《Afterlife is Life (shonen-inspired ghost hunting)》


 A New Life

    Shen Akihito¡¯s staff clinked as he walked up the gravel road, a saggy backpack slung over his shoulder. Each time he planted its end into the road, the bells hung on its circular top would chime, the only resounding sound in the dark, rural coastline of Washington.


    Crickets, ocean waves, bells. So far, yet so similar to the sound of home.


    Akihito breathed in the humid air. He had feared America would be too different, and it was, but after traveling on the roads for two days, he already felt connected to the earth.


    He made his way to the nearby porch light, which illuminated a small, wooden apartment building stationed at the top of a cliffside hill. It seemed to be ancient, as the leftmost part of the building was built of dark, worn wood and cloudy stained windows, while the rightmost was newly remodeled, with new, clear windows and bright, dry wood.


    It hadn¡¯t been obvious what Akihito¡¯s new patient would be angry about when he had first been contacted by the apartment¡¯s owners, as the picture of the building seemed to have been before the haphazard remodeling, but this made it all too obvious.


    ¡°[I¡¯ll probably just need to give them a stern talking to,]¡± he said in Japanese with a sigh, as if he was almost disappointed. ¡°[Hopefully, things don¡¯t get ugly.]¡±


    He stood in front of the door, prodded the bottom of it with his staff for a moment, then opened it and walked in.


    The reception area was quaint and kept the left wing¡¯s vintage look and color scheme, but to Akihito¡¯s perceptive eye, it was clearly a ruse. The wood looked dark but not dank and was more uniform than wood sixty years old reasonably should have been.


    He walked to the reception counter and tapped a silver bell¡¯s button.


    As someone who adored rustic architecture, the hasty imitation of the rough yet immersive wood that made him feel connected to the past was...a bit insulting. It certainly didn¡¯t give him a good impression of the old complex¡¯s caretakers.


    Still, when a youngish woman in her late twenties rushed out of the backroom, sporting a red tank top and two pigtails, he did his best to smile and be nice.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Akihito said, jingling his staff in good fun.


    She leaned over the counter and looked him down, a bit confused. ¡°Hello. Did you...want a room or are you...¡± she motioned toward his staff. ¡°The exorcist?¡±


    He briefly bowed and held out his business card. ¡°Shen Akihito, Priest-class exorcist at your service.¡±


    She looked at him like he was crazy but briefly flipped the business card over, finding it curious or possibly funny, considering it made her smile wryly. ¡°Huh. You¡¯re only nineteen years old. Kinda young for an...¡± she glanced at him weirdly again. ¡°international exorcist.¡±


    ¡°International student,¡± he corrected her. ¡°And you can call me Akihito. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°You can call me July.¡± She walked around the table, then motioned for him to follow her into the dark, right hallway. She quickly flicked a switch, illuminating it with the sickly, bright, white light that Akihito hated. Why would someone intentionally install fixtures that radiated pure, unadulterated pain?


    He jingled behind her, making sure his staff clinked with each step.


    She motioned to the doors on their left. ¡°Uhh, you¡¯re gonna wake people up with all that racket.¡±


    ¡°I...¡± he began. ¡°If you say so. I¡¯m just trying to shepherd spirits. They tend to solicit in halls more often than you think.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, riigh-¡± the woman began to say sarcastically before all the lights flickered rapidly, the sound of sparks following their malfunction. Akihito shielded his eyes from the epileptic flashes, though the girl only winced a little. She lost her sarcastic tone. ¡°Let''s just get this weird shit over with.¡±


    She led him up a flight of stairs, then to a room labeled ¡®25¡¯, and rested the back of her hand on the frame. ¡°This is the room.¡±


    Akihito walked directly in front, two meters from it. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I already explain this to you in the-¡± she rolled her eyes, too lazy to finish complaining about the exorcist¡¯s carefulness. ¡°Anyone who tries to walk in gets thrown out, then the door shuts and locks. Apparently, people sometimes hear a voice, too.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°To be honest, I figured ghosts didn¡¯t exist, but it¡¯s a little difficult to explain away sentient wind and doors.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°I would guess,¡± he said, preoccupied with thought as he observed the door.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m just wondering why it¡¯s not common knowledge that they¡¯re real...I mean, assuming this really is a ghost.¡±


    Akihito looked back at her. ¡°So, who do you think it is?¡±


    She shrugged. ¡°Who, the ghost? I dunno.¡±


    ¡°You must have an idea. Was there murder? Did someone drown in the sea? Maybe there was a trinket you found in the walls when you remodeled the place?¡±


    ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t know,¡± she said with an exhausted sigh. ¡°Both my parents died a few years ago, and they¡¯d be the ones to know.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry for your loss,¡± he said, bowing.


    She waved it aside. ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Actually, hey, do you think it could be-¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°The ghost probably isn¡¯t your parents. You would know if they were.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ok,¡± she said disappointedly. ¡°Actually, if you¡¯re an exorcist, can you also talk to the dead or something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a star-rank ex...clusive ability,¡± he said, stumbling over the complicated word for a moment. ¡°And they only do it when absolutely necessary. Though, I guess if your parents were ghosts, that would change things.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I don¡¯t get it, but uh...should I leave you to your things or...¡±


    ¡°You can watch if you want,¡± he said. He scratched his head. ¡°Though, to be honest, it would be less embarrassing if you left me alone.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Ok, just tell me when you¡¯re done.¡± Then she began to walk away.


    ¡°The key,¡± Akihito said sharply.


    She tossed him a card. ¡°Whoops, almost forgot.¡±


    Now that she was gone, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and shuffled through it. He took out an auburn candle and lighter as well as a ziplock bag filled to the brim with pink salt. He lit the candle with a silver lighter and set it on the ground. Then, he quickly used a nut scoop buried in the salt, to shake a small, rough circle around the candle.


    ¡°That should do for protection.¡±


    He then inserted the key card into the door¡¯s socket.


    1, 2, click!


    He slid it open.


    What greeted him was an eerie, dark room, equipped with some bare essentials like a bed, dresser, bathroom, and closet, each pristine and new.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he said, poking his head in.


    ...


    He nodded his head. ¡°My name is Shen Akihito. I¡¯m an exorcist, but I don¡¯t want to hurt you...¡± he combed his hand through his black, short hair nervously. ¡°So if we could talk this out, my job would be a whole lot easier. A win-win for both of us.¡±


    ...Without prompting, the leftmost bell on his staff chimed.


    He nodded again, a bit annoyed. So the ghost was giving him the silent treatment. ¡°Hiding won¡¯t do you any...favors.¡±


    ...


    Well, if they wanted to play hide and seek, he could do that. Akihito held his staff out as if making a declaration, then spun it in a sharp circle, the front stopping left of its original position. Creeping behind him, the flame rose like a will-o-wisp and moved from over his shoulder to the left side of the room.


    Akihito could have turned on the overhead light, but most ghosts couldn¡¯t be seen by the naked eye. Instead, he used a different source of light to see them.


    For just a moment, he saw movement, the faintest flicker of someone dashing out of the sacred flame¡¯s revealing light.


    ¡°Oh, come on, you aren¡¯t going to fool me.¡± He flipped the staff again, this time pointing right, where the phantom was probably hiding. The flight followed its movement.


    Another flicker towards the left


    Rolling his eyes, he flipped the staff once more, moving the light back.


    And another...


    ¡°Really?¡±


    He flipped it again.


    A flicker.


    ¡°Come on, man!¡±


    And again!


    Another damned flicker.


    Again!


    Flicker!


    Again!


    Flicker!


    His eye twitched, and eventually, he massaged his eyes. ¡°If you want to play hide and seek, I would be happy with...con-sen-su-ally doing a gam-¡±


    While he shielded his eyes, he had missed the long-haired girl about his age making a wild dash straight towards him with her fist reeled back, and before he could do a thing, her fist slammed straight into his gut, delivered with such deliberate, ruthless force that it sent him tumbling out of the room and slamming into the wall outside.


    She stood imposingly in the doorframe for a moment, looking down on his crumpled body with a determined expression, then slammed the door with a ¡°Hmmph!¡±


    Akihito struggled not to vomit after the savage hit, his vision blurry. After a few seconds of recuperation, he struggled to lean against the wall for support.


    This was going to be a long night.

 CH 2 I AM the Eviction Notice

    When he failed in his first attempt to engage with the ghost, Akihito turned off the lights and lit his candle once more, as his flung body had startled the flame, putting it out.


    Under normal circumstances, he could use a spirit art to stun or bind the ghost, but this wasn¡¯t ¡®normal¡¯ circumstances.


    At least in his native schooling, he understood that most ghosts fit into a few categories similar to the ones that spiritualists like himself did. One such type of classification described how bound a spirit was to the physical plane.


    Descending in rarity, there were:


    Wind-class ghosts, who were able to manipulate small things like wind, noise, or sometimes lights.


    Then fire-class, who were capable of manipulating small objects like lighters and could only sometimes be seen by revealing lights such as a sacred flame, though only in flickers.


    Next, there was water-class, who were still only sometimes visible to the naked eye, but revealing lights would work on them. In addition, they could make physical contact with people, which made them able to injure.


    And finally, there were earth-class ghosts, whose souls were often so tied to the physical plane that they could be seen and heard by anyone and might even pass as a normal human.


    Considering the sheer power behind her punch, this ghost was certainly stronger than a fire-class, and since she was invisible, she probably wasn¡¯t an earth-class. That meant she was most likley a water-class spirit.


    Akihito chewed on his nail for a bit, thinking on how he could handle such a powerful spirit, then decided to resort to his usual tactic.


    He unlocked the door again, then pushed against it. Something was blocking the inside.


    ¡°Now how am I meant to get in there?¡± he said to himself. He quickly shook his head with a determined expression. ¡°Hello?¡± he said quietly, his head pressed against the door. ¡°Are you in there still? Can we talk? I¡¯m not going to hurt you.¡±


    He waited a few seconds in silence.


    He sighed. He wasn¡¯t even sure if the ghost was listening to him or just sheltered in a corner. No, she was probably lonely, maybe scared. He was sure she would listen.


    ¡°Look, if you don¡¯t come out, I...¡± he considered threatening her but was definitively against it. ¡°can¡¯t really do much. The owner is probably gonna tear down your room because you¡¯re causing trouble.¡±


    Another thirty or so seconds passed, but the ghost didn¡¯t respond.


    He leaned down and pulled a deck of cards from his pack. ¡°Are you bored? We can play a card game. I could invite someone else to play if you wanted.¡±


    ...


    ¡°Are you angry the room got refurbished? Did the owner take something of value from you?¡±


    ...


    ¡°Are you loney? Scared?¡±


    ...


    ¡°I just want to help you.¡±


    There was a sharp response from behind the door: ¡°You¡¯re here for a paycheck.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Then for what?¡±


    ¡°For a discount on housing,¡± he said humorously.


    ...


    ¡°I¡¯m also here to help you,¡± he insisted.


    ¡°Doubtful.¡±


    ¡°Are you here to help yourself?¡± he asked, trying to pry something of substance from the conversation.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me how being in there helps?¡±


    ...


    ¡°I will not exorcize you.¡±


    ¡°I hardly know what that means.¡±


    ¡°It means: to send a spirit to the third plane.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of any planes in the afterlife.¡±


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to because I won¡¯t be sending you to any.¡± He sighed. ¡°Can you just open the door so we can talk?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said like it should have been obvious. ¡°Just go away.¡± He heard footsteps moving from the door.


    Akihito slowly nodded his head up and down, sarcastically. ¡°Plan C, then.¡±


    He twirled his staff and bumped it on the ground. The relit candle flame spiraled up from its end, then disappeared into the metal. He then moved the staff to the door. It phased through the wood. He prodded around the other side, then suddenly jerked his staff like a pool stick. It hit a chair propped under the door handle, sending it sprawling to the floor.


    He quickly threw the door open and jingled his staff. ¡°I must speak with you!¡± he declared before swirling his staff again.


    Just as a flame leaped from the candle to illuminate the room once more, he saw the girl dashing towards him again, gritting her teeth and running low to the ground. From where he  was, she looked like a tiger, too quick and ruthless for him to react.


    He braced himself this time, but the girl¡¯s fist still made a concave in his gut and flung him into the hall¡¯s wall. ¡°I said go away!¡± she yelled, standing over him, before shutting the door in rage once more. After a click and the sound of moving furniture, he heard her walk away.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Akihito was not done, however. Once more, he unlocked the door and tried to bat away the chair keeping the door shut. Unfortunately, as his staff moved through the door, he noticed that something bigger was blocking his way.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in,¡± he said, a bit quieter since he was trying to be mindful of the other residents. Not that he knew if there were other residents on the second floor, but he figured it was best to be polite.


    He then planted his feet and pushed against the door with all his might. He heard the furniture behind it creak under the pressure as he did, straining himself for the sake of the ghost within. He heard the soft swish of wooden legs moving across a hardwood floor and smiled with glee for just a moment, but forgot the fact he was moving a door, and when the furniture propped against it finally gave way, his feet slipped.


    His hands, pressed against the door, flailed as his face slammed against the wood, then began to slide down. He grabbed his staff with both hands as he tried to avoid faceplanting, but his efforts were too late, leaving his cheek squished against the ground.


    He sighed.


    A long day indeed.


    Then, he heard creaks.


    When Akihito looked up, the phantasmal visage of the girl was looking down on him with a disgusted grimace, illuminated barely by the fire.


    ¡°Dude, just give up. I¡¯m not going away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an option,¡± Akihito said, not making a move to stand.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re just that poor?¡±


    ¡°Well, that, too. But I can¡¯t let you go on like this.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± she said. ¡°Annoying some damn complex owners? Give me a break.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said lightly, though as if what he was about to say was a given. ¡°I can¡¯t let you hide in a room all day.¡±


    ¡°The heck? What are you, my mom?¡±


    ¡°Why do they keep comparing me to...yes, darn it, I¡¯m here to help you.¡±


    ¡°Psht, ok,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll see how long your maternal instincts will keep chugging.¡±


    Akihito had a bad feeling that pain was inbound, from the ghost¡¯s expression, but couldn¡¯t do much more than pray pray as a foot swiped through the door and collided with his chin, dead-on. He was uppercut with the kick and sent slamming back into the wall and onto his butt once more.


    The door shut, and more furniture moved. Then, the girl briefly poked her face out of the door to taunt him. ¡°Or you could just leave now. That¡¯d work, too.¡±


    Akihito¡¯s vision rocked from all the beatings, but he still didn¡¯t waste any time standing with his staff, then gathering his things and walking down the stairs.


    He stopped at the reception desk again and clicked the bell.


    The woman walked from the back door again. If his head weren¡¯t spinning, Akihito would have found the quick reception a bit impressive.


    ¡°WOAH,¡± she said, taking a step back as she took a longer look at him. ¡°Are you alright? You don¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°A ladder and bucket of water.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°La-dder and bu-cket of wa-ter,¡± he sounded out, a bit more aggressively than he intended.


    ¡°O-oh, I got it. Where should I bring them?¡±


    He started slowly walking away on his staff to the exit. ¡°Behind the building.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± July asked.


    Akihito nodded, standing at the base of a large wooden ladder, which was propped against a porch railing. Not far away was a declining cliff, almost thirty feet tall, which overlooked the beach. Normally, it would provide a nice view for the balcony, but the cliff was close enough to make falling down a conceivable possibility for anyone who fell off while climbing that ladder.


    Akihito began climbing up with his staff in one hand and a bucket in another, and July held the base of the ladder for him. She knew quite well how dangerous ladders were.


    He finally set the bucket on the porch, then climbed on himself. He clicked the end of his staff on the ground, causing a stream of water to flow up and circle around him, coalescing into a ring. He grabbed the sliding door handle.


    Locked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance,¡± he spoke through the glass. ¡°Open the door and we can talk this out, or else.¡±


    A small, flat ring of water diverged from the main ring and circled around Akihito¡¯s head. Through the transparent ring, he could see the ghost. She was sticking her tongue out at him.


    ¡°Ok, initiate plan D.¡± He raised his staff, and some water coalesced in the metal ring in the top, like a bubble stick. ¡°Sorry, June,¡± he said.


    ¡°Wait...what do you mean?¡± he heard from below. ¡°Let¡¯s think about-¡±


    Then he smashed it into the glass. The bubble popped when he did, shattering the whole door in an explosion of force.


    ¡°Seriously, man!?¡± he heard.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He walked into the room through the newly made entrance, his eyes closed, and staff tilted to the right, another bubble forming in its center.


    Water couldn¡¯t reveal spirits as well as firelight, but there were other ways to do it.


    One such way...


    His staff¡¯s left bell chimed, and he quickly turned to face the sound, gritting his teeth with determination and planting his feet and staff¡¯s bottom against the wood floor.


    A valley was carved into his stomach as an invisible fist thrust into him.


    He didn¡¯t budge. Instead, he identified the spirit through the angle of the pain and quickly swung his staff at her.


    It collided with the spirit, and the bubble exploded. As she was flung into the wall, she was fully revealed.


    She stood up, a hand on her stomach. ¡°So, I guess you got fed up.¡±


    Akihito twirled his staff, causing a spiral of water to encircle it. ¡°Yep,¡± he said breathlessly.


    She dashed towards him, and as he readied to parry with his staff, it showed to be a feint, and she instead kicked his leg. The ghost smiled in satisfaction as the pain and impact made the already overwhelmed boy tumble, but she didn¡¯t pay attention to the end of his staff, which he had quickly retaliated with, jabbing into her stomach as he fell yelling. Like a spring, the spiral of water catapulted into the ghost, flinging her into the barricade of furniture across the room.


    ¡°So much for helping me, huh?¡± she said, mocking the spiritualist as both of them stood back up.


    He sighed through a hoarse throat. ¡°Tough love...¡±


    The girl moved while he spoke, grabbing a chair from the barricade, and then running at the spiritualist with it.


    ¡°...comes in many forms.¡±


    He calmly hit the ground with his staff, the bells chiming just before she whacked him with the chair. The ring of water formed a barrier and intercepted her at the last moment, forcefully flinging the chair into the ceiling. Akihito quickly followed it up with a left-handed jab to the gut, making the ghost hold it pain, then kicked her abdomen before she could recover, sending her tumbling to the ground.


    Finally, she breathed out hoarsely, clutching her stomach. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she said sarcastically, her voice small and unsteady. ¡°You win. Good job.¡±


    He looked over her with a vaguely disgusted expression. ¡°Hardly. But sometimes the nicest way to teach someone is the beat the shit out of them.¡±


    She put an arm over her eyes, shielding them as she breathed in and out on the floor, defeated. ¡°You can end it now. I don¡¯t care if you exorcise me. There¡¯s no point...no point in remaining here.¡±


    His expression didn¡¯t change.


    Her voice grew even more strained and quiet, yet higher in pitch. ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep living...like this, anyway. There...there¡¯s nothing left in this world for me.¡± Her voice was almost a squeak at this point. ¡°Nobody to talk to, nothing to do, just sadness, left for people like me who can¡¯t move on.¡±


    She began to sob, sniffing back the loud cry for help held in her throat.


    Akihito sighed, then kneeled down. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her up and holding her to his chest in a hug. ¡°It¡¯s alright, now. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°J-just exorcise me...¡± she said, her arms limp.


    ¡°I would never do that so easily. You deserve to have your life.¡±


    ¡°I could hardly keep it when I had it, why...why would I be able to live when I¡¯m dead?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t dead,¡± he said. ¡°Afterlife can¡¯t be spelled without life, and I¡¯ll make sure everyone spells it right.¡±


    ¡°That...¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s so dumb.¡±


    Akihito chuckled. ¡°I¡¯d rather be dumb than dead.¡±


    ¡°You...¡± She wrapped his arms around him, finally reciprocating the hug. ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°Dumb or dead?!¡± he asked in confusion.


    She sighed, holding in a chuckle. ¡°Dumb,¡± she said before finally crying.

 CH 3 Oyasumi

    Akihito bowed stiffly, standing on the balcony of the apartment¡¯s room. ¡°I deeply apologize for destroying your door,¡± he said.


    June waved her hand, on the ground. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever. What happened up there? I heard some fighting and a bit of talking, but I was worried something had happened for the last few minutes.¡±


    ¡°I calmed the ghost down,¡± he said, straightening.


    ¡°So, does that mean you exorcized it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said nervously. ¡°That¡¯s not really my thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± She frowned, tilting her head. ¡°Aren¡¯t you an exorcist?¡±


    ¡°I specifically stated when we spoke online that it wasn¡¯t precisely my profession.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    He massaged his eyes. ¡°Yes, I was quite direct about it.¡± He sighed. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t really matter. You shouldn¡¯t be bothered by the ghost anymore.¡±


    June shrugged. ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you just lead with that? In that case, you just get comfortable, and I¡¯ll be up to handle a few things in that room.¡± She picked up the ladder and folded it up before taking it to the shed not far away.


    Once she was away, Akihito looked back to the barricade blocking the door on the other side of the room. While a ghost could be revealed when they were put under significant enough stress, they could rather quickly lose their corporeality.


    After he incapacitated her, he stuck with her for a few minutes to calm the ghost down and sat her on the bed shoved in the barricade.


    She was fully invisible once more, but he at least knew where she was.


    ¡°I need to move the bed now, alright?¡± he said, ¡°Just hang on.¡±


    Akihito grabbed the bed¡¯s footboard and used it to slide it across the room. Since his old home didn¡¯t have traditional beds, he was surprised by how light it was, easily pushing it around despite the fact it was made for two.


    He then moved around the rest of the furniture, getting them roughly into place.


    Although Akihito had planned on speaking with the ghost once he¡¯d finished cleaning, there was a knock on the door before he could proceed. He opened it for June, and she quickly strode in.


    ¡°So,¡± she began as she walked to a heat vent, then plugged it up with a towel she had been carrying by fitting it underneath its grate. She then held out a broom. ¡°Thanks for doing whatever to that ghost. As I said in the posting, the room is half-off, but...well, you wrecked it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah...again, sorry about that,¡± he said, taking the broom and glancing at the glass scattered through the room, and the salt outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess,¡± she said tiredly, shuffling through her pocket. After a moment, she pulled out a roll of cash, took off the rubber band holding it together, then started flipping through the bills. ¡°Twenty, forty, sixty...¡±


    Akihito looked at the money with a surprised expression, his eyes following as the bills flicked up. ¡°Wait-¡± he began after a bit of time.


    She slid a good chunk of the cash and shoved it into the younger boy¡¯s chest. ¡°One-twenty bucks.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I didn¡¯t really do this for cash or anything, I¡¯ll settle for a disc-¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°Are you turning down free money?¡± she asked as if it were some heinous crime. ¡°Just take the shit and be happy. I¡¯m not going to take advantage of a kid.¡±


    He grabbed the cash without thinking. ¡°But I really don¡¯t need-¡±


    ¡°Your hands seem to disagree,¡± June said, walking away. She waved as she exited the room. ¡°Go buy yourself a bike or something. I¡¯ll get someone to replace the door in a week or so, so just sit tight.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Akihito began before having the door shut on him.


    He stared at the door for a bit, then sighed.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°America is going to take some getting used to,¡± he said to himself, shaking his head.


    ¡°You think?¡± a girl¡¯s voice said from the bed.


    ¡°I do?¡± Akihito said, a bit perplexed by the sarcastic phrase. He quickly pulled out the candle he¡¯d used earlier and set it on the slightly out-of-position nightstand beside the bed. He sat down and lit it again. He then twirled his staff, and a flame spouted out and floated to his right.


    The ghost was revealed as it moved into place.


    She wore a black varsity jacket that was a bit too large to fit her, and a shirt with grey and pink stripes. She also had a thick, black cotton wristband with the outlines of three stars, one red, white, and blue, overlaid on each other. Instead of a more traditional set of pants, she had a flexible pair meant for more vigorous exercise. Her hair was a very bright blonde and she wore a headband that kept it out of her face.


    Although he had seldom seen blonde hair in person, what stood out most to Akihito was that she looked quite drained. Her eyes drooped and didn¡¯t meet his, as if she felt guilty, and her hands were in her lap, wrapped around each other.


    In response to seeing that, Akihito didn¡¯t even hesitate to outstretch his arms.


    ¡°W-what?¡± she asked nervously. She looked away bashfully. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna fall into your hands...again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s ok,¡± he said, quickly moving to pull out a large, plastic canteen of water. He flipped the cap up and drank from it. After a moment, he set it down and offered it to the ghost. ¡°Water?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow and stared at him with a mystified expression as if impressed by his stupidity.


    ¡°No? Ok.¡± He set it back into his pack and pulled out a box of playing cards. ¡°I¡¯ve got torampu. Want to play some?¡±


    The girl brushed her hair further back. ¡°I think I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Got it...¡± he said. ¡°Um...want to just talk then?¡±


    ¡°About what? Are you asking how I died?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m trying to...[what¡¯s the phrase]...oh, right, break the ice!¡± he said, raising a finger in triumph.


    ¡°Right...¡± the ghost said. ¡°I get the feeling you¡¯re not from America. What¡¯s your name again?¡±


    He nodded politely. ¡°I¡¯m Shen Akihito, but I¡¯d like it if you called me Akihito. I came from Japan to live as an international student at Saint Juliva University.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m Sophia. Nice to meet you, I guess, Akihito. And before you ask, I¡¯d rather not associate with my family...y¡¯know, hence the lack of the last name.¡±


    He smiled brightly. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Nice to meet you, Sophia.¡± His expression turned a bit more speculative. ¡°So...about that ¡®how you died¡¯ thing...¡±


    Sophia chuckled at him. ¡°Oh so now you¡¯re gonna ask.¡±


    ¡°S-sorry. I do need to know at least a little about why you¡¯re here...and why you punched and kicked me three times...¡± He coughed. ¡°...or was it four?¡±


    ¡°Well...¡± she averted her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t really have a reason. I just wanted peace and quiet. A place to stay and...I don¡¯t know, to try not to go insane.¡±


    ¡°Understandable...¡±


    ¡°And how I died?¡± she looked to the balcony. ¡°Well...that was just an accident. My...¡± she closed her eyes and hugged herself. ¡°I¡¯m still at the bottom of that cliff. If you had just looked down, you would have seen me.¡±


    Akihito followed Sophia¡¯s gaze, then looked back at the girl, who was in a bit of a trance. ¡°How long have you been here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe a month.¡±


    ¡°That must have been hard,¡± he said sincerely.


    ¡°I did go out of the room a few times, but...I didn¡¯t have anywhere to go. I didn¡¯t know what else to do.¡±


    Akihito placed a hand on her back comfortingly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re not alone.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow, curious what he meant.


    ¡°Tons of other ghosts are just like that...¡± he stared into the night thoughtfully. ¡°A lot more than I could ever help, I think.¡± Then, Akihito smiled at her. ¡°But I¡¯m here if you need anything, understand?¡±


    The ghost blinked rapidly as if something had caught her eye. ¡°Uhh...¡± she sniffed. ¡°Y-yeah. Thanks a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, I should get in some sleep. I¡¯m exhausted!¡± He stretched his arms out, then crawled across the bed and tucked himself in. ¡°Oyasuminasaiii...¡± he said sleepily as he held out a hand and pretended to tug on his flame like a lamp. The fire suddenly snapped out, leaving the room totally dark.


    ¡°W-wait! Where am I meant to sleep?!¡± Sophia asked.


    ¡°Wakaranai...¡± Akihito slowly responded, rolling about under the covers, getting comfortable. ¡°Do you need to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! How don¡¯t you know that?¡±


    ¡°Every ghost is different. Some eat food or drink water, and others don¡¯t sleep, you know?¡±


    ¡°Huh...but I still don¡¯t know where to sleep!¡± the ghost whined.


    Akihito scooted further to the side, then lifted up some of the sheets. ¡°You should get in quick, the room¡¯s getting colder by the minute.¡±


    ¡°Wha- I¡¯m not sharing a bed with you...¡± she complained.


    ¡°Relax, I always slept with my big sister back at home.¡±


    ¡°That...what do you mean by always?¡±


    ¡°Just get in, sister,¡± he said through a yawn. ¡°Either that or you can take the sleeping blanket and pillow from my pack and use the floor. More space for me.¡±


    Sophia moved to shuffle through his pack and was surprised by just how tight and organized everything within was. Although she couldn¡¯t see well, it was pleasant to the eye. She carefully removed as little as she could before taking and unrolling the blanket. It was a fairly thick blanket and definitely comfortable and soft. She really wouldn¡¯t complain about sleeping on it for the night.


    Instead, Sophia placed it all back, unrolled some of the bed¡¯s sheets, and slid beneath the sheets.


    ¡°What was it you said?¡± she quietly asked after a moment of settling down. ¡°Ooyaasemense?¡±


    Akihito chuckled. ¡°Oya-su-mi- good night.¡±


    She cleared her throat, then sheepishly said, ¡°Oyasumi...?¡±


    ¡°Oyasumi...¡±