Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Although she was filled with doubt, Utaha still followed his instructions. However, she would soon regret this decision.

Not even two minutes later, Utaha shakily put away her phone, instinctively stepping away from the door of unit 1202.

Just now, she had looked up the history of 1202 on her phone, and what she found was shocking.

A family of three had once lived in this unit.

The wife had an affair, which was discovered by her husband. In a fit of rage, the husband killed both his wife and her lover before hanging himself.

Their child was only about five years old at the time. He had witnessed everything—the murders, the suicide.

Though the child survived, the psychological trauma left permanent scars, and he was now in a psychiatric hospital.

Three years had passed since the incident, but the apartment had remained vacant. In fact, even other residents of the building had gradually moved out.

Hakuto hadn't expected Utaha to pick such a cursed place, so he kindly tried to persuade her.

"Senpai, do you really still want to check out this apartment?"

"Honestly, there's no need. No elevator, on the 12th floor, and people have died here."

"But just so you know, I'm not refunding that 10,000 yen..."

Unexpectedly, Utaha seemed to have thought of something. She smiled slightly before replying calmly,

"Kouhai-kun, could it be that you're scared?"

"Senpai, trying to provoke me won't work..."

"20,000."

"20,000 yen—will that be enough? I want to go inside."

"So, Senpai enjoys ghost house adventures, huh? What a coincidence—I do too! (～￣▽￣)→))￣▽￣)o!"

In the end, the allure of money was too strong. Hakuto happily accepted the task. He wasn't someone who believed in ghosts or the supernatural; he just found it a bit unlucky.

Utaha felt the same. 

To be honest, when she first read the news, her initial reaction was fear. But right after that—endless ideas began to surface in her mind.

As a romance novelist, she knew exactly what kind of situations could arise when a man and a woman were alone in an eerie environment.

In this kind of tense atmosphere, forget ghosts—if even a random moth flew by, it could set the stage for an unexpected romantic moment.

Originally, Utaha just wanted Hakuto to accompany her for a simple apartment viewing and, in the process, improve their relationship a little. 

But now, this was a golden opportunity falling right into her lap—divine intervention!

At this moment, Hakuto stood in front of unit 1202. The dim, motion-activated light cast a warm glow on his face, subtly highlighting his flawless features.

Originally, he thought Utaha would just turn around and leave, so the whole idea of "raising the price" had been nothing more than a joke.

Even if she did pay up, he didn't think such a minor errand was worth divine retribution.

So, to ensure he earned his temporary "bonus" of 20,000 yen, Hakuto decided to give Utaha a little extra entertainment.

"Senpai, for your safety, I've decided to perform an ancient exorcism ritual from my hometown."

Utaha immediately played along. "Then my safety is in your hands, Kouhai-kun."

"Senpai, have you ever heard this saying?"

"Waving is not a greeting—it is a declaration of my arrival."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hakuto slowly raised both hands, then spread them out to either side, waving them back and forth.

After completing the ritual, he extended his hand toward Utaha, signaling for her to hand over the key.

Utaha immediately caught on and placed the key in his hand.

However, instead of unlocking the door right away, Hakuto pressed his ear against it, listening closely. Then, he knocked a few times.

"Kouhai-kun... What exactly are you doing now?"

"Waking up the hidden resident."

Since Utaha enjoyed exploring haunted houses, Hakuto decided to fulfill her wishes—adding a little drama, a little atmosphere.

He felt there was no one more dedicated to their job than himself!

After knocking on the door twice, Hakuto slowly inserted the key into the lock, preparing to open the door.

However, even after turning the key several times, the old iron door only rattled loudly but showed no signs of unlocking.

"Maybe it's been too long, and the lock has rusted?"

"No, no, in cases like this, we call it the hidden resident blocking the way. But don't worry, this is all part of the routine—easily solvable."

Hakuto turned to reassure her, emphasizing his expertise and the theatrical nature of their ghost house adventure.

Then, he pulled the key out, wiped it with his hand, and firmly inserted it back into the keyhole.

But just as the key slid into the lock, the dim overhead light started flickering unexpectedly.

It was around 7 p.m., and the outside light had already faded into darkness. The only source of illumination in their area came from the motion-activated lamp above their heads.

So, when the light suddenly flickered, Utaha—though she didn't scream—was startled enough to instinctively move closer to Hakuto.

"Kouhai-kun... is this also part of the routine?"

"No worries, this hidden resident seems a bit aggressive, but it's still just routine."

As he spoke, Hakuto suddenly exerted force, and with a loud boom—the door cracked open... just a little.

"Did it open?"

"It opened…"

"But…"

"It doesn't seem to be fully open."

Hakuto looked down at the broken key in his hand and thought to himself, Damn, this hidden resident is strong. No wonder they say he took out two people!

Taking out his phone, he turned on the flashlight and peered through the small gap to inspect the interior.

"Do you see anything?"

"Just some junk blocking the door."

At the very least, Hakuto hadn't spotted any signs of a hidden resident yet. See? All that ghost nonsense—completely baseless.

Without hesitation, he took two steps back, then delivered a powerful kick to the door. The scattered debris clattered noisily to the ground, the harsh sound unpleasant to the ears.

"Let's go in and check the place out."

"Kouhai-kun... maybe we should just head back..."

To be honest, Utaha was actually starting to feel scared. Those few hidden resident remarks from Hakuto had completely shattered the courage she had just built up.

"Go back?"

"Senpai, are you trying to tarnish my professional integrity?"

"Do I, Shiratori Hakuto, seem like the kind of person who takes money and doesn't finish the job?"

By this point, Hakuto was fully immersed in his role.

The price had been negotiated—whether she liked it or not, Utaha was going to explore this haunted apartment tonight!

Holding up his phone, using the flashlight for guidance, he stepped into 1202 ahead of her.

Watching Hakuto enter, Utaha hesitated for a moment. But just then, the hallway's motion-activated light flickered again.

In that instant, it felt as if all the blood in Utaha's body rushed to her legs. This time, without hesitation, she bolted straight into 1202.

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