Chapter 10

"You can see me!"

"You can see me!"

The cry echoed through the bus like a death sentence.

Led by the skeletal reaper, every twisted spirit aboard shrieked and rushed toward Yotsuya Miko, their grotesque forms writhing in hunger.

Her body froze.

She couldn't scream.

She couldn't move.

She was paralyzed with fear.

Then—

"Hmph."

A cold snort cut through the chaos.

Ethan Kane hadn't lifted a finger.

But the monsters—one by one—stopped mid-air, as if struck by some invisible force. They cracked, splintered, and shattered into black ash, vanishing like dust.

Boom.

The skeletal monster was knocked back. Half its body crumbled into fragments—but it didn't vanish.

Instead, it howled in agony.

Ethan narrowed his eyes. "So… absorbing life force really does make you stronger."

He studied the creature with interest. Despite taking the brunt of his Conqueror's Haki, it had survived.

A first.

---

"No… this can't be…"

The skeleton's voice shook. "How can a human possess such power?"

Its eye sockets flared with green light.

"Wait. Are you… part of that organization?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you know something."

Now that was interesting.

He took a step forward. "Tell me everything. From the beginning."

---

"Ethan-san?"

Miko stared up at him, dazed.

She hadn't seen anything, but she'd definitely felt it.

And next to her, Yukino Yukinoshita stood in stunned silence.

What was he doing?

Talking to nothing?

If it had been just Ethan, she might've dismissed him as weird.

But Miko looked just as serious—just as shaken.

Now she didn't know what to think.

---

"I can't!" the skeleton shrieked. "According to the rules of the Bizarre World, we are forbidden to speak to humans!"

It trembled violently, as if afraid of something far worse than Ethan.

"Is that so?" Ethan sighed. "Then never mind."

His interest faded. He wasn't here for exposition.

Besides, the bus had just reached its stop.

"…Huh?"

The skeleton blinked. "Then… I'll leave?"

Ethan's eyes flared red.

"Genjutsu: Sharingan."

In an instant, the creature's movements froze, its mind shackled by illusion.

---

"Let's get off the bus," Ethan said calmly.

"Eh? Oh… okay…" Miko responded automatically, still clinging to his arm.

Her brain had barely caught up with what had just happened.

---

Yukino followed, eyes narrowed in confusion.

What is going on?

This didn't look like a prank.

And Miko… she was still holding Ethan's arm like he was her lifeline.

Is this… what love looks like?

She genuinely didn't know.

---

Miko glanced back one last time—and froze.

She saw the skeleton lift its scythe.

Then, without warning, it stabbed itself through the chest.

Its voice echoed through the empty air.

"Human! I am the bizarre!"

"You'll regret this!!!"

Bang.

It exploded into mist and vanished.

---

Miko stared, wide-eyed. "That was… incredible."

She turned to Ethan, her expression a mix of awe and relief.

"You really destroyed them all…"

She didn't even realize it, but her fear was gone. Her trust in him had solidified completely.

---

[Ding~]

[Yotsuya Miko's favorability has reached 75% (Close Friend)]

[+200 Points]

---

"It's just clearing out a few bugs," Ethan said casually.

Internally, he grinned.

Jackpot.

---

"Yotsuya-san," Yukino interjected, "were you in danger?"

She glanced between them, trying to piece it all together. From the outside, it looked like Miko had panicked and leapt into Ethan's arms during the ride—like a scene from a romance drama.

Miko waved her hands. "Uh, yes… but it's all okay now. Ethan-san helped me."

"Helped?" Yukino frowned. "He didn't do anything. He just stood there."

Her gaze slowly drifted to his face.

More specifically—his eyes.

"…Except those strange contacts…"

---

"Pretty cool, right?" Ethan said, tapping beneath one eye. "My Sharingan."

Yukino gave him a flat look.

"…Are you mocking me?"

"Sigh. Nobody believes you when you tell the truth these days."

---

"I believe you!" Miko piped up.

Ethan smirked. Yukino blinked in surprise.

"…Wait. You're serious?"

"You're saying he used that… 'Sharingan' to eliminate invisible monsters?" Yukino asked slowly.

"Eh?! How did you guess?!" Miko's eyes widened.

Yukino faltered. "I—wait—you're confirming it?!"

She'd only been joking. Now it was getting surreal.

---

"Miko, there's no need to bother with normal people," Ethan said with a wave.

"She's not one of us."

"You were clinging to me this morning, saying you wanted to be friends," Yukino snapped back.

Miko blinked again.

"…Were you really clinging to Yukinoshita-san?"

Her voice sounded a little too casual.

Ethan kept his expression neutral.

"I like making friends. But if someone's not interested, I don't force it."

That was the truth.

He'd tried this morning to reach out.

His real goal had been her treasure chest, of course.

But Yukino had shut him down immediately.

So?

He dropped it.

Simple.

---

Yukino bit her lip.

That… actually stung.

She'd assumed he was one of those guys—sent by her mother, maybe even obsessed with her like others had been.

She thought he'd chase her. Try to break down her walls.

Because everyone always did.

But now?

He'd just walked away.

Cut the cord.

No second tries.

And that…

That was new.

He was the first person to ever ask to be her friend without an ulterior motive.

The first person to walk away without pushing.

The first man who treated her cold silence like a final answer—and respected it.

---

And somehow, it made her feel…

Alone.

End of Chapter 10

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