I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

But that very night, she received a large order, and the address to be delivered to seemed strangely familiar to her.

…………

…………

"Is the pizza still not here? I'm so hungry~ My stomach is already empty, and that jerk of a mom makes me waste my energy doing this! She's such a jerk..."

There lay Arisa, dressed in a pure black bikini, listlessly in the cool water, her head resting on the soft, inflatable poolside, protesting against her mother's exploitation of them by making them do hard labor.

As for Nozomi, who was wearing the same style of swimsuit as Arisa, only in pure white, she was already used to dressing like this in front of the others.

Since he's already given up on everything, let them tease him if they want. He's not going to be so easily swayed right now. To be honest, after wearing this kind of outfit for so long, he's starting to feel a little addicted to it.

Although Nozomi knew how serious the consequences would be if she really got used to it...

He shifted his little bottom slightly. Although Fanxia's thighs were comfortable to sit on, they were inexplicably a bit cold, something he hadn't felt before.

After hearing Arisa's complaints, Nozomi chimed in.

"That's right~ It was clearly Aunt Ami's idea, so why should we do the work!"

"I paid for this pizza meal, so what's wrong with that?"

Aunt Ashi, who had somehow gotten hold of an ice pop, sat to the side and ate it in small bites, dealing with the two of them with a rather impatient attitude.

However, to be fair, she was also feeling a bit hungry, so she picked up her phone, which was lying to the side, and glanced at the location of the deliveryman. It seemed like he was almost there.

Although the 50% discount is offered for delivery times exceeding half an hour, which is a huge temptation for ordinary people, it doesn't bother As for her; she just wants to eat quickly.

Just then, Yasuki, who had gone back to her room to change into a swimsuit, came out of the living room and stood on the wooden platform, looking down at the three people lying in the inflatable swimming pool.

She seemed to be assessing whether it would be too crowded if she went in to soak, but it looked like there were still plenty of empty seats, so it didn't seem like a big deal.

then.

Sister Ba raised her long, white legs and stepped into the bouncy inflatable swimming pool.

In an instant, the water level inside rose significantly, and Nozomi, who was originally sitting on Honoka's lap, took the opportunity to run over and sit next to Hachiko.

Hachiko didn't have any objections to this, but Fanxia, ​​whose love had been stolen away, was not happy. She looked at Himo, who had changed her mind at the last minute, with a very resentful look in her beautiful eyes.

Although she didn't say anything, Ximiao still felt a little guilty and turned her head away, trying her best not to look at Fanxia.

After an unknown amount of time, the group of people, who were passing the time in the courtyard, heard the sound of an electric scooter stopping at the gate.

Immediately afterwards, the doorbell rang, and the people who had been whispering in the courtyard fell silent, staring at each other in disbelief.

All that could be heard was Ximiao's quiet voice from inside the inflatable pool, "So, who's going to get the takeout?"

"..."

No one responded, as if they were afraid of having to go through the trouble of picking up the takeout themselves. Even the girl sitting behind Ximiao, Hachiko, didn't say a word.

However, their gazes were surprisingly unanimous, all fixed on Xi Ling, who was constantly looking around, as if they wanted him to get the takeout.

Finally, under pressure from everyone, Ximiao had no choice but to stand up slowly. Under the expectant gazes of everyone, he lifted his leg and walked out of the inflatable swimming pool, put on his slippers, and headed towards the door.

……

"Strange, why hasn't anyone answered the door after so long? Is the doorbell broken?"

The delivery girl, a little impatient, rang the doorbell again. If the delivery was late, her wages would be deducted.

However, thanks to the short time she waited, the delivery girl realized that this seemed to be the same place she had come from when she delivered the hamburger meal before.

If she's not mistaken, what follows is...

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Just give me the pizza."

The voice she could never forget suddenly came from the side. The delivery girl turned her head and saw the boy in a pure white swimsuit, his body still covered with glistening water droplets.

After seeing clearly the style of his swimsuit, her eyes widened, as if she were wondering if she was hallucinating...

Knowing that she was dressed like this, Ximiao blushed and urged him impatiently.

"Hey! What are you standing there for? Give me the pizza!"

"Huh? Oh, okay, sorry~"

The delivery girl, who had just come to her senses, quickly handed the bag to Ximiao, and then stammered as if she wanted to say something to him.

However, given his current state, Xi Ling had no interest in chatting with the delivery girl he had only met once.

Before the woman could call him back, Xi Ling turned around and, carrying their dinner, went back to the courtyard.

Because she hadn't left yet, the delivery girl overheard the cheerful laughter coming from the other side, and she was quite envious.

Unfortunately, life had to go on, and after delivering the pizzas, she had no reason to stay there any longer.

However, before leaving, she couldn't help but look back at the somewhat eerie mansion behind her, muttering to herself.

"I remember this being... the infamous haunted house in town, right? Why would anyone live in there? For adventure? I don't get it..."

After she finished speaking in a low voice, a cold wind blew by, and despite it being the height of summer, it made her feel a chill down her spine.

Without thinking too much, she rode her electric scooter away from the street.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Xi Ling returned to the courtyard carrying their dinner, her fair face still flushed with a blush that lingered for a long time.

"Oh my gosh~ Mio, why are your cheeks so red? Did you forget you're wearing this cute swimsuit~?"

After noticing that Hio's expression was a little off, Arisa took the opportunity to tease her, completely disregarding whether Hio would settle the score with her later.

After placing all the items in her hands on the table beside her, Xi Ling suppressed the urge to rush over and give Arisa a good beating, and said with a forced smile.

"Alright, come and have dinner!"

"Hey~ Mio, why aren't you talking to me?"

Seeing that Nozomi ignored what she had just said, Arisa reluctantly walked up to Nozomi, leaned close to her ear, and teased her relentlessly.

Unable to bear it any longer, Nozomi suddenly reached out and struck the soft flesh behind the smug girl beside her without hesitation.

With a crisp sound echoing in the courtyard, the few people watching the scene immediately revealed amused expressions as they looked at Himo and Arisa at the table.

It seems there's some anticipation for what will happen next...

However, somewhat disappointingly, after Hiyo made this almost provocative move, Arisa did not react at all. She simply opened the insulated bag and took out the box containing the pizza.

Even through the cardboard box, they could smell the aroma emanating from the steaming pizza.

The group, who were already starving, did not hesitate any longer and quickly came forward, took what they had ordered, and began to eat with relish in the courtyard.

I don’t know how long it took.

Xi Miao was sitting in the inflatable swimming pool, still holding a glass of cola that was more than half full, chatting with other people on and off.

As for Sister Ba, she seems to be starving, as she is still eating pizza and snacks like chicken wings.

"Um... Miss Yasushi, I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"Eh?"

Looking at Arisa, who had somehow appeared beside him, Yashiro paused for a moment after hearing what she said, then nodded, signaling her to continue.

Then, you hear Arisa deliberately lower her voice, to the point that Nozomi can't hear her, and quietly ask Hachiko.

"Do you know about this haunted house?"

"I know, but I didn't do it."

"Eh?"

Now it was Arisa's turn to ask a question, looking at her with some curiosity, wanting to get an answer.

However, Sister Ba, who was eating pizza, shrugged and then said quietly.

"I already told you I don't know either~ I didn't do anything bad, but for no reason, rumors started circulating in town that this place is a haunted house, and besides, it has nothing to do with those bastards in Ximiao's family..."

Listening to Hachi's explanation, things suddenly became a bit complicated.

Arisa couldn't understand why people called it a haunted house when they hadn't noticed anything wrong with their place after living there for so long.

I don't understand.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Sleepwalking

That night.

The dimly lit corridor was silent. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they all took a shower and then went back to their rooms to rest.

Because of that pre-meal exercise, Fanxia and Arisa were too exhausted to do anything and behaved themselves.

Thanks to this, Nozomi was able to get a good night's sleep and rest in her bedroom.

After an unknown amount of time, perhaps because she had drunk a bit too much beverage during dinner, Ximiao reluctantly got up from her soft bed and walked towards the door.

As the door creaked open, the dimly lit corridor was quiet, save for a sliver of light emanating from Xi Ling's room, illuminating the wooden floor.

A gust of cold wind suddenly blew by, making Ximiao shiver and sober up a bit.

"Strange... Is the air conditioner I turned on really that cold? Could it be that Fanxia secretly turned the temperature down again?"

He subconsciously rubbed his arm, trying to warm his body up.

After her eyes adjusted to the dim light in the hallway outside, Hio headed towards the restroom, yawning and complaining that she should have just given the unfinished drink to Arisa.

However, what he didn't see was that right behind him at the top of the stairs, a tall figure was quietly standing in the corridor, gazing at the slender figure not far away.

……

"I'm alive again~ Thank goodness it's not winter. If it were winter, my hands and feet would be freezing cold in just a short while, and I would feel really uncomfortable when I huddled back under the covers later."

Xi Ling was sitting leisurely on the toilet, his head constantly being drowsy, causing him to yawn repeatedly, and a few tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

Just as he was about to finish, he suddenly heard a faint but rhythmic knocking sound coming from behind the bathroom door.

"Hey? Who's there? Someone's in the bathroom!"

Although I don't know who else also needed to get up at night, unfortunately, he had already taken the spot first, even though he was almost done.

but……

After Ximiao finished speaking, there was no response from outside, which was a bit puzzling.

But because he hadn't forgotten to lock the toilet door properly this time, the people outside couldn't just come in like last time. They could only keep knocking on the door from the outside.