Chapter Two: A Ghostly Commotion

If there was any kind of spiritual being associated with Amanotsuka Academy, it would be angels for sure. “Amanotsuka” was even written with the kanji for “angel.”

Accordingly, the most common topics of discussion were all things beautiful and elegant. That was why I was shocked one day when Himeko said something totally out of place.

“Misaki, have you heard? People have been seeing a ghost on campus.”

“A ghost?”

My hand, holding on to the teapot, stopped mid-pour. The moment I heard that word, a chill seemed to fill the air of the Sky Salon.

I knew what the word meant, of course. However, I’d never seen one in real life. If you’d asked me if I believed in them or not, my answer would have been that I didn’t know either way.

This academy was the last place I’d have expected to hear people discussing something more spiritual than scientific.

Himeko rested her elbows on the table, interlacing her fingers in front of her face. In a chilling tone, she said, “I haven’t seen the ghost myself, but apparently she appears as soon as night falls—a ghostly pale woman wandering around near the dormitories as if she’s lost.

“The first sighting we heard about was three days ago. A Seraph was on her way back from serving her mistress in the Societal Arts dorm and saw the pale figure deep in the woods. At first she thought it was another Domestic Arts student out for a walk, but then she thought, who’d be out so late? It was practically the middle of the night, long past curfew. No one else should have been in the woods except other Seraphs with permission from their mistresses. And yet, this woman clearly wasn’t wearing a school uniform—or even a maid’s uniform.

“Although the Seraph was frightened, she mustered up all her courage and hid behind the trees to try and get a closer look. Then she saw the ghostly figure, clad in pale, translucent clothes, wandering back and forth and muttering to herself in a half-whisper, ‘She’s not here. She’s not here.’”

A shiver ran down my spine. “Who was she looking for?”

Isn’t it a bit early in the year for scary stories? It’s not even summer yet. And why does Himeko have to tell it in that voice?!

“The Seraph wanted to run away, but she was frozen in fear. She had to escape, though; if the woman saw her, she might be cursed or even possessed. With all the courage she could muster in her trembling body, she took her first, ginger steps. Alas, luck was not on her side. A second later, she stepped on a twig. Crack. The tiniest sound—but it was enough. At horrifying speed, the pale figure turned to look. ‘There she is!’ Then the ghost charged toward her.

“The Seraph says she doesn’t remember exactly what happened next, but she ran for her life and shut herself away in the dorm. She didn’t even turn the light on, just threw herself under the covers of her bed and lay there, praying for the pale woman not to find her.”

“Oh, um, is that so?”

Ugh, I don’t like this. I wish I’d never heard about a ghost prowling around the dorms!

Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation on my shoulder. “There she is!”

I let out a blood-curdling scream. My whole body shook, and I crumbled to the ground, my legs having turned to jelly.

“My word, I didn’t expect you to be that shocked.”

“Huh?”

I timidly raised my head. There, wearing a broad smile and sweeping away her somewhat short hair with her fingers, stood Lady Saeko.

“It sounded like Himeko was telling the ghost story everyone’s been talking about, so I thought I’d try scaring you a little. It worked better than I expected!”

She burst into cheerful peals of laughter.

“Ugh, come on. Did you have to do that? I wasn’t expecting someone to come up behind me.”

“Hehehe, sorry. It was really funny, though, you have to admit. I never thought you’d actually fall down like that. I bet you even peed yourself a little. Did you?”

“No, I did not! What a rude question.”

“You don’t sound very sure. Himeko, you’d better check on her later. If she has wet herself, I’d feel awful for her.”

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, Himeko nodded and smiled. “Yes, I think that’s a fine idea.”

“Well, I sure don’t! No checking needed, thank you!”

I promptly brushed my skirt down and stood. I really didn’t, not that it’s any of their business!

Lady Saeko chuckled again. “Either way, you also serve Himeko in her dorm pretty often, don’t you? You’d better watch out for the ghost.”

“Yes, I know. I get it.”

With that, she turned and made her way to her private spot. It was terrible timing that she’d happened to walk by right as Himeko and I were having that conversation.

In all honesty, it didn’t surprise me too much that Amanotsuka Academy had its own paranormal phenomena. It was standard for a school to have its own urban legends.

“It’s not real though, is it?” I asked Himeko. After a pause, I pressed, “Is it?”

“Who can say? There have been an awful lot of sightings over the past few days, but we don’t know what’s really going on yet. Though I’m sure every student will want to keep their distance for now. It could be anything.”

“Yeah, but what if it’s some intruder? Couldn’t it be pretty dangerous?”

“That is one possibility, yes. We can’t rule out it being someone climbing in over the fence like you did.” Himeko giggled to herself.

“Do you have to bring that up again?” It’s not like I had much choice!

“As a school official, I also can’t let rumors about mysterious figures spread around campus without doing anything about it. That’s why I’ve asked the student council to launch an investigation.”

“You have?”

“You should be extra careful for now too, Misaki. If you’re still at my place and it’s getting late, you’re better off staying the night.”

“Hmm, good idea. I’ll do that.”

Now that I’d left spare clothes and everything else I needed in Himeko’s room, I could stay over anytime.

Himeko sighed softly. “I mean, it’s probably just someone’s idea of a bad joke.”

If so, then I didn’t need to be afraid. I just hoped that was all it turned out to be.

Himeko had a meeting with the student council that day to discuss how to deal with these spectral shenanigans, so as soon as we’d finished drinking tea together, she said I should head back to my own room. She told me it was possible they’d practically put us on lockdown until they figured out what was going on.

This is far too creepy. It’s not that I hate ghosts, exactly. What I hate are scary stories!

“I’m back,” I announced once I got to my dorm room.

Karen and Akira both greeted me with a hello. Kirara was probably still busy serving Lady Kagura at the Sky Salon.

With a teasing smile, Karen said, “You’re back early. I thought for sure you’d be staying over again.”

“Not today. Lady Himeko’s busy talking to the student council about a gho—uh, about something.”

It was pretty rare for me to come back around this time, so I figured it was a good chance to chat with these two for once. I parked myself on the sofa.

Sadly, my initial attempts to play it off as nothing crashed and burned in the face of Akira’s persistence. “It’s about the ghost, isn’t it?”

“Huh? No, it’s not.”

Do we have to talk about this?

“Everyone’s gossiping about it in my class, too,” said Karen.

She knows about it as well?

Akira’s voice turned markedly deeper. “A pale, spectral woman, right?”

I can do without the spooky voice, thanks!

“Yeah, apparently,” I replied. “I only just heard about it today.”

Karen’s eyes were now aglitter with a hint of glee. “I’m surprised you haven’t seen her yet. You’re always coming back pretty late in the evening.”

It looked like there was no avoiding this topic. They were enjoying it too much.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I haven’t seen any sign of her.”

“Oh.”

“I bet it’s just a practical joke, anyway. Or people seeing things.”

It had better be, anyway. What will we do otherwise?

“What a shame. It would be so much fun if it was a real ghost.”

No, it wouldn’t!

“As long as it’s not some pervert. I mean, it’s probably not. Did Lady Himeko say anything?”

“For now I think she’s just asking the student council to investigate. Then she’ll wait and see what they come back with.”

“Fair enough. By the way,” Karen continued, her tone dropping as she geared up to tell a spooky story, “did you know that there was a Domestic Arts student here a long time ago who was always getting sick?”

“Stop!”

I didn’t even want to know what she was about to come out with.

Akira, on the other hand, was definitely in. “No, I’ve never heard of her. Maybe you can tell us more.”

“Poor thing had a frail constitution, you see. She got into this school, but she couldn’t actually attend many classes. That meant she didn’t have much chance to meet any of the ladies, either. She’d spent so long looking forward to becoming a maid and serving a mistress, but her illness just didn’t get any better. Her body kept getting weaker and weaker until she knew she didn’t have long left.

“One day, she crawled out of bed, determined to go to the school building and find a mistress. She only made it as far as the forest before breathing her last. Ever since then, they say she can be seen wandering around in the woods whenever the anniversary of her death is approaching.”

I covered my ears. “No! I don’t want to hear about this!” Then I huddled up on the sofa with my arms around my knees.

Karen chuckled. “Well, who knows if it’s true or not? It’s firmly in the rumor category. Still, the mere existence of a story like that gives the recent ghost sightings an air of credibility, right?”

I let out a groan. She made it sound so real. I had no idea she had that side to her!

Thanks to Karen’s scary story, I had trouble getting to sleep that night. I lay awake thinking to myself.

Someone probably just heard that same story and decided to play a prank by acting it out. That has to be it. Right? Hopefully the culprit will be caught and given a good, stern talking to.

Ugh, I can’t stand it. Well, I can see the supposedly haunted forest from my window. I’ll just have to get up and look. There won’t be anyone there. Definitely not a ghost. No harm in checking though, right? Just a quick peek to make sure I can’t see anything, and then I’ll be able to get straight to sleep.

Having convinced myself, I gently lifted up the bottom of the curtain and peered outside. Then I froze.

No. It couldn’t be.

She’s there. She’s right there!

I gulped hard. Deep in the forest, almost hidden among the trees, was a wavering white form.

This is impossible. I’m imagining things. I must be. Yes, that has to be it. This is a dream. I fell asleep, and now I’m having a very realistic dream.

Inside the dream, I buried myself under the covers. It was definitely a dream. For sure. With all my might, I tried to will away what I’d seen. To make it not real.

It was no use. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d just seen the ghost with my own two eyes.

✤

The following morning, Ms. Hiyori greeted the class with a curious look on her face. “Before we start homeroom today, I have an announcement.”

She set about handing everyone a piece of paper.

“I imagine a lot of you have already heard, but lately people have been saying they’ve seen a ghost on campus. Setting aside whether that’s true or not, the reports themselves are undoubtedly real, so the academy has come to a decision after some discussion with the student council.”

Students who’d received the handout started whispering to one another.

I glanced down at the page in my hand. It stated that a curfew was being put into effect. Due to eyewitness reports from students of a ghost or suspicious person on campus, the latest students were allowed to be out of their rooms in the evening was being changed from nine o’clock to seven o’clock. This was to apply until the investigation was complete. After seven, leaving our dorms was now strictly forbidden.

It even applied to Seraphs, which meant the latest any maid could be in a Societal Arts student’s dorm was now about 6:30. Students’ whereabouts would be checked, so there would be no staying overnight. Teachers would patrol around the classroom building, special classrooms, and auditorium, and the area around the dorms would be patrolled by the student council.

I really hoped this would be over quickly.

“This is for everyone’s safety, so whatever you do, you must follow those instructions. Got it?”

“Yes, Ms. Hiyori!” the class replied.

Seeing them all respond in agreement, Ms. Hiyori breathed a sigh of relief.

“I don’t really believe it’s a ghost, but it’s still worth taking precautions. I’m also in line to join the patrol, so I hope the matter’s resolved before it gets to my turn.”

If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, Ms. Hiyori’s face had turned ever so slightly pale. It looked like she wasn’t a big fan of ghosts either.

After school, I went to the Sky Salon as usual. No sooner did I arrive than Lady Kagura called everyone to a meeting around the central table.

“I’m sure you’ve all been told by your teachers, but a curfew is now in effect. Accordingly, we’ve been told that salon activities need to end early as well. It can take some time to get back from the Sky Salon, so as of now, I’m setting a deadline of six o’clock for everyone to leave here.”

This was starting to feel like serious business.

“I know it’s not ideal, but we just have to live with it. The teaching staff and student council are working hard to deal with this as soon as possible, so your cooperation is appreciated too.”

When Lady Kagura finished, Himeko gave a brief update on the current situation. At times like these, it was a huge benefit to have Himeko there to share information from the academy’s perspective.

“Such a shame that you can’t stay over, Misaki. Just when you made it so much easier.”

“I know. Better that than coming face to face with a ghost, though.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

“That reminds me...”

“What is it?”

I was about to tell her what I’d seen last night, but then I changed my mind. I could have just been imagining things, and it wasn’t like I had any proof.

“No, it’s nothing. I hope they uncover the truth soon.”

“Me too.”

✤

The glass rattled in the windows as it was assailed by strong winds. Being cooped up inside and not being allowed to go out reminded me of waiting for a typhoon to pass. It had that same ominous feeling.

I pulled back the living room curtain a little and peered outside. All I could see was the forest stretching out under a cloak of twilight.

At this time, there would normally be people strolling around here and there, but the curfew meant the whole area was deathly silent.

“For dinner tonight, we want to show you two our skills!”

It was rare for the four of us to all be around for dinner, so Karen and Akira were in higher spirits than usual and decided to treat me and Kirara.

This is what’s great about having roommates. Maybe I should be thankful to the ghost for this, if nothing else.

Soon it was time for lights-out, and it seemed a quiet day was coming to a close.

This might have been the least time I’d spent serving Himeko since arriving at the academy. Whether it was because I’d been thrown off from my usual daily rhythm or because I was still worried about the ghost, I again struggled to get to sleep.

It was around this time last night that I saw that pale figure, wasn’t it?

I should have stopped myself, but I once again lifted up the bottom of the curtain and looked outside.

I froze. Stared intently. Really squinted.

This time there was no white form. Phew! Thank goodness. Yesterday I really was just seeing things.

Only, if I wasn’t mistaken, there was a black swarm passing through the forest.

What are those? Bats?

I couldn’t count them at this distance, but it looked like a large number of bats was flying between the trees. Had they always been there? Had I just not noticed them until today?

Whatever the case, they were way cuter than a ghost. It wasn’t like they were flying into my room. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Unlike the previous night, I managed to fall sound asleep.

✤

“Good day, Misaki,” said Himeko as she exited the elevator.

She was accompanied by an unexpected visitor to the Sky Salon, who greeted me similarly.

“Oh! Lady Angelica!” I said.

Himeko had arrived with the student council president in tow.

“Good to see you again,” she replied, lifting the hem of her skirt to deliver a curtsy so elegant I could picture a field of large white roses blooming behind her.

Her silvery hair was slightly wavy and hung past her shoulders, glistening in the rays of the sun. As ever, she was so beautiful that she struck me with a sense of awe.

“You never have tea with me, so I insisted Himeko let me come here to see you.”

“What?! Surely you can’t have come all the way here just for me. And I promise it’s not that I don’t want to have tea with you; I just haven’t had a chance!”

In a panic, I related a string of justifications, but Lady Angelica just chuckled.

“I’m joking. It’s true that I want to have tea with you, but I’m here on a different mission today.”

“Phew! Okay, then.” Relief washed over me.

“I actually came here to have a chat with Himeko.”

“That makes sense.”

“Himeko insisted we do it this way because a formal meeting straight after class would mean she didn’t get to spend time with you.”

“What?” said Himeko, flustered. “I don’t think I said anything like that. I brought you along because you said we should chat in the Sky Salon today!”

“Well, it was written all over your face. If you can’t see Misaki, you start to get really cranky.”

“No, I don’t!”

Rubbing her own face, Himeko fervently denied the charge.

Ugh, she’s playing her like a fiddle. The only way this could get any worse is if the Kokonoe sisters or Lady Saeko turn up.

As her Seraph, I decided it was up to me to try lending a hand. “Lady Himeko, how about I lead you to a table? No need to talk standing up.”

“You’re right. Please do!”

“Then follow me. You too, Lady Angelica.”

“Gladly. You’re getting very good at the job, aren’t you?”

“I’ve had a lot of help,” I replied bashfully.

“Of course she’s good,” Himeko declared. “I personally chose her as my Seraph.”

The praise for me had put a boastful smile on Himeko’s face.

After I led them to their seats and served tea, Lady Angelica started to explain the latest updates on the ghost situation.

“I’m told there were sightings near the Societal Arts dorms last night.”

“Should I leave you two alone?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t worry. It’s nothing you can’t hear, and I could use some input from a Domestic Arts student.”

“All right, then.”

Since Lady Angelica had given her permission, I took a seat next to Himeko.

“So far all the sightings have been close to the Domestic Arts dorm, so we focused the patrols around there last night, but it sounds like that was a swing and a miss.” She sighed.

Himeko furrowed her brow. “Does whoever it is know our movements? Is she slipping through the net on purpose?”

“Not necessarily,” said Lady Angelia, shaking her head. “I tried marking all the sightings so far on a map of the campus, and it looks like she’s gradually moving from one point to another.”

Lady Angelica pushed out her chest a bit, pulled a sheet of paper from between her breasts, then unfurled it on the table.

You seriously kept it in there?! Frankly, I felt I deserved a medal for not saying that out loud. Not that I’m uncomfortable or anything. Nope.

I looked down at the map. Indeed, the very first sighting had been almost right next to the Domestic Arts dorm, but they’d been gradually moving farther away.

“I think it’s probably a student rather than a ghost,” said Lady Angelica as a preface. “Also, the ghost—the student—is said to have been repeating the words ‘She’s not here,’ so the most likely conclusion is that she’s searching for someone and moving to cover new ground.”

“Ah, I see. That makes it probable that she’s a Domestic Arts student, right?”

“We can’t be sure of that,” Lady Angelica replied, gently rebuffing Himeko’s idea. “I know there are rumors about a Domestic Arts student who died at the school, but that didn’t actually happen. There’s no student who died on campus.”

“Yes, you’re quite right,” Himeko agreed.

Huh? That was all made up? I guess I could have just asked Himeko about it.

“Which means that in ghost story terms, it’s just as likely to be the other way around. It could be a Societal Arts student wandering around near the Domestic Arts dorm looking for a Seraph.”

“That could indeed be the case.”

“Misaki, have you picked up on anything related to this? Are there any girls in the Domestic Arts program who are absolutely desperate to become a Seraph, or any Societal Arts students relentlessly seeking one?”

Lady Angelica interlocked her fingers in front of her face and gazed at me with her almond-shaped eyes. Her beautiful, piercing gaze made a shiver run down my spine all of a sudden.

“I’m not the best person to ask. Everyone I know is either a Seraph already or really eager to be one, so that doesn’t narrow it down. As for the opposite, I wouldn’t have the first clue.”

“That’s a shame.”

“One more thing,” I added hesitantly. “I’ve actually seen a white silhouette myself. Just a glimpse of one.”

Himeko sprang up out of her chair. “Did you really?!”

“Yeah. Only while I was inside my dorm room. I couldn’t tell you anything specific.”

“You should have said something sooner. You weren’t in any danger, were you?” She grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth. I was grateful for her concern, but it was surprisingly painful.

“No, not at all.” I presented a big smile to try and reassure her.

Lady Angelica’s shrewd eyes trapped me again. “Do you think what you saw was a ghost? Or did it look more like a regular person?”

“I’m not quite sure. I didn’t have much to go on, but if I had to decide, it felt more like a person.”

“Oh, really? Then it definitely seems more likely that it’s one of the students.”

“Erm, if the ghost turns out to be a student, are they going to be given some kind of punishment?”

“Good question.” Lady Angelica paused to think for a moment. “That would depend on what she’s doing and why, I suppose. If it really is just a prank, then she’ll be punished quite harshly, but if there’s a deeper reason... Well, I won’t say there’ll be no punishment at all, but we should be able to avoid putting her place here in jeopardy.”

“That’s good.”

In that case, it sounded like even if it turned out to be a Domestic Arts student, it might not lead to the worst possible outcome.

Their meeting continued for a while after talk of the ghostly business concluded. They had all kinds of things to discuss, like other problems on campus, the upcoming end-of-term exams, and the event schedule. Still, since it wasn’t an official meeting, the friendly chatter sort of took over, and the deadline for leaving crept up before we knew it.

Lady Angelica smiled gently at us. “Himeko, thank you for letting me come along today. I’m glad I got to have tea with Misaki. It was great fun.”

When she and Lady Himeko were together, they were so overwhelmingly gorgeous that it made me want to put in even more effort than usual while serving them.

It was nice that they were satisfied with my work, but it still grated on me that I couldn’t accurately judge my own skills. When Sara had watched me work, her feedback had essentially been that I still had a long way to go. Right now, I felt that on a deep level. Being a maid had far more to it than it appeared at first.

Himeko stood to see Lady Angelica out. “I’d be happy to have you here anytime! Kagura even said you’re welcome to visit whenever you like.”

“That’s lovely to hear. I’ll definitely come back when all this fuss is out of the way.”

“I can’t wait!”

Grinning to one another, they headed toward the elevator that led out of the salon. I followed behind them with a prim and proper expression.

✤

I scooped up water with both hands and let it trickle through my fingers.

Bathing alone like this made me feel like something was missing. My routine was eating dinner with Himeko and then getting into the bath together, where we’d wash each other’s hair and scrub each other’s bodies. It had happened too gradually for me to notice, but I was so used to being with her that I was lonely by myself.

“I really hope life gets back to normal soon.”

I submerged myself in the water up to my shoulders and sighed softly.

Today, the student council would focus their patrol on the area around the Societal Arts dorms. If they found the spooky culprit, the curfew would be lifted.

Every other Seraph was probably just as antsy as I was right now. I wondered what Himeko was doing. Had she eaten dinner alone and gotten into the bath alone? She’d done everything by herself before we met, so there was probably no need to worry, but it made me sad to imagine her thinking she was pretty much fine without me.

I heaved another sigh. It was crazy to think I’d become so dependent on Himeko.

“Really crazy,” I said aloud. I let my face sink beneath the surface and blew bubbles.

This was not good. At this rate, I really would become a maid.

“Misaki, are you still in there?” came Kirara’s voice from outside the bathroom. “Other people need to use the tub as well, you know!”

I must have been in there longer than I’d realized. “Sorry! I’ll be out in a minute. Or you could come and join me. I’ve gotten really good at giving other people a good scrubbing, so I don’t mind helping you out!”

“No, uh, I’m good,” Kirara replied awkwardly. “Just hurry up, okay?”

“Sure thing!”

What a shame. I think I’d have enjoyed having a bath with Kirara.

If Lady Angelica’s prediction was accurate, the ghost wasn’t likely to appear anywhere near the Domestic Arts dorm tonight. Even so, I couldn’t let go completely. There was a certain nagging thought in my head.

Most likely, the ghost was actually a student at the school. If so, I had a faint idea of who that white silhouette might be.

But it can’t be. Can it?

I clambered into bed a little earlier than usual that night, then stayed up reading a book while keeping the curtain slightly lifted. If that pale figure really was a Domestic Arts student, it was possible I’d see her leaving the dorm.

For a while I just sat there and kept reading—but then, just after lights-out, I saw her.

Swaying to and fro in an ethereal manner, the white silhouette disappeared into the woods. Until yesterday, this would have been enough for me to drop the curtain and scurry under the covers. Now that I could look at the spectral figure as a living, breathing human, I was hardly scared at all.

The night before, that silhouette had reminded me of something in particular that I’d seen recently. If I was right, it was probably better to go and get her back. She’d be spotted by the student council if I let her get too close to the Societal Arts dorms.

Nerve-racking though it was, I steeled my courage, got out of bed, and left the room.

The hallway was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. There was absolutely no one around. A normal Domestic Arts student would never dream of breaking a curfew directive from the academy, so they were probably all sleeping soundly in their beds.

Being caught would be pretty bad for me as well, but fortunately there was no one on patrol anywhere nearby. And the front door’s easy to unlock from the inside, so—

My hand froze on the doorknob. Someone else had unlocked it already. It was looking more and more likely that the ghost’s true identity was a Domestic Arts student.

I quietly opened the door and stepped outside, where I could hear the faint buzzing of insects. The moonlight shone all around, taking away some of my fear.

Now, where did she go? She was wandering back and forth like she was sleepwalking or something, so she can’t have gotten too far.

I walked at a quick pace to try and catch up. First I started along the normal route to the Societal Arts dorms, which typically took about ten minutes. It was also full of twists and turns and had tall trees all around, so visibility was poor. Those same trees kept the bright sun at bay in summer, and provided good cover for me on this moonlight night, but by the same token they made it very hard to spot my target.

“She has to be around here somewhere.”

I started to think I couldn’t stick to the side of the road. I’d have to go deeper into the forest.

I guess I have no choice.

Mentally preparing myself for how dirty my clothes would get, I changed to a more direct route. Weaving my way between the maple, camphor, and cherry trees, I kept going for maybe a few minutes.

Then, at last, I saw her.

Just to make sure, I hid behind a tree for a moment and watched.

“So I was right,” I murmured to myself.

I knew I’d recognized the shape of that white silhouette. My instinct hadn’t led me astray.

The “ghost” was someone I knew. I crept closer and called her name.

“Sara! Hey! Over here!”

Yes, the pale figure had been my classmate all along. The silhouette had reminded me of the sight of her looking up at the cherry tree the other day.

With her silver hair and nothing on but a pale white negligee, it was no wonder everyone had mistaken her for a ghost. But what was she doing out here?

Sara was muttering something to herself. “She’s not here. There’s simply no sign of her.”

“Hey!”

I tried calling again, but got just as little response as before. It looked like maybe she really was sleepwalking.

Still, now that I knew there was nothing supernatural going on, I had nothing to fear. I tiptoed closer.

“Sara. Sara!”

I grabbed her by the shoulders and gently shook her. She finally turned around.

Suddenly, her eyes opened wide and she put her arms around me. “Oh! There she is!”

I yelped in shock. “Calm down, okay? It’s me. Just me!”

“‘Me’? Who’s that?” Finally, her eyes seemed to take me in. “Misaki, is that you?”

I had the feeling she still wasn’t fully aware, but she had recognized me, at least.

“What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?” I asked.

“She’s not here.”

“Huh?”

With a tearful face, she repeated, “She’s not here. My mistress is not here!”

Sara’s mistress? Who was that, I wondered? As far as I knew, Sara didn’t have a contract with anyone yet.

“I don’t know anything about your mistress, but if the student council finds you you’ll be in trouble. Let’s head back to the dorm for now, okay?”

Rather than trying to snap her out of it there in the forest, priority number one was getting her back to safety. I took her hand in mine, ready to set out.

That very moment, a sharp voice interrupted us.

“You two! Stop right there.”

Then someone descended from the sky.

Wait. From the sky?!

I quickly took hold of Sara and stooped down with her. I heard the sound of a large quantity of creatures flapping their wings. Through half-opened eyes, I could see they were bats.

The person had descended with them, as if they were her retinue.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said. “I definitely didn’t expect to see either of you here.”

Her beguiling voice emerged from lips as red as blood.

It was someone I knew well. I’d had tea with her that very day.

“Naughty, naughty. I didn’t think I’d find students breaking the rules to go wandering around. Least of all that it would be Misaki and Sara.”

I looked up at her. She brought a finger to her chin and let out a small, teasing chuckle.

Everything about her seemed different than it had during the day. She had an alluring yet somehow terrifying aura.

However, she was still strikingly beautiful. In fact, she looked far more bewitching now. Even though there was no wind, her silvery hair fluttered as if it had a mind of its own. Looking closely, it even appeared to be floating in the air.

What stood out most of all, though, were the grand pair of wings on her back and the fangs visible in her smile.

I gulped audibly. “Erm... Lady Angelica? Is that you?”

When I said her name, she replied, “Good evening, Misaki.”

Lady Angelica lifted the hem of her skirt and delivered a graceful curtsy in mid-air, fluttering her wings as she did so.

✤

“Dear oh dear. I’d never have guessed you two were behind this whole ghostly kerfuffle.”

Lady Angelica sighed and looked at us. No, not just looked; it was more like her piercing gaze cut right through us.

A cold sweat spread over my body.

“Not only that, but you’ve seen my true form.” She did a twirl in the air to show herself off.

In a voice wrung from the depths of my throat, I replied, “That’s not exactly my fault.”

“You’re made of strong stuff, Misaki. I’m really piling on the pressure right now. A normal person would have passed out. Like Sara there.”

“Huh?”

When I looked down, Sara was lying limp in my arms.

“Well, you did purposely break the rules and go wandering about in the evening. That takes a lot of guts.”

“No, I really wouldn’t say that,” I murmured. “It’s more like everything happened so fast, my brain can’t quite keep up.”

“That’s not what matters to me, anyway. What I care about is whether you two are the culprits behind this ghost nonsense or not.”

Lady Angelica gently touched down on the ground. As soon as she did, her wings and fangs disappeared, and the overwhelming aura surrounding her seemed to dissipate just a little. She really was floating, wasn’t she?

“I was just following Sara. I don’t know if I’d use the word ‘culprit,’ but I’m pretty sure Sara was the ghost all along.”

I’d finally managed to calm down a little, so I could talk normally again.

“Is that so? Now that I look, Sara’s appearance does match the eyewitness accounts, while you’re just in regular pajamas.”

“Exactly,” I said feebly.

“Did you ask her why she’s been walking around at night?”

“No. Before I got a chance you, uhm, flew down.”

“I see. That must have come as quite a shock!”

“You could say that.”

Was I dreaming? Was it some kind of illusion? There was no way I’d seen a person descend from the sky. I knew Lady Angelica, and she was just a normal human—wasn’t she?

I’d seen it just moments ago, but I was already beginning to doubt myself.

“I was a little careless as well, I suppose. You see, I suspected that an organization coming after me might have sent someone to the school.”

“Oh,” I replied, baffled. An organization? Huh?

“I also thought everyone would obey the new rule, so there’d be no students wandering around who might spot me.”

“I’m sorry.” I had no way to excuse that.

“Well, what am I going to do with you now that you’ve seen me like this?” She peered at me meaningfully.

“Are you going to... silence me?”

“Hehe, don’t worry. I’m not about to say anything frightening like ‘Now that you’ve seen my true form, I have to kill you!’ At most, I’ll have to erase some of your memories. Only, someone needs to ask Sara what she’s been doing every night, and I feel like that might be better coming from you. Hmm, yes.”

After a brief pause for thought, Lady Angelica buoyantly clapped her hands together.

“For now, I’d like you to just take Sara back to the dorm. Tomorrow, can you ask her why she’s been sneaking out and wandering around the forest?”

“Uhm, sure. But after that, are you going to silence me after all?”

“You’re kind of a worrywart, you know that? I’ll keep my promise. As long as you swear to talk to Sara and not to reveal my true identity to anyone, I don’t think I even need to wipe your memories.”

“Great,” I managed, my heart still aquiver.

By this point, I’d gathered that Lady Angelica wasn’t quite human, but I had to know what she actually was. I steeled my courage.

“Erm, are you a vampire or something?”

“That’s exactly what I am. To be precise, I’m one-quarter vampire.”

“Gosh.”

“You don’t believe me? If you want, I’ll gladly prove it by drinking your blood.”

I gasped. “No, that’s all right, thanks!”

“Oh, really? What a shame. Though to be honest, I don’t usually drink blood directly out of people anyway.”

“You don’t?”

“No. My family runs a company that collects and delivers blood for transfusions, so getting enough blood is never a problem.”

“Either your family’s found their true calling, or they’re solving a problem of their own making.”

“Heh. Don’t go telling anyone about that, either, by the way.”

“Right! I won’t!”

Ack, I don’t like this at all. I didn’t come to this school to learn secrets like this!

“Is there anything else you’d like to ask? We can’t talk about it when there are other people around, so if you’re curious, now’s your chance.”

“No, I think that’s everything. I wouldn’t even know what to ask.”

She chuckled again. “Fair enough. You seem to be all about living the quiet life.”

Lady Angelica scooped up one of my pigtails and stroked it gently.

“I’ll take you at your word, Misaki. Neither of us will say anything about seeing the other here tonight. It’s like it never happened.”

“Yes, uhm, that sounds like it’s for the best.”

“Then I’ll leave Sara in your hands.”

“All right.”

With that, she departed. That was all well and good for her, but even after I woke Sara up, she was still unsteady on her feet. Getting her back to the room was actually a huge effort.

✤

When second period was finished the next day, I spoke to Sara.

“Do you have a moment?”

“By all means. Whatever could it be?”

I asked her to go out to the courtyard with me. It was time to find out what was going on.

“Erm, do you remember what happened last night?”

“Last night? No, I haven’t the foggiest.”

A question mark appeared above her head as she tilted her head to the side sweetly. Oof, it looks like she really might not remember. I can see it on her face.

“Not just yesterday, either,” I added. “You’ve been sneaking out of the dorm every night, haven’t you?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Ugh, I knew it.

“I saw you, though. Last night, you left the dorm and walked into the forest, and I caught you saying ‘She’s not here, she’s not here’ to yourself over and over.”

When I said this, Sara fell silent and appeared lost in thought for a moment.

“I thought I was dreaming.”

Oh, thank goodness. At least she has some idea.

“It was no dream. You were really doing that.”

“My word.”

“Sara, have you had something on your mind lately? The other day, I saw you staring up at a tree in the courtyard after lunch. You remember?”

“Am I under some sort of obligation to talk to you about that?”

She stared at me with a guarded expression.

“You do, I’m afraid. You might be about to take the blame for causing all this commotion about a ghost. You’re normally completely in control, so something must be up. I’m worried about you, Sara. As a friend.”

“A friend?”

“You don’t want me to call you that?” In the confusion of the moment, I’d put it out there without really thinking, but it seemed she wasn’t going to let it go unacknowledged.

“No, I don’t particularly mind. Indeed, if you’re willing to call me a friend, I suppose there’s no reason not to open up to you.”

Yes! Here we go.

Sara cast her eyes down and quietly began to explain.

“In my dream—well, I suppose it was actually quite real, wasn’t it? I seem to recall that I was searching for my mistress.”

“Your mistress? I didn’t think you had one.”

“I don’t have one at this school. I’m referring to my real mistress, whom I served a long time ago.”

“In Britain?”

“Yes. Before coming here, I was in the service of a lady there. Now that I’m apart from her, I must have developed withdrawal symptoms and not even realized it.”

“Gosh. You like your mistress so much that being away from her gives you withdrawal?”

“But of course. I put every ounce of my being into serving her.” A look of happiness appeared on her face, the likes of which I’d never seen there before.

“Wow, fair enough. Where’s your mistress now, then?”

“She remained behind.”

“Oh. Does that mean you won’t be able to see her again until you graduate from here?”

I didn’t want to imagine these ghostly goings-on continuing long term.

“No, it’s not all that bad. In Britain, we have compulsory final exams at this time of year called GCSEs. My mistress intends to travel to Japan once she’s finished with those.”

“That’s a relief. When will that be?”

“I expect she’ll arrive in July or August.”

She gazed off into the distance, perhaps in the direction of the United Kingdom. She was no doubt picturing her mistress’s face.

“So you still have more than a month to go. You must be pretty lonely.”

“Frightfully so, I must say.”

“At least I understand that now. Still, it’s dangerous to go walking around at night. In more ways than you realize.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Though I couldn’t tell Sara, there was a chance a scary vampire girl might suddenly decide to make a late-night snack of her.

“I don’t doubt that, in any case. Sadly, I’m not sure what I can do about it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

She was doing it unconsciously, so how could she stop? I had no idea what to suggest.

For now, I’d better just tell Lady Angelica what I’ve learned.

✤

I went to see Lady Angelica during my lunch break and relayed what Sara had told me. However, the response I got was kind of mystifying.

“Aah. A classic case of mistress deficiency syndrome.”

“Uhm, I see.”

I must have looked totally lost, because Lady Angelica hurried to clarify. “That’s not something I just made up. It’s a condition that crops up quite a lot at this school, you could say. It happens when a maid has to be apart from a mistress she’s been serving for a long time.”

“Really? I had no idea.” It sounded sort of like homesickness.

“Sometimes a mistress in her third year will have a Seraph in her first year, for example. Let’s say they forge a really strong master-servant relationship. The mistress then graduates after one year, and the Seraph is left at the academy on her own. She gets so lonely that it develops into what we call mistress deficiency syndrome. Classic story.”

“That makes sense.”

“Since Sara already has a mistress in Britain, it’s no surprise that she’d develop the symptoms. Actually, I think the admission papers have already come through, so we can go ahead and tell Sara the date.”

“Will that make her feel better?”

“Maybe. But I have a little trick that might help as well.”

“You’re not going to wipe her memory, are you?”

“No, no, no. It’s just about trying to think optimistically. She knows her mistress is arriving soon, so she should get everything ready for her and look forward to that day.”

“I see what you mean.” Maybe that would give her some peace of mind.

“At least now we know who the culprit was, which is a relief. What to do about Sara’s punishment, though? She was acting unconsciously, so I’d like to hold off on making it public, but we also can’t let her get off scot-free after causing such a big commotion. Well, I guess all she really did was scare a few students, so we don’t need to be that harsh either.”

The punishment didn’t seem like a topic that would normally be discussed with someone like me, but Lady Angelica was considerate enough to do so anyway.

“I’d like that as well,” I replied.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for your report. Leave the rest to me.”

“Okay. Goodbye, then.”

✤

After school that day, an urgent bulletin in the name of the student council was brought to every salon. It stated that the truth behind the ghostly mystery had been uncovered by the student council, so the rules would go back to normal, and the curfew would be lifted.

It also mentioned that the “ghost” had turned out to just be a student, but out of concern for the individual and her future life at the academy, her name would not be made public.

“What a relief!” Himeko said. “Now you can stay over at my place again.”

“Yup.”

From what I could tell, the details hadn’t been shared with Himeko, either. If they had, I’m sure I’d have come up as well.

I’d better thank Lady Angelica sometime. If Himeko knew I’d broken the rules and gone out at night, I bet she’d start worrying her head off.

What I still couldn’t get over was that Lady Angelica wasn’t human. I hadn’t had time to think it over properly in the moment, so I’d just taken it in my stride, but I’d actually stumbled upon some worrying information.

Why was she at this school, serving as the president of the student council? What was her true goal? And was she really no danger to others?

What am I even thinking? There’s no such thing as vampires... is there? Lady Angelica could have been making it all up. But then, I did see her float down from the sky.

I groaned to myself. Part of me thought it would have been better if she had erased my memories.

Just as I was thinking about her, the young lady in question appeared in the Sky Salon.

“Good afternoon. It’s me again.”

She had entered along with Lady Kagura. A shriek escaped from my lips before I could stop myself.

“Oh, Misaki, hello. Did you just shriek the moment you saw my face?” She smiled at me, looking very amused.

In a flash, I looked away and feigned indifference. “No, uhm, you must have misheard.”

“Really? Very well, then. Oh, good day, Himeko. Do you mind if I sit with you?”

An angelic smile appeared on her face. I knew the truth, however. Behind it lurked the fangs of a vampire.

“Be my guest. Misaki, could you make some tea?”

“Coming right up.”

I mean, there’s no way she’d do anything here, right?

Lady Angelica lowered her head. “Actually, the reason I came here today is to apologize to you, Himeko.”

“Whatever for?”

“For not being able to tell you who the student is behind all the ghost sightings.”

“Oh, that. No need to worry, honestly. I understand you’re just looking out for whoever it is.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“I trust your judgment at the end of the day. How could I not?”

Watching her talk to Himeko, she really did just look like a fine, upstanding student council president and nothing more.

“Hehe, you’re so kind. It must be your noble blood. If only you could share some of it with me.”

She took Himeko’s hand and drew her lips toward it. Eek!

“Lady Angelica, here’s your tea!” I interjected in a near-yelp.

When she stopped moving, her teeth were a hair’s breadth from the back of Himeko’s hands. “Ah, thank you, Misaki.”

“Anytime! Truly!”

As she smiled, she flashed her fangs for me alone.

“I’m so jealous of you, Himeko. Misaki makes such a delicious cup of tea.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Himeko said. “I’m happy to hear it.”

She had no idea at all about the danger Lady Angelica presented. It made me nervous to see her acting so calmly.

Lady Angelica brought the cup to her mouth and took a sip, then closed her eyes and gently murmured, “I really like this school. How about you, Misaki?”

There was only one answer to that question.

“I like it too.”

“You do? Excellent. I consider it my duty to ensure that the lovely students here have a healthy and peaceful environment in which to grow. I’ll spare no effort to achieve that.”

“That’s a wonderful ambition to have. I know I’ve been slacking a little on that front.” Himeko sounded slightly apologetic.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I know you’re pulling out all the stops for the academy.”

“No, I’m definitely not doing enough to be worthy of such praise, Lady Angelica.”

“Everyone’s their own worst critic, I suppose. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Fair enough,” Himeko replied. She had a melancholy look about her. It was a rare sight.

Lady Angelica’s kind eyes turned to me. “Misaki, your help with making the school the best it can be will be appreciated as well.”

I couldn’t see any hint of deception in her eyes.

“I’ll do what I can, at least.”

“Thank you so much!”

Was Lady Angelica trying to tell me that I had nothing to be worried about? That even though she wasn’t human, she genuinely cared about the academy?

I guess I have to believe that. What other choice do I have?

✤

“Misaki, I’ll turn on the water now.”

“Got it!”

Himeko’s words in my ear were the signal for me to close my eyes. Immediately after that, the hot water from the shower rained down pleasantly onto my head.

Running her fingers through my hair with her free hand, she said cheerfully, “I wasn’t sure what would happen, but it was dealt with pretty quickly in the end. I’m so relieved!”

The second the ghost scare was over, she’d practically forced me into her room, saying, “You just bought all those overnight supplies, so it would be a waste if you didn’t use them! Besides, I really need you to clean my room. You’ll have to stay over tonight.”

Soon enough, we were in the bath together. It had only been a few days since the last time, but it sounded like she’d been pretty lonely without me around. She was definitely the kind of mistress who was grateful to have a maid.

Normally, I washed Himeko first and then we switched, but this time Himeko started on me first. I wondered how the other students would react if they knew about this. Would they be envious or just plain angry?

I guess it’s just one more perk of being a Seraph.

“Apparently, the student who caused all this fuss was wandering around, desperate to see her mistress again.”

Choosing my words carefully, I replied, “Yes, that’s what I heard, too.”

As far as Himeko was concerned, I didn’t know any further details. I had to maintain that facade.

“Misaki, if you couldn’t see me for a long time, would you start longing for me the same way?”

“Huh? I don’t know how to answer that.”

“So you’re saying you wouldn’t?” She was sulking.

“I mean, if that did happen, I think you’d be the one wandering around at night looking for me, wouldn’t you?”

Picturing that, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. It was far too plausible.

“What do you take me for? Loneliness doesn’t make me fall apart that easily!”

As if to punish me, Himeko wrapped her arms around my stomach and squeezed tightly.

“Wait! Don’t do that! Haha... Ahahaha!”

The showerhead in her hand was now laser-focused on my side, blasting water straight at it. I reflexively writhed and squirmed.

“Oh yes, that’s your weak point isn’t it?”

Oh no.

Himeko was in her element now. With a cry of joy, she started targeting my open flank with everything she had. She had me pinned from behind, so I was at a major disadvantage.

“Haha! No, stop! Seriously, stop it!”

I have to grab the showerhead off her! Wait, I have a better idea.

My hand shot out to grab the shower valve, and I turned off the water.

“Ack!” cried Himeko, freezing in place.

“Tell me, milady. Do you agree that mistresses who bully their maids deserve to be punished?”

I turned to face her, grinning, and she looked away at once.

“Lady... Himeko...”

Speaking in a hair-raising ghostly voice, I fixed my eyes on Himeko. At the same time, I smoothly inched my fingers toward the showerhead and nonchalantly stole it from her.

“Hey!”

But by the time she noticed, it was too late.

“Misaki! You’re the best Seraph ever! I’m your mistress and I care so much about you!”

“You should have thought of that sooner.”

Grinning, I turned on the shower again with slightly cooler water. Himeko let out an adorable yelp as it rained over her face.

“Okay, your turn, Himeko. I’ll wash your hair now.”

I untied Himeko’s hair, which was gathered on top of her head, and soaked her hair all over.

“I really thought you were going to do something awful!” Himeko whined.

“And I never thought you’d target my weak point on purpose.”

“Look, I’m sorry. I just got swept up in the moment. I was so excited about finally getting to take a bath with you again.”

Behind the stream of falling water, Himeko opened her eyes slightly and looked up at me.

Come on! I can’t stay mad at her when she makes such an adorable face.

“Fair enough. Then let’s call it even.”

“Sounds perfect,” she replied cheerfully, tilting her head to indicate that she wanted me to scrub her.

As I set about washing her just as thoroughly as ever, I murmured something at the top of her head.

“I’m not quite at the stage of getting that lonely, but I might be before too long if we keep spending time together.”

I’d spoken so quietly that I thought the sound of running water would have swallowed it up, but then Himeko replied.

“You really mean that?”

Her hearing was way too sharp.