A tempting offer

I followed Margaret to her room. I didn't know what she wanted to talk about, but she looked serious. She closed the door behind us and leaned against it, looking dejected.

"What do you want to talk about, Margaret?" I asked.

"I'm going to create a new body for myself, since I will have to leave Airi… Would you like me to create one for you, as well?"

I didn’t expect that. "Y-you can do that?"

"Only a female one because of the lack of material, but yes… You're a good kid, I want to help you… You can consider it a farewell gift from me."

I noticed what she said. "What do you mean, by ‘farewell gift’?"

She looked away and let out a depressed sigh, crossing her arms. "I told you, I will have to leave..."

"Alone? After all that happened? If you leave, I want to come with you!" I declared.

Her eyes widened, staring at me in shock. "What?"

I came closer, holding her hand. "I'm worried about you, I can't leave you alone in that state… Maybe Airi's memories influenced me more than I thought, but I care about you, Margaret..."

"And what about your friends?"

I glanced down briefly before returning my gaze on her. "I could still contact them and see them from time to time, I suppose..."

She chuckled. "You really are an impulsive kid..."

I scratched my hair. "Heh, I know. My mom kept telling me that I was too brash..."

Margaret got lost in thoughts for a minute before speaking again. "Okay… If you're sure..."

I looked at her with determination. "I am."

"Then, you will need to possess someone else for the time being. Making a body for you and teaching Airi will take a few weeks, and I have to implant false memories in Risa so she can forget about the castle and search for another job. Even if you dislike it, I think your aunt would be the best option, unless you can think of something else."

I shivered slightly imagining this. "Thinking of being her makes me uncomfortable, but if it's only for a few weeks, I can manage..."

"You should go see her, and I'll contact you once your new body is ready."

"Alright. Thank you, Margaret."

Margaret sighed deeply. “Margaret Belle doesn't exist anymore. Until I make my new body, you can call me Yurika."

I tilted my head. "Yurika?"

She smiled. “That's my previous and birth name."

"Previous and birth name?"

Margaret’s, or Yurika’s, eyes narrowed, glaring at me. "What? Did you think I was hundreds of years old? I'm not even eighty."

"S-sorry…" I meekly apologised.

She then laughed. "Relax, I'm teasing you. I needed to laugh a bit..."

I instinctively went to hug her. "I'm here to help you..."

"Thank you… I'm going to talk to Airi. You should go, Ben."

After my talk with Margaret... Yurika, I left the house as she asked. I didn't want to see my aunt again, but it would only be temporary… The idea of possessing her was making me feel so uneasy... I wasn't sure I could really do that.

I arrived in front of the house I spent the last two years in. Seeing it, I felt strange. Maybe it was nostalgia. It's been less than a week since I last saw this house, and yet it felt like forever. So many things happened in that short amount of time...

I knocked on the door, bracing myself for the inevitable. Will she be piss drunk again?

The door opened, revealing the familiar face of Nadia. "What is it?" Faint traces of dried tears could be spotted on her cheeks, and her eyes were still swollen.

Was she crying? I wondered, taken aback. "I-I'm sorry to bother you, but... I-I'd like to talk to you about... your nephew."

"B-Ben?" Her eyes widened when she heard my name. She went closer and grabbed my hand. "D-do you know anything?"

Seeing Nadia like this made me lose my composure. W-was she really worried about me?

"Y-yeah…" I nodded. "Do you think we can talk inside?"

She let go of my hand and gestured inside. "Oh, of course! Please, come in."

"Thank you."

I followed my aunt inside, thinking about her reaction. We entered the living room, and I noticed the distinct lack of the familiar scent of **** in the air. I looked around, not seeing any bottles or cans anywhere. But the room was messy nonetheless, dusty and with multiple trash bags next to the entrance.

"What do you know about Ben? Is he alright?" Nadia immediately asked after closing the door.

“Before I tell you anything, I want to ask you something." I wanted to test her. "Do you really care about what happened to him? Because, as far as I know, you didn't seem to care much about him until his disappearance."

Nadia looked away and held her elbow, as if she was ashamed. "I... I know I wasn't taking good care of him… I never was able to cope with my sister's ****..."

M-Mom?

“When she died, I tried to drown my sorrow in ****… I... I might have unconsciously blamed Ben for her ****…" Her hold on her elbow strenghtened, her nails almost piercing her skin. “She worked so much to be able to raise him decently… So much so that her health deteriorated, and she fell **** while driving… I neglected Ben, and he hated me for it... rightfully so… It's because of me that he left that night…" She looked at me with pleading eyes. "Please... If you know anything... Tell me…"

I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. I really judged her too harshly, haven't I? Of course I wouldn't be the only one affected by mom's ****... I breathed and replied. “I can't say much, for now, but… He's safe..."

"Where is he?"

"He's in this town…" I smiled at her, more at peace with myself, and with her. "You're wrong on one thing, though. He never hated you. Sure, he didn't like when you were drunk, which was most of the time, but he never truly hated you. When he's ready, he will contact you again."

"W-what do you mean?" Nadia asked, confused.

I got ready to leave, walking towards the door. "He will explain everything. But I can assure you that he's safe. So, please, don't blame yourself anymore. I will take my leave, now. Farewell..."

"W-wait!"

I took the opportunity that Nadia was in shock to quickly reach the car and drive away before she came to talk to me again.

"Ah…" I sighed, thinking about what happened. "I couldn't bring myself to possess her, in the end… I guess I'll have to ask Sophie or Jane if I can possess them during this time..."

I went to their house. Jane didn't have any classes on Monday, so I preferred to ask her instead of Sophie. I parked next to the house and left the car. I knocked, and heard someone coming. Jane opened the door, looking at me.

"Hey, Jane." I said, smiling at her.

Hearing her name made her raise an eyebrow. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Ben."

"Ben? You're not Airi anymore?" She asked, surprised.

I shook my head. "It's a long story, but no…" I fidgeted with my fingers, a bit nervous about what I was about to ask. "I... I have a favor to ask..."

She smiled at me. "What is it? I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"I... I’d need to possess you for a few weeks…" Judging by her expression, she wasn't expecting that, so I quickly continued. "I-I'll ask Sophie if maybe I can alternate between you two to not take away too much of your time!"

"W-why?"

"Could you come with me? I will explain." I said, glancing back at the car.

She nodded. "Of course. Lead the way."

Jane followed me to the car, and I drove us to Airi's house. She questioned the dried blood on the seat, but I gave her a vague answer to try to reassure her, and that everything would be explained. Jane was the person I trusted the most, along with Sophie, so I felt that Yurika and I could explain the situation to her.