It's not over yet

After a few minutes, she finally calmed down and let go of my shirt, which was now soaking wet. She sat beside me again, eyes red, not saying anything and looking at the floor. I was hesitant to speak up, fearing she would end up crying again, so we just sat there quietly for a while, with only her occasional sobs breaking the silence.

“...Sorry for the sudden... scene I caused.”

“No, no, it’s fine, really. You don’t have to apologize.”

Rui quietly stood up and went to her desk to get some tissues. I thought she would wipe her eyes and nose with them, but instead, she handed them to me.

“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt.”

“O-oh, it’s fine, nothing a washing machine won’t fix. Can I ask for one thing though?”

I tried to wipe my shirt dry, but it didn't help much.

“Sure.”

“Can you maybe lend me some clothes and shoes, so I won’t have to go home barefoot in my pajamas?”

“Y-yes, of course.”

“Thanks. Also, since you wanted to... experiment on me, can I have your contact information? You know, so we can... stay in touch.”

“Okay.”

“So, what’s your CactuCall ID?”

“What’s CactuCall?”

She doesn’t know what CactuCall is? Does she live under a rock?

“It's an app for messaging and calling other people for free with Wi-Fi or mobile data instead of using your SIM card credit.”

“I don’t think I have a SIM card.”

“You don’t even have a phone number?”

“No, I have a phone number.”

“But... your phone number is on your SIM card, so you should have one.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Do you remember what your phone number is?”

“No.”

Is she one of those people that can’t handle technology? This almost feels like when I had to explain to my grandma how to lower her screen brightness.

“...Just give me your phone for a second.”

“Sure.”

When I took her phone and went to her contacts to add my number, I noticed she didn’t have any contacts saved.

I’ll be her first contact. That’s kind of nice, but also a bit sad.

I added my number, named the contact ‘Jinko Saido’, and called it. When my phone buzzed, I hung up and returned the phone to her.

“What did you do?”

“I added my number to your contacts and called my phone so I could add you from the call history.”

“I see.”

“While we’re at it, do you also want to install CactuCall? It’s free and more convenient than texting on credit all the time.”

“Alright.”

She handed me her phone again and I installed CactuCall, created an account for her, and added myself.

“Do you know how these kinds of apps work or would you like me to show you?”

“Please do.”

Is it just my imagination or is she so meek now. Before, she kept giving me the cold shoulder and a lot of piercing glares, but now, it’s like she’s a completely different person. As if she broke out of her shell that kept her from interacting with other people. It makes me happy that she isn’t rude to me anymore, but also kind of uneasy for some reason.

For the next ten minutes, I showed her all the functions and how-to’s of CactuCall and regular messaging and calling.

“I think I got it now.”

“Great. Anyway, I should go now. I still need to get home and get changed and stuff.”

“...Right. I’ll get you a hoodie and sweatpants. And also some shoes.”

“Thanks. I’ll return them as soon as I can.”

“Okay.”

I put on the borrowed clothes and shoes, said goodbye to Rui, and left. Since I didn’t have my wallet with my permanent bus ticket, I couldn’t take the bus and had to walk home. It took almost two hours, and I had to use online maps because I had no idea how to get home from where I was.

When I got home, I rung the doorbell, and Matt opened the door.

“Dude, where were you for so long? And what’s with that outfit?”

“I just went to run a quick errand. And what’s wrong with my clothes?”

“You look like a vagabond. Are these clothes even yours? I've never seen you wearing them.”

“O-of course they’re mine! Who else’s would they be?”

“Whatever man. Want some pizza?”

“Yes, please!”

I was starving, so I didn’t even change my clothes and dug right in.

*

I’m surprised no one called me after Rita found me in Rui’s closet. Maybe she didn’t tell them?

It was evening, and I couldn’t stop overthinking everything that happened after I woke up without being able to control my body. Every single detail and scene played in my mind on repeat. Then one thing came to mind, something potentially very concerning.

Rui said that she still sensed that the ghost remained inside of my body. But even if it was weak now, what will happen to me when I fall asleep again? Will the ghost get control over my body again? She said she didn’t have any experience with people being able to resist possession, so even she probably doesn’t know. Isn’t it very dangerous for me to sleep right now? I haven’t had any parts of my body going numb since I left Rui’s dorm, but what if it happens again? Neither of us know what could happen.

By then, I started panicking a little. Although it was only around nine in the evening, I still thought I didn’t have much time until eventually I needed to sleep.

Not knowing what to do, I wanted to text Rui, but ultimately decided to call her, since it would be troublesome to write all of it in a text. The phone rang for a while, before I heard her voice on the other end.

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello, it’s Jinko.”

“I know that. I saw who the caller was on my screen.”

Right...

“I wanted to ask you something. You said that the ghost hasn’t entirely left my body, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then is it still possible for him to take over my body if I sleep again?”

“...I don’t know. It could be possible.”

Damn, that’s what I thought. I guess it's not over yet.

“So... what should I do? I can’t stay awake forever.”

“That’s true. Without me there, you could be in real danger.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“Well, since you can’t sleep alone, why not come to my place again? That way, I can watch over you and you won’t have to worry about losing control.”

“Ah, uh, y-yeah, that works, I guess. But don’t you need to sleep too? Won’t it be a problem for you to stay awake all night, possibly more than once?”

“I can go without sleep for months without issues if I want, so I’ll be fine.”

“Alright then...”

“You should probably head out now, since you live pretty far from me.”

“Yeah, you’re right...”

“It’s decided then.”

“Shouldn’t I bring a sleeping bag or something?”

“Why? I have a bed, so why would you need a sleeping bag for?”

“Haha, right...”

“Let me know when you’ll get here, so I can let you in. Bye.”

“Bye...”

She hung up the call, and I just mindlessly stared at wall.

What just happened? Did she just invite me to sleep over at her place? Isn’t that crazy? But she’s right... If I don’t have her watching over me, I can’t be sure what’ll happen to me.

No matter how embarrassing it was, I had to go. So, I packed some clothes, including the hoodie, sweatpants, and shoes Rui lent me, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and set off. While on the bus, I sent Matt a simple message letting him know I was staying over at a friend's house, so he wouldn’t have to wonder where I was again.

When I was only one stop away from arriving at my destination, I messaged Rui that I was almost there, and it showed as ‘read’ the instant it was sent.

Did she leave our conversation open?

After a minute, she replied with a thumbs-up.

Heh, that reminds me of when she found me on the street, while the ghost was controlling most of my body, and I was only able to answer with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Even though it was just yesterday, so much has happened that it feels like ages ago. But for her, it must feel like only a fraction of a second, given how long she’s lived...

I got off the bus and walked for a minute before reaching Rui’s dorm, with Rui already waiting at the front door.