For the next while, Yuria Niguredou continued tailing Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa, seemingly determined to confirm whether the eradication of spirits was truly connected to Miko Yotsuya.
The ghost-eating incident had become a lesser concern in her mind.
However, even after Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa finished their shopping at 'Tonkichi' and stepped out, Yuria had yet to find any decisive evidence.
Miko Yotsuya's behavior was simply too normal—completely indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person who couldn't see spirits.
Yet, Miko Yotsuya's occasional glances into the distance piqued her curiosity.
Following her gaze, Yuria saw nothing but the row of shops lining the street, devoid of anything suspicious.
With no concrete proof, she decided to temporarily withdraw, planning to confront Miko Yotsuya at school after the weekend.
As for Yuria's decision to stop following them, Eriri paid no attention.
To be honest, she had no strong aversion toward the small girl who, in the original timeline, repeatedly hindered progress. Yuria's actions stemmed from her ignorance of truly dangerous spirits.
In her perspective, all spirits were harmless, so she never considered the severe consequences of her actions.
Having been able to see spirits from a young age, Yuria had shared her ability with her classmates, only to be ostracized and branded a liar. As a result, she had remained friendless ever since.
Her loneliness was evident in her daily routine—eating lunch alone in the restroom.
Upon realizing that Miko Yotsuya might share her ability, she had been unable to resist the urge to get closer, leading to her subsequent actions.
If she ever encountered a truly malevolent spirit, she would undoubtedly refrain from such reckless behavior.
To prevent Yuria from making the same foolish mistakes as in the original timeline, Eriri felt it necessary to expose her to the horrors of real malicious spirits firsthand.
With Eriri keeping watch, Yuria wouldn't face any life-threatening danger even if she inadvertently provoked an attack.
With this thought, a pleased smile formed on Eriri's lips.
...
The weekend quickly passed.
Aside from going shopping with Hana Yurikawa on Saturday, Miko Yotsuya stayed home all day on Sunday.
Though Eriri's presence ensured no spirits could approach her, Miko Yotsuya still preferred the safety of her home, where she wouldn't have to see grotesque apparitions.
Two days had passed since Miko Yotsuya joined the chat group. Initially, fear prevented her from checking any messages, worried that it was a spirit's trick.
To keep Miko Yotsuya from discovering the chat group too soon and disrupting her plans, Eriri had asked the system to temporarily hide it from her mind.
Thus, Miko Yotsuya no longer sensed the strange anomaly that had appeared in her mind two days ago, bringing her relief as she assumed the unknown spirit had given up on tormenting her.
At precisely 7 AM, Miko Yotsuya's phone alarm rang.
The moment it sounded, Eriri woke up instantly. A few seconds later, Miko Yotsuya groggily opened her eyes.
Unlike the first night, where excitement had kept her awake, she had since grown accustomed to Eriri sleeping beside her and had enjoyed a restful night's sleep.
Miko Yotsuya even had a dream in which she confided in Eriri, though she forgot the details upon waking. Still, it left her in a pleasant mood.
Even though she was already used to Eriri's presence, she still found herself briefly stunned upon seeing her. However, she quickly regained composure.
"That was close! I almost exposed myself again," Miko Yotsuya thought to herself.
Unbeknownst to her, her momentary pause had been more than obvious. Eriri simply chose not to point it out.
Had she been facing a malevolent spirit instead of Eriri, she might have already been attacked by now.
After freshening up and finishing breakfast, Miko Yotsuya hurried to the nearby bus stop.
Despite waking up early, by the time she arrived at school via bus, only a short time remained before classes began.
"Good morning!"
As soon as Miko Yotsuya reached the hallway outside her classroom, Hana Yurikawa arrived at the same time, enthusiastically placing her hands on Miko's shoulders.
"Good morning, Hana," Miko Yotsuya replied calmly, turning to greet her friend.
"Eh? Miko, why are you acting all cold again? I was really looking forward to this!"
"Well, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore," Miko Yotsuya said with a light chuckle, though her words left Hana Yurikawa slightly confused.
"Good morning."
At that moment, Yuria Niguredou, who had also arrived at school, passed by them and casually greeted them.
Having resolved to confirm whether Miko Yotsuya was a spirit-sensitive individual, Yuria decided to introduce herself.
Her sudden greeting caught Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa off guard, but they quickly responded.
"Ah, good morning. I think you're from the class next door, right?"
"Yes, I'm Yuria, Yuria Niguredou. If possible, I'd like to get to know you both better."
Yuria introduced herself without revealing her intentions, staring intently at Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa with her striking red eyes.
"So your name is Yuria! Of course, we can be friends!" Hana Yurikawa excitedly stepped forward and wrapped Yuria in a sudden hug.
Due to their height difference, Hana's ample chest pressed tightly against Yuria's face.
"Wow, Yuria-chan is so cute!"
"Hana, be careful! Yuria-chan can't breathe!"
Noticing Yuria's flushed face and frantic attempts to free herself, Miko Yotsuya quickly intervened.
Realizing what she had done, Hana Yurikawa immediately let go, allowing Yuria to catch her breath.
"Haa... haa... were you trying to suffocate me?" Yuria panted, bending over to inhale deeply.
Hana Yurikawa pressed her hands together in front of her chest and apologized with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, sorry! Yuria-chan was just too cute—I couldn't help myself!"
"I'm really sorry, Yuria-chan. Hana can be a bit careless," Miko Yotsuya added, offering her own apology.
Then, with a warm smile, she continued, "By the way, Yuria-chan, my name is Miko Yotsuya, but you can just call me Miko. It's nice to meet you."
"And I'm Hana Yurikawa! Yuria-chan, just call me Hana like Miko does!"
Hearing Miko Yotsuya's introduction, Hana Yurikawa quickly joined in with a cheerful smile, introducing herself to Yuria.
Taking a deep breath, Yuria decided not to dwell on her near-suffocation incident, as she knew Hana hadn't meant any harm.
"Miko-chan and Hana, right? I'll remember that," Yuria said with a composed nod, though the flicker of joy in her eyes revealed her happiness.
"But now's not the time to chat. The first class is about to start. Let's talk another time."
With that, Yuria turned and headed toward her classroom, not waiting for their reactions.
...
Time flew by quickly, and soon the morning classes had ended—it was finally lunchtime.
As usual, Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa bought bread from the school store before returning to their classroom.
Miko rarely brought a bento from home, while Hana always packed one. However, a single lunchbox was never enough for her, and she needed to supplement it with several extra bread rolls.
As they sat together and combined their desks to eat, Eriri suddenly manifested a table next to them—one that only she and Miko Yotsuya could see.
She then retrieved various stored dishes from her personal inventory.
Before placing them on the table, she cast an enchantment over them, making them visible and fragrant solely to Miko Yotsuya.
Naturally, Miko noticed Eriri's actions.
The enticing aroma of the dishes drifted into her nose, making her swallow unconsciously. Suddenly, her fried noodle bread no longer seemed as appealing.
It was the first time in the past few days that Miko had seen Eriri eat. Just like when Eriri had drunk milk tea before, Miko couldn't comprehend the nature of these seemingly conjured meals.
Yet from their appearance alone, they were clearly the work of a top-tier chef.
Unfortunately, she couldn't taste them herself, nor did she know what flavors these alluring dishes held.
"Miko, why aren't you eating? Don't you like fried noodle bread anymore? That's strange—I remember you loving it," Hana said, puzzled, as she finished her first bread roll.
"It's nothing. I was just lost in thought."
Forcing herself to shift her focus away from the tempting meal before her, Miko absentmindedly took another bite of her bread.
Seeing that Miko was eating again, Hana was relieved and resumed her own meal.
Just then, Eriri picked up a piece of grilled eel with her chopsticks and playfully held it up to Miko's lips.
It was just like the time she had offered Miko a sip of milk tea, except this time, it was food instead of a drink.
"Miko-chan, want to try some kabayaki eel? It's delicious," Eriri said with a teasing smile.
She wanted to see Miko's conflicted expression—the irresistible temptation versus her steadfast restraint. It was bound to be entertaining.
As expected, the moment unfolded exactly as Eriri had anticipated.
The mouthwatering aroma of the grilled eel wafted into Miko's nose, triggering a strong urge to bite down on the offered piece.
But with sheer willpower, she managed to resist the temptation.
Seeing Miko Yotsuya's reaction, Eriri deliberately pulled back her chopsticks in front of her and took a bite of the eel herself.
As she chewed slowly, a look of pure satisfaction appeared on her face.
After a few seconds, Eriri swallowed the eel and leaned in close to Miko's ear. "Mmm, this eel is delicious. Miko-chan, it's such a shame you're not eating any."
She then proceeded to showcase each dish in front of Miko, savoring them one by one with an exaggeratedly pleased expression.
Miko Yotsuya's frustration peaked as she watched, unable to taste any of it. Tears of helplessness welled up and, metaphorically speaking, flowed from the corner of her mouth.
For the first time, she felt an inkling of resentment toward Eriri.
But there was nothing she could do. She couldn't express her frustration openly and had to maintain a calm demeanor.
Left with no other outlet, she took her frustration out on her fried noodle bread, devouring it with large bites.
And so, this rather unique lunchtime ordeal came to an end.
...
As the final bell rang, another school day came to a close.
After packing up their desks, Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa exited the classroom, only to be stopped by Yuria, who had been waiting outside.
"Hey, Miko, can we talk for a bit?"
"Sure, I guess…" Miko replied nonchalantly before tilting her head in curiosity. "But what do you want to talk about, Yuria-chan?"
"Come with me, and you'll find out."
Yuria didn't disclose her intentions in front of the other students and instead extended an invitation.
She knew very well what kind of reaction talking about ghosts in front of normal people would bring.
"Eh? Are you two leaving me out? No way! Yuria-chan, I want to come too!" Hana Yurikawa protested loudly.
"Of course, as long as you're not scared later," Yuria said with a sly smile, fully aware of Hana's fear of ghosts from her previous tailing.
With that, she turned and led the way to an empty classroom.
Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa exchanged glances, curiosity reflected in both their eyes.
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