『Rina, that! Eh?』
Yuu looks at me and seems confused when he realizes I am glaring at him.
『Are you angry? Eh, did I do something?』
I let out a small sigh.
『Hey, can you see me?』
『Are you talking to me?』
『…』
The female ghost does not answer Yuu’s question and is probably looking at me. Because even though I have turned my back so our eyes do not meet, I strongly feel her gaze.
『Ri… You are ignoring me even though you are a ghost. If so, I will ignore you too!』
I glare at Yuu, who was about to call my name. This time, he realized what I was angry about and tried to cover it up. It was a terrible way to cover it up, though.
After thinking for a moment, I open the back door and take off my outdoor shoes.
『Huh? Eh?』
Yuu is confused by my actions. After glancing at Yuu, I close the back door.
『Wait! I want to meet those children! Please, let me meet them!』
I heard a despairing scream from the female ghost just as I closed the door. Ignoring all of that, I hold my outdoor shoes in my hand and return to my room.
Yuu passes through the wall and comes to my side, following me while peeking at my condition.
「Sigh, I failed. I did not expect ghosts to be this close」
I enter the room and lean my back against the door.
『Sorry. Did she notice Rina because I shouted in surprise?』
That is correct. But if I had not reacted to Yuu’s surprised voice, she would not have noticed.
「It is not only Yuu’s fault, so do not worry about it」
『Sorry. I wonder why? I end up saying what I think immediately. This never happened before』
I look at the depressed Yuu.
「It cannot be helped. Because you are a ghost」
『Eh? Because I am a ghost?』
Yuu looks at me curiously.
Huh? Did I not tell him?
「Sorry, it seems I forgot to mention it」
『What?』
「Ghosts are subject to restrictions imposed by the rules of the world they borrow vessels from. That restriction is rationality. Well, there are some who break that restriction. The reason Yuu says what he thinks is because he no longer has a vessel. It is not your fault」
Yuu’s condition is actually on the cuter side.
『Is that so? Hey, it will not get worse than this, right?』
At Yuu’s words, I hesitate whether to tell him that there are ghosts who completely lose their rationality and go mad.
『So there are cases where it gets worse』
My attitude gave it away.
「Yes. There are ghosts who lose all their rationality as time passes while they are trapped by their words」
In my original world, psychics would resolve their regrets before that happened, but I wonder how it is here?
『Lose rationality…』
I look at the anxious Yuu.
『Could I become like that too?』
「Yuu is different from the ghosts I know, so I do not know」
『Different?』
「Yes. Even now, you are worried that you might lose your rationality, right? But the ghosts I met did not worry about that」
『I see. But there is a possibility that I will change, right?』
When I look at Yuu, he has a depressed expression.
「You are the first existence like you, so I do not know either. But if you are careful, you will surely be fine」
『That is true. I just need to be careful』
「Yes, it will be fine」
Yuu nods several times and looks at me.
『I was really sorry earlier. I will be careful』
「Yes, please」
If Yuu starts to change, I will tell him properly.
『So, why did you return home? Was it not okay to negotiate with that ghost?』
Yuu looks toward where the female ghost is with a curious expression.
『It seemed she just wanted to meet those children』
「That is true. But where are those children? Are they alive now?」
『Eh?』
「If you negotiate and make a contract with only a little information, you can end up in serious trouble, so you must be careful」
『A little information?』
「Yes. If they have a regret of wanting to see someone, you must find out where that person is, whether they are alive, and above all, whether they are in a state to listen to my opinion」
How much rationality remains. This is quite important.
『How do you find that out?』
「You can tell by observing the ghost. If she is in a state where she can talk, she should be thinking about it now」
Whether she realized that I recognized her, and how to talk to her in that case.
『What if she is in a state where she cannot?』
「If she were in such a state, she would be rampaging around that spot, shouting angrily, instead of coming here」
But judging by her earlier behavior, she seemed to have enough rationality to listen.
Come to think of it, why is she in such a place? She should not be able to move from the place where she died.
『If she is in a state where she cannot talk, meaning a ghost whose rationality does not work, what will you do if she finds out you can see her?』
「That is the problem. What should I do in that case? Until now, there were people who helped me, ah」
『What is wrong?』
I touched Yuu. Which means, can I touch other ghosts too? If I can touch them, I can forcibly send my spiritual power into them to put them in a state where they can talk. But if my spiritual power is not strong enough, trying to touch them will reveal that I can see them.
Ah, if I knew what my spiritual power level was, I could act more boldly. But since there is no one to check it for me, I do not know.
『Rina?』
「It is nothing」
I will not think about unnecessary things and go observe that ghost again.
「Let us meet that ghost again. I think I can make a judgment then」
『Understood. If negotiation seems possible, you will do it, right?』
「Yes. If the person they want to see is far away, I will explain that it is impossible immediately. Also, I will clearly state that the person might already be dead」
I am nervous. Previously, because my spiritual power level was weak, I chose a life of avoiding ghosts. There were ghosts who forced themselves on me, but my family and relatives resolved them. Ah, what if the negotiation fails? No, do not think about it. Do not think about it.
「Yuu, can you check if there are people around? And tell me the result in a low voice」
『Understood』
I quietly go to the back door, take a deep breath, and open it. I do not do things like peeking at the ghost’s condition by opening the door slightly. If I did that, it would be completely obvious that I can see them.
『Ah』
While catching the female ghost who noticed me in the corner of my vision, I put on my outdoor shoes.
『It seems there is no one around』
The female ghost is staring at me intently, wondering if I can see her or not. She is thinking. And perhaps deciding that I cannot see her, she looks down with a depressed expression.
『…』
Yuu sends a sorrowful gaze to the female ghost. Then he looks at me as if appealing for something.
「Let’s go」
Seeing Yuu’s face brighten up instantly, my tension relaxes a little. As expected, I am glad Yuu is here.
When I approach the female ghost, she notices and lifts her head. She was crying.
I must not sympathize. I recall the words taught by my family who worked as psychics. 「As psychics, what we can do is limited. Therefore, you must draw a clear line. Because we can absolutely not bring them back to life」
「Nice to meet you, Miss Ghost」
『You can see me? Me—』
「Please wait. In exchange for granting your wish, please grant my wish」
『I will do anything! If I can meet those children. I want to see them one last time. I want to see them and confirm that they are healthy』
While listening to the female ghost’s cry, I look at the spot where her feet would be, although I cannot see her feet. There, a pendant shaped like a flower with a green gemstone had fallen.
『That is a family heirloom passed down through generations in my family. I cherished it because my mother gave it to me, but I lost it when I was killed』
『Killed? Whoa, really?』
When I glance at Yuu, he realizes and covers his mouth with his hand.
『But when I realized it, I was standing next to the pendant, and even though I tried to go meet those children, I could not move. I no longer knew what to do. Um, could you please deliver that pendant to those children? I wanted to give it to them myself, but…』
She was able to move from the place where she died due to the power of the heirloom passed down through generations and her strong desire to give it to those children. However, I do not know why it fell here.
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