The next few days were peaceful.
Occasionally, I would chat in the group or check in on Saeko.
According to her, they had established a base at a villa and, together with Rikka Minami, set up a basic defensive perimeter.
With Rika's addition, their firepower and overall strength had significantly increased, making their personal safe zones even more secure.
As for the others, they continued with their respective tasks.
March 7th's Starry Sky Train remained docked at the Black Tower Space Station.
Aqua had made a fortune and was now fully embracing a life of luxury.
There had also been significant developments on Lemuel's side—her overwhelming power had stunned the people from Texas.
Meanwhile, I had mastered vector manipulation, allowing me to move swiftly and efficiently.
Every day, I cleared out evil spirits on a large scale.
In just a few days, I had completely cleansed the city.
And in the process, I earned 70,000 Doomsday Points.
At School
Requests from students seeking assistance from our club had dwindled.
Today, I planned to recruit two new members—after all, our club still had open spots.
Yukino and I remained in the classroom.
When bored, I would help her test and refine her abilities.
This had significantly improved her proficiency in using them.
Interestingly, despite the incident that had occurred between us, our relationship hadn't become awkward.
On the contrary, we had grown more comfortable with each other—perhaps even a little closer.
I often cracked jokes, sometimes even managing to make Yukino laugh.
She seemed to smile more frequently now, though she probably hadn't noticed it herself.
Yukino had just finished practicing her abilities.
"Boom boom!"
A knock on the clubroom door.
Click.
The door swung open—
And a pink blur came rushing in.
"Nanashi-kun~! Hello!"
Yui Yuigahama burst in, full of energy.
I smiled and waved. "Hey, Yui."
"Hehe~"
She grinned playfully as she entered.
Meanwhile, Yukino's expression grew somewhat strange.
Anyone in our class could see it.
Every morning, at our first meeting in the classroom—
Yui and I always greeted each other in this weirdly familiar way.
It had become routine.
And naturally, rumors had spread.
People speculated about our relationship.
Even Yukino, ever the composed observer, couldn't help but be curious.
How had Yui, an ordinary girl, managed to form such a close bond with me?
"Megumi, you're here too."
I called out to the figure standing behind Yui.
A faint voice responded.
"Well… it was Nanashi-kun's invitation, after all."
"AAAHH!!!"
Yui shrieked.
She immediately darted behind me, trembling, as she pointed at the girl standing at the door.
"Y-You…! When did you get behind me?! Are you a ghost?!"
Yukino, too, frowned at Megumi.
If I hadn't spoken up, she wouldn't have noticed her presence either.
But unlike Yui, Yukino quickly composed herself.
She turned to me.
"Are these the two new club members you mentioned?"
I nodded. "That's right."
Then, I casually introduced them.
"This is Yui Yuigahama, from our class. And over there is Megumi Kato—and she's not a ghost."
"As long as she's not a ghost…"
Yui let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.
Two soft boing sounds followed.
Megumi remained quiet.
"Hiya!"
Now assured that Megumi wasn't a ghost, Yui greeted her enthusiastically.
"Hiya."
Megumi responded in the same way—
But with a tone far too indifferent.
Yukino, uninterested in mimicking their greetings, simply offered a polite "Hello."
Megumi turned to look at me with a slight smile.
"Nanashi-kun, didn't you say you had a reason for inviting me to join the Paranormal Research Club?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
I gestured toward Yukino and Yui. "You saw them just now, right? Your lack of presence—your ability to go unnoticed—is an extraordinary gift. It makes you a perfect fit for this club."
Megumi remained quiet for a moment.
Then, her voice took on an unusual tone—one that wasn't quite as emotionless as before.
"Then… why is it that Nanashi-kun is always able to notice me?"
A curious question.
Was there a hint of resentment in her voice?
Or something else?
She had always been transparent to others.
Always overlooked.
Until the day we first met.
The very first day of high school.
On the way to class—
I saw her.
The transparent Megumi was no longer transparent to me.
She never could be.
Not since that day.
Why?
I placed a hand on my chin, thinking for a moment.
Then, I looked up at her—
And with complete seriousness, I answered:
"Because Megumi is a very cute and beautiful girl. If I hadn't noticed you, I'd have regretted it."
Silence.
Three pairs of eyes locked onto me.
Seconds stretched.
Yui, Yukino, and Megumi all stared, as if trying to process my words.
"Cute? Beautiful? Me?"
Megumi lowered her head slightly.
Her cheeks—partially hidden—seemed to turn red.
"I… I think I'm just ordinary."
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
"Ordinary?"
——
Third POV:
——
Nanashi leaned forward slightly, his expression unwavering as he spoke with absolute conviction.
"Megumi, I don't think you understand your own charm at all. You're truly beautiful. Even Buddha himself would have to admit it."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Yukino, Yui, and Megumi all froze.
Hidden from view, Megumi's earlobes turned a faint shade of red.
Yui, unable to suppress her curiosity, suddenly blurted out, "Haha, does that mean Nanashi-kun likes girls like Megumi?"
For some reason, an inexplicable sadness settled in her heart.
The moment she realized how awkward her question was, she immediately smacked her forehead.
"Ah! That was dumb. Forget I said anything."
Nanashi, however, turned his gaze toward her, scrutinizing her up and down.
Feeling his eyes on her, Yui flinched.
"H-Hey! Don't look at me like that!"
Flustered, she hugged her arms over her chest and turned slightly to the side.
Nanashi smirked. "You're mistaken, Yui. I like beautiful girls. And both you and Yukino are beautiful, which means…"
He let the words hang for a moment before finishing, "You're both within my hunting range."
Yui's eyes widened in shock. "Huh?!"
She wanted to protest—Nanashi was too fickle!
Yet, for reasons she couldn't quite understand, an unspoken joy flickered in her heart.