Epi.4-EX: Misaki’s House Viewing

One day, Misaki had come to view a property.

Since the contract on her current room was about to expire, she had been searching for a new place to live.

When she reached the top of the creaking stairs, her feet stopped.
She couldn’t stop trembling.

“…I can’t… anymore…”

She sank down right where she was.
Her knees had lost all strength, and her body didn’t even feel like her own.

“We haven’t even seen the room yet, you know?”
Sayuri spoke to her softly, and Shinobu leaned in with a worried look.

This place was—indeed, the abandoned house.

“Even if you say that, I can’t do it! I can’t! I’m scared!”

Her voice was trembling, and she looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

—Thump.

A light sound, as if something had fallen.
Misaki remained crouched down, but Sayuri’s eyes turned in that direction.
Near the handrail, there was a white, human-shaped something.

The blurry-outlined figure placed one foot on the handrail and leaned forward—

—and fell on its butt.

Again, it put a foot on the handrail—and fell on its butt.

Thump, thump…

Making strange thumping sounds, it repeated the motion over and over.

“Misaki-san, Misaki-san, look at that!”
Sayuri called out to her, sounding delighted.

Misaki cautiously lifted her face and looked in that direction.
For a moment, a chill ran down her spine—but.
Looking closely, it was merely something repeating the same motions, showing no sign of causing harm.

“Eh… what is that thing doing…?”
Pointing her finger, she asked Sayuri.

“Well—”
Sayuri grinned mischievously and said,

“It’s imitating you, Misaki-san.”

“…Huh?”

Still with a blank look on her face, the next moment—she remembered.

That handrail. That foot from then.
And herself falling on her butt after being stopped by Sayuri and Shinobu.

“Hey, cut it out…”

Turning her flushed face away, she called out to it.
But the white human-shaped figure didn’t stop.

“ I said stop it!”

When she raised her voice, Sayuri’s eyes went wide in surprise, and Shinobu flinched.
At that moment, the white human-shaped figure stood on top of the handrail—

—with its arms spread wide, it jumped in a Y-shaped pose.
It landed on the first floor.

“Hey, you! You said you wouldn’t do that anymore! Liar!”

Sayuri chased after it, practically leaping down.
From below, only noisy voices could be heard.

Misaki let out a relieved breath and murmured,
“…Somehow, shouting like that made me feel a lot better.”
Scratching her cheek, she gave an embarrassed little smile.

“I was surprised, but… I’m glad to hear that.”
Shinobu answered with a smile as well.

“Alright, we have to find a room. Do you know any places you’d recommend?”
“Um… everywhere is scary for me…”
“Yeah. …I wonder when she’ll come back.”

They peeked downstairs, but Sayuri was nowhere in sight.
Even so, her lively voice was still echoing up.

It seemed that Misaki’s search for a room… would not be starting anytime soon.