Chapter 32
A week had passed since he handled the theme park request.
Now the streets were thick with Christmas cheer. Couples were everywhere, and carols drifted faintly from inside the shops.
‘This brings back memories.’
Ian was an orphan with no family at all. He had no parents from birth and spent his whole life in an orphanage. He did become independent right after graduating high school, but all of his childhood had been spent there. Even his memories of Christmas, full of childlike wonder, had been left behind there.
He vaguely remembered being happy to receive a pair of socks from a Santa cosplayer on a volunteer visit.
Now they were all memories of the past.
He didn’t really miss it. Since the orphanage was run by people serving God, life there had been brutally strict, so if anything, his life now was better. Though he had never dreamed he’d become a mage and end up stepping into the hidden side of the world.
Life really was strange. Ian gave a small laugh and took a sip of his mix coffee.
“Ah, sorry. I’ve got something urgent to take care of.”
At that moment, the real estate shop owner, who had been typing away at his computer, handed Ian a green-grape candy and sat down across from him. Ian smiled softly and shook his head.
“Not at all. It’s about time college students start looking for their own rooms in advance, so I understand you being busy.”
A real estate agency not far from his home.
He had come here in person to find a workshop now that he had some money.
Looking through an app wouldn’t have been bad, but every listing on there was absurdly priced, so he gave up. If he really couldn’t find anything decent, he’d have to settle for that, but he intended to do everything he could. Going around in person was part of that.
“Haha, thanks for understanding. As for the conditions you mentioned earlier, fortunately I think I can narrow them down to a few.”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. Here’s the list I put together separately. Please take a look.”
The owner held out a printed sheet toward Ian. Ian set down the paper cup he was holding and carefully studied the list.
What he wanted was a cheap studio apartment or officetel, with few people around it and not too small.
It was a bit picky, but if he was going to use it as a workshop, he had to be that selective. Rather than recklessly trying alchemy and getting caught by ordinary people, it was better to prevent that kind of danger from ever happening in the first place.
As for price, the cheaper, the better.
“Hmm….”
Ian’s black eyes slowly moved down as he scanned the listed conditions and prices.
The conditions weren’t bad, but the prices were strangely high. Without hesitation, he flipped a page and checked the next one.
This time the price was a little lower, but the room sizes were awkward. They were full of one-room apartments that would feel cramped even if he just piled up materials before doing anything.
He skipped these too.
At last, the final page.
It was just a lineup of listings that were all mediocre in one way or another.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one he liked.
Just as Ian was about to sigh inwardly and close the list, one listing at the very bottom caught his eye.
An officetel building not far from Ian’s home. The floor space was fairly large, there were several rooms, and it even came with quite a lot of basic amenities. And yet the deposit was under 5,000.
It was such a standout listing that he suspected it might be a scam, if not something worse.
Ian pointed at the officetel and asked the real estate owner.
“Why is this place so cheap?”
“Ah, that officetel….”
The owner trailed off awkwardly, then took a sip of instant coffee and explained.
“It’s full of rumors that ghosts appear there.”
“...Ghosts?”
Ian frowned slightly and asked back. The owner nodded.
“Yep. It’s famous around here. Starting with the ghost of the first-floor security guard, there’s the hallway ghost, the elevator ghost, the bound spirit, and so on and so on. It’s basically a ghost building—a ghost building.”
“......”
“Over the past year, we took in eight residents, and all eight of them killed themselves. After that, no one moved in anymore.”
“...And yet the building is somehow still standing.”
“Must be because the owner has a lot of money. Anyway, I don’t recommend it. Even a shaman went in there and ended up dying too. I’m serious. This isn’t a joke.”
The owner warned him with a serious expression. Ian thought for a moment, then answered with a smile.
“I’ll take this one.”
“Ah!”
The owner flipped out.
“I’m not taking responsibility! I really am not! Don’t come back later saying I should’ve stopped you, seriously!”
“I won’t. I’ll meet with the landlord and talk to her directly, so please just give me the contact number.”
The owner muttered something under his breath with a half-believing expression, then handed Ian a number. Ian left the real estate office and immediately called it.
After three rings, the landlord answered.
“Hello? I’d like to rent one of the vacant rooms there.”
*
The landlord asked to meet at a nearby café as soon as she answered. Fortunately, it was a café with hardly any customers, so Ian took a seat in a corner and waited for the landlord to arrive.
Before long, a middle-aged woman came into the café.
She looked around with extreme nervousness, then spotted Ian and came over to sit across from him.
“Hello. You’re the owner of the officetel, right?”
Ian greeted her with a slight bow. But what came back wasn’t an introduction.
“T-the contract? Whether you saw it at that real estate place or on an app, I don’t know, but just go by what’s listed there. You can move in starting today, so come whenever.”
“Uh… yes?”
“I’ll handle all the paperwork myself, so just bring yourself. I’m sick and tired of hearing ghosts talk! I want to live with actual people!”
She glared at Ian with her eyes wide open. His reflection was clearly visible in her bloodshot pupils.
“If you want, I can make the terms even better! Deposit? Monthly rent? Just say the word! I can lower it even more!”
“Uh, okay, I understand. Please calm down for a second.”
“I’m saying this because if I keep living like this, I’m really going to die! Please, please, let at least a bachelor move in!”
Ah, this was hopeless.
Ian clicked his tongue inwardly and watched the landlord rave on.
Slightly unfocused eyes. Bloodshot whites. Fingers with scabbed-over bite marks, and swollen lips.
There wasn’t a single normal thing about her. It meant she’d gone mad a long time ago. At the very least, a sane conversation was impossible.
Come to think of it, expecting her to stay sane after living side by side with ghosts was ridiculous. Ian let out a long sigh and tapped the table with his fingers.
It wasn’t the kind of borderline listing he’d give up on just because the landlord was crazy.
There was no way he’d find another room anywhere with conditions and a price like this. It seemed better to just keep the landlord happy and get by.
And while he was at it, he could deal with the ghosts in the building and make good use of them as materials.
He was already running low on materials lately. Stocking up now wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Ian nodded and made up his mind.
“I’ll move in. Please take care of everything that needs handling. I’ll pay after that.”
“...! Oh, thank you, young man! I’ll fill it with terms that are all favorable to you, really! Just don’t kill yourself or suddenly move out!”
“I won’t. More importantly, may I look around the place right now? I’d like to inspect it on my own.”
In response to Ian’s question, the landlord readily gave him the go-ahead.
After leaving the café, he immediately headed for the officetel building.
“......”
Before long, he arrived at the building. What he saw was a grand building with a whole bunch of stray ghosts plastered all over the windows.
[Welcome.]
They were all mouthing those words. It was a gruesome sight, but Ian entered the building without hesitation.
The sensor light caught his arrival and lit up. But soon it started flickering again. Ian checked the positions of the nearby CCTV cameras and stood in a blind spot, quietly waiting for a ghost to appear.
The ghost did not betray his expectations and appeared beneath the flickering light.
It was a female ghost in a pure white burial shroud, her face mangled as if it had been scraped against asphalt. She stared at Ian fixedly, wearing a wicked grin.
[Kya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!]
Soon she came charging at Ian like a madwoman. From a small corner behind her, other stray ghosts were peeking their heads out.
They looked as though they were eager to see how Ian would die.
But instead of panicking, he summoned the grimoire. He touched the charging ghost’s spirit form and cast a spell.
“Be reborn.”
Crack!!
The ghost’s form crumpled. Ian picked up the little sphere it had turned into, smiled in satisfaction, and slipped it into his pocket.
Then he grinned at the ghosts around the corner.
“Next.”
[Aaaagh!!]
Having said something he’d wanted to say at least once, the ghosts scattered in panic. Ian hid the grimoire inside his coat and ran down the hallway after them.
[Aaaaaagh!! He’s a crazy human!!!]
Fortunately, the night was still long.
Creak!