The Slender Ghost, which had already moved far away, charged to the girl's side in the blink of an eye. Its two-meter-tall body rapidly stretched, completely blocking out the light from the crystal chandelier and plunging the five sisters into darkness.
And that gaping maw hung right above their heads.
"Are we going to die?"
Nino's heart was filled with despair. This was the final moment of her life.
She didn't blame Mayu. Mayu had never experienced the ghost's deadly question and had no idea what was happening.
But why did it have to be them?
They had clearly promised to stay together...
"Is this really how it ends?"
The girl trembled as she shut her eyes in despair, awaiting the end of her life.
Being eaten by an Evil Spirit... Her death would definitely look terrible, wouldn't it? Would the process be painful?
I'm sorry, Ichika, Miku, Yotsuba, Mayu. I dragged you into this. If it weren't for me...
Past memories surfaced in Nino's mind, like the flickering scenes people often experienced before death.
But after recalling them for a while, the girl realized something.
Isn't this deathbed montage a little too long?
The girl trembled as she opened her eyes in confusion. The Slender Ghost she had imagined was nowhere to be seen, and the gaping maw that could swallow all five sisters in one bite had vanished as well.
The crystal chandelier attached to the ceiling radiated a bright light, dispelling the darkness.
Nino nervously looked around, but she didn't see the Slender Ghost.
The other guests were merely looking toward them strangely, probably because of her final scream.
They couldn't see the Slender Ghost. All they had seen was a girl screaming in terror.
Chapter 45: First, Next, and Then
Ichika reacted first. Despite her somewhat pale complexion, she tried to smooth things over:
"Nino, what's wrong? What shouldn't you look at?"
Nino suppressed her fear, her voice trembling slightly:
"N-Nothing. I was just telling Mayu not to watch short videos in public."
Mayu's little face was slightly pale, and her thoughts were still occupied by fear, so she failed to respond.
In the eyes of the other guests, this reaction amounted to a guilty admission.
The guests soon stopped paying attention to the small disturbance at the bar, as if everything had returned to normal.
Kira Yoshikage continued wiping the glasses, enjoying his rare moment of peace—
Actually, he might not have had that many glasses to wipe. It was mainly because if he didn't do something, people might mistake him for slacking off.
Mayu finally broke free from her fear, her voice trembling slightly:
"What exactly was that monster just now? You could see it, right? You could see it too, right?"
Nino pressed her lips tightly together and muttered in a low voice:
"I don't know."
She didn't know what that monster was, where it had come from, how it had gotten attached to them, or why it had disappeared.
Everything had been like a nightmare that had begun for no reason and ended abruptly at the most terrifying moment, also for no reason.
"See what?"
Yotsuba looked over in confusion. To this day, she was still completely lost.
Mayu froze for a moment and realized that not everyone had seen the monster.
Yotsuba hadn't seen it, and neither had the other guests. Only she, Nino, and Ichika could see it.
"What exactly is going on?"
Mayu's lips trembled, and her voice carried an obvious sob. She could feel her calves going weak.
If she stood up now, she would definitely collapse on the floor.
"Compared to that..."
Ichika was clearly much calmer than her sisters. She took a deep breath and looked up at Kira Yoshikage:
"Kira-kun, you could see it too, right?"
That monster had followed them all the way here just to eat them.
How could it possibly have disappeared at the critical moment, right before eating them?
It couldn't have suddenly developed a conscience and decided to let them go, could it?
Therefore, the only possibility was that someone had rescued them just as they were about to be eaten!
And that person was Kira Yoshikage, standing right in front of them!
Kira Yoshikage's hand paused slightly as he wiped the glass. He lowered his head to look at the girl before him, somewhat puzzled:
"What?"
Ichika stared intently at Kira Yoshikage. His eyes were deep blue, as if an entire ocean had been condensed within them.
The serious-looking girl was reflected in his pupils. His eyes revealed clear confusion and bewilderment, as though her words had left him troubled.
Mayu looked at Kira Yoshikage's bewildered expression and began to wonder whether Ichika had misunderstood something.
But Ichika smiled, her tone certain:
"You can see it after all."
"Eh?"
Nino was also somewhat bewildered. How had she figured that out?
Ichika wore a confident smile:
"When ordinary people hear my question, they would definitely find it inexplicable and wonder whether I was suffering from delusions of grandeur. But you're different, Kira-kun. Your confusion and bewilderment are all an act. The only thing that's real is your distress!"
"Is that so?"
Mayu's little mouth fell slightly open, utterly amazed.
Ichika can do something like this?
Kira Yoshikage put down the glass and looked straight into the girl's eyes:
"That sounds very convincing, but you're actually making it all up, aren't you?"
"That's right!"
Ichika openly admitted it. She had indeed been making it up. "But you just admitted it, Kira-kun, didn't you?"
Kira Yoshikage looked at the girl's sly smile and glanced down at his watch. It was still working hours.
Since he was at work, there was nothing he could do.
He had already expected these girls to disturb his peace.
Kira Yoshikage concealed the ripples in his eyes and spoke calmly:
"What do you want to know?"
Nino couldn't help asking:
"What was that... that monster just now?"
"An Evil Spirit."
Kira Yoshikage lowered his head and wiped the glass, his soothing tone relaxing both body and mind. "There is a force in this world called psionics. Some people call it Spiritual Power, magic power, Curse Power, and so on, but they are essentially the same. In short, you can think of psionics as a product of idealism."
"Evil Spirits are born from human fear. They are manifestations of psionics. Conversely, humans who possess psionics are Psionic Users, and the most basic ability possessed by Psionic Users is Spiritual Sight."
"Only Psionic Users who have awakened Spiritual Sight can see the truth of this world."
"Or rather, part of the 'truth.'"
Different Psionic Users saw different versions of the 'truth.'
However, seeing the 'truth' clearly often meant that humanity was about to face its greatest and most terrible despair.
Therefore, for most people, living in a carefully constructed false world in a daze was actually the better outcome.
Knowing the truth,
"The truth?"
A bitter trace appeared at the corner of Ichika's mouth. If monsters like that were the truth of the world, then she would rather not know such a truth!
Although what had just happened told them that they could avoid being harmed as long as they pretended not to see those monsters,
That ultimately solved nothing.
Because pretending not to see them couldn't solve the problem at all!
If an Evil Spirit became attached to them, were they supposed to pretend every day that it didn't exist and live peacefully alongside it?
That was completely unacceptable!
Mayu suddenly had an idea:
"If there are Evil Spirits, then Deities must really exist too, right? If—if we get targeted by an Evil Spirit, can we pray to the Deities for help?"
Kira Yoshikage swept a subtle glance at her, his tone still gentle:
"Deities do truly exist, but it is merely a title."
"Japan claims to have Eight Million Deities, but the so-called Deities are nothing more than 'spirits' cloaked in faith and sustained by offerings. In essence, they are no different from Evil Spirits. However, the 'spirits' that can become Deities can often be called Benevolent Spirits."
"Praying to the 'Deities' can indeed help you resolve a crisis, as long as you can pay a sufficient price."
"So, if you really encounter such a situation, I suggest that you call the police directly."
"Call the police?"
Mayu was full of questions. What use would calling the police be? This was a supernatural incident! Could bullets really exorcise ghosts?
Compared to her bewildered sister, Ichika immediately understood.
Since Evil Spirits existed, Deities existed as well.
The government surely had special countermeasure departments dedicated to handling such crises, even if the public didn't know they existed. And among those special countermeasure departments, there might be Psionic Users like Kira-kun.
Although the police couldn't handle supernatural incidents, calling them would certainly draw the attention of the special departments, leading them to send someone to resolve the crisis.
However, being noticed by the government might not necessarily be a good thing...
Besides, if they really encountered an Evil Spirit, could they actually hold out until help arrived?
Ichika lightly pressed her lips together, inevitably feeling somewhat worried.
Seeing that Mayu was impatient to speak, Kira Yoshikage raised his brows slightly:
"One last question."
"Eh?"
Mayu froze for a moment. Could she only ask three questions?
Mayu immediately covered her mouth. She had some self-awareness, after all, and knew that she probably couldn't ask anything truly important.
But just as Ichika was considering her words and preparing to speak, Miku, who had remained silent all this time, pulled out her phone and asked softly:
"Kira-kun, can I add you on LINE?"
Chapter 46: Work Is Work, Life Is Life
"Can I add you on LINE?"
The red-haired girl asked nervously.