"It's okay." Rito said, his voice dropping into that deep register. He didn't let go and stepped closer, his other hand coming up to gently pat her head, his fingers passing through her hair with a slight tingle of static. "We didn't mean to disturb you. We're not your enemies."
Oshizu's form began to solidify. The blue tint faded, replaced by the pale, peach tones of a living girl. Her tattered kimono smoothed out, becoming a beautiful, pristine white garment.
"How w-warm..." she whispered, her translucent face blooming with a sudden, vivid blush. She looked up at Rito, her eyes shimmering with tears. "It's so warm... I've forgotten... what it feels like to be held."
She leaned into him, her head resting against his chest. She was a ghost, so she lacked physical weight, but Rito could feel the pressure of her soul pressing against his energy.
"You... you're not a threat." she murmured, her voice small and shy. "Threats are loud and mean. You're... like a big, golden blanket."
Behind them, the flying furniture clattered to the floor, and the darkness retreated.
"Did... did he just seduce a ghost with handholding and a head pat?" Risa asked, blinking as Mio's flashlight suddenly turned back on.
"This is the peak of development." Mio muttered in a perplexed tone, though she was furiously taking notes.
"Rito-kun is just that dependable!" Lala cheered, though she looked a little curious about why the ghost girl was hugging her fiancé so tightly.
Haruna watched them, her heart ache-thumping. She was relieved the danger was over, but seeing Rito hold another girl, even a dead one, with such tenderness made her feel a sharp, possessive pang. She walked over, still a bit shaky, and put a hand on Rito's shoulder.
"Rito-kun... is she... okay?"
Oshizu looked at Haruna, then back at Rito. She didn't let go of his hand, but she drifted back a few inches. "I am... calm now. Your energy is very potent, boy. It has made me feel more alive than I have been in centuries."
"I'm glad." Rito said, smiling at her. "I'm Yuuki Rito. And this is Haruna, and Lala."
"You can call me Oshizu." she replied, bowing slightly. "I apologize for the piano. It was... a bit much."
"Well, well. It seems I missed the main event."
A new voice echoed through the hallway. Mikado walked out of the shadows of the staircase, her lab coat fluttering behind her. She was holding a handheld scanner and a clipboard.
"Sensei?" Rito asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I've been monitoring the bio-signatures in this building for weeks." Mikado said, adjusting her glasses. She looked at the aliens, then at Oshizu. "I knew about our little refugee camp here. I was just waiting for them to settle in before I offered my services."
She walked over to the skeleton-alien and poked his head. "You lot are terrible at hiding. If a group of high schoolers found you, the men in black would have been here by Tuesday."
"We're sorry, doctor!" the alien cried.
"Hmph. Don't apologize to me. You should be apologizing to the school board for the property damage." Mikado sighed and then looked at Rito. "Good job stabilizing the spectral entity, Yuuki-kun. Your fluid sample analysis suggested you had high soul-conductivity, and this confirms it. You're practically a walking battery for ghosts."
Rito rubbed the back of his neck, blushing at the mention of 'fluid sample'. "I just didn't want anyone to get hurt."
"Sensei, can you help them?" Lala asked, pointing to the aliens. "They just want to live here!"
"I can do better than that." Mikado smirked and looked the aliens over. "The local shopping district is looking for staff for a new theme-café. But they have a very specific requirement: they only hire female staff. It's part of the 'aesthetic'."
The aliens looked at each other. "But... we're all males."
Mikado looked at Oshizu. "And that's where our resident ghost comes in. Oshizu-chan, you've been watching humans for 400 years. You know all about feminine charm, don't you?"
Oshizu blinked. "I... I suppose I do. I have watched many romances from the shadows."
"Great. You're going to be their consultant." Mikado declared. "You'll teach these slime-balls how to walk, talk, and act like Japanese schoolgirls. With their shapeshifting and your coaching, they'll be the most popular waitresses there is."
"Wait, sensei," Rito interrupted. "Is that... legal?"
"In this town? It's practically a requirement." Mikado laughed.
…
A week later, the Old School Building looked very different.
The dust had been swept away, the boards removed from the windows, and the interior decorated with colourful lanterns and banners. It wasn't a condemned building anymore; it was a clubhouse.
Music, this time a pleasant, upbeat pop song, filled the air.
"To our new neighbours!" Lala shouted, raising a glass of juice.
"Cheers!" the group responded.
The alien refugees were there, but they looked remarkably different. They had utilized their shapeshifting abilities to become a group of perfectly normal-looking, albeit slightly shy, girls. They wore cute uniforms and practiced their feminine laughs under Oshizu's watchful eye.
Oshizu herself was floating near the buffet table, looking more vibrant than ever. It had been long since she had socialized like this.
"How are your days going, Oshizu-san?" Rito asked.
"It has been the best time I had in the last 400 years." Oshizu smiled, her translucent cheeks pink. "Though your touch is still the best part, Rito-kun."
Haruna, who was standing right next to Rito, immediately nudged his side. "Rito-kun, try this one too! I made it myself!" She held up a piece of tamagoyaki, her eyes practically pleading for him to acknowledge her effort.
Rito smiled, taking a bite. "It's great, Haruna."
Haruna beamed, her anxiety melting away into pure bliss.
Near the back of the room, sitting on a crate and looking thoroughly exhausted, was Zastin. He was wearing his full Earth-disguise suit, but his helmet was off, revealing his sweaty face.
"Zastin?" Rito walked over, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Working, Rito-dono." Zastin sighed, taking a long pull from a soda can. "Lala-sama told the King about this refugee situation, and His Majesty decided that Deviluke should sponsor their transition. I've spent the last three days filing intergalactic work visas for six cephalopods and a sentient skeleton."
"That sounds... rough." Rito admitted.
"It is a nightmare of bureaucracy." Zastin groaned. "But..." He looked at the aliens, who were laughing and enjoying their new lives. "It is better than the alternative, and the princess is happy. That is my primary directive."
He looked at Rito, his eyes turning serious.
"But Rito-dono... I saw the report on the 'ghost' incident. Your ability to interact with spiritual matter... it is an unexpected evolution. But please be careful. The more your life force grows, the more you will attract things from the fringes of the universe."
"I understand." Rito said, his gaze drifting to Haruna and Lala. "But as long as they're safe, I'll handle whatever comes."
Zastin nodded, a rare smile appearing on his face. "You really are becoming more and more like a King, aren't you?"
The party continued late into the night. Yami sat on a high rafter, eating taiyaki in peace. Risa and Mio were busy interviewing the shapeshifted aliens for their next school report. And in the center of it all, Rito was surrounded by the laughing Lala laughing, Haruna clinging to his arm, and Oshizu floating nearby, all of them drawn to the warmth of the man who had turned a haunted house into a home.
Rito looked out the window at the moon, feeling the weight of the girls against him.
*****
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