Chapter 21: Childhood Friend Never Lose

"Ghost! Ghost! Ghost... ghost!"

Chika's nerves were frayed as she grabbed onto Amemiya's sleeve, feeling a sense of dread.

Aren't you supposed to be carefree?

She wasn't afraid of the vengeful spirits in the Ghost Academy, so why was she scared of a mere ghost now?

Amemiya rubbed his nose, glancing upwards, his eyes twitching slightly.

On the ceiling of the corridor loomed a terrifying, massive vengeful spirit. It resembled a gigantic snake, with a woman-like face and long, pitch-black hair that cascaded down, almost covering the entire hallway. The hair seemed alive, writhing and twisting in the air with a menacing energy.

The tale of the beautiful snake human who relied on her charm to lure people in, but this spirit in front of him... it was more like a gruesome accident, impossible to look away from due to its sheer horror.

This was the kind of nightmare-born creature that haunted the depths of one's worst fears.

Even an ordinary person would feel their sanity crumble just from glancing at it, their skin crawling with goosebumps.

Sorry, Fujiwara-san. 

I misjudged you.

Anyone who saw this thing would be terrified, and even being carefree wouldn't help.

Even Kaguya couldn't remain unaffected. She unconsciously stepped back, though her expression stayed calm and composed. Yet, it was as if invisible emoticons floated above her head, all screaming, "So scary! So scary! So scary!"

"You... can see me?"

The evil spirit, lying in a daze at the top of the corridor, stirred at the noise. A dozen crimson eyes fixed on them, and a chilling voice echoed towards the three.

"Look..."

Tears welled up in Chika's eyes.

Before she could finish, Amemiya clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Don't say a word," Amemiya whispered in a low, urgent tone, leaning close to her ear. "Pretend you didn't see anything."

After obtaining official player status, they could now see the world's true form.

To be honest, Amemiya found the vengeful spirits in the Ghost Academy far more tolerable. At least they looked human—well, aside from their pale complexions, silent footsteps, and tendency to keep their heads bowed low.

The real-world spirits, though? They were terrifying in ways that defied explanation.

The corridor spirit, however, wasn't buying it. It slithered like a massive snake, eyes gleaming with scarlet light, its hair flying wildly as it screeched, "You saw me! Now I'm going to devour you!"

Luckily, Amemiya had already activated his halo that repelled evil spirits. As the hair whipped toward them, it entered the halo's range and instantly ignited, burning away as if it had been doused in gasoline.

The flames raced upward, consuming the black hair.

The evil spirit froze in shock, then shrieked as it flailed and slapped at the flames before retreating into the distance.

"...It's gone."

Kaguya let out a breath of relief, only then realizing her palms were damp with sweat.

Even the ice-cold Princess Kaguya had her fears—and ghosts, apparently, were one of them.

To be fair, anyone who wasn't a complete psycho would be scared out of their mind.

"What was that thing?" Chika muttered, still teary-eyed. "It was terrifying!"

"Someone's coming," Kaguya whispered, pressing her fingers to her temples. "We should head back to class."

At the same time...

"Miko, are you okay?"

A girl with short, orange hair waved her hand in front of Miko's face. "You kinda zoned out there for a second."

Hana glanced around curiously. "But there's nothing in the hallway..."

No, you're wrong.

There was a terrifying spirit lurking in that corridor just moments ago.

"I'm fine," Miko replied, shaking her head. "I just remembered something important."

"Oh? What was it?"

"I... forgot as soon as you called out to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"..."

Miko kept her thoughts to herself as she headed upstairs, her mind replaying the scene she'd just witnessed.

That horrifying spirit, coiled like a snake on the ceiling, suddenly burst into flames as soon as it neared Amemiya, fleeing in a panic.

What just happened?

She recalled the events from that morning outside the convenience store—the spirit wearing the employee uniform had vanished without warning, leaving her confused at the time.

But now, thinking back, it had to be connected to Amemiya somehow.

The black-haired, golden-eyed girl clenched her fists. A smile broke through the exhaustion that came from her sleepless nights and constant tension.

There's hope! Finally, there's hope in this grim, terrifying life!

About a week ago, shortly after starting school, Miko began to see them—evil spirits—everywhere. 

Salt. Crucifixes. Garlic. Holy water. Shrine talismans.

She even went as far as ordering a peach wood sword off Amazon, gritting her teeth at the purchase, hoping it would help ward them off.

But none of it worked.

No one else could see these spirits. No one else could dispel them. 

Miko had felt like a lost puppy thrown into a den of wolves, knowing that if she were discovered, she'd be torn apart.

Her world had been drenched in fear and darkness.

But now she saw hope...

And tonight, she'd take the initiative!

After all, they were childhood friends— so it's not weird for her to visit him, right?

——

Back in the classroom, Amamiya returned to his seat, setting down his schoolbag.

It was still early. The classroom was mostly empty, save for a few students. The atmosphere was peaceful.

"Kaguya-chan," Chika leaned in, whispering, "Why is real life scarier than the games?"

"I'm not entirely sure..." Kaguya answered softly, playing with a strand of hair as she recounted the events of the past day. Her tone was calm, but a hint of unease slipped through. "My intuition tells me that if these spirits realize we can see them, something terrible will happen."

Chika looked like she was on the verge of tears.

She regrets this.

She really, really regrets coming in contact with the unknown.

But there was no cure for regret.

"That spirit-repelling halo you saw earlier... I got it from a blind box," Amemiya explained as Chika looked at him with wide eyes.

"Huh? So you can get them from blind boxes?"

"No, I've just always had great luck with them," Amemiya replied. "You can find them in the game store."

"Hmm..." Fujiwara squinted at the air, muttering to herself. "There's a permanent attribute here for fifty game coins."

Amemiya leaned over, but saw only empty space—he couldn't see another player's game interface.

Too bad. I can't see other people's blind boxes, even if I wanted to help.

"The attribute's called 'One-Centimeter Miracle.' It lets any part of your body grow by one centimeter," Fujiwara said, eyes wide. "But... what's the point of that?"

"…"

Amemiya fell silent, deep in thought.

Where would a one-centimeter miracle be most useful?