Gojo Satoru retracted his gaze.

He had this nagging feeling… the person in front of him might faint from fright.

Am I really that terrifying?

He chuckled softly, revealing his dazzling white teeth. “Are you an employee here?”

At this hour, anyone wandering around the school was likely either a security guard or a janitor. But it was hard to tell how much this person had witnessed of the earlier fight.

Lin Ge: “…”

As the distance between them closed, that delectable scent grew even stronger, leaving Lin Ge momentarily speechless.

So fragrant, so fragrant—what kind of human is this?!

Let me smell it—sniff, sniff, sniff!

Lin Ge quickly realized this was a perfect opportunity to escape.

“Yep, that’s right. I’m here to clean the hallways,” he promptly claimed the role of an employee.

“Students are around during the day, so I can only clean at night… By the way, was that explosion earlier part of a demolition team? Is the school planning to build a new campus here?”

As he spoke, Lin Ge shook his head and clutched his chest, pretending to be deeply shaken. “You don’t even know! Those flying debris nearly grazed my head.”

“And how did you suddenly appear? Is it some kind of superpower?”

Gojo Satoru: “…”

The janitor’s barrage of questions made his head spin.

He never really concerned himself with cleanup operations…

“That’s something someone will explain to you later.”

Giving a vague answer, Gojo Satoru waved at the students still on the rooftop.

“You can also discuss the compensation plan with them.”

Lin Ge grinned, playing the role of a clueless, wide-eyed civilian, and let out a long “oh.”

Unconsciously, his lips began to glisten. He absentmindedly wiped them with his hand, only to find it covered in sparkly droplets.

It turned out that his tears had dripped straight into his mouth again.

Ha! Ha-ha-ha!

Gojo Satoru: “…”

Did I just see this person drooling over me?

“You—”

“Excuse me! Could I ask you something?”

Cutting him off, Lin Ge fidgeted awkwardly, his face bearing the expression of someone who knew they were being bold but absolutely had to ask anyway.

Raising an eyebrow, Gojo Satoru nodded, curious about this severely malnourished individual.

Seeing the nod, Lin Ge inhaled sharply.

Mmm, divine!

He leaned forward, instantly closing the distance between them. “Bro…”

“You smell so good.”

Gojo Satoru: “?”

Ignoring the increasingly sour look on Gojo Satoru’s face, Lin Ge pressed on. “Are you wearing perfume? Is it Strawberry Little Cake scented?”

As he spoke, he made a valiant effort to sniff-sniff-sniff.

A gourmet feast, a true gourmet feast!

If I miss this chance, there won’t be another!

Taking a step back, Gojo Satoru’s previously smiling lips flattened into a straight line.

His gaze toward Lin Ge subtly shifted.

The air around them grew heavy.

Lin Ge blinked.

The sharp lines of the other man’s jaw tightened. Combined with his unruly hairstyle and the black blindfold obscuring his eyes, he now radiated an untouchable, sacred aura.

Gojo Satoru zipped his collar all the way up, covering his neck entirely. Even though he was now fully covered, his alabaster skin and straight posture were still striking—qualities Lin Ge couldn’t help but envy.

After all, his own body was so frail it couldn’t even support his back properly.

For a moment, Lin Ge finally realized he’d overstepped. He instinctively took a step back, lowered his head, and bashfully clasped his hands together. His first words were a shameless apology: “Sorry! I was just really hungry.”

Heh, actually, I just smelled something amazing.

Compared to the Strawberry Little Cake, those History Retrograding Army creatures were no more than pre-dinner snacks—or, at best, cold leftovers.

If I could eat him, I’d be willing to reincarnate as a filthy rich second-gen kid, living a life where my only problem is deciding how to spend money each day.

I’d even go viral on X with the caption: “I don’t want much money—I just want a lot of love.”

Lin Ge daydreamed about his greedy ambitions.

“It’s fine,” Gojo Satoru replied curtly.

Maintaining a dazed expression, Lin Ge stared blankly as the Strawberry Little Cake and his entourage left. Only then did he exhale in relief and slump down.

Fragrant? Oh, absolutely. But there was no way to taste it.

His life—or rather, his ghost life—was kind of a mess. But hey, at least it was interesting, albeit a bit unfortunate for him.

Actually, it was so interesting that it didn’t feel messy at all. Which, in turn, made it a little messy. But overall, it was still good. Just… messily good.

That’s how ghost lives go—ups, downs, and mostly downs!

Lin Ge consoled himself.

After wandering out of the school grounds and walking for another twenty minutes, Lin Ge finally found a small inn to temporarily stay in.

As for ID and the like, he relied on Honmaru’s black-tech tools. For a mere 200 koban, it was a lifesaver.

If not for that, he’d have been sleeping on the streets tonight.

The registration process was surprisingly strict here.

The inn receptionist gave Lin Ge a long, scrutinizing look as she entered his information, clearly astonished at how gaunt he appeared.

Even the average vagrant looked healthier.

Is this guy anorexic?

How pitiful…

Are his thighs thinner than my arms?

Unbothered by the receptionist’s subtle glances and silent pity, Lin Ge maintained a straight face.

“…If you need anything, please feel free to call the front desk,” the receptionist finally said, her voice tinged with concern. She was clearly worried he might collapse from malnutrition right there in the inn.

Nodding politely, Lin Ge thanked her, took the key card, and made his way to his room. The electronic lock beeped, and he pushed open the door to safety.

Dragging his weary feet, he swapped his shoes for the inn’s disposable slippers and flopped onto the soft, king-sized bed.

Rolling around in a fit of existential despair, his mind kept circling back to the white-haired man’s scent.

Twenty-six minutes since we parted… and I miss him.

If I’d known, I would’ve been even more shameless earlier.

Dignity? That’s just for wiping your feet!

Letting out a slow breath, Lin Ge began planning what to buy at the department store tomorrow.

The items in his personal Mall system were somewhat limited. It offered about a hundred essential goods, covering basic food and clothing. But trendy or stylish items? Not a chance.

Lin Ge decided to treat himself to a shopping spree.

He also thought about picking up some fresh and colorful cloaks for Yamanbagiri Kunihiro back home!

Honestly, the cloaks in the Mall were decent quality, but the designs were way too plain.

After farming in Honmaru for so many days, he’d only met Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and Hakusan Yoshimitsu. He wondered what the other Tsukumogami would be like and what they might like.

Lin Ge was the successor Sage.

Apparently, the previous Sage had violated numerous regulations and been forced to resign by the Government of the Time. Due to their shady practices, they’d been sued for a hefty compensation and were now living in miserable conditions—barely able to afford food.

Not that Lin Ge cared much about any of that.

He found his current coworkers rather pleasant to work with!

Even if Hakusan Yoshimitsu was a bit cold, he was still diligent enough to join him on extermination missions.

Ding-ding-ding~

A notification chimed—it was a reply to his forum post.

Eagerly, Lin Ge opened his panel to check.

Code 965: “This is clearly bait. Everyone can disperse now.”

Lin Ge: “?”

Your cold words have deeply wounded me!

Am I such a shameless ghost?