Without saying much, the two followed behind Yuria.
Before long, the three of them arrived outside an unused classroom in a secluded part of the school building.
"Yuria-chan, why did we have to come all the way here to talk? This place feels really creepy," Hana Yurikawa muttered, shrinking behind Miko Yotsuya.
The classroom was located at the far end of the school building, where the walls blocked most of the sunlight, making the corridor appear dim.
Additionally, since the room had been unused for a long time, few students or teachers ever ventured into this area.
For someone as timid as Hana, this eerie atmosphere was the last place she wanted to be.
"Because what we're about to discuss is best suited for a place like this. Originally, I wanted to go to the storage room, but the sports clubs are using it right now, so this is our next best option," Yuria explained, turning to face them.
"What kind of conversation requires such a spooky setting?" Hana groaned, unable to hold back her complaint.
Still, she tried to convince Yuria to reconsider, her voice turning pleading. "Yuria-chan, can't we pick another spot? Besides, the door is locked—we can't even get inside."
"No need to worry about that. I already prepared a key ahead of time."
Yuria pulled a key from her bag. She had gone to great lengths to obtain it from her homeroom teacher during lunch, a task that had taken considerable effort.
At that moment, Miko Yotsuya also chimed in. "Yuria-chan, there's no one else here besides us. Can't we just talk outside? Look at Hana—she's terrified."
Typically, dark and abandoned places like this were breeding grounds for malevolent spirits. While Miko Yotsuya no longer feared them thanks to Eriri's presence, she still considered Hana's feelings and felt it necessary to stop Yuria.
However, before she could continue persuading her, Yuria had already unlocked the door.
"The door is open now. It'd be a waste not to use the classroom."
With that, Yuria stepped inside first.
Seeing her go in, Miko Yotsuya sighed. She couldn't just leave her alone now. She turned to Hana and said, "Hana, why don't you wait outside? I'll come back as soon as Yuria-chan is done talking. It shouldn't take long."
But Hana shook her head firmly. "No, I'll go in with you."
"Alright then," Miko Yotsuya nodded before stepping inside with Hana close behind. Eriri silently followed as well.
...
This classroom had been abandoned not only because the school didn't have enough students to fill it, but also because it lacked windows on the far wall. The only windows were on the corridor side, making the room significantly darker than the outside hallway.
While not completely pitch black, the lack of natural light made the atmosphere gloomier than usual.
The desks and chairs were stacked haphazardly toward the back, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the room.
Miko Yotsuya scanned the classroom carefully before letting out a quiet sigh of relief—there were no malevolent spirits present. Only a few harmless "little old men" spirits were crouched in the corners.
"So, Yuria-chan, what exactly did you bring us here to talk about?" Miko Yotsuya asked casually, turning to face Yuria, who had just shut the classroom door.
"Miko-chan, I've been observing you and Hana since the other day at the shopping district, and I noticed something important."
"Eh? Yuria-chan, were you following us that day?" Miko Yotsuya's expression shifted to surprise.
In society, tailing someone wasn't exactly legal. Typically, the person being followed had every right to report it to the authorities.
However, Miko Yotsuya wasn't angry—just curious.
Of course, this leniency only applied to Yuria. If the stalker had been some suspicious old man, her reaction would have been entirely different.
Hana Yurikawa also showed no signs of offense. Instead, she pouted regretfully and said, "What? You were behind us the whole time, Yuria-chan? If I had known, I would have invited you to shop with us! What a waste!"
"That's not important!" Yuria interrupted, stopping Hana before she could continue rambling. She then turned her sharp gaze toward Miko Yotsuya, a confident smile appearing on her face.
"Miko-chan, you're one of 'us,' aren't you?!"
Hearing this, Miko Yotsuya blinked in confusion but didn't immediately associate Yuria's words with spirits.
Before she could ask for clarification, Yuria spoke again.
"Miko-chan, you're a spirit medium, aren't you?! And not just any spirit medium—you're an incredibly powerful one!"
Yuria's words made Miko Yotsuya swallow the question she had been about to ask. Instead, an unexpected sense of joy welled up within her.
She finally understood what Yuria meant by 'us.' It meant that Yuria, like her, could also 'see.' Judging by her words, she might even be an exorcist capable of banishing spirits.
However, before Miko could fully express her excitement, she suppressed it immediately.
Because she thought of Eriri.
Being able to talk to someone who shared her ability was something she had longed for, but compared to Eriri, it suddenly felt insignificant.
She didn't want to risk exposing her secret in front of Eriri because of Yuria.
As for why Yuria couldn't see Eriri, Miko Yotsuya wasn't surprised at all. Even other spirits were unable to perceive her, so it was only natural that Yuria couldn't either.
Thus, she denied Yuria's claims outright.
"Yuria-chan, what are you talking about? There's no such thing as ghosts."
"Yeah! There's no way ghosts exist, Yuria-chan! Don't scare me like that!" Hana quickly added, clutching Miko Yotsuya's arm tightly while nervously glancing around the dim classroom.
Seeing Miko Yotsuya's outright denial, Yuria grew anxious.
"Don't try to deny it! I saw it with my own eyes the other day—every spirit that got close to you was instantly erased! You have to be an even stronger exorcist than the 'Spirit Mother' herself!"
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Yuria's face lit up with excitement.
"I get it! You've been keeping your ability a secret all this time, haven't you? I completely understand! But it's just the three of us here now, so you can openly admit it! You're a truly remarkable spirit medium, aren't you?!"
Seeing how firmly Yuria spoke, Hana Yurikawa, who was already nervous, became even more unsettled.
"M-Miko… is what Yuria-chan saying true? Are ghosts real?"
"No," Miko Yotsuya replied without hesitation.
Still unconvinced, Hana pressed on. "Really?"
"Really."
"Really, really?"
"Really, really!"
No matter how adamantly Miko Yotsuya denied the existence of ghosts, the fear on Hana's face refused to fade.
"But Yuria-chan doesn't look like she's lying…"
"She must have seen wrong," Miko Yotsuya replied dismissively.
"I'm telling the truth!" Yuria shouted anxiously. She then pointed to the corner of the room where several small spirits—tiny old men—were gathered. "Miko-chan, you can see those guys, can't you?!"
Although she was confident that Miko Yotsuya was a powerful exorcist, Yuria still feared that if she were mistaken, both Miko and Hana would misunderstand her.
While her initial reason for approaching Miko was because she suspected they were alike, she sincerely wanted to be friends with both Miko and Hana.
For Yuria, making friends was no easy task.
Miko Yotsuya, of course, had already noticed the tiny old men from the moment she entered the classroom.
But just then, she sensed something unusual from the pile of desks in the back of the room.
As she watched, an enormous head suddenly emerged from within the stacked desks, its grotesque features stretching downward into a thick, elongated neck that connected to the hidden body below.
It was clearly a powerful malevolent spirit.
A few seconds later, its limbs and torso followed, rising from the desk pile without disturbing the furniture in the slightest.
Not wanting to alert the spirit, Miko Yotsuya quickly averted her gaze.
Despite the terrifying sight, she remained outwardly composed—because she knew that Eriri would soon dispose of the creature.
However, things did not go as she had expected.
Even as the towering spirit loomed closer to the group, Eriri still did not act.
This unprecedented situation left Miko Yotsuya momentarily stunned. The fear she had pushed aside for days resurfaced, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.
But then she noticed something strange—Yuria, who could see the tiny old men, did not react to the massive spirit standing right beside them.
At this moment, however, she had no time to dwell on that mystery. Her mind was consumed by a single, unsettling question—why wasn't Eriri eliminating the spirit?
As she struggled to comprehend Eriri's inaction, Hana's trembling voice broke the silence.
"Eh? Yuria-chan, is there something there?"
"Just a few tiny old men," Yuria replied without hesitation.
"Tiny old men? Like the ones from urban legends?"
"That's right," Yuria nodded before once again focusing her gaze on Miko Yotsuya.
With a determined look, she declared, "Miko-chan, you can see them, right? Those things that no one else can see!"
Listening to the conversation between Hana Yurikawa and Yuria made Miko Yotsuya increasingly nervous. She knew that if things continued like this, trouble was inevitable.
However, before she could make a move, Eriri's voice suddenly echoed beside her.
"Since you're so enthusiastic about spirit abilities, let me show you what a real malevolent spirit looks like."
...
Eriri had been by Miko Yotsuya's side for three days now. During this time, the two of them had been practically inseparable.
Whether it was bath time or bedtime, Eriri had remained by Miko's side.
In fact, Eriri probably knew Miko's body better than Miko herself—after all, there were certain areas of one's own body that were difficult to see without a mirror or some other tool. For example, checking one's own back in a mirror was far less effective than having someone else look directly.
Over the past three days, Eriri had taken plenty of opportunities to tease Miko, delighting in the way she forced herself to endure while pretending not to see anything.
At this point, Eriri figured it was about time to reveal her true identity to Miko.
She was eager to see the cute expression Miko would make upon realizing that Eriri was not actually a ghost.
However, she had also decided two days ago that Yuria needed to experience what a truly terrifying malevolent spirit was like. So now, as Yuria pressed Miko for answers, Eriri decided to make her move.
"Since you're so enthusiastic about spirit abilities, let me show you what a real malevolent spirit looks like."
"A real malevolent spirit? Of course, I can see…" Yuria started to respond instinctively.
But before she could finish her sentence, she realized something was very wrong—because the voice that had just spoken wasn't Miko Yotsuya's, nor was it Hana Yurikawa's.
Yet, in the classroom, the only ones she could see were the three of them and a few tiny old spirits. This bizarre situation made her heart skip a beat.
"Who? Who just spoke?" Yuria shouted, tense and alert.
Hana Yurikawa, standing to Miko's right, had also been startled, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"M-Miko… that wasn't a ghost talking, was it?"
Compared to Yuria and Hana, Miko Yotsuya's shock was even greater—far surpassing theirs.
Because they had both just heard Eriri's voice.
The very voice Miko had always believed only she could hear.
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