As she was packing away her textbooks, Yotsuya Miko felt her phone buzz.
Taking it out, she saw a message from Arthur:
"See you in half an hour."
Miko's golden eyes flickered.
Last night, after agreeing to meet Arthur, she had fallen asleep without realizing it.
Just like before, she had been jolted awake by another nightmare in the middle of the night.
And just like before, she couldn't fall back asleep afterward.
That was why she had dark circles under her eyes.
Why did she always feel drowsy in class?
Now that she knew Arthur could also see ghosts, she hoped she might finally get some useful answers from him.
She, Yotsuya Miko, had already had enough of this kind of life.
"Okay."
She sent back a one-word reply.
"Miko, let's eat!"
Her best friend Yurikawa Hana appeared, carrying a big bento box, her smile as sunny and energetic as ever.
"Mm."
Miko nodded lightly, pulling out her own lunch.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Arthur, who had never bothered to bring a lunchbox, was already on his way to the academy cafeteria, Man-Shoku-an.
Today was April 14th—
the third week since school had started.
And since day one, Arthur hadn't once packed his own lunch.
One word: lazy.
Every afternoon, he went straight to the cafeteria.
Fortunately, the cafeteria at the Integrated Academy was excellent, offering cuisines from many countries.
Most of the chefs even came from the cuisine's country of origin.
Because of that, almost half the students preferred eating in the cafeteria.
The other half still brought their own bentos.
Arriving there, Arthur ordered a twice-cooked pork rice bowl.
The taste was pretty good.
In the blink of an eye, twenty-some minutes had passed.
Class 1-F, again.
Miko, having finished her lunch, put away her bento box, rinsed her mouth, wiped her lips, and looked at Hana.
"Hana, I'm going out for a bit."
"To the bathroom? I'll come with you." Hana stood up immediately.
"…No."
Miko shook her head slightly, refusing.
"I have to meet someone. I'll go alone."
"Meet someone? Do I know them?"
Hana blinked her big eyes, puzzled.
"…You do."
Under Hana's intense stare, Miko hesitated.
But in the end, she couldn't bring herself to lie.
"Who?"
Hana's curiosity only deepened.
If it was someone she knew too, then why didn't Miko want to bring her along?
Was it something she wasn't supposed to know about?
"Arthur."
"…Who? Arthur?!"
Hana froze, eyes widening in shock as she stared at Miko.
"Yes, him."
Having said it, Miko could only nod.
Afraid Hana might keep asking questions, she quickly stood up.
"I'm leaving first."
Without waiting for a reply, she hurried out.
After all, she couldn't tell Hana about the ghosts.
Even if Hana believed her, she was terrified of anything supernatural.
If she knew the truth, she'd probably live in constant fear.
"Eh…"
Watching Miko's retreating figure, Hana opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.
She stood frozen, a little bewildered.
She could feel Miko was hiding something.
Her brows knitted, thoughts churning:
"Why does Miko have to meet Arthur alone?"
"And why hide it from me?"
"…Could it be…"
Her mind flashed back to yesterday.
And suddenly, one possibility stood out.
Miko had fallen for Arthur!
…Love at first sight?
Meanwhile, Miko herself had no idea her best friend was imagining such things.
She was already heading toward the Student Council office.
About five minutes later, she arrived.
Knocking on the door, she waited a few seconds before turning the handle.
"Sorry to intrude."
She stepped inside.
And the first thing she saw was Arthur, seated on the sofa.
"Come, sit."
Arthur smiled at her.
Miko's golden eyes shifted slightly. Closing the door behind her, she sat down on the sofa opposite him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The air felt oddly heavy.
Arthur was the first to break the silence:
"Miko, didn't you say you had a lot of questions?"
"If not, I'll just head back to class."
"Wait."
Miko didn't hesitate anymore.
She voiced one question after another, everything that had troubled her since last night.
Arthur listened, then chuckled.
"One at a time. I'll start with the first."
"As for when I gained the ability to see spirits—honestly, it was just a few days ago."
"…Huh? A few days ago?!"
Miko blinked in shock.
Her face then twisted into a look that could only be described as: "Don't you dare try to trick me—I may not read much, but I'm not stupid."
She had seen how calm he was in the presence of spirits, how unbothered he looked.
She had assumed he had long grown used to it.
But now he was saying… only a few days?
Frankly, she didn't believe it.
She herself had been seeing them for over a month.
And every encounter terrified her.
Arthur's composure looked nothing like a "newbie's."
"What, you don't believe me?"
Seeing her expression, Arthur instantly guessed what she was thinking.
"→_→"
Miko didn't reply, but her face said everything.
Arthur smirked.
"People's constitutions aren't all the same. Don't underestimate me."
"Now, onto the second question. Can you stop seeing spirits? The answer is yes."
"What is it?!"
Miko's eyes lit up with hope, leaning forward.
The previous doubt was instantly forgotten.
"There's definitely a way," Arthur said.
"But I don't know it yet."
"…Ugh."
Her heart sank in disappointment.
Arthur continued, "Third question. Do real exorcists exist in this world?"
He paused deliberately, building suspense.
"!!!"
Miko stared hard at him, fists clenched nervously on her lap.
Not in anger—
but in tension and anticipation.
Finally, Arthur smiled faintly.
"The answer is yes. But I've never met one."
Before his golden finger appeared, he had tried many methods to deal with the Claw Spirit.
He had even gone searching for exorcists.
Visited several shrines.
But all in vain.
Even so, Arthur was sure—this world did have exorcists, spirit-banishers, people like that.
Just because he hadn't met one didn't mean they didn't exist.
For instance—there was Shimomachi Kaname.
"…I see."
Miko exhaled slowly, unclenching her fists.
Disappointment flickered in her eyes.
It was the answer she had expected.
After all, she had tried as well—
seeking out exorcists, visiting shrines, wearing protective charms and prayer beads.
None of it worked.
Not even a little.
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