分3会

"Grandma, how's your health?"

I ended up at the hospital after that incident. This was on my plan from the start.

"I'm fine... I am apprehensive about you. It would be best if you eat properly. Can you even cook?"

I'm not sure whether that's a tone of worry; it seems more like an insult to me, grandma!

"I'm already 17 years old, grandma. Stop saying something weird." I pouted. "More importantly, you should focus on your health rather than worrying about me. Okay?" I scowled

"I will; your mother is outside. Why don't you talk to her?"

Even you say that... That'll just be an absurdity.

When I stepped out of the room, I saw my mother sitting in the waiting area. She didn't even bother to go inside and have a little chat with us.

She then raised her head to face me, of course. I stopped in front of her, but as time went by, I felt getting suffocated. There was no sign of her talking, so I just bowed as respect and left.

Well, I never expect that I would get to have a conversation with her anyway.

Leaving her like that as if we weren't blood-related. At first, it was hard, but as time passed, everything became normal.

When I got outside, Ruru was waiting for me well-patient. Kazuo was staring at the sky out of the blue as though he was lost.

He said he was Kazuo? To recall, that name belongs to the boy who jumped into the 13th-floor building of Omi-Hachiman station hotel. Not only that, the live stream yesterday! This is not a mere coincidence.

"Ellice, You were so late; I thought some ghost blocked your way out here."

Saying my name with stress already? He said this ghost is undoubtedly different from other spirits, and he decided to follow me wherever I go.

It'll be a pain if I disappear out of his sight.

"Kazu.." I feel the hesitation in calling him by his name, but he turned to me and smiled widely. "Come on, don't be shy, and just call me by your likings. I don't understand why most of the humans are so timid like you." He then pouted cutely.

I'm not timid. If you can just read my mind, you'll be double dead by my cussing.

"Kazuo, are you sure that you're not the one who sent me the live stream?" I interrogated him once again.

I won't be at peace unless I get to know the truth.

The ghost put his hand on his face, "Ughhh! You are so persistent! I told you I didn't!"

So he's telling me to believe all that? Then why did he knew I could see spirits?

"Anyways, I hope you didn't forget that I helped you. You must pay me back."

He's changed his color so quickly! Okay, let's just finish this so we can be happy-once-again.

"What is it?" I spouted in a cold tone because I was so tired of it all.

However, I didn't expect him to get fired up just like that. He was sparkling, and somehow an imaginary tail was wagging off out of nowhere.

"Will you..." A sudden gust blew right through my ears as he proceeded to say his demand.

"Will you find my family and friends?"

(When I was a little child, The kids would just throw a rock at a little girl who only wanted to be their friend.

"Shoo shoo!" The boys yelled as they pushed away from the girl as if she was a kind of animal who brought misfortune to others.)

But within his request, I'm sure that we will stick together longer than I can ever imagine.

The entire area was shrouded in an eerie stillness. We played a gazing contest with each other.

I blinked twice

He blinked thrice

I'm at a loss for how to respond to his request.

"Come again?" I wasn't sure if I heard that right---But if I recall, he wants to find his family and friends?

"Are you even listening...?" he said, looking directly into my eyes. "I said... find my relatives and friends," he sneered.

I can't help but sneer to him, "You want me to look for your family? ...Do you know how many people live in Japan?" I mentioned it.

I'm not a detective to start with; how Am I able to find his family anyway? Does he even remember his real name?

He turned back at me, crossed his arm like a boss. "I don't care. It is your job to do that." He chimed in, and I was so scornful the way he asked me.

I know he saved me, but can he not act that way? It isn't delightful.

I exhale a tiny sigh of relief, but what other option do I have? He saved my life, and I will be eternally grateful to him. "What do you want me to do if we find your family?" I inquired.

He stared at me with doubt at first but eventually let out a giggle as he began to describe his wish.

"Inquire with them. I'm not sure why I died, I'm not sure how they felt... where were they when I died? Did they even give a damn about me?" He spoke as though he was so overcome with loss that he forced himself to grin, but his eyes refused to cooperate, and I felt his anguish once again.

"Fine," I exhaled deeply. I accepted his offer without hesitation, and I smiled at him.

"Eh? Eh? So you're going to be helping me!?" He broke out laughing, joy written all over his face. Kazuo swirled around me as if he were a small child being pampered by his mother.

I'm not the mother!

"We'll start looking into it tomorrow." Maybe I sounded like the main detective character, or perhaps I was daydreaming. "For the time being, we must deal with the monster in my house." He came to a halt, frightened by my remarks.

"Monster?" He inquired, perplexed.

"You'll find out shortly."