Volume 11 - CH 2

Chapter 2: The Forgotten Item

Location: Taiwan  Time: 10:02 AM

I…finally…returned to the human world.

On the first day of vacation, I was standing on the street carrying my backpack. There was a feeling called being moved directly leaping through my heart.

The human world, I’ve already forgotten how it looked like. It’s great; the cars won’t fly, and the buildings won’t jump. I’ll have a perfect winter vacation over here for my wounded heart to properly recuperate.

“This student, may I ask how to get to the third space?”

Just when I was very moved and was about to go to a convenience store to buy something first and then continue feeling moved, someone suddenly patted my back.

Turning my head, I saw an eel.

An eel…?

What had patted my back was its tail.

That’s not right! The point is, this is the human world; why would there be an eel flying on the streets!?

It can’t be that someone’s advertisement balloon fell!

After I suddenly came to my senses, I don’t know if it’s my misconception, but I feel like, in this human world that couldn’t get any more normal, I seemed to have seen something that I shouldn’t be able to see.

Other than the humans, cats, and dogs walking on the streets, there were also some vague shadows and inexplicable, weird things. For example, I saw a man-eating flower swaying side by side as it walked across the pedestrian crossing.

Could, could this be….

“This student, didn’t you do an opening of the eye? You should be able to see me, right? May I ask how to get to the third space?”

I took two steps back.

This kind of situation…So it turns out that even the last bit of normal human in me has already been wiped out?

“I, I’m sorry. I don’t know.” Looking at that eel, what else could I say?

“It’s fine, thank you.” The eel very politely thanked me before leisurely swimming away.

I decided to treat what I just saw as an illusion.

Okay, let’s try everything all over again. Just now, I arrived in the human world that couldn’t be any more normal, and the surroundings were filled with beautiful normal humans.

“This student, do you want a chewing gum that can kill anyone who eats it?”

…Enough is enough.

“Yang Yang!” Just when I was considering whether or not to kick the gum-selling Little Red Riding Hood flying, a shout suddenly came from the opposite street.

Raising my head, I saw that my sister had already appeared in front of me at some point.

“When did you come back? You didn’t even call to tell us first.” Using a very normal tone, she was carrying a bag of something unknown as she stood there waiting for me.

“I told mom that I’m going to be on winter vacation last week. If I don’t come home, what else can I do at school?” Walking together with my sister on the street, Taiwan really has become rather cold after entering winter. Good thing I remembered to take the coat that Senior gave me when I came back this time, or else I really would’ve died from the cold on the streets.

That’s right, I remembered that when I entered school before, I was walking with my sister, talking about stuff like this too.

After being on vacation, the first one I saw was also my sister; it felt really strange.

“How’s your first school semester?” Walking on the path to home, my sister asked offhandedly.

“Uh…At first I wasn’t used it.” Very, very unused to it, to the point where I would face my grandma every day, “But now it’s a lot better.” I guess, it’s probably because of seeing them daily that I became numbed to them; whenever I see some weird things now, I don’t even have any special reactions.

Just like what I’d thought before, humans truly are adaptable creatures.

Then, we didn’t say anything else.

Sis didn’t continue to ask me about school.

And I didn’t continue talking about school either.

I kept getting the feeling that she might have a general idea of it, so I didn’t say anything more.

“How long does your winter vacation last?” Breaking the silence, after passing the park, my sister tilted her head as she asked me.

“Um, school starts in early March.” Our school’s winter vacation lasts almost a month, just enough for me to come back for Lunar New Year and go have some fun. Hey, have fun, it’s been a long time since I thought about that.

Before I came to the school, I really hated going out to have fun, especially to places with a lot of people. But now I actually had the thought of going out to have fun; I really am being influenced by that group of people

“During winter vacation, our family is going to travel abroad.” My sister’s conversation topic suddenly jumped up three notches.

“Hah?”

With a swish, a bunch of free complementary tickets appeared before my eyes.

“I got them from a shopping street, a ten-day luxury cruise trip.” She used a very, extremely normal, as if it was nothing, tone to tell me.

…You’re a ghost!

“Yang Yang!”

Right after I got home, my mom, who was busy in the kitchen as usual, very spiritedly shouted, “You finally came back to help me run errands. Every time Little Ming is on vacation, she always runs out and I can’t find her.” She tearfully hugged me with flour-covered hands.

So it turns out I’m just the equivalent of a junk delivery car in my mom’s eyes?

“I went out with my classmates to a book club.” Coldly throwing a sentence over, Ming Yue snorted, before stuffing the bag in her hand in mine, “Someone sent this.” Once she said that, she left.

I opened the bag to look, and inside was actually a dessert box again.

I thought Sis doesn’t eat this…Could it be that when I’m not home, she just throws them in the trash can?

“That’s strange, Ming Yue hasn’t brought these things back for a while. Why did these recent people stop giving up and started sending gifts again?” Mom looked at the thing in the bag, and didn’t make too big of a fuss either.

“They probably didn’t give up…” In the past, it was also like this.

“That’s right, Xiao Ming got a luxury cruise trip this time. There are six complementary tickets, so our whole family can go.” She ran back to the kitchen, and pulled out a fragrant baking tray from the oven, “There are four people in our family, and there are two extra spots, so I’ll ask your aunts and them to check their schedules again. We’re probably going this winter vacation, so you have to get your luggage ready.”

“Oh, okay.” I carried my backpack up the stairs.

My room was still the same as it was when I left, with just few extra strange, vague shadows. As soon as those shadows noticed that someone had come in, they immediately disappeared, so quickly that it was as if they had never appeared in the first place.

Don’t think too much. Don’t think too much. Sometimes it really would be better if people don’t think too much.

Opening the door and walking into the room, I threw my backpack on my bed and glanced at the desk. I’ve already put out the Light Village’s sacrificial offering before leaving the dorm, and also entrusted Restua, who’s staying at the school, to put another one for me after they take it. There shouldn’t be a problem.

Then that means I can finally relax and have a vacation now!

Oh yeah!

“This student, do you want to buy a chewing gum that will kill whomever you treat it to?”

I calmly took out an explosive charm and looked at that gum-selling Little Red Riding Hood, who had followed me over at some point, “Do you want a bomb that can kill you when it explodes?”

“Gah gah…passing by, just passing by.” The Little Red Riding Hood ran away.

Actually, sometimes copying Senior and the others’ behavior can be quite effective.

The surroundings returned to silence.

Then, what should I do next?

…I suddenly found that I seemed to have nothing to do at all. As soon as it quieted, the whole room abruptly became strangely silent.

A huge “peng” sound immediately made me jump.

“Yang Yang! Come down and eat desserts!”

My sister’s voice directly sounded outside my door, “And also, Mom told you to go buy salt.”

I just came back!

“Alright!” What else could I say? One is my sister, and the other is my mom; my position is at the very bottom, “I’ll come down right away.”

After arriving downstairs, my mom and my sister were already sitting on the sofa, with a whole stack of baked desserts placed on the table. It was still the same as in the past. Before I went to live at the dorms, it was always like this.

“Yang Yang, come here and eat something first.” My mom beckoned to me.

“I’ll go buy salt first. I’ll eat it later when I get back, or else I’ll forget again.” The point is, I felt a little terrified with my mom and sister sitting there waiting for me; it’d be better if I escape first.

“When you come back, there won’t be any left for you to eat.” My sister glanced at me and said. The desserts on the table today were cupcakes, and they even had the orange marmalade that I really like on them. The whole living room was filled with a sweet smell.

“Leave some for me!”

I hurriedly ran to the entrance, and after wearing my shoes, I opened the door and directly went out.

“This student, do you want to buy a chewing gum that can kill anyone who eats it?”

“Get lost!” Quickly running in the direction of the hypermarket, just when I left the vicinity of the house, there was a white thing standing not far away. I instantly stopped in my tracks.

What’s that?

That white thing seemed to have noticed me as it slowly turned its head. It was a woman, slowly turning her head, and half of her face was rotten. In less than half a second, I knew what I had seen.

“You can see me?”

“I, I can’t see!” Mommy, why didn’t Senior and the others first tell me that I would see so much inexplicable things after doing the opening of the eye!?

“You can see———!”

“No, I can’t! Don’t chase me!” I hate the opening of the eye!

That female ghost opened her mouth wide and directly charged toward me. I immediately ran, as she chased.

That’s right, that’s right, what should I do at a time like this? Based on the experience I had last time dealing with a ghost, it seems like I can use the Elven hundred sentence song. Wait a minute, who would remember to bring a notebook when they go out!? I copied the hundred sentence song on it. I can’t even remember a single word.

“All the ungrateful men on this world should die———!” From the female ghost’s classic sorrowful cry, I can definitely determine that she probably died after being dumped. But the problem is, I’ve never had a girlfriend at all, so why am I grateful and should die!?

[The one who signed a contract with me, allow the pursuer to witness your power.] After thinking about a few possibilities, I stopped and turned around as we passed the bridge, directly summoning my Illusionary Weapon.

Strange to say, it’s probably because of seeing too many strange things before that I actually didn’t feel terrified being chased by a ghost this time.

Holding Minas tightly, I looked at the female ghost who had already caught up.

Speaking of which, will this shot blast her spirit into pieces?

That female ghost immediately hit the brakes in front of me.

Very good, I guess she probably also knows that she’ll be blasted into pieces if she gets hit, “That…Every injustice has a perpetrator and every debt has a debtor, so you should kill the person who abandoned you instead.” I thought for a moment and said a very classic line from drama series.

“Where…where is he…” The female ghost said, as if she was talking to herself, but instead, that made her look like a confused mental patient. I swallowed and took another two steps back. Not being scared is one thing, but I still had to be very careful in case she suddenly attacks, “That man…after he lied to me…I had an abortion for him…And he still killed me…”

She said something that should’ve been reported to the police.

Could it be that this is the legendary “crime of passion”?

[T/N: Or just murdering one’s lover]

I can probably guess what she’s going to say next, “After that man lied to you, he married a young lady from a rich family?”

“How did you know!?” This time it was the female ghost who was surprised.

“It always turns out like this on TV.” I’ve seen it so many times, I can repeat it by heart.

“…”

Since it’s a female ghost who was murdered by her lover, it’s probably not in the range of what I can handle, “Then…I hope you can kill that man soon.” It sounds weird putting it that way, but generally speaking, it seems like if this type of female ghost doesn’t kill her enemy, she won’t give up. It’d be better not to randomly intervene, “That’s all…Bye!”

Saying that, I immediately ran away.

As soon as I turned my head… Mommy!

That female ghost was actually persistently chasing me.

“Stop!” Before I could even run far away enough, that female ghost had already appeared in front of me, “No one has ever known my pain…”

I actually don’t really want to know either.

“That, you can tell your family through their dreams. They would probably be very happy to listen to you.” Damn it, why am I discussing whose and whose sufferings with a ghost in broad daylight, “Did you, when you were alive, you should have watched TV before. Sometimes when someone has some difficulties, they would tell their family through dreams so that they would understand. Hurry up and reconcile with your family.” I suddenly felt like I was some kind of lifeline messenger.

“I, I…I don’t dare tell them…” The female ghost directly sat down beside the bridge, with a sorrowful expression, “At that time, despite my family’s opposition, I insisted on being with him…I never thought that person would actually lie to me like this…”

I can probably guess what she’ll say next: it must be that she fell out with her family and ran away from home because of that ungrateful guy. In the end, she realized that man was simply playing around with her, and now that he met a rich woman, he ran off with her. And to make it even more pitiful would be that this female ghost was cheated of both her money and life and whatnot.

“He cheated me of all my bank savings, and after causing my family and me to fall out, he even treated me like this…”

I suddenly felt that I could go become a fortune teller.

“Then do you want to try telling the police through their dreams? That way, that man can be sent to jail as soon as possible.” I tried reasoning with her.

“It’d be best if he dies! Going to jail is too good for him!” The female ghost’s face instantly changed. The surrounding temperature followed and dropped to the bottom. With this, I can tell that I probably touched her sore spot.

What to do, I felt that this ghost seemed to have signs of being out of control. Normally when you encounter this sort of situation, how should you deal with it? They didn’t teach this in the competition either. Could it be that I really do have to send her to the Western Heaven* with a shot?

[T/N: Paradise/Land of Bliss in Buddhism, or just heaven I guess]

“Aih…That, I’m not really sure about your situation either, but I think it’d be better for you and the other side to talk it over? Otherwise, I heard that if this continues on, you’ll turn into a malevolent ghost.” Wait a minute, she seems to have already become a malevolent ghost?

“If I don’t kill that man, I will never give up!”

Just what does that have to do with me?

“Then, go kill him. I still have something to do, so I’ll leave first, bye bye.” I still have to buy salt. I don’t have any time to be someone who can enlighten her on how to successfully ascend to heaven!

“Stop!” The female ghost continued to block my path, with a fierce expression as if I was the murderer who killed her family, “Since you can see me, you must help me, or else I’ll never leave you alone!”

…I was being threatened.

“What do you want me to help you with?” Looking at the very overbearing female ghost, I could only take a step back as I asked. “I won’t murder or set fires.”

“I won’t make you murder or set fire. You only need to find that man and get him to meet me.”

After meeting him, you’ll kill him. And you say this isn’t murdering or setting fire? Lies, “I don’t even know the person you’re talking about, and big sister, I’m still a student. How is it possible for me help you look everywhere for someone?”

“You’re on winter vacation right now. The ones with the most time on their hands are the students. If you can’t help me look, who else can!?”

Why is that you still know when we start winter vacation when you’re already a ghost?

Ghosts have an intelligence network!?

“But I don’t know you guys either.” I took a step back, because she was aggressively closing in.

Strange, senior Gasai clearly gave me a talisman, so why is she still able to follow me?

I suddenly thought of something, and reached my hand into my pocket…then black lines fell from my head.

I forgot to bring it.

I was too careless! I thought I could catch my breath once I returned to the human world. In the end, as soon as I relaxed, I immediately became unlucky!

Wait a minute, then why didn’t Old Man react? Did he fall asleep?

“You only need to follow my instructions and that’ll be all.” The female ghost closed in, fiercely looking at me, “If you don’t cooperate, I’ll follow you and haunt your whole family to death!”

Even my family won’t be safe?

At this time, I suddenly missed the school. At least, Senior would definitely have a way to solve this situation.

Subconsciously wanting to pick my phone up to call for help, then I very tragically discovered…I actually forgot to bring even my phone.

“Aih, can’t we talk about this? I’ll go find someone who can help you deal with this matter, then please don’t haunt my family, alright?” I’m sorry Senior, but I suddenly realized that I really need you.

“How much time do you need?” The female ghost very straightforwardly asked, so straightforwardly that there wasn’t any room for me to lie and get it over with, “I don’t want to wait too long!”

Is this the attitude you should have when you ask someone to do something for you! You should be crying and begging me to help you!

“I’ll go back and look for someone now, but I don’t know if he has time…” If Senior doesn’t agree to it, I’ll have to ask Chifuyu and the others. Never mind the five-colored rooster head. He’s definitely the type to directly make her spirit evaporate into air as soon as he arrives.

“I’m only waiting a week for you.” Saying that, the female ghost immediately disappeared on the spot, without leaving even a whiff of smoke.

…Hey hey…Don’t ignore my human rights.

You should have at least asked for my opinion!

After the female ghost disappeared, I used the fastest speed possible to buy salt and rush back home.

“Yang Yang, your desserts…”

“I’ll eat it later!”

As soon as I threw the salt in the kitchen, I rushed straight to the second floor and turned the bag on the bed upside down. The things were instantly scattered everywhere.

Clothes, notebook, runes, textbooks were all there. Senior Gasai’s talisman was there. Then, where’s the phone?

…It can’t be!

I jumped up, grabbed the coat on the chair, and began to rummage through it. My coat didn’t have it either. My backpack also didn’t have it…

Uh-oh, it can’t be that I forgot it in the dorms, right!?

I’m dead! How am I supposed to contact Senior and the others now?

I don’t know if the train’s passageway is open during the winter vacation. If it’s not open and I go crashing into the train, wouldn’t that be embarrassing!?

But how am I going to get to the school? My teleportation array isn’t strong enough for me to do the sort of space jump that Senior and the others do. If I teleported halfway and got stuck in some damn place, it’d be a disaster.

I’m done for, screwed, ruined. Why do I have to be so unlucky on just the first day of vacation!?

Then what should I do now?

If I try crashing into the train tomorrow morning, will I die? If I die, what am I going to do!? Immediately make the headlines, right…That way Senior and the others will definitely know, right!?

Why do I have to use my own life to make the headlines!?

That’s right, I’ll ask Minas to see if she has any ideas.

As soon as I remembered that there was still this reinforcement, I immediately took out the illusionary soybean from my bracelet and put it on the table, “Minas, please hurry and show yourself for a while. I’m about to be doomed.”

Right after I finished saying that, the illusionary soybean emitted a faint glow, then the familiar beads of water suddenly surrounded the entire room.

I saw a snake body turning about in the air.

In fact, sometimes I would feel that it’s very weird, because Minas doesn’t really seem the same as other Illusionary Weapons. As for how she’s different, I can’t say for sure, but in short, it’s just quite weird.

The Illusionary Weapon’s spiritual body appeared in front of me, and then she slowly opened her mouth: “You want to ask me how to get back to the school?”

As soon as she spoke, I knew that she must have seen everything that happened just now. After all, I did summon my Illusionary Weapon out for quite a long time without using it at all. I only negotiated with the ghost.

Correction, it wasn’t “negotiated” either; it was “threatened.”

“Yes, except for the train, I don’t think I have any other way to go back.” Scratching my head, I said, a little embarrassed.

“According to my senses, the train still has a passageway leading to the school.”

Eh? It’s already winter vacation and the passageway is still there?

“That incident just now, in fact, you can directly send her spirit to heaven with a shot. That way, she wouldn’t be able to harm you either.” Minas said in a very flat tone, “But we believe you should have your own considerations, so Old Man and I didn’t step in.”

Basically, I didn’t have any considerations at all. It was purely me being threatened and led around.

Wait a minute! You guys didn’t step in and help because of this!? At the most dangerous time of my life, what’s with you guys actually thinking I had “considerations” and not stepping in to help!? Are you really things that are supposed to assist me? In fact, you guys have been secretly switched, is that it? The ones in front of me now are all imitations, right!?

Just when it seemed like Minas still had something to say, the door was suddenly knocked with a very loud bang.

Minas immediately disappeared in midair.

“Who is it?” I hurriedly ran over to open the door, and saw Ming Yue standing outside.

“Mom told me to give you the desserts.” She shoved the plate in her hands to me. On it were several types of little desserts, including the cupcakes that I saw before going out just now, “Who were you talking to just now?”

I froze for a bit. You could even hear that?

“No one, I was just looking for something.” Taking the plate, I deliberately opened the door, and there was nothing inside.

Clearly not interested in my room, Ming Yue wasn’t intending on coming in and strolling either.

“That’s right, tomorrow I’m making a trip back to the school.”

Ming Yue’s questioning eyes glanced over, and I hurriedly said: “Because I forgot to take something, so I have to go back to get it. I’ll be back soon.”

Apart from that, I’m also going to look for Senior along the way.

“Oh.” Without any special reactions, after my sister casually replied, she left and went downstairs.

Looking at the desserts in my hands, I suddenly thought of something.

It seems like I haven’t gone crashing into the train for a long time.

Looks like I’ll have to go to sleep earlier today, or else I won’t have the energy to crash into the train tomorrow since it arrives very early.

But then again…

Just what did I do to deserve this?