I Returned, and Now I See Strange Things

"Uh... so, you’re basically unemployed?"

"..."

When she told him she was someone who catches ghosts, the guy first asked if she was some kind of exorcist.

When she said no, he asked if she was a shaman.

When she said no again, he asked if she was one of those people who find ghosts with flashy light-up equipment like the ones all over the internet.

She shook her head again, and then he muttered something about the Marine Corps, so she kicked his shin.

Judging by how he rolled on the floor in pain, that must’ve been a satisfying answer.

"Ugh—could you please just talk like a normal person?"

"..."

If she had to categorize it, she was probably closest to a shaman. It’s not like she’d received divine possession or anything, but the concept was similar.

The difference was that shamans served their spirits, whereas she held the reins.

She didn’t bother explaining. He’d just look at her like she was insane.

Come to think of it, earlier he was nodding in terror, trembling like a leaf—and now that he’d fainted and woken up, all that meekness seemed to have disappeared.

It was probably only thanks to the ID she’d shown him that he wasn’t mouthing off.

The very embodiment of Confucian values.

He dusted himself off and came over, face full of complaint. He clearly had a lot to say but thankfully didn’t bring up her job again.

It was his fault anyway.

She was already irritated enough about it.

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What, did he think she was unemployed because she wanted to be? What was she supposed to do if no one would hire her?! She had to clamp down on the sudden wave of resentment bubbling inside.

She glanced at the guy, who was now watching her warily.

"Anyway, there were two others with you, right?"

"Ah, yes. One girl and one guy."

On the way in, she’d only seen the guy.

Unless the girl had just been watching from behind the camera, she would’ve come in too. But if there was no sign of her, then it had to be one of two things.

Something got her.

Or she ran away already.

"I saw the guy, but I haven’t seen the girl yet."

"...I’m worried."

"..."

She couldn’t bring herself to say I’m sure she’s fine. In situations like this, the one who disappears was always in the most danger.

...No, of course she’s fine. That was true in Entera—this is Earth. This isn’t the kind of place where someone laughing and chatting a moment ago turns into a cold, blue corpse the next.

And whatever that pale thing was, it didn’t seem that dangerous.

"Maybe she just ran away first."

"I hope that’s the case."

She didn’t have the talent for brightening up this suddenly gloomy atmosphere, so she just walked quietly.

The guy had seemed pretty cheerful on stream, but in person, he was actually quite subdued.

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen anything that looked like a smartphone on the way.

The hospital was pretty big. At this rate, it would take forever to search the whole place. She sighed internally at the thought, then suddenly remembered the phone in her own pocket.

"Tell me your number."

"...Huh?"

He looked at her with a sour face.

Behind that “Huh?” was probably something like, Wait, my number? The look on his face made her want to kick his shin again.

"Whatever you’re thinking, we need to find your phone, right? Wasn’t your stream still going?"

"Oh, right! Yeah. Hahaha..."

He let out an awkward laugh and gave her his number.

Judging by his expression, he’d probably been in this kind of situation before.

That annoyed her even more.

Some people never even held a girl’s hand because they were too busy risking their lives...

She glared at him and dialed the number he gave her.

Apparently, it was closer than expected—she could faintly hear what sounded like Japanese lyrics coming from somewhere nearby.

...So that’s the kind of stuff he watches, huh.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"...It’s nothing. Anyway, your phone’s close."

"Huh? I don’t hear anything."

"That way."

As they walked a bit further, he must have started hearing it too, because he gasped.

"Whoa, you actually heard that?"

"My ears are kind of sensitive."

"Wow. You really do seem like a ghost hunter."

...What does that have to do with anything?

But then something strange started happening. The ringtone, which had been coming from ahead, started to move. Not too fast, but clearly enough that it was noticeable.

He must’ve noticed it too—his face turned pale.

"That’s not your friend, right?"

"If it was, he’d have picked up."

"Good point."

After a moment of thought, she handed him her phone. He gave her a confused look.

"Why are you giving me this fossil...?"

"...Fossil?"

"Yeah. Looks like an ancient model."

"...Is that so."

She hadn’t seen many other people’s phones lately, so she hadn’t realized.

...What a load of crap.

Anyway, that wasn’t the point right now.

"You stay here and keep calling that number."

"Huh?"

"Did I say something complicated? Just stay here and keep calling your phone."

"Then, um... what about you, ma’am?"

He hesitated over how to address her, but settled on that.

"I’m going to follow that thing."

"You want me to just stand here by myself...?"

"Is that a problem?"

He’d marched in here full of bravado wanting a ‘real experience,’ and now he was scared? His face went pale for a moment, but then he nodded, as if steeling himself.

Finally, acting like a man.

Though maybe he just didn’t want to get kicked again.

She gave a faint smile and headed in the direction of the Japanese lyrics.

The upbeat voice of a woman singing grew closer. The gray concrete glowed with an eerie hue under the moonlight.

Clink.

A glass bottle near her feet tipped over. She set it upright and kept walking. The song had momentarily cut off, but soon started playing again.

He’s doing his part pretty well, she thought, feeling oddly proud.

Now the singing came from just ahead—a hospital room. There was no door, so she leaned against the wall beside the entrance and peeked in.

A rusty old bed frame. Sheets thick with dust. A strange stain of unknown origin left behind by someone, maybe.

And a TV that had somehow turned on.

Between the beds, a tattered curtain was drawn, so she couldn’t see everything clearly.

But along with the song, there was faint light. And a shadow cast by it. A silhouette of an ordinary woman.

‘...Do ghosts cast shadows?’

Whether it was a ghost or not, it at least had a physical form.

If this were Entera, she might’ve considered this a dangerous situation.

She’d thought of it, in fact.

Back in Entera, it wasn’t unusual for missing comrades to suddenly show up with hidden blades under some kind of control.

They say people are scarier than ghosts.

...Well, maybe not quite the same.

Not that it really mattered to her what came at her.

She took the salt shaker in hand and cautiously entered the room. She said that, but really—being careful never hurt.

She muffled her footsteps as best she could, slowly approaching the source of the music.

The Japanese lyrics cut off again.

The light—probably from the phone—disappeared, and the silhouette dimmed. She held her breath, waiting for another call to come through.

Rustle.

The sound of old curtains being touched. The quiet tap of footsteps. It definitely seemed like a person.

Anyone in a place like this ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) at this hour—

If they weren’t here for some specific reason like chasing a phone call, there was a good chance they weren’t in their right mind.

Soon, the song began again.

The silhouette was still there, though its position had shifted slightly. Seeing that, she didn’t hesitate.

Fwoosh.

She hurled herself through the curtain. A woman with hair draped like a curtain stood dazed, staring at the smartphone.

As she dove to subdue her—

A strange thought struck her: She looks familiar.

Was it really okay to do this?

If this were Entera, she’d have subdued first and asked questions later.

But what if this person was just... normal?

What if she got hurt?

That’d be more dangerous than facing a ghost.

If things went well, fine. But if she got seriously injured and demanded compensation?

She’d be stripped of what little money she had and reduced to eating pigeons in the park.

Maybe even kicked out of her dingy rental and forced to sleep on the street.

...Come to think of it, that wasn’t far off if she couldn’t find a job soon.

No reason to make it happen herself.

That sobering thought hit her—but too late. Her body had already moved on instinct and was midair.

With a loud crash—

The phone flew into the air.

The woman, eyes wide, took a hit to the neck from her forearm and collapsed backward.

And she landed right on top of her.

A full-on mount position.

[Well done!]

[Even with a changed body, your skills haven’t dulled!]

"Kh... urgh..."

With Ignis and Aslan chirping cheerfully in her ears, and the painful groan rising from below, she thought:

The one who’s fucked... isn’t them.

It’s me.