Chapter 46: The Ghastly Spirit with a Truly Horrifying Appearance

Miura Yumiko didn't notice the subtle exchange between Ebina Hina and Yui Yuigahama at all. In her subconscious mind, she simply didn't believe that her two little sidekicks would ever dare to set her up together. At this moment, her eyes were fixed on Ebina Hina's phone, her expression serious as she pondered how to arrange her time this afternoon. . . . "Are you okay?" Unlike Yuigahama, who was still cautious of Miura's opinion, Kawasaki Saki—who was also considered a loner in the class—walked directly up to Hikigaya Hachiman to ask about his situation upon seeing him return. Hearing her question, Hikigaya recalled the events from earlier and couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth. Still, he assured her he was completely fine. "Is that so? Then I'm relieved..." After hearing his answer and giving him a once-over without noticing anything out of the ordinary, Kawasaki Saki let out a sigh of relief. If Hachiman had actually been punished by Hiratsuka-sensei because of her, she wouldn't have known how to make it up to him. "Ah, right. There's something I want to ask you to help with." Seeing Kawasaki reminded Hikigaya of the matter of distributing the 25 million yen. Because he wasn't up-to-date on TV or internet news, he was worried he might have missed something important. Since Kawasaki happened to be around, he decided to ask her to help compile a list of the victims' families. "No problem." She agreed without hesitation, her eyes showing admiration as she looked at Hachiman. To receive a huge sum of money and still willingly give away the majority of it to others—just that alone put Hikigaya leagues above most so-called "good people" in society. Soon, the bell rang for class to begin again. Kawasaki returned to her seat. Meanwhile, thanks to Ebina's distraction, Miura had forgotten all about wanting to talk to Hachiman. . . . ...This is bad... That was the only thought in Yotsuya Miko's mind when she saw a hand suddenly extend from the desk of her neighbor, Hana Yurikawa. She hadn't seen any ghosts in school for three days straight, and while listening to lectures at her desk, she had almost convinced herself such things didn't exist. But now, this pitch-black arm had shattered her blissful denial in an instant. I have to find him right away... The moment she saw the ghost, the first image that flashed through her mind was Hikigaya Hachiman's unique face. As long as she was near him, she and Hana would be safe. That was Yotsuya Miko's most sincere belief in that moment. "What's wrong, Miko? You've been staring at me..." Yurikawa Hana was listening attentively to the teacher when she suddenly felt a burning gaze from beside her. She turned to see her friend Miko staring at her intently. Instantly, she put on a bashful, melodramatic expression, acting as if she were locked in a romantic gaze with her beloved. Yotsuya Miko: ...... "You know why, don't you?!" Resisting the urge to strangle her friend, Yotsuya growled in a low voice. "Okay, okay, sorry~ I just thought you looked super tense, so I wanted to lighten the mood with a little joke..." Hana pouted cutely. Then, excitedly, she leaned in. "So, where is the ghost now?" There's no saving this girl... Miko muttered internally. She then pointed to Hana's desk. In that instant, the spirit—which had only been reaching out with one hand to test the waters—suddenly emerged completely from the desk. It was a ghastly thing made entirely of countless arms twisted together. The sight made Miko's stomach churn. But she reminded herself: ghosts couldn't attack during the day. And if she pretended not to see it, the spirit would probably leave on its own. So even though Hana was now being wrapped in dozens of ghostly arms, Miko wasn't particularly worried. If something really went wrong, she could just grab Hana and run straight to Hachiman. "Eh, is it really on me?" Thanks to Miko's cue, Hana now realized that the ghost was not only nearby—it might already be trying to possess her. Still, as Miko had taught her, she carried on pretending nothing was wrong and continued chatting calmly. "Have they noticed me?" The ghost, made entirely of arms, had heard their exchange and assumed it had been spotted. So it emerged fully, hoping to possess one of them and deal with them once night or cloudy weather arrived. People who could see ghosts were a huge threat—best to eliminate them early. But then, hearing Hana's nonchalant tone, the ghost hesitated. As a mid-level spirit that had only just regained some intelligence after existing in chaos, it couldn't tell if Hana was bluffing or sincere. It tried its usual trick—judging expressions—but both girls were expressionless. It had twisted its form into its most grotesque version, flaunting itself in front of them, but still, neither of them reacted. "Guess they really didn't see me?" The ghost leaned close to Miko's face for one final check. But Yotsuya Miko's deadpan expression didn't waver. Her gaze stayed locked on Hana behind it. They really can't see me... The ghost made its final judgment. These two had no value as prey. Just then, the ghost caught sight of Hiratsuka Shizuka passing by in the hallway. Dressed in her lab coat, with her voluptuous figure, she caught the ghost's attention instantly. With a whoosh, the arm ghost released Hana and darted out of the classroom, chasing after Hiratsuka. So gross!!! Miko's face instantly crumpled once the spirit left. Tears welled in her eyes. Why do spirits in this world have to be so disgusting?! Especially that one—it had even spat out a yellow gas from its mouth when facing her. She couldn't smell it, but it looked absolutely revolting. "It's gone?" Seeing Miko's tearful expression, Hana guessed the ghost must have finally left. Based on her friend's reaction, Hana concluded that the spirit must have had a particularly horrifying appearance. After all, Yotsuya Miko had already seen more ghosts than most people could imagine—and even she was shaken like this. That thing must've looked really nasty.