10. Lottery

The mansion sent more arrows. Straight. No drift.

I knocked them all down.

I tried to go in. Miu would not let go.

「Miu?」

Face in my chest. Locked on.

Scared through.

「Then come with me.」

「……!」

She shook.

Looked up. More tears.

An ice arrow. I backhanded it.

That surprised her enough that the crying stopped.

「Do not worry. I am here. I will protect Miu.」

She stared at my face, then turned her head and still did not let go.

「You will not run… without me.」

「Hmm? Alone, if it gets bad.」

「……Yes.」

「That will not happen. If it gets bad I pick you up and we leave.」

「Truly…?」

Still suspicious. Why that, of all things.

「True. I have not fluffed you enough yet.」

「You are still doing that?!」

Different surprise.

Different subject. Ghost versus me. Fair.

She watched me knock two more arrows, then nodded. Careful.

Arms off. Stood beside me.

Picked at the hem.

「All right. We go.」

「Yes.」

Inside together.

Cold air as soon as the door opened.

「Mmm. That.」

「What.」

「Just now. A figure. That corner.」

「Eeeeeeh?!」

「We go.」

「Yes…」

Teary again.

I took her down the hall.

The shadow was clearer.

「A maid?」

「Eh?」

「Did you see. Someone in maid clothes.」

「I did not. Did you?」

「……」

I kept after it. Faster. Longer look at the next corner.

Eyes met. Young. Maid.

「Miu. What was that.」

「I could not see it…」

Fist in the cloth. Worse.

A few seconds of eye contact before she vanished. I could not leave that.

「Then only I can see it.」

I took Miu and chased.

Through the house. Up stairs. Down. Garden. Back in.

Again.

I cornered it.

Back of the first floor. Damp. Little sun.

Small rooms. Maid and servant beds, once.

There.

Young girl. Maid uniform.

Thin enough to see wall through her. Face ugly with it.

Ghost. A bad one.

「──!」

A noise I could not name. She came at me.

「Hold on.」

I pulled Miu in and punched.

No idea if it would land. I meant it.

Enough to throw a mountain ox tens of meters.

But.

「What. Figures.」

The punch went through. Ghost. Body does not work.

She slid back, stopped, came again.

Ice arrows around her like satellites. All at once.

「Master!」

「It is fine!」

I stepped off the charge and knocked the arrows. Astral. I did not want a hand in that.

What, then.

It came back to me.

She flew again.

Arrows had done nothing. Solo charge.

Convenient.

I put a hand up. Fire.

Flame wound at the palm into a ball.

「──」

That noise again. Her face changed.

We passed. Magic hit magic.

Turned.

Her right shoulder was burning.

「So it works.」

I smiled.

「The rest is easy.」

Hand out. Magic.

「……」

She was gone. The cold went with her.

「Done.」

Right before she vanished she looked like she wanted to say something. No way to know. I let it go.

「You all right.」

Miu still on the hem.

She looked up. Eyes bright.

「……Miu?」

「Master… is amazing.」

「Yes?」

「I am not afraid now… Master is amazing.」

「Oh. Well.」

I took it. Those eyes. I was not going to step on that.

「Anything else shows up, I handle it. All of it.」

「Yes!」

Stronger.

Good.

「Yes! Work.」

「Yes?」

「I was in the middle of cleaning…」

「Ghost interrupted. Go on. I am counting on you.」

「Yes!」

Big nod. Bow. She went.

Trust left in the air. I stood in it a minute.

When I moved I saw paper where she had gone out.

「Have I seen that.」

I picked it up.

Looked.

I had.

「A lottery ticket…?」

Yes. The kind you get after shopping. The thing that sent me here.

The more I looked, the more it was that.

Why here.

A lottery ticket. A lottery.

I had an idea.