Chapter 2 - We Actually Did It?!

Still catching their breath after their insane ghost encounter, Sora, Ash, and Li huddled together as Li shakily pulled out his phone. 

After a few seconds, the contractor picked up. "What now? I already told you where to go."

Li gulped. "Uh… yeah, about that. We already did it." Then, a sharp laugh. "Hah! Yeah, right. Listen, kid, I don't have time for jokes—"

Sora snatched the phone. "No, seriously, we got the photo. Li almost peed himself taking it."

Li glared. "Excuse me?! I was the only one who held it together!" Ash muttered, "Bro, your hands were shaking so bad I thought you were summoning something." Ignoring them, Sora quickly sent the photo. A moment later, they heard a loud crash from the contractor's end of the call.

The contractor mumbled something incoherent before clearing his throat. "Alright, listen. The photo's a bit blurry, but I can see the ghost clearly enough. I'll pay you 100 bucks for it." 

Sora fist-pumped. "Let's go! Easy money!" Li, still cautious, asked, "So, uh… where do we send our details?" The contractor grumbled, "Just text me your payment info. You kids are either the luckiest idiots I've ever met… or cursed." 

Sora grinned. "Either way, we're getting paid, right?" The contractor sighed. "Yeah, yeah. 100 bucks. Don't go dying before you can spend it." Click. The call ended. 

Li blinked. "…Wait, does this mean we're officially ghost hunters now?" Sora smirked. "Duh. And we're about to have a feast tonight."

Ash's stomach growled. "…Bro, we're still gonna be broke after this." 

The three stared at each other. Then, in unison—

"WORTH IT."

Not long after, they got the payment notification. [Payment received: $100]

Sora grinned. "Alright, where are we eating?" Li didn't hesitate. "Barbecue." Ash raised his hands. "Say less."

At a small, smoky barbecue joint, the three sat around a sizzling grill, stuffing themselves with skewers of juicy meat. "Man, I forgot what real food tastes like," Ash groaned, nearly tearing up.

"Yeah, who knew risking our lives would actually pay off?" Li muttered, grabbing another skewer. Sora, happily chewing, smirked. "Ghost hunting might not be so bad after all." 

Ash gave him a deadpan stare. "Bro, we screamed and ran for our lives." Li nodded. "I was shaking so bad I almost dropped my phone." 

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, but we got paid."The three went silent for a moment, reflecting on their near-death experience. Then, at the same time, they raised their skewers and clinked them together. "To easy money!"

Stuffed and satisfied, they walked home under the dim glow of the streetlights, their wallets lighter but their stomachs full. Li sighed. "Well, back to being broke." Ash nodded. "At least we're broke with full stomachs." 

Sora stretched, looking up at the night sky. "Hey, if we ever need more cash… we could always take another job." Li groaned. "You're insane."Ash shivered. "Please, no more ghosts for a while."

And with that, the three walked off into the night, completely unaware that their ghost hunting adventures were only just beginning.

As they walked home, still full from their barbecue feast, Li's phone suddenly buzzed. 

He pulled it out, checked the screen, and groaned. "it's the contractor." Sora raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he sent us a tip?"

With a sigh, Li answered the call. "Hello?"

The contractor's gruff voice came through the speaker. "Kid, I know you just got your payment, but listen… I got another job for you." Li frowned. "Another ghost photo?" 

"No."

Li blinked. "…Then what?" The contractor took a deep breath. "You guys wanna exorcise a ghost?" Li stopped walking. "…HUUUHHH?!" 

Sora and Ash turned to him in confusion. "How the hell are we supposed to exorcise a ghost?! We barely survived taking a picture of one!" Li shouted into the phone.

Sora immediately perked up. "Wait, we're doing exorcisms now? That sounds fun." Ash smacked him. "No, it doesn't."

The contractor sighed. "Relax, you won't be going in blind. I'll hook you up with some cursed items." Li pinched the bridge of his nose. "That doesn't make this sound any safer." 

The contractor chuckled. "Look, just think about it. Pays way better than the photo gig." 

Li hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he asked, "…How much are we talking?" The contractor smirked through the phone. "$500."

Li took a deep breath, clutched his phone tightly, and with the most serious expression he had ever worn in his life, he said:

"Deal."

Ash and Sora cheered, already dreaming of all the food they could buy.

Then, Ash suddenly paused. "Wait. We still don't know how to exorcise a ghost." 

sora shrugged. "Eh, we'll figure it out." Li gulped. "We better… or else we'll become ghosts ourselves." 

The contractor chuckled. "Great. I'll leave the items for you tomorrow night at the hospital. Hope you have great success." Li felt a chill down his spine. "…Wait, why does that sound like we're being sent to our deaths?" 

Click. The call ended.

Sora stretched his arms. "Well, looks like we're going back to the haunted hospital." Li groaned, rubbing his temples. "I swear, we're either gonna get rich or get killed." 

Ash patted him on the back. "Hopefully, in that order." Sora grinned. "Either way, we're committed now." 

The next day passed like a blur. They attended school, barely paying attention, too busy stressing over the insane job they had agreed to. 

Then, as midnight approached, the three found themselves once again standing in front of the abandoned hospital.

"Why do I feel like this is a terrible idea?" Ash muttered. Li sighed. "Because it is a terrible idea."

Sora, completely unbothered, clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's grab our stuff." Sitting right in front of the hospital entrance was a small, worn-out cardboard box.

Li cautiously opened it, revealing a few items inside. The first thing he pulled out was a strange-looking handheld device with a single blinking light. A note was attached to it.

"Turn this on. It'll warn you when the ghost is near."

Ash flicked the switch, and the device let out a soft beep.

"Huh. Simple enough." Sora reached into the box and pulled out another item a pair of old, tattered gloves.

Li raised an eyebrow. "Gloves?" As he lifted them up, a small folded note slipped out and fluttered to the ground. He picked it up and read it aloud.

"This is our only item that can damage a ghost for now. Sorry." Then—

"YOU WANT US TO THROW HANDS WITH A GHOST?!" Li shouted, his voice echoing through the empty hospital grounds. 

Sora examined the gloves with an interested look. "Huh… ghost-punching gloves. That mean i can touch ghost baddie?!"

Ash paled. "N-Not neat! That means the ghost can actually fight back! I don't want to get beat up by a ghost!" 

Li threw his hands up. "FOR 500 BUCKS, THEY COULD'VE GIVEN US A HOLY SWORD OR SOMETHING! NOT A PAIR OF CHEAP GYM GLOVES!"

Sora smirked. "Look at it this way… it means we can actually win a fight against a ghost." Li groaned. "That's assuming we don't die first." Ash looked at the abandoned hospital entrance, shivering. "I suddenly miss taking photos."

Li sighed, slipping the gloves on reluctantly. "Well… no turning back now." Sora grinned. "Let's go punch a ghost."

Li adjusted the gloves on his hands, still grumbling. "I can't believe this. Of all things, we get gloves." Ash, holding the handheld device, kept his eyes locked on the blinking light. "Well, at least we know when the ghost is near… kinda." 

Sora? He was just happily carrying a flashlight, humming to himself like they weren't about to go fight a freaking ghost. Li shot him a look. "Are you seriously this calm?" 

Sora grinned. "Of course! This is fun." Ash groaned. "We're about to fight a ghost with our fists, Sora." "Exactly!" Sora beamed. "When else would we get to do this?"

Li pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear, if we die, I'm haunting you first."

With a deep breath, the three stepped forward, pushing the creaky hospital doors open once again. The cold air rushed past them, and the eerie silence of the building greeted them.

As they wandered through the same rooms they had checked before, frustration began to settle i 

"Seriously? Nothing? Again?" Li muttered, glancing around the empty hallways.

Ash checked the handheld device, but the light wasn't blinking much. "Yeah… Either the ghost isn't here, or it's really good at hiding." Sora sighed dramatically. "Well… there's only one place left." 

The three of them slowly turned their heads toward the staircase leading up. 

The rooftop.

A heavy silence settled between them. Ash sighed. "Chat… It's the last place. Li, get ready to box up." 

Li flexed his fingers in the ghost-punching gloves, trying to hype himself up. "Yeah, yeah… Let's just get this over with." Sora smirked and elbowed him. "Li, if you're scared, just let me use the gloves."

Li shot him a glare. "You just wanna touch the ghost girl."

Sora didn't even deny it. "And?" Ash facepalmed. "Can we please focus on NOT dying first?"

As they pushed open the rooftop door, the cold night air rushed past them. And there it was. The ghost.

The same ghost girl they had encountered before. She stood at the edge of the rooftop, her long hair flowing unnaturally in the wind. Her back was turned to them, but the second the door creaked open—

She moved. Slowly, her head twisted, turning far more than any human neck should allow. Her hollow, dark eyes locked onto them. Li swallowed hard. "Damn. There goes my appetite." 

Ash's hand trembled as he gripped the handheld device, which was now blinking like crazy. "O-Okay, she's definitely here." 

Sora, completely unfazed, took a step forward. "Yo! Remember me?"

The ghost girl tilted her head. Then— She started floating toward them. 

"OH CRAP, SHE'S COMING!!" Ash yelled, taking a step back. "WHY IS SHE FLOATING?!" Li shouted, his voice cracking. 

Sora, instead of running, was just staring in awe. "Man… she's kinda pretty." Ash smacked him. "NOT THE TIME, SORA!!" 

The ghost girl got closer, her hollow eyes staring right through them. "RUN!!" Li turned on his heel and bolted. Ash followed immediately, screaming as he nearly tripped over his own feet. "WHY DID WE AGREE TO THIS?!"

Sora, despite his fascination, quickly realized they were all sprinting for their lives. "Wait—why are we running?!"

Ash panted. "BECAUSE IT'S A GHOST, YOU IDIOT!!" Sora groaned. "LI, YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE GHOST-PUNCHING GLOVES! HIT HER!! SOFTLY "

Li, mid-sprint, suddenly skidded to a stop. "…Oh yeah." Ash crashed into his back. "YOU FORGOT?!" 

The ghost girl floated closer, her face distorting into something unnatural. Li took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and forced himself to stand his ground. "Alright… Let's see if these gloves actually work."

As terrified as Li was, he forced himself to move. "Screw it—HERE GOES NOTHING!!" 

He clenched his fists and rushed toward the ghost, dodging as she suddenly lashed out with an eerie, clawed hand. He barely ducked in time, feeling a chill rush past his head. With all the courage he could muster, he swung his fist. 

The moment his punch connected, the ghost was sent flying backward. The ghost, now hovering a few feet away, had a very clear look of confusion on her face. Her hollow eyes blinked, as if trying to process what had just happened. 

Li, breathing heavily, also looked confused. Ash and Sora? Confused. All three of them stood there, question marks practically floating above their heads. 

Li, breathing heavily, stared at his own fist in shock.

"Wait… I actually hit her?"

Ash blinked. "Wait… YOU actually hit her??"

Sora grinned. "DUDE, THE GLOVES WORK!!"

All three of them processed this for a moment, then turned to look at the ghost girl. She slowly floated back up, her head tilting unnaturally. Even she looked confused. 

Li gulped. "Okay… uh… I think I just made her mad."

As the ghost lunged at Li, he immediately turned tail and ran. "NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, I'M OUT—"

Meanwhile, Sora stood his ground, cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling— 

"HEY! GHOST BADDIE, WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?!" 

Everything stopped. Li and Ash skidded to a halt, whipping their heads around to stare at Sora like he had just lost his mind. 

"…Did you seriously just say that?" Li asked, his voice flat.

"…Are you out of your damn mind?" Ash added.

Even the ghost girl, mid-chase, paused and turned to look at Sora, her hollow eyes filled with pure confusion. For a solid few seconds, everyone just stood there, processing what had just come out of Sora's mouth. Sora, completely unfazed, flashed a grin. "What? She's kinda cute."

Seeing the ghost momentarily distracted by Sora's wild flirting attempt, Li's brain clicked. "OH—THIS IS MY CHANCE!!"

Without wasting a second, he charged forward and swung his fist straight into the ghost's head. The ghost lurched backward from the impact, her expression snapping from confusion to shock.

Li didn't stop. With pure desperation (and a little bit of panic), he unleashed a flurry of punches.

Each hit landed clean, the ghost jerking back with every blow. "HIT HER AGAIN!!" Ash yelled. 

"WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE PUNCHING?!" Li shouted back, still swinging. Then, on his final punch, Li felt something inside the ghost's body crack. A strange shattering sound echoed through the rooftop as a glowing fragment burst from the ghost's chest—then shattered into dust.

For a brief moment, she almost looked… relieved. Then, her form flickered, growing fainter and fainter—until she completely vanished.

Li stood there, fists still raised, breathing heavily.

Ash and Sora stared at the empty space where the ghost once was.

Sora casually put his hands in his pockets. "…So, is that a no on the date?"

Li threw a punch at Sora instead.