Chapter 149: Then… How About Watching English Movies?
The weather the next day was exactly the same as yesterday—oppressively humid, unbearably hot, and irritating enough to put anyone in a bad mood.
But tomorrow would already be the dreaded Monday.
Once five straight days of classes began, Luke knew he would have even less motivation to deal with the incidents in those files.
So despite the blazing summer heat, he reluctantly headed toward Miko's school.
Following the location Miko had sent him, he quickly found the two girls after getting off the bus.
"Hana invited me to go shopping again."
Miko sat on a public bench and spoke to Yuria beside her.
"Then go. Today probably won't take us that long anyway."
Yuria sat with her feet unable to reach the ground, swinging them idly through the air.
"But didn't she invite you shopping not long ago?"
Miko slumped, a bitter smile on her face.
"She says her cup size went up again, so she needs bigger bras... Hana eats so much, yet she never gains weight in her stomach. All the fat just goes to the right places. Meanwhile, if I'm not careful with my diet for even a second, it all goes straight to my belly. It's so unfair."
Comparison is the thief of joy, and the disparity in natural gifts was simply too much to bear.
Yuria glanced down at herself, her gaze sweeping from her chest to the hem of her skirt, taking in the completely flat view.
She quickly looked away, unable to stare any longer. Her figure was no better than a grade-schooler's, and the more she looked, the more heartbroken she felt.
And so—
"Sigh…"
The two girls sighed at exactly the same time.
"What happened to you two?"
Luke had only just approached when he was greeted by an incredibly long sigh filled with endless worries.
He could not help pausing.
Hadn't they volunteered to come exorcising with him?
Why did these two somehow look more resentful than most evil spirits?
"Sensei…"
Miko turned her head toward him like a rusty gear, sounding utterly lifeless.
"Is it because it's too hot?"
Luke pulled two chilled drinks from the side pocket of his bag and pressed them against the girls' cheeks.
"Here."
"If it's really too much, we can rest before going in. Or I can handle it by myself."
"It's fine. The inside of our school is pretty cool."
Miko hurriedly replied.
"Then why were you two sighing just now? Something upset you?"
Luke could not resist asking.
"Sort of."
Miko waved him off.
"Anyway, it's just some girl problems. Sensei, stop asking~"
She sighed again.
Luke fell silent.
'So what exactly happened?'
His curiosity was killing him.
Still, it probably was not anything serious.
Since she did not want to explain, Luke stopped asking.
He rolled his shoulders and forced his curiosity aside.
"Fine. If nothing's wrong, let's go."
It was the weekend, but club members occasionally entered and left the campus.
So Luke easily followed Miko and Yuria inside.
The greenery around the school grounds was well maintained and helped reduce the feeling of heat somewhat.
When they reached the second floor of the teaching building, the corridor felt surprisingly cool.
It faced north and rarely received direct sunlight, while occasional drafts passed through.
In some ways, it was even more comfortable than an air-conditioned bedroom.
The second-floor restroom was at the end of the corridor.
"Sensei, we probably shouldn't go inside."
Standing in front of the boys' restroom, Yotsuya Miko hesitated.
Even though the building was probably empty during the holiday, barging into the boys' restroom as a girl still felt embarrassing.
The exorcism enthusiast beside her, Niguredo Yuria, nodded her little head in agreement.
"Mm. I'll check by myself."
Luke did not mind.
"Honestly, I don't think this ghost story about improving grades is the incident we're looking for anyway."
He walked directly into the restroom and approached the final stall.
According to the school legend Miko had collected, he needed to knock on the innermost door.
Luke gently knocked.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
He waited for a while.
Nothing happened.
'Do you really have to come after dark?'
Evil spirits did indeed prefer nighttime, when there was no sunlight and they could move more freely.
But Luke had never heard of or personally encountered one that completely vanished during the day.
Unsure whether daytime was actually the problem, he sensed the surroundings once more.
There was still no trace of an evil spirit.
After some thought, Luke decided to stop knocking and move on to the next investigation.
'Maybe the restroom spirit really is fake.'
'Does that mean the cliché spirit-writing story is more likely to be real?'
"A ghost that improves your grades and helps you get into university really does sound unreliable…"
Luke muttered and began walking away.
However—
"University?"
A hoarse voice suddenly came from the empty space behind him.
Luke could clearly hear curiosity and amusement in its tone.
Creak.
The door to the final stall on the second floor slowly opened.
A crimson eye as large as a fist appeared through the gap.
Although it was broad daylight, darkness seemed to gather around the eye, blocking all light and leaving everything else pitch-black.
"Oh?"
Luke smiled despite himself.
"So this evil spirit actually exists."
Even after everything he had seen, he still found unfamiliar supernatural phenomena interesting.
He slowly turned and approached it.
"Did you come seeking a way to improve your grades?"
The evil spirit spoke again.
"I can help you get into whatever university you want…"
"Then what's the price?"
Luke stopped before the stall.
"And how am I supposed to believe you can actually do it?"
The spirit's blood-red eye opened wider.
Its white sclera appeared like exposed flesh stretched around the iris.
Only then did Luke notice that the creature wore a hood like some kind of wizard, concealing most of its body.
Hearing Luke's question, it chuckled darkly.
"Hehe. Don't judge me by how I look now."
"I used to be a student at this school too."
"I'm your upperclassman…"
It suddenly paused.
"Wait. You are a student, not a teacher, right?"
"Of course I'm a student."
Luke tugged at the shoulder strap of his school bag.
"Good…"
The evil spirit visibly relaxed.
Then it continued.
"Back in my year, I was always ranked second…"
"So you were the eternal number two?"
"Don't describe me like that!"
The spirit shouted irritably.
"Anyway, I need you to do something for me."
"What?"
"…Stop interrupting!"
The spirit grew angry.
"I need you to use whatever means necessary to make the top-ranked student in your year fail an exam!"
"That will resolve my lingering regret!"
"And then I'll improve your academic ability!"
What kind of logic was that?
Luke remained silent for several seconds before asking,
"Why attack the current top student in my year instead of the person who beat you back then?"
"The one who kept you as the eternal number two was someone from your own generation, wasn't it?"
"I simply hate whoever ranks first above me."
The evil spirit answered cheerfully.
"I don't care who it is."
"…"
If it could be this open-minded about the identity of the top student, why was it still lingering in the human world over such a ridiculous obsession?
Luke truly could not understand it.
People really did cling to strange things.
Luke rubbed his forehead.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just kill the top-ranked student?"
The evil spirit thought seriously.
"That would technically work…"
"But forget it."
"We're civilized people."
"Killing each other over exam rankings would be inappropriate."
"So, how about the deal?"
Hmm.
This evil spirit—
Or perhaps it was better described as a spirit body—
Actually had principles.
Luke suddenly remembered his Student career mission.
"Then pay me a deposit first."
"Fine. Which subject do you need help with?"
"English."
Luke answered.
"It's my weakest subject."
The evil spirit immediately said,
"English is easy. You just need to, every—"
"Wait."
Luke cut it off.
"I'm warning you now."
"If you dare tell me something like 'memorize fifty words every day,' you're dead."
"And unlike Yukinoshita Yukino, you're not attractive enough for me to tolerate that kind of nonsense."
"So think very carefully before answering."
Apparently, Luke had guessed the key ingredient of the spirit's English-improvement strategy.
The sinister smile immediately vanished from the face of the ghost crouched on the toilet.
Its expression changed as abruptly as the weather.
One human and one ghost remained silent in the empty restroom for quite a while.
Finally, the evil spirit cautiously opened its mouth and forced out a tentative smile.
"Th-then… then… then…"
"How about watching English movies?"
"Hehe."
Luke also revealed a brilliant smile.
"Why not just tell me to attend cram school while you're at it?"
"Forget it!"
"Die!"
"Die!!"
After giving the evil spirit a complimentary physical exorcism, Luke walked out of the restroom.
Seriously.
It had gotten his hopes up for nothing.
Besides, leaving an evil spirit trapped inside a school restroom forever was not exactly ideal.
Helping it move on early was better for everyone.
Still, it seemed clear that the restroom spirit was not the culprit behind the incident in Kasumizuki's files.
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