269 – Random Appearance
「Music box? Aren’t they too old for a Christmas present?”
“…Is that a bit like that?”
Looking at old love comedies, it seems that music boxes were used a lot as a token of promise.
I lowered my hand sullenly at Chiaki’s unexpectedly cold reaction.
「I wish it was a more practical gift than that.」
A more practical gift….
While looking around, I stumbled across an object and involuntarily, ah! And let out a light exclamation.
“Then how about that one?”
Then Chiaki’s eyes follow my fingers.
What I confidently pointed out was an electronic wristwatch commonly found on the street.
「Watch?」
“It’s exactly what you want. You can keep it for a long time, and it’s practical.”
Nowadays, with smartphones, wristwatches are no longer essential, but wristwatches are useful if you have one.
「Huh-」
Chaki, who seemed interested after hearing my explanation, moved closer and started looking at the wristwatch in the display case.
This time, it was a confident choice, so I went to Chiaki’s side.
“How is it? Anything you like?”
The answer Chiaki gave was,
「No.」
It was a resolute denial.
“…Why this time again?”
When I asked him why, feeling that he was about to lose his confidence, Chiaki crossed his arms and said.
「The design isn’t very pretty. If possible, I would like to present something pretty.”
“If that’s the case, there’s also a regular wristwatch.”
As she casually pointed to the display case next to her, Chiaki said “Oh!” He exclaimed, then buried his head in the display case.
「This! Let’s do this!”
Chiaki chose a watch from the famous watch brand SEIKO.
The point color was orange, the same color as Ryuji’s hair, and the casual yet neat design looked perfect for a student to wear.
“Oh, that’s fine.”
「Isn’t it? Right?”
Hearing my praise, Chiaki gets puffed up and opens her chest.
Certainly, looking at this aspect, Chiaki’s mental age seems to have stopped at his childhood.
With a wry smile, Chiaki was about to call the clerk to take out the watch he had chosen, but when I saw the price tag below, I hesitated.
“…Wait a minute, Chiaki. What did you say your budget was?”
「Huh? Is it 5000 yen?」
“This is 14900 yen.”
「──」
Chiaki’s eyes turned into dots when he heard the price was three times the budget.
「Maybe… 」
Chiaki tried to say something, but I firmly refused, one beat faster than he did.
“Give up.”
***
「10,000 Yen! Just lend me 10,000 yen!”
“Sometimes people have to know how to give up.”
I heard that people who like each other resemble each other, but I didn’t expect that even the way they tried to borrow money from me would resemble them.
I pretended not to see Chiaki desperately clinging to me and walked forward, but whenever I fell behind, Chiaki quickly jumped forward using the advantage of being a ghost.
I don’t know if it’s because Chiaki is a great youkai-level ghost with a huge negative energy, but whenever it penetrates his body, he gets a strange chill.
I hurriedly turned the yang qi into my body to drive away the cold, then I asked Chiaki, who was running wild right in front of me.
“If I lend you money, then how are you going to repay me?”
Then, the guy who had been arguing about asking for money until just a moment ago averted his gaze.
「That’s… 」
“Look at that, since you’re doing this, can I trust you and lend it to you?”
As I shrugged and passed by, Chiaki belatedly called out.
「If you need my strength later, I will lend it to you anytime!」
Hmm?
I looked back on better conditions than I thought.
“Anytime?”
Perhaps she thought I had eaten rice cake, Chiaki’s face suddenly brightened.
「Anytime!」
It’s not as bad as you think.
If you donate 10,000 yen and lend it, you can borrow this guy’s power anytime.
If this guy’s stand power that even ‘freezes’ time, my body, and Hayate’s power are combined, it’s literally invincible… !
“Okay. Deal closed.”
「Okay!」
That’s how I bought a Chiaki Free Pass for only 10,000 yen.
***
「hehehe-」
“Is it that good?”
「Of course! It’s the first Christmas present I’ve ever given to Ryuji!”
While saying that, Chiaki looked lovingly at the shopping bag in my hand.
Thousands of yen like blood evaporated from my wallet, but seeing how he liked it, I didn’t feel like I was spending money that I couldn’t use at all.
We finished picking out presents for each other, but it was a pity to go home straight away, so we decided to stop by a fast food restaurant for a while.
Geeing!
“Welcome! McDonald’s brings happiness!”
“…Fuma-senpai?”
“Hot, Yuseong Kim?!”
Fuma-senpai puts his hat on deep in surprise, as if he hadn’t expected to meet someone he knew while working part-time.
But even covering her face couldn’t hide her breasts, which are the largest of any woman I know.
How big is it that even if you wear a loose shirt, the volume won’t be covered?
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I came to a fast food restaurant to eat a hamburger.”
“Only the two of you?”
“If I had to count ghosts, there would be two.”
When I said that and glanced at Chiaki next to her, Chiaki blinked her eyes as if it were absurd.
「Who is this person? Can you see me?」
“Don’t you remember? I went to the Western-style house you lived with before.”
「Ah! Then, that bouncy ninja!”
“Who is the rocking ninja!”
Fuma-senpai gets angry when Chiaki calls him by a strange nickname.
Perhaps it was because the voice was quite loud, other people were spotted whispering to the counter where we were standing.
“It’s going to be rocking.”
“Are men openly s*xually harassing you?”
“Should I report it to the police…”
But why does it seem like I’m taking all the charges?
“Oh, sorry. I’m so excited.”
Perhaps he finished his assessment of the situation belatedly, Fuma-senpai cleared his throat and said, “It’s great!”
Then he whispered in a low voice.
“I’m busy right now because it’s peak time, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Oh, yes.”
Though he is graduating in just three months, seeing Fuma-senpai still working hard at his part-time job brings tears to his eyes.
「By the way, why is that woman working part-time here?」
“There’s a lot of complexity there.”
「Complicated circumstances?」
“There is no end to talking about each one, so I will omit the detailed explanation.”
「… Let it go.”
When I skip the questions without answering them, Chiaki puffs out her cheeks like a blowfish.
Because Chiaki, who has the appearance of a young girl, does actions that would make a normal female student shrivel up, they become picturesque.
Anyway, as I was chatting with Chiaki and eating hamburgers, Fuma-senpai came upstairs with a tray of hamburgers.
“Senior.”
“There you are.”
I beckoned, Fuma-senpai strode over and sat across from me.
“Is it okay if I skip work while working?”
“It’s meal time. Originally, employees were supposed to eat lunch in shifts.”
While saying that, Fuma-senpai removed the wrapping paper from the hamburger.
“The good thing about working part-time at McDonald’s is that you can make and eat as many hamburgers as you want instead of rice.
“That’s right.”
She felt strangely boastful, but since she knew Fuma-senpai’s usual eating habits, she couldn’t bear to argue.
From noble mtl dot com
“Did you quit your previous part-time job at a convenience store?”
“Huh? Ah, that’s how it happened. The manager s*xually harassed me.”
“s*xual harassment?”
“Isn’t it sometimes? A case of trying to use one’s position to manipulate subordinates.”
“…Let’s eat and go to Seo with me.”
“Thank you for your concern, but it’s okay. I’ve already taken care of it.”
“Yes?”
“They said that it was roughly 12 weeks of total treatment. The store manager said he would sue me for assault, but my grandfather helped me, and on the contrary, the criminal activity was discovered and I was sent to prison.”
It is fortunate that the justice was implemented.
If it had been a Hell-Joseon-style ending, I would have taken the place of the manager.
“The ghost there rather than that.”
「Huh? Me?”
“Who else is a ghost here other than you?”
Fuma-senpai said curtly as he sucked on the coke in the cup.
“What kind of resentment do you still have, wandering the Nine Heavens without attaining Buddhahood?”
「Han? I don’t have anything like that?」
Then Fuma-senpai smiled and rested his chin.
“Most ghosts say that. However, to a ghost, resentment is, in a way, the reason for its existence. Because of the desire to achieve something that could not be accomplished in life, it is not possible to cross the Three Way Streams and remains in this world.”
After Fuma-senpai’s explanation, I had some doubts.
“As far as I know, this guy’s wish was to meet his childhood friend Ryuji? But does he still have something to call Han?”
After hearing my question, Fuma-senpai flicked his index finger left and right and said.
“You know one thing and don’t know two, Kim Yoo-seong. Since ancient times, human greed has no bounds, so when one wish is fulfilled, another wish will soon arise. There’s no reason there’s only one.”
“So you’re saying that Chiaki still has unfulfilled wishes?”
“I don’t admit it, but I probably do.”
I looked at Chiaki from the side, listening to the story with an excited look on her face, who was eating the French fries she had given her.
‘… Does this guy have a grudge?’
To be honest, I don’t really like it.
But since I’m completely unfamiliar with this, I have no choice but to trust the expert Fuma-senpai’s story.
Thought so, I crumpled the wrapper of the finished hamburger.