“Honestly, what kind of education have you received?”
“I’m sorry…”
Roel and I bowed our heads repeatedly before the furious Landlady.
“I’ll overlook the cost of the door repair if you can resolve it. If not, I’ll bill you all at once, so keep that in mind. If you pull any suspicious stunts again, you’re fired.”
We returned to our room, feeling dejected. Roel seemed to have forgotten her earlier fear, fixating instead on the repair costs. She was counting on her fingers, lost in thought. Inside the room, Truppo stood frozen in a pose with both hands raised.
“What are you doing?”
When I asked, Truppo quietly lowered his hands.
“Ghost… not my specialty… normally… without a priest… reckless… No… I’ll do what I can…”
It seemed Truppo was anxious as well. I still had no idea what that pose was about. We began discussing the earlier incident.
“The basement… there must be something there…”
“Is there a ghost down there? But the Landlady wants us to exorcise it.”
“That person was married, huh?”
Roel murmured as if recalling something.
“I think the ring she was wearing was a wedding ring.”
So, she had a family. Living alone in such a large mansion must be lonely. I wondered where her family could be now.
“My guess… probably… her husband…”
Just as Truppo spoke, there was a knock at the door.
“Dinner is ready. Please come to the dining room on the first floor. No detours.”
Emphasizing the part about detours, the Landlady’s footsteps faded away down the hall. We decided to follow and have dinner. On the table were beef steaks, bread, and salad. The steaks were steaming hot, as if just cooked. I felt a pang of guilt for being treated to such a lavish meal after what had just happened. The Landlady ate in silence, and we continued our meal quietly, unsure of what to say.
“We’ll exorcise the ghost… tonight…”
Truppo suddenly declared, and the Landlady’s expression softened just a bit. If we could resolve this, perhaps she would be in a better mood. I felt a surge of determination.
After finishing our meal, we were told that the bath was ready, so we decided to take a dip. The door to the basement had been forcibly wedged into the wall. I averted my gaze and undressed, heading to the bath with Roel. I suggested that the three of us could fit in the spacious tub, but Truppo declined, saying he would join later. Even though he was a girl too, he was truly hard to understand. I couldn’t see his face, but from his voice, I assumed he was probably a girl.
“This is the biggest bath I’ve ever been in.”
Roel splashed around in the water, clearly enjoying herself. Our room’s bath was a bit cramped for two people. There was a stone statue of a lion’s head on the wall, from which water flowed freely. I wondered if having a lot of money made such extravagance appealing. To me, it seemed like a waste.
“I wonder how many years it’s been since I took a bath with someone.”
“Wait, Roel, did you live with someone before?”
I was surprised, having thought she had always lived alone. Now that I thought about it, I didn’t know much about Roel’s past.
“I had someone taking care of me for a long time. But they’re gone now…”
I sensed the implication of her words and chose not to pry further. I had no idea Roel had someone like that in her life. While I had spent ten years in the Abyss Cave, Roel must have had her own story. I had no way of knowing what she had gone through.
“I don’t remember anything from when I was little…”
No memories? I was incredibly curious, but she seemed hesitant to share, struggling to find the words. I could only listen quietly as Roel spoke.
At that moment, I noticed someone behind the frosted glass.
Roel had her back turned and didn’t notice. I could vaguely see a girl standing there, staring at us without moving. Was it the same girl I had seen during the day?
Suddenly, the lights in the bathroom went out.
“Ah!”
I panicked and hugged Roel to calm her down. It was dark, and I couldn’t tell for sure, but it felt like the girl was no longer there. I slowly embraced Roel tighter and made my way out of the bathroom. Cautiously, I opened the frosted glass door with one hand and fumbled to turn on the lights. However, when I finally found the switch, it only clicked without illuminating the room. With no other choice, I decided to change first. Roel was silent, perhaps too terrified to speak. We held hands and stepped into the dark hallway, which was also pitch black. I wondered how the Landlady was faring; she must be struggling with the lights too. We should find Truppo first.
As my eyes adjusted, we reached the staircase leading to the second floor. The living room was empty. Was the Landlady and Truppo upstairs? I carefully climbed the stairs, making sure Roel was safe.
The second-floor hallway was quiet. The darkness stretched out on both sides, giving the eerie impression that it led straight to hell. It was that unsettling. Roel stayed close to me, not wanting to let go.
“Let’s discuss what to do next with Truppo, Roel.”
Roel remained silent, clinging to my arm. I never expected ghost hunting would turn into such a struggle. The ghost still hadn’t shown itself, and I had no idea what to do. Was the girl I saw in the bathroom the ghost? If so, why was she doing this? She must have been a normal girl before becoming a ghost; there had to be a reason.
I heard the sound of doors slamming in the distance. One by one, doors opened and closed in the back rooms.
—Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of doors opening and closing echoed through the dark hallway. Compared to the darkness of the Abyss Cave, it was nothing, but I could definitely sense an unusual presence that I hadn’t felt before.
“Roel, don’t let go of me.”
Roel clung even tighter to my arm, making it difficult to walk.
“You don’t have to hold on so tightly; I won’t run away.”
“Lua-chan! Where are you?!”
I heard Roel’s voice from afar. No, Roel was right here, not letting go of my arm.
“Lua-chan! Why are you leaving me behind? Lua-chan!”
I had brought her here. That was proof enough.
No, wait.
The one clinging to me now was smaller than Roel, by more than a head. For some reason, the grip was growing stronger. Long hair, a white dress, small, pale, almost blue-tinged arms. Even in the dark, I could see them clearly. Then, she slowly looked up at me.
There were no eyeballs, just two dark voids where her eyes should have been. Her face was wrinkled in a way that was not fitting for a child, staring back at me. I could only feel the cold, lifeless touch of her presence.