Stealing Spree

With my lead, the four of us climbed upstairs to check on what actually made that sound. All three girls, even An-rin, were holding onto me like I was their personal ghost shield.

Chii clung to my left arm, her fingers intertwined with mine pressed onto the back of my hand with every creak of the stairs. An-rin had latched onto the hem of my shirt, hiding behind me as if she were ready to bolt at any moment. Kushii, on the other hand, was trying to keep her cool. She hovered close to my right side while occasionally glancing at me. Probably drawing courage from my unperturbed expression.

Well, there’s no reason to be afraid, right? Even if there was truly a ghost in here, what could it do? Say hi to us?

Downstairs, since they’re already spooked enough, An-rin had already turned on the lights. Due to that, the hallway on this floor was already bright enough to see where we were going.

Unfortunately, because An-rin was trying to maximize the atmosphere earlier, she also turned off the lights here. Hence, our first agenda was to walk towards the switch, which, funnily enough, was located at the end of the hallway and next to the upstairs bathroom door.

“Yo, Onoda-han,” An-rin whispered, her voice a lot less confident than usual. “You’re, like, totally sure this is just a coincidence, right? No ghosts, no curses, just… stuff falling over?”

I glanced back at her, keeping my tone light to ease the tension. “An-rin, you’re the one who bought the ‘cursed’ crystal ball story. There are no ghosts. You simply got yourself conditioned to believe there is by thinking about it over and over. Besides, didn’t you say you’re fearless?”

She puffed out her cheeks, trying to muster her usual chaotic energy. “I am fearless! I’m just, like, being cautious. Big difference, okay?”

Sure. Big difference when she’s probably going to remember all this tomorrow. Will she be fine alone? She just made her house a haunted one.

Perhaps sensing what I was thinking, Chii pressed closer to me, “Kii, don’t bully her. She’s already shaking. Look, she’s holding onto you like you’re her lifeline.”

“Totally not because of that, Chizuru! I’m just, like, making sure Onoda-han doesn’t run away from us. Seriously!” An-rin shot back, but the way her hand tightened on my shirt betrayed her.

“It’s probably just the wind… or something. Right, Onoda-shi?” Unbothered by her friend’s desperate explanation, Kushii tugged at my sleeve as she sought reassurance. She was doing a better job than An-rin at hiding her nerves.

“Wind, a loose floorboard, maybe a cat knocking stuff over. An-rin, you got a pet you forgot to mention? Or did your parents leave a window open?”

“No pets, no windows!” An-rin swiftly answered. “My parents are, like, super paranoid about locking everything. It’s probably… probably nothing, right?”

The hallway stretched out before us, lined with a few closed doors. The glow from the city lights outside seeped through a small window at the far end, casting long, eerie shadows.

I could feel the girls’ collective tension as they either held their breath or inhaled deeply as we continued to where the light switch was located.

It was only a few steps, so it didn’t take long for us to reach it.

An-rin hurriedly turned it on, and the lights finally chased away the lingering shadows, flooding the hallway with a warm, comforting glow.

The eerie atmosphere dissolved almost instantly, and the girls let out a collective sigh of relief, though An-rin’s grip on my shirt didn’t loosen entirely.

“See? No ghosts,” I said, turning to face them with a smug grin. “Just a dark hallway and your overactive imaginations. You three owe me for dragging me up here to play ghost hunter.”

An-rin huffed, finally letting go of my shirt but keeping her arms crossed defensively.

“Pfft, whatever, Onoda-han! I wasn’t scared, I was just… testing your bravery! Yeah, that’s it!”

This girl will never admit to anything.

Chii giggled, “Sure, An-rin. You were so brave, hiding behind Kii like that. I thought you were gonna climb him like a tree.”

Kushii, now standing a bit more confidently, smirked at her friend’s expense. “She would’ve, if there was another thump. An-rin, you’re lucky Onoda-shi didn’t let you faceplant into the coffee table earlier.”

“Traitors! All of you!” An-rin wailed as she threw her hands up dramatically.

“I’m, like, totally fine! No ghosts, no problem! Now, let’s find what made that noise so I can prove I’m the queen of this castle!”

I raised an eyebrow, gesturing down the hallway. “Alright, Your Majesty, lead the way. You heard the thump. Where do you think it came from?”

An-rin hesitated as fear once again crept to her face. Eventually, she pointed toward a door at the end of the hall. “Probably… my parents’ room? It’s the only place I haven’t been in since they left. Maybe something fell over there.”

Chii’s eyes widened slightly, and she tugged at my arm. “Kii, are we allowed to go in there? It’s her parents’ room. What if it’s, like, private or something?”

An-rin waved her hand dismissively. “It’s fine, Chizuru! They’re not here, and I’m not, like, snooping. We’re just checking for… y’know, rogue furniture or whatever. C’mon!”

Kushii glanced at me, her expression carrying a hint of curiosity and skepticism. “Rogue furniture? An-rin, you’re reaching. But… fine. Let’s get this over with. I’m getting sleepy.”

I nodded, keeping Chii close as we followed An-rin’s lead. She used a key and pushed open the door to her parents’ room. The hinges creaked dramatically, making her jump a little despite the lights being on.

I bit back a laugh, not wanting to push her too far after all the teasing.

The room was tidy, almost too neat compared to the chaos of An-rin’s living space.

A large bed with crisp white sheets dominated the space, flanked by a sleek wooden dresser and a small nightstand.

A few framed photos sat on the dresser, showing An-rin’s parents smiling at what looked like a beach vacation. Nothing seemed out of place at first glance.

“See? No ghosts,” I said as I stepped inside, scanning the room. “Maybe a book fell off a shelf or something.”

I know. That was also quite a reach. The sound earlier was too loud. It couldn’t be anything but something heavy falling from an elevated position.

An-rin darted to the nightstand, peering around like she was on a mission. “Yeah, yeah, Onoda-han, keep acting cool. I bet it was—oh!”

And then, she froze, pointing at the floor near the dresser.

I followed her finger and saw that a small decorative box had tipped over, its lid slightly ajar, spilling a few trinkets onto the carpet.

A brass keychain and a couple of coins glinted in the light.

“There’s your ghost,” I said, crouching down to pick up the box. “Looks like it just slid off. Maybe the dresser is uneven, or someone bumped it.”

Obviously, the first reason was quite improbable. How could it just slide off when no one was in the room? Could it be… there’s really a ghost? Something that came out of the ‘cursed’ crystal ball?

Alright. Let’s stop scaring ourselves.

Or so I thought.

But looking behind me, the three girls all had their fears renewed, possibly from what I said.

“S-someone? Kii… that’s quite heavy. It can’t just slide off.”

“R-right, Onoda-shi. C-can we, like, get out right now? Whoever pushed it might still be here. Ugh… I suddenly feel my hair stand.”

Chii and Kushii stood closer to each other, most likely feeling a little secure. Meanwhile, An-rin, who was now kneeling next to me, had her eyes closed.

Before long, she grabbed at my arm and whispered, “O-onoda-han. L-let’s stop this. And… stay with us! Like, I can’t handle all this ghost and stuff.”

I almost burst into laughter hearing that, but in the end, I just put my hand on top of her head, ruffling her already chaotic hair, “What are you saying? Aren’t I going to sleep here with all of you? Of course, I’ll stay. Now, let’s stop scaring ourselves and go back down and watch something on TV. Or if you want, we can move to your room, your choice.”

After saying that, I turned to the two girls who also nodded, letting An-rin decide what to do next.

Honestly, even if it’s actually supernatural, I doubt it’ll disturb our night, right? I mean… Back on the camping trip, Arisa and I weren’t disturbed inside that ‘haunted’ place by the ghost that made those idiots tire themselves running around the place.

Oh. Maybe I was a natural ghost ward? That’s the only explanation.

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