The retreating ghost began to tremble in fear.

"Now, you only have two choices."

I stomped my right foot once, and a black hole appeared in front of me with hundreds of black hands emerging to pull the ghost whose head I gripped.

"Enter Yomi while enduring all the torments, or..."

I snapped my fingers once, and my balcony door opened, revealing numerous youkai already present there.

"Become slaves to the youkai forever, even though I'm sure you'll become their food. Look, they seem salivating at your lost souls."

Instantly, the ghosts here started screaming in fear, the panic making the sounds from inside the room even louder, though I was certain it sounded like a malfunctioning cassette.

"Now, make your choice..."

As I was about to plunge the ghost I held into Yomi, I heard fearful voices from behind.

"We beg your forgiveness, please forgive us."

When I turned around, all the ghosts prostrated towards me.

"Heh, this is not interesting. I thought you harbored resentment and wanted to curse me forever."

"We will lift it soon. Please forgive us."

Some black auras emerged from my body.

"Even if you didn't do that, I can cleanse the curse you bestowed. So, what do I gain by forgiving you?"

For a moment, the ghosts looked confused upon hearing me.

After whispering to each other, they had made a decision.

"We will give you everything we have."

"Do you even have anything valuable?"

"Although not much, I believe there are a few benefits I can offer you, sir."

"What can I do? Because I've promised not to cause a big commotion in my friend's territory, I'll accept your offer."

I threw the ghost I was holding towards the ghosts who were prostrating.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

I snapped my fingers to close the black hole I created. On the other side, I spoke to the Youkai outside.

"Unfortunately, there's no party for now. You may leave."

The Youkai looked disappointed, but they started disappearing on their own.

As I looked at the line of ghosts in front of me, one thing made me happy.

"It seems all of you were once humans, surely you all have immense grudges, leading your souls to become so tainted."

"We indeed hold grudges, but we still can't exact revenge."

"From what I know, you often terrorize all the new occupants of this room. However, after seeing your attitudes earlier, I'm confident that your targets of revenge are not the owner of this apartment or the person living in this room."

"Actually, we have different revenge goals. It's just that this place has become a gathering spot for us."

"So, while gaining energy, you continue to resist other spirits. However, you must realize that this place doesn't belong to you alone."

"We understand."

"Yes, as long as I stay here, you must not engage in any harmful actions. But if I leave or the apartment lease expires, I don't mind if you intend to draw energy from the fear of others."

"Uh..."

For some reason, the ghosts looked surprised.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Before I release all of you, there's one more thing I want to ask. Who was the one who appeared behind me earlier and frightened Akibayashi-san?"

Some of the ghosts began to look at each other, and shortly after, a young male ghost stood among the crowd in front of me.

"That was me."

"What is your purpose in doing that?"

"I was just doing what I usually do."

"So, do you also do the same to everyone living here?"

"Yes."

"From now on, stop it. I don't care about your actions outside this place. At least, ensure life here is like in a normal apartment."

"If you say so, then I will do that."

"Good, you may leave."

"Thank you."

Among the many ghosts who said similar things, eventually, they disappeared on their own.

With this, I could enjoy my first night of sleep comfortably.

 

The next day, as usual, I was about to go to my campus to attend the admission ceremony. Just as I was about to lock my room door, I could see Akibayashi coming out from the next room with his daughter.

 

"Good morning, Akibayashi-san."

"Yes, good morning, Edamura-san."

"It seems this place is indeed worth living in; the price is affordable for a student like me."

"Eh, you feel that way?"

Rather than paying attention to Akibayashi, I was a bit surprised by his daughter's statement.

 

"I heard loud noises earlier. Were you scared at that time?"

Seeing this, Akibayashi-san started covering his daughter's mouth for a moment.

"Ahahaha, I had a little nightmare, so I fell off my bed a few times. Was the sound really that loud?"

The girl just nodded.

"Sorry, Edamura-san. My daughter is a bit sensitive to loud sounds, so she starts saying strange things."

"It's okay; besides, I don't really believe in anything mystical or the existence of ghosts. If they really exist, their presence would surely make people uncomfortable living in a place."

Akibayashi-san fell silent upon hearing my words.

"I mean, I do accept their existence. But until now, I haven't seen them directly, so it's not real, hahaha."

 

"So Edamura-san thinks like that. I hope you always stay optimistic about it."

"Thank you, Akibayashi-san, but I don't feel anything strange. So, there's nothing to worry about."

Even so, he seemed puzzled by my statement.

"That's good."

"In that case, I'll go ahead."

"Right, sorry for taking your time."

"It's okay; I'm glad to have a considerate neighbor. I'll be going then."

"Yes."

 

Right after leaving the apartment, I headed to the campus. At the nearest bus stop, I began to board the bus that happened to arrive at the same time. When I entered, there weren't many people on the bus, just a few students and elderly individuals. This was normal for a small town in the middle of the main island of Japan.

 

As I sat down, I could feel some curious spirits on the bus approaching me. When our eyes met, the crowd of entities started talking.

 

"Can you see us?"

 

However, I remained silent.

"Turns out it was just a coincidence."

 

Just before the young man's spirit began to turn around, I moved my fingers and wrote something with ink-like spiritual energy. A light that only the spirits could see began to shine.

 

"Onmyouji? Please forgive me. Until now, I haven't committed any crimes."

 

Suddenly, the man started kneeling in front of me, along with other spirits on the bus.

 

I wrote a few more sentences to them. As they read my new writings, they began to look at me courageously.

 

"Alright, Onmyouji-sama, we will do it."

 

My fingers moved again to write some more. This time, disappointment appeared on the faces of the spirits there.

 

"We can't do it; our souls are still trapped on this bus. There's nothing we can do to resolve this issue."

 

Normally, I could send them to the spirit realm for judgment. However, if their souls were still here, I felt the outcome would be very clear.

 

I decided to speak as quietly as possible.

 

"If you truly carry out what I've instructed, I'll make sure that after you fulfill your task, you will get a second chance."

 

"Is that true, Onmyouji-sama?"

 

Happy expressions started to appear on the faces of the spirits.

 

"Yes, I promise on my name. However, I can't tell you about my true identity. I will answer all your concerns when everything is completed."

 

"Understood, Onmyouji-sama, we will carry out your tasks wholeheartedly."

 

"Thank you."

 

A few moments later, the bus arrived at my destination, the campus gate. As soon as I exited the bus, I raised my right hand to bid farewell to the spirits still inside the bus. The gloomy atmosphere that initially surrounded the bus began to change for the better.

 

When I looked at the campus area, my first impression was something ordinary. An area that was quiet and not crowded. Perhaps because it was not yet the start of the new academic year, there were only a few students attending classes. However, there were some people participating in extracurricular activities.

 

Although it was a small town, the campus environment was quite spacious. It seemed like engaging in various activities would be suitable here.

 

As my gaze was fixed on the incoming emails on my phone, I unintentionally got lost.

 

"This is strange. I followed the directions in the email, but why am I in front of the language faculty library instead?"

 

I better sit down and open the map on my phone.

 

"I should only need to follow the signs; I think I'll get there quickly."

 

As I started to assess my surroundings, the place was truly deserted—a perfect spot for relaxation.

 

Instead of sitting on the provided chairs, I chose to sit on the grass beneath a large tree, a bit far from the library entrance. While placing my bag down, I began to relax as much as possible.

 

My phone started vibrating. I guessed it was a follow-up email from the person who summoned me here. As I reached for my bag to retrieve my phone, someone called out to me.