Ruby smiled, holding the house deed securely in her hands. Thankfully, she had brought changes with her, so the sale went smoothly. The old witch didn’t linger long, as her daughter arrived soon after on an Ecto bike.
They seemed like decent folks, and the old witch gave Ruby a final approving nod before leaving.
As Ruby stepped out of Angeline’s house, she turned to her husbands, a spark of excitement in her eyes. "Let’s move today!" she announced, ready to settle into her new home.
But all four of them replied in unison, "No," their voices firm.
Ruby raised her brows in surprise, looking from one to the other. Angeline, standing beside her, also shook her head.
"Why not?" Ruby asked, her excitement dimming a little.
Karl spoke up first, scratching the back of his head, "We should at least clean up and make it livable.."
Julian nodded, adding gently, "And you don’t want to spend your first night there without proper arrangements, right?" Milo nodded along.
Julian added, "And don’t forget, you still have to do the house rituals. Without them, any lingering old spirits might make living here... complicated."
Angeline echoed Julian’s sentiment with a serious nod. "Yes, house rituals are crucial. They’ll ensure everything goes smoothly."
Ruby’s heart raced a bit at the mention of old spirits. The original owner’s memories hadn’t included anything about house rituals, but she wasn’t about to risk it. "Fine! We don’t have much to move anyway," she said decisively. "Any Two of you stay here and clean the house, and the other two come with me to buy furniture. Does that work?"
Kenji came from the house with his gentle expression. He looked at the group with kindness, but Angeline rolled her eyes at him, knowing he often put on an act.
"Who’s going to come with me?" Ruby asked again, looking at the four of them.
The four ghost exchanged glances, unsure of who should step up. Julian was eager to go with her and, seeing that no one else was speaking up, he stepped forward. Karl bit his lip; he wanted to go too, but hesitated.
Milo hesitated as well, glancing at his brothers. He didn’t want his wife to feel bad if they didn’t want to accompany her. Finally, he took a step forward, resolving to support her.
"Alright, Milo and Julian, you two are coming with me," Ruby decided, a smile lighting up her face. "Karl and Adrian, you two will clean the house. Angeline, take care of them."
"Of course, Ru! They’re like my brothers," Angeline replied, her smile broadening.
With that, Ruby took Julian and Milo with her.
"Let me help you clean," Kenji said gently. "And wifey, don’t forget you have some work to do. Go get ready, or you’ll be late!" His words made Angeline’s eyes widen in realization, and she hurried inside the house.
"Let me grab a broom and mop; I’ll help you," he added.
"Thank you, Brother Kenji," Karl said, his voice filled with emotion. "You’re such a good person."
Kenji smiled and went inside to gather the cleaning supplies.
"I’ve never felt so jealous of Milo and Julian," Karl muttered, biting his finger in frustration.
"You should have stepped forward when she asked," Adrian rolled his eyes at him.
"Okay, okay... but where do you think she got the money?" Karl asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Maybe she’s stealing," Adrian replied, a hint of excitement in his voice.
Karl shot him a glare and pushed him lightly. "Stop it! You know she wouldn’t do that."
"If you get a big chunk of money, anyone might consider stealing," Adrian replied with a smirk. "How about we take some of her money before she wastes it all on alcohol?"
Karl’s eyes widened in shock as he processed the suggestion. Adrian continued, "Maybe she’s changed for now, but what happens when she goes back to her old habits? We can take her money and focus more on our house. What do you think?"
Karl hesitated, his conscience battling with the idea. "That’s wrong, Adi. It’s her hard work."
"But we’re her husbands! We have a right to it, don’t we, Karl?" Adrian argued, his tone growing more persuasive.
"Fine! But not today or tomorrow," Karl finally relented. "We have to do the house rituals and other things first..."
"Of course," Adrian nodded, still feeling a mix of excitement and guilt.
"What are you two talking about?" Both Karl and Adrian jumped when they saw Kenji behind them, holding two brooms and a mop.
"Did you... did you hear anything?" Karl stammered, a wave of panic washing over him. He immediately regretted even thinking about stealing once again.
"What should I have heard? Let’s just get inside," Kenji replied, looking unfazed.
Karl and Adrian exchanged glances, relief flooding through them. Thankfully, he hadn’t overheard anything. They quickly masked their anxiety and followed Kenji into the house, trying to act as if everything was normal.
"I feel so happy! Finally, I have another neighbor to talk to, and trust me, the other five will love you too," Kenji said, smiling as Adrian took one broom from him.
"Really? I already met Brother Hugo! He is so sweet," Karl replied, recalling how Hugo had helped him out.
"Haha, but my wife doesn’t think so..." Kenji chuckled, shaking his head.
"What can I say? All wives can be blind sometimes," Karl said, taking the broom from Kenji’s hands.
"Let me help too!" Kenji exclaimed, eager to pitch in.
"No, no! You’re doing a great job by giving us brooms and mops! We can’t let you work," Karl insisted, waving his hands.
Kenji shook his head vigorously. "No, no! I want to help. I don’t have anything to do at home. If I don’t keep busy, I just feel sleepy and end up napping all day. I don’t want to ruin my night’s sleep, alright?"
And on the other side, Ruby was taking her husbands to the same market where she found Milo.
However, they faced a problem: transportation.
—To be continued...🪄