CHAPTER 14- The mentality of a widow. Part 4.

We've agreed on the main theme we'll work with. "Exchange of garbage for food. Solving hunger and pollution."

Lalo García, founder of "L. García Technology," is the only man in world history to have lifted an entire country out of poverty and turned it into the world's greatest superpower in just two years.

Ah, that fool can afford to do something so conspicuous, without fear of being killed.

His hatred for foreigners led him to improve his country, preventing foreigners from feeling superior due to coming from more developed nations.

Ah, well. One of his main inventions is the use of garbage as fertilizer and in the reclamation of infertile lands for agriculture. I don't know exactly how that works, but what matters to us is how he obtains the garbage.

Beggars collect garbage from homes, streets, and public places, and exchange the garbage for food. This method has spread worldwide, and thanks to that, poor countries can acquire food by exchanging their garbage. Even dry leaves (not green ones) are considered garbage, which significantly increased tree planting, ensuring a constant supply of garbage to exchange in the future.

And since garbage is used for the reclamation of infertile lands where nothing could grow before, this boosted agriculture, creating more jobs, and in turn, more food for trade, leading to even more jobs.

I'd say Lalo García is a good person, but he mainly does it to be seen as a hero and to establish himself as the best.

He's a proud man; after all, he's worthy of his sin.

"Well, let's leave this for now. We've presented our proposal and it was accepted. We have 40 free minutes. Ah..."

I need to earn their trust more. How? Hmmm... Play? Yes, everyone loves games. But I can't take out my console in class... A game without a console... Hmmm... I've got it.

I took a grid notebook from my backpack.

"Do you know the game 'Squares'?"

"Squares? I-I don't know it," Sylphie said.

I didn't know it either; Yuki taught it to me. It's a bit boring, but it passes the time and keeps us from getting bored while talking. I need to get to know Sylphie better because by knowing her, I'll learn more about her mother. Any information will be useful.

"Look, as you know, squares have 4 sides. The game involves drawing a line on any side of a square on the paper. The goal is to have the most squares. For example..."

I marked three sides of a square with a red pen.

"Let's say after a long game, this happens."

I picked up a green pen.

"This is you."

I drew the missing line, completing the square.

"Here, you've scored your first point. Whoever closes the square gets the point."

I placed the letter "S" inside the square.

"You have 1 point, and I have 0. The fun of the game is to fill the paper with lines, avoiding making almost-squares because that gives an advantage to your opponent, allowing them to complete squares. At first, putting lines will be easy, but over time, it'll become harder to put a line without stopping to think if it's a good idea or not. In short, the game is about filling the paper with lines, preventing your opponent from getting squares. Got it?"

Sylphie nodded quickly.

"Y-yes."

"Then let's begin."

I turned to a new page since I'd marked up the previous one and drew a line with my red pen, starting the game.

Sylphie did the same with her green pen.

...

...

...

15 minutes have passed since the game started, and neither of us has scored a point. The page is filling up with our lines, but neither of us is willing to lose.

"Well, I never liked the food in fancy restaurants. They prioritize quality over quantity, and I hate that. Plus, I'm too lazy to pretend to be someone polite, knowing how to use different spoons and such. I'm more simple and prefer to eat deliciously and my way. How about you, Sylphie?"

"I-I'm more into homemade meals. I never go to restaurants."

"Yeah, I agree, homemade meals are better. Sweet or savory?"

"Savory. And you?"

"I used to love savory food and pasta, but now I prefer sweet, especially desserts. I make at least one dessert three times a week. What do you often cook, Sylphie?"

Talking while playing is a way to make her feel less uncomfortable. By focusing on the game while speaking, she avoids dwelling on her shyness, as her brain is occupied with playing, listening, and responding.

"A-also desserts, that's what I'm best at, along with savory dishes."

"Any foods you dislike?"

"N-none, I like everything."

"Good answer. Food should never be scorned."

Because if you start to despise it, you might end up feeling great regret... Ah, better not dwell on that.

...

...

...

"Ah..."

I sighed, giving up.

I made a mark that allows Sylphie to create a large sequence of points.

"It's harder than I remembered."

I think Yuki let me win the last time we played. Or maybe this game relies more on luck than intelligence?

Sylphie... smiled...

She's smiling as she fills the page with squares.

I see. She's happy to achieve something, even if it's just winning a simple game.

Well, well... Finding happiness in being able to achieve something, even something like a game... Interesting. This could be useful.

"I give up. Good thing we didn't bet anything."

"I-it was a good game. Shall we play another round?"

"This game lasted 35 minutes; we only have 5 minutes left. I don't think we'll make it. Let's play tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow?"

She looked down, trying to hide her smile.

"Y-yes, alright. L-let's play tomorrow."

Trying to hide her happiness at having found a friend to play with, huh? Finding joy in such simple things... That could be useful.

"Excuse me, Saik."

Ah, now what?

Saoto stood beside me, smiling.

"Are you going to join any clubs?"

A club, huh? I understand that it's normal to join one, but I don't want to. It's also normal not to join one, so I won't join any. I have little free time, and I won't waste it on a club. I'd rather spend time with Yuki or study.

"I'm not interested in joining any club; I don't have time for that."

"Oh... I see... That's all I wanted to ask. Thank you. Have a nice afternoon."

He returned to his seat.

What a polite boy. I suppose he comes from a strict upbringing. Ugh, so tiresome.

"Will you join a club, Sylphie?"

Though I already know the answer.

"No... I don't have time for that either," she said, with a forced smile, but I feel the sadness in it.

Sadness about the situation with your mother, or about not being a regular student like others?

Sylphie, I'm sure you're not ashamed of having to work to support your mother. You're sad that you can't enjoy your school life fully, like being in a club or going out with friends to the movies or such.

I hope you'll make good use of the help I'll provide.

"By the way, Saik, does it still hurt?" she said, pointing at the adhesive bandages on my arms.

"Not as much as before; it's just itching now. Growing up with servants doing all the hard work made me useless, to the point where I didn't know how to put glass in a window frame, and it fell on me. At least I didn't die."

I touched the adhesive bandage on my neck.

"If it had been deeper, I would've died. What a stupid way to go, huh? But let's not talk about depressing stuff. You mentioned having a scholarship, right?"

"Y-yes. My family isn't well-off like the others. I hope that doesn't bother you," she said, with her gaze down and caressing her right arm.

"Don't worry; honestly, I don't care about others' financial situations. I only asked because I didn't know what else to talk about."

Sylphie looked up and met my eyes (or that's what I think she's trying to do), her sadness lessening and her mood improving... Huh... Her glasses are a bit broken; I'm only noticing that now. The slap she received must've caused that.

"Do you like bread? I do, especially cake. Does that count as bread?"

A small smile appeared on her face, and she nodded.

"Y-yes, I like bread."

... I was going to offer her money to buy new glasses, but that would be too much help, and receiving so much help from someone you barely know is strange. I gave a lot of money to her mother, so she'll give some money to Sylphie to buy new glasses.

Remember, Saik, helping Sylphie too much would make her dependent on me, and I don't want that. Help Sylphie, but not always and not excessively.

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Ugh, so tiresome.

•

•

After a long day of classes, I can finally leave.

It's 4 in the afternoon, the perfect time for a meal. I think I'll go get some hamburgers.

"W-wow, there are really a lot of clubs at school," Sylphie said, walking beside me.

"The school has a big budget, so having around 20 clubs is easy."

Sylphie nodded in agreement.

"That's the advantage of expensive schools," Sylphie said, looking at the people around us.

The school has fewer students compared to others, so there aren't as many people in the hallways to interrupt our walk.

"A hundred first-year students, so there must be around 300 in total. Very few for such a big school. They're really focused on quality rather than quantity."

"Y-yes..."

Sylphie answered me, but her gaze was fixed on the cooking club. I guess after cooking for herself and her mother for so many years, she developed an attachment to cooking.

"I was interested in the cooking club too. Ah, it's a shame I don't have time for that."

"... Yeah... I feel the same."

Huh? An occult and magic club?

Magic does exist, but I'm sure the club members are just doing cheap tricks. It'd be boring...

Hmm... Wow... A girl is talking to the club members, but there's something strange about her. Do I know her? She has the same hairstyle as me, her hair covering her face... I feel like I've seen her before... Well, I don't care.

We're leaving the school, but I'll take the opposite path she's taking. We're on almost the same route, but I need to deviate; I sense dangerous looks on me.

"I'm going to buy some things. See you tomorrow, Sylphie."

"G-g-goodbye, Saik."

I walked away from her.

Well... Hm... Yeah... Four men are following me; I can sense it through my survival instinct. I don't feel much hostility; they want to hurt me but not kill me.

Yeah, I figured; improving my luck in hand-to-hand combat was a good idea. It increased the likelihood that they'd want to beat me up and not kill me.

That saved me a lot of unnecessary trouble.

They're not students; they're adults. It'll be suspicious to confront them in places with security cameras, but I've taken care of that. As long as they don't attack me before, everything will be fine.

"Saik, Saik!"

Yuki caught up with me and started walking beside me.

"That girl called her father! His thugs are going to beat you up!"

Did she just call him? And they arrived so quickly... How much power does her father have over the city? How many people does he have under his control? Whatever it is, it won't affect me. I have emergency plans for these kinds of situations to prevent my normal life from getting ruined, so I shouldn't worry.

"Yeah, I know. Yuki, I recommend you not follow me. It won't be a pretty sight. Go home."

"B-but..."

"Please, I'm asking you as a friend. Go home. I'll call certain people to protect me, but I don't want you to see what's going to happen. They won't kill them, but they'll end up severely beaten. I don't want you to witness that. Go home."

"... Please, be careful."

"I'll be fine."

Those scum aren't rivals for me.

•

•

Well... An alley... An alley... I found one.

I researched the city when I moved here. I memorized the fastest and hidden routes to escape these kinds of situations without looking too suspicious. Besides, this area has no security cameras, and if they're put up, they're taken down. The city's red zone. No one will record me entering the alley; I'm safe. This will be suspicious, but I have a plan to avoid getting caught.

For now, I'll focus on getting rid of them. They're quite far away, being cautious. Want to know where I'm heading? I wonder what their exact orders are. Anyway. When they see me enter this place, they'll run to catch up, knowing I've discovered them. I have little time to prepare. Less than a minute.

I entered the alley, left my backpack on the ground, and took off my uniform shirt.

I haven't neglected my physical training; I'm proud of my body and skills. I can kill them with my fists and get rid of the evidence, but that would definitely be suspicious and lead to my discovery.

Ah... I don't want to use "that"... I promised myself never to use it again... But I can use the ghosts.

They have weapons. They probably won't plan to kill me right away, but if I fight back, they'll try to use their weapons. I have to avoid that.

I took out a pen and wrote the number 31 on the palm of my hand.

"Legendary ghost number 31. Ghost of speed."

A woman in her underwear appeared in front of me and caressed my chest. It's been a while since I saw her or used her, but I can tell she's not angry about that.

"Well, well. Will you finally accept me, sweetheart?"

Don't get me wrong; I'm shirtless to avoid staining my uniform with blood.

And stop touching my nipples with your own nipples showing through your bra. It's uncomfortable.

"Enhance my body and vanish. I don't have time for your sexual harassment."

"What if I give you a little...?"

"Do it now."

"Ah... You can be so boring sometimes, my love."

She snapped her fingers and disappeared.

I feel the power of number 31 activating in my body. Perfect.

Alright... They're getting closer.

I put my hands on the ground and started doing push-ups, just to distract them.

... Here they are.

"If I want to win that race, I must improve my stamina.... F-fuck, I'm tired already," I said, pretending to be tired.

The 4 men approached me.

"Hey!"

Well, let's pretend.

I got up from the ground and shook my hands, pretending to be scared when I saw them.

"W-what's going on? Please, don't hurt me."

Ah, I look so pathetic pretending. Yuki, seriously... Ah...

"This is a warning. Don't touch the boss's daughter again."

The boss's daughter, huh?

He tried to punch me, but I can see his fist in slow motion thanks to the power of number 31, which enhances my reaction speed, agility, and attack speed.

I dodged by moving my head to the left and countered with a punch to his face, knocking him unconscious. Ah, it's hard to hit them without killing them.

"Mmm... He looked tougher."

They all tried to punch me, and the result was the same.

I dodged the number 3's attack by ducking. I jumped and hit his chin with my knee, making his brain bounce (I think) several times in his head, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed they were about to draw their weapons. So, when my feet touched the ground, I gained momentum and jumped toward them, landing my fists on their faces before they could pull out their weapons.

In less than 5 seconds, they were all on the ground.

Ah... Pathetic. I expected a bit more resistance.

But now I have to pretend I escaped.

"Appear."

Number 31 appeared out of me and hugged me from behind. Ah, she's licking and nibbling my right ear. Taking advantage of the fact that I'm almost 17 now and you can touch me without feeling like a pedophile? Before, your sexual harassment stayed in words, but now it's actions. Ah, I need to get used to this.

I dare not get angry with her or scold her harshly. After all, she's my most loyal legendary ghost and the one who's helped me the most. Allowing her this is the least I can do for her, as long as it doesn't go to the point of sex, because I won't allow that. Normal people only have sex with the person they love, and I don't love number 31.

"In the past year, you've developed quite well, my love. Has the lower part grown more? Hehe. Darling, I..."

She was about to touch my crotch, but I grabbed her arm before she could. I don't have time for this.

"Number 31, this is a serious matter. Do as I say and save the sexual harassment for later."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. What should I do?"

This will attract those idiots' attention, so I need to prepare.

•

•

Ninda, losing patience for not receiving the photo she wanted – a photo of Saik beaten and humiliated by her father's lackeys – called him to demand an explanation, not knowing that it was the opposite; Saik was the one who beat and humiliated them.

"Father, did you do what I asked?"

"Daughter, I don't have time; thanks to you, I lost 4 of my best men! We'll talk later!"

"Thanks to me?"

"I don't have time!"

Her father hung up, and the girl punched the wall, frustrated for not getting what she wanted.

"Now what happened?!"

•

•

Ah... I almost forgot the feeling of defeating the bad guys. It still feels quite... boring. Nothing special... I just feel the same.

Did they have families...? Ah, I don't care. They damned themselves by getting into organized crime.

I had to pretend I went to visit a prostitute my mother had attended to in the past, as the idiot had an illegal abortion and nearly died. My mother saved her.

I already knew she didn't live there anymore; I just went to have an alibi.

Upon arriving, a prostitute attended to me, and I told her I needed protection because some men were following me and wanted to harm me.

She took pity on me, and I stayed with her for about two hours. She even invited me to dinner.

As a token of appreciation, I gave her $10,000 as an excuse for protecting me and saving my life (and also because it would earn her trust and could help me in the future). At first, she refused, but I managed to convince her, and she ended up accepting it.

Alright, now I have an alibi, so I shouldn't worry too much.

"Hey, hey, aren't you Saik? Hehe. Not all geniuses are serious and boring, huh?"

... Who is this random person? And why is he hugging me with his arm? I don't feel in danger; he's a normal, ordinary human. Could he be a fellow classmate?

Red hair, red eyes... No, no idea. I've never seen him before.

"Are you here to have some fun too? Oh, by the way, I'm Ether, from class D."

"I was just visiting someone; I'm not here for prostitutes or drugs."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, winking.

... Why did he wink at me? Does he like me?

This is uncomfortable.

"Well, see you later. When you want to have fun, give me a call. I know the best places to get some easy action. Goodbye."

... Did he just give me a pat on the butt?

He turned around and left... Easy action? Prostitutes?

He has sex with girls he doesn't love, despite being younger than me... Is this normal?

"Ah, there's still much for me to investigate about normalcy."

•

•

I entered my house, and Yuki approached me, quite worried since I took a while. Sorry, Yuki, I got along well with that prostitute and ended up staying with her longer than planned. She's 50 years old, and the way she talked and treated me made me feel... Ah, no... I'd better not think about it. It's not good for my fragile heart.

"Did nothing happen to you?!"

"Are you doubting my abilities? I managed to escape in time; a police officer helped me."

Yuki sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness. But what if they try to attack you again?"

"I hired extra security; they'll keep the house and me safe. Don't worry."

"Oh, I see, I see! The advantage of having so much money, huh? Hehe."

Sorry for lying to you, Yuki, but I don't want you to know the truth.

I put my backpack on the floor and sighed.

Today I used several legendary ghosts. It exhausts my mind too much. Not using them for so long weakened my body.

"I'll take a bath."

Noel approached me... wearing an apron... Did he really take the role of a housekeeper seriously? I just asked him to clean the house and cook while I'm at school because I don't want him near Sylphie. I banned him from approaching her family for a while, telling him that getting close would make them sad, as they would feel his presence even if they couldn't see him... A lie. I don't want him around them because having him always at school would be uncomfortable and annoying, and I don't want him near Iris because he'll know what I'm doing and get angry. I prefer to keep him here, cleaning and cooking.

Hey, I'm helping your family; this is the least you can do for me.

"Saik... How's my daughter?"

"Yuki forced me to be her friend. Let her tell you the details; I need a bath."

"Saik was amazing, Noel! He punched a girl to protect Sylphie!"

"Protect her? What happened?"

What a dream.

I entered the bathroom and took off all my clothes.

Ah... Those idiots won't leave me alone, not if their boss's daughter keeps hating me. Being her friend will harm Sylphie, so I can't do that... I have to solve this in a violent way.

"Hehe. You've started killing again."

"It wasn't exactly me, but yes."

The legendary ghost number 31 appeared in front of me and stretched her arms.

Her nipples are quite visible through her bra, as well as her intimate area through her panties. Before, I didn't pay much attention to that, but now that I've grown up, I do pay more attention, although not that much. It just seems curious to me.

She has quite large breasts, bigger than my head. I'd say they look uncomfortable, but number 31 is a ghost, she doesn't feel their weight.

"Ah... Being free feels so good. Being inside you feels very, very good, but I wish it were the other way around," she said, winking.

"Me inside you?"

"Yes, my love," she said, caressing my cheek.

"You're the legendary ghost here, and I'm your master, don't forget your position."

"Arsh. You didn't get it."

I turned on the bathtub faucet, and she started caressing my abdomen.

Ah, I'm used to her advances, so I don't mind... Or so I thought. This time, her sexual harassment feels more... sexual. Before, they were just caresses on the abdomen and cheek, now those caresses feel more perverted... Ah, puberty? More like adolescence. Puberty was five years ago.

"Hehe. I missed feeling your body. I'd lick every part of you... Again. Hehe."

"It only happened once, and I did it to distract you and defeat you. So many years, and you're still on that?"

"But that doesn't change the fact that I took your virginity. Plus, if you want me to stop mentioning it, replace that memory with a newer one. You know what I mean," she said, licking my neck and giving me kisses in that spot.

... Ah... Why can't I hate her? You're lucky that I have a certain fondness for you, number 31.

Huh? Is she sucking my neck with her lips? Why? Ah, that's disgusting.

"No, thanks. Having sex with a ghost isn't normal. And you didn't steal anything from me; I did it because I wanted to. Sex never mattered to me, so I don't care what we did in the past. It was just a simple in and out. Stop talking nonsense and give me the information."

"Wow, as cold as ever. I love it! Hehe. Someday, you'll be interested in sex, and I'll play hard to get."

"Give me the information."

"Ah, you really are cold... We found the rivals of the Soiko family and confronted them. And to avoid leaving obvious traces of energy, I used normal ghosts to control the bodies. It will be clear that they were controlled by ghosts, but at least we didn't leave traces of energy."

"Yes, don't worry. Either way, those idiots would know this is related to ghosts; trying to hide it would be useless."

"We killed each other, so we've taken the first step. I absorbed their souls and gathered the most important information. Will you return to action, dear? What happened to being a pacifist and all that?"

"Just temporarily. I want to continue keeping my life peaceful, and to do that, I have to resolve this problem before it gets worse."

Just this once, I'll do it. If I don't solve it, sooner or later it'll affect me.

"And getting a perfect score on the entrance exam will definitely catch their attention, considering your past grades."

"Did Number 2 tell you that?"

"I saw the congratulatory note on your desk. What happened today, combined with your past grades, will lead them to conclude you're not just an ordinary person."

"I know, and I already have a plan in case that happens."

"Although they'll probably ignore you, considering they never could defeat you. Getting into your life would just be a plea: please, please kill me."

"There are many idiots in that organization, idiots who hate me. Trying to ruin my normal life might be their way of revenge."

"And people who have simply always wanted to know your true identity."

"Yes... Ah, anyway, worrying about those useless people isn't worth it. I have a lot to do tonight."

"Hehe. Will Shadow come back?"

"Ah... Yes... She'll be back."

Yuki, that's why I didn't want to help Sylphie; I knew it would get me into unnecessary trouble... Ah, damn it.

(Ghost Abilities #1: Soul Absorption)

Souls are connected to the entire body, especially the mind. Ghosts can possess bodies by destroying people's souls, as souls prevent the ghost from taking control of the body, but they can also absorb them instead of destroying them, although it's much more complicated. By absorbing souls, ghosts become more powerful, but only temporarily, as unlike the energy of their own souls, the energy from foreign souls cannot be replenished. Once used, it's gone. Soul absorption also allows ghosts to see the memories of people, enabling them to act like the human they've taken the body of, so as not to raise suspicions, but only temporarily, as they eventually turn into demons.