Chapter 77: The Mischievous Ghost’s Romantic Traps

Hello, I am a ghost living in the old school building!

People who visit here sometimes call me an evil spirit, but I’d appreciate it if you were careful with your words because it hurts my feelings as a ghost!

I’m not an evil spirit; I just love the basement and enjoy a bit of mischief.

I’ve been living here for quite a long time.

Back when I couldn’t speak and didn’t have much power, this building was always bustling with students. Then, one day, everyone disappeared all of a sudden.

The caretakers of the building vanished too, and as it became more desolate, my powers grew stronger. But I felt lonely because there were no friends left to prank.

For a few years, I found comfort in students who occasionally snuck in, either as friends or couples looking for an adventurous time.

Thanks to my growing powers, I could play even more exciting pranks.

One of my favorites is this one!

First, I need two people. Why two, you ask?

Well, the people who come to spooky places like this are often testing their courage, but just as often, it’s two people who seem to have a crush on each other but won’t admit it.

That’s why I need two people!

Once they enter the room, I read the heart of the first person and uncover what they secretly want from the second person.

It’s a bit tricky, but uncovering hidden desires is kind of my specialty!

Then, I trap them in the room and won’t let them leave until they confront their desires.

Of course, I’ve made sure no one gets hurt, and I’ve set up plenty of safeguards so their friends outside won’t worry too much.

So, what happens next?

Ta-da! My little pranks have resulted in a total of 42 couples forming.

At first, not many people came by, but word must have spread because more visitors started showing up.

Unfortunately, that didn’t last.

I must have drawn too much attention because instead of playful friends, bad sorcerers came and started harassing me and my fellow ghosts.

So, I hid in the basement that I love so much. I even hid the staircase leading down here.

Thankfully, the bad sorcerers didn’t notice.

But my relief didn’t last long.

While I avoided the sorcerers, I also lost the friends who used to visit, leaving no one to prank anymore.

I’ve become much better at reading people’s desires now, but… there’s no one to prank. It’s so lonely.

But then, guess what!

After such a long time, a group of lively friends came to visit!

They seemed young, so I figured they weren’t the bad sorcerers.

I decided to invite the most entertaining one to the basement.

The others seemed like kind-hearted friends, searching diligently for their missing companion.

When they finally reached the basement, I was overjoyed!

So, I decided to play a prank for the first time in ages.

The first target of my mischief was the cute little magician. A sweet kid like that must be a kind sorcerer, unlike the bad ones who hurt me.

Sure enough, the little magician brought another pretty friend along.

Now, it’s time to read the little magician’s desire.

If they were a boy and girl, I might have created another couple. That’s a little disappointing.

Oh? The little magician’s desire is curious! They want to hug their pretty friend tightly!

Hmm… They address each other strangely. Were they siblings or something?

They quickly fulfilled the condition and escaped the room.

Well, the first round was a bit of a letdown, but I expect the second friend to have a more amusing reaction.

The second chosen one was the red-haired little friend.

Oh? This one also brought the pretty friend along? Popular, aren’t they?

Now, let’s read the red-haired friend’s desire.

Oh my!

Our red-haired little friend is cheeky. They want to kiss the pretty friend!

Hmm… But is kissing a thing between two girls?

I don’t know. I’ve never seen it among the couples I’ve brought together.

But it doesn’t matter. This is going to be fun!

When I locked the door, the red-haired friend tried to break it down. But that’s not happening! At least not in this basement, where my power reigns supreme.

Finally, the two of them noticed the writing on the door.

Hehehe…

Both of their faces turned bright red!

This is exactly the reaction I was hoping for! It feels like I’m quenching a thirst that’s built up over decades.

They stood still for a long time, but I wasn’t worried.

As I mentioned earlier, the flow of time in the room is disconnected from the outside.

Finally, it seemed like the pretty friend was about to kiss the red-haired one.

Oh, how exciting!

The pretty friend looked so flustered, freezing just inches away.

Ah! The red-haired one must have gotten impatient because they grabbed the pretty friend and started planting kisses everywhere.

Kyaa!

The last, tenth kiss was so embarrassing to watch that I covered my eyes. Of course, my ghostly hands are transparent, so I still saw everything!

The red-haired one dashed out of the room in a hurry.

I’ve missed these kinds of pranks so much. But I can’t stop here.

There’s still one friend left.

This one’s a blonde, just as pretty as the silver-haired friend, but… something about them feels intimidating. I don’t know why.

Even when the bad sorcerers came, I wasn’t scared like this…

But this is my first prank in decades, so I can’t give up now.

I’ll invite the blonde friend, of course, along with the pretty one.

By now, the pretty friend seems used to this, barely reacting when the door shuts.

Now, let’s read the blonde friend’s desire.

HIEEEEEK!

Shameless! Pervert! Lewd demon! How could you have such desires about a friend?!

Still, according to the rules of my room, the desires must be fulfilled.

But there’s no way I could write something so… explicit on the door!

I can’t do this. Ghost Judging Panel, come out!

“What’s this? Is it broken?”

Knocking on the incomplete text on the door and inspecting it from various angles, there was no sign of the sentence being completed.

Celian also wore a curious expression, not understanding the situation.

Just as I was considering whether to break down the door for real this time, three ghosts suddenly appeared from a wall in the room that had been empty until now.

Clang!

Celian and I quickly drew our swords, preparing for a fight upon seeing the ghosts. However, their behavior was strange.

Instead of attacking us, they huddled together, whispering among themselves.

I hesitated, wondering whether to strike first. Just then, the ghosts seemed to come to a decision and pulled something out of their robes.

But instead of weapons, what they revealed left Celian and me even more perplexed.

Each ghost held a signboard in both hands, with “O” on one side and “X” on the other.

The first ghost raised the “O” sign, followed by the second ghost raising the “X” sign.

What on earth are they doing?

It seemed like it was the third ghost’s turn, but the third ghost appeared conflicted, unable to decide which sign to raise.

It kept shifting between holding up one sign and the other.

After a long moment, with Celian and me watching in confusion, the third ghost finally made its decision and raised the “X” sign.

So, one “O” and two “X” signs… but what does that mean?

Before I could solve the mystery, the ghosts seemed satisfied with their decision and disappeared without a word.

“What was that?”

“No idea…”

Left in the room, Celian and I stood awkwardly with our swords drawn.

Setting aside the mysterious ghosts, I considered using my drawn sword to break the door.

However, the previously incomplete sentence on the door had somehow finished itself.

“To leave this room, you must say ‘I love you’ to each other ten times.”

I felt like a fool for trying to make sense of the antics of these spirits.

Still, this seemed relatively easy. It was certainly less challenging than kissing Anne ten times.

“Uh, Celie? Could you hear me out without misunderstanding?”

I explained to Celian about the previous instances when I had been trapped with Presia and Anne.

Of course, I left out the details about the conditions we had to fulfill.

How could I openly admit to hugging and kissing them?

“So… we just have to follow the instructions on the door, right?”

Celian didn’t seem particularly bothered.

“Yes, that’s right. If we don’t do as the spirits demand and try to break the door instead, they might impose even stranger conditions. So, let’s just—whoa! Stop, Celie! Stop, stop!”

As I was explaining, Celian made a move to break down the door. I quickly threw myself at her, pulling her back.

I could understand her anger at such a ridiculous trap. And knowing her, she might actually succeed in breaking the door. But if we provoked the spirits, they might retaliate with something even worse.

“Okay, okay. Calm down, please.”

“I am calm.”

Calm people don’t immediately try to smash doors, Celian.

“Just say the words… you know, ‘I love you,’ ten times. It’s not that hard.”

“…Fine. I understand.”

Thankfully, Celian agreed to play along with the spirits’ prank.

“Okay, I’ll go first.”

“Go ahead.”

We sat facing each other, ready to complete the mission.

“L-love you…”

…But this was harder than expected.

I thought it would be easier than kissing Anne, but saying “I love you” turned out to be far more embarrassing.

“I… love you.”

“Ah!”

Still, I managed to whisper the words once.

Celian, however, was trembling slightly, as though the words had made her cringe.

“I love you too.”

It was Celian’s turn.

Now I understood why she was trembling. Hearing the words was just as embarrassing as saying them.

Since I was male at heart, it even felt like I was truly being confessed to, which made it even harder to handle.

“I love you.”

“Ah… I love you too.”

“I love you.”

“Ah… I love you more.”

Celian, stop teasing me like that. You’re only making me more flustered.

After a painfully awkward exchange, we finally completed the ten rounds.

With a click, the door unlocked.

Feeling completely drained, Celian sat with a dazed expression. Taking the opportunity, I fled the room as if escaping for my life.

Just you wait, spirits. I’ll get you back for this.