Mango Gremlin Ghost - Shu + Luca

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Shu rushed for his phone to call Uki back. His purple-haired friend had conveniently turned his phone off, so he left a panicked message.

"Uki, I don't know what the heck you're doing right now, but the ghost has managed to write a message on the countertops asking for mangoes. I think its mad that I gave Meloco the dried mango snacks. Call me back asap, please."

Uki did eventually message him...two hours later. "Just give it what it wants, idiot. Why are you trying to anger a ghost?"

So, Shu did just that. He went straight to the grocery store and bought as many mango-related products he saw. Mango jam, more fresh and dried mangoes, mango juice, mango yoghurt, mango ice cream, mango jelly. Heck, he even bought a mango body wash and conditioner. Anything to appease the mango ghost, goblin, or whatever was living in his house. He had never dropped so much money in one go – and he had bought all the Valorant skins.

He left everything either next to the fridge or in it and went upstairs. He would deal with everything later. Right now, a nap seemed like a good thing.

~~

Over the next few weeks, he noticed that his furniture moved less and less. Occasionally, an odd cushion or plushie would be thrown on the ground, but Shu got used to it. That meant that the mango products were running low, and he needed to replenish the stock. He'd also noted which items the ghost liked and didn't like as much. He stopped buying the ice cream and jelly and opted for the fresh fruit products. He would have stopped buying the mango body wash, but it turned out that Shu just really liked the smell, so he kept it.

He got used to living with his unexpected roommate. Things rarely went missing now, and if they did, they were returned to his bed within the hour. And somehow his weekly chores to keep the house clean reduced, as if the ghost had taken it upon itself to clean his house for him. Was it compensation for the mango products?

And yet, he had never seen this mysterious entity that resided in his house.

Would it ever reveal itself to him? Or perhaps it had always been in the room with him, but he couldn't see it? But that wouldn't make sense; Uki and Meloco hadn't seen it either and they were certified professionals with the supernatural. These thoughts often sent him down into a spiral of conspiracies, but he tried to steer himself away from them. After all, he had other things to worry about, like restocking the now empty stock of mango products.

~~

He couldn't sleep. Not yet. Not after a crushing defeat three times in a row. He had to win at least one more time before he slept. It didn't matter that it was just a little past 3am, he had to win. And now that he lived alone, no one had to tell him when to sleep.

His stomach growled.

Fine, maybe just a quick snack. He'd bought some yoghurt-coated gummies after Ike had recommended them. And maybe some toast too. Shu padded downstairs whilst thinking of what to add to his toast. Butter was a safe option, but if he really needed some energy, peanut butter would be a great option.

Since he'd been playing since 10pm, he had forgotten to turn any lamps on and was currently fumbling around in the dark to go to the kitchen. The logical thing would have been to find a light switch and illuminate the room, but Shu's sleep-deprived brain had forgotten that the option existed. Well, he'd probably hiss at the thought of light at this time after being in the dark for so long.