'Another uneventful day I guess...'

The lone girl thought to herself. Turning to her right, Daisuke is minding his own business as usual despite the crowd around him being livelier than ever. The contrast between his keeping to himself and the group of students behind him fooling around and enjoying a lively conversation is too jarring. In fact, they seem especially boisterous today compared to usual. 

"Eh no way! I heard it happened to a third year too!" 

The murmurs of highschool students intensify as Mizuki leave the class. She might not pay much attention to it but, a recent development has sweep the class by storm, gossips jump from one group to another. Mizuki is way too distracted by her own issue to notice. Daisuke is still taking his time, picking up his stuff before going home is taking longer than usual. A solemn look on his face, like something is bothering him, or rather his mind is focused on something else at the moment. 

Even after school session ended and Mizuki promptly leaves, he paid no special attention. Daisuke has been quite since they stopped having that noon training session.

"Ahh Kitahara san, there you are!"

As Mizuki reached the exit of the building, a senior of her called out to her, an older girl in sports attire

"Your mother have been waiting for you at the gate, she was asking for you"

"GEGH?!" Mizuki spontaneously bursts, surprised not by how early her mom is but rather the possibility that eventually the whole school might know her this way. Like some lost kid that need to be called out at the mall. 

"Haha what's with that reaction!"

The girl remarks while Mizuki just shyly brush it aside. 

'ughh I have to ask her to change her mind about this or I'm gonna get some unwanted reputation at school...'

"Also, Kitahara san your mother is so beautiful! And she still looks young too!"

"I was a bit nervous when she approached me earlier"

'why would you?'

Is what Mizuki thought but not let it slip out her mouth.

"But it seems like you're going to grow up into a fine woman like her too, how lucky~"

Back at home, 

"Hmm? She really said that?"

Fuuka inquires as Mizuki recounts the exchange. Her hands doesn't stop wiping the dishes even as her focus is on Mizuki.

"Yes. And then I told her that 'you can just tell her that yourself' and she suddenly starts getting all embarrassed all of a sudden"

Mizuki retells, slightly chuckling. She's helping her mother with some night chores.

Her routine at home ended uneventfully, Fuuka didn't ask anything difficult tonight, just having a good time and laughing it out with her only daughter. She's just glad to have Mizuki by her side and enjoying a good mother-daughter bonding time. She was fully prepared to face Mizuki's adolescent tantrum but instead enjoys a quality time every night after enforcing her parental rights the other day.

Instead of sulking, Mizuki just oblige and even seeks to spend more time with her mother. 

'I guess... this is for the best...'

Is what she have in mind but, somehow her face still have a sombre dim once she escaped from Fuuka's sight. Probably hiding her true feelings in front of mom.

But she keeps pounding inside her head that things are better off this way, that it is how it is supposed to be. Almost like she herself are not convinced but is desperately telling herself to be so. Perhaps lying to herself enough times might eventually change how she feels.

However, later when Mizuki climb up the stairs, she heard a sound coming from her room, specifically her window. A tapping noise.

"D-Daisuke kun?! What are you-?" though she sounds surprised to find that gentleman knocking on her window on the second floor, unbeknownst to her that happiness are written on her face. Like students hearing the recess bell after a long boring class. Even if she never notices it herself, her face immediately lights up with excitement.

"Were you waiting for me?"

He teases.

"W-why would I do that?!"

Denying the obvious, she looks the other way.

"Hai hai.. either way, we've got a case. Get ready"

He told her from outside the window. 

"But, I can't-"

"You're supposed to be asleep at this time, right? Then perfect"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Remember how it feels when I take out your form?"

He said referring to their usual preparation, before a case.

"Actually, not really..."

"Don't worry! just remember during that state this time, instead of pressing inward, try pushing outward instead." 

"Eh? R-right now? W-what do you mean outward?? Wait a second!!"

She halts him, unprepared.

"Okay I'm waiting."

"Eh? oh... I thought you were going to-"

"A second have passed"

Daisuke comments after a brief pause, immediately going for the flick.

Frantically she chants 

"WAH-!? T-Transform!!"

As his finger connects, her body feels lighter, even lighter than her previous transformation. She tries recalling Daisuke's impromptu instruction and leans forward like a spy movie protagonist breaking into a glass window. As she focuses on that, Daisuke is also pulling her SP form (Reitai) away from her physical body, separating the two. The process feels shorter this time.

"Mmhh... Ah I did it!"

Mizuki cheers, a tiny celebration each time she pulls off the process. 

"Mou you could have killed me- WAAAHHH!! What happened to my body?!!"

She turns back only to find her lifeless human body lying in the middle of her room.

The scene transitions to the neighborhood outside,

 Mizuki is checking out her new form. Although she seems somewhat satisfied with the result, her forehead is still riddled with wrinkles 

"Mou, that was too sudden! I thought I was dead again!"

"Hahaha! Don't worry, as long as I'm here I won't let that happen"

Daisuke assures her.

She blushes a bit, but at the same time the edge of her lips forms a tiny smile. But quickly she changes the topic.

"I-Is this a new kind of transformation? Is it really fine to leave my body like that?"

"Hehe, convenient isn't it? Think of it like a dream,"

He touches his chin, thinking

"-or uhh, astral projection. This way you can be both at home and outside at the same time, surely your mom would have no problem with this, right?"

Her mouth gapes open,

"Ah you're right! Why didn't we just do this from the start?"

She lights up with excitement.

"Well for the time being it's a good alternative. It's a safer form to be in because you're still connected to your body in case anything goes wrong..."

He points to a single glowing line coming out of her nape. Mizuki tries reaching her back to find it to no success until he places it in her hand. 

"It'll just feel like waking up from a bad dream. But although it's safer, it's also less efficient for training."

Mizuki who's busy fiddling and stretching her SP link gets her hand lightly slapped by him. 

"Uuuhh.. what do you mean?"

She asks while rubbing her hand from that hit. 

"Like I said, you'll feel like waking up from a dream, because your body treats it as one. Therefore most of the memories you made in that state is very unstable. Memories, in other words experience."

"Ooh you mean like when I'm having a really cool dream but then quickly forget it after I wake up?"

"Yep, exactly like waking up from a cool dream and forgetting all about it."

Half joking, half validating her. 

"Eh if that's the case then why am I in this form? Won't it erase all my previous training?!"

As they stopped on an alley junction. Daisuke gestured.

"Two reasons; first, spray this on the ground"

As he throw a spray bottle her way. 

Mizuki's slightly annoyed.

"second, also like a dream, it won't affect your past experiences. Just your current one in that state, so no need to worry about that"

Mizuki nods in agreement while carrying out his instructions

After the first mystical spray, Mizuki notices how pungent it is. 

"Eww what's this rotten smell? What are we even doing anyway at this hour..."

"That's a special concoction of which also includes various animal blood. Recently a theft case has been uprising in this neighborhood."

He explains while also covering his nose, his hand moves still.

"Ehh? Can't we just leave that to the cops?"

Mizuki whines, her hand still covering her nose. 

"The thing is, no matter how many times it happened or how many safety measures people have prepared. Nobody ever as much as seen the culprit despite losing their stuff right under their nose"

"You don't mean-?"

"Yes. Our culprit is a thieving little ghost. But I think I might have a suspect... or several..."

He theorizes with a troubled look on his face.

Mizuki still suffering from the smell, almost suffocating. Her eyes tear up like somebody is cutting onions nearby.

"But still..."

"That spray can stick to the lingering Reichi that came out of active paranormal activities. Simply put, ghosts that passes by here leaves a Reichi trail, and that thing will stick to it to make it easier for us to collect."

He points to the bottle she's holding,

"this variety is especially sensitive to those nimble type ghosts. But of course, it also sticks to any and all Reichi that passes by here so we have to investigate all of them"

"Ehhh?! That sounds so troublesome!" 

She complains, her shoulder drops down like a toddler. But still keeping up work although with a certain attitude. 

After a while of collecting samples, Mizuki starts getting bored. Even before she could say anything it's expressed strongly from her frown. 

"Uhhh how long do we have to do this...?"

Casually he replies

"Until we find the right Reichi"

"No way....."

She flops her arm down, losing hope of ever seeing an end to this.

 

The next day, Mizuki wakes up somewhat tired, yawning more frequently than usual. Even before she head out this morning, Fuuka acted strangely I'm front of her daughter which also alerts Mizuki 

"Uhh Mii chan...?"

Briefly her mom calls out before the door closes behind Mizuki in a hurry. 

 

 

 

At school, A concerned classmate approaches her. 

"Kitahara san? Are you going through something right now?"

Jokingly another jolly classmate inquires.

"Kitahara san, you haven't been doing drugs, haven't you?"

Which causes the other classmates to hit him in the head for being insensitive. 

On one hand she's glad that a lot of people are interested in her well-being, but on the other hand this kind of attention makes her very self-conscious about her looks. 

She touches her face and feels nothing different. She wakes up this morning a little sluggish but otherwise okay, no difference than usual. But somehow everyone's treating her unusual. 

A more matured bespectacled girl comments,

"Don't be rude guys! Kitahara san probably just stayed up a bit later last night, right?"

"Hueeh?! How did you know? I mean... kinda..."

Flustered, she admits. But these attention are concerning even to her.

"Sorry guys, I need to go to the washroom"

Shortly she announces before darting out the classroom. 

 

 

'why is everyone suddenly concerned about me? Does it have to do with that new transformation? Or did I forgot to put something on? Or was it-?'

As she reaches the washroom and managed to get a very large mirror to reflect her flaws, she gasps.

"GYAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"