Vending Machine Ghost: "..."

If it were a person, it might have been so angry it spit blood by now.

"Don't get the count wrong in the next few days. I'm not good at math, and even I can make mistakes!" John, having put away his chainsaw, said to the battered vending machine.

John winked at Jessica, who stepped forward, somewhat timidly saying, "I would like a hamburger."

The vending machine remained silent, as if it had broken down.

John took out a hammer, weighed it in his hand, and immediately a hamburger, along with a bottle of beverage and fries, popped out of the vending machine's outlet.

Although it didn't say a word, the vending machine had made its stance clear.

It admitted defeat!

John, taking Jessica with him, left for their room, where she finally took a deep breath, still frightened by the recent encounter.

"That was too risky; that was a ghost, you know. Aren't you afraid it will seek revenge?" Jessica exclaimed.

To intimidate a ghost was one thing, but to actually extort it had left Jessica completely astounded.

"So what about the ghost?"

"It's like people, bullies the weak and fears the strong. The more you capitulate, the more arrogant it becomes."

"What if it decides to fight back?"

"Then I'll just dismantle it!" John shrugged.

"Alright, finish your meal and then go to sleep."

After a tiring day, John wanted to go straight to bed, but the stench and itchiness from not bathing for two days were unbearable.

He decided to take a shower.

It wasn't that John disliked bathing, but being completely stripped made him feel very insecure.

Upon entering the bathroom, John suddenly noticed the faucet wasn't running, and the floor drain was clogged with a messy clump of hair.

John glanced at Jessica by the door and remarked, "Your hair loss is quite severe, huh?"

"It's... not my hair," Jessica said, scared.

John's expression darkened: "Another ghost got in here?"

The faucet, like a throat clogged with phlegm, coughed violently twice, then spurted out a disgusting pool of black blood.

And some unidentifiable rotten flesh!

Even John couldn't stand this sight.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Jessica said, "Everything was fine when I took a shower yesterday."

Bang, bang, bang.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

John gestured for Jessica to be quiet, then went to open the door holding the Bloodied Bone Mallet.

Outside stood a woman in white, her hair reaching her waist and covering her face, similar to Sadako from the horror films.

"xjbxd44012?"

A cold voice, devoid of any human emotion, emanated from behind the hair.

"It's me. What's up?" Although John sensed no malice from the visitor, his grip on the Bloodied Bone Mallet tightened.

The woman in white, a ghost, handed John a box of items.

Upon opening it, he found it to be filled with clean household supplies.

"I've fixed the water issue," said the woman in white, a ghost.

John realized that the messy clump of hair in the bathroom belonged to her.

What was the identity of this female ghost?

John looked at her, puzzled.

The woman in white didn't respond but glanced at the badge on John's chest.

John roughly understood.

The reward for being an outstanding employee was orchestrated by that puppet.

"Don't open the door at night."

With those words, the woman in white left.

"John, who is she... what does she do?" Jessica asked quietly from behind the bathroom door.

"She brings blessings," John said as he handed the cardboard box to Jessica and then took out a towel and shampoo to start scrubbing himself in the bathroom.

The water from the faucet quickly returned to normal, and after two days in this world, John finally enjoyed a comfortable bath.

"Facial cleanser, face masks, shower gel, and even bath towels! Oh my God!!"

After John finished his bath, Jessica was still excitedly going through the box, treating these items like treasures. In this environment, for a girl who loves cleanliness, these things were indeed precious, more important than emergency rations.

"You keep looking, I'm going to sleep."

"Remember, don't open the door anymore. I don't want to be woken up in the middle of the night to find a pair of hands out of nowhere!"

With that, John went straight to bed.

Jessica nodded sheepishly, then took a few bath items and hurried into the bathroom.

The next day, John and Jessica arrived at the restaurant early.

A puppet was seated on a shelf, having waited for quite some time.

"Today, Jessica's position remains as a server, with a task quota of 7 orders to meet the standard."

"Employee xjbxd44012, your position today is that of an apprentice chef. You are to personally take charge of the kitchen, prepare two dishes required by customers, and achieve at least an average rating to complete your task!"

Take charge of the kitchen?

John was taken aback.

Jessica's eyes widened too.

John looked somewhat displeased. Was this targeting him?

Especially since he had just received a badge for being an outstanding employee the day before!

Undoubtedly, the mortality rate for chefs was much higher than that for servers.

Suddenly asking John to prepare two dishes, both of which must not receive any negative reviews, wasn't just about the pressure. It felt somewhat like bullying!

The puppet didn't care what John thought, simply stating, "As long as you do well, the rewards will be substantial!"

With that, it left.

"John," Jessica looked at him worriedly.

John's expression remained calm: "It's just cooking. I'm actually quite good at it. Don't worry about me; focus on your own tasks."

After Jessica left, John followed the instructions to the storage room, where he changed from his employee uniform into a chef's outfit.

It fit well, albeit as dirty as ever.

"You have been assigned to Table 2. Please proceed to Table 2 and prepare the food as requested by the customers!"

Without giving it much thought, John immediately left the room.

Arriving at the restaurant and seeing the guests at table 2, John's expression instantly changed to one of surprise.

At Table 2, a little girl in a rose-patterned dress was idly swinging her legs, covered in white stockings, while sucking on a lollipop.

This was the same half-ghost little girl from yesterday!

Recalling how a chef was killed just for making the food too sweet, a cold sweat broke out on John's forehead.

Could it really be such a coincidence that he would encounter this little girl?

"Human, why are you staring at me like that?" the little girl suddenly tilted her head, staring at John.

John calmed himself and said, "I am the chef who will be preparing your meal today."