Case 3,
The Exorcist and the Pale Phantom,
Hajime's POV
"You're..." I stood, almost frozen, surprised by the visitor's face plastered on my front door.
Golden hair and yellow eyes. There's no doubt about it! It's the guy from yesterday!
"You're the psychopath from yesterday!" I blurted out shamelessly, giving him a shocked reaction to my words.
"P-psychopath?! Y-You're the doppelganger from yesterday! Where did you hide the victim?! C-could it be...!" Swallowing my saliva, my body shook from the nervousness. Whatever he's gonna say, it could be something dangerous.
"... you killed the kid so you can take over his identity!" Once again, the feeling of wanting to punch this guy in the face came back. I should've known he was gonna say things like this.
"K-killed?! Do you think I'll kill somebody?! Did you even graduate college not knowing that killing is against the law?!" I fumed, this idiot really rubs me in the wrong way, doesn't he?
"Sorry, I just graduated 12th grade..." His voice became small, and his ears turned red. Now, I feel guilty.
We went silent for a few seconds, "sorry."
However, after a few seconds of silence, he broke it back with his loud mouth, "You said ghosts cannot get to jail, so you can't be imprisoned for murder!" He fixed his hat too look more cool, but I was the one to be asked, he looked more of idiot in my eyes.
"Let me tell you two things straight. First, I did no kill anyone. And second? I am HUMAN!" I barged the door shut, and intended to look away, but he knocked once again.
I harshly opened the door with an angry expression, "What now?" This time, he looked at me with prideful eyes and a simple smile.
His eyes were like shining jewels, reelected by the small speck of sunlight. In fact, it wasn't totally yellow. It was gold-like colored eyes, illuminating an elegant and majestic glow into it. My body was nowhere to be felt as I stare into his iris. As if my only existence only focuses on the blinding scenery. Only one term escaped my lips, it's was, "beautiful"
"What? Captivated by my beauty?" He grinned, full of himself. Although I'm not gonna lie, his eyes captivated me for a second. If he only had a perfect personality, he could made me fall into his beauty. But it's not like I want to!
I cleared my throat, "What's your business with me? As I said, I'm human," I spoke as calmly as I could. It's not like I'm lying or anything. I can just let my soul slip out of my body, but not become a ghost entirely.
They say spirits cannot become ghosts, because ghosts are demons. Spirits cannot form a body or stay in earth, or so they said. Besides, I can enter my body once again, meaning, I am still a human. It's counts, probably.
"Then what did you do last night?! I clearly saw you!" Expectedly, he wouldn't let me off, huh? What should I do with this idiot?
"That's..."
I'm out of words. Explaining and making a way to this idiot is really impossible. I rubbed the back of my head. As much as I don't want this, I don't have a choice.
His eyes shifted back into the scary look. He had that presence last night, and it seemed more scary right now.
"Fine! I'll come with you, but there's a condition." He stared for a few seconds, meeting eye contact with me once more, his eyes glistening it's yellow color once again.
"I accept, but don't do anything funny, idiot doppelganger, haha!" He voiced out mockingly while smugly judging me with his eyes as it glows yellow opal.
"I never said the conditions yet."
"Go."
I sighed, as if it contained every stress and depression I had all throughout my lifetime, "Don't kill me, and let me explain my side before you give me a good reason to."
He paused for a moment before nodding slowly. Silence covered his for a few seconds before going on again. His jewels in deep thoughts as it gleams like a diamond.
"Okay, let's go." Hands stretching out to me, I paused for a second. Is this guy still okay?!
"Uhm... Sir...?"
"What? I'm holding your hand since I don't have any handcuffs. I can't let you run from me, I hate chasing too much." I sighed, once again. Dealing with his idiocy already occupied my hands, but what do I do with his dumbness?!
Shaking and slow, I approached his hand. This doesn't mean we're friends or anything! I didn't even consider this stranger who's accusing me for a ghost to just take me away whole holding my hand like we're friends!
"J...just so you know, t...this doesn't mean we're friends...!"
He replied with a dumbfounded look, "Idiot, we're not, I'm just holding hands. Holding hands doesn't mean anything deep like friendship." It's this turn to sigh this time, for my so-called "idiocy". Damn, he should be telling that to himself in front of the mirror.
The rest was quiet, and I didn't thought I would survive the dying presence of silence. He took me to a house—probably where he lives.
To be honest, it's scary when we came inside. There as no people there, so I expect it to be like an interrogation room or a graveyard for me. If only I could escape this place, I would've. He took me to the upper floor where there are elegant paintings on the walls. There was one guy with no face and white hair, and a butterfly resting on a black scythe. It looks a little creepy, but artistic enough.
We entered the room as he pointed on the bed where I said after. He rummaged through the desk as if he was looking for something, and seemed to cannot find it. After a while, he took a small USB device and went directly to the closet and opened a lock using a password and the closet moved away, revealing a door behind.
My eyes windened from excitement. Something you'll only see on Mangas and Movies. Inside were like a detective's room where there are traces of things too complex to comprehend—probably like cases or something of sort.
"Come in," he pointed at the inside to where there is a table with small chairs from two people—those are used on interrogations.
"So, care to explain now?" he added.
"I'm human. I'm sure of it."
"Nice move. You already submitted, and now, you're denying again?" his other eyebrow raised.
"This...this is something unexplainable. I'm human, I swear! I...it's just that my spirit can leave my body depending on my decision." I spilled my secret. It's no use talking it out with this dumbass idiot.
"Oh! So that explains the whole situation."
I'm perplexed. I didn't knew that he'd react this way... This guy took hours to comprehend me.
He chuckled and smiled at me slyly, "But you're not getting away. I already have my mark on you, and that means ownership, haha, idiot! I have never seen such a power. This means I have to make you my lab rat, as per promised."
I fumed out, "What do you mean?!"
His actions were enough to explain it. He pointed at my clothes where a mark is left—more like a symbol of some cult. It was a moon with only a portion is glowing while the whole circle had outer designs like the flames emitted from the sun symbol. I can feel it through my body. Somehow, I'm connected to the mark, and one wrong move and he could kill me, I'm sure of it.
It's because of this idiot's scary presence and unknown origin, I'm starting to fear interaction with other people. Just by his scary glares, I had no choice but to obey his commands.
"So, idiot Pale Phantom, I'm looking forward for our partnership!" He smiled, sun-bright and energetic this time.
I had no choice to but to take his hand and did a handshake. My hands are sweaty from nervousness and my brain is all foggy as he stared right into me like he's butchering me alive with his stares.
"Ah!"
I was too flabbergasted when his eyes widened, "I forgot about the cases!"
"Wha...at...?" My eyes twitched for a moment there. I even pulled off my hand back out of surprise and sudden burst of fear.
His mouth kept on blabbering, explaining every details about the "cases" he meant, and all that I can say is that I could barely understand him. From the very report on the day I came here, to the current report up to this date.
My brows furrowed, still in perplexity, "So, you're saying is that after I came here, incidents happening and people are buried alive on random places? I don't have such a power!" I cleared my throat.
"So it means you're not on the list? Tsk! I guess we're starting back with no clues..." Somehow, be looked disappointed as his eyes darken a little, "Now that you're mine, you have to get involved and help me on these type of cases!" His expression shifted back to his cheerful, idiotic tone.
"I have school, I can't possibly skip. Also, I don't wanna be involved in such scary matters!" I brushed off the scary thoughts. I mean, it's scary! All those tombstone and stuffs are just too much to bear!
He directly went outside the moment a call followed while I tail him. In fact, I'm still scared. He picked up the phone and vegan talking with someone. As the call gotten longer, he nodded his head as if he was enlightened by someone.
He shoved his phone on his pocket and began thinking, "What's the call for?" I cut off his train of thoughts.
"It's my informant. We have more clues, and this one's fresh and big," he gave a wise smirk on his face, confident with himself.
I gulped the liquid on my mouth as my heard feels like bursting out, waiting to his next move.
From here on, we'll be always together. Mayne I just accepted it easily because I wanted someone to rely or need me. This isn't that much hateable compared to being alone and having no one by my side. I guess this'll make do for as long as he can keep on needing me untill the day he gets bored of me.
***