Yuragi-sou

"Ghost? Do they really exist?" After hearing the word 'Ghost' that Smith said, he was pretty surprised.

"Sure, ghosts fall into the demi-human category. But only a few people can see them." More precisely, only a few people can see the form of a ghost entirely, and most people can only see a silhouette, sound, or apparition dimly.

"If you knew it was a ghost-type demi-human, why?"

"Haa... People still believe in supernatural things. The inn is also one of them. In addition, a girl's body was found floating in a hot spring bath. It made the impression of the inn even more terrifying."

Even though they have become a modern society, it is difficult for them to get rid of the fear that continues to exist. Smith understands that, but she also understands why people are afraid of the unseen. If they stayed at the inn, it would be scary to be haunted by mysterious shadows or voices every day.

"Ghosts, cursed spirits, or whatever, I don't care."

"Why?" She didn't understand what Kimihito was saying. Perhaps he intended to ignore their existence.

"Because I can only feel them."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't see anything supernatural at all, but I can feel it. It's like you can't see fire but can feel its heat and danger from it."

"Honestly, I don't understand myself either."

"So it's like that. Maybe the inn is the right place for you." She said with a smile, thinking that it suited him.

Supernatural beings have never haunted Kimihito. But as he had said earlier, he could feel the feeling of being seen by someone or when his intuition and instincts suddenly sensed danger.

It might sound strange that he trusted his intuition and instincts so much because a 'normal' person would use their brain to think logically. However, Kimihito lives by his standards, not other people's standards nor the standards of 'normal' society. He believed that there were no crazy people in the world except those whose brains were damaged by something.

***

"Bye-bye Onii-chan Onee-chan, see you later!"

After enjoying a meal at the Stile Cafe, they decided to head to the inn that Kimihito would choose to live in temporarily, or maybe not. He also did not know if he could find a house that he would later live in. But if he couldn't, then he would stay in the haunted inn a little longer.

Smith, who was driving, glanced at him. She then asked, "Are you sure? You don't want to live with me?"

"You still haven't given up?"

"My apartment may be small, but it fits two people."

"Sorry, but I refuse." He answered without thinking.

"If we live together, it will be easier to take care of things."

"I told you, I refused." The answer was refusal once again.

"Hmm... So you prefer a haunted inn over a house with a woman?" She was still confused about the choice Kimihito had made. It made perfect sense for him, a healthy man, to stay with her considering the many advantages he would get.

"It hasn't even been a day since I've been here, and you told me to sleep with you?"

"Fufufu~ After all, we already know each other and are quite close, so what's there to worry about?" She asked with a seductive tone and smile.

"I'm more worried about my future." Even though it seemed reasonable to live with her, he had good reasons not to live under the same roof or even to sleep in the same bed with her.

***

"Is this the place you said earlier?"

In front of Kimihito stands an inn building in a traditional Japanese style. He thought that the inn in front of him still looked great, making him less sure it was haunted. But before going there, they needed to climb the stairs first.

"It's true here. I've contacted the innkeeper of this place and even know her." She said that while walking to the inn with him.

When they saw the shape of the inn building, they regretted a little that such a good inn was so quiet just because there was a ghost in it. It was like all existing luxuries and comforts had become meaningless because of one thing alone.

"Smith, I wanted to ask this a long time ago..."

"Hm?"

"Why is there a mountain there?" He asked while pointing at some of the mountains around the inn.

If it were in the countryside, Kimihito wouldn't be curious, but he'd just been in a congested city. There was no way he would suddenly move to the rural. He also felt that the car trip with Smith didn't take long either.

"That's because we are entering the territory of the Tokyo Youkai faction." She replied casually, like it was a matter of course.

"Are we still alive?"

Kimihito was surprised by her answer. He Assumed that they had been transported to the world of spirits and celestial beings. He was just curious how they got to this point.

Smith, who saw his reaction, slightly laughed. "Don't worry. We're still alive right now."

"Then, is all this real?"

"Of course, there are many creatures that humans don't know about, and one of them can perform miracles like this. You don't have to worry. Just imagine it's like the second floor of Tokyo Prefecture."

It is true that today, there are still many types of creatures that are unknown to humans. In addition, the strength of each creature can also be said to be unique, like Dullahan, who stays alive even though the head is cut off from the body, or the Yuki Onna, who can create a chill around her.

"Second floor? What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that the entire Tokyo Prefecture is a house before we were on the first floor, and now we are on the second floor." Her words were explained as quickly as possible so that he could understand.

"This surprised me."

"Fufufu~ Don't worry. I'll teach you a lot."

"Well, I can't wait for it."

Kimihito also can't wait to learn everything because there is still so much unknown in this world. Since the publication of the demi-human race and the peace treaty with them, many things were still strange from a human's perspective, such as magic, supernatural powers, and many more.

Besides all that, he had no idea what would await him in the future, especially the system he had acquired. Starting from why he got the system and what its purpose is. However, he didn't feel anything wrong with the system.

After climbing the stairs, they could get a closer look at the inn building. Besides that, a little girl was seen sweeping the inn's courtyard. She has the appearance of a young 13-year old middle school human girl with boob-cut brown hair and abe-brown eyes.

"Ara? Smith-san and also, a guest? Please come inside."

Kimihito, who saw the girl's appearance, immediately looked at Smith while thinking, 'Now, a junior high school girl?'

Seeing his gaze, Smith knew what he was thinking and only chuckled at his reaction, knowing the truth. However, for some reason, she felt that Kimihito's luck with meeting Leli (legal loli) was relatively high, considering that Leli's existence was practically a rarity. Even less than half a day, he had already met 2 Leli.

Walking into the inn, they can see the traditional Japanese-style architecture with a calm and comfortable atmosphere. Making Kimihito think that the price offered is meager but has more facilities than that makes it completely unreasonable. In addition, this inn building still looks strong.

"Please, sit." They also sat on the floor chairs on the tatami mat.

"My name is Chitose Nakai, and I am Yuragi-sou innkeeper." Said the little girl named Chitose. It was hard to believe that she was an innkeeper.

Chitose was wearing an orange kimono, and she was also wearing a white apron with frayed edges on each end of the shoulders. In addition, she tied her body with a long red cloth around her stomach and wore a white cloth tied headgear.

"I was told by Smith-san before that someone would want to rent a room, was that you?" Chitose asked while looking at Kimihito with a gentle smile.

"I'm Kimihito Kurusu, and I will be renting a room here. So please take care of me in the future." He said while looking at Chitose.

Chitose, who saw Kimihito, was a little worried because she knew which room he would be staying in and what was in it. She also wanted the people living in the room to feel comfortable.

"Is it really okay Kurusu-san? I'm sure Smith-san already told you."

"It's fine, and just call me Kimihito because I might stay here for a long time." He answered casually.

"...Kimihito-san, you'll be in room number 4..I've taken care of everything beforehand so that it can be occupied immediately."

"I understand."

Kimihito wasn't sure what caused Yuragi-sou to be so fearful. However, after seeing Chitose, he was convinced that the ghost was harmless or maybe it was just a story to ruin the inn's reputation. Maybe Chitose had her reasons for letting it stay haunted, he thought.

"Since you've got a place to stay, I'll be back first. I'll bring the books you need to study here tomorrow, so don't worry."

"Thanks, Smith."

After that, Smith returned with his car, leaving Kimihito and Chitose still in the inn.