Taro turned to Claire, flashing what he assumed was a charming smile. "Claire, the seat is empty, isn't it?"
"No, it isn't. Can't you see her?"
Claire kept her expression completely deadpan. Taro hadn't believed it at first, but Claire looked incredibly serious.
"That's impossible. Why can't I see anything?"
Refusing to buy it, Taro rubbed his eyes.
"She is right there. Just because you can't see her doesn't mean she doesn't exist."
Taro suspected Claire was messing with him.
He glanced over at Julia.
Julia instantly realized Claire was trying to prank him.
She recalled that Solenia was famous for its rich history of supernatural legends.
Even her local roommates would sit around at night telling terrifying ghost stories.
"Oh, she's definitely there," Julia chimed in. "Long dark hair, a pale dress, really dark circles under her eyes, and impossibly long nails..."
"She's staring right at you and smiling!"
Claire caught the subtle tremor in Taro's pupils and smiled faintly. "Actually, now that I look closer, those look like traditional Sundaran garments. Is she from your country?"
Taro's face drained of all color. With a loud clatter, his tray crashed to the floor. He didn't even try to pick it up, turning and sprinting frantically out of the cafeteria.
Julia stared in absolute shock before shrieking, "Ugh! He splashed gravy all over my outfit!"
"Make him pay for the dry cleaning!" Claire suggested smoothly.
Julia nodded fiercely. "Exactly! I'm going to make him pay!"
Her clothes cost thousands of dollars, which was merely pocket change to her.
Normally, she wouldn't bother being so petty.
But with Claire egging her on, the idea suddenly sounded incredibly appealing. Taro needed to be taught a lesson!
"That guy single-handedly drags down the reputation of all the exchange students!"
Julia huffed, feeling entirely justified in her irritation.
"Don't worry about it. You two aren't even from the same country," Claire offered absentmindedly.
Julia agreed. "True. We are nothing like him."
As for why Taro was so terrified...
He had only become an exchange student because his family needed to cover up a scandal.
He was on the run.
Back in Sundara, he had tormented a female student to death.
That girl had possessed long dark hair and frequently wore traditional garments.
He was genuinely terrified that Lilith's spirit had crossed the ocean to haunt him.
It was enough to scare him out of his mind.
Once the initial panic wore off, Taro tried to rationalize it.
It had to be a coincidence. Ghosts couldn't possibly be real, right?
And even if Lilith's spirit had actually followed him to Solenia, he could just hire a local exorcist to banish her.
He had watched plenty of Solenian horror movies and firmly believed in the power of their mystical priests.
However, his greatest suspicion fell entirely on Claire.
Had this woman been secretly investigating him?
Why would she dig into his past?
Did she discover his secret?
For the next several weeks, he didn't dare take a single step near Claire.
Claire had no idea that a randomly fabricated ghost story had
l.ne
completely shattered Taro's psyche, unintentionally saving her from a massive headache.
Rumor had it that Julia actually tracked Taro down to demand compensation for her ruined clothes.
No matter how much Taro interrogated her, she adamantly swore she had seen a girl in traditional robes.
Long flowing hair, dark circles, and a horrifyingly pale face.
When pressed for specific facial features, Julia insisted she was too terrified to look closely.
The more they talked about it, the more terrified Taro became untikhe actually fell physically ill from the stress.
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He made a frantic call back to Sundara, and soon after, they dispatched a brand
new exchange student.
They didn't recall Taro, leaving his exact academic status a mystery.
The new arrival was a girl named Meiko Fujii.
This girl was incredibly shrewd and quickly integrated herself into Julia's social circle.
Even the local Solenian students found themselves thoroughly charmed by Meiko.
She was beautiful, exceedingly
humble, and possessed legitimate
medical skills, hailing from a
prestigious medical family ins Sundara.