I invited Natalie, who was outside, to join me in the living room to talk.

"Let's start off by introducing ourselves. My name is Lane Shroud. I'm an adventurer and my profession is Beast Tamer.
The cat spirit tribe's....canade...?

　A little while after that, Kanade woke up.
　The ghost has quieted down, but she's still scared and clings to my back.

'I am Tania. I'm a proud dragonborn.
Sola is Sola.
I am Luna!　Hmph, you can worship it, okay?

　Since it was in front of Natalie-san, the two of them hid their feathers with magic, as usual, and withheld their race names.

''Well........Nina, that's.......just in case, the god race.......''

　Nina bows with a bow.
　She is terrified, but she is able to greet them properly.

My name is Natalie. I'm an employee of the Adventurers Guild and today I showed Mr. Lane and his friends around the house.

　After the introductions are complete, the ghost finally speaks up.

My name is Tina Holley. A long time ago, I worked as a maid in another town, but she died in an accident thirty years ago.

　He has a peculiar way of speaking.
　He doesn't look much different from us, but he's been a ghost for 30 years and he's been alive for 30 years, so....
　Maybe it's that gap that makes me feel older.

'Has Tina been here a long time?'
No, that's not true. No, that's not true. We've only lived here fairly recently. I'm not a land-locked spirit, so I don't need to be tied down to any particular building.
Ah.........could it be that there was an incident not long ago where a creepy figure appeared in the area.......was that the work of Mr. Holli?
Well, well I guess you could say that.

　In response to Natalie's question, Tina honestly admitted that she was the one who did it.
　Seeing the awkward look on her face, she may not have done it on purpose.

The place where I used to live before was demolished. I was just wandering around looking for a new place to live. I didn't want to scare you, but it's unbearable.
'Well, I don't mind that no damage was done but that's not the issue of squatting in this house.
Ugh.
'Let me guess, Tina, you've made this house your new home, haven't you?　Because of that, the value of the house has plummeted. No one would buy it, because it's become a ghost house.
I'm sorry about that, you know, and I'm sorry about that.

　Tina is very sorry for herself.
　The more we talk like this, the more human we feel.

　Ghosts don't usually have an ego.
　It's natural.
　They have no substance, and therefore no brain to think.
　It's impossible for them to maintain a proper consciousness in such a state... but...

　Apparently, Tina seems to be a special kind of ghost.
　This way, she can talk normally, and her emotions of joy, anger, sadness and sorrow can be felt.

Why does Tina have to be a ghost?

　I was curious about Tina's background and asked such a question.

'Hmm?　It's not much of a story.
Still, I'm curious to hear what you have to say.
Well, I don't mind. I owe Rayne a debt of gratitude for her help.

　Tina smiles at me.
　As I thought, it's hard to believe she's a ghost.

As you can see, I was a maid 30 years ago working for a mansion and the owner of the mansion was a horrible man. The owner of the house was an extremely philandering, torture-loving pervert.
It's...
We didn't know anything about such things at that time. We didn't know that we were working and working without knowing what we were doing and the Lord killed us.

　The conversation suddenly turned heavy.
　As the person who dumped the story, it's quite awkward.

　However, Tina laughs pleasantly, as if she doesn't care about such things.

''Nah, don't worry about it, Rain and the others. It was thirty years ago, and I don't remember much about it.
"Still I'm sorry. I had to remind you of something you didn't like, didn't I?
I don't care about that, okay?　Really, I've forgotten most of it... and I'm a ghost, but I'm comfortable with this.
Well that's nice of you to say.
You're a strange guy.......bowing to a ghost.
Really?
Lane's weird, isn't he?
That's weird.

　Kanade and Tania followed suit.
　When I looked at them, Sora and Luna were also nodding yes.

''Wow.....heh, not weird.......huh?

　Although Nina denied it, I felt like I was being taken care of, although she denied it.
　Am I weird...?

I don't suppose you're a groundhog, Holli?

　Natalie-san listens with a scared face.

　After all, as an adventurer's guild, they may not be able to leave Tina alone.
　It's a problem to have a ghost living in the property we manage.......
　I'm sure he wants to do something about it.

'Right. I just drifted in here, so it's not like I'm trapped in this building.
So would you like to leave?
Yeah.
'Because of Tina, no one has signed up for this property, right?　The price is going to plummet, and the guild's ability to manage the guild is in doubt... I'd like to claim for damages.
We don't have any money...?
I know. So I won't ask that question. But I can't leave you alone any longer so please leave.
Well I thought we'd found a nice place to shelter from the wind and rain, but...

　Apparently even ghosts need a home.
　Tina looked very annoyed that she might be kicked out.

'....Hey, Kanade.

　Gently, he calls out to Kanade on his back.

''Nya...?''
Are you afraid of Tina?
Uh.....

　Somehow, he seems to have figured out what I wanted to say.
　Kanade lets out an indescribable voice.

''I'm.......scared.
I see.
But ... I'm scared, but I think we might get along ... maybe.
Thanks, Kanade.
Mwah.

　Popping his head and patting his head, Kanade smiled as he calmed down.

'Natalie-san. I have a question for you...''
Yes, what is it?
'Even if Tina walked away, would the value of this house ever be restored?
Ugh ... that's...

　They say the house on the hill is really haunted.
　Once a rumor like that takes hold, it's pretty hard to dispel it.
　It would be even more difficult since a certain amount of people already know about it.

　Even if Tina walked away, there was no way to prove it.
　The house would be talked about as a haunted house for years to come.

　Natalie-san seemed to be aware of that, and her shoulders slumped disappointedly.

''........It won't go back to the way it was. Because once a rumor of being haunted comes along, it's quite difficult to get rid of it.
Yeah.
'But that doesn't mean I'm going to let it go... maybe there will be some eccentric people who don't mind a property like this. In case that's the case, Tina-san needs to move out....
I'm looking for that guy over here.
What?
I want to buy this house. I don't mind keeping Tina.
Are you sure?
Yeah?

　Natalie and Tina nodded their heads in unison.
　Their gestures were so similar that they almost laughed a little.

'That sounds like the best solution, don't you think?

　Tina doesn't want to leave the house she's just found.

　Natalie wants to do something about the said property.
　Even if she turns Tina away, she doesn't know if a contractor will show up.
　I can't even raise the price.

　In that case, the best thing to do is for me to sign the contract and accept Tina as well.
　Natalie-san would not want to get rid of Tina if it weren't for the guild's ties to her.
　She cares about a lot of things, and I think she's a kind person.

''........''

　Running a hand over her chin, Natalie takes a gesture of thought.
　A bit as it is.
　Slightly, and then she lets out a giggle.

'Well apparently that's for the best.
Do we have a deal?
Mr. Shroud, you are quite the smooth operator. You found the best place to put it all so easily.
It's just a coincidence.
'It's not easy to accept ghosts along with them... but I guess I should say that's impressive.

　Natalie held out the papers.

'Sign here. And can I pay you ten gold coins now?
No problem.

　I did as I was told and signed it.
　Then I handed him ten gold coins.

Yes, that concludes the contract. The house will be yours from now on. The treatment of Tina and her family will also be in your hands. I'll see you later.

　Natalie bowed and left the house.

　She holds out her hand to Tina, who is pouting.

So from now on, can we stay with you?
Oh yes, of course!　Originally, we had to leave... but I'm so grateful they left us there!
Hey, nice to meet you...?
Don't go through walls and stuff, okay?　Because it surprises me.
Nice to meet you. Being a maid, does that mean you can cook?　If you'd like, you can tell Sora about it.
Nice to meet you!　So ... you don't have to teach Sora to cook, okay?
Nice to meet you...

　Everyone says hello to each other and...

Nice to meet you!

　Tina responded with a smile and took my hand.