After a short while, Megumi pulled back, visibly short of breath.
“Did you forget to breathe through your nose?” Ren asked.
“S-Sorry.
I’ve never done this before, so…” Megumi really had no idea what to do.
“You’ll figure it out after a few more times.”
“…” Megumi froze.
‘A few more times?’ She barely had time to think about it before Ren raised his hand and called out to a passing student.
“Excuse me.”
The student stopped, looking confused.
“Hm?”
Ren pointed toward Megumi.
“Can you see the cute girl standing next to me?”
“Cute girl?” The student looked over in puzzlement, then blinked when he saw Megumi standing there.
Wait.
When did she get there?
“Y-Yeah.
I can see her.”
“Thanks.” Ren smiled and waved goodbye.
The student walked away, still scratching his head in confusion.
Ren turned back to Megumi.
“Looks like your presence is back.”
“IT WORKED!!” Megumi stared at her hands in disbelief.
“What, did you think I was scamming you?”
“M-Maybe a little.” She rubbed her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed even though her face stayed mostly blank.
After all, being told a kiss could bring her back sounded more like a bad pickup line than a real answer.
“I just thought that if I was going to disappear from the world anyway, and since you’re really handsome, even if it was a trick, I wouldn’t really be losing much.”
Ren fell silent for a moment.
She was surprisingly honest and direct.
“All right, all right.” He waved a hand.
“This is only a temporary fix.
Since your presence is back now, start timing it.
We need to know exactly how long one kiss lasts.”
“Got it.” Megumi nodded at once.
As she turned to leave, she hesitated.
“Can we exchange LINE information?
I’d like to know how to find you later.”
He had helped her out of an impossible situation and taken her first kiss.
Even she couldn’t pretend that meant nothing.
“Sure.” Ren agreed and didn’t make a fuss.
After adding her, he told her where to find the Service Club at school.
…
When Megumi returned home, her parents looked directly at her.
The people who had completely forgotten her existence could finally see her again.
“Now that I think about it, I feel like I haven’t seen you in a few days.”
Seeing her parents, Megumi felt a huge sense of relief.
A small smile appeared on her lips—so faint she didn’t even notice it herself.
The next day, after classes ended, Ren headed to the Service Club as usual.
“I heard Sobu High has a lot of strange rumors,” Utaha Kasumigaoka said.
“I’ve heard them too,” Eriri Spencer Sawamura replied.
“You don’t think our school has its own urban legends, do you?”
Utaha and Eriri chatted about the latest campus ghost stories.
Yukino Yukinoshita didn’t say much, but she nodded now and then.
“Why don’t we make this our next club activity?
We can investigate those rumors this weekend.” Utaha suggested.
“YES.
LET’S DO IT.” Eriri’s eyes brightened.
Yukino did not voice any objections either.
All three girls turned toward Ren at the same time.
He stared back at them in silence.
Club activity?
Wasn’t this supposed to be the Service Club?
When did it become the Occult Research Club?
Facing their expectant gazes, Ren could only shrug.
“Are you not scared?
What if you actually run into another urban legend?”
Most campus ghost stories were made up, but in this world, there was always a chance they could be real.
“With you there, Kouhai, I wouldn’t be scared,” Utaha said with a smile.
Straight to the point, as usual.
“Besides, after seeing a real urban legend with my own eyes, regular daily life feels kind of boring,” Eriri admitted.
Yukino nodded in tacit agreement.
Ren could only look at them, feeling helpless.
This was exactly the kind of thing that got reckless high school students killed in horror movies…
“Come on, Kouhai.
Come with us!” Utaha walked over, grabbed his arm, and looked up at him with pleading eyes.
When Utaha Kasumigaoka acted like that, it was impossible to resist her.
Across the room, Eriri and Yukino’s gazes locked onto Utaha’s hands.
“You shameless cow, that is inappropriate.” Eriri hurried over and pried Utaha’s hands from his arm.
She was obviously jealous.
Not that she would ever admit it.
“Tch.” Utaha clicked her tongue, annoyed at being interrupted, and shot Eriri a cold look.
“Our dear kouhai didn’t complain.
So why are you butting in, losing heroine?”
“Because someone has to.
“My, my~” Utaha smirked.
Eriri was just too easy to read—her feelings showed on her face.
“OVERGROWN COW.”
“LOSING BLONDE.”
“OVERGROWN COW.”
“LOSING BLONDE.”
Ren stopped paying attention to their argument.
The way those two always fought, they were the real match made in heaven.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
At that moment, the Service Club door slid open.
“Megumi?”
Seeing the girl enter, Ren stood from his chair.
“Megumi?” The three girls stopped arguing and turned toward the doorway.
“Who is that?”
“There’s no one there…”
“Wait.
Why did the door open by itself?”
“DON’T TELL ME…” None of them could see Megumi.
All they saw was the clubroom door opening on its own.
Of course, their minds immediately went to the supernatural.
“You can’t see her again?” Ren realized the Positive energy had run out.
Her presence had dropped back to zero.
He turned to the girls.
“Relax.
It isn’t an urban legend.
You’ll understand in a second.”
Then he walked to where Megumi stood.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“It’s fine.”
Even though they had already done this the day before, facing him again still made Megumi shy.
Somehow, her cute face remained as deadpan as ever.
Ren leaned in and kissed her.
“Mwah.”
The three girls were totally confused.
With Ren there, they weren’t really scared of a ghost, but they still had no idea what was going on.
Then, as fresh Positive energy flowed into Megumi, her presence returned.
Right before their eyes, a very cute girl appeared out of thin air.
And Ren was kissing her…
“EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?”
It helps new readers find it.
And of course, your Power Stones help push the story forward.
Thanks for reading.