Chapter : 31 : The Mischievous Specter

"Aoi, are you alright?" I asked, my brows furrowing with concern.

Aoi blinked a few times, her expression blank before she finally nodded. "Yes… Senpai," she answered, her voice returning to normal.

I let out a sigh of relief. Whatever that strange moment was, it seemed to have passed.

Stepping closer, I wrapped my arms around her petite frame and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Thank God. For a second, I thought you got possessed by some ghost or something," I whispered.

Aoi stiffened in my hold. Or rather, the ghost inside her did.

A brief silence passed before she spoke again, her voice calm yet oddly detached. "It's alright. I'm fine, Senpai," she said, feigning warmth as she returned my hug.

I pulled away, unaware of the mischievous smirk curling on her lips.

"Let's clean now," she said, clapping her hands together.

"Okay," I replied with a smile.

---

We all got to work.

Hana grabbed a long broom, swiping at cobwebs on the walls.

Aisha took charge of sweeping the dusty wooden floor.

Mei used her strength to move the heavier furniture.

And Aoi… well, she just helped wherever she was needed.

Or at least, that's what we thought.

---

Hey, Author! Mind if I take over the narration for a bit?

Huh? Who the hell—?

Oh, come on. It's me! The ghost. The one making your precious little waifus suffer.

Wait, what?! You're the one haunting Aoi?!

Ding, ding! We have a winner. Now, if you don't mind, I'm hijacking the story.

I—I—hold on! That's not how this works!

Shut up, mortal. You're my slave now. Your wish is my command? No? Then be a good little scribe and stay quiet.

…This is harassment.

---

I observed them, my spectral presence floating just beyond their perception. How should I toy with them next?

Ah. There.

A heavy storage box sat on top of an old wooden cabinet. Right below it stood Hana, sweeping away with blissful ignorance.

A flick of my finger, and down it goes.

Let's see how their dear love will save her now.

The moment it slipped, gravity took over.

Ito's head snapped up. "Hana!" he yelled, and in a blur, he lunged forward, grabbing her just as the box came crashing down.

They tumbled onto the floor, with Ito landing on top of her.

I froze.

---

[SYSTEM ERROR!]

[WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED MOVEMENT DETECTED.]

[SUBJECT: KAGE ITO HAS PERFORMED AN ACTION BEYOND HUMAN LIMITS.]

[ANALYZING… ERROR. NO SUCH ABILITY EXISTS IN DATABASE.]

---

The hell? That was supposed to crush her! How did he move that fast?!

"Hey, Author! Explain this!"

Uh… Well… It's the power of love?

"…The power of what now?"

You heard me. Love! It gives him strength beyond reason!

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

Deal with it.

---

Meanwhile, Hana lay beneath Ito, wide-eyed, breath hitching.

Her heart pounded against her ribs—not from fear, but from the warmth of his body pressed against hers. His scent, his breath, the way his strong arms caged her in—it was intoxicating.

"Ito…" she whispered.

Then, without warning, she reached up, threading her fingers through his hair, and pulled him down into a kiss.

Ito's eyes widened in shock, but the moment their lips met, he melted into it.

Her lips were soft, warm, and tasted faintly of the strawberry candy she had earlier. He responded instinctively, deepening the kiss, his hand slipping behind her head.

The world blurred away.

Mei, standing just a few feet away, turned scarlet. "O-Onee-chan!"

Aisha giggled. "Well, I'd say everything's fine now."

Finally, Ito and Hana parted, their breaths heavy, eyes locked.

"I-Ito…" Hana whispered, her voice trembling.

Ito gently stroked her hair. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, dazed.

Ito stood, helping her up. They both glanced at the fallen box—filled with heavy objects.

"How did that even fall?" Mei asked, frowning.

Aisha folded her arms. "Who knows. Maybe it was the ghost."

Aoi—well, me—seized the opportunity.

"Senpai!" I cried, throwing myself at Ito and wrapping my arms around him. "Are you and Hana-senpai alright?!"

He patted my head, his warm hand sending shivers down Aoi's spine. "We're fine, Aoi."

---

"Not like I enjoyed that or anything."

Author: Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that.

"Oi, you wanna die?"

Author: Nope! I'm staying quiet now.

---

"I'm fine, Aoi-chan," Hana assured with a warm smile.

I pretended to be relieved. "I'm happy to hear that!"

Ito walked over, picked up the box effortlessly, and moved it to the corner. "Alright. Let's get back to work."

"Okay!"

---

But I wasn't done.

Next target: Mei.

She was carrying a table. With another flick of my fingers, I made her stumble.

Yes! My plan was—

Wait, what?

Before she could hit the ground, Ito appeared out of nowhere, catching her in his arms.

I gawked.

---

[SYSTEM ERROR!]

[WARNING: KAGE ITO HAS ONCE AGAIN PERFORMED AN IMPOSSIBLE ACTION.]

[ERROR. SYSTEM UNABLE TO COMPREHEND.]

---

WHAT IS THIS GUY?!

Mei clung to him, her face burning. His scent, his warmth—God, she could drown in it.

"Ito," she whispered, staring into his deep, unwavering gaze.

She licked her lips.

"Kiss me."

Ito's breath hitched. But he didn't hesitate. Slowly, gently, he leaned down, capturing her lips.

Unlike Hana's fiery kiss, Mei's was soft, hesitant, like a petal brushing against the wind. She let out a small whimper, tightening her grip on his shirt.

When they parted, she was breathless.

"Ito," she murmured, "I love you."

His fingers traced along her cheek. "I love you too, Mei."

"Ahem."

They turned to see Aisha, arms crossed.

"You're showering them with love… what about me?" she teased, stepping closer.

Ito swallowed.

Aisha placed a hand on his chest. "Nurses need love too, you know?"

His hands found her waist.

Slowly, he leaned in.

Her lips curved into a smirk just before they connected. Their kiss was slow, deep, and sensual. Aisha let out a soft sigh, melting against him.

I watched in sheer disbelief.

---

"WHY ARE THEY ALL KISSING AFTER EVERY DISASTER?!"

Author: Fan service!

"SHUT UP!"

---

The atmosphere inside Room No. 7 was getting heavier by the second. The flickering light overhead buzzed like an insect caught between life and death, and a cold wind—one that shouldn't have existed in this shut room—brushed against everyone's skin. Mei clung to Ito's arm, trembling.

"I-It's fine, right?" Mei's voice wavered as she cautiously peeked over Ito's shoulder. "There's no such thing as ghosts."

The moment she said that, I made the window on the far end of the room slammed shut on its own.

"EEEEK!" Mei and Hana shrieked in unison.

"Calm down." Ito sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It's probably just the wind."

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION!]

---

A bright red screen flashed before his eyes.

---

[ENTITY DETECTED: UNKNOWN PRESENCE INTERFERING WITH ENVIRONMENT]

[COMMENCING ANALYSIS… ERROR. DATA CORRUPTED.]

[WARNING: FOREIGN FORCE ATTEMPTING TO MANIPULATE REALITY.]

---

Ito blinked. "Huh?"

Then, chaos erupted.

---

Mei, in her panic, grabbed the nearest thing to defend herself—a feather duster. But before she could even process what was happening, it ripped out of her grip and began spinning in the air like a deadly propeller.

"WAAAH!" Mei screamed, ducking.

The duster shot towards her face.

In a swift motion, Ito stepped forward and caught it mid-air, spinning it once before dramatically placing it down on the table.

"Gotcha." He smirked.

The system, still glitching, displayed a reluctant message:

[+5 Affection: Ahane Mei]

Mei, still shaking, blushed. "T-Thank you…"

Ito leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"KYAAA!" Mei turned redder than a tomato.

Meanwhile, me, invisible to them, puffed my cheeks in frustration. "Tch. How did he do that?"

---

Hana, still trembling from the previous attack, cautiously sat down on a chair—only for it to suddenly start sliding backward on its own!

"EH!? EH!? EH!?" Hana flailed her arms as the chair sped across the room.

Ito reacted instantly, sprinting after her and grabbing the chair just in time before it could crash into the bookshelf.

Hans's eyes shimmered with relief as she looked up at him.

"Don't worry, I got you." Ito smiled.

Hana's face turned bright red as she avoided his gaze.

[+5 Affection: Ahane Hana]

Ito leaned in and planted a light kiss on her cheek.

"KYAAAA!!!"

Meanwhile, I twitched in irritation. "Again!? AGAIN!?"

---

Aisha, being the only one trying to maintain her composure, picked up a mop and started cleaning.

"Honestly, I doubt it's a ghost. It's probably just—"

The mop snapped upright, balancing perfectly on its own, before lunging toward her face.

Aisha narrowed her eyes. "Oh, so that's how it is."

She calmly stepped aside, but the mop still chased after her.

"Tch." Aisha clicked her tongue. Just as it was about to hit her—

Ito grabbed the mop with one hand and yanked it away.

Aisha turned to him with an impressed smirk. "Nice reflexes."

[+5 Affection: Shizuki Aisha]

Ito leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

Aisha grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You really like stealing kisses, huh?"

I started fuming. "WHY!? WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN!?"

---

I am burning with frustration.

Aoi's body stiffened, her expression going blank for a second.

I lifted her leg and stomped it down in anger.

BAD IDEA.

Her possessed body slipped.

"Ah."

Ito immediately caught me before I hit the ground.

Aoi's body went limp in his arms.

Ito leaned and kissed me, and I was forcefully ejected from her body.

For the first time, everyone saw me.

A semi-transparent girl with pink hair and pink eyes floated in the air, my face completely red.

Aoi, no longer possessed, blinked weakly. Then—

She fainted.

Ito held her close, lowering her gently.

Mei, still terrified, latched onto Ito's arm.

Hana and Aisha followed suit.

All the girls stood behind Ito, clinging to him for protection.

I, however, was not threatening them anymore.

Instead, I was pouting, eyes shut tight, crying comically like a child.

"WAAAAAHHHH!!! WHY DO YOU KISS EVERYONE ALL THE TIME!?"

My face was bright red as I complained. "It's not fair! I just wanted to scare them a little! Why does it always turn into romance!?"

Slowly, I stopped crying.

Then—I opened my eyes.

My gaze met Ito's.

A spark flashed between us.

Like an electric current running through our souls.

---

My thought echoed in my head:

"Is this… my new soulmate!?"

---

END OF CHAPTER : 31 : THE MISCHIEVOUS SPECTER