The Legendary Ghost Hunter

After returning to the inn they've been staying at for the past month or so now, Finn and Iris took turns showering, then prepared to rest.

… Or that's what they'd like to do, but after hearing everything Evelyn told them earlier, how could they just sleep without discussing it?

"So… what do you think?" Iris asked, dangling her legs on the bed's soft edge. "About what Evelyn said, I mean."

"If the information from her, I doubt it is fake," Finn replied. "But that being said… whether it is the complete truth is a different question."

"In other words, you think she's hiding something from us?" Iris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't count it past her to do so, yes."

"Hm… but it is a good offer, nonetheless. If we go to the academy, we can undoubtedly learn a lot more than what we've been learning so far just on our own," Iris said. "The only problem is our appearance, but… with Evelyn's influence, I'm sure she can find some way to cover that up."

"… Message her," Finn said after some consideration. "Ask what she is going to do about our appearances. If it's a good plan, we'll go. The Ghosts we'll be fighting ahead of us will eventually become too strong for us to handle with our current equipment and experience."

They were not veterans, after all. Both of them only really started doing this whole Ghost Hunting business around three months ago. There was still lots they didn't know, and going to this academy could hone their skills in ways what they were currently doing couldn't.

With that decided, the two went to sleep.

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*****

The next morning, a return message from Evelyn was found on Finn's untraceable phone. Of course, it was in response to the question Iris sent last night, but the answer was anything but what the two expected.

"… What? Rescinded?" Finn arched an eyebrow. Even he was surprised to hear the news.

"Yeah," Iris replied, staring at the phone. "Apparently, Evelyn went ahead and spoke with the high-ranking GHO officials, and cleared our name. Well… that's not exactly accurate. It's more like our old identities got completely deleted from the system, and therefore our wanted status was also deleted. Not just that, but since when we register as a Ghost Hunter, we connect our subconscious to the system, this means that our profiles being deleted from the system means we have been forgotten by everyone as well—at least, everyone except the high-ranking officials."

"… That's possible? Seems too convenient…" Finn muttered. First, he didn't believe Evelyn had enough power on her own to convince the head honchos over at the GHO to make a move as big as this, and second…

"… What was even the excuse Evelyn used?" Finn asked. "How did she convince them to erase our names?"

"I asked, and apparently, that Hunter we brought back from the Temple had been a hero of sorts. He was very strong, S-Class, which was why he was able to last so long in there when all his other teammates had died. With the use of the Necromancer Angelica, it was easy to verify that we weren't the ones who killed him. The high-ranking official Evelyn went to about this matter was… the son of that man, so…"

"… I see," Finn said quietly. He wasn't surprised one bit. It was perfectly understandable how the father could be a Ghost Hunter out on the front lines, while the son was an official working in the backstage. It just meant the father preferred the wild, while the son was more of a planner.

Still, Finn had no doubt the son did not truly want his father to remain on the frontlines. But that wasn't any of his business, so there was nothing to be done.

"The entrance exam is tomorrow, correct?" Finn asked, putting on his armor.

"Yes," Iris replied. "I take it the decision is made, then?"

Finn nodded, then adjusted his helmet as he approached the door.

"… Let's see what this academy holds."

*****

With so many Emperors around nowadays, Outbreaks were happening everyday. Even if the one in District B had already been defeated, the simple existence of so many Emperors still in the world was spawning more Ghosts forward from the Paracausal Realm, their home.

Each district averaged one Outbreak per day, and the GHO was explaining the rise in storms to the public as climate change. Of course, that was utter bullshit, but the people seemed to be buying it—for now.

After taking care of the Outbreak in District B for today, Finn and Iris decided to go to the library to do some studying in preparation for the entrance exam tomorrow. Since Evelyn had went through the trouble of getting them this opportunity, failing the exam wouldn't be very nice. They didn't know what would be tested, so they had to study all subjects.

By the time that was done, night had already fallen. When they returned to the inn, however, they found a parcel waiting for them by their doorstep. On it was a lock that could only be opened via fingerprint. Clearly, whoever left this thing here really did not anyone else but the intended recipient opening it, and both Finn and Iris had a good idea of who it was.

With a silent nod at one another, they opened the door to their room and entered inside, taking the package with them.

Once alone and private, the two opened up the parcel, and found exactly what they had been expecting inside.

"These are… identification documents," Iris said. "For our new identities. Let's see… the names are… wait, Iris Silverdale, and Finn Thresher…? They haven't changed it all…"

"… Why change them when there is no reason to?" Finn asked. "If our old selves have been completely erased from everyone else's memories, then there's no point in using a new name. We would still be 'new' to them, but keeping the same names, that's all."

"Huh… I suppose that's true," Iris murmured. "Still… this is a fresh start, huh?"

Finn nodded. "We have to be careful not to reveal our true selves again."

Iris smiled. "Yes. That's right."