed in sunlight.
It’s not just a classroom either.
Desks were overturned and chairs were turned sideways. The blackboard was covered in dust and there were spider webs on the top. The clock displayed in the corner of the classroom had already stopped moving and was left broken.
Houzuki sat on a chair in such a classroom and seemed to be asleep.
“How……?”
She doesn’t remember coming to a classroom like this.
The only thing Houzuki remembers is up until the staff room.
She heard a banging sound, and when she looked into the room, she saw a silver-haired male student standing behind her――――.
――Come to think of it, where did he go?
“Hi, you awake?”
A voice suddenly called out to her.
That silver-haired male student was sitting at the dust-covered teacher’s desk.
Silver hair that reflects the sunset and bright red eyes. His dauntless face is so perfect that no girl in his class would want to ignore him, and he wears a jet-black collar without any dirt or dust.
Is he a student at XX High School?
No, it’s a face she’s never seen before.
“Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m surprised that you’re not scared. What kind of courage do you have?”
The silver-haired student tilts his head in confusion, but laughs at Houzuki’s courageous attitude and says, “Interesting.”
“I’m Yuiru Enen. I live in this old school building, well, I’m basically a ghost.”
“Ghost……!!”
Houzuki jumps off her chair and stands up, excited that she has finally met the person she is looking for.
Yes, finally.
Something can finally be done about her constitution, which draws in ghosts that have been bothering her since birth.
“Hey, can you really make someone’s wish come true?”
“What does that mean?”
The silver-haired male student―― Yuiru Enen,
“You’re asking if I can grant wishes? Of course I can’t. Did you come here while believing at such a baseless rumor?”
“No way……”
Houzuki murmurs in shock.
She thought she had found a clue to how she could deal with her constitution that attracts these ghosts, but now she doesn’t know why she came to the old school building.
Houzuki suddenly felt tired and sat down in the chair she had been sitting on. She grabbed the skirt of her uniform and let out a deep sigh.
Houzuki was acting as if she was clearly worried about something, but Yuiru asked her with an embarrassed look, perhaps feeling guilty.
“Uhh, well, how do I put it? Well, I’ll at least listen to you talk. I kinda feel bad that it’s the only thing I can do for you, though.”
Yuiru jumped from the teacher’s desk and dragged a nearby chair to Houzuki. He sat down in the chair himself and asked, “Please,” prompting her to talk.
Houzuki thinks that it’s impossible to talk to such a ghost.
The other person seems willing to listen. She was concerned that he’s looking at her from a higher standpoint but, should she be thankful for that, at least?
Houzuki is reluctant to talk about her situation to a stranger, but she slowly opens her mouth.
“I can see ghosts.”
“Well, you are having a conversation with me.”
“I’ve been able to see them ever since…… it’s like a constitution that draws ghosts towards me. That’s why for a long time now, ghosts have always been around me……”
“Ohh”
Yuiru blinked his red eyes and said,
“That’s interesting, really interesting.”
“Wha, what is?”
Houzuki arches her back and tries to distance herself from Yuiru, who is brazenly closing the distance. She’s scared of the overly excited individual.
“Isn’t there fear constantly twirling around you? There are unknown “scary” things scattered about, right?”
“Wha, what’s with you? Is a constitution that draws in ghosts thay interesting to you?”
“How nice, I’m so jealous!!”
Yuiru shouted excitedly as he jumped off his chair and stood up.
“To think that you’re always living surrounded by fear, I’m so jealous. That fear personally approaches you, how nice it must be!! With this, I can proceed directly to eating.”
“Ea, eat?”
“That’s right, eating.”
Yuiru smiles at Houzuki, who opens her eyes in shock.
“I see, it’s just right. I’m not a religious person, but what a great servant God has sent.”
“What do you mean by se, servant?”
“Why of course, I’m talking about you.”
Yuiru poked Houzuki’s cheek with his cold fingertips,
“You, from today onwards, bring food for me. I’ll make good use of you ability to attract ghosts.”
“Haa!?”
Houzuki was also greatly surprised by this incident.
Dining with ghosts? What is he thinking?
Besides, even if she brought food for the ghost, his body would make him unable to eat it. Does he perhaps want an offering?
Then, Yuiru pouted his lips in dissatisfaction and pinched Houzuki’s cheek.
“You’re thinking impolite things, servant. Do you think ghosts eat like normal people?”
“i’hers, i’hers!!” (TN: “It hurts, it hurts!!”)
“Anyway, as expected of the constitution that draws in ghosts. I never expected to be able to touch you.”
Byo~n, byo~n, Yuiru plays with Houzuki’s cheeks for a while then suddenly lets go. Thanks to that, her cheeks hurt a lot.
When she glared at Yuiru while rubbing her sore cheeks, he stifled a chuckle and laughed.
Houzuki was also surprised, but she never expected to come into contact with a ghost. This makes ghosts that are indistinguishable from living humans dangerous.
Yuiru said, “Now, back to the topic.”
“I live by feeding on fear. I live by feeding on people’s feelings of “terror” and “dread.””
‘But young people these days’, Yuiru puts himself aside and pouts his lips.
“They don’t feel fear anymore. It’s terribly boring.”
“And what does your meal have anything to do with me……”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Yuiru pointed his finger at Houzuki as if it was only natural.
“I’m going to use you as bait to attract a ghost, and I’m going to feed on your emotions when you’re scared by that ghost. What do you think? Isn’t it a great idea?”
“I refuse.”
“WHY!?”
It was now Yuiru’s turn to be surprised, not expecting to be rejected.
Naturally, Houzuki has no intention of accepting that offer.
She has nothing to gain from it and, most importantly, she doesn’t want the constitution that’s been bothering her to be taken advantage of.
Houzuki doesn’t want to see ghosts anymore, and she doesn’t want to attract them either.
Yuiru let out a disappointed voice, saying, “No way.”
“Why? It gives you a sense of something out of the ordinary. Young people these days like that kind of thing, don’t they?”
“I’m tired of seeing ghosts.”
“You can meet famous ghosts, you know? Like Hanako-san1.”
“We met a few times when I was in elementary school.”
Shaking off Yuiru’s attempts to get her to agree, Houzuki picked up her bag, which had been pushed to a corner of the classroom.
If there’s nothing he can do about her constitution that’s attracting ghosts, there’s no point in staying in this place.
It’s better to go home quickly and eat dinner. Plus, it’s almost evening.
“Hey, you.”
Yuiru asked Houzuki as she was about to leave the classroom.
“What time is it now?”
It was then, when he asked that question.
――Gara~n, goro~n.
The chime of the old school building, which was not supposed to ring, resounded as if shaking the entire old school building.
The sound of the chime was eerily distorted.
It’s clearly not a normal sound. In the first place, even though the school building has been decided to be demolished many times, it is hard to believe that the chime is the only one still alive.
Pulling the arms of Houzuki who froze, Yuiru says, “Hurry up.”
“Class is about to start. Quickly fix your desk and take your seat.”
“What are you……?”
“She’s strict. You better look down if you don’t want to get hit.”
As Yuiru laughs as if his trick has succeeded,
“You really look very delicious, it would’ve been great had you run away over there.”
―― Alas, Houzuki seemed to have been set up.
That, too, to the point where she can’t escape.
Now, the class will soon begin.
AI-generated Yuiru Enen
