As classes began, Yukino Yukinoshita noticed something different.
Unlike the previous day, Luo Yu was no longer murmuring to himself. Instead, he spent the entire morning hunched over his desk, writing and sketching page after page, completely absorbed in whatever he was working on.
She was certain of one thing.
It definitely wasn't the lesson material.
What Luo Yu was drafting were detailed research notes for crafting Ranni's future body.
A puppet body had been simple enough. With Seluvis's complete documentation at hand, Luo Yu had only needed to study briefly before producing a refined version—one that even surpassed the original in several aspects.
But constructing a fully functional flesh body, indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human?
That was an entirely different matter.
The difficulty wasn't merely high—it was immense.
Even after an entire morning of work, Luo Yu had only managed to sketch out a preliminary framework.
When the bell rang for lunch, the teacher dismissed the class, and students immediately burst into cheerful chatter as they headed off in groups toward the cafeteria.
Luo Yu closed his notebook, stretched, and stood up.
As he walked toward the cafeteria, he found himself wondering how Ranni was doing at home alone.
"Right," he muttered to himself, "I should buy her a phone after school. It'll make communication easier."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he noticed something ahead.
Clinging to the back of a male student walking in front of him was a wraith—its body shrouded in black mist, its hollow gaze fixed tightly on the boy.
The boy, however, remained blissfully unaware, laughing and chatting with friends.
Looking for a target, huh?
Luo Yu observed for a moment but made no move to intervene.
Whatever reason the boy had for attracting attention, he clearly possessed no spiritual perception. He couldn't see the wraith, and therefore the creature couldn't harm him.
Once it confirmed that the boy couldn't see it, the wraith would lose interest and move on.
There was no danger.
Reaching the cafeteria, Luo Yu ordered a large bowl of ramen and ate alone. Without Ranni perched on his shoulder talking to him, school life felt noticeably dull.
After finishing, he returned to the classroom.
Yawning as he took his seat, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling.
In front of him, Eriri Spencer Sawamura sat with two girls, eating the lunch she had brought from home while chatting animatedly.
"Sawamura-san, have you