บท 74: Chapter 74: Should We Trick Her Into Coming Home?
That night passed in silence.
The next morning.
At exactly 7:10 AM, the alarm clock rang.
Amamiya opened his eyes, reached over to turn off the alarm next to his pillow, and got up to dress by himself.
As he walked out of his room, the sound of the TV drifted up from downstairs. Amamiya paused for a moment.
His parents, who worked far away, were rarely home—only for a few days a year. He hadn't heard the TV in ages, and the sudden noise left him slightly disoriented.
"Good morning, Amamiya-kun," came Shimizu's refined, pleasant voice from behind the sofa.
"Good morning."
Amamiya responded as he made his way to the bathroom to wash up. Just as he was passing the living room, he froze when his eyes landed on the sofa.
"Were you on your phone all night again?"
"I wasn't." Shimizu blinked, her eyes filled with innocence. "Amamiya-kun, don't accuse me unfairly."
You say that, but you've gone completely transparent!
Most people staying up late get dark circles under their eyes, but if you overexert yourself, you'll start fading away!
Evil spirits and earthbound spirits typically can't touch objects in the real world. If they could, the world would be in chaos by now. But guardian spirits are different.
After regaining consciousness, they can briefly materialize and interact with the physical world—but doing so consumes energy. The more energy used, the more transparent they become.
Needless to say, Shimizu must have stayed in her materialized form last night, practicing Taoism and playing on her phone.
"Alright, fine. I 'did' play on my phone for a bit last night... I just couldn't resist." Shimizu held up two fingers and looked at him with pitiful eyes. "I'm a guardian spirit, I don't even have a body. I can't sleep, even if I wanted to. It's cruel to be left alone all night doing nothing. Surely Amamiya-kun thinks so too, right?"
Amamiya couldn't deny it.
He had experienced insomnia before and knew how uncomfortable it was to toss and turn, unable to sleep.
"You could've watched TV all night," Amamiya suggested.
"There's nothing on after midnight," Shimizu complained, looking aggrieved. "It's too lonely to stare at the screen by myself."
"Last night, I stumbled across one of my favorite mangas from when I was alive—'One Piece' by Oda-sensei." Shimizu played the emotional card. "When I died, I was heartbroken that I'd never see the ending, and that sorrow stuck with me even after death."
"And there's still no ending now." Amamiya couldn't help but sigh. "Even I might not live to see it."
Oda-sensei had promised that 'One Piece' would conclude in five years. Two years had passed, but the end of 'One Piece' was nowhere in sight. It truly was a series meant to last a lifetime.
"Forget it. I'm going to wash up." Amamiya sighed.
"Would you like me to make breakfast?" Shimizu offered, raising her hand.
"That's completely unnecessary." Amamiya didn't even turn around. "Just sit down."
Her, making breakfast? In her current state, she might disappear any moment. No need to make things worse.
After washing up, Amamiya had a simple breakfast.
He received a message from Miko right on time: '"Amamiya, let's go to school."'
'"On my way."'
Grabbing his schoolbag, Amamiya left the house. As he stepped outside, he saw his childhood friend standing by the door, waiting expectantly.
Her long, straight black hair reached her waist, her figure couldn't be hidden by the school uniform, and she had dark circles under her eyes—another lazy day for Miko.
"Good morning, Miko-chan," Shimizu greeted warmly.
"Good morning..." Miko greeted back, then asked with surprise, "Uh, are you alright?"
"She's fine, don't worry," Amamiya replied casually. "Just the aftereffects of staying up late playing with her phone."
"The aftereffects are awful," Miko muttered. "She's so transparent, she's almost disappearing."
"She'll recharge at school."
"...Recharge?"
Miko blinked, looking puzzled. "How exactly do you recharge at school?"
Amamiya: "..."
He couldn't bring himself to explain how lying under the feet of the Ice Princess would not only make him stronger but also recharge Shimizu's energy.
Fortunately, at that moment, a cheerful voice called out.
"Miko-chan! Amamiya-kun!"
Amamiya turned to see Hana, a girl with short blonde hair and a figure even more petite than Miko's, jogging toward them, happily waving.
There was an inexplicable pull to her, as if she radiated warmth, drawing everyone's attention.
A thought popped into Amamiya's head:
'That little bunny sure is cute.'
"Good morning, Hana-chan."
A faint smile appeared on Miko's face.
"So warm." Shimizu licked her lips seductively, her tongue running over her pink lips. "This girl radiates warmth... Amamiya-kun, can we trick her into coming home with us?"
Sorry, that's totally out of the question.
Please don't bring up criminal topics in front of me!
But, in all seriousness, Hana was definitely not an ordinary person. Amamiya could see a warm, flame-like light surrounding her, though he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
Miko glanced sideways at him, as if she had something to say, but stopped when Hana got closer. She couldn't speak openly in front of her.
"Don't worry, Miko-chan," Shimizu explained. "I can't feel your warmth, but your friend's energy was so noticeable, it piqued my curiosity."
Miko breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly.
Meanwhile, Hana, oblivious to all this, chirped excitedly, "I've got an exam today, but after that, it's the May Day holiday! I can't wait!"
"Miko-chan, are you planning any trips over Golden Week?"
"Not at all," Miko replied calmly. "I plan to stay home."
For most, traveling was about enjoying the beautiful scenery, but for Miko, the sight of evil spirits everywhere had robbed her of that joy.
"Oh, what a shame," Hana said with a hint of regret before turning to Amamiya. "What about you, Amamiya-kun?"
Hana had seemingly forgotten about the button incident and was talking to Amamiya naturally again.
Amamiya hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, "I want to witness the magnificence of the Great Pyramid of Giza, take a picture with the Sphinx, debate philosophy with Socrates, and personally partake in the war between Athens and Sparta."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Hana's eyes widened in awe.
"You mean in a travel simulator game?" Miko deadpanned, revealing the truth.
Don't look down on travel simulators. Before Notre Dame was damaged by fire, staff used a simulator to gather reference material! Or so the rumor goes.
"Can games really do all that?" Hana's eyes sparkled. "I want to play too!"
"Come over and play with Miko sometime," Amamiya said casually.
"I'll definitely do that!"
"..."
The three of them chatted all the way to school.
Shimizu walked beside Hana the entire time, her form noticeably more solid. It seemed this friend could unexpectedly serve as a power bank.
Not far from the school entrance, they spotted the Ice Princess getting off her private car.
"It's Shinomiya-san... Every time I see her, I'm struck by how pretty she is," Hana said, then glanced at Amamiya curiously. "By the way, why did Amamiya-kun get into Shinomiya-san's car that day?"
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