Miko Yotsuya opened her phone and sent a message to Hana Yurikawa on LINE. When she looked up, she noticed that the passenger who had been sitting in the front right row had suddenly moved to a seat in the middle right.
At this point, she still didn't notice anything unusual about the passenger, only feeling mildly curious about the sudden change in seating.
She quickly returned her attention to her phone, continuing her chat with Hana Yurikawa.
However, when she looked up again, she found that the passenger had eerily moved to the seat directly in front of her.
By now, if she still didn't realize that something was wrong, she would have to be completely oblivious.
But knowing that Eriri was right by her side, Miko Yotsuya, although startled by the sudden appearance of the figure, did not feel the same terror she usually experienced when facing malevolent spirits.
"It's really hard to believe, right? What do you think? It's just too funny."
A young female voice suddenly echoed from the seat in front, accompanied by bursts of laughter.
Then, the same words were repeated over and over again.
This scene felt oddly familiar to Miko Yotsuya, reminiscent of those spirits who repeatedly asked her, "Can you see me?" This only solidified her suspicion that the passenger was a ghost.
In the next moment, a large amount of black mist began to emanate from the 'passenger.' The human silhouette vanished in an instant, revealing its true form as a malevolent spirit.
Not only that, but four long necks suddenly extended from its torso, each connected to a grotesque head.
All four heads turned towards Miko Yotsuya, repeating the same phrase in unison.
Witnessing this scene, even with Eriri as her guardian, Miko Yotsuya couldn't help but shudder internally.
Although she had encountered hideous spirits before, this was her first time seeing one with four heads.
She could even sense that this spirit was far more powerful than the ones she had encountered previously.
At this moment, she felt incredibly grateful that Eriri was by her side. Otherwise, she wasn't sure how long she could have endured this situation.
Now that spirits capable of disguising themselves as humans were appearing, she feared the day she might be deceived by one and accidentally expose her ability to see them.
The four-headed spirit could only see Miko Yotsuya; it had no awareness of Eriri sitting next to her.
As it extended its grotesque necks around Miko Yotsuya, one of its heads unknowingly moved towards Eriri's face.
Eriri, unwilling to tolerate a spirit getting so close to her, did not hesitate in the slightest. With a simple breath, the supposedly powerful spirit instantly dissolved into black smoke, vanishing into thin air.
Watching the spirit suddenly disappear, Miko Yotsuya immediately knew that Eriri had taken action. She let out a sigh of relief, her gratitude and fondness for Eriri growing even stronger.
With the spirit no longer disturbing her, Miko Yotsuya happily resumed her chat with Hana Yurikawa.
Miko: "Hana, I think I may have met the most important person in my life. Admiring expression.jpg"
Hana: "Eh?! Miko, don't tell me you got a boyfriend?! How could I not know about this?! Shocked expression.jpg"
Hana: "No way, Miko, you can't let yourself be deceived! You have to introduce this boyfriend of yours to me later. I need to make sure he's good enough for you!"
Miko: "What nonsense are you talking about? I haven't gotten a boyfriend. Besides, the most important person in my life is a girl, not a guy!"
After sending this message, Miko Yotsuya couldn't help but glance sideways, pretending to look out the window while secretly watching Eriri sitting next to her. A warm feeling surged through her heart.
At this moment, she truly considered Eriri the most important person in her life. In her darkest moments, Eriri had appeared like a goddess, clearing away all the terrifying spirits that haunted her.
Today had been the happiest day since she had gained the ability to see spirits. With Eriri by her side, her happiness even surpassed the days when she couldn't see them at all.
If Eriri were to leave her now, she wasn't sure if she could continue pretending not to see the spirits that hovered so close to her.
Right now, she wanted nothing more than to let go of her fears and pour her heart out to Eriri, to tell her everything she had endured over the past few days.
But she couldn't. Precisely because Eriri was so important to her, she feared doing anything that might drive her away.
After about ten seconds, Miko Yotsuya reluctantly withdrew her gaze and turned back to her phone. By then, Hana had already replied.
Hana: "Geez, I didn't expect you to think of me like that. This is so embarrassing. Shy expression.jpg"
Miko: "Helpless expression.jpg"
Miko: "Unfortunately, as important as you are to me, Hana, I wasn't talking about you."
Hana: "What? It wasn't me?! Shocked expression.jpg"
Hana: "Hmph, who is this person, then? I need to see who has taken my place as the most important person in your life!"
Miko: "You don't know her."
Hana: "Then introduce me to her!"
Miko: "Well… I'd love to, but Hana, you wouldn't be able to see her."
Hana: "I wouldn't be able to see her… Wait, are you talking about a ghost???"
Hana: "Hey! Miko, don't scare me like that! You know I'm terrified of ghosts!"
Miko: "Smiling expression.jpg"
...
Before long, after several stops, the bus finally arrived at its destination, Ichitani Station.
Since Eriri had eliminated the spirit earlier, Miko Yotsuya wasn't forced to stay on the bus past her stop, unlike in the original timeline.
However, Hana still made the same mistake as before, getting on the wrong train, which meant they would need to wait a bit before meeting up.
Barker Tea House wasn't far from the bus stop, so after getting off, it only took a few minutes for Eriri and Miko Yotsuya to arrive.
After purchasing a cup of coffee at the counter, Miko Yotsuya settled onto a couch inside Barker Tea House to wait.
Meanwhile, Eriri pulled a cup of milk tea from her storage space and happily drank it while sitting beside her.
Under Eriri's manipulation, the milk tea was also invisible, making it so that only Miko Yotsuya could see it.
This sight intrigued Miko Yotsuya.
She found herself discreetly focusing on the cup in Eriri's hands, wondering how a ghost could drink milk tea.
Just as she was pondering this mystery, Eriri suddenly extended the half-finished milk tea toward her.
"Miko-chan, do you want a sip of my milk tea?" Eriri asked playfully.
Glancing at the straw in front of her, Miko Yotsuya could even smell the sweet aroma of the milk tea, giving her a sudden urge to take a sip.
However, she managed to suppress the impulse.
To cover up her nervousness, she quickly took a sip of her own coffee and started scrolling through her phone absentmindedly.
Eriri, on the other hand, didn't mind at all. She simply smiled as she watched Miko Yotsuya.
Though Miko Yotsuya's act was convincing, Eriri easily saw through it. That moment of hesitation had not escaped her keen eyes.
Not to mention, reading Miko Yotsuya's thoughts was an effortless task for her.
After some time, as Miko Yotsuya was finishing her coffee, she finally received a message from Hana, informing her that she would be arriving soon on the next train.
At that moment, a young man holding a cup of coffee in his right hand and speaking on the phone with his left caught Miko Yotsuya's attention.
It wasn't that his appearance was particularly striking—Miko Yotsuya had no interest in him at all.
What drew her attention was the female spirit following closely behind him, far stronger than an average malevolent spirit.
The spirit sat intimately next to the young man when he settled onto the sofa, whispering in his ear repeatedly.
"I... you... I... love... I... love... you."
After speaking, the spirit's decayed tongue extended grotesquely, licking the young man's ear.
Despite her curiosity, Miko Yotsuya didn't dare to focus on the spirit for too long due to Eriri's presence. She quickly averted her gaze back to her phone.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder about the connection between the spirit and the young man. Though she had some guesses, she lacked solid proof and didn't want to jump to conclusions.
Eriri, however, immediately understood their relationship at a glance.
She saw the karmic ties between them. The female spirit's body was drenched, leaving behind unseen puddles with every step—clear signs that she had drowned.
And the reason for her drowning was intricately linked to the young man.
By tapping into the spirit's memories, Eriri discovered the truth.
The woman had once been the young man's girlfriend, but he had abandoned her for someone else.
Heartbroken, she had ultimately thrown herself into a river.
She was not the only one. Many women had suffered the same fate because of him.
Originally, the young man had been followed by multiple spirits, all women who had perished because of him. However, due to the possessive nature of malevolent spirits, the one before them had consumed the others, becoming even stronger.
This explained why she was more powerful than ordinary spirits.
Clearly, the young man was the ultimate womanizer—never rejecting, never committing, but always leading women on.
Normally, Eriri had little interest in interfering unless someone threatened her or those she cared about.
Currently, she was invisible, and the only person in this world she considered "hers" was Miko Yotsuya.
As long as the young man didn't involve Miko Yotsuya, he could avoid Eriri's wrath.
But, as expected, a scumbag never changes his ways.
Although Miko Yotsuya had only glanced at the spirit beside the young man for a few seconds, he noticed and mistakenly believed that she had been secretly watching him.
Being admired by a beautiful young girl was something this playboy couldn't possibly let pass.
After hanging up a call with his current girlfriend, he confidently strutted toward Miko Yotsuya.
"Hey, can we get to know each other? You were checking me out just now, weren't you? Actually, I find you pretty interesting too," he said with what he thought was a charming smile.
He then held up his phone, signaling for her to exchange contact information. "If you're free, I'll treat you to dinner sometime."
Seeing the young man attempting to hit on her, Miko Yotsuya's eyes flashed with disgust. Instinctively, she shifted slightly toward Eriri.
Perfect.
Watching this foolish man daring to approach Miko Yotsuya, Eriri immediately sentenced him to death—in her mind, at least.
With the young man's movement, the female spirit naturally followed him.
However, upon witnessing him flirt with Miko Yotsuya, the spirit instantly lost control and began shrieking in fury.
"You can't take him from me! Yuu-kun belongs to me alone! I won't let you have him, I won't let you have him, I won't let you have him…!"
The sudden, piercing screams made Miko Yotsuya shudder involuntarily. The spirit, noticing her reaction, had a moment of realization. Its lifeless eyes gleamed with eerie excitement.
"You can see me? You can see me! You saw me! I'll eat you, I'll eat you! I won't let anyone steal Yuu-kun from me! I'll eat—"
As it lunged toward Miko Yotsuya, ready to attack, a voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Shut up, you!" Eriri's voice cut through the air.
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