CH:06 "I SAID NO!!!"

Ding dongRyo pressed the doorbell for the second time, but there was still no response from inside the house. His fingers trembled as he reached for the button again—"You little nuisance! Who the hell is disturbing me!?""Eeek!" Ryo yelped in fear as the door suddenly swung open, revealing a middle-aged woman wearing an apron and holding a ladle like a weapon. Her short, curly hair was unkempt, dark circles shadowed her sunken cheeks, and her glare could probably turn a man to stone."A-a… d-does… um, does—" Ryo stammered, suddenly realizing he had no idea what Akito's mother's name was. Panicked, he shot a desperate look at Akito, silently begging for help."Fumiko Kobayashi," Akito answered, his gaze fixed on his mother with a mix of hesitation and concern."Ehm… Fumiko Kobayashi?" Ryo swallowed hard. He wasn't sure why, but Akito's mom seemed way scarier than the ghosts he had seen before. After all, they say the living are far more terrifying because they can actually hurt you—and Fumiko was holding a potentially lethal ladle."What do you want from me?" Fumiko asked, one hand on her hip, making no effort to step past the threshold of her home. She simply stood there, watching them like a hawk."Ahm… Your son, Akito, would like to speak with you. I'm here as a—"BAM!!!Something hard smacked Ryo square in the forehead."Aaarrghh! What the hell?!" He yelped, clutching his head in pain. Fumiko's ladle had flown at him with precision, hitting him before he could even react. He swore he could already feel a lump forming."Are you messing with me? Are you disrespecting my son, or do you just have no idea what you're saying? Hah! You little brat!"Fumiko didn't even let Ryo finish his sentence. Then again, maybe his approach was all wrong from the start—socializing was definitely not his strong suit."W-wait! I'm a medium! I can communicate with the dead! And if you just listen to me, I can prove to you that Akito-san is right here with me!" Ryo explained, his knees trembling like jelly.Fumiko seemed to calm down slightly, but the deep crease on her forehead remained. She stepped closer to the gate, eyeing Ryo suspiciously."You think I'd believe that nonsense? Have you lost your mind? Don't you dare drag my son into your scam," she snapped, scoffing as she picked up her ladle and turned to head back inside."Tell her she has a crush on Ken Watanabe!" Akito groaned, feeling even more depressed by how things were unfolding."Ken Watanabe! You have a crush on Ken Watanabe!" Ryo blurted out, loud enough to make Fumiko freeze mid-step."Tell her it's because he looked like Dad when he was younger," Akito added. He refused to give up on his mother—he knew she'd react to that because it was a secret only the two of them shared."Akito said you like Ken Watanabe because he looks like your husband—his father—when he was younger," Ryo added, watching closely for Fumiko's reaction.Even Ayame had fallen silent, too nervous to speak. The flying ladle and the eerie aura radiating from Akito's house were more than enough to make her nervous."Fine. I'll listen to you," Fumiko said at last. "But if I find out you're lying to me, I'm calling the cops on you, kid." She marched back to the gate and swung it open for Ryo.The moment Ryo stepped inside, an intense chill ran down his spine. His palms turned cold, and sweat beaded on his forehead."I… I can't enter, Ryo," Akito murmured."Me neither. There's something blocking us," Ayame added, her voice laced with unease.Without hesitation, Ryo pulled out several talismans he had personally blessed by a monk at a nearby shrine. He grabbed a yellow one, pressed it against his chest, and instantly, a shimmering, circular barrier formed around him—about two arm spans wide."You can enter this shield, but the moment you step out, you'll either get thrown out of the house or… completely disappear," Ryo warned them.Fumiko, meanwhile, watched him with furrowed brows. From her perspective, Ryo was just standing there, talking to himself.With cautious steps, they made their way inside. The house was nothing like the warm, welcoming home in Akito's memories. It was dark, cluttered, and thick with dust, the air heavy with neglect. Insects scurried into the shadows as they moved, making the place feel even more abandoned."Sit there. I need to turn off the stove," Fumiko instructed before disappearing into the kitchen.Left alone, Ryo lowered himself onto the tatami mat in front of a low table, facing an old television. While the three of them waited, Ryo couldn't help but let his gaze wander to the ceiling. It was rotting, stained with watermarks, yet strangely intact—no visible holes, no leaks. The air around them felt different, too, thick and heavy, as if it resisted being breathed in.His heart pounded as he took in his surroundings, knowing that whatever was lurking in this house… was watching him, too."Alright, speak. Prove to me that my son is really here with you," Fumiko said, settling onto the floor across from Ryo. One leg was propped up, and she fixed him with a sharp, scrutinizing stare.Akito froze. Where the hell was he supposed to start? One wrong word and his mom might go full rage mode. There were a lot of things left unresolved between them before he died, and if he screwed this up, he might just make things worse.Ayame, noticing his hesitation, gently took his hand."You got this. We're here to help you say everything you didn't get to before," she said with an encouraging smile.Akito sighed. That did help… a little. Even Ryo, who had been mentally preparing his own funeral ever since stepping into this house, felt a tiny bit braver.Akito took a deep breath and, despite looking like a ghost having an existential crisis (which, technically, he was), he forced himself to say what had been sitting in his chest for the past year."Tell her I'm worried about her. She's changed… and she doesn't look happy," Akito said, still looking depressed.Ryo gulped. He had to translate that carefully if he wanted to keep his forehead free of another ladle attack."Ahm… Akito says he hasn't been able to move on to the afterlife for a year now because he keeps seeing you sad. He's worried about you… and he says you've changed," Ryo conveyed.This was the exhausting part of his job—being a translator for the dead. Normally, he'd just let the ghost possess him for a minute to communicate directly with their loved ones. But here, in this house, he couldn't risk it. Something about this place felt… wrong. There was an unsettling presence lurking in the air, and he knew better than to let his guard down."I can't be happy. How could I, when my only child is gone?" Fumiko said, her voice laced with quiet sorrow. She noticed Ryo glancing beside her, his eyes flickering toward empty space."Is Akito… right next to me? Is he really here?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.Ryo nodded.Fumiko clenched her fists, gripping them tightly as she fought back the tears threatening to spill. She had promised herself that the last time she would cry was the day Akito died."Akito… my son?" she called out, her voice wavering. But without the ability to see or sense spirits, she was met with only silence."Please… if you're really here, can I see you? Can I hold you, even just for a moment?" Her hands trembled, her once sharp and intimidating demeanor beginning to crack.Ryo and Ayame couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sympathy for the mother and son. Even Ryo, who hadn't seen his own mother in years, felt a sting of longing in his chest.Without hesitation, Ryo reached for his talismans again—this time pulling out a blue one. These were expensive, so he'd have to charge Akito double later."Akito-san, hold on to me. This will let Fumiko-san see you," Ryo instructed.Akito nodded and placed a hand on Ryo's shoulder.A shimmering blue aura flowed through Akito's body, making his form flicker into visibility. Though still translucent, he was now clear enough for Fumiko to see.Fumiko shot to her feet, her hands trembling as she reached for her son's face, but no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't touch him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mirroring the ones welling up in Akito's eyes. After a year apart, they were finally face-to-face again."Akito… my son… Ahh! I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," Fumiko sobbed, her voice breaking as she desperately tried to grasp him, only for her fingers to pass through empty air."Okaa-san… I'm sorry, too," Akito whispered. "I just want you to know that everything will be okay. Please, let go of the anger inside you… Stop blaming yourself."As the golden hour light streamed through the window, Akito's features became clearer. For the first time in a year, Fumiko saw the face she had burned into her memory—the son she had lost too soon.Before the tragic incident that took Akito's life, mother and son had a terrible fight. It was the first time Akito had ever snapped at Fumiko, and in that heated moment, she had slapped him.The next day, at school, Akito tried to stop a thief who had grabbed a bag from someone outside the campus gates. But the man was armed. In a blink, the blade was driven into Akito's side.The wound was deep. He never made it to the hospital alive. He was pronounced dead on arrival.And just like that, the fight between mother and son was never resolved.Fumiko blamed herself for everything. She was already a widow, and now, her only child was gone, too. She was completely alone. Anger consumed her—anger at the world, at fate, and at the God who had taken everything from her. Hatred filled the void in her heart, suffocating her in its grip."I'm sorry, Okaa-san… I wanted to tell you so badly that. I was a disrespectful son… I'm sorry…" Akito sobbed, his head bowed, letting his tears fall—tears that vanished as soon as they touched the floor."No… I should be the one apologizing, my son," Fumiko murmured, her voice trembling. "Even in the afterlife, I'm still making you worry. I'm sorry I couldn't let go of you… The weight of your loss is just too much. I couldn't accept it."As those words left her lips, the heavy, suffocating atmosphere in the house began to lift. The dim, oppressive air that had clung to the walls for so long seemed to dissolve, and even Fumiko's aura shifted, no longer drowning in sorrow."I forgive you, Okaa-san. I just hope you can forgive me, too," Akito said softly. "I want you to be happy."Fumiko looked at him, ready to respond, to finally let go—but before she could, a piercing scream shattered the moment."AAAAAH!!! NO! NO! NO! NO!"The voice of a woman echoed through the house, bouncing off the walls in a deafening loop.Then, the ceiling trembled. The dark water stains seeping into the wood above them began to move—twisting, stretching, shifting—until they formed the grotesque face of a weeping woman.Jagged, sharp teeth.Hair so long it slithered across the walls like creeping shadows.And pitch-black eyes, wide and furious, staring straight at them."I SAID NO!!!"