[Fujiwara Teru]
[Spirit Body]
[A ghost, a big brother.]
[Under the influence of obsession, the Boy had been quietly protecting his family.]
[He had once quietly intimidated the manager who harbored ill intentions toward his sister and cursed the upperclassman who bullied her; he appeared and disappeared procedurally, unknowingly cutting away the thorns and hardships that would have scratched her along the way.]
[Until this exhausted all his thoughts and memories.]
[Energy Level: Lv 1 · Origin Point]
[Note: About to dissipate.]
...This was the information Mori Tsukisa saw last night.
From then on, the story of Yuu and Teru satisfied her—for the girl, it was now just a story, and she felt Fujiwara Teru's disappearance came at just the right time.
Not everyone can successfully become a Contactee: although years of long companionship had made Yuu familiar with the 'evil spirit' beside her, as the mystery revived, all energy was manipulated by order and chaos to infect all surrounding living beings.
The former evil spirit and family Guardian had now become a massive source of infection. Even with the obsession of 'not hurting her,' under the pressure of vast and mighty power, the tiny ghost was unable to put up any effective resistance.
It's unknown if the Boy himself was aware of this, but the time he chose to leave was very accurate... Ms. Fujiwara Yuu's family matters were resolved. Although her grandmother returned to her superstitious ways, the shopkeeper lady had gained a new life.
Both spiritually and materially.
"Th-this much?!"
"No, no! I can't accept this!"
Nagini sat on the sofa holding Mori Tsukisa, with a small pyramid of gold bars piled on the table in front of them. It was just a few days of lodging; Lady Witch, couldn't you just pay with paper money like a normal person and leave?
Imhotep stared at the yellow gold bars on the table with a pained expression. He didn't seem to notice that he was also developing a tendency toward 'Arrietty-fication': according to Nagini, Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun had spent too much time with Arrietty lately, and even their tone when complaining about or mocking Mori Tsukisa sounded a bit like this sprite.
Imhotep remembered the argument between Arrietty and Mori Tsukisa in the room half an hour ago.
"Even though you have more gold and silver than you can ever spend, this is still a waste!" The Little Sprite stood on the picture frame with her hands on her hips, huffing as she glared at Mori Tsukisa. Even though she possessed mountains and seas of gold and jewelry, this sprite still adhered to the life principles of 'don't spend if you don't have to' and 'pay as little as possible,' carefully guarding the vast wealth for her Queen like a fiery-red hamster.
Mori Tsukisa didn't think so. She sat on a storage box, her feet resting on Nagini's knees—the Snake Maid Miss was focusing on applying new nail polish for her Master.
"Waste? You have to pay to watch a story," she said.
Arrietty couldn't understand: "But you helped her!"
"Because I'm also a character in the story."
In the end, the little hamster sprite couldn't win the argument against the wealthy young lady and reluctantly took out a drop from the ocean—or rather, a grain of dust from the vast Universe: five or six gold bars.
"This is the accommodation fee."
Accommo... accommodation fee... Fujiwara Yuu looked at the tower of gold bars and picked one up.
It was golden and heavy.
Each gold bar was about a hundred grams. The college student shopkeeper looked at the seven or eight bars on the table... Ms. Mori Tsukisa, are you giving me a down payment?
"Buying a house in the Tokyo area is impossible," Mori Tsukisa waved her hand apologetically. "Yuu can use it to cover tuition and your grandmother's medical expenses."
The Little Sprite squinted: You're actually feeling apologetic.
Fujiwara Yuu couldn't argue with Mori Tsukisa, or rather, she didn't want to. A girl who had experienced so much hardship knew the ups and downs and dangers of life all too well; no one would be foolish enough to refuse an easy opportunity to give herself and her grandmother a better life.
After accepting the gold bars, Mori Tsukisa's group had to start packing their luggage: after seeing Miyamizu Hitoha one more time, regardless of the outcome, she would return to Tokyo tomorrow.
Because... the girl lowered her head to look at her phone screen.
[Hiratsuka Single Monster: When are you coming to school, Eldest Miss?]
[Mori Tsukisa: I'm sick, a cold.]
[Hiratsuka Single Monster: Is the blanket sick, or are you?]
[Mori Tsukisa: It's the blanket.]
[Hiratsuka Single Monster: Tell Ms. Blanket for me that if she misses this end-of-month exam, she will...]
[Mori Tsukisa:...Get a reward?]
[Hiratsuka Single Monster: Get a tragic makeup exam opportunity.]
[Mori Tsukisa: Oh...]
"What's wrong?"
"An annoying older single woman is urging me to go home." Mori Tsukisa put down her phone and looked at Yuu. "We'll stay one more night and head back to Tokyo tomorrow. Yuu, remember to come visit me."
...Miyamizu Hitoha laughed very happily, but it wasn't just because Fujiwara Yuu's matter was resolved.
"Hahahaha! That old hag competed with me all her life, but in the end, she didn't get the man, and even her granddaughter's problem was solved by the person I sent! This time... I've won again!"
The old woman who was quiet, elegant, and mysterious yesterday was now laughing with her mouth wide open over some pastries, and Mori Tsukisa could even see the gaps where her teeth were missing.
"The person... you sent?" Mori Tsukisa pointed to herself. "Is it me?"
Miyamizu Hitoha restrained her laughter, but the corners of her mouth couldn't stop curling up. "When people get old, they say strange things. Don't mind it, Ms. Mori Tsukisa. I'm just happy."
But you clearly said it all... "Actually, as a shrine maiden, I'm not very qualified. I could only vaguely feel that something was wrong with Yuu—there was often a cold feeling around her." The old woman adjusted her glasses while her granddaughter massaged her shoulders. "But 'ghosts and gods'? If the shrine maiden's rituals are already troublesome enough, the actual appearance of ghosts in real life is truly hard to believe..."
"Does Grandma Hitoha herself not believe in it? As a shrine maiden?"
Miyamizu Hitoha nodded with certainty.
"I've lived for so many years and have never seen a real ghost. Should I believe in them?"
"But you believed what I said."
"Because Ms. Mori Tsukisa is also very special." Miyamizu Hitoha laughed heartily. "Hahaha, well, I'm not sure. At my age, I have the right to 'think with my intuition,' don't I? Just consider it respecting the elderly..."
"Otherwise, do you think I would sell the shrine of the Miyamizu branch family?" The old woman raised her eyebrows slyly. "I can feel the World changing... No, I don't know what happened. But... the World is different from usual."
"And you, Mori Tsukisa." Miyamizu Hitoha gazed at the girl. "The feeling you give me is the strongest..."
The girl nodded her chin.
For a Mortal, this kind of bloodline is truly quite good.
"Well, although no one would believe these words if I said them out loud, Ms. Sen understands my feeling. It should be correct?"
Mori Tsukisa didn't answer and nudged Imhotep, who was registering for a chat app nearby.
"Baldy, you handle the talk."
Next was the game between selling and buying. Mori Tsukisa didn't care to listen; she stood up and waved to the bored girl nearby.
"Ms. Mitsuha, why don't you take me for a walk around town?"
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.