A romantic comedy with a little ghost girl.

CHAPTER 9 - Preparations

"I really missed cooking! Being able to touch things again feels incredible!"

Noel is cooking while I write some notes in my notebook about my plan.

First, Noel will keep an eye on Iris, his ex-wife, and let me know when she leaves her house.

Second… Well, the rest is a secret to others; they don't need to know what I'll do, and I'll avoid writing it down to spare myself unnecessary trouble.

According to Noel, Sylphie had Noel's personality when she was a little girl, but the current Sylphie has her mother's personality. Spending time with Sylphie could help me better understand her mother while also helping her become more sociable, or at least improve her self-esteem.

Ah, helping two people at once just to get a ghost to help me study. Noel, you're so lucky that my current self wants to be normal and isn't forcing you to obey me using my power.

I really hope I don't regret this.

"I feel the stove's heat, the smell, even the taste. It really feels like I'm alive… I wish I could use it to hug—"

"Pity won't work," I said before he could finish.

"I'm not trying to convince you to do something you don't want; I respect your decision. Sorry, I'm so excited that even my thoughts slip out of my mouth on their own."

"Don't get mad at him, Saik. You should understand him," Yuki said.

"I'll try."

If the current Sylphie has her mother's personality, that means Noel never managed to change Iris… Or did he not try?

I glanced at Noel. He has a smile on his face while cooking. He seems innocent and kind, someone who'll surely go to paradise. I don't sense any malice in him; he has no negative energy. He didn't harm innocent people, much less do bad things like stealing. In short, a good person.

But really, did Sylphie's mother never change despite having Noel?

From what I understand, Sylphie's mother, when drunk, has a rude and somewhat violent personality, but not to the point of fighting anyone. But when she's sober, her personality is like a puppy just abandoned by its owners. A woman who only thinks about what she lost and cries. A woman who lives in sadness and pain, using alcohol to feel a little less awful.

She's always had the personality of the current Sylphie; Noel never managed to change her for the better, because if he had, she wouldn't have fallen into alcoholism.

The current Sylphie is very fearful, shy, and nervous, but she still has a bit of Noel in her, because she dared to reject a handsome guy, not letting social pressure control her. She said no, prioritizing her mother, even though her mother has hurt her so much. She still loves her and holds hope that she'll recover someday.

I've met people like Sylphie before, and most of them end up very badly.

Becoming the sex toys of certain people, or in the case of men, becoming the lackeys of "delinquent" guys, forced to do whatever they want, abused physically and psychologically. Some end up committing suicide because they can't endure that life anymore.

I never cared. Those delinquents feared me and never dared to try harming me, because they knew perfectly well that, unlike their victims, I'm capable of defending myself, even leaving them in bad shape. And since the delinquents didn't bother me, I didn't care what they did. As long as it didn't affect me, I didn't act.

But this time, I have to, because I promised Noel in exchange for his help. It's a relatively easy task compared to things I did in the past, but it's still difficult, because I've never done something like this.

And my only experiences with people like Sylphie ended badly. No one tried to genuinely help them. Some tried, mainly guys attempting to save shy girls so they'd fall for them, but they ended up beaten, and their attempts at help were useless. Everyone stopped getting involved with those girls out of fear of getting into trouble again. Those experiences are useless to me, because those idiots didn't achieve anything worthwhile.

Sylphie was bullied since Noel's death, but fortunately, no guy has taken advantage of that. I didn't sense Noel lying about his daughter being a virgin, both in terms of her body and her lips. Sylphie was lucky not to encounter any sicko… Or… Maybe…

"Noel, did Sylphie only suffer bullying? Never sexual harassment?"

He stopped moving, and I felt sadness in him.

So she did suffer it. Wow… This could complicate the plans a bit, but considering she's a virgin, not all is lost. That girl still has hope.

"I'd be lying if I said no, but yes, a few times they tried to forcibly kiss her, even grope her, thinking she wouldn't dare report them, but fortunately, she always managed to escape and report them. While I was alive, I had friends who were teachers at other schools, even principals, so…"

"Sylphie knew how to use the connections at her disposal to save herself, huh?" Yuki said, understanding the situation.

"Yes. They always ended up expelled. But Sylphie only reported those who tried to sexually harass her."

"Because it's harder to expel someone for bullying than for sexual harassment," I said, taking more notes.

"Exactly."

Sylphie has the mindset of a victim, but she doesn't sink so low as to let others take advantage of her to that extent.

If Sylphie learns to overcome her past, becoming someone better who can stand up to problems, she… She…

Wait… Saik, are you an idiot? Yes, I am.

My deal with Noel is to help his wife overcome alcoholism to become a better mother for Sylphie. Why did I conclude that I also have to help his daughter?

"Noel, our deal is to help your wife overcome alcoholism so she can be a better mother to Sylphie, right? Just want to confirm."

"Yes, that would be the foundation for my family's life to improve. I don't want to take advantage of you by asking for more than you're already giving."

Ah, good, that reduces the workload. Goodbye, Sylphie, I'm not interested in you. I'll only focus on helping your mother from now on.

It's nothing personal; I don't even know you, but I don't like helping people I don't know or who won't bring me any benefit. I'm no hero, and I'm not interested in being one.

I crossed out some things on the list. I'll only focus on Iris Yui, Noel's ex-wife.

Iris Yui. Sylphie Yui… Yui… What a strange last name.

"Saik, what exactly are you planning? You've only told us that Noel will keep watch."

"Yuki, you guys only need to know that part of the plan. I'll handle the rest."

"Oh, you've got a mysterious vibe. That's not fair; I want to know!"

Yuki started shaking me with her hands. Ah, I'm getting dizzy.

I deactivated her body, and her hands passed through me.

"Uwaaaah!"

She fell to the floor. Ah, wow. That fall was funny.

"No means no."

"Hmmph!"

… She's pouting, crossing her arms.

She's really adorable, and clever, because she knows that's my weakness. But sorry, Yuki, what I'm planning is something too low, even evil. I'd rather you not know.

I took a lollipop from my pocket and gave it to her.

"I've reactivated your body. Here."

"Thanks!"

She forgets her anger so quickly.

"Dinner's ready!" Noel said.

First phase of the plan: Get close to Iris.

Second phase: Development of issues.

Final phase: Become someone important to her.

Ah, I hope everything goes well. Mom, Dad, look at what I'm doing, risking my normal life to get a teacher's help, and I'm not forcing him to help me. Would you be proud of me for my big change?

Ah, I hope so.

We gathered at the table to eat. I never imagined I'd eat like this with… No… Forget your past, Saik… Forget your past.

"So… I just have to let you know when my wife leaves her house?"

Wife, wife, wife. Ah, Noel, don't make my job harder.

"Ex-wife. Legally, she's no longer your wife. A ghost can't have a human as a partner."

"Since I died, she hasn't dated anyone, so I still consider her my wife."

"Trust me, you need to let go of that."

"Huh? What are you trying to say?"

I have two reasons, but no need to tell him the first one.

"So you can go to paradise, you have to leave your life behind. There are serious consequences for ghosts who stay in this world too long."

"Uwaaaah! What'll happen to me, Saik?! How much time do I have left?! Will I die again?!" Yuki said, scared.

"Yuki, a ghost can't die, but their soul can be destroyed, which is worse than dying."

"My soul will be destroyed?!"

"After 10 years, ghosts start to change. They become more violent. They reach a point where they go mad and attack people."

"A-attack? How?" Noel said.

"They turn into real monsters. Unsolved murders. People disappearing without a trace. Most of those cases are caused by living humans, but they're also caused by ghosts."

"B-but… Ghosts can't touch or talk to living humans," Yuki said.

"They take control of people. I guess you know the cliché of ghosts possessing people's bodies and controlling them. It's something like that. When that happens, the humans they control become aggressive, stronger, and dangerous. They become something like demons. There are three types of control: Being controlled by a ghost, controlling the ghost, and fusion."

"Fusion?" Yuki said.

"The ghost and the human merge their souls and work together to control a single body."

"B-but… Something that strange wouldn't go unnoticed. Why wasn't anything known about it?" Noel said.

"There are secret organizations that exterminate ghosts. In every, literally every country, there's an organization… In every city. In every town. There are always people from those organizations exterminating ghosts. I guess that's why there aren't many ghosts here. There's someone from an organization, and a very active one, in my opinion. You two were lucky to be found by me. Those organizations handle exterminating ghosts, and if it's too late, they kill the infected humans. And if there are witnesses, regardless of gender, age, or social status, they're killed without leaving evidence."

"How do they do it? How do they kill ghosts?" Yuki said.

"Ah, well… Yuki, there are more people like me, with my ability to see ghosts. Most of them gain their abilities artificially. I think very few in the world are born with that power, and since there are possibly hundreds of thousands of ghosts in the world, maybe more, those organizations found a way to artificially give powers to their members."

"… Saik, are you part of that organization?" Noel said.

Yuki and he stared at me, and I just crossed my arms.

Be part of those useless people? No, thanks, I have some dignity.

"No. I'm not, and I never will be."

"And how do you know so much about it?"

Ah, I'd love to tell you the truth, Yuki, but I can't, sorry.

"Once, a ghost came into my house because he was hiding from one of those people. He was part of that organization but was killed by an infected person. He became a ghost and knew what awaited him, so he escaped because he wanted to see his family again. The organization didn't want to let him go, so he fled. He told me all this in exchange for helping him hide."

"Oh, I see. A secret organization… So cool! Though it doesn't seem like they're that good," Yuki said.

"Noel, you have to leave your old life behind. If you don't, you'll regret it. And it's not a threat; it's a reality. Clinging too much to this world is dangerous."

"Yes… After hearing that, I realized I'll become a danger if I stay here… I have to let go of my life."

"W-wait… Saik, Yuki's always with you! Will they kill me if they find me?!"

"Ghosts under my control can't be seen by others, no matter if they can see ghosts. You and Noel have my protection… But, Noel, my protection drains my energy. I can control one ghost without issues, but two, in the long term, will be a problem. You can't stay with me for long. I'll help you, you'll help me study, and then I'll remove my protection."

"… Can I stay with you for two or three months?"

"Yes. A year at most."

"That's more than enough time. Thank you so much," he said, smiling.

"Saik, what about me?"

I patted Yuki's head. You're a special case, Yuki, don't worry.

"You can stay with me forever. Ghosts under my protection don't turn into aggressive monsters. You'll be safe by my side."

"Yuki's happy!"

She jumped on me, kissed my cheek, and hugged me.

It's true I was never part of that organization, but that doesn't mean I didn't get involved with them.

After what happened with the "100 Legendary Ghosts," I left my past behind.