"Master, what do you think?" Mrs. Kaguya turned to look at him.
Amamiya Natsuki was munching popcorn on the sidelines. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to follow his heart:
"By ordinary standards of reason, that smile is so stiff it has to be fake."
"Stare—"
Shinomiya Kaguya folded her arms across her chest, tilted her head slightly, and used the skill Death Gaze.
What are you glaring at?
Believe me, I'll go tell your mom on you right now!
Amamiya Natsuki took half a step back. "You two carry on."
"Little Kaguya, go on, go on," Mrs. Kaguya urged.
Shinomiya Kaguya was getting a splitting headache. With no other choice, she put on another smile.
"That was so halfhearted. Try again."
"..."
Amamiya Natsuki silently took out his phone, wanting to take a picture for posterity.
He had to admit, with all the practice, the smile on the Ice Sculpture Girl's face was quickly becoming more natural.
Especially that little smile just now—it made Amamiya Natsuki's heart race uncontrollably.
What a pity he'd been too slow. If he'd taken a picture of that smile and sold it at school for ten thousand yen a copy, people would have fought over it!
"Young Lady..."
The Blonde Maid pushed the door open and walked in. She happened to see the smile on Shinomiya Kaguya's face, and her eyes widened in disbelief. She almost thought she was seeing things.
Young Lady Kaguya... could actually smile that beautifully?
Had that guy, Amamiya Natsuki, hypnotized her?
At the sound of Hayasaka Ai's voice, the smile vanished from Shinomiya Kaguya's face. She turned back into the Ice Sculpture Girl.
"What is it?"
Hayasaka Ai reminded her, "It's already evening, Young Lady. You should go home."
"I know." Shinomiya Kaguya fell silent for a moment, then looked at Amamiya Natsuki. "...Let's go."
The two of them went downstairs together.
"There's something I need to tell you." Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice. "After you signed the Guardian Spirit Contract, your mother can only stay by my side. She can't go home with you."
Shinomiya Kaguya's steps faltered, then she gave an almost inaudible reply.
Just as expected.
If a Guardian Spirit could wander all over the world, it wouldn't be called a Guardian Spirit.
But...
(What on earth does it mean for my mom to suddenly become a boy's Guardian Spirit?!)
(If she can't go far from that boy, what's she supposed to do when he takes a bath or goes to sleep?)
(And that Manual for Raising a Loyal Dog Boyfriend—I stayed up late last night and secretly finished reading it. Now that Mom's here, how am I supposed to put it into practice?!)
"Get in."
Shinomiya Kaguya's thoughts were in turmoil, but she remained cool and composed on the outside.
"Just drop me off at the nearest subway station." Amamiya Natsuki got into the car from the other side. "Sorry for the trouble."
Mrs. Kaguya sat beside the Ice Sculpture Girl, happily chatting away. Unfortunately, with the Blonde Maid and the driver there, neither Amamiya Natsuki nor Shinomiya Kaguya responded.
The ride passed in silence.
The black car came to a slow stop at the subway station.
Amamiya Natsuki said goodbye and got out. Mrs. Kaguya stayed beside Kaguya, unwilling to get out.
He watched the black car slowly pull away. A few dozen meters later, his vision flashed, and Mrs. Kaguya appeared right beside him.
"Is a Guardian Spirit's range of movement only a few dozen meters?"
Amamiya Natsuki silently noted the information.
"Looks like I really can't do it." Mrs. Kaguya sounded regretful as she watched the black car drive away. "The farther away it got, the more I felt some strange force pulling me. Once I reached my limit, I suddenly appeared beside you, Natsuki-kun."
As a Guardian Spirit, Mrs. Kaguya instinctively wanted to call him Master. But after Shinomiya Kaguya's strong objections, she'd finally changed how she addressed him to Natsuki-kun.
The thought of Mom calling a boy in her class Master was just awful!
She absolutely wouldn't allow it!
"Let's go back."
Amamiya Natsuki started toward the subway station.
"Natsuki-kun, should I buy a ticket?" Mrs. Kaguya asked curiously. After being in a muddled state for more than ten years, she'd suddenly regained her self-awareness, and she couldn't stop asking questions.
"Of course not."
What was the point of a ghost buying a ticket?!
Amamiya Natsuki boarded the subway and headed home.
The ride passed in silence.
By the time he got home, the sun was setting and twilight had fallen.
Amamiya Natsuki turned on the lights, changed into slippers, and went to the fridge. He exorcised the Head Evil Spirit inside, then took out a can of green tea.
"Natsuki-kun, I want a drink too." Mrs. Kaguya looked hopeful. "I haven't had one in so long."
Amamiya Natsuki glanced at her. "Can you even drink?"
"I think I can touch things..." Mrs. Kaguya tilted her head thoughtfully, then reached out with her right hand and took the green tea from him. "But it'll use up my energy."
"You really can."
Amamiya Natsuki was a little surprised.
It seemed Guardian Spirits really were special.
Amamiya Natsuki was about to test Mrs. Kaguya's other abilities when the doorbell suddenly rang.
He walked over and opened the door. Yotsuya Miko stood outside. "I saw your lights were on, so..."
Seeing Mrs. Kaguya sitting on the sofa with a drink, Yotsuya Miko's eyes widened in disbelief.
That scoundrel Natsuki had actually lured the Shinomiya family's Young Lady back to his place?
"As a Ghost, You Can't Even Cultivate?"
"That girl is... Kaguya-classmate?"
Yotsuya Miko gaped, unable to believe her eyes.
Getting into someone else's car was one thing, but now he'd brought her straight home? There was no way you could explain that away as ordinary teammates!
"Miko, let me explain." Amamiya Natsuki pulled Miko into a corner and lowered his voice. "That isn't Kaguya-classmate."
Yotsuya Miko gently bit her lower lip. "Liar."
She'd never spoken to Kaguya-classmate, but she'd seen her many times at school. With that familiar black hair and red eyes, who else could she be?
Amamiya Natsuki continued:
"That's Kaguya-classmate's mother."
"Huh?"
Yotsuya Miko froze. She wondered if she'd heard him right, then looked up at him in surprise. "What did you say? Kaguya-classmate's... mother?"
"That's right." Amamiya Natsuki nodded firmly. "Mrs. Kaguya."
Yotsuya Miko: "..."
A moment later.
"Wait, give me a second." Yotsuya Miko covered her forehead, her face twisted into an indescribably complicated expression. "You stole your classmate's mom?"
Hey, hey, what did she mean, stole? He'd just happened to come across someone in trouble and stepped in to help. How had she turned him into some kind of minotaur chieftain?!
"It was a twist of fate," Amamiya Natsuki corrected her, then brought up the information Miko was curious about. "Auntie Kaguya used to be an Earthbound spirit, just like your uncle."
"Earthbound spirits look no different from living people, but they don't actually have their own consciousness. Everything they do is just habit from when they were alive."
"We still don't know what will happen if you talk to an Earthbound spirit." Amamiya Natsuki lowered his voice and warned her, "For now, stay alert. Don't let your uncle find out you can see him."
Hearing that, Yotsuya Miko gently bit her lower lip and nodded.
"I understand."
Just as she'd thought.
The father who'd died and then returned home wasn't her real father... Miko had known that from the beginning.
How could the father she'd spent every day with since childhood fail to notice?
"Come on, let's go to my room," Amamiya Natsuki said. "You haven't helped me cultivate today."
Yotsuya Miko folded her right arm across her chest. "You already have a Guardian Spirit. Can't you just ask Mrs. Kaguya?"
"She's a ghost."
"I just saw her drinking."
"Drinking doesn't mean she has any weight. Besides, she's my classmate's mother." Amamiya Natsuki put his hands together. "So I can only ask the esteemed Miko for help."
"Quickly. It's getting dark, and I still have to go home and cook later."
"..."
Mrs. Kaguya thought Miko was like an ordinary person. She floated over in front of her, clasped her hands behind her back, and scrutinized her openly.
"What a sexy body. High school girls these days are developing so well."
"..."
Yotsuya Miko's eye twitched. She raised a hand to cover her chest.
Sexy? That was going too far!
She was only a little more developed than the average girl. She wasn't even out of proportion!
Seeing Miko's reaction, Mrs. Kaguya looked surprised.
"Natsuki-kun, it seems this girl can see me."
"It's not just seems," Amamiya Natsuki said. "Miko really can see you."
"Huh?" Mrs. Kaguya froze. "Is Miko a player in that Horror Game too?"
"It's not that." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Miko. "It seems she suddenly became able to see evil spirits."
"I searched online. I think it's Spiritual Eyes..." Yotsuya Miko looked at Mrs. Kaguya, reined in her laid-back expression, and bowed. "Hello, Auntie. It's nice to meet you. I'm Yotsuya Miko, and I live next door. Please take care of me."
It felt strange for Yotsuya Miko to speak to something "invisible" for the first time.
It was like astronaut Neil Armstrong taking his first step on the moon: one small step for him, one giant leap for humanity.
"Call me Big Sister."
"Huh?"
"I died of Heart disease," Mrs. Kaguya said plaintively. "I'm actually only in my twenties. Being called Auntie makes me feel like an old lady."
Yotsuya Miko: "..."
They soon reached the upstairs room.
Before you continue