Chapter 7: Welcome Home
Until then, even going home was painful.
There would be ghosts at home, behaving inexplicably.
Houzuki would shut herself in her room without understanding why, just covering her ears and lamenting.
“Can you really go home?”
“Yes.”
The man in the white coat who asked Houzuki, Kuroomi Otoya, answered, “I see.”
“You’ve changed.”
“I have.”
Both outside and at home, it was nothing but hell for Houzuki.
Outside, there were ghosts wandering around without any reason, and at home, there were ghosts behaving inexplicably.
Since they had all been eaten, she could now return home with peace of mind. How wonderful that was.
“Well then, be careful on your way back.”
“Yes.”
Houzuki nodded to Otoya and replied with a smile.
“Goodbye, see you tomorrow.”
☆
At that moment, as she dove into the mirror, the three-paneled mirror shattered.
Dealing with the shattered mirror was troublesome, and disposing of the old three-paneled mirror as bulky trash was a hassle.
Explaining the situation to the landlord was also a bother. The rent for that room had been cheap because they didn’t move the three-paneled mirror, but if the cause was removed, there was a possibility that the rent would increase.
However, the landlord was generous.
“Oh, so that three-paneled mirror broke?”
The landlord seemed somewhat relieved as they said it.
Since they didn’t say anything more, it seemed like the issue of the rent would continue. Houzuki started to worry about next month’s rent.
Perhaps she should try to find a part-time job. It would be great if there was a place that would hire such a gloomy girl.
“What should I have for dinner tonight?”
Houzuki’s steps were light as she made her way home, carrying grocery bags from the supermarket.
“I think I’ll splurge a bit and make hot pot tonight.”
Though she wasn’t sure if hot pot seasoning was still in trend, she decided to try a soy milk hot pot base out of curiosity. Since she had never tried it before, she wanted to give it a shot.
Now that she was freed from the ghosts at home, Houzuki decided she would also try various things. Something different from usual, something different for dinner.
“Oh.”
She could see her own house now.
It was a rundown apartment that seemed like it would be blown away if a typhoon hit directly. Tilted potted plants and abandoned tricycles added to the lonely atmosphere.
The apartment sign wasn’t flipped, and she retrieved flyers and such from the poorly fitted mailbox. The contents were the same as usual, like supermarket flyers and water department magnets.
What was different, though, was that she could hear voices as if a man and a woman were arguing, even though there shouldn’t be anyone in Houzuki’s home.
“…Nothing’s changed.”
Houzuki chuckled softly as she inserted the key into the door and unlocked it.
“I’m home.”
As she opened the thin door, she found a silver-haired red-eyed male student and a female elementary school student wrestling in the living room.
The female elementary school student, noticing the home owner’s return, headbutted the silver-haired male student in the side. A strange sound escaped from the male student’s mouth as he collapsed to his knees.
Ignoring the male student sprawled on the tatami, the female elementary school student rushed over and hugged Houzuki, who had just returned home.
“Welcome home, Houzuki-chan.”
“I’m home, Towako.”
“Hey, Houzuki!! Discipline that shitty brat properly!!”
The silver-haired, red-eyed male student who seems to have recovered from Towako’s headbutt――Yuiru Enen shouts.
“You’re complaining even though you’re a freeloader?”
“What kind of treatment is this towards your savior!?”
“Today’s dinner is hotpot.”
“Heck yeah!”
Houzuki could only chuckle wryly at Yuiru, who tried to improve his mood by asking about the dinner menu.
Then, Yuiru seemed to remember something. Floating lightly near the ceiling, he turned back to Houzuki, who was placing ingredients, and said, “Welcome home, Houzuki.”
“…Yeah, I’m home.”
Kasugadani Houzuki has no family.
However, there are ghosts who she calls friends in her house.
Regardless of being labeled as a haunted property or condemned for being possessed, Houzuki never stopped welcoming them.
The house in the corner, overrun by ghosts, had regained a bright atmosphere with the arrival of the different ghosts.
