CHAPTER 43 - Short vacation. Part 2.

This idiot not only does not hide his identity, he also did not care about my damn secret identity. This idiot is putting my normal life at risk. If any of these members of the stupid "dark paradise" are kidnapped by a member of the ghost hunter organization, Nergio's identity will be revealed, and if it is revealed, they will realize that I, Saik, a supposed normal student, am actually Shadow. Why would Saik be with Nergio? No matter my excuse that Nergio was a friend of my deceased mother, with all the suspicions they have collected about me, they will definitely confirm that I am Shadow.

First is the suspicion of why I was walking in places without security cameras, just on the days when Shadow made his moves. My excuse is to say that I was visiting certain stores, but with this, that excuse will not work anymore.

"You put my normal life at risk. Do you think I will let you live?"

"W-wait, please."

... Mmm...

No one tries to protect him... Isn't Nergio their leader? Why don't they try to stop me from killing him?

Supposedly, Nergio is the leader of this organization, the most important member. Why don't they do anything to prevent me from killing him? Are they sure I won't kill him?

"Master, h-his normal life is not in danger. I swear on my own son!"

... Nergio loves his son too much, so he must be pretty sure of what he said.

I turned to look at the members. Black auras, small, but still auras. They can all see ghosts naturally. How is this possible? The ghost hunter organization recruits everyone they find by force. In this place, there are elderly people, but also young children. How did Nergio find them before they did? Does he have some special ability?

What surprised me the most is not that, but that the young children are behaving like true warriors. They don't speak and remain calm in this situation. Not even I, who am proud to have matured at a very young age, behaved like this. I was still childish when I was little and did stupid things, but these children behave very seriously.

"Speak."

"We all swear loyalty to you, master. Our bodies are cursed. If any of us tries to betray your trust, we will die and our souls will be destroyed. Please trust us."

...

A curse can be eliminated with a lot of spiritual power, but if the curse is in the soul, it cannot be eliminated. Nergio's family specializes in curses. I remember that Nergio's mother and Maria put a curse on me when they were my enemies, and that curse was very difficult to eliminate, even for me.

As I became an ally of the Alvanem Rosa family, when we had to fight the former possessor of the legendary ghost number 58, the ghost of sexual pleasure, I did not kill them, I spared their lives... Well, I didn't forgive them completely. I humiliated them in front of all the members of their family, spanking both of them. It's a punishment that number 31 recommended me to give them.

If Nergio personally put the curse on them, I think I could trust him. I could only eliminate the curse thanks to the power of the legendary ghost of protection, but to obtain it, I had to fight Faye, and after Faye, I had to fight that attempted superhero. Fortunately, I managed to win both fights and obtain two more legendary ghosts, number 74 and number 68, the ghost of resistance.

Currently, I believe that only I could be capable of removing curses... Well, the Ghost Goddess and her servants could also, but they already know my identity.

"Did you put the curse on them?"

"Yes, and I have it too."

"Ah... I see..."

I let go of him and headed towards one of them. A young man, probably around 25 years old.

I stroked his chin and looked closely at him.

"His heart raced, but he remained calm. He probably thought I was going to kill him."

They are still human, with their own personalities and lives.

I stepped away from him and sighed. This situation is troublesome, but I believe it will be something positive for the world.

"Why did you gather them? What is the purpose of this organization?"

"The main objective is to protect the world. The number of evil ghosts has increased, as well as demons."

Number 31 told me that the ghost hunting organization has only captured normal ghosts, nothing dangerous. This is rare.

"Have you expanded your control?"

"Thanks to my own improved power, the number of ghosts under my control has risen to 10,890, allowing me to expand surveillance, not counting the ghosts of the rest of my family."

Those who can naturally see ghosts have the power to control them, but the amount depends on the user's power. Typically, a person can only control 10 ghosts, but if they continue to improve their soul and body, that number increases. The last time I saw Nergio, he only controlled 2,000 ghosts, and that is still a surprising amount compared to other ghost hunters.

If I didn't have legendary ghosts, I could have 100,000 ghosts under my control. Each legendary ghost is equivalent to 1,000 ghosts. That's why I can only control a few more normal ghosts, including Yuki.

That's why I had to improve my body and soul to withstand the power of legendary ghosts. If I didn't improve my soul or body, I would die.

"Is protecting the world the only purpose of Shadow Paradise? By the way, didn't you think of another name? Shadow Garden sounds better."

"That's already used in a novel, I wanted to be more original."

Although they are still similar.

"Everyone here was an orphan, homeless person, abandoned person, or someone who lost hope. Here we give them a new chance at life and a home."

He approached a woman.

"She is Number 98. She was raped by her uncle when she was a little girl, but her family did nothing and forbade her to tell the police. One of the members, thanks to one of the ghosts sensing her sadness, decided to investigate and found out what happened to her. He prevented her from committing suicide and we gave her a new home."

"Did they kill the uncle?"

"Of course."

Perfect. I hope they tortured him slowly before killing him.

"And could she see ghosts naturally or did you do something I don't know about?"

"... Master, our scientists have managed to improve the formula that the ghost hunters' organization uses, successfully obtaining the power to see ghosts completely."

"Did they find the definitive formula?"

"Yes. Thanks to the sample of you blood that you gave me, our scientists were able to improve the base formula."

Honestly, I only gave him my blood because I thought it was impossible to improve the formula, as even the scientists of the ghost hunters' organization have tried what he did, but they always fail. Is my blood really special? Well, I think, after the Ghost Goddess, I was the only human who managed to capture so many legendary ghosts, improving my body in the process.

"Wow... You really surprised me, Nergio."

"But we keep it a secret. We know that if it's misused, the world would be in danger. We only made 1,000 doses and then eliminated all traces of the formula, including the memories of the scientists."

That was obvious, the world would be in danger if some crazy scientist or even the members of the ghost hunters' organization themselves used those powers for evil. For example, if I wanted to, the world would be at my feet, but this world is lucky that I don't want to do that (mostly because I'm too lazy). Even a normal person with the power to see ghosts naturally, even without being a possessor of any legendary ghost, could become a danger. For example, the fat rapist I killed. He used his power to hypnotize married women and rape them. If I hadn't noticed the presence of his power, he would still be raping women without any consequences. Currently, he is still suffering in the artificial hell of number 99.

I looked at the people around me... I think there are about 550 people.

"How many members do you have?"

"We have, you are our leader..."

"You have. I'll continue with my normal life, I don't want to have anything to do with this. Now I'll repeat the question: How many members do you have?"

"...There are 879, and we're still recruiting. We plan to have 900 members."

"I see."

I raised my hand.

"How many of you have children?"

A good number raised their hands.

"How many have partners?"

A good number too... I see, they managed to find love. Now, the final test.

"How many of you have an extroverted personality?"

The number of hands decreased, but several raised their hands.

I approached a girl who raised her hand.

"You can act normally, please. Hi, my name is Shadow."

"I-it's an honor to meet you! I've heard the stories they tell about you! I'm a big fan! Could you give me your autograph?!"

I see... The power to see ghosts does not affect personality. I've confirmed it completely.

So am I an expressionless boy just because I was born that way? Ah... Well, at least I confirmed that I was not just born weird because of the power to see ghosts, I would still be weird even without that power.

"Mmm... I suppose you could have the chance to defeat her."

"Defeat her? What do you mean, master?"

"The Ghost Goddess."

•

•

(Pov- Sylphie.)

Wow. The bed is huge! And there are two of them! Is this how millionaires sleep?! Wow, I have to try it out!

I sat on the bed. It's amazing. It's so comfortable! I've never been in such a comfortable bed before.

"Is this your first time in a hotel, Sylphie?"

"Y-yes. Can you tell?"

"Quite a bit."

Not only is it my first time in a hotel, but it's my first time in such an elegant hotel! They even have the famous free candies!

Next to the bed, there is a jar full of candies. Fufu. Saik will probably finish them all by himself.

I think I'll take one.

I opened the jar and took one... Ah... This isn't candy!

"Getting ready for your night with Saik? Should I sleep in the bathroom?"

"I thought they were candies!"

Why is there a jar of condoms?! And there are so many! I take back what I said, I hope Saik doesn't use any of them!

Well, he doesn't have a girlfriend, and I don't think he's the type of guy to sleep with a girl he barely knows or who isn't his partner.

The same goes for me! I will only have sex with my husband! I will remain pure until marriage!

"Well, Sylphie, now that we're alone, I'd like to talk to you."

Oh, Ram wants to talk to me. That's strange.

"Sure. What's up?"

"You got an average of 75. Do you think you achieved it through your own effort, or was it thanks to Saik?"

"... Well... Yes... It was thanks to Saik."

Definitely thanks to him. Before, I couldn't concentrate on my studies because of my problems at school and with my mother, but since he protected me from the people who beat me up and since my mother stopped drinking, my life became more peaceful. I no longer had problems studying, and thanks to Saik helping me study, I improved in a very short time.

Ah... Does Saik bring me good luck? Since I met him, my life hasn't known pain, it has improved too much. My mother regretted committing suicide, the school life that I thought would be lonely, became fun and I'm enjoying it, even my grades improved thanks to him.

I think that's why, and more, I like Saik.

"Saik knows you perfectly."

"Eh? Eh?! Why do you think that?!"

"With Evelyn and the others, he didn't know exactly how to teach them, but with you, he knows exactly how to teach you. I easily noticed that, and from your expressions, you understood what Saik was saying the first time."

"Y-yes... I suppose he got used to teaching me."

"He got used to it, huh...? I see... Having a friend like him is very beneficial, isn't it?"

"Yes... He's a good friend."

"But I saw him first!"

Evelyn... Well, I don't consider her a rival, since Saik considers her annoying... B-but she shows too much skin! Saik is a man! And I'm starting to worry a bit.

"Evelyn, Saik would never fall in love with you. And if I were a man, I wouldn't fall in love with you either. You seem like an easy girl, and you're very dumb."

"Fufu. You say that because you're flat."

"What?"

"You don't have any feminine charm, you have nothing to boast about."

"I prefer having nothing to being dumb."

"Ah, the excuses of a flat girl."

Both looked at each other. T-they're getting angry. What can I do...?

Oh, someone knocked on the door. Ah, I hope it's Saik. He could defuse the situation.

"Girls, we're going to dinner! Let's go!"

Ah, no, it's Naok.

"Well, I'm hungry."

"Eating won't help your breasts grow."

"At least it gives me energy so my brain works. All the fat goes to your breasts, that's why your brain doesn't work."

They started fighting again. Aren't we supposed to be on vacation? Enjoy the vacation and don't fight!

Ah... Without Saik, the atmosphere becomes difficult. Where could he be?

•

•

(Pov- Saik.)

"Please, master, don't leave us to our fate!"

After telling all the members everything I know about the Goddess of Ghosts, they were obviously scared, as she is an enemy whose power is equal to mine, but I suspect she is even more powerful.

Nergio calmed them down, telling them they had my help. To keep them calm, I didn't tell them I won't fight, but when Nergio and I were alone, I made it clear that I don't plan to give up my normal life and won't fight.

Obviously, he got too nervous and scared upon hearing that, and now he's on the floor, holding onto my leg as he crawls on the ground. He begs me to help him defeat the Goddess of Ghosts, but I have no intention of giving in to pity.

"Have mercy, master! The organization's total power will drop too much without you! You are our trump card! Don't leave us!"

Fortunately, we're still below the hotel, so no one will hear him crying. I saved myself from feeling sorry for him, I'm used to Nergio's personality.

Mmm... We're here. Which of the two doors is it?

"Which door is it?"

"The one on the right, master. Please reconsider your decision!"

Ignoring his crying, I put my hand on the doorknob.

"Yuki is behind this door, so keep quiet."

I opened the door, and immediately Nergio stood up and wiped his pink suit with his hands.

We entered this huge place, where Yuki and Maria are floating in the water while drinking something from a coconut.

"Ah, this is life. It's been years since I enjoyed a pool."

"Didn't Saik have a pool in his house?"

"Nope. And the stingy guy doesn't want to put one in!"

"I'm stingy, huh?"

"Uwaaaah!"

Yuki lost concentration and stopped floating, wasting a delicious coconut drink. What a waste.

"Saik, I thought you were with your friends!"

"I told you I won't be putting in a pool, that's for the wealthy, I'm poor."

"Do you have financial problems, Ma-Saik?"

He was about to call me "master." I almost hit him.

"No, but it's running out. I'll start selling drawings online to survive."

"Do you want to be a graphic designer?"

"No, I just like to draw. I'm not interested in graphic design."

And if I weren't planning on committing suicide, I'd study to become a doctor like my mother.

... Huh?

"Eh?! Maria, what are you doing?!"

Yuki, I'm the one who should be surprised and nervous. Maria took my hand and placed it on her flat chest.

"Fufu. In the past, I didn't make you nervous. Now that you're a teenager with racing hormones, you'll definitely get nervous."

I withdrew my hand and stroked her head.

"I'm not attracted to women your age."

"I'm 35!"

"But your appearance is that of an 11-year-old girl. I'm not a pedophile, and you shouldn't do that. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Reputation?"

"Yes, that of a normal guy who doesn't stand out in anything."

I'm proud of my normal self. It took me a lot of effort, but I'm finally someone normal, with a normal life.

"You're the farthest from normal I've ever met!"

Those words pierced my heart and hurt me. Hey, hey, hey. Are you telling me that all my effort has been in vain? I'm a guy who doesn't stand out for his appearance, maybe I stand out a bit for my body, but that's it. I don't have friends, but two or three people consider me a friend. I'm not popular nor unpopular. I'm average. Clearly, I'm a normal person now, unlike my past self, but I hope Saik is very normal now.

"Ah... Well, I'm leaving."

"I'll accompany you, Saik."

I turned to look at Yuki.

"Are you staying here?"

"They'll bring the shrimp soon! I'll leave in an hour!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you in... hmm..."

From what I've researched, normal students, during their vacations with their friends or classmates, stay up late playing and talking with each other. I'm too lazy for that, but if I want to be a normal student, I have to act like a normal student.

Yuki probably feels uncomfortable sleeping with noisy boys like Naok or Bell.

"Maria, can Yuki sleep in your room?"

She looked at me (she's probably looking me in the eyes, although she doesn't have a face to know it, and my eyes aren't visible either). I feel some kind of malice in her.

She put her hands behind her and approached me. If she had a face, she would look adorable, but she doesn't have a face, which makes her look somewhat frightening.

"I don't know. Maybe if you give me a kiss, I'll accept."

I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Easy. Now keep your promise. Bye."

I tried to walk away, but she grabbed my arm, preventing me from leaving as I had planned.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! What the hell was that?!"

"A kiss."

"Kisses should be given with affection! Don't be so cold with me!"

She began to kick her legs while crossing her arms in fury.

"What's a kiss with affection like?"

She began to float in front of me.

"Like this!"

... She's just pressing her head against my face. I was expecting something more... interesting?

"Hey..."

"Don't interrupt our first love kiss!"

"But... You're just pressing your head against my face."

"I know! Ahhhhhhhh! I hate not having a face! At least imagine that I'm giving you a big kiss on the mouth and that our tongues are hugging each other!"

Tongues hugging each other? Gross.

"Hey, Saik, has Maria always been like this with you?"

"No, Yuki. Here, you see her as a girl in love, but in the past, she hated me."

And she even tried to kill me.

"That was in the past! I barely knew you, it doesn't count!"

"Ah... I have to go."

I gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"That's all I can give you. Goodbye."

I walked away, and Yuki began to float by my side.

"Wow. You broke even a ghost girl's heart. You have no mercy."

"He's really got none," Nergio said, probably referring to the fact that I won't help him defeat the Ghost Goddess.

"I've never been in love, and she's no exception. See you later, Yuki, don't stay up too late."

"I don't promise anything!"

She walked away from me, and Nergio and I left that place.

Almost immediately after leaving, Nergio hugged my right leg again.

"Please, master, I'll do anything! Don't leave us to our fate!"

Ah, this will be a long one.

•

•

(Pov- Yuki.)

Saik fell in love with a ghost girl, huh? Sylphie, Evelyn, and a ghost girl. Three girls at the same time. They're lucky Saik isn't a womanizer! Despite being a solitary and reserved person, Saik has a lot of luck with women. Saik is the envy of men, although he doesn't take advantage of that.

"Hey, how did you guys meet? Saik said you used to hate each other in the past and I'm curious to know more."

"...I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything."

"Huh? Why?"

"I'm sorry, it's a secret."

More secrets... Saik warned me never to try to find out about his past. I've always been curious about his past and why he doesn't consider himself a good person, but I can't know. If Saik is hiding it from me, it means it's something he regrets or is ashamed of. I want to know his past, but I won't ask anything more about it. I'll wait until Saik himself tells me, and if he never does, it doesn't matter. The past is behind us, only the present matters.

But I'm really curious about his past. Why doesn't he consider himself a good person?

•

•

(Pov- The wooden doll.)

Shadow has arrived, and my new toy will arrive tomorrow. Gradually, everything is coming together.

Be patient, Shadow, we will play soon. Don't despair, your turn will come soon. Be patient.

"It will be worth the wait."

I don't hate you, Shadow, I just want to see you dead. Seeing a powerful being fall will always be satisfying.

"And you know that feeling, don't you, crybaby?"

A coward like you didn't deserve to win. He should have won. You were just lucky that he had pity on you.

"But I won't."

We will play a little game. Will you be able to win? We will see.

•

•

(Pov- Sylphie.)

This view is beautiful. Eating from this place feels weird, but I have to admit that I'm enjoying it a lot. The view from the rooftop allows me to see the entire city... Wow.

"The crater..."

It's the first time I see it in person. One kilometer in diameter. When the meteorite hit, hundreds of people lost their lives, leaving behind a huge crater. I've always wondered what the meteorite was like and its size, but no remains were found.

To think that at any moment, a meteorite could impact the planet and kill us all. We never know the exact day of our death.

Ah, there are so many things I want to do before I die. I want to have my own home, achieve my own manga, even an anime! But there's something else I want to do before I die...

"Ah, oops. That hurt. I imagined falling from this height. I would definitely die instantly."

Saik...

He approached me and stood beside me.

I want him to be a part of one of my dreams, to have a family. To have a husband, and two children. I wonder if I have a chance with him.

"Are you interested in the crater? I was planning to go see it better tomorrow. Do you want to come with me or are you planning to visit the aquarium?"

Just what I wanted to do! I want to see it up close. A crater left by a meteorite is not something you see every day.

"Y-yes! I'll accompany you."

The others plan to go to the aquarium, so it will only be Saik and me... I don't think it's bad to consider it as a date. I mean, it meets all the requirements.

"So many people died because of the meteorite. Life is unpredictable, huh?"

"Yes, I agree."

Life will always give us surprises, good and bad.

"Hey, Sylphie, I want to ask you something."

"Y-yes?"

Could this be the moment when the boy tells the girl he likes her? My heart started racing. I'm already nervous! How do I say yes?! Obviously, I'll accept to be his girlfriend, but I don't know how to accept it! Do I just say yes?! Should I hug him?! Maybe I should kiss him!

"If you only had a couple of years left to live, what would you do before you die? Imagine the world would end, I don't know... in about three or four years? What would you do before the world ends?"

"Ah..."

It was too good to be true, but I won't complain! Anyway, it's too soon for that! Ahhhhhh! Don't be so easy, Sylphie!

"Well... I guess I would be with my mother and do what I always dreamed of doing. Travel to another country and make lots of friends. I also want to go skydiving. I'm a coward, but I have to admit that I've always dreamed of doing that."

"Travel to another country and go skydiving. I see... I would just enjoy a normal school life and eat lots of new dishes. Ah, and speaking of new dishes, I think dinner is ready. Let's go."

"Y-yes."

Well, Saik is getting closer and closer to me. My feminine charms are working...! Or so I think.

•

•

(Pov- Saik.)

I looked at the crater one last time. Hundreds of people died and hundreds more lost their homes. I thought talking to Sylphie would make me feel something, but I just can't feel empathy for those people.

Little children, babies, elderly, women, men, dogs, cats, so many people and animals lost their lives that day, but... I still don't care.

On that day, the only thing that mattered to me and interested me was defeating the possessor of legendary ghost number 58, nothing else mattered. When all those people died because of me, I just thought, "Wow. Is legendary ghost number 74 really that powerful?" I didn't think about the people who had died. Even today, I feel nothing about those deaths.

I think I will always be a cold guy... Why am I like this? I don't know.

When I was a little kid, I enjoyed being with my parents and playing in the park, I was a happy child, I felt happiness. When my parents died, I cried and tried to kill myself, I got depressed, I got sad, I got angry with myself for not keeping the promise I made to protect them. I am a human with feelings, but only selfish feelings. Everything that doesn't have to do with me, I just don't care... Why am I like this? If I don't know, no one else does.

•

•

(Pov- Nergio.)

"Well... I suppose everyone already knows the current situation."

The master won't help us with the problem called "The Goddess of Ghosts." The legendary ghost number 101 is said to be just as powerful as the master himself. Considering that the master defeated the legendary ghost number 100, the Goddess of Ghosts is an even more lethal threat than the legendary ghost number 100. It's no wonder the master considers it the legendary ghost number 101.

My family tried to help in the battle against the legendary ghost number 100, but we were defeated even by its simple henchmen. If it weren't for the master destroying the henchmen, we would be dead. We were lucky to be considered allies of the master because if we were only known, he wouldn't have saved us, just like the members of the ghost hunters, who were not saved by the master.

I know perfectly well that we can only dream of putting up a fight against the legendary ghost number 101, but I trust the master. If he says we have a chance, I'll believe him. Besides, thanks to the master's blood, we have developed better weapons capable of hurting the souls of ghosts. We still have some time to prepare. I must not be pessimistic.

As I lost myself in my thoughts, the words that came out of my mother's mouth brought me back to reality.

"And according to Saik, we will meet a new Shadow in the future."

"A new Shadow?"

"He has a successor. It's a woman."

Is the master training his successor? I knew the master wouldn't disappoint me! He wants to keep his normal life, but he's training someone to be the new Shadow! I don't think she'll be as powerful as the master, but if he considers her his successor, that means he's certain she'll be a worthy one. If he trusts, I trust.

"But what about the legendary ghosts? Will he give them to his successor?" my younger sister asked.

I don't think so. The master would never lend out one of his legendary ghosts, let alone give them away, considering how much he suffered to obtain them. He wouldn't even lend me one, his faithful student. But if his successor proves to be worthy of his trust, I don't think it's hard to imagine that he would give them to her so that his successor becomes the new Shadow 100%.

Ah, I wish the master would consider the possibility of making me his successor. I mean, I was his first student. Isn't it logical that the first student becomes the successor? But I won't complain or anything like that. If the master chose that woman as his successor, he must have his reasons. Maybe she has an even more powerful power than mine. The master trusts me, of that I have no doubt, so his decision on his successor was based on power more than trust.

"The problem is still the Goddess of Ghosts. She's a mystery, even to Saik. Saik only knows that she was a girl who fought the legendary ghost number 100 and tied, but that's all he knows," my nephew said.

"And she's not the only problem. There's also that cursed ghost. 'The Wooden Doll.' Saik said it's powerful, but not as much as the Goddess of Ghosts," my younger brother said.

"And there's also the man he mentioned, the man with the tough skin," my niece said.

They're right. The Goddess of Ghosts also has her henchmen, who are powerful, but not as much, as the legendary ghost number 74 managed to stop the attack of one of them, causing the Goddess of Ghosts herself to eliminate him to prevent Saik from capturing him.

The master told us that, despite being weaker than the Goddess of Ghosts, we shouldn't be too confident because ghosts with negative energy always have their surprises.

In the past, I was overconfident with the owner of legendary ghost number 58, because he was only the owner of one legendary ghost, I thought he wouldn't be a rival for me, but I was very wrong. If it weren't for my master appearing, I would be dead by now.

This whole situation is messed up, but I have faith that we will achieve our victory. There will be deaths, that is inevitable, but it's a price to pay to keep this world safe.

"Now, changing the subject, we must decide right now whether we will tell him that 'he' has returned."

Tension filled the air with those words because everyone here knows how the master feels about that person. The only person I can affirm Saik hates with all his heart.

"Hercules..."

The man who managed to bring the master to his knees.

"The master eliminated his soul. I still believe he's just an impostor, mother."

"His soul is identical. It's impossible for two souls to be the same."

"There must be some trick. Maybe it's the work of the Goddess of Ghosts."

"That's why we must decide whether we tell Saik what's going on. He hates Hercules, but he wants to maintain his normal life. Will we respect his decision and not tell him anything so he can keep his normal life?"

"... I don't know."

Master, what would you do if he found out?

(Extra- Legendary ghost number 4. The crazy "Loli" ghost.)

(Pov- Saik, 6 years old.)

"I don't want to, I don't want to!"

"Saik, eat the cake! You need sugar, you're too thin!"

"I don't like sweets, dad!"

You don't need to eat sweet things! Why would a father get angry with his son for not wanting to eat sweets? It's illogical.

"I found it."

Number 3's voice. She found the legendary ghost number 4. Was it really in that casino? The ghost of bad luck, in a casino. Poor gamblers, no wonder they lose so much money.

"I prefer studying to eating cake!"

I got up from the table and ran up the stairs.

My father sighed.

"Why is he like that?"

I stopped before opening the door... Did he get mad at me because I didn't want to eat cake? No, more importantly, did I hear his sigh and whisper from here, the second floor? This is weird. Ah, I guess my hearing is getting better. I heard moaning in my parents' room at night, probably ghosts regretting their death or something.

My hearing improved, huh? I guess that's good, although I wish my eyesight would improve. Wearing glasses is uncomfortable.

I entered my room and activated number 3, returning to my Shadow form.

"You're weird, master. Why don't you like sweets? I love them!"

"Too much sugar, too sweet. I prefer salty foods or meals like pasta and bread."

Setting aside that nonsense, I must think very carefully about my strategy. My plan is to simply pretend not to see her and hit her with great force. I have three legendary ghosts in my possession, so if I use their powers combined with my soul, I can defeat her with a single blow. Plus, her power is bad luck, she doesn't have a power that can directly harm me. The first legendary ghosts are weak, but soon I will face the most powerful ones.

"And I'll be ready."

•

•

Ah, living in the Capital is very beneficial. The best places are here, but soon I'll have to travel. How can I convince my parents to travel? I'll think about it later.

I waited until an adult entered the casino to go in. According to Number 3, the legendary ghost Number 4 is in a basement below this place. The door has a password, but it doesn't matter, Number 3 memorized it.

We arrived at the farthest part. The door has security, two men with guns. Number 3 told me that they "take care" of troublesome people here. Maybe they talk to debtors or something like that here.

The first thing to do is to make them sick. I used the legendary ghost Number 1 to give them stomach pains. Ah, I think I exaggerated, they had an accident in their pants.

Well, at least they're distracted.

Number 1 and Number 3 came out of me and hit the men in the face at the same time, leaving them unconscious.

"Perfect."

I put on some gloves and entered the password. I must not leave any trace.

The door opened and I entered.

Yuck. This place smells horrible. What are they doing in...? Huh?

"W-what is this?"

"They're corpses," said Number 1.

"C-corpses?"

"They're dead. Lifeless people. Human remains."

"D-dead?"

Blood, human remains everywhere, naked women with white stuff on their faces and coming out of their private parts.

"E-even babies and children my age."

A-all these people are...dead. Dead.

"N-no..."

This is horrible...I don't want to keep seeing it!

I closed my eyes. Who did this?!

"You must get used to it."

Number 1 forced me to open my eyes.

"G-get used to it? What do you mean?"

"In the future, you will have to kill. Maybe ghost hunters, maybe possessors of legendary ghosts. You must kill or be killed. You must get used to it."

"But... I don't know if I can..."

"Hahahaha! Who are you?!"

That laughter... A little girl...? I-is she drinking the blood of a little girl? T-the head of a small girl who was even younger than me.

T-that girl is not normal.

"Number 1? Hahahaha! It can't be! Are you serious?! That little boy is your possessor?! You were defeated by a little boy?! How pathetic!"

"And from what I see, so were you."

"No, he didn't capture me. I only work with him."

"Careful!" Number 3 shouted.

Number 1 pushed me and I fell to the ground, but thanks to that, I prevented that man from piercing my neck with a knife.

"Can this boy really see you? Interesting."

I moved away from them.

I-I was about to die. T-the back of my neck hurts.

I rubbed that part of my neck a little and felt something liquid. B-blood? Did they cut me?!

"Well, well. He's crying. He really is a little boy. I thought he was a dwarf."

"Saik, you deactivated number 3! They saw your face! Don't lose focus! Stop crying!"

"Hahahaha! Did they come to this place thinking they could capture me? It's so adorable! I want to see their faces when I slowly remove their skin."

R-remove their skin?

"N-no..."

My body isn't obeying me. I-I can't stop shaking in fear and my tears won't stop falling. A-am I going to die? I don't want to die.

"Please don't kill me..."

"Idiot, don't give up! She won't just kill you, she'll kill your whole family!"

"M-my whole family?"

"You have to defeat her if you don't want that to happen!"

"B-but that man is a giant and he has a weapon."

"But you have 'that.' Use it and you'll win."

"But my body hurts a lot when I use it."

"It's that or die. You have to use it and kill that man."

"Kill?! I'm not a murderer."

"You have to do it, or he'll kill you."

"Less talk and more action!"

Legendary ghost number 4 joined that man. A small black aura surrounded him and he gave me a strong blow to the face.

"Now!"

With all the pain in my heart, I activated "that." I activated the power of my soul. My spiritual body.

The fist pierced my body and I moved away from him. I regained my normal form and began to vomit blood. M-my stomach hurts a lot. A-and my nose is bleeding.

"Less than a second. You still can't use it well, you lack experience. Use the power of the legendary ghosts at the same time in your own body. Take this."

Number 1 put something in my hands.

"I took the gun from one of those guards. Kill him."

"A gun?"

The man smiled at me and approached.

"Fufu. You're trembling too much, coward. You don't have the guts to kill someone. Have you really never killed anyone? I lost count of all the people I've killed. Seeing women cry as I rape them. Killing children with my own hands in front of their debtor parents. There's no better feeling."

"...What is rape?"

"Something I'll do to your mother after I kill you."

"Rape is..."

Number 1 began whispering in my ear... Did he... dare to threaten my mother?

"This kid won't dare."

"Saik, stop crying and kill him."

"Fufu. How adorable."

He took my hands and placed the tip of the gun on his forehead.

"Come on, pull the..."

I pulled the trigger and blood splattered on my face.

"Eh?"

H-his body fell to the ground... Did I... kill him?

"Well done, Saik. We have to go."

This feeling... I... feel weird.

"I... I killed him."

"It was him or your family."

Legendary ghost number 4 left his body.

"Wow, wow. Did he really dare? Great!"

"Saik, I know you're traumatized, but we have to defeat number 4."

"I know."

I activated number 3 and turned back into Shadow form.

"I killed someone, but..."

"Yes, you feel bad, I know."

"Poor thing, he hurt killing someone. Hahahaha!"

"No... I didn't feel anything."

"Eh?"

"I... I feel the same. My fear just disappeared, that's all... I thought killing would affect me, but... I didn't care."

I didn't care about anything. I didn't feel sadness or fear... I didn't feel absolutely anything. All my fear just disappeared.

"W-what are you saying?"

"Is he telling the tr...?"

I didn't let her finish and gave her a strong blow right to her heart. I gathered all the power of my legendary ghosts in my fist, and since I surprised her, she didn't have time to protect herself.

I have the advantage, and I won't waste it.

I started hitting her in the face. Her head hit the ground, but I didn't care and kept hitting her.

"20... 44... 78... 100 hits."

"I-I think that's enough. Her face is deformed."

"Yeah, she's not moving. She's got no energy left."

I put my hand on her face and captured her. Surprising her really worked, and using "that" for a second helped even more. My bones feel like they're broken, but I have to admit it was worth it.

"Four ghosts under my power."

My body hurts and I feel like I'm going to explode.

"Your body can barely handle it. You need to improve it."

"Yeah, I know."

According to number 1, I have to exercise to improve my body and use the powers of the legendary ghosts to improve my soul. I still have a long way to go.

"So... You really don't feel anything?"

"No... At first, I was scared, but when I killed him so easily, my fear disappeared... I didn't feel anything else... Why?"

"I don't have the answer either. Let's just go, I hear footsteps."

"Let's go."

And that's how I got my fourth legendary ghost and killed a person for the first time. Killing a person didn't matter to me, I didn't care, and I never knew why.

•

•

(Pov- Number 1.)

Saik is still a little boy, he cried and was scared to death, but when he killed that man, all those feelings vanished. He realized that the danger he was afraid of ceased to be dangerous to him, so he instinctively stopped being afraid and adapted to the situation, a situation where he was superior. The pride of his soul did not allow him to feel anything for someone unimportant to him. A selfish and proud natured soul.

Saik's soul is really rare... And juicy.