第１１５１堀：幽霊ってなに？ (Part1)
**Chapter 1151: What is a Ghost?**
Side: Yuki
"Oh, so she manifested physically yesterday?"
"That’s right. She’s even able to eat and drink properly now."
"Thanks to that, we don’t have to go through the trouble of 'cleaning up' after her anymore, which is a relief."
Agil and Comet delivered this startling report.
The two of them were supposed to be in the laboratory, asking questions to investigate Hivia’s abilities—or rather, her knowledge—but apparently, while I was taking a day off after pulling an all-nighter, things had taken a major turn.
"To think that a ghost would manifest physically just by doing what they want to do, or by indulging in their interests. I had no idea, Taiki-kun."
As I said this with a sense of profound realization, Taiki-kun shook his head.
"I’d never heard of such a thing either. Did you know about this, Taizo-san?"
"No. I’ve always considered the existence of spirits and specters to be nothing more than superstitious nonsense. Well, I suppose we must attribute this to the nature of this world. If ghosts on Earth could manifest simply by doing what they love, then people like Einstein would have already returned as ghosts by now."
"“Indeed.”"
If simply doing what you love were enough to manifest, Earth would be overflowing with ghosts by now.
After all, the greater the historical figure, the more of a hobbyist they tend to be.
They would stake their very lives on their interests.
Earth is full of such geniuses and eccentrics.
"So, since there are no precedents for this case, I can’t really evaluate it. What do you think, Sota-san, or you, Mizu?"
It was time to hear from the experts.
"Well, it is surprising, but if we are talking about ghosts manifesting physically, that does happen on Earth as well, doesn't it?"
"““Eh?””"
The three men from Earth froze at the unexpected statement.
Wait a minute, since when did Earth become such a den of supernatural horrors?
"No, no. Think about it—yokai, or the idea of ghosts 'playing pranks,' right? Doesn't that imply they are manifesting physically to some extent?"
"Hmm. Indeed. The fact that they can exert influence on physical objects means they must possess some form of substance."
"Ah, I see what you mean."
"That scared me. I thought there were tons of people like Hivia out there."
"Now that you mention it, those kinds of mysterious stories are everywhere. There are tales of the dead appearing in people's dreams, after all."
As Taizo-san said, at least some of the inexplicable experiences attributed to ghosts that have been passed down to the modern era are likely phenomena caused by entities that possess actual substance.
Though, they would rarely appear as clearly as Hivia does.
If they did, as I said before, Earth would be packed with ghosts by now.
"That part is as Taizo-san says, though I didn't expect her to manifest so clearly either."
"True. I am surprised as well. However, there are indeed apparitions like Shuten-doji—no, wait, it was Shuten, wasn't it? There are monsters that manifest as distinct individuals like that child. It is no wonder that such things exist here as well."
Mizu is right.
Shuten, our daughter, could be called a manifested apparition.
It seems the same thing simply happened to Hivia.
"Yep, yep. So, it feels like we’ll be building up those days from here on out. If we get excited talking about research, her manifestation will likely progress further, and if things go well, there’s a possibility we could further stabilize her physical form."
"Stabilize, huh? Did you find any hints?"
Being able to manifest a ghost and then stabilize them is, in a sense, equivalent to resurrecting the dead.
I feel like suggesting that such a thing might be possible isn't something to be said lightly...
"But the hint is right in front of us, isn't it? She manifested because of the things she was interested in. That is the hint right there. Well, I don't think it’s something that can be done simply or easily. To begin with, it’s extremely rare for someone to appear as a spectral entity like her. Honestly, other than Sota-san’s soul-photography from back in the day, this is the first time I’ve seen it. Aside from the ones Luna summoned, that is."
"True. This case is far too exceptional. Oh, and the ghosts related to Luna are out of the question. I refuse to consider those as the standard."
"That’s true. But, come to think of it, the existence of ghosts was already proven, wasn't it?"
"…I wonder. Does this mean that despite having the 'facts' right in front of us, we were looking away from them? Hmm, it’s a bit late for this, but shouldn't we be investigating them?"
Taizo-san said the one thing he shouldn't have.
We were getting excited about studying ghosts, but the real things are already here in Weed.
The logic follows that we should just gather data from them.
Perhaps if we had done that, we might have found a solution to this current situation.
No, no, calm down.
"Those ghosts in Weed, like Noriko and the others, are definitely under some influence from Luna. We shouldn't treat them the same as typical ghosts."
"Hmm. Indeed, that is true."
"Ah, you're right, they’d be unsuitable as research subjects. Luna-san is a bit... loose with those things."
"A bit" is an understatement.
The reason she pushed the management of this world onto me is precisely because she’s bad at those kinds of trivial details.
If she could handle everything perfectly, she would have just dealt with it herself and finished the job long ago.
Well, I don't know if that’s the real reason, but there’s no point in poking that hornet's nest now, so it’s better to pretend I don't know.
"If Noriko and the others are unsuitable, then Hivia is the first 'proper' ghost we’ve encountered, right? Sota-san’s soul-photography is a bit different. He said he combined it with magic, after all."
"That’s true. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen a ghost from this world. We see ghosts and zombies, but..."
"Hmm, I don't actually understand the difference between those 'ghosts' and spirits. What makes a monster different from a ghost?"
Mizu’s question was something I had been wondering about as well.
They seem like the same thing, just referred to by different names.
Just as I was thinking that, Comet provided a clear distinction.
"No, no, the reason 'ghosts' are classified as monsters is because they drop magic stones. Or rather, because magic stones exist, their physical manifestation via mana is successful. As a lich, I rely on a magic stone in the same way."
"Ah. Come to think of it, the difference between a monster and a wild animal was the presence of a magic stone, wasn't it? Ghosts certainly don't have a core like that. But if that’s the case, why do ghosts attack people?"
"If you’re going to ask that, isn't it the same for ghosts? Hivia is just the rare exception. I thought Noriko was some kind of final boss when I first saw her."
"Well, that is true. Ghosts attacking people might be a common occurrence in a sense."
"That’s it. They say if you see a ghost, don't talk to it. They say you’ll be dragged away. In other words, they are recognized as dangerous from the start. In that sense, there isn't much difference between a monster-type ghost and a spirit, is there?"