The poster was too good to be true.
"Spacious apartment near central Tokyo. Furnished. Only ¥5000/month. (Haunted)"
Most people would wonder why it was so cheap. But Riku? He saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime bargain.
Riku had never been one to shy away from a deal, especially not when his bank account was staring at him like a judgmental parent. As a college student, his savings consisted of the loose change he found in his jacket pockets. The rent for his previous apartment had gone unpaid for two months, and now, his landlord had kicked him out. So, when he saw the listing for this place, his heart had skipped a beat. A furnished apartment for half what he'd been paying before? It felt like fate.
Two days later, Riku stood outside his new home, a slightly run-down apartment with a flickering porch light. He squinted at the address. No, this wasn't exactly the "heart of Tokyo" like he'd hoped, but it was close enough. He was just happy to have a roof over his head.
Riku had exactly 320 yen in his pocket. In modern Japan, that meant he could afford one vending machine drink and exactly zero housing. So when he stumbled across an apartment listing for "¥5000 per month," he did what any broke college student would do—he ignored the warning and moved in. After all, what's a little supernatural trauma compared to Tokyo rent prices?
The inside was just as expected—dusty, dimly lit, and had an eerie chill in the air. The perfect haunted house setting. But again, cheap rent. Priorities.
Riku tossed his bag onto the couch, exhaled deeply, and stretched his legs out on the floor. The weight of the past few weeks hit him all at once. Late shifts, ramen-for-dinner budgets, and the soul-crushing stress of balancing school and survival.
If a ghost wanted to fight him right now, it'd have to wait in line.
Then, the lights flickered. A cold gust swept through the room. The air grew heavy. A faint whisper echoed—"LEAVE THIS PLACE…"
Riku groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. "Five minutes in, and you're already pulling this? Can the haunting wait till morning?"
A pause. Then—
"LEAVE, OR SUFFER MY WRATH!" the voice shrieked, making the walls tremble.
Riku rolled onto his side, half-lidded eyes staring at the ceiling "Will your wrath pay my rent?"
Silence.
Then, a loud bang. The cupboard doors slammed open, and a shadowy figure floated out of the darkness. Long white robe. Pale face.
But in her rush to make a dramatic entrance, she tripped over her robe and tumbled straight onto the floor with a loud thud.
"AHHHHHH!" she yelped, her voice surprisingly high-pitched.
Riku blinked. He stared at the ghost, now tangled in her own robe, and couldn't help but smirk. "Oye, you okay?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.