Chapter 139: Open The Door And Send A Surprise!

Of course, Amamiya had no idea he was being "live-streamed." He carried on with his shower as usual, unaware of the eyes watching him. 

By the time he was done, it was already half past ten. Stepping out, he glanced over at Umi, who was lounging on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.

"How's your foot?" he asked.

"It's much better, though still a bit sore. I should be fine by morning," Umi replied, setting her phone down and stretching. "Let's go upstairs and help Sister Shimizu with her recharge."

"Alright."

Just as the two were about to head upstairs, the doorbell rang unexpectedly.

"Huh?" Umi turned towards the door, surprised. "Who's ringing the bell this late? Could it be Miko?"

"…I'll go check," Amamiya said, a subtle sense of foreboding creeping in.

He had a feeling the person at the door wasn't Miko. It was likely…

He walked over and opened the door. 

What greeted him was the calm, cool night. Bathed in soft moonlight stood a girl with pink hair, a black bow adorning her head. She smiled brightly, raising her hands in a scissors gesture, and spoke in a cheerful voice:

"Good evening, Amamiya-kun."

"…"

It was her—Chika.

When he had gotten that earlier message, he had a faint premonition this might happen.

Chika's radiant smile seemed to make the moonlight even brighter. "Surprised? Surprised?"

Amamiya sighed. "Yeah, it's a surprise."

"That sounded so half-hearted!"

"…"

"Chika-chan?" Umi came over, her eyes widening in surprise. "Weren't you supposed to be abroad for a few more days? Why are you back?"

"I was worried about you," Chika explained, rolling her suitcase into the house. "You can't stay all the time in Amamiya-kun, and it would be dangerous if you ran into that evil spirit."

She smiled confidently. "So I told my parents I had something really important to take care of, so I came back early."

"Chika-chan…" Umi's eyes welled up with emotion.

Amamiya raised an eyebrow. "So when you messaged me earlier, you had just gotten off the plane?"

"Hehe, exactly." Chika placed one hand on her hip, lifting her chin proudly. "I told you there'd be a surprise, and I always keep my word. Chika never breaks a promise."

"Chika-chan!" Umi grinned happily. "It's been so long!"

"Good evening, Sister Shimizu!" Chika waved cheerfully.

Long? It's only been a few days!

"Amamiya-kun, I'm thirsty," Chika suddenly said, turning to him. "Do you have anything to drink?"

She really doesn't act like a guest, does she?

Without much fuss, Amamiya walked over to the refrigerator, ignoring the human-headed spirit still lurking inside. "Milk or juice?"

"I'll have juice!"

"…"

Two girls, one ghost, one conversation.

Umi and Chika were both social butterflies, and it didn't take long for them to get wrapped up in an animated chat. 

"Just tonight, Amamiya and I went to the supermarket, and we encountered a random game..." Umi began recounting their eerie game of hide-and-seek aboard a ghost ship.

Meanwhile, Chika shared her own recent experiences from traveling abroad. 

"Traveling isn't as fun as it sounds. There are evil spirits everywhere, even if you pretend not to see them, they're still terrifying," Chika said, her voice dropping slightly. "When I was at the Vatican, I visited this famous cathedral. It didn't help at all. There were spirits in there too. I guess it's the same wherever you go... By the way, Umi-chan, what happened to your foot?"

"Ahem." Umi cleared her throat awkwardly. "I... flipped a coin, and it landed on tails. It's just a little sore now. No big deal, don't worry."

Hearing about the coin's effect, Chika quickly turned to Amamiya, eyes gleaming with excitement. 

"Amamiya-kun, I want to try it too!"

Amamiya raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Chika didn't hesitate. "I've been playing this mobile game recently, and I need to draw an SSR character."

You're willing to risk bad luck just for that?

"It's only half an hour of bad luck!" Chika smiled confidently, giving a thumbs-up and winking. "For Ultra Instinct Goku, it's totally worth it!"

"…"

Thinking it over, Amamiya had to admit—it was, in fact, a pretty good trade.

"Fine, you can try it. But... do you want to take a bath first?"

Hearing this, Umi's cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced over at Amamiya quickly but then averted her gaze just as fast.

"Yeah," Chika nodded, blinking innocently. "The weather's been so hot, and I broke a sweat on the way back. I need to freshen up."

"Then go ahead," Amamiya said, waving her off. "It's dangerous to have bad luck in the bathroom."

"Meow?" Chika tilted her head, then swiftly agreed, "Alright, I'll take a shower first."

Before heading off, she turned to Umi. 

"I'll take care of the magic replenishment later, Umi-chan. You just rest."

"Actually..." Umi reached out her hand, but by then, Chika had already entered the bathroom.

It wasn't really because of her back at all—it was just her foot.

---

Half an hour later, Chika emerged from the bathroom, her legs peeking out from under her bathrobe. "Amamiya-kun, let's go help Sister Shimizu replenish her magic?"

Amamiya stood up. "To my room."

Umi hesitated for a moment but eventually followed along.

The three entered the room.

"Amamiya-kun, lie down," Chika instructed, pointing to the floor. Amamiya complied, lying flat on his stomach.

"Don't move," Chika said, steadying herself by holding onto her robe with one hand as she carefully stepped onto Amamiya's back. "I'll take care of this."

Amamiya let out a quiet breath. "Why does it feel like you've gained weight…"

"I've only gained a single pound!"

"…"

Watching Chika and Amamiya "replenishing" magic, Umi pursed her lips, feeling a strange, subtle twinge inside.

Something about this felt... off. 

Why do I feel empty?

---

Moments later, Shimizu entered the room, her form solidifying once again. She beamed with delight, flashing a scissors gesture. "All filled up! I can stay up late and watch anime again tonight!"

Amamiya got up, put on his shirt, and handed the Coin of Fate to Chika.

"I checked my horoscope earlier—it said my luck was going to be great today," Chika said, holding the coin between her hands, eyes closed as she muttered, "If this boosts my luck, I'll use all my saved stones to pull cards."

But luck wasn't on her side tonight.

Amamiya watched the coin intently, a faint prompt appearing before him.

[Luck is being absorbed…]

Just as he suspected. The coin first drains someone's fortune and then, when it reaches a certain threshold, it gives back. But it wasn't ready yet.

Pop.

Chika caught the coin. Sure enough—it landed on tails.

"Eh~ Tails again." Chika wasn't discouraged. "Looks like I've got a bad luck mark on me now... I wonder what that will bring?"

Amamiya smirked. "If things go as expected, you'll find out soon enough."