Chapter Text
“So, you’ve been lurking everywhere even in the school and also following and entering students houses?” Kanzaki asked the ghost, the female ghost nodded in embarrassment. “Wait! I can assure you I’m not evil! Please spare me until I have an idea of what to do!” The female ghost assured them, the three of them looked at each other and nodded.
Mogari looked at her for a moment and smiled; “Alright! We’ll let you go but don’t cause any havoc in the area!” Mogari exclaimed, the female ghost nodded and went away. Eugene, having no spiritual power, was genuinely curious, so he asked them what the ghost said. “Eh, just some wandering ghost with nothing do.” Kanzaki replied, Eugene nodded at his statement, ‘Why would there be a wandering ghost in this area?’ he thought to himself but shrugged it off assuming it was just a normal ghost with nothing to do.
After being spared from, the ghost went around the school to check the students once again, while she was lurking around, she saw Ichimiya who was walking while scrolling through his phone. “Oh~ He looks cute, but he’s kind of strict too, weird..” She said to herself, she then decided that Ichimiya would be her target. As the day go on, she followed Ichimiya everywhere, watching him on his office, followed him to the cafeteria, the library, everywhere where Ichimiya would go, she would follow. As the school ended, she decided that she would follow him home, which is totally okay since she’s done this multiple times.
As she was going to follow Ichimiya home, suddenly, she was stopped by the Phantom Busters. “Are you following him? That’s creepy..” Tamon said, she shrugged it off, she has done this multiple times, surely nothing can go wrong. “Don’t worry, it’s gonna be fine. Im a ghost after all, so, it doesn’t matter, he doesn’t even see me anyways.” She said to them, the Phantom Busters looked at each other with a hint of concern in their eyes. The Phantom Busters told her to not cause any trouble for Ichimiya and went on their way. She just shrugged and went to follow Ichimiya home.
When he arrived home, Ichimiya goes to his room and closes the door gently. He stretches around the room for abit and jumps completely onto his bed for a few minutes. The ghost was confused by this behavior, it was different when he was at school. She then looked around to completely digest how the room seemed. Cute plushies of monster, a lot of supernatural merch, books, cd’s, and many more was scattered even in a neat room, this wasn’t something she expected at all and it ultimately made her not feel that attracted to him anymore.
Suddenly an idea clicked in her head, she was naturally a bit mean and playful kind of a like a joker. So, her new goal began to be clearer, make Ichimiya open up about his interest to someone, anyone at all, just to annoy him. He slowly starts getting up from his bed and yawns, he took out his phone and proceeded to do something. The ghost was curious, so, she tried to see what he’s doing. She saw him on a burner account using it to bump up and like Phantom Busters post as well as commenting fake reviews about them being overwhelmingly positive. She scratches her head, she decided to drop some of his plushies to grab his attention.
He does look, Infact immediately, his neck turned in lightning speed, high alert, but he doesn’t really think much about it, many plushies fall randomly from air or the slow movement of all objects could’ve led it to fall, so he just goes to pick it up. The ghost gets mad at his reaction and drops all his cd's, he freezes as a response and starts sweating vigorously.
He starts picking his body up again from his bed and stares at the fallen cd’s with an empty expression, but in the expressive fun Ichimiya way and not the student counselor way.
Ichimiya then thinks about it for abit, and his body language changed from being scared to incredibly excited, he finally got to meet with some paranormal activity for once. He asks who is there, what’s your name? But in a welcoming joy, as he holds the plushie he picked up close to his chest. The ghost satisfied with his reaction, picks up a marker and starts writing on a small board nearby. “Hello”, very casual response, it was enough to send Ichimiya flying around the room
He starts raving about how cool this is and asks what they are here for and if they like games and many other. The ghost incredibly happy with this reaction, it will help with achieving this goal easier, she starts talking about herself. Her name, Katsumi, and that is what he will refer to her as , her age, and how she thought he looked cute at first but then thought nevermind. Ichimiya laughed it off being like 'i assure you, I’m not that cute' as well as remarks that its nice to finally be able to interact with her especially because of how there are these phantom busters he knows of, and then she started to get abit serious with her writing. She tells him that she hasn’t found a goal yet and thought he would help her with it and he nods reluctantly. Then she writes about how she always wanted to help others, and that she struggled opening up before she died. He tilts his head and asks what he can do to help, and she drops the bomb on him.
“Be nicer to them.”
Ichimiya never knew she knew him from school, which made him realize she just saw his different personality clash and got really nervous. He told her he can’t possibly do that, its like destroying his empire he built for years, and how he is too deep indulged to do so, and that he wishes her well to find someone else to work with. She spits in his face by saying. “I wont go anywhere until you are nicer”. He gets mad at this, saying, he will have to exorcise her if she doesn’t stop, deep inside he really doesn’t want to, not just by exorcising her but achieving her goals so he can chat with a spirit for abit longer.
He sleeps uneasy that night, thinking about what the ghost said. The next day rolls around, Ichimiya was in the Phantom Busters room asking them for a special exorcism. “Things have been odd, I even heard noise, I will let you prove to me one more time with your somewhat special exorcism.” Ichimiya stated, but of course, Ichimiya with his student counselor alter-ego, has some strict rules.
“Do not enter my room under any circumstances. Avoid getting close to most rooms in general try to stay in the same spot as much as possible. Anything that goes wrong will be repaid. Understand?” Ichimiya stated to them, he is obviously dead staring them down but all they can think about is how they will enter Ichimiya’s house for an exorcism and that its important and scary but incredibly cool.
There are at his house now and the quadro are basically tiptoeing to not disturb Ichimiya.
He watches them like a hawk as they are nervous, then Kanzaki points towards a specific spot, near Ichimiya’s room. They formed the trio touch to deal with it and then surprise! It’s the ghost from yesterday, Mogari looks back at Ichimiya, saying “Ehh,, it’s a harmless ghost! If you wanna get rid of it, just ask and do what it wants!” Ichimiya, mad as hell saying “Isn’t that your job? Do not drag me into this.” Tamon lets out a small yelp as Kanzaki asks rudely “So? Whad’dya want, you headache?” The ghost, Katsumi, clearly offended on how Kanzaki asked her, replied with “Tell Ichimiya to be nicer, then ill go!” Kanzaki turns to Mogari shrugging, Mogari yet again leans “She wants you to be nicer! We can’t do orders not from us!” Eugene is think about how this situation really hard. “Be nicer? What does that mean?” Ichimiya then snaps and turns his back on them, raising his voice slightly “Ugh, Useless, Fine then, Go ahead all of you, I got what I asked for, sorry for troubling you.” He crosses his arms, and the four just skedaddle away, outside his house.
Ichimiya slammed his bedroom door, the sound echoing through the otherwise quiet house. A sigh escaped his lips, a mixture of frustration and resignation. He flopped onto his bed, the plushies scattered haphazardly around him a stark contrast to his usually meticulous nature. He waited. He knew Katsumi, the ghost, wouldn't stay silent for long. Sure enough, the air grew cold, that familiar prickling sensation on his skin. A message materialized on the nearby wall, scrawled in an ethereal script: "Usami first."
Ichimiya’s brow furrowed. “What? What business do I have with Usami? Stop running into situations that could seriously harm my image! Harmless spirit my ass…” He muttered, his voice laced with exasperation.
The room fell silent. He almost felt a pang of guilt for the outburst.
"You don't have to act here," Katsumi wrote, the words appearing almost sadly.
Ichimiya’s jaw tightened. His carefully constructed persona of aloof detachment was difficult enough to maintain in public. He didn’t need it challenged even within the supposed sanctuary of his own room.
"Be nice to him first.”
He ignored the spectral command. He grabbed his phone, burying himself in the bright screen of a game, determined to drown out the unsettling presence. Katsumi didn't take kindly to being ignored. A cascade of objects fell from his shelves – not destructively, but with a deliberate, attention-getting clatter. Ichimiya merely curled tighter into himself on the other side of his bed, facing away from the barrage. Finally, the ghost scribbled another message, this time in a font that seemed to crawl from the very walls: “I am always right.” The script was unsettling, unsettlingly gothic and dripping with a subtle menace. Ichimiya shuddered, finally looking up. The sheer creepiness of the font had gotten to him. He sighed, relenting. He picked up the fallen items, carefully placing them back on the shelf.
"So… what exactly do you want me to do?" Katsumi’s next instruction was even more absurd. "Buy a book. A children's book. Called 'Shy Wolf'." Ichimiya groaned inwardly. This was bordering on ridiculous. He prided himself on being logical, on controlling his environment. Dealing with a ghost was already an unwelcome disruption, but now he had to participate in some ridiculous charade involving a children’s book and Usami, the reformed delinquent. He gritted his teeth.
Katsumi had been right so far, so there had to be a reason. He just couldn't fathom it. He grabbed his bag, muttering under his breath, “Of all the people, why Usami?” On his way to school, he made a detour to a nearby library. He quickly located "Shy Wolf" – its brightly colored cover and simplistic illustrations clashing horribly with his usual reading material. He shoved it into his bag, hoping no one would notice. The walk to school was unusually shaky. Ichimiya wrestled with the impossible task ahead. How was he supposed to approach Usami? How could he drop his guard, even a little, without completely shattering his carefully constructed image?
He arrived at the student council room early. He pulled the book out, his face a mask of distaste. He began to read. The story was simple, almost painfully so. A sheep goes for a walk and wolf follows it. The sheep hides behind the tree and wolf wanders out of it. This happens 3 times until they speak to each other. “Bullshit" he muttered, tossing the book aside. Just then, Usami and Nika entered the room, greeting him cheerily. "What's that?" Nika asked, noticing the book. "It's nothing. Just something I found on the ground," Ichimiya replied dismissively, tossing it into the trash can.
Usami's eyes darted towards the discarded book, a flicker of curiosity in his gaze. He pressed, "What was it really about?" Ichimiya cut him off with a sharp glare. "Drop it, Usami." He stood, regaining his composure. "Let's start the day." The rest of the student council members arrived, and soon the room was filled with the usual morning bustle of reports and announcements. Yotsuya mentioned a school fair that was coming up soon and the need for student council assistance in setting up. Ichimiya nodded, eager to focus on something practical, anything to distract him from the 'Shy Wolf' dilemma. He and the girls diverted towards the planning meeting.
Nika and Usami were left alone in the room. A silent agreement passed between them. They both eyed the trash can. "We should read it," Nika whispered. Usami chuckled. "Of course Ichimiya wouldn't like it. It's an offense to his level of sophistication." Nika giggled, and they retrieved the book. They settled down and read the story together, aloud.
"Sheep goes outside for a daily walk, a wolf jumps from behind and starts to stalk, the sheep goes to hide while the wolf flocks, the wolf leaves the sheep in its stock 3x, then the sheep wonders why the wolf won’t talk, it goes outside for a daily walk but surely no wolf jumps out from the bark, the sheep walks awhile in his paw stops, and sees the wolf inside in his thoughts, the sheep asks to enter his lovely spot , the wolf yells “why! Be afraid of my talk!” eventually the sheep sighs and asks for a walk, the wolf turned out nice and just a mock”
They stared at each other, dumbfounded. "What the fuck?" Usami blurted out, then burst into laughter, tears welling up in his eyes. "What does this even mean?" Nika was on the floor, convulsing with mirth. Usami, wiping his eyes, abruptly stopped laughing. He examined the book more closely. It looked surprisingly new for something supposedly found on the ground. A suspicion began to form in his mind. He tossed the book back into the trash, a thoughtful expression on his face. Nika followed suit, still giggling.
The school day continued. Later that afternoon, most of the student council had left, leaving only Ichimiya and Usami. Ichimiya sat hunched over his phone, absorbed in a game. Usami lounged nearby, observing him. A random student asked for the printer, so Usami went to go assist. They day went by normally as that. Ichimiya made a sudden victorious noise from his desk. Usami tilted his head in his direction, curious. Usami had been trying – subtly, he hoped – to get closer to Ichimiya to learn something from him. He edged closer, asking, "What was that noise for?" Ichimiya cleared his throat. "Nothing." Silence descended again. Usami, emboldened by the earlier amusement, asked, "So…the book? What of it…like, what does it mean?"
Ichimiya's eyes hardened. “Didn’t I tell you to drop it?” “Yes, sir! …I will…" Usami muttered under his breath, still plagued by unanswered questions. Ichimiya entered his house that evening, kicking off his shoes near the door with uncharacteristic carelessness. He face-planted onto his bed. Katsumi, sensing his distress, became active again, writing "Failure" on the wall. Ichimiya groaned. He flipped onto his back, covering his face with his hands. "This won't work! I'm just going to stay cold! And everyone will respect me!" He sat up, adjusting himself on the bed. "Katsumi! You're the only person who knows me like this! And I don't mind if it stays this way forever because at least now I'll have somebody. Or some…spirit…” He rolled over, his mind racing again. "Ah…the school fair is soon."
Katsumi wrote, "Read this book next," as he deliberately sighed. He just ignored again in frustration, and fell to sleep. Usami arrived at the student council room earlier than usual the next morning. He caught Ichimiya reading again. This time, it was a thick, serious-looking novel. Usami, his breath coming in ragged gasps from the run over here, He dropped to the floor in a formal Japanese kneeling posture of apology.
"Forgive me, Ichimiya-sir! I forced you to answer, and I shouldn’t have!" the words echoed through the room. Ichimiya looked up, startled. He put the book aside, a mixture of shock and annoyance on his face. "Hm? It's nothing. Get up. If I minded, I would have told you." "Ah! Are you sure, chief? It was too much. I am incredibly sorry!" The second utterance was even louder. Ichimiya was starting to feel stressed. How could he shut this down without seeming too…gentle? Weak? "Just…don't ask me about this one either."
He gestured to his current book. Usami nodded quickly as the other student council members entered. They found Usami still kneeling. Yotsuya asked if anything had happened. Ichimiya shook his head, and they all headed down to the gymnasium to continue preparing for the school fair. As they worked, Usami slipped away, venturing towards the Paranormal Busters Club room. He slid the door open slightly, testing the reaction of the club members. Seeing that he caught their attention, he entered, mimicking the posture of a soldier reporting for duty.
"I need a chair to sit on!" They looked confused, but brought him a chair, which he promptly spun around to sit on backwards. He took a deep breath. "This isn't paranormal-related, but I need some help getting attention at this fair." Eugene responded, "What? We can't do much with that." “oOoOh??? What for?” Mogari questioned eagerly, interrupting Eugene's comment. "Hmph, I won't tell ya! But I need something to happen so I can look good!” He scratched his head, whilst Tamon hid behind his hat. Zaki perked up. "Could we just cause a school fair malfunction?"
"Eh? Breaking property we spent hours on?" Eugene exclaimed. They all looked at each other and shrugged, except for Tamon, who remained hidden.
"Deal! Sounds like something I can grind my gears on! I may not agree with you guys fully, but you're great help most of the time", Usami replied.