Case 10,
Our Walk Home
***
"Hey~ Girl, wasn't there someone who lived in near Carmella Street?"
"Oh! Another tea? Something like president-perfect Ayiesha having an affair or something? Haha, that would be hilarious!"
"What? No! That's impossible. I'm talking about the guy who lived there. He's so handsome!"
"Oh... I thought it would be some juicy rumor like Ayeisha becoming a gangster overnight."
"I think you should stop reading too much shounen mangas..."
***
Hajime's POV
"So..." Carol tapped her shoes on the wooden floor repetitively, "...how are we supposed to deal with this?"
I shifted my gaze towards the frozen couch. "Kise's gonna kill us." I whispered.
"Should I send a mail to my connections to find a place to move into? Or let's just keep this thing inside our fridge?" Erebus rummaged through his bag, picking out a pen and a paper.
Betty sighed with weight, "I'll deal with it. But in the meantime, hide her in the yard, Hajime. I don't want to wake up one day as a popsicle."
You see, the snow girl we picked up last week on the festival is now living under our roof. Kise agreed to take her in, but told her not to make unnecessary troubles for us, and so, we cleaned after all her mess until now. FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK, PRECISELY.
Hajime, calm down. Calm down...
This girl, her name is Fiona... I can't blame her for not being able to control her powers, but she might as well consider being less of a burden by not touching anything in the house because this house is made entirely of gold! If she ever breaks that couch, I don't know how I'll pay for Kise.
"It's done."
I looked at the three standing before the couch... Burning...
What?! Burning?!
"Wha—Hey wh— ho—" Words feels like they've been swallowed the moment I let them escape my mouth.
"Don't worry, this couch wouldn't burn down." Erebus rubbed my back to calm me down. This is utterly embarrassing! I can't believe I overreacted for nothing.
"Kindly explain..." My existence loses its energy as I stared into Carol for answers.
"You see, there are two types of powers that spirits like us use; spiritual powers and materialism that both requires spiritual energy." I nodded, "Spiritual powers only affects those with spirits, just like me or Betty. We can use our powers on humans or other spirits, but we can't use it on objects. On the other hand, materialism is more similar to poltergeist, but more harmful. Like Erebus here, he can harm physical objects."
I see... "So, how did you melt the ice? You haven't explained that part."
She sighed. Is she annoyed? "I used my power, that's all."
"I thought you were just a smarty-pants that would turn into slenderman when you her angry." She somehow looked offended while Betty looked as if she's about to laugh.
"Am I this dumb?" She whispered into the ceiling. "My power scales with my intellect. That's just knowledge showing it's dominance. Like using brute force to crack a rock."
Somehow, I understand that part. I feel like I'm getting smarter the more she talks with me. "Does that prove 'knowledge is power? Hah!'" She couldn't help but stay silent.
"Enough of that, let's deal with that kid. Her face annoys me. Not even a shade or remorse. Ice do fits her."
"L-look, she's already regretting being a burden, I think you guys should go a litter easier for her..." I defended, yet no one replied and went on their things.
"Take care of her, Ms. Maid. I don't wanna play house with someone with no resolve." Her words somehow struck a portion of my heart.
Resolve, huh? I guess we all need that, after all...
I snuck out the house with some popsicle in my hand towards the backyard. I mostly found her easily. You know... from the air's degree.
I handed out popsicle without a word. Her eyes instilled into the setting sun as if she was reminiscing about the past. It must've been hard for her— dying just to become an evil spirit... that's too awful to bear.
"Come to school with me tomorrow." I passed a few words.
"But..." words came from her mouth no more, her face instilled with worry and thousands of reasons.
"It's fine, just don't touch others. If you stayed inside my body temporarily, I doubt you'll affect the others, too."
"Are you... A noble? You don't sound like the others when you speak." She started.
"That's—Well... Not really..." I brushed off. "Just come with me, and don't ask further questions. Ahem! And don't tell Kise about this." I scoffed.
She went silent once more. Her eyes drifted back into the horizon of the orange sea above. A sigh escaped her lips that eventually froze into snowflakes. The silent moisture that flowed through her crystal jewels hardened into ice.
I couldn't help by gaze into her beauty. Amidst this scorching summer, I deemed her cold heart as melted frost the moment her eyes glistened with longing and affection. For someone—no, for her own life. Before me is a woman grieving for her own grave. I can feel the solstice while getting burned by the flames of sympathy.
"Just follow my pace, and we're ready to go!" I stood up, trying to ruin her mood. Not that I mean it, I just... couldn't take it.
Her lips carved into a smile, eyes squinting faintly and a lovely breeze carried her hair with snow flowing away and eventually melting into nothingness.
***
I took my leisure time to travel the hallway, moments after I left Kise outside. He said it'll take a little while before his classes starts, so I left him there, probably rotting alone.
A familiar figure brushed my view. A butterfly layered perm, and a pair of brown eyes... Yikes, it's Caerus!
My head lowered the moment I noticed his presence, trying my best to get out of his business. "Oh, hey, Hajime!" I jolted. This can't be...
"What's wrong? Did something happened?" I shook my head into disagreement. He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes looking empty at me.
"I-I... I'm going now..." I awkwardly pointed at the classroom.
"Oh, is that so? Come by the cafe again, next time! And I won't serve you rainbow parfaits at morning!" He waved off, but my body felt disintegrated once I heard what he said. I'm doomed!
A shadowy figure cracked into the walls, a pair of eyes looking at me as if it's trying to eat me alive. "Hajime?" I felt the shiver as if it's crippling me. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared!
I fumble my words, trying my best to explain myself, "I-I ate it after a meal. Kise and I already had a m-meal!"
"Who are you taking to? I'm right here." Caerus pointed out. I forgot that they can't see them. They might see me as a hypocrite!
"Caerus, brother!" Another familiar face came out of the classroom door. Rizen.
"Hey, Rizen! Good morning." Caerus waved faintly.
I scanned beside Caerus. A familiar figure apppered before my eyes. He's Rizen's brother?!
"G-Good morning..." I awkwardly greet him. I didn't even notice he was there!
He replied with a nod, his face instilled and cold. A freezing sensation went through my entire system so sudden that I jolted.
"Are you okay, dude?" Rizen raised a brow.
"I-I'm fine! We should go inside, class is about to start!" I forcefully shoved him towards the room, frantically avoiding causing more turmoil.
Betty and Carol agreed about my idea of taking Fiona to school. They warned me about a spirit inhabiting a human body without a contract could cause harm, so I better be careful, or she'll end up killing me, even unintentionally.
I wanted to say the experience was otherworldly, and it is. Negatively weird, specifically. My hands, feet—even my entire body is cold. The good thing is I don't feel as cold as ice, but normally.
I couldn't start a fire in cookery classes, and the mixture would become frozen whenever I try to touch it! The fabrics on livelihood education hardened into ice that I have to ask Betty to secretly weave something for me.
Above all that, I suffered writing the most. I had to ask Carol to control the pen for me while pretending I was writing with my pen. But I can't back down to my promise and look pathetic!
"What's gotten into you?" I looked at the man beside me.
The orange hue of the setting sun brushes into his silky hair. His golden yellow eyes glistening in the shadows while his figure's silhouette covered mine.
"I'm good, just thinking about things, and all..."
"You can tell me." It sounded more of an order.
"What?" I titled my head, not from contusion, but from perplexity.
A sigh escaped his lips before looking at me once more, "Don't make me repeat myself."
What an eyesore personality he has...
"I'm pondering about Fiona's state. We can't leave her like that, it'll also affect us." He went quiet. I guess he caught on.
"Let's go check on Ayiesha first. I haven't seen her much these days." I changed the topic. I just wanted to go home late, or else I'll hear Betty complaining over and over about the rainbow parfait.
I took the initiative to walk before him. He seemed to be caught into his thoughts until now.
The convenience store near her home is left with a guy, and not her, so I went on towards her house. I have seen it once when Kise took her home, but I have never went inside before.
As I passed through the convenience store, I sudden chill ran down my spine, and the familiar cold sensation in my chest. This happened multiple times this morning, and when I checked my chest, ice was forming there.
I looked inside my clothes to notice the ice slowly growing, but eventually stopped. Faintly, I felt footsteps behind, and realized that Kise was already too far from me. I probably walked too fast. "Hurry and get here!" I signalled.
The house was that of a normal family's, one story, a small backyard and a wooden door with maintained clean knob that looked like it lived there for years. Across Ayiesha's house was a tattered wall and an old house that seemed to have someone still living despite the age.
The man there was probably on the same boat as me before I moved into Kise's. Though it looked old, the inside looked neat, the man was well-dressed and even waved hello at me.
I pondered for a few minutes. It'll be quite embarrassing to call for someone who's not quite close to me. What should I say? Is "Ayiesha here"? "Hello, is Ayiesha here"? It sounds kinda embarrassing!
As I reached out my hand, drawbacks and anxiety pulled be back, leaving time for Kise to do the work himself. He knocked three times and looked at the window, "Hello, is anyone home?"
The door creaked open with a faint smell of sourness in the air. Something is boiling based on the faint sound while a woman in her 40s came to greet us with perplexed look in her eyes. "Who is it?" She asked timidly.
I cowered my lips into a bite, "Is Ayiesha here? I head she hasn't been feeling well those days, so we came to check on her."
"Is that so? Well, please come in, if you don't mind!" Her mood shifted to enthusiasm. "If you need something, just call me, I'll go get our girl outside!"
"She has a nice personality," I brush off.
"Yeah." He nodded with mo further response.
I'm doing my best to keep this from being too awkward, you know! Just when I thought he could read the room...!
"You guys could've called me so I could prepare myself!" She rushed out, her hair still undone and eyes looked like the sun had just risen.
"Sorry for coming unannounced, we couldn't bring a gift from the abrupt visit." Kise explained, his charming smile plastered into his beautifully carved skin.
"What's your name?" Ayiesha's mother came into the conversation with a plate of homemade cookies. I can tell by glance.
"Nijiro Kise. I'm a year older than her. This is Muno Hajime, he's my assistant to my current job." I felt a part of my just clicked. I came here as a concerned friend, you know!
"Oh, so you might be Yesha's boyfriend!" She came into her own conclusion.
Panick splattered into Ayiesha's face while Kise went silent for a minute, "N-no, mom! It isn't like that!"
"Don't be too shy, I know you're at that age!" She brushed her off with a smile and gently waved into the air.
"Aunty, you must've mistaken, haha," Kise awkwardly laughed his way out.
"Th-that's right! We haven't known each other for that long! He's—He's... Ah! Yes, he's Hajime's boyfriend! They've been dating for a long time now!" The room went silent.
I know Ayiesha is trying to clear things up, but... We shouldn't have came here, I just ended up getting myself embarrassed in front of someone I just met...! What should I say!
"Yes, we've been together for six months now!" Kise grabbed my hand and fixed his face back to his carefree smile. This useless detective...!
"O-Oh, sorry about that, Hajime. Don't worry, aunty doesn't mind those stuff one bit! You can loosen up while you're in here!" She still smiled despite our layered lies.
I shot Ayiesha with a questioning look while she replied with a faint apology over and over. Kise, on the other hand, didn't seem much worried. Precisely, he's been more composed now. Being too much of a liar slapped confidence into his shameless existence. How envious.
"We didn't have much of people coming here, nor near us so mother was probably surprised that someone came to visit me, and guys, to be worse. Sorry." She apologized once more.
"N-No, it's fine, this wasn't planned at all, so we're likely at fault here. I never thought your mother would be surprised to see a man considering you have someone next door near your age, you know?" The two paused and stared at me.
"Who, again? We're the only house straight this block..." I passed with her reasoning. Then...that guy I saw...
"What kind of nonsense are you saying again, Yesha? Genny and you were close when you were younger, now you pretend you don't see and know him anymore. You even said yesterday that the vegetable soup he made yesterday was yummy." Her mother intervened with a glass of milk for three.
"Please don't trouble yourself too much, we're eating supper once we get home, anyway." Kise politely declined more cookies.
"That's weird... I don't remember playing with anyone. I only have my tattered horror doll named Jesca when I was a kid... And I'm the one who cooked the soup yesterday, right?" She whispered, enough for our ears to cover her intent.
"I'll try to dig out something from Chief Hanare, try to avoid contact with that person as much as possible. Honestly, I never saw anything in that place when I arrived..." He immersed himself into his thoughts one again.
We already have a problem with Fiona's state, and now this house across Ayiesha's that has a weird person living inside... I wonder how more worse it could become?
We better get this soon!
***