Tracen Academy, west side of the training grounds.
This place was usually deserted. A wooded area over a dozen meters wide separated the training field from this path, making it feel almost cut off from the world. The only sound was the rustle of leaves in the wind.
"A vending machine in such a remote spot? Lucky~"
As she said this, Copano Rickey slipped a few coins into the machine. With the clatter of metal cans, two beverages dropped down.
"Orange juice or grape juice? Which one do you like?"
Returning to the roadside bench, Copano Rickey asked the black-haired girl sitting there.
"Whatever," she replied offhandedly.
"Then the grape juice is for you." She tossed the drink over, and the girl caught it steadily.
Without hesitation, Copano Rickey then plopped down beside her, opened her own drink, and took a hearty gulp.
This guy... now that Manhattan Cafe was gone, she wasn't in a hurry anymore.
Narrowing her eyes, the girl set her drink aside.
"Aren't you going to drink it?" Copano Rickey asked, noticing her action.
"Not thirsty."
"Heh~" Rickey let out a curious sound. "Is it that you're not thirsty, or that you can't get thirsty?"
Her ears twitched slightly, as if listening for something.
"You already know the answer to that," the girl retorted without backing down.
Copano Rickey's eyes widened.
"I thought you'd try to hide it a little. After all, being a ghost, you probably don't want your true nature discovered, right?"
Truth be told, Copano Rickey had sensed something off about the other girl from the very start. The reason she'd kept asking questions on the way wasn't to get answers from her mouth.
Copano Rickey had been observing the way energy flowed around her.
Not quite solid, not quite ethereal. Possessing a spirit, but lacking life.
The other party was actually a wandering spirit—one that could be seen and could touch things!
Having studied feng shui since childhood, Copano Rickey naturally knew such things existed in the world. In fact, many places with bad feng shui were precisely that way because they were shrouded in the yin energy brought by these wandering spirits.
She had even performed cleansings to dispel yin energy and alter feng shui before.
But Copano Rickey never imagined a wandering spirit could possess self-awareness, let alone such a strong one—it was practically no different from a living person.
And the people around her seemed completely unaware of her true nature.
Except for Manhattan Cafe.
So, Copano Rickey had hoped her words would open everyone's eyes.
Clearly, she had failed.
Oguri Cap and Inari One had no clue what she was talking about.
Belno Light only half-understood and wasn't really paying attention.
And Maruzensky and Manhattan Cafe had outright told her to shut up.
You could say nobody wanted to know the true identity of this disguised girl.
Fortunately, in the end, everyone else left, leaving just her and this ghost-girl to talk face-to-face.
The ghost-girl met her gaze frankly, without a trace of concern.
"Copano Rickey, the feng shui master. Even if I admitted it myself, how many would believe you?"
Science and rationality had long dominated people's thinking.
If someone stood up now and claimed to be a ghost, in this complex, information-saturated society, most people would just dismiss it as a joke.
How many were there, who would truly listen and take it seriously?
Copano Rickey clenched the empty drink can in her hand.
"Not only do ghosts exist, but gods once walked this world too."
"Those once undeniable Three Goddesses, right before our eyes... now they're just faint memories in people's hearts."
"How many truly believe the legend of the Three Goddesses is real?"
When faced with things that, to this day, remain unproven, those who believe with unwavering conviction are far too few.
Most people only need a few words, a couple of lines of text, a few fragments of information, to completely change their stance.
That's right.
Just like the audience after the [Mainichi Okan] race.
"The phrase 'I am a ghost' goes against the very tide of modern thought."
How could it ever be accepted?
The moment the words are spoken, they're scattered by the waves of opposition.
"So that's why you're so fearless?" Copano Rickey shot back.
"I am merely stating an unshakeable fact."
Copano Rickey's brows gradually furrowed.
She was beginning to sense the decisive difference between this ghost and others.
Beyond being visible and able to touch objects, this ghost possessed a fierce will.
"You're too dangerous..."
For humanity, an existence like hers was far too dangerous!
Unrestrained and unregulated.
Even more terrifying was...
Under this bright sunlight, the resolve in her eyes remained utterly unshaken.
People's voices, public opinion, the slander and the curses...
All these complex, negative emotions had no effect on her whatsoever.
This ghost was already complete.
She had completely walled herself off inside—a world that belonged to her alone.
Extremely dangerous!
More dangerous than any spirit she had ever encountered!
"Is this really okay?" Copano Rickey stood up, facing her directly.
"You tread upon neither the Way of Heaven, the Way of Earth, nor the Way of Man. If my words go against popular belief, your very existence defies the natural order!"
No wonder the color of her soulfire, burning behind her, was so different from anyone else's.
It was a black so deep, like dense ink, that sunlight could not penetrate it.
"Defies the natural order..." The girl's ears twitched.
"So what?"
Such a statement instantly made Copano Rickey's expression turn grim.
"My wish is for everyone to be happy... If your existence causes people to fall into misfortune, then..."
She slipped her fingers out of her sleeve, pulling out a yellow talisman paper.
So she hadn't just picked up one after all?
Or perhaps, this one belonged to her.
It bore no written characters. Instead, it was marked with a pattern drawn in brush and ink, forming a central shape that was hard to define—perhaps a torch, or perhaps a sword.
Holding the talisman, Copano Rickey warned, "You'd better change your way of thinking."
Even if she had to use force, she was determined to crack a hole in the other's rock-solid mindset!
Faced with Copano Rickey's threat, the girl lowered her head.
"Heh..."
"Heh... hah, hahaha—!"She let out a clear, melodious laugh.
Then, the girl removed her face mask, and the hair tied at the back of her head cascaded down smoothly in an instant.
Her long black hair flowed down her back. The colored contact lenses could no longer conceal the golden radiance within her eyes.
A proud smile curling at her lips, the black-haired girl mocked, "Don't get so full of yourself, Feng Shui Master."
"There are far, far more things in this world you've never seen."
A fierce, chilling wind whipped up.
Copano Rickey's ears shot upright.
Thick, intense yin energy was gathering, rumbling like approaching thunder as it drew near.
Spirits!
Lots and lots of spirits, approaching fast!
Though she couldn't see the spirits directly, Copano Rickey could sense the shift in the energy flow.
The previously calm feng shui was utterly disrupted.
The gathering of so many ghosts had triggered a powerful spiritual disturbance phenomenon.
The vending machine nearby flickered erratically, emitting a sharp, piercing beep.
The canned drinks inside rattled and clattered restlessly, as if trying to break free.
The screws on the bench groaned and creaked under some unseen pressure, the wooden planks shaking incessantly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Sunday Silence's voice finally rang out.
"It took a bit of time to round up this bunch from the corners."
Seeing the dense crowd of dark figures, the girl smiled.
"Not at all."
The timing was perfect.
Spotting the spirit talisman in Copano Rickey's hand, the spirits let out sharp, furious shrieks, like enraged bulls.
'Let this feng shui master get a taste, of the strange phenomena that occur when countless spirits press together.'
A single stone raises a thousand waves. The shrieking grew louder and louder. The talisman in Copano Rickey's hand stood on end uncontrollably, then, with a sudden WHOOSH, to her astonishment, the paper talisman burst into an eerie blue flame, burning with a frantic, wild intensity.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.