A New and Spooky Home - Part 4

"Here…" I said while moving a box.

Given all of Aiko’s attempts to scare me during the first few days after I moved into this apartment, I had kept putting off finishing the unpacking of my things, which were still sitting in boxes and taking up a large portion of the living room space. It was about time I brought some order to the place.

The apartment wasn’t exactly big. It consisted of a single large room, which I would use as both the living room and kitchen, a smaller room that I would use as my bedroom, and a bathroom. Just three rooms.

The space was limited, so the sooner I finished arranging all my belongings, the more freely I would be able to move around.

I had already finished unpacking the kitchen and living room items; all that remained were the things for my bedroom.

"Let’s see… Ugh."

Sadly, many of them had gathered dust. Cleaning them was going to be a nuisance, but I suppose it was a sort of karma for having left them forgotten for so long while I amused myself teasing Aiko.

In order to dust them off a little, I blew on them with force, raising a large cloud of dust that made me cough.

"Cough! Cough! Damn it…"

"Cough! Cough! Ugh…" However, it seemed I wasn’t the only one affected. To my surprise, Aiko was there as well.

"Aiko? What are you doing here?"

Given her condition as a ghost, it was difficult for her to help me. I knew she could move things to a certain extent, though I didn’t know her limit. Besides, I didn’t want to trouble her either; they were my belongings, after all.

"I-I… um…" she replied timidly.

Her blushing face was still incredibly adorable, even hidden behind her somewhat messy black hair. Seeing her so embarrassed gave me an idea of what she might have been trying to do.

"Were you trying to scare me?" At my guess, Aiko gave a small jump. It seemed I had hit the mark. "You’re still going to try to scare me after everything, huh?"

She nodded energetically at my question, still somewhat flushed. It seemed her attempts to frighten me wouldn’t be stopping anytime soon, though I didn’t particularly mind. It was always fun to watch her grow embarrassed after failing in her attempts.

Good luck. You’re going to need it.

"Ah! Now that I think about it, how is it that dust affects you? Aren’t you intangible?"

It didn’t seem like Aiko could even hold things directly. A clear example was yesterday, when she tried to hold my hand and simply passed right through it.

How was it possible that dust could bother her if it was supposed to just pass through her?

"W-well… even if I am, I can still feel when something passes through my body…" she replied. "Dust is particularly bothersome because of the amount of it. I can feel every speck of dust passing through me, and it’s a very irritating sensation…"

"I see. That really does sound quite troublesome."

Being a ghost and having to feel everything pass through you must be, at the very least, something difficult to get used to. I wonder if it feels like tickling, or something else entirely—or if it even depends on which part of the body is being passed through.

I wonder what she’d feel if I passed my hand through her…

Sensing my fixed stare after I had focused a bit too much on the implications of her condition, Aiko adopted a more defensive pose, covering her body as her face turned even redder than before.

"…P-pervert."

"I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking at you for that!"

Aiko only shot me a cold glare as she slowly floated away. It didn’t seem like I could fix things just by talking, so I simply apologized again and got back to work unpacking my things.

***

"Uff… I think everything’s finally ready."

At last, my room was finished, and with it, the move was complete. It was a somewhat small room, but since I didn’t have too many belongings besides my clothes, some manga volumes, and merchandise, I had no trouble organizing it.

Seeing everything finally in its proper place filled me with a notable sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Maybe I should cook something a little elaborate to celebrate.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Aiko poked her head through the wall. After a few moments of looking around, her expression changed. From a cute look of curiosity, it shifted into a charming smile.

"T-this is the manga My Villainess Lover!" she said excitedly as she flew toward my bookshelf.

"You know it?"

"I remember reading it when it first started serialization! I used to wait eagerly for every chapter."

My Villainess Lover was a manga set in a world of superheroes, where the hero most acclaimed by everyone turns out to be romantically involved with his most emblematic villainess, having to keep their relationship a secret to avoid getting into trouble with their respective organizations.

It was a very entertaining story with great action, as well as tense and even dramatic moments. It was quite varied, and the artwork was excellent too. It had easily become one of my favorite series.

Seeing Aiko so excited was something I hadn’t expected. Unlike her more timid and withdrawn self, she was now displaying a huge, contagious smile. And her eyes—though dark—seemed to shine.

However, that expression of hers quickly began to fade little by little.

"…Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-yes, it’s nothing, it’s just that… it makes me a little sad that I missed out on so much because… well…"

I see. Realizing that the manga she had been reading while it was ongoing had ended while she was dead must have been quite a harsh reminder—not just because of the manga itself. The world had kept turning and moving forward despite what happened to her, and that must have made her feel somewhat nostalgic and downcast.

I had to fix this somehow.

"If you’d like, you can read them," I added. "And not just that one—you can take the others too if any of them catch your interest."

"Huh? R-really!?"

"Sure. Just be careful not to mistreat them. I’m very picky about that."

"Y-yes!"

After my offer, Aiko’s mood improved noticeably. Her shy demeanor was adorable, but seeing her so lively and happy didn’t even compare.

I enjoyed discovering each new side of her. I didn’t know why, to be honest, but being with her made me feel a warmth I hadn’t felt in a long time.

"Thank you so much!"

"It’s nothing…" I replied, turning my gaze away slightly. I didn’t want her to see that I had ended up blushing as well.

***

Night had fallen, and with it came a complete darkness accompanied by a silence that would overwhelm many. Or at least, that should have been the case.

Fliip.

What should have been a quiet and peaceful night was quickly interrupted by a sound that wasn’t supposed to be there.

Fliip.

I had decided to ignore the warnings from the neighbors and the landlord. I thought I had everything under control, but I was wrong.

Fliip.

That sound… it was like torture to me. It was constant and wouldn’t stop for anything in the world. I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem, but as the hours passed, my head began to be drilled deeper and deeper by that devilish noise.

Fliip.

My sanity was starting to reach its limit. I had remained silent until now out of fear of what might happen afterward, but it didn’t matter anymore.

Fliip.

The only thing I wanted…

Fliip.

…was to get rid of that damned sound.

Fliip.

"Aiko… if you’re going to read, at least do it in the living room. You’re not letting me sleep…"

"I-I’m so sorry!"

I didn’t want to bother her; she looked happy while catching up on the manga she had enjoyed so long ago. On the other hand, she’s an incredibly shy and withdrawn girl. I was afraid that if I said something, all the progress we had made might fall apart.

Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. Aiko simply apologized, gathered as many manga volumes as she could with what appeared to be some sort of telekinesis, and left the room.

I’ll talk with her about the manga tomorrow, but for now…

"Time to sleep…"

"G-good night, Yuuta…" Aiko added before leaving.

I thought I would be able to sleep, but after she called me by my name for the first time with such a sweet and delicate voice, I ended up staying awake for a few more hours because of how happy I was.

That girl… is devilishly charming.