The final bell rang at Kakeru Senior High School, and students slowly began leaving the classroom.
Oliver Miki stayed seated for a moment, arranging his notebook and closing his lunch box carefully. Around him, the classroom noise faded little by little.
Maria stood beside his desk.
"Are you going home now?"
Oliver looked up.
"Yes."
Before he could stand properly, Meherun leaned closer.
"Your secrets are not normal."
Rani crossed her arms.
"And your ghost is even less normal."
Near the window, the ghost floated invisibly and whispered—
Bhoot: They are adapting quickly.
Oliver quietly picked up his bag.
"Please remember what you promised."
Maria nodded first.
"We promised."
The others agreed.
Outside the classroom, the afternoon corridor was filled with sunlight. Oliver walked toward the school gate while Maria followed beside him.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Then Maria finally asked—
"Do mirrors really not reflect you?"
Oliver looked ahead.
"Yes."
"And cameras?"
"They fail most of the time."
Maria stayed silent for a few seconds.
"That means you are hiding much more."
Oliver gave no answer.
At the school gate, a small cat sat near the wall.
The moment Oliver stopped walking, the cat looked directly at him and made a soft sound.
Maria noticed it.
"You like cats, right?"
Oliver crouched slightly.
The cat moved closer.
Then, in a very low voice, Oliver spoke softly in Japanese language.
The cat answered with another sound.
Maria froze.
"...Did you just talk to it?"
Oliver stood again.
"It was asking for food."
Maria stared.
"You understood that?"
Behind them, the ghost suddenly became visible for a moment
Black jacket. Skull head. One red eye. One black eye.
Bhoot: He understands more things than people think.
Maria stepped back slightly but did not panic this time.
At that exact moment, Oliver's phone vibrated inside his pocket.
A hidden message appeared on screen:
Unknown movement detected near your house.
His expression changed slightly.
Maria noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
Oliver locked the phone.
"Nothing important."
But the ghost looked at him carefully.
Bhoot: That face says otherwise.
The cat suddenly ran away.
The afternoon air became strangely quiet.
Oliver looked toward the road leading home.
Something felt unusual.
And for the first time that day, even he became serious.