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"Are you guys afraid of ghosts?"
The moment Max asked his first question, both Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa flinched ever so slightly.
Hana scratched her head with an awkward laugh."Honestly, I'm really scared of that kind of stuff. But I mean… most girls are, right?"
She turned to her best friend."What about you, Miko?"
If it weren't for the bright sunshine and the crowd around them, Hana probably wouldn't have agreed to this little "interview" in the first place.
Not even for a guy this handsome.
"…Yeah, same here."
Miko pulled her gaze away from Max and gave Hana a small, forced smile.
Of course she was scared.How could she not be?
If anyone here had the right to say they were the most terrified of ghosts, it was definitely her.
"Alright, second question," Max continued, nodding slightly."Do you think ghosts actually exist?"
"Eh…?"
Hana froze.
Do ghosts really exist?
Sure, she was scared of the idea, but she'd gone through school like everyone else. Deep down, she didn't really believe in that kind of thing.
So after hesitating for a moment, she laughed and said,"Of course not. There's no way! Right, Miko?"
She shot her friend a quick glance.
"R-right…"
Miko's fists tightened in her lap as she forced another smile. Her eyes darted sideways—
The terrifying spirit that had been looming behind Hana had shut its massive mouth at some point and was now staring directly at Max.
Its hollow, pitch-black eye sockets seemed to brim with nothing but malice.
The thing raised its shriveled, corpse-like right hand in front of Max's face, waved it slightly, then lowered it again… before returning to sucking at Hana's life energy.
And as if that weren't horrifying enough, a new blood-red eye opened on its left cheek, the pupil rolling as if it were scanning every single person present.
"Do you have more questions?" Hana asked, still oblivious.
If it were up to her, she'd end this topic right now. She really didn't want to keep talking about ghosts.
As if he'd read her mind, Max gave her a friendly smile."That's all. Thanks for letting me interview you. Actually, how about I treat you both to a drink as a thank-you?"
"Oh no, that's too much, really—"
For a second Hana wavered, tempted, but then shook her head. After all, it was just two quick questions. Hardly worth him spending money.
Meanwhile, Miko stayed completely silent, struggling to keep her composure.
The ghost had gotten stronger.
That bloody eye on its face—just catching a glimpse of it with her peripheral vision made her feel ice-cold inside. It was like her mind was being tainted.
So terrifying.
Max acted as if nothing was wrong. When Hana tried to decline again, he chuckled."I insist. I asked you about something you didn't like. Let me at least make it up to you a little."
"…Well, if you put it like that. Okay then."
Hana hesitated, then finally agreed. She glanced over at Miko.
Miko, who had been forcing herself to focus on them instead of the spirit, gave a small nod.
Something about Max felt… off.
If she stayed close, maybe she'd figure it out.
So the three of them—well, three humans and one ghost—headed to a nearby drink shop.
They chatted casually along the way, and both girls ended up sharing their names.
Max smiled, studying them."From the looks of it, you're high schoolers too, right?"
"Yeah, first-years," Hana said brightly.
"Which school?" he asked.
"Private Tōgōin Academy," Hana replied.
Full name: Private Tōgōin High School.
"No kidding? What a coincidence. I'm from Tōgōin too."
Max raised his brows, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"What, really?!"
Both Hana and Miko were stunned. Neither had expected the random handsome guy who'd stopped them to turn out to be from their own school.
What were the odds?
"Yep," Max said with a grin. "Guess we were bound to meet."
And honestly, he was a little surprised himself. It had already been two weeks since school started, but he hadn't once seen Hana or Miko around campus.
Not there… but here, outside.
Of course, that was by design. He wouldn't have met them at all if he hadn't gone out of his way today.
Now that they knew he was a fellow student, both Hana and Miko seemed more relaxed.
Soon, they were inside the drink shop.
It wasn't just drinks—they had desserts too.
The three of them grabbed their drinks from the vending-style machines after a short wait in line.
"You two grab us a table, I'm gonna check out the sweets!" Hana said cheerfully, handing her cup to Miko before heading off.
She'd already started drooling just from looking at the display photos.
Miko and Max found a free table and sat down.
Max sipped his drink, then looked at Miko across from him with a knowing smile."Yotsuya, you didn't sleep well last night, did you?"
"What do you mean?!"
Her heart lurched, like someone had just thrown a rock into still water.
"Nothing," he said lightly, still smiling."I'm just a passing fan of ghost stories. Don't overthink it."
"…???"
Miko stared, completely rattled.
How was she supposed not to overthink when he was being so cryptic?
Everything about him screamed "hinting at something."
Could he… see them too?
And did he figure out that I can see them as well?
But the whole time, he hasn't acted like someone who can see ghosts. Is he just pretending?
If he really can see them, then why say this to me? What's his game?
Question after question swirled in her mind.
She wanted answers, but from the way he was playing mysterious, she knew he wouldn't spill a thing right now.
Damn riddler!
A moment later, Hana came back with a tray full of desserts, beaming.
Twenty minutes passed in a flash.
When they finally left the shop, Max turned to them with a smile."Why don't we exchange emails? Since we're at the same school, we can hang out sometime."
He pulled out his phone.
"Sure," Hana said instantly, grinning as she took hers out too.
After they finished, Max glanced at Miko."What about you, Yotsuya? Want to exchange too?"
"…Okay."
Her eyes flickered as they met his, then she pulled out her phone.
They exchanged info quickly.
Putting his phone away, Max gave them a polite wave."Guess I'll head off here. See you next time."
"See you! Bye-bye!" Hana replied, her smile shining as bright as ever.
Max smiled back, turned, and walked away.
"—!!"
Miko's eyes widened.
The ghost that had been clinging to Hana all this time… had suddenly turned and followed Max instead.
"....."