Kurosawa Kotone, Yuuki Yuka

쿠로사와 카가미 = Kurosawa Kagami

후쿠다 하루미 = Fukuda Harumi

미우라 마코 = Miura Mako

야마시타 유우 = Yamashita Yuu

카네코 카오루 = Kaneko Kaoru

이케다 이즈미 = Ikeda Izumi

Kurosawa Koko, Kurosawa Kagami, Kurosawa Kotone

Chapter 1. A Familiar Year (1)

Right after I grasped the situation, I thought maybe I had lived a good life and was being rewarded for it.

There were times when I wished I had been born a little more handsome, and times when I thought it wouldn’t hurt if I had been born a little more capable.

I had even prayed to skip this life and move on to the next.

Although I didn’t want to live, I didn’t want to die either, so I dragged my life on, thinking if it ended without any pain and I was handed a new life, it might be considered some sort of reward.

……

But when I found myself alone in an empty house, I started to think that the so-called god must have made some mistake.

The room wasn’t big enough to call it spacious, and it seemed far too small for a family to live in.

But if I were to live alone, it seemed barely tolerable.

I could see the streetlights outside the window.

The orange light of the streetlamps allowed me to vaguely make out the surroundings even in the middle of the night.

A residential area.

However, it had a different atmosphere from the residential areas I was used to.

There were no small brick villas or tiled-roofed houses like the ones I used to see; most of the houses were two-story buildings.

And they all looked somewhat unfamiliar.

If I stayed still and listened carefully, I could hear a dog barking from somewhere far away.

I could also hear the sound of cars driving by and the faint sound of a TV, perhaps from a house that had left a window open.

It wasn’t the language I used to speak. Strangely enough, I could still understand it.

“……”

I stepped away from the window.

Was it just my imagination?

Or was it because I was in a different place?

I felt like I had gotten shorter.

No, I had definitely gotten shorter.

With the location changing this drastically, my body surely wouldn’t have remained the same.

“Mirror.”

When I muttered that, a young girl’s voice came out of my mouth, and I felt a bit of a chill.

Even after looking around again, the room was completely empty.

There wasn’t even a single piece of furniture.

All that was there were a few folded clothes neatly arranged in the corner of the room and a briefcase lying beside them.

That extreme neatness sent chills down my spine.

Was this some kind of considerate gesture?

“Mirror.”

I muttered again, though I didn’t know why.

That was when I started to feel a bit scared.

I was in a place I knew nothing about, trapped in a body I had never seen before.

Snore.

Someone snored as if they were about to choke.

It was probably from next door.

This house, which looked old at a glance, seemed to have paper-thin walls.

Ironically, the oddly realistic sound of snoring snapped me back to my senses.

Even though I didn’t know anything, I was here, right now.

Right. First, the mirror.

When I slid open the only door in the room besides the window, I immediately saw the front door and the kitchen.

Though it was old, the sink and the cabinets were neatly organized.

This was the first piece of furniture I had seen since arriving here.

Next to what looked like the front door was a small door.

When I opened it, I found a bathroom crammed with a toilet and a bathtub.

The bathtub was square.

Was I supposed to sit in it in a formal seated position?

Whoever had insisted on installing a bathtub in this mismatched bathroom must have really wanted one.

But more importantly, the mirror.

I found the light switch by the door.

It was an old switch I had only seen at my grandmother’s house, one that you push up and down.

Naturally, the bathroom light was a dim incandescent bulb.

Even with the light on, the bathroom felt eerie and gloomy as I stepped inside to check my reflection in the mirror.

My shoulders jolted when I saw the face in the mirror.

A girl was staring straight back at me.

Her eyes were black, as if looking into a deep well.

Her skin was as white as a blank sheet of paper.

Her face was partially covered by long, messy hair.

Do you know the character Sadako?

The famous ghost who crawls out of a well in that TV show?

Her hair looked just like that, but I could see her face through the strands.

When I raised my hand, the girl slowly raised hers as well.

When I lightly touched my cheek with my fingers, the girl also touched her cheek.

When I pinched it slightly, it hurt a little.

If it wasn’t a ghost in the mirror mimicking my actions, then this appearance must be my own.

Since it hurt, it wasn’t a dream either.

My hair... was long. Almost down to my thighs.

I hadn’t noticed it before because my upper body was almost entirely covered by my hair, but I was completely naked.

A body that could be described as somewhat frail.

Thin and skinny.

When I carefully swept the hair away from my face, I saw a girl’s face that was also quite thin.

She looked about ten years old. If she were in middle school, she’d be in her third year, and if in high school, she’d be a first-year or just about to become a second-year.

But that girl was me.

“……”

I let go of the hair I was holding.

The long, black hair fell over my face again, and I once again looked like a ghost.

* * *

I didn’t think about going out during the night.

I hadn’t even adjusted to the situation yet, and what if I went out and got lost?

Given that everything I had was confined to this room, it would be safer to explore the surroundings after the sun came up.

For now, I put on the clothes in the room.

They were a sailor uniform.

At first, I hadn’t noticed, but there was also a bra and underwear, both black, underneath the uniform.

What kind of sense is that?

It took me quite some time to figure out how to put on the bra.

Even after struggling with it, I wasn’t entirely sure I had done it correctly.

I just wore it in the most comfortable way I could manage.

Even then, it felt a little tight.

The sailor uniform was black, with a red ribbon.

What should I say?

It felt cliché, or perhaps old-fashioned.

It wasn’t the kind of outfit you’d see in everyday life.

Was it for cosplay?

Or just a peculiar fashion choice?

That mystery was quickly solved.

The bag that looked like a briefcase turned out to be a schoolbag I had seen in old Japanese anime.

Sitting down on the floor, I rummaged through the bag and found a notebook labeled “student handbook,” a wallet with some cash, a bankbook, a cellphone, and a charger.

…It wasn’t a smartphone, but an old flip phone.

The student handbook was written in Japanese kanji—I had no idea how I could even tell the difference—but it seemed that the uniform I was wearing was indeed a school uniform.

On the first page of the student handbook was a picture of the face I had seen in the bathroom mirror.

Oddly enough, her hair was slightly more tidied up than before, but it still covered the center of her face.

Is this really acceptable for a student ID photo?

For a moment, I wondered if this was some kind of merchandise, but that wasn’t the issue here.

The name written beneath the photo.

That was important.

Kurosawa Kotone.

I couldn’t tell if this was a normal name or not.

I had never been Japanese, after all. I just accepted it for what it was.

The handbook had both the school address and the home address written in it.

It mentioned Tokyo, which I welcomed, but it was a different ward than the Tokyo I knew.

I had no idea how far away that was.

If I had a smartphone, I could at least look it up.

Does this so-called god have a twisted sense of humor?

As I closed the student handbook, I noticed something through the gap where the sleeve of my uniform had slipped down my skinny arm.

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing something I hadn’t noticed at first… a tattoo?

The reason I wasn’t sure if it was a tattoo was that I had no idea whether it could be erased or not.

I wished someone would forcefully inject me with a tutorial, but this world had no such thing.

On the underside of my left wrist, in the spot where one might slit their wrist, was a marking… a pentagram.

A pentagram inside a circle, with strange characters winding around it.

A sudden wave of disillusionment hit me.

I hadn’t even drawn it myself.

…Is this some kind of middle school syndrome?

Do I have a dark dragon sealed in my left arm?

I just hoped this was drawn with a pen and not a real tattoo.

Letting out a deep sigh, I put the student handbook back in the bag and picked up the phone this time.

Holding this classic flip phone in my hand felt awkward after having used sleek, flat smartphones for so long.

Its silver color looked ancient.

And yet, strangely, it didn’t seem worn out at all.

Judging by its year of production, this device should have been atleast 15 years old.

I stared at the phone for a while before opening it with a click.

The background was black.

And on it, in white text, it displayed that the current time was 12:13 PM.

The date was April 13th.

The year was 2004.

I quietly closed the phone.

Then I closed my eyes, letting out a small sigh.

Chapter 2. A Familiar Year (2)

The year 2004 is twenty years before the time I lived in.

And to me, it was a familiar year as well.

It was the year I became a middle school student, and also the year I first started saving up my allowance to buy comic books.

Technically, I didn’t buy comic books from the start.

It wasn’t money I earned from part-time jobs either, and it felt awkward to buy comic books with the 20,000 won or so my parents gave me once a month, so I ended up choosing light novels instead.

They looked like comic books on the outside, but the content was a novel.

The way those novels were written almost seemed like they novelized the comic book stories, making them an easy read.

And since they weren’t comic books, my parents were somewhat more tolerant of them.

Moreover, many of the novels fully utilized the strength of “print.”

As long as there were no explicit depictions of sexual acts, they included rather bold scenes without much censorship, and the plot density was higher than that of comic books.

Considering I could enjoy the novel for a longer time for a similar amount of money, I quickly became deeply absorbed in light novels.

Even now, if I returned to the world I used to live in and searched my house, I’d find a lot of light novels gathering dust in the corners of my bookshelves, untouched for a long time.

Although I liked comic books and bought them often… since I started getting into otaku culture through light novels, I felt more attached to them.

And thanks to that, I could assume that I might have been possessed by one of those novels I read.

Right after I realized the situation, my mind was too cluttered to think clearly, but when I stopped to reflect, the school uniform seemed both ordinary and unusual.

After all, there weren’t many schools in the novels I’d read that used this dull sailor uniform as their official school uniform.

“Hanagawa High School…?”

I mumbled absentmindedly as I picked up the student handbook.

It was definitely Hanagawa High School.

…In the novel, it was depicted as an elite private high school with a high academic standard.

Naturally, the tuition fees were expensive as well.

“...”

I lifted my head and looked around the room again.

No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t the kind of place a student attending an expensive private high school would live in.

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a bankbook.

There was quite a bit of money in it.

I didn’t know who had saved it up or how, but it was there.

The problem was how long I could last with this money.

I didn’t know how much the tuition fees would be, but it definitely wasn’t a small amount, and I had no idea how much the rent for this place would be either.

Moreover—

Growl.

“Ah…”

I placed my hand on my stomach.

Right, I still needed to eat and survive.

No, more importantly, where even was this place?

***

Saitama Prefecture, Saitama City.

The nearest train station was Omiya Station.

It took me a little over 40 minutes to walk here, which meant I must’ve wandered a bit while trying to find my way to the station.

Last night, I spent the whole time agonizing over this situation without getting a wink of sleep.

By the time I remembered I hadn’t washed up, I was already near the train station.

Not that it mattered; I wasn’t even sure if that house had the proper tools for washing.

Even after reaching the station, there was still a problem.

Where on earth was Minato Ward?

I had never left the Korean Peninsula in my life.

When I said I’d never left the peninsula, I meant it literally.

I had never even been to Jeju Island.

I was born in Seoul, and all my family members were from Seoul.

During holidays like New Year’s or Chuseok, we never left the city, except when visiting the family graves in Gyeonggi-do for memorial services.

The furthest I’d gone was Gyeongju on a school trip.

So while I could vaguely imagine how to get from Gangbuk to Gangnam in Seoul, I had no idea how to get from Saitama to Minato.

Just because I watched anime didn’t mean I studied Japanese geography.

Growl.

“...”

I placed my hand on my stomach again.

…Maybe I should eat something first.

***

I thought about going into any convenience store to buy instant food, but then I remembered that my financial situation wasn’t exactly promising, so I bought the cheapest bread I could find.

It was a long, plain-looking bread that seemed like it had nothing inside, and sure enough, there was nothing inside.

In terms of taste, it was like eating one of those long cream buns from a bakery but without the cream.

I wanted to ask who in their right mind would make such bread and sell it, so I checked the label on the bag.

It was called "Koppe Pan".

Ah, I see.

So this is the infamous Koppe Pan I’d only heard about.

I always wondered why it was the only bread left in old light novels, and now I knew why.

But on second thought, I’d probably have to get used to eating this bread during lunch from now on.

After all, I needed to save money.

…Maybe I should transfer to a public high school or something.

Or should I just drop out and find a part-time job?

Even if I was inside a light novel or whatever, wasn’t the whole point that something would happen around the school?

Besides, early 2000s light novels had this unpolished, extreme quality about them, so there was a real risk of losing my life if things went wrong.

This light novel was full of stuff like yokai and serial killings that exploded everywhere.

“...”

I sat on a bench near the station, chewing on my tasteless bread, and noticed people glancing at me as they passed by.

It was midday.

On a weekday.

And school had just started not too long ago.

I probably looked like a delinquent high schooler skipping class to anyone who saw me.

I lifted my left arm and looked down at my wrist.

There was still a magic circle or something similar drawn clearly there.

“Hah…”

What kind of character was this supposed to be?

Even digging through my memories from twenty years ago, I couldn’t remember any character like this.

The only faces I recalled were the protagonist and the heroines surrounding him.

Now that I think about it, I wasn’t even sure if I’d finished reading that novel.

I let my arm drop again, staring blankly with bread in my mouth when—

Bzzzz—

The skirt pocket vibrated.

I took out the old-fashioned flip phone and checked the small screen.

Unlike the internal screen, the outer display was that old-style digital kind, showing the phone number in black dots against a green background.

It was an unregistered number, just digits on the screen.

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

What should I say when I speak?

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hello?"

“...”

As I worried over it, I felt an intense sense of self-awareness hit me again, and I just opened the phone to answer.

“Hello?”

Moshi moshi.

I didn’t need to try hard; my mouth naturally spoke Japanese.

I didn’t know how it worked.

Probably the same mechanism as when I read written characters.

[Ah, yes, hello.]

The person on the other end, despite being the one who called, seemed more flustered than me when I answered.

They didn’t sound particularly professional, nor did they have the cold, villainous voice you’d expect, but in these kinds of worlds, you couldn’t rule out the possibility that a voice like this belonged to a hidden mastermind.

You know the type.

A seemingly hesitant but secretly emotionless cute girl killer.

[Uh— is this Kurosawa… san's phone?]

…The more I listened, the less likely it seemed that was the case.

“Yes, this is Kurosawa Kotone.”

I responded in a voice that sounded like a voice actress deliberately playing a creepy character.

By the way, that wasn’t my intention.

[Ah, yes, well…]

Hearing my response, the person on the other end seemed flustered again,

[I’m Sanae Suzuki, the Japanese teacher at Hanagawa High School… I’m also the homeroom teacher for Class 1-B.]

“Ah, yes.”

It wasn’t until then that I snapped to my senses.

[Kurosawa-san, you’re a new student in my class… School started on April 6, but you haven’t come in at all, so I called you.]

Now I understand.

This person appeared in both the novel and the anime adaptation.

She wasn’t a major character, but she was treated as one of the heroines, categorized as a "moe-type character" back then.

By the way, she wasn’t the protagonist's homeroom teacher.

If this Kurosawa Kotone character had been in the same class as the protagonist, I would’ve recognized her.

[Is there something wrong?]

“Ah…”

Well, there were a lot of problems.

The issue was that the "problems" weren’t "Kurosawa Kotone's problems."

“…No, I’ll come to school now.”

[Pardon? Ah, okay.]

The teacher on the other end seemed a bit taken aback when I answered while standing up.

Did she think a delinquent student who hadn’t shown up for school would be more rebellious?

Well, whether I transferred schools or dropped out, I’d still have to meet the teacher at least once.

I hung up the phone, stuffed the remaining bread into my mouth, and got up from the bench.

***

…And it took me two hours to get to school.

Well, it shouldn’t have taken that long originally.

But since I knew nothing about Japanese geography, I had to stop and ask people along the way, and it took a while because I wasn’t the outgoing type.

I’d hesitate before asking.

The train ride didn’t require a transfer and went directly to a station near the school, but the travel time was close to an hour.

Moreover… The base fare was 160 yen, but the additional distance fees were terrifying.

Once again, I cursed whatever had dropped me in a place so far from school.

What on earth was the point?

After wandering around Tokyo and finally arriving at the school, I realized I should have asked for directions when I got the phone call earlier.

But calling again felt awkward, so I just roamed through the center of Tokyo until I barely managed to find the school.

The light novel mentioned how it was a private school with a deep history, but the building itself looked like an ordinary high school from the outside.

The interior, though, was quite impressive.

Aside from the plain exterior, the school building was large and clean.

Compared to the high school I went to, I’d say the ceilings were higher.

Anyway, that’s how it felt.

When I got to the school entrance, I found myself flustered again.

There were shoe lockers in the large entrance area.

I guess you were supposed to change into indoor shoes here—

…But I had no idea where my locker was.

And even if I found it, I hadn’t brought any indoor shoes.

“...Haa.”

I sighed deeply and just picked up my dress shoes.

***

“…Kurosawa-san?”

When I walked into the teacher’s office without indoor shoes, wearing only socks, a teacher recognized me right away.

And I recognized her too.

She was a young woman, probably in her early to mid-twenties, with short, neatly trimmed hair and oval-shaped glasses.

She looked exactly like she did in the light novel illustrations.

“…Hello.”

I greeted her while holding my shoes in my hands, and my homeroom teacher stared at me with her mouth slightly open.

Well.

This is how it ended up.

—That’s what I thought as I decided to just brazenly look her in the eye.

Though it did chip away at my mental strength a bit.

Chapter 3. A Familiar Year (3)

It was only after sitting in front of the homeroom teacher that I realized the students were still in the middle of class.

So, the fact that I was able to meet the teacher as soon as I arrived at school was purely due to luck.

Thinking about that made chills run down my spine.

If I had been a little unlucky, I would have been waiting absentmindedly in the mostly empty staff room with my shoes in hand, waiting for the teacher to return.

On top of that, I would have run into the students who came out to enjoy their break time after class ended.

...I want to go home.

I’m not sure if I can even call that place home, but I just want to go back, crawl into bed, and sleep.

Though I don’t have a bed.

Damn it.

"Um... so, Kurosawa-san?"

"Yes."

After seating me in the chair next to the teacher’s currently vacant desk, Ms. Suzuki, who turned to face me, wore a rather complicated expression.

Ever since I entered the staff room, I could feel the gazes glancing in my direction.

...Now that I think about it, I came here without even properly fixing my hair.

No wonder people flinched whenever I asked them for directions.

"So... it might be better to put your shoes down for now?"

I looked down at the floor.

It was a shiny, spotless, polished wooden floor.

"That's okay."

Is it really okay?

I carefully placed my shoes down on the floor.

Well, I hadn’t stepped on anything strange on the way here, so it’s not like the soles would make the floor particularly dirty.

"So, Kurosawa-san?"

Unsure of how to broach the subject, the teacher called my name once again.

"Can I ask why you didn’t come to school last week?"

...

That was a tough question to start with.

Well, it was an obvious one to ask, though.

Come to think of it, the original owner of this body... I’m not sure if such a thing even exists, but anyway, this body hadn’t come to school even once since the term started.

So it wasn’t just a case of missing a day and getting a phone call about it.

"If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to."

It’s a relief that the teacher is kind and understanding.

In truth, it’s not that I didn’t want to answer; it’s that I didn’t have anything to say.

"But, Kurosawa-san, wouldn’t it still be better if you attended school properly? Of course, I understand that you might be going through tough circumstances, but in that case, why not ask the adults around you for help?"

...

Circumstances.

They weren’t exactly great.

The fact that the railway in Tokyo is run by a private company was the most fatal blow.

"...I’ll come properly starting tomorrow."

Though, it’s not like my situation was so bad that I couldn’t come because of the transportation costs.

If I woke up early, walked to the station, and took the subway from there, I could manage somehow.

It would take about an hour and a half, though.

"Oh, uh, okay."

Since I said that, it seemed the teacher had run out of things to say.

"So..."

Ms. Suzuki shifted her gaze back and forth before speaking.

"How about attending class today? Since you’ve come all the way here, why not start taking classes properly?"

...

Ugh, I don’t really want to do that.

If I hadn’t come until today but arrived properly in the morning, at least I would have been treated as an odd kid and could just quietly shrink into a corner.

But now, it’s not even the beginning of the day, nor is it lunchtime.

She wants me to go in during break time after class ends and sit there?

Isn’t that too much to ask?

Maybe my emotions were showing on my face, because Ms. Suzuki quickly added on.

"All the kids in the class are nice. Especially the class president, who’s been worried about you. I’m sure there won’t be any big issues even if you go in now."

Class president?

Did the class president of Class 1-B appear in the novel?

I tried to recall faint memories, but since nothing came to mind, even if they had appeared, they probably weren’t that important.

More than that, they were worried about me?

Did Kurosawa Kotone know someone?

While I was lost in thought, Ms. Suzuki glanced at her left wrist.

There was a small wristwatch.

This was a time without smartwatches.

In fact, it was an era before the word "smart" even became popular.

If anything, we could still call this the "digital" age.

"Yeah, the class is almost over. I’ll guide you to the classroom. Oh, and about those shoes..."

Ms. Suzuki looked at the shoes I had put down earlier with a wry smile.

Then she stood up and said,

"Shall we go? I’ll help you find your shoe locker."

She’s a nice person.

One of those ideal mentor characters that often appear in novels like this.

But unfortunately, not all the students in this school are ideal.

The same goes for the teachers.

At least this teacher and the protagonist’s homeroom teacher are normal people, I guess.

Ms. Suzuki led me to the shoe lockers, found my section, and even handed me a pair of indoor shoes that fit reasonably well, though I wasn’t sure where she got them from.

"Thank you."

"Oh, it’s nothing, just what a homeroom teacher should do."

At my words, Ms. Suzuki’s shoulders seemed to rise slightly.

Even though she hadn’t been teaching for long, she had somehow ended up as the homeroom teacher for the first-year class.

She must have been really anxious while I wasn’t coming to school, probably worried about having a troublemaker in her first class.

...

"But, do you have your textbooks...?"

"...Huh?"

When I belatedly realized that I didn’t have any textbooks and asked, Ms. Suzuki had a dazed expression on his face.

*

“…So, starting today, Kurosawa-san will be joining you all. Please get along well with her.”

Ah, I really want to die.

Being introduced like a transfer student even though I’m not one.

And during break time, no less.

The time I arrived at school was ridiculously awkward—right in the middle of the third period.

Ms. Suzuki seemed to want to introduce me while all the students were still in class before they went out for break, so she brought me to the front of the classroom a few minutes before the class ended.

Because of that, a curious student was already watching me through the window before I even entered.

Of all things, the classroom had windows facing the hallway, and whether for ventilation or whatever reason, they had even opened them.

Since the school uniform was a dull-colored sailor suit, I thought the students would look drab as well, but their faces were surprisingly bright, probably because they had just entered high school.

And once again, I realized that this school had a high prestige level and expensive tuition fees.

These kids were probably all from well-off families.

“Kurosawa-san, your seat is over there.”

The seat Ms. Suzuki brought me to was... the very front row.

And it was right in the middle, almost attached to the teacher's desk.

Of course. It’s probably the least popular seat.

It seemed like this class assigned seats based on who arrived first on the first day.

Suppressing my embarrassment, I sat in the seat and hung my bag on the side of the desk.

The influence of 2004 was stronger than I expected.

If I thought about it from the perspective of 2024, I might wonder, "What’s really changed in 20 years?" But in truth, a lot had changed.

Even aside from visible technological advancements like smartphones, one notable example is the birth rate.

That’s right.

In the 2000s, there were far more high school students compared to the 2020s.

This class was full of students.

I could feel the gazes gathering on the back of my head.

Of course, people's eyes don’t actually shoot lasers, so it was just my imagination, but reality probably wasn’t too different from what I was thinking.

“I’ll reintroduce you again during homeroom.”

Ms. Suzuki lightly patted my shoulder and winked at me before leaving the classroom.

...

For a moment, the classroom fell silent, and then the murmuring began.

As expected in a co-ed school.

It felt a bit strange hearing the voices of boys and girls mixing together.

...When I was younger, I had wanted to attend a co-ed school so badly.

One like those in light novels.

So why am I not happy at all?

I was hoping time would pass quickly so class could start, but someone behind me poked my back.

...

I slowly turned my body to look behind me.

The girl who was resting her chin on one hand had neat short hair that reached her neck and was wearing thick-rimmed glasses.

Maybe it was because she was wearing a sailor uniform, but she had the appearance of an old-fashioned beauty.

...No, wait, this is 2004, so maybe it wouldn’t be considered old-fashioned?

“Hello.”

Her friendly greeting didn’t match any face I could recall from my memory.

“You’re Kurosawa-san, right? Is it okay if I call you that?”

“…Just Kurosawa is fine.”

I’ve only seen Japanese culture through manga, so I don’t really know the conventions around how names are used.

But I do know that asking someone to call you by your first name right away can be a bit much.

“Alright, I’ll call you Kurosawa then.”

The girl smiled softly as she said that.

“My name is Miura Mako. I’m the class president.”

Was she not fond of sitting in the front seat despite being the class president?

But after hearing her introduction, I had to admit that she did give off a reliable impression.

She was the typical class president character.

And—

“Miura-san?”

“You can just call me Miura.”

“…Miura.”

“Yep. Nice to meet you.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

Not knowing what else to say, I just repeated her words.

To be honest, I’d never really spoken to a high school girl before.

I had no idea how to continue a conversation.

On top of that—

Miura.

The name Miura was bothering me for some reason.

The problem was, I couldn’t pinpoint why.

There were plenty of characters named Miura in various works.

...

More importantly, as I tried to recall whatever I could from a work that was set 20 years in the past, there wasn’t any major character named "Miura" that I remembered.

Or maybe it’s the "Mako" part?

I could say with some certainty that this wasn’t the case.

At least, among the characters the protagonist refers to by name, there wasn’t anyone named Mako.

“What’s the next class?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know what the next class is?”

“Oh, no.”

“The next class is—”

Miura, the class president of Class B, was also kind.

Which made me even more puzzled.

Kind, friendly, and with an appearance fit for a main character.

And if her name was bothering me this much, surely she had appeared in that novel.

But in the end, even as the bell rang to signal the start of the next class, I couldn’t figure out why.

Chapter 4. A Familiar Year (4)

The teacher who entered the classroom for the next period was startled to see me sitting in my seat.

It seemed like they thought a ghost was sitting there.

Still, the class itself proceeded as normal.

Throughout the entire fourth period, my mind was so cluttered that I barely remembered what the lesson was about.

While teaching, the female teacher seemed a bit scared of me, sitting in the front row closest to her, so she didn’t bother asking me any questions.

I was grateful for that.

After the fourth period ended, it was lunchtime.

The class president looked like she wanted to say something to me, but right then, a friend behind her started talking to her, so she turned away.

Of course, if you’re nice and pretty, you’ll have lots of friends.

I thought it was fortunate and quickly stood up and left the classroom.

Blending in with the students pouring out for lunch, I felt like I could finally breathe.

Seeing the girls in sailor uniforms and the boys in gakuran uniforms, I couldn’t help but feel like this hallway belonged to the 20th century.

Well, we hadn’t even fully crossed into the 21st century yet.

It was still 2004, and the year wasn’t even half over.

As for Japan... I wasn't sure exactly, but wasn’t it the Heisei era?

I don’t know which one they use more often.

I remember buying a light novel in its original Japanese form as a kid, and the last page said something like the Heisei year, not 2004.

Back then, I didn’t know much about those things.

Thinking of where to go, I realized I still didn’t know the layout of this school.

Though the exterior design didn’t seem like much, the inside was spacious.

The building had been expanded several times over the years, so the layout was probably a bit complicated.

I decided to just follow the crowd of students moving in one direction.

Whether it was the snack shop or the cafeteria, I’d find something.

*

The group of students I followed went to the snack shop.

It didn’t feel like a convenience store or supermarket.

Instead, all the goods were in the back, and you told the owner at the counter what you wanted, and they fetched it for you.

"......"

Seeing the crowd of students packed together, I lost my nerve.

Even teenagers from well-off families were still teenagers.

Intimidated by their overwhelming energy, I leaned against a nearby wall, waiting for all of them to buy their things and leave.

There would be something left, I thought.

It didn’t take long for the students to disperse.

Unlike the cafeteria, where you had to sit down, eat your meal, and return the dishes, not many students lingered at the snack shop to eat.

There were only two small tables, after all.

Most of them bought bread or something and went back to their classrooms or to some spot they liked to eat with friends.

“Ah, it’s all sold out again.”

I heard a grumbling voice from a group of boys who had bought the last batch of bread.

“See, I told you we should go to the bathroom later.”

“What, did you expect me to wet myself? I told you to buy it while I went, didn’t I? I even offered you money.”

“Do you know you owe me over two thousand yen?”

“Hey, hey.”

A third friend tapped the shoulders of the two boys, who were having a somewhat embarrassing conversation.

Their gaze turned toward me, standing about five paces away.

The boy who had been talking about needing to pee blushed, coughed awkwardly, and left the shop in a hurry, while the other two chuckled and followed him out.

Once they were gone, I slowly approached the lady at the counter.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry, but the only bread left is Koppe Pan. Is that alright?”

The bread the lady showed me was Koppe Pan.

“I was planning to buy that anyway.”

I handed the coins to the lady as I spoke.

*

The sky is so clear.

When I was in high school, the rooftop was always locked.

Or maybe... wasn’t there a list of ways that real Japanese schools are different from anime?

I think it said real ones were locked.

But since this is a light novel world, I guess that’s why it’s open.

Still, they must have done something to prevent accidents because there was a green metal fence around the edges of the rooftop.

It gave off a bit of a parking lot barrier vibe.

Despite the rooftop being open, there wasn’t a single person up here.

You’d think there would be at least one other loner like me.

Well, there was no reason to think too deeply about it.

I leaned against the safety fence and tore open the Koppe Pan wrapper.

The first time I tried it, I wondered what kind of bread this was, but as I chewed, a subtle sweetness spread.

Still, carbs were carbs.

I should probably think about getting some protein and fats too.

...Maybe I should pick up some bean sprouts on the way back.

That thought made me sigh.

Sighing with a mouth full of bread would’ve made anyone think I was trying to warm it up if they’d seen me.

Good thing no one was around.

I continued to chew the lump of flour in my mouth and thought again.

I’d been thinking about it all through the fourth period, but I was sure I’d heard the name "Miura" in a novel before.

The reason I remembered it so late was because I’d never actually seen a character named Miura Mako.

“She was the first victim from this school.”

That was probably right.

Since I hadn’t watched the news or read any newspapers, I couldn’t be entirely sure, but there was still a serial killer at large targeting teenage and young adult women.

Five victims in total.

Miura was the fifth.

Why was the world so peaceful despite a serial killer being on the loose?

Well, isn’t it always like that?

Even when a serial killer is on the prowl, and the culprit hasn’t been caught, most people see it as a distant problem.

In the novel, the protagonist’s sister almost became the sixth victim, and that’s how the story started, with the heroine saving her.

“......”

Should I save her?

No, more importantly, could I even save her?

The novel I assumed to be the basis of this world was Tokyo Slayers.

It was part of the ‘Shin Jeongi’ (New Epic) novel trend back then.

The "ordinary protagonist" meets an "extraordinary being" and has their life turned upside down—one of those.

In this case, the male protagonist was ordinary, and the heroine was the extraordinary one.

As was the trend back then, there were pointless shocking or gruesome scenes and a heavy whiff of chuuni.

As you could tell from the fact that the killer was dealt with by the heroine, the killer wasn’t human either.

“After Miura’s death, the students at school become more cautious, and the protagonist, worried about his younger sister in middle school, walks home with her... and then encounters the ‘Oni.’”

I slowly pieced the story together.

The exact date wasn’t written in the book.

Even if it was, I wouldn’t have remembered after twenty years.

But judging by the fact that it happened before the first month of the first semester was over, there wasn’t much time left.

“......”

I pondered once again.

In this world’s setting, regular swords couldn’t cut through yokai.

Only the heroine’s sword, "Mumei (Nameless)," could slay them.

The protagonist, for "some reason," could repel and kill yokai with his blood.

So...

Even if I tried to follow Miura, there wasn’t much I could do.

I’d probably just die along with her.

“Haa.”

I sighed again and shoved the rest of the Koppe Pan into my mouth.

I wasn’t that short, but maybe because I was skinny, or maybe my stomach was just small, even that little bit of bread filled me up.

“What am I even supposed to do?”

Whoever threw me into this other world, it would’ve been nice if they’d at least given me something useful.

At the very least, they could’ve put me in a world from a story I remember clearly.

*

“Kurosawa.”

“Hm?”

In the end, I hadn’t come to any conclusion, and the final class of the day was over.

As promised, Ms. Suzuki introduced me to the class again during homeroom, and much to my displeasure, I had to say my name in front of everyone one more time.

Seeing how much I didn’t want to be there was probably clear on my face because Ms. Suzuki didn’t push me to do anything else.

After a few simple announcements, homeroom ended.

And just as I was about to head home, Miura called out to me from behind.

“Where are you headed?”

“...I’m going to the station.”

“Really?”

After hearing my answer, Miura thought for a moment before turning around.

“Hey, guys, sorry, but could you go ahead without me today? I need to talk to Kurosawa.”

At Miura’s words, the other kids nodded.

Now that I looked closer, they all had distinct personalities.

Except for Miura, they all gave off a ‘gyaru’ vibe.

Tanned skin, long hair, short skirts.

You can’t judge people just by their appearance, but honestly, they seemed like they were part of the popular crowd.

“Well, if the class president says so, I guess we have no choice...”

“Harumi!”

Miura quickly tried to stop her, but the girl named Harumi just shrugged.

Now that I think about it, with that kind of look and a sailor uniform, she gave off the impression of someone who might ride a motorcycle...

Maybe she really did?

“Kurosawa, would you mind walking to the station with me today? Even if it’s just to the front of the station.”

“...Sure.”

I nodded, and Miura visibly relaxed with a sigh of relief.

“Good luck, president.”

Harumi tapped Miura’s shoulder before turning away, and the black-haired girl next to her raised a hand in a brief wave before following Harumi.

They didn’t seem to care about me at all.

Which, honestly, was fine by me.

“Shall we?”

Miura asked as I quietly watched the two of them walk away.

I nodded.

*

“Don’t worry about what she said. Harumi always says whatever comes to mind.”

“I’m not worried.”

I’m sure the teacher came during lunch and asked them to take care of me.

It made sense to worry, considering I’d been absent from school for a week.

Knowing that teacher’s character, she was genuinely concerned, but she probably also had to think about her track record.

It was her first time being a homeroom teacher, and having a problem student could mess up her future career.

“So, where did you go during lunch?”

“The rooftop.”

“Ah, I see.”

“......”

This isn’t going well.

It’s been too long since I talked to a girl, and I don’t know how to carry on a conversation.

And right now, I’m a high school girl too.

“Is your house far from here?”

“Yeah. About an hour by subway.”

I left out the 30-minute walk part.

“Oh... Where do you live?”

Finally, the conversation continued.

“Saitama.”

“Saitama?”

Miura blinked.

“I see.”

She fell silent, lost in thought for a moment.

“Well, this might be a bit of a personal question, but... is there any reason you didn’t come to school last week?”

“......”

“Ah, s-sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for...”

I stopped walking for a moment.

But then again, telling her I lived in a small room in an old Japanese apartment felt a little too much.

I felt like she might worry unnecessarily.

Maybe because she thought she’d made a mistake, Miura clasped her hands nervously in front of her.

...

Alright, let’s save her.

Hearing that someone, even a stranger, had died would make anyone feel bad, and knowing the kind girl sitting behind me in class had been killed would be even worse.

“Miura.”

“Hm?”

“Is there anywhere you usually go with your friends after school?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, there are a few places.”

“Could you show me?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve barely been to Tokyo, so I don’t know anything.”

It wasn’t exactly right to say that when I lived next door in Saitama.

You could live comfortably enough within Saitama, but all it took was a quick subway ride to visit Tokyo, and yet I’d never done it.

But the thing is...

I’m currently a delinquent who skipped school for an entire week.

I’m scrawny, and my hair’s a mess.

Anyone could tell I’m a kid with family issues.

If I gave off a “don’t want to go home” vibe, most decent people wouldn’t be able to turn me down.

And the class president seemed like a good person.

Wouldn’t she want to follow the teacher’s advice?

“Uh... sure.”

Miura seemed a bit dazed at my sudden enthusiasm but agreed.

*

“Kurosawa, you sing really well!”

That’s what Miura said as we left the karaoke room.

And I was a little surprised too.

I’d figured speaking Japanese so easily was part of the perks of coming to this world, but I didn’t expect my singing to have improved as well.

Was it a clear voice? It had a different feel than the gloomy tone I usually used.

...Though I only sang one old song that was somewhat well-known in Korea.

Miura, who had seemed a little awkward about taking me around at first, was visibly more relaxed now.

Her attitude toward me had shifted to “a slightly odd but normal person.”

Maybe the fact that I was conventionally attractive added some extra points.

“Oh, right.”

Just as we left the karaoke place, Miura clapped her hands like she’d remembered something, then rummaged through her bag to take out her phone.

“Should we exchange emails?”

...Well, at least I had a phone.

I breathed a sigh of relief inside as I pulled mine out of my bag.

*

Wow, getting close to a high school girl is easy.

The most important preparation you need is just to be in a high school girl’s body.

Although it had taken a bit of awkward conversation from Miura on the first day, by the second day, she was calling me naturally.

Of course, she was still calling me “Kurosawa,” but that couldn’t be helped.

I also called her by her last name, so I suppose it was fine.

I also learned the names of her two gyaru friends and started recognizing their faces.

“By the way, don’t you want to change your hairstyle?”

The tanned gyaru with a cream bun in her mouth was named Harumi, just as I’d heard last time.

Her last name was Fukuda.

I just called her Fukuda.

She hadn’t seemed to mind.

“...It takes too long in the morning.”

“Right, Kurosawa’s commute does take a while.”

Miura nodded in agreement.

“Wouldn’t it be better to cut it a little shorter?”

“It’d be a shame.”

“A shame...”

It was true, though.

The style might look gloomy, but my hair was actually in good condition.

“Tying it up properly takes a lot of effort, doesn’t it~?”

Yamashita, sitting next to Fukuda and staring at her phone, chimed in.

Her name was Yamashita Yuu.

It was written in hiragana without a long vowel sound.

Since we weren’t that close, I just called her Yamashita too.

It wasn’t like I had to call her name often anyway.

“How about just tying the ends of your hair? It’d be more convenient than letting it hang down. Your hair’s really long, after all.”

Really?

Before I could respond, Fukuda jumped up from her seat and came behind me.

Without giving me time to move, she grabbed my hair and tied the ends with the hairband she had on her wrist.

“Tada.”

“Doesn’t look much different, though?”

Yamashita glanced at my hair, tilting her head slightly.

“No way, it looks way neater! What do you think, Mako-chan?”

“Won’t it come undone quickly?”

“No, that’s not what I...”

Fukuda sighed and scratched her head when Miura’s concerns were completely off-track.

...Anyway, that’s how our break times went.

In terms of energy levels, Fukuda had the most, followed by Miura, and then Yamashita.

But the core of the group was definitely Miura.

Maybe because of her positive energy.

Still, even though I hung out with them during breaks—

“Ah, Kurosawa?”

During lunch, just as I was standing up, Miura called out to me.

“Wanna eat lunch together today?”

“Ah...”

“Still not feeling up for it?”

“Hey, just leave her.”

Fukuda tapped Miura’s back and said.

“Looks like she’s the type to savor solitude. She said she doesn’t want to.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to...

I just didn’t want them to see me eating a Koppe Pan.

Well, I guess that does mean I didn’t want to.

I left Miura, who looked a little disappointed, and walked away.

*

It was fortunate that I’d become close with Miura’s group, but there was one problem.

Hanging out with them drained my money fast.

It wasn’t like we were doing anything extreme.

Just typical, wholesome fun for high school girls.

The problem was that I didn’t have much money to spend on those kinds of wholesome activities.

Right now, I am fine.

But wasn’t it obvious?

If someone lived alone with 20 million won in their bank account, they could survive for a year or so.

But if you started adding in karaoke, expensive café desserts, and the like, things would quickly change.

On top of that, I had to pay for school tuition.

...I’d have to find a well-paying part-time job as soon as possible.

Seriously.

“Kurosawa.”

Miura’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and back to reality.

We were sitting on a bench near the station.

The sun wasn’t setting that late yet, but the sky was already tinged with the colors of dusk.

We were still just high school students, after all.

After wandering around a shopping mall and going to karaoke, there wasn’t much left to do.

And it felt a bit weird to kill time at a family restaurant.

Still, the other girls had said it was a bit too soon to head home, so here we were, sitting on a bench and chatting.

Well, mostly Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita were chatting, and I was sitting a little apart, just listening.

“Is something bothering you?”

“......”

Yeah, there is.

But I can’t exactly say I’m worried that you might die.

At first, I just didn’t want to feel bad knowing the girl sitting behind me had been murdered.

But after getting to know her, I just wanted to save her because she was my friend.

The problem was that I still hadn’t figured out how.

“...I naturally look gloomy.”

“That’s true.”

“You’re pretty good at self-awareness.”

Fukuda, who had been sipping her iced coffee through a straw, responded, and Yamashita nodded in agreement, making Miura put her hand to her forehead.

“Well, should we head home then?”

Fukuda stretched as she stood up.

“Yeah, there’s nothing else to do.”

Yamashita agreed as she got up, and I also stood from my seat—

—Looks tasty.

Suddenly, I heard a voice.

Goosebumps ran down my back.

I quickly looked around, but all I saw were ordinary people.

However, the chill running through my body didn’t disappear.

There was definitely something nearby.

“Kurosawa?”

“...It’s nothing. I think I just misheard something.”

“Is that so?”

Miura tilted her head at my response.

Watching her puzzled expression, I thought to myself.

I’d finally found it.

Chapter 5. A Familiar Year (5)

Something did appear, but Miura won’t die today.

Miura didn’t die near the school, but right in the middle of the city.

In the story, the yokai form ‘nests’ around certain locations.

Unless they’ve grown powerful enough, they can’t leave the nest, except for their ‘thought forms.’

And only those intentionally brought in by the yokai, or who force their way in, can enter these nests.

What I heard was probably that thought form—likely from a yokai who had been closely watching Miura.

As long as Miura doesn’t deliberately return to that street, she won’t die for now.

…Though I was a little worried about that, so I waited in front of the station for a while.

Even after sitting on a bench for two hours, Miura didn’t come back to the station.

It’s a bit of a hassle that she doesn’t live near the school.

It’s not just about the long commute; the commute limits the time I can move around.

I thought about talking to the heroine, but she hasn’t appeared in this story yet.

She transfers to this school after helping the protagonist and his sister for the first time.

If I involve the protagonist now, he might die since he hasn’t awakened his abilities yet.

So, for now, I’ll have to handle this situation myself.

Either I kill the yokai or delay the event from happening.

“Let’s go back.”

Muttering to myself, I stood up.

But before heading home, there was something I needed to buy.

I entered the convenience store in front of the station.

Then, I headed to the magazine corner, browsing for a decent weekly magazine.

I wasn’t looking for cosmetics, celebrities, or comic magazines.

What I wanted was—

“There it is.”

I pulled out a magazine.

On the cover, there was a bold headline that read:

“A Serial Murder Case Shaking Tokyo! Uncovering the Truth!”

Of course, as expected from a magazine with such a headline, it wasn’t a well-known one.

Not that I cared much.

...The magazine wasn’t that expensive, but my wallet wasn’t in good shape after hanging out with wealthy gyarus for days.

I guess I’ll buy bean sprouts at the supermarket near home.

And while I’m there, I’ll grab a flyer to check what’s on sale.

After thinking that, I sighed deeply and left the convenience store.

*

At least, over the past few days, I’ve bought enough stuff to support myself.

Mostly cheap pots, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and daily necessities bought in bulk from the 100-yen shop.

By the way, I haven’t bought a fridge yet.

Even if I did, I’m scared of the costs of moving it in, so I’ve been buying just enough groceries to cook and eat each day.

…Breakfast and lunch are resolved with Koppe Pan, and dinner is stir-fried bean sprouts seasoned with soy sauce sandwiched in Koppe Pan.

By the way, I got a plastic knife for free when I bought the bread.

First, I’ll make sure to save Miura’s life, and after that, I’ll find a part-time job.

Once I get through the first case, the heroine and the protagonist can take care of things on their own.

Once I start earning a daily wage, I’ll finally be able to afford some protein with discounted meat.

With hope, I bit into the bean sprout Koppe Pan.

Then, I flipped through the magazine I bought.

As written on the cover, the main article focused on the serial killings happening in Tokyo.

I took out a notebook and pen I bought from the 100-yen shop, laid them out on the floor, and used my bag as a cushion while I lay down.

There wasn’t a blanket, and the bag was hard, making it incredibly uncomfortable.

…Still, April in Japan isn’t that cold, so it was bearable.

The weather will warm up soon, and summer will come after that.

I figured I could wait a bit before buying a blanket since I would need to buy multiple summer uniforms for school.

Rationalizing like that, I slowly read through the magazine.

What I wanted to see in the magazine wasn’t their theories.

I was looking for the ‘facts.’

While the internet is fairly active in this era, unfortunately, I don’t have a computer.

I could probably access the internet with my phone, but that would skyrocket my phone bill.

Well, that’s a problem for later.

What I needed to find in the magazine were the victims’ common traits.

I recalled the traits of the yokai from the novel.

In the story, the yokai often had a strong obsession with something.

Like alcohol, or blood.

I’m guessing the author added these traits to set up the bait in the plot.

But the first yokai that appears is an ‘Oni.’

It said, “You look delicious.”

I don’t know what part of Miura it found delicious, but it must’ve seen some characteristic in her that made it decide that.

Click.

I pressed the pen’s button, pulled out the tip, and copied down the key points from the magazine.

“All the victims were females between their mid-teens and early twenties. Only one of them was in her twenties, and the remaining three victims were two 17-year-olds and one 16-year-old.”

The Oni seems to prefer a ‘soft texture.’

But why did it find Miura ‘delicious’?

“The woman in her twenties was single. She was a university student attending a well-known school in Tokyo.”

“The teenage girls attended different schools, but their friends said they were all academically excellent and didn’t have boyfriends.”

The magazine concluded that the serial killer was targeting virgins.

And I found that theory pretty convincing.

Though the magazine likely made this conclusion just to attract readers’ attention.

“Since Miura ended up getting killed anyway.”

“All the murders took place in busy areas.”

“Could it be a stalker who killed out of betrayal?”

A slightly extreme theory that the stalker, thinking she was a virgin, discovered she was secretly messing around with guys and killed her.

Was Miura secretly hanging out with guys?

It’s not a common plot in light novels.

But since Tokyo Slayers first came out in 2004, it’s plausible.

Older light novels tend to have more extreme plot twists and settings.

And besides, this is a ‘new chronicle’ series.

The fact that there wasn’t a heroine who had been violated in the main story might even be considered unique.

If Miura were the type to enjoy hanging out with guys, it wouldn’t be strange for her to be killed while wandering alone in the city...

“Hmm.”

I shoved the remaining bean sprout sandwich into my mouth and sat up.

“But it’s not because she’s a ‘wild girl’.”

Because the protagonist’s sister is also targeted.

And that character didn’t have any such hidden backstory.

Still, I think I’ve figured out why she was considered delicious.

It’s her ‘diligent image’ that’s likely the most important factor.

Why that’s considered ‘delicious’, I don’t know.

“Well, then…”

The last thing I needed to check was the dates of the murders.

The killing cycle was irregular.

The murders had been happening for six months since last year.

But one thing was certain: the intervals between murders were getting shorter.

At first, there was a two-month gap, but the last murder occurred less than two weeks ago.

People seem pretty unconcerned.

Well, in a city this big, four murders don’t seem like a big deal.

Probably only the police, struggling with their case records, would think otherwise.

“It won’t happen to me.”

*

In my experience, that way of thinking was actually the easiest to live by.

Even in a peaceful-looking world, countless people die in various ways.

It’s easier to leave the worrying to those in relevant fields if you want to live a normal life.

Unfortunately, my line of work didn’t allow for that luxury.

“Anyway.”

So, how can I save Miura?

How can I make myself look ‘more delicious’?

The dead women, Miura, and the protagonist’s sister...

“…Glasses?”

Young, attending a prestigious school, neat appearance, glasses.

I looked again at the photos of the victims in the magazine.

Not all of them wore glasses.

But out of the four victims, two of them did.

The first two were bare-faced.

The next two wore glasses.

The next victim, Miura, also wore glasses, and the protagonist’s sister alternated between glasses and contacts.

Was the Oni refining its taste?

…Looking for girls with more appealing features?

I got up and went to the bathroom.

Standing in front of the mirror, I untied my hair from its loose ponytail and gathered it all into a neat bun.

It wasn’t easy.

As Yamashita had said, neatly tying it all together and making sure it didn’t unravel took several tries.

And finally,

“Done.”

I lowered my hands.

I swept my bangs to the side and tied them as well, revealing a clear view of my plain face.

I adjusted my sailor uniform, smoothing out the wrinkles to make it look as ‘neat’ as possible.

The reflection in the mirror was that of a model student.

Tomorrow, I’ll buy a pair of glasses frames from the 100-yen shop.

Two ‘delicious-looking’ girls wandering around together would surely be more tempting than just one.

*

“Oh, what’s this?”

Fukuda, who always arrived a bit later than me, widened her eyes and asked.

“You’re finally ditching that gloomy hairstyle?”

“...It’s temporary.”

“Temporary? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Of course, it’s because doing my hair every morning is incredibly tedious.

Once I get through this… and if I survive, I’ll go back to normal.

“You really are unpredictable.”

“Haha...”

Miura laughed at Fukuda’s comment.

I could feel gazes directed my way.

There were some from the girls, but most were from the boys.

It seems this body still falls into the ‘pretty girl’ category.

“Oh, right.”

Fukuda suddenly remembered something and looked down at me.

“There’s a group date today. Want to come?”

“Harumi!”

“Hm? Why? There’s more boys than girls anyway.”

I glanced over at Miura.

Her face was flushed with embarrassment.

She’s the type who can’t refuse.

She must’ve reluctantly agreed to her childhood friends’ suggestion but couldn’t back out now.

I made a mental note of that personality trait.

“And there are guys who like petite and shy girls like Kurosawa too. Don’t you want to get a boyfriend? Hm?”

“Harumi!”

Miura seemed a bit panicked.

“...Fine.”

Before Miura could protest further, I quickly replied.

“I’ll go.”

“Good, good.”

Fukuda tapped my shoulder approvingly.

“Good call. You’re good at singing too. Showcasing your talents is a good thing.”

…Was she trying to pass off the troublemaker?

Well, it didn’t matter.

My goal wasn’t to get a boyfriend.

Besides, Miura won’t end up with a guy anyway.

It felt like the outline of the incident was becoming clearer.

*

Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita were inseparable.

Other than ‘hanging out,’ they got along surprisingly well, and they had been friends since middle school.

The three of them going home together was practically routine.

They also shopped together frequently.

Going home separately was the ‘exception’.

Other than the time they stayed with me to take care of me, they usually dragged me around with them.

Now that they were high school students, it was the time when they were becoming interested in relationships.

Thanks to Fukuda’s connections with a boy she knew from middle school, the group date had been arranged.

The boy had gone to a different school.

It was a prestigious all-boys school, just like Hanagawa High School.

The original plan was for three girls and four boys, but they couldn’t narrow it down since so many boys wanted to join.

We were now high school freshmen.

It’s a time when everyone is still getting to know each other, so not many girls wanted to come on a group date.

That’s why there were initially only three girls.

But with my addition, we now had four girls.

My predicted scenario was that Fukuda and Yamashita would pair off with boys and leave first, then Miura would get stuck between two guys and end up in some isolated place— but.

“Then, please keep in touch!”

The boy—what was his name again?

Yamashita something? Anyway, the boy said that to me.

“…I’ll think about it.”

When I gave a vague response, he eagerly nodded his head.

Miura was having a similar conversation with the guy on her side—Naka... something?

She was also being asked for her contact info.

“Haha…”

Miura smiled awkwardly.

The boy must’ve taken that as a yes because his face lit up.

After saying goodbye to us, the two boys disappeared toward the sunset, their steps filled with excitement.

It had turned out to be a ridiculously wholesome group date, so I could only watch in stunned silence as those athletic boys walked off.

…There’s something wrong with me.

While I was mentally chastising myself, Miura spoke up.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

We had gone through the family restaurant and karaoke, which had cost a bit, but the boys had paid for most of it, so we got off lightly.

Well, come to think of it, we’re all just freshmen.

We’re old enough to do something if we want to, but despite their appearances, Fukuda and Yamashita had been raised in sheltered families.

The boys were likely the same, so nothing was going to happen.

Miura and I started walking back slowly.

I didn’t feel any chills or unease yet.

Could it be that today wasn’t the day?

“By the way, Kurosawa.”

As we walked slowly toward the station, Miura asked.

“…What’s with those glasses?”

She was asking about the glasses I had been wearing since the group date.

The frameless glasses I bought at the 100-yen shop.

“Decoration.”

“Is that so?”

When I answered, Miura decided not to ask any more questions.

“Well—”

“Do.”

Miura was about to say something when a voice cut her off.

“Do, do, do. Help me.”

A voice that sounded like it had a phlegm caught in the throat.

And the moment I heard that voice, I felt as though every hair on my body stood on end.

A sickening chill crawled up my back.

“Please, help.”

The voice sounded strangely off.

“Huh?”

Miura turned her head.

What she saw was a narrow alley between two buildings.

At the end, you could see another alley on the other side.

There were still plenty of people walking around.

It was a weekday, but this was a busy area.

“Help.”

Following that voice—

“Kyaah!”

Miura let out a short scream, bringing her hand to her mouth.

A bleeding person.

In the alley, a man was lying there, bleeding heavily.

He looked like he had been beaten, and his leg was bent in the wrong direction.

Blood trickled from his lips.

He appeared to be in his 50s.

He didn’t look like a homeless person, just an ordinary man— the kind you’d often see stumbling around late at night in this part of town.

A middle-aged man in a black suit was groaning, sprawled out in the alley, glaring at us with a furrowed brow.

Moreover—

“Help me.”

—He looked delicious.

Though his face was twisted, for some reason, he almost seemed to be smiling in my eyes.

His gaze moved from Miura to me.

“Please, plee-e-ease. Help meee.”

—This one looks delicious too.

Miura unhesitatingly walked toward the alley.

“Wait!”

I grabbed her hand before she could enter the alley.

Miura looked at me, startled.

It was clearly a strange situation, but Miura didn’t seem to notice.

Despite the loud, clear voice, everyone walking by ignored it.

The short alley seemed oddly darker than the rest.

There was nothing blocking the sky between the buildings.

That’s a nest.

“Miura.”

“Huh?”

I called Miura’s name firmly as I tightened my grip on her arm.

“The police.”

“Huh?”

“Go get the police.”

“…Ah!”

Miura’s clouded eyes blinked in realization.

“I’ll stay and watch this place.”

“O-okay! I’ll find them quickly, so wait here!”

Miura shouted and ran off.

Thank goodness she hadn’t thought to call the police on her phone.

…Alright.

Now, I just needed to stall—

Clack.

“…?”

I looked down at the unpleasant sensation around my ankle.

Seeing the hand wrapped around it, I opened my mouth in shock.

“Heh, heh heh.”

—Got one.

Yokai aren’t supposed to be able to leave the nest… right?

And just as I was about to be dragged sideways, I realized.

Ah.

Even that was bait, huh?

“Ugh!”

The yokai yanked my leg, and I lost balance, falling to the side.

Wham, my head hit the ground.

The glasses I was wearing flew off.

“Wait!”

“Heh, heh heh.”

Creeeeak.

My leg was dragged.

I hurriedly tried grabbing onto the ground, but holding onto the edge of the pavement with my fingers was impossible.

Creeeak.

The unsettling sound of my nails scraping the ground, and it felt like the tips of my fingers were lifting slightly.

My clothes and body scraped against the ground.

It hurt.

“You look delicious.”

I heard that sickening voice.

When I looked down, I saw the man’s mouth slowly opening.

No, not just his mouth.

His entire face was slowly swelling up.

Like a balloon made of human skin.

As his mouth opened wider and wider, I saw countless human teeth inside.

The roof and floor of his mouth were almost entirely lined with flat, tightly packed teeth.

The sound of his teeth clacking echoed.

“Save me!”

I screamed, but no one around me paid any attention.

Tears.

My clothes snagged on the ground and ripped a little.

I tried grabbing onto the corner of a building before I was fully dragged into the alley, but my strength wasn’t enough to hold on.

“Smells delicious—”

The swelling man—or rather, woman?

At this point, the original man’s form had completely vanished, leaving only something unrecognizable.

Despite the enormous head, the eyes remained at a human scale, staring at me.

A long, flat tongue slipped out of its mouth and slapped against my ankle.

Slowly, it began to slather saliva up my leg.

“Ugh!”

I kicked with my free leg as hard as I could.

Wham! Wham!

When I stomped on the tongue,

“Ugh?”

The Oni groaned.

“Whoa!?”

My ankle was lifted into the air.

The world flipped upside down, and the sky was now beneath me.

Blood rushed to my head, and my eyes met the Oni’s.

The Oni stood, holding my ankle upside down and watching me.

A thin neck attached to an enormous head.

A scrawny upper body.

And a bloated belly.

It resembled a middle-aged man with a protruding stomach, but its twisted appearance clearly showed that it wasn’t human.

In the eerily dark alley, the only thing that stood out was its fleshy color.

“What are you?”

The Oni asked.

“You have an unusual taste.”

It tilted its head.

It looked repulsive, not cute at all.

I kicked again, but this time it caught my leg.

“As a special dish, you might be quite something.”

The Oni said.

Holding both of my legs, it clicked its teeth together.

Rows of teeth clacked, making a sound like multiple people gnashing their teeth at the same time.

“No…!”

I don’t want to die.

I don’t know why I woke up in this world again.

I haven’t lived long enough to become attached to it, but I don’t want to die like this.

“Then, I’ll take you—”

—Itadakimasu.

“Stop—!”

As the Oni’s mouth neared, I instinctively thrust both hands forward.

The sound of teeth clashing wasn’t the usual clatter, but rather a crushing noise—

I heard a squishing sound, felt something flowing—

A scream echoed from my open mouth—

“Guh?”

—The Oni let out a sound.

Splat.

My hands were spat out.

I flew briefly before hitting the wall with my back.

“Ugh.”

I groaned as pain shot through my head.

I tumbled down, striking a nearby air conditioner unit on my way, bending my waist.

Before I could feel the pain, I hit the ground with a thud.

For a malnourished high school girl, the impact was hard to withstand, but I was still alive.

Unluckily.

Or, luckily…

“Huff, huff…”

I forced air into my collapsed lungs, expanding them, and propped myself up with my hands on the ground.

—With my hands?

My hands… weren’t crushed beyond recognition.

There were bite marks.

Blood dripped from the wounds.

They looked like large tooth marks, but strangely, my hands were still functioning.

“Ugh.”

Next to me, vomit splattered.

The stench was sharp and foul.

“What the hell are you?”

The Oni glared at me.

It was covering its mouth with both hands, but it's long, torn mouth was still clearly visible.

Blood was dripping from that mouth.

It didn’t seem to be my blood.

“...Aaaah!?”

Then, suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my left hand, and I screamed.

I collapsed forward, losing strength in the hand supporting my body.

I turned and pulled my hand free, only to see—

“…Ah.”

Blood was flowing from my left hand, soaking my wrist.

The blood followed the lines of the pentagram tattoo on my left hand.

A scream escaped my lips.

Because the center of the pentagram split open like an eye.

Blood was pouring out.

My left arm bent involuntarily, as if holding something up—

Blood flowed upward.

“...”

I stared blankly at the sight.

It was so bizarre that I forgot the pain.

The blood flowing from the split wound began forming something like silk thread, slowly shaping itself as if a 3D printer was printing something.

“Hm.”

Then, a voice whispered in my ear.

“I wondered where the avatar of Ye was hiding, and it turns out you’ve been holding onto it.”

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t even breathe—no, was my heart even beating?

I couldn’t move my eyes, but something was circling around me, speaking to me.

The world had also stopped.

The grotesque Oni in front of me wasn’t moving.

The people outside the alley weren’t moving.

Even the slight breeze had stopped.

Nothing was moving.

Only the blood rising from my wrist was slowly and leisurely weaving something.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. This is just a bit of fun.”

The voice whispered in my ear, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“But it would be a waste to let you die like this. I don’t know who you are, but the fact that I don’t know makes you all the more intriguing, so it’s too soon to destroy you.”

The thing being woven was a sword.

The gaps I saw earlier were now tightly filled with blood, making it impossible to tell that it had been ‘woven.’

“Since you’ve taken something of mine, I hope you’ll humor me a bit.”

The entity rested its hand on my shoulder, gently pressing down.

“With that sword— protect your body. Since you’ve stolen from me, I’m sure you’ll have the decency to comply.”

It brought its face close to mine, whispering as we both gazed at the crimson sword.

The blade, the hilt, and the ornately carved guard were all as red as freshly spilled blood.

“Now go, and cut.”

It lightly pushed my shoulder and spoke.

Chapter 6. A Familiar Year (6)

There are times in life when you just want to give up and die.

When your work is too hard.

When all the relationships you've held onto disappear, not even because of your own fault.

When the hope you clung to turns out to be the subject of gossip behind your back.

Due to the nature of my job, I often found myself in situations where dying seemed like an option.

Some people said I was doing well, others said I was reckless, but honestly, I wasn’t throwing myself into it to do my best.

After all, the only thing I could see ahead of me was a pitch-black future.

I figured if I jumped into the flames and did something, at least it wouldn't be a meaningless death.

Maybe, if I died, others would mourn for me.

I think that’s what I thought.

But in the end, I would always enter the scene and come back out alive.

Once I actually entered that burning place, once I faced the flames that looked like they would char my skin and smudge my face with ash, I would always think this.

Damn, I really don’t want to die here.

I don't know why I felt that way.

And so, I would jump back out, survive, head back to the scene, jump in again, and then jump out again.

I repeated that over and over—until it ended.

…Is this my life flashing before my eyes?

My vision blurred.

Maybe I had lost a lot of blood.

Honestly, even now, it’s the same.

I followed Miura all the way here, not even knowing how to fight, just because I wanted to save her.

Even after sending Miura off, I was helplessly getting beaten.

At the root of my actions was probably the thought, 'Well, I might as well die here'.

But again, it happened this time, too.

Now that I was in this situation, I remembered the little grains of sand in my hand.

I was reborn into this world, after all.

Right, I always wanted to live abroad.

Come to think of it, there were quite a few places I wanted to travel to.

Yeah.

Damn it, I can’t die like this in a place like this.

I’ll die eventually, in time anyway.

"Go, child. Go, and strike. Make me proud."

A whispering voice in my ear.

Clang.

A sword drenched in blood fell to the ground with a metallic sound.

It’s funny how a bloodied sword makes a metal sound.

Well, blood contains iron, so maybe it’s not so strange.

I gathered strength in my arm.

"What? What the hell? You, what are you?"

Yeah, what am I?

I caught my breath and thought.

…It seems my soul has inhabited something created by a higher being.

I still don’t know the reason.

I wriggled my hand and moved it.

There were no wounds.

Even the pentagram that had spread across my wrist was gone, leaving only my white skin.

No, the top was stained with blood, so it looked red.

The voice that had been ringing in my ears was now gone.

"Hah, hah."

Exhaling, I bent down.

With trembling hands, I picked up the red sword.

It seemed to be a katana, a Japanese sword.

There may be specific classifications, but I guess it doesn’t matter right now.

"Going to kill me? Me? When did you even pull that out?"

The Oni spoke.

"You’re so annoying."

His way of speaking really pissed me off.

Don't drag your words in that phlegmy voice.

It makes me want to kill you.

"But, did you know? You, you can’t kill me."

Heh heh heh.

The Oni laughed.

I gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands.

I never learned how to use a sword, but at least I had a weapon.

I figured I could swing it like a club and manage.

"You know, your blood didn’t taste that good. What’s the deal?"

"I don’t know."

"Ah, you don’t know, huh."

The Oni tilted his head.

"Can’t be helped? Well, I guess I’ll have to summon an exorcist. I’ll have to kill you."

"Try if you can."

The Oni laughed again.

Then, without warning, he charged straight at me.

The way he flung himself towards me without any preparation was grotesque beyond words.

His mouth, split almost to his ears, opened wide, revealing rows of teeth lining both his upper and lower jaws.

I swung the sword recklessly.

"Keugh!?"

The side of the Oni's mouth tore even further.

Blood splattered.

It was red, just like a human's.

"You!?"

Before the Oni could say anything, I raised the sword again and struck down.

"Ah, wait!"

Once.

"It hurts!"

Twice.

"It hurts! It hurts! What the hell are you!?"

Three times, four times, five times—

The blade cut through disturbingly well, and the sword didn’t get stuck anywhere.

Even when the Oni opened his mouth towards me, I struck down again.

The sword embedded in his philtrum split his lips, tore through his gums, and left a huge gash between his teeth.

Pink flesh dangled, and blood splattered.

Even when he reached out his hand towards me, I struck down again.

His fingers were severed.

There should have been bones inside, but the Oni’s arm was sliced through like jelly.

As the Oni flailed his arm around in pain, his blood splattered onto me as well.

The ear-piercing screams gradually faded as I kept striking.

By the time I could hear nothing at all, the Oni's face was unrecognizable from what it once was.

His face was still swollen.

But it was impossible to tell where his eyes had been, or where his nose was.

What shape his mouth had been in, or how his teeth had been aligned.

There was no way to tell just from looking at this corpse.

Blood, fat, and flesh filled the alley.

It was splattered on the walls, on the ground, even on my sailor uniform.

As I came to my senses, I noticed the sun shining above.

The sunlight, which had strangely avoided the alley, was now slowly seeping in.

Slowly, smoke began to rise from the pieces of flesh.

As if they were evaporating.

"Ugh!"

It was only then that I truly came to my senses.

I dropped the sword I had been holding.

It wasn’t because of the corpse.

Rather, it was the fact that I had created that corpse myself that I couldn’t believe.

It wasn’t a human... but still.

The tension left my body, and my legs gave out as I realized that I had just fought for my life.

If I had died, it wouldn’t have been a simple death.

My body would have been chewed up and swallowed, and what remained would have been strewn about without a care.

"Ugh."

I vomited up sour bile.

The expensive desserts I had eaten earlier spilled out in full.

What a waste.

I collapsed to the side.

My body had no strength left.

"Kurosawa!"

A voice shouted from far away.

A sound coming from outside the alley.

It was Miura’s voice.

Ah, Miura survived.

I stopped the serial killings.

That thought crossed my mind.

Just as a girl and two adults appeared at the entrance of the alley, I lost consciousness.

*

When I woke up, I was in a hospital.

"Kurosawa?"

Miura, who had apparently been by my side since I collapsed, called my name.

"...Miura."

I groaned as I tried to sit up.

My hand hurts. But when I looked at it, there didn’t seem to be any visible injuries.

"What happened?"

Miura asked with a concerned look.

"What happened?"

"When I brought the police, you were the only one in the alley. That man wasn’t there."

"......"

I looked down at my hands.

The sensation of striking with the sword wasn’t vivid...

It felt like a dream, even though I remembered it.

Like waking up in the middle of the night and falling back asleep.

"The blood...?"

"On your hands, Kurosawa."

On my hands.

The alley had been covered in blood.

...Ah, that’s right.

This was something described in the original story.

Yokai corpses can’t stay in reality.

Yokai nest in reality to find "prey", and as they consume prey and grow stronger, their nests expand.

The nest is maintained by the yokai's power, and once the yokai dies, the nest collapses.

The corpse of a yokai doesn’t leave any trace and evaporates without a trace.

Blood, organs, anything that came from the yokai's body.

But not my blood.

No.

I quickly started feeling my body all over.

From what I knew, if an ordinary person flew up as high as the second floor of a building, crashed into a hard wall, and then fell, they’d definitely break something.

I knew that much from seeing it happen so many times.

But aside from extreme exhaustion, I wasn’t injured at all.

"...Did that man do something to you...?"

Miura asked with a pained expression.

I was almost eaten.

Literally.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say that.

I knew what Miura was thinking.

She was clearly worried that... something inappropriate might have happened to me.

There were yokai like that.

But at least the yokai I encountered today wasn’t that intense.

Knock knock.

While I was pondering how to respond, someone knocked on the hospital room door.

...Wait a minute.

Isn’t this a private room?

I hadn’t realized earlier because I was trying to figure out my situation, but this room looked incredibly expensive.

My heart rate began to rise rapidly.

How much is the hospital fee per day here?

Japan has health insurance, right?

But private rooms aren't covered, are they?

Is it a non-covered service?

The person who knocked didn’t wait for a response and opened the door.

"Kurosawa—oh, you're awake."

The person who cautiously entered was a young woman.

She looked around the same age as Ms. Suzuki.

Her clothes were casual, but her demeanor made me think she was probably a police officer.

I hadn’t seen her illustrated in the novel.

Behind her, another person entered, a sharp-looking man who also seemed like a police officer.

He, too, appeared quite young.

"Sorry to trouble you, but we need to ask about what happened today. Miura, could you step outside for a bit?"

"Ah, yes."

Miura quickly responded, getting up from her seat—then turned toward me and gently placed her hand on my arm.

"Kurosawa, hang in there."

"...Okay."

I didn't know how to respond, so I simply nodded and gave a short answer.

Miura squeezed my arm lightly before releasing her hand.

She bowed slightly to the two officers and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"...Whew."

The young woman sighed and approached me.

"May I sit?"

"...Yes."

I nodded.

She cautiously sat down, then pulled out a business card from the inner pocket of her jacket.

Holding it politely with both hands, she handed it to me.

"I'm Tomoko Tatsumi."

"...I'm Kotone Kurosawa."

She suddenly switched to polite speech and handed me her business card, so I instinctively replied with my own name as I accepted it.

Seeing this, Tomoko Tatsumi gave me a slight smile.

I looked at the business card.

[Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, Criminal Investigation Division, Sex Crimes Investigation Unit 1 - Tomoko Tatsumi]

See?

I knew it.

I felt a slight throb in my head.

Since there was no remaining body, it wasn’t a murder case.

Given that I vomited and collapsed at the scene, it would look like this to anyone.

A man pretended to be injured to lure a high school girl, assaulted her, and then fled.

That would be the logical conclusion.

"So, Kurosawa."

Tatsumi asked carefully.

"Do you remember anything about what happened today? Even small details would help."

"......"

I fiddled with the business card, thinking of a way to get out of this situation.

I came to a quick conclusion.

"I don’t remember anything."

"I see."

Yeah, I’ll just insist that I don’t remember anything.

They don’t have any evidence anyway.

And since nothing actually happened, it would be best if they just assumed things and moved on.

Tatsumi looked over at the male officer with a troubled expression, but she seemed to decide that pressing further wouldn’t be a good idea.

"Well, if you remember anything later, could you contact me at the number on the card? You can call, text, or email."

"Yes, I’ll do that."

I nodded, relieved that it ended without having to write a formal statement or anything.

*

Fortunately, it seemed Miura’s family covered the hospital bill.

On top of that, they brought me a school uniform in my size, since the one I had worn yesterday was torn and bloodied beyond wearable condition.

I was truly grateful.

Since I wasn’t physically injured, I was discharged early the next morning.

The previous day, Miura had suggested that I rest for a few more days to monitor my condition, but I felt bad about it.

More importantly, staying too long would reveal the fact that I didn’t have a guardian.

I didn’t want to end up in a foster home.

Even though I was in a high school girl’s body, my mind was that of an independent adult male, and I preferred a bit of freedom over financial security.

Though Miura was safe thanks to the incident...

Unfortunately, it seemed to have left her with a significant trauma.

Maybe she blamed herself for leaving me behind and causing the situation.

Well, from a logical standpoint, that would make sense.

"...Sigh."

As soon as I returned to my room, I tossed my bag into a corner.

It just so happened that my textbooks were piled up haphazardly there without a bookshelf, and the bag caused them to topple over.

But I didn’t have the energy to care.

Though my body was fine, my mental stamina was depleted.

I lay down on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

The sound of my neighbor snoring, which I usually heard at night, was absent.

Maybe they were out for work.

"..."

I raised my wrist and looked at it.

The pentagram was still there.

Yesterday, it had been bitten and crushed by the Oni, and the wound had torn open like a pupil.

But there wasn’t even a scar left, let alone a wound that needed treatment.

So... is it that my blood is a summoning condition?

To create a sword or to communicate with that "She" being.

I think I understand what "She" is.

It's probably not a name but a personal pronoun.

In Japanese manga and anime, it's common for high-ranking characters to refer to themselves as "She".

It implies a being of great power.

In a world with yokai, it’s likely that she’s not a Japanese yokai, but one from overseas.

I didn’t even need to think hard to figure out where this idea came from.

Of course, it’s from the Cthulhu Mythos.

Back then, there may have been copyright issues, so the names were changed or altered.

Or maybe the author wanted to maintain originality.

"..."

Even though I wasn’t tired, maybe I should try to sleep.

There’s nothing else for me to do lying here anyway.

*

Contrary to what I had told myself earlier about not being able to sleep, I drifted off faster than I expected.

I was woken up by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Huh?"

Wait, hold on.

Who’s knocking?

Didn’t I live as Kotone Kurosawa without any acquaintances?

I glanced outside the window and saw that the sky was darkening.

Who would be visiting me at this hour?

Knock knock knock.

Since I had come back while the sun was still shining, I hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights.

Although it wasn’t completely dark outside yet, the light seeping through the window had a faint bluish tint, while the entrance was eerily dark, almost like a horror scene.

Knock knock knock knock.

The knocking continued.

This feels like the start of a ghost story.

If it were a typical Korean apartment doorbell sound, it wouldn’t have felt this creepy.

Just as I was seriously debating whether or not to answer—

"...Kurosawa?"

A cautious voice called from the entrance.

"......"

I recognized that voice.

I slowly got up and walked towards the entrance.

Click.

I flipped the switch, and the fluorescent light in the entryway and kitchen flickered on.

When I opened the door—

"...Oh, Kurosawa?"

Standing there was Ms. Suzuki.

"Teacher?"

I blinked up at Ms. Suzuki.

She looked somewhat awkward, as if she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.

"...Would you like to come in?"

"Ah, thank you."

Ms. Suzuki quickly stepped inside, as though she feared I might retract the invitation.

I closed the door behind her and instinctively locked it before leading the way back to the room.

Ah, I forgot to turn on the lights.

I flipped the switch, and the fluorescent light in the room flickered to life, just like in the entryway.

In my small room, there was a pile of bean sprouts and a bag of koppepan in one corner.

Books were stacked without a bookshelf, and because I had thrown my bag earlier, they had collapsed and were scattered on the floor.

With no wardrobe or proper storage, my cheap underwear and t-shirts lay messily piled on the ground.

...

I turned to look at Ms. Suzuki.

She was staring in shock, standing frozen at the threshold, unable to cross into the room.

...I probably shouldn’t have invited her in.

That thought crossed my mind too late.

Chapter 7. Bread and the Heroine (1)

Since I had a guest, should I offer something?

I thought about it, but in truth, I had nothing to offer.

If the guest had been a yokai, they might have treated me as something to eat.

For all I knew, a few bugs might have been crawling somewhere in this house where I couldn't see.

Other than that, I had soy sauce and salt, but I couldn't serve those as food, could I?

There wasn't even a cushion to sit on, so the two of us sat awkwardly facing each other inside the house.

"So... Kurosawa-san?"

"Yes."

"Where is your mother, by any chance?"

"..."

Do I have a mother?

No, come to think of it, it might be a reasonable question.

After all, it's not easy for a high school girl living alone to get into a private high school in the heart of Tokyo.

Someone must have taken the exam, and someone must have paid the fees.

Kurosawa Kotone probably had records showing she attended both elementary and middle school.

Whether that 'someone' had just made the preparations, or whether this body really did attend elementary and middle school, I still didn't know.

"So, Kurosawa-san, it shows that you’re living with your mother."

"My mother is out working."

I lied.

And I thought it was a believable lie.

It seemed plausible, didn't it?

A mother working late into the night to cover expensive tuition while living with her daughter in a place like this.

If not, it might seem like neglectful parents who left their daughter alone.

Either way, it would provoke the imagination.

"I see."

Looking at Ms. Suzuki's face, it seemed she was thinking of the latter.

Her daughter had collapsed after that incident and been hospitalized, yet there was no sign of her.

A responsible parent would at least thank whoever paid the hospital bill.

Miura’s parents must have formed a bad impression.

Ms. Suzuki hesitated for a moment, then cautiously spoke again.

"Kurosawa-san, about what happened yesterday—"

"I don't remember."

When I said that, Ms. Suzuki shut her mouth.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. After I saw that man... I don’t remember. Miura was calling me… and when I woke up, I was in the hospital..."

"I see."

Ms. Suzuki's face stiffened.

Her gaze fell on my left hand.

Come to think of it, she had seen the mark engraved there before.

Until now, I had been wearing long winter uniforms, so no one had noticed.

I had also made a conscious effort to keep my arms lowered.

Maybe I should do something about it.

After all, no one would look kindly on a high school student with a tattoo.

"Do you need help with anything?"

I hesitated for a moment.

Years ago, in Korea, teachers said there wasn’t much they could do if parents refused, leaving no way to help the child.

How was it in Japan?

Bullying happened in schools everywhere, and youth crimes occurred somewhere in every country.

From minor violence to theft, or even rape or murder—the types varied.

In my opinion, human rights for students, whether in early 21st century Japan or Korea, probably weren’t that highly regarded.

"No."

So, I answered firmly.

If she tried to help, noticing that my situation was strange would be a bigger hassle.

"..."

But Ms. Suzuki seemed to take my answer differently.

She pulled out a note from her bag and hastily scribbled something on it.

When she handed it to me, it had her name and contact information.

A phone number, a mobile number, and an email address.

"When your mother comes home, can you show her this? I’d like to talk to her."

"...Alright."

"Good, then... take care."

Ms. Suzuki looked around the room one more time.

All she could see were my personal belongings scattered haphazardly on the floor, without any furniture, and a trash bag in the corner.

I hadn’t cleaned since moving here, so to Ms. Suzuki, it must have looked like a real dump.

After looking at me with a worried expression, Ms. Suzuki carefully stood up from the room.

Snore.

It seemed the man next door had finally come home, as I heard snoring through the wall.

Ms. Suzuki flinched at the sound.

She must have realized how thin the walls were, so thin that a single hammer strike could probably break through to the next apartment.

"..."

She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

She hesitated a little longer before slowly walking out toward the front door.

"Then, I’ll come by again. Is that alright?"

"...Yes, thank you for coming."

"Alright."

Ms. Suzuki smiled faintly at my words.

Even as I closed the door, she waved at me.

It was dark outside, but there shouldn’t be any problem with Ms. Suzuki going back alone.

Though this apartment was exceptionally run-down, the surrounding area didn’t seem particularly unsafe.

"Whew."

I let out a long sigh and returned to the room.

I laid down, resting my head on my bag.

"..."

Ah, this is bad.

I’m even more awake than I was during the day.

Not that there’s anything to do if I don’t sleep.

*

"Eh? Your hair’s back to normal?"

Fukuda said this as she saw me in class.

My hairstyle had reverted from a ponytail to a simple loose hair tied at the ends.

Luckily, the hair tie Fukuda had given me was still intact, sparing me extra expenses.

"...That takes longer than you’d think."

"Yeah, I guess. You do have long hair. How about trimming it a little while you’re at it?"

"...Not interested."

When I was a man, I could get a decent cut for around 10,000 won.

Since this is 2004, it’s probably cheaper than that.

But that was in Korea, and for men's hair.

I remember seeing national pride videos on the internet, praising Korean salons for their cost-effectiveness.

That meant Japanese salons were probably more expensive than Korean ones.

And with hair this long, trimming would likely incur extra charges.

...Also, I had a feeling that the salons frequented by these rich girls wouldn’t be cheap.

"You were sick yesterday, right? You didn’t secretly hang out with that boy from the meeting, did you?"

"My hair's back to normal, isn’t it?"

Yamashita, fiddling with her phone, glanced at me briefly before speaking.

"If she were still meeting with him, she would’ve kept styling her hair."

"Ah~ I guess that’s true."

Fukuda shrugged and sat down at her desk.

It seemed she didn’t know why I had missed school.

Some passing student must have seen, but I guess I was lucky?

"Kurosawa."

As I was taking out my books for the first class, Miura entered the classroom, beaming with a bright smile as she approached me.

"Hello."

I greeted her as nonchalantly as possible.

Miura’s smile grew even wider upon seeing my greeting.

"I took notes from yesterday’s classes since you missed them. I’ll show you."

"The first thing you talk about when you see someone who’s been sick is studying?"

Fukuda said with a slightly exasperated look.

Miura let out a light laugh.

"..."

If the original light novel plot had followed as it was, there would have been a flower vase placed behind me instead of Miura.

"Good morning, everyone!"

Ms. Suzuki entered through the front door, greeting the class.

When our eyes met, her expression stiffened for just a moment, but she quickly regained her usual composure.

Was she still thinking about the state of the house where I lived?

Well, to be honest, it wasn’t in a condition where I could say it was fine.

Not the house itself, but the inside, the room I lived in—that was the problem.

"Alright, let’s start by taking attendance."

The first class of the day was Japanese.

Or, from my perspective, 'Japanese language' class.

Right, I should focus hard on this since I’ve missed quite a bit.

After all, the story will move forward with the protagonist and the heroine.

An extra should live like an extra.

*

There’s a way to avoid getting tired of eating the same food every day.

It’s simply to not eat anything else and to keep the portions small each time.

Though the size of a koppe pan isn’t exactly "small," high school students, male or female, are generally big eaters.

I didn’t snack much otherwise, so I actually found myself looking forward to koppe pan time because I’d be hungry.

"...The weather’s getting warm."

Actually, it wasn’t just warm—it was going to get really hot soon.

Tokyo is right by the sea, so it’ll probably get incredibly humid as well.

Should I start looking for a summer hideaway?

The hallway in front of the rooftop might be a good spot.

Hardly anyone goes up there, after all.

I stuffed the last of the bread into my mouth and shoved the wrapper into my pocket.

When I checked my phone, I still had plenty of time left.

Since there wasn’t much point in staying here, I decided to head back to the cool classroom.

A few passing students glanced at me as I came down from the rooftop, but they didn’t pay me much attention.

As I was walking— I happened to pass by Class 1-A.

The class where the protagonist and the heroine would attend.

The heroine hadn’t transferred in yet, had she?

I peeked inside through the hallway window.

The protagonist’s seat was by the window, one seat from the back.

The heroine would sit in the seat behind him.

Why was that prime spot conveniently empty?

If someone asked, I’d say it was because of the ghost story attached to that seat.

Something about a female student who committed suicide.

Anyway, it was considered a creepy seat that no one wanted to sit in.

This was something mentioned in the novel too.

The heroine, though, sits there without any issue, and when the protagonist tells her about the ghost story, she just laughs.

Since she can see yokai with her eyes, it’s no wonder.

"She’s not here yet."

The protagonist was there, but the heroine wasn’t.

Personally, I liked her character when I read the novel, so it was a bit disappointing.

She’s the type of pureblood tsundere that’s hard to find nowadays, the kind that emerged just after the 20th century, with such high purity that it was almost extreme.

I shrugged to myself and headed back to my seat.

*

"Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, I’m fine."

"Hey, Kurosawa’s not a kid. She can walk home by herself."

From my perspective, you guys are still kids.

Though I guess teenagers usually think they’re all grown up.

Even though they can’t drink yet.

By the laws of this country at this time, I suppose they could marry, though?

"As long as I can get to the subway."

In reality, I had to walk quite a distance from the subway, but there’s no way they’d follow me all the way to Saitama.

"Then let us at least take you to the subway..."

"...It’s fine, really."

In truth, I was a bit scared.

You guys spend money so freely when you go out.

Not just fast food places, but expensive cafes, and you buy fancy desserts, go to karaoke, and play crane games.

The money spent on a single try at the crane game could buy me several koppe pan.

I only stuck with them to prevent Miura from dying, so now it was fine to distance myself from them.

Even if it strained our relationship... well, I’m really a man in my thirties inside.

Walking around with them would only make me feel guilty.

"...Alright, then. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

I waved at Miura.

After watching the three of them head off in the direction they wanted to go, I turned and started walking too.

After a few steps, an idea popped into my head.

Oh, yeah.

How about joining a club?

Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita were all in the going-home club, meaning they didn’t participate in any club activities.

If I said I had club activities, I could naturally distance myself from them.

I should find a club that doesn’t cost money.

Preferably one where I can spend time quietly within the school.

A literature club might be nice.

All they do is gather to read books, right?

Occasionally, they write something for the school festival.

Would anyone mind if there was a quiet, unsociable girl sitting in the corner of the clubroom?

Probably not.

Thinking such thoughts, I walked forward, when suddenly my gaze was caught by a girl.

She was walking—not toward me, but in the opposite direction I was headed.

Was she around my age?

She seemed slightly taller than me.

Well, Kurosawa Kotone wasn’t exactly tall by any objective standard.

She had swept her bangs to one side and tucked them behind her ear, while the rest of her long hair was neatly tied in a ponytail.

It was a textbook example of a perfect ponytail.

Her expression was a little fierce, with sharp eyes.

Her tightly closed lips made her look strict, but her pink lips seemed soft.

She was a beauty, as if drawn from a picture.

Even if she had appeared on TV instead of passing by me, I wouldn’t have found it out of place.

...Yuuki Yuka.

Though she was in casual clothes right now, I clearly remembered her in a sailor uniform.

She was heading in the direction of the school.

So, will she transfer to this world too?

Originally, she transferred after saving the protagonist’s little sister.

I forced myself to look away.

If she realized I was staring, it would become troublesome.

My heart pounded.

"..."

I tried to maintain a normal pace as I walked forward.

Could she see through my identity?

Though I couldn’t be certain, I knew my body wasn’t that of a regular human.

If Yuuki Yuka, who could see yokai, were to look at me, would she be able to see through me?

I walked past her.

Her long ponytail swayed gently with her steps.

After a few more steps, I let out a small sigh, but suddenly, the footsteps behind me stopped.

"Hey."

And I heard someone calling.

I stopped too.

It was after school.

Though Hanagawa High School had a fairly high rate of club participation, there weren’t so many students that the streets were crowded, but there were still a few others wearing the same uniform as me.

Yet strangely, the spot where the two of us stood was completely empty.

I was unlucky.

"...What is it?"

I cautiously turned around and saw Yuuki Yuka’s sharp face clearly.

How could a high school girl who fights so much not have a single scar on her face?

In the novel, she had gone through quite a lot.

Though I hadn’t seen the anime or comic versions, it was likely the same.

Did she sense any unease from my expression?

Yuuki Yuka tilted her head slightly.

Luckily, it seemed she hadn’t noticed I wasn’t a normal human.

"If I keep walking down this road, will I reach Hanagawa High School?"

Though she tilted her head, she still asked her question clearly.

"Yeah. Just follow the road straight up."

"Thanks."

She said, turning without hesitation to continue walking.

So, she didn’t figure it out.

Though I was relieved, part of me felt a little disappointed.

Well, I guess it’s natural to feel a little sad since I’m living in a light novel world now.

Even though I’m an extra in the story.

Not that I plan to get involved with the main plot, though.

*

...At least, that’s what I thought.

Lunch break.

Unlike the other students, I got up slowly and walked lazily toward the school store.

There were always plenty of koppe pan.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough money to buy several, but at least I could afford one to satisfy my hunger for a while.

So, I was leisurely heading toward the school store—

And there was Yuuki Yuka.

She was staring at the store with a rather astonished expression.

Seeing her, I quickly racked my brain to recall memories from 20 years ago.

Let’s see...

Oh, she was eating bread, wasn’t she?

There were often scenes where she complained about the bread.

I remembered one of the first conversations she had with the protagonist during a meal.

She said she was late getting bread from the store, so she brought back koppe pan.

And among the bread-related episodes, there was a comedic short where Yuuki Yuka fought over bread.

Realizing this, I nearly smacked my forehead.

If I had remembered sooner, I wouldn’t have awkwardly run into her like this.

Though it seemed I was the only one feeling awkward.

I cautiously leaned against the wall, choosing a spot slightly more out of sight than usual.

After the crowd of students fighting over bread thinned out, I slowly made my move.

"Ah, excuse me—"

"Sorry, all we’ve got left is koppe pan."

When Yuuki Yuka approached the counter and spoke, the store lady responded with a bitter smile.

Yuuki Yuka’s shoulders slumped.

A tsundere with a personality as rigid as the typical disciplinary committee member in school dramas, yet in some ways still girlish.

No wonder she had been my favorite character.

Seeing her in person seemed to bring back faint memories, as if the past 20 years had completely buried those old feelings.

I maintained a slight distance from Yuuki Yuka as I approached the counter.

"Oh, you’re here again."

"Yes, I’ll have a koppe pan, please."

"I’m sorry it’s always like this. Should I save one for you next time?"

The lady clearly didn’t think I was buying koppe pan because I couldn’t afford anything else.

"No, this is fine."

I said, placing my coins in her hand and receiving the bread.

"Huh?"

Yuuki Yuka seemed a little flustered by my exchange with the lady, glancing between me and her, but I acted as if I wasn’t paying her any mind—at least, I tried to appear that way—as I turned and slowly walked out of the store.

"Hey, wait!"

I had only walked for a few seconds before I heard Yuuki Yuka call out.

"Yeah?"

It was clear she was calling me, so it felt odd not to respond.

When I turned back, she ran up, slightly out of breath, and spoke.

"Are you familiar with the store lady?"

"..."

Ah, she’s asking because of the bread.

Chapter 8. Bread and the Heroine (2)

“Why?”

“Oh, no, it’s just that.”

Yuuki awkwardly shook the koppe pan in her hand.

The rustling of the plastic bag sounded louder than it should have.

“Well… since we know each other, I thought maybe you could get my bread for me too.”

Hmm.

In the light novel, she was a sharp-tongued tsundere heroine in many ways, but it seemed she only acted that way in front of the protagonist.

Though, she did seem to be a bit kinder in front of other heroines as well.

I silently looked up at Yuuki, who was about half a head taller than me, and opened my mouth.

“If we ask them to reserve the bread for us, the people who come early won’t be able to buy it.”

“Oh… right.”

When I spoke reasonably, Yuuki didn’t seem to have anything else to say.

“And we don’t really know each other. I just buy koppe pan every day, so the lady remembered me.”

“Koppe Pan? Every day?”

Is that really such a surprising thing?

...Well, objectively speaking, it might seem a bit strange to buy koppe pan every single day.

Honestly, it’s not even that good.

If I had to compare it, it’s like seeing someone eat a plain slice of bread every day without any butter or toasting.

That’s how plain koppe pan is.

But when you think of it as a meal, maybe it actually makes sense.

“…Anything else?”

“Oh, no, nothing.”

Seeing Yuuki answer like that, I turned around.

If this were the male protagonist, it might be different, but getting too close to him could cause problems later.

In fact, I was seriously considering transferring schools.

Having a yokai hunter nearby would probably exhaust me, considering how much I resemble a yokai myself.

As I walked, I suddenly heard footsteps following me from behind.

I quickly turned around.

Yuuki, who was following me, was pretending to look out the window.

“…”

Narrowing my eyes, I stared at her for a while, and Yuuki started whistling.

But it wasn’t even a proper whistle, just the sound of air blowing out.

What’s the point of whistling if you can’t even do it properly?

I turned back around and kept walking.

The sound of footsteps followed me all the way to the rooftop.

When I got to the rooftop, I turned around once again.

The door stayed closed for a while before it slowly creaked open a little.

Yuuki’s face peeked through the gap.

“…Why did you follow me?”

“No reason, really.”

Yuuki slowly came out and stepped onto the rooftop.

“I was just looking for a good place to eat lunch.”

I narrowed my eyes at Yuuki again.

…Now that I think about it, she didn’t really have many friends either.

Since she always acted cold around the guys, they didn’t dare approach her, and her demeanor probably made the girls feel uncomfortable too.

In fact, even after transferring schools, until she rescued and befriended the protagonist’s sister, it wasn’t clear what she did during lunch.

Could it be that she had no one to eat with and was eating somewhere alone?

“…”

I decided not to dwell on it.

There’s no point in two loners paying attention to each other.

It would only make things awkward.

Besides, she’ll probably get involved with the protagonist eventually, one way or another—even if not because of the sister.

I found a spot near the door that led to the rooftop, though I wasn’t sure exactly what to call that area.

For the record, I always cleaned this spot myself.

Since I’d be sitting here during lunch, it would be inconvenient if it were dirty.

I sat down and ripped open the koppe pan bag.

Then, I took out a small container from my pocket.

It was a tiny dish with a lid, probably meant to be carried with a lunchbox.

I bought it from the 100-yen shop.

When I opened the lid, there was some white powder inside.

“What’s that?”

“…”

Yuuki, who had somehow sat down next to me, looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.

“Salt.”

Even I couldn’t eat the same bread every day without getting tired of it.

Strangely, my body hadn’t shown any major signs of distress yet.

Well, it makes sense, considering I’m not exactly human.

If anything, the fact that I still feel hungry is the weird part.

Anyway, as much as I was getting sick of koppe pan, buying other types of bread felt like a bit of a hassle.

So, I came up with the idea of dipping koppe pan in salt.

Back in the 2020s, there was a trend for salted bread in Korea.

Wasn’t the original from Japan?

If I recall correctly, it was around this time that Japan invented it, according to what I read on Wikipedia.

Though I’m not sure if salted bread has spread throughout Japan yet.

Still, I wasn’t about to go buy salted bread, I figured I’d improvise instead.

I carefully placed the small container on the ground and lightly dipped the bread into the salt.

Then, I took a bite.

Hmm…

Honestly, compared to the kind of bread you get from a bakery, this was a far cry from it.

But it was better than nothing.

“Is it good?”

Yuuki asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.

“Wanna try?”

I held up the container to Yuuki.

After hesitating for a moment, Yuuki dipped her bread into the salt and brought it to her mouth.

“…It’s salty.”

“That’s because you dipped too much.”

I lightly dipped the tip of my bread and took a bite.

Well, it was edible.

…Though I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious as I ate.

“Hey, it’s not bad.”

Yuuki, after trying just a little bit, blinked in surprise.

“…But to be honest, koppe pan is still koppe pan.”

Yeah, of course.

It’s still koppe pan.

There was no denying that, so I just nodded quietly.

*

And so, my second encounter with the heroine ended peacefully.

We didn’t really talk much.

I only spoke briefly when necessary, and it seemed she didn’t want to drag the conversation out either.

That’s good.

Go ahead and become a tsundere couple with the protagonist.

Just don’t pull out a knife on me later.

…Anyway.

It was about time I seriously started looking for a part-time job.

The balance in my bank account had noticeably decreased.

To be precise, the first digit had dropped by one.

In total, the decrease wasn’t that much, but the psychological impact was significant.

It felt like if I didn’t fix it soon, something bad would happen.

You know that feeling, right?

That’s what I was feeling.

“Heading home alone again today?”

“Yeah… I have something to do.”

“I see.”

Miura looked a little disappointed.

It’s… a bit awkward to say, but I don’t think we’ve become that close yet.

We barely know anything about each other.

But then again, friendships in school are often like that.

You meet without knowing anything about each other, and after a few months, you finally learn whether someone has siblings or is an only child.

At this age, it’s enough to just hang out and have fun together.

But if you don’t build a deep connection, you’ll end up losing touch as adults.

I waved back at Miura, who waved goodbye to me, and packed my notebook and textbooks into my bag.

Even if I’ve been skipping school for over a week, I still need to do my homework.

But first, I need to find a part-time job.

Though I had no idea where to start looking.

*

So today, I decided to invest some time and effort into job hunting.

The places I knew in Japan were mostly the big ones—Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Okinawa.

Among them, the area I was most familiar with was Tokyo, and within Tokyo, I knew places like Ikebukuro, Shibuya, and Akihabara.

I wasn’t entirely sure what exact areas those names referred to.

For example, Garosu-gil and Myeongdong have different scopes, right?

Garosu-gil is just one famous street, while Myeongdong is an entire legal district.

But it didn’t really matter.

I’d just go check them out.

And the place I chose was Akihabara.

To be honest, this was a pretty self-indulgent choice.

Despite everything, back in 2004, I was still a broke middle schooler, and Akihabara was a place I had always wanted to visit.

Did you know?

Back in 2004, there wasn’t even YouTube.

Machine translation through web browsers wasn’t as accessible, and even when it existed, it wasn’t as natural as it is today.

Finding information was much harder back then.

I didn’t even know much about Google.

Anyway, that’s why I selfishly decided to head to Akihabara.

“...Wow.”

And I was genuinely impressed.

In that world, I was a relatively older otaku.

And that’s a bit sad.

It meant that most of the content I’d dived into during my youth had already ended.

Of course, even as an adult, you can still explore new things, but it’s hard to muster the same passion you had as a kid.

Sure, you might be able to drop 300,000 won on an expensive figurine online, but you no longer have the energy to wake up at 4 a.m., ride the subway for an hour, and rush to buy a doujinshi.

“Wait, hold on.”

I mumbled to myself, lost in thought.

I had just realized something important.

As long as I managed the distance between myself and the protagonist and secured enough money for tuition, I could maintain my lifestyle in the Tokyo area.

In other words, I could attend the big events that only happen once in summer and winter.

A chill ran down my spine at the thought.

Until now, I had been too busy worrying about daily life to even consider anything else.

Not that I had the luxury to think about it now either, since I was looking for a job.

Honestly, it would have been wiser to look for a part-time job at a convenience store nearby to save on subway fare, but… what could I do?

I was already here.

Since I’d come all this way, I might as well look for a job and get my money’s worth.

…

Sometimes, you just need a bit of an excuse to justify things.

*

As I wandered around Akihabara, taking in the sights and feeling overwhelmed with nostalgia, I spotted a student in a black gakuran approaching in the distance.

The black-collared uniform, like something out of an old movie, didn’t stand out as much as a sailor uniform.

If the person wearing it wasn’t someone I recognized, I would have just walked by, thinking they were from another school.

But the person wearing it was the protagonist.

Sasaki Sota.

The girl next to him was wearing a white sailor uniform with a blue collar, which was the uniform of Hanagawa Middle School.

Or rather, the middle school division.

Anyway, it’s run by the same foundation.

That meant the girl was probably his sister, Sasaki Shii.

She wasn’t wearing glasses right now, but I remembered that she put them on whenever she needed to read or study.

That’s probably when the Oni targeted her.

Though it wasn’t revealed in the novel.

Why are they—?

I wondered, and then remembered that Sasaki Sota liked things like manga.

He wasn’t an outright otaku, but it was probably set up to make him relatable to the readers.

He was occasionally described as playing games or reading manga.

As for the sister, she had the ‘perfect little sister’ role that often appeared in these kinds of novels.

The type that would frequently say things like, “Oh, brother!”—the one who was sweet and took care of her brother’s shortcomings.

Mature for her age.

And I recall she even called Sasaki Sota “Onii-sama” and used honorific language.

Honestly, her characterization was a bit over the top.

But that was a feature of light novels from the mid-2000s.

The distance between us…

Well, I couldn’t say for sure, but it was close enough that if we knew each other’s faces, we’d be able to recognize one another.

Especially since I recognized Sasaki Sota.

So, the next thing I did was duck into a side alley.

And then I thought to myself.

Why did I hide?

I’ve only ever seen Sasaki Sota from a distance.

Light novel illustrations don’t perfectly match real-life appearances.

From here, he just looked like someone who had done a very good cosplay—one that felt natural.

The same went for his sister.

While their appearances weren’t entirely different, the reason I recognized Sasaki Sota so quickly was that I knew where he would be.

I’d seen his desk through the classroom window, so I recognized him immediately.

But on the other hand, they didn’t know my face.

Even if they did, they had no reason to show that they recognized me.

We’d never even talked before.

I could’ve just passed by them naturally.

“Yeah, really. Why did I hide?”

I asked myself again and stepped back out of the alley, walking confidently.

“Whoa!?”

“Onii-sama!?”

“Guh.”

And then I bumped right into Sasaki Sota as he walked by.

What a stroke of bad luck.

Though my body was capable of slashing yokai with a katana made from my own blood, outwardly, I was just a frail high school girl on the verge of being anorexic.

The strength I could muster was about the same.

The difference in weight between Sasaki Sota, who had a standard male build, and me, who barely reached average height for a girl, was obvious.

While he was startled and stepped back a little, I hit my forehead on his shoulder and fell backward, landing hard on my rear.

…That hurt.

My bottom hurt from the fall, and my hand hurt from where I caught myself, but more than anything, my pride hurt.

If I were in my original body, I’d be at least half a head taller than him.

I could probably lift him with one hand if I tried.

“Ah, sorry!”

Sasaki Sota quickly apologized and reached out a hand.

I looked up at him.

He looked so young.

That was my first thought.

Sure, Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita all looked young too, but Sasaki Sota looked particularly boyish.

Probably because his face wasn’t tanned at all.

I stared at his hand for a moment, debating.

Then I reached out and grabbed his arm, rather than his hand.

Sasaki Sota seemed to understand my intention and grabbed my arm to help me up.

He didn’t feel particularly strong.

Well, the novel did mention that his stamina wasn’t great in the beginning.

“Are you okay? You didn’t get hurt?”

My face flushed.

Not because of anything else, but because I had fallen completely by myself.

There was no reason for me to hide in that alley, but I ducked in and then popped out at the worst possible moment.

Even if it wasn’t on purpose, I’d timed it perfectly with their passing.

“…I’m fine.”

“Really? You fell pretty hard.”

“I said I’m fine.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Sasaki Sota glanced at my uniform.

“You go to Hanagawa High School too? So do I.”

“…Yeah.”

I let go of his arm, but Sasaki Sota continued talking as if he hadn’t noticed.

“Are you Kurosawa from Class B?”

“Onii-sama.”

His sister finally spoke up.

She gently poked Sasaki Sota’s shoulder with her finger, then pointed at the hand he was still holding mine with.

“Ah! Sorry!”

“…”

His reaction was straight out of a manga.

Well, I guess he is the protagonist of a light novel.

“My brother was rude. I apologize.”

His sister politely bowed her head toward me.

“It’s fine.”

I waved my hand dismissively in response.

I really just wanted to get away from them now.

I was tempted to tell him to go enjoy his date with his sister, but seeing their genuinely kind expressions stopped me from saying anything.

And—

“How do you know my name?”

—yeah, this was bothering me a little.

Like I said, I’ve never talked to him before.

“Oh, well. I have a friend in Class B. They mentioned you because…”

Sasaki Sota trailed off, as if unsure whether he should continue.

When I stared at him, he hesitated.

“They said they were surprised because someone who usually didn’t put much effort into their appearance suddenly did.”

Ah, I see.

It’s not surprising that guys talk about girls.

From basic comments on appearances to more crude remarks.

As long as the girl doesn’t hear it, it’s no big deal.

“…Right.”

I replied.

I adjusted my wrinkled sailor uniform and turned to walk away.

“Uh, wait!”

Sasaki Sota called out to me.

I turned my head back.

“…What?”

Judging by his expression, even he didn’t seem to know why he had called me.

…Wait, hold on a second.

Isn’t this more dangerous than being around Yuuki?

Yuuki kills yokai with her sword, but Sasaki Sota destroys them with his blood.

In other words, his body is no different from Yuuki’s sword.

“Since this was my fault, even if you didn’t get hurt, I’d like to make it up to you.”

“No nee—”

“My sister and I were just about to go eat. Would you like to join us?”

“…”

At Sasaki Sota’s words, I clamped my mouth shut.

Eat?

“What’s on the menu?”

“Uh, tonkatsu or something.”

Tonkatsu?

Meat, breaded, and fried in oil?

Animal fat and vegetable oil, combined?

And I wouldn’t have to pay?

When Sasaki said that, his sister looked utterly shocked.

Well, that makes sense.

She was on a date with her beloved brother, and suddenly, some gloomy girl she didn’t even know had barged in.

Not that I could blame her for feeling uncomfortable.

But I had already heard the word "tonkatsu".

My stomach wasn’t about to let me forget.

Ever since I stopped hanging out with Miura and the others, I hadn’t had much protein.

“…I’ll go.”

“Oh, really?”

Sasaki Sota seemed surprised by my answer, probably because he had heard me say "no" earlier.

And that’s how I ended up joining the Sasaki siblings for lunch.

It would just be for today.

Chapter 9. Bread and the Heroine (3)

Donkatsu is literally tonkatsu.

In fact, it's said that it's impossible to express it accurately in Korean, regardless of which name is used.

In Japanese, the 'ka' sounds like 'kka' in Korean, and 'tsu' sounds like 'sseu'.

Usually, older words brought into Korea use 'kka' and 'sseu,' while more recent ones use 'ka' and 'tsu.'

For example, the difference between 'tsunami' and 'sseunami.'

It seems that the way people hear pronunciation changes as generations pass.

Well, it doesn't really matter.

Whether it's donkatsu or tonkatsu, the fact that it's a thick cut of meat doesn’t change.

It had a crispy coating, and the sauce for dipping was sweet with a hint of sourness.

When I carefully bit into a pre-sliced piece of Japanese tonkatsu with my chopsticks, the tenderloin inside the crispy coating tore off, releasing its juicy fat into my mouth.

The taste was so shocking that I involuntarily shuddered.

Even in my previous life, and after being reincarnated, I had never tasted such delicious tonkatsu.

In fact, it was natural for a reason.

For a little over two weeks, I had been surviving on plain hotdog buns with nothing inside.

I got so tired of it that I even tried stuffing it with cooked bean sprouts and soy sauce or dipping it in salt, but it was impossible to completely cover the taste of that plain bread.

Ah, speaking of salt, there was some here, too.

As if to say, “We’re confident, so you can just lightly season it and it’ll still taste good”, they provided a small dish with a thin layer of salt along with the sauce.

And this place had every reason to be confident.

Even without the sauce, the meat had no off-taste, and the batter wasn’t overly greasy.

Just dipping a crispy, savory piece of tonkatsu in a little salt was enough to make me happy.

And above all, what was truly wonderful was that they gave plenty of rice.

Unlike some places that serve a scoop with an ice cream spoon like a large tonkatsu restaurant I used to frequent, they served a proper bowl—no, a plateful, and I was very pleased with that.

I want to come here again.

If I have the money.

"…Is it really that good?"

Sasaki Sota, who was sitting across from me, asked while I teared up, holding a half-eaten piece of tonkatsu with my chopsticks.

We had a brief moment of hesitation when choosing where to sit.

It seemed Sasaki Sota's sister wanted to sit across from her 'brother' for the meal, but also didn’t want to give up the seat next to him, so she hesitated on where to sit.

It was definitely a brother complex straight out of a picture.

In the end, she chose to sit beside her brother.

In other words, she took the seat for the 'couple and their friend.'

Well, I didn’t really care, so I just sat in the remaining seat in front of them.

Still, out of consideration, I didn’t sit directly in front of her brother but between them.

After all, my goal was the tonkatsu.

"It’s delicious."

I nodded firmly as I answered.

In reality, once things improve and I have more food available, I probably won’t be able to appreciate this taste as much.

But so what?

Happiness is something you have to feel at the moment, or it’ll slip away.

I decided to just enjoy this moment.

“So, Kurosawa, right?”

Sasaki Sota asked me again.

Oh, does he not know my name?

Well, I guess we’ve only introduced ourselves by surnames so far, so the friend he mentioned must have started with “Kurosawa said—.”

Of course, there’s a good chance that I hadn’t properly introduced myself to that friend either, but who knows?

Miura is fairly popular.

Fukuda and Yamashita, who sit behind me, are the same.

They’re what people commonly call the ‘in-group.’

The three of them usually hang out together the most, but really, how could someone who’s not popular in class become class president?

So, lots of kids talked to Miura.

And among them, a few greeted me, who sat right in front of her.

Though, I never had deep conversations with any of them.

My responses were too curt, so they didn’t dare try to continue the conversation.

Maybe if I looked a little brighter, they might have talked to me more, but with my usual appearance, wasn’t I just like 'Sadako'?

Sadako, with her hair tied back.

In that sense, Sasaki Sota was pretty courageous.

"Kurosawa Kotone."

I told him my name.

Since he bought me a meal, I should at least introduce myself.

“I’m Sasaki Sota.”

Though I already knew his name, it was technically the first time I heard it today.

“And this is—”

“I’m Shii. Sasaki Shii, Sota’s little sister. Nice to meet you.”

At first, she seemed to be somewhat wary of me, but now that we were sitting across from each other, she must have decided I seemed harmless.

That’s a relief.

I’ve been trying my best to look harmless so far.

“What brings you here?”

Sasaki Sota asked.

It seemed like a rather personal question, but then again, I figured it might be the only topic he could ask about.

Besides—

[Tokyo Slayers] was a light novel that followed the popular 'boy meets girl' format at the time.

A normal high school boy meeting an extraordinary high school girl and getting swept up in things—this could be the beginning of such a story right now.

And I only realized that after finishing another piece of tonkatsu.

…In any case, you shouldn’t just follow someone who offers to buy you food.

“…Looking for a part-time job.”

I said softly.

Though, to be honest, 75% of it was just for my selfish Akihabara exploration, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to say that.

So, I used the excuse I had made to fool myself.

“A part-time job? All the way out here?”

Well, that makes sense, doesn't it? Damn it.

Just because I attend Hanagawa High School doesn’t necessarily mean I live nearby.

The house prices around Tamachi Station in Minato Ward… well, I don’t know for sure, but they’re probably pretty expensive.

Definitely more than the one-room apartment I live in in Saitama Prefecture.

But that’s why getting a part-time job near Akihabara Station, which is about a 30-minute trip from there, would seem even weirder.

The idea of traveling several tens of minutes by train to school and then another several tens of minutes to a part-time job afterward seems like such a waste of time and money compared to just getting a job near school or home.

It’s a pretty easy thought to arrive at, even if you don’t know where I live.

But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t come up with another reason.

“…If I work nearby, people will recognize me.”

I said while picking up a second piece of tonkatsu.

“Oh, that makes sense.”

This time, both of them seemed to understand.

There are all kinds of people in the world, and everyone’s personality is different.

Some people enjoy running into friends and chatting while working a part-time job, while others aren’t too keen on such encounters.

If you think of it that way, it sounds pretty plausible, doesn’t it?

“…”

Then silence.

Hmm…

I didn’t mind just eating my tonkatsu in silence, but I felt it might be a bit rude to ignore the people who bought me food.

To be honest, someone who buys you food after just bumping into you is probably a good person.

And the protagonist, too.

"Why are you two here?"

“Oh.”

Sasaki Sota immediately smiled brightly.

He didn’t seem so happy that I asked him but more relieved that he didn’t have to eat awkwardly in silence.

“Shii said she needed a computer.”

Ah, I see.

Well, that makes sense.

But you know—

The usually perfect genius little sister who knows everything—how does she not know about computers?

In the story, she handles word processing and everything else by herself just fine.

Well, obviously, it’s just an excuse to spend time with her 'brother.'

From the anxious expression on her face, it seemed like she thought I might follow them around all day.

Don’t worry, I won’t.

Incidentally, I also knew that their relationship was quite complicated.

Not in an inappropriate way, of course.

Their parents were divorced.

Sasaki Sota lived with his father, and Sasaki Shii lived with her mother.

Neither parent was particularly ideal, so the siblings both worked part-time to support themselves.

They attended school on scholarships, too.

…Come to think of it, aren’t Japanese scholarships more like loans you have to pay back?

Well, I’m sure these two can handle it.

They’re the protagonist siblings, after all.

I thought as I stuffed the second piece of tonkatsu into my mouth.

It was indescribably delicious.

*

“See you.”

“Uh, yeah…”

The girl, with black hair, black eyes, and wearing a black sailor uniform—whether she chose that outfit herself or not was unclear—looked up at Sota.

The red ribbon below her sailor uniform collar stood out particularly vividly.

The girl named Kurosawa turned and walked away.

Perhaps it was just my imagination, but her steps seemed a little more stable than when I first saw her.

"Onii-sama."

Shii, who was standing next to him, asked.

"Have you known her for a long time?"

"No."

Sota shook his head.

He had seen her before, but he had never spoken to her.

He had heard stories.

Kurosawa herself might not know it, but she was already quite famous within their grade.

From the beginning of the semester, she had skipped the entire first week without permission.

Afterward, she was absent again, but didn’t seem to care at all.

They say that during lunch, she wobbles alone down the hallway, leaning against a corner of the school store until everyone clears out, only then buying her bread.

Her hairstyle alone made it hard for her not to be noticed.

Her long black hair covered her back.

When she tied her hair up, it became quite a topic of conversation.

Her exposed face was ranked highly in the school.

“So, why?”

Shii tilted her head and asked.

“Who knows, why indeed.”

In fact, the rumors about Kurosawa weren’t exactly positive.

With her gloomy vibe and always being alone at lunch.

She seemed to have a friend, but they didn’t appear particularly close.

Some even said they saw her carrying her bread to the rooftop.

So, the embellished rumors became like this.

That she was poor and maybe even making money inappropriately somewhere.

Those rumors exploded after she revealed her face.

“When I grabbed her arm earlier.”

“Her arm?”

“Yeah. Her arm was so thin.”

Sota said.

“Just like when I saw you again after a long time.”

“…”

At Sota’s words, Shii closed her mouth.

Well, Kurosawa was older than Shii had been at that time, so she had a little more flesh on her bones than Shii did back then.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t skinny.

“So… I just got involved out of concern. Maybe I shouldn’t have?”

“….”

Shii stayed quiet for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

“No, Kurosawa didn’t seem to mind too much, so it’s probably fine.”

“Right?”

Sota smiled and looked down at Shii, who quickly turned her gaze away.

Seeing her reaction, Sota chuckled to himself.

*

I headed straight home after that.

I didn’t want to linger in Akihabara and risk running into those two again.

After all, I had told them I was looking for a job.

It would be embarrassing to get caught standing in front of a second-hand figurine store with my mouth open, staring up at the figures.

But I still felt good.

A full stomach is a good thing.

I had devoured not only the tonkatsu but also all the rice and salad that came with it.

Despite my small, somewhat frail frame, that amount was enough to completely fill my stomach.

Anyway, walking home in a light mood—

—I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

Someone was in front of my door.

It wasn’t a particularly scary situation.

Because I knew who it was.

"…Ms. Suzuki?"

When I called out to the woman sitting against the door, sniffling, Ms. Suzuki looked up at me.

She was holding a bundle wrapped in a cloth in her arms.

Tears welled up in Ms. Suzuki's eyes as she looked up at me in surprise.

"Kurosawa?"

“…What are you doing here?"

“Oh, ah, no.”

She hurriedly stood up, trying to dust herself off, but dropped the bundle she was holding.

The bundle fell with a soft sound.

I glanced up at the sky beyond the corridor railing.

The sky was already dark.

Tokyo is further east than the Korean Peninsula, so the sun sets faster than I’m used to.

Since I had already eaten dinner, it was only natural that it was this late.

Could she have been waiting here ever since she left school?

"You weren’t home, huh?"

"…."

Seeing Ms. Suzuki smiling at me like that, I suddenly realized why her eyes were so tearful.

For some reason, Ms. Suzuki had visited my home.

She called out for me, but I didn’t come out.

So she must have thought something had happened to me, or at the very least that I was avoiding her.

I checked my phone.

…Not a single email had come through.

Seeing me check my phone, Ms. Suzuki seemed to realize how strange her actions had been.

Her face turned red.

…Let’s just pretend I didn’t see anything.

Well, it’s not like I had anywhere else to go after school anyway.

Silently, I took out my keys and unlocked the door.

"Would you like to come in?"

“Uh, uh-huh, thank you.”

Ms. Suzuki replied, her face still flushed.

Though she was an adult, she was also clearly new to the working world.

Come to think of it, I might even be older than her in terms of my previous life.

Once inside, I neatly took off my shoes and carefully placed my bag in the corner of the room.

Even though there wasn’t much in the room, if it got messier, Ms. Suzuki would probably worry needlessly.

After I got settled, Ms. Suzuki also sat down in front of me, still clutching the bundle and with her bag slung over one arm.

“…May I ask why you came by today?”

“Oh, well…”

Ms. Suzuki carefully placed the bundle she had been holding in front of her.

“I noticed something when I came by last time, and I’ve been worried about it since. I hope it’s not too much of a bother.”

When she unwrapped the light blue cloth, what appeared was a blanket.

…A blanket!

And not just a blanket, but a pillow, too.

My goodness.

“It’s not very thick since it’s one we used at home, but I thought it’d be better than sleeping directly on the floor.”

Both the bedding and the blanket were thin summer ones.

But still, it was something.

“Thank you.”

I immediately lowered my head slightly in gratitude.

I wouldn’t refuse.

I wasn’t sure if that was the polite thing to do in Japan, but if someone offers you a gift, you don’t reject it.

As long as it’s not some weird adult item sent by a pervert, it would certainly be a huge help in my daily life.

"Is that so?"

Ms. Suzuki seemed a little surprised by my reaction.

But soon enough, her expression softened.

"So, where did you go today?"

“A quick trip to Akihabara.”

I paused after saying that.

How old was I again?

Sixteen?

Finding a part-time job that hires sixteen-year-olds is one thing, but I’m not sure if the school would even allow it.

There might be a school rule against it or something.

Some schools don’t even allow students to commute by motorcycle, even if they’re old enough to get a license.

“Akihabara?”

“…I just wanted to check it out.”

So, I decided to hide the fact that I was planning to work.

Ms. Suzuki looked thoughtful for a moment.

Was she suspicious that I was hiding something?

“…I see.”

But after pondering for a bit, she seemed to decide that I hadn’t done anything wrong and left it at that.

Even though I had nothing else to say, I didn’t want to awkwardly sit there in silence.

Eventually, Ms. Suzuki slowly stood up.

"At least nothing happened. If you need any help, feel free to ask. I’m your homeroom teacher after all."

“Yes, I will. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

Ms. Suzuki smiled faintly.

Her eyes were still a little red.

She’s such a good person.

She was a good person in the original story, too.

Even better than the protagonist's homeroom teacher, as I recall.

“Well, I’ll come by again sometime.”

Ms. Suzuki said, bowing her head slightly.

“Take care.”

I bowed my head in return.

After watching Ms. Suzuki walk down the stairs, I quietly closed the door.

Then I hurried back into the room.

Ms. Suzuki had left not only the blanket but also the cloth she wrapped it in.

She hadn’t said when she would want it back, so I guess she was giving it to me.

I carefully folded the cloth and placed it in the kitchen drawer.

Then I returned to the room and spread out the folded blanket.

Had she washed it before giving it to me?

There wasn’t even a speck of dust.

I spread the blanket across the floor and placed the pillow at the top.

Then I lay down, resting my head on the pillow and pulling the blanket over myself.

“…Wow.”

My neck had been sore from using a stiff leather bag as a pillow, but now, resting my head on what felt like a cotton-filled pillow, it was like being in heaven.

So soft.

The blanket covering me was also incredibly cozy.

Tonight, I'll have the best sleep since I arrived here.

What’s going on?

Why’s my luck so good all of a sudden?

Free meat and a free blanket?

“….”

A small part of my mind thought that something felt off about this.

But my defense mechanism, which controlled most of my brain, hammered down that thought with a mental sledgehammer.

I felt at peace again.

Chapter 10. Bread and the Heroine (4)

Do you know this?

It hurts more when you are lifted up and then dropped, rather than being at rock bottom from the start.

This morning, I woke up in a soft bed.

Maybe it was because I slept on a proper pillow for the first time since arriving in this world, but my neck didn't feel stiff.

I was impressed that I didn't even have to roll it around a few times to loosen it up.

Though I had said, ‘It’s not that cold’, there was still a huge difference between sleeping under a blanket and not.

It was warm enough this morning that I didn’t have to shiver from the cold of dawn.

Thanks to that, I woke up at a rather tight hour today.

There was barely enough time to wash my hair, but no time to eat my morning koppe pan.

The stomach that I stuffed with tonkatsu last night quickly became empty.

Because I couldn’t properly dry my hair, my back was slightly damp even though I hadn’t been sweating.

Fortunately, I managed to avoid being late.

But that wasn’t the real tragedy.

Was it because I had tasted a bit of heaven yesterday?

The carbs I bought for lunch today tasted really awful.

Even though I dipped it in salt!

My body... was craving protein!

“Sigh.”

Of course, even though I felt this contrast, I’d been adjusting to this life for quite a while, so it wasn’t exactly shocking.

It just felt a bit more empty.

It wasn’t a reason to let out such an earth-shaking sigh.

“Sigh…”

That sigh came from beside me.

Yuuki, who had just sighed deeply, took the end of the koppe pan that I had placed near her and dipped it slightly in the salt before pushing it into her mouth.

They say Japanese people like salty things, but does she like salty food too?

I had no room to talk, as I was also dipping my bread in salt, though I only dipped it in a very little.

That amount was enough.

If I ate too much, it felt like one of my kidneys would go on strike a few days later.

And honestly, just being salty was a bit tiresome in itself.

“Sigh…”

For the third time in a row.

I stopped mid-bite into my koppe pan and turned my gaze toward her.

Yuuki seemed aware of my gaze but didn’t seem like she would speak unless I did first.

“...”

In the end, I pulled the bread out of my mouth.

“...Why?”

Only after I asked that did Yuuki turn her large eyes toward me and open her mouth.

“Well, nothing. I just feel like nothing’s going my way these days.”

It seems she wanted to vent her frustrations.

In the original story, Yuuki was a tsundere.

She often snapped at the protagonist, and the kind-hearted protagonist accepted it.

Because of that, Yuuki came to rely on him later on.

When the protagonist asked her to open up, she would pretend not to want to talk but eventually spill everything.

If I were to be honest about how I feel right now—why is she telling me this?

Isn’t this only the second time we’ve met?

At least when she confided in Sasaki, it was because they shared secrets.

Yuuki is a monster hunter, and Sasaki is one of the few classmates who knows that.

I get it.

Teenagers often don’t know how to keep their problems to themselves.

But we have nothing in common other than eating koppe pan.

Even though we’re both holding koppe pan, the reasons are different.

I had no choice but to eat it because I had no money, while she was eating it because she lost in some competition and had no other options left.

Though, I suppose we both have no choice but to eat koppe pan.

“...What’s the issue?”

I knew I was walking into a trap, but I didn’t want to spend the entire lunch break listening to her sigh.

Believe it or not, I was trying to enjoy this time.

“Well, I can’t get into the details—”

Then don’t.

I could already guess what it was about, but it was frustrating that she was being so vague.

“I came to this school to do something, but now that I’m here, I can’t find what I was supposed to do. I mean, if you have a goal, they should tell you clearly, not say something vague like, ‘It seems to have disappeared’ .They transferred me here, and now they’re saying that?”

It must be about her family.

There’s no such thing as a hunters' association in this country.

Ah, well, the government is somewhat aware of things.

They just don’t feel the need to handle it themselves.

In this world, not only Japan but other countries are filled with monsters or something similar, and each country has its own way of dealing with them.

I imagine Korea has something like a "hunter license" or something.

Or maybe they were all wiped out during the Korean War.

In Japan, they have "clans." It’s a very light-novel-like setting, isn’t it?

Yuuki is the eldest daughter of the main family in one of those clans.

Through various circumstances, she ended up having to take on the family business.

Whether she’s the head of the family or not, I’m not sure.

For hundreds of years, these clans have been hunting monsters and keeping their traditions alive through agreements with the government.

At least, that’s how the setting went.

I took another bite of the koppe pan I was holding.

“They even told me to bring it to school, you know? Do they have any idea what era we’re living in? That’s practically a crime these days.”

She must be talking about a sword.

I chewed on the koppe pan as I thought.

“All the elders in my family are so old. The only male heir is from a branch family. I just wish they’d let me live a normal life. I’ve come all the way to Hanagawa, but I can’t even enjoy my school life because I have to hunt for traces on the way home.”

Hmm.

I think I understand a little now why she’s telling me all this.

I must look like I don’t have any friends.

Well, it’s true I don’t have that many, and I’m not one to share these stories with people either.

I guess I must have given off that impression.

In a way, she chose the right person.

And she’s leaving out the most important parts of the story.

Even if I asked for details, she probably wouldn’t tell me much.

“...”

I silently chewed on my koppe pan.

“Sigh.”

Yuuki sighed again, though this time it seemed lighter.

Maybe she felt better after venting.

“...Sorry. You weren’t interested, were you?”

If I had to choose between yes or no, I’d lean more toward yes.

After all, she is the heroine.

Back in the day, I used to really like tsundere heroines.

If you asked whether I wanted to get involved, I’d choose no.

“...What am I doing, talking about this in front of a kid?”

You’re the only kid here.

I’m more mature than our homeroom teacher, Ms. Suzuki.

“Sorry, you didn’t want to hear all that, did you?”

Yuuki said with a bitter smile.

I was contemplating what to say but decided not to respond at all.

Since I just kept quietly eating my bread, Yuuki seemed a little embarrassed.

She scratched her head and stuffed the remaining half of her koppe pan into her mouth.

She chewed quickly and swallowed.

“Whew.”

After letting out a small breath, Yuuki grabbed my hand and helped me up.

With my mouth still full of bread and unable to respond properly, Yuuki said,

“I’ll buy you some milk. Payment for the counseling.”

I blinked and looked up at her.

Well, if you’re paying, I’ll listen to whatever you want.

When I nodded, Yuuki led me toward the school store.

Unfortunately, the only milk left was plain, but still, it was better than nothing.

Calcium at last.

*

Anyway, I thought Yuuki had a point.

Not about complaining about her family, but about her school life.

She came all the way to Hanagawa High School but isn’t able to enjoy her time there.

Though it would be best for me to find a job as soon as possible, I haven’t received any calls demanding rent yet, so I think I have a bit of leeway.

Besides, the house itself isn’t in a position to charge a high rent anyway.

So, maybe I could at least join a club before worrying about a part-time job?

...I know I keep coming up with strange excuses to put things off, but whatever.

I’ve already died once in my past life and was almost horribly killed in this one.

I think I deserve to live peacefully for a few weeks, don’t I?

With that thought, I headed toward the old school building where the clubs were gathered.

The school building was shaped like an ‘L’.

The horizontal part was the new building, and the vertical part was the old one.

It seemed the new building had been added later.

There’s also an annex and a gym, but there’s no need to explain those now.

Anyway, most of the important rooms like science labs, music rooms, and so on were in the new building, and the classrooms had been moved there as well.

Thanks to that, the old building was relatively empty.

The school assigned the rooms in the old building to the clubs that mostly did indoor activities.

Of course, the Literature Club was there.

They aren’t the main characters in this novel, but in most light novels, the Literature Club is the kind of club that the protagonist joins.

Because it’s kind of easy-going.

Most of the activities involve just sitting and reading books, and when they need to show proof of activity, they just write a few pages and staple them together.

It’s a club that’s hard to get rid of but is often in the state of “on the verge of being disbanded” in stories.

In summary, it’s the perfect club for me to join.

I mean, it’s not like it would matter if I skipped for a part-time job, right?

Tap.

I stood in front of a classroom with a nameplate that said "Literature Club".

The nameplate looked incredibly old.

Good.

I turned to face the door and slowly raised my hand.

Hmm.

For some reason, I felt nervous about knocking.

I was just about to take a deep breath when—

“Wait!!!”

A voice roared from the far end of the hallway.

Startled, I turned to see a female student sprinting toward me.

Uh, hold on.

If you run like that, there’s no way you’ll be able to st—oh, guess not.

The girl crashed straight into me.

Fortunately, we didn’t fall over.

She grabbed me with her whole body, and we slid about two meters forward, screeching across the floor in our indoor shoes.

After barely keeping me from falling, the girl spoke.

“You, are you a new student?”

“...Yes, and?”

Though calling me a new student wasn’t exactly accurate, considering it was almost May.

She didn’t seem like a first-year.

Her face looked a little sunburned.

She had short hair.

No signs of dyeing it, so she didn’t give off the delinquent vibe like Fukuda.

If I had to guess, she seemed like the passionate type who belonged to the track team.

“Hm.”

The athletic girl let out a nasal sound and flashed a very strange smile.

What’s up with her?

As I stood frozen, she straightened my uniform, smoothing out the wrinkled parts of my sailor outfit before taking a step back, placing her hands on her hips, and staring at me.

“Great, absolutely perfect!”

Perfect?

What is?

She’s not trying to recruit me to the track team, is she?

I’ve had jobs that required some physical stamina in my past life, but I have no desire to run around as a high school girl.

“Do you want to join my club?”

“...The track team?”

“Ugh, no, not that.”

Her expression instantly became defensive at the mention of the track team.

What’s with the reaction?

But I didn’t have time to ask.

Clatter, thud.

Before I could speak again, the door to the club I was about to knock on opened.

“Ka~oru~!”

The girl who emerged called that name while trembling with rage.

She had the air of a model student, different from Miura.

Her hair was braided into two pigtails that hung over her shoulders, and she wore thick, square glasses, unlike the ones Miura wore.

At least she didn’t have her forehead exposed.

I guess that’s a relief?

If Miura was the lively, popular, top student type, this girl seemed more like a shy literary type or a gloomy outcast.

As she lifted her head, her glasses glinted in the sunlight.

“Why are you trying to snatch the kid who came to join the Literature Club!?”

“Ah, you heard that?”

“Of course I heard! I even heard her stopping in front of the Literature Club! I was waiting for her to come in, hesitating!”

“Ah, sorry. But I think it’d be better if she joins my club. The Occult Club doesn’t have enough members.”

The Occult Club, huh?

Now I get why she grabbed me.

I do look a bit like Sadako with my hair like this.

Apparently, Sadako was originally beautiful, though? Even though... she’s a hermaphrodite.

Anyway, let’s not go there.

But honestly, her appearance doesn’t match her club at all.

Was she originally in the track team but quit?

“You were in the track team! Besides, there isn’t even an Occult Club at this school!”

“That’s why you should join. I’m just saying, you and the other member who’s only on the Literature Club’s roster. If we combine, we’d have four members, which meets the minimum requirement with one extra!”

So it’s a club that doesn’t even exist.

“I won’t let you disband the Literature Club that’s been around since the school was founded for some new club! Besides, you haven’t even found an advisor, have you?”

“Even your beloved Literature Club is about to be disbanded! The only other member is just someone who’s on the roster in name only.”

That made the Literature Club girl furious.

She pushed up her glasses and shouted,

“That’s why she needs to join our club! Just look at her! She looks like she’d love to read books!”

If it’s light novels, sure, I like reading those.

Does this era have web novels yet...

Oh wait, this is still the era of rental novels.

I wonder what it’s like in Japan.

In Persona, they rented DVDs and stuff, right?

“See! If you tie her hair into two pigtails like this, she’s totally a Literature Club member!”

The Literature Club girl grabbed my hair without asking and parted it into two pigtails.

“Hey, what are you doing!”

The track-turned-occult-club girl slapped her hand away and yelled.

“It’s perfect the way it is. Look, doesn’t she look like she’s about to crawl out of a TV?”

I agree, but honestly, that’s a bit rude.

“Alright, prospective member? Don’t listen to her and come inside. It’s warm, and we have snacks.”

“Thank you for the food.”

As I followed the Literature Club member into the clubroom, the track-occult-club girl grabbed me with a desperate look.

“Hey, where are you going? Are you the type to follow a creepy man offering you candy? You know something bad will happen, right?”

“What bad thing would happen?”

“She’ll lecture you for hours about Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human or something, insisting nobody appreciates your novel!”

Ah, I can relate to that.

I’ve been through that.

Getting attached to characters in novels that left an impression.

Like Haruhi or Shinji or Okazaki.

Those male characters I used to get attached to during my... not-so-bright youth.

Not Haruman, though.

He came out way later.

“Anyway, let’s talk inside. If you hang around her, you’ll catch her stupidity.”

“What stupidity! I scored higher on math than you!”

“You just guessed one question better than I did! You only got one point higher!”

I see.

Neither of them seems to get along well with math.

Not something I wanted to know, but oh well.

Anyway,

“...The snacks?”

“See, I told you! People are always lured by food. Even the Bible says so.”

I think the Bible had a slightly different nuance, but whatever.

As long as there are unlimited snacks, I’ll get my energy back.

“...Alright.”

The girl called Kaoru finally let go of my hand.

Then she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket.

“Alright, let’s ask Kokkuri-san.”

The paper she pulled out was the kind used for a game called Kokkuri-san, or what we call Bunshinsaba in Korea.

“...”

“...Are you serious?”

“Totally serious.”

The Literature Club girl glared at Kaoru with narrowed eyes behind her glasses, then turned and grabbed my arm.

“Come on. As I said, you’ll catch her stupidity if you hang out with her.”

“Oh, come on~ Let’s do it, let’s do it!”

As I was dragged into the Literature Club room, Kaoru followed us inside on her own.

What noisy people.

Honestly, does it matter if I join a club or not?

Inside the Literature Club room, the desks were arranged in a rectangular shape.

Two desks were placed side by side, and more were placed in the same way on the sides, forming a ‘ㄱ’ shape.

In the middle of that ‘ㄱ,’ there was a large basket full of snacks.

It wasn’t just filled with simple candy and crackers, but even dorayaki!

“Alright, alright, new student, take a seat here.”

The Literature Club girl, noticing my attention on the snacks, smiled with satisfaction as she seated me.

With superhuman willpower, I resisted the urge to reach for the snacks.

It didn’t seem right to start eating before even joining the club.

“Here, take this application form. Unlike Kaoru’s paper, this is a real one.”

“Getting all full of yourself over a piece of paper.”

But it seemed like Kaoru really couldn’t give me that piece of paper.

I quickly took the form and wrote my name.

Kurosawa Kotone.

“Hm, so that’s your name. A cool name. The sound of the koto.”

The Literature Club girl nodded her head approvingly and placed her hand on her chest.

“My name is Ikeda Izumi!”

She said that, then flipped the application over and wrote 泉, the character for “spring” or “fountain.”

“And that one over there isn’t worth knowing.”

“That’s harsh.”

The girl called Kaoru casually reached out, grabbed a dorayaki, and tore open the package.

“I’m Kaneko Kaoru. Just call me Kaoru.”

“We’re both second-years.”

Ikeda sat next to me and said,

“And I’m the president of the Literature Club.”

“Only in name. You’re the only one actually doing anything.”

“That’s not true anymore! Now I have a proper member!”

“Oh, right.”

Just as she was about to bite into the dorayaki, Kaneko placed the Kokkuri-san paper on the desk again.

“So, are we doing this or not?”

“What are you talking about? Kurosawa is already a Literature Club member.”

“No, no.”

Kaneko wagged her finger and said,

“You haven’t submitted that form to the student council yet. So she’s not officially a member. We should ask Kokkuri-san first before submitting it.”

“What kind of logic is that?”

Ignoring Ikeda’s sneer, Kaneko pulled a 10-yen coin from her pocket and placed it on the paper.

“Alright, alright, let’s go.”

“...”

Hmm.

I’d rather just sit here and eat dorayaki.

After all, it’s been a few hours since I last ate koppe pan.

But for some reason, I had a feeling that even if both Ikeda and I tried to stop her, we wouldn’t win against Kaneko.

Ikeda seemed to think the same, as she sighed and carefully folded the application form, then placed it on the far side of the desk before returning to her seat.

“Fine, fine. So what do we do?”

Kaneko pushed the snack basket aside.

Ah, my food is getting farther away.

“First, we spread the paper out like this.”

“Wait a second.”

Ikeda looked at the paper Kaneko had spread out and asked in disbelief.

“Why is there a pentagram instead of a torii gate?”

Yes, no, the Japanese alphabet, and numbers.

At the very top of all that was a pentagram drawn inside a circle.

...Why does this seem familiar?

I can still see something like that whenever I want, if I just pull down the thick hair tie on my wrist.

“Obviously. Doesn’t Satan seem way stronger than some fox spirit?”

“...”

Ikeda looked like she was at a loss for words.

“Alright, place your finger on the coin.”

“...Sorry about my friend. I didn’t think you’d have to deal with this nonsense on your first day.”

“...It’s fine.”

Let’s just get this over with so I can eat some snacks.

I sighed lightly and placed my index finger on the coin along with Ikeda.

Whether it was because Kaneko was holding it firmly or not, the coin didn’t budge.

“Alright, now we chant together.”

“How?”

“Just follow me. Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come to us~”

Kaneko closed her eyes and began chanting.

“...”

Hmm.

I didn’t want to say this to someone I’d just met, but honestly, this felt a bit ridiculous.

Isn’t a ritual supposed to feel a bit spooky?

This was just too comical.

Ikeda and I exchanged glances, then reluctantly closed our eyes.

And—

“Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come to us—”

At that moment.

“I’m already here.”

...

The coin didn’t move at all.

I just heard a voice in my ear.

Uh...

What?

“Humans sometimes think that only a complex magic circle will summon someone like me.”

The voice giggled next to my ear.

“But really, that’s not necessary. Isn’t the summoning circle on your wrist just as simple?”

Well, the one on my wrist is a lot more complicated than this, actually.

It even has strange symbols on it.

“It’s not about complexity or precision.”

But the voice ignored my thoughts and continued.

“It’s whether the one who wants to answer, answers. That’s the most important thing.”

...

Someone gently placed their finger on top of mine.

And then, slowly, they pushed it sideways.

I quietly opened my eyes.

Kaneko and Ikeda were both still sitting there, frozen as they were before.

But the coin was moving.

And—

In the center of the pentagram, a crudely drawn eye had appeared, as if sketched with a pencil.

That eye was looking at me.

“While I wasn’t speaking with you, I tried to read your mind, but it was impossible.”

The finger moved slightly.

“I even wondered if the one who took my avatar is someone from a higher place than I am. But now, seeing that you can’t resist in this state, it doesn’t seem to be the case.”

A small laugh.

“I have a few questions for you. Ah, don’t worry. I’m very pleased with you. In fact, there’s something enjoyable about trying to guess things without knowing anything, isn’t there? Just three questions. Answer them, and I’ll even tell you my name.”

The coin slowly moved to hover between "yes" and "no."

No real choices, huh?

So why even ask?

“Now, the first question.”

The "ye" asked.

“You’re not from this world, are you?”

The coin slowly moved to point at "yes".

Chapter 11. Bread and the Heroine (5)

It was quite an odd sight.

In a world completely frozen, only the coin and my finger on top of it moved.

Kaneko and Ikeda's fingers remained still.

Even though both of their fingers were clearly placed on the coin, it moved as if ignoring the friction, pointing toward "Yes”.

Moreover, I wasn’t the one moving the coin.

It moved on its own, heading towards "Yes”.

However, 'She' seemed to believe it was the truth.

"Then, did you come to interfere with what I am about to do?"

This time, the coin pointed toward "No".

"I see."

Her voice spoke as if amused.

"This is the final question, then."

'She' paused, as if carefully choosing among a feast of food laid before her.

It almost sounded like she was humming.

Though, it wasn’t a real sound.

It was a bizarre sensation.

"Ah, I see. This will be the question."

Giggling like a child, 'She' whispered in my ear.

"I am curious—do you believe in God?"

"......"

Even if I could move my mouth right now, I probably wouldn’t have said anything.

Not because I didn’t want to speak.

It was a much simpler reason.

I was just at a loss for words.

I was so tense, expecting some deeply fundamental question, but instead, it was something quite mundane.

"Yes, yes, I see."

As if reading my thoughts, 'She' spoke gleefully.

The coin still rested on "No".

"You don’t believe in God, huh? Interesting."

What exactly was so interesting about that?

"Would you not think of me, who prepared this body, as a god?"

The coin didn’t move.

"Oh, forgive me. I’ve already used up my three questions, yet I asked one more. So, I’ll tell you one more thing."

Her whisper came closer to my ear.

Even though it was only a voice, it felt as if someone was blowing breath into my ear, which was extremely unpleasant.

"First, as promised, I’ll tell you my name—"

Her voice pressed close to my ear.

"Shura-Nirlass. I am the mother of a thousand lambs."

"......"

I tried not to think of anything.

Perhaps finding that amusing, 'She' giggled again.

"And secondly, you are my thousand-and-first lamb."

Blink.

My eyes blinked.

"What!?"

Startled by someone shouting, I flinched, my shoulders trembling.

"What? What’s going on?"

The first to scream was Ikeda.

Startled, she quickly pulled her fingers, which had been floating just the height of a 10-yen coin, to her chest.

Her thick glasses slid down her nose, and she hurriedly pushed them back up with her other hand.

Kaneko, after glancing between my fingers and hers, trembled slightly.

Bang!

She slammed both palms on the table and stood up abruptly.

"What’s this, you really do have talent! No, isn’t this practically occult itself!? Izumi, you saw it, didn’t you!? The coin suddenly moved on its own! Even though I was pressing it down hard, it still moved over there! Without us realizing it! And you say this isn’t an occult club!?"

"Don’t be ridiculous!"

Ikeda yelled loudly.

"You were just pulling some weird trick! What is this? Magic? Trying to lure a member with tricks is too much!"

"What kind of magic could possibly explain this?"

Kaneko spoke, looking dumbfounded.

Ikeda quickly wrapped one arm around mine.

"No way I’m letting her go. Besides, your club isn’t even officially recognized, and you don’t have an advisor! Most importantly, before we even asked Kokkuri-san, the coin pointed to 'No'. Kurosawa didn’t want to join, either."

Well, considering the final question, that’s true.

I don’t believe in God.

Seeing how I ended up in this world, I doubt there’s such a thing.

But, Shura-Nirlass?

...It’s obviously a knockoff of Shub-Niggurath.

And what?

The mother of a thousand lambs?

If you’re going to copy the setting, why bother changing the name?

Unless it was a character made "to claim copyright".

As long as there’s no overlap, it doesn’t matter.

So, it wasn’t a black dragon in my left hand, but a black goat?

It sounds like it’d be healthy if cooked.

Quite pitiful, though.

"...So, can I have a snack now?"

"Of course! There’s plenty left since I’m the only one eating for now. We buy books with the club funds, and whatever money’s left goes to snacks."

What an excellent club.

So, these snacks were bought with Hanagawa High School’s money.

I should make sure to get my money’s worth for my tuition.

Whether I go to college or not, it’d be a waste otherwise.

Thinking that, I reached for the dorayaki—

Screech, came a sound I felt I had heard earlier.

As my mind slowly processed where I’d heard it, the sliding door to the Literature Club room suddenly flew open.

It wasn’t just "slide", but more like a "slam."

If you added a loud bang, it would be close.

Startled, I dropped the dorayaki back into the basket.

Thankfully, it hadn’t been unwrapped yet, so it wasn’t ruined.

"...Kurosawa?"

A voice I seemed to hear every lunchtime.

Turning my head slowly toward the open door, I saw Yuuki Yuka standing there.

She was gripping the door, sweating, and breathing heavily.

Over her shoulder was something wrapped in cloth.

...No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like "Mumei" was inside.

"...Yuuki."

I called her name.

"Yuuki? Is she your friend?"

Ikeda asked, hiding behind me.

"What a dramatic entrance."

Kaneko murmured absentmindedly.

Yuuki’s eyes darted from me, to the two girls in sailor uniforms around me, to the Kokkuri-san paper spread on the desk.

Then, she looked back at me.

"What’s going on?"

Come to think of it, her family is supposed to be able to sense yokai energy.

Yuuki's gaze at me was sharp.

"What do you mean 'what’s going on'?"

Ikeda asked.

"Did we do something wrong?"

Kaneko asked.

"......"

Yuuki seemed to finally realize that I was just sitting in the Literature Club room, simply grabbing a snack.

But even so, she didn’t seem to want to completely let go of her suspicions.

Yuuki stepped into the room.

"Huh? Are you here to join?"

Ikeda asked excitedly, her eyes shining.

Yuuki glanced at me, then back at Ikeda, and asked,

"Has Kurosawa joined?"

"Of course! If you join now, snacks are free!"

Are they going to charge later?

Well, no big deal.

I’ll just eat as much as I can while it’s free.

I finally managed to grab the dorayaki.

To avoid looking too eager, I slowly pulled it toward me and carefully opened the wrapper on the desk.

Dorayaki is often translated as "red bean bread" in Korea, but strictly speaking, the two are different.

Red bean bread is literally bread filled with red bean paste, while dorayaki is two pancakes with red bean paste sandwiched in between.

The texture is entirely different, and so is the taste.

As I carefully bit into it, the lightly cooked pancake broke softly.

It was completely different from the dry, crumbly koppepan I usually eat.

"...Is it that good?"

Ikeda asked, watching from beside me.

I quietly nodded.

It was definitely delicious.

I like pancakes, and I like red bean paste too.

It seemed like this was from a well-known shop.

Ah, I’m glad I joined the club after all.

Maybe I could just skip dinner with this and call it a day without needing a part-time job?

*

In the end, I ate three dorayakis and wrapped up the club activity for the day.

Ikeda didn’t seem to mind at all.

Rather, she was thrilled to have gained two new members in one day.

Well, I suppose the Literature Club doesn’t just read books every day.

Actually, they’re supposed to, but did I end up playing around too much?

...Anyway.

Kaneko didn’t seem particularly keen on recruiting Yuuki into the Occult Club.

After all, she chose me just because I resembled Sadako, so someone like Yuuki, who’d look more like a disciplinary officer with just an armband, probably didn’t seem like a good fit.

Not that she fits in herself.

Well, it doesn’t really matter.

Thanks to this, I now know the conditions for summoning that... Shura... Shub-Niggurath knockoff.

Is it because I summoned it through the mark on my wrist that it became easier to call?

Or does it really only require the minimum conditions, as it said?

There’s a similar setting in the Cthulhu Mythos.

Most gods have names that humans can’t even pronounce, so summoning them is usually impossible, but I think it was said that Hastur could be easily summoned by human pronunciation.

Not that he shows up all the time; it’s up to Hastur’s will.

That Shub-Niggurath knockoff is probably similar.

Not to mention, it appeared even without me calling its name.

As I walked forward, lost in thought, I noticed that the sound of footsteps behind me was overlapping with my own.

When I stopped, the footsteps also stopped.

I turned around.

Yuuki quickly averted her gaze and whistled nonchalantly.

"......"

In the end, I fully turned toward Yuuki.

A light breeze blew.

The sky was painted with the sunset, and since it wasn’t quite after school nor the end of club activities, there were few students on the street.

With the atmosphere, it almost seemed like a confession was about to take place, but of course, that wasn’t going to happen.

Rather, it was more accurate to say that I was standing in front of a would-be stalker.

I’d welcome being followed by a cute girl, but not one carrying a katana on her back.

I walked toward Yuuki.

She, having apparently given up on whistling, shifted her gaze back to me.

"...Do you have something to say?"

Yuuki seemed to be carefully choosing her words.

It would be awkward to just outright ask if I was a yokai, considering I don’t normally show any signs of being one.

Actually, I’m not even sure if I’m a yokai.

This body... seems to be an avatar, and if I had to classify it, the original owner would be the yokai.

So, maybe what she sensed was something similar to what I sensed in Miura.

"Uh, well..."

But how would she explain that?

You’ve got a yokai following you, so you might get killed in a few days?

If that kind of reasoning could convince someone, I wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to save Miura.

"If you don’t have anything to say, I’m leaving."

I said, turning away.

Just confirming that I knew she was following me would make it awkward for her to keep doing so.

I know Yuuki is a good person.

She’s probably following me out of pure concern.

Though, things will change if my true identity is exposed.

Just as I was turning around, my body halted as if something caught me.

It wasn’t anything serious.

Yuuki had simply grabbed my arm.

"...Wait a moment."

"Why?"

When I looked up at her face, Yuuki seemed slightly flustered, but then she finally opened her mouth.

"Would you... come to my house today?"

"......"

It seemed even she found her words absurd.

She was glancing around, clearly uneasy.

"Why should I?"

"......"

Now, it was Yuuki’s turn to be at a loss for words.

"If you don’t have a good reason—"

"—Yaki."

Yuuki interrupted my words.

"Tonight, we’re having sukiyaki."

I looked up at Yuuki for a moment.

"Sukiyaki."

Yuuki repeated the word as if emphasizing it.

"I’ll go."

I answered.

*

And I regretted answering so quickly, just a little.

Yuuki Yuka is someone who hunts yokai.

Her family has passed down that profession for generations.

Where do you think her house is?

If it were a regular house or a mansion, that would be more surprising.

Yuuki’s house was a shrine.

It took just over 20 minutes on the subway from Tamachi Station to Kamata Station, where her family’s shrine was.

From there, we walked leisurely for about 15 minutes, and a shrine appeared.

"This is it."

The shrine was located right in the middle of a neighborhood of clustered detached houses.

It didn’t give off the impression of being a famous tourist spot.

It was too deep into a residential area for that.

"It was built a long time ago. So the shrine came first, and the houses were built around it later."

I nodded at Yuuki’s explanation.

At the entrance to the shrine stood a torii gate.

Underneath the brightly painted red gate stood a girl in a black sailor uniform with a ponytail, carrying a katana wrapped in cloth over her shoulder.

It was an oddly fitting image.

Yuuki led the way, and I followed her slowly inside.

Though it was in the middle of a residential area, the shrine was surprisingly large.

Most of the other areas around were flat, but this shrine seemed to be on a slight rise.

Not enough to have stairs, but there was a gentle slope.

As I walked up the slope, I thought to myself.

Yuuki Yuka, you're from a much wealthier family than I imagined.

Well, I don’t think she’s as wealthy as the daughter of a company president who can spend money extravagantly, but still, how many people in Tokyo own this much land?

Moreover, as we climbed, Yuuki greeted what seemed to be local residents along the way.

It looked like they had regular visitors.

There was even a miko (shrine maiden)!

"Oh, she’s just a part-timer."

Yuuki waved at the miko as she said that.

I see...

No, I know it’s common knowledge, but hearing it directly from someone in the field was still a bit disappointing.

It felt like being told by someone that Santa Claus was just their grandpa in a suit.

"Alright, let’s go see my grandfather. He should be watching TV in his room by now."

...The strong scent of daily life slightly shattered the atmosphere for me again.

We slowly walked across the wide shrine grounds, passed the main hall—

—and exited the shrine, entering a regular house on the opposite side from where we had entered.

...

Wait, they don’t actually live in the shrine?

"My father is the chief priest."

It felt like another illusion was shattered.

Why go through the shrine at all?

Is this route even closer to the subway?

Passing through the low gate typical of Japanese houses, Yuuki took out a key from her bag and unlocked the door.

"Grandpa, I’m home. I brought a friend, is that okay?"

Yuuki called out loudly as she entered the house.

There was no immediate response from inside.

"Come on in."

I followed silently behind her.

At home, I usually just kick off my shoes at the entrance, but I’m not so shameless as to do that at a friend’s house.

I carefully placed my shoes neatly at the entrance and stepped inside.

"Grandpa!"

"Hmm?"

It wasn’t until Yuuki probably called out toward the living room that her grandfather finally responded.

His voice sounded a bit hoarse, as if he had been napping.

The sound of the TV was coming from the living room.

It seemed to be a documentary about tuna fishing boats battling waves and reeling in tuna with thick wire fishing lines.

"I brought a friend."

"Oh, Yuka."

Her grandfather responded a bit slowly, sitting up on the sofa.

"We’re planning to have dinner together, is that alright?"

"Of course, of course, it’s fine—"

As he said that, Yuuki’s grandfather turned his head more toward me.

And then, he froze stiff.

"......"

Hmm.

Thinking about it, it must have been this family that sent Yuuki to transfer to our school.

So naturally, her grandfather or father would have eyes to see things like this.

Maybe even more than Yuuki herself.

"......I’m Kurosawa Kotone. Nice to meet you."

Since it would have been awkward to just stare at each other, I bowed my head and introduced myself.

"Ah, I see. Kurosawa, is it?"

Upon hearing my voice, Yuuki’s grandfather immediately returned to his usual self.

"Yuka. Could you perhaps help with the preparations for a bit? I’ll just go to the bathroom."

"Alright."

Yuuki replied, then turned to me and said,

"If there’s anything you’d like to watch, feel free. We still have to wait for my father anyway."

"......Okay."

Even if she told me to watch something...

I don’t have a TV at home, so I have no idea what to watch at this time.

"Sit and relax."

Yuuki’s grandfather said, standing up.

And then, I was left alone in the living room.

...

Well, I guess I’ll relax for a bit.

Thinking that, I cautiously sat down on the sofa—

"...Comfy."

I almost melted into it in an instant.

Wouldn’t someone be throwing out a sofa like this when moving?

I wouldn’t mind dragging it home by myself.

Thinking that, I blankly watched the tuna fishing on TV.

*

"Yuka. What exactly have you brought home?"

"Huh?"

Her grandfather, who had supposedly gone to the bathroom, had entered the kitchen with Yuka and asked.

"Kurosawa Kotone, was it? How does that girl appear to you?"

"Well... she’s a high school student, isn’t she?"

Or a middle schooler.

Kurosawa’s body was thin and small compared to her peers.

"Can you see something, Grandpa?"

But her grandfather wouldn’t react like this over something so trivial.

"...Yokai eat people. Not only do they devour flesh, but they also consume desires and even lick up resentment. Yuka, don’t you think there might be beings that eat those yokai?"

"Kurosawa does?"

"She may not be aware of it herself. It’s possible she’s being used for something. But I can smell it. That child has been covered in blood before. And it wasn’t human blood. You must have sensed something as well, which is why you brought her here, no?"

"......"

Yuka was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Yes, I was going to mention it to you—"

Yuka then told her grandfather about what had happened at school before bringing Kurosawa home.

"......"

"What could she be?"

"...That’s something we’ll have to figure out gradually. But now that we know, we can’t just leave it alone."

Her grandfather sighed deeply.

Chapter 12. Bread and the Heroine (6)

I was eating sukiyaki for the first time.

At least I knew it was something similar to hot pot.

The thin slices of beef, cooked just right in the broth, already looked delicious.

Was this the first time I'd had beef since arriving in this world?

The fragrant smell of the meat filled my mind entirely.

The only reason I could stop my hands from grabbing my chopsticks was out of consideration that it might be polite to wait until the people living in this house started eating first.

As soon as I saw the two of them put their hands together, I quickly followed suit.

I was a little late in echoing their "Itadakimasu".

Yuuki’s grandfather narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at me, but that somewhat uncomfortable feeling disappeared as soon as I picked up my chopsticks.

I picked up a piece of meat that had been grilled to perfection, carefully trying not to look too greedy as I dipped it into the light sauce.

In front of me was an egg yolk, which I noticed people around me were dipping their meat into.

I cautiously followed Yuuki's lead, dipping the meat into the yolk before eating it.

The rich, sweet flavor of the soy sauce hit my taste buds, and I could feel the juicy tenderness of the meat with every bite.

It was so good.

Even the rice in front of me.

...Well, the way Yuuki's exorcist grandfather kept sneaking glances at me made me think my head might not stay on for long, but as they say, a ghost who eats well dies with a full belly.

First, I had to fill my stomach.

Ah, come to think of it, Yuuki’s father was also at the table.

He was a priest, but he was dressed in normal clothes.

Not a tracksuit or anything like that, just casual wear—cotton pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

He looked like a standard middle-aged man, though slightly more handsome.

If I had to compare, he seemed like one of those background dads in a drama.

That was his role in light novels, too.

"It's been a while since Yuka brought a friend over. Isn't this the first time since middle school?"

"...It's only been a week since the semester started."

Besides, Yuuki had transferred schools at an awkward time.

All the friendships she made at the start of the semester were reset, and she had to break into the already established social groups at the new school.

It sounded exhausting no matter how I thought about it.

"Oh... is that so."

Her grandfather seemed a little embarrassed.

For some reason, seeing him like that made me feel a small warmth in my chest.

Come to think of it, the Sasaki siblings didn’t have this kind of ordinary family atmosphere.

Not only was their home environment somewhat lacking, but the younger sister even referred to her older brother as "onii-sama".

Anyone could see that it was straight out of a fantasy novel.

This family might have fantastical settings too, but their relationships felt like something you’d see anywhere.

A kind grandfather, a caring father, and a daughter going through a bit of a rebellious phase.

I took another bite of meat.

While I was at it, I grabbed some tofu and enoki mushrooms, too, followed by a bite of rice.

Thanks to the sticky grains, the rice didn’t fall apart, even as I ate the way I was used to in my previous life.

Ah, it was so delicious.

It felt different from the tonkatsu I had eaten with the Sasaki siblings.

"So... your name was Kurosawa, right?"

"Kurosawa Kotone."

Just as my mouth was free, the grandfather asked, and I responded.

"Are you close with Yuka?"

Yuuki’s father asked kindly.

"We eat lunch together..."

"Ah, I see."

His smile was gentle.

If he was suspicious of me, he hid it far better than Yuuki’s grandfather.

For a moment, the sound of chopsticks and simmering hot pot filled the room.

By the time I had eaten about a third of my rice, I started to worry about getting back home.

Ah, I had come all the way south of Tokyo, so it would take an additional 20 minutes to get back.

Including walking time, that was nearly two hours.

"You should stay here tonight."

Yuuki suddenly said, catching me off guard.

Did she read my mind?

"I’ll lend you some underwear, and we can buy a toothbrush."

"..."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. It’s a bit concerning to send you back alone late at night. May I ask where you live?"

"...In Saitama."

"I see."

I think I understood why they were being like this.

Regardless of whether they suspected my identity or not, Yuuki probably felt something like a “nest” back in the literature club room today.

In other words, they were worried that something might be targeting me.

So they were trying to protect me.

What should I do?

If no yokai appeared tonight—not that one would—would Yuuki try to keep bringing me back here?

To be honest, I was very tempted.

If I stayed here, at least I would be able to eat.

But people have a sense of shame, after all.

"Ahem."

Yuuki’s grandfather cleared his throat and spoke.

"In fact, I have a bit of a spiritual eye."

It sounded like he was telling a joke to lighten the mood.

"Have you ever been told you have a strong sixth sense?"

"..."

I had never heard that in my life.

Not sure what he thought of my silence, the grandfather nodded and continued.

"Have you ever seen something you shouldn’t?"

"Father."

Yuuki’s father tried to stop him, but the grandfather’s gaze remained fixed on me.

"...No."

That was my answer.

"I see..."

He didn’t seem to believe me.

There was a brief silence.

"Would you like to try working part-time?"

The grandfather asked out of nowhere again.

"...A part-time job?"

"Yes. The shrine maiden working part-time here recently transferred to a school a bit far away. Since Hanagawa High School is only about a 30-minute walk from here, if you worked here, I could offer you about 800 yen an hour."

800 yen an hour.

I was tempted for a moment, but I forced myself to shake my head.

"...My home is far away, so it would be difficult."

That was at least half true.

I didn’t feel comfortable working as a shrine maiden while using the body of Ye's Avatar.

Plus, the commute was too long to do a proper part-time job.

The subway fares in Tokyo were murderous.

Even if I worked, I wouldn’t have much left.

"Ah, I see."

The grandfather fell silent again.

The meal continued.

They kept the conversation going with casual talk, sometimes directing questions at me, though I mostly responded with short answers.

Still, I was confident I didn’t ruin the atmosphere.

It was nice to get a proper dose of protein from tofu and meat after so long.

The warmth of the family also felt comforting.

*

Yuuki kept her promise.

She took me to the convenience store to buy some toiletries and even got me some underwear from a nearby clothing store.

The design was plain and cheap, but it was free, so I appreciated it.

And then—

I entered Yuuki’s room.

This was almost my first time in a girl’s room.

I hadn’t been in one since visiting my cousin’s room when I was a kid.

There wasn’t anything special.

It was clean and tidy, with a desk and a bookshelf holding textbooks, just as I expected from Yuuki’s personality.

There were no decorations.

But that neatness felt like a unique expression of her character.

"Here."

Yuuki handed me some clothes.

She had taken them out of her closet—an oversized short-sleeved T-shirt and pajama pants with an elastic waistband.

As I took them, I felt a brief pang of guilt.

I mean, I’m a high school girl now, but there’s still a big difference between wearing new clothes and wearing the clothes of a high school girl.

I’d heard there were even places that sold used school uniforms for people to wear.

It felt like I was doing something along those lines.

...Well, there’s no way I’m sleeping in a sailor uniform.

In the end, I washed up and changed into the clothes Yuuki lent me.

Yuuki offered me her bed, but I shook my head.

"I usually sleep on the floor at home. It’s more comfortable this way."

Since I said that, Yuuki seemed to have no choice.

"..."

"..."

Yuuki lay down on the bed, and I spread out my bedding on the floor underneath.

"...Sorry for calling you out of the blue today."

Yuuki mumbled softly, almost like she was talking to herself.

"You don’t have to apologize."

I answered.

"Aren’t you curious why I called you?"

I didn’t know what to say.

I was afraid of how much I’d end up revealing if I opened my mouth.

"...I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but I... I can sense when people are about to experience great misfortune. My family has a bit of a unique bloodline. It might sound a bit creepy, but could you listen for a bit?"

Yuuki spoke slowly.

"I saw it in you today. Usually, when I see people like that, I tell them, but most people don’t believe me. I get it, though... But then, they end up getting hurt. And then they blame me."

Yuuki sighed.

This was the reason Yuuki Yuka didn’t have many friends in the original story.

She traveled all over to catch yokai, felt the same omens I had sensed with Miura, but when she warned people, they usually reacted negatively.

That was only natural if they didn’t know anything.

"So... would it be alright if I followed you around for a while? I won’t bother you too much."

I hesitated for a moment.

"...But, coming to my house... That’s too much."

When I said that, Yuuki’s voice brightened.

"That’s enough. You’re trusting me?"

"...A little bit."

"That’s all I need!"

I saw the mattress shift as Yuuki moved.

There was a brief rustling sound, and then Yuuki’s face suddenly popped out from above the bed.

She lay on her stomach, her upper body leaning down to look at me.

Her face, illuminated by moonlight, was smiling.

Her long hair, which she had let down, gently brushed against my cheek.

"Thank you. For trusting me."

"..."

I didn’t respond to her smiling face.

*

"Goodbye."

"Take care."

Yuuki’s grandfather waved with a smile as he saw us off.

It was the start of Golden Week at the end of April, from April 29th to May 5th.

Yesterday was April 28th, a Tuesday.

In fact, I hadn’t realized this at all until after school yesterday.

Of course, I wouldn’t have known, since there wasn’t any such thing as a holiday like this at the end of April in Korea.

So, the reason Yuuki had taken me to her house was because she knew the next day was a holiday.

...If she hadn’t, I would’ve gone to school with the underwear I wore yesterday in my bag.

Even though I put it in a plastic bag, it still would’ve felt gross.

But anyway, Golden Week.

...What should I do at home?

Maybe I should walk around the neighborhood and see if anyone’s thrown out any appliances?

"Yuka, take care. Kurosawa, you too."

Yuuki had decided to see me off.

Since I wasn’t familiar with the area, and Yuuki considered it a matter of courtesy.

She was wearing casual clothes.

A light blue shirt and slightly short jeans.

It didn’t look out of place even in 2024.

It seemed timeless fashion did exist.

"Thank you for taking care of me yesterday."

"Taking care of you? You’re my granddaughter’s friend."

Her grandfather smiled warmly.

He really was a good person.

Yuuki’s father must have had work early.

Maybe the shrine didn’t close for the holidays.

"Well, let’s go."

I nodded at Yuuki’s words.

Just like yesterday, we crossed through the shrine to the alley on the other side and headed toward the subway.

Walking through the shrine again felt oddly enjoyable.

Maybe it was because my stomach was full after getting to eat breakfast.

*

The train was quiet.

We had left a bit late, and it was a holiday, so there weren’t many people.

Luckily, there were seats available for us to sit.

Yuuki sitting next to me wasn’t exactly lucky.

"Can I come to your house for a bit?"

She asked, and I couldn’t find a way to refuse.

What excuse could I give?

I had eaten dinner at Yuuki’s house just the night before, and breakfast today.

I couldn’t exactly say, “I’m too poor”.

By the way, during our conversation yesterday, I had mentioned that I lived with my mother.

The reason was simple.

Ms. Suzuki thought I had a mother.

It was officially recorded that I had one, so I answered accordingly.

If today had been a school day, maybe I would’ve come up with an excuse during class.

While I stared blankly ahead, wondering how I could separate from her, my eyes caught the newspaper the man sitting across from me was holding.

Since no one was sitting next to him, the man had the newspaper spread out wide.

Because of that, I could clearly see the front page.

The headline read:

[Has the Tokyo Cannibal Returned?]

...What?

I blinked.

Did I read that wrong?

No.

The words stayed the same.

"What is it?"

Yuuki asked.

"...Nothing."

I replied, but Yuuki tilted her head.

She seemed to know where I had been looking before turning my gaze away, because she glanced at the man’s newspaper.

When she saw the headline, Yuuki frowned.

"Worried?"

"..."

"They’ll catch him. Or it’ll die down again."

I knew what she meant.

Yuuki was going to Hanagawa High School to track down that yokai.

I didn’t know exactly how her family hunted down yokai.

...But that wasn’t what I was worried about.

What I wondered was—why?

I had definitely killed that yokai.

This wasn’t a matter of the corpse disappearing or there being no bloodstains.

I had killed it.

Without a doubt.

I had smashed it repeatedly until it was completely pulverized right before my eyes.

I did that to save Miura.

...Wait, Miura?

Cold sweat ran down my back.

"Kurosawa?"

"No, I’m fine."

I took out my phone from my pocket.

I unlocked the screen and opened my mail app.

Then, I typed a message.

[Miura]

I wasn’t fully accustomed to the Japanese keyboard yet.

I could read and write comfortably enough, but this was different.

Having grown too used to the QWERTY layout since the smartphone era began, the number pad felt awkward.

I waited a moment.

Just when I was starting to get nervous—

[Kurosawa?]

Her reply came.

It felt like I could hear her voice through the message, see her slightly surprised face, her wide eyes.

I felt a little calmer.

With hands that shook less than before, I slowly typed out my next message.

[Where are you now?]

[On vacation with my family at my grandmother’s house. In Sendai.]

Sendai.

Far from Tokyo.

[Why? What’s going on?]

Another message came.

[It’s nothing.]

[If something’s wrong, let me know.]

[Okay, enjoy your holiday.]

Her next reply came with a smiling emoji.

"What happened?"

Yuuki asked again as I let out a small breath.

Yuuki...

She was starting to connect me and the yokai.

Maybe she had heard something from her grandfather.

"...Sorry, Yuuki."

"Huh?"

"Can we delay the visit to my house?"

I looked up at Yuuki.

Yuuki blinked.

"...Alright. Next time, then."

"...Yeah."

"In exchange, can we grab lunch near the station? It takes about an hour and a half to get to your house from mine. It’ll be lunchtime by the time we arrive. I’ll treat you."

"...Okay."

I figured I had at least that much time.

*

We had ramen for lunch.

Just something from near the station, but it was pretty good.

To be honest, it was a bit salty for my taste, but after toughening up my palate with salt-dipped koppe pan, I managed to finish it all.

"See you after the holiday."

Yuuki waved at me.

I waved back, seeing her off.

After she scanned her transit card and walked through, I turned and headed straight home.

Oh, I also bought a newspaper on the way back.

The same one that man had been reading.

The front page talked about a new body being discovered.

Skimming through it as I walked, I saw that it was another partially eaten corpse found in Tokyo.

However, some details were different.

Unlike the bodies found on the street, there were signs that this one had been hidden.

I arrived home and opened the door.

The house looked just like it had when I left yesterday morning.

The bed was unmade, and trash was scattered on the floor.

But I didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity.

I tossed my shoes aside and rummaged through my bag for a notebook.

Then, I drew a pentagram on the page and circled it.

And...

How should I call it?

I stared at the pentagram for a long while, then placed my hand over it.

"Answer me."

There was no response.

"Please answer?"

Still nothing.

"Come here? Pretty please?"

I was starting to feel ridiculous.

I closed my eyes and let out a sigh.

I knew what I had to do.

I dug through my bag.

In the past two weeks, I hadn’t bought any large furniture or expensive items, but I had stocked up on useful things here and there.

Especially things you could always find on a desk.

Pens, markers, erasers, mechanical pencils—all cheap.

And—utility knives.

I pulled the blade out with a click.

It was sharp.

...I really didn’t want to do this.

They say entities will respond when they want to.

I didn’t fully believe that.

While they could answer when they felt like it, there had to be more than just a minimum condition like that—a situation where they had no choice but to answer.

With the blade drawn, I headed to the bathroom.

I lowered the toilet seat and sat on it.

I removed a hair tie from my wrist and bit down on it, placing the blade against my left wrist.

I clenched my eyes shut, gritted my teeth, and then, I cut into my wrist.

The pain was surprisingly bearable—

"Kh!"

—but not really.

Last time, my hand had already been bitten, so I hadn’t noticed, but prying open a wound hurt far more intensely than I expected.

It was a good thing I had something to bite down on.

"Did you call for me? It must have been urgent."

A voice, laced with amusement, echoed around me.

They must have been watching from the moment I drew the pentagram and started muttering to myself.

"...I need to ask you something."

As I opened my mouth, the hair tie fell from my lips.

This time, the world didn’t stop.

Perhaps because I was alone.

"What will you give me in return for answering your question, I wonder?"

"What do you want?"

I asked, speaking into the empty air.

I tilted my head back, instinctively looking up, thinking it would be there.

"I want the breath of that insignificant creature you seek."

"......"

I hesitated for a moment.

"What is there to hesitate about?"

The being laughed, its voice coming from all directions.

"Isn’t your friend’s life important to you?"

"......"

I thought for a moment before answering.

"Alright."

"Splendid."

Immediately, pain surged from my wrist.

Just like last time, the blood slowly floated upward.

Some of it began to form a shape, just as before, but this time, some of the blood also dripped to the floor.

The droplets of blood on the tiles pooled together, merging into one.

Then, it slowly stretched and squirmed, forming a long, slick, crimson shape.

It looked like a worm, writhing as it slithered toward my foot.

Then it stuck to me, inching its way up, leaving a trail of blood behind.

"Now then."

The voice echoed, a soft, mocking laughter ringing in my ears.

"Go, and cut."

Chapter 13. Bread and the Heroine (7)

The sticky clot of blood steadily crawled up my body, finally settling inside my collar.

As it climbed to my knee, it left a trail of blood underneath, making me feel incredibly gross.

But by the time it passed by my chest, it had become something like a fluffy jelly on the outside.

…Not that it was a good thing.

With a loud clang, the blood-red katana fell to the floor.

Well, I had sliced through a yokai with a sword made of blood.

It’s not like it was a comprehensible foreign object anyway.

So... it wouldn’t be surprising if I created at least one bizarre creature.

As I tried to stand up—

"Argh!"

I screamed and squatted back down to the floor.

My left wrist... hurt too much.

When I looked, there was still a wound.

Why?

The last time, the wound had disappeared when I woke up after sleeping.

I had cut my wrist… quite deeply.

It had to be enough for the blood to soak the magic circle.

I gritted my teeth and curled my left hand toward my body.

The open wound closed slightly, and the bleeding slowed down a bit.

I tore off a bunch of toilet paper from the roll beside the toilet and pressed it hard on the wound.

Luckily, it hadn’t stained my clothes too much.

Since I was wearing black, it wouldn't be noticeable once it dried.

Changing clothes might even ruin another outfit.

But I didn't have any bandages at home.

I blamed myself for not having a first-aid kit as I walked back to my room.

The bleeding had stopped a little by then.

I wasn’t sure if it was because my recovery speed was fast or if the wound wasn’t as deep as I thought.

It still hurt when I moved my arm.

It wasn’t completely healed.

Maybe the wound had only temporarily closed.

Either way, it was urgent.

Holding my left wrist with my right hand, I kicked my bag open.

After rummaging through it—

I found tape.

For a moment, I felt a crushing sense of reality.

Did I really have to do this?

Yeah, I did.

It was my fault for not having bandages and cutting my wrist so stupidly.

There should be at least one pharmacy open, even during Golden Week.

Japan should have duty pharmacies, right?

If not, I could at least buy stockings at a convenience store.

I exhaled and dropped the blood-soaked toilet paper.

It fell to the floor with a disgusting, wet sound.

I quickly grabbed a sock that had been lazily thrown in the corner of my room and pressed it onto my wrist.

Good.

Since it was black, it wasn’t too noticeable.

Keeping my wrist raised, I grabbed the tape and tore off a piece.

I lightly pressed it against my wrist and wrapped it around.

“Phew.”

I sighed in relief for now.

“Kyu.”

A small sound echoed near my ear.

With my right hand, I picked up the thing that had crawled onto my shoulder and into my collar...

Since calling it a worm felt too disgusting, I decided to name it.

What was "blood" in Japanese again?

Chi?

Yeah, that name didn’t seem too strange.

"Alright, from now on, you're Chi."

“Kyu.”

Its appearance...

Have you ever heard of the smallest snake in the world?

It's called the Barbados threadsnake, and it feeds on termites.

It looks like a worm but has tiny black eyes and a mouth.

It even has a tongue. It looks so insignificant, and apparently, it seems that way even when kept as a pet.

It hardly moves and stays underground, so it feels more like you're raising dirt.

If you enlarge a Barbados threadsnake to half the thickness of your pinky finger and make it a bit shorter, that’s what this thing looked like.

If you ignore its dark, hardened blood color, it might even look a little cute.

“How are you supposed to guide me?”

“Kyu.”

Chi made a cute sound and began climbing back into my clothes.

I grabbed its body and placed it back on my shoulder.

It clung to my neck, and then—

“What a cute name.”

It whispered like that.

“Ah, don’t worry. That one isn’t Ye.”

“...Can you even communicate over long distances?”

“Ye left that creature behind to answer the question you asked, so there’s no reason for me to answer any other questions.”

“...”

It felt like it was mocking me, so I rubbed the back of my neck.

“Oh, by the way.”

Chi relayed Ye’s message.

“You must maintain the barrier you summoned Ye with, so your wrist won’t heal until Ye returns. If you don’t find it within today, you’ll be in danger.”

I clenched my teeth and stood up.

Fine, I’ll go.

It was something I had to deal with during the holiday anyway.

I just... had about a seventh of the time I thought I had.

A whole lot less.

Although the bleeding wouldn’t stop, at least I had something to absorb it with, so I got up and headed toward the bathroom.

Inside, the unsheathed katana lay there. The floor tiles were soaked in blood, making it look horrifying.

Well, it’s the same amount of blood as the sword’s weight.

I had spilled more blood in the process.

Judging by the fact that I was still conscious, I definitely wasn’t an ordinary human.

I picked up the sword—

—And thought, what should I do?

Damn it, I remembered that in this country, you must carry swords "unseen" when transporting them.

It wasn’t just about whether or not you get caught.

It was the law.

You can't make it look like you're threatening people.

Plus, this was clearly a katana.

If the police saw it, they’d ask for a sword registration license.

I learned this when I was in my edgy phase, researching how to buy a katana in Japan.

That was back in 2004.

If I hadn’t looked up how to buy a katana in Japan back then, I might have just walked out with it and ended up in a detention cell before passing out from blood loss.

Biting my lip, I walked back into the living room.

I could see two blankets too clearly.

Ah, I don’t want to do this.

But despite my reluctance, I placed the sword on top of the blanket I used to sleep in.

Then I rolled it up.

At least the sword wasn’t visible.

And if I held it like this, there was no risk of cutting myself.

Hugging the rolled-up blanket with the sword inside, I walked outside.

Ms. Suzuki, I’m sorry.

But a person’s life is more important than a blanket.

*

“See you after the holidays.”

Yuka waved her hand as she said her goodbye.

Kurosawa, with a slightly uneasy expression, raised a hand to wave as well.

On purpose, Yuka tapped her card and entered the station, sitting on a bench near the ticket gate for about three minutes.

Then she suddenly stood up and briskly walked back out of the station.

No matter how much she thought about it, something about Kurosawa’s demeanor seemed off.

It wasn’t just because of her family’s bloodline; doing this kind of work for a long time gives you a certain intuition.

And that intuition was often more important than expected.

The longer yokai stayed among humans, the more dangerous—and human—they became.

Finding such yokai required more than just inherited abilities.

The newspaper Kurosawa had been reading was talking about the cannibal killer.

The reason Yuka came to Hanagawa High School.

And the feeling she got from Kurosawa.

Those two facts intertwined and warned her.

When she stepped outside the ticket gate and walked briskly out of the station, she spotted a girl in a black sailor uniform in the distance.

Her long black hair flowed down her back, tied at the end with a white ribbon.

It was fortunate that Kurosawa had such a distinctive appearance.

Even while following her, Kurosawa seemed too busy to glance around.

And then—

"Oh."

Kurosawa entered an old, two-story apartment building.

The kind of place that didn’t seem like it had proper earthquake reinforcements, with wooden beams turned dull and iron fittings rusted.

The garden was overrun with weeds.

Moreover, Kurosawa had walked all the way there for thirty minutes.

No bus.

Which was why Yuka had been able to tail her in the first place...

Yuka quickly shook her head.

There must be some circumstances.

Digging too deep into them wasn’t Yuka’s style.

She had been around enough to avoid getting too attached to a single student.

Though, even then, it wasn’t far from Tokyo—but friendships faded quickly when you didn’t see each other every day.

After some hesitation, Yuka ended up following her to the front of the apartment.

Quietly, making sure no one noticed her, she tiptoed closer.

Fortunately, Kurosawa didn’t seem to care if someone was wandering around outside—

"Hmph."

A soft groan came from inside.

It wasn’t loud.

If the door weren’t so flimsy, it wouldn’t have been audible at all.

A chill ran down Yuka’s spine.

This...

This wasn’t just the sound of someone crying alone.

“...I have something to ask.”

Kurosawa’s voice.

“What do you want?”

“I understand.”

Talking to herself?

No, that wasn’t it.

She was conversing with someone.

Although Yuka couldn’t hear the other voice.

“...”

If anyone else heard it, they’d think she was insane.

But Yuka knew that wasn’t always the case.

She had seen it herself before.

Moreover, right now—

Do you know the feeling when the hair on the back of your neck stands on end?

As if someone was slowly running their nails down your spine.

This was the same feeling I’d felt at school.

My grandfather’s words flashed through my mind.

…Kurosawa, could it be?

There was a sound of movement from inside.

Was she coming back out?

Yuka quickly descended the stairs and hid in a nearby alley.

A moment later, Kurosawa came out.

She was hugging something wrapped in a blanket.

She kicked the door shut with her foot, held the bundle tightly in her left arm, and locked the door with her right hand.

Then she hurriedly started walking down the stairs again.

…The white blanket was stained with patches of red.

Was Kurosawa unaware of that?

Or was she in such a rush that she hadn’t noticed?

Kurosawa walked briskly toward the nearby pharmacy.

“Ah.”

She let out a small sound upon seeing the closed pharmacy, likely due to the holiday.

“...”

In the end, Yuka decided to stop following her.

Even then, the eerie sensation from Kurosawa didn’t fade.

“Kurosawa.”

At Yuka’s call, Kurosawa’s shoulders flinched noticeably.

Her neck tucked in like a turtle, Kurosawa slowly turned around hesitantly.

“What on earth are you trying to—”

Yuka started speaking, but her words trailed off as she caught sight of the particularly red part of the blanket Kurosawa was holding.

Blood, when it dries, turns a deep brown.

If left too long, it even turns black and decays.

But the blood on the blanket was a vivid red.

The spot where Kurosawa’s left wrist was wrapped was especially bright red, as if someone had spilled red paint.

Yuka’s gaze shifted back toward the pharmacy.

Surely not.

“Y-Yuuki?”

As Yuka approached with quick strides, Kurosawa took a step back as if ready to flee.

Yuka darted forward and grabbed Kurosawa’s left arm.

“Eek!?”

An unexpected sound escaped Kurosawa’s mouth.

Despite knowing her for some time, this was the first time Yuka had heard such a noise.

It was the sound of someone clenching their teeth to endure pain.

“What is this…?”

The left arm… what kind of first aid is this…?

No, can this even be called first aid?

A black cloth was pressed against her left wrist, and it was tightly wrapped with transparent tape.

Of course, since she had done it with one hand, there was no way the blood flow could have been properly stopped.

The cloth had long since absorbed more than its capacity for liquid, and bright red blood had already seeped through, staining the tape.

Yuka’s hand, too, was now smeared with Kurosawa’s blood.

Now that she was closer, the smell of blood made the situation feel even more severe.

“Let… go.”

Kurosawa muttered.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

“Ow.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Yuka had unconsciously gripped Kurosawa’s arm tightly, causing her to flinch in pain.

Realizing this, Yuka quickly let go of her arm.

Kurosawa hugged the blanket tighter to her chest and spoke.

“This… has nothing to do with you.”

“...”

Yuka’s eyebrows furrowed at those words.

“I—”

“...Are you hunting the cannibal?”

Kurosawa’s lips pressed together tightly at Yuka’s question.

“You know something, don’t you? This isn’t just about people, is it?”

“...”

“Kurosawa.”

As Yuka took a step forward, Kurosawa stepped back.

Now that she looked closely, it seemed the blanket Kurosawa was holding didn’t just contain a blanket.

There was something long and hard wrapped inside, something that seemed sharp.

A katana.

“You, are you…?”

Kurosawa clenched her lips shut.

*

Damn it, what do I do?

I didn’t think I’d get caught, but looking back, I had been too careless.

Yuuki is practically a professional in this field.

Though she’s only a high school student, she was raised in that kind of family.

She even brought a real sword to school.

Still, she didn’t seem to know my true identity.

Yuuki’s eyes were only focused on my face, my left wrist, and the blanket I was holding.

So, it’s safe to assume she hasn’t figured out that I’m an avatar created by a foreign entity.

She probably thinks I’m just another hunter or exorcist like her.

Yuuka, who had been staring at me in silence, took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh.

Her tense shoulders relaxed.

“Fine. If you don’t want to reveal your identity right now, you don’t have to.”

Yuuki pointed at my wrist with her finger.

“But let’s at least do something about that wrist.”

“No.”

“...”

Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed even more at my answer, forming an almost perfect eight.

“Why?”

“Th-this is…”

I stammered. Since when has it become so difficult to come up with a lie?

Oh, I get it.

It’s because I had to lie in front of a professional.

Imagine trying to convince a physicist that something obviously non-physical is a physical phenomenon.

That would be absurdly difficult, right?

“It’s… necessary for the ritual.”

Like, using blood to draw talismans or something.

Don’t people use red ink for that? Sasaki even used blood to catch a yokai.

It might not be related to the foreign entity, but it’s probably the same principle as how I was able to cut down a yokai with a sword I made.

“You’re saying you need to keep bleeding?”

I nodded.

Yuuki grimaced.

Earlier, she had frowned in disbelief, but now she looked downright disgusted.

Did she know about rituals involving blood?

“Why are you using your own blood?”

“...There’s no one else nearby.”

She seemed to understand at least a little.

Was there some kind of ritual that involved animal blood?

I guess chicken blood is used sometimes.

Or was that a Korean shaman thing?

Anyway,

Yuuki placed a hand on her forehead.

Still, I could feel the tension easing a little.

My left wrist still hurt, my head was feeling a bit light, and I was holding a sword capable of cutting down people, but at least my companion wasn’t an ordinary person.

“Still, you should change whatever you’re using on your wrist. Are you planning on throwing away your uniform?”

Honestly, I’d already considered it ruined.

“And… what is that? A handkerchief?”

“...A sock.”

Yuuki’s face twisted into a grimace once again.

*

The tape, which had been plastered all over, came off easily.

The blood had soaked it so thoroughly that it had lost most of its adhesive power.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, we stepped into a nearby alley.

Someone might have already seen my wrist by now.

Ms. Suzuki probably had.

She was the one who came to my house, after all.

Given that she hadn’t treated me any differently since then, she didn’t seem to care much.

As for my friends… they probably hadn’t noticed.

If they had, they wouldn’t be treating me so normally.

Fukuda, for instance, would likely have shown more concern.

But this… was the first time I’d openly shown someone.

Yuuki widened her eyes when she saw the tattoo beneath the tape and sock.

There, on my wrist, was a wound shaped like an eye.

“...Don’t worry. I can control it.”

“You sound confident.”

The whispering voice reached my ear, but I ignored it.

Fortunately, Yuuki didn’t seem to hear it.

However, she must still be feeling that chilling sensation that comes with the presence of non-human entities.

Even so, Yuuki didn’t ask any further questions.

…And then, she placed a sanitary pad on my wrist.

It was a brilliant idea.

I wonder why I hadn’t thought of it.

…Well, I’d never bought one before, that’s why.

Not in this world, at least.

I mean, uh…

I’ve never had that kind of experience.

Since it hasn’t been a month since I came here, I don’t know exactly what’ll happen.

Yuuki applied the pad and wrapped a bandage around my wrist.

I couldn’t move my wrist freely, but, well, the wound was bad enough that I couldn’t move it much anyway.

“How is it?”

Yuuki, having expertly bandaged my wrist, asked.

“You’re an open-minded friend, aren’t you?”

Ignoring the whispering voice again, I nodded.

At least no blood had soaked through the white bandage yet.

“So.”

Yuuki spoke.

“Do you know where we’re supposed to go? I don’t know what exactly you summoned, but…”

“I can find it.”

“I see, it’ll guide you.”

The whispering voice said in my ear.

Yeah, I like that.

I’ll call it “cheap liar” from now on.

It was annoying me enough, so calling it that would help vent my frustration.

*

“I hate to say this, but to be honest, we’re going in the opposite direction of where I thought we should go.”

Yuuki said.

I think so too.

The oni… killed people in the bustling area.

Then it tossed the leftover corpses around carelessly.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the oni couldn’t leave that area.

Oni are yokai that need to keep eating to survive.

It must have chosen to settle in the city center to eat more people.

Isn’t that right?

Humans, if you think of them as animals, are large enough creatures.

Not as big as cows or pigs, but in numbers, they make up for it.

In the middle of a big city, it could eat as many as it wanted.

“This is the right way.”

But I trusted the whispering voice.

It wouldn’t lie about something like this.

We boarded the subway and headed to a residential neighborhood.

“...”

Yuuki followed me silently, her lips pressed together.

It seemed like she had a lot to say but was holding back.

…This is the right way, right?

“Do you doubt me?”

The whispering voice laughed.

“But there’s no need to worry. It’s definitely there.”

“...Are you coming?”

I asked, looking back at Yuuki.

“Yes.”

Despite her expression, Yuuki nodded firmly.

I set down the blanket I had been tightly hugging.

There were no people around.

I quickly unfolded the blanket and picked up the blood-red sword inside.

“...What is that?”

“...My sword.”

I wanted to give it a cool name, but nothing came to mind immediately.

Honestly, my body was nearing its limit.

Judging by how my vision was starting to blur, I needed to finish this quickly.

Staggering slightly, I began walking toward the old apartment building that looked eerily similar to the one where I lived.

Chapter 14. Bread and the Heroine (8)

There was a musty smell, the kind often encountered in damp places.

The house seemed to have been left untidy for quite some time.

Most of the furniture inside appeared to be relatively ordinary.

There was a computer, an old CRT TV, a futon spread on the floor, a dresser, and a wardrobe.

At least it looked more like a place where people lived compared to where I lived.

However, there was more trash.

Except for the futon spread in the middle, convenience store bags were piled up with no room to step, loosely tied.

It was like the room of a hikikomori I’d seen in a documentary before.

Among the musty smell, there was a thin, indescribably unpleasant odor.

It was somewhat sweet, but it made me feel a bit nauseous for some reason.

And in the middle of such a gloomy room, there was a highly suspicious cooler box.

"......"

They said the body was found without the head.

There were bite marks here and there, and it was said the body had been dismembered as if to hide it.

And it wasn’t until I came here that I thought, this case might have nothing to do with a yokai after all.

Perhaps in that cooler box—

“Kurosawa.”

Yuki grabbed my shoulder from behind.

“This isn’t the place.”

I heard Yuki's voice.

Indeed.

Why was I thinking like this?

It was just an article written by some journalist from a newspaper.

Even if there were similarities, there were already contradictions just from what I read.

In the first place, yokai wouldn’t bother to hide human corpses.

They wouldn’t need to.

So, this was—

"......Who’s there?"

A voice came from behind.

Yuki and I turned around at the same time.

A man was standing there with his mouth hanging open, staring at us.

He wore thick-rimmed glasses that had slid down to the tip of his nose.

His old suit made him look like an overworked salaryman who worked overtime every day.

He held a plastic bag in his right hand.

The kind you get when you buy something from a convenience store.

“Who are you?”

Yuki’s eyes sharpened.

It seemed like she had no intention of explaining why we were here.

Though she wasn’t holding a sword, I figured she’d make the same face if she was facing a yokai she needed to cut down.

I turned around.

Looking down, I felt something trickling from my left wrist.

The bandages had turned red, soaked with blood that had overflowed from my sanitary pad.

"Not much time left."

I heard a voice like that.

I lunged toward the man.

“Eek...!”

The man collapsed onto the floor in a pathetic manner, landing hard on his butt.

His face turned pale.

“What? What?!”

He was shouting those words.

He didn’t seem to understand the situation at all.

That was understandable.

If it were the police, he might have taken it more calmly.

But what was standing in front of him now was a crazy woman holding a long sword.

Ironically, the only one here who had ever killed someone was this man alone.

In front of an icebox, possibly containing parts of a human body, stood a calm Yuki, and me, running at him with a long sword.

It was ridiculous that neither of us, far removed from normalcy, had any such experience.

“Wait! Kurosawa!”

Yuki quickly jumped in, blocking the space between the man and me.

My vision was starting to narrow.

“No, this person... isn’t it. This is a human.”

“Huff... Huff...”

Yuki spoke to me, holding up my hands gripping the sword.

With her arms spread wide, standing between me and the man, she tried to convince me.

“We don’t cut people.”

“You’ll kill him.”

“No, we won’t. We’ve found him. We can hand him over to the police—”

Rustle.

A sound came from behind Yuki.

She immediately shut her mouth and reacted.

Turning around, she kicked the man’s temple with her heel, like she was stamping it.

The man slumped to the side, completely limp.

After staring at him for a few seconds, Yuki turned back to me.

“Kurosawa—”

But before she could continue, my legs gave out first.

“Kurosawa!?”

Yuki caught me.

She gently lowered me to the floor, propping me against the wall.

She spoke to me.

“Breathe.”

I gasped out.

My vision was closing in, and my head was buzzing.

I’d seen people lose a lot of blood before, but this was the first time I’d lost this much myself.

Ah, so this is what it felt like.

Even so, my mind wasn’t shutting down yet.

People who suffer from severe blood loss don’t usually answer so calmly.

“Breathe?”

“I need... breath.”

At this point, there was nothing I could do on my own.

Though I’d acted rashly, I hadn’t expected things to unfold this way.

But, as I’d said—

If I didn’t offer that man’s life, I would die.

From blood loss.

Yuki hesitated for a moment.

She must have understood what I was saying.

Yuki was raised in a shrine, after all, and she knew about these things.

She knew how important promises made with gods were.

After lowering her head for a brief moment, Yuki suddenly lifted it again.

“Got it. You need ‘breath’, right?”

With that, Yuki stood up.

And she went to the man.

Ah.

Wait.

I tried to get up, but my legs wouldn’t move.

Yuki, don’t tell me—

Yuki picked up the convenience store bag the man had dropped.

She turned it upside down and scattered its contents on the floor.

Cans of food and cup noodles spilled out.

Then, she took the bag—

And placed it over the man’s mouth.

Even an unconscious person breathes, of course.

They’re still alive.

As the man breathed, the plastic bag inflated and deflated repeatedly.

Yuki waited for the bag to puff up at the right moment, then quickly pulled it away from the man’s mouth.

Holding the bag tightly shut, she walked back to me.

“Here.”

“Huh...?”

As I stared blankly at the empty bag she held out to me, Yuki said,

“I brought the breath. Now what do I do?”

“Breath...”

Ah, I see.

Yuki... took my words literally.

“You’ve made a clever friend.”

A voice, amused, whispered in my ear.

“Well done. Since you didn’t say it directly, I’ll let this one slide.”

The voice, sounding satisfied, continued to watch Yuki through my eyes.

“If you need help again, don’t hesitate to call.”

With that, the voice chuckled softly and faded away.

The strength drained from my body.

“Kurosawa? Kurosawa!”

The pain in my left arm vanished in an instant.

Something thick trickled down the back of my neck.

The sword in my right hand became slippery, then made a wet splashing sound as it turned into a lump of blood.

Ah, so that’s how it worked.

Now I understand why the sword wasn’t found later.

“What is this...?”

Yuki, looking at the scene in shock, quickly turned her gaze back to me.

“It’s okay now.”

I spoke quietly.

“It’s all over.”

“Okay? How is any of this okay?”

Yuki lifted my right arm, supporting me with her shoulder.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe first. Don’t worry about this place. I know someone who can handle it.”

“That’s... good to hear.”

Well, it seems they had some sort of arrangement with the government.

It’s better than getting tied to the crime scene with my blood.

Hanging onto Yuki as she half-carried me, I did my best to stay conscious.

Chapter 15. If I Had a Conscience (1)

Do you know this?

If you fold a blanket vertically, you can both lie under it and cover yourself at the same time.

The width of the blanket Ms. Suzuki gave me was wider than expected, and my body was thinner than expected, so it worked.

In fact, doing it this way made my left arm stick out a bit, and it felt like my face was covered as if I were a corpse under a blanket, but it was fine.

Moreover, if I lay on my side and pressed my arm tightly against my body, I could fit entirely under the blanket without anything sticking out.

The face-covering issue was solved.

You could call it a makeshift sleeping bag.

The blood...

In the end, I couldn’t completely remove it.

There was a coin laundry nearby, so I gave it a try, but a faint brown stain still remained.

Well, it’s not like anyone else is going to see it, so it's fine.

If I flipped the blanket over, I couldn’t see it anyway, so it didn't matter.

Still, it might be a good idea to buy another blanket to cover myself with soon.

Breakfast and dinner were always koppe pan, as usual, but my lunch menu had become more varied.

Every time Yuuki went to the store, she bought me different types of bread, almost as if she thought I was an employee at her family’s business.

Thanks to that, I ended up joining the battle for bread among the students, with Yuuki pulling me by the wrist.

But it was fun in its own way, so I didn’t mind.

Yuuki really helped me out a lot.

Besides getting lunch, I also got a spare uniform from Yuuki, since mine was soaked in blood and became unusable.

It felt like one of those oversized uniforms a parent buys for a child who’s about to enter middle school, expecting them to grow into it.

But I was grateful to get a uniform for free.

Even eating a koppe pan for dinner wasn’t too bad now.

Partly because I’d gotten used to the taste, but also because I had club activities that provided unlimited snacks until just before dinner.

"......"

As I headed toward the literature club room where dorayaki awaited me again today, I noticed something strange.

At the corner between the stairs and the hallway, there was a piece of bread lying there.

It was still in a plastic bag, unopened.

It was a korokke sold at the school store.

Instead of potatoes, it was filled with meat, making it popular among male students.

Of course, it was popular with female students too.

I stopped climbing the stairs and stared at the bread for a moment.

Did someone drop it while walking by?

This top-floor hallway wasn’t a place students frequented much.

It was lined with unpopular club rooms, and most of those clubs spent their time holed up inside their rooms.

Once students entered their club rooms after class, they didn’t come back out.

Hmm.

As I thought it over, it made sense why the bread would be left there alone.

Carefully, I walked up the stairs and took a closer look at the bread.

And I quickly noticed something strange.

At the sealed end of the plastic bag—the part you tear open with your hands—someone had punched a hole in it.

You know that office tool, the one used to punch holes in paper to bind documents?

It looked like someone had used that to make a perfectly round hole.

And there was a thread attached to that hole.

Huh.

Really now.

Huh.

It was a device clearly designed to make a fool out of someone.

They’d tied a piece of bread to the end of the thread, using it as bait, and planned to reel someone in like they were fishing.

Who would fall for such a trick?

......

Of course, I wasn’t foolish enough to fall into that trap.

But while I wasn’t foolish, I was curious about who had set the trap.

More importantly, what was the purpose behind it?

It absolutely wasn’t because I wanted the meat korokke.

To find out who was holding the other end of the thread, I needed to follow it.

Don’t you think?

So when I reached out my hand, it wasn’t to grab the bread, but to grab the thread.

As I slowly approached the bread and extended my hand, the bread jerked away slightly.

It moved about a step away from me.

It was obviously luring me in.

Did they expect me to chase after it?

I paused for a moment,

And then—pop!

I quickly leapt toward the bread.

But the bread barely slipped out of my reach.

Fortunately, I didn’t fall.

"......"

For a moment, I wondered what I was doing.

Even if I was hungry, how could I be tempted by bread lying on the floor?

No matter how full of protein that beef korokke was, no matter how famous it was for not getting soggy even hours after being made, no matter how quickly it disappeared from the store, making it impossible to get one even when Yuuki dragged me to the store, this was too much.

“Haa…”

Sighing at my own foolishness, I straightened up from my bent position.

I smoothed out my wrinkled sailor uniform with my hand and elegantly walked away, heading towards the literature club room.

The bread didn’t move, as if it knew I had given up.

I passed by it without giving it another glance—

—No, I didn’t.

I rushed straight for the bread again!

But as if it had anticipated my move, the bread darted away quickly.

Damn it!

Even so, it was the closest I’d been to the bread so far.

I lunged forward again, chasing the bread, and ended up in front of a classroom where the bread finally stopped—

“I got it!”

—Or so I thought, until someone suddenly grabbed me from behind.

“What’s this? Kuu-chan, you’re so cute, falling for something like this! You really want to join the Occult Club, don’t you? Right?”

"......"

Kaneko’s body, which was holding me tightly, had a faint smell of sweat.

And that smell quickly snapped me back to reality.

Wait, what was I doing?

I had been running toward a piece of bread on the floor.

"......Where am I?"

“Oh, this is the Photography Club room. Everyone’s out taking photos today, so I borrowed it for a bit.”

That’s trespassing.

Sure enough, cameras were lined up on the metal shelf along the wall.

Surprisingly, there weren’t many film cameras.

Then again, it was 2004, when DSLRs were becoming popular.

In a few years, mirrorless cameras would take their place. Come to think of it, technology cycles are quite short.

...As I was getting lost in my own thoughts, Kaneko spoke again.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Are you upset because I played a prank on you with food? Here, it was meant for you in the first place.”

Kaneko handed me the korokke, though I hadn’t said anything.

Oh well.

Food is innocent.

And anyone who gives out food can’t be a bad person.

“I’ll forgive you.”

“...Would you not have forgiven me if I didn’t give it to you?”

Kaneko asked as she let go of me.

“...What are you doing?”

Hearing Kaneko’s shout, Ikeda opened the literature club room door slightly and looked over at us with a puzzled expression.

“I was baiting Kuu-chan with food.”

Honestly, Kuu-chan?

What kind of naming sense is that?

Well, it’s a nickname only Kaneko uses anyway.

Aren’t nicknames usually based on names?

If you translated it to Korean, it’d be like calling me ‘Kim-chan’.

Since I’m not used to Japanese-style nicknames, I’ll just let it slide.

After all, Japanese last names are long and unique enough that even in the same class, you rarely get overlapping names.

“...Kurosawa, if someone you don’t know offers to buy you food, never follow them, okay?”

As we left the Photography Club room and headed toward the literature club, Ikeda spoke with a worried expression.

Even if you hadn’t said that, I wouldn’t follow.

Who in their right mind would follow a stranger just because they offered food...

...Wait, didn’t I follow Sasaki and get a free tonkatsu?

“What’s that face? Is something coming to mind?”

Kaneko looked surprised.

Why is her intuition only sharp at times like this?

Is it possible she really has some kind of sixth sense?

Despite looking like a track and field ace, could she have a hidden talent for this kind of thing?

Come to think of it, she did summon a foreign entity using Kokkuri-san.

Well, it was in response to my call, but still.

...Maybe?

Could it be that she really has a natural ability, and I was just forced to respond?

Nah, that can’t be it.

There’s no way someone not even in the main story would pull off something like that.

“Kuu-chan, is it true!?”

“What’s going on?”

Yuuki walked in as the door slid open.

“Yuuka! Listen! Kuu-chan says she once accepted food from a stranger!”

“No way.”

Yuuki immediately denied it.

She put her bag down on the desk where she always sat, and as she sat down, she said,

“No matter how careless Kurosawa might be, she’s at least cautious about her surroundings.”

Well... that’s true.

I mean it.

If a middle-aged man had offered me tonkatsu while I was walking down the street, I wouldn’t have followed him.

I’m not that clueless.

......

But did she have to say ‘no matter how careless’? That’s a bit harsh.

“Right, Kurosawa?”

“......”

But I couldn’t answer Yuuki’s question.

Because I had, in fact, accepted food.

“Hey? Kurosawa?”

As I placed the precious korokke into my bag and reached for the snack basket, Yuuki asked again.

“Did you really?”

I feel like if I don’t answer, this is going to blow up.

After a moment of hesitation, I answered.

“...I plead the fifth.”

“Kurosawa!?”

Ikeda jumped out of her seat.

Not just Ikeda.

Yuuki also jumped up from her seat, making a loud noise as her chair scraped the floor.

And Kaneko?

Well, she had been standing the whole time anyway.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you serious?”

Uh… it seems my clever joke didn’t land at all.

Yuuki pressed me for an answer.

Looking around at the three of them staring at me with their jaws nearly dropping, I sighed softly.

“...It was a schoolmate. They were wearing our school uniform.”

“You mean a guy you didn’t know bought you food? Why?”

Ikeda asked with great interest.

She usually acted indifferent to relationships, so why now?

And she completely ignored the fact that I mentioned the school uniform.

Oh, but she was always carrying around romance novels.

She claimed they were dumb, though.

As Ikeda pushed her glasses, which had slid down to her nose, back up, I answered.

“...We bumped into each other, and to apologize...”

“So you’re saying you just bumped into him, and he offered to buy you food as an apology?”

Kaneko summed it up clearly.

But since it was Kaneko, I carefully reviewed her summary.

Hmm, no problem, I thought.

There’s no room for misunderstanding in her words.

“Yeah.”

“He did it on purpose.”

And immediately, the bomb went off.

“It’s a common tactic. You bump shoulders, then look them in the face and ask, ‘Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?’”

Kaneko spoke with a serious expression.

“Oh, I read that in a book!”

Ikeda exclaimed.

Don’t apply romance from books to real life.

It wasn’t even romance to begin with.

“...Is it really that common?”

At least Yuuki, who was sitting beside me, gave a more reasonable reaction.

“...His younger sister was with him, so it was fine.”

“Sister? Are you sure?”

“She was wearing a middle school uniform—”

“Then she’s only a year younger than you. You could still date him, right?”

Would that really happen?

Thinking about a high schooler dating a middle schooler feels like crossing a line.

Also, Sasaki and his sister are two years apart.

At least in that regard, Kaneko’s guess was completely wrong.

“Did you catch his name?”

“......”

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I say the name? Or just let it pass?

“Sasaki.”

I decided to say it.

The original story had already gotten off track, and the connection between the protagonist and Yuuki had disappeared.

Sometimes, when I passed by the classroom, I’d look inside under the pretense of saying hi to Yuuki, and I’d still see Sasaki sitting in the seat behind her.

But there didn’t seem to be any real interaction between them.

I’d never seen them talking.

More than that, it seemed Yuuki wasn’t making friends like she did in the original story.

Does she only hang out with me because she sees me as a fellow partner in crime?

“Sasaki? You mean Sasaki Sota?”

Yuuki reacted immediately.

“Yeah, I think so.”

I nodded.

Of course, I remembered the name clearly, but remembering the name of someone I’d just met might give off the wrong impression.

Especially since it was a guy.

“Do you know him?”

Ikeda asked.

“We’re in the same class. Unless there’s another kid with the same name in this school.”

While Ikeda and Kaneko exchanged glances, seemingly excited, I quietly continued to eat my snacks.

It would be better if Sasaki had more interactions with Yuuki than with me.

“......”

Though Yuuki’s gaze, fixed on me, did make me feel a bit uneasy.

*

May.

In my previous life, I lived in Seoul from birth until death.

Even though the weather in Seoul had become unbearably hot, possibly due to global warming, I’d heard that Tokyo’s weather was even worse.

It made sense. After all, the sea was right next to it.

Minato Ward, where I lived, was right on the coast. Geographically speaking, it was closer to Incheon than Seoul.

Even though it was only mid-May, the weather was gradually warming up.

Hanagawa High School’s sailor uniform was black. \

There were white lines along the collar, but that wasn’t enough to deflect the relentless sunlight.

Just running my hand over it, I could feel the warmth of the May sun absorbed into my uniform.

The walk from home to the subway station was becoming more difficult. Summer uniforms wouldn’t be allowed until June 1st, but at this rate, I felt like I might melt before then.

If they were going to create an avatar, couldn’t they have included some extra features? Why did they make it so identical to a human body?

They should’ve at least added a function to cool down my blood and turn my body into an air conditioner or something.

But I had to admit, it was impressive that I still hadn’t cut my long, black hair even in this heat.

“...Now that I think about it, I need to buy a summer uniform too.”

I sighed deeply.

Even though I had inherited my uniform from Yuuki, she hadn’t given me a summer one.

That useless foreign spirit didn’t prepare for that.

…No, wait.

Now that I think about it, maybe she could just make one.

If she could create things as needed, it wouldn’t be strange if she didn’t have one beforehand.

Anyway.

My nutrition situation had improved.

Aside from my contract with Yuuki’s family, I had also found a part-time job. But I’ll get into that later.

The problem was, I still needed money.

The minimum wage in Tokyo was 710 yen.

The place where I found work offered 850 yen an hour.

Considering the cost of living, it was enough to get by, but it was still uncertain.

After all, I wasn’t working full-time.

Wouldn’t it be great if a yokai suddenly popped up out of nowhere?

Even if I kept my eyes peeled for one, though, I couldn’t find any.

In this world, yokai weren’t something you could just spot with your eyes anyway.

“Haa…”

I sighed again.

As I staggered along with my bag in one hand—

“Are you okay?”

Someone asked.

I turned my head slightly, surprised by the voice.

It sounded like the kind of kind voice you’d expect from a protagonist, and sure enough, the boy standing beside me had a kind expression, maintaining a respectful distance of about one step.

Hmm...

“You’re Kurosawa, right?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“You seemed to be walking unsteadily.”

“...I’m fine.”

It wasn’t that I was sick; I was staggering because I didn’t want to go to school.

People are strange.

When you’re working, you envy students for getting off early and having vacations, but when you’re actually going to school, all you want is to lie around doing nothing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“...I’m fine.”

I repeated, and only then did he look a bit embarrassed and back off.

Judging by his expression, if I’d said I wasn’t okay, he probably would’ve grabbed my arm to support me.

Sorry, but while I don’t mind being held by a girl, I’d rather not have a guy act like a knight and hold me up.

…Then again, now that I think about it, I used to do that all the time in my past life.

Maybe you should get to know Yuuki better.

She’s right in front of you, after all.

But I couldn’t just say that out loud.

After all, I was supposed to remain ignorant of such things.

“Haa…”

I sighed again.

The ground didn’t open up beneath me.

*

If this were set in the 2020s, I would’ve considered trying internet broadcasting.

There were some forms of broadcasting in this era too, but the concept of livestreaming to thousands of viewers and earning donations hadn’t taken off yet.

This was 2004.

Did you know that YuTube didn’t launch until 2005?

Even if things progressed smoothly, the service wouldn’t be available until next year.

And live broadcasts?

That’s another story.

There’s no Niconico Douga, no AfreecaTV.

Nothing like that.

So my only option for earning money was to work hard, without any shortcuts.

And the job I somehow ended up choosing—

“...Welcome, Master.”

I said, bowing deeply.

…Yeah.

That’s right.

Out of all the jobs I found, this one had the highest pay and fit with my school schedule.

Yes, I know. It was clearly an anime-influenced decision. No excuses.

Honestly, I was deeply regretting it.

I should have considered the possibility of running into someone I knew in a job that involved serving the general public.

“…Kurosawa?”

No, but seriously, this is annoying.

What kind of madman brings his little sister to a maid café?

“Allow me to show you to your table.”

Ignoring Sasaki’s call, I led the two bewildered Sasakis to their table.

…Alright.

At this point, I’ll just maintain an extra-stiff expression.

I’ll only do as much as the job requires.

Chapter 16. If I Had a Conscience (2)

In my past life, I tried really hard to survive.

Ah, but that doesn’t mean I came from some kind of apocalyptic world.

The world I lived in was the ordinary Seoul of 2024.

In that sense, it felt somewhat like a futuristic era, yet the world had changed so gradually that it was hard to notice much difference unless you scrutinized every little detail.

But even in such an ordinary world, life could be quite tough.

Isn’t that right?

After all, people can’t live without money.

The reason I worked part-time here on Thursdays and Fridays for three hours in the afternoon, and eight hours each on Saturdays and Sundays for 850 yen per hour, was for that very reason.

In many ways, I was lucky.

I had forged my guardian’s consent form, yet they let it slide without asking me to bring my guardian in person.

The café owner hired me under the reasoning that "there’s demand for this kind of figure".

Since it was in the food industry, it seemed like even a minor like me could get a job.

...Well, if you get too hung up on details like that in a light novel world, you'll end up losing.

But for now, the setting is Japan.

Oh, by the way, during the interview, I was in "ponytail mode".

It’s not like you can cover your face with your hair in a place where appearance matters.

I was also wearing thick-rimmed glasses with minimal makeup.

Just in case I ran into someone from school, I wanted to hide my face.

But I couldn’t exactly wear a mask, either.

Though, in the end, Sasaki recognized me instantly, so it was all for nothing.

Anyway,

I’m really curious about what’s going on in this guy’s head.

What kind of brother brings his sister to a maid café?

Having had a younger sister myself, I can confidently say that it’s not a great choice for an older brother.

Just being caught as an otaku would be enough to be despised, but to openly admit it and bring your sister to such a place?

That’s not something a normal person would think of.

But on second thought, the crazier one between the Sasaki siblings might actually be the sister.

What kind of sister calls her older brother "onii-sama"? What kind of anime did she grow up watching?

"I... want to order."

Sasaki finally spoke with some difficulty.

Even he looked like he didn’t know what to do in this situation.

Yeah, how should we handle this situation?

"Yes, Master, we are waiting."

Thankfully, this wasn’t one of those franchise places like "Meido Mei."

It was a privately owned café, and a genuine one at that.

The owner, a woman who looked to be in her early thirties, was serious about coffee.

Although she was also wearing a maid outfit.

So to put it another way, there wasn’t a live performance stage here.

It was simply a maid café where the staff wore maid outfits and spoke like maids.

Contact between customers and maids was prohibited, and photography was also forbidden unless permitted by the maid.

"Uh... I’ll take this one, then."

Sasaki picked one of the coffee beans from the menu.

It had detailed descriptions about the acidity and aroma, but honestly, I didn’t really understand any of that.

Well, it’s not like I’m the one making it, anyway.

"I’ll have the same, please."

Sasaki’s younger sister spoke.

"Would you like any desserts?"

"Ah... then I’ll take this."

Sasaki chose a shortcake.

"I’ll have the same, please."

His sister followed suit.

Are they just close, or does she not feel like choosing?

Sasaki’s sister’s eyes were on me.

Ever since Sasaki treated me to a meal last time, it seems she’s mistaken something, but there’s really nothing between us.

If not for the current situation, I would have pretended not to know Sasaki.

Unfortunately, the other staff were all busy.

The owner had only hired three employees, including me, which was a small number for a "maid café".

Even though I’ve jumped into flames in my previous life, I never imagined I’d end up wearing a maid outfit in front of my schoolmates.

"Then, Master and Mistress, please wait a moment. I’ll have your order ready soon."

"Uh, yeah."

"Please take care of us."

Sasaki still seemed flustered, but his sister appeared to have regained her composure.

"…Are they people you know?"

The owner, who had been resting her chin on the counter, asked.

Even though she’s in her thirties, thanks to that light novel-like enhancement or perhaps just good self-care, she looked younger.

Though she was wearing the same maid outfit as me, she didn’t exactly look like a maid either.

Not that I could say much if someone asked me the same question.

The owner, who opened the café out of a love for coffee, didn’t show much passion for the work itself.

It seemed like she didn’t need to, as she owned the building.

Despite the rumors about the café’s good coffee, she claimed that wearing a maid outfit was just a way to charge an extra 100 yen per cup.

What her true intention was, only she knew.

"They go to the same school as me."

"Ah, I see... Well, hang in there."

The owner gave me a sympathetic look after hearing my reply.

After I handed her the order slip, she nodded and got to work.

At least she didn’t leave all the work to the employees.

Even though it’s not the kind of café with live shows, and the staff only wore maid outfits, it’s still a maid café in the end.

It’s a rule here for maids to serve their "Masters" in some way.

Of course, since this wasn’t that kind of business, there was no physical contact.

It just meant standing by and fulfilling requests, like bringing water.

To be honest, other than the polite speech, I don’t really know how it’s different from a regular café, but whatever.

"…"

I stood there absentmindedly, holding the menu between the tables.

"Hey, Kurosawa."

"…"

Sasaki called me, so I walked over to him.

"Master, I’m sorry, but please refrain from calling the maids by their names. It’s a privacy issue."

There wasn’t really such a rule, but I made up something plausible and told Sasaki.

"Ah, okay."

Sasaki seemed a little flustered at my firm tone.

"I just... wanted to know how you’ve been."

Do you think I’m doing well?

I’m standing here in a maid outfit in front of a schoolmate.

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.

This is a café, after all, and it’s not like anyone forced me to work here at knifepoint.

"Master, I’m sorry, but asking about the staff’s personal lives is against the rules."

That part was true.

Everyone here, including the owner, had good looks.

If you allowed invasion of privacy, this place would turn into hell.

"That’s right, onii-sama. It’s rude to ask personal questions to someone working."

"Ah, you’re right. Sorry."

But really, why do you care about me so much?

This is only the second time we’ve met.

No matter how kind a person you are, isn’t this a bit too much?

"Sorry. My brother’s a bit clueless about these things..."

Sasaki’s sister apologized on his behalf.

Honestly, I could see her jealousy written all over her face.

"It’s fine. If this is your first visit, it’s understandable. I’m sorry for being presumptuous."

But right now, I’m thankful for that jealousy.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less if this girl harbored forbidden love for her brother.

That’s a problem for Yuuki and the protagonist to solve, not me.

Well, though their relationship is still the priority.

…Should I suggest this part-time job to Yuuki too?

"Oh, no. I just—"

Knock, knock.

There was a knocking sound coming from the counter.

"Excuse me, Master. May I bring your order now?"

"Uh, yeah."

At my question, Sasaki looked flustered again.

I could hear his sister exhaling softly next to him.

Does she really see me as competition?

Come to think of it, did Sasaki’s sister ever have romantic feelings for him in the original story?

I don’t remember that being the case.

Maybe this is just a glimpse into their everyday lives between the events of the main story.

No matter how detailed a novel is, it can’t show every moment of someone eating, sleeping, or going to the bathroom.

Or maybe I just remember the novel I read 20 years ago wrong.

Whatever.

It doesn’t matter.

With that thought, I headed to the counter, picked up the tray the owner had prepared, and returned to the table.

"Master and Mistress, here are your orders."

"Ah... thanks."

"Thank you."

The younger sister answered with an air of elegance, as if she were enjoying the situation now.

She really does have a brother complex.

"Enjoy your meal."

With that, I turned around, returned the tray to the counter, and stood in place again.

Honestly, during the interview, I considered talking about "Moe Moe Kyun", which wouldn’t be introduced for a few more years.

After all, if I did it, I’d be the first person in the world to come up with it.

Luckily, I got hired based on appearance alone.

I’m really glad I reincarnated as a beautiful girl.

At least my face under the hair is pretty.

Otherwise, I would never have been able to get a part-time job in Akihabara.

I don’t overestimate my abilities.

In Akihabara, there are plenty of people working part-time outside, shouting for people to stop by, but I probably wouldn’t be able to do that kind of job.

I’m not good at dealing with people.

It’s easier to do a job like this, where I just follow the manual.

I continued to stand there absentmindedly between the tables, occasionally serving other customers as they came in, until the Sasaki siblings finished their meal.

The two of them stayed in the café longer than I expected.

It’s probably because Sasaki kept paying attention to me.

Since it was a repetitive job anyway, I had plenty of time to drift off in thought, and I began to recall the Sasaki Sota from the original novel bit by bit.

First, he cares for his younger sister.

I didn’t read the novel until the end, so I don’t know exactly why he cares for her so much.

But thinking about it now, Sasaki’s sister calls him "onii-sama" and follows him around.

Even I would find a sister like that cute.

Though I wouldn’t bring her to a maid café.

And second... he couldn’t just pass by someone who looked pitiful.

He’s the type who would absolutely have to help a starving cat on the street.

You know that type of male protagonist—the one who says, "I can’t just leave you like this!" to a heroine who claims she’s fine.

That’s the kind of person Sasaki was.

"…"

Wait, no way.

Do I look pitiful?

I turned my gaze toward Sasaki.

He was looking at me, but quickly averted his eyes when our gazes met.

Is that it?

Did he somehow sense that I was in a tough spot when we first met?

Is that why he’s pitying me after seeing me work like this?

It actually made sense, now that I thought about it. Damn it.

I also felt Sasaki’s sister’s gaze following me, so I decided to stop paying attention to them.

I went back to work.

Hoping the two of them would leave soon.

*

At least Sasaki didn’t stay until my shift ended.

Even though it’s a café without a strict time limit, it would be a bit much to keep sitting there after making eye contact with me.

I let out a sigh of relief as I clocked out.

The owner wasn’t interested in the employees’ private lives, so she didn’t bother me when I left.

"Well, I’m heading out."

"Yeah, sure."

I left work a little later than the other staff, who were still a bit awkward around me.

Not that the delay was long—about three minutes.

I just didn’t feel comfortable changing clothes at the same time as them.

Their physical age seemed older than mine, but both of them were still teenagers.

I felt morally conflicted.

Besides, I had a tattoo on my wrist.

After a quick greeting, I left the building.

The building itself wasn’t very tall, but it was located in the heart of Akihabara.

When I stepped outside, I wasn’t in some creepy alleyway or anything like that.

The café was on the third floor, and the sign wasn’t very noticeable, which is why it wasn’t packed with customers.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the owner had picked the spot because she didn’t want to work too hard.

...Well, it doesn’t matter.

As long as I get paid properly, that’s all that matters.

I started heading toward the station—

"Huh?"

I turned around.

The sky had almost completely darkened, but the streets were still quite crowded.

Even though the sky was dark, it hadn’t been that long in terms of time.

The lights were still on in other buildings.

"..."

What was that?

Was it just my imagination?

I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but it wasn’t a yokai.

If it were, I would have sensed it much more clearly.

I might have even heard a voice.

I turned back and kept walking.

There was no sense of foreboding.

Hmm...

Well, it’s probably nothing.

Just one of those vague feelings I get sometimes.

Like when you’re walking alone at night and it feels like someone’s behind you.

It was a bit strange to feel that way when there were so many people around, though.

Feeling uneasy, I picked up my pace slightly.

*

Friday, after school.

If it were any other time, I probably would’ve enjoyed myself.

There wouldn’t be any bread from Yuuki’s lunch, and no unlimited snacks in the Literature Club room, but lying around at home doing nothing was quite enjoyable.

But now, I have work to do.

Not just on Fridays, but also on Saturdays and Sundays.

Thanks to that, I was at least able to eat a decent dinner.

For example, gyudon.

If you go to a chain restaurant, you can get a bowl of it cheaply, and most of the people there are focused on eating their own meals.

I would just sit among them, eat, and leave.

That’s right.

Meat.

I reward myself with that carb-heavy protein after finishing work on the weekends.

Sure, the place is full of middle-aged men, but who cares?

It’s delicious, so it’s fine, right?

"...Huh?"

But for some reason, I felt a sense of discomfort when I thought about that gyudon place.

I stopped for a moment and tilted my head, but I couldn’t figure out what was causing the discomfort.

Well, whatever.

A psychologist I saw on TV about ten years ago said not to dwell on things you can’t figure out.

I scratched my head and started walking again—

Meow.

I heard a sound.

A cat.

I liked stray cats.

That doesn’t mean I fed them or petted them, though.

I would just rush to pull out my camera and take a picture whenever I saw one.

Why?

Well, no particular reason.

They’re just cute.

Sometimes, though, I found them incredibly annoying.

There were times when work would increase because of stray cats.

But it’s not like I could hate every cat in the world for that.

And right now, it has nothing to do with work.

Anyway, I heard the sound again and looked around.

Meow, meow.

The cat meowed again.

I still had a little time before I had to go to work.

At least enough time to see the cat’s face.

I followed the sound.

Then, I stopped.

In the distance, a girl in the Hanagawa Middle School uniform was crouching next to a utility pole.

The high school and middle school didn’t share the same building.

Though they started from the same station, the two schools were quite far apart.

But I was on my way back to the station, so it wasn’t strange to run into a student from there.

The utility pole was almost pressed right against the building, but there was enough space for a small animal to fit through.

A kitten could easily crawl in.

A cat was lying flat in that gap.

And the girl petting the cat was...

Sasaki Shii, Sasaki Sota’s younger sister.

I’ve been running into these siblings a lot lately.

Though this time, the brother wasn’t around.

I considered turning around and leaving, but the girl had already heard my footsteps and looked up at me.

"Oh."

She let out a vague sound, which may or may not have been a gasp.

"…"

After a brief hesitation, I walked toward her.

"Kurosawa-san?"

She stood up and called out to me.

"Hiss!"

The cat hissed at me.

No need to be so wary.

Upon closer inspection, there was a can of tuna placed in front of the cat.

...Come to think of it, feeding a stray cat used to be a way to show that a heroine was kind-hearted.

But if a heroine like that appeared these days, she’d probably be called a "cat mom".

Honestly, I understand that, though.

Who would like having a cat litterbox outside their house?

"…I heard a cat."

I spoke slowly as I approached Sasaki’s sister to avoid startling her.

"Did you?"

She didn’t seem that afraid of me from the start.

Looking closely, I realized she was about the same height as me.

Considering her better nutrition, she’d probably overpower me if we got into a fight.

"You’re my brother’s... friend, right?"

What should I say?

Honestly, it’s a bit of a stretch to call us friends.

"...Yeah."

But it felt awkward to outright deny it in front of his sister, so I went along with it.

I slowly crouched down.

The kitten was about the size of my hand.

Was it abandoned by its mother?

Even though it was scared, it didn’t leave the tuna can.

...

Why do I feel like I’m seeing myself in this cat?

Who am I thinking of right now? It can’t be myself, right?

"Can I pet it?"

"Oh, yes. It’s not my cat, after all."

I silently reached out my hand.

The cat looked up at the hand hovering above its head and flattened itself against the ground.

But since it couldn’t burrow into the ground, it had no choice but to accept my hand.

For a stray, its fur was quite soft, despite not being taken care of.

"It seems this kitten has no parents."

"…Yeah."

The fact that she had tuna with her probably meant she carried it around regularly.

As my fingers carefully petted its head and back, the kitten stopped hissing and let out a small meow.

It must have decided I wasn’t a threat, as it focused on eating the tuna again.

For a while, Sasaki’s sister and I just watched the kitten silently.

"Can’t you keep it at home?"

"Ah, well... I’d feel like I’m burdening my brother. If I asked him to let me keep it, he would probably say yes, but..."

He’s probably too kind to refuse.

There was no mention of them having a cat in the original story, either.

"I see."

That was all I said as I continued petting the kitten in silence.

"...Excuse me!"

"…Yeah?"

Sasaki’s sister, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly called out to me.

I looked at her.

She had an expression like she’d made up her mind about something.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, and her eyes were full of determination.

Did I do something to upset her?

"Would you... exchange emails with me?"

"…Emails?"

"Ah, is that not okay?"

No, it’s not that it’s not okay.

It’s just that it was so sudden that I was a little taken aback.

"...Sure."

It wouldn’t be polite to refuse in this situation.

As I agreed and took out my phone, Sasaki’s sister also pulled out her phone, looking a bit relieved.

Chapter 17. If I Had a Conscience (3)

Though it was a stray cat, the strange cat, which wasn’t scared of people at all, kept meowing as it sat until Sasaki's little sister and I left.

It didn’t show its belly to us, but it seemed to like people quite a lot.

Well, it only briefly seemed cautious of me, then quickly accepted my touch.

Seeing the cat like that was nice.

However, Sasaki’s little sister unexpectedly seemed to have a bit of interest in me.

"Is my brother diligent at school?"

No, I don’t know.

We’re in different classes to begin with, and we don’t talk. Not ‘almost’ never talk—just never.

But I had just answered ‘yes’ to the question, "Are you friends with my brother?" earlier. If we were ‘friends’ at school, I should at least know how he’s doing.

I cursed my earlier self. Why did I say that? If I had thought just a bit more, I could’ve found a decent way to deflect...!

“...Yeah.”

In the end, that was the only answer I could give.

Sasaki is diligent. Just like his little sister, he’s the type who can’t walk past a stray kitten without doing something.

In the novel, when Yuuki got injured, he was the one who stepped forward and got hurt trying to protect her. He even risked his life for his sister.

There’s no reason why he wouldn’t be diligent at school.

“At home, though, he’s so lazy.”

Huh?

“No matter how many times I tell him not to leave his socks inside out, he still hasn’t fixed it. Plus, his desk is always a mess, and if I don’t nag him, he just throws his clothes anywhere.”

Oh...

Really?

It was information I had no desire to know, but cutting her off felt a bit awkward.

So... is she badmouthing her brother?

Why? It’s not like I’m close to her. In fact, this is the first proper conversation we've had. While I exchanged a few words with Sasaki over tonkatsu last time, she just sat next to him, eyeing me cautiously.

“He’s surprisingly careless, forgetting his homework a lot. I’ve had to bring him his lunch a few times, too.”

A little sister who gets up early to make her brother’s lunch. This world really must be a fantasy.

After hearing all that, I finally looked at Sasaki’s little sister again.

Her expression as she talked about him was strangely... joyful.

So... just thinking about her brother makes her happy, huh?

This was less badmouthing and more... maybe something like pride.

But why is she telling me all this?

...

Could it be?

Is she trying to prevent me from dating her brother? Does she think there’s something going on between us?

Not that I’m delusional enough to think she'd outright say that. I’m just considering it as one of the possible reasons.

Thinking about her character from the novel, it’s not that she dislikes *me*—it’s the idea of her brother being ‘taken away’ that bothers her.

I’m guessing it’s not because of any romantic feelings. There’s a more complicated reason, one that I shouldn’t let on I know.

“...I see.”

After I answered in the calmest tone possible, her string of complaints about her brother finally ended.

“Ah... um, I’m sorry.”

It seemed she realized how embarrassing it was after saying it all.

“It’s fine.”

I nodded as I spoke.

Besides, I hardly ever run into your brother.

If Yuuki ever gets together with Sasaki, that’s when I’ll have a hard time. Having a little sister like this, after all.

“...”

The two of us walked in silence for a while.

“So, are you heading to work again today?”

“Yeah.”

When I nodded, Sasaki’s little sister hesitated for some reason.

Why, do you want to follow me?

No way... could it be that the maid cafe is actually her hobby, not Sasaki’s?

No, that’s unlikely. If the little sister had an otaku streak, the novel would have mentioned it. That kind of thing is considered a ‘trait.’

Thinking further... Ah, I get it.

She’s trying to match her brother’s tastes.

“Um, by the way.”

After some hesitation, Sasaki’s little sister spoke.

“Could you teach me how to do that job?”

“...”

The only thing that stopped me from slapping my forehead was the patience I had in my previous life. Admiring myself, I asked.

“Why?”

“Well... I need it for something.”

When I read the novel, I thought Sasaki was pretty crazy. He’s the type who would jump into a fire to save someone or spare someone trying to kill him—like those ‘heroic madmen’ with clear eyes.

Sasaki was that kind of character, so I thought he was a madman.

And, honestly, I admired him. He was cool, right?

I’m neither as good-looking as the character illustration, nor someone who would risk his life to save the heroine like Sasaki, but still, I thought he was admirable.

Maybe it even influenced the career I chose when I became an adult.

“...”

But this little sister... she’s even crazier.

“Maid work? In daily life?”

After a long pause, I asked, and her face turned bright red.

Actually, I somewhat understand why she’s thinking this way. Sasaki’s little sister only has Sasaki left. If by any chance Sasaki leaves, she’ll be all alone in the world. This isn’t an exaggeration.

It’s one of the defining traits of the novel, Shin Jeongi. Bloodshed and collapsed normalcy are key features, but another characteristic is how the heroine or protagonist always has some bizarre, abnormal void in their life.

Maybe it was just the trend of that time.

“Well... I thought it could help with housework.”

That’s a weak excuse.

“It probably won’t help at all.”

Though her face reddened further at my comment, she didn’t seem ready to give up.

Stubborn, just like her brother.

It’s a little awkward knowing so much about someone I’ve just spoken to properly for the first time.

After pondering for a while, I let out a long sigh.

“I’ll... talk to the boss.”

“Really!?”

Her face brightened like a flower blooming in fast-forward, and for a moment, I almost felt happy too.

I calmly continued speaking.

“But, it’s up to the boss whether to allow it or not.”

“I understand.”

She thumped her chest with determination.

...

She’s got spirit.

Well, if an impulsive suggestion turns out well, anyone would feel that way.

But I seriously doubt the boss will hire a middle schooler.

---

"Sure, sounds good."

"I’ll work hard!"

The boss answered so nonchalantly, and the middle schooler responded so excitedly that my jaw nearly dropped.

I approached the boss and asked quietly.

"Is this... okay?"

"Huh? You brought her in, didn’t you? She looks like a diligent kid."

"But... she’s in middle school..."

"You were in middle school until three months ago too, weren’t you?"

I was a grown man three months ago.

But that’s beside the point.

"Besides, she said she doesn’t want to ‘work,’ she just wants to ‘learn.’ She’s not even asking for money. Isn’t it like a maid experience or something?"

She was justifying it so casually.

Yeah, this guy fits the laid-back boss stereotype from back in the day—the type who gives the protagonist an easy job, pays them casually, and doesn’t seem that invested in the business. But when things get serious, she’s there to help.

Although, that part still remains to be seen.

She’s not even in the original novel. She’s too minor to even be called an extra. If anything, she’s just someone offstage.

Do even people like her get light novel-style character settings?

"You’re her senior, right? Just let her follow you around."

No.

I opened my mouth to protest but ended up closing it again without saying anything.

After all, I was the one who made the request, and I was the one who brought her in.

But more importantly—no pay? Seriously?

...Well, whatever happens, happens.

No one will work long without pay. Even Sasaki’s little sister will likely quit after a few days if she doesn’t get any money. The boss won’t try to stop her either.

In hindsight, maybe this is the boss’s way of ‘getting rid of her.’

After rationalizing it that way, I turned back to Sasaki’s little sister.

"...This way."

"Yes, senior!"

Her reply was full of energy. She was bursting with determination.

A maid underling, huh.

Though I’m the youngest of all the employees here.

"First, let’s go to the changing room."

"Yes!"

...This is kind of awkward.

---

Sasaki’s little sister... worked hard.

She worked much harder than me, who was earning 850 yen an hour.

"Thank you, Master! Please come again!"

I’m someone who believes that if you’re not getting paid, there’s no need to work. But she clearly had a different mindset.

Maybe it’s because the setting is 20 years in the past. You know, back then there was this idea that ‘you had to work hard while you’re young.’

Then again, now that I think about it, there are plenty of stories set 20 years later where the protagonist still works overtime, can’t go home, and has to go to work on weekends.

I thought things had changed, but

I guess they haven’t.

"Okay, that’s it for today. Good job, everyone."

The boss stretched as he spoke. I glanced at the clock and saw that the last customer had just left. Technically, there was still a bit of time left on the clock, but even if a new customer arrived, there wouldn’t be time to prepare anything.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

The person who seemed to disregard all modern labor laws was the most enthusiastic about expressing gratitude.

Even the other maids, who usually didn’t talk to me much, seemed a bit taken aback.

"I’ll change last."

"Ah, so you’re letting the others go first since you came in last!"

No.

There’s no rule about seniority here. It’s just a place where girls with complicated circumstances come to work and earn a bit of money.

Now that I think about it, it makes the place sound kind of shady, but at least it’s not an illegal service, so it should be fine, right?

In the end, since I was considered the ‘senior,’ I got pushed into changing second to last.

"Where did you even find someone like her?"

While I was standing around, waiting for Sasaki’s little sister to finish changing, the boss asked me.

Good question.

How does someone like her even exist?

The world of a novel really is incomprehensible. It’s not as though it only consists of the parts written in the book and nothing else. This world... isn’t that different from the Earth I used to live on. Aside from being set 20 years ago and having characters from a novel, it functions just like normal.

Apart from the supernatural elements, everything else is pretty ordinary.

So, shouldn’t people’s personalities also develop like they do in reality? That’s not something that belongs to the ‘nonsensical’ category, right?

"I’m done changing."

Sasaki’s little sister came out wearing a white sailor uniform.

White with a blue collar. Completely different in style from the high school uniform.

"...See you tomorrow."

Seeing Sasaki’s little sister, I turned back to the boss and bowed.

"See you tomorrow!"

Wait... she’s coming tomorrow too?

---

...?

As I left the store, I once again felt a sense of unease.

It was a subtle unease, similar to what I’d felt the last time.

When I glanced back, Sasaki’s little sister also turned to look, but neither of us found anything unusual.

When I turned back and started walking again, she quietly followed beside me.

What could it be, really?

I honestly thought she would quit after a day of working without pay. Even if wearing a maid outfit seemed fun at first, after realizing it’s no different from being a cafe waitress, the novelty should wear off.

But this... Sasaki girl not only stayed the whole time, but also declared she’d come back tomorrow.

By the way, tomorrow’s Friday. In Japan, high schools have four classes even on Saturdays, so the whole ‘Friday night’ thing doesn’t really apply, but still, working on Friday night is a bit depressing.

Plus, I work eight hours on both Saturday and Sunday. I’m already planning to be an hour late on Saturday, though, since I have school.

"..."

After a bit of silent walking, I stopped, thinking this wouldn’t do.

"Kurosawa-senpai?"

Sasaki’s little sister stopped and looked back at me, tilting her head with a genuinely puzzled expression, as if she had no idea why I’d stopped.

"...Tell me again."

"Tell you what?"

"Why you’re following me."

"..."

"If it’s just that you want to work as a maid, there are easier ways."

At my words, her face darkened a little.

"Am I... being a burden?"

A burden... no, not really. The more people working, the better. I’m sure the boss appreciated having free labor.

But this doesn’t feel right. It’s not like the work I’m doing is complicated. It’s simple enough that you don’t need a mentor to learn it.

Shaking my head slightly, I replied.

"That’s not it."

"Then—"

"But... it’s bothering me."

My words left her speechless.

"Tell me your reason."

After hesitating for a moment, Sasaki’s little sister lowered her head, deep in thought, then muttered “Okay,” before raising her head to look at me again.

"Actually, it’s because of my brother."

"You already said that."

"Huh? Oh, no, that’s not what I meant."

Seeing me staring intently at her, Sasaki’s little sister stammered a bit before continuing.

"I didn’t mean I wanted to learn maid work. But it’s true that it’s because of my brother."

So, that’s how it is.

I had a feeling one of my earlier guesses was correct.

"It’s just... it’s the first time I’ve seen my brother show interest in someone his age."

I closed my eyes.

So it was that, after all.

It’s not just a simple case of jealousy—she’s worried about whether her brother will meet a good person or be taken in by someone bad.

And it’s probably related to what happened between their parents.

Well, I don’t think I’m the first girl Sasaki’s been interested in. Although Yuuki missed the chance for the intense encounter with him like in the original story, there’s still that childhood friend character—it’s typical for these kinds of stories.

It happened when Sasaki was in elementary school. By then, the siblings were already separated, so his little sister doesn’t know about it. There’s even a scene in the novel where she’s shocked after learning about it later.

"..."

After thinking for a moment with my eyes closed, I spoke.

"...Actually, I lied too."

"Huh?"

"I’m not that close to Sasaki. Other than when you’re around, we’ve only spoken once."

"Wh-what!?"

Sasaki’s little sister’s mouth dropped open. It was an exaggerated reaction, kind of like in a comic, but honestly, it was cute because of her looks. Total cheat.

My little sister has never made that kind of expression for me.

If she had, I probably would’ve grabbed her by the collar and dragged her straight to a psychiatrist.

"We’re not really friends."

When I confirmed it again, Sasaki’s little sister blinked several times, then tilted her head in confusion.

"Then... why did you lie?"

"Because you seemed to believe it."

"..."

At my words, she fell silent.

After staring into space for a while, she finally seemed to come to a conclusion and asked.

"You... went along with me, didn’t you?"

To be exact, I just wanted to give a short answer because I was too lazy to explain.

Her shoulders drooped.

"I really caused trouble for you... I’m sorry."

Hmm.

When she apologizes so sincerely, it kind of makes me feel bad.

"...No."

I shook my head again. Sasaki’s little sister, who had been looking down, cautiously raised her head.

"I had a little fun too."

"R-really?"

Now she looked embarrassed.

"Yeah. But you should stop working without pay. The boss will get used to it."

"She’s older than us by at least ten years, so saying it like that is..."

Isn’t it more disrespectful to bring up her age like that?

"Let’s go."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

"...I’ll buy you dinner."

It was already dark. As always, it wasn’t quite time for bed yet.

"Huh? No, I’m the one who followed you around."

"You called me senpai, right?"

"Ah, th-that’s true..."

"It’s also payback."

"Payback?"

"For the meal I got from Sasaki."

"Oh...!"

"Is there anything you want to eat?"

After thinking for a moment, she answered.

"I’ll go with whatever you choose..."

"Then ramen."

I said it sharply and started walking. There was a ramen shop nearby I wanted to try.

...It hurt a little to spend money on both of us... but, well, I guess it’s fine. Just for today.

It would be sad if she worked for free and didn’t even get a meal.

"...she was a good person."

"...?"

"Oh, no, I was just talking to myself. Let’s go eat ramen!"

Chapter 18. If I Had a Conscience (4)

There are days in life when you just feel strange.

You feel like someone is following you, but when you look back, there's no one there, or you feel as though someone is in your house, even though there shouldn’t be.

I was never someone who believed in the supernatural, but that doesn’t mean I could go against my instincts.

I read somewhere that such sensations are 'instinctual' and are signals from the brain to ensure safety by checking dangerous areas periodically.

I wasn’t sure how credible that explanation was, but it seemed like a reasonable analysis.

Anyway.

Lately, I’ve been feeling that 'strange feeling' quite often.

When I leave work. When I leave the local restaurant after eating.

If you feel something repeatedly, doesn't that mean something is there?

“……”

Before entering my house.

I placed my hand on the doorknob and looked back.

But there was no one in the alley. Only the small sounds from various places in the neighborhood could be heard.

… Come to think of it, I’ve never heard the sound of a TV in this apartment.

I hear snoring from the next room every day, though.

You’d expect to hear some conversation or other household noises from the next room or below, but strangely, the only sound I hear late at night is the snoring.

Thinking about it like that gave me the chills.

Could it be that this building is that empty? Well, even if you paid me, I wouldn’t particularly want to live here either.

Not that I had the energy or money to find another place, so leaving here would be difficult for the time being.

“……”

I stared at the alley once more before entering my room.

Let’s just go to sleep.

I have school tomorrow, after all.

***

As I expected, the school uniform was quite expensive.

There was a shop near the school that sold Hanagawa High School uniforms, so I got two sets of summer uniforms. I couldn’t exactly go around in a sweaty uniform without washing it in the summer.

The summer uniform was also a black sailor suit. The design was mostly the same, except the sleeves were, of course, short-sleeved, and even though it was black, the fabric was thin.

I didn’t really understand why we still tied a ribbon under the collar in the summer, but then again, in some anime, they wear vests even in the summer. This was probably mild in comparison.

Even with the thinner fabric and short sleeves, the summer in Japan was brutally hot and humid.

No, to be more precise, the summer in Tokyo was hot and humid. Maybe up north, like Sapporo, it was relatively cooler compared to most of Korea, since it's farther north.

But that doesn’t mean summer wouldn’t be summer.

On June 1st, after class, I briefly stopped by the clubroom to greet everyone and then headed home.

In my past life, there were times when I had to jump into fires, but even so, I always found it hard to endure such hot weather. Personally, I preferred winter, even if it meant chattering my teeth in the cold. Well, that's just considering the weather.

In winter, there are more fires, more injuries, and more work, so I didn’t like that part.

Today was too hot, so I just showed my face at the club. When everyone saw how awful I looked, they quickly told me to go home, and I obliged. Of course, I grabbed a dorayaki and stuffed it into my bag.

When I got back, it was six in the evening.

I threw my bag carelessly onto the floor and lay down without even changing my clothes.

The floor was warm from the sunlight that had been pouring in all day through the window without curtains. The wooden floor only made it more humid.

“… Should I take a shower?”

I muttered to myself, something I often did when I was alone, and sat back up.

I had sweated a lot during the 30-minute walk, so my body felt sticky. This body, which had been made by foreign gods, was annoyingly human.

As I thought about getting a fan soon, I stood up—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“……”

I stared at the door for a moment.

Ms. Suzuki hadn’t visited my house since that time. She had occasionally called me in for counseling-like sessions, but I suppose she thought it was a bit much for a teacher to visit a student’s home so frequently.

She had offered help whenever I needed it… but I was still using the bloodstained blanket. I could already imagine what kind of expression Ms. Suzuki would make if she saw it, so I didn’t plan to call her until I got a new one.

Though even if I changed the blanket, I probably wouldn’t call her.

Aside from that… no one had visited me alone. Yuuki had just followed me once.

“Who is it?”

I asked as I got up.

Knock, knock.

But the person answered my question with another knock.

For a brief moment, I felt a bit uneasy.

You see… lately, I’ve been having sudden feelings of anxiety. That feeling I had before, I still experienced it intermittently.

It might sound strange coming from someone who used to work in a physically demanding job, but now my body was that of a high school girl on the verge of malnutrition.

If a grown man barged in, I wouldn’t be able to stop him.

But I really wanted to avoid cutting my wrist to summon my sword.

Knock, knock.

I walked to the door and calmly set the chain lock. At least this way, if they pushed hard, it would hold for a while, right?

With the chain on, I opened the door slightly, just enough to see outside.

Standing there was a girl about my age.

She wore all white, top to bottom, holding a parasol in her hand. She looked well-groomed.

She was alone. She was… much taller than me. Even though she was a neatly dressed beauty, her presence was overwhelming.

“… Who are you?”

When I asked that, the girl with black hair and white skin spoke politely.

“Hello. I’m here to share a good message. Do you have a moment?”

“……”

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

My grip on the doorknob loosened slightly.

“… No, I’m not interested.”

I said that and closed the door.

But as I started to head back to my room—

Knock, knock.

“……”

“Could you please listen, just this once?”

The girl’s voice came softly from beyond the door.

“I’m not interested.”

I said again, towards the door.

“Are you sure? If you listen, you could go to heaven later.”

For the first time since arriving in this world, I almost laughed.

“… If God has any conscience, he wouldn’t send me to hell.”

There was no reply for a while from the person beyond the door.

But she hadn’t left… I didn’t hear any footsteps.

“I see…”

After a long silence, the girl murmured,

“I came to deliver the message of Shura-Nirlass.”

“What?”

For a moment, my mind went blank.

I quickly unhooked the chain and opened the door, but there was no one outside.

As if there had never been anyone there at all.

“… What?”

I muttered to myself, staring at the empty doorway.

***

Alright, let’s think this through.

In this novel, there are references taken from the Cthulhu Mythos.

I hadn’t read far enough to get to the part where those beings made a full appearance, but there were hints from the beginning, and later on, the creatures definitely showed up.

Of course, all their names had been changed. Probably due to copyright issues. Even though H.P. Lovecraft’s original work had long fallen into the public domain, the Cthulhu Mythos had so many authors adding to it and blending the settings that it’s hard to tell what’s officially part of the canon.

Still, separating them now might not make much sense, considering the original sources.

Anyway, the author adapted the names of the gods and their servants from the Cthulhu Mythos.

I’d never seen the term 'Shura-Nirlass' in the novel, but it’s likely derived from Shub-Niggurath.

If that’s the case, what’s the identity of the girl who came to deliver that message?

Shub-Niggurath is ranked third among the gods of the Cthulhu Mythos.

While the highest rank is held by the Azathoth, who is often excluded from being considered as part of the deity hierarchy, the practical leader is Yog-Sothoth. Shub-Niggurath is said to be his wife… though the being has no actual gender.

So that ‘messenger’ is… obvious.

“It must be Nyarlathotep.”

Though the name would probably be a bit different. As I said before, the author borrowed and altered the names.

I rubbed my temples with both hands.

I… or rather, this body… was originally created as an avatar for that Shura-Nirlass figure to use.

That means that for the entity to exist in this world, it needs a separate shell. For some unknown reason, the fake Nirlass couldn’t physically exist in this world.

Considering that Nyarlathotep often acts as a messenger in the original works, does that mean my body… was something under its management?

“Heh.”

I chuckled bitterly for a moment, then searched through my bag.

I pulled out a box cutter and sharpened the blade.

I pressed the blade against my wrist and thought for a moment.

Is summoning that thing right now really a good idea?

Why did such an entity... send a messenger to speak to me? Could it be that it wanted me to summon it by any means?

“……”

I put the knife back.

Yeah, I should think this over a little more carefully. There's no need to walk into a trap.

And if I cut my wrist here, I might end up ruining another expensive school uniform.

***

Working at a maid café doesn’t mean you’re just serving customers all day.

Including the owner and the recently joined Sasaki Shii, there were only five employees, so not that many.

Actually, considering the size of the café, it could be seen as quite a lot. But this café isn’t just any café, it’s a 'maid' café. Without 'service,' the café’s existence would be meaningless.

However, even with the serving duties, the café can’t run solely on that. Sometimes, we have to organize the storage, and I even helped prepare the menu from time to time.

Despite how it may look, I’m pretty good with my hands, and the owner trusted my coffee-making skills quite a bit.

“This should be good enough. The customers won’t be able to tell the difference.”

After making me brew coffee a few times, the owner nodded and said that.

In other words, I wasn’t as good as the owner herself, but then again, comparing myself to someone who had been making coffee for years was pointless.

So, when there were too many customers, I also helped prepare the menu, and sometimes I organized things in the storage room.

That’s when I discovered that the storage room was a treasure trove.

There were all sorts of things in there, aside from what was necessary for running the café.

Among those items, a few things caught my eye.

“Boss, what’s this…?”

While we were all cleaning together, having postponed the opening for a bit, I pointed at one item and asked the owner.

“Oh, a fan? I bought it for those in-between days when the weather’s uncertain, but we just ended up turning on the air conditioner, so we never used it.”

The owner replied, looking at the fan wrapped in plastic and gathering dust in a corner of the storage room.

“Why? Do you need it?”

“Yes.”

“Well… take it, then.”

“Thank you.”

“… You don’t hesitate, do you?”

Why would I?

That day, I carried the fan home. The walk was over an hour, and the fan was pretty heavy compared to my body weight, so I was drenched in sweat by the time I got back, but I was in an incredibly good mood.

Now, even in the heat of summer, my room would be cool!

The electricity bill might be a bit higher, but it’s better than boiling alive, isn’t it?

And the storage cleaning wasn’t over yet. There were more things in there than just the fan.

“Boss, what about this…?”

“Oh, that? It’s a rice cooker. I bought it to try offering a special menu here, but using a regular rice cooker wasn’t enough for café-scale cooking…”

When I held up the rice cooker still wrapped in plastic, the owner looked at me with a slightly bewildered expression.

“… Do you need that too?”

“Yes.”

“Well… take it, then?”

“Thank you.”

“You really don’t know how to refuse, do you?”

Life is about seizing opportunities. Hesitating gets you nowhere.

That day, I carried the rice cooker home as well. On the way, I stopped by the local supermarket and bought some rice. Not too much, since I couldn’t carry it all and didn’t have much space to store it.

But still… rice! Finally, I might be able to eat real food instead of just koppe pan!

… Oh, but I don’t have a refrigerator.

There was no way I could steal the café’s refrigerator, so for now, I just had to figure out how to cook enough to eat in one sitting.

Little by little, I started gathering enough things to make my place look like someone actually lived there.

***

If you ask me whether I prefer bread or rice, I’d say I like both.

But honestly, the food that fills you up more is rice. Both are carbohydrates, but growing up in Asia, I couldn’t feel satisfied unless rice filled my stomach.

I filled the rice cooker with rice, poured in water, and started cooking.

That simple, everyday act was something I hadn’t done since coming here in April, until now, in the second week of June.

But now, things were different. Like any ordinary household in the East, I now had an electric rice cooker.

Sure, there were still a lot of things missing, but at least I had this. And I’m the type of person who’s grateful for what I have. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’d refuse more if the chance comes along.

Before the rice finished cooking, I set the table and placed the utensils. I also took out the soy sauce I had stored in the cupboard.

And, of course, the fried eggs I had already prepared.

… Unfortunately, I didn’t have a refrigerator. So I had to cook all ten eggs at once when I bought a pack.

At first, I had tried to make an omelet, but after failing miserably, I just scrambled them instead. The sad, shredded eggs fried in oil sat on the plate next to five fried eggs.

Well, it’s fine. Today, I planned to feast anyway.

As I waited for the rice to finish cooking, feeling a bit anxious—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

It was a familiar knock.

I stood up. I felt a bit irritated that someone decided to visit at this exact timing.

“… Who is it?”

I asked from the door.

“I’ve come to share a good message.”

Came the reply.

I slowly opened the door.

It was the tall girl I had seen before.

Do you know the Japanese urban legend of the 'Hachishaku-sama'? A ghost said to be eight feet tall, wearing a white dress and a wide-brimmed hat, who can only say 'po, po.'

She wasn’t that tall. Her height was probably in the 170s. She wasn’t wearing a wide-brimmed hat, either. Her hair, though… well, that part was similar, I guess?

I must have thought of that ghost because I had to tilt my head all the way up just to look at the girl.

She was holding a parasol in her hand again.

“You opened the door for me today.”

“……”

I stared at her.

“Does that mean you’re willing to listen to the message now?”

I thought for a moment, then slightly moved aside.

The girl stepped into the room with such light footsteps that it felt like you could hear the sound of her delicate steps.

“Were you about to eat?”

Technically, I was just about to eat. Though now, thanks to her, it was ruined.

“… Please, have a seat.”

There was a small chance, however slim, that she might just be a normal person. Perhaps, by some bizarre coincidence, I had encountered a religious missionary.

The girl naturally sat down at the table.

I wasn’t really keen on sharing my meal with a stranger.

At that moment, the rice cooker beeped, signaling that the rice was done. I sighed deeply.

I knelt next to the table.

At least I had some extra bowls. I was the type of person who did the dishes immediately after eating, so there were some spares.

I scooped some rice into a bowl and placed it in front of the guest.

“...Since you’ve come, please have a meal before you go.”

It’s only common courtesy to avoid interrupting someone’s meal, right?

Isn’t six in the evening a typical dinner time?

“Oh, you’re offering me food too?”

Well, I couldn’t exactly sit there and eat alone.

I did cook too many eggs anyway.

Suppressing another sigh, I got up and fetched another bowl from the cupboard.

The girl, at least, didn’t start eating on her own. She just watched me curiously as I moved about.

Was she observing me as a human, or was she fascinated by my behavior of inviting her in and sharing a meal?

The smile never left her face, but it felt unnerving, like something was off.

I placed rice in my own bowl and sat down.

I... didn’t usually say “itadakimasu” before eating, especially since I didn’t grow up in Japan.

What should I do now?

After a brief moment of hesitation, I just picked up my chopsticks.

Seeing me pick up my chopsticks, the girl followed suit.

When I placed an egg on top of my rice, she did the same.

“……”

Well, at least she didn’t seem to want to cause me harm just yet.

Should I be thankful that she wasn’t disrupting my mealtime?

Chapter 19. If I Had a Conscience (5)

I briefly debated whether to use formal language or casual speech with the other person.

The conclusion came quickly.

If this person was a messenger of Shura-whatever, there was no reason for me to speak formally.

After all, I spoke casually to Nirlass as well.

While eating rice with eggs, I observed the woman sitting in front of me. Her complexion didn’t look particularly good, but it didn’t seem like she was genuinely unwell.

The woman… ate really well. Whether it was eggs or rice.

Come to think of it, I should have bought some bean sprouts to make another side dish... No, now’s not the time to be thinking about that.

More importantly, I needed to gather information.

Looking at her closely, it didn’t seem like she was a yokai or anything. Not that she was human either, but I thought she might be an "avatar" like me.

I... didn’t get the feeling from her that I usually got from yokai. It felt like just another person sitting in front of me.

"Do you have something you'd like to ask me?"

"…Didn’t you say you came to deliver Shura Nirlass’s message?"

I spoke casually as I had intended. The woman didn’t seem to mind.

"Hmm, that’s right. I did come to deliver that."

The woman put down the bowl and chopsticks she was holding. There was still some rice left in the bowl.

"Shall I tell you my name first?"

"…Sure."

The woman smiled softly and opened her mouth.

"My name is Kurosawa Kagami."

The moment I heard that name, I immediately understood why this woman had come to find me.

But before I could say anything, the woman spoke.

"I'm... your mother, apparently."

"…."

I froze for a moment, staring blankly at the woman who had just introduced herself as 'Kurosawa Kagami,' while still holding my rice bowl and chopsticks.

"My... mom?"

"Yes."

"…How old are you?"

"That’s not important, is it?"

Was it one of those things 30-something female characters in this era often said, 'You shouldn’t ask a woman her age'?

Of course, she probably just didn’t want to answer.

"Your human age?"

"Oh my, I am human."

She was saying something unbelievable. Last time when I opened the door, she completely vanished in that instant.

"I’m thirty-three."

Thirty-three.

Officially, I was 16 now... So, the setting was that she had given birth at seventeen?

But just looking at her face, she didn’t seem thirty-three. If we went out together, people would definitely mistake her for my older sister.

That, in some sense, could be considered a light novel... because back in the day, married characters often appeared with looks that weren’t much older than their daughters.

Now that I think about it, it’s still the same these days.

"So, what do you want to say?"

"Well... besides that, there’s nothing else to tell you right now. Oh, right. She said it was a gift. Something to use 'when you’re in trouble.'"

"…."

Use it when I’m in trouble? Was she being treated like an object?

"You can use it in various ways, how about it?"

Don’t put strange emphasis on weird parts.

"But judging from your expression, it seems you don’t want me staying around."

"Hmm—" Kurosawa Kagami turned her head and scanned the room.

"You seem to be doing well on your own. So, you don’t need a 'mother,' do you?"

"…."

Maybe I did need one, but that didn’t mean I wanted to live with this person. It was a bit... unsettling. Both her appearance and her attitude.

"Then, how about I only visit when you really need me?"

"…How will you contact me?"

"I’ll send you an email."

A very realistic method from someone who wasn’t supposed to exist in reality.

Honestly, exchanging contact information felt a bit awkward, but I nodded anyway.

"Alright then, let’s do our best from now on. After all, we’re mother and daughter, right?"

I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to 'do our best,' though.

Kurosawa Kagami picked up her bowl again.

"...Have you been the one following me lately?"

At my question, Kurosawa Kagami picked up a fried egg with her chopsticks and answered.

"Hmm, I wouldn’t know about that."

How sly.

I let out a deep sigh.

---

Kurosawa Kagami really left after just eating.

It was a bit annoying that I didn’t know when she would visit again, but even if I rejected her, it wasn’t like she wouldn’t come, and there was no way to stop her.

After she left, I picked up my box cutter again and thought seriously, but this time too, I didn’t cut my wrist.

Honestly, it hurts.

And not just the pain, but this body isn’t at its normal weight yet. It’s still a long way before my arms and legs will bulk up. If I lose too much blood, I’ll probably get anemic again.

The option of cutting lightly wasn’t possible either.

Once the blood flowed and the pentagram on my wrist turned red, the wound would split open, forming an eye shape. Even a brief conversation wouldn’t stop the bleeding so easily.

But that didn’t mean I hadn’t tried other methods.

"Kokkuri-san?"

After school. In the literature club room.

When I brought up Kokkuri-san, Kaneko’s eyes sparkled instantly.

She leaned toward me, smiling widely, which was a bit overwhelming.

"So you were curious too, Kuu-chan? About what happened last time! You really are interested in the occult, aren’t you? Why not just join our club?"

"But there isn’t even an occult club."

Ikeda, who was sitting and reading a book, spoke with an exasperated look. As if asking if she still hadn’t given up.

The book in her hand was *The Astrology Murder Case*. …Seems like she’s pretty interested in that stuff too, doesn’t it?

"If you and Kuu-chan join, we could start an occult club. You’re basically just sitting here reading similar books anyway, right?"

"This isn’t an occult book; it’s a mystery novel!"

Ikeda snapped at Kaneko.

Good thing I didn’t say anything.

"And if you join, Yuuki will join too, right?"

"...I’m not going to give up on a club that’s already established."

Does she have some kind of attachment to it?

Well, I don’t really plan to interfere.

"Anyway, are you going to do it or not?"

Kaneko asked.

"…."

"You know? If someone calls Kokkuri-san, but you just sit there without doing anything, Kokkuri-san goes to the people around first. If you just sit there reading your book, Kokkuri-san might take an interest in you."

That’s the first I’ve heard of that.

I’m sure Kaneko made that up. I’d seen the kids in my class do Kokkuri-san too.

They didn’t care who was around, and people would gather around, laughing and having fun.

Of course, nothing happened.

"…."

Ikeda’s eyes wavered slightly.

Maybe she’s the type who gets scared of things like this?

"So, what do you say? Will you do it or not? We could wait outside the clubroom if you prefer."

When Kaneko teased her, Ikeda let out a big sigh and slammed her book shut.

"...Alright, it’s a bit silly, but since I doubt you’ll stop just because I say so, I’ll play along. I can’t concentrate anyway with all the noise."

It was obvious she was scared but joining anyway, but neither Kaneko nor I pointed it out.

"Alright, then."

Kaneko dug through her bag and pulled out a Kokkuri-san paper.

Does she carry that around with her?

This time, instead of a torii, there was a magic circle drawn on it.

"I had better results drawing it this way."

Kaneko spread out the paper and placed a coin on top.

"Okay, everyone, put your finger on the coin."

I placed my finger on it without hesitation. Ikeda hesitated for a moment but eventually followed suit.

Once again, Kaneko seemed to be pressing the coin down hard. As soon as I placed my finger on it, the coin didn’t budge at all.

"Alright, starting now?"

Kaneko said with a grin.

"Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come to us~"

Despite the situation she had experienced last time, Kaneko’s voice as she chanted the incantation lacked any tension.

And then—

"It seems you’ve figured something out."

A voice spoke into my ear, sounding slightly intrigued.

Once again, the figure wasn’t visible. But I could definitely feel the presence nearby. It brushed past my back as if walking behind me, whispering by my ear, breathing down my neck.

Success.

Calling it out was less important than getting a response. Apparently, entities like this one couldn’t resist a strong impulse.

Even without cutting my wrist, it appeared like this.

I couldn’t tell if the sensitivity belonged to Kaneko or Ikeda. Perhaps both. Or maybe the hiragana on this paper was acting as a sort of magic circle in itself.

"I want to know about that woman who came to me. That woman."

Even as I spoke aloud, neither Kaneko nor Ikeda reacted. Just like last time, they remained frozen in place, as if time had stopped.

"You mean Kagami."

A giggle echoed in my ear.

"…Is she the same kind of being as you?"

"Well, you could say that, or you could say no."

She didn’t seem eager to give a straightforward answer.

I thought for a moment before speaking again.

"…Is she human?"

"You could say she’s something close to human."

So she’s a subordinate after all?

I still hadn’t shaken the suspicion that the woman was a character based on Nyarlathotep.

"What do you think of humans? What made you plant an avatar among them?"

I didn’t give her time to respond and kept talking.

"I’m telling you, if humans are insignificant, then so are you."

Shura Nirlass seemed a bit intrigued by my words.

"I’d like to hear your reasoning."

"It’s like how humans view ants. Or bacteria."

"You look down on humans?"

"No, it’s just that, in terms of value, they’re the same."

Humans die so easily. Like bugs, they die from trivial things.

Organisms that had evolved through countless stages on a random rock floating in mostly empty space, made of proteins, water, and carbon, just barely clinging to life.

But you know what?

"If you’re just occupying some part of empty space, you’re no different. You need some kind of mechanism to exist, and as long as you exist through that mechanism, you’ll never be anything more than that."

The reason I was provoking her like this was that this world was inside a "light novel."

If this were a Cthulhu-based original, I wouldn’t even have the chance to have this conversation. I wouldn’t be alive to begin with; I’d have either been killed or gone mad. Could anyone really have a meaningful conversation with a tsunami or a hurricane? All you could do was sense it approaching from afar and run away.

But, in Japanese light novels, they often twist and break these principles by putting in a bunch of human-centric themes.

As a result, these outer beings are a bit... human-like. Most of them have emotions similar to humans.

So, I thought I could communicate with them.

And, as expected, I was right.

"I’m curious about your point."

"My point is, tell me exactly where that woman stands. If you just say things like 'someone superior' or 'someone inferior,' it doesn’t mean anything. The gap is too big. Give me a proper ranking."

"Hmm."

Shura Nirlass snorted.

In that snort, there was a hint of amusement.

"I don’t fully agree with your words."

"…."

"But it was an interesting argument. Perhaps it’s because you’re a foreigner from a distant land?"

Well, most scientifically-minded people would probably think the same way.

But I didn’t say that out loud.

"Kagami… yes, you could say she’s superior to you."

I’m doomed.

That’s what I thought.

"But, she’s below me."

"…."

"Was that a satisfactory answer?"

"…Yeah."

"Do you know? I like you. So, I hope you live a long time."

"Huh?"

"The reason I came to see you today was to tell you something."

"Huh?"

"You should avoid walking around alone at night."

Was this concern for my safety?

No, was this a threat?

"…."

"You may not die, but it would amuse me more if you knew this."

"Wait, hold on—"

But before I could finish speaking, the world resumed.

I realized it when I saw Kaneko blink.

I quickly closed my mouth.

"…."

Kaneko, who had been still for a moment, murmured,

"Huh."

"Didn’t the coin move by itself last time?"

Oh, right. The coin didn’t move this time. Of course, it stayed right where it was.

"Don’t say such weird things..."

Ikeda said.

"Do we have to ask something?"

Kaneko said and cleared her throat.

"Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san. Will I do well on my final exams?"

"…."

The coin didn’t move.

"Pfft."

Ikeda let out a suppressed laugh.

"Looks like you’re going to bomb your finals. Even Kokkuri-san has nothing to say."

"Th-That’s not it! Kokkuri-san just hasn’t answered yet, not that I’m going to fail!"

"Didn’t the coin move on its own last time?"

"Ugh...!"

While the two of them were bickering—

Slam.

The literature club door burst open.

Once again, Yuuki stood there, panting. Just like last time, a katana wrapped in cloth was slung over her shoulder.

Yuuki glanced at the Kokkuri-san paper on the desk, then looked at me. Her eyes narrowed slightly. The eyes of someone suspicious of something.

"…Seems like she didn’t come today."

When I said that, Kaneko let out a big sigh.

"Yeah, why? The conditions were exactly the same as last time."

"No, she came. She just had nothing to say about your grades."

Ikeda teased Kaneko, seemingly forgetting that she had been scared earlier.

"No, she didn’t! And last time, my math score was higher!"

"Only because you guessed better!"

Seems like they both flunked math during midterms.

My scores weren’t much better.

Though I barely avoided failing. I did have a lot of time at home, after all.

The two of them were so caught up in their argument that they seemed to have forgotten Yuuki had barged into the room.

I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t ask about what she had slung over her shoulder.

---

"Are you not going to tell me?"

Yuuki asked me.

She had rushed up to the literature club last time as well, sensing something strange when I did Kokkuri-san, and she had seen me cut my wrist and watched the blood flow. So, of course, she’d be curious.

"...I can’t tell you."

But that was all I could say.

I didn’t want things... to get too tangled up.

I’d only read up to the part where Cthulhu-type characters were hinted at before making their full appearance in the novel, but no matter how I thought about it, those guys were probably much stronger than the earlier yokai. The scale was just different, wasn’t it?

I didn’t want Yuuki to get hurt for no reason.

"…."

Yuuki stared at me for a moment, then spoke.

"You didn’t forget that it's 20,000 yen per case, right?"

....

Ah, I almost said something.

I barely opened my mouth, then closed it, but Yuuki caught it exactly.

"…It must be really hard to talk about."

No, just because I almost spoke because of the money doesn’t mean it’s necessarily that.

Though I did almost speak because I was tempted by the 20,000 yen.

Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin searching for the truth. Even if I cut my wrist and asked, I probably wouldn’t get a proper answer.

"Alright. If you ever need support, just let me know. I’ll help you with all my strength. This is what I’m best at."

"…Okay. I’ll tell you if it gets dangerous."

But Yuuki’s face... didn’t seem to believe me.

Until we arrived at the station, we didn’t exchange any more words.

Chapter 20. If I Had a Conscience (6)

“Kurosawa, you’re looking good these days. Did you get a boyfriend?”

“...No.”

I shook my head at Fukuda’s question.

Miura, Fukuda, Yamashita. I used to hang out with them quite often before I took care of the oni.

Even now, we still hang out. At school, at least.

After I saved Miura’s life, I didn’t bother following them around much. I had at least broken the clear death flag, so there wasn’t much more I could do.

As for Miura’s future survival... well, that was up to her luck. As long as she didn’t suddenly catch an incurable disease or get caught in an accident, she’d be fine.

Whether it was because they were kids from rich schools, or maybe just typical for Japanese high schoolers, hanging out with them cost quite a bit of money.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it, but it wasn’t something I could ignore either.

I never tried to distance myself on purpose, but after refusing a few times, they eventually stopped inviting me as much.

“By the way, you said you were doing club activities, right? How’s that? Any good guys there? Like a bookish boy or something?”

If there were, we’d probably already be living out a high school drama in the literature club. A boy suddenly joining a group of five girls? It’d be like a harem story.

...

Wait, five?

Why did I think there were five? Normally, it was just Kaneko, Ikeda, Yuuki, and me—four people.

The reason for my assumption came to me quickly.

There was a ghost member in the literature club. Just to clarify, by “ghost,” I don’t mean an actual spirit.

It’s just someone whose name is on the list but never shows up, so we call them a ghost member.

Ikeda and Kaneko knew about this person’s existence, but they never mentioned their name. Probably because I never asked.

And naturally, I assumed this ghost member was a girl.

There’s no way Ikeda would ever talk to a guy, right?

Convincing some random boy to join the club? It’d be quicker for me to get a girlfriend.

“...”

“You don’t, huh? I can tell just by looking at your face.”

Fukuda patted my shoulder as if to console me.

No need for that. I quite enjoy being in a club with only girls.

“Haa, as for me~”

But Fukuda didn’t seem finished with her story.

She sighed heavily and sat next to me. It was clearly someone else’s seat, but honestly, who would complain about Fukuda sitting there?

“You know that guy I’ve been talking to? Turns out he decided to focus on his studies after all. I mean, we’re only first-years, so does that even make sense? Even if his goal is Tokyo University, come on.”

Well, the guys from the mixer were probably from prestigious schools too, not unlike ours.

By the way, the guy who asked me to keep in touch never actually called or messaged me either.

“...No boyfriend?”

“Do I look like I have one?”

Fukuda leaned in slightly as she asked, clearly pleased with my question.

“Kurosawa wouldn’t really know about that, would she?”

Yamashita, who had been listening to our conversation, chimed in.

What a rude thing to say.

I did live quite a long life in my previous one. I was in my thirties.

Of course, even then, I didn’t know much. That’s because I never actually went out of my way to get a girlfriend.

I was lucky no one could read my thoughts. They’d definitely scoff at my excuse.

“Yuu.”

Miura, looking a bit troubled, tried to intervene. Yamashita just shrugged.

“Still, a literature club, huh? Kotone-chan, you sure picked a boring club. But it suits you.”

It was hard to tell if that was a diss or a compliment. Probably neither. Fukuda just said whatever came to mind.

“Not that we’re in any position to talk, since we go straight home after school.”

Miura smiled as she spoke.

“But it’s a hassle, isn’t it? We barely survive through sixth period every day, so why would we voluntarily stay longer?”

In my case, it was all about securing food, but I couldn’t say that in front of these girls.

“Yeah. It’s a hassle.”

Yamashita agreed with Fukuda.

“Haha...”

Miura gave a somewhat awkward laugh.

“Oh, Kotone-chan. How about today? Are you free?”

Huh?

When I looked at Fukuda, she was smiling brightly.

“You sing really well. I kind of bragged about it to some friends I used to hang out with in middle school. So, I promised them we’d go to karaoke today. Can you come with us?”

“...”

I stared at Fukuda.

I couldn’t tell if she was just super friendly or using me. Well, nothing bad ever happened when I tagged along.

She was probably just an airhead who didn’t sweat the details.

“...Alright.”

“Really!?”

Fukuda responded enthusiastically to my answer.

“Kurosawa, you don’t have to force yourself to go along with Fukuda’s plans.”

“Mako-chan, what do you mean by ‘force’?”

Fukuda protested Miura’s sharp comment.

“It’s fine.”

Yeah.

It was still a bit risky to go out every day, but I had a stable income now, so occasionally hanging out wasn’t too bad.

To be honest, hanging out with these three was pretty fun.

Karaoke, huh. It had been forever since I went just for fun. Back in the day, I’d go with close friends, scream our lungs out, and just let loose.

Of course, back then all my friends were guys, but this felt kind of similar when I hung out with these girls.

It was a completely different vibe from those work-related karaoke outings.

Seeing me respond with my usual neutral expression, Miura seemed a bit relieved.

She probably thought I had been declining their invitations because I didn’t like hanging out with them.

...Maybe I should come up with some excuses next time.

---

Today, I made a promise to myself.

The moment YouTube launches, I’m going to record my singing and upload it immediately. It’s not like I’m doing it to make money—more to claim my spot early on.

Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita, along with the middle school friends they brought, were all surprised when they heard me sing.

They were so amazed that they started touching my hair and pinching my cheeks. I decided to take it as genuine praise. Not that I’m thinking of becoming an idol or anything.

But it wouldn’t hurt to think about potential future investments, would it?

After all, I am from the future. I know plenty of ways to make money aside from video streaming. Like, when crypto comes around, I’ll buy a ton, let it sit for ten years, and when companies that revolutionize smartphones take off, I’ll make sure to buy their stocks.

I don’t know when the peak will come, but at least I know enough to hold onto them until they rise.

...And to do all that, I had to keep working hard to make money.

“Sigh.”

And here we are, back to square one.

The phrase “gathering dust” suddenly felt way too real.

Fukuda, Miura, Yamashita. And their middle school friends.

Not a single one of them lived outside Tokyo.

These were kids from areas so famous that even I, back when I didn’t know much about Japan, would have recognized them.

For kids like that, their hangouts were pretty wholesome and not too expensive, but I could tell from the way they acted that they didn’t hesitate when it came to spending money.

Maybe the reason Miura worried about me was because she realized I was the only one among them who wasn’t “well off.”

On the way home by train.

It seemed like there were quite a few people commuting from Saitama to Tokyo.

Well, it made sense. Just like how many people commuted from Gyeonggi Province to Seoul.

Since I was commuting an hour and a half to school, I could relate.

At least I didn’t have to transfer trains, which was a relief.

After standing by the train window in a daze for a while, I arrived at Omiya Station and got off. There were quite a few people getting off with me.

As I was stepping off the platform—

“Kyaa!?”

I happened to hear someone scream.

Heads turned in unison toward the source of the sound.

Through the crowd, I could see someone collapsed on the ground.

“Someone, please call for help!”

A young woman’s voice rang out.

“Excuse me, can you hear me? Do you hear my voice?”

The next sound was the typical first step of CPR.

She must have been trained in first aid.

Good, then everything should be fine.

Usually, incidents like this go south because no one steps up. As long as one person is taking charge, there’s no need to intervene.

Thinking that, I continued walking as usual—

I thought I did—

“...”

But for some reason, my feet were carrying me toward the direction of the woman’s call.

Occupational hazard, I guess.

I sighed deeply as I approached, resolving to only step in if she wasn’t doing it right.

I weaved through the crowd to get a better view of the situation.

The woman was young, with a neat appearance and a simple suit—she screamed “ordinary office worker

.”

The man who had collapsed was a bit on the thin side. His height... he was taller than me but probably not over 170 cm. He wasn’t completely limp on the ground.

He was clutching his throat.

Next to him lay some bread and milk. Was he trying to eat on the go? In a hurry, perhaps?

“...”

His face was gradually turning blue. He wasn’t unconscious, just unable to speak.

He couldn’t breathe either.

The woman looked conflicted, unsure if she should follow through with what she’d learned.

“...Hold on a second.”

I approached her.

“Can you help me for a moment?”

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

The woman’s expression softened a bit as I spoke. Despite being a high school student.

In emergencies, anyone stepping up provides comfort, no matter their age.

“We need to lift him up.”

The woman quickly nodded at my words.

A few men standing nearby, who seemed unsure about us handling the situation, stepped forward to help. Thank goodness. Lifting a fully limp adult male wasn’t easy.

After we got him upright, I moved behind him to support his back. It looked like I was hugging him from behind.

His belly was a bit round, but he was skinny elsewhere, so I could manage holding him up.

I clenched my fist, placed it against his diaphragm, and covered it with my other hand.

“...Has someone called for help?”

“Oh, yes, I did.”

One of the men who helped lift the man responded. I nodded.

As I wrapped my arms around him, his back pressed against my face. Even though it was almost summer, he was fully dressed in a suit. It was no surprise that he smelled a bit sweaty, but that was to be expected. I would’ve smelled the same if someone hugged me from behind.

I pulled up against his diaphragm with all my strength.

I didn’t expect it to work on the first try. I wasn’t particularly strong either.

Again. And again. Until the bread stuck in his throat came out, or until the medics arrived.

It was a bit difficult for someone like me to do this. As sweat began to soak my body, I kept adjusting my stance, trying to hold his weight as I continued the compressions.

And then—

“Ah!”

The young woman, who had been watching us anxiously, suddenly gasped.

The man took a deep breath. I could feel his abdomen expand under my arms.

I slowly laid him down on the ground, with the bystanders helping out again.

After we got him flat on the floor, I stood up.

While everyone’s attention was focused on the man, I quietly slipped away. I think I heard the woman call out to me, “Wait,” but I just ignored it.

By the time I swiped my card to exit the station, the paramedics were already rushing up the station stairs.

Ugh, I’m all sweaty again.

And I’m totally drained. My arms and legs are definitely going to be sore tomorrow morning.

But what can I do? I only have myself to blame for not exercising regularly.

I don’t have any real complaints about being a beautiful girl, but if I could wish for something, I’d have liked superhuman strength.

If you give me the power to summon a sword by slashing my wrist, at least give me the strength to wield it properly.

I sighed deeply, staggering off into the now-dark street.

---

“Hm?”

I stopped walking in front of the gyudon shop.

Today... I didn’t feel that strange sensation I usually did when passing by here.

In fact, I had already taken a few more steps past the shop before I stopped, only realizing something felt off in retrospect.

“...”

I backtracked and looked inside the gyudon shop.

Inside, it was full of middle-aged men quietly eating their meals.

But the person I was looking for wasn’t there. If the woman in white had been sitting inside, I would’ve noticed her right away.

I guess she doesn’t need to keep watching me anymore.

Thinking about it now, she must have been following me all the way from where I worked to my neighborhood. Like a stalker.

Wait, no, that’s exactly what it was, wasn’t it? Just because she’s not an ordinary person doesn’t mean her actions aren’t those of a stalker.

Well, if I run into her again, I’ll deal with it then.

With that lighter feeling in my chest, I continued walking.

Even though I slipped away without a word, I have to admit, it felt good. Helping people always feels good, doesn’t it? As long as the person you saved doesn’t complain or blame you for being late.

And, well, as long as you weren’t in the middle of a meal when you had to save them.

Not that I need to worry about that anymore, right?

Casually glancing up at the sky, I thought, “You really do have some sense of conscience, don’t you?”

Aside from meeting that woman recently, my luck had been pretty decent. I got a free rice cooker, a fan, and now I had the basics to maintain a decent living at home.

I had a job, and money was coming in. I’d be able to keep things running.

Yeah, life should at least let me live like a person.

With that thought, I walked into my apartment.

And then, I felt it.

That strange feeling.

The one I had when I left work. The one I had in front of the gyudon shop.

“...”

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

And then, I saw someone.

That person was crouched down, watching me.

The apartment building wasn’t that big. Each floor had four rooms, two floors in total. The rooms weren’t very large either, so that made sense.

There was no wall around the building, of course.

But there weren’t many lights near this apartment. The only sources of light were the streetlights and the hallway lights.

Even though there were other houses nearby, most of the light came from their windows. There were naturally dark spots in and around the apartment.

And most importantly, the man was standing in a spot where, unless I specifically turned my head, I wouldn’t have seen him as I approached the building.

There was no wall around the apartment, but there was one around the houses.

“...”

Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

This wasn’t the kind of chill I felt when I saw a yokai. This was pure fear. The kind I had felt many times in my previous life.

I froze in place for a few seconds, and then I ran.

But I tripped almost immediately.

My head slammed against the metal stairs leading up to the second floor, but I didn’t feel any pain. My mind was filled with nothing but raw terror, leaving no room for other thoughts.

I felt something crush me from behind.

Oh, right.

I had... just used up all my strength earlier. Using the body of a thin, small girl to hold up a fully grown man.

Then walking non-stop for thirty minutes.

I heard breathing right next to my ear. It was as close as the whispers of an oni, but this breath was much wetter and far more unsettling.

“Mmph!”

I tried to scream, but something clamped over my mouth.

“Kotone-chan.”

A man’s voice.

A large hand was covering my mouth, holding me so tightly I couldn’t turn my head.

I struggled to crawl up the stairs, flailing my arms to grab onto the steps, but there was no way my arms could support both my weight and the man’s.

“Why... didn’t you come today?”

Come where? Where—

—The gyudon shop? Seriously?

How did I figure that out?

Ah, right. The oni had warned me. Like they were enjoying it. Like they were curious to see what would happen next.

So that’s what it was.

I didn’t remember his face or voice. I wasn’t the kind of person who paid close attention to people’s appearances or actions. I... I mean...

What did I do wrong?

I was just trying to live.

I thought I had died, only to be reborn in a world I barely remembered, and I was doing my best to survive. It’s not like I had given up.

Damn it, if you had any conscience, this wouldn’t be happening.

A stalker? If you were going to warn me, at least make it clear.

“Huh? Where did you go?”

I don’t know. I just went out with friends.

I tried to turn my body, but it didn’t work. I gave up on climbing the stairs and focused on prying the man’s hand off my mouth. That seemed to be working a little.

I managed to wedge my fingers between his hand and my face, trying to bend his fingers back, but his other hand grabbed my wrist.

Even though I was screaming, no one seemed to hear me. This apartment had thin walls, didn’t it?

Slowly, the man forced my head up. He was gripping my face so tightly that my eyes were forced to look up the staircase—

There was no one—

No one—

—there.

Or rather, something was there.

Something was looking down at me. No, maybe it was looking down at the man behind me.

It had a bright red face.

Its eyes were far larger than a human’s, and its sharp, upward-slanted brows were terrifying. Two red horns protruded from its head, and it wore what looked like a straw raincoat.

An oni.

That’s what it looked like to me. As if it had stepped right out of a picture book.

It was holding a large butcher knife.

Standing on the staircase, the oni slowly began walking down toward us. The light from the corridor gleamed off its menacing knife

.

“What.”

The man, who had been crushing me with his knees, muttered.

His grip loosened a little.

I immediately bent his fingers back as hard as I could.

“Argh!?”

There was a loud pop, like something breaking or dislocating, and the man’s index finger bent back until it almost touched the back of his hand.

“Damn—”

The man let go of my mouth, but I didn’t release his finger. I clung to it with all my strength.

Even as I did, the oni continued its slow approach, knife in hand.

“Let go! I said let go!”

Why would I?

I was now lying flat on my back against the stairs.

I could clearly see the man’s face. Sweat was pouring down it. At first glance, he seemed pretty ordinary. His face reminded me of the man-eating ghoul I had encountered before—just a regular-looking guy.

The kind of guy you’d see in a gyudon shop.

...I had seen him before.

This guy was a regular at the maid café. His face was so unremarkable that I’d forget it three seconds after seeing it, but he called me by my last name, so I remembered him.

Crack, crack.

The man’s mouth twisted in pain.

Creak, creak, I heard the sound of nearby windows opening.

His sweat-soaked fingers finally slipped out of my grasp.

The man tumbled backward, rolling down the stairs a few times. His head hit the ground with a loud thud, and he went limp.

I heard murmuring from the surrounding area. Someone must have come out of their house. Someone must have called the police, right?

No, before that.

I quickly got up.

My heart was racing. The oni was still staring straight at me.

When it raised its free hand toward me, I rushed at it with all my might.

“Wait—”

I thought I heard a voice.

I grabbed the oni’s wrist and twisted it.

“Ow, ow, ow!”

The oni’s voice was surprisingly human. Its hand, too.

As I forced its hand, I managed to pry the knife away, then scrambled to my feet, ran to the end of the corridor, and slipped, sliding forward on my stomach.

I turned around and sat up, pressing the knife to my wrist—

“Wait!”

A clear voice rang out.

I stared at the oni, breathing heavily.

Its expression hadn’t changed. It was still glaring at me, its face twisted in a grotesque sneer, its eyes bulging.

But it looked startled, as if trying to stop me. It stood awkwardly, with its hands stretched out toward me.

Like it was trying to hold me back.

“Calm down. Wait... just wait a minute. Can’t you reconsider?”

The oni spoke.

Its voice, though breathless like mine, was trying to remain composed.

Its mouth didn’t move as it spoke.

I remained frozen, staring at it.

The oni cautiously took a few steps closer, then seemed to realize something. It grabbed its chin and pulled something off—

Not its face, but a mask.

I didn’t know what it was made of, but when the man dropped it to the ground, it hit the floor with a dull thud.

“Today’s been horrible, but—just think it over, okay? You only live once, right?”

He was an incredibly gentle-looking man.

Now that he had taken off the mask, his face looked quite normal. He had a soft expression, and he was a bit thin. Maybe in his mid-to-late twenties.

He looked like an elementary school teacher.

“Come on, put the knife down.”

I looked down at the knife against my wrist.

“Huh? Let’s just talk for a bit.”

“...”

I looked back at the man.

He must have thought I was trying to end my life.

I slowly lowered the knife from my wrist and placed it on the floor.

Only then did the man’s legs give out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

As the rush of blood to my head subsided, I had a moment to process what had just happened.

...I see.

I didn’t feel the usual sensation I got when I saw a yokai.

He was... a person. From the very beginning.

Of the four doors in the hallway, only one was open.

It was the room next to mine.

The one where I always heard snoring.

“...Haa.”

I let out a deep breath.

Then I pressed my hands to my eyes.

What a mess my life has become.

Well.

If that guy up there, the one who dropped me into this world, had a conscience, I would’ve ended up somewhere much better.

Whoever they are, they’re really a piece of shit.

Chapter 21. If I Had a Conscience (7)

"…That oni disguise."

"It's not an oni, it's Namahage."

What is Namahage?

"Namahage is from Oga City, in Okita Prefecture—uh, that's not important right now."

The man quickly shut his mouth when he saw my expression.

I was wondering about it too, but I didn't ask, so you didn't have to answer out loud.

Is he some kind of yokai enthusiast?

I looked at the kitchen knife lying on the floor.

"Ah, I brought that just in case, for self-defense…"

I thought it made sense. If someone made up their mind to leave in such a situation, they’d naturally want to carry a weapon for protection.

But still, bringing a kitchen knife seemed a bit much. Wouldn’t people usually carry something like a club?

…No, wait. I don’t have anything like a club in my room either. If you don’t count a baseball bat, there aren't many handy blunt objects for self-defense.

"Uh… so, you are…"

The man was about to ask me something when the sound of police sirens echoed from far away.

I wasn’t sure who called the police, but they were coming pretty quickly. Only a few minutes had passed since I collapsed on the stairs.

If things were going like this, even the police wouldn’t be able to help.

How long would it have taken for him to either kill or rape me? The thought sent chills down my spine.

I stared at the kitchen knife for a while before grabbing it again with my hand.

"Hey!"

The man shrieked in surprise, but this time, I didn’t put the blade to my wrist. Instead, I ran my hands all over the knife.

I wasn’t sure how much I could erase my fingerprints.

As far as I knew, fingerprints couldn’t yet be used as decisive evidence in this era. Since no actual murder took place, I doubted the police would enthusiastically collect prints anyway.

Looking up, I didn’t see any CCTV cameras here. It’d be more surprising if there were in an old apartment like this.

"Mister."

"Hm?"

"Testify that you dropped the knife as soon as you pulled it out."

"What?"

The man made a dumbfounded sound.

"In a situation like this, just holding a knife could be a big deal."

In one case I know of, someone was sentenced to prison just for holding a glass bottle. That was in Korea, of course, but would Japan be much different?

"So, what about you?"

"I’m a minor."

Sixteen.

I wasn’t sure exactly how long Japan’s juvenile protection laws applied.

"You dropped the knife, and I grabbed it while escaping."

I could hear the police shouting in the distance.

Car doors opened and slammed shut, followed by the sound of officers rushing towards us.

"Don’t move!"

I wasn’t sure how many had gathered at the bottom of the stairs, but the officers who climbed up shouted that, then looked at me and the man.

A man in a bizarre costume. And me, holding a kitchen knife.

The sight left the officer stunned for a moment, but he quickly grasped the situation and shouted at the man.

"You—"

"No."

I told the officer while dropping the knife onto the ground.

"That guy helped me."

"…Is that so?"

The officer alternated glances between the man and me, but he still didn’t fully lower his guard around him.

He cautiously approached me.

"…Can you stand?"

"…Yes."

I didn’t refuse the officer’s offered hand. To be honest, my legs still felt weak. Supporting the man at the station, walking here, running, struggling under that pervert—going through all that in such a short time had drained me.

The officer helped me stand.

"…You might need to give a brief statement. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

I answered obediently.

What else could I say?

The man looked at me blankly as I walked away, supported by the officer.

*

So, what should I do?

The best outcome would be if this situation just blew over.

Of course, I need to keep that stalker as far away from me as possible. But how to achieve that… I’ll take it step by step.

The first thing the police asked me was, "Where are your parents?"

I had no choice but to call Kagami. She was the only person in this world connected to me by blood under the name Kurosawa Kotone.

Though, I wasn’t sure if I could even call her a "person."

Kagami entered the police station and gave me a slight smile as if to reassure me—then said:

"Ha, I don’t know that girl."

Legs crossed, arms folded.

Now that I look at her, her clothes were completely different from when she came to see me. Her skirt was absurdly short.

…How should I put it? She looked… rather disreputable. Like she had just been dancing at a club or something.

"But Kurosawa-san, you’re listed here as her mother—"

"Just because I gave birth doesn’t make her my daughter."

That’s an absolutely absurd excuse.

"She doesn’t make money, wastes her time studying, and goes to an unnecessarily expensive school. Why should I call her my daughter when she does nothing good for her mother?"

I was momentarily impressed.

How can someone be so deliberately thoughtless?

Then I remembered—she might not be human after all. I found myself oddly convinced.

The police officer’s jaw dropped.

Not just him—everyone nearby was staring at us, dumbfounded.

"Ha, tsk, everything was going smoothly, but you just had to call and ruin the mood."

I thought for a moment about why she was acting this way.

My conclusion was that Kagami wanted to make "Kurosawa Kotone" look as pitiful as possible. It seemed like some kind of character-building strategy.

I fully understood the situation and decided to play along.

I kept my mouth shut and hung my head.

I couldn’t act, so hiding my face would make me look more "tragic."

"…Ha."

The officer alternated his gaze between Kagami and me, letting out a bitter laugh.

*

Looking back, I did inflict some harm on that stalker.

I had nearly twisted his finger all the way back, and in the process, he fell down the stairs and hit his head, knocking him unconscious.

I heard that he wasn’t dead, but he had to be hospitalized for treatment.

"But you don’t have to worry much about that."

Kagami said.

The police didn’t hold me for long. I was the victim, the stalker couldn’t talk yet, and the man’s testimony was limited. In that situation, they had no reason to detain me. It didn’t seem like they had any intention of doing so anyway.

Instead, they drove me home. I must have looked incredibly pathetic.

The two officers who escorted Kagami and me to my door quietly told me to call them anytime if I needed help.

Had I looked that pitiful?

If so, at least Kagami’s plan worked.

Back at home, I asked Kagami:

"…Are there really any high-ranking people who believe in this cult?"

"Hmm, there are, but you're not at the level where you would be introduced to them just yet."

...It seems like there are higher positions than I thought. If this country’s "high-ranking people" treat me this way, that must be the case.

But then again, it means such a "religion" exists here.

I was just being sarcastic.

"I told you, didn’t I? Don’t you want to hear the Good Word? How could you not think it’s a religion?"

I rubbed my forehead.

"So, what do you mean I don’t need to worry? That legally, today’s events won’t be a big problem?"

"I’m not sure about that either."

"Then?"

"You have a friend, don’t you? The one who can make minor incidents, like anything short of murder, disappear. The one whose family has long-standing ties to powerful people in this country."

Kagami chuckled.

"Just in case you’ve forgotten, you’ve already barged into someone’s home for no reason. You splattered your blood everywhere. Your friend casually knocked that man unconscious. Do you think that would be forgiven in a country that upholds the principles of legality and presumption of innocence? Even if he was a cannibalistic serial killer."

"…."

I had no words.

"It’s a problem you could solve with just one phone call."

She’s making a good point, but her tone is infuriating.

I sighed deeply.

"So that’s settled then."

Kagami said with a smile.

"Any other questions?"

"…You mentioned a cult earlier."

"Right. We haven’t decided on a name yet. Want to help?"

"…."

"Oh, and we’ve received quite a lot of donations. Do you need some?"

My mouth opened slightly before closing again.

"Don’t need it?"

"…That money…."

"It’s from what’s considered a ‘cult’ in this country, of course. You have to donate a lot to climb higher. But we’re the real deal, aren’t we? Convincing people isn’t that hard."

I sat there, dazed for a moment.

"Of course, even if you tell us to stop, we’ll keep going."

I didn’t expect any less.

"Need the money?"

"I don’t."

"I thought you’d say that."

Kagami laughed and stood up.

"You’d feel much better if you just gave in."

"…."

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Kagami shrugged.

"Well then, I’ll be going. It’s uncomfortable for both of us if I stay here."

Kagami said that, gave me a slight nod, and left.

"…Haa."

I let out a long sigh and wiped my face with my hand.

Then I folded up the table, leaned it against the wall, and spread out the futon.

As always, I folded the futon vertically and crawled in. I laid my head on the pillow and turned onto my side.

After lying there for a while, I let out another sigh.

…Looks like it’s going to be hard to fall asleep tonight.

When I checked the clock on my phone, it was just past ten o’clock.

I wonder if Yuuki’s asleep?

Should I bother a friend for help, or use someone’s blood money without any conscience? Those were my only options.

…The world’s falling apart.

I sighed again and finally grabbed my phone.

With a click, I flipped it open and dialed Yuuki’s number. Although the number was already saved, I had so few contacts in my phone that I memorized the ones I used frequently.

After a brief hesitation, I pressed the call button.

The signal rang three times, and just as it was about to ring a fourth, someone picked up.

[Kurosawa?]

Hearing Yuuki’s voice, calling my name with a tone of surprise, gave me a slight sense of relief.

"…Yuuki."

[What’s wrong?]

Yuuki’s voice dropped instantly, sensing something in mine.

I hesitated for a moment before opening my mouth.

But all that came out was a thin breath, not words.

It wasn’t until after the situation had ended that I realized how utterly exhausted I was. This was different from the weakness I’d felt while being supported by the police.

My whole body ached. The places I’d bumped into when I fell on the stairs started hurting now.

The cuts on my wrist had disappeared quickly, so this kind of pain wasn’t from that…

"I…"

I tried to speak but quickly closed my mouth.

My voice was trembling badly.

I rubbed my eyes with my hand.

[…Are you home?]

"…Yeah."

[Got it. I’ll be there right away.]

It’s quite far from Yuuki’s house to mine.

But Yuuki answered like that.

No other demands.

She really is like a heroine.

After the call ended, I placed my phone by my bedside.

Then I curled my body up, hugging my knees.

Lying there in a fetal position between the blankets, I stayed still for a while—until—

Bang, bang, bang!

—I woke up to the sound of someone banging on the door.

Rubbing my eyes, I checked my phone.

It was just past 11:40.

…I thought it would be hard to sleep, but it seems I passed out as soon as I got under the blankets.

I pushed the blankets aside and got up, still groggy.

"Kurosawa!"

A voice shouted from behind the door.

As I got up, I realized I was still in my school uniform.

Oh well.

"Kurosawa! Are you in there!?"

Bang, bang, bang!

The sound of a fist pounding on the door echoed. I heard someone moving in the next apartment, so I hurried to the entrance.

Barefoot, I walked across the floor to the front door.

Click.

As soon as I unlocked the door, it swung open.

Yuuki stood there.

In a white short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans. Had she just thrown on whatever she could grab?

Sweating and out of breath, Yuuki stared at me.

Did I really look that bad?

"…What happened?"

Yuuki asked, looking extremely shocked.

*

The first person to enter my room—well, the only person so far was Ms. Suzuki. Kagami didn’t count as a "person."

Anyway, people usually had a particular expression when they first came into my room.

A dazed look, with their mouths slightly open, as if something had sucked the life out of them.

I think it’s not just because the room is old or small.

It’s more likely because there aren’t many things here for a person to live with.

Even though I’d gotten a fan and a rice cooker, my room still looked like it belonged to a hikikomori who had completely given up on life.

Yuuki had followed me to my apartment before but never entered my room.

"You…"

Yuuki started to say something but stopped.

Her gaze fell on the futon I had just crawled out of.

The pillow had slid to the side, and the hastily unfolded futon still had its bottom half folded up. Without any blankets over it, she could probably tell what I had been doing.

Slowly, I moved and unfolded the table.

Cushions… I didn’t have any. Could I buy them at the 100 yen shop? Maybe it’d be too much to expect them for 100 yen.

"…Sorry. I don’t have coffee or tea."

As I stood to boil some water, Yuuki pressed down on my shoulder.

When I plopped back down, she sat down across from me.

And asked, while looking straight at me,

"What happened?"

"…."

When I called, I thought this was the only option left, but now that I’m sitting in front of her, I can’t bring myself to say it.

It feels… shameless.

But Yuuki, with her arms crossed and her lips tightly shut, seemed like she wouldn’t leave unless I spoke.

So I finally opened my mouth, slowly.

*

After listening to my story, Yuuki had a look on her face that said she didn’t know what kind of expression she should make.

To be honest, Yuuki’s character was someone who seemed like she reacted coolly to death.

I said "seemed" because that wasn’t really the case.

Later, when the protagonist was so furious that they almost killed someone, Yuuki was the one who stopped them with her whole body.

Since she’d always moved from school to school, keeping shallow relationships with friends and always arriving after someone had already died, she didn’t show it on the outside, but like many heroines of this era, Yuuki was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

Now imagine how shocked she must be, hearing that her friend was almost assaulted by a stalker.

"…My grandfather and father can handle the issue with that stalker. I’ll make sure he never comes near you again."

"…Thanks. I’ll pay you back someday."

"There’s no need for that… No, actually, yeah. Pay me back. I’ll be waiting."

Yuuki replied.

I checked my phone.

It was already midnight.

"…The subway must’ve stopped running."

"Yeah, probably."

Yuuki let out a long breath. Propping her upper body up with her hands on the floor, she leaned back a little and looked at me.

"I’ll stay here tonight."

I looked at Yuuki silently.

"What? I brought my bag, didn’t I?"

Oh, right.

Yuuki was the type to plan ahead. She must have considered how far it was between her house and mine.

"My grandpa wanted to come with me, but, you know, it’s kind of awkward for an old man to enter a girl’s home alone."

If they’d driven here, she could have gone back. But that might have been too much trouble for them.

"Alright."

"Yeah… so, have you eaten?"

"I had a burger with some friends."

"I see… but aren’t you still a little hungry? You know, people say eating something helps you feel better when you’re down. How about we go to a family restaurant?"

"…."

Yuuki was… acting more cheerful than usual.

Was she trying to lighten the mood?

What a good-hearted fool.

She might not show it, but in reality, she’s probably as kind-hearted as Sasaki.

Usually, I’d feel guilty about relying on someone younger than me, but right now, I don’t have the luxury to think about that.

"…Sure."

So, today, I’ll lean on the kindness of this heroine.

Chapter 22. A Place Where People Live (1)

Come to think of it, I was way too different from the other high school girls.

Yeah, I already knew that I was only a high school girl in name. Of course, I had been in my thirties in my previous life and retained all those memories, then suddenly dropped into Japan. It was only natural.

I wasn’t just unaccustomed to the status of being a high school student but was completely unfamiliar with Japanese culture as a whole.

Well, that's a secondary issue for now. This body was meant to be used by a foreigner anyway, so it was only natural that I would be unfamiliar with Japanese culture.

The most important thing was that I was still very disconnected from high school girl culture.

"So... You don’t normally watch dramas, movies, or even listen to music, right?"

"...Yeah."

I nodded absentmindedly at Yuuki’s question as we sat across from each other in a family restaurant.

Thinking about it now, it felt a bit unfair.

I mean, while others were being sent to fantasy worlds, acquiring awesome powers, building harems, and living it up, I got dropped into Japan. If I used my powers for too long, I’d end up collapsing from blood loss, had no money at home—not to mention not even a single household appliance—and was stuck in the weak body of a high school girl.

There’s not a single advantage except for being a ‘high school girl.’

Yuuki’s expression turned a bit blank at my answer.

She was probably recalling my room again.

Maybe that’s why she brought me here—because after seeing what I had been through, she probably judged that keeping me in that dreary, damp room any longer would have caused even more problems.

Seeing her expression made me feel even more down.

Usually, these new-era heroines were far from being ‘ordinary high school girls,’ but aside from slaying monsters, Yuuki was actually a ‘normal’ high school girl.

I slowly recalled faint memories from 20 years ago.

Now that I think about it, the plot of that novel was chronologically scattered across each volume.

In Volume 1, the heroine fights the oni and meets the protagonist.

But in Volume 2, it was already summer vacation. Yuuki and Sasaki had become quite close, and Yuuki’s personality had significantly shifted toward being tsundere. The hint of affection that appeared at the end of Volume 1 had fully blossomed.

So what happened between Volumes 1 and 2?

Volumes 3 and 4, which were released later, were short stories that filled that gap.

I was in that period of the ‘early chronicles.’ Between the mundane daily life and the strangely warped incidents.

To put it simply, this was a ‘story too ambiguous to become a full-length novel.’

"So... what do you usually do at home?"

"...Homework."

That’s what I answered.

"And?"

"...I read a bit of the books I borrowed from the Literature Club."

Ikeda was quite lenient about lending out books. Then again, they weren’t bought with her money. Even if I borrowed them, it’s not like I’d tear them up.

"I see..."

A brief silence settled between us.

Yuuki fidgeted with her hands as if she didn’t know what to say next.

She really is kind. It was almost midnight, and apart from family restaurants and convenience stores, most places were already closed.

Well, except maybe the gyudon shop. Although Yuuki didn’t seem the type to go there.

...Which was fortunate for me as well.

I don’t think I could go there anymore, not emotionally.

"Here are your fries."

While we sat in silence, the waiter brought over the fries that Yuuki had ordered.

She gently pushed the plate towards me with her fingers.

"Eat."

"...What about you?"

"I’ll eat too."

As Yuuki picked up a fry, I reached out and took one as well.

"Thank you for the food."

When I said that, Yuuki smiled a little bitterly.

I picked up a fry. It didn’t come with ketchup, but there was a noticeable amount of salt sprinkled on it.

I took a bite.

It was salty, with the familiar savory taste of fries. As I chewed, the oily texture of the fried food spread in my mouth—it was delicious.

The outside was crispy, and the inside was soft and fluffy, characteristic of potatoes. Though a little hot, the fact that they seemed freshly fried made it all the better.

When I quickly reached for another one, Yuuki smiled, seemingly relieved.

...It was a little frustrating, but it seemed like the people around me thought that food was the best way to cheer me up.

Well, they weren’t wrong. I usually couldn’t afford to buy food like this.

Then again, maybe I could start affording McDonald’s now.

...I’ll think about it.

"By the way, your next-door neighbor."

"...The person who helped."

"Yeah, I’m not trying to badmouth them or anything."

Yuuki asked seriously.

"No one else came out of their rooms?"

"...."

No one did.

But honestly, I could understand.

When I lived in a villa in Korea, I could hear the people downstairs fighting and yelling, but I never thought of calling the police.

I just... figured it wasn’t my business.

It was probably personal, that kind of thought.

In the end, it was just yelling and fighting, and nothing serious happened.

Given my past job, I shouldn’t have been so indifferent, but honestly, right before coming here, I was feeling a deep sense of disillusionment with my whole life, so...

I almost felt a similar indifference here.

"I see."

Yuuki sighed deeply.

"..."

After thinking for a moment, she spoke again.

"You work in Akihabara, right?"

"Yeah."

"When do you finish work?"

"Why?"

"When do you finish?" she asked again, her tone a bit more firm.

"...Eight."

I think I was starting to understand what Yuuki had in mind.

But by then, most second-hand stores would already be closed.

"Alright, then."

Yuuki declared.

"There’s plenty of time."

"Time?"

Apparently, Yuuki wasn’t thinking of the solution I had in mind.

What is she planning?

"Come on, eat up before the fries get cold. They’ll just get soggy and greasy if you wait."

"...."

But Yuuki only said that, keeping her thoughts hidden.

I picked up another fry and put it in my mouth.

It was delicious.

I knew I shouldn’t let my face relax in a situation like this, but the taste made it impossible not to.

I should remember this place.

---

On our way back, Yuuki bought a ton of snacks.

"With this, you won’t have to worry about expiration dates."

"...Goddess."

"Ugh."

Yuuki cringed at my praise but didn’t seem too upset.

"I brought your change of clothes, so don’t worry. I’ve also got your toothbrush, toothpaste, and your uniform."

After all, I had school tomorrow morning.

"...Thanks."

At my words, Yuuki paused for a moment.

She touched her nose and turned her head toward the window.

After a long silence, she let out a sigh and turned back to me.

"So... do you have any hobbies? Anything you like?"

Something I liked.

I liked games. RPGs and the like. When I bought one, I’d slowly play through it for months, since I didn’t have much time.

I also liked reading manga and watching movies.

"..."

But... was it okay for me to like those things in this world?

It wasn’t self-loathing or anything like that.

It was a matter of believability.

After seeing my room, Yuuki would’ve immediately understood why I only ate koppe pan every day.

Money issues.

How could I say I liked dramas when I didn’t even have a TV? How could I like games without owning a game console?

I did read books, but I wasn’t particularly passionate about it. And the Literature Club only had mystery and literary novels, not light novels.

So, what’s left—

"Movies."

"Movies?"

Yuuki asked, momentarily surprised, before continuing with a more natural tone.

"What kind?"

"Action movies."

I sat with my knees pulled up, hugging them.

There were no cushions to sit on, so we sat side by side on the futon. The snacks were spread out beside the futon.

"When did you watch them?"

"When I was little, with my mom."

That’s right.

I dragged Kagami into this again.

She wasn’t exactly ‘highly cooperative,’ but she was at least ‘somewhat cooperative.’ I figured if I asked her to play along, she would.

And Kagami wouldn’t feel too bad about being used for a little lie. She had the personality of a villain, after all, so it wasn’t a problem to treat her like one.

"Your mom..."

Yuuki murmured absentmindedly.

Was she surprised that I had a mother? Or was it because she didn’t have one herself? Whatever the reason, it was probably better not to say anything further.

"So, where’s your mom now?"

Yuuki asked cautiously, and after a brief pause, I answered.

"I met her today."

"Oh... So you don’t see her often?"

"Yeah. She’s rarely home."

Yuuki’s face filled with concern.

"Where did you meet her?"

"At the police station."

"Didn’t she come with you?"

"She left right away."

Yuuki looked like she had stepped on a landmine but didn’t seem to back down. She was quite brave.

"Didn’t she leave you any message or anything?"

"..."

What should I say?

Saying too much might just make Yuuki feel guilty.

While I was pondering, Yuuki gently grabbed my arm.

"I’d like you to tell me."

"..."

I took a moment to collect my thoughts and then spoke.

"...She said she doesn’t consider me her daughter."

Yuuki froze.

"..."

"That’s... it?"

Yuuki asked, incredulous.

"No, wait. There must’ve been more, right? Right?"

There was more, but seeing her reaction, I figured it’d be best not to say it.

Kagami might get skewered.

"It doesn’t make sense. That ability of yours... It’s not something you just pick up overnight. It’s definitely something that runs in your bloodline."

So, how should I respond?

After a moment’s thought, I decided to reveal a little about my situation.

"My mom follows a religion."

Yuuki’s hand, which had been shaking my shoulder, stopped dead.

"I couldn’t... accept that religion. So..."

Well, digging deeper would reveal a more complicated story, but the reason I had no money was essentially because of that.

Yuuki, still wide-eyed, slowly let go of my shoulder.

"That’s... I see."

She’d probably relay this to her grandfather.

The Yuuki family’s help might come in handy. Especially when the time comes to purge the cult. Which, according to the plot, was bound to happen eventually.

...And when that time comes, what will happen to me?

"..."

"..."

Both Yuuki and I remained silent for a long time, lost in our own thoughts.

---

What should I do after being stalked by someone while working at a maid café?

The answer was simple. I went back to work at the maid café the next day.

That guy was the crazy one, not the job.

Besides, this maid café didn’t involve any deep conversations with the customers. The employees just wore maid outfits, nothing more.

In other words, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had worked at a convenience store or a family restaurant—the stalker would have followed me regardless.

But now, that stalker wouldn’t be following me anymore.

So, there was no reason to quit a job that paid 850 yen an hour, was there?

After sleeping over at Yuuki’s place and calming down, I thought it through. The stalker had followed me not from the maid café, but from the gyudon shop.

He had probably seen me there, followed me to the maid café, pretended to be a customer, and then tailed me afterward.

It had been a Wednesday. The day I wasn’t working at the maid café.

His words, ‘Where were you today?’ when he attacked me, probably came from the fact that I didn’t pass by the gyudon shop at my usual time.

Well, I’m only human, so I’ll probably avoid that gyudon shop for a while, but giving up my income was something I needed to think more carefully about.

"Good morning!"

"Morning."

Shii greeted me as she spotted me.

Sasaki’s younger sister.

After getting to know her for a few days, she asked me to call her by her name, Shii.

In Korean, her name would be pronounced ‘Sayu’ (思惟). It means ‘to think deeply,’ and the Japanese pronunciation, ‘Shii,’ carried the same meaning.

It seemed the name was given with the hope that she would grow up to be a thoughtful person.

I wondered if her parents or grandparents had named her. I thought it was more likely her grandparents. The novel never specified, but considering her parents, I doubted they’d have explained the meaning behind her name.

Her brother was also Sasaki, and so was she. It would have been confusing to call them both by the same last name.

Not that I ever met the Sasaki siblings at the same time.

"Senpai, did something happen?"

"...Hm?"

Already dressed in her maid outfit and ready to work, Shii looked at me and asked.

I touched my face. It didn’t seem that different from usual.

"No, nothing happened."

That’s what I replied.

"Ah..."

Why did she look at me with such pity?

Leaving Shii behind, I went to change into my uniform.

---

Work... went smoothly, surprisingly.

Thinking back, I realized I might be more resilient than I thought.

I went to school, did my job, and even ate lunch properly.

"Are you sick or something?"

But the people who saw me kept asking that question.

Even the boss had said that when she saw me. Luckily, none of the customers seemed to notice.

"I’m fine."

"..."

Hearing my answer, the boss tilted her head in confusion.

I bowed to him and left the building with Shii.

Shii seemed hesitant to speak to me. Was she still bothered by our earlier conversation?

Maybe she thought I was mad because I didn’t respond properly and went straight to change.

In truth, I just didn’t know what to say.

"...How’s Sasaki doing?"

So, I broke the silence first.

"Huh? Oh, yes! He’s doing well!"

"Is it okay to leave him alone?"

"It’s fine. He said he had a senior working with him."

"I see."

Well, Sasaki wasn’t a kid. He could worry about his sister, but staying home alone wouldn’t be a problem for him.

"...Still, aren’t you coming home pretty late?"

"Uh... My brother does seem a little concerned."

Shii’s expression darkened slightly.

Come to think of it, I still didn’t quite understand why she kept hanging around with me. Did she like me that much?

When I stared at Shii, she tilted her head curiously.

Well, I’m sure she has her reasons.

Back when I was in middle school, I walked through alleyways late at night on my way to academy classes. Although, being a guy, it might’ve been a little different for me.

"...Your brother is probably worried."

"Do you think so...?"

As we talked while heading downstairs, my phone rang.

It was Yuuki.

I answered right away.

[Did you finish work?]

"Yeah."

[Okay. Wait for me outside for a bit.]

I looked around, but I couldn’t see Yuuki anywhere.

"Senpai?"

Shii looked at me curiously, and just as I was about to respond—

I heard the sound of a car approaching.

A large SUV came to a stop in front of me.

The passenger-side window rolled down, and Yuuki poked her head out.

"Kurosawa, get in. I’ll give you a ride."

For a moment, I thought Yuuki was driving herself, but then I remembered that in Japan, the driver’s seat was on the opposite side compared to Korea.

"Who’s that?" Shii asked.

"A friend from school. She probably knows Sasaki too."

"Huh? Sasaki?"

Yuuki turned to look at Shii.

"This is Sasaki’s younger sister, Shii."

"Oh, so you’re Sasaki’s sister."

"Do you know my brother?"

"Your brother...?"

Yuuki looked a little puzzled by Shii’s formal way of speaking.

Yeah, it was unique.

Even a shrine maiden like Yuuki, who occasionally performed shrine duties, would find it unusual.

"Um... Do you want to get in too? I had plans with Kurosawa, but I can drop you off."

"Oh, is that okay?"

Shii looked at me, and I shrugged.

"Then... I’ll accept your offer."

When I opened the door for her, Shii hesitated a little but got into the car.

It worked out well. It would’ve felt really uneasy letting her go home alone.

"Um? Is she Kurosawa’s friend?"

"Yes, she’s my junior."

"My name is Sasaki Shii."

"Ah, I see.”

“Are you going to Kurosawa’s house?"

Shii asked.

Yuuki looked at me through the rearview mirror.

I nodded.

"Yeah. We have plans."

"Oh... I see."

Shii nodded.

"But senpai, how do you know my brother?" she asked Yuuki.

"Senpai?"

"Shii goes to Hanagawa Middle School."

"Oh, that’s the uniform."

Yuuki nodded in understanding.

"I sit right behind your brother. But we don’t talk that much."

"I see..."

Shii seemed to be deep in thought.

Well, it’ll take a while for her to reach the conclusion she’s thinking about.

I watched Shii, keeping my thoughts to myself.

---

"Thanks for today."

"No problem. I was going that way anyway."

Yuuki leaned out of the window and said.

"Maybe I'll give you another ride like this sometime. I hope I can count on you when that happens."

"I’ll look forward to it."

Shii bowed, then waved at me.

"See you tomorrow, Senpai."

"Yeah."

I waved back to Shii as she disappeared into the distance.

Shii said it was fine to drop her off at the station, but Yuuki’s grandfather drove her all the way to her neighborhood. I didn’t know exactly where her house was, but I doubted anything would happen on her way home.

Just to be sure, though, we waited in the car, watching her small figure until she was out of sight.

Despite her small frame, she seemed somehow more dignified than me.

"So, shall we head to your place now?"

"I went through the storage at home."

Yuuki said with a smile.

"I found an old TV we used to use, and it still works. There are a few other things you might find useful."

"Yuuki even found her old Super Famicom."

"That was Grandpa’s idea."

Even in 2004, that console had been out of production for quite some time.

"Oh… that’s fine."

I told Yuuki.

"All of that is already more than enough."

"...I see."

Yuuki smiled softly at me.

In truth, just hearing a portion of that list made my heart race.

Even if they’d only offered me the TV, I’d have been grateful enough to bow down in thanks. But a game console, too? All for free?

There was no reason for me to refuse.

"...Thank you."

"..."

At my small words of thanks, Yuuki just smiled warmly at me.

Chapter 23. A Place Where People Live (2)

Yuuki's grandfather didn't just bring a TV.

Of course, the first thing they brought out was the TV. A 14-inch CRT TV. They also brought a small cabinet to place the TV on.

When I placed the TV on top of the cabinet and set the Super Famicom beside it, the room felt much more complete.

At least now I wouldn't have to worry about how to kill time.

They also bought a few plastic storage containers from somewhere.

All my spare clothes and underwear that had been scattered around the room were neatly organized and placed inside them.

...I think I understood why Yuuki was so shocked when she came here. I thought I had tidied up, but my clothes and underwear had just been lying around on the floor.

I also received an extra blanket to sleep with, and even a small refrigerator.

"I thought I might need it for a business trip, but it’s been sitting in storage for a long time. Don’t feel burdened by it."

When I hesitated, unsure of what to say, Yuuki’s grandfather said that while installing the fridge in the kitchen.

It wasn’t a big refrigerator, and it had yellowed from age, but it still had both a freezer and fridge compartment! Since I got it for free, I had no reason to dislike it.

In other words… now I could buy discounted drinks or ice cream from the market and stockpile them.

Ah, how marvelous modern technology is.

On top of that, I also received a laundry drying rack, clothespins, and even a set of sportswear.

The sportswear was handed down from Yuuki, but I didn’t mind. It was more than enough for me.

...Come to think of it, I wondered if Yuuki thought of me as some kind of younger sister.

"Alright, now it finally looks like a place where people live."

After setting everything up in my room, Yuuki nodded with satisfaction.

I agreed with her. With all these household items in place, the barren atmosphere had softened a little. It didn’t exactly look like a comfortable home, but at least it felt like the room had shifted from being an 'empty space' to something closer to a 'living space.'

"......"

I stood beside her, silently staring at the room for a moment,

"...Thank you."

I expressed my gratitude sincerely.

"What? This is all part of the employee benefits."

"Yes, dear. We didn’t buy anything new, so don’t worry."

But no matter how I looked at it, the storage bin that my clothes were now in seemed like it had been newly purchased.

Maybe it wasn’t too expensive by working adult standards. It was just a plastic container, after all.

But from my perspective, where I had been trying to save every penny by just leaving my clothes scattered around, it was more than adequate.

"Thank you."

I bowed deeply once more as I said that.

"It’s really nothing."

Yuuki waved her hands in embarrassment, looking genuinely flustered.

After helping with all that, the two of them quickly left.

"You have school tomorrow, after all."

Yuuki said from the car.

"There’s no reason for us to stay overnight since we have a way to get home."

"......"

"Alright, see you tomorrow at school."

"...Yeah."

I waved at Yuuki, who waved back at me.

"Let’s meet again next time if we get the chance."

"...Goodbye."

I also greeted Yuuki’s grandfather.

And just like that, the two of them drove away without taking anything in return.

I stood on the street for quite a while, staring at the car as it disappeared into the distance, before slowly walking back to my room.

I had only gone out for a moment to see them off, so the light in the room was still on.

And the room illuminated by that light was both the same as I remembered and completely different.

To say it once again, it felt like 'a place where people live.' Literally.

Hmm, I wondered if this room would be presentable enough to show Shii later.

With that thought, I sat down at the table in front of the TV.

Luckily, Yuuki had left some snacks behind.

I opened the snack bag and placed it on the table, then turned on the TV with the remote.

"......"

An exaggerated variety show, typical of Japanese television, was on. It was already late enough to call it 'midnight.'

I quietly watched the show while picking up and eating one snack at a time.

"Haha..."

At first, I laughed along with the people on the screen. It was a show that would have had me bursting with laughter before, but for some reason, laughter didn’t come as easily this time.

Instead, my vision blurred a little.

I wiped my eyes with my arm and grabbed another snack to eat.

As I crunched on the crispy snack, I thought to myself.

They were truly, truly kind people.

...Someday, I’d have to repay them properly.

*

It was raining steadily.

The rainy season had already started a while ago.

Now that I had a television, I could properly keep up with the weather forecast.

And according to the forecast, the rainy season had already begun on June 6th.

I probably hadn’t noticed the rainy season because I’d been lucky. It had been cloudy or rainy for a while now, but somehow, the rain always stopped when I was commuting to or from school, so I hadn’t really felt it.

But it seemed that my luck had run out because it was raining from the moment I stepped outside this morning.

For someone like me who had to walk for over 30 minutes in the morning, it was like a bolt from the blue.

The hem of my school skirt and my socks were soaked.

"Mm."

Still, it was a relief that we wore indoor shoes inside the school. At least I wouldn’t have to walk around in wet socks.

I had packed a spare pair of socks in my bag.

...Who would’ve thought that my past experiences would come in handy like this?

I wiped my feet with a towel, put on the dry socks, and stuffed the wet socks and towel into a convenience store plastic bag before shoving it into my shoe locker.

The fact that it took me an hour and a half to get to school meant that if something went wrong, it could take even longer. That’s why I always left extra early, and as a result, I arrived at school earlier than most.

Since there weren’t many people around the shoe lockers, I didn’t feel too self-conscious while changing my socks.

Although my uniform was still a bit wet, I felt a little fresher as I headed to my classroom.

"Oh, Kurosawa."

"Good morning."

I happened to run into Ms. Suzuki in the hallway.

I didn’t know where she was going, but judging by the stack of documents she was holding, it was probably for work.

"......"

Why?

I tensed slightly under her gaze as she stared at my face, but she only smiled at me.

"You look better these days."

"......"

Do I?

I touched my face, just like I did when Shii had asked me the same question.

It felt the same as usual.

"Did something good happen?"

Something did.

The place I lived now felt like a place where people actually lived.

I had recently come to fully realize how much of an impact having ways to pass the time can have on a person.

In the past, I would have just tried to sleep through it to pass the time, but now I had things to do. Watching TV or playing games. You know what? Some of the classic games were really fun.

"...Yes."

When I nodded and answered, Ms. Suzuki nodded back as well.

"...That’s good."

I felt a bit strange hearing her say that.

"Ah, I’ve kept you for too long. Sorry. I’ll see you in class later."

Hearing Ms. Suzuki say that, I slightly bowed my head in response.

*

Humans, you know, have something called learning ability.

That is to say, it’s rare for people to fall for the same trap twice.

So what were they thinking, setting up another bread-based trap in the hallway leading to the Literature Club room?

Today, it was cheesecake.

Unfortunately, I knew what that tasted like.

Soft and fluffy, but not dry like a sponge, just the right amount of moist and tender. I hadn’t had it in this world yet, but I was certain it would taste just like that. After all, it sold out much faster than koppe pan, didn’t it? That must mean the students were aware of its taste.

But, I was human. I wasn’t a beast that would get caught in the same trap over and over.

This time, the bread bag’s end was also pierced, with a string threaded through it.

At the other end, Kaneko, Kaoru, or Kaneko Kaoru—one of those weird people who, for some reason, had quit the promising track team to create an Occult Club—was probably holding the other end of the string.

Since I knew that, I walked past the bread without even glancing at it this time.

—I wasn’t some thoughtless beast that would keep falling for the same trap.

I knew how to defeat it!

I quickly turned around and stepped on the string. The person at the other end tried to pull it just a moment too late, but the situation had already been decided.

I pretended to give up on the bread, moving far away from it, and made it all the way to the door of the Literature Club room. That way, I wouldn’t accidentally step on the bread and ruin it.

Thanks to that, the bread slid along the string and bumped into my foot, coming to a stop.

Victory was mine.

Feeling triumphant, I bent down to pick up the bread—

"Not so fast!"

Suddenly, I felt someone grab me from behind.

"—Ah!!"

I flailed my arms, but I was already being pulled backward by a strong force.

Ah.

The soft, sweet, savory cheesecake was drifting away.

"If you spot a trap, you’re not supposed to step into it, Kuu-chan."

Kaneko said as she hugged me from behind.

"Ah, but you always take the bait when it comes to food. That’s what makes you so cute. Ah~ I could just steal you away like this."

"...What are you two doing?"

With a creak, the door to the Literature Club room opened, and Ikeda poked her head out.

She looked at us with a gaze full of pity.

Of course, that gaze was directed at Kaneko, not me.

I knew this because Ikeda bent down and picked up the cheesecake, handing it to me.

"If you’re going to give her bread, why don’t you just give it to her as a gift? Why go through all this trouble every time?"

"But this is more fun. Kuu-chan always falls for it."

"...Kurosawa, you don’t have to go along with this just because she’s your senior."

Hmm.

All I wanted was to eat the bread, but if she wanted to think I was just playing along, I didn’t mind.

With the precious cheesecake in my arms, Kaneko finally let go of me.

"...You look happy."

"It’s like flowers are about to bloom from your face."

Even though they said that, it didn’t change how I felt.

Getting my daily bread was definitely a source of happiness.

The situation came to an end as Ikeda shrugged and went back into the Literature Club room, with the two of us following behind her.

*

"So, about that ghost member."

While we were snacking on treats in the Literature Club room, Kaneko suddenly brought up the topic.

"Hmm?"

Ikeda, who had been absorbed in a book, didn’t seem to hear her properly, so she looked up and asked again.

"The ghost member you claim to have. Who is it? For someone to join a club without any promotion is pretty strange."

...Well, that’s true for me as well.

Maybe they were someone like me, who thought of the Literature Club as an easygoing activity. I didn’t think they’d come here just for snacks, though.

"Hehehe."

But Ikeda smiled knowingly, as if she’d been waiting for that question, and adjusted her glasses with her finger.

Flash!

Lightning flashed outside in the distance.

But it didn’t seem particularly ominous. The lightning in real life wasn’t as spectacular as in manga, so from this far away, it wasn’t brighter than the fluorescent lights in the Literature Club room.

"Believe it or not, I did promote the Literature Club at the beginning of the semester. I didn’t want the club to get disbanded after all the help I got from the seniors last year."

"...So, you managed to get one person to join? You didn’t just beg them, like ‘Please sign up so we don’t get disbanded~,’ right?"

"......"

Ikeda’s smile didn’t fade, but she didn’t respond either.

She merely pushed her glasses further up. Um… you’re pushing them up so high that your eyes are above the frames now. Is there a point in doing that?

"And with that, I managed to recruit a male member!"

Boom!

The belated sound of thunder matched our feelings quite well.

"A guy!?"

Kaneko voiced my thoughts perfectly.

"You actually talked to a guy!?"

She hit the nail on the head again.

"Hehehe..."

Hmm.

It didn’t seem like Ikeda felt anything about the fact that we were shocked she had spoken to a guy. Normally, wouldn’t you get mad and say, 'It’s not that big of a deal!'?

"Who is it? Can you tell us?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean the member. You said he doesn’t come to the club, but you did talk to him and get his signature, right? Can you tell us who he is?"

"Of course I can!"

"Are you sure? It’s not some ghost or something, right?"

"Why would a ghost join the Literature Club?"

Hmm…

Yeah, why would a ghost join the Literature Club? I guess if the atmosphere was gloomy, it’d make sense, but with Kaneko around, the club's mood was far from gloomy.

Then again, now that I think about it, Kaneko wasn’t involved with the club when that guy supposedly joined.

When I imagined Ikeda sitting alone in the Literature Club room with no one else around, the image did feel a bit eerie.

As I idly watched Ikeda rummage through the file shelf, a sudden possibility flashed through my mind.

...Wait, could that ghost member be—

"Found it!"

Ikeda pulled out a file that didn’t look too old.

"Look, see? His name’s written right here!"

Ikeda flipped through the pages and plopped the file down in front of us.

The name written there was,

Sasaki Sota—

"Nakano Noboru (中野昇)."

—not what I was expecting.

Well, the protagonist of the original novel never joined any club, so if he had, there would have been an episode about it. I’d read six volumes of the series, after all.

This Nakano Noboru person was probably someone I hadn’t read about in the story either.

"It’s just a sign-up sheet. It doesn’t even say which class he’s in."

Kaneko tilted her head in confusion as she spoke.

"You said last time he was a first-year, right? Kuu-chan, have you heard this name before from any of the first-years?"

I shook my head.

Unless you were an extremely popular socialite, most people wouldn’t know names from other classes. Usually, you only really knew the names of people in your own class, right?

"By the way, why do you still have the sign-up form? Don’t tell me you never submitted it?"

"Ah, well..."

Ikeda blushed a little.

"Uh… It only had his name written on it."

That was true.

Besides his name, everything else was blank. Ikeda said he was a first-year, but even the field for which class he was in was left blank, so there was no way to know just from looking at this.

"Wait, does that mean you’ve been the only member this whole time?"

"......"

Ikeda avoided Kaneko’s gaze.

"Maybe he just wrote down a random name!"

"No, no! I don’t think so!"

...Stop it.

Ikeda looked like she was about to cry.

I silently reached for the snack basket in the Literature Club.

Kaneko and Ikeda continued to argue for a while about whether the name written on the paper was real or fake.

Hmm.

It seemed like Yuuki wasn’t coming today.

I thought about it quietly as I listened to the sound of the rain.

*

The next day.

For most people, Tuesdays weren’t very enjoyable.

On the third Tuesday of June, it was still the rainy season, and it was also hot.

There was still a long way to go until the weekend, but it was already a day when the fatigue from Monday had piled up. It was, in every sense of the word, a 'weekday.'

But for me, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were the most comfortable days.

I could stop by the club room for a bit in the afternoon, then go home around 5 or 6 PM and spend the evening watching TV or playing games.

On the other hand, from Thursday to Sunday, I had to work late into the night, which was less enjoyable.

So, during that pleasant Tuesday’s third-period break, there was still one more period left before lunch.

"Kurosawa?"

I heard someone calling my name and looked up to see Miura looking at me with a slightly puzzled expression.

"The seniors are calling you from the hallway."

I turned my head and saw Kaneko waving at me through the window. Ikeda was standing beside her, looking somewhat uncomfortable being in a different grade’s hallway.

"Are they your club seniors?"

"Yeah."

"I see."

As I stood up, Miura glanced out the window at the seniors again.

Both of them had... rather pure-looking impressions. Not just because of their appearances, but because their personalities were clearly visible on their faces.

If I ever found out that Kaneko or Ikeda was bullying someone in secret, I’d be pretty shocked.

"They seem like good people."

"...Yeah. They give me a lot of snacks."

"Uh..."

Miura seemed momentarily at a loss for words after hearing my answer.

"Well, I’ll be back."

"Okay, see you."

After exchanging brief farewells, I stepped out into the hallway, where Kaneko raised her hand to her temple.

It seemed like she was trying to salute, but to someone like me who had seen actual military salutes, it looked like it needed a lot of practice. At least, in Japan, they probably didn’t do it with such a casual attitude.

"About what we talked about yesterday."

Kaneko spoke before I could say anything.

"You mean the first-year boy?"

"Yeah so, can you go by the first-year classrooms?"

The reason I didn’t finish with a 'Why?' was because I was trying my best to remain polite.

"So, as a junior, will you help us out?"

"..."

Hmm.

I looked at Ikeda.

Ikeda shook her head vigorously as if to say it wasn’t her idea.

Mmm.

I wasn’t the type to feel comfortable going into other classes.

At the beginning of the semester, I’d gradually make friends with the students sitting around me, expanding my circle through their friends, and their friends’ friends. That’s why my social connections rarely extended beyond my own class. I tended to freeze up when trying to talk to people I didn’t know.

"...Yuuki is the only friend I have in other classes."

"Oh, that’s great! Search missions are supposed to proceed step by step, after all. Come on, let’s go, let’s go."

But it’s not even lunchtime yet, just break time.

Do we really have enough time? Shouldn’t you save some time to return to the second-year hallway?

I glanced at Ikeda, who sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping as she did.

She was using her entire body to express that this wasn’t her idea.

"......"

Ah.

I almost mimicked her without thinking.

Chapter 24. A Place Where People Live (3)

Since things had already gotten to this point, there wasn't really a choice not to do it.

However, the only person I had really spoken to at this school was Sasaki, and it’s not like I had a ton of friends either.

Honestly, when it came to people who seemed like they’d know a lot of guys, Fukuda and Yamashita came to mind, but neither of them had been in any serious relationships, and except for Miura, they didn’t hang out with many people either.

So, bringing up their names didn’t seem like the best idea.

Thus, we decided to head to Yuuki’s class.

There wasn’t any need for me to step forward.

Kaneko casually stopped a student who was about to enter the classroom and asked them to call Yuuki out.

"Where does that kind of courage even come from? Honestly, it’s a little amazing."

Ikeda said that as she watched, her voice filled with half-admiration and half-embarrassment.

I agree. I think it’s amazing too.

Looking back, Kaneko hugged me without a second thought the first time we met.

Considering that I’m someone who’s not used to being close to girls, it’s probably because Kaneko didn’t seem ‘feminine’ at all that I wasn’t as bothered by it.

Now that I think about it, back then, she did possess a few ‘moe’ traits. Her skin was slightly tanned, and she had short, black hair. But her longer side hair still highlighted her femininity.

Of course, this was just my personal thought, and if I had said it out loud, I’d definitely be labeled a pervert. But since it’s all in my head, I can be a little bold in saying that whatever she wore under her uniform, be it a swimsuit or running gear, would probably leave an imprint on her skin.

But seriously, ‘moe’? What era is that from? I bet otakus in the 2020s don’t even know the word. Some might not even know its meaning!

The student who Kaneko had stopped entered the classroom with a slightly bewildered expression and delivered the message to Yuuki.

Yuuki, who had been leaning on her chin, gazing out at the rain through the window, looked over at us with a surprised expression after hearing the message.

Kaneko waved vigorously, just as she had done to me.

“What’s going on?”

Yuuki stepped out of the classroom and asked.

Yuuki didn’t seem to think she was particularly close to Kaneko or Ikeda. After all, even though she had signed up for the club, she didn’t come often.

Still, Kaneko treated Yuuki with friendliness. Ikeda... well, she seemed to think Yuuki was a little intimidating. I guess that’s because, apart from when she’s talking to me, she always wears a somewhat cold expression, and even though she’s a year younger than both Ikeda and Kaneko, she’s clearly taller than the two of them.

“Well, the thing is, we’ve been looking for a male club member who apparently joined our club but never showed up.”

“A male club member?”

Yuuki looked puzzled. Naturally, Ikeda’s face turned red in real-time.

“Yeah. It seems like there’s this ghost member who signed up but never once came. This is the sign-up sheet I got from Ikeda.”

Yuuki took the sheet and glanced over it with a puzzled expression.

“It doesn’t say which class he’s from.”

“Exactly! That’s why we’re here. If it turns out he wrote his name but never shows up, that’s pretty rude, don’t you think? And if he made it up, that’s even worse.”

“...And what do you plan to do when you find him?”

“Well, obviously, we’re going to drag him to the clubroom!”

Kaneko clenched her left fist into her right palm as she spoke. But instead of a friendly greeting gesture, it seemed more like a ‘I’ll crush him’ gesture, especially with the loud clap that followed.

Yuuki looked at the sign-up sheet again.

“You don’t have to look so hard…”

Ikeda, who had seemed fairly confident yesterday, now appeared to have lost some of that confidence.

“If I find anything out, I’ll let you know.”

Yuuki handed the sign-up sheet back. When Kaneko reached out to take it, Ikeda quickly snatched it away.

“W-we should get going now. Break time is almost over.”

Even though it was clear she was too embarrassed to continue, I had enough empathy not to point it out.

“Oh, right. See you both later!”

Kaneko checked her wristwatch and then grabbed Ikeda by the wrist, dashing off. Kaneko, who used to be on the track team, was not only fit but fast. Ikeda could only barely keep up, looking a bit pitiful.

I wonder how those two ended up becoming friends.

If I had to guess, they probably just happened to sit near each other in elementary or middle school. When you're a teenager, even people who are completely different from you can become your friends for that kind of reason.

“They seem to get along well,” Yuuki remarked.

“...Yeah.”

I nodded lightly in response.

*

An hour later, during lunch break.

Yuuki and I were in the Literature Club room.

We usually went up to the rooftop, but today it was raining too hard. It didn’t seem like standing near the rooftop door to avoid the rain would keep us dry either.

And eating lunch in the classroom... well.

I guess I’d be a little too conscious of Yuuki sitting next to me.

Somehow, ever since the day Yuuki transferred here, we had been eating lunch together.

Now that I think about it, it’s pretty odd. We first met entirely by chance at the school store.

Maybe it was because we bonded over eating koppe pan together.

Yuuki brought bread again today. I was starting to feel like it might be polite to decline, but I wasn’t keen on eating koppe pan again, so I was feeling a bit conflicted lately.

Today’s bread was melon bread.

Despite the name, it didn’t taste like melon. It felt more like soboro bread but a bit softer.

Anyway, the most important thing was that it was delicious.

“Let’s eat.”

We both said that at the same time and were about to take a bite when—

The door creaked open.

“Oh, you’re both here.”

It was Kaneko’s voice.

I turned to look, and sure enough, Ikeda was there too. Judging by the way she was being dragged by Kaneko’s arm, she probably hadn’t wanted to come here.

“Yes, yes, very admirable juniors!”

Kaneko said this as she placed her lunchbox on the desk. Ikeda did the same.

“Do you two usually come up here to eat?”

“No, Ikeda and I are in the same class, so we could just push our desks together and eat. There’s no real reason to come all the way up here.”

Ikeda let out a deep sigh.

“Well, since you two are in different classes, I can understand. It’s a bit awkward to eat in someone else’s class, isn’t it?”

I hadn’t even thought of that. Back in Korea, we just ate in the cafeteria.

It was common to visit friends in other classrooms after lunch.

Hmm, I wonder what it’s like in Japan.

“Anyway.”

Kaneko plopped down on the chair where she had placed her lunchbox, her eyes gleaming.

“I spent the first ten minutes of lunch walking up and down the first-year hallways, trying to uncover the identity of the name on this paper.”

…Her determination is something else.

Did she seriously walk around holding her lunch in one hand while dragging Ikeda behind her?

I understand why Ikeda looks so exhausted.

Well, no, actually, Ikeda always looks exhausted.

“If you go class by class and ask, you can probably find out if a student with that name exists, right?”

If you ask someone who’s not like me, that is.

“But there wasn’t anyone.”

Kaneko tossed the paper onto the desk as she said this.

“There wasn’t a single male student with that name.”

Ikeda’s face flushed red.

She turned even redder when she noticed Yuuki and I looking at her.

“N-no, no.”

Kaneko spoke as she noticed our faces.

“I don’t think Ikeda forged this to deceive us.”

I hadn’t thought that at all.

“Ikeda’s handwriting is much more round and bubbly.”

In the end, Ikeda couldn’t bear the shame any longer and slumped over her lunchbox on the desk.

“Anyway, I dragged Ikeda around while checking out students’ faces, but we couldn’t find anyone. What do you think that means?”

Yuuki and I exchanged glances.

Then we looked back at Kaneko.

“…That he’s a student from another school or grade?”

“No.”

Kaneko sharply cut off Yuuki’s words.

“He’s a ghost.”

“No way~”

Ikeda, still slumped over, responded in disbelief.

“I’ve got a feeling about this. Hey, wouldn’t this make for a great case to use as evidence for forming the Occult Club?”

Wouldn’t it be more reasonable to form a folklore club to document yokai and the like? Well, Kaneko didn’t seem interested in that kind of research, so I didn’t bother suggesting it.

“….”

Naturally, Yuuki didn’t seem to have much of a reaction either.

Munch.

I took a bite of the melon bread.

The crispy outer layer, the soft inside, and the sweetness all burst into my mouth at once.

Ah, it’s delicious.

Apparently, the school store collaborates with a local bakery, and it really shows. I doubt you could get this kind of taste from mass-produced bread.

Yuuki, too, quickly lost interest and resumed eating her bread.

“Oh, come on! You’re ignoring me!?”

“Well, of course, Kaneko.”

Ikeda sat back up and said.

After pushing her glasses back up, Ikeda opened her lunchbox.

“There are plenty of other explanations for the male student, aren’t there?”

“But there’s still the possibility that it’s a ghost!”

Hmm, this bread is really tasty.

As the sounds of Kaneko and Ikeda bickering filled the room, I quietly finished my lunch.

*

In the past, Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita used to walk home together, but ever since I joined the club, I usually walked home with Yuuki.

Kaneko and Ikeda often stayed late at the Literature Club. Ikeda was the club president, and Kaneko was her friend, so I figured she stayed to wait for Ikeda while she finished her duties as president.

But if they had things to do, they could’ve just asked Yuuki or me for help.

Whenever I saw Ikeda writing furiously in her notebook, telling us to go on ahead, I couldn’t help but feel a strange wall between us.

…Maybe she was writing a novel or something. If that were the case, I could understand why she wouldn’t want to show it.

In any case, Yuuki and I usually walked home in silence.

Neither of us was particularly good at socializing. Yuuki, despite grumbling something to me when we first met, didn’t talk much in front of other people.

That didn’t mean she had a bad personality. It seemed more like she found it difficult to approach people and make friends. She never ignored Kaneko when she spoke to her, after all.

Still, why did she treat me so well? Now that I think about it, it doesn’t seem that strange for people to talk to me.

Do I just come across a bit intimidating? When I look at the reflection in the mirror there is something a little gloomy about it.

Anyway, while we usually walked home without much conversation, today, we had something to talk about.

As we walked to the station with our umbrellas in hand, taking advantage of a brief lull in the rain, we talked about what Kaneko had said earlier.

“Do you think she’ll sneak into the school at night?”

“...Do you really think she would do that?”

“Doesn’t Kaneko-senpai seem like she would do something like that?”

Remembering the excited look on her face when talking about ghosts, it did seem possible.

“…Maybe.”

“Right? Well, it’s not like seeing ghosts is an easy thing for most people. Even though Kaneko-senpai seems to have some intuition, she’s never said she’s actually seen one, has she?”

…Hm?

I stopped in my tracks.

“…Ghosts, do they exist?”

“Of course they do.”

Yuuki stopped as well and tilted her head in confusion.

“There are ghosts, and there are evil spirits, too. Well, they’re essentially the same thing. We get a lot of exorcism requests at my family’s shrine.”

“Isn’t that... more like yokai?”

“No, yokai and ghosts are different.”

Yuuki demonstrated a gesture often seen in Japanese manga—waving her hand as if chopping the air.

“Yokai are beings from another world that have crossed into ours. Ghosts are entities that couldn’t pass on to the afterlife.”

…Oh.

“...You’re living in a spot that’s infamous for ghost stories, you know.”

In the original story, she just scoffed when others brought it up.

“Yeah, well, I can just exorcise it.”

“...What.”

“Even if there’s a ghost, exorcising it isn’t that difficult. Most of them can’t physically harm people. Of course, there are some that are troublesome or dangerous if not exorcised, but generally, that’s how it is. If a spirit is bound to a location, I just send them off because it’s pitiful.”

While I stood there with my mouth hanging open, Yuuki tilted her head again.

“What? Oh, don’t tell me you’re afraid of ghosts?”

“...”

“Huh,” Yuuki let out a little sound of surprise, like something you’d hear in a Japanese anime, and said, “That’s unexpected. Your apartment—actually, never mind.”

What do you mean, ‘never mind’!?

“It’s fine, really. There’s nothing particularly dangerous. Hmm, but just in case, if you’re really scared, why not get a cat or something? That’s usually enough.”

No, I’m definitely scared.

When a real shrine maiden raised at a shrine says something like that, it’s seriously terrifying.

Watching Yuuki walk on ahead, I quickly caught up.

Normally, it wouldn’t be dark enough for the sun to set at this hour, but the sky was covered in clouds, making the atmosphere gloomy.

“Why, are you scared? Want me to come over and sleep with you?”

“...No.”

Yuuki teased me, but I shook my head.

No, I’m not that scared.

Yeah. I haven’t seen one so far, so I won’t see one in the future either.

Resolving myself with that thought, I saw Yuuki glance at my face and smile.

*

…Why did she have to talk about something like that?

Now, I keep thinking my apartment might really be haunted.

Well, since I’ve never seen anything myself, it should be fine—

Snore.

I had been a little tense, but hearing the sound of snoring from the apartment next door eased my nerves.

Hearing such normal human sounds made me feel reassured that this place was still a place where people lived.

Alright, I’ll just play games late into the night and then go to sleep.

And no, this isn’t because I’m scared of turning off the lights. I’m not trying to stay awake playing games until I’m too sleepy to care.

Really, I’m doing this because I want to. Because I want to.

As I thought that, my slightly trembling hand reached to turn on the Super Famicom—

Buzz, buzz.

My phone vibrated.

It only buzzed once, so it must be an email.

Clicking it open, I saw that it was from Kaneko.

[Looking for someone to uncover the identity of Nakano Noboru. Meet in front of the school. 9 PM.]

Wait, are you serious?

Is her life really so boring or something?

She didn’t say that everyone had to come. This email was probably sent to the other Literature Club members too. To Ikeda, and to Yuuki.

……

Ikeda probably won’t show up, right? After how much Kaneko pushed her today, she’s probably too scared if it really turns out to be a ghost.

And Yuuki... Yuuki might not come either. It’s a 20-minute subway ride away, and she just said earlier today that ghosts aren’t that dangerous.

“...”

I slowly withdrew the hand that had been reaching for the game console.

Sigh.

So, Kaneko’s going to the school alone?

If I were Kaneko… no way I’d actually go in. Even if I made it to the school gate, the idea of sneaking into a closed school building by myself is kind of…

Kind of scary—hmm.

“Haa.”

If it’s Kaneko...

She’ll definitely go in. I can easily imagine her nimble body jumping right over the school gate.

I scratched my head and got up from my seat.

It was just past 7 PM.

…Even if I leave now, I’ll barely make it in time.

I sighed heavily and slipped on my slippers. Naturally, I wasn’t wearing socks.

And—

…Do convenience stores sell flashlights?

*

Not at the convenience store, but I managed to buy a flashlight at the 100-yen shop near the station.

The durability probably wasn’t great, but since I only needed it for tonight, it should be fine.

After making sure the flashlight worked by testing the batteries, I headed to the other school via subway.

I almost gave up when I reached Omiya Station. The rain was pouring down even harder than it had been on my way home. Despite using an umbrella, my feet were completely soaked. Luckily, since I was wearing slippers and had no socks, it wasn’t too uncomfortable.

Still, people kept giving me startled looks the whole way, which kind of put a damper on my mood.

…Maybe I should use a brighter-colored umbrella next time?

After walking diligently for a while, I finally arrived at the front of the school—

“Oh, Kuu-chan!”

Seriously, she’s actually here.

I had managed to make it just in time.

As for anyone else—

…Ikeda’s here.

“Kurosawa, you didn’t have to go along with Kaoru’s nonsense.”

It seemed Ikeda had come out of concern as well.

And—

“…You all showed up after all.”

Yuuki, approaching us, said that.

In the end, all the Literature Club members had gathered.

Yuuki caught my eye and shrugged. The long object slung over her right shoulder caught my attention. It was probably a katana for slaying yokai.

I wonder if it works on ghosts too?

“Excellent!”

Kaneko’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“Thank you all for coming at such a late hour!”

“…We’re here because we’re worried you’ll actually sneak into the school.”

Ikeda said, her face slightly flushed, as she spun the umbrella slung over her shoulder.

“Oh, did you come to stop me? Do you think you have the strength to stop me?”

If she had stayed in the track team with that strength, she would’ve made a great athlete.

I’m genuinely curious why she quit.

Chapter 25. A Place Where People Live (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Kaneko easily jumped over the closed school gate.

"...Looks like she's really serious about it."

Yuuki spoke in disbelief, and Ikeda sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand.

"That girl always does whatever she sets her mind to, whether it's something positive or negative. Even if you try to stop her, it won't work. She'll get in there eventually, if not today, then some other time. But..."

Ikeda looked at us and said.

"Are you planning to join her? You don't really have to."

Yuuki and I exchanged glances.

Well... Yuuki had said that Kaneko seemed to have some "sense."

I wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but Yuuki probably had a method of figuring it out, based on her standards.

Yuuki shrugged, and I nodded in response.

In these kinds of stories, having a "sense" doesn't just mean seeing ghosts. Since Yuuki was so calm, it probably wasn’t a big deal. Still, since we came all this way, it was better to be prepared for the unexpected.

"Besides, the teachers should be inside, right?"

...

Oh, I didn't think of that.

There’s probably a duty teacher or a security guard, of course.

"Sigh..."

Ikeda looked up at the sky and sighed deeply after hearing Yuuki’s words.

Yuuki, like Kaneko, approached the gate.

Clink, clank, clink.

She gracefully leaped over the gate, resting her hands in the middle and hopping over in one smooth motion. It was like water flowing. Has she done something similar before?

"Ei!"

Ikeda tried jumping as well, but naturally, she couldn’t make it over.

"..."

I didn’t bother attempting it and simply looked at the other side of the gate.

It wasn't completely solid. The bars allowed a clear view through to the other side, and it wasn’t particularly high either. A person over 170 centimeters tall could probably peek over the top.

The problem was, I probably wasn’t even 160 centimeters tall. Ikeda had the same issue.

Yuuki silently opened the gate from the other side. There was no padlock or anything; it seemed it could be locked from inside.

After all, how many people would try to sneak into a prestigious school at night?

Ikeda pressed her lips tightly and entered through the open gate. I followed behind.

Fortunately, the area was mostly dark, and luckily, no one was passing by.

Clang.

After locking the gate behind us, we headed toward the school building.

Yuuki and Kaneko’s jackets were already a little wet. They must have closed their umbrellas briefly when jumping over the gate.

Holding our umbrellas once more, we splashed through the puddles as we walked toward the school building.

We were walking far too leisurely for a group that had just snuck into a school, but what could we do? It wasn't like we had gathered for some grand plan.

"Ugh... Being at school at this time of night..."

Ikeda hunched her shoulders and muttered.

"If we get caught, we’re in big trouble."

It seemed she wasn’t scared of ghosts. Well, she didn’t believe in them at all, so that made sense.

"Don’t worry. That’s why I suggested we come on a rainy day. The duty teacher’s probably sleeping in the office. Would you want to come out in this rain?"

Well, sure, but still.

The school probably has a security system.

"Besides, we're not planning to go inside the building. Ikeda, where did you meet Noboru?"

"Oh, ah."

Ikeda, realizing something, opened her mouth.

"Come to think of it, I met him in the school courtyard."

"Of course. How else would you have approached a boy in front of others? And you couldn’t have done it just any time, right? You wouldn’t have asked him to join without a reason."

"Y-yeah. It was late April, during the club recruitment period."

I looked at Kaneko in amazement as she naturally deduced the situation.

What is this? Is she possessed or something? This isn’t like the usual Kaneko.

"Heh."

Kaneko, receiving our stares—including Ikeda’s—tapped her forehead with her finger.

"Believe it or not, I have some deductive reasoning as the president of the Occult Club. What do you think I was doing before coming here?"

Ah, I see.

She had asked us to meet at 9 PM, so she must have had plenty of time. Yuuki took at least 20 minutes by subway, and Kaneko and Ikeda, who lived nearby, probably had almost two hours to spare.

And Kaneko, being Kaneko, had likely been thinking about this during class too. If you add those two hours, she had plenty of time to figure things out.

After all, this school is known for being prestigious. Considering its reputation for having a high academic standing, Kaneko probably wasn’t below average in her studies. She might have been an athlete, given her background, but since she quit the track team, that seems unlikely now.

We followed confidently behind Kaneko as she led the way.

Then, we entered the dimly lit courtyard.

It seemed to be a place designed for daytime use by students, as there were almost no streetlights. The space between the distant streetlights was pitch black, making it hard to see.

I pulled out a flashlight from my pocket.

Except for Ikeda, the rest of us had prepared flashlights for this situation. Thanks to that, Ikeda could walk without much discomfort.

"Hmm... Around here?"

"But what now?"

"Okay, everyone, turn off your flashlights."

Following Kaneko’s instructions, we all turned off our flashlights.

"Ugh."

Ikeda let out a trembling voice as the darkness enveloped us completely.

"If we keep the lights on, we might get caught by a patrolling teacher."

Kaneko said this to Ikeda, her voice tinged with amusement.

"So... what do we do now?"

Trying to distract herself from her fear, Ikeda asked Kaneko.

"Heh. I’ve come prepared, of course."

Kaneko pulled something out of her pocket with a rustling sound.

What she pulled out was—

"Kokkuri-san."

A Kokkuri-san board wrapped in a zip-lock bag to protect it from the rain.

Ikeda slapped her forehead.

I also made a slightly dumbfounded expression—

"That should be fine."

Yuuki said casually.

Ikeda and I turned to look at Yuuki.

"It’s just a simple séance, right? It doesn’t use blood or hair. It should be safe."

Ikeda and I stood with our mouths agape.

"You... What are you saying?"

"Well, I live at a shrine. My grandfather and father work in related fields, and I sometimes help out as a shrine maiden."

Ikeda’s jaw dropped even further at Yuuki’s explanation.

"You're amazing, aren’t you? How about starting an Occult Club with me? I’ll make you the vice president."

"Sorry, but I’m not interested in turning my job into a hobby."

"Really? That’s a shame."

Kaneko shrugged, then placed the board on a nearby bench. The zip-lock bag protected it from getting wet. She really was thorough.

"Alright..."

She then placed a coin on top of the plastic bag.

The human eye is a fascinating organ. Despite being in near-total darkness, I could clearly see what Kaneko was doing.

From the school building, it would be hard to see us in the rain. No one would bother to look closely in this weather.

"Okay, who wants to join?"

Kaneko, crouched in front of the bench, looked back at us.

I shook my head.

If I joined, it wouldn’t be a spirit answering—it would probably be an otherworldly entity instead. That would defeat the purpose of the séance.

Ikeda shook her head vigorously in fear.

"I’ll do it."

Yuuki handed me her umbrella.

She crouched under Kaneko’s umbrella as well.

"Alright, then..."

Kaneko placed her fingers on the coin. Yuuki did the same.

Both of them closed their eyes—

"Kokkuri-san, Kokkuri-san, please come to us~"

—and chanted.

...

"Did it work...?"

Ikeda murmured.

"...Noboru?"

...

No response.

"Huh, what now?"

"Looks like we failed."

"R-right? There’s no such thing as ghosts."

"But we succeeded in the Literature Club room, remember?"

"That was... probably magnets or something."

"Who would set up magnets?"

Kaneko, a bit irritated, asked, then sighed deeply.

She seemed much more disappointed than expected. Could she have been more serious about this than we thought? Maybe Kaneko was genuinely dedicated to the Occult Club.

Even after repeating the chant a few more times with Yuuki—

Neither Kokkuri-san nor Noboru responded.

---

In the end, our little escapade lasted about an hour with nothing to show for it.

Ikeda apologized to us, then led a disappointed Kaneko back to their neighborhood.

Meanwhile, I found myself sitting in a family restaurant, tempted by Yuuki.

Her temptation? A vanilla shake and some fries.

Ugh, luring people in with food—how underhanded.

But the vanilla shake and fries were delicious.

"Of course it didn’t work. We missed the most important condition."

Yuuki said this about the failed séance.

"Condition?"

"In rituals like that, the spirit's willingness to respond is more important than the summoning itself. Things like magic circles, summoning circles, and séances all rely on gathering what the spirit likes. When you want to repel them or prevent them from coming, you gather things they hate. Like drawing a circle with salt, right?"

"..."

"So, Ikeda-senpai probably saw the spirit because... certain 'conditions' were met. Today, those conditions weren’t right."

"Conditions... Should we have done it during the day?"

"If the spirit prefers the day, then yes. But I think there’s something more important."

Yuuki sipped through her straw before continuing.

"The most important thing is emotion. You’ve heard stories about people with grudges seeing spirits because their emotions align with those of the spirit, right? It’s the same here. So, Ikeda-senpai probably needs to replicate the emotions she felt when she first saw the spirit."

Yuuki tapped her fingers on the table, thinking for a moment.

"Hmm, it’s probably loneliness. Ikeda-senpai said her senior friends all graduated last year, right? She must have felt lonely. And there was also a sense of urgency. The Literature Club, where she had fun with her seniors, was on the verge of closing down. Those feelings must have overlapped, and by chance, she encountered the spirit in the courtyard—just by chance."

That’s a lot of coincidence.

"Most paranormal phenomena are like that—encountered by chance. People who get killed by yokai just happen to cross paths with them, and the same goes for meeting murderers. It’s all chance, in the end."

Yuuki explained as she picked up a fry, seemingly noticing my expression.

"And school paranormal events are even more likely to happen. There’s a strong sense of community, emotional sensitivity, and an array of intense feelings at this age."

She talks like she’s already an adult.

I thought while sipping my vanilla shake.

"...So, that’s why you were so calm."

"Yeah. And usually, if something big is going to happen, there’s some warning."

Yuuki shrugged and popped another fry into her mouth.

---

Tomorrow was a workday.

As I walked through the rain toward the school entrance, a thought crossed my mind.

After school, I’d ride the subway, walk through the rainy streets, and head to my job at the maid café. There, I’d change into my maid uniform and work.

At first, I thought it was a pretty decent job, but working every weekend without a break was exhausting.

Still, it wasn’t like I’d find a better job. I’d end up working weekends no matter what.

I sighed deeply, taking off my wet socks and drying my feet before putting on my indoor shoes.

Even after the hour-and-a-half commute, I still felt drowsy as I lazily made my way to the classroom.

After a short wait, Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita would arrive together, and I’d wave to them as we greeted each other.

Yuuki, passing by the window in the hallway, would glance inside, and we’d make eye contact. I’d wave again.

After that, Ms. Suzuki would come in for roll call, we’d attend class—

—just an ordinary day, really.

Until lunchtime.

"Kurosawa?"

I was about to get up and head to the store when Ms. Suzuki entered the classroom first.

With a slightly pale face, she approached me.

"Do you have a moment? I need to talk to you."

I could feel Miura, sitting behind me, looking at me with concern.

"...Okay."

Well, what could a student do but agree when a teacher asks?

At least I knew Ms. Suzuki wouldn’t harm me.

Feeling Miura’s worried gaze weighing down on me, I stood up.

---

In the staff room, I found that Ikeda and Yuuki were already there. It seemed each had their own homeroom teacher with them.

And I realized something.

Oh no, we got caught.

But strangely, Kaneko was nowhere to be seen. As far as I knew, she should’ve been in the same class as Ikeda.

"Is this the student?"

"Yes, that’s right."

Ms. Suzuki nodded in response to the man in a tracksuit standing behind Ikeda.

"Were you at the school last night?"

Despite his rough appearance, his voice was unexpectedly gentle. Maybe he’d heard my situation from Ms. Suzuki.

I glanced at Ikeda. She gave me a slight nod, her face pale.

"...Yes."

"I see."

The man closed his eyes and let out a long breath before speaking.

"I won’t ask what you were trying to do inside the school last night. Nothing's missing, after all. But there’s something you all need to know."

The man spoke as if he were forcing the words out.

"Today, Kaneko didn’t come to school."

...

What?

"We called her house, and they said she didn’t come home after going out last night."

What?

I looked at Yuuki.

Yuuki met my gaze with a tense expression.

"Did you notice anything unusual about Kaneko last night?"

Ms. Suzuki asked me.

I hesitated for a moment before shaking my head.

Kaneko... wasn’t acting too differently from usual. She was a bit on edge after the failed séance, but she returned to normal soon enough.

Blink.

I blinked.

...No way.

"...I see."

The man nodded and continued.

"Kaneko left her house at 9 PM and returned about an hour later. You probably went home around that time too. But after that, Kaneko went out again. The police are investigating her whereabouts, but I thought it was important to hear from you as well. Even the smallest detail could help. Do you remember anything?"

"..."

I looked at Ikeda and Yuuki.

Neither of them had mentioned what we’d done last night.

Slowly, I shook my head.

Ms. Suzuki, along with Yuuki and Ikeda’s homeroom teachers, exchanged worried glances.

---

"Do you think something happened to Kaoru?"

"Ikeda-senpai."

Yuuki tried to calm Ikeda, who was pacing frantically around the clubroom without even sitting down, but Ikeda just chewed her nails and trembled.

"Is it because of me? Because I showed her that..."

"No, it’s just a coincidence."

Yuuki spoke with a serious expression.

"Maybe she just went out for a short break—"

"Kaoru isn’t like that!"

Ikeda shouted at Yuuki.

"She may seem like that, but she always does her best, putting in effort in everything she does! Even though she suddenly quit the track team she loved so much—"

Mid-sentence, Ikeda’s face suddenly went blank.

After a moment of expressionless silence, she turned abruptly, opened the clubroom door, and ran out.

"Wait, senpai!"

Yuuki, startled, followed her. I couldn’t just stand by, so I quickly got up and chased after them.

Ikeda headed toward the school gym.

Since the rainy season wasn’t over yet, most of the sports clubs were practicing indoors.

Naturally, the track team was among them.

"Kaneko?"

The third-year student, who seemed to be the team captain, scoffed as soon as she heard Kaneko’s name.

"That troublemaker who quit? The one who hit her senior."

As the captain turned around, voices criticizing Kaneko echoed from various directions.

"We cut her some slack because she was good, but she got so full of herself. And after a few words, she couldn’t take it and quit right away. Couldn’t even last a year."

The captain wore an expression as if she wanted to spit on the ground.

"Why should we care if someone like that ran away? She’s probably messing around somewhere."

"Kaoru is...!"

"Senpai."

As Ikeda raised her voice in anger, Yuuki grabbed her arm.

When Ikeda turned to face Yuuki, Yuuki shook her head and led Ikeda out of the gym.

"Ikeda-senpai."

Yuuki placed both hands on Ikeda’s shoulders, looking her directly in the eyes as she spoke.

"It’s alright. Kaneko-senpai will be back soon."

"How can you—"

"I just know."

Yuuki said it calmly. There was no elaborate explanation or solid evidence, but the firmness in her words seemed to shake Ikeda’s heart.

"Do you really think so?"

At Ikeda’s question, Yuuki nodded.

"Absolutely."

"..."

Ikeda’s hands went limp.

She lowered her head, letting her arms hang loosely by her sides, and spoke.

"Kaoru is... my friend."

"I know."

"Back in elementary school, when I didn’t have any friends, she was the one who approached me..."

"I see."

"..."

"Don’t worry. She’ll definitely come back. Kaneko Kaoru-senpai."

It was only after Yuuki said that that Ikeda seemed to calm down a bit.

---

"Do you have any guesses?"

"I do."

On the way home.

Yuuki furrowed her brows as she spoke.

"Kaneko-senpai went back out, right? I’m sure she came back to the school."

"...Loneliness and desperation."

"Yeah. This is... my mistake. I didn’t fully grasp Kaneko-senpai’s emotions. Even though I was right there."

I shook my head.

"No one could have guessed."

Even though I said that, Yuuki’s expression darkened.

"And I think the timing was also an issue. Kaneko-senpai left after 10 PM... But if she kept trying without giving up, she might have reached the hour of the ox."

The hour of the ox.

That came up in light novels too. The second zodiac sign in the twelve earthly branches. The direction is northeast on the compass.

It corresponds to the time between 1 AM and 3 AM, a time known as the hour when the gate of spirits opens, allowing ghosts to enter and exit.

However, it wasn’t a significant detail in the novel. It was only used as a topic in one of Yuuki’s ghost stories during a summer episode. The reason I knew about it was that the novel didn’t go into detail about the hour of the ox, so I had looked it up at the time.

And I had always liked ghost stories. I liked them under the assumption that they were all fake.

Sighing, Yuuki let out a long breath.

"I’ll... handle this somehow. It’s my specialty."

"...I’ll help too."

"No."

Yuuki looked at me with a firm expression.

"You should go home."

"...But I agreed to help."

"No. You agreed to help with exterminating yokai, not with exorcising spirits. This is about a ghost, not a yokai."

"..."

She had a point.

"Don’t worry."

Yuuki smiled at me as she spoke.

"I’ve said it before, haven’t I? I exorcised the one living in your spot. So, there’s no need to worry too much."

How can I not worry?

Besides, Yuuki herself had told me.

Ghosts rarely harm people, but there are a few dangerous exceptions.

And now Kaneko had gone missing.

If this wasn’t dangerous, then what was?

But if I insisted on going with her, Yuuki would surely stop me.

So, for now, all I could do was nod.

---

Naturally, I didn’t go home.

It would take a total of three hours to go home and return.

So, instead, I took the subway for a bit to trick Yuuki. She watched me from a distance until I boarded the train.

But just because I got on the subway didn’t mean Yuuki waited for me after I left.

After riding the train for about 10 minutes, I took another train back to Omiya Station.

Once I confirmed that Yuuki wasn’t around, I cautiously made my way back to the school.

Thinking back on what Yuuki had said, she would definitely come to the school to prepare for the exorcism before the hour of the ox.

So, I just had to hide somewhere until that time came.

It wasn’t too hard to sneak back into the school since the students were still leaving for the day.

However—

...

Where should I hide until 1 AM?

---

Today, even Ikeda went home early. It must have been hard for her to stay in the clubroom without Kaneko.

I felt bad for Ikeda, but thanks to that, I was able to hide in the Literature Club room until 1 AM.

The Literature Club didn’t have anything valuable. Just books and snacks. So, we rarely locked the door. If someone had locked it from the outside, I would’ve been trapped in there, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

After making sure there was no one in the hallway by listening carefully, I cautiously crouched down and stepped out of the Literature Club room.

...The atmosphere was incredibly eerie.

Back when I didn’t believe in ghosts, I wouldn’t have thought much of it. But now... I knew that ghosts and yokai existed in this world.

And knowing that made it a whole lot scarier.

It was 45 minutes past midnight.

It would soon be the hour of the ox.

While it might take a bit longer for anything serious to happen, I decided to start moving.

Sneaking quietly, worried that I might run into a teacher, I headed toward the first floor.

It was only then that I remembered the school’s security system.

...Well, it’s too late now.

Thankfully, I hadn’t set off any alarms, as far as I could tell.

The door leading outside the school building was locked, so I opened a window and slipped out.

I debated whether to open my umbrella, but I figured it would probably just get in the way.

Only to quickly regret that decision as the rain soaked me.

Cursing my own choices, I trudged through the dark campus, heading toward the courtyard where Kaneko had summoned Kokkuri-san the other day.

It was still as dimly lit as before.

By the way, I never understood why they called it a courtyard. It wasn’t even inside the school but out back. There was plenty of space between the building and the wall, with a small park-like area, but—well, that’s irrelevant right now.

Fortunately, Yuuki wasn’t there yet.

...Alright.

I approached the bench and stood there.

Standing in the rain, I felt incredibly pathetic.

I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out a utility knife.

Well, what else could I do now?

First, I’d talk to my resident spirit, Nirlass. I’d ask her about the method as thoroughly as possible and then look for a solution.

Afterward, I’d join up with Yuuki, who would arrive later, and we’d resolve the situation.

The reason I had come here in the first place was that once I started bleeding, I’d quickly become dizzy from the blood loss. I had to save as much time as possible.

I extended the blade from the utility knife and brought it to my left wrist—

When suddenly, someone grabbed my arm.

Startled, I almost screamed—but then—

"Kaneko-senpai?"

It was Kaneko, soaking wet like me, glaring at me as she tightly gripped the hand holding the knife.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

She asked.

"Uh."

Well...

I was about to... cut my wrist. Um.

Yeah, no matter how you looked at it, the situation didn’t look great.

Chapter 26. A Place Where People Live (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"Kuu-chan, tell me."

Kaneko's face, glaring at me, was terrifying.

"What were you trying to do just now?"

Normally, Kaneko never made this kind of face at me. No, she never made this expression at anyone. She always smiled cheerfully, ran around, and showed her disappointment when she was let down.

Now that I think about it, the only time she blatantly showed frustration was when we failed to summon Kokkuri-san yesterday.

And now too.

Squeeze.

Kaneko gripped my right wrist tightly, as if trying to make me drop the knife just by the strength of her hand.

"...It's not what you think."

"If it's not what I think, then? What's another reason for pressing a knife to your wrist besides 'that'?"

Uh...

Now that I think about it, it was exactly what she thought.

Except my intention wasn't to die.

Though slashing my wrist horizontally wouldn’t lead to death, anyone watching someone cut their wrist wouldn’t think it through like that. Self-harm is serious enough on its own.

"Where were you, senpai?"

So, I decided to change the subject.

"What?"

"Where were you all day today?"

"Where was I..."

Kaneko looked a little confused at my question. Her grip on my wrist loosened slightly.

It wasn't loose enough for me to pull away, so I decided to keep talking.

"...You skipped school today."

"Skipped school? Me?"

Kaneko spoke as if it were absurd.

"What are you talking about? We saw each other today. Even just before—"

Blink.

Kaneko blinked her eyes.

"...No, senpai, you didn't come."

"What?"

"So, the teachers called Ikeda-senpai and us."

"What are you talking about?"

I pulled out my phone from my pocket.

...Honestly, it was a stupid thing to do. Without an umbrella, exposing my phone to the rain could damage it.

But... showing it directly would be more convincing.

I opened the phone screen. Raindrops clung to it, but thankfully, the phone didn't turn off.

I held it up to Kaneko's face.

June 16, 2004, Wednesday.

"What...?"

Kaneko unconsciously let go of my wrist.

She took my phone from my hand and stared at the screen intently.

Taking advantage of her distraction, I quietly put the blade back into my pocket—

"Ah— that’s not going to work."

But before I could, Kaneko grabbed my wrist again. She must've realized she didn't need to hold the phone with both hands.

She returned the phone to me, and without much effort, pried my fingers open one by one to confiscate the cutter knife.

She placed it into her skirt pocket and said,

"Did you really think I’d hand a knife back to someone who just tried to harm themselves? No matter how forgetful I am, I won’t forget this."

"...."

Uh...

I’m screwed.

Can I still take her with me like this?

I quickly concluded that it wouldn’t work.

After all, she was the Kaneko who had gone missing for a whole day. A kamikakushi (神隠し)? If she had experienced something like that, taking her away now might be dangerous.

I sighed silently and sat down on the bench. It was soaked from the rain, but I didn't care. I was already drenched through to my underwear.

At this point, even using an umbrella wouldn’t make a difference.

I removed the battery from my phone. Being an old phone, this was easy to do.

Maybe... if I dry it thoroughly, it won’t break. The phone had stayed on until I took the battery out, after all.

After putting the phone back into my pocket, Kaneko sat next to me with a similar thud. She was soaked too, so I guess she didn’t care either.

But isn’t this a bit too close? She sat almost right next to me, like a man trying to flirt with a high school girl.

I wondered if I could pull out the knife again at this distance, but unfortunately, it was in the pocket on the side opposite to her.

She didn’t put her hand on my shoulder, but instead draped her arm over the back of the bench and said,

"Alright, tell me."

I looked at her as if to ask what she meant, and she stared back at me.

"Tell me why you were trying to do it."

"...."

Is now the time to talk about that?

I had sat down because I realized there was no other option but to wait for Yuuki. Scraping my wrist with my nails or using my teeth to wound myself… was a bit unrealistic, wasn’t it? And much more painful than cutting with a knife.

"...It’s hard to put into words, right? People don’t usually talk about these things easily."

"....It doesn't matter—"

"No."

Kaneko said, staring straight ahead.

"It matters."

"...."

"Because I didn’t listen once before."

Kaneko crossed her legs, thought for a moment, and then spoke again.

"Then, let's do it this way. I’ll tell you my reason first. Then, you tell me yours."

No, I really don’t think I can tell her my reason.

How could I explain, “I was trying to summon an otherworldly being by offering my blood to the magic circle drawn on my left wrist”?

Kaneko would usually enjoy such stories, but there’s no way a senior who just saw her junior try to cut their wrist would take it seriously.

Besides, she hadn’t just been confused—she was genuinely upset.

Clearly, she had some kind of trauma.

"I... the reason I tried to find a ghost is... because I have something to ask."

So, it’s something like that? Like staring into a knife in your mouth while looking at a mirror to see the face of your future spouse?

But what Kaneko said was completely different from what I expected.

"Have you ever heard of ikiryō?"

"Ikiryō?"

"Yeah. It’s not the soul of a dead person, but the soul of someone who’s still alive. Like the soul of someone in a vegetative state or a coma."

"...."

That exists?

Sorry, but in my previous life, I worked in a country where if your heart was beating, you were considered alive. I wasn’t familiar with classifications of souls. I liked ghost stories, but I didn’t care much for systematic explanations—it ruined the creepy atmosphere.

But the setting here is a light novel world. It’s not strange for such classifications to exist.

Actually, it’s probably more like a real story than just a ghost tale.

Seeing that I didn’t respond, Kaneko must’ve thought I was listening seriously, because she continued talking.

"I saw one once. Actually, I’ve been weak to spirits since I was young. Every time I went to a cemetery, I’d see strange people and pass out. So my parents made me exercise a lot... I thought I was just seeing things. So I ran a lot. I ended up with enough skill to join the track team."

"...."

"But honestly, I don’t like running that much. I only did it because it made my parents feel better. I never thought I’d become an athlete, and neither did my parents, but staying healthy gave us peace of mind. I haven’t seen anything since I got healthier."

The rain kept falling. Though it had lessened compared to when I was about to cut my wrist, the drizzle still soaked us. It felt like we were sitting in a pool. Even though it was mid-June, it didn’t feel hot at all.

"How much did you hear?"

"How much?"

"You mentioned having a talk with the teachers yesterday. If it’s Ikeda, she wouldn’t have stayed still. She probably went to the track team, right?"

Childhood friends really are something.

Though, I guess if you’ve known someone for a few years, you can kind of predict how they’d move at school.

"...She said you fought with the captain and quit..."

"So, you heard."

Kaneko smiled bitterly.

"I had a junior too, you know? I’m in my second year now. She was about your size. I think, like me, she wasn’t really interested in running, but her parents pushed her into it. At least, I thought I needed it for myself, but she... she wasn’t like that."

"...."

"She had talent, I think. Her parents were both runners. But she hated it. She tried to quit after a short time, but it didn’t work. You may not know, but our school’s track team is pretty famous, both for boys and girls."

So, her junior ended up being bullied.

"I... didn’t know."

Then Kaneko said,

"Everyone knew she was close to me. And, not to brag, but my parents are also pretty successful. And, as I mentioned, my skills are decent."

In my opinion, Kaneko was being humble. She was probably one of the team's main runners. Otherwise, why would everyone be so wary of her?

"She didn’t say it outright, but through her actions and hints in her words."

"...."

"It was a suicide attempt. She failed, and now she's in the hospital. They say she hasn't regained consciousness."

"What about her parents?"

"They seemed to know about the bullying. But they thought she could push through it with mental strength. Like they did when they were young. They thought even if she hated it at first, she'd eventually start running."

That tiresome mentality of overcoming everything with sheer willpower.

"I told you, right? I'm sensitive to spirits. After entering high school, I hadn't seen anything. But then—"

She saw it.

One day, while cleaning the storage room, she saw her junior curled up on the floor. It was just for a moment, but—

She saw her.

The girl was hunched over, holding her stomach as if she'd been hit, curling up on her side.

"She looked just like I remembered her."

"...."

"At that point, I should’ve known. I could’ve figured it out. But…."

She had the skill, but she didn’t really want it. She didn’t care much for the club. She was always half-hearted, participating when she could avoid it, and not particularly attached to any of her juniors. The only thing that connected her with the junior was their shared disinterest in the track team.

So she didn’t realize.

"'What business is it of yours? You always ignored me! When everyone was running their hearts out, you were just half-assing it! And still, the coaches and teachers only cared about you! Now you want to act like you care?'"

Kaneko had shouted.

Wouldn’t the teachers hear? But there was no sign of anyone nearby for now.

"...Yeah, that's what she said."

"...."

"I couldn’t argue, but I couldn’t hold back my anger, so I ended up hitting her."

So that’s what happened.

Now I understood why her expression soured when I first asked about the track team.

"...And so, here we are."

"Right. And so, here we are. I have other talents, don’t I? Since I attract spirits, I thought maybe I could find her soul and save her."

But going into the gym meant catching the track team’s attention. Even sneaking in at night wasn’t easy because the storage rooms were locked tight. Since she wasn’t a track team member anymore, she didn’t have many chances to sneak in and conduct a summoning ritual.

So Kaneko tried to find another way.

"…In the end, I ended up using you guys. Sorry about that. But at least it’s good that only I was there."

"...."

"Alright, that’s my story. Now it's your turn."

...Hmm.

I thought about how to respond and then opened my hand to Kaneko.

"Can you give me back the knife?"

"What? No."

Kaneko's face turned serious.

When she got serious, Kaneko was actually quite scary. The usual laid-back atmosphere disappeared, and her face turned sharp, as if she was ready for a fight. Now that I looked closely, her eyes were quite intense. Maybe she usually offset this by always smiling.

"....I’m not going to hurt myself."

"But you tried to cut your wrist."

"...."

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.

Alright, fine.

There was no point hiding it anymore. This person had already seen me trying to slash my wrist.

I lifted my left arm.

Kaneko hadn’t noticed before, but the scrunchie I usually wore on my wrist was gone. I hadn’t bothered with it since I was planning to cut myself anyway.

When I showed her my wrist, Kaneko’s eyes widened.

"What is...?"

"…A tattoo."

I answered.

"A tattoo for summoning a god. All it needs is my blood."

Kaneko opened and closed her mouth, struggling to find words. Then she suddenly jumped to her feet, as if realizing something.

"Wait—so when you asked me to summon Kokkuri-san—"

"That’s right. If you summoned it, it would have worked. Without needing blood."

"The coin moving that time, too?"

I nodded.

Kaneko’s face lit up in realization.

Then she quickly turned serious again.

"But even so, no."

"...."

"In the end, you're still making your body bleed to get it done."

Hmm…

I couldn’t really argue with that.

"And besides, you don’t need to go that far, do you? If you just have the Kokkuri-san paper…"

"No."

I said firmly.

"I need more than that."

At the very least, I wanted to hold the knife.

I wasn’t sure if I could actually cut the ghost, but I could always ask when the time came.

Couldn’t the blood of an avatar summoned by an otherworldly being handle that?

"…You—"

Just as Kaneko was about to say something—

Whi—— Ho——

A sound, like a whistle.

I shuddered instantly at the noise.

Not because I was cold from the rain. The shiver that ran down my spine was the same eerie sensation I felt back in the "Nest."

Whi—— Ho——

The strange sound came again, something between a bird’s chirp and a whistle, maybe even a flute.

"Is that a thrush?"

"...."

I turned to look, and Kaneko was staring at me.

"That’s the sound of a thrush. It goes 'ho, ho,' like that. A White's thrush."

Ho, ho?

Now wasn’t the time to nitpick her personal opinions.

"It’s coming from over there."

Before I could act, Kaneko moved.

Grabbing my hand, Kaneko took off running at full speed. I was half-dragged along, barely keeping up. For a moment, I understood how Ikeda must have felt being dragged around.

---

The sound was coming from the school grounds.

And when we got there—

"Yuuki!"

Yuuki stood in the middle of the field, wearing a shrine maiden's outfit.

In her hand, she held a wooden staff. At the tip of the staff was a piece of white paper, folded in a specific way. It was the kind of stick you’d see shrine maidens carrying in Japanese manga or light novels, with a white paper attached.

Yuuki wasn’t surprised to see us. She sighed lightly and pointed in a direction.

From her perspective, it was the 7 o’clock direction. There was a white circle drawn on the ground, large enough for two or three people to stand inside.

As we approached, I saw that the circle had been drawn with salt.

"I had a feeling something was off about this school."

I heard Yuuki muttering to herself.

Whi—— Ho——

"Usually, it's rare for ghost stories to materialize so clearly. Sure, it’s a school, and people gather here, and often those who die leave behind grudges. But two such occurrences so close together? That’s a bit much."

"What’s that sound?"

I asked, and Yuuki answered.

"It’s the sound that opens the underworld."

Yuuki was standing in the very center of the field.

Around her were talismans placed in twelve directions. The direction Yuuki was looking in seemed to be north, and we were standing in a salt circle at her 7 o’clock position.

The school courtyard, where we had been, was in the 3 o’clock direction, just beyond the buildings.

The direction of the Ox, the Hour of the Ox.

…Yuuki was opening the Kimon (鬼門), the Demon Gate.

I realized this and stood there with my mouth agape.

"What are you planning to do by opening that…?"

"It’s not about opening it."

Yuuki said.

"It’s about *keeping it open*."

Yuuki stuck the staff she was holding into a stand she had prepared in front of her.

Then she picked up the "Mumei" sword that was lying nearby.

Drawing the blade from its sheath, Yuuki turned slightly and looked northeast.

From that direction—

I heard Kaneko gasp.

Whi—— Ho——

Yeah, come to think of it, the sound *was* coming from over there. Not from where we had been standing.

The window where Yuuki had been sitting wasn’t in any particular position like the 3 o’clock direction.

Ah, so… *it doesn’t matter if the location is specific*.

What matters is the place where the "incident" happened. The place where grudges linger. The place where spirits cannot leave.

And the entity holding the crack in the world open.

"Kurosawa."

"Hmm?"

"Take care of the senpai. Just in case."

"…Alright."

"Yuuki? Kuu-chan?"

Kaneko, not fully grasping the situation, looked between Yuuki and me.

Whi—— Ho——

The sound came again, and from the direction Yuuki was facing, something black began to fall from the air.

"You’ve been hiding well, haven’t you? After setting up such a nest."

Yuuki spoke.

"Have you been feeding on loneliness? Or on resentment and envy? Well, a place like a school would be perfect for that."

Something black was emerging from the "Demon Gate." As the void in the air slowly widened, the chill I felt grew stronger.

The first thing that came out was a tiger-striped paw. If you took the paw of a feline and stretched it out to look like a human hand, it would look like that. At the end of the paw, sharp claws gleamed.

Next, what appeared was a monkey’s head.

That monkey’s head… was whistling.

Whi—— Ho——

...Just like that.

"You’re the one mimicking the envoys of the underworld."

Yuuki said.

"And the one hiding in the underworld itself."

...

Wait… how did we leap from facing an *Oni* to this?

That’s not just a regular monster—it was a creature born from mythology!

"…Nue."

Kaneko murmured under her breath as she gripped my shoulder tightly.

Yeah, I agreed. It definitely looked like one.

It resembled the chimera-like creature often featured in subculture. What was emerging from the void was none other than the *Nue* (鵺), a yokai straight out of Japanese legend.

Chapter 27. A Place Where People Live (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The Nue is a yokai that looks like a mix of the animals from the twelve zodiac signs, thrown together haphazardly.

People might agree if I called it the eastern version of a chimera.

It looked like the Nue that had built its nest in the underworld.

I remember reading somewhere about the sound it made, "Hyo, hyo," and how anyone who heard it would fall ill.

I think I read it a long time ago while browsing Wikipedia, though I'm not entirely sure.

It has the legs of a tiger, the head of a monkey.

The body of a tanuki, and a tail that ends in a snake's head.

And that dissonant appearance was far more grotesque and terrifying than I expected.

"One who cannot hold their own form, imitating others and hiding in a name."

Yuuki placed her left hand on her waist and extended her sword straight to the right.

The movement was so beautiful that for a moment, my eyes were drawn to it.

It's the first time I've seen Yuuki draw her sword.

Naturally, it was also the first time I'd seen its blade.

The blade, sharp enough to be called white rather than bright, had withstood the test of time but could still easily cut through anything.

Even if I didn't know what that sword truly was, I felt like it could even slice through something not of this world.

And then—instinctively, I knew.

That sword could cut through a god as well.

...And even me—

"If you return to your place, I will not cut you down. Abandon your greed and go back to where you belong."

But the Nue's expression showed no fear at all. Why was that? Wasn't it afraid of the sword?

"...Kuu-chan?"

As I stood there with my legs trembling, Kaneko asked me with concern.

It was cold.

Not because I was wet from the rain or soaked through.

Something deeper, more primal, was rising up inside me, bringing a chill.

It felt like it was seeping into my bones.

I heard the sound of whistling again.

Something else crawled out of the rift. Something invisible.

But both Kaneko and I knew there was something there.

"You've gotten quite good at mimicking the sound that leads the souls to the underworld."

Yuuki moved her left hand and pulled out a yellow piece of paper from her waist.

Black characters, messily scrawled in kanji, covered the white paper.

The paper, perhaps treated with glue, didn’t easily get wet, even in the rain.

A blue flame ignited at the tip of the talisman, and when Yuuki released it into the air, the paper quickly turned to ash, leaving only small sparks behind.

Those tiny sparks fluttered in the wind, undisturbed by the rain. It was a strange sight.

The sparks drifted through the air, igniting each of the talismans Yuuki had placed in twelve different directions.

As the talisman near us caught fire, the salt burned with a blue flame.

And then Yuuki moved.

With a burst of strength in her legs, Yuuki dashed toward the Nue, leaving only a red and white streak behind as she thrust her sword forward.

The sound of metal clashing echoed. The Nue's hand was raised, so it must have deflected Yuuki's sword.

Yuuki remained unfazed.

She struck again, and the Nue parried once more.

"Hup!"

As the Nue’s other hand moved quickly, Yuuki ducked swiftly.

Several strands of her hair, which had lagged behind her body, were sliced off by the beast’s claws.

The sword's gleam was beautiful.

"So pretty..."

Kaneko muttered to herself, seemingly unaware.

"Grrrrr..."

The Nue growled, baring its teeth, frustrated that things weren't going its way. Was that its natural sound?

The Nue leapt to the side, putting some distance between itself and Yuuki. Seizing the opportunity, Yuuki quickly pulled out another talisman from her waist.

This time, she threw the talisman, now burning with a blue flame, toward the rift from which the Nue had emerged—the rift to the underworld.

A scream was heard. But it wasn't Yuuki’s.

It was a chilling scream, like the wail of something that had been blocked from coming through.

The Nue opened its mouth and let out a roar.

That sound—

It was the sound of a monkey. I suppose it wasn’t surprising that it would sound like a monkey.

It slammed its hands on the ground repeatedly, like an angry monkey, enraged that its hiding place, where it waited for prey, had been sealed.

Yuuki didn’t bother responding, instead charging at the Nue again.

And then—

Whistle—— Hoooooo——

...I heard the sound again.

"...Ah."

The sound was coming from the rift that had almost closed.

A sharp beak poked through the small opening.

The whistling came from that spot.

Just like the Nue had done earlier, the beak tore through the air.

And what came out was yet another creature, a Nue, its form as haphazardly mixed as the first.

This one had the face and wings of a chicken, the skin of a tiger, the head of a monkey, a snake’s tail, and the legs of a dog. Another mishmash of the twelve zodiac animals.

Nue (鵺) and Kou (鵼).

It wasn’t just one after all.

"Tch."

I heard Yuuki click her tongue.

The second Nue spread its wings and soared into the sky.

It tried to dive straight toward Yuuki’s head but collapsed onto the ground halfway there.

A large arrow was lodged in its neck.

The person standing in the direction the arrow had come from was Yuuki’s grandfather. He held a bow much larger than his own upper body.

He was also wearing red pants and a white top. A quiver of arrows was strapped to his waist.

He drew another arrow and nocked it to the bow.

"Kiiieeeek!"

The Nue screeched.

While everyone's attention was on the Nue that had fallen to the ground, Yuuki sliced open the belly of the Nue she had been facing.

Red blood spilled out. Even a yokai bleeds red.

Well, I did see it happen once before.

"Kieeek!"

The Nue that had fallen to the ground let out a similar cry. It was a grotesque creature, with a primate’s head and a body that was anything but primate-like. It quickly scrambled to its feet.

Thud, thud, red blood flowed down the arrow lodged in its neck. The white fletching of the arrow quickly became soaked in blood.

"Kieeek!"

Without a word, Yuuki’s grandfather shot another arrow at the Nue.

I... felt uneasy.

No, I wasn't worried that I might die. It was more that I had the nagging feeling that I had a role to play here, but I wasn't fulfilling it.

I am, after all, an outsider who’s fallen into a light novel.

Shouldn't I be doing something, like other transmigrators? Shouldn't I jump in to help Yuuki, like Sasaki, the original protagonist?

But there was nothing I could do.

In fact, if I recklessly intervened, I might make things worse.

Even after all the help I received.

"Hmm."

The Nue leaped to the side, narrowly dodging the arrow Yuuki’s grandfather had shot.

The Nue seemed determined not to step inside the barrier Yuuki had prepared. Did it have some sort of instinct?

Instead—

“No way!?”

Yuuki’s grandfather shouted as he saw the Nue’s movements.

The Nue, bird-like in appearance, must have realized it stood no chance against either Yuuki or her grandfather.

As a four-legged beast, it fully utilized its advantage and ran around the barrier.

Its target—was us.

Yuuki turned to face it, but—

"Kieeek!"

There was still another Nue nearby.

Even though it was bleeding from its belly, it was still a massive beast, twice the height of a human. If I got hit by one of its wild swings, I’d be lucky to only have a broken bone.

Yuuki threw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack.

The Nue immediately drove its other claws into the ground. It pushed forward toward Yuuki, and I could hear the sound of the ground being torn apart.

Like a circular saw cutting through a block of wood, the Nue dug deep into the sandy field as it barreled toward Yuuki.

...I'm just a burden.

My heart pounded even harder.

I couldn't help but think that if I hadn't been here, if I hadn't come all this way, none of this would have happened—

Yuuki stood up from the ground and rolled to the side. Her once-white miko outfit was now covered in dirt.

But the Nue didn’t stop. It wasn’t that it couldn’t control its momentum as it ran.

The Nue dug its front paws, buried deep in the ground, out, as if scooping up soil.

No, not as if—it actually scooped up soil.

Thick chunks of earth flew into the air.

"Oh no!"

Yuuki’s grandfather shouted. And at the same time, the soil landed on one of the talismans placed in the direction of the Hour of the Ox.

The blue flame that had been burning was smothered.

Had the fire... gone out?

Whether it was extinguished or not, something was clearly going wrong.

When the talisman in the direction of the Hour of the Ox went out, the flames of the talismans for the Hours of the Rat and Tiger began to weaken, as if counting down.

And those flames were connected to the salt circle where Kaneko and I stood.

Yuuki’s grandfather immediately started running. He was trying to intercept the Nue as fast as possible, which was now charging toward us.

But the winged Nue moved cunningly.

As soon as Yuuki’s grandfather began running, it leapt forward and placed us between itself and him.

If he misfired his arrow, we’d be hit too.

I had to do something.

If I stayed still, I’d really just be a burden.

What I could do—

Suddenly, I thought of Kaneko's pocket.

“...Kaneko-senpai!”

I called out as I dove toward Kaneko.

“Kuu-chan?”

Kaneko caught me effortlessly.

“Kuu-chan, it’s okay. I’m sure—”

Kaneko, who had hugged me back as if to comfort me, widened her eyes.

“...Kuu-chan?”

But in my hand, there was already a knife. As I hugged Kaneko’s waist, I pulled the knife out of her pocket.

Click.

I heard the sound of the blade being drawn. Kaneko quickly pushed me away, but by then, I had already pressed the blade to my wrist.

As Kaneko shoved me back, my arm slipped from around her waist. With that force, the blade sliced into my wrist.

“Kuu-chan!?”

Naturally, when I was thrown off Kaneko, blood slowly started flowing from my wrist.

Kaneko reached out toward me—

Time didn’t stop.

My left hand rose up as if to hold something. The long wound on my wrist split open into the shape of an eye. The pentagram on my wrist was stained red with blood, and the blood-tears dripping from the eye-shaped wound flowed upward into the air.

A red sword.

I grabbed the handle before it was fully formed.

“...Kuu-chan...?”

Kaneko asked, as if she couldn’t understand the situation.

“...It’s what I mentioned earlier.”

That was all I said. Honestly, making a wound that runs vertically up and down your wrist into the shape of an eye is incredibly painful.

It’s not like I was doing this because I wanted to.

Plus, the wound was gushing blood, and I’d just left it hanging open. The blood flowed even more vigorously. I might really die at this rate.

...This is definitely a surefire way to commit suicide, I thought for a second.

Well, I wasn’t planning to die, though.

I pressed my left wrist tightly against my waist. I had to keep bleeding for this power to work, but I had to endure as much as I could.

I raised the sword with one hand.

The Nue was charging straight at us, but it hesitated when it saw what I was holding.

However, when it saw my face twisted in pain and the blood pouring from my wrist, it must have thought this would be easy.

Of course.

With its vitality strong enough to survive being hit by Grandpa’s arrow in the neck, it must’ve thought it could easily deal with me. Maybe it thought it could crush me in one bite.

...Wrong.

I didn’t want to die.

I had worked hard to make that house a place where people could live. At the very least... I wanted to enjoy it a little.

With that thought, I swung my bloodied left hand.

Droplets of red blood splattered into the air. At best, it was like splashing water.

Still, it was fortunate that the rain had let up. Thanks to that, my blood was able to reach the Nue charging at us.

“Kieeek!?”

The Nue let out a shrill cry and fell to the ground.

Yeah, the oni spat me out after tasting my blood. Even if it couldn’t kill outright, my blood seemed to give yokai a terrible sense of discomfort.

What exactly is my blood? It’s definitely not just human blood.

Thinking that, I slowly moved forward.

Mimicking Yuuki’s earlier movements, I extended the red sword in one hand to the side.

I ran.

The Nue quickly regained its composure.

Its large, round, monkey-like eyes looked back and forth between my face and the sword I held.

It bared its teeth and let out a “Kieeek!” with its monkey’s mouth. Its teeth were stained with blood. It must have regurgitated blood through its throat from the arrow lodged in its neck.

The Nue didn’t seem scared... at least, it wasn’t showing any fear. It must have thought something terribly smelly and unpleasant was charging at it and that it could get rid of me quickly.

The Nue leapt toward me again.

This time, I swung my arm and flung more blood, but the Nue didn’t bother dodging it.

When my blood hit its body, it made an extremely unpleasant face, but that was all.

Well, that was exactly what I was aiming for.

It couldn’t kill me, anyway.

“Kurosawa-san!”

A voice called out to me urgently from behind. I heard the sound of a bowstring being drawn tight. But it was already too late.

The Nue’s jaws closed around my shoulder.

“Bweh.”

The Nue made that sound. It didn’t seem to have any intention of removing the fangs from my shoulder, but the eye right in front of my face was quivering wildly.

“Does it taste that bad?”

Not that people seem to think so. I guess I’m just destined to be unpopular with yokai.

Before the searing pain could completely consume my brain, I moved my left arm, which was inside the Nue’s mouth, and grabbed its tongue.

“Kieeeek!”

The Nue’s mouth opened wide. As its fangs pulled out of my body, blood gushed out. It was hard to breathe. Maybe my heart had been pierced?

I wasn’t dead, though, somehow.

I felt something sour and metallic rise up my throat, but I ignored it.

I ignored it and moved my right hand.

“What, didn’t you get cut all at once?”

The monkey’s eyes widened in surprise.

I pulled the tongue hard and moved my right hand.

Thrust.

The red sword pierced the soft spot under the monkey’s jaw. The blade rose through the bottom jaw, becoming clearly visible.

The blade had pierced the root of the tongue I had pulled and rose up to the roof of its mouth.

But it wasn’t long enough to reach the brain.

“Uweee! Uweeeek!”

So noisy.

I forcefully twisted the blade and pulled it out. The blade seemed to be as sharp as Yuuki’s nameless sword, as it slid out fairly easily.

The Nue struggled to get away from me. Its tanuki-like paws slashed at me repeatedly. My uniform was soon torn to shreds.

I grabbed hold of the hole in its tongue and yanked it toward me as I stabbed the sword back into the roof of its mouth.

The Nue closed its mouth. Or at least, it tried to.

As a result, more holes were torn into both my arms.

Even as I bled, the pain seemed to wake me up. Was that a blessing?

The Nue continued to move its mouth several more times, then finally bit off its own tongue.

I tossed the hole-riddled tongue I was holding off to the side.

Then I ran at the Nue again.

Thud!

Another arrow lodged into the Nue’s neck.

The Nue’s legs gave out.

I ran toward the Nue and, with both hands gripping the sword tightly, I slashed down.

A crack appeared in its right eye, and through it, a clear substance, possibly vitreous humor, began to seep out.

The Nue’s head tilted to the side, and I raised the sword again, stabbing it deep into the part of its head where its brain should be.

Even a yokai must have vital organs, right? Well, considering it came from another world, maybe it’s just treated like any other beast over there.

The Nue stretched out its four legs and trembled violently before collapsing completely.

“Hah… Hah… Hah…”

It had all happened in an instant.

The air was thick with the stench of blood. It smelled like the blood of the Nue, or maybe it was mine. Likely, it was both mixed together. The sharp, metallic scent was so overwhelming that it made me want to retch.

I collapsed to my knees.

“Kuu-chan!”

I heard a near-desperate voice.

I saw Kaneko running toward me. Ah, it seems I’ve already fallen flat on the ground.

“Ah, ah...! W-What should I do!?”

Kaneko pressed her hands over the wounds on my body, but when blood gushed from another, she panicked and removed her hands to cover that wound instead. Naturally, the place she had just let go of started bleeding again.

If I’d had just one major wound, maybe it could have been helped, but in this situation, trying to stop the bleeding wouldn’t do much good. I had too many holes in me.

“…It’s okay,”

“I’ll help! I’ll help you... so please...!”

Hmm.

I think I’ll be fine, though.

Thinking back, I already survived almost dying from blood loss once.

Wait, am I really going to die this time?

With my head spinning in a daze, I thought that.

Kaneko’s voice was gradually becoming distant. Yuuki’s grandfather and Yuuki’s voices seemed to overlap with hers, but I couldn’t distinguish them anymore.

“Indeed, a foolish choice.”

And in that moment, as if waiting for this exact timing, someone intruded.

“But this time, you have truly offered up your ‘life.’ Since I have received this tribute from you, I must repay your kindness.”

A giggling voice echoed in my ears.

“You will be fine. It’s best for you to rest now...”

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

I was... incredibly sleepy.

Chapter 28. A Place Where People Live (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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The first thing I thought about as soon as I opened my eyes was my school uniform.

Of course, I had a grasp on the situation.

Yuuki probably succeeded in dealing with the Nue, and the one I stabbed was dead as well.

My body... It must have recovered quickly, like when I caught the Oni.

So, what I needed to worry about now wasn’t the free recovery of my body.

I had another summer uniform at home. I hand-washed it and left it to dry, so I could wear it by tomorrow morning, but the problem was the day after tomorrow.

I couldn’t wear something that had turned into rags again. And I couldn’t wear the sailor uniform that was soaked in sweat and rain without washing it.

In the end, I came to one conclusion: I would have to buy another uniform.

"......."

I slowly got up.

The night in the hospital wasn’t as quiet as I had expected. The lights in the patient rooms were off, but the hallway lights stayed on, and nurses roamed around checking on patients frequently.

But considering I couldn’t hear any of that, it seemed like I was in a private room again this time.

The last time I was in the hospital, Miura paid for the room. The time after that, Yuuki paid for it. I wonder how it went this time.

The people who brought me here were ones who knew why I had collapsed.

Yuuki and Yuuki’s grandfather made a living out of this. Naturally, they must have a hospital they collaborate with in Tokyo, given that they can’t avoid getting hurt.

Kaneko... It wasn’t hard to guess that her family was well-off. After all, that night, I heard that her parents were famous, so the club members couldn’t bully her.

I was wearing a hospital gown, and it was clean. I didn’t feel any bandages wrapped around my body.

There was an IV needle in my left wrist again. The line connected to the IV bag was red.

I weakly dropped my arm and sighed deeply.

Outside the window, the sun was beginning to rise.

The sky was still red.

...I have to go to school.

First, I should try to figure out the situation. Since it seemed like no one was in the hospital, I should get up for now—

Creak.

Just as I was about to get up, the hospital room door opened.

The person who entered and locked eyes with me was Kaneko.

Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she hadn’t slept a wink all night.

“Kotone!?”

Kaneko screamed and immediately ran over to me, hugging me tightly.

It was a warm, dry hug, different from the damp one last night. Honestly, it felt nice. Kaneko must have washed herself, as I could faintly smell shampoo from her hair.

“Are you okay?”

“...I don’t think I’m hurt anywhere.”

“What do you mean you're not hurt? I saw your condition last night!”

Hmm... I guess she has a point.

Considering how badly injured I had been, it wouldn’t have been a matter of just recovering—it would have been a struggle to even make it through the night.

I... probably endured it because of this strange aspect of my body.

“Are you awake?”

The one who entered while saying that was Yuuki. She too had washed up and changed her clothes. Well, it had been a few hours since everything happened, so that made sense.

“How’s the Nue?”

“I hunted it.”

Yuuki said.

“And technically, the name ‘Nue’ isn’t quite right. We haven’t settled on an exact name yet. It’s not like anyone’s officially named it, and calling something that only just looks and sounds like a Nue is too vague to be certain. For now, we just call it that, though it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

It seems like in modern times, they’ve just claimed the name “Nue” for it.

“You took down one, so I’ll give you your pay today. Cash is fine, right?”

Yuuki sat in the chair next to the bed as she said this.

Two hundred thousand yen in cash, I guess.

When I thought about how high my hourly wage was, I felt a bit proud.

“.......”

Seeing the expression on my face, Kaneko’s face looked a bit dazed.

“Wait a minute. Pay?”

Kaneko asked Yuuki seriously, looking straight at her.

“Kurosawa has the ability to deal with the beings you saw yesterday. We have a part-time contract. She gets a set amount per case.”

“Kotone? Isn’t that like risking your life…?”

“.......”

At Kaneko’s words, Yuuki fell silent.

“I chose to do it.”

I explained on her behalf.

“I would’ve done it even without the money.”

“Kotone…”

“There are families like that.”

Yuuki said.

“I’d guess Kurosawa’s family is similar. Maybe even older than the family I belong to.”

Based on what I told Yuuki, I was a being who had distanced myself from that kind of family, but in some ways, what she said was true. If I wanted, I could still use the money the cult accumulated.

“...What about the spirits that crossed over from the underworld?”

“I sent them all back. It took a while to exorcise them.”

Yuuki let out a long breath as she said this.

“But now, there won’t be any more ‘ghost stories’ coming to school for a while. It’s so clean now that even people like Kaneko-senpai, who can connect with the Underworld, won’t be able to see anything.”

“...For a while?”

“Yeah, for a while.”

Yuuki nodded calmly.

“It’s the same everywhere people live. When people gather, factions form, and those who don’t belong or can’t adapt become outcasts. Sometimes, they die. Spirits like that don’t leave for the Underworld easily. Teenagers especially tend to be interested in that kind of thing. Some try to summon spirits, whether they succeed or fail, and spread ghost stories. Spirits often get tied to stories or emotions, and when emotions are involved, it’s even stronger.”

A melting pot of emotions, with each kid bringing their own stories and feelings.

Come to think of it, ghost stories like this don’t really exist in areas outside of school. The only other place I can think of is the military, where people with all sorts of stories are forced to gather. That’s probably why such stories arise there.

And you hear more ghost stories from former soldiers than you do while in the military. Most of them are probably made up by people after they’re discharged.

At universities or companies, you rarely hear serious ghost stories, except for jokes.

“And since those places are full of emotions, beings that feed on them are drawn in. Once they show up, things get worse, and it continues until it’s resolved. Schools aren’t the only places that attract those beings. The reasons vary.”

“...Was it because of Kaneko-senpai’s emotions that the Nue was drawn in?”

“The Nue was likely attracted to Kaneko-senpai’s emotions. Her feelings were a good source of energy. Even if we had tried to get her out of school at that time, we wouldn’t have been able to. And Senpai… would have gradually become one with the grudges. Eventually, she wouldn’t have been able to appear at school even when the time came.”

“.......”

Kaneko thought for a moment, then spoke.

“In ghost stories, there are spirits that appear when the time comes.”

Was Kaneko on the verge of becoming one of those spirits?

Yuuki shrugged.

“...Oh, right!”

Kaneko suddenly remembered something and smacked her fist into her palm.

“Yuuki, you said you exorcised the school?”

“Yuuki…?”

Yuuki made a face that clearly showed her dislike of the nickname, but Kaneko wasn’t the type to switch to a more formal name just because of that expression.

“Then, do you think the living spirit in the school was exorcised too?”

“Living spirit?”

Yuuki frowned.

“There’s no clear way to distinguish between a living spirit and the soul of someone who’s actually dead, but since I went through every nook and cranny, if there was a soul, it would have returned to where it belonged.”

“Then… is there a chance that someone in a coma might wake up?”

Yuuki silently stared at Kaneko for a moment, then closed her eyes and let out a small sigh.

“...Don’t get your hopes up too much.”

Her voice was a bit subdued, as if she understood what Kaneko had been thinking when she came to school.

“We can’t judge whether a soul’s rightful place is its body or the Underworld.”

“But if the body is intact—”

“That’s something we can’t fully determine either. Even doctors can’t. The body is a vessel for the soul. If the vessel is cracked and leaks, it can be patched up and hold water again, but if it’s too damaged, that might not be possible. Sometimes, a soul doesn’t leave because the body isn’t letting go, but other times, the body’s still alive because the soul hasn’t moved on.”

“...Yeah, I know. I’m fine with that.”

Kaneko nodded with a slightly relieved expression.

“That’s enough. If that kid went where they’re supposed to be, then that’s fine…”

“.......”

Neither Yuuki nor I could say anything more.

---

“Your mother…”

“There’s no need to call her.”

“I see.”

Yuuki looked relieved at my answer.

“Grandfather will probably come soon. There were some things that needed to be taken care of while I was here.”

She was probably referring to getting people out of school. After all, if there were still people lingering at the school late into the night, they’d have seen everything Yuuki did.

“Rest well today. I’ll come back after school.”

“Yeah, I’ll bring Ikeda too.”

...It might just cause her more worry. Her best friend disappeared one day, and now her junior is hospitalized the next. She’s already fragile, and this might hit her hard mentally.

Maybe it would be better to just say I was absent for personal reasons—

“I’ll bring lots of delicious things when I come.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Maybe if Ikeda saw me eating well, she’d feel a bit more relieved. The quickest way to ease someone’s worry is to show them that you’re no longer sick. If the source of concern disappears, there’s no reason to worry. That’s right.

The two of them nodded at me and turned to leave.

The sun was fully up in the sky now.

Is today a school holiday...?

If I get discharged today, should I head straight to work?

...If I can’t make it, I should let Shii know ahead of time.

Having more people to care about means I have more things to worry about.

But the fact that I now have people to care about... felt a little nice too.

---

How much would a second-hand Game Boy cost?

Lately, I’ve been spending my time at home playing old games. They say oldies are goodies, and the inexplicable charm of retro games, something smartphones can’t match, often had me gripping a controller late into the night.

Maybe that’s why lying blankly on a hospital bed felt boring to me. I thought about getting one for times like this, but then I decided not to. It’d break my heart if it got damaged in a fight.

There’s a TV here, but I’ve never been one to enjoy dramas. And there’s no anime on at this time.

Even if there were, watching anime here didn’t feel right. I didn’t want to be caught watching cartoons, especially when a nurse or doctor could walk in at any moment.

...Did Yuuki watch anime when she was younger? I wonder if there was a time when she enjoyed watching magical girl shows.

The game console I got was something Yuuki used to play with.

There were a lot of games too. That means Yuuki must have played with toys and enjoyed cartoons like any other kid her age back then, right?

In the light novel *Tokyo Slayers*, the story unfolds from the perspective of Sasaki Sota. Naturally, the way Yuuki is portrayed through that lens is cold. She wasn’t the type to hit the protagonist’s face at every turn like a tsundere from back in the day, but she was a cold tsundere, always wearing a calm expression.

You could say there was a lot of verbal abuse. If she were a heroine in a modern web novel, she’d fit the role of a regretful heroine perfectly.

Now that I think about it, there were hints of that taste even back then. There was a scene where Yuuki screamed in despair after seeing the protagonist gravely injured.

“Hm…”

I wiggled my toes as I stared blankly at the ceiling. Humming a tune absentmindedly, I spent time like that until the door creaked open again.

I’d already had breakfast and been checked by the doctor. He told me to rest well today.

So, there was only one person who could be coming in.

“Kurosawa.”

It was Yuuki’s grandfather.

When our eyes met, he wore a somewhat complicated expression.

He must have seen me slashing my wrist, wielding a blood-made sword, and charging at the Nue.

I had already thought this through.

There was no way the grandfather would see me as a yokai. After all, I had passed through Yuuki’s barrier without any issues.

“Hello.”

I bowed my head, and the grandfather raised one hand in greeting. He was holding a plastic bag in the other. What could be inside?

“How are you feeling?”

After glancing over my body, he entered the room completely and closed the door.

Then, he sat in the chair where Yuuki had been.

“...I’m not sure where to begin.”

In truth, I wanted to ask how much the hospital bill was, but that didn’t seem appropriate, so I held back.

“Hmm…”

After a moment of thought, the grandfather handed me a bag.

“I don’t know if you like this sort of thing.”

I accepted the bag with both hands. It was cold, almost like—

Ice cream!

Inside was none other than Häagen-Dazs.

Who on earth would dislike this kind of ice cream?

“Thank you very much.”

“You’d better eat it before it melts.”

I scooped out a big chunk of green tea-flavored ice cream, but then I remembered I had company watching, so I took a smaller bite instead.

The soft ice cream melted instantly in my mouth. The slightly bitter taste of the green tea blended perfectly with the sweet cream, making it exquisite.

“...It must taste good.”

Ah.

Was I not controlling my expressions?

But what could I do? It really was delicious. More importantly, this ice cream was way too expensive for me to buy with my own money. For a few yen more, I could eat gyudon. Why would I waste it on ice cream?

“Eat while you listen. You don’t have to answer.”

The grandfather lowered his voice slightly as he continued.

“About what happened yesterday, what was that?”

“...”

I froze, the spoon still in my mouth.

When I looked at him, the grandfather was staring at me with a serious expression. It seemed like he truly had no idea what had happened.

Did Yuuki... not tell him?

“It’s the power of a god.”

It was fortunate that this grandfather didn’t follow a monotheistic religion. If he were one of those Christians from a novel, he would’ve labeled me a heretic and tried to chop off my head immediately.

And he would’ve been right.

But Japan’s concept of gods wasn’t like that.

“Is it... a god you worship?”

“...It’s a god my mother worships.”

“......”

The grandfather nodded as if he understood why I was avoiding his gaze.

“I see. Yuuki sometimes acts like she doesn’t like her job either.”

But Yuuki has a strong sense of responsibility.

She probably thinks, “If I don’t do it, who will?”

It reminds me of when I first started working.

“But in the end, she still does what she needs to do.”

“......”

Hmm.

Doing what you need to do, huh.

Of course, it’s true that if no one takes on these jobs, it would be a huge problem. Dangerous creatures that eat people roam around, and only those who have been systematically trained can deal with them. If left alone, the damage would continue to grow. So, in that sense, it is something that needs to be done.

But that doesn’t mean it absolutely must be done.

Police officers, firefighters, soldiers—these are all necessary jobs, but that doesn’t mean everyone must do them. Even in places with mandatory service, staying for a lifetime is a personal choice.

Forcing people to do it... I guess I think that’s wrong because I don’t fully understand it.

So, I just kept eating my ice cream.

“Would you tell me your mother’s contact information if I asked?”

I hesitated for a moment.

He wasn’t asking with the intent to cause harm; he was probably just concerned about whether it would cause any trouble.

But the problem is that I don’t know how powerful the being behind Kagami is.

Based on what she said, it sounded like “small in scale, but each individual is significant,” but there’s no guarantee that’s the truth.

Still, if the god she serves is the “Mother of a Thousand Lambs,” and I’m supposed to be the 1001st, then it’s not something to be taken lightly. In a novel, this would be the villain that spans the later stages of the story.

So, I shouldn’t give that information just yet. It’s better to gather more precise details and then figure out how to handle it.

When I shook my head, the grandfather nodded in understanding.

“I see… I suppose the bond between parent and child isn’t something that can be easily severed.”

There was no such bond at all, but since this was a convenient backstory, I didn’t bother correcting him.

“All right. That’s all I wanted to ask... Would you like another ice cream?”

When I kept holding onto the empty cup, the grandfather asked.

“...Is that okay?”

“Should I just buy you a large tub?”

I nodded.

Quite eagerly.

---

“Kurosawa~!”

As soon as Ikeda saw me, she rushed over and hugged me. Did she pick that up from Kaneko?

But it felt good to feel someone’s warmth, so I didn’t bother pointing it out.

“What happened? Just how badly were you hurt?”

“...It was just a little anemia.”

That’s right.

There weren’t any visible injuries, so all that was left was anemia.

Anemia severe enough to need a blood transfusion.

“Oh really, this is what happens when you don’t eat properly.”

I’m the one who eats the most snacks in the Literature Club room.

Of course, that’s not what Ikeda meant by her comment. Sure, my body was quite thin, as if I couldn’t gain weight.

Ikeda and Kaneko dumped a pile of bread on my lap.

“The doctor said it’d be good if you eat well. But you don’t have to overdo it. Kaneko and I picked these out.”

Kaneko scratched the back of her head and grinned.

Seeing that expression, I knew.

Ah, this person’s friend survived.

I grabbed a yakisoba bun without hesitation.

“...You already ate lunch, right?”

Seeing me eat with such enthusiasm, Yuuki asked.

I did, but it had already been four hours.

If I ate too much now, I wouldn’t be able to have dinner, so I’d just eat one for now.

I had already contacted Shii. It seemed like she planned to be diligent and not miss her part-time shift despite everything.

I had collapsed in a pool of blood just this morning, but here I was, barely a day later, and the atmosphere had already recovered.

Yeah, this is what it means to live among people.

As I ate my yakisoba bun, with carbohydrates proudly stuffed between more carbohydrates, that’s what I thought.

Chapter 29. What It Means to Like Someone (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Japanese high schools have swimming classes in the summer.

Actually, I’m not entirely sure if all Japanese high schools have swimming classes. I’ve never actually lived in Japan.

Although I live here now, who’s to say that the Japan in this world functions the same way as the Japan in the world I came from? As far as I know, in the world I lived in, monsters or ghosts didn’t exist.

Even if it’s different, there’s no way to confirm it now. Well, it’s not like I have any complaints about that. How many times have I wished to live in a fantasy novel rather than in a garbage heap of reality?

…Though, this world also has its share of garbage-like aspects just like reality. But well, that can’t be helped.

Back to the main point, this school has swimming classes.

After skipping school on the 17th to lie in a hospital bed and eat Häagen-Dazs, I returned the next day.

Starting from Friday’s P.E. class with an hour of swimming, a total of 10 hours of swimming curriculum was scheduled until July, twice a week.

I had already prepared my swimsuit, but I had completely forgotten about the swimming classes until I saw the note I had written down. My heart sank.

Have I ever changed clothes in front of the girls in my class during P.E.? Of course, I had.

I’d turn around and face my locker while changing alone. It didn’t take that long since I didn’t have to take off my underwear.

But… you can’t wear a swimsuit over underwear.

School swimsuits in the 2020s had changed into short-sleeved, short-pants styles, but now it’s the early 21st century. It’s not exactly the ‘school swimsuit’ style, but it’s still the one-piece type that comes to mind when you think of ‘student swimsuits’ from this era.

That’s right.

Now I have to wear a swimsuit, which I barely wore even as a man, in a woman’s body—a woman’s swimsuit.

Before I could even prepare myself after being bitten by a monster!

No, wait.

That’s not really the big problem, is it?

I just need to change the way I do with P.E. clothes, right? The only difference is that I wouldn’t be wearing underwear underneath. It’s embarrassing in many ways, though.

The real problem is the magic circle on my left wrist.

It’s basically a tattoo.

I don’t know exactly what tattoos mean in Japan, but surely, a teenage girl having such a mysterious tattoo wouldn’t be seen in a good light.

Until now, aside from Ms. Suzuki, everyone who’s seen this tattoo knows what it does. So, no one’s blamed me for it—

But what about the other girls?

Wouldn’t it look odd if I wore a scrunchie on my left arm while wearing a swimsuit?

It seemed a bit too much to stick a bandage over it. I mean, wouldn’t it look like I was trying to hide something? That would be even worse than showing the tattoo. Was the term “landmine girl” already around at this time?

“…”

It might’ve been better if the tattoo was on my stomach.

As I was thinking that—

“Kurosawa, are you worried about something?”

Miura asked me.

Miura was always good at noticing the moods of those around her.

Pretty, nice, with a good figure, and smart, yet strangely, she didn’t have a boyfriend.

“…No.”

I answered like that for now, but Miura still seemed concerned, as if she could tell my expression hadn’t changed much.

I think Miura also saw the tattoo on my wrist.

She was there with me when I first got hospitalized in this world.

But Miura doesn’t seem like the type to hold a bias over something like that.

P.E. was in the fifth period.

In five hours, I’d have to change into a swimsuit in front of the other students.

Could I come up with some sort of solution in the meantime?

Hmm, not much hope for that.

*

“Tattoos? …Oh.”

Just like Miura, Yuuki immediately noticed my gloom.

It was still raining outside, so we couldn’t use the rooftop. As usual, Yuuki and I sat side by side in the literature club room, eating bread.

“Right. You have a tattoo on your wrist,” Yuuki said, with a fairly serious expression.

“I hate to say it, but the other kids might… look at you a bit strangely. It’s not common for someone our age to have a tattoo. Plus…”

So, even in Japan, people don’t look favorably on tattoos?

And this is 2004. It’s twenty years earlier than the time I lived in, so people must be even more conservative.

Given what happened to Kaneko’s underclassman being bullied, it wouldn’t be surprising if I were ostracized because of the tattoo.

As I tore off small pieces of bread with a gloomy expression, Yuuki, recognizing the gravity of the situation, chewed her bread with a tense face before finally speaking.

“Maybe… you should talk to a teacher?”

But as soon as she said that, Yuuki shook her head.

“Ah, no. That might not be the best idea.”

“…No.”

I shook my head.

“Maybe Ms. Suzuki will take it seriously.”

Yuuki seemed to be thinking about ‘breaking the school rules,’ but Ms. Suzuki was a bit different.

She knew my situation well.

“Hmm… but that’s the only idea I can think of. At least your homeroom teacher isn’t Goto.”

Goto was Yuuki’s homeroom teacher. He was about ten years older than Ms. Suzuki and much stricter because of it.

“…I’ll finish this and head over.”

“Want me to go with you?”

I shook my head.

Yuuki was just a student like me. Even if someone in higher authority at the school saw her differently, an ordinary teacher would only see her as another high school girl.

After checking the time, I hurriedly finished the rest of my bread.

*

“Oh… I see.”

Ms. Suzuki immediately adopted a serious expression after hearing my story.

“Um… how did you get that tattoo?” she asked quietly.

After a brief hesitation, I answered.

“My mom…”

“…”

Ms. Suzuki widened her eyes.

“…Is she still not coming home?”

Ah, that’s right.

Ms. Suzuki hadn’t heard about me being chased by a stalker. That confrontation with Kagami had ended with showing it to the police, after all.

“…”

Not wanting to worry her more, I shook my head.

Ms. Suzuki covered her mouth with her hand, looking deeply concerned.

“Would you like to lie down in the infirmary? I could tell them you’re not feeling well.”

For a moment, I seriously considered it, but I shook my head.

“…I can’t miss every class.”

“Right?”

Ms. Suzuki looked at me with a slightly proud expression.

I wonder how she sees me.

A neglected child, who studied hard enough to get into a prestigious high school, while carrying the scars of being abused by her mother, struggling to survive on her own. Wow, even a tragic heroine wouldn’t compare to me.

If you had to find a comparison, maybe a heroine from a Korean morning drama?

Ms. Suzuki bit her lower lip as she thought, staring at my left wrist, which still had the hair tie wrapped around it.

“Ah, wait here for a second.”

With that, Ms. Suzuki quickly stood up, as if she’d just thought of something.

She left me sitting by the teacher’s desk and hurried off somewhere.

“…”

I sat there with my mouth slightly open, watching her retreating figure, when I noticed Ms. Suzuki talking to a male teacher in a tracksuit, the same one I had seen last time.

Surprised by Ms. Suzuki’s sudden approach, the male teacher’s face turned slightly red, but he nodded seriously as he listened to her, before pulling something out of his desk drawer.

Ms. Suzuki took it and came back to me.

It was… flesh-colored tape, slightly rough like bandages.

Ah, I’ve seen someone use this before. It’s the kind of sports tape used to minimize injuries by shaping it according to the muscles.

Ms. Suzuki cut it to an appropriate length and removed the hair tie from my left wrist, sticking the tape over it.

It wasn’t perfect. Anyone could tell I was trying to hide something.

Honestly, it didn’t look much different from wearing a bandage… but at least it wasn’t white.

“This is all I could think of for now. Sorry.”

“…No, thank you.”

Still, she had thought hard and done her best for me.

I bowed slightly as I thanked her, and Ms. Suzuki nodded in return.

Her face was still full of worry.

…Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything?

*

Well… whatever.

In the first place, I’m not the kind of kid who stands out in class. I could count the number of classmates I’ve had actual conversations with on one hand.

The kids didn’t particularly fear me. At the start of the term, I was seen as a delinquent who skipped the first week of school, but after seeing me hanging out with Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita, the others didn’t seem to find me all that intimidating or uncomfortable to approach. Even if it was just for casual greetings.

In that sense, Ms. Suzuki’s decision was spot on. She’s the one who paired me with Miura.

No one paid attention to my left wrist while I was changing clothes.

I just stared intently at my locker, changing, and stood still until I couldn’t hear the others changing anymore.

Everything went smoothly until we got to the indoor pool.

At this school, swimming classes are held separately for boys and girls. Maybe it’s because kids at this age are curious about the opposite sex but still immature, so they’ve been separated for that reason.

That’s… lucky, I guess?

The P.E. teacher didn’t line us up in number order, just let us mix freely.

Actually, the swimming class wasn’t all that intense. It felt more like something they had to teach rather than something they graded us on.

Was it for flood prevention or something? The teacher’s attitude seemed more like they were teaching CPR than something tied to academic performance.

I guess that’s lucky.

Plus—

“Kurosawa, over here.”

Miura was really taking good care of me. At first, she didn’t seem to understand why I looked so down, but when she saw the tape on my wrist, she snapped to attention and immediately pulled me into her group.

Thanks to that, I was able to safely blend in among the taller girls and pass the time unnoticed.

“Haha! You look like a middle schooler!”

Fukuda laughed heartily, ruffling my hair several times. Though with the swim cap on, all she could feel was rubber.

“I want to take you home and raise you like this.”

…Please don’t say creepy things like that.

Well, knowing Fukuda, she probably didn’t mean much by it. But with the height difference between us, it felt a little intimidating when she placed her hand on top of my head and said that.

“If you pet her too much, she’ll get stressed and shed.”

What am I, a cat?

Yamashita, with her usual disinterested tone, had a way of making it seem like she was on her phone even when she wasn’t holding one. Watching her perpetually bored expression made me feel sleepy.

Well, the atmosphere was somewhat relaxed, but it was still a ‘class.’

The kids who couldn’t swim practiced paddling or overcoming their fear of water.

The ones who could swim were already swimming across the pool under the teacher’s guidance.

“Kurosawa, can you swim?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Miura’s question.

“Oh, really?”

Fukuda asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Even Yamashita looked curious.

“I can only picture you floating with a pink tube.”

Fukuda openly said something insulting. Damn it, I couldn’t even refute it because, thinking about it, a swan tube would actually suit me so well.

Believe it or not, my job required me to know how to swim. Just because you know how to put out fires doesn’t mean that’s all you do. When you account for all the accidents and incidents in the city, responding to fires was actually less common than you’d think.

Not that there were few fires, but the proportion was small compared to other emergencies.

“…I’ll show you.”

“Oh. Good luck.”

Miura slapped Fukuda’s arm for her comment, but Fukuda didn’t even blink.

Well, fine. I’ll just have to show them myself.

I stood in the line with the kids who could swim, and when the teacher blew the whistle, I dove straight into the pool.

Even though my body had shrunk, my muscle memory worked perfectly.

I swam straight to the other side of the pool with textbook freestyle strokes and climbed out.

The teacher’s eyes widened as they looked at me.

The other kids, too, stared at me in surprise.

Worried that someone might have seen my left wrist, I quickly hurried back to Miura and hid among the three of them.

“She’s shy in all the weird places.”

Fukuda said, ruffling my head again.

Even though the swim cap must’ve just felt like wet rubber to her.

Anyway, thanks to the three of them, I managed to get through that day’s swimming class without any major issues.

*

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t that big of a deal.

It wasn’t like this was the first P.E. class since June started. The summer P.E. uniform in this school is a bloomer for the bottoms and a short-sleeved top.

Since I didn’t have to worry about getting wet, I always wore a hair tie on my left wrist, and no one ever paid much attention to it. Even though I had been more nervous about the tattoo being exposed.

So who would really care if there was some flesh-colored tape stuck on?

With that worry gone, I climbed the stairs feeling relatively light-hearted.

Word about my hospitalization had spread to the café owner through Shii, and the owner told me to rest until the weekend. She even said she wouldn’t dock my pay.

She’s surprisingly a good person in unexpected ways. It would be nice if she could fix her lazy habits a bit.

Well, no one can be perfect. At least she didn’t ask me to get permission from my parents.

As I was heading up the stairs, I… spotted a hotdog in the hallway.

“…”

Hah.

She’s doing it again.

Feeling relaxed, I followed the hotdog with a light heart.

To be honest, it wasn’t so much that I really wanted to eat it, but more of a playful game between Kaneko and me. Of course, if I caught it, I planned to eat it.

No matter how mass-produced it was, the bread and sausage were still intact, so eating it would be filling.

As usual, I almost caught the bread a few times, only to miss it, as I passed by the literature club.

And just as I lunged forward and finally grabbed it, it hit me.

Wait.

Everyone in the literature club knows I work part-time.

Today is Friday, which is the day I don’t come to the club. Ikeda, the club president, Kaneko, and my friend Yuuki all know this.

So Kaneko wouldn’t be playing around like this on a Friday.

“Hey, you really fell for it.”

As I squatted down, holding the bread and looking up, I saw three girls standing over me.

One of them was a familiar face.

She was the one who badmouthed Kaneko when Ikeda went to the track and field club to complain.

She was probably a senior two years older than me.

The other two beside her also seemed to be track and field members, judging by their equally fit physiques.

“Good thing we overheard her talking with that goody-two-shoes,” said one girl, who had a short buzzcut. If she were wearing a gakuran instead of a sailor uniform, she’d pass for a boy.

“Well done, well done,” said the club captain, praising her junior.

I immediately stood up and tried to run to the side, but—

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The track and field club captain quickly grabbed me and covered my mouth.

Seriously?

How can someone be this brutish? You’re a third-year, shouldn’t you be a bit more careful? If you’re serious about track and field, your behavior might affect your chances of getting into college.

“Damn it, of all times,” said the captain, dragging me into an empty classroom and shutting the door.

“That brat who I wanted to be dead woke up. My dad called me last night. So go ahead, snitch all you want. I’ve got nothing to lose now.”

I see.

So she lost the opportunity she was banking on, and now she’s showing off her impulsiveness. Just a few days ago, and now this? I have to commend her bulldozer-like action.

…This is bad.

*

But on second thought, it’s not all that serious.

It’s not like my whole class is going to bully me. There are only three of them.

So, in a way, it’s just a few delinquents picking on me, but whatever they can do to me is nothing compared to what Nue did.

At least they won’t stab me in the heart with an awl, right?

When they dragged me into an empty restroom, shoved me into the last stall, and crowded in with me, I got a little nervous.

And when I heard the *click* sound of a box cutter being taken out, I got a little scared too.

“Should I decorate your uniform a little more?” the captain said, waving the blade toward my uniform, and the first thing I felt was resignation.

How many times does this make?

If this were a game, I’d probably earn an achievement soon and get a title like *Uniform Slayer*.

“Hey, she’s gone all limp.”

“Maybe she’s given up?”

The two girls holding my arms said.

“Hey, hey. Get a grip,” the captain said, slapping my cheek. When I opened my eyes, she smirked.

“Yeah, that’s more like it. It’s no fun if you don’t resist a little. But even if you don’t fight back, it doesn’t matter. As long as Kaneko doesn’t see, it’s all good.”

“…”

“Or should I cut something after all? Not your uniform, but your skin.”

Somehow… this…

Maybe because I had just been through something far more terrifying, or maybe because small injuries heal quickly for me now, but nothing about this situation felt particularly scary.

I think my sense of reality is starting to fade.

“Hey, senior, what’s this?” the girl holding my left wrist said, twisting my arm to get a better look.

“…Ah.”

That.

The sticker Ms. Suzuki put on me.

“Huh? What’s this? Have you been cutting yourself? What are you hiding?” the track and field girls must have realized this wasn’t some ordinary tape.

I tried to yank my arm free, but the captain easily ripped off the sticker.

“…”

The three girls were momentarily speechless, then burst into laughter.

“What’s this

? You’re a literature club kid with this on your arm?”

“It’s cute, huh?”

Their mocking voices filled the stall.

Even in that moment, my biggest concern was that they might spread rumors about this. I was more afraid of that than the box cutter in their hands.

I was just starting to like this school. I was making friends.

But—

*knock knock*

“…”

Suddenly, I heard a knock.

The laughter stopped immediately.

…The old school building’s first-floor restroom didn’t seem to get much traffic. It even had ghost stories associated with it, and most of the first-floor classrooms weren’t used. They were mostly filled with dusty desks and chairs, as if they were being used as storage.

Well, it would be weird to haul heavy things upstairs anyway.

The bathroom was still a public space, so it was maintained, but it wasn’t exactly a place where people hung out.

*knock knock*

Just as I was thinking that, the knocking sound came from the adjacent stall again.

The track and field captain, holding the box cutter, and the two girls flanking me stiffened.

“…”

Were they all thinking of ghost stories?

Yuuki had told me ghosts wouldn’t appear for a while.

*click*

The sound of a stall door opening came from the next stall.

Then the sound of footsteps walking toward our stall, followed by another knock on our door.

“…What the hell? Get lost!” the captain shouted, her voice full of bravado—

But the person outside waited for a moment before—

*BANG!*

They kicked the door.

“W-What!?”

The captain yelled in surprise, but the person outside just kept kicking the door.

Since it was an old bathroom, the lock wasn’t very sturdy. After a few kicks, the lock rattled, and finally—

*click*

It broke.

“Ugh!”

The door, which wasn’t supposed to open outward, burst open, and the captain stumbled back.

“Who the hell are you!?” she yelled as the door opened wider to reveal—

“Yamashita?”

Yamashita stood there, holding a bag in one hand and a phone in the other.

The phone’s screen was glowing, suggesting she had been texting someone.

“…”

Yamashita’s gaze swept over me, the two girls holding my arms, and the captain standing outside the door.

She looked… furious.

She must have been angry even before she kicked the door.

Yamashita’s eyes drifted toward the ceiling, as if to say, “What is this nonsense?”

Then her gaze returned to the captain.

She looked as if to say, “I’m already pissed off.”

I guess the text she received was something that made her really angry. Maybe it was so bad that she wanted to be alone.

Maybe that’s why she had chosen to come here.

…When we entered, neither I nor the three girls noticed anyone was in the other stall.

After a brief silence—

Yamashita threw her bag at the captain’s face.

Chapter 30. What It Means to Like Someone (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

In a sense, light novels in 2004 could be considered a turning point.

It felt like a tightrope walk between "feeling like a manga" and "a certain level of realism."

Of course, almost no one actually thought light novels were "realistic," but there's that... slight feeling, you know?

If you look at gag manga from the 90s and early 2000s, characters would suddenly pull out a white folding fan to smack someone on the back of the head, or the female characters would have superhuman strength, lifting motorcycles and people with ease.

When you read early light novels, sometimes they would incorporate such gags, like “She lifted a motorcycle with one hand and slapped someone with it” or “She smacked him with a folding fan.”

But around the mid-2000s, as light novels with a more serious atmosphere started to emerge, many of those "overly unrealistic" elements began to disappear. The heroines that followed were strong because of their abilities, not because they had... well, superhuman strength.

The reason I'm suddenly talking about this is that I started to think maybe Yamashita Yuu is a character straight out of one of those early gag light novels.

How could someone fight three people at once and not lose ground?

“Eek...! Let go of me!?”

Well, if you consider that I was there too, it wasn't exactly three against one. But even so, it wasn't exactly two against three either. I wasn't pulling my weight. If you had to calculate, we were closer to being 1.5 people.

I rushed up behind the track team captain, grabbed her waist, and pulled her back. For a brief moment, I considered grabbing the cutter knife and slashing my wrist.

It seemed like the perfect opportunity to stop time, find help, and even disarm the weapon in one go.

Of course, my relatively peaceful school life would have come to an abrupt end.

With a loud "smack," my head was jerked sharply to the left. The pain was so bad that it felt like my right temple had caved in. Actually, I wasn’t immediately aware of the pain, just the impact. The pain came later.

When I looked past my blurry vision, I saw that the track team captain had twisted her body to the right and elbowed me in the right side of my face.

Maybe my arms weren’t strong enough to hold her properly, or maybe I yanked too hard, so my grip loosened. In any case, she found an opening to twist her body.

My clasped hands were suddenly pulled apart, and I stumbled.

“Why is this happening!?”

As the track team captain shouted, someone yanked her by the hair.

Her hair wasn’t particularly long, but it wasn’t the shortest among the three either. Well, even the short-haired girl didn’t have hair so short that you couldn’t grab it with your hands.

The track team captain’s head was pulled back, and a long scream escaped from her mouth.

I could barely make out the cutter knife still in her hand through my hazy vision.

Her right hand was aimed toward Yamashita’s face. If she swung it, it would leave a deep wound on Yamashita’s face.

Without thinking, I grabbed that right hand.

“…Ah.”

Then I made a mistake.

Instead of grabbing the hand, I grabbed the blade.

“Oh.”

The track team captain made a small noise, but it seemed Yamashita hadn’t seen what happened.

Since two people were pulling on her from both sides, it was understandable.

I felt heat in my hand. But it wasn’t unbearable pain—probably because my head was still throbbing, so I didn’t feel it fully.

My right hand was sticky. Judging by the slickness, the wound seemed deeper than I thought.

I gritted my teeth and twisted my right hand sharply.

With a crisp snap, the cutter blade broke off. While the end was still sharp, it wasn’t as dangerously long as before.

I tossed the blade to the floor. It made a soft, unremarkable sound as it hit the ground, a dull "tick, tick," with red, sticky blood smeared on it.

Only after seeing the red did their faces turn pale.

Why?

It was strange. Didn't they say they'd beaten up a younger student before? Didn't they see blood back then? Maybe they didn't use a knife at that time. Still, if the person attempted suicide, it probably wasn't just a slap or two.

“…You.”

I heard Yamashita speak as she saw the blood-stained blade drop to the floor.

“Eek!?”

The track team captain’s head snapped backward, and the knife fell from her hand. I quickly kicked it away, sliding it out of reach.

I then charged forward, grabbed the short-haired girl who had been speaking in that peculiar tone, and yanked her backward by the face.

“Hyaah!? Wh-What are you doing!?”

Despite her tough appearance, a thin, fragile scream escaped her lips. She even forgot to speak in her usual tone.

Was she that scared by the blood-soaked hand grabbing her face?

My hand was still slick with blood, and as the throbbing in my head began to fade, the pain from the cut on my hand started to surge, but I bit my lip and kept pulling the girl’s head back.

We must have looked utterly ridiculous.

Yanking each other around, flailing hands and feet. It wasn’t like those cool fights described in light novels.

After getting kicked in the stomach a few times, I finally managed to pull the girl’s head back.

“Ah.”

“Kotone!?”

Yamashita, who usually never showed much emotion, shouted my name. Things weren't going well.

It was good that I managed to pull the short-haired girl away, but the problem was that she let go of my hand in the process.

Naturally, we both fell backward in a tangled heap.

And of course, there was a sink behind me.

Thud! I heard a dangerous sound.

Once again, stars flashed before my eyes.

“…”

The room was instantly filled with a heavy silence.

The only sounds were sniffling and tense breathing.

I didn’t pass out. My vision was flickering, my head hurt so much that I couldn’t feel anything else, and my neck creaked a little.

The weight of the girl on top of me suddenly disappeared. Judging by the sharp intake of breath, my condition didn’t look good.

Was I dead? Hmm, probably not. I’ve survived injuries that should have killed me before.

Of course, it wasn’t because of any ability of mine, but because of that god-like figure up there, who treated my actions like watching a character in a Tamagotchi game.

I tried to push myself up with my right hand, but it slipped, so I failed the first time. I tried again and managed to sit up.

My neck was still a little weak, but I could at least get my upper body up.

I lowered my head and then tilted it back with a crack, and my vision cleared.

Long hair was strewn across my face.

The hair... was stuck to my face and wouldn’t come off easily. I felt something sticky running down.

“Eek!?”

I heard a gasp as my head turned.

Hurried footsteps echoed, and the silhouettes I faintly saw between strands of hair quickly fled.

Of course, they were from the track team.

When I raised my dazed head and tried to get up, someone supported me, helping me to my feet.

“…Yamashita.”

“…Let’s go to the infirmary.”

“…The Literature Club.”

“Really, in that state?”

“…”

Yamashita summed up my condition in four words.

Hmm… It was true, if I went to the clubroom like this, with red stuff dripping everywhere, Ikeda might faint at the sight of me.

“…The infirmary.”

“Alright.”

Yamashita nodded and helped me toward the infirmary.

…We passed by about four students on the way, and they all freaked out and stepped aside as we approached.

How bad do I look right now?

*

“The injuries don’t seem severe on the surface.”

The kind-looking school nurse said that.

I knew who this person was. Though their name didn’t appear in the story, whenever the protagonist got injured fighting yokai in the school, they would go to the infirmary, and this nurse would always scold them.

But after seeing my condition, she didn’t scold me too much.

I guess to anyone looking at me, it would seem like I had just been beaten up, not like I had been fighting back.

“The cut will heal soon. Don’t shower today, and leave the bandage on. Come back tomorrow and I’ll change it for you. We’ll check the wound again then. And your head... you should probably go to the hospital. You hit it pretty hard, right?”

“Yes.”

Yamashita answered for me.

“It’s hard to see where the blood is coming from because of your hair, but it doesn’t look like the wound is visible. It probably didn’t tear open completely. Still, you were bleeding quite a bit... The real issue is the impact on your head, isn’t it?”

“…”

I reached up to touch my head.

I could only feel with my fingertips because my right hand was wrapped in bandages, but like the nurse said, it didn’t seem like anything was torn open.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine, kid.”

The nurse sighed softly.

“…Wait here for a moment. I’ll call your homeroom teacher. Who is it?”

“Ms. Suzuki.”

Well, there wouldn’t be any big issues even if I went to the hospital. It’d just be a waste of money.

But I couldn’t protest too much. Yamashita had seen me collapse, and there were three other witnesses as well.

…Soon enough, rumors would spread throughout the school that there was a zombie here.

The nurse reached for the phone on the desk and dialed a few numbers. She was probably calling Ms. Suzuki in the staff room.

“…”

While the nurse had a brief conversation, I sat blankly, feeling someone’s gaze on me.

Yamashita was staring at me.

It’s not like Yamashita never showed any interest in me before, but she wasn’t nearly as interested as Fukuda or Miura.

In fact, she generally didn’t seem all that interested in much of anything.

She was always looking at her phone screen, and she didn’t talk much when Fukuda and Miura were chatting.

The two times I’d seen the biggest emotional reactions from Yamashita were today, when she got angry, and the first time she heard me sing at karaoke.

Did she actually see me as one of her people, even though I thought she didn’t care?

I fixed my eyes straight ahead.

I didn’t want to meet her gaze. It felt like picking a fight.

Besides, how did Yamashita even know to come to the restroom? Most of the classrooms students used were in the new building. The only things left in the old building were a few unpopular clubs, most of which weren’t even on the first floor.

Even if Yamashita suddenly decided to join a club, there wouldn’t be much reason for her to be near the first-floor restroom. Unless she had a stomachache or something.

“They said to wait just a little. Ms. Suzuki will be here soon.”

“…”

The nurse... probably told Ms. Suzuki everything we’d told her. She was quite a diligent character, even though her name wasn’t mentioned in the original story.

Yamashita wasn’t the type to talk much, but just saying “we fought” and “we got hurt” was probably enough to convey the situation. That’s the gist of it.

We waited in silence for a little while.

Yamashita was still staring at me, and now even the nurse was watching me closely.

It was like they expected me to suddenly collapse and die if they didn’t keep an eye on me.

“…”

I fidgeted with my fingers on my lap for a few minutes.

Creak!

The door suddenly opened.

“Kurosawa-san?”

Ms. Suzuki asked, out of breath.

“…”

I didn’t know what to say, so I just looked at her quietly.

“What happened?”

Ms. Suzuki quickly came in, grabbed my hand, and spoke. It was wrapped in bandages, so it looked much worse than it actually was.

“She was bullied by upperclassmen.”

“Upperclassmen? Do you know their names?”

Hmm... I didn’t.

Wow, now that I think about it, I really didn’t know their names.

But Ms. Suzuki seemed to take my silence as something else.

“…Yamashita?”

“I don’t know either.”

Yamashita shook her head.

“I see. You said she hit her head, right? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Let’s go to the hospital, just in case.”

No, seriously, I’m fine.

I understood why she was concerned, but I was really just tired. I just wanted to go back and rest instead of dealing with club activities or anything else.

I didn’t want to waste time at the hospital today when I was already going to have the weekend off. I had only just gotten out of the hospital yesterday.

But when I shook my head, Ms. Suzuki looked so guilty that I was at a loss for words.

No, don’t make that face. It makes me feel bad. You’re already younger than me.

Ms. Suzuki looked like she had a lot to say but then turned to Yamashita.

“Yamashita, would you like to come with us?”

“I—”

“Even if it’s not your head, sometimes people don’t realize they’ve been injured until later, right? Isn’t that true, nurse?”

“Yes, especially in cases of physical assault or car accidents. You often don’t realize the extent of your injuries until much later. It’s best to get a thorough check-up.”

“Did you hear that? Both of you should go to the hospital. Luckily, classes are over for today.”

“…”

Now that Yamashita was being dragged into it, I had no reason to refuse. Objectively speaking, my injuries were far more serious than Yamashita’s.

I held back a sigh.

*

I suppose I should be thankful that Ms. Suzuki didn’t call for an ambulance. It was probably the limit of her patience.

I was also grateful that I had taken the day off from my part-time job. If I had said I was going to the hospital again today, Shii would have been really worried.

“…”

Sitting silently in the backseat of Ms. Suzuki’s small car with Yamashita was unbearably awkward.

And I couldn’t exactly talk about what had happened in the restroom either, especially since Ms. Suzuki was in the front seat.

Yamashita wasn’t on her phone as usual.

“…You’re not on your phone?”

“…”

When I asked, Yamashita looked at me. Her expressionless face made her look a little scary. Especially since I had just witnessed her strength firsthand.

Yamashita reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

Then she turned the screen toward me.

…The phone was dead.

Oh.

So it wasn’t that she wasn’t using it, but that she couldn’t.

And my question had been completely off the mark.

After a brief silence, Yamashita didn’t say anything, which was actually somewhat reassuring. Given her personality, that was probably normal.

Ms. Suzuki seemed to think it wasn’t a good idea to force conversation either.

So we made our way to the hospital in silence.

*

“There’s no abnormality on the X-ray. The patient says she’s not feeling dizzy or in pain, and there doesn’t seem to be any issue with her neck.”

The middle-aged doctor with graying hair swept to the side moved the mouse pointer over the X-ray image as he spoke.

“From what I’ve heard, it sounds like you hit your head pretty hard. You’re lucky.”

Ms. Suzuki let out a sigh of relief.

And I did too. I was relieved I didn’t have to get a CT scan.

Although, judging by Ms. Suzuki’s expression, she might have paid for it herself if necessary.

No matter how you look at it, I do have some pride. I can’t just keep accepting favors. The bigger the favor, the more I feel guilty.

Yamashita also had her head and arm checked, but there didn’t seem to be any major issues. The doctor said the bruises would heal with time, and Yamashita didn’t seem particularly bothered by it either.

“Well then…”

Ms. Suzuki looked between the two of us.

We had come to a hospital in Minato Ward. With the distance being what it was, I could find my way back home from here. I didn’t know exactly where Yamashita lived, but I assumed she lived nearby.

“I’ll head home.”

“Let me take—”

I shook my head, and Ms. Suzuki’s expression grew a little darker. But she quickly brightened up again and nodded.

“Alright, I will see you tomorrow. Yamashita, what about you?”

“I’ll head back on my own.”

After exchanging brief goodbyes, I let out a small sigh.

“…Well then…”

When I spoke softly, Yamashita nodded.

I hesitated for a moment, then raised my hand slightly to wave. Yamashita stared at me.

“…”

Um.

Did that count as a proper goodbye?

Thinking that, I turned around and took a few steps.

I heard footsteps behind me. The same direction.

Maybe Yamashita was heading the same way as me.

When I stopped walking, Yamashita also stopped.

…

Did she have something to say?

I cautiously turned around, and Yamashita stood there, still. She was wearing her black school uniform, holding her bag over one arm, with both hands in her pockets.

Her eyes were still fixed on me.

“…Are you going this way too?”

“I can.”

What does that even mean?

“…”

I turned back around and took a few more steps. As expected, Yamashita’s footsteps followed.

There were quite a few people around, but Yamashita’s footsteps sounded especially loud, probably because I was paying so much attention to them.

When I turned around again, Yamashita stopped walking and looked at me.

Do you have something to say?

I hesitated to ask.

Would that sound confrontational?

“You’re interesting.”

Yamashita said.

“I understand why Fukuda finds you cute.”

Was that a joke?

If you’re going to tease me, at least do it like Fukuda, openly. With that blank expression, it looks like you're angry.

“Tell me what happened today.”

“…”

I felt like she spoke even more curtly than I did. I kept my words short to avoid making mistakes, but Yamashita spoke like a strange, robotic character from some sci-fi movie.

Of course, her appearance was completely different from that. She was more of a gyaru type. Long, dark hair, pale skin, and light makeup. In terms of “flashiness,” she was similar to Fukuda, but her image was the complete opposite.

“Don’t want to?”

I shook my head.

“Then let’s go.”

Yamashita walked past me with her hands still in her pockets.

Was she telling me to follow her?

I hunched my shoulders slightly and followed Yamashita.

…And that’s when I finally realized something.

Earlier, when Yamashita had helped me to the infirmary, hadn’t we run into a few students?

A sudden chill ran down my spine, and I quickly checked my left wrist. There was a hair tie wrapped around it.

Just like I always wore it.

When did I put that on?

I looked back up at Yamashita.

Yamashita was standing still, looking at me.

“Don’t want to?”

“…No.”

I quickly shook off my thoughts and hurried to catch up with Yamashita.

Chapter 31. What It Means to Like Someone (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Whenever I was hanging out with Miura and her group, I keenly felt one particular problem.

That problem was that not a single one of them knew about my real issue.

Well, it’s true that I had more than just one problem.

For one, my body was oddly strong in some aspects while at the same time being malnourished.

I didn’t need a medical checkup to know that, since my diet was obviously very unbalanced. If I weren’t malnourished, then maybe it’s because of some function built into this body.

And the main reason I had such a poor diet was to ‘save money.’

If I were just a regular man in his 30s, I wouldn’t have been this stingy. What would I spend money on aside from rent, food, and alcohol? Even if I took out the occasional hobby costs, I’d still manage. I didn’t have a family to support, so even going to the hospital wasn’t a big deal.

Now that I was feeding myself as a student, I realized how truly great my parents were.

...But I couldn’t just go around complaining about this to other people, could I?

Miura was already concerned enough about me as it was.

“How about here?”

The place where Yamashita had stopped—

Was a McDonald’s.

“...”

Oh, maybe this place would work?

Blinking, I looked up at the fast-food sign as I thought about it.

Following these girls around usually meant going to trendy cafes or bakeries, places that always cost me quite a bit.

You’d think high schoolers would go to cheaper places, but because Miura and Fukuda, the leaders of the group, didn’t worry about spending money, the rest of us followed suit.

Just based on appearances, Yamashita seemed like she’d be the same—

“Don’t you like it?”

Yamashita tilted her head and asked, and I quickly shook mine.

“No, it’s fine.”

“Then let’s go.”

Talking with Yamashita felt a little strange. Both of us communicated with the bare minimum of words, and our responses were also short. It felt like high school girl Morse code.

Considering we were both at the age where we should be chatty, it was odd that we were among the quietest 10% of girls our age.

I chose a Big Mac. Yamashita picked the large Big Mac set. Even though we paid separately, since we ordered together, our meals were served on the same tray.

Yamashita waited next to me, and before I could even attempt to lift the tray, she easily picked it up herself.

She confidently led the way to an empty table and sat down.

The school being in Minato Ward might make it easy to forget, but Minato was in the very heart of Tokyo, a bustling downtown area. Tokyo Tower was there, and several multinational corporations had their headquarters in the area. Naturally, it was busy, and there were plenty of people, but since it wasn’t quite 5 PM yet, there were still seats available.

That’s not to say it was quiet, though.

When I followed Yamashita to the two-person table and sat down, she immediately grabbed the red fries container and dumped it onto the tray.

The regular fries and large fries mixed together so that it was impossible to tell which was which.

Judging by her nonchalant expression as she stacked the empty containers and set them aside, she didn’t care.

“...Aren’t you eating?”

I stared at the fries, feeling a little guilty about just eating them, and Yamashita spoke as she picked up her Big Mac.

“...I’ll eat.”

Seeing her unwrap her burger, I did the same.

The smell of the beef patty wafted up. It was an obvious description, but to someone like me who rarely ate meat, it smelled almost nostalgic and comforting.

I opened my mouth wide and took a bite, letting the juicy patty, lettuce, and a hint of pickles wrapped in soft buns fill my mouth.

It was delicious.

A greasy taste that probably wasn’t good for me. But wasn’t this very grease what I needed the most right now?

“...You’re the first person I’ve seen eat a McDonald’s burger that enthusiastically.”

“...”

As I was chewing on my big bite, Yamashita made that comment, and I tried to chew a bit more discreetly. But I had already taken such a large bite that there was no helping it.

Yamashita ate her burger with an expression that showed little interest.

But her eating speed was much faster than mine. Maybe it was because she was a growing teenager.

After finishing my burger, I took a gulp of the cold soda and then reached for the salty fries. Some of them probably weren’t mine, but if I worried about that, I wouldn’t be able to eat.

I pushed aside the guilt and grabbed a thin fry, popping it into my mouth.

Salt and fried potatoes really went well together. I wasn’t sure if it was a mistake by the staff or just how Japan was, but there was no ketchup. Even so, the fries were satisfying on their own.

Yamashita threw a few fries into her mouth and stared at me curiously before finally speaking.

“So, why were you there?”

Oh, right.

That’s why we came here.

“I...”

I started to speak but stopped.

Yamashita just shrugged when she saw me freeze up, holding a fry.

“You can tell me whenever you’re comfortable. We have time.”

She probably thought I wasn’t talking because of trauma or fear of the seniors, but the truth was different.

I had been lured in by a hot dog on the ground and ended up getting caught by them.

By a hot dog tied to a fishing line, no less.

Of course, there was some context. Kaneko from the same club started it first, and I was just caught up in the game.

The first time, though, I’d literally been caught chasing after a koppe pan.

“...”

If the person asking had been Ms. Suzuki, she might have stopped questioning and just nodded with a serious expression.

Miura probably would’ve reacted similarly.

The members of the Literature Club would’ve accepted it if I told them I got distracted by a hot dog.

Fukuda... I wasn’t sure. Maybe she’d be more like Yamashita, though not as quiet.

“...Can I ask why you’re asking?”

Earlier in the restroom, I had seen her punch the track captain in the nose and knock her down with a straight punch to the gut when her friend came at her.

I didn’t think I’d get hit like that, but it wouldn’t hurt to be polite.

“Because Miura would be worried.”

Her answer came immediately.

I see.

Yamashita said she’d been friends with Miura since middle school. Maybe they’d known each other even longer.

“...”

And Miura worrying was something I could understand.

After thinking it over, I spoke.

“...It’s the track team.”

“I heard that.”

She had been in the stall next to me.

“...There’s someone in the same club as me who used to be on the track team. There was some bullying, and when she stood up for that person, she left the track team. That person and I got close.”

“So, retaliation?”

I nodded.

Well, if I left out the hot dog part, the story still made sense.

Yamashita sighed softly and ate a fry. I followed suit.

While we ate a few more fries, there was nothing but silence between us. The sounds of people laughing and talking filled the space around us, but it felt oddly quiet right where we were.

“What will you do?”

Yamashita asked out of nowhere.

“...Huh?”

“About them.”

Oh.

The track team?

“The teachers know now.”

“True.”

Yamashita ate more fries.

I wished the conversation would continue a bit more. It wasn’t that I wanted to talk a lot, but awkward silence was much more uncomfortable than idle chat.

After some thought, I opened my mouth.

“So, why were you there?”

“It was the bathroom.”

Well, yeah, I got that.

“...But you were in the corner. Fukuda and Miura weren’t there—”

I cut myself off mid-sentence. Yamashita shifted her eyes to look at me, and I was reminded of the face I’d seen in the restroom earlier.

But she didn’t keep that expression for long.

She lowered her gaze and let out a light sigh.

Still holding a fry, she rubbed it against the paper tray liner as if it were a cigarette she was grinding out, and then finally spoke.

“...Family issues.”

Oh.

That was a simple, straightforward, and logical explanation.

It was also a phrase meant to block further questions.

Right, if there were some serious family matters, she might want to be alone and think—

“My dad’s cheating.”

“Oh.”

Wait, what?

Hold on. Stop.

You don’t need to explain more. That’s a secret, right? Do you realize the person behind you just perked up their ears when they heard that?

I wouldn’t blame them, though. Even I’d listen in on an unrelated person’s juicy story if I heard something like that nearby.

“...How did you find out?”

“The other person confessed. I confronted them.”

Oh.

Uh.

Right.

“They’re about three years older than me.”

“...”

Hmm...

Should I console her?

I didn’t know how to offer comfort in a situation like this.

Saying something like, ‘Well, at least the other person’s not a minor~’ would probably get me punched so hard my stomach would feel like it collapsed from bad CPR

.

I had attended funerals for parents who passed away, but hearing someone’s dad was cheating was new territory for me.

We just kept eating fries in silence for a while. Even though it didn’t seem like we ate that much, the pile of fries disappeared quickly.

“How about you?”

“...”

Yamashita asked.

“Are you close with your parents?”

“...They don’t come home.”

That’s how I answered.

It was incredibly awkward.

Though I’d received a lot of help from Yamashita today, until yesterday, we weren’t particularly close.

It wasn’t that I disliked her or found her uncomfortable, but you know how it is. There’s always that one person in your group who’s friends with your friends, but not necessarily your friend.

We often hang out together, but when it’s just the two of you, the conversation doesn’t flow, and it feels awkward, like you’re strangers.

It’s the kind of relationship where, even though you can technically call each other friends, you’re too afraid to do so because you’re worried they might think, ‘Were we really that close?’

So sharing personal family stories like this suddenly felt a bit strange.

“Do you get along poorly?”

“...Yeah.”

We definitely didn’t get along well. It wasn’t that I couldn’t stand her, but Kagami didn’t seem to view me as anything more than a tool.

“I figured. Usually, if something like this happens, they’d call your parents.”

Yamashita grabbed another fry and rubbed it against the paper again, the crispy exterior breaking and revealing the white potato inside.

After doing that for a while, Yamashita suddenly spoke up again.

“Keep today’s conversation a secret from Miura.”

“...Yeah.”

Like I’d say anything.

It would be obvious right away if I did.

“I’ll keep yours a secret too.”

That’s... appreciated.

Though Miura’s pure kindness and concern did make me feel better, it also came with a lot of guilt.

The thing is... I might look like a malnourished high school girl, but on the inside, I’m a 30-year-old man.

A high school girl comforting me by patting my head was something I could accept from a character in a smartphone game. In reality, it just felt kind of... illegal.

Of course, it’ll be at least five years before smartphones are introduced in this world.

As Yamashita drank the rest of her soda, I followed suit. The sudden rush of cold liquid made my head and the space between my eyes sting.

After cleaning up, we walked out of the restaurant together.

We walked in silence for a while, heading towards the station.

“See you tomorrow, then.”

“...Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Yamashita waved one hand, and I raised mine in response. She waved her hand a little more and then turned around... heading home, I guess.

I suppose she’s going home?

Since she mentioned an affair, it’s probably not like her parents are divorced. I can’t really imagine what her family situation is like.

...

Ah.

I think I understand why Yamashita went out of her way to tell me that story.

Miura and Fukuda are too close to her.

If she told them, they’d probably worry about it for a long time.

Yamashita didn’t want that.

I’ve been there too. When someone genuinely cares and tries to comfort you, asking if you’re okay, but you’re so overwhelmed with pain that you don’t even want to hear it.

The more you talk about it, the more you think about it, the more it hurts, and your mood plummets.

When you’re that sensitive, you want to confide in someone, but you also find that you don’t have anyone to turn to. You end up bottling everything inside until you explode.

I guess I just happened to be around when she was about to explode.

“...”

I stood still for a moment, watching Yamashita’s back as she walked away, and then turned around.

...

I should head back.

And when we meet tomorrow, I’ll just act like I didn’t hear anything.

There’s nothing I can do to help her situation, anyway.

*

School on a Saturday.

I remember it from when I was younger. We used to go to school on Saturdays and had about four classes, plus something called CA every other week. I think it stood for Club Activity. Kind of like the ‘club activities’ I do every day now.

Of course, even though it was called a club, all we did was sit in the classroom. There were some teachers who tried to make something out of it, but most students were disinterested. We were only there because we were forced to join something.

Popular clubs were always set, and the rest didn’t matter. Students usually joined wherever their friends went.

Since Saturdays ended early, it was a good day to go out and do things with friends after school.

Yeah, that was the one good thing about it.

Just that one thing.

I don’t know what the real Japan is like, but here, they don’t force us to do club activities on Saturdays.

Instead, we just have classes. Four of them. All morning.

...Is this hell?

Though, considering how my school life back in Korea was mostly evening self-study sessions and cram schools, maybe this isn’t that bad.

Anyway, I went to school on Saturday. I walked through the drizzle and got there a bit early, so I took off my wet shoes and socks, putting on my indoor slippers.

After putting my umbrella in the stand, I headed up to the classroom.

I took off the bandages I had wrapped around my hand. When I checked the wound this morning, it was completely healed. Even when I turned my neck, there were no strange sounds. No dizziness, no strange pressure in my head like my eyes were going to pop out. Physically, I was perfect—except for being hungry and tired.

Yawning, I returned to the classroom and sat down. There were a few other students already there, but they weren’t really people I interacted with.

Since they weren’t major characters, I had no reason to go out of my way to approach them. If we naturally became friends, I wouldn’t refuse either, though.

I opened my bag to double-check the books I’d brought for the day, slipping the textbooks for periods 1 through 4 into my desk.

As I went about my usual routine—

“Um, excuse me.”

A voice called out to me hesitantly, so I lifted my head.

It wasn’t someone I was meeting for the first time, but we had never exchanged names either. We were just aware of each other as classmates.

“You’re Ku-Kurosawa, right?”

“...Yeah.”

I looked up at her as I answered.

“You’re... not a ghost, right?”

“...”

Wait, so she asked me that thinking I might be one?

“Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why ask that?”

“Uh, uh, well, um...”

Spit it out already.

She swallowed her breath and gulped before speaking.

“W-Well, someone said they saw you walking around yesterday covered in blood. They said your hair was soaked with it...”

“...”

Oh, right.

I did pass by a few students on my way to the infirmary.

Her friend must’ve been one of them.

So that’s what they were talking about in that group in the corner.

“...It wasn’t a big deal.”

“I-It wasn’t, huh... Haha...”

When I answered, she awkwardly laughed, looking embarrassed, and quickly rushed back to her seat.

I watched her retreating back for a moment before opening a mystery novel from the Literature Club and continuing to read.

The plot, which had been going well, suddenly took a turn, revealing that “the culprit was a special unit of the government!”—a ridiculous, conspiracy-theory conclusion that made me scoff internally.

Just then, the classroom door opened, and Miura walked in.

I lifted my head to look at her.

“Good morning, Kurosawa.”

“Morning.”

Judging by her bright expression, she hadn’t heard anything about what happened yesterday. If she had, she would’ve called or texted me.

“What are you reading?”

“A mystery novel. The ending is absurd.”

A government cover-up is on par with superpowered people or magicians using unrealistic tricks to solve everything.

It makes all the clues and tricks in the story meaningless.

“I see...”

She probably only asked out of politeness, since she didn’t seem that interested, so I closed the book and put it back in my bag.

Fortunately, it seemed like not many students had seen me yesterday, so the rumors hadn’t spread too far.

Seeing me alive and talking to others should put an end to the rumors soon enough.

As long as the track team didn’t show up today and start telling everyone what happened, that is.

...And of course, that hopeful thought was shattered before the school day even ended.

I mean, a girl walking around with blood pouring from her head couldn’t just disappear without it becoming a story.

Damn those track team girls.

Chapter 32. What It Means to Like Someone (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

To begin with, neither the track team captain nor the kids next to her were the ones who spread the rumors directly.

The biggest reason I could say this was because Kaneko didn’t react right away.

Whether they thought of teasing Kaneko by hurting me, or just hoped I would push Kaneko away by getting injured, I wasn’t sure.

But regardless, by bothering me and not Kaneko directly, didn’t they hope to shock Kaneko by seeing me hurt?

Since Kaneko didn’t show up until the end of fourth period, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Then again, when a junior was being ostracized, Kaneko didn’t even know, so I could imagine how sneaky they were about bullying others.

So, no problems arose during school hours.

But the signs were starting to show.

As time passed in the classroom, more students started glancing at me during breaks. It seemed like the girl who talked to me in the morning had shared the story with others.

…Did they see the tattoo on my wrist?

Thinking back, I remembered that Yamashita had tied a hairband around my wrist, so maybe it wasn’t noticed thanks to her. Besides, the blood on my forehead had probably drawn most of the attention, so it might not have been a big issue.

At least that part was a relief.

Getting hit wasn’t my fault, right? If I get ostracized for something like this, that would be ridiculous.

"Um… Kurosawa?"

But aside from all that, it seemed like I ended up worrying Miura after all.

It was nearing the end of the break after second period.

"Did something happen yesterday?"

Miura asked me that.

Miura had a lot of friends.

Her closest friends were Fukuda and Yamashita, but she was pretty popular with everyone in the class.

There were probably even some boys whose first love was Miura.

"…"

I turned my gaze toward the girl who had talked to me earlier that morning.

Why did she feel the need to check with me? Was it just to verify the truth, or out of genuine concern? I think it was probably the former.

"Nothing much happened."

"R-right?"

When I said that, Miura looked at me with a slightly anxious expression.

I did my best not to look in Yamashita’s direction.

We promised to keep it a secret after all.

Looking at Miura, I could see Yamashita out of the corner of my eye, staring blankly at the chalkboard. Her phone had broken yesterday, didn’t it?

"Um…"

Miura fidgeted a little, glancing around, before speaking again.

"If something’s bothering you, I hope you’ll tell me. I’ll help as much as I can."

"…"

Ah, she’s really a nice person.

Then again, that’s probably why she ended up dying in the original story. That Oni... devoured such a kind and good person.

Did the Oni enjoy hearing Miura’s cries of despair when she died? Since it chose to devour people who seemed ‘nice,’ it must have.

"I got it."

When I said that, Miura nodded stiffly with a slightly hardened expression.

***

Kurosawa Kotone was a precarious girl.

I didn’t know the full details. But being around her, anyone could tell she was different.

It wasn’t just because the teachers had asked Miura to be friendly with her.

Sure, that was part of it, but it wasn’t the only reason.

Even for Miura…

Leaving Kurosawa alone back then had been a heavy burden on her conscience.

It seemed like Kurosawa didn’t remember what happened. The police never caught the culprit, and no one, not even Miura Mako, knew what Kurosawa had truly gone through.

But—anyone who saw Kurosawa at that time could easily tell she had experienced something so traumatic that it would scar her for life.

Her parents hadn’t visited her in the hospital. She didn’t make any new friends. She probably ate her meals alone too.

And there was a classmate who saw Kurosawa yesterday, bleeding from the head, being supported by someone.

It didn’t seem like a baseless rumor… At least no one in the class would mistake Kurosawa Kotone for someone else.

And the other person in that rumor—

Miura’s eyes shifted to Yamashita Yuu.

If the rumor wasn’t just nonsense, was Yuu involved in what happened yesterday? Miura thought about it but couldn’t easily draw a conclusion.

"…Why?"

Noticing Miura’s gaze on her, Yuu asked.

"Oh, no. It’s nothing."

Miura mumbled in response.

She wondered if Kurosawa had been attacked again without anyone noticing.

"…"

Throughout the rest of the class, Miura found it hard to focus, her mind preoccupied with the rumors.

***

When the class ended, I hesitated for a moment.

Should I head to the club room?

Or maybe just go home.

It had been a while since I had a break... well, not exactly a full break, more like a half-day off? Since we still had morning classes… Anyway, I had a lot of free time on my hands.

For someone like me, who spent more than half the week working part-time, this was like gold.

Should I finish playing Final Fantasy VI? I pondered while packing my bag when suddenly I stumbled forward.

“Kotone-chan. Heading home?”

I turned around to see Fukuda resting her arm on my shoulder.

“Uh, yeah…”

“Don’t go yet, let’s hang out for a bit. We’ve got plenty of time, right?”

For a brief moment, my old school instincts almost resurfaced. You know, that feeling of shrinking back in front of a delinquent. Back in high school, I was just a nerd who read light novels.

But at the same time, the faint scent of perfume Fukuda probably used drifted over to me.

In school-themed stories, there’s always a description of girls smelling nice. Maybe this is what they meant.

“…Sure.”

With Fukuda clinging so close and saying that, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

"Right?"

After hearing my reply, Fukuda turned her head to look behind her.

Toward Miura’s direction.

Miura, who had been looking a bit surprised, soon smiled slightly and nodded.

"Yeah. …How about you, Yuu?"

Miura hesitated for a moment before asking Yuu.

"…Fine."

Yamashita nodded in agreement, but her face showed little emotion, so it was hard to tell if she truly meant it.

Then again, she was always like that.

Seeing her response, Miura’s expression brightened.

Was she planning to ask about the rumors she’d heard? After all, it wasn’t just me involved in them.

…Well, even if she asked, I wasn’t planning on answering.

***

When you think about it, there really aren’t that many things to do outside.

Back when I hung out with my friends as a kid, we’d check out bookstores for new releases, browse games in places like Yongsan, grab a burger, and head home.

Hanging out with these girls was like the high school version of that.

Walking around looking at clothes, browsing small accessories, or checking out cosmetics.

Of course, I had zero interest in any of that, so I just stood by absentmindedly while Fukuda and Miura would occasionally hold up clothes to me, enjoying themselves.

Afterward, we’d either hit up a karaoke place or go to a dessert café.

Today, it was the dessert café.

"Today’s our lucky day," Fukuda said with a smile.

"The rain isn’t too bad, right? Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come out like this."

It’s still the rainy season. It’s June 18th, and the rain will probably continue until mid to late July, so it’s likely to get worse.

It had been pouring since the morning, but the rain had lightened by the time we left school, only to start pouring again once we got inside the café.

We planned to wait it out leisurely and head home once the rain eased up a bit.

That was the plan.

"…"

Up until this point, everything was just like any other day, but today there was an unusual tension between the four of us.

Normally, even if I didn’t talk or Yamashita stayed quiet, the atmosphere wouldn’t get gloomy. Miura and Fukuda were bright and positive after all.

But it seemed like Miura had something she wanted to ask. Fukuda picked up on it and dragged both me and Yamashita out here.

The problem was, neither Yamashita nor I really wanted to answer that question.

If the rumors spread, things would get messy. Even if the track team captain and her two cronies quit, it wouldn’t be the end of it.

There were other members of the track team, some of whom were probably close to those three.

And those people would have their own friends.

The situation was already complicated, and I didn’t want to drag Miura and Fukuda into it. I’d rather deal with this on my own. But explaining what happened yesterday would inevitably lead to talking about the track team, even if I didn’t mention Yamashita’s family.

…It’d be best if this just ended quietly.

As for Kaneko… I’d have to think separately about whether I could resolve that later. I didn’t even know what the person who bullied me looked like.

But, this ‘ending quietly’ probably wasn’t going to happen.

I first realized that the moment we stepped out of the school.

"…Kurosawa?"

"…Yeah?"

Miura called out to me as I stared into the corner of the café.

"What? Do you see someone you know?"

"…No."

They weren’t someone I knew.

But…

They were much more obvious in tailing us than the stalker who had followed me before.

I wasn’t sure exactly when they started following us. At least they hadn’t been waiting at the school gate. They must have been hanging around somewhere inconspicuous.

Three guys.

None of them were wearing uniforms. But they seemed about our age, maybe a little older. High school students?

Though they were in casual clothes, their outfits were a bit of a mess. Cargo pants and chains? What era are we in—

Oh, right, it’s 2004.

But even back then, that would’ve been considered over-the-top.

Anyway, I forced myself to look away from them.

At least they didn’t seem like they were going to cause trouble right here.

Miura and Fukuda didn’t seem to notice them, so I thought I’d just leave it be for now.

And then—

"Um…"

Miura, realizing that attention had shifted to her, seemed to think it was time to ask her question.

"Yuu."

"Yeah."

"Is it okay if I ask… if you’ve been worried about something lately?"

Miura chose her words carefully, one by one.

"You left without saying anything the other day too…"

"I don’t need permission."

Yamashita replied to Miura’s words like that.

However, though her choice of words sounded indifferent, her voice was noticeably quieter than when she’d spoken with me yesterday, as if she was being cautious.

"That’s… true, but."

Fukuda just alternated glances between the two, sipping on her drink as if this wasn’t the first time such a thing had happened.

"Were you two … ever involved in a fight?"

Both Yamashita and I stayed silent.

"I… heard something."

I glanced at Yamashita.

"Yesterday, I heard Kurosawa was bleeding."

Yamashita remained silent.

Yesterday, when we agreed, ‘I won’t say anything either,’ that probably included the fact that I’d been dragged by the track team kids.

"I slipped… in the bathroom."

"What?"

But if I didn’t clear up this misunderstanding a little, Miura would keep worrying.

"I hit my head on the sink, and Yamashita found me and took me to the nurse’s office. That’s all."

"Really!? Are you okay?"

As expected, Miura turned pale.

I knew that would happen.

If this is her reaction to me just falling and getting hurt, I wonder what her reaction would be if I told her I was being bullied.

I glanced at Yamashita, and she gave me a brief nod.

"I even went to the hospital in the teacher’s car. They said I’m fine."

"Really."

Miura put her hand on her chest and let out a long breath.

"Thank goodness."

"Well, it wasn’t as big a deal as you thought it was."

Fukuda chuckled as she stirred the ice in her cup with her straw, looking a little relieved too.

"You know what she said? She thought you two had fought."

"…No, we didn’t."

"Right, right. I was just a bit worried. You both seemed off…"

Miura let out a sigh as if all the tension had drained from her, slumping into her chair.

"You’re really sure you’re okay?"

"I’m fine. Want to see?"

I tilted my head toward Miura as if to show her the top of my head, but she gave a wry smile and waved her hand.

"No, you don’t need to go that far. I believe you."

Good.

At least Miura and Fukuda seemed reassured now. I couldn’t tell if it was just my imagination, but Yamashita seemed a bit more at ease too.

…Now, it’s just those guys.

In my opinion, those guys were definitely connected to the track team. Probably boyfriends or something. The number even matches.

What should I do?

There’s one solution I can think of.

I glanced over to the corner of the café.

***

We sat leisurely in the café, waiting for the rain to let up a bit as the atmosphere between us relaxed.

Who’d have guessed it was the rainy season? After pouring like crazy for nearly an hour, the rain finally eased up, and we headed outside.

It was about a five-minute walk from the café to the station.

And in that time, those guys were still following us at a slight distance.

The others still hadn’t noticed. Well, it wasn’t exactly strange to see people walking around in a busy area like this.

"See you tomorrow, Kurosawa."

"Kotone-chan, goodbye~"

"Take care."

The three waved their hands at me, and I waved back before heading into the station to wait for a moment.

…Even after waiting for a while, the guys didn’t follow me in.

So, they weren’t after me.

Of course, the person who bruised the track team captain’s face wasn’t me, but Yamashita.

I stepped back outside the station.

I knew which direction the girls were headed. I didn’t know exactly where they lived, but we always parted ways at the station.

I hadn’t been inside the station for long. Not even a minute, probably.

So following after three guys tailing three high school girls wasn’t that hard.

"Kurosawa."

And, if you have someone to help, the story becomes a lot easier.

"Yuuki."

I had noticed her sitting in the corner of the café earlier, but there’s no one more reassuring than an expert showing up at a time like this.

***

"So, you went through all that and didn’t even call me?"

"…Sorry."

We were walking far from the guys as we talked.

The rain had picked up again in the meantime. Not quite as heavy as it had been in the morning, though.

"Well, you don’t need to apologize."

Yuuki sighed deeply at my apology.

She had heard the rumors too. Being in the class right next to mine, it must have spread quickly.

Maybe Sasaki Sota had heard it too, since he knew about me.

In any case, Yuuki was the only one who had followed me.

Yuuki knew what kind of body I had. How she viewed it was a different story, but at the very least, she knew that I healed quickly, even from serious injuries.

That’s why I could explain the situation to her in a bit more detail.

"So, you’re saying those guys are after… Yamashita-san?"

"Yeah. They’ve been following us since we left school."

"Hah."

Yuuki ran her hand over her face, the one not holding the umbrella.

"What would you have done if I wasn’t here?"

"…Call the police."

"You thought of calling the police? Should I be impressed?"

Even I could tell she was mocking me.

And Yuuki probably knew.

That it was just a joke.

I hadn’t actually planned on calling the police.

I would’ve handled those guys myself… making sure they wouldn’t follow us again.

As long as I didn’t pass out from blood loss, my body was pretty sturdy. Not that I had much strength, though.

"…I have a lot to say, but I’ll save it for later. Let’s deal with this first."

Should I be scared?

Well, if it’s Yuuki’s nagging, I can handle that.

She might even buy me dinner before giving me a lecture. Thinking that made me kind of look forward to it.

The guys ahead of us started walking faster.

Up ahead, I could see a girl with short hair and a girl with long hair parting ways with another girl with long straight hair. They were waving goodbye.

Thankfully, they didn’t seem to notice us.

The three guys quickened their pace, following after the now-alone Yamashita.

Three guys going after one high school girl.

"Such cowards."

Yuuki spoke my thoughts aloud, and it was a little refreshing.

Yamashita was about to enter a residential area but suddenly turned her body and walked between the buildings. She didn’t seem to be in any hurry to get home.

I guess that makes sense, considering what we talked about yesterday.

The three men sped up, closing in on Yamashita.

…There was no one in the residential area.

"Hey."

I could hear the blond-haired guy’s voice.

"Hey, you in the sailor uniform."

Yamashita didn’t stop walking.

Maybe that irritated him, because he rushed forward and grabbed her shoulder.

Yamashita shrugged off his hand and turned around.

That cold, expressionless face I had seen before appeared again.

Yamashita looked at the men—then locked eyes with me. For a moment, she seemed a little surprised.

"Hey, got a minute?"

The guy spoke in a sleazy tone.

"If you’re free, how about having a little chat with us?"

"…"

Yamashita’s gaze returned to the guy.

The guy shoved both hands into his pockets, and his two friends lazily circled around to surround her.

In broad daylight. On a Saturday afternoon, in the middle of Minato Ward.

They’ve got some nerve.

Even with a scene like this, people around them just glanced and walked away. No one wanted to get involved. After all, it didn’t seem like a fight, just a typical street approach.

"Hey!"

But Yuuki Yuka isn’t the kind of person who’d just watch something like that.

At Yuuki’s shout, the blond guy turned around.

Seeing us, he didn’t even seem surprised.

"What’s this? You got business with us? Want to join in?"

The two guys following behind him snickered.

Yuuki tightened her grip on her bag strap and tossed aside her umbrella.

"Huh? She’s really planning to butt in."

"Is she out of her mind?"

Watching Yuuki, they muttered such things.

"Don’t you think surrounding one girl with three guys is a bit embarrassing? At least even up the numbers."

"…"

The blond guy smirked at Yuuki’s words.

"Hey, we’re not ganging up because of the numbers. My girl got hurt because of her yesterday. Do you know how much she cried when she came home?"

Yuuki let out a dry laugh.

She clearly had no intention of listening any further.

"Wow, she’s really going to try something. Hey."

At the guy’s words, the other two started creeping closer to Yamashita.

That’s when I threw my umbrella aside as well.

I may not be that strong, but I can take a hit. Even if I can’t win, I can at least hold one of them down.

Just as Yuuki and I were about to charge at the guy in front—

Suddenly, a blond-haired high school girl appeared out of the alley and threw a low kick at the leg of the guy approaching Yamashita.

"Gah!?"

The buzzcut guy dropped to one knee.

"Fukuda?"

I found myself calling her name.

"Did you really think I’d just go home after seeing that look on your face?"

"Y-yeah!"

From a little distance, Miura shouted.

"Looking that worried the whole time!"

"…Mako."

Yamashita muttered Miura’s name.

"…"

Ah, so they weren’t planning to just part ways from the beginning.

"They’ve been following us openly since we left school. Didn’t you notice, blondie? You’re so sloppy."

At Fukuda’s jab, the blond guy scowled.

Even though she was blond herself.

I swallowed that retort back down.

"Looks like everyone thought the same thing."

Yuuki smiled as she spoke to me.

Right.

It might have just been my imagination, but I think I saw Yamashita smile for a brief moment too.

Chapter 33. What It Means to Like Someone (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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When three men and five women get together, who wins?

Especially if there is a significant difference in their sizes.

Generally, most people would still say the men have the upper hand.

If someone with a well-trained body punches you in the face, it's hard for someone smaller to withstand it.

On the other hand, if a smaller person hits a bigger person, usually the impact isn't as severe.

It may hurt, but they probably won't knock you out with one punch.

...That's only true if no one is holding anything in their hands.

The school-designated bags differ depending on the school, but the bag designated by Hanagawa was a leather one that looked like something a professional might use.

It could be carried with one hand or slung over the shoulder with a strap, a solid briefcase-type bag.

With textbooks inside.

Even if you're up against high school girls, a well-trained person swinging that bag with all their might would be too harsh for anyone to just take it head-on.

"Ugh!"

Especially if it's four high school girls walking home from school.

"You... you bastard...!"

The man spat out a curse.

When I grabbed the yellow-haired guy by the hair and yanked, he screamed.

Slip.

My hand slipped from his wet hair, pulling back, but still, I had managed to rip out quite a bit.

A handful of strands were caught between my fingers from how hard I had pulled.

Honestly, it felt a bit gross, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Miura then rushed in and punched the guy in the stomach. A perfectly clean punch.

At some point, she had taken off her glasses. Her expression was serious, but honestly, she didn't seem as scary as Yamashita when she was angry.

However, despite her face, her punch must have packed quite a blow because the man bent over like the letter "L."

Maybe she learned karate or something as a kid?

Fukuda was grappling with the guy with the buzzcut, both grabbing each other's collars and struggling.

When the man raised his fist, Fukuda immediately headbutted him right in the nose. Blood trickled down from the man's head.

That didn't stop the punches, though.

Fukuda wobbled a bit after getting hit in the head.

"Harumi!"

Yamashita called out Fukuda's name and charged at the man's back, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him away.

Once Fukuda regained her balance, she kicked the staggering man in the stomach.

The scruffy-haired guy, who tried to rush at Yamashita from behind, was hit directly in the temple by a flying school bag. He stumbled and collapsed sideways.

As expected of a monster hunter. Well, to Yuuki, these guys must not have seemed very scary at all.

After all, they were just boys who'd never truly fought for their lives.

With one man down, the tide shifted in our favor, but it didn't change the fact that it was still a brawl.

The rain started coming down a little harder.

But because passersby had gathered around us, the street, which would have been nearly empty on a rainy day like this, was now pretty crowded.

Hmm.

Guess we can't avoid rumors now.

Even as I thought that, I mechanically tore at the man's hair again.

The man found himself in a situation where he had to decide between dealing with me pulling at his hair, Yuuki who was charging at him, or Miura who kept throwing punches.

The yellow-haired man moved.

It seemed like he had decided to deal with me first. Well, I had been yanking his hair from behind, so it made sense.

But just as he turned towards me, Yuuki's foot slammed into his side. Miura, who didn't seem to care much about the guy's spine, delivered another punch.

At this point, I was starting to get curious about Miura's track record. While fighting might be Yuuki's natural calling, Miura... Could it be that Miura was the strongest out of her group of gal friends, which is why they followed her around?

The guy staggered but quickly regained his footing, seemingly from some athletic background, and swung his fist at me.

I ducked down to avoid it, but—unfortunately, the sailor uniform had too many parts for him to grab onto.

He grabbed my collar and lifted me up again.

As I dangled, my face heated up. My right cheek burned painfully. I must've gotten punched without even realizing it.

I tasted blood in my mouth.

My face heated up again, my right side buzzing. Then, with a splat, I hit the wet ground.

There was a murmur from the crowd surrounding us. It was only then that the guy seemed to realize they were surrounded by people, turned into a spectacle.

Hmm.

A male high school student beating up a skinny girl. People must love seeing that, huh?

Though no one outright booed or anything.

Yuuki then struck the guy on the head.

"Kurosawa!?"

Miura quickly rushed over to me.

"Are you okay!?"

I probably was.

I turned my gaze to where Yamashita and Fukuda were dealing with the buzzcut guy.

Both the man and Yamashita, as well as Fukuda, were wobbling on their feet, but the one who had taken the most hits was clearly the buzzcut guy. His nose was bleeding profusely, and his face was covered in scratches. He could barely stay on his feet.

Yuuki was—

Whenever the yellow-haired man threw a punch, Yuuki would skillfully dodge by stepping back. Despite the significant reach difference, Yuuki’s attacks were landing, while the guy's were expertly avoided.

Is this what it looks like when a beautiful girl fights?

"Hah... hah..."

The yellow-haired man was panting heavily.

By the time I heard the distant sound of sirens.

It's a police car. Even I recognized that sound.

As the sirens grew louder, the guy's face paled slightly.

"Stop right there!"

A voice shouted from the crowd. I heard the sound of a car door opening and closing.

"Excuse me, coming through!"

A young woman shouted as the crowd stirred, making way.

Finally, after pushing through the people, an older policeman and a younger female officer in uniform appeared.

"Hey, stop right there!"

The police shouted, and the yellow-haired guy gave a relieved smile.

Then he looked at us, his gaze saying we were finished now.

Looks like he's got some powerful backing.

Well, makes sense. A guy dating a girl from a prestigious school wouldn't be from just any ordinary background. This kind of setup... happens sometimes. Like a delinquent with a powerful benefactor.

But too bad.

We've got our own backer here.

---

At the police station, at the hospital.

To be in and out of places like this because of a fight—something I never even imagined in my previous life.

I did frequent hospitals, but never because of a fight.

I had never thrown a punch in my entire life, yet here I was, in another world, as a high school girl, constantly getting into these situations. Life sure had taken an odd turn.

"Ah, I told you it wasn’t me who started it!"

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone’s parents have been contacted, so just wait for them."

The yellow-haired guy raised his voice indignantly, while the policeman in front of him typed away indifferently at his computer.

They must have written this off as just a "kids' fight." Or maybe it was because they saw our school uniforms?

At least they didn't immediately start taking statements when we arrived at the station.

Well, assault is a crime that can't be prosecuted unless the victim presses charges. If everyone just agrees to settle, it can be dismissed. Since we were all minors here, the parents' conversation would probably decide everything.

For the record, I had given them a phone number, too. They needed a "parent" to contact, after all.

Even if Ms. Suzuki came, there probably wouldn't be much she could do.

But...

[Don’t come.]

As soon as I got my phone back, I quickly sent that message.

When I'm alone, or just with adults around, it doesn't really matter, but I didn’t want to reveal Kurosawa Kagami’s presence in front of my friends.

I thought she would probably listen to me since she saw me as something akin to a deity, and practically worshipped me.

"Why are you like this again?"

"......"

I looked up at Kagami in a daze.

Even though her address was listed as Saitama, she was the first one to arrive among all the parents.

Her outfit was as flashy as the last time I saw her. The skirt was short, with her midriff and shoulders fully exposed, and her clothes were patterned with bold designs.

Bzzt.

I glanced at my phone when it buzzed and saw a message from Kagami herself.

[I'm going to hit you a bit.]

What?

Before I could fully process the message,

Whack!

Something grazed the back of my head.

It didn’t hurt or really have any impact. I don’t know what trick she pulled, but it made a loud noise.

Instead of pain, my soaked hair flew up and scattered forward. Even without a mirror, I could tell my hair was a mess.

"Miss!?"

The female officer next to us, shocked, rushed to stop Kagami, but Kagami continued speaking without hesitation.

"This is happening because you’re not behaving properly! Just like last time!"

"Last time?"

Yuuki mumbled from beside me.

I checked my phone. There was one more line in the message Kagami had sent earlier, aside from the part about hitting me.

[Just keep your head down.]

Ah.

So, it was basically telling me to just look pitiful, and she'd take care of the situation.

Well, I appreciated it. I was already struggling to manage my expression.

Honestly, from my perspective, Kagami's outfit was downright embarrassing.

I had thought it would be best if she didn’t show up at all, but now that she was here, it was better to let her handle it.

With that in mind, I lowered my head even further.

"You’re living on your own, and you think it's okay to bring men into the house like this?"

"......"

Hmm...

I could feel the weight of all the stares around me suddenly crashing down.

Well, yeah. I could see where Kagami was coming from. But the problem was, there was one person here who had a huge misunderstanding about my situation.

Miura thought I had been sexually assaulted during the incident with the Oni last time.

Now, if Kagami says something like this, how am I supposed to explain myself?

Though Kagami doesn’t know about that incident.

"...I didn’t let anyone in."

Also, I still had to attend school after this. I didn’t want to be misunderstood. It was bad enough that Yamashita and Miura had seen the tattoo on my wrist.

I stood up and looked at Kagami through my messy hair.

"...That bastard followed me on his own."

"Wait, Kurosawa?"

I heard Yuuki’s startled voice from behind me.

I hadn’t told anyone else about the stalker yet. Kagami seemed to have taken care of it behind the scenes, and I hadn't seen him again since.

I noticed Kagami’s eyes moving quickly—not in confusion, but scanning the situation, assessing everything.

She looked at me, glanced at my shocked friends behind me, at the police officers, and back at me.

Ah.

Her lips moved as if silently saying "Got it."

Kagami lifted her hand and pressed a finger against my forehead.

I staggered back, then straightened up again, looking back at her.

It seemed like Kagami was playing along with me. Well, it would be awkward if she suddenly said something like, "Sorry, I was wrong."

"You."

She pushed my forehead again. I stumbled back but stood back up.

"Who taught you to talk back like that… huh."

Kagami’s tone changed, subtly shifting from my behavior to my manners.

"Miss!"

This time, even the officer who had been sitting at the computer stood up to intervene.

"It’s because you act like this that no one wants to take care of you. You should be grateful I didn’t just leave you."

"Excuse me!"

And Kagami’s rant was unexpectedly interrupted by a voice from someone else.

It was Miura.

Miura, who had pushed her chair back and stood up, was staring at Kagami with a slightly confused expression.

She looked shocked at the fact that she had even stood up at all.

When Kagami’s gaze turned toward her, Miura flinched.

But her expression showed that she wasn’t sure what to say. This was typical of her, but… well, in this situation, she was supposedly my “mom.”

"So, what do you want to say?"

Kagami asked, turning her gaze towards the police officer.

"Uh... well, you see."

The officer responded, looking a bit dumbfounded.

"Soon, the other parents will arrive. You can discuss this incident and come to an agreement—"

"Agreement? What agreement? Who did you hit?"

"..."

"I told you, didn’t I? If you get hurt because you hit someone, it’s just going to cost money. Stop doing useless things like that. If anything, you should let them hit you and get some compensation. You’re useless."

Yuuki let out a frustrated sigh.

"And—if you were going to get involved, you should’ve just taken care of it completely."

"..."

Kagami’s gaze turned again.

The cheap, low-life expression she’d had when she was scolding me suddenly disappeared, replaced by a cold, emotionless face.

With eyes that looked like they could freeze anything in sight, Kagami stared down the yellow-haired guy.

The yellow-haired guy, who had been smirking at the sight of me getting chewed out, initially stared back at Kagami defiantly.

Based solely on appearance, Kagami looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties at most, and she was a beauty to boot.

In the world of light novels, guys like him usually underestimated women like her. So at first, the yellow-haired guy kept his cocky smirk as he looked up at Kagami.

It was an obvious attempt at provocation.

But slowly, the smirk faded from his face.

Kagami's eyes were... far from normal.

They were the kind of eyes that said she might actually stab someone if she wanted to.

For a brief moment, I remembered the time Kagami had first visited my home.

"Kurosawa-san?"

"What?"

The female officer next to her spoke cautiously, trying to break the tension. Kagami's expression shifted back to her usual, indifferent look.

"Please calm down—"

"Yuu!"

But the officer's words were quickly drowned out by another voice.

From far away, a man with a fierce look on his face was walking briskly toward us.

Based on his hairstyle, he looked like a businessman. His hair was slicked back, styled in a perfect 2:8 ratio, and set with hair gel.

But his outfit was far from ordinary.

Underneath a vividly bright blue silk shirt, he wore a white suit. He had buttoned all the way up, with double rows of buttons.

His shoulders were broad, creating an almost unnatural silhouette. It was as if someone had drawn an exaggerated V-shaped upper body.

His skin was dark, and his eyes, with their sharp upward slant, bore a resemblance to Yamashita's, but the impression he gave was different.

While Yamashita had a cool, refined look reminiscent of traditional Japanese beauty, this man gave off an intense, fiery aura.

“What’s going on here?”

The man who was likely Yamashita’s father quickly assessed the situation as he approached.

Yuu bowed her head low.

Well, that made sense. If my dad dressed like that, I’d probably buy him some new clothes myself.

And Yamashita's father wasn't alone. A group of similarly burly men followed behind him. Everyone in the police station was staring at them in shock.

“Oh, Miura! It’s been a while.”

“Oh, yes... It’s been a while, sir.”

“Hey there, sir.”

“Harumi, you’ve grown so beautifully!”

“Dad...”

Yamashita muttered, clearly embarrassed, as her father smiled at Fukuda with his booming voice.

He didn’t seem to mind at all.

Hmm...

I was starting to understand the vibe of the story Yamashita had told me about her father.

I had imagined some flirtatious guy getting conned by a gold digger, but after seeing this, it was clear he’d be the one controlling the gold digger, not the other way around.

I could easily picture him with women his daughter’s age hanging on his arms.

...It made sense that he didn’t bring his wife along.

On the left lapel of his white suit, there was a gold badge with the character 山下 (Yamashita) engraved on it, surrounded by a vertical oval.

“Yamashita-kai (Yamashita clan)...!”

Someone in the police station muttered.

The Yamashita Clan, huh? Naturally, the 'Yamashita' in the name referred to the clan leader himself.

Yamashita lowered her head even further, hiding her face.

Yamashita's father finally shifted his gaze toward us. He didn’t seem to care at all about the pale-faced yellow-haired guy.

He glanced at me, at Yuuki, then at the group of guys sitting nearby—

"Kagami?"

Yamashita's father spoke with a wide smile on his face.

"Kagami-san, what brings you here?"

His tone was oddly soft. The same kind of voice he used when talking to his daughter’s friends.

"Hello, Chairman."

Kagami politely bowed her head, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to stand beside her, gently pushing me forward.

She wasn’t telling me to step out, but to bow. I understood that much.

This wasn't about teaching me anything—it was about reenacting the role of introducing one’s daughter to a Yakuza boss.

"It seems my daughter caused some trouble and ended up at the police station."

"Hmm."

Yamashita’s father looked me over, then Yuuki, and finally the three boys sitting nearby.

Then he spoke.

"I’d like someone to explain what happened here."

Chapter 34. What It Means to Like Someone (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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The conversation didn’t take too long.

Since the incident itself was a simple story.

There was no reason to bring up anything related to me and the track team.

Yamashita-san, who was thought to be intimidating or threatening the blonde right away due to his yakuza image, listened quietly without reacting much.

Meanwhile, the other children's parents arrived one by one.

The first ones to arrive after Yamashita-san were the blonde's father and mother.

Not sure what story they heard, but they entered with their faces red at first, then snorted when they saw Kagami.

Then they turned their heads and met eyes with Yamashita-san, who was looking up at them.

"......"

The two of them suddenly turned pale.

They sat quietly on the chairs provided by the police, listening to the story without causing any further commotion.

Next to arrive were Miura’s parents.

"Yamashita-san."

Miura's father, dressed like a high-ranking official, extended his hand to Yamashita-san with a polite attitude.

"Miura-san."

Yamashita-san stood up and shook his hand courteously.

"Meeting in a place like this, it's unfortunate for both of us."

"Fate doesn't move as we wish, does it?"

They exchanged quiet words.

He looked like a high-ranking official to me, though I wasn't sure exactly what his job was. It was just the way he wore his suit.

But his atmosphere… It didn’t seem like the vibe of an extra's father. He had the air of someone who might be the hidden mastermind in a novel.

It seemed like Yuuki recognized Miura's father, as she stared at him with her mouth slightly open.

"……Yuuki?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know him?"

"Ah, um… Not yet."

Yuuki answered ambiguously.

Miura's father lightly placed his hand on Miura's shoulder and greeted Fukuda and Yamashita one by one. His deep, but not harsh voice had a calming effect on those who heard it.

Then, he approached us.

"Are you Mako’s friend?"

With a slight smile, he asked us gently, looking quite different from when he first entered.

"Uh... actually, we don’t know each other well."

Yuuki, seemingly unsure how to respond, spoke in a somewhat nervous tone.

"I’m her friend."

At my words, Miura's father turned his gaze to me.

"So, you're Kurosawa-san."

Miura's father nodded as if he had heard about me before.

"I've heard a lot about you from Mako. Thank you for being friends with my daughter."

Hmm...

Honestly, it was the opposite, but I didn’t think it was polite to correct him, so I stayed silent.

"My name is Masao Miura. You have a lovely daughter."

Miura's father extended his hand to Kagami, who was staring at him.

"What do you mean lovely…"

Though Kagami grumbled, she took his hand.

After looking at Kagami for a brief moment, Miura's father turned and stood near Miura.

His presence was different from Yamashita-san's, making me a bit uneasy. If Yamashita-san gave the impression of quietly beating someone up and throwing them into Tokyo Bay, Miura's father seemed like someone who knew everything but laughed it off, as if he didn’t care about the affairs of those beneath him.

Oddly enough, if he were truly someone powerful, the police around here wouldn’t be treating him like an ordinary parent.

Right? If he was a high-ranking official, the police would recognize him. Even if he were a prosecutor or a local representative, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they stood up and saluted him.

But the police weren’t particularly disturbed by Miura's father's presence. Instead, it was Yuuki who looked unsettled.

Yuuki glanced at Miura's father with a displeased expression before turning her eyes away.

The next to arrive was Fukuda's father.

He had a similar atmosphere to Yamashita-san. With slightly darker skin than Fukuda, his blonde hair was slicked back, and he was wearing a flashy purple suit with white stripes.

It was surprising how well it suited him.

The difference was, unlike Yamashita-san's weighty presence, Fukuda's father had a slightly more playful vibe.

"Harumi, are you okay?"

"Do I look okay to you?"

"Wow, you got beaten up pretty badly. Who the hell did this?"

Despite the playful banter, Fukuda’s father gave the blonde a look that could kill.

"Yamashita’s here too. Hey, are you still holding onto that old grudge?"

Yamashita-san snorted at his provoking tone.

"Are you one to talk, living like a thug?"

"Thug? Hey, I’m a businessman, a legitimate one. Officer, arrest this guy, will you? I bet you'll uncover all sorts of records. Seriously, who comes to a police station wearing a badge on their clothes?"

"Well, that’s a bit…"

The officer seated across the table fidgeted nervously at Fukuda's remark. Fukuda’s father merely shrugged as if he hadn’t expected much anyway.

Now that I think about it, yeah. Wearing a yakuza badge so openly.

"Miura-san, what an unfortunate place to meet."

"Fukuda-san. Children's matters never go as we wish."

Fukuda’s father, who had been so casual earlier, suddenly straightened up and shook hands with Miura’s father.

"Mako, how are you? And Yuu?"

"Yes, thanks to you, we’re doing well."

"......"

Yamashita barely nodded. Since Yamashita-san had entered, Yamashita had kept his head down the entire time.

"Huh? Who’s this?"

"Ah, that's Kotone, my friend. And next to her is her mother."

Fukuda introduced me to his father.

"So, you're Kotone-chan? Cute, really cute. And next to her—"

Fukuda's father whistled after giving Kagami a once-over.

"Oh my, what a fine lady we have here. Do you have a husband?"

"Do I look like someone who would have a husband?"

Fukuda's father whistled again, even more playfully, then turned back to Fukuda.

"Hey, Fukuda, what do you think about having a little sister who’s not related by blood? Cute, isn’t she? Kotone-chan."

"Dad, are you crazy?"

Fukuda said, shocked.

"Too bad."

Fukuda's father laughed and glanced back at Kagami.

"Well, stop by when you have time. I'll give you a drink on the house."

Kagami smoothly pulled out a business card from her bag and handed it to Fukuda's father, as if it was something she did every day.

"Wow, nice. Do you have an email?"

"Of course."

Fukuda's father waved the business card and put it into his suit pocket, patting the spot.

I ran a hand over my face. Yuuki gently patted my knee as if to comfort me.

As these obviously shady people entered the police station one by one, the blonde's and his parents' faces grew progressively bluer. Usually, saying someone's face turns blue is figurative, but now it seemed almost literal. Were they even breathing?

And then—

"Yuka!"

Yuuki’s grandfather and father rushed in, calling her name.

The two men, who had been moving quickly towards us, froze when they made eye contact with Miura's father.

There’s definitely something going on.

I wasn’t sure what exactly, but it seemed like I’d better pretend I didn’t notice for now and ask later when the time was right.

The two men resumed walking and then stopped again when they saw Kagami.

My heart pounded.

If they reacted like that to Miura's father because of some hidden connection, the reaction to Kagami was probably for a different reason.

Yuuki at least seemed unaware of Kagami’s true nature.

Approaching cautiously, the two men asked Yuuki.

"Yuuki, are you okay?"

"Please check on Kurosawa first."

"......"

Their eyes shifted from me, disheveled as I was, to Kagami.

"What are you looking at?"

"......"

Once again, the two men seemed at a loss for words.

Or maybe they were carefully observing Kagami.

"Well, now that all the parents are here."

Before Yuuki’s family could talk with Kagami, the police officer spoke up.

"Would you like to have a conversation?"

He looked eager to end this uncomfortable situation as soon as possible.

I felt a bit relieved.

* * *

From what I heard, the blonde's parents were apparently quite influential in Minato.

Not just wealthy, but they seemed to have many connections here and there.

At first, they tried to shield their son, refusing to be intimidated.

But—

"So what?"

Kagami's words made the two of them shut their mouths.

"I don’t care who you know or how much money you have. I’m not giving you a penny. Why should I take responsibility for this kid?"

Even I, who knew the whole situation, couldn’t help but admire how brutally heartless she was. Honestly, at this point, you had to acknowledge Kagami’s dedication. Who else would want to be seen as such a villain?

"Quit whining, already."

Fukuda's father spoke.

"You think it makes sense for a guy to get beaten up by a girl and then whine to the police? You should be ashamed. Back in my day, if a woman stabbed you in the stomach, you'd just laugh it off."

Laugh it off and die, probably.

"And if Yuu hit first, she must've had a reason."

Yamashita-san said.

Sitting with his arms crossed in his white suit, he looked like a giant boulder.

A moving one.

It felt like if you said one wrong word, that boulder would strike out and crush you.

And maybe the name Yamashitakai was more well-known than I thought, because from the moment Yamashita-san had entered the police station, the blonde's parents hadn’t been able to meet his gaze.

Since Yamashita Yuu was at the center of the incident, it was impossible to leave him out of the conversation.

Miura’s father, Yuuki’s grandfather, and her father didn’t say much. They just stared silently at the blonde and his parents.

Overwhelmed by the pressure, the couple, who had been shouting with sharp voices at first, had turned into nervous wrecks within 15 minutes.

"Hey, kid."

Fukuda's father sealed the deal.

Pulling out a cash clip from his pocket, he peeled off a few ten thousand yen bills and tossed them at the blonde.

"If you're gonna whine, go to the hospital and whine there."

"......"

The three men and the parents, trembling with humiliation, picked up the money and hurriedly left.

As they left, they glared at me, but when Yamashita-san shot them a look, they fled in panic.

"Don’t worry."

Outside the police station, Kagami whispered in my ear.

"I’ll make sure they can’t mess with you again."

"......"

Was that why she came here?

But for some reason, her words "can't mess with you again" made me uneasy.

"Don't... kill them."

"Yes, yes, I won't kill them. I don’t want any trouble with the government, either."

Is "trouble" all you’re worried about?

More importantly.

"Do you… run a bar?"

I quickly switched to polite speech as I saw Yuuki approaching.

"What does it matter to you what I do for a living? You don’t like seeing me, so you moved out, didn’t you? How about paying me back for all the years I raised you before you talk?"

"Excuse me…!"

At Kagami's harsh words, Yuuki, unable to contain herself, rushed over and grabbed my arm.

She pulled me behind her, shielding me.

"How dare you leave your daughter in a place like that!?"

"Leave her? She’s the one who insisted on moving out."

"What are you talking about!?"

"She made a fuss about getting into a good school, said she wanted to live like everyone else. Does she even see her surroundings?"

Kagami said, pulling out a cigarette.

She smoothly placed it in her mouth, searching through her bag for a lighter. Yamashita-san, who had approached unnoticed, lit the cigarette for her.

"Ah, thanks."

Kagami said, offering the pack to Yamashita-san. He pulled out a cigarette, cupped his hand to shield it, and lit it himself.

He looked like someone straight out of a yakuza movie. Then again, he was a yakuza in a light novel, so maybe that image was emphasized more.

"......"

Yamashita-san took a long drag from his cigarette, then exhaled the smoke while staring at me from behind Yuuki.

Then, he reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a leather wallet.

After taking out a few crisp ten thousand yen bills, Yamashita-san handed them to me—

Slap!

Yamashita Yuu smacked her father's hand away, frowning.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Yamashita blocked me in the same way Yuuki had done earlier.

Wait, no.

"She got dragged into this because of you."

"Don’t try to compensate for this with money."

But I wasn’t even mad.

Couldn’t I just take it as pocket money?

"Can’t I?"

"No."

Guess I can’t, then.

Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.

"This... this."

Yamashita rubbed her eyes and glared fiercely at her father.

"I’ll make up for this on my own."

Then she spun around and took off running.

"......Phew."

Yamashita-san took a deep drag from his cigarette, then dropped it to the ground and stamped it out with his white shoe, matching his suit.

"......Kagami-san, I’m sorry, but it seems I’ll have to follow her. We’ll continue our conversation later."

"Yes, see you again."

Yamashita-san gave me one last glance before turning and heading in the direction his daughter had run.

That… no.

Since Yamashita said she’d take care of it, okay.

"Not exactly the mood for an after-party, huh?"

Fukuda said.

"I should get going, too. Looks like Dad has something to say."

"......Yeah."

"And hey, Yuuki, was it? You fought well today."

"Oh, uh, yeah."

Yuuki stammered, nodding awkwardly at Fukuda’s sudden remark.

"Thanks for today. Numbers matter in a fight, after all."

How does she even know that?

I really wanted to ask but held back.

"And…"

Fukuda glanced over at Kagami.

"Ma’am."

"Ma’am...?"

Kagami’s face briefly flashed with anger. It didn’t seem like an act this time. She genuinely seemed upset.

"Stop tormenting your daughter. Aren’t you embarrassed? Even my dad treats me well."

"Mind your own business."

At Kagami’s retort, Fukuda’s brows furrowed.

"......Kotone-chan."

Fukuda said.

"Can I ask more about what you mentioned earlier?"

"......Yeah."

I nodded.

"You have somewhere to stay tonight, right?"

"……It’s not that bad."

"You live alone, right? Sounds fun. Can I come over sometime?"

Fukuda spoke as if she wanted Kagami to hear. Kagami just sucked on her cigarette with an exasperated expression.

"That’s…"

"Promise, okay? See you Monday!"

With that, Fukuda waved and walked away.

From a distance, Fukuda’s father waved back at us—specifically, at Kagami.

A red Lamborghini Murciélago was parked nearby.

They really are rich.

I hope they aren’t shocked if they come to where I live.

"……Kurosawa."

Miura approached, with her father by her side.

"About what you talked about earlier…"

"I’ll tell you at school on Monday."

When I said that, Miura nodded with a serious face.

"I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention to you."

"……No."

I quickly shook my head.

"It’s not your fault at all."

But my words seemed to only make Miura feel more guilty.

She held my hand tightly, her expression showing that she was trying to hold back tears.

Then, after staring at me for a moment, she forced a smile.

"Then, see you the day after tomorrow."

"……Yeah."

I could only respond that way to her face.

"……Yuuki-san, right?"

"……Just call me Yuuki."

"Yuuki."

Miura nodded and bowed slightly to Yuuki.

"Uh, um?"

"Thank you for looking after Kurosawa while I couldn’t. You’re from a different class, after all…"

"No, I, uh."

Yuuki was so flustered that her face turned bright red.

"I was just doing what any friend would do."

"A friend."

Miura nodded.

"That’s right. A friend."

"……Kurosawa-san."

"……"

Miura looked directly at Kagami, then at her mother.

"I know it’s unpleasant to interfere in someone else’s family matters. But… as a mother, could you please try to be more aware?"

"Hah."

"Kurosawa is trying. Even in this situation…"

Miura, who had lowered her head slightly, raised her gaze to meet Kagami’s again.

Her eyes were intense. So much so that you could feel the force behind them even through her glasses.

"If you keep neglecting Kurosawa, I’ll—"

"I’m already leaving her alone."

Miura’s words were cut off by Kagami’s cold response.

"I’m already leaving her alone, so what are you going to do about it?"

"……"

"She’s attending school, like you said, and working hard, isn’t she?"

"But—"

"Like you said, it’s unpleasant to interfere in family matters. I’m the head of the household, so why don’t you back off, little girl?"

"……"

Miura trembled slightly but didn’t back down.

I gently took hold of her arm.

"It’s okay."

"……Kurosawa."

"Really, it’s fine."

"……"

Miura bit her lip.

"I’ll see you at school the day after tomorrow."

Only after I said that did Miura nod.

She lowered her head and walked slowly toward her father, who was waiting at a distance.

Miura's father stared at Kagami for a moment before silently turning to follow his daughter.

And—

"Are you Kurosawa Kagami?"

Yuuki’s grandfather approached.

"Kagami. A beautiful name. It means ‘mirror reflecting the gods.’ How magnificent."

"……"

Kagami turned her body slightly toward Yuuki’s grandfather.

"So what? It's a common enough name."

"That may be, but isn’t it rather meaningful for someone who follows modern religions to bear such a name?"

"……"

Kagami took another drag from her cigarette, watching him carefully.

"So what?"

"Well, I don’t intend to interfere too much. I understand how unpleasant it is to hear about one’s family from others. But, Kurosawa-san. Haven’t times changed quite a bit?"

"……"

"The days of sacrificing children—"

"Hah."

Kagami scoffed.

"Is that something you should be saying?"

Yuuki clenched her teeth, but Kagami ignored her and continued.

"I’ll say it again. I never told my daughter to do anything. She’s doing whatever she wants. I don’t know who put her up to it, but it wasn’t me."

This time, Yuuki’s grandfather was the one left speechless.

"If you want to do something with her, go ahead. It’s not my place to interfere, right?"

"Kurosawa-san—"

"Tsk."

Kagami clicked her tongue.

"I don’t understand why you’d bother protecting such a failure."

Yuuki started to move forward, but I grabbed her arm.

Seeing me shake my head, Yuuki trembled but held back.

"Do whatever you want, just leave me out of it. Got it?"

Kagami spat out her words with a sneer and turned away.

"……"

Yuuki’s family stood in silence, staring at Kagami’s retreating back for a while.

Chapter 35. What It Means to Like Someone (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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……

What am I supposed to do now?

No, if you were going to leave, you should’ve at least taken me with you. Leaving me like this just makes things awkward for me.

The fact that I’m stuck with Yuuki’s family makes it impossible to quietly slip away or say I’m going home.

And judging by Yuuki’s expression, if I try to leave alone, she’d probably follow me.

I looked up at the sky.

For some reason, I felt like it should be night by now, but it was still Saturday. Even though everything happened after school while I was hanging out with friends, it was all in broad daylight.

The rain had stopped for a moment, but it was still humid and hot, and the sun hadn’t completely set yet. The slightly orange sky seemed to ask, ‘You’re heading home already?’

"That person... she’s your mother, right?"

Yuuki spoke carefully, as if she had chosen her words with great caution.

Well, that’s understandable. If she let her guard down even a little, she might’ve said something bad about Kagami right in front of me.

At least, on paper, she is my mother.

"…Yeah."

"Is she always like that?"

"……."

Technically, she’s not always like that.

When no one else is around, she speaks to me formally and usually does what I ask her to do.

And somehow, I had a feeling I knew who was making sure those requests were granted.

I didn’t know much about the yakuza. I’d read some stories about Japanese yakuza on the internet, but the knowledge and image I had came from Japanese video games.

It was probably quite different from reality, but then again, this world was different from ‘the reality I used to live in.’

And besides, rather than just being an extra... since Kagami was involved, I wondered if she would appear later in the story in some significant way. The fact that she looked at me with such pity wasn’t just a coincidence. She seemed to have connections with the cult in various ways.

And... if Miura had died like in the novel, maybe that meant that Miura and this shady Yamashita guy might be tied to the story somehow.

‘Kurosawa Kotone’ is in the same class too.

……If Miura had been a mediator between the troubled Yamashita and Fukuda, someone to neutralize the situation, then maybe she played a role similar to Liu Bei standing between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, given how well she handled fights.

This is something I should look into later.

"Kurosawa?"

Yuuki called my name again, sounding worried, as if she was concerned about what I was thinking about while I spaced out.

"…It’s fine as long as I don’t cause any trouble."

That’s what I said.

Even though Kagami had set everything up, it seemed a bit much to make her look like a total villain, so that’s what I told Yuuki.

"What do you mean by 'not causing trouble'?"

For some reason, Yuuki asked angrily in response.

…Ah.

Could it be that I seemed brainwashed or something?

"The other day, when your mother mentioned 'letting a man in'—what was that about? You didn’t do that, did you? Was that one of those 'accidents'? Did anything else happen after that?"

"What are you talking about?"

Yuuki’s father asked, his expression full of concern.

I barely held back a groan.

Even though Kagami had laid the groundwork, she’d done it too well. No matter what I did, I couldn’t escape the frame of being the ‘poor child.’ If it had been a simple case of child neglect, it might not have gone this far.

Not that neglect isn’t serious, though.

"Yuka."

Yuuki’s grandfather placed a calming hand on Yuuki’s shoulder, trying to settle her down. Yuuki pressed her lips together tightly.

Yuuki knew the truth. I had told her before. I had to explain the situation, and she had even come to my place because of it.

It seemed that Kagami’s words had tangled up the story somehow.

"…But nothing happened after that. It’s been fine."

"Nothing happened… sigh, never mind."

Yuuki sighed deeply, running a hand over her face.

"……."

A brief silence.

I didn’t know whether to thank Kagami for setting things up so perfectly or to resent her for going too far. As I stood there thinking, Yuuki’s grandfather smiled kindly and spoke.

"Since we’re already here, why don’t we grab something to eat before heading home? You must be tired after using so much energy, right?"

When I looked at him, he stared back at me with a gentle smile.

"There’s a good yakiniku place nearby."

Honestly, I felt like declining.

I was already physically and mentally exhausted. Even if my wounds healed quickly, getting hurt still wasn’t pleasant.

And during the healing process, it felt like my body was using up a ton of energy, so I was often especially tired on days when I’d sustained major injuries. Yesterday was no exception.

But... if it’s meat, that’s a different story.

If I used up energy, I needed to replenish it, right? The grandfather was right. According to the second law of thermodynamics, the energy I used wouldn’t just regenerate on its own.

When I nodded, the grandfather smiled and led me to the car.

Yuuki looked at me, her eyes glimmering, but she seemed unsure whether she should feel sorry for me or just be baffled.

"Maybe you could use one of the empty rooms at our place…."

Hearing Yuuki mumble that made me shudder a little.

No, I’m not a stray cat. You can’t just take me in and raise me like that.

Though depending on the meals, I might be a little tempted.

*

"Oh, that stalker from before."

Yuuki closed her eyes as she spoke.

She seemed to think that because of what Kagami had said about ‘letting a man in,’ something else had happened in the meantime.

Or maybe she had some other thought. My situation was bad enough that it could have led to many assumptions.

"Did you see him again after that?"

I didn’t actually know what had happened to him. No matter how ruthless Kagami might be, I doubted she would’ve gone as far as killing someone. If the stalker had been an ordinary office worker living a normal life, the repercussions of killing him would have been much worse.

"He hasn’t shown up since."

I shook my head.

"……."

Yuuki quietly watched me chewing on my food for a while before speaking.

"…So, back then, your mother also…."

"Yeah, it was like that."

"And you think that was your fault?"

"……."

Well.

After what I said earlier, I couldn’t exactly deny it.

So, I chose to continue eating in silence. The meat was delicious. How long had it been since I had grilled meat?

"How do you manage your living expenses?"

Yuuki asked.

"How do you make money?"

Her expression was serious.

Why? I just work part-time. Isn’t that how most people would think?

……

No.

Upon reflection, I realized that in light novels from this period, it wasn’t uncommon to see characters with oddly extreme backstories. And even in real life, if someone who lived alone without their parents said they were ‘earning money,’ people might think something strange was going on.

"I work part-time at a cafe."

So, I gave a clear answer.

"…I see."

Yuuki still seemed somewhat suspicious, but she didn’t ask any more questions.

"Alright, alright."

Her grandfather said.

"Now that we’re here, let’s just enjoy the meal. I’m sure Kurosawa needs some rest too."

"…Yes, grandfather."

Yuuki replied.

Only then did she put the meat she’d been holding into her mouth. I’m glad she didn’t forget.

*

Fortunately, Yuuki didn’t follow me home.

Yuuki was still a sensible person. Even in the novel, she didn’t act like a yandere, obsessively following the protagonist around.

She was full of worries and emotions, sure, but she always stayed within the bounds of reason.

Still, the things she muttered to herself were a bit concerning.

I was really grateful that Yuuki’s family gave me a ride home.

For people who lived all the way in Ota Ward, which was on the southernmost edge of Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture was completely out of the way. But they didn’t seem to mind and dropped me off at my place without any complaints, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

They were truly kind people. They really were just like the protagonist and his family.

"If anything happens, contact me right away."

Yuuki said, leaning out of the car window with a serious expression.

"I mean it. If it’s something I can help with, I definitely will."

"…Okay."

"I’m serious."

She looked at me so intently that she almost seemed angry.

I nodded my head repeatedly.

Yuuki, still serious, nodded back and got into the car.

"Come visit us again sometime."

Her father, sitting in the driver’s seat, smiled warmly.

"Thank you."

I bowed my head, and Yuuki’s grandfather waved goodbye.

The large car, which looked at least five years old, but had been well-maintained, drove away smoothly with a soft engine hum.

I stood there watching until it turned the corner and disappeared from sight before going into the house.

"…This place is still as shabby as ever."

I muttered to myself.

But somehow, it made me feel a bit more at ease.

After all, this house had a cozy bed, a TV, a game console, a rice cooker, and a fridge.

A home where I could truly relax. It had that kind of atmosphere. Since I lived alone, there was no one to clash with either.

There was still some time left before the day ended.

I wondered what to do, then decided to just lay out my futon and go to bed.

Yeah, let’s just sleep for today.

With everything that had happened all at once, I wasn’t sure I could concentrate on anything else.

The moment I slipped under the light summer blanket and closed my eyes, I immediately fell into a deep sleep.

*

Bzzz.

I woke up the next day, almost at noon.

It wasn’t the sunlight or anything like that which woke me. It was the noise.

The phone I had carelessly tossed beside my pillow last night was ringing loudly.

I shoved the blanket aside and sat up, realizing that I had fallen asleep in my sailor uniform from yesterday.

Even as I rubbed my eyes, the phone didn’t stop ringing.

I blinked a few times to clear my vision and looked at the name on the screen.

[Yamashita Yuu]

I wasn’t the kind of person who gave my friends cutesy nicknames in my phone, and I had registered this contact almost immediately after meeting Miura. That’s when I also saved Fukuda’s and Yamashita’s numbers.

Normally, emails would be enough for simple communication, but calling like this…

I had a bad feeling.

Not that I thought something strange had happened to Yamashita. If something like that had happened, she would’ve contacted Fukuda or Miura instead of me. By now, they both knew the general truth of what had occurred.

The only reason she’d call me was if there was something only I could handle.

Bzzz.

…But ignoring the call wouldn’t do any good either.

Might as well answer it.

"…Hello?"

As soon as I put the phone to my ear, I heard someone take a small breath on the other end.

The person on the other end hesitated for a moment before speaking.

[…Kurosawa?]

It was Yamashita.

"Yeah."

After a brief silence, she finally spoke.

[Could you let me stay at your place for a few days?]

"……."

I pressed my fingers to my forehead.

Of course, it was something like that.

It’s not unusual for someone in their mid-twenties or older to live alone. If someone told me they owned their own place, I might look at them a bit differently, but living alone and paying rent isn’t that rare.

It’s different for teenagers, though.

When people hear that a teenager is ‘living alone,’ they tend to look at them with a strange sense of admiration.

It’s the time in life when independence and self-reliance start to grow, so the idea of living freely without parental interference must sound thrilling. You can have friends over whenever you want, stay up late watching movies or playing games, and no one would care.

Of course, living alone is harder than it seems, but people won’t know that unless they’ve experienced it themselves.

"…Why?"

[…….]

There was a pause before Yamashita answered.

[I have nowhere else to go.]

……

I hesitated.

But I didn’t have the persuasive power to send her back home. If I refused, she’d probably take it as me ‘not wanting her around.’

Though it might be for different reasons, based on her attitude yesterday, it seemed like Yamashita didn’t like her father very much either. Maybe he was a strict, old-fashioned man at home. I couldn’t just tell her to go back without knowing her situation.

…When you think about what happens to runaway teenagers, there’s really no positive outcome.

I sighed and finally spoke.

"…Alright."

I heard Yamashita take a sharp breath over the phone.

[...Really?]

"…But don’t get your hopes up."

[As long as I can sleep somewhere, that’s fine.]

Yamashita’s voice sounded a little tired. Maybe she had run away last night and spent the whole night outside somewhere.

But where?

I only learned this after coming here, but Tokyo has a curfew for minors. It’s not just a suggestion; it’s enforced by local ordinances. When I visited Japan before, I was an adult, so I didn’t have to worry about that.

In Korea, minors aren’t allowed to stay at places like public baths or internet cafes at night either. That doesn’t mean there aren’t runaway teens in Korea or Japan, though...

I started to feel uneasy and quickly shook off those thoughts.

[Where should I go?]

"Omiya Station."

I answered as I got up.

[Got it.]

Yamashita replied.

*

I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved, but Yamashita didn’t seem to be in too bad of a state when I met her.

Her clothes were all in order, and she didn’t look much different from the last time I’d seen her. She was even wearing her school uniform.

But she did look incredibly tired. She was carrying a stuffed bag, though it didn’t seem like there was enough inside to weigh it down too much.

"How did you spend the night?"

"…I went from one convenience store to another. And then to a family restaurant."

"…Ah."

So she hadn’t slept at all.

Did she manage to avoid running into the police? Well, maybe she’d been hiding. Even 20 years from now, kids like the ‘Toyoko Kids’ were still openly sleeping on the streets. It’s hard to catch every runaway in a big city like this. I guess the unlucky ones are the ones who get caught.

"It’s about a 30-minute walk."

"……."

Yamashita silently looked at me when I said that.

There’s no helping it.

I hadn’t taken the bus since I got here. Part of it was to save money, but unlike the subway, which had detailed maps, it was hard to figure out bus routes. If I had a computer at home, maybe I could’ve worked it out.

"Okay."

Yamashita must have realized I was serious because she eventually nodded.

It was one of the rare sunny days. Fortunately, we didn’t have to worry about getting soaked by the rain on our 30-minute walk.

But it was still hot, and by the time we got to my place, both of our backs were drenched in sweat.

"…This is the place."

Yamashita stared blankly at the apartment I pointed to for a while.

She might’ve been thinking that the entire floor of this apartment building was smaller than her own home. After all, she lived in Minato Ward, and her father was a yakuza boss.

In a light novel, the yakuza would probably live in a large, traditional Japanese-style mansion. I wouldn’t be surprised if her father wore a hakama inside that mansion.

"Let’s go up."

I said, leading the way, and Yamashita quietly followed behind.

Thankfully, Yamashita had to take some time to get to Saitama Prefecture, so I had managed to clean up the place a bit before leaving to meet her.

At least it looked more like a livable home than when Ms. Suzuki came over.

Yamashita still seemed a little shocked, though.

"You can use the bathroom if you want."

"Ah, okay."

It was kind of amusing to see Yamashita so flustered.

"…Hey."

She poked her head out of the bathroom and asked.

"Can I use the bathtub?"

I was impressed that she even recognized it as a bathtub.

It was a square one, so you’d have to sit cross-legged inside, but I still used it from time to time. It wasn’t bad for relaxing when I felt tired.

When I nodded, Yamashita closed the bathroom door, looking like she had a lot on her mind.

…Good.

At least I didn’t have to worry about feeding her. All I had at home were cheap cup noodles, rice, some koppe pan I had bought in advance, bean sprouts, and just enough sauces to make them taste decent.

And since she spent the night at convenience stores and a family restaurant, she probably didn’t stay at any one place for long. I had no idea what she was wearing at the time, but Yamashita had a pretty noticeable ‘high school girl’ vibe. If she stayed too long, the staff might’ve realized she was a runaway and called the police.

To avoid drawing attention, it’d be best to buy something and take her time eating it.

It’s not like she wouldn’t have brought any money with her, so I’m sure she ate plenty.

With that thought in mind, I unfolded the futon I had put away earlier.

Mr. Yamashita would probably come to pick her up in a few days, so for now, I just had to make sure she ate well and got some rest. After all, she was someone’s precious daughter.

……

But what should I do while she’s sleeping?

Chapter 36. What It Means to Like Someone (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

While Yamashita was washing up, I seriously debated calling Yuuki.

Of course, I’d already spent the night in the same room with a high school girl twice before.

There was a time when Yuuki took me to her house and I stayed overnight, and another time when Yuuki came over and spent the night with me after I almost had a major incident with a stalker.

But back then, Yuuki was the one protecting me.

The reason I went to Yuuki’s house was because she mistakenly thought a yokai had attached itself to me after I summoned Kokkuri-san with Kaneko and accidentally called in a foreign spirit… and after that, well, she stayed with me because she was worried I’d be anxious.

But in Yamashita’s case, I’m the one protecting her.

So, while I fiddled with my phone, I seriously debated what to do until Yamashita came out.

It took quite a long time for Yamashita to finish washing up.

In fact, I never took that long to bathe in this world.

Though I did make frequent use of the bathtub since I had one, I never took more than an hour, even if I showered, filled the tub, soaked, got out to scrub myself, and repeated the process. Even considering that my hair was much longer than when I was a guy, it didn’t take that long.

But Yamashita seemed to have washed for almost an hour and a half.

Maybe she was used to soaking for a long time because her house had a large bathtub, or maybe she was just too tired and ended up staying in there for a long time. Or perhaps women simply take longer to bathe. Not that I’d know, having never lived with one.

Yuuki had bathed while staying with me, but I had no idea how long it took her because I was chatting with her grandfather while she washed. And when Yuuki stayed at my place, I was too distracted to notice.

I started pacing around the room, wondering if I should knock when the sound of water stopped but nothing else could be heard for a while.

I mean, she looked exhausted, like she’d fall asleep as soon as she hit the bed. Now that I think about it, it was probably dangerous for her to go into the bathroom in that state.

A friend of mine once nearly drowned after getting into the bathtub while drunk. What’s to say Yamashita wouldn’t do the same?

But I suppose it was a good thing I didn’t knock.

As for whether it was a good idea not to call Yuuki, I wasn’t sure yet.

“…I made good use of it.”

“...Yeah.”

It seemed like Yamashita had come to her senses a bit after washing up. Drying her hair, she blankly looked around my room again.

She seemed to have a lot on her mind, trying to figure out how to say something without upsetting me.

Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if she just said it was crappy.

If it were a house I’d worked really hard to buy, I’d feel bad if someone said that. But I’d been living here since the moment I woke up in this world.

“Are you sleepy?”

I asked as I pointed to the futon spread out on the floor.

Yamashita finally seemed to realize how recklessly she had come here.

“…Sorry.”

Hearing her timid apology, I shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

Honestly, I’d rather she just went to sleep. Sitting face-to-face and chatting would probably make things even more awkward.

Yamashita must have thought the same because she quickly dried her hair with a towel and then picked up the hair dryer to finish the job. Meanwhile, I sat against the opposite wall, hugging my knees.

I really don’t know what to do.

If I were with a friend, we’d chat about all sorts of things. If it were family, I wouldn’t care and just watch TV.

But with her, ignoring her and doing something on my own felt unnatural, and striking up a conversation didn’t feel right either, as we weren’t close enough for that.

If I were to ask something, the first thing that came to mind was, “Why?”

I mean, I already knew why she came to my place. There probably wasn’t anyone else she could rely on.

Though Fukuda and Miura were her close friends, their families were probably too well-acquainted for her to stay over there.

Basically, if the house had parents, it was out of the question. The issue wasn’t about contacting Yamashita’s parents but whether or not another family could accommodate someone else’s child overnight.

Yamashita, now done drying her hair, glanced at me.

I pointed to the futon and said, “You can sleep.”

“…What about you?”

“It’s still daytime.”

“….”

At my answer, Yamashita finally nodded and hesitantly crawled under the covers.

She’d at least packed clothes in her bag: a slightly oversized white T-shirt and sports shorts.

Comfortably dressed, she quickly fell asleep, soon breathing softly and steadily.

“Phew.”

Only then did I feel a little relieved, letting my body relax against the wall.

….

She looked a bit cold when expressionless, but now that she was asleep, she seemed incredibly calm. Well, she’s usually calm unless provoked.

Scratching my head, I thought it was a good thing I didn’t call Yuuki right away.

Why exactly, I couldn’t pinpoint.

*

No matter how tired a person is, it's hard to sleep all day after falling asleep in the afternoon. Especially if there are no curtains in the room. The sunlight streaming in from outside would make it difficult.

But even then, if they’re tired enough, they can sleep for a few hours. Anywhere from one to two hours, up to three or four hours at the longest.

Not wanting to waste the time, I busied myself with some tasks—something I don’t usually do on weekends.

First, I had to feed Yamashita when she woke up. Even if she’d had breakfast and lunch, I’d have to feed her dinner.

Maybe even breakfast tomorrow morning.

Though I was a little worried about leaving Yamashita alone while she slept, apart from the stalker who had been following me, I hadn’t encountered any crimes in this house. There was no risk of a sudden burglary. It was still broad daylight.

Just to be sure, I locked the door securely and headed to the nearest supermarket.

“….”

After some deliberation, I decided to buy something easy like instant curry.

And a few cup noodles.

I wasn’t sure if Yamashita would be satisfied with that, but if not, we could always go out for a burger later.

Honestly, I was glad I had a part-time job. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to handle this situation so calmly.

After completing my simple shopping trip, I returned home in less than an hour.

Scratching my head, I cautiously turned on the TV.

I muted it and picked up the game controller.

Well…

I couldn’t just sit here doing nothing.

With an RPG, the game wasn’t unplayable just because I couldn’t hear the music.

On a rare, peaceful day off, is it normal for things to get this chaotic?

I thought to myself as I loaded up my saved game.

*

Three hours later.

As I lay sprawled on the floor playing my game, I heard a rustling sound from behind me, and I quickly sat up.

Saving my game, I turned off the console.

“Awake?”

Looking at Yamashita, who was sitting up with a dazed expression, I asked. She nodded.

Her hair was sticking up to the side. It looked like she hadn’t dried it properly after washing, leaving it wild like a pair of horns.

I considered whether to tell her or not but decided against it.

A glance at the clock told me it was just past 5 PM.

“...Want to eat?”

Yamashita looked at me blankly for a moment, then nodded.

I stood up.

Well, the rice was already cooking. I just needed to heat the curry.

I headed to the kitchen, set a pot of water to boil, and came back to unfold the table.

Yamashita’s gaze followed me.

She fidgeted slightly, as if she was trying to get up, but she seemed unsure of what to do.

Has she ever set a table by herself? Does her house have servants?

In my mind, Yamashita’s house was already a massive mansion, so I found it hard to imagine her doing anything herself aside from light cleaning.

I went back to the kitchen, pulled out some bowls, and tossed the curry into the water. The water was only starting to bubble a little, but since this wasn’t ramen, it just needed to be warmed up. The rice was warm too, so it should be fine.

As I took out the bowls, I hesitated for a moment.

…Come to think of it, in Japan, do people just scoop up the curry, or do they mix it separately?

So when you order curry rice at a Japanese place, it comes out on a flat plate…

“...”

Ah, whatever.

Since I only had rice bowls, I’d just use those.

I returned to the room, dished out the rice, and went back to the kitchen, where I immediately regretted leaving the rice cooker in my room. But what could I do? I couldn’t unplug it now.

If I moved it to the kitchen, it’d be inconvenient the next time I used it. I’d just have to deal with the occasional inconvenience.

“Um…”

Yamashita hesitantly came out to the kitchen and spoke up. She probably felt guilty seeing me running around by myself.

Her face held a hesitant expression that was rare to see.

“I’m—”

Fine, just sit.

I was about to say that but closed my mouth.

Maybe it’d be better if Yamashita could at least feel like she was helping out a little?

Otherwise, she might just feel even guiltier.

“…Then, could you get the utensils and set the table?”

When I said that, Yamashita opened the drawer and asked,

“These?”

I nodded.

Yamashita awkwardly picked up a wooden spoon and chopsticks and took them back to the room.

I could hear the clatter as she set the utensils on the table.

Listening to that, I used the tongs to fish out the curry packet from the boiling water, wrapped it in a towel, and cut the top open with scissors.

Then, I poured it over the rice in the bowls.

‘Good thing I bought bigger bowls,’ I thought as I filled them up.

Steam rose from both bowls, showing that the curry had heated up well.

I turned off the stove and placed the pot in the sink.

“Can you grab one of the bowls?”

I said to Yamashita, who had just finished setting the table. She nodded and picked up her bowl.

She carried it back to the room in a hurry, trying not to drop the hot bowl.

…Now that I think about it, do we really need chopsticks—ah.

“…If you’re still hungry, I’ve got some cup noodles too.”

“…Okay.”

Yamashita answered a little awkwardly.

Was she feeling guilty?

I would’ve felt the same. It’s bad enough staying at a friend’s house without notice, but if that friend wasn’t doing too well financially…

And on top of that, getting fed.

Yamashita kept glancing at me nervously but finally picked up her spoon.

I sat down at the table, crawled across the floor a little to grab the remote, and turned off the TV’s mute.

Then I flipped through the channels.

I landed on something that didn’t matter whether I watched it or not. On the screen, celebrities and comedians were sitting around talking about a newly released movie.

Unless it was an anime, I wasn’t really interested in Japanese movies from this time, so I left it as background noise and picked up my spoon… then paused.

I clasped my hands together.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“…Thank you for the meal.”

To be honest, I don’t normally do this. It’s not a habit, and doing it alone feels kind of empty.

But, well, since there’s someone sitting with me…

I don’t think we did this when we ate burgers last time.

I took a spoonful and popped it into my mouth, and…

“It’s good.”

It was delicious.

I usually don’t care much for instant curry, but maybe because it’d been so long, it tasted pretty good. Or maybe I’d toughened up after eating even worse things lately.

“…Don’t you usually eat this?”

Yamashita asked.

“...”

I thought for a moment before deciding to answer honestly.

“I usually eat bean sprouts.”

“….”

Yamashita had a look that could only be described as stunned.

“…I’ll pay you back someday.”

“It’s fine.”

I simply said and continued eating.

Yeah, maybe it’s better to just buy pre-made food like this than to try cooking myself. I’m making money, after all.

…As I thought about such trivial things, I finished off my curry. Yamashita did too. Was she really that hungry?

Given that she ordered a large meal set last time, I had cup noodles ready just in case. But thankfully, Yamashita didn’t mention being hungry anymore.

I guess I’ll save the cup noodles for later.

“I’ll do the dishes.”

“…Do you know how?”

When Yamashita offered to wash the dishes, I looked at her seriously and asked. Yamashita couldn’t bring herself to answer.

Figured.

Rich people usually have someone to do that. Or maybe they have a dishwasher?

I could imagine meals at her house being served formally… or maybe that’s more like an inn? Anyway.

We washed the dishes together. There were only the pot, rice cooker, and two bowls, so I could’ve done it by myself.

Afterward, we sat side by side, pulling the blanket up to our knees, watching TV.

“…Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Hm?”

“Why I came all the way here.”

“….”

I thought for a moment before replying.

“I didn’t think I needed to.”

After saying that, I quickly added more, worried that she might misunderstand.

“Stay as long as you need.”

I didn’t think Yamashita would settle down here permanently. Besides, the house wasn’t exactly in the best condition.

I wasn’t even sure how we’d sleep tonight. I did have one thick winter blanket, but it didn’t seem right for this weather.

Though, honestly, before I got the blanket, I’d been sleeping haphazardly on the floor anyway.

“….”

Yamashita didn’t say anything for a while, just hugging her knees.

“…Yesterday, that woman said she was coming into the house.”

Hmm.

I wasn’t really planning to listen, but after hearing that, I couldn’t help but pay attention.

Even so, turning off the TV or lowering the volume seemed a bit extreme, so I simply listened quietly.

“…So… I just left without thinking. But then I had nowhere to go…”

Yeah, I get that.

If the woman your dad had an affair with was coming into the house, I’d want to get out too. No matter how big the house, you’d still run into her.

“…I see.”

That was all I said.

There was silence for a while.

“…I work part-time.”

At my words, Yamashita looked over at me.

“From Thursday to Sunday. I usually get home late at night.”

I calmly continued.

“From Thursday to Sunday, you might have to be here alone. Will that be okay?”

“…Usually, people would tell me to leave, wouldn’t they?”

“I get the gist of your situation.”

“….”

Fukuda’s family didn’t seem completely normal either, but at least her father appeared to just simply be someone without a wife. Fukuda only freaked out at her dad’s jokes; she didn’t seem to view him with disgust.

Miura’s family was probably just an average household.

I could understand why Yamashita was confiding in me. If she told her other friends, they would likely try to find or offer solutions.

And people going through tough times don’t always want solutions.

Sometimes, they just want someone to understand and accept their situation. They know that most solutions being offered are things they can’t actually do.

It’s like when employees vent about their bosses. Except this situation was far more serious.

“…You’re strange.”

Yamashita said.

“And… a little amazing.”

Well.

I’ve lived more than 10 years longer than you, after all.

Not that it means I’ve become a perfect person.

We both sat in silence for a while, listening to the conversations coming from the TV.

Then—

Knock, knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

“….”

Yamashita looked slightly startled. Her eyes turned to me, filled with curiosity.

Was she thinking it was Kagami?

Well, if I had to guess, it would either be Kagami or Ms. Suzuki. Or maybe Yuuki.

But considering someone came unannounced at this hour, it was probably Kagami.

“I’ll go check.”

I said, getting up.

Yamashita had a worried look, as if unsure whether to stop me or not. To someone seeing this place for the first time, it probably seemed unsafe.

In my personal opinion, it wasn’t that the neighborhood was bad, just that I was unlucky. The surrounding area was no different from other residential neighborhoods. The police even showed up right after I screamed.

Though, given my luck, maybe it’s a bad guy this time too.

I put on the chain lock and opened the door slightly.

Standing on the other side was…

A woman I didn’t know.

She was quite beautiful. She might’ve been around Yamashita’s height? She was dressed neatly in a blouse and a flowy skirt, with a light cardigan over it.

She gave off the vibe of the typical “pure” woman often seen in Japanese manga—but…

Somehow, I felt like I knew who she was.

“…Are you Ms. Kurosawa?”

“…Yes.”

“My name is Mori Miho.”

“...”

“I’m… Yamashita’s partner.”

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

“Is Yuu here by any chance?”

“...”

I kept my mouth shut. She had run away from this woman, so bringing her inside felt wrong.

While I hesitated, unable to answer immediately, the woman seemed to realize Yamashita was inside.

“Oh, excuse me.”

She suddenly knelt on the ground, causing me to involuntarily raise my voice in surprise.

But Mori immediately placed both hands on the ground.

It was a dogeza.

“I know it’s a nuisance to come without notice at this hour. But please… please, could you give me a chance to talk with Yuu? I’m begging you.”

Uh…

This wasn’t how I pictured it at all.

Yamashita had been surprising enough, but Mori Miho was even more shocking, in many ways. Judging by her appearance alone, she didn’t seem like the type to be involved in such things…

“...”

I glanced behind me.

Yamashita was standing nearby. She was still dressed in the white T-shirt and sports shorts.

After some thought, Yamashita looked at me and nodded.

…Is she thinking this is another nuisance?

I took a deep breath, closed the door, and undid the chain.

Then, I opened it again.

“…I’ll step out.”

“…Okay.”

Yamashita nodded.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Mori repeatedly bowed to me in gratitude as she cautiously entered the room.

I watched the door softly close, then stepped out to the balcony and looked down.

A car with the engine still running was parked below.

Leaning against the driver’s side door, wearing a white suit, was Mr. Yamashita.

With a cigarette in his mouth, he lit a lighter but then noticed me and raised a hand slightly.

I went down the stairs.

“My daughter seems to have troubled you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

As I stared at his cigarette pack, Mr. Yamashita noticed and put the cigarette back in the pack.

You didn’t have to put it out.

I almost felt like asking for one myself. I used to smoke pretty often before I got a job, and recently, the urge had been creeping back up.

Maybe it’s because of this situation.

“How’s Yuu… doing?”

“She’s fine. She ate.”

“….”

Mr. Yamashita scratched his head.

“I found this place by asking Kagami.”

“…I figured.”

That made sense.

Mr. Yamashita glanced up at my apartment.

The walls and doors were thin, so if they started shouting inside, you could probably hear it from here. But for now, it seemed like they were having a calm conversation.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“….”

I am, of course.

“But Yamashita hasn’t told me anything.”

“...I see…”

Mr. Yamashita looked a little embarrassed.

“Not to make excuses, but Yuu’s mother left us several years ago.”

“….”

“Miho… she was someone I’d been helping out for a while. Her father was a friend of mine. She wasn’t that much older than Yuu, so I kind of took her under my wing…”

Hmm. I can imagine where this is going.

Still, isn’t this pretty much stealing? If I were that ‘friend,’ I’d be rolling in my grave.

“Yuu… she probably thinks her mother left because of Miho.”

The timing alone would have been enough to justify that suspicion.

“When Miho confessed to me, I honestly didn’t know what to do. But Miho was… much more assertive than I expected, and before I knew it, this happened, even though she hasn’t even graduated from college yet.”

“….”

Hmm…

When I heard this from Yamashita, it was more intriguing. But hearing the full story like this feels different.

It’s like I’ve stumbled upon something I shouldn’t have.

In other words, it’s an emotionally messy yet technically legal family conflict.

“What do you think?”

“Excuse me?”

“How would you feel if Ms. Kagami brought another man into your home… How do you think you’d react?”

“...”

I probably wouldn’t feel much.

“I don’t think it would bother me.”

I answered as plainly as I could.

Mr. Yamashita looked a little startled.

“…I’m already estranged from my mother.”

“…I see.”

Mr. Yamashita seemed to realize then that his question had been inappropriate.

But unlike when Yuuki or Miura heard my story, he didn’t react dramatically. Maybe it’s because of his line of work. He’s probably seen plenty of cases like mine, or even worse.

“I apologize. That was out of line.”

“…I think the reason Yamashita is angry with you is because she still has feelings for you.”

“….”

Mr. Yamashita turned to me in surprise.

“If she liked Miho, and then felt betrayed, it would only make her feel worse.”

I continued speaking as he listened.

“If you don’t face her and talk it out directly, communication will be meaningless.”

Mr. Yamashita thought for a moment, then nodded.

“I see…”

I didn’t think Mr. Yamashita had treated Yamashita badly.

But that doesn’t mean he’d treated her well either. That’s just how families are.

And when you add in a ‘special’ situation, the already strained relationships get tied so tightly that the blood can’t even flow.

In the end, the only solution is to cut it off.

Mr. Yamashita watched me quietly.

Did he ask me that question because I was Kagami’s daughter? At first glance, it seemed like he was just asking another girl in a similar situation, but maybe that wasn’t all.

Maybe there was some religious context.

Click.

The door opened.

Yamashita and Ms. Miho were coming out of my apartment.

Even from here, I could see that both their eyes were slightly red. Had they been sitting together and crying?

Maybe Miho had been like an older sister to Yamashita.

If that were the case, it’s no wonder they fought like this.

The two of them walked down the stairs side by side and stood before Mr. Yamashita and me.

“…Yuu.”

“…Dad.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mr. Yamashita bowed his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“...”

Yamashita held one arm with her other hand, lowering her head to avoid looking at him.

“…I still don’t understand…”

“I don’t expect you to in just one day.”

“I feel the same, Yuu.”

Yamashita remained silent for a while.

I was the one who broke that silence.

“You can stay here a few more days if you want.”

All three of them looked at me in surprise at the same time.

“But on the condition that you eventually go home.”

“….”

Yamashita looked at me, then at her father… and Ms. Miho.

“Feelings can’t be controlled. Especially when it comes to love.”

It was something I said for all three of them.

Yamashita finally nodded.

Ms. Miho sighed in relief, and Mr. Yamashita did the same.

“I see. Sorry for the trouble.”

“…can this place handle one more person.”

Mr. Yamashita looked up at my house with a somewhat complicated expression.

Then he pulled out his wallet. Taking out a few bills, he handed them to Yamashita.

“Pay her back properly while you’re staying here.”

“...Come on, seriously?”

Yamashita grumbled, but Mr. Yamashita held her hand firmly.

In the end, Yamashita accepted the money.

Mr. Yamashita gave me a slight bow. Ms. Miho also bent deeply in thanks.

“Please take care of Yuu.”

Their words made me feel a little burdened.

The two of them lingered, glancing at Yamashita, before finally getting into the car.

We both stood there, watching the car disappear down the road. Once it was gone, Yamashita finally said,

“…Thank you.”

“...”

I glanced at her, then started walking.

Not toward the house, but outside the apartment.

“Kurosawa?”

“…Let’s go buy a blanket.”

“…Ah.”

Yamashita quickly caught up behind me.

And… maybe we should buy some real food while we’re at it.

I let out a small sigh.

Chapter 37. Solitude (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Ikeda stood behind Kaneko, sticking her head out slightly to the side.

Her eyes were narrowed as she watched this way, looking very cautious.

For some reason, it reminded me of a wary cat, which was a little cute, but since she was serious, I couldn’t just laugh.

"...Who?"

Ikeda asked in a voice filled with extreme suspicion.

Wasn't she the one who was so excited earlier, overhearing about the new member coming?

She even fought with Kaneko over it.

Why the sudden change in attitude?

I glanced at Yamashita standing beside me.

Her face was as expressionless as usual, hiding any emotion beneath. Yamashita, despite her appearance, was more sensitive than she let on.

Her face was pale, though lightly made-up, not too heavy.

Of course, in Ikeda’s eyes, who seemed like the plain literary type and didn't wear makeup, even this light makeup might come across as a delinquent’s trademark.

...Delinquent.

Is that a term they use in Japan too? In Japan, they called them "Yankees," right?

I don't know how this would be viewed 20 years from now, but at least by today’s standards, it seems to be the right term.

Anyway, Yamashita, when described like this, doesn’t show many signs of being a "delinquent" or "Yankee."

She’s pretty, slightly interested in her appearance, has nice hair, a good figure, and while her skirt is a little short, this is a light novel world, after all. All in all, you’d think, "Is she really that type?"

But when you look at her overall, there’s something about Yamashita Yuu...like she’s part of the top social tier in the school, as they'd say in Japan.

Although, if you really think about it, she doesn't seem to be at the very top. Miura’s group might have had a lot of friends, but they were more the type who hung out with their own crowd.

Well, anyway.

I thought the contrast and emphasis might be due to Fukuda and Miura, the center of that group, but it didn’t seem that way through Ikeda’s eyes.

"This is my classmate..."

As I looked up at Yamashita while saying that,

"...Yamashita Yuu."

Yamashita said her name.

Yes, she just said her name. It wasn’t a proper introduction.

I wonder how she was at the start of the semester? Usually, teachers have each student introduce themselves on the first day of school, right? Well, this isn’t my home country, so it’s not like "the rule I know," but it's a classic scene in school-based light novels and manga.

Did she just say "Yamashita Yuu" and sit down back then too?

...Come to think of it, there's not much teachers can do if she did that.

"She’s a classmate."

"A friend of Kuu-chan?"

Kaneko asked.

"...Kuu-chan?"

"Oh, a nickname I gave her."

Kaneko smiled as Yamashita murmured.

"..."

Leaving the briefly speechless Yamashita alone, Kaneko grabbed Ikeda from behind and forcibly pulled her in front.

"Come on, Izumi. She greeted you, so as the president of the Literature Club, you should greet her back. You always say the more members, the better, right?"

"Ah, wait, Kaoru! Now that the club is safe from being disbanded, we don’t need new members!"

"Oh, no. If you keep getting new members, the Literature Club will continue even after you graduate, right? As president, you should be happy!"

Kaneko seemed very pleased to tease Ikeda.

...But why does she call her by her first name? With Kaneko's habit of giving nicknames, shouldn’t it be "Ikki-chan"?

With her shoulders tightly held from behind, Ikeda, who was pushed forward, nervously looked at Yamashita and then placed her hands on her hips.

"Y-yeah, I’m the president of the Literature Club!"

"..."

Yamashita glanced at me as if to ask, "So what?"

Hmm... yeah, you two don’t really match. Of course, she doesn’t really match with me either.

"Uh, so, well..."

Ikeda’s eyes darted around.

"...A-are you here to join?"

"No."

"I-I see."

Ikeda's face turned bright red, and she quickly hid behind Kaneko again.

"...So, you're Yamashita-san."

Kaneko said, looking at Yamashita.

"What brings you here?"

Since there didn’t seem to be a reason for me to just stand around, I sat in my usual spot.

I picked up a dorayaki and held it in my hand.

"Well..."

Yamashita looked at me again.

After a brief hesitation, I handed the dorayaki to her.

Yamashita, slightly flustered, took the dorayaki I offered.

"Oh, right, let’s sit down."

Kaneko said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Ikeda followed suit, though she sat on Kaneko’s side, which was unusual.

Yamashita, too, sat down beside me, following Kaneko and Ikeda.

Seeing me calmly unwrapping the dorayaki, Yamashita hesitated for a moment before unwrapping hers as well.

She seemed unsure if it was okay to eat, but there was already someone in the Literature Club who wasn’t even a member but freely used the club’s food and supplies.

"So, may I ask why you brought a friend today?"

Looks like she hasn’t heard the rumors yet.

Well, that's fine. I hope she doesn’t hear them.

"Well..."

I hesitated briefly before answering.

Should I say it's because we're living together?

If I had to explain our shared living arrangement, I’d also have to explain why we skipped school this morning.

Normally, I’d have grabbed a koppe pan at the nearby convenience store, but I thought it might be awkward to buy the same bread for Yamashita. I couldn’t very well make her pay for her own food either... It just didn’t seem right.

Though I’m letting her stay with me, it’d feel weird if she ate something better than me while I was eating a cheap koppe pan.

Luckily, Yamashita said she doesn't usually eat breakfast. It didn’t seem like she was just saying that to be polite, either. Yamashita barely managed to open her eyes when she woke up this morning.

Well, to be fair, we got up much earlier than usual.

Though I didn’t ask, I have a feeling Miho-san usually woke her up.

After pushing her into the bathroom, I tidied up the futon, and once she came out, I took my turn in the bathroom.

At least it didn’t take her an hour to get dressed.

The reason we woke up early was to walk to the station.

Still half-asleep, we staggered our way to the station and squeezed onto a packed train to Tamachi Station. The only consolation was not having to change trains along the way.

For Yamashita, who had lived in Minato Ward all her life, it must’ve been an extremely long journey.

The fact that she didn’t say she wanted to go back after all of that must mean her resolve from when she ran away was stronger than I thought.

By the way, we didn’t have lunch together. I stuck to my usual routine of eating in the clubroom with Yuuki.

During lunch, Yamashita told Miura and Fukuda where she was staying.

"Please take care of Yuu."

Miura held my hand tightly as she said this.

She seemed to have a lot more she wanted to say, but she didn’t spill everything, just keeping it to herself.

At the same time, though, she had a somewhat relieved expression. Maybe she was glad that Yamashita had someone to stay with.

"Staying with a friend, huh~ Hmm..."

Fukuda seemed like she wanted to say something but closed her mouth and fell into thought. She had seemed excited about the idea of me living on my own, but after seeing Kagami, it was different.

Seeing someone who left to gain independence versus someone who escaped from their abusive parents—they're bound to see it differently.

Still, she couldn’t hide a hint of envy.

After all, Fukuda is still a teenage girl.

Well, that’s how it went.

For a while, Yamashita and I might continue going back and forth together. Today is just our first day living together, but come Wednesday, I’ll have to go to work.

"We're going home together."

I explained briefly, too lazy to go into all the details.

"Is that so?"

Kaneko shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t seem to detect any hidden meaning in my answer.

We fell into silence for a moment.

Yamashita and I nibbled on our dorayaki, while Ikeda glanced at Yamashita, pretending to read a book, and Kaneko rummaged through her bag.

"Oh, right!"

Suddenly, Kaneko clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something and smiled brightly at me before quickly closing her mouth.

Judging by her glance toward Yamashita, it seemed like it wasn’t something she could say in front of her.

It’s probably about the track team. Maybe the guys who beat us up didn’t come to school. For her, it’d be good news, but it wasn’t something to talk about in front of strangers.

Yamashita was involved too, and if Kaneko found out that those track and field seniors were trying to harass me, or that one of those seniors boyfriend had done something terrible to Yamashita, I wonder how she’d react.

...Given that Kaneko once beat up seniors for her juniors, I had a feeling something big might happen, so let’s avoid that conversation.

Luckily, Yamashita didn’t seem too interested. Yamashita's personality of not getting involved in other people's business unless they crossed the line turned out to be a blessing here.

"I’ll tell you later."

Kaneko whispered to me.

I gave a small nod.

Just as the usual Literature Club silence settled back in,

Creak.

The door opened, and this time, Yuuki entered.

She must have just finished cleaning up, arriving slightly later than usual. Yuuki was surprised to see Yamashita sitting next to me.

...Come to think of it, I never ended up calling Yuuki.

Naturally, Yuuki didn’t know that Yamashita had been staying at my house.

"Hello, Yamashita."

"Are you friends with Yuuki too?"

"…She’s from the next class."

Yuuki nodded at Kaneko’s question.

"I see."

Kaneko replied and then resumed digging through her bag until she pulled out a book.

It was an occult magazine.

...Didn’t she say she gave up on the Occult Club?

"Did you think I’d give up on investigating the occult?"

Seeing my curious expression, Kaneko said.

She raised her finger to me and spoke with conviction.

"The fact that there’s another world has been proven, right? So, of course, I need to investigate it!"

"..."

Upon hearing that, Yuuki, who couldn’t sit next to me and had to sit across from Kaneko, rubbed her forehead.

That’s right. Even if Kaneko doesn’t investigate it herself, there are families in this country that have a long history of fighting monsters for hundreds of years.

"Occult Club?"

Yamashita responded.

"Yep!"

Oh, wait a minute.

"We confirmed that there’s an underworld last time!"

I glanced at Yuuki.

Her mouth was slightly agape, indicating she thought we should stop Kaneko from saying anything more.

Ikeda was staring at Kaneko with a confused expression, while Yamashita was just watching Kaneko intently.

"We confirmed it with Kokkuri-san, didn’t we?"

"..."

Kaneko winked at me.

Was that her way of saying she'd keep the secret?

I immediately shifted my attention away from Kaneko and back to my dorayaki.

Yuuki let out a deep sigh, and Ikeda shook her head before focusing back on her book—well, pretending to read it, anyway. Yamashita seemed to lose interest quickly as well. Who’d take Kokkuri-san seriously, anyway?

"What, I’m being ignored!?"

Kaneko was outraged, but unfortunately, no one else showed any interest in the Occult Club that day.

* * *

After the strange, joint club activities at the Literature Club ended, we headed home.

As usual, Kaneko and Ikeda waved us off and went their way—

On the way back to the station, it was me, Yuuki, and Yamashita.

Hmm, I can't say it’s a usual combination. I've walked home with both of them separately, but normally, it's just Yuuki next to me, or I’m with Yamashita, Miura, and Fukuda.

"Um, so..."

Yuuki was the first to speak.

The rain was falling lightly, but not hard enough that someone farther away wouldn’t hear us through the sound of the raindrops on our umbrellas.

"Can I ask why you two are going home together?"

Yuuki asked cautiously.

Since she only brought it up after we arrived at the station, it seemed like she’d been mulling it over for a while.

"..."

I glanced at Yamashita. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded.

"Yamashita is staying at my place for a bit."

Yuuki’s jaw dropped.

"So, we're headed in the same direction."

"Uh, wait, hold on."

Yuuki said.

"So... why?"

"...It’s nothing you need to worry about."

Though, from Yamashita’s perspective, it was probably something to worry about. But for me, it wasn’t. It’s not like Yamashita was threatening me into letting her stay.

"Something happened."

Yuuki looked back and forth between me and Yamashita.

Then, with a firm expression, she asked,

"...Hey, Kurosawa."

I closed my eyes for a moment at Yuuki’s words.

I had a feeling I knew what was coming next.

"Can I come over to your place today?"

Yeah, I thought so.

In terms of time knowing each other, I’ve known Yamashita longer.

But in terms of how well we know each other, Yuuki and I are closer.

Of course, I happened to learn about Yamashita’s family situation on Sunday, but Yamashita’s father treats me differently than Yuuki’s grandfather.

While Yuuki’s grandfather treats me like a real granddaughter, Yamashita’s father was more businesslike. There was a sense that he felt pity for me, though.

Of course, Yuuki would’ve helped me even without being that close.

"...I’m not being bullied."

Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t very convincing.

Just two days ago, I had shown her how my "mom" abused me and said something bizarre like, "As long as I don’t mess up, I’ll be fine." It sounded like classic self-defense from someone who's been gaslit all their life.

Yuuki knew me, but she didn’t know Yamashita.

I looked at Yamashita.

Yamashita furrowed her brows slightly. Did she think Yuuki’s sudden interference was strange?

Or maybe she was upset that it was obvious she was being misunderstood.

"The furniture in my house... it came from Yuuki's place."

I said to Yamashita.

Yamashita looked at me in slight surprise, then at Yuuki again.

Yuuki puffed out her chest with pride.

"Yuuki, I’m sorry, but—"

I usually enjoyed it when Yuuki visited. There had never been a bad time when Yuuki or her family came over.

But still, the idea of having both Yamashita and Yuuki at the same house—

"Let’s have shabu-shabu for dinner tonight."

"..."

I stopped talking and fell silent.

"You’ll need a portable burner, right? Even if you only use it at home, it’s always good to have one. It’s surprisingly versatile. You can’t go out to eat every time you want meat, right?"

Yuuki smoothly continued as if she had already thought it all through.

"You can get meat from the local butcher, and the ingredients are pretty simple. I’ve helped prepare meals at home, too. What do you think? I’m sure both of you will be happy."

I looked at Yamashita.

It’s true, the only food we had at home was curry. I did buy a variety of flavors, but the cheaper ones, mostly. Even if I switched between them, we’d get tired of it quickly.

I’d been thinking I should look for some other ready-to-eat meals soon.

...But still.

Can I really invite one guest while suspecting the other?

"Alright."

Why not?

If it were someone else, maybe I’d hesitate, but this is Yuuki, offering to buy us meat. The least I can do is offer up the space.

As soon as I agreed so easily, Yamashita looked at me.

Well.

You’ll enjoy the meat too, right? Otherwise, we’d just be stuck eating curry and instant noodles on repeat every day.

I can bet Yamashita isn’t the type who can cook. When she was staying over on Sunday, it didn’t even seem like the thought of cooking crossed her mind.

"Are you staying over?"

"I’ll think about it."

"We probably don’t have enough bedding."

"We can think about it on the subway. It’s an hour’s ride, after all."

Yamashita looked at us, bewildered by how naturally we were chatting, but she didn’t object.

After all, she’s the one staying at my place for now.

Anyway, thanks to Yuuki, the walk home was a little more lively than the walk to school.

Chapter 38. Solitude (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I feel good when I see a plastic bag puffed up and full.

Usually, such a filled plastic bag contains plenty of things to eat.

It's not just because I haven’t been able to eat well lately.

Though I haven’t felt this way since becoming an adult, as a child, I often felt it when I went grocery shopping with my mom.

Following her around the store, I could pick out snacks or ice cream I wanted.

By looking at the ingredients going into the shopping cart, I could tell what we’d eat that day, and often seasonal fruits were included.

One shopping basket wasn’t enough, so we divided the groceries among several bags, and I carried one.

As a child, I only carried the lighter bags, but as I grew older and taller than my mom, I carried all of them.

After moving out, I couldn’t do that anymore, and eventually, I never did again.

Today, the one carrying the bags and making them rustle was Yuuki. She was taller than me, and for some reason, she treated me like I was a little kid, refusing to let me carry anything.

Yamashita was also carrying something.

She walked ahead, holding a newly bought portable burner and some gas, looking straight ahead without much expression.

Ah, right. We also bought a blanket.

"Wouldn't it be nice to have more blankets?"

…With Yuuki saying that, I had no choice but to nod.

If she said she’d even buy a blanket because she was going to stay over, what could I say?

Blankets cost more than you’d think. Considering the price of winter coats, it's hard for blankets to be cheap, especially winter ones stuffed with cotton.

Depending on the type, if it's made with natural cotton, it's not something you can just impulsively buy.

Most households have blankets as a given, so their value is often overlooked, but when you're living alone, they strangely feel expensive.

That’s why, for a while after I got here, I lived without a blanket.

…Well, truthfully, back then I wasn’t really motivated to live properly. It’s more accurate to say I just let things go.

In the end, Yuuki carried a bag filled with the blanket in one hand and a heavy plastic bag full of ingredients for dinner in the other.

Yamashita held a case with the portable burner in one hand and the fuel for it in the other.

I was the only one just holding my own things.

It felt… deeply uncomfortable.

I felt a noticeable age gap. It felt like I had made girls much younger than me carry everything.

But even when I tried to carry something, Yuuki and Yamashita stubbornly refused.

…Did I look like I'd collapse if I carried anything?

"By the way, Kurosawa."

"Yeah?"

As we climbed the gentle hill on the alleyway leading home, Yuuki spoke.

"Is there a bus from the station to your place?"

"…."

I paused for a moment and decided to tell the truth.

"I’m just trying to save every penny…."

"I see."

At Yuuki’s words, Yamashita glanced at me, but unlike Yuuki, she didn’t ask any more questions.

We continued walking silently back to my apartment.

The apartment, softly lit by the sunset, looked somewhat charming. Even though there were alleys here, it didn’t have the towering walls you’d see in the city.

This neighborhood was full of relatively short houses, after all.

If anything, my apartment was probably on the taller side.

"Want to shower first?"

Yuuki asked when we got back.

Yamashita and I exchanged glances.

…To be honest, there were days when I didn’t even bother to shower after coming home.

I usually came home late from work, already exhausted. I’d wash my face and hands, rinse my feet, change into pajamas, and then sleep on a hastily spread blanket.

Even on my days off, it wasn’t much different.

This was a habit I carried from living alone in my past life. Even as a high school girl, it hadn’t changed.

"Do you want to shower first, Kurosawa? We’ll prepare everything while you do."

"…."

I looked at both Yamashita and Yuuki.

Both of them were staring at me.

A silent pressure of "just go ahead" filled the room.

"…Okay."

I nodded.

Even though I was the homeowner, it seemed following the majority was less tiring.

Feeling a little strange, I grabbed some underwear and clothes from my drawer and headed to the bathroom.

---

"Alright."

Seeing Kurosawa Kotone enter the bathroom, Yuuki clapped her hands.

"Let’s get things ready while she’s showering."

At Yuuki’s suggestion, Yamashita reluctantly nodded.

"Do I just set up the table?"

Yuuki nodded and headed to the kitchen with the groceries.

The sound of running water came from behind the bathroom’s wooden door.

Yuuki listened to the sound while laying out the vegetables they bought and started lightly prepping them. After all, shabu-shabu required more than just meat and broth.

She filled a pot with water and turned on the stove.

From the room, the sound of something clattering could be heard.

It seemed Yamashita was setting up the portable burner on the table.

After that, there was a brief silence, followed by the sound of careful footsteps approaching the kitchen.

"…."

Yamashita hovered behind Yuuki, seemingly looking for something to help with.

"You can just wait."

Yuuki said, but after a moment of silence, Yamashita asked,

"Do you come here often?"

"Not that often, sometimes."

"…Since when?"

"…."

Yuuki paused briefly.

"How long have you known Kurosawa?"

"…."

Yamashita was silent for a moment.

"Since the beginning of the semester."

"I see. Then I’ve known her for less time than you. I transferred."

"Transferred?"

"I moved here in April. A bit of an odd time, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Yamashita made a faint sound, as if nodding, and Yuuki thought it must have been a nod.

"All those things…."

"Yeah, I brought them with my grandfather. They were just sitting in storage, so it’s good someone can use them."

"Why?"

Yuuki thought for a moment.

As the broth began to bubble, she spoke.

"I just… didn’t want to leave her alone. Like she might disappear any moment."

"…."

"Sometimes, there are people like that. They endure and hold out alone, but eventually, they just vanish. And after about a month, all traces of them being there are gone. No one remembers them."

"Kurosawa too?"

"No one really knows what could have happened. But from what I saw… she seemed like one of those people."

Yuuki gathered her thoughts and continued.

"Even after I got to know her, she still seemed like that. Maybe it’s selfish, you know? Like a guilty conscience or something. Knowing but not helping… makes you feel bad."

Yuuki turned around and looked at Yamashita.

Yamashita was standing still, silently watching her.

Her face showed no expression.

But Yuuki didn’t think that made her look inhuman. At least, she seemed more alive than monsters who poorly imitated human expressions.

"Is that why you came?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why you’re sticking close to her."

"…."

Was that true?

Honestly, Yuuki wasn’t sure.

Her decision to come here was largely emotional. If someone asked why, she wouldn’t know how to answer.

But… maybe it was true.

Yuuki looked at Yamashita. She also thought about her father.

And she thought about their friends. Fukuda seemed like a kid who liked to have fun. Her father claimed his work was legal, but didn’t seem the type to be doing completely above-board business.

And when you combined kids like that with Kurosawa, the picture didn’t quite fit.

Besides, the father of that kid, Miura Mako—

"Maybe that’s why."

Yuuki decided not to lie.

"…."

Yamashita stood silently, watching Yuuki.

There was no sign of anger on her face.

"…I’m getting help."

Yamashita said.

"I had to… leave home for a while."

"And Kurosawa just happened to live alone?"

"Yeah."

Yamashita nodded.

"…Why do you think that?"

The question that followed was one Yuuki hadn’t expected.

"Why Kurosawa helped you?"

Yuuki, slightly surprised, asked in return.

Yamashita waited for her answer without a word.

Yuuki thought for a moment.

Why was she asking me?

It didn’t take her long to come to a conclusion.

Not many people knew Kurosawa deeply. She wasn’t that sociable, after all.

Of course, she didn’t push people away either, but she never approached anyone unless they came to her first.

Yamashita, for some reason, had gotten closer to Kurosawa than anyone else.

Yuuki knew she had some friends who hung out with her in class. She had followed Kurosawa that day and seen the three of them hanging out.

And she had seen Kurosawa willingly run into danger to save Yamashita.

Maybe that’s why Yuuki was confused.

The kids who would normally seem hard to approach were actually caring for each other that much. Fukuda had even taken a brutal punch to the face. Even though she wasn’t seriously hurt, it wasn’t easy to help someone to the point of getting hit.

…I guess I’m really biased, Yuuki thought.

"Maybe she thought the same thing as me."

"…."

"I don’t know why you had to leave home, but maybe Kurosawa thought that if she didn’t help, you’d disappear, and she’d never find you again."

"Me?"

Yamashita asked back as if she genuinely didn’t understand, and Yuuki smiled.

"It’s just a guess. I’m not Kurosawa. If you’re that curious, why don’t you ask her when she comes out?"

"…."

Well, she probably asked me because she found it hard to ask Kurosawa directly.

"I didn’t know you two had been together since the beginning of the semester. I guess I wouldn’t know unless you told me."

Yuuki said to Yamashita.

Yamashita was silent for a moment, then nodded.

In fact, Kurosawa was a rare friend for Yuuki as well.

…With all the moving around for her father’s work, she hadn’t had much time to make close friends.

Of course, there were friends who exchanged numbers and told her to keep in touch. Sometimes, they still did.

But when you’re far away, your heart grows distant too.

Seeing the same face in the classroom every day, walking home together, occasionally stopping along the way for something else… Yuuki hadn’t experienced those common things much.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t want Kurosawa to disappear.

There was something Yuuki had been curious about.

If Yamashita and Kurosawa were such close friends, why had Kurosawa always been alone at lunchtime?

Why did she have to sit alone, eating an empty sandwich with no expression?

…Well, now that we’ve started talking, I can take the time to find out.

The sound of water stopped at just the right moment.

"Do you want to shower first next?"

When Yuuki asked, Yamashita quietly nodded.

---

Among my friends in my past life, there was one who wouldn’t eat "meat that had been soaked in water."

That meant he wouldn’t eat meat in stews or soups. To him, "meat" only meant grilled meat, and everything else was a heresy that shouldn’t exist.

But whenever we ordered kimchi stew, he would always pick out the meat to eat. None of us ever said anything, though we were all biding our time.

And then, we all went to a shabu-shabu restaurant and waited for him to take a bite of meat, only to tease him relentlessly.

After a few minutes of teasing, he turned red and had to admit that "meat soaked in water is still meat."

That’s right. Shabu-shabu was that good.

You take thin slices of beef, dip them in boiling broth for a moment, and then into some sauce before putting it in your mouth and gently chewing.

The meat, soaked in broth, mixes with its own juices, spreading flavor throughout your mouth.

The thin slices wrinkle after dipping in the broth. The wrinkles hold the broth and wait until you bite down, releasing the savory juices. How could that not be delicious?

When you take a bite of rice along with it, the savory grains of rice combine with the meat juice, perfectly balancing the flavor.

It was as delicious as I remembered. Deciding how to rank the ways of cooking meat was nonsense to begin with.

"…Huh?"

Suddenly realizing I was the only one eating, I snapped back to reality and found Yuuki and Yamashita looking at me curiously.

"…What?"

"Ah, it’s nothing."

"…."

After I asked, Yuuki and Yamashita focused on their meals again.

Eating not just meat but also a good balance of vegetables made it taste even better.

…Above all, I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one moving my chopsticks. If I were sitting alone in my room, I wouldn’t even think about making myself a proper meal.

Well, Yamashita and I weren’t exactly the chatty types, so it wasn’t like a normal family dinner filled with lively conversation.

What did I usually talk about in moments like these?

When I was in high school…

We’d laugh while watching TV variety shows, or talk about things that happened at school.

But none of the recent school events had been very pleasant, so I felt hesitant to bring them up.

"It’s been a while since I’ve eaten like this."

I was the first to break the silence.

In this situation, I was the one getting treated to a meal. Technically, I was providing the place, but I hadn’t paid for it.

"…."

And I instantly regretted speaking.

Yuuki’s expression turned slightly guilty.

Yuuki had regular, happy family meals. Although her mother wasn’t around, she had her grandfather and father, and they had a good relationship.

Among us, she was the only one with something close to a normal family.

…It was strange to think that the monster hunter’s family was the most "normal" one here.

"I haven’t either."

To my relief, the one who responded was Yamashita.

But her answer made the mood a little darker. If Yamashita and I continued talking, the room might end up in complete black and white.

"I used to eat alone most of the time."

"Really?"

Yuuki cautiously responded.

Yamashita nodded.

"My father was always busy… and so was my sister after she entered high school."

Hearing her mention her sister made me tense up.

Yuuki still didn’t know, right? I had to be careful not to say anything that might contradict Yamashita’s personal story.

"The house… felt pretty empty."

A massive house where it was hard to even see your family would indeed feel empty.

"So, it’s been a while since I’ve eaten with others like this."

"How does it feel?"

Yuuki asked carefully.

"It’s nice. The food is good."

Yamashita quietly replied.

Seeing Yuuki’s faint smile spread, I felt relieved.

We didn’t have much conversation after that. The TV likely made more noise than we did.

But that was fine. The mood had softened.

It was a relief to enjoy dipping pieces of meat into the steaming broth.

---

When I’m alone, I don’t really notice, but with three people here, my place felt a lot bigger.

It’s probably big enough for a newlywed couple with two kids to live in.

We cleared the table and laid out three blankets side by side. Then we each lay down in our spots.

The lights were off, but since there were no curtains on the window, it wasn’t too dark thanks to the light from outside.

When we first arrived, I imagined we’d stay up late playing games or watching TV, but this is how it turned out.

Though we’d broken the ice, the three of us weren’t quite at the stage where we could comfortably hang out and have fun together.

…Actually, even if we weren’t awkward, Yamashita would probably just sit there quietly watching us play.

"Today was fun."

Yuuki said, looking at me.

"…Yeah."

"…."

I answered, and Yamashita said nothing, but it didn’t feel like she disagreed.

"Can I come over again like this?"

I looked over at Yamashita.

She was looking at me.

It was as if her expression said she’d leave the decision up to me.

At least, I chose to believe that’s what it meant.

"…Yeah."

"Great."

When I answered, Yuuki smiled.

…Honestly.

Sleeping in a room with others felt much more comforting than sleeping alone.

It wasn’t about safety, but a feeling of reassurance. The comfort of not being alone.

We each had our own reasons for being here, but I decided to think of it that way.

After all, there’s no crime in thinking alone.

I didn’t think this would go on forever, but I found myself wishing that we could continue like this for a while longer.

Chapter 39. Isolation (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

If there’s a female classmate walking next to you on your way to high school, it might feel like a scene straight out of a beautiful youth story, but unfortunately, that only suits a high schooler living an ordinary life.

Just thinking about going to school with a girl whose father is the boss of a yakuza is enough to make you lose your mind, but imagine hearing that said yakuza father was planning to marry a woman only three years older than his own daughter.

Moreover, this girl doesn’t seem to have normal hobbies like watching dramas, variety shows, or enjoying movies like other kids.

From what I’ve observed over the past two days, Yamashita seems to enjoy staring blankly into space the most.

Honestly, she might be the most out of sync person I’ve met in this world whose appearance and inner self couldn’t be more mismatched.

Of course, saying I ‘knew her well’ would be an exaggeration since I haven’t known Fukuda or Miura for that long either.

But you know how certain behaviors look different once you know the reason behind them?

Miura, even if you knew why she became that way, would still look kind and gentle. Fukuda, despite knowing why she became so lively, would still appear as cheerful as ever.

Yamashita doesn’t seem that different on the surface either. Quiet, cold, but with a pretty face, the word "cool beauty" fits her perfectly.

But I’m convinced that even if a character looks expressionless, there's a universe of difference between labeling someone 'sullen' and calling them 'quirky,'

In my view, Yamashita leaned more toward being quirky rather than sullen.

Although Yamashita was quite popular in class, I think most students might be mistaking her quirkiness for sulkiness.

Anyway.

Since Yuuki came to my house with ingredients for shabu-shabu on Monday—though we did help buy them—afterward, Yuuki seemed to decide there wasn’t much wrong with Yamashita’s personality.

Maybe she thought that since they were both quiet girls, there wouldn’t be any big issues.

After that, whenever Yuuki saw us in the Literature Club, she greeted us warmly and didn’t look at Yamashita with suspicion anymore.

Even Ikeda, after seeing Yamashita on both Tuesday and Wednesday, seemed to conclude that she was harmless, as she didn’t appear uncomfortable around her anymore.

Yamashita even picked up a book during those two days!

Though she only read the first three pages before closing it, that’s something. She did seem to enjoy poetry collections though.

Well, up until Wednesday, things were relatively fine.

Yamashita didn’t complain about having curry every evening. She quietly watched whatever was on TV or stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought, or looked at her phone.

Ah, speaking of which, her phone arrived later by mail. It seemed Yamashita’s father wanted to keep a way to contact his daughter.

As long as you don’t provoke her, she’s a completely harmless creature. My conclusion wasn’t much different from Ikeda’s.

But, today being Thursday, I had one concern.

So, during the one hour we spent crammed into the train on our way to school, I told Yamashita several times.

“Today’s my part-time work day.”

“…Yeah.”

“I’ll be back late, so you’ll have to head home alone. Will that be okay?”

“I got it.”

Yamashita replied in her usual vague voice, as if she was interested, but not really.

“I’ll give you the key—”

“Kurosawa.”

As I emphasized it again, Yamashita furrowed her brow slightly and looked at me.

She seemed pretty irritated by the crowded space.

“I already said I got it.”

“Oh, right.”

I answered and shut my mouth.

Kind of scary.

Honestly, if I still had my body from my previous life, I wouldn’t have thought she was that scary. I had enough strength and stamina to carry a grown man up and down the stairs on my back.

But come to think of it, if I had kept that body, we wouldn’t have ended up sharing a room in the first place.

…In fact, we wouldn’t even be in the same school. I was an adult, after all.

Yamashita, still sandwiched between people, seemed to be having a hard time adjusting to the crowded morning train. She wore an annoyed expression the whole time.

Well, it was understandable.

There’s probably no one who can get used to this kind of place. I bet no one here has really adapted to it.

---

It had only been four days since I last worked at my part-time job, but I really didn’t feel like going.

But then again, four days is a long time. I rarely take that much time off from work.

Anyway, since it was a workday, I didn’t go up to the Literature Club.

I briefly wondered if Yamashita might head there alone, but she didn’t seem interested.

I understood.

When I head home alone, it’s awkward waiting around by yourself, so she probably just kills time with me before going back. It’s also awkward to be in someone else’s house when the owner isn’t home. You don’t know what you can touch or not. It’s like visiting a friend’s house, and they leave you alone for a while.

And then they get mad if you touch something.

So it wasn’t that strange for her to follow me down to the subway.

But…

“Meow, meow.”

Today, I heard the sound of a cat crying again.

“You must be hungry, right? Here, take this.”

I heard the sound of a can being opened, followed by a young girl’s voice, probably a bit younger than us.

As I turned toward the sound, Yamashita tilted her head slightly.

“Oh, senpai!”

Sasaki Shii, who had worked alone last week, greeted me with a bright smile and stood up from her spot.

“Hiss!”

“Oh, sorry.”

Startled by Shii’s sudden movement, the cat raised its fur and hissed. Shii quickly apologized to the cat and squatted down again, gently stroking its back as it happily ate from the can of tuna.

“…A cat?”

I heard Yamashita muttering to herself.

I crouched down next to Shii. The cat didn’t seem wary of me this time.

Since meeting Shii, we’d worked together frequently, so the cat had probably gotten used to seeing my face too. It didn’t seem scared when I reached out to touch it.

Though the first time, it just raised its fur but didn’t run away. Brave little thing.

“Um… who’s that?”

Shii, crouching beside me, looked a bit flustered as Yamashita approached and squatted down with us.

Naturally. Yamashita did look quite flashy for a high school girl.

“She’s my classmate.”

“Yamashita Yuu.”

“Oh, I’m Sasaki Shii.”

When Yamashita introduced herself, Shii responded, looking a bit flustered.

The three of us watched the cat eat its meal for a moment.

“Does it have a name?”

Yamashita asked.

“Not yet.”

“I see.”

Yamashita stared at the cat intently. Did she like it?

Well, who wouldn’t? It’s an adorable kitten, after all. Until it starts using my flowerbed as a bathroom or scratching up my arm, it’ll probably always seem cute.

…It’s probably doing that somewhere when we’re not looking, right?

“Kuro.”

“Huh?”

“Since it’s black, how about Kuro?”

“…”

Shii and I stared at Yamashita for a while.

Oh, so she just named the cat?

Because it’s black, Kuro… That’s pretty straightforward, but somehow, it bothers me since ‘Kuro’ is part of my name. Thankfully, no one’s called me ‘Kuro’ as a nickname yet.

“Kuro… I like it!”

Shii’s face lit up at Yamashita’s suggestion.

Wait, why isn’t she wary of Yamashita?

Didn’t she act all cautious when she first met me? …Oh right, now that I think about it, Sasaki Shii’s character is super friendly.

Unless it’s about her ‘big brother,’ she’s the type who easily talks to people and makes friends fast.

It’s a trait often seen in those strong-willed heroines. They’re the kind of characters who are friends with the local fruit shop lady and get free fruit, or the bakery sister gives them freshly baked bread for free, or the butcher adds an extra piece of meat for free…

Since she’s always watching out for her brother’s female acquaintances, she probably realized that Yamashita Yuu wasn’t close to him. And since we’re in the same class, she knows I’m not that close to Sasaki Sota either, which I told her last time.

“What about you? Do you like Kuro?”

……

Well…

No, it’s not my name. I’m Kurosawa, not Kuro.

“Can I pet it?”

“Oh, yes, it’s fine. I’m not raising it or anything.”

Shii moved her hand, and Yamashita reached out toward Kuro’s head.

The cat didn’t hiss this time.

“…”

Kuro calmly accepted Yamashita’s hand. Or rather, it was too busy eating to care and just offered its head and back without a second thought.

Why doesn’t it react to me like that…?

A bit of dissatisfaction stirred inside me, but I couldn’t say it out loud.

---

“Yamashita, do you have business in Akihabara?”

“No.”

Then why?

Yamashita continued to follow behind us and got on the same train going in our direction.

Up until that point, I didn’t think much of it. She’s a high school student, after all. If she had plans somewhere, I had no reason to stop her.

Getting off at Akihabara was also fine. If she needed to buy something, that was none of my business. Akihabara’s the best place to find electronics.

But when I saw her following us all the way to our workplace, I realized Yamashita had just been trailing us aimlessly.

“Um… we’re going to work here.”

“I know.”

Hmm…

“I’ve got money.”

Yamashita showed me her wallet as she said that.

Shii and I exchanged glances.

So… Yamashita was saying she wanted to use this café.

…Guess the boss will be happy I brought in a customer.

---

“Kurosawa.”

“Yes.”

After two hours of Yamashita sitting there, the boss called me over.

“Bringing a customer is great and all, but you know this isn’t one of those designated-service places, right? It’s just a café. The waitresses just happen to wear maid outfits. You’re not getting a bonus for how much she spends, got it?”

Geez, talk about strict.

It wasn’t like Yamashita had been sitting there for two hours without buying anything.

She ordered various things. Mostly coffee, but also some cakes and bread.

Even though it’s hard to directly apply this to Japan in the mid-2000s, I heard that in a café in the middle of Seoul, staying for an hour after ordering one drink wouldn’t cause any real issues with the café’s earnings.

And if you think about it that way, with the amount Yamashita had spent so far, it should be fine for her to stay until my shift ended.

“Your friend isn’t misunderstanding this place, is she?”

The boss asked with a deeply concerned look on her face.

In fact, plenty of people came to this café and stayed for a long time. It became somewhat famous as a café with cute maids, so sometimes male customers came alone, and couples came to chat for hours.

But a high school girl sitting alone for that long? That was new.

Yamashita’s atmosphere, bored and occasionally poking at a slice of cake with her fork, made her seem unapproachable.

“I don’t think so…”

Yamashita was probably just waiting for me because she didn’t want to go home alone. Well, this is one way to pass the time, I suppose. She didn’t seem like the type to go to an arcade and play games.

“Alright, then.”

The boss still looked a bit uneasy.

---

But even so, asking Yamashita, ‘Were you waiting for me?’ felt a little awkward.

I had a feeling she wouldn’t give me a straight answer.

“It was fun.”

Yamashita said, looking somewhat satisfied.

Right.

Every time she ordered something, I had to call her ‘Miss’ because that was the rule in the café.

“The maid outfit was cute.”

Well, it probably was. Kurosawa Kotone’s body is the epitome of a beautiful girl, after all.

Though my feelings were complicated.

Sure, I knew I looked cute. That’s probably why I didn’t feel too embarrassed wearing things like school uniforms or maid outfits. After all, there was no sense of ‘this doesn’t suit me.’

But having someone else tell me I’m cute was a bit much.

“Senpai, shall we go eat ramen again today?”

“Ramen?”

Yamashita reacted to Shii’s suggestion.

Oh, right.

After work, Shii and I usually went for a bowl of ramen. I had completely forgotten because I took such a long break last week.

…

But thinking about it, if I go with Shii for ramen, Yamashita would just be left waiting again.

Even if she’s already eaten dinner by the time I arrive, it’s probably just instant ramen or something quick.

Yamashita stared at me intently, making me awkwardly clear my throat.

“Let’s all go. …I’ll pay.”

“…No it’s-.”

Yamashita cut me off.

“I’m paying.”

“Oh…”

Shii seemed a bit taken aback, but Yamashita wasn’t giving her a chance to argue.

“I’ve got money. Plenty of it.”

Well, if she’s got money…

---

By the time Shii and I parted ways, the sky had already turned pitch black.

Although Yamashita and I didn’t talk much as we walked back, it wasn’t that different from usual.

Had Yamashita’s mood improved?

I hoped that living with us from Sunday until today had helped her feel better, but Yamashita still didn’t seem like she had any intention of going back home yet.

It was fortunate that I didn’t live with my family, so it didn’t matter how long Yamashita stayed.

Honestly, there were some good things about having Yamashita around. She didn’t talk much, but just having someone there made the loneliness disappear.

By the time we got back home, it was just after 10 PM.

Unlike in the morning, we leisurely filled the bathtub and took turns bathing, coming out around 11:30.

Is this legally acceptable? Two teenage girls living alone—shouldn’t a social worker or someone be checking on us? But technically, Kagami also lived here.

So, legally, we’re under the radar.

In a way, it’s safe.

I once watched a movie that depicted what happens to kids living alone. It was a quiet but tragic story about a mother who leaves her children behind, and they end up living by themselves… What was the title again? I can’t remember well. It was a Japanese film. I wonder if it’s been released in this world yet? Maybe it’ll come out later.

Children who disappear without anyone knowing. The situation was eerily similar to ours, but at least here, nothing like that was happening.

After both of us finished bathing, we laid out our futons and lay down next to each other.

“Good night.”

“Yeah, good night.”

We said goodnight to each other and closed our eyes.

We had to go to school tomorrow. In fact, given the time, it was already a bit late.

I was just about to drift off to sleep when—

Bzzzz.

I heard a phone vibrating.

It was Yamashita’s phone.

She looked at it and murmured,

“…Huh?”

“Dad?”

Yamashita sat up and answered the call.

The orange glow from the streetlight seeped faintly through the window. It was enough light to see Yamashita’s face.

After hesitating for a moment, Yamashita answered the phone.

“…Dad.”

And then—

“…Miho-nee?”

She murmured absentmindedly.

Then suddenly stood up.

“Since when?”

Her voice trembled.

“If it’s been since yesterday…!”

She started to say something but then closed her mouth. It seemed like she was reconsidering the situation.

Had something happened to Mori-san?

“…Okay. Got it.”

Yamashita answered in a shaky voice and snapped her phone shut.

I got up and turned on the lights in the room.

Yamashita quickly sat down in front of her bag and began taking out clothes.

“What’s going on?”

“Miho-nee—”

She started to speak but paused. Then, she looked up at me.

A flicker of hesitation crossed her face.

“…Miho-nee is really sick. Since yesterday.”

“…”

When I last saw Mori-san, she didn’t seem that unwell.

“Let’s go together.”

“But—”

“Come on. It’s late at night.”

Right. It was late. Almost midnight.

“…”

Yamashita pressed her lips together tightly.

---

Two high school girls going out this late at night and running into the police wouldn’t be a good thing.

Japan has a youth curfew, after all.

We wouldn’t be arrested or anything, but it would waste a lot of time. In the worst case, I might have to call Kagami for help again, and I didn’t want that.

So, I persuaded Yamashita to have someone come pick us up instead.

“…”

Yamashita seemed very irritated by the suggestion.

Even though it was a time when fewer cars were on the road, driving here to pick us up and then taking us back to Minato Ward would take a long time.

But after hearing me out, Yamashita reluctantly agreed.

We waited about 40 minutes.

Finally, we heard the sound of a car outside.

We rushed outside.

…A large black sedan was waiting for us. The people who got out were a tough-looking guy in a brown suit with a tiger-patterned shirt underneath and another guy in a more normal suit but with a large scar running across his head.

“Young lady!”

Seeing the two men waving at us, I could understand why Yamashita didn’t want to call them.

The ride back took another 40 minutes.

On the way, I asked what had happened.

“Miss Miho received a package. Normally, we’d check the contents, but…”

Apparently, Mori-san had gone outside just as the package arrived and took it directly to her room.

And when she opened it—

“…A dog’s head?”

“Yes. A severed dog’s head was inside.”

The man in the passenger seat, the one with the scar, explained.

“…”

Yamashita didn’t say anything.

“We’re guessing she was so shocked that her condition worsened, but her state seems to be quite serious.”

“Why didn’t you contact me immediately?”

Yamashita’s question made both the driver and the man in the passenger seat flinch.

“…Well…”

“Miss Miho was worried you’d be concerned, young lady…”

“…”

Yamashita clamped her mouth shut again.

There was a brief silence before the scarred man cautiously glanced at me through the rearview mirror and asked,

“Do you happen to have any idea what this might be about?”

“…”

Was he asking me?

Well, the Yamashita family did seem to be connected to Kagami’s circle, so…

It wouldn’t be strange for someone in a high position in their organization to have some information.

“Just from hearing the story, I’m not sure yet.”

When I said that, Yamashita turned her gaze to me.

Her steady stare made it impossible for me to look away.

For some reason, that severed dog’s head…

…felt like the perfect prop for this world.

After all, this is a place where monsters and ghosts actually exist.

It wouldn’t be surprising if a curse or something like that was real too.

Chapter 40. Isolation (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

And it seemed like my guess wasn’t wrong.

The reason I thought so was simple.

As soon as I got out of the car, I shivered.

It wasn’t because I was cold. Even though it was a June night, it wasn’t cold enough to make me shiver like that.

Besides, I was wearing a light outer garment, so there was no reason for me to be shivering from the cold.

More than that, this shiver was different from the kind you feel from real cold. It felt like a long, many-legged insect was crawling up my spine. Goosebumps.

Yamashita, who got out of the car with me, didn’t seem to feel the same. Without waiting for the men who came with us, she immediately ran into the house.

It was almost exactly the kind of place I had imagined.

A large gate, a spacious yard.

The house looked like a traditional Japanese mansion straight out of a manga. The kind with a summoning circle drawn in the corner of the warehouse, where some blonde girl might pop out and ask, ‘Are you my master?’— No, I should stop imagining things, considering the serious situation.

I quickly followed behind Yamashita.

Yamashita seemed to know exactly where Mori-san’s room was, as she flung open a door and entered one of the rooms.

It was a room with tatami mats. There was no bed, just a futon spread out directly on the floor.

Of course, it didn’t look like they had just laid her down carelessly. The futon was a pristine white, a high-quality one that showed the care of whoever maintained it.

And lying on that futon was Mori-san.

Even though she was covered by a futon as thick as the one under her, she was trembling like a leaf.

From a distance, it was clear that she was much more emaciated than the last time I saw her. It seemed as though she had become a half-corpse in just a few days.

I cautiously stepped into the room. The two men who had accompanied us didn’t follow inside.

As I slowly slid the door shut and walked in, a chilling air seeped into the room.

Could others feel it too? I looked around at the people in the room, but none of them seemed to have cold expressions.

That sight gave me more certainty.

“……”

Yamashita-san, who was sitting in a lotus position next to the lying Mori-san, glanced up at me. I gave a slight nod and sat down next to Yamashita.

“…Miho-nee…”

Yamashita looked somewhat dazed.

Mori-san’s condition was that severe. She didn’t seem to hear anything, even when spoken to, and with her eyes closed, she grimaced and shivered. Her jaw trembled, causing her lips to constantly move.

“How… How did this happen?”

Yamashita glared at her father as she asked.

“This isn’t just from being shocked. A person doesn’t end up like this just from being frightened.”

“That’s right. Miho is a strong girl. She’s not the kind to collapse just from someone threatening her.”

“Then why…?”

Yamashita-san’s gaze landed on me.

I stared at Mori-san’s face again.

As I looked, the chill seemed to worsen. Now I, too, was shivering.

…This is something different.

It was a distinctly different feeling from when I encountered the Oni or the Nue.

Malice.

I had sensed a bit of that from both the Oni and the Nue. The Oni intentionally sought out girls who would despair and scream as he devoured them, and the Nue fed on humans’ negative emotions.

But that was just a monster’s ‘preference.’ Like how people decide how well-done they want their steak, whether to have vegetables on the side, or what sauce to use.

To the one being eaten, it might seem like malice, but to the one eating, it was simply a matter of choice.

This wasn’t just my speculation; it was something the novel had mentioned as well. Though understanding it through 'feeling' was a different story.

‘Ah, so this is how it is.’

That’s what I thought.

It felt more like a child playing with a frog, or maybe even worse—like the cold, calculating gaze of someone sharpening a knife while watching another person.

“The dog’s head.”

What I said when I opened my mouth was that.

“Where is it?”

“…Do you know something?”

Didn’t they bring me along because they thought I might?

“Did you throw it away?”

“Why? What’s going on?”

Yamashita asked me.

“……We need to find the cause.”

Even if there’s only the slightest chance, the dog’s head might have carried some sort of bacteria. This is a yakuza’s house, so it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a vengeful spirit here. It’s better to check and handle it for sure than to make a mistake by guessing wrong.

“The cause? What do you mean, the cause? Can you even find it?”

“……”

I had no answer for that.

I couldn’t very well say, ‘I’m something like the daughter of a god from a cult. Oh, but thinking about it again, it’s not really a cult since the god actually exists….’

It would sound like a joke to someone hearing it for the first time.

It’s no use explaining to someone who’s already worried.

“Come with me.”

Yamashita-san stood up and opened the door.

“Kurosawa?”

Seeing me about to follow, Yamashita stood up as well.

“Wait here. I’ll be back soon.”

Whether the cause was bacteria or a real curse, it would be dangerous for anyone to approach the dog’s head.

The sensation I was feeling was similar to the one near the ‘Nest.’ If Yamashita got involved, it would be a big problem.

…Though it might already be too late.

Now that I think about it, I should have come here alone. Perhaps that’s why Yamashita-san hadn’t called Yamashita in the first place.

But as Mori-san’s condition worsened, he probably didn’t want to leave with any regrets.

“I’m coming too…!”

“Yuu. Stay here.”

But before I could refuse again, Yamashita-san spoke first.

Though his voice was calm, the deep tone of it reverberated through the room, making it a little intimidating. Yamashita flinched for a moment but,

“I’m coming too.”

Well, Yamashita Yuu is Yamashita-san’s daughter after all. It seems they share a similar stubbornness. I couldn’t help but wonder if their mutual silence was a hereditary trait too.

“Stay in your seat.”

Yamashita-san warned again.

“Who are you to—…!”

“……”

When Yamashita shouted, Yamashita-san glared at her with wide eyes.

He didn’t raise his voice. But there was strength in his gaze. Yamashita shrank back at that look.

Her shoulders hunched up, and her body trembled slightly.

…I felt like I had seen something I shouldn’t have. Like I’d witnessed a sensitive part of their family’s private life.

“…Haa.”

Yamashita-san let out a long breath and rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

…Mori-san must be important to him as well. Not just because she was supposed to become his wife, but because she was someone he had raised like his own daughter for a long time. She was also the daughter of his benefactor.

And as a result of accepting that responsibility, he had been accused of having an affair by his own daughter, and now the woman was suffering from some mysterious illness. It was understandable that his nerves were on edge.

“Stay in your seat.”

Yamashita glared fiercely at Yamashita-san, but after seeing her father standing firmly by the door, she eventually gave in and collapsed back onto the floor.

“I’m sorry for showing such an unpleasant sight.”

“…No, it’s okay.”

Yamashita-san offered a small apology, and I responded in a slightly subdued voice.

Yamashita-san hesitated for a moment before turning to leave the room. I followed him out into the hallway.

Just before the sliding door closed, I glanced back and met Yamashita’s eyes.

She looked up at me as if she couldn’t understand why she couldn’t go, but I could.

Clack.

The man waiting outside closed the door.

When I turned back, Yamashita-san was looking down at me.

I nodded, and Yamashita-san turned around and began walking.

I followed him.

*

Could this have happened in the original story as well?

I guessed that it could.

Since Kurosawa Kotone and Kurosawa Kagami exist in this world, they must also exist in the novel’s world.

The same goes for Miura.

…If Miura had been killed like in the original story, how would the events have unfolded?

The cult group exists. They must have failed to bring an Outer God into Kurosawa Kotone’s body. Considering that humanity was still fine at the start of the main story, that’s almost certain.

But Kurosawa Kotone would have attended school. Ms. Suzuki knew of my existence. As a legal entity, I existed in the school records, so throughout the story’s progression, Kurosawa Kotone would have been sitting in the classroom next to the protagonist’s.

With Miura gone, Yamashita’s… older sister, I suppose? It’s likely that Mori Miho also died.

Fukuda and Yamashita were pretty popular in the class, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t because they were widely connected.

It was Miura, the girl who won the class representative election, which was more like a popularity contest, who was truly the most popular in the class.

She was the central figure that held Fukuda and Yamashita together.

“……”

It’s uncomfortable to have such thoughts about people I’ve already gotten to know, but wouldn’t Kurosawa Kotone have ended up isolated in the class?

…Though even if I try to think about it now, there’s no point since I didn’t read the novel until the end.

Why didn’t I finish it? The answer to that is simple.

I just forgot.

For the first few years, I faithfully bought each new release, but then at some point, I started reading other comics and light novels, buying their new releases instead… As a student, I never had enough pocket money. Eventually, the novel I had been buying went out of print.

…I should have read it to the end.

If I had, I might have known more about my current situation.

“We’re here.”

Yamashita-san said.

It seemed like it had rained lightly before we arrived; the ground was damp. Since this was the back of the house, there was no pretty garden.

Just a hard dirt yard.

At the far end, there was a fairly large warehouse. It was big enough that someone could live inside, about the size of a single room.

Well.

To be frank, it looked about the same size as the house I lived in.

I guess that’s what you’d expect from a rich family.

“Shall we go in together?”

“No, I’ll go in alone.”

There was no need to increase the number of victims unnecessarily.

At least my body wouldn’t get hurt by a monster.

Or rather, it’s not that I wouldn’t get hurt.

Let’s just say I wouldn’t die instantly.

I could probably endure the level of curse a monster might throw at me. Probably.

Yamashita-san nodded and took out a cigarette from inside his suit jacket.

This time, without caring that I was watching, he lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

After seeing him blow out a puff of white smoke, I turned back around.

I walked across the damp dirt yard and approached the warehouse.

No one was guarding it, and the door wasn’t locked.

I pulled the door open.

Creeeak, the ungreased hinges made a spine-chilling sound.

A damp summer smell wafted out from inside. And something like the smell of rot, too.

…It was a smell I hadn’t smelled in a long time. At least it wasn’t the worst smell I’d ever encountered.

Leaving the door open, I groped around the wall, searching for a switch.

I found the switch sticking out, moved it up with a click.

A bulb hanging from the ceiling by an electric cord flickered on.

…It was a rather bleak-looking warehouse.

Along the walls were various tools hanging. On the opposite wall, there was a broom leaning against it, and a storage box that likely held a mop or other cleaning tools.

The floor was spotless, without a single speck of dust.

A few folding chairs were leaning against the wall, and though they were ordinary objects, they seemed ominous for some reason.

And, on a table at the far end of the room, there was an open box.

The bottom of the box was soaked with liquid and had become soggy and flimsy. The outside of the box had traces of dried mud, as if it had been dropped and rolled around.

I slowly approached the box.

As I wrinkled my nose, I leaned forward and looked inside the box.

I met eyes with a dog.

The dog was dead, its eyes open as if it had died in a state of resentment. Had its head been cut off in that state?

Its forehead was wrinkled, as if it had been barking fiercely until the moment it died. Wriggling things crawled around its severed neck and mouth. Bugs clung to its outstretched tongue.

It was just a head. If I hadn’t known anything, I would have thought it was the head of a dog that had died in a car accident and had been placed in a box.

But as I stared at the head, I couldn’t hear anything.

There was only a loud ringing in my ears—biiiiiiiiiing. No sound came from the wind blowing through the warehouse door, or from the trees swaying in the wind outside the mansion.

The light in the room slowly dimmed. It was as if only the area around me and the dog’s head was highlighted, and everything else faded into darkness.

The dog was still staring up at me—

“Huff.”

Realizing I hadn’t been breathing, I forced myself to inhale.

I turned around abruptly and ran out of the warehouse.

“Ugh.”

Then I bent over, dry heaving. Thankfully, I didn’t actually throw up.

…It wasn’t just panic from seeing a dog’s corpse. I’ve seen things far worse than that.

It was just—

A chill.

I was shivering like a leaf.

It felt like I had just encountered something that wanted to kill me. The dog’s eyes had definitely been staring up at me.

I heard footsteps approaching. When I straightened up, I saw Yamashita-san walking towards me. His expression was calm. Or rather, it was the kind of face that said he had expected this.

…Well, to him, I probably looked like just an ordinary high school girl.

“Can you handle it?”

“……”

To be honest, I didn’t really know with just the knowledge I had.

But.

“A knife.”

“Hmm?”

“I need a knife.”

“How big of a knife?”

I hadn’t expected that question, so I ended up staring blankly at Yamashita-san for a moment.

Oh, right.

This is a yakuza mansion.

“…It just needs to be sharp enough to cut flesh and draw blood.”

“Got it.”

Yamashita-san responded and then dropped the cigarette he had been smoking onto the ground. He stomped it out with his foot.

“Hey!”

“Yes!”

One of the men who had been waiting a bit further away came running over when Yamashita-san called out.

“Bring a knife. Just make sure it’s sharp.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man said, then opened the jacket of the black suit he was wearing.

And pulled out a knife.

……

Is this for real?

The knife… It looked like an ordinary kitchen knife. But maybe to fit it inside his suit, the blade was wrapped in newspaper, making a makeshift sheath.

No matter how I looked at it, it felt incredibly ominous.

Yamashita-san took the knife and handed it to me.

Still feeling somewhat dazed, I took the knife and pulled it out of its makeshift sheath.

It was just a cooking knife, but for some reason, it felt intimidating. It was nothing like the utility knives I usually used.

Schick.

Yamashita-san pulled out a second cigarette and put it in his mouth.

As he smoked, he kept his distance, watching me closely.

“……”

I looked around. No one was moving out of the way.

Is it okay to show them this?

“Yamashita-san.”

When I called out to him, Yamashita-san tilted his head slightly. It seemed like he was listening.

“How many of the people here ‘know’?”

Yamashita-san turned around and looked at his subordinates one by one. After scanning their faces, he turned back to me.

“All those guys over there are ‘believers.’”

“……”

Of course.

For a moment, I almost dropped the knife out of sheer disbelief.

“People like them are drawn to religion.”

I heard an explanation I didn’t really want to hear.

“And what about Yamashita… Yuu?”

I was about to call her ‘Yamashita,’ but then remembered that the person in front of me was also Yamashita and corrected myself.

“That kid doesn’t know anything.”

“…Then please make sure she doesn’t leave the room until this is over.”

Yamashita-san nodded and waved his hand towards the men behind him.

“Yes, sir!”

Two of them immediately ran off, presumably towards Mori-san’s room.

“Hoo.”

I let out a small breath and rolled up my left sleeve.

When I removed the scrunchie from my wrist, a small magic circle engraved on my wrist became visible.

I held the hair tie lightly between my lips and positioned the tip of the knife against my wrist.

There was a sharp sting as the blade touched my wrist.

I pushed the tip of the knife in and then dragged it across.

As expected of a kitchen knife. It was much easier to cut my wrist than when I used a utility knife.

And—

“I thought you had forgotten me.”

A ticklish voice whispered in my ear.

“…It’s been less than a month since I last called you.”

I answered.

There were no sounds of surprise from around me. Of course not. Nothing had moved. Even I, who had summoned it, could barely move my eyes.

Rustling sounds echoed around me, like something walking on sand. But when I moved my eyes in the direction of the sound, I couldn’t see anything.

“Has it not been a long time? You are only human, so you will not live very long.”

“…Am I really human?”

Laughter echoed in my ears.

“You’re curious about what I want, aren’t you?”

“…You saw it too, didn’t you? That dog’s head.”

“A dog that continues to be loyal even in death, how admirable.”

Nirlass said playfully.

“…Do you know what that dog is doing?”

“Well, it’s obviously following its master’s orders, isn’t it?

Laughter echoed in my ear again.

“But there’s a bit of concern. If you've trained a dog to do something, shouldn’t you reward it? I’m not sure if it’ll be satisfied with just a snack.”

The entity's voice said mischievously.

For some reason, I could almost picture the false Shub-Niggurath shrugging its shoulders as it spoke.

“Don’t worry about the master. I’ll find and kill them. Can you tell me the location?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to call in professional cleaners? You must have a few friends like that.”

“...”

“Ah.”

The voice chuckled.

Then, as if whispering a secret, it leaned close to my ear and murmured.

“You don’t want to get them involved, do you?”

The outer god smiled. For some reason, I could picture that smile clearly.

“People in the underworld who deal with dirty work. You think that’s what they’ll assume, don’t you? Well, it’s true most of Ye's followers are involved in such work. Don’t worry, Ye won’t mind.”

I never worried about that in the first place.

“But, can you handle it? The opponent is a ravenous mad dog. It was raised with an abundance of love, then starved for days and finally decapitated to create a grudge. A condensed poison of isolation. I don’t think you can deal with it on your own.”

“...”

“I see, I see.”

Nirlass nodded… or at least, that’s what it seemed like.

“No matter the odds, you refuse to give up, don’t you?”

She burst into laughter, as if finding it all too amusing.

“Very well. Very well.”

She said, her voice rising in excitement.

“I shall help you.”

Slowly, the wound on my wrist was pried open as if being dug into by a finger.

In the world where everything had stopped, only that part moved, and blood started gushing out. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.

“But, don’t think this will be easy.”

Slowly, the force holding my body down loosened, and the voice in my ear gradually faded.

“Malice lurks everywhere.”

The voice whispered so softly, so softly.

“Especially in places like this—”

And time began to flow again.

Thud.

I heard the sound of something falling.

“W-What!?”

The people watching me panicked. They were all staring at the ground near my feet.

Chi.

The creatures I had once named 'Chi,' borrowing the Japanese pronunciation for 血 (blood), were wriggling around on the ground.

Except for their bright red, blood-like color, they looked like small, adorably deformed snakes.

The ones that had just fallen were writhing and flipping around, then quickly steadied themselves and swam across the ground as if they were gliding, moving swiftly between the people and disappearing into the mansion.

“Kyuu.”

A cute sound came from my ear.

…Just like last time, one had climbed up onto my shoulder.

Clang.

I heard the dull sound of metal hitting the ground.

When I looked down, I saw that a red sword had fallen at my feet.

“...”

Silence.

Everyone stood in silence, as if unsure of what to say or how to react to the situation.

I bent down and picked up the sword.

“Haaa.”

Alright.

Now then...

It looks like I’ll be up all night.

What a pain.

Chapter 41. Isolation (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

First, let me think.

As always, Nirlass didn’t tell me the details.

While Chi had crawled up onto my shoulder, it wouldn’t inform me of the truth behind the incident.

At best, it would just tell me the location.

The rest is up to me to figure out.

"Uh, hey, miss..."

As I walked between the men, one of them spoke.

If I walk around with a wound on my wrist wide open, the blood will surely flow.

Honestly, it’s not something I can stop.

Even if I block it with a cloth, I can’t control the bleeding.

As long as the blood flows, I remain connected to Nirlass, so it’s better not to stop it, even if I could.

"A towel, just one..."

That said, I couldn’t just leave blood splattered around someone else’s hallway.

My blood may scare away spirits, which could help, but it doesn’t look good.

When I mentioned this while bleeding in the backyard, one of the men nodded and hurried off to fetch a towel.

He even brought a fairly serious first-aid kit.

Well, houses that handle knives are different, I suppose.

Following my instructions, they didn’t stitch the wound but instead layered the towel and wrapped it tightly with a bandage.

Though it didn’t stop the bleeding, the towel would absorb some of the blood, so less would drip onto the floor.

Good.

While tending to my arm, I organized my thoughts.

Earlier, she mentioned ‘isolation.’ That’s a concept I’m quite familiar with.

I’ve heard of it before, in various forms.

The version I know involves either insects or humans.

You fill a jar with venomous insects, bury it in the ground, and after a certain period, you open it and use the venom of the surviving insect which is said to be most potent.

That’s probably the most well-known version.

For humans, they starve someone, bury them, and when they finally give them food, they cut off the hand that reaches for it.

They say the craving for food collects in the fingertips.

The severed dog’s head is probably similar.

They must have buried a dog with only its head above ground, then chopped it off.

Of course, just cutting off the head wouldn’t complete the curse.

There had to be some other ‘ritual’ involved.

Simply decapitating it would only leave a dog carcass.

Smashing the head with a knife wouldn’t solve the problem either.

That’s too easy.

No one trying to kill a person with a curse would use such an easy-to-break curse.

Gripping the knife tightly in my right hand, I headed back into the hallway.

"Kyuu."

Chi, clinging to the side of my neck, let out that sound.

Honestly, the cry was rather cute, but I still hadn’t gotten used to its slimy body.

It didn’t feel like it was sticking to me of its own volition.

Rather, it felt like the jelly-like substance was clinging to my skin due to the liquid, making it hard to remove.

It wasn’t a pleasant sensation.

And its body temperature was oddly lukewarm.

It was probably because Chi was a being born from my blood that I could understand what it was saying.

I didn’t comprehend it in a specific language, but I instinctively knew which direction it was looking and where it wanted to go.

I followed the sound and walked.

And then—

Creak.

"Kyuu, kyuu."

…It was just an empty room.

No, it wasn’t just any empty room.

It was a long, narrow room, like one where people would gather and have a meeting.

The kind of room you’d often see in yakuza films.

Another Chi was crying pitifully in the middle of the tatami room.

It was one of the ones created from the blood that spilled from my wrist earlier.

It looked exactly like the one perched on my shoulder.

Chi’s movement left a clear trace across the tatami.

There were faint traces of blood, and while they could be wiped away easily, the thought of how many "Chi" had crawled throughout the mansion made me dizzy.

"What’s the matter?"

"Kyuu."

"What’s here?"

"Kyuu, kyuu."

It was Malice.

Yes, of course.

Chi follows what I seek.

I knelt on one knee and touched the tatami with my hand.

Naturally, it felt just like the other rooms I’d touched.

What should I do?

Looking back, I saw Yamashita-san and the men following me, watching from outside the door.

It seemed they didn’t dare to come in.

"Kyuu?"

"…I think I get it."

Listening to the Chi cry in the center of the tatami room, I realized something.

My sword, forged from the blood of an otherworldly being, made from pure blood.

It was a weapon perfectly suited for a spirit to use, yet it was meant to slay spirits and monsters.

It might even be related to Sasaki’s blood.

That guy’s blood was used for such purposes in the novel.

I lightly pricked the end of Chi’s waist with the tip of my sword.

Chi, which looked like a living creature, drooped its body as if it were natural.

I closed my eyes and split Chi’s waist with my sword.

Screech!

A shriek rang out, and—

Splash!

Blood sprayed in all directions.

Like a spray bottle, the blood splattered across the room, centered around the bisected Chi.

Naturally, it hit my face too.

…It felt like a B-grade movie scene where you slice through zombies with a sword.

"Gasp."

I heard someone inhale sharply from outside the door.

And then—

"Ahh!"

A scream came from afar.

I staggered to my feet.

The men who had been outside the door were already running toward the source of the noise.

Drip, drip, the gloomy sky began to release drops of rain again.

In about a minute, it would probably start pouring.

Yamashita quietly followed behind me as I staggered toward the sound.

Was he trying to catch me if I collapsed?

"Aagh!"

The man rolling on the wet sand, screaming in pain, was someone I hadn’t seen before.

He must have already been inside the mansion when I arrived.

"Hey, Koki!"

It seemed the man’s name was Koki.

One of the men from outside the door approached the man writhing on the ground.

"Koki, what happened!"

"My, my hand...!"

The man extended his hand, and— one of his fingers was missing.

His left pinky finger.

"My finger, it hurts...!"

"...."

I looked at Yamashita-san.

"He made a big mistake a few years ago and had to cut off his finger."

That’s very yakuza-like.

But what does this have to do with the Chi I just cut...

"...."

At that moment, a thought flashed through my mind.

"Yamashita-san, by any chance..."

"Yes, that room."

Yamashita-san calmly replied.

"He cut it off in that room."

——Malice lurks everywhere.

That’s what Nirlass had said.

I closed my eyes.

...Another trick?

*

After that, the hide-and-seek with the malice hiding in every corner continued.

In the attic.

"Ahhh!?"

One of the men collapsed, clutching his groin.

I didn’t really want to know the reason.

In a different storage room from where the dog’s head was.

"Ugh."

A man collapsed, clutching his stomach.

I heard he was famous for beating up his juniors.

In the well-manicured garden.

"Ugh...!"

The man, clutching his head as he fell, was known for using women like toys.

Most were perpetrators, but there were also many who were more like ‘victims.’

Malice didn’t follow intent or direction.

The stronger the malice harbored within them, the more violently the men writhed on the ground.

Naturally, as time passed, the gazes of the men watching grew increasingly strange.

Some trembled as if witnessing divine punishment.

Some glared at me with hostility.

And some didn’t understand what was happening.

More than anything, I found it absurd myself.

It wasn’t until I had sacrificed several Chi and soaked myself completely in blood that I realized what I had been doing.

I was also creating my own kind of isolation.

Of course, it was weaker than the severed dog’s head.

It was something I had made in a short time with shallow thoughts, so the men weren’t seriously injured.

They merely suffered from pain.

Alright, I get it now.

Shura Nirlass has a terribly twisted sense of humor.

She seems to love anything that causes suffering.

I suppose this pain is the ‘price’ for what’s happening.

In exchange for solving the issue, I was also enduring the pain.

And the deepest, most lingering pain is likely the bleeding that’s slowly killing me.

"Haah."

I exhaled and clenched my teeth again.

I stood up and staggered forward once more.

Now, none of the men following behind me spoke.

Whatever emotions they might have, no one said a word.

With less blood, my heart pounded harder, trying to circulate oxygen to my brain.

Or maybe it was just fear.

Fear that if I continued like this, I might die meaninglessly.

Fear that Yamashita might hate me.

I thought about that, about the friend I’d known for just over a month.

It was also why I hadn’t called Yuuki.

"Hah."

Still, I had almost dealt with all the malice that Chi had indicated.

It felt like only one big thing remained after clearing away the small ones.

But of all places...

"Brother..."

As I approached the final spot where the Chi had gathered, it was in front of Mori-san’s room.

Shoji, I think that’s what they called it.

The unique paper door used in traditional Japanese houses.

The Chi were clinging all over the bottom of the Shoji door.

I could hear faint cries of "Kyuu, Kyuu," but the sound of Chi crying isn’t very loud unless you’re extremely close.

I wasn’t sure if the sound could be heard through the thin wooden and paper door.

Those sticky, incomprehensible creatures wriggling and crying while clinging to the door made the men guarding Yamashita’s room flinch in horror, too scared to even touch them.

That was a relief.

"Yamashita-san."

"Yeah."

Even without explaining, Yamashita, who had been following me and watching as I sliced through the Chi, immediately understood what I wanted.

"…I’ll handle it myself."

The other men, who were about to enter the room, were stopped by Yamashita raising his hand.

I stepped aside and hid myself next to the door.

Yamashita placed his hand on the door, looked briefly in my direction, then gave a small nod.

In an instant, he opened the door, went inside, and closed it behind him.

The wriggling Chi were too slow to keep up.

...

Silence filled the surroundings.

The sound of rain, which had started falling heavily, beat down on the roof.

But that didn’t mean the people around me were simply standing there thoughtlessly.

They were all watching me.

‘Shouldn’t I have come here from the beginning?’

I wasn’t sure if it was my paranoia or not, but I had a feeling someone thought that.

No, there must be someone who thought that way.

If I had been standing by without knowing anything, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have thought the same thing.

But I felt a little wronged.

Nirlass had intended for me to suffer from the start.

Of course, I had passed by this room while wandering through the mansion earlier.

If, at that time, the Chi had been gathering around the door like they were now, I would have realized this was the final destination.

But there had been no such sign when I passed by.

Only after I cleared away the Chi scattered throughout the mansion did this swarm appear.

Leaning against the wall, I tried to catch my breath.

I was starting to feel like I couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer.

I heard someone standing up from inside.

“Dad…?”

Yamashita’s voice.

“Yuu.”

And Yamashita-san’s voice.

“Dad, what are you trying to— Agh, what’s going on!? What are you doing!?”

The sound of struggling and a sharp slap echoed.

Something collided and broke.

“What is this!? Where are you going!? Why are you covering my eyes—”

Thud.

A dull sound came from inside the door.

The men standing guard quickly opened the door to make way.

"Kyuu— Kyuu—"

The pitiful sound of Chi crying filled the room as they rushed inside through the open door.

"Whoa!?"

The Chi clung to one of the men’s legs, making a squelching noise, but he quickly shook them off.

The Chi, leaving a bloodstain on the floor, rolled its body back up and crawled inside again.

“...What, what happened…?”

Yamashita, who was tightly held in Yamashita-san’s arms, mumbled.

Her eyes were covered by his large hand.

When a person’s eyes are covered, it’s only natural that they focus more on other senses— sound, smell, touch.

“What’s that smell?”

Yamashita muttered in fear.

Yamashita-san glanced at me.

I gave him a small nod.

He turned his back and began walking toward a faraway room, holding Yamashita tightly.

Yamashita shouldn’t be here— Yamashita-san knew that too.

...A believer, wasn’t it?

I wondered how much the men knew.

And how deeply Kagami had infiltrated this family.

There were many things I wanted to know, but for now—

I stepped inside the room.

The Chi had gathered in one spot.

I was grateful it wasn’t over Mori-san’s body.

…This was ‘isolation.’

The location must have some importance, but what was more critical is the connection between the location and the target.

“…Ha, if you were going to tell me, you could’ve just said it clearly…”

I muttered, half-complaining.

My blood— the blood flowing through this body from some place beyond the stars— has the power to suppress spirits wandering this land.

I’m not sure to what extent, but—

Isolation is met with isolation.

If something is tied to a person, I can simply spill my blood there and sever the connection.

…This time, I didn’t realize it soon enough, so I didn’t handle it properly, but I’ll use it next time.

With that thought, I lightly pressed my sword into the tatami.

Then, without hesitation, I sliced through the cluster of Chi that had piled up into a mound, as if they were trying to merge into one big mass of slime.

Splat!

Blood splattered everywhere again, enough to alarm anyone watching from other rooms.

I had already seen many times how little blood from one Chi could efficiently stain a room.

So, if I slashed through this large cluster at once, far more blood than usual would spray everywhere, beyond the level of a mere spray bottle.

…My clothes had turned completely red.

Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing my school uniform—

—I didn’t get to finish that thought.

Suddenly, the sky became visible.

The next thing I knew it was that I was thinking, “I can see the sky.”

There’s something I remember hearing from a YouTuber before.

A streamer once said that if someone were hit hard enough to fly into the air like in a fighting game, that person would be dead in real life.

It’s a logical point.

How many situations in real life would cause someone to be sent flying into the air?

Maybe getting hit head-on by a car going full speed.

And considering I had just flown through a thin wooden and paper door, the impact was unimaginable.

Luckily, the window behind me was open.

If I had crashed through two doors, the impact would’ve been twice as bad.

Huh, but I’m not dead.

That’s fortunate.

I rolled a few times on the ground and quickly got up.

Miraculously, I was still holding my sword.

“Haa…”

My whole body was drenched.

The rainwater mixed with the blood soaked into my hair, dripping reddish water.

Given how much blood I’d been drenched in, this was only natural.

“Grrrr…”

A sound came from the window, where something leapt lightly into view and landed softly in front of me.

It was a dog.

But a dog that looked somewhat human.

It was crawling on all fours, its body distorted in a grotesque way, with a dog’s head.

It was a yokai, in the truest sense of the word.

“So, it was you.”

Its body was transparent.

It wasn’t just invisible— it had likely been intangible.

If it had been resting on someone, the person taking care of them wouldn’t have noticed even if they touched it.

Had I left it alone, it would have remained hidden, slowly eating away at Mori-san’s life.

The reason it couldn’t remain hidden was probably because of my blood.

The transparent dog’s body was smeared with red blood.

Its fur, standing on end like a cat’s, made it look even more bizarre.

“Grrrr…”

The dog growled, and the hairs on my back stood up.

Not just because I was facing a yokai.

…The dog itself was terrifying.

It felt like the kind of creature that had always been dangerous.

A primal fear.

Sigh.

I wish they hadn’t taken this directly from the original.

In the Lovecraft mythos, this was a dog that once killed one of Shub-Niggurath’s hybrid sons.

It was a ridiculous end for someone destined to summon Shub-Niggurath into the world.

I was afraid of that dog.

No, if they were going to add originality, they shouldn’t have just changed the name.

They should’ve properly modified the lore as well.

Besides, that thing has nothing to do with dogs, humanity’s eternal friend!

It looks more like a ghoul! And ghouls, in the mythos, resemble dogs, but they aren’t actual dogs!

If they’re going to reflect the lore, they should do it right!

I gripped my sword.

The dog’s limbs bulged grotesquely, and then, like a spring, it lunged forward.

I swung my sword, aiming for the dog’s head.

The dog ducked its head, opening its mouth wide as it moved toward my abdomen.

Was it trying to devour my guts?

I quickly stepped back.

The edge of the cardigan I was wearing got slightly torn off.

If I had been even a little slower, my guts would’ve been torn out.

Cold sweat dripped down my back.

…Alright.

From today, I’ll officially switch to being a cat person.

Chapter 42. Loneliness

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Instinctive fear aside, I had to make sure to get rid of that thing in order to survive.

If Mori-san couldn’t be saved, it would only lead to further trouble as she wandered around, tormenting people. And the ones being tormented were none other than the yakuza.

If I just bullied them for no reason and then fled after making the yokai furious? It wouldn’t be strange if a truckload of burly men in suits showed up at our house the next day.

Besides, if I showed my back in this situation, it felt like it would immediately charge at me and sever my neck.

...It’s a yokai, but still based on a dog. It might still retain those instincts.

If I just keep standing here, staring straight into its eyes—

The dog’s mouth gaped open, and it lunged at me.

It didn’t work at all.

Well, that’s how it goes with half-baked knowledge picked up from the internet.

I wanted to cut down the enemy stylishly, like Yuuki in the novel, but I couldn’t do that. I had never learned how to use a sword.

In that case—

I thrust the sword forward.

It’s a newly created sword every time I use it. Naturally, its edge must be well-sharpened.

The dog that had been charging at me swerved to the side.

Okay, one thing was clear. The dog was aiming for my neck. If it were after my arms or legs, it would have bitten differently.

It wasn’t exactly good news.

I swung the sword toward the dog as it veered away.

Though I wasn’t an expert at wielding a sword, a well-honed blade is menacing just by being swung.

The tip of the blade grazed the dog’s side.

As the dog sprinted forward, a long wound appeared. The sight of a red gash floating in empty space was more grotesque than I expected.

And then—

A sharp yelp.

The yokai let out a typical dog-like whimper as it frantically turned its body.

At first glance, the wound didn’t seem deep. Of course, if a normal person were injured like that, they would cry in pain, but this was a yokai. Last time, the Nue had charged at me with an arrow stuck in its neck.

Maybe because it’s been inflicting pain for so long?

As those thoughts ran through my mind, what caught my eye was the fur around the wound.

The fur elsewhere was all standing on end, but only the fur around the wound was drenched in rain, hanging limply.

"......"

Alright, I’ll remember that.

I charged toward the dog.

Though my rain-soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to my body, it was bearable. My instinctive fear was still present, but just like how people jump off cliffs or ride roller coasters despite their fear of falling, it’s all overshadowed by the belief, "I won’t die."

Yeah. I won’t die. I’ve already had my hand bitten and my heart pierced. Neither managed to kill me.

My body doesn’t die from violence.

Barking fiercely, the dog rushed toward me with the same vigor.

I tightly gripped the sword with both hands and raised my left arm. I bent my elbow, extending my arm in a defensive stance, similar to how trainers present their padded arms to dogs during training.

Then, I loosened my left hand just a little.

How did it look to the dog?

I hoped it seemed like I was drawing back the blade, preparing to swing. As long as it didn’t notice my intent, it would aim for my arm.

Crunch.

I felt the dog’s teeth sink into my arm. The pain was excruciating.

The dog instinctively planted all four feet firmly, pulling back as if trying to drag me along. They say a dog’s teeth are specialized for tearing. It seemed this dog wanted to rip me apart too.

The eyes I met were transparent. But despite the rain washing over it, the blood splattered on its face from earlier remained, slowly dripping away with the water. The dog’s lifeless eyes didn’t seem capable of cursing anyone.

It reminded me of the dog’s head I had seen earlier.

Just as I felt my legs giving way and my body being dragged along, I swung the sword. It wasn’t anything fancy. But the finely sharpened—no, inherently sharp—blade managed to slice into flesh even with such a casual swing.

"Grrr."

The dog whimpered.

Crunch.

It twisted its head to the side, dragging me along with it.

“Ah…!”

The sword slipped from my hand.

Honestly, my mind wasn’t functioning very well at that point. The only reason I hadn’t blacked out was the fear that I might really die, or worse, suffer something more horrific. I was barely holding on, overwhelmed by the primal fear, desperation, and the sheer amount of blood I’d lost. My head was a mess.

It hurts.

It really hurts.

The attack I suffered from the Nue had been so surreal that I hadn’t even felt much pain, but this time was different. I could feel my left arm turning into a rag.

Especially around the bandaged part on my left wrist.

The dog, startled, released me, and I was flung to my left. Maybe it was because I hadn’t gained much weight yet.

After rolling three times on the wet ground, I quickly got up and searched for the sword.

It was a few meters to my right.

I threw myself in that direction.

“Bark bark!”

I heard the dog barking, followed by the sound of it charging madly toward me. It was terrifying. I felt like prey being hunted by a dog.

In my hurry to reach the sword, I tripped and fell forward.

“Hey, miss!”

“Stay back!”

Still, I had enough presence of mind to shout.

Hearing one of the yakuza men shout, I screamed in response. Fortunately, the sound of footsteps approaching stopped.

“You guys can’t cut that thing…!”

I tried to crawl toward the sword, digging my nails into the ground, but it was impossible. Obviously. I was being dragged backward by my ankle. The dog was much larger than me.

With the sword just two steps ahead, I was being pulled back. My nails left marks on the wet sandy ground, and there were bloodstains from my left arm as well. Damn it.

Just when I thought it would let go of my leg, the next place it bit was my calf.

Then my left thigh, and next, my lower back.

My body was briefly lifted and then thrown to the ground.

I forced myself to turn over. My entire body ached, but my will to survive was stronger.

As soon as I turned over, the dog’s teeth sank into my stomach, but they didn’t stay there long.

The dog recoiled again as if in shock, letting go. Thanks to that, my insides were relatively safe for now. If this went on for a few more minutes, though, I would be eaten alive.

“...Ah!”

Then, an idea suddenly flashed in my mind.

I fumbled for my right shoulder with my left hand.

“Kyuu?”

No way, it’s still attached even in this situation?

I grabbed it with my left hand.

“Hey!”

When I shouted at the dog, its eyes turned toward me.

I raised my right hand and jabbed at its eyes, but the dog clamped down on my hand.

Then, with its right paw pressing down on my chest, it pulled back as if to tear off my arm. Skin tore along its fangs, and blood dripped down onto my face.

Before the dog could open its mouth again, I shoved the object I was holding into its mouth. Though I felt my flesh tearing along its teeth, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

And then, I crushed it inside the dog’s mouth.

Even just one of those exploding inside a room would splatter red all over the place. Imagine what would happen if it burst, concentrated inside the mouth.

The dog’s eyes seemed to bulge in surprise. Its lifeless eyes suddenly widened, and both my hands were freed instantly.

Though both hands were now shredded to the point of being painful to even look at, they still worked.

When a dog feels pain or eats something truly awful, it reacts in a certain way. Its mouth gaped open, its body tensed, and it made retching motions.

Watching what was presumably my blood dribble out of its mouth was grotesque.

With the yokai caught off guard, I quickly turned my body and dashed toward the sword.

It wasn’t far, so even with my poor stamina, I managed to grab it.

“…Ah.”

My body wobbled slightly.

It was clear now that my time was running out. Honestly, I was amazed I’d held out this long despite losing so much blood. My body definitely wasn’t human anymore.

I gripped the sword and glared at the dog.

Looking more closely at the dog, I noticed something clearer.

The blood on its back had almost been washed away by the rain, but not its legs.

The fur on the leg I had cut earlier was still hanging down.

...No.

That’s not just fur. The ‘fur’ hanging down was dragging sand along as the dog moved.

And that ‘fur’ looked abnormally long.

Moreover, the dog was limping on that leg but it wasn’t even that deeply cut.

If this yokai was a curse created using a dog, an artificial yokai, then naturally, its appearance would closely follow the original dog’s.

But that dog wasn’t a breed with fur that long.

I looked back at the dog’s back.

Its had strands that was standing straight up toward the sky.

But, on second thought, it wasn’t like a startled cat’s fur, which sticks out in all directions.

The strands was rising directly ‘upward,’ toward the sky.

“...”

The dog, having finished retching, glared at me again.

I could feel blood dripping from my left arm. The wound that Nirlass had left wide open to keep me connected with it hadn’t stopped bleeding.

Shall I give it a try?

The dog charged at me.

I swung my left arm and splattered the dog with blood.

The dog clamped its mouth shut and turned its head to the side, but it didn’t stop.

Thanks to that, my blood stained its back. The strands was still rising—higher and higher into the sky. Some of the blood even hung in the air, far above the dog.

Ah, I see.

So that’s how it’s being ‘controlled.’

I raised my sword.

And as the dog ran toward me, I swung the sword above the dog’s head.

Snip, snip.

I could feel threads-like things snapping as the sword cut through.

In an instant, the dog’s head slumped downward. It wasn’t completely immobile, but at least in the area where my sword had cut, the ‘connection’ was severed.

Its jaw dropped, and the dog’s heavy body collapsed onto me.

But it didn’t bite.

Though the dog struggled to stand, it thrashed its head about as if confused by its inability to move it properly.

...If I had called Yuuki, I might have learned the dog’s name and how to defeat it.

But I somehow managed without needing to calling her.

The dog let out a muffled growl, a pitiful sound—half whimpering and half an attempt at barking.

I swung the sword a few more times. Not at the dog itself, but around it, especially near its legs.

One side of the dog’s body collapsed.

I had seen something like this on a pet show before. A dog that had lost the use of its legs due to nerve damage. This dog now looked just like that.

I lifted one of its ears slightly and whispered to the dog struggling on top of me.

“Can you hear me, the one beyond?”

The dog froze for a moment.

“You’ve got guts, haven’t you? To think of messing with someone here.”

After saying that, I let go. The dog whimpered, but with both of its left legs paralyzed, it couldn’t get up properly.

I pushed the heavy dog off me and stood up.

The next steps were simple.

I walked around the dog, slashing the air.

Snip, snip. I kept hearing the sound of something snapping. Each time, the dog’s body lost more of its ability to move.

Finally, I cut the last of the threads near its tail, leaving the dog truly alive but paralyzed, unable to move and only able to whimper.

“...”

Of course, it didn’t look like any ‘puppy’ I knew. Even compared to a large dog, its body was more like that of a person with fur.

At least it wasn’t invisible. I could only vaguely make out its silhouette because of the blood I’d splattered on it.

I raised my sword and aimed for where its heart should be.

I thrust it between its ribs, using all my strength to drive it down and twisted the blade back and forth.

The dog’s legs stretched out stiffly as it trembled, then it died.

“...Haa...”

Relief washed over me. And at the same time, a wave of exhaustion.

As if the moment my brain decided the situation was safe, my body started shutting down.

Like when a building manager flips off the power switches, I gradually lost sensation from the extremities of my body, until only the cold remained.

Feeling cold on a summer night like this meant I was truly drenched in rain.

As I collapsed to the side, I heard people running toward me from afar.

...Well, I probably won’t die.

When I lose consciousness and wake up, I’ll probably be in a hospital again, and whoever’s there will tell me not to go to school tomorrow.

...I wonder if my attendance record is still okay?

Maybe, since Yuuki wouldn’t know about this, I wouldn’t have to take a forced break.

...At the same time, a part of me started to wonder if I might really die this time.

I don’t want to die just yet.

---

*

Kurosawa Kotone.

Just like with surnames in any other part of the world, the name ‘Kurosawa’ probably doesn’t have any special meaning, like ‘Baker’ or ‘Hunter’ from foreign names. It’s certainly not meant to reflect ‘that person’s personality.’

However, when I looked at this girl, or her mother, or the religion that had been passed down in their family, I couldn’t help but think there was some significance behind that surname.

As if it had been deliberately chosen to represent this family.

Kurosawa (黒沢). The black swamp.

When you stare into it, you see nothing, as though something is lurking at the bottom, staring back at you from the depths.

Yamashita Yohei, with a pen held between his fingers like a cigarette, stared blankly at Kurosawa Kotone, who lay in her hospital bed.

Of course, what she had created overnight wasn’t a Kurosawa, but a red swamp (赤沢). But even if the swamp is red, if it’s deep, what you see is still black, isn’t it?

The wounds that had covered the girl’s body had mostly disappeared during the ride to the hospital.

The only evidence of how much blood she had lost was the red stains left on the back seat where she had lain.

The hospital staff were firmly convinced that Kurosawa Kotone had vomited blood. If not that, then they believed she had hemorrhaged. Either way, though her body bore no external wounds, she had lost an immense amount of blood and was in critical condition due to severe anemia.

“Is that... a failure, boss...?”

One of the subordinates, who had been staring blankly at the girl as she was rushed into the hospital, mumbled to himself.

The hospital staff looked at Yohei with expressions that suggested they were on the verge of calling the police, but thankfully, none of them did.

This hospital was one they often used, after all.

Yohei patted the shoulder of the mumbling subordinate a couple of times before speaking.

“I’ll keep an eye on her. You guys go check on Miho’s condition.”

They had already confirmed it before arriving.

Although she had been drenched in blood, the deathly pallor that had marked her face for the past few days was mostly gone. Her gaunt face wouldn’t recover immediately, but as long as she didn’t die, proper care would soon restore her strength.

After watching his subordinates bow and drive away, Yamashita Yohei entered the hospital—and that’s how things reached this point.

Failure.

Kagami had certainly called her that.

She had even said that Yohei’s ex-wife—Kagami’s older sister—would have been far more useful. That was just last year.

“...”

Yohei hadn’t heard many details about that situation.

“Haa...”

He let out a long sigh and pulled out his phone.

He felt sorry for the girl, but there was much he needed to ask Kagami.

---

I opened my eyes and immediately saw Kagami.

“What time is it?”

“Why? Worried you’re late for school?”

Her response reassured me that my condition had improved somewhat.

“I hate being late again.”

Kagami glanced at the clock on the hospital wall.

Six in the morning.

There was still plenty of time. School didn’t start until eight-thirty.

When I tried to sit up, Kagami gently pushed me back down.

“Take it easy. We’re not in Saitama. You can walk to school from here, so you can rest for another hour or two.”

Ah, right.

Since I had been moved to a hospital, of course, it would be one nearby.

I let myself relax a little.

“Did Yamashita-san call you?”

“Yamashita-san did.”

“...Do you know who sent that dog?”

“I knew from the beginning.”

“It wasn’t you, right?”

“I’m not stupid enough to discard my biggest source of income. My sister, on the other hand, is that dumb.”

“...”

I took a moment to process what she had said.

“

Your sister is Yamashita-san’s ex-wife?”

“Well... yes.”

“...”

“Did you know? Every religion has this destined fate.”

“What is it?”

“It’s when different interpretations of the doctrine cause schisms. My sister was married to Yamashita-san, yes. But... Yamashita-san chose our sect. Naturally, they split up. But it seems my sister still holds a lot of regret toward him.”

“...”

I stared at Kagami for a moment before asking.

“Couldn’t you have dealt with it yourselves?”

“You’re the only one in our sect who possesses a sword capable of cutting down yokai.”

Ah, right.

I had heard it wasn’t easy to create such a thing.

I let out a long sigh.

“Well, we were looking for a solution. It seems Yamashita-san doesn’t fully trust our sect.”

“...”

“Aren’t you going to ask more?”

“No, I don’t want to dig deeper into this.”

“Is that so?”

Kagami smiled.

“Well, it’s a good thing you managed to handle it. If we had stepped in, people might have ended up dead. That curse was that powerful.”

“Loneliness?”

“Inugami.”

Kagami said.

“It’s a notorious yokai, infamous for its cruelty. If you had called, I could have given you a clue.”

“...It’s fine.”

She would have rushed over, no doubt.

But as I looked at Kagami again, her outfit seemed a little different from usual.

She wore a dress similar to the one she had on when we first met, with a thin yellow cardigan draped over it. Just looking at her, she didn’t give off the impression of someone who worked in a bar. Then again, those who worked in such places didn’t wear their work clothes outside, just like office workers changed into something more comfortable when at home.

“I don’t want to be treated like a bad person even at a hospital.”

Hmm... is that so?

I guess a healthcare worker might report her for child abuse. If I came in bleeding like that with Kagami by my side, they might assume she had hit me.

“So, what now? I want to leave the hospital.”

“The hospital will probably try to stop you... but if you really want to, I’ll make it happen.”

Kagami said.

“Rather than going straight to school, why don’t you stop by the Yamashita house first?”

“The Yamashita house?”

“There’s a friend there, right? I heard she was anxious all night and only just fell asleep. If you suddenly disappear and meet her at school, won’t you end up having a strange conversation there?”

“...”

That’s true.

“I’ll bring you a set of school uniforms. Consider it included in the fee for resolving this situation.”

As I stared at Kagami, she stood up and said,

“There’s competition, after all. I can’t just give away something that valuable for only 20,000 yen per job.”

It wasn’t really about the cost, though.

...

Well, I’ll take it this time.

The clothes I’d been wearing were completely shredded anyway.

Any extra set of clothes would be appreciated.

---

And so, after hastily leaving the hospital, I ended up having breakfast at the Yamashita house.

“...”

“...”

I didn’t expect to be eating breakfast.

Well, normally, at this time, I’d be on my way to school already.

It was only 7:15, and here I was, eating breakfast—one of the perks of living in the heart of Tokyo, I guess.

“Did you succeed yesterday?”

Yamashita asked.

I nodded.

Yamashita-san, worried that I might feel uncomfortable, had arranged a small room where we could eat alone.

It was better than eating surrounded by yakuza, but that didn’t mean I felt completely at ease.

Thinking about what Yamashita had gone through yesterday... well, even though she wasn’t physically hurt, it must have been quite a mental blow.

“What exactly do you do?”

Fortunately, I had prepared an answer for this question in advance.

“I’m a shrine maiden.”

“...A shrine maiden?”

“Yes. A shrine maiden from my family.”

“...”

Yamashita stared at me in bewilderment.

“Do you think what happened last night was some kind of curse?”

“I dealt with it in my own way. That’s why Mori-san got better. So, I don’t think it matters whether it was truly a curse or not.”

“...I see.”

Yamashita seemed to understand a little.

By the way, the hallway had been scrubbed clean by the yakuza men all night. Parts that couldn’t be cleaned were swapped out with doors from other rooms, and today, while Yamashita was at school, they were planning to replace them with new doors.

The room that had turned into a sea of blood was temporarily sealed off under the pretext of “ritualistic significance.”

“Thanks. I’m not sure what happened, but I feel like I should say that.”

“I’m not sure if it was thanks to me either.”

I mumbled.

Later, when I needed an excuse, I could say I didn’t believe in this stuff and had argued with my mom about it, which caused a rift between us.

“This morning, I talked briefly with Miho-nee.”

I remained silent and listened.

“I still find it hard to accept that Dad and Miho-nee are getting married, but I’m going to stop running away.”

What should I say?

“Good decision?” Honestly, that sounded too condescending. I didn’t want to lecture my friends.

“Come visit from time to time.”

Instead, I said that.

Yamashita smiled faintly. Then she lowered her head as if trying to hide her smile.

We finished the rest of the meal in silence.

And after that, we headed to school together.

Chapter 43. Chaos (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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"Kuu-chan."

That day during lunch.

Someone stopped me as I was heading towards the club room, as usual.

It was Kaneko. There were only two people in this entire school who called me with a nickname ending in “-chan,” and among them, the only one who was friendly enough to use a nickname instead of my real name was Kaneko.

But Kaneko was now gripping my arm with a serious expression.

And I prepared myself, thinking, "So Kaneko's heard about it too."

Kaneko seemed to be heading to the club room as well. Usually, she ate lunch with Ikeda in the classroom, so she must have been on her way to meet me.

*Thud, click.*

"Let's sit down for a bit first."

Kaneko opened the club room door, walked in, closed the door, and said.

I sat down silently in a chair.

Kaneko pulled out the chair beside me, sat across from me, and faced me.

"I... heard a rumor."

Kaneko hesitated a little as she began.

"Last Saturday, there was a girl with long hair tied at the end walking down the hallway, bleeding from her head."

Kaneko was looking intently at my face with a very serious expression.

"And the girl who was helping her... if you go by the description, it sounds like Yamashita."

Actually, the description of the injured girl matched me exactly too. Kaneko was just being cautious with her words.

"It was you, right?"

"......"

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded.

What would lying about it accomplish? It would just be a lie.

"Was it because of the track team?"

I nodded again.

Kaneko's face flushed red with anger.

She looked like she was about to storm out and beat up the track team right then and there.

"It's been resolved."

"Resolved?"

Kaneko asked incredulously.

"You got hurt like that—"

"There's nothing to worry about. By the time I got to the nurse’s office, the injuries weren’t serious, and after I went to the hospital with my homeroom teacher, they said there was nothing wrong."

"......"

"You know, Senpai. My body is different from normal people."

"Even so..."

"And, there's someone who handles problems for me."

"......Huh?"

"Those people haven't been to school since then."

I don't know how they were dealt with. I did ask Kagami not to kill them, so I’m sure she followed that.

Maybe they transferred schools? Anyway, they already had a terrible reputation here.

"But still..."

"It’s not your fault, Senpai. It’s them who were acting strange."

When I said that, Kaneko looked like she didn’t know what else to say.

After thinking for a moment, I changed the topic.

"How’s the junior you mentioned before? Are they doing better?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. They're physically much better. But..."

"......"

"It seems like coming back to school is still tough for them."

Kaneko, who had been so cheerful when she told me about their recovery, suddenly became deflated as she conveyed this.

I could understand why.

The main perpetrators on the track team might have been punished, but most of the bullies were still at school.

It wouldn’t be strange if they decided to transfer schools.

"But they’re slowly recovering their strength each time I visit them."

Kaneko said, smiling a little, though it seemed forced.

I nodded silently.

*Thud.*

As we reached that point in the conversation, the door opened.

"Oh, Senpai."

Yuuki blinked in surprise.

Kaneko stood up from her seat.

"Oh, it’s fine. We just finished talking."

"Ah, okay."

But Yuuki seemed to notice Kaneko’s unusual demeanor and looked a bit surprised.

However, being the considerate person she was, she didn’t pry.

"Izumi is probably waiting for me. I'll get going. Enjoy your meal~"

"Okay, see you after school."

Yuuki waved her hand slightly as she said that, and I nodded in response.

After the door closed again, Yuuki sat down in the seat Kaneko had just vacated and asked,

"What were you talking about?"

"Kaneko Senpai’s junior."

"Oh, that."

Yuuki nodded, a serious expression crossing her face.

We didn’t bring up that topic again.

I figured it was not something we should get further involved in. Kaneko should be allowed to handle the rest in her own way.

After all, guilt is not something you can easily shake off until you let go of it yourself.

After a brief silence, Yuuki pulled out a bread roll from a plastic bag and placed it in front of me.

"Here, curry bread today."

Curry bread!

As I grabbed the bread Yuuki handed me and began unwrapping it, Yuuki, watching me, said something rather rude.

"You kind of look like a hamster. Can I pinch your cheeks?"

When I stared at her, dumbfounded, she just laughed and unwrapped her own castella cake.

* * *

No, seriously, how is the weather getting worse?

Well, it’s June and July, so it’s supposed to be hot. It’ll stay hot until August, and then the weather will start cooling down, and by winter, it’ll get cold.

People say it's nice to have distinct seasons, but I think that’s nonsense. I’ve lived in a place with distinct seasons, and neither extreme heat nor extreme cold is pleasant. People should live in a place where the weather is mild all year round.

I hear that in San Francisco, the temperature never drops below freezing or rises close to 30 degrees.

Well... that’s just what they say.

Anyway, it’s July now. Even though it’s still the rainy season, the rainy days are decreasing.

If I can just hang in there until the end of this month, it’ll be summer vacation.

I heard my part-time job hours won’t change much during summer vacation, so I'll still work three hours from Wednesday to Friday and take a break from Monday to Wednesday.

Of course, I’m looking forward to the vacation.

It’s not like I’m planning to go anywhere. Before I died, I worked night shifts or all-night shifts, so during this summer vacation, I plan to stay home as much as possible.

According to the novel, there’s a summer vacation episode, but it’s not too serious. It’s more about government officials being involved in something. At least this time, it probably won’t be a life-or-death situation.

Well, anyway.

It’s Monday, July 5, 2004.

I trudged up the stairs, feeling like I was about to melt.

"......"

And there it was again, a melon bread sitting on the stairs, just like it had been after so long.

Once again, the end of the plastic bag was tied with a fishing line, and Kaneko was probably waiting at the other end.

"......"

After a brief hesitation, I decided to ignore the bread.

"Gasp!"

As I walked past the bread and opened the club room door, I heard Kaneko’s startled gasp.

The door to the photography club room swung open, and Kaneko came rushing out.

"Kuu-chan, are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"

No, why does she think I have to be sick just because I didn’t fall for the bread trap?

I was just really tired today.

Without a word, I opened the door, entered the club room, and collapsed into a chair, resting my body on the desk.

"Kurosawa?"

Ikeda asked, looking at me with concern.

I wasn’t sure if global warming had affected the 2020s as much as it did, but even in this world, the summers were still hot, though it wasn’t unbearable. At least it didn’t feel like I was being roasted alive every time I stepped outside.

Plus, the classrooms had air conditioning. The kind you usually see in schools, square-shaped units attached to the ceiling. Given that such units were installed in 2000s classrooms, I guess this school really did have money.

But unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of a budget to install air conditioning in every unpopular club room in the old building, so there was no air conditioning in this room.

We only had a fan attached to the wall and an open window, so it felt like I was melting just sitting here.

"Do you want some iced tea?"

Ikeda handed me a bottle of iced tea, frozen and still cold. Did she freeze it at home?

"Thanks."

I accepted it politely with both hands— not to drink it, but to press it against my neck like an ice pack. Ah, I feel a little better.

Seriously though, how is it reasonable to have black summer uniforms? When I was under the sunlight, the uniform absorbed so much heat that it felt like I was being cooked.

I guess in Japanese manga, you sometimes see characters wearing vests even in the summer, so this is probably nothing in comparison.

"Kurosawa, you’re weak to the heat, huh."

Lying on the desk, clutching the iced tea bottle, Kaneko said as she followed me into the room.

"I thought you’d be strong against the heat since you give off a cat-like vibe."

What kind of logic is that?

Cats may like hot places, but not me. I actually prefer winter to summer. Last time, Yuuki said I was like a hamster, so it seems like people think I resemble some sort of animal.

Maybe I should stop eating bread that’s left on the ground.

Just as I was thinking that, Kaneko placed the melon bread in my arms while I was slumped over the desk.

Well, if it’s packaged, it’s not like it’s been abandoned. I should seize the opportunity while I can.

"Every time it gets this hot, I start wondering how winter can get so cold."

"Right? It makes you wonder if winter is even coming."

Ikeda agreed with Kaneko.

"But then, all of a sudden, it becomes too cold to handle in short sleeves, and after that, it gets unbearably freezing."

Kaneko said in a joking manner.

But isn’t Japan’s winter supposed to be milder than Korea’s? I guess winter would be easier to handle. As long as I don’t freeze to death in my sleep.

...Maybe I should get a kotatsu or an electric blanket.

Well, I’ll think about that when autumn comes.

*Thud.*

The door to the Literature Club room opened again, and Yuuki walked in.

"Why is the Literature Club room on the fourth floor? In a building with no elevator..."

"Because it's one of the most unpopular clubs. Isn't it the most minor one in this old building?"

"Ugh..."

Ikeda made a frustrated noise at Kaneko's remark, but she couldn’t really argue against it.

Yuuki, as always, sat down next to me, and Kaneko, as usual, pulled out a magazine from her bag.

"…Huh? Senpai, what’s that?"

There was a large photo on the cover of the magazine Kaneko pulled out.

A large gate surrounding a traditional Japanese mansion.

...I've seen that place before.

And at the top of the page, the main article’s title was written in big, bold letters.

*"Strange Crying Sound from a Yakuza Mansion!? The Mystery Behind the Beast-like Howls Heard in the Dead of Night!"*

"......"

I tried my best to stay still and not show any reaction.

"Oh, this? It seems like they caught some kind of animal at a Yakuza mansion in Minato Ward. A dog... or something? I heard someone reported it as animal abuse, but nothing came of it."

"But why is that kind of article in a magazine like this?"

"When they have nothing else to print, they throw in random occult stories. This article suggests that the Yakuza were holding some kind of ritual."

Yuuki was silent for a moment. Since I wasn’t looking at her, I couldn’t tell what her reaction was, but it seemed like she was deep in thought.

Could it be that she knows where that mansion is?

Now that I think about it, Yuuki's grandfather seemed to know something about Kagami or Miura-san.

Maybe he’s been investigating something?

"Is that the whole story?"

"Want to see?"

It sounded like Kaneko handed the magazine to Yuuki. I heard the rustling of paper above my head, followed by the sound of pages being flipped from Yuuki's direction.

After a moment of that rustling, Yuuki spoke.

"...Yeah, that's pretty much the whole story. The rest of the pages are just filled with famous curses."

"Right? Still, every now and then, something truly interesting pops up. This month is a dud, though. Since it’s summer, it would've been nice to have a more chilling story. Stories about isolation and such are overdone."

I tried my best not to flinch.

Yuuki handed the magazine back to Kaneko.

"Well, those kinds of things don’t happen every year. They usually just bring up stuff that happened decades ago around the same time."

"Exactly. Even haunted spots are the same places every time."

"…You don’t actually go to those places, do you? Most of them are private property, right?"

"Come on, I wouldn't—"

As the conversation shifted in another direction, I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

It seems like Yuuki hadn’t caught on.

If she had, she’d probably scold me like crazy.

* * *

"Did something happen at Yamashita’s?"

On our way home, Yuuki asked me bluntly.

"..."

So much for being relieved. That was a mistake on my part.

In hindsight, Yuuki in the original story was strangely persistent. She’d always find traces that others missed and track down where yokai were hiding.

That’s just the kind of ability you’d expect for someone in her profession, but she’d also use that ability to figure out where the protagonist was spending time with other heroines and get jealous.

Not that she was a yandere or anything, but there were often scenes where she’d get upset on her own after finding traces of things and making assumptions.

Yuuki Yuka isn’t a yandere character; she’s a tsundere. She usually acted all “hmph!” around Sasaki.

Yuuki going “hmph!”... It’s hard to even imagine her like that in this world.

"Kurosawa?"

Yuuki walked alongside me, matching my pace.

"You were with Yamashita that evening, right? But since then, you haven’t walked home together. Did something happen between you two?"

Well, something definitely happened that improved our relationship.

Yamashita was still somewhat skeptical. I had helped Mori-san, but the way I did it was so deeply rooted in superstition that it was hard for a modern person to believe.

Still, since Mori-san’s condition had improved around the same time, Yamashita didn’t think it was just a coincidence. She seemed to believe that I had helped soothe Mori-san’s spirit or something like that.

Anyway, I revealed that I was a shrine maiden.

But if I tell Yuuki any half-baked lie, she’ll see right through it.

She’s a real professional shrine maiden, after all. If I said I’d easily dispelled a curse as tricky as isolation, she wouldn’t believe it.

I racked my brain.

How could I avoid mentioning that I was covered in blood without getting caught in a lie?

And that’s when I noticed—

A girl in a white sailor uniform with blue trim standing in front of us.

She was staring blankly in one direction.

...Well, I could only see her from behind, but it gave off that kind of vibe.

And I recognized that back.

"Shii?"

When I called her name, Sasaki Shii turned to look at me.

She had a shocked expression, as if she’d seen something unbelievable.

What was going on?

I turned my gaze to where Shii had been looking.

And—I saw something pretty shocking myself.

Sasaki Sota was standing there, with two girls on either side, holding onto his arms.

Wait, no, on closer inspection, it wasn’t him who was holding onto them. From behind, it looked like Sasaki Sota was nervously glancing from one side to the other, completely flustered.

Ah, right.

That guy was the protagonist of a harem light novel.

Nowadays, harems have dozens of heroines, but back then, heroines usually had one distinct personality type each.

You know what I’m talking about. The glasses heroine, the childhood friend heroine, the older sister-type heroine… that sort of thing.

In this novel, there were three heroines—the main "romantic interest" heroines.

Shii was one of the heroines too, but she wasn’t a main character in the romantic plotlines. If you count supporting characters who had significant roles, there were quite a few, but the regular cast of heroines with serious romantic ties numbered three.

One of them was Yuuki Yuka.

...Since I had become close with Yuuki, and the incidents that would have dragged Sasaki Sota and Shii into trouble were resolved early on, those two heroines hadn’t met the fierce competition that would have come from meeting Yuuki.

As a result, Sota ended up in this situation, caught between his childhood friend and a senior who had taken a liking to him.

Lucky bastard.

*Poke, poke.*

I felt a poke on my shoulder and turned my head to see Yuuki’s flushed face as she looked at Sota.

"That... that kid... isn’t that Sasaki Sota?"

Why is she acting all flustered?

...Oh, right.

I hadn’t noticed much because I’d been so far removed from the main storyline of the light novel, but Yuuki actually had an interest in this kind of thing. In the original story, there were scenes where she showed curiosity, even getting startled by raunchy magazines.

I nodded at Yuuki, then turned to Shii and called her softly.

"Shii?"

"Yes..."

She was completely out of it.

I suppose it would be shocking to see the older brother you adored in a situation like that.

...No, it wasn’t just that she adored him.

Shii’s mental state ran much deeper than that.

"......"

I sighed, holding it in, and gently took hold of Shii’s sleeve.

For now, let's go somewhere else.

Let's calm down and clear our heads.

Chapter 44. Chaos (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I thought about going somewhere else.

To be honest, I was also a bit curious.

I didn't read all of *Tokyo Slayers*, but I remember really enjoying the beginning. I got immersed in the protagonist’s story.

And, of course, I liked the situations involving the protagonist and the heroines. It’s a harem genre, right?

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly which heroine I liked the most, but back when I was a teenager with raging hormones, naturally, I preferred the older woman type heroine.

For reference, out of the three heroines, the only one who could be called "normal" was the childhood friend, while the other two were the kind of heroines who would completely disrupt your life the more you got involved with them.

For instance, Yuuki worked at a shrine, exorcising yokai.

The other older woman heroine wasn’t a yokai, but she did something similar to exorcism.

Yes, she was a nun.

Don’t ask me why the nun wasn’t in a convent, wearing a habit and veil—I wouldn't know. I’m not the author.

Back then, it was just trendy to have maids carrying guns or swords, or priests and nuns slaying vampires with swords. The author probably just wanted to include a heroine in a nun’s habit.

They mentioned the Catholic Church and the Vatican, but it was quite different from the real-life Catholic Church and Vatican I knew. In the author’s notes at the end of the volume, the writer even openly admitted to loosely borrowing names and structures, saying something like, "As long as it looks cool, that’s what matters, right? Hahaha." That kind of tone was common back then, and I found it quite charming.

So, Yuuki’s real rival would have been that upperclassman character—

—but now, not at all.

Hmm.

"I get what you're worried about, little sister."

The three of us sat side by side on a park bench. Shii was seated between Yuuki and me, and Yuuki, surprisingly, seemed quite interested in relationships.

Well, it was like that in the original too. She pretended not to care about romantic stuff but was actually quite curious.

"I guess having two girls hanging around your brother would make you a bit uneasy."

But to be honest, her expression wasn’t one of concern, but more of interest.

"Yes... that’s right. I always thought my brother didn’t have any women around him, but suddenly, there are two."

Hmm.

I, who knew exactly how this all happened, kept my mouth tightly shut.

If I let something slip here and reveal I knew about their relationship beforehand, it’d be a disaster. It’d look like I’d been stalking them.

Shii had even speculated once that I might be close enough to her brother to be a potential girlfriend. It took a lot of effort to clear up that misunderstanding, so I couldn’t afford to let things take an even stranger turn.

In the main story I had skipped past, Sasaki’s childhood friend hadn’t spoken to him for quite some time.

The Sasaki siblings had lived elsewhere briefly due to their parents' issues. During their divorce, they fought violently, with Sasaki Souta going to live with their father, and Shii staying with their mother. Their last names even changed for a while.

In the meantime, Sasaki Souta’s family moved overseas for about two years due to their father’s job.

For the record, the reason for the divorce was an affair—Shii’s mother had fallen for a younger man.

Souta’s father didn’t want to raise both children and only wanted to take the boy to carry on the family name, to which their mother replied, "Do whatever you want." And that’s how it ended up.

Naturally, after the divorce, when Shii’s mother took her, her father’s side of the family was furious.

Shii was often neglected at home, and her mother spent all the money she got on her new man instead of on Shii.

When Sasaki Souta returned to Japan and found out about this, he took Shii away. His father was furious, but—

well, after some negotiation, they managed to get permission, on the condition that Souta wouldn’t rely on his father for support.

Sasaki Souta chose to take care of his sister by working part-time.

The reason Shii calls him "Onii-sama" stems from admiration. And because she’d already been abandoned by her mother once, she acted as the "perfect little sister" in front of her brother to avoid being discarded again.

For Shii, a "girlfriend" for her brother is a threat to her life and daily routine. If Souta gets too attached to a girlfriend, Shii fears she’ll be abandoned—that’s why Shii’s biggest reason for opposing a girlfriend in the story is this.

On top of that, the reason her parents divorced was infidelity, so of course she would be totally against a harem.

I remember this part vividly, which is why I know all this in such detail.

"....."

Now that I’ve put it all together, it feels even more dangerous.

But how do I reassure Shii?

"Ah!"

Shii suddenly clapped her hands.

Then she looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"You two know my brother, don’t you?"

"....."

I hesitated for a moment and then pointed to Yuuki.

"She’s in the same class."

"What!?"

Yuuki looked incredibly flustered when I redirected the attention to her.

Shii turned her shining eyes toward Yuuki.

"Are you close with my brother?"

"Uh, I..."

Not really.

Yuuki wasn’t the most outgoing type. She wasn’t completely isolated in class, but she didn’t have a lot of friends either. You could say she preferred close, deep relationships over broad, shallow ones.

She’s really kind, but... it’s unfortunate.

And as for boys, the only male friend she had in the main story was Sasaki.

"I just sit right behind him!"

But Yuuki had a fatal weakness—she was particularly vulnerable to girls who were cute and smaller than herself.

This wasn’t something that appeared in the main story. Sasaki’s childhood friend was a small, cute heroine, but in the main story, she was Yuuki’s rival.

There were hints, though—like how Yuuki would spend all her allowance trying to win stuffed animals from claw machines, or how she treasured a cute teddy bear Sasaki gave her. She had a soft spot for cute things. Back then, we called it "gap moe."

I only realized it applied to people too after I entered this novel myself.

"Could you help me out a little, then?"

"Uh..."

"Could you ask him subtly? Like, what kind of relationship he has with those two girls?"

"Well..."

The confidence Yuuki had been exuding earlier seemed to evaporate instantly.

"If I get the chance?"

"Thank you!"

Seeing Shii’s eyes sparkle, Yuuki looked like she realized she might have made a big mistake—

but it was too late, judging by Shii’s bright smile.

* * *

But why would Shii ask Yuuki to do such a thing?

Yuuki’s a girl too, after all. And she’s pretty, with a good figure. She’s literally a "heroine."

Has Shii not considered that Yuuki could become Sasaki’s third girl?

"Kurosawa, what should I do?"

The next day, during lunch break.

Yuuki came to me for help.

"I’ve barely ever spoken to Sasaki."

I think it’s not just Sasaki—you probably haven’t spoken much to boys in general.

In a way, you’re indirectly talking to a boy right now, but since I’m legally and outwardly a girl, I’ll let that slide.

"You sit right behind him."

"Just because I sit behind him doesn’t mean we talk."

I understood.

Back in middle school, I went to a co-ed school, and the girl who sat behind me didn’t speak to me until the end of the year.

...Wait, was that a different situation? Anyway.

"Shouldn’t you at least be a little friendly with him to ask something like that? And if I suddenly ask him out of nowhere, won’t he think I like him or something? I really don’t want to give him that impression."

I listened to her while taking a bite of my pastry. It was crisp and flaky, with layers of sweet, coated bread. It wasn’t much in quantity, but it had enough calories to get me through the rest of the day.

"...Excuse me? Kurosawa? Are you listening? And besides, it’s your fault I’m in this mess, you know!"

Yuuki grabbed my shoulders and shook me, making my vision blur left and right.

"I understand."

It’s true—it’s awkward to ask about someone’s love life if you’re not close to them. And it’s even more awkward to ask, "Are you dating two girls at the same time?"

The truth is, he wasn’t dating either of them.

I thought for a moment, then looked out the window.

Hmm.

It was still gloomy outside, but it didn’t look like it was about to rain anytime soon.

In that case... we could probably do it this way.

"There’s a way."

"A way?"

I explained my plan to Yuuki.

"..."

After listening to my entire plan, Yuuki frowned and asked,

"Isn’t that way too likely to cause a misunderstanding?"

"Don’t worry."

I reassured her.

Because Sasaki Souta is a "harem protagonist."

He’ll never misunderstand something like this, so she could relax.

I took another bite of my pastry.

* * *

My plan was simple.

I always arrived at school early. There weren’t many people around when I changed my shoes at the entrance, though it wasn’t completely deserted.

So, leaving a note in Sasaki Souta’s shoe locker without anyone noticing in the morning was easy.

Yuuki had said my plan was "likely to cause a misunderstanding," and it was because of this note.

"Meet me on the rooftop after school."

Anyone would find such a note suspicious. I had deliberately scribbled it on a random piece of paper, torn from a notebook and hastily written, but still—any boy receiving such a note would get nervous.

He might think it was from a girl planning to confess to him.

But, let me remind you once again, Sasaki Souta is a "harem protagonist."

"W-W-What did you want to ask me?"

When Sasaki Souta met me on the rooftop, he stammered nervously.

The sky was a bit clearer than yesterday. The weather was still gloomy, like it might rain, but it didn’t seem like it would pour.

"I just wanted to ask you something."

"Ask me something?"

"Yesterday, I saw you walking with two girls."

"Ah."

"So, I wanted to know if you’re dating both of them."

"Uh... is that all?"

I nodded.

Sasaki’s face showed a hint of disappointment.

He probably thought he was in for setting up a big rejection. He wasn’t interested in dating me in the first place, so he must have been worried about how to turn me down gently.

And this was why I wasn’t worried at all.

Sasaki Souta is a "harem protagonist."

That means he’s completely oblivious when it comes to romance.

You know, the kind of protagonist who goes to a summer festival with his childhood friend wearing a yukata, and when she tries to confess to him during the fireworks, he completely misses it, even though she clearly mouthed "I love you"—and he just goes, "Huh? What did you say?" in confusion.

As long as I didn’t outright confess, Souta would automatically assume it was just a misunderstanding.

"Well... uh."

"Are you dating them?"

"No."

When I asked directly, Sasaki shook his head immediately.

"Alright."

I nodded.

"....."

"....."

"So... is that all you wanted to ask?"

"Yeah."

Sasaki’s shoulders slumped in relief.

"Could I ask why you wanted to know?"

"I just thought people might misunderstand if they saw you with them, so I wanted to let you know."

"Ah, I see."

Sasaki nodded in understanding.

"One of them is a friend I’ve known since childhood, and the other is an upperclassman I got to know recently... they were probably just teasing me. The upperclassman likes to mess around like that."

"I see."

I nodded.

"Got it. But you should still be careful."

"Yeah... thanks, I guess?"

Sasaki scratched his head.

As I looked up at him, he awkwardly stepped back and said,

"Uh... I’m going to go now?"

"Okay. Thanks for answering."

"N-No problem."

Sasaki finally smiled a bit and turned around, still looking confused, as he headed toward the rooftop door.

Creak. Thud.

The rooftop door closed, and Yuuki, who had been hiding behind the wall leading to the hallway, came out.

"It actually worked."

"Of course. He’s the type not to misunderstand things like this."

"How did you know?"

"We’ve met before."

In Akihabara, to be precise.

We didn’t have a long conversation, but it was enough to gauge his personality. I knew just enough to get by.

"Really?"

"And that’s how I met Shii as well."

"I see..."

It was strange, but I had gotten involved with Yuuki before I ever spoke to Sasaki Souta or Shii.

Both times were just chance encounters, though.

"Okay, let’s go tell Sasaki’s little sister now!"

Yuuki said energetically.

* * *

"Hmm..."

"Hmm?"

But Shii didn’t seem entirely satisfied with our answer.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Ah, I’m sorry, it’s just..."

Shii tilted her head as if she were thinking hard.

"I already knew my brother was pretty dense..."

...Of course she would.

After all, she lives with him.

"Even if he’s not dating either of them now, what if he suddenly does later?"

"Well, he’d only date one of them, right?"

"What if he starts dating one, and the other doesn’t accept it!?"

"....."

Yuuki was speechless for a moment.

Then she looked at me, asking for help.

Hmm.

What should I say?

It felt awkward to act like I knew Sasaki well in front of Shii.

Besides, given what I knew about the "older woman" character, it was tricky to speak recklessly.

She wasn’t quite yandere, but she wasn’t someone you could let your guard down around either.

She was the type who might take drastic measures—like suddenly making a move on Sasaki.

And she was a nun, no less.

As I was carefully choosing my words, Shii suddenly clapped her hands again.

"I have an idea!"

Shii’s face lit up as she looked at me.

"We both work at a cafe, right?"

"....."

I had a feeling I knew where this was going.

"How about we invite my brother and those two girls to the cafe?"

"...How?"

This time, I asked.

"We could give them free coupons! My brother would definitely come if he had free coupons. We’ll give them three coupons!"

"Our cafe doesn’t have free coupons."

I imagined the face of our cafe owner.

She might be generous enough to give away dusty old machines from storage, but she’d never allow free food.

"I’ll make the coupons! I’ll pay for them myself."

"....."

I looked at Yuuki.

Yuuki was smiling at me smugly, as if to say, "Serves you right."

...Well, this is a problem.

As I watched Shii’s sparkling eyes, I seriously considered how to handle this.

* * *

Anyway, the next day.

I had been wondering if Sasaki would really be oblivious enough to bring two girls along just because of three free coupons.

But my hopes were dashed.

Even though Sasaki didn’t have a girlfriend, why on earth would he show up with two girls? What’s going on in his head? Normally, he’s so dense that even when girls confess directly or physically throw themselves at him, he doesn’t get it. Why bring both heroines here—

No, actually, now that I think about it, it makes sense. He’s probably too oblivious to realize they like him romantically, so he doesn’t see any problem.

But if that’s the case, couldn’t he have just brought two male friends instead?

"Ah, Shii, hello."

Sasaki greeted Shii, then turned to me with an awkward smile.

"Hi."

"Welcome, Master."

I replied courteously, and Sasaki fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable.

Well, of course.

Even someone as oblivious as him must know it’s weird to show up with two girls in tow.

In the original story, there was a scene where Sasaki got teased and lightly beaten up by his male friends for his harem. It wasn’t serious anger—it was just exaggerated for comedic effect, like boys fooling around.

I’m sure there were plenty of "light novel-style events" that led to the three of them coming here today that I didn’t get to see.

"Oh my, there really is a maid here. How cute. Is this your type, Sasaki? If you want, I can wear something like this too."

"Hahaha..."

The "older woman" said. Her appearance was elegant, with neatly trimmed black hair that fell straight down her back, and long bangs swept behind her right ear.

But her figure... she was even more "impressive" than Yuuki, who I thought was already quite "impressive."

Sasaki scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"W-W-W-What? Sasaki, is this really your thing? Dressing up Shii like this...!"

"I-I didn’t make her wear it!"

Next to her stood a short-haired girl with a lively expression.

If I had to compare her to someone, she seemed somewhere between Miura and Kaneko. In the original, neither of those two appeared directly, so their characters didn’t overlap. Though, if you’re talking about short hair, she and Miura had similar hairstyles, but hers was fuller and rounder.

"...What would you like to order?"

Today’s shift is going to be exhausting.

I braced myself as I asked.

Chapter 45. Chaos (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"So that's it~ Shii-chan is Sota's little sister."

The name of the "elder sister" was Hagiwara Hana. As I said before, she was a nun of the church in this world, though it seemed like there weren't any strict restrictions on her movements.

Why there was such a foreign militia in Japan, a country with a functioning autonomous government, was something I didn’t really know either. If this were a novel, I would simply think the author decided it that way, but this world wasn’t just the setting of a novel. The background was just as I had read in the novel, but for this world to actually exist, there had to be some logic to it, right?

So, there must be some political aspect I’m unaware of behind the scenes. I didn’t want to dig too deep into it right now.

By the way, no matter what, there’s a significant gap between live-action and illustration. If I had met this person for the first time separately, I probably wouldn't have recognized her right away. She was indeed a stunning beauty, as described in the novel, but there are too many "beautiful girls" in this world.

...But how did Yuuki recognize her? She wasn’t even wearing a school uniform when they first met, just casual clothes.

Was it just intuition?

"And you’re Sota’s friend?"

"...Currently, I'm Kurosawa Kotone, the maid."

I deliberately said it that way to put some distance.

By the way, the 'elder sister' character.

Considering the age I was when I first read light novels, she was definitely an "elder sister" type character. The protagonists in light novels were usually high school students, so for a freshman who just entered, even a one-year difference would make someone seem like an older sister. If they were an adult character, they would often be described as "overflowing with sensuality."

Those "sensual" elder sister characters were usually in their early twenties, often university students.

...An older sister, huh.

From the perspective of my past life, these were still kids who hadn’t even finished growing, yet they were called elder sisters.

For some reason, I felt a bit of sadness welling up inside. Damn.

"Hmm, you’re a girl who’s dedicated to her job, huh? I like that."

Perhaps because she was also a character from the cosplay world, she seemed to relate somehow.

Now that I think about it, she also got super embarrassed the first time she showed the protagonist her nun's habit.

"Sh-Shii, you were working at a place like this?"

The childhood friend, speaking with a slightly shocked expression, was Nakahara Nanami.

She was lively but smart, a bit strict, and in every sense, the textbook definition of a childhood friend. The type often seen in light novels of that time, who would come to wake the protagonist in the morning or find dirty magazines under his bed—she was supposed to be that character.

The reason I said "was supposed to" is because the one who woke up Sasaki Sota in the morning was Shii, and the one who cleaned his messy room was also Shii.

Because Shii was such a perfect little sister, Nanami couldn’t fulfill her childhood friend duties.

That didn’t mean she had given up on the protagonist, though.

"It's just a part-time job, miss."

I politely replied on Shii’s behalf.

"Oh, s-sorry!"

"Right, Nakahara-san. It’s just a job. She’s just serving coffee, and her outfit happens to be a maid uniform. It’s not good to look at things with tinted glasses. Plus, Sota’s little sister is here, too."

Hagiwara’s voice was relaxed but her words cut sharply.

"I-I didn’t mean it that way..."

Even though she totally did.

It’s not like working at a maid café is anything grand. Even in the more popular maid cafés later on, the most you do is take pictures with customers, sing songs, or draw pictures with ketchup on omelets.

If they really offered "services," the strict Japanese government wouldn’t leave it alone, especially when it comes to the sex industry.

"Yes, yes. It’s a problem if you discriminate against people based on what they’re wearing."

Hagiwara murmured in a voice that seemed to come with some hidden meaning.

Well, technically, both Shii and I were working illegally, but there was no need to point that out. We had never had an issue getting paid so far.

"Still, I was surprised when I found out Shii was working here."

Sasaki spoke to me, perhaps trying to shift the conversation after seeing Nakahara glaring at Hagiwara.

But.

"...Would you like to place your order, Master, and young ladies?"

I ignored the conversation and asked that instead.

If I wasn’t the one caught in the middle of this harem situation, I had no reason to clean up their mess.

Shii didn’t call me over to solve this, either.

Sasaki, switching his gaze between smiling Shii and me, seemed to realize that I had no intention of getting involved in the drama between these two. He ordered coffee, slightly disappointed.

Nakahara ordered a café latte and shortcake, while Hagiwara, like Sasaki, just ordered coffee.

Nakahara seemed a bit shocked to be the only one who ordered dessert. She was the only one who got a latte, too.

Well, it’s not that strange.

I bowed politely again and took the order sheet to the counter.

"Senpai, senpai."

"...Yeah."

"How did it look? Those two don’t seem that close to my brother yet, do they?"

"...Yeah."

I nodded in response.

Seeing me like that, Shii’s expression darkened slightly.

"Ah...did I cause trouble? Maybe I shouldn’t have brought all three of them together..."

"...No."

I didn’t think that was the case.

Though the café was tucked away in a quiet area, it had gained some popularity and attracted a decent number of customers.

After all, I had met Sasaki and Shii again when they visited the café by chance.

Sasaki might bring his girlfriend here someday too, wouldn’t he?

Though it was a bit troublesome.

"It’s fine. They’re just customers."

"R-right?"

Shii’s face brightened again.

If only my little sister had been like this.

...

Ah, no. If my little sister had suddenly started acting like this, it would have been terrifying. There’d be no reason for her to act so cautiously unless she had broken my computer or knocked over my figure display case.

Though now, I won’t ever hear that nagging voice again.

"...Are you satisfied?"

"Ah, yes. But I’ll need to observe a little more..."

"That’s fine."

I nodded and started working again.

Shii quickly followed me to help.

...In the meantime, the two other maids working with us were whispering while looking at Sasaki’s table, with two girls and one guy. But since the three of them didn’t seem to hear, it didn’t really matter.

Or maybe the "elder sister" Hagiwara did hear, but since she was pretending not to, I decided to leave it alone.

---

Shii and I work just three hours on weekdays. Our shift ends a little after 8 p.m.

Sasaki was waiting for Shii outside until then.

His childhood friend and the "elder sister" were with him as extras.

"Shii, let’s go together."

"Ah..."

Shii looked back at me.

Normally, when we worked, Shii would go home with me. I usually bought her ramen for dinner. It was usually the cheapest item on the menu, though.

Of course, Shii was considerate enough not to always let me treat her.

Though I always declined when she offered to pay, these days, we more often split the bill for what we ate.

Not going back with me now meant she was giving up that time.

"I’m fine."

"Oh, do you two usually go together?"

At Sasaki’s question, I nodded.

"Um...would you like to join us?"

Both the childhood friend and the "elder sister" looked at me simultaneously.

There didn’t seem to be any hostility... I mean, they were both fundamentally good people. Nakahara, obviously, and Hagiwara, despite being a bit mischievous, was on the side of maintaining peace.

But as for me, I had no desire to be caught in the middle of their harem.

If my body had been male, I might have considered it. Though none of those girls liked me romantically, I wouldn’t have been seen as part of a harem if I were a guy.

When I shook my head, Shii bowed deeply as if to apologize.

"I have somewhere to stop by for a bit."

I said.

"Really?"

Of course, it was a lie.

"Yeah."

But I answered with conviction.

Even after hearing my response, Shii still looked a bit anxious, so I waved my hand and left first.

Well, it was a path I was used to walking alone anyway. This is Japan, after all. One of the safest countries in the world, not just in East Asia, so there’s really no need to worry.

...Though I did get stalked once. But that was just bad luck at the time.

After walking for a few steps,

I heard the sound of someone running behind me, and someone tapped my back.

"Hey."

I turned around to see the "elder sister"—no, Hagiwara—standing there.

"No matter what, it's dangerous for a girl to be alone at night like this. Let us at least walk with you to wherever you're going."

"..."

I stared up at her.

And I looked over at Shii.

Shii was gazing at me with a concerned expression.

I let out a soft sigh between my lips.

---

On the way home, we decided to stop for a light meal.

Sasaki suggested it, and Hagiwara and Nakahara agreed, so the five of us ended up eating dinner together.

The menu was tonkatsu.

It was the same tonkatsu place where Sasaki had treated me last time.

We still had about an hour before closing. Maybe it was a time targeting the employees finishing their shifts in Akihabara?

"You’ve gotten pretty close with Shii, huh."

Sasaki said as he looked at Shii, who was sitting next to me.

I nodded.

We saw each other four days a week, and on Saturdays and Sundays, we spent almost the entire day together, so it wasn’t like we could avoid talking.

Of course, neither of us talked much in detail about ourselves. There were just too many awkward topics to bring up.

"Are you not close with Sota?"

Nakahara asked.

"We’re in different classes."

"Oh... I see."

Nakahara was in a different class from Sasaki, too. After they reconnected, she started hanging around outside his classroom to meet him... or so the light novel said.

"How do you two know each other when you don’t meet that often?"

Hagiwara Hana asked.

"...We just happened to run into each other."

I answered briefly. There wasn’t really any other way to describe it.

Their questions continued subtly, as if they were trying to assess me but not quite. Sasaki probably learned more about me than he ever had before just from the questions they exchanged.

"Hmm."

Hagiwara tilted her head while looking at me. Her well-maintained hair slipped off her shoulder, like something out of a shampoo commercial. Honestly, I was a little impressed. I had long hair too, but I could never manage it that well. Even if I knew how, I’d probably find the process too exhausting.

As I stared at Hagiwara tilting her head at me,

"Hey, by any chance, are you—"

She started to ask something but quickly shut her mouth.

All the kids at the table turned their gazes to Hagiwara.

...Had she noticed something?

Maybe, as a seasoned yokai hunter from a venerable religious organization, she had caught on to something, I thought briefly, but then dismissed it.

Even Yuuki didn’t realize it when she first saw me. How could this person?

"Oh, never mind, it’s nothing."

Wait, what?

But I felt like it wouldn’t be anything good to hear, so I just continued eating my tonkatsu without responding.

As expected, it was delicious.

How could fried meat taste bad?

...If it weren’t for tuition fees, I’d eat this every day.

I sighed softly and focused on my meal.

Perhaps sensing the atmosphere, no one asked me any more strange questions.

---

The next day, during lunch break.

The sky was quite clear today. The rainy season hadn’t ended yet, but it seemed the heavy downpours were almost over.

Should I wait in the Literature Club room, or go up to the rooftop?

I seriously contemplated it and pulled out my phone.

[I'll be on the rooftop today]

Soon after sending the message, I received a reply: [Got it].

...

Hmm, come to think of it, I really have been getting free bread every day.

It’s not like I’m freeloading, though. It’s closer to Yuuki offering charity.

Even though I’ve been mooching bread for almost an entire semester, isn’t it about time I started paying for my own food?

But if I suddenly said, "I’ll start buying my own from tomorrow," Yuuki, being quite sensitive, might get hurt.

Maybe I should ease into it.

With that thought, I put my phone back in my pocket and headed for the rooftop.

The first-year classrooms were on the first floor of this school. So were the third-year classrooms. The new building was quite wide horizontally, so even with that setup, there wasn’t much lack of space.

Of course, not all the first- and third-year classrooms could fit on the first floor, so with the second-year classrooms they were on the second floor.

To get to the rooftop, you naturally had to pass through the second-floor hallway where the second-year classrooms were. It wasn’t a long walk, but still.

I wasn’t in any rush to get there, so I took my time, relaxing my legs as I lazily climbed the stairs.

The weather was still racing toward midsummer, and if I used up all my energy climbing, I’d be worn out before I even reached the top.

Drooping my arms and bending over slightly, I slouched up the stairs when—

"Hey!"

Someone called out to me.

As I passed near the second-floor hallway.

"..."

I turned around to see who it was.

It was Hagiwara from yesterday.

She looked a little surprised to see me standing on the stairs between the second and third floors.

Why?

I tilted my head.

"Are you going somewhere?"

Hagiwara asked.

I shook my head.

"No."

"...I see."

Her eyes flicked back and forth between me and the stairs.

Wait, why?

"Could you tell me where you were going?"

"..."

I hesitated.

I didn’t want to say I was heading to the rooftop. If I did, she’d ask, "Why?" and the only answer I’d have is, "To eat lunch."

And that would be... a bit awkward.

Since growing up, eating alone hasn’t been a big deal for me, but back in my teens, not having friends wasn’t exactly something to brag about. You rarely saw anyone eating alone in the school cafeteria. Unlike in college or work life, making friends in high school wasn’t that difficult.

I wasn’t eating lunch in the bathroom or anything, but it was still an answer that might sound awkward.

I didn’t mind, but the worry that might come afterward was uncomfortable.

"Why?"

So, I asked instead.

"Huh?"

"Why should I tell you where I’m going?"

At my words, Hagiwara looked a little flustered, an expression that didn’t suit her.

In the light novel, she had the role of a "calm elder sister," but in reality, she was still a teenager. The most life experience she had was probably school life, maybe some part-time work.

"..."

Seeing her speechless, I turned around and continued up the stairs.

It would be exhausting to get involved.

I’d rather leave Hagiwara to Sasaki and mind my own business—

"Wait."

Was she always this persistent?

I turned around again.

The third floor had classrooms like the music room, the AV room, the computer room, the science lab, the cooking room... In other words, places that were almost empty during lunch break.

Hagiwara’s voice echoed slightly in the hallway.

"By any chance."

After hesitating for a moment, Hagiwara looked at me with a resolute expression.

"By any chance, are you the one who was bleeding from the head and was carried to the nurse’s office by another girl a while back?"

"..."

Ah.

Now I get it.

This person must’ve heard the rumors too.

But that was weeks ago. It caused a bit of a stir at first, and I did get some curious looks, but it died down pretty quickly.

Unless something was actually wrong with me, people would just assume they saw things wrong, or that the rumors were exaggerated.

First-year students who saw me every day would’ve lost interest by now, but second-year students didn’t see me often. The rumor was probably just floating around like, "There’s this kid in the first year who..."

How should I answer?

"It was you, wasn’t it?"

Seeing that I wasn’t responding, Hagiwara seemed even more convinced.

At this point, denying it would just make things more suspicious.

"I slipped in the bathroom."

I replied.

"...I see."

Hagiwara nodded, then looked back at the stairs I had been climbing.

"But why are you heading to the rooftop?"

"..."

How did she know...? Well, there wasn’t really anywhere else to go up there. There was no reason to go to any other classroom.

Hagiwara continued to look at me silently.

No, wait.

Could it be... Does she think I’m going to do something drastic?

"..."

Judging by the seriousness in her eyes, it seemed like that’s exactly what she thought.

"It’s not like that."

I reflexively denied it, but somehow that only made her more suspicious.

Now what? Should I try to reason with her? Should I explain that what happened weeks ago wouldn’t lead me to consider something like suicide now?

But that would just make me dig my own grave.

As I wrestled with these thoughts in my head,

"...What are you two doing?"

Yuuki’s voice called out from the stairs.

Both Hagiwara and I turned to look.

Yuuki was standing there with a loaf of bread in each hand, glancing back and forth between us.

...

This situation is about to get more complicated.

Chapter 46. Chaos (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Where should the expression "mature" be used?

At least, it shouldn’t be used to describe an adult, because an adult is just an adult.

The only phrase that can be applied to an adult is "immature."

But the funny thing is, everyone has a different idea of what constitutes being an adult.

Even in the modern world, where the legal definition of an adult is clearly established, people still have varying views on the matter.

Some people describe teenagers as "mature," while others use the phrase "immature."

Frankly, it’s ridiculous. Telling a child who still goes to school that they’re "immature" seems more accurate, doesn’t it?

So what if kids act like kids?

Well, maybe if I had just entered high school, I might have thought Hagiwara seemed "mature."

After all, she could teach me a lot from the other side.

At the very least, she could share last year’s exam material with me, right?

But from my current perspective... both Hagiwara and Yuuki, who was now facing off against her while holding two pieces of bread, were just kids.

"What are you two doing right now?"

"Huh? Uh?"

Yuuki’s sudden interruption seemed to throw Hagiwara into a state of panic.

There were no clear indicators in this school to tell students’ grades apart.

At my old school, we had different-colored name tags to distinguish the grades, but this school didn’t have such convenient rules.

Not even something like using ribbon colors to differentiate would have worked here.

But Yuuki seemed to realize instinctively that Hagiwara was an upperclassman.

It made sense, really.

Even if someone wasn’t outgoing enough to know every student in their own grade, they’d still generally recognize familiar faces they passed in the hallway.

Besides, Yuuki had already seen her once before.

When someone who doesn’t fit in with the usual crowd is standing right there, it’s easy to assume they’re from a different grade.

"No, well..."

Hagiwara wore an expression that said she didn’t know how to answer.

In the original story, Yuuki and Hagiwara were characters who frequently clashed.

This was partly because they competed over the same man, but also because they were rivals in hunting down spirits.

From the way they were acting, it seemed like they didn’t know each other yet.

Well, it wasn’t long ago that Hagiwara started this kind of activity. The church had only recently begun hunting spirits.

Yuuki subtly stepped in to block the space between Hagiwara and me.

Hmm...

In media, Christian groups usually acted extremely hostile toward people of other faiths.

Recalling that fact, I quietly hid behind Yuuki.

Yes.

I was from a cult.

Yuuki didn’t seem to care too much about that. Japan was a country filled with countless beings labeled "Kami" (gods), after all. The way they used the word "god" was different from how it was used in Christian religions.

So even if someone worshiped an "evil god," they would watch first before taking any action.

As long as the evil god didn’t harm society, they wouldn’t take steps to destroy it.

In Yuuki’s mind, that evil god was still "just another god."

But the church was different.

For them, there was only one God. Every other god was heresy, and worshiping them was forbidden.

Catholicism traditionally respects rituals, such as the ancestral rites in Korea or the ceremonies held at Japanese shrines, but... the problem here was that this wasn’t the Catholicism I knew.

The purpose of this church was to destroy all "foreign gods" and spread the will of their one true God across the world.

Up to the point I read, it hadn’t been clearly explained why the church had started moving.

It wasn’t clear whether it had anything to do with Nirlass or not.

Still, it was best to be cautious. Even if it wasn’t, once they found out, I’d be marked for execution.

"Are you two going for lunch?"

Hagiwara asked, alternating her gaze between the two loaves of bread.

Yuuki nodded.

"It seems like the weather will be nice today."

"I see..."

She glanced at Yuuki’s face, then at me as I slightly peeked out from behind her.

"Sorry for meddling."

After saying that, Hagiwara turned and walked away without hesitation.

Did she think I was okay?

Well, she went down for now, so it should be fine.

"That person was with Sasaki last time, right? Why was she here?"

Yuuki asked me.

"She must have heard some rumors about me."

"Ah..."

Yuuki’s tense shoulders relaxed at my words.

"She wasn’t trying to use that as a way to bully you, was she?"

"No. She was just asking if I was alright."

"I see."

Yuuki’s eyes softened for a moment.

"You really do seem to get involved in a lot of stuff. Well, I suppose people would be interested. But I didn’t expect her to come right up to you like that."

Hmm...

I figured Hagiwara had probably recognized me from somewhere, but I didn’t bother mentioning it.

I thought it would be better if the two of them kept a bit of distance from each other for now.

"Here."

Yuuki handed me one of the breads.

It was a croquette.

"…"

I looked down at the bread in my hands for a moment before looking back up at Yuuki.

"What? You don’t like it?"

"No, that’s not it."

Hmm...

If I told her that she didn’t have to buy me bread anymore starting tomorrow, Yuuki would probably feel hurt.

…Maybe I should buy both of our breads from now on and share them with her?

Once you start accepting help, it becomes hard to change the nature of the relationship.

Should I have refused from the start?

I followed Yuuki, who had already started climbing the stairs, as I pondered over it.

---

Shii was a child who always did things neatly.

She was like that when she worked part-time, and from the way the novel described her, she was the same in her daily life.

The character Sasaki Sota, like a proper male protagonist, was reliable but had some human flaws.

He found cleaning his room a chore or delayed housework.

Without Shii nagging him, his room would probably have gotten pretty messy.

Just as Shii relied on Sasaki, Sasaki also relied on Shii in his own way.

Of course, their relationship was born out of unfortunate circumstances caused by their negligent parents.

Shii’s daily life was sustained by Sasaki’s presence.

That’s why she felt something akin to fear at the thought of being separated from him.

"Ah!"

Shii’s hand slipped.

As she tried to wash a plate, her hand slipped off.

Thud.

I, who had been watching Shii’s hands carefully, quickly reached out.

I didn’t catch the plate in mid-air gracefully, but I managed to stop it from slipping out of her hand entirely.

With my reflexes, if I had tried to catch it after it fell, I would’ve ended up smacking it even further away.

Fortunately, I had finished my work earlier and was standing nearby, or else the plate surely would have shattered.

"I’ll take care of this."

"Oh, but..."

"It’s fine."

I spoke as I firmly took the plate from her hands.

Since my hands were already wet, I didn’t bother putting on gloves and just washed the plate.

It wasn’t a big deal since we didn’t save up the dishes to wash in bulk but handled them as they came.

"I’m sorry..."

"…"

I glanced at Shii, who was apologizing, and then shifted my gaze back to the plate.

"After you’re done, tell me what’s been bothering you while we eat."

"…Okay."

At my words, Shii lowered her head, looking dejected.

---

"…Those two."

Shii’s explanation was simple.

Today, Sasaki was bringing two of the girls from his harem over to their house.

It was probably because of his indecisive personality and his inability to reject advances.

After school, he must have gotten roped into some form of temptation by his upperclassman, which angered his childhood friend, leading to an argument that probably started as a joke but ended up becoming serious.

"Yeah…"

Honestly, considering that Shii often came home late, she might not have needed to tell me in advance.

Even if she ended up running into the two of them when she got home, it wasn’t like Sasaki was going to do anything major.

The two girls wouldn’t, either.

It was a light novel from back in the day, but it wasn’t the kind of story that devolved into that level of chaos.

Still, Sasaki must have called ahead because he was worried about Shii.

Living together, Sasaki would have known better than anyone if Shii was feeling a little off because of those two girls.

"…"

After thinking for a moment, I spoke.

"Are they still together?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I was too scared to ask after that."

"Alright."

I took a spoonful of ramen broth.

"Are you finished?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

Shii blinked and answered as she watched me move abruptly.

"Alright."

I said, pulling out my coin purse from my pocket.

---

"Ah, um, senpai."

"It’s fine."

The place where we were now standing wasn’t the station where we usually parted ways.

I’d never been here before, but Shii and Sasaki’s neighborhood was called "Sangenjaya."

Surprisingly, it was a place I knew.

The reason I knew this area was that it had appeared in the background of one of the games I enjoyed.

In the game, the name wasn’t used outright but was altered slightly.

I wasn’t sure how accurate the resemblance was to the real neighborhood, since it had been a few years since I played that game.

But the neighborhood looked like a nice place to live, and I figured the property prices were probably pretty high.

…Even though Sasaki’s father supposedly abandoned him, they still gave him a house. Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for them to support themselves.

It seemed like their school fees were still being covered, too.

Well, anyway.

"It’s getting a little late..."

"It’s fine. I’ll just sleep over."

"Huh?!"

"I’ve slept over at a friend’s house plenty of times, so don’t worry."

"B-but what about clothes...?"

"…"

Ah, right.

"…I’ll just buy some underwear."

"O-okay…"

Shii responded absentmindedly to my words.

Knowing my size, I took Shii with me to a nearby shop and bought some cheap underwear, a plain white T-shirt, and a pair of shorts to wear to bed.

Thanks to my part-time job, I had some savings...

It wasn’t like I didn’t care about spending the money, but it wasn’t going to affect my finances too much either.

Labor really is sacred. Even if you’re on the verge of starvation, it’ll at least keep food in your mouth...

As long as you’ve got a place to sleep, of course.

The house Shii led me to was a standard two-story home, like the ones you often see in Japanese manga.

The lights inside were on.

Since the curtains were drawn, I couldn’t see what was happening inside.

"A-are you really sure about this?"

"It’s fine."

Honestly, it was me who should have been asking if she was sure.

Now that I was here, I had no other choice. It was already past curfew, and if I got on the subway now, I’d definitely get stopped halfway.

That would mean a call to Kagami, which I really didn’t want.

Shii gave me a somewhat nervous look, took a small breath, then pulled a key from her bag and unlocked the door.

The small bell attached to the door jingled.

"Shii!"

As if he had been waiting anxiously, Sasaki rushed to the entrance, but froze when he saw me standing beside Shii.

"Um, bro, this is…"

"I’ll be staying over tonight. Please take care of me."

I said with a bow.

"Oh, y-yes, pleased to meet you?"

Sasaki, still clearly flustered, bowed his head in return.

I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a chocolate bar I had bought earlier, holding it out to him.

"A gift."

"Th-thank you?"

Sasaki accepted the chocolate with both hands, still looking confused.

"Sota, who’s—"

Noticing that Sasaki hadn’t returned to the living room, his childhood friend, Nakahara Nanami, came out to check and froze the moment she saw me.

And following behind her was Hagiwara Hana, who also froze at the sight of me.

"…"

Both girls turned their gaze toward Sasaki, who shook his head vehemently.

"Shii, let’s go inside."

"Ah, okay."

Shii still seemed a little nervous, but she looked more relaxed than when she first entered.

That made sense.

Even though she had seen their faces at the café last time and had dinner with them, being stuck in the same space with her brother’s friends, whom she hadn’t really talked to, must have been uncomfortable.

I came along for that reason.

I removed my shoes and neatly turned them toward the entrance.

No one said a word as I walked into the house.

---

"Wait, she’s staying over?!"

Sasaki nearly screamed.

"Sota, just how many people are you fooling around with?!"

"I agree. Seems like you’re more popular than I thought. We need to be more careful~"

Nakahara was furious, while Hagiwara had regained some of her composure and was acting more relaxed.

Still, judging from the way she kept glancing back and forth between Sasaki and me, she was clearly flustered.

I held back a sigh.

I’d thought at lunchtime that it would be better to keep my distance from them, but in the end, I couldn’t resist meddling with Shii’s situation, and now I was stuck in this mess.

…Back when I used to criticize male protagonists who meddled in everyone’s business, I didn’t realize I’d end up doing the same thing.

I pointed back and forth between Hagiwara and Nakahara.

"You two are Sasaki’s guests."

Then I pointed to my own face.

"And I..."

I pointed at Shii.

"Am her guest. There’s no problem."

"Uh… but, I…"

"She’s just my sister’s friend."

Sasaki seemed slightly relieved by my words.

The other two also seemed to relax a little.

I grabbed a seaweed-covered senbei from the plate on the table and ate it.

"So... you didn’t come here for Sota?"

Nakahara Nanami asked cautiously. I nodded.

"That’s right."

Technically, I did come because of them.

I wasn’t planning to issue any direct warnings, but my presence would at least boost Shii’s confidence and prevent the two of them from acting recklessly.

I glanced toward a corner of the living room where two large bags were sitting.

They probably contained their school uniforms for tomorrow.

"Are the two of you staying the night?"

"Yep!"

"That’s right. We’re Sota’s guests, after all."

Nakahara answered cheerfully, while Hagiwara responded with a little more composure.

"Did you get permission from your parents?"

"Of course. I don’t make my parents worry needlessly."

"And what about you?"

Unlike Nakahara, who gave a straightforward answer, Hagiwara subtly turned the question back toward me.

"Did you get permission from your parents?"

The only bag I had was my school bag, and it clearly didn’t contain a uniform.

She must have asked, thinking I still had some romantic interest in Sasaki.

"No."

So I deliberately cut her off firmly.

"…What?"

Hagiwara’s mouth dropped open slightly.

"My mom doesn’t come home, and my dad’s gone."

"…"

A chilling silence fell.

Hagiwara’s face went pale.

"Uh, no, I didn’t mean…!"

"It’s okay. I’m used to it."

I reached for another senbei.

These were really good.

"Senpai, would you like me to get more?"

Shii asked. I nodded.

By now, Shii seemed to have figured out why I was here.

It’s always nice to have someone on your side.

I felt the same way when Yuuki stayed over at my house.

"…"

Hagiwara seemed uncomfortable around me.

No matter how much older she was, there was only a one-year difference between us.

Although physically, it seemed like the gap was wider, but that was probably because I was much skinnier than her.

If Hagiwara was this flustered, then Nakahara was even more unsure of how to treat me.

Coming from a typical, happy, middle-class family, it was going to take her a long time to understand the Sasaki siblings.

Well...

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what I should be doing here either.

"Senpai, I brought more!"

Shii enthusiastically placed another plate of senbei in front of me, her eyes sparkling.

Judging from Shii’s attitude and the reactions of the two girls, I figured I had achieved at least half of what I had come here for.

---

"Kurosawa."

"Sasaki."

Late at night, as I was returning from the bathroom, I ran into Sasaki on the stairs.

The two-story house had quite a few rooms.

What the two heroines hadn’t anticipated was this extra room.

In a normal household, this would have been the parents’ room, but in this family, the parents were absent.

So, it had been designated as a temporary women’s room, where the two girls probably spent their time in a cold war before eventually falling asleep.

Sasaki slept in his room, and I slept in Shii’s room, laying out a futon beneath the bed.

Running into each other like this was purely by chance.

"…Hey."

I quietly looked up at Sasaki.

"What?"

"…You came here today because of Shii, right?"

"…"

"She’s been acting a little strange these past few days..."

Shii had hidden the fact that she was anxious.

She had probably only confided in me because, in her mind, I was an "outsider with no interest in her brother, who happened to be a friend."

If I had been clinging to Sasaki like those other two, she would’ve treated me the same way as them.

"…Yeah."

I answered softly.

"What did Shii say?"

I hesitated for a moment.

It didn’t feel right to reveal everything Shii had said.

So, I decided to keep it short and focus on the most important part.

"You two are family, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, we are, but..."

"Make sure you keep a place for Shii."

"…"

Sasaki stared at me, looking a little dazed.

I walked past him and headed back up the stairs.

Even when I glanced back, Sasaki was still standing there, lost in thought.

Although I could only see the back of his head, I could practically imagine the expression on his face.

For now, I figured that was enough.

Sasaki wasn’t stupid.

And Sasaki cared about Shii just as much as she thought he did.

Girlfriends? Sure, he could have them.

A harem? He could probably make one if he wanted.

But if he lost his sister because of that, it would be a problem.

Even if Sasaki didn’t think so, Shii would distance herself on her own if she felt that way.

There was even an episode about it in the story.

…Giving advice like this isn’t really my role.

Honestly, I wanted to suggest that he get professional counseling.

But making such comments to someone you don’t know well usually doesn’t go over well.

I slowly climbed the stairs again.

When I entered Shii’s room, she was sound asleep, curled up on her bed.

She was holding the blanket tightly, as if she were afraid.

I gently pulled the blanket to better cover her.

"…Mom…"

"…"

Was she having a nightmare?

Or maybe her mom was kind to her in her dreams?

Not wanting to overhear something too personal, I quickly slid into the futon beneath the bed.

And soon, I fell asleep.

Chapter 47. Chaos (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The next morning.

The four of us ate breakfast that Shii had prepared.

I actually thought about helping a little, but Shii firmly refused, so I didn't dare insist. Even Nakahara, my childhood friend, and Hagiwara, the older sister figure, tried but—

“Shii, are you sure you’re okay?”

!

At Sasaki's words, an exclamation mark appeared over Shii’s head.

“Yes! I can handle it all by myself!”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

At Sasaki's words, Shii answered with a wide smile.

Good, he’s taking my words seriously.

Love is free, but beyond that, you still need to take care of family. Shii has only Sasaki for now, after all.

……If I can’t help Shii later when the Sasaki siblings’ parents turn out to be villains, it could be a disaster.

Both heroines seemed to express feelings of discomfort about being served by a younger, middle school underclassman, but in the end, they couldn't say anything further when they saw how happy Shii was, humming joyfully as she prepared breakfast.

“Wow.”

The breakfast Shii made was impressive.

Grilled salmon, Japanese-style rolled omelet, Vienna sausages shaped like octopus, white rice, and miso soup.

It was quite different from the breakfast I used to eat in my previous life. Ramen, tonkatsu, and sushi were common enough in Korea, but real homemade Japanese food was something you could hardly experience unless you went out of your way to find it.

And while it’s called Japanese home cooking, it’s essentially just the equivalent of a Korean-style set meal. But it’s a bit much to pay over ten thousand won for a simple meal like that.

“Let’s eat!”

Nakahara, with her hands clasped together and eyes sparkling, was the very definition of a lively childhood friend.

Unfortunately, childhood friends often end up losing in harem stories. From a heroine’s perspective, it’s practically like an NTR (Netorare) development, or maybe BSS (Best Supporter Scenario).

It’s a tag that’s unpleasant when it happens to the protagonist but somehow evokes sympathy when attached to a heroine who loves the protagonist. Unfortunate, or perhaps just sad.

“……Let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat~”

I said, and Hagiwara followed right after.

It wasn’t intentional.

The older sister-type character.

If the childhood friend is the epitome of a losing trope, the older sister-type character is more of a fan-service character. In harem stories, childhood friends sometimes gain a solid fanbase due to their violent but lovable character, occasionally even becoming the true heroine. However, the older sister character……

For some reason, they often step back and become a character who supports the protagonist from afar.

Their feelings for the protagonist are depicted as lighter compared to the other heroines, or it’s brushed off as mere teasing from the beginning.

Though in her case, her feelings were genuine. And she was quite deeply involved in the story too.

Sasaki and Shii clapped their hands together in unison and said, “Let’s eat,” in chorus.

Their synchronized behavior was that of siblings living together.

Honestly, it was nice to see.

The square dining table was placed against the wall. Sasaki and Shii sat together, while Nakahara and Hagiwara sat across from them. I sat alone at one of the corners.

This gave me a good view of everyone around the table.

At a glance, Sasaki and Shii didn’t seem to resemble each other much. Sasaki had a somewhat plain appearance, giving off the impression of a clumsy but decent-looking guy who could clean up well if he tried. Shii, on the other hand, was always perfectly put together.

But seeing them sitting side by side, their features did resemble each other enough to remind me they were siblings.

Their eyes, slightly drooping at the corners, gave them a gentle look. Their noses were also similarly prominent.

Looking at them now, I was a bit puzzled about how girls like Hagiwara and Nakahara, who were clearly “pretty girls,” ended up getting involved with someone like Sasaki. Well, something must’ve happened in the story when I wasn’t paying attention.

I stopped observing and picked up my chopsticks.

Should I start with the rolled omelet—

I picked it up and put it in my mouth, only to be surprised by the sweetness.

……Oh, right, Japanese rolled omelets are sweet.

It reminded me of the taste of French toast, though without the bread.

Still, as I chewed, it started to grow on me. After all, expecting the food I used to eat in my past life when the person who made it was from a different country was a bit unreasonable.

Everything else was delicious though. The salmon, the sausages, and even the miso soup.

Someday, when Shii has kids of her own, they’re sure to be happy at the dinner table every day.

……Though I have no idea who Shii will end up marrying.

* * *

For the record, my uniform was quickly washed and hung out to dry by Shii last night.

Lately, there had been more days without rain, but the rainy season wasn’t over yet. And since Tokyo is a city right by the sea, it was much more humid than a place like Seoul.

Even in Seoul, laundry hung out during the rainy season wouldn’t dry properly and would sometimes smell musty. So, wouldn’t it be worse in Japan?

But the uniform Shii gave me didn’t smell at all.

“There’s a dryer in the bathroom, you know?”

“…….”

I see……

I’d heard that many homes in Japan have separate bathrooms and toilets. Of course, my place was just a one-room apartment, so I didn’t have that kind of space; the bathroom and toilet were combined. In fact, my bathroom was so small that the bathtub was a tiny square, only big enough to sit cross-legged in. There was no room for something like a dryer.

If I could afford a dryer, I would’ve installed an air conditioner first.

“Thanks.”

“There were a lot of clothes to wash anyway.”

Shii smiled at me.

……But this uniform doesn’t just feel like it’s been washed.

It feels a bit crisper than usual when I do the laundry myself.

Could it be that she even ironed it in that short morning?

As I gazed at Shii, a little awestruck, she smiled shyly and scratched her cheek.

“……Sasaki.”

“Yeah?”

Sasaki, who had just come out of the room in his uniform, looked at me with a puzzled expression when I called him.

“You should know how lucky you are.”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah.”

He answered, though it seemed he didn’t fully understand what I meant.

“Um, Shii, what does he mean?”

Sasaki leaned in closer to Shii and whispered, though I could still hear him.

I didn’t bother acknowledging it and pretended to check my bag instead—

“It’s a secret.”

I heard Shii whisper back.

When I looked up, Shii stuck her tongue out playfully at Sasaki.

I had to look away quickly, or I might have started laughing.

* * *

“Well then, brother, I’ll be off now.”

Shii said, slightly bowing to Sasaki.

We would part ways after getting off at Tamachi Station and walking for a bit.

Hanagawa Middle School and Hanagawa High School were run by the same foundation, but they were a bit far from each other. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe they couldn’t buy adjoining land when they first bought the property. Or perhaps they acquired the middle school later.

When I waved lightly, Shii turned around and skipped off happily.

It was a relief to see she seemed fully recovered.

Watching her blue Hanagawa Middle School sailor uniform flutter as she ran,

“Well, shall we go then?”

Sasaki said.

“……”

Such a protagonist-like line, really.

Watching Hagiwara and Nakahara subtly marking each side of Sasaki made me lose any desire to walk near him.

Actually, I had no particular desire to walk next to a guy anyway. I’d had enough of that in middle school and high school, walking home with friends.

You know how awkward it feels when you’re walking with a bunch of friends and the first snow starts to fall?

Sure, you might joke around, pushing each other and yelling at them to get out of the way, but it’s just for fun.

More importantly, I didn’t want to be mistaken for being part of Sasaki’s harem.

So, I walked ahead.

“Huh? Kurosawa?”

Don’t call me.

With two girls at his sides, where exactly was I supposed to walk? I could already feel their gazes boring into the back of my head.

Sasaki called me again from behind, but I didn’t bother to stop.

* * *

And of all people, I ended up running into Yuuki.

At the shoe locker, of all places.

I had let my guard down a bit.

When you’re used to waking up early every day, sometimes even if you wake up late, you end up following the same routine without realizing it.

It couldn’t be helped. Whether I arrived at school an hour earlier or an hour later, the sun was always up by the time I got there, so it didn’t feel all that different.

I commuted from Saitama to Tokyo, but this morning, I’d started from Tamachi Station, so the walking time in Minato Ward wasn’t much different from usual.

That’s right.

The Sasaki siblings, who lived much closer to school than I did, naturally woke up later than me, and they had more time for breakfast and other preparations.

Even if something happened with the subway, they had the leeway to leave later than me and still arrive on time.

……As a result, I didn’t arrive at school when the halls were nearly empty, as I usually did, but in the middle of everyone changing shoes.

And there, I ran into Yuuki, who was just about to climb the stairs after changing into her indoor shoes.

Was it just a coincidence that Yuuki happened to turn around and spot me at that moment?

“……Hey.”

I greeted her quietly, raising a hand in a small wave.

Yuuki’s gaze shifted from me to Sasaki behind me, then to Nakahara Nanami beside him.

Her gaze didn’t linger on Nakahara for long. Though they had seen each other’s faces before, they had never really talked.

However, Yuuki’s eyes stayed on Hagiwara Hana a bit longer.

……Hmm.

I had a feeling I knew what Yuuki was thinking.

I didn’t really want to acknowledge it, but for the past three months or so, I had been attracting misfortune like a magnet in a sandpit.

I wasn’t sure if I had actively sought out misfortune or if it had come to find me, but from Yuuki’s perspective, it probably looked like the former.

In the eyes of others, I was just a poor, clueless kid living alone.

In fact, I had almost been bullied just because I was close to a senior…… No, I guess you could say I was bullied. Even if it was just by two people, bullying is still bullying.

“It’s not like that.”

“Not like what? I didn’t even say anything.”

But Yuuki, weren’t you just thinking that one of those two girls who liked Sasaki was bullying me for that reason?

Even if you didn’t fully believe it, I’m sure you had at least a slight suspicion. I’d bet a thousand yen on it with confidence.

“……”

I glanced behind me.

“See you later.”

“Oh, okay.”

Sasaki responded with a slightly puzzled look when I bid him farewell.

I also bowed slightly to the other two girls, and Hagiwara and Nakahara both hurriedly returned the greeting, looking a bit flustered.

I quickly opened my shoe locker, pulled out my indoor shoes, and slipped them on. After putting my sneakers back in and closing the locker,

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

I walked over to Yuuki and said, and she nodded.

We didn’t talk much on our way to the classroom. Yuuki seemed lost in thought.

……I’d better prepare some answers.

There would definitely be a barrage of questions coming at lunchtime.

* * *

Lunchtime, in the literature club room.

Since it hadn’t rained yesterday, I had gone up to the rooftop, but it was still like an oven outside. Of course, it was sweltering in the club room too, but being indoors was better than standing directly under the sun, trying to hide in the meager shade.

Besides, even without air conditioning, we had a fan. With the fan on and the windows open, it was somewhat bearable.

While eating bread together in that place, I answered Yuuki’s flood of questions one by one—

“So, you’re not saying you’ve fallen for Sasaki Sota, right?”

“……Yeah.”

I nodded.

—Yuuki believed me when I told her I was just visiting Shii as a guest. There was no reason not to believe me, after all. I was the one who went there, so what could she say?

“Shii must have a lot on her plate.”

“…Yeah, really.”

I said, taking a bite of my cream bread.

And then, I suddenly remembered the thought I’d had yesterday.

I paused mid-bite.

……Now that I think about it, it’s not good to keep accepting all this kindness.

Back when I didn’t have much, I just took whatever I could, but now that I’m full and my head is working again, I started feeling guilty about it.

Of course, I wasn’t forcing Yuuki to give me bread or anything, but in the end, it felt the same.

“What’s wrong? Is the bread weird?”

Yuuki asked, a bit worried, since I usually ate anything given to me without much fuss.

“……No, it’s not that.”

I thought for a moment.

How should I say this?

It takes a certain amount of courage to turn down kindness. Especially when it’s pure, without any ulterior motives.

And when I’d been receiving it without refusing from the start, it was obvious that Yuuki would worry if I suddenly tried to stop.

“……Well.”

“It’s okay. I’m listening, so go ahead and say it.”

I thought for a moment, then—

Seeing Yuuki’s serious expression, I suddenly thought of someone’s face.

Of all people, it was Sasaki Shii’s face.

“……”

“What?”

Yuuki tilted her head, staring at me curiously as I blinked.

Why did I think of Shii’s face?

Thinking about it, Yuuki’s acts of kindness toward me seemed to carry a bit of desperation.

It wasn’t just the simple attitude of helping someone in need, but more like she felt she had to do it.

Most people, when they see someone less fortunate, might think “how pitiful,” but that’s about it. Sure, they might buy them a meal or pay for something here and there, but that’s usually the extent of it.

However, rarely does someone provide furniture for an empty house to make it livable or offer to stay over when something dangerous nearly happens.

Is it because we’re friends? That might be part of it, but…… ever since we first ran into each other at the store, Yuuki hasn’t left me alone.

Almost as if, like Shii with Sasaki, she’s afraid of being abandoned.

“Huh?”

“Why?”

No, it’s not that.

The idea that Yuuki was afraid I’d abandon her didn’t make sense. Rather……

It’s more like she doesn’t want to lose me.

Think about it. Even Ms. Suzuki, that kind and dedicated teacher, had only visited my house twice. Once she saw that I was getting along well enough with my classmates, she only checked in with the occasional greeting.

It’s not that she thought I didn’t matter or that it would be fine to lose me, but to her, I was just one of many students to keep an eye on. If I was doing okay, there was no need to dig deeper.

So then, why Yuuki?

“Yuuki.”

“Yeah?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“……Of course?”

Yuuki replied, looking a bit confused.

“What about Kaneko-senpai and Ikeda-senpai?”

“They’re friends too, right?”

Yuuki said, her expression asking why I was asking such obvious questions.

Yeah. When Kaneko-senpai went missing, Yuuki had come straight to school that night.

In the original story, too, she always took care of the people around her, whether it benefited her or not. She would even risk her life to protect someone she saw as one of her own, even if they were a rival competing with her over Sasaki.

That…… could be considered a kind of compulsion.

Some might think it’s only natural to risk your life for a close friend, but it’s not always the case.

How many people would willingly run into a burning building without hesitation to save someone?

So, in Yuuki’s eyes, I must be someone like that.

Someone she felt she might “lose” if she didn’t keep helping.

If I think about it that way—

—I realize I’ve never actually heard why Yuuki’s mother isn’t around.

“Just. I wanted to ask.”

“Why?”

As I looked down at my bread again, Yuuki asked with a playful smile.

“Trying to make more friends? Huh?”

Her teasing tone.

Yeah.

Though it was for a different reason, Yuuki probably has the same feelings as Shii.

I took another bite of my bread.

The cream-filled bread was delicious.

Now that I think about it, Yuuki had never bought the same bread twice.

Of course, the store had a limited selection, so I had eaten some of the same breads more than once, but it was never “the next day.”

Yuuki had been considerate enough to change the bread every day so I wouldn’t get tired of it.

Some might say it’s only natural, since she was buying bread for herself too, but—

Our school’s store had fierce competition. To get bread, you had to run the moment the bell rang.

Yuuki had been doing that for me every day, going out of her way to make sure I got different breads.

……It wasn’t the kind of kindness I could just cut off in a single morning.

“……Let’s go to the store together tomorrow.”

“Huh? Why? Wasn’t the bread good?”

“No, I just want to go with you.”

“It’s not that you can’t, but you know how it is at the store, right?”

……Of course.

“Why?”

Yuuki asked again, this time looking more curious.

It’s just that.

I felt embarrassed.

After all, I was the one who said that to Sasaki.

Chapter 48. About the Future (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The long rainy season had finally come to an end.

Of course, we also had final exams.

I wouldn’t say I did particularly well.

I hadn’t studied that much after all.

During the exam period, I was busy wandering around and working part-time, so it would’ve been odd if I had studied.

Still, I thought I could barely avoid failing and relaxed about it.

The difficulty level seemed similar to the midterms.

If my grades had been in danger back then, Ms. Suzuki would have called me.

Since that didn't happen, I assumed my grades this time would be about the same.

In Japan, summer vacation lasts from the end of July to the end of August.

When I first read Japanese light novels, I felt a bit strange about this vacation period.

Summer vacation itself isn't that different from Korea's.

But in Japan, school starts in early April. You attend classes for nearly four months from April to July, then have about a month of summer vacation before starting the second semester.

In Korea, winter vacation is about a month long. You briefly return to school at the end of January, finish the semester quickly, and then have a short spring break before moving on to the next grade.

A long time ago, when I was an elementary student, winter vacation was even longer, but I’m not sure what it’s like these days.

Well, considering we're in Japan and it's 2004, that's secondary.

In Korea around this time, they'd probably be following the same academic schedule I experienced in 2004.

Who knows? Just as Japan has its yokai, maybe Korea has shamans capturing various spirits.

Well, anyway.

In Japan, the third Monday of July is Marine Day, a public holiday.

This year, Marine Day was on July 19th. Summer vacation started two days later, on Wednesday, the 21st.

And this holiday was great for me since I didn’t have to work on Mondays.

With vacation only two days away and the semester practically over, there was no need to study. It was an ideal holiday to laze around and relax.

It was hot outside. If I went out in these clothes, I'd probably have to wash them unnecessarily again.

"......"

I turned the fan toward my face and listened to the loud motor and wind, along with the slightly louder sound of the TV.

I hadn’t turned the TV on because I wanted to watch something; I just didn’t like the silence.

It seemed like a rerun of some drama, but since I hadn’t watched the previous episodes and had no intention of continuing, I didn’t care.

"......"

The sound of cicadas buzzing echoed.

Come to think of it, when I was a child, I used to hear cicadas a lot. Back then, my friends and I would go around catching cicadas with cheap plastic insect cases from the stationery store.

Looking back, these creatures spent years underground only to emerge and live for just a few weeks, yet we were so excited to catch them. Now I feel a little guilty.

But no.

I heard someone say that cicadas' buzzing is actually for mating calls.

So those cicadas clinging to trees are singing mating songs. Some of them will find a mate, reproduce, and die.

When I thought of it that way, the cicada noises didn’t seem so different from partygoers dancing in a club.

I’ve never been to a club in my life.

And just like that, any guilt I felt quickly disappeared.

"......Ha."

I lay there blankly for a while before sitting up.

For some reason, I wasn’t in the mood to play games.

This habit formed when I was working. I exercised regularly to maintain my stamina, but as I got older, I spent more and more time lying around after work.

I probably didn’t notice the cicada sounds during summer because I was stuck inside. Even when I wasn’t enjoying summer, the cicadas were still out there, singing their songs.

It wasn’t just cicadas. I didn’t care about Christmas or other holidays either.

I didn’t even care about Chuseok or Lunar New Year.

I had to work on most holidays anyway, but after turning 28, holidays stopped having any meaning for me.

On TV, a pretty actress was confessing her love to a handsome guy. They were both attractive, but their style seemed a bit outdated by my standards. It was probably because I knew how celebrities would dress 20 years from now.

I stared blankly at the confession scene before turning off the TV.

Then I got up from my seat.

"Yeah. It’d be a shame to just waste the day."

Exactly. It would be a waste.

I’m a teenager, after all.

And not just any teenager—I’m a high school girl.

The only advantage I’ve gained from becoming this body is being a high school girl, so shouldn’t I at least enjoy that?

With that thought in mind, I headed to the shower.

---

So, what should I do?

I considered calling Yuuki, but she has a family.

Her relationship with her father and grandfather didn’t seem bad, so I figured she should spend her day off enjoying time with them.

The same went for Shii.

As for everyone else... I wasn’t sure since I’d never called them first before.

Drying my hair in front of the fan, I made a decision.

Alright.

Today, I’ll go out alone.

I pulled out some casual clothes from the drawer and put them on along with my socks.

I wore simple jeans and a slightly flowy short-sleeved shirt.

After putting on my shoes, I tied my hair up and headed outside toward Omiya Station.

But I regretted it as soon as I stepped out.

I’d underestimated the Japanese summer sun. It was much hotter and more humid than I’d expected.

Still, I didn’t want to go back home. I’d already showered and gotten dressed.

As I walked towards Omiya Station, I thought about where to go.

The beach, perhaps?

It is Marine Day, after all.

I wasn’t planning on swimming, so maybe I’d just head to the Tokyo Bay.

I’d have to take the subway for over an hour, though.

---

And so, I headed to Odaiba.

The Rainbow Bridge was impressive, but honestly, it didn’t look as pretty as I’d expected. Maybe because it was still midday.

The sky was clear and blue, and the sea was even darker. But oddly enough, what came to mind wasn’t the sea, but the Han River.

Not that I was homesick, just that the atmosphere felt similar.

I stared at the sea and the bridge for a while before finding a nearby café.

I ordered the cheapest drink and cooled off while gazing outside.

Though short, it was a holiday. The rainy season seemed to be over, and the sky had only a few clouds. There was no sign of rain.

Everyone outside looked happy.

"......"

Without a word, I sipped my drink. It was iced tea. It tasted like the bottled iced tea you’d get from a convenience store.

I should’ve just gotten coffee for the same price. I regretted it a little.

I spent about an hour staring blankly out the window, but the sunlight was still harsh.

Since I didn’t feel like staying longer, and I didn’t want to buy anything else, I left the café.

As I walked aimlessly down the street, I realized something.

I have nothing I want to do.

What a dilemma. And I’m still a teenager.

In my previous life, I was an adult with a job. As long as I didn’t get fired, I could’ve stayed there and kept working. Though that job was the reason I ended up here, I guess in a way, I lived with a purpose.

But here, I had to set new goals from scratch.

Suddenly, it felt like the future was a dark, uncertain void.

When I was a high school student, I didn’t worry much. I thought high school and college were still far off.

But now that I’ve lived through it, I know that being a teenager is an incredibly short period. There’s much more time left after that.

To survive in this world, I needed to make plans and study.

"...I did think I’d like to be a student again, but..."

Maybe I should aim for the same career I had before.

I’m not sure if I could pull it off in this body, though.

As I walked the streets with a dazed expression, I realized I was now quite far from the sea I’d initially come to see.

Hmm...

This feels kind of pointless.

I didn’t have enough money to do anything serious. And even if I did, I’d be doing it alone.

Just as I was thinking of heading back, my phone rang.

I pulled it out after it buzzed once and saw an email.

[What are you doing?]

I blinked a few times at the phone screen. The sun made it hard to see, so I stepped into a nearby convenience store.

The email was from Miura.

That was... unusual.

Miura and I were friends, but not the kind who called each other out on weekends to hang out.

I often went home alone after school, usually because of my part-time job.

[I’m at Odaiba for a bit.]

[Why? Is something wrong?]

For some reason, I could almost hear her concerned tone.

Tokyo Bay... Though it’s called the sea, it’s just an area attached to the big city.

A lot of people commit suicide by jumping into the Han River, so maybe it’s similar in Tokyo. But as a non-native Tokyoite, I wasn’t sure how many places there were for that here.

Humans can drown even in a bathtub, so the sea would be even riskier.

[It’s Marine Day.]

My response must’ve been too vague because there was no reply for a while.

Why?

It’s the middle of summer, and the holiday is literally called "Marine Day." Wouldn’t it make sense for families to gather and go to the beach?

Then again, if they were going to have fun at the beach, they probably wouldn’t choose Tokyo Bay.

[Are you with a friend?]

[Alone.]

It took a bit of time for the next reply to come, so I grabbed a small bottle of water from the convenience store fridge and headed to the counter.

After handing over some coins and receiving my water, I finally got a hesitant reply.

[Want to hang out today?]

"......"

I stared at the message for a while before typing a response, the water bottle tucked under my arm.

[Sure.]

After all, I was in Minato Ward.

We could meet up pretty quickly.

---

Miura and her friends were in casual clothes.

Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’m seeing them like this.

Even when we all fought after school, we were all wearing the same uniform. Unless we met outside like this, there wasn’t any reason to see each other dressed differently.

Miura’s style surprisingly resembled mine. Except her jeans looked much more expensive than mine—exactly why they looked pricier, I couldn’t say—and her top had a light, flowy fabric draping below her chest, like the hem of a dress.

If Miura was "lightly dressed," then I was just "casually dressed."

"Wow, you really need to buy some new clothes."

And that’s what Fukuda said when she saw me, without holding back. She was wearing very short denim shorts that showed off her legs and a cropped top that barely covered her body. I say "barely" because it was just enough to cover her skin.

Every time she moved, a bit of skin would peek out.

Her shoulders were also quite exposed, and the straps of her bra were visible. They were black.

I thought she could use a bit more fabric, but I didn’t say it out loud. That would’ve been too old-fashioned.

Yamashita, who was staring at me quietly, wore a skirt that reached just above her knees and a sleeveless top.

Despite her slightly cheerful outfit, Yamashita’s usual lack of expression made her clothes seem dull. It was like her expression had swallowed her fashion.

"Harumi!"

As soon as Fukuda saw me, Miura slapped her arm, and Fukuda stuck out her tongue playfully.

Well... I couldn’t argue.

I couldn’t wear my school uniform all year round, so I’d just bought whatever was on sale.

I never had much sense of fashion anyway.

"Seriously, though. Kurosawa, that hairstyle doesn’t go with your outfit at all."

"...Really?"

This time, even my hairstyle was criticized, so I asked back.

For the record, this hairstyle was done by Fukuda. She didn’t do much, but she tied up the ends of my hair. The ribbon I used was the one Fukuda gave me back then.

"Hold still."

Fukuda stepped forward, lifted a strand of my hair that had fallen across my face, and tucked it behind my ear.

"See? Doesn’t that look so much better? But seriously, why don’t you wear a ponytail more often? You did fine last time."

Because it’s a hassle.

Tying my hair like this is the least inconvenient. I don’t want to waste more time on it in the morning.

"Alright, let’s go look at clothes right away. Have you eaten lunch?"

"Not yet..."

"We haven’t either. Actually, we waited so long past our usual time that we’re starving. So let’s eat first."

Well, alright.

I hadn’t planned on eating lunch, but I had enough to cover my share.

As long as we weren’t eating at a five-star hotel buffet.

---

And we ended up eating lunch at a five-star hotel buffet.

Why, though?

Even for rich girls, wasn’t this a bit much for lunch?

Sure, there was a "lunch special" sign at the entrance, but the price still seemed too extravagant for a single meal.

For the record, my funds weren’t limitless.

I could afford this one meal, but I’d need to be careful afterward and check my balance.

But since we were already inside, it was too late to worry about money.

"Here."

As I followed behind the other three, hesitating, a plate was suddenly thrust into my hand.

It was from Yamashita.

She handed me the plate like she was about to hit me with it.

"...Yeah."

I took the plate, fully prepared for what was to come.

Let’s eat.

Since I’d already come in, it would’ve been ridiculous to say, "I didn’t eat, so I won’t pay."

If I had to, I could borrow money from Miura or one of the others and pay them back later. It would be a bit embarrassing, though—

"Don’t worry."

But as if reading my mind, Yamashita spoke up.

"...Huh?"

"I’ll pay."

She said it so coolly and then turned away.

Her back seemed to glow.

So... she was paying for my meal.

I swallowed hard.

I hadn’t eaten much since morning. All I had was the iced tea at the café and the small bottle of water from the convenience store.

So...

I probably still had plenty of room in my stomach.

As my worries faded, the smell of all kinds of food filled my nose.

Especially the delicious aroma of grilled meat.

"Oh, right."

Fukuda tapped my shoulder and said,

"They grill steaks over there. It’s all-you-can-eat, so help yourself."

Really?

I looked blankly where Fukuda pointed, and sure enough, there were people grilling steaks.

"Since Yuu-chan is paying today."

"Yamashita?"

"Yeah. Something good must’ve happened."

Fukuda grinned happily.

Still, paying for this kind of place?

...Do rich kids usually treat each other to meals like this? I’ve never lived that well, so I wouldn’t know.

Well, if that’s the case, I could eat without feeling guilty.

Seeing my determined expression, Fukuda gave me a wry smile.

---

After the meal.

As always with buffets, no matter how much you promise yourself to eat a lot, you never end up eating that much.

It was the same this time. I ate two plates full of meat and half a plate of dessert before I was done.

Any more, and I was sure it would come back up.

Fukuda and Miura also seemed to have eaten more than usual, and they were leaning back in their chairs, hands on their stomachs.

Yamashita, who had taken a moderate amount from the start, still seemed fine.

"Can we even shop properly like this?"

"That’s why I told you to eat in moderation."

Yamashita responded to Miura’s muttering.

"But how can you stop eating when there’s so much delicious food?"

Fukuda countered Yamashita’s words, and I silently supported Fukuda.

"It’s weird to put one piece of every dish on your plate just to try them all."

Yamashita’s words made me reflect on myself again.

Yeah, that was a bit foolish.

"It’s fine. We can just tighten our clothes a little and they’ll fit like usual."

"..."

As Fukuda spoke lazily, Yamashita let out a sigh of disbelief.

"Kurosawa."

Yamashita called my name.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright?"

"...Yeah."

Honestly, it might be a good idea to walk around for a bit.

Chapter 49. About the Future (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Still, walking around helped me feel a bit better.

In fact, I had already been walking around for quite some time before I met up with Miura’s group, but recently my stamina seemed to have improved, and I wasn’t particularly tired.

Maybe I had been wandering aimlessly, walking too leisurely.

"Come on, come on, this way!"

Fukuda said, leading the way.

We were headed to Roppongi. I wasn't sure if the kids were being considerate, or if they just wanted to spend time walking together from the start, but we walked quite a long way.

Roppongi, huh.

Even though I didn’t know much about the geography outside of Seoul, after living here for several months, I knew what kind of place Roppongi was.

Being in the heart of Tokyo, it was known for having extremely expensive land prices, even in Minato Ward, which was already famous for high property values.

It was also close to Tokyo Tower.

When wandering around Minato Ward, I would occasionally catch glimpses of Tokyo Tower between the buildings. Its distinctive shape and red color made it even more noticeable.

Without thinking too much, walking around here just led to seeing a bunch of big buildings. But following the three who seemed to know the area well, shopping malls and small clothing stores started appearing... It was kind of fascinating.

What was I doing in 2004? At the very least, I don’t think I wandered around clothing stores like this. I probably went to bookstores with friends instead.

Looking at it like this, I guess there won’t be many days to talk about anime or games with these kids.

But this was fun in its own way.

Fukuda held up various outfits to my body, handed me a few, and pushed me towards the changing rooms, telling me to try them on.

Then, I would go in, change clothes, come out, and Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita would either nod or shake their heads as they looked at me.

They would sort the clothes into piles or keep holding them, as if making decisions.

"Kotone-chan, let’s keep this one on."

Fukuda nodded in satisfaction, looking at the last outfit I had tried on.

"...A dress."

I was wearing a white dress. The skirt was slightly shorter than the sailor uniform I usually wore, and the sleeves were almost sleeveless, more like short sleeves. Thankfully, the front wasn't open or anything.

"What’s wrong with that? It’s cute."

When I mumbled, Fukuda laughed and gave me a gentle push on my back.

"Yamashita already paid, so don’t worry."

Snip.

I flinched at the sound, realizing Fukuda was cutting off the price tag on the back of the dress with scissors.

"And here."

Fukuda removed a loose hair tie from my hair and gathered it up properly.

She even swept my bangs, which had fallen over my face, to the side.

"How do you like it?"

Fukuda pulled me over to the full-length mirror and asked.

"..."

What can I say?

I looked like a limited-edition gacha version of a gloomy character. Though the outfit was much brighter than usual and my impression was improved, my pale skin and the dark circles under my eyes didn’t disappear.

"You’re cute, Kurosawa."

Miura said with a pleased smile from the side.

Yamashita stood next to her, hands in her pockets, silently staring at me.

...I had an idea why they were suddenly doing all this for me today. Maybe Yamashita was trying to repay me for what I did last time.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t used much of the money Yamashita's father had given me. I didn’t have the chance. Yamashita only stayed at our house for a few days, and most of the meals we ate weren’t particularly expensive.

Was that what Yamashita had been thinking about it?

"Thank you."

"...It’s nothing."

When I thanked her, Yamashita averted her eyes slightly and replied.

*

Yamashita didn’t just buy me that one dress. I had a shopping bag full of clothes.

Maybe they thought I’d refuse, but all the tags had already been removed.

So, I had no idea how much any of it cost.

It wasn’t a luxury store, but from the large price tags I glimpsed while entering, it certainly wasn’t clothes from somewhere like Uniqlo either.

...Well, I decided not to refuse. At this point, there was no use in rejecting them—just a waste of clothes.

As we strolled around, checking out the area, I ended up with things like crepes and cream puffs in my hands.

It wasn’t just Yamashita who was buying them.

As I walked around, munching on the treats they handed me, Miura and Fukuda seemed to find it amusing and kept giving me more food.

I was already full, so by the time we went to a café, I only ordered a coffee, skipping dessert.

"So, Kotone-chan, do you have any plans to go somewhere during summer vacation?"

At Fukuda’s question, Miura and Yamashita momentarily tensed up.

But Fukuda casually sipped the complicated, difficult-to-pronounce drink in front of her, looking at me without a care.

She must’ve seen Kagami, but she didn’t seem to mind.

...Well, going out doesn’t always mean it has to be with family. It could be with friends, too.

"I don’t have any plans yet."

I answered, trying to soothe the sweetness in my stomach from all the street desserts with the bitterness of the coffee.

"Hmm, I see? So, no special plans then?"

"...I’m working from Thursday to Sunday."

"Ah, I see."

Fukuda thought for a moment, then said.

"This might sound a bit awkward, but... my dad really seems to like your mom."

I almost spat out my coffee.

Both Miura and Yamashita had similar expressions.

"Well, it’s not like we’re going to become sisters or anything."

I felt slightly relieved by Fukuda’s words.

"...I don’t think that’s a good idea."

Miura and Yamashita exchanged subtle glances at my response.

All three of them knew very well that my relationship with Kagami, my "mother," wasn’t great.

"Right? It’d be stupid to try and impress her by hanging out with her daughter or something."

"...."

I couldn’t bring myself to outright agree, so I just kept my mouth shut.

Fukuda nodded.

"I’ll make sure to tell my dad that."

"Please do."

Miura and Yamashita seemed somewhat relieved by how our conversation ended.

"Oh, right."

Miura suddenly cut in after our somewhat awkward conversation ended.

"Kurosawa, are you free on the 29th? Oh... but that’s a Thursday."

Before I could answer, Miura’s face quickly fell.

"Why the 29th?"

"The Adachi fireworks."

Yamashita answered when I asked.

What is that?

Is it like the Yeouido fireworks festival?

"We promised to go together, the three of us."

Miura added, glancing at Yamashita.

I looked at Miura’s face again.

She really seemed to want me to come. In that case, I should at least try to show some effort to go along—it was only polite.

"...I’ll ask my boss."

"Really!?"

Miura beamed with a bright smile.

"I hope you get permission."

Yeah, I hope so too.

Fireworks, huh.

I haven’t seen any since I went with my family when I was really young.

Maybe I should go this time.

*

We parted ways before dinner.

It seemed everyone had family plans. Miura seemed a little apologetic about it, but I didn’t mind.

If the family is happy, that’s enough.

Holding a shopping bag in one hand, I took the train to the station, then walked for another 30 minutes to get home, drenched in sweat.

Naturally, the new clothes I was wearing were drenched too.

As soon as I got home, I washed up, changed into something comfortable, and washed the clothes I had been wearing.

Then I hung them up to dry.

I’ll keep these clothes in good condition. It’d be a waste to ruin them by wearing them too much.

Hmm.

It’d be nice to wear them when we meet up on the 29th. I could tie my hair up neatly, too.

As I thought about that, I lay down on my futon.

I had a feeling I’d be able to sleep a little more soundly tonight.

*

"...Even during vacation, make sure to contact me if anything happens."

After the closing ceremony for summer vacation, Ms. Suzuki called me to the teacher’s office and said that with a serious expression.

I nodded.

I probably won’t have any reason to contact Ms. Suzuki, but there won’t be anything for her to worry about either.

Even if I get hurt, I’ll heal quickly, and Kagami isn’t really abusing me—she’s just acting.

Seeing my expression, Ms. Suzuki seemed to genuinely believe I was fine and gave me a small smile.

After giving her a slight bow, I left the office and headed for the clubroom.

"..."

And there, in the hallway, I saw a loaf of bread.

No, it wasn’t just sitting there. It was properly wrapped in its packaging. It was just tied to a fishing line, dangling plainly in front of me.

Inside was a korokke, just like the first time I encountered this.

Come to think of it, I’ve received quite a lot of food from this person.

With a light chuckle, I climbed the stairs and reached out for the bread.

Whoosh.

The bread slid sideways.

What’s with this person? Couldn’t they just let themselves get caught on the last day?

I lunged for the bread again, but it once again darted away.

"..."

This time, I tried stepping on the fishing line quickly, but once again, the korokke narrowly avoided my foot.

After several rounds of this back-and-forth—

"Got you!"

In the end, I found myself once again clutching the korokke while being hugged by Kaneko in front of the photography club.

"...It’s hot."

"Yeah, but we won’t see each other for a while after today, right?"

And so, I was dragged into the literature clubroom, still wrapped in Kaneko’s embrace.

"...Why are you bothering her?"

Ikeda scolded Kaneko, who had dragged me in.

"I’m just trying to remember how my dear kouhai feels before I won’t see her for a while."

Kaneko said, releasing me and plopping down next to Ikeda.

"That sounds kind of perverted..."

Ikeda remarked, clearly exasperated, and placed a thick book on her lap. I couldn’t tell what book it was, but it didn’t seem to be her usual mystery novel.

"We’ll see each other again once the second semester starts, right?"

"Izumi, club activities are voluntary, you know. If you want, you can leave for another club. We haven’t really been doing much during the first semester, so who’s to say she won’t quit or join another club by the second semester?"

Ikeda’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as she heard Kaneko’s words.

Then she turned to me with a look of concern.

"Is that true? Are you going to quit?"

"No."

I answered firmly.

Of course, I had no intention of quitting. It was nice being able to just sit around and do nothing. Besides, they always had a lot of snacks.

If anyone tried to bully me or make me feel unwelcome, I’d quit right away, but everyone in this clubroom was kind. It was the perfect place to kill time before going home after school.

"See?"

Ikeda’s face lit up with a triumphant expression.

Honestly, it was hard to believe she was a year older than Yuuki. It felt like they were only a few months apart.

As I watched her, I reached out and grabbed a dorayaki.

"Oh, how about this then? Since Izumi gets lonely easily, we should play with her."

"Who said I get lonely!?"

Someone who’s seen a person die from loneliness and despair wouldn’t say something like that.

Though I guess she doesn’t know that.

"How about we do a summer training camp in August? A club trip. What do you think?"

Ikeda, who had been about to snap back at Kaneko, clamped her mouth shut at the suggestion.

Is she that excited? It’s just a suggestion.

"Where would we go?"

"Don’t worry about that. If I ask my grandma, she’ll definitely let us stay at her place. Izumi’s met her several times already."

I see.

Normally, if someone else offered to let me stay at their grandmother’s house, I’d feel a little hesitant to accept.

But Kaneko’s eyes were sparkling as she looked at me, making me hesitate. Just then, the clubroom door slid open.

It was Yuuki who came in.

"Oh, Yuu-chan!"

"Hello."

Kaneko waved, and Yuuki gave a slight nod in return. She used to be flustered by that nickname, but now she seemed completely used to it.

"What were you talking about?"

"A literature club summer camp."

"Does the literature club have a summer camp?"

"No, I just made it up. Would you be free to join?"

"Me...? Well..."

Yuuki furrowed her brow and fell into thought.

In the original light novel, Tokyo Slayers, Volume 1 was about the cannibal murder case, Yuuki and Sasaki’s meeting, and an explanation of Sasaki’s abilities. Volume 2 covered the summer vacation episode.

It featured Sasaki, the heroines, and Shii going to the beach, but suddenly, a natural typhoon occurred, leaving them stranded. It was revealed that the storm was actually caused by a yokai, and Sasaki and Yuuki resolved the situation.

The yokai was Raiju, a thunder beast that could control lightning.

While the exact date wasn’t clear, I remember it being set in early to mid-August.

...

Wait a minute.

But what now? Yuuki has already been cut off from Sasaki’s group.

Could it be that I’ll be invited instead? By Shii?

Maybe I should ask Shii later.

"If I’m free, I’ll go. But if possible, let me know a few days in advance."

"Oh? You don’t have any travel plans?"

"...No, no travel plans."

That’s right. The reason Yuuki said that was likely because there could be a day when she had to hunt down a yokai on a request.

There are others like Yuuki in different regions, so she rarely leaves Tokyo, but that doesn’t mean she’s not busy.

Seeing Yuuki glance at me confirmed my thoughts.

"Alright, then we can discuss it further and adjust the schedule as needed."

Kaneko said, and Ikeda’s face showed a bit of excitement. Though it seemed like she was trying not to show it.

...I hope her expectations aren’t crushed later.

*

"So, I guess we won’t see each other at school for a while. Can I visit you?"

Yuuki asked just before we parted ways at the station.

I nodded.

"Can I visit you too?"

"You're welcome anytime."

Yuuki seemed a bit surprised by my question at first, but then she smiled and answered.

I nodded.

How strange.

Going back and forth to school used to feel so tedious, but now that I know I won’t be going for a while, I oddly feel a bit regretful.

We waved at each other simultaneously before turning and heading home.

...After that, things went surprisingly smoothly.

The next day, I asked my boss if I could take the 29th off because I had plans,

"29th? Oh, we’re closed that day. All the other girls also asked for the day off to go to the fireworks with their boyfriends."

The boss answered with a bored expression. Even Shii, apparently, had said she was going with her brother.

When I looked at Shii, our hardcore brocon little sister turned bright red.

"Go have fun with your boyfriend too. It’s your youth, after all."

It’s not like I have a boyfriend, but I didn’t feel like explaining that. The boss didn’t look like she wanted to listen anyway. She had a face that seemed to say, "Ah, youth!"

...By the way, I bet Sasaki will be surrounded by girls again.

I used to not understand why people hated harem protagonists, but seeing it now, I get why it’s a bit annoying. So, this is what it feels like for an outsider to see the popular crowd.

To make matters worse, Sasaki was set up as a "normal otaku" to relate to the audience, but what "ordinary otaku" lives in a neat two-story detached house in Sangenjaya with a cute younger sister and walks around with two beautiful girls who are head over heels for him?

It’s absurd.

"Is it really your boyfriend?"

When I didn’t deny it and turned around, Shii asked.

I shook my head.

"Just friends. They’re all girls."

"Oh."

Shii nodded, looking relieved.

It kind of hurt seeing her expression that said, "I knew it," but what can I do?

It’s not like I’m going to date a guy.

"Maybe we’ll run into each other there?"

Won’t there be a ton of people?

That thought crossed my mind, but it wasn’t entirely impossible. I nodded.

If we do meet... and Sasaki’s there with both heroines... and Shii’s with them—

Miura’s group will probably have a terrible impression of Sasaki.

For Sasaki’s sake, I just hope we don’t run into each other.

*

The first week of vacation passed uneventfully.

I spent Monday and Tuesday at home, resting. It was quite nice. There was something satisfying about playing through RPG series games one by one on my console. I guess when you’ve worked for a long time, you start wanting to hole up at home.

After spending Tuesday relaxing, I got a call from Yuuki in the evening.

Maybe she was calling to hang out tomorrow?

I answered the phone without much thought—

[...Kurosawa.]

Yuuki’s voice on the other end of the phone sounded serious.

[A request came in. Could you help me with something?]

"Sure."

I sat up straight and answered immediately.

[Could you track something for me?]

Now I understood why Yuuki had called me.

Chapter 50. About the Future (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

But I have plans on Thursday.

I didn’t say that. If Yuuki had called me, it must have been unavoidable.

Though I was in a preliminary contract of "20,000 yen per case," Yuuki hadn’t separately called me for any work.

Even when I went to catch the Nue, it was on my own accord, not because Yuuki had specifically asked me.

Thinking about it, the Nue case didn’t seem to bring any money to Yuuki. There was no one who had specifically requested it.

Well, Yuuki and her family must have their own reasons for doing things. There must be a source of income somewhere.

There’s also the offering box, and they might be selling something at the shrine.

After receiving Yuuki’s message, I washed up and got ready to go out.

I pondered what to wear, but eventually decided to go with my usual shabby clothes.

I could guarantee that I’d probably end up in the hospital again this time too.

...Thinking about such things already felt absurd, but considering my past experiences, it seemed inevitable.

Well, even if I get hospitalized, I’ll be discharged soon enough.

Alright, I’ve decided what to wear... Hmm.

I deliberately looked at the white dress I had taken out and hung in my room.

It was the dress Yamashita had bought for me last week.

I had washed it once, but hadn’t worn it since then. It was so white that I feared it would get dirty if I wore it unnecessarily.

I was saving this dress to wear when I went to see the fireworks.

After a brief hesitation, I opened the drawer.

I took out the shopping bag I had brought home the other day. I was glad I hadn’t thrown it away. None of the bags I had at home were suitable for storing the dress without wrinkling it.

I carefully folded the dress and placed it in the shopping bag, making sure not to crease it.

Just as I finished, my phone rang again.

It was Yuuki.

"Yes."

[I'm almost there.]

"Got it."

I stood up and grabbed the shopping bag.

[Um...]

"Yeah?"

[...I'm really sorry.]

"Sorry?"

[I'm asking you, even though I know how painful it is for you to use your power.]

"......"

At Yuuki’s words, I stayed silent for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth.

"This must be an urgent matter, right?"

Yeah.

If Yuuki had gone so far as to call me, it must be something serious. An event that wasn’t depicted in the original story.

Perhaps it was something Yuuki had handled "behind the scenes."

Maybe this was where the church got involved.

In the first volume, the church wasn’t mentioned, but in the second volume, they didn’t have a very friendly relationship with Yuuki.

[...Yeah.]

Yuuki hesitated but answered.

"It’s fine. I’m not doing this for free either."

I deliberately tried to make a joke, but I failed to put a playful tone into my voice. It had been years since I had joked around with anyone. Trying to be funny now just felt like a pointless failure.

[...I'll make sure you’re well compensated.]

Yuuki’s voice sounded more like a joke than mine, even though she was being serious over the phone.

*

It hadn’t even been a minute since I left the house with the paper bag when Yuuki’s van arrived.

Yuuki’s grandfather was in the driver’s seat, and Yuuki was in the passenger seat.

I opened the back door and got in.

"My father went to look somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn’t mention it on the phone. It’s a bit of a sensitive issue."

As I tilted my head in confusion, Yuuki’s grandfather spoke up.

"It’s a Kudan."

"A Kudan?"

"It’s written like this."

Yuuki opened her phone and sent me a message.

[件]

It was the kanji used for ‘matter’ or ‘incident.’

"Are you being asked to find an item?"

"No, it’s not an ‘item.’ Look closely at the kanji. It’s made up of ‘person’ (人) and ‘cow’ (牛)."

Ah, so it’s a name based on wordplay. The kanji is read as ‘Kudan,’ but its meaning combines ‘person’ and ‘cow.’

It’s probably a yokai, a being with both human and cow characteristics.

...Minotaur?

"It’s a yokai with a human head and a cow’s body."

Ah, I see.

It’s the complete opposite of what I had imagined.

Well, there are yokai like the Noppera-bo and the Nue, so it’s not strange to have one with a human face and a cow’s body.

"It’s known for predicting calamities that will occur in the world and then dying shortly after birth."

"......"

Hmm, I can understand why they would want to capture it.

"The problem is, they observed its birth, but lost it before hearing the prophecy."

"Somewhere near Tokyo?"

"Chiba Prefecture."

Yuuki replied.

When I looked at Yuuki with a puzzled expression, she turned her body toward me from the passenger seat and spoke with an apologetic tone.

"…It’s such an important issue that they called everyone nearby who could help. If we’re not careful, the calamity could pass without us even knowing what it is."

I see.

It’s hard to capture it with just one person. If it was something easy to track, they wouldn’t have needed to call me.

"Since it dies after giving the prophecy."

As if reading my thoughts, Yuuki spoke.

"If it speaks, it dies. If it doesn’t speak..."

It can continue living while withholding the prophecy.

...Can’t we just leave it alone? It would probably hide on its own, avoiding humans. If it can predict us coming after it, wasn’t it already too late once we lost it?

"They say two Kudans were born this time."

Grandfather spoke as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Up until now, Kudans have only been born in Shikoku or Kyushu. It’s widely known that the only way to avoid a Kudan’s prophecy is to hear a prophecy that contradicts it from another Kudan. When two are born, one predicts good fortune, while the other predicts misfortune, and then they die."

"One was discovered in Kumamoto Prefecture. That one was a female."

"Did it leave a prophecy?"

"Yes."

Yuuki nodded and said.

"‘Think again,’ it said."

"..."

What the heck is that?

Is that really a prophecy?

"Strange, right? That’s why they’re so desperate to find the other Kudan. If this is the prophecy, we need to avoid it, but if this is the ‘good fortune’ prophecy, we need to find out what the other one says."

I see.

It would have been better if it had just said something straightforward like ‘this year will be a good harvest.’ Then there would be no need to find the other Kudan.

But because they heard something so strange that it barely qualifies as a prophecy, they’re trying to find the cause—that seems to be the nature of this request.

I guess the request must have come from someone high up in the government.

"Got it."

I nodded and leaned back in my seat.

In any case, the goal is to find it as quickly as possible and return to Tokyo. Fortunately, Chiba Prefecture isn’t too far from Tokyo.

It’s nighttime now. Whether we search through the night or sleep and resume in the morning, as long as we catch it before Wednesday ends, it should be fine.

Even if I get injured, I’ll be fine if I spend the night in the hospital. I’ll be able to keep my appointment.

"But what’s with the shopping bag?"

Yuuki cautiously asked. She had glanced at it when I got into the car earlier, clearly curious, but had only now found the right moment to ask.

After thinking for a moment, I decided to just tell the truth.

"I have plans on Thursday, just in case."

"......"

The car fell into silence.

Was she trying to figure out what plans I had on the 29th?

"Sorry."

Yuuki apologized once again.

"It’s fine."

I replied, but Yuuki’s expression remained gloomy for the entire ride to our destination.

*

We crossed the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line into Chiba Prefecture. After driving for about another 30 minutes, we arrived at a vast ranch spread across a gentle hill.

I had wondered if the underwater tunnel would be special in some way, but as expected, there were no windows. Of course, there wouldn’t be windows—submarines don’t have windows, so why would an underwater tunnel? It was just a long tunnel that went down and then back up.

Still, driving over the sea at night felt pretty nice.

Maybe I should get my driver’s license as soon as I graduate from school. In Korea, you can buy an old car for under 10 million won, but I wonder what it’s like in Japan.

If it weren’t for the fact that we were going to hunt a yokai, I would have enjoyed it more.

After passing through the underwater tunnel, we kept driving for quite a while.

We changed city limits twice before finally arriving at the ranch.

It was exactly what you’d imagine when you think of a ‘tourist ranch.’ It was too dark to see clearly, but I could make out trees standing tall in the distance. The ranch stretched across a vast field at the base of those mountains, using almost all the pastureland available.

...The cows here are probably all dairy cows. Most cows raised in places like this are, aren’t they?

Come to think of it, what kind of native cow species often appears in Japanese folklore? It’s probably not the white and black-spotted dairy cows.

Wagyu?

No, that’s just the image people have when they think of tasty beef.

As I pondered these irrelevant thoughts, the door to the back seat opened.

Since it was a van, the door slid open.

"We’re here."

I nodded and got out of the car. I left the shopping bag inside, knowing I wouldn’t need to carry it while walking around.

In the middle of the dark ranch stood a neatly built log cabin. It didn’t seem like a place meant for people to actually live in, but rather a decorated spot for tourists.

Following Yuuki and her grandfather up the gentle hill, we arrived at a group of people gathered in front of the log cabin.

As expected, or perhaps surprisingly, none of them were wearing shrine maiden or priest robes. Everyone was dressed in practical clothes for moving around. Well, Yuuki was also dressed in a tracksuit.

Now that we were nearing the end of July, the weather was quite humid and hot. By the time we reached the top of the hill, my back was slightly damp with sweat.

"Yuuki-san."

A middle-aged man standing at the front of the group reached out his hand toward Yuuki’s grandfather.

"Sato-san."

Grandfather nodded and lightly shook the extended hand.

"My son is handling things elsewhere, so I brought my granddaughter with me."

"I see."

Yuuki nodded slightly, and the middle-aged man returned the nod to her.

Then he looked at me.

"This is Ai, who works with us. Her keen intuition will be helpful."

Grandfather introduced me without feeling the need to mention my name specifically.

The man gave me a small nod, so I did the same.

The people gathered were all different ages, wearing various outfits. There were middle-aged men and women, some in their twenties who looked a few years older than us, and others who seemed as old as Yuuki’s grandfather.

One person had even shaved their head, which suggested they might have come from a temple.

Despite the variety of people, everyone wore serious expressions without a trace of humor.

"I believe you’ve all been informed of the reason we’re here. You can use any means necessary, but please ensure that the Kudan’s existence is not revealed to the outside world. The best outcome is capturing it before dawn."

The man looked around the group before continuing.

"Even if you miss it, let it go. If the Kudan dies before giving its prophecy, it’ll be a disaster."

Everyone nodded at the man’s words.

"Very well. We’ve assigned each of you a search area. The Kudan can’t move faster than a cow, and no reports of people spotting a cow with a human face have been heard, so it likely hasn’t left the area. Given its body structure, it’s not easy for it to run away."

As he spoke, the man handed out slips of paper to the group.

Grandfather took a slip and examined it carefully.

"Now… let’s begin the search. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

No one raised their hand.

Maybe it was just a formality, or perhaps everyone really knew what they were doing.

"Let’s go."

Grandfather said, turning around, and I followed behind him with a slightly puzzled expression.

"...Is it always like this?"

"Well… yeah."

Yuuki nodded.

"They’re not interested in making friends. If there’s no one to mediate, fights over territory and such can break out."

I see.

Considering there are people here from entirely different religions, it could be an even more sensitive issue.

...The turf wars of yokai hunters, huh.

Definitely something I don’t want to get involved in.

"So we should just finish the job and get out of here as quickly as possible."

Grandfather said as we headed back to the car.

"...Could I ask for your help?"

I nodded.

*

I cut my wrist inside the car.

I wasn’t sure how to describe this feeling, but the car was fully equipped with a first aid kit and plastic sheets.

Wearing a transparent plastic sheet like an apron, I placed a large, deep bucket under my arm and used an industrial box cutter to slice my wrist.

The whole atmosphere was… how should I say it...

It felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.

If we were doing this out in the open like at the playground, it might’ve been better. But doing it in such a confined space made it a lot more difficult.

"You can do it… when you’re ready."

Yuuki’s voice was filled with guilt.

Grandfather remained silent, keeping his lips tightly shut.

I stared at my wrist.

The pentagram was still clearly drawn there. From my perspective, the pentagram was upside down.

I clenched my teeth and pressed the blade against my wrist.

I felt the skin slightly split open, and I dragged the blade sideways.

Watching the flesh tear open was never a pleasant sight.

The wound split open like an eye, widening vertically, and my left hand jerked upward as if it was holding something invisible.

Drip, drip.

As the red blood began to fall into the bucket, time froze.

"This is quite an amusing situation. A prophecy, huh."

In my opinion, Nirlass must also be capable of making prophecies or something similar. Whenever I asked her something, she would always calmly give directions as if she already knew everything.

"Will you help?"

I asked.

"You want me to help?"

Her slightly teasing tone made me silently nod.

Honestly, I had no idea what this woman wanted.

Maybe what Nirlass wanted didn’t really matter. Whatever it was, she could take it if she wanted to—it was that simple.

What was more dangerous was Kagami and the cult group that followed her. Especially since they were tied to my future.

"You want to know that child’s location, don’t you?"

"...Yeah."

I was about to nod but remembered that time had stopped. So instead, I simply made a short sound of affirmation.

"In that case, there’s one thing I’d like you to do for me."

"Tell me."

"I’d like you to listen to that child’s final words, until the very end."

"Of course—"

"Alone."

"......"

I tried to shift my gaze toward Yuuki, but my body wouldn’t move.

In fact, even the blood that had been flowing had frozen in midair, so it was strange that I could even speak. It showed just how transcendent this being was.

"Don’t worry too much. You won’t have to try hard—it seems that’s how things will unfold anyway."

Nirlass spoke in a tone that sounded like she had already seen what would happen, her voice laced with amusement.

"Afterwards, it won’t matter if you tell others what you heard from that child."

Nirlass said this in an upbeat tone and added,

"But, I wonder if you’ll be able to do that. I’m curious."

With a final giggle, there was a splattering sound as something sticky and unpleasant fell into the bucket.

"Kurosawa, are you okay?"

"...Yeah."

To be honest, you never really get used to this pain. It still stings enough to make you wince. It hurts.

I opened the kit and took out the bandages.

"Hold out your arm. I’ll wrap it for you."

"It’ll get blood on the car."

"We can just put the bucket between the seats."

I placed the bucket between the driver’s and passenger’s seats and extended my arm, and Yuuki began wrapping the bandage around my wrist. Of course, the bandage was instantly soaked in blood.

We hadn’t even started driving yet, so it was something we could afford to do at the moment.

"Huh?"

While tying the bandage, Yuuki noticed something squirming inside the bucket and made a startled sound.

Oh, right. Yuuki hadn’t seen Chi yet. It had been hidden under my clothes on my shoulder last time. Once it had fulfilled its purpose, it had just turned back into blood and disappeared.

"What is this...?"

"I call it Chi."

"Chi... as in blood?"

Is the name too obvious?

"Is this... what’s going to guide us?"

"Yeah."

I carefully reached into the bucket and lifted Chi out.

Except for the fact that it was entirely blood-colored, it actually looked pretty cute. It had eyes and a mouth, after all.

"Kyu?"

"......"

Yuuki and her grandfather were speechless, staring at the strange creature that was somewhere between creepy and cute, as it made a small, endearing sound while sitting in my hand.

Then, they quickly exchanged glances.

It seemed they had decided not to judge this creature.

Well, it did look like something that a shady cultist might summon through some sort of sacrificial ritual.

And honestly, they wouldn’t be too far off.

Click.

Yuuki fastened her seatbelt.

"So, how exactly is… that going to guide us?"

"Once we start driving, I’ll tell you."

I placed the bucket on my lap and held it carefully, making sure not to let any of Chi’s blood spill onto the seat, then said as much. Grandfather silently started the car.

And so, our late-night drive began.

Chapter 51. About the Future (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“Kyu.”

The crying sound was cute.

Is this really my type? Well, considering this body that Nirlass made, maybe I do like cute and pretty things.

Though it's probably the author's taste, to be exact.

“Turn right here.”

I spoke, looking in the direction Chi was pointing.

I don't know exactly how it works, but just looking that way doesn’t make anything immediately clear. It feels like... it's connected to me on a more fundamental level.

Maybe this thing is also treated as a manifestation of Nirlass.

“...”

Grandfather and Yuuki didn't say anything. Both of them were desperately trying not to show any expression on their faces, but I could feel the guilt squirming underneath their blank expressions.

If I said I was fine here, it would just make the mood even stranger.

Drip. Drip.

The blood was still flowing into the bucket.

Even though we had tried to stop the wound, bandaging it from above didn't help much.

“Kyu!”

“Wait!”

As I shouted, Yuuki turned towards me.

“What?”

“Stop the car!”

As soon as I said it, Grandfather hit the brakes.

Luckily, I had my seatbelt on. I tightly hugged the bucket with my right hand. My body leaned forward, but since the bucket was deep, none of the blood spilled out.

“What is it—”

Fortunately, the car was moving slowly, so there wasn't an accident—

“Grandfather, there!”

Yuuki immediately shouted.

The ground was shaking.

That sound... it was the sound of rocks rolling.

Both Grandfather and I turned our eyes to the window.

The rocks were rolling down.

Grandfather quickly shifted the car into reverse and hit the accelerator.

It wasn't just one big rock; smaller rocks were tumbling down as well. Some as large as my body, others as small as a fist, and though none were as big as a person, many were still too heavy to lift.

Tick. Tiddick.

The sound of sand grains bouncing off the car's body was heard. If Chi hadn’t warned us, we would've been flattened along with the car.

“Kyu— Kyu—”

When I looked down at the sound of Chi crying, I realized I was holding it too tightly.

Although it's not like ordinary creatures... well, of course, it's different, but still, seeing something “alive” in that squished state, like it was about to burst, felt odd.

When I loosened my grip a little, Chi quickly returned to its usual red, crawling finger-like form.

“Did it warn us?”

Yuuki asked.

I nodded.

“Seems like it.”

Grandfather and Yuuki gave me a strange look.

...

Wait, did it just seem like I had predicted this?

As I glanced up to read the situation, Grandfather and Yuuki got out of the car.

I opened the door with my right hand and got out of the van too—

And then realized I was still holding the bucket, so I just put it down next to the car.

If I carried this around, I'd definitely end up spilling it.

Blood was still dripping down my hand.

...

I stared at Chi, which I was still holding, and then simply placed it on the back of my neck.

I could feel my clothes getting damp with blood, but in this situation, it didn't really matter anymore.

As I approached Yuuki, she flinched when she saw me.

“Uh... are you okay?”

“I'm fine.”

Except for my arm hurting a bit.

It was definitely a sight that would scare anyone in the middle of the night.

In fact, I had been thinking about what to do ever since I stepped out of the car.

I still didn't know what would happen to me if I didn’t meet the "conditions" Nirlass had given me.

Up until now, Nirlass had been fairly lenient with me.

...

No.

I glanced down at my left wrist again. The bandages Yuuki had wrapped around my left arm were already soaked in blood, turning dark red near the wound.

Upon looking at the wound again, I realized that lenient might not be the right word. It seems more like I’m seen as nothing more than a toy.

At best, it's like a psychopath abusing their pet dog.

Yeah, I guess "toy" is a better analogy.

“Kyu.”

Chi spoke as it looked forward.

“This way.”

I looked in that direction.

As I took the lead, Yuuki quickly followed beside me.

At least I was lucky to be wearing sneakers. Not that it mattered much, since my only other pair of shoes were school loafers.

Chi pointed to an unpaved mountain path.

Click.

Yuuki turned on a flashlight and shone it on the ground in front of me.

“Wait.”

As I was about to move forward, Yuuki held out a hand to stop me.

“Oh.”

When I saw where the light shone, I couldn't help but make a small sound.

There were footprints on the path.

Not mud, but a dirt path soaked with moisture. The trees above must have blocked out the sun, keeping it damp.

And there, in the soil, were scattered footprints of several people.

“Could someone have arrived before us?”

“Hmm.”

Grandfather pulled out a flashlight and shone it behind us.

...A black car was parked there.

It wasn’t surprising we hadn't noticed it earlier. We had come from below, while that car had come down from above on an unpaved road.

It looked like the road up ahead branched off somewhere, making it difficult to see unless you inspected closely between the trees.

Plus, it was nighttime, and there were no streetlights around.

We took a moment to check the car.

...It looked similar to the van we had arrived in. There was nothing written on the exterior. Apart from it being black and parked in such a remote area, there wasn’t anything special about it. Even shining a light through the windows revealed nothing inside.

“We should be careful.”

Grandfather said.

Indeed.

They could be extremely dangerous people. In this world, it wouldn’t be surprising if serial killers came here to bury bodies.

Well, even outside of this world, that’s something that could happen.

We turned back and resumed walking.

Should I pull out the knife? I debated briefly but decided against it.

I wasn’t here to fight yokai, nor was I going to point a knife at a person. If a fight broke out, I’d just end up being a burden.

Rather than jumping into the fray, it’d be more helpful if I hid somewhere.

Yuuki held her sword tightly, and Grandfather had already strung an arrow to his bow. With his usual skill, he held the bow in his left hand while holding the flashlight in his right.

He also shone the light at my feet like Yuuki.

“I’ll let you know when we see people up ahead. You hide when that happens.”

I nodded at Grandfather’s words.

We began walking again.

“Do you need help?”

Yuuki asked, looking at me with concern.

“I’m fine.”

I replied.

Each time I lose blood, I start to wonder if I’m getting used to it or if my body is actually getting stronger. The time I could endure kept increasing.

The first time, I collapsed right after defeating the enemy, and the next time, just riding the subway made me dizzy. But now, I was even hiking.

At least the mountain path was gentle. It didn’t feel like an actual hiking trail, but it was clear people had walked here before.

Could it be private property? If so, I feel a bit guilty leaving drops of blood along the path.

“Kyu, kyu.”

“...”

“...”

Other than Chi’s cries, none of us spoke. In the distance, the sound of cicadas and a few birds could be heard.

Okay.

I needed to sort things out in my head.

Anyway, it seemed like I was Nirlass’s amusing toy. While it wasn’t breaking me completely, it was still manipulating me to play its games.

So far, Nirlass had never told me what would happen if I didn’t follow its conditions.

Would I suffer? Die? Or would it just lose interest and leave me?

...They say it’s up to the entity that answers, not the way it's summoned.

Considering how Nirlass strangely shows up every time Kaneko calls, there must be some conditions, but I don't think it's a complete lie.

Maybe Nirlass's response is somewhere between her free will and instinct.

Like how an extremely hungry person automatically turns toward the smell of food.

“Grandfather.”

“Yes?”

“Could the rocks falling earlier have been because of what Kudan predicted?”

“Maybe. If it’s a yokai that can see the future, it’s possible. Of course, we won’t know for sure until we meet it.”

“Then, the people who followed Kudan...”

Silence again.

...Listen to Kudan’s prophecy. Alone.

I remembered that. I was even told I could tell a friend if I wanted to.

But I wasn't told that it was fine to listen to it together, which made me wonder if it was something I couldn’t share with Yuuki.

As we climbed a little further—

“Wait.”

Grandfather suddenly turned off his flashlight.

Yuuki followed suit.

Yuuki gently pushed me forward, hiding me behind a tree by the side of the dirt road. Both she and Grandfather crouched down and held their breath.

In the distance, voices could be heard. No lights were visible yet.

I could vaguely make out Grandfather's hand gestures.

I carefully followed Yuuki’s lead, making sure I didn’t get them caught.

“Stay here.”

Grandfather said after we had moved a bit.

“Kyu.”

Chi answered instead of me.

“How will you...?”

I didn’t ask how he planned to proceed, but Grandfather moved quickly, bow in hand, with an arrow already strung and pulled lightly.

Yuuki also drew her sword.

“I’ll go see what those people are doing.”

I nodded at Yuuki’s words.

Indeed, without me, we couldn’t achieve the goal of finding Kudan.

In the distance, people with flashlights were shining lights here and there as they moved around. They were too far away for me to see their expressions or hear their conversations. But one thing was clear—they seemed to be “searching” for something.

And those people were different from the ones we had met at the ranch. Their clothing was different. I didn’t think there was any reason for them to change clothes in between.

Grandfather and Yuuki soon disappeared into the forest.

It was as if they were used to this kind of situation.

“...”

I stayed still for a moment.

Slowly, I started trembling. It was summer. It was almost the peak of summer, so it shouldn’t have been that hot, but I had already lost quite a bit of blood.

My mind was still clear. But I was anxious. I didn’t know how long this would take, and if I spent too much time here, something could go wrong.

“Kyu.”

“I know.”

I answered Chi, who let out a whimper.

Chi seemed to be reflecting my own anxiety, wanting to find Kudan and complete our mission quickly.

...Has it passed midnight already? I didn’t think about pulling out my phone to check the time. In this darkness, even a small light could be seen from far away.

If it was past midnight, then I had plans tomorrow.

I sat down, drawing my knees close, clutching my left wrist with my right hand and pressing it to my chest. Then, leaning to the side, I rested against the base of a tree.

“Kyu?”

“I’m okay.”

I’ll be fine.

“I’m fine.”

“...Are you okay?”

Suddenly, someone answered my muttering, and I jumped up in surprise.

“Oh, no need to worry. I’m not here to hurt you—”

The person speaking fell silent as they saw my face.

“...Kurosawa-san?”

She wasn’t wearing a nun’s habit.

But even in this darkness, I could recognize who it was.

Hagiwara Hana.

I quickly averted my gaze, but Hagiwara seemed to have already confirmed that I was Kurosawa Kotone.

“What are you doing here? And what’s that smell?”

“...”

The smell.

Ah, right.

She wasn’t some animal with a keen sense of smell, but people who work in this field have pretty sharp senses. Especially someone like Yuuki or Hagiwara, who had received training.

She wouldn’t have been able to detect it from far away.

But since Hagiwara was searching the area...

Or maybe she had joined in a little late. She didn’t have a flashlight, but she must have seen the droplets of liquid scattered on the ground.

And if she touched it, she would have known it was blood.

The trail leading right up to me.

“Are you bleeding?”

Hagiwara took a step forward, and I backed up, bumping into the tree behind me.

Ah, right. I had been leaning against the tree just now.

“What are you doing here...?”

“I—”

Hagiwara started to speak but stopped. She stared at me with an expressionless face.

I glanced over Hagiwara’s clothes.

Despite it being a summer night, she was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with wide sleeves. Her skirt extended down to her legs. Honestly, it was a style that made her look older. But because she was naturally so beautiful, she looked more like a college student or a young wife.

But there was a reason she dressed like that.

No matter what, she couldn’t go around wearing a nun’s habit in public. So, she must have been wearing something similar to that.

“What are you doing here?”

Once again, her eyes moved to my left wrist, which I was holding. Blood was flowing down from it. My clothes were soaked with blood too.

Hagiwara’s face twisted slightly.

“Who did this to you?”

She didn’t seem to have fully grasped the situation yet. But... she also didn’t seem to think I was just a suicidal person or a lost hiker.

When I made a move to dash away, Hagiwara immediately extended her right arm.

And in the next moment, there was a sword in her hand.

It was a small cross-shaped dagger. The short part of the cross was the handle, and the long part was the blade. The blade looked about 20 centimeters long. Definitely shorter than a 30-centimeter ruler.

Well, of course.

That’s what nuns in stories like this always carry.

“Wait. Don’t move.”

Hagiwara said.

She didn’t point the sword directly at me.

“...You’re Sota’s friend, aren’t you? I’d appreciate it if you didn’t make me cut you.”

Normally, people wouldn’t even consider cutting another person.

But I had done it. Well, my target had been a cannibal.

“What’s going on? Tell me why you’re here. I won’t hurt you.”

“...With a sword in your hand?”

“...”

Hagiwara seemed at a loss for words at my reply.

It was good I hadn’t drawn my knife.

If I had, I would have looked extremely threatening.

If I moved quickly, she might have thought I was going to stab her.

I slowly let go of my left wrist, which I had been holding with my right hand. Blood gushed out from the wound that I had been pressing on. At this point, even the bandages were useless.

“...!”

Hagiwara was startled when she saw that.

I took the Chi I had been holding and threw it straight at Hagiwara’s face.

Out of instinct, Hagiwara slashed at the blood-soaked creature with her blade.

Swoosh!

It probably no longer had much of its “Curse of Isolation” effect. Even if it did, it would be weak. After all, there wasn’t any “malice” between us.

But splattering blood like a spray across her face was enough to temporarily blind someone.

“Eek!?”

I had covered my face with my arm and turned away, so I wasn’t in much trouble, but Hagiwara had blood splattered all over her eyes. She must have shut them quickly, so it wouldn’t cause her any major issues.

Still, in the time it took her to wipe the blood from her face, I had the chance to dash toward the road.

I ran.

“Wait, stop right there!”

Hagiwara’s shout was immediately followed by the flashlights all turning toward me. Damn it.

But I kept running. I couldn’t navigate a dense forest like a wolf or a fox with my current abilities.

It was better to stick to the path.

And—

Clang!

The sound of swords clashing reached my ears. And then the sound of something metallic hitting the ground.

“You...!”

“You shouldn’t point a sword at people, you know?”

Yuuki, nice move.

Just as Hagiwara had charged out, Yuuki had jumped out of the woods. Maybe she had picked up on Hagiwara’s conversation with me?

“I wasn’t pointing it at her!”

Hagiwara shouted angrily, but I didn’t look back.

“Kurosawa!?”

Yuuki shouted in surprise when I kept running without stopping.

“There she is! Catch her!”

The group of six people from up the hill rushed down.

Thud!

But their footsteps quickly came to a halt.

An arrow was quivering in the ground in front of them.

It was shot by Yuuki’s grandfather.

“Don’t move.”

I stopped running too.

He wasn’t speaking to me, but damn, I was exhausted. This path might be gentle, but it was still uphill, and it wasn’t even properly paved.

While the area at the top seemed to be a meadow, making it easier to walk, it was tough to reach the top while losing so much blood.

“Kurosawa, what’s going on?”

Yuuki, who had approached unnoticed, spoke. She stood with her back to me, facing Hagiwara with her sword raised.

“I suppose she was going to search for something. Isn’t that right?”

Grandfather spoke, omitting the word “Kudan.”

“...”

The men slowly creeping down from the hill were all men. It seemed Hagiwara was the only woman among them.

While they were dressed plainly, two of them wore clerical collars around their necks—the characteristic attire of priests. Black shirts with short collars, with a white section showing in the center.

“Church?”

Yuuki murmured.

“How did they...”

“They must have their own way.”

Grandfather replied to Yuuki, then turned his head back toward the men.

“Why are you here? State your reason.”

“...”

There was no response.

“This land has its own rules. Leave. This is none of your concern.”

“Elder.”

At Grandfather’s words, Hagiwara spoke.

I looked back.

Hagiwara’s face was smeared with blood. Although she still seemed a bit bewildered, her voice remained calm as she continued speaking.

“It's our concern.”

One of the men flinched, but Hagiwara raised her hand to stop him.

“Are you here looking for Kudan?”

“...”

“You’ve injured this child, using some method we neither know nor wish to know.”

Yuuki gripped her sword more tightly.

“What do you care about?”

“The prophecy.”

“Is that what you seek?”

Hagiwara shook her head.

“No. We’re not here to listen to the prophecy. We’ve come to stop it before it can speak, by cutting off its head.”

“Why?”

“Kudan is said to predict disasters.”

Hagiwara took a step forward as she spoke.

“But that’s a false prophecy. We cannot allow people to believe in such things.”

Ah, I get it now.

In Christianity, “prophecy” is made by prophets. And those prophecies don’t predict personal fortunes or misfortunes. They are about the world, God’s judgment, or, at least, religious matters.

But if a “beast” like Kudan makes such a prophecy...

To them, it’s not a prophecy. It’s the devil’s whispering.

...It does look like a demon, after all.

“...As I’ve said before, this land has its own customs.”

“The customs of this land?”

Hagiwara asked.

“Are you saying that we are not included in those customs?”

“...”

Hagiwara took another step closer.

“How many more years must we wait to become people of this land? It’s been 450 years since God’s will touched this place.”

Hagiwara closed her eyes and softly inhaled and exhaled as if reciting a prayer.

“In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.”

Her voice sounded like a chant.

“Amen.”

“Amen.”

The men echoed after Hagiwara as she finished speaking.

I had no idea what that was, but it seemed to be some kind of prayer.

“Persecuted, hidden, killed, concealed, apostasized, repented, disguised, transformed. The people of this land continued their faith. Even as time passed, and the stories changed, distorting their origins, the faith itself persisted. They endured and prayed, even turning statues of the Virgin Mary into those of Kannon to survive.”

Hagiwara opened her eyes and smiled faintly.

“And now, they are praised for creating something uniquely Japanese. Is that what you desire?”

“...”

Honestly, whether it was Shinto or Christianity, it all felt distant from me. I didn’t believe in gods.

Many people in my old profession had religious beliefs, but I wasn’t one of them.

If there were a God, would I have lived the life I had?

Well, now, some deity-like entity seems to have taken an odd interest in me.

The biggest reason I was having these thoughts was that I was about to collapse.

Yes. I was reaching my limit.

“Kurosawa? Kurosawa!”

When I suddenly started running, Yuuki shouted urgently from behind. But she didn’t immediately rush after me.

“Catch her!”

Hagiwara shouted.

Ping! Ping! The sound of arrows flying through the air echoed, followed by the sound of something sharp hitting the ground.

“Stop!”

I wasn’t sure who had shouted. Since it was a woman’s voice, it must have been either Yuuki or Hagiwara.

Well, at least they were still treating me like a person.

Though I felt my legs were about to give out, I kept running.

“Stop!”

One of the men blocked my path. He held a sword, threateningly pointing it at me.

The sword tip showed no hesitation. Was he planning to cut down a heretic?

No, he wouldn’t do that. At least in this world, the Catholics didn’t recklessly cut down people.

So—

I grabbed the man’s sword with both hands.

Stab.

“What the—”

Then, I redirected the point to stabbed myself in the collarbone with his sword, and the man's eyes widened in shock.

Everything went silent.

I pulled the sword out and started running again. For a while, I didn’t hear anyone following behind.

Was this his first time stabbing someone?

Right, it had been mentioned in the novel.

‘They’re all amateurs. Not hunters or fighters, they’ve never even been deployed in combat.’

It wasn't an exact quote, but it was something along those lines. I think Hagiwara said it during her confrontation with Yuuki.

Was she referring to this event? This incident must have existed in the original story too.

There was a commotion behind me. It seemed like Yuuki and Grandfather were buying some time.

Leaving that behind, I kept running.

Chapter 52. About the Future (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

To be honest, I was someone who didn’t believe in luck.

Since I was an atheist, it was only natural to think that the world operated based on phenomena that scientists had already explained, leaving no room for words like "fate."

Well, if you dig deeper, there were claims that there was no such thing as free will or that the world was just a sequence of causes and effects, but I didn’t delve that far.

My job didn’t require it. All I needed was knowledge about where the water would flow, how to sprinkle water effectively, and what measures were needed to make a person’s heart beat again.

But, you know.

"Ah."

Now, I was in a state where I was almost tempted to believe in that so-called fate.

No, maybe not fate exactly, but at least it seemed certain that this Kudan creature could really see the future.

How far could it predict? I bet it anticipated us following. Judging by how timely that rock fell.

Could it have predicted that the church people would follow us too? That the two groups would clash, wasting time while I sneaked away to follow Kudan?

Did it anticipate that I’d trip over a rock and fall forward, roll down the slope, and hit a tree so hard I’d almost lose consciousness?

“...”

Come to think of it, I didn’t even have a flashlight. I should’ve taken one when I left the car.

"Ugh."

I barely managed to lift myself. My back hurt like it was splitting apart.

But at least I wasn’t dead yet. The wound hadn’t healed though.

Normally, my wounds would heal instantly, but in this situation, connected to Nirlass, the healing was much slower. I didn’t know why. It was probably because that was what Nirlass wanted.

Panting, I rummaged through my pockets.

Luckily, my phone was still intact in my pants pocket.

My phone didn’t have a flashlight. But even in this pitch-black darkness, the dim light from the phone screen could illuminate the ground enough to see.

I lit up the ground like that.

My jeans were torn in several places, and blood was oozing out.

I touched my legs. Good. These wounds wouldn’t be a big problem for walking. Of course, if I were a normal person, I’d have to worry about infections, but once this job was done, my wounds would all disappear, so I didn’t need to worry about that.

I tapped the ground with my toes. There didn’t seem to be any issues with my sense of touch. At least my spine wasn’t broken.

Slowly, I raised my phone.

But, you know.

Now that I thought about it, I was still in a pretty bad situation.

If I didn’t find Kudan, I might get stranded and die in a mountain that’s just an hour and a half from Tokyo by car.

Damn it—

Thinking that, I looked around with my phone.

“...!”

I had to clench my teeth.

It was a person’s face.

A middle-aged man’s face.

With horns like a cow’s on his forehead, his hair wild and unkempt, the middle-aged man’s face stared at me blankly.

The goosebumps rising on my back made me momentarily forget all the pain in my body. Not that I was particularly grateful for that.

Once again, the word "fate" crossed my mind.

Thanks to Nirlass, or maybe because of Kudan’s prophetic abilities, I had simply rolled down the mountain and stopped exactly near where Kudan was hiding.

At this distance, I couldn’t clearly see the face.

Have you ever seen a man’s pale face peek through the trees in the middle of the night, in a forest so dense with branches overhead that the moon and stars are barely visible?

Even if you know what it is, it’s still terrifying. Moving just a few millimeters closer to that face made my entire body break out in goosebumps.

No, thinking about it, this wasn’t just the normal kind of fear-induced goosebumps.

But even so, this Kudan creature was truly the scariest yokai I had ever encountered. Not because of its appearance, but because of the atmosphere it gave off.

Ah, should I ask for a sword to be made?

I seriously considered it.

I didn’t have my "Chi" anymore. Perhaps I didn’t have enough blood left to summon something new.

"Uh, excuse me?"

I knew it was only recently born, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to speak informally. Maybe because its face looked middle-aged? Well, that was part of it…

A cow’s face is, of course, bigger than a person’s. Even that large, burly guy I knew had a smaller head than a cow’s.

So, imagine how big a human head attached to a cow’s body would be?

If it opened its mouth, I felt like my entire head could fit in there, no joke.

It’s hard to comprehend. Even if it was a calf, it should be much smaller than this.

But the Kudan in front of me was no calf.

...Could it be something else?

Was it some other yokai living in this forest?

There was no option to run away. Even if I turned around and sprinted, all that awaited behind me was the steep slope I had just rolled down.

And if it was a yokai, it probably wouldn’t try to eat me. Usually, they spit me out after a bite.

"...Kudan?"

Would it even recognize the name it’s been given?

Apparently, I didn’t show any hostility, so that pale, massive face just stared at me with its dark pupils.

"..."

Finally, I succeeded in getting close enough.

I slowly shone the light past the face.

There—was the body of a spotted cow.

...So, this really was the breed.

I should’ve known when they mentioned the ranch.

What now?

If it had just been a regular cow, or if its face had been cow-shaped, I might have tried to pet it.

But... well, you know... it’s just...

The face was that of a flat-faced man.

Petting it would feel a bit... awkward, wouldn’t it?

"...Can you understand what I’m saying?"

I awkwardly asked in a polite tone.

Kudan simply looked at me, then turned its head sharply.

And walked away.

It wasn’t running, so I quickly followed behind.

Was it guiding me? Or was it just fleeing in its own way?

Kudan’s hair had a slight grayish tint as it moved ahead.

Zzzz.

My phone, which I had been holding, buzzed.

Apparently, even though I was in the mountains, being so close to Tokyo meant the cell towers were still functional.

I answered the call.

[Kurosawa!? Where are you now? Are you okay?]

Yuuki’s voice screamed through the phone, not sounding okay at all.

I held the phone a little away from my ear and spoke.

"I’m fine. Just... lost my way a bit."

[Where are you now?]

I looked toward Kudan.

Kudan had stopped ahead and was looking back at me.

It was a bizarre sight—standing in the middle of the forest with no real path, a cow with a man’s head staring back at me. It would’ve been eerie enough if its head had been a cow’s.

...Was its hair actually getting grayer?

Was I imagining it?

After a brief hesitation, I spoke.

"I found it."

[What?]

Yuuki was shocked. There was some commotion on the other end. I could hear her grandfather’s muffled voice, and it seemed like a few other people were there too.

Could they have made a deal with the church people? No matter how good Yuuki and her grandfather were, I didn’t think they could win a fight based on numbers alone. Especially if neither side was aiming to kill.

"For now, I’m just following. I’ll let you know when I figure out where we are."

I’d think about how to inform them when the time came.

[Wait, Kurosawa! Kurosawa!]

"See you later."

I answered and then hung up.

...A prophecy, all by itself.

...Could that being have already known everything?

It seemed as if Kudan had been waiting for me to finish the call, because as soon as I did, it turned its head again and continued moving forward.

I hurried to follow behind it.

* * *

Just a few minutes before Kurosawa Kotone rolled down the cliff—

"Kurosawa!"

Yuuki had been rushing toward the man standing in front of Kotone.

She didn’t intend to fight. She just wanted to break the deadlock somehow and protect Kotone.

But before Yuuki could even reach him, Kotone had already been stabbed by the man’s knife.

The 20-centimeter blade had probably pierced near Kotone’s neck.

"What—"

The man muttered.

Behind him, a girl from the same school, a year above... whose name didn’t really matter, was shouting something. Probably condemning the man for stabbing Kotone.

But before any of that registered, Yuuki had already tackled the man.

"Yuka! No!"

Her grandfather’s shout brought her back to her senses, and she quickly twisted her body, knocking the knife out of the man’s grasp.

But she didn’t slow down.

The man, struck by her shoulder tackle, collapsed forward.

And that was just the beginning.

Smack!

Yuuki dodged a flying punch and slammed the hilt of her sword into the man’s abdomen.

"Ugh!"

The man staggered, groaning, but he didn’t fall.

"..."

There was a gasp from behind Yuuki.

The man dropped the bloodied knife to the ground. The blade was stained with a vivid red.

Seeing it made Yuuki’s heart pound fiercely.

It’s my fault.

That’s what she thought.

Kotone had been tormented all semester. It wasn’t just yokai; she had been caught up in all sorts of trouble.

Her grandfather believed that Kotone had dealt with the cannibal yokai that had suddenly disappeared before Yuuki arrived.

It wasn’t a strange conclusion. Yuuki had already seen her pick up her wrist-cutting blade and head out to destroy that creature the moment she read the news article.

A good kid, silently helping people in the only way she knew how, despite the horrible circumstances.

And that way only made her own awful situation even worse.

The sound of something cutting through the air was followed by the clash of metal against metal.

It wasn’t a sword clashing with another sword. Yuuki’s grandfather had shot an arrow, knocking the man’s sword out of his hand. Yuuki took the opportunity to leap back, creating some distance.

She looked in the direction Kotone had run. Kotone was already out of sight.

I have to go.

That kid didn’t even have a flashlight. If she got lost in the mountains under these conditions...

But as Yuuki tried to run forward, she was blocked by several people.

"Get out of my way!"

Yuuki shouted, pointing her sword at them.

"Everyone, stop!"

At that command, the men froze.

Yuuki glanced back.

The upperclassman had rushed over to where the man’s sword had fallen.

She bent down and picked up the blade.

Blood, thick and sticky, dripped down the blade.

Her face was also smeared with so much blood that, had a passerby seen her, they would’ve definitely called the police.

"..."

Yuuki glared at the woman.

What on earth had happened?

Had Kotone spilled that blood? Or had the woman...?

"Why did you do that?"

The woman asked.

"I stabbed her—"

"You pointed a knife at her."

At Yuuki’s words, the woman looked at her.

"You were holding one too."

"I wasn’t planning to stab anyone. And I didn’t stab anyone. I just blocked whatever balloon... or whatever it was that she threw at me."

She spoke coldly to Yuuki.

"More importantly, did you hurt her like that? Why? Was it some kind of ritual? Is that prophecy so important? Important enough to make... a kid cut her own wrist?"

"..."

Yuuki felt like she had been struck over the head again.

"That kid was bleeding out. She would’ve collapsed soon in that condition. We need to find her. There’s no time to fight."

The woman spoke calmly.

"But the Kudan—"

"..."

At those words, the woman stared directly at the man.

He fell silent.

Yeah. That’s right.

It was Yuuki herself who had called Kotone.

It was Yuuki who had made her cut her wrist. She even had a first aid kit and a bucket ready in the car.

When Kotone got in the car, she carefully placed the shopping bag she had brought on the edge of the seat, as if she didn’t want it to get stained with blood.

And she had even mentioned that she had plans on Thursday.

...She already knew. She knew she’d bleed and possibly end up hospitalized.

She knew everything, but still followed Yuuki’s lead without complaint.

Why had she thought that way? Why, as soon as she heard about the "calamity," had Kotone been the first person she thought of?

Had Yuuki been willing to sacrifice Kotone if it meant stopping that immense disaster?

...

No, that wasn’t it. Rather—

It was as if she had just thought of it as something natural, something inevitable.

Like when facing a yokai, Yuuki felt chills run down her spine.

Who exactly was the real monster here?

"Yuka."

Her grandfather’s voice finally brought Yuuki back to reality.

"Let’s try contacting her first."

At her grandfather’s words, Yuuki quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket.

She immediately found Kotone’s name and called her.

"Kurosawa!? Where are you now? Are you okay?"

Kotone said she was fine.

She even said she had found Kudan.

But she didn’t mention where she was, and then the call ended.

The men, who had looked a bit unsure at the mention of Kudan, now had changed expressions.

But by then, Kudan had already faded from Yuuki’s mind.

Yuuki started running. She could hear the sounds of people rushing after her.

Things had gotten completely messed up. Maybe the church would kill Kudan before even hearing the prophecy, and Miura’s side would react.

But—

None of that mattered anymore.

What weighed far more heavily on her was the thought that she had driven her friend into this situation with her own hands.

But when she reached the spot where the trail of blood had led—

There was a steep, dangerous slope leading down, so sharp that anyone unprepared shouldn’t attempt to descend.

And near the slope’s edge, there were signs that someone had slid down.

All the way down.

* * *

It was about time to acquire a new ability.

Come to think of it, the sword I “made” with my blood—maybe it didn’t have to be a sword.

Perhaps it could take another form.

For example, a gun.

I mean, it's a solid material, right? If I think of it like carrying around a portable 3D printer, it’s plausible.

...No, but I immediately dismissed that idea. A gun has too many components. Besides, there’s no way our great and noble foreign god, Nirlass, would allow such a cheat ability.

Nirlass is a being with an extremely twisted sense of humor. Even if I tried to summon it by splashing blood on my wrist, it would probably just chew me up.

In the old days, the Aztecs offered live human sacrifices.

I don’t think the gods the Aztecs believed in actually existed, but they still insisted on sticking to that method. They didn’t even consider preparing the sacrifices in advance. Probably because they wanted to "please the gods."

And Nirlass is also a foreign deity. If I don’t do things exactly the way it wants, it won’t respond, or it’ll demand a huge penalty.

Then how about a bow?

If I could shoot a bow, it would be really helpful for the Raiju incident.

There might be some way to make use of all the blood I’ve been shedding.

...Though the fact that I didn’t really belong in that harem meeting was a bigger issue.

"...Ah."

Kudan stopped walking, and so did I.

"Where is this?"

It was a cliff.

Much higher than the one I had rolled down earlier. If I made one wrong step and fell, it would take forever to recover the body.

It was night, so I couldn’t see the view well. But it seemed like it would be a spectacular sight during the day.

There were no fences or barriers nearby, so it probably wasn’t developed as a tourist spot.

And most of all—

"The sea."

I could see the ocean.

The sea at night was beautiful.

The moon hung in the sky above the water, and there was another moon reflected in the water.

The horizon stretched far into the distance, surprisingly visible even in the darkness.

"Did we come here just to see this view...?"

Kudan, already crouched near the cliff’s edge, turned to look at me.

And when I saw its face, I was startled again.

Kudan’s face had aged completely. During the time we had been walking, it had turned into an old man. The graying hair I had noticed earlier wasn’t just my imagination.

"...."

Without a word, I sat down next to Kudan.

Perhaps, from the beginning, this was what it had wanted.

It didn’t need to get rid of me. It hadn’t tried to capture me and force me to hear its prophecy, nor had it tried to kill me before that.

What it wanted was simply to speak a few final words before it passed.

A peaceful death, without being locked up or interrupted by anyone.

It had known all along that it would die today.

We sat in silence for a long time.

There wasn’t any need for me to say what I wanted. If I had known things would turn out like this.

Before I knew it, the goosebumps that had risen on my back had started to subside.

Thud.

Kudan’s head fell weakly to the ground. It lay there, legs completely limp, resting its chin on the ground, gazing blankly out at the distant sea.

It would’ve been nice if we could last long enough to see the sunrise.

"...It’s over now."

Kudan spoke.

It was the voice of an old man.

"Yeah."

"I wanted to see the future that only appeared in my mind with my own eyes."

"..."

"Now that I’ve spoken, I must give a prophecy. I must speak and die. Otherwise, I’ll be killed by those who are following."

"...I’m listening."

"It’s fine if you don’t listen. As long as you move far away."

"But it will happen. And I made a promise. I have to listen."

"..."

Kudan hesitated for a moment before opening its mouth.

"You will die."

Death comes to everyone.

After all, the final destination of all life is death.

Strangely enough, no living being is ever born just to die.

"At the hands of the one you trust most."

Yeah, I figured as much.

"I heard it. Thank you."

"Mm."

Kudan responded.

And after that, there was no more sound.

The goosebumps on my back had completely vanished.

Even then, I continued to sit there, hugging my knees, thinking.

Normally, Kudan’s prophecy wasn’t directed at individuals.

The way to avoid the prophecy was to hear the one born alongside the female Kudan.

...If I combined those two facts.

Was it that my death would bring calamity to the world?

Or was it, instead, telling those who would try to save me to think again?

Slowly, the pain in my left wrist began to fade.

I sat there, holding my knees to my chest, long into the night, until I finally fell asleep.

Chapter 53. About the Future (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Come to think of it, I had done something extremely dangerous.

Of course, it wasn’t likely, but if a criminal happened to be wandering around in the mountains at this time of night, I, passed out on the cliff, could have been kidnapped.

I hate to say this about myself, but I really did have a face pretty enough to make me wonder if I might actually be a heroine. If someone had ill intentions, my appearance would certainly be tempting.

And in fact, someone had already coveted me before. I’m not sure what happened to them now, though.

Well, at least no one like that approached me while I was unconscious.

"......"

When I opened my eyes, I was in some room.

It was a room that seemed vaguely familiar, but upon further thought, I realized it wasn’t a specific room I had seen before. Rather, it looked exactly like an interrogation room from a detective drama or movie, which was why it felt familiar.

I started to lift my body off the steel desk, only to feel something strange, so I looked down.

My body was bound. Specifically, I was wearing a white restraint suit, the kind they put on mental patients at risk of self-harm.

Both my arms were crossed under my chest, with my hands under the opposite elbows, and the long sleeves of the suit were fastened behind my back.

For a moment, I thought it was a rather smart move.

If someone wants to create a wound and spill blood, they don’t necessarily need a cutter. They could bite themselves or scratch with their nails... Someone would probably come in and stop me before too much blood came out, but still, the possibility of success wasn’t zero.

Hmm...

I briefly wondered if, even without blood, Nirlass might pop out and help me in this situation.

But then again, even if it helped, I wasn’t sure it would help in the way I wanted. It always twisted its words when speaking and demanded all sorts of things when it helped me, doing whatever suited itself.

[Kurosawa Kotone.]

A voice echoed in the room.

There was a speaker installed in the corner of the ceiling.

As I had thought earlier, like in a movie or drama’s interrogation room, a large mirror was mounted on the wall. It was likely a one-way mirror—unseen from this side but visible from the other side.

[Have you heard the prophecy?]

"..."

Hearing such a thing right after waking up felt a bit absurd.

“Where’s Yuuki?”

I instinctively asked that question.

She must have been extremely worried about me. Whether they found me before she did or took me after she found me—I wasn’t sure.

Considering that Yuuki’s family was connected to high-ranking people in this country, they might have taken me here institutionally rather than forcibly.

[Answer the question.]

Hmm.

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I tell them about the prophecy I heard, or should I keep my mouth shut?

But then I thought again, and the prophecy wasn’t all that detailed. It only said I would die, so it was something that would happen before my life ended. Even assuming a lifespan of 70 years, I still had more than 50 years left.

If the expiration date was 50 years, the people of this generation wouldn’t even care.

The government might worry, but most high-ranking officials probably wouldn’t. How many of those currently serving as members of parliament would still be alive 50 years from now?

...Was 50 years pushing it too far?

Considering that the original story was a light novel, I doubted it would drag on that long. Though I didn’t read to the end, I believed the story ended before the characters graduated from high school.

So it’s probably something that would happen within the next two years.

I made up my mind quickly.

“If you answer my question first.”

[...]

Would they torture me if I pissed them off?

I wondered how much pain I could endure.

I thought I was pretty good at holding my breath. I could handle heat fairly well too. Sure, I’d probably scream if my body caught fire, though.

It wouldn’t be easy to threaten me by bringing my friends. Even 20 years ago, they couldn’t just harm civilians. Although this world was 20 years behind mine, civilians would be off-limits.

These people must have some inkling about the cult backing Yamashita, right?

And if that was the case, it meant that Kagami’s performance had worked. They must have concluded that, with how Kagami treated me like an outcast, they could afford to kidnap me.

Japan had already experienced turmoil due to cults in the past. In reality, since the opponent was framed as a “religion,” unless they caused a social issue, it was difficult to disband or suppress them openly. But this world is a fantasy, isn’t it?

Even if they were planning a careful extermination, I wouldn’t be surprised.

As no response came from the speaker for a long time, I went ahead and asked.

“What’s today’s date?”

[...It’s July 28.]

Hmm, then I could afford to relax a little.

I relaxed my body and leaned back in the chair.

I looked at the mirror. Was someone on the other side watching me?

“Yuuki?”

I asked again since they hadn’t answered.

[She’s nearby. Waiting for you.]

I nodded.

So Yuuki knew I was here. That was a relief. If we had been separated without seeing each other, she would’ve been worried sick.

Groups like this have an odd way of being persistently unkind, refusing to share crucial information, leaving people reading between the lines in frustration.

[Now, it’s our turn to ask. Tell us about the prophecy.]

“...Three years from today, the leader of a foreign nation visiting this country will be assassinated.”

I answered casually.

I had prepared that response ever since they first asked me about the prophecy.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to tell the truth, so I made sure to sound as natural as possible, careful not to stammer.

[...]

I heard some murmuring on the other side.

It seemed that I had successfully attracted their attention by mentioning a high-ranking official. Did I act well?

I wasn’t too knowledgeable about such things in this world, but could it be that the names of high-ranking officials here coincided with real people?

Considering the atmosphere, I recalled that such figures had appeared in the later parts of the novel. If their names matched those of real people, it might be problematic. Japan had defamation laws, after all.

Anyway.

[Any more details?]

“...I don’t know anything beyond that.”

There was another pause after my words.

[Are you sure?]

“I have nothing to gain by lying.”

Honestly, if they really wanted to hear more, locking me up like this wasn’t the way to go. I was the only one who had this information, so what would they do if I refused to tell them?

There was no response for a while, but it seemed like they accepted that my words weren’t too strange.

A disaster, I think, doesn’t just refer to natural events like earthquakes or typhoons. The prophecy I heard was about my own death, after all.

If my death were to bring about great calamity in this country, that would certainly qualify as a disaster.

Moreover, “think again” could be interpreted in a way similar to “reconsider.”

If it were a natural disaster, there’d be very little humans could do. They might build levees to block waves, but there’s no way to prevent an earthquake. And you can’t stop a real natural disaster by reconsidering.

This disaster would be a man-made one, and with proper preparation, it could be prevented.

I think I came up with a pretty convincing excuse.

And I didn’t even need to say who it was. As long as they kept in mind any foreign heads of state visiting around July 28, three years from now, they could figure it out.

They could choose not to invite that person or conduct thorough investigations to prevent the assassination. That was their job to figure out.

In any case, it was three years from now, so I didn’t have to worry about it for the time being—at least until I graduated from high school.

[...]

It seemed they were either discussing something or momentarily at a loss for words because there was no response for quite a while.

As I sat there, staring blankly at the mirror, I finally heard the sound of the door unlocking.

I turned my head and saw the door handle turning.

And—

“......”

The person who entered was someone I never expected to see here.

“Kurosawa-san.”

The person who spoke as they entered—

“We’ve met once before, haven’t we? Do you remember me?”

“......”

I quietly scrutinized their face again.

I wasn’t mistaken. While the face didn’t stand out with any unique features, the overall atmosphere was unforgettable.

“Miura’s father...”

“Yes. I’m glad you remember. Let me introduce myself again—Miura Masao.”

Speaking to me in a soft voice, Miura-san was dressed neatly in a suit.

“Are you with the police?”

“Not the police...though I could be, if I wanted.”

Miura-san responded ambiguously and approached me, stopping about five steps away, though not my steps—his.

“You have plans with Mako tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“Mako seems pretty excited about it. She’s looking forward to it.”

"......"

“What do you think of Mako?”

His face didn’t reveal any particular expression when he asked. If anything, he was smiling, but it was the kind of smile people show out of politeness rather than joy. Like the one you give when saying, ‘Oh, you’re here to visit my daughter?’

It didn’t scare me.

But it made him seem even more dangerous.

“...I think of her as a friend.”

“I see. Mako thinks the same.”

Although the room was lit, the overall lighting was dim. The light from the hallway cast a long shadow from Miura-san toward me, making him look like the mastermind behind some conspiracy.

In this situation, I was probably the one closest to being a mastermind.

It was frustrating, though, because I hadn’t plotted anything at all.

“So, don’t lie about this. I...we think you're different from the group behind you.”

He was probably referring to the cult.

And I agreed. We had a very ambiguous cooperative relationship. While I seemed to hold an important position within that group, I didn’t consider myself the same as them.

Of course, Miura-san’s idea of ‘different’ and mine were probably not the same.

“I’d like you to tell me again if what you said is true. If that prophecy brings calamity, we must prevent it.”

I stared at Miura-san’s face.

There wasn’t any visible tension. Was he trying not to make me afraid?

But at the same time, considering he mentioned his daughter, it seemed like he was serious.

...What had happened in the original story?

If Miura had died, what would’ve happened to this man? Would he have gone mad with grief? It was hard to know now.

“What I told you is everything. It wasn’t a long prophecy.”

"..."

Miura-san silently stared at me as if to assess my words.

Then, he nodded.

“I see. Understood.”

He walked toward me.

Moving behind me, he slightly pulled the sleeves connected to my arms and unlocked the restraints.

Looking closely, the restraint mechanism resembled a belt buckle. It was an actual straitjacket, like the kind used in mental hospitals.

...Or maybe it was more like something used on prisoners. Looking around the room again, the latter seemed more fitting.

“How did you get here...?”

I asked Miura-san.

“By helicopter.”

He answered simply.

Ah, I see.

That’s a straightforward way.

...Then again, even searching for the Kudan by helicopter from the start wouldn’t have been easy. In the middle of the forest at night, they wouldn’t have been able to see through the trees, and the Kudan would’ve run away at the sound of the helicopter.

I stood up from my seat.

“Your clothes are outside.”

Were my clothes not soaked in blood?

I tilted my head in confusion and walked out of the room, surprised.

...It just looked like an ordinary building.

I had expected something like a police station or a hospital, but it resembled a typical commercial building you’d find in the streets. The lower floors might have a convenience store or restaurant, and the upper floors would house small offices.

Looking out the corridor window, I saw the street below. People were walking around as usual.

Had I been unconscious for that long? The sun was already high in the sky.

And—

"...Yuuki."

In the corridor ahead, there was a row of chairs that looked like the kind placed in front of a surgery room. Yuuki was sitting there, asleep.

Had she stayed up all night waiting for me?

Guilt washed over me.

And on Yuuki’s lap were a pair of neatly folded pants and a T-shirt. She seemed to have fallen asleep with her hand resting on top of them.

The sword she usually carried was nowhere to be seen.

"......"

"She’s been waiting here ever since we brought you."

“What about her grandfather?”

“Yuuki-san has a lot of work to do.”

"......"

I paused for a moment, then asked the last thing I hadn’t forgotten to ask.

“How did the church members get there first? They arrived before us.”

"......"

Miura-san silently stared at me.

Was he worried about a confrontation?

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you that.”

“...Which organization are you part of, Miura-san?”

“Sorry, that’s hard to explain too. Even Mako doesn’t know.”

I suppose that couldn’t be helped.

In this era’s style, it was probably a group referred to simply as ‘the organization,’ ‘the agency,’ or ‘the foundation,’ without a specific name.

At least I could tell they were people who investigated supernatural phenomena in this country.

Miura-san closed and locked the door.

Aside from Miura-san...ah, the other people were probably in the room across from me.

After locking the door, Miura-san silently looked at me.

Was that his way of saying I could leave now that I’d taken care of my business?

......

Were they letting me go, hoping that, if they set me free, I would continue to solve problems and bring back information? After all, Kagami had seen me last time.

“...Yuuki.”

Feeling a bit guilty, I gently shook Yuuki’s shoulder to wake her up.

I thought she wouldn’t wake easily since she seemed deeply asleep, but Yuuki suddenly jumped up in surprise.

“Kotone!?”

It didn’t seem like she had called my name because she saw me, but rather because she had been dreaming about something similar, or because she had been worrying about me right up until she fell asleep.

“Kurosawa!”

Her way of addressing me changed again.

Was she calling me by my name in her head?

Come to think of it, Fukuda already called me by my name. Well, she was the type who would naturally start using names once some time passed after meeting someone.

“Are you okay!?”

She placed her hands on my shoulders.

The clothes she was still holding brushed against my face. Yuuki, realizing this, said, “Ah, sorry,” and awkwardly pulled her hands back.

“I’m fine.”

“She had an emergency blood transfusion, so she should be okay.”

At Miura-san’s words, both Yuuki and I turned to look at him simultaneously.

Was my condition that serious?

...Well, it had always been like this whenever I used my powers.

Yuuki seemed like she wanted to say something but closed her mouth and bowed slightly toward Miura-san. Miura-san returned a small bow to Yuuki.

I did the same. In turn, Miura-san graciously bowed to me as well.

“For now, let’s get changed.”

“There’s an empty room nearby. You can change there. Leave the straitjacket behind.”

"......"

Yuuki glanced back at Miura-san, then took my wrist and gently tugged me along.

As we headed to the next room, Yuuki spoke to me softly.

“...I’m sorry.”

"......"

I’m the one who should be apologizing.

Could Yuuki be feeling guilty for causing me to cut my wrist?

But seeing the clothes Yuuki held, it was clear that I had been the one to receive her help. I had received so much help that I now found it difficult to break free from it.

I shook my head.

“I’m the one who should be sorry.”

"......"

But even after I said that, it didn’t seem like Yuuki’s mood had improved much.

“...Do you want to watch the fireworks together?”

I didn’t know what else to say, so I hesitated before finally speaking. Yuuki smiled faintly at that.

“You have plans with your friends, right?”

“...It’s just one more person.”

“It’s okay. Honestly, it’d feel a bit awkward.”

Really?

She was probably being considerate of me.

“I’m going with my grandfather and father. I was thinking of inviting you, but since you already had plans, I suppose it’s just as well.”

...Had she been planning a surprise?

“We might run into each other nearby, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing Yuuki’s mood lift a little made me feel slightly lighter as well.

Chapter 54. It Was Summer (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I changed my clothes and ate with Yuuki.

It seemed that Yuuki wanted to treat me to something, but today, we decided to pay for ourselves.

I rely on her a lot already, and I didn’t want to lean on her even more today. Yuuki must have been really tired too. Besides, she already gave me some clothes. It would be too shameless to let her buy me food as well.

Moreover, Yuuki seemed to believe the fake prophecy I told her. Unless I deliberately told her the truth, she would continue to believe it.

...But I would still be paid, right? In reality, I was already causing her a huge inconvenience.

Yuuki said that the church people left after meeting with government officials.

Well, by that time, Kudan was already dead, so following us would have been pointless.

They’d likely think the prophecy was false and wouldn’t bother asking further.

Our relationship would probably worsen, though.

“Are you going to head straight back?”

As we left after eating tempura bowls for lunch, Yuuki showed a slightly regretful expression.

But she looked more tired than anything.

It was understandable.

She had spent hours riding in a car that night, climbing a mountain, and dealing with the church people.

Honestly, I couldn’t say I had properly slept either.

“There are still plenty of days to rest.”

When I said that, Yuuki smiled faintly and nodded.

Ikebukuro Station.

Yes, there were a lot of people. Even someone like me, who didn’t know much about Japan, had heard of it. I wasn’t sure exactly where it was located in Tokyo.

There were many buildings too. As we walked for a bit, the building we had been in disappeared from sight in no time. It was probably a good place to hide, with so many people and buildings.

“Well, see you later. We might meet again tomorrow.”

Yuuki said her goodbye like that.

I waved lightly to her.

Yuuki’s figure, walking away, disappeared into the crowd in an instant, even though it was a weekday in the middle of the day.

Could it be that all the kids had poured out for the summer vacation?

Come to think of it, there were probably college students too. Maybe some people took an early summer break.

In the middle of a blazing summer. There were a few clouds, but it didn’t feel like it would rain. Even those clouds couldn’t block the glaring sunlight.

I turned around and headed home.

I carefully studied the map hanging in the station and rode the train for quite some time. Unlike the busy station earlier, the area I lived in looked deserted.

As soon as I got home, I carefully placed the shopping bag I was holding in my room and went into the shower to undress and wash.

I thought I had roughly washed myself before, but small grains of sand still came out of my hair, causing me quite a bit of trouble.

After thoroughly cleaning my long hair and making sure my body didn’t smell, I quickly dried myself and stepped outside.

Wearing just underwear and a T-shirt, I collapsed onto the blanket I had left unfolded from the night before.

And I fell asleep as if I had passed out.

* * *

The next day. The 29th.

We decided to meet a little early.

Even though it was midsummer, the sun set earlier in Japan compared to Korea. Being further east, the sun also rose earlier.

The fireworks festival was supposed to start at 7:15 PM, so we had to go early.

From what I heard, it seemed like a pretty famous event in Japan.

I guess it was similar to how I almost got crushed to death by the crowd when I went to the Yeouido Fireworks Festival as a child.

At 11:30 AM, I arrived at Kita-Senju Station.

“Kurosawa!”

Miura, who had arrived first and was waiting, waved enthusiastically at me. Fukuda and Yamashita were on either side of her.

“Kurosawa, you’re late.”

Fukuda tapped her wrist where her watch would be, making a point.

Late? What late?

I arrived right on time.

I was a little nervous that I might be late, but I made it just in time.

“...”

Yamashita didn’t say much. She waved her hand lightly, but that was it.

She probably knew it took me a long time to get here.

“Shall we get lunch first? We need to eat well. The event won’t start for about seven hours.”

So, we’re going to eat and then wait immediately after?

Well, it couldn’t be helped. They say part of the fun of attending an event is the waiting. Personally, I didn’t find much joy in that sort of thing and didn’t have anyone to go with, so I rarely went anywhere.

We headed to a fast-food place.

Considering most of what we ate after school were sweet desserts or drinks, it seemed like they were serious about eating well today.

Everyone ordered large sets.

Since I had learned how to eat fries from my meal with Yamashita the other day, I also ordered a large set this time.

The sight of four large orders of French fries piled on a tray was quite the spectacle.

We finished our hamburgers first and then picked at the fries from the tray, occasionally sipping cola to wash it down.

You know, youth has its advantages in that you can eat without feeling ill. Once I hit my 30s, eating too much greasy food would make me sick, but ever since I got this body, I hadn’t had that problem.

Despite being skinny and looking undernourished, my body was holding up well, probably thanks to youth.

As I tasted the saltiness of the fries, I listened to Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita’s conversation.

“Ah, that drama is fun—”

“Who was that actor we saw last time—”

Mostly, it was Miura and Fukuda talking.

“...”

The Yamashita I remembered usually stayed engrossed in her phone, indifferent to what the others were talking about.

But today, she was a bit different.

Yamashita was looking out the window.

At the end of her gaze was a river. The river where today’s fireworks festival was set to take place.

Was it the Arakawa River?

“Do you like fireworks?”

I asked Yamashita casually.

Just at that moment, Miura and Fukuda’s conversation ended, and everyone turned their attention to me.

Yamashita’s gaze shifted from the window to me.

“I quite like them.”

Hmm.

If a boy had heard that, his heart would have skipped a beat. Though he would also realize it didn’t mean she liked him.

Come to think of it, fireworks festivals were often used to cover up a heroine’s confession scene.

While none of these girls were the heroine...

Speaking of which, what were Japanese festivals like? They were a staple in romance comedies, but I didn’t know much about how they worked. The heroine would always wear a yukata, catch goldfish, or eat candied apples.

Were festivals just community events? How did they manage fireworks displays? I heard large fireworks were quite expensive. Could they really afford to set them off like that?

“...”

I was lost in thought, and it wasn’t until later that I realized everyone was still staring at me.

“Kurosawa.”

Miura called me in a serious tone.

I felt a bit nervous.

Did I say something wrong? Was it taboo to talk about fireworks with Yamashita?

“Well... I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this question...”

Miura spoke cautiously.

“Have you ever been to a fireworks festival?”

“...”

Ah, so that’s it.

To others, I probably seemed like a child suffering from abuse at home. If Kagami, who played the role of my mother, heard that I wanted to go to a fireworks festival, she’d likely be eager to go. But they didn’t know that.

And I had no plans to explain.

After a brief hesitation, I replied.

“Once, when I was a child.”

Of course, that was in Korea, at the Han River.

“I watched from far away, where the fireworks were small enough to be covered by my palm.”

That’s how it was.

My family didn’t like crowded places. We preferred peaceful spots with a little more breathing room.

But we failed.

Too many people had the same idea. At the time, Seoul’s population was said to be over ten million. Even if only one in a hundred had the same thought, that was still a hundred thousand people. So it was no surprise the banks of the Han River were packed with people laying out picnic mats.

Still, it was fun.

Doing something as a family.

“...”

After hearing my story, Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita exchanged glances.

Did my words touch their hearts?

“You’ll be able to see them up close today.”

Fukuda smiled.

“You can look forward to it.”

Miura nodded in agreement.

Yamashita also looked at me quietly, as if she shared the same thought.

“I will.”

When I responded, all three smiled.

* * *

We had seats.

It was thanks to the three of them that we had a spot. I wasn’t sure if it was a reservation system or first come, first served, but it was great that we had a decent place to sit and watch.

Unlike the fireworks I saw as a child, today’s show would be launched right across the river.

The admission was free.

Naturally, there were a huge number of people. I couldn’t tell exactly how many, but it must have been in the tens of thousands.

Coming out early with the others had paid off, and we didn’t have to wait in line for long before finding our spot.

Even though it was a fireworks festival, I assumed everyone would come in casual clothes, unlike the Japanese festivals I had seen in manga. But surprisingly, quite a few people were dressed in yukata.

“Do you want to try wearing one?”

Fukuda asked, noticing.

“...I’ve never worn one before.”

I used a vague expression.

I didn’t particularly want to wear one. But if they insisted, I wouldn’t refuse.

After all, wearing a yukata would probably mean enjoying the festival too.

A festival.

It had been a long time since I’d participated in any kind of festival or event. In my previous life, I had spent my last years almost entirely focused on work.

Without family or friends, I had spent several years alone, and those feelings had faded significantly.

Perhaps the time I had spent alone was helping me endure in this world.

It wasn’t a happy thought.

“Alright, shall we release lanterns this year?”

“That sounds great!”

Miura clapped her hands in agreement with Fukuda’s suggestion.

“There’s a lantern-floating event at the shrine in our neighborhood in mid-August. Well, we’ll have to check our schedules, but let’s be honest, does anyone here have plans that day?”

“...”

No one answered.

Mid-August... I probably wouldn’t have plans either.

“None of us have boyfriends, right? Did anyone succeed at the last mixer?”

“...”

Nope.

I hadn’t even contacted anyone.

“Well, it’s hard to make plans right away. There could be family stuff.”

I wasn’t sure when the Sasaki siblings would meet Raiju, but I hoped the dates wouldn’t overlap. I wanted to be there when it happened.

I didn’t care much about wearing a yukata, but hanging out with friends... well, that had been fun.

I glanced at Miura.

...I met Miura’s father yesterday.

I had never read the original story to the end, but it seemed like Miura’s father truly loved her.

In the "Tokyo Slayers," Miura was merely a background character who never even exchanged a word with Sasaki, but in the main story, her death might have been the trigger for everything.

I turned my gaze to Yamashita.

What would Yamashita have been like in the world where Mori-san died? Losing her best friend Miura, and then Mori-san, who was like a sister to her... And thinking that she had fought with Mori-san and left home before her death... It was the worst.

Even if Yamashita had returned home after all that tragedy, Mori-san would have already been dead.

What kind of life would Kurosawa Kotone have lived in that world?

...Probably not a very bright future.

The fact that she was in the class right next to Sasaki Sota’s was suspicious enough.

“Something like that was happening in the class next to mine... And I didn’t know...!” It was the perfect setup for feeling guilty.

Thinking back to that era, just a few years after the end of the century, Kurosawa Kotone must have seen all sorts of horrible things.

“It’s getting dark.”

Fukuda remarked.

“Yeah.”

Miura agreed.

“I know we started wearing summer uniforms in June, but I don’t really feel like it’s summer until this time of year.”

At Miura’s comment,

“...It rains until mid-July.”

I added.

“Right? Summer isn’t summer unless the sun is blazing!”

Fukuda laughed cheerfully.

“...It’s about to start.”

Yamashita checked her phone and said while looking at the time.

It seemed not just us, but everyone else sitting around had realized it too, as the noise of the crowd grew louder.

I could hear the event staff up front saying something, but I couldn’t make it out clearly.

People were still lining up without stopping. There were even some with big cameras set up at the front.

...Would I be able to capture this properly on my phone?

Seeing Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita raising their phones, I hesitantly took mine out of my pocket and turned on the camera.

A small screen with matching mediocre quality.

This phone was cutting-edge in this world, though.

It felt strange sometimes, knowing that. In the world I came from, phone photos had high enough resolution to be uploaded anywhere without pixelating.

Being a high school girl.

I had to stifle a smile that was threatening to escape, pressing my lips together.

How long had I been waiting?

Pop.

There was a sound, neither loud nor quiet, just in between, as a firework shot up into the sky with a swoosh.

And then, bang.

Like the sound of a gunshot, fireworks burst outwards, resembling the leaves of a palm tree, smaller than the initial explosion.

That was just the beginning, as firework after firework shot up.

Bright, colorful fireworks exploded in all sorts of geometric shapes, forming three-dimensional displays, not just flat images.

Red, green, blue, yellow.

Even on my small phone screen, the fireworks were vivid and intense.

Before I knew it, I had opened my eyes wide, gazing at the fireworks in awe.

So, fireworks could be this beautiful up close.

I didn’t know if I should say I was seeing it for the first time or if I had never thought about it before.

“How is it? Pretty good?”

A voice came from beside me, and when I turned, I saw Miura smiling at me.

“...Yeah.”

I replied.

But I wasn’t sure if she could hear me properly over the loud fireworks.

No wonder the heroine’s voice would get drowned out in scenes like this.

I glanced around at Fukuda, Miura, and Yamashita.

They all seemed mesmerized by the colorful fireworks lighting up the sky.

The bright lights illuminated their faces, making them all look especially pretty.

They were just pure teenagers, enjoying their youth.

Untouched, unscarred.

My heart raced.

I realized, for the first time, that I was thinking this.

Probably, no one else knew. Not Miura-san, who was involved with the higher-ups, not Yamashita-san, who was connected to the church.

Not even Kagami, Nirlass, or Yuuki.

It was a story only I knew.

But that was fine. At least what I had done wasn’t completely meaningless.

I looked up at the sky again.

They said the fireworks would last about an hour.

At first, I thought it seemed a bit short for such a big event, but now, watching the fireworks, I didn’t think so anymore.

For an entire hour, the sky was painted with a fantasy.

As someone who had once lived as an adult, I couldn’t help but wonder how much money this must cost—but, well, that wasn’t my concern.

For now, I could just—

Even I, who had gained youth, could enjoy this moment.

In a world like this, I’d surely be caught up in all sorts of bizarre events from now on.

So, I should enjoy this while I could.

“Wow.”

I heard a voice in awe from somewhere nearby. Maybe it wasn’t one of our group but someone close by, but I wholeheartedly agreed with them.

I put away my phone, which I had been using to record, and lowered my hand. I watched the fireworks with my own eyes.

Well, even if I die someday, I should have the chance to come back and see them again next year, right?

Next time, I should come with Yuuki.

As I was lost in thought, mesmerized by the brilliant fireworks exploding in the sky, I found myself thinking that.

“It's amazing.”

I think Miura said that.

I nodded.

“It really is amazing.”

Stretching out my legs and sitting comfortably, I let myself be completely captivated by the sky.

Though I had already changed into my summer uniform and the rainy season had already ended,

I felt like I had finally welcomed summer for the first time.

Chapter 55. It Was Summer (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

In the end, I didn’t get to meet Yuuki that day.

With so many people gathered, I understood why. Even if I had tried to find her on purpose, it would have been difficult.

I debated whether to call her. If her family was there together, a call could have helped us meet nearby. But I fiddled with my phone until a few minutes before the fireworks ended, then just put it back in my pocket.

Yuuki probably needed time with her family too.

No matter how close you are as friends, if you get too close and become a burden, it can ruin things. Yuuki is kind, so if I asked her to meet, she wouldn’t refuse.

After what happened two days ago, we both needed some peaceful time to enjoy daily life.

...And honestly, there was one more reason.

It wasn’t until I had almost finished watching the fireworks that I realized Yuuki might have lied to me.

She might have heard me mention my plans with a friend and said she had plans with her family to avoid making me feel guilty.

Once that thought crossed my mind, I became scared to call her.

What if instead of saying “let’s meet,” she said, “sorry, I don’t think I can make it today,” followed by some other excuse?

I’d feel too sorry for Yuuki.

...Is it strange to be thinking like this?

I consider Yuuki a close friend, but she’s not really family. Even if we’re close, it’s not like she’s obligated to go that far for me.

Worrying that Yuuki might have lied because she was worried about me seems a bit odd, too.

“So, are you free next month?” Fukuda asked me once again before we parted ways.

I nodded.

“I think I’ll be free.”

“Great, I’ll take that as a yes.”

Miura and Yamashita had also agreed to meet.

It seemed Miura, Yamashita, and Fukuda all lived nearby, at least within Minato Ward.

Yamashita definitely lived within Minato Ward.

After parting ways with the three, I headed home, and it was already close to ten o’clock.

“......”

I entered the dark house, turned on the lights, and took off my clothes.

After a quick shower and change of clothes, I sat in front of the fan.

“......”

Hmm.

If I had been alone the entire time from the beginning, maybe I wouldn’t feel this empty.

Before I moved here, I lived alone for a few years. I had some friends, but I didn’t meet them often, and I never invited them to my small apartment.

Living alone, I didn’t have any family to support. So, when someone had to take time off for family matters, I’d often cover for them.

As a result, my home became just a place to sleep. I cleaned and cooked to live somewhat normally, but it was a sparse, undecorated space.

After staying up all night, I’d come home, collapse and sleep for hours, then wake up, fiddle with my smartphone, play on the computer a bit, and half-watch movies without finishing them.

“I lived a pretty meaningless life.”

If I were an incredibly positive person, maybe I would have been grateful to have helped so many people—but honestly, I wasn’t that nice.

How about now?

“I guess I’m doing a little better now.”

I muttered to myself for no reason.

Why do I feel so empty?

Objectively speaking, I’ve spent much more time alone. Yamashita only stayed over for a few days, and Yuuki only came over to sleep a few times.

Ah, I see.

It’s because I’m not going to school tomorrow. For real.

Until the end of August, I’ll be spending time alone.

“No, that’s not right.”

Today’s a holiday.

I’m still going to work tomorrow. Even in summer, you’ve got to work.

My working hours remain the same. There’s already someone working the shift before me, and if I extended my hours, they’d have to be let go. The boss isn’t generous enough to spend double the money just to keep someone around. She might give out things she considers unnecessary, though.

“...I wonder if Kuro’s doing okay.”

The little black kitten whose name shared half of mine.

It had grown a bit while staying with Shii, but it was still small enough to be called a baby.

Hmm.

Should I go check on it before heading to work tomorrow?

Who knows? Maybe I’ll run into Shii.

With that thought, I went to bed a little earlier than usual.

...But lately, I haven’t heard any snoring from the room next door.

Maybe they moved?

Well, whatever. It’s nice and quiet, so I’m fine with it...

---

“Kuro~ Kuro~”

After calling out a few times at the spot where Kuro usually got tuna from Shii, a small black bundle of fur appeared at the edge of my sight.

I opened the can of tuna I had bought for the cat and put it in the food bowl. Kuro hurried over and devoured the tuna as if waiting for it.

“......”

I quietly watched Kuro.

Is it just me, or did the black fur seem a bit thinner since I last saw it after summer break started? Judging by how fast it was eating, it seemed like it hadn’t eaten in a while.

Carefully, I reached out to stroke Kuro’s fur.

People say stray cats are dirty, but how can you just watch without touching them?

You can always wash your hands afterward.

As I continued to watch Kuro, it finished eating the tuna and looked up at me.

“Meow.”

A tiny, adorable sound typical of a kitten.

Maybe it was because Kuro was still small, but its eyes were big compared to its face, making it look especially cute.

“......”

Should I just take it home?

Of course, there’d be a lot to consider. I’ve never owned a pet before. In fact, I’ve even killed a few plants that I tried to grow.

But...

Hmm.

Still, I feel like just taking it with me wouldn’t be right.

Kuro seemed to get along well with Shii. After all, Shii was the one who took care of it first.

If I took Kuro without saying anything, Shii would be worried. I should talk to her first.

Okay, let’s at least mention it.

---

“Kuro?”

“Yeah.”

When I mentioned it to Shii at the maid café, she looked at me with wide eyes and asked again.

Thankfully, she didn’t insist on taking Kuro herself.

Instead, she smiled brightly, grabbed both of my hands tightly, and said,

“You’re offering to take care of Kuro?”

“...Yeah.”

I just don’t feel like being alone in my room.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

Being alone in the room.

I didn’t want to take Kuro on a whim just because I felt lonely, only to leave it neglected.

But I also couldn’t imagine keeping a cat inside and then leaving it outside.

...And I wasn’t sure I could handle getting another cat either.

Bringing a living creature into the house required serious thought.

“If I end up taking care of the cat... I might have to quit my job.”

I said with a serious expression.

“Oh... that’s true. Kuro’s still young.”

Shii thought for a moment.

In the end, the two of us couldn’t come to a definite conclusion.

It really was hard for busy people to own pets. It was bound to affect the animal’s health in the end.

“...Oh, by the way, senpai.”

“Yeah?”

After a brief pause, Shii seemed to remember something she had forgotten and spoke up.

“Well... My brother and I were planning a trip during the break.”

“...Yeah.”

Oh.

I was a bit surprised by Shii’s words.

I had planned to join them in hunting the Raiju, but I didn’t expect her to invite me directly like this.

It seemed that Sasaki’s friends were also coming along, and Shii was tagging along.

It wasn’t that she was forcing herself on them. In fact, the ones imposing were the three heroines: Nakahara, the childhood friend, Hagiwara, the senior character, and the main heroine, Yuuki.

There wasn’t much reason for Yuuki to tag along here, so it would probably just be two of them.

In the original, the reason for joining was, “Shii’s the only girl, right?”

Of course, they didn’t mention that Shii was clearly wary of them, so clueless Sasaki just thought, “I guess so?”

Maybe the words I had shared with Sasaki made the effect even stronger in this world.

“Would you like to come along too? The cost—”

“I’ll pay my share.”

I replied.

It was just a domestic trip within Japan. It was by the sea, but not too far from Tokyo, if I remembered correctly.

Besides, I already had some money saved, and the fifty thousand yen Yuuki’s family gave me from the last incident would cover the cost.

I was already mentally calculating how to use that money while listening to Shii.

Wow, things have really turned around for me.

After thinking for a moment, I said,

“...Can I invite a friend too?”

“Oh, sure! The pension is pretty big, so it’ll be fine! ...Honestly, I’d feel more comfortable if you did. I was worried that you’d feel uncomfortable because of my request...”

I looked at Shii for a moment and then ruffled her hair.

“Ah, senpai?”

The way she reacted was just like her older brother.

“When’s the trip?”

“

Right before school starts. The day after we return to Tokyo is the first day back.”

It seemed that Hanagawa High School’s schedule closely matched the middle school’s, except for the festival periods.

Good.

That means it won’t overlap with my plans with Miura.

I nodded at Shii.

While this wasn’t something I had intentionally decided, it still gave me an opportunity to get involved in the main storyline with Yuuki.

...Though I felt a little bad for Yuuki.

---

For now, I decided to leave Kuro where it was. Once I took it home, there would be no option to abandon it.

I made up my mind to take my time and carefully think things over again as I headed back home—

“......”

“......”

Right in front of the stairway corridor leading to my place stood the Namahage.

In case you forgot, it’s the oni-like yokai that saved me from the stalker.

It wasn’t holding a kitchen knife like last time. Well, that’s only natural, right?

When it saw me, the Namahage fumbled nervously with the door handle, but it seemed the door wouldn’t open.

“...Aren’t you hot in that?”

The summer heat had truly started. Even at night, the temperature hardly dropped, and it was humid. I had been sweating all the way from the station to here.

After I spoke, the man seemed to realize that he was still wearing the Namahage mask.

He hastily removed the mask, revealing a white cloth wrapped around his head, and his face was drenched in sweat. I thought so.

“Ah, sorry. Did I scare you?”

I shook my head.

The first time I saw him, I did think he was scary.

But it wasn’t because of his appearance.

I knew about the existence of yokai.

It was just bad timing, right after nearly being assaulted by the stalker. I thought the Namahage was the real thing and almost slashed my wrist to summon a blade.

If the man hadn’t calmly told me not to do it, I might have actually attacked him without knowing anything.

“...I seem to have lost my house key.”

“......”

I stared at the man for a moment.

“Ah, you can go ahead.”

He said, stepping aside to let me pass.

I gave him a small nod and walked past.

It wasn’t like the corridor was too narrow. It was wide enough for two people to stand side by side, so it wasn’t difficult to pass by the man standing by the door.

However, since he was dressed in the traditional straw cloak of the Namahage, I had to be careful not to get straw stuck all over my clothes.

I carefully passed him without touching his back and entered my place.

“...Phew.”

I was about to take off my clothes—

When I remembered that the man was still outside, dressed like that, and couldn’t get into his house.

...He did save my life once, so it felt wrong to just leave him out in this weather.

But how could I help?

“......”

Maybe I could.

After a brief moment of contemplation, I decided to give it a try.

I opened my first-aid kit and cut a suitable length of bandage.

Then I grabbed a sharp kitchen knife—

And carefully, without rushing, I lightly cut my wrist, just enough to let a small amount of blood seep out.

“Hmph.”

As I did this, I heard a voice, amused.

It wasn’t that I physically saw anything, but I could sense the presence observing me with interest.

Whether it was because this body was an avatar or not, I had a vague understanding of Nirlass’ actions.

Maybe Nirlass was teaching me on purpose. I didn’t know the reason, but it was probably just because it found it more entertaining.

“Are you thinking of cutting open the door with the knife?”

“No.”

This time, time didn’t freeze, so I wiped my wrist with a cloth.

I hadn’t cut deeply like usual, so the blood didn’t gush out. The wound was shallow.

It stung, but I had gotten somewhat used to it by now.

“Can you make a key?”

“A key, huh.”

Nirlass chuckled softly.

“You’re certain you want to help this man? Are you fond of him?”

“Of course not.”

At least ten years separated us. Though I didn’t think the gap was as wide as twenty years, it wasn’t the age difference that mattered but the fact that we were different genders.

Even though I was in this body, my sexual orientation remained the same as in my previous life.

“I’m just repaying the favor.”

“Oh?”

“And wouldn’t you want to repay it too? If that man hadn’t come out with the knife back then, I would have died.”

“Why do you assume I’d regret your death?”

I was the thousand-and-first, wasn’t I?

But still.

“Because I’m the thousand-and-first.”

Yes, that’s right.

If I’m the thousand-and-first, where are the previous thousand? They could be on another planet, or there might be other avatars in this world too.

But Kagami had shown great interest in me, and Miura-san seemed to as well.

Even Yuuki’s grandfather seemed to know something, yet he kept me close.

And more importantly, being in the class next to Sasaki’s was incredibly suspicious. The way strange things kept happening was another clue.

So I had already concluded that this Kurosawa Kotone character was probably quite important in the novel.

Born without a personality, she gradually developed one while attending school, but after going through many unfortunate events, she became completely broken and turned into a vessel.

Well, isn’t that a familiar story? Even though the novel probably depicted it differently, I could already name several characters with similar backstories.

So, this body is special.

Especially because I entered a situation where there should have been nothing.

Even Nirlass didn’t know about me.

“A broken toy would be a waste.”

At my words, Nirlass remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.

“You’re right. If you were to break, it would be unfortunate. I suppose it’s only fair to reward the one who prevented that.”

Nirlass said.

“How about repaying him with your body? You could offer him a place to sleep in this room.”

“......”

I made a face of disbelief, and as if it could see me, Nirlass spoke.

“You really are a stubborn creature.”

Then, the blood trickling from my shallow cut lifted into the air.

It wasn’t enough to form a blade.

The droplets of blood squirmed in the air, slowly taking the shape of a key. The overall shape was similar to my room key, but the details were slightly different from the familiar one.

I grabbed the key, quickly wiped my wrist with a cloth, and wrapped it with the prepared bandage.

It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, so I wouldn’t get caught. I tied a hairband over the bandage and, holding the key, stood up again.

When I opened the door and went out, the man was still standing in front of his door.

He was fiddling with his phone, probably trying to call someone, but he didn’t seem to actually be making the call.

At this time of night, all the locksmiths would be asleep.

And calling the police seemed a bit extreme.

“Please step aside.”

I walked over, turned my back to him, and carefully hid the key from view as I unlocked the door.

“Huh?”

When I opened the door for him, the man looked at me with a bewildered expression.

What?

Did I seem like a stalker?

I guess it would be creepy to think that the girl next door had a key to your house.

“It’s a master key.”

I said immediately.

“Huh?”

“My mom owns the building.”

“...Oh...”

Strictly speaking, it was probably the cult or Kagami who owned it.

It did feel a bit strange.

From the moment I first woke up in this world, I had worried about rent, but I had never actually paid it.

Maybe Kagami only owned the room I was living in, and not the rest of the building. If the man asked, I could always call and have someone explain for me.

“...Thanks.”

I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to enter my place.

I threw the blood key into the bathroom. After bouncing off the floor tiles a few times, it quickly melted into a puddle of blood.

Feeling a bit tired, I changed into comfortable clothes.

...Maybe I should wait for the bleeding to stop before washing up.

With that thought, I turned on the TV.

And that night, too, I didn’t hear any snoring.

Maybe he changed his sleeping position? I didn’t know.

Chapter 56. It Was Summer (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Knock, knock, knock.

The next morning.

I debated whether to stay at home or go outside for a bit and ultimately chose the latter.

It wasn’t like I planned on doing anything grand. Today was Saturday, and I had to arrive at work by 1:30 in the afternoon because of my part-time job.

If I left straight from school, I could barely make it in time, but coming from Saitama Prefecture would take three times as long. I only had enough time for a quick walk around the neighborhood and a simple meal before leaving.

Anyway, I would need to leave at a similar time tomorrow as well. I decided to rest properly on Monday.

With that in mind, I left my room a little earlier than usual.

And I ran into the guy next door.

"Ah."

When he saw me, the man smiled warmly and raised a hand in greeting.

I hesitated over how to respond and ended up nodding my head. Though he looked younger than me in my past life, it felt wrong to speak informally with him given my current appearance.

Hmm, if it were Fukuda, she’d probably start speaking casually right after we got a little closer.

"Are you on break?" he asked.

"Yes."

I nodded as I looked at the man.

Whenever I saw him before, he was always dressed in a Namahage costume. I wondered if his work was somehow related to that.

…Given that he was even dressed like that on his way home, it didn’t seem like it was just for work. Honestly, if someone walked around a residential area in that outfit, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone called the police.

But today, he wasn’t dressed as a yokai. His outfit was rather ordinary.

On top, he wore a shirt that looked like something an office worker would wear, and his pants were formal slacks. His shoes were flexible synthetic leather, not real dress shoes but similar enough to those worn by office workers.

"Ah, well, today’s my interview day."

I hadn’t even asked, but he explained anyway, likely because I had looked him over from head to toe.

So that’s why he was carrying a jacket on his arm. A company that insists on full business attire in this weather—how rigid.

No, wait, this world is about 20 years behind the one I used to live in.

I had never worked during that era, but based on what my convenience store manager told me, or what my friends who had just started working at that time grumbled about over drinks, things were probably stricter back then, not easier.

"I used to work part-time at a kindergarten and played the role of a yokai villain on the rooftop of a department store… but now I feel like I need to settle down," he said.

I see.

Ah, so that’s why he dressed like that?

"…Did you commute in that outfit…?"

"Huh? Oh, no, no, that’s not it!"

When I asked, looking a little incredulous, the man quickly corrected me.

"The day I first ran into you, I was trying on the outfit inside my house."

"…."

"Yesterday, my colleague threw up on my clothes during a drinking party."

…

Then why did he wear the mask when he came home?

"…They told me I wouldn’t need the outfit anymore. They gave it to me instead of severance pay since I wouldn’t need it again…"

…

I didn’t know what to say to that.

Well, at least thanks to him, I’m still safe here.

But does that mean he didn’t find a new job because he wanted to, but because he was fired?

Even I wasn’t tactless enough to ask such a question to his face.

"Did you fix your door?" I asked.

"No, not yet."

Of course not. It’s unlikely anyone’s working this early in the morning.

Realizing that he was standing in my way, the man moved aside and started walking down the stairs.

I slowly followed after him.

But if Kagami owned this apartment, shouldn’t she also fix his door? Ah, no. I guess since it wasn’t broken but lost, he’d have to pay for it himself.

"…Is it okay to leave your door like that?"

"There’s not much to steal inside, and all the other apartments here are empty, aren’t they?"

"…."

I fell silent at his words.

"…Empty?"

"Didn’t you know? There aren’t any cars in our apartment’s parking lot. The few cars that do park here probably belong to people from the nearby area who are parking illegally."

Uh…

No way. I mean, I thought there were at least some people living here. This is Saitama, after all. A place so close to Tokyo. Could there really be that many vacant apartments?

"Oh, I need to get going. Thanks for yesterday! Bye!"

After checking his phone, the man waved at me and quickly turned away.

He’s surprisingly positive.

So, he’s been living here all this time knowing that it’s just me and him in the building and doesn’t seem to be scared at all.

No wonder it’s been so quiet.

I looked up at the building, feeling slightly uneasy.

I remembered what Yuuki said last time. Though she didn’t finish, I think she was going to tell me there’s a ghost here too.

Hmm…

What should I do?

I have a feeling that from now on, I’ll be really bothered at night.

*

Let’s think again about that ‘snoring sound.’

Ever since I came here, I’ve been hearing the sound of snoring. The direction of the sound was my next-door neighbor’s room, where the young man lived.

Even people who don’t normally snore sometimes do when they’re really exhausted. Did the man just get over a period of extreme fatigue after living here for about a month?

"Snoring?"

The next morning.

I left my apartment a little later than usual but still in time to catch the man leaving.

Luckily, I had no problem catching up to him.

"Do I snore?"

He shook his head.

"It hasn’t been a problem recently."

"If my snoring bothered you, I’m sorry, but that’s strange."

"…Strange, how?"

"Well, weren’t you living here before me?"

I nodded.

I wasn’t sure how things were before I woke up, but that’s probably how it was set up.

"I didn’t move in until late April. If you were hearing that sound before then…"

"…."

Wait.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

The man tilted his head.

"And aside from my job, I’ve been attending a research institute. I was quite busy between April and May, so there were many days I didn’t come home. So if there was snoring coming from my apartment… that’s a bit odd."

Seeing him tilt his head in confusion, I felt a chill run down my spine.

It wasn’t because I encountered a yokai. It was just a personal feeling.

"Ah, sorry, I need to head out soon. If you’re still unsure, maybe ask your mother?"

The man waved and quickly walked off.

"…."

I stared blankly at his retreating figure, then turned to look at the apartment again.

That’s when I realized something.

Maybe it’s not that no one ever moved in, but rather that no one was ever allowed to move in.

Perhaps something was wrong with the other rooms, making them unsuitable to show to potential tenants. But leaving the building completely empty would also raise suspicions.

Come to think of it, the apartment was being maintained to some extent. It was old and worn, but there wasn’t anywhere so broken that it was unusable.

If the building had been left to rot, it would’ve attracted all sorts of trouble, and the neighbors would’ve complained. The reason that hasn’t happened must be because it’s still under some form of management.

…But.

I thought of the building where Miura lived.

Yes. The best way to hide something in a city is to conceal it within an ordinary building. I once heard there was a brothel above a salad bar.

I headed to the first floor.

I looked around. No one seemed to be passing by.

I slowly approached the door and pressed my ear against it.

"…."

I couldn’t hear anything.

I jiggled the handle, but the door didn’t budge. It was securely locked.

The other doors, the ones next to it, were the same.

All four units on the lower floor were the same.

There were no windows facing the hallway, so there was no way to check the inside from here.

I went upstairs.

The room closest to the stairs was the man’s. The one next to it was mine.

So, what about the two rooms beyond that?

Again, the doors wouldn’t open.

I get it. If I hadn’t heard what the man said, I would’ve assumed the doors were just locked to keep squatters out.

But…

Should I call Kagami and ask?

I seriously considered it, but in the end, I decided against it.

I was already slowly sinking into the cult’s inner workings. While I hadn’t sunk too deep yet, given the prophecy, I would eventually end up that way.

And besides, to be honest, Kagami was a bit… scary.

Most of the time, she was fine. Especially when she played the role of a parent during moments where I had to be at places like the police station, her acting was almost amusing.

But, how should I put it?

Whenever she talked about Shura-Nirlass, she would shift into complete fanatic mode.

It wasn’t the overtly crazy kind, but a kind that made it all the more unsettling because she otherwise seemed perfectly normal and rational. The calm, meticulous way she spoke made it more unnerving, like she knew she was crazy and was pretending not to be.

…And even if I uncovered the secret of the rooms, hearing her explanation might only trap me further.

So, there was only one option left.

I exhaled a long breath.

*

"So that’s why you called Ye."

Nirlass spoke.

"It’s strange that while you fear Ye’s followers, you don’t fear Ye."

"That’s why you find it interesting, right? At least you won’t suddenly lose it and try to stab me."

"Should Ye thank you for that?"

"…."

I said nothing.

"Last time, it was because the man protected Ye’s toy."

Nirlass continued.

"So what do you offer this time?"

"…."

Of course, I couldn’t just offer ‘entertainment.’ If I kept that up, eventually Nirlass would get angry. After all, I would just be using her for wordplay.

"…Do you want something?"

I cautiously asked.

Nirlass paused for a moment before speaking slowly.

I felt someone’s hand rest on my shoulder.

"You are Ye’s child."

"…And?"

As she whispered into my ear, I felt a chill run down my spine and asked back.

Nirlass leaned closer, whispering even more quietly as if no one else should hear.

"Ye’s child should not flee in fear."

"…."

"No matter what you see inside, the condition is that you must not run away. That should suffice."

Objectively, it was a condition that only put Nirlass at a disadvantage.

But…

I thought it over.

Calling a locksmith and having them make a key to check inside myself.

I came to a conclusion.

The former involves people.

And based on what Nirlass said, there probably wasn’t anything normal inside.

Given the fact that we were in the middle of a city, nothing catastrophic would happen immediately, but still.

"…Fine."

Besides, all I intended to do was confirm what was inside.

When I nodded, a key identical to the one made yesterday appeared on the ground.

It was narrower than a regular key, with more jagged edges. It couldn’t be helped since it had to fit all the locks.

I stepped outside.

Instead of starting with the first floor, I headed straight to the room next door—

…That’s what I was about to do, but I ended up going to the room beside it.

If I checked the room next door and found something, I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

Besides, I had to go to work soon. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by something else and make mistakes all day.

"…."

I stood in front of the door for a moment, then inserted the key.

The door opened almost too easily.

"…Ugh."

I wrinkled my nose at the smell wafting out.

It wasn’t particularly intense.

I fumbled for the light switch, and the lights turned on. So the electricity hadn’t been cut off? Since this building was managed by Kagami, she must have kept it running when needed.

That meant this apartment wasn’t just being used as a moneymaker for the cult. If that were the case, they would have cleaned it up and rented it out.

The illuminated room—

Was covered in plastic sheets.

It was a slightly thick, transparent plastic, like something laid out to easily clean up after a spill.

…Right. It looked just like something used in movies or dramas when people planned murders.

If it had only been the plastic sheets, I might’ve thought they were just laid down to prevent dust. But underneath—

There were dark stains.

I knelt down to get a closer look. I pulled the plastic tight against the floor, pressing it flat, and saw the stain more clearly.

It wasn’t just black. The edges were slightly reddish-brown.

It didn’t look like soot or paint. The stain looked like something that had dried after being spilled.

I knew what kind of liquid turned that color after being left for a long time.

The smell wasn’t coming from there. I turned my head, following the faint odor, and saw a refrigerator.

A refrigerator.

In my apartment, the refrigerator was near the entrance. Since the entrance and kitchen were in the same space, that’s where it was placed.

But this refrigerator was where the TV should’ve been in my place.

"…."

I had put my TV there because there was an outlet nearby.

That meant they put the fridge there to plug it in.

I could hear the fridge running.

…Nirlass said not to run away.

I slowly got up from the floor and walked toward the refrigerator.

The closer I got, the stronger the smell became. But it wasn’t unbearable. Even when food rots inside a fridge, as long as the door stays closed and the fridge is running, the smell usually isn’t that bad.

I slowly reached out and opened the refrigerator door.

It made a creaking sound as it opened, as if it hadn’t been opened in a long time.

I felt my heart pounding.

I wished Nirlass would say something.

Thick curtains hung over the windows of this room, blocking out most of the sunlight.

I could guess why they’d hung those curtains.

If someone looked in from the outside, they would’ve thought the room looked strange.

The fridge door fully opened.

Cold air drifted out.

And then.

"…What is this?"

Inside were piles of what looked like thickly wrapped chunks of meat.

I had no idea what kind of body parts these were. But I could guess why they were wrapped so tightly in plastic.

Without the wrapping, the smell of decay wouldn’t have been contained this well. If it weren’t for the fridge, the stench probably would’ve seeped through the ceiling and into the room below.

Among the chunks of flesh, deep inside the fridge, I saw something.

It was wrapped in plastic and tightly pressed down, but it looked like… fur. Sparse fur, stuck to pale skin.

It wasn’t a particularly large chunk.

Smaller than my head, for sure. Much smaller.

I gritted my teeth and slowly closed the fridge door.

Then I got up and left the room.

I locked the door and moved on to the next one.

I checked. It was the same. This room was also covered in plastic, with bloodstains underneath. And inside the refrigerator, there were chunks of flesh, all wrapped in plastic, far smaller than me.

It was a little strange.

If those were what I thought they were, that part shouldn’t look like that.

Some parts were too big, some were too small. And while the number of chunks indicated there were more than one or two, some parts didn’t match ‘that age.’ There were even legs sticking out like branches.

Human legs don’t branch out like that.

After I had checked all the rooms on the first floor, a thought came to me.

"You are Ye’s thousandth child."

"…."

Before I could fully grasp what that meant, Nirlass laughed and spoke.

"What will you do now? You said you wouldn’t run away."

Right, that was the condition of our deal.

"…."

I quietly returned to my room.

Just like yesterday, I tossed the red key into the bathroom.

After unwrapping the bandages and confirming that my wounds had healed, I sat down.

And let out a long sigh.

"Tell me, what counts as running away?"

"Oh."

Nirlass let out an amused sound.

Annoying.

"Are you not afraid of Ye?"

"…You’re not the problem. It’s the one… who wants to summon you that’s the issue."

Of course, Nirlass found that interesting and began to peer down at the world.

Then again, maybe not.

If Kagami really was the kind of being I initially thought she was, maybe she had sent Nirlass directly.

"How amusing. Truly amusing."

Nirlass laughed as she faded away.

…The terms of the deal were too favorable for me from the start.

I never intended to run away anyway.

Chapter 57. It Was Summer (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Alright. First, let’s organize the positive points.

I think I understand why there are so many ghosts. With so many corpses around, it makes sense that all sorts of ghosts would gather.

This world is filled with ghosts. Like the ghost that appeared in front of Izumi last time, if there's a presence that feels similar emotions to them, they will gather nearby.

…….

Could it be that everything in that refrigerator is still alive?

I shuddered.

If the body I’m currently inhabiting, Kurosawa Kotone’s body, follows the same principle...

From the fact that this body recovers from anemia after receiving a human blood transfusion, it’s likely this body is ‘human’ to some extent. At least, there’s definitely human blood mixed in it. Even if it’s only half, isn’t it still human?

Aside from Shura-Nirlass, thinking about Shub-Niggurath from the original story—

There’s a rather famous story by Lovecraft called [The Dunwich Horror]. While I don’t remember the exact names of the characters, I know how the story unfolds.

To describe it very simply, a family in the village of Dunwich had their daughter mate with Shub-Niggurath, and she bore a child. The resulting creature was a monstrous being, and university professors ultimately dealt with it.

If the author of [Tokyo Slayers] used that novel as the framework for the setting, it would make sense. After all, even in that story, the experiment was described as a failure.

The first son, who initially appeared as a villain, started off looking human, but as time passed, his body grew grotesquely large, slowly deviating from humanity. In the end, he was killed by a dog while trying to steal the Necronomicon from Miskatonic University Library.

It’s absurd that a creature with the blood of an Outer God died from a mere dog bite, but considering his body was already twisted and weakened, it’s not entirely unreasonable.

There was a description that the corpse liquefied and vanished. Again, it’s been too long since I read it, so I’m not entirely sure, but I remember there being a mention of a foul stench as well.

…….

Wait a minute.

On second thought, does that mean the ones in the refrigerator… aren’t dead?

If they liquefy and rapidly shrink as soon as they die, then those corpses shouldn’t have remained in this world.

"......"

I shuddered again.

I’ve brought friends over here before. Yuuki has slept over, and Yamashita stayed for a short time too.

And all the while, except for two rooms, there were entities, who might have been my siblings, trapped in the refrigerator in a state where they couldn’t die or live.

What should I do about that?

If those entities are ‘failures,’ why didn’t Kagami get rid of them?

Couldn’t she have buried them, or burned them? Would throwing them into the sea cause something to happen?

The problem is that they’re the offspring of an Outer God or something similar, and I don’t know how to deal with them.

“……Hah.”

…Actually, it’s not that I don’t know. I just don’t want to know.

If it’s my destiny to die by being stabbed by Yuuki’s sword, those things could probably be dealt with in a similar way.

But whether a sword made from my blood would work on them, I don’t know. If they are similar to me, then what flows inside them would also be similar.

I sat down in my room, knees drawn to my chest, wrapping my arms around my head as I sank into deep thought—

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone snoring.

“…….”

I lifted my head.

I saw the man leave earlier. This time, I was certain. The snoring wasn’t coming from him.

I checked the time. It was still only half past nine in the morning. When I saw the man off earlier, it was early in the morning, and checking the rooms didn’t take as long as I thought.

How long will it take for the man to finish his interview and come back?

I got up from my seat.

There was no need to make a new key. The man hadn’t locked the door when he left. He said he hadn’t called the locksmith yet.

It was probably because of the time, but more likely, it was to save money. Didn’t he say he worked at a research lab? Depending on the lab, the story could change, but if he needed another job, he probably didn’t make that much money.

A research lab… Honestly, that sounds extremely suspicious.

The man acted like it was a coincidence that he was staying here... but would Kagami really let an ordinary person live in this house?

I moved very slowly, making sure my own noise was drowned out by the sniffling sounds from the other room.

I didn’t want them to hear my movements.

I grabbed the doorknob, slowly turned it, and stepped out, taking nearly a full minute.

Then I stood in front of the man’s door.

I pressed my ear to the door and listened.

…I could still hear the sound of snoring. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just snoring; it sounded like sniffling as if someone was smelling something.

Was it really a person? Or was it something else entirely? At least, it didn’t feel like a yokai.

But I couldn’t let my guard down completely.

For all I knew, opening the door could reveal a half-decayed ghost waiting to greet me.

Or maybe the man wasn’t living alone after all.

I took a deep breath, then swung the door open with all my strength.

This apartment’s entrance and kitchen were in the same space, and beyond the door dividing the kitchen from the entrance was the room. If that door was closed, you wouldn’t be able to see the room just by opening the front door.

The man had left that door open.

I don’t think it was intentional. It was probably just more convenient to leave it open. I also leave mine open when I’m not sleeping.

The man’s room was cleaner than I expected. It was neatly organized—in fact, it had even fewer items than my own room.

He had placed a low table against the wall, using it like a desk. On the part of the table pressed against the wall, there were file boxes lined up like a bookshelf, and next to them were thick books, most of which were related to folklore. Some of them were old books with difficult kanji.

It looked like there was a TV on the opposite side of where I placed mine. I say ‘looked like’ because I couldn’t actually see the TV from here.

Maybe he didn’t have a TV at all. Since the man seemed to use the house mainly just to sleep, it wouldn’t be strange if he didn’t own one. Considering I could hear him snoring but not a TV, it made sense that he probably didn’t have one.

Anyway, that wasn’t the important thing.

From where I stood, there wasn’t much I could see. Unless I actually entered the room, I couldn’t confirm what was inside.

The snoring stopped the moment I opened the door.

Still, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease. It wasn’t the sensation of encountering a yokai, but…

Clatter.

At that sound, I immediately stepped inside the room.

The noise seemed to have come from the direction of the refrigerator.

When I looked over, I froze.

And so did the thing in the room.

At first, I thought it was a giant snail. Or a slug. In any case, something legless, sticky-looking, and vaguely fleshy.

But after my initial shock settled, I could see it more clearly.

Blink.

I blinked.

Even though I was looking right at it, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

I mean, I’ve seen plenty of strange creatures before—monsters with monkey heads, creatures shaped like humans but bloated like balloons, or monsters that looked like some bizarre fusion of a human and a dog...

Even just today, I saw the remains of something in another room that looked human but clearly wasn’t.

But this...

What was attached to the wall was… a ‘nose.’

I’m not joking or using a metaphor. It was literally a nose.

At first, I thought it was a really grotesque decoration, but then I remembered that the sound I had heard was snoring.

As if staying still would make me think it wasn’t there, the nose, stuck to the wall, was about the length of my forearm, from fingertip to elbow. It looked like a human nose, but it was far too large to belong to any person.

There was even some skin attached around the nose. It looked as if it had been forcibly removed—or maybe ‘sliced off.’

……Those pieces of flesh.

Once again, the story of [The Dunwich Horror] came to mind.

The son, who was said to be the child of Shub-Niggurath, had a sibling. And that sibling resembled Shub-Niggurath, their father—or another mother—much more than the brother did.

It was described as having several thick legs, like tree trunks, and on top of its body—

—was a gigantic human head, the size of a house.

“……Ah.”

I let out a sound.

Whether it understood what I meant by that noise, the nose stuck to the wall suddenly moved.

It swiftly slithered towards the ceiling, sliding into the corner of the kitchen ceiling, and wriggled into a crack.

In an instant, it disappeared into the gap.

“......”

For a while,

I stood there with my mouth agape, staring blankly at the spot where it had vanished.

Then I quickly rushed out of the room, shut the door, grabbed my phone, wallet, and student handbook, locked the door, and ran out of the apartment.

---

So, those things in the refrigerator were part of ‘one’ entity.

That was my guess.

It wasn’t that they had cut up ‘several’ entities, but that they had divided up ‘one’ entity and stored its parts in the refrigerator, which made sense.

When it was first born, it probably wasn’t as large as it was described in [The Dunwich Horror]. That’s why they were able to handle it inside.

But there still wasn’t enough space, so they had to distribute its pieces across several places.

“Senpai?”

“Huh?”

Shii called out to me as I stood there, lost in thought, and I responded a bit louder than I intended.

“Is something wrong?”

Shii asked with a concerned expression.

Ah, right.

Today is a busy day.

There are always a lot of customers on weekends, but now it’s also summer vacation.

In Japan, many schools still hold classes on Saturdays. Even at Hanagawa High School, where I attend, it’s the same.

Students sleep in on Saturday mornings, wake up leisurely, then meet up with friends to hang out in various busy areas. That’s why today, there were many high school students in the café.

There weren’t many couples; most of the customers were same-gender friends hanging out. Surprisingly, there weren’t many boys. Perhaps that’s because this isn’t a full-on maid café but rather a fairly ordinary place.

“……No, it’s nothing.”

I quickly said and went back to work, but Shii kept giving me concerned glances for a while.

Yeah, I need to focus.

I can’t make her worry. Especially since Shii is just a middle schooler.

But throughout the entire shift, the sight I had witnessed stayed in my mind.

Maybe they lost track of one piece while cutting the body into several parts. It’s understandable if they missed one part while chopping and wrapping something that big.

If the corpse had been a human one, it would have been easier to make sure the pieces were all there. You could just count the hands, feet, legs... and make sure they all matched.

But when the thing you’re dealing with doesn’t have any set shape, when it’s all jumbled together...

“......”

Nirlass told me not to run away.

But to what extent does that apply?

Well...

Does staying away from home for just a day count as running away?

---

Thankfully, as the day grew busier, my nerves gradually calmed.

That didn’t mean I was completely fine, though.

In fact, the more my mind settled, the more clearly I could understand the state of the room I was living in.

And the conclusion I reached was that it was ‘dangerous.’

Of course, I have no intention of running away. I’m already in too deep to back out now. If I had wanted to run, I should have bolted from the apartment early on and never looked back.

Not that it would’ve made the situation any better. In fact, things could have gotten worse. I could’ve ended up being chased by a cult, and the story might have spiraled out of control, entangling the lives of the people around me.

Anyway, since I made a deal with Nirlass, running away isn’t an option.

That was the conclusion I came to as I sat next to Shii, eating ramen and organizing my thoughts.

But.

“Well then, Senpai, see you tomorrow.”

After Shii politely said goodbye and waved, I pulled out my phone from my pocket.

I stared at the screen for a moment, then made a call.

[Hello? Kurosawa?]

It was Yuuki who answered.

Right. But—

“……Can I come over today?”

—How can I stay in a house with a gigantic crawling nose?

I just need to take refuge until I can come up with a proper idea.

[Oh… Huh!? At this hour!?]

“……Yeah.”

[I mean, sure! Are you coming right now?]

“……Yeah, thanks.”

I’m not running away.

This is a strategic retreat.

This is even mentioned in the *Kojiki*.

…At least it’s in *The Art of War*. Probably.

---

Yuuki seemed... quite excited.

I felt a bit embarrassed because all I wanted was to take refuge, but Yuuki greeted me with great enthusiasm.

Since it would have taken too long to go to my house in Saitama to pack, I just bought a shirt and underwear at a nearby mart. There was no need to buy pants since I already had comfortable ones to wear.

Even though I arrived after dinner time, Yuuki welcomed me with a smile.

“So, what’s up?”

It was only after letting me into her room that Yuuki asked.

Uh...

Should I tell her everything?

But I shook my head internally. No, if Yuuki found out, she’d try to fix the situation.

The fact that Miura-san didn’t come to the apartment to investigate was likely because he didn’t know what was happening there.

Sending someone to investigate could also lead to legal complications.

…The apartment is in the middle of a residential area. If there’s some sort of religious booby trap inside, and it affects the civilians nearby, it would be a huge problem.

“...I read a scary story. Last night.”

Yuuki, who had been sitting cross-legged on her bed, froze.

Did I say something weird?

While I was mulling over it, Yuuki suddenly let out a few stifled laughs, “Kkh, kkh.”

“The one who bravely charges at yokai and swings a sword at them is scared of ghost stories?”

“……I’m still scared of ghosts.”

I grumbled softly.

It’s true.

If this were my past life, I wouldn’t have been scared at all. I didn’t believe in ghosts back then.

When walking through the mountains at night, if a friend said something like, ‘It feels like something will pop out,’ I would’ve just laughed it off. I’ve never been afraid of walking the streets alone at night.

Well, except for the rare times when I wondered if a person or a wild animal might jump out. But that’s a different story.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Yuuki said, looking up at the ceiling as if lost in thought.

“When I talked about something similar before, you were scared too. Do you remember when I told you about your apartment?”

“…….”

“Oh, sorry, sorry.”

Yuuki waved her hands with a smile as I stared at her.

For the record, I was sitting in a chair in Yuuki’s room. Since I was shorter than her, my toes barely touched the ground, while my heels hung in the air.

“...Did I talk too much?”

Yuuki said, laughing somewhat awkwardly.

I shook my head.

It’s better when there’s more conversation. Talking helps distract me from other thoughts.

I’m sure I’ll eventually adapt to the situation in that apartment, but until then, I need time to think things through.

Once again, to be clear, I have no intention of running away. I’m just trying to figure out a solution.

“...You know, I actually don’t have many friends. There are some I keep in touch with, but not very often. I don’t really have friends that I’ve known for years.”

Yuuki said, scratching her cheek a little awkwardly.

“…Same here.”

That was true for me too.

Though, my situation was different from Yuuki’s. I was the one who built walls around myself as I grew older.

When you talk to people, you inevitably end up sharing stories about those around you. Eventually, family comes up, and the older people always pried into my background.

I… didn’t like talking about my family. I didn’t want people to feel sorry for me after hearing my story.

In a way, being in this world, where no one knew about my past, was a bit of a relief.

“......”

Yuuki gave me a small smile, then cleared her throat with a light cough.

“You said you work on Sundays, right? But you can sleep in a little, can’t you?”

“Yeah. I can sleep in a bit.”

Leaving from here would get me to work earlier than if I left from Saitama.

“Then… do you want to play a game?”

It was a choice typical of Yuuki, who had given me a Super Famicom as a gift.

I nodded.

And for the first time in a long while, after meeting Yuuki, I spent time in a very ordinary way with her.

It was definitely the right decision.

Spending time with a friend is a great way to get rid of nagging worries.

Chapter 58. It Was Summer (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

As soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, the first thought that came to mind was that I couldn’t keep staying here like this.

Putting aside the idea of running away, wasn’t it a bit much to stay at a friend’s house without permission.

And for what? Just because I was scared of something?

Let’s think about this again.

It’s just a severed nose, right? Sure, it looked somewhat like a human, but I’ve already sliced up something like that with my own sword before.

Cutting off a nose is nothing.

It’s just... you know.

It just looks a bit disgusting because a part of a human body seems unusually large...

"..."

But when I think about it again, that’s not really the issue.

I mean... right?

It could be crawling around next to me while I’m sleeping.

It’s not like I’m afraid cockroaches will eat me or kill me. It’s because those disgusting things could crawl up my body and even into my mouth.

If I were certain that it wasn’t planning on living with me, wouldn’t steal my food, and would run far away never to appear in front of me again, then maybe I could tolerate it a little. After all, there are all sorts of tiny bugs in seawater that you can’t see, but we still go into the sea, right?

"Should I perform an exorcism for you?"

Yuuki asked, laughing.

I had woken up early in the morning.

No matter how much I don’t go to school after waking up, it’s hard to change habits that have been ingrained over an entire semester. Sometimes, when I wake up a few minutes before the alarm goes off, I feel a complicated mix of frustration and amazement.

Well, my current life is still much more relaxed than it was before I started waking up here, though.

Yuuki, who suggested such a thing to me, had a face that didn’t seem to consider the possibility of any real danger.

I guess it makes sense. From Yuuki’s point of view, ghosts are much less dangerous than yokai. Of course, if there was a yokai that used ghosts, that would be a bigger problem.

"...No. It’s fine."

It’s not even a ghost in the first place.

Maybe what Yuuki sensed wasn’t a ghost or spirit, but rather, something alive crawling beyond the door.

"If you’re really scared, having a pet might help."

I blinked a few times at Yuuki’s suggestion.

"A pet?"

"Yeah, like a cat or dog. Ghosts are often afraid of animals. Even people who live alone sometimes get possessed by ghosts, but it almost never happens to people who have pets, right?"

"..."

In a previous life, I might have argued that being "possessed by a ghost" was a mental illness and that having pets could prevent it because it helps emotionally stabilize people.

The hardest cases to deal with on the job were elderly people who only believed in their own ideas and refused to trust hospitals, or parents who followed pseudoscience. When it was clear they’d die if left alone, and the person reporting it insisted they go to the hospital, but the individual themselves resisted, it was always a headache.

In reality, pets can help with mental illness, but at the same time, some people with mental illness hoard pets in unhealthy numbers, so it’s hard to make a blanket statement.

"Ah... sorry, I didn’t mean that."

Seeing my lack of response, Yuuki’s face gradually turned pale.

Was she thinking that I didn’t have the resources to take care of a pet?

...It’s true that raising a pet means trips to the vet for vaccinations and possibly surgeries when needed, so it’s not an easy decision. Vet bills are notoriously expensive.

And pets themselves are expensive. Unless you go out of your way to find someone offering free adoptions, they cost a lot. If you want a purebred dog or cat, the price is nowhere near affordable.

"No, it’s okay. I’m sure it would help."

I quickly reassured Yuuki.

Well, at least I didn’t have to worry about the cost of a cat.

I already had one in mind.

*

For the time being, I stayed at Yuuki’s place until Sunday.

I wasn’t sure if I should feel relieved, but Yuuki seemed a bit sad when she saw me leaving for work after breakfast, which allowed me to casually take advantage of her kindness and return to her place after work on Sunday evening.

Since I had Monday completely off, I spent a pleasant time hanging out with Yuuki. We stayed up late chatting and watched movies on the TV in her room.

As always, time flew by when I was with a close friend, even though we didn’t do anything particularly special.

Still, to maintain at least a bit of decency, I brought over some food when I went to Yuuki’s house on Sunday. Yuuki was happy about it. That was good enough.

I’ll definitely repay the favor later. I’m not sure how yet, though.

When Monday came around, I left Yuuki’s house and headed straight for Minato Ward.

I found a pet shop nearby and bought a cage first.

I figured it would be a hassle to carry everything at once, so my plan was to take Kuro home first and then buy all the other necessary items by the end of the day.

"Kuro!"

As soon as I called out and opened a can of tuna, Kuro appeared after hearing the sound.

Kuro slowly approached from a distance,

"Meow?"

When I crouched down in front of Kuro with the cage, he looked up at me with a cautious expression.

Had there been people trying to catch him before?

I doubt it, though. With stray dogs, sure, but with cats, not so much.

Of course, there are people on YouTube who post videos of rescuing and caring for lots of cats, but on typical animal TV shows, they usually rescue dogs.

It seems that stray cats are considered part of the urban ecosystem now.

Well, dogs can bite people when they become feral, but cats generally avoid humans.

...Like that nose.

Objectively, it might be better to rescue a dog.

When I fought the dog-like embodiment of isolation last time, I felt a primal fear. Since this creature was born from the same entity, it might fear dogs more than cats.

But there were two problems with getting a dog: First, I’d have to go out and find one. Second, I’m afraid of dogs myself.

Maybe I’d get used to it if I lived with one for a while, but dogs require a lot of care. You have to walk them, and they crave human affection more than cats do.

In any case, there were too many obstacles for me to raise a dog right now.

I took the can of tuna I had prepared from my bag, put it on a plate, and placed it deep inside the cage.

Then, I stared at Kuro.

Kuro stared back at me.

"..."

"..."

Did he notice I was planning to take him?

What should I do? Should I just grab him and put him in?

While I was contemplating, Kuro began to move.

As if he had given up on something, he slowly crawled into the cage and started eating the tuna on the plate with a slurping sound.

...I felt a bit ignored, but what can I do?

I suppose this means he’s accepted it.

I slowly stood up and carefully walked. In hindsight, putting a bowl with a concave bottom inside the cage wasn’t a great idea. I should’ve just bought a proper food bowl.

Making sure the cage didn’t shake too much, I headed back to the station.

Surprisingly, Kuro remained calm inside the cage. Could it be that he knew I was taking him home?

I hope he behaves at home, too.

...No, actually, it’d be better if he acted up. That way, that crawling nose would be a little more frightened.

*

As I carefully opened the door after arriving home, I suddenly remembered something and intentionally slammed the door shut loudly.

That’s right.

Last time, I moved too quietly, and the nose noticed me too late.

If I gave it time to escape, I wouldn’t have to encounter it at all, right?

"Hiss!"

Of course, Kuro didn’t like it very much.

Maybe he had been napping after finishing his tuna because Kuro, visible through the cage’s entrance, had his back arched.

"Sorry."

I apologized and slowly entered the house, closing the door behind me.

"..."

I cautiously scanned the room. Peeking my head into the open room, I didn’t see any signs of anything having come in. Naturally, there was no giant nose stuck to the wall, glaring at me.

Well, it didn’t have eyes, but in a way, that nose felt like it was watching me.

I carefully set the cage down.

When I opened the door, Kuro crawled out.

He seemed a bit tense, as if he was nervous about being in a new place. He kept his body low as he looked around.

But soon, just as when I first met him, he realized that there was no particular threat in the room. He quickly jumped onto the blanket spread on the floor.

Then, curling up, he lay down.

"..."

Isn’t he living a bit too comfortably?

I scratched my head and stood up again.

"Meow?"

Seeing Kuro looking up at me, I shrugged my shoulders.

"I’ll be right back."

Kuro, without any further response, lowered his head again.

It seemed he liked that spot.

I backed out of the room and left.

...But what should I buy first?

I’ll just ask the staff at the store. If anything’s missing, I can always buy it tomorrow.

*

After lugging various items back to my room, it was around 4 p.m.

And I hadn’t even bought everything yet. It wasn’t until later that I realized I still hadn’t bought a cat tower.

I took Kuro to the vet to urgently check for parasites, gasped at the bill, paid with trembling hands, and came back home to set everything up. By then, it was well past 6 p.m.

I was exhausted. I had eaten a hearty breakfast at Yuuki’s place, so I wasn’t starving, but I didn’t want to make the news as someone who died of starvation in their sleep. So, I filled Kuro’s food and water bowls with some dry food and water, and I made instant ramen for myself.

I spent quite a lot today. This was probably the most I had spent since moving here, aside from buying my school uniform.

Then, I caught Kuro and dragged him into the bathroom.

I scrubbed him thoroughly with cat shampoo. Even though the vet said he didn’t seem to have any parasites, it was still better to make sure he was clean if he was going to be roaming around my room.

He scratched my arm several times, but I didn’t mind. These kinds of wounds would heal in a few hours anyway.

After blow-drying his fur, I let him go, and Kuro, clearly upset, ran to the corner of the room and hissed at me.

"Whew..."

I decided to ignore it. I was far too tired for a staring contest.

I turned on the fan and crawled into bed, lying down on my side.

I planned to watch some TV before sleeping.

I wasn’t going to fall asleep right away anyway. If I heard that nose snoring again, I’d end up shivering in fear.

Pretending to be relaxed, I suddenly felt something on my stomach.

When I looked down, I saw Kuro burrowing into the blanket.

"...Aren’t you going to suffocate in there?"

I asked, but of course, Kuro didn’t answer.

I lifted the blanket.

Kuro was curled up in front of my stomach.

"..."

I quietly watched him for a while.

...He’s helping.

In some way, it felt a little less scary knowing I wasn’t alone in the room.

Besides, this little guy was going to live here with me from now on.

I reached out and gently stroked Kuro’s fur. The warmth and softness typical of cats were quite comforting.

"If anything happens, make sure to let me know, okay?"

Even though I said that, Kuro didn’t respond, probably already asleep.

Well, still.

I think I’ll be able to sleep well tonight.

*

...Or so I thought.

"Hiss!"

The sound of Kuro hissing startled me awake.

"Kuro?"

I called out, but Kuro’s eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

The light from outside reflected in his eyes, making them shine brightly.

I couldn’t hear any snoring, but Kuro seemed to have heard the sound of that nose crawling around.

I looked at the ceiling, then back at Kuro.

Kuro’s head was slowly moving, as if following something moving above.

Was he seeing a ghost?

...

I jumped out of bed and turned on the lights.

Then, I carefully looked up at the ceiling.

Last time, that nose had squirmed and disappeared into the gap between the ceiling and the roof with an unimaginable flexibility for something of its appearance.

What about my room?

Maybe because my room wasn’t at the edge of the roof, there was no visible gap in the ceiling. Not that the gap in that man’s room had been particularly large, but in my room, there wasn’t even that much. Though, I couldn’t reach up to check properly.

I headed to the kitchen.

I pulled out the sashimi knife I had bought earlier. I also grabbed the flashlight I bought after my encounter with Kudan.

Of course, I hadn’t bought the knife for cooking. It’s not like I’d be slicing up fish with it.

I just thought... maybe cutting my wrist with a sharp knife would hurt a little less.

I must sound like I’m really suicidal, huh? I’ll have to pretend to be slicing sashimi in front of Yuuki. Otherwise, she’d be incredibly worried.

I hid the knife behind my back and cautiously opened the front door, peeking my head outside.

I looked left and right, but the hallway was empty. Of course, it was. It was 2 a.m., after all.

I had already checked the layout of the apartment. It was a small two-story building with four rooms on each floor and a roof above. I wasn’t sure if it was slate or what, but the roof was sloped to allow rain to drain off.

That meant it was possible for small creatures to live inside the roof.

But there was no way to access the roof from my room. There wasn’t any kind of ceiling door or anything.

I hadn’t seen anything like that in the other rooms, either.

But, I did know that there was a small space at the end of the hallway.

At the very end of the second-floor hallway, there was a narrow space just big enough for a person to squeeze through sideways, leading to a small door that allowed you to "crawl inside."

And above that door was a small hatch that led into the roof. Even though the apartment was cheap and lacked soundproofing, they had still provided a way to check the inner structure. It looked like a place where a ladder would be stored, similar to an attic.

Not that it was actually meant to be used as an attic.

I went to that spot and cautiously climbed the narrow steps, carefully opening the hatch. It wasn’t even locked, so it opened easily.

There was no overwhelming stench coming from inside.

Well, if there had been a rotting piece of flesh inside, my room would’ve been a mess long before now.

I turned on the flashlight and cautiously shined it inside.

And—

"...!"

My body stiffened.

There was a large, squirming mass of flesh.

It was probably that nose I had seen.

I climbed the steps slowly. Honestly, I didn’t want to get any closer.

But, you can’t relax until you’ve either chased a cockroach out or killed it and flushed it down the toilet, right?

I carefully climbed up and stood precariously.

Creak.

I stopped at the sound beneath my feet.

When I looked down, I saw that the ceiling was sagging slightly.

"..."

I looked back up.

That mass of flesh was now pointing two holes in my direction.

Under the bright light of the flashlight, the sight was truly grotesque. The last time I saw it, it had been a proper flesh color, but now, under the white light, its skin looked incredibly pale and ghostly.

And... it was closer than I thought.

Just like when Kuro had looked at the ceiling and followed its movement.

I live in room 202. The man lives in room 201. Naturally, there are rooms 203 and 204 beside mine.

It seemed like I was standing above room 204’s ceiling, and the nose was positioned at the boundary between rooms 203 and 204.

"..."

I tensed my body. I couldn’t even straighten my back here. The ceiling was so low that I had to stay hunched over. I probably couldn’t go to the far corner even if I wanted to.

So, I—

I lunged at the nose with all my might!

The nose, which had been watching me, didn’t seem to expect that and couldn’t react in time.

"...Ah!"

But there was one problem.

Just like when I had been walking earlier and heard the ceiling creak, this place was no different.

Even though I wasn’t particularly heavy for a girl my age, I still ended up crashing right through the ceiling of room 204.

There was one positive thing, though.

The nose landed right in front of me.

Splat!

Do you remember those sticky toys you used to get from vending machines outside stationery stores? There were ones shaped like clubs or hands, made of that gross, sticky rubber that probably wasn’t good for your skin if you touched it too much.

If you threw one of those on the ground with force, it would lose its shape completely. It would stick flat to the ground for a while before slowly peeling off and regaining its form. If a slime monster really existed in this world, that’s probably what it would look like.

And what had fallen in front of me looked similar.

The nose had momentarily turned into a mass of flesh.

The nose that had been squished flat on the floor was slowly starting to regain its shape.

I didn’t miss the chance and quickly lunged at it.

The sensation of gripping something soft and squishy, like human skin yet oddly pliable, was fully transmitted through my hand.

"Eek."

I let out an involuntary sound as I raised the knife.

Just as I was about to stab down with all my strength—

"..."

Sniff. Snore.

Seeing the nose tremble and make those sounds, I hesitated.

It was undeniably disgusting. I wanted to get rid of it immediately.

But...

But somehow.

The faint tremors in my hand made it hard to follow through.

"...I’ll let you go."

As soon as I said that, the movement stopped.

I was pinning it down with my knee and gripping it with my hand, so its appearance still resembled a lump of human skin, spread out on the floor like clay.

In this state, it didn’t seem like much of a threat.

"I’ll let you go, so don’t run away."

Could it understand my words?

I could only hope.

I shifted my body to the side.

With a wet squish, I sat down heavily on the floor.

My whole body ached. I must’ve scratched myself somewhere when I fell.

The room I had fallen into was one of the rooms I had checked previously.

Looking up, the ceiling light was shattered.

But the wires didn’t seem to be damaged. At least I could still hear the fridge running.

That unpleasant smell wafted into my nose.

At least the ceiling of the room next to mine hadn’t collapsed. If this smell seeped into my room, I would’ve had to give up living here.

"...What are you?"

Sniff.

At my question, the nose, now partially restored, made a sound and retreated to the corner of the room.

I watched it from where I sat without moving.

The way it trembled in the corner, as if it had no intention of attacking me...

Well, it wasn’t exactly endearing. Honestly, if it had been even a little smaller, I probably would’ve killed it on the spot, regardless of whether it was a threat or not. ...It’s human nature to want to squash bugs inside your house.

I pointed the knife at the fridge and asked.

"Was it you?"

Sniff.

Was that a yes or no? Or just fear?

"Hah."

I ran my hand through my hair.

Looking at it now, I think I understand why it had been handled that way.

In other words... it’s a "failure," right?

It seems this creature failed to catch the attention of Nirlass. And it didn’t seem to possess any particularly great power.

But even so, it was still an accomplishment. In many ways, it was a divine body.

It hadn’t been fully discarded, but rather, hidden away for the time being.

Snore.

I’m not sure how a nose can snore, but there it was, making that sound in the corner.

Maybe it’s not a normal biological phenomenon, but something else.

I gazed blankly at the hole in the ceiling.

Thinking about it now, there was a reason Nirlass had been unexpectedly cooperative lately.

Watching me do this must’ve been quite amusing as a third party.

Damn it.

Now what?

Chapter 59. It Was Summer (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

But, could it be that it hadn’t thought about running away?

I seriously considered it.

That suspiciously soft, gigantic nose could have easily left the apartment whenever it wanted. The man even left the door open, and if it could get in and out through the edge, it could have gone outside too.

Was there really that much to eat in the man's refrigerator?

“……”

I looked at the nose huddled in the corner, trembling without moving.

It didn’t seem to be hurt.

But that might just be how it looks on the outside. Humans can hit their heads and seem fine on the surface, but they might be bleeding inside.

More importantly, I don't know if that nose ate anything properly after I saw it in the man’s room last time.

It probably hasn’t been eating well lately. The man has been home more, and because of that, I haven't heard that snoring sound from the nose much.

I looked at the nose, then stood up from my spot.

I opened the door and went outside.

“Meow?”

When I entered the room, Kuro was sitting right in the middle of my bed, looking up at me.

I scooped out some food from the bag of Kuro’s food that I had left in a corner of the kitchen. It wasn’t the bowl Kuro usually used, but a spare one I had bought.

… I’ll just count this as losing one bowl. No matter how much I wash it, I don’t really want to reuse a bowl that had cat food in it.

No, more than that, I don’t have nerves thick enough to just wash and reuse a bowl that something clearly not human had put its mouth on.

I wonder if there’s anyone in the world with nerves that thick.

I took the bowl and went back to room 204.

Still, it looks fine on the outside, and that’s a relief. As long as no one checks the inside, no one would know it wasn’t fixed properly. It might affect its earthquake resistance or something, but I didn’t think this apartment had been designed with that in mind anyway.

I wonder if they even followed the building codes when they made this place?

As I thought about that absentmindedly and opened the door, I saw the nose still huddled in the corner, sniffling.

Right. It was sniffling.

…Well, it’s a nose, so that’s to be expected?

It seems to have emotions, but no matter how much it wriggles, since it’s shaped like a nose, I can’t really feel those emotions.

I avoided the debris of construction materials scattered on the floor and placed the bowl a little away from the nose.

Sniff sniff.

The sniffling nose, as if it had caught the scent of food, began sniffing immediately.

As I took a few steps back, the nose hesitated, then slowly approached the bowl.

And after cautiously sniffing the bowl with its nostrils—

Snore.

“……”

So that’s where the snoring sound came from.

The sight of the giant nostrils sucking up food was a bit grotesque.

If I had to compare it to something similar that I’ve seen before, it resembled a scene from a movie where villains do drugs. Of course, there was no two-dollar bill to snort with, and the substance wasn’t white powder. It was just the impression.

I sighed deeply and went back to my room.

Then, I took out a large trash bag from the kitchen. I grabbed a few cleaning supplies and headed back to room 204.

Sniff sniff. Snore.

The nose was still eating. Maybe because it was eating with its nose, it was surprisingly slow despite its size.

While the nose was eating, I swept the floor with a broom. I put everything from the hole in the ceiling that could fit into the trash bag, and anything too big, I just propped up against the wall.

I made sure to clean up the fluorescent light debris carefully, as it could be dangerous if someone got poked by it.

And then...

“…Let’s just leave that be.”

I mumbled to myself as I looked up at the ceiling, which had a hole in it.

Of course, it wasn’t just a clean hole where we had fallen through. The styrofoam and panels inside were bent downward, and unless a professional came to fix it properly, it was just going to stay ugly and dirty.

But with chopped-up bodies in the fridge, I couldn’t exactly call in a professional.

Plus, with the plastic tearing from the ceiling, the dark red stains beyond it became even more glaring. Just looking at it made me feel weird, so I lowered my gaze again.

Sniff sniff.

The nose was finishing its meal.

The room wasn’t completely clean, but at least it was now safe enough to sit on the floor without getting injured.

I sat down on the plastic-covered floor.

Sniff.

The nose, having finished its meal, moved its nostrils toward me.

…Hmm.

As I looked at the nose, I tried to guess its age in real terms.

The whole nose… I mean, the skin around it had been cut along with it, so the shape of the nose itself was easy to make out.

So… hmm.

Is it my nose? Does it look like mine?

Honestly, I wasn’t sure. You can only tell whose face it is when you look at the whole thing, not just from a cut-off nose or mouth. Maybe a parent could guess, though.

Sniff sniff.

“Ah, wait.”

As the nose, having finished its meal, slowly crept toward me, I hurriedly jumped back. Almost like a sitting leap.

The nose, which had been creeping toward me, suddenly stopped and trembled.

Did it feel hurt?

But… uh, how should I say this?

It’s like a cockroach suddenly acting really friendly toward me. It’s hard to just accept it as a friend. Especially if it’s a huge cockroach with intelligence similar to a dog or cat, coming toward me.

But that’s not even a cockroach; it’s a part of a human body.

If it had been a hand instead, maybe it would’ve been a little cute. You know, like in that old movie. The hand there didn’t feel that off-putting.

The nose, as if feeling hurt, sagged. A nose that just moments ago could have been described as "proud" suddenly drooped.

Its actions could almost be categorized as cute. But all those plus points were plunged into the negative just because of its appearance.

What should I… do with this?

I can’t think of killing it anymore. I already know it’s harmless.

But that doesn’t mean I can just accept it, either.

“……”

The nose remained slumped for a while, then suddenly lifted itself again.

Well, it didn’t exactly “get up” like an animal with legs, but more like how a sagging tent would rise if its center pole were put back in place.

And then—

“…Huh.”

I awkwardly stood up, getting into a position where I could run at any moment.

The reason was that the nose was swelling.

The nose was about the length from my elbow to the tip of my middle finger, but in terms of actual volume, it was larger than that. Noses are three-dimensional, after all. And since it had flesh attached around it, if you had poor vision, it might have just looked like a bulging tent.

So… the tip of the nose, which would normally stand upright, was slowly inflating, like a balloon being filled with air.

But now, imagine that balloon was made of human skin, and you’d have a pretty accurate picture.

What’s happening?

Is it planning to kill me because I rejected it? Some kind of self-destruction?

A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind. I quickly glanced around and picked up the kitchen knife I had dropped earlier.

Pointing the knife at the now grotesquely swelling nose, I started inching my way toward the door.

By now, the nose had lost its original shape. Instead, it resembled a balloon made of human skin—

And on that balloon, a face started to form.

No, rather than “formed,” it would be more accurate to say it was “etched.” Actually, even that doesn’t seem quite right.

It was like a scene from a spy movie where the spy creates a mask modeled after a person’s face.

To put it more plainly, it looked like a balloon stretched over someone’s face, with the air sucked out so it clung tightly to the contours of the face.

And the face it was mimicking was mine.

…Right, it wasn’t just a nose anymore; it had a proper face now, so I could tell it was me. Not that I wanted to admit it, but this nose seemed to be related to me by blood.

At first, it was just a fleshy mass that looked like a Greek statue with skin stretched over it, no colors aside from the skin tone. But it started mimicking my expressions more precisely.

I don’t know how it worked, but the eyes mimicking mine became real, with irises, and the inside of the mouth opened to reveal teeth and a tongue that looked just like mine.

And the most unsettling part was the hair.

It was like extremely flexible rubber being pulled upward with tweezers, turning into countless strands of hair on its head. At first, it looked like a bunch of porcupine quills, but then they grew longer and became proper hair.

…

But that was it.

Maybe it ran out of skin? The nose stopped mimicking me at the head.

Then it lifted its eyes and looked at me, flashing a sly smile.

After that, it began bouncing toward me.

I think I’ll be proud of myself for not screaming and running out of the room right then and there.

Strangely enough, while my emotions were screaming at me to run, a part of my rational mind thought, “Huh, could I do that too.”

After all, I can create things with my blood.

What Nirlass made with my blood wasn’t just a ‘hardened lump of blood.’ The chi figures had fully formed eyes and mouths, and the texture of the leather on the hilt and the different colors on the blade were all present.

I could even make keys.

So, maybe if it had more of Nirlass' powers than I do, it could make something like this.

As I was thinking that, the bouncing head suddenly leaped into my arms.

Before I knew it, I had caught the head in my arms.

“……”

Snip.

I still had the kitchen knife in my hand. Thankfully, I hadn’t cut into the head or neck, but some of the hair had gotten caught on the blade and was severed.

“Ahh!?”

Why was it screaming instead of me?

As I pondered this, I noticed blood trickling down.

When I looked at the head, which was an exact replica of mine, blood was flowing from where the hair had been cut.

Ah, right.

The hair was made of flesh too, after all.

Carefully, I placed the head on the floor.

I was a little curious—if I threw it down, would it flatten again like the nose did earlier?

As I hesitated, the severed hairs wriggled, then quickly moved back toward the head.

And once they touched the skin, they fused instantly.

At first, they looked like veins, but slowly the color faded until they just became skin.

“……”

What do I do with this?

That nose earlier was already terrifying enough that anyone who saw it would freak out. And honestly, I freaked out too.

But a human head?

At least the nose, if it didn’t move, could look like some bizarre piece of art.

But the head…

The skin was real, and the eyebrows and hair were totally realistic. No matter how you look at it, it didn’t seem like something made by stretching skin.

What if someone saw this head bouncing around?

No, the head isn’t even the problem. Even if it managed to crawl into some corner, its long hair would trail behind it, dragging along.

Imagine coming home and seeing long, black hair climbing up the walls and disappearing into the ceiling—who wouldn’t pee their pants?

As my legs gave out and I slumped onto the floor, the head giggled and hopped onto my lap.

“……”

What do I do with this?

No, more importantly—why is it doing this? Doesn’t it remember that I just tried to squash it flat and stab it with a knife?

……

Now that I think about it, it’s already been through that.

I don’t know what cut it apart, but someone had already butchered its body and stuffed it in the refrigerator.

Maybe it’s mimicking me because of that. It probably knows its body is strange.

…Wait a second.

I turned my gaze.

There was a refrigerator in this room. Most likely, it was filled with pieces of its flesh and bones.

All neatly cut into appropriate sizes, tightly wrapped in plastic and stuffed inside.

But...

Still, will this work?

I carefully considered the risks of what I was about to do.

There was an extremely slim chance that the appearance this thing was showing now was just a deception. It could be pretending to be harmless in order to trick me, and once I reassembled its body, it might strangle me to death.

But then again, it seemed like this thing was treated as a failure, just like I was. Otherwise, the cult wouldn’t have discarded it.

Whatever their methods, cults in stories usually have an endgame plan that’s close to world destruction.

The ultimate goal of the Kurosawa family’s cult was probably to summon Nirlass into the world. Just as my body was an “Avatar,” this thing must have been an “Avatar” as well.

And it failed miserably.

I carefully put down the knife.

Then, I lifted the nose that had been resting on my lap and gently placed it on the floor.

“Huh?”

It looked up at me with a curious expression, somehow managing to be both eerie and cute at the same time.

…Yeah.

Whether it’s in the form of a nose or a head, it’s still far too grotesque to keep in the house.

I sighed deeply and got up, heading toward the refrigerator.

And I flung the fridge door wide open.

“Huh!”

I immediately heard that sound from behind me.

I heard the sound of bouncing footsteps coming toward me. It reminded me of one of those ghost stories, like the one about the “Kong-Kong ghost.” It was about a ghost who had committed suicide and bounced around upside down, head first, banging its skull on the floor with a thumping sound.

“……”

Not the most helpful thought right now.

“Hoo! Hoo!”

With the bouncing noise growing behind me, I seriously pondered.

Is this… really okay?

Judging by how excited it was, it seemed like this body was indeed its own.

Can I really give it this?

More than that, I didn’t want to touch it. While it didn’t exactly look alive, the transparent plastic wrap enclosing those pieces definitely made it look like severed human body parts.

Considering how its shape changes, maybe its external appearance doesn’t matter much.

…Actually, that might explain why it ended up looking so bizarre in the first place.

Hesitantly, I stretched out my hand.

I’ve touched this before.

I’d crushed the nose earlier, after all. It’s just another body part, right? This one even looks less alive, which makes it a bit easier.

Still, I wasn’t quite ready to grab one of the arms sticking out sideways, so I settled for grabbing something that looked like the lower calf.

A shin, chopped in half, from the middle down to the ankle.

Saying it out loud makes it sound even worse.

I picked it up and went back to where I had left the kitchen knife. The head, which looked just like me, bounced along behind me.

I clumsily sliced open the plastic wrap with the kitchen knife.

“Oh.”

I must’ve cut too deeply because blood began to seep through the plastic. …There’s no helping it. I sighed again and slipped my fingers inside the plastic, pulling it apart.

*Rip, rip.* The plastic, stuck tightly to the skin, made an unpleasant sound as I tore it away.

As I forcefully unwrapped the packaging, blood dripped onto the floor.

Thankfully, the floor was covered in plastic, so nothing got stained.

And then—

*Slurp, slurp.*

…My imitation head was licking the blood with its tongue.

I continued tearing off the plastic—ugh, I really didn’t want to do this. The more I unwrapped, the more it looked like a human body part.

“Ugh.”

When I unwrapped the part around the joints, the ankle and toes began twitching, almost as if they had been waiting for this.

I quickly placed it on the floor, and the foot wriggled its way toward the head.

“Kyaa! Kyaa!”

The head let out an excited squeal and bounced around.

…Watching a human head and foot reconnect wasn’t something anyone should ever see.

It wasn’t as if the bones and joints were perfectly aligning. It was more like taking two lumps of well-made clay, squishing them together randomly, and then watching them reshape into a proper form.

Once they merged into a proper shape, a neck started to form.

*Thud.*

“Kyaa!”

The head giggled gleefully, but with only a thin neck, it couldn’t stay upright. It toppled over and rolled around, looking at me while rolling on the floor. Watching that made me feel indescribably strange.

On top of that, the lower part of its neck had part of my shirt stuck to it.

Suppressing the creepy feeling, I crouched down and tried to pull it off, but it wouldn’t come off.

…Is this part of the flesh too?

I ran my hand over my face.

Then, gritting my teeth, I stood up and made a big decision.

I double-checked that the door was locked and that the curtains were drawn over the window—

And I stripped off my clothes.

*

What came next was simple labor.

After handling several living body parts—ones that looked like they belonged to a human—I became somewhat desensitized. Blood flowed freely, but I haphazardly unwrapped the plastic with the knife and handed the parts over to the nose as if feeding it.

Still, there was one thing I couldn’t get used to.

I couldn’t get accustomed to watching dismembered body parts crawl across the floor.

After the clavicle was reconstructed, and one arm was formed, it started crawling around by using that arm to prop itself up. Watching that, despite the fact that the heart hadn’t even been reconstructed yet, was extremely unsettling.

To make things worse, it was still completely naked while watching it.

…It had to wear something, at least, so that it wouldn’t have any problems if someone saw me like this.

But once the pelvis was completed, my sense of discomfort decreased significantly. After all, it’s not uncommon to see people without legs.

By the time it fully formed down to the tips of its toes, I was actually impressed.

“Oh! Oh wah!”

It still couldn’t speak properly, though.

……

First, I put my clothes back on.

Then, as I watched the thing bouncing around the room, I closed the refrigerator door with a thud.

“Uuuh?”

It tilted its head as it looked at the refrigerator, and I shook my head.

“No.”

“Ah, no?”

“No.”

“Uuuh.”

It seemed like it could mimic my facial expressions, but it didn’t seem to fully understand what those expressions meant. It could instinctively show a smile, a happy face, or tilt its head in curiosity, but it didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of more complex social behaviors.

Well, that made sense. It was probably chopped up not long after it was born.

At least for now, it didn’t seem to have any intention of opening the fridge to get more body parts.

…Maybe it was satisfied with its current body?

“Wait.”

As I stepped outside, it tried to follow, so I said that.

“Wait?”

“……”

Seeing it tilt its head again, I wasn’t sure how to respond. I stared at it for a while, then grabbed its shoulders and gently pressed it down.

It listened to me. As I applied pressure, it lowered itself to the ground and sat. Seeing this, I pointed to the floor and said again,

“Wait.”

It tilted its head again but didn’t move.

After stepping out into the hallway and closing the door, I kept glancing back. Just like it hadn’t left the apartment, it didn’t seem to have any plans to move now.

Still, just in case, I quickly ran to my room, opened a drawer, and grabbed whatever clothes I could find. I even grabbed some underwear.

…The thought of dressing it already made me sigh, but at least I had solved one problem.

Yeah, better to have "Kotone 2" than that giant nose.

…But I couldn’t actually call it Kotone 2, could I? What should I name it?

I hurriedly opened the door and ran back to room 204.

As I opened the door, Kotone 2 was just about to come out, so I quickly pushed it back inside.

I spent nearly an hour wrestling with it, trying to keep it from taking off the clothes I had dressed it in.

Still, once it was dressed, it looked a little better.

As I pondered what to call it, I said,

“Koko.”

“Koko?”

“Yeah. Your name is Koko.”

Of course, it didn’t seem to fully understand what I was saying.

I raised my finger and pointed at myself.

“Kotone.”

“Kotone.”

It copied me exactly, pointing at itself and saying, “Kotone,” so I shook my head and grabbed its hand, guiding it to point at me.

“Kotone.”

“Kotone.”

It parroted me with a big smile. Was it amused? Maybe this was the first word it was actually learning to say.

I then moved its hand to point at itself and said,

“Koko.”

“Koko.”

That’s right. Your name is Koko. Kurosawa Koko.

…I just named it after the nose, honestly.

No one in this country would ever know why I named it Koko anyway.

*

“Hissss!”

“Hissss!”

“……”

So, after dressing Koko, I brought it into my room.

And the moment it came in, it started having a standoff with Kuro.

I don’t think it was an actual standoff, though.

Koko was probably just mimicking what Kuro was doing.

It was imitating Kuro’s front paws with its hands and its hind paws with its feet. It even stood on all fours, stretching out its legs and raising its butt, as if it had a tail, trying to look like Kuro.

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

It even mimicked the sounds Kuro was making.

Its hair was standing up straight, just like Kuro’s.

…It looked like a cat.

Well, it was imitating a cat, after all.

It’s something no human could ever do, though.

“……”

I didn’t try to stop the two of them. I just stared out the window, gazing off into the distance.

What do I do now?

This is my life.

Chapter 60. It Was Summer (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Was it because I was soft-hearted, or was it just a momentary whim?

Or perhaps, I was simply curious about how the situation would turn out at that moment.

……

No, none of that was true. In fact, it was probably because I just wasn’t thinking.

Bringing Kuro with me was definitely to keep Koko in check, who was still in her "nose" state.

I thought if Koko tried to enter my room, Kuro might chase her away.

Koko was big, but honestly, no matter how large, she didn’t seem like she could swallow a cat whole.

Besides, Kuro had more personality than I thought. If Koko came near, she would likely scratch her, and Koko would run away.

“Hiss!”

“Hiss!”

…Or not?

Anyway, I took solace in the fact that Koko wasn’t ripping Kuro’s head off and devouring her, like in some movie, or absorbing her.

After observing for about three hours, I concluded that Koko hadn’t openly eaten any meat yet.

However, while I went to the bathroom, Koko tore open Kuro’s bag of food in the kitchen and started grabbing handfuls, stuffing her face.

Weren’t you supposed to be like a slime or something?

Well, considering the piece of her body that I’d seen resembling a human, I couldn’t tell if her bones, flesh, and blood were all still there.

Maybe she could just change her appearance at will.

“Aaah!”

“Hey, no.”

“No?”

“No.”

It seemed as if she understood my words, but in reality, she was probably just mimicking me. I hadn’t taught Koko Japanese yet.

I hadn’t taught her Korean or English either.

……Come to think of it, I had to teach her language, social behavior, everything from scratch.

And I’d have to come up with excuses in case anyone saw her.

Alright. Let’s pin this all on Kagami.

Honestly, this is all Kagami’s fault. If she had kept Koko, in her giant nose form, properly wrapped in the lab and refrigerated, I wouldn’t have had to think about turning Koko back into a human form.

Take responsibility already.

I returned to the room, grabbed some tape, and covered the torn part of the bag, stopping Koko from eating the spilled bits off the floor.

I started wondering how I was going to explain to her why she shouldn’t eat food that had fallen on the floor, and I already felt overwhelmed.

I seriously considered calling Ms. Suzuki for advice.

Even though she’s a high school teacher, she’s still an educator, right?

She should know more about this kind of thing than I do, at least.

The extent of my knowledge about children was limited to things like “report to the police if you see bruises on their arms.”

I could perform CPR, but…

……Would Koko even need CPR?

“Hiss!”

Anyway, it seemed like Kuro had already formed a bad impression of Koko. She hissed at Koko, clearly recognizing that the food Koko had been eating was hers.

“Hiss!”

In response, Koko hissed back at Kuro, crouching down on all fours just like a cat.

Koko seemed to be having fun. Maybe she thought she was playing for the first time in her life.

Playing, huh? Seriously.

I rubbed my face in frustration.

……Alright.

I wasn’t someone who enjoyed going out in the first place, so let’s just stay holed up at home until Wednesday.

During that time, I’d observe Koko’s behavior and try to teach her something, anything.

Then, I started to remember my upcoming schedule.

I had to go to work on Thursday. At least Thursday and Friday weren’t too bad. I only had to work for three hours, starting late in the afternoon.

Although, when you include the commuting time, it still ended up being almost six or seven hours in total.

The real problem was Saturday and Sunday.

Even though I didn’t have school, considering the commute, I’d be out of the house pretty much all weekend.

“……”

I stared blankly at Koko, who had lost interest in hissing at Kuro and was now sitting in front of the TV, her nose almost pressed to the screen, staring at the changing colors.

I felt a sense of dread wash over me.

How much would she eat?

I could survive on sprouts and koppe pan with the leftover money after buying food for Kuro, but would Koko be satisfied with that?

One of the main reasons Koko followed me was probably because I fed her.

I was the first one in her life to willingly share food with her, so she must have followed me.

But what if I couldn’t provide her with food properly?

……

For a moment, I considered raising her on the same food as Kuro.

Of course, I quickly dismissed the idea.

It just didn’t seem like the right thing to do as a human being, and if someone found out, it would definitely become a big problem.

I silently sat down on the futon.

No, I just flopped onto the futon.

I was too tired to think about anything else.

I wasn’t planning on sleeping yet, but I just wanted to rest without thinking about anything.

Too much had happened today.

My summer vacations during school were never this dynamic.

Grumbling to myself, I stared blankly at the ceiling with the lights on.

*

I wasn’t sure when I had fallen asleep.

I woke up, staring blankly at the ceiling, and suddenly felt a wave of terror.

It wasn’t because I had seen something horrifying.

Hasn’t everyone experienced this at least once?

You set your alarm to wake up for work, and even though the alarm goes off, you think, “I can afford to lie down for just a little bit longer,” so you roll around in bed and fall asleep again.

It feels like you just blinked for a second, but suddenly, your whole body goes cold, and you jump out of bed in a panic.

Of course, I didn’t have work today, but I had fallen asleep while leaving a child who resembled a human but didn’t know proper social norms unattended in my room.

Who knows what kind of trouble she might have caused?

I was about to jump up when I hesitated for a moment, feeling something pressing down on my stomach.

Looking down, I saw Kuro curled up on my lower belly.

Cats are slightly warm creatures, so that part of my body felt particularly hot.

And next to me, Koko was clinging tightly to my side.

It looked like she was trying to imitate Kuro, but since she was about the same size as me, she didn’t seem to manage it very well.

She couldn’t climb on top of me, so she stuck to my side instead.

I didn’t feel like her body was especially warm, but she seemed to have a human body temperature of around 36 degrees Celsius.

It was still warm enough.

My side was definitely damp with sweat.

……Right.

It was summer. Hot and disgustingly humid.

These two would probably do this all throughout summer vacation.

“……”

Alright, let’s try to think positively.

At least we won’t freeze to death in the winter.

*

Koko and Kuro had something in common.

Neither of them was particularly active.

Sometimes, they’d get an odd burst of energy and zoom around the room, but luckily, there was no one downstairs to complain since only Koko's severed pieces of flesh were down there.

Both liked hissing, crouching down, and sitting, and they both liked warmth.

For Kuro, it made sense since cats originally came from hot regions. But why did Koko like warmth?

This is just a hypothesis, but maybe Koko was remembering her time in the fridge.

She had absorbed a lot of the body that had been stored in there.

Seeing how she could change her body at will, it didn’t seem like she thought with her brain.

If she remembered being in such a cold place, it would make sense that she liked warmth.

Whenever Kuro curled up, Koko would lie nearby and curl up as well.

They especially liked lying under the window where the sunlight streamed in.

I was thankful for that.

It was reassuring to see them getting along most of the time, even though they occasionally squabbled.

The thought of abandoning either of them didn’t even cross my mind.

Besides, Koko was someone who had copied my appearance exactly. Objectively speaking, her appearance was cute, so she didn’t look too grotesque.

……Yeah, at least she was much better than a giant, squishy nose.

And the second advantage was that neither of them really wanted to go outside.

Kuro was a cat, so that made sense, but Koko didn’t seem interested in going out either.

Even when I wasn’t paying attention or was busy with other things, Koko never tried to leave by herself.

Maybe she thought of me as the person who gave her food because every time I walked around rustling things in the kitchen, she’d smile broadly at me.

Fortunately, she even ate things like curry rice well.

After Yamashita's visit last time, I fully realized the advantage of instant food, so I stocked up on it.

That said, Koko still didn’t know how to use chopsticks. When I put curry rice in front of her, she tried to eat it with her hands, only to be startled by how hot it was.

When I gave her a spoon, she spilled it everywhere, so at first, I had no choice but to feed her myself with the spoon.

Still, after watching me eat, she began using the spoon on her own. She still made a mess, but it was better than before.

It didn’t seem like her intelligence was particularly lacking.

That’s how I spent Tuesday.

Kuro and Koko still stuck to me when sleeping at night. Thanks to them, I had to wake up several times from the heat.

Even if I quietly moved Kuro aside or pushed Koko a little to the side to create more space against the wall, when I woke up, both of them were stuck to me again.

Come on, it’s summer.

Aren’t you two hot?

Well, neither of you is human, so I guess not.

I sighed and got up.

When I checked my phone, it was 9 a.m.

Since it was Wednesday, there was nothing much to worry about.

Scratching my head, I got up, went to the bathroom, and washed up.

“……”

As I was drying my hair with a towel, I looked at Koko sitting nearby and crouched down to sniff at her.

No smell.

“Huh?”

Koko, possibly waking up from the sniffing noise, turned and looked up at me.

“……”

I suddenly felt a very unsettling feeling.

Like I had just been caught doing something perverted.

Koko wouldn’t understand, of course.

I stood up again and lazily tossed the towel into the laundry basket before sitting in front of the TV.

Now that things had calmed down a bit, I thought I might play a game, but just as I turned the console on, my phone buzzed.

“Whoa!”

Koko reacted to the vibrating phone before I did.

“Ah.”

Before I could even turn around, Koko had already picked up the phone.

“Hey, wait, Koko—”

And Koko skillfully opened the phone.

In reality, she probably didn’t know what she was doing; she’d just seen me opening the phone occasionally and was copying what she had observed.

[Ah, Kurosawa—]

“Kurosawa?”

[Huh?]

The voice from the phone was loud and clear since the room was quiet.

I hurriedly turned off the game console and rushed toward Koko.

[Hello? This is Kurosawa, right?]

It was Yuuki’s voice.

“Uh, yeah, it’s me!”

“It’s me! It’s me!”

[Kurosawa? What’s going on?]

As I tried to snatch the phone back, Koko dodged me with a playful expression, moving the phone out of my reach.

Does she think we’re playing? What is she, a dog?

I finally grabbed the phone and pulled it toward me, speaking into it.

“No, nothing’s going on!”

“Going on?”

Koko echoed me, speaking into the phone as well.

[Who are you with?]

While Yuuki was talking, I barely managed to take the phone from Koko’s hand and quickly put it to my ear.

“Uh… that’s…”

I looked at Koko.

“Ah! Ah!”

Koko, seemingly having fun, lunged toward me, reaching for the phone. I quickly moved around the room to avoid her. Koko chased after me, and Kuro, woken by the commotion, yawned and got up.

Seeing us moving around noisily, Kuro gave an annoyed look and meowed before leaping onto the TV.

“…A relative is visiting.”

[…….]

I could almost feel the silence on the other end of the phone.

It was the “disbelief” kind of silence.

[I was going to ask if I could come over today, would that be okay?]

Yuuki’s voice, which had been quite flustered just a moment ago, was now calm.

And I could guess what kind of calmness this was.

This was the calmness of someone who had made up their mind.

Even if I said no, Yuuki was definitely going to come over, just like when I had that stalker incident.

“……”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

No matter what, I didn’t want to reject Yuuki’s request to come over.

Although Koko’s existence was a big problem, I also wanted to show off Kuro, whom I had started raising. Plus, having a friend come over was always fun.

“Wah?”

When I looked at Koko, she tilted her head in curiosity.

“…Yeah.”

Well, whatever.

Eventually, someone would find out about Koko. It wasn’t like she was a small animal that could be easily hidden—she was a person my size.

And I wasn’t bold enough to chop her up and store her in the fridge at this point.

……

Come to think of it, she wouldn’t die even if she were cut up like that. Since even just a piece of her could wander around and survive, I could see why they had kept her in the fridge.

[Alright, I’ll be there soon.]

I heard Yuuki shuffling, probably getting ready to leave.

[Are you sure nothing serious is happening?]

“……”

I looked at Koko again, hesitating to answer.

[I’m coming. Right now.]

……

I wondered what kind of image Yuuki had of me.

Probably something like a pitiful girl, left alone, treated as a failure every time she saw her only guardian, almost getting raped by someone, cutting her wrists with a knife when things went bad, and ending up in the hospital covered in blood.

Even I couldn’t think of any reasons not to feel sorry for myself.

Click.

The call ended, and I closed the phone with a snap.

Then I slumped onto the floor, eventually flopping down onto my back.

I hadn’t dried my hair properly, so it would probably get frizzy like this.

But right now, I didn’t feel like doing anything.

It seemed like having life + life around me was too heavy a burden.

*

“Uh… Kurosawa?”

Yuuki, who had just entered the room, looked back and forth between me and Koko with a bewildered expression.

Well, of course, she’d be shocked. We looked identical. If I had a mole somewhere on my body, Koko would probably have it too.

For a moment, I considered playing a prank, pretending that I had regressed into a child and that my younger sibling had to take care of me because of the shock of seeing Koko.

But if Yuuki found out the truth later, I doubted she’d forgive me, so I decided to tell the truth.

“She’s my twin.”

Yeah. To be honest, I didn’t tell the whole truth.

She was somewhat like a sibling, but that didn’t mean we were twins. Well, considering both of us were "failures," it wasn’t entirely wrong either.

“...Twins?”

Yuuki repeated my words blankly.

She looked like she had made up her mind about something, carrying a fairly large bag on her right shoulder. It probably contained enough stuff for her to spend the night. She might have even bought some snacks.

“...I, uh, found her recently.”

That’s what I ended up saying.

No matter how much Yuuki was a yokai hunter, introducing Koko as something born between a god and a human and telling her that she was more of a monster than a person didn’t seem like a good idea.

“Found her?”

Sorry, Kagami.

I nodded.

Even without further explanation, Yuuki seemed to be putting the story together in her head.

Still, there wasn’t exactly a lie in what I said. I had "recently" confirmed her existence in the next-door guy’s room, and while I had intended to kill her, I ended up "saving" her because I felt soft-hearted.

I just condensed the truth a little.

Sniff.

After a brief moment, Yuuki, having finished piecing together the story, covered her mouth with both hands.

The fact that her eyes were glistening with tears wasn’t just my imagination.

…Yeah.

I admit it, honestly.

If I’d heard that explanation, I’d have been furious with Kagami too.

Once again, I silently apologized to Kagami.

*

“No, stop!”

“A! A!”

I struggled to keep Koko from stealing Kuro’s food bowl, holding it up high, while Yuuki looked on with a strangely hollow expression. Her mouth hung open, and it seemed like she was seriously taking the situation in.

“Food is separate—”

Thud.

Unable to watch our struggle any longer, Yuuki gently pulled Koko back.

She softly drew her into her arms and hugged her tightly.

“Whoa?”

Koko didn’t understand what was happening at first.

She trembled slightly, perhaps thinking Yuuki’s actions were predatory.

But soon, when she didn’t sense any attack from Yuuki, she burst into a fit of giggles.

“How… how… how could this… something like this…”

Yuuki’s voice cracked with a nasally sob.

“……”

Uh…

That…

……

Never mind.

I had no words.

Feeling the bitter taste of life and a sense of futility all at once, I stared blankly at the ceiling, mouth agape.

Meanwhile, Kuro was the only one bouncing up and down, trying to reach the food bowl in my hand.

Seriously.

How could this even happen?

Something like this?

Chapter 61. Mirror (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“What the hell is going on?”

Of course, Yuuki asked me once again what was going on.

Both of us were outside the house for a short time.

Not that we went far, we were just sitting in front of the door and talking for a while.

In my opinion, Koko was still a child who didn’t properly understand Japanese.

Even if she understood anything, it would only be very simple words, like a cat or a dog might understand.

It’s not because of an intelligence issue, of course.

No, to be precise, I don’t know yet whether there’s any problem with her intelligence.

After all, I only met Koko on Monday. Spending just Tuesday and Wednesday with her isn’t enough to fully figure things out.

Besides, I’m not an expert either.

But Yuuki seemed to think it wasn’t good for Koko to hear our conversation.

It seemed she was worried Koko might understand and get hurt by it.

I chose my words carefully.

“...Last time.”

As I slowly moved my mouth to say each word, Yuuki nodded seriously and listened.

She seemed to think I was forcing myself to say something difficult.

“...I said that I thought there was another ghost in this house.”

“Yeah.”

That... isn’t she answering too confidently?

Well, it’s true that we’re not in a situation where we’d be scared of ghosts or anything anymore, but still, hearing there is one makes me feel a little scared.

“So, I did a little research on the house myself.”

“And?”

“This house…”

I looked up.

The roof covering the hallway came into view.

“This apartment belongs to my mom.”

“...”

Yuuki covered her mouth with both hands.

I slowly continued speaking to her.

How far would Kagami go along with this act? Wouldn’t it blow up if I painted her as too much of a villain?

Though every time I met Kagami, she seemed to oddly enjoy the situation, I had a feeling she wouldn’t just let this pass lightly.

Looking back, I had moved too thoughtlessly.

…

No, thinking about it again, it’s actually pretty unfair.

I didn’t know Koko’s body would be in this house. I was just curious to see if there was a ghost in the empty room.

To be exact, I was wondering if the room was truly empty.

If there was a ghost, I would have asked Yuuki to help, or I would have found some exorcism method to deal with it. Or I could’ve just accepted it and lived with it.

But who would have thought opening the door of a room where snoring sounds were coming from would reveal an actual nose?

And not just any nose, but a giant nose, crawling along the wall.

Then again, in the end, it was my fault. I should have just accepted the ghost and lived with it, or emptied my bank account and found another place.

...

Well, no point in complaining about it now.

“There was something... in one of the empty rooms.”

“Alone?”

“...Yeah.”

Yuuki fell silent, seeming deep in thought.

I couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking, but I was sure she wasn’t just imagining an ordinary childhood.

“Then what about meals?”

“Huh?”

“Even if she’s alone in the room, she needs to eat, right?”

“...”

I thought for a moment.

“Someone... seemed to have brought her food.”

“...Could it have been your mother?”

“...”

I kept my mouth shut.

Kagami, I didn’t say anything this time, okay?

Even if Yuuki imagined it, it wasn’t my fault for making her think that. So at least in this matter, I’m not to blame.

“What about clothes?”

“...”

It was better to stay silent rather than risk saying something that didn’t make sense.

And to be fair, Koko didn’t have any clothes. She was just a nose. The flesh in the refrigerator wasn’t clothes, just wrapped in plastic.

“...”

Yuuki covered her mouth again.

Her eyes were welling up with tears.

It felt like someone was pricking my heart with needles.

I felt like I had become a really bad person.

Well, I guess I was a bad person. I was lying quite seriously to my friend.

But if I didn’t lie, I would have had to directly tell her how serious the situation was, and that would have been a problem.

“Just like when you were left alone at home?”

“...”

I nodded.

To be fair, Koko was better off than I was when I was alone. At least she was wrapped in plastic. I didn’t even have a blanket.

…

Though, I wasn’t chopped up and stuffed into a refrigerator, so I guess that was better.

Now that I think about it, it would’ve been much colder.

“That person—”

Yuuki started to speak but stopped when she noticed me watching.

I almost told her to go ahead and say it, but I chose to stay silent.

Kagami was probably already being cursed at in Yuuki’s mind, and I didn’t want to push her to voice it.

Even though Kagami wasn’t a good person, I still felt... some sense of duty as a human being.

“—Alright, I got it.”

Yuuki nodded.

“I’ll help out, for now.”

“...What?”

I was a little taken aback by her words.

“No, it’s okay.”

When I immediately said that, Yuuki’s eyebrows angled into a “I’m mad” shape. The ends of her eyebrows were raised.

“You have to go to work tomorrow. So, are you just going to leave Koko and that cat—”

“Her name is Kuro.”

“—Kuro alone at home, is that okay?”

She should be old enough to be fine on her own. If she was born before me, she’d be around my age. Maybe ten years older.

“...”

But right now, Koko wasn’t in a good state.

Yuuki seemed to think Koko... had a disability.

It made sense. Anyone would think something was wrong if they saw a teenage girl eating cat food.

“I’ll help out tomorrow. I originally came to sleep over today, so it’s fine.”

“Are you sure it’ll be okay?”

I asked worriedly.

Had Yuuki ever taken care of a child before? I didn’t know her exact family situation, but from what I had seen, Yuuki seemed like an only child.

“Don’t worry! I...”

She trailed off as if trying to say something, but then, realizing she didn’t have any related experience, she awkwardly added,

“...I’m confident!”

...

Well, I had no experience either.

I had taken care of my younger sister, but she was smarter than me.

I nodded.

I couldn’t leave Koko to Yuuki for the entire vacation, but if she gave me a day, it would be a great help.

“Alright. Let’s head back in.”

Yuuki said, standing up energetically.

As she grabbed the doorknob, she suddenly turned and asked me,

“By the way, did you come up with the name Koko?”

“...I don’t know her name.”

Yuuki smiled at my response.

“Did you take it from your own name?”

No.

I just called her Koko because of ‘ko,’ the nose.

Of course, there was no need to explain to Yuuki that I had taken the name from Korean.

Her guess sounded more plausible anyway.

Who names their sibling after a body part?

When I nodded, Yuuki also nodded and spoke.

“It’s a cute name.”

I just blushed and nodded along.

When we opened the door, Koko—

“No!”

...

She was trying to tear open the cat food pack again.

Yuuki and I both shouted at the same time as we rushed back inside.

Could it be that giving her cat food for the first meal was the problem?

“Mya-mya!”

Koko imitated a cat awkwardly, and I wiped her face with my hand.

...

She wouldn’t start mimicking cat ears or tails later, right?

Thinking about how that’s typical in light novels gave me chills. Damn it.

*

Even so, Koko didn’t go wild like I feared.

She seemed to only cause trouble when she was left ‘alone.’

When we were nearby, she usually showed interest in us, acting like an innocent animal.

She was cute to watch, acting like a clueless creature.

Though cute...

You can’t live like an animal...

“Is this really okay?”

The next afternoon.

When I asked Yuuki, she nodded.

“It’s fine. She’s much calmer than I expected.”

“...”

Well, that was true.

Koko wasn’t completely unafraid of people. She generally seemed to avoid them.

I say “seemed to” because I don’t know how many humans Koko had seen.

At least, I was someone who had fed her.

And Yuuki was also someone who had fed her.

Koko seemed to clearly follow the people who gave her food, so it amounted to two people she trusted.

As for other people, like the guy next door or members of the church, she probably wouldn’t follow them. When she raided the man’s fridge, it was always when he wasn’t home, and the cult members were the ones who cut Koko’s flesh and sealed it in the refrigerator.

This was also why I hadn’t called Kagami. I couldn’t imagine how Koko would react if she saw her.

What if Koko transformed into some indescribable monster and attacked Kagami?

“If there’s a problem, call me.”

Of course, even if I answered the call, there wasn’t much I could do right away.

Even if I got permission from the boss and rushed home, it would take an hour and a half to get here. I could cut it down by 30 minutes if I took the bus, but it would still take at least an hour and ten minutes.

“Okay. I’ll call you.”

Yuuki answered energetically.

She seemed to be doing it to reassure me.

Still, Yuuki no longer showed the same emotional reactions as she had yesterday.

Yesterday, every time Koko did something overly animalistic or childlike, Yuuki’s eyes had moistened, but today, she didn’t seem as affected.

“...Sorry.”

“I was the one who said I’d do this, right? You don’t need to apologize.”

Yuuki responded with a smile.

...She’s so kind!

Really too kind.

I’d often felt this way while reading the novel, but seeing it in person made it even more striking.

Alright, I decided to accept her kindness for now. I’d find a way to repay her later.

And… I needed to think of a solution while working.

Would there be something like a kindergarten or a care center willing to take in someone like Koko? Maybe a welfare institution? A social service center?

...

My mind felt hazy.

After saying goodbye to Yuuki, I sighed several times as I walked to the station.

Even though I’d bought some time, I couldn’t come up with a single viable idea by the time I reached the station.

*

Then, when I saw Shii at work, I remembered a very important promise I had forgotten.

“Kurosawa-senpai?”

Seeing me crouch down on the floor with my head in my hands, Shii hurriedly squatted next to me, concerned.

“W-what’s wrong? Do you have a headache? I have some medicine on me, should I give it to you?”

She even carried stuff like that around.

Well, even in the novel, she’d casually pull out bandages or ointments from her bag. That was part of her past, acting as the perfect younger sister while also having to deal with injuries herself.

“...No, it’s fine.”

I answered and thought for a moment.

Shii had already invited me to go to the beach.

And I had accepted, on the condition that I could bring a friend. Naturally, the person I’d take was Yuuki.

The reason for going was because I thought Yuuki should stick to the main story.

If things changed there, I wanted to see it firsthand.

But now, I had someone who was almost like family.

Holding my aching head, I finally stood up.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Should I tell the boss?”

The boss was right over there. She’d been watching me when I crouched down, so there was no need to mention it again.

“...Shii.”

“Yes?”

“...The plan to go to the beach together.”

“Ah... yes.”

Shii looked a bit worried.

Was she worried I’d cancel? That something had come up?

Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong. A big problem had definitely arisen.

But—

“Would it be okay if I brought one more person along?”

Shii blinked at me with her worried expression.

After staring at me for a moment, my heart pounded.

Was this too unreasonable? Originally, Shii was going to the beach with her brother, but somehow I ended up joining. She had probably invited me to keep other heroines like Sasaki in check, but now there was another extra person.

However, my concerns were unfounded.

Shii, as if thinking that having more people might reduce the time her brother would spend with the other two girls, placed her hand on her chest and let out a relieved sigh.

“That might actually be fine. But, still, I think I should know who this person is...”

“Well…”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“My younger sister.”

Blink.

Shii blinked once more.

“Your younger sister?”

“Yeah.”

“You have a sister?”

I hesitated.

How should I respond to this?

But then, I realized I’d never told Shii about my family situation.

“Yeah.”

So, I decided to confidently go along with it.

“She’s my little sister.”

“Oh...”

Her reaction was a bit ambiguous.

“I’m sorry. I just... I assumed you were an only child.”

“No, that makes sense.”

I started walking again, and Shii followed me into the changing room. There was no one inside yet.

“...She looks just like me.”

“Does she?”

Shii tilted her head slightly.

Maybe I should’ve taken a picture or something.

“She’s... a bit younger, though.”

I replied vaguely.

Sorry, Shii.

I just can’t leave Koko alone at home while I go on a trip.

And if I didn’t go, Yuuki wouldn’t have a reason to go either.

“A younger sister who looks like you must be wonderful!”

Aside from the fact that she liked cat food and used the cat’s litter box, causing my heart to nearly drop to the earth’s mantle, she could be considered wonderful.

She listened well, at least.

Even if she didn’t remember much.

I wanted to rub my face with my hands, but doing that in front of Shii didn’t feel right.

Instead, I took off my jacket.

As the fabric brushed past my face, I felt like I was kind of rubbing it.

Even if it was in the opposite direction.

*

If I had a family of my own, would coming home feel like this?

Hmm.

No, this definitely wasn’t the same feeling. The only similarity was the sense of urgency.

After finishing dinner with Shii, I hurried to the station, anxiously waiting for the train.

I finally boarded the train and made my way home.

Today, I took the bus instead of walking. I was glad I had researched it beforehand. Thanks to that, I didn’t have to walk for 30 minutes and got home quickly.

As soon as I got off the bus, I walked as fast as I could back to the apartment, rushing up the stairs and opening the door.

And then, I felt something strange.

What was off?

Ah, the door was open.

Even though someone was inside, and it was daytime, it was still odd for the door to be left open. I don’t just mean unlocked. It was literally ajar.

And, the house was unusually quiet.

My heart pounded as I rushed inside without even taking off my shoes.

And.

“...Oh my.”

I ran into the last person I wanted to see at that moment.

Standing in the entrance, almost colliding with me, was Kagami.

She stood there, looking between me, Yuuki, who was blocking her path, and Koko, standing behind Yuuki.

Then.

“...Huh?”

Oh no.

Kagami was tilting her head with a completely confused expression, as if she really had no idea what was going on.

Of course, Kagami was good at acting, so this could’ve been an act, but... we hadn’t planned anything beforehand.

Looking between me and Koko, with her hand resting on her cheek, Kagami seemed completely at a loss, totally unlike her usual self when she “acted” in front of others.

“Now you see?”

Yuuki said to Kagami in a deadly serious tone.

“And you still plan to deny it?”

“...”

Kagami stared directly at me.

“...”

I stared right back at Kagami.

What should I do?

For a brief moment, I seriously considered grabbing the doorknob and turning around to run away.

Chapter 62. Mirror (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I’m telling you.

I may not seem like it, but I’m actually quite a conscientious person.

I had a job to uphold, and I lived my life while maintaining my conscience as best as I could.

But right now, my heart was pounding uncontrollably because of the layers of lies I had built up with these two people.

To be fair, Kagami wasn’t exactly a good person.

She had been polite enough in front of me, and she had never done anything directly harmful to me.

Somewhere far away, she might be swindling money from people she didn’t know, conning men at bars, or doing various shady things with the Yakuza. But at least in front of me, on the surface, she managed to keep up a somewhat decent appearance.

So, my conscience couldn’t just ignore Kagami’s reaction entirely.

I opened my mouth, trying to fix the situation, but closed it again. Then, after taking a brief moment to collect my thoughts, I finally spoke again.

“Why... are you here?”

“...”

Kagami stared at me intently for about three seconds.

Her eyes were still trembling slightly, but her expression was stiff.

She looked a little angry, but more than that, her expression seemed mostly confused.

“That kid... where did you bring her from?”

Kagami’s voice wasn’t her usual act. It wasn’t the venomous tone she usually used in front of me. In fact, there wasn’t much of her usual calm demeanor either.

“...She was in the apartment.”

“...”

Kagami’s eyes widened.

Kagami is quite tall for a woman. She must be around 170cm tall, probably taller than Yuuki, who’s already taller than me.

Naturally, when she stands in front of me and looks down, it’s a little... intimidating.

Maybe I should’ve contacted her first?

The reason I didn’t contact her was because I thought it wouldn’t do any good to tell Kagami about Koko’s identity.

It was certain that she had been created by the cult, and it was also certain that she had been dismembered and stored in a fridge.

“Was bring that thing really necessary?”

Well, the thing is...

...

No, wait, thinking about it, this was also the cult’s fault.

If they hadn’t lost the nose in the first place and had wrapped it up properly, I wouldn’t have had to create a body for Koko.

And if the apartment hadn’t looked so haunted, I would’ve just stayed there!

“That thing?”

It seems Kagami doesn’t feel the need to act in front of Yuuki.

“Did you just call Koko ‘that thing’?”

Considering the realistic performance she put on earlier, it’s no surprise Yuuki is overreacting to every word Kagami says.

“How could you say that to your own daughter?”

Yuuki seemed so shocked that she even gave up speaking formally.

Uh, Yuuki... sorry about this.

When I first saw Koko, I thought of her as ‘that thing’ too. Honestly, there weren’t many human-like qualities to recognize. It was just a nose, after all.

I guess, at best, I thought she was maybe half-human.

“Koko?”

The carefully controlled emotion on Kagami’s face crumbled again.

My face flushed slightly.

“Whatever you used to call her, she’s Koko now.”

“…Koko”

Kagami’s mouth fell open as she looked at Koko, who was crouching behind Yuuki.

By the way, Koko was hiding behind Yuuki, curled up as much as possible. Her reaction probably made Yuuki more agitated.

But if you really think about it, this is one thing that’s actually Kagami’s fault. After all, she’s the one who chopped Koko into pieces and stored her in the fridge.

“You gave her a name?”

Kagami glanced at me, then looked back at Koko behind Yuuki, then turned her gaze back to me.

She had a look of utter confusion on her face.

...Well, I would too, if I were her.

Koko, who once looked like nothing but a lump of flesh with randomly protruding limbs and a head, was now mimicking a human. At least enough to seem normal on the outside.

Honestly, if I hadn’t told her I found Koko in the apartment, Kagami probably wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

Her face was flustered, but I could almost see the gears turning rapidly in her head. Kagami’s brain must be running at full speed right now.

“What did you do to Koko?”

Even as Yuuki spoke, Kagami didn’t turn to face her.

“What did you do to make her so obsessed with pet food?”

Uh...

Sorry, but that was me. I fed her that at the start.

And animal food is safe for humans to eat, right? The problem is just that it looks like your dignity as a human is hitting rock bottom.

And cat food is pretty expensive, you know? I bet it’s pricier than the bean sprouts I eat regularly.

“...Hmph.”

Kagami snorted.

It seemed like she had made up her mind about something.

With a very cold expression, Kagami took out her phone and ignored Yuuki’s question as she typed something.

Bzzz.

My phone vibrated.

It wouldn’t be a good idea to check it right now, right? It’d be too obvious that Kagami had sent me a message.

“So?”

Kagami said as she turned around.

“What’s wrong with using something I created?”

“...What?”

With just one sentence from Kagami, the life drained from Yuuki’s face.

“Yuuki Yuka. You’re from a pretty famous family, right? You’ve been living with my daughter, so you must’ve had fun too, haven’t you?”

“What are you—”

Oh.

“If you’re that close, then you must know what kind of body my daughter has, right? Lately, she’s been working a part-time job, hasn’t she? Last time, she went to a Yakuza house, didn’t she?”

My jaw dropped.

I mean, I figured Kagami would know, but...

That’s not the issue right now!

If you’re going to say something, say it all! Otherwise, Yuuki will get the wrong idea!

I cautiously looked at Yuuki.

Yuuki was staring at me with the widest eyes I had ever seen her make.

“It’s not like that!”

I couldn’t help but shout.

No, what do you mean ‘like that’? What the hell are you talking about?

There’s a saying: ‘a strong denial is a strong affirmation.’ Most of the time, that’s nonsense. It’s just something people say to corner someone who’s denying something.

But when it comes to confessing crimes, it’s a little different.

People who didn’t do something usually say, ‘I didn’t do it!’ But someone who actually committed the crime might accidentally half-confess by saying, ‘Show me the proof!’

My response was similar. It implied that I did, in fact, go there.

Yuuki’s face turned pale.

“Kurosawa...”

“...Wait. No, really.”

I reached out and said that while looking at Kagami.

Kagami was staring straight at me.

I could feel sweat forming between my hair. Well, I had half-run all the way home in this hot weather, so it couldn’t be helped, but somehow this sweat felt mixed with cold sweat from panic.

Is she mad?

Is she doing this on purpose?

Is she exposing me because I’ve been hiding some really important information from her?

Ah.

I understand now.

The reason Kagami came.

Even though she hadn’t yet fully grasped the situation before listening to the story...

Something big was definitely happening beyond what I knew. Maybe it had something to do with Yamashita-san’s ex-wife, who was Kagami’s sister.

Considering Kagami’s position in the cult, her sister’s position wouldn’t have been small either.

“...”

I kept my mouth shut.

“Kurosawa?”

“...”

What should I do?

Who should I send away right now?

Koko should stay in the room, but—

Yuuki had come all the way here because she was worried about me. I couldn’t say something cold like ‘go home first’ in the middle of the night.

Kagami had come to talk about something really important, but now she had seen this situation. Is this something I needed to hear right away?

After a moment of deliberation, I came to a conclusion.

Kagami hadn’t fully grasped the situation, but she had a decent understanding of Yuuki.

Yuuki is more stubborn than she looks. If I told her to go home now, she wouldn’t. Especially after hearing what Kagami said.

I took a deep breath in and then let it out.

“...Yuuki. Just wait for a bit. I’ll come back and finish talking with you after this.”

“But—”

“...We’re family.”

I spoke to Yuuki in a slightly coaxing tone.

“No matter what kind of relationship it is, we’re mother and daughter.”

“...”

Yuuki closed her mouth.

She glanced back and forth between me and Kagami a few times. Of course, she still looked unsatisfied, but she eventually nodded.

“If you don’t come back within 30 minutes, I’m calling the police.”

“What a strong kid.”

Kagami sneered at Yuuki.

“Even if the police come looking for us, I’m not sure they’ll bring this child back to you.”

Kagami is technically listed as my mother, after all.

Ignoring Yuuki’s fierce glare, Kagami stepped outside and closed the door.

“Follow me.”

Kagami’s command startled me slightly.

But this house wasn’t very soundproof. If she spoke formally here, the whole act would break down with Yuuki eavesdropping.

And this is just my guess, but there was probably a bit of sincerity in that one word.

*

There aren’t many places to have a conversation this late at night.

To have a secret conversation, it’s good to be somewhere with a decent amount of noise, but residential areas at night aren’t that noisy.

I could hear the faint sounds of TVs from here and there, someone humming drunkenly in the distance, and the sound of cars passing by, but all of it was too far away to cover our voices.

In the end, we went to a nearby family restaurant. It’s open 24 hours. Besides, even if there weren’t people around, there was already music playing, so as long as we talked quietly, our voices would be drowned out.

Even if we talked about curses or yokai, no one would hear us.

Both of us ordered a cup of coffee and sat across from each other.

Yuuki gave me 30 minutes, but it took 10 minutes to get here.

“Shall I start, or...?”

After finally regaining her composure once we were alone, Kagami asked in a relatively calm voice.

“You go first.”

“Alright.”

Kagami nodded and said,

“It seems my sister has figured out that you dealt with the 'Isolation' curse.”

I knew it.

I let out a deep sigh.

“But, only now?”

“Well, it’s not quite right to say ‘only now.’”

Kagami continued.

“Isolation affects people differently. Some might die in a matter of days, but for others, it could suddenly worsen after improving for a while.”

And for someone with a twisted personality, that’s even better. Instead of killing someone all at once, they’d torment them bit by bit, prolonging their suffering.

“But if they were controlling it, shouldn’t they have known the moment I killed it?”

“The head was still at home. They must’ve thought we were blocking it somehow on our end. They probably weren’t confident that we could kill it completely either.”

“...I see.”

I felt like Kagami wasn’t telling me everything.

Maybe it was Kagami who advised or instructed to leave the head as it was. And she likely did something to slow down the information from reaching the other side.

“Besides, you scattered blood all over the place, didn’t you?”

“...”

“I don’t know the exact reason, but that blood seemed to be part of the 'Isolation' curse, wasn’t it?”

“...You heard about that?”

Kagami nodded.

She must’ve heard from her people about how I spread blood around and went around slashing and smashing things.

And how every time I did, people collapsed and fell to the ground.

Anyone with some knowledge of curses could probably figure it out quickly.

“They seem to have realized that you did something beyond just handling 'Isolation'. Thanks to that, we were able to thin out a few people.”

After saying that, Kagami took a sip of her coffee.

“...Was there a spy?”

“Wouldn’t it be strange if there weren’t? After all, we were originally on the same side.”

“...Wasn’t it just that woman acting alone?”

“If only it were that simple.”

Kagami lifted her gaze slightly.

Her eyes briefly took on a distant look, but soon she was back to her usual relaxed smile.

“I’m not someone who believes in the sanctity of marriage, but... I understand how much of a bond marriage can be. If something like that broke, it means things got serious.”

“...”

I paused, trying to deduce the situation.

Let’s see.

If there’s a fake Nirlass, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a fake Cthulhu or a fake Hastur. Considering they worship Shub-Niggurath, it seems unlikely they would follow something like Cthulhu or Hastur.

More likely, they’d follow something like Yog-Sothoth, right? If they rebelled thinking, "Why not worship a stronger god!" it would make sense.

And there are always people who, feeling inferior to their more capable sibling, try to beat them using underhanded methods, like in so many stories.

Of course, I’ve never met Kagami’s sister, so I can’t judge her abilities.

...

Hmm... Yog-Sothoth, huh?

Thinking of that name gave me a weird feeling.

It feels like I’m mistaken about something.

I don’t know why I feel this way just by thinking of the name.

While I was lost in thought, Kagami continued.

“So I came to give you a warning.”

“A warning?”

“If my sister shows up and tries to talk to you or persuade you, I’m asking you not to fall for it.”

“...”

I stared at Kagami.

“Well, then again, you haven’t even fallen for me.”

She knew me well.

“It’s just that my sister is more impatient than I am. Since she found out you got involved in investigating the Yamashita family, she might come at you more aggressively.”

“Aggressively, how?”

“I don’t think she’ll come knocking at your door. I imagine she’ll pull up in a van and kidnap you while you’re walking down the street.”

“...”

“I’m serious. This isn’t a joke. So if you’re going out, make sure to return before nightfall, and stay in places where there are lots of people. We’ll have someone watching out for you too, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“...Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“Fortunately, my sister’s been hiding for a long time, away from our side. Sending 'Isolation' was an uncharacteristic move, but it also means she was acting impulsively. Maybe she really did love Yamashita-san?”

If she was jealous, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to pull a stunt like that on someone who didn’t even know much about us.

“Since she’s in hiding, it’s hard for them to gather information on us, but it also means it’s difficult for us to get information on them. Please be cautious.”

I nodded again.

“...”

We drank our coffee in silence for a moment.

“So, about that kid, Koko.”

Kagami glanced at me.

“...You said you found her in the apartment. Was she like that from the start?”

“...”

I clutched my head.

*

“...I see.”

There was a mix of complicated emotions in Kagami’s gaze as she looked at me.

Surprise that they had lost track of a lump of flesh, bewilderment that I hadn’t contacted them after finding it, and amazement that I had recklessly opened the fridge and released it.

“What were you going to do if it ate you...?”

“...”

“And the butcher’s knife...?”

Kagami rarely cut herself off mid-sentence.

“What happened to the weapon you normally use?”

“...It was made in a similar way, wasn’t it? Since it was made from my blood, I thought it wouldn’t work.”

“...”

Kagami thought for a moment, then nodded.

“That makes sense. We’ve always had many questions about your fighting style.”

“So... about Koko...”

“Ah, that child.”

After listening to my story, Kagami smiled brightly.

“Of course, you’ll be responsible for her.”

“...”

Well, that much I expected.

But isn’t she going to explain how she was born or why she looks like that?

Well, they haven’t told me everything about myself either, so it’s understandable.

“You already said, didn’t you? That you wouldn’t accept any help from our side.”

With that, I had nothing left to say.

I had already decided not to rely on them for protecting Koko.

“...There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“Go ahead.”

Knowing I had given up on that, Kagami leisurely lifted her coffee cup as she answered.

“The person living next to me, the only other resident in that apartment besides me.”

“That’s right.”

“...Are they connected to the cult?”

“Let’s call them an external collaborator. Of course, not by choice. They probably don’t even know they’re helping.”

“Really?”

“Why?”

Kagami suddenly put her cup down, her body leaning slightly forward with interest.

“Are you interested? Your first love?”

“No.”

I answered sternly, and Kagami shrugged.

“Well, they’re not a dangerous person. You know how there are those societies overseas that believe the Earth is flat? And some people genuinely try to gather evidence to support that theory?”

“...And?”

“What do you think if there’s a research organization studying yokai or ancient civilizations, thinking that things from fantasy might actually exist? Not people like us, but ‘normal’ people.”

They’d probably scoff at it. Some might take it seriously, but even if you gathered them all together, it wouldn’t amount to much.

“I see you understand what I mean. That person was born with that belief, but it seems they’ve managed to blend into society quite well.”

Without answering, Kagami narrowed her eyes slightly.

I kept my mouth shut, choosing not to respond.

Whatever the case, I was pretty sure my guess was roughly right.

Even if you gathered all the believers, it wouldn’t be enough to fund their research.

Ah, so that’s it?

“Yes, their research has been very helpful to us. Of course, we don’t sponsor them under the name of a ‘cult.’ There’s a small company acting as a front.”

It was probably a money laundering operation.

“I heard they’ve been looking for a new job recently. We’re trying to place them somewhere stable. We don’t want to lose one of our few experts. There’s a professor, but it’s hard to be efficient without an assistant, don’t you think?”

...Like a graduate student.

Someone working in a field that isn’t even recognized by academia.

That person really has it tough.

“...”

There was a brief silence between us.

Looking at the clock, we had about five minutes left before the time Yuuki had given me was up.

“You should head back. It wouldn’t be good to get tangled up with the police again.”

It seemed Kagami had no intention of coming along.

I was thankful for that.

Even if Yuuki’s impression of Kagami worsened, Kagami didn’t seem to care.

...

Still, I felt a bit guilty, so I thought I’d try to make it up to her somehow later.

As I glanced at Kagami, she was smiling at me in a very irritating way.

She was clearly amused by the fact that I’d have to explain everything to Yuuki when I got home.

Still, I guess it’s a relief that her expression made me feel a little less guilty.

Chapter 63. Mirror (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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How could this be?

Yuuki Yuka stared at the child in front of her, who looked exactly like her friend, and thought.

Yuuki had been helping with her family's business since she was in middle school, and she thought she had seen situations humans were not meant to witness quite often.

Of course, she didn’t resent her parents for it. If her mother hadn’t passed away, Yuuki wouldn’t have had to wield a sword in the first place. It was simply how fate unfolded—it wasn’t anyone's fault. Even if not now, Yuuki would have eventually picked up a sword one day.

But she had never directly witnessed someone die. Usually, she was involved after the incident had occurred, but she never had to personally visit the scene where a corpse was found.

A high-ranking official managed by the government would gather evidence and analyze the situation, then pass it on to the Yuuki family. Based on that information, either her father, grandfather, or Yuuki herself would step in when needed.

That was the reason Yuuki had transferred to Hanagawa High School.

To solve the serial cannibal murders that the police couldn’t resolve. Although no concrete evidence had been found, the officials in this area were already convinced that it wasn’t a human committing the murders.

Yet, at some point, the traces had abruptly disappeared and had not resurfaced.

Living in such a world, Yuuki knew how evil humans could become. Some yokai were drawn to human emotions, and among the humans caught up with such yokai, there were some truly vile ones.

Though her experience wasn’t extensive enough to claim she had solved numerous cases, Yuuki believed that she was more familiar with the world than most kids her age, up until now.

But.

“Kotone?”

“…Kurosawa stepped out for a moment. She’ll be back soon.”

She was serious about reporting this to the police.

Of course, she didn’t think the situation would drastically improve because of it. She had already witnessed how Kurosawa was treated at the police station last time. Even after witnessing that, the police didn’t take legal action.

It was obvious that some organization was preventing them from doing so.

“Kurosawa?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion.

Koko didn’t understand the connection between the words “Kurosawa” and “Kotone.”

It didn’t seem like a mere issue of lacking intelligence. Rather, it seemed that she lacked any ability for social reasoning from the start.

“Nyao.”

“Nyaoo.”

As Kuro climbed onto her lap, Koko mimicked the sound and then flopped onto her side.

She hugged Kuro to her chest and rolled around on the floor.

“Nyaa. Nyaa.”

“Nyaoo.”

“……”

Normally, when people think of someone who has lost their sociality, the first stereotype that comes to mind is a ‘beast.’

A being that doesn’t understand human relationships, focused solely on survival, selfishly driven.

But Koko wasn’t like that.

Even if an animal bothered her, she didn’t hate it, and she wasn’t aggressive toward people.

In fact, it seemed that she enjoyed having someone by her side.

Watching Koko made Yuuki’s mind race with thoughts.

When Yuuki had met Kurosawa’s mother, it was clear that Koko was not meant to exist outside. To her, Koko was something she wanted to hide.

She hadn’t even given her a name.

And yet, here Koko was, acting like an angel in front of Yuuki’s eyes.

“…Why, exactly?”

Why was this happening?

Even though she voiced the question aloud, a conclusion didn’t come.

She looked at the clock. Almost thirty minutes had passed since Kurosawa had gone out.

Yuuki took out her phone.

Even if the police couldn’t resolve the situation, at the very least, they would be able to find out where Kurosawa was. That would be enough for Yuuki—

But, fortunately enough.

Before she could press the buttons on her phone, the door to the room flung open.

Kurosawa, drenched in sweat and panting, had apparently run back.

“Kotone!”

Koko sprang up from her spot.

“Nya.”

Kuro stretched her front legs, yawning, and then lazily followed after Koko, who was running quickly toward the entrance.

“Koko.”

Yuuki quietly watched as Koko wrapped Kurosawa in a tight hug.

Then, as she shifted her gaze slightly, her eyes met Kurosawa’s.

Kurosawa’s eyes wavered. Her expression showed she had many things she didn’t want to say.

But at least today, Yuuki wasn’t going to let it go easily.

She had to hear everything—what had happened earlier, who the yakuza she mentioned were.

And if—

If Kurosawa was involved in some illegal, self-sacrificing activities for money, Yuuki decided she would persuade her, even if she had to take her back to her own home.

***

As I watched Koko suddenly hug me tightly, I became sure of one thing.

Koko certainly had the intelligence to learn things.

Not only did she remember and mimic words, but she also seemed to be able to imitate social behaviors.

The concept of ‘hugging’ didn’t exist for Koko until yesterday. When she was born, she had been dismembered and placed in a refrigerator, and the parts of her body that remained weren’t really suited to being embraced.

Though she had avoided people, even if someone had seen her, they wouldn’t have thought to hug her.

Someone once said that if cats weren’t cute, no one would bother feeding stray cats.

It’s exactly like that. Honestly, even if Koko had a similar level of intelligence and personality as she does now, if a creature with a nose the size of an arm came charging at you, most people would scream and run away or swat it aside rather than hug it and say, “It’s okay now.”

So Koko must not have known what hugging meant. Though, now that I think about it, she had learned how to use the bathroom properly.

Koko remembered what I didn’t like, or what I frowned at, and avoided doing those things.

Perhaps because her thought process was so simple, she didn’t question why she should or shouldn’t do something.

And now, Yuuki hugged Koko tightly.

Koko seemed to really enjoy that action.

Gently, I detached Koko from me and stepped into the room.

Yuuki stood there with a rather determined expression on her face.

“……”

I held back a sigh and knelt on the futon that had been spread out.

“Where should I start?”

I asked calmly, having decided to lay everything down.

Yuuki seemed like she had a lot she wanted to say, but seeing my demeanor, she decided not to rush and spoke calmly as well.

“Then, what was that yakuza story about?”

***

Naturally, I didn’t tell her *everything.*

I assumed Yuuki knew something about the cult, but telling her about my connection to the yakuza felt like a bit too much.

And it was still too early to mention that the yakuza in question was connected to the Yamashita family and that, somehow, Yamashita and I were cousins.

Even if I were caught, I’d have to let the person involved know first.

“So, you took care of a curse the yakuza brought in to make money?”

“Yeah.”

“All by yourself.”

“……”

Well… yeah.

I hadn’t called Yuuki on purpose.

“Do you even realize how powerful that entity of ‘Isolation’ was?”

Yuuki glared at me and asked.

“……”

“If you hadn’t been even slightly lucky…”

Yeah.

I could have died.

I didn’t know exactly how much Nirlass would protect me from danger.

Would Nirlass hate it if I died? Maybe.

It might be that Nirlass just didn’t like it when its toy broke. That could be why it sometimes cooperated when I needed help. After all, the conditions it set for me didn’t feel like fair trades in the strictest sense—they were more like restrictions set for its own amusement.

So, for now, I decided to take Yuuki’s words at face value.

“If it’s about money, just tell me. Maybe I could help somehow…”

“I’ve already received too much help.”

“I…”

Yuuki seemed about to say something, but she stopped.

“…Everything in this room, I got from you.”

“……”

“And I’m here, staying in this place. So, it’s fine.”

Yuuki seemed lost for words after hearing what I said.

Watching her sit there, looking a bit moved, I felt a pang of guilt.

It felt like I was taking advantage of someone who had been helping me.

I wasn’t sure what to do about it.

***

We ended up lying down side by side and falling asleep.

There wasn’t a shortage of blankets. In fact, there was only enough for two people, but if you pushed the two together, it was enough for three.

Besides, we didn’t really need blankets.

The night wasn’t particularly cold, and Koko was lying between the blankets, filling the space.

And there was Kuro, who insisted on squeezing in between us as well.

Honestly, I had no idea what would happen next.

How I should protect Koko, how to clean up the mess I had started.

“…Koko isn’t officially recognized yet, is she?”

Yuuki asked, apparently unable to sleep.

“…No.”

She wasn’t even human when she first appeared, so she certainly wouldn’t have been registered as a resident. I wasn’t entirely sure how Japan’s resident registration system worked, but still.

“Tomorrow, can I take her in for a while?”

Before I could say anything, Yuuki quickly continued.

“It would be difficult to handle the administrative procedures properly now. I’m sure my grandfather will help too.”

She was saying she would use her government connections to help.

I hesitated for a moment.

“…Okay.”

I answered.

It was certainly a necessary step.

If she could attend the same school, I could take care of her there too.

Although Hanagawa High School wasn’t easy to get into, so it wouldn’t be simple for her to enroll.

At the very least, if there was a nearby shelter, I could leave her there while I attended school.

“Thank you.”

“No, it’s… just something that needs to be done.”

Something that needed to be done.

I let out a light breath.

That’s how it had been when I first got a job.

There were so many people in the world who didn’t think that way, so I had seen all sorts of unpleasant things while working.

The end hadn’t been good either.

I thought I had saved a lot of people, but in the end, I couldn’t save my own family.

But.

“Thank you.”

I said once more.

Because I knew how remarkable and noble it was to think that way.

And I was certain Yuuki, unlike me, would continue thinking like that until the end.

That wasn’t just because I had read it in a novel.

It was my personal impression from knowing Yuuki so far.

***

After that, things were relatively simple.

When I came back from work, Yuuki and Koko were already back at home.

I had been worried about how Koko would react if she was separated from the rest of her body for too long, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“It was fun!”

“Was it?”

It was a bit surprising to hear Koko say that, considering how few words Yuuki had already taught her.

“She must have found everything fascinating since she’d never been outside before.”

“…Wasn’t it hard? Running around all over the place.”

“No, not really. She didn’t run around as much as I expected.”

Yuuki tilted her head as she spoke.

“For some reason… she seems to follow instructions well.”

I had a vague idea of what Yuuki was thinking. She must have thought Koko had learned all these things from being abused.

…Could there have been some kind of condition during her creation?

Perhaps they had implanted something to make her obey commands more easily… Well, even if I asked Kagami, she wouldn’t give me the details, so it was all speculation for now.

“I’m sure there’s no need to worry too much.”

“…Alright.”

I replied, watching Koko play with Kuro on the floor.

I wanted to believe that too.

***

As Yuuki had said, the following week passed without any major problems.

I wasn’t sure if Koko had come to recognize the apartment as her home, but as long as I didn’t take her outside, she didn’t try to leave on her own.

Oh, right. Maybe she was scared of people.

Koko seemed to fear the gaze of others.

Though Yuuki had kindly explained it, Koko’s fear of people was quite apparent.

When we went to places with a lot of people, Koko would cling tightly to my back. If she smelled something delicious, she would get curious, and if I bought it for her, she would eat enthusiastically. If someone smiled and spoke kindly to her, Koko would relax, but until they did, she would freeze up.

She didn’t hate going outside, but she was afraid of people. That was Koko outside the apartment.

The bigger issue was that Koko and I looked exactly the same, which drew even more attention. Anyone who saw us together would stare. Is it really that surprising to see twins?

Well, I guess it could be. After all, both of us are pretty girls, so it’s understandable.

Still, after taking her out regularly, Koko seemed to be slowly adapting.

It was fascinating to me.

When a person’s mind breaks, it takes a lot of time and effort to return to normal. Even after recovery, the scars can remain and torment them for life.

But Koko hadn’t broken down mentally, despite everything she had been through.

…Ah, I see.

When I think about it, I had cut my wrists repeatedly but never developed a mental illness, so maybe I didn’t see dismemberment as something too serious.

Koko had survived through it all.

Well, considering that only about half of her body could still be considered human, trying to fully understand her mental state might be a bit too much.

Anyway.

After spending about a week like that, I became sure of one thing.

At least in front of my friends, I could show her.

I had already told the Sasaki siblings that I would join their summer trip, so of course, I planned to bring Koko along. I also planned to take her to the lantern festival afterward.

Getting her familiar with more faces would be beneficial for Koko as well.

***

“Wow…”

Shii alternated her gaze between me and Koko, who was hiding behind me, then covered her mouth in surprise.

“Oh, I’m sorry! You two look so much alike that I…”

It was certainly rude to stare, but this wasn’t the first time, so I decided to let it slide.

Besides, everyone else around us was also staring at me and Koko.

“This is Koko. My younger sister.”

Technically, she was more like an older sister, but it felt easier to say she was my little sister.

If I called her my older sister… she would seem even more pitiful.

Though, regardless of reality, we had set her up as my twin, so it didn’t make much difference. In Asia, the power of terms like “older sister” or “younger sister” is quite significant. There’s even a character trait associated with calling someone “Onii-san” or “Onii-chan.”

Even if someone is only born a few minutes or seconds earlier, it looks much sadder when the younger sibling takes care of the older one than the other way around.

“…Koko?”

“Yeah.”

Though the name was a very common Japanese name, hers sounded like something out of a manga mascot character.

But what could I do? Yuuki had already established her as “Kurosawa Koko.” It would be a hassle to change it now, with all the administrative procedures involved.

“Well… so.”

Sasaki glanced at Koko.

“She’s your twin sister, who lives with you?”

Sasaki, seeing Koko peek out from behind my shoulder and quickly hide again, looked a bit startled.

“That’s right.”

I nodded.

“She looks… really similar.”

Hagiwara Hana, who had been staring blankly at Koko, spoke. After our encounter with the Kudan, we hadn’t met again, of course.

At least for now, she didn’t seem to hold any particular feelings toward me. Her person had pointed a knife at me, and my blood had soaked her face, so she probably wanted to forget that day altogether.

“Well, they’re twins, so of course, they look alike.”

Sasaki’s childhood friend, Nakahara Nanami, said.

Even so, she didn’t make any attempt to approach Koko.

Not knowing the exact details of our situation, she probably saw Koko as a potential rival.

But if anyone tried to harm Koko, given her mental state, Sasaki would never allow it.

“……”

And, except for Shii, the other women’s gazes shifted from me and Koko to Yuuki, who stood confidently beside us.

Their stares seemed to say, “What’s going on here?”

But Yuuki just let out a small breath and spoke.

“I’m Yuuki Yuka. I’m in the same class as Sasaki. And I’m quite close with Shii.”

Though, in reality, they had barely met.

That was the narrative we agreed to go with.

The girls who had come hoping for a fun time with the guy they liked now had expressions as if they’d been struck by lightning.

That…

I felt a bit sorry for them.

But we had to do what we had to do.

It would be nice if they could just enjoy themselves without interference.

I thought, feeling the weight of Koko clinging slightly to my back.

Chapter 64. Mirror (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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In fact, if we only consider the existence of the "sea," there is a sea in front of Tokyo as well.

Of course, as long as it's a sea, there was a beach. There must have been people enjoying swimming there.

But... but, you see.

Aren't all the people gathered here, except for me, from Tokyo? If you're going on a trip during summer vacation, you'd want to go somewhere a bit farther away.

That said, going too far would be a bit burdensome.

Hanagawa High School is famous for having students from wealthy families, so some might even go abroad, but the Sasaki siblings, despite their father being wealthy, receive only minimal support, so they manage their lives by working part-time. Naturally, they would feel more secure putting money into savings rather than spending it on a trip abroad.

So, the place we decided to go was Kanagawa Prefecture, right next to the west side of Tokyo.

It was a place that took about an hour and a half by subway and bus, which made it relatively close for a vacation spot.

We arrived at a place called Isshiki Beach, but since I don’t carry a map of Japan on my body, I wasn’t exactly sure where it was. Well, it’s not like I carried a map of the Korean Peninsula on my body when I lived in Korea either, so it’s only natural.

One thing for sure is that the scenery here was really beautiful.

I’m not sure how this place will change by the 2020s, but at least in 2004, the view was stunning.

Waves were rolling in front of a wide sandy beach. The area near the shore was a clear turquoise, but further out, the color gradually deepened into a brilliant blue that was almost dazzling.

It wasn't just a vast ocean stretched out in front of us.

Like most beaches, this place had a shore that curved inward toward the land, not only with the beach but with the whole terrain forming a wide shape like that.

What I could see on the other side wasn’t the horizon, but more land.

Here and there, black rocks were scattered across the sea, and beyond them—

"Mount Fuji?"

"Mount Fuji?"

Koko, who was next to me, repeated the same words I mumbled. She probably didn’t understand the exact meaning. She wouldn’t know why I was surprised either.

There are mountains in the middle of Seoul too, but the ones I saw there weren’t shaped like a triangle. It was more of a mountain range rather than one huge mountain. It would be more appropriate to describe it as bumpy and large rather than having sharp peaks.

Of course, the terrain I was seeing here was mostly like that too.

But amidst those faraway, faint mountain ridges, one particularly large mountain stood out on its own.

It wasn’t the snow-covered Mount Fuji that people usually imagine. Was the snow melted because it was summer? I couldn't be sure since it wasn’t visible in detail from here.

"The view's great."

Yuuki, who had come to stand next to me at some point, said.

"...Yeah."

It was hard to disagree. It was my first time seeing a volcano in my life.

And in my vague memories, Hallasan in Korea wasn’t shaped like a triangle either, so this was definitely an exotic sight for me.

There were a lot of tourists other than us, but not so many that we couldn’t go into the water.

Along the shoreline, there were rows of buildings that looked like hotels, and one of those hotels was where we were staying. One single room, two triple rooms. Naturally, Yuuki and I, who were just tagging along, paid for ourselves.

Yuuki seemed like she subtly wanted to cover my expenses too, but I wasn’t shameless enough to ask her to pay for a hotel in a famous tourist spot during peak season.

If it had been shortly after we first arrived, I might have seriously considered it, but I’d already received too much from Yuuki to want to burden her further.

Still, the money I saved while working came in handy.

...By the way, I’m really sorry, but I left Kuro with Yuuki's family before coming here.

"..."

Yuuki opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it quickly.

What was she going to say?

Maybe something like, "Is this your first time seeing Mount Fuji?"

Everything I go to in this world must be a first. After all, it’s 2004. Even if I were still in Korea, it would look completely different from the era I had lived in.

"Senpai!"

I heard Shii's voice calling me from a distance.

When I turned my head, I saw Shii, in a white, fluttery dress, waving her hand eagerly at me.

"Let's go."

"Yeah."

When I said that, Yuuki nodded.

I grabbed Koko’s wrist and pulled her along. Koko followed me without any resistance.

She was smiling in a dazed manner, and I wondered if she really understood what was going on.

Well, even if she doesn’t understand, what can I do? It’s not like I could leave Koko behind with Yuuki's family as well.

Besides, once summer vacation is over, Koko will have to interact with people somehow.

She still showed some reluctance in crowded places, but as long as we were nearby, no major incidents occurred.

Well, Koko has never caused any major incidents so far.

...Though if she did, I wouldn’t know what scale it would be, but at least she couldn’t grow larger than the amount of flesh she currently had. So, as long as she didn’t get cut by a knife or something, there shouldn’t be any big problems.

Let’s just leave it to Sasaki if Raiju shows up.

"This way, Senpai!"

As I headed toward Shii, who was still waving her hand tirelessly, I glanced up at the sky.

There wasn’t a single cloud. It was too clear to expect a typhoon.

*

We had left early in the morning, so even after unpacking our things and changing into swimsuits, we still had plenty of time.

“Kurosawa, let’s go!”

Just as I was thinking of relaxing on the beach for a while, Yuuki suddenly pulled me up.

She seemed even more excited than I had anticipated.

At first, when she agreed to come, I thought she was just tagging along because of me and Koko, but now that we were here, she seemed more thrilled than I was.

…Well, come to think of it, Yuuki probably didn’t have many friends to hang out with like this. Even in the original story, I remember her having fun at the beach, and when Sasaki said, "You look like you're enjoying yourself," she blushed and replied, "Hmph!"

By the way, Yuuki looked really excited when picking out swimsuits. In the original story, she was described as having a pretty good figure, and the body I saw now was no different.

It was a well-toned body. But not in an exaggerated, overly muscular way.

The swimsuit Yuuki chose was a plain black bikini without any fancy decorations.

As for the swimsuit she picked out for me, it was an off-shoulder black one-piece swimsuit with ruffles on the shoulders.

The first one she recommended was also a ruffled bikini, but I refused because I didn’t want to show my stomach, and in the end, Koko, who didn’t know anything, ended up wearing it.

At least it’s easy to tell us apart.

"Take this!"

As soon as we got into the water, Yuuki splashed me with seawater.

Caught off guard, the salty and bitter taste of the seawater filled my mouth as it hit me squarely in the face.

While I spat out the seawater that got into my mouth, more water was splashed onto my face.

When I wiped the water from my face, I saw Koko splashing water at me. She was probably copying Yuuki.

I mean, if you’re in the same situation as me, shouldn’t you be on my side?

I felt a little bewildered, but well.

It’s the sea, after all.

There’s no yokai popping up today.

No one will blame me if I have a little fun.

In the end, I played until my long hair was soaked.

As we splashed water at each other recklessly, Shii eventually joined in, and then Sasaki’s childhood friend Nakahara as well.

Finally, even Sasaki and an irritated-looking Hagiwara joined, and we had an absolute blast until lunchtime.

Looking back, Hagiwara, in true senpai style, was probably planning to ask Sasaki to put some oil on her back, but because Sasaki got too distracted playing with us, she ended up joining in our water games.

Poor him.

Not Hagiwara. Sasaki.

Honestly, it’s every guy’s dream, isn’t it?

*

I’m an otaku.

Once you enter the otaku path, your tastes don’t change easily.

Even those who say they’ve “outgrown” their hobbies don’t usually quit anime or manga entirely. Most take a break and then come back to lighter works or shift their interest to movies or games.

I was the same. Even after coming to this world, I couldn’t fully abandon my identity as an otaku.

That doesn’t mean I bought manga or light novels to read. Buying new books was surprisingly expensive. And for some reason, I didn’t feel like buying used books. After all, I’m an otaku. I’m stubborn in strange ways.

Instead, whenever I went to Akihabara, I would occasionally stop by a used game store and buy a few used Super Famicom games.

Since these games were classified as “retro” even by 2004 standards, and the more popular ones were practically sold at giveaway prices, the ones I bought were a huge help in my tough life.

Sometimes, just being able to focus on something without thinking about anything else can help with stress relief.

In that sense, I was quite interested in the “events that often appear in manga” that I experienced in this world.

For example, the “beach house.”

In Japanese manga, light novels, or anime, whenever characters go to the beach, they would often exclaim, “Wow, it’s the sea!” and then head to a beach house. Despite the grand name, it’s just a basic shack. A place that sells food and also functions as a snack shop.

There would usually be a wide terrace with a roof where people could sit, and next to it would be a small restaurant-like place.

In anime, when the characters go to the beach, they’d buy things like yakisoba from such places—

"..."

“What’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”

Yuuki asked with a slightly worried expression.

I was confident I could eat almost anything. After all, hadn’t I spent a good while in this world eating koppe pan with just salt or stuffed with bean sprouts?

I was someone who understood the value of food.

And as such a person, I deeply regretted paying this much money for this yakisoba.

Yuuki, who knew that when I said something didn’t taste good, it really didn’t, looked at me with concern, but the others seemed to take it as expected.

“That’s why I told you to just go with cup noodles.”

Hagiwara, eating a cup of noodles that was even more expensive than the ones sold at convenience stores, said nonchalantly.

No, I mean, even if it’s expensive, cup noodles are just too plain. That’s why I went with something that at least resembled real food.

I guess food stalls that only operate for a season are expensive and tasteless no matter where you go.

“Well, places like this are more about the atmosphere.”

Sasaki said with a slightly bitter smile.

“I’ve already made reservations at a famous restaurant nearby for dinner, so don’t worry!”

Even Shii chimed in, trying to comfort me.

“Should I give you some of mine?”

Nakahara, looking at me sympathetically, pushed her noodles toward me, but I shook my head.

Just as our group was settling on the consensus that the food here wasn’t great—

Slurp, slurp.

I heard the sound of noodles being eaten with great enthusiasm beside me.

Koko preferred using a fork over chopsticks. Despite looking like she was in that ambiguous space between middle and high school, her behavior was more like that of a grade schooler.

Because of that, the others seemed to look at Koko with a bit of pity.

Maybe it was also because Koko looked so kind and naive to the point of seeming a bit foolish.

She really was kind, though. Even if she didn’t understand anything, being kind and being selfish are two different things.

"...."

Silently, I pushed my yakisoba toward Koko.

Koko's eyes widened slightly as she looked at me, then at the yakisoba I had pushed over.

"Is it okay?"

"It’s okay."

When I nodded, Koko smiled brightly, quickly finished her own portion, and then eagerly started on the yakisoba I had given her.

...Koko even liked cat food.

Maybe she thought anything that was food would taste good?

Not being picky about food is a good thing, but sometimes I worry she might try to eat things that aren’t food.

Like a hamster, for instance.

…I should be careful not to leave her alone with small animals.

As I was thinking that, I suddenly felt gazes on me. When I turned my head, I found the others looking at me with complicated expressions.

"...What?"

When I tilted my head in confusion, they quickly looked away.

“Hold on a sec.”

With a determined look on her face, Yuuki suddenly stood up and hurried to the snack shop.

It didn’t even take five minutes for Yuuki to return, holding something in her hands, and she placed it down in front of me.

One was a red bean bun, and the other was a bottle of ramune.

“I’m fine, though.”

“No. We played hard at the beach earlier, and we’ll be playing in the afternoon too. Of course, you need to replenish your energy properly.”

“…Thanks.”

At Yuuki’s words, I decided to just accept her kindness.

She had already bought it, after all.

As I tore open the plastic bag containing the bread, I felt a gaze on me.

Koko was staring at my bread.

"..."

I tore off a piece of the bread and handed it to Koko.

"Is it okay?"

"It’s okay."

When I said that, Koko took the bread and ate it.

"Tasty!"

Well, I’m sure everything tastes good to you.

Thinking that, I took a bite of the bread.

…And once again, I felt the eyes on me. I looked around again.

My companions, who had been staring at me and Koko intently, quickly averted their gazes. Some awkwardly started talking to the person next to them, while others focused on their food, pretending they hadn’t been watching.

...What is this?

I slowly chewed the bread, wondering if I had missed something, but no one met my eyes.

Had I done something wrong?

Even as I tilted my head in confusion and finished my meal, I never figured out the reason.

*

As I had felt during swimming class in the summer, playing in the water uses up a lot more energy than you’d think.

In the morning, the kids had played so enthusiastically in the water, but now they were quietly engaged in other activities.

For example, Nakahara, probably trying to score points with Shii, was focused on building a sandcastle with her.

Considering that when we first came here, her proposal was driven by the presence of the two heroines stuck to Sasaki, I’d say her efforts were quite successful.

It’s definitely easier to bond while playing together than to just try and get close.

By the way, Koko was also with them.

Koko had tied her hair back into a ponytail like Yuuki.

The hair tie she was using looked similar to the one I had, but hers was red.

It was Yuuki’s idea, of course. Koko wouldn’t have been able to—

...

Actually, she probably could have, but I wonder if that hair tie is just more of her “flesh”? After all, her hair is technically just stretched skin.

Hagiwara, being the senpai type, seemed to think this was the perfect time to ask Sasaki to put oil on her back, but unfortunately, with us sitting nearby, she didn’t seem to have the courage to do so.

As a senpai character, she should really be more assertive.

Because of that, the four of us sat awkwardly together, blankly watching the scene in front of us.

"Pretty peaceful."

"Yeah."

Yuuki mumbled, and Sasaki replied.

“This is the first time I’ve come to the beach with so many people.”

“Really?”

Hmm.

Maybe Yuuki wasn’t that into Sasaki, so she wasn’t showing her usual tsundere side.

“Yeah.”

Sasaki didn’t bother to explain his story in detail.

There’s no need to bring up depressing topics while on vacation. We’ll find out everything we need to know as the story progresses anyway.

"Actually, this is my first time too."

Yuuki said.

"Me too."

For some reason, I felt like I should say that too, so I did.

The three of us looked over at Hagiwara. Sitting next to Sasaki, waiting for the right moment, Hagiwara made an awkward face when she noticed our stares.

Is she remembering what happened in Chiba last time?

"...Me too."

"We’re all the same, then."

Listening to Sasaki, we sat there quietly on the sandy beach for a while.

Chapter 65. Mirror (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Hmm.

I gazed up at the sky.

Even though it was nighttime, it was clear enough to tell that the sky was still bright. No matter how late it is, when the sky is full of dark clouds, it feels dreary.

It wasn't a full moon, but the moon maintained a fairly round shape. To be precise, it seemed to be somewhere between a half moon and a full moon.

Even with such a moon, the moonlight was sufficient. Then again, it didn’t really matter whether the moonlight was sufficient or not because we were in a city famous for tourism. It didn’t get dark easily just because night had fallen.

Even at this time, there were quite a few people on the beach. There weren’t many people alone; most were in groups of two or three, leisurely strolling along the shore.

The TV in the hotel room didn’t mention anything about a typhoon. Around this time of year, it wouldn’t have been strange if a typhoon had passed, but the weather forecast predicted clear skies for the entire four days we were staying here.

…Surely, I didn’t get the dates wrong, right?

We were here from August 5th to the 8th, staying for four days and three nights. Typhoons can move quickly, but the places where typhoons that hit Japan usually form are quite far away. If one were approaching, we would have been hearing about it for days.

I leaned against the railing on the hotel terrace, thinking about how the episode had played out in the novel.

The novel didn’t specify which beach they went to. Naturally, it didn’t provide an exact date either. It was simply described as “one day in August.”

I don’t think there was any mention of the weather forecast either.

What mattered most was which day the typhoon started raging, but I couldn’t remember that part.

…It definitely wasn’t the first day—

"Whoa—!"

I flinched when someone beside me suddenly shouted.

Turning to look, it was Koko.

"Koko, you shouldn’t shout in a place like this."

"Shouldn't?"

"Shouldn’t."

Koko didn’t seem too discouraged by my words.

I still couldn’t figure out her personality. I should’ve asked Kagami for more details last time. Though, it wasn’t like Kagami would have willingly shared more, but I could’ve at least tried.

I opened my phone.

Going through my email inbox, I saw the messages we exchanged before coming here. Things like, “Where should we go after arriving at the station?” and “How long will it take to get there?”

Scrolling up further, I saw some friendly emails from Miura, Yamashita, and Fukuda, asking how my vacation was going, mentioning they were out having fun, and suggesting we meet up sometime.

It seemed like Kaneko and Izumi had gone to the beach together. Kaneko’s email also mentioned that Izumi had asked her to say hello on her behalf.

Going even further up, I found the email from the day Yuuki and Kagami had discovered Koko’s existence.

Kagami had sent me an email from her apartment that day.

[What exactly do you think that is?]

…That’s what the email said.

Kagami seemed to have somewhat figured out Koko’s true nature by that point.

And, in her confusion, she sent me that email.

I didn’t read it until after I had finished talking to Kagami. I had thought, ‘It wouldn’t be right to read it now,’ and only opened it long after that day had passed.

That’s when I felt a slight sense of doubt.

Sure, it made sense for Kagami to be confused. They had dismantled and sealed her body away, but I had taken it upon myself to recreate her in my own image and keep her with me. Before hearing from me that Koko’s body parts were wandering around separately, they might’ve thought I had gone crazy and dug up Koko’s body from the fridge to reassemble it.

“What exactly do you think that is?”

Wasn’t it natural to think she was the same kind of being as me? Common sense would dictate… well, then again, this situation was far removed from common sense.

Is there something about this that I don’t know?

Considering how casually they handed her over to me, it all felt a bit haphazard.

Or maybe it was because they couldn’t deal with her themselves?

“Kurosawa.”

While I stood side by side with Koko, silently watching the sea, the door opened, and Yuuki stepped out.

"They say it’s time for dinner."

"Got it."

Anyway, I had already changed clothes a while ago.

I grabbed Koko’s hand and pulled her along.

"Food?"

"Yes, food."

"Food!"

Seeing Koko’s eyes light up, I pondered again for a moment.

…What would happen if I used all the flesh in that fridge?

Would she grow into a giant while maintaining this form?

“They said we’re having yakiniku for dinner.”

Meat!

Nice. It’s not something I need to worry about right now.

Actually, even if the Raiju showed up, there wasn’t much to be concerned about. Yuuki was here, I was here, and Hagiwara was here as well. We could easily, or at least with some effort, deal with a yokai.

Besides, it wasn’t going to show up immediately anyway.

For now, it’s all about the meat. Let’s focus on enjoying some grilled meat, something I haven’t had in a while.

As I gleamed with excitement, Yuuki looked at my face and laughed. When I stared at her in response, Yuuki cleared her throat awkwardly.

“This place is quite famous around here. Seems like the reservation was made well in advance.”

"Shii made the reservation?"

"Yeah, Shii did."

Impressive, she’s really on top of things.

I felt some sympathy for the process that shaped her personality, but the personality itself seemed like a positive one overall.

Later, when her story with her parents comes into play, I’ll have to make sure to take extra care of her.

"Yakiniku?"

Koko tilted her head in confusion.

“It’s something delicious.”

“Delicious!”

Uh, you should have put a question mark at the end there.

Saying it like that makes it sound like a statement.

Well, as long as the meat isn’t weird, it’ll definitely be delicious.

*

The meat was really tasty. It certainly lived up to its reputation.

I struggled a bit because Koko kept trying to eat the raw meat, but by the middle of the meal, she obediently started eating the pieces I grilled for her, which made me happy.

She didn’t remind me of my sister from my previous life. My sister never really gave off the vibe of a typical little sister.

No, actually, in the traditional sense, she might’ve been closer to what most people would consider a typical little sister.

She would always be snarky and rude whenever we talked, and we barely spoke anyway. We were probably close in our own way, but it always felt awkward between us.

Compared to her, Koko was much more… how should I say it? Kind? Well-behaved? Maybe it’s just because she’s so innocent and doesn’t know anything.

While I was busy grilling meat for Koko and feeding her, the others started looking at me with pity in their eyes.

Yuuki kept placing meat from her plate onto mine. Thanks to that, I was able to eat my fill too, though I wasn’t sure if Yuuki got to eat enough. She eats just as much as I do, after all.

After finishing our meal, we wandered around here and there.

We walked aimlessly around the city and then went to a karaoke room to sing some songs.

Koko wasn’t as interested in singing as she was in the tambourine. At first, she was shaking it too wildly, so I taught her a proper rhythm, and she enthusiastically followed along, shaking it with bright eyes.

“Here.”

Yuuki handed me the remote control.

“You should sing at least one song.”

Yuuki smiled at me as she said that, and for a moment, I wondered if Yuuki, not Sasaki, might actually be the male lead of this novel.

In the novel, she came across as the ultimate tsundere for the time period, even resorting to hitting the male lead occasionally, but she was incredibly sweet to girls.

And right now, she wasn’t like that between anyone anymore.

I took the remote and flipped through the songbook.

Even though we had a TV at home now, just like in my past life, I wasn’t particularly interested in celebrities here either.

Well, it’s probably best to go with what I did last time when I hung out with Miura.

I picked an old Japanese song that any Korean otaku would’ve heard at least once.

And then—

“Oh.”

Hmm.

Given Koko’s wide-eyed stare and the reactions from Miura and Fukuda, it seemed that their earlier compliments hadn’t been just empty words.

Even Koko, who had been shaking the tambourine like crazy, blinked in surprise and watched me as I sang, which meant I must’ve done a pretty good job objectively.

Well, I had already been complimented for my singing during a group date, so I wasn’t too surprised.

After finishing the song, everyone applauded, making me feel a bit embarrassed.

But it didn’t feel bad.

After all, I’d never heard this kind of praise even once in my past life.

*

On the way back, we bought a bunch of snacks and bread.

We were planning to stay up late chatting and snacking in the room. Isn’t that the charm of a trip?

While preparing for the night, someone knocked on our door.

I thought it was Shii and opened the door, only to be slightly startled to see someone taller than me standing there.

“…Uh…”

It seemed the other person was also at a loss for words now that we were face-to-face.

“Hi?”

We already greeted each other today, didn’t we?

As I slightly bowed my head, the awkwardness between us intensified.

"Um, that…"

"Yuuki’s inside."

I said as I started to step aside, but Hagiwara quickly waved her hands.

"No, no."

And then, awkwardly lowering her hands, she spoke again.

“I came to see you.”

Me?

I stared up at Hagiwara. Maybe she was uncomfortable with my gaze, as she began avoiding eye contact.

“Go talk.”

Yuuki, who had approached from behind, spoke up.

“I’ll watch Koko.”

“Will it be okay?”

“It’s fine. Koko’s cute, after all.”

Looking into the room, I saw that Koko was already trying to tear open a bag of bread.

…Well, it should be fine.

Yuuki wouldn’t leave Koko alone or go anywhere.

“Thanks.”

“No need to thank me.”

Yuuki replied casually, then looked at Hagiwara.

“If you’re planning to do anything to Kurosawa—”

“…No. I’m not here for that.”

Hagiwara responded to Yuuki’s warning.

It was a stark contrast to the confident demeanor she displayed in front of Sasaki. In fact, all day today, Hagiwara had been like that whenever she was near me. Especially when she saw me taking care of Koko, that atmosphere intensified.

Was it guilt?

“I’ll call if anything happens.”

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and waved it. Yuuki nodded.

I looked back at Hagiwara.

“…Shall we go?”

"Yeah."

Hagiwara answered softly.

*

There’s something called gap moe.

With the changing trends among otakus, the term might fade or transform over time.

So, by the 2020s, people probably wouldn’t use the term gap moe anymore. There might be a more refined word with a similar meaning.

But for now, we were still twenty years before that. No one would complain if I used such a term.

The concept of tsundere was probably just starting to gain popularity, too.

Anyway, if you looked at things through the lens of gap moe, Hagiwara’s current demeanor fit the vibe perfectly.

Normally, she would act flirtatiously, even provocatively, toward the protagonist, but when it came to serious matters, she would either soften up or reveal her vulnerabilities. This was a common trait for characters like her.

Of course, Hagiwara wasn’t going to rely on me. If anything, she might lean on Sasaki more because of this incident.

The two of us walked out to the beach.

We didn’t go all the way down to the sandy shore; we just stood in a spot where we could see the sea while staying near the buildings.

Now that it was fully nighttime, there were only a handful of people left at the beach. Even those still there weren’t going into the water.

“……”

Hagiwara stayed silent for a while, as if she was contemplating something, before finally asking,

"Is the place where you were stabbed… alright?"

"It’s fine."

I answered simply.

“But still, back then…”

"It was an emergency."

Sensing that Hagiwara’s words were about to get long, I quickly replied.

"But you were stabbed with a knife."

I quietly looked at Hagiwara.

Wait a minute.

"Why, why?"

Seeing my unwavering gaze, Hagiwara seemed flustered. No, not just "a little" flustered—people who are only a little flustered wouldn’t be this unable to meet my eyes.

“If you’re really sorry, can you answer just one thing?”

“One thing?”

“Yes. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“…Alright, if it’s something I can answer, I’ll tell you.”

“Who told you that Kudan was there that day?”

Hagiwara blinked in surprise at my question.

“I went to that place because… I did what I had to.”

Hagiwara looked at my wrist.

She didn’t just glance at it—she had ended up covered in blood after striking the ‘Chi’ I’d thrown at her.

“How did you and the others know to come?”

“……”

Hagiwara fell silent for a moment, then let out a long breath.

And slowly, she began to speak.

“We also have people on our side.”

“People?”

“I can’t tell you the details. They keep their identities hidden. It’s safer not to know.”

Hmm…

In Japanese light novels, it's not uncommon for secretive organizations or religions to serve as inspiration for mysterious groups.

I get it. It makes things more interesting for the reader. Plus, Japan doesn’t have a strong Christian religious presence like I’ve heard.

In Korea, where every neighborhood has a few churches, every major city has at least one cathedral per district, and you can see people walking down the street with crosses on their backs, hearing something like “The church is hiding its power!” would only draw snickers.

But Hagiwara was talking about a long-hidden history from that place.

In this novel’s context, it wouldn’t be strange if there were people who specialized in staying hidden.

"Even so, being able to get there means…"

"You also had people really nearby, didn’t you?"

Hagiwara asked me.

Did she not hear about me?

Well, I couldn’t see the Japanese government making alliances with foreign religions. Catholicism, for instance, is tied to the Vatican.

Though it’s not exactly a great power in terms of sovereignty, its religious influence is widespread in countries where Catholicism is dominant.

And considering how heavily armed and militarized Catholicism had become in this world, Japan probably wouldn’t want to get entangled with it and risk losing its autonomy.

Miura-san’s connection with Yuuki’s family might be because “it’s the better alternative.”

“There are people on our side who also chase after beings that aren’t of this world.”

“How?”

“Usually through prayer.”

“……”

“So, what do you think? It’s not hard to see, is it? I mean, someone out there could really be responding to those prayers... right?”

"……"

"…Though, it would be strange if you believed in our God, wouldn’t it?"

"…Why?"

"Why, you ask?"

Hagiwara looked at me in surprise at my question.

Well… to be honest, I kind of understand her point.

If a God existed and had any sense of decency, I wouldn’t be led to this path of Hell.

I had already lived like that in my previous life, and even in this one, I’ve shed so much blood. If God can’t find it in His heart to show pity, then He’s not a very good one.

“You… well.”

Hagiwara hesitated, then spoke.

"Your situation is … complicated, isn’t it?"

I gazed at Hagiwara for a moment.

She seemed uncomfortable again and looked away.

"If that God exists, He wouldn’t care about those kinds of situations."

At my words, Hagiwara turned to look at me.

"And even if God does exist, He might not be a good being."

With that, I started walking.

Hagiwara didn’t try to convince me otherwise.

She didn’t start throwing around words like heresy or damnation either.

Maybe she was too mild-mannered to be called a fanatic.

“If…”

Walking beside me, Hagiwara slowly began to speak again.

“If things ever get too hard, our church can help.”

"……"

“We’ve helped children in similar situations before. I’m sure the priest would be kind to you as well.”

For a moment, I was slightly tempted, but I quickly dismissed the thought.

Handing Koko over to the church?

Even though she’s half a foreign entity, she wouldn’t exactly burst into flames or melt at the sight of a cross, but given that the churches in this world hunt non-humans, it would still be too dangerous.

It’s just that she seems like a pitiful kid when you look at her for a short time, but after observing her for a few weeks or months, they’d surely realize she’s not human.

If Hagiwara and Koko became close, Hagiwara might hesitate when it came time to eliminate her, but for now, the risk was too great.

"I’ll handle it."

“Hey.”

“……It’s just easier for me.”

After I said that, Hagiwara let out a small sigh and stopped pressing the issue.

We walked back to the hotel room in silence after that.

When we reached the door, I placed my hand on the doorknob. Hagiwara, passing behind me, went off toward her own room.

After a moment of thought, I called out to her.

“Hagiwara-senpai.”

"Yes?"

“…Are we going to the gathering later?”

"Gathering?"

“Shii mentioned we should all meet up and talk.”

“Ah…”

Hagiwara’s eyes flickered slightly, as if she was gauging my reaction.

"Wouldn’t my presence be a bother for you?"

"……"

I shook my head silently.

“Not really.”

“Alright then.”

After a brief pause, Hagiwara smiled faintly and replied.

“Okay. I’ll come. It’s not like Sota will come looking for me while I’m alone in the room.”

…And what if Sasaki did come looking for you?

Aren’t you supposed to be a nun?

“You’re much stronger than I thought. You’ve surprised me.”

As I was lost in thought, seriously contemplating Hagiwara’s true position, she said that and then went into her room.

…Am I?

Perhaps my past life experiences helped more than I realized.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly and opened the door.

“Ah.”

“Wah?”

Inside, I found Yuuki pressing Koko’s cheeks between her palms, squeezing them tightly.

“…Uh, um, well.”

"……"

"It’s just… her cheeks looked so soft…"

I slowly closed the door again.

“No, Kurosawa! I wasn’t because I was trying to pinch your cheeks!”

But we look exactly the same.

I know that better than anyone. After all, I purposely showed her my body and had her mimic it.

Well, her cheeks are probably softer and squishier than mine, though.

Chapter 66. Mirror (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Should I be honest?

I was quite enjoying myself.

Of course, I still felt a bit out of place since, internally, I was a man in my thirties surrounded by these teenagers.

Moreover, the kids here weren’t just ordinary children. Each one of them had distinct personalities. They overlapped with the ‘characters’ I already knew.

I don’t know if it’s still the case nowadays, but back then, each character was assigned a ‘trait’. I’m not talking about elements like water or fire, but characteristics derived from personalities, such as being ‘tsundere’ or ‘kuudere’.

They made sure that these characters didn’t overlap, or even if they did, they created crucial differences to make them more marketable.

It was the same in this novel.

Yuuki was a perfect tsundere, Hagiwara was the mature older sister type, Shii was the little sister, and Nakahara was the childhood friend.

In Nakahara’s case, she wasn’t as significant as other childhood friend types. She wasn’t part of the group with powers, didn’t have a major role in the protagonist’s life, and her character overlapped slightly with Yuuki’s.

Typically, childhood friends come with a default tsundere trait.

But from the perspective of 20 years later, perhaps this side might be more popular. The violent tsundere concept had long fallen out of trend.

Anyway.

At least these teens were from 20 years ago. If they were teens from the 2020s, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up. The fact that I could still feel like I had ‘returned to the past’ was a relief.

Although the country is different, by the time the 2020s come around, these kids would be around my age too.

“Ah, um, Kurosawa-san?”

I heard a slightly awkward voice, and when I turned, Shii was holding a handkerchief.

Even though she called out my name, she wasn’t referring to me. Shii always used the word ‘senpai’ when calling me.

Shii was looking at Koko.

“Kurosawa?”

Koko looked at me.

“Koko doesn’t understand the concept of surnames yet.”

I explained to Shii. It was true. Koko understood that her name was Koko and that I was called Kurosawa or Kotone, but she didn’t understand *why*. Perhaps she had learned the name Kurosawa because Yuuki often called me that.

Seeing the handkerchief in her hand, I realized she probably wanted to wipe off the cream from Koko’s mouth after Koko had eagerly devoured a cream bun.

But calling Koko by her name must have felt strange to her.

In Korea, it’s straightforward. If you’re not close, you call them by their full name, and if you are close, you use only their first name. There are some cases where people are better known by their nicknames than their names. In contrast, Japan has a wide variety of titles, and calling someone by their first name without permission is considered rude.

It’s kind of similar to Western culture. I guess in countries where surnames are long, people are more particular about these things.

Calling someone by their first name is called “yobisute” (呼び捨て), but honestly, I still wasn’t clear on the boundaries.

Fukuda calls almost everyone around her by their first name. Kaneko calls all her juniors, including me, by a nickname that combines the first letter of their surname with “-chan.”

Yuuki and Miura, who I’ve known for quite a while, call me by my surname, Kurosawa, so I figured that people just have different timings for when they switch the form of address. I never really had an average idea of what that was.

Maybe it’s the barrier of culture.

“Ah, uh, um.”

With my explanation, the ‘Kurosawa-san’ title was sealed, and Shii became restless.

“Just call her Koko. She’ll definitely understand that.”

Now that I think about it, I’m really glad we gave her an easy name.

Though she’s not incapable of understanding more complicated names. There were still many questions about Koko’s intelligence.

“Koko, -san?”

When Shii called her name, Koko turned her gaze to Shii.

Shii seemed a bit uncomfortable with Koko staring at her, perhaps because Koko’s face was an exact mirror of mine.

“There’s cream on your mouth.”

Shii gently reached out with the handkerchief and wiped the cream from Koko’s lips.

As soon as Shii’s hand left, Koko resumed eating her bun.

“...”

The room fell silent.

But this time, I knew why. It would imply Koko’s intelligence was low if she couldn’t even fully grasp her own name.

Everyone looked at me and Koko cautiously, back and forth.

...What to do.

I was pondering when,

“You two seem to get along well, huh?”

Sasaki tried to break the awkward atmosphere with a slightly lighthearted tone.

“Yeah.”

I nodded quickly.

“We’re twins, after all.”

Hearing my words, everyone seemed to feel relieved, at least to some extent. They didn’t visibly exhale, but I could tell from their expressions.

“Does she have any favorites?”

Sasaki asked.

“Koko pretty much likes anything as long as it’s food.”

The problem was that it didn’t necessarily have to be human food. At least she didn’t eat non-food objects, which was a relief. Judging by her structure, it didn’t seem like she’d have a problem even if she did.

“And she likes watching TV too.”

She loved children’s cartoons. Just like how little kids calm down when you hand them a tablet with cartoons, Koko was the same.

…And thank goodness she didn’t mimic cartoon characters.

Hearing a rustling sound, I turned to see Koko picking up a snack and putting it into her mouth.

Everyone watched Koko for a moment.

Well, what can I say. When she was just a large nose, her presence was horrifying, but now that she looked like me, even her eating habits seemed a little cute. She was kind of like an animal.

...Do I also look like that when I eat?

“Hmm?”

Noticing we were staring at her face, Koko tilted her head in confusion.

Hmm.

Seeing her puffed cheeks, I could understand why Yuuki couldn’t resist her.

*

The next day.

I got up leisurely, late in the morning.

Koko and Yuuki were nowhere to be seen.

At first, a chill ran down my spine, but I relaxed when I saw the note on the table that said, ‘We’re playing at the beach.’

I changed into my clothes and went outside.

The beach wasn’t particularly narrow, but it wasn’t hard to find the kids.

What can I say? All of them had striking appearances. Well, they’re heroines, so it’s expected.

Since I came out late today, Yuuki was playing with Koko, and Nakahara was with them, while it seemed Hagiwara had successfully convinced Sasaki to apply some oil for her.

Shii, seemingly upset, stood beside Sasaki with a slightly pouty face, while Sasaki, blushing, was trying hard to console her.

“You’re here?”

Hagiwara, lying comfortably after achieving her goal, looked at me and asked.

“...”

Seeing that the back of her bikini was untied, I furrowed my brows.

I thought it looked appealing enough when I saw it in illustrations, but seeing a high school girl like this in person felt morally wrong.

No, wait. Aren’t you a nun? Isn’t this too inappropriate? Even if you’re only a year younger than me, you’re still just a second-year high schooler.

…Well, I guess those who are going to do it will have already experienced it by this age. But Hagiwara wasn’t supposed to be that kind of character.

She was the type who would blush and cover herself up completely if she were alone with Sasaki. Otherwise, she’d lose her brakes.

But seeing me frown, Hagiwara seemed to misunderstand something and smiled leisurely.

She was clearly mistaken about something.

“Senpai!”

Seeing me, Shii suddenly stood up.

Wearing a white one-piece swimsuit with a matching light white cardigan over it, Shii hurriedly approached me and said,

“Senpai, shall we go buy some ice cream?”

Ice cream? Sounds good.

I nodded.

“Ah, wait!”

“Brother should stay here and spend time with Hagiwara-senpai. It’s a good thing, right?”

“Well…”

Shii’s face lit up with a blazing smile.

To me, she just looked cute, but it seemed Sasaki didn’t see it that way.

“Sure.”

Sasaki eventually gave in, sitting back down.

“We’ll be back~”

I thought to myself that Hagiwara wouldn’t be getting any ice cream as Shii and I turned around and walked away.

*

“Sorry, senpai. I showed you something unsightly…”

“No, it’s fine.”

Jealousy was natural. Honestly, I could understand Shii’s emotions better than Hagiwara’s or Nakahara’s.

Shii’s feelings were more about family issues than romance, after all.

In the end, Shii even bought ice cream for Hagiwara.

It was a bit amusing to watch her hesitate until the last minute about whether or not to leave one out. But she managed to resist.

As we shared our ice cream, walking back together, I said to Shii,

“You’re family.”

“...Family.”

“If Koko met a guy, I’d be worried too.”

“That seems… more like a fundamental issue rather than a family one…”

Really?

Well, maybe. I suppose it would be borderline criminal in Koko’s case. If she went to the hospital now, she’d probably be diagnosed with a disability.

But I was putting that off, leaving room for possibilities. When Yuuki brought it up, I shook my head, and Yuuki’s eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t bear to give her false hope by saying, ‘there’s a chance.’

“...Maybe Hagiwara-senpai is only half serious.”

“Even if she’s half serious, I will never allow her to touch my brother.”

...

She was a complicated kid.

But I didn’t dislike her. At least she wasn’t complicated when it came to me.

As we walked side by side—

“Hey~”

…Huh?

Some guys suddenly called out to us.

They didn’t look like college students. Probably high schoolers, I guessed. They seemed to be about our age, maybe up to three years older at most.

“Hey, you two are cute.”

Oh, I see.

I was impressed.

This was a common scene in light novels. Isn’t this the classic episode? The kind that shows how pretty the heroines are and how much they like the protagonist.

But I’m not a heroine.

“Are you two alone? Wanna hang out?”

At first glance, they seemed like delinquents. Both of them looked tanned from the sun.

But I had experienced going to a mixer with such preconceived notions only to find out that the guys were surprisingly kind, which made me laugh. Who knows? These might just be innocent high school boys trying to talk to girls their age.

“Uh, um, we… have company…”

“Company? Guys? Girls?”

The two stepped a little closer to us. Shii backed away, and so did I.

People around us didn’t seem to pay any attention. It probably sounded like a casual conversation between friends unless you were really listening closely.

“Guys.”

I cut in sharply.

“Oh, really?”

They seemed momentarily taken aback by how firmly I spoke, but—

“Boyfriend?”

They didn’t give up and asked again.

I almost opened my mouth to say ‘yes,’ but then I remembered Shii was standing beside me.

If it had been Yuuki or Hagiwara next to me, I could have said ‘yes,’ and they would have just teased me a bit, understanding I meant a ‘fake boyfriend’ like Sasaki.

But with Shii, who was incredibly earnest and had a bit of a twisted view, she would think I was referring to her brother. No matter how much I explained, I wouldn’t be able to shake off her suspicion.

“Well~”

“If it’s not a boyfriend, then there’s no problem, right? We can just—”

I decided to cut them off completely without any further excuses.

I was about to speak when—

“…Huh?”

Shii’s eyes suddenly widened.

She was looking at the guys, but not exactly at them. More like behind them, in the middle of—

“Koko!”

I gasped and shouted.

“Huh?”

“Koko?”

One of the guys repeated after me, but I didn’t care and rushed past them to grab Koko.

“Koko. No.”

That’s right. It was Koko.

Until we went to buy ice cream, Koko had been building sandcastles with Yuuki and Nakahara. But somehow, she had come up behind the guys.

A cold sweat ran down my back.

“No?”

Koko tilted her head, confused, and I nodded vigorously.

“No. You can’t.”

I didn’t know what she was planning to do, but whatever it was, it was a no.

No, wait. How did she even know to come here?

That’s not important. How did she get here?

To be precise, it was as if she had suddenly appeared in the frame, like in a single instant.

If I didn’t know Koko, and if she weren’t wearing a swimsuit, I might have screamed, thinking I’d seen a ghost.

I whispered softly to Koko.

“Hurting people is not allowed.”

I had already told her this before.

“Hurt?”

“…”

Yes.

I wasn’t exactly sure what Koko had intended to do.

All I could assume was that she had pinpointed my location and sensed that I was in some kind of trouble.

Koko was very responsive to emotions.

Whenever Yuuki was sad while looking at her, Koko would tilt her head, not fully understanding the emotion. But whenever Yuuki played with her or showed genuine joy, Koko would always smile brightly.

She also liked watching scenes where children laughed and played on TV.

Maybe, just maybe.

Koko might be thinking of me as the center of her world.

And to people who showed her or me kindness, or any positive emotions, she would treat them the same. But if someone appeared who tried to hurt me in any way—

“Oh, wow, they look identical! Are you twins?”

“It's like looking in a mirror. Do you want to join us too?”

Koko’s eyes deepened.

Her deep gaze moved, focusing behind me. Reflected in those eyes were the two guys reaching out to put their hands on my shoulder—

“Help!”

Blink.

And at that moment, Shii’s scream broke the tension.

“Help!”

“Huh, hey!”

“What the—?”

The two guys’ faces turned pale as they heard Shii’s cry.

When they saw people turning to look in our direction, they became even more flustered.

They looked like they were about to bolt, but—

“What are you doing, you punks!”

Sasaki came running with a near-desperate scream and landed a straight punch on one of the guy’s faces.

He didn’t get knocked out like in a comic book or anything, but—

The guy staggered back a few steps, holding his nose, with a trickle of blood leaking between his fingers. His nose was bleeding.

Nice, well done.

I mean, legally, we might be in a bit of trouble, but it’s better than having two people die.

“Brother!?”

Shii screamed.

“Shii, are you okay!?”

Sasaki turned to shout at her, but at that moment, the other guy threw a punch at his face.

I quickly moved to push the guy away. He stumbled, losing his balance momentarily, and then turned to glare at me.

It was an openly hostile look.

And Koko saw that too.

This is bad.

“You little…”

“What’s going on?”

Apparently, the two guys had more friends. A group of older guys was now approaching us.

They looked like they were definitely older than these two, maybe college students, and they had a vibe that screamed troublemakers.

“Bro!”

The guy with the bloody nose called out to the biggest guy in their group, a broad-shouldered dude.

“What’s with your face? Did you get hit?”

The big guy scanned Sasaki with a look of disdain.

“By a weakling like this?”

Then he turned his gaze to me and Koko.

“Oh, so you're protecting your girl, huh?”

He sounded completely laid-back.

“What’s this about?”

I turned and saw Hagiwara.

Still in her slightly revealing red bikini, she approached us leisurely.

“Were you late because of this? I was wondering when the ice cream would arrive.”

“Sota!?”

Nakahara, who had followed her, gasped as she saw the situation.

“Kurosawa, what happened?”

“Well, um.”

Where do I even begin?

At first, I thought they were just typical high school boys looking for girlfriends, but they turned out to be much worse.

Looking back, I think the novel described the ones who approached as the bigger guys. There wasn’t a lot of detail, but it did mention that they were very large.

And Sasaki ended up beating them.

He fought hard to protect Yuuki, and eventually, he won.

Of course, Yuuki had already taken down most of their group by that point.

“I don’t need an explanation. They probably tried to hit on the girls because they thought we weren’t around.”

The leader of the group gave a light whistle, looking at Yuuki.

“Hey, are you the only guy here? There are so many girls. Can’t you share? You don’t need more than one, right?”

“Right? Sota, you only need one girl.”

“Senpai, this is no time for jokes!”

Sasaki freaked out at Hagiwara’s completely unserious comment.

“Well.”

Hagiwara stretched her arms out in front of her, intertwining her fingers and turning her palms outward.

The motion emphasized her cleavage for a moment, making her look quite seductive.

Watching her expression turn serious, Hagiwara smiled at me, then turned back to the guys.

“From a religious standpoint, I wouldn’t recommend impure relationships.”

You’re the most impure one here.

I couldn’t resist making a mental jab.

Hagiwara glanced at Yuuki. Yuuki let out a deep sigh and nodded.

“Why don’t we just end this here? There are a lot of onlookers. You wouldn’t want rumors spreading about how some guys got beaten up by girls, would you?”

“Senpai, what are you saying!?”

Nakahara was horrified at Hagiwara’s words.

“...Huh?”

The guy scratched his head.

“What’s she saying, guys?”

“She’s cute, isn’t she, boss?”

“Should we teach them a lesson?”

“Yeah, we can’t just let it slide since one of our guys got hit.”

The leader looked back at us.

“I don’t usually like hitting girls. But this is self-defense, so don’t hold a grudge.”

I turned back to Koko.

…

The thing is, you should be more worried about your own lives right now.

Chapter 67. Mirror (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Just after he declared hitting women wasn’t his style, the man’s body bent forward as a fist slammed into his face.

“Ugh!?”

Yeah, it must hurt.

Hagiwara had never killed anyone before, but if you had to ask, she dealt with things far more dangerous than these people.

If you asked which was more dangerous, fighting a tiger or fighting a human, unless the human was holding a gun, fighting the tiger was always more dangerous.

The problem was that he picked a fight with someone who could skin a tiger if given a knife.

I’m not sure where she hides the muscles to generate such strength, though.

But, you see, the real issue isn’t that a fight broke out.

No, if we’re being precise, the fight was indeed the cause.

“Wha?”

Koko was watching the situation unfold with wide eyes.

I was able to make a good impression on Koko because when we first met, I gave her food. This was Koko, who used to be terrified of people and only snuck around for food when no one was around.

Now she could finally distinguish between humans that posed a threat and those that didn’t.

And at least among our group here, there was no one who would hurt Koko. None of us even considered that Koko wasn’t human.

We ended up in a fight with people like that, and now, the fight was still going on.

“Koko. Wait a second. It’s okay.”

I grabbed Koko’s shoulder and gently shook her.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s okay. No one’s going to get—”

As I was speaking, a slight pain came to my head, and my view shot upwards toward the sky.

For a moment, I wondered what was happening, and then realized someone had grabbed my hair from behind and yanked it.

I wasn’t sure if they did it to intentionally drag me into the fight, or if they were just trying to grab onto something while falling.

But that action only had one result.

My hair was pulled back, and of course, I didn’t have the strength to support the weight of the man, so I ended up falling backward with my head tilted toward the sky.

“Kotone?”

Koko was looking at me with wide eyes.

My hand slipped off Koko’s shoulder—

“Koko, no!”

“Ah!?”

Just as I shouted, the force pulling on my hair disappeared with a scream.

I collapsed onto the sandy ground. Fortunately, it didn’t hurt much, since the ground was just sand.

My back was wet. And it wasn’t just from sweat. It was a more sticky—familiar sensation of some kind of liquid.

I hurriedly sat up and ran my hand through my hair.

A thick smear of red liquid clung to my fingers.

Everyone was staring at me, frozen.

Meanwhile, I looked at Koko.

Koko didn’t seem to have physically *moved*.

No, I take that back.

Koko’s body… is literally just a body. Since her form can shift at will, some parts look like it was fur or “hair.”

I’m not sure how far Koko’s body can transform. But even if it can only transform as much as I can—

“What, what the heck!? What’s going on!?”

I turned around.

The man was clutching his hand.

Blood was dripping from it.

His hand was covered in small cuts, like when you get a paper cut while flipping through a book. None of the cuts were large. But it looked more painful than a severe injury, perhaps because there were so many small cuts, not the kind of injury that would leave a massive scar.

Of course, for a paper cut, it seemed like there was a bit too much blood.

...At least it wasn’t severed. I was relieved about that much.

“……”

I looked over at Koko.

The hair tie I used to bind the end of Koko’s hair had snapped in half and fallen to the ground.

For now… the hospital.

I hurriedly rummaged through the plastic bag I had dropped and found a ziplock bag. Inside it were my wallet and phone.

I quickly pulled out my phone and dialed 119.

Behind me, I heard the man let out a belated scream as if he was wailing in despair.

---

With the situation having escalated to the point where blood was spilled, we were no longer in the mood to enjoy ourselves.

The police did arrive, but after hearing testimonies from bystanders that the men had started the altercation, and especially after seeing how I had been pulled down by my hair, they seemed more sympathetic to us.

The police officers grew even more serious after seeing Koko’s condition.

“N-no… I didn’t know! I didn’t mean it!”

I watched the two men get taken to the police station with a slight sense of emptiness.

Naturally, no razor blades or anything like that were found nearby. Even though I had blood on me, the cause remained unidentified. The police seemed to think that the man had stupidly scratched himself on a nearby rock—

But really, no matter how you scratch yourself on a rock, you wouldn’t get such clean cuts.

Except for a few bigger cuts, the man’s hand wounds shouldn’t leave major scars. That’s what I wanted to believe.

We returned to our room for the time being.

By the time the situation was over, the ice cream had melted. We weren’t in the mood to eat anything, so I just brought it back to the hotel room and left it there.

No, more importantly, we needed to deal with the current situation.

Wanting to calm down a bit, I returned to our room with Koko and Yuuki.

All three of us were still in our swimsuits. We hadn’t even had time to change clothes after coming back.

“Koko…”

Yuuki was the first to break the silence.

“Koko, could she be…?”

I nodded to Yuuki. She covered her mouth with her hand.

Since I introduced Koko as my twin from the start, Yuuki had already known she was connected to the cult like me.

And now, on top of that, she must have realized that Koko could use abilities similar to mine.

...Even though both of us were treated as failures. In some ways, Koko was treated even worse than me, but I didn’t plan to bring that up.

Whether or not Koko had any human blood mixed in, I had no intention of killing or abandoning her anymore. After living together, I had grown attached. Even though it had been less than a month, having two other breathing beings in my room brought me more comfort than I expected.

Besides, Koko was kind. She listened to me well. It’s just that she wasn’t fully trained yet.

Maybe it was my attitude, but Yuuki plopped down on a chair in the room, still covering her mouth as she looked at the two of us.

She seemed to have misunderstood a lot of things, but it looked like she wasn’t too hung up on the fact that Koko had injured someone.

Well, since the police had come and determined the wounds weren’t serious, that made sense.

“……”

Having calmed down a little, I sat across from Koko and looked straight at her.

Koko had been observing me all this time, so she could now somewhat read my expressions. Perhaps that’s why Koko’s expression looked quite tense.

“Koko.”

“Kotone.”

“You can’t do that to people.”

“Why?”

Good question. Why?

I hesitated for a moment.

The reason is simple, actually. It’s because we’ve agreed that it’s wrong. No matter how much the other person provoked you first, killing is off-limits.

Once you cross the line, you’ll cross the next line that’s drawn even lower. If you keep doing that, eventually, your sense of morality collapses.

Most people who reach that point end up being punished by someone. Whether it’s an individual or a state system. It doesn’t apply to everyone equally, but we weren’t in that kind of position.

And even Koko could be in danger.

In this country, there are people like Miura’s father, and they have their own organizations.

At least Yuuki didn’t seem to treat Koko like something other than a person right now, but if this happens repeatedly, who knows what might change.

“…It makes me sad.”

I condensed everything and told Koko.

“What happened today… was dangerous.”

“Dangerous?”

“If you hadn’t held back, his hand could have been severed.”

It was fortunate that Koko was startled when I shouted, causing her to restrain herself. Otherwise, that hand would have been sliced up like McDonald’s French fries. If that had happened, the police wouldn’t have concluded it as a mere “rock scratch.”

“And then, people might try to take you away.”

I held Koko’s hand.

“So next time, don’t do that. I can protect you, but you can’t hurt others…”

Koko looked at me quietly as I spoke.

Did she understand?

“Yes.”

“Do you get it?”

“Yes!”

Seeing Koko answer like that, I let out a breath.

Maybe it was too soon to bring her out?

No, this was something that had to happen eventually. Perhaps it’s better that we faced it this way now.

If that group I saw from the light novel is the same one, then they’re really going around looking around for these purposes.

In the novel, after the women in the group and Sota hit him, he left the scene, but his words were much more direct than this. If the conversation had gone on longer, we probably would’ve heard even harsher, more straightforward things.

“…You have to keep this promise, okay?”

I awkwardly opened my arms and hugged Koko as she nodded.

“Wah!”

Koko cried out happily.

I could see now why Yuuki kept playing with Koko’s cheeks like that. They’re warm and squishy.

“…Sniff.”

I heard a sniffling sound from behind, and when I turned around, Yuuki was looking at me with tears welling up in her eyes.

…

Hmm…

I wanted to say something to comfort her, but nothing came to mind.

I sighed quietly and scratched my head.

---

And so, the morning passed just like that.

We all gathered in the room, silently watching TV and eating leftover snacks from yesterday.

Hagiwara looked like she had a million questions she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

After yesterday's conversation, it seemed I was still making her a little uncomfortable.

Shii, Sasaki, and Nakahara… They were basically no different from ordinary people. Among the three, only Sasaki’s blood was effective against yokai, but I was the only one in this world who knew that.

The three of them didn’t fully understand what had happened. They were probably thinking something similar to the police. It seemed strange, but since they couldn’t logically explain the odd parts, they were relying on reality to make sense of it.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, how many people in the world genuinely believe in the existence of yokai?

… Still, after spending a few hours like that, the atmosphere had stabilized enough for us to feel like having fun again—

“… There are a lot of clouds in the sky.”

About an hour before lunchtime, the sky suddenly began filling with clouds.

The sky had been clear and blue in the morning, and I never expected clouds to cover it like this.

“Is it going to rain?”

Nakahara said with a very concerned expression.

“…”

I silently looked up at the sky.

Soon, the TV would likely broadcast a weather alert. A typhoon was coming.

Though it was a relatively small one.

… But thinking about it like this made me laugh.

Why does that Raiju, a thunder beast, always bring typhoons with it? Aren’t typhoons more associated with wind and water?

Lightning can strike even without rain, can’t it?

… In any case.

That means it’s about to begin.

Yuuki hadn’t brought her sword here. She was someone who clearly distinguished between work and leisure, so she must have thought she should rest properly during downtime.

That’s why, for now, she would borrow Hagiwara’s sword, who is her rival here.

Of course, according to this world’s setting, yokai can only be cut by Yuuki’s sword, “Mumei.” When the people from the cathedral dealt with yokai, they didn’t slash them with swords but rather performed exorcisms.

So, Yuuki borrows Sasaki’s blood.

She slightly cuts the tip of his finger with the sword, coats the edge from tip to tip with blood where it touches the yokai, and then, with just one well-timed strike, she cuts down the yokai.

I’ve also thought of something similar.

Wouldn’t it work if I made two swords out of my own blood and lent one to Yuuki?

“Don’t worry.”

While I was blankly staring at the sky, Yuuki smiled and said.

“It’ll probably stop soon.”

Right. It’ll stop soon.

In the original story, after dealing with the thunder beast, the protagonist and the heroine had a blast.

… Maybe this time, I won’t end up in the hospital either.

I had a few methods in mind, and I planned to test them out this time.

---

*Shhhh—*

Rain was pouring outside.

Naturally, we couldn’t go out and play.

Instead, we all gathered in the room, wrapped in blankets.

“No way, no way, we can’t just let this time pass after coming all the way here!”

Following Nakahara’s insistence, we all huddled together in the air-conditioned room.

Since it was summer, Nakahara suggested that we tell scary stories to pass the time.

However, I couldn’t really focus on the scary stories. I had been paying attention to the sound of thunder outside since earlier.

The storyline involved somehow capturing that Raiju, having a conversation with the cathedral people, and forming a delicate peace treaty between Yuuki and Hagiwara.

That treaty wasn’t just about stopping the crazy fight over Sasaki.

It was about temporarily pausing the rivalry between Yuuki’s shrine and the cathedral.

Although Hagiwara was Catholic, she was also Japanese. No matter how much she believed in her religion, she wouldn’t hate the country she was born and raised in. Moreover, after realizing the prelude to the Hundred Demons Parade that appeared with the Raiju, she saw the need for cooperation.

The Hundred Demons Parade was slated for next year. At least until then, it was something we didn’t need to worry about. It was one of the most important events in the parts I’d read, so I remembered it quite clearly.

“And… the man could never return again. What do you think?”

“… It’s not that scary.”

Hagiwara critiqued Nakahara’s story.

I agreed.

While I liked ghost stories, tales about some ghost holding a grudge never really resonated with me.

If it’s supposed to be scary, I think the scarier part is not knowing who or what the enemy is. You know, the kind of stories filled with pure malevolence that start out of nowhere and end abruptly. I liked those kinds of ghost stories.

In that sense, having a yokai as the main antagonist in a ghost story was the worst.

It’s already bad enough that it’s just some “monster,” and now, I was in the position of hunting that monster.

And the Raiju—

Flash.

As I was thinking about the characteristics of the Raiju, a light flashed outside the window.

And after that, a chill ran down my spine.

I jumped up from my seat.

And at the same time, there were others who stood up.

One was Yuuki. Naturally. Yuuki was also in the business of hunting yokai.

The other one was Koko.

With a startled look on her face, she stood up suddenly, like how Kuro used to.

“…What?”

Hagiwara asked us cautiously, her voice laced with suspicion.

It made sense that she would react this way, since three suspicious individuals had all stood up at once.

However, it didn’t seem like Hagiwara had felt anything herself.

And then—

I turned my gaze to Sasaki.

Sasaki’s body was trembling slightly.

“… Hold on, I’ll be back in a bit.”

I said that.

“Back? All of a sudden?”

Hagiwara asked me.

Shii and Nakahara also looked at me, puzzled.

“I just remembered something I need to check.”

“Uh… okay.”

Sasaki let out a bit of a confused sound but soon smiled gently at us.

“Alright, go ahead.”

I nodded and looked over at Yuuki. She didn’t show much reaction, only saying,

“I’ll come with you for a bit, too.”

“That’s fine.”

“Koko, stay here and wait.”

“Wait?”

Koko blinked and asked in response.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“….”

Was it because of the sensation I’d just felt earlier? Koko asked me with a slightly cautious expression.

While Koko could be a bit willful, preferring to learn what she wanted first when learning things, I didn’t think she lacked intelligence. It’s just that when it came to instincts and rationality, she leaned more towards following her animalistic instincts.

For Koko, this must be a moment to be wary.

But I couldn’t talk about danger in front of the others.

I hesitated for a moment.

“Koko… it would be better if you waited here.”

That’s what I said.

Koko thought for a moment, then slowly sat back down.

“Okay.”

I exhaled softly.

“…Alright, I’ll be back.”

“Okay, see you…”

“Come back soon~”

Sasaki and Nakahara waved us off without much thought. After all, they had no reason to stop us.

“You’re really just going back to the room, right?”

“…Yes.”

Hagiwara narrowed her eyes and asked, and Yuuki responded sharply, cutting her off. She didn’t seem particularly convinced.

“Have a safe trip…?”

Shii seemed a bit nervous.

Ah, right, that’s true.

The reason Shii had invited me here in the first place was because Nakahara and Hagiwara getting too close to Sasaki was making her uncomfortable.

She had called me over to be on her side, but now that I was leaving, she must have felt a bit uneasy.

“I’ll be back soon. Koko, stay by Shii’s side for a while, okay?”

“Okay.”

Koko got up again and moved over to sit by Shii on the bed. I noticed a black hair tie at the end of her hair. It was a spare one I had brought.

The red hair tie had broken earlier. Incidentally, the hair tie wasn’t made from Koko’s flesh. It was actually a gift from Yuuki. She had come up with the idea while we were on the train here, so I think she must have tied it on Koko then.

I tore my gaze away from the hair tie and said,

“Alright, I’ll be back.”

Once again, we waved goodbye to the group, who responded with casual farewells, and Yuuki and I left the room together.

“… You felt it too, didn’t you?”

As soon as we stepped out of the room, Yuuki asked quietly.

“Yes.”

“… Seriously, what a hassle to deal with on a trip.”

Yuuki muttered in frustration, scratching her head.

“For now… let’s find a way to take care of it quickly.”

It seemed she now saw me as a perfect partner for this task.

That’s a good sign.

I nodded, and together, we quickly walked away.

Chapter 68. Mirror (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

As soon as I stepped outside into the pouring rain and wind, I thought I should have worn a swimsuit instead.

Even though I was wearing shorts, the moment they got soaked, they clung to my body, making it incredibly uncomfortable. Yuuki, who was wearing slightly shorter shorts than me, must have felt a bit better.

Despite the typhoon, there were more people on the streets than I expected. That didn’t mean it was as crowded as a normal tourist spot, though.

But that didn’t matter much.

Most yokai move around their "nests." And the moment someone enters that nest, those outside can no longer see what's happening inside.

What people usually see are those that have come out of their nests for some reason, or those that were created in this world, not the other world.

The former is like the Nue Yuuki summoned at the school field, while the latter is like the Curse of Isolation I faced at Yamashita’s house.

In the case of Raiju, it moved around its “nest.”

But it had simply landed here, like other yokai, in search of prey.

So, all we needed to do was find Raiju and take care of it. We didn’t need to worry about being caught by anyone.

However, the problem was—

"Achoo!"

Cold!

It was supposed to be a hot and sticky summer, but I felt cold!

Well, it was unavoidable. It wasn’t the air temperature draining my body heat, but the water soaking my clothes.

I remember learning in a survival course that even in summer, hikers can die from frostbite in mild weather. If someone stays in water for too long, their body temperature drops. It’s the same when getting soaked in the rain.

"Are you okay?"

Yuuki asked.

To be honest, I wasn’t doing very well.

I could endure the cold. It was still summer, and we weren’t in a high-altitude area where temperatures would drop below ten degrees Celsius.

The real problem was the numbness in my skin, a tingling sensation that dulled my senses.

Though it felt instinctive, it wasn’t much different from the physical sensations I could actually feel. If there were conditions severe enough to mask that tingling, my body wouldn’t be able to register those sensations either.

“Hey!”

To make matters worse, police officers were patrolling the streets.

A patrol car passed us, stopped, and the officers rolled down the window and called us over.

“Hey! You kids okay?!”

“We’re fine!”

Yuuki responded.

Even though she said that, Yuuki didn’t look completely fine. She was better off than me, but still had her arms wrapped around herself.

I should’ve brought a raincoat, at least.

In the original story, it was described as a simple fanservice scene where the characters got drenched and their skin showed through their thin clothes. But reality was harsher than that.

Thinking back, I remember my fingers feeling numb while holding an umbrella during the summer rainy season.

“We’re heading home now!”

“Is that so? We can give you—”

Flash.

Suddenly, part of my vision turned white.

Both Yuuki and I, along with the police officers in the car, seemed to notice. The officers in the patrol car turned their gaze toward the source of the light.

Boom!

The delayed sound of thunder followed.

In the distance, a utility pole exploded with a loud bang, sending sparks flying everywhere.

“...Get home quickly! We’ve got somewhere to be!”

The officers said, before quickly turning the car and heading off.

I looked at Yuuki. She glanced back at me and nodded.

We ran toward the same direction.

Following the police car would have gotten us into trouble, so we deliberately ducked into a side alley and chased the lightning.

Thunder rumbled continuously in the sky, with bolts of lightning flashing far away, one after another.

Raiju is a yokai that brings thunder and lightning wherever it goes.

But in turn, it also follows the source of that lightning, especially electricity.

In "Tokyo Slayers," Raiju uses lightning, not just to attack enemies but also to replenish its energy.

That’s why it can control the clouds to “create” lightning, similar to how it hunts for prey. It manipulates the conditions outside to find its energy, since feeding off its own power wouldn’t work.

Shouldn’t it be called “cloud energy” instead of thunder energy?

...Not important right now.

Besides, even though it’s called “Tokyo” Slayers, we’re not in Tokyo at the moment.

“There!”

Yuuki pointed to the distance.

Boom!

Thunder roared. Beyond the series of lightning flashes, I could see a long shadow descending from above. It only became visible when the lightning struck from the empty sky.

Lightning flashed several more times before sparks shot up into the air.

It was like watching an explosion in a tokusatsu film. The sparks from the exploding utility poles resembled fireworks.

Isshiki wasn’t an area with a high density of buildings. Normally, it was a laid-back residential area with a few scattered cafes, restaurants, and convenience stores—a tourist town, but not a bustling one.

As you moved farther from the coast, the land gradually became hillier, though not steeply.

Why would Raiju come to a place like this? Japan has plenty of places overflowing with electricity, like power plants.

I think it’s because it “couldn’t resist.”

Raiju flew through the sky, crossing the sea, suspended between the world of yokai and our world. Like migratory birds resting their wings and drinking water, it probably landed here to regain its strength.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been satisfied with creating lightning in the sky. But with all this electricity flowing through the ground beneath it...

This town was just unlucky.

“Huff... Huff...”

We finally reached our destination after running until we were out of breath.

The heat rising from inside my body helped counter the cold draining from my skin. I couldn’t even tell if I was sweating anymore. The rain was pouring down as if a hole had opened in the sky.

Flash.

The sight of lightning was eerie. The bolt itself made no sound, only the delayed thunder letting us know something had happened up there.

“Here.”

Yuuki said.

But there was nothing visible to my eyes.

Oni deliberately reveal themselves to lure people, but Raiju doesn’t need to. It has no reason to eat humans.

However.

“...Going any further could be dangerous.”

Yuuki was right.

Electrical wires were strewn all over the ground. Some pieces of the broken utility poles were still sparking.

A few people peeked out from their homes. Understandable, since the power lines to their houses were cut.

It wasn’t just one broken pole; it looked like something had deliberately knocked over several as it moved along the street.

“Alright.”

I exhaled.

“Let’s bring out the swords.”

“Wait!”

As I pulled out a box cutter from my pocket, Yuuki’s face turned pale, and she grabbed my wrist. My hand, still holding the knife, stopped as her hand wrapped around mine.

“...What?”

“Is this really how you do it?”

“I always summon the sword like this.”

“...”

This was strange.

Yuuki’s pupils were trembling. So was her mouth, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to.

“Don’t worry.”

I spoke calmly.

“...The god would never push me to the point of death.”

“...Even so.”

“There’s no other way.”

In the end, the method required was using blood—whether it was mine or Sasaki’s.

Yuuki bit her lip but slowly released my hand.

I held up the box cutter.

I glanced around just in case, but there were no people nearby. Those who were outside were too preoccupied with the broken utility poles to notice us.

Alright. Let’s get this over with quickly.

“You know how to enter the nest, right?”

“...Yeah.”

Yuuki nodded in response to my question.

Good. That’s a relief.

To be honest, I didn’t know how to do it. In the novel, it was described as just cutting through the air with a sword.

...It’s funny that I still don’t know how to do it, but whatever.

I pressed the blade against my wrist.

Then, I dragged it across.

“The fact that you’re getting along well with your sister is a delightful sight.”

The first thing I heard was that voice.

“Is that really the first thing you have to say?”

“As the one who leads the lambs, it’s a truly joyous occasion.”

“...”

I was momentarily speechless at Nirlass' words.

“...What is she exactly?”

I asked again.

“You see exactly what she is.”

No, that answer didn’t explain anything.

“If you’re asking about her identity, you already know it.”

Nirlass chuckled.

“‘Koko’ is such a cute name.”

“I gave her that name.”

“But since she’s a nameless being, the name you gave her means she’s ultimately ‘Koko,’ isn’t she?”

That’s not the point I was asking about, though.

“Is she really your daughter?”

“That depends on how you define the concept of a daughter. Even if I had offspring, no life form on Earth could give birth the same way I do.”

“...”

I gave up asking any more questions.

“So, is that all you wanted? I thought you called me for something else.”

“...I need a sword.”

I said.

“Two, if possible.”

“Considering the amount of blood you usually shed, it’s not impossible.”

Nirlass spoke with amusement.

“And”

“And?”

“...I want to try using my blood differently.”

“For example?”

“...Like Koko. Is it possible to transform it into something else, not just a solid object?”

“Are you trying to escape the form of a human?”

“No.”

I firmly replied.

“I just thought... it might help in combat.”

“...”

Nirlass remained silent for a moment.

Judging by the atmosphere, it wasn’t that Nirlass was speechless, concerned, or offended.

Rather, she was probably thinking, “This is interesting.”

“Very well. It’s not impossible.”

Nirlass spoke in a voice mixed with laughter.

“However, I hope you don’t overuse it. I don’t want you to die.”

Of course.

It would be a problem if her toy broke.

Nirlass likely didn’t just want me to suffer. She probably desired something much more... complex.

“What is it that you want?”

“As always, the breath of my enemies.”

Nirlass answered my question.

“And I hope you continue to show such entertaining displays. I’m sure there will be even more fun in the future.”

“...”

“Let’s meet again.”

Nirlass said.

And then—

“...”

I heard Yuuki gasp.

In my left hand, two swords materialized out of thin air, as if I had conjured them from nowhere. It was like 3D printing with blood.

But when they hit the ground, they made the sound of metal.

Yuuki stared blankly at the spot where the swords had fallen, but quickly came to her senses.

Instead of picking up a sword, she looked at me.

“Let’s stop the bleeding first—”

“No.”

I shook my head, already anticipating what Yuuki was going to say.

“This is necessary.”

“...”

She looked like she wanted to ask, “Necessary for what?” but bit her tongue and held back her questions.

My blood dripped onto the ground. The vivid red drops mixed with the water, flowing along the slope. It was a grotesque sight.

Yuuki bent down and picked up the sword.

She handed me one of the swords.

“Let’s finish this as quickly as possible.”

Yuuki said, and—

She slashed the air with the sword.

Swish.

I heard a sound like air escaping, and the air split open.

...So that’s how it works.

It’s...

Much simpler than I expected.

It’s funny that I still don’t fully understand how it works. I’ll have to ask for a more detailed explanation later.

Yuuki quickly leaped into the gap. I followed right behind her into the rift.

And once again, a chill crept over my body.

It wasn’t raining inside the nest. But that didn’t mean the ground wasn’t wet.

Crackle, crackle.

I heard the sound of something chewing on a mineral-like substance. And a metallic scraping noise, as if something was grinding against metal.

Zap.

Blue sparks flickered on the ground. It was electricity.

The soaked ground was scattered with sparks.

“Be careful.”

I nodded at Yuuki’s warning.

Typically, yokai create a nest and rarely leave it. To yokai, this world is a "different world."

Many yokai in the story were like that.

They could step outside their nests, but they couldn’t last long. Just as humans experience limitations in water, yokai are restricted in our world.

That’s why in the story, if a yokai was deemed too powerful, it was often lured outside the nest.

If Nue had stayed in her nest, she would’ve been much stronger.

“...Kurosawa, can you manage?”

Yuuki’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Her gaze was fixed on the sparks flickering on the ground.

Can you avoid that? That was what Yuuki was asking.

In the novel, Yuuki and Hagiwara had solved this problem by jumping around.

Even at this point, Sasaki could only provide minimal help to Yuuki. Initially, it was just coating the sword, and later, drawing the yokai’s attention with his blood to keep Yuuki safe.

I couldn’t move like Yuuki, with her manga-like agility.

But.

I raised my hand.

And—

The "Chi" slithered out from my wrist, like a snake.

But this time, it didn’t just drip onto the ground. Instead, it crawled out from my open wrist, dangled for a moment, and then clung tightly to my arm.

They sprouted so rapidly that counting them was pointless, wrapping around my entire left arm.

By this point, I couldn’t tell how many more would come out. But since Nirlass wasn’t stopping the blood from flowing out of my wrist, it was safe to assume they would keep multiplying.

“...Let’s go.”

Alright.

Let’s see how these things move.

Yuuki gave me a complicated look before nodding.

Splash.

As I stepped into the puddle, Raiju, who had been gnawing on something, suddenly lifted its head.

When it slowly turned toward us...

It resembled a ferret, though its features were grotesquely distorted.

An extremely angry ferret.

Blue sparks continuously crackled in its eyes, and its fur stood on end, as if charged with static electricity.

Honestly, it was a bit funny.

“Kyao!”

Raiju let out a sharp cry, fitting its appearance, and the surrounding liquid sparked and exploded.

The world around us, which looked just like our own, began to burst apart.

Fortunately, the water we were standing in didn’t explode.

“...That electricity is the same as the one from the fallen utility pole.”

Yuuki said, and I nodded.

I figured as much. That’s how it was in the original story, too.

But that wasn’t the important thing. All we could see were sparks. We couldn’t remember the exact shape of the fallen utility poles, so we’d just have to dodge the sparks from now on.

Our task was to avoid the dangerous zones.

I could only hope my left hand would help.

Raiju moved first.

With a cry resembling that of a ferret, Raiju rushed toward us, surrounded by visible electrical energy.

Yuuki grabbed my arm, intending to leap back, but—

I stretched out my left hand.

...There’s no way they’d give me an ability that would get me electrocuted here.

As I extended my left hand, the red, elongated things wrapped around my arm unfurled.

They spread out in all directions from my hand, like an umbrella with an overwhelming number of ribs—no, like an umbrella densely packed with endless spokes instead of fabric.

Some of them even wrapped around my hand.

And,

Sssss!

With a sound that made me feel like I might die if it touched me, the sparks around us scattered. The puddles around us exploded again, but we were unharmed.

Pop, pop.

“Kyao!”

Some of the red tentacles wrapped around my hand failed to absorb all the shock and burst. Covered in my blood—which yokai detested—Raiju quickly retreated with a scream.

“...”

Yuuki pressed her lips together at the sight.

“...Let’s go!”

When I spoke, Yuuki released my arm.

She dashed forward.

The sparks that had been in front of us had dissipated with the earlier explosion. They’d likely reappear in a moment, but now was the perfect time to strike the yokai, which was momentarily dazed.

I also sprinted forward.

“Kruuu!”

Raiju cried out. Its back, already charged with static electricity, crackled, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Without needing me to say anything, Yuuki recognized the danger and threw herself to the ground.

She rolled to the side, dodging the flickering light, and sprang back to her feet with ease.

Raiju’s long tail whipped toward me.

I didn’t jump. My jumping ability wasn’t anything special.

Instead, I used something no ordinary human could imitate.

I extended my left hand, and the red tendrils coiled around my arm shot forward, anchoring themselves to the ground.

And this time, they lifted me off the ground like a pole vault.

Zap!

Raiju’s tail sparked violently, exploding the section where the tendrils had gripped, but I was already soaring above its head.

I may not have been a science major, but I knew that electricity flowed through metal. I wasn’t sure if the sword in my hand was made of metal, but I wasn’t about to test that theory with my life on the line.

I threw the sword straight at Raiju.

Thud!

I heard the sound of metal clashing. Did it miss? Despite hitting Raiju’s fur, it made a metallic sound, making me think it had missed. But a little blood sprayed, showing that the blade had struck its mark, though it didn’t stick.

Thunk.

I landed on the ground. My ankle hurt a bit—probably because my landing wasn’t perfect.

I dove for the fallen sword.

Hitting the concrete was painful, but not enough to stop me from moving.

“Kyao!”

Raiju’s attention shifted to me, its grotesquely distorted ferret face turning in my direction.

Yuuki didn’t miss her chance.

She quickly rushed in and stabbed Raiju in the neck, but sparks erupted again.

“Ugh...!”

Yuuki swiftly retreated. She didn’t seem injured.

But that didn’t mean she could attack easily again.

I switched the sword to my left hand.

To be precise, I handed it to the tendrils wrapped around my left arm.

And, in reverse, I extended the tendrils toward the sword.

I wasn’t sure how it worked. It didn’t feel like moving my fingers; it was a completely different sensation. After all, it didn’t feel like my own body.

With the tendrils extending from my hand, gripping the sword, I swung with all my strength toward Raiju.

“Kyaoooo!”

Raiju quickly backed away. Expecting to stab it, I stumbled forward as the tendrils swung with my arm. My arm felt heavy. And since the tendrils were made of "solid blood," they seemed to be draining my energy.

Yuuki didn’t miss the moment Raiju retreated, throwing a sword at it—just like in the original story when she threw a blade coated in Sasaki’s blood.

But this time, it wasn’t just “a little” blood.

Thunk.

Raiju, having just landed from its jump, didn’t have time to turn around and got hit by the sword.

Whether it was bad luck for Raiju or Yuuki’s good aim—

The sword grazed Raiju’s left eye.

“...!”

Raiju didn’t even scream. It simply covered its eye with its forepaw.

Boom!

I didn’t miss the opportunity and swung my arm again.

A downward slash from above.

Raiju moved quickly, but not fast enough to completely avoid my attack. It ended up with a wound on one of its front legs.

But that alone seemed to enrage Raiju to the core.

“Kyaooooo!”

Raiju screamed once more and leaped into the air.

I quickly moved next to Yuuki and formed the umbrella again.

But Raiju wasn’t diving at us this time.

Three seconds passed. When no impact came, I began to lower my arm—

Bang!

With a deafening crash, I was thrown backward.

My vision was suddenly filled with red.

“Kyaaah!”

I heard Yuuki scream.

I wiped the blood off my face and surveyed the situation. The mass of tendrils that had extended from my left wrist now hung limp, as if they had died.

...It destroyed them all in one strike.

I looked up at the sky.

A giant ferret was flying through the air.

It was a strange sight, but with its long body and tail, it looked almost graceful, as if it were swimming.

However, the attack that followed was anything but elegant.

“Kurosawa, dodge!”

Yuuki, who had grasped the situation before I did, lunged toward me.

Just where we had been standing, a lightning bolt struck the ground.

Ah, so it used a bolt of lightning from the sky to neutralize my defenses in one shot.

And now, it was hovering in the air.

Yuuki’s sword had landed quite a distance away.

“Yuuki.”

I handed her the sword.

“You—”

“I’ll draw its attention.”

I said as I stood up.

Let’s stick to what we’re good at.

“You finish it off.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Even if it’s dangerous, it has to be done. If we leave it, things will only get worse.”

At my words, Yuuki pursed her lips.

There wasn’t any time to think or respond.

I pushed Yuuki. She didn’t fall, but she staggered back a few steps.

As I leaped forward, lightning struck again.

It was terrifying. The area of impact wasn’t large, but had we been there, we would’ve died instantly.

If we stuck together, we’d both die.

“...”

I clenched my left fist.

Slowly, the limp tendrils began to stir, regaining strength and wriggling once again.

More tendrils emerged.

Of course, the more they appeared, the more I felt like my body was being emptied. But I’d die either way.

No, I wouldn’t die. Nirlass was watching, wasn’t she?

Now, what should I do?

If that thing strikes me with lightning from the sky—

“...”

I see.

I twisted off one of the tendrils.

The tendril moved according to my will. When I twisted it, it detached without bursting.

I shaped the tendril like an icicle. How? I don’t know. I just thought about it, and it worked.

How long could I keep this up? I had no idea.

Well, I’d just have to see.

I raised the “lightning rod” above my head.

“It’s more efficient to go after the easier target, isn’t it?”

I taunted Raiju.

Raiju’s eyes focused on me.

Yes. Look at me. Don’t get distracted by anything else.

I started running.

Chapter 69. Mirror (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"……."

Sasaki felt extremely awkward.

It was only natural for him to feel awkward.

Nanami, his childhood friend, and senior Hagiwara, who were in the room with him, were at least fairly close to Sasaki. Although Sasaki had only met Nanami again this year, they could still talk comfortably like before, and he had become steadily more acquainted with Hagiwara-senpai after randomly meeting her.

……Whether they were close enough to go on a trip to the beach together, he wasn’t so sure.

In fact, he had originally planned to go on this trip with only Shii.

Somehow, though, before the vacation, he had mentioned it to his friends, and for some reason, Nanami, who wasn’t even in the same class, heard about it. Sasaki still didn’t know how the story spread, but Hagiwara-senpai ended up joining in as well.

And for some unknown reason, it seemed to naturally be assumed that the two would be participating in the trip.

“Hmph~”

But leaving that aside, Sasaki thought.

Shii, whether it was out of revenge or just to avoid feeling awkward herself, said she had also invited a friend.

Yet even Sasaki didn’t know that this friend would turn out to be two people from the same school.

Shii had said…… "friend."

Not that he minded.

Yuuki usually spent her time staring blankly out the window, not engaging in long conversations with others. She would also disappear somewhere during lunch, but because of her looks, she was still quite popular in class.

Whenever Yuuki wasn’t around, classmates would chat about her.

Kurosawa was the same. Despite various rumors surrounding her, her popularity also stemmed from her appearance.

So, the fact that Sasaki, just an ordinary male high school student, was going on a trip with these two girls certainly fueled his imagination in many ways—

“Wah?”

But when it came to Kurosawa's younger sister, Koko, Sasaki hadn’t known what to expect.

……He wasn’t sure if this was the right way to put it, but Koko was, somehow……

Well, let’s just say she was innocent.

There was an innocent side to her. That’s how Sasaki felt. Of course, he had other thoughts, but putting it this way felt more comfortable.

When he was told another person would be joining, he had already half given up. Even so, since they had already booked two rooms for the girls, it wasn’t a big problem—

“……They’re not back~”

Nanami murmured.

She seemed a bit uncomfortable, too.

To be precise, she looked unsure of how to deal with Koko.

Kurosawa had said that Koko didn’t understand if people called her by her last name, so she asked them to call her Koko. But honestly, calling someone you’d just met by their first name felt awkward.

Even that reason added to the general sense of discomfort.

Koko was a nice girl, but for some reason, people became cautious when interacting with her.

Her personality was childlike, but the fact that she was the same age as them somehow made things feel more awkward.

“……I’ll go check.”

Hagiwara-senpai said, standing up.

Was it just his imagination, or did her voice sound a bit stiff as she said that?

As soon as Hagiwara-senpai left the room, leaving the three of them behind, the atmosphere became even more uncomfortable.

“Ugh.”

Koko, wrapped up in a blanket and shaping it into different forms, played by herself while the other three stayed silent for a moment.

After a few minutes of watching Koko play by herself—

“…….”

"……She's not coming back."

For some reason, Hagiwara-senpai hadn’t returned either.

“……What’s going on? This is starting to feel a little creepy.”

“I-I'll try calling Kurosawa-senpai.”

At Nanami's words, Shii hurriedly pulled out her phone.

Rather than sending a text, Shii immediately made a call.

“…….”

The room was so quiet that they could hear the conversation without putting the phone on speaker mode.

“……She’s not answering.”

“What the heck? Seriously, what’s going on!? Why is it that as soon as someone leaves the room, they don’t come back!?”

Moreover, they had just been sharing scary stories, it was pouring rain outside, and there was thunder and lightning.

The situation was perfect for making things feel more awkward.

“M-Maybe they just went to the bathroom? Right?”

Nanami suggested, but no one responded.

“……Should I go check?”

“L-Let’s go together!”

As Sasaki stood up, Nanami rose to her feet at the same time.

“Ah, wait!”

Seeing Nanami stand, Shii jumped up from her seat, exclaiming.

"……."

"……."

A brief silence hung between them.

"Both of you can't leave. We still have to think about Koko…."

“Oh.”

Shii fidgeted nervously, looking back and forth between Sasaki and Nanami, then glanced at Koko.

“?”

Koko tilted her head, looking at the two with a puzzled expression.

“I’ll… stay here.”

“Thank you.”

Sasaki felt a bit relieved at Shii's words.

He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Koko alone.

“In return, both of you must come back immediately! Just check if something’s wrong and come back right away!”

“Got it, got it.”

Sasaki said while lightly patting Shii on the head.

“Ugh.”

For some reason, Nanami didn’t seem to like that.

Feeling slightly tense, Sasaki took a deep breath and opened the door.

……Outside, it wasn’t much different from the morning.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were even a few people walking down the hallway. They all looked a bit bored, probably disappointed that it was raining despite being at the beach.

“……Hey, Nanami?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really that scared?”

Sasaki asked Nanami, who was clinging tightly to his arm and pressing her body against him.

“Yeah…….”

Nanami blushed but didn’t try to pull away.

“Ha…… haha….”

Sasaki let out an awkward laugh and walked toward the room where the other girls were staying.

There was no reason to hesitate. It was a room he had entered yesterday. He already knew it was neatly organized inside.

But—

“……They’re not here.”

Nanami said.

Indeed, no one was there.

Kurosawa and Yuuki were both gone.

And so was Hagiwara-senpai, who had just left a moment ago.

Nanami checked the bathroom just in case, but it was empty too. The room was simply clean and tidy.

Hoping that the playful Hagiwara-senpai might be in Sasaki's room, the two headed there.

Naturally, no one was there.

“Where did everyone go?”

At this point, they were starting to feel uneasy.

As they tilted their heads in confusion and made their way back to the room they were in—

“Koko-san!?”

A voice came from inside the room.

It was the room where they had left Shii and Koko alone.

Sasaki and Nanami exchanged glances and hurried towards the room.

Before they could even open the door, it suddenly flung open.

“Shii!”

“Onii-chan!”

Shii was so startled that she forgot her usual way of addressing Sasaki and shouted at him.

“Koko-san, Koko-san……!”

Shii's body trembled as she cried out.

“Koko-san, she’s gone……!”

Both Sasaki and Nanami's mouths fell open in shock.

---

How exactly should a lightning rod be used to be considered properly used?

If I got struck by lightning while holding it, that would be disastrous.

Lightning appears to strike from above, but in reality, it "rides down." A path that conducts electricity is formed first, and the current follows that path, becoming what we call "lightning"…… or so I’ve heard. I’m not exactly sure.

While my understanding wasn’t perfect, there was one thing I was certain of.

Just before lightning strikes, I get a strange sensation, like something is happening around me. Maybe it feels like my hair is standing on end.

If I think about it, this might not be me sensing a real lightning strike but rather a warning I get when a yokai uses its powers on me.

Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that I can sense it.

I plunged the blood-made lightning rod, shaped like a long needle, into the ground.

The floor, which looked similar to the concrete of our world, gave way as if the needle had pierced into some kind of flesh.

“Gyao!”

With a crack, Raiju roared upon seeing cracks form around where the needle entered.

Was it upset that its nest was being damaged?

I quickly threw myself to the ground to avoid its attack. Rolling across the floor, I distanced myself from the lightning rod just as a bolt of lightning struck it, shattering the rod into pieces. The blood scattered in all directions, and I was convinced.

This was going to work.

I quickly turned my gaze to Yuuki, who had already circled behind Raiju.

I created another lightning rod and stabbed it into the ground.

Again, again, and again.

“Huff…… huff……”

I was starting to struggle. It wasn’t just a matter of stamina; I had lost a lot of blood. Besides the needles, I had wrapped tentacles around my left arm to block any potential attacks.

While it was great that I could fully utilize the blood I spilled, every time the blood was released, it took more to restore the form.

Even just looking at my arm, it had become as pale as a corpse. I wondered how my face must look.

……I had hoped to finish quickly and enjoy the rest of the vacation.

I felt like I was only leaving bad memories for Sasaki, Shii, and even Yuuki.

If Koko saw me injured, what would she think?

“Gyaooo!”

Raiju let out an irritated cry as its aim became increasingly off, spinning in the air.

Then, from high above, it dove straight towards me—

*Clang!*

But just before its claws could pierce me, a red blade swiftly slid between us.

Yuuki, who had executed a flawless sliding move, formed a crescent with the tip of her sword, cutting through Raiju's front paw.

For a moment, a red half-moon seemed to appear around Yuuki.

And then—

“Kyah!?”

Raiju’s cry wasn’t just because of the pain from the sword.

In the present world, it was raining, but in this space, caught between the human world and the yokai dimension, rain didn’t fall. The air wasn’t exactly dry, yet—

—It wasn’t humid enough for all the thin mist-like droplets suspended in the air to form either.

It was my blood.

The blood I had used as a lightning rod had shattered upon contact with Raiju’s lightning, spraying in all directions like mist.

Some of it had probably vaporized due to the high temperature.

The blood floating in the air didn’t settle quickly. I had created quite a few lightning rods, after all.

It was only a brief moment, but that one moment was enough for Yuuki.

The difference between a hunter and prey lies in whether or not they can find that one opening.

*Thud.*

“Guh……!?”

Yuuki's blade, made from my blood, stabbed into Raiju's neck.

And smoothly, it slashed through the surrounding flesh.

*Sssshhh.*

“Yuuki……!”

“Yeah!”

As soon as Yuuki heard me, she rushed over, grabbed me by the collar, and jumped back.

Couldn't she have at least grabbed me by the arm?

But seeing sparks explode around Raiju made me forget that thought.

It was as if it couldn’t contain its own power anymore—or rather, like it was experiencing its final convulsions. Lightning struck Raiju several times from above.

“Gyaooo!”

“Kurosawa!?”

As I staggered to my feet, seeing the howling Raiju, Yuuki tried to stop me, but I pulled the sword from her hand.

Yuuki didn’t resist much.

I handed the sword to the tentacle wrapped around my left arm.

Hmm……

How far had the storyline in this period of *One Piece* progressed?

Compared to 20 years later, it would still be far behind.

Well, it didn’t matter. What I was about to do wasn’t related to that storyline anyway.

A 'Gomu Gomu Pistol' should do the trick, right?

I had no intention of shouting out the move. No matter what, I wasn’t that childish.

I was just going to imitate it a bit.

“……!”

Yuuki’s eyes followed my hand.

Or more precisely, the tentacle extending forward, and the sword at its tip.

The tentacle was a bit short, but despite the amount of blood I had lost, the sword hit its mark was still precision.

*Thud.*

The sword stabbed directly into Raiju’s forehead as it tried to go on a final rampage.

“…….”

Raiju, with its mouth agape, looked at us before turning its gaze to the sky.

*Thud.*

And then, it collapsed to the side.

“……Kurosawa……”

As I staggered, Yuuki quickly grabbed my shoulder to steady me.

Thud. Thud. The tentacles fell lifelessly to the floor, and a pool of blood formed beneath me.

Ah, I’ll have to throw away these clothes again.

I really should’ve packed a raincoat or swimsuit.

As the wound on my wrist began to heal, the surroundings gradually changed. The colors of the environment, which had been somewhat desaturated, slowly returned, and rain started falling from the sky. The sound of rain—*shaaa*—filled the air.

And then, what came into view was—

—Not a village with a toppled utility pole and a mess, with police controlling the area and citizens watching with umbrellas—

—But the expression of a girl, kneeling on the ground, staring blankly.

Next to her, Sasaki was there sitting.

The two of them were staring vacantly at our sudden appearance.

…….

Oh, dear.

---

Sasaki, Shii, and Nanami searched the hotel thoroughly, but they couldn’t find Koko. They had hoped to check the rooms, but it wasn’t easy. Naturally, people who opened their doors to their knocks looked at the three with confusion. A few even offered sympathetic words, but it wasn’t helpful.

“What should we do? What do we do… It’s my fault….”

Shii said she had only taken her eyes off her for a moment. She had just been rummaging through her bag, and during that brief time, she didn’t hear the door open or close.

Sasaki believed her. It seemed Nanami did too.

Shii was nearly paralyzed with fear.

“No, Shii. It’s okay. We’ll find her.”

“Yeah. We’ve called the police, so—”

As Nanami said, the police quickly arrived in front of the hotel.

Shii explained the situation, and Sasaki added more details. Shii was so terrified that she couldn’t speak coherently, making it difficult for the police to understand at first.

After hearing their story, the police officers exchanged glances.

"A girl with black hair tied in a black ribbon? About this tall, looking a year younger than you?"

The police officer asked Sasaki.

"Did you see her!?"

"Yeah, I saw her. She was heading in that direction earlier, and we told her to turn back—but I guess she hasn’t come back yet."

The expression of the middle-aged officer hardened. Sasaki thought he might have a daughter around the same age.

Because of that, the officers exchanged nods.

"You three stay here. We’ll go check again."

"There’s a fallen utility pole, and it’s dangerous. Why did she go that way… and there was the other kid too—"

"What!?"

Shii nearly screamed.

"Anyway, just stay here. The typhoon outside is severe. It could be dangerous if you make a wrong move."

Upon hearing the word “dangerous,” Shii’s body started trembling.

Even after the police left, Shii sat in the hotel lobby, shaking with fear, until she suddenly stood up.

"……I’m going to go look for her."

"Shii."

Sasaki spoke, but Shii shook her head.

"It’s my fault that Kurosawa-senpai came here, and because of that, Koko followed. It’s all my fault… I was the one who suggested we come…."

"No, Shii."

Nanami grabbed Shii’s arm and spoke gently.

"You couldn’t have predicted this. Besides, we don’t even know where the others went yet. If we go out and something happens—"

"But still…!"

"……."

Sasaki looked at the distressed Shii and thought for a moment.

Biting his lip, Sasaki suddenly stood up.

"……Okay, let’s go."

"Sota!?"

Nanami shouted in shock at Sasaki’s words.

"Are you crazy!?"

"But we can’t just sit here and do nothing. We have to do something… and, Shii…."

"……."

Nanami looked at the anxious Shii, then sighed heavily, placing her hand on her forehead.

She remained seated, head lowered, for a while—

"Fine, let’s go."

Then she stood up. Sasaki tried to stop her.

"No, we’ll just take a quick look outside—"

"Do you think I don’t know you? We may not have seen each other for a while, but you haven’t changed one bit."

Nanami bluntly said to Sasaki and headed toward their hotel room.

"Let’s at least get some raincoats from the hotel convenience store. If we go out like this, we’ll be soaked before we even get back."

Sasaki and Shii had no choice but to follow her suggestion.

"……Sorry."

As Sasaki walked beside her and apologized quietly, Nanami, without even glancing at him, kept walking down the hall.

"……Really, you haven’t changed at all. So—"

The rest of her words were too soft for Sasaki, walking right beside her, to hear.

---

The three of them found Koko purely by chance.

Following the direction the police had pointed out, they indeed came across a broken utility pole.

Fearing the danger, the three of them circled around the pole and headed toward the nearby area.

As they searched the streets between the houses—

"……Ah, Koko-san!"

Shii cried out.

Sure enough, Koko was standing there between two houses.

Wearing the same clothes as before, but now soaked from the rain.

Koko was tilting her head, staring off into the distance.

The three didn’t think much of it.

Because, after all, Koko was……

"Hey, Koko!"

Nanami shouted in a slightly angry voice as she approached her.

Koko turned to look at Nanami.

"You can’t just leave without saying anything! We were worried—"

Just as Nanami reached out to grab Koko's hand—

*Skreech!*

Suddenly, a large black van slid to a stop behind Koko.

Bang.

The door swung open.

Two burly men inside grabbed Koko by the shoulders.

"……Ah!"

Nanami screamed and pulled Koko back, trying to resist—

But the men grabbed Nanami as well, pulling both her and Koko into the van before speeding off.

"Wait…!"

Sasaki ran after them, but it was no use. The van sped off as if Sasaki was of no consequence.

What happened afterward was a blur.

They probably called the police right away. The officers arrived quickly.

They examined the skid marks on the ground, marking them with chalk.

There was a conversation with Shii, who couldn’t get up off the ground, and people began to gather, curious about what had happened—

And somewhere amidst that commotion, Kurosawa and Yuuki had appeared.

Both of them were completely drenched, their clothes soaked through.

"……."

"……."

For a while, neither group knew why the other was standing there. They just blinked at each other in confusion, not saying a word.

Chapter 70. Mirror (10)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"Wh-who are you…?"

Nakahara Nanami, who had been dragged into a large van along with Koko, spoke in fear.

She tried her best not to show it, but it didn’t work very well. It was her first time experiencing something like this.

Something that should never have happened in the first place.

"Uwah?"

Koko, who didn’t understand the situation, tilted her head in confusion.

Seeing Koko’s reaction brought Nanami back to her senses. In this situation, Nanami needed to stay sharp.

Nanami quickly hugged Koko, trying to hide their presence as much as possible.

Near them were men dressed in black. They were all large and muscular. They likely had the strength to snap their necks with their bare hands.

"……."

Moreover, they were wearing black masks that covered their faces.

Where were they taking them? What was going to happen to them?

A flood of thoughts ran through her mind.

Two young girls being kidnapped by large men—no matter how she thought about it, nothing positive came to mind.

"Kotone?"

At those words, Nanami turned her head.

In her arms, Koko looked up at her and spoke softly.

"Kotone?"

"Kurosawa…."

No.

"Kotone wasn’t there. We were looking for Kotone, right?"

"Uuh?"

Koko tilted her head again, still not understanding the situation.

It broke Nanami’s heart to see her like that.

What should I do?

The people in the van hadn’t done anything yet. They were just sitting and staring at the two of them.

But even so—

"Kurosawa Kotone."

One of the men spoke.

Nanami's shoulders flinched.

How do these people know Kotone’s name?

But the masked man didn’t seem to care that Nanami turned to look at him, and continued speaking.

"The Master wants to talk. If you agree, the girl next to you will be safe. She’ll return home unharmed."

The Master? Talk?

What are these people even talking about?

Her anxiety grew.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wanted them to be criminals or killers.

But if these people were involved in some kind of religious cult, couldn’t something even worse happen?

Like being offered as a human sacrifice, or being used in some other twisted way—

"……."

Koko peeked over Nanami’s shoulder.

Looking at the men, Koko spoke clearly.

"Kotone said."

Koko paused for a moment, then continued,

"She said not to follow strangers."

Nanami felt her heart sink.

"……."

The men remained silent.

But even their silence made it feel like Nanami had already received their answer.

Shing.

From behind them, a suspicious sound echoed.

It sounded like something being drawn from somewhere.

"Hic, hiii…."

Nanami wanted to tell them to stop, but all that came out was a pathetic noise.

Still, she tried her best to shield Koko—

"…Huh?"

—but she couldn’t.

More accurately,

When she opened her eyes, she found that instead of her hugging Koko, it was Koko who was hugging her.

As if Koko was protecting Nanami from the men.

And the knife that should have stabbed into Nanami’s body pierced Koko’s instead.

There wasn’t any blood splatter. Koko’s expression didn’t change.

The scene felt strangely surreal.

There was definitely something that had hit Koko’s back. Judging by the sound, it was—

Nanami felt something flowing down her legs and lowered her gaze. There was red liquid.

"Ah, ah…."

Nanami frantically touched Koko’s back.

A long wound ran across her back. Something was flowing from it.

"…What."

One of the men muttered.

"Kotone said so."

Koko spoke again.

"That’s not allowed."

Koko’s damp hair swayed slightly.

Just as Nanami was beginning to think how strange the sight was—

Thud!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the top of the van.

It sounded like something heavy had fallen on it.

"What!?"

The two men, who had been frozen in confusion, shouted.

Everyone in the van, including Koko and Nanami, looked up toward the roof.

Screech!

A dreadful, metallic scraping noise came from the van's ceiling,

Bang! Bang! Bang!

There were several more pounding noises,

Crash!

Something pierced through the van’s roof.

The tip of it looked like a knife.

Scrape.

It moved sideways, forcefully twisting the metal, and then the knife was pulled back.

Rain leaked through the widened gap, slightly wetting the interior of the van.

And through that gap, a pair of gleaming eyes appeared.

“Kyahhhhh!”

Seeing that, Nanami, who had been in a daze, snapped back to reality and screamed loudly.

---

One advantage of residential areas with mostly low buildings is that the roads are narrow.

Of course, for those who enjoy driving or need to commute by car every morning, such areas might seem like a nightmare.

But for chasing a car on foot, it was perfect—especially when you had no vehicle yourself.

“Ha.”

Hagiwara muttered as she climbed onto the roof of the van.

She had found the fallen utility pole and had her suspicions, but as expected, it was impossible for her to intervene in the situation alone.

Still, she had done her best.

She had scouted around, looking for anything suspicious. That’s when she noticed a black van circling the area repeatedly.

Was it suspicious?

Of course, it was.

It was the same method used when the Church sent people on a mission.

After observing the people in the van for a few minutes without them moving, Hagiwara mentally noted their appearance.

She found Koko shortly after that.

And seeing Koko being kidnapped with Nanami was, in a way, a stroke of luck.

“No, it wasn’t.”

If she had found them a bit earlier, she could’ve prevented it from happening.

Hagiwara ran a hand through her hair as she thought that, and then attached a device to the roof of the van.

It was a spring-loaded mechanism attached to her right arm that shot out a knife. The Church called it a “stake.”

Well, even though it shot knives, it was used like a stake. If she drove it into a vampire’s heart, even they would probably acknowledge it as a stake and disappear.

Normally, it would be hidden under a wide sleeve.

“Haa.”

She sighed.

What a way to spend a vacation.

She had finally been able to spend time with Sota, but all these interruptions had ruined any chance of enjoying it.

“And it’s only the second day!”

Hagiwara grumbled and activated the device.

Bang!

She drove the knife into the roof several times, twisting it to make a larger opening so she could see inside.

Inside, she saw Koko, her back covered in blood, and Nanami holding her tightly.

Koko’s wet hair swayed gently.

“…I see.”

Hearing Nanami’s scream from inside, Hagiwara raised her upper body slightly and moved the device closer to the van.

“No matter what, this isn’t right.”

Unless Nanami had suddenly needed to return home due to family matters,

“This kind of thing” should never happen.

No one should ever find themselves in “this kind of situation.”

Scrape!

As she widened the hole in the roof, Hagiwara thought to herself.

---

Huff, huff, huff…

Ugh, this is exhausting.

I barely managed to hold onto my fading consciousness.

Honestly, I just wanted to collapse and pass out right there. A part of my mind kept trying to convince me that if I slept, everything would be taken care of by someone else when I woke up.

But I couldn’t.

That, at least, I couldn’t do.

Koko was my responsibility. I couldn’t pass out until I made sure she was safe.

“Kurosawa, maybe you should rest—”

Sasaki, who was supporting me, spoke.

“Yeah, Senpai! Your face is completely pale!” Shii, who was holding me up from the other side, said as well.

For the record, Yuuki had already run off in the direction the kids pointed out. Her sword had disappeared as well.

Sasaki and Shii had insisted on dragging me along, even though I had stubbornly tried to follow them.

At least they were both wearing raincoats. I felt bad enough that they’d get soaked because of me.

“I’m fine. You two should go back to the hotel for now…”

“Who are you to say that right now—”

Sasaki looked at me incredulously, when—

Bang!

We heard a crashing sound.

No matter how fast a car might go, in an alley like this, its speed would be limited. Even though there was a typhoon, quite a few cars were driving around. To turn the corner, it had to slow down.

That’s probably why the car hadn’t gotten too far, and we could still hear the sound.

Shii, Sasaki, and I looked at each other.

Their faces had gone pale as well.

…

No.

I believed that Koko and Nanami would be fine.

Koko could move at an incredible speed and was quite resilient. I didn’t know how small she could shrink down, but she could probably withstand more impact than the average person.

And with Koko, Nanami would also be safe. I had to believe that Koko would protect her.

We hurried in the direction of the noise.

---

“Eek.”

Shii let out a small scream when she saw the accident scene.

It seemed the van had failed to control its speed while trying to turn onto a wider road.

The vehicle hadn’t fully turned and crashed into the wall beside the road. I didn’t know if the driver was dead or not.

But at least the back of the van seemed relatively intact.

And then—

“Yuuki! Hagiwara-senpai!”

Sasaki shouted loudly.

Hagiwara, whose arm was scraped and injured, still looked mostly unharmed.

Seeing the three of us approaching, Hagiwara shouted,

“The door is stuck! Help me open it!”

Hagiwara had some strange device attached to her arm. I had read about its use in a novel once.

The van’s window was cracked but hadn’t shattered. If it had been regular glass, Hagiwara probably could have broken it, so it must have been reinforced or made of special material.

The door was dented, with the lock mechanism partially exposed, but it seemed like something was blocking it from the inside.

Oil, or maybe just fuel, was leaking from underneath the van.

“Sit here and wait.”

Sasaki said, leaning me against a wall not far from the van before running over to help.

“Kyaaaah!”

A scream echoed from inside the van. It sounded like Nanami.

…Blood splattered on the window.

If it were just Koko, she could’ve escaped. That small gap would have been enough for Koko to slip through.

But Nanami was still inside.

“…Koko!”

I shouted.

But my voice barely came out. It was drowned out by the sound of the rain, and it probably didn’t reach her.

"Koko, the door…!"

As soon as I shouted that, Koko seemed to grasp the situation.

"…Ah!"

Did she hear me?

Amid the children trying to open the door, I heard that sound.

And then, I saw it.

From the inside, Koko’s hair was slipping through the crack in the door.

And then.

Creeeak.

The door of the van groaned as if something was twisting it.

"…Now! Everyone, pull!"

Creak.

Thanks to Koko’s strength and the kids clinging to the door, the van’s door slowly, gradually, began to open.

From the inside, I could see Koko.

Koko was covered in blood.

And the cause of that blood was the man inside who had stabbed her.

…

My mouth fell open.

Why?

Why, despite all of this—?

"Where do you think you're going!"

Hagiwara thrust her arm into the van.

Thwack.

A sound like something being shot rang out, and a man inside let out a scream.

"Quick, get out…!"

The first to emerge was—

"Huh, Koko!?"

Nakahara’s voice came from inside.

The kids stepped back slightly, and Nakahara was pushed out.

Her body was smeared with blood, so I couldn’t tell if she was unharmed. I could only hope that Koko had protected her.

And then, Koko—

"…Huh?"

Suddenly, Yuuki made that sound.

Her head jerked to the side.

A chill ran down my spine.

It was the same feeling as when I encountered a yokai.

From the alley where the van had emerged, a large truck was speeding toward us like a madman.

It wasn’t bothering to swerve or brake.

Crash.

Right before my eyes,

The truck plowed into the van, crushing it completely.

I froze halfway up from the ground.

"…Huh?"

Drip. Drip.

Blood flowed out from under the van.

The rain pooled on the ground, slowly diluting the blood.

"Koko…?"

Ah.

What is this?

There was a slight feeling of déjà vu.

I had seen this scene somewhere before.

In my previous life.

The truck’s driver-side door opened, and a man tumbled out.

Staggering as blood poured from his head, the man stood and walked toward the back of the truck.

"Wait—"

Before Yuuki could stop him, the man moved first.

He raised a knife and stabbed it into the back seat of the truck.

And from there—

Thud.

A sharp piece of flesh stabbed into the man’s body.

Before he could even let out a scream, he was yanked into the dark, tent-like structure behind the truck, vanishing in an instant.

"…Sasaki!"

"Huh? Oh…!"

Sasaki hurried over to support me.

The chills still hadn’t subsided.

That… That wasn’t just a yokai. I had no proof, but my instincts were screaming it.

Koko… Koko, for now, just—

"Ugh…"

A memory.

A memory resurfaced.

When I thought about Koko, it reminded me of the Koko from before.

The car crushed from the rear.

My sister inside, unrecognizable.

The burned bodies in the driver and passenger seats.

And me, who had responded to the scene—

No.

No, this isn’t the same.

There was no fire, no seven-car pileup, and I wasn’t wearing my firefighter’s uniform.

And Koko still had hope.

More importantly, there was something even more critical right now.

That thing.

Yuuki glanced at me with concern.

I couldn’t draw any more blood. If I did, I might really die. Yuuki seemed worried about that, too.

But, there was a way.

"Hagiwara-senpai!"

At my call, Hagiwara hurried over.

"Give the knife to Yuuki as well."

"Okay."

With a grim expression, Hagiwara pulled out a knife from her device and handed it to Yuuki.

"But, Kurosawa. Right now—"

"There is."

"No, we can't."

Yuuki shook her head.

"Right now, it would be better if—"

"No. Not my blood."

I turned my gaze to Sasaki.

"…"

"…"

"…Me? What about me?"

"I need your blood."

"Kurosawa?"

"There’s no time to explain."

I spoke while looking at Sasaki.

"I don't need much. Just enough to coat the blade lightly."

"What are you talking about? Based on what?"

Hagiwara questioned me again, but Yuuki seemed to have made up her mind.

"Sasaki, give me your hand for a moment."

"No, wait, what the hell are you—!"

"Okay."

Sasaki said calmly.

"Kurosawa. You need my blood, right? I don't fully understand the situation, but."

The creaking sound from the back of the truck was gradually subsiding.

Once it finished devouring the man, it would undoubtedly move toward us.

Sasaki extended his hand.

"…Sorry."

Yuuki glanced at me once, then at Sasaki’s hand, and lightly cut the tip of his finger with the knife.

"Ah…"

Seeing the blood welling up, Hagiwara let out a regretful sound, but Yuuki didn’t stop. She ran the blade along Sasaki’s finger from the tip to the base.

"Brother!?"

Shii, who had been looking after the panicked Nanami, screamed, but by then, the coating was already finished.

"…"

"Senpai, I’m fine."

"If this doesn’t work, I’m not letting you off."

"If this doesn’t work, we’ll all die."

"…"

Sensing the seriousness in my words, Hagiwara bit her lip and grabbed Sasaki’s other finger.

"Sorry!"

Just as Hagiwara finished coating the blade, there was a loud bang as the back of the truck was ripped open.

A mass of flesh, like a slime, began moving toward us.

The sight of a flesh-colored slime was far more horrifying than I had imagined.

As soon as the flesh creature noticed our presence—though I couldn't understand how, given it had no eyes—it lunged at us with a spear made of its own flesh, just as it had done to the man earlier.

Swish!

The spear was sliced cleanly by Yuuki’s sword, falling to the ground. The flesh, which must have been incredibly solid, immediately flopped like a fish once it hit the floor.

Yuuki turned to look at me.

Seeing her expression filled me with guilt.

…Yuuki probably thought Koko was dead.

And here I was, standing as if nothing had happened. Yuuki didn’t even have the time to offer me any words of comfort.

It’s okay.

After this is all over, I’ll explain everything one by one.

But for now, we need to deal with this situation.

Yuuki reluctantly pulled her gaze away from me. I could see her jaw trembling from how hard she was clenching her teeth.

…I'm sorry.

I’m truly sorry.

"Nanami!"

Sasaki ran toward Nanami.

"…Sasaki, Koko… Koko is…!"

"Koko will be okay."

When I said that, Nanami, Shii, and Sasaki all looked up at me.

Their expressions were complicated, as if they thought I was in denial.

"Koko is fine."

"…Kurosawa…"

Nanami spoke.

…It seemed like her mind had snapped back to reality because of me.

"More importantly, we need to get out of here for now."

At my words, the three of them stood up.

"Kurosawa, you should—"

I shook my head.

"I have to stay for when I’m needed."

"…"

Sasaki looked at me, then said,

"Shii, take Nanami and get far away."

"Brother!"

"…Sasaki."

"My blood works, doesn’t it?"

Sasaki said as he looked back.

Yuuki and Hagiwara seemed to be struggling a bit, but they were holding their ground against the flesh creature.

"That thing won’t be able to touch me."

"…"

I stared at Sasaki quietly.

"Bro-brother…"

"Shii, take Nanami and go. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt."

"Sota!"

Nanami called out, but Sasaki seemed resolute in his decision.

"Ugh!"

A sound came from behind.

Clang.

A sword clattered to the floor.

Hagiwara had dodged the tentacles, but she had also ended up too far from her fallen sword.

Sasaki threw himself toward the sword.

"Sasaki!?"

I shouted without thinking.

Sasaki grabbed the sword and, without hesitation, slashed his palm with it. Blood began dripping from his hand.

"Brother!?"

Shii screamed again, forgetting to even call him “Onii-sama” in her panic.

Sasaki tossed the sword toward Hagiwara and swung his bloody hand toward the flesh creature.

The moment his blood touched the creature, it shuddered and leaped sideways.

A jumping slime.

It wasn’t something I particularly wanted to see.

Yuuki rushed toward the slime as it landed and swung her sword. The slime’s skin split, and blood poured out.

"———!"

The slime let out a monstrous scream that no human could imitate.

"Ugh!?"

In an instant, a tentacle grabbed Yuuki’s leg.

Yuuki tried to cut the tentacle with her sword, but another one was already flying toward her.

As Hagiwara and Sasaki charged at the flesh creature—

"…Kotone."

A voice reached my ears.

"Huh?"

Shii and Nanami, who were behind me, let out dazed noises.

"Haa…"

My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground. My backside got wet, but since I was already soaked from my hair to my shoes, I didn’t really care.

Yeah, I knew it.

I knew she’d be fine.

Koko, who had been covered in blood just moments ago, was now completely unscathed.

…Well, her clothes weren’t.

Actually, she wasn’t wearing any clothes at all. Considering where she had been, it made sense her clothes hadn’t survived.

"…Can I kill it?"

Koko asked.

There was an unusual emotion in her voice, different from her usual self.

It was similar to the way she had looked at the men who spoke to me earlier this morning.

"…That’s not a person."

I said.

"So it’s fine."

"Okay."

Koko responded to my words.

And in an instant, she disappeared before I even registered it.

"—————!"

The flesh creature let out an inhuman scream shortly after.

Long, hair-like spikes pierced through the creature from all directions. Blood gushed out.

Honestly, the sight of those spikes pulling out from the creature’s body wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was like seeing someone’s pores magnified a hundred times.

"…What on earth."

Hagiwara muttered, and Yuuki turned to look at me.

I couldn’t clearly make out her expression.

Ah, I must have relaxed too much after hearing Koko’s voice earlier.

My eyelids felt incredibly heavy.

…Just how much of an impact can Koko withstand?

…And why was she so docile when she had that kind of power?

…How had she regained that aggressiveness?

Those questions, which had briefly risen in my mind, slowly sank deep into my consciousness.

As if they were weights pulling me down by my ankles.

"Kurosawa! Kurosawa!"

"Kotone…?"

Voices calling my name echoed around me,

But I couldn’t respond to them as I drifted into sleep.

Chapter 71. Mirror (11)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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A dream.

Come to think of it, I rarely dream after coming to this world.

Maybe I did dream but forgot.

These were days filled with many thoughts and worries.

I made friends, and the situation improved significantly compared to the beginning, but I still didn't know much about this world.

Walking a total of at least an hour every day to and from school, working a part-time job after school, and working through the weekends without rest.

On top of that, I saved money by eating the bare minimum, yet still had the habit of staying up late and waking up early, like I did as an adult.

Naturally, I slept as if I had fainted every night.

Every morning when I opened my eyes, I would wonder if I had really fallen asleep.

So, it should have been the same this time.

I bled a lot, and I was extremely exhausted. To be honest, it would have been more accurate to say I fainted rather than fell asleep at the end.

But.

There was noise around me.

The sound of car horns kept blaring.

It didn’t seem like someone was pressing them on purpose. Something heavy was just pressed on top of them.

I was wearing firefighting gear. When I raised my hand, I saw I was wearing thick gloves, so I couldn’t tell if this was my current body or the one I used in my previous life.

Flames rose from several cars.

People were running around. Some were dressed like me in firefighting gear, others were in orange short-sleeved shirts carrying stretchers, and regular people were helping the injured.

Ah.

When it comes to fire, I only have bad memories.

I thought as I looked at the burning car.

Moreover, this situation was even worse.

I knew what this situation was.

That’s how I knew it was a dream. Because something like this couldn’t happen twice.

A dream I had again and again.

Out of the seven cars involved in the crash, the most mangled one was the car in the middle. Unluckily, it had been caught between three cars in front and three behind, making it nearly impossible to recognize.

Even if the airbags had deployed properly, with a truck pushing from the rear and a large van in front, it wouldn’t have made any difference.

And if the car caught fire on top of that.

The white midsize sedan was squashed from both front and rear, and even the front seats were on fire.

Water was splashed over it. Strong water sprayed from a fire hose, dousing the flames on the car.

But it was already too late. The people trapped behind the burning airbags in the driver's seat and passenger seat were so badly burned their faces were unrecognizable.

In the back seat of the dripping car, between the crushed front and rear seats, a person sat.

Their face, chest, knees, and legs.

In a space too cramped for a person to fit, there they sat, arms hanging down.

In their left hand was a small wristwatch that I recognized, ticking.

Blood dripped down.

Even though they had poured so much water, not all the blood had drained away.

As I blankly approached the car, a colleague grabbed my shoulder.

When I turned around, my colleague’s face was deathly pale.

They knew whose car this was. They also knew who the girl in the back seat had been. And who the people in the front seat were.

The three of them had gone on a trip together and were on their way back today.

There was probably a gift for me in the car.

My younger sister, who always snapped at me, had seemed a bit disappointed that I couldn’t join her on her celebratory trip for passing her university entrance exam.

But what could I do? That’s the kind of job I had.

My sister would never be able to snap at me again.

No, I wasn’t even sure I could call what remained her "face"—

*

When I opened my eyes, it was already dark.

Still not completely free from the dream, I could finally breathe once I realized I was lying in a hospital.

This was the worst. The first dream I had in so long, and it had to be this one.

…No.

To be precise, there was a very high chance that any dream I had would be like that.

That’s why, after that incident, I volunteered for all the night shifts, and even before going home, I would walk several laps around the neighborhood to tire myself out.

When you're utterly exhausted, you don't dream when you sleep. Even if you do, you don’t remember it.

Was it because I saw such a sight today?

That was probably it.

...Koko.

Koko—ah.

I heard soft, gentle breathing.

There was a child curled up, half draped over me, sleeping on the small hospital bed meant for one person.

A child who looked exactly like me now.

Here was a child created in an amorphous form, modeled after my appearance.

“Haa.”

I let out a long breath.

Right. She was safe.

….

What about the others?

I forced my still-heavy body to sit up slightly and looked around.

Yuuki was safe. She had pulled up a chair beside my bed and was asleep with her upper body sprawled on the bed.

Hagiwara, Nakahara, Sasaki, and Shii were nowhere to be seen.

The four of them...

But I couldn’t bring myself to wake anyone. Neither Yuuki nor Koko.

Yuuki would probably start asking all sorts of questions the moment she saw me. I'd have to explain everything I’d been hiding until now, and that wouldn’t be easy.

That didn’t mean I wanted to go back to sleep.

If I did, I’d probably continue dreaming that same dream.

…I hate that. No way.

I kept my eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling of the hospital room.

Even in a hospital this far from home, I was still in a private room.

Once again, I owed Yuuki.

“...”

Whether my eyes were open or closed, I could only think negative thoughts.

What should I do?

Really, what should I do?

In the end, I just spent hours thinking “what should I do” over and over.

*

“...Are you okay?”

But, contrary to my worries, the first thing Yuuki said was something like that.

Ah, of course, she didn’t say it right away.

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, looked at me, opened her mouth slightly, shook her head hard as if to clear her thoughts, cleared her throat several times, and after thinking for about ten seconds, finally asked me that.

“...Yeah.”

“...”

Yuuki looked at me with an expression that suggested she knew I wasn’t okay, her face stiffening.

She glanced at Koko, who was still sleeping on the bed, then turned her face back to me.

“...Kurosawa.”

“Yeah.”

“Koko, by any chance...”

“...”

I was silent for a moment.

What exactly was Koko?

For now, it was right to think of her as a being similar to me.

The flesh that we saw yesterday was probably created in the same way as us. In some ways, it was very similar to Koko.

But there was a crucial difference.

That creepy feeling I had when I looked at it.

The same creepy feeling I got when I looked at a yokai didn’t occur with Koko. If I had felt that way, I would’ve sensed it on the first day. I had heard snoring from the next room even then.

So, perhaps no yokai were used as materials to create Koko or my body.

I guessed we were both born between a human and an outer being.

“She’s probably a being like me.”

“...Like you?”

“...”

I hesitated for a moment before uttering a single word.

“...A failure.”

“...”

Yuuki said nothing.

She just stared at me, pale as a sheet.

That single word must have meant a lot to her.

Before, she probably thought I was just a runaway girl. Now, she might be imagining something further removed from humanity.

“...I…”

“It’s okay.”

When I opened my mouth, Yuuki shook her head.

She placed both of her hands over my right hand.

“You don’t have to say any more.”

Yuuki looked at me with tearful eyes as she spoke.

“I can’t sense anything from you.”

“...”

“So, no. You’re not. Neither is Koko. Understand?”

“...”

I nodded.

Yuuki couldn’t be said to represent all of humanity. Although she worked in that field, she was in an ambiguous position to represent them.

But still.

Hearing that from Yuuki, one of the “protagonists,” made me feel as if I had been granted permission to exist in this world.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back my tears.

*

After a little while, Koko woke up.

In the meantime, Yuuki told me about the other kids.

Listening to the story about Koko and Nakahara, it seemed Koko had shielded Nakahara with her body to protect her from the men. Nakahara didn’t have a single scratch on her, which meant Koko had fought hard inside the car.

"Why didn’t you escape?”

Hagiwara had apparently asked Koko this.

“With your abilities, you could’ve gotten out of the car. Even if I hadn’t stopped you.”

“Kotone told me not to.”

And Koko had answered like that.

Because I told her not to kill.

Because I told her not to hurt anyone.

Koko understood. In that situation, if the car had flipped, everyone could have been injured. She had thought that.

The men, Nakahara—no one would have been safe.

Because I told her not to.

That thought weighed heavily on my heart.

“...Koko.”

“Kotone?”

When I spoke to the now-awake Koko, for some reason, she was sitting in a loaf position on the empty part of the bed, tilting her head as she called my name.

What should I say to her?

I hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened my mouth.

“...You did well.”

“Wha?”

Koko blinked at my words, and then her face brightened.

“But from now on… if it’s really dangerous… you can hit them as long as they don’t get seriously hurt.”

“Is that okay?”

“You’re more important.”

Koko’s eyes widened.

She really looked like a cat. When normal people open their eyes wide, they tend to look scary.

…Which also meant I must have a face that looked that harmless. After all, she looked just like me.

Yeah. It was like looking into a mirror.

But it wasn’t just that.

Koko was… a mirror reflecting me.

Whatever I did, she would mirror my actions—like a mirror.

Since she met me without knowing anything, without learning anything from anyone, Koko was copying my thoughts, words, and actions one by one.

I didn’t quite understand how that was possible.

The message from Kagami asking if I knew what Koko’s true nature was.

The fact that Koko had been sealed tightly, torn apart piece by piece, as if to ensure she could never use her power.

…When I put all these facts together, a few conclusions emerged.

The power had been sealed because it was considered dangerous.

And somehow, this dangerous being, Koko, was following my words.

“Kotone!”

“Ugh.”

“Wait, Koko!?”

Koko suddenly jumped on top of me, and Yuuki screamed.

*

“…Ha.”

Hagiwara frowned and scratched her head.

“So, what you’re saying is, it’s related to that ‘religion’ you believe in? But you don’t know the details?”

“…Kagami considers me a failure.”

At my words, Hagiwara frowned.

I didn’t go into much detail. I simply said that we were being used by some religion, and as a result, ended up like this.

Strictly speaking, that wasn’t a lie.

Though it came with the condition of “since birth.”

Whether Hagiwara noticed or not, she just stared at me blankly.

Then she looked at Yuuki.

Yuuki maintained a perfect poker face.

After glancing at Koko, who was sitting on my bed eating snacks, Hagiwara let out a deep sigh.

“Do you know that thanks to you, Sota has taken a huge interest in all this? He’s already got a busybody personality, and now he wants to meddle in your business too.”

…She says that, yet she likes how nosy he is.

“If Sota gets seriously hurt because of you, I won’t let you off.”

“Then I won’t stand still either.”

Yuuki responded to Hagiwara’s words. Hagiwara, seemingly unbothered, let out a nasal snort.

She opened her mouth as if to say something cutting, but after looking at me again, she closed it.

Then, with a complicated expression, she stared at me.

“…I won’t dig any deeper right now. If I mess with you, Sota will definitely get involved.”

“…”

“But one day, if you end up standing on the other side from us, I won’t show any mercy. Not even if Sota’s by your side.”

I see.

Hagiwara…

Well, in the novel, there was never a character like a half-human, half-yokai, so I couldn’t predict how Hagiwara would act in such a situation.

Whether she would cut my head off without hesitation or ultimately lower her sword, either scenario seemed plausible.

Hagiwara looked at Koko, who was innocently munching on snacks, and sighed again.

“So, you’re saying you won’t tell the church?”

“I’m on vacation, aren’t I? If things had gone according to plan, I’d be with Sota right now.”

Wait, but you’re a nun.

“What’s wrong with me being a nun?”

“…”

“Hey, your thoughts are all over your face.”

Hagiwara swept her bangs aside as she spoke in disbelief.

“He said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth,’ didn’t he? I’m just following that teaching faithfully. Got a problem with that?”

What a typical light novel personality interpretation.

“And besides, I… well, never mind.”

She seemed about to say something but then shut her mouth.

If you’re going to say something, it would be nice if you said it to the end.

“Well, that’s all I have to say. …For now, I’m withholding judgment. My actions will depend on how you behave from here on out. I don’t want to have to cut down a fellow student.”

“…”

“Rather than that, shouldn’t you be thinking about how to explain all this to the other three?”

As she said this, Hagiwara looked toward the door.

The door was slightly open, and I could see the faces of the children peeking through.

“…”

I let out a small sigh.

*

“...Uh, well…”

The first one to speak was Nakahara.

She cautiously approached Koko, carefully observing her as she spoke.

“Is your body okay?”

“Uh?”

Koko tilted her head, as if she didn’t understand what Nakahara meant.

“You got stabbed, and you were bleeding. And in the car too…”

But when Koko tilted her head again, Nakahara looked at me, as if asking for help.

“…Koko will be fine.”

“…”

Still not fully convinced, Nakahara hesitated for a moment before suddenly hugging Koko tightly.

“Koko, thank you. Really.”

“Huh?”

Koko blinked, startled by the sudden hug, then snuggled into Nakahara’s arms. Judging by her giggles, she seemed to be in a good mood.

…Nakahara has more volume than I thought.

“Excuse me~”

As we all watched the heartwarming scene, Hagiwara raised one hand from where she stood by the window.

“I was the one who climbed on top of the car and made a hole, you know? I also sprinted after the car and clung to it with all my strength.”

Uh, well.

Excuse me, but are you even human?

I mean, in this kind of world, humans do pull off stunts like that sometimes.

Even in movies like *007* or *Mission: Impossible*, people fly around like that.

“…”

“What? Ignoring me!?”

Seeing Nakahara hug Koko even tighter after hearing her, Hagiwara shouted in disbelief.

…

At least they weren’t completely broken.

But they would definitely need care. No one could experience something like that and come out completely unscathed. It would surely leave some trauma.

This… was my mistake.

I should have been more cautious.

But as if she understood what I was thinking, Yuuki patted my hand.

When I looked at her, she shook her head slightly, as if telling me not to worry too much.

…Right, worrying won’t solve anything. Yuuki seemed to have a plan in mind.

All I could do now was try my best.

“Sasaki, Shii.”

I called the two of them.

“…Yuuki told us.”

Sasaki spoke calmly.

“She said my blood has the power to cut down those… ‘yokai.’”

“That’s right.”

“…How did you know?”

I hesitated for a moment. How should I explain how I knew?

“I just… got the same feeling as I do with myself.”

“Then, does that mean our family is—”

“—No, that’s not it.”

I cut her off firmly.

Sasaki’s father was a fairly successful businessman, but that was it. In the novel, he was portrayed as an ordinary person through and through.

Well, not that ordinary, judging by how he treated his children, but at least in terms of “that side of things,” he was ordinary. Later, in a yokai-related incident, he was powerless to do anything.

The same went for the Sasaki siblings' mother.

It’s possible they inherited some ancient bloodline, but after generations of dilution, they forgot the origin, or it could just be a coincidence.

Or maybe there’s a third reason.

We’ll figure it out over time.

“…I’ll help too.”

“…”

By this point, it would be impossible to push him away even if I tried. Sasaki was that kind of person.

“If you ever need help.”

“I’ll help too! If my brother has that kind of power, then I…”

“…”

That sounded just like something the protagonist’s little sister would say.

But Shii, like Nakahara, needed serious emotional care. She was a girl who had already been pushed into dangerous situations.

And because of that, I couldn’t just reject her outright. Shii had an obsessive fear of becoming useless.

For now, I didn’t give an answer. I just nodded.

“You’re already helping a lot.”

Shii beamed at my words.

“…”

Yuuki watched her silently.

…And so, the vacation came to an end.

Although they seemed to be “doing better than expected,” no one had the mental strength to smile through this and act like everything was fine.

But still.

At least no one had suffered severe injuries.

I decided to be grateful for that one thing.

Chapter 72. Understanding (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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People with many secrets often make others feel uncomfortable.

They stop talking halfway, end conversations in awkward situations, or blatantly show they're hiding something but refuse to tell.

Yuuki had met such people frequently until now.

Adults were like that. Even her father and grandfather had such moments.

The reasons for hiding things were always good.

They hid things because they thought it would hurt her, or because if people knew, it would be dangerous.

But she knew those reasons were just a cover.

Pain could be shared, making it a bit more bearable, and any danger was something more people should know and share to solve.

No matter how good the reason for hiding the truth, in the end, the ultimate reason was always the same.

It was because they couldn't trust Yuuki.

They couldn't trust young Yuuki to handle the fact that her mother had passed away. They couldn't trust Yuuki not to tell others their secrets. They couldn't trust Yuuki to protect people. They couldn't trust that Yuuki wouldn't give up on this task in the future.

She understood.

Yuuki Yuka didn't live trusting everyone either.

After all, she had always lived hiding everything from her friends, or rather, from the kids who almost became her friends.

The reasons for her frequent transfers were so many she couldn't even count them on her fingers. The number of times she'd suddenly leave school during class or not attend at all, or give up on promises with friends, was even greater.

And the reason she couldn't tell those stories was that she didn't trust her friends either.

If she told them that the long thing she carried was a sword, they might avoid her. If they found out she was a kid who fought monsters, they might treat her like a monster too.

She was afraid they’d think she was a weirdo, that they'd dislike her and hate her, that they wouldn't be her friend and would ostracize her—

—But even so, it wasn’t as if she liked keeping secrets. Even though she knew she had many secrets herself, Yuuki didn’t like it…

"Should I... help?"

In that sense, the kid in front of her was quite unique.

"No. It’s fine."

Kurosawa, who shook her head as she said that, was a kid with many secrets.

Every time she learned something new, a bit of that secret would be revealed.

And each time a secret was revealed, it was so terrible that Yuuki didn’t even know how to react… A child with such a past.

She had a pale face and a skinny body, looking like she'd fall over if you lightly touched her, yet somehow, she always stood firm, as if stubbornly enduring everything. A commendable kid.

Kurosawa looked up at Yuuki with those black eyes.

Next to her stood Koko, and in her arms was Kuro.

The child named Kurosawa Kotone was hesitant to share her secrets.

And Yuuki was curious about those secrets.

She was curious, but she decided not to pry on purpose.

“How’s your body?”

“I’ve gotten much better while lying down.”

Due to the strong recommendation of the medical staff, Kurosawa ended up staying in the hospital throughout the holiday. Although there was no need for further blood transfusions, they said that if she moved before her body had fully recovered from losing so much blood, it could be dangerous.

Normally, Kurosawa would have forced herself to leave the hospital, but perhaps because she didn’t have to go to school the next day or didn’t need to work, she quietly stayed in the hospital room.

The others were the same.

They slept at the hotel, and then returned to the hospital the next day, repeating that routine.

And during that time, Yuuki formed what could be called another friendship.

“You start work on Thursday, right?”

When Yuuki asked, Kurosawa nodded.

“Then rest well until Wednesday.”

“…I know.”

Kurosawa still had many secrets.

Just like Yuuki in her previous school.

But Yuuki didn’t find that… particularly unpleasant. It was strange.

“Do you have any plans?”

“I’ve got a few things.”

Yuuki smiled as she answered Kurosawa’s question.

It was summer. Most likely, the shrine would have various events. When Yuuki wasn’t out hunting yokai, she helped with the shrine's tasks.

“Let’s meet again during the break.”

At Yuuki’s words, Kurosawa nodded.

“……”

After a brief moment of silence, they both raised a hand, as if it was natural.

And they waved.

“See you again.”

The words Yuuki had said countless times to the kids who almost became her friends.

Until now, Yuuki had never believed those words would come true. After all, whenever an incident occurred, she would transfer schools again.

But this time was different.

Looking at Kurosawa, who waved at her with a small smile on her lips, Yuuki felt certain they’d meet again.

She felt sure they’d see each other tomorrow.

But at the same time, a part of her heart felt uneasy.

She feared losing Kurosawa because of the secrets she had yet to reveal. She feared that Kurosawa Kotone, who had suddenly appeared in her life, might vanish like a mirage.

…Ah, I see.

Yuuki lowered her hand and turned away.

It was because Yuuki had always been the one who disappeared. She had always drifted apart, unable to truly become friends with others before they got to know each other.

She had always remained just a fleeting memory in the corners of others' minds.

She didn’t want to lose the connection she’d built with Kurosawa.

The reason she didn’t find secrets unpleasant was because she could understand Kurosawa’s situation.

In front of Kurosawa, it felt okay to reveal her own secrets. There was no fear of being caught, and Kurosawa would understand and listen to her story.

“……”

I see, it wasn’t that I hated secrets.

Yuuki clenched her fist as she thought.

It wasn’t that I hated keeping secrets— It was just that, seeing people who couldn’t trust others enough to reveal their secrets, I was projecting my own reflection onto them.

I just didn’t want to become someone like that.

“…Phew…”

As she walked toward the station, Yuuki stopped and looked up at the sky, letting out a long breath.

I want to help.

Even now, when she thought of Kurosawa’s past, her heart tightened. Just as she felt horrible when she thought of the victims' emotions while hunting yokai, Kurosawa’s past was just as terrible.

For now, I’ll watch over her.

I’ll watch over her and be there for her.

Yuuki made that resolution once again.

---

“Myaa~”

Kuro, whom I hadn't seen in a while, seemed to have grown a little. Was it just my imagination?

Though they grow fast, could she have grown enough in just three days that it was noticeable? She wasn’t some kind of bean sprout.

Hmm, I decided to just dismiss it as a trick of the mind.

“Myaa~”

Koko rolled on the bed, hugging Kuro tightly. It seemed like she was happy to see her again after such a long time.

Well, Koko never really accepted Kuro’s wariness from the beginning. There was no reason for Koko to hold any bad feelings toward Kuro in the first place.

“Hoo.”

After washing Koko and, while I was at it, wiping down Kuro’s body with wet wipes, I ended up completely exhausted.

…Maybe I should have accepted Yuuki’s offer to help after all?

That thought crossed my mind for a brief moment, but I quickly shook my head to rid myself of it.

If I kept accepting help, I’d eventually become unable to live without it. Besides, being utterly tired right now was a better option.

At least that way, I wouldn’t have any dreams.

…Though making myself exhausted for such a reason felt incredibly depressing. There was no helping it.

I debated whether to turn on the TV or just go to sleep with the kids when—

Knock, knock.

I heard someone knocking on the door.

I stood up from my seat.

In my previous life, when I lived alone, I would often lounge around in just a trunk and a t-shirt, but after coming here, it felt a bit awkward to do so.

I wasn’t sure if it was prejudice or if I just hadn’t adjusted to this body yet, but staying in my underwear felt a bit off.

Still, the good thing about being cautious was that I could answer the rare visitor without needing to prepare much.

I approached the door and opened it slightly, leaving only the top chain in place.

Click.

The door stopped partway due to the chain.

Standing just far enough behind the gap in the door was Kagami.

“……”

I closed the door again and unhooked the chain.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just outside.”

“Outside?”

I guess I hadn’t taught her that word yet?

“The hallway.”

“The hallway.”

Koko tried to get up, but I gestured for her to sit back down.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Soon?”

Koko tilted her head as she asked.

“You said that last time too.”

“……”

I closed my eyes for a moment and then opened them again.

Then I gently placed my hands on Koko’s shoulders and lowered her.

Without resisting, Koko followed my hand and sat back down.

“I’ll be just outside.”

Koko stared at me for a moment before finally nodding.

She was such an admirable and adorable kid, but… Honestly, I had no idea how to handle things from here on out.

Though she had learned from listening to the conversations we’d had during the trip, and now could speak in sentences to some extent, there were still many words she hadn’t learned properly yet, like “hallway” just now.

Besides, she wasn’t even registered as a student at Hanagawa High School.

What should I do when the school term starts, seriously?

…

Well, whatever.

I’d think about that later.

For now, I’d deal with what was right in front of me.

I placed Kuro into Koko’s arms as she sat down, then quickly stepped out of the room.

Kagami was waiting patiently.

“I can’t go far.”

“I know. You have a ‘child’ now.”

If she said it like that, people could easily misunderstand. I glanced at the room next to mine. There was no light seeping through the crack in the door, so it seemed like they’d be home late again.

As for the other room… Well, technically speaking, I should say Koko was using it.

“So?”

I asked, implying she should get to the point.

“……”

And I was a little surprised.

Kagami seemed to hesitate over her words.

Of course, I’d seen her flustered before—like when I unsealed Koko.

But this was different. That time, she couldn’t control her expression, but now, it looked like she was actually trying to choose her words carefully. The always composed Kagami.

“…About the incident last time, it was our mistake.”

“Huh?”

“…Another faction attacked you.”

“Oh.”

That’s right.

I’d almost forgotten that Kagami had promised to have someone watch over me after everything that had happened.

“Afterwards, we returned to the scene of the incident. We tried investigating various things, but it seemed the higher-ups had already taken action. That area, after all, is a tourist spot, and there were several houses nearby. A car crashed into a wall, and then a truck crashed into that car.”

“……”

Right.

That was a major accident. Even if there hadn’t been a yokai in the truck, and even if no one had climbed onto the van after the crash, it was already a big deal. It could easily have made it onto the regional news, or even briefly onto the national news.

But during my time in the hospital, I hadn’t heard any news about such a story becoming a hot topic.

“How was nothing reported?”

“Well, the media can be controlled, of course.”

Kagami presented this as her first reason.

“A minor traffic accident can easily be brushed off.”

People might complain about media suppression, but if it came to that, the whole premise of light novel settings wouldn’t make sense.

“Then, what about the witnesses?”

“About that…”

Kagami furrowed her brow slightly and looked up at the sky, thinking for a moment before speaking.

“You’re aware of the concept of a ‘nest,’ right?”

“…Yes.”

“Perhaps you were inside the nest the entire time while you were fighting.”

“Inside the nest?”

As I replied, I recalled the truck that crashed into the van.

Given the timing of the collision, the distance between the two vehicles couldn’t have been that far.

“No matter how reckless the radical faction is, they’d hesitate to reveal themselves to the whole world. Even if they had powerful weapons, they couldn’t take on all of humanity.”

“……”

“You were probably supposed to die there.”

“And?”

“They didn’t expect there to be someone just like you.”

“I was on the beach with Koko the whole time.”

“Maybe there was some kind of misunderstanding.”

“……”

Ah. Right.

The hair tie.

At first, Yuuki had tied Koko’s hair with a red ribbon, but it got torn during Koko’s fight with the men who were hunting us.

Afterwards, Koko had tied her hair with a spare ribbon I used to tie mine.

And Koko… could move at incredible speeds when necessary.

So fast, she’d be practically invisible.

If they’d seen me and Yuuki enter the nest, they would have seen Koko appear in my place as well.

To them, it would have looked like Koko suddenly popped out of thin air.

Just like how Yuuki and I had entered the nest.

“Looks like you figured it out.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded.

“So?”

“What did it feel like when you fought that pile of flesh?”

“…It felt like I was fighting a yokai.”

“I see…”

Kagami sighed deeply.

“We didn’t expect them to act so aggressively.”

“…Bt Killing people?”

“No.”

Kagami shook her head.

“…How much do you know about what you are?”

I stared at Kagami’s face, trying to gauge her intention.

But Kagami’s expression was completely unreadable.

“…The avatar of a god.”

“That’s right. But you’re not a yokai. You were born from the precious seed of one who came from far away, and you don’t have mixed blood with those beings from beyond.”

“…Oh.”

Wait, hold on.

Could it be?

“…What if someone tried mixing divine blood with a monster to create something? Especially if that god didn’t even consider communicating with humans.”

“Then, that nest was created because of that power?”

“Probably. But they couldn’t control it. Maybe that power was applied too strongly, or perhaps too weakly. Honestly, I don’t know the details. Unfortunately, I don’t have connections with ‘that side’ of the government.”

“Was the reason they attacked me a personal grudge?”

“I don’t know that either. It might’ve been jealousy.”

“Jealousy?”

“……”

Kagami stared at me.

“It takes quite a long time for a human body to grow, doesn’t it? To grow to the age of 16 takes exactly 16 years, right? Now imagine, if you gave up at 15 years because you couldn’t wait one more year. Wouldn’t that drive you crazy?”

“Is that… about me?”

“Yes, it’s about you.”

Kagami took a step closer to me.

I stepped back, but Kagami didn’t seem to care.

“Why do you think I’m cooperating with you to this extent? Do you think I’m like an angel, offering help without expecting anything in return?”

“……”

Kagami smiled slightly and leaned in towards me.

And in a whisper, so quiet that only I could hear, she said:

“That’s right.”

“I am a believer, after all. I believe in the one I should believe in and follow their plan. Of course, I don’t just sit around waiting without making an effort. Thanks to that, I’ve gained something precious—someone like you…”

Her eyes shifted towards the door to the room I was staying in.

“…And maybe, I’ll gain something even more unexpected.”

Her gaze returned to me.

“So, I’m sorry.”

I was a bit taken aback by her sudden apology.

“…Why?”

“Because, even though I had people watching, something we didn’t expect happened. We almost ruined everything.”

Almost ruined it? Did that mean I could have died?

“You had people watching?”

“…Yes.”

“What happened to them?”

“……”

I figured I didn’t need to ask.

“Because of what happened, we’ll be more careful from now on. I’ll also inform Mr. Yamashita in advance.”

……

I couldn’t say anything.

My shoulders felt heavy.

Kagami seemed like she wanted to say something, but she closed her mouth.

After staring at me for a moment, she gave a small nod.

“Well, since there’s been some unfortunate events, please rest up. You still have a long vacation ahead of you. Make sure to enjoy it as much as someone your age should.”

After hearing that, I wasn’t sure if I could properly enjoy the rest of my vacation.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. If anything happens, I’ll contact you or come to you myself. Since they failed to move against you, they’ll likely be lying low for a while. After all, there are probably people now on their tail, with eyes red from exhaustion.”

For some reason, I had a feeling one of those people was Miura’s father.

Kagami waved lightly at me, showing no regret as she turned and walked away.

She didn’t look back as she left.

“……”

I stared at her retreating figure for a moment, then headed back to my room.

Koko was lying on the bed, hugging Kuro, looking completely exhausted.

Even Koko must get tired after everything that had happened.

…Alright.

I should get some sleep too.

Yawning widely, I turned off the lights in the room.

I lay down next to Koko and closed my eyes.

I had a feeling I wouldn’t dream of anything tonight. I was mentally exhausted.

Whether that was a good thing or not, I wasn’t sure.

Chapter 73. Understanding (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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"…It's hot."

When I was younger, I used to wake up often because of the summer heat.

Back then, my impression of air conditioning was that it was "expensive."

We could have bought an air conditioner, but it felt like a waste of money to get a new one.

Summer was short, and we had a fan, so I thought, "Do we really need an air conditioner?"

Electricity bills were another concern.

As air conditioners became more energy-efficient and my household's financial situation improved, I eventually bought one when I started making my own money. Afterward, I wondered why I hadn't gotten one sooner.

But just a few years after that, I ended up alone again.

"…."

My body felt hot.

It wasn’t just the temperature that woke me up. Sunlight was pouring in through the window, as there were no curtains, and the sunlight hit my face directly, making my eyes squint painfully.

The ground beneath me also radiated heat.

Although the fan was running, it was still unbearably hot because Kuro was lying on my stomach, and Koko was curled up next to me, blocking all the breeze from the fan, leaving me drenched in sweat.

Koko was one thing, but aren’t cats supposed to be nocturnal?

Or maybe this is exactly why Kuro is sleeping now since it's daytime.

I checked my phone on the bedside table and saw that it was almost 9 AM, nearing 10.

Considering I woke up due to external factors, I slept in pretty late.

Despite the heat, my mind was clear and refreshed. It had been a long time since I felt like I had a deep, restful sleep.

Perhaps having someone else in the room with me had a significant psychological effect.

"…Ugh."

I wanted to shower and get rid of all the sweat, but...

I gently lifted Kuro off my stomach and placed her on the floor.

She opened her eyes slightly, giving me a sleepy glare, clearly annoyed that I woke her up, but when I put her down in a sunny spot, she quickly curled up and fell back asleep.

Cats sure live a carefree life.

Kuro, who was a stray not too long ago, had adapted remarkably well to living indoors. In fact, I wondered if she’d adjusted too well.

As for Koko...

“Ugh.”

She rubbed her eyes groggily, having woken up when I moved.

What should I do?

“…Let’s shower first.”

“Kotone?”

I grabbed Koko’s hand and pulled her up, and she obediently followed me.

Her thought process is quite peculiar.

She has a childlike mentality, but her judgments aren’t too different from an adult’s.

Her spatial awareness and memory are similar, too. Sometimes she doesn't remember things right away, but once she’s told repeatedly, she gets it.

I was thinking of teaching her how to bathe herself soon. I couldn’t keep doing it for her all the time.

She might look just like me, but since she’s a different entity, I had to remind myself of that.

---

After a quick wash, I helped dry Koko’s hair with a towel.

Though her hair seemed like part of her living form, it felt like real hair, and it absorbed water just like hair would.

Well, there’s no point in applying physical logic to something that’s not entirely human anyway.

I sighed softly.

Once I finished drying Koko’s hair and then my own, there was nothing else to do.

Watching TV was only fun for so long, and I wasn’t in the mood for games either.

You know those days, right? The ones where the routine feels so monotonous that you just want to do something different for a change.

“…Shall we go out today?”

“Go out?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

I made the decision.

I didn’t know exactly where we would go, but something would come to mind once we reached the station.

“Maybe we can grab something delicious to eat?”

“Delicious food!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she shouted excitedly.

---

I had a bit of money saved up.

To be precise, I was feeling pretty good today because I had received a decent amount of payment from the recent job.

Not only had I caught the Raiju, but I had also helped with taking down that other fleshy creature, so the pay was substantial. Even if we splurged a bit today, I wouldn’t have to worry about food expenses for at least a month.

We leisurely walked to the station, both nibbling on cream-filled bread. I had bought two, one for Koko and one for myself.

However, once we got to the station, I regretted not taking the bus.

Tokyo’s August heat was absolutely brutal.

Sweat poured down, and even Koko was drenched.

How human-like was she, exactly? I suspected she was created similarly to me, but I wasn’t entirely sure.

As we sat inside the station, contemplating where to go, I thought maybe I should have invited a friend.

Shii? I’d seen her not too long ago, but would it be okay? I was a bit worried that seeing us might bring back some bad memories for her. I’d become somewhat closer to Sasaki, but not enough to call him out just to hang out. If Shii came along, maybe...

Besides, if I invited Sasaki, Hagiwara and Nakahara would probably get on my case later.

I didn’t want to deal with that kind of hassle.

As for Yuuki… it felt a bit awkward reaching out to her.

Koko was still like a child, and it would feel like I was dropping her off while I went out to have fun. I was already relying on Yuuki so much, and I might need her help in the future, so I didn’t want to burden her more.

The same went for everyone else. I was still in contact with the Literature Club seniors, but we hadn’t met up, and though I exchanged emails with the Miura group, there hadn't been any plans to meet up either.

Wow, I know a lot of people, but I have no one to call.

I scratched my head.

Maybe I was overthinking it. After being isolated for so long in my previous life, I might have developed a habit of overcomplicating things.

“…”

As I sat there idly—

“Huh?”

My phone vibrated.

“Wooah?”

Koko tilted her head curiously at my reaction.

The name on the screen was "Kaneko-senpai."

It was an email.

[How have you been?]

I blinked at the screen.

What perfect timing.

We had exchanged some emails over the break, usually making idle small talk.

Though, to be honest, most of the jokes came from Kaneko. Despite being a former middle-aged man, her dad jokes were even worse than mine.

I wasn’t sure if she genuinely found them funny or just wanted to keep me from being left alone.

[I'm doing well.]

I replied simply.

A few moments later, the message icon appeared again on the screen.

[Do you have time this afternoon? How about we meet up? The Occult Research Club hasn’t gathered at all during the break.]

Her dedication to the occult theme was impressive.

I thought for a moment before replying,

[Sounds good.]

[Izumi said she’s free. I’m still trying to get in touch with Yuuki.]

…

Oh, right. If it’s a Literature Club gathering, Yuuki will be there.

But is that okay?

[Where should we meet? Have you ever been to Tokyo Tower, Kuu-chan?]

Tokyo Tower?

Of course, I hadn’t been. I’d never traveled abroad, and even though I’d been in Tokyo, I hadn’t paid to enter any tourist spots.

“Koko, looks like we’re going to Tokyo Tower today.”

“Wuu?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion, likely because she hadn’t heard of Tokyo Tower before.

---

Though I consider myself an otaku, I didn’t know much about Japan.

Sure, I could list the names of a lot of anime characters.

I also knew about festivals that appeared in anime and how cars drove on the left side of the road.

But even after spending a few months here, the only parts of Japan I was familiar with were Saitama, a bit of Tokyo, and the beach I visited recently.

Not that I’m complaining. Even in Korea, I wasn’t the type to go out of my way to visit famous tourist spots.

I had been to most of the well-known places in Seoul, either by choice or circumstance, but outside of that, I rarely sought out tourist destinations unless I had a specific reason.

So, to say I was disappointed about not seeing more would be dishonest.

It’s not like I didn’t want to go.

I just hadn’t had the motivation to research where to go, and the thought of going alone didn’t appeal to me. What’s the point of wandering around by myself with no one to share the experience with? I’d probably just come home before dinner and go to bed.

But if there’s someone waiting for me, things change.

“Kuu-chaa…ang?”

Kaneko, who spotted me from a distance, slowed her steps as she approached with a big smile.

Her cheerful face quickly shifted to one of confusion.

“Huh? Huh?”

As she got closer, she alternated between looking at me and Koko, making puzzled noises.

“What’s this? Are you two doppelgängers?”

Her guess was fitting for the president of the Occult Research Club. In a way, she wasn’t wrong. Koko had copied my appearance, after all.

“Oh, whatever.”

She gave up trying to figure it out and pulled both me and Koko into a tight hug.

As she hugged us, she said,

“Ah, it’s so good to see you again after so long~”

“…You seriously look like a pervert when you do that."

Ikeda, who had been following us at a slight distance, finally spoke.

She glanced at me and Koko.

“But… what’s going on? Are you twins by any chance?”

Her voice was full of curiosity as she asked.

I nodded my head.

“I see… I had no idea.”

Ikeda mumbled absentmindedly.

“Huh? But she doesn’t attend our school, right? Do you take turns attending or something?”

Kaneko asked as she let go of us.

“No way,” Ikeda retorted, slightly scolding her.

“Ah, well…”

I glanced over at Koko.

“Wuu?”

Ah, right. I hadn’t properly introduced Koko to the two of them yet.

Pointing at Koko, I said,

“Her name is Koko.”

“Koko!”

“Koko?”

Ikeda tilted her head, puzzled by Koko’s cheerful response.

That was the natural reaction. After all, the name "Koko" was more suited for a pet than a person, or maybe the name of a magical girl protagonist from a children’s show. To me, it wasn’t such a strange name.

“So… Kurosawa, Koko?”

Ikeda asked with a slightly confused expression, and I nodded.

In situations like this, acting confidently is best. If you behave like it’s no big deal, people tend to accept it without further questioning.

“Koko is such a cute name.”

Kaneko placed her hand on her chest and introduced herself.

“I’m Kaneko Kaoru.”

“Kaneko? Kaoru?”

“It’s better to just teach her one name at a time.”

Although Koko understood many things well, she tended to get confused when introduced to multiple names. Specifically, she hadn’t grasped the concept of separating first and last names and using them appropriately. And she didn’t understand why they had to be separated in the first place.

After observing people call me "Kurosawa" during our last trip, Koko eventually understood that I could be called by that name too. But she hadn’t yet grasped that she shared the same family name.

I wondered what would happen if she ever met someone else with the same name. She might get completely confused about her own identity.

…Then again, even I hadn’t fully adjusted to calling people by their names or nicknames yet. So it made sense that Koko hadn’t either.

“Uh, okay…”

Kaneko, usually so confident, looked slightly taken aback.

“Wuu?”

Koko tilted her head again, making a curious sound, and the two of them finally realized that something was a bit off about her.

“Uh… yeah.”

Kaneko hesitated for a moment, then nodded to herself before flashing her usual bright smile.

Placing her hand on her chest again, she said loudly,

“I’m Kaoru!”

“Kaoru!”

Koko echoed enthusiastically.

“And this is Izumi!”

“Izumi!”

Kaneko pointed to Ikeda, who flinched slightly in surprise.

Maybe she was a bit taken aback by being called by her first name by someone she had just met.

…Come to think of it, Kaneko always called Ikeda by her first name without adding a nickname like “Ikki-chan.” I wonder if there’s a story behind that.

“Koko!”

Kaneko pointed at Koko, who cheerfully followed suit.

“Koko!”

Then, without warning, Kaneko pounced and hugged Koko tightly.

“Oh my gosh, she’s so adorable!”

“Wooah!”

Koko, who enjoyed being hugged, seemed to like being in Kaneko’s arms as well.

“Hey, Kurosawa.”

I turned to see Ikeda cautiously approaching me, her expression slightly anxious.

“Could it be that Koko is…”

“…I think it’s what you’re imagining, Senpai.”

Ikeda’s face grew pale at my words.

“...But don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility.”

Honestly, it made sense for her to be concerned.

Unless you’ve encountered something similar, it’s hard to know how to react.

“Koko is a strong girl.”

I spoke in an intentionally ambiguous way, but Ikeda seemed to take it differently than I intended.

“I see…”

She looked at me with a somewhat impressed expression, and I didn’t know how to respond. I decided to let it go for now.

If I kept trying to explain, it might just make things more confusing.

“Alright, shall we go grab something to eat?” Kaneko suggested.

“What about Yuuki?”

“Ah… I tried contacting her, but it seems she has something going on at home today.”

Ikeda answered on her behalf.

“She said she might join us later this evening if she’s free,” Kaneko added.

I nodded.

“By the way, this is the first time we’re all meeting outside of school. We’ve always met at school, haven’t we? Hmm, hmm. Kuu-chan, is that how you usually dress?”

Kaneko looked me up and down as she spoke.

I was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, the hem tucked neatly into my shorts. I wasn’t sure about the fashion trends of this era, but most people on the street seemed to dress similarly. I didn’t want to stand out as a trendsetter, just blend in as an average student.

Incidentally, I dressed Koko in the same clothes as me, since I couldn’t be bothered to think of something different for her. The only difference was that her shirt didn’t have pockets.

If anything, judging by our hair accessories would be more practical, but not that it mattered much.

“Kuu-chan?”

Koko tilted her head at Kaneko’s words.

“Ah… ‘Kuu-chan’ is a nickname for Kotone.”

“Kuu-chan? Kotone?”

She seemed to understand that I had both the names Kurosawa and Kotone, but she hadn’t grasped the concept of a nickname yet.

“…She’s still learning, so if possible, it’d be better to call me ‘Kurosawa’ for now.”

“Hm.”

Kaneko crossed her arms, nodding a few times before speaking again.

“Got it. I understand. Hmm!”

Then, with a determined look, she declared,

“Alright, today I’ll call you Kotone!”

“...”

Is that… okay?

I mean, I guess there’s no rule against it. If you asked which felt closer to me, “Kuu-chan” or “Kotone,” it’d be the former since it’s a nickname. But since Kaneko had skipped the whole "calling by name" phase and went straight to nicknames, it felt odd hearing her use my actual name.

“If that’s the case, Kotone, you should call me Kaoru today, too.”

There’s no need to go that far…

Still, I knew she’d eventually get the hang of calling me by my surname.

Before I could explain, Kaneko pointed at Ikeda and said,

“You can call Ikeda ‘Izumi’ too.”

“Why are you the one giving permission for that?” Ikeda responded with an exasperated eye-roll, before sighing deeply and saying,

“Well, I guess… yeah. We’ve known each other for a while, so this might be a good opportunity.”

She smiled warmly at me.

That didn’t suit her at all.

“Uh, well—”

I know I said to only teach one name at a time, but…

That was just for Koko when calling someone. It’s fine for us to use either surname or first name as long as—

“Alright, Koko, let’s go. There’s a café nearby that serves amazing sweet desserts. Haven’t had lunch yet, right? Let’s load up on calories with some sugary treats.”

“Sweet?”

“Very.”

Koko’s eyes sparkled at Kaneko’s words.

Following closely behind Kaneko, Koko looked just like a child eagerly following an adult offering candy.

Although I trusted Kaneko and felt a certain closeness to her, it still felt a little concerning to see Koko so easily follow someone she’d just met. I’d have to address that properly later.

“Come on, Kotone,” Ikeda—no, Izumi—said.

“...”

I felt like the conversation had moved forward too quickly.

…But I guess it’s fine.

Both of them were genuinely good people.

Like Izumi said, maybe this is an opportunity.

Chapter 74. Understanding (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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It seemed that neither Kaoru nor Izumi disagreed that summer was hot.

The place we went to seemed to be a soba noodle restaurant. In fact, I had followed them in without much thought, so I hadn't even properly seen the name of the place.

But, well, it didn't matter. I often ate cold foods anyway. In the summer, I often ate cold noodles like naengmyeon too.

It was 2004. Come to think of it, there might have been a Korean drama that became somewhat popular in Japan around this time. It was even on the news.

Of course, compared to the content that would become well-known here and there 20 years later, it was quite different in many ways. By my standards, only that drama seemed to have been successful. At this time, Korean food wasn't being sold widely in Japan either.

I suppose if I looked, there might have been a place like Koreatown? But I didn’t plan on going. If I wanted to eat kimchi, it would be cheaper to find a Korean cooking recipe book at the library and make it myself.

Now that I think about it, ever since I came here, I’ve been eating only Japanese food for months. Surprisingly, the food in this country seemed to suit my taste.

“Wait a moment, Koko.”

As Koko picked up the soba noodles in front of her with her chopsticks and brought them straight to her mouth, I grabbed her hand.

It seemed she had ordered the same thing after seeing what I ordered, but the dish we had ordered was not the kind where the noodles were served in broth.

It was called zarusoba, where the noodles, dipping sauce called tsuyu, and wasabi were served separately.

The noodles were placed on a wooden tray made of thinly sliced bamboo to prevent water from pooling in the dish, with finely chopped seaweed sprinkled on top. Typically, this kind of dish came with a much larger portion of noodles than expected.

Kaoru probably chose the restaurant based on the portion sizes.

After eating a few bites of the noodles as they were, Koko tried to pick up a big bunch and put it all in her mouth at once.

Although it's generally bad manners to interfere with someone else's eating habits, it seemed that Koko didn’t understand the dish itself.

If I left her as she was, not only would she eat the noodles without dipping them, she might drink the tsuyu like water, so I decided to teach her how to eat it first.

“Like this.”

I moved Koko’s hand to gently put down the large amount of noodles she had picked up and then helped her grab a smaller portion.

Koko wasn’t holding the chopsticks in the traditional way; she held them with her palm facing up, gripping them together as if she was holding a fork in reverse. So the process wasn’t that difficult.

By the way, from both I and Yuuki, as well as the other kids we traveled with, she had observed how others used chopsticks while eating and learned the skill of picking up food.

Opening and closing her palm, she spread and closed the chopsticks.

……Since it wasn’t urgent, I left it as it was, but Kaoru and Izumi’s gazes had been bothering me for a while.

Should I have taught her this sooner?

“Uuu?”

Koko looked at me, dissatisfied that I had taken away the noodles from her chopsticks.

Instead of answering, I placed the tsuyu dish in her left hand and moved her right hand, which held a small portion of noodles, into the tsuyu dish.

Then, I brought it to her mouth.

Koko tilted her head and then put the noodles in her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

“It’s yummy!”

“……Don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Okay!”

Well, at least she was enjoying it enough to light up her eyes, so that was a relief.

As soon as I let go of her hand, Koko picked up a large portion of noodles and put them all into the tsuyu dish. Thanks to that, the tsuyu sloshed around as if it were going to overflow, but it didn’t spill completely, so I decided to leave it for now. Well, as long as she was enjoying her food to the fullest, that was good enough.

While keeping an eye on her out of concern that she might spill it on her shirt, I turned my attention back to my own meal.

Kaoru and Izumi, who had been watching us intently, quickly shifted their gaze back to their own food.

……There was no need to be so self-conscious.

Well, at least they didn’t seem to think badly of it.

Not that they were the type of people who would.

---

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually know quite a bit about how high school girls have fun.

That’s because I’ve already experienced it several times. Do you know? Not only have I experienced it, but I’ve also slept with high school girls and gone on trips to the beach with them.

……

Now that I’ve said it, it sounds a bit sad. Let’s stop there.

Anyway, Kaoru and Izumi’s way of having fun wasn’t much different from how Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita had fun.

They walked around the shopping district, sightseeing here and there, and sometimes bought street food.

The only difference might be in their interests.

Miura, though she was a class president and an honor student, liked things that weren’t much different from what other high school girls liked. She would go around looking at accessories or perfumes, laughing with her friends as they picked out clothes.

Kaoru and Izumi also looked at clothes, but they just glanced at them briefly before moving on. They didn’t buy or try anything on.

Instead, Kaoru seemed to enjoy places like arcades more.

Especially the claw machines.

“Wow!”

“Oh, what’s that, Koko? Do you like dolls?”

Rather than liking them…… she didn’t have any, actually.

Everything in our house had come from Yuuki’s storage or the cafe’s storage. Since I didn’t see any reason to decorate the house further, there weren’t any dolls or toys. There were plenty of Super Famicoms and secondhand game cartridges, though.

Koko had already pressed her face against the glass of the claw machine, peering inside with sparkling eyes.

The doll she was looking at was a black cat plushie.

It was a black cat, just like Kuro at home. But its legs and tail were much thicker, and overall, it looked plumper. It probably felt soft to hug.

“Alright, leave it to me!”

Kaoru said with a determined look as she pretended to roll up her sleeves. Of course, there was nothing to actually roll up since it was summer and she was wearing short sleeves.

“……Kaoru-senpai, are you good at claw machines?”

“No, not at all. Usually, if Kaoru spends a lot of time on it, the staff feels bad for her and opens the machine to give her one.”

……That means she spent way more money than the doll was worth.

“Ah, look, Koko! I almost had it just now!”

It wasn’t an attempt worth calling “close” at all. The claw had barely brushed against the doll.

But even with that, Koko seemed to be having a great time. She seemed to have noticed that there was a connection between Kaoru’s movements with the joystick and the claw trying to grab the doll.

Now, instead of the still doll, she was more focused on the claw.

“Do you want to try?”

“Yes!”

When Kaoru said that and stepped aside, Koko eagerly grabbed the joystick and moved it randomly.

As the time limit ran out, the claw spun in circles before descending.

“Huh?”

“Oh my.”

“……”

It grabbed the black cat doll perfectly.

Both I, Kaoru, Izumi, and even Koko, who had successfully picked up the doll, stared at the scene with our mouths open.

Thud.

We watched as the claw dropped the doll into the exit chute.

Kaoru quickly bent down and pulled out the doll.

“Koko, you got it!”

“I got it?”

Koko tilted her head.

“Here.”

When Kaoru handed the doll to Koko, she blinked and looked at the doll.

“Is it mine?”

“Yes. It’s yours, Koko.”

At Kaoru’s words, Koko’s face lit up brightly.

“Kuro!”

“Huh?”

“It’s Kuro!”

“Ah, is that what you’re naming it?”

“……At home, we have a cat named Kuro. Its fur color is almost the same as this doll’s.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kaoru nodded immediately.

“A cat?”

Izumi, who had been listening nearby, asked.

“Yes.”

“Wow, really? That must be cute!”

Judging by her sparkling eyes, it seemed she really liked cats.

“Can I come see it sometime?”

Uh……

Would that be okay?

Other than Yuuki and Yamashita, I hadn’t really shown anyone my house. Except for Ms. Suzuki, who came by unexpectedly.

“……I don’t mind.”

Well, it should be fine.

As long as they didn’t run into Kagami,

it should be fine.

“Alright, I’ll definitely come by sometime!”

Izumi said with sparkling eyes.

She seemed really excited about it.

Kaoru looked at the two of us fondly.

It seemed like something had happened in the past. Maybe she had a cat she raised as a child but had lost it. If that were the case, I could understand her reaction.

“Ah.”

Suddenly, the claw machine made a sound, and when we all turned to look, the game had timed out and was signaling a game over.

Well, we had already won a doll, so it didn’t matter.

Seeing Koko hugging the doll tightly, it seemed like it had been a good idea to bring her along.

---

In the evening, Yuuki joined us.

I had arrived home on Sunday, and on Monday, I hadn’t bothered to go out, choosing to just rest.

Even though I had been lying down the entire time at the hospital, there was still a big difference between resting at the hospital and resting at home. At the hospital, I had to see the faces of nurses and doctors, not to mention the friends who had visited me.

So, the time that Yuuki and I hadn’t seen each other was only one day.

At first, I felt a little bad for calling her out, but when I saw Yuuki’s bright expression when we met, that feeling vanished.

Since Yuuki had been the one to approach me at school, I often forgot, but in the original story, Yuuki was a girl who didn’t make friends easily. Because she moved schools so often, she didn’t have many chances to get close to people.

Honestly, since it was all within Tokyo, I wondered if it was really necessary to keep switching schools. But, well, everyone has their reasons.

Maybe she had even transferred from a place further away than Tokyo.

Anyway, Yuuki didn’t have many friends, and in the novel, there were several descriptions of how she valued relationships.

Even with girls like Hagiwara and Nakahara, who competed for Sasaki’s affection, Yuuki considered them friends and was willing to risk her life to protect them. So, it was no wonder she thought of Kaoru and Izumi, who had become her friends first, as precious as well.

Yuuki, who waved from afar as she approached us, saw Koko holding the doll.

With the black fur absorbing all the heat, Koko looked delighted to be holding Kuro, though she was drenched in sweat.

“Yuu-chan, it’s been a while!”

“Hello, Kaneko-senpai.”

“Yuu-chan?”

“Oh, right.”

Seeing Koko’s curious expression, Kaoru said, realizing she had forgotten.

“Yuu-chan is a nickname…….”

Watching Kaoru and Koko’s conversation, Yuuki, who had been tilting her head, said,

“I think it might confuse Koko if we use multiple names in front of her. We’ve been calling each other by our names, so would that be okay?”

“By names?”

Yuuki’s eyes widened slightly.

She looked back and forth between me and Koko, then quickly nodded.

“I’m fine with that.”

“Alright, then I’ll call you Yuka from today!”

“Okay.”

Yuuki—no, Yuka—nodded with a small smile.

“Kotone.”

“Yeah.”

Well, it wasn’t the first time Yuka had called me by my name.

Back when I was being interrogated by Miura’s father and came out of the room, she had been dozing off in the hallway and, startled awake by me, had called out my name.

At that time, I was already sure that she was calling me by my name in her heart, so this was just a chance to confirm it openly.

Koko had done something big.

“Yuka.”

“Yes.”

When I called her name, as if to confirm it, Yuka smiled and nodded.

“What’s with that doll? Did you buy it?”

“Koko won it. From a claw machine.”

“A claw machine?”

“It was amazing. She just spun the joystick around randomly, and the claw went down and grabbed it.”

It was probably just luck, though.

“Really? That’s amazing.”

At Yuka’s compliment, Koko smiled broadly.

……Even though I look the same, honestly, I don’t think I could make a face like that.

That expression could only be made by someone as pure as Koko.

……

Somehow……

Ah, never mind.

I shouldn't start thinking weird things. They might show up in my dreams again.

I shook my head slightly.

“Hmm…… Before we go to Tokyo Tower, should we get dinner first?”

“Are we going up Tokyo Tower?”

“Yeah. Kotone and Koko said they hadn’t been up before. Plus, it’s summer break. Actually, Izumi was a bit worried. She thought it would be good to write a club activity report for the literature club during summer break.”

All of our gazes turned to Izumi at the same time.

So that was it.

It’s like when elementary school kids write summer vacation journals.

Well, even if the club had the minimum number of members, if we didn’t show any activity, the school wouldn’t give us funding.

The dorayaki we ate in the literature club room was all funded by the school’s activity budget. And so were the books on the shelves.

“Well, I also thought it would be nice to have fun together!?”

“Who said anything against that?”

When Izumi blushed and shouted, Kaoru laughed and answered.

---

This was just my personal opinion, but honestly, city night views felt like cheating.

Even though I had lived in Seoul for a long time, whenever I went up to a high place and looked down at the night view, I always ended up staring in a daze.

Now that I think about it, they said that by the 2020s, there would be a place even higher than Tokyo Tower, right? Well, it didn’t really matter now.

……It had been less than ten years since the 21st century began.

During this time, I was still diligently attending high school.

Back then, I had no idea how my future would turn out.

If the me from 2024 had returned to my past in this world, would I have been able to save my family?

Thinking about it like this felt a little strange.

Even though I thought that time would just end once it passed and there was nothing I could do about it, I still couldn’t help but wonder… what if.

Even if I could save them, they wouldn’t really be my family anymore, though.

“What do you think, Koko?”

I asked Koko, who was staring outside in a daze.

“Is it cool?”

“It’s cool.”

Koko nodded eagerly at my question.

“I’m glad we came.”

Kaoru said.

“How about it? Do you think it’ll make for some good writing material, Izumi?”

“……I told you not to tease me.”

Izumi said with a flushed face.

“But, Kaoru-senpai.”

Hearing them talk, Yuka asked.

“You two have known each other since childhood, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Kaoru nodded.

“Then why did you call us by nicknames, but call Izumi-senpai by her name?”

“Oh, that?”

Kaoru chuckled.

“Izumi used to be called ‘Icchan’ when she was little.”

That was the first time I’d heard that.

I also turned to look at Izumi, who glanced around and said,

“Honestly, isn’t that too much of a childish nickname?”

“Why? It’s cute and nice.”

“……”

But despite Kaoru’s words, Izumi only turned her head slightly and didn’t say anything more.

Well, if she didn’t want to talk about it, I couldn’t force her.

Seeing that Kaoru didn’t take it too seriously, it probably wasn’t anything major. It was likely just that it didn’t suit her taste.

The conversation paused for a moment.

We all shifted our gazes to the window.

The sunset over Tokyo was quite beautiful. While Tokyo Tower’s observatory wasn’t overwhelmingly higher than the nearby skyscrapers, the red sunset shining through the buildings made the trip up here worthwhile.

Yeah, sometimes it was necessary to take time to relax and enjoy moments like this.

After all, constantly bleeding wasn’t exactly pleasant from my perspective.

---

Kaneko and Izumi went home first.

They both lived nearby.

Izumi, who hadn’t forgotten that I owned a cat, seemed eager to come by and see Kuro soon, but she wasn’t going to just suddenly show up or anything.

“……Kotone.”

Seemingly pleased to finally call me by name, Yuka smiled softly as she called me.

“Yeah, Yuka.”

I also called her name, as if to confirm it.

Honestly, it still didn’t feel quite right. I had been calling her Yuuki for so long.

It felt like her name had suddenly changed from Yuuki to Yuka.

At least, that’s how it felt to me.

“…….”

I think I could understand a bit.

There was a time when I lived completely alone for a long while.

Actually, no, there were people who tried to help me, but I had pushed them away.

I just, well, wanted to stay alone.

Even after coming to this world, I felt that way for quite some time…… hmm.

Yuka probably felt the same. Every time she made friends, she had to part with them, over and over again.

Maybe she thought it was better not to get close to anyone in the first place.

But she had spoken to me.

Perhaps Yuka had sensed it, too. That I was a loner, just like her.

……

“We’ve been seeing each other a lot lately.”

At my words, Yuka shrugged.

“Well, it’s not a bad thing, is it?”

“No. It’s not. We’re friends, after all.”

“Friends…….”

Yuka mulled over my words for a moment.

“Yeah, that’s right! Friends.”

Yuka smiled brightly.

That was the first time I’d seen her smile like that.

“Heh.”

Seeing Yuka’s face, Koko also smiled along.

“……Then, I’ll see you again soon.”

Yuka said.

Her farewell this time had a different feeling from before.

I nodded and smiled in return.

“Yeah. See you again.”

For the rest of the summer, if possible, let’s meet again for trivial things.

Chapter 75. Understanding (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When I returned home, it was almost midnight.

Koko, who seemed to have enjoyed the day, was bouncing in her steps as if skipping.

Was she really that happy?

Well, considering Koko's mental age, it made sense, especially since she got a free, cute doll.

With each step Koko took, the tail of the Kuro doll in her arms went up and down. The doll had very sturdy legs, so much so that the two front legs hanging over Koko's arm looked as if they were deliberately positioned to hug her.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes!"

At my question, Koko nodded with a bright smile.

I see. So, you had fun.

That's good.

My friends were only a little startled at first, but they soon accepted Koko, so it should be fine.

Especially Kaoru seemed to have quite a lot of fun.

As we walked, the plastic bag in my hand rustled. Inside were some pieces of bread.

It was bread to hastily eat for breakfast tomorrow. I didn’t really feel like cooking meals throughout summer vacation, living like a temporary house guest.

The sound of the bag crinkling, and the noise of our footsteps. I could hear car sounds in the distance, but they weren't enough to be bothersome.

Quite a few houses seemed to be enduring without air conditioning, as TV sounds drifted from open windows.

Today... it seemed like I would fall asleep in a good mood. I wasn’t overly tired, nor was I bursting with energy; I was just at the right level.

I thought about going in, washing up, drying my hair, laying out the bedding, and lying down.

Thinking those thoughts, I walked through the hot midsummer night.

"...Huh?"

Suddenly, I saw something a little strange.

The area I lived in couldn’t be considered too remote. It wasn’t Tokyo, but Saitama was right next to Tokyo. If you took the subway, you could get to the heart of Minato Ward in Tokyo within an hour.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was as affluent as those areas, but apart from the apartment I lived in, most houses were quite well-maintained, giving the neighborhood a generally clean impression.

As it looked, it wasn’t a place where noise and commotion were expected. There were a lot of houses, so there must have been quite a few people living here, but it wasn’t the kind of place where everyone would come out and make a fuss.

But for some reason, people were gathering.

Right in front of the apartment we were heading toward.

At a glance, I could tell that it wasn’t a usual gathering where people were simply watching something interesting.

"..."

I slowly approached the people. Since they were blocking the way to my apartment, I had no choice.

Well, they weren’t blocking my way, but rather standing as if they were wary of something in the apartment.

"Hmm?"

Hearing the sound of our footsteps, a man turned to look at us.

He had a very short-cropped hairstyle. His forehead was relatively broad, but not so much that you'd think he was balding. Judging by that, it seemed like he kept his hair short on purpose.

He didn’t have any scars or tattoos on his face, but he had a very rough and intimidating appearance.

"...Are you from the Yamashita household?"

"Ah, yes."

Hearing me speak, the man nodded.

"Kurosawa... miss?"

The man, who awkwardly added “miss” at the end, glanced between me and Koko.

"...Is something happening at home?"

I didn’t know who this man was, but it was clear he knew me, so there wasn’t any major problem. The Yamashita family wouldn’t harm me.

"Ah, well, you see..."

The man seemed uncertain about whether he should use formal or informal speech.

Was I being treated like some kind of VIP?

I didn’t tell him he could drop the formalities.

I didn’t know how things worked in that family, and I couldn’t recklessly order him around. It would be awkward if I told him to speak casually, only for him to get in trouble with his superiors later.

After all, these were real yakuza who could cut off fingers for making mistakes.

Without waiting for an answer, I looked up toward the apartment.

"...Kagami?"

On the second floor, right in front of my apartment door, there was someone.

From the back, they looked like Kagami. The long black hair flowing down her back and the white dress instantly reminded me of Kagami.

However.

Something was different.

I couldn’t quite explain it, but there was just a 'feeling,' wasn’t there? Maybe it was the posture, or perhaps the build that was subtly different, which my instincts picked up on.

Or, maybe I sensed it because I noticed how wary the others were. If it were really Kagami, the Yamashita family wouldn’t need to be so on guard. Kagami always came to visit me whenever she wanted, and we would chat and part ways.

"...Is that why everyone is gathered here?"

Were they always nearby? I suppose Kagami must have tightened security after the incident last time, and I just hadn’t noticed.

No, some of the people gathered were wearing normal clothes. There were young men dressed casually, men in suits who looked normal enough. Looking again, most of them wouldn’t have seemed out of place even if they were around me. The ones dressed like obvious yakuza just stood out too much.

"We tried to block her, but we have no idea how she managed to get that far."

The man finally seemed to have decided on how to speak to me and responded politely.

"We had men stationed all around."

"...Did you call Kagami?"

"Yes. She should be arriving soon."

Hmm.

I stared at him silently for a moment before saying,

"...Do you have a knife?"

The man nodded and pulled out a sashimi knife from inside his suit.

Really, do they carry that around all the time? Don’t just pull out a sashimi knife like it's nothing. It would have been better if he’d called for a lackey to bring a box cutter from a toolbox or something. Honestly, it was a bit intimidating.

Gripping the heavy sashimi knife in my right hand, I began walking slowly.

I didn’t plan on stabbing anyone. I was just thinking of cutting my wrist to buy some time if needed.

Though, to think that I was even considering cutting my wrist just to buy some time, it felt like I had gone a little crazy. Even though I wouldn’t die from such a cut, accepting self-harm as normal was far from a healthy mindset.

I could understand why Yuka was worried.

...If only Nirlass didn’t have such a twisted taste, it would’ve been much better.

I let out a deep sigh and walked forward.

Not exactly from behind me, but as if narrowing the encirclement along with me, the others also walked toward the apartment.

Who could that person be?

...Honestly, I had an idea.

"...Wait."

At my words, the moving people all stopped.

"...?"

I could feel the gazes asking, “Why?” as I took a deep breath.

"Hold on, Koko."

I stopped Koko, who was about to dart forward.

"Kotone?"

As she turned to look at me while holding the cat doll, it seemed Koko also sensed something.

Was she planning to go ahead and confront the person before they attacked me?

"...It might be a person."

"Uuu?"

I wasn’t certain.

But.

...The sensation wasn’t that strong.

The reason I stopped walking was that my spine tingled, as if when I encountered a yokai.

Thinking about how she had slipped past so many watchful eyes and reached the front of my apartment, I could only assume she had used some kind of trick.

But even so, it wasn’t like when I encountered a real yokai, where goosebumps spread all over my body.

It was more like a mild itch, as if someone was deliberately brushing their fingers against my back, in a way that made it hard for me to notice.

I stretched my hand in front of Koko, pulling her behind me, and spoke.

"...You."

My voice wasn’t particularly loud, so at first, I thought she hadn’t heard me.

The woman with the long black hair hanging down her back, who had been blankly staring at my front door, slowly tilted her head toward me after a few seconds, as if she finally realized I had called out to her.

Her side profile, visible beside her hair, was Kagami’s face.

A slender, fine-featured face.

Skin that was flawless and clear.

From a distance, it was hard to tell whether her eyes were open or closed due to how narrow they were.

Slowly, lazily, the woman turned her head and body toward me.

"...Kagami-san?"

Someone among the men murmured in surprise, so similar was the woman’s appearance to Kagami.

"No."

But someone else immediately rebutted that.

"..."

The woman, leaning lightly against the hallway railing, gazed down at me.

After staring at me for quite a while without speaking, she opened her mouth in a drowsy voice that matched her lethargic appearance.

“You can stand there... like that?"

"..."

It was Kagami’s voice.

But the tone was noticeably different. Kagami didn’t speak in such a languid way. Sure, she sometimes deliberately stretched out her words or spoke leisurely when dealing with someone, but it wasn’t a voice that sounded like she was about to yawn.

"Why are you here?"

The woman who claimed to be Kagami’s older sister.

The one who had waited for 15 years, got tried, and eventually gave up and left.

And the one who was also Yamashita Yuu’s mother.

...And the one who had gifted isolation to Mori-san.

Considering the stories I’d heard from Kagami and the actions she’d taken, she seemed like a person overflowing with jealousy and impatience.

"I just... don't understand."

"..."

"Why now? Why?"

She tilted her head in puzzlement and spoke only what was on her mind.

"What are you?"

"..."

"You were supposed to be nothing but a fool. Someone who wouldn’t know how to eat unless someone fed you. Wasn’t that how you were, even just last year?"

That... well.

I’m not really sure.

How could I know what happened last year?

The timeline of the novel *Tokyo Slayers* begins this year. Even if there were references to the previous year, they would have only come up in flashbacks.

Besides, I hadn’t read enough of the original to know what Kurosawa Kotone was like in it.

I’m sure she existed, considering that I’m here now.

"...So, I’ve been thinking a few things."

The fake Kagami continued speaking while looking at me.

"Kagami must have diligently and kindly imparted all sorts of knowledge to you, one by one. Honestly, I can't imagine Kagami going out of her way to do that, but you never know, do you? After all, the result— you— is standing in front of me."

"..."

"Am I right?"

I hesitated for a moment. What should I say?

But then, I realized there was no need to tell her the truth.

Kagami had helped me quite a bit. While all I had returned to her was misunderstandings, more misunderstandings, and even worse misunderstandings, Kagami always played along, seemingly enjoying it, or at least pretending to.

"...What if you are right?"

"Hmmm?"

At my question, the fake Kagami tilted her head in thought.

"No matter how I think about it, it’s strange~ Kagami wouldn’t do something like that~ Did she suddenly decide to be a good mother?"

“You talk as if you were a good mother.”

"I was a good mother."

The fake Kagami said.

"How beautifully I raised Yuu. Doesn’t Yuu still miss me?"

She does.

Damn, I couldn’t deny that, at least.

"If it weren’t for that strange girl, that seat would’ve been an empty reminder of me."

Watching her speak with such genuine regret and sorrow, I withdrew that thought.

...Not that I think Mori-san is completely normal either. After all, who would propose to a man old enough to be her father, especially when that man had practically been her father figure?

Especially when there’s a child calling her ‘sister.’

But still.

Right now, that woman was saying that the seat should’ve remained empty so that Yamashita would forever mourn her absence. That was far from a normal way of thinking.

"Why did you come here?"

"Why else, but to see you?"

The fake Kagami said.

"...Can I ask you something?"

She then asked me.

"..."

Not caring whether I agreed to her question or not, she continued.

"You’re not a god, are you?"

"..."

Wait a minute. You were calling me ‘you’ this whole time. At least Kagami used a respectful term when addressing me.

I wasn’t insisting that she speak formally, but her deliberately provocative wording was irritating.

...Or so I said, only to myself.

I had no idea what this woman might do next.

"Judging by your reaction, I guess I’m right."

"If I were a god, what would you do?"

"I’d die. And I wouldn’t even feel that resentful about it. If I spoke to a god so disrespectfully, it wouldn’t be strange if the god took my life in anger, right?"

"...Dying would just mean an end to it all."

"Death is just the beginning. At least my death would prove that a god exists on this earth. What’s the point of continuing to live if my current endeavors become meaningless?"

"..."

Well.

Isn’t that thinking a bit too extreme?

Kagami is also extreme, but this one’s even more so.

Though, considering how she rammed a truck full of monsters, it kind of made sense. There were people in that truck with her, after all.

It was an incident where people clearly died, but it was dealt with as a mere traffic accident?

The government in this world is scary. If things like this were happening worldwide, it must be pretty terrifying.

“So, now that you’ve seen me, what next?”

“Now that I know I don’t have to die, I’ll just continue with what I need to do.”

The fake Kagami’s eyes turned toward the knife in my hand.

“...”

“Oh dear, staying here seems dangerous. I’ll be leaving now.”

The woman, who seemed to regain some energy after our conversation, said that and raised her hand into the air.

Then, she stroked the ‘chin’ of something in the empty space and said,

“Let’s go, Mr. Whateley.”

“...”

Whateley?

I looked into the empty space, but there was nothing there.

...Could it be another form of isolation she created to accompany her?

And even gave it a name.

As the fake Kagami slowly turned around and started descending the stairs, I moved farther away from them. Even though we were already quite far apart, I didn’t want my body to brush against the descending woman.

And I definitely didn’t want to bump into that invisible something.

“Uuu...”

Behind me, Koko let out a low growl, as if to warn me.

Her hair gently swayed beside me.

The fake Kagami didn’t even acknowledge Koko’s presence. Was she that confident in herself?

As she was about to leave, a screeching sound came from nearby.

A car, speeding toward us, stopped at the corner of the alley.

The people who got out of it were also yakuza men.

And Kagami.

“...”

I shut my eyes tightly.

What were the neighbors thinking right now? It wouldn’t be strange if they reported the apartment as a yakuza hideout.

Thankfully, I didn’t hear any police sirens yet.

“...”

Kagami, getting out of the car, suddenly froze in place, as if rooted to the ground.

And she glared at the fake Kagami—no, her sister. Her usually narrowed eyes widened slightly, but the effect was like a razor’s edge, making her look even sharper than usual.

However, Kagami’s sister didn’t stop walking.

With a haughty air, as if there was no need for her to deal with anything here, she simply passed through the people.

No one blocked her path. It seemed like everyone felt something from her.

And I thought that was a very wise decision. If they had tried to stop her, they would’ve disappeared without a trace.

The woman walked a considerable distance before slightly turning her body back toward us.

She was far enough away, and with her eyes narrowed like Kagami’s, it was hard to tell exactly where her gaze landed—

But still, I was certain that she was looking at me.

“...Are you hurt anywhere?”

Kagami approached me and asked.

“No.”

I answered and extended the knife sideways. The man who had lent me the knife cautiously took it back, and I turned to face Kagami.

“...That woman just now, was that your sister?”

Kagami nodded stiffly, her face tense.

“Have you ever heard of ‘Whateley’?”

“Whateley?”

Kagami tilted her head in confusion.

It was clear she hadn’t heard of it. Maybe it was an act, but if it was, I had no way of finding out. I wasn’t going to torture her for information, after all.

“She said that name to the empty air earlier. ...It seems like she’s created something new, aside from the mass of flesh.”

“...”

Kagami fell silent, lost in thought.

“...So, that woman really is Yamashita’s mother?”

Now that I thought about it, Yamashita did give off a similar vibe. But compared to her mother, she was much more girlish, far more normal, and even kind.

What kind of person had she been around Yamashita, for Yamashita to still think of her as her mother and miss her?

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Hiss!”

Hearing Kagami’s request, Koko, behind me, mimicked Kuro’s growl.

“Since I’ve come all this way, you should know a few important things.”

With Kagami’s words, I had no choice but to nod.

Though Koko still didn’t seem too happy about it.

Chapter 76. Understanding (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I first sent the yakuza-dressed men back and entered the house.

“Hiss!?”

When we opened the door and entered, Kuro, who had been right at the entrance, hissed in surprise.

...Why is this one here again?

Kuro... Well, she didn’t dislike humans, but she wasn’t particularly affectionate like the so-called ‘cat dogs.’

She was more on the lazy side. She was the typical cat you’d see portrayed in media, always lazing around and finding everything bothersome.

She wasn’t the type to come out to the entrance to wait for her owner when we left and returned.

“...Ah.”

She had even scratched the wooden door a lot.

...Is that so?

Last time, Kuro had seen through Koko’s identity as well. Of course, it could’ve just been that she heard strange sounds crawling around above the ceiling, but if she had seen the ‘something’ beyond the door...

Yuka had said as much too.

“Kuro, let’s go inside.”

Saying that, I gently lifted Kuro with my hand and set her down near the bedroom.

“Meow.”

As if she hadn’t hissed earlier, Kuro let out a soft meow and settled down on the futon.

...It was really fortunate that my school uniform was black. Otherwise, I would’ve had a hard time when school started after the break.

“Kuro!”

Just as if she hadn’t hissed earlier, Koko placed the Kuro plush in front of Kuro. Of course, Kuro only glanced at it and didn’t bother reacting.

I went to the window to try and cool down the stiflingly hot room and opened it.

The heat didn’t escape immediately, but a slight breeze came in, making it a bit easier to breathe.

I sat down silently.

I didn’t bother setting up a table or bringing out anything to drink or eat. Kagami didn’t complain either.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts.

A lot of things I needed to ask came to mind.

...Alright.

I decided to start by asking the most pressing and important question.

“...I have something to ask.”

“Yes, please ask.”

Kagami responded calmly without any emotional fluctuations.

Had she already accepted the situation?

“That person earlier, she looked a lot like you.”

“That’s right. I thought so too.”

Sighing, Kagami took a breath.

“Even though we’re sisters, I wonder if we really need to look that much alike.”

“...”

I quietly observed Kagami before speaking.

“...Twins?”

“Do we look that similar?”

Kagami tilted her head in confusion.

“There’s a four-year gap between us.”

Hmm.

I wasn’t sure if it was because I had seen from a distance or because that person had styled herself to look like Kagami, but to my eyes, they looked nearly identical.

When I first saw her, I had unconsciously called out Kagami’s name.

It wasn’t that Kagami looked old, but more like that person seemed less aged. Or maybe her face was concealed with makeup?

“You’ve met Yamashita before, right?”

“If you’re talking about Yamashita Yuu, yes. I met her at the police station last time.”

“Before that?”

“I’ve seen her face. But I’m not sure if she remembers me. It was such a long time ago.”

Yamashita let out another deep sigh.

“My sister didn’t really like me getting involved in her family matters.”

The women around her all seem to bring out jealousy.

“Since you look so much like her, don’t you wonder why Yamashita wasn’t surprised?”

“Hmm.”

Kagami paused, deep in thought.

Seeing her like that made me feel a bit relieved.

The reason I felt relieved even before hearing her answer was simple. It was proof that Kagami hadn’t plotted anything in front of Yamashita.

For instance, Kagami didn’t seem to have tried to make Yamashita feel uneasy by reminding her of her mother’s image.

Come to think of it, Kagami had acted as though she knew Yamashita but didn’t seem too concerned about Yamashita herself.

If I were truly Kagami’s daughter, that would make Yamashita my cousin. If there was some reason why I, ‘me,’ might fall outside the boundaries of humanity, and it was related to the Kurosawa family, then Yamashita might also have that reason.

That was something I didn’t want.

I was the type of person who felt a bit sorry whenever people got caught up in incidents and died in light novels.

It wasn’t because I had extraordinary empathy or was kind. I just knew that if I were in that novel’s world, I would likely be one of those people caught up and killed.

They’d say something like, “X percent of the world’s population died,” or “A random passerby was stabbed to death.”

As someone who had to carry and run by with those kinds of people, I couldn’t laugh at such depictions.

...My family had also died powerlessly in that way.

“Maybe it’s because the impression was different.”

“Impression?”

“Do you remember what I was wearing back then?”

Of course, I remembered.

I remembered it so vividly that it was a problem.

Her shoulders were exposed, cleavage was visible, and the skirt was so short that it seemed like a slight movement would reveal everything. The patterns on the outfit were so flashy that it had no hint of elegance.

No matter how I tried to see it in a positive light, she looked like a ‘party girl,’ and at worst, she could’ve been mistaken for a ‘woman who sells her body.’

Though it seemed like that outfit was a charm point for Fukuda’s father, to me, it was a bit much.

“And I was wearing heavy makeup.”

“...”

I silently stared at Kagami’s face.

She had a pretty face. Her eyes were slightly narrow, but they curved in a way that made it hard to think she had any malice when she smiled.

But usually, a character with narrow eyes is always the hidden mastermind in stories like this.

...

Oh, right.

Now that I thought about it, Kagami had been glaring with piercing eyes back then. Just that alone could change the impression a lot.

“It would be hard to recognize me unless they already knew me. Plus, I even greeted Yamashita as ‘Chairman.’ Do you think Yamashita could have thought I was her mother?”

“...No.”

It’s possible she thought you looked similar. But she didn’t show it through her expression.

Or maybe I was too distracted by Kagami to notice properly. In any case, based on what Kagami said, Yamashita might not have much to do with this incident for now. That was a relief.

“And, considering the image my sister showed when she was at the Yamashita family, it’s understandable that she couldn’t connect the two of us.”

“What kind of image?”

“Think of a very, very proper young lady from a noble family.”

Kagami snorted.

It seemed that the Kurosawa family was far from a ‘noble family.’

“At home, she wore a kimono every day, always sat in a formal posture when sitting down, and remained quiet and modest in front of men.”

...

As strange as it sounded, I could easily imagine it.

If Kagami were told to wear such an outfit and sit quietly, she’d likely resemble that image quite well.

“She always tied her hair up, spoke softly, and was courteous in her tone. That’s the kind of person she was in the Yamashita family. I even heard that she always used formal language with her daughter.”

I see.

Now I understood why Yamashita couldn’t connect her to Kagami and why she might still long for her mother.

...I understand, but...

“Then why... did she get divorced?”

That’s right.

Even if she was involved in some weird religion behind the scenes, wouldn’t she still be considered a good wife and mother by those standards?

Well, if I thought about it as someone who wasn’t Japanese, it seemed a bit extreme. If a woman in Korea were to live in a huge mansion, wear hanbok every day, serve her husband, and use honorifics with her children, it would feel less like fantasy and more like a horror story.

Then again, people like Kagami and her sister could only exist in this world because it was a light novel, so there was no need to take it too seriously. Even in Japan, such people probably only appeared in historical dramas.

And if the person involved was already insane, it made even more sense.

“There are people with strong pride but low self-esteem. And when those people have an inflated sense of self, what kind of person do they become?”

“...”

“A person who believes they should always be at the top in whatever organization they’re in. Someone who thinks it’s possible. A person who harbors the delusion that everyone around them is looking up to them and expecting great things.”

That...

I don’t know, isn’t that a bit too harsh for your sister?

But then again, thinking about how she treated those beneath her, it’s hard to imagine how she was with Kagami.

Spending a long time together could definitely build up some resentment.

“Objectively speaking, my sister is an exceptional person. All the achievements during our generation came from her mind. But she didn’t meet her own expectations.”

I roughly understood.

I slowly nodded my head.

“It’s understandable that Yamashita couldn’t endure it. In front of you and me, Yamashita seems like a somber, serious person, but when she’s relaxed, she can be quite boisterous.”

She acted that way when she greeted Fukuda at the police station.

“And... her profession is in that field, right? She often had to go here and there for work. While she never had an affair...”

Kagami said, her gaze blankly directed at the ceiling.

“And being a perfect wife and mother meant there was constant friction with the people around her. Just because someone uses polite language doesn’t mean they’re necessarily a courteous person, you know?”

“...”

Once Kagami started talking, she poured out her story almost in lamentation.

I stayed quiet.

I didn’t mind listening. More than that, I was a bit surprised.

Kagami had always shown a strange sense of familiarity toward me. Of course, there was always a bit of a wall, and there were things she deliberately didn’t say.

Perhaps it was because her sister was involved in this story. Or maybe it was because she hadn’t had a chance to talk about this with anyone else until now.

“The divorce was the first crack my sister experienced. And not just a small crack, but a huge one.”

“...”

“I don’t know how she found out about Yamashita possibly remarrying, but you know what she did to that woman, right? Do you think that was the first time?”

Wow.

“I didn’t know back then. There wasn’t even proper evidence.”

“But there was evidence this time.”

“Which means she no longer cares about hiding it. It’s her way of sending a warning.”

Like how the mafia kills people and leaves the bodies in plain sight.

“My sister’s divorce happened about five years ago. Even after the divorce, she continued to collaborate with us in various ways. We were in the same faith, after all. But about a year ago, she suddenly disappeared.”

If she created my body 15 years ago, she might have been waiting all that time for me to awaken. Koko was a complete failure, so she had sealed her away.

But now the situation was... I wasn’t sure whether to say all my expectations were wrong or right.

They were wrong, but also right.

If things had happened in reverse order, Kagami might have lost her confidence and self-esteem. But the problem was that the ‘wrong part’ happened first, so all the credit ended up going to Kagami, who was now at the top of the sect.

From her sister’s perspective, it would be a maddening situation.

“I think my sister is probably cornered.”

“...Seems like it.”

Her tone, her voice, everything about her had the calmness of someone warning that they could kill everyone present at any moment.

But if that’s the case, there’s no need for her to come here.

Especially not herself, the leader.

She even tried to crush me and Koko, who had been created with her power.

...Though, to be precise, it seemed like she didn’t know about Koko back then.

“She must’ve wanted to confirm with her own eyes what exactly was going on.”

And Kagami had completely ignored her.

...

Kagami’s gaze drifted upwards again.

She had a slightly dazed expression.

“My sister... I don’t really know her anymore.”

“...”

I paused for a moment before moving on to another question.

“What is she doing out there?”

“She’s probably created some new sect where she’s the leader again, but this time, it’s one that the people around her are even more obsessed with. Considering how quickly results are emerging.”

“The same god?”

“Probably not.”

“...She said she’s willing to risk her life for her god.”

“Do you think she’s sincere? I don’t know anymore.”

A person beyond understanding.

Even Kagami, who shared the same blood, was reacting this way.

I wasn’t sure if there was ever a time she understood her sister.

“...”

“Do you have any more questions?”

Kagami asked politely.

It was always like this. If I asked, she’d answer, but she never volunteered information on her own.

Anyone could lie at any time. I didn’t completely trust Kagami. I already knew she was a skilled actor.

But the reality was, the only information I could rely on in this situation was what she was telling me.

The highest person I knew in the ‘cult’ was Kagami.

More precisely, Kagami was the only person I knew from the cult. Unless I considered Koko a member.

“...She said I was in a mindless state before.”

“...”

While Kagami explained, I had occasionally fallen silent, but this time, it was Kagami’s turn to be silent.

“How did I end up enrolled in school?”

And, one more thing.

“...How are the tuition fees being paid?”

“...”

Kagami remained silent.

But it didn’t feel like she was hiding something.

It was more like—

Rather, she was looking at me strangely.

“That’s actually something I wanted to ask you. ...Isn’t it related to that being?”

“...”

Ah.

Right.

This body I was in had been a vessel, after all.

Nirlass had even called it an avatar.

Which means...

“We’re covering the tuition fees. We’re even getting government subsidies because, technically, I’m considered your parent. So, you don’t need to worry too much about it. ...Oh, are you perhaps upset that we’ve deviated from the original plan?”

It’s possible they used donations from people who gave them in good faith, or perhaps they extorted money to fund my living expenses.

...Well, whatever the case, my initial funds must’ve come from that source.

“How strange.”

Kagami’s face was expressionless as she stared directly at me, and it was a bit frightening.

“You’re a person who operates on common sense. That’s what makes it so strange. If you were a person who had descended... you wouldn’t act like this.”

Kagami leaned forward slightly toward me.

Her face came suddenly closer.

Right, I forgot.

Kagami always spoke politely to me, answered my questions, and appeared when I needed help, but I kept forgetting that she was now the person at the top of the cult.

She might not be as extreme, but fundamentally, she stood in a similar position to her sister.

But Kagami didn’t get any closer.

Between the two of us, a few strands of black thread gently floated into the air.

At first glance, it looked like they were being blown by the wind. I hadn’t turned on a fan, but I had opened the window when we entered the room, so it could’ve been the wind.

...No.

The breeze I felt was very faint. Not enough to lift my hair.

And this was—

“Koko.”

I called out, turning my gaze toward Koko.

“No.”

“No?”

The floating strands of hair fell.

...These strands of hair had been used to attack that mass of flesh. Of course, they could easily pierce through human skin and bones. It’d be perfect for slicing.

I still believed that the members of the Kurosawa family weren’t ordinary humans.

While I was beginning to think that my belief that Kagami was Nyarlathotep might have been a misunderstanding, it was still wise not to let my guard down since I couldn’t fully trust Kagami.

In a world where absurd things happen, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone could distort people’s memories.

“I’m too scared to even ask questions now.”

Maybe Koko was the one wary of you?

Whether it was because Koko hadn’t died or for some other reason, she had yet to show any killing intent toward Kagami.

More than that, I wasn’t sure where Koko’s ‘killing intent’ was even coming from. If she could kill people, she could’ve done so when I had climbed on top of her with a knife raised.

Could it be that her strength changes based on her size?

It’s said that ants can lift many times their body weight, but that doesn’t apply to humans.

...I’m not sure. Maybe it’s something she learned after the fact. I did watch TV and play games in front of Koko, after all.

“Then, is that the last of your questions?”

“...Yes.”

When I answered, Kagami stood up from her seat.

“From now on... things will get busier. I’ll help however I can, but since I don’t know exactly what my sister is planning, you should prepare yourself.”

“...I know.”

I replied in a slightly tired voice.

Can’t I just live peacefully?

“Then.”

Kagami bowed her head to me and stood up.

It wasn’t until I saw Kagami turning around to leave the room that I realized I had forgotten to ask the most important thing.

“Wait.”

At my words, Kagami stopped.

I asked her as she faced away from me.

“What’s your sister’s name?”

“...It’s Kosuzu. Kurosawa Kosuzu.”

Kagami turned toward me as she said this.

“Isn’t it a fitting name for my sister? It means ‘little bell.’ A tool used in rituals to summon gods, after all.”

After Kagami left, I pondered over that name.

I see. A tool to summon gods.

...Had she been raised for that purpose from childhood?

I didn’t know what kind of life that was, but it probably wasn’t an easy one.

I let out a long breath and stood up.

Time to wash up and sleep.

...I’m completely exhausted.

Tonight, I feel like I’ll be able to sleep deeply without dreaming at all.

Chapter 77. Lantern (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

At least I took a day off.

I never imagined my vacation would be this hectic.

Whether in a good or bad way, I've been caught up in various things, and it's been overwhelming.

The second semester starts on September 1st, so there’s still quite a bit of vacation left.

From what I’ve heard, Japan’s winter break isn’t as long as Korea’s. It's about two weeks. There’s also a third semester, and after that, there’s a spring break before the second semester begins again. It feels like the breaks are divided up more finely toward the end.

Still, wouldn’t the remaining vacation be a bit more relaxing? I hoped so.

The most important summer vacation event from the main story is over. I’ve seen Kaneko and Izumi, and I even promised to call them by their first names.

I’ve already met Miura, Yamashita, and Fukuda early in the break, and we hung out.

Of course, I still have to work during the vacation, so that keeps me reasonably busy, but I have three days off a week, and it’s not like I work all day. I’d say I have some downtime.

...The only thing left is for Koko to stay quietly at home.

So I came up with an idea: to take Koko out all morning and afternoon.

Yes.

If I tire her out by taking her around everywhere, maybe she’ll stay calm at home with Kuro until I get back.

It felt a little like I was treating her like a puppy, so I did feel uneasy, but what else could I do? This was the only solution I could come up with.

Besides, leaving her with someone else seemed a bit... too much.

On Saturdays and Sundays, I’d have to leave a little earlier, but I could play with her as much as possible in the short morning.

Today, Thursday, was a workday for me.

I took Koko around every corner of the neighborhood, came back near home, and then went to different places again multiple times.

The sun was scorching, and it was still humid, so by the time we returned, I was exhausted. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to work properly in this condition.

But it was far better for me to be tired at work than for Koko to run off and disappear.

That’s why I wandered around the neighborhood repeatedly, so Koko could find her way back home if she went out.

Koko was much smarter than she appeared. If she knew the way, I was sure she could make it home.

“...You understand, right? You absolutely cannot go out.”

“Can’t go out?”

“Can’t go out.”

“Ooh.”

I wasn’t sure if her “ooh” was a response of understanding or refusal.

But at least, judging by her expression, it seemed like she understood.

I knew this couldn’t go on forever.

Koko wasn’t a cat. Sometimes she imitates Kuro, and drools over the cat food, but I think she’s a person with intelligence similar to mine.

So, one day, I would allow Koko to roam around the neighborhood on her own.

But not yet.

In fact, even as I said that, I felt a bit strange.

This wasn’t the first time I had left Koko at home to go to work. Even if I wasn’t around, Koko wouldn’t go out. She hadn’t before.

So why did I feel so anxious?

As if I had lost Koko once before—

...Ah.

That’s it.

I hadn’t lost her.

But... the thought that I could lose her crossed my mind.

The face that came to mind was someone who resembled Kagami in an uncanny way. Someone who carried an invisible presence with her—Kagami’s older sister. A selfish being who thought it was okay to take someone’s life based on her whims.

Even though I knew Koko wouldn’t go outside, I was worried, just in case something did happen if she went out.

“You understand?”

So I decided to get a clear confirmation.

“Play with Kuro. I’ll be back...”

I glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was a big clock I bought and hung up recently.

I had debated between digital and analog, but I chose analog. If Koko fully understood numbers and had a sense of time, a digital clock might have been better, but I wasn’t sure she did.

With an analog clock, I could point out where the “small hand” would be by the time I returned.

“This small hand.”

I spoke slowly and exaggerated my movements so Koko could see.

“I’ll be home before it gets here.”

Koko stood up and looked at the number I pointed to.

“From here to here.”

After pointing to the current time, I then pointed to the number 10, and Koko blinked.

“Now.”

I took her hand and made her point to the same numbers.

“From here to here.”

Koko nodded.

“Mm.”

“Got it?”

Koko blinked again.

“Mm.”

...Not sure if she fully understands.

But there wasn’t much else I could do to explain.

I couldn’t take Koko with me to work, after all.

“...Take good care of Kuro.”

So, I grabbed Kuro, who was lying on the floor with her belly up, and handed her over to Koko.

“Meow?!”

Kuro shrieked as her body was suddenly lifted, but before she could even struggle, she was already in Koko’s arms.

“You can take care of her, right?”

“Mm!”

Koko nodded enthusiastically with a bright smile.

...This, I could trust.

---

“Senpai!”

Shii greeted me as usual when we met after a few days.

I was worried she might have some trauma, but on second thought, in the original story, Shii quickly recovered after seeing the oni.

...Shii’s trauma is rooted in her past. Meeting her real mother is probably scarier for her than seeing something like an oni.

Besides, Shii had seen Sasaki’s blood defeat the monster.

She probably feels very reassured being with her brother.

“How have you been?”

Shii tilted her head after greeting me.

As if something felt off, she tilted her head again before suddenly nodding as if she remembered something.

Then, with a serious expression, she asked,

“...Is Koko doing well?”

Was she worried because I had been taking Koko around with me?

The truth is, Koko had been with me long before Shii even knew about it.

But Shii had only met Koko during the recent trip to the beach. To Shii’s eyes, Koko might have seemed like someone with a disability.

So, thinking about Koko being left alone might have made her uneasy—

...

...Wait a minute. Was what I did neglect?

Hearing Shii’s words, I started to feel uneasy again.

I didn’t think Koko’s intelligence was that low, but maybe I was wrong.

“She’ll be fine.”

I answered as if I were reassuring myself.

Shii, hearing my answer, had a slightly uneasy expression, much like I did, but Koko was already about an hour and a half away from me.

I could only hope she was doing fine.

---

The boss had her usual indifferent expression.

I was worried she might say something about me taking too many or too frequent breaks, but she didn’t seem to care.

She just stood near the counter with her usual bored expression, making coffee or grabbing things from the fridge whenever an order came in.

It wasn’t just the boss; the other maids were the same.

Since they didn’t have formal contracts or know much about who anyone really was, they didn’t bother interfering with each other’s business.

Sometimes people came and went without a word. No one said goodbye when they quit, nor exchanged contact information to meet up later.

They were just there, then gone, leaving only a faint trace in each other’s memory.

Some had worked there longer than me, but we never really had warm conversations.

“Thanks for your work today.”

“Yeah.”

The boss lifted one hand slightly in response to our goodbye.

“Take care.”

That was it. As always.

If today were my last day of work, would the boss respond the same way?

Probably.

Both the boss and I would one day look back, faintly recalling, “There was that person who worked in that place.”

That would be enough.

“Today went... for a while, huh?”

“Ah.”

When I started to speak, Shii reacted as if she were startled.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Shii continued cautiously, as if reminding me of something I had forgotten.

“Um, Kurosawa-senpai, isn’t Koko waiting at home?”

“...Ah.”

Right.

It had been such a normal afternoon that I had momentarily forgotten.

“...”

Now that I remembered, I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of worry.

Would Kuro be okay?

Come to think of it, Koko had often watched me cook from behind.

It wasn’t like I made anything elaborate, but sometimes I used knives, and other times I used fire.

And I had never once warned her about them.

Now that I was thinking about it, I suddenly felt like all the blood was draining from my body.

There probably aren’t any sprinklers in that apartment. I’m not sure if the building was constructed following proper safety codes.

If a fire breaks out, it would probably spread uncontrollably before anyone could do anything about it.

...And on top of that, Koko doesn’t have a phone, nor does the house.

“Wouldn’t it be better if you headed back as early as possible today?” Shii, noticing my worried expression, asked with some concern.

“...Yeah.”

I nodded.

“You can have ramen tomorrow or the day after.”

At Shii’s words, I nodded again.

“Then, I’ll head back first.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow!”

Waving to Shii, I ran.

---

“Koko!”

“Wah?”

When I burst through the door, Koko turned to look at me with a slightly surprised expression.

She was sitting right in front of the TV, which was playing commercials.

...Oh, right.

Koko really liked commercials. There were plenty that were genuinely funny.

Since Koko didn’t have a perfect grasp of language yet, she enjoyed the quick and fleeting nature of advertisements.

“...Haa.”

I let out a long sigh.

...Thank goodness. Nothing happened.

Kuro, on the other hand, was lying in Koko’s hands with an exhausted expression. Judging by how Koko was absentmindedly playing with Kuro’s paw pads, it seemed Kuro had been tormented quite a bit while I was gone.

“Were you good?”

“Mm!”

Koko nodded and smiled brightly in response to my question.

“...”

I felt relieved.

But also a little strange.

I hadn’t experienced this kind of... atmosphere in a long time.

I’ve never had a girlfriend or a wife.

My family... well, I lost them a long time ago.

When I opened the door and came home, all that greeted me was a dim, cramped room.

I had never expected, let alone hoped, that I would come home to someone waiting for me like this, in a brightly lit house.

...It was a strange feeling.

...No, it was a nostalgic feeling.

Holding Kuro in her arms, Koko approached me.

Kuro’s expression was full of displeasure. If you know the internet meme of the “Long Cat,” you might get the idea. It’s a picture where you lift a cat by its armpits, and its long body dangles down. That’s exactly how Kuro looked right now.

Kuro’s waist swayed left and right with each step Koko took.

“...You should hold her properly.”

I grabbed Koko’s arms and adjusted them to help her hold Kuro correctly. Of course, Kuro looked up at me with eyes full of resentment, but I ignored that look.

Well, I can teach her.

About how fire is dangerous, how you shouldn’t handle knives carelessly, and even how to read and write. I’ll teach her everything, one by one.

Just like how I took care of my little sister when I was young.

“Starting tomorrow, I have something to teach you.”

“Woo?”

Did I say it too abruptly?

Koko tilted her head, looking puzzled.

Smiling, I patted her head.

“...But first, let’s wash up and then talk.”

Koko had already washed after our walk earlier, so she was fine, but I was drenched in sweat. It was already hot today, and I had been running too.

Maybe I’ll wake up a bit earlier tomorrow.

I’ll find a nearby bookstore and buy some books on writing and a few children’s stories.

Looking at Koko tilting her head up at me, I made that resolution.

---

And it worked.

It felt like Koko was proving once again how smart she was.

Although her innocent nature didn’t fade, Koko really liked it when I read her picture books.

I bought a few thin storybooks, and we read them together.

Before going to bed, we lay side by side on the blanket and read a picture book before turning off the lights.

I pointed to each letter as I read, and Koko showed interest. When something confused her, I explained it several times.

Of course, I didn’t push her to practice writing just yet. I didn’t feel it was necessary at the moment.

I also taught her how to use the things around the house, why some things were dangerous, and why she needed to be careful with them.

I made sure the books I bought had some kind of moral lesson too.

After a few days of doing this, Koko could somewhat read hiragana and katakana. She had been exposed to writing before, so she had some understanding of it.

It had only been a few days, so she wasn’t reading perfectly yet, but...

The part about “having an effect on me” started to show.

At least while I was at work, I felt a little more at ease. I couldn’t completely shake off my worries, but I could tell that Koko was steadily learning.

By the time Sunday rolled around and I had to go to work, I was mostly at ease.

“Is Koko doing well?”

Shii asked again today.

But her expression wasn’t filled with worry like the first time she asked.

“...Yeah. She’s doing well.”

I replied.

Perhaps my expression looked a bit lighter than usual. Shii smiled and nodded back.

It was busier than usual today.

I hadn’t noticed during summer vacation, but apparently, it was a holiday period. They called it Obon, or something like that.

I wasn’t too familiar with Japanese holidays, but it seemed like this time of year was full of festivals and events.

Today was the second day of a three-day holiday.

“...Is today okay for you?”

I asked belatedly while we were working, and Shii gave a slight, regretful smile.

“Sorry, maybe tomorrow.”

“...”

The house they lived in was in one of the most expensive areas of Tokyo, but all they had received was the house itself.

The costs for electricity, phone bills, even food—everything else had to be covered by part-time jobs, according to the novel’s setting.

Shii might even have other part-time jobs besides this one.

Not just Shii, but Sasaki as well.

“I see.”

I nodded in response, deciding not to ask for more details.

In any case, I didn’t know if Japan in 2004 had any sort of compensatory days off, but regardless of that, a holiday is a holiday. Some people might laze around at home, but others might go out with their entire family.

There were even some families with children who showed up at the café. Even though this was a maid café. Well, aside from the fact that the staff were dressed as maids, it did look like just a regular café. That is, if you ignore the boss’s obsession with coffee.

The streets outside... Well, Akihabara’s streets are always bustling, not just during Obon. There are quite a lot of foreign visitors too.

As I was busily working, my phone rang.

It was a text message.

[Do you have time tomorrow?]

It was from Fukuda.

Oh, right. I think there was a lantern festival at the local shrine.

[Yeah]

I sent a simple reply. It was Monday, after all.

[Want to meet in the afternoon?]

[Sure]

After answering, I thought for a moment, then sent another message.

[Is it okay if I bring my sister?]

For some reason, it felt like I’d be out for a long time. While Koko seemed to be getting used to being home, I didn’t want to leave her alone on my day off.

[You have a sister?]

I could almost hear Fukuda’s surprise through the text.

That’s how much I must have talked to Fukuda. I knew her tone well.

...She was a good kid. She was the kind of person who would approach a gloomy kid like me and strike up a conversation.

[Yeah]

While Sasaki and Shii easily accepted Koko’s existence, I wasn’t sure how the others would react.

I didn’t plan on explaining Koko’s situation in detail over text, but I thought I should give a bit of a heads-up.

[Should be fine! How old is she?]

[Same age]

[Same age???]

Three question marks.

[Twin]

[Twin?????]

This time, there were five.

Well, that made sense. It was the first time she had heard this.

[Definitely bring her!]

Was Fukuda intrigued by the fact that we were twins? She replied with enthusiasm.

[Okay]

Smiling, I put my phone back in my apron pocket.

Miura and Yamashita would probably come too.

...I had some worries, but it was hard not to feel a bit of excitement as well.

Chapter 78. Lantern (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Today, I woke up to the warm sensation on my side and stomach.

I had experienced the Korean weather my whole life, which Americans complained about as being ‘as hot as California in the summer and as cold as Alaska in the winter,’ but Japan's summer was worse.

Saitama isn’t a coastal area. Although it's close to Tokyo, so calling it "completely inland" might not be entirely accurate, it’s still not by the sea.

Even so, the characteristic humidity of this place could still be felt clearly.

Maybe it’s because, geographically, it's much further south than Seoul. I heard it rarely snows in Busan during the winter, so it must be worse in Tokyo and the neighboring Saitama.

"..."

Still, when I looked at Koko, who was curled up against my side, following Kuro’s posture and breathing softly, I thought it was better than being lonely.

Thinking back, half the reason I brought Koko was because I was lonely.

Although, if I really think about the underlying emotion, it was fear. But the result of trying to face that fear with something other than myself was the abduction of Kuro. In a way, Koko was more than just a result of that.

"Koko. Koko."

I shook Koko awake.

"Mmm?"

"Wake up. We need to start getting ready."

The sun was already high in the sky. Though the sun rises early in Japan, it was still too bright for it to be called early morning.

Koko, who had been curled up while sleeping, groggily lifted her upper body.

I wonder how she could sleep like that without her back hurting?

...It probably doesn’t hurt, which is why she sleeps that way, right? Koko is very honest with her feelings. If she was uncomfortable, she would have changed her posture long ago.

Besides, Koko's body... In a way, saying she’s flexible wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

"Let’s eat breakfast first."

"Breakfast?"

Even with her eyes half-open, Koko reacted to the mention of food.

Looking at her, I had to wonder.

She eats like a human, sweats, has saliva in her mouth, and her eyes are as moist as any person’s. It’s not just a surface imitation; each part of her body seems to function like a real person’s.

Could someone just mimic that by appearance alone? The other parts of Koko I found in the fridge were crudely and grotesquely shaped like human body parts.

Did all those parts function like a human's body?

Sleeping means feeling fatigue and needing to recover. But to think that a being like Koko, whose body could melt and flow, feels tired and rests like a human… Something about it doesn’t seem to make sense.

And who knows if her insides are properly replicated, too?

...

Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

"...Ugh."

I stretched my arms overhead as I got up from bed.

Yeah. It doesn’t really matter.

As long as Koko is by my side, Koko is just Koko. A bit dangerous, but fundamentally a cute and kind girl.

That’s all that matters.

"Right, Koko?"

"Mm?"

Koko looked satisfied enough.

I patted her on the head as she looked up at me while sitting, then I headed to the kitchen.

Before going out, we need breakfast.

Maybe I’ll make fried rice today. Even if I mess up the portions, Koko probably wouldn’t complain. She might even like it.

When I was alone, I thought instant food was enough. Even just putting some soy sauce-soaked bean sprouts between koppe pan was fine as long as it filled me up.

Even when friends came over, I didn’t think it was a big deal to eat that way for a day or two. After all, that’s what living alone is like, right?

But I can’t do that with Koko.

If Koko were only staying for a few days, I could have just given her instant rice or ramen. But Koko is going to stay with me for a long time.

I have to feed her properly.

I’ll be spending more on food, but since Kagami is taking care of my tuition, I decided to rely on that for now.

While I was frying some rice in the kitchen with simple ingredients, Koko came sniffing the air and approached me.

"Just wait a bit. It'll be ready soon."

"Mm."

Koko doesn’t like being told to wait very much.

But at least she seemed to understand the meaning of ‘waiting,’ which was a relief.

Koko waited by the door, playing with Kuro until the meal was done.

The fried rice turned out a little bland, but—

Well, Koko ate it all without any complaints, not leaving a single grain of rice behind.

When she proudly showed me the empty plate, I couldn’t help but laugh.

...It was peaceful.

With the constant sound of cicadas outside and the television playing softly in the background like a soundtrack to our home, there was a strangely nostalgic atmosphere.

The place was different, the food was different, and there were subtle differences in our daily lives—

And yet, I found myself oddly reminiscing.

Why was that?

Was I, after all, projecting my little sister onto Koko—

"...No, that’s not it."

I quickly shook my head in denial.

My little sister wasn’t that affectionate.

I’ve barely ever been called ‘oppa.’ When we were younger, and our parents both worked, I remember being called that when I went to pick her up from daycare, but at some point, she started just saying, ‘Hey.’ She didn’t completely stop calling me oppa, but the ratio was probably about 6:4.

I don’t really know why.

She probably didn’t either.

"Mm?"

Koko tilted her head in confusion, so I quickly patted her head.

"No, no, you did well."

Saying no, then suddenly praising her.

Maybe I was going back and forth too much, as Koko had a somewhat confused expression.

---

August 16th.

The last day of Obon.

The two of us dressed up in our best outfits and headed outside.

Unfortunately, the clothes we had worn for summer outings were soaked in blood and couldn’t be worn again. We had packed a few extra outfits for the trip, but the clothes we had carefully selected for vacation ended up like that.

At least the clothes I bought with Miura, Yamashita, and Fukuda were still intact.

I was lucky not to have taken them with me.

Since I always end up shedding blood when dealing with yokai, I’ve at least learned this much by now.

...Though it’s not exactly something to be happy about.

So, I wore the dress I bought back then. I dressed Koko in the short-sleeved white shirt and shorts she wore when we went to meet Kaoru and Izumi.

Since she was meeting friends for the first time, I took a little extra care in fixing Koko’s hair.

The sun was scorching.

We had played outside under the sun before, but neither of us had any sign of a tan.

At first glance, our skin seemed so delicate that it would burn after a few minutes in the sun... But maybe it’s because of our regenerative abilities?

Well, whatever. Let’s just say that’s the case.

We headed to Minato Ward, near the school.

"Oh, what’s this!?"

The three of them had arrived a little earlier than us.

As soon as Fukuda saw us, she ran over.

She eagerly glanced between us and asked,

"Which one is Kotone-chan?"

Her reaction was like a child who had just received a new toy, but since Fukuda is inherently a good-natured person, there was no need to worry.

"I’m Kotone."

"Wow... Oh, you’re wearing the clothes we bought together! So you dressed similarly to avoid confusion?"

That’s part of it.

"Still, twins, huh. When I only heard about it, I couldn’t believe it, but now that I see you both, you really do look exactly alike!"

Fukuda said with a cheerful laugh.

"What’s this girl’s name?"

"Koko."

"Koko!"

When I told her the name, Koko repeated it right away.

Fukuda blinked in surprise as she looked at Koko, then at me.

"Oh, hi?"

Fukuda probably found Koko fascinating since she was used to seeing me with a more subdued demeanor.

You know how some people seem hard to imagine smiling or getting angry?

But after witnessing it, you think, ‘Why couldn’t I imagine that?’

But until you actually see it, you don’t really picture it.

Sometimes you don’t even think about it at all.

For others, Koko must seem like the 'lively Kurosawa Kotone.'

"I’m Harumi."

But Fukuda seemed to adapt quickly, placing her hand on her chest and introducing herself.

"Harumi!"

"Haha! She’s really cute!"

Fukuda was delighted.

Well, that was probably expected. She used to play with my hair even when I was completely expressionless.

"She has a slightly different personality from you."

Hearing that, I felt a little relieved.

Fukuda didn’t seem to see Koko as a disabled child. Maybe it was because she saw similarities in their personalities, but I wasn’t sure.

Then again, we had only exchanged a few words.

"But I was really surprised."

Miura, who had quietly approached, spoke up.

"I never heard you had a sister..."

Miura glanced at Koko repeatedly while asking me with a serious expression.

...In Miura’s mind, I was an incredibly pitiful person. I hadn’t figured out how to clear up the misunderstanding yet, so I’d left it alone. Miura saw me as a victim of sexual assault.

Always alone at home, abandoned by my only family, my mother.

A child in the worst possible situation, neglected by her family.

The mere idea that someone like me had a younger sibling must have been shocking.

Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita all knew about my situation to some extent, but Miura had the biggest misunderstanding.

"...I was able to find her recently."

I decided not to explain in too much detail.

The best way to hide a secret is to speak ambiguously. Later, you can claim it was just a misunderstanding.

And honestly, I can’t exactly tell them that Koko came to be after I attached a living chunk of flesh, taken out of the fridge, to the giant, slug-like creature crawling around with an enormous nose.

"...."

All three of them fell silent at my words.

I silently apologized to Kagami in my heart.

Sorry.

It seems your image has fallen even further among my friends.

I wasn’t sure how much lower it could go, but...

Well, Kagami was the one who chopped up Koko and put her in the fridge, so it wasn’t exactly a lie. She should’ve properly stored the nose part, too.

Though I understand. Her body was no different from slime, with heads and limbs growing out and flailing around. Losing a part was probably the best-case scenario. It wasn’t even clear if something was missing.

"That person."

Yamashita muttered.

Though still quiet and reserved, after spending a few days together and helping Mori-san, Yamashita and I had developed a very good relationship.

Actually, we could probably be called close friends now.

Having witnessed Kagami’s actions, it’s likely Yamashita’s impression of her, which was already bad, had reached rock bottom.

...

I wonder if Yamashita knows her mother’s previous surname. If she did, wouldn’t she have reacted when she heard ‘Kurosawa’?

Well, it’s not like only this family uses the Kurosawa surname. After all, one of Japan's most famous film directors has that name.

Even if Yamashita had recognized the surname, she might have just brushed it off.

Even if your classmate turns out to be a cousin you didn’t know about, it’s hard to suspect that from the start.

"...So now we’re living together."

Sensing the atmosphere getting awkward, I quickly added.

The three exchanged glances.

"I’m Miura—"

Miura stepped out from beside Fukuda and placed her hand on her chest, then hesitated.

"I’m Mako."

"Mako!"

While Fukuda simply said her name as part of her personality, Miura seemed to have noticed something about Koko. Did she think it would be easier for Koko to call her by her first name?

"...Yuu."

Lastly, Yamashita placed her hand on her chest and introduced herself.

Since the other two had used their first names, Yamashita introduced herself by her first name as well.

Hmm... Well.

Good enough.

There was no need to make them uncomfortable for introducing themselves with their names, so I nodded and took Koko’s hand.

"So, where should we go first?"

"Um... We were thinking about walking around a bit."

Fukuda looked up at the sky, and we all followed her gaze.

There were some clouds, but not enough to block out all the sunlight. Then again, even if they did block it, it would still be unbearably hot.

"Let’s find somewhere cool to rest for a while. You guys were on the subway until just a little while ago, right? There’s still plenty of time before we need to light the lanterns."

During Obon, fires are lit to guide the spirits of ancestors, and on the last day, fires are lit to send them off. I had done some research on it myself.

I happened to hear about it on TV yesterday by chance.

The lantern event at the shrine was probably part of that tradition. I wasn’t sure why it was being held in a shrine pond instead of a river, though.

"Oh, right."

Fukuda suddenly clapped her hands, as if she’d remembered something.

"Koko, do you want to try wearing a yukata?"

"Yukata?"

Koko tilted her head in confusion.

"You know, like a kimono."

"Kimono?"

"Uh..."

Even Fukuda seemed a bit flustered that Koko didn’t know what it was.

Miura and Yamashita, who were standing slightly behind, looked a bit more serious.

Well... It’s possible not to know what a yukata is... Or maybe not. If a teenage girl in Korea didn’t know what a hanbok was, that would be strange too.

As I wondered how to explain it,

"It’s a pretty outfit."

"A pretty outfit!"

At my explanation, Koko’s eyes lit up.

Fukuda exchanged glances with Miura and Yamashita, her playful expression fading slightly.

The three of them nodded, seemingly reaching some sort of decision.

"We should definitely get her one."

Fukuda then turned back to us, holding both of Koko’s hands tightly as she spoke.

...Well.

If it means giving Koko more experiences, I guess there’s nothing wrong with it from my perspective.

So, I decided to just let the three of them take the lead.

---

"....Kotone-chan."

After sitting in a cafe for a while and then renting a yukata, we were walking along a street bathed in the light of the setting sun when Fukuda sidled up to me and started talking.

"...Yes."

There was none of Fukuda’s usual lightness, so I responded seriously.

Fukuda hesitated for a long time, as if deciding whether to say something or not, before finally speaking.

"....About your mother."

She was probably trying to be as careful as possible with her words. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if she just called her Kagami, but to others, she probably seemed like my biological mother.

After all, we do look a bit alike. Although I don’t have slitted eyes.

"It seems she’s gotten close to my dad."

"..."

Uh...

What?

There’s no way that weird joke about her being my sister was true, right? Please, let it not be true.

"It doesn’t seem serious yet, though."

Fukuda furrowed her brows, clearly troubled, as she spoke.

"I don’t know. I just thought I should tell you."

"...I understand."

I nodded.

She might have been saying she didn’t like it or was against it.

Given how Fukuda perceived Kagami, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

In fact, Fukuda’s dad was probably the strange one for being so unbothered by Kagami’s behavior.

Well, maybe it’s because he doesn’t think it’s serious yet that he’s acting so casually.

"Do you need help with her?"

Fukuda asked cautiously, looking ahead.

There, Koko was walking.

Walking between Miura and Yamashita, Koko looked genuinely happy.

Judging by the nonsensical sounds Koko made when she was excited—like “Mmm,” “Kyaa!” and “Waa”—she was truly enjoying herself.

"...It’s fine for now."

"Really?"

It was the first time Fukuda had pressed the matter this much.

"Really."

This time, I responded seriously.

"No matter how it seems, she’s someone who provides at least the bare minimum of support."

I subtly tried to defend Kagami.

No matter what, she had taken care of my tuition. Sure, I had to buy things like uniforms myself, but I knew Kagami would help with that if I asked.

I just felt too uncomfortable to ask.

...Since I was already receiving help, I felt bad for painting her in such a negative light.

Though maybe it was too late for that.

"...Really?"

Fukuda replied, looking a little puzzled.

"Yes."

After hearing my response, Fukuda shrugged her shoulders, as if she had lost the will to press further.

"Kotone!"

Koko suddenly turned around and called me.

"Hm?"

"Look!"

She pointed to a torii gate.

In Korea, it’s common to see churches or cathedrals in the middle of cities, but they’re so familiar that I never really paid attention.

There are also temples in the middle of cities.

But since a shrine is uniquely Japanese, it felt somewhat novel to see one in the middle of a city.

Then again, I probably would’ve felt that way no matter where I saw it. To me, it just looked like a foreign tourist spot.

A small shrine in the middle of the neighborhood. Fukuda had been right.

It was bustling with people.

I quickly went up and took Koko’s hand.

"...."

Miura, seeing the sight, unknowingly smiled and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"Let’s go."

Fukuda said, taking the lead.

Her yellow yukata, paired with her hair tied up, suited her quite well.

Chapter 79. Lantern (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

What should I call the emotions I’ve been feeling since coming to this world?

I don’t think I’ve ever seriously thought about it until now.

It’s not like I’ve never read novels of this kind before. As I got older, it became a hassle to carry around paper books, and my house became too small to stack them up, so I mostly read e-books.

In fact, I didn’t even read those often. I’d work, come home, sleep like the dead, wash up, eat, go back out, and repeat the same cycle, only reading occasionally when I had oddly free time to kill.

When did I stop reading novels? When did I stop watching movies or reading comics?

…Well, maybe after I got a job—

—No, it was probably after I lost my entire family overnight, and everything in life just became too bothersome.

What was the reason I was still alive?

My family had relatives and friends too.

My parents, busy raising me and my sister, couldn’t meet their friends often, but they hadn’t completely cut ties with them either.

The same went for my younger sister, who was just about to enter college. She had quite a few friends from elementary to high school.

Many people came to the funeral. It was a funeral for three people, after all, and all their relatives and acquaintances showed up, so of course, there were a lot.

Most of them, I never contacted again. Occasionally, I would exchange greetings with relatives on holidays, and sometimes, a concerned relative would visit to check on me, and we’d have a meal together. They were all kind people. But they had their own lives to live. Their lives were not easy enough to accommodate all my complaints.

Friends… yeah, I had friends too. Some stayed by my side all night at the funeral, not saying a word, just staying with me as I lay there dazed.

When life became too hard and I missed my family, I would meet up with a few friends, drink like crazy, and erase the memories. That made things a little better. When I blacked out, there was no room for dreams to creep in.

The friends who knew my situation were kind enough to understand, but as we got older, drifted apart, and started families, even that became impossible to do.

So, really, I’m sorry to say this, but the reason I stayed alive wasn’t because of them.

Probably.

I…

Ironically, I was alive because of the memories of my family.

When three of the four of us suddenly left, I realized that I was the only one who fully remembered them.

There were people who remembered them as relatives or friends. But that wasn’t the same as family memories. They weren’t the raw, unfiltered memories we’d inadvertently shown each other.

They weren’t family memories.

I was the only one who remembered Mom as Mom, Dad as Dad, and my sister as my sister.

If I died, those memories would disappear too.

The reason I stayed alive was because of that lingering attachment.

I didn’t want to erase my family from the world. So, clinging and clinging, I barely held on with just a few fingers.

At the same time, I struggled not to dream. I didn’t want to remember my mom, dad, and sister as corpses.

That’s right. That’s how it was.

Why had I forgotten that?

“...”

“Kotone?”

I heard someone call my name.

When I turned my gaze, I saw Koko looking at me with her head tilted.

She was wearing a blue-striped yukata. Or was it white-striped? I couldn’t tell which was the base color. The diagonally striped yukata gave quite a dynamic impression, and it suited Koko well.

“Yeah.”

When I answered, Koko blinked.

Was it her first time seeing this kind of expression on my face?

The faint light floating on the small pond dimly illuminated Koko’s face.

A face that looked worried about me.

…

Would it be too sentimental to say that I saw my sister’s face in her expression?

When I first got a job, my sister made that same face.

It was also my sister who used to nag at me every time I smoked. Didn’t she say something like I wouldn’t be able to claim workers’ compensation later if I developed lung disease from smoking?

Whenever even a hint of smoke lingered on my clothes, she would pester me about it, and I lost my temper more than a few times.

I eventually quit, though.

Even after I was left alone, I never smoked again. It was probably because of my sister. Though I never consciously thought about it.

“Why?”

Koko asked.

Was she asking why I had this expression on my face?

“…Who knows.”

I answered absentmindedly as I looked back at the pond.

Several lanterns were floating in clusters on the small pond.

*

Fukuda said, "Black is not allowed!"

Since I’m not fully knowledgeable about Japanese culture, at first, I thought maybe wearing a black yukata during Obon wasn’t allowed.

I thought that made sense since it’s the period when spirits pass through, but what she said next completely refuted that idea.

"Both of you have incredibly black hair. It's nice and all, but it will definitely make you look like unlucky widows who lost their husbands early."

"Harumi!"

Yamashita let out an exasperated snort, and Miura cried out in shock.

But, well, it seemed true.

My hairstyle was already a bit gloomy, after all. I hadn’t made any effort to improve it, so breaking away from that image seemed impossible.

Koko was the same.

First of all, Koko’s hair wasn’t really hair; it was long, stretched-out flesh. Cutting it would hurt Koko, and the gushing blood would probably mentally scar any hairstylist, so going to a salon was out of the question.

Also, since I had no intention of changing my hairstyle, Koko, who mimicked my appearance, didn’t change hers either.

Anyway, the black yukata I initially chose was hung back on the hanger.

Instead, Fukuda picked out two yukatas, the same as Koko’s.

Specifically, they both had diagonal stripes but were mirrored versions of each other.

“You two are twins, after all!”

Fukuda’s logic was simple, and strangely enough, not only Miura and Yamashita but even I agreed.

In the end, Koko and I wore the same patterned yukata, but in a way that mirrored each other. When Koko stood to my right, the stripes formed a V-shape, and when she stood to my left, they made an inverted V.

"Pretty, it suits you both so well!"

Having already picked a yellow yukata with some floral patterns, Fukuda lined us up and took several pictures with her phone.

If just the two of us had worn yukatas, it might have felt a bit embarrassing, but the entire group was dressed up. Everyone was fully prepared to enjoy the festival.

After that, following behind Miura, Yamashita, and Koko, we listened to some rather strange stories from Fukuda as we walked all the way to the shrine.

In Korea, Chuseok is a three-day holiday, and the last day is usually spent traveling back home, so there isn’t much of a festival atmosphere. Actually, even when you go back to your hometown, it’s not really a festival or party mood. It’s more of a family gathering, with relatives meeting and kids playing together.

Well, there might be some festivals happening somewhere in the country, but I’ve never participated in one.

However, despite it being the last day of Obon, the shrine was bustling with people. Just as Fukuda had said, it wasn’t particularly spacious. No, I mean, it was wide, but how should I put it?

Hmm, yeah. It didn’t feel as expansive as a full-fledged tourist destination like those in Gyeongju.

In the middle of the fairly large shrine grounds, there was a kind of watchtower where people could climb, and there was space around it for people to move around.

There were already a few people dancing.

I think I’ve seen something like this in a manga before. I don’t know what it’s called, though.

Everyone seemed to know, but I didn’t want to ask, feeling like the only one left out. I could always look it up later.

And around the area, there were food stalls. There weren’t an overwhelming number of them, but they were packed close together, giving the impression that there were many. Maybe it was just an illusion.

Koko lifted her chin and sniffed the air.

It smelled delicious. There was the scent of grilled squid and something like baked flour. Occasionally, I could hear children happily shouting.

“Do you want to eat?”

“Yes!”

Before I could respond to Miura’s question, Koko answered quickly.

“Koko’s food, I’ll—”

“No, no.”

As I reached into my pocket for my coin purse, Miura hurriedly grabbed my hand.

“I really want to treat you.”

Miura’s eyes sparkled, so much so that the glow didn’t diminish even through her glasses.

“…Okay.”

Without thinking, I nodded at her enthusiasm.

Was Miura an only child?

Maybe that was why. If you actually had a younger sibling, you’d butt heads more often than not, but that’s something an outsider wouldn’t know.

“Come on, Koko, this way.”

“Oooh?”

Miura led Koko toward the crowded area, and Koko hesitated slightly, turning to look back at me.

Koko’s behavior was sometimes contradictory. She didn’t seem to like crowded places, but she didn’t entirely hate the bustling atmosphere either.

It was probably because of the things she had gone through.

Being captured by people, chopped into pieces, and stored in a refrigerator.

Because of that, she lived alone, avoiding people in isolation.

She must remember it all.

"I'll come with you."

Even though we were all moving together anyway, it helps to say it out loud at times like these.

Koko's face brightened at my response.

I took hold of Koko’s right hand, the one Miura wasn’t holding.

It didn’t feel squishy at all, and it seemed there were proper bones inside.

Just like when I saw Koko sweating before, I felt a strange sensation again. But it was much better than the first time. After all, I had decided to just accept it as it was.

...The place was already crowded with people, but near the food stalls, even more gathered, so it took almost ten minutes just to get our food.

“Ha-hu, ha-hu.”

Koko blew on the takoyaki in her mouth, and it was both funny and cute.

Even with her body, could she still feel the heat? If so, sweating wouldn't be that strange either.

Watching her, I also stabbed a takoyaki and put it in my mouth—

“Ha-hu, ha-hu.”

...And ended up doing the same thing.

It was much hotter inside than I had expected. It felt like biting into a freshly steamed bun without cooling it down first.

The taste was different, though.

Flour dough with octopus... I wasn’t sure if it was real octopus, but it definitely tasted like part of some cephalopod, and it wasn’t bad.

"You two are exactly alike."

Fukuda said with a satisfied expression as she looked at the two of us.

Well, we do look the same in the first place.

I wanted to make that retort, but the takoyaki in my mouth hadn’t cooled down enough yet, so I had to just listen to Fukuda’s laughter for a while.

*

Still, following along to a festival I had wanted to visit at least once as a teenager was very enjoyable.

We didn’t just eat takoyaki.

After we finished the eight pieces of takoyaki, puffing on them, the kids handed us all sorts of snacks, perhaps finding it amusing to watch us eat.

I got to try a candy apple and cotton candy, just like in the manga.

Koko seemed to prefer the sweet candy more, but I liked the takoyaki best.

Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten older.

After all, cotton candy just tastes like sugar. The candy apple tasted like biting into an apple coated in hardened sugar syrup.

We didn’t bother with the goldfish scooping. We already had a cat at home, so who knows what could happen?

Plus, goldfish grow larger than you’d expect and need more space to move around, so properly raising them requires more money and effort than you’d think. I had failed at raising one when I was younger, so I wasn’t about to repeat the mistake.

More importantly, Koko’s gaze toward the goldfish was a bit unsettling.

It felt like if we left the house, we’d come back to find the goldfish in Koko’s stomach, so we just watched from afar.

"Kotone-chan wouldn’t make it as a dance singer."

That was Fukuda’s impression after seeing me dance.

"...Maybe I could make up for it with singing."

"Isn't it usually the other way around?"

Fukuda responded incredulously to Yamashita’s comment.

Shouldn't she ask if I even wanted to be a singer first? Not that I did, and who would even give me the chance?

“Koko... you had great spirit!”

“Yeah!”

Miura was enthusiastically praising Koko.

Even though Koko looked my age, she was now recognized by the three of them as a ‘child’, she might be much older than me in reality.

Well, my appearance didn’t seem strange even if I was a couple of years younger than the others.

No wonder Koko was being treated as cute.

By the way, saying she had ‘great spirit’ was probably just because there wasn’t much else to compliment. Koko’s movements were lively and cute, but they looked more like a child’s playful dance than anything graceful.

...

I was probably a bit better than her.

Probably.

After having fun together for a while, the sun set.

Even though we hadn’t eaten dinner yet, I wasn’t hungry. We had already stuffed our mouths earlier.

Koko felt the same.

Well, we should probably eat something later, but maybe I’d buy Koko something nice since we were out.

Looking at Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita, they seemed to have the same idea too.

*

And so, back to the present.

After sunset, lanterns were set afloat on the pond, and people gathered around them.

I wasn’t sure if these lanterns were meant to send off the spirits or just took the place of the smoke for that purpose. But one thing was clear—the previously boisterous atmosphere had quieted considerably around the lanterns.

A solemn mood.

“...”

Even Miura and Fukuda, who had been chatting away the whole time, and Yamashita, who occasionally made snide comments at them, were now silently gazing at the lanterns.

The reason I thought of my family while looking at those lanterns was probably the same.

If they were still children, they might not fully grasp the concept of ‘the dead.’ I saw some kids glance up at their parents, looking bored.

But as you get older, you slowly begin to understand the idea of death.

When the flower you were raising withers. When your pet crosses the pearly gates.

When an old actor you often saw in dramas or movies no longer appears on screen. When you hear about the passing of your favorite manga artist or author.

Even if it’s not someone close, there are more moments than you realize when you have to say goodbye forever.

You accept that reality, slowly forget, and as the years pass, you find that you’re okay with it.

...I couldn’t do that.

Was it because the farewell was too sudden?

Or was it just because I was immature?

I’m not sure.

I was just looking at the lanterns, wondering if, during this time, spirits really came to visit—could my family’s spirits have visited too?

Yes, I knew.

This wasn’t the world I lived in.

It wasn’t that time had gone back 20 years; it was just that I had come to this new world.

Whether my soul had been transferred or not, I didn’t know.

But at the very least, I didn’t think any of my family’s... traces existed in this world.

“...”

Still.

Even so, just in case. If, by some chance—

If they had ever come to see me, worried about me being alone.

I just hope they’ve safely returned by now. That they didn’t wander lost on the long journey and made it back to where they belonged.

I hope they didn’t see me getting hurt, but instead left feeling happy after watching me have fun with friends.

I lifted my gaze from the lanterns to the sky.

The flickering reflection of the lanterns on the dark pond followed my eyes upward.

It looked like souls returning to the sky, and it stirred my heart a little.

“Kotone.”

I heard someone call my name.

The hand holding mine squeezed gently.

When I looked over, there was someone standing who looked exactly like me.

I never imagined we’d end up like this when we first met.

“Are you okay?”

“...”

Koko asked.

I stayed silent for a moment before nodding.

“I’m okay.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I felt the gaze of others on me, so I turned to see Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita all staring at me.

I raised my hand and wiped the corners of my eyes. A faint trace of moisture clung to my sleeve.

It seemed I’d gotten a bit too sentimental.

I thought my emotions had dried up as I got older. I’d seen a lot of unpleasant things over time.

Crying voices, screams. Words of resentment aimed at me. At first, each one hurt, but at some point, I learned how to just keep moving my body.

It hurt too much to empathize with those feelings. Every time, it reminded me of my family.

At some point, I started running away from sad and distressing things, from media that portrayed such emotions. So, of course, I rarely found reasons to cry or laugh.

“...”

No one said a word.

I was grateful they didn’t ask what I had been thinking.

If I’d been comforted, I might’ve burst into tears. At my age.

Someday, when I return up there, will I be able to meet my family again?

Will there be someone down here lighting smoke for me?

It’s selfish of me to hope for that, considering what I’ve already experienced.

...But I hope so.

I looked up at the sky again, quietly thinking.

Chapter 80. Lantern (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I had never felt embarrassed while eating.

Not in my previous life, and not in this life either. Eating to satisfy hunger was never something I considered shameful.

I willingly fell for Kaoru’s bread fishing and gladly accepted the bread to fill my stomach.

Lately, I had been feeling sorry for receiving lunch bread from Yuka every day, but that feeling was closer to guilt for receiving help unilaterally rather than embarrassment over eating.

That’s right.

Looking back now, I realized I had no shame about young girls, much younger than me, giving me food and watching me eat.

...Even I thought it was somewhat impressive. The survival instinct truly was remarkable.

But you know.

Now, I felt a bit embarrassed.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah! It’s delicious!”

I wiped the corners of Koko’s mouth, who shouted happily while stuffing her mouth full of hamburger steak. It wasn’t to the point of being disgraceful, but talking with your mouth full was poor table manners in itself.

Not that I intended to scold Koko. She was still a child who didn’t know much. It hadn’t even been a month since she started interacting with people, so I wasn’t foolish enough to expect proper manners from her.

Still.

...Finishing off her third portion was a bit much.

Well, I used to eat three or four portions at a barbecue restaurant in my previous life. The portions there weren’t that large to begin with.

And honestly, one hamburger steak was too small to feel full after just one.

However, right now, we were high school girls.

“You eat well.”

Fukuda watched Koko, who was stuffing her cheeks like a hamster, with a pleased smile.

It seemed the three of them didn’t suspect anything about Koko’s large appetite. Well, these three also always ordered large sets whenever they went to burger joints.

Now that I thought about it, I had heard that during lunch at school, many students would dash down the hallways.

...But I doubt any of them would eat everything they were given so gladly. Surely, Koko should be getting full by now?

Maybe I was seeing a reflection of myself in Koko. For someone like me, who always had a koppe pan hanging from my lips, bread with fillings felt like a delicacy from another world.

Did I also look as hungry as Koko when I ate? Did the kids who bought me food always look at me with such grandmotherly smiles?

“...”

Feeling a bit taken aback by the sudden self-reflection, I continued to wipe Koko’s mouth diligently.

I hoped she wouldn’t get a stomachache from eating too much. If her digestive organs were like mine, overeating wouldn’t be a good thing. Besides, she had already eaten quite a bit before this meal.

Thankfully, the others seemed to know this, as they weren’t trying to order more food. I felt a bit relieved.

“Oh, right.”

Fukuda clapped her hands and spoke.

“Kotone-chan, you’re not going out tomorrow, right?”

“...Yeah.”

I nodded in response to Fukuda’s sudden question.

“You live alone with Koko at home?”

“...Yeah.”

I answered, feeling slightly wary.

I had a sense of what she might bring up next.

“Then, can I come over sometime? I’ve always wanted to stay over at a friend’s house.”

That suggestion surprised me a little.

It wasn’t that I was surprised she asked to come over. Fukuda had shown great interest before when she found out I lived alone. From the perspective of a girl who didn’t know the circumstances, the situation of a teenage girl living alone probably didn’t seem so bad.

At this age, it’s normal to want some distance from your family. Living alone might seem like a free life with no one to nag you.

In a way, that wasn’t entirely wrong, but that was looking at it too positively.

Even with the two extra lives living with me now, I felt a little more at ease lately. Though my responsibilities had increased.

“Harumi, that...”

Yamashita spoke, carefully gauging my reaction.

Since Yamashita had already been to my place, she knew best how I lived. Of course, back then, there was no Kuro or Koko. It must have seemed gloomier than it does now.

“Is it not okay?”

“Harumi.”

Miura spoke, gently trying to stop Fukuda, who seemed to be whining a bit as she noticed me thinking it over.

Hmm...

...To be honest, there were some potential issues.

There was a chance that Kagami’s sister—Kosuzu, I think her name was—might show up again. Kagami and I didn’t think that possibility was very high, though.

In truth, if I considered how dangerous things were, people around me would always be in danger. And, if I believed that woman could do anything, then...

But there should be more people watching after what happened last time. Yamashita, who was under the protection of her family, and Fukuda, whose father seemed to know Miura’s father, would probably be fine.

And these days, the families were hanging out with Kagami.

So, these three... Whether they knew it or not, had already taken a step into the extraordinary.

After considering that, I nodded.

“...It’s fine. But don’t get disappointed.”

“Disappointed? No way.”

Fukuda waved her hand dismissively.

“Among the three of us, my house is the smallest. So don’t worry. Miura might be the one surprised.”

Miura shot a playful glare at Harumi.

“...”

Meanwhile, Yamashita, who had actually been to my house, looked a bit worried.

Well, I already had a rough idea of these three’s personalities. They would probably try hard to act like nothing was wrong when they saw my place. They wouldn’t mock or look down on it.

“Hmm?”

Noticing the subtle shift in emotions among the four of us, Koko tilted her head curiously while chewing.

Once again, I gently wiped Koko’s mouth.

...Even if I couldn’t fix her chopstick technique right away,

I needed to teach her how not to spill food as soon as possible.

*

“Oh...”

That was Fukuda’s first reaction when she saw my house.

Well, what do you think? It’s much older, smaller, and shabbier than you expected, right? Even if you included both the upstairs and downstairs, it probably wouldn’t reach the average size of these three’s homes. Then again, most of that average size was probably taken up by Yamashita’s house.

Of course, I didn’t have the habit of intentionally making my friends uncomfortable when they came to visit, so I simply ignored that remark and headed upstairs.

Creak.

The old door opened with a slightly eerie sound.

“Mya.”

Upon hearing the door, Kuro appeared from behind it.

“Mya~”

...Koko always mimicked Kuro whenever she saw her. At this point, I wondered if she recognized the sound more than her own name.

“Wow!”

Miura exclaimed as she saw Koko pick up Kuro, who was making an obviously annoyed face.

“So this is the cat you’re raising!”

Miura quickly approached and gently stroked the space between Kuro’s eyes with her fingers, as if unsure how to properly pet her.

“Mya~”

“Her name is Kuro.”

I introduced Kuro to Miura, who seemed to be greeting her.

“Hi, Kuro?”

Miura smiled warmly as she petted Kuro’s head.

Leaving Miura to dote on Kuro, I went to the corner of the kitchen, opened the rolled-up top of the cat food bag, and scooped a little bit of food into my palm.

I walked over to Miura.

“Hold out your hand.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Miura, looking slightly confused, extended her palm.

I placed a few pieces of cat food on her hand.

Miura quickly realized what it was and excitedly held her hand out to Kuro.

Kuro sniffed her hand and began eating the food.

“Haha, that tickles.”

“Me too! I want to do it too!”

Fukuda, having forgotten her initial confusion, shouted excitedly, so I placed some food in her hand as well.

And then.

“...”

Although she hadn’t said anything, Yamashita had been glancing at me and the others as I handed out food. When I approached her, she hesitated briefly before extending her hand.

Well, she was the one who had named Kuro, after all.

It was an incredibly straightforward name, but it suited her, and it had a cute ring to it.

“Mya~”

In what seemed almost like a ritual, the three girls took turns offering food to Kuro.

...Well, Kuro did her part. Thanks to her, the somewhat awkward atmosphere had completely disappeared.

It seemed having a cute appearance and demeanor, like Koko and Kuro, helped no matter where you were.

*

The old fan made quite a bit of noise as it spun.

With five teenage girls crammed into this small room, maybe it was just my imagination, but the room felt even more humid than usual. Even with the fan set to rotate, it didn’t seem to help much.

Still, with the window open, it wasn’t unbearable.

“So this is where you live with Koko...”

“Until recently, I was living alone.”

Feeling Yamashita’s gaze on me, I answered Miura.

When Yamashita had come over, it really was just me.

Thinking back, I was relatively at ease even then. Though at first, it had felt strange to suddenly have a runaway girl relying on me, we had already been friends for a long time.

In fact, it felt a little awkward once I was alone again.

In that sense, the room now felt full.

Where once it was just my body, a bag for school, and a few personal belongings, now the room was filled with my things, furniture, and friends.

It felt slightly awkward, yet it warmed my heart.

At first, I had thought I’d always be alone here.

“...”

Without saying a word, I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

All the girls’ eyes turned to the screen.

On TV was a nameless variety show that aired at this time every day.

It was the usual format: several celebrities sitting as panelists while the MC led the conversation, with comedians chiming in with jokes. A classic variety show.

We quickly became absorbed in the show.

I usually didn’t watch this program for long when I was by myself, but having others laughing beside me and someone who knew all the celebrity names made it more enjoyable.

Based on the trivial conversations on TV, we shared our own trivial stories. While I, who had no past in this world, and Yamashita, who wasn’t much of a talker, mostly listened, just chiming in occasionally kept the conversation flowing smoothly.

...It was a bit surreal to think that this conversation was happening in my house.

For a moment, I worried that the neighbor might complain about the noise, but no one came. Maybe they weren’t home, or maybe they figured it was okay to have a day like this once in a while with friends over.

Maybe in the meantime, they’d found a night job like Kagami suggested. She had mentioned helping them find a decent one.

This was the first time I was glad the neighboring room was vacant.

*

I wasn’t sure how long we’d been talking.

I must have fallen asleep well past midnight.

By the time the late-night programs came on, we had spread out the blankets and turned off the lights.

We left the TV on. The late-night programs were unexpectedly quite funny too.

We didn’t have many blankets, but when I spread out all the ones we used, it was just enough for the five of us to lie side by side. It was the first time I realized this room was big enough for that.

It was a hot summer night, so we didn’t really need blankets anyway.

As the girls’ voices gradually grew quieter and their breathing became more even, I remember turning off the TV.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, and at some point, my memory faded.

...Right, when I think about being in a place like this, of course.

The blaring sound of car horns that didn’t stop, the pungent smell of smoke rising from everywhere, the scent of leaking gasoline from somewhere.

Even though it was a dream, and I knew it was a dream, my senses felt unnervingly sharp.

...I knew I shouldn’t.

I knew that if I went there, I’d see my little sister and my family again.

But even so, whenever I had this dream, I would walk toward it again.

If only I hadn’t checked back then.

If I hadn’t approached out of hope, thinking maybe, just maybe.

If I had turned away and asked another colleague to confirm, would I still be having these dreams?

...No, I probably would’ve seen it in another way. I would’ve had to confirm the body eventually.

Why?

I thought I had had a good time today.

We walked around for quite a while, ate a lot, stayed up late, and fell asleep almost instantly, and yet here I was having this dream again.

I walked toward the white car, crushed between the truck and another car. I couldn’t see who was inside yet.

I shouldn’t go.

I shouldn’t, but.

I wanted to see for myself what was inside. Like always, whenever I had this dream.

And as always—

Like always...?

“...Huh.”

There was no one inside.

No, the crushed car wasn’t the one my family had been in back then. It had somehow turned into a van.

There was no one inside. It looked like it had been rear-ended by a truck, but...

No, more than that, the car back then had been far more crushed than this. I wouldn’t have been able to confirm the bodies like this.

A small hand came into view.

It wasn’t the hand of a firefighter.

Nor was it the calloused hand of an adult man.

It was a small, soft hand belonging to a little girl.

I looked down at the palm.

This hand—

“Kotone?”

I blinked.

I turned around.

Koko was standing there.

Tilting her head in confusion.

“Kotone?”

As if she didn’t understand why I was checking, she tilted her head again and called my name.

As if to say she was right there.

“...Ah.”

That’s right.

Koko wouldn’t die from something like that.

The Koko in this life, which I somehow earned another chance at, might be someone I don’t need to worry about losing.

Whether she’s human or not, whether she can maintain her form or not. Those things didn’t matter anymore.

I wasn’t alone.

I wasn’t. Not anymore.

Behind Koko stood an apartment building.

It was an old, two-story apartment that looked like a ghost could pop out at any moment. Honestly, calling it an apartment was a bit generous in Korea.

The door to that two-story building was open.

I took Koko’s hand and headed toward it.

We slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor and opened the door.

Inside was a room filled with the things Yuka had given me, and in the middle of the room, Kuro was curled up, sound asleep, as if he had no worries.

There were no walls in the room, just a black pond stretching out endlessly into the distance. The black sky reflected on the surface made the pond seem infinitely deep.

And on top of that pond floated a single lamp.

A sending-off lamp.

I took a step toward it.

Not yet. It wasn’t time yet.

Even though it was painful to remember, and even though I didn’t want to have this dream anymore, I didn’t want to see my sister’s crushed face every night.

But it was the string I still held onto. If I let it go, I’d fall. I wouldn’t be able to find a reason to keep living.

I wasn’t ready to let go yet—

“Kotone?”

Just as I stepped into the pond, a voice called out to me from behind, as if grabbing hold of me.

I flinched and stopped.

I couldn’t turn around, nor could I move forward. I could only stare at the lamp as it slowly drifted away.

“Kotone?”

Whose voice was it? I wasn’t sure.

Koko? Yuka?

Or—

“Kotone?”

...I knew.

I knew whose voice it was.

At least, it wasn’t someone who would call me by that name.

It was someone I had almost forgotten long ago.

But I couldn’t forget. I had been trying not to forget, trying to hold on.

“...Kotone?”

The voice became faint. Even though it was coming from behind me, it felt like it was tied to the distant, drifting lamp.

The red lamp was now just a dot.

What should I do? What should I do?

I couldn’t go back, nor could I go forward. I was stuck, unable to move.

I wished someone would grab me.

Whether to pull me forward or drag me back out.

I was scared.

Being alone was just too terrifying. I hated it when the people around me left me behind. I actually hated it, but I was too afraid to admit it. So I—

“Kotone.”

The voice had become so faint that if I hesitated any longer, it would disappear completely.

Whose voice was it? I knew it. I definitely knew it.

I tried hard to recall, but it didn’t come to me.

The voice called out to me one last time.

“Onii-chan?”

At that voice, I whipped my head around.

*

And then I woke up.

The first sound I heard was the cicadas. Then came the soft sound of breathing.

“...”

Koko was in front of me. We lay facing each other on our sides.

I was drenched in sweat. Kuro was nestled between Koko and me, sound asleep, as if enjoying the warmth.

The room was so full of people that the heat had probably not escaped.

I slowly sat up.

Yamashita and Fukuda were still asleep. Yamashita was tucked under the TV stand, while Fukuda was completely sprawled out, her face turned to the side.

Miura wasn’t there.

Just as I tried to get up, I heard the sound of dishes clattering from the kitchen.

I slowly got up and headed to the kitchen, where I saw Miura preparing something.

“Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?”

Sensing my presence, Miura spoke quietly as she turned to face me.

“I was getting breakfast ready.”

We had bought curry for breakfast on our way back yesterday. It seemed Miura was preparing that now.

“Mm.”

Maybe the word “breakfast” triggered something because Koko let out a little sound.

But it didn’t seem like she was awake.

Maybe she was dreaming.

“...Kotone.”

At that sound, I turned and looked down at Koko.

Could it be that the voice I heard in my dream was Koko’s? Had I been listening to her talk in her sleep the whole time?

“...”

Shaking my head, I turned back toward Miura.

I approached her and spoke.

“I’ll help.”

“It’s fine.”

“You’re the guest.”

When I said that, Miura smiled wryly and stepped aside slightly.

Miura’s curry, prepared in her own way, tasted wonderful.

It was enough to make me forget the strange dream for a while.

...Or maybe it was just because I enjoyed the company of the friends I had breakfast with.

Chapter 81. Training Camp (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Thanks to my special circumstances, I personally, meaning "Kurosawa Kotone," didn’t need to handle any of the administrative processes myself.

If that hadn't already been taken care of before I was born here, my life would have been incredibly difficult from the start. I might have managed to get by with help from others, but I would have wasted a lot of time, not knowing that this world was the setting of a novel.

……

Hmm, now that I think about it, that’s not so different from my life in the original world.

Still, I wouldn’t have been able to save Miura, Koko would still be disfigured, and Kaoru, Izumi, and Yamashita wouldn’t be doing so well either.

I guess I should be thankful for that.

But.

“……”

I stared at the paper spread out on the table and clicked the pen button absentmindedly.

Summer break ends on August 31st. Today is August 18th.

Though this vacation has been pretty eventful, it’s not like I’m out of time. Yet, I still haven’t figured out what to do about Koko.

Koko’s administrative issues were resolved thanks to Yuka. It seems she’s been recognized by the government as a "living person," at least.

Miura’s father might be monitoring the situation, and she could be on a watchlist somewhere, but for now, there won’t be any problems with various administrative processes.

I’m not sure how far Japan’s compulsory education system extends, but at least Kagami hasn’t been arrested for not enrolling, so that’s not an issue either.

I clicked the pen again and started scribbling on the paper.

The contents of the paper were as follows:

1. How did I get into school?

2. I don’t know, obviously.

3. But Kagami doesn’t know either.

4. So, it just happened naturally. How?

This brainstorming led me to one conclusion.

5. Of course, it must’ve been thanks to Nirlass.

After writing the last line, I almost slapped my forehead.

I have no idea how it was done. But one thing is certain: Nirlass had the means to use such abilities.

Nirlass once said, "It’s not about who calls, but about the mood of the one who answers."

In other words, doesn’t that mean they can come to this world even without being summoned?

“Hmm.”

I scratched an X over one part of the paper.

No, that doesn’t seem right. If that were the case, Nirlass wouldn’t need to cut my left wrist to intervene in my life.

Of course, it’s possible they could’ve acted independently but chose not to because it didn’t suit their taste.

Nirlass responded to Kaoru’s "Kokkuri-san" as well.

“Hmph.”

I frowned as I wrote that line.

Yeah, this is really confusing.

Kaoru seems like a relatively normal girl to me. She probably had some spiritual sensitivity since childhood and saw ghosts occasionally, but other than that, I didn’t think she held any particularly significant position that would attract attention from otherworldly beings.

It’s not that I’m trying to criticize Kaoru. When I say "normal," I mean it as a compliment.

Considering Kagami, who is desperate for divine attention, and her older sister Kosuzu, being called 'normal' starts to sound like a high compliment.

However, it’s hard to say that Kaoru is completely unrelated to the main scenario.

I scratched my head and started listing events related to the main story that hadn’t been prominently revealed by the part I’d read.

The Miura Incident.

An event in this world where Miura was the last victim of a serial killing by an Oni, which I had prevented.

If you think about it, this incident has similarities to Kaoru’s case, which likely occurred outside the main storyline.

It’s an incident that happened in the story, and one that was assumed to have happened off-screen.

Now that I’m writing it down, another incident comes to mind.

The Yamashita Incident.

The one where Yamashita ran away from home after getting fed up with family issues. I’m not trying to brag, but if I hadn’t been around to protect her, something terrible might’ve happened to Yamashita too.

Probably something really bad.

She’s a friend of such a character in the novel. By the latter half of the story, Miura’s father might become a key character, and the Miura incident, briefly mentioned earlier, might resurface, dropping a tangled mess into the readers’ laps.

In some ways, this Yamashita incident feels even closer to Kaoru’s than Miura’s. At least Miura’s name was mentioned in the story; Yamashita was just Miura’s friend. Even "that’s how it’s set up" hadn’t come up by the part I’d read.

There’s a commonality in these incidents: they happened off-screen, probably buried until they were meant to be addressed in the story, and they didn’t significantly impact the main characters until then.

And.

All of them are connected to Kurosawa Kotone.

I don’t think all these incidents are part of some grand conspiracy orchestrated by a character in the story.

They were likely unfortunate accidents. Random, like the victims killed in the Oni’s murder spree.

But from an outside perspective, the narrative seems to converge on one point: the author's intent.

Kurosawa Kotone.

In the original story, Kurosawa Kotone probably didn’t live as happily as I do.

There was no Miura to look after her, Yamashita suffered something terrible, and Fukuda… I’m not sure about her.

After losing two close friends in such horrific ways, would Fukuda have had the emotional capacity to take care of Kurosawa Kotone? I doubt it.

“So, what about Kaoru?”

I don’t know the original Kurosawa Kotone, nor do I know much about the literature club. While light novels often use the literature club as a setting, *Tokyo Slayers* didn’t.

So, in some way, Kaoru might have been connected to Kotone, whether Kotone approached her first or Kaoru did.

“No, that’s not it.”

I scratched my head.

How did my thoughts even get here?

I was just wracking my brain over what to do about Koko.

Well, I guess I had to think about this sooner or later.

“Uu?”

Koko, who had been watching me write on the paper, tilted her head and murmured.

“Kotone. This?”

It looked like the letters I had written confused her since they were different from the ones I had taught her.

“It’s just scribbles. Not real writing.”

I waved it off and folded the paper in half.

If I were living alone, I might’ve written it in Japanese. If you asked me which language I felt more comfortable with now, I’d probably be pretty confused.

Japanese came so naturally, like it had been embedded in my head from the start.

I don’t think these memories belonged to Kurosawa Kotone before I arrived. From what I’ve gathered, Kurosawa Kotone seemed to be completely vacant until I took over.

Meanwhile, I can still write in Korean.

I came into this body with the memories of my previous life intact. Even my handwriting is the same sloppy scrawl as before.

Unless someone’s fluent in Korean, it’d be hard to recognize it as such at first glance.

But that doesn’t mean I can let my guard down. In a world like this, there’s bound to be someone with "multilingual genius" traits.

I tore the paper into strips and threw it in the trash.

“Uu?”

Koko tilted her head again.

Then, looking at Koko, I realized once again that I hadn’t solved a single problem yet, and I felt a sinking despair.

She stays calm while I’m at my part-time job, so maybe she’ll manage to stay put at home while I’m at school.

But once I start attending classes again, I’ll be out of the house far more than I’m in it from Thursday to Saturday.

Can Koko, even with Kuro’s company, handle staying home alone for that long?

……Maybe I really should start looking into some sort of facility? But if she interacts with other people when I’m not around, that might create its own set of problems.

“Haa.”

“Kotone?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Koko stared intently at me, so I gently patted her head and replied.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out.”

“Uu.”

Koko tilted her head, still confused, but then curled up on the floor like a cat as I stroked her hair.

“……”

Should I ask Nirlass for help?

But that seems like an incredibly risky option.

So far, they’ve only teased me or caused mild discomfort, but the moment I ask them to help with Koko, they might demand her life as collateral.

Let’s save that option as an absolute last resort.

While stroking Koko’s head with my right hand, I pulled out my phone with my left.

I scrolled through my contacts, looking for someone I could ask for help.

The first name that came to mind was Kagami.

……But I can’t even imagine what kind of trouble would arise if I got Koko into school through her connections.

The next name I saw was Yuka.

……I’ve already received too much help from her. If I burden her with this difficult administrative issue, I’d feel so guilty.

It’s not an option I can completely discard, but for now, I’ll put it aside as a last resort, on the same level as Kagami and Nirlass.

And then—oh.

I do know someone I could consult.

Someone who doesn’t involve fantasy, illegal matters, or religious powers.

[Ms. Suzuki]

I saw her name in my phone’s contacts and checked the time.

It’s only 3 p.m. Calling her now shouldn’t be too much of a bother.

Besides, Ms. Suzuki is a kind and dedicated person.

But still, I hesitated.

Why is it that teenagers prefer to confide in friends rather than adults, even when they know their friends can’t really help?

The reason is simple. Involving an adult tends to blow things out of proportion, making it feel like a minor issue is being handled with too much force. And it’s almost impossible for adults to truly understand and empathize with teenagers.

To be honest, it feels like dragging in an outsider to solve a problem.

“……”

What am I even saying?

I firmly pressed the call button.

That’s right.

If anything, I’m probably older than Ms. Suzuki, so it’s a bit late to be drawing lines between adults and kids.

Now that Koko’s identity is settled, it’s my responsibility to find a way to get her into Hanagawa High School.

Ring, ring.

Ring, ri—

The call barely rang twice before it was answered.

[Hello, Kurosawa?]

“……Hello, Ms. Suzuki.”

Hearing her surprised voice made me feel a bit embarrassed as I replied.

* * *

I’ve never worked as a school teacher.

In fact, I’ve only ever had two jobs. One was a part-time night shift at a convenience store during my college days to earn some extra cash.

So, I don’t really know how schools or most workplaces operate. I’ve only read a bit about it online.

That’s why I couldn’t fully grasp how impressive it was for Ms. Suzuki to arrive at my house before 6 p.m. during her vacation.

I know teachers don’t get to rest completely during breaks. It seems they do have more free time than most regular employees, though.

“Don’t worry about it.”

The way she responded without me even asking, just by looking at my expression, suggested that she was feeling guilty about something.

At the very least, she thought there was a reason for me to be concerned.

Not that I think someone as responsible as Ms. Suzuki would skip work or leave early.

“So…”

When I opened the door for her, Ms. Suzuki’s eyes widened.

And then she took a look around my room, her eyes growing even bigger.

She noticed the refrigerator properly placed in the kitchen.

The TV, various cabinets, closets, and all sorts of everyday human items in the room.

And Kuro, who was sitting on the floor, calmly dozing with his slightly protruding belly, showing no signs of distrust despite the presence of a visitor.

“……!”

For some reason, Ms. Suzuki covered her mouth with both hands, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

……

Well.

I guess I understand.

Seeing a high school girl who had once been left alone in an empty room, now living with a fridge, playing with a game console that was already a classic by 2004, and surviving like a human being would probably move anyone.

“Kurosawa… you’ve done so well.”

…Well, I did do my best.

But I did feel a little guilty about the fact that I had to throw away the futon Ms. Suzuki had given me because I couldn’t use it.

Ms. Suzuki didn’t seem to mind, though.

“And—”

She shifted her gaze and spotted Koko, who was curiously observing from the corner of the room.

Fortunately, Koko didn’t show any signs of fear toward Ms. Suzuki, who wasn’t particularly intimidating. That was a relief.

I walked over to Koko and held her hand.

“……”

Ms. Suzuki stared blankly at the two of us, her mouth slightly agape.

“The sister I mentioned on the phone.”

“I’m her sister.”

That was a line I had taught Koko in advance.

Of course, Koko wasn’t suddenly articulate enough to introduce herself. Ms. Suzuki had listened seriously when I explained the situation over the phone and had cut the call abruptly with a brief “I’ll be there soon.”

That was all I had time to teach her.

“You said… twins?”

“Yes.”

“…Mind if we sit down and have a chat? This might take a while.”

Ms. Suzuki asked seriously, glancing at Koko’s hand in mine.

I nodded and gave Koko a reassuring look.

“Uu?”

Koko tilted her head, making that sound as she watched me nod, which only deepened Ms. Suzuki’s concerned expression.

…Hmm.

Did I call the right person?

I hope I didn’t make things worse by acting ambiguously and end up sending Koko to some facility.

Now that the thought crossed my mind, I started to regret calling Ms. Suzuki, as I set up a place to sit.

* * *

Compared to before, this house was much more livable.

For one, I had tea to offer guests. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a teabag, but still, it was better than nothing.

In front of Ms. Suzuki, Koko, and me were cups of green tea. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any snacks. Usually, if I bought some, Koko and I would sit down and eat them all.

Koko, having no particular preferences, sipped the green tea without issue. Since it was still hot, she took small sips instead of gulping it down.

Ms. Suzuki, who had been watching Koko while talking to me, leaned in and asked carefully—

“Is Koko… perhaps…”

She lowered her voice so much that I could barely hear her whisper.

“Is she… borderline intelligent?”

“Oh.”

That’s it.

I think I understand why Ms. Suzuki didn’t immediately insist on sending Koko to a facility.

"Borderline intelligence" refers to someone whose intelligence is just above the threshold for intellectual disability.

Because it’s right above the threshold, it’s not classified as a disability, and there’s no government aid for such cases.

However, these individuals may still face difficulties in social life. Depending on their environment, they might overcome these challenges or, conversely, become completely isolated.

In terms of fictional characters, Forrest Gump is the most well-known example.

“I’m not really sure…”

I trailed off.

“I see.”

“Uu?”

Koko, seeing us huddled together, leaned in close with a puzzled expression.

Ms. Suzuki smiled unconsciously at her, then leaned back.

Her expression immediately turned serious again.

“However… Kurosawa, it might be difficult for Koko to become a student at Hanagawa High School.”

“……”

“No, I don’t mean she’s not qualified. But as you know, the qualification is determined by an entrance exam.”

That’s true.

“You studied hard to get into school, right? I don’t know how you reunited with Koko, but do you think she could pass the exam?”

“……”

“And, for her to enroll, you’ll need to pay tuition.”

That’s true.

“If you look into it, you might be able to get some help from the local government, but… Koko will still need to meet the academic criteria.”

“I understand.”

I nodded. I get it.

“But, that means she can at least take the entrance exam, right?”

Ms. Suzuki nodded at my question.

“There’s still time before the break ends, and they’re still accepting applications. There are still spots available at the school…”

Did she look into all of that beforehand?

“So, if you want, I can help you submit the application.”

“Please do.”

As I placed my hands on my lap and bowed slightly, Ms. Suzuki’s expression grew more determined—though this time, she looked like she had made up her mind as she nodded firmly.

But now that I think about it, she called Koko "Koko" right away, even though I’m still "Kurosawa."

Koko really must have some kind of ability to disarm people’s wariness.

“Uu?”

Koko had heard her name mentioned several times throughout our conversation but, unable to grasp the meaning, continued tilting her head in confusion. Watching her, my worries surged once again.

She’s only just learned how to read. Can I teach her enough to pass an entrance exam for a private high school?

…Well, you never know until you try.

Let’s push forward as much as we can.

And afterward, maybe I can find a loophole or two to ease my conscience.

Those were the slightly sneaky thoughts running through my mind.

Chapter 82. Training Camp (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Hehe.

……

Hmm, it seems like this is becoming a bit too amusing.

It must be because I’ve been spending time with these lively high school girls lately, and their cheerful personalities seem to have rubbed off on me a little.

Of course, it’s not like I would ever laugh out loud given my personality. In fact, it’s been so long since I laughed out loud that I can hardly remember what it feels like.

I’ve almost never laughed at a funny video either. I do think some things are funny, but I’m not exactly sure why.

I don’t really know, but still, I feel like if I keep spending time with them like this, I might get better someday.

Anyway.

Even though I wouldn’t actually laugh out loud, the situation itself was fitting for a chuckle.

“Kotone?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded in response to Koko, who called my name.

Of course, I know that calling my name wasn’t really her way of calling me. It’s more like she was curious about why I was doing what I was doing.

“Koko, stand here.”

“Mm.”

When I stood Koko in front of the bathroom mirror, she responded and looked at me in the reflection. She didn’t even need to turn her head to see me.

If you didn’t know Koko was standing beside me, it might have been a bit creepy.

When Koko and I sit quietly together with our mouths shut, it’s absolutely impossible to tell us apart. If anyone claims they could, they must be mistaken.

There’s a very simple and logical reason for this.

We’re not actual twins; Koko is simply copying the appearance I showed her.

I can’t claim that every single strand of hair is exactly the same, but no human being can distinguish people based on the position of individual hair strands.

I considered that fingerprints might be slightly different, but in Japan, they don’t collect fingerprints when issuing IDs. As far as I know, Korea is one of the few countries that collect all ten fingerprints during the ID registration process.

Even the easiest way to distinguish people by their body parts has never been registered anywhere, so methods like recognizing the veins on the back of the hand or iris scans are even more impossible.

Even if it were possible, there’s no way a school would install fingerprint recognition devices.

So, right now, we’re conducting a test.

……

I stood silently next to Koko.

As Koko turned her head towards me, I told her, “Just look at the mirror for a moment.” Koko looked back at me through the mirror.

Exactly the same.

No matter how I looked at it, we were exactly the same. The fact that the lighting in the bathroom was slightly dimmer than in the room only made it look eerier. Two identical girls in black sailor uniforms.

Doesn’t it seem like something out of a horror movie?

Click.

I picked up my phone and took a picture of the scene.

Another photo was added to the few I had.

“Hm.”

The quality of the phone camera wasn’t great.

Well, of course, by the standards of this time, it was fine. The resolution was good enough that it filled the phone screen without breaking apart, and there would be no major issue if I transferred it to a computer.

But five years from now, the resolution might be too low to view comfortably on a computer screen.

Maybe I should buy a camera.

If this is the 2000s, film cameras should still be around. Early digital cameras were just starting to become popular, but it’s their pixel count that bothers me.

An automatic film camera, maybe I could find a really cheap second-hand one. I’ll check Akihabara later.

In 2024, it’ll strangely sell for a high price, so if I don’t like it, I can just keep it in storage for about 20 years and then sell it at a ridiculous price on ○Bay.

Or better yet, if I get into Bitcoin, things like that won’t matter anymore because I’ll make so much money.

……

Come to think of it, will the same future events that happened in the world I lived in occur in this world too?

Natural disasters, for instance.

……I’ll need to be prepared in advance.

“Kotone?”

Koko’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Koko was staring at me as I absentmindedly stared at the photo on my phone.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing—”

As I started to say that.

Oh, right.

I remembered why I had Koko standing here in the first place.

Alright, then.

“Kotone?”

“……?”

When I tilted my head and mimicked Koko’s childlike tone, Koko looked at me with a confused expression.

“Kotone?”

Her ‘Kotone?’ this time was mixed with urgency and confusion.

……

It seems like doing this in front of Koko might be a bit problematic.

“……Should we eat some snacks?”

“Yes!”

Before she got more confused, I decided to go back to being ‘Kotone.’

Well, at least I was able to imitate her well enough to confuse her.

I’m not sure how other people would perceive it though.

*

But still, I needed to make sure of one thing.

If Koko couldn’t improve her skills to the level required for Hanagawa’s entrance exam in a week, I might have to take the exam in her place.

And I was almost certain, no, absolutely certain that’s how it would end up.

Even though Koko was smarter than expected and absorbed knowledge as quickly as she ate food, she wasn’t like someone with savant syndrome who could remember everything after reading it once.

Difficult kanji had to be explained multiple times, and sometimes she got distracted and couldn’t focus on studying. Well, I wasn’t exactly teaching her all that diligently either.

Anyway, that’s why I would take the exam pretending to be Koko, at least for her first year of high school.

As for who would take her to the exam…

…Kagami would probably do.

I did feel guilty for making her play the villain even at school, but there was no other way.

If I were to make excuses, I could say a guardian was necessary. Kagami was probably still listed as our legal guardian. While Yuka helped with Koko’s identity, I doubt Yuka would have made anyone else Koko’s guardian besides Kagami.

If we could just get into the school without being caught, taking the exam would be simple.

All we had to do was take the test and then come back home with Kagami.

……It seemed so easy that it scared me a little. I’ve only had one job outside of part-time work, but usually, things that seemed ‘simple’ ended up having unforeseen complications.

Knock knock.

As I was mulling over this, I heard a knock on the door.

“Kotone, are you in there?”

I stood up and walked to the door.

Click.

When I opened the door, Yuka stood there, holding several bags.

……She didn’t need to bring anything.

She must have stopped by a store on the way, as her bags were filled with snacks and bread.

“Yuka!”

Koko shouted and jumped up from her seat.

“Hey.”

Yuka smiled and stepped into the room.

Looking closer, I saw she was also carrying the school bag she always had. It was stuffed to the brim. It must have been full of notebooks and books.

Even though I hadn’t intended to ask for Yuka’s help, I wondered why I had called her so early in the morning.

In this regard, I felt a bit wronged.

I had tried to avoid asking Yuka for help from Thursday to Sunday as much as possible.

Those four days, it was just Koko and Kuro in the room. With Yuka’s kind nature, she would have wanted to take care of them, even if it was just for the day. I couldn’t shamelessly ask for her help. Not even I was that heartless.

The real reason Yuka was here was because of the email we exchanged yesterday.

*

[Everything okay?]

Yuka often sent me emails like that without any specific reason. Yesterday was no different.

She knew we were friends now, and knowing that I was in a less-than-ideal situation, she regularly checked in on me like this.

[I’m fine. Everything’s okay.]

Of course, I replied like that.

But yesterday’s email wasn’t just casual chit-chat; it had a clear purpose.

[So… vacation is almost over. I was thinking.]

Yuka’s email was more serious than usual.

[What are you going to do about Koko when school starts?]

I stared at the email for a while.

It was definitely something Yuka would worry about.

In the original story, Yuka was outwardly a bit cold but kind and caring on the inside. But in this story, where many things have subtly—or significantly—changed, Yuka had become someone who could openly express her concerns.

If I had to pinpoint the exact moment of that change, I wouldn’t be able to explain it well.

As I was lost in thought and missed the chance to reply, another email came from Yuka.

[If you don’t have anywhere else to leave her, we could help.]

……

I rubbed my face with my hands.

I had intended to keep the fact that Koko would be taking the entrance exam a secret. Because I knew Yuka, and all my other friends, would try to help in any way they could.

I was already accumulating debt with everyone, and if it piled up any further, I feared it would become impossible to repay in the future.

I know that they’re offering help out of pity.

But knowing it and accepting it are two different things.

……The problem is.

[If you can’t find a place right away, we could take care of her for a while.]

[Oh, sorry. Maybe I’m overstepping?]

……

I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose a few times and then picked up my phone again to type a reply.

[Koko will be taking Hanagawa’s entrance exam.]

[Hanagawa? Koko is?]

[Yeah. If she passes, she’ll be able to attend the same school.]

[I’ll help!!!]

Yeah, I knew it would turn out like this.

*

Back in the present, Yuka happily took a snack from one of her plastic bags, opened it, and handed it to Koko.

Even though Koko kept glancing at the snack bag, she politely took only the piece placed in her hand and ate it.

She looked just like a puppy.

Well, it’s not like kind Yuka was treating Koko like a real dog.

More likely… she saw Koko as a younger sister.

Yuka was an only child.

She didn’t have many friends her age either. She seemed to have a few friends in the neighborhood, but it didn’t look like her phone was filled with dozens of contacts like some other kids. That was how her character was set up in the original story too.

So, she paid special attention to the relationships around her, and among them, Koko stood out as someone who evoked a strong protective instinct.

“Koko knows how to write and do basic math and multiplication tables.”

At my words, Yuka looked up at me with a bright smile.

“Really? That’s amazing, Koko!”

“Is Koko amazing?”

“Yes, amazing.”

“Amazing!”

Koko beamed at Yuka’s praise.

Yeah, that’s probably why everyone wants to help.

I sat down nearby and continued.

“The exam is on August 27th.”

“One week left.”

Yuka responded with a slightly more serious expression.

“……To be honest—”

“No.”

Yuka interrupted me mid-sentence.

“You have to try as hard as you can. This is the path you chose, right?”

Oh…

“Yeah, I don’t know if you’ll definitely succeed or not. But you want to go to school with Koko, right?”

“……Yeah.”

That much was true.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust institutions… It’s not that I thought they were all bad or abusive; not all places were like that.

To be more precise, I didn’t trust Koko.

It might sound harsh, but Koko, in my view, hadn’t fully grasped the rules of society yet.

She needed more time and the opportunity to adapt slowly.

And to do that, she needed people like me or our other friends who could take care of her and guide her.

“We’ll try our best, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll think of another solution then.”

“……Okay.”

That…

I was planning to take the exam for her.

But looking at Yuka’s sparkling eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. She would be so disappointed.

……

Ah, I see.

Just as Yuka had been influenced by me, I was being influenced by Yuka too.

I’m sure it was the same with the rest of our friends.

“Then, today I’ll help as much as I can. If Koko can just understand how to read and do basic math, that’ll open up so many possibilities. Kotone, you’ve done an amazing thing.”

……

I couldn’t reply to Yuka’s words and just nodded.

*

When you spend a lot of time away from people, you end up with weaknesses in areas beyond just basic communication.

Not only in starting conversations or understanding others, but also in how you evaluate yourself, which might not be as objective as it could be. It’s only natural. After all, there’s hardly anyone to compare yourself to.

That’s why I was under a huge misconception about myself.

I thought I was taciturn and reserved.

Well, I’m still somewhat taciturn. Out of all my friends, the only one quieter than me is probably Yamashita.

But being reserved… I might need to reconsider that assessment.

“Koko-san is taking Hanagawa High School’s entrance exam?”

Not long after leaving Koko in Yuka’s care, I had ended up telling Shii about the situation.

The circumstances were similar to how I ended up telling Yuka.

“How is Koko-san doing?”

First, Shii asked me this question. Naturally, I replied that she was doing well, but Shii is a smart girl. She was already looking further ahead.

“What about after the school term starts? What will Koko-san do?”

Shii hesitantly asked, but seeing my expression, she quickly closed her mouth.

If Koko were of elementary or middle school age, the government would have stepped in to make sure she was enrolled in school. At least, that would’ve been the case once Yuka helped register her identity.

The problem is, as far as I could tell, Japan’s compulsory education ends at middle school. Koko was registered as being the same age as me, so she was considered a high school student.

Even though it’s such an obvious step to take, I often forget that legally, there’s no issue if someone doesn’t attend high school or drops out halfway. They might get suspected of child neglect, but that’s about it.

Shii seemed to know this too, which is why she looked at me with such concern, and I eventually ended up confessing that Koko was going to take the entrance exam for Hanagawa High School.

“How’s the study prep going?”

Shii’s face brightened as she asked me.

Both Yuka and Shii spoke as if they didn’t even consider the possibility of Koko failing. I found that a bit odd.

Well, if they thought Koko had some sort of mental issue, maybe they were just trying to be nice to me, her sister.

It’s a situation where saying anything else might make them look like the bad guy.

……I don’t think Yuka or Shii were thinking like that, though.

“Yuka’s helping.”

“I see….”

Shii gazed off into the distance for a moment, lost in thought.

*

As expected, both Shii and I ended up taking time off this week.

It seemed Shii also wanted to help, but she didn’t openly say it.

There was already someone helping, and it might have felt a bit awkward for a middle schooler like her to suggest helping her senpai’s younger sister.

“……You’re taking time off to help your sister?”

Since I had already taken so much time off during summer vacation, I was prepared to hear a refusal when I asked the boss, but the boss just looked at me with a slightly surprised expression and repeated what I said.

“Your sister has to take an exam?”

“Yes, she wasn’t able to attend school properly for the first semester….”

There were still issues like attendance, but I decided to assume that those would somehow be sorted out. We could make up for it with extra classes or something, right? I’d seen similar setups in light novels and manga. Not sure if it worked that way in reality though.

“What’s your sister like…?”

I didn’t expect the boss to ask me this far.

Nor did I expect her to ask it with such a serious expression. Normally, the boss looked bored and uninterested in anything that wasn’t making coffee.

“……She has borderline intellectual functioning.”

“……”

The boss didn’t say anything for a while, just staring at me.

She opened her mouth slightly but then covered it with one hand.

Her expression didn’t change much, but I could tell my words had shocked her more than expected.

“Then all those times she was in the hospital….”

No, that wasn’t because of that.

What’s going on in her head? Does she think I’ve been working myself to exhaustion to take care of my sister?

I had taken some time off after getting out of the hospital, but it wasn’t because of that. It was early in the school term, and I wasn’t living with Koko back then.

Though I did end up back in the hospital that day, but that was because of the track team.

It seems better to let her think that than tell her I was hospitalized for cutting my wrist.

But more than that…

Why was she suddenly reacting like this to the word ‘sister’ when she usually didn’t care?

Did the boss have some personal history of her own?

“……Take the time off. No, make sure your sister studies hard and goes to school.”

“……Thank you.”

Still, just as the boss never pried too deeply into my affairs, I decided not to pry into her.

That was the unspoken rule around here.

“……Shii.”

“Yes!”

“Can you help a little?”

“Of course!”

As a result, Shii also ended up helping with Koko’s studying.

I wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or concerned about it.

For now, I decided to part ways with Shii. Sasaki would need to be informed of what was going on. I was sure Shii would explain it well.

As I boarded the train back to Saitama, slightly worn out, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

When I checked, I saw a message from Yamashita.

[How are you?]

Looking at the short message, I felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

[I think I can help with Koko.]

And strangely enough, the message that followed felt like a condensed version of Yuka’s email.

Chapter 83. Training Camp (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Let’s talk about grades for a moment—my grades are pretty decent.

Well, the way people interpret the word "decent" might differ. Usually, for parents, "decent" means "good grades." To put it more simply, it means being in the top ranks.

From a parent’s perspective, it could make sense.

But from a student’s point of view, decent grades mean "I’ve managed to pass."

No risk of failing, no need for remedial classes, and no urgent need to study like crazy during vacations.

Yes, I’m talking about "average grades."

My grades being decent also refers to this kind of average.

Most of my subjects are just above the average score. As for science-related subjects... well, not slightly below, but noticeably below average. Though not completely failing.

If I had to pick one subject where I stood out, it would be Japanese class.

In Japan, the subject is called "Kokugo" (National Language), and my score was nearly perfect.

As I mentioned before, I already had a lot of organized information in my head, so I could easily get good scores without much concern.

But it’s not like I could instantly pull out every bit of information related to Japanese. It’s more like studying was just easier for me. That’s how it was.

Having never scored over 90 points in Korean class back in Korea, it was a strange feeling. Yet, writing things down still felt more natural in this world.

At first, I thought it was just another perk of being in a different world, but after learning about beings like the "Foreign Ones," I started to think differently.

There are entities that directly influence this world, so it wouldn't be strange if another entity could manipulate the information in my head.

But I didn’t dwell on it too much. Thinking about it further would lead me to question my own identity, and I’d rather avoid such complex thoughts. I already had enough on my plate.

Anyway, back to the main point.

Even if my Japanese skills were great, like someone had adjusted my abilities perfectly, teaching others is a completely different matter. Right?

"Kotone, look at this!"

Yuka proudly showed me a piece of paper.

I accepted the paper somewhat reluctantly.

Even in a private school exam, they wouldn’t go overboard with the questions. Sure, it might be a bit harder than other school entrance exams, but it should still be something a middle school student can handle. After all, part of the curriculum involves reviewing what was learned in middle school.

So, the paper in Koko’s hand was also at a level that a middle schooler could solve. It only included some content from the first semester of the first year of high school.

And then—

"...That’s amazing."

"Right?"

"Koko is amazing?"

"Amazing!"

"Amazing!"

Koko asked, and Yuka responded, and Koko followed along.

Yeah, it was pretty amazing.

The paper I was holding wasn’t a Japanese exam, but a math test.

It wasn’t a perfect score, but the circles marked on the test were clearly above average.

That’s right. Koko, who hadn’t even entered high school yet, scored better than I did in math.

And since she had only just started learning, there was still a chance her scores could improve.

"Does she remember everything after being taught just once?"

Miura mumbled to herself, tilting her head.

"Maybe it’s because she’s like a blank canvas? Anything written on her gets remembered."

"No, I don’t think it’s that extreme."

Kaoru and Izumi, who had been looking at the test results over my shoulder, chimed in.

...This was getting noisy.

When you start making friends, they naturally form into groups. It’s not about discrimination, but rather about how and where you met them, and how you grew close.

In my case, there are three groups: "Original Characters," "Classmates," and "Club Members."

The Original Characters, of course, are the characters from the original story—Yuka, Shii, Sasaki, Hagiwara, Nakahara, etc. It’s amazing how naturally I became friends with people who were once distant from me.

Classmates include Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita. While Ms. Suzuki had asked Miura to look after me, so it wasn’t entirely "natural" at first, we were close enough now to hang out together.

Finally, the Club Members are Kaoru and Izumi, whom I met when I impulsively joined the Literature Club.

These three groups have some overlapping members. Yuka is both an original heroine and a Literature Club member, and Miura’s father seems to be a character from the original story. Yamashita also can’t be left out.

But even so, there hadn’t been many opportunities for them to gather all together—

"You did great, Koko! Well done!"

Koko squinted her eyes up at Fukuda, who was happily patting her head.

Is she a cat or a dog? Her usual behavior is more like a mischievous cat, but around people she’s close to, she’s like a puppy.

Yes.

At this moment, all of these people were gathered in one place.

Why?

...Probably because of me and Koko. After all, the biggest common factor among them was me.

***

By the way, the idea for this "group training" came from Kaoru.

[Ack, I completely forgot! We were supposed to have a Literature Club retreat!]

The day after Yuka started staying at my house to help Koko—by that point, Shii and Yamashita had already heard about it, Miura had eagerly volunteered to help, and Fukuda had tagged along out of curiosity—I received a message from Kaoru around lunchtime.

[Do you have time? I think I can leave the house for a bit.]

It seemed Kaoru wanted to end the vacation with a bang by holding the Literature Club retreat.

Even without me, the house was already bustling with six girls, making it quite chaotic. Among them, Shii knew Yuka and Koko, but it was her first time meeting the other three.

Watching her blush slightly and worry seriously about whether she was being a burden, Fukuda, who loves cute things, eagerly struck up a conversation. Miura tried to hold Fukuda back, while Yamashita, though silent and busy on her phone, seemed to be enjoying the situation, mainly keeping an eye on Koko and me.

In the midst of that, I had retreated to the kitchen for a moment and ended up explaining the situation to Kaoru.

[I need to help my sister study.]

[Huh? Why?]

[She’s taking the entrance exam for Hanagawa High School.]

[Really!?]

Kaoru, as if it were her own business, responded excitedly.

[Then this group retreat is perfect!]

Why?

That question briefly crossed my mind, but then a flood of benefits came to me all at once.

I turned my gaze back to the open door.

The girls were still packed together inside.

[And I already have plenty of helpers.]

[Oh, really? Then bring them all! They’re all juniors, right?]

"...."

I placed my hand on my forehead for a moment, then lowered it again.

[I’ll ask.]

And I did ask.

As you can see from the large house we were gathered in, the answer was yes.

By the way, I didn’t find out that the "grandmother’s house" Kaoru mentioned was a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn) until we had already arrived in Gunma Prefecture, where it was located.

***

An onsen ryokan, huh?

It’s a place often featured in light novels or romantic comedy manga.

The kind with open-air baths surrounded by high walls, where men’s and women’s baths are divided by a fence, leading to the usual "peeking into the women’s bath" trope, where the protagonist accidentally sees the girls and gets beaten up afterward...

"...Hmm."

But that didn’t seem to happen in [Tokyo Slayers]. There was a school trip episode, but the setting was in Kyoto. I don’t remember if there was an onsen, but the focus was more on the yokai-related storyline.

So, what’s happening right now?

I pondered while soaking in the hot spring.

...This must be another divergence from the original plot. And it’s probably my fault.

Well, the onsen itself is nice, though—

"Puha!"

Koko, who had been fully submerged in the water, sprang up.

Both Koko and I had long hair, so we had tied it up to avoid letting it float around in the bath.

Of course, I wasn’t worried about Koko’s hair falling out since her hair wasn’t actually hair but her skin stretched long.

"Koko, well done!"

Fukuda and Kaoru clapped their hands, and Koko seemed to get even more excited every time they cheered.

If there had been anyone else around, they might have stopped her, but it was just us here.

Though it was divided into men’s and women’s baths, the area wasn’t for all hotel guests. It seemed more like a private room intended for large families.

I think it was said to be a 10-person room. It looked more like a private pension rather than a "room," but even though we were twelve people, the space was slightly larger than advertised, so it was enough for all of us.

The onsen itself was the open-air type I had described earlier, with the men’s and women’s baths separated by a stone fence. They had stacked irregularly shaped rocks around the area to harmonize with the surroundings, creating a wall slightly taller than a person, with bamboo woven tightly across the top.

Unless someone deliberately climbed over the fence or broke through the bamboo, it was unlikely that anyone would see the other side.

And, in my opinion, even if Sasaki were the only one in the men’s bath, it wouldn’t be much of a threat. Yuka and Hagiwara alone would be enough to handle him. Sasaki’s abilities were strictly effective against yokai.

Besides, Sasaki wouldn’t do something like that.

"...Are you worried?"

I asked Shii, who was sitting next to me, her gaze fixed on the men’s bath.

"Huh? Oh, um, it’s just... I feel a little bad for leaving my brother alone over there."

Well, what do you want to do about it?

Wouldn’t it be a huge problem if Sasaki entered this bath? Unless it were a modern harem story with more than ten heroines.

"I’ve been curious for a while."

Fukuda, who had been moving through the water, spoke up.

"You call Sasaki ‘brother’? I’ve seen plenty of girls with brothers, but it’s the first time I’ve heard someone call their brother ‘Onii-sama’."

"Huh? Oh, um."

There was a story behind why she called him "Onii-sama."

It must’ve been one of the ways Shii came up with to become the perfect little sister.

"If you’re that worried about him, why don’t you go check on him yourself?"

"Eh!?"

"You’re his little sister, so it’s fine if you join him in the bath, right?"

No, that’s not usually how it works. Maybe if they were really young.

Of course, Fukuda probably knew that. She was just teasing Shii.

"That’s a good point, young junior."

And with a relaxed voice, Hagiwara joined the conversation.

"If it’s family, it’s fine to see each other naked. It’s even more so for a married couple. So, I’ll go."

"W-W-W-What are you saying!?"

Nakahara, who had been sitting nearby, jumped up and yelled.

I turned my head away slightly.

"A married couple!? That’s not something a high school student should be saying!"

"Oh, didn’t you know? A woman can marry at sixteen."

"Sota is fifteen!"

I think the law changed about twenty years later. I remember looking it up out of curiosity while reading a manga.

"M-Marriage..."

Shii blushed at the word.

"They’re quite the interesting bunch."

Fukuda said, watching Nakahara and Hagiwara bicker.

"How did you become friends with them?"

Good question.

I have no idea.

They just kind of happened as I went along.

...

Actually, maybe it was because I got lured by tonkatsu?

I sighed softly and looked up at the sky.

It was completely dark.

Even so, to be honest, it was a bit hot. I was reaching my limit, but how could they stay in the hot spring for so long?

Kaoru’s grandmother had mentioned that there weren’t many guests during the summer, and it seemed she was right.

Even if [Tokyo Slayers] had an onsen episode, it probably wouldn’t have been set in the middle of summer.

I wanted to get out, but since no one else was leaving, I just kept my mouth shut.

It seemed true that Japanese people loved hot springs.

***

Though it seemed like we were just here for fun, everyone was serious about helping Koko with her studies.

We were all gathered in the living room of the pension—well, it wasn’t exactly a pension, but a 10-person room at the ryokan—wearing yukata provided by the inn.

I stared a bit forlornly at the math test paper where Koko had outscored me.

"At this rate, Koko should easily pass the entrance exam for Hanagawa High School."

Kaoru said, smiling as she patted my back.

"It’s just the first test. The questions were based on what she had already learned. We need to be a bit more thorough."

Yuka, who had been very excited until just now, quickly adopted a serious expression after hearing Kaoru’s words.

Judging by her slightly flushed ears, she must’ve realized that she had been too happy.

"With this many people, if everyone helps a bit, we can definitely make it happen."

Miura said.

Well...

It was a good thing. Having Koko enter our school was definitely a good thing.

But...

Why did I feel so uneasy?

Was it because my plan had fallen apart?

"Alright, let’s do our best!"

Fukuda shouted.

"Yeah!"

The other girls raised one hand and cheered. Even Sasaki joined in, and Shii, though a bit embarrassed, followed suit.

Hmm...

I don’t know anymore.

I guess I’ll just enjoy the hot spring and head back.

I thought as I watched Koko, surrounded by the girls, smiling brightly.

***

There were three rooms.

There was one 2-person room, likely intended for a couple, and two 4-person rooms.

The 2-person room on the second floor had enough space that, if needed, one more person could squeeze in. However, since we had Sasaki, the only boy in the group, assigning rooms was a bit tricky.

So we decided to designate the 2-person room as Sasaki and Shii’s room. If Shii needed to change clothes, she could come to the girls' room.

Though we had gotten somewhat closer while soaking in the hot springs, there were still some barriers between the different "groups."

Especially Nakahara and Hagiwara—they had formed a group centered around Sasaki, so with Sasaki and Shii being separated, they had lost their focal point.

If we just let everyone group up naturally, those two might end up isolated.

Though the main goal of this trip was to help Koko pass the Hanagawa entrance exam, there wasn’t any rule that said we had to all become best friends. Still, we didn’t want any awkward confrontations at what was partially a vacation.

So, we decided to draw lots each night to assign rooms.

Since we’d only be using the rooms for sleeping, I figured mixing up the groups wouldn’t cause any major problems. Of course, Koko and I were treated as a pair, so we counted as one.

On the first night, the room assignments ended up with Koko, Yuka, Miura, Hagiwara, and me.

At least Nakahara and Hagiwara weren’t assigned to the same room.

"P-Please take care of me, Hagiwara-senpai."

Miura greeted Hagiwara awkwardly, as she was the only upperclassman among us.

"Oh, we’ve already bathed together, so there’s no need to be so formal."

Hagiwara waved her hand gently as she spoke, while Miura laid out the futons on the tatami floor.

No matter how I looked at her, Hagiwara didn’t seem like the type of person who made a living by swinging a sword. She appeared elegant and gentle.

Yet she was also the same person who had made a few suggestive jokes earlier. She was quite a curious individual.

Yuka still seemed a bit wary of Hagiwara, while Koko didn’t seem to care much.

Koko, intrigued by the soft futons, made a sound like "Oooh?" as she flopped onto her spot, feeling the bedding.

Everyone’s attention shifted to Koko.

"She really is a surprising child in many ways."

"Yes, I was surprised too."

Yuka responded to Hagiwara’s comment.

Though their words seemed slightly off from each other, their meanings weren’t entirely different.

Considering Koko’s true nature, Hagiwara was someone we should be cautious of... but for now, nothing major had happened.

"Hey... Kurosawa."

"...Yeah."

Miura, who had been lost in thought, called out to me, and I answered a bit slowly.

"Koko is... I mean, you said she’s the girl you saved, right?"

"Yeah."

That’s what I had explained to everyone. There was no way I could reveal that Koko seemed to have inherited half the blood of the Foreign Ones.

"So... you haven’t had her take any intelligence tests or anything?"

"...No."

I answered while trying to understand the meaning behind Miura’s question.

"Then... is it possible that Koko isn’t actually borderline intelligence?"

"What do you mean?"

Yuka interjected. Miura looked a bit intimidated for a moment, but then spoke again.

"I mean, maybe she’s actually smarter than most people. Like how she did in today’s study session."

"Oh, so you’re saying that her current behavior might just be a result of her past circumstances."

Hagiwara caught on to Miura’s meaning

.

"......"

So, what they were suggesting was that if Koko took an IQ test, she might score over 180?

I stared intently at Koko.

That thought... had never crossed my mind.

It seemed that Yuka and Hagiwara were also thinking the same thing, as they stared at Koko too.

"Ooo?"

Koko, noticing our stares, looked back at us with a puzzled expression, making her usual sound.

Chapter 84. Training Camp (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

As always, it was Koko who woke me up from my sleep.

Maybe she had learned too much from the cat Kuro, or perhaps it was just her natural instinct, but Koko always curled up wherever she slept.

At first, she seemed to sleep straight, but soon enough, she would curl her body.

And she would dig into my side.

When I woke up, my side was damp with sweat from the body heat.

Normally, I wouldn't wake up until morning, but I guess the reason I woke up in the middle of the night today was because I wasn’t used to the bed.

The room was old, but it had an air conditioner, and thanks to that, it was much cooler than the place where we usually stayed.

Ironically, the distinct artificial coolness and Koko’s body temperature seemed to have woken me up.

If I had only briefly opened my eyes, I could have just gone back to sleep.

But what I felt when I opened my eyes was a severe thirst.

Was it because I had been soaking in the hot spring earlier?

After a short moment of hesitation, I chose the latter—to get up and drink some water rather than endure the thirst and try to sleep again.

My throat felt so dry it was like it was cracking.

Come to think of it, I had left the air conditioner on, so it made sense that it felt a bit dry.

Yawning and being careful not to wake Koko, I cautiously sat up.

Then—

Srrrk, clack.

That sound reached my ears.

I flinched and froze as I was about to get up.

It sounded like a door closing.

Although faint light was coming through the window, it was still the middle of the night.

It was a bit too dark to see everything clearly.

After a few seconds of trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness, I slowly started to make out my surroundings.

Fortunately, I didn’t see any ghosts standing in the corner of the room with their heads hanging low, or evil spirits peeking into the room through the slightly open door.

However…

Hagiwara was gone.

I wiped my face.

It was too easy to imagine where she had gone.

She must have gone to Sasaki’s room.

I seriously wondered for a moment if there was any reason for me to stop her, but I soon concluded that there wasn’t.

Yeah, whatever love comedy they were filming had nothing to do with me.

If I had been the one losing something, I might have shed tears of blood, but I wasn’t even a male character to begin with.

Besides, this is the world of an "all-ages light novel," so nothing major is going to happen anyway.

Hagiwara isn’t the type to step outside the role of the "sexy but inexperienced older sister" character.

When push comes to shove, she’ll probably just blush and run away.

I counted to ten while standing by the door.

I definitely didn’t want to run into Hagiwara sneaking back in, so I had to hurry and get a drink and pretend I didn’t see anything.

I opened the door and cautiously glanced at the living room.

It seemed like no one was there.

Still half-asleep, I stumbled out of the room.

I turned toward the kitchen.

And then, I froze when I met eyes with Nakahara, who had been sneaking upstairs.

"......"

"......"

I hesitated for a moment.

Would wiping my face in this situation look weird?

It probably would, so I decided not to.

I just turned and headed toward the kitchen as if I hadn’t seen anything.

"Hey, wait a second!"

Nakahara called out to me.

Of course, she spoke in a voice just loud enough for me to hear.

It was more like a whispered shout, I guess.

At least it wouldn’t be heard in the other rooms.

As I was pouring water into a cup from the fridge in the kitchen, Nakahara lightly placed her hand on my shoulder.

When I turned to look at her with a tired expression, Nakahara’s face turned bright red with embarrassment as she fumbled for words.

“Uh, um, you see, that’s not what it looks like.”

"......"

“It’s not what you’re thinking at all.”

And what do you think I’m thinking?

I didn’t expect Nakahara, of all people, to be this bold, given she’s the childhood friend character, not the seductive older sister.

It was fortunate that they were assigned different rooms.

If not, I would have woken up not because of thirst, but from the sound of them fighting in the middle of the night.

"...I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything."

I said in a sleepy voice, holding the water cup.

Nakahara, clearly flustered by my response, darted her eyes around nervously.

What should I do?

There was a way to send Nakahara off without much fuss.

I could tell her that Hagiwara went to Sasaki’s room.

Besides, once Hagiwara entered the room, Shii would inevitably be dragged into the situation.

“I-I’m serious, it’s not what you think…”

"......"

“I’m just worried that Hagiwara-senpai might do something bad to Sasaki.”

That was a remarkably accurate guess.

Though she probably just said it in a rush to come up with an excuse.

“Oh, oh yeah! That’s right!”

As if she’d just gotten an idea from her own words, Nakahara’s face lit up as she spoke.

“If Hagiwara-senpai is still in the room, then I can go back without worrying, right?”

"......"

What should I say?

If I say Hagiwara is still here, it would mean I’m taking Hagiwara’s side.

But they’re going to find out she was in Sasaki’s room by morning anyway.

I mean... I’m not exactly super close to Hagiwara.

Of course, I’ve seen her more often than Nakahara, and we do share some secrets, but I’m not sure that makes us personally close.

Nakahara and I share secrets too.

We’ve experienced the supernatural together, after all.

In a way, we’re comrades.

Maybe Nakahara had a breakdown afterward and Sasaki had to console her, or maybe there was some event like that at school, but if it did happen, I wasn’t there to witness it.

“Huh?”

Seeing that I still hadn’t said anything, Nakahara’s expression changed.

She looked a bit dazed for a moment, then as if something had clicked, her face hardened and her eyes narrowed.

“What, don’t tell me Hagiwara-senpai…?”

I stayed silent.

In other words, I was invoking my right to remain silent.

"......"

Seeing my blank expression, Nakahara’s face twisted with anger as she quickly let go of my shoulder and stormed off toward our room.

Of course, Hagiwara’s spot was empty.

Nakahara immediately turned around and rushed toward Sasaki’s room upstairs.

After gulping down the water I was holding, I placed the empty cup in the sink and headed back to the room—

“Senpai!”

A voice shouted, and I flinched.

I hadn’t expected her to scream in the middle of the night like that.

I thought this was a harem light novel, so wouldn’t she just move to the other side and sleep?

But then again, Shii was in the room too.

Shii would definitely be next to Sasaki.

“Nakahara-senpai…?”

I heard Shii’s voice, and then there was a groaning sound from the direction where Hagiwara had left the door open.

Soon, Yuka poked her head out into the hallway, her face still heavy with sleep.

She rubbed her eyes as she made eye contact with me.

“What’s going on…?”

“...It’s nothing.”

I replied.

I was grateful Yuka wasn’t like her original version.

If this were the original, she would have rushed straight into the situation.

Though imagining Yuka now saying something like, "I don’t like you or anything, though!" was hard to picture.

“Nanami…? No, Hagiwara-senpai!?”

“Uhh.”

I heard Sasaki cry out in alarm, and Hagiwara let out a moan that sounded like a forced, exaggerated groan meant to sound seductive.

Rather than making things clearer, it only served to wake everyone up more.

"......"

Yuka finally understood what was happening, and she turned her head to look for Hagiwara.

Seeing the empty spot, she looked up at the second floor.

Then, she looked at me one last time.

Her face was filled with shock.

"......"

In the end, I couldn’t help but wipe my face this time.

* * *

“Uuu…?”

“No, it’s fine. You can keep sleeping.”

“Isn’t it morning…?”

“No.”

While we were having a serious conversation in the living room, Koko must have noticed that I wasn’t next to her.

She rubbed her eyes as she walked out of the room.

She instinctively walked toward me, and I fixed her messy clothes.

At my words, Koko plopped down next to me and curled up.

Then she lay next to me.

She didn’t seem to be planning to go back to sleep.

She was probably going to stay with me until I returned to the room.

Looking at Koko dozing off while leaning against my shoulder, I pulled the blanket from the sofa and draped it over her.

The kids, who had forgotten about speaking while watching Koko, began to voice their opinions one by one.

“No matter what, I think it’s wrong to do that at someone else’s grandmother’s house!”

Izumi raised her voice.

“Hey, if they like each other, it happens.”

“But they’re not even adults yet!”

Shii countered Kaoru’s words.

“I told you, a girl can get married at sixteen.”

That was Hagiwara’s argument.

Didn’t she say that during the day too?

“But Sota is only fifteen!”

Of course, Nakahara was incredulous at that statement.

“Mako-chan, what do you think?”

“Uh, I-I…”

"......"

Fukuda teased Mako with that question, and Mako naturally stuttered in response.

Yamashita, on the other hand, seemed completely disinterested, busy staring at her phone.

“Um, everyone?”

As the lively, or rather strange conversation unfolded, Yuka quietly raised her hand.

At her sharp, cold tone, the room instantly fell silent.

Everyone reacted differently.

Kaoru and Izumi, who were familiar with Yuka, didn’t seem too scared.

The Miura trio, who had seen how Yuka fights, didn’t seem bothered either.

After all, they were comrades in a way.

Hagiwara had no reason to be scared.

And Nakahara, having gone through this kind of situation before, didn’t seem fazed either.

“Hic.”

So there was only one person who was truly frightened.

Shii, the biggest victim of the situation.

"......"

Hearing Shii’s hiccup, everyone’s eyes turned to her.

And then back to Yuka.

“…Sorry.”

I could understand why she spoke that way.

The situation wasn’t great.

I silently offered Yuka my sympathies, though I doubt it reached her.

“Ahem.”

In any case, regardless of the atmosphere, what needed to be said had to be said.

“I understand that everyone wants to have fun. But there’s a reason we all came here, right?”

At least Hagiwara and Nakahara definitely came because of Sasaki.

Though I was smart enough not to mention that out loud.

“We’re here to help Koko.”

At least that was the official reason.

Up until yesterday, that had been the case.

But after Koko absorbed knowledge without a problem and did fairly well on the test from the first day, the others must have thought, “Maybe we can take it a little easy.”

“If we keep talking like this at night, Koko won’t be able to sleep—”

“Ssss, ssss.”

"..."

The children’s eyes turned toward Koko, who was leaning against my shoulder.

Koko was sound asleep.

Well, she always slept curled up right next to me, so she never once complained about a sore back.

So sleeping while leaning on my shoulder was probably no big deal.

“…She’s sleeping well.”

Kaoru commented.

Yuka, her face a little red from embarrassment, spoke as everyone’s attention shifted back to her.

“…Even if Koko can sleep well, it’s still disruptive to other people.”

At least that part was undeniable.

“Koko still has a lot to learn. Even if she’s doing fine, if the teachers aren’t, the results won’t be good, don’t you think?”

"..."

Everyone seemed to agree with that.

“And Hagiwara-senpai, what were you thinking with Shii in the room?”

"......"

Hagiwara turned her eyes away as if to avoid the question.

Shii still seemed a bit intimidated.

When she glanced over at me, I nodded to her.

Seeing my expression, Shii seemed a little reassured.

I wasn’t sure what reassured her, but well, if Shii found another place to lean on, that was a good thing.

...I had contributed to the late-night incident by pretending not to notice, so this was the least I could do.

“…Well then.”

In the now-quiet room, Yuka spoke.

“Shall we all go back to our rooms?”

Everyone nodded.

It was still the middle of the night.

Even though we didn’t have to get up early tomorrow, staying up too late would affect everyone’s condition the next day.

At Yuka’s suggestion, everyone got up and began to move toward their rooms.

“Koko. Let’s go to bed.”

“Uuu.”

When I gently shook her awake, Koko let out a small sound and squinted her eyes.

“…Sorry, Shii. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Meanwhile, over on the other side, Hagiwara was apologizing to Shii.

“I was just being childish, but you’ve been acting like an adult.”

“…Didn’t you say earlier that Sota’s only fifteen and can’t get married?”

Hagiwara, baffled by Nakahara’s comment, looked back at her, but Nakahara’s expression remained unbothered.

“No, I was just… a little surprised.”

“Sorry, Shii.”

“If my brother hadn’t been here, I would have been worried by myself too. You don’t need to apologize, really.”

“You’re really mature. Unlike someone who just jumps into the blankets because she likes a boy.”

"..."

As Nakahara praised Shii, she suddenly met my eyes.

Nakahara quickly shut her mouth, her face turning bright red.

“Huh? So how did you know to open the door and check—”

“Alright, alright! It’s late! Let’s all get some sleep!”

Hagiwara, with a look of disbelief, let out a laugh at Nakahara’s clearly flimsy excuse, but she didn’t push further.

In that regard, she was a bit more like a senior.

Not that I thought it made her particularly mature.

* * *

“…That’s impressive.”

“Koko is amazing?”

“Yeah, really amazing.”

“Yay!”

At my response, Koko raised both hands and cheered excitedly.

To be honest, Koko still hadn’t grown much in terms of mental age.

Her way of speaking was still childish, and her personality was no different from that of a kid.

She studied hard whenever I gave her chocolates or patted her head in praise when she did well.

Maybe, for Koko, studying felt more like solving puzzles?

Even I, who had taught Koko Japanese as best as I could, was surprised when she not only got through picture books but also properly read literature and got the answers right.

“Couldn’t Koko be a genius?”

Izumi, who was in charge of Koko’s Japanese studies with me, said seriously.

Miura, who had made a similar comment earlier, was also looking at Koko seriously.

“Well, in any case, it doesn’t really matter as long as she can take the test properly and get into school, right?”

At Kaoru’s words, everyone more or less agreed—

Except Hagiwara, who was looking at me instead of Koko.

And with quite a serious expression at that.

"......"

I tried my best to pretend I didn’t notice her stare, but I wasn’t sure if it worked.

* * *

It probably didn’t work.

Though we also took a bath in the hot springs today, I got up first without worrying about what others thought.

After all, I had been feeling sluggish since yesterday evening.

There were some who hadn’t seen me cut my wrist yet, but even without that, I was on the thinner side.

When I mentioned feeling a bit dizzy, everyone sent me off on their own.

Yuka tried to follow me, but when I told her to stay and enjoy a bit longer, she hesitated before sitting back down.

Judging by Yuka’s expression, I could bet that she would come out in less than five minutes.

“Uuu.”

“You have to dry your hair properly.”

Koko whimpered as I squeezed out the water from her hair with a towel, so I spoke.

Well, she never actually resisted.

Koko was always a good kid, at least in front of me.

She acted the same way in front of Yuka too.

As I was drying Koko’s hair, I heard the sound of someone coming out from the bath area.

I turned my head, expecting Yuka, but it was Hagiwara who came out instead.

“…Should I help you dry your hair?”

Her words weren’t directed at Koko, but at me.

My hair was as long as Koko’s, and since I had been drying Koko’s hair, I hadn’t gotten around to drying mine yet.

Hagiwara had tied her hair up with a towel.

Even though her hair was shorter than mine, that seemed to be enough for her.

Before I could respond, Hagiwara grabbed my hair.

"..."

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“That girl, Koko.”

"......"

I knew what she wanted to ask.

We had a similar conversation before.

“…She’s human.”

That was all I said in response.

“We both just want to live normally. Me and Koko.”

“Woah.”

As if sensing something in my voice, Koko turned to look at me.

Her innocent eyes stared at me, reflecting nothing but purity.

Eyes that were the same as mine, yet fundamentally more innocent.

They reminded me of someone else.

Maybe that’s why I was so attached.

“…I see.”

I’m not sure what she was thinking, but Hagiwara simply responded before quietly drying my hair.

Yuka came out of the bath shouting, “Kotone!?” less than a minute later, realizing Hagiwara had already left.

Chapter 85. Training Camp (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I want to live like a human.

This was my sincere wish.

I didn’t know whose fault it was that I ended up existing here, nor the strange combination of circumstances that led to it.

But regardless of how it happened, I was here, and so I just wanted to live. Like a human.

Unlike my previous life, this time I felt like I could protect things with my own hands. Because now, I had power.

In the end, wasn't this also a new life? Even if it was a life prepared by someone else, and even if the end of my life turned out to be tragic.

For the time I was given, I just wanted to live happily.

Whether that would turn out well or not, I didn’t know.

“You seem to be deep in thought.”

The person who spoke to me as I sat outside was Miura.

She had the kind of beauty that could be described as classically East Asian. I thought the same the last time I saw her—she looked really good in a yukata.

In my previous life, I hadn’t even worn a hanbok more than a few times, yet here I was, dressed in traditional Japanese attire. My life really was strange. I wasn’t sure if it was right to consider my previous and current lives as one and the same.

Miura sat next to me on the bench and handed me a drink. It was coffee milk, in a glass bottle.

Ah, I remembered.

In manga or anime, characters would often drink coffee milk after coming out of the bath. I used to drink banana milk after coming out of the bath. Was this the same thing?

I opened the cold bottle, which seemed fresh from the fridge, and drank. The strong coffee aroma filled my mouth. The creamy texture of the milk, slightly sticky, gently flowed down my throat. The sweet milk, which seemed to have a lot of sugar in it, was perfect for drinking after coming out of the bath.

Though it had been a while since we left the bath. But whatever, it was delicious.

“Is it because of Koko?”

Miura asked.

“…”

I hesitated to answer.

Rather than saying it was because of Koko, it felt more accurate to say that it was a combination of all the reasons.

The future felt distant and uncertain. Kudan's prophecy, which I had heard last time, still lingered vividly in my mind. It was just a little scary not knowing when or how it would happen.

If you asked if I was afraid, I would say yes. But strangely, there was also a part of me that was calm. I had already died once, after all.

What scared me more was losing the people around me. I was already well aware that there was a possibility of that happening.

Because I acted, Koko got kidnapped, and Nakahara got involved. If we had been even a little bit slower, if Hagiwara hadn’t acted, Nakahara would have surely died.

Miura, too—if I hadn’t acted, she probably would have died as well.

I had been thinking about this for a while. If I hadn’t taken over the body of Kurosawa Kotone, what would have happened?

What if Miura, whom I had just started getting close to, had suddenly died?

“Kurosawa?”

“…Huh?”

Just as I was about to lose myself in thought again, Miura pulled me out of it.

“Are you worried?”

“...No.”

I wasn’t worried about Koko.

She might end up scoring surprisingly high on the entrance exam. That, if anything, was what concerned me.

Why does Koko, who has the intelligence to learn and understand things, still act so childishly?

Surely, she’s already experienced something terrible.

“Koko will be fine.”

Not understanding the meaning behind my “no,” Miura said this reassuringly.

I nodded silently and took another sip of my coffee milk. I felt a little more awake. Did it have caffeine in it?

“…”

“…”

A brief silence.

Sitting next to me, Miura glanced at me repeatedly, hesitating to speak. I just let her be. I had a feeling that if I turned to her and asked what she wanted to say, the words might disappear before they could be spoken.

After a moment of gathering her thoughts, Miura took a small breath.

Then, with a slightly embarrassed expression, she spoke.

“So, you’re calling each other by name with Yuuki-chan, right? And with the seniors in the literature club too.”

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

Ironically, Miura was the first person my age that I really talked to after coming here. Well, I had spoken to Ms. Suzuki first, but that was more of a formal process.

“Did you know them from before?”

“…No.”

Miura hesitated again after hearing my response.

She seemed to be debating whether or not she should even say what she was thinking. I waited for her to continue.

“Then, we’ve known each other for quite a while now, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, isn’t it okay if we call each other by name too?”

“…Sure.”

I wasn’t born Japanese. In fact, in my previous life, my knowledge of Japan was limited to exaggerated and unrealistic depictions in manga, light novels, and anime. Did you know? I had never even watched a Japanese drama or movie. The only songs I’d heard were anime songs.

So, having only experienced this culture firsthand for less than half a year, I didn’t really understand how significant it was for close people to call each other by name.

In my previous life, once people knew each other's names, we naturally started calling each other by them.

It’s probably as confusing as foreign people trying to understand Korean honorifics.

“Then…”

Miura paused for a moment and took another breath.

“Kotone-chan, is that okay?”

It felt a bit ticklish.

I really didn’t understand how adding an honorific after someone’s name affected how close or distant you were to them. Even if I later understood it, it would probably still feel strange, given my memories of my previous life.

“Mako…-chan.”

Miura smiled slightly at the corners of her lips when I responded.

It seemed my answer was the right one.

I picked up the bottle and drank the rest of the coffee milk.

***

We returned home on August 25th.

The kids we were with at the camp agreed that it would be best to rest well at least one day before the exam. I agreed with them.

Well, Koko wasn’t the type to get tired and have her condition deteriorate from something like that, but better safe than sorry.

“Good luck on your exam.”

Yuka, who had accompanied us until the last moment, placed her hands on our shoulders as she spoke.

“Yeah.”

“Woo!”

The two of us nodded at the same time.

Yuka, who looked back and forth between me and Koko, seemed a bit reluctant to leave, but it was about time for her to go. In fact, it was a bit of a stretch for Yuka to come with us. After all, we lived in Saitama, not Tokyo.

Well, it wasn’t an impossible distance, considering how many people commuted between here and Tokyo. But still, it was over an hour’s journey.

“Then… see you when school starts.”

I nodded at Yuka’s words. Koko tilted her head in confusion.

School starting, huh.

If Koko passed the exam, we’d be going to school together in the mornings.

What would people think when they saw two identical girls holding hands, carrying identical bags, and walking to school together?

It would be a pretty funny sight.

…Right.

I used to take my little sister to school, and after school, I’d pick her up from the after-school program at the community center.

Back then, she listened to me so well. When did she start grumbling all the time?

“Kotone?”

Koko called out to me, tilting her head, as I stood there blankly staring at the direction Yuka had disappeared.

“…Yeah, let’s go inside.”

From the cage in my hand, Kuro let out a tired “meow.” It seemed he was bored of the long subway ride.

We had left him at Yuka’s place again.

Honestly, I was always indebted to her.

Holding Koko’s hand in one of mine and the cage with Kuro in the other, I climbed the stairs.

I put the key into the door and turned it.

As expected, the room was a bit stuffy. There was no air conditioning, and I had shut the windows just in case before we left.

But still, it was our home.

Yes, it wasn’t empty. It was full of traces of me, Koko, and Kuro living here.

It was strange.

When I first arrived, it was just a place I lived in because I had to.

But with friends visiting and Koko living with me, it had become a place I wanted to return to as soon as possible.

Now, I didn’t even worry about ghosts or anything like that anymore.

“…I’m home.”

“Wah?”

As I muttered to myself, Koko tilted her head beside me.

I smiled slightly, put down the cage, and opened the door.

Kuro, who had been curled up inside, jumped out and stretched her front paws forward, arching her back. Her wide-open mouth made her look a little silly as she yawned.

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she hopped onto the folded futon in the corner of the room and curled up again.

“You’re home?”

When I continued to stare blankly at Kuro, Koko mimicked me and slightly bowed her head as she repeated my words.

I stood up, patted Koko’s head, and opened the window.

***

“…”

“…”

Ms. Suzuki's gaze felt sharp.

“Kurosawa-san.”

“Yes.”

“And…”

Ms. Suzuki looked at Koko, who, like me, was also a “Kurosawa.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to address her.

“Koko-san.”

In the end, she settled on adding an honorific to Koko’s name. Well, we would need to differentiate between us once school started.

Most people called Koko by her name. They probably assumed she wouldn’t respond properly otherwise. I could understand that.

“Hmm?”

Koko, sitting next to me in casual clothes, tilted her head in confusion.

Yes, to be honest, I had expected something like this. That’s why, when we came to take the exam last time, I was in my uniform while Koko was in casual clothes.

It was the same this time.

Ms. Suzuki held the exam papers in her hands as she sat across from us.

The teachers' office was relatively quiet and calm. I didn’t know what teachers did during vacation, but I’d heard they sometimes used up their accumulated leave all at once. I’d also heard they took turns coming in and that their pay during this time was a bit lower than when they were actively teaching.

Well, I didn’t know any teachers in my life, so I couldn’t confirm if that was true. One thing I was certain of, though, was that the teachers’ office wasn’t as chaotic as it would be during the school term.

Ms. Suzuki’s colleague’s desk was empty again today. Judging by the pile of files and textbooks stacked on the desk, the owner hadn’t quit.

Anyway, Ms. Suzuki had brought over chairs and lined them up in front of her desk, making two seats for Koko and me.

Furrowing her thin but sharp eyebrows slightly, Ms. Suzuki carefully opened her mouth.

“Kurosawa-san.”

“Yes.”

Hesitating for a moment, Ms. Suzuki called my name again. I responded clearly, and she spoke with a somewhat resigned expression.

“I understand that you want to attend school with your sister. I’m sure you’re worried and anxious.”

“Yes.”

That was true. I had even considered pretending to be Koko and taking the exam in her place.

…And if I had, I probably would have scored slightly lower than Koko. Except in the subjects related to Japanese language.

Thinking about it now, it stung my pride a little.

“But… cheating isn’t something you should do. Right?”

“Yes.”

…It felt unfair.

Honestly, I had expected a conversation like this when I came to school.

Today was August 30th. In two days, the new school term would begin. It felt a bit rushed for the entrance exam results to come out, but Hanagawa High School held classes on Saturdays, so I figured the teachers would be coming in. School was starting soon, after all.

I didn’t know the details, but it seemed the teachers expected Koko to pass the exam, considering that she was essentially transferring in.

In that sense, Koko was an outlier.

Ms. Suzuki, though not with bad intentions, had probably assumed that Koko wouldn’t pass. She had said something similar when we first discussed the application.

A child with what seemed to be borderline intelligence, who probably hadn’t even attended high school before. It was questionable if she had properly attended elementary or middle school. And her only guardian had been none other than Kagami.

…If that was her thought process, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Koko had spent quite a long time dismembered in a freezer.

But Koko’s intelligence was beyond anyone’s expectations.

“You didn’t… take the exam for her, did you?”

Ms. Suzuki asked carefully, as if she felt guilty for even suggesting it.

“I didn’t.”

I had considered it. If Yuka hadn’t intervened, I probably would have taken the exam for Koko. Thankfully, Yuka allowed us to pass through the proper way.

“…”

“It’s true.”

I looked straight at Ms. Suzuki as I said this.

Though my expression was neutral, my unwavering gaze seemed to prick Ms. Suzuki’s conscience like a needle. She flinched.

“But, Kurosawa-san.”

Ms. Suzuki placed two answer sheets side by side and showed them to me.

The answers to the written questions.

Although the words written were different, it was clear at a glance.

…The handwriting on Koko’s answer sheet looked remarkably similar to mine.

“Huh?”

I glanced at Koko, and she tilted her head in confusion.

By the way, my Japanese handwriting was somewhat unique. To put it nicely, I had terrible handwriting.

You know how sometimes, when writing in Hangul, some Koreans write their consonants and vowels separately? That rarely happens. But there are also people who attach them together in a kind of cursive, as if they’re creating their own style of shorthand.

It wasn’t a specific technique. It was just something that happened after years of writing like that since childhood.

But for me, katakana and kanji were unfamiliar characters. No matter how much I could derive the answers in my head, sometimes they ended up looking broken, like disassembled kanji, or they got squished awkwardly in an imaginary square.

Still, I thought it was legible enough.

Which is to say, my handwriting had a distinct personality.

“This is…”

I struggled to come up with an answer.

“I taught Koko how to write.”

“I see.”

Ms. Suzuki spoke gently, but I could tell she still wasn’t entirely convinced.

I see.

Thinking back, this could have been a giveaway. Even if all the answers had been multiple-choice, I still had to write down the name.

Wow, how did I not think of that? I was really careless.

At the same time, I also felt an urge to pat Koko’s head and praise her for doing so well. I barely managed to restrain myself.

“Then, could I ask you to do something for me?”

Ms. Suzuki asked as gently as possible, as if she didn’t want to blame me. It was clear she was trying her best to reassure me.

Even if I had taken the exam for Koko, it seemed like Ms. Suzuki would’ve let it slide without making a big deal out of it.

…In reality, it would have caused a huge uproar at the school.

Ms. Suzuki handed me a file with a hard cover and a single sheet of paper, along with a pen.

“Could you write your name here?”

“…”

I silently took the paper and wrote my name, trying not to make my handwriting too neat.

Kurosawa Kotone (黒沢琴音).

Ms. Suzuki nodded after looking at my writing, then handed the file and pen to Koko, placing them on her lap.

“Hmm?”

When Koko looked at Ms. Suzuki, she gave a gentle smile, as if to put Koko at ease.

“Could you write your name here, Koko-san?”

She pointed to the space beneath where I had written my name.

“Kotone?”

Koko asked, looking at me.

“Please go ahead.”

I replied, and though she didn’t seem to understand why we were doing this, Koko tilted her head before writing her name beneath mine.

Kurosawa Koko (黒沢ココ).

It wasn’t in kanji, but it was the name I had casually given her. Despite that, Koko seemed to like the name very much.

“…”

Ms. Suzuki carefully took back the file and pen, then compared our handwriting.

The kanji for “Kurosawa” in both names looked identical to Ms. Suzuki’s eyes.

“Hmm, I see.”

Sounding slightly relieved, Ms. Suzuki said this.

I let out a small sigh as well.

“Hm?”

Only Koko continued to tilt her head, not quite understanding what had just happened.

Chapter 86. Accident (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Since then, there had been a few more simple verifications.

Since just confirming the name wasn’t enough to be sure.

But Koko answered all of those questions well, one by one.

Although I was a bit uneasy since Koko used casual speech with Ms. Suzuki instead of polite language, the teacher just widened her eyes and looked a little surprised.

"That’s impressive."

"Koko, you’re amazing!"

And she smiled warmly, looking at Koko who answered like that.

It was understandable. Koko had the power to make anyone who looked at her smile.

Though she might also have the power to terrify people... that’s something I had to be careful not to bring out.

“Kurosawa, by the way...”

Ms. Suzuki seemed to hesitate for a moment as she looked at me, but then she shook her head.

“No, let’s continue this conversation later. Do any of your friends know Koko?”

“Yes, they do.”

“Is Miura one of them, perhaps?”

When I nodded, Ms. Suzuki smiled back happily.

“That’s great. Koko should be able to adapt well in class.”

Hearing those words made my heart brighten.

“Do you have the school uniform?”

“It’s already prepared.”

“Good... It would’ve been fine to take a few more days before coming. Though starting at the beginning of the term isn’t bad either.”

Ms. Suzuki briefly gazed at Koko.

“Uwaa?”

Koko tilted her head, looking at Ms. Suzuki.

For a brief moment, it seemed like Ms. Suzuki’s expression darkened slightly.

“Well then, Koko, I look forward to working with you.”

“Uu?”

Koko turned her head toward me.

...She had learned and absorbed a lot, but there was still a long way to go. She knew how to problem-solve and apply knowledge. There wouldn’t be any need to worry about her failing in school.

However, she didn’t yet know how to make friends or maintain relationships.

Up until now, the people Koko interacted with were always on two extremes—either extremely hostile toward her or incredibly kind.

But here at this school, there would be far more variety in the types of people.

There would be kids who didn’t show much interest in her, or those who remained indifferent. And there would likely be others who, while not attempting to kill her or dismember her, would still find her disturbing.

Some people had even driven others to the point of attempting suicide.

One day, Koko would learn how to form relationships with people. She’d learn how to give before receiving. Ideally, she’d learn that from Yuka or someone else, not me.

Even if I left this world soon—No.

I hoped she could continue living, creating bonds with those around her.

“...Please take care of her.”

I slightly bowed my head toward Ms. Suzuki as I spoke. Koko, who was watching me, belatedly mimicked the gesture.

“Please, take care of, me?”

Ms. Suzuki let out a soft chuckle.

***

It was now September.

Even though a school uses the characters for ‘learning’ (學) and ‘correction’ (校), it would be too sad if all they did was focus on studying, especially in a place full of energetic teenagers.

There should be times to relax, play, and enjoy creating and interacting with others.

Learning isn’t just about reading textbooks. Collaborating and interacting with others is also an important part of learning about society.

And this school’s curriculum included events like that.

The first semester at Hanagawa High School was a bit dull. There weren’t many grand events, and most of the time was spent studying.

Oh, of course, there was club promotion at the beginning of the semester. The clubs operated independently for the rest of the semester, and then they showcased the results at the cultural festival in the second semester. So, you could say the first semester was more about adjusting and taking it easy.

School sports festivals in Japan typically happen in May or September, during spring or autumn. At Hanagawa High School, it was held in autumn. Judging by the fact that it was scheduled soon after the summer break, they must’ve assumed that by then, classmates would be close enough to cooperate well.

After the sports festival, there would be a field trip in October and the cultural festival in November. Compared to the first semester, the second semester was much more lively.

Well, summer is already lively on its own, even without special events.

The sports festival at Hanagawa High School was scheduled for late September, when the lingering summer heat was mostly gone. It was set for Saturday, September 25th.

...I didn’t know what the person who scheduled a sports festival on a half-day was thinking.

“Kuro... I mean, Kotone-chan!”

If you’re going to hesitate, it would be better to do so at the “Ku” or “Sa” part. When someone calls me “Kuro,” it reminds me of that lazy creature back at home.

Only two people in my class called me “Kotone-chan.” One was Fukuda, who took the liberty of using that nickname first, and the other was Mako, who had agreed to use first names with me recently.

Yamashita still called me Kurosawa. Though she seemed a bit troubled after Mako and I started calling each other by name, she seemed to think it was better now.

Well, I wasn’t planning to force anyone.

“Yeah, Mako-chan.”

To be honest, the “-chan” suffix was still a bit awkward for me. In Korea, we used it as a joke between otaku friends or when mimicking exaggerated speech patterns from anime.

Still, Mako liked it when I used it, so I’d keep doing it. I’d probably get used to it eventually.

“Is there any event you want to participate in for the sports festival?”

An event I want to participate in for the sports festival...

I stared at Mako, lost in thought.

Oh, that’s right, Mako was the class president. Maybe this was an opportunity. I could ask for the role I’m best at or, better yet, one that required minimal movement.

The event I’m good at...

...

Wait, what did I do during past sports festivals?

I couldn’t remember, so it must not have been anything particularly impressive.

Seeing the anticipation slowly fade from Mako’s face, I quickly said,

“Cheering?”

Ah, that’s right. I think I did that.

Though I eventually ended up in a physically demanding job later in life, back in school, I wasn’t too fond of moving around. I didn’t even know the rules of soccer or basketball properly.

So, I just ended up in the “cheering squad,” which was essentially a placeholder group. If you did nothing and kept quiet, you’d be assigned there by default.

All we had to do was clap in rhythm and sing the school cheer.

“Ooh?!”

However, someone reacted far more enthusiastically than I expected.

“Kotone-chan, are you interested in cheering?”

“Yeah.”

This “yeah” wasn’t a confirmation but more of a lag as I processed the situation.

Luckily, in Japan, saying “yeah” didn’t mean much.

However, one of the two people in this world who called me “Kotone-chan” seemed to interpret my “yeah” as “of course.”

“That’s unexpected.”

Fukuda leaned closer with a surprised look. Given how tall she was compared to my sitting position, it felt a bit intimidating.

“Oh, but Kotone-chan sings really well.”

Mako’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

At that point, I realized something had gone wrong.

I tried to think of a way out, but someone else chimed in at that very moment.

“Cheering?”

It was Koko.

Koko had been assigned the seat next to mine. None of the other students in class objected to it. After all, I was seated in the front row.

The student behind Koko wasn’t someone I was particularly close to, but then again, I wasn’t very close to most of the students in this class. I hadn’t actively made friends, so most of my relationships were distant. At least there wasn’t anyone hostile toward me, which was a relief.

“Ah.”

Both Mako and Fukuda made the same noise as they looked at Koko.

“Uu?”

...That’s right.

Koko had been adapting to school life in her own way these past few days, but there were still many things she didn’t understand about society in general.

Fortunately, she didn’t follow just anyone around, so I didn’t need to teach her lessons like “don’t follow someone just because they offer you candy.” However, social rules, the kind of basic things you pick up just by living in society—those were still unfamiliar to her.

And the moment I realized that, I also realized my escape route had been completely blocked.

“Could you explain the rules of the other sports to Koko?”

Fukuda mumbled with a serious expression.

“...It’d be impossible.”

Yamashita, who was listening to our conversation while looking at her phone, said bluntly.

Exactly. It was impossible.

Honestly, it was also a bit scary. What if Koko accidentally used too much strength and ended up breaking someone’s arm?

Mako’s gaze returned to me.

“Kotone-chan, could you do it for your sister...?”

“...”

I stayed silent, but it seemed like everyone had already made up their minds, so I decided to just go along with it.

“Uwa?”

Only Koko looked at me with a puzzled expression, tilting her head.

***

The uneasiness I had felt instinctively from Fukuda’s reaction was something I could’ve realized sooner if I had thought about it.

That’s right. Hanagawa High School was the setting for a light novel.

So, naturally, the sports festival and cultural festival were organized in a way similar to what I’d seen in anime and manga before.

Of course, I’d never seen a sports festival in *Tokyo Slayers*, but there had been an incident that took place “shortly after the sports festival,” so naturally, there had been a sports festival.

I wasn’t sure why the sports festival that wasn’t even mentioned in the main story had such a stereotypical “Japanese subculture-style sports festival” setup.

Maybe it was because all sports festivals in Japan are like this? Then again, the girls’ gym uniforms were bloomers...

Actually, bloomers were like the bottom half of a swimsuit paired with a short-sleeved shirt, an awkwardly revealing outfit. But the real issue was the “cheerleading uniform” they gave me.

“A cheerleader...?”

“Yeah, a cheerleader.”

When I looked up at Fukuda in shock as she handed me the uniform, she grinned and pushed the outfit toward me again.

I reluctantly took it.

The sports festival was just one day, but to the students, it seemed like an event worth burning all their energy for.

They had already decided who would participate in which events, and they even practiced after school. It was interesting to see Mako, who usually had a gentle demeanor, take charge in front of the class, commanding even the boys. It was a reminder that everyone has more than one side to them.

They’d even scheduled friendly matches with other classes. The kids involved in sports clubs were especially enthusiastic.

Some events that used the school field had preliminary matches after school.

...And of course, cheering was needed for those preliminaries too.

“Uwa!”

Koko, holding her cheerleading uniform, was looking at it with sparkling eyes. She seemed to really like the red and white outfit.

But this uniform looked like it’d expose everything underneath if I moved in it...

Well... we’d probably wear something like shorts underneath, right? Now that I think about it, baseball stadium cheerleaders wear similar outfits.

As I held the uniform, still contemplating, Mako noticed from across the room and quickly ran over with wide eyes.

Her expression was so tense that I wondered why, but as soon as she reached me, she snatched the cheerleader outfit right out of my hands.

Both Fukuda and I were left speechless, watching Mako.

It wasn’t just us. Several other students nearby stopped talking and looked at Mako as well.

“...Ah.”

Realizing how strange her behavior must’ve looked to others, Mako blinked and her face flushed.

“Oh, um.”

As if offering an explanation, Mako spoke.

“Well... I’ll bring you your uniform, Kotone-chan. I have something in mind.”

“...Okay.”

When I nodded, Mako quickly turned around and hurried away from us.

The atmosphere, which had frozen for a moment, began to thaw, and soon, the chatter resumed.

Uh... so.

Maybe Mako was more of a perfectionist than I thought? While she was kind to me personally, she seemed stricter when it came to group activities.

Well, she was the class president after all.

I glanced over at Fukuda, who shrugged her shoulders.

“Uu?”

“Well, at least we’ll get to see Kotone-chan in a cheerleader outfit.”

Fukuda laughed, looking at Koko, who was still holding her uniform and tilting her head in confusion.

...Yeah, I guess so. Her body was identical to mine, after all.

I nodded and watched Mako’s retreating figure.

Had I done something wrong?

***

“Wow, what is this? You look so cute!”

“Koko, cute?”

“So cute! Absolutely adorable!”

“Koko, adorable!”

At Fukuda’s praise, Koko raised both arms high in the air and shouted. Fukuda was snapping photos of Koko with her phone like crazy.

“...Harumi, you’re a bit creepy.”

Yamashita teased Fukuda.

Yeah... if Fukuda were a guy, it probably would’ve looked that way. The other girls might’ve scolded her right away.

Especially since Koko’s every action still resembled that of a child, making it seem even more like that.

A few girls, ones I didn’t usually talk to, had gathered around. They were from Miura’s group, and they seemed to really like Koko too.

The reason I didn’t have many people around me was probably due to my demeanor. Still, having people approach me without me trying showed that there was some positive effect from my appearance.

Reflecting on how I’d been during the past semester, I suddenly noticed Mako running toward us from far away.

“Haa, haa, haa...”

She stopped in front of us, panting heavily, holding a bundle of black cloth.

No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a bundle of cloth. It looked like a large piece of clothing, tightly rolled up.

“Oh, this!”

Fukuda’s eyes lit up the moment she saw it, and she exclaimed.

“Phew.”

Finally catching her breath, Mako stood upright and exhaled deeply, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

Then, she unfolded the black clothing in front of her.

“A gakuran...?”

It was the type of male uniform worn by the boys at this school, with a high collar. It was the classic black school uniform typically worn by students in the early to mid-20th century.

But the length was much longer than usual. It was almost like a coat.

“Ah.”

I think I’ve seen this outfit somewhere before.

It’s from a rhythm game with a cheering concept, a classic game that came out way back in 2024. Here, though, it hadn’t even been released yet—it was from the most famous game company in Japan, the one with the dual-screen handheld console.

I used to watch a classmate play it at school.

...It was shocking to realize that the console hadn’t even been released yet. What kind of world am I living in?

“What do you think?”

Mako asked me.

I nodded.

This would be much better. After all, both were basically cosplay, but at least this was “men’s clothing.”

Plus, I could just wear it over my sailor uniform.

As soon as I put the uniform over my sailor suit, Fukuda pointed her phone at me and snapped a photo.

“Nice.”

Satisfied, Fukuda slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“Alright, shall we start with the basics? Come on, everyone, move over to the side if you’re not in this event!”

As always, her voice was bright and full of energy.

“...”

At first, I thought it would be a bit of a hassle.

“Uwaa!”

But seeing how much Koko was enjoying it, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

***

Fukuda, Koko, and I were in charge of cheering, but Mako and Yamashita had their own events.

Mako was in dodgeball, and Yamashita was in the relay. Judging by her appearance, you’d think Fukuda would be the runner, but her response was, “Running? No way, I can’t do that.”

Maybe it was because I knew a senior with similar skin tone, leading me to make assumptions.

Though that senior probably wasn’t running anymore.

...No, maybe...

Anyway, that’s enough about that.

“Sorry about earlier.”

After the practice session, when we gathered again, Mako quietly apologized to me.

“...Sorry about what?”

Genuinely not knowing what she was apologizing for, I asked. Mako looked deep in thought, her expression serious.

Was she trying to interpret whether my confusion was genuine?

“If you like the cheerleader outfit better—”

“...No, I like this much more.”

I liked the gakuran that Mako had brought for cheering much better. Even though it was a little hot.

“...I see.”

For some reason, Mako seemed even more down after hearing my answer.

Why?

“Well, I’m glad you like it. Let’s do our best together.”

But before I could ask, Mako quickly smiled again and showed me her clenched fists, looking like an energetic high school girl. It was cute.

“...Yeah.”

I mimicked her gesture, slightly clenching my own fist.

Not far away, Koko was excitedly waving her pom-poms in the air.

...She didn’t need to make any resolutions, huh.

At least she seemed happy.

I was glad I brought her to school.

Without realizing it, I clenched my fist just a little tighter.

Chapter 87. Accident (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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"…Was it fun?"

"Yes!"

On the way back.

Koko didn’t seem to enjoy being stuck among people, but she still responded to my words like that.

If there had been a place to transfer, we might have gotten a little break, but whether to feel disappointed or relieved, the train went straight to Omiya Station in one ride.

Then, we walked together for 30 minutes, heading home.

Koko has a good memory. She’ll probably memorize the way home quickly.

"You have to remember it well."

"Hmm?"

…To be honest, though, I was a bit worried about leaving her alone.

"You might have to go alone later."

"Wah?"

At my words, Koko tilted her head.

"Why?"

"…."

I hesitated for a moment. Of course, that hesitation really only lasted for a 'moment.'

Telling Koko, or anyone around me, "I might leave one day" wasn’t something I was ready to say yet.

"I have to work. You have to stay home and watch over Kuro."

"Uuu…."

But Koko didn’t seem too happy with my words.

Koko likes being with Kuro. She also likes being with me. But she’s never been left alone for a long time.

Including the time she was in her 'nose' form, Koko had spent quite a bit of time alone, but perhaps that’s why she doesn’t seem to like being alone now.

"If you want to live with me, we have to help each other."

At those words, Koko had no choice but to nod.

Thanks to the intense training from the recent camp, Koko had vaguely realized that I wasn’t just going out to casually bring back food.

Maybe after some time, Koko would even offer to help me. It wouldn’t be a bad thing. Shii was already doing part-time work at her age.

But that’s a story for a little later.

"We can still go together every morning."

"Yes."

Koko nodded at my words.

And her expression brightened a little. I sighed quietly.

*

We got off the subway at Omiya Station.

Today, I thought about stopping by the supermarket on the way home. Food was the best way to lift Koko’s spirits.

Koko likes sweet things. I debated whether or not I should balance her diet, but even if I gave her more snacks, I doubt Koko would gain weight. Her size didn’t seem to be determined that way.

As I held Koko's hand and was about to leave the station—

"Excuse me!"

I heard a voice calling out to me from behind.

As soon as I turned around, I frowned slightly.

"Woo?"

I pulled Koko by the wrist and positioned her slightly behind me. Koko is stronger than me, but I still didn’t want her involved in something dangerous.

It was a middle-aged man. His appearance was common enough that if you saw him in passing, you’d forget him in about a minute.

Though he was a bit thin, you could see a slight belly under his suit. The typical office worker’s physique. Unless you work hard to maintain it, this is what most people look like.

"…Who are you?"

I asked, thinking he might follow us if I ignored him.

"Oh, that…"

The man looked back and forth between me and Koko with a slightly surprised expression.

He didn’t seem like a total stranger. The fact that he spoke to me directly suggested that. If he was talking to me just because he liked my appearance, then this man was incredibly dense. People around us were already glancing at him because of my reaction.

But, considering his age and his job, he probably had more awareness than that.

So, he must know me or have at least seen me before. But he didn’t know that I was now with Koko.

I felt a little relieved. At least he didn’t seem like that pervert from last time.

The man looked incredibly flustered and anxious. Even though he called out to me in a hurry, he seemed extremely uncomfortable with the attention he was drawing from the people around us.

Fidgeting, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead, speaking a little louder as if to tell the onlookers, 'I’m not a threat.'

"…Didn’t you save someone here once?"

"…."

I stared at the man blankly for a moment, then finally pulled out a memory that had been buried deep in my mind.

Ah, now that he mentions it, that did happen.

I had completely forgotten about it with everything that had happened afterward.

"…The man who choked on bread."

I answered as I gently released Koko's hand.

"Wah?"

Koko, who had been on high alert behind me, seemed confused by my sudden change in demeanor. But she seemed to let her guard down.

"Yes, that’s right. You remember."

If that pervert hadn’t followed me that day, it would have remained a good memory. It had been an event that had lifted my spirits only for everything to come crashing down again.

"I heard about it from the other person who helped that day. They remembered a student in a black sailor uniform."

…Right.

At the time, I hadn’t left my name or any other information. The woman who helped alongside me had probably told this man the most noticeable detail she remembered.

There aren’t many people around here who wear such an old-fashioned uniform. Even in Japan, schools using sailor uniforms are… well, they aren’t very common these days.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

"…If the ambulance had come in time, it wouldn’t have mattered if it was me."

Though it would have been a bit riskier.

Japan is like Korea in that its hospitals are well-managed. I think the insurance is similar too. The ambulance probably arrived quickly. I didn’t check, though.

"I have a wife and child. If you hadn’t helped me that day, my family would have been in trouble too."

"…."

The gazes of the people around us shifted slightly.

"Hmm?"

Koko looked back and forth between me and the man. She probably didn’t understand what was being discussed since she hadn’t seen it firsthand.

"I didn’t help because I wanted something."

At my words, the man nodded. He seemed to understand.

When he took a step toward me, I took a step back, pulling Koko with me.

"Oh, um, I’d like to repay you somehow—"

"…I didn’t do it expecting anything."

I repeated my words.

"…."

The man stared at me for a moment.

"Perhaps I could inform your school—"

"It’s fine."

"I see…."

When I refused that too, the man finally seemed to realize that I wasn’t expecting anything in return.

His expression subtly changed, as if he were moved or impressed. Though it wasn’t an exaggerated expression. If that was some kind of act, the man had chosen the wrong job. He’d earn much more as an actor.

Without saying anything more, I turned around and hurried away with Koko.

No one called out to stop me. I was grateful for that.

As I hurried away as if escaping, I felt a strange sense of unease the entire time.

*

Dinner was a little later than usual. Koko, being well-behaved, didn’t complain. Instead, Kuro did.

When we got home, Kuro was sitting by the door as if waiting for a walking can opener.

As soon as I returned to my room, Kuro jumped toward my knee. Sighing, I opened a can of food and set it in a dish. I guess today’s a special day.

I cleaned out Kuro’s litter box, refilled her water bowl, and opened the window a bit more before starting dinner.

Tonight’s menu was bean sprouts… stir-fried with meat.

"It’s delicious!"

I smiled as Koko mumbled through a mouthful of meat.

And—

[—Next news. A family was tragically lost in a fire last night in Ota Ward, Tokyo—]

—That kind of story played from the TV I had left on as background noise.

Holding my rice bowl, I paused and looked at the TV.

"Wah?"

Seeing me stop, Koko looked at the TV with curious eyes.

The TV didn’t say exactly where the fire happened. Well, news in Korea was the same. They would say something like, 'A fire broke out at a commercial building in Seoul.'

Sometimes sensational news would reveal names outright, but generally, it was like this.

A fire. A family tragedy.

At first glance, it sounded like one of those frequent tragedies that happen in every country. Something that everyone wishes wouldn’t happen but inevitably does. Maybe due to a small mistake, or an accident the person wasn’t aware of. It could happen at any time.

Yes. Arson could happen at any time, too.

"…."

I stared at the screen. The news didn’t last long. It quickly shifted to political and economic topics that seemed more important.

…Well, maybe that’s true. In the grand scheme of things, of course, those topics would seem more significant.

Even though it’s not easy to run into a burning building or carry out the body of a dead child, people don’t need to be shown every detail. You can get a general sense of it just from watching the news.

The reason I was paying so much attention to this news wasn’t just because of my professional habits—

It was because this incident might be connected to the main storyline.

"Kotone."

"Yes?"

I turned my head at Koko’s call.

"Why?"

Koko tilted her head, asking curiously. After a brief moment of thought, I shook my head.

"Nothing."

"Wah?"

Koko is perceptive. While she might not have been aware of my emotional changes at first, now she can sense them. We’ve spent so much time together, after all.

But even so, I didn’t want to worry her.

I’ll handle what I need to handle.

The problem was figuring out how to deal with it.

*

So, why was that arson case connected to the main story?

To answer that, I can only say it’s 'a hunch.'

I simply know what’s supposed to happen. I just have to piece it together like a puzzle.

For example, it was the same with Mako. I knew there would be a series of cannibal murders, and I knew the culprit wasn’t human but a yokai. But I didn’t know the exact details.

That’s why I investigated the victims and used a baiting method.

It was the same with Raiju. I didn’t know where or when the incident would happen, so I followed Sasaki and got involved directly.

This time is no different.

The main event is supposed to occur after the sports festival, but there must be signs before that.

The Kasha is not like Raiju, who only passes through once. It’s a yokai that appears continuously and causes incidents one after another.

And, one of the victims of this event is Sasaki and Shii’s biological mother.

Shii’s real situation is revealed during this time as well.

"Kotone-chan."

"…Yes."

"Are you worried about something?"

I blinked at Fukuda’s question.

It wasn’t a voice overflowing with emotion like Mako’s. Fukuda is the type of kid who seems to wear her emotions on her sleeve, yet because of that, it’s hard to read her true thoughts.

When similar things are all mixed together, it becomes difficult to distinguish between them.

"I’m just wondering if I can do well."

So, I hid my feelings amidst similar ones.

"Come on, you’re already doing well."

There were other girls wearing the gakuran cheerleading uniform besides me. Fukuda was part of the cheerleading squad. The cheerleaders and those in gakuran alternated, performing a group dance.

Koko was adapting well. She seemed to love dancing, moving her body a bit too much at times, but that energy seemed to be well received by the other girls, and her popularity was steadily growing.

…I had thought that as long as I taught her something, it would be enough. But in reality, there were many things I hadn’t considered.

"You don’t need to worry about Koko, right? She’s already doing great."

"…Yes."

"Or, are you jealous because she’s doing too well?"

"…."

Jealousy, huh?

It feels a little strange. I think it’s good for Koko to grow apart from me, but if that actually happened, I’d probably feel sad.

"Look."

Koko stopped dancing and was running toward us, waving her pom-poms enthusiastically.

"Kotone!"

"Yes."

"I did well!"

"You did well."

With an exclamation mark instead of a question mark, I answered with a bitter smile.

…Yes, you did well.

"Woo!"

Koko showed me the move she just learned. Her outfit was revealing, which might give off a certain impression, but with Koko, it didn’t feel like that at all.

"Impressive."

"Koko is amazing!"

I wondered if accepting compliments like that without a second thought might cause problems later, but when I considered the confidence I never had, I decided it wasn’t a bad thing.

Koko will figure out the balance on her own someday.

*

Wednesday.

Even though it’s practice, I thought it was a bit much that I hadn’t gone to the Literature Club room for over a week, so I visited with Koko.

There was no fishing today.

Instead—

"Wah?"

…When I opened the sliding door to the Literature Club room, I found a string taped to the top of the doorframe, with bread hanging from it.

"Woo!"

Koko quickly grabbed the castella. The string, barely taped on, fell off easily.

"…Does this even count as fishing?"

"You saw how cute Koko was when she took the bait. It’s called a fish trap."

Kaoru, sitting down and reading an occult magazine, replied.

Even a trap is meaningless if the fish escapes.

Well, I have to give her credit for preparing a 24-hour trap, not knowing when I’d arrive. What does people-fishing mean to her?

"Hello, Kotone."

"Hello."

Izumi greeted me with a soft voice befitting her role as president. I gave her a slight nod. She was sitting in a spot where the sunlight, tinged with a hint of orange, streamed in beautifully.

…Considering she’d probably been waiting for Koko to come for days, it seemed best not to ruin the mood.

"Hi."

And, for the first time in a while, I saw Yuka already in the club room before me.

"Hi."

Though we had already said hello at lunch today.

The weather has been clear lately, so Koko and I have been eating on the rooftop. Yuka has been joining us, just like in the first semester. She buys bread, I eat it… and now Koko is part of the routine too.

I had felt bad for a while, but when I saw Yuka looking almost maternal as she watched Koko eat bread, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her not to worry about it.

Kaoru and Izumi must have anticipated that I’d bring Koko, as they had set up two chairs next to Yuka. I thought sitting three people at one desk might be uncomfortable, but since we were all slender girls, it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

I glanced at Koko, who was happily munching on her castella, and then suddenly asked Yuka.

"Yuka, your house is in Ota Ward, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

Yuka responded.

Though I had visited her place a few times, I still didn’t know the boundaries between districts well since I always traveled by subway. It was the same when I lived in Seoul.

I was thinking about the fire incident. It had also happened in Ota Ward.

Recalling what I’d learned in geography class, Ota Ward was quite large. I wouldn’t be able to draw a map of all the districts, but I remembered for sure that the airport was in Ota Ward.

So even if the fire occurred in Ota Ward, it would be hard for Yuka to know anything about it—

"There was a big fire nearby recently. It was a huge problem."

Yuka said, her expression slightly gloomy, causing me to fall silent.

Kaoru and Izumi looked at Yuka with wide eyes.

"I didn’t know anyone who lived there, but it probably made the news."

"…I saw it."

"Really? It’s such a tragedy."

Yuka sighed deeply.

Yuka had been chasing yokai at the expense of her personal life. And of course, that was for the safety of people. Although she wasn’t unpaid, it wasn’t a job you could do without a sense of duty.

In the original story, Yuuki Yuka didn’t share her inner thoughts with Sasaki. That’s just how tsundere characters are.

But this Yuka was different. She was always honest with me.

And it seemed she had decided it was okay to open up to Kaoru and Izumi to some extent as well.

"Is this the fire you’re talking about?"

Kaoru said, opening her occult magazine.

"…Yes, that’s probably it."

Unlike the vague 'somewhere in Ota Ward' mentioned on the news, this magazine had a photo of the house engulfed in flames. They had even crudely photoshopped a demon’s face into the smoke.

This magazine had absolutely no journalistic integrity.

Well, calling it a publication was debatable in the first place.

"It says here that the house belonged to a notorious con artist couple."

Kaoru’s next words were enough to keep me interested.

Chapter 88. Accident (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“Con artist couple?”

When Kaoru spoke, Yuka responded, and Kaoru nodded, handing us the magazine.

[The end of the con artist couple who had no conscience. Is it revenge, or divine punishment?]

I thought it was probably close to divine punishment after reading the article.

No, not divine punishment exactly. It was just that the couple happened to live there, and that place happened to be an easy spot for the yokai to notice. If anything, it was a coincidence.

Like how parking illegally just once, only to have an inspector nearby issue a fine, could also be called a "coincidence."

“Senpai, do you believe in what this magazine says?”

“It’s not that I believe it, but their predictions are often pretty accurate.”

Kaoru said, puffing out her chest.

“Not just a few lucky hits?”

“They go all out when they investigate.”

So, it probably meant that they had long since abandoned the basic principles that journalists should have.

Well, considering how they didn’t hesitate to show detailed information about the deceased, that was likely true.

I’d heard before that Japanese media tend to be much less careful about such things. Even on the news, they sometimes show people's faces in a way that makes you wonder if it’s okay.

But I wasn’t sure if this magazine could even be called media.

“Senpai, no matter what, it's inappropriate to use terms like 'divine punishment' when referring to accidents.”

Yuka sighed lightly and handed the magazine back to Kaoru.

“No matter how someone lived, death deserves a certain level of respect.”

Perhaps because of Yuka’s profession, her words sounded particularly convincing.

For Yuka, who slays yokai, all people are beings that must be protected.

There’s no right to distinguish between "humans who should be protected" and "humans who don’t need protection."

Since we are human, we cannot completely eliminate emotion. If we start distinguishing people, we might eventually end up committing something like "indirect murder."

The best Yuka can do is to spare lives and leave the aftermath to the authorities.

That’s probably why Yuka didn’t kill the cannibalistic murderer I found last time.

“I wasn’t saying they deserved to die.”

Kaoru pouted, looking exactly like a child.

“But it’s still interesting, right? This ties into the magazine too. The informant was one of the scam victims.”

“...So it sounds even less related to the occult.”

A school bully dying in a drunk-driving accident, a murderer dying from pancreatic cancer, a con artist dying in a fire... all of these are just things that could happen to anyone, even those who had harmed others in the past.

So, to most people, it would only seem like a coincidence.

But it’s different for the victims. To their eyes, it looks like divine punishment. They would want to believe that.

“Kotone?”

Koko, who had eaten half her castella, called out to me.

...I must have been making a serious expression.

Koko, who was staring at me while holding half of her castella, handed it to me.

“Here.”

“...”

Was she worried about me?

Without a word, I took the castella and took a bite.

It was soft and delicious. Was it from the school store?

“That’s from a local specialty shop. How is it? Tasty, right?”

As if waiting for me to eat it, Kaoru smiled and asked.

Did she bring something new because my reactions to store-bought bread weren’t as strong?

“...”

I guess I’ll always fall for this bait. I thought as I ate the bread.

***

After that, we spent a quiet afternoon, as usual.

Still, the Literature Club sticks to its identity well—or perhaps it’s because there’s nothing else to do.

The mobile processors of this era are all expensive. Even in the 2020s, laptops weren’t cheap, but in just 20 years, the performance of portable devices had improved so drastically that even low-end mobile devices were good enough for watching videos or playing light games.

If that were the case here, the atmosphere might have been quite different. Everyone might have been glued to their smartphones.

“Uuu.”

...Or maybe not?

After all, it was hard to imagine Koko just staring at her smartphone. Even when we had the TV on at home, she didn’t seem very interested, and she usually preferred it when I read books to her.

“Koko seems bored, so shall we call it a day?”

Izumi closed her book with a relaxed expression and spoke.

All we’d done was read books.

“...Ah, by the way.”

And then Yuka, as if she’d just remembered something, asked Izumi a question.

“Does the Literature Club do anything besides reading books? Do you need to prepare something for the cultural festival…”

“...”

Kaoru and Izumi both stared at Yuka.

“Ah.”

“It’s not ‘ah,’ is it?”

Izumi’s casual response, like a clumsy club president from a light novel, made Yuka retort in disbelief.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. There’s still plenty of time left. The cultural festival is three months away, right?”

Kaoru said.

To be precise, it was two and a half months, maybe less.

“We can just write something and put it together. If we pretend to be active, the student council will overlook it.”

“...”

“And if the Literature Club gets disbanded, it’ll be my turn to step in. You all should think about joining the Occult Club when that happens.”

“Kaoru!”

Izumi’s final yell marked the end of today’s Literature Club activities.

***

A few days later, on Friday.

While it was great to have Koko living with me, it also created one problem.

I could no longer act on my own when I needed to investigate something.

Koko understood when I went out for work, but when I tried to leave for any other reason, she would instinctively get up to follow me.

I wanted to tell her not to, but... I couldn’t come up with a good reason. Whenever I saw Koko staring at me with her round, shining eyes, I just couldn’t tell her to stay home.

Was I always this weak-hearted?

...

I’m not sure. Before I came to this world, I’d spent so much time alone that I’d lost the will to objectively evaluate myself.

In the end, my decision was—

“...Yuka.”

“Yeah?”

Since my friends knew I had a part-time job, I was able to skip practice today.

Of course, Koko had come with me.

By the time I left practice late in the afternoon, took the subway for an hour back to Saitama, it would already be dark.

Unfortunately, I’d only recently taught Koko how to take the bus, so she probably still felt more familiar with walking home.

If she took the bus, I’d worry she might miss her stop, and if we walked, I’d worry she might experience something like I had.

Although I had told Koko not to harm people, but to protect herself when necessary, how she would judge that ‘necessary moment’ was another story.

...No, this wasn’t really the point.

Maybe I was just justifying the conversation I was about to have with Yuka.

“Can I come over today?”

“Today?”

Yuka, who was walking with me, stopped and opened her eyes wide.

Koko, who understood what I meant, reacted similarly.

Had Koko never been to Yuka’s house?

Koko had fully enjoyed the last retreat, and she’d also thoroughly enjoyed the beach trip before the incident. She had already learned the meaning of ‘going to have fun.’

I felt a bit guilty seeing Koko’s eyes sparkle as she looked at me.

And even more guilty when I saw Yuka’s eyes sparkle similarly.

“Aren’t you going to your part-time job today?”

“...No.”

I answered in a slightly smaller voice.

“Ah.”

Yuka, who was sharp, seemed to have immediately realized why I was saying this to her.

Of course, it wasn’t the full truth of my intentions.

“I see.”

Her gaze shifted to Koko. She must have thought I was worried about Koko walking home alone.

“Got it. I’ll take Koko and Kuro home with me for now. My grandfather’s been missing Kuro a lot recently. He even bought lots of snacks.”

“...”

Uh, no.

“I’ll wait for you to come back for dinner. I’ll make something delicious.”

“You don’t have to go that far—”

“Koko, what do you want for dinner?”

“Meat!”

“Then, let’s make it meat!”

“Waa!”

...

My heart hurt.

I wasn’t sure why my chest ached when the part responsible for guilt was supposed to be in my brain.

“...Sorry.”

“What for?”

Yuka laughed as if she really didn’t care at all, which only made me feel more ashamed.

“We’re supposed to help each other when needed, right? Don’t worry too much.”

“...”

I silently nodded.

No matter how much I thought about it, I didn’t know if I could ever repay all of this.

And when I thought of the prophecy—

—No, I’ll think about that later.

First, I had to handle the task at hand.

“Thank you, really.”

Yuka smiled brightly at my words.

It was a truly beautiful smile, like that of the main heroine in a light novel.

***

After finishing work and getting Shii’s permission, I hurried over to Yuka’s shrine.

In my hand was an occult magazine, just like the one Kaoru was reading, that I’d bought at the convenience store. The magazine’s cover was a bit graphic, and I felt a bit self-conscious while buying it, but the cashier, bored and uninterested, didn’t even look at me while ringing it up.

The article didn’t give an explicit address, but it had enough clues like nearby landmarks and where the food was good to help me figure out the location quickly.

It seemed like this magazine was in the business of creating "occult hotspots" and then providing that information. From what Kaoru had told me before, it was also notorious for repeating the same stories over and over.

This case, too, would likely be repeatedly mentioned and published in the magazine for years to come.

But that didn’t matter.

Actually, I was grateful for a useful magazine like this. Thanks to it, I had a lead on how to solve the case.

“...”

As I walked, I suddenly smelled something.

Of course, the fire had long been extinguished. But the distinct smell of something burning doesn’t disappear easily.

Until the fire is completely put out and the house thoroughly cleaned, that awful scent lingers.

And when the fire department responds, they dump a ton of water on the scene, leaving puddles everywhere. If they haven’t figured out the cause of the fire, it takes even longer to demolish the site.

...And the family who lived there supposedly died.

I looked at the occult magazine.

It said that the bodies were almost completely burned, leaving little to no trace. As a result, the magazine speculated in a small corner that perhaps the couple had set the fire and fled.

The reason they concluded it was a family death was because they found a small part of the bodies inside. They thought the likelihood was "very low."

The residential area had the alleyways blocked off. From the police line, I could vaguely see the fire site, but it didn’t seem possible to check inside.

Could I use Yuka’s position to get access?

I thought for a moment, then shook my head.

Of course not.

The role of a yokai hunter isn’t something known to ordinary people. With a whole other organization handling those cases, there’s no way the local police would step aside.

There was a method I’d thought of.

I carefully walked around the area, ensuring no one noticed me, as I inspected the surroundings.

What I found was the public restroom in a nearby park.

Its location wasn’t ideal. It didn’t look like it was cleaned regularly and seemed unsanitary. But it was a perfect place to secretly cut my wrist.

I entered one of the stalls in the women's restroom and rolled my left sleeve up as far as it would go.

Then, I took out the raincoat I’d bought from the convenience store and put it on, securing the back of my wrist with a rubber band. While I didn’t expect it to completely prevent the blood flow, it was better than letting it pour out freely.

After double-checking that there was no other area where the blood could spill, I took a knife from my bag and pressed it against my wrist.

The moment the cold blade touched the thin skin, a chilling sting ran through the area.

...No matter how many times I experienced it, it was a sensation I could never get used to.

I gritted my teeth and stabbed the knife in.

Then, as the burning pain surged, I slashed it across.

Red blood oozed from my wrist and soaked the tattoo underneath. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary black ink tattoo, but as soon as the blood touched it, the lines were stained a crimson hue, tracing a pattern.

“Ugh...!”

And then, the wound in the center of the magic circle opened vertically.

It was as if a red eye had appeared on my wrist.

And that eye stared straight at me.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s always strange.”

Without even a greeting, Nirlass spoke those words to me.

“Strange?”

“I find it strange that you would jump into a situation, only glimpsing pieces of the event and not thinking of it as something to just pass by.”

“...”

“I wonder where you got the sense this time?”

“...Do I have to tell you?”

A soft chuckle reached my ears.

“You are always interesting, so no, you don’t have to answer. You enjoy solving mysteries too, don’t you?”

Was that true?

...Well, I guess it’s a feeling humans also have. Like watching ants crawl around on the ground, wondering where they’re going, or observing their nests.

And then using molten aluminum to cast a sculpture from the ant nest must also stem from curiosity.

“So, what do you want this time?”

“I want to look around without anyone noticing.”

“You want to enter that burned house, huh.”

You saw that, didn’t you?

“It would be better if you could just tell me.”

“I already told you—I like solving mysteries. How can I solve a mystery if I don’t get hints from your actions?”

You could just read my mind.

Thinking about why Nirlass didn’t do that, one reason might be that the gap between me and Nirlass was so vast that even if she looked inside my mind, she might not fully understand my thoughts. Just as we wouldn’t understand an ant’s mind even if we cracked open its head.

And maybe it would feel like “cheating” to her. Either way, it worked to my advantage. Nirlass maintained her interest in me because of that.

“I have an idea of how to help you.”

“...Then let’s go with that.”

“This time, the price—”

Nirlass stopped talking mid-sentence.

Judging by the fact that I couldn’t move, she hadn’t left my side yet. It was more like she was deep in thought.

“—won’t be necessary.”

“What?”

Without thinking, I responded to Nirlass’s surprising words.

“Exactly what I said. I won’t require a price this time.”

“Why?”

“Think of it as a mystery.”

“...”

I pondered for a moment.

Nirlass usually asked for something that put me in a difficult position, but thinking about it, when her interest aligned with mine, our thoughts often “matched.”

Like when I went to hear Kudan’s prophecy.

“What do you think? Do you want my help?”

“...Yes.”

If that’s the case, I have no reason to refuse.

In the end, it would cause me pain, but that would still be better than things going in an unpredictable direction.

I heard laughter by my ear.

“You always make such decisions.”

She spoke as if she had read my mind, which annoyed me, but that wasn’t the reason why I felt that way.

It was probably because Nirlass had predicted my future in her own way.

So at least, I wouldn’t die.

“Just get it done.”

At my irritated remark, Nirlass let out a small snort.

And then.

My vision went black.

No, that wasn’t quite it.

I had fallen to the ground.

...

No. It wasn’t my body that had fallen.

“Kyuu?”

When I opened my mouth, that sound came out. My vocal cords seemed to have been replaced by something else. Even when I tried to speak normally, only those strange noises would come out.

“...”

Ah, I see.

Looking around, I saw a student’s shoe—the kind students at our school wore. The shoes didn’t have very high heels.

Looking up, I saw a high school girl in a raincoat.

With blood dripping from her lowered hand.

Me.

“...”

I understood why Nirlass enjoyed this.

If I left my "body" in this state for too long, something amusing was bound to happen.

I reached to rub my forehead but realized I didn’t have hands.

This felt incredibly strange.

But still useful.

“Kyuu kyuu.”

I tried to sigh but remembered that Chi didn’t have lungs either.

...I should just finish the job quickly.

Chapter 89. Accident (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Now that I think about it, I understand why Nirlass listened to me without any complaints.

It’s obvious to anyone that I’m in an extremely dangerous state.

I couldn’t see clearly because Chi is so small, but sitting on the toilet in a raincoat with my arms hanging down and blood dripping from me, I looked like a high school girl who had just committed suicide. In the middle of the night, no less.

I don’t even seem to be conscious. Well, of course.

I’m still breathing, right? No matter what, it doesn’t seem like Nirlass would have blocked that. Otherwise, I’d really die.

“Kyuu! Kyuu!”

Even when I tried to protest, that was the only sound that came out of my mouth.

If I leave myself like this and someone walks by, they’d be horrified and call the police.

And the news would probably reach Yuka, who lives nearby.

Yuka’s not the problem. Miura thinks I’m a victim of a sex crime. If I think about it, everything I did today and my usual behavior could easily be seen as ‘preparing for suicide.’

Even though cutting my wrist like this wouldn’t actually kill me, just the fact that it’s an ‘attempt’ isn’t something to laugh about.

Although I didn’t have any feeling in my body, I still felt a chilling sensation on my back.

Speaking of having no feeling, I’m not sure if Chi’s body naturally doesn’t have sensory functions or if it’s just because it’s a temporary body that doesn’t feel properly.

When I tried to inhale, I realized I didn’t have lungs, but I might have actually breathed in. Since I couldn’t feel anything, I wasn’t sure.

Still, there was one advantage.

I had to slither like a snake on the filthy bathroom floor, and if I had my sense of touch…

Well, it’s fine.

There’s no point in complaining to Nirlass anyway, so I decided to head to the burning place.

I’d check it as quickly as possible… There’d be no need to return. I could just fall into a nearby sewer and explode.

Alright. Now that I thought about the final moment, it was fortunate that I couldn’t feel anything.

I wasn’t sure why I was even finding comfort in that.

I quickly turned my body and crawled out of the bathroom. Luckily, no one seemed to want to use this secluded bathroom, so no one would see the living, blood-red blob crawling around.

Once outside, I stopped for a moment to assess the situation.

Chi’s durability wasn’t that great. It would burst not only from being hit by a passing car, but even if someone stepped on it. Worse, a bird or cat might mistake it for a bug and attack.

Once again, I clicked my tongue at Nirlass’ bad taste.

And now my vision… it was like looking at an endoscope screen. A screen pressed right up against my eyes, with a thick black cloth wrapped tightly around it to block out any light, and taped over.

Looking around, my field of view wasn’t that wide. If I wasn’t careful, I could easily lose my sense of direction.

“...”

But at least the area was dimly lit. The streetlights were still yellow, not white, so even if someone saw the slightly red body of Chi, they wouldn’t notice the exact color. If I was lucky, they’d just think it was a worm.

Alright.

Knowing the situation helped me calm down a bit.

I wiggled Chi’s body as fast as I could towards the site of the incident.

* * *

Fortunately, I didn’t run into any cats or birds along the way. The site wasn’t that far away, so despite my narrow field of view, I didn’t have trouble finding it.

There were a few police officers standing guard, but since I stuck to the wall and crawled, I didn’t seem to catch their eye. Or, if they did see, they probably thought I was a worm.

Thanks to that, I managed to slip into the scene of the fire.

“Kyuu.”

Instead of a sigh, that familiar kyuu sound came out.

I still have no idea how I’m making that noise.

...But that’s not important right now.

The most useful feature of Chi’s body is its ability to stick and climb anywhere.

It leaves a trail of blood, but once this is over, my body won’t have a single scratch. I can take the raincoat, stuff it in my bag, and dispose of it later, and there’s no way there’d be a CCTV in the bathroom.

The perfect crime…Well, breaking into a crime scene under police watch is a crime in itself, so let’s just leave it at that.

The first place I checked was the gas stove. If the fire started because of the gas, that area would be the most damaged.

The house was almost completely burnt down, but if the fire truck had arrived on time and put out the flames, they could figure out where the fire started. Simply put, the area that burned the most is where it began.

And while the wall near the gas stove was completely blackened, there were still parts where the color remained.

Besides, it didn’t look like anything had exploded and scattered debris everywhere.

To investigate more thoroughly, I would need to analyze several things, but I didn’t have the luxury for that now.

Next, I checked the boiler... but.

That area wasn’t significantly burned. It was blackened by smoke, but that was all.

That means.

Of course, the police would have removed the bodies, so they wouldn’t be here, but assuming that the fire started from a body.

"Kyuu kyuu!"

As expected, the most burned area was the living room. It was as if the people sitting on the sofa had suddenly burst into flames, leaving everything nearby completely melted and burned to nothing.

Spontaneous human combustion.

In the realm of mystery, many claim that people suddenly catch fire due to supernatural causes, but usually, the real reason is something else.

The most common cause is cigarettes.

Elderly people or those with chronic illnesses sometimes die while smoking, causing the cigarette to drop onto the body or nearby. In such cases, it can seem as if the body was the source of the fire.

But of course, this usually happens to people living alone. If someone else were living with them, they would react before the body caught fire.

It was said that the whole family had died.

The deceased couple was in their mid-30s. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary family with a young child.

It’s far-fetched to assume that the two suddenly died in the same spot and that one of them dropped a cigarette, setting the bodies on fire.

Suicide by self-immolation? There would surely be evidence if that were the case. The human body doesn’t burn easily. To burn so completely, either the surroundings would have had to be already ablaze, or they would’ve had to pour flammable substances on themselves.

It’s hard to imagine that someone would douse themselves in fuel from far away and then come here to set themselves on fire.

I thoroughly searched the area again, but everything was so blackened that it was almost impossible to find other traces.

Besides, there wasn’t much light. While Chi’s eyes are better at seeing in the dark than human eyes, they still have their limits.

"Kyuu."

Should I leave it at this for today?

Just confirming that the fire started from a person was an accomplishment.

...I’ll have to make up for the rest by investigating other incidents.

With that, I left the house.

* * *

“Ugh.”

Sitting slumped on a closed toilet lid was not a pleasant experience.

On top of that, my left wrist throbbed. Of course, it would, since I had cut it deeply enough for blood to gush out.

How much time had passed?

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like too much time had gone by. Checking my phone, it had been about 30 minutes.

Still, if I delayed any longer, Yuka and Koko would probably start to worry.

I hurried to stand up—

Step.

I heard footsteps from beyond the door.

“...”

Huh.

I quickly lowered my head. Blood was splattered everywhere. In the thirty minutes I’d been here, I had lost quite a bit of blood, painting the dirty tiles of the public restroom red.

What should I do?

My heart pounded. If I were caught here, I’d definitely end up at the police station. The person who came in probably wasn’t a man, but—

Step.

...No, wait a minute.

The footsteps sounded a bit heavy.

I’m not some martial arts master who can identify someone by their footsteps alone. But still, I’ve heard enough children’s footsteps in my daily life.

Sasaki’s footsteps and Yuka’s footsteps are, of course, different.

Step.

And the footsteps clearly heading towards my stall didn’t belong to a high school girl.

Sure, there are some larger-built women out there.

Even thinking that didn’t stop my heart from pounding hard.

The lighting in the bathroom was dim, but there were still lights.

The blood would have been visible.

But strangely, I didn’t hear a startled scream or a trembling breath from beyond the door.

No.

To be precise.

I didn’t hear any breathing at all.

A chill ran down my spine.

It wasn’t just fear of the situation that made me shiver. It wasn’t because I was startled.

It was something else—

I held my breath as much as I could and slowly moved.

The knife I had been holding was on the right. I picked it up and slowly bent down to look under the door.

I didn’t lie flat, but because this was an old bathroom, the gap under the door was quite large. I could see the other side fairly well.

...There was nothing outside.

Even though I had definitely heard footsteps.

I gritted my teeth and slowly stood up.

In my left hand, I held my bag. I raised my forearm as if I were holding a shield, with the back of my hand facing outward, just like a medieval knight would.

I wasn’t sure how effective this would be.

Then, I placed the knife in my right hand over my left wrist.

The blood had dried, but the scar above the tattoo was gone. It was proof that the deal with Nirlass had ended.

“Hah.”

Finally, I let out a breath as I remembered what Nirlass had said earlier.

So that’s what it was.

Damn it.

I pressed the knife firmly against my left wrist—

—But something beyond the door moved faster.

I’d heard that public bathroom doors are designed to be easy to open. Since bathrooms are where elderly people most often get injured in their homes, public bathrooms aren’t much different.

But when they say easy to open, they mean making it easier to unlock a door, not breaking it down like this.

The door, which had a smooth exterior, suddenly shattered inward. The cross-section of the plywood door was clearly visible.

Before I could cut my wrist, the thing outside had moved.

The invisible entity.

...Did Kosuzu send this?

“Eek…!”

I kicked out with all my strength. My foot hit something sticky and solid, and I heard the sound of liquid splattering.

No, it actually splattered. Something transparent and sticky— or maybe the moisture on the surface of that sticky thing— splattered toward me in midair.

It seemed to have grabbed both of my hands first, and slowly spread them out to the sides. Though a bit of blood had gathered at the tip of my left wrist, it wasn’t perfect.

Whateley.

Something that had been following Kosuzu. Invisible but clearly present.

I could feel the blood drain from my face.

Slowly, my body began to rise into the air.

If anyone else had been watching, it would have been a bizarre sight. A high school girl in a transparent raincoat, covered in blood, being lifted into the air as if she were hanging on a cross.

It didn’t feel like simple levitation. It was clear that something was lifting me.

With countless hands.

“Let go of me!”

This is dangerous.

My brain was screaming. Thoughts of not dying because of the prophecy or that Nirlass wouldn’t lead me to death didn’t cross my mind.

I just stared at the entity in front of me, as if it were examining my left wrist.

“Ugh...!”

My left wrist was pressed down hard, and my arm was forcibly bent and brought toward it. Was its head there?

How long had it been since I’d faced a yokai without any weapons? And now, even the only way to summon my weapon was blocked by the entity’s movements.

Still, still—

I wouldn’t die just yet.

But for the first time, I had this thought.

Even if I don’t die, what if I end up in a fate worse than death?

What if I am also a body that doesn't die even if dismembered? No, even if not, if they cut off my limbs and used me for experiments, they could do that endlessly.

You will die.

At the hands of the one you trust the most.

—Why?

Perhaps, after confirming my condition, the person I trusted couldn’t bear it anymore and ended my life directly.

Or maybe, I begged them to kill me. And after trying to refuse for so long, they realized it was no use—

"Ah."

That thought brought a sound out of my mouth.

"No, no, no!"

That’s not it! That’s not it!

I kicked. Dangling in midair, I forcibly lifted my leg and kicked my opponent as hard as I could, but they didn’t budge.

Still, I kept resisting. I had no choice.

I refuse. I refuse that future.

I will— I will live peacefully with my friends somehow. There will be days when I have to face yokai, I may end up at odds with a cult, and I might be pursued by the government.

But in the end, when I die, at least…

Without making a sound, my opponent grabbed my right hand tightly.

“Argh!”

I screamed as I dropped the knife. The falling knife drew a line in the air.

Drip.

A drop of green liquid fell to the ground, tracing a long line from that cut.

Drip.

And that was the sound of my right hand breaking.

I must have screamed.

The pain was horribly real. It wasn’t like being stabbed through the heart or bitten by a huge yokai, pains that almost never occur in reality. When those kinds of pains happened during battle, there wasn’t even time to feel it. By then, I’d be on the verge of fainting, or after sustaining a major wound, I’d lose consciousness.

So this pain—it made me scream.

Already filled to the brim with terror, I screamed as I felt the pain.

The knife floated into the air.

And disturbingly, it traced a smooth, slow arc, rising above my left wrist.

“Hick!”

Stab.

The knife pierced my left wrist. And slowly, as if confirming something, it was drawn downward.

The pain was excruciating. It went in much deeper than when I usually cut myself. It tore through the skin, muscles, and even seemed to carve into the bone with a grinding noise.

Blood gushed out. Did it sever an artery?

But despite being drenched in blood, Nirlass did not respond.

Again, again, several times, lines were drawn across my wrist.

"…"

My opponent tilted his head—

"…Ah?"

Yeah. That’s what it looked like.

It wasn’t like when I encountered Isolation, where its figure was fully revealed in blood. But still, in the brief moments when my blood splattered, I caught glimpses of my opponent’s form.

A man, much larger than me. He was thin and gaunt.

With several tentacle-like appendages sprouting from his back.

"…"

Ah, I see.

I understand now.

"…If you want a response."

At the sound of my voice, the man— likely the one called Whateley— turned his face toward me.

"…You have to match the mood of your opponent. The decision of whether the great one answers or not isn’t dependent on trivial conditions."

I panted heavily.

Hoo. Alright.

Now I was only holding up my left arm. After my right arm broke, I suppose he decided there was no need to restrain it anymore.

"Is that your claim?"

A leisurely voice sounded.

Tilt.

As if practicing a cute gesture, a woman poked her head into the stall where I was hanging.

It was Kosuzu.

“You’re saying that the will of the great ones depends on the mood of those who answer them.”

"Yeah."

I said that, trying to move my right hand.

It didn’t seem like my arm was completely broken. Besides, now that I think about it, my body heals from any injury relatively quickly. Even if my arm was broken, if I endure a bit longer, it’ll fully recover.

My index and middle fingers were still twitching. My elbow was fine. Good.

I’m not planning to give in so easily.

"Are you implying that what I did was more insignificant than what you’ve done?"

Her voice was full of human pride and self-consciousness, that annoying tone characteristic of humans.

"Yeah, that’s right. I must’ve seemed much more appealing."

I deliberately taunted her.

The knife was still held by the monster. Straining to keep my fading vision focused, I stared past the monster at Kosuzu.

"Can’t you tell by the fact that I awakened right after you gave up after trying so hard? They must’ve hated you. Clearly."

Kosuzu stared at me with an expressionless face.

To be honest, it was terrifying.

I had only one chance. If I failed here, I would be dragged off alive and subjected to all sorts of horrors.

Where were the people who were supposed to be protecting me? Kosuzu must have found her own way to come here.

Hoo.

Alright.

It’s not alright, but I’ll just assume it is.

“Great beings like them wouldn’t easily respond to weaklings like us, would they? Naturally, you have to capture their attention.”

Kosuzu continued to stare at me.

“Maybe you’re just thinking about it all wrong. If you place yourself at the center of the world, of course they’ll laugh at you.”

"…"

Is she mad? I hope she is.

Yeah. Keep staring at me like that.

I moved my right arm with all my strength.

Thankfully, before my opponent could react, I managed to shove my fingernails into the wound.

Pain surged through both my right, still unhealed, and left wrist, which was still bleeding. But gritting my teeth, I spoke through the pain.

"…This is how you should impress them, by doing something they’d be moved by."

And with that, I yanked my nails out.

Blood gushed from my right hand, and pieces of flesh clung to the underside of my fingernails.

Then.

“A splendid answer. But it’s far from perfect.”

Nirlass’ voice spoke up.

“Just because you embody me doesn’t mean I’ll respond.”

In the brief moment when time seemed to stop, Nirlass whispered in my ear.

“Do you have a wish?”

“…Save me.”

I answered honestly.

A chuckle echoed.

“Good. It would be even better if you begged a little more.”

I paused for a moment, then spoke again.

“Please, save me…”

“I want to hear your reason.”

“There are still people I want to see, and things I want to do.”

“In that case, you should have been honest from the start. I enjoy watching those who struggle.”

…And also watching them fail to escape their pain, no doubt.

“I will grant you what you desire.”

Nirlass said.

“I’d love to hear that lovely voice of yours.”

That, most likely, was Nirlass' true motive for giving me power.

Chapter 90. Accident (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Earlier, when I dropped the knife.

I saw that knife cutting through the air.

To be precise, it wasn’t cutting through ‘air.’

What it probably cut was the arm or tentacle of the one hiding their body by turning invisible… likely someone called Whateley.

The green liquid must have been blood.

I don't think an ordinary carving knife could cut through a yokai's flesh. If that were possible, someone like Yuka wouldn’t have had to suffer so much to survive.

That carving knife was the same one that cut my wrist today. Its surface was smooth, so there was no space for the blood to seep in, but my blood was definitely on it. I hadn’t wiped it off or shaken it off, after all.

So, what I needed to do was—

*Crack.*

A suspicious sound came from near my wrist.

"Ugh!?"

I let out a groan between my teeth.

When I turned my blood into tentacles and swung it around before, it didn’t hurt this much.

*Thud.*

I felt something grow out of my wrist and then stab into something in front of me. Only then was I able to break free.

The thing holding my hand bled green but made no other sound.

Or maybe it did make a sound. Like something out of a Lovecraft novel, it might’ve been at a frequency too high or too low for me to hear. There are monsters you can't hear because the wavelengths don’t match, so maybe it was like ultrasonic waves.

I hit the floor without even checking my throbbing wrist.

*Swish.*

I felt something being sliced.

It was working.

Then I looked ahead, and the reason why my wrist hurt became clear, and I gasped.

A spike-like thing was sticking out through the wound. It looked like an icicle of blood had grown from my wrist. And it was still growing slowly, probably in sync with my bleeding rate.

The thick icicle was pushing my skin apart on both sides, but perhaps because all the blood was going there, not a drop spilled around it. The skin on my palm near my wrist was distorted because of it… just looking at it was painful.

No, it actually was painful. As much as the first cut, as much as the wound had split open.

To regain my focus, I decided to channel all my hatred toward the thing that had been holding me. First, I’ll kill that thing in front of me. I’ll think about Kosuzu later.

*Click! Click!* As I crawled across the floor, pushing off with my broken right arm, I stabbed the ground with my left hand. I could see the trail of bloodstains leading toward where the creature had moved.

The footprints looked like bare human feet. I stabbed my spike wherever the footprints stopped.

Each time I did, it felt like a piece of metal was being driven into my wrist and hammered down, but it was also proof I was still alive. As long as I could feel this pain, I wouldn’t die.

"Argh!"

But the creature wasn’t going to just take it. Naturally, since I was lying on the ground, I had more surface area exposed to attacks. I squirmed in pain as something sharp stabbed into my calf. It felt like something sharp had pierced me.

I flipped over and swung my hand wildly at the air. My wrist, now with an icicle made of blood, shattered, scattering fragments everywhere.

Even if I couldn’t completely block the yokai, it was blood that most yokai would instinctively avoid. I wasn’t sure if it would work on this creature, but—

*Slice.*

Good. At least I cut through one of its tentacles.

In retaliation, I was whipped all over my body.

Humans, unable to create sharp claws or fangs like beasts, evolved their hands to be more delicate. And beneath those hands, our arm joints.

If you twist your wrist, you can use your palm to strike above your head.

In this case, though, I was stabbing my opponent with the weapon attached to my wrist.

Green fluid splashed over my face.

“Ugh.”

The smell was unbearably foul.

Luckily, I had braced myself and tightly closed my eyes and mouth, but I couldn’t stop some of it from getting into my nose and ears.

“Phew...!”

As I exhaled, I pressed the spike embedded in something hard.

“Ughhh...!”

With a rough groan escaping between my teeth, I stood up, as if pulling myself up by grabbing onto something.

*Thud, thud.*

The creature stabbed me here and there in retaliation, but for some reason, none of the hits were critical.

Yeah, it must be because of my blood. There was an immense amount of this strange blood flowing under my skin.

Moreover—

“Squeak.”

From beneath my feet, I heard the sound of many Chi dropping with a flurry. Had my blood finally started mutating, or was it the result of the spike on my wrist slowly dissolving?

Well, it didn’t matter.

As long as I knew there were Chi here now.

I forced myself up and placed my right hand on the floor. It was still broken, but I could move a few fingers.

“Squeak! Squeak!”

The Chi squirmed between my index and middle fingers, but I didn’t care.

I shoved my right hand toward what seemed like the creature’s abdominal cavity, where my left wrist was embedded. Pain surged from the broken part, but I gritted my teeth and held on.

Then, I opened my eyes and looked into the air.

Both the creature and I were covered in blood.

“Ha.”

I let out a laugh.

“Your insides are just as visible.”

I looked at my right arm, which was buried in the creature’s stomach, with green blood dripping from it.

Then, I filled myself with hatred. It wasn’t a powerful attack, but there was one method I had tested before.

I clenched my fingers tightly, crushing the Chi.

“———!!!!”

Finally, the creature screamed.

A sound that was hard to describe in human language but oddly sounded like it could have been human language.

*Crack!*

Right after that sound, blood began pouring from my mouth.

I looked down.

I couldn’t see the wound well from this angle, but I could feel blood trickling down my legs. Ah, no more raincoats or anything will help. My uniform, underwear, everything must be soaked in red by now.

...If I go to Yuka like this, she’ll worry again.

Ha, just when things seemed to be going well, something like this happens. Damn it.

“This is strange.”

Even while watching such a fight, Kosuzu maintained a calm tone.

Step, step. I heard her approaching me.

I turned my head to look at Kosuzu, but my vision was a bit blurry, so I couldn’t see her expression clearly.

“How can you have such a beautiful power? How can you be so perfect?”

“Does this... look perfect... to you?”

“Yes, it’s beautiful. So very beautiful. Your body, inheriting the blood of a god... surely, we all are... but why.”

“I told you...”

At least now I think I’ve figured out how to irritate Kosuzu’s nerves.

She’s proud and egotistical. When people like her, who live for their own greatness, also have power, there are few ways to get under their skin.

I just need to possess a power that would make someone like her jealous.

Ha.

I know it sounds ridiculous.

“...You just need to be favored by the gods like I am.”

“...”

Kosuzu said nothing.

The transparent monster in front of me also made no movement.

How long did that silence last? It probably wasn’t very long, but it felt incredibly long to me.

I couldn’t lose consciousness. If I did, the powers I was using now would stop, and they could take me away to who knows where.

Crash—!

Then, breaking that silence was the sound of something shattering.

“...Kotone?”

Ah.

She’s finally here.

Well, yeah.

She must’ve known how to find me.

And right after that sound, I heard the sound of sirens. Given how many strange noises had been coming from this bathroom, it made sense.

“...As expected, just the two of us won’t be enough, Mr. Whateley.”

Kosuzu said.

I felt the things supporting my body all withdraw at once.

“Kotone!?”

Koko called out my name.

I heard something fly and embed itself somewhere. Clang, clang, the sound of something clashing in the air.

Lying face down on the filthy bathroom floor, I looked toward Kosuzu.

Kosuzu glanced at me briefly, then turned her body and nonchalantly opened the public bathroom door she had locked until now and walked out.

Koko’s hair moved to strike behind her—

But Kosuzu vanished.

“...”

For a moment, we both stared in that direction.

“Kotone!”

“Koko.”

I wondered if Koko would follow after her, but fortunately, she was looking at me.

Seeing Koko kneel down on the floor made me think, Ah, that floor is dirty.

“Kotone! Kotone!”

Despite having learned so many words, Koko clung to me and just kept calling my name.

“I’m okay.”

I’ll be fine soon.

I wanted to continue, but a chunk of blood welled up from inside, blocking my words.

Ah.

I’ve shown Koko this side of me again.

I did all this to avoid showing her this...

Bang!

The door to the public restroom opened, and I heard people coming in.

"...!"

They seemed to be momentarily shocked by the blood-soaked bathroom, and then they saw Koko holding me and were startled again.

"Koko, no."

I spoke, worried that Koko might be startled and attack them. Koko nodded her head vigorously. She really is a good girl.

Yuka... Ah, I need to call Yuka.

She must be really worried. I’m late, and Koko suddenly disappeared. She must be feeling guilt that she shouldn’t even have to feel.

And the cause of all that is me.

…Maybe my very existence is wrong.

"Kotone! Kotone!"

"Excuse me! Please, stay conscious! A-a paramedic…!"

The scene was so gruesome that they seemed to assume it was a case of attempted murder or something.

…Ah, I really can’t hold on anymore.

"Koko. I’m going to sleep a little…."

Unable to keep myself conscious any longer, I closed my eyes.

Koko screamed as I collapsed— I’m sorry.

I can’t stay awake any longer right now.

I’ll properly apologize when I wake up again.

---

***

---

So, from someone else’s point of view:

I left my younger sister with the person I trusted most, then, I went into a public bathroom to attempt suicide.

And then, some perverted serial killer broke in and nearly killed me.

Moreover, when I was found, my whole body was covered in stab wounds, so I must’ve looked like a high school girl who’d been brutally mutilated.

Though most of the wounds healed while I was asleep.

"…."

But my lower chest still throbbed, so it wasn’t completely healed.

"…."

No, that’s not it. What hurts more is around my heart.

Mainly in my conscience.

"…."

"Y-Yuka."

I called out Yuka’s name as she sat there with her arms crossed, staring at me in silence. Her eyes blinked.

"…Yes."

Her voice was low.

I tried to sit up, but I realized too late that something was pressing down on the blanket covering me like a weight.

When I looked down, Koko was lying there.

As usual, she had curled up into a ball, sticking close to my side.

There were tear stains around her eyes as she slept.

My conscience felt like it was being stabbed over and over, enough to draw blood. If it were a real organ, I’d probably need to go back to the emergency room for blood loss.

"Can you explain what happened?"

Yuka must have a lot of questions. Even if she bombarded me with them as soon as she opened her mouth, I’d have no defense.

I had tried to keep everything hidden to myself, but now it’s all come out in the worst possible way.

"…I."

But how should I explain?

I had already lied before.

No, not just once—nearly every word about this matter had been a lie. The biggest reason was that I didn’t want to reveal my true identity.

How was I supposed to explain this incident after lying about everything else?

"…."

As I stayed silent for a moment, I realized I felt a strange sense of relief.

Right. I could have been caught right then and there, restrained, and dragged away. Kosuzu had definitely come looking for me with that intent.

She must have been waiting for the moment I was alone. I heard that the influence of Yamashita-kai’s power even reached areas like Ota Ward, but it would be weaker than in places like Minato Ward. I don’t know how many organizations exist in each area either.

The same goes for the cult. The Kurosawa family seems to be an old one, but it hasn’t been long since they started expanding their influence in earnest.

They don’t even seem to have settled on a name for the cult yet. Perhaps the Kurosawa family’s connection with the "higher-ups" only goes back to when they began this full-scale expansion.

…Even though Yuka was around, I hadn’t told her where I was going. Besides, it seems Yuka’s group doesn’t monitor everything like that.

For various reasons, anyway, I ended up facing Kosuzu.

The fact that she had been persistently watching me from the shadows, waiting for the moment I was alone, gave me chills. And the worst part is that her plan could have succeeded.

I might never have seen Yuka or Koko again.

It’s shameless of me to feel relieved, considering how worried they were.

"…Do you know about the Kasha?"

"…I know of it."

Well, she’s an expert after all.

It would be strange if she didn’t know. She probably knows way more about yokai than I do.

"A yokai that steals the corpses of those burdened with sins."

"That’s right."

It was the one that was described as "burning" them.

"Are you telling me you figured that out just because the scammer couple died?"

Yuka asked.

"…I could tell."

"Like last time?"

Like when I recognized that cannibalistic killer.

"…Yeah."

Yuka seemed to realize something and pressed her fingers against her eyelids.

"So, you went to check? To your god?"

"…Yeah."

"You left us behind because you didn’t want me or Koko to worry?"

Unable to answer aloud, I just nodded.

I wanted to hide. I had thought it was the perfect plan at the time, but now that I look back, it was obvious that they would notice.

"…."

Yuka stayed silent for a while.

I wish she would just scold me, but Yuka isn’t the type of person to do that.

"…Sigh."

Yuka let out a long breath and took her hands away from her face.

She looked at me with eyes reddened from exhaustion.

"…We haven’t had dinner yet."

"…Huh?"

I blinked at Yuka’s words.

"Koko suddenly disappeared, and you didn’t come back. Dad and I went out to look for you. Grandpa stayed home."

"…."

I looked at the clock on the hospital wall.

The lights in the room were so bright that I couldn’t immediately tell what time it was, but that clock clearly showed it was 1 a.m.

So, they all hadn’t eaten anything by this time.

"…Sorry."

" Do you even know why you’re apologizing?"

Yuka’s question made me flinch.

I had no excuse.

"So…."

Yuka sighed deeply again.

"Let’s just have dinner tonight."

"…."

By "tonight," she probably meant literally today, since it had already passed midnight.

"I’ve already brought your stuff. I brought an extra uniform just in case you needed to change."

"Oh."

"When Koko and I briefly stopped by earlier, I brought it. Kuro is at our house, too."

Seriously… I’ve really done it this time.

"There are still ingredients in the fridge, so we can cook something for ourselves."

"…I’m sorry."

"…."

Yuka stared at me for a moment, then sighed again and ran her fingers through her hair.

We stayed silent for a while after that.

---

***

---

Kotone…

Now that I think about it, she was always like this.

Always trying to take everything on by herself. Even when Yuka met Kotone, she was the same.

Without asking the adults around her for help, she tried to get away from the woman who neglected and abused her, all on her own… Even when she didn’t have money, she would just buy cheap bread like koppe pan.

Kotone was also the one who saved Koko. She was the one who took responsibility for a girl like Koko, who was so disconnected from the world.

All of this could have been resolved if she had just asked someone for help.

I wouldn’t have minded helping.

It would have been so much better than losing the first real friend I’ve ever made.

Kotone just kept trying to take everything on by herself.

That must have been the kind of life she’s lived. Without anyone to rely on, always alone.

At first, I wanted to scream at her.

I was so frustrated. When I saw Kotone lying in the hospital, her school uniform full of holes and covered in blood, I felt that way.

What was with the raincoat? Why did she have a rubber band wrapped around her left arm? Because she didn’t want anyone to notice she was bleeding?

Koko couldn’t even speak properly. She was stuttering out words as if she had lost the ability to connect them, saying, "Kotone, hurt. Kotone. Hurt. How? Why?" Seeing Koko muttering in a daze like that wasn’t easy to handle either—

But I found it even harder to control my own emotions.

"Sorry."

Kotone said she was sorry.

She didn’t need to be.

"Do you even know why you’re apologizing?"

In the end, I said something harsh.

I immediately regretted it. I wouldn’t have minded if she had asked for help, but I couldn’t even respond properly to one single word.

She was just a kid who had nothing and didn’t know anything.

When I saw her flinch, I already regretted it.

Hadn’t I called on Kotone when I needed her? It was me and Grandpa who had driven her to the point of cutting her thin wrist.

We had pushed her to "save the world."

…But I couldn’t take my words back.

"Let’s just have dinner tonight."

In the end, I said that as if making an excuse.

"…I’m sorry."

And in the end, I heard her say it again.

Chapter 91. Accident (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The next day.

I thought I would be incredibly tired today since I stayed up late last night talking with Yuka, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

Come to think of it, I had been unconscious until I woke up at that time. If I counted that as part of my “sleep time,” I had slept for quite a while.

The one who would really be tired was Yuka. She stayed by my side until I woke up.

Though I was growing in my own way when it came to fighting, I had the sense not to say that in front of Yuka. After all, telling the person who waited by my side, while lying in a hospital bed, “I’m getting better at fighting now!” wouldn’t be the best for her mental state.

Still, since I fell asleep again right after our conversation, Yuka probably managed to get some sleep as well...

"Today, don’t go anywhere else and come straight home."

That’s what Yuka said to me.

As we got off the subway together, I noticed that Yuka’s eyes were a bit bloodshot. She didn’t look completely drained, but knowing that she was tired because of me just made me feel guilty.

"......"

And, Koko’s attitude had also changed a bit.

She didn’t grab my arm or hug me, but walking so closely beside me was making me a bit self-conscious.

But after what happened yesterday, I couldn’t exactly push her away. I was just as worried as she was.

Really… I’ve committed such a big accident.

"Did something happen yesterday?"

Miura, noticing the unusually dark expression on Koko’s face, was startled and asked.

"Uh…"

"Koko—"

Before I could even think of an excuse, Koko opened her mouth first, so I quickly stepped in front of her and said,

"No, it’s fine. Nothing happened."

Something did happen, but it wasn’t something you could just casually tell someone. Saying that I fought invisible monsters for my life… well, no matter what excuse I came up with, it wasn’t going to be a lighthearted story.

"…Is that so?"

Ah, but Miura didn’t seem convinced at all.

It was just that she was holding back from asking further since I clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

Sitting at the desk behind Miura, Fukuda was staring at me closely. Since the festival, she hadn’t offered any more information, but I was sure Kagami was still keeping in touch with her father. Was Fukuda still thinking that I could end up becoming her sister-in-law?

…No, I didn’t think she was going that far. Though she was as friendly as Miura, there was always a certain line Fukuda drew that she never crossed. It was just that the line was drawn quite close to me.

It was probably Miura who set that boundary, not Fukuda. At first, I thought the three of them were friendly with everyone in the class, but over time I realized something. Miura was the real center of that group. If you didn’t have much interaction with Miura, you wouldn’t have much with Fukuda or Yamashita either.

Speaking of which, Yamashita was also glancing in my direction. It seemed she was curious about my condition as well.

Come to think of it, if you just looked at family connections, Yamashita and I were cousins. Maternal cousins. Of course, whether we were actually blood-related was still uncertain.

The same went for Koko.

Looking at it again, my social circle was a complete minefield. No, to be precise, I was the only mine. It was just that everyone else had a toe lightly placed on that mine along with me.

……

I didn’t plan on expanding my social connections. In fact, I was just drifting along in this world. I had only acted impulsively a few times, but now my surroundings were filled with people who genuinely cared about me.

What am I supposed to do?

Up until now, I thought I could just leave, but when I looked at everything closely, the impact of my death would be too great.

……

Is this just me being overly self-conscious?

Worrying about a future that hasn’t even come yet, and thinking that I’m at the center of it… maybe I am being too self-absorbed.

I sat Koko down in her seat and then sat down in mine.

Koko kept glancing at me, clearly anxious. It seemed like what happened yesterday had left a deep trauma.

I could feel my conscience bleeding profusely.

*

“No.”

Hm.

Yeah, I kind of expected this would happen.

When I was about to head off to work from the subway station, Koko tried to follow me. Yuka attempted to take her away, but Koko stood firm as if her feet were nailed to the ground.

I was so startled for a moment that I even checked under her feet. If there had been a huge nail or something anchoring her to the ground, it would’ve been a big problem.

But no, not even Koko would throw that kind of tantrum.

Because if she did that, she wouldn’t be able to follow me at all.

"Don’t be like that. Stay with Yuka. I’ll come right after I finish work."

“Kotone said the same thing yesterday.”

"......"

Ugh.

I let out a short groan.

She was right. I had said that to Koko. I’d even left her with Yuka yesterday because I was about to do “that kind of thing,” so I couldn’t exactly deny it.

If Koko hadn’t barged in at the last minute, I probably wouldn’t even be here now.

“Koko…”

I said as I tried my best not to look at Yuka.

If I had turned to look at her, even for a second, it would have meant that I was relying on Yuka. And right now, I was the one who had to convince Koko. Besides, Yuka had agreed to take care of Koko today.

“If you wait just a little bit longer—”

“Kotone, today’s Saturday.”

Koko interrupted.

“Kotone, you leave early and come home late.”

"......"

Once again, Koko hit me squarely with the truth.

All throughout the break, whenever we didn’t have plans to go anywhere, Koko had stayed at home with Kuro, waiting for me.

Contrary to my worries, Koko had been very obedient. If I told her to stay home, she really did stay home.

I still didn’t know what age range I should treat Koko as.

It seemed like she’d existed before I did, but she looked my age and spoke like a child.

No matter what age I considered her to be, it felt a bit cruel to stop her from going out and playing.

And that’s why I was so surprised right now.

Had Koko ever expressed her displeasure this clearly to me before?

Maybe I had been thinking of Koko as someone who would just obediently listen to whatever I said.

“Koko.”

Yuka softly placed her hand on Koko’s shoulder.

Koko liked Yuka. They had grown quite close after Yuka helped her over the summer. And they’d already known each other before that, plus Yuka had even stayed over at our house once.

Still, it didn’t seem like Koko liked her as much as she liked me.

“......”

Yuka, who had seemed like she was about to say something, closed her mouth.

Then she looked at me with a blank expression.

Why?

Those words didn’t come out. Since yesterday, I had decided to refrain from talking back to Yuka unless something was really unfair.

And Yuka would never ask for something unreasonable...

“You’re right.”

… Or so I thought.

“Then, how about this? Koko, don’t you want to know where Kotone works?”

She doesn’t hold back, does she?

“Do you want to go and eat something tasty?”

“Tasty?”

Koko perked up at Yuka’s words.

If this had been any other time, Koko’s eyes would have sparkled, but she still looked a bit gloomy.

“Somewhere you can watch Kotone.”

“Kotone?”

But as soon as Yuka said that, the light slowly returned to Koko’s face.

“...Yuka?”

When I called Yuka’s name, she looked at me with a resolute expression.

“It’s a café, right? As long as you have money to buy something, you can sit there as long as you want.”

Well, that’s true.

......

I tried to calm myself down.

Yeah, this is my time for reflection, my time for atonement.

I hadn’t decided how long this period would last, but I had promised not to argue with Yuka during this time.

Besides, Yuka wasn’t really saying anything wrong. There wasn’t even a need for her to ask for my permission in the first place.

The only problem was that Yuka would have to spend money for Koko. And even if I tried to pay her back later, she would definitely refuse.

And all of this was because of what happened yesterday.

So, in the end, it’s all my fault.

“...Okay.”

In the end, I could only respond like that.

Seeing Koko’s eyes light up as if she was being invited to go somewhere fun, I felt a little relieved.

Yeah, I’ll take comfort in that.

And so, I had no choice but to lead the two of them to the maid café.

*

I was wondering why this felt so familiar, and I realized it was similar to when Yamashita had briefly stayed at my house.

Maybe she didn’t want to be alone in that cramped and shabby house, or maybe she felt uneasy being somewhere that wasn’t her home. I still couldn’t completely read Yamashita’s expression, but I’m sure she followed me for those reasons.

This time felt similar.

Of course, unlike Yamashita, whose emotions were hard to read, Koko was easy to understand.

When she was happy, she smiled brightly, when she was angry, she became expressionless, and when she was sad, she panicked. You could say her emotional changes were somewhat extreme compared to normal people.

Yuka was... calmer than Koko, but she wasn’t someone who suppressed her emotions either.

You could say she was honest, fitting for the heroine.

No, wait, in the original, she was quite harsh towards the protagonist. She was a tsundere, after all. The reason she’s being so honest now must be because she hasn’t entered into any romantic competition.

She simply couldn’t express her feelings during her first love. But the problem was that in this world, that first love never even started.

I felt a bit sorry about that too.

“Senpai, senpai.”

While I was watching Yuka and Koko sitting down, Shii called out to me.

“What’s going on with them?”

The place where I got hurt was in Ota Ward.

It wasn’t that far from Minato Ward or Chiyoda Ward, where Akihabara was, but it wasn’t close enough for casual news to travel. Especially since I had only gotten into trouble inside that bathroom.

"Well…"

I had to rack my brain for an appropriate excuse.

“Today, Yuka just wanted to hang out with Koko for a bit…”

The best I could manage was that lame excuse.

Though it wasn’t entirely wrong to say that Yuka wanted to hang out with Koko, considering today’s situation, it was pretty much a lie.

“I see...”

Shii tilted her head slightly, but since I didn’t offer any further explanation, she seemed to accept it.

Honestly, I didn’t think that would last long.

Even if a friend wanted to play with someone’s younger sister, you wouldn’t just hang out at their workplace for hours on end. Usually, you’d play at home or go out somewhere.

By the way, Shii’s reaction was one of the more understanding ones.

"......"

The manager, on the other hand, had been watching me and Koko with a very meaningful gaze from earlier.

Whatever her reasons were, the manager had let both me and Shii off work last time when I said I had to tutor my sister. She had reacted very strongly when I mentioned “borderline intelligence.”

I wasn’t close enough with her to ask, but did she have someone like that in her family?

When I brought Yamashita in before, the manager had said, “Our café isn’t based on reservations, so no bonuses for bringing in customers.” But now, she seemed unusually anxious.

Even though all Koko and Yuka were doing was coloring.

Not that there’s any rule against it...

“Kurosawa.”

The manager quietly approached me and spoke in a low voice.

"...Yes?"

“Does your sister have any food restrictions?”

......

Does she?

Probably not.

It feels weird to say this, but Koko is the type of kid who would even enjoy eating cat food. If the first thing I gave her was raw meat or animal carcasses, she probably would’ve eaten it happily too. Still, thanks to my constant nagging, she now only eats regular food.

“She doesn’t.”

“Really? No allergies or anything? Like peanuts.”

"......"

Why is the manager acting like this?

I glanced at her, trying to gauge her emotions, and she cleared her throat awkwardly before saying,

“Ah, well, since an employee’s family came in. Thought I’d offer a little perk.”

"......"

“I-it’s not like I have any ulterior motives.”

I know that.

The manager isn’t the type to give people food because she’s attracted to them or anything. Our café has an unspoken rule that we don’t pry into each other’s personal lives, just as the manager doesn’t ask us too many questions.

So in a way, this could be considered a breach of the rules on the manager’s part.

But.

“I’m not going to ask for money.”

Since the manager went this far, I had no reason to refuse. I know she’s not a bad person.

“It’s fine. She’ll eat anything.”

Even if she’s given a plain espresso, she’d probably down it straight. Though she does prefer sweets.

“Is that so? Got it.”

The manager nodded at my words—

—and then did nothing for a while.

She just quietly observed Yuka and Koko.

I served a few more customers, cleared away empty dishes and trays, and made several rounds before the manager finally took a deep breath and pulled out a slice of whipped cream cake. A soft piece of chocolate was perched on top of it.

With a slightly nervous expression—one you almost never saw from her—she slowly approached the two of them.

Instead of placing the plate right in front of them, she gently slid it forward from a distance.

"…Ah."

Yuka was the first to notice.

She had been watching Koko color with a gentle expression, but when she saw the cake placed in front of them, she looked up at the manager.

“This is on the house.”

The manager said to Yuka.

Yuka blinked.

“Because you’re family of an employee.”

She hadn’t given anything when I brought Yamashita.

Oh, but I guess she didn’t know we were cousins back then. Yamashita didn’t even know herself.

...Right. If it’s a service only given to family, it makes sense.

“Thank you.”

Yuka hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to accept the cake.

“Wow!”

Koko’s head popped up as soon as the cake arrived in front of her.

“Here, the manager is giving it to us. Say thank you.”

“Thank you!”

The manager, however, didn’t seem to register the thanks and just stared blankly at Koko.

Without paying attention to the manager’s reaction, Koko focused on the cake.

She picked up the fork and carefully poked the chocolate on top.

I thought she would immediately put it into her mouth, but instead, she suddenly looked around.

When her eyes met mine, she jumped up from her seat and ran toward me with quick little steps. If she wanted to, she could’ve gotten to me much faster than any person, but fortunately, she didn’t always act on that impulse.

It didn’t seem like she was aware of the stares around her. Maybe she just felt no “need” to be.

“Kotone.”

“Yes.”

Koko held out the fork toward me.

I had been watching them blankly from behind the counter since there weren’t any customers at the moment, and I was momentarily dazed as I saw Koko offering me the chocolate.

“Kotone.”

“...Are you giving it to me?”

“Yep!”

Koko nodded and brought the chocolate close enough to almost touch my lips.

"...Thank you. I’ll enjoy it."

I said, taking the chocolate into my mouth.

Though the café didn’t make its cakes in-house, the chocolate was still delicious.

I had wondered how she managed to pick it up with a fork, but it turned out to be a bit like those famous soft Japanese chocolates. It had a slight mochi-like texture, but when you chewed it, it wasn’t too sticky; there was the crispness unique to chocolate.

The manager really bought some expensive stuff. Well, I knew that already.

"...It’s good."

When I said that after eating, Koko smiled brightly.

Then she ran back to her seat and plopped down on the chair.

She took another small bite of the cake with her fork and seemed to remember Yuka sitting beside her, so she offered it to her as well.

“No, I’m okay.”

Yuka, who had been watching Koko feed me the chocolate with a very pleased expression, declined when the cake was offered to her.

“Okay!”

Without any hesitation, Koko ate the cake herself.

“It’s yummy!”

“Finish chewing everything in your mouth before you speak.”

Yuka said, wiping the whipped cream from Koko’s mouth.

"......"

The manager, who had been watching the scene unfold until the end, suddenly turned around.

Of course, she was still looking at me.

Her expression… somehow seemed sad.

I thought I even heard a sniffle.

The manager hurriedly walked back to the counter, and—

“…You have good friends.”

She said to me quietly.

"...They’re more than I deserve."

In response to my words, the manager covered her mouth slightly and quickly walked past me to sit in her usual spot.

Without looking at her face, I left the counter to find something else to do.

It seemed like the manager needed some time alone.

“Senpai.”

As I stepped out from behind the counter, Shii quickly approached me.

“Huh?”

“...No, it’s just…”

Shii hesitated for a moment, then pulled a handkerchief out of her apron pocket.

Without a word, she handed it to me.

Silently, I took it and dabbed my eyes.

Chapter 92. Accident (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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For some reason… I don’t know if I should call it that.

Actually, I thought the boss might say something today.

She wouldn't ask for the details, of course, but after seeing Koko’s behavior today, it seemed like the boss had a lot on her mind.

However, I never expected that “something” would be letting me finish work early.

The boss… isn’t exactly a cold-hearted person.

If something came up and you said you needed to take time off, usually, she'd let you do so without much questioning.

She wouldn’t even deduct your pay in the process.

In my case, I’d taken time off so often that I started feeling a bit guilty, but later, I found out that other part-timers also took frequent breaks, sometimes not showing up without notice or even quitting.

Among the workers, Shii is said to be the most diligent.

But even so, she doesn’t let you finish work early.

She’s the kind of person who sits with a face like a low-ranking government employee, who begrudgingly shows up for work every day, does the bare minimum, and closes shop right on time before heading out.

That kind of boss announced today that we would be finishing work about two hours early.

At first, I thought it might be because of me.

Maybe she was being considerate after seeing Koko, but it seemed more like it was her own issue.

Seeing how red her nose was, it seemed that the relationship between Koko and I had triggered some memory from her past.

Maybe she just didn’t feel like working anymore today.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Oh… yeah…”

Her voice had always been somewhat lackluster when she responded, but today it seemed even more so.

…I felt a bit sorry for the boss, but thanks to her, I had a bit more time on my hands.

Originally, I would have eaten dinner really late, but now I could actually eat at a decent time.

There were meal breaks during the part-time job, but there wasn’t much time, and it was always so busy that I couldn’t relax and enjoy my meal.

Perhaps the reason I often ate dinner with Shii was to properly fill my stomach after being unable to do so during work.

“Sorry, Shii. Today again…”

“It’s fine, senpai.”

At my apology, Shii responded cheerfully.

“Since we’re finishing early today, I get to spend more time with my brother!”

Is that so.

Shii’s face was so bright when she said that, it didn’t seem like she was just trying to comfort me.

Maybe if I had invited her to dinner, she would have been disappointed.

After parting with a smiling Shii, I took the subway with Koko and Yuka.

By the way, the two of them had really stayed at the cafe the entire time I was working.

To be honest, I felt a bit self-conscious about the looks from my co-workers.

Waiting at a friend’s workplace until their shift ends?

Sure, that happens.

Even when I was a student, I would sometimes stop by about ten minutes before my friend’s shift ended, and we’d head out together for drinks afterward.

I wasn’t alone either—sometimes a whole group of us would go.

But showing up right when they start their shift, staying the entire time, and spending money just to avoid being a bother?

Honestly, that’s more than just persistence.

Frankly speaking, they probably spent more than what I earned from my shift today.

Maybe that’s why the boss seemed so confused.

Koko may be smart and quick to learn, but she still acts like a child.

Did the boss think Koko had thrown a tantrum to come along?

“…”

For a while, we stood in silence, looking out at the darkened sky through the subway window.

Anyway, once we got home, we’d be talking all night until morning.

There was no need to force conversation right now.

Seeing that Koko’s attitude had softened a bit after spending the day with me, I felt relieved.

Did she feel a little more at ease after seeing that I was really just working?

Luckily, she wasn’t thinking too seriously about earning money yet.

It was much quicker to get to Yuka’s shrine than to my own house.

Even if I replaced the walking time with the bus, it was still faster.

“Let’s eat first and then talk.”

Yuka said.

Her expression seemed a bit more relaxed, and I felt relieved.

It seemed that spending time with Koko helped her find some peace of mind.

Honestly, I sometimes worried that she had been too influenced by Kuro.

“I’ll prepare everything. Just wait.”

“Oh, okay.”

Yuka said that and headed into the kitchen while I nodded.

There was no sign of her grandfather in the house.

Was he still at the shrine?

It seemed a bit late for that.

…Oh, right.

I’d been found collapsed in Ota Ward, after all.

I’m not sure exactly how far their range of activity extends, but they probably cover at least this ward.

I had been attacked and collapsed after being targeted by the radical faction of the occultists, and there was also the issue of the kasha I had been looking for.

Once again, I caused them trouble.

“Kotone?”

As I wore a somewhat gloomy expression, Koko tilted her head and called my name.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

I answered Koko, who asked with an innocent expression, and patted her head.

However, it seemed my face hadn’t completely shaken off the gloom, as Koko still wore a slightly worried look.

I really am something.

I don’t know what I’m doing, showing such a face in front of someone much younger than me.

Is my lack of emotional control due to the influence of the kids around me, ever since I came to this world just a few months ago?

It’s quite troublesome.

* * *

In the end, the three of us ate together.

As always, the food at Yuka’s house was delicious.

Most of the dishes I make at home are based on mung bean sprouts. Of course, mung bean sprouts are tasty in their own way, but it’s not quite the same as something like sukiyaki with lots of meat.

“Yum!”

Koko, whose eyes sparkled as she ate, looked incredibly happy.

Even though Koko eats everything with delight, I wondered if she understood the concept of something being "more delicious”.

I don’t know if Koko will grow or age, and I’m not sure exactly what kind of effect food has on her. All I know is that even before this form, Koko used to steal food regularly, so it seems she does need to eat for nourishment.

“Myaa.”

Kuro, who must have smelled the meat, circled around at my feet and meowed, but I couldn’t give human food to a cat. In the end, I rewarded Kuro with a snack after the meal.

With my stomach full of meat, I felt a bit drowsy.

That drowsiness worked wonders, bringing a sense of peace to my mind. At least I didn’t have to worry about being nervous in front of Yuka.

After the meal, we went up to Yuka’s room.

Yuka sat upright on the bed, and I sat in the same manner across from her.

“Alright.”

Yuka took a small breath and said that, looking straight at me.

“Uuu?”

Koko, sitting below the bed, rested her upper body on the bed like a student slumped over a desk and let out a curious sound as she watched us.

I supposed Koko should listen, too. I wasn’t cold-hearted enough to chase her out of the room in this situation.

Hearing Koko’s voice made Yuka falter for a brief moment, but she cleared her throat and spoke again.

“Alright, tell me in more detail what happened.”

So, I did.

I told her how I had borrowed the power of an outsider to secretly investigate the house, how I had used Chi’s eyes to search the house, and how Kosuzu had appeared with Whateley, and how I had been attacked.

I explained in more detail who Kosuzu was. When I said, “She’s Kagami’s older sister, but her personality is worse,” Yuka understood perfectly.

“She seems like a dangerous woman.”

Yuka didn’t seem to have any additional information. Perhaps it was because Kosuzu was one of those recently “separated” entities?

It’s not easy to fully grasp the internal workings of a secretive cult.

“I should mention that the scene at the site caused quite a stir. They found traces of blood that weren’t there before. They wondered what it was, and it turns out it was your blood.”

“…”

I had no words to offer.

“I’ll make sure to report that.”

Yuka lifted her gaze slightly, organizing her thoughts as she stared at the ceiling.

“So, what was the reason you suspected this incident in the first place?”

I couldn’t tell her outright that I knew the future, so I decided to explain what I had guessed.

“Because there was a fire in Ota Ward.”

“A fire in Ota Ward… Why?”

She was asking why I found it suspicious just because there was a fire in Ota Ward.

“Your shrine is located there.”

Right.

In the original work, up to the part I had read, the continuity between incidents was somewhat fragmented. However, if there was a common thread, it was that all the incidents were connected to Sasaki or people around him.

Ota Ward is where Yuka’s shrine is located. If an incident that could be linked to the kasha’s behavior occurred there, it was bound to raise suspicion.

And then, I added my own speculation.

“Why would it matter if our shrine is there? Even if the kasha was involved, it could just be a coincidence.”

“Kosuzu was there too.”

I answered Yuka’s question with that.

Yes, Kosuzu was there.

Based on Kosuzu’s behavior, it seemed like she had been tailing me. But that didn’t make much sense.

I was hardly ever alone. And I’m not just talking about being with friends. There were always people following me, even if I wasn’t aware of it.

Even if I had no intention of delving deeper into the cult, just my presence already made me a significant figure within the cult. I was certainly not someone they could afford to lose to Kosuzu. Especially recently, with Koko’s presence, my value had likely increased.

In such a situation, even if Kosuzu had a transparent monster following her, tailing me was dangerous. Now that Kosuzu had taken an interest in me, Kagami wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Besides, I had the ability to sense anything resembling a yokai when it got near me.

So how had Kosuzu managed to ambush me?

It was only my speculation, but I figured it was because I had been in a secluded part of Ota Ward, alone, by coincidence.

Yes, Kosuzu had been in Ota Ward. And there was a high chance she was related to the kasha incident.

In the [Tokyo Slayers] section I had read, the story followed a similar format, sharing the same world and characters like a chronological anthology.

However, since it was part of a series, there had to be one entity that connected all these strange events. While there are light novels with an omnibus format, given the backdrop of this world, there had to be one mastermind causing all this trouble.

I believe that mastermind is Kosuzu.

“You didn’t come because you knew Kosuzu was there. You came because you were investigating the kasha, and you just happened to run into Kosuzu. That doesn’t answer my question.”

Yuka’s words made me pause for a moment to think.

And then.

“That occult magazine. The one Kaoru-senpai was reading.”

“…You believed that and came all the way here?”

“It’s more credible than you’d think.”

I answered sincerely.

It’s a magazine that rehashes seasonal articles, makes forced speculations, and is filled with nonsense at least half the time. I know that because I’ve read it.

But it was thanks to that magazine’s list of victims that I was able to save Mako.

“At the very least, it’s definitely effective at hurting the feelings of the victims.”

“…”

Yuka couldn’t find any words for a while.

“So…”

“Yokai tend to have their own fixations. I wasn’t certain. I just asked, and I got answers, so I came to check.”

“…”

At my words, Yuka closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

Even when she opened her eyes, it wasn’t as if she fully believed everything I said.

But, at least she didn’t completely doubt me either, which brought me some relief.

“So, let’s assume that Kosuzu appeared in Ota Ward because of this shrine.”

Yuka spoke carefully.

“So, does that mean they’re targeting me?”

“…Yeah.”

That’s right.

If they can’t target the main person, they’ll go after someone else. Especially if that person could be taken as a hostage.

“Why me, of all people?”

“…”

Out of all the people around me, Yuka was the most skilled in combat. The sword she carried, Mumei, was incredibly effective at cutting down yokai.

But.

That doesn’t mean the others would be easy to target either.

Miura, Fukuda, and Yamashita live in Minato Ward, one of the central areas in Japan. If something went wrong there, it could even provoke the government.

It’s not just because it’s a central area. Ota Ward is also one of Tokyo’s 23 special wards and a key location due to the international airport.

However, Miura’s father holds a high position in a government agency that deals with matters like this. If someone crossed him, it would be a disaster.

Kosuzu’s faction, which had separated from the cult, wasn’t large enough to take on an entire country in an all-out war.

Moreover, Yamashita’s family is deeply tied to the cult, and it seems the Fukuda family has some connections with them as well.

Hagiwara is part of the church faction. When considering the scale of religious influence, the cult is nothing compared to the church’s vast international network.

If they messed with the church, yokai hunters from all over might swarm into Japan.

As for Nakahara… Honestly, she’s not someone I’m particularly close to. She’s Sasaki’s childhood friend, and we’ve talked and hung out, but we don’t have much in common. By Kosuzu’s standards, where human lives are worth less than flies, Nakahara probably wouldn’t be a valuable target.

Besides, Nakahara had already been kidnapped once, so the church was likely keeping a close watch on her.

The real issue is Sasaki and Shii.

…Those two actually get involved in the kasha incident in the original story. Since they’re the protagonists, they don’t die, but still.

I wanted to prevent that from happening.

I told Yuka everything, except for the parts about Sasaki and Shii.

“….”

Yuka furrowed her brow as she pondered over the story.

“So, isn’t Shii in too much danger? She’s always taking the train home alone at night.”

“…”

I couldn’t deny it.

I just believed that Kosuzu and Whateley were still lurking around Ota Ward.

It would be easy to get a quick answer by asking Kagami, but Yuka had been with me since yesterday, so there hadn’t been a chance to contact her.

“Well, alright. I don’t think everything you’ve said is entirely correct, but it does make sense. Still, I’m kind of pissed that our family is being underestimated. My job is to fight these yokai.”

“…They probably underestimated you.”

Kosuzu has an inflated ego. She lives for her own greatness and never listens to others.

In my opinion, she isn’t actually "competent." She’s more like someone with raw talent who became corrupted because she relied too heavily on that talent.

…Well, considering she’s part of a cult, she might have been corrupt from the start.

This trait wasn’t unique to Kosuzu—Kagami displayed it sometimes as well. People who believe in gods often think their god is the supreme being, and that other religions’ gods either don’t exist or are inherently wrong. This kind of stubborn, self-righteous attitude is even more prevalent in cults.

And since their god actually exists, and those who’ve been granted its powers are right in front of them, it makes them look down on other entities even more.

Kosuzu also had Whateley with her. Whether she created him or brought him from somewhere, I didn’t know yet.

So, they underestimated Yuka’s family.

Yuka’s family collaborate with government agencies, but they aren’t a government agency themselves. They’re a religion, but not a massive global one. They have a sword that can cut yokai, but there’s only one. Even if they have a few cursed arrows, they probably judged that wouldn’t be enough to defeat the yokai.

“Hah.”

Yuka let out a bitter laugh at my explanation.

Then, with eyes burning fiercely, she said,

“That really ticks me off. I’ll have to give them a proper beating when I meet them later.”

“Be careful.”

“I know.”

Yuka looked at me and said,

“You said they’re invisible, right? If they at least looked human, I could gauge the distance between us.”

Yuka thought for a moment before speaking again.

“I understand why you think that way. But I don’t believe everything you said is a hundred percent true. Kosuzu might be in Ota Ward, and the traces you found could be from the kasha. But saying those two are connected feels like a bit of a stretch.”

How would they control a common yokai?

Isolation isn’t exactly a “common” yokai, though.

“We need to investigate a bit more.”

When I said that, Yuka nodded.

“Alright. Let’s investigate together from now on.”

“…”

I figured it would come to this.

I had almost died while investigating alone, so I had no argument against her.

“Uuu?”

Koko, who had been listening to our conversation, tilted her head with a confused expression, not sure if she understood or not.

Chapter 93. Accident (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I decided to search with Yuka, but there was one problem.

We couldn't visit the scene before the incident happened.

There was no way to chase after the Kasha itself. How could we possibly track down a yokai that comes from hell to steal the corpses of evil people?

The best way was still to visit the 'fire scene' itself.

Now that yokai have entered this world, they can’t just return to their own world right away. They make nests, securing space, and expand their activity area by either moving or enlarging their nests.

In the case of the Kasha, after taking a corpse, it slowly returned to its world and then came back to this one, repeatedly.

…Even if we couldn’t find it right away, if we kept chasing its traces, we'd eventually meet it.

Only after Sasaki and Shii’s biological mother and her husband died.

Moreover, Sasaki and Shii were there at the scene and got caught up in it.

I understand why Kosuzu is chasing me now. But what was the reason for targeting Sasaki and Shii in the original story when I wasn't there?

Was it because of Sasaki's blood? I'll have to wait and see about that.

In any case, I hoped to find the Kasha before such a situation erupted.

"Mya."

"Kuro!"

As soon as I returned home, Koko ran up to Kuro and hugged her tightly.

I was slightly alarmed at how cat hair was getting all over her black uniform, but I didn’t plan on stopping Koko.

Today was Monday.

The sports festival would be next Saturday. The cheerleading practice was progressing quite smoothly.

I wasn’t good at dancing, but I wasn’t terrible either. Even though I didn’t have outstanding physical abilities, perhaps thanks to my ability to memorize songs well, my sense of rhythm was better than in my previous life.

By next Monday, it seemed like it would be almost complete.

Koko… rather than being a good dancer, she danced joyfully. The kids liked Koko because of that. Perhaps more kids were fond of Koko than those who liked me.

No, there were definitely more. Koko was that kind of child—one that made you want to keep helping her.

"Koko, it’s time to wash up."

"Okay!"

As I put down my bag, Koko set Kuro down.

Kuro, who had been sleeping on the futon and was disturbed, shuddered with annoyance and then darted into a corner of the room.

She truly was a cat through and through.

*

After making fried rice for dinner, I did my homework with Koko. Then we laid down together in bed.

Just having another living being in the house with me made it so that I never felt bored or lonely. Even if we didn’t share deep conversations, it felt reassuring somehow.

It was getting a bit chilly at night, so there was no need to leave the window open anymore.

Of course, I wouldn’t feel cold at night. Koko would cling tightly to me as she slept, and Kuro always claimed the area around my stomach or chest.

As I slowly stroked Kuro’s back, who had curled up on top of my blanket, a thought suddenly came to mind.

I slipped my hands under Kuro’s armpits and lifted her slightly.

"Myaa."

Perhaps because she had been dozing off and I had woken her, Kuro, looking incredibly annoyed, dragged her body toward me, showing her face right in front of mine.

Though the ceiling light was already off, the light coming through the window made Kuro’s eyes shine brightly.

"Kuro."

"Mya."

"Is it possible for you to find yokai?"

"Mya?"

…….

What was I even thinking?

I sighed softly and pushed Kuro back up toward my stomach. Kuro let out another dissatisfied meow, but didn’t run away. She simply curled up on top of my stomach again.

"Kotone?"

A voice called from beside me, and when I turned my head, Koko was looking at me.

"Do you really need to find it?"

Koko asked.

"……."

Koko could always locate me, no matter where I was, and then find me—at incredible speed too.

I didn’t know how she did it. I wasn’t even sure if it only worked on me or if it could work on other beings as well.

For a brief moment, I considered asking Koko to find that yokai.

But strangely enough, even though I knew it was a feasible and reasonable idea, I hesitated to say it out loud.

Why was that?

Maybe it was because I was seeing my younger sister in Koko.

I feared she might get seriously hurt or even die while handling dangerous tasks out of my sight.

If it had been to find a regular person, I would’ve felt more reassured by myself.

After all, I had learned roughly how to avoid death and how to survive. I had even done related work.

So I could have confidently said, ‘Don’t do this kind of thing.’

But Koko—

I thought of her as human. I treated her like a human. But at the same time, I was fully aware that she was different from a normal person.

Because of that, I didn’t know where her vulnerabilities lay, so I hesitated to put Koko on the front lines. If Koko were to fight alone and end up dying, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.

"No, it's okay."

There was still time.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I’m sure."

"Okay."

And…

This might not be something I should say, but—

The people the Kasha targeted were, fundamentally, bad people.

I didn’t think I had the right to choose whose life to save, but even I had people who were more important to me.

I wasn’t willing to risk Koko’s life to save those people.

Koko curled up beside me, pressing her body against mine.

The futon I had bought when I first started living in this house was meant for one person, so it wasn’t really possible for Koko and me to share it. The one I bought for Koko was also for one person.

But Koko always slightly overlapped her blanket with mine, making it feel like one big blanket.

I could feel Koko’s forehead touch my right arm.

Before long, she would probably fall asleep with steady breathing.

"Goodnight, Kotone."

Koko said in a small voice.

"Goodnight to you too."

I said to Koko.

Soon after, both Koko and I fell asleep.

I didn’t dream.

*

In the end, I decided to call Kagami, thinking I had nothing to lose.

[So, you want me to help find a yokai that might be related to my sister?]

I called her early in the morning, and despite that, Kagami answered the phone without hesitation. Didn’t she she usually run a bar? I thought she would be asleep since she normally ran the place all night.

…Well, I didn’t always meet Kagami at night. Maybe she had some superhuman abilities too.

Though the possibility seemed slim now, I still considered the idea that Kagami could be Nyarlathotep.

She was someone involved with foreign affairs, so it was possible she was pretending.

Half of my suspicion was a stretch, but I was a bit scared of trusting her completely, thinking I might just be used and discarded later.

"Just let me know when a fire breaks out. …Don’t you listen to police radios or something?"

I said, recalling scenes from American movies and dramas.

Although the movie hadn’t been released in this world yet, I had seen it before. It was about an amateur journalist filming traffic accidents and murder scenes to sell to TV stations.

In the movie, the protagonist could reach the scene quickly because he eavesdropped on police radios. It wasn’t due to some extraordinary ability, but because he had a radio that could catch the police frequency.

[Oh my, what a scary thing to say.]

Kagami responded in a voice that wasn’t scared at all.

However, her tone turned somewhat serious afterward.

[But if it’s related to my sister, as soon as we make a move, they might notice and stop their activities. Are you okay with that?]

"That’s fine."

If anything, that would be a relief.

Kosuzu had already revealed herself to me.

And she failed to kidnap me. She was probably already being cautious in her movements.

If she stopped her activities altogether, I wouldn’t have to worry anymore. It would also mean Sasaki and Shii wouldn’t get caught up in anything.

[Then I’ll proceed as such. …By the way.]

Kagami chuckled softly over the phone and spoke.

[In the end, you’ve come to ask me for help, haven’t you?]

"……."

[Do you finally feel like thinking of me as your mother?]

"……."

[I’m kidding, I’m kidding.]

As I remained silent, Kagami added in a playful tone.

"…Just don’t send anyone to get killed. Tell me instead. It’s safest if I check it out myself."

[You say that when you have someone safer right next to you.]

Kagami paused for a moment.

[Choosing such a roundabout way when there are quicker options means you have your reasons, doesn’t it?]

It was as if Kagami knew I had no intention of answering, as she continued speaking.

[Okay, I’ll let you know if there’s a fire. Email should be enough while you’re at school, right?]

"Yes."

With that, the call ended.

I set the phone, which I had wedged between my ear and shoulder, down on the floor and pulled up my socks.

"Alright."

I felt both uneasy and relieved at the same time.

"Koko."

"Hmm?"

Koko, who had been rolling around on the floor during my call, lifted her head to look at me. Kuro, who had been rolling around beside her, also looked up at me.

……

She’s just a cat, right? I used to wonder whether Koko was a person or a cat, but these days, I’m confused about whether Kuro is a person or a cat.

"Let’s go."

"Okay!"

Koko jumped to her feet.

Her uniform was a little wrinkled, but… well, she looked cute, so I decided not to say anything.

Now that everything was in place, I should hear some news if anything came up.

For now, I decided not to worry about it.

*

And a week passed without any word.

I checked occult magazines, watched the news regularly, and even searched the school library's computer, wondering if Kagami’s side had missed anything.

The world was eerily quiet.

Tokyo was such a big city that you’d expect a fire to happen at least once.

Not that I was hoping for one. Rather, confirming that nothing had happened gave me peace of mind.

"Alright, that’s it for today!"

Fukuda clapped her hands and said.

There was no rule that a 'gyaru-style' character had to have a good figure. But from the many mangas I’d seen, usually tanned gyaru characters had great bodies.

Fukuda Harumi was one such character. If she had appeared in a light novel, she would’ve been a prime heroine candidate.

Not only did she have that appearance, but she also had a lively personality and a ‘still no dating experience’ setting that seemed too intentional.

With her wearing a cheerleader outfit, it was quite something. Among the kids in our class cheering, there was no one who could match Fukuda.

"Whew."

I shook my head to clear those thoughts and let my arms hang loose.

Today was Friday.

Normally, I would have gone to work, but the boss had decided to take a break from Thursday this week until tomorrow.

I wasn’t sure why. It might have something to do with Koko and me, considering I had already told the boss that tomorrow was the sports festival.

I had already mastered the dance, so I didn’t really need any extra time, but it didn’t hurt to be sure.

"Everyone did a great job. Don’t get too nervous. After all, the ones who have to try hard tomorrow are the ones competing in the games, right?"

There was light laughter at Fukuda’s words.

A smile also spread across Fukuda’s face.

Every time I saw that expression, I wondered what Fukuda must have been like after losing Miura.

Could the class have remained this cheerful?

I had never lost a friend when I was a student. Not many people experience something like that.

So I didn’t know how long the gloomy, heavy atmosphere would last after a student’s death.

Miura had been friendly with everyone in the class and was popular from the start of the term, so the heavy atmosphere might have lingered for a while.

Or maybe, since it happened so early in the term, by the end of the school year, the kids had almost forgotten about the incident.

But I figured it must have left a deep scar on both Fukuda and Yamashita.

As Fukuda scanned the class, her eyes met mine.

True to her gyaru nature, Fukuda flashed me a peace sign. To my surprise, it was a 'gyaru peace.' Had that already existed in Japan by this time?

"Tomorrow’s going to be fun, don’t you think?"

Fukuda asked as she approached me. I nodded.

It would definitely be fun. It was going to be a sports festival with all my friends.

Interestingly enough, except for Fukuda, all my friends were participating in their class’s events. Not one of them was on the cheer team.

So, some of them would inevitably compete against each other in the class matches.

While they might be indifferent to it, I found it amusing.

"Yeah."

As I nodded,

"Kotone!"

Koko came running toward me, excited.

"Did Koko do well?"

"You did great. You were amazing."

"Koko was amazing!"

When I answered, Koko raised both hands high above her head in excitement.

Already in a great mood from being praised by the kids, Koko’s spirits seemed to soar even higher after receiving my compliment.

"Ah, over there."

As I patted Koko on the head, Fukuda pointed toward a corner of the field.

Yuka was walking over, still in her uniform.

"Looks like Mako and Yuu are done practicing too."

Fukuda said, then turned to Koko and me.

"Well, let’s go change."

"Yeah."

I waved at Yuka and pointed toward the school building.

Yuka nodded and waved back, as if telling me to hurry up and change.

She probably planned to wait for us until we were done.

After all, whenever I wasn’t busy, Yuka always walked home with me.

Koko, Fukuda, and I, along with the other kids from our class, quickly headed toward the changing room.

*

"So, nothing happened up until the sports festival, huh?"

"Yeah."

I nodded at Yuka’s words.

Usually, whether I was working or not, Yuka and I would walk home together. After all, we took the same route from school to the station.

But recently, due to different practice schedules, we sometimes went home separately.

Today was the last day of practice, so it seemed like Yuka’s class had stayed late to practice as well.

…I wondered if Yuka had made a lot of friends in her class.

I hoped she had made plenty during the sports festival preparations. Now that she had also gotten to know Sasaki, there would be no risk of her becoming isolated in her class.

I wondered how I would feel if Yuka started walking home with other friends instead of me.

Maybe I’d feel a little lonely. Though Koko was by my side, Koko was more like a younger sister than a friend.

"I hope things stay peaceful like this."

When I said that, Yuka nodded.

Koko was walking beside me, humming a tune. It was a modified version of a commercial song turned into a cheer song. So when she was humming it now, it was basically just the commercial song… Hmm, that sounds a bit weird.

Anyway, back to the Kasha situation.

Just because things were calm until the sports festival didn’t mean they would continue to be.

I didn’t know how much of the original story had been altered by my presence, but Raiju had come to this side even with me here.

If the Kasha was an entity unrelated to Kosuzu, or if Kosuzu was actually targeting the Kasha, then things would change. In that case, an incident involving Sasaki and Shii would definitely happen.

"I’m looking forward to seeing you and Koko."

"…You’re in a different class though."

"Still—"

Ziiing.

Just as Yuka was about to respond, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was quiet around us, so the vibration sounded unusually loud.

"Go ahead and answer."

At Yuka’s suggestion, I took out my phone as naturally as I could and checked the screen at an angle where Yuka couldn’t see it.

On the outer screen of my flip phone, the name 'Kagami (かがみ)' appeared.

"…Hello."

As soon as I opened the phone and held it to my ear, I heard,

[We found it.]

There was no need to ask what they had found.

I knew right away.

Without thinking, I glanced at Yuka. She was quietly watching me. Her face showed no change in expression.

Could she have heard the voice on the phone? Yuka was a hunter, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she did.

…More importantly, looking at Yuka was already a mistake in itself.

I stopped walking.

In the meantime, Kagami told me the location.

It was a mansion not far from here. It was within walking distance.

"…Got it."

When I replied politely, Kagami paused for a moment.

She must have realized someone was with me.

[You’re having a rough time, aren’t you?]

Kagami finished the call with a bitter laugh.

Click.

As I closed the phone,

"Who was it?"

Yuka asked right away.

"…Someone I know."

"……."

Yuka stared at me for a moment, but she seemed to decide not to press further.

"Where are you going?"

"……."

Even if I said I was going home, Yuka wouldn’t believe me.

I had almost forgotten, but Yuka had already followed me once before. That was when we weren’t even this close yet.

"…To the fire scene."

"Let me come with you."

Yuka said.

I looked at Koko.

Koko had stopped walking and was staring at me.

Koko was smart. Despite her outward behavior, she was sharp.

So even if I told her to go home, she wouldn’t listen.

I glanced up at the sky for a moment.

The sun was slowly setting. In about thirty minutes, the sky would be completely dark.

…Well, at least the area around the fire would be bright.

I let out a small sigh and nodded.

Chapter 94. Accident (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A Kasha is a yokai that steals the bodies of evil people.

I'm not exactly sure how the Kasha is depicted in the original folklore.

I was more interested in light novels than Japanese folklore.

However, in this light novel, it was portrayed as a "cat."

A cat that looked as if it had been severely burned all over its body.

Since I was Korean in my past life, the first thing that comes to mind when I think of "Kasha" is the weapon.

Maybe it was like that in the original too?

Not in the sense of firing rockets, but more like a burning cart. You know, the kind that looks like it belongs in a hellish painting.

Stealing the corpses of evil people also seems to be related.

Because of that, even as I headed toward the scene of the fire, that thought lingered in my mind.

It wasn’t something I could prevent in advance. The incident had already happened, and the evil people had merely become victims in the process.

I didn’t have the right to judge them, but is there a need to sympathize with those who died purely by chance?

……

Like before, I didn't need to step in. After all, I wasn't a firefighter anymore.

"Are you worried?"

Yuka asked. It seemed my expression gave everything away.

"…No."

"You don't have to worry so much."

I tried to deny it, but naturally, Yuka didn’t fully believe me.

Well, I wouldn’t either. Even if someone who had been worrying moments before said they were "fine," it wouldn't be convincing.

"I’m here, and Koko’s here too."

As Yuka said that, a long, cloth-wrapped item hung from her shoulder.

It was Yuka's sword, Mumei.

Ever since last summer, Yuka always packed that sword in her belongings, as if to say she wouldn’t borrow my blood anymore.

Even when we went on a study trip for Koko, that sword was still among Yuka's luggage.

…Guess going abroad is out of the question. Or maybe if we declared it as a piece of art, we could get it through customs somehow? Maybe there’s an agreement between governments about that sort of thing.

"…Yeah."

Yuka’s words did have much of an effect.

For a moment, my thoughts shifted elsewhere, and it certainly felt more reassuring than being alone.

Yuka was much better at fighting than I was. Honestly, my combat skills were just me swinging a sword in the air without really knowing what I was doing. After a few experiences, I did get the hang of it, but there was still a significant gap between Yuka, who had formal training, and me.

Had Kosuzu, who used to operate in Ota Ward, suddenly moved to Minato Ward?

Was it somehow connected to us on our way home?

Or maybe, the Kasha had just appeared here purely by coincidence.

There was no need to think about it right now.

I just needed to resolve the situation. If I subjugated the Kasha, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about tomorrow.

"Got it."

I nodded to Yuka. She gave a faint smile and quickened her pace.

"…Uuu."

Koko suddenly let out a small, anxious sound.

…There was a distinct smell of burning. The clear scent of something on fire.

I could hear the murmurs of people, mixed with screams in between.

But most of all, the sound of something burning.

A cracking sound of something breaking.

…It wasn’t just one house burning.

As Yuka and I began running, Koko followed a step behind, also running to keep up.

When I looked back, I saw a trace of fear on Koko’s face.

…Fire.

I didn’t know how it worked in this novel, but in many folktales and other creations, fire was a weakness for "those who regenerate."

Maybe, Koko had a similar weakness.

"…."

Should I have sent Koko back after all?

No, in this situation—

"…Ah."

I heard Yuka’s voice, and I looked ahead again.

The heat on my face became noticeably intense.

A harsh, dry heat, different from the blazing sun in the middle of summer.

When a building catches fire, it can affect buildings across the street, even enough for two cars to pass. Fire is much hotter than one might think, and the heat can reach far beyond the visible flames, enough to burn anything nearby.

"This is…"

The place on fire was some kind of mansion.

About ten stories high, maybe? It wasn’t as tall as some high-rise apartments that go up to twenty or thirty stories, but it was quite wide.

Since it was in the heart of Minato Ward, the interior was probably just as luxurious and spacious.

From the third floor up, the mansion was ablaze. Judging by the fire's intensity, the flames had likely already consumed everything from the third to the fifth floor.

I furrowed my brows and looked around.

How could it have reached this point without a fire truck being dispatched?

Fire spreads faster than one might expect, but it doesn’t spread that fast. Of course, it depends on the materials, but unless the building’s exterior was made of flammable materials, the fire shouldn’t have spread this much within just a few minutes before the fire trucks arrived.

"…Is it really a Kasha?"

Yuka asked, looking a bit dumbfounded.

Indeed.

The Kasha is a yokai that steals the bodies of the guilty.

Would such a creature cause a fire this big?

Even if it were malicious, it wouldn’t intentionally expand the damage unnecessarily. There would be no reason to.

Suddenly, something popped into my head.

"The family dies in an accident."

Right. The scammer couple that died last time had a child. I didn’t know how harmonious their family was or if the child had been abused by the parents.

But one thing was certain: the child had also died.

And then, I realized something I had overlooked.

The Kasha only targets the guilty, paying no attention to anyone else.

Just as a lion doesn’t care about the bugs it crushes while chasing a gazelle, the Kasha simply disappears after it takes its prey, without bothering to clean up the aftermath.

That must have been the case after the entire family died.

It was the same reason Sasaki and Shii got caught up in the incident in the original story.

This time too.

I quickly scanned my surroundings again. I tried to listen carefully. The sound of a fire truck’s siren is loud enough to be heard from far away, even with car windows closed. If they were on their way, we should have heard them by now.

Why?

I took out my phone to call, but—

“No, I’m telling you there’s a fire here! I just reported it a moment ago...!”

A panicked voice came from beside me.

When I turned my head, a girl around my age was shouting into her phone.

"They’re not answering? What do you mean…?"

Not answering?

When you call emergency services, your call is directed to a central dispatch center that handles all reports for the area. Then, based on the situation, they contact the nearest fire station.

Firefighters don’t come from far away. That’s why there are smaller stations spread out, so they can respond quickly from the closest one.

Even if someone reported just a little smoke or a burning smell, two large, red fire trucks and an ambulance would usually rush out, and patrol cars would turn around and head to the scene.

There were police officers here.

But the crucial fire trucks were nowhere to be seen.

"What’s going on?"

"Huh?"

When I spoke to the girl, she jumped and turned to look at me.

Her face was slightly sunburnt. She seemed familiar.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that.

Her eyes showed traces of tears. There was some soot on her face, and her hands were slightly swollen and red. Had she been burned?

"My… my little sister is inside…"

"…."

That wasn’t the question I had asked, but it was understandable why she’d answer that way.

If a family member hadn’t escaped, she’d be worried.

I looked up at the mansion again.

Black smoke was billowing out. If anyone was still inside, they’d likely have passed out from the smoke before the flames even reached them. Given how far the fire had already progressed, there might be no hope.

But.

I looked back at the girl.

No, I looked at the people gathered around.

Everyone had worry written all over their faces. Some had clearly rushed out of the building as the fire spread, with traces of smoke and soot on their clothes.

"…."

"Wait a moment."

As I was lost in thought, Yuka grabbed my shoulder.

“You’re not seriously thinking about going in, are you? The firefighters will be here soon. That kind of fire is beyond what we can handle.”

She was right.

You can’t cut through fire with a sword. Even if you cut through burning objects, the fire wouldn’t just extinguish.

Fire isn’t like a yokai's nest. It’s a tangible entity that devours everything around it without mercy.

But.

"…."

I thought for a moment,

"Alright."

And answered for now.

Yuka stared at me. It was as if she was afraid I’d disappear at any moment.

She tightened her grip on my arm.

"And that girl."

I turned to look at the girl who had been crying earlier.

"…Don’t you remember? She’s the one who tried to harm you."

"…Ah."

Now I remembered.

The situation had been intense, but honestly, the faces of the kids who had tried to drag me to the bathroom and assault me had been pushed far back in my mind.

In fact, they had never been a priority. A punch from a person is nothing compared to the claws or fangs of a yokai.

Besides, regular student violence wouldn’t be enough to actually kill me.

I knew she had been cruel enough to drive a classmate to suicide. But still—

"There’s no difference in the value of a life."

Surely, Yuka didn’t mean that in the literal sense.

She wasn’t saying, “That girl’s sibling deserves to die.” Instead, it was more like, “There’s no need to risk your life for someone who tried to hurt you.”

I didn’t expect gratitude if I went in. Even when there’s no animosity, people often complain about firefighters.

But that’s why the job exists.

There is a difference in the severity of injuries. Sometimes you do need to prioritize who gets treatment.

But when it comes to saving lives, there’s no distinction. It doesn’t matter the person’s gender, age, or past.

If there’s a living person within reach, you just bring them out.

If the rescuer starts to judge the value of a life based on their own standards, then it wouldn’t be the firefighters stepping in, but the victim’s family.

And we can’t let family members throw themselves into the flames.

“Even a minute’s delay could mean more deaths.”

I hate fire.

There isn’t a single good memory tied to it.

“If the fire brigade hasn’t shown up yet, something is seriously wrong.”

What could have gone wrong? I didn’t know. Whether it was related to Kosuzu or something else.

“That doesn’t mean you have to go.”

Yuka said.

Yes, she was this kind of character.

Righteous, but also realistic.

In [Tokyo Slayers], the one with this kind of foolish sense of duty was Sasaki.

"…."

I thought for a moment.

I looked around, but there wasn’t a single person stepping forward to go in. It was a smart choice. Going in would just mean adding another body.

You need protective gear to deal with fires.

"Kotone?"

Koko interrupted, noticing the atmosphere. She looked at me with a pitiful expression.

For a moment, I wavered again.

I…

"Sorry, Yuka. Koko."

It wasn’t a matter of whether I should or shouldn’t.

It’s just that someone who can do something should do it.

"Wait!?"

Yuka’s shout drew attention from those around us.

Yuka dropped the bag she was holding with her other hand and tried to grab me, but I was just a bit faster.

By the time Yuka grabbed my left arm, my teeth were already clamped tightly onto my wrist.

I pulled my head back.

It wasn’t much, but a piece of flesh tore off. A thin stream of blood trickled out.

After a searing pain, a pair of red eyes stared up at me from my wrist.

* * *

"Hmm."

When I made my request, Nirlass paused for a moment, as if deep in thought.

"Out of all the requests you've made to me, this is the longest. Surely, you haven’t forgotten that all of this will be done using your blood?"

"Of course."

I answered lightly.

"That makes me all the more curious."

Nirlass approached me with clear interest. I couldn’t see it, but I could sense it.

"Why are you going so far? You don’t seem like you’re trying to be a hero."

"…."

I thought for a moment.

Indeed.

Logically speaking, this was insane.

Of course, the world is full of people who run through smoke-filled hallways, banging on doors to evacuate residents, even while a fire rages. There are those who die while trying to save others without thinking of their own lives.

But I… am not one of those people.

Why did I become a firefighter?

…Probably, just because I thought it was cool.

The first toy I had as a kid was a red fire truck. I thought it was incredibly cool. That was all there was to it.

“The girl said her little sister’s still inside.”

When I said that, Nirlass let out an amused hum.

"You have a little sister of your own as well, don’t you?"

Koko.

"What do you think will happen if you die?"

"If I thought I was going to die, I wouldn’t be going in."

"I’m curious about the basis for that."

"There's a prophecy, isn’t there? I’ll be killed by the person I trust the most. Until that day comes, I’m going to stay alive."

I’ve thought about it before.

What if I get so badly injured that I end up brain-dead or in a vegetative state? What if Yuka, unable to watch me suffer anymore, lets me die peacefully?

But the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. The Kudan prophecy isn’t personal. Even if I were euthanized, I doubt it would have any grand effect on the world.

More importantly, I’ve already slipped in the bathroom and twisted my neck in a weird direction before.

Living just to be alive doesn’t mean anything to me. It’s either die, or live. One or the other.

Fire is terrifying. Like I thought with Koko, my regenerative ability might be useless against fire.

That’s why I made this request.

"An interesting assumption."

But while Nirlass seemed to mock me slightly, she didn’t deny what I said.

"But there’s still a problem. Pulling you out of there, creating protection from the fire, and keeping it going for a long time. If all that’s included, what are you offering me? What do you have right now that’s worth that much?"

I figured she’d ask for something valuable.

I had an idea.

"…I’ll tell you my story."

Nirlass was silent for a moment. She was weighing whether it was worth it.

Hearing about my past from my own mouth, or waiting a bit longer to piece it together later.

"Alright."

Nirlass chose the former.

* * *

My story, huh.

The part of it that Nirlass would find interesting would be the part that became my trauma.

The reason I spent so much time after that living like a wreck. The incident that killed my entire family.

There’s a continuation to that story.

There’s no difference in the value of a life.

But there is a difference in the severity of injuries.

There’s something called triage. It’s used to categorize patients based on the seriousness of their condition.

Those who need immediate treatment. Those who don’t need immediate care but still need attention. Those who are fine to wait.

And those who are beyond saving, or already dead.

My sister, my parents, were already dead. The car was on fire, and water was being poured on it to extinguish the flames, but ours wasn’t the only car that was burning.

I heard screams. Survivors from the other cars.

My family, who were clearly dead, couldn’t be helped. I had to prioritize the living.

For example, the driver of the truck that had crushed our car.

I pried open the twisted, jammed door and pulled the injured man out.

No matter what I asked him, he didn’t answer. Not even when I asked where he was hurt. He just kept his mouth shut.

Of course, he wouldn’t know that the person pulling him out was the family member of the people he had killed.

I wanted to tell him right to his face.

…But what would that do?

His leg was broken. I watched as the paramedics set his leg, and then I ran toward the other cars.

The further I ran, the farther I got from the car my family was trapped in.

Using a crowbar, I broke the car windows, pried open the doors, and pulled unconscious people out.

By the time I was done, my jaw ached. When I opened my mouth, I tasted something slightly sweet.

I collapsed onto the road, sitting in the middle with my head hanging down. My colleagues left me alone in silence for a long time.

"…."

I felt heat on my face.

When I opened my eyes, I was already inside the building.

For now, there was more smoke than fire.

When I touched my face, I felt something plastic-like covering my mouth.

An oxygen mask.

…Who would think you could create something like this with blood? Or rather, you can’t. Not without the power of an otherworldly entity.

It didn’t feel pleasant.

But what else could I do?

I took a step forward.

And shouted.

"Is anyone there!? Is anyone still inside!?"

Chapter 95. Accident (10)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A thick, acrid black smoke that must never be inhaled.

The intense flames were so fierce that even standing nearby felt like my body would catch fire.

Naturally, sweat poured down my body. Black soot clung to the parts of me that weren’t covered by my clothes and gear. I’d probably be a sight to see once I went outside.

Thinking back, it wasn’t such an old story in my memory.

It hadn’t even been six months since I crossed over to this world. For me, it felt like I had taken a short break from work.

The weight of the equipment felt familiar, maybe because I was used to it, or perhaps Nirlass had adjusted it for me.

It was a strange sight.

I was wearing a suit made from my blood over my school uniform, and I had an oxygen tank-like object strapped to my back.

Although it was small in size, could I properly carry someone else if I found them?

Well, I’d know once I tried.

I grabbed one of the fire extinguishers hanging in the hallway. While it wouldn’t completely put out the fire, it would be useful in an emergency.

Then, I called out as I moved forward.

“Is anyone there!?”

In truth, even if I shouted like this, it wasn’t easy to hear any responses. The roar of the fire was deafening, and with my ears covered by the blood-made fireproof gear, I couldn’t hear anything unless it was a very loud sound.

But I had to try.

I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them again.

A bit of blood dripped from my stinging left wrist, and I felt something crawling inside my clothes.

The small creature that climbed up my body let out a little ‘kyuu’ sound in my ear.

This way.

Nirlass had made sure to provide what I asked for, the ‘necessary things.’

I headed in the direction Chi indicated.

The door was slightly ajar. Was there someone inside? Even if there was, it might already be too late. At this point, they’d probably inhaled too much smoke.

I slowly opened the door, inch by inch.

There was still a fire burning inside the house. Fortunately, opening the door didn’t cause an explosion.

It was thanks to the fact that someone had left the door slightly open while escaping.

The flames licked up the walls, like a tongue flickering upwards.

The deeper I went inside, the more a chill ran down my spine.

Something was in here.

It seemed like the fire had started from this house.

Could the Kasha still be lurking inside?

“...”

But I turned my body toward where the person was, not the Kasha.

If I let the Kasha go, it could cause far more deaths in the next accident.

But the difference between ‘might die’ and ‘will die’ was clear.

Since I didn’t know what would happen in the future, the only thing I could do now was to save the person lying unconscious in front of me.

I took a deep breath inside my mask. It was suffocatingly hot under my clothes. Blocking the fire also meant cutting off oxygen. My body inside was probably already drenched in sweat.

… If someone later told the story of how their sister was left behind during an escape, people might blame the one who fled.

But in a fire, with the flames spreading, it’s impossible to think clearly. If you’re in a different room, you only realize it after you’ve escaped in a panic.

And the person trying to save them shouldn’t be blamed for such things.

I entered the house. I pulled the safety pin from the fire extinguisher and pointed it forward as I proceeded.

I didn’t hear anyone coughing.

“Kyuu.”

I simply followed the sound next to my ear that was guiding me.

Chi pointed to a room inside the house. The fire from the living room had spread to the door.

I emptied the contents of the fire extinguisher on the door and took the fire axe that I had tied to my waist.

It wasn’t much different from the axe I usually used, so I smashed the burning wooden door. Thankfully, the fire hadn’t yet reached the inside of the room.

Black smoke rushed out above my head.

The window inside the room was open. They had likely opened it to breathe.

… There, inside, was a child lying on the floor.

The child looked about the same age as Shii.

I knelt down beside them.

Placing a hand on their chest, I could feel a faint movement.

A spare blood-mask was formed and I attached it to the child’s mouth.

Then, I carefully lifted the child in my arms.

The body was too heavy for me to lift easily given my size and strength.

But there was no other way. I had to bite the bullet and carry them.

Breathing heavily through the oxygen mask, I headed out of the room.

Fortunately, I didn’t hear any more ‘kyuu’ sounds in my ears.

I slowly descended the stairs.

Hot air rises. That’s why, during a fire, black smoke billows up toward the ceiling.

So just going down a few floors was enough to feel relatively safe.

“Phew.”

I could feel the temperature gradually dropping as I descended, and I finally made it down to the first floor.

“What!?”

The firefighters hadn’t arrived yet, but there were a few police officers on the first floor. Had they come to check on the situation?

“A firefighter?”

“Have they arrived…?!”

Were they thinking I came from a different direction?

The clothes I was wearing were a different color from the usual firefighter uniforms. They were completely red, but the shape was similar enough that they could be mistaken.

Not all firefighter uniforms were yellow, after all.

The officer who took the child from me looked up at me with a smile but then froze.

“Huh?”

He had seen my face beyond the oxygen mask covering it.

At best, I had the face of a high school student.

But before the officer could say anything to me, I turned around.

“Excuse me…!”

But they didn’t follow me. I was holding a child, after all.

Later, they’d probably think they saw it wrong or something. That would be enough.

I picked up the fire axe again, found another fire extinguisher in the hallway, and went back to the room I had come from.

The chills I hadn’t noticed when I was carrying the child came back. It was a strange coldness that I could feel even in the middle of these hot flames.

“...”

Alright.

How do you catch a lurking yokai?

Yuka—

Right, Yuka had cut through the air.

I moved forward slowly, looking for the source of the fire.

If this fire was really caused by the Kasha yokai, the origin of the flames would be here.

The living room.

… It was already charred black, with only ashes left. Flames were climbing up the walls and ceiling.

The chill I felt grew even stronger.

And then, I aimed the fire extinguisher in that direction.

As the white powder coated the floor and ceiling, the flames briefly weakened.

I didn’t miss that moment and tossed the fire extinguisher aside.

I raised the fire axe made from my blood—

Despite the fire extinguisher’s suppression, the sofa continued to burn fiercely, so I swung the axe at it.

Creak.

The axe lodged into the air, opening a crack.

So, I was right to follow what I had seen.

I pulled out the axe and slammed it down again, just as I had done when breaking the door. Thanks to the axe’s weight, the crack in the air widened with a loud sound.

I repeated the process a few more times and then hurled myself into the gap.

*

“Kotone! Kotone!”

Yuka was holding tightly onto a bellowing Koko. Koko looked like she was ready to dash off somewhere at any moment.

She probably knew where Kotone had gone after she disappeared.

“No, Koko.”

Yuka spoke firmly as she hugged Koko from behind.

Koko could change form. She could move so fast that people wouldn’t even notice.

But was it really right for Koko to enter those flames?

Yuka didn’t think of Koko as an ‘ordinary person,’ as Kotone claimed. But if even a little human blood flowed in her veins, she wouldn’t be able to ignore physical limitations like the yokai could.

If Koko entered the fire, she would surely get hurt.

Even if Kotone had some method of going in, Yuka couldn’t let Koko recklessly follow her and get injured as well.

“Koko, remember what Kotone say? In front of others…”

“But Kotone, Kotone!”

People’s attention had already turned toward them.

In fact, people were already looking at them as if they weren’t seeing something ordinary.

The sight of Kotone, who had been fighting Yuka just moments ago, had vanished somewhere. That girl that was crying earlier, in particular, was staring at them with wide eyes.

That didn’t matter. If someone brought it up later, they could just be dismissed as a crazy person.

People tended to be overly cynical about anything that defied logic, so whatever that girl claimed would be brushed off as a hallucination or a misunderstanding.

The real issue was…

“Kotone! Kotone!”

It was Koko, who was now screaming right in front of Yuka.

Koko was likely trying to hold onto her sanity by doing this. She had experienced similar situations before, and Kotone had always instructed her during those times.

Koko listened to Kotone well. As long as Yuka kept reminding her, Koko wouldn’t shake Yuka off and run into the fire.

“...”

To be honest, Yuka felt the same way.

She wanted to chase after Kotone and go inside.

But what could she do once she was in there? The hazardous smoke from the fire would make her lose consciousness within minutes. Even if she survived, she would only be a hindrance to Kotone, and if she died, it would be a senseless death.

… That’s what Yuka’s rationality was telling her.

“Koko, just wait a little longer. If we wait, Kotone will come out.”

As Yuka said this,

“Hey, over there!”

Someone shouted.

Yuka and Koko turned their heads at the same time. A person was emerging from the first floor.

Their clothes were covered in soot, and a child about Shii’s age was being carried out in an officer’s arms.

“Oh…!”

The crying child who had reported the fire collapsed to the ground. That must be the ‘younger sibling’ they had been talking about.

“See, Koko? Now, for sure—”

Yuka smiled as she said this. Kotone, making us worry like this, I won’t let you off easily.

First, I’ll drag her to the hospital. Then, after making sure there’s nothing wrong with her, I’ll take her to the nearest meat restaurant and make her eat until she’s stuffed.

She must be exhausted. She’ll probably fall asleep right away.

… Tomorrow is sports day. She had to come out safely. Yuka really wanted to see Kotone and Koko in action as part of the cheer squad.

So, she had to come out.

She had to, but—

“... Huh?”

But that was the end of it.

The few officers who had gone in earlier, and the child they had brought out, were all that came out.

Before Yuka realized it, she was pushing through the crowd, pulling a dazed Koko along with her.

“Excuse me, officer. Sorry, but…”

Yuka approached the nearest officer standing behind the safety line.

It was the one who had brought out the child.

“... The person who brought that child out?”

“Huh? Oh.”

The officer had a strange look on his face. It wasn’t a good sign.

“... The person was wearing a firefighter’s outfit I think, but when we came down, we realized the fire brigade hadn’t arrived yet. We’re trying to figure it out now, but the flames are too intense to go back up at the moment.”

“...”

Yuka’s mouth fell open.

From the way the officer referred to them as a firefighter, they must have been dressed properly, but Yuka immediately realized that person was Kotone.

Kotone had the ability to create things from her own blood.

Yuka quickly turned to Koko.

Koko was staring blankly at the burning mansion.

“Koko?”

“Kotone’s gone.”

“... Huh?”

Yuka’s mind went blank at those words.

“Koko, what do you mean?”

“It’s just like that time.”

“That time?”

“At the beach.”

“… Ah.”

That time.

When Yuka and Kotone had torn through the air to find the Raiju and entered its nest.

Koko had come looking for Kotone but couldn’t find her and had been kidnapped.

So… they couldn’t be relieved yet.

Yuka didn’t know exactly how Koko sensed Kotone. Whether she could feel it even if Kotone had died or only when her body was still present in this world.

But—

At least, Yuka knew Kotone was in extreme danger right now.

“...”

Yuka nodded and rummaged through her bag.

Inside, there were plenty of talismans.

“... Alright.”

It was going to be incredibly dangerous. Honestly, what she was thinking now was nothing more than a foolish idea.

But if they could just find the nest.

If they could just cross over, the situation inside would be very different from the one here.

If they escaped before the nest completely collapsed, they could make it to safety.

“...”

Yuka took a moment to steady her breathing, then placed a hand on Koko’s shoulder as she sat on the ground.

“Koko, I need your help.”

“Uuu?”

Tears welled up in Koko’s eyes as she looked at Yuka.

… This was something that had changed about Koko too. The more time they spent together, the more Koko’s emotional expressions and range of facial expressions grew.

She was learning, step by step. A child who had known nothing and was now just beginning to experience happiness.

Yuka hoped that happiness would last a long, long time.

And she didn’t want to lose her friend, either.

To be honest, the latter was much more important.

In a small voice, Yuka whispered softly.

“We need a way to get into the building. Can you figure out where Kotone was, right before she disappeared?”

“Mmh…”

Koko rubbed her eyes and nodded.

“Good. Then guide us as far as we can go, to the floor below. I’ll figure out the rest.”

In her bag, Yuka had a few handkerchiefs. There were also compression bandages and a few items to treat minor injuries.

Even just the handkerchiefs would help shield them from the smoke.

… All of it was stuff Yuka carried because of Kotone. Kotone was someone who could get injured unexpectedly, at any time, and anywhere.

“Can you do it?”

“...”

Koko stared at Yuka for a moment,

“Yes!”

She answered loudly.

*

Alright, so that’s how it’s going to be.

I thought as I gripped the axe in both hands.

And I was also thinking that tools should be used for their intended purpose.

Katana, in general, are almost useless in most situations. Would you use one for cooking or chopping firewood?

But speaking as someone who uses one, having a long blade is advantageous for its reach.

When dealing with a giant, flaming bipedal cat, a katana seemed better than an axe.

… Well, I kind of knew from the original description, but seeing it in person, the sense of intimidation was no joke.

The nest was similar to reality but not reality itself.

It was like a decompression chamber connecting the yokai realm to the human world. Or rather, think of it as a huge spaceship.

A spaceship that yokai use before stepping into reality. An area they can’t freely exit until they craft a proper space suit.

The same applied to humans.

I had already taken off everything I had been wearing on my head. It was all too heavy and cumbersome to fight a monster.

The corpse that the cat had leisurely been eating was laid out on a sofa identical to the one I had been sitting on.

Of course, it was already charred black beyond recognition. There was no saving it.

And I—

“Ugh.”

I was bleeding from my arm. The cat’s claws had grazed me. It was only a shallow scratch at the tip, and luckily the claws weren’t on fire, so it would heal.

“...”

I gripped the fire axe tightly in my right hand and pointed it at the cat.

The balance was off, and I didn’t have much strength left in my limbs. It seemed like I had used up most of my energy climbing up and down the stairs.

But even so—

“Hiss!”

Despite its size, the flaming giant cat let out a sound similar to our house cat Kuro and pounced toward me.

Bang!

“Kyaw!?”

But this time, the attack didn’t land on me.

Blood was still flowing from my wrist, which was hidden inside my sleeve. I could clearly feel that even in this realm, I was still connected to Nirlass.

Which meant, I could use my abilities.

With blood flowing from my left wrist, I extended a tentacle forward when needed.

The blood loss would increase, but this much was still a useful ability.

“… If I can just take you down, Sasaki and Shii will be safe, right?”

“Hiss!”

“… I don’t quite understand how Kosuzu is using you, how they’re preventing the fire brigade from arriving, but whatever.”

Maybe I should leave that to Kagami.

After hearing my story, they would probably be investigating things on their end. Whatever the result, something would come of it.

The cat was trying to wipe the blood off its face.

The moment it raised its front paw to swipe its face, I lunged toward the cat—no, the Kasha.

I swung my left arm, extending the tentacle, but the cat changed its stance and swiftly dodged downward.

The huge cat, much larger than me, was incredibly agile.

Sizzle.

The tentacle that touched the flames on the cat’s back wriggled, then burned off and fell to the floor.

I lifted my right hand, still holding the axe, and struck downwards.

Thud!

The heavy fire axe made a dull sound as it hit the floor, leaving a scratch.

“Shhh!”

The cat let out a snake-like hiss and swiped its front paws at me repeatedly, so I dodged by falling backward.

This time, I used the tentacle I had just created to wrap around the fire axe and swung it at the cat.

The cat hadn’t anticipated such an attack, and this time, it couldn’t completely avoid it.

Slash!

A long gash appeared on the cat’s front paw. Blood splattered, and the cat let out a howl. It sounded like a cat in heat.

I tried to stand up immediately, but—

“Ah.”

I dropped to one knee.

My body was reaching its limit.

“… Damn.”

Being so close and unable to move properly was a fatal mistake. Though I didn’t regret my previous actions, I couldn’t afford to die here.

“… I can’t die.”

“Grrr…”

The cat, extremely angry, slowly got up.

Its left arm dangled. Ha, serves you right.

Thinking its prey couldn’t resist any longer… how foolish.

…

Ugh.

I was really reaching my limit.

The fireproof suit that had been protecting me melted away. In an instant, I was drenched in my own blood.

Right. This fireproof suit was made from my blood. The oxygen tank and mask, too.

“Hah.”

I tried to force my body to move and escape. I wasn’t going to die. Even though I couldn’t think of a way out, I believed there was a way to survive.

How? How could I make sure things went according to the prophecy?

Even my fire axe was gone now—

“Hah.”

That wasn’t my breath.

Suddenly, there were others in the living room with me.

“... Yuka? Koko?”

“Idiot.”

Yuka said as she looked at me.

“You came here alone to such a dangerous place?”

“How…?”

“I should be asking you that. What were you thinking, coming all the way here?”

“Kotone, idiot.”

Even Koko.

… Somehow, the tension dropped all of a sudden.

“Koko, take care of Kotone.”

“Okay!”

At Yuka’s words, Koko immediately came over to me.

“Kotone, you don’t have to worry anymore.”

“… Haha.”

At Koko’s words, I let out a somewhat defeated laugh.

Chapter 96. Accident (11)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Yuka already knew, to some extent, how Koko could change her body.

She had seen how Koko used her hair when fighting, and even when her entire body was crushed inside a car, it returned to its original form.

So, when Koko grabbed Yuka and entered the building, she was startled.

She couldn’t tell how Koko was moving. It was too fast for her to catch with her eyes.

And it wasn’t a comfortable move either. The part where Koko had grabbed her would probably bruise by tomorrow.

“Here?”

Koko asked, and Yuka silently handed her a damp handkerchief. She covered her mouth with one and handed another to Koko. Koko tilted her head, following Yuka's actions, though it seemed she didn’t fully understand why.

Maybe I should teach her how to evacuate from a burning building later.

...But not right now.

From what she could see, the situation inside seemed much more serious. Even though they were on the lower floor, she could already feel the heat. The smoke also made it hard to see.

Her eyes stung a little.

Was it really the right thing to go to the lower floor where Kotone might be in this situation? What if both of them died trying to save one person? What kind of tragedy would that be?

But—

Koko was staring at Yuka intently.

...Now that Koko had brought her this far, she couldn’t make that choice.

“Let’s go.”

Yuka said, and after confirming Koko’s nod, she found a path. This was familiar to her, something she’d trained for since childhood and had continued to practice as an adult.

“...”

The place they arrived at felt hot even through the ceiling.

It must be much hotter beyond this point.

Kotone had rescued someone and come back from a place like that.

What in the world was driving Kotone to act this way?

She was a child who had been abused since she was young. Yuka didn’t want to say it, but she had heard that many children inherit the violent tendencies of their parents.

But Kotone acted as if she had vowed never to learn such things from her mother, behaving completely differently.

Even more so than Yuka, whose profession was to save people.

Yuka bit her lip.

“Yuka?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion.

“...No, it’s nothing.”

Yuka said, trying to reassure Koko and keep her from feeling uneasy. She took the sword that was slung over her shoulder.

As she uncovered it, a plain black scabbard was revealed.

When Yuka drew the sword, a soft metallic sound rang out.

Without hesitation, Yuka used the sword to slice through the ceiling.

As the air split open, Yuka shouted.

“Let’s go, Koko.”

“Okay!”

Koko answered, her eyes gleaming.

Was she sensing Kotone’s presence?

Even though it was ridiculous to let her guard down in this kind of situation—

For a brief moment, Yuka let out a small laugh.

---

“Grr...!”

The cat was quick.

And its back was on fire. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if it were just a matter of avoiding getting hurt from touching it, but now they had to avoid any contact at all.

It wasn’t surprising that Yuka was struggling more than expected.

One of her legs was half-severed and twisted in an unnatural direction... Being in a confined space with a huge cat while also protecting me and avoiding direct contact was incredibly difficult.

“Huff...!”

Koko also continued to attack the cat. But it seemed she wasn’t immune to the heat.

When her hair was cut by me before, she had bled and been startled.

In the end, instead of surrounding the enemy from both sides, they were fighting it head-on together.

The Kasha seemed aware of this, actively using the fire on its body. The flames on its back crept forward, now covering almost its entire body. The spots that had been cut were melting away in the fire, making the wounds disappear.

It was a grotesque sight.

The Kasha used the fire on its own body without showing any signs of pain, yet the fur where the flames burned was completely gone. From here, the burn marks looked incredibly painful.

As if it were cursed with an inescapable fate.

Moreover, as the cat thrashed around, the flames started to spread little by little in this once fire-free space.

Curtains near the window, the carpet on the floor, and even the already burning sofa.

The longer we stayed here, the less space the kids would have to stand on.

And eventually, the place where I lay would be consumed as well.

“Ugh.”

I slowly dragged my body to the corner of the room.

Raising my hand, I looked at my wrist.

“What? You were watching the whole time? Then you could’ve said something.”

“I was pondering your earlier words. There’s one thing I must ask, or else I won’t be able to rest properly tonight.”

Rest properly, huh? As if you’re a being that needs sleep.

“Don’t you have a way to open up my mind and take a look?”

“I wish to solve the puzzle myself, so I’ll refrain from doing so. However.”

Nirlass whispered.

“If the puzzle pieces are wrong from the start, there’s no reason not to force them together.”

But what can I do?

“The only puzzle pieces I can give are the ones I already have.”

Clang!

“Meow!”

“Haah!”

Koko sacrificed some of her hair to attack the Kasha. A deep wound appeared, and while the Kasha seemed pained, Koko looked even more distressed.

The smell of burning flesh filled the air. I couldn’t tell if it was from the sofa, which had already lost its form, from the Kasha engulfed in flames, or from Koko’s burns.

Yuka swung her sword, cutting the cat's belly. But the cat, paying no mind to its injury, tried to collapse onto Yuka. Yuka quickly rolled away to escape.

If we drag this out, will we have the upper hand?

It seemed possible. The two of them would probably be able to take down the Kasha.

But—

...What about us returning to reality?

Had the firefighters arrived by now? Even if they had, putting out the fire wouldn’t happen instantly. The fire had already spread across most of the floor. It could take hours.

And if they hadn’t arrived yet?

...If the real building collapsed in flames, what would happen to us trying to return? Yuka and Koko might have already been injured. If we’re lucky, we might make it back safely, but if not...

“If you truly are an ordinary human, there’s one more thing I want to ask.”

“...”

I thought for a moment.

“I can’t give that for free.”

I heard Nirlass chuckle softly.

“You dislike lies, don’t you? Very well. Tell me what you desire, and I shall grant it.”

“...I want to help those kids.”

“You still have such thoughts, even now.”

Nirlass spoke in an even more excited tone.

“Then, I shall ask my question.”

“...Ugh.”

Blood drained from my body.

I lifted my left hand, palm upward, and blood slowly rose from the wound.

The blood gathered in one place, forming a shape.

Though it was a bit larger than I remembered.

“If you’re really just an ordinary human, why hasn’t your mind broken dowin a situation like this?”

That’s because I’ve seen it. So much already.

Even in a country that seems peaceful, that boasts of having the world’s best public safety, people die every day. In countless ways.

I’ve seen people get hit by cars multiple times a year. Many of them die. If you’re unlucky enough to be assigned to an accident-prone area, you’ll see people even more unfortunate than you quite often.

People who die just because they happened to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I once entered a burning house and found a child dying from stab wounds. The person who called in the report was the one wielding the knife. That person had already escaped and waited outside for the fire department, then was taken to the emergency room.

When someone gets electrocuted while fixing a high-voltage wire, it doesn’t look like an X-ray image where you see their bones. Instead, there’s a huge spark. That spark is hot enough to set their clothes and hair on fire.

That person had to hang there without even being able to scream until the power was cut and we could bring them down. Their family couldn’t recognize them at first.

People die so easily.

I’ve seen it over and over again.

I’m not sure if my senses have become dull, or if I’m just pretending they are. But... I’ve been like this.

“Then why do you keep doing this?”

Hmm.

I thought you said there was only one question.

Oh well. It’s not like answering one more will hurt. Should I give a bonus answer?

At first, I regretted it.

It was just that my childhood dream had become solidified and I ended up following it. Red fire trucks were cool, but that feeling only lasted a day or two.

After doing this job for so long, I started to think—

If not me, then who?

I had answered that way when my younger sibling asked me.

Even after losing everything, it was the only thing I knew how to do. And I wanted to live up to the answer I’d given.

“Hmm.”

Nirlass didn’t say anything for a while after hearing my answer.

“It’s not the answer I expected, but it’s still an answer.”

With that, the object made of my blood dropped into my hand.

“Then, until next time. Your answer wasn’t enough, but as the one solving the riddle, I’ll bear with it.”

I hope you’ll let me know if you figure it out.

With Nirlass’s final words, the wound on my left wrist closed.

I was still covered in blood. Considering that it was all my own blood, I couldn’t help but wonder how I was still alive. No matter how much supernatural power I had, this amount of blood loss didn’t seem normal.

I staggered to my feet. In front of me, I could see the two of them, standing with their backs to me, fighting.

I stumbled forward.

“Kotone!?”

The first to notice was, of course, Koko.

“Kotone, wait, it’s dangerous—”

Yuka, who was about to shout urgently at me, froze for a moment when she saw what was in my hand and the look on my face.

What I held in my hand was a thick, cylindrical object. Made of my blood, it had a glossy, glass-like surface with a red hue.

Inside the semi-transparent object, a liquid was filled to the brim.

Fire extinguishers usually require you to remove the safety pin and press the lever, but when people panic, they sometimes forget the order or get confused.

And in front of a blazing fire, a moment of hesitation could decide life or death.

That’s why a simpler type of fire extinguisher was invented, one that could be easily stored at home and thrown immediately without thinking.

A throwable fire extinguisher filled with firefighting liquid.

The one I held was a special extinguisher filled with my own blood.

“Grr?”

Before the Kasha could move, my hand moved first.

The cylindrical extinguisher left my hand, hitting the Kasha’s head and shattering.

As my blood poured out,

“Graaaah!?”

The Kasha went berserk.

My blood is a bit nasty, isn’t it?

And for some reason, the flames surrounding the Kasha’s body started to go out. Its grotesque face, with flesh melted and deformed from the burns, was exposed.

The fire was extinguished only in some parts, mostly around its head and neck. The rest of its body was still ablaze.

But that was enough.

Thunk!

“Graaah!?”

A long, black spike pierced through the Kasha’s lower jaw and up through its nose. The spike extended far beyond its head, leaving the Kasha unable to fully open or close its mouth.

Then, the top of the spike twisted into a T-shape.

“Graah!?”

With a strong pull, the Kasha’s mouth was dragged downward. The creature, which had been standing like a bear, was slowly pulled down.

It raised its arms to slice at the spike, but—

“No, I won’t let you.”

Yuka had already moved.

In an instant, she dashed to the Kasha’s side and swung her sword, Mumei, from above.

“...”

After a clean strike, the Kasha stopped moving for a moment.

And soon.

Swoosh.

Its body collapsed to the floor. Its head remained stuck in Koko’s extended hair.

“We did it!”

Without even a moment to catch her breath, Yuka ran toward me and Koko.

She grabbed my arm tightly and dragged me along, shouting to Koko.

“Koko! We have to get out the way we came in! The nest is going to collapse soon!”

“Okay!”

Ah, right.

That’s true. The nest starts collapsing right after the yokai dies. I’ve seen it happen before.

And if we stay here—

We’ll all be engulfed in flames. We can’t see it from here, but in reality, the fire must be raging outside.

Koko grabbed both me and Yuka tightly.

And.

Wait, hold on.

If we move like this, I might get motion sick—

---

“Ugh.”

At least I didn’t throw up and waste what was in my stomach.

“Cough, cough.”

Though I did cough a lot.

I probably had the most experience entering burning buildings, but ironically, I was the one coughing the hardest from the thick smoke.

I could hear the faint sound of sirens from beyond the window.

The fire department must have arrived now.

What on earth took them so long? Though it’s pointless to complain about it now.

We took down the Kasha. Sasaki and Shii wouldn’t be involved anymore. And we found and saved the child who had almost died in here.

“You have the look of someone who’s finished their job?”

Yuka threw an arm around my shoulder as she spoke in disbelief.

Ugh. I just want to lie down now. Can’t we just wait for the firefighters to come up here? Or maybe I could ask Koko to—

“Uuu!”

Koko puffed up her cheeks, glaring at me.

It wasn’t a scary expression at all.

But the fact that Koko was mad at me was what mattered. Had Koko ever shown me this kind of attitude before?

It’s good that her emotions are becoming more varied, but—

“But, why are you making that ‘relieved’ face?”

“...”

At Yuka’s words, I stopped thinking.

Come to think of it, my body was covered in blood. All of it was mine. While I didn’t sustain any serious wounds, the amount of blood I lost was enough to put my life in danger.

...If Yuka started crying right here, it would all be my fault.

Besides, Koko was already sniffling.

Sniffling as she held up my arm.

I was caught between the two of them and helped down the stairs.

“Ah!?”

Just then, a firefighter coming up the stairs freaked out.

I naturally ended up being carried on a stretcher.

Yuka and Koko, now treated as ‘victims,’ were wrapped in blankets and placed in the same ambulance as me.

The paramedic who rode with us kept asking where it hurt, but I didn’t really know what to say.

No matter how much they examined me, they wouldn’t find any wounds that could explain this much blood loss.

“...Yuka, Koko. I’m really sorry, but...”

“It’s okay.”

Still, Yuka, whose attitude softened once we were in the vehicle, spoke up.

“You can sleep. We’ll be right here with you.”

Her words were really reassuring.

I looked up at Koko one last time. When Koko saw me, she sniffled, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and smiled at me.

“...”

As I drifted off to sleep, the last thing I felt was guilt.

---

When I opened my eyes, the scene was almost identical to last time.

I was lying in a hospital bed, Yuka sitting beside me with bloodshot eyes, keeping watch.

And next to me, Koko was curled up, asleep.

...I wonder if her mood has improved. Or maybe even if it hasn’t, I’m the only family she has, so she can’t be apart from me.

When I placed my hand on Koko’s back, Yuka spoke up.

“Koko was crying out for a long time after you disappeared. She didn’t know what to do.”

“...”

“I don’t think it’s simply because you told her not to.”

When I looked at Yuka, she sighed deeply and massaged the back of her neck.

Then she looked at me and said.

“Koko is starting to understand what it means to be normal.”

“Ah...”

“So, that’s what it is. If she had only been following your words, Koko wouldn’t have gone after you right away. Just like when we went on that trip last time.”

“...”

“But now Koko knows. She’s been living with us. She understands that her body is different from ours. She knows that the things she can do, we can’t.”

“Right.”

I hadn’t even realized what Yuka had figured out while living together.

“Koko... seems to like school life. Right?”

“...Yeah.”

She liked interacting with the other kids, having them pat her head and call her cute, getting bread from Kaoru in the Literature Club room, and accepting snacks from Ikeda.

“At first, I thought I was just following your lead.”

Yuka shrugged.

“But after coming here and thinking about it, I realized it’s something more.”

“...”

“It’s fine if it’s in front of me. If I’m watching you, I’ll come help no matter what you say.”

“...Yeah.”

"…But don’t do that in front of Koko. At least explain it properly. Make her understand, and find another way. Koko… you didn’t see how she was after you disappeared.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize… Never mind.”

“…”

That’s right.

Come to think of it, I had been so focused on how I felt after losing my sibling that I hadn’t considered how my sibling felt about me.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow is the sports festival.”

When I looked at Yuka, she furrowed her brows slightly.

“What? Were you planning not to go? After practicing so much?”

“Well…”

“I know you’re not the kind of person who’d skip school just because of an accident like this.”

Yuka gave a small smile.

But her eyes were still bloodshot.

“…”

“So, rest up. Tomorrow, you’re going to run hard. You’re on the cheer squad, aren’t you?”

“…Yeah.”

Yuka, much younger than me, seemed far more mature.

I patted Koko’s head once more as she slept.

Koko… had those kinds of thoughts.

…

It might not be the right time to say this, but—

To be honest, I felt a bit of happiness welling up inside me.

Chapter 97. Daily Life (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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It's not to the point where I can say I'm used to going straight to school from the hospital.

I’ve come here around mid-April, and while the number of times I’ve been hospitalized might seem high, if you just count the times excluding the length of stay, it's not that many.

I've gone straight to school from the hospital even fewer times.

So, I can't say I'm really used to it, but...

How should I put it?

Even if I’m not used to it, it strangely feels comfortable.

Doesn't it?

Since the hospital is in Minato Ward, it doesn't take an hour and a half to get to school.

There’s a bed at the hospital too. It’s much softer and more comfortable than sleeping on a futon on the floor.

And the heating and cooling systems are perfect, so I wasn't too hot or too cold all night. Though my side did get a bit sweaty because Koko was stuck to me, but it was still much better than sleeping sandwiched between Koko and Kuro in the middle of summer.

And the food is delicious.

Compared to regular Japanese food, the seasoning was a bit light, but it was still good. Being able to eat food with a balanced amount of carbohydrates and protein is a blessing.

Not only is my cooking skill lacking, but if you compare it to the variety of ingredients available in our household, it’s almost luxurious.

Koko also ate with sparkling eyes. Since technically all three of us were hospitalized, Koko and Yuka were served the same meals.

Koko, like me, ate everything without leaving a single grain of rice, but Yuka was picking at her food.

"Ah, right."

Yuka suddenly spoke up, as if she had just remembered something.

"The kid you saved yesterday—apparently, they recovered safely. It seems we weren’t too late."

"…That’s a relief."

Judging from the fact that she didn't say anything else, it seems neither that kid nor their older sister will be coming to thank me.

I understand. Honestly, the thought that I saved them is kind of odd in itself.

From that kid’s perspective, it must have seemed like I just disappeared in a flash, but most people wouldn't assume that someone ‘teleported to save a person.’

They'd probably just think, 'Did I lose sight of them?'

And does it make any sense for a high school girl to rush into a burning building with her bare hands? Even though, for some reason, the fire department hadn’t arrived, the police were standing guard at the entrance.

Though entering the building was a bit reckless. You never know what's going to fall in a burning building. If a piece of the half-burnt exterior had fallen, I could have been seriously hurt or even killed.

Well, I suppose they must have been desperate to come inside.

And that younger sister... it was truly a miracle that she survived. The odds of someone passing out from smoke inhalation and still being 'safe' are extremely low.

Well, that’s not the end of their story.

I’m not sure if both their parents died, but at least one of them did. Given that someone as cruel as to be targeted by the Kasha was involved, it's highly likely that it was the family member controlling the finances.

In a situation where such a person dies, can that family truly hold up?

...No, actually. They’d still have more money than I do.

If someone could afford to torment a child they didn’t like enough to kill them, they must have had some sort of backing.

"...."

As I ate, I suddenly felt a strange discomfort.

Wondering what it was, I looked over at Yuka.

"Huh? What?"

Yuka, who had been eating, asked me in surprise as I suddenly turned to look at her.

I was in a private room as usual. I wasn’t sure which room Koko and Yuka were assigned to, but Koko was sitting across from me at the small table, eating with me. Yuka was eating at a separate table, a little distance from the bed.

...No, that’s not what’s important right now.

"Yuka."

I stared at Yuka and spoke.

"How did you know that kid was the one who bullied me back then?"

"Ah."

Yuka’s hand, which had been lazily moving, froze in midair.

Yuka was a lot more expressive than I had expected, but this was the first time she had shown me such a flustered expression.

"You’ve never seen that kid, right?"

That’s right.

Yuka had been caught up in the incident too, when we had that street brawl.

But it wasn’t that kid herself who was there, but her so-called boyfriend. So Yuka had never actually seen the girl in person.

Yet, somehow, she had recognized her before I did, the victim. Which means Yuka didn’t just hear about it, but had seen her face before.

"Uh… well, you see."

Yuka was sweating nervously, her eyes darting around, but as I continued to stare at her, she eventually sighed deeply and spoke.

"…I looked into it later. My grandpa had a conversation with her parents too."

Hmm.

I see. Yuka might have let it slide, but her grandpa probably couldn’t stand it.

Even if he had chuckled and let it go at the time for my sake, it’s not unreasonable to think that he went and sternly warned the people who had laid a hand on his granddaughter afterward.

Bad people are bad because they lack loyalty. At least in a marriage, there might be some sense of loyalty, but if it’s just a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, it’s a different story.

"The guy confessed everything."

Yuka summarized briefly.

In other words, the boyfriend admitted that he hadn’t been in the wrong, but had simply followed the girl’s words and ended up in this mess.

"...."

"It’s true, really! I didn’t investigate it myself or anything."

No, the more you explain it, the more suspicious it sounds.

...Well, so what?

I squinted my eyes at Yuka, then shrugged.

I’m always causing Yuka to worry. If I were in her shoes, I’d want to know the cause of the problems that’s following too. In the end, the biggest cause lies with me.

"Alright. I’ll believe you."

"O-oh…"

Yuka responded awkwardly, as if caught off guard by my generous reply,

"Wait, but why do I even have to explain myself about this?"

Only to realize that fact a moment later, glaring at me with sharp eyes.

Oops.

I quickly turned my gaze back to my meal tray and focused on breakfast.

* * *

A fall sports festival, huh.

Honestly, back when I was in school, I thought sports festivals were just an excuse to skip class and weren’t that big of a deal.

My school wasn’t known for any nationally famous sports teams, nor did we have any standout club activities.

Whether it was wrestling, volleyball, soccer, or basketball, apart from being class competitions, there wasn’t much difference from the games played by neighborhood kids.

Since the festival was held on weekdays, not many outsiders came to watch. In fact, the sports festivals I attended in elementary school had a more festive atmosphere.

But the vibe here was a little different.

“Wow!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled.

The wide field was bustling with a huge number of students. Everyone was in sportswear.

Well, it is a sports festival, so of course they’re wearing gym clothes.

Still, seeing the girls wearing bloomers made me think, ‘Ah, this really is the setting of a light novel.’

Back in the early to mid-2000s, such depictions were so common that I believed it was the norm for Japanese high schools to have that kind of gym uniform. But years later, I learned that “it was nearly extinct even in the 2000s.”

In fact, most works that came out after that featured characters wearing simple T-shirts and shorts. If a character was still wearing bloomers, it was likely a nostalgic tribute by old-school otaku who remembered that era.

...Well, that’s the story from the world I lived in.

Here, it’s normal.

Though, I’m wearing them too.

“Alright, everyone, gather up!”

Fukuda shouted as she gathered our class’s cheering team.

They were all girls.

In total, there were only seven of us on the cheering team, including Fukuda, Koko, and me. Quite a few students were needed just to participate in the ball games, so it was inevitable.

Some even had to compete in non-overlapping events.

Especially the students running in the relay, the highlight of the sports festival, were also representing our class in other events.

As a result, not only our class but other classes as well had the cheering team as a core group, with students who weren’t competing at the moment joining in to cheer. Of course, those students just wore their gym clothes.

I was the only one in the cheering team wearing a gakuran.

Fukuda was the leader, but since I was the only one in uniform, I naturally ended up taking the center spot.

Dressed in a boy’s school uniform with a headband tied around my forehead, my role was to shout things like “Osu!” and lead the cheers.

Fukuda and Koko stood on either side of me, with other girls lining up beside them to cheer together.

...Mako, thanks for giving me a non-revealing outfit, but I still didn’t want to stand in the middle...

But we’d already practiced in this formation, so backing out was impossible.

"Alright, the first event is… arm wrestling!"

For a high school sports festival, it was a rather cute event.

I guess it’s more convenient for the school to get the quick, simple events out of the way first.

"Let’s all go cheer! Let’s give our class representative some muscle power!"

I followed along as Fukuda, with her typical gyaru enthusiasm, led the group of us to cheer.

* * *

And the cheering was surprisingly effective.

Don’t you think? After all, our opponent was a high school student.

Though they’ve grown past the age where they blush at every slightly indecent topic, some freshmen still aren’t used to girls.

Our class representative, spurred on by our cheer, turned bright red.

Indeed, the cheer was effective… but it backfired.

Even though she wore shorts underneath, the sight of a shapely gyaru jumping up and down, shouting “Play—Play!” with a cheerleading outfit that exposed her belly button, seemed to throw the boy off his game.

“Ah.”

In an instant, the boy, who had been staring at Fukuda, lost his balance and was defeated.

The boy, already red, turned even redder, and silence fell over the field.

Hmm… well.

How unfortunate.

But what can you do? In any competition, one person has to lose, and once you lose, you're out.

Still, I should suggest that we cheer from behind in the next match.

That way, only the boys from the opposing team would mess up while looking at Fukuda.

* * *

Cheering turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.

Though our first cheer ended in such an anticlimactic way, we successfully followed my suggestion to cheer from behind afterward, leading the opposing team to make mistakes.

Well, our own team was a bit thrown off when the sides switched after the first half, but since they were used to Fukuda from our class, they managed better than the other teams.

After all, the boys had already seen us practicing a few times.

"We won!"

When the basketball team won, the kids nearby jumped around as if they were Olympic champions. Even girls who usually didn’t talk to me came over to hug me in celebration.

At first, it was a bit uncomfortable.

"Wow!"

But seeing Koko happily jumping around made me think, well, it doesn’t really matter.

Whatever, really.

Go, our class!

"Awesome, Mako-chan!"

When our class dodgeball team, led by Mako, won, we cheered again with joy.

Mako, who had been selected as the ace, blushed furiously. Since she wasn’t wearing her glasses, her hidden beauty seemed to shine through.

Her appearance gave off the impression of a bookworm, but Mako performed brilliantly.

Yamashita’s relay race was scheduled almost at the end of the festival.

The tug-of-war, which everyone participated in, was scheduled for just after lunch, so I hadn’t participated in any events except cheering up to this point.

Yet, I felt a bit drained from the energy of having fun with the kids without realizing it.

It made me feel a little embarrassed once I became aware of it.

* * *

I don’t know if they still do this kind of event at real sports festivals.

I seem to remember it from when I was in elementary school, but my memories of middle and high school are hazy.

In middle school, maybe, but in high school… well, it was an all-boys school, so maybe that’s why. With same-sex friends, these kinds of things can be even more awkward.

What I’m talking about is… you know that event that always pops up in love-comedy stories, right?

The one where you run, find a slip of paper, and then bring back the item or person written on it to the finish line.

In [Tokyo Slayers], the sports festival was skipped over, so the exact details weren’t described, but the gist was there.

Yuka ends up representing her class in that event.

Actually, she participates in other races as well.

That part made sense. Yuka was incredibly fast. I could vouch for it, having seen her risk her life in battle countless times.

It’s unclear what kind of slip Yuka pulled, but by the time the sports festival arc started, Yuka and Sasaki were being teased by their classmates.

Not in a bullying way, more like how people tease couples with a thing going on between them.

I’m not sure what Yuka’s slip said, but she apparently grabbed Sasaki and dragged him to the finish line, earning first place.

Considering that Yuka was an extreme tsundere character, it was probably something terribly embarrassing when she thought about it later.

Because of that, Yuka spent the beginning of that arc being heavily guarded against by the other heroines.

I wonder how things will go this time.

By the time the morning events had mostly wrapped up and the excitement had cooled down a bit, the event was scheduled like a bonus game. It wasn’t taken too seriously; everyone could just have fun with it.

The race track itself was the same 50-meter track, but instead of the finish line, there was a basket filled with slips of paper at the end.

Participants had to pick a slip, read the instruction written on it, and then return with the required item or person.

Even though it was just a bonus, some kids, full of competitive spirit, didn’t seem to have any intention of losing.

The cheering students were already spreading out their belongings on their knees or on the ground in front of them.

Our class’s representative was Yamashita. And as expected, Yuka was the representative for her class, just like in the original story.

I was intrigued.

Although the Yuka here didn’t show the same tsundere attitude toward Sasaki as she did in the original, they still seemed to have some kind of bond.

If there’s a slip describing something similar to what was in the original, she’ll probably choose Sasaki.

[Alright, everyone, please line up at the starting line.]

A student holding a megaphone shouted. It was probably one of the student council members.

From the delighted expression on their face, it didn’t seem like all the slips were going to be easy tasks.

Maybe one of them says something like ‘the person you think is the most handsome’?

I stood there, watching quietly.

[Everyone—start!]

Bang!

The sound of a starting gun used in track races rang out, and the students sprinted.

None of them were running leisurely. Even Yuka, who had really gotten into it, was running neck and neck with Yamashita.

But this race didn’t end just by reaching the other side.

Both of them arrived almost at the same time, grabbed a slip, read it, and turned back.

The first to lift their head was Yuka.

And, for some reason, she looked straight at me.

…Then Yuka sprinted toward me.

Wait.

Uh, hey. You’re in a different class from me, aren’t you?

But Yuka ignored the surprised voices around her and grabbed my arm. Startled, I stood up and met Yuka’s gaze.

With a bright smile, Yuka said,

"Let’s go."

And so I ran.

Unlike when she had grabbed the slip, Yuka was considerate of my pace and didn’t run too fast. We were even slower than Yamashita, who had arrived later and grabbed Mako’s hand.

In the end, we finished in third place.

Yamashita was showing the slip to Mako, who looked just as bewildered as I was. After reading it, Mako smiled brightly and gave Yamashita a slightly embarrassed high five.

What’s going on?

While I stood there, still confused, Yuka handed me the slip with a light breath.

I took it and read it—

"Ah."

[Best friend]

It said, “Best friend.”

I see.

If Yuka had returned with a boy as her best friend, people might have misunderstood.

Well, it was obvious she had a personal reason for choosing me too.

I chuckled.

"There weren’t any rules against bringing someone from a different class, right?"

Yuka said, sounding a little shy.

"If you’d grabbed Sasaki, you might have been able to come in first place."

When I said that, Yuka tilted her head.

"Sasaki… I do think of him as a friend, but you’re my best friend, right?"

Yuka said it so matter-of-factly that I couldn’t help but laugh again.

That’s true. You’re right.

Best friend, huh.

The one I share the most secrets with.

Yuka extended her hand with a bright smile, and I slapped it with a high-five.

Chapter 98. Daily Life (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I was thinking of having bread for lunch as usual.

Even though cheering had drained quite a bit of my energy, I felt like it was surprisingly manageable.

I wondered why that was and realized that I often found myself using my body roughly.

It wasn’t just about running or swinging things around—there were several times a month when I had to shed blood profusely.

After that, eating wouldn’t be enough, and I’d have to spend the night getting a transfusion and fainting.

For someone like me, simply dancing, shouting, and moving a bit energetically was no big deal.

Besides, I had a part-time job where I had to stand for long hours anyway.

Thinking logically, it made sense.

So, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem to just have bread again today.

“Kotone-chan! Koko-chan!”

Someone was shouting and waving at us.

It was Mako, feeling great after winning all the dodgeball matches this morning. Fukuda and Yamashita were sitting next to her.

The three of them usually had lunch together. I remembered they usually went to the cafeteria.

"......"

Hmm.

Ah, that’s right.

During the sports festival, the school is open to the students’ families.

Of course, only close relatives or family members could enter. It’s a wise rule, in my opinion. After all, the girls were all in bloomers—who knows what could happen if strangers were allowed in?

There could even be people trying to sell ‘videos of girls from an all-girls school.’

...Well, putting that aside.

Since family members were allowed to accompany them, it meant that their families could come too.

Mako's father had a rather suspicious job, but he was dressed in a regular suit. So, there was no need to worry about attracting attention.

Considering it’s the 2000s, people might think, "Isn’t it strange that it’s the dad instead of the mom?" But if he took a day off for this, it wouldn’t be that odd.

The problem, though, was Yamashita and Fukuda’s fathers.

Not that it was really a “problem.”

I don’t mind their dads coming, but… isn’t it a bit much to wear white and purple suits to their daughters' sports festival?

For Fukuda, who had a flashy image, her dad’s purple suit somewhat matched. But Yamashita’s father in a white suit… and beside him, Mori-san, who seemed like she was in the ‘wife’ role, looked much younger than Yamashita-san.

When I first heard that Mori-san proposed to him, I thought he was a lucky guy. But now I understand why he seemed so troubled.

For various reasons, it felt like the three of them holding such luxurious lunches didn’t quite fit.

“Over here, over here!”

Mako shouted energetically again toward us.

I decided to bring Koko over to them.

“Oh, Kurosawa-san, how are you? Is your mother well?”

The first to speak was Fukuda’s father. Fukuda nudged her father’s stomach with her elbow.

Well… Fukuda-san probably knows better than I do how Kagami is doing. But I’m sure she’s fine. If something serious had happened, she would have contacted me.

Unless she’s too busy to even do that. There seems to be a reason why the fire department didn’t arrive on time yesterday. Apparently, there were holes in the fire trucks’ tires, and some firefighters had accidents, causing chaos at the fire station.

I think I saw something on the morning news about the fire department’s delayed response, but all I can do is feel sympathy.

“It’s been a while, Kurosawa-san.”

Mako’s father greeted me with a warm smile.

But the look in his eyes wasn’t entirely pure. He was definitely sizing me up.

Last night’s incident must’ve reached him as well. Did Kosuzu negatively impact society? I hope the government takes care of it directly.

...Though, considering the cults that were still around 20 years later in my past life, I doubt it will be that easy.

"......"

“Thank you for all your help last time.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t do much…”

Yamashita’s father didn’t say much, just looked at me, and Mori-san bowed deeply in greeting.

I was the one who solved the issue of isolation, but Mori-san probably doesn’t know the details. She was unconscious at the time.

She might’ve heard the story later, but… I don’t think she’s an ‘insider’ of this side.

I glanced around at everyone again. The bento boxes they were holding looked packed. They hadn’t opened them yet, but I was sure they were filled with carefully prepared food.

Or, they might’ve bought them from a high-end bento shop.

Either way, it felt a bit awkward to just accept it without contributing anything.

Yeah, if I had brought something, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

“We don’t have anything—”

Before I could say anything,

“Ah, um, Kurosawa Kotone-san?”

I suddenly heard someone calling my name.

Everyone’s attention turned to the person who spoke.

It was a school security guard standing with Ms. Suzuki. He was an older gentleman.

“Sorry to interrupt while you’re talking with your friends.”

Ms. Suzuki bowed slightly toward the three of them, and they seemed to understand. Well, she is the homeroom teacher.

“But we need to ask you something.”

“...You need to ask me something?”

“Well…”

Ms. Suzuki and the security guard exchanged glances before looking at me.

“Someone claiming to know you came to deliver a bento.”

"......"

For a moment, my eyes widened.

I looked at Koko for no reason, and she tilted her head with a puzzled “Huh?”

* * *

At first, I thought Kagami might’ve come.

But as I walked, I easily dismissed that suspicion.

Kagami had already cultivated an image as a ‘bad mom’ publicly. It would be strange for her to suddenly show up and hand a bento to Koko and me.

But then, who else would bring me a bento?

If it were Yuka’s family, that would make sense, but they could easily enter the school themselves, since they were literally ‘Yuka’s family.’

I was thinking about all sorts of things as I followed behind Ms. Suzuki and the security guard, but I lost all strength the moment I saw the person standing at the gate.

It was the café owner where I worked.

She was standing there, holding a plastic bag, looking very uneasy.

It was so unexpected that I felt a bit flustered.

Could this be the reason the café was closed today?

The owner knew where we went to school. I never explicitly told her, but I did mention it when Koko had to take an exam.

Besides, how many schools in Japan wear such distinctive sailor uniforms? Even in the 2000s, it was rare. Hanagawa High School was also quite famous.

It wasn’t strange for the owner to remember and find the school.

What was strange was that she had specifically come to find me.

“Is she someone you know?”

Ms. Suzuki asked.

I nodded.

“Yes… she’s an acquaintance.”

If the person had been a man, I might’ve been viewed with more suspicion. But since it was a woman, I think they were reassured by my words.

I couldn’t bring myself to say that she was the café owner where I worked. I wasn’t sure about the school rules, but it felt like it might complicate things if I mentioned it.

As I stepped outside the gate and stood in front of the owner, she quickly handed me the plastic bag.

I took it and peeked inside. There was a two-tiered bento. It didn’t look incredibly luxurious, but it didn’t seem store-bought either. If she had prepared it this morning, it must’ve taken quite a while.

“Well, you see…”

The owner spoke.

“I figured you might not have received a bento.”

"......"

True, I often gave off the impression of being someone without parents.

...It sounds a bit weird when I put it like that.

“If it’s a bother, you don’t have to take it—”

“No, thank you very much.”

In this situation, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse.

If she had told me in advance that she was going to prepare something, I might’ve declined then, but since she had already gone through the trouble, and there didn’t seem to be any ulterior motive, I thought it would be fine to accept it.

“...Would you like to come inside and join us—”

“No, no. I need to get going. I’ve got things to do.”

Before I could finish speaking, the owner quickly cut me off. Seeing her waving her hands frantically and her face turning pale, I realized she wasn’t just politely declining, so I stayed quiet.

She was probably lying about having things to do. She did say the café was closed today.

“Well, thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”

The owner’s gaze shifted to Koko.

I took Koko’s hand and brought her to my side.

“Koko, the owner gave us this.”

“Huh?”

Koko’s eyes shifted toward the bento I was holding.

“Food.”

“Wow!”

As soon as I said that, Koko’s face lit up.

“Say thank you.”

“Thank you!”

At my words, Koko bowed deeply to the owner.

“We’ll enjoy the meal!”

Well, I didn’t ask her to say that.

I decided to take it as a sign that Koko was learning about society. After all, she had recently started using a lot more vocabulary.

“Oh, uh, sure.”

The owner replied awkwardly and then rubbed her nose for no reason.

“Well then, do your best today, alright?”

The owner, who seemed unsure of what to say, just strung together some random words and I nodded.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, I had some time and just dropped by. Your school looks pretty grand.”

The owner glanced up at our school and then back at us.

“Oh, and you can keep the bento box. I have another one, exactly the same.”

“Okay…”

After I answered, there was an awkward silence between us for a moment.

“Well, I’m off then. So… good luck today. You both… look good in your uniforms.”

It was an extremely awkward compliment. She wasn’t the type to give compliments, so I could tell how out of her depth she was.

…That must be why she declined to eat with us. It would probably just be awkward to sit together.

The owner awkwardly changed directions twice and then quickly walked away.

I debated whether or not to say goodbye again, but decided against it. If I called out, the owner would just turn around, and we’d have another awkward exchange.

Instead, I looked down at the bento in my hands.

It felt quite heavy, even without considering the weight of the food inside.

"......"

She really is a kind person.

* * *

Mako, Fukuda, and Yamashita’s bentos weren’t just high-end bento boxes.

All three bentos looked like they had been packed at home. Rather than the expert touch of a professional, they had a comforting, homemade feel.

Speaking of which, while it was obvious that Mori-san packed Yamashita’s bento, does that mean Mako’s and Fukuda’s fathers got up early to make theirs?

“Look, Harumi! Didn’t Dad’s cooking skills improve a lot?”

“...It’s all rice balls. You should’ve just bought something from a store.”

Fukuda’s father’s bento was full of Japanese-style triangular rice balls. By the way, the shapes varied by layer—likely because he gradually got the hang of it as he made them. The previous bento might have looked even less uniform.

The rice balls on the bottom layer were relatively well-shaped. He even had time to decorate a few with seaweed to make little faces.

Imagining this tanned man wearing a cute apron, carefully molding rice balls early in the morning, brought to mind an image somewhere between an artisan and a housewife.

“Jeez. Who only packs rice balls just to get the shape right?”

Though Fukuda complained, she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. She even took a few pictures of the last layer with her phone.

Mako and Yamashita’s bentos had more standard items. The kind you’d see in a Japanese manga.

Sausages cut like octopuses, Japanese rolled omelets, fried chicken, and white rice.

Of course, they were quite large.

And—

The bento I received was similar.

It was a plain wooden box on the outside, but the inside was quite colorful. It had octopus-shaped sausages, rolled omelets, fried chicken, and rice.

The kids didn’t ask me where I got it.

I think they were trying to avoid bringing down the mood, no matter what answer I gave.

“It’s delicious!”

Koko exclaimed with shining eyes.

And she was right.

Everything was delicious.

Fukuda shared her many rice balls with us, saying she couldn’t possibly eat them all.

Each rice ball had a different filling. Some had tuna with mayonnaise, others had finely chopped meat with teriyaki sauce.

When I bit into one with pickled plums, I couldn’t help but scrunch my face, and the others reacted the same way.

Even Koko, who normally ate anything, scrunched her face when she tried it.

Mako and Yamashita’s three-tiered bentos also had other items like inarizushi, making the meal even more enjoyable.

...

Oh, right.

In times like this, I used to eat kimbap. In Korea, inarizushi or kimbap were classic picnic bento options.

Even though this wasn’t a picnic, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try making that kind of bento once.

In Japan, it might seem unusual, but next time… maybe when we go on a school trip, it could be worth trying.

It might be too late if I wait until next year or the year after.

“Is it good?”

“Yeah!”

I patted Koko’s head as she answered, her face still smeared with grains of rice.

The other kids were looking at us with warm smiles.

Well, if there are days like yesterday, there are days like today too.

At least for this moment, I decided to push all other worries aside and enjoy myself.

With that in mind, I accepted another rice ball from Fukuda and took a big bite.

And then, I grimaced.

It was filled with pickled plums.

* * *

Lunchtime was extended, possibly as a break for the students. While many had gathered to eat in groups, some classes were still in the middle of their matches. It seemed like the schedule wasn’t rigidly fixed and was more about letting each class take their time.

During this extra time, I took Koko with me to look for Yuka.

It was silly to worry about her, but Yuka had always eaten lunch with me.

She probably had plenty of friends in her class now, but still. She might be looking for me, too.

...Maybe I’m being overly self-conscious?

But it’s not weird to check on a close friend during lunch.

With that in mind, I went to look for Yuka and Sasaki’s classmates.

“Here, Sota. Say aah~”

“S-Senpai?”

Sasaki was sitting between two girls.

No, let me correct that. He was being squished between them. For a moment, I was so baffled that it looked like he was intentionally sitting between them, but it didn’t seem like he wanted to be there.

Usually, when you see a guy surrounded by two pretty girls, the normal reaction is jealousy, but—

“Sota, forget that stray cat and look over here. Your childhood friend is right here! Look at me!”

“Oh my, ‘stray cat’? Weren’t you apart for ages? Do you even remember those days?”

“I do! I remember perfectly! It’s as vivid as if it happened yesterday!”

“I wonder if Sota remembers though~”

Hmm.

Looking at this, a harem doesn’t seem all that great.

Well, anyway.

Yuka and Shii were sitting nearby. Shii had mentioned earlier that her school day would end a little earlier today. There were a lot of kids at Hanagawa Middle School who had siblings at Hanagawa High School, so I guess the school made accommodations for that.

Though, I did wonder why they didn’t just make Saturday a full day off. But, well, this is the wild, romantic 2000s where inconveniences are romanticized. It’s the norm here, so I’ll just go along with it.

“Kotone.”

“Senpai!”

The two, who were sitting together and eating lunch, greeted us warmly when they saw us.

“Did you have lunch?”

“Yeah.”

Confirming that Yuka hadn’t been waiting for me and had already eaten, I felt a bit relieved and nodded.

“Koko-senpai, here.”

“Wow!”

Noticing Koko eyeing her food, Shii casually picked up a piece of fried chicken with her chopsticks and handed it to her.

Koko accepted it without hesitation.

...I see.

Koko is a senior now, too.

For some reason, that thought made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

“Do you want some too?”

Seeing me stare at Koko, Yuka seemed to think I was envious and offered me some as well.

“No, I’m fine. I’m full.”

And I was.

I was so full that I couldn’t join in on any food-sharing events, no matter how fun they might seem.

“Really?”

Yuka, looking slightly disappointed, put the rolled omelet she had picked up into her mouth.

Chapter 99. Daily Life (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Sometimes, when I’m going about my social life, I get such thoughts.

The thought of wanting to return to my student days.

But when I actually think about going back, I quickly shake my head at the thought of all the things I had to do back then and the things I couldn’t accomplish.

As a student, I couldn’t drink alcohol, and I had to manage the things I wanted to do within the small allowance given by my parents.

After becoming an adult and living alone, no one cared about what I ate or how I lived, and as long as I used my paycheck for living expenses, no one told me how to spend the rest.

There was the pressure of having to take responsibility for myself. After all, I needed to live, and in case I ever needed to go to the hospital, I had to save up for that. But with some savings from my salary, it wasn’t a big issue. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to use in emergencies.

I never thought I would miss my mom’s nagging. While I did enjoy visiting my family every now and then, I didn’t like hearing the usual “Make sure to eat well” and “Keep your place clean” when I was living alone.

It wasn’t even that pleasant when my family showed up at my place unexpectedly.

But—

It’s truly strange.

The words that used to irritate and annoy me when I could hear them anytime, now that I thought I would never hear them again, became something I missed.

I didn’t feel any sense of relief. Sometimes, I even terribly missed my sister, who I always bickered with.

If I thought about it rationally, hearing that nagging again wouldn’t necessarily make me happy now.

It was just that, sometimes, I wanted to see them again, even if it meant hearing those words again.

Not in the state where their memories were being eaten away by that time, but I missed the faces that would get angry at me, annoy me, and even smile at me.

Perhaps the reason I longed for my school days was because of that.

If I were to go back, I would complain about having to study during exam periods, and I’d get annoyed at not being able to do everything I wanted.

But even so, I wanted to go back just to see my family again. Even if I ended up regretting it later.

“Kotone.”

“…Yuka.”

Hanagawa High School’s field was quite spacious. However, despite being a private high school, the field was mostly just a sandy ground. I had thought about why this was and concluded that the school probably wanted the field to be versatile.

If they planted grass in the middle, it would require maintenance and couldn’t be used freely. And if they installed artificial grass, it would be bothersome to draw lines and mark things properly.

So, I figured they just kept it in its current form to use it for “multiple purposes.”

At the corner of the school’s field, there were cement stairs. There were alternating steps for climbing and wider steps for sitting. Students watching the sports festival would sit there.

Although there was a tent set up for shade, and the weather had cooled down enough to say summer was over, the sun was still quite strong.

As the afternoon came and the teachers’ supervision began to loosen, students slowly dispersed to find cooler spots.

The reason Koko and I stayed here… well, there wasn’t a big reason. We just didn’t want to mix with the other kids and feel uncomfortable. This was the only place we could lie down.

Taking advantage of the homeroom teacher’s lax supervision, Yuka came over to my side and handed me a bottle. It was a 500ml bottle with a blue label, filled with a cloudy sports drink.

It was my favorite drink. Maybe it was inevitable that I liked sports drinks. After working up a sweat, these kinds of drinks always hit the spot.

Was it just a coincidence that Yuka gave me this?

I quietly retraced my thoughts. The answer came quickly.

I hadn’t gone all this time without buying anything to drink while hanging out with my friends. Especially Yuka, who often visited my house.

If we went shopping for snacks together, she must have seen what kind of drinks I picked.

The novel described Yuka as having keen observation skills.

“Uh… why? Don’t you like the drink?”

As I stared at Yuka while holding the bottle, she asked that.

I shook my head.

“No, I like it.”

“I see.”

Yuka let out a small breath. Was it a sigh of relief?

I opened the bottle and poured the drink into my mouth without hesitation.

The taste wasn’t too sweet, but it wasn’t exactly sour either, a subtle flavor that slid down my throat.

It gave me a refreshing feeling, as if it was replenishing the sweat I had lost from running around earlier.

Yuka drank from her own bottle as well.

“Phew.”

After gulping down her drink for a while, Yuka let out a light breath. She then looked at me with a somewhat satisfied expression.

“So, how’s your class doing? Are they doing well?”

“Mm.”

I guess the only thing left is dodgeball.

The relay race is at the end of the sports festival. We lost all the others in the middle.

I didn’t really mind, but the boys seemed a bit upset. Though not all of them. Even though I was a guy too, I never really cared whether our class won or not during high school sports festivals.

“Whew.”

Koko, who had been running around all morning cheering, and had been the most enthusiastic during the dodgeball semifinals, eventually collapsed.

Now, she was under the tent in the stands with me. I was sitting, and Koko was lying down next to me.

She had rolled up her jacket to use as a pillow after taking it off due to the heat.

Koko, who was proudly napping on the hard cement, rubbed her eyes as she woke up.

Did she smell the drink?

“Here.”

Yuka, ever so prepared, had even brought a drink for Koko. It was a sweet strawberry milk, different from what Yuka and I were drinking.

“Wow!”

Koko, who loved to eat anything, happily accepted the milk from Yuka.

At first, Koko had been oddly obsessed with things like cat food, but as she learned social skills, it seemed she had also started to learn what kinds of food were tasty. These days, Koko definitely preferred sweet things.

Of course, that didn’t mean she rejected other types of food. Koko still occasionally looked enviously at Kuro, who ate pet food. Whenever that happened, I’d quickly give her something to eat. Our house had plenty of snacks stored up just for those moments.

It’s not that she hated other foods. She just liked human food “more.”

There was still a long way to go.

Even if she fully changes, I don’t know if that side of Koko will ever completely disappear, but I’ll do what I can.

“…”

“You seem deep in thought.”

As I quietly watched Koko, Yuka spoke.

I did have a lot on my mind.

I had returned to the school days I had longed for, but it wasn’t exactly the same school life I had imagined.

It might be more dazzling than the years I had gone through. At least, in high school, I hadn’t saved anyone, nor had I fought against monsters that threatened everyday life. And there certainly weren’t any girls around me.

But… if you asked whether this was the kind of life I had hoped for when I wanted to go back, the answer would be no.

Yet, when I look at Koko, who’s happily eating something beside me, well.

“…Nothing much.”

Since I couldn’t express all those feelings, I just answered like that.

Yuka didn’t seem to have any intention of pressing me further.

She simply stayed by my side.

We leisurely sipped our drinks.

And slowly, I came to a conclusion.

Yeah. The life I’ve gained in this world wasn’t the kind of life I had wished for in my previous one. I think the me of those days just wanted to restore what I had lost.

And I probably hoped that I could live with those lost people again.

That day will never come. Even if my family lives in this world, they aren’t “my” family.

If they exist, there’s another “me” here. There’s no place for Kurosawa Kotone to squeeze into.

But—

Even though it wasn’t what I wanted, I ended up gaining things.

The relationships with my friends, including Yuka, the people around me, Koko, who has become almost like family, and Kuro, who’s now the guardian of our house—everyone—

I didn’t want to lose them again.

In my past life, I lost everything without being able to do anything, but that’s because I didn’t have the chance. This time, it’s different.

No matter what comes at me, I have the power to fight.

So, even if it’s not perfect, I’ll use every bit of strength I have to protect the ones around me.

So that I won’t be left alone again, reminiscing about the past after losing everyone.

“…”

Even though I had given a half-hearted answer, Yuka was still looking at me as if she was waiting for a real response.

“…I was just thinking about what to do for dinner.”

That’s what I told Yuka.

The everyday life I would continue to carry on.

An everyday life that I could continue.

Even though it was somewhat twisted and far from reality, it was still familiar, enjoyable, and something I wanted to protect.

“Hmm, I see.”

Yuka casually accepted my words and looked up at the sky.

She gazed up at the clear autumn sky for a moment, then smiled.

“How about tonkatsu?”

“Tonkatsu!”

Koko, who was beside me, immediately reacted.

I used to react like that too. It wasn’t long after I came here.

When I first met the Sasaki siblings.

Of course, I only screamed internally, but if I hadn’t taken the bait back then, I wouldn’t have become as close with the two of them as I am now.

“I’m not sure if there’s a place nearby, but if we look around, we should be able to find at least one.”

Whether it was a good restaurant or not, it didn’t really matter.

If the first place we went to was good, we could always go back. If it wasn’t, we could just find another place.

It’s just like how human relationships work. Everything in the world is like that.

“What do you think?”

“Sounds delicious.”

Yuka laughed as if she found my blunt answer amusing.

“Are you becoming like Koko?”

Yuka asked jokingly.

“Kotone, are you like Koko?”

Not just similar, but identical, I thought.

Since we already looked alike, there was no harm in our speech and thoughts being similar too, right?

“Oh, the teacher is calling. If we stay here any longer, they’ll definitely come to drag us back. That teacher may look laid-back, but they know how to be a nuisance.”

Hearing Yuka’s homeroom teacher shouting from a distance, Yuka got up from her seat.

“Koko, let’s go too.”

“Okay.”

“Then, see you after the sports festival.”

“Yeah.”

Yuka waved lightly and walked away.

Koko and I waved back at her for a while.

***

Not all of the events in the sports festival were standard sports.

There were events like “bring the item written on the note,” which Yuka participated in, as well as three-legged races.

And our class won the three-legged race.

“Go Harumi! Go Yuu!”

Mako, who had led our team to victory in the dodgeball tournament, was enthusiastically cheering next to me.

Originally, the cheerleading team was made up of students who weren’t participating in any other events, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t compete in other events.

Since the three-legged race was more of an inter-class competition by grade, there was no reason Harumi couldn’t participate.

And the person next to Harumi was none other than Yamashita.

Although Fukuda usually had a rather lighthearted attitude, she looked serious now, standing next to Yamashita.

Does she have a competitive personality? Well, Fukuda didn’t just half-heartedly cheer either. She gathered the cheer team after school and practiced diligently, so it wasn’t surprising.

Maybe it’s because they had known each other for a long time, but their steps were perfectly in sync. Even with their legs tied together, they ran shoulder-to-shoulder straight toward the finish line, ultimately coming in first.

“Hey, your daughter’s doing great, huh? Pretty impressive!”

“Hm.”

Fukuda’s father clapped Yamashita’s father on the shoulder enthusiastically. Yamashita’s dad remained relatively calm, but he couldn’t hide the slight smile that appeared on his lips.

“Yuu, you were amazing!”

“…”

Mori-san smiled brightly as she handed a towel to the returning Yamashita.

Yamashita, looking like someone who had suddenly been spoken to by an awkward acquaintance, stiffened her expression, but soon, unable to hold back, she broke into a faint smile.

I had always wondered how similar the Yamashita father and daughter were, but seeing them like this, I thought their personalities might be more alike than I had initially realized.

After the first-year race, the second- and third-year races followed.

In the second-year race, there were some familiar faces.

Kaoru and Izumi.

Ironically, the contrast between the two reminded me of Fukuda and Yamashita. Although their impressions were quite different.

Even among kids who enjoyed having fun, there were those who liked singing at karaoke and those who enjoyed playing outside on the field.

Fukuda was the former, and Kaoru was the latter.

It was the same with Yamashita and Izumi. Yamashita liked looking at her phone, while Izumi liked reading books. If I had to compare, Yamashita was the quiet type, while Izumi was shy.

While Mako stood between Fukuda and Yamashita, who would stand between Kaoru and Izumi? Yuka?

Well, there was no need to force a comparison.

The results were completely different too. Unlike Fukuda and Yamashita, who ran in perfect sync and took first place, Kaoru and Izumi barely managed a few steps before collapsing.

That looks like it hurts, are they okay?

But still, both of them got back up and finished the race somehow. Even though they came in last, they didn’t seem too bothered by it.

Well, as long as they were happy, that was all that mattered.

Watching the two talk for a bit after crossing the finish line, only to start bickering for some reason, I couldn’t help but smile.

***

And so, the sports festival came to an end.

Perhaps conscious of the difference in stamina between students of different ages, medals were awarded separately for each grade, except for the final relay race.

They didn’t give us actual medals, just certificates to hang up in the classroom.

Kaoru was the one who received the award for first place in the relay race.

As if trying to prove her past as a former track and field club member, Kaoru ran like a madwoman, completely different from when she was doing the three-legged race earlier.

However, she seemed a bit regretful.

It was probably because the track and field club president, who was now “former,” hadn’t been able to participate in the race.

That person was still out of sorts. Although their sibling had been safely rescued, there might be lingering aftereffects. In fact, it was strange that Yuka, Koko, and I, who had entered that place, were discharged after only one day.

“Yuu-chan, too bad.”

Fukuda, with genuine sincerity, said that, but Yamashita shook her head.

“I’m not even in the track and field club.”

Yamashita just shrugged.

Anyway—

With that, the sports festival that lasted all day came to an end.

At first, I wondered why they bothered holding this on a Monday, but once I got involved, I found it quite enjoyable.

After all the awards ceremonies were over, we changed back into our uniforms and gathered in the classroom to briefly hear Ms. Suzuki’s closing remarks.

I exchanged goodbyes with my friends. It seemed like they were all planning to have dinner with their families.

“Kotone!”

And me, too.

As I stepped outside the school building with Koko, Yuka was waiting for us.

We had planned to eat tonkatsu earlier. Since we hadn’t decided on a specific restaurant, we could just go into any place that looked good while walking around.

“Shall we go?”

Yuka said, taking the lead. Despite not even living in the area.

Well, I guess it didn’t matter. After all, this was Minato Ward. It was one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Tokyo, so there must be plenty of good restaurants around.

With Koko, who was practically bouncing with excitement, we left the school.

The tonkatsu we had after wandering around for over 30 minutes…

Well, it was just ordinary.

“Delicious!”

No, wait. If Koko says it’s delicious, then it must be. I decided to think of it as tasty.

Thanks to Koko, who repeatedly praised the food, we even got free drinks from the owner.

…I thought maybe I should bring Koko here more often.

***

The Kurosawa sisters always enjoyed whatever was given to them.

Kotone, the older sister, was more resilient and positive than she appeared. No matter what happened, she eventually bounced back.

And Koko, well, there was no question. It was hard not to smile when you were with Koko.

That’s why Yuka liked the Kurosawa sisters. It felt like being with them made everything more enjoyable.

Even though Kotone always seemed to bring trouble—

“…What did you just say?”

—Of course, that didn’t mean Yuka hadn’t noticed the “trouble.”

Yuka had her suspicions. The cult that Kotone’s mother was involved with was too dangerous to be overlooked.

However.

Yuka never thought that Kotone herself was the problem.

It was just the environment around her. The people who were bothering Kotone were the problem, not Kotone herself. Blaming Kotone for everything would be too cruel.

But it seemed not everyone in the world thought the same way.

After having a pleasant meal with the Kurosawa sisters and spending time shopping at a nearby mall, Yuka returned home to find Miura-san waiting.

“…So, you’re saying Kotone…”

“Kurosawa-san isn’t just getting involved in incidents; incidents could be happening because Kurosawa-san is there.”

Saying this, Miura-san laid out a few photos on the table between them.

“…”

Grandfather and Father sat silently, their eyes widening as they looked at the photos.

The pictures showed a few people covered in blood. They weren’t at the scene but were taken in a hospital.

“No one died. But there were people who were seriously injured enough to require long-term hospitalization.”

“…Who are these people…?”

“The ones who got in the way that day.”

Miura-san replied to Grandfather’s question.

“They’re local firefighters. …They were supposed to respond to that fire. But they didn’t just get injured; there are those who overpowered them to force them to spread misinformation. They lied over the radio, saying they had responded. In reality, the tires of the fire truck were slashed and even some of the equipment were damaged.”

“…Why would someone do such a thing?”

“They probably thought they could harm Kurosawa-san that way. Or, they tried to buy time for an experiment.”

“…An experiment?”

“We’re not sure yet. But at least—whoever caused this could either create or summon a yokai.”

“….”

“It seems like they can at least control the phenomenon itself. It’s still limited… but if they manage to perfect it, you can guess what might happen.”

We still don’t know what those preparing for this ultimately want to do.

But at the very least, those who hunt yokai have all heard similar stories at least once.

“There’s too much at stake in modern Japan, especially in Tokyo.”

It’s not that there was nothing to lose in the past.

But now, there was just “too much” to lose.

“Even if it’s just a localized terror incident, it would still be catastrophic. So, if necessary…”

“….”

Yuka glared at Miura Masao.

But she couldn’t fully refute his words.

…Because all the work Yuka, or rather, the Yuuki family, had done was just for that.

Subjugating beings that came from beyond the human world.

If Kotone was somehow connected to something like that…

“Kotone is just getting caught up in things. If they were trying to use her, why would they bring her to a place where she could’ve died?”

Yuka protested.

“Which is why we’re still watching.”

Miura Masao said.

“We’ll observe a little longer, and if necessary, take action.”

“….”

No one said it outright. Even Miura Masao, who was a parent, seemed to be thinking about his daughter.

“…I won’t let it come to that.”

“…I hope so.”

Miura Masao sighed lightly, as if exhausted.

“But things in the world don’t always go the way we want them to, do they?”

Chapter 100. Daily Life (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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“Oh my.”

That was the first thing Kagami said when we ran into each other in front of my house.

Did she think I would be surprised?

It wasn’t the first time Kagami had shown up like this.

Besides, lately, I’d been dealing with people far worse than Kagami.

Unless she brought a transparent monster with her, I wasn’t going to be surprised.

Not that I wanted her to bring one, though.

“You didn’t get annoyed as soon as you saw me today.”

“…When did I ever get annoyed?”

“Uuu.”

While I answered, frowning, Koko hid behind my back.

“Oh? Have you always been so kind when we met?”

Well, no, not exactly.

“...”

As I silently headed toward my house, Kagami naturally followed behind me.

“Mya.”

As soon as I entered, Kuro ran straight to my feet.

I picked up Kuro and carried her inside. Thankfully, I’d left plenty of food in her bowl, just in case. It seemed she hadn’t gone hungry.

I filled Kuro’s empty bowl with more food and topped off her water.

I also cleaned the litter box.

Kagami stood quietly in a corner, waiting for me to finish. She seemed to know I wouldn’t like it if she started touching things unnecessarily.

Usually, I would take a shower right after coming home, but with Kagami here, it felt a bit awkward to leave her waiting. So, I set up the table and brought out some cups.

When I opened the fridge, I noticed that there were far more ingredients than when I had first started living here.

Though it wasn’t exactly full.

Oh, it’s still here.

I pulled out a half-empty 2-liter bottle of oolong tea from the fridge.

After filling cups for Kagami, Koko, and myself, I sat down. For some reason, I felt a little proud. I could offer my guest a drink now. Well, even the first time I met Kagami, I did offer her a meal.

“So, what brings you here?”

Ignoring Koko, who was gulping down the oolong tea, I asked Kagami directly.

“Well, in the past few days, there have been so many things I need to tell you.”

Kagami, uncharacteristically looking up as if lost in thought, organized her thoughts before speaking.

“First of all, how’s your health? I heard you lost a lot of blood.”

“For me, bleeding is just part of the routine.”

“How many teenagers in the world would think like that?”

Kagami asked with a bitter smile.

There must be quite a few, right? East Asia might be relatively peaceful, but somewhere on the planet, there’s always a war going on. Plenty of teenagers must be dying, too.

Well, if they bled as much as I do, they’d probably be dead before it became routine.

“Let’s move on since you seem fine on the outside.”

Perhaps realizing that I was thinking cynically, Kagami shrugged and changed the subject.

“When I asked you to find a place filled with flames, I didn’t think you meant you’d actually jump into the fire.”

“Are you here to scold me?”

“Who knows.”

Kagami tilted her head. She didn’t seem quite sure what she was thinking either.

“Objectively speaking, your death would only be a loss for us.”

“…Because you created me?”

“You could say that.”

Kagami nodded, but it seemed like that wasn’t the whole reason.

“You’re the only one who can effectively stop my sister once she starts moving.”

“...”

I stared at Kagami for a while before speaking.

“If I were something related to foreign gods, wouldn’t that alone be enough reason to worship me?”

“That alone would be reason enough to worship you.”

Kagami glanced between me and Koko before continuing.

“But what if I told you that your existence could drag the people around you into this, and if the purpose is you, the higher-ups in this country won’t leave you alone? Think about it. You know exactly what purpose your body was created for, don’t you?”

“…A body for a god.”

“That’s right.”

When I confirmed it, Kagami nodded.

“Very few people know the exact intent behind your creation. Most will probably think you’re some inhuman being raised by an evil cult. That’s why they believe you can use abilities beyond human comprehension.”

“…Do others believe Koko is also like that?”

“Why wouldn’t they think that? Whether you manipulate blood or transform your whole body, to the public, you’re both just pitiable young girls.”

“...So?”

“If the government is targeting you, and beings capable of creating invisible monsters are also after you, wouldn’t you need a safe place to rely on?”

I think I know what she’s trying to say.

“But you guys...”

“That’s right. We probably seem immoral to you. I don’t understand why someone like you even cares about such things—”

Kagami leaned further over the table. Even though the square table wasn’t that large, I still felt a strange pressure, causing me to instinctively pull my face back a little.

“But among those chasing you, do you think any of them are as clean as a blank slate? Even if there were, could they protect you and—”

Kagami glanced at Koko.

“—that being? To truly cooperate effectively, you need to share everything you know. Could you really disclose your and ‘Koko’s’ identities to those innocent beings?”

“...”

I looked at Koko.

“Ua?”

Feeling both my gaze and the cautious look Kagami was giving her, Koko seemed a bit flustered.

I held back a sigh and refilled her cup with oolong tea.

“We’ve already provided quite a bit of financial support for your school expenses. So, let me ask frankly. Your friend—Yuuki, right?”

Kagami spoke nonchalantly, ignoring the glare I gave her.

“Don’t you think you can’t rely on her forever?”

“...”

“We can help. It’s not just about money. We can also provide the blood you lose. Though we’re not a full hospital, we can offer a place for transfusions, and a safe location for you two to retreat to when necessary. The best part is, we wouldn’t have to separate during this process, making everything safer.”

“I...”

I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

The mention of Yuka was decisive.

Yeah, I can’t just keep relying on her. Everything in this room—even the table we’re sitting at—was given to me by Yuka.

I’d been working part-time to distance myself from relying on others, but the truth was I’d only ended up taking more. Lately, even the manager had started looking at me with pity.

“There’s no shame in a child receiving help from their parents. It’s only natural at your age, after all.”

Kagami added with a joke, and I snorted.

The word “parents” was nothing more than a legal technicality, and it wasn’t like society considered them real parents either.

“There’s another positive aspect. With proof of your existence in front of them, it’ll be easier to gather followers. The more people you have, the more information you’ll gather. Sure, there might be better infrastructures than ours, but do you think you’ll receive reliable information from them even if you cooperate?”

I narrowed my eyes at that statement.

There’s no guarantee your side would be any better.

But Kagami, as usual, just brushed off my pointed gaze with ease.

“...I’ll think about it.”

In the end, I could only leave the matter open.

“You will make the right choice.”

Kagami responded with a smile.

---

The next morning, I still felt strange.

It was because I’d experienced both a good and somewhat bad event in just one day.

The good thing, of course, was the sports festival.

Despite the unpleasant events of the previous day, bouncing around all day and yelling was a great way to relieve stress.

Maybe the reason I used to feel so suffocated was that I didn’t have many chances to let go of my stress like this.

The somewhat bad thing, of course, was meeting Kagami.

To be honest, I don’t get upset just because I met her.

She wasn’t exactly someone I could trust wholeheartedly, but she was generally friendly and usually did whatever I asked.

However, her showing up in person typically meant bad news.

“…A cult, huh.”

“A cult?”

When I mumbled to myself while changing clothes in the morning, Koko tilted her head and repeated my words.

“...”

I thought about how to explain the word but ended up just patting her head in silence.

As I absentmindedly stroked Koko’s hair, I thought again about the proposal I’d heard yesterday.

That’s right. A cult.

It’s a religion with the character for “evil” in it. Even Kagami had used that exact word when explaining it to me.

Was she just making it easy for me to understand, or did she genuinely believe that’s what it was? No, considering she works in a bar wearing those clothes, she probably does believe it.

Didn’t she also say they haven’t decided on a name for their religion yet?

From the explanation alone, it sounds like a stereotypical new religious movement, but the stories about the Kurosawa family suggest it’s not a recent development.

Maybe, like the Yuuki family, they weren’t always a specific religion and only recently broke off into their own group.

Or maybe they abandoned their old god for some reason and started worshipping a new one.

…Putting aside the fact that the original “Shub-Niggurath” from the Lovecraft Mythos is quite different.

The name “Shura-Nirlass” used in this world doesn’t sound like something that would come from the East either.

Why didn’t the author explain such important settings?

…No, maybe the character Kurosawa Kotone, whom I never read about in the original story, was a last-minute addition. I hadn’t even noticed any proper foreshadowing before.

If there had been at least some hints, I would have realized it right after I arrived here.

Maybe it was a story that was supposed to end in a single volume, but it got extended due to its popularity, and they needed a proper ending.

But this world isn’t a novel. Although it bears a striking resemblance to the world in the novel.

So, in a way, another story had already begun behind the scenes.

“…Haa.”

“Kotone?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

“Uuu?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion at my words.

I’ll figure something out.

Even if I end up joining the cult, I have no intention of dragging Koko into it.

No matter how dark and heavy the light novels from that era were, some things haven’t changed much compared to today’s light novels. Especially the endings, which are almost always happy. Sure, some characters might die along the way.

But in the end, the evil ones are always defeated, and the main characters live to see a happy ending.

The story might have gone off track here, but well...

As long as the protagonist and heroine are both alive, I guess I can consider that a win.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yeah!”

When Koko smiled at my words, I smiled too.

There’s a lot to do today.

Since it’s Sunday, I’ll start my part-time job early, and I also need to return the bento I borrowed.

The manager said I could just keep it, but I’ve already received so much from her.

I’ve gotten so used to receiving that it’s become second nature to think it’s normal.

It’s best not to owe too much. Even if the other person says it’s not a debt, it lingers in your mind.

---

I left for my part-time job a little earlier than usual and returned the bento box to the manager.

“You could’ve just kept it.”

The manager said as she took the bento box back.

I had considered filling it with something before returning it. After all, it wasn’t just a bento box I had received from her.

But with my cooking skills, anything I made would just be tasteless.

Plus, I didn’t know when she ate her meals, and packing a bento randomly might just be a nuisance.

“Huh?”

The manager looked a little surprised as she heard the rattling sound from inside the box.

When she opened the lid, her eyes widened slightly.

Inside were some chocolates and candies.

I wasn’t sure of the manager’s exact tastes, but I had often seen her bring out cake to eat with her coffee. So, I figured she’d like these kinds of sweets.

“Thank you for everything.”

I said, bowing slightly.

“Koko helped me pick them out.”

“Hm… you didn’t have to do this.”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d just be eating bread from the store.”

“…I see.”

The manager quietly responded, nodding before closing the lid again.

“Well… I’ll enjoy them. Thanks.”

She smiled faintly.

It was a small smile, but because it was such a rare sight from her, it felt incredibly bright.

---

And so, the sports festival ended.

Despite all the long practice sessions, it was over in just one day, leaving me feeling a bit empty. But the process had been fun, so it was fine.

There were still several other events planned for the second semester. Next month was the school trip, and the month after that was the cultural festival.

There was also Christmas and New Year’s, which were staples in light novels.

Sure, yokai might show up around those events, but I’ll deal with them when the time comes.

Monday morning was remarkably normal.

Even though we had a sports festival just two days ago, we couldn’t stay stuck in its aftermath. That’s how it is with everything. Even the Olympics and the World Cup, which only happen once every four years, fade away quickly after they’re over.

Everyone just goes on with their ordinary lives.

Light novels are stories about what happens when that normalcy is shattered. Though there are some light novels where the normalcy itself is the main focus.

Koko and I headed up to the rooftop.

Even though summer was over, and the sports festival had passed, the weather was still cooling down gradually. It wasn’t too cold to stay outside just yet.

“Kotone. Koko.”

As we stood side by side, gazing absentmindedly up at the clear autumn sky, we heard a voice calling from behind us.

We turned around and saw Yuka.

As usual, she had bread in both hands.

“Here.”

“Waa!”

When Yuka handed her a melon bread, Koko let out a cheer.

…Yes, this is my everyday life now.

I had already crossed into the extraordinary the moment I came here.

But even that extraordinary can become routine if it repeats enough.

Everyone works hard to protect their own version of normal life. They go to work, they study… whatever it takes.

So, like anyone else, I’ll keep moving forward.

“Thanks.”

“What’s with the sudden thanks?”

Yuka replied awkwardly when I expressed my gratitude.

Yeah.

No matter what the result is.

“...”

We leaned against the railing on the rooftop and ate our bread.

There was a fence running around the edge, so there was no danger of falling.

As I ate, feeling the cool autumn breeze,

“...Hey, Kotone.”

Yuka spoke up.

“Yeah?”

Hearing her hesitant voice, I turned to look at her. Yuka hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion.

But Yuka didn’t seem ready to share whatever was on her mind.

Hmm.

If Yuka was hesitating this much, it must be something important.

On the other hand, her reluctance to tell me meant it was probably a sensitive issue.

I’ll wait for her to tell me when she’s ready.

Without pushing her, I finished the bread I was holding.

Even after finishing her bread, Koko stared intently at the plastic bag, as if regretting there wasn’t more.

“…Shall we go get more?”

There were probably still plenty of dorayaki in the literature club room.

Izumi had stocked up on them after seeing how much Koko and I enjoyed eating them. She even cut back on her book budget a little.

I wondered if that was really okay, but I guess it was if she did it.

I decided not to worry about it too much.

“Let’s go!”

Koko responded energetically, leading the way, and Yuka and I smiled wryly as we followed her.

Chapter 101. Worries and Concerns (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Two weeks passed since then.

Life was frighteningly peaceful.

No, that didn’t mean nothing had changed.

I hadn’t yet accepted becoming a symbolic figure in the cult, but after our last conversation, it seemed like Kagami had already tentatively reached that conclusion.

Well, even though this place looks shabby on the outside, it is actually quite important to the cult.

Besides the place where the young man next door lives and where I live, it’s also where Koko’s body is still sealed.

Koko didn’t seem to have any intention of fully retrieving and using her body just yet.

It didn’t seem like Kagami had any intention of moving what was in the fridge to another place either.

“Oh.”

Lately, I sometimes run into the man next door in the mornings.

His name… I think I heard it before, but I can’t quite remember. To be honest, he doesn’t call my name either, so it doesn’t seem like he knows mine.

There wasn’t even a nameplate on his door. Is that how it is with rental apartments? Well, in Korea, it’s also rare to see names attached to apartment numbers.

Seeing him out at this hour, it seems he finally found a job where his night and day weren’t reversed. I guess Kagami was serious when she said she’d help him find a decent job.

“Going to school?”

“…Yes.”

Koko hid behind me as I responded.

By now, I had a pretty good idea of what kind of people made Koko nervous.

Koko didn’t show much wariness toward girls her age. It was probably because of my presence.

She seemed to have learned that humans similar to me in appearance weren’t particularly dangerous.

Of course, that was a bit of a misconception. Most of the kids Koko had encountered were friendly or neutral toward me, but there were those who had attacked me in the past.

Well, let’s just consider it a good thing and move on.

On the other hand, she was still quite wary of adult men. Though she didn’t tremble in fear or become completely speechless, she would hide behind me and hope I’d handle the conversation.

…Though, I have a feeling that if I were attacked, Koko would immediately jump out and kill the person. At least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.

“Did you find a job?”

“Oh, yes.”

It seemed a bit odd for a high school student like me to ask that kind of question, and the man responded with a slightly complicated expression. It was a look that mixed both joy and bitterness—a typical adult expression.

“I met someone great, and I found a job where I can make use of my major.”

“…”

For some reason, I had a feeling that job had something to do with the cult.

But I didn’t say anything and just nodded.

“Congratulations.”

“Haha…”

Well, he’s my only neighbor in this apartment. It wouldn’t hurt to become familiar with him.

And it would be even better to know more about him if he’s connected to the cult. He still seemed more like a civilian, though.

After a light greeting, we walked separately toward the train station.

It would draw attention from the residents if we walked together after talking, especially since we left from the same place.

Fortunately, there are a lot of people who, like us, commute to Tokyo by train. Property prices in Seoul are outrageous, but Tokyo’s are even worse. It’s practically a boiling cauldron of rent. This country doesn’t even have the concept of key money.

As we walked apart, we blended into the crowd of people heading toward the train station.

As the throng of people squeezed into the station, I tightly held onto Koko’s wrist. I wouldn’t actually lose Koko even if I let go, but I still felt uneasy.

We got crammed onto the train heading toward Minato Ward, and we got off at Tamachi Station.

The walk from there to school wasn’t too far. At least, it was much closer than the walk from Omiya Station to my house.

And from there, I started sensing something strange.

Saying that I “sensed something” makes it sound like a fantasy, but it wasn’t anything special.

Ever since getting off the train, there were people in suits who kept following me all the way to school.

They didn’t make it obvious they knew me. The people changed each time. Sometimes they were in their early twenties, and sometimes they were older men with graying hair. The fact that they kept changing made me even more suspicious.

Don’t you think that’s strange? If it was just a coincidence that they were commuting at the same time as me, then the people walking this route should always be the same.

Of course, this might just be me being overly paranoid. I’ve had experiences like this before, so maybe I’m just being too sensitive.

…I’d like to think these people didn’t have any negative intentions toward me.

*

“Wow!”

Kaoru’s bread-catching game was still going strong.

But now, there was someone who reacted even faster than me.

Unlike me, who could never catch the bread in time, Koko skillfully lunged forward and grabbed the bread from the floor.

“Hehehe, so cute, so cute~”

Kaoru, who had once again caught Koko with her bait, hugged Koko tightly and stroked her head.

“Kuu-chan doesn’t show this side anymore.”

“I never showed it in the first place.”

When I shot Kaoru a look that clearly said, “What are you even talking about?” she smirked, her lips curling sly like a cat as she chuckled.

“Are you sure about that? You wouldn’t know what kind of face Kuu-chan made back then.”

I do know, actually. I do have control over my facial expressions.

…Or at least, I think I do.

“Maybe you’ve grown more mature because you’ve gained a little sister? That makes this big sister sad…”

Who’s my “big sister”?

I sighed lightly and entered the Literature Club room.

By the way, Kaoru’s nickname for me had reverted to the original. For a while after the break, she had been calling me by my name instead of a nickname.

I guess by now, Koko had gotten used to the nickname.

Actually, Koko also got used to the name after hearing it a few times. She only got a bit confused at first, but eventually, she recognized it. Kaoru hadn’t listened to my explanation back then.

Still, we ended up on a first-name basis with each other, and thanks to that, Yuka and I also started using first names. So, I guess it wasn’t a bad deal for me.

“Hello, Kotone, Koko.”

“Hello, Izumi-senpai.”

“Hello!”

After my greeting, Koko, who was in a good mood with bread in her hand, enthusiastically repeated my words. Izumi smiled warmly at her.

I sat in my usual seat, and Koko sat next to me and opened the bread bag.

Inside was castella.

Without hesitation, Koko split the bread in half and handed one piece to me.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

Had she learned from seeing me share my food with her all the time? I was glad she wasn’t growing up selfishly, so I accepted the bread without hesitation.

As I savored the soft, sweet bread, Kaoru spoke up.

“Where are the first years going for their school trip? Kyoto?”

I nodded.

I remember going on a school trip both in my first and second year of high school, but I guess that’s not the norm in Japan.

Now that I think about it, in slice-of-life anime, there’s usually only one school trip episode. I guess it’s normal to go only in the second year.

Well, by third year, they’re busy studying for college entrance exams in Japan, too.

“Where are you seniors going, senpai?”

At my question, Kaoru and Izumi exchanged glances and then grinned triumphantly.

Then, they shouted in unison.

“Hawaii!”

…

Wow, that’s pretty big.

Well, this is a ridiculously expensive private high school.

Sometimes, I forget that.

Hawaii, huh.

I’ve never even been outside the Korean Peninsula, so it’s definitely somewhere I’d like to go at least once.

It’s famous, after all.

Whether I can actually go or not, though, is a different story.

*

Well, just going to Kyoto is more than enough for me to enjoy.

In a sense, my current situation is already like a journey. A somewhat dangerous journey, but still.

Riding a train different from the usual one is a bit exciting.

And… I don’t know if it’s the same for all schools, but school trips in Japan are often depicted as having students form groups for free activities.

It was the same in *Tokyo Slayers*. So, we’ll probably do the same.

“With kids from our class, huh…”

On the way home from school.

The walk to the subway with Yuka wasn’t very long, but we always walked together when we could.

Naturally, we chatted on the way.

There were things we couldn’t talk about in front of Kaoru or Izumi.

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing.”

In response to my question, Yuka frowned slightly.

“You’re not close with them?”

“It’s not that I’m not close.”

Yuka glanced at me with an exasperated look.

Well, it’s been several months already.

Yuka’s not the type with a difficult personality, and since she hadn’t fallen for Sasaki, she had no reason to act sharp. She probably made some friends in her class naturally.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have participated as a representative for her class during the sports festival.

“So why?”

“Hmm…”

After thinking for a moment, Yuka spoke.

“I’ve been on a school trip before, you know?”

Of course, she’d been on one.

Yuka was a middle school student once, too.

Even if she moved schools a lot, she probably participated in school events when there was nothing special going on.

Otherwise, she would’ve stood out too much.

“But… to be honest, I wasn’t that close with the other kids when I went on school trips.”

“….”

I see.

If moving schools became a regular thing, Yuka’s school life probably wasn’t very smooth.

She might have even gone on two school trips in the same year. If she had to go on trips with classmates she wasn’t close to, and did that multiple times…

…

Thinking about it like that, I began to understand how conflicted Yuka’s current situation might feel.

For her personally, it must feel like a very stable life. She didn’t have to move schools anymore and could stay in one place.

But ironically, the reason Yuka could stay here was because something incredibly unstable was happening at this school.

Until recently, I thought it was because we still hadn’t caught the oni, but looking back, there’s no reason for the cult to keep its focus on this school just because the yokai activity had quieted down.

And the reason Yuka was staying here…

It didn’t take long to figure out.

It’s me.

And Koko.

A being closely tied to the cult, someone who could be considered just a hair’s breadth away from not being human.

If I told Yuka this, she’d probably get upset, but I think the higher-ups were keeping her here to eliminate me when necessary.

“…Then why don’t you try hanging out with your classmates?”

“With my classmates?”

Yuka looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Maybe sometimes you could walk home with them.”

“With them?”

It was a cautious suggestion, but Yuka didn’t seem shocked.

I didn’t mean it like that, but I didn’t want her to think I didn’t want to walk with her anymore.

“Hmm…”

After a moment of thinking, Yuka spoke.

“To be honest, wouldn’t it be weird to suddenly ask them to hang out now?”

Really?

Well, yeah, at the start of the school year, it’s awkward, but by now, most kids have formed their own groups.

Those groups won’t break up easily unless the next school year forces them to mingle with new classmates.

Some groups even stay together through the next year, eating lunch together.

“…I don’t think you need to rush.”

“I wasn’t rushing.”

Yuka sighed deeply and responded.

“Well, I guess there’s still time… No matter what, I’ll have to hang out with them during the trip. Maybe I’ll start chatting with them more.”

“What about hanging out with Sasaki?”

At my question, Yuka thought for a moment before answering,

“Nakahara probably wouldn’t like that.”

Of course not. Nakahara would do whatever she could to close the distance while Hagiwara from another grade wasn’t around.

And with Shii out of the picture, there’d be no need for her to be cautious.

In the original story, Yuka also clung to Sasaki and had catfights with the others.

Thinking about it made me angry. Even though the future has changed, that guy still has a harem.

…But then again, wouldn’t Shii be uncomfortable, too?

She didn’t like girls clinging to her brother and even dragged me into the mix because of that.

There was a scene before the school trip in the original where Shii scolded Sasaki.

She told him to behave properly and not to do anything weird with the girls… or something like that. Naturally, our clueless protagonist Sasaki didn’t understand the deeper meaning behind her words.

What she meant was to stop charming other girls.

…

Thinking about it again made me incredibly irritated.

Even if I were born a boy, I wouldn’t have the nerve to mess with girls, but it still pissed me off.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Seeing my expression, Yuka spoke to me.

“We’ll probably run into each other during the trip, anyway. It’s free time, right? We’ll start together, but we’ll eventually split off to hang out with whoever we’re close to. And.”

Yuka looked at Koko, who was walking beside me.

“Your homeroom teacher is smart, she’ll pair you and Koko together.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

At least in that regard, we had a reliable teacher.

Yeah.

Let’s just deal with whatever happens in Kyoto when the time comes.

Worrying about something that hasn’t even happened yet won’t solve anything.

Feeling lighter after the conversation with Yuka, I made my way home.

*

And then, it was Thursday.

Despite how I might seem, I tend to stay in touch with people often.

Well, not in my previous life, but I do now.

To be precise, I have a lot of opportunities for conversation since there are young girls around me who are full of chatter and emotion.

Shii was similar. In the original *Tokyo Slayers*, Shii was depicted as a popular kid in her class. Well, with her looks, it would be odd if she wasn’t.

So, she wasn’t shy about sending me casual emails, even though I was her upperclassman. Shii always spoke politely, so there was no risk of her being rude in messages.

On the other hand, it wasn’t unusual for us to go a few days without contact. Even best friends don’t chat every single day, right?

That’s why I didn’t think much of it when Shii didn’t reach out this week.

Anyway, since we worked part-time at the same place, I’d see her soon. If there was anything she hadn’t told me, we could talk during work or over ramen afterward.

But when I finally saw Shii after those few days,

“Hello, senpai.”

Her face was not in good shape.

Well, her expression wasn’t too different from usual.

But her skin looked dry, and there were slight dark circles under her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t been sleeping well for days.

“…Something happened?”

“Huh? Oh, no, nothing.”

When I asked, Shii averted her gaze and dodged the question.

I thought for a moment, and I could quickly recall one possible issue for Shii.

In the original story, Sasaki and Shii got caught up in the Kasha incident. While Sasaki managed to come out relatively unscathed, Shii inhaled smoke and had to be hospitalized for a few days.

And Sasaki, feeling guilty that he hadn’t been able to protect her properly, struggled emotionally. On top of that, no matter how nasty a person may be, a parent is still a parent, right?

The person who died was their mother. It was an emotionally devastating blow.

Meanwhile, Shii’s father wasn’t much help either.

There was a scene in the original where Shii’s mother made various demands, but before they could be addressed, she passed away.

So, in this case…

“…”

But I couldn’t let on that I knew any of this.

That would be way too creepy.

“…Do you want to ask the boss if you can take some time off?”

“No, it’s fine! I just haven’t been sleeping well, that’s all!”

“…”

If she insisted, there wasn’t much else I could say.

I nodded and went to change into my uniform.

*

What should I do?

Shii’s expression still looked drained when we finished work.

Even the boss had asked, “Is something wrong?”

During ramen, she seemed lost in thought and barely touched her bowl.

Seeing her in such a serious state, I decided to change my approach.

As we walked from the ramen shop to the station, I tried to think of a way to get her to open up—and then, I came up with something.

Well, would this really work?

It was a method I’d used with friends when I was in college.

Oh, whatever. I can’t think of anything else.

“Want to talk for a bit?”

“Huh?”

“I’m sure you got something to say.”

“Ah, sure…”

Shii followed me cautiously as I walked ahead.

Sometimes, when graduation was approaching and the future seemed uncertain, my friends would call me or others out of the blue when they felt anxious.

We didn’t have much money, so we wouldn’t go to bars. We’d buy a can of beer and a bag of snacks from a convenience store, then sit outside or find some dimly lit spot to talk.

For some reason, late-night conversations in a dark place seemed to bring out deeper thoughts.

…Oh, right. We’re middle and high school students, aren’t we?

Where should we sit?

Chapter 102. Worries and Concerns (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

After wandering around a bit, the place we found was a bench in front of the station.

There were quite a few people passing by, but there wouldn't be many who would care to listen to our conversation.

And the fact that there were enough people around made it feel safe.

Going to a park at night with just two teenage girls seemed a bit risky, right? Not that I thought something would definitely happen, but still.

The sun had already set, so it was reasonably dark.

It was the perfect time to share our true feelings.

I first sat Shii down, opened a can of soda, and placed it in her hand. It was just a regular carbonated drink. Drinking coffee at this hour might keep us up all night.

Then I sat down next to Shii and asked,

"What’s wrong?"

I felt like we had been in a similar situation before.

Back then, Shii had been worried about her brother's affairs with women.

It seemed like it was another family issue this time as well.

"Ah, well, um..."

I looked at Shii's face and thought.

It could be that she was just uncomfortable talking about it, or maybe she didn’t want to burden me, knowing I still had my own unresolved issues.

If I were in her position, the reason for staying silent would probably be the former.

Losing family had made me less talkative around friends or colleagues, especially out of concern that they might bring up my family.

Shii and Sasaki hadn’t experienced the loss of their parents yet, but that didn’t mean it was an easy topic to bring up in front of others.

"…"

Shii hesitated for a moment, then nodded to herself.

Lowering her gaze, she said,

"Actually, it’s a family problem…"

Alright.

At least it wasn’t something so painful that she couldn’t even bring it up.

She wanted to confide in someone but hadn't found the right person until now.

As for her brother, Sasaki… yeah, it would be harder to talk to him because he’s her brother.

"…If it’s a family issue, I can relate."

When I said that, Shii looked at me with a slightly surprised expression, then gave a bitter smile.

It wasn’t that she found it genuinely funny, but more that the whole situation seemed odd.

Even though we were outside with the sounds of cars and people passing by,

It strangely felt quiet around us. Nights tend to feel that way—like you're alone, even though you know the world is full of people.

It made you feel like the person next to you was the only one who could hear your story.

"…"

Shii sat there for a while, lost in thought, not touching her drink. Eventually, she nodded again and continued.

"Actually, my parents… are divorced."

I already knew.

Though it wasn’t through ordinary means, I had learned about it. More precisely, I woke up in this world already knowing.

"My father took my brother with him, and I went with my mother."

I listened in silence.

"My mother… to be honest, she’s not a very positive person. She started dating another man, but that man didn’t think of me as his daughter."

"…"

"I know my mother gets money from my father. I know my father hates me, too. That’s because I look like my mother."

That was new information. Now that I think about it, Shii’s mother wasn’t given much detailed description in the story. There weren’t any illustrations of her either.

I’m not sure if Tokyo Slayers was ever adapted into an anime, but if it was, Shii’s mother probably would have been drawn to resemble her.

The simple fact that her father only took the son with him… Sure, there are people like that, but to convince readers, they probably added a more plausible explanation, like Shii looking like her mother.

Thinking of it this way, it made more sense why Shii tried so hard to present herself neatly. She didn’t want to resemble her mother.

"But… my mother didn’t use the money she received from my father on me. I understand, though. It was probably just living expenses. My mother…"

She likely didn’t spend the money on living expenses.

The man who could barely be called a stepfather spent all his time gambling. If I remember correctly, the story mentioned he played pachinko all day long.

Even if he won money, he wouldn’t bring it home. He’d celebrate by drinking, and where there’s drinking, there’s usually women.

When he got home, he’d fight with Shii’s mother.

A typical dysfunctional family.

"So something happened recently?"

When I asked, Shii hesitated for a moment.

Then she suddenly gulped down her drink in one go.

It was just regular cola, but for some reason, the way she drank it reminded me of someone downing alcohol.

As I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, Shii exhaled with a "Phew" and said,

"They’re asking for money."

"…"

"They say the money from my father isn’t enough."

"…I see."

"They knew where we lived and even had my phone number. I don’t know how they found out… but they thought we had money because of the neighborhood we live in. My brother hasn’t seen them in a long time, and since he doesn’t think much of our mother, they probably reached out to me…"

"…Did they make any threats? Like, if you don’t give them money, they’ll do something?"

Shii hesitated, as if unsure whether to say it or not.

"…They said they’d take me back."

"Take you back?"

"Yes. Legally, I’m still under my mother’s custody."

Ah.

Custody.

It’s common for divorcing parents to fight over custody, but it was a bit different for the Sasaki siblings.

Sasaki’s father said, "I’ll only take my son," and Shii’s mother agreed. Of course, it probably wasn’t as smooth as that, but in the end, Shii’s mother, who wanted to live with another man, had a reason to take Shii with her.

Child support.

I don’t know much about this subject. I wasn’t a lawyer in my previous life.

I assume that when one parent takes full custody, the other parent pays child support, but what happens when they split custody?

Whatever the actual law might be, it doesn’t matter in this world. In any case, *that’s how things ended up here,* and Sasaki’s father had been sending child support to Shii’s mother.

"I’m supposed to be under my mother’s custody, so technically, I ran away. And since my brother was the one who took me, it could be considered kidnapping…"

That’s ridiculous.

If you want to argue, it’s Shii’s mother’s environment that was severely flawed, and Shii simply escaped.

In the novel, it was mentioned that Shii’s mother’s lover disliked her immensely… though that’s just how Shii perceived it.

In this kind of story setting, Shii could have easily become a target for sexual assault, not just neglect.

So…

That’s what it is.

The reason for making Shii’s mother such a deranged character was so that when she died in a fire, readers wouldn’t feel sorry for her. It’s like a revenge plot for satisfaction.

And by showing the Sasaki siblings grieving over their mother’s death, it emphasized how good-natured they were.

They slay monsters and remove the worst obstacle in their lives.

But I took care of that myself.

"…"

Not that I feel guilty about it. It’s not my job to decide who lives or dies.

I didn’t want Shii to get hurt either.

"I don’t want to go back."

Seeing Shii’s expression, it looked like she was about to burst into tears.

How long had she been keeping this to herself, with no one to confide in?

"…I see."

I wasn’t foolish enough to offer pointless solutions.

Shii hadn’t asked me to solve the problem.

She just wanted to unburden herself by telling someone.

She knew it wouldn’t be resolved. She knew I, being only a little older than her, wouldn’t be able to come up with a grand solution.

But the weight on her chest was so heavy that she just wanted to share it with someone.

Shii and I sat in silence for a while.

"Hah…"

Shii was the first to break the silence.

"But after talking about it, I feel a little better."

"…Really?"

"Yes, oh, but…"

"It’s fine."

Seeing Shii hesitate for a moment, I responded quickly.

"I won’t tell anyone."

"Not even my brother…"

"Yeah."

"Thank you…"

Shii, who thanked me, looked a bit unsure for a moment, then quickly stood up from the bench.

"Ah, um, I should go now! My brother is waiting at home! He’ll be worried if I’m too late!"

Even though the people passing by didn’t care much about us, shouting the word "brother" loudly was bound to attract some attention.

A passing office lady glanced our way.

Well, by tomorrow morning, she probably wouldn’t even remember our faces.

I waved my hand, and Shii bowed deeply to me before scurrying off.

Her face was slightly flushed as she left.

That’s how it is.

When you go out at night to talk with a friend, you end up spilling everything, even things you didn’t plan to say. And afterward, you always regret it.

Even though you know your friend won’t gossip about it and that in a few days, most of the conversation will be forgotten, showing your deepest thoughts makes you feel so embarrassed.

Shii probably felt the same way.

"Hmm."

I stretched my legs, crossing them as I remained seated on the bench.

Then I thought for a moment.

In the end, I had saved Shii’s mother, but I didn’t regret it. Thanks to that, Shii didn’t get hurt, and I might have saved other people who could have died.

But not regretting something doesn’t mean there’s no need to clean up afterward.

It was something I could have ignored, but still, I wanted to help Shii. She was one of my friends now.

As I took a sip of the drink I had barely touched, one thought came to mind: Yamashita.

Yamashita’s father.

…Even though we didn’t part on the best terms, I was still Yamashita Yuu’s cousin. From Yamashita’s perspective, I was his niece.

Even though things had ended with Kosuzu, my relationship with Kagami was still good, and I wasn’t on bad terms with him either. Besides, I had already helped his future wife, Mori-san.

The problem was, if I resolved this issue the "yakuza way," it might only cause the Sasaki siblings more worry.

No matter how much you dislike someone, you wouldn’t feel good hearing that a family member got beaten up.

It would only make things more complicated, and I’d be at the center of it.

…I don’t even like the idea of solving things illegally.

In that case…

Hmm, there’s really only one way.

---

"Koko."

"Yeah?"

At my call, Koko, who was lying on the floor reading a picture book, looked up at me.

Koko could now read books well on her own without me. She still sometimes clung to me, asking me to read to her, but on days when I had to go out, she had to stay home alone anyway. She was learning to pass the time on her own.

Since she still didn’t show much interest in long books, it didn’t seem like she particularly loved reading.

Well, that’s not what’s important right now.

As I spoke to her, Koko got up and sat across from me.

"I think I’ll need to go somewhere alone next week. Can you watch the house?"

"When?"

Koko blinked as she asked.

"Probably Monday."

"Ugh…"

Hearing my answer, Koko’s expression darkened.

We lived in the same house and saw each other every day, but there was a limit to how much personal time I could spend with Koko.

I hadn’t even considered letting her get a part-time job yet, so I was still working hard to earn money on my own.

The only days I could fully spend with Koko were my days off, and even then, I spent half the day at school. Koko had also started learning to distinguish between things that could be said in public and things that couldn’t, so she didn’t speak freely in such places anymore.

…Given my recent conversation with Kagami, I could probably just quit everything and ask for financial support from the cult, but that still didn’t feel right.

The relationship with the cult had already deepened with the last conversation, and if I let them support my entire life, I’d never be able to get out.

It didn’t matter to me—I wasn’t planning to live long anyway.

But I didn’t want Koko to be tied to that organization for the rest of her life. She might end up going through something like what happened when she was sealed in this house.

"I have something I need to do."

"Do you have to?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have to go?"

"…"

Hmm…

When she looks at me like that, I feel guilty.

I still didn’t quite understand Koko’s mental age.

Her appearance was the same as mine, and she might even be smarter than me. But her mental age…

Well, just because a kid skips grades and is brilliant doesn’t mean their mental maturity is on par with their peers.

Given the circumstances, Koko had probably been in this world longer than me, but for various reasons, she hadn’t had the chance to grow emotionally.

"Do you have to go?"

Do I really have to?

I guess it was something that needed to be done…

"Can’t I go with you?"

"…"

While I was thinking,

"Mya."

Kuro, who had somehow moved close to us, sat down beside us and let out a sound.

She was looking directly at me.

"…"

I stared at Kuro for a while.

That cat… it looked like it understood the conversation we were having.

Of course, it was probably just my imagination.

"How hard is the task?"

I thought about it.

If Koko came with me…

Ah.

She might be able to help in some way.

Besides, the Sasaki siblings’ parents had no involvement with anything supernatural. If they had, such a crucial detail would have been mentioned earlier in the story.

So…

"Koko."

"Yeah?"

"With your hair… what kind of shapes can you mimic?"

"Shapes?"

"Like, what forms can you make?"

Koko could probably make any shape with any part of her body, not just her hair.

But I didn’t want that. It was my selfish wish, but I wanted Koko to live her life in this form.

"Shapes? Like this?"

The tip of Koko’s hair lifted and transformed into the shape of a pen.

It looked exactly like there was a pen attached to the end of her hair.

I shook my head.

"Keep your hair the same shape… thin and black. What’s the biggest form you can make?"

"Ugh?"

Koko tilted her head, not understanding my question.

She wiggled the tip of her hair in thought for a moment, then,

"Like this?"

She made a heart shape with her hair.

I almost laughed out loud but held it in.

"That’ll do."

Yeah, I had an idea.

Hair that flexible and controllable, huh?

Well, as long as no one got hurt, bringing Koko along wouldn’t be a bad idea.

---

Finding Shii’s parents without telling anyone else was quite difficult.

But fortunately, I knew where the Sasaki siblings lived. If Shii’s mother had come to threaten her, she would surely show up around there.

I didn’t know what Shii’s mother looked like, but I’d figure it out by following Shii.

"So we can’t let them see us. Got it?"

"Yep."

Koko nodded.

Shii already knew what Koko was. She had seen her true form last summer.

But watching Koko use her powers to scare her mother would be an entirely different matter.

Ideally, we would scare Shii’s mother off without her ever finding out.

As we walked around near Shii’s house, keeping our distance,

"Oh."

For just a moment, I caught sight of someone’s face and felt a sense of unease.

I couldn’t stare at them, of course, but…

She did resemble Shii, just as Shii had mentioned.

She didn’t look as much like Shii as I resembled Koko or as much as Kagami looked like Kosuzu.

But I saw someone with a similar atmosphere pass by us.

…Though her clothes were completely different from Shii’s.

Chapter 103. Worries and Concerns (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I didn't really know which of Kagami's usual clothing preferences was more appropriate.

Maybe the revealing clothes she wore in front of others were her 'showing off' side, while the plain clothes she wore when meeting me were more her everyday style.

Rather than trying to look pretty, it seemed like clothes meant to make her look like ‘that kind of woman.’

The clothes of the woman who passed by in front of me, whom I assumed to be Shii’s mother, were also ‘that kind’ of outfit.

Though she wasn’t wearing a miniskirt, her shorts were extremely short, and the tank top she wore was quite revealing around the chest.

Of course, it might be a bit much to judge someone based solely on their clothing, but given what I’d heard earlier, my impression was shaped accordingly.

The woman, swinging a long bag in her hand as she walked, stopped in front of the house where Sasaki and Shii lived and looked up at it, resting her hand on her chin.

And then she smirked.

She was a beauty like Shii, but unlike Kagami, she didn’t have a youthful appearance. She was probably around the same age as Fukuda or Mako’s father. Well, that’s normal. It's just that Kagami looked unusually young.

“Kotone?”

“Yeah.”

Luckily, it seemed that this woman, Shii’s mother, didn’t recognize us.

Of course, she wouldn’t. She wasn’t even interested in her own daughter, only coming around to squeeze money from her now.

The smile while looking at the house was likely because she thought she could leech off them or drain money, assuming Sasaki and Shii were well supported by their father.

Now, what should I do?

The action I planned to take was very simple.

I was going to scare her off.

Initially, the idea I came up with ‘alone’ was to create a blood-soaked scene.

I could slit my wrist in front of her... or something like that.

I figured if I pretended to be a mentally unstable Sasaki, she'd run off. After all, calling the police wouldn’t work on someone like me.

Of course, I couldn’t do that in front of Shii or Sasaki. My plan was to stalk the woman a bit and scream something like, “Don’t go near Sasaki!”

But now, Koko was with me.

“Koko.”

“Yeah.”

When I called Koko’s name, she nodded.

“Can you make a scary face?”

“Scary face?”

At my words, Koko tilted her head, puffed out her cheeks, and glared at me.

No, that’s a cute face.

It seems like she’s been influenced by the recent anime she’s been watching. The cute girls in the early morning weekend cartoons made that kind of face when they were mad.

“Um, not like that.”

I thought for a moment and then said,

“Think about that woman hitting me.”

“She hit Kotone?”

Koko’s face instantly turned blank.

Her hair began to move slightly. At first glance, it seemed like it was rising due to static electricity, but imagining how terrifyingly someone would be slaughtered if her hair strands were filled with killing intent wasn’t hard.

“Yeah, that expression.”

I gently petted Koko’s hair. As soon as my hand touched it, her hair immediately returned to its original state, drooping. Well, it wasn’t ‘original,’ since it was always a disguise, but still.

“And, she didn’t actually hit me. It’s someone we’ve never met before. But, that woman... it seems like she’s going to bother the Sasaki’s kids.”

“Hmm?”

Koko tilted her head.

“Koko, what do we need to buy things?”

“Money.”

“Right. And what do we need to do to earn that money?”

“We have to work.”

“Exactly. So, what do you think if someone just took the money we earned without permission?”

“That’s bad.”

Koko frowned. Do I make that kind of face when I get angry? Well, at least I couldn’t make the murderous face Koko made earlier.

“Exactly. It’s bad. But that doesn’t mean you can just get rid of people.”

“Then?”

“We have to show that we’re strong enough not to let our money be taken.”

I peeked around the corner at the woman.

The woman, whom I assumed to be Shii’s mother, was still staring up at the building.

“We’ll scare her away.”

Of course, using a temporary method wouldn’t work. I needed to make sure she had it firmly embedded in her mind that there was someone she absolutely couldn’t mess with around Sasaki and Shii for at least the next few years.

“Make the face you showed me earlier.”

“Like this?”

Koko made that eerie face again, and I nodded.

“And...”

I looked around the corner again to see the woman slowly moving towards the front door.

Alright.

“Remember when you came to me with Yuka from the fire?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s do it like that. Hold my hand like this.”

I took Koko’s hand.

“We’re going to appear in front of her all of a sudden, just like that. And with that face—”

Before I could finish speaking, Koko nodded and moved right away.

***

Honestly speaking, I didn’t know what it felt like to move with Koko.

I had only ever seen her come near me, but we had never moved together.

To sum it up, it felt incredibly strange.

I mean...

I’ve heard that if you run fast enough, friction with the air will cause your body to catch fire or even shatter to pieces.

Of course, no human could ever reach that kind of speed unless they were falling from space or something.

But it felt like I had moved at that kind of speed with Koko.

My body felt like it was floating, as if gravity suddenly disappeared, and then, all of a sudden, it felt like I was dropped somewhere. When I came to, I was staring at Shii’s mother.

It all happened so fast that I didn’t even have time to scream.

...My hair was a mess. The ends were tied up, but my bangs, which usually covered part of my face, were all over the place, slightly obstructing my view.

“...”

As I stood there, unable to grasp the situation, staring up at Shii’s mother, the woman let out a belated scream.

“Kyaa!?”

“What the, what is this!?”

Well, that’s how most people would react.

Two girls with their faces covered in hair suddenly appeared in the air from nowhere.

Logically, there should have been a sonic boom or something, but with Koko’s movements, there was no such thing.

The woman was frozen, unable to do anything, staring at us.

I left her like that and slowly turned around.

I had forgotten I was holding Koko’s hand, so I had to let go and turn around again, but fortunately, the woman didn’t laugh at that sight.

Hmm, what should I do now. Honestly, I had expected for the woman to run away by now, so I hadn’t thought about what to say next.

I slowly raised my hand and rang the doorbell.

Ding-dong.

After a moment of waiting, the front door opened.

“...Huh?”

Sasaki and Shii must have just come home. We had also come almost directly from school.

“...”

“...”

What should I say?

As I stood there saying nothing, Sasaki noticed and looked behind me at his mother.

His eyes widened.

I turned around, and Koko followed my lead.

Sasaki’s reaction wasn’t my concern. At least the woman seemed to have been affected by our gaze.

After standing frozen for a while, she quickly turned on her heel and left.

Sasaki silently looked back at us.

“What’s going on?”

His expression was serious.

Well...

I came here to scare off your mother.

I couldn’t say that, so I just stood there, fumbling for words.

“Onii-chan, who is it?”

A voice came from inside, and Shii peeked out from behind Sasaki.

“Kotone-senpai?”

Shii’s eyes widened when she saw me.

Hmm.

“Huh?”

Koko tilted her head and looked at me.

...

“I came to visit.”

I ended up giving a flimsy excuse.

***

Honestly, I had acted too hastily.

I had confirmed that it was Shii’s mother, but I hadn’t given much thought to what would happen afterward.

Originally, I had planned to follow her and find out where she lived before slowly tormenting her.

But...

I just didn’t want to see her enter Sasaki and Shii’s home.

“So, that’s why you did it?”

Sasaki looked at me incredulously, leaving me at a loss for words.

It seemed I had grown closer to them than I had realized. Especially with Shii, who had already become one of my cherished juniors. Well, she was the only junior I had in this world anyway.

“Senpai...”

“Sorry.”

I quickly apologized when I heard Shii speaking.

I hadn’t meant to tell anyone else.

Especially not Sasaki.

“...It’s okay.”

But kind-hearted Shii didn’t blame me.

“When I think about it, you were the first person I should’ve told, Onii-chan.”

“Shii?”

Sasaki gave her a confused look at her calm words.

“Onii-chan, I have something to tell you.”

And then, in the end, Shii spoke.

“That’s bad.”

The first person to react was Koko.

Looking at Koko’s furious face, Sasaki gave a bitter smile and turned his gaze to me.

“You don’t need to worry too much. We’ll handle our own problems. If it’s about money... we have some saved.”

“...”

I looked at Sasaki.

“Are you planning to give her money?”

“...I don’t really want to, but.”

Sasaki pondered for a moment before answering.

“If there’s no other way to get rid of her, I’ll have to. After all... she’s still our mother.”

“Onii-chan.”

“But if you give her money this time, she’ll come back. She’ll probably come back every time she runs out.”

“That’s... unavoidable, for now.”

From Sasaki’s troubled expression, it seemed he understood the legal issues involved. Without their parents, the siblings would definitely be in a vulnerable position legally.

But, because of that.

“Next time, she might want this house.”

Both Sasaki and Shii reacted simultaneously to my words.

Shii, who had been hanging her head, quickly looked up at me, and Sasaki wore a perplexed expression, as if wondering what I meant.

The house was in Sasaki’s father’s name.

But it was also where Sasaki lived.

She might not be able to take the whole house, but living here and leeching off them would be entirely possible.

Of course, I didn’t expect Sasaki to give in easily. No matter how kind-hearted he was or how much of a pushover he could seem, he wouldn’t hand over the place where he lived with his little sister to some loser.

But the problem was, legally, Shii’s custody was with her mother. And from the background story, it didn’t seem like Sasaki’s father would actively protect Shii.

So, that’s the card they would play.

“...Oh.”

Shii’s face turned pale at my words, and Sasaki’s face flushed with anger.

There were a few methods I could suggest here.

The simplest option was for me to hide Shii.

I had hidden Yamashita before.

The problem was Shii’s situation.

In Yamashita’s case, the opponent was the Yamashita family, who had connections with Kagami, so it wasn’t a big issue.

And the circumstances were different. Yamashita Yohei, Yuu’s guardian, didn’t seem to have any problem with me.

He probably thought it was safer for her to be with us than in some strange place.

But in Shii’s case...

If her parents came looking for her, I would have to hand her over. Legally, Shii was considered a runaway.

If I wanted to protect her beyond that, I would be entangled again with the Yamashita family or other connections.

A temporary measure like this wouldn’t solve anything.

So, the next option was...

“Shii.”

“Yes, Kotone-senpai.”

Shii answered weakly when I called her.

“I have a suggestion.”

“A suggestion?”

I nodded.

“It might take some time, is that okay?”

Shii and Sasaki exchanged glances but soon looked back at me and nodded.

***

We didn’t know when Shii’s mother might come back. Someone like her wouldn’t come by at a set time like clockwork to harass people.

So, naturally, the method was—

“—Wait a minute.”

Nakahara pressed her fingers against her temples as she spoke.

“So, you’re saying you’re going to live here?”

“...”

That’s right.

Koko and I had decided to stay here for the time being. Sasaki and Shii had agreed.

The situation might have been different if it were Nakahara or Hagiwara. Shii didn’t fully trust those two for various reasons.

Well, she trusted them as people... but let’s face it, those two had their eyes set on her brother.

At least she probably thought I wouldn’t go after Sasaki. And Koko was still too young in many ways to be interested in a boy.

But there was one thing we hadn’t considered.

This childhood friend character, like Shii’s mother, also randomly appeared at Sasaki’s house.

Today’s concept was ‘childhood friend who brought over side dishes because her mother made too much.’

But come on, she didn’t even live next door.

She lived several subway stops away. Isn’t that a little scary? I’d be scared.

Yandere characters were popular even in the 2000s, so I just hoped Nakahara wasn’t one of those.

“What’s the reason?”

“...”

I looked at the Sasaki siblings.

They seemed at a loss for words.

Well, no one would want rumors like this to spread. Even among close friends, there are things you don’t want to talk about.

And honestly, Nakahara didn’t seem like someone who would keep her mouth shut.

...No, I should be grateful that she hasn’t spread any rumors about Koko yet. But this was a completely different story.

Even if she did talk about Koko, no one would believe her.

“Why? Can’t you tell me?”

Nakahara looked hurt as she asked, and Sasaki looked incredibly guilty, but he didn’t say anything.

“...We’ll be using a different room, so it’s fine.”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

I tried to give an excuse, but it didn’t work at all.

Of course, it would be a problem if I said I was sleeping in Sasaki’s room.

Last time I stayed, I slept in Shii’s room since Nakahara and Hagiwara were in the guest room.

This time, Koko and I were planning to use the guest room.

“Myaa.”

“Look, we even brought the cat we’ve been raising! There’s even a cat toilet there!”

“...”

Uh, well.

It does look like we’re planning to stay for a while.

I didn’t have any excuses for that. Koko and I had gone home right after that day, packed our things, and then brought everything over to Sasaki’s house the next morning on our way to school.

Maybe that’s why Nakahara showed up today. Did she get suspicious because we all came together?

“Myaaa.”

Kuro placed a paw on Nakahara’s lap as if to console her.

“But—but that doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you! I can’t accept this!”

She almost accepted it.

I wish Kuro would try a little harder.

But before Kuro could climb onto Nakahara’s lap, she stood up abruptly.

“So, that’s how it’s going to be?”

Nakahara, clearly upset, spoke angrily.

“...Hmph!”

She made that sound and stormed out of the house.

At least she didn’t slam the door. She really didn’t know how to stay mad.

“...What should we do?”

“Well, even if you ask me...”

I looked up at Sasaki for guidance, but he just scratched his head.

No, this problem came about because you’re out here charming people.

Well, it was a problem I caused, though.

***

To make matters worse, Nakahara returned to Sasaki’s house that night.

With a large backpack.

And a thick sleeping bag on top. I have no idea why a high school girl even had such a sleeping bag.

“I’m staying too.”

Nakahara declared firmly.

“...”

I gave Nakahara a slightly pitiful look, and her face turned bright red.

“Nanami, this is a bit...”

“They can stay, but I can’t?”

“They have special circumstances...”

“What circumstances?”

“...”

Seeing Sasaki unable to give her a clear answer, Nakahara’s internal alarm seemed to go off again.

“Anyway, I’m staying with you!”

She was acting like a child.

“...Sasaki.”

“Oh, yeah.”

When I called out to Sasaki, he looked back at me awkwardly.

“It might actually be okay.”

“...”

At my words, Sasaki glanced at Nakahara with a conflicted expression before letting out a small sigh.

“Alright, come in.”

“...I’ll contribute to living expenses.”

It seemed like Nakahara had just thought of that, as she quickly said it while hurrying into the house.

No, that’s not the issue here.

...Well, having more people around might come in handy.

Chapter 104. Worries and Concerns (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

It's a troubling thought, but staying in this house inevitably made me think this.

It’s comfortable.

Yes. It was incredibly comfortable.

In both my previous life and this one, there were advantages to living alone. Not having to worry about other people's gaze when I'm at home.

Except for the fact that there was no one to talk to affectionately. When I first became independent, I did feel a refreshing sense of liberation.

However, there is one fatal drawback to living alone.

I had to take responsibility for my life.

No one nagged me to take care of my hygiene, no one prepared meals for me, and unless I took care of the dishes or laundry, they'd be left unattended.

If I didn’t do anything, dust would continue to pile up in the room, and I’d either eat poorly or just skip meals altogether.

Around the time when life started feeling bleak in various ways, I began to wish that someone would be there by my side.

…

Well, I don’t have time to feel that way now, but in any case, I was the one doing the most work around the house.

Koko helped with household chores little by little, but she was still a bit clumsy. And more than that, I felt uncomfortable giving Koko too many tasks. So, in the end, I ended up doing most of the housework.

But here…

“This is delicious!”

“…Really.”

Koko and Nakahara both exclaimed in admiration.

That’s right. Shii lives in this house.

And Shii was the most ideal younger sister I had ever seen.

Based on Shii’s testimony, Sasaki at home was a typical teenage boy who avoided anything troublesome, but Shii would nag him to wake up early, make him breakfast, and even go to school with him.

If I lived with a sister like that, it wouldn’t be surprising if my personality turned out a little twisted.

“…Do I have to endure this environment?”

Nakahara sighed deeply as she spoke.

Probably.

In the original story, Sasaki was annoyingly under the impression that this was typical of girls his age.

It wasn’t that he looked down on other girls, but he was clearly under a massive delusion.

Originally, Shii would be attacked by the Kasha and end up hospitalized, and only then would Sasaki realize how much he relied on her, but ironically, that didn’t happen in this world.

…

I took a bite of grilled salmon, thinking Sasaki was a really lucky guy.

…Though, whether it was because of this, or some other reason, the fact that he had such parents made things somewhat even. In a way, it was probably because of that woman, his mother, that Shii developed such a personality.

While I was enjoying a somewhat awkward but peaceful meal,

Ding—dong.

Someone rudely rang the bell right at dinner time.

Sasaki, Shii, and I exchanged glances.

“What is it, what is it?”

Nakahara, noticing our reaction, looked a little flustered.

“Is this the something you three agreed upon?”

…

What should we do?

After a brief moment of thought, I stood up.

As I picked up my bowl and soup, Shii and Sasaki immediately followed suit. Both quickly grabbed the bowls Koko, Nakahara, and I were using.

“What’s going on? Seriously, what is this?”

“Nakahara.”

When I spoke, Nakahara looked at me, still flustered.

“…Just follow me for now without saying anything.”

“Huh, huh?”

Though Nakahara was clearly confused by my serious expression,

“…Please.”

When Sasaki spoke with a serious expression, she couldn’t help but nod.

We hurried upstairs with the bowls in hand and entered Shii’s room.

By now, Sasaki and Shii had probably taken care of the shoes at the entrance.

“Mya.”

“Shh.”

Kuro, who had been sleeping on Shii’s bed, let out a soft cry, but I raised a finger to signal silence. Kuro, not very interested, yawned widely before curling up again.

“What’s going on?”

Nakahara asked the same question for the third time.

This time, it seemed like she would actually get mad if we ignored her again, so I answered.

“We’ve got an uninvited guest.”

“Uninvited guest?”

…

It felt a bit awkward to tell her that their mother had come, so I just nodded.

“What kind of person is this uninvited guest? Are they here to cause trouble?”

“…Something like that.”

They’re here to take money, so yeah, it’s a kind of trouble.

For the record, Koko was still downstairs. She had already taken off her socks. Koko was perfect for the task we had in mind.

“Shouldn’t we go down and help?”

Nakahara said, clearly irritated, but I continued eating while holding my bowl on the floor.

“That’s why we’re here to help.”

“Oh.”

At that, Nakahara, who had been about to get up, stopped and stared at me.

Then, she sat back down.

“…I see.”

Although it wasn’t intentional, Koko and I had revealed our true nature to Nakahara.

In my case, I only showed her the part where I bled profusely, but Koko had shown her that she was clearly not human.

After I woke up in the hospital and explained what had happened, Nakahara didn’t ask much about our identities. She was probably being considerate. And besides, there was no need to recall such a horrible memory.

In any case, Koko’s appearance was usually just that of a cute schoolgirl. If you looked closely, she seemed pitiful and tragic.

“So, Koko is… doing it?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Nakahara made a slightly uneasy face at my answer.

“What?”

When I asked, stirring my miso soup with chopsticks, Nakahara hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Well… it’s just…”

Nakahara couldn’t give an immediate response and hesitated for a bit.

“You find it unsettling?”

…

After pondering for a while, Nakahara nodded.

Hmm.

How should I explain this?

If you ask whether I found it unsettling or not, I felt the same way.

As Yuka had mentioned last time, Koko was quite content with her current life.

The reason she didn’t change her appearance in front of others was because of the worry that it might disrupt that life.

“…Do you know why Koko looks like me?”

“…Because you’re twins?”

“No.”

At my answer, Nakahara frowned.

After thinking for a while, a look of understanding slowly spread across Nakahara’s face.

That’s right.

Koko wasn’t originally something that looked like this. Just like when I first encountered her and when she was inside the refrigerator, Koko’s original form was probably more amorphous.

Koko was simply mimicking my appearance.

Because it was useful. It was more convenient when she stayed with me, and people wouldn’t attack her when she looked like this. Everyone liked her in this form.

Does Koko want this, or does she not? I think it’s probably the former, but the idea of “wanting” and “needing” are slightly different. When Koko truly needed to, she could revert to her original form in an instant.

“Wanting” and “needing” don’t always overlap.

“Koko doesn’t want her current life to be disrupted.”

I said, continuing my meal.

Nakahara didn’t ask any more detailed questions.

She simply followed suit and picked up her chopsticks.

Though she couldn’t really eat any more.

---

Sasaki was putting in a tremendous amount of effort.

It took an enormous amount of self-control to not look at Koko, who had openly turned the house into something like a theme park horror attraction.

Wouldn’t anyone?

There’s no way anyone would find it easy to ‘not see’ a kid hanging in midair with their hair covering the ceiling like thin wires.

Sasaki and Shii both knew roughly what Koko was. After all, they had been there.

But seeing a girl who looked just like another girl in their class, hanging from the ceiling like that, staring down at them, was a different story.

“A-ah…”

The woman who had fallen on her butt in the entrance pointed a trembling finger at Koko and stammered.

“What’s going on?”

Shii asked in a worried tone.

To this woman, who knew nothing about the current situation, it probably seemed utterly ridiculous. It was likely the first time in her life she had ever seen anything like a ghost.

Though, of course, it wasn’t actually a ghost.

But Shii wasn’t worried about her mother. She was more concerned about whether this trick was working.

“T-there! There…!”

The woman screamed.

Sasaki deliberately turned around.

He briefly made eye contact with Koko, which sent a shiver down his spine, but he forcibly looked away and pretended as if nothing was there, glancing around before looking back at the woman.

He furrowed his brows as if to hide his true expression.

“What do you mean, ‘there’?”

“You don’t see it? You really don’t see it!?”

Though the woman screamed in disbelief, both Sasaki and Shii gritted their teeth and pretended not to see Koko.

In fact, they were reaching their limit.

The black hair that had taken over the ceiling was now spreading, gradually reaching the front of the entrance.

In a little while, a thin curtain would likely form at the front door. A curtain made of hair.

If it were just a scene from a movie, it might not have been so bad, but seeing it in real life was completely different. This wasn’t awkward CGI—it was real, growing hair.

“Why are you—”

“Eek!”

When Sasaki stepped forward with an innocent expression, the woman screamed and stood up abruptly before rushing out the door.

Tap tap tap…

It ended anticlimactically.

Sasaki and Shii stood there blankly, watching her retreating figure.

“Did I do well?”

They both jumped in surprise at the voice that came from behind them.

Koko had already descended from the ceiling and was standing behind them.

Shii quickly closed the door, while Sasaki raised a finger to his lips.

“Koko, shh!”

“Yep!”

At Sasaki’s words, Koko quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

Looking at her like this, she was just an adorably cute girl. Maybe it was because she looked exactly like Kurosawa, but her actions felt even cuter, especially since Kurosawa never acted that way.

Though her hair was still a mess.

If Koko had changed her face as well, Sasaki and Shii probably wouldn’t have reacted so casually.

Does Koko feel uncomfortable changing her appearance?

“I don’t hear anything anymore.”

Shii, pressing her ear against the door, said after a moment, allowing Sasaki to let out a sigh of relief.

“…Let’s go upstairs and get Kurosawa and Nanami.”

“I’ll go!”

Koko shouted energetically and dashed up the stairs with loud footsteps.

Sasaki and Shii exchanged glances.

Then, without saying anything, they both shrugged.

---

“…If that woman comes back, let me know. I’ll help again.”

“I’ll help too!”

Koko raised her hand excitedly as I spoke.

The ‘haunted house’ plan had worked, at least temporarily.

But I didn’t think that persistent woman wouldn’t return.

People are scarier than ghosts, after all. A ghost far away can’t hurt me, but a debt collector nearby could easily break my fingers.

If she came back determined to collect the money, things would be different.

“We can’t keep relying on you like this…”

“It’s fine.”

At my words, Sasaki closed his mouth.

“Thank you, senpai.”

“It’s nothing.”

After all, I got to sit comfortably and enjoy a nice meal, didn’t I?

…

By the way, Nakahara had made excuses to stay here a few more days, but when I said I’d leave today, she seemed to have run out of things to say.

“The food was great.”

“Come again next time!”

Shii said with a bright smile.

“Uh, what about me?”

“Oh… You’re welcome too, of course.”

“…Isn’t that reaction a bit different?”

Nakahara pouted, but soon sighed softly.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Yes! Take care, Kuro!”

“Mya.”

All Kuro had done was sleep curled up on Shii’s bed.

Well, she is cute, so I guess it can’t be helped.

Although I ended up with my hands full, my heart felt content. After exchanging goodbyes one more time, we parted ways with a sense of relief.

Let’s keep messing with that woman from now on.

Wouldn’t it be fun to pretend ‘the ghost followed her home’ or something like that? I wonder how she’d react then.

---

“What do you mean? There’s no such thing as ghosts?”

“I’m telling you, I saw it!”

A lazy-looking man with his hands shoved into his pockets yawned.

Beside him was a woman with a somewhat disreputable air, guiding him. People passing by glanced at them and subtly stepped aside.

They were the type of people you occasionally see even in high-class neighborhoods. Just because someone has money doesn’t mean they have class.

The place the two arrived at was a neighborhood filled with expensive homes.

It was clearly a house that cost more than a few pennies.

“Are you sure no one’s home? Didn’t you say your kids live here?”

“…Yeah.”

The woman muttered at the man’s words.

It was already dark, and though the sun had set, there was no sign of anyone inside. The house lights were off.

It wasn’t particularly eerie, but for some reason, it felt cold.

The man didn’t seem to mind the chill. After all, it was about the time of year when the night air started getting chilly.

“Let’s just go.”

The woman hugged herself with her arms.

If anyone was inside, it would be her children. But for some reason, the way the two looked at the girl hanging from the ceiling yesterday had been strange.

As if it was completely natural for something to be there.

Of course, maybe they just hadn’t noticed. After all, they had abandoned those kids long ago—although, sometimes, she did regret it.

“Hey, the door’s opening.”

The man said as he grabbed the doorknob.

Click.

The door opened far too easily.

Though the inside was dark, when the door opened, the light from the streetlamp outside dimly illuminated the inside of the house.

The man whistled softly.

“Can’t we just live here? Isn’t it just a matter of getting rid of the son? What was his name, Shii? He never said anything to you, right?”

The man turned and spoke, but the woman’s face had turned pale.

Her gaze was fixed on the open house.

“What’s wrong?”

The woman seemed to be trying to speak, but no sound came out.

She simply pointed a trembling finger inside the house.

“Huh?”

The man turned his head.

In the distance.

At the end of the hallway, visible even from the entrance, near the corner leading to the kitchen, a figure could be seen.

A pair of pale legs and a skirt.

“Oh, there was someone home. Hey, Shii, long time no see?”

Come to think of it, the last time he’d seen her, she had grown quite a bit. She reminded him of this woman in her younger days.

Thinking of her as a snot-nosed brat still annoyed him, but now...

However, the man’s body froze mid-step as he was about to enter the house.

…

Something was wrong.

Had she grown that tall?

No, more than that, if it was a person’s figure—

He only realized after leaning slightly into the house, but the figure was too tall.

Above the skirt, there was a waist. As if they hadn’t anticipated growing that tall and bought a uniform too small, pale flesh was exposed.

But it didn’t seem provocative at all.

It looked more like someone had forcibly stretched a person out, up and down.

Hair was visible.

Upon hearing the man’s voice, the figure slowly began to peek its head around the corner.

Fingers appeared. Starting with the pinky, one finger at a time touched the corner, as if playing a piano.

Then the figure slowly turned, poking its head around the corner.

Even if the man had only seen Shii through photos, he knew with certainty that this was not Shii.

After all, it wasn’t even a person.

The head, which had been facing the ground, slowly turned toward the man.

It looked like something a three-year-old would draw with a crayon when they tried to draw a person for the first time.

The placement of the two eyes was off. The nose was just a single dot. The mouth was spread wide to the sides, so high that there was no upper lip at all.

The skin was pale, like a sheet of paper. You’d think at least one vein would show through, but there wasn’t a single one, making it look like a mannequin.

But that skin was clearly not plastic. It was flesh.

The unevenly placed eyes slowly turned to look at the man. The eyes, painted black and much too large, stared directly at him.

The mouth opened.

Inside, there were no teeth. The sharp gums didn’t even fit together properly, poking at each other.

Though it had no color, bright red blood dripped from the gums, like it had teeth made of flesh.

That thing began to move.

“U-ugh!?”

The man fell backward, landing hard on his rear, and immediately turned to crawl away.

“I told you! I told you, didn’t I!?”

The woman screamed.

People passing by glanced over, but neither of them cared.

Unlike when they had arrived, they ran away from each other, putting as much distance as possible between them.

There wasn’t even a shred of loyalty as people who lived together.

---

“Huh?”

“Brother?”

“Well, the door’s open.”

Today, both Sasaki and Shii had part-time jobs.

They coincidentally ran into each other at the station, laughed, and came home, only to find that the door, which should have been locked, was open.

Both Sasaki and Shii’s faces hardened at the same time.

“…Stay close behind me.”

At Sasaki’s words, Shii clung to his back.

Nervously, they carefully opened the door—

“Mya.”

A familiar sound greeted them.

“Kuro?”

Recognizing the characteristic meow, Shii murmured.

“Mya.”

When they opened the door, Kuro was sitting in the entrance.

“Didn’t Kurosawa take her with her yesterday?”

“…Do you think she got lost on the way?”

Shii stepped inside and picked up Kuro.

“Myaa.”

As she lifted him up, Kuro let out a disgruntled meow.

“Well, it’s a good thing she came inside. What if she had been stuck outside?”

“…Maybe a window was left open?”

“Let’s check the house and then contact Kurosawa.”

“Yes, brother.”

The two checked the house.

Luckily, nothing seemed to be missing.

---

“Kuro’s over there?”

When I got the call from Sasaki, I scratched my head.

Kuro wasn’t at home, so Koko and I had been searching everywhere.

“How did she end up there?”

Saitama and Tokyo were next to each other on the map, but in reality, it was like Gyeonggi-do and Seoul. No, since Tokyo’s 23 wards were bigger than Seoul, the distance was probably even farther.

Did Kuro go that far?

…Well, it’s not an impossible distance if you walk all day.

It’s strange, though. Koko and I both clearly saw her at home this morning.

Did I imagine bringing her back yesterday? No, that can’t be.

[Maybe you lost her along the way?]

Sasaki cautiously speculated, but I tilted my head.

“…Got it. I’ll come to pick her up.”

[It’s late today, so you can come tomorrow.]

“…She doesn’t have a bathroom, though.”

I looked at Kuro’s litter box at home as I spoke.

[Well… we’ll manage somehow.]

…

I sighed and ran a hand down my face.

“…Alright. I’ll come tomorrow.”

“Are you going to Shii’s house tomorrow?”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

Hearing the conversation, Koko asked, and I nodded.

“Then, will Shii cook?”

[I’ll prepare it, senpai.]

It seemed Shii had been listening to the conversation from the other side of the line.

“Wow!”

…

You’re a little too excited, aren’t you?

…Have I been feeding her too much bean sprout soup lately? Maybe I should start thinking about more variety in our meals?

I started to seriously consider it.

Chapter 105. Above the Neck (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"Kuro."

I spoke to Kuro, who sat in front of me with a sullen expression.

On the surface, I didn't think it was that strange.

I’ve never raised a cat or a dog myself, but I’ve seen people who have pets talk to them sometimes.

Some people might do it just because they find their pet's reactions cute or because they want to play with them, but many also share their worries with their pets.

Didn't someone say that older people value their pets more than people because animals accept everything about them without any harsh words?

...

Of course, the reason I’m talking to Kuro isn’t exactly because of that.

"You... you're not really a cat, are you?"

I wasn’t asking because I was sure of anything.

But I did think it was a little strange.

The most decisive reason I had this thought was when Sasaki told me Kuro was at his house, but there had been some suspicious things even before that.

For a cat, Kuro was too calm and didn’t cause any trouble. Initially, Kuro seemed wary of people, but at some point, she started lying on the floor, rolling around, and not paying much attention to strangers.

Well... I suppose those two things can still be considered cat-like behaviors.

I've seen videos of kittens that were once incredibly wary of people, only to relax and become friendly after a few months.

Though Kuro wasn’t the kind of cat you'd call friendly.

Fine, I’ll leave that aside for now.

The most suspicious thing was that Kuro had been getting food from Shii.

"...."

"Mya."

As I stared at Kuro, who was lying on the table, Kuro meowed in response.

Just because this world resembles a light novel doesn’t mean every cliché from the novels of that time will exist.

But... thinking about it now, isn't this the cat that Shii, who’s treated like a sub-heroine, was secretly taking care of?

It wouldn’t be strange if it suddenly turned into a beautiful girl at a crucial moment.

"Come on, be honest."

I sat cross-legged in front of Kuro, looking at her seriously.

"Everyone in this house isn’t exactly normal. Even if you aren’t an ordinary cat, we won’t think it’s weird."

"Mya."

"...."

You understood that, right?

...Or not?

"Kotone?"

As I was seriously trying to communicate with the cat, Koko called me from the side.

Kneeling on the floor and resting her hands on the ground, she had been staring at Kuro just as intently as I was.

Seeing me act like this must have made Koko think there was something unusual about Kuro too, but her expression showed that she hadn’t found anything different from the usual Kuro.

Come to think of it, Kuro had been extremely wary of Koko the first time he saw her.

I had never actually seen Koko in her real form, but I assumed Kuro had been scared by the sounds from the ceiling when Koko was crawling around. Even after Koko took on her human form, Kuro still hissed at her.

Koko, for her part, didn’t seem to fully understand what the hissing meant.

...Wait, hold on.

Did Kuro hiss at me too?

Come to think of it, Kuro didn’t seem to hiss when she first saw Yamashita either.

Kuro still hated water. Every time I tried to give her a bath, he’d sulk and curl up in the corner, glaring at me for ages.

Then and now, Kuro was still a cat.

"...Hah."

Well, whatever.

If she doesn’t plan on telling me, there’s no point in asking.

"Mya."

"..."

As soon as I stopped thinking about it, Kuro meowed again, still staring intently at me.

For some reason, her eyes looked as if he were pitying me, so I reached out and patted Kuro’s head vigorously.

Seeing this, Koko, who seemed to find it amusing, also joined in, messing up Kuro’s sleek black fur.

"Myaaa."

‘Do as you wish,’ Kuro’s expression seemed to say as she resigned herself to lying flat on the table.

...Or maybe, after spending so much time with Koko, Kuro had just come to terms with her life as a cat.

We’ll find out eventually.

---

After that, I wondered if Sasaki and Shii’s mother had visited them again.

At least, from what Shii told me, she hadn’t.

Shii didn’t seem as gloomy as before, so I didn’t doubt her words.

I was just relieved that our method had worked.

"A school trip?"

"Yes."

"I’m going on my school trip this year too... but unfortunately, it’s on a different date from yours, big brother. We’re going to Kyoto as well, so it would’ve been nice if our dates overlapped…"

Why? What would you do if you ended up in the same place?

You’re not planning to go to Sasaki’s lodging and help out, are you?

I felt a little scared, thinking that Shii might actually do something like that.

"…Thank goodness."

"Huh?"

"It’s nothing."

Without realizing it, I blurted out my honest feelings, so I quickly replied to cover it up.

The middle and high schools had different dates for their trips, but since we were at the same high school, the first-year and second-year trips from Hanagawa High School had the same departure date.

"This is my first time going on an overseas trip."

Kaoru said, looking excited.

I thought they’d be well-off since their family runs a big inn.

"Well, when it’s busy, both my parents help out with the inn. They’re still pretty overprotective, so they were against me traveling overseas on my own."

Seeing my surprised expression, Kaoru explained.

Hmm... I suppose I’d also try to stop a high schooler from suddenly going backpacking overseas, unless they were a college student.

"A three-night, four-day trip. We’ll be on the plane for a long time going there and coming back, so we’ll only have two actual days to enjoy. Let’s do our best, Izumi!"

"…I’d prefer if you’d take it down a notch."

That’s right.

Since the trip is overseas, the second-year students had one more day for their trip. Well, considering they had to spend hours on the plane and deal with the time difference, the first and last days would be mostly wasted.

I’d never been abroad before, but I’d heard some people couldn’t digest food properly due to the water or whatnot, so I guess three nights and four days might feel a bit short.

Second year.

Hawaii.

...I want to go too. It’d definitely be fun hanging out with Yuka and Miura’s group.

I’m sure Kyoto will be fun too, but—

Anyway, the time until our departure for the trip flew by quickly.

There was more to prepare than I’d expected.

Thanks to Ms. Suzuki’s consideration, I was in the same group as Miura’s crew and Koko, but that didn’t mean we could just rely on them for things we forgot.

I managed to get a large suitcase that could fit all my and Koko’s things. It was more expensive than I thought, but it wasn’t unaffordable, so that was a relief.

I carefully packed my and Koko’s clothes in it, along with underwear and socks, and the travel-sized bath items I bought this time.

I filled the backpack I’d carry with snacks.

Of course, Koko already wanted to eat those snacks, but when I told her we’d share them with our friends on the way, she pouted, "Uu…" but held back. She’s pretty commendable.

As for Kuro… in the end, I left him at Yuka’s house again.

"Take care."

"Mya."

Ironically, Kuro looked surprisingly fitting in her grandfather’s arms.

The image of an elderly man who had earned a fortune in his younger days, now leisurely spending his days with a loyal cat by his side, popped into my head. Of course, it’s rude of me to think like that, considering he’s still active.

"Then, we’ll be off."

Yuka smiled as she spoke to her grandfather.

"...We’ll be off."

I also bowed politely next to her, almost out of reflex.

"We’ll be off!"

Koko cheerfully followed us, already in high spirits before we’d even set off.

"Yeah, yeah. Eat lots of good food and see lots of things."

Yuka’s grandfather laughed as he saw us off.

"Come on, Kuro, say goodbye too."

He lifted Kuro’s paw and waved it at us, which nearly made me laugh. Kuro’s face looked extremely sullen in his grandfather’s arms.

"Mya."

We heard Kuro’s reluctant-sounding meow, and we all turned away with smiles on our faces.

---

Kyoto is a lovely place, but there's something I need to handle there.

The author of [Tokyo Slayers] never missed the chance to make use of events like this.

Kyoto had been Japan’s capital for a thousand years. It’s like Gyeongju in Korea.

No, Gyeongju was the capital of Silla, which existed long before the Joseon Dynasty, so maybe it’s not quite the same.

While there was a nearly 500-year-long history of a dynasty between the fall of Silla and the founding of Joseon, no such dynasty stood between Kyoto and Tokyo.

And the capital of Japan didn’t change from Kyoto to Tokyo in ancient or medieval times either. If I remember correctly, it happened toward the end of the modern era. So the Japanese perspective on Kyoto would be different from how Koreans view Gyeongju.

That’s right. Kyoto has a solid reason to have all sorts of things like yokai appearing.

Even though the title of the light novel was 'Tokyo Slayers,' it would get a bit boring if the setting was stuck in Tokyo the entire time.

"Kotone-chan."

"Yes?"

As I stared blankly out the window beside Koko, lost in thought, I heard someone call my name.

Mako was offering me a snack. It was a long, chocolate-coated stick snack, the kind you always see in Korean or Japanese convenience stores.

Though the brand seemed unfamiliar to me, it didn’t really matter.

"Thanks."

When I took it, Mako looked out the window like me, and then she handed one to Koko, who had been eyeing the snack.

On the train to Kyoto.

Of course, Yuka wasn’t sitting with us. We were in different classes, after all.

With Koko excitedly sitting by the window, I sat next to her. Mako sat in front of me, and next to the window on her side was Yamashita.

Naturally, Fukuda wasn’t with us, but she didn’t seem to mind. After all, Fukuda was friendly with everyone in our class.

Yamashita wasn’t someone who never spoke to others, but she was generally quiet, so it would feel awkward to sit with a bunch of people you’re not very close with.

It wasn’t something worth worrying about for Fukuda though.

As I ate the snack Mako had given me, I rummaged through my bag and, unsurprisingly, found some potato chips.

I opened the bag and shared it with Mako.

We didn’t talk much. Most of the time, we stared out the window, occasionally took photos, and discussed what we would do when we arrived.

"...I’ll be right back."

"Okay."

"Kotone?"

"...I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Okay!"

Koko gets anxious unless I tell her directly, even if I try not to say it out loud in front of others.

It seemed like Mako and Yamashita had already noticed though.

Mako smiled wryly as I left to head for the restroom.

As I walked past the seats, I saw familiar faces.

Yuka and Sasaki.

They were sitting together.

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. After all, those two were the closest in their class. Of course, Yuka and Sasaki weren’t exactly in contact with each other, and I had the impression they only knew each other indirectly through me or Shii.

Considering they were seated right next to each other, they might as well chat occasionally.

...Well, it’s their choice, so I don’t have any reason to say anything. They can handle it themselves.

I approached the two, who looked somewhat awkward sitting there. The restroom wasn’t far, and I wasn’t in a hurry.

"Hi."

"Kotone!"

"Kurosawa."

Both of them smiled as they saw me.

It seemed I wasn’t mistaken.

Wondering how I should continue the conversation, I asked,

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah."

"I’m fine."

Hmm.

The awkward situation, coupled with my awkward question, seemed to make things even more uncomfortable.

The two sitting in front of them also looked just as uneasy.

...

It felt a bit awkward to stand or switch seats on the train, especially with students from other classes. It wouldn’t be so bad with people from our class, but asking someone from another class to switch would probably annoy them.

I waved goodbye to the two and quickly headed to the restroom.

At the last moment, both of them gave me a look of desperation—

Well...

Good luck.

That’s all I could say to them.

---

The first day’s schedule was a group tour.

It made sense, since it was a school trip. It was only natural to gather in our respective classes and move around together.

Being guided by Ms. Suzuki and the tour guide was surprisingly refreshing and enjoyable.

Places like Gyeongju, on the other hand, felt different. Since it’s in the same country, there’s always the thought that you could come back anytime, so it didn’t feel particularly special. Especially in elementary school, you’re more focused on playing with friends than sightseeing.

Maybe it was because I’m older now, or because this was a foreign country, or because I wasn’t sure if I’d ever return.

Or maybe it was all of those things.

And that’s why it felt a bit unfair that I’d have to move tomorrow night.

Then again, if I weren’t in this ‘situation,’ there’d be no reason for me to exist in this world anyway.

Though I still didn’t fully understand the reason, I had a vague feeling that it wasn’t a coincidence.

It couldn’t be. If someone had chosen to bring me here, there must be a reason.

That’s why I’m here, living as Kurosawa Kotone.

"Wow!"

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she leaned on the railing. I lightly grabbed her wrist. She obediently stepped back at my gesture.

But I could understand how Koko felt. The view was that beautiful.

The good thing about group tours is that they show you the most scenic spots during the time you have. This place was no different.

So this was... Kiyomizudera? Literally translated as the 'Clear Water Temple.'

It was a massive temple, and it had what they called a ‘stage.’ The stage was, quite literally, what we would call a stage. Apparently, they used to perform dances there. They offered them to a deity called... the Eleven-faced Kannon or something like that. Well, I wasn’t too interested in the details, but the stage was an impressive structure.

Huge wooden pillars formed the base, and more massive beams were placed horizontally to support the structure like a terrace.

The building itself looked magnificent from afar, and the trees surrounding it were stunning. I imagine it would look even better when the leaves turned red, but unfortunately, Kyoto’s fall foliage wouldn’t fully arrive until November. It’s warmer here than in Korea, after all.

"...."

I silently took in the scenery for a while.

*Click.*

I heard the sound of a camera shutter nearby. Fukuda was taking a picture with Yamashita. Well, more like Fukuda was pulling the reluctant Yamashita into a selfie.

As I stared at them, Fukuda seemed to notice my gaze.

"What? You want to take a picture too?"

"Yeah."

When I nodded, Fukuda’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Great! Let’s take one."

She immediately came over and squeezed herself between me and Koko.

She then took out her phone and positioned it for the shot.

"Move a bit closer, guys."

We both complied.

*Click.*

The phone cameras at this time were far inferior to the ones from the 2020s. Twenty years from now, they’ll probably look tiny when viewed on a computer.

Maybe I should take some film photos too when we get back. The photo club is right next to our clubroom, so I can ask them for tips.

I don’t know how long I’ll be here, but I want to remain in these kids’ memories. Even if I leave in a way that hurts them in the end, it’d be too sad to be forgotten by everyone.

Even if I’m forgotten in the end.

Maybe, somewhere down the line, in the long stretch of life, if they ever stumble upon a saved photo, they’ll flip through it and think, “Oh yeah, there was a kid like that. She was a little odd.” If they remember me, that’d be enough.

"Come on, Mako-chan too."

When I called her name, Mako’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Fukuda, Mako, and Yamashita exchanged glances before turning to me.

Fukuda grinned.

"You’re excited to be on a trip, huh? Alright, let’s have a blast!"

Her words made me smile just a little.

---

"You know? There’s a rumor that if you survive a fall from here, your wish will come true."

...No matter how you look at it, I don’t plan on testing that out.

I glanced down beyond the railing.

Could someone survive? I’m pretty sure they’d die for sure.

Sometimes people think that if you reattach a severed limb right away at the hospital, it’ll be fine, but the chances of success aren’t as high as you might think. Only a few hospitals even attempt it, and there are plenty of cases where it fails and the tissue starts to rot. In those cases, the limb has to be amputated again anyway.

There are many stories of people losing limbs after jumping from a height.

Even if your wish comes true, your body probably wouldn’t be intact.

"Uu?"

"...."

"...No, Koko. It’s just a rumor, so don’t actually jump."

Apparently, Yuka hadn’t realized there was someone next to us who probably wouldn’t die from the fall, so she said that in disbelief.

"...Yuka, want to take a picture?"

"Huh? Sure."

I’m not sure when she broke away from her class to come over, but it was a good opportunity.

Yuka smiled brightly and took out her phone.

The three of us smiled as we took a picture.

The screen was small, but the image of three girls smiling together was lovely.

Chapter 106. Above the Neck (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The school trip was enjoyable.

Really.

Though it’s called a ‘study’ trip, implying it’s a journey to hone one’s academic skills, no one actually studies on a school trip.

No, it’s not even the right environment for that in the first place.

One group shares a room together, and the homeroom teacher has grouped the students as closely as possible based on their friendships.

Of course, there might be some dissatisfaction, but most of the time, if you’re in the same room with people, everyone just has endless fun.

It’s not as fantastical as the ‘out-of-the-ordinary’ scenarios from light novels, but still, it’s a delightful variation on the usual daily routine.

After the school trip, there’s an assignment where we have to submit something similar to a report, but filling that out won’t be difficult.

“Where should we go tomorrow?”

The first person to speak as soon as we gathered in the room was Fukuda.

Just by looking at her expression, it was clear that her mind was already full of ideas for where to play.

Well, even I was a bit excited, so how much more excited must these sensitive high school girls be?

“To be honest, I did make a plan…”

Mako took out a notebook with a slightly shy expression.

Fukuda and Yamashita naturally had expressions that said, “Of course, you did.” Even though I’ve only known Mako for a few months, I also had that same expression.

Mako had carefully written down how and where we should go to properly enjoy Kyoto.

What would it have been like in 2024, the time I lived in? Kids back then probably wouldn’t have made plans in a notebook like this. With smartphones and tablets around, maybe there wouldn’t even be a need for such a plan.

…But since we didn’t have those things during my school days, this actually feels more familiar and nice.

“Wow!”

The more Mako explained, the more Koko’s eyes sparkled.

I think Koko was particularly looking forward to what we would eat tomorrow. Mako had even prepared a list of restaurants we could check out.

“As expected of Mako-chan.”

“…If Fukuda were in charge, we’d probably have wandered around until sunset.”

“What?”

Fukuda reacted as if she couldn’t believe it, but,

“Well, I can’t exactly deny it.”

She soon added that and laughed.

When I nodded at Mako, her face turned a bit redder.

Such a class president thing to do.

---

To be honest, street food like dango can also be eaten in Tokyo.

But doesn’t everything taste different when you’re eating it on a trip?

No, it definitely tasted different. Whether it was the way it was made or the ingredients, something was certainly different. It’s hard to say which tasted better, though.

We already had breakfast at the lodging. We’d have dinner when we returned.

Since we couldn’t eat lunch multiple times, we chose street food so we could try as many different foods as possible.

“Mmm!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she bit into a big chunk of Wagyu beef skewer. She seemed much more satisfied than she had been while visiting Kyoto’s famous sites yesterday.

Well, it was delicious. Normally, I’d hardly even dream of eating beef. And this was Wagyu, after all. Of course, it was delicious.

As we wandered through the market, we sampled various foods. Walking through Kyoto’s old, narrow alleys really gave me the feeling of being on a sightseeing trip.

The bamboo forest was nice, too. Walking between the tall, densely planted bamboo felt like stepping into a movie set. Though I haven’t seen many Japanese films, this seemed like the kind of place they would film one. Probably more than a few.

Honestly, I wished the time spent walking around like this wasn’t just a day but several days. I was happy the entire time I walked.

But at the same time, I grew a bit more anxious as time passed. After all, once this time was over, the episode from the original story would begin.

“Kotone!”

As we were walking, we happened to run into Yuka and Sasaki. Their group was with them, too.

They seemed less awkward than yesterday, which was a bit of a relief.

Though I did feel that Yuka seemed a little too excited to see me.

“Are you enjoying the trip?”

“Yeah.”

“You look like you’re having fun.”

Yuka said that as if she were relieved.

“…How about you, Yuka?”

“Me? Of course, I’m having fun.”

She didn’t seem to be having as much fun as I was.

I felt a tiny bit guilty, but what could I do? We were in different classes now. It wasn’t as if Yuka could suddenly join our class.

Not that it was impossible, but if she did, it would leave a bad impression on the people in her current group.

“Then, see you back at the lodging tonight.”

Yuka said goodbye first. I waved at her.

“…Have a good time, Sasaki.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Sasaki, who had been seriously debating whether or not to join in on our conversation, smiled when I waved at him, too.

I felt a little disappointed, but we decided to part ways for now.

We’d have time to meet briefly after dinner.

It would be okay to meet then.

…Besides, Yuka and Sasaki would end up getting caught up in things anyway.

---

Since it was a pricey school, the lodging was quite decent, and so was the food.

After filling my stomach, I excused myself from the others and left the room with Koko.

I pulled a drink from the vending machine and handed it to Koko, and as we walked together,

“Kotone.”

—someone called out to me.

There weren’t many people who called me by my name at school. And since the three who could were back in the room, there were only two people left who could call me by my name here in Kyoto.

And one of them was currently drinking from a can. Naturally, that left only one person.

“Yuka.”

I turned around, calling the name of one of those two.

Yuka looked a little surprised.

“Why are you outside?”

I shrugged.

“No particular reason.”

“…I see.”

Yuka didn’t seem overly concerned. After all, she’d seen me having a good time with Mako’s trio earlier in the day. There was no reason for me to pick a fight with them, and likewise, no reason for them to suddenly start bullying me.

On the other hand, Yuka had a reason to be outside.

She must have felt awkward around the kids in her room. Even though she was in the same group as Sasaki, they weren’t sharing the same room.

Naturally, she wouldn’t be very close to the girls in her room.

I handed Yuka one of the cans I had prepared earlier.

“Huh? What about you?”

“I’m fine.”

“….”

Without a word, Yuka took the can from me.

Her expression, as she looked at me, seemed like she was trying to read my true thoughts, but Yuka soon gave up and opened the can.

The three of us sat on a bench in front of the ryokan.

There were a lot of people around. Our entire grade was staying at the ryokan, but there were plenty of other guests at nearby lodgings, too.

It’s Kyoto, after all. If you list the most famous tourist destinations in this country, this city would definitely be on it.

I could see some foreigners as well. I wondered how many of them were Korean. Would they be surprised if I suddenly spoke to them in Korean?

Yuka next to me would be surprised, too.

“Shall we take a picture together?”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

I held out my hand to Yuka.

She blinked in confusion.

“Your phone.”

I explained.

“What about yours?”

Yuka asked as she placed her phone in my hand.

“I left it behind.”

That’s all I said in response.

I really hadn’t brought it with me.

I positioned Yuka and Koko on either side of me, took a picture, and clicked the shutter. Since it was dark, the quality wasn’t great, but it was still satisfactory.

I handed the phone back to Yuka and sat quietly for a moment.

“Um, Kotone. Is something wrong—”

Yuka seemed to have sensed that something was off from my behavior, but her words were quickly cut off.

“…”

A shiver ran down my spine.

“Kotone, did you feel that?”

I nodded and stood up.

“It’s a yokai.”

“Yeah.”

We looked around.

Nothing was visible right away.

But.

“…I’ll go in and grab something.”

Yuka said.

Since last summer, Yuka always carried a sword with her.

It looked suspicious, but strangely, people around her never paid much attention to it.

Even in the original story, no one seemed to think it was strange.

Maybe that’s one of the effects of ‘Mumei.’

I waited with Koko for Yuka to return.

I had already put a box cutter in my pocket.

“Kotone?”

Koko called out to me, probably feeling something was off about how calm I was.

“It’s okay.”

I reassured her.

At least things wouldn’t unfold the same way they did in the original story.

---

In those days, there was a characteristic of light novels called ‘new wave.’

They were filled with blood. If you just read the descriptions, they were on par with slasher films.

And generally, people die if they lose that much blood. While the protagonist and their close friends get injured but survive, it’s a different story for characters designed to be killed.

Like the victims devoured by Oni, someone always dies.

In [Tokyo Slayers], Yuka also senses the presence of yokai.

But she doesn’t manage to completely fend them off. Just like there’s Yuka’s family in Tokyo, there are people in Kyoto who deal with these things, but they fail to prevent the yokai’s attacks.

The reason was simple. There were just too many yokai. Plus, it’s a crowded tourist area.

But today—

“Koko.”

“Yes!”

—today is a bit different.

Stab.

“Gah…!”

It was an Oni, wasn’t it?

It looked similar to the costume my neighbor had worn once, but on closer inspection, it wasn’t quite the same as Namahage.

Oni were much simpler in appearance. A burly, male body, red skin, and horns growing out of its head.

It wielded a club, but that was the extent of its threat. If I had been alone, I might have been crushed into minced meat by that iron club.

But Yuka was here, and so was Koko.

And so was I.

“What are you people…?”

They seemed to have been aware of Yuka, but not of me, wielding a sword made of blood.

The local exorcists looked at me in shock.

“…”

Without bothering to answer, I grabbed Koko’s arm tightly.

Yeah.

The reason they couldn’t protect people from simple yokai like these was because of sheer numbers.

If yokai were appearing everywhere, it would naturally take time to move from one place to another.

And if their appearance was random, the situation became even more complicated.

There were a lot of yokai, scattered around hurting people, and the number of people to protect was even greater. Even in a city as old as Kyoto with its many historic exorcist families, it became an overwhelming battle.

I don’t know how it would have been in the past. In a caste society, maybe they would’ve only protected the higher-ups and accepted the losses of those below.

But not today. There are far more people now, and the modern government cares about its image.

In the original story, that’s why the exorcists were spread thin, and the damage was greater. Even students became victims.

“Hyakki Yako (百鬼夜行), the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons…!”

I heard someone shout.

No.

That’s not it. The Hyakki Yako episode comes much later.

Right now, I’m only looking at one Oni.

Fortunately, it was within the ‘Nest,’ so it was invisible to ordinary people.

“Let’s go.”

“Kotone…?”

Koko looked at me worriedly.

My body was already covered in blood. One wash probably wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the smell.

It wasn’t all my blood—well, no, I had been using my left arm actively, so I guess a fair amount of it was mine. But at least I had far more yokai blood on me than my own.

My arm trembled slightly.

“Let’s go, Koko.”

Chi, sitting on my shoulder, squeaked quietly.

“How foolish.”

I heard a voice whisper in my ear.

“I don’t understand why you go so far for those who mean nothing to you.”

The voice sounded like it was concerned for me, but it was really filled with amusement.

Nirlass was enjoying my sacrifice.

“…”

Ignoring that voice, I moved forward with Koko.

“…Kotone…!”

Where we arrived was where Yuka was fighting.

The nature of yokai varies depending on the type. Some build nests to protect themselves and do everything within those nests. That was the case with yokai like the Kasha or Raiju.

Others prepare their nests in a way that anyone can enter, actively hunting prey. That was the case with the Oni I saw.

Some yokai don’t even bother staying in their nests and come outside.

Oni tend to create open nests that anyone can enter. Of course, given how much folklore exists about them, they often venture outside.

In the original story, the only sword that could directly slay yokai was Yuka’s ‘Mumei,’ but that didn’t mean yokai couldn’t be defeated at all. If they were drawn out of their nests, weapons like Yuka’s grandfather’s purifying arrows could harm them.

Since yokai are clearly not of this world, weapons made of ‘iron’ won’t deal damage, but as long as they’re here, the laws of this world still apply. So, weapons will ‘pierce’ their bodies. Of course, the real damage isn’t caused by the weapon itself but by the purification ritual behind it.

It’s not the most intuitive explanation, but yokai themselves are non-intuitive beings beyond the logic of this world.

Oni are aggressive and proactive by nature. Since their nests are open, Koko’s movements allowed me to join Yuka right away.

“How is that possible?”

The Oni spoke.

Strange.

The first yokai I encountered, the Oni, could also speak. Ironically, the more dangerous yokai seem more like beasts.

“…”

Well, just because a yokai can talk doesn’t mean I’m obligated to answer.

They don’t give explanations when they kill people.

I charged in with all my might.

Koko did the same, transforming her hair to block the Oni’s club, helping me get close enough to strike with my sword.

A weapon similar to the one in my right hand grew from my left arm.

As time passed—proportional to the amount of blood I lost—the sword grew larger. But there was no need to worry about its weight. It chipped away little by little with each swing.

Thud.

Red blood splattered onto the ground. It was a mix of the Oni’s and mine.

“…Hah.”

“…Kotone.”

Yuka, who had been frozen in place as she watched me move, cautiously called my name.

I turned to look at her.

Yuka was also covered in blood. The usually shiny Mumei was now dotted with blood droplets.

Even after all this killing, there were still more.

Could this be Kosuzu’s doing? In the light novel, this event was described as a kind of prelude. And in reality, it leads to the true Hyakki Yako later on.

“Are you okay?”

I silently nodded. Yuka’s face twisted as she looked at mine.

“…Even if I told you to rest, you wouldn’t, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“…”

At my answer, Yuka stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded.

“Then, let’s finish this quickly and rest.”

I nodded and took Koko’s hand.

“Kotone…”

“Koko, if we don’t do this, the others will be in danger.”

Only after hearing my words did Koko’s expression harden.

Yuka also grabbed Koko’s arm, and we moved together.

---

“Hah, hah…”

My breath was ragged. My mouth tasted like iron.

But at least, with this…

“I see.”

A voice whispered in my ear.

“At least you’ve killed everything you wanted to kill.”

It’s hard to say if it was a success.

Kyoto is vast. Even if Chi, which I created, did its job, a few Oni probably succeeded in running rampant.

“Now that you’ve accomplished what you desired, I’ll take my leave.”

Something was weighing on my mind.

Was it because I didn’t handle everything perfectly?

“Kotone. It’s okay. Rest.”

Yuka grabbed my arm.

I followed her and leaned against a nearby wall.

Only then did I hear the screams of people.

They were startled by the sight of the blood-soaked girls who had suddenly appeared.

Someone would probably call the police. Soon, I’d be taken to a hospital.

…Which I didn’t want.

There’s still one more day left of the school trip.

Yuka was on the phone. Her face, which had been serious as she listened, suddenly broke into a smile.

Then she quickly sat down in front of me and said,

“Kotone, we did it.”

She didn’t care if people overheard her.

“It’s okay. No one died. There aren’t even any injuries. It’s a complete victory.”

“…Ha.”

At those words, I lost all my strength.

…Was it really that perfect?

Could it be that what I did was more effective than I thought?

In the distance, I heard the sound of sirens.

“So now, rest. Rest as much as you can, okay?”

Yuka’s voice was tinged with tears.

“Tomorrow, let’s walk around together.”

“Kotone…”

Koko’s voice was completely choked with sobs.

…

Could I?

Will that even be possible?

Well, fine. It’s okay.

As long as no one died, that’s enough.

Yeah, tomorrow morning, I’ll wake up—

Chapter 107. Above the Neck (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Blood.

All I could see in front of me was blood.

That place, which was clearly just an ordinary lodging room, was soaked in red blood as if someone had purposely scattered it everywhere.

No, it was definitely deliberate.

After all, pieces of flesh were thrown all over the place.

There were severed arms and legs.

The cuts weren’t clean; it looked as if they had been forcibly twisted and torn apart.

By something much bigger than the victim.

Flesh, fat, blood, mucus, and intestines were strewn everywhere.

Did I... did I do something wrong?

Should I not have left at that time?

They clearly said there were no victims. Before I lost consciousness, Yuka definitely said there were none. That we had succeeded.

Could she have been lying?

Over there, I could see hair. Black hair. If there had been a neck below it, it would have been cut cleanly just around that area, but now the neck was severed along with the hair.

Between the tangled strands of hair, I could see a white ear and torn flesh.

I staggered over to that spot.

...This can’t be.

I was definitely acting much more efficiently than in the original.

Could it be that this child ended up like this because I didn’t follow the original storyline?

Or was she bound to die anyway?

We were supposed to go around together tomorrow.

Splat.

My legs gave out, and I knelt, but the sound that came from my knees wasn’t a hard thud but a wet squelch.

Blood must have splattered. Could a human body really produce this much blood?

Since my body was already covered in blood, getting more soaked didn’t matter anymore.

With trembling hands, I reached out and grabbed the head.

Just before I turned it over to check the face—

The small mouth between the tangled strands of hair suddenly moved.

“—It’s time to wake up.”

It wasn’t Mako’s voice that I knew. A completely different voice said that to me.

And I screamed.

* * *

“Kotone! Kotone!”

As I suddenly struggled, Koko, panicking, grabbed hold of my body. She seemed to know she had to do something, but didn’t know what.

“Kotone, what’s wrong!?”

I heard Yuka’s voice, too. She sounded just as alarmed as Koko.

My veins felt like they were burning.

I moved my hand and forcefully pulled out the IV needle stuck in my arm. A little blood spurted out. Had I been getting a transfusion?

“Kotone—”

“Ugh.”

I hastily leaned forward.

From deep inside my throat, nausea surged up, and I vomited everything in my stomach.

I threw up everything I had eaten today, things that hadn’t even been digested yet—

And then, red liquid poured out on top of it.

The voices calling my name fell silent. For a moment, the only sounds were the noise of me throwing up, mixed with occasional sobs and groans.

“Haa, haa...”

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve, trying to soothe my burning throat. My hospital gown was soaked and uncomfortable, and I just wanted to cry, forgetting my past life and everything.

Once my vision cleared, I looked at the mess before me in dismay.

The vomit and blood were all mixed together, staining my clothes. The smell was horrendous. The iron scent of the blood and... well, it was just terrible.

“I-I’ll go get the doctor. Koko, take care of Kotone.”

Yuka said.

I couldn’t even muster the strength to say, “I’m fine.”

I looked around, and realizing I was in a hospital gave me a strange sense of relief. Right, what I saw earlier must have been a dream.

Knowing Mako was safe made me feel a bit at ease.

“Kotone...”

Koko held onto my arm tightly. I patted her hand and slowly lay back on the bed.

“...”

Why?

I could understand having a dream. If I’d been worrying about something before falling asleep, it wasn’t strange to have a nightmare about it.

But even so, why would Nirlass wake me up on purpose?

“...”

“I’m o-okay.”

I tried to answer Koko, who was looking at me with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears. But my voice was so cracked that it didn’t have much effect.

If anything, Koko seemed even more worried.

“Yuka been gone for a while.”

But I couldn’t just keep quiet, so I forced myself to say something.

We sat in silence for a while.

Honestly, this kind of thing happened quite often.

Despite her personality, Koko wasn’t all that talkative. The things she wanted to talk about were usually simple topics without much thought, and it made sense that those conversations didn’t last long.

After she’d said everything she wanted to, she wouldn’t speak again until I brought up a new topic.

But this silence... it didn’t seem like she was quiet because she had nothing to say.

Rather, it felt like she had something she wanted to say but was holding it back.

“...”

Normally, I would be the one to start the conversation in moments like this, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in the state to do so, either physically or mentally.

A few minutes passed in silence.

Just as I was beginning to think that Yuka was taking a while—

Bang!

The hospital room door burst open.

Startled, I turned my head.

“...Kotone!”

Yuka shouted.

Yuka didn’t seem to be injured. She looked like she had just rushed over here in a hurry.

Yuka quickly came into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She locked the door with the latch.

“Why...?”

“...It’s a yokai.”

“A yokai?”

I asked, dazed.

But...

“Yeah, it’s weird, right? There’s no ‘feeling.’ I didn’t notice it myself until I saw the situation with my own eyes.”

“You didn’t notice?”

“...In hospitals like this, there’s usually a nurse on duty in every hallway. That’s normal. After all, patients who are hospitalized can have serious issues at any time. But here, there was no one.”

Yuka said, drawing her sword from its scabbard.

“And you know what’s even stranger? There are no other patients. In a hospital this big. At least on this floor, near where we are, there are no other patients.”

“Then?”

I said, getting up from my seat.

Normally, Yuka would tell me to stay lying down, but she didn’t this time.

Well, standing would make it easier to run than lying down.

Thud.

As soon as I got up, and Koko helped support me, a loud sound echoed from the door.

It was as if someone was trying to open the door but was being blocked and trying harder to open it.

“...”

We all stiffened and stared at the door.

Click, click.

The sliding door moved slightly to the side as if someone was trying to open it, and the latch that Yuka had secured made a rattling sound.

And then, the person on the other side, who confirmed that the door was locked, spoke to us as if trying to reassure us.

[Is someone in there?]

A normal male voice.

[It seemed a bit noisy, so I came to check. Are you all right?]

“...”

We looked at each other.

I... trust Yuka.

In a situation like this, I could definitely rely on her.

But at the same time, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

At this distance, shouldn’t Yuka be able to tell if it’s a yokai or not? I should have been able to sense that ominous feeling, too.

“Yuka...”

“...No.”

As if she had read my thoughts, Yuka firmly cut me off.

“I saw it clearly. I didn’t see the yokai, but... there was blood—”

Before Yuka could finish her sentence, the person on the other side spoke again.

[Kurosawa-san, it’s time to change your medication. You must’ve woken up, right? You were in pain, right?]

“...”

Yuka’s eyes blinked.

[There was a bit of a disturbance in the hospital. A patient caused a commotion. I’m sorry, but could you please open the door?]

“...”

I looked at Yuka.

“Yuka, did you meet a doctor?”

“...No.”

That’s right. She had just told me moments ago that there was no one in the hallway. No hospital staff, no patients.

If there were any monitoring devices attached to my body, the other side might have noticed.

Normally, a patient receiving a blood transfusion would be in urgent need of blood. In such cases, they would often be hooked up to monitoring equipment to check their condition.

But I was a bit of a different case. I literally just lacked blood, but as long as I had it, I could heal without any injuries.

Also, it wasn’t clear how my body was different from a normal person’s. So instead of hooking me up to a monitoring device, Yuka was just watching over me to check my condition.

If Yuka had gone looking for a doctor, my condition must have been that severe. She wouldn’t have ignored everything to find one otherwise.

I was feeling a little better now.

But why?

...Wait a minute.

“...You.”

I spoke. My throat still hurt and burned, but there was something I had to confirm.

“How did you know I was in pain?”

I looked at the mess I had caused while thrashing around.

The IV stand had toppled over, and the blood bag had burst. The sight of blood splattered everywhere looked grotesque, even though it hadn’t come from my body.

But, yes.

How did the person on the other side know I had been in pain? All they would’ve seen was a patient receiving a transfusion.

“...”

The man behind the door was silent for a moment.

And then—

Bang!

Something hit the door with great force.

Yuka’s body tensed up immediately, gripping her sword with both hands and pointing it at the now-broken door.

The hospital door was made of simple wood, so it broke too easily under the force of what seemed like an axe.

Well, I suppose that makes sense. In the event of a fire or other emergency, it would be dangerous if a patient had locked the door. There were probably ways to unlock the latch easily too.

Bang! Bang!

The door continued to break, and a hole opened up.

What lay beyond... couldn’t be seen. It was too dark on the other side of the door—

Smack!

“Gah!?”

However, it seemed the person on the other side had underestimated the occupants of this room. Koko’s hair extended through the narrow gap and struck the figure on the other side.

Her hair twisted and moved through the hole. I could hear someone screaming from beyond.

But the more that happened, the more confused Yuka’s face became.

If the enemy were a yokai, they wouldn’t be doing something so clumsy.

“Wait, Koko!”

Yuka shouted at Koko, and Koko’s eyes widened slightly.

Having already moved forward, Koko pulled her hair back and looked at us.

“Wait... hold on.”

“...”

Watching the perplexed Yuka, I thought of her from another time.

There was that cannibalistic killer I mistook for an oni, and Yuka hadn’t cut him down because she told me not to.

Considering how oni had attacked in droves just a few hours ago, Yuka must have naturally assumed that what was happening in this hospital was an extension of that.

But what if the person beyond the door wasn’t a yokai?

Could we cut down someone like that?

Could we allow Koko to strike them?

Bang! Crack!

The sound of the wood splintering came again, and the hole widened.

A hand reached inside. It was a deeply wounded hand, with many deep cuts.

The hand slowly twisted, fumbling for the latch.

Click.

The latch was undone, and the door slowly slid open.

And beyond the door—

“...”

Was a person.

A person covered in deep gashes all over their body. Their face was slashed, and their cheek was cut open.

But something seemed a little off.

“Miss, you can’t act like this. It’s troublesome.”

The mangled doctor spoke calmly, as if merely irritated that his duties were being interfered with.

As if this was the natural course of events.

“You vomited all your medication, didn’t you?”

The doctor said, looking at my blood-soaked hospital gown.

“...Medication?”

Was he talking about that?

Was it not real blood after all?

The doctor was wearing a scarf around his neck. His body stood upright, but there was something unnatural about his neck. It was slightly misaligned—

The moment the doctor took a step toward me, Yuka moved without hesitation.

Her sword gleamed.

With a swish, Yuka sliced through the man’s neck.

But nothing happened.

The scarf was neatly cut in two, but...

“I see.”

Yuka’s voice trembled as she stepped back.

“You’re a yokai without a nest.”

“Yokai?”

The doctor tilted his head.

...

I had seen plenty of corpses, so I wasn’t easily scared by things like that, but this... this was truly disturbing.

The head, detached from the body, wasn’t moving with muscles and bones like normal; it was just floating there, tilted at about a 45-degree angle.

“What are you talking about? Yokai? There’s no such thing as yokai in this world.”

The man spoke as if he had just heard a joke.

And he took a step toward us.

“...”

We all took a step back.

Even Yuka seemed hesitant for some reason.

Was there a reason for her hesitation?

“...”

I closed my eyes. I contemplated for a brief moment.

In this condition, would it be right for me to join the fight?

But, well...

If Yuka was hesitating, then that meant cutting down this enemy wasn’t an easy decision.

In that case, it was up to me to take the responsibility.

After all, I was the adult here.

I glanced around.

And then I spotted a piece of metal.

There was a small table near the bed, a convenient place to put things, and on it was a single pen.

While I calculated the distance, the enemy took another step closer.

There was no more time to waste.

I mustered all the strength I had left and lunged toward the table. Yuka, Koko, and even the headless doctor all turned to look at me.

But none of them reached me in time.

Yuka had her hands full with her sword, and the doctor was simply too far away.

Koko had changed her direction to deal with the doctor when she saw him lunging toward me.

Thanks to that, I was able to grab the pen in time.

“Kotone!”

Yuka called my name, making me flinch for a moment, but I quickly pressed the button on the pen to extend the tip. Even so, it was sharp enough to act as a needlepoint.

Sharp enough to slash my wrist.

The pain shot through me. It hurt more than usual, maybe because I was extra sensitive right now. Or maybe because I was weakened? It could be that the nature of the wound was different. After all, this was the dullest object I had ever used to cut my wrist.

Blood flowed from my wrist, and my palm faced upward.

The wound split open horizontally and began to widen vertically.

The eye at the center of the pentagram stared directly into mine.

“Were you the one who woke me up earlier?”

“So it seems.”

Before the figure could even speak, I spoke first, but Nirlass seemed willing to overlook my rudeness.

“...You knew, didn’t you? That this would happen.”

“Isn’t it strange to think I didn’t know?”

Nirlass answered in a cheerful voice.

“...”

There were many things I wanted to ask. I probably had enough time. After all, time itself had stopped for the moment.

But I didn’t feel like asking them.

“What’s that?”

Bizarrely, the yokai—who should have exuded that distinct feeling—was frozen mid-lunge toward me.

It was almost lying flat in the air, mid-attack, with its face turned toward me, baring its teeth.

Of course, the head was separated from the body.

“I’m curious what you think the sensation of seeing a yokai is.”

“...”

Regardless of whether I answered, Nirlass spoke in a very gentle—though exaggeratedly gentle—voice, explaining gleefully.

“You, for instance, might think of it as a spine-chilling sensation. Isn’t there something similar?”

Seeing a bug. Having a snake suddenly slither out of the bushes while walking. Nearly getting into a car accident. Stumbling upon a human corpse by chance.

Or discovering a fire.

“...”

When you encounter those things too often, you become desensitized.

“Yes, that’s true. You can become numb to it. But even so, everyone still instinctively avoids certain things.”

“So, you’re saying that thing isn’t like that?”

More than that, I was genuinely surprised Nirlass was giving me this kind of explanation.

Wouldn’t an otherworldly being like Nirlass not even bother trying to understand humans? That was supposed to be the point of Cthulhu Mythos and cosmic horror.

Or, was there something that even Nirlass feared? Something that terrified even Nirlass?

“Let me give you a hint.”

Nirlass said.

“If there is a world where you live, where do you think the other world is?”

“...”

“As a living being, there must be something you inherently fear, right?”

“...”

“At the inevitable end, have you thought about where your soul will go?”

...Yokai come from a place far away from where humans live. And among humans, there are those who can sense these yokai.

“But isn’t it said that the place yokai come from isn’t the world of the living or the world of the dead—”

“Is that so?”

Nirlass asked.

“If they can come to the world of the living, wouldn’t it be curious to think they can’t go to the world of the dead?”

“...Then, why don’t all people feel it—”

“If people don’t believe ghosts or spirits exist, why would people still imagine such things and tremble in fear?”

Nirlass laughed.

“I wonder why you don’t feel such emotions toward that.”

“...”

I had no response.

Chapter 108. Above the Neck (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The reason any creature fears something is because that something poses a great threat to the survival of its species.

Through the process of evolution, those who failed to avoid such threats all perished.

The survivors passed on their genes, and among their descendants, there were those who also either avoided or failed to avoid such dangers.

When this process repeats over and over, the selected genes bear the knowledge of what should be feared in order to increase the chances of survival—ultimately increasing the species' chances of survival.

…Ghosts or spirits do exist. At least in this world.

Souls, too, might exist. After all, I am here.

And yokai, too—

"Of course, only a small number of beings are born with such traits. After all, yokai don't always cross over from their world to this one, do they?"

Nirlass had said this earlier. If crossing to this world is possible, then crossing to the next world is possible too.

No, to be precise—

Yokai build nests to exist in this world. Those nests become a midway point between the world of the yokai and the human world, allowing the yokai to exist faintly here.

Which means.

"…So, you're saying yokai don’t live somewhere else but just cross over from the afterlife?"

"I'm not quite sure. I don't have any reason to bother with such beings individually."

She said this teasingly.

"However, I wanted to tell you that in this world, there are far more things you can understand simply by seeing them."

"Then, what about that?"

"This time, too, it's best to think simply."

Nirlass whispered in my ear.

"If they can exist in the afterlife, they can exist here too, and if they can be created in the afterlife, they can be created here as well, no?"

And, there exists something that remains both in this world and in the afterlife.

The human soul.

At least, that's how the rules work here.

I don’t know what kind of place the afterlife is. I just think of it as the place one goes when they die because it's called the 'afterlife.'

So, for now, the only thing I can imagine that exists in the afterlife is a soul.

"…The ones I’ve cut down so far—"

"Isn't it funny how principles work?"

Nirlass whispered.

"It's like believing something exists in a place where there's nothing at all."

Nirlass chuckled quietly.

Slowly, very slowly, blood started to rise from my wrist.

"Believing lightning is the wrath of a god."

The blood stretched out like thread, twisting and overlapping as if knitting itself together.

"Believing diseases and floods are divine punishment."

Finally, it formed a sword.

"Believing that things like rights or freedoms are absolute concepts. Isn’t that funny?"

The sword slowly descended from the air.

The only things moving around me were the sword and my hand.

My hand, contrary to my will, moved elegantly and grasped the hilt of the sword.

The slow, upward sweep looked almost sensual.

"If they ever meet something truly worthy of being called a 'god,' I wonder what they’d think—"

"Ah, wait—"

Before I could even say "Wait a moment," my body had already begun to move.

Lightly, as if on a pleasant stroll.

Barefoot, still wearing the blood-soaked hospital gown stained with vomit.

"Kotone?"

Yuka called out to me in a flustered voice as I moved.

The world around me was already in motion.

"—Would they pray and cry to the 'god' they believe in, or would they cling desperately to that illusion? I wonder."

Like a dancer twirling a ribbon, my left hand rose lightly into the air.

The sword smoothly sliced through the head floating in midair, cutting it straight down the middle.

For a brief moment, the head split into two in zero gravity, like a droplet of water, and hovered there before falling to the ground.

The cross-section looked like one of those anatomical models I used to see in science class as a child.

"I'm also curious about your reaction."

"How in the world—"

"Didn't I tell you?"

Nirlass spoke in a voice laced with laughter.

"It's up to the responder whether they answer or not."

Then, slowly, my hand lowered.

"So, what will you do now?"

"…."

I kept my mouth shut.

Blood soaked into the ground beneath my feet, making it wet. It smelled just like human blood.

"Now that you know I can control your body, will you still trust me enough to let me move you? Or will you just hide behind that friend of yours, watching her hands get dirty?"

I gritted my teeth.

After those words, Nirlass stopped speaking to me. She didn't seem to have any intention of controlling my body any further.

It was clear I had to make the decision.

Though, in reality, there was only one choice I could make.

"Kotone!"

As I started moving, I heard Yuka shout from behind.

"I have to go."

I said to Yuka.

And without waiting for a reply, I bolted out of the hospital room.

---

Seeing Kotone move, Yuka hurriedly followed behind her.

There was a long trail of bloody footprints in the hallway. The marks left from the blood flowing from her torn wrist were clear.

"Koko…!"

"Yes!"

At Yuka's shout, Koko quickly grabbed Yuka.

It was now the second time she experienced a movement that far exceeded the speed any human could achieve.

But perhaps because she had already experienced it once, this time it felt a little more familiar.

As soon as Koko stopped, the sound they heard was—

A slicing sound, as flesh was cut by a sword.

It was the same sound they had heard in the hospital room a moment ago. The strange, sharp sound of a blade cutting through even bone as if it didn’t exist.

There was a sickening sound of something grotesque pouring out.

Yuka, truthfully, was used to such sounds.

Hadn’t she seen such scenes since childhood? After all, she had been fighting to protect ordinary people from these strange beings.

Not from beings of this world, but from entities that had come from somewhere far beyond.

But this time, it didn’t seem like they were dealing with such beings.

A yokai without a nest.

…It wasn’t as if she hadn’t heard of such things before.

In fact, in the stories passed down through generations, yokai were often described as such beings. They lived quietly among humans, sometimes harming or devouring them, but at times, communicating with them as well.

In old tales, "nests" were never mentioned. Such concepts only appeared in the legends passed down by a select few families who viewed yokai as enemies and hunted them.

She could more or less guess the identity of this yokai.

A nukekubi.

A yokai whose head detaches from its body. By day, it mingles with society like a normal human, but at night, its head flies off to roam around.

But even so—

If it’s a yokai, there should have been a nest.

"Yuka!"

Kotone shouted.

"Ah."

While Yuka stood there absentmindedly, someone was charging toward her.

It was, of course, someone whose head had fallen off and shouldn’t have been able to move—a person.

No, a yokai?

Something felt strange. There wasn’t that usual eerie sense she got from the yokai she normally encountered, nor from the vengeful spirits or ghosts. There was only a sense of disgust from its grotesque appearance, but that was all.

Thud.

And then, the yokai's temple was pierced by a crimson blade. Its two eyes, set into its hollow sockets, seemed to shatter from within, and a clear, sticky liquid mixed with blood flowed out like tears.

When Kotone swung her sword, the head was slammed to the ground, drawing a crimson line as it slid across the floor.

It didn’t vanish.

Only after seeing that did the goosebumps rise on Yuka’s skin.

Though she felt she needed to stop Kotone, she was also confused by the part of her that empathized with the situation.

"Yuka."

Kotone spoke calmly.

Her body was covered in blood, just like when Yuka had seen her earlier in the evening. Wearing only a hospital gown made the sight even more wretched. The blood-soaked clothes clung tightly to her body, revealing her thin frame through the slightly wide neckline.

"Yuka. Listen to me calmly."

Voices began to be heard again. Over there, I heard something from over there. Everyone, gather! Such voices, like people talking, echoed.

It wasn’t unusual for yokai to speak in human language, but—

"Yuka."

At Kotone's words, Yuka turned her head, and Kotone was looking straight at her.

Her grip on Yuka’s shoulder was damp. That’s how much blood was on Kotone’s body.

"I won’t be able to hold them off much longer."

Kotone said.

"Then I’ll—"

"No."

Kotone said.

"You need to…."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then thought.

"You need to go and ask for help. There are people here who do similar work to you, aren’t there?"

"There are, but…."

"Leave it to them."

Kotone opened her eyes.

Her gaze was intense, sharp enough to be clearly seen even in the unlit hallway.

"I’ll open the path."

That’s what Kotone said.

The sound of footsteps grew closer.

"Kotone?"

"…Koko."

Kotone turned her gaze to Koko.

"…Help Yuka."

"Kotone!"

"…Please."

At Kotone’s plea, Koko froze.

Kotone had asked Koko for help before, but never with such a desperate expression.

In this situation—

"You’re the only one who can contact those people. Right now."

"…."

"And to move as quickly as possible, we’ll need your help, Koko. I’m needed here. There might be other survivors, and more than anything, those things are targeting me. If I leave, and they all rush out, what do you think will happen?"

"…."

"And I’m not weak enough to be killed by those things. You’re both watching right now, aren’t you?"

Kotone grabbed Koko’s hand, who still seemed unsure of what to do.

And she pleaded earnestly.

"Please, help Yuka."

"Can you promise me?"

Koko asked cautiously, still not fully convinced.

She extended her pinky to Kotone.

"Can you promise you’ll wait here?"

"I promise."

Kotone linked pinkies with her.

"Have I ever broken a promise?"

"No."

"Then, help Yuka. Bring the others. I’ll be waiting."

"Mm."

Koko hesitated until the end but eventually agreed to Kotone's request.

***

Yes.

Calm down.

Stay calm.

Even if the ones I've cut down so far were once human souls, there’s no need to feel guilty.

After all, they're 'not human' anymore, right? If they’ve crossed over from the afterlife, they can no longer be called human. It’s only natural to send them back by cutting them down again. Just think of it as a form of exorcism.

But, even so, there’s no need to confuse Yuka or make her feel guilty.

They weren’t created in the afterlife, but even so, I don’t think they can be called 'human.'

Because when a person’s head is severed from their body, that person dies. I’ve never heard of anyone being revived by reattaching a severed head through surgery, at least.

In any case, I have to kill them and make sure they’re gone. Whether or not they have nests, they're already dead.

Yeah.

Though it's not something I should be saying, given the kind of job I had.

But still, there's a connection to be made here.

If those things don’t disappear like yokai do after death, who do you think will end up being blamed?

In this situation, who’s going to bear the responsibility?

Even if the Yuuki family manages to smooth things over somehow, hoping this kind of large-scale incident doesn’t reach the public is probably too much to ask. The higher-ups might even 'hold someone accountable' to cover up the incident.

Koko didn’t seem to fully grasp the situation, and Yuka, in her panic, probably hadn’t thought that far ahead either.

Before they realized that, I had to send them away.

I can handle this alone.

Yes.

Who else but me could do this?

"If that’s the conclusion you’ve come to, then I have nothing more to say."

"…You went out of your way to remove my limits, and now you're saying that?"

I tried moving my hand.

My body felt light.

I could feel the cold slowly creeping in. It was probably hemorrhagic shock or something like that. My body was starting to cross the danger threshold, but the fact that I could still move like this, and still use my powers, was thanks to some blessing from a foreign god I couldn’t even pinpoint.

Divinity, I suppose? Well, at least on the surface, it didn’t seem very divine.

"But don’t get the wrong idea."

I said to Nirlass.

"I’m not some being that moves according to your words alone."

"Even so, isn’t there already a bond of trust between us?"

Nirlass said.

"If I help you, you give me joy in return. I believe that’s the nature of our relationship."

I didn’t bother responding to Nirlass's words.

I didn’t know why these things were here, but there was no need to think about the reason now.

I should deal with what’s in front of me first, then think about the next step.

I flicked the sword once. Blood splattered onto the floor.

Then I solidified the blood in my left hand.

Just like I had used in the earlier fight, I formed a blade-shaped crystal.

The sound of footsteps grew closer.

I charged at the first one to enter.

Their eyes widened in shock. At first glance, it looked like the face of a normal person. The expression of someone terrified at the sight of a girl charging at them with a sword.

But this nurse’s head was already severed.

And it wasn’t just her.

The elderly people in hospital gowns behind her were the same. Among them were even some younger people, dressed in plain clothes with no relation to anything happening here.

"…."

I closed the distance and swung my left hand. The crystal protruding from my wrist stabbed into the severed neck. Crack. The crystal hit the spine and shattered.

A bloodcurdling scream pierced my ears, but I didn’t care.

The body moved to strike at me. Its nails had grown sharp. When I swung my sword, a few of its fingers were sliced off.

Pop!

The crystal embedded in its neck exploded, turning its head into a bloody rocket. The head flew backward, propelled by the force of the exploding blood. I kicked the head, which had rolled behind the body, sending it flying, and embedded the sword into the chest of the body that was staggering blindly.

It felt disgusting.

Without bothering to confirm that the body had collapsed, I moved to the next.

"Please return to your room, miss!"

Hearing that voice, I couldn’t help but grimace.

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"I just want to go home, child."

"Cut the act already!"

What could I do for beings that weren’t even human?

The best thing I could do was grant them peace. After all, they can’t live in society with their heads severed, can they?

….

Well, I suppose there is Koko as an exception.

But this is different, isn’t it? These things are bent on killing people.

I swung my arm at the three who charged at me. Blood sprayed in all directions, and their heads wobbled for a moment.

Yeah. No matter where they were born, a yokai is still a yokai.

I shoved the sword into the mouth of the elderly man in the center. Then, I swung it with all my might, and the head on the left flew off like a baseball hit by a bat.

The severed neck was clean. Not a single drop of blood flowed. Perhaps it was because they were already dead.

Even the head still impaled on my sword couldn’t withstand the centrifugal force as I swung, and with a soft slurping sound, it flew off into the distance.

"Urgh…!"

But one of them still grabbed my arm.

And the remaining two seemed to be fumbling about, reaching for my body.

My right arm was caught. One of them grabbed the blade of my sword with its bare hand, and its other hand touched my body.

The weight of the five bodies pressing down on me was crushing.

I lay pinned to the ground and barely managed to move my left arm toward the one in direct contact with me. At least the body wasn’t warm. That gave me some comfort.

Crack.

The crystal extending from my wrist grew longer, impaling the body. Blood gushed from the severed neck, splashing onto my face, but I didn’t close my eyes.

The long crystal soon turned into something that wriggled.

With blood spurting from its neck, the body thrashed violently.

Pop!

The large tentacle exploded again, and the body collapsed.

I shoved the body aside and stood up.

"Argh…!"

Feeling a sudden pain, I looked down and saw that a head had bitten into my Achilles tendon at the back of my ankle.

I stabbed it with my sword and shook my leg to free myself.

"Huff… huff…."

Even with Nirlass reinforcing my body, this wasn’t easy. My lost blood wasn’t regenerating instantly, and the more blood I lost, the slower my wounds healed.

Am I going to die like this…?

No.

I shook my head.

That wouldn’t be it.

There’s the prophecy.

As long as Yuka isn’t by my side, I won’t die here and now.

I stumbled forward.

Hearing footsteps, I turned in that direction—

"Urk!?"

And let out that sound as I fell to the floor.

My back hit the wall. I barely managed to endure the pain and stand up, only to see what was before me—

"…Ha, haha."

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Standing there was a cow.

As if someone with a twisted sense of humor had tried to create a minotaur by cutting off a cow’s head and placing it on a human mannequin.

Well, the thing standing there wasn’t a mannequin. But its unrealistic appearance made it impossible to see it as a person.

A lowing sound came from the cow.

It wasn’t the peaceful moo of a cow grazing in a field. It was the sound of a cow, knowing what was coming, bellowing loudly as it was dragged to the slaughterhouse. It was the sound a mother cow might make when her calf was taken away.

The cow’s eyes bulged, as if they were about to pop out, with blood vessels running through them.

The cow charged at me.

I quickly leaped to the side. My landing was awkward, and my shoulder hurt terribly, but I forced myself to stand.

Boom!

The sound of something heavy slamming into the wall sent chills down my spine.

The cow turned its body toward me again.

And then, with all its might, it leaped, aiming directly at me—

Before it could slam into me, I raised my sword. I held it upright like a lightning rod waiting to be struck.

The cow’s neck flew upward.

And as it came crashing down toward me, it very unfortunately impaled itself on my sword.

A cow’s head is much larger than a human’s. Naturally, the bones inside it are much thicker too, but my sword pierced through it as if it were soft jelly.

The cow’s head came to a complete stop.

"Hah!"

But when the heavy body of an adult man fell on top of me after that, I thought I was going to die. The sword hilt dug into my abdomen, and the weight of the man’s body pressing down on me made me feel like my insides were being crushed.

But at least it wasn’t instant death.

I had survived.

"Ugh…"

I rolled my body to the side and pushed myself up. It was hard to stand with my leg still bleeding from the bite.

"Hah… hah… wheeze…."

I leaned against the wall, using it to support myself as I stood.

Limping forward a few steps, I suddenly stopped to listen.

I no longer heard the sound of several people running around like before.

How long had it been since Yuka and Koko left? I was sure it hadn’t even been five minutes.

"Cough, cough…."

One of the heads on the ground was looking up at me, its mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Was it trying to crawl toward me?

I stabbed it with my sword.

It went silent.

"…."

A gruesome sight lay before me. About eight bodies, all hacked to pieces, their heads rolling around on the floor, lay scattered in utter disarray.

It was a horrible, miserable scene.

"…."

Slowly, I leaned my body against the wall and sat down.

My vision was starting to blur.

Is it over?

…No.

No, it wasn’t.

In the distance, I heard the sound of footsteps.

It didn’t sound like Yuka.

The footsteps were slow and deliberate, as if the person approaching wasn’t the least bit concerned about what had happened here.

Someone was coming this way.

I had to stay conscious. If I passed out here, I would surely—

But that was the last thought I had before everything went dark.

***

"Honestly, there isn’t a single thing about you that I find agreeable."

With those words, Kosuzu walked forward.

Looking down at the collapsed figure, she sighed inwardly. She always wanted to maintain a calm, composed appearance, but the gruesome scene before her made that difficult.

Summoning the oni had gone well. It had diverted the attention of every hunter in Kyoto to other places.

In the meantime, she had even succeeded in creating those things.

But they were all dead now.

…Had attempting to kill that one been a mistake? At the time, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"…I suppose I’ll have to give up on what I was planning to use them for."

The being looked up at Kosuzu.

It was covered in wounds, and it had lost far too much blood. It would be easy enough to kill it now.

"Then, Mr. Whateley—"

But as she spoke those words—

A chill ran down Kosuzu’s spine.

"—Wait!"

She raised her hand, but Whateley had already extended a tentacle forward.

And that tentacle—

Did nothing.

It didn’t bleed in mid-air, nor did it fail. It simply didn’t do anything.

Kosuzu saw it.

The tentacle, as if it had never acted in the first place, returned to its original position, like an action that had been undone.

Not undone quickly, but simply… as though the action itself had been edited out.

"Myaa."

Then, a cat’s meow echoed.

"…."

A cat sat, licking its front paw, with no interest in the events unfolding before it.

The cat was sitting right in front of the collapsed body of Kurosawa Kotone.

"…Why?"

Kosuzu murmured.

"Why, why, why!"

Her previously calm and relaxed expression crumbled.

She furrowed her brow deeply and stomped her foot like a child throwing a tantrum. Despite her beautiful face, the display might have struck some as endearing.

"Why!? Why only after I stop doing everything that things like this happen? What on earth are you? What is Kagami!? Surely the talent should have been mine! The destiny should have been mine—"

The cat, paying no attention to Kosuzu’s outburst, turned its body away.

It leaped lightly onto the body of Kurosawa Kotone and curled up on her stomach as if it were used to it, yawning widely.

"You said it was neither divine nor a sword! You said it was neither flesh nor blood! And yet these pathetic failures that could not become either!"

Kosuzu screamed in fury.

And then, suddenly, she stopped speaking.

She took a deep breath. Her shoulders rose and fell dramatically.

"…Well, whatever."

Kosuzu ran her hand through her disheveled hair and regained her usual calm expression.

"I’ll just have to keep trying different methods. Perhaps this is all a sign from the great ones. There’s no way I could understand their will. All I can do is believe."

Kosuzu spoke again, her voice back to its leisurely tone.

"In the end, I can only hope to make myself worthy of their notice."

With that, Kosuzu turned away.

"After all, there isn’t only one way to exist."

Chapter 109. Above the Neck (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Yuka only managed to gather her thoughts after stepping out of the hospital.

Everything was too confusing.

Kotone would sometimes act like she knew things that Yuka didn’t, or as if she held the secrets of the world.

Of course, Yuka knew that Kotone wasn’t the type to share everything she knew.

But even so, Yuka trusted Kotone.

It was the same this time. After hearing Kotone’s words, Yuka thought it was the best course of action.

This time too—

No, this time as well?

...No, that's not right.

Normally, she wouldn’t have acted that way.

If it were under normal circumstances, Yuka would have stayed by her friend’s side. Kotone telling her not to come wouldn’t have stopped her.

Hadn’t it been the same when they encountered the Kasha last time?

So, Yuka…

"......"

...had run away.

Because she couldn’t figure out what she was facing.

She thought it might be a yokai. She even knew what kind of yokai it could be.

But the feeling Yuka had wasn’t the same as when she encountered a yokai. She worried that slashing it might be wrong somehow.

So, had she left Kotone behind and run away?

As soon as that thought crossed her mind, her face went pale.

She felt that she needed to go back right away. The enemies weren’t just one or two.

But...

“Yuka?”

The person who had taken Yuka out of there was none other than Kotone’s younger sister, Koko.

It wasn’t until Yuka heard Koko’s voice that her mind started working again.

Right. If she hadn’t left, or if she’d stayed in the building, Yuka would have rushed right back to Kotone.

But now it was too late. She had already come this far, so it was better to follow Kotone’s advice. The right thing to do was to find people who could help and then return.

With Koko, it was possible.

“...Let’s go.”

Yuka began to run.

She knew the scene hadn’t been completely cleaned up yet. It should be enough just to tell the people there.

...Hopefully as fast as possible.

***

The first thing she noticed upon returning to the hospital was the smell of blood.

It was a scent even yokai had. After all, yokai bled when cut by a blade.

But the smell she sensed now was...

Corpses scattered everywhere.

Severed heads, limbs, fingers, and chunks of flesh and bone, all drenched in blood.

When yokai die, their bodies vanish instantly, as they don’t belong to this world. But that wasn’t the case for these bodies.

Yuka had seen such sights before with Kotone, yet for a moment, she thought they were human corpses.

"......"

The authorities hadn’t arrived yet.

Yuka had run straight here after sending the message.

But what would they think when they arrived and saw this scene?

What would the police make of this? Yuka could explain. She was certain her grandfather and father would help too.

But even then...

“Kotone!”

Koko quickly moved.

She rushed to Kotone, who was lying amidst the bodies, and held her in her arms.

That small body was soaked in blood, from head to toe.

“Kotone, Kotone!”

At Koko’s cries—

“Mya.”

A cat’s meow could be heard.

Next to Koko, with one paw resting gently on her leg, sat a cat meowing softly.

“...Kuro.”

Yuka muttered as she approached.

Kuro looked just like the Kuro Yuka always saw at Kotone’s house whenever she visited.

Yuka knelt down on one knee beside him.

Had Kotone brought Kuro here? Koko was too focused on Kotone to answer if asked.

"......"

Carefully, Yuka took Kotone’s wrist.

Her heart was still beating.

Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically. Although Kotone was exhausted and injured in many places, she was still alive.

"......"

But Yuka couldn’t bring herself to tell Koko that she was “safe.”

To her family, this didn’t look like a “safe” situation.

And from Yuka’s perspective, it didn’t either.

For a while, Yuka quietly stroked Koko’s back as the girl sobbed.

The hospital downstairs grew noisy. People must have arrived. They were likely the ones Yuka had called.

Footsteps echoed as someone ran up the stairs—

“...Hah.”

Someone gasped for breath.

It must have been overwhelming to process the scene.

Yuka bit her lip tightly.

***

When she came to her senses, the sun was rising.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t brought her phone, so she hadn’t been able to contact Mako, Fukuda, or Yamashita.

She thought about borrowing Yuka’s phone but decided against it.

There would be so many questions. It was her fault for worrying them, and she knew she had to answer those questions one by one, but…

Sometimes, people just want to run away from the problem in front of them.

But it only took a few minutes for her to regret not making the call.

Police had swarmed into the hospital room.

Of course, it made sense.

So many people had died in a hospital, and the bodies had been cut by something sharp. It would be odd if the police didn’t show up.

One of the officers looked pale. Perhaps they had vomited after seeing the scene?

Whether it was a relief or not, there were no murder weapons at the scene.

Well, there were a few things the patients had been holding, but that was it. Since I hadn’t used those weapons, my fingerprints wouldn’t be found on them.

The blade I used was made entirely of blood, so after the situation ended, it would melt away, leaving only bloodstains.

It would seem strange to people. My blood could be found inside the bodies of the dead. But that wouldn’t be proof that I had killed them.

“...What time is it?”

“...It’s nine in the morning.”

Yuka answered my question.

"......"

I hesitated for a moment. Was it okay to say this after everything that had happened?

It would seem strange. Even though yokai weren’t so different from ordinary people.

The hospital wasn’t a large facility like a university hospital. There were a few inpatients, but it was just a neighborhood hospital.

When I collapsed in Tokyo, I was taken to a large hospital, but here, it seemed the rule was different. They must have thought this place would be more discreet and safer.

Of course, now that the hospital had been wrecked, I was transferred to a much bigger hospital. At least there, it would be “safe.” No matter how crazy someone was, they couldn’t possibly take over a hospital with a thousand staff.

“Why? If you want to say something, you can. Oh, are you asking about breakfast?”

“...No, that’s not it.”

After some hesitation, I finally spoke.

“...Do you think I can still go on the school trip?”

Yuka’s mouth hung open slightly.

Koko blinked in surprise.

Yuka sat in thought for a moment, looking back over her shoulder.

There stood the “concerned parties,” all wearing expressions as if they couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“That’s…”

“...We should let her go.”

Before Yuka could respond, someone else joined the conversation.

It was Miura-san, Mako’s father, who had been here since last night’s incident.

The room fell into silence as he continued.

“After such an incident, they won’t be able to act here any longer. We need to change our approach as well.”

"......"

“There’s no need to create unnecessary panic. Let her go for now.”

“But, Miura-san.”

One of the people sitting in the room raised their hand slightly.

“You know which group that child belongs to.”

“As far as I can tell, she isn’t actively involved in that organization.”

Miura-san looked at me.

Though he spoke calmly, his eyes weren’t fully trusting.

“If you want to go, you may. But—”

“I don’t mind if someone follows me.”

I responded a bit hastily.

It was already nine in the morning, which meant the students would be on the move soon. Even if I left now, I was already late.

I had left last night and hadn’t returned until now. Mako, Fukuda, Yamashita... Even Yamashita didn’t fully know who I was.

At least Sasaki, who had been paired with Yuka, might have some idea why Yuka was late.

"......"

Miura-san glanced around the room.

No one objected. Judging by their expressions, everyone had different thoughts, but they all seemed to agree that opposing Miura-san now wasn’t a good idea.

“Don’t talk about what happened today.”

“I know that much.”

Miura-san nodded at my response.

I looked at Yuka and Koko.

Both of them were staring at me, unsure of what to say.

To be honest, I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep a straight face after rejoining Mako and the others.

Maybe it would have been better to be satisfied with spending the second day, the longest part of the school trip, with them.

But I wanted them to know I was safe.

I simply nodded in silence.

Even I wasn’t entirely sure what that gesture meant. It just felt like I should say something to the two of them, but I had no idea what to say.

***

“Kotone-chan!”

It took about an hour to finish all the paperwork and return to the lodging and contact Mako through my phone.

When Koko and I rushed to the meeting spot where we promised to meet, Mako shouted my name loudly.

“What happened? I couldn’t reach you.”

The favor Ms. Suzuki, our homeroom teacher, had asked of Mako had become irrelevant by now. She had asked Mako to look after me because she thought I wouldn’t blend in with the class.

Well, even now, I couldn’t say I’d completely blended in, but at least there were students who talked to me. I’d even learned some of their names.

If you asked whether those kids were really my friends, I couldn’t confidently answer yes, but I was enjoying my school life to a certain extent.

However, it seemed Mako still held onto that concern.

“...I was at the hospital for a bit.”

I had been thinking hard about what to say on the way here.

The only reason that would satisfy all the conditions and not raise suspicions from others was the hospital.

“What? Why?”

Mako opened her eyes wide, scanning me from head to toe. She seemed worried I might have been in an accident.

“I fainted for a moment…”

“You fainted!?”

“Is it okay for you to be here? Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?”

If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been hurt enough to require several days in the hospital.

But I wasn’t like most people.

“I’m fine. It was probably just anemia. I didn’t have my phone with me either…”

Ms. Suzuki knew about that too. It seemed Yuka had contacted her. Ms. Suzuki had even wanted to come to the hospital, but that was somehow stopped.

It had taken me an hour to get back here because I had been caught up by Ms. Suzuki’s questions.

"......"

Yamashita was staring at me intently.

Even though Yamashita wasn’t old enough for this, she reminded me of a grandmother who hears that her grandson hadn’t eaten lunch yet.

“Koko must’ve been with you, right?”

“Ugh…”

Koko still wasn’t feeling any better.

It was the same as the last time when she saw me get hurt.

Koko’s way of thinking wasn’t simple at all. She just expressed herself simply, but her mind was filled with a tangled web of emotions and thoughts.

That’s why I felt a bit guilty for making her feel like this.

“Alright, alright.”

Fukuda quickly cut in.

“Then, let’s hurry and get moving. If we follow the plan Mako-chan made from now on, we might still be able to catch up!”

“But, Fukuda…”

“I agree.”

Before Mako could hesitate further at Fukuda’s words, Yamashita also chimed in.

Then, she glanced at me, as if to gauge my expression.

“Kotone and Koko joined us, even if it was late.”

At those words, Mako looked at me.

I met her eyes earnestly. Though Koko was still feeling a bit down, I hoped Mako would agree with the others.

I didn’t want the first school trip I went on to end as a nightmare. Despite the unpleasant incidents, I hoped we could remember more of the fun moments.

“Yeah, okay.”

Mako finally nodded after a brief moment of consideration.

Determination returned to her face.

***

Cheering up Koko was going relatively well.

Though she wasn’t as bright as she usually was when eating something delicious, she was much better than when she was deeply depressed.

Since today was the day we were heading back, the schedule only lasted until 2 p.m.

It was about 12:30 now, and we had just finished lunch.

Lunch was a home-cooked meal.

Of course, calling it "home-cooked" was a bit different from what Koko and I usually ate at home.

It wasn’t just a matter of cooking skills—it was the variety of side dishes and the ingredients themselves.

It made me seriously reconsider cutting back on bean sprouts at our table.

Naturally, it was delicious. The famous Kyoto tofu was savory and soft.

With that meal, Mako’s planned itinerary came to an end.

We had been running around all morning. I felt like we were going around even more energetically because my absence had delayed the schedule by an hour.

“What should we do for fun now?”

Fukuda asked.

“We’ve got free time left, so let’s just wander around near the lodging.”

We all agreed with Mako’s suggestion and headed toward the lodging.

And then.

“...Ah.”

I bumped into Sasaki and Yuka.

Of course, the other students in their group were there too. But it seemed Yuka hadn’t fully bonded with them yet. There was a slight distance between Sasaki and Yuka, and an even greater gap between them and the others.

…That might be my fault too.

Of course, I couldn’t have stopped Yuka from getting caught up in the incident. I still didn’t know how the oni had managed to come all the way to Kyoto or why it did.

I thought I might have caught a glimpse of Kosuzu, but I wasn’t sure. I had lost consciousness soon after.

“…Kotone.”

Mako called my name softly.

“Huh?”

“We’re going back to the lodging first. If you want to hang out with your friend, go ahead.”

“Oh…”

For a moment, I couldn’t respond to Mako’s words.

But she seemed to mean them purely out of goodwill. After giving me a warm smile, Mako headed back to the lodging with Fukuda and Yamashita.

“See you on the train!”

Right.

We’d be spending a lot of time together when we headed back too.

And even after returning, there would be some time left. If they wanted, they could even have a little after-party or something.

“Koko, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Koko, who had been listening to our conversation, responded cheerfully.

I took a deep breath and approached Yuka.

“Kotone.”

Yuka greeted me with a delighted expression.

“Sasaki, hey.”

I waved to Yuka first, then greeted Sasaki as well.

“Oh, hey.”

Come to think of it, Sasaki didn’t know what had happened yesterday. He hadn’t gotten caught up in it at all.

I guess I should take comfort in that.

I wasn’t able to save everyone. But fewer people had died than I’d feared. My frantic efforts hadn’t been meaningless.

Thinking that way lightened my mood, even if only a little.

“Hey…”

After a moment of hesitation, I spoke.

“Do you want to hang out for a bit?”

“Huh?”

Yuka seemed surprised that I had suggested it.

“There’s still some time before we head back.”

"......"

Yuka stared at me blankly for a moment, then turned to Sasaki.

“Go ahead.”

Sasaki smiled as she replied.

“Are you sure?”

Yuka glanced at the two girls in front of her, asking for their thoughts.

Now that I noticed, Sasaki was the only boy left in the group. Well, I had seen that in the original story.

I guess that’s what happens when the protagonist of a harem story gets involved in situations like this, no matter what.

“It’s fine.”

“...Alright.”

Yuka nodded and turned back to me.

“Shall we go then?”

“Yeah.”

To be honest, I hadn’t really planned where we would go. It was a bit late to revisit the places Mako and I had explored. We had to leave in two hours.

But even just walking around the area would be fun. We could grab some street food and stroll around.

“Shall we grab something to eat first?”

“Yay!”

At my suggestion, Koko cheered.

Yuka smiled softly at Koko’s reaction.

…Thank goodness.

Watching Koko and Yuka like that, I felt relieved.

***

“Shall we come back sometime?”

On our way to the train, Yuka suddenly asked.

“Huh?”

“No, I mean, it’s different to come here on a school trip with everyone versus coming with just friends.”

"......"

I nodded in agreement.

If we wanted, we could always come back again.

No, it didn’t even have to be here. We could go anywhere.

We still had time.

“What about you, Koko?”

“Sounds good!”

Koko, licking her ice cream, answered cheerfully.

Yeah, next time, I hope we can come back without any incidents and enjoy a peaceful time.

So that the memories we make are truly pure.

Chapter 110. Return (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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When I was young, there was a part in light novels that I couldn't understand.

The part where they said things like, "Ordinary life is precious," or "I will protect an ordinary life."

Every time protagonists, who had powers that normal people could never possess, were surrounded by beautiful girls just by breathing, and lacked nothing at home, said such things, I would wonder why they were acting like that.

Because it wasn't a story that resonated with me, living my own boring and tedious life.

Unfortunately, the high school I attended was an all-boys high school, so there was no chance for a "beautiful girl" to appear.

And to be honest, even if it were a co-ed school, there was no reason for any beautiful girl to talk to me.

I longed for an extraordinary life, without even knowing what that "ordinary" meant.

It took too long to realize how precious it was.

They say that the most important things are always close by, and people only regret after losing them.

That's how I was in my previous life.

The road back was one of those ordinary paths.

Of course, the school I attended now was far from the high school I used to know. It wasn't just because it was co-ed, or because it was in Japan.

Hanagawa High School was a peculiar school, like something out of a light novel or manga. From a general perspective, there were many things that weren't ordinary about it.

But the word "ordinary" is not absolute.

Everyone lives through repetitive daily lives, and it is precisely that repetition that can be called "ordinary."

As for me, it was like before I lost my entire family in an instant.

From the perspective of this world, my friends would be the same.

Everyone was safe. That was enough.

“Mya.”

As if reading my thoughts, Kuro let out a small cry.

"Shh."

I softly hushed Kuro inside the bag.

I was glad I had brought a large backpack. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had any idea how to bring Kuro along.

…No, I still don’t understand how you even got this far.

Walking from Saitama to Tokyo, fine, that’s possible. Even a person could make it in a few hours if they walked hard enough.

But from Saitama to Kyoto?

It takes just over two hours on the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto. So how could a cat travel that distance, and even find me exactly?

“You followed me on your own. Just bear with it if it’s a little uncomfortable.”

Honestly, if I had truly thought Kuro was just a normal cat, I would have bought a pet carrier. No matter how you looked at it, carrying a cat in a bag looked like animal abuse. And it was against regulations, too.

But no matter how I thought about it, Kuro wasn’t an ordinary cat.

…Surely, staying in the bag won’t be too bad.

I had even considered leaving him behind for a moment. If she could instantly travel back and forth from Saitama to Kyoto with some kind of magic, then surely the opposite would be true as well.

But if I left her and she didn’t follow me again, that wouldn’t feel good either.

Besides—

“You snuck into the bag and followed me all the way here. You're a real troublemaker.”

That’s right.

Just as I was about to be discharged from the hospital, Kuro disappeared, only to appear casually in the room where we were staying.

I had to pretend to be surprised—though it wasn’t that hard since I was genuinely shocked—and explained that Kuro had sneaked into my bag and ended up with me. Luckily, the others who shared the room believed me.

Honestly, there wasn’t much else they could do. There was no other way to explain it.

That’s another reason I put Kuro in the bag. Pets weren’t allowed in the lodging, and there wasn’t any other good way to sneak her out. If I’d brought her out in a carrier, it would have been like advertising I had a pet, and that would’ve caused trouble for Ms. Suzuki.

Being a smart creature, she would understand.

I handed my bag to Fukuda, who was staring at it.

Fukuda, her face lighting up with excitement, peeked inside the slightly open zipper to see Kuro.

Even though she’d grown a bit since coming to our house, Kuro was still a kitten. Tucked neatly into the bag, she must have looked especially cute.

When Fukuda wiggled her fingers inside the zipper, Kuro’s little black paw reached up as if trying to catch them.

Seeing that, Yamashita, who had been watching from the side, also tried to sneak her fingers into the bag.

…Good grief.

Looking at her behave like that, she really does seem like an ordinary cat.

“Woo.”

As much as I had my doubts about Kuro, it seemed that Koko did, too.

Her curious gaze at the bag seemed meaningful.

…The cat that the protagonist’s sister used to care for.

Thinking back, it could have appeared at a critical moment to save me.

Did I steal such a cat?

Cats do show up often in the Cthulhu Mythos.

Let’s see…

There was a short story about an elderly couple who abused cats and got devoured by a pack of cats, leaving no trace behind.

“…”

I looked at the bag holding Kuro with a queasy feeling.

“Ah, sorry. Have we been holding her too long? Here.”

Noticing my gaze, Fukuda stopped playing with Kuro and handed me back the bag.

Yamashita looked slightly disappointed as she watched me take the bag. Now that I think about it, Yamashita seemed to like Kuro from the first time she saw her.

Well, it’s a kitten, after all. Unless someone has an extreme dislike for cats, even if they don’t want to raise one, they can still enjoy its presence.

I briefly considered leaving Kuro with Yamashita for a while but quickly dismissed the thought.

Abandoning a pet with someone else would be a form of neglect, too.

After taking the bag back from Fukuda, I glanced inside again.

The light inside the bag made Kuro’s eyes glow yellow.

“…”

Surely, she wouldn’t think that putting her in the bag was a form of abuse, right?

*

After some debate about whether to have a post-trip gathering, we decided to go our separate ways and rest for now.

Since the school was giving us a day off after the trip, we didn’t have to worry about attending classes three days later. I guess taking a day off here and there, even for something like a school anniversary, was no big deal.

Not that it mattered much, since they would just cut one day from the vacation.

I had also decided to take a break from my part-time job until tomorrow, so I agreed to meet up with my friends then.

After returning home, I took a quick shower, roughly dried my hair, and sat down in front of Kuro.

Already curled up on the table, as if knowing exactly what I was going to say, Kuro looked bored.

I was slightly annoyed before I even spoke. But I didn’t show it. I had no reason to antagonize a being that could potentially be divine.

“Kuro?”

I called out to her.

“Myaa.”

“No, not meowing. I’m being serious.”

I said with a straight face.

“Can’t you speak in a language I can understand?”

“Mya.”

Did she really think I could understand “cat language”? No, it’s not like there’s such a thing as “cat language” anyway.

“If you’re just going to stay as a cat, why even act so mysterious?”

I continued speaking.

“If you just stick to one way, I wouldn’t be so confused.”

“Kotone?”

Hearing my words, Koko tilted her head curiously.

“…”

I fell silent for a moment.

Kuro, who had been staring off uninterestedly, was now gazing straight at me.

…Yeah.

I cherished normalcy. I longed for a life without anything special happening.

Like the life I had before losing my family in my previous life, a life where I could sometimes go back home and eat with my family.

Although, when I was really with my family, there were times when I just wanted to be alone.

I knew it was a cruel thought. To finally have something I had longed for, only to sometimes wish they weren’t around.

When I first started living alone, I felt uncomfortable whenever my family came to visit. I’d get annoyed when my mom criticized how I kept my place, felt uneasy when my dad sat awkwardly, and got angry when my sister teased me.

It wasn’t until I lost all of that at once that I wanted it back again. And ironically, the thought I had was, "If I got it back, I would never think like that again."

Even now, it was the same.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

Yet, I didn’t want to be interrupted while talking with Kuro.

I closed my eyes briefly and calmed my mind.

…Okay. I shouldn’t think like that. I didn’t want to leave a bad memory like that for Koko, either.

But if that’s the case—

Then—

……

“…Please.”

Yeah, there was no point in hiding it.

Since we lived together anyway. If this cat wasn’t an ordinary cat, Koko should know too.

After collecting my thoughts, I decided to just lay it all out.

“Lately, my mind’s been a mess. There’s just too much! Are they just trying to kill me? Or is it something worse? I can't even begin to figure out what Kosuzu's got up her sleeve.”

Kuro’s ears twitched.

Koko, sitting next to me, gave me a blank look.

Avoiding eye contact with Koko, I continued speaking while staring straight at Kuro.

“To be honest, I don’t know what to do next. I know a little about the future, but that’s it. There’s so much I don’t know. No, I barely know anything at all. What good is it to know just a little about the outcome? Kosuzu, the cult, and even that so called mother… none of them tell me anything.”

Once I started, the words just spilled out.

I quickly closed my mouth and glanced at Koko.

Koko looked dazed, hearing me like this for the first time. No, it wasn’t just her; no one in this world had ever seen me like this.

Even in my previous life, I had almost never spoken this way in front of my family.

But… It was hard to endure without letting even a little bit out.

Especially now.

“So at least, I’d like to know a little bit about you. Everyone else… they’re all so far away.”

Of course, there was Kosuzu, my enemy, but even Kagami didn’t usually stay nearby.

Most of my friends lived in different worlds. Even those who knew about our situation or had a foot in our world were the same.

I didn’t want to drag them into a world of bloodshed.

As for Yuka… Yuka had a heavy burden to carry. She had to protect the world. She didn’t need to carry my worries as well.

So for now, it was something I had to handle.

“You’re the one staying with us. So could you at least tell me something so I won’t have to worry?”

“…Kotone…”

Hearing my words, Koko mumbled my name in a daze.

I gave Koko a small smile. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to come out well. Koko’s expression darkened further when she saw my face.

Maybe I’d said too much. Especially with Koko right next to me.

I regretted it a little.

“…”

I stared at Kuro. Kuro, still curled up, looked back at me.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but her eyes seemed a little larger than usual.

But even after staring for a while, Kuro didn’t say anything to me.

“…Haah.”

I let out a long sigh.

Fine, fine.

None of the people around me ever told me anything properly anyway.

Maybe I should just call Kagami.

If I dug deep into the cult, I might be able to get some reliable information.

“…Are you hungry? Let’s eat.”

Saying that, I stood up.

I walked to the kitchen and poured food into a dish. Kuro lazily strolled out of the room and began crunching away at the food.

I opened the fridge.

…There was still some cheap meat I’d bought earlier.

Let’s have some meat today.

We had just gotten back from Kyoto, after all. It wouldn’t be right to suddenly force Koko to eat a vegetarian meal after feasting for three days straight.

*

“Kotone…”

“Yeah?”

It was night.

After clearing the table and laying out the bedding, as we lay next to each other, Koko spoke to me.

Maybe it was because of the complaints I had made to Kuro earlier. There was a hint of worry in Koko’s voice.

Now I’m even making Koko worry about me.

I sighed deeply in my mind.

“Is things hard?”

“…No, it’s not like that.”

I replied to Koko.

“But earlier.”

“…”

I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“…It was just a fleeting thought. I’m fine now.”

“Uuu.”

It seemed Koko didn’t believe me.

“There’s no need to worry. It really wasn’t anything.”

I tried to suppress the feelings I had then.

The feeling of wanting to be alone, with no one around.

“I’m really fine now.”

I lied.

“…Okay.”

Only after I said that did Koko reply.

Of course, her voice didn’t sound particularly reassured.

I immediately regretted saying that.

*

A dream.

Lately, I’ve been dreaming a lot.

The only good thing was that this time, it wasn’t a dream about my family being massacred.

Instead, I was in one of the usual places I often see.

Yes, it was my old, worn-down apartment.

The reason I knew it was a dream was because whenever I was here, Koko was always by my side.

If it weren’t a dream, I would’ve woken up, either in the morning or in the middle of the night.

…

The very fact that I could recognize it was a dream was strange in itself.

“Myaa.”

I heard the familiar sound I often heard at home.

Before I knew it, I was sitting in front of the table.

And in front of me was Kuro.

“…”

The last time I dreamed like this, I met Nirlass.

“…Kuro?”

I cautiously spoke to her.

Kuro stared at me for a while.

In her gaze, I felt a slight sense of intelligence. Normally, Kuro was often sprawled out in sunlit spots, with a look of laziness. The usual emotion in her eyes was “boredom.”

The only time her eyes would sparkle was when I had a snack in my hand.

“…I want to ask you something.”

I didn’t expect much, but Kuro spoke.

Or rather, should I say it felt like someone had dubbed over Kuro’s voice?

Her mouth didn’t move, but I heard the voice.

“Do you really think a cat could speak human language?”

“…Huh?”

“Our vocal cords are different. You know, this here.”

Kuro tapped her neck with her paw as she spoke.

Of course, Kuro’s tail wasn’t usually that long. It stretched out as if it were elastic, but it didn’t look grotesque.

“What other sounds could a cat make besides meowing?”

Kuro let out a “Myaa” as if to show me.

Though no matter how I listened, it wasn’t “meow,” but “mya,” I figured this wasn’t the time to nitpick.

“…Then, could you turn into a human?”

“Right here? All of a sudden?”

Kuro responded to my question.

I was at a loss for words.

Would that not be allowed?

“If I transformed in front of you, what form should I take afterward?”

“…”

“You would keep talking to me, and I would keep transforming just to answer you. Before you know it, my identity as this cat would start to waver.”

An identity as a cat…

Feeling emotions I couldn’t quite describe, I mulled over the words and asked again.

“‘This cat,’ you say?”

“Yes.”

Whoever I was speaking to, it seemed clear it wasn’t actually Kuro.

“…So, are you saying everything that happened so far wasn’t Kuro’s doing?”

I asked, still in confusion.

“Yes and no.”

An even more confusing answer came back.

“Kuro wanted it, and I gave her the power.”

“….”

“Why?”

“If you die, who’s going to open the cans?”

“….”

I was left speechless again.

As annoying as it was, it was also the most understandable statement from the conversation with the cat so far.

True. Cats weren’t exactly good at opening cans.

“Well, don’t take it too seriously.”

As I remained silent, the voice responded again.

“So, was this Kuro’s doing, too?”

“Well, yes.”

Hmm.

I paused for a moment before asking,

“So, who are you?”

“Your tone is rather disrespectful. Don’t you think that if you’re talking to a being like me, I’d be far above you?”

“Is there a way to tell if this is really a dream or not?”

“That’s a valid point.”

Kuro’s tail swayed left and right once.

“But even so, I don’t plan on telling you my name just yet.”

“Why?”

“Because I like cats too much. Enough to imitate them.”

“…”

“If that weren’t the case, would you still be safe? I could’ve just cut off your head for insolence.”

In Kuro’s form, the being stretched out its front paws and gave a big yawn.

“Well, judging by the fact that we’re meeting like this, I guess you’re not an ordinary human either. See you next time.”

“You’re leaving?”

“I’ve told you everything I wanted to say.”

Kuro leaped down gracefully and strutted off with her tail held high.

As she approached the sliding door, it quietly slid open.

Beyond the door, instead of the entrance, there were shallow steps, like a staircase leading upward.

“Oh, right.”

After climbing about three steps, Kuro looked back and spoke.

“There’s no need to be so worried. Don’t be in such a hurry. Just live with peace of mind, like a cat. When you relax, you’ll see things you couldn’t before. When time is short, it’s all the more important to take it slow and enjoy it. Myaow.”

Kuro let out a farewell meow and turned back around.

With elegance, she climbed the stairs leading to the sky.

With a soft swish, the door closed again—

And I woke up.

Chapter 111. Return (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When you go to psychological counseling, there’s always something they say.

Take a break from work.

Take some time to relax and get plenty of rest. Sleep a lot.

It’s easier said than done.

What’s the reason we work in the first place? To make a living, of course. And besides, psychological counseling, if done regularly, costs quite a bit of money. You still have to work to pay for that.

Sleep a lot.

This is harder to do than you might think. Someone has to stay up at night and run to wherever the fire is.

And if those two conditions aren’t met, the third one, “Take some time to relax,” becomes impossible.

How could you truly rest when your chest is burning with anxiety, even if you lie down and close your eyes?

"......"

I stared blankly at the ceiling, gently stroking Kuro, who was sitting on my stomach.

"Meow."

Kuro rubbed her face against my hand and meowed.

Kuro wasn’t usually a very affectionate cat. She didn’t mind being touched by people, but she wasn’t the type to come and cling to you first.

She did like climbing onto people, but it never felt like an act of affection. Rather, it was probably because the human body was the warmest thing in this room.

… I’m too lazy to get up.

My body felt heavy. The bed wasn’t exactly comfortable—it was just a blanket spread on the cold, hard floor—but just lying there made my body feel like it was thawing out.

I didn’t look at the clock, but it was probably about time for me to get up and start getting ready.

I had to wash Koko, feed her, and head out to meet my friends.

"......"

Ten more minutes.

Just ten more minutes.

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to close my eyes for a bit. After all, I’m not the type to oversleep usually.

There’s no way I’d fall asleep for hours with the sun shining so brightly outside.

As I stroked Kuro’s soft fur, I slowly drifted back to sleep.

---

“……Huh.”

I woke up suddenly with a start.

I didn’t have a nightmare. In fact, I didn’t dream at all. It was as if the time I spent sleeping had been deleted, with no memory in between.

The reason I woke up was… well, sometimes you get that feeling while sleeping. Like one of your arms or legs is falling off.

And when that happens, you get that sudden chill down your spine, and one thought pops into your head.

‘What time is it?’

‘Hmm,’ the rational part of my brain said. ‘Judging by the sunlight, I guess I woke up a little late.’

My eyes snapped open, and my mind instantly cleared.

I pressed my hands against the floor and sprang to my feet.

And then I noticed that two of them were missing: Kuro and Koko.

I heard a faint sizzling sound coming from the kitchen.

The smell of something delicious being fried or stir-fried wafted over to where I stood.

“……Koko?”

I got up and looked toward the kitchen. The kitchen door was open. Koko must have forgotten to close it.

Koko’s black hair swayed gently. Usually, I would’ve tied it up for her, but the ends of her hair were now swaying like a pendulum, moving back and forth.

Her back was turned to me, but it probably looked just like my own back. Of course, I wouldn’t know that since I can’t see my own back.

And I could hear the crunching sound of Kuro chewing her kibble.

“Kotone!”

Hearing my voice, Koko turned around.

She was wearing the old apron I usually used for cooking, which I’d gotten from Yuka.

As Koko turned to face me, her body shifted slightly, and I could see a bit of the kitchen.

There was something in the frying pan. No, it wasn’t anything strange—it looked like meat.

Now I finally understood what that smell was. It was the smell of pork cooking.

“Are you cooking...?”

I reacted without thinking.

Koko, cooking?

My first thought was—isn’t that dangerous?

Koko didn’t like fire very much. Then again, who really likes fire?

She was sensitive to heat and would usually watch from a distance whenever the gas stove was on.

But now Koko was actually cooking.

And, as if she had washed herself, she was even dressed properly. Not in pajamas, but in clothes she wore when going out.

Had she prepared all this while I was sleeping?

I slowly stood up and walked over to Koko.

Koko looked at me with a proud expression.

I reached out and gently placed my hand in her hair.

…It was still damp. And… it felt a bit slippery too.

Had she not rinsed properly? With hair that long, it’s understandable. I had always washed her hair for her until now. To be honest, even I found washing my own hair a bit tedious at times. Her clothes under her hair were probably wet by now.

Next, I looked into the frying pan.

Bean sprouts and pork were tangled together. It looked like she’d tried to imitate the pork and bean sprout stir-fry I made.

Judging by the color, the seasoning looked a little weak.

The amount of food she gave Kuro was too much. If it were rice, it’d be a mound as high as a mountain.

In every way, what Koko had done was lacking, but...

“……You did well.”

That’s all I could say.

What would I have done normally?

Normally, I’d wake up first and do everything myself. I wouldn’t let Koko move around on her own. I’d wash Koko, carefully dry her hair, feed Kuro, and then start cooking.

But Koko had done all of this without waking me.

…It must’ve been because of what I said in front of Kuro yesterday.

Did I hurt Koko?

“…Let’s add a little more soy sauce.”

I resisted the urge to tear up and instead bent down to grab the soy sauce.

After adjusting the seasoning a bit, I waited for Koko to stir-fry it a little longer—her movements weren’t practiced, but she managed—and then we turned off the heat.

It seemed there was rice in the rice cooker too. I hadn’t checked inside, so I didn’t know what state the rice was in.

“I’m… going to go wash up.”

“Okay! I’ll get everything ready in the meantime!”

Koko nodded enthusiastically at my words.

I went into the shower and let the water run for quite some time.

---

The rice… had a bit too much water in it.

But it wasn’t inedible. Considering that she hadn’t learned from me directly and had just copied what I did, it was impressive.

Ironically, seeing Koko like this made me feel like I could relax a little more.

With a little more guidance, Koko would be able to live on her own just fine.

I wasn’t sure yet what kind of work she could do to earn a living, but at least she’d be able to manage daily life.

“Kotone.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it good?”

Koko asked, her face showing a bit of concern.

Was the taste different from what she was used to? Was it not to her liking?

Her head lowered slightly, and her eyes looked up at me nervously.

“……Yeah. It’s good.”

I answered.

It was good. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good.

Hearing my answer, Koko smiled brightly.

I felt a little more at ease.

---

“You look well-rested.”

Mako said as she looked at my face.

“That’s a relief. You looked pretty exhausted yesterday.”

There had been a lot to be exhausted about.

These girls didn’t know, but a lot had happened.

“Then again, I guess if a cat you’ve been raising suddenly shows up during a trip, it’d be a shock.”

It seemed like Mako thought I was worn out because of Kuro.

Well… she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I just nodded in response.

Maybe thinking I was still feeling the aftereffects of the trip, Fukuda, Mako, and Yamashita didn’t take Koko and me too far.

We stayed in the restaurant, went to a dessert shop, and just sat around talking. I liked that.

… Take it easy and enjoy yourself, they say.

It wasn’t exactly my intention, but living like this didn’t seem so bad after all.

---

[Are you feeling okay?]

By the time I got a call from Yuka in the evening, I’d recovered quite a bit mentally, so I could confidently say, “Yeah.”

[But still, take it easy. I wish you could rest tomorrow too.]

“… I’ve been taking off too much already.”

Honestly, at this point, I felt a little bad for my boss.

Of course, the boss herself had told me to take it easy. And I’m not the kind of person who’s nice enough to feel grateful to my capitalist employer.

But still, there’s something to be said about keeping promises between people.

Money doesn’t just come out of nowhere. It’s passed from one person’s hand to another, earned in exchange for something of value, whether it’s goods or labor.

My salary, whether it was a lot or a little, was based on my hourly wage. From the boss’s perspective, me taking so many days off was a loss.

[……I guess you’re right.]

In Yuka’s heart, she probably wanted me to quit work. I always came home late at night. By the time I’d prepared dinner for Koko and done this and that, it was already pretty late.

I wasn’t some genius who could memorize everything in one go, and I still had to do the homework assigned at school.

By the time I finished everything, it would be quite late.

It wasn’t that my work was overly demanding, but the little things piled up, and I’d fall into bed as if I were passing out.

Yuka had seen me like that more than once.

[Still, take care of yourself. If you lose your health, you lose everything.]

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

Hearing something I hadn’t heard since I was in my thirties at this age.

It was something my friends had told me once, way back before I crossed over to this side.

“I know.”

Even if my body was damaged, it would recover. Yuka probably knew that when she said it.

So, I just responded like that.

… Maybe I’d leave before my health even had a chance to break down.

“It’s late. I’ll see you on Monday, Yuka.”

[Okay.]

Yuka didn’t drag out the conversation. She probably didn’t want to keep me up any longer, knowing I was tired.

We exchanged goodbyes one more time and hung up.

“…Koko?”

Koko was staring at me intently.

I wondered if she wanted something, so I called her name, but Koko just shook her head with a soft “Mmm.”

Sometimes I really had no idea what she was thinking.

Then again, people are like that in general.

Alright.

We’d already eaten dinner. I felt a pleasant amount of fatigue, but I wasn’t ready to sleep just yet. It was still much earlier than when I usually went to bed.

Maybe I’d watch some TV with Koko for an hour or so and then go to bed. Even that would be much earlier than usual.

As I picked up the remote—

*Knock, knock.*

I heard someone knocking on the door.

I let out a small sigh and stood up.

“Do you want me to get it?” Koko asked.

“No, it’s fine.”

Koko asked as she watched me get up with little enthusiasm, but I waved her off.

I had a feeling I knew who it was. It was that time of day, after all. There weren’t many people who’d visit me so late.

Kagami was standing behind the front door.

With a rather complicated expression on her face.

---

I set a glass of water in front of Kagami and poured it full of oolong tea.

I did the same for Koko, who sat across from her, and then for myself.

I picked up my cup, took a sip, and spoke.

“So, what’s up?”

“……”

Kagami couldn’t bring herself to lift her cup, instead fidgeting with it as she got lost in thought.

“I want to apologize first.”

“Apologize?”

“I promised to protect you, but I couldn’t even make a move.”

I stared blankly at Kagami as she bowed her head to me.

“Did you have a reason?”

“……There were various reasons.”

Kagami said.

I tilted my chin toward her, though it wasn’t exactly the kind of gesture you’d make to someone older. But what else could I say? Saying something like “Go on” would’ve sounded just as rude.

Kagami didn’t seem to mind and continued speaking.

“First of all, it was... because it was Kyoto.”

“There are a lot of people that can stop you there?”

“There’s that, and they’re more... strong-willed.”

Strong-willed, huh.

I had heard that Kyoto was a place where not much had changed over the years. A lot of locals and a strong sense of pride in their hometown.

Tokyo, on the other hand, is a massive city with nearly ten million people in its 23 central wards alone, and if you include the entire metropolitan area, the population is even larger. As the capital of modern Japan, people from all over the country have flocked to it, and it’s become a melting pot.

Naturally, it’s a place where strange things tend to mix in too. It’s no surprise that Tokyo is full of various religious cults, Kagami’s group among them.

“So we never thought something like this could happen.”

Unfortunately, compared to the exorcism organizations or government agencies spread across Japan, Kagami’s cult was small and weak.

It probably took them a while to figure out what had happened to me.

“Have you ever heard of turning a living person into a yokai?”

“…I’ve heard of it. There are plenty of ghost stories related to yokai, after all. But—”

It’s one thing to hear about it, but it’s another to believe it could actually happen.

In history class during my previous life, we learn about how Park Hyeokgeose was born from an egg. We also learn that Park Hyeokgeose was a real historical figure, but no one actually believes he was born from an egg.

“There have been many people throughout history who claimed to have seen yokai, and some of them even survived to tell the tale. Some yokai even resemble humans.”

So, naturally, legends of humans turning into yokai also emerged.

In Korea, the word "beom" refers to both tigers and leopards.

Of course, in Korea, there were people who specialized in hunting tigers and leopards, and they would’ve been experts who knew the difference between the two animals.

But most common folk didn’t know the difference between tigers and leopards, to the point where they believed tigers were male and leopards were female.

They had no need to distinguish between them—they were too busy running away to avoid being eaten.

“For example?”

“Well, a famous story would be the Oni-baba. It’s the tale of a woman who, through a series of unfortunate events, ends up killing her own daughter and grandson, feast on their corpses, and turns into a yokai. This yokai was even exorcised in the story. If you look at the story, it’s hard to tell whether she was a yokai or a human.”

It’s just one of those stories about a yokai that gets passed down without much distinction.

“…What if it’s true?”

“Then every cannibal who’s ever eaten a person should’ve turned into a yokai.”

Kagami cut in sharply.

But her expression was still uneasy.

“But... if you actually saw such a thing with your own eyes, it would be a different story.”

“Is there any way to do that besides being born as one?”

“……”

Kagami furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment.

“To be honest, we’d like to know too. Perhaps my sister could figure it out since she has a knack for these things, but... unless you bend the laws of nature, how could you turn a human body into a yokai?”

“Bend the laws of nature?”

“……”

Kagami paused again.

“It’s been our long-standing wish. To be connected with the gods and bend the laws of nature. To create paradise.”

“……”

This was the first time I’d heard such a story.

But I wasn’t surprised. It sounded like the kind of story this type of group would chase after.

“So that’s why you want to borrow the power of the gods.”

“Yes. That’s why we want to borrow the power of the gods, and that’s why you and... Koko are involved.”

Kagami pronounced Koko’s name with great awkwardness, as if the very idea that Koko had a name was strange to her.

For a brief moment, I had the urge to ask Kagami if Koko and I were really her daughters.

But I decided to hold off on that question for now.

Hearing her say we really were might just shake me to my core.

“You feel guilty for not protecting me?”

“……”

“If so, I’d like you to investigate the matter and tell me what you find.”

“We’ll look into it as much as we can.”

Kagami nodded readily at my words.

“And I’d also like to know what Kosuzu was trying to do in Kyoto.”

“I understand. We’ll investigate how such a situation came to be.”

In this area, Kagami’s cult might be a bit slower, but they could provide more accurate information than others. After all, Kosuzu was Kagami’s sister, and the two had come from the same place.

That was the end of our conversation for that day.

Kagami bowed to me one more time before leaving the house.

I immediately laid out my bedding and lay down.

And, together with Koko, I quickly fell asleep.

---

I was woken up by the vibration of my cell phone.

Looking at the phone, I felt a chill run down my spine again, much like yesterday, as I jumped out of bed.

The name of my boss was displayed on the screen.

And it was a little after 1 PM.

I was late.

How did I manage to oversleep this much?!

“I’m sorry. I’ll be there soon—”

[Ah, about that.]

Before I could finish, my boss cut in with a slightly awkward voice.

[It turns out I was right.]

“Right... about what?”

[Your sister is here.]

“What?”

[And she’s insisting that she’s Kotone.]

“……”

I frantically looked around.

“Meow.”

Kuro lazily meowed from the blanket that hadn’t yet been folded.

Koko was nowhere to be seen.

I buried my head in my hands.

Chapter 112. Return (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

No matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t outrun the subway.

And do you know something? I couldn’t just get on the subway whenever I wanted.

During rush hour on weekdays, the trains were packed tight. There were plenty of commuters traveling from Gyeonggi to Seoul in Korea, but in Japan, it was beyond imagination.

In Seoul or Gyeonggi, densely packed high-rise apartments allowed people to be stacked efficiently in even smaller spaces. But in Japan, there weren’t as many apartments referred to as “mansions.” Even if there were, they weren’t usually clustered in large complexes like in Korea.

Maybe because Japanese-style detached houses, two or three stories high, were spread out more widely. The “metropolitan area” in Japan was much larger in scale compared to Korea's.

… Or maybe it was just strange that I commuted from Saitama to Minato Ward in Tokyo for school, while also working part-time in Akihabara. Anyway.

The part-time job I had required me to maintain a certain image, so I couldn’t just show up straight out of bed with my long hair oily and disheveled.

I had to rush through washing up, half-dry my hair, and pray that it would dry completely during the subway ride.

By the time I arrived at my part-time workplace, nearly three hours had passed since the phone call.

"Kotone?"

And then I ran into Koko right away.

There were quite a few customers. It was the weekend, so that was expected.

And among them, Koko blended in naturally, working.

“Ah.”

Koko, who had unconsciously called out my name, made a surprised face, then quickly shook her head and tried to look stern.

“Koko.”

At first, I didn’t understand what she meant. It was common for Koko to refer to herself in the third person, but she had never mumbled her own name like it was some kind of cry.

Then, about two seconds later, my brain, which had been stiff with tension, caught on, and I understood what she meant.

Koko… In other words, she was mimicking me right now.

She was probably not very successful at it. If she had imitated me perfectly, the manager wouldn’t have noticed in the first place. Koko looked exactly like me.

“No…”

What should I have said after that?

I could understand why Koko was here.

She must have planned to work in my place since I had fallen into a deep sleep. She wanted to let me rest.

“….”

I stood there, unsure of what to say, when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

When I turned around, it was the manager.

“Let’s talk outside for a moment.”

After glancing back and forth between Koko and the manager, I nodded.

“No, you should keep working.”

When Koko reflexively tried to follow me outside, the manager spoke.

“Koko—”

Koko began to speak but quickly clammed up.

She realized she had misspoken, took a deep breath, and spoke again.

“Kotone is Koko…”

“….”

But when I stared at her, Koko couldn’t finish her sentence.

“Uu…”

Seeing Koko react like that made my heart ache a little, but for now, talking to the manager was the priority.

… If Koko had come all the way here by herself on the subway, nothing serious would happen while she was alone for a short while.

Besides…

“….”

Shii, who had been nervously watching from a distance, nodded when our eyes met.

I felt a little more at ease.

“I’ll be back.”

I said this to Koko and followed the manager.

*

The manager led me up to the rooftop.

Well, she was still wearing a maid outfit at the moment. I didn’t know her exact age, but she was probably in her twenties. If she’d graduated from college, she was likely in her mid-twenties.

In this world, she was at the age where people would start telling her to get married. In the early 2000s, female characters usually got married in their mid-twenties.

“…Hoo.”

With a deep sigh, the manager leaned against the rooftop railing.

It was a concrete railing, quite thick and high enough to reach her waist, so it didn’t seem particularly dangerous.

The manager rummaged through her maid outfit’s pocket, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and, naturally, placed one between her lips. Then, as she met my steady gaze, she paused.

“….”

The manager stared at me for a moment and then extended the cigarette pack toward me.

I reached out to grab the cigarette sticking out of the pack.

“What’s with you smoking at your age? You’re a high schooler.”

The manager scoffed as she snatched the pack away before I could grab a cigarette.

“Or do you know how to smoke?”

“….”

In my past life, I did. A little.

I learned it in the military, smoked all through college, and quit after I got a job. My sister pestered me relentlessly about it. She’d read online about a firefighter who died from lung disease but was denied compensation because he had smoked.

For whatever reason, my younger sister’s constant nagging forced me to quit, but even after quitting, I still thought about it often.

Especially on the day she and the rest of my family were gone.

A friend had offered me a cigarette, and without realizing it, I had taken it. But all I did was hold it in my mouth without lighting it. My friend hadn’t given me a light either.

“…Ha.”

The manager let out a hollow laugh, likely assuming from my silence that I knew how to smoke.

She held the cigarette in her mouth for a while, lost in thought, before eventually deciding to put it back in the pack.

“…About this job of yours.”

The manager paused for a moment before continuing.

“You know that I don’t contact the parents of the kids working here, right?”

I nodded.

At first, I thought the manager just didn’t care much about the staff.

But then, there was one girl who suddenly quit without notice. The manager didn’t say anything. That spot remained vacant for about a month, and only after the girl didn’t return did the manager quietly put up a hiring sign the next day.

By then, I’d figured it out. The manager was deliberately giving jobs to kids like that.

Some people might have bad thoughts. They might assume the manager was connected to some shady underworld and ran this place for money laundering.

But I doubted that.

Even Yuka had seen it and brushed it off without issue. Yuka’s grandfather must have looked into it.

The manager was just that kind of person.

“Your sister, Koko…”

The manager continued.

“She’s a good kid.”

I nodded again.

There was no denying that.

“Not all kids with borderline intelligence are as sweet as her. Sometimes, they might seem a bit simple, but they can end up going down the wrong path.”

The manager’s hand tightened around the cigarette pack. The flimsy plastic wrapper crumpled in her grip.

“My… sister was like that. She would be probably around your age now.”

“….”

“Anyway, she passed the intelligence test, so she’s considered normal in society. That’s how she’s treated. But that also means… she doesn’t qualify for protection anywhere.”

The manager’s gaze drifted aimlessly into the air. She looked like she didn’t want to be talking about this.

“And honestly, it’s a bit tricky to protect someone like that. They’re just a little simple-minded, not enough to be considered disabled. Like I said, she passed the test.”

The manager said.

“Someone once told me that they often learn everything they need, and when they become adults, they can adapt and live just fine.”

That’s probably true for many. Most might not even know they have such a trait. Maybe their grades were a little lower in school, or they were called “quirky” by those around them, but they’d eventually blend into society.

But some might get noticed by the wrong people and end up being taken advantage of.

“For various reasons, they might end up in and out of places like juvenile detention centers.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t say anything.

“And when they get out, they could disappear without a trace.”

“….”

Seeing me remain silent, the manager scratched her head in frustration.

“But that’s not why I brought you up here.”

The manager let out a series of deep sighs.

“I guess I’ve just made you more stressed out, huh?”

The manager shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t plan to interfere with how you live your life. But I couldn’t just stand by without saying anything in this situation. You’ve been having a hard time lately, right?”

“….”

“How tough must it be if your sister came here knowing that? I don’t know your situation, so I won’t pretend to understand… but hang in there.”

……

Did she call me up here just to say that?

The manager couldn’t look me in the face.

She stared blankly at the sky, leaning against the railing. If I hadn’t been there, she probably would’ve lit a cigarette.

“Just… just hang in there. Yeah. That’s all I wanted to say.”

But that probably wasn’t all.

She might have had a lot more she wanted to say.

What should I say in response?

After thinking for a while, I realized I didn’t need to say much.

In times like this, all I needed to say was…

“…Thank you.”

That’s it.

“…You work here and get paid for it. Nothing to be thankful for.”

The manager said as she turned away without looking at me.

She stared down at the street below in silence.

Her back seemed to signal that the conversation was over, so I quietly turned and went down the stairs.

*

“Koko.”

“I’m Kotone… Koko.”

Koko stubbornly pointed at me and insisted that I was “Koko.”

“….”

What should I say to that?

On one hand, I knew I shouldn’t feel this way, but part of me was a little happy.

I realized that Koko could manage to live on her own even without me.

Fortunately, Koko wasn’t truly borderline intelligent. She only appeared naïve on the surface.

Some bad people might try to approach her.

But—

I looked at Shii.

She seemed conflicted, unsure of what to do. It looked like she was a little flustered by the standoff between me and Koko.

……

Koko still didn’t have a phone.

I hadn’t thought about buying one. Maybe it was because, deep down, I subconsciously believed Koko would always stay quiet and obedient as I wanted.

Maybe it was time to get her one.

Or perhaps I should just give her mine.

Lost in these thoughts, I slowly moved to the seats.

I took a seat at one of the tables.

“…I’d like to order.”

“Kotone?”

Seeing me say that, Koko looked at me with wide eyes, as if she hadn’t expected it.

I raised one finger.

Then I pointed to myself and said,

“Koko.”

Then I pointed at Koko.

“Kotone.”

Koko, who had been wearing a blank expression, suddenly smiled brightly.

…Yeah.

Sometimes.

Sometimes, it’s okay to accept goodwill as goodwill.

Just like Kuro had told me in my dream, living a little more leisurely, like a cat, might not be so bad.

Not lazily, but leisurely.

After all, the time I had left was finite. Whether I hurried or took my time.

“Mm-hmm!”

Koko happily brought over the menu and spread it out in front of me.

“I’ll give you a special service!”

Where on earth did she learn that phrase?

“What service? You’re not even the manager.”

The manager, who had just come down from the rooftop and entered the shop, commented with a smirk.

“…I’ll have the chocolate cake and coffee.”

“Okay!”

Koko happily took the order and headed toward the counter.

And a few minutes later, the cake I received somehow looked slightly larger than the ones I saw every day.

…Honestly, she was just too kind-hearted.

*

I watched Koko until the end of her shift.

No one complained about me taking up a table for so long. Customers didn’t seem too interested in a fellow customer sitting quietly in a corner.

Koko… did well.

In fact, she might be better than me, as I tended to be a little stiff when dealing with customers.

It was especially reassuring to see that Koko was particularly popular with the younger female customers.

I slowly savored the chocolate cake, letting it linger in my mouth, and took a sip of coffee to wash away the lingering sweetness.

How long had it been since I’d experienced such a moment of peace? Maybe this was the first time since I arrived in this world that I had nothing on my mind.

“Shall we go get ramen?”

“Ramen!”

“Sounds good, senpai.”

After the shift ended, we went to eat ramen together, as usual. Naturally, since Koko had worked today, she came along too.

It was a little late for dinner, as the sky had already darkened.

Three high school girls sitting side by side, eating ramen, was… truly satisfying.

*

Well, taking a break is one thing.

But regardless of that, there was still work to be done.

I still didn’t know what the outcome would be. The part of the story I read was just serialized at the beginning of next year.

The setting was shortly after New Year’s, and that’s when the Hyakki Yagyo (Hundred Demons Parade) arc began.

[Tokyo Slayers] wasn’t exactly the novel of my life. It wasn’t because the reviews were bad, or the writing was subpar. Otaku like me tend to hoard books like that. When I was reading the most, it was back when bookstores offered a 20% discount since the book pricing system wasn’t yet in place.

With the discounted price, 10,000 won could buy two manga books, and with a little more, two light novels.

At the end of each month, I’d buy several new releases and read them, and [Tokyo Slayers] was just one of those many novels.

Of course, even though it wasn’t a life-changing novel, I must’ve enjoyed it enough to remember it clearly even after so many years.

It never got an anime adaptation. Maybe it wasn’t popular enough to warrant one.

The reason I didn’t finish the novel… probably wasn’t anything special.

Manga gets serialized regularly in magazines, so unless there are frequent hiatuses, volumes come out on schedule. But light novels aren’t like that.

Some are serialized in magazines, but many are released one volume at a time when the author completes them.

Some novels that used to come out twice a year would slow down to one volume a year or even less. It wasn’t uncommon for authors to get tired of writing one series and start writing another, effectively leaving the original one in limbo. Unlike the web novels of the 2020s, light novels could take over ten years to finish.

Given what I knew about this world, I didn’t think [Tokyo Slayers] had gone on indefinite hiatus. If it had, there wouldn’t be any Cthulhu Mythos mixed into a simple yokai-hunting novel.

It must’ve been serialized for quite some time for such lore to appear.

But as the serialization pace slowed, the novel likely faded from my mind. As I got older and my interests shifted, the time between purchases grew longer until the series naturally disappeared from my to-buy list.

…So, I don’t know the end of the story. At least, I know nothing about the part where the Kurosawa family gets involved.

How did the readers react? Did they find it out of the blue?

Well, whatever the case, this is the reality of this world.

[… You want me to show you where I work?]

Yes. Since this is the reality, I needed to know.

“Yeah.”

[Are you sure you’re ready to step into our world?]

“No, I’m not saying that.”

I replied.

No matter what, I wasn’t planning to jump into a cult without knowing what it was.

I wasn’t a hero. Nor a saint.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to become someone who exploited others either.

Maybe it was already too late, and maybe I was already a hypocrite.

“At least, I need to know what kind of place it is before I decide to enter.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, as if Kagami was thinking it over.

[… Alright. There’s no harm in showing you. However, it might make things much more awkward between us.]

“It’s already awkward, so it doesn’t matter.”

[That hurts a little.]

But Kagami chuckled.

[I wonder if you’d say the same thing if you met someone else.]

“Well, I can’t help it.”

Even if I met someone from the Yamashita family.

I had already anticipated that much. I knew how close the cult and the Yamashita family were.

That’s why I needed to learn more about the cult.

From what Yamashita-san’s father said, it seemed like there were quite a few cult members within the Yamashita family.

In that case, I needed to find out whether the cult was going around killing or beating people in its name.

…Well, I wasn’t expecting to find a clean and honorable yakuza.

[You’re off tomorrow, right? Come by after school. I’ll send you the address by email.]

“…Can I bring Koko?”

[… You want to bring her?]

Kagami’s voice was filled with an incredible sense of discomfort.

[Well, do as you like. But it won’t be a good place for her.]

What kind of place was it?

If it looked even slightly off, I’d take Koko home right away.

I could always show her later. Maybe right before I leave.

I wasn’t sure how things would turn out by then.

*

And the next day.

Koko and I headed to the place Kagami had told us about.

It wasn’t as bad as I’d imagined. At first glance, it looked like a high-end bar.

But the problem was—

“Hey, second daughter! Welcome!”

There was Fukuda’s father, already drunk and boisterous.

And next to him sat Kagami in a revealing outfit.

Ah, right.

I hadn’t thought about it since I didn’t usually see him often.

Damn.

Chapter 113. Return (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When I think about it, I feel like I lived a pretty wholesome life in my previous life.

I did smoke, and I did drink occasionally, but I never actually came to a place like this.

Well, I didn’t have a girlfriend or anything, so instead of being wholesome, maybe it’s more accurate to say I just didn’t get to enjoy it.

The clothes Kagami was wearing... they were almost identical to what I’d see when there was a “need to call parents” situation, but here, they strangely fit her. I thought the fabric was cheap because there wasn’t much of it, but could it actually be quite expensive?

…Maybe it’s just the interior making it seem that way.

I sat a little distance away from the heavily drunk Fukuda-san.

There were a few more customers at the bar. They were all looking this way. I guess it’s natural since two girls in sailor uniforms walked in.

As soon as I sat down next to Koko, Kagami approached us.

“What would you like?”

Judging by the very annoyed look on her face, she was acting like this because we were in front of others.

“…Would you give it to me if I ordered?”

I decided to play along. It wasn’t like I didn’t come here forcefully after Kagami deliberately avoided telling me about this place.

“If it’s an order, I’ll have to take it.”

Somehow, she seemed even less related than the non-blood-related manager.

At least the manager tried to make an effort by refraining from smoking.

“…Water.”

I mean, as her “daughter,” does it really matter what I order or not?

Although, I wasn’t entirely sure if we were blood-related anyway.

“Tch.”

Kagami clicked her tongue and went to get a cup.

In the meantime, I looked around the bar.

The area where Koko and I sat was quite luxurious, with everything made of hardwood, but a little farther off, there were seats where customers could sit separately.

How should I describe it?

It looked like a decadent lounge from a movie or drama but with an open layout.

In reality, there were some men hugging women dressed in outfits with deep necklines like Kagami’s on both sides.

When our eyes met, some of them awkwardly avoided eye contact, probably feeling embarrassed. What, is it embarrassing to be hugging a girl young enough to be your daughter?

In the center of the spacious bar, there was a stage-like area with a large, thick TV. In front of it was a microphone.

…I’ve seen something like this before. I think it was a scene from a game about yakuza. You sing there, right?

Bang!

I turned around when I heard a loud sound in front of me, and there was Kagami slamming down the water cup roughly.

The water had spilled over, so the cup, which was originally full, now only had about half left.

Koko made a sound similar to a cat hissing as if to warn her, but Kagami snorted and placed another glass of water in front of Koko.

…At least she didn’t slam it down as hard as when she set mine down.

Why, is Koko a little scary?

“What’s wrong~? Little daughter! Are you running low on allowance? Want me to buy you something tasty? Huh? Kagami, don’t you have non-alcoholic drinks here?”

No, when you say it like that, it really just sounds like you’re hitting on a high school girl.

But what’s funnier is how he’s oddly being kind. Non-alcoholic, seriously?

I understand that you’re trying to be friendly because I’m your friend’s daughter, but other customers are giving us very uncomfortable looks now.

This place must be legitimate. Well, that makes sense. Even if there’s any sort of sleeping arrangements with the customers and staff, it could probably be dismissed as “mutual consent” or something like that.

“Oh my, if it’s something Fukuda-san is offering, there’s no need to refuse. Go ahead and pick something, dear.”

Kagami said that in a sweet voice while fawning over him.

Oh dear.

What should I say?

I came expecting something a little more… suspicious, but this is quite anticlimactic.

“Uu?”

Koko, confused by Fukuda-san’s drunkenness and Kagami’s constantly shifting attitude, glanced at me as I brushed my face with my hand, not saying anything.

*

“…”

“…”

Kagami and I, who had stepped outside for a moment, leaned against the wall, saying nothing.

A bar doesn’t close that early. Of course, today is a Monday, but it’s not like people stop drinking right at 9 p.m. and head home.

Naturally, for any personal conversation, we had to find a separate space like this.

By the way, I really did hand Koko a non-alcoholic cocktail.

While I think it wouldn’t cause too much trouble even if she drank something with alcohol, there’s always that slight chance. What if she got drunk and killed everyone inside?

How would I face Fukuda-san’s daughter if he died?

“So, what are your thoughts?”

“Thoughts?”

“You’ve only ever seen me in outfits like this.”

Kagami said that while spreading her arms.

At least the outfit she was wearing today didn’t reveal her belly. While the neckline was deep and her back was exposed, her stomach was covered by a red dress.

…Actually, it was closer to lingerie with a skirt rather than a dress, but there’s no point in pointing out that design here.

After thinking for a moment, I replied.

“Surprisingly wholesome.”

“Oh my.”

Kagami opened her eyes wide as if genuinely surprised.

“Wholesome?”

“…Why? Do you do anything else besides this?”

If she met those high-ranking people she mentioned while dressed like this, then sure, that would be pretty unwholesome, but if it’s just selling drinks here, well...

Not that I came to complain about that anyway.

“That’s unexpected.”

“Unexpected?”

“At your age, shouldn’t there be some… sexual purity thing?”

Really?

I had a friend who supposedly did it in high school. Whether that was true or not, there were people who bragged about it.

Oh, but it wasn’t that common. Even if someone did, they probably wouldn’t go around telling everyone.

Also, this was all among guys. I’ve only been living as a high school girl for less than a year.

And I don’t even know how high school girls in this world differ from those in the other world. Well, I guess it varies from person to person.

“Were you like that?”

Kagami blinked at my question.

“What?”

“Uh, nothing.”

Kagami responded, sounding slightly confused.

“I was just thinking whether we’ve ever shared personal stories like this.”

“…”

Have we not?

I frowned as I thought about it. It seems we haven’t.

We didn’t care about each other, or rather… I just wasn’t interested.

There was no reason for Kagami to worry or think about my “past.” From what I remember of what Kagami or Kosuzu said, to Kagami, I was something that “should never have existed.”

Wasn’t she the one who had seen me lying helplessly for years?

Even the school and everything was already prepared when I came to. I think Kagami was the one paying for the tuition.

“It’s not allowed?”

“…It’s not like it’s not allowed.”

Kagami answered with a still puzzled expression.

When I stared at her, she shrugged.

“I had a time like that, too.”

You did?

Well, no matter how she acts now, everyone has an innocent time at some point. The difference is how early and in what way that time gets shattered.

…I’m hesitant to ask here, but if Kagami really did give birth to Kurosawa Kotone, she must have done it at a very early age.

Maybe even younger than I am now.

“…”

The mood became awkward.

“So, did you come all this way just to check this out?”

“Yeah.”

“…Really?”

“That’s right.”

There’s still time. I plan to take my time and enjoy it leisurely.

But if I disappear, Koko will be left alone in the world.

Yuka will help her. Mako won’t just stand by, and my friends, and even those who are also friends with Koko, will take care of her.

But Kagami is a variable.

The people I know who are aware of Kagami don’t share the same image of her that I do.

Koko has a different image of Kagami, too.

If the two clash and it leads to bloodshed, Koko won’t be able to live a normal life.

That’s why I wanted to check. How “abnormal” is she?

I didn’t expect her to be running a business so normally like this.

Could this place be connected to the Yamashita family?

“Are you worried that the tuition money flowing in might be illegal?”

“…Maybe?”

That did cross my mind.

It’s a cult, after all.

In other words, it’s a scam. Even if the god they worship exists, I would still call this religion a scam without hesitation. What difference is there if it’s harming people?

But… seeing the price of drinks here, my thoughts have changed a bit.

Honestly, the prices were outrageous, but they were proudly displayed on the menu. At least the business itself didn’t seem illegal.

Well, I’ll have to check more about the followers.

“So, the investigation I asked you to do?”

“We’re still looking into it.”

“Not even a clue?”

“If it were something that could be concluded in just a few days, another group would’ve found it already.”

I shrugged.

Kagami stared at me intently.

“What?”

“This is Kurosawa Kotone, right?”

“That’s right.”

“That… Koko didn’t disguise herself or anything, did she?”

“Why would she?”

You saw us come in together. What’s the point of switching places?

“No, it’s just…”

Kagami tilted her head as she spoke.

“…It just feels like your attitude has softened.”

“That’s strange.”

I’m the same as always. I don’t feel any need to change.

“Since I’ve seen this place today, I want to see how your cult conducts its rituals next time.”

“…”

“Is that not allowed?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Kagami still frowned as she looked at me.

“It’s just really strange.”

“…”

I didn’t bother answering.

After that, we went back into the bar.

Kagami entered first, and I followed behind.

And just as Kagami stepped inside, she flinched and stopped in her tracks.

Alarmed by her reaction, I looked inside—

—Koko was singing.

It was a nursery rhyme.

It wasn’t anything too childish, though. It was a song sung by several Japanese singers and had appeared in many movies and anime. Any otaku would’ve heard it at least once.

“Well done, little daughter!”

Fukuda-san, clapping to the rhythm, shouted that.

Koko, excited by the applause, sang even more enthusiastically.

“…”

And Kagami stared at Koko with an indescribable expression.

*

“...Well, I’m off.”

“Take care on your way home.”

As Kagami saw us off outside the bar, she said that.

Fukuda-san was already passed out drunk, his forehead resting on the bar, and no one stopped Kagami from escorting us out.

There were a few people who called Koko’s name, but that was it.

…But, were we even allowed to be inside at this time as minors? Or rather, were we allowed in at all in the first place?

I’m not sure. Well, since we didn’t get caught by the police or reported, I guess it’s fine.

As I was thinking those irrelevant thoughts,

“Oh, Kagami-san~”

A voice called out.

It was a very relaxed, young woman’s voice.

She sounded quite young, actually.

When I turned toward the voice, I saw a woman dressed similarly to Kagami, wearing a long-sleeved white fur coat, running toward us with a cheerful wave.

The coat had long sleeves, but it was very short both top and bottom, as if only the sleeve parts remained.

She was about the same height as me? Not very tall.

But her chest was big.

Even Kagami looked a bit burdensome in that outfit, but this person was even more so.

Her skin was quite pale, and her hair was dyed blonde, tied into twin tails on both sides.

That… what do you call it?

It feels strange to describe her this way, but she really looked like someone who would fit in perfectly with Kagami’s line of work.

“…”

Kagami made a somewhat subtle expression when she saw the woman.

“…What is it this time?”

“Oh, um~ sorry, I totally forgot. Hehe.”

Saying that, the woman playfully hit her own head.

No, the sound was pretty loud. She really hit herself.

“Wuu?”

Koko tilted her head, puzzled by the sight.

“Oh my, they’re so cute~ Are these the new hires?”

“…How could you put kids like these to work?”

“Why? They’re cute~”

Hmm…

She’s a bit… out of it. But she doesn’t seem harmful.

Kagami let out a deep sigh as if this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation.

“I can’t make high schoolers work.”

Not long ago, a high schooler was happily singing in that bar’s karaoke room, in a sailor uniform, no less.

Although, technically, that wasn’t working but rather using the bar. Fukuda-san paid for it.

Still, it was just as illegal as putting her to work.

“Oh, right, I forgot. Hehe.”

The woman playfully hit her head again.

“So, why were you late this time?”

“Well, you see~ I set the alarm, but~ I got the a.m. and p.m. mixed up~”

She dragged out her words, making excuses. One foot was shuffling on the ground, and she was holding her small pink bag with both hands behind her back.

Kagami gestured for us to go ahead, as if to say, “Don’t mind her.”

“…”

But, somehow, I felt a bit uneasy.

Why is that?

Maybe I’ve developed an aversion to airheads after meeting Kosuzu.

I shrugged, then took Koko’s hand and headed toward the nearby subway.

“…How was it?”

“It was fun!”

Koko answered joyfully to my question.

I see. It was fun, huh.

Well, you did seem to have a great time.

I’m not sure how to take that.

At the very least, I should be glad that Koko won’t be stressed out because of this.

I put aside my uneasy feelings and headed home.

…Once we got back, I was so exhausted that after preparing for bed, we fell asleep as soon as we lay down.

*

“Alright, then.”

Two days later.

Kagami suddenly came to our house and said.

“What do you mean, alright?”

“You agreed to cooperate with our cult, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t say it that clearly.”

To begin with, the word “cult” includes the character for “evil.” It’s not a word you’d use to describe your own religion.

But Kagami confidently used that word.

So, no matter how it looks on the surface, it must be quite an abnormal group underneath, right?

“Paradoxically, you’re the one who could be of the greatest help in gathering information.”

“…”

At that, I stared at Kagami with a look that said, “What are you talking about?”

Wait, didn’t you say you’d protect me?

“Don’t worry.”

Kagami said, looking straight at me.

“You’ve already acted on behalf of the Yuuki family several times, haven’t you?”

…More like, I acted before they even asked.

Even after that, whenever I got involved in a case and exterminated a yokai, Yuka would hand me an envelope full of money. Usually, it contained far more than we initially agreed on.

Even when I tried to refuse some of the money, Yuka would force it into my hands, so I ended up using it.

At least I felt more comfortable spending that money than what I got from Kagami.

“The Yuuki family suspects us, but they don’t try to eradicate us because of that. From their perspective, we’re just another group that worships one of the many gods of this land. We haven’t killed anyone, either.”

But I do slit my wrists to offer blood.

“We use blood to slay yokai. And, as far as I know, there’s only one weapon in this land that can slay yokai without any special processing.”

The “Mumei” sword that Yuka carries.

It seems to be quite a famous blade. I guess that makes sense.

“We haven’t been very active yet, but with you on board, even if we take on ‘requests,’ no one would say anything.”

“…Do you have connections with the government?”

Kagami smiled at me.

Ah.

Right. There’s me.

I’m not super close, but I do have a bit of a connection with Miura-san.

“And, since we’re dealing with ‘yokai’ created from humans, if we recover the yokai bodies you’ve slain, we might be able to investigate them.”

That’s an incredibly unsettling approach. A yokai created from a human would leave behind a human corpse after death, wouldn’t it?

“…So, have you found anything?”

“We’ve uncovered some clues, but we’re still confirming whether it’s a regular murder or yokai-related.”

Kagami’s words piqued my interest.

So, they’re actually doing something.

“What kind of case is it?”

Kagami hesitated for a moment, as if wondering whether it was okay to tell me yet.

But eventually, she seemed to make up her mind and said,

“Have you ever heard of the story about the woman with a slit mouth?”

*

I had heard Kagami’s story in advance, but since it wasn’t “confirmed” yet, I wasn’t involved in the case.

Since there was no urgent matter, I went to my part-time job as usual the next day.

And then.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

Seeing the manager’s face gave me an odd feeling.

It was an emotion I had never felt before.

“…It’s nothing.”

Was it just my imagination?

I don’t know what’s causing this feeling.

Chapter 114. Return (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I couldn’t figure out the cause of this uneasy feeling, so I decided to push it aside for now.

Was it just a thought that came to mind after seeing someone? It had nothing to do with yokai, so it probably wasn’t a big deal. The boss didn’t seem like someone connected to yokai either.

More importantly, there was the matter of Kagami’s “request.”

"Do you usually investigate things like that?"

"No. We mostly focus on our own work and don’t pay much attention to other things."

That made sense.

After finishing my part-time job that evening, Koko and I went to Kagami’s job

It seemed like the establishment stayed open late since it was a bar, so it wasn’t a problem for us to visit.

There were more people here than the last time we came. Maybe it was because the weekend was approaching?

Today, Fukuda-san wasn’t here, and since we were the only ones near the bar, Kagami conversed with me in her usual tone.

"My sister splitting off from us happened not too long ago, and it hasn’t been long since we got involved in matters related to yokai. You know what I mean, right?"

They had been moving in secret, not to hunt yokai, but to summon a foreign deity into this world.

Perhaps they began recruiting followers in the form of a “cult” to guard against Kosuzu. Considering how old the family was, it was odd that they hadn’t even properly named their cult and continued to use the word “cult” so openly, which made me even more suspicious.

"......"

The problem was that Kagami’s words were hard to trust.

It wasn’t a matter of trust between people. It was about the difference between an “experienced” person and a “newcomer.”

Unlike the Yuuki family or someone like Miura-san, Kagami didn’t seem to have a solid and long-standing background. It was like they specialized in a different field.

To outsiders, it might all seem the same.

Perhaps noticing my doubtful gaze, Kagami smiled awkwardly.

"We’ve put in quite a bit of effort, you know?"

Is that so?

"So... the slit-mouthed woman?"

I knew well about the story of the slit-mouthed woman. It was a popular urban legend even in the world I came from. It was a tale elementary school kids would enjoy.

In Korea, the story is famous as the “Woman with the Red Mask.”

Why did the mask turn red when crossing the border? Colorful masks didn’t become popular until much later, and even then, it was black, not red. I also heard that it wasn’t commonly worn outside Korea.

Moreover, the scary part of the legend was the grotesque image of a mouth ripped to the ears. Wasn’t the fear rooted in the idea that someone who looked ordinary in everyday life could actually be a monster? A red mask would be too conspicuous. Not that I’d immediately think of someone as crazy just from their appearance.

On top of that, thanks to people who loved to exaggerate such stories, it eventually turned into a ridiculous power balance game. They’d say the slit-mouthed woman could run at 200 kilometers per hour, learned Korean despite being a Japanese ghost, could stay underwater for hours, and lift hundreds of kilograms with one hand...

It was probably a response to the question, “How could anyone defeat someone like that?” but because of those additions, it stopped being as scary.

"Is it hard to believe because it’s such a famous urban legend?"

"......"

Well, sitting right next to me was someone who could easily give that slit-mouthed woman a few extra mouths to match, so it wasn’t hard to believe.

However,

"If such a famous figure actually existed, there’s no way they wouldn’t have been caught by now."

"I’ve thought about that too."

Kagami looked directly at me as she spoke.

"But, let’s consider this from another perspective. Ancient families and government institutions are all inherently conservative. They gain experience by doing the same thing day after day, and while they may become skilled, they also tend to resist the idea of handling matters in new, more efficient ways."

"......"

Was she talking about herself?

Kosuzu was the one who came up with that “new method.”

"For hundreds of years, yokai hunters have been catching yokai using their own methods. So if a yokai wasn’t found through those means, they’d naturally assume it wasn’t a yokai."

"......Ah."

"Seems like something clicked for you?"

"......Yeah."

When I tracked down that cannibalistic killer in my own way, Yuka had stopped me before I could strike him down.

And she told me it wasn’t a yokai, but a human.

Yuka hadn’t been certain just by looking at him. Both Yuka and I had ways of detecting the presence of yokai.

But since that person didn’t trigger any of those signs, Yuka had judged him to be human.

"We’ve just come to understand that there could be yokai who don’t fit the usual profile. But even then, they probably can’t act recklessly, can they?"

It wasn’t as if they could go around asking every random person if they were a yokai.

"So are you saying we should act recklessly?"

As I asked, Kagami, as if waiting for that question, pulled something out from under the bar and pushed it toward me.

It was a file.

I gave her a suspicious look before opening the nameless file.

"......A murder case?"

It looked like a police report.

There was a list of the deceased victim’s gender, name, occupation, age, and all sorts of evidence found at the scene.

With a very uneasy feeling, I closed the file and pushed it back toward Kagami.

"So? Do you trust me a bit more now?"

"......"

A victim with a slit mouth.

"There was only one victim, but we don’t want to wait around for the next one, do we?"

Kagami looked directly at me and said,

"It’s at least worth checking out."

I tried to gauge Kagami’s thoughts by looking at her face, but she just smiled as brightly as always.

It was only my guess, but I felt that Kagami made this expression when she wanted to hide her true feelings from me.

"......Where did you get this file? Is it reliable?"

"When you run a cult, the most important thing is who you recruit to your side. Or you can just plant one of your own."

......In a TV station, or a hospital—or even within the government.

It might sound like fantasy to some, but it wasn’t unheard of. Even in the 2020s, there were a few documentaries on this topic.

For example, there was a famous case where a medical professional who belonged to a particular religion tried to prevent patients from receiving blood transfusions.

If this was something taken by someone like that—

......It was unsettling, but that also made it more believable. I trusted that Kagami wouldn’t lie to me about something like this.

"But if the police investigated, shouldn’t others already know about this?"

"Wouldn’t it be more irrational to assume that everything discovered by the police is automatically the work of a yokai?"

Hmm.

"Most of the police don’t even know that such beings exist. Unless it’s something that clearly couldn’t have been done by a human, information like this doesn’t circulate easily. Plus, in the case of bizarre murders, there’s often media control at first. They don’t want to incite public panic."

......It was a reasonable explanation.

As I nodded along, understanding her words,

Tap.

Kagami placed another glass of orange juice on the bar.

It was in a long, elegant glass with a straw stuck in it, neatly placed between me and Koko.

Since the drink for me was placed right in front of me, this one was clearly intended for Koko.

I pushed the drink toward her.

"Uwa?"

Koko made a questioning sound as she saw the drink but soon accepted it and started drinking. It seemed like she couldn’t resist anything edible.

Kagami could have just given it to her directly.

......Or maybe not? Was she giving it after gauging my mood?

As she drank the orange juice placed in front of me, I looked at Kagami and—

"Alright."

I answered.

Well, there’s no harm in checking it out.

If it turns out to be real, I’ll deal with it; if not, that’s even better.

***

"Wow, aren’t you those cute girls we saw last time?"

On our way out of the store, we ran into the woman from yesterday.

She looked a few years older than me, but that might have been because of her heavy makeup.

......There’s no way Kagami would employ minors here, right? Regardless of moral arguments, it would be nonsense to do something that would get them caught.

It was a cult operating in secret. Yuuki or Miura-san might have already caught on, but they hadn’t flipped things over yet because they didn’t have concrete evidence.

"......Hello."

Having judged that, I bowed to her. Koko followed suit.

She seemed like a harmless person. If she had any ill intent, it would be difficult to work in a place like this. After all, they were selling smiles and drinks together.

......Or maybe not? As long as the person looked the part, maybe it didn’t matter?

"Hey~ I heard you two are Kurosawa’s daughters, right? Twins? How interesting~ It’s my first time seeing that~"

Her speech patterns were unique, ending each sentence with a wave-like tone.

It was the kind of voice that would lull you to sleep if you heard it on a sunny day.

"Uu?"

Koko tilted her head. Was she also feeling the same inexplicable unease that I did?

"See you later~"

She waved her hand lazily as she walked away. As I watched her descend the stairs, I looked at Koko.

"Do you feel like something’s off?"

"Hmm?"

But Koko just tilted her head at my words.

I shrugged.

Well...

I just hoped we wouldn’t be late today.

For some reason, that thought crossed my mind.

I wasn’t sure why.

***

This wasn’t Saitama, and we weren’t close enough to walk to Saitama either.

Since I wasn’t fully dependent on Kagami for living expenses or receiving any allowance from her yet, Koko and I didn’t have much time.

At the very least, we had to get to the nearest train station before the last train.

Aside from the fact that there had been a victim, Kagami also provided various other pieces of information.

The urban legend of the slit-mouthed woman apparently started around the 1970s and had been passed down since then.

It didn’t stay popular continuously but instead experienced waves of popularity, rising and falling repeatedly.

I think I first heard about the legend in Korea in the early to mid-2000s. I’m not sure about the Japan version.

Other than that, the slit-mouthed woman would ask, “Am I pretty?” If you said yes, she would tear your mouth the same way and kill you. If you said no, she would just kill you.

The difference between her and Korea’s Red Mask is that the slit-mouthed woman would let you go if you said, “You’re so-so.”

In Korea, once you were caught by the Red Mask, you were as good as dead. Although, I vaguely recall hearing that you could survive by chanting some kind of mantra.

Oh, right. There was also the joke that since she was Japanese, she wouldn’t understand Korean, so you could just ignore her and walk away. But that seemed even ruder than responding.

Anyway.

Judging from how casually Kagami told me all this, it seemed that even here, the story was treated like a simple urban legend.

Or perhaps it was more of a “person” than a ghost or monster. If you set aside the talk about superhuman speed and strength, you could see it as a scary person. Just because someone’s mouth is ripped doesn’t mean they’ll kill you.

"......Hmm."

"Kotone?"

We arrived at the place where the victim had been, but there wasn’t anything left.

It was about a 20-minute walk from the bar Kagami ran. While it was near a bustling area, it was on the outskirts, so there were very few people around.

There were places like this in Korea too. If you walked to the far end of a bustling area, you’d suddenly notice fewer streetlights, and the shops would slowly disappear. And then, surrounded by rows of four- or five-story villas, you’d find an eerily quiet area. You’d almost wonder if anyone even lived there.

This place had a similar atmosphere. There were no Korean-style villas, of course, but most of the low-rise buildings around here were dark.

I didn’t feel the usual chill that came when yokai were near. Well, if the slit-mouthed woman was the kind of yokai we were thinking of, then it made sense that I wouldn’t feel anything.

The crime scene seemed to have been cleaned up already. The incident happened about two weeks ago, and there hadn’t been any follow-up cases.

By the way, the legend of the slit-mouthed woman supposedly originated in Gifu Prefecture. It’s quite far from Tokyo.

So, the fact that she showed up here... well, who knows?

"Koko. Let’s be careful. It might not be a yokai."

If the opponent wasn’t the slit-mouthed woman but something else, it could be either a man or a woman. If they had the strength to overpower an adult woman and slice her mouth, they could easily handle at least one woman.

"Okay!"

Koko nodded.

The two of us started walking slowly again, heading toward the quieter part of the area.

Step, step. Even though the heels of my school shoes weren’t particularly high or hard, they made an eerie sound as we walked through the deserted street.

Hmm...

I scratched my head.

This was tricky.

When Yuka first transferred, did she feel this lost? I had always been swept into incidents, but trying to actively find something myself was proving much more difficult.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time. It was close to 11 p.m. The last train was around midnight. It was about time to head back.

"Koko, should we head back?"

"Uu?"

The distance between the streetlights was quite far, making Koko’s face appear faint in the darkness.

"What about the search?"

"I don’t think we’ll find anything just by walking around like this. It might be better to take more time and look for a proper method—"

As I was talking like I knew everything,

"...Oh, it’s just a person."

I heard a small voice.

Koko and I both turned our heads toward the sound.

We were standing between two streetlights, and they were also standing between two streetlights.

Or rather, they were hiding at the point where the street bent.

"......"

They seemed human.

And it was a woman’s voice. One that sounded young, possibly in her teens or twenties.

Koko and I exchanged glances.

It might not seem like much, but considering the strange comment they made about us, it was worth being cautious.

Could they also be searching for ghosts or yokai?

If they had gone as far as to investigate this unreported murder case, they certainly weren’t ordinary people.

As I started walking toward them, Koko followed closely behind me.

I felt confident. As long as they weren’t the police, there was no way anyone would mistake us for—

Wait, but our hair makes us look like—

"Eek!?"

One of the girls squatting by the corner let out a scream as soon as the two of us, looking like twin Sadakos, appeared.

"Stay back! Stay back!"

"Ah! Wait, senpai!"

A handful of salt flew at my face.

They clearly thought we were ghosts.

...Wait, hold on, “senpai?”

I couldn’t help but blurt it out.

"......Kotone?"

Brushing off the salt from my face and hair, I looked at them.

Though the light was dim, my night vision wasn’t bad enough to not recognize Kaoru and Izumi.

"...Senpai?"

Seeing Kaoru holding L-rods in both hands and Izumi clutching a salt shaker behind her, I momentarily lost my words.

...Why are they here?

"Why are you two here, senpai?"

"Huh? We’re looking for something to write about, of course."

And that casual answer left me speechless again.

"Don’t you remember? We have to submit something for the culture festival."

Seeing my reaction, Kaoru added.

...Write about?

Oh, right. The culture festival.

Since the top floor of the old school building, where we hung out, was full of dull clubs, the festive atmosphere didn’t really reach us. But Hanagawa High School’s culture festival was quite famous in the area. It was especially popular with other high school students.

All the clubs had to present their work during the festival. It wasn’t just about recruiting new members; the future of club funding was on the line.

The teachers would review the submissions during the festival.

Since we were part of the Literature Club, we had to submit a literary work.

"I was thinking of writing a story about the slit-mouthed woman."

"That’s just a silly rumor! Are you really going to believe something from an occult magazine?"

Izumi said that to Kaoru, but the fact that she had tagged along meant she must have been interested in it too.

"...A magazine?"

"Yeah."

Kaoru handed me the latest issue of the magazine she always read in the clubroom.

There was a bold headline: “The Slit-Mouthed Woman: The Real Story!?”

Beneath it was an article listing a series of murders from across the country where victims’ faces had been mutilated, with a map of Japan carefully marked with circles indicating the locations.

"......"

And one of those circles was this place.

Wait, wasn’t this case supposed to be unreported?!

Chapter 115. Return (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

What kind of magazine company is this?

For a brief moment, I wondered if this place was run by some kind of great organization.

A weird media outlet that dealt with the underworld information, like yokai or something similar, something that others might dismiss as mere tabloids but actually spoke only the truth.

But I quickly pushed the thought away.

In the reality I used to live in, there were plenty of newspapers that ignored embargos and rushed to report important information solely for profit.

When the government criticized them, they’d complain about media control or dictatorship in retaliation.

... Well, in the case of one or two murder cases, it might have looked strange if they tried to block it.

The sensation had faded a bit over time, but just at the beginning of this year, there had been a serial cannibal murder case in Tokyo. That's probably why the police were still on edge.

This magazine was more like a ‘tabloid’ rather than an official media outlet, but still, the people writing were journalists nonetheless.

They might have connections with other reporters. Even if they wrote down some hearsay carelessly, the kind of people who’d read it wouldn’t care whether it was true or not.

Even if it was just "rumors they’d heard somewhere," I felt like I could believe it.

“Oh, by the way.”

Kaoru blinked and said.

“Does this mean you guys are here for that, by any chance?”

“...”

Hmm.

“We’re just out here investigating. Not because it’s real or anything.”

Even though I said that, Kaoru, whose switch had already flipped, sparkled with excitement.

“I’ll go with you too!”

Does she really want to go look for this kind of thing after what she saw last time?

I stared blankly at Kaoru and then looked behind her at Izumi.

How much does Izumi actually know?

If everyone around me shared the same information about my situation, it would be easier to act. I wouldn’t have to constantly think about what I’ve told each person.

The problem is that, even though there are quite a few people around me who knew roughly what I do, their knowledge about me varies significantly.

And yet, I can't just reveal all my secrets either.

“Oh, right.”

Kaoru turned toward Izumi.

“Izumi, you should go back first. It’s dangerous.”

“What?”

Izumi’s mouth fell open.

No, it’s just as dangerous for you too.

Yuka had been fighting against these kinds of strange beings for a long time. Her family was involved in that kind of thing.

Koko was the strongest among the people I knew, and I’d guess Hagiwara would eagerly follow us, too, since she could fight.

But Kaoru?

“No.”

But while I was thinking about this, Izumi’s face hardened as she answered.

“I’ll stay here too.”

Why?

Just a moment ago, she had been so scared, scattering salt everywhere. She was still clutching the Lock & Lock container full of salt in her arms.

If the Red Mask could be driven away by something like salt, it wouldn’t have become so famous. In the first place, does salt even work on the yokai of this world? I wasn’t sure.

“Izumi, you were really terrified. You didn’t even want to come this far.”

“That’s different.”

Izumi responded firmly, clutching the salt container even tighter.

“Letting you go out alone at this time? Absolutely not. Remember last time when you snuck out and skipped school?”

“Ah.”

Kaoru looked extremely guilty at Izumi’s words.

“I don’t want to go through that again. Besides, what’s this? Everyone here is a member of the Literature Club. Even if Yuka happens to be missing this time, if I’m sent back alone, that would be like gathering the club members and excluding the president.”

“...”

At that, none of us had anything to say.

“Kotone?”

Is that true?

Koko tilted her head and looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask, "Is that the case?"

... Of course, it wasn’t. I didn’t want to exclude my friend.

“And also, it’s suspicious. You all are acting like you're sharing some kind of secret.”

Izumi pointed at Kaoru with her finger and said.

“You all are, right now...”

Even Kaoru, who usually teased Izumi with all sorts of remarks, seemed unable to joke about this after hearing Izumi’s words.

From what I’ve heard, Izumi doesn’t have many friends. She couldn’t even gather enough people to keep the Literature Club afloat in a crisis.

She wasn’t exactly being bullied, but you know how there are some people like that? People who end up a little isolated because they don’t know how to approach others warmly.

Izumi was probably that kind of person.

“Izumi-senpai—”

“Okay, I understand.”

Izumi pointed her finger at me this time and said.

“You guys, you’re conspiring to create an Occult Club, aren’t you?!”

“...”

Uh.

Well.

Izumi pushed her glasses up with the finger she had extended straight out.

“I may be a merciful Literature Club president, but I’m not soft-hearted enough to overlook a coup! I knew something was fishy ever since Kaoru suggested this. The club’s anthology should have stories or critiques, not occult reports!”

Flash.

Even though there wasn’t any light, it felt like her glasses were gleaming.

“As the president, I absolutely won’t allow it! I’ll keep watching until the end!”

“...”

“Pfft.”

While I was at a loss for words and just stared at Izumi, Kaoru started laughing.

“Pfft, hahaha!”

And then she burst out in loud laughter.

“What’s so funny? Do you think my words are ridiculous?”

“N-no, it’s just, uh.”

Kaoru barely managed to stop laughing and said.

“I just... thought that’s very like you.”

“Whatever.”

Izumi glared at Kaoru as she said that.

“Phew.”

After calming down, Kaoru turned her head towards me and said.

“So, Kotone. The president is saying this. Are you really going to send her back?”

I answered with a small sigh.

---

The L-rod was actually an outdated superstition.

Also known as a dowsing rod, this L-shaped metal rod was supposedly able to detect strange magnetic phenomena in places where underground water flowed... or so it was claimed. Of course, there was hardly any scientific basis for it. It’s just pseudo-science that claims to be real science by stringing together some scientific-sounding nonsense.

But why did Kaoru bring this tool for finding underground water here?

“Well, of course, because magnetic fields often get weird where ghosts appear.”

That’s what Kaoru said.

I thought that it would have made more sense to bring a compass rather than a thick, heavy metal rod like the L-rod, but I didn’t feel like pointing that out to someone like Kaoru, who believed in the occult.

“...”

Izumi, wisely, stared at the rod with deep suspicion.

“So, have you found anything with that yet?”

“Not yet.”

Kaoru laughed as she said that.

“I didn’t come here expecting it to be that easy to find! Even back then—ah.”

Kaoru nearly mentioned the Nue story but quickly shut her mouth.

“Back then?”

Izumi tilted her head in confusion.

“Anyway.”

Kaoru quickly changed the subject before Izumi could dig further.

“If there’s something otherworldly near here, I’m sure we’ll find it.”

There were two reasons why I didn’t bother to argue with Kaoru.

One reason was that, when you tell someone who believes in this kind of thing that they’re wrong, they’ll insist they’re right to the end. I learned this the hard way when I gave up trying to convince a high school friend who believed in the blood-type personality theory.

The other reason... is that ghosts and spirits actually do exist in this world. So there might really be some kind of physical effect. Besides, Kaoru has a strong sixth sense; she was even able to summon Nirlass just by drawing a pentagram on a piece of paper.

Maybe she could really find something?

With a faint hope, I followed behind Kaoru and Izumi for quite a while, but in the end, nothing happened that day.

---

It seemed like our method of investigation was a bit off. It’s like banging your head against a brick wall—you can’t achieve anything by just literally smashing your head into concrete. We needed to gather more clues before doing anything else.

But where could we find those clues?

I couldn’t ask the police. If a high school girl said she knew about an embargoed case, they’d be suspicious of me immediately. I didn’t want to give the authorities any more reasons to suspect me, especially when I was already involved with some shady group.

Interrogating people around here...

...

Well, how do I put this?

There were a ton of bars in this area. Hotels too. While there were plenty of women around, the majority of people here were men, and many of the businesses catered to those men.

In a place like this, if a high school girl approached some random guy to ask questions...

It would be easy to misunderstand. And even if they didn’t, I doubted they’d take me seriously if I started asking about women with slashed faces.

Today, I didn’t bother stopping by Kagami’s place either. I’d already gotten the information, and honestly, it was uncomfortable going there in a school uniform.

Besides, Kaoru and Izumi had said they’d wait for me again today.

Friday evening. There were far more people out than there had been yesterday, but as soon as I stepped outside the busy part of town, the noise faded away almost instantly.

Well, it’s still the 2000s. Plenty of people work on Saturdays. Even in the 2020s, it was the same. Maybe Saturday evenings were the most crowded time of the week in this era.

“Hmm... Did we strike out again today?”

Kaoru frowned as she said that.

The L-rod in her hand hadn’t moved at all. Occasionally, it would shift when Kaoru turned her body, but that wasn’t because of any ghosts.

Maybe we needed to wait until later. The victims were presumed to have died after midnight.

But there was a problem with that. Unlike Korea, where high school students could wander around late at night without much legal trouble, Japan had curfews set by local ordinances.

Even though the police weren’t actively rounding up curfew violators like they did with the "Toyoko Kids" in the 2020s, we were still students from a pretty well-known high school.

If the police caught us, they’d probably want to send us home immediately. So pulling an all-nighter wasn’t an option.

I was seriously considering whether we should try Kokkuri-san instead when—

“Ah, there, over there!”

Izumi, who had been nervously looking around, suddenly yelped.

Looking in the direction she was pointing, I saw a woman walking toward us, making clicking sounds with her high heels. Her steps were a bit hurried, as if she was in a rush.

Her outfit, visible under the streetlight, was a long coat. And her face was covered by a mask.

“Huh? No way! No way!”

Kaoru started freaking out and pointed the L-rod in her direction. Wasn’t she scared?

... It made sense that she wasn’t. She knew who I was.

I wasn’t scared at all. The same went for Koko. Koko wasn’t the type to get scared even if she saw an actual ghost, and as for me—

It wasn’t that I’d grown numb to seeing ghosts and yokai, but rather because I knew who the woman was.

“Oh?”

The woman walking toward us spoke.

She lowered her mask when she was about ten steps away.

She wasn’t wearing any makeup. Even so, she had a pretty face, but—

... Wait a minute.

“Kagami-san’s kids, huh? What are you doing here?”

Yes, this was the person who worked at Kagami’s place and had shown up late last time. Today, she hadn’t even put on makeup, as if she’d woken up particularly late.

And seeing her face made me realize what had been bothering me.

This person looked like the boss.

She wasn’t an exact carbon copy, like me and Koko, nor like Kagami and Kosuzu. But there was enough of a resemblance to feel a sense of discomfort. Especially around the eyes and mouth.

Could it be?

No, she was supposed to be ‘around my age,’ wasn’t she?

“Huh? Do you guys know each other?”

Kaoru, who didn’t know about us, asked.

“Yeah~ I work at Kagami-san’s place~”

“Kagami-san? Ah.”

You know, even people who hadn’t met my mother in person would tend to think she wasn’t a normal person once they met me.

Not just because she left me alone at home, but especially because, early in the semester, I’d been so obsessive about food.

Plus, there was Koko’s situation as well.

It wasn’t surprising that the name ‘Kagami’ had gained notoriety among my friends. We’d even gone on a trip together because of Koko. That, too, at Kaoru’s grandmother’s house.

I couldn’t avoid telling them anything.

... I felt a little sorry for Kagami.

But this wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

There are many people in the world who look alike. I can’t imagine Kagami making someone my age work in a place like this... No, I can’t say it’s entirely impossible, but I’d like to think it’s unlikely. There’d be legal issues with the police.

Anyway, given that, I’ll just move past it for now since the ages don’t match.

“Do you always take this route to work?”

When she heard the phrase "route to work," both Kaoru and Izumi exchanged uneasy glances.

They didn’t seem to think they had done something wrong, but they did look uncomfortable.

“A woman heading to work at night.” Of course, it’s the 21st century now. It’s not that strange for a woman to work as a night guard or something like that, right? Maybe she was just working a late shift at a convenience store.

But those high-heeled shoes with the silver glitter, visible beneath her coat, were hard to ignore.

I tried my best not to let my thoughts show.

“Yeah~ it’s within walking distance~”

“Then, by any chance, have you seen anyone strange around here?”

It wasn’t that I was deliberately targeting her with my question; it was just that I finally found someone I could ask.

“Someone strange?”

“Yes, like...”

I rolled my eyes around before saying,

“Someone with a scar, maybe?”

That’s what I said.

“Hm~”

With her lips pressed to her index finger and her gaze floating in the air, she thought for a moment.

“There was~”

She gave that answer.

Up until that moment, I hadn’t expected much. This place was full of drunks right outside the busy district. Seeing someone doing something strange wouldn’t be that unusual.

But.

“There was a person with a big scar on their cheek~”

As she said this, she traced a line from the corner of her lips to her ears with both of her fingers, and I dropped my jaw.

Kaoru and Izumi did the same. Though while Kaoru’s face broke into a wide grin, Izumi turned pale. Koko, on the other hand, simply tilted her head in confusion.

“...”

We all momentarily lost our words.

I knew she was running late by now. Not just late, but almost an hour late. If I kept her any longer, Kagami would probably dock her pay.

So I decided to ask the most straightforward question.

“What did that person say?”

“Hmm~”

She thought for a moment before answering.

“They asked, ‘Am I pretty?’~”

Alright. For now, let’s set aside the fact that this person might be the missing sister the café owner mentioned.

For now, there’s something more important.

---

“A reservation?”

When she said she was about to be late, I brought her to Kagami’s place.

Kaoru was curiously looking around, while Izumi clung to Kaoru’s jacket as if she were frightened.

Honestly, Izumi’s reaction was the normal one.

Luckily, Fukuda-san wasn’t around. If Fukuda-san had shouted something like "second daughter!" I would’ve had to sweat through another explanation.

“Not a reservation, just a quick chat—”

But even as I said that, Kagami glanced at the clock on her wrist.

“She’s an hour late.”

“I’m sorry~”

“You’ve been held up for almost an hour, so I’ll charge for that time, too.”

“No, actually,”

We had only held her up for five minutes.

The rest of the time was just her being late. Either she set the alarm wrong, or she turned it off and went back to sleep, one of the two.

Still, I could understand why Kagami was acting this way.

Kaoru and Izumi had followed me here. Even though they were in casual clothes, it was obvious to anyone that they were students and unfamiliar with the place.

Ironically, Koko and I, still in our school uniforms, were the ones acting the most nonchalant.

“If it’s not a reservation, I’d appreciate it if you just left.”

Kagami said, acting like she didn’t care.

“Miki’s quite popular, you know.”

“Thanks for the compliment~”

No, that voice was clearly lacking in sincerity.

... If my guess was correct, there was a reason she took things so literally.

“... Please put it on my tab, then.”

“...”

Kagami shot me a glance.

Then she gestured to an empty seat with her chin.

Even as we made our way to the seat, people kept looking at us.

Ah, this is more embarrassing than I expected.

I just wanted to get permission, take her outside, and have a quick conversation.

“Thank you for the reservation!”

Miki, who had joined us at the table, smiled as she took off her coat, revealing the same daring outfit I had seen before.

Kaoru, completely unfazed, grabbed the menu with delight.

“Oh, what’s this? Izumi, look! This one’s super expensive, even though it’s just one drink!”

Please don’t get excited over that.

“I’m going to have this one. I’ve always wanted to try it! Sex on the Beach!”

Don’t casually order an alcoholic drink.

And there’s no need to shout out that embarrassing name so loudly!

I restrained myself from burying my face in my hands.

Chapter 116. Return (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Kagami, in her unkind mode, seemed like she might actually sell alcohol if we offered money, but since I was staring at her, she eventually gave us orange juice.

Of course, it wasn’t some fancy, freshly squeezed juice. Just plain old orange juice, the kind you could find at a local supermarket.

I had a feeling she would overcharge for it, but since I was the one who brought these two here, I wasn’t going to complain.

"So… what did you say to her?"

I asked Miki. She let out an "Hmm~" sound, thinking for a moment.

"I just said she was okay."

"…"

I mean, I know that’s not exactly the right answer.

"I thought she might have been pretty if not for the scar, but the scar was just too big. Still, calling someone ugly when you first meet them is rude~."

What a relaxed personality she had.

I paused, wondering what to say next, then looked at Kaoru.

"Kaoru-senpai."

"Yes?"

Kaoru, who had been sipping orange juice through a straw stuck in a fancy glass bottle, responded.

"What would you have done if you really met the slit-mouthed woman?"

"Hm? Ahh."

Kaoru pulled the straw from her mouth and rummaged through her pocket with a triumphant expression.

And then she pulled out—

"Ta-da!"

At first, I thought it was shoe polish because it was a thin, flat, round container.

But looking closer, it said “pomade” on it.

You know, the stuff you put in your hair. It wasn’t something I, who usually didn’t care much about hairstyles, was familiar with.

"The slit-mouthed woman hates the smell of pomade!"

"…"

Why?

Oh, come to think of it, I had heard that too. There was some strange chant where you repeated “pomade” a few times.

Had that somehow been distorted here? I don’t even know why she would hate the smell of pomade in the first place.

Well, it was just one of those traits of yokai. They tend to have obsessive behaviors. Like how the Oni preferred the flesh of young women with glasses, or how the Kasha burned and ate mean people, or how the Nue lured lonely individuals to take their souls. The slit-mouthed woman could be another example of this.

I turned back to Miki.

"Anyway, after you said that, she just left, right?"

"Yeah~ she did~."

She answered in her usual laid-back tone.

I started to understand why she was so popular. It wasn’t just because she was pretty or had a nice figure; it was because she made people feel relaxed, no matter what was said to her.

"You’ve only met her once?"

"Yep~."

"…What were the circumstances?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary~."

So, she had walked through that space all by herself.

Even though it was near a lively street, the number of people would have dropped drastically late at night. Around midnight, before the last trains stopped running, the place would have been packed with people, but after those who’d had a good time and gotten drunk went home, the streets would have quieted down.

Even if it was a deserted street, there should have been at least a few people heading to the train station or bus stops.

I guess the reason Miki encountered the slit-mouthed woman was that it was late, she was alone, and there were no witnesses around.

"…Alright. Thank you."

"No need to thank me~ I’m glad I could work this comfortably too~."

I gave her a small bow, and Miki waved her hand in response.

* * *

There were still a few lingering questions.

Yokai with long histories, those that had been around for hundreds of years, were often treated as a kind of "species." Even leaving aside theories about how they were distorted souls from the underworld, that’s how they were treated in subculture.

Take the Nue I met, for instance. There wasn’t just one of her.

And the Nukekubi were a yokai that also had multiple individuals, with established methods of extermination.

But in this case… well.

Isn’t this just a killer? It was an urban legend from the 70s, and if she had actually existed back then, the current slit-mouthed woman would be over thirty years older.

Even if we’re looking at 2004, she’d be in her fifties. She’d fit more into the "Hong Kong Granny" category than as a slit-mouthed woman, wouldn’t she?

Well, I don’t imagine yokai age like people do.

"…Alright."

We left the bar and headed back to the place where Miki had seen the slit-mouthed woman.

Kaoru, of course, insisted on coming along, and Izumi, in turn, insisted on following Kaoru. Both had different reasons for coming.

Kaoru was enjoying the situation purely for the occult, while Izumi just didn’t want to stay behind alone in that bar.

I had to agree… Kagami wasn’t likely to be kind to Izumi. She was in her "unkind mother" mode right now.

For these reasons, we were all out here together.

I had suggested that we leave it for today and come back to look again another time, but Kaoru, unsurprisingly, refused. I was sure she would return here after I left, so I figured it was safer to stay with her.

That occult magazine… I really ought to visit their headquarters sometime. Who knows? Maybe yokai are the ones publishing it.

…In any case, I wasn’t too worried.

"I’ll be the bait."

"Kotone!?"

Izumi gasped at my words.

But this made the most sense.

Kaoru and Izumi were just regular people. If that woman actually appeared, they would be powerless.

So, I decided to keep Koko next to the two of them.

"Are you seriously going alone?"

"Not exactly alone."

I corrected myself.

The distance between us would be over a hundred meters, but that’s about it. They wouldn’t be able to see me, but I’d be able to see them.

I’d be out of sight because I planned to slip into the darkness.

"But it’s practically the same as being alone! If something happens, we won’t be able to help you right away!"

Kaoru and I locked eyes.

Kaoru looked conflicted. She knew I could handle myself, but she had seen how I dealt with things.

"But I can’t send you two or Koko, either."

At my words, Izumi closed her mouth.

Good.

"Then—"

"I’ll go."

Just as I thought the situation had been settled and was about to leave, Izumi suddenly said that.

"Izumi?"

Kaoru called out to her in surprise.

"I’m the senpai. I’m older by a year. How could I let a kouhai like you go to a place like that?"

"No, but—"

"Or we could all go together and check it out."

"If we go in a group, she might not appear—"

"And if she doesn’t, we can just write it off in the column as a false rumor. Or look for another story."

"…"

"You two are acting strange."

Izumi glanced between Kaoru and me as she spoke.

"You’re saying she might actually exist, right? Whether those murders are real or not, there’s a mentally disturbed person walking that street. She may not be a yokai, but she’s someone imitating one, carrying a knife. Why are you volunteering to walk into danger?"

"…"

Oh, uh.

Hearing something so reasonable threw me off for a moment.

That’s… true.

Normally, that would be the logical decision.

Even from my perspective, it made sense. Right now, I should be calling Yuka, or even Miura-san, or at least reporting this to the police.

If we went ahead like this, Kaoru and Izumi could get hurt.

Both Kaoru and I fell silent, unable to argue with Izumi’s words.

"Then I’ll do it~."

A voice suddenly chimed in.

When I turned my head, I saw that Miki had come near us. She must have followed us while we were talking.

"Miki-san?"

"A request is a request until the end~ At our bar, it usually lasts all night, until the customers go home."

When I asked in surprise, Miki responded with that.

"And~ It’s free to follow customers outside and get some extra stuff~ Sometimes it’s even like a date~."

Kaoru and Izumi both had mixed expressions, but Miki didn’t seem to notice.

"I’ve already met her once, so maybe she’ll talk to me again~."

It was true that just because she escaped once didn’t mean she wouldn’t encounter her again.

However…

Miki was just a regular person too. And besides, I wasn’t entirely sure, but—

"Hm? What do you think~?"

Miki asked in a coaxing tone.

She might have been thinking that if she followed us, she could take the rest of the night off. After all, we would be heading home on the subway soon, and then she’d be free to go. She’d already served us, after all. …Though she didn’t sell much.

"I walk that street every day anyway~. It’s not scary~."

"…"

Well, that may be true.

I closed my eyes and thought for a moment.

…As much as I didn’t want to, I couldn’t call Yuka. This was… a personal cult matter.

As much as I regretted it, if information leaked out to that side, this would already be considered a failure. We wouldn’t be able to take the initiative anymore.

Who knows if someone might be watching us, but there was no way they could hear what we said inside Kagami’s bar.

But that didn’t mean I wanted to put anyone in danger either.

After a brief moment of thought, I made up my mind.

"…Please wait here for a moment."

"Kotone?"

"Kuu-chan?"

Izumi and Kaoru both called out to me.

"Koko, come with me for a second."

"Okay!"

As the two of us moved away, the others tried to follow, but—

"Wait, I just want to grab something. Please wait a moment, all three of you."

Once they realized we were heading back to Kagami’s bar, they stopped following. It was a relief to head that way.

I entered the bar.

Seeing Koko and me come back down without the others, Kagami looked a little surprised.

And then I asked Kagami a question.

"Do you have any sanitary pads?"

* * *

I was relieved that no other customers came into the bathroom while I was cutting my wrist.

Not that anything would have happened if they had. The moment I finished the cut, I covered it with the sanitary pad.

"You’re quite devoted to your friends."

"…Or you could just tell me."

As I caught the drops of blood falling to the floor and placed them in the plastic bags Kagami had provided, I responded.

"While I find your actions intriguing, I also know very well how to keep that intrigue going. If I were to help you too easily, it would surely make things less interesting."

"…"

I didn’t respond to that, just continued placing the plastic bags one by one into the fabric pouch.

Then I wrapped the pre-prepared sword in cloth.

Thankfully, no blood was seeping out from the pad I’d placed over the cut on my wrist.

I adjusted my uniform to hide the pad as much as possible, holding the pouches in one hand and tucking the sword under my arm.

"So, what do you want this time?"

"If I want anything, it’s entertainment."

Nirlass smiled as she replied.

"And I believe interesting things are bound to happen soon."

And to ensure those interesting things, she was setting me up so that I wouldn’t die.

Right? She could craft this complicated modern oxygen tank out of blood— even filling it with oxygen— but she wouldn’t make me something like a cannon or a gun. That would make things too easy.

It was more entertaining when I struggled a bit. That’s how I interpreted her words.

"So please consider today a gift of my kindness."

…Kindness, huh?

When blood starts draining from you, it feels warm at first. But after a while, you start to feel cold.

Come to think of it, the weather had gotten pretty chilly. I’d have to be careful not to go into shock from the cold if I fought in the winter.

"Whew."

I exhaled and opened the bathroom stall.

Koko was standing there.

"Kotone?"

Even though I hadn’t been obvious about it, Koko’s gaze went straight to my wrist. The long sleeves of my uniform should have covered it, but she easily saw through to the wound underneath.

"I’m fine."

I said, gently patting Koko’s arm.

"This is just something that needs to be done."

"Ugh…"

Koko didn’t say anything about my fighting style since she already knew it.

But it still must have hurt her to see me like this.

"Let’s go."

When I said that, Koko nodded.

* * *

I handed out the "talismans," each one wrapped in a plastic and cloth pouch, to everyone.

Fortunately, the upper floor of the bar was a residential area. It wasn’t rented out to anyone else, making it easy to create the excuse of "Oh, I used to live in a room upstairs." The talismans were something I brought from there.

Kaoru seemed to have caught on to the situation but didn’t say anything, simply accepting the talisman from me.

"If anything happens, grip the talisman tightly. You should feel the contents burst."

"Uh, what’s inside?"

Blood. Something made of human blood.

But I couldn’t say that to Izumi.

Even though the inner part was sealed in plastic, when the creature inside bursts, blood will spurt out of the small hole in the top.

The blood will spray out like a mist, and the yokai will be momentarily repelled by its aversion to it.

That’s when Koko or I would rush in to deal with it.

"Thanks~."

Miki happily accepted the talisman I gave her. I felt a bit uneasy about her. Would she follow my instructions properly?

Before coming here, I had already asked Koko to step in immediately if anything seemed dangerous. She didn’t need to worry about keeping her identity a secret.

Izumi would learn the truth eventually anyway.

"…Shall we?"

Time had already passed. Even if we left now, I wasn’t sure if we’d catch the last train.

…If that was the case, I’d hail a taxi. Or maybe let them sleep in the upstairs room.

Not that these girls would leave now if I told them to go.

"Okay~ So what should we do?"

"…Let’s take our positions. Then, walk alone like you usually do."

Miki nodded at my words.

We moved a bit deeper into the desolate street and took our positions.

There was no one else around.

It made sense, given how eerie the street seemed. Or maybe there was some kind of effect keeping people away.

"When she asks you, just say 'You’re so-so.'"

"Yup~ yup~."

Miki nodded again.

Then, holding the talisman in her hand, she began to walk.

Even seeing her again, I was impressed by how brave she was.

Or perhaps, compared to what she had experienced so far, this wasn’t scary at all to her.

We watched as Miki continued walking down the street.

It was dark, but not completely. The streetlights were spaced far apart, but we could still make out her silhouette.

If you were watching her from the start, it was easy to follow her with your eyes.

So, as we kept our eyes on her back—

"Huh?"

—Miki’s figure, which should have stayed in sight, suddenly vanished.

In the blink of an eye, she was gone, as if she had disappeared into thin air. Just like when Koko suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"What?"

Izumi muttered.

"What just…?"

"…Koko."

At my words, Koko immediately nodded.

"Kaoru-senpai. Take Izumi-senpai and head back. Go straight to the bar."

"But what about you guys—"

"You already know."

I looked at Kaoru seriously.

"…"

Kaoru met my gaze, then nodded seriously with the same expression.

"Hold onto the talisman tightly. If anything happens,"

"Grip it hard enough to feel it burst, right?"

When I nodded, Kaoru did too.

Then she stood up.

As Kaoru took Izumi’s hand, Izumi glanced back and forth between us.

"What? What’s going on? Where’s Koko?"

"I’ll explain later. For now, we need to go."

Kaoru said, pulling Izumi along.

"Huh? What?"

After watching the two of them run toward the brighter part of the street, I turned back and sprinted toward where Miki had been.

…That was foolish.

Even if this yokai didn’t need a nest, it had been reckless to send someone toward an unknown yokai with such unclear abilities.

I ran as fast as I could, hoping Miki was safe.

* * *

"Huh?"

After walking for quite a while, Miki, realizing that the woman still hadn’t appeared, decided to turn back.

It was just an ordinary street. Nothing had changed.

The only difference was that the kids who were supposed to be waiting were no longer there.

Tilting her head in confusion, Miki decided to head back to the bar.

The street was the same as always—people walking by, the bar buzzing with customers who hadn’t left yet.

And there was Kagami.

But Kagami’s expression wasn’t the one she was used to seeing.

"The kids have disappeared."

It was a serious expression, one that was rare for Kagami. Very different from her usual lazy, annoyed look.

"I was waiting just like I was told~ Sorry~."

"…No."

Kagami sighed deeply.

"It’s more like I should have been more careful."

After thinking for a moment, Kagami said,

"Can you watch the place for a bit?"

"Where are you going?"

"…I just don’t want to feel more useless."

With that, Kagami hurriedly left the bar.

"…I don’t know how to make cocktails~."

Miki scratched her head as she muttered.

…It seems that, despite appearances, they’re quite a close mother and daughter.

I wish I’d been that close with my sister.

Miki thought as she stepped behind the now-empty bar.

Chapter 117. Return (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"What? What? What just happened?"

Izumi, who was almost clinging to Kaoru's back, shouted frantically.

"Where is everyone!?"

It was just as she said.

Even though Kaoru was serious about the occult, she had no intention of ignoring the words of a real expert and recklessly putting herself in danger.

Her claim of writing it down was, in fact, partly an excuse. If the situation turned real, she planned to retreat quickly.

The problem was—

There was no one in the street they were running through.

Even if there were many people going to work tomorrow, the bustling street wouldn’t empty so easily. It was almost the time when the last train would stop, but there were always people out drinking all night.

While it was time for people to thin out, it was strange that there was no one at all on the streets.

The streetlights weren't off, nor were the bright shop signs or the lights visible through windows dimmed.

Everything was operating as usual in memory, except that only the people had disappeared.

It was only natural to feel fear at the sight of such a street.

Thud.

"Ouch!?"

Kaoru, who had been running through the empty street, bumped into something.

At first, she was startled, thinking it was the slit-mouthed woman herself, but when she looked up from the ground, it wasn’t.

There was nothing there.

"......"

She caught her breath and slowly reached out to feel ahead.

At a glance, it seemed like the road continued ahead, but in reality, there was a transparent wall blocking the way. It felt as hard as a concrete wall when she pressed against it.

"Kaoru, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah."

Izumi asked Kaoru, who had bumped her forehead on the wall, and she answered.

Only then did her forehead start to sting. Was she too worked up?

While rubbing her forehead with one hand, she suddenly noticed that Izumi's glasses were crooked. Since Izumi had been sticking closely to Kaoru, it was only natural that she had bumped her face into Kaoru’s back.

"What is this, seriously?"

Just like Kaoru had done, Izumi cautiously stretched out her hand and touched the ‘wall.’

"Are we trapped here?"

"Seems like it."

Kaoru stood up and touched the wall again, then looked behind her.

Should they head in the direction Kotone and Koko had gone?

In the current situation, that seemed like the only option. At least Kaoru already knew that Kotone could stand up to such beings.

"Oh, right. The talisman. Izumi, you have it, right?"

Kaoru said, clutching the talisman Kotone had given her. Izumi nodded, trembling. She was holding it tightly, so the white cloth covering it was crumpled. It was supposed to explode when something inside burst, but it didn’t seem to break so easily.

Holding the talisman in her hand, Kaoru felt a faint warmth inside. It even wriggled slightly as if it were alive.

Maybe it was something like a curse of isolation? She tried to recall all the knowledge from the occult books she had read in the past.

"For now, we should go back to Kotone—"

She was about to say that when—

Click.

Footsteps echoed.

Someone was walking right through the empty street. Wearing a long coat that reached down to their shins, with their hands in their pockets.

Their hair was long. But it wasn’t the messy hair one would associate with a ‘ghost.’

At first glance, they seemed like someone who cared about their appearance.

The face was obscured by a large mask, so their features weren’t visible.

From the side, she heard a sharp intake of breath. Izumi was trembling violently like a leaf in the wind.

Kaoru was scared. It wasn’t the same eerie feeling as when watching a horror movie or reading ghost stories.

Since someone was walking through the empty street, even their ordinary appearance seemed strange.

Should she use the talisman?

While she was hesitating, the woman came close enough to meet her eyes.

The part of the face visible above the mask was beautiful. Except for the strange lack of focus in her eyes.

"Excuse me, but can I ask you something?"

The woman spoke first.

Her voice was beautiful.

Click.

The woman took a step closer.

She slowly pulled her right hand out of her pocket and raised it.

As she lightly held her mask between her thumb and forefinger, the woman spoke.

"Am I pretty?"

"......Hic."

Kaoru heard Izumi make a sound.

"What do you think? Am I pretty?"

How was she supposed to answer that? Kaoru searched her mind.

The first response she needed to give—

"Yes, yes, you’re pretty."

Forcing her stiff mouth and tongue to move, she gave the answer.

The woman's eyes narrowed. Was she smiling?

"Is that so? Then—"

As the woman spoke, she lowered her hand.

As her fingers tightly gripped the mask and pulled it down, what was revealed was—

A slit mouth.

From the corners of both lips to her cheeks, they were cleanly cut. It was so severe that rather than saying her mouth was ‘slit,’ it would be more accurate to say it was ‘cut.’

And the entire wound, up to the ear holes, was carefully painted with lipstick, as if it were lips. Bright red lipstick, as vivid as blood.

It wasn’t just slathered on haphazardly; it was meticulously drawn, as if a lot of care had gone into it. When Kaoru and Izumi saw those ‘lips,’ their mouths simultaneously fell open.

"How about now?"

The woman asked. As she spoke, the gaping mouth opened and closed, revealing teeth inside. The teeth extended just to where they should in a normal person. Even molars were visible. Alongside them, the cut ends of muscles were exposed. There seemed to be white bones visible too.

"Am I pretty?"

"......"

Neither Kaoru nor Izumi could respond immediately. The woman tilted her head.

Perhaps snapping out of it, Izumi suddenly shouted.

"It’s, it’s just so-so!"

"Hm?"

But faced with the woman’s reaction, Izumi couldn’t bring herself to say more.

The woman's eyes alternated between Izumi and Kaoru.

She smiled. Her eyes narrowed, and the slit mouth opened slightly. The original corners of her mouth seemed to twitch upward.

"That’s a lie."

The woman said, stepping closer.

Click.

"That’s a lie. You’re both scared, aren’t you?"

The woman said, pulling her left hand out of her pocket this time.

She was holding a long razor blade. Surprisingly, the razor was already unfolded.

"......Hic!?"

The sound from Izumi’s mouth grew louder.

There was a mountain of things Kaoru wanted to argue about, but just because she had that feeling didn’t mean the words would come out.

So instead of arguing, Kaoru clenched her fist.

The fist that held the talisman.

***

It didn’t take long to realize something was wrong.

When I rushed forward with Koko, there was truly nothing there. No sign of Miki, who had been walking, and no sign of the slit-mouthed woman.

Had she hidden in a nest? But I didn’t feel the familiar creeping sensation on my back.

Nukekubi didn’t build nests. Probably because they didn’t need to. Yokai build nests not to hide their bodies, but to feed while crossing over to this side where there’s plenty of prey.

Since they’re created from "the souls of this side," they don’t need such a process.

So, why had Miki disappeared? Why couldn’t we see anything?

The question didn’t last long. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate.

“Eek!?”

I heard a scream.

From far away, in the direction Kaoru and Izumi had run.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have heard it here. The streets were usually noisy.

But the fact that the sound hadn’t been drowned out—

And that this place, which was already quiet, had become even quieter than yesterday—

A chill ran down my spine as I finally started to grasp the situation. It wasn’t the kind of chill I felt from yokai or nests.

It was the chill of realizing I had made a mistake.

Feeling like the blood was draining from my head, I turned to Koko.

“Koko! We need to get to Kaoru and Izumi right now!”

“Got it!”

At my words, Koko immediately rushed to me and grabbed my arm.

The scenery in front of me changed in an instant. It was as if we were defying the laws of physics, speeding to our destination.

What we saw was a thick red mist filling our view.

Good, they followed my instructions properly.

“Cough, cough!”

……Judging by that sound, the result wasn’t all positive, but at least I could tell from that sound that Izumi was alive.

“What is this!?”

Looks like Kaoru’s okay too, huh.

And—

“…….”

I also saw two eyes glaring at me as if they wanted to kill me.

How's that? Terrible, right?

Even if it wasn’t a yokai from the other side, it seems my blood still feels repulsive to them, which is fortunate.

“If you’re not going to eat them, what’s the point of hurting people?”

Up until now, every yokai I had encountered had acted on their instincts. Their behavior varied depending on their diet, but they all moved to satisfy their hunger.

But Nukekubi and this slit-mouthed woman were different.

They only displayed aggression, with no signs of devouring their victims. Considering that yokai are said to harbor ill feelings toward humans, it was strange that they weren't driven primarily by hunger.

They were like vengeful spirits full of resentment.

“......”

But the woman said nothing.

“You’re not going to ask me?”

Instead of answering, the woman’s left hand moved first.

With a flash, the long razor blade gleamed in the light from the street.

Her target was my face.

I quickly pulled back and swung my sword. Of course, my katana was longer than her razor. Besides, the tools were for different purposes. A razor is for shaving one’s face, while a sword is for cutting through the enemy’s neck.

The woman nimbly dodged my sword. She suddenly halted her swing and swiftly jumped back, moving out of my blade’s range.

But I wasn’t alone. Right behind me, Koko moved—

The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. Koko’s hair collided with the woman’s blade.

Ah, I see. That blade isn’t an ordinary one either.

Of course, it’s a yokai’s weapon. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t a real razor but a part of the woman’s body.

“……Ah.”

Koko let out a faint groan.

She wasn’t losing the fight. However, the tips of her hair were slightly frayed. And blood was dripping from them.

“Huh?”

The woman tilted her head. Her grotesquely slit mouth twisted in accordance, contorting as her facial muscles shifted. It looked like she was sneering at us.

“You’re not human?”

“…….”

There was nothing I could say to that.

Neither I nor Koko could really be considered normal.

“Hmph.”

The woman scoffed—

And then opened her mouth wide.

“Hic.”

I heard a sound and turned to see Izumi standing in the fading red mist, covering her mouth with both hands as she stared at the woman.

The tongue inside the woman’s split mouth was flicking back and forth. It was long, forked like a snake’s tongue.

And the split tip of that tongue gleamed in the light.

Whoosh.

“……Ah!”

I immediately rushed toward the flicking tongue and swung my sword.

Clang!

My sword collided with her tongue, producing that sound.

“Heh.”

A chuckle came from the woman’s gaping mouth.

The woman switched targets and rushed toward Izumi and Kaoru, as if realizing they were our ‘weakness.’

“Koko—”

Before I could call out, Koko was already on the move.

Thud.

The woman’s tongue pierced through Koko’s hair. Blood splattered from her hair again.

But Koko didn’t back down, even though her face was twisted in pain.

……Would she fight better if she were in her other form?

But seeing Kaoru and Izumi standing there, frozen and watching the fight, I couldn’t bring myself to suggest that.

Koko was content with her current form, living her own peaceful life. She wouldn’t want to revert back to her original self.

In that case, I’d have to do my best.

I circled behind the woman.

Her left arm bent at a strange angle as she blocked my sword.

“Guh!”

I parried her razor-sharp blade with my sword. It was only because I had gotten a sense of her movements after swinging my sword so many times that I managed to block it. Otherwise, my throat would’ve been slashed.

Or maybe my mouth.

I tried to push in further, but it wasn’t easy.

I rolled up the sleeve of my left arm with my mouth and tore off the bandage.

Blood poured down from my wrist. What started as a liquid soon transformed into chi, countless writhing threads, like squirming earthworms.

I heard someone gasp, but I ignored it.

How should I deal with her razor-like attacks? Unfortunately, I couldn’t instantly create a shield as strong as my sword. That was something only possible with the blessing of ‘Nirlass.’

And considering how much that otherworldly spirit loved to see me struggle, they wouldn’t give me such an ‘easy solution.’

I stomped down hard on the *chi*.

Splat!

Blood sprayed in all directions, forming a mist that obscured the surroundings.

“Run!”

I shouted, and I heard the sounds of Kaoru coughing as she stood up. Then, the sound of footsteps running away. The woman, who had been faintly visible before, also began to disappear.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

I swung my sword as I shouted, and for the first time, I felt my blade make solid contact with something.

“Grr!”

The woman let out a groan.

And after that, there was more wheezing and—

—Then, perhaps I had gotten too caught up in the sensation.

Thud.

“Ah.”

My vision was limited too, and I hadn’t accounted for the woman’s long, flexible tongue.

A cut opened on my neck.

“Kotone!?”

I heard Koko’s voice. How could she have seen that in this mist?

No, she probably sensed it. Just like she always did when I was in danger.

Thud.

Blood splattered across my face. Koko’s hair had merged into thick strands and was now piercing through the woman’s body.

“Guh.”

But the woman’s groan sounded more like a laugh.

I heard the sound of something being swung again, followed by a splat as something fell to the ground. Koko must have cut off the woman’s tongue.

“Kotone!”

Koko quickly rushed over to me. Thud, splat. The woman’s body flew backward and tumbled to the ground. It rolled over and over, her grotesquely slit mouth flapping as it went.

After a few more rolls, the woman’s body slumped limply.

“......”

I struggled to swallow the blood welling up in my throat, but it didn’t work. Trying to swallow anything with a gash in your neck was futile.

I pressed my hand against the wound as best I could and sat down, coughing up blood.

……Is it over?

“Kotone!”

I patted Koko’s arm with my hand. I’m fine. It was a relief that Koko had arrived before I passed out completely. I almost collapsed onto the ground, but I managed to lean against Koko instead.

I accepted her hands as she gently laid me down on the ground.

Koko looked like she was about to cry.

I’m okay.

I’ll heal anyway.

This kind of wound isn’t a big deal. Compared to the injuries I’ve had before, I should be fine in a few dozen minutes.

As long as I can stop the bleeding—

“Hey.”

While I was lying on Koko’s lap, someone called out to us.

The moment I heard the voice, I looked up.

There stood the woman, her mask stained red with blood.

Just like the one we had been looking at earlier.

Blood was dripping from her mouth. There were holes all over her clothes.

But the woman herself seemed fine.

Her left hand was still tucked inside her coat as she smiled with her slit mouth.

“Am I pretty?”

“You……!”

Koko shouted as she swung her hair toward the woman. It was a thick, rope-like bundle of hair.

Thud.

The woman’s body was pierced, but she still smiled.

She even took a step closer to us, driving a razor into Koko’s hair.

“Eek!?”

Koko screamed. The razor sliced through her hair with terrifying ease.

“Imitating? And with hair, of all things? Against a razor?”

The woman laughed as she spoke.

Snip, snip.

Hair strands were being cut one by one, and blood was seeping out. Koko grimaced, but she kept trying to tear the woman apart, though much of her hair had already been severed.

“If you didn’t cling to that form, you’d be much stronger, but you’re so stubborn.”

“......”

I looked at Koko.

Ah, right.

Yokai have something they obsess over.

For example, taste. The taste of what they consume.

Or emotions. The emotions they harvest from their prey.

Usually, they’re described in those two ways.

But it wouldn’t be strange if their obsession was with appearance.

When I opened my mouth, blood surged out. The bleeding hadn’t stopped yet.

“Is it because of that girl over there? She looks just like you, yet your obsession is this?”

The woman smiled as she looked at me.

"Then, I’ll make you just as beautiful. How about that?"

The woman bent down toward us. Holes were forming all over her body, but she didn’t seem to care.

“Ugh!”

Koko’s hair trembled.

“Come on, why don’t you show me your true self? You want to kill me, don’t you? Why not free yourself?”

She leaned her face closer to mine—

“Get your hands off my junior!”

Clang!

Before I could say anything, something hit the woman’s head like a can.

A strong scent of something greasy filled the air.

……Pomade?

“......”

The woman’s face turned upward again.

And she looked at Kaoru with a deeply displeased expression.

……

No, that probably only made her more irritated.

Come to think of it, didn’t they say she hates the smell of pomade?

I didn’t expect it to actually repel her.

"Y-yeah! You monster!"

Izumi also threw what she was holding.

Thud.

Smack.

It was a talisman.

The talisman landed on the ground and crumpled, releasing a cloud of blood mist.

Even though the entire area was already soaked in blood.

“......”

The woman seemed even more displeased now.

Koko still looked like she was struggling, and I was starting to feel dizzy.

"......"

The woman shifted her body toward Kaoru and Izumi.

“Monster, you say.”

That word seemed to annoy her greatly.

"That’s strange. There’s no way that’s true."

The woman said.

"Take a good look again. How about now?"

She leisurely walked toward the terrified Kaoru and Izumi—

“Am I pretty?”

She asked again.

“I’m not sure.”

Then a voice spoke up.

“Why don’t you check yourself in a mirror and decide?”

Both I and Koko. Kaoru and Izumi. And even the woman.

We all turned our heads to the direction of the voice at the same time.

There stood a woman holding a metallic plate.

"......Ka-Ka…mi……?"

I barely managed to mutter, and Kagami gave me a bright smile.

In her hand was a small metal plate, about the size of a hand mirror.

No, it might have been a mirror, judging by how it reflected light. The plate was adorned with elaborate decorations, and its surface had been polished to a shine that reflected things like a mirror.

And in that mirror…… although I couldn’t see it from this angle, it seemed the woman’s reflection was being shown clearly.

"Here, why don’t you take a better look at your face and judge yourself objectively?"

Kagami spoke, taking a step closer to the woman, who had frozen in place for some reason.

“What kind of being are you, really?”

Chapter 118. Return (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

In the original Tokyo Slayers, the use of mirrors never played a major role.

The story mostly featured yokai and the people who hunted them and sent them back.

As the title suggests, the main plot revolved around action.

While Tokyo Slayers was like that...

Right, in other novels or comics, mirrors can sometimes played a key role. They often featured settings where there was another world behind the mirror or where one was trapped inside the mirror, defying the basic laws of optics.

Perhaps, there was such a setting in this novel as well.

"I've been thinking deeply about it since then."

Kagami, speaking in her usual calm tone, approached the woman without addressing anyone in particular.

The woman stepped back, covering her face with her hand.

"The beings from beyond struggle to maintain their form in this world, so why is it that those created by my sister can exist as they are?"

A monstrous sound echoed.

It was a sound that didn't seem like it could come from a human. That sound came from the woman's wide-open mouth.

"Stop it, stop!"

The woman, who had been calm until moments ago, suddenly screamed.

Kagami remained composed.

"Even if there was a method to summon foreign power, fundamentally, they only exist 'here.' Even if they can use yokai powers, their bodies belong to this world. So, what is the reason they can exist beyond the rules? Well, there's only one answer: it’s from the same power that the being we believe in possess."

The sword made from my blood, or creatures like Chi that, despite not being living organisms, move as though they are alive—things that exist in this world through forces beyond what ordinary people understand.

But it's also clearly a power that belongs to 'this side.'

"Thus, the conclusion is simple. Your body is just a broken thing. You're already a being that can’t breathe. Isn't that right?"

"Shut up!"

"To keep them useful, the form is maintained to a minimum, and to make them stronger than ordinary humans, you borrowed the power of the great ones. Clever."

Kagami glanced at Koko.

"Perhaps it's repurposing part of a failure? If it's my sister, I could see her doing something like that. There's still much to uncover, like how she 'fused' it and made it controllable."

Kagami turned her gaze back to the woman.

The woman seemed to be losing her strength. She was now sitting with her bottom on the ground.

"But beyond all that, at the core, you are already a being of the dead. What's inside you doesn't belong in this world. I will show you the path to where you should go."

"Ugh, you... trying to act like a shrine maiden…!"

"Oh my, is it because of my outfit that you're saying that?"

Kagami was still wearing the same outfit she had on when she was serving at the bar.

...Indeed, it wasn't the kind of look you'd expect from someone holding a mirror like that.

"But I am definitely a shrine maiden. My name is Kagami, after all. A mirror, isn't it? Something where gods can momentarily reside."

A powerful light shone again from the mirror.

It was a bright light that seemed like it would burn everything in its path.

And with that light, everything came to an end.

---

What followed was a scream.

But it was not the same scream the woman had made.

Well, if a corpse with its mouth torn from ear to ear suddenly collapsed in front of you, I suppose I'd scream too.

I wish they could just think of it as a doll, but once one person starts screaming and everyone's attention turns this way, it doesn't mean much.

Fear spreads easily. One person sees the cause of the scream and screams again, and then another, and another…

At least, the good thing was that there weren't as many people drinking through the night after the trains had stopped as there had been when the streets were packed a few hours ago.

It was much darker now, and there were significantly fewer people around.

Still, there were enough that we couldn't just let it go.

"......"

Kagami quietly stared at the woman's collapsed body for a moment, then pulled out a white cloth from somewhere and covered the mirror.

Just before it was covered, the mirror looked like, well, just a mirror. It wasn't a mercury-coated mirror that reflected images perfectly.

It felt more like looking at a surface of well-polished metal.

We all exchanged glances in silence for a while.

"...You’ll have to wash these clothes."

Kagami was the first to speak.

Indeed, my clothes were soaked in blood.

Since the uniform was black, it just looked wet for now, but in time, the bloodstains would become blotchy.

Would it be fine if I washed it before it dried?

"And you two as well."

Kagami turned to Kaoru and Izumi, who were still sitting on the ground.

"You can't exactly go back in those clothes. Since the last train has already left, why don't you spend the night here?"

At Kagami's suggestion, both of them nodded.

Their eyes, dazed and staring up at her, were filled with confusion.

They were likely baffled by both the situation and Kagami's sudden change in demeanor.

...She had kept up the act of a horrible mother in front of Yuka, who was almost fully aware of the situation.

Maybe Kagami thought she couldn't let it slide after showing such a rare item.

"Kotone."

At some point, Koko had come up to me and extended her hand.

I took her hand and stood up. Despite her fragile appearance, Koko, who had the same body as mine, firmly supported my weight like a solid tree.

I carefully removed my hand from the wound on my neck.

...Good. There was still some bleeding, but it wasn’t enough to make me collapse from the blood loss.

"Please be content with a shower. I do have blood packs available just in case, but it would be troublesome if you fainted in the bathtub."

"..."

I nodded, still holding the wound with my hand.

"Well then, let’s head inside."

With that, Kagami took the lead and returned to her bar.

I, Koko, Kaoru, and Izumi looked at each other and followed behind her.

Four high school girls covered in blood, walking into a bar.

If someone saw us, they might find it more tragic than the corpse lying on the street.

...Or maybe not?

Looking back at the gruesome body left in the middle of the street, I stepped into the bar.

---

Koko helped me wash up.

"......"

And she also helped me wrap the bandages around my neck.

With a white bandage wrapped around my thin neck and even my left wrist bandaged, I looked like a high school girl who had been wandering around after getting beaten up somewhere. It was like the tragic heroine from a dark, angsty story from that era.

In reality, I had just fought with a yokai.

...Well.

I probably shouldn’t say 'just' like that.

Surprisingly, Kagami had a loose-fitting outfit for me. After all, when she visited my house, she dressed modestly. She wouldn't walk around in revealing clothes in her everyday life.

"...Let’s go."

"Kotone, are you okay?"

As I pulled down the sleeve to hide my injured arm, Koko asked, looking worried.

I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently patted it.

"I'm fine."

Even though I said that, Koko still looked concerned.

I really meant it, though.

I genuinely felt fine. In fact, I even felt a little relieved.

Of course, there was the issue with Kaoru and Izumi. Both had been caught up in this.

But I wasn’t too worried about Kaoru. The last time we were together, I had been in far worse shape than I was now, and she had quickly returned to her usual self.

Izumi... well, I would have to find a way to help her cope.

At least, we had learned something, and I confirmed that we could stand up to Kosuzu. That was a significant achievement.

When Koko and I went downstairs after changing clothes, most of the customers had already left.

It seemed like the sight of four blood-soaked high school girls had freaked everyone out, and they had fled.

Miki was still at the bar. She yawned lazily, her chin resting on her hand, not fazed in the least.

...Or maybe she had lived such a rough life that something like this didn’t bother her at all.

"Kagami's over there~"

Miki, who met my eyes, pointed to one corner of the bar.

There was Kagami, sitting at one of the now-vacant seats left by the departing customers.

"......"

I hesitated to approach.

Miki was a complete stranger, but Kagami was technically my mother. Even if it was just on paper, the idea of addressing her felt very uncomfortable.

What kind of daughter would call her own mother like that?

Though, I guess there are stories like that.

"...So."

To avoid showing any awkwardness, I deliberately raised my voice slightly as I approached.

"You said you would explain what happened. How about now?"

"Where should I begin?"

Still in her work clothes, Kagami looked at me and spoke.

"Perhaps I should first talk about the people I had prepared for you all. In fact, there were quite a few of our people in that area. Unfortunately, they couldn't use their power, though."

"...Because we entered another world?"

"Exactly. And I didn't want to interfere with your mission."

That was true.

If there had been several yakuza men hiding in the alley, that woman with the torn mouth might not have appeared at all.

"Unfortunately, there was only one way for us to enter that space."

"...The mirror."

"Yes, that's right."

Kagami nodded at the sword I held.

"By existing on the 'other side' of the mirror, you can block attacks from the 'other side.' It's a kind of portable barrier."

"So the yokai was 'banished' to the other side of the mirror?"

"It’s typically used to return the dead. Or, to summon them back."

"...You can summon them back?"

"A tool with that much functionality could be considered a 'sacred artifact,' wouldn't you say?"

"..."

"And, all paths go both ways. When the yokai's barrier collapses, and those inside return to the real world, it's simply because this is where they belong."

In other words, yokai return to where they came from.

"Then why didn’t anything from the other side pour out of the mirror?"

"It’s hard to find a hole that suddenly appears. Imagine a hole suddenly opens somewhere in this world. A narrow hole, just wide enough for us to squeeze through. Could we immediately find that hole and jump in?"

It was a bit of a stretch to think that the beings on that side had the same strength as those on this side, but still, it made sense if we considered their world a vast place.

If the afterlife was as vast as suggested, and if all the dead were there, that would change the story somewhat. Could the afterlife be as enormous as we imagine?

"Which is why we can't leave it open for too long."

I could only nod at that.

The mirror allowed us to easily pass in and out of the yokai's nest, sending spirits and yokai back to their original world.

But if we left it open for too long, those on the other side might notice the hole.

If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back, after all.

"Of course, whether or not the beings on that side can move freely in this world is a separate matter. Most of the time, only low-level spirits might come through."

"If you leave it open, more and more could come through. And...”

"Considering what we saw today, we definitely can't leave it open."

"...Yeah."

"A soul cannot use a body unless it belongs to them. And if the body is already dead... It's a story straight out of fantasy novels. And... that's what makes them yokai."

Undead are... yokai too, in a sense. In a world where there are beings similar to gods from the Cthulhu Mythos, it wouldn't be strange for them to exist.

"Then why, specifically, was it a woman with a torn mouth?"

"Well, I doubt it was just bad taste..."

Kagami replied.

"Perhaps there was an original being like the woman with the torn mouth. If we think about it that way, the Nukekubi story makes sense as well."

"...They can take over bodies from this world, but their form must be from that world?"

"Not necessarily, but yokai are known to have strange fixations. If we assume it’s a kind of instinct to follow familiar things, it would make sense, wouldn't it?"

That sounded reasonable.

"The same goes for spirits. The stories of restless ghosts who can't leave this world because of their fixation on something. If they are fundamentally the same as yokai, this case is similar."

I nodded.

Then there was a moment of silence.

"...What about the yakuza guys?"

"They're outside the bar. Do you think Japan’s police force is a joke?"

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of people saw teenage girls covered in blood walk into a bar, leaving a horribly murdered corpse behind."

"Oh."

Right.

Logically speaking, it wouldn't have been surprising if the police had broken down the door within three minutes.

I had heard sirens through the shower, and I had thought it was because of the corpse, but...

I suddenly felt sorry for the yakuza outside, probably struggling with the police right now.

"By this time—"

Kagami was about to say something more when suddenly, there was a commotion from upstairs.

It wasn’t the sound of something falling. It was more like Kaoru had rushed down the stairs too quickly and made a lot of noise.

As soon as Kaoru, who ran at an incredible speed, met my eyes, she bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"Sorry!"

And she apologized loudly.

I was dumbfounded for a moment, staring at Kaoru, who quickly continued speaking.

"I was in the way!"

...Well.

Still, in the end, she had thrown a pomade can at the woman’s head, distracting her.

If she hadn’t done that, I would have been more severely injured. Koko too.

And if Kaoru and Izumi hadn’t been there, that woman might not have appeared at all.

It’s still hard to say exactly what she was fixated on. She didn’t just target 'women alone,' judging by how she appeared before Kagami and Izumi.

Maybe she simply wanted to see people terrified by her face.

Miki, who had seen it all, didn’t flinch at all, so maybe that’s why the woman lost interest in her.

Although it was a bit difficult to explain why Koko and I ended up in that nest... Maybe it was because Kaoru and Izumi had been with us.

Oh, wait.

Was she after Kagami?

I looked at Kagami. She still had her usual enigmatic smile, making it hard to read her thoughts.

But considering where she appeared and the fact that the woman seemed to be created in a way similar to a Nukekubi, it made sense.

Wait a minute.

If Kosuzu was using a spirit, does that mean she also has something like a mirror?

"Sorry!"

I heard another apology behind me and turned to see Izumi bowing to me.

"I didn’t realize it was that kind of place and insisted on coming!"

"..."

This person... also has a strong mind.

Isn't the cliché for someone to scream "monster!" and run away by now?

"No, it’s fine, both of you."

I responded.

"In the end, we all made it out safely. Maybe because we were all together, the situation turned out this way."

Looking back, if I hadn’t come, both of them would have been in real danger.

Kaoru had come here casually after reading a magazine, and Izumi had followed her.

They couldn’t have imagined that such a rumor was real.

If I hadn’t been here, both of them could have ended up as the first victims of this incident.

"...Next time, don't just follow what the magazine says."

"Oh."

At my words, Kaoru quickly lifted her head, but when I stared at her, her expression quickly deflated like a balloon losing air.

"...Phew."

I sighed and leaned back on the sofa.

Were the police and the yakuza still struggling outside?

How long would it take for them to get in? I just wanted a little peace and quiet until then.

"Oh, right."

"Kotone?"

As I suddenly got up, Koko stood up too. I smiled at her and turned around quickly.

I walked over to the bar and sat across from Miki.

"Yes~?"

Miki, who had been dozing off, was startled awake by my presence.

"Can I have your number?"

"My number~?"

Still half-asleep, Miki took my phone and entered her number.

"...Do you have any family? Like siblings?"

I asked Miki as she entered her number. I didn’t specifically mention her older sister, in case she caught on too quickly.

She was reported missing, but... it’s probably closer to a runaway.

Maybe she had a big fight with her sister after the incident, or maybe she felt too ashamed to face her.

Or maybe she got caught up in something even bigger.

"Hmm?"

Miki looked at me.

After staring at me for a while, she handed me back my phone with her number saved.

"No, I don't~"

I see, she doesn’t have any.

Still, I decided to keep the number.

She could be lying, after all. Especially in this kind of situation.

And as I started walking back to Kaoru and Izumi, who were still looking bewildered—

Bang!

"Freeze! Police!"

Hearing the loud voices of the officers bursting in, I flinched and froze.

...Looks like it's going to be a long night.

I was prepared for it, though.

Chapter 119. Return (10)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I’m terrible at writing.

It’s not like I’ve never written anything in my life.

I graduated smoothly from elementary school, middle school, high school, and university. Of course, there were subjects where I barely passed, but it wasn’t enough to delay my graduation.

Naturally, it’s not that I’ve never written anything at all.

In elementary school, I kept a diary, and in middle and high school, there were times when we had to write essays, so I had to write something, even if it was forced.

But I never really enjoyed writing.

I just filled the pages because I had to. I did enjoy reading novels to some extent, and I had thought about writing something like that, but I never seriously attempted it.

As a result, when I was asked to ‘just write something,’ my mind went blank.

I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or more worried, but Koko, sitting next to me on my right, seemed to be in the same situation.

At least I was holding a pen, trying to write something, so I guess I was better off.

Koko’s gaze was wandering aimlessly into space. With her mouth slightly open, she truly seemed to have no thoughts in her head.

“...Ugh.”

Yuka, sitting on my left, was also groaning similarly.

She had her pen’s button pressed against her forehead, deep in thought, but it didn’t seem like any ideas were coming to her.

Scribble, scribble.

Meanwhile, Izumi and Kaoru were deftly moving their mechanical pencils across their manuscript paper.

Well, Izumi used to be in the literature club. Until last year, she had senior members, too. From what I’ve heard, they were quite active as a literature club, so she had the skill to fill the required length.

Kaoru was writing with a delighted expression. She might be writing about that split-mouthed woman again.

Of course, she would cut out the detailed parts. Well, even if she didn’t, I wouldn’t really mind. After all, no one would believe it as a ‘true story.’

“Why? Is it difficult?”

As the three of us sat side by side, killing time absentmindedly, Izumi looked at us and spoke.

“Ah, well, it’s just...”

“Uu?”

Both of them answered at the same time from my left and right.

Yuka’s voice was a bit apologetic, while Koko still had a clueless expression.

Izumi, with a slight smile, put down her mechanical pencil and said,

“If it’s too hard to write, how about starting with something very short? Just one sentence.”

“One sentence?”

“Yeah, like a haiku. It’s the shortest form of poetry in the world, but people still find rhythm and joy in it. Even in the West, there are people who write them.”

Izumi was finally showing her senior side after a long time.

That senior side of her as a literature club member.

“B-but, wouldn’t it be harder to convey meaning in such a short sentence?”

Yuka was probably familiar with haikus.

This was just a bias I had. I mean, she’s from a shrine maiden family. Not the kind where they just wear the costume and work part-time, but a real family that exorcises demons and purges yokai.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to enjoy something more traditional. Even though Yuka is a modern kid who grew up playing Super Famicom and texting her friends on her phone.

“I’m not saying you should write a haiku.”

Izumi smiled wryly.

“Just start with something short. Hmm... how about this?”

Izumi closed her eyes and, as if listening to music, said,

“Imagine your way to school. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?”

“...”

Yuka didn’t close her eyes like Izumi, but she answered quietly.

“...The noise of kids walking to school at the same time as me.”

“What about their uniforms? Are they all the same?”

“...Some are different, and some are the same. But I’m the only one wearing my uniform.”

Hanagawa High School isn’t easy to get into. The grades required are high, and the cost to attend isn’t cheap.

“Then how about writing that first?”

Izumi opened her eyes and said.

“Uh...”

Yuka looked back at her still-blank manuscript paper.

Then, tilting her head, she began to write.

The way to school.

Children in uniforms.

“Good.”

Izumi smiled.

“And then? What about the sounds?”

“...”

Yuka tilted her head again and followed Izumi’s suggestion, adding another line.

The sound of the train tracks.

“The way to school, children in uniforms, the sound of the train tracks. See, it’s a haiku!”

It did meet the 5-7-5 syllable structure of a haiku.

And now that it was written down, it didn’t seem so bad. A poem is still a poem, after all.

“But... is this okay?”

Yuka seemed unsure if the poem, which she had written after struggling for nearly thirty minutes, was good enough.

“It’s fine. That’s what creativity is all about. Some works take time, going through multiple drafts and revisions, while others are written in a sudden burst of inspiration. We’re not trying to make money from this, so just write whatever you want. Don’t worry about judgment.”

Wow.

She really did sound like a literature club president.

Proud of the respect-filled gaze I was giving her, Izumi puffed out her chest.

“Well, it’s great that we’ve finished a piece, but...”

Kaoru, who had stopped writing and had been listening to Izumi’s lecture, spoke up.

“Do you think the student council will accept just one haiku? Don’t we need to meet the minimum length requirement?”

“Ah.”

Kaoru’s uncharacteristically sharp remark brought us all back to reality.

“...Then how about expanding that into a longer prose piece?”

Izumi, trying her best to keep her composure, suggested.

Back to square one, Yuka, who now felt like she was starting from scratch again, slumped over onto the desk.

*

Even so, we managed to fill the required length.

After racking my brain and writing something like a diary entry, Izumi nodded in approval as she accepted it.

“Then let’s refine this next week!”

Izumi was so enthusiastic about finally doing something literature-club-like that her sparkling eyes made me flinch.

Well, it’s true that we can’t just publish something that doesn’t even fill an A4 page when typed out.

...Still, I’m glad to see her so energetic.

Considering she had been in a panic after witnessing that incident yesterday.

Normally, an average high school girl’s mind wouldn’t be able to handle such a situation. ...Could it be because this is the world of a light novel, so the inhabitants have stronger mental fortitude?

Or maybe it’s because no one died.

In any case, she seemed more terrified of the police investigation than of seeing yokai.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Yuka asked when she saw me lost in thought.

“Oh... I’m just thinking about how I’ll be late for my part-time job today.”

After everything that had happened, I had completely forgotten, but the reason Kaoru had shown up at that place was to gather material for the literature club’s anthology.

And that anthology had to be completed at least a week before the cultural festival. The student council and teachers would need to review it for any strange content.

So, in reality, we were in a time crunch. Izumi just wasn’t pressuring us to fill the pages.

Since today was Saturday, I had already told my boss I would be an hour late.

...Honestly, I wanted some time to gather my thoughts, too.

“I don’t think your boss is the type to get mad about that.”

“Yeah... You’re right.”

The boss is definitely a good person.

No matter how tough the circumstances of the kids working at her shop might be, there probably aren’t many bosses who would pack a homemade lunch and personally bring it to their employees' sports day.

Even just saying something encouraging would already make her a good person.

“She’s very considerate.”

Yeah. I’m being cared for.

Not just by the boss, but by everyone around me, they’re all considerate of Koko and me.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m taking advantage of them too much.

No, I’m definitely taking advantage.

“...”

Yuka seemed unsure how to respond to my words, probably because my expression had become complicated.

And that, too, was consideration.

Could I repay the people around me? Could I repay all of them before it’s too late?

Especially Yuka.

...Would Yuka be okay after going through all that?

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

Seeing me looking up at her with such a serious expression, Yuka asked.

I nodded.

“I’m fine.”

“...”

Yuka didn’t seem to fully believe my words, so I added a wry smile.

*

To explain a little about what happened yesterday, things ended a bit less dramatically than I had feared.

First of all, the police completely misunderstood the situation.

Since it was a bar guarded by yakuza, and there were four schoolgirls who had just come out of a bath inside, they acted as if they had stumbled upon something unexpected.

Before we could even explain anything, we were wrapped in warm blankets and treated as ‘people to be protected.’

That is, until some man in a suit arrived at the police station.

“...Young lady, no matter how much your mother works there, bringing your friends along is a bit much.”

Fortunately, the fact that the upstairs was just a regular home worked in my favor.

Of course, my actual home was far away in Saitama, but still, this was technically a home. One of the ways to get there happened to be through the basement bar. Although there was also a direct way upstairs.

Technically illegal, but understandable if I just wanted to see my mother’s face.

The police seemed to accept this explanation after hearing from the man in the suit, as well as from Kaoru and Izumi.

To be precise, they pretended to believe it. That suited man seemed to be someone in a similar position to Mr. Miura.

The reason he didn’t come himself was probably because I was with Kaoru and Izumi. They had both met Mako during the training camp. It wasn’t unlikely that they might run into Mako’s father, Mr. Miura.

“However, we’ll need your cooperation in the investigation.”

The man in the suit, as if pressuring me, said.

“It seems like the investigation will be expanding.”

But even though he was taller than Mr. Miura, he didn’t have the same intimidating presence. Was it just my imagination?

Well, in the original work, Mr. Miura may have been rampaging behind the scenes after losing his daughter, so it was natural for me to feel pressured just by knowing of his existence.

It’s only natural that I find Mr. Miura scarier than this man whose name I don’t even know.

So, we were able to leave after less than an hour—

“I’m Miki~”

...But the problem was Miki.

It seemed that Miki was the boss’s younger sister, and based on what the boss had said, she was still a minor.

And the fact that Miki was dragged along with us when we were taken in was the issue.

In Japan, there isn’t a system like the resident registration cards in Korea. Actually, most countries don’t have such a system. But usually, there are ways to verify a person’s identity.

Miki was no exception.

If they dug deeper, they’d probably find some record of her time in juvenile detention.

“Well, could you please give us your full name, including your last name...”

Watching the police investigate Miki, I suddenly pointed at her.

Then, looking straight up at the man who was trying to intimidate me, I said.

“Let her go.”

“What?”

“If you don’t, I won’t cooperate.”

The man’s mouth slightly opened at my words.

Was this an outrageous demand?

Well, I figured it was easier than letting go of four schoolgirls who had just been found near a corpse, which they might have caused.

After all, Miki was at least pretending to be an adult for now.

“You think you’re in a position to—”

“It would be wise to let her go.”

Kagami, who had been yawning and waiting, spoke up.

Her tone was much lighter and more rebellious compared to when she was giving us advice earlier.

Yeah, the same attitude she had when she looked at me back at the police station.

And this was still the police station.

“She may seem stubborn, but she’s reliable. Even though she’s a bit clumsy and tends to be late.”

Kagami scoffed at the man, whose mouth had been shut.

*

I still wasn’t sure if letting Miki go had been the right decision.

Would it have been better to leave her with the police, so she could return to her home properly?

But if I wasn’t careful, she might end up back in juvenile detention. I didn’t want to send the boss’s little sister back to a place like that.

Then again, letting her keep working at the bar didn’t sit well with me either...

After thinking it over for an hour, I arrived at the cafe without coming to a clear conclusion.

“Oh, did you write well?”

The boss greeted me with a smile.

She looked as relaxed as usual, her posture just as lazy.

Looking at her, I started thinking again.

Why doesn’t Miki come to see the boss?

Is it because she doesn’t want to hear any scolding? Or is it because of her circumstances? Maybe she’s worried about being a burden because of some debt?

Or maybe... she just feels ashamed.

“...Why?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I’ll go change.”

I quickly excused myself and headed to the back to change into my work clothes.

Taking my time as if stalling, I continued to think as I changed.

I want to repay her.

The boss has done so much for me.

Just like how Kuro helped me because I raised her, I wanted to help the boss.

If I hadn’t known about Miki, I wouldn’t have thought this far. My only way of helping would’ve been by doing my job diligently.

...The boss takes care of me because she thinks I’m in a situation similar to hers with her sister. But in reality, I’m not. It’s the same with my relationships with the other kids, but right now, it feels like I’m lying to the boss to receive her kindness.

That felt like a debt I needed to repay.

“...Alright.”

After changing into my work clothes, I muttered to myself and nodded.

I’ll ask the boss directly.

That seems like the best option.

After taking a few deep breaths, I went out and headed straight for the boss.

Seeing me approach her with a rare, determined expression, the boss’s eyes widened.

“Boss.”

“Huh, what’s up? Something wrong?”

“...If by any chance.”

I said.

“If you could meet that sister of yours again, no matter what situation she’s in... would you be able to accept her?”

“...What?”

The boss’s face went blank at my words.

“I mean, if—”

But before I could continue, the boss suddenly grabbed my shoulders.

Then she pulled me closer and said,

“Do you know something?”

“Well, that’s—”

I was a bit flustered but managed to compose myself and replied.

“...Please answer first.”

“...”

The boss stared at me for a long time. We were so close that our noses were almost touching. Shii, who was working in the distance, glanced over at us with concern.

If Koko had been there, she probably would’ve pried the boss off me.

“...Is something going on?”

“...”

But I didn’t say anything.

The boss took a deep breath,

“Of course, I can accept her.”

And then let go of me.

With a slightly weary expression, she sat back down.

“...No, maybe I can’t fully understand.”

She added in a somewhat uncertain voice.

“But even so, I want to meet her. I want to apologize.”

“...”

I quietly watched the boss.

This... might be unfair to Miki.

Thinking that the boss is simply a good person might just be naive. I don’t actually know what happened between them.

But still.

I nodded.

*

Normally, after finishing work, Shii and I would have dinner and then head straight home, but today, we were going somewhere else.

Before coming, I had already called ahead. I could’ve sent a text, but a call seemed more reliable.

I specifically asked for Miki. She sounded a little confused but answered, “I’ll make sure not to be late today~”

When the boss realized that we were heading to a bar, her face went pale, as if her soul had left her body, but she followed me quietly, as promised.

And then—

“...Ah...”

We came face to face with Miki.

I had worried that I might be wrong, but now I had a different concern.

Had this been too sudden? But if I had told her beforehand, Miki might have run away. She had a history of doing so.

“...”

The boss said nothing.

Miki, standing awkwardly, half-risen from her seat, and the boss, standing still with a blank expression.

It was the boss who moved first.

The boss rushed towards Miki.

Before Miki could go anywhere, the boss pulled her into a tight embrace.

“...Ah...”

Just like when we first met, Miki could only make that sound.

“...I’m sorry.”

The first words the boss spoke were an apology.

I didn’t know what had happened between them. But I was certain that those words melted away whatever had been between them.

Because Miki’s face quickly became a mess of tears.

Miki hugged the boss back tightly.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I turned my gaze away—only to meet Kagami’s eyes.

Kagami simply shrugged.

The look on her face, as if saying ‘Ah, we lost another employee,’ made me stifle a laugh.

Chapter 120. Memories (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A touching reunion is nice.

It's nice... but the problem is what comes after that.

The place where that emotional reunion happened was a bar.

If it were just an ordinary neighborhood bar, it wouldn’t matter. Although they serve alcohol, they are practically no different from a café or restaurant.

But this place is not a typical izakaya found around the neighborhood; it's a place where young women, wearing clothes that reveal most of their chests, sit next to men and pour them drinks.

The place itself isn't a prostitution establishment, but it’s hard to naively think, "So, it's fine to work in a place like this." At the very least, people who work part-time at cafés or restaurants would be offended if you compared them to those who work here.

Moreover, Miki was wearing a tight-fitting dress with deep cleavage and covered in sparkles.

"..."

I understood why the two, after hugging each other tightly and then pulling back slightly, were now awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze.

Maybe I should have arranged for them to meet somewhere else?

I silently moved my feet and went straight over.

Without a word, Kagami placed an orange juice in front of me.

For reference, Koko was already here, drinking milk. Since I intended for them to meet the boss and Miki, I figured I'd get home much later than usual today. I had asked Koko to wait for me in advance, but it seemed she had arrived much earlier than I had expected.

Kagami still acted quite awkwardly around Koko. It was much better than when they first met, though. At least now, when Kagami looked at Koko, she no longer had that terribly uncomfortable expression, as if she were looking at something that appeared human but wasn’t actually human.

"Could you tell me what this is about?"

Kagami, having heard I would come, seemed to have graciously refrained from accepting more customers. The bar was completely empty.

"It's not really a big deal."

I brought the straw to my lips and sucked. The distinct tart and bitter taste of orange juice lingered on my tongue.

"It seems like the story my café boss told me about her long-lost sister matches the situation Miki shared."

In retrospect, I should have confirmed it more clearly.

But what could I do? I already told the boss it was possible, and she insisted on coming with me immediately. There was no point in refusing any further.

"What a... remarkable coincidence."

"It really is just a coincidence."

When Kagami said that while staring at me, I frowned and replied.

But her gaze on me didn’t waver, so I just drank more juice.

"Uuu?"

Seeing my complicated expression, Koko tilted her head.

To be honest, I couldn’t entirely fault the boss's feelings. I also had a younger sister. My sister was old enough to go to university, so she was older than Miki is now.

Actually, if I think about it in terms of years, since that was 20 years in the future, my sister’s actual age... Well, it probably doesn’t matter anymore.

After all, whether it’s the 2020s or now, to me, it's all just "the present."

Anyway, back to the story— if my sister, whom I thought was dead, returned alive... I would be incredibly happy too.

But if I reunited with her in a bar like this, well, I’d feel pretty conflicted. While there's no shame in any job, it's hard not to hold any prejudices.

I turned slightly to look at the two of them again.

The two were standing a little apart, looking at each other— then they turned their attention to me. Oops.

I quickly turned back toward my juice. I placed the straw in my mouth and sucked slowly. If I showed them I was eating or drinking something, maybe they wouldn’t ask me anything? Sure, it's pretty irresponsible for someone who set up this meeting, but still.

"But, is it okay to sit in a bar like this?"

The boss, seated not right next to me but one seat over, asked me.

"...It's juice."

"Milk."

As I raised my glass to show him, Koko copied my movement and answered the same way.

The boss, watching the two of us, looked even more conflicted.

Her gaze then shifted toward Kagami.

"She... can be considered my mother."

"Uuu."

"..."

Kagami glanced at both of us, one after the other.

Whether it was an act or her real feelings, I couldn’t tell.

"If you want to take the Miki girl, you’ll have to give me something."

And I couldn’t tell if she meant that seriously either.

What I could say for sure was that even if it wasn’t serious, referring to Kagami as my "Mother" just now has become incredibly embarrassing for me.

Kagami, her face seemingly made of titanium, didn’t flinch as she wiped an empty glass with a cloth.

"I’ve been paying her room rent."

...Not her salary?

"Although I’ve been deducting a little from her pay, she’s still got a long way to go before she’s repaid it all."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at Kagami.

Kagami, who’s generally quite lenient with me, made me wonder if this was her real personality when dealing with others.

For me, she had to be careful because I was using the Sacred Body in a ritual, and Koko knew her secret, so she couldn’t treat us carelessly.

"And there’s still a lot of money she’s borrowed."

I glanced at the boss’s reaction.

She looked conflicted in many ways.

For one, her feelings about Kagami weren’t likely to be good. Judging by my and Koko's situation, Kagami couldn’t exactly be considered a good parent.

Also, there was the fact that Kagami had been making Miki work in a place like this.

But at the same time, Kagami was also the one protecting Miki. At least it didn’t seem like Kagami had done anything bad to Miki. If she had, Miki wouldn’t be so relaxed around her.

One could say she’s deceiving her, but...

I don’t really know enough of the details to say anything yet.

For now.

"Boss."

"Hm?"

When I suddenly interrupted the conversation, the boss looked at me.

Her expression was still confused.

"...How old is Miki?"

"She's the same age as you."

"..."

Kagami’s hand stopped dead in its tracks.

Her expression didn’t change much.

Instead, she looked at me, then at Miki, and finally back at the boss.

Then her gaze settled on Miki again.

Miki, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger, averted her eyes.

It seemed Kagami had finally realized why I had forcibly gotten Miki out of the police station yesterday.

Perhaps she thought I had just acted on a whim when I took Miki out.

"...But I still want my money."

Kagami said that.

"..."

The boss seemed to reserve judgment on that point for now.

"Can I get a drink?"

"..."

Even though she was spoken to casually, Kagami just shrugged. Without asking what she wanted, she poured some whiskey into a small glass. I didn’t know what kind of liquor it was either.

The boss picked it up and downed it in one go, then after a moment of thought, she spoke.

"I won’t ask about the details."

Kagami acted like she wasn’t interested and busied herself tidying up the bar, but I got the impression she was listening carefully.

"If it's borrowed money, I can repay it."

The boss said, directing her words at Kagami, even though she gave no response.

"In exchange, I’ll take Miki with me."

"Sister..."

"I won’t ask what you’ve been through."

The boss spoke to Miki.

"I’m sure you had your reasons. There must have been things you couldn’t tell me. That’s why you disappeared as soon as you got out of the juvenile center, right?"

Miki lowered her head.

"You don’t have to tell me everything. If the time comes when you want to talk, you can do it then."

The boss said this.

"But you have to quit working here."

I looked over at Kagami.

She still didn’t say anything, but for some reason, I felt like I saw her nod slightly.

Was it just my imagination?

"..."

Miki, who had lost her usual carefree demeanor, glanced over at Kagami.

Kagami snorted.

"As long as I get my money back, I don’t care. Losing an employee stings a bit, though."

Well, that's understandable.

But that employee is a minor. And just a moment ago, she was speechless after learning her age.

"...I can offer her a place to stay. And if she needs a job, I can find one too."

"..."

Nod.

Miki, with her head still lowered, barely moved in acknowledgment.

The boss took the glass in front of her and drank the rest straight.

Clink.

She placed the glass back on the bar and spread her fingers.

"One more."

Without a word, Kagami poured another drink into her glass.

*

In the end, the boss took Miki and left the bar before midnight.

Before leaving, she asked if Koko and I wanted to come along, but I told her we’d be fine.

Although she still glanced at Kagami with distrust, Kagami just shrugged at her as she did before.

Maybe she didn't want to get involved in someone else’s family matters since she had her own to deal with. Or maybe she had judged Kagami to be more normal than she initially thought. In any case, she took Miki with her.

I gestured for her to go ahead, as well.

"Do you know? Because of all this, our bar’s sales are going to drop."

"I think Miki was popular because she was actually a minor."

"..."

Kagami furrowed her brow and fell into thought for a moment.

"...I doubt it. Miki was meticulous about presenting herself as an adult. Plus, she used makeup to cover her face."

Well, she even fooled Kagami, so...

...Should I say she looks mature for her age? She's pretty, but too mature-looking.

Usually, when high school girls put on makeup to look like adults, it’s obvious, but with Miki, there were no such signs.

Well, everything has been sorted out now, so it’s fine, right?

I decided to think positively.

"Hey, can I go upstairs?"

"...Sure. Now that you’ve even brought your cat, how about just living here?"

That wasn’t a bad idea. It’s pretty close to school. Although I’d still have to take the subway to get here, it’s much closer than Saitama.

It would be a solid suggestion, if not for the slight chance of running into Fukuda’s father...

But she can’t mean that seriously, can she?

"...Sorry."

When I replied, interpreting her words as sarcasm, Kagami’s eyes widened slightly.

"Huh?"

"Did I say something strange?"

"...No."

When I asked again, Kagami shook her head.

"It’s not a strange thing to say, no."

Kagami’s the one acting strange.

I shrugged and went upstairs with Koko.

Strangely enough, Kagami’s gaze stayed fixed on me the entire time as I climbed the stairs.

"Meow!"

As soon as I opened the door, Kuro, the cat Koko had brought, leaped into my arms. I slipped my hands under Kuro’s armpits to lift her up, and her face instantly turned grumpy.

Does she have a button under her armpits or something?

Once I put her down again, Kuro, unfazed by the unfamiliar surroundings, curled up on the futon laid out in the room.

I watched her quietly for a moment, then turned to Koko.

"Let's rest."

"Okay."

Koko’s response to my words seemed a bit calmer than usual.

...Even though I lied about her having borderline intelligence, in reality, when it comes to intelligence, there’s no difference between her and a human, and her grades are better than mine.

It’s just her speech that makes her seem a little childish.

Now, she can even get around on her own without anyone’s help.

"..."

Still, I don’t know why.

Watching Koko like this gives me a strange feeling. Like I’m restless. I should be happy about this, but...

That peculiar feeling didn’t go away, not even after I washed up and went to bed.

*

"Wow, you wrote quite a bit!"

Monday of the following week.

Since I didn’t have a part-time job today, I decided to spend the day writing, so I went to the Literature Club room.

To be honest, I don’t find writing all that fun.

But considering how many dorayaki I’ve eaten here, I figured I should at least help give the Literature Club some reason to keep going while I’m here.

I don’t have the skills to write a novel, so instead, I wrote a journal about observing Kuro.

The content of the writing was roughly as follows:

---

Cat Observation Report (Tentative Title)

What Kuro does most of the day is sleep.

Even on bright, sunny mornings, Kuro's eyelids are so thick that no light seems to get through to her eyes.

On the weekends, after I’ve finished preparing all my meals, Kuro only wakes up after hearing the sound of kibble being poured into her bowl.

It seems her eardrums aren’t as thick as her eyelids.

...(omitted)...

I don’t know if all cats are like this, or if it’s just Kuro.

In terms of data for a report, there’s not enough of a sample.

Still, if I get the chance, living like a cat wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Lazily dozing off under the warm sunlight.

---

The last sentence was something I borrowed from a dream I had with Kuro.

"Not bad"

Izumi said with a wide smile.

"There are quite a few pieces of prose like this. Especially the choice of subject is good. Hmm."

Izumi thought for a moment, then said,

"How about bringing Kuro to the school festival?"

"Is that even okay? Wouldn’t the school have an issue with it?"

"As long as it doesn’t cause too much trouble... I should ask about it."

Bringing both the actual cat and the cat observation report to the festival, huh?

Well, that might not be a bad idea. There’s even a famous novel in Japanese literature with a cat as the protagonist. And "Black Cat" is pretty famous in America too.

"Yuka's piece is great too. The theme of the morning commute is something only students can easily relate to. And capturing this kind of feeling is also something that’s hard to do unless you're a student."

Yuka, receiving praise from Izumi, blushed slightly, looking like she wasn’t used to such words.

"And as for Koko..."

Izumi looked at Koko's piece and furrowed her brow a little.

Koko, on the other hand, looked at Izumi with an expectant expression.

For reference, the title of Koko’s piece was:

---

Kotone Observation Report

---

It was obvious she had heavily referenced my writing. Naturally, since we had spent all of Sunday trying to come up with something for her to write.

The boss had emergency-closed the cafe, as she had a lot to talk about with Miki, so there was plenty of time yesterday.

The problem was that Koko’s writing was... well, it had its issues.

---

Kotone is amazing.

She knows how to cook delicious meals and where to buy the freshest ingredients.

She also knows where to buy the cheapest ingredients. I don’t know how to do that.

She knows how to clean, too. She knows how to deal with all the dusty places.

She works hard to cover the living expenses. Koko can eat because of her. Kuro, too.

Without Kotone, we would be lost.

...(omitted)...

In any case, Kotone is amazing.

She is everything. Really amazing.

---

It was more of a one-sided hymn of praise for me than an observation report.

That’s probably why Izumi, after reading it, had an awkward expression—

"Sniff."

...Wait.

"Sob. Kaoru, look at this..."

"I... I’m looking..."

...

What?

Why are they crying?

Before I knew it, even Yuka had picked up the piece and was reading it, tears streaming down her face.

"..."

What is this? Do I just have a different emotional wavelength?

Did living through the 2020s give me a different sense of sentimentality from the people of this era?

Or is this some sort of popular style of writing... I really have no idea.

I looked at Koko.

Koko, puffing out her chest, held her head high as if incredibly proud of her writing.

It was as if her expression was shouting, "I’ve made them cry! I can control their emotions!"

That’s the kind of face she had.

No, seriously, what is this?

Even when praising a North Korean dictator, I doubt they’d praise him for knowing how to clean.

Sniff.

Izumi sniffled again and said to Koko,

"Still, we need to revise it a little. Sure, we know the context, so we understand the meaning, but people reading it for the first time won’t get it."

"Oh, wait a second."

I hurriedly stopped Izumi.

"Are you planning to publish that in the literary collection?"

"Huh? It’s a good piece, right?"

Good piece?

Is this because I don’t usually read books? Is it some unique sensibility that people with a background in pure literature have?

"Of course, there are a few things that need fixing. But I can help her with that."

"Oh..."

"Especially the parts where names are mentioned."

I felt a little relieved hearing that.

At least it wouldn’t end up being a tribute to "me."

"Kotone, you're working hard."

Suddenly, Kaoru gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"If anything gets tough, let this big sister know! I’ll help you!"

I appreciate the sentiment, but...

"...Kotone."

"Hm?"

Yuka called me in a calm voice, and I quickly turned to her.

Could there be something in Koko’s writing that hinted at what happened on Friday?

But it didn’t seem like Yuka was about to criticize me for that.

"Whenever you need help, I can assist you..."

"Oh, uh-huh."

"So, don’t hesitate to ask..."

No, the way you’re saying it makes me feel like I should hesitate.

It’s not that I want to hesitate; it’s just that...

As a human, I feel like I shouldn’t depend on her more than this.

She's a lot younger than me. Sure, I’ve been helped by older people like her grandfather and her father, but still!

And I’ve already received so much help from them too!

"..."

For some reason, I felt that if I said something like "I’m fine" or "it’s not that serious," it would only make the situation worse, so I decided to just keep my mouth shut.

Chapter 121. Memories (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The Korean word for “memory” is composed of two Chinese characters: "추 (追)" meaning “to follow” and "억 (憶)" meaning “to think.”

If you translate it literally, it just means to recall a thought, but in Korea, the word generally means “memories” in the truest sense.

Memories are those good moments from the past that suddenly come to mind. Even during hard times, they make you smile for no particular reason, almost unconsciously.

Just like horrible memories, they are deeply embedded and impossible to erase, lodged in a place so deep they cannot be easily removed.

Since the word "memory" inherently involves recollection, the same applies to similar terms used in other countries.

In Japanese, it’s called "思い出" or "omoide."

In Japan, this word not only refers to memories but also carries the meaning of “recollection.” It’s similar to the English word “memory.” However, it is not used in a strictly neutral sense, but also broadly conveys the meaning of cherished memories, so its usage isn’t all that different.

Memories… aren’t something you can create just because you want to.

Each person feels things differently, and thus the parts they remember differ as well. Even when experiencing the same event, people recall different details.

Sometimes, simple moments like walking together with someone you care about leave a lasting impression, while other times, memories of enjoying a grand festival might be so faint that they are hard to recall.

Memories, which come unexpectedly when you’re living without even thinking about them, suddenly pop up and make you narrow your eyes, smiling and thinking, “Those were the good times,” stopping your work to be lost in thought.

Still, there’s no need to feel hopeless.

Like everything else in life, the more you repeat something, the more memories are made. If there’s someone you want to create memories with, just stay by their side and do everything you want, enjoy everything you can.

“Mm!”

It was just before the school bell was about to ring, in the Literature Club room.

Outside, the sun was slowly setting, and even the reddish glow of dusk was being swallowed by the approaching darkness.

Normally, we would’ve already gone home by now.

“This is pretty great!”

“That was close…”

Kaoru nodded in satisfaction, while Izumi let out a long sigh.

That’s right.

We had just barely managed to submit the club’s collection on the 26th of last month.

It was a very thin booklet. We hastily skimmed through some books and wrote sloppy reviews, added a recommended reading list, and each of us contributed one piece. We bulked it up by inserting large illustrations that came with the word processor program.

For reference, Kaoru’s recommended reading list consisted entirely of spiritual and occult books, while Izumi’s was filled with detective novels. The rest of us had a random assortment, because we had hurriedly skimmed through the table of contents and endings of books from the club room and wrote them up.

Thankfully, Koko had recommended some used fairy tale books from her house, which helped round things out a bit.

…Although I couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked that my reading habits were inferior to Kaoru’s, who read occult magazines every day, or Koko, who loved fairy tales. But thinking about it, it wasn’t really surprising.

If only smartphones existed in this world, I’d definitely have read the most. I used to read a ton of web novels at one point. Whether or not I could submit those reviews for this project is another story.

Anyway, submitting the booklet wasn’t the end.

No matter how much we wanted to avoid it, as a club, we had to participate in the school festival, even though we were tucked away in the oldest and most unappealing part of the school building.

All of us—me, Koko, Yuka, Kaoru, and even Izumi—planned to enjoy the other club and classroom activities after closing the clubroom early, but we still had to participate to be able to write a report for the student council.

We copied famous lines from poems and novels by well-known Japanese writers, added suitable photos and pictures, printed them large, laminated them, and mounted them on sturdy boards for display. It took longer than expected, so we only managed to finish everything the day before the festival.

By the way, since it was our Literature Club, some of our writings were mixed in there as well. They looked embarrassingly small and out of place next to the works of Japanese literary giants.

“...Is this really okay?”

I muttered, looking at my haiku standing next to the opening line of Kawabata Yasunari’s *Snow Country*.

It’ll probably be fine, right? Not many people will bother reading through every single sentence we wrote.

I doubt many people will even take one of the eleven booklets we prepared. Maybe one person will take it as a souvenir, at most.

“It’s a festival, after all. It’s bound to look a bit off or lacking. Ghost houses probably aren’t that scary either.”

“...Wouldn’t it be a bit awkward if we got scared of something like that?”

Izumi glanced at the three of us as she responded to Kaoru’s comment.

None of us said anything.

True, after seeing the real slit-mouthed woman, a sloppy makeup job with red lipstick smeared to the ears wouldn’t be scary at all.

At this point, even if something seemed off, we didn’t have the time to fix it, so we just shrugged at each other and left the school behind.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Kaoru said with a smile.

“This is our last chance to really enjoy the festival, since we’ll be in our third year next year.”

Izumi looked at Kaoru in shock.

“What? You weren’t seriously planning to study properly, were you?”

“That’s a bit harsh. I do study seriously during exam periods, you know? I even scored better than you on some tests.”

“Only in certain subjects! My overall average is higher.”

I let out a small laugh at their childish argument as we walked leisurely.

Right. Next year, they will be third years.

In second year, they even went on a school trip to Hawaii. The fact that they went to such a famous foreign tourist destination probably had to do with how expensive this school is, but it could also be because third years don’t get to go on trips.

In a way, it was compensation.

In other words, “Since you had fun this year, please study hard next year and help raise our school’s admission rates.”

“Next year, huh...”

Yuka muttered as she looked up at the sky.

It was now late November.

Next month, it would truly be the end of the year. After surviving the final exams at the end of it, we would all be one year older.

“Still two years to go.”

Yuka said.

She must be referring to graduation.

Yeah. We’re only just finishing our first year. Well, according to Japan’s school system, we still had one more semester left.

Her gaze, which had been looking up at the sky, turned to me.

“I hope we’re in the same class next year.”

“...”

Same class, huh?

That’s right.

For the first time, Yuka hadn’t transferred schools and had stayed for two whole semesters.

It’s not strange that she’d start hoping for things like this.

…Why didn’t Yuka transfer this time?

In the original story, that wasn’t clearly depicted.

Some fans speculated online that it was because of Sasaki.

Not just because she liked the protagonist.

It was because of Sasaki’s blood.

Here, we hadn’t caught the Oni yet, and I was also around.

Ah, I see.

If the person Yuka trusted most was me, that would mean she would stay near me until the very end.

“…Why? Do you not like the idea?”

Maybe because I hadn’t answered for too long, Yuka asked anxiously.

I shook my head.

“No, it’s just…”

After thinking for a brief moment,

“I think it’d be fun.”

I answered.

Yuka smiled, looking a bit embarrassed.

Yeah. It would be fun.

In front of us were Mako, Fukuda, and Yamashita, and behind us, Yuka.

Next to me would be Koko.

If we could sit like that, it’d be really fun. We’d walk home together after school and sometimes run into each other on our way to school.

Maybe I could even convince Mako and her crew, who were part of the go-home club, to join the Literature Club.

…

Maybe I’ll quit my part-time job next year.

It’d be a bit sad not to see the manager as often, but I could always visit as a customer.

“Koko, what about you?”

“Uwaa?”

When I suddenly passed the baton to her, Koko widened her eyes.

“What if you were in the same class as Yuka next year?”

Yuka also looked a bit nervous as she glanced at Koko.

“Uu?”

Did she not understand?

I was about to explain the concept of switching classes when Koko tilted her head and spoke.

“Won’t we still be with Mako and her friends?”

“…”

Ah.

That’s right.

I had assumed it was natural that we’d all be in the same class next year, but Mako, Fukuda, and Yamashita could end up in a different class if we were split up.

In Japanese manga, it’s oddly common for the same classmates to stick together until third year, but I’m not sure if that’s actually the case. I’ve heard that teachers decide, though.

In my case, there were friends who were in the same class all three years, and others who were split up after just one year.

“Don’t worry. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

I decided to be optimistic.

In a light novel, the chances are high that we’ll end up in the same class. That means there’s a chance Yuka won’t be able to join our class, but...

It’s still uncertain, so how we think about it doesn’t really matter, right?

“It’s not uncommon for the same classmates to stay together.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Kaoru chimed in.

“We’ve been in the same class since middle school, after all.”

That’s surprising.

This time, it was Yuka and I who looked at the two of them.

Kaoru puffed out her chest as if it were something to be proud of, but Izumi rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Thanks to that, I can never escape when Kaoru asks me to hang out after school.”

“That wouldn’t change even if you were in another class.”

Kaoru laughed as she responded to Izumi’s remark.

That’s nice.

They don’t have a wide social circle, but having a lifelong friend is a wonderful thing.

It might be different when they go to university… but for some reason, I had a feeling they’d end up going to the same university, maybe even the same department.

“…I hope so.”

“Huh?”

“I just hope we end up in the same class.”

“R-really?”

When I confirmed it once more, Yuka smiled brightly, looking genuinely happy.

That smile was beautiful.

I wish everyone at this age could live with such smiles.

Without worrying about yokai or anything else.

I imagined a world where Yuka lived a normal life, free of yokai.

In that world, Yuka was smiling.

And I wasn’t there by her side.

Of course.

If this ideal world existed, we wouldn’t have met in the first place.

…Our memories, too.

Memories are such strange things.

*

The next day.

“….”

While I was on my way to school early in the morning as usual, I stopped in front of the school gate.

The gate looked different from what I usually saw.

It had been like this for a few days now.

In preparation for the cultural festival, the students had decorated the school gate extravagantly. They had carefully covered the elegant stone gate with thick cardboard, and built a stylish ‘entrance’ on top of it.

Well, it wasn’t a grand professional creation or anything. But the hand-cut colored paper and the roughly shaped balloons somehow captured the spirit of a ‘cultural festival.’

By the way, our school’s cultural festival was called "Hakou Festival (花高祭)." It didn’t hold any special meaning, just a shortened version of “Hanagawa High School Cultural Festival.”

Hanagawa is just a family name, so there wasn’t much point in overanalyzing the name, but maybe because of the “flower” character in “Hanagawa,” all the illustrations on the gate were of vibrant flowers. Unfortunately, it was already late in the season, and most of the flowers had withered.

For reference, the students had made a countdown banner on top of the school building about 100 days before the festival. The movable chalkboard at the gate entrance had the number ‘0’ written in colorful chalk.

“Kotone?”

Koko asked me as I stood there, staring at the gate instead of walking straight in as usual.

“Koko, let’s take a picture.”

I said, taking out my phone. Koko smiled brightly and nodded, “Okay!”

We stood as close as possible and looked at the phone camera, but unfortunately, the picture ended up being just our faces filling the screen.

“Kotone! Koko!”

Just in time, Yuka appeared.

“Yuka, let’s take a picture.”

As soon as I saw Yuka, I skipped the greeting and said that.

Yuka also skipped the greeting and smiled widely.

As we were taking turns taking pictures in pairs,

“Oh my.”

Luckily, Ms. Suzuki, who happened to be passing by, noticed us.

Ms. Suzuki was coming out from inside the school, not entering from outside.

“Hello.”

Growing up in a Confucian country, I couldn’t skip greetings to a teacher. After I greeted her, Koko also politely bowed, and Yuka nodded respectfully.

“Are you taking pictures? Would you like me to take one for you?”

“Thank you.”

Ms. Suzuki smiled and offered, and we were finally able to take a picture with all three of us together.

On the small phone screen, the school gate, decorated a bit too extravagantly for the cultural festival, was fully visible.

The three of us were posing in the middle of it.

It was as natural as it could be. Koko and Yuka were both smiling brightly.

I, too, had a small smile on my face.

…Right, memories don’t need to be anything special.

These traces left behind are all memories.

“Now, enjoy the festival.”

Ms. Suzuki said, handing the phone back to us.

Then she hurriedly walked off.

She was probably going to buy some tape or something. It always happens—on mornings like this, you find yourself scrambling to get something at the last minute.

“Shall we go?”

Yuka said, and I nodded.

Koko was still beaming.

*

Hanagawa High School strongly encouraged participation in club activities.

In fact, some club activities served as a good talking point for university applications. The girls’ track team was already famous. Well, this year there had been several incidents, which made things difficult, but Kaoru, who had already quit, didn’t care.

Still, no matter how much the school promoted club activities, the main part of school life was, of course, the lessons in the classroom.

If the clubs prepared content for the cultural festival, the classrooms did as well, and the first half of the festival day focused on those classroom activities.

That’s not to say club activities were neglected. It’s just that the classroom activities were on a larger scale, so they were prioritized in the morning.

Each class had its own designated activity.

If the students in a class weren’t particularly motivated, they’d take a survey and assign a few people to stay in the classroom while the others went around enjoying activities in other rooms. Even in the busier classrooms, students took turns to enjoy the festival.

Our class had prepared a haunted house.

We hung blackout curtains over the windows to completely block out the light, and at the entrance, we tore up black trash bags to create a creepy, abandoned school vibe.

The overall atmosphere was lively. I still wasn’t close with everyone in the class, but after two semesters, you start to recognize faces and names.

At first, they thought I was some kind of delinquent because of my frequent absences, but these days, some students would approach me with a friendly attitude. It seemed sticking close to Mako had paid off.

“Perfect!”

Apparently, our class’s haunted house theme was heavily influenced by me.

I mean, with two Sadako lookalikes in the class, it would’ve been a waste not to make use of them.

Since word had spread through Mako’s group that I was part of the Literature Club, we agreed to limit our participation in the haunted house to the morning, so we could focus on our club activities in the afternoon.

It was only natural that the sign outside our class read: [Limited Time Only! Super Scary Ghost Makeup!]

Well, even if Fukuda did the same makeup as me, it wouldn’t be all that scary.

Honestly, she’d be scarier sitting in the corner with a baseball bat resting on her shoulder.

But I wouldn’t dare tell her that.

“Alright, let’s turn off the lights!”

With that, we turned off the lights that had been on during the preparation.

And then.

“Whoa!”

The whole classroom erupted in cheers.

The sight of me and Koko apparently satisfied everyone.

“Uwaa!”

Excited, Koko let out a cheer as well.

“Koko, no.”

Fukuda said. With the flashlight under her chin, she looked a little scarier, though more like a street thug than a ghost.

“No making those sounds when you’re trying to scare people.”

“Uu?”

“No ‘uu’ either.”

Fukuda wore a stern expression, but it was clear she didn’t mind Koko making those noises—it seemed like she’d find it amusing.

“…This wig is so heavy.”

“Ghosts shouldn’t complain like that.”

Mako laughed as she responded to Yamashita’s grumbling.

Yamashita raised the wig, which had fallen over her face, in annoyance.

Scheduled to take over as a ghost in the afternoon, after Koko and I had left, Yamashita…

To be honest, she looked more like a beautiful woman with long hair than a ghost.

Well, one of the joys of a school festival is a haunted house that isn’t all that scary.

This was the first time I had experienced something like this.

Chapter 122. Memories (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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There were two reactions from people who entered the poorly made haunted house.

To be precise, you could hear both reactions simultaneously.

“Eek!?”

At first, they obviously screamed in fright.

From the perspective of the ones doing the scaring, it didn’t seem like something to be scared of. Although the windows were covered with blackout curtains, the makeup and interior decorations were sloppy compared to a real haunted house.

Moreover, due to the nature of the school building, it wasn’t soundproof. The general classrooms had large windows facing the hallway, and the windows facing outside were also large.

If you stayed quiet and listened carefully, you could easily hear the chatter of the people bustling in the hallway.

In addition, the next classroom—where Sasaki and Yuka were—was quite popular, so the room wasn’t exactly quiet.

Even so, it seemed that the twin high school girls who had completely covered their faces with hair and were drenched in fake blood looked terrifying enough to catch people off guard.

However—

“Oh, but now that I look closely, you’re cute.”

“Right? The makeup is well done~”

“……”

Since the guests knew we were just students, they only screamed for a moment before approaching and inspecting our faces closely, making comments like that.

“Uuu?”

Moreover, Fukuda's warning of “No ‘Uuu, Uwaa’ sounds” didn’t seem to work on Koko.

Whenever the guests started chatting in front of us, Koko tilted her head and made those noises, which charmed the guests into giving us snacks and candy.

By around eleven o’clock, Koko’s mouth was constantly munching on something.

“Do you want some?”

As I was watching Koko, she handed me a chocolate ball.

“...Thanks.”

I had a lot I wanted to say, but explaining anything to Koko, who didn’t find the concept of ghosts scary at all, felt pointless. So, I just accepted and ate it.

As a result, our class's haunted house was a huge success.

Later on, a bunch of guys flocked in, thanks to the feedback that “The ghosts are all pretty,” including Fukuda and Yamashita. Well, it was better than no one showing up.

***

And as our shift was coming to an end, Kaoru and Izumi visited our classroom.

It seemed they helped their own class briefly and then finished the setup for the Literature Club upstairs before closing the door.

They must’ve come to see what we were up to since they were going to call us anyway.

“Kaoru, enough.”

Izumi spoke to Kaoru, who had burst out laughing, with a rather serious expression.

“Even so, considering it's a school-level event, this is pretty well-prepared. We only feel it’s dull because of the situations we've been through.”

True enough.

With the dim lighting, people who entered for the first time were startled. The problem was that it ended with just being startled.

“Hmm? You think so?”

But Kaoru, who had a lot of knowledge in this area—having claimed herself as the head of the Occult Club, which didn’t even exist—probably didn’t find our appearances very realistic. After all, she must’ve watched a lot of horror movies, so our makeup with red lipstick and paint wouldn’t have looked too convincing.

“Well, it doesn’t matter! When does your shift end?”

“We’re done before lunchtime, so we’ll be finished soon.”

“Really? Then we’ll wait in the next room… no, never mind.”

Heh, heh, heh.

Kaoru let out an eerie laugh with her hand over her mouth.

Actually, it wasn’t really eerie—more like an imitation of being creepy. It looked more like a cat covering its mouth with its paw rather than genuinely being scary.

“We’ll save a table in the next room! Just come over when you're done.”

I could guess why she was saying that.

This world’s setting wasn’t blatantly obvious, but it followed the light novel and harem genre rules of that time.

Even if it was a ‘new-era’ novel, it didn’t show people dying from start to finish.

Since it was a light novel and harem story, there were bound to be sweet romance-like scenes.

And at a cultural festival, certain scenes must be shown, right?

***

That’s right.

I didn’t know much about real-life cultural festivals.

In high school, our school festivals were just a day spent in classrooms doing various things, and then we’d head to the auditorium to watch students sing and dance. In university, I only remembered watching the invited celebrity performances and then drinking so much makgeolli that I blacked out.

This was my first time experiencing a cultural festival in Japan.

So, I didn’t know if maid cafes were really held at Japanese cultural festivals.

But does it matter if I didn’t know?

I’ll just find out from now on.

“Wow!”

As soon as we entered the temporary cafe, not a classroom, Koko's eyes sparkled, perhaps from the delicious smell.

But I couldn’t imagine the food here could actually be that good.

In most countries, food establishments are pretty strict, so what they could sell was quite limited. Fresh cream and fruit, which spoil quickly, were banned.

What they mostly sold were packaged cookies, and the only things students could prepare were tea and coffee.

So the students decided.

The ‘winning factor’ was ‘high school girls dressed as maids.’

Even if adults thought of it, they couldn’t openly suggest it. But since the actual high school girls pushed it strongly, the teachers couldn’t say much.

They even got near-unanimous agreement from the boys in the class.

Honestly, as someone who’s actually worked, I couldn’t understand the mindset of students wanting to “work” during a festival. Maybe this was the difference between a jaded adult and enthusiastic students.

“Welcome, Misses!”

Because we were high school girls, they called us ‘misses.’

Originally, we would’ve had to wait in a long line, but thanks to Kaoru and Izumi securing a table, we got in right away.

I wondered if it was okay to walk in covered in blood, but when I saw a guy dressed as M○rio in a red outfit with a signature mustache sitting inside, I decided not to care.

“Over here, over here!”

Kaoru raised her hand and shouted.

There were no food or drinks on the table in front of them yet. The line was long, so they must’ve just gotten in themselves.

The table wasn’t exactly a real table. It was just a round folding table like the ones in front of convenience stores, covered with a lace-covered tablecloth, making it look cheap. Even the chairs were the same ones we used in class.

Well, considering it was all for fun, worrying about quality seemed pointless.

“Take a look over there.”

As soon as we sat down, Kaoru smiled brightly.

When I turned to look, I saw an unusual sight of Yuka.

Her face was red, and she was wearing a short, maid dress.

And when she made eye contact with me, her face turned even redder.

Why?

I just smiled a little.

Yuka wasn’t a hugely popular student in the class.

Sure, she was pretty and had a nice figure, so maybe some boys liked her secretly. But her usual behavior was too aloof for anyone to approach her easily.

Who thought of dressing Yuka in a maid outfit?

For reference, in the original, Yuka wore a maid outfit to keep an eye on Nakahara and Hagiwara.

Looking around, I could see Sasaki as well. Surprisingly, there were male waiters in this cafe too. It seemed the theme for them was butlers.

“I’d like to order!”

Kaoru shouted with excitement.

A girl nearby glanced at us and made eye contact with me, who was sitting down.

I didn’t know her, but she seemed to recognize me as someone who hung out with Yuka.

She then approached Yuka and gently pushed her from behind.

It probably meant to go and see her friend.

Yuka was blending into the class, I guess. It wouldn’t be strange for her to have a group she talked to after spending two semesters here.

Although she still didn’t seem to have a lot of friends.

Eventually, Yuka came over to us.

“…Your order.”

“Oh?”

When Yuka spoke in a stiff voice while holding up a notepad and pen, Kaoru tilted her head with a mischievous smile. She looked just like a cat.

“I heard the maids at this cafe have a specific way of talking. Did I misunderstand?”

“……”

Yuka flinched.

That’s right.

Outside, there was a big banner that said, “We strictly follow the concept!”

If Yuka knew a lot about this kind of thing, she’d know there are cool, aloof maids who speak curtly. But unfortunately, Yuka didn’t know that much about subculture.

The only thing she knew well was games. And even those were just the mainstream ones.

Yuka glanced at me.

She seemed to be recalling that in our cafe, the maids didn’t actually bother with such formalities.

Of course, I didn’t say anything to Yuka.

I felt a bit sorry for Yuka, but to be honest, I was finding this situation quite amusing.

“O-Oh, W-Welcome, Misses.”

In the end, Yuka said it in a tiny voice.

Hmm.

She’ll probably be popular.

If this were a real cafe, the manager might’ve scolded her for her lack of professionalism, but no one here was seriously expecting service.

So, there might actually be a demand for someone who’s embarrassed like this.

“Hmm, nice, nice.”

Kaoru nodded with a satisfied smile. Izumi poked Kaoru in the side, as if to say, ‘Cut it out,’ but her expression made it hard to take it seriously.

Yuka, if you grip that pen any harder, it’ll break.

Of course, I wasn’t about to say anything to make things worse, so I stayed quiet.

Anyway, Yuka wasn’t the type to yell at me or throw punches.

“I’ll have coffee.”

“Me too.”

“…Orange juice.”

“Cookies!”

I ordered an extra juice for Koko, who ordered just cookies without any drinks.

“When will you be done?”

Kaoru, seemingly done teasing, asked with a cheerful tone, though her voice no longer had that teasing edge.

“I was only supposed to work in the morning… but since it’s a cafe, I’ll probably be here until lunch ends.”

“Really? Then we’ll go up and eat first, so come up when you're done.”

When Kaoru said that, Yuka’s face brightened.

Now that I think about it, how did Yuka enjoy school festivals before?

Or did she even enjoy them at all? There might’ve been years where she couldn’t attend properly. School events have different schedules, and with all the transferring schools, she might’ve missed some.

Today, maybe I won’t change out of this outfit.

Yuka would probably enjoy it more. Of course, she wouldn’t want to enjoy the festival in a maid outfit, though.

“Okay!”

Yuka, without realizing it, hugged the receipt to her chest and responded energetically before waving at me and Koko.

“See you later.”

“Yep!”

Koko waved back happily.

As I watched Yuka leave to pass on our order, I shifted my gaze to Sasaki.

Sasaki was serving a customer.

In the original, he almost never stopped saying, “I’m just an ordinary high school student,” but no matter how you looked at it, that wasn’t true.

His parents were divorced, but his father was rich and rented out a fancy house in an expensive neighborhood for his kids. His mother was a mess, with extreme behavior in every way. Plus, he had the blood of a yokai exterminator.

On top of that, there were even scenes in the original where women hit on him on the street.

In summary, Sasaki was a handsome, rich, and complicated high school boy.

There’s no way he wouldn’t be popular. After all, a harem protagonist needs to have some kind of credibility.

As I grew accustomed to my position and forgot about the past, the envy I felt as a man started bubbling up.

“Onii-sama!”

While I was privately brooding over the unfairness of the world, a loud voice called out.

Naturally, everyone in the classroom turned toward the entrance.

There was only one person who would call Sasaki “Onii-sama.”

Of course, Shii.

Well, there’s no reason she wouldn’t come.

“Shii.”

Sasaki, surprisingly, didn’t even flinch under the gazes aimed at him and calmly responded.

Oh, right.

Shii had always spoken like that, so people must have looked her way a lot. Sasaki, who didn’t want his sister to be treated like a weirdo because of her speech, probably got used to accepting it naturally.

“Sota!”

And, as if it were the most natural thing, Nakahara popped out from behind Shii.

Seeing Sasaki in his butler outfit, her eyes sparkled, showing how much she liked it.

“Sota, you look great today.”

And behind her, Hagiwara appeared.

By the way, I think it was against the rules to flirt with the waiters and waitresses.

But then again, it’s 2004. Plus, we’re in Japan. A girl complimenting a guy like that would probably be encouraged.

I turned my gaze back to Sasaki. This time, every guy in the classroom was looking at him.

Their eyes showed hostility as they alternated between looking at Hagiwara and Nakahara.

Clink.

Amused by the flow of events, I heard the sound of glasses being set down in front of me.

Two coffees, two orange juices, and cookies.

“Wow!”

Koko gleefully grabbed a cookie and put it in her mouth.

“It’s delicious!”

“Really?”

I picked up a cookie and ate it.

It was good. But no matter how I thought about it, it didn’t taste homemade.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Yuka, after serving our drinks and food, glanced at Sasaki’s group.

“…He’s at it again.”

At her words, I shrugged.

Sasaki had taken Shii’s speech naturally, but he was clearly flustered by the sudden appearance of the two heroines and the hostility aimed at him.

After all, those two usually didn’t come to this classroom. Once they left, Sasaki was bound to be bombarded with questions by the boys.

Or maybe even grabbed by the collar.

Well, they wouldn’t be too serious. It’d just be jealous teasing.

No need to worry too much.

Still, seeing Sasaki flustered made me feel somewhat satisfied.

Even after that, I leisurely enjoyed my orange juice and cookies while watching Sasaki get flustered by Nakahara and Hagiwara’s words.

Then, I stood up.

“Oh, Senpai!”

“Shii.”

I waved back at Shii, who was waving at me.

“Senpai, you’re in the Literature Club, right?”

“...We have an exhibition on the top floor of the old building, so come by if you have time.”

“I’ll definitely go!”

Shii nodded in response to my words.

As for Hagiwara and Nakahara… I just gave them a casual nod.

We shared some secrets, but I couldn’t say we were particularly close.

And so, the four of us headed toward the Literature Club room.

***

Naturally, it was quiet here.

A few people came in before Yuka arrived, but none of them showed much interest. They just took a quick look around and left after saying goodbye.

Since it was mostly being managed by the staff inside, it made sense that guests would feel too uncomfortable to enter.

You know how awkward it feels when you walk into a restaurant and you’re the only customer?

And two of the staff members were still in ghost makeup.

“Maybe we should’ve brought some Jack-o'-lanterns?”

Kaoru said seriously, and at this rate, it seemed she might actually turn the place into a late Halloween party tomorrow.

But, well.

That wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

Caught up in the festival atmosphere, I thought leisurely.

After waiting for a few more minutes, the Literature Club room door opened.

For a moment, we thought it might be a customer, so we all straightened up. But it was Yuka who came in.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

Yuka said with a smile as she sat down.

“Aw, you changed out of the outfit.”

I expected it, and Kaoru probably did too, but Kaoru couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed and said so.

“You looked great.”

“...But I can’t walk around the festival all day dressed like that.”

Kaoru and Izumi both turned their gazes toward Koko and me.

“Uuu?”

“...You guys are going to stay dressed like that?”

“Yep.”

Yuka asked, and I confidently nodded.

Yuka, who had instinctively started to retort, quickly closed her mouth.

Then, suddenly becoming serious, she covered her mouth with her hand and seemed to ponder something for a moment.

“…I see.”

She muttered to herself as if she’d come to some realization, then abruptly stood up.

“Senpai.”

“I know.”

Before Yuka could say anything more, Kaoru grinned and nodded.

“Everyone, let’s go! Go and enjoy the festival to your heart’s content!”

“…What about you, Senpai?”

“We’re fine.”

Izumi responded to my question.

She already had a thick book open on her lap.

“We already took a round in the morning.”

Judging by her attitude, it seemed like rejecting the offer would be pointless.

“…I’ll bring something delicious when we come back.”

“Yay!”

Koko cheered in response to my words.

“See you later.”

“Have fun!”

The two of them, waving with smiles, suddenly looked very grown-up.

Chapter 123. Memories (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When I was younger, I often had a very indifferent attitude toward participating in school events.

It was something I attended reluctantly because I didn't really want to go to school, and festivals were only fun for kids with lots of friends.

For me, who found reading light novel books at home more enjoyable, all I wanted was to be sent home as quickly as possible.

But now, things were different.

Wasn’t this place where things from the manga and light novels I read as a child were happening?

Of course, I had to enjoy it.

A friend once told me that traveling abroad is fun because we don’t know what’s “ordinary” in that country.

Since we don’t know what’s normal, even something small seems new and special. On the other hand, foreigners probably feel the same way about Korea.

I had never traveled abroad, so I didn’t really get it, but now, I had no choice but to agree.

The atmosphere of a city is similar, whether it's Seoul or Tokyo. But when you look closely at the details, you find many differences in the scenery and vibe.

The language on the signs changes. Just as there are subways running underground, there are many trains running above ground, and there are also many crosswalks.

The street food is quite different from Korean street food in many ways, and even the living environments and daily eating habits differ.

And this school festival was no exception.

I’d never been to a Japanese school festival before, so I didn’t know if the festivals in manga or light novels were considered normal or not.

And I had no idea if what was happening here was normal either.

So everything that entered my sight as I walked around felt new and interesting.

“The tea leaves were better than I thought.”

As we left the tea ceremony experience, Yuka said.

I could distinguish between green tea and black tea, but I didn’t know the difference between the various tea leaves, so I just nodded.

More than that, I had no idea there was a place like this inside the school. It looked like a regular classroom from the outside, but inside, it was a Japanese-style room in many ways.

A tea ceremony club? It sounded like the kind of club that wouldn’t be popular, but it was located among the other popular clubs.

At least, it seemed much more popular than the Literature Club.

“Do you drink tea often?”

“My grandfather likes it.”

I see.

I nodded, making a mental note to remember that.

Maybe I could give her grandfather a Christmas gift or something like that later. It might be nice to give a small gift to the people who’ve helped me.

Come to think of it, Japan is known for being really into New Year’s cards. I should ask Yuka about that later.

“Oh, what’s this?”

As we walked along the second-year hallway, we stopped, following Yuka’s footsteps.

There was no need to think about or choose what to enjoy while walking with Yuka. She seemed determined to fully enjoy the festival, stopping almost once per room.

Maybe that was the right way to enjoy it. I took a lot of photos as well.

We stopped in front of a sign.

[Challenge! Death Race in the Swamp of Doom]

What a bizarre name.

Were the students filming a short movie or something? Judging by the fact that the windows in the hallway were all covered, it seemed possible.

“This says it’s an interactive experience.”

Following Yuka’s words, I read the guide, and sure enough, it was. Three people could participate at a time, and there was a prize for the winner.

A long line of people was already forming at the entrance where the instructions weren’t written.

Running from one end of a classroom to the other wouldn’t take long, right? Maybe that’s why the windows in the hallway were covered—if it looked boring from outside, people might not join in.

“...Want to try it?”

When I asked Yuka, she nodded energetically.

Well, I was curious too.

We took Koko and walked to the back of the line.

[30 minutes from here]

At the end of the line, a student was holding a sign that said just that.

Impressive. It felt a bit like we were at an amusement park.

…Maybe I should suggest we go together later.

Watching Yuka’s excited face, I thought as much.

*

Ah, so this is what it was.

With a grand name like "Death Swamp," I wondered what they had set up, but it turned out to be a ball pit.

They had spread small plastic balls, like the ones in kids' cafés or play areas in big stores, all over the classroom floor, with stepping stones placed between them.

There were several stepping stones at the start, but only one at the end, near the finish line. The simple rule was that only one person could make it to the end.

Although it was called a ball pit, it didn’t seem like they had enough balls to fill the entire floor, so thick gym mats, probably taken from the school’s storage room, were laid out in the gaps. The stepping stones were just a bit higher than the mats and the ball pit.

They even had foam guardrails on the corners to prevent kids from bumping into things.

For safety, we were given elbow and knee pads, along with helmets to wear.

It seemed like the time was delayed a bit each time a new team had to gear up!

“Welcome!”

As the three of us entered, a second-year female student greeted us with enthusiasm.

“Risk your life and complete the race! At the end awaits a sweet victory! Welcome to the Death Race!”

Of course, the prize was a slightly large chocolate bar.

By the way, the participation fee was 100 yen per person.

The race wouldn’t start unless there were three people, so running this event wasn’t putting them in the red.

They must have rented the ball pit from somewhere, but the school likely helped cover that cost.

Or maybe the ball pit had been sitting in the school storage room all along.

“Are all three of you participating?”

The three of us exchanged looks and nodded.

“Yes, then please follow the safety officers to put on your protective gear!”

Two ghosts and an ordinary high school girl were soon fully geared up from head to toe.

For some reason, seeing myself in the full-length mirror standing in the corner of the classroom made me laugh. I looked like Sadako about to fall out of the TV, prepared to not injure herself.

After taking a photo of that look, we followed the safety officer’s instructions and took our positions.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

Yuka said with a smile.

“Neither will I.”

“Wooah!”

At that point, I figured I might as well get into the spirit. It was more fun that way.

“Alright, are you all ready?”

The female student who had guided us shouted.

“Great. Just remember, if anyone uses too much force, they’ll be disqualified! No hitting or pushing! You’ll only be disqualified if you fall by not stepping on a platform. Got it?”

When we all nodded, she smiled brightly, nodded back, and then went to a radio at the back of the classroom and pressed play.

The background music from the movie Jaws started playing.

“Now— Go!”

*

The winner was Koko.

We had said we wouldn’t go easy on her, but neither Yuka nor I were heartless.

We wanted Koko, the purest among us, to fully enjoy the festival and remember this moment for a long time.

It definitely wasn’t because she was already ahead of us before we reached the halfway point,

Or because Yuka and I silently agreed to charge in and try to beat her, only to fail to catch up.

And it certainly wasn’t because I reached out, realized it was against the rules, and quickly pulled back, only to fall to the side and get disqualified.

...

But looking at Koko, smiling happily with a giant chocolate in hand, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

“Here you go!”

Koko snapped the chocolate and handed me a piece.

Though it was just one piece, it was almost a third of the bar.

“Thanks.”

I didn’t refuse and took it.

Koko also gave a piece to Yuka, and in the end, we all shared the chocolate equally.

It was very sweet.

“Hm…”

After a brief moment of thought, Yuka spoke.

“Shall we head back up? We should let Kaoru-senpai and Izumi-senpai enjoy a bit too. Besides, there’s always tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

“Yay!”

Yuka’s words prompted a simultaneous reply from the two of us.

We had been walking around for quite some time, so resting a bit didn’t sound bad.

Wasn’t the boss and Miki coming tomorrow? In that case, there was nothing to worry about for today.

We could head back, relax with a book, and then head home.

With a lightened heart, the three of us walked together.

*

But something unexpected happened along the way.

Ah, it wasn’t anything yokai-related. At least, not yet—there hadn’t been any accidents at school.

If something had happened, it would have caused a big commotion already. This place was much more crowded than the school festivals I remembered from my school days. Even if only people connected to the students came, the number would be huge. Add in kids visiting from other schools, and it’s even more so.

The boss and Miki had said they would come tomorrow, and my grandfather said he’d come a little later in the afternoon. So until then, I had planned to just wait leisurely in the Literature Club room.

“…So, you must be Kotone’s mother?”

By sheer coincidence, I overheard something like that as I was walking down the hallway.

It wasn’t because the area was particularly quiet. Quite the opposite—there were a lot of people. The only reason I heard that voice was that the person speaking was none other than Ms. Suzuki.

My eyes naturally turned in that direction.

Ms. Suzuki was blocked from view by the person she was talking to, but I could clearly see the back of the person standing in front of her. It was someone I knew very well.

“...”

The person standing there silently was none other than Kagami.

Wow.

The atmosphere between the two quickly became awkward.

This was the first time they had met face-to-face.

When Ms. Suzuki came to see me, Kagami wasn’t around. Even when I went to the police station, there was no reason for Ms. Suzuki to visit.

It was the same when I was in the hospital.

Of course, Kagami had never visited our school. There was no reason for her to.

But Kagami would naturally know who Ms. Suzuki was. Even if she hadn’t come in person, she must have done some research on my surroundings.

She would’ve tried to avoid meeting Ms. Suzuki in person as much as possible.

“Are you here to see Kotone?”

On the other hand, how did Ms. Suzuki know about Kagami?

Well, it wouldn’t have been hard to find out if she wanted to. Maybe she had even gone to see Kagami, like she came to see me. She might have asked just to confirm, seeing Kagami in such different clothes than she usually wore.

It wasn’t until then that my frozen thoughts began to thaw, and I realized Kagami wasn’t wearing her usual revealing clothes but an outfit with no exposure at all.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

If she had come here dressed like she usually did at work, I probably would have died of embarrassment.

Even Kagami had the sense not to do that.

“Kotone?”

When I stopped walking and stared in one direction, Koko called my name. Yuka, who had been walking beside me, also looked at me, puzzled.

What should I do?

“...Am I not allowed to?”

It seemed Kagami had made up her mind. With her arms crossed, she spoke to Ms. Suzuki.

And hearing that, more eyes turned toward them.

Ms. Suzuki was popular among the students. Her reputation was probably good among the other teachers too.

She was friendly, passionate about her work, and always willing to listen to the students.

Even students who weren’t in our class would often chat with her.

But Kagami was a face the students had never seen before.

Even though her tone was polite, if she clashed with Ms. Suzuki, things could take an ugly turn.

And that wouldn’t be good for me either.

Hearing Kagami’s words, I immediately started walking toward them.

By that point, Yuka seemed to have figured out what was going on and quickly came closer to me.

Before Kagami could say another word, I needed to think of something to draw all the attention toward me.

“...Mom.”

Before I even finished thinking, the word came out of my mouth.

As soon as I said it, I felt embarrassed. Calling Kagami "mom," someone who might actually be younger than me.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t used that word before, but saying it in front of so many people like this was a bit embarrassing.

The eyes were now on me.

For some strange reason, my name had spread all over the school, and quite a few kids recognized me.

They were now looking back and forth between me and Kagami with curious eyes, as if thinking, "So that’s her mom."

But none of them reacted beyond that.

I was famous at school, but mostly because of my appearance.

Kagami, too, was just a stunningly beautiful woman when she kept her mouth shut.

Kagami’s eyes wavered slightly as she looked back at me.

And for a brief moment, she hesitated, as if unsure of what to call me.

Then she saw Yuka and Koko, who had followed behind me.

But I spoke first.

“The Literature Club is this way.”

I reached out and gently took Kagami’s sleeve.

I didn’t really know why I acted like that.

Maybe because if I hadn’t, Kagami would have put on an act like she did at the police station and treated me harshly.

The whole school would end up hearing about it, and Kagami’s reputation would plummet.

“...”

Though I couldn’t quite explain it, I didn’t want that to happen.

Her image had already been ruined enough in front of the other kids, but still, letting things get worse…

“Let’s go.”

When I spoke, Kagami looked at me with a confused expression.

It seemed she wasn’t sure how to respond to my behavior.

“Kotone.”

Ms. Suzuki, who had gotten used to calling me by my name over time, spoke seriously.

“If you need any help—”

“No, it’s okay.”

I didn’t need help from the start.

If anything, Kagami had been the one who helped me.

Though I still didn’t know everything about Kagami or her connections, there were still some shady aspects. That’s why I still felt uneasy about the money coming from her side.

Especially after what she had done to Koko.

Still, there was no denying I felt uncomfortable.

“Let’s go.”

I repeated, and Kagami, after staring at me with her narrowed eyes, silently followed.

“Kotone.”

Yuka called my name with concern. She thought Kagami was... "that kind" of person.

I shook my head.

“It’s fine.”

“...”

At my words, Yuka glanced at Kagami and then nodded.

But she stayed close to me.

“Uuu?”

Koko tilted her head, confused.

Had Kagami stopped being scary to her? At least she wasn’t hissing like a cat anymore, so it seemed that way.

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. As we headed to the old building, the crowd began to thin out. And as we climbed the floors of the old building, the number of people decreased even more.

There were still a few people around, though. Some threw glances at me, dressed as a ghost, but that was all.

By the time we reached the Literature Club room, there was practically no one.

Kagami hadn’t said a word until I opened the door and went inside.

“Oh.”

Seeing me and Kagami enter together, Kaoru and Izumi, who had been sitting in chairs, quickly stood up.

On the table between them were some snacks they often had in the clubroom. It seemed they had been relaxing comfortably, just as they had said earlier.

...I felt a bit sorry.

“Should we leave?”

Kaoru, quick on the uptake, said.

“...Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

Izumi, standing up with Kaoru, spoke.

“Take your time and relax.”

“...”

Kaoru and Izumi knew the gist of my relationship with Kagami. At least they didn’t seem to think I was being abused, as they quickly stepped out of the Literature Club room.

“Yuka.”

I looked at Yuka, who wasn’t leaving.

“...”

Yuka glanced between me, Koko, and Kagami.

“If I sense anything strange, I’ll come right back in.”

She said, staring at Kagami with extreme caution.

“...That won’t be necessary.”

At my words, Yuka looked at me again.

Her expression was complicated.

After a moment of hesitation, Yuka sighed, shrugged her shoulders, and stepped aside.

Watching the door close, I turned to Kagami.

“Did something serious happen?”

“No.”

Kagami replied in a slightly dazed voice, as if even she didn’t know why she was here.

“So... did you come to enjoy the festival?”

“...Maybe?”

It didn’t sound like a joke. Kagami herself was frowning slightly and tilting her head in confusion.

“...”

What should I do?

Should I run out right now and call Kaoru back? The club's exhibition might suit this situation better.

“Woo?”

Koko tilted her head, as if wondering what the problem was.

Exactly.

The fact that there was no problem was the problem. Whenever I met Kagami, it had always been for a "reason."

“...Do you want me to show you around?”

Not knowing what else to say, I asked, and Kagami blinked.

“...Show me around?”

“Well, there are no visitors here, but there are still some displays.”

I didn’t know why I was saying this either.

But it was better than saying nothing.

Yeah, that must have been why.

Chapter 124. Memories (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The first feeling I had toward the existence known as Kurosawa Kagami was 'vigilance.'

To be honest, it wasn’t entirely my fault.

As someone who had been dropped into this world without any idea why, I couldn’t help but doubt everything, and in the midst of that, Kagami appeared before me saying, "I’ve come to share some good words with you."

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed incredibly suspicious. Moreover, during our first meeting, Kagami looked as though she was using some sort of power. Looking back now, it might have just been my imagination.

Nyarlathotep.

At first, I had placed Kagami on that level.

Since she had first appeared as Nirlass' underling, I automatically assumed Kagami held some divine position.

Looking back now, that was a completely wrong assumption. Kagami had never shown any sign that she held such a high position in front of me.

Once I dismissed that suspicion… well. Once I did, how should I think of Kagami?

The more I thought about it, the more awkward it felt. She wasn’t someone I could treat as a close friend, but at the same time, she wasn’t someone I could openly antagonize either.

And yet, I was already speaking casually to her.

"…So, this is."

Even though I had just sent my friends away, the silence felt awkward, so I spoke as I approached the exhibit.

Kagami and Koko followed behind me.

The exhibit… wasn’t anything special. I had done some basic editing using the word processor on the school’s computer, printed it out on the school’s large printer, carefully glued it onto hardboards, and set it up on a canvas stand borrowed from the art room.

At the time, I thought it looked pretty decent since we were pressed for time, but now that I was standing in front of it with others, it felt embarrassingly shabby.

Perhaps it felt even worse because I had just enjoyed Yuka’s and the other class’s exhibits a moment ago.

"I borrowed some lines from this country’s literary figures. It’s the Literature Club, after all."

"I see."

Kagami replied, but like me, the atmosphere between us was unbearably awkward. She tried to hide it with her expression, but her hesitant actions gave her away completely.

Trying to break the suffocating tension, I sped up my explanation.

"We also mixed in some of our own writings here and there, that’s about it."

I was just trying to get through the explanation quickly, but it seemed Kagami found the idea interesting.

Ah, right? From Kagami’s perspective, I probably seemed like something inexplicable as well.

After all, even Nirlass was curious about me, so it must have been even more so for Kagami.

And then there was Koko.

"Where are the writings you did?"

Kagami bent slightly to look closer at the exhibit and asked.

"…Here."

Living like a cat doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Lazily lying under the warm sunlight, dozing off peacefully.

That was the line I had quoted.

To be honest, now that I had shown it to her, I felt a little embarrassed.

Since I had lived a life far from writing, I wasn’t very confident in it.

"…"

Kagami stared at the writing for a while.

I wish she’d say something.

"That’s not the only thing I wrote."

Feeling anxious, I said that, and Kagami blinked and slowly turned towards me.

I walked over to where the club’s publications were stacked next to the Literature Club room and picked up a copy.

It wasn’t very thick. Just some stapled-together sheets that were clearly made for show.

…But we had still sweated buckets making it.

I handed the book to Kagami, who was still standing there.

"If you need one, take it."

"…"

Kagami stared at the booklet for a while again.

Does she not need it?

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Kagami reached out and took the booklet I offered.

When I let go, she raised it slowly to her eye level.

[Hanagawa High School Literature Club Anthology: 'Flower (花)']

I think the name of the anthology is really uncreative, but I heard it’s a name that’s been passed down for a long time, so I didn’t bother changing it.

We used a group photo for the cover. We stood in front of the school building, all smiling brightly.

The photo club’s room was right next door, so Kaoru had bought a bunch of snacks and brought them over, asking them to take the picture.

Thanks to that, we were able to take a picture with far better quality than a phone camera.

If this were 20 years later, we could’ve just taken a decent picture with a smartphone, but at this time, the difference in quality was much more apparent.

Unfortunately, none of us had any proper design skills, and we didn’t have enough time to ask someone else to help, so in the end, the cover was just the title and our group photo.

We tried to imitate a magazine cover as best we could, but of course, it wasn’t anywhere near the level of a real, published magazine.

"Um, you’re going to read it here?"

Surprised as I watched Kagami flipping through the booklet, she looked up at me.

"Ah… Should I take it with me?"

"Uh… yeah, I guess that would be better. Even though it’s thin, there’s quite a bit to read."

Honestly, even standing here, it probably wouldn’t take her more than 30 minutes to get through it.

At my words, Kagami closed the booklet. Instead of a firm 'snap' of the cover, there was only the faint sound of paper rustling.

We fell into silence again.

"So, did you really just come to see this?"

"Yes, that’s right."

Kagami answered.

Silence again.

"…Do you want to see anything else?"

Kagami seemed to be thinking about it.

I was surprised that she was even showing hesitation.

I thought she would leave right away.

Not that I wanted her to leave, though.

If I told her to leave now, it would feel like I was kicking her out, and that wouldn’t feel good.

But taking her to the haunted house or the death race would feel a bit strange too.

After thinking for a moment, I asked,

"…Do you want to take a picture?"

Kagami blinked in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"The photo club is right next door."

Compared to the other classes and clubs that had thoroughly prepared to enjoy the festival, the top floor of this old building didn’t really have anything like that.

But if there was anything worth enjoying here, I’d say the photo club was it.

Like us, the photo club had prepared their own content. They had printed out the photos they took and put them on display.

However, they didn’t just stop at the exhibition. They had set up a small studio in one corner of their room.

It wasn’t much, just an empty wall with a chair placed by the window where the light came in well.

For 200 yen, they’d take a picture of you.

They didn’t offer prints, but if you gave them your email address, they’d send the digital copy.

You could say it was like digitized sticker photos. Though since the actual ‘sticker photo’ hadn’t been invented yet, it seemed like this wasn’t very popular.

Maybe the lack of customers was because the photo club was tucked away up here on the top floor of the old building that had a reputation for being boring.

"Are you asking if I want to take a family photo?"

Kagami asked, as if teasing me.

"Yeah."

I answered without thinking much.

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have more pictures.

I don’t really know what Kagami thinks of me.

To be honest, I don’t even know what I think of her. I just… don’t think I hate her entirely.

If I don’t hate her, then it wouldn’t be a problem for her to have a photo of me, right?

She wouldn’t have any pictures of me, would she? We weren’t close enough to meet like that anyway.

"Are you serious?"

Kagami said with her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and I shrugged.

"It’s a festival."

Then I looked at Koko.

"Uwa?"

After seeing my gaze, Kagami seemed to understand what I wanted.

She looked around hesitantly before shrugging as if mimicking me and said,

"Well… sure. It’d be nice to enjoy the festival while I’m here."

It’s a festival.

Kagami seemed to agree with that idea.

*

Even though the studio was just set up temporarily where the sunlight came in well, the actual photo session felt quite serious.

As expected from a school with a wealthy photo club, the camera they used seemed top-notch, and there were even lights set up inside.

A student, probably a second-year, carefully took a picture and showed it to us.

The photo on the laptop screen looked quite impressive.

Because we were near the window, the shadows stretched long, but that actually enhanced the atmosphere.

It was already early enough that the sky was tinged orange, even though it was still early in the day—hard to believe it wasn’t winter yet.

The soft lighting helped illuminate our faces, and the good camera captured the three of us—me, Kagami, and Koko—perfectly.

To be honest, it was a somewhat eerie photo.

Kagami stood in the center, while Koko and I sat on either side of her, but with both of us wearing similar expressions, we almost looked like the same person.

Plus, the background wasn’t some traditional family photo setting, but a rundown school building, with most of the lighting being natural.

On top of that, the atmosphere Kagami herself exuded was anything but ordinary.

Thanks to all that, despite the beautiful sunset light, the picture ended up looking like a gloomy horror movie poster.

But, I actually liked it a lot.

"Oh, wow, what’s this?"

Kaoru laughed as she looked at the picture.

Izumi was also standing behind her, tiptoeing to catch a glimpse.

Yuka still seemed a bit awkward.

Yeah. Kaoru and Izumi had seen Kagami speak to me respectfully, but Yuka hadn’t.

…How should I explain this to Yuka?

I hadn’t intended to deceive her from the start, but… explaining it now would just make things even more complicated.

Yuka had been looking after me because she thought I was being mistreated. Most of the stuff I shared in the room with Koko had been given to me by Yuka.

I felt guilty for deceiving her.

With that thought in mind, I tugged on Yuka’s sleeve.

Then, I showed her the picture.

Kagami subtly moved away from Yuka. Whether Yuka noticed this or not, she looked at the photo and—

"Pft."

She suddenly let out a laugh.

Yeah. It was that kind of photo.

To anyone who didn’t know us, it probably looked like an unsettling horror movie poster. But to anyone who knew me and Koko, it must have seemed a bit funny.

Don’t you think so? We had wiped off the fake blood for the picture, but Koko and I were still in our ghost costumes.

"Let’s take one too!"

Kaoru immediately shouted.

"That’s okay, right?"

She asked the second-year student who had taken our picture, and it seemed like they were on familiar terms.

"Of course! We’ve had hardly any customers anyway."

The student cheerfully lifted up the payment box. The sound of coins rattling inside made it clear that only a few people had visited.

We decided to take a group picture.

Even though there were five of us, seating arrangements were simple—three in front, two in the back. Since they had easily taken a picture of me, Koko, and Kagami earlier, there was plenty of space.

While we bustled about, finding our positions, I saw Kagami subtly slipping away.

Just before Kagami exited the photo club room, our eyes met.

For a moment, I hesitated, wondering what to say to her.

Then, feeling a bit awkward, I lifted one hand and gave her a small wave.

Kagami stared at me for a moment, slightly bewildered, before nodding and stepping out the door.

I caught a glimpse of the booklet in her hand.

*

How to describe this feeling, Kagami couldn’t say.

Kagami had seen countless 'children' up until now.

They were all 'failures.' Most were never physically complete.

The time it took for them to emerge varied. None of them had taken the full 10 months like a normal human child. Sometimes it was a month, other times just ten days.

These half-formed, shapeless beings, barely alive.

Some followed their instincts, sacrificing those around them. The deformed bodies tried to mimic human form before they were sealed away.

She hadn’t killed them.

No, she couldn’t. There was no way to do so.

Seeking help from elsewhere wasn’t an option either, for the Kurosawa family had too many complications.

They were too stubborn.

Years and years passed.

From the time when Kagami was first old enough to bear children, the attempts had continued. Then, one day, they finally produced a being that resembled a human. It took 10 months.

But there was a problem.

"…Solving the physical issues, now it’s the soul?"

Another failure.

Kosuzu had been visibly disappointed when she saw the result.

Even so, the soulless creature grew, and it did so at a human-like pace. Seeing that, Kosuzu’s initial disappointment gradually turned to interest.

Although, 14 years later, that interest had faded.

"…"

Kagami looked down at the booklet in her hands.

She had never thought of it as her child. Not until now.

What dwelled inside it was undoubtedly something foreign. Something that should be worshipped, perhaps even a being that would connect her to the gods beyond.

It would be a lie to say she hadn’t resented it. It would also be a lie to say she hadn’t loathed it.

And to say she hadn’t been terrified the first time it moved would also be a lie.

But now...

"Why does it seem so harmless?"

Kagami found an empty bench outside the school building.

It wasn’t an easy task. There were so many people at this school. It was odd how many people had gathered to enjoy such an amateurish student festival, which wasn’t particularly well-prepared.

But, then again, that’s how people are. They always find meaning in the smallest things, without ever knowing what true meaning lies beyond.

In any case, it was sheer luck that Kagami managed to find an unoccupied seat.

She quickly took her spot before someone else could.

Humans are peculiar beings. They’ll force themselves into overcrowded trains that feel like livestock pens, but they hesitate to sit next to someone on a bench.

Kagami knew that as long as she sat here, no one would bother her.

For something made by students, the paper of the booklet was surprisingly high-quality. It was the same glossy paper used for real magazines.

The editing wasn’t that great, but considering it was made by kids with no professional knowledge, it wasn’t too bad.

Flipping through the pages, Kagami found the piece written by Kurosawa Kotone.

"…A cat?"

She knew well that Kotone kept a cat.

---

It was strange for a non-human entity to feel loneliness, like a human would.

Isn’t the vast universe beyond empty? Despite the countless stars, the space between them is so vast that light takes too long to reach.

For a being who dwells in such a place to dislike being alone in a room and invite another creature in… does that make sense?

…Sometimes, Kuro’s eyes seem to gaze far beyond. Even when I look at the same thing, there’s nothing to see.

Is she lost in thought? What kind of thoughts would Kuro have?

But when those eyes are not looking into the distance, but at me, I get a more concrete thought.

I wonder… is this child happy being with me?

…That’s far too human a sentiment for a being from beyond.

---

"Did Kotone write that?"

Kagami flinched at the voice that startled her.

She looked up and saw the teacher she had briefly spoken with earlier.

The homeroom teacher of Kurosawa Kotone and Kurosawa Koko.

Thinking of the name 'Koko' made her feel even stranger.

Where did that name come from? It was completely unrelated to any of the beings Kagami knew from beyond. It sounded more like a puppy’s name.

Did she take it from her own name?

"Mind if I sit here for a bit?"

"…"

Kagami silently looked up at the teacher, then gave a small nod.

The teacher took a seat next to her, though not too close. The bench was wide enough for three people to sit comfortably.

For a moment, the teacher said nothing.

"Kotone…"

The teacher seemed like she was about to bring up something regarding child abuse, but thankfully, she was more cautious than expected and chose her words carefully.

"She seems fine on the surface, but she’s a child who needs a lot of attention."

If this had been any other time, Kagami would have said, 'Then give it to her,' whether genuinely or just as a bluff.

"She seems to have improved while hanging out with friends, but there are still signs of emotional neglect."

That fact itself was strange, but Kagami still didn’t say anything.

She merely lowered her gaze back to the pages in front of her.

…Sometimes, I’d like to just lie around and nap like Kuro, without any particular thoughts or worries…

"Please take care of Kotone at home. And…"

The teacher was about to bring up the topic of abuse again but stopped, showing extreme caution.

Does she think things will 'worsen'?

"Looking at Kotone’s behavior today, I don’t think she’s given up on you yet."

"…"

Kagami still gave no response.

After a moment of hesitation, the teacher seemed to decide it was pointless to say any more and stood up.

Before leaving, she bowed slightly towards Kagami.

"Please, take good care of Kotone. She’s a good child. At the very least, she deserves better care than she’s receiving now…"

In fact, this teacher had called Kagami several times before. Kagami had ignored all the calls after the first one.

As the teacher slowly straightened up and hesitantly walked away, Kagami still didn’t say anything in return.

No.

Perhaps she simply 'couldn’t.'

Chapter 125. Memories (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

After that, we stayed in the Literature Club room for a while.

Kagami had gone home, and Kaoru and Izumi left to enjoy various things as we had told them.

They said they had already played a lot in the morning, but it seemed like there were still a few things they wanted to do.

It didn’t seem like anyone would come for a while, so we took the seats Kaoru and Izumi had vacated and began snacking on some things.

After a while—

“Kotone.”

Yuka suddenly called out to me.

“Hmm?”

I was savoring the texture of the pancake while nibbling on the dorayaki and looked up at Yuka.

Yuka was staring at me with a rather serious expression.

“Sorry. I tried to let it pass, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Yuka said while looking back and forth between me and Koko.

“Did you… make up with your mother?”

“...”

Of course, she was asking.

I thought she was going to let it go since she hadn’t said anything.

Then again, if I were Yuka, I would’ve been concerned too. She’s always been really worried about me, even in normal times.

I thought about it for a moment.

Make up?

If it’s about making up… there’s nothing to do.

I never fought with Kagami.

In fact, our relationship was closer to me just being rude one-sidedly. Until now, I hadn’t kept in touch unless I needed something, calling only when it was convenient to tell her what I needed.

In some ways, avoiding unnecessary contact was something we both did.

Kagami must have found me suspicious too.

Lately, she’d been bringing up things about joining the society and working together, but…

Maybe she was the first one to let her guard down.

“…A little.”

The problem was, I still hadn’t told Yuka the truth.

Not just Yuka, but everyone around me… except for Kaoru and Izumi, they all thought I was a child from an abusive household.

Have I come too far to tell the truth now?

I looked at Yuka.

Her eyes were full of concern.

Would she be disappointed if I told her that everything I showed her until now was just a facade?

Maybe I should leave it to Kagami—ah.

…Right.

I almost passed it all off to Kagami again without realizing it. I had gotten too comfortable just handing things over, having done it so many times, it had become a habit.

“I see.”

Yuka let out a small sigh.

She seemed a bit relieved, but it looked like she didn’t know what to say next.

It’s a tricky matter.

It’s natural to feel relieved when an abusive parent changes for the better.

But then, what happens to the sins committed by that parent until that point? In many subcultures, they gloss over it, saying the parent had their own sad story, but from an outsider’s perspective, it can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

Still, I can’t let Kagami get punished just to make myself feel better. Maybe she’s involved in some crimes related to the society, but at least when it comes to the ‘child abuse,’ she’s innocent.

…Maybe Koko would have more reason to feel differently.

Though Koko doesn’t seem to care much about it these days.

In the end, we couldn’t say anything more to each other.

Knowing that Yuka cared about me warmed my heart, but at the same time, it was incredibly awkward.

I thought about saying something—then I realized I didn’t really know what Yuka liked.

In our usual conversations, ‘pop culture’ never comes up. Since I entered this world, I hardly ever watch TV.

I’ve seen bits of what Koko watches, but they’re not things a high school girl would be interested in.

We don’t go to the theater, and she doesn’t obsessively track down restaurants with her favorite food or anything like that.

“...”

If we were naturally close friends, I’d know those things about her by now.

Ah, but—

I did know something.

Yuka used to like video games as a kid.

I don’t know about now, but I did enjoy playing the games at home that I inherited from Yuka.

If I brought up those games, maybe we could have a conversation without it feeling too forced—

—Just as I was thinking that.

Creak.

A sound came from the old, ungreased door hinge.

Yuka and I simultaneously looked toward the door.

The door to the Literature Club room was slightly open.

“Is anyone there? Are you inside?”

“Wait, Harumi, don’t push—”

“I think I heard something rustling—”

We heard voices, and one of the three people behind the door must have touched the doorknob the wrong way, because the door creaked loudly as it opened fully.

Standing beyond the door were three distinctive-looking ‘ghosts.’

One was a gyaru ghost with blonde hair left down, imitating Sadako.

Another was a short-haired ghost wearing the typical Japanese ghost-style triangle headband, which made her look a bit foreign to me.

And finally, there was a maiden ghost in a white dress. If she was trying to pass herself off as a ghost, she should’ve at least worn a wig that matched better.

It was, of course, Mako and her trio.

“Oh, you were inside.”

Mako said, smiling a bit awkwardly.

“The door was shut tight, so we thought you might have gone somewhere.”

Fukuda scratched her head as she spoke.

“…Still, this is pretty serious.”

Yamashita, looking at our setup, seemed a bit surprised.

Then again, of the three, Yamashita was the only one who had seen our club activities. Though, all we ever really did was sit around.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t expect us to have prepared anything.

Yuka and I glanced at each other.

We both smiled slightly and stood up at the same time.

“Welcome to the Literature Club exhibition.”

Yuka said.

I grabbed three copies of the literary magazine we’d prepared from the stack beside the door and handed them to the three.

“Here, our magazine.”

“Wow.”

Mako smiled widely as she accepted the magazine.

“Did you guys write these?”

“We padded it out here and there to fill the space, but yeah.”

It was true. Both Koko and I had included much longer pieces than what we initially showed Izumi. Though, it still only added up to about a page difference.

“What’s this you’ve set up?”

Yamashita asked, looking over the printed materials we had on display.

“…I just thought we should have some kind of decoration.”

“Can we sit and read?”

Mako pointed to the seats.

“Yeah.”

Yuka replied, and I pushed the snacks we were eating toward the center of the table.

“Yay!”

Everyone gathered around the table, and Koko cheered.

She seemed happy that the three who always doted on her had come to join us. Well, the three of them were dressed for the festival, after all. Fukuda tousled Koko’s hair and sat down in the empty seat.

Mako opened the magazine.

She looked pretty well-suited to the Literature Club like that.

The three of them weren’t in any clubs yet, so maybe I should invite them to join.

…That thought made me realize that I had truly become a part of this club.

*

“Everyone’s so passionate.”

Yuka’s grandfather finally arrived when the festival was nearly over.

I thought he might have come too late, but then I realized he probably wasn’t interested in things like death races or haunted houses. Yuka’s father, who had come with him, was likely the same.

They probably just wanted to see how their granddaughter was doing at school.

Just three minutes earlier, Kaoru and Izumi had been laughing and chatting loudly, but now they were politely standing in place.

Yuka’s grandfather’s eyes, as he looked around the club, seemed a bit moist, though it could’ve just been my imagination.

…Yuka, who had spent her life traveling because of work and couldn’t make friends easily, must have made him emotional to see her now, enjoying school life and making good friends.

After carefully examining the exhibits we’d set up, her grandfather picked up a copy of the magazine and spoke.

“Can I take one of these?”

“Yes, of course.”

Izumi replied with the utmost politeness.

Her grandfather smiled faintly and nodded as he tucked the magazine under his arm.

In total, we handed out five magazines today.

Out of the eleven we printed, one was reserved for the club, so we had given away almost half of our prepared magazines.

It was an unexpected success.

More than anything, I was glad that the people who took the magazines would treasure them.

…When we first finished them, I didn’t think much of it.

But then again, the writings in that magazine were also my trace, my presence.

I think it’s safe to say that the first day of the festival was a success.

Yuka’s grandfather and father arrived near the end of the festival, making them the last guests for our club that day.

There wasn’t much to clean up in the Literature Club. We just needed to gather up the wrappers from the snacks we ate and toss them in the trash.

It was natural for the five of us club members, Yuka’s father, and her grandfather to leave together.

“Goodbye.”

“Thank you for visiting today.”

Kaoru and Izumi said politely, and her grandfather waved kindly at them.

We waved back and walked down the road together with the two of them.

“Shall we go together?”

Yuka asked.

She probably meant they could give us a ride.

I shook my head.

If I lived nearby, I would’ve gladly accepted the ride, but I live in Saitama. In Korean terms, it’s like getting a ride from Cheongdam to Goyang City. Considering Tokyo’s size, it might even be farther.

“It’s okay. We’ll take the train—”

“If that’s the case, how about staying the night?”

Before I could finish refusing, Yuka’s father smiled and suggested.

“...”

Since I’d stayed over before, he probably said it naturally.

But I—

I’ve already received too much from them.

“Well, since it’s like this, just stay over.”

Yuka smiled, and there was a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

“We’re thinking of grilling some meat for dinner tonight.”

“Ya!”

Her grandfather sealed the deal, and Koko raised her hands in excitement.

“...”

Koko’s face was already filled with anticipation, making it hard to refuse in this atmosphere.

Maybe I’ve gotten used to living comfortably. If it had been not too long ago, I would’ve immediately followed them while chanting “meat” in my head.

“…Then, I’ll be in your care.”

“Oh, there’s no need to feel that way.”

Her grandfather nodded with a smile.

It felt strange.

Somewhere, it felt a bit ticklish, and even though the weather was chilly, it felt oddly warm.

Maybe it’s because it’s been so long since I felt something like this.

Maybe it was because it was warmth I hadn’t felt in such a long time that I just instinctively followed along without realizing it.

*

Yakiniku tasted quite similar to the grilled meat I had in Korea.

There was still something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but that difference made it all the better.

After the meal, I changed into some underwear Yuka and I bought on the way and borrowed some of her clothes.

They didn’t quite fit. They were a bit loose on me, but since the waist was elastic, I could pass it off as a loose fit.

“I’m going to step out for some air.”

“Shall I come with you?”

“No, I’ll only be a minute.”

Yuka blinked at my words.

I think if this had been just a few months ago, Yuka wouldn’t have let me go alone.

Because I had the habit of cutting my wrists. Even now, I still do it sometimes.

“Okay. Don’t stay out too long, it’s cold.”

But now, Yuka nodded and simply said that.

Trust.

…Though it was one-sided trust from Yuka, while I was still steeped in lies.

Still, at least this time, what I said wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t planning on running away or anything.

Unlike my own neighborhood, the streets here were a bit brighter. I wasn’t sure if it was because there were more streetlights or just because of how I felt.

But thanks to that, walking alone at night wasn’t as eerie.

Even when I entered the darkened shrine, I could still see well enough.

I walked slowly up to the offering box.

I stood in front of it and hesitated for a moment.

I’d only ever seen it in Japanese manga. I’d never actually come on a trip and put money in an offering box.

No, even after living in Japan, I’d never done it.

Is there a proper method or order? Is there a minimum amount you should give?

After staring at the offering box for a while, I shrugged and fumbled in my pocket.

I pulled out a 500-yen coin.

After staring at the coin for a moment, I tossed it into the offering box.

I don’t believe in gods.

Even after seeing yokai with my own eyes, after knowing there’s an afterlife, even after realizing there are godlike beings beyond the universe, I’ve never thought to rely on gods.

So even now, this wasn’t a serious act. It was just something I did to feel better.

“...”

Five thousand won would be more than enough, even if there’s a minimum amount.

I dropped the coin into the box. Then, hesitantly, I reached up and tugged the rope to ring the bell.

I clapped my hands twice, imitating what I’d seen in an anime before.

With my hands together, I closed my eyes,

…Please, after it’s all over, help Yuka forgive me…

I selfishly made a wish.

Not even knowing which god this shrine served.

After standing there for a while, I slowly lifted my head and opened my eyes.

I lowered my hands and took a deep breath.

The cold night air filled my lungs, making me feel a bit clearer inside.

If the god up there really exists, will they grant my wish? I hope they wouldn’t deny me just because I’m an alien being from beyond this world.

I shrugged and turned around—

“…!”

And I nearly jumped.

It was pure luck I didn’t scream.

“Oh dear, I’m sorry.”

The person standing in the dark smiled awkwardly, looking a little troubled.

“Did I startle you?”

It was Yuka’s father.

“…No.”

I shook my head.

I was startled, but I couldn’t tell him that. After all, he was much older than me.

“I came to get something I forgot, and I saw you here. I thought I’d just leave, but I ended up waiting a bit. I hope that’s alright?”

“Ah, yes. It’s fine.”

He was indeed holding a yellow envelope in his hand.

Even though this was a religious site, money exchanges were probably common, so administrative work would naturally follow. I convinced myself of that.

It felt like I should say something, but it was a bit awkward, so I decided to just ask whatever came to mind.

“…Is there a proper way to make a wish?”

I asked, realizing he might’ve seen me wishing earlier.

Being a priest, he would obviously know the correct method.

“There’s a set order.”

His words made me feel a bit embarrassed. I’d just prayed haphazardly.

“But you don’t have to follow it strictly. If you prayed with a heart of genuine reverence, I’m sure it was enough.”

I nodded.

Yuka’s father turned and began walking, and I followed suit.

“Do you feel a bit better?”

“…Yes.”

I didn’t believe in gods, so what I did was just a gesture, but even that made me feel a little more at ease.

There were so many worries I couldn’t share with anyone.

“I see.”

Thankfully, Yuka’s father didn’t ask me any more questions.

We returned to the warm house and headed upstairs to Yuka’s room.

“Mya.”

As soon as I opened Yuka’s door, I was greeted by Kuro, sitting with a disgruntled expression, looking up at me.

“...”

Right.

Ever since I learned this cat wasn’t ordinary, I hadn’t worried so much.

“...What exactly is that thing?”

Yuka asked, looking exasperated.

Since she’s often away, our house was always stocked with food for Kuro to eat throughout the day.

Every morning, the litter box was cleaned immediately.

Unlike other cats, Kuro didn’t scratch everything up when left alone. Who would’ve guessed she was a possessed cat?

“…Honestly, I don’t know either.”

I picked up Kuro.

Even when I sat on the floor and placed her on my lap, she still had that disgruntled expression, but as soon as I started scratching behind her ears, her eyes narrowed, and she looked relaxed.

“She’s no ordinary cat, is she?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Yuka’s remark, who still seemed baffled.

“…Was it the same in Kyoto?”

“Yeah.”

Kuro yawned widely, and I handed her over to Koko.

“Waa!”

Koko hugged Kuro tightly and lay down on the futon spread out on the floor.

Kuro, now snug in Koko’s arms, gave me a resentful look, and I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I don’t think so.”

I still didn’t know exactly what was possessing Kuro.

But at least, unlike when I conversed with Nirlass, I didn’t feel any threat from her.

In fact, in that dream, I even felt comfort.

So, I think it’s fine.

…Why does she help me so much when I don’t even take good care of her?

Watching Koko smile contentedly while hugging Kuro, I got up and grabbed my phone.

Click.

I snapped a picture of Koko.

Yuka, realizing it late, hurried to get her phone.

The whole time the pictures were being taken, Kuro remained in Koko’s arms with a grumpy expression—

But even that, in its own way, looked quite comfortable.

…It would be nice if these peaceful days could last for a long time.

The thought that I might not be able to finish this chapter of memories bothered me a little.

Chapter 126. Request (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

We were guests, and Yuka’s bed was too small for two people to lie on.

Yuka tried to offer us the bed, as she always did when I stayed over, but I had some decency.

I borrowed a blanket and lay down with Koko.

Well, that didn’t mean I fell asleep right away.

We hung out in Yuka’s room until late at night.

We snacked on the treats Yuka brought, played with Kuro, and watched the distorted TV.

“Food is best when it’s meat.”

I don’t remember how we got on the topic, but we were talking about our favorite foods.

“I like vegetables, and fruit is good too. But I think the tastiest thing with rice is meat.”

“I agree.”

“Yeah!”

Well, it was an obvious statement.

As we age, we tend to eat more vegetables. Unless someone has the extreme taste of an elementary school kid, they naturally start to eat more than just meat, even if just a little.

I started liking side dishes and wrap ingredients like lettuce. I’m not sure why.

But after coming here, I went back to craving meat again.

Maybe it’s because I returned to a teenage body? Or maybe it’s a reaction to not being able to eat much meat when I first came here. Back then, I would follow anything that promised meat without hesitation.

I’m not that extreme now, though.

“Movies? Movies… I like the ones with lots of explosions, but I prefer quiet ones. You know, deep stories.”

Yuka said, probably because she lived in a world far removed from the ordinary.

She said the same about dramas. She liked sweet love stories with handsome male leads and beautiful female leads more than those with sword fights.

It was even better if the setting was in a school.

She didn’t directly say it, but it was almost like confessing that she longed for a normal school life.

…I see.

I stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking.

I wondered what it was like in the original.

When it comes to the end of a light novel… Sure, the endings vary even if the settings are similar, but it’s more likely that things return to normal after the strange phenomena are resolved, right?

Or at least, the main threat is stopped.

If there had been a character named Kurosawa Kotone in the original, that’s probably how it went. Kotone, driven mad by her misfortune, would go berserk, and the protagonist and heroine would stop her. The villain with a tragic backstory would spit out her resentment as she died, and the overly kind protagonist would mourn with her. That’s the cliché, isn’t it?

Thinking about it that way, I could somewhat see why someone up above brought me here.

I knew the story but didn’t know the ending. I had already been through enough misfortune that I wouldn’t go crazy over anything minor.

And I wasn’t the type to thrash about blindly trying to avoid the ending.

“What about you?”

“Huh?”

While I was lost in thought, Yuka spoke to me.

“What’s your favorite kind of movie?”

“Me?”

I…

I don’t think I was picky about genres.

As long as it was something popular, I liked most movies. But I wasn’t a film buff who frequented cinemas. I was the type to zone out while flipping through channels and end up watching a movie on a movie channel from the middle until the end.

So I didn’t really know the full plots of many movies.

But I did have a favorite kind of ending.

“…Happy endings.”

I liked movies where the protagonists went through hardships but ended up happy in the end.

It’s too sad and depressing when they struggle and gain nothing.

No matter how harsh reality is or how people say it is, there’s no need for movies to end sadly too.

The end of life is sad enough, isn’t it? People live knowing they will die and part ways with others.

At least, the stories I hear should end happily.

“…”

“…Yuka?”

When Yuka didn’t respond, I called out to her.

“Oh, yeah?”

Maybe she had been lost in thought too because she answered in a fluster.

“I see. Happy endings… Yeah, I like movies with happy endings too.”

Yuka said.

Among the games Yuka had given me, there were a few with dark endings. Well, I don’t think she bought them knowing that.

Mainstream media tend to have happy endings anyway. The gaming industry wasn’t as big in the 2020s, so even if a developer’s weird philosophy crept in, there weren’t many avenues for complaints.

Was it the same in the 2000s?

Whether it’s philosophy, realism, or whatever, I didn’t care for it.

I’m not in a position to talk, given that I just said liking only meat is an elementary school taste.

“…What about Koko?”

When I turned to Koko, who had been silent for a while, she was fast asleep, breathing softly.

In her arms, she was tightly hugging Kuro.

In the faint light from outside, Kuro’s eyes gleamed.

Cats are nocturnal, right? For Kuro, this might actually be her waking hours.

“She’s asleep.”

I didn’t know why, but despite not having a human body, Koko always managed to fall asleep before us.

Well, she’s cute, so does it matter?

Kuro, despite looking uncomfortable, stayed still in Koko’s arms, probably not wanting to wake her. She’s definitely not an ordinary cat.

When I reached out and gently stroked her head with my fingertips, Kuro glared at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

…Maybe she hadn’t made a sound because she was listening to me and Yuka’s conversation.

I wonder if the being attached to Kuro was also listening to my story.

“…Shall we sleep?”

Perhaps feeling uneasy because I had fallen silent, Yuka’s voice came from above the bed.

Then I heard the rustling sound of movement, and Yuka looked down at me from the bed.

“Yeah, let’s sleep.”

Seeing that I was just playing with Kuro, Yuka seemed relieved. It wasn’t like I stopped talking for some serious reason.

I had shown Yuka too many embarrassing sides of myself. Even when we weren’t fighting, Yuka always seemed overly concerned about my body.

…If I were in her shoes and saw a friend go through that many injuries—

“Good night.”

When I spoke to Yuka, she smiled and nodded.

“Good night. See you tomorrow.”

Even though we were in the same room, Yuka said that.

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”

Yuka’s figure disappeared back to the bed.

After some more rustling, the only sound left was her breathing, suggesting she had fallen asleep.

Yeah, let’s sleep.

We still had the cultural festival to continue tomorrow.

We had already distributed half of the magazine today. It might even end up being a notable achievement to report to the student council after the festival.

With that thought, I closed my eyes.

*

On the second day of the cultural festival,

The boss and Miki arrived quite early.

“Wow, this looks pretty fancy. Is it because it’s a rich school?”

The boss grinned as she spoke.

From the way she talked, it seemed she had already toured the school and made her way up to the Literature Club.

She was holding a paper cup filled with karaage… Was that something you could sell? Well, at college festivals in Korea, people sold jeon, so I guess it’s fine.

“The students are quite passionate.”

As I watched the boss casually settle into a seat in the club room, I answered somewhat exasperated.

Without waiting for an invitation, she reached out for a snack and began unwrapping it.

Miki sat next to her.

…She looked a little uneasy.

Ah, right, she had been to juvenile detention.

She was around the same age as me.

I guess she got involved in something criminal during middle school. From what I heard, she had received a few months’ sentence, so she must have missed high school because of that.

If she spent a year living like that, well…

…It’s no wonder she felt overwhelmed being at such a well-off school. If the boss had told her about Koko, that could have made her feel even more small.

“…”

Realizing this afterward, I immediately regretted my comment about the students being “passionate.”

But what could I do? You can’t take back words once they’re spoken.

If I apologized now, it would just make things worse, so I chose to remain silent.

“Oh, right!”

Clap.

I wasn’t sure if she was trying to lighten the mood or if she genuinely just remembered something.

Kaoru clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.

“They’re taking photos next door. How about the two of you go get some taken?”

“Photos?”

The boss showed interest.

Of course, the boss wasn’t in her maid outfit today. Naturally, Miki wasn’t in her bar outfit either. They weren’t even wearing their usual heavy makeup.

They looked incredibly young. Looking at them now, they could almost pass as being the same age as me. Though they still seemed about two years older.

At least they weren’t in any state where a photo would turn out poorly.

“Yeah, they’re from the Photography Club, so they have good cameras, and it’s cheap too. They’ll send you the file instead of printing it, though.”

“Hmm…”

The boss, still with a bite of dorayaki in her mouth, hesitated for a moment.

“Miki, what do you think?”

“…I’ll go along with whatever you decide, Sis.”

Miki responded shyly.

“Alright then.”

The boss stood up as she spoke.

She seemed to be in a great mood.

Well, I suppose it would be nice to take a photo after not seeing her sister for so long.

“Let’s go, Miki!”

It was the first time I’d seen the boss look so excited.

Even Miki, who had been feeling down earlier, couldn’t help but smile after seeing her sister so happy.

*

“Here.”

I handed the boss a copy of the magazine.

“Oh, thanks.”

The boss took it with a smile.

She seemed to be in a good mood after spending time out with her sister.

“I’ll keep it safe.”

Well… since we made it, it would be nice if she kept it for a long time. Though I don’t expect too much since it wasn’t made with expensive paper.

With this, I had handed out over six copies. Excluding the samples, there were four left.

“Oh, right.”

The boss glanced toward the back of the club room, where we were seated, then leaned in toward me.

I followed her gaze, and there Kaoru was happily chatting with Miki.

The book on her lap was an occult magazine. Was she telling her a scary story?

Honestly, I don’t think Kaoru’s scary stories would be that frightening. Miki didn’t seem scared either, as she was smiling and listening.

While Yuka and Koko weren’t scared at all, only Izumi seemed to be terrified, plugging and unplugging her ears. It seemed she wanted to listen but couldn’t muster the courage.

Aren’t there some mystery novels that are pretty spooky? I haven’t read the books Izumi reads, but some of them have covers that look almost like horror novels.

…Well, it doesn’t matter.

What’s important is that Miki, who had been so timid earlier, was smiling now.

“Thanks for returning the lunchbox.”

“….”

Ah, that.

Right, I did return it. So it was Miki’s after all.

“Well, she doesn’t seem like she’s planning on going back to school anytime soon.”

The boss whispered in a very low voice.

“But still, there might be a time when she needs it. She could always buy a new one, but…”

If it has sentimental value, the old one is better.

I think I understood now why she bothered to pack food in that specific lunchbox for us.

“….”

I looked up at the boss and slowly opened my mouth.

“Next year.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll have a sports festival next year too. How about you both come to watch?”

“…”

The boss’s mouth slightly opened.

Did I overstep?

I didn’t know if I’d still be working at her place by next year. I wasn’t a full-time employee, just part-time.

And relationships like that often grow distant once you quit.

…Not to mention, I wasn’t sure if I’d even be around by then.

But… yeah.

This was a completely selfish wish.

I just hoped there would be someone to look after Koko when I was gone.

She had friends and Kaoru, of course… but the more people who cared for her, the better.

I had never helped someone expecting something in return. I mean, I did get paid for it. That pay came from taxes, so I guess you could say I was receiving the money from the people I helped, in a way.

Still, when I helped others, I didn’t worry about what I’d get in return.

…But if there’s someone who could receive it instead of me.

The boss looked at me for a while, then closed her mouth. After a moment, she nodded.

“Sure, when the time comes, I’ll bring an extravagant lunchbox. Maybe a five-tier one?”

No, I wasn’t asking for something like that.

Well, Koko might like it.

Seeing the boss grin, I just gave her a slight nod.

*

Clearing away the “exhibit” of the Literature Club didn’t take long. Of course not—it was just a few boards.

Only five copies of the magazine remained, including the sample.

“Let’s each take one.”

Izumi said, handing out a copy of the magazine to each of us.

“Uh, but Koko and I…”

“Even if you’re sisters, you’re both club members.”

Izumi smiled as she said it.

Well, Koko didn’t seem interested at all, but siblings don’t live together forever anyway.

Still, one copy would have been enough for us—

….

No. Let’s just accept the gesture.

Instead, I took the copy that had been designated as the sample. Even though it was a pointless worry, it had a hole in the corner from when we tied it down for security, and it was a bit crumpled from people flipping through it. But I liked that.

It showed that we had all worked on it together. And it showed that someone had read my writing.

“Good.”

Kaoru stretched her arms high above her head as she said that.

“So, is this the end of the Literature Club’s activities for 2004?”

December was still left, but we’d all probably be busy. We had final exams coming up.

I wasn’t too concerned about them, but I should at least pretend to study, right?

“Heh heh…”

Suddenly, I heard someone imitating a manga character’s laugh, and when I turned, I saw Izumi covering her mouth with one hand, laughing mischievously.

With half-closed eyes, she looked at Kaoru and said,

“Finally admitting you’re a member of the Literature Club, huh?”

She teased.

“What?”

“The ‘Literature Club’s activities’ are over, aren’t they?”

“Uh…”

Kaoru stared blankly at Izumi, as if her brain had frozen for a moment.

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

She shouted in protest.

“The Occult Club! I was talking about the Occult Club!”

“It’s too late to change your story now~”

It was the first time in a long while that Izumi had managed to land a blow on Kaoru.

Or was it the first time ever?

Whatever, it didn’t matter.

I looked at Yuka and Koko.

Yuka was laughing as if she couldn’t believe it, and Koko was smiling brightly, clearly having fun.

Yeah.

It didn’t matter.

As long as we could laugh, that was enough.

*

I went home with Koko today.

We had let Kuro sneak around the schoolyard. When we called her, she came running, and we hid her in our bag as we made our way back to Saitama.

Since there was no room for a cat in our school bags, I had to borrow a bag from Kaoru. Even though she wasn’t in the track team anymore, she still had her duffle bag for gym clothes and shoes in her locker.

Kuro would probably find her way back home if we had left her at Yuka’s place again, but seeing how she was glaring at me, it seemed she was in a bad mood. I couldn’t bring myself to push her any further.

Yuka seemed a bit disappointed, but we couldn’t rely on her forever.

So, after returning home with Koko—

“…Kagami?”

—Kagami was waiting in front of the house.

She was holding a plastic bag. Through the translucent white plastic, I could see various groceries.

Why?

That was the first word that came to mind, but I had enough sense not to say it out loud.

“Hmm?”

Instead, Koko tilted her head quizzically.

Kagami seemed just as awkward. Even after our eyes met, she didn’t say anything for a while.

“…May I come in?”

“…Did you wait long?”

I asked as I approached the door.

Click.

I took out the key and unlocked it.

“No.”

Her voice sounded a bit shaky for someone who claimed not to have waited long.

No, I’m sure she timed it well. This was Kagami, after all. Of the people I had been seeing around me recently, some were definitely in the social circles. I was convinced.

She must have known exactly when I’d return.

As soon as we entered the house, I opened the bag and let Kuro out.

“Mya.”

“Sorry.”

Kuro, annoyed from being cramped in the bag, meowed and darted into the room.

“…It’s cold in here.”

“If you use a blanket, it’ll be fine.”

Kagami followed behind Koko, who had entered after me, and commented on the cold. I answered her.

“Should I bring you a kotatsu?”

I almost reflexively declined, but I managed to nod.

Yeah. If I didn’t accept from Kagami, Yuka would probably buy one and bring it herself.

At my response, Kagami gave me a small, awkward smile.

It was the kind of smile someone who doesn’t know how to smile might make after only hearing a description of how to do it.

…

No, she smiled just fine before.

Was this an attempt to look less suspicious that backfired?

Chapter 127. Request (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Prejudice is a really scary thing.

I had this image of Kagami as someone shady.

Although she had helped me a lot. It’s thanks to Kagami and her connections that Koko and I are even attending school properly now.

It’s also thanks to her that we weren’t kicked out of this house... Well, there’s no denying that.

But still, you know, it felt a bit off.

Unlike Yuka, who seemed genuinely happy when helping me, Kagami’s expression was quite different.

She didn’t usually visit unless she had something to say.

Now that I think about it, maybe she was being considerate. But at the time, I was too distrustful of everything, and my nerves were already frayed from hunger, so I couldn’t see it in a positive light.

Not that I wasn’t grateful, but… the fact that I was relieved when no one came by already means she didn’t leave a “good impression.”

But now, hmm.

I’m a bit confused.

“What’s all that?”

I asked Kagami, who was rustling around and pulling things out onto the table, and she shrugged.

“Food.”

“I know that.”

There were groceries, as if she had just bought them from the store, and there were also snacks and candy.

It looked like she didn’t know what we liked, so she just grabbed whatever caught her eye.

“Woo?”

Koko looked at us cautiously while eyeing one of the snack bags Kagami had laid out.

It seemed like her impression of Kagami had improved compared to the beginning, but she was still a bit wary.

I looked at Kagami.

Kagami hesitated a bit before awkwardly handing me a bag of snacks.

Why was she giving it to me?

Did she think Koko would reject it if she handed it over herself?

… Rejecting it here would seem odd, so I took the bag of potato chips from her and handed it over to Koko.

“Wooah!”

Koko happily accepted the snack.

If Koko were a normal child, I would’ve told her to eat in moderation since it was before a meal, but I’ve never seen Koko leave any food in front of her.

Kagami briefly made a face like she wasn’t sure if it was okay, but seeing my indifferent expression, she returned to what she was doing.

“So….”

Still not used to seeing Kagami like this, I asked with a bit of uncertainty.

“Were you planning on cooking something with all this?”

“...Would it have been better if I just gave you money?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

I briefly thought about which would have been better.

Honestly, yeah, giving me money would’ve been much less awkward and overwhelming.

But at the same time, I didn’t think this situation was necessarily bad either.

Being overwhelmed and something being bad aren’t always the same.

I decided to stop asking ‘why.’ Kagami herself looked confused, and I didn’t think pressing further would get me a clearer answer.

“So, what were you planning to cook?”

“...”

I asked as I looked down at the ingredients, but Kagami fell silent.

Even after waiting for about 10 seconds, she didn’t answer, so I cautiously asked, trying not to hurt her feelings.

“Did you even have a dish in mind?”

“...”

There was no answer.

I scratched my head.

It seemed like she wanted to but couldn’t bring herself to say something.

*

Luckily, there was something we could make with the ingredients Kagami had bought on a whim.

It was a hot pot.

I wasn’t sure whether to call it Japanese-style or just a mishmash, but we put water in a pot, added the meat, mushrooms, and vegetables Kagami had bought, let it boil, stirred in some miso, adjusted the seasoning, and it became a pretty decent hot pot.

Despite my worries, Kagami at least knew how to prepare ingredients.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook, but more that she had come here impulsively without any plan.

I’m guessing here, but maybe Kagami bought the ingredients thinking about “something we could all eat together as a family.”

Koko was already excited by the smell of the meat cooking. She leaned against the table, sniffing the air.

“It looks like it’s coming along.”

When I said that, Kagami nodded.

I served the rice from the rice cooker into bowls and placed them in front of everyone, then hesitated a bit.

…What now?

I don’t usually say things like “I’ll eat well.” Since coming here, I’ve mimicked it a few times, but it never really stuck.

Of course, when I ate at Yuka’s, I followed the family’s lead.

Kagami and I exchanged glances, awkwardly reaching for our chopsticks.

Then, without saying who would start first, we began eating.

“...It’s good.”

I murmured without thinking.

Maybe it was because I was hungry, or maybe the food had actually turned out well.

Well, Koko seemed to be enjoying the meat with a very satisfied expression, so it didn’t really matter.

“...”

Kagami ate in silence.

I stared at her for a moment, then spoke up.

“Do you usually eat alone?”

At my question, Kagami paused. She didn’t need to stop eating to answer.

“...Usually, yes.”

“What about cooking?”

“Someone else usually cooks. I learned the basics, though.”

“Is that so?”

I thought as much. She could prepare the ingredients fairly well, but throughout the cooking process, she often looked a bit flustered.

“Is it the people from the church?”

“Right. I’m… in a pretty high position, you know? You didn’t actually think that the upstairs of the bar is my real home, did you?”

Kagami briefly returned to the version of herself I knew, and I felt relieved. Phew, she hadn’t changed completely.

“I know, of course.”

But when I answered, Kagami fell silent for a while. Maybe she was comparing this place to what she called ‘home.’

Still, the awkwardness lessened since we were eating together. At least Koko wasn’t paying any attention to Kagami and was just focusing on her food.

“The things in here, are they…?”

This time, Kagami asked cautiously.

It seemed like she was trying to keep the conversation going.

She was much more reserved now compared to the boldness she had shown in the beginning.

“Most of it was given by Yuka.”

I nodded.

“But not everything. I got the rice cooker and the fan from the storage at my part-time job.”

At my response, Kagami seemed to be lost in thought.

“...When you first woke up, there was nothing, wasn’t there?”

“I just made do. You saw, didn’t you?”

At my words, Kagami fell silent again.

Oh, did it sound like I was blaming her? I just meant it as a statement.

“My homeroom teacher brought me a blanket, so I got by with that for a while.”

“I see…”

Kagami quieted down once more.

We continued eating in silence for a while.

Ugh, the atmosphere was getting heavy again. It wasn’t bad enough to ruin the taste of the food, though.

“I’ll take care of getting you winter supplies.”

“Will you?”

“Yes. Like a kotatsu, for example.”

Right, I’d heard that earlier.

And yeah, it’d be nice to have one.

As I’ve gotten older, I haven’t seen them much, and after moving here, I haven’t had a chance to see one for various reasons. But I still consider myself someone who likes manga and anime. For proof, I’ve been making good use of the game console Yuka gave me.

So, in a way, I still have a bit of a “dream.”

I wouldn’t say I’m deeply immersed in Japanese culture, but in slice-of-life shows, there’s always that scene where someone sits in a kotatsu peeling mandarins, right?

It’s the kind of thing any otaku would want to try at least once. It’s up there with going to an onsen.

…Actually, no. The number one thing is already decided. Come to think of it, isn’t that next month? I wouldn’t mind trying it before I go.

Anyway, as much as it’s a dream, I think we’ll need one soon. There’s a reason such heating appliances are considered essential in Japan. Just like how electric blankets or heated floors are a must in Korean homes.

Freezing to death before the prophecy comes true would be a bit much, wouldn’t it?

“...Alright.”

Like when she first came in, I nodded.

Having shared a meal, there was no reason to refuse.

Besides, after crashing at the place where Kagami worked, it felt a bit ridiculous to be stubborn about it now.

At least, I could take comfort in knowing that my nod this time felt much more natural than when she first entered.

Kagami gave me an awkward smile.

It was still incredibly awkward. To the point where it almost felt unsettling.

But it was a bit more natural than earlier.

“...”

With emotions I couldn’t quite put into words, I continued eating.

I still couldn’t fully trust her. Honestly, I had no idea why Kagami was doing all this. Had she changed her approach with me?

If so, I’d say it was a brilliant strategy.

“Eat up, Koko.”

“Ooh? Mmn!”

Feeling awkward and itchy for no reason, I spoke to Koko, who responded with a cheerful shout.

…Yeah, alright.

I couldn’t bring myself to be too rude to someone who treated Koko well.

We ate up the hot pot until the bottom of the pot was completely clean. Kagami stared blankly at the empty pot for a while.

I really couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

*

“So… uh.”

After the meal, once the dishes were done.

Standing by the entrance, Kagami and I were both trying to figure out what to say.

I could only speak for what was in my head, but I was sure Kagami felt the same way. Her expression was much more complicated than when we first met outside my house.

Damn, it was even more awkward than when she first arrived.

Hesitantly, I said,

“Do you want to stay the night?”

I asked, at least out of politeness.

“Ah, well.”

Kagami, hearing that, finally seemed to find her words.

“I’m sorry, but I have things to do.”

I wanted to believe her, but honestly, it sounded more like an excuse to escape the situation.

Still, I was grateful.

If she had said she would stay, it would have felt even more awkward.

“Then, um, take care.”

Not sure how to say goodbye, I awkwardly waved my hand.

Even though she looked older than me, I had been speaking informally this whole time, so switching to polite speech now felt unnatural.

Honestly, Kagami probably preferred it this way too.

“…Alright then. The kotatsu should arrive soon.”

I nodded.

Next to me, Koko tilted her head and looked at Kagami.

She seemed unsure of how to say goodbye as well.

Seeing us like that, Kagami gave a bitter smile.

Then she turned and walked away.

She didn’t look back as she left.

Though she didn’t turn around, it felt polite to watch her until she disappeared around the corner, so Koko and I stood there watching her leave.

Only after her figure had completely disappeared did Koko and I head back inside.

“Mya.”

“…Well, I couldn’t help it.”

For some reason, Kuro meowed as if teasing me, so I said that while ruffling her head.

Though I wasn’t quite sure what she was teasing me about.

“Hmm?”

Koko tilted her head as she watched me, so I ruffled her hair too.

“Wah!”

Koko shouted happily.

Still, I was glad Koko was the same as always.

*

“I'm really sorry, Kotone-senpai!”

“…Huh?”

Monday.

After school, as usual, I ran into Shii, who immediately shouted that while apologizing.

Why? That question was on the tip of my tongue when I suddenly remembered that Shii hadn’t been able to attend our club exhibition.

And right after that, I realized why.

“Because of Nakahara and Hagiwara-senpai?”

At my words, Shii’s eyes widened as she straightened up.

“How did you know…?”

“There was no other reason.”

That’s right.

It was the school festival, after all.

Not as thrilling as an amusement park, but there’s a haunted house, places to eat and chat, and surprisingly a few cozy spots too.

If they wanted to, couples could have a pretty fun date course.

There’s no way the two heroines vying for the protagonist’s attention would miss that opportunity. Hagiwara, being bold and assertive, would definitely be there, and childhood friend Nakahara, despite appearances, can be quite daring.

And Shii probably wanted to keep the two of them apart. If nothing else, she would’ve tried to keep an eye on them.

I tried to recall how the original story played out.

As with many light novels, the everyday side story would include some fanservice. Hagiwara and Nakahara would probably have clung to the protagonist’s arms from both sides.

And by “clung,” I mean they’d have pressed his arms between their chests.

Even though today’s competition between series often teeters on the edge, with half-romantic scenes even in shonen manga, twenty years ago, this kind of innocent scene was the norm.

Plus, did you know? Back then, harem series often didn’t end with the protagonist choosing anyone. Harem endings were basically reserved for eroge.

Even in eroge, they’d have “Good Endings” and “True Endings,” with the latter supposedly being the canon conclusion—

…

Well, that doesn’t matter now.

If I had a bit more leeway, my and Koko’s room would be filled with manga and anime merchandise popular at that time. But right now, I didn’t have the luxury.

“…It’s fine.”

“Huh?”

Shii looked a bit hurt by my words, so I quickly added.

“We still have the literary collection, and the exhibition items are still here.”

That’s right. The exhibition pieces were too big and awkward to bring home, so we left them leaning against the bookshelf for now. Maybe next year’s members could use them as a reference during the festival.

“So, you can still see it anytime.”

“Yay!”

Koko also raised her arms and shouted.

“R-really?”

Shii blinked at my words.

I nodded.

“It’s all written down, so it won’t disappear. Besides, not many people visited the Literature Club, so you’d still get a similar vibe whenever you come by.”

“Wouldn’t it be a bother if I came?”

“The upperclassmen would be happy to see you.”

After Koko, Shii had been the next most popular kid during our summer camp. She wasn’t as childlike as Koko, but with her small and cute appearance, she worked hard and left a good impression on everyone.

…

Wait, small?

Looking again, it seemed like Shii was taller than me now.

“Senpai?”

“…Oh, nothing. Shall we get to work?”

“Yes!”

At my words, Shii’s face brightened again.

Honestly.

Sasaki sure had a lot to answer for, making such a great little sister go through all this heartache.

Though, I guess it wasn’t all Sasaki’s fault.

*

There was a new worker at the café.

Obviously, I’m talking about Miki.

She hadn’t had the chance to meet her parents yet.

It seemed that from the moment she was sent to the juvenile detention center, her relationship with her parents had become strained. On top of that, Miki had earned more money than expected during that time.

Most of it had gone to paying off debts she had, for some reason, accumulated at such a young age. But even after that, she had quite a bit left.

It wasn’t just that she didn’t have much to spend it on.

Talking about that money might make her parents blow up again. Her boss and her parents could also be strict, like Sasaki’s father.

If that’s the case, I could roughly imagine how things had gone.

Anyway, I don’t bring it up in front of her. She doesn’t say much, just listens quietly.

“Welcome, Master~”

Miki’s relaxed greeting felt even more laid-back and cheerful than when she was at the bar.

So, there was no need to dig up her past.

Now living in the same building, Miki was working without pay. The boss had said it wasn’t necessary, but Miki insisted she couldn’t face her if she didn’t help out.

Maybe she was motivated by seeing me and Shii already working part-time.

Well, it’s good that she’s doing something. Keeping busy and interacting with various people is good for mental health.

“Hey there~”

Already working, Miki saw us and waved with a big smile.

We smiled and waved back.

Miki, on her way to the counter with a customer’s order, came over to me.

“You know~ I’ve been thinking~”

“Yes.”

Shii, who had stopped with me, saw my gesture and quickly headed to the locker room. She was sharp and knew to change quickly.

“I really want to go back to school~”

“...”

“I can’t go to a nice place like Hanagawa, but~ I want to be like everyone else~”

“Miki, I’m sure you’ll do great.”

At my words, Miki smiled brightly and nodded.

“I just wanted to say that~ Seeing you gave me the idea, and I had to tell you~”

Miki said that with a bright, radiant smile and then turned to walk away.

I stared blankly at Miki’s retreating figure as she jogged off, then shifted my gaze to the boss.

The boss, who had been watching us with a smile, quickly turned away.

I saw her eyes glisten, but I pretended not to notice.

Chapter 128. Request (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

There was only about a month left this year.

To be honest, it felt a bit strange to say such things, because it hadn’t even been a full year since I arrived in this world.

I came in April, so it had only been around eight months.

This also meant it hadn't been a year since I got to know my friends.

It’s really strange.

After leaving the confines of being a student, it felt incredibly difficult to make true close friends.

Even if I met new people, they were usually related to work, and no matter how much we laughed and talked, with work between us, it felt a bit awkward to become truly close.

Perhaps it’s because I had never thought about joining clubs or such.

The few friends I occasionally met after getting older were all people I had made during my student years.

Well, even that had almost disappeared after losing my family.

...Here, I felt the same way.

Even though I hadn’t known these kids for even a year yet, whenever we met and talked, it was incredibly fun, even if it was just pointless chatter.

Well, I didn’t think I would be able to see all of them for the rest of my life.

As I slowly aged, there would be those I lost contact with, and some with whom I would naturally drift apart.

"…Ha."

Thinking that, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Without realizing it, I was assuming that I would be here until then as well.

...

Hmm, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Since I had been thinking such gloomy thoughts lately, how about looking far ahead as a way to lift my mood?

Who knows? Maybe it would be 20 years before someone I trust kills me.

“Kotone?”

“Hm? Ah, it’s nothing.”

It must have been because we were on the subway.

Even during this time, there were things you could hold in your hand. Things like game consoles. There were also MP3 players and CD players.

However, unlike smartphones that could do everything and had essentially become a necessity for everyone, such electronic devices in this era were luxuries—nice to have but not essential.

And up until now, I had lived without such luxuries.

The only way to pass the time here was to talk with someone or to space out, lost in thought.

Unfortunately, most of the people here were tightly packed office workers, exuding an unbearable level of discomfort, so I had no intention of chatting.

Naturally, I chose the latter option, which seemed to have made Koko, who was standing close to me, a little uneasy.

“I was just thinking to myself.”

“Thinking about what?”

Koko asked.

I blinked at her question.

Koko's vocabulary had improved a lot since we first met. However, her basic speech patterns hadn’t changed much, so I sometimes still confused the old Koko with the current Koko.

...

The fact that she asked me back was a good thing. It meant Koko was learning to communicate with others.

But, when I suddenly got asked a question like this, I couldn’t help but struggle with how to answer.

"…I was wondering if I should buy some tangerines on the way home."

“Tangerines!”

Ah, come to think of it, Koko had never actually tasted a tangerine.

No, thinking back, in her previous form, she might have snatched some from the man next door’s house. But at least not in her current form.

It was Koko’s first time experiencing winter like this.

...Everything Koko had gone through outside the house this year was likely her first time ever.

Still, her excitement over hearing the word “tangerines” came from having tasted tangerine juice before, even if she hadn’t had the real fruit.

Koko liked almost all foods, from bad-tasting ones to delicious ones, but if she had to choose, she would pick the latter. That was only natural.

At Koko’s innocent reaction, the office workers around us turned their heads away.

Were they trying to suppress their laughter?

Well, I was one of the people holding back a laugh too.

*

December 6th. Monday.

Although December itself had started last week, today was the first Monday I had experienced in December.

When I was working, I hadn’t really noticed it, but now that I looked around slowly, I could see that the year-end atmosphere was already upon us.

Although it hardly ever snowed in Tokyo, fake snow made of cotton decorated the shops, and Santa Claus dolls dressed in red were displayed in the windows, along with Christmas trees.

...Right, I used to enjoy Christmas when I was little.

As the year came to an end, I would get excited for no particular reason and feel like going out—

Ah, now that I think about it, maybe it was because December meant the holidays were coming?

Adults didn’t get holidays. Especially since I didn’t even have fixed days off, I had lived only paying attention to whether the weather was cold or hot.

Winter vacation, huh.

“Kotone.”

As I leisurely walked from the station to school, Koko spoke to me.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to get a present?”

“Present?”

“From Santa Claus.”

“…”

Um.

“They say Santa gives presents to good kids. Kotone is a good kid.”

“…”

Is that so?

If I were to count the number of lies I had told this year, it would probably be far more frequent than all the lies I’d told in my previous life combined.

Well, that might have been because I didn’t talk to people that much before.

But still.

Did Koko really believe in Santa Claus?

I wasn’t sure, but it seemed like she might.

“…Yes, I want a present.”

I answered.

I didn’t really have any particular thoughts about it. But I didn’t want to ruin Koko’s innocent fantasy or the Christmas atmosphere by saying anything unnecessary.

I didn’t know what the future would hold, but at least while we were together, I wanted to leave her with the best memories.

This would be Koko’s first Christmas.

And, it would be her first New Year’s as well.

“How about you, Koko?”

I asked.

“Do you want a present?”

“Yes!”

At her response, I smiled slightly and said.

“I’m sure you’ll get one. Koko’s a good kid.”

“Koko is good?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow!”

At my answer, Koko raised both her arms and cheered.

What should I get her? What does Koko want?

I thought she’d be happy with anything. Maybe a big stuffed animal?

I exhaled, watching the white puff of breath in the air.

My clothes were warm. The coat I was wearing over my school uniform was one Kagami had brought me along with the kotatsu.

Koko was delighted to be wearing the same blue coat as me.

“Let’s buy some more things on our way back.”

“Hmm?”

Koko tilted her head curiously at my words, but I just smiled.

Yeah.

Now that it had come to this, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to decorate the house a little in a Christmas atmosphere.

Together with Koko.

*

December was exam season. Of course, the exams were right before the holidays, and unless you were one of the kids who studied really hard, most were more excited about the vacation that would follow.

I was more on the side of looking forward to the break.

Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, I hadn’t really studied hard for exams. I was content with mid-to-low grades. As long as I didn’t fail, wasn’t that enough?

However, not everyone around me felt the same way.

*Rustle rustle.*

The sound of pages turning could be heard next to me.

A moment later, came the faint scratching of pencil against paper, followed by the click-click of a mechanical pencil being reset.

“…”

Normally, I wasn’t particularly sensitive to such minor noises. After all, my house wasn’t well soundproofed, and sometimes I could easily hear people singing loudly or the sounds of cars and motorcycles passing by.

Of course, to sleep at night, I had to get used to such noises.

But...

“...Yuka, you’re working hard.”

Kaoru said, sounding as if she felt a little guilty.

That was right.

We were currently in the Literature Club room.

Among the five members, only two of them were sincerely studying.

Kaoru had spread her books out, claiming to study, but there was an occult magazine on top. It was obvious that the textbook was just for show.

As for Koko and me, we hadn’t even bothered to open anything.

By the way, Izumi was also studying intensely, probably spurred on by Yuka’s example.

“It’s the last test of the year, right? I should finish the year well.”

“Finish the year well…?”

That wasn’t something you’d typically hear from a high school student. Well, it wasn’t a phrase that was never used, but at least among the high school students I knew, no one used the phrase “finish the year well” so seriously.

“Yeah, Kaoru.”

Izumi said with a smug laugh.

“If you don’t study at all like that, you’ll lose to me completely this time.”

...Didn’t Izumi have about the same grades as Kaoru?

Well, come to think of it, neither of them usually studied with such passion. Since they were always together and in the same places, they could probably see how much (or how little) the other studied.

But neither of them seemed like the type to study hard at home.

Yet, they both still ranked higher than me. I had to give them some credit for that.

“You’re just studying because a junior pushed you.”

“And you?”

“Kuh...!”

It had been a while since Izumi got the upper hand on Kaoru.

Kaoru glared at Izumi and roughly closed her magazine, pushing it aside.

Then, with fierce determination, she lowered her head and began studying.

...Now there were three study maniacs in the room...

But thankfully, kind Yuka didn’t pressure me into studying. Yuka wasn’t the type to do that. Of course, if my grades dropped so low that I was at risk of repeating the year, she might step in, but—

“…”

*Rustle rustle.*

*Scratch scratch.*

“…Koko, should we study too?”

“Hmm?”

When I suddenly suggested it, Koko, who had been eating a dorayaki, blinked.

Yeah. There wasn’t any direct pressure.

But...

With this kind of quiet study room atmosphere, there was no way I could just sit here doing nothing...

I sighed deeply and pulled out a textbook from my bag. Yuka glanced over at me.

Her eyes were smiling.

I felt like I had been tricked, but what could I do?

It wasn’t like it was a bad thing.

...Looks like Yuka will get a great present from Santa this year.

*

“Do you celebrate Christmas too, Yuka?”

“Huh? Of course, I do.”

For the record, Christmas isn’t a public holiday in Japan. Not even Buddha’s Birthday is. Which is outrageous.

Well, from a religious perspective, it might be more neutral this way. Still, as someone who had lived in another country, it was surprising that despite Japan's strong Buddhist influence, Buddha’s Birthday wasn’t a holiday.

Anyway.

“Why, does it seem strange that a girl living at a shrine celebrates Christmas?”

“Well...”

I struggled to respond to that.

Now that I thought about it, from the perspective of Christians, I was a being directly related to heretical religious practices. Koko even more so.

And yet, here we were, celebrating Christmas.

“Every year, my grandpa and dad put up a tree for Christmas. And they also give—”

“Wait a minute.”

Before Yuka could go any further, I quickly interrupted her.

Thankfully, Yuka, always quick on her feet, stopped talking, though she didn’t seem to understand why.

I glanced over at Koko. Yuka also glanced at Koko.

“Santa Claus!”

Before Yuka could say anything else, Koko was already speaking.

“Yuka, are you going to meet Santa too?”

“…”

Yuka’s mouth fell open.

Some passersby also stared, but we decided to ignore them.

“Oh, uh—yes.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Yuka finally answered.

“Wow, you must have been a good kid too!”

Koko’s words made Yuka cover her mouth with her hand.

*Clatter.*

If I had to describe Yuka’s expression, a mix between amusement and disbelief would be the most fitting word.

*

I didn’t expect Yuka to follow us home.

Since it was a day off, and we had plenty of time, we ended up going to Yuka’s house for dinner, gathering the things Yuka needed, and then coming to my place together.

It wasn’t the weekend, and it was during exam season, so I was surprised that she planned to stay over. Ah, maybe she considered her studying for the day done after what she did earlier?

Not that I minded. Honestly, I liked having friends over.

Maybe it was because I had spent so much time alone before coming here, but—

I suspected what truly convinced her was when I casually mentioned that we’d be decorating the house today while I was explaining things to Koko.

In that sense, it was a bit convenient that Kagami wasn’t living with us. When I was in high school, it was almost impossible to have friends stay over because of family.

“Wow!”

Koko raised her arms and shouted, so both Yuka and I raised our arms along with her.

Although we didn’t cheer, it was still fun.

Several Santa dolls were sitting atop the TV. I had draped sparkly garlands, typically used to wrap around Christmas trees, over the walls, and hung large, shiny red, gold, and silver bells as decorations.

We had also bought Christmas stockings but hadn’t hung them up yet. Those were for "holding gifts" and would naturally be hung on Christmas Eve.

After finishing the decorations, we placed the tangerines we bought in a basket and set it on the kotatsu, crawling inside it.

“Ah... this feels nice. Winter should be like this.”

Yuka said, sounding a little like an old man.

“Hm...”

Koko, too, pressed her cheek against the kotatsu, looking like she was melting.

Although it was still colder than a house with the boiler running at full blast, having a heating appliance in a house that had virtually no heating until now felt fantastic.

The tangerines were delicious too.

The TV, turned down low, was showing a drama I didn’t know.

It didn’t seem to be anything too stimulating.

I reached out, picked up a tangerine, and peeled it. The tangerine I popped into my mouth tasted great.

When I first started living here, I never thought I’d experience moments like this.

As I sat there, lost in thought, staring blankly at the TV—

*Bzzz.*

“Whoa!?”

I flinched in surprise at the sudden vibration while my cheek was pressed against the kotatsu.

Koko, Yuka, and I all sat up at the same time.

“Ah, sorry.”

Yuka quickly apologized and grabbed her phone, which had been buzzing on top of the kotatsu.

“Hello? Oh, yes, grandpa.”

At first, Yuka answered the phone leisurely without a care.

“...Yes.”

But soon, her expression darkened slightly.

Her eyes were glancing toward me. Was it a conversation I shouldn’t hear?

“Yes, yes. Okay. But...”

After briefly biting her lip in hesitation, Yuka finally replied,

“Yes, I’ll talk to her about it.”

Then, she ended the call.

I stared at Yuka intently as she placed her phone down on the table.

“...Haaa~~”

Yuka let out a deep sigh and rested her forehead on the table.

“Did they tell you to come home early?”

“Huh? No, that’s not it.”

Yuka looked around awkwardly before sighing again and opening her mouth.

“...My grandpa asked for help with something.”

“Right now?”

“No, not right now.”

Yuka scratched her head and continued.

“Do you know what a satori is?”

“For enlightenment?”

“No, the yokai.”

Yuka pulled out a notebook from her bag and wrote the kanji for "satori," the one meaning “to realize” or “awaken.” It was the Japanese version of the character.

“It’s a yokai that looks like a monkey.”

I had never seen such a yokai in novels before.

I liked Japan’s subculture, but I didn’t know much about its traditional culture, so I quietly listened to Yuka’s explanation.

“In simple terms, it’s a monkey that reads people’s thoughts. It usually stays hidden in its nest...”

Yuka sighed again.

“It seems like some important people think it’s ‘necessary.’”

“…”

That was... selfish.

“So, they want my help to find it?”

“Yeah, that’s about it, but...”

Yuka tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.

“They said it’s not urgent, so I could take my time to think about it.”

“…”

In other words, they wanted to reserve my help in advance?

“Has it caused any harm to civilians?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

Yuka slipped her hands back into the kotatsu as she spoke.

“It’s not a creature that harms people on its own. It doesn’t attack or eat humans, and it just looks like a monkey. Of course, since it’s a yokai, it moves within its nest.”

But that wasn’t the end of the explanation.

“And it usually avoids humans. Like I said, it reads thoughts, right? It’s quite useful, so naturally, many humans try to capture it. That’s why it’s very sensitive to malice.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah, exactly.”

Yuka scratched her head.

“...Without you, catching it would be really difficult. That’s probably why those important people gave me such a long timeframe. If we fail, it’s over. If we catch it, great. That’s probably it.”

“Do they know for sure that it exists?”

“I don’t remember the details exactly... but I’ve heard about it from my grandpa before. I think it was reported about ten years ago. They failed to capture it back then.”

And since it wasn’t dangerous, they just left it alone.

But then, why did they need to catch it now? I wasn’t keen on spilling any unnecessary blood.

Moreover, with its troublesome ability to read thoughts, it was clear that wherever it was used for would be a very messy situation.

“Can I give you my honest opinion?”

“...Sure.”

“I don’t think you should do it. It’ll probably... end up the same way as before, right?”

“…”

I stared quietly at Yuka’s guilt-ridden face and nodded.

“Okay. I won’t do it.”

“You made the right decision.”

Yuka seemed a little relieved.

“The reason I’m telling you this is that someone else might come to ask you later... I think my grandpa warned me in advance because he knew that.”

Yeah, that’s probably true. “Important people,” after all.

I shrugged and reached for another tangerine.

Chapter 129. Request (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Winter mornings are cold.

If I wore a long padded jacket stuffed with synthetic or goose feathers like in Korea, it might feel a little less cold. But it doesn’t seem like such outfits are particularly popular in this country.

Well, maybe they don’t need to be since the cold here is more bearable. After all, Tokyo is much further south than Seoul, where I used to live.

Even though the weather was cold, having two people to walk to school with made it seem like it didn’t matter.

If I were still walking alone like at the beginning, I wonder how it would have been.

Would I still be riding this crowded train, staring blankly out the window all by myself?

Would I have trudged to school and back home alone through the cold, windy streets?

Or maybe I wouldn’t have even attended school till the end.

...

Ah, but there was always Kagami.

I’m not sure if our relationship would’ve been the same as it is now, though.

Even if I rode the train absentmindedly like before, it's surprising how having someone familiar next to you changes your mood completely.

Just another ordinary day.

After experiencing the extraordinary several times, I realize how important these moments are. I wish I could save these moments like savings in a bank, but time slips away like sand between my fingers, leaving only faint traces behind.

And the few grains of sand that remain in my palm—that must be what memories are.

"…Ha."

I chuckled to myself, lost in thought.

Lately, I’ve been having these moments more often. It feels like I’m becoming more and more sentimental as time passes.

"Why?"

Last time, Koko had asked me, but this time it was Yuka who was curious.

"Oh, it’s nothing."

I couldn’t bring myself to share the overly sentimental thoughts I’d been having, so I brushed it off as usual.

Hmm, thinking about it now, it was good I turned down that yokai.

If it could read my thoughts, it would’ve surely spoken them out loud.

And no way did I want Yuka hearing that.

"I was just thinking about what to have for dinner."

I said, looking up at the sky outside the window.

Not a cloud in sight.

Though it was cold, the sky was unbelievably blue.

I hope the weather stays like this.

---

It seemed like Yuka had also noticed that someone was following me.

If even I, untrained, could notice it, then of course Yuka would too.

In fact, Yuka probably realized it long before I did.

"…Does it bother you? Should I say something?"

"…It’s fine."

Some of them were probably from the cult group too.

They hadn’t been particularly helpful, but at least they hadn’t caused any harm either.

If something happens, they might even be useful.

They might not be able to handle yokai, but they could come in handy if a stalker shows up or something.

Yuka didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she didn’t press the issue further.

---

The end-of-year atmosphere at high school was best described as “awkward.”

It was a time when we should be studying hard, entering full-on exam mode, but also a time perfect for fun. With both the end of the year and New Year’s being big occasions to celebrate, it left everyone feeling a bit restless and unfocused.

That easygoing vibe permeated the entire school.

Just as we had during the hot, rainy summer, we were still having our lunches in the literature club room after the cold really set in.

But for some reason, I found myself heading to the rooftop with Koko, despite knowing how cold it was.

I had already told Yuka in advance.

I had bought bread on the way to school from the convenience store earlier. Yuka, who seemed to think it was only natural for her to buy my lunch, had looked a little shocked when I told her she didn’t need to anymore... but after watching me buy bread right in front of her, she seemed to accept it.

I planned to slowly distance myself from Yuka this way.

I had developed a bad habit from the beginning, but I didn’t want Koko to pick up the same habit.

Yuka said she had some things to take care of.

…Though it seemed like she went to the school store even after seeing us buy our bread, that was something I couldn’t exactly stop her from doing.

As I climbed up to the upper floors—where the seniors had their classrooms—

"Ah."

I ran into Hagiwara Hana.

Even though Hanagawa High School’s sailor uniforms were somewhat baggy, she still managed to make it look somewhat suggestive. Honestly, if I hadn’t known she was a nun from what I’d seen before, I wouldn’t have believed it just by looking at her.

"…Kurosawa."

"Hagiwara-senpai."

I bowed my head slightly.

Normally, I would’ve just said a quick hello and walked past. We were familiar enough with each other’s faces after two joint training camps, but we still weren’t close.

It was like we belonged to different groups.

It wasn’t that I disliked her, but there was some tension between the groups backing Hagiwara and Yuka, which affected my judgment. Naturally, I was inclined to side with the ones who had helped me the most.

"…"

But it seemed like she had something she wanted to say.

What should I do? If I didn’t like her, I could just ignore her and walk away, but Hagiwara… well, she wasn’t someone I disliked.

"…Do you have something you’d like to say?"

I thought I was speaking as politely as possible, but once the words left my mouth, they didn’t sound very polite.

"Yeah, actually."

Hagiwara didn’t seem too bothered.

Her eyes scanned the area around us.

Although there were a lot of students, not many were paying attention to us.

"…Can we talk for a minute?"

But Hagiwara said it cautiously.

I thought for a moment and then answered,

"…As long as it doesn’t take too long."

---

Ironically, I didn’t need to worry about being late for my lunch plans.

When it comes to choosing a place in school where no one’s around, there’s no better place than the rooftop.

You’d think more students would come up here since it’s so open, but I had never seen anyone else use it. I guess everyone just assumes the door is locked.

"Brr, it’s cold."

Hagiwara stepped out into the open and hugged herself, mumbling.

She probably hadn’t thought we’d be talking outside. At least Koko and I were wearing coats.

"…What did you want to talk about?"

I hesitated for a moment but decided to get straight to the point. There was no need to drag out the conversation in this cold.

"Oh, right."

Hagiwara’s face briefly showed a look of indecision.

She was probably debating whether to dive right into the topic or ease into it with small talk. But since it was cold outside, she finally took a deep breath and spoke.

"…Do you know about a being called a ‘Satori’?"

I knew it would be something like that.

Unlike Nakahara, who seemed to view me as a rival—or at least a potential threat near Sasaki—Hagiwara didn’t seem to harbor such worries.

We had a certain degree of acquaintance.

But even though we occasionally acknowledged each other with a nod in the hallway, I had a feeling that a casual greeting wasn’t what she had in mind when she said she wanted to talk.

"…Haa, I figured you knew."

Hagiwara sighed deeply, her breath visible in the cold air.

"Sorry. It seems our side needs it as well."

That figures.

Even if they didn’t need it immediately, they would probably want to capture it just in case.

And testimony extracted from a yokai like that wouldn’t even count as illegal evidence. There would be no need for intense torture or threats; the yokai would easily extract the weakest points hidden in a person’s mind. It was a tempting offer for anyone.

Sure, the testimony might not hold up legally, but whoever they’d be using it on probably wasn’t an ordinary criminal anyway.

"…Are you asking me for help?"

I looked at Hagiwara, disbelief evident in my expression, and her face flushed with embarrassment—not just from the cold, but from actual shame.

Her gaze shifted momentarily to Koko, who was staring intently at her from beside me. Thankfully, Koko remained calm, not giving off an aggressive vibe toward someone trying to make me do something.

After a moment of hesitation, Hagiwara finally spoke.

"I thought… we were close enough to ask."

Haa, Hagiwara sighed again and looked at me.

Then, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Well, at least your reaction reassures me. You don’t seem like you’re planning to search for it in the first place."

I nodded.

"I don’t enjoy cutting my wrists for fun."

Hagiwara pursed her lips.

She had been just as shocked as everyone else when she saw me cutting my wrist. She knew that her request wasn’t all that different from what she had witnessed back then.

"Sorry."

"…If it’s an order from above, there’s nothing you can do."

Even Yuka had said something similar to me.

"Got it. Thanks for your answer."

Hagiwara looked a little more at ease.

"Well… I’d better go now. It’s getting too cold."

I nodded.

Hagiwara waved slightly as she headed toward the rooftop door.

And then,

"Oh… Senpai."

She bumped into Yuka, who had just arrived.

Yuka glanced at Hagiwara before turning her and moving towards me and Koko. Then, she glanced back at Hagiwara.

‘Why are you here?’

Her eyes carried a slight sense of hostility.

Hagiwara shrugged her shoulders and said,

"…I just had something to talk about."

"…"

Yuka’s eyes narrowed at her response, but she didn’t block Hagiwara’s path or stand in her way.

When Yuka stepped aside, Hagiwara gave a slight bow and quickly passed by. Her shoulders hunched as if the cold was really getting to her.

Honestly, I felt a little bad for her. I should’ve just listened to her inside instead of out in the cold.

"What did you talk about?"

"…Satori."

At my answer, Yuka exhaled softly.

She didn’t continue the conversation.

Instead, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a drink.

A bottle of coffee milk.

"Here."

"Thanks… Oh."

As I accepted the bottle, I let out a surprised sound. The bottle was warm.

"Wow!"

Koko, who had also received a bottle, sparkled with excitement.

"It’s warm."

"I got it from a vending machine."

Of course.

There were a few vending machines like that in the school.

Certainly, there wouldn’t have been much point in getting these ahead of time. No matter how well you kept them, they’d turn cold in about an hour.

"Something warm on a cold day really hits the spot, doesn’t it?"

I couldn’t help but smile slightly at Yuka’s thoughtful gesture.

Seeing my expression, Yuka’s mood seemed to lift, which was a relief.

---

In my previous life, no matter how much I helped other people with their work, it wasn’t because I wanted to.

I’d work myself to exhaustion, to the point of collapse, just so I wouldn’t dream about my family when I finally fell asleep.

That’s right.

I didn’t actually enjoy working with other people like normal folks.

The café job was much better than the work I used to do, but work was still work. Even though I had a great boss, I constantly debated whether or not I should quit.

Recently, my mind had become a lot more at ease, perhaps thanks to that nameless cat spirit. I hadn’t been having those dreams as often either.

That’s why Tuesdays were like a holiday to me.

Going to school didn’t count.

Classes ended earlier than most office workers’ shifts, and afterward, I could just sit in the club room, relax, and pass the time.

Today, Yuka didn’t come along. As much as she and I were close, Yuka was still a minor. Staying out too often would definitely attract attention from her grandfather and father.

I couldn’t help but chuckle when I remembered how downcast Yuka had looked while saying that.

No matter how skilled she was with a sword or how proficient she was at hunting yokai, Yuka was still a mid-teen high school girl at heart—

...

And with that thought, a heaviness settled over me again.

On my way back home, I bought a bag of tangerines. I had already finished my study session at the literature club, so I planned to spend the rest of the day relaxing under the kotatsu.

“Hmm?”

But the moment I arrived home, I gave up on that idea.

“…Kagami.”

“…”

Kagami was standing in front of the door.

And she wasn’t wearing her usual carefree expression. Instead, her face looked somewhat dark.

The moment I saw her face, I had a pretty good idea of why she had come.

“…Is it about Satori?”

“Yes.”

Kagami didn’t deny it or try to avoid my question; she answered directly.

“May I come in?”

She asked cautiously.

“Sure.”

I opened the door for her.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kagami had already been inside. She probably had a spare key.

Not that she’d steal anything. Honestly, there wasn’t much to steal in the first place.

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“...I, uh…”

“Eat with me.”

I put my bag down as I said this.

“Wait in the room. I’ll take a quick shower. You can eat some tangerines while you wait.”

I grabbed a plate, poured out some of the tangerines from the bag, and placed it on top of the kotatsu.

“…”

“We’ll prepare dinner after I’m done.”

Kagami looked at me, seemingly unsure of how to respond.

I decided not to dwell on it.

After all, we’d eaten together before.

It wasn’t long after I had gotten my new rice cooker.

Back then, Kagami had eaten the meal without a second thought, so it seemed a little late for her to be acting surprised now.

With those thoughts in mind, I headed to the shower with Koko.

---

We didn’t talk about Satori during dinner.

Since I didn’t bring it up, Kagami seemed unsure how to start the conversation herself.

Lately, she had been acting strange. In the past, she would have started talking regardless of how I felt.

Dinner wasn’t as extravagant as the hot pot we shared last time.

Tonight’s dinner was curry.

“…It’s delicious.”

“Is it?”

I had used a recipe I got from Yuka.

Apparently, Japanese people took their curry rice very seriously, with every family having their own special recipe.

The curry was slightly sweet, but with a bit of tweaking, I could probably adjust the ingredients to better suit my taste.

As I watched Koko happily scooping up spoonfuls of curry rice with a nearly humming expression, I turned my attention back to Kagami.

“So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?”

I didn’t think she’d bring it up on her own, so I decided to start.

“…If you’ve heard about Satori, you probably know what kind of yokai it is.”

“A yokai that reads thoughts, right?”

At my question, Kagami nodded.

“Yes.”

“Does your group need it too?”

“It would be nice to have, but… if that were the only reason, I don’t think you’d bother to help.”

She was spot on.

If I was going to die eventually, I wanted to live peacefully until then. And now that it was nearing the end of the year...

Sure, some workplaces get crazy busy during the holidays, but I was a student. I had no desire to "work" during this time.

How had information about Satori spread so far?

Well, it was simple.

The first mention of it probably came from the government. If not the government, then from the organization that controlled the exorcists.

Once the information was out, everyone would try to figure out how to use it. People would be desperate to get their hands on it if they had a way.

And Japan was a country where freedom of religion was guaranteed, so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone in the government was deeply involved in a certain religion. It might not even be one of the mainstream ones like Catholicism; there could be some unusual beliefs mixed in.

For example, maybe they believed in beings from beyond the stars.

“Are you trying to make me take action?”

“I’m not saying that, but…”

Kagami furrowed her brow for a moment, then continued.

“No, I guess I am. Sorry.”

“…”

I took another spoonful of curry and chewed slowly, gathering my thoughts.

After a brief pause, Kagami spoke again.

“…I think my sister is getting involved.”

My jaw slowed as I chewed.

I looked at Kagami.

“I have someone on the inside. There’s probably someone on our side in your group as well.”

That… makes sense.

“And this might even be a story they’re deliberately spreading.”

“But you think there’s a possibility, right?”

“Yes.”

Kagami nodded.

“I know I’m not on the side of justice. And… our religion isn’t exactly pure either.”

Kagami looked straight at me as she spoke.

“But even so, I don’t plan to let the world be destroyed.”

“…”

Twisting the order of the universe to create a paradise. That was their goal, wasn’t it?

“What exactly is Kosuzu’s objective?”

At my question, Kagami paused.

Then, she spoke.

Her voice was firm, as if she had already braced herself before coming here.

“…To erase the boundary between life and death.”

“…”

That’s quite the scale.

But since I had already glimpsed some of the truths of this world, I couldn’t just brush it off.

Yes.

There’s an afterlife. There are beings that live there, and it’s possible for those beings to cross over into this world.

Naturally, if that boundary could be crossed, it might not be impossible to erase it entirely.

“If death no longer exists, everyone will live forever.”

“…And in that world, there will still be rulers, won’t there?”

“…”

Right. I think I’m starting to understand what Kosuzu’s “true objective” is.

How grand.

“We have no intention of capturing Satori. We don’t want to use it either. That would draw too much attention.”

Kagami adjusted her posture and said.

“So… it needs to disappear. That would be the cleanest solution for us.”

“…I see.”

I quietly resumed eating.

Kagami followed suit, eating her meal in silence.

Not a word was spoken until the end of dinner.

Chapter 130. Request (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

What should I do?

I didn't know the full extent of Kosuzu's abilities.

But at least, I knew Kosuzu was creating and moving beings similar to me or Koko.

My tracking ability wasn't 'my' ability.

To be precise, it was the power of Shura Nirlass, a foreign deity who enjoyed observing me.

If I found that yokai called Satori and it seemed boring to her, she would never help me. On the other hand, if it seemed interesting, she'd help even if I told her not to.

"So, can I assume you'll help me?"

After finishing her meal and helping with the dishes, Kagami asked that at the front door.

"…Yes."

I nodded.

Yes, I had already made up my mind.

I couldn't predict how Kosuzu would use it, but at least I was certain it wouldn’t have a positive impact on the world.

Even just knowing how to threaten the higher-ups or how to attack specific places effectively would be reason enough to find her.

"…Thank you."

Kagami responded.

I quietly stared at Kagami.

In my previous life, I had never lacked much. At least when I lived with my family, I had never lived in a hastily built house like this one.

I didn't know if houses like this existed in Korea—

But at least, standing in this entryway, I could clearly feel the cold seeping in through the thin wooden door.

It might not be below freezing, but the temperature was probably in the single digits.

I looked Kagami over.

Her clothes didn’t look particularly thick... Though I wasn't sure if that was just because I had spent winters in Korea.

"How are you getting home? Is someone giving you a ride?"

Only after asking did I realize it was the first time I’d asked Kagami such a question.

"Yes, if I call, someone will come."

Yet, I had never seen her get into a car right in front of this apartment.

The last time I checked the clock, it was already past nine.

I hesitated briefly and glanced at Koko. Koko looked as if she wasn’t thinking about much. She was intently watching the conversation between Kagami and me, but she hadn't interrupted.

Honestly, I had no idea what she was thinking.

Well, at least she didn’t seem to be thinking badly of Kagami.

At least for now, she wasn’t showing a particularly guarded expression.

"Mya."

A sound came from my feet.

Kuro was looking up at me, meowing.

What will you do?

She had a face that seemed to be asking that.

...Alright, fine.

"…You can just stay the night."

When I said that and lifted my head, I saw Kagami frozen in place, her faint smile locked on her face.

Rather than deliberately holding that expression, it felt more like she had frozen, unsure how to respond to my offer.

"It’s late."

I added.

Ironically, the room was equipped with enough things for a family of four to stay comfortably. Since Yuka often came and slept here, there were plenty of blankets.

One unexpected guest wouldn't be a problem.

"I'm…."

She could refuse if she wanted to.

But wouldn’t it be odd to decline at this point? Koko and I had already stayed upstairs at Kagami’s bar before.

"…."

Still, it wasn't like there wasn’t any awkwardness.

To ease the tension, I casually gave a reason.

"And there’s still some things we need to talk about. If Kosuzu has started moving, it's better to find her as soon as possible. Plus… I don’t want others to find out we took care of the Satori."

With that, I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, I’ll be in my room, so do whatever you want."

Then I took Koko with me and went back to my room.

Maybe 30 seconds later? Kagami, who had been standing by the entrance, hesitantly came back into the room.

She awkwardly sat down in a corner.

"Mya."

Kuro followed in after Kagami, a little late.

Curling up in my lap, Kuro yawned widely.

While scratching behind Kuro's ears, I smiled slightly, making sure Koko and Kagami couldn’t see.

---

I wasn’t a particularly calculated or rational person, so I honestly couldn’t explain why I said what I did to Kagami at that moment.

But if I tried to be as logical as possible and dredge up a buried memory, it was probably mixed with a bit of guilt for being too wary of her.

It was almost a one-sided relationship where I was the only one receiving help.

To be honest, much of the consideration I was getting from those around me was due to Kagami’s efforts. She had taken on the role of the villain for me.

"You know people are keeping an eye on me, right?"

At my words, Kagami nodded.

Since I had brought her here under the pretense of wanting to talk, I planned to discuss it with her through the night.

"When they realize I'm missing, they’ll start moving right away. I’ve already heard about Satori."

"…That’s true."

Kagami nodded.

"So, is there a way for me to sneak out of this place? Like a secret passage or something."

Actually, I already had an idea.

Open the window and ask Koko to carry me out. It wouldn’t completely avoid suspicion. Opening a window in the middle of winter was odd, and if someone was watching, they might catch a glimpse of us vanishing.

But it was a reliable method. At the very least, they wouldn’t know where we disappeared to.

So, this was just a casual question to continue the conversation—

"There is."

"…There is?"

I looked up at Kagami with a surprised expression.

"Yes, there is. What do you think this place is?"

Well, it’s an old, run-down apartment. The walls are so thin they can’t block the cold in the middle of winter.

…And, in each room, there are massive chunks of flesh in the refrigerators, and beyond the plastic-covered walls, there were patches of splattered blood.

So, in a way… It was a well-camouflaged but extremely important place for the cult.

"Did you hold gatherings here?"

"We did. Not anymore, though."

Kagami spoke as she looked at me. Her confident tone made her seem like she was slowly returning to her old self.

"And during those gatherings or rituals, there were some things that might have seemed like crimes to outsiders."

Hmm, I don’t really want to know what they did.

So, I pretended not to hear that and continued the conversation.

"So, the passage?"

"There’s a pretty big hole under the room on the first floor. It leads to a tunnel that connects to the sewers."

Should I call it large-scale or just an unexpectedly believable passage?

…At least I was grateful Koko hadn’t gone that way. It also meant the passage was properly blocked off on the outside.

"Well, the passage hasn’t been maintained for a long time, so there might be a ton of bugs inside by now."

"…."

I decided to pretend I didn’t hear that, too.

"Once you’re in the sewer, you can go anywhere it connects. Of course, we made sure to set up specific escape routes to prevent anyone from getting lost and starving to death."

"That’s… thorough."

"Well…."

Seeing me slightly overwhelmed, Kagami rested her chin on her hand, thinking for a moment.

"But the problem is that there’s no direct way from the second floor to the first. We’d have to step outside to get to the first-floor room."

If someone was watching us, they’d find it extremely suspicious if we didn’t come back out after entering the first-floor room.

So far, I hadn’t found any signs of someone sneaking into the apartment. Whoever was watching me seemed to be cautious.

But if they judged the situation to be urgent, who knows how they’d act?

"That’s… something to think about."

Would keeping the window open be more suspicious? Or would staying in the first-floor room too long raise more suspicion?

"Since it’s been a while since I’ve stayed here,"

As I pondered, Kagami spoke.

"I’ll think of a solution."

Kagami seemed pleased as she said that.

---

The next day, after returning home from studying in the literature club room, I found quite a few people gathered in front of the house.

"Kagami?"

I called out to Kagami, who seemed to be in charge of the group, and she gave me a faint smile.

"What’s all this?"

"The building is too old, right? And the downstairs isn’t really being used."

Kagami cheerfully answered my question.

"So, we’re doing a bit of remodeling. Fixing the walls, and checking the pipes to see if anything’s wrong."

I almost reflexively asked, "Now?" but seeing people working on the second floor, I shut my mouth.

Right.

I had already broken through the ceiling once. Of course, the shoddy construction of this apartment, which made me wonder if it was ever meant for people to live in, was partly to blame.

"See over there?"

Following where Kagami pointed, I saw the man who lived next door, his face beaming.

He seemed excited that the place he lived was being renovated, as he was peeking around the house. Maybe he finished work early today?

"And, would you come this way?"

I followed Kagami’s gesture.

Kagami led us into the room at the farthest end of the right side on the first floor.

The inside hadn’t changed much. There were some belongings, but no one was there.

Instead, some of the flooring had been pulled back, and in the center was a closed door.

"And this way, even if people living here come in, there won’t be anything suspicious."

"…Ah."

I see.

So this was the method Kagami had been talking about.

Creating a reason for me to come in at any time.

This would certainly buy me time until I disappeared from their view.

"…I get it."

"Yes, that’s the reason."

Kagami alternated her gaze between me and Koko.

"So, may I ask when you plan to go after Satori?"

"…."

Seeing that Kagami had fully recovered her usual self, I momentarily lost my words.

---

The operation was scheduled for this weekend.

I didn’t know exactly where Satori was. The only thing I knew was that it was somewhere in Japan.

It took a long time for it to build its nest and move, but it had already been decades since people gave up tracking it.

If it had crossed the sea, it might be impossible to find, but given that Kosuzu was making a move, she must have found at least a clue.

Would she use a method similar to mine? Whateley seemed to have received at least part of the power of a god, so I assumed he had some related convenient ability, even if not to my extent.

That’s why I set the date as early as possible.

"You’re taking time off this weekend?"

My boss asked again.

I’d been taking so much time off this year. Honestly, if it were a normal job, I might have already used up all my leave.

"Well, fine. Take the time off."

But the boss didn’t ask any further questions and simply replied.

"You brought me a free worker, so it’s no big deal."

The boss’s eyes were on Miki as she said this.

When I gave her a bewildered look, the boss shrugged.

"What’s the problem? She’s not getting paid. For now, she just seems eager to help."

"…."

"Why? Do you want to explain why you’re taking time off? Is your mouth itching to tell me?"

The boss grinned and asked.

"It’s just… with my mom…."

My mom, huh.

Come to think of it, I couldn’t exactly call Kagami "Kagami" in front of others. Even though we were supposedly getting closer after having a bad relationship, it would still be weird in an Eastern context to just call her by name.

"…I see."

Whatever the boss interpreted from my words, she smiled warmly.

"Then that’s how it should be. If you have so little family left, you should spend time with them. Go have fun and eat plenty of delicious food."

It felt like a huge relief that Yuka wasn’t around.

Yuka would have had a very complicated expression hearing this conversation.

She probably wouldn’t fully believe me and would think Kagami had asked me to find Satori.

…Well, she wouldn’t be wrong about that.

---

Saturday, after school ended.

"…I see. So you have to work on Saturday, huh?"

Yuka, who had invited me to study together and was turned down, spoke with a slightly dejected expression.

"Honestly, I really want to follow you, but spending all day studying at your workplace seems a bit much."

Seeing Yuka joke a little, I chuckled as well.

To be honest, if she had come along, I would have felt pressured in a way, like she was silently telling me to study more.

Not that Yuka would mean it that way.

"Well… okay."

Yuka nodded to herself and said.

"Alright. See you next week."

I nodded at Yuka’s words.

"See you on Monday."

Fortunately, Yuka’s train arrived first, so Koko and I sent her off.

Good. At least I could relax a little now.

As I exhaled a small sigh and turned around, I noticed Koko staring up at me intently.

"…What? Is something wrong?"

Worried by Koko’s gaze, I asked.

"Muu."

After a moment of hesitation, Koko spoke.

"Kotone, you lied."

"Huh?"

I blinked in surprise, and Koko spoke again.

"Lying is bad... Won’t Santa Claus dislike it?"

"…."

Ah.

I see.

Koko had been sulking beside me the entire time I was talking with Kagami yesterday.

So, she must have judged that me deceiving my best friend and doing something alone was a "lie," something bad.

"Well…."

I was at a loss for words in response to Koko’s comment.

"I’ll explain it when we get home. I’m sure Santa Claus won’t mind."

"Hmm?"

Koko tilted her head in confusion at my words.

---

"…Santa?"

Back home, Kagami overheard our conversation and tilted her head.

"If you do something bad, Santa won’t give you presents."

At Koko's words, Kagami’s eyes widened slightly. Even so, her eyes were still thin.

Kagami gave me a look as if asking for an explanation, and after a brief hesitation, I spoke.

"This is to avoid making Yuka worry."

"Uuu?"

"Koko, do you think it’s a good thing to make your friends worry?"

I looked at Koko seriously as I said this.

"…That’s bad."

After a moment of deep thought, Koko said.

"Exactly. But sometimes, there are moments when we have no choice but to lie. To prevent those we care about from worrying."

"But…."

"If I had told her the reason, Yuka would have been really worried."

And she would’ve followed us.

I left out the last part and said that.

"I thought it would be best if we handled this ourselves."

"…."

Koko stared at me.

"We can solve this quickly, without worrying anyone else, and return by the end of the weekend. That way, we can solve the problem without making anyone worry."

"It’s not a bad thing?"

"It’s not."

Though, as I answered, a small pang of guilt pricked at me.

There are many types of lies.

Some are light-hearted jokes. Some are temporary with the intention of revealing the truth later, and then there are those lies meant solely to deceive others.

The lie I told Yuka was the last kind.

No matter how much I told myself it was for her sake, no one would think of it as a good deed.

And more than that.

I had already told Yuka a much bigger lie.

Though it was for her, I had told a lie that would one day cause her a tremendous amount of pain.

Yes.

There’s one more kind of lie.

A lie where you tell nothing to anyone.

A silent deception.

…Considering the prophecy I knew, the yokai called Satori should not exist.

What kind of expression would Koko make when she learned that fact in the end?

"Santa will definitely come. So, you don’t have to worry."

"Muu."

Koko let out a small, tired-sounding voice as she looked up at me with her head lowered.

"I hope Kotone gets a present too…."

"…"

Kagami, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, spoke.

"I’m sure she will. Considering everything she have done so far."

Kagami stared intently at me.

"So, you really don’t have to worry."

"…Really?"

"Really."

Only after hearing Kagami's words did Koko smile slightly.

It was a smile of relief.

But seeing that smile, I didn’t feel relieved at all.

Chapter 131. Request (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The sewer was damp and smelled bad.

Still, despite it being much drier in winter than in summer, the moisture was so thick that I could feel it on my skin.

Something about this feels… Lovecraftian. Wandering through a damp sewer in the middle of the night, trying to catch a monster.

Well, at least we didn’t have to wander for too long.

After walking for about 20 minutes, we found the exit we had prepared in advance.

As I climbed up the ladder and crawled out of the manhole, a few burly men grabbed my arms and helped pull me out.

I knew they were just trying to help. But honestly, it’s hard to say "thank you" when the people helping you are built like bodyguards and dressed in suits.

“If everyone’s ready, let’s go.”

If Kagami hadn’t said that as she emerged last, I probably wouldn’t have been able to shake off my suspicion of these men.

Nearby, a car was parked, as expected.

It was a black van, and it looked suspicious at first glance.

At least it wasn’t an old, beat-up van like the ones used in movies or dramas for kidnappings.

Seeing that the exterior was clean and well-maintained, I calmed down a little. The van looked more like the kind used by celebrities.

Inside, I sat with Koko and Kagami. The van was spacious, and fortunately, no one else sat with us. There were two others seated behind us, though.

“Do you know where it is?”

“I know how my sister's people move. It’s not too far from here.”

There are almost no mountains in the heart of Tokyo, which is nestled by the sea. Even if you climb up to a high spot, all you see are endless plains packed with buildings.

But, even though Tokyo Bay is nearby, on a clear day, you can see a range of tall mountains at the horizon. If the weather is perfect and you're high enough, you might even catch a faint silhouette of Mount Fuji.

But Saitama is not Tokyo.

Saitama is a neighboring city. In other words, Saitama is connected to the “distant, hazy mountains” that can be seen from Tokyo.

I’ve never once thought about climbing those mountains, even though I live in Saitama.

“...It could be a trap.”

At my suggestion, Kagami nodded calmly.

“That’s right. They might be planning to follow us from the shadows.”

That’s right. Kosuzu was part of the cult until relatively recently. She knows exactly where my apartment is and, of course, would remember the escape route below.

If she heard that the government is looking for the satori and wanted to use me, someone capable of pursuing the satori, she could have set this up.

Kagami probably thought of that much, too.

But even if we don’t act, Kosuzu will surely make a move eventually.

Kagami must have decided it’s better to take the risk.

“I see.”

I nodded and pulled a cutter knife from my pocket.

“Muu…”

As soon as Koko saw the knife, she let out a whine.

I felt a little guilty.

Hurting myself in front of others—it's getting harder as time passes.

It’s not just because it hurts. In fact, I’ve gotten quite used to the pain.

But the closer I get to those around me, the more I feel their concern.

Even Kagami was watching me, not looking away from my wrist.

The wrist that bore a tattoo.

At first, I thought Kagami had engraved it on me. After learning about Kosuzu, I thought she might have done it.

But now thinking about it again, I don’t think it was either of them.

There’s no reason for them to carve a magic circle on my wrist. They didn’t even expect me to be alive, let alone moving.

So, then… was it Nirlass, who could control my body at will?

Well, that doesn’t matter right now.

I took a deep breath.

To ignore their gazes, I closed my eyes.

Then, I pressed the blade firmly into my skin and sliced sideways.

The pain surged—

“I feel a little hurt.”

—A voice that never failed to irritate me echoed.

It’s strange. Nirlass’s voice is always calm, never too emotional, and usually shows only a slight interest in me, if anything.

Or maybe that’s what makes it so irritating.

I’m the one always bleeding and suffering, while they just sit back and watch like it’s a show.

Not sure if they have popcorn, though.

“It’s sad that you only call me when you need something. Perhaps you’re not interested in Ye after all.”

Of course, I’m not.

Honestly, if I had any other way to resolve this situation, I wouldn’t even borrow this power.

Isn’t there some rule in the Cthulhu Mythos that delving too deeply into cosmic entities will drive you mad?

Even the guy who rammed a steamship into Cthulhu’s head didn’t stay sane.

…Come to think of it, am I even sane right now? Who in their right mind would slit their wrists just to follow someone? It’s not like I’m some unstable girl threatening to kill herself just because she doesn’t get to meet someone.

Although, the logic might be similar.

“…You’re not that interested in me anyway.”

I knew I was nothing more than a fun little toy for them.

“I would like you to understand that Ye’s interest in you is no small matter.”

Their tone was playful again.

I had no intention of responding.

I couldn’t move my body, and my gaze was fixed in one spot. Still, I could feel their presence. Human vision is wider than we think, so even without focusing directly, you can sense what’s happening around you.

Kagami and Koko were both staring at my wrist.

Koko, I could understand, but even Kagami?

“…I have a request.”

“I’m listening.”

“This time, you’re not asking for anything in return?”

“There’s no need.”

At my question, Nirlass chuckled.

“This time, I think I’ll get to see something amusing.”

“….”

See? I’m just a toy to them.

Something to fix if it breaks.

“I want to find the satori yokai.”

“Very well.”

Nirlass isn’t like the “Monkey’s Paw.” They don’t twist your wish just for the sake of it.

They just grant wishes to enjoy the accompanying entertainment.

If they don’t see any benefit for themselves, they’ll ask for conditions.

At least in that sense, they’re reliable.

“Then go ahead. Ye will be watching from here.”

When Nirlass says things like that, it usually means I’ll encounter something I’d hate or fear by the end of it.

…But they’re insidious in that there’s no way for me to avoid it. They never tell me what awaits.

Like how they never revealed Kudan’s prophecy, even though they knew it all along.

“You’ll need a sword, won’t you?”

“…That goes without saying.”

Nirlass laughed at my reply.

With that, time began moving again.

The car, which had been still, started moving again, and the air flowed once more.

My senses had felt frozen, then suddenly resumed, making it feel as if I had defied the law of inertia by riding in a car that had always been in motion.

Thud.

A long, red katana dropped to the floor of the van.

“Kyuu?”

Chi poked its head out from the slit in my wound and made a noise.

Well, I’m used to this by now.

This feels familiar somehow.

I exhaled deeply, lost in thought.

*

The place we arrived at, while following traffic laws and not speeding, was, as expected, in the mountains.

But it was a mountain right next to the city. There were several roads leading into the mountain, and we were able to drive quite far into a densely wooded area.

I guess it makes sense, being a monkey.

“So, strictly speaking, it just points in the general direction.”

Kagami spoke while looking at Chi in my hand.

I nodded.

“But we’ll be able to find it. It hasn’t been wrong so far.”

Yeah, if this were some kind of cruel prank, I understand having some doubts.

Like if they pointed us in this direction, but the actual location was on a different continent.

But Nirlass wouldn’t pull that kind of trick. If the place was truly unreachable, they would’ve told me upfront.

We had that kind of trust. Nirlass and I didn’t lie to each other.

We just withheld information, if necessary.

“...”

“Don’t you think it’s suspicious?”

I said to Kagami, who was staring down at Chi.

Her gaze shifted to me.

I had meant it as a joke, but Kagami’s serious expression stopped me from continuing.

By the way, my wrist was wrapped in bandages.

Whatever this van was equipped for, it had enough medical supplies to perform minor surgeries. Not that I expected the people in here to be real doctors. They were probably just good at patching up knife wounds.

Since I didn’t need stitches for self-inflicted cuts, thick medical gauze was placed over my wrist, and it was wrapped tightly with a bandage.

Kagami was the one who helped me with that.

“…Sorry.”

“Huh?”

At my words, Kagami blinked.

“I guess it’s not the time for jokes, huh.”

“...”

“We can’t let Kosuzu find us first. Otherwise, she might already be following us.”

“We weren’t tailed, though.”

One of the men driving us scratched his head as he spoke and said,

'There was no car following us—'

'That’s not what I’m talking about.'

Kagami gently interrupted him.

'This is about something other than people.'

Because Whateley isn’t visible.

At Kagami’s words, the men fell silent.

There were four men with us. If you think about it, that might seem like too few people, but in reality, having a group of tough-looking men following us in big vans would only draw attention from the police.

Besides, in this case, they wouldn’t be much help unless it was for heavy lifting.

I tightened my grip on the sword in my right hand. Alright. This level of bleeding isn’t really a problem anymore.

And as for the satori… once we find it, it probably won’t be that much of an issue either.

Koko followed silently behind me, her expression filled with worry, as she kept glancing at my wrist.

How many times have I collapsed in front of Koko?

…It’s happened so often I’ve lost count.

Is it going to happen again today?

'Let’s go.'

I tried to sound firm, not wanting to show my nervousness.

'Kyuu.'

Chi was the only one to respond.

I couldn’t tell if it was a real answer or just a sound mimicking my voice.

*

“Huff… huff…”

I thought my stamina had improved, but it was useless in the middle of a mountain.

Besides, the path we were walking on barely resembled a trail.

We were relying on the flashlights the men held to light our way forward.

'Kyuu.'

Well, of course, we’re in the middle of the mountains.

The satori was hiding here to avoid people.

Considering that it didn’t go far and stayed here, the satori must have been a loner, even in the yokai world.

After decades of finding some peace, now I’m here to kill it. I feel a little sorry, but… as I continue hiking up this mountain, that sympathy is fading away bit by bit.

Even the men, who had been climbing the mountain with ease, were starting to breathe heavily.

If we keep going like this, are they going to leave me behind in the mountain?

I was grateful that they had followed me without complaint, but—

'Huff… ah.'

I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

'Eh?'

Koko, who had been following me closely, let out a sound of surprise.

'Did you find something?'

Kagami asked.

'...Yeah.'

I could feel it.

A strange chill, cutting through even the midwinter cold.

As always, Chi’s guidance was accurate.

It wasn’t just pointing the direction like a compass. It was more like a fully functional navigation system, but I hadn’t realized that and had only thought of it as a compass.

Maybe Nirlass isn’t being considerate of me… but rather salivating at the idea of an exciting development.

They know I wouldn’t respond if they weren’t helpful.

'But we’re not there yet.'

I still wasn’t good enough at sensing yokai or their lairs instinctively.

If Yuka were here, she might be able to tell how close we were or why the energy felt so weak.

And maybe she could explain why no one had found the satori, even though it was so close to Tokyo.

Well, even if there are exorcists, no one can scour every inch of a mountain like this.

Kudan was a rare case of a yokai born into this world, so when people saw it, it caused a commotion, and its importance was well recognized. But the satori? It would easily sense hostility and run away. And besides, to anyone else, it just looks like a monkey.

'...Let’s go.'

I want to finish this as soon as possible, preferably before the weekend is over.

I don’t want Yuka to find out I lied to her.

So, I gathered every bit of strength I had left and moved forward.

*

'Shh. Wait a moment.'

One of the men following us whispered.

We all crouched down immediately. Koko was a bit slow to react, but not by much.

The man who had told us to wait looked around, his eyes darting.

Crunch.

There was a sound of something stepping on the ground.

…A person?

In the middle of the night, in this dense forest with no clear paths?

…

Well, it’s not impossible.

This isn’t like America, where there are vast uninhabited areas between towns. Japan is a densely populated country with over a hundred million people crammed onto these islands.

Even in the mountains, we were still in Saitama.

The flashlights were already turned off when we crouched down.

'Let’s move a bit.'

One of the men suggested.

'It’s not good if we’re seen.'

He was right. Someone might have spotted our lights and come this way. It was a good idea to change our position.

I blinked, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness.

We moved slowly, making as little noise as possible.

I gripped my sword tightly.

Koko had a determined expression, ready to fight.

And Kagami—

She was pulling out a talisman from her pocket.

A talisman, huh. It’s been a while since I last saw one.

Come to think of it, Kagami used one when we captured the Nure-onna.

'There can be wandering spirits in the mountains. And… we have our own methods for these kinds of situations.'

'So it seems.'

I responded, recalling the mirror Kagami used last time. She smiled slightly.

Judging by the small bag slung over her shoulder, she might have brought it again today.

'Shh.'

We had moved a few meters when the men at the front stopped us again.

'…Is something over there?'

'Yeah.'

The men whispered among themselves, then turned to us.

'We’ve got a problem.'

'Are there a lot of people?'

'Yes. It doesn’t sound like just one or two. I hear footsteps all around us.'

The oldest of the men, who was just as large as the others, spoke up. A long scar ran down his temple, visible even in the faint light.

'Are we being surrounded?'

'I’m not sure.'

He hesitated for a moment. His voice was so quiet that we had to huddle closer to hear him clearly.

But with the wind blowing stronger in the winter night, it seemed like even a little distance would drown out the sound.

The cold air made the wound on my wrist sting even more.

'I didn’t notice anyone following us, though.'

'…'

'What will you do? If we keep going, we’re bound to run into them. I’m not sure how much help we’ll be, though.'

If these men were from the Yamashita family, they must have seen me fight the Curse of Isolation.

They’d know it wasn’t something regular people could face.

Kagami looked at me silently.

Was she leaving the decision up to me?

'…We came prepared for that.'

At my response, the man nodded.

'Then let’s move forward. If we get caught, we’ll stand our ground from there.'

'...Yes.'

It was clear that he meant we should stay hidden for now.

After agreeing, we continued moving.

I had always heard that yakuza in real life were nothing like the honorable characters in movies, but maybe things were different in light novels. These men showed no sign of betraying us.

Or perhaps, as Yamashita-san had mentioned, they were “believers” too.

“Hey!”

At the sound of the voice, we all froze.

We practically flattened ourselves against the ground, holding our breath.

Had they seen us?

That sharp voice sounded like someone had spotted something—

'We know you’re there! Show yourselves! We’re not here to fight—'

What should we do? If we’re caught, should we rush out and take them down—?

But before I could finish my thought, a wave of chills crawled up my spine.

And then.

Slice. Splat. Thud.

That unmistakable sound, one that I’d heard enough to hate, filled my ears.

'…Koko!'

'Got it!'

At my shout, Koko jumped to her feet.

I immediately thrust out my left arm.

There was a simultaneous clashing of metal and the sound of something bursting, like a water balloon popping.

It was the sound of the tentacles that had torn through the bandages on my left wrist striking something and making it explode.

'…'

On the other side—nothing was visible.

Finally, you’ve come, Kosuzu.

I glared in the direction of the noise and thought.

Chapter 132. Request (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“This is what—”

One of the men, drenched in my blood in this cold weather, was horrified.

No, it wasn’t just because of the cold. With that thick smell of iron clinging to him, it was only natural he’d react like that.

Not that I had any way to spare him from it.

A metallic sound rang out, and Koko’s hair moved swiftly. The traces of her movements were too fast to catch in the dark, making it look as if a sword in flight had been blocked by a bullet. Whether it was starlight or moonlight, the sight of the glowing blade bouncing off mid-air felt slightly surreal.

“Wait!”

I heard someone shouting from over there.

“That’s not the enemy side!”

I recognized the owner of that voice.

…Hagiwara.

I see. So the sword that came flying at me must’ve been a bayonet used by the church.

But I didn’t have time to leisurely figure that out.

Once again, a chill ran down my spine.

I swung my sword hastily.

Srrk.

I felt something catch on my blade in midair. Another shiver ran down my back—not from the yokai this time, but from narrowly avoiding danger.

Splat.

What fell to the ground was the tip of a tentacle. If not for the sword I had swung like a windshield wiper, that thing would have either stabbed or strangled me.

Koko, having seen it, moved to stand in front of me.

She crouched, bending her knees slightly. Her posture was set to spring into action at any moment, and her hair was raised.

At first, her hair lifted as if static electricity had caused it, but then it started writhing as if each strand had its own will. The ends of her hair were sharp like needles. Actually, they were probably even sharper than needles. And they would be harder as well.

Koko wasn’t the only one who moved. Kagami sprang up as well.

When Koko moved, I wasn’t too worried.

To be more accurate, it wasn’t that I didn’t worry, but I wasn’t ‘overly’ concerned. I had faith that Koko could protect herself.

But Kagami… wasn’t she just an ordinary person?

While I stood there thinking that, mouth agape, Kagami looked over at me.

Our eyes met briefly. Despite the dark night, I could see Kagami’s eyes clearly. Was it because she happened to be standing where the light hit her?

Kagami threw the talisman she had been holding up into the air.

Just like thin paper tossed into the sky, the talisman didn’t fly high. It fluttered for a moment, then caught the air with its wide surface, jerking awkwardly before gracefully descending back down.

At a glance, it seemed like something that would elicit a chuckle. Usually, in these kinds of stories, characters fling talismans as if they were shurikens, without a second thought.

But it didn’t seem like Kagami had thrown it to attack.

As the talisman fluttered in the air, the words written on it began to glow blue. They weren’t the usual characters one would find on a talisman, but rather symbols I had never seen before. They lit up as if they were on fire and began to burn.

“...!”

Right after that, the tentacle lunging towards Kagami froze in mid-air, as if it had been stopped by something, and then burst into blue flames.

It was like when you pour oil in a straight line on the ground and light it at one end—the flames travel along the oil. That’s what was happening now in mid-air.

The blue flames traveled along the tentacle, severed midway, and then dropped to the ground.

“...You had something like that? Why didn’t you give me one?”

“Oh my. Would you have believed me if I’d just said it was a useful item and handed it to you?”

Kagami replied to my comment.

Her judgment was spot on, so I couldn’t say anything in return.

“What’s the principle behind it?”

“As I’ve said before, we also have our own experts. We even employ someone with a real degree in this field. Someone who lives right next door to you.”

“Ah.”

“Think of Greek mythology. The gods kill each other, don’t they? For every good relationship, there’s a bad one. So, to be honest, we don’t really understand the principle either. We just know it works that way.”

Kagami pulled another talisman from her pocket as she spoke.

Cthulhu, the poster child of the Cthulhu Mythos, is generally known to have a bad relationship with the god Hastur.

I wasn’t sure if that applied to the current situation, but if this was influenced by the Cthulhu Mythos, it might work on a similar principle.

“...Is that thing safe?”

“...Who knows?”

Kagami smiled as she replied.

“I heard it’s made by diluting powder from a specific branch and using it like paint to inscribe an ancient spell. The person who recreated it originally intended it purely for ceremonial purposes.”

“...”

“We just have to hope the deities involved don’t get too upset.”

No, this looked incredibly dangerous no matter how you looked at it.

But even as I had that thought, Kagami tossed another talisman into the air. Again, blue flames flared up, and it was as if a thin blue veil had formed in the sky.

“Oh, and just in case, you two should stay a little away from me. If something goes wrong, you might end up like that other guy over there.”

“She’s right, better safe than sorry.”

A voice whispered into my ear, as if agreeing with Kagami.

There was a hint of laughter in the voice, though.

It seemed they were almost looking forward to things going wrong.

“...Koko, stay sharp.”

“Mm.”

Koko nodded at my words.

The sound of metal clashing continued steadily.

It seemed they had a lot of numbers on their side, but they didn’t have the kind of weapons necessary to face the enemy head-on like we did.

It didn’t seem like the Whateley family was entirely invulnerable to physical attacks. It felt like they were hovering somewhere between this world and that world. Of course, to do real damage, we’d need specialized weapons.

Flash.

Well, it didn’t seem like they were completely without such things on their side either.

The bright light didn’t seem like it was just a flashlight being flicked on and off.

Koko and I moved our positions.

We left Kagami to protect the yakuza men. Thanks to the blue flames floating in the air, no tentacles were reaching toward that side anymore—

“Koko!”

“Yeah!”

Right.

Whateley wasn’t their only weapon.

When in an environment visible to others, relying on Whateley alone would be easier. After all, Whateley was invisible to most people.

But in situations like this, where there’s no fear of being seen—

Squelch.

I spotted something moving quickly on the ground and stabbed my sword into it.

Then I raised my left hand, forming the blood flowing from it into a spear, and stabbed it again.

The flesh-colored monster, as if it were a person melting, could be killed with that.

Koko did the same. She extended her hair, stabbing the ground in all directions.

The creatures stuck to the ground, trying to slip past Kagami’s barrier, were held back somehow.

Though we did get injured.

“Kotone...”

“I’m fine.”

Koko, who was in much better shape than me on the outside, worried about me, but I answered quickly.

“More importantly, let’s hurry and take down the enemy.”

I wasn’t sure if we could fully stop Whateley. But if we didn’t repel them now, the church people would be in danger.

Among them was Hagiwara.

Flash, flash. The white light flickered again, but the sound of shouting and something splattering onto the ground continued.

“Let’s go!”

“Yeah!”

Koko shouted in response to my call.

It was a steep mountain, densely covered in trees. With my fragile body, there was no way I could climb it easily.

But right now, I had the power of the Outer Gods.

Clang!

Once again, a metallic sound rang out ahead of me. A splash of blood shot up into the air.

I threw the chi I was holding in my hand forward. It burst in mid-air, splattering blood everywhere, revealing part of the tentacle’s form.

I swung my sword toward it. At the same time, I extended my arm forward.

The mass of blood that wrapped around my arm moved exactly as I intended, though it didn’t feel like I was controlling it myself.

The blood wrapped around a nearby tree and pulled me toward it.

No, it wasn’t just a straight pull. The blood mass avoided the trees that grew in all directions, moving as if to protect my body, which was honestly a bit creepy.

“Ptoo.”

Not that I completely avoided hitting tree branches with my face.

Spitting out the leaves and dust that had gotten into my mouth, I checked where the blood mass had led me.

Raising my left arm to shield myself, the blood exploded all at once. Much more blood than when I’d thrown the chi burst, spraying everywhere like a water balloon, creating a mist-like effect rather than just splattering.

“Cough, cough.”

Some of the blood got into my nose and mouth, and I coughed while trying to clear my vision.

Slowly, the blood began to reveal a figure.

The first thing I saw was the grotesque tentacles sprouting from it. Then, what came into view was its unnaturally bent spine.

It looked like each vertebra had been delicately severed and stretched apart, leaving the spine dangling grotesquely.

The space between each vertebra seemed to be supported by something like an extended spinal cord or nerves, constantly writhing.

Its back was bent forward almost in the shape of a sharp angle.

Human skin is generally no different from animal skin. Even a particularly hairy person’s skin is visible underneath.

Besides, hair and tentacles look completely different. No one would mistake leg hair for sea anemone tentacles.

But when I looked at its back, I thought of a sea anemone. The short, wriggling tentacles densely covered its back, as if they were some kind of tumor.

“Hah!”

Koko didn’t hesitate.

Her hair, bunched together like a whip, struck the creature’s back, causing yellow blood, something distinctly inhuman, to splatter.

"Screeech!"

It screamed.

Was it because all of its tentacles had been directed toward the church?

In that sense, Kagami's talismans were indeed effective. They diverted its attention to an easier target rather than us.

However, it still wasn't an easy fight.

"Ugh…!"

I jumped back to retreat, but my back slammed into a tree.

From the spot I had been standing, several tentacles shot up from the ground like long spikes. And what raised its head was a slime with a face resembling a half-melted snail.

...No.

That was a human.

Beneath the half-transparent, melted skin, I could see eyeballs that hadn’t fully dissolved and a half-melted skull. In front of the eyeballs, translucent flesh oozed and drooped.

The spikes that had formed, like the thorn platforms in a platformer game, were those things.

Several of them raised their heads.

It was nauseating.

When I read the Cthulhu Mythos, I couldn’t understand why people would go mad just from seeing a shoggoth, which, based on appearances, seemed like just a slime. But if it looked like half-melted people, I would have freaked out too.

I hope I don’t dream about those things.

I quickly formed a shield again.

Crack!

I heard the sharp sound of something piercing through the blood, and the shield shattered once more.

I wasn't sure if they had names or not—those things were different from yokai. They didn't recoil or react to being splattered with my blood, instead preparing for another attack like emotionless machines.

But Koko wasn't just standing idle. Several of their necks were severed all at once.

As their heads rolled on the ground, I rushed in and skewered them with my sword.

It wasn’t all of them. Just as I finished off one and turned to do the same to another, tentacles came flying at me again. This time, it was from the Whateley side.

If Koko hadn't pushed me aside, my head would have been impaled this time.

Thwack!

But the side facing multiple attacks wasn’t us—it was them.

A sword with a gleaming light pierced Whateley’s body.

There wasn’t as much blood splatter as when I had struck with my sword. The sword, which had completely penetrated, slowly fell downward, moving through the amorphous material without causing a significant wound.

Was that light holy water?

Was that why the sword flying toward me had been glowing?

It wasn’t just one sword that flew at Whateley.

Several people seemed to be surrounding Whateley in a fan-shaped formation. From a distance, I could hear faint murmurs of prayers.

Whateley growled, clearly annoyed.

I tightened my grip on my left arm, which was extended beside Koko, and once again skewered Whateley with my blood.

Swoosh.

Whateley's back bent.

It was bent at an angle that would have caused excruciating pain, if not death, from shock for a normal person. Yet Whateley was looking down at me with its red-stained face and eyes that were also stained with my blood.

It was terrifying.

But Koko’s hair stabbed into that face.

As Koko stood up, I rolled across the ground and got back on my feet.

A slime's head was right in front of my face, but I swung my sword upward from below, driving it into the creature’s chin and up into its skull. Fortunately, it was a "slime," and most of the bones inside had already melted, so they were soft enough for me to crush with my sword.

I pulled my sword out through its face and charged toward Whateley.

The tentacles flying at me were taken care of by Koko’s own tentacles. There were a few that managed to slip through and target my neck, but they were blocked by my blood-formed shield.

On top of that, swords were still flying at Whateley from all directions.

With a loud crash, a sound like glass shattering, a bright white light contrasted sharply with Kagami's blue flames, catching my eye. Several of the slimes on the ground writhed as if they were truly salted snails. They didn’t make a sound, but that didn’t make it any less gruesome.

The blue flames were drawing closer.

Kagami was approaching us, perhaps using her talismans, and the sheer heat alone caused some of the slimes to turn and flee.

"Grhhh…!"

Whateley groaned and speared several of the slimes on the ground with its tentacles.

Then, grabbing them with its wide hand, it shoved their heads into its mouth and crunched down.

...It was beyond grotesque, beyond horror—something transcending both. The sight of what had once been a human face, now with a jaw gaping wide enough to bite off the head of a slime larger than my own, was both horribly realistic and utterly unreal. Like a CG creation that felt shockingly real.

The half-eaten slime was then hurled at me.

Startled, I threw myself to the side to dodge, but I couldn’t completely avoid the fluids that splashed from the creature as it burst on the ground.

"Ugh…!"

It was incredibly hot. Not in an acidic way, but literally, as if its body temperature was off the charts—like water just on the verge of boiling.

Koko had been slicing through things like this?

Whateley’s body was already regenerating.

“Get back!” Kagami shouted. I had been lying on the ground after throwing myself aside, so I quickly rolled back up and retreated.

Whateley attacked Kagami as well.

And it succeeded.

It seemed the blue barrier couldn’t completely block the attack, as Whateley’s tentacles pierced through the shield.

Of course, Whateley’s body also caught fire.

But just like a human doesn’t immediately die when set on fire, Whateley’s body, much sturdier than a human's, withstood the flames.

I sprinted with all my might.

Fortunately, I wasn’t too far from where Kagami was.

“...!”

Kagami’s eyes widened as she saw me charging at her.

Seriously? A tentacle is literally stabbing into your shoulder right now, and it’s on fire. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about that?

“Kotone!”

It wasn’t until Koko called my name that I realized I should’ve been the one worried about myself.

Oh, right. Of course.

Kagami had told me and Koko to keep our distance, just in case.

It wasn’t until I cut the tentacle out of Kagami’s shoulder that I remembered that.

By then, my sword was already engulfed in blue flames. The fire easily spread to my hand.

I didn’t scream.

The flames—

“Must be burning hot,” a voice whispered in my ear.

“It must hurt, right?”

It did hurt.

So much so that my mind went completely white for a moment.

“But don’t worry. It won’t burn your body to the point of destruction. You won’t have to flee from here.”

As if it had known all along.

My vision turned blue.

It hurts.

It hurts so much.

My mind was going blank, but my body kept moving. It wasn’t of my own will.

...Oh, right. That’s right.

Nirlass could control my body.

“It’s only right to discard something when it’s no longer fun. Well, if you’ve entertained me this much, your usefulness is at an end.”

Nirlass laughed.

That laughter was reflected in my movements—my steps were light, almost as if I were strolling through a park.

A tentacle came flying at me, but my body dodged it with graceful ease, as if dancing.

“Ah, how delightful. I can hear your cries,” Nirlass said.

If you knew—

But Nirlass had no intention of releasing my body. Instead, it joyfully controlled my burning form as it approached Whateley.

Whateley looked down at me.

Its eyes peered into mine.

What did it see there?

Was it the approaching flame that would burn it to ashes?

The expression of the floating red drops of blood in the air changed.

It was fear.

“That won’t do,” Nirlass spoke through my mouth as Whateley belatedly tried to turn away.

“It wouldn’t do to ruin my fun.”

My sword extended.

The red sword, blazing with blue fire, grew far longer than my height—

And effortlessly sliced through everything in front of me.

That was the end.

Chapter 133. Request (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Humans are said to have distinguished themselves from other beasts once they started using fire.

As they began cooking food with fire, the chances of dying from eating something harmful decreased, they could light up the night and expand their time, and they became able to protect themselves from enemies.

Because of this, humans sometimes added excessive interpretations to fire.

Especially in the realm of religion, fire held various meanings.

It was seen as divine wrath, a purifying flame that cleanses filth.

A holy light that illuminates.

At times, it was revered, at other times feared.

In a way, all these perspectives might have been correct.

“...Ah...”

Clutching her bleeding shoulder, Kagami knelt on the ground and looked up.

There was no particular meaning in the act; her wound hurt, and so her legs gave out. It was simply a helpless action of sitting down.

She knew that it was a shameful thing.

She thought she had grown used to pain.

“But you...?”

Yet, for a brief moment, Kagami was shocked enough to forget her pain.

She looked up at the person standing there, still holding a sword, even while engulfed in flames without turning to ashes.

It wasn't intentional, but ironically, Kagami's current state was more than fitting to confront that.

The grotesquely distorted being that had just been threatening everything around it was now cut in half.

The skin that hadn’t been visible properly was burning in blue flames, slowly regaining its original color. No, it had existed somewhere between material and immaterial, so it might be more accurate to say that it lost its color in the fire.

A piercing scream echoed. It was the creature’s cry. Its entire body was aflame as it flailed about.

The tentacles extended long into the sky, convulsing as they whipped about like whips.

“Move out of the way!”

Someone shouted like that.

“If it hits you, you’ll die—ugh!”

A tentacle moved towards the direction of the shout, and again, the light flickered. The smell of something burning filled the air, and yellow blood splattered into the air.

Swish, swish.

Kurosawa Kotone, lightly swinging the sword in her hand, walked forward.

She walked as if she were on a pleasant outing, her steps too joyful.

The expression on her face, smiling as if she might hum a tune, was not one Kagami recognized.

She wasn’t one to never smile, but even when she did, there had always been a certain darkness, as if she could never fully relax. But now, in this moment where her body was on fire, she was fully enjoying the situation.

No, was she really burning?

A torch burns in fire. It catches fire and blazes, lighting up the surroundings.

But it’s hard to imagine a torch burning to ashes and disappearing.

It’s meant to burn for a long time, after all.

Eventually, it will cool down and die out when it serves its purpose.

What was standing before them was something like that.

There was no sound. She wasn’t laughing aloud, nor did she seem to have any intention of conveying anything.

Her expression was one of someone thinking about how to play with a toy that was wriggling before her.

“Kotone! Kotone!”

When Koko tried to run toward her, Kagami instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm.

Koko looked down at Kagami with wide eyes.

Even Kagami was surprised at her own actions.

“No.”

But she was less surprised by her own words than by the fact that she had said them.

“If you go there, right now...”

The words spilled out, fragmented and incomplete.

What was she trying to say? Even as the words escaped her, Kagami was desperately trying to organize her thoughts.

“That’s not Kotone. The person you know isn’t there.”

And finally, she managed to say it.

Yes.

That wasn’t Kotone. That wasn’t Kurosawa Kotone as an individual. It was something that had descended, borrowing her body, something beyond human understanding.

What was it again?

What is that?

That thing, that being of flesh and blood, was Kurosawa Kotone’s body.

No, no. There was a more fundamental answer. It wasn’t just Kurosawa Kotone’s body. That body...

That body—it was, yes, a vessel.

Kagami had tried to create a vessel. For Kurosawa’s deepest desire, following her sister Kosuzu’s orders, she had created vessels multiple times, and the one before her was the least broken of them all.

“That’s...”

With each word, the truth that was once forgotten slowly, but clearly, resurfaced from deep within her mind.

If that’s a vessel, then what was the entity occupying it during everyday life?

Yes, it was originally meant to be “used like that,” but if so, what was the existence known as Kurosawa Kotone?

The one who called herself Kotone and lived as such?

“No!”

At the sound of Koko’s shout, Kagami’s vision snapped back to reality. The hand she had been gripping was shaken off by Koko.

“No! That’s Kotone!”

It was only after hearing those words that Kagami realized.

Ah, I see.

If the soul inhabiting that body wasn’t a god, then that being...

It merely existed as it was called.

Just like everyone else.

As the existence known as Kurosawa Kotone.

“Kotone!”

“No.”

Kagami grabbed Koko’s arm again. Koko looked at her once more, but Kagami didn’t back down.

“That thing, right now, the entity occupying that body is something else.”

A scream echoed. It wasn’t human. The sound of metal piercing bone and flesh repeatedly could be heard, followed by the slicing sounds. The tentacles flailed through the air. Like the severed legs of a freshly cut cephalopod, the limbs thrashed violently before gradually coming to a halt.

“If you go there now, you’ll burn in the flames too. And most likely, you won’t be able to withstand that fire.”

“...”

Koko’s face hardened. Her hair seemed to stiffen and freeze.

Kagami spoke as calmly as she could.

“...If you die, Kotone will be heartbroken when she returns.”

Koko’s expression softened just a bit.

That, at least, seemed to be something she didn’t want.

Kagami didn’t know how the two had formed such a bond. All she could see was a lump of flesh that barely resembled a person, writhing and trying to mimic one.

But at the very least...

“So let’s wait. She’ll definitely come back.”

There was no certainty.

But for some reason, Kagami had a feeling that this wasn’t the end.

Somehow, though there was no proof, that thing seemed to be enjoying the moment.

If Kotone were to die and her body were to disappear, that thing would no longer have anything to enjoy.

For the first time, Kagami began to question everything she had done up until now.

Aside from the monster’s scream, all other sounds had died down.

The cries of the wounded from beyond, the sounds of the other monsters crawling along the ground and being dealt with, the sound of glass breaking and objects flying and hitting—

All of it was silent now.

They were just trembling, listening to the death throes of a creature that wasn’t even human.

“...Ugh.”

Koko seemed to have understood Kagami’s words.

She seemed to have realized that if she were to go and die there now, it would only make that thing happy.

The monster had finally stopped moving.

As if it had died.

No, it probably was dead.

“...”

The loud thudding sounds had ceased.

The figure stood still for a moment, not even catching its breath, and then turned to face Kagami and Koko.

Then, it began to walk toward Kagami again with light, graceful steps.

“...”

Unconsciously gripping Koko’s arm tightly, Kagami blankly watched the blue flames dancing on that body.

The blue flames gradually died down as the figure approached, looking relieved as if it had finished playing.

It didn’t seem to be hurt anywhere. Except for the wrist that was still bleeding profusely, its body seemed to be in much better condition than before.

Maybe it was because everything else that had been on its body had burned away.

As soon as the flames died, Kotone wavered and collapsed to the side.

This time, Koko rushed forward. She caught Kotone before she could hit the ground and carefully laid her down, shouting.

“Kotone, are you okay!?”

Koko shouted.

“...”

Kotone’s face twisted in pain. She gritted her teeth and trembled, as if trying to endure something, making it hard to believe she was really okay.

“I’’ll manage.”

Despite that, Kotone answered like that.

“It’s over.”

Without knowing why she was saying it, Kagami spoke those words.

“It’s over, so let’s go back.”

She hadn’t forgotten why she came here in the first place.

But in this state, it would be impossible to search further.

Moreover, there was no telling how many of Kosuzu’s group remained around here.

And beyond that, the ones on the other side...

Kagami could sense that they were from the church.

Considering the situation, they were at an overwhelming disadvantage. She didn’t know how they had found out and come all the way here, but they had far greater numbers.

Though Kagami had measures against yokai, she had no countermeasures for humans. If it had been government officials, she might have tried negotiating somehow—

“Wait!”

The sound of a man shouting came from that direction.

The sound of hurried footsteps grew louder, and four men who had been waiting below rushed up and blocked the path in front of Kotone, Koko, and Kagami.

“Hey, back off! Come any closer, and you’re dead!”

The oldest man said this as he pulled a knife from his coat.

Though it was short, it wasn’t a sashimi knife or anything like that, but a real blade made for stabbing people. It had no handguard, and there were no decorations on the sheath or handle.

The others also pulled out similar blades from their clothes.

Their faces were tense. Even for men used to tough situations, this was far from a common one.

Even though it was mid-winter, sweat beaded on their foreheads. Kagami figured it wasn’t just because they had run up the mountain.

There was the sound of something being drawn from the other side as well.

“...It’s over, let’s go home.”

Koko spoke in a tearful voice. Her usually stiff hair now drooped limply. Koko’s focus seemed to be solely on Kotone now.

“It’s not over...”

“No. It’s over. For now.”

Kagami spoke firmly as she stood up.

Then she walked between the men.

She had no weapon, but now that she had come this far and was face-to-face with them, she figured she had to do something.

“Wait, wait a second.”

It seemed someone on the other side had come to a similar conclusion.

The one who stepped forward was a girl. She didn’t seem much older than Kotone.

Or maybe that was just Kagami’s perception, knowing Kotone’s actual age. Kotone had always looked younger than her peers, so at first glance, someone might easily mistake this girl for being older.

Kagami knew who she was. The cult had some influence. Although their religious history wasn’t that long, they had enough manpower to investigate what was going on in the school and who the students were.

Hagiwara Hana.

She was a girl who had been seen entering the church several times.

“...”

Slowly, with her hands raised as if to show she had no intention of attacking, she walked toward Kagami and looked her straight in the eye.

“The one over there is—”

“Kurosawa Kotone.”

Kagami cut her off mid-sentence.

As she had done several times today, she didn’t know why she was doing it.

Even though she knew what Kurosawa Kotone really was, for some reason, she didn’t like the idea of someone else calling her “not Kotone.”

...Maybe she had inherited something from her sister Kosuzu after all. That sense of self-centeredness was certainly something they shared. It wasn’t something she was keen to acknowledge.

“That ‘girl’ is Kurosawa Kotone.”

Speaking in a soft, deliberate tone, Kagami said it clearly.

Just like when she first met ‘Kurosawa Kotone.’

“...I know that.”

Hagiwara Hana responded.

“But that form just now—was clearly something else.”

“...”

Kagami said nothing.

She simply stood there, keeping a smile on her lips.

Aside from Hagiwara, the other members of the church were all holding their swords. Strangely enough, they weren’t simply holding them. They had wedged the blades between their fingers, making their hands resemble claws.

“We also know why you’re here today.”

Kagami said.

“You came here to capture a yokai, right?”

“...”

“I don’t know why believers in God would want such a thing. Don’t you think reading someone’s thoughts goes against free will?”

“...We were simply trying to find it before others could.”

“Is that so?”

Kagami tilted her head slightly as she spoke.

“In that case, there’s no reason for us to be at odds. We’re here to destroy it too. Before anyone else can use it.”

“...”

How are we supposed to believe that?

That was the expression on her face.

Well, it was only natural. The idea of reading someone’s thoughts was too tempting.

“The reason you’ve been holding those swords from the start is for that, right? I’ve also brought these talismans. We’ll exterminate it for sure, so it won’t fall into anyone else’s hands.”

“...Not to capture it alive?”

“Unfortunately, our forces are much weaker than yours. Even if we had it, we wouldn’t be confident in keeping it safe.”

That was the truth.

If they had been confident in containing it, Kagami might have made a different choice.

“...”

Whether to believe her or not.

While the girl was lost in thought, a voice came from the back.

“Still, we must deal with that thing here!”

Kagami didn’t know who had spoken.

“It’s a seed of heresy! It exposed itself just moments ago!”

“That’s right! Now is our chance!”

Murmurs spread.

After the first voice, one by one, voices echoed in agreement. Soon, the murmur rose from all the survivors on the other side.

That vessel must be killed. The matter must be resolved.

They couldn’t allow something so foul, against God’s will, to taint the world.

...That was the general sentiment behind their words.

“Silence!”

Hagiwara shouted, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

“You must understand.”

Kagami tried to maintain a calm demeanor as she spoke.

“You must know that... the existence known as Kurosawa Kotone is just a young girl.”

“Snake’s tongue!”

Someone shouted that.

The fervor was growing. Even in this freezing winter, Kagami could almost see some emotion creeping up from the other side.

“For the will of God!”

The will of God, huh.

That was something far removed from Kagami.

In many senses.

“Be quiet! We’re in the middle of a conversation! Are you seriously thinking of killing that girl? Are you out of your minds?”

Hagiwara shouted. Even as she yelled, she didn’t seem to believe her words would have any effect.

“Kagami.”

The man from Yamashita’s group spoke, stepping backward to stand closer to Kagami. The other three did the same.

The door to conversation was slowly closing.

“...”

Kagami reached into her robe and pulled out a talisman.

...It wouldn’t work on humans. That fire wasn’t a flame that burned material things in this world.

But at the very least, it could be used as a distraction.

If they didn’t know how things worked on this side, it might buy them some time.

“Not yet.”

But just as Kagami was making up her mind, a low voice spoke.

“Not yet. It’s not over.”

Despite gasping for breath, Kotone was speaking.

Kagami turned around.

“Kotone!”

Koko cried out in despair, but Kotone, her face pale, was standing up.

“Now is not the time—”

“No.”

Kotone grimaced as she responded to Kagami.

It wasn’t the expression of someone filled with a sense of sacrifice.

It was the look of someone being forced to do something they absolutely didn’t want to do but had no choice.

At the very least, it wasn’t the face of a saint.

And because of that, Kagami understood Kotone’s words immediately.

Her gaze shifted.

Kotone’s wrist was still bleeding.

The red sword still maintained its shape perfectly.

That’s right.

Kotone’s words were literal.

Nothing had ended.

This situation was merely—

Bang.

From far off, there was an unnatural sound.

In this country, it was a sound rarely heard in real life, more familiar from movies or dramas.

Everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.

There was a scream from beyond. Then another bang, bang, bang, in quick succession.

There was the sound of something heavy snapping and falling—

Thud.

The ground shook.

“...It’s not over. If we stay here, we’ll all die.”

Kotone muttered, looking utterly terrified.

*

In an effort to ignore the terrible pain, I kept thinking.

If I couldn’t escape the burning pain, I had to at least turn my mind elsewhere.

And amidst those thoughts, I was able to pull one thing from the very depths of my mind.

Whateley.

The name of that monster.

Whateley.

Whateley...

...Ah.

I finally remembered.

Yes.

That’s right.

In *The Dunwich Horror*, it wasn’t just one who carried the blood of the outsider.

There were two brothers, side by side, who inherited that blood.

One was a hulking, ugly human.

The other was—

Crack.

The sound of a tree falling echoed.

...Yes, that’s right.

The other was a gigantic beast.

Its very presence was a threat to the world, sucking the blood of cattle until they withered, toppling trees just by crawling along.

“...”

The faces of those who had been shouting for my death were now frozen in fear of their own.

It didn’t feel particularly satisfying.

After all, for the moment, I was part of that same group.

Chapter 134. Request (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The cause of the gunshot was obvious without much thought.

Japan is one of the places where civilians are almost completely prohibited from owning firearms. It's probably similar to Korea in that regard.

So, it would be impossible to grab a shotgun from the house and fire at a monster that jumps out of the backyard.

If someone fired a gun, it means there are people with jobs that allow them to use such firearms.

They are probably government officials. It could even be the Self-Defense Forces.

How did they follow us? That’s not important. The important thing right now is to deal with that, or we’ll be in big trouble.

Are we safe just because the sound is coming from a distance? Given that this all started with Kosuzu, it won’t end that easily.

If we don’t eliminate it, it might come down and cause havoc.

What happened to Satori?

Well, to be honest, that story has flown far away now. Surviving is the more important matter right now.

"Wait."

As I staggered a bit and moved, Kagami grabbed my arm.

I turned my head and saw Kagami looking at me.

It might be the most wide-eyed expression I’ve ever seen from Kagami.

Since the expression I usually saw was always a sly smile, this face was honestly a bit hard to get used to.

"Where are you going with that body?"

"To deal with that."

When I answered Kagami’s question, her grip on my arm tightened.

"Let's fall back for now."

"Fall back?"

"Yes. It's too much in your condition. Let’s retreat for now, recover a bit, and gather some help."

"......"

Thud.

I looked toward the source of the sound.

In the distance, I could hear screams. The sound of trees falling continued as well. The nearby residents might be opening their windows to check the area after hearing all the noise.

"If you're worried about the people—"

"It’s not that."

I cut Kagami off, knowing what she was about to say.

Yes. Honestly, I couldn’t say I wasn’t worried. After all, I used to save people in my previous life.

But right now, it wasn’t because of my old job.

"I can’t back down from here."

Why?

Kagami’s face demanded an explanation. Koko was the same. She looked like she wanted to drag me away by force.

"...My power is borrowed from the one inhabiting me."

Upon hearing my words, the expression drained from Kagami’s face.

That’s right.

Even if I run away now, my life will still be in danger.

The reason is simple.

The fact that Nirlass lent me power without asking for anything in return means they expect me to follow through with this to the end.

I don’t know what will happen if I ignore their request.

Anything could happen, really.

Maybe I’ll suddenly die, or my appearance will change into something monstrous, or I might experience excruciating pain. They might even refuse to help me in the future.

No, that’s not the problem.

...Nirlass can use my body.

I don’t know how long they can control it, but they wouldn’t need long to cause harm.

No, it wouldn’t even take long to ruin relationships.

Who knows what they would do to my body after I’ve severely angered them?

"You worry too much," Nirlass whispered in my ear, but hearing that from someone who had just set a person on fire made me want to scoff.

"This is the price. I can’t stop moving until this blood stops flowing. It won’t stop until they’re satisfied."

At my words, everyone around me went silent.

Koko was staring at me with a shocked expression. Kagami stood silently, not saying a word.

Even Hagiwara, who had been trying to talk to me, stood nearby in silence.

"But, even if we go, is there a way…?"

"...There is a way."

I responded to Kagami’s question.

Yes.

Nirlass had already shown me the way.

They had given me a hint.

"...You still have the talisman, right?"

If you have a torch that won’t go out easily, what can you do?

A torch has more than just the function of providing light.

---

My head throbbed.

It felt like my body couldn’t process the amount of information it was receiving at once. Blood was flowing from my left wrist, and my entire body was starting to feel cold. Maybe I had lost too much blood, and my body’s ability to regulate temperature was beginning to falter.

My limbs were cramping from forcing my exhausted body to move, and I was starting to feel lightheaded.

Thud.

As I staggered toward the direction of the rumbling sound, someone grabbed my arm.

Hagiwara had come close before I realized.

"......You."

Hagiwara opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Did she want to tell me not to push myself? But that would be meaningless in this situation. What answer would you get if you told someone who is about to set their body on fire to burn the enemy, "Don't push yourself"?

The correct answer is ‘nothing.’ Right now, I needed to use my energy to move one more step, rather than waste it talking.

After hearing my plan, Kagami couldn’t bring herself to stop me.

It was strange.

At first, I thought of her as an utterly shameless non-human being, and even when I wasn’t sure if she was human, I considered her a heartless, cult-leader type.

But the more time we spent together, the more Kagami started to feel human to me.

No, Kagami must simply be human too, like anyone else. She just ended up taking over the role left behind by her older sister, who vanished after leaving the cult because she wasn’t satisfied with her results.

I don’t know the exact details, though.

Kagami probably felt similarly. After meeting me several times and talking, she likely came to think of me as something close to human.

After all, a professional relationship and one where you have personal conversations over time are completely different.

Koko had been holding my arm from the other side since earlier. She seemed to want to support me, but to be honest, it wasn’t much help.

Her careful touch felt like she was holding something fragile, afraid it might break.

...Maybe there was a reason she wasn’t moving more quickly, despite being able to.

I just felt guilty for putting Koko through so much.

"…Senpai."

"Yeah?"

"Use my blood. Like you did last time."

"..."

"I trust you won’t refuse to use heretic power at this point. If you don’t want to see the people following us die, that is."

"...I even brought holy water this time."

"You know holy water alone won’t be enough."

There were still countless corpses lying on the ground where we were. The slime-like creatures were categorized as yokai, so they would vanish soon enough. But someone had to clean up the human bodies.

I couldn’t see clearly due to the darkness and distance, but the condition of the bodies must have been horrifying.

"..."

Hagiwara didn’t nod, but she didn’t argue with me either. Not that she could have in the first place.

"Then—"

Boom!

The ground that had been rumbling now almost shook with an explosion. For a moment, I thought my feet would lift off the ground.

As I staggered, Koko, who had only lightly placed her hand on my arm until then, firmly supported me.

"...Alright."

Sensing that the time had come, I said.

"Kosuzu probably hasn’t seen Whateley’s fight. We’re too far away for her to have seen it."

Of course, since she was part of the same cult, she might have some idea of how to respond. Even if the results were from a neighbor’s research, there’s no rule that says Kosuzu wouldn’t have researched something similar.

She would’ve been prepared for the talisman.

But she wouldn’t know how I fought. It’s clear enough which part is harder to control if you think about it.

She knows I, or Koko, are weak against the talisman, but she won’t expect what I’m planning to do.

There’s a reason Nirlass specifically gave that ‘example.’

"You must feel great, being trusted like that," Nirlass chuckled.

"..."

Let’s not talk.

Boom!

I heard something being crushed, followed by a massive explosion. I could see a flash of light from that direction. Maybe a car had exploded, or perhaps someone tried to block it with explosives.

I broke free from the arms supporting me on both sides.

Then I held out my hand to Hagiwara.

She hesitated for a moment but eventually handed me her sword.

I brushed the blade lightly against my wrist. A faint red smear of blood appeared on the tip of the sword. A few swings wouldn’t leave much to see, but I confirmed during our summer training camp that the effect was still strong.

"Alright, let’s move as planned."

Hagiwara finally seemed to have made up her mind and nodded.

"Don’t die."

Why? Because if I die, I’ll be judged by God?

Well, even I know this isn’t the time for jokes like that.

"I won’t die here."

I answered confidently and took a step forward.

"...Kotone..."

"Koko. I’m counting on you."

I said seriously.

"If we fail, we won’t even get to celebrate Christmas."

"..."

I paused and looked at Koko.

Then, I patted her head and spoke.

"I promise. Since we’re saving so many people, Santa Claus will definitely come."

But Koko didn’t seem happy at all with that answer.

Of course, that was expected—

She reached out, grabbing my sleeve, and spoke.

"...Kotone is more important."

"..."

"I don’t care about presents. But if Kotone disappears, she won’t come back."

...

For a moment, I couldn’t find a suitable response.

I quickly racked my brain to come up with something, and I finally managed to answer.

"I’ll come back. Definitely."

It was a terrible answer.

Koko looked up at me for a while without saying anything.

"..."

But eventually, she nodded, even while making a sad sound.

She really is a good kid.

Too good to be the little sister of someone like me.

...Then again, that was true for my siblings in my previous life too.

"...Take care of Koko."

"...Okay."

Kagami responded to my request.

We started moving faster again.

---

A mess.

That was all I could say when I saw the scene.

Whateley had an invisible body, and the result of it moving was utterly bizarre. It looked like objects were crushing and breaking on their own, simply because you couldn’t see the thing stepping on and destroying them.

And when those things breaking were people, it was even more terrifying.

"Ahhh!"

I rushed toward the man screaming as his leg was being crushed and swung my sword without hesitation.

The sword that cuts through things of this world sliced through the air. Yellow blood splattered. It was the same blood Whateley had been shedding.

Immediately after, my body was thrown backward.

It wasn’t like I was hit by something.

Instead, I was gently placed a few steps away. Judging by the wind that brushed my face, it seemed more like a rescue than an attack.

I glanced around and saw Koko. Her hair was just returning to its normal length.

I see.

At least I wasn’t alone, and that was a relief.

Thud.

A large footprint appeared almost right next to me. Thanks to that, the soldier whose leg had been crushed was dragged away by others just in time.

Sadly, the remnants of his leg were left behind, torn apart.

Tat-tat-tat, the sound of rifles tore through the air.

But there was no effective attack.

Though small lead bullets lodged into the invisible mass, no blood splattered like when I cut into it. The bullets just paused in midair for a moment, then slid down and fell to the ground.

I shook my left hand.

As blood splattered, several chi (blood spirits) fell to the ground.

Some of them had clung to my hand before dropping.

I ran forward and threw the chi with all my might.

Splat!

The blood burst like a water balloon, coloring the invisible presence as if hit by a paintball.

However, even that little bit of coloring seemed to greatly displease the monster from the Outer God lineage.

Swish.

If I hadn’t heard the sound of air being split, I would’ve been flattened by now.

Is it about as fast as Koko?

At least the one fortunate thing is that the opponent is huge.

I’m not assuming that being huge makes them slow. It’s just that their movement covers more distance. Dodging something falling from five meters above is much easier than dodging a sword swung five centimeters in front of your face.

Whoosh.

The sound of flames crackling reached my ears, and a faint blue light flickered at the edge of my vision.

The sound of the whip wasn’t coming just from the massive Whateley.

If what I threw was a water balloon, then Koko’s hair was like a plow cutting through a field. The field was so large that plowing it by hand barely made a difference, but since the body was invisible, the wounds were still visible.

Moreover, there were slime-like creatures in the area as well. It’s fortunate I wasn’t alone. If I had been, there would be no survivors left here. Only half-dissolved corpses, blended with slime.

Koko’s hair, and Kagami’s blue flames, burned them away, while also igniting a small part of the monster’s body.

Still, it’s not enough to burn it from the outside.

I shook my left hand again. Forming a tentacle, I grabbed a tree and yanked my body forward.

"Ah!"

The soldiers carrying the wounded gasped when they saw me approaching with such an obviously unnatural form.

I sliced through a few slimes approaching them and got closer.

Then, I held out my hand to them.

Hmm. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

Seeing a massive tentacle writhing over my entire arm with smaller worms squirming out was...not pleasant.

"...Put this in your gun and fire it."

"What?"

The soldier muttered, dumbfounded.

"You’ve seen what’s going on, haven’t you? You know regular bullets don’t work on that thing. We don’t have time."

"..."

Hearing the groans of the soldier whose leg had been mangled, the others seemed to snap out of their daze.

They hesitated for a moment but eventually reached out and took the wriggling chi from my hand.

"Also, tell Miura-san to distribute this to everyone.

Honestly, I don’t know if it’ll be effective.

While applying it to the sword had worked, simply striking with my blood wasn’t as effective as I hoped. If it were, every attack on the smaller Whateley earlier would have landed after being hit by my blood.

But it’s better than nothing.

If we want to cause enough chaos and draw attention to the most chaotic person here...

I threw out Miura-san’s name as a gamble, and it seemed to have paid off.

The soldiers looked at each other before taking a handful of the squirming chi from my hand.

I didn’t have time to check if they were using it properly. If I didn’t move, the people running around would be in danger.

I ran back again.

And charged toward the rampaging Whateley.

Several cars had been flattened. The trees around us were all knocked over, leaving almost no room to step.

I swung my arm, scattering blood onto Whateley’s body. The spots of blood slowly emerged, lit by the light shining from all directions.

The searchlights from the soldiers, the holy water from the cathedral people, and the blue flames from Kagami.

Good. That should be enough.

I extended my left arm.

I grabbed the most visible tentacle and pulled myself up.

My body shot into the sky as if launched by a slingshot. To be honest, if it weren’t for the situation, it would’ve felt amazing. The cold night air rushed into my lungs, making my head feel clearer.

I severed the tentacle.

Then I created another tentacle, wrapping it around my body.

Splat!

Blood spurted. Anyone watching would’ve thought I had burst into nothing but blood in the air.

But it was just an airbag I had temporarily wrapped myself in.

I had flown, but the impact was bearable. I might’ve cracked a bone somewhere, but it wasn’t serious.

I created another tentacle and aimed for one of Whateley’s swinging tentacles.

The blood sprayed from the exploded airbag had marked the tentacles, making them easier to see. Perhaps it was also because I was looking down from above.

Wrapping a tentacle around another, my vision suddenly flipped. One moment, I was soaring through the air, the next, my body felt like it was being spun in a centrifuge.

Pop!

The tentacle burst.

As blood rained down, it splattered all over the monster’s body. It looked as if I had painted a line down its face with war paint made of blood.

Thanks to that, I could see it.

The mouth.

I couldn’t see the entire form, and I had no idea why there was a human head attached to it. A massive human head large enough to swallow me whole.

Two eyes were staring up at me.

Bang-bang-bang!

The sound of gunfire echoed, and yellow blood splattered, but it didn’t cause significant damage.

Of course, that’s to be expected. Even in ‘The Dunwich Horror’, ordinary human attacks didn’t work. If they did, it wouldn’t have been a source of fear in the first place.

I flicked my arm, creating dozens of small chi and scattering them ahead. As they burst, blood splattered in every direction, barely outlining the creature's silhouette.

What can I say?

It looked like a massive cupcake with a human head on top, with dozens of worms wriggling out of it.

Well, I don’t know if there were actually dozens. Maybe there were only six. But when I looked at it, it felt like there were more.

Several of those tentacles rose toward me.

While some continued pounding the ground, others supported the massive... biological battleship, endlessly moving it up the mountain.

I had no idea what its goal was.

We can figure that out after killing it.

I swung my left arm again. Before my body could fall, I grabbed another tentacle and flung myself upward.

Then I threw my sword.

Thunk.

For a brief moment, my fall slowed. Then my eardrums almost burst. The monster’s roar was so loud that my clothes shook.

The sword had lodged into the monster’s eye.

"Nirlass."

I murmured the name, and Nirlass chuckled.

Boom!

The sword exploded. Along with the left eye socket of the monster.

The monster’s mouth gaped open.

It didn’t seem to care about wrapping me up with its tentacles. So enraged, it looked ready to swallow me whole.

That was good news for me.

To be honest, if Nirlass hadn’t informed me, I wouldn’t have considered this plan useful.

If Kagami's blue flames couldn’t fully burn the surface of the monster, there was no way internal flames would last long either.

All living creatures are more moist on the inside than the outside, after all.

But I’m a torch, aren’t I?

As my body fell in mid-air, I approach the abomination head-first.

Even if the timing was bad and part of me got sliced off by the closing mouth, I needed to keep my focus.

And I fell straight down.

Well, "fall straight down" might not be the best way to put it.

I sprayed a little bit of blood from my left hand. I wanted to fall as fast as possible.

I don’t know if it helped, but thanks to that, my vision darkened in an instant.

Then I was hit by the stench of rot.

I’d succeeded in entering the monster’s mouth.

“...Ugh.”

Holding back the urge to vomit, I landed on what seemed like its tongue, or something similar. Splat. The tongue moved, pressing itself against the roof of the mouth.

“Ugh.”

Luckily, nothing came out.

Twisting my left arm, I touched the tongue with my blood. The tongue twitched as if in a convulsion. Yeah, disgusting, isn’t it? Everyone says so.

With my body freed momentarily, I almost slid down toward its stomach.

Before I got stuck in its esophagus, I barely managed to slip my hand into my clothes.

And pulled out the talisman.

“Whew.”

I took a short breath to prepare myself, then tore the talisman in half.

It may not seem like much of a consolation, but at least this time I didn’t have to hold back a scream.

Chapter 135. Request (10)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Pain is an alarm system that animals possess.

It is a system that warns you when something is wrong with your body, urging you to escape the situation before losing full function of a part of your body.

Heat, cold, and pressure all lead to pain once they exceed certain levels.

Pain being the most intense sensation is for the same reason.

Burning pain being classified as the worst kind of pain is likely related to this.

In that sense, the burning pain in my body is, strictly speaking, phantom pain.

There wasn’t a single burn on me, so was there really a reason for it to hurt so much?

Maybe, this wasn’t physical pain but the pain of the soul.

Well, it wasn’t really fire, but flames meant to burn down monsters and yokai.

Strictly speaking, I was one of those beings too.

So at first, I screamed.

From deep within my instincts, a voice screamed at me to stop this and run away immediately.

I almost did so.

If I weren’t this accustomed to the heat.

…Right.

This really wasn’t the sensation of my body being on fire. On second thought, it felt slightly better than when I’d been burned.

Though it was still the worst pain anyone could feel without a valid reason in normal circumstances, thinking about how I couldn’t faint or anything, I realized I could only bear it.

I opened my eyes wide. It was hot, but I didn’t feel my tears evaporating.

My skin wasn’t grotesquely burning, nor did my hair scorch and cling to me.

I was still alive.

I wasn’t going to die here.

With just that thought, I endured.

“You really are foolish.”

And then I heard a voice.

“You didn’t listen to a single thing I said, did you?”

Mya, that unique cry I always heard when I returned home.

“…Kuro?”

Before I knew it, what I saw in front of me was a door.

It looked like an ordinary door made of silver-cut wood, but strangely, it felt unrealistic.

Beyond the open door was a shallow staircase.

The steps were about the height of my ankle and went up rather high. At least, I couldn’t see the end from where I stood at the door.

On the seventh step of the stairs, Kuro lay curled up.

Her ears perked up as her tail swayed lazily.

“You probably couldn’t help it, but still.”

Kuro said, gazing at me with her yellow eyes.

“Even so, was there really a need to hold on so long till the end?”

Ah, I see.

So, the place I was in now was some sort of mental world.

The same space as last time when I met that being, like a dream.

“If you had just let go and passed out, everything would have been over when you woke up.”

“Nothing is over yet.”

I said that I would find Satori.

So this would only end once I found Satori. Nirlass was that kind of being.

“Hmm.”

Mya, mya. Kuro mewed and rolled over.

Then, with her legs folded under her body, showing her belly to the sky as if it were no big deal, she said,

“That guy only sees you as a toy, so why do you have to listen to them?”

“…”

No, that’s something only you could say because you’re a similar being.

Normal people, when they meet a god, all they can do is cower and tremble in fear.

Honestly, for someone like me, wasn’t I already being pretty brave, standing up to them?

“Well, whatever.”

Though I didn’t respond, Kuro didn’t seem upset. She continued to roll around leisurely.

“This time, I’ll help you a little. Stay here until everything is done, and then you’ll be able to find that Satori easily.”

I stared blankly at Kuro for a while.

“What are you expecting in return for helping me?”

“Why do you need something in return to help someone? You’re overthinking it.”

Kuro spun around and, now lying on her stomach again, looked at me.

“Haven’t you ever thought about it? Like, when you see a cat hurt on the side of the road and just want to help it without thinking about anything? You wouldn’t expect anything in return for doing that.”

Kuro looked up at me with those subtle cat expressions that are hard to read. She seemed relaxed, maybe even smiling. With that mysterious expression, Kuro narrowed her eyes and said,

“And, I like cats. I like the people who take care of cats, and I like people who cats like.”

“I’m not the only person in the world helping cats, though.”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to overthink it.”

Kuro yawned widely.

“Whether it’s coincidence or if there’s a real reason behind it, does it matter? After all, all connections are like that, mya.”

“…”

“Hmph.”

As I continued to look at her, still not fully understanding, Kuro snorted.

“That girl Yuka you met, she’s an exorcist, right? She’s not exactly normal by your standards.”

That was true.

…In a light novel, that would be a statement worth denying. “But you’re just a normal girl!” is a classic line for male protagonists, and the main heroine would be moved by it.

Yuka… well, she had parts that were unusual and parts that were normal.

When you strip it all away, she was just a kind girl. A scrawny girl, so pitiful that anyone would want to help her if they saw her eating a plain slice of bread, sitting alone on the rooftop.

“Meeting such an unusual girl was a coincidence, wasn’t it? And you living in that world now is also a coincidence. But it was your choice to form a bond with her and become friends, right? From that point on, it stopped being coincidence and became fate.”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll take a step back.”

Kuro’s tail flicked again.

“I might’ve been curious about the world you all live in. So, maybe I watched through one of the many cats there, and maybe I saw the people helping those cats.”

Kuro looked at me intently.

“But, even if our first meeting was by chance, continuing to talk to you might have been my own will. I don’t know the reason, and I don’t care to know. I’m doing it because I want to. Like a cat. Mya.”

It was both understandable and not.

But, at the very least, I had to admit that her answer was very much like a cat’s.

“Hmm, we still have some time left.”

Kuro yawned again and chatted idly.

“Want to just chat about anything since I’m bored? How many steps do you think are in this staircase?”

She must have been referring to the steps she was lying on.

The stairs stretching beyond the door, climbing rather high.

“There are 70 steps. After those, there are 700 more.”

“Is there any point in dividing it like that?”

“There is. Just like there’s light sleep and deep sleep.”

Kuro lazily rolled her body around.

“You’re not even in a light sleep right now, more like a doze.”

Kuro stretched out on the ground, her back fully against it, then lifted her head to look at me.

“It’s about time to wake up. If you fall into a deep sleep again, we’ll meet next time. Keep taking care of Kuro. Mya.”

As Kuro in the dream said those words, I opened my eyes.

---

I brushed off the ash clinging to my body and stood up.

What was around me… wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.

Just because something’s body is the size of a house doesn’t mean it’s made of construction materials. What had swallowed me whole wasn’t a house but a monstrous creature, one that might not even be considered a living being.

What was around me… were things that looked like intestines, charred black as if left too long on a grill. Most of them were burned so badly they gave off a foul stench.

Oddly enough, beneath the things that had been nearly reduced to ashes were unscorched plants. Most of them were dry leaves, but the fire hadn’t touched them at all.

So, was this fire not from this world?

“Kotone!”

Koko called my name loudly and ran toward me.

Thunk.

With almost a sound like that, Koko crashed into me and hugged me tightly.

“Koko.”

“Kotone, are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

“I couldn’t hear anything from midway through, and then you disappeared from view…”

Judging by her tearful, disjointed words, Koko must have been incredibly shocked too.

How had I looked, floating in the air?

At first, they probably could see me. The monster’s body was transparent.

Transparency means light doesn’t reflect off it.

So they must have been able to see me, floating in midair inside its mouth.

That means everyone could see my body engulfed in blue flames, trembling in pain, and screaming.

And then, once the fire spread, and the giant Whateley started to burn, they wouldn’t have been able to see me anymore. When Whateley started burning, its body became visible.

Koko couldn’t come in.

Even knowing that fire wouldn’t burn a normal person, nobody else would have dared to step into flames that looked that fierce.

“Koko, what about the others?”

“Uu?”

Contrary to Koko’s worries, my body was fine.

Honestly, I felt better than I had before losing my memory.

Though Kuro had described it as a doze, I felt like I’d had the deepest sleep in a long time.

I still felt a slight sense of fatigue—

“…Ah.”

—and yeah, my left wrist still hurts.

Nirlass, you’re more persistent than I thought.

I was wondering what would happen if I didn’t keep my part of the deal, but I think I’ve seen a bit of the answer right here.

In the distance, I could hear the sound of someone running toward us.

When I turned my gaze, I saw Kagami running toward me.

“Kagami.”

“…”

But when Kagami reached me, she didn’t touch me like Koko did.

She just stood awkwardly nearby, looking hesitant.

“…It’s not over yet.”

“…You…”

“I’ll answer you after I finish.”

When I calmly responded, Kagami’s expression became complicated.

“Koko, can you help me a little?”

“Nuuu…”

“I’ll lead the way.”

When I looked directly at Koko and said this, Koko finally nodded.

I’ll buy her something tasty later.

It won’t be enough to make up for what I showed her today, but at least it’ll make me feel a little better.

“…Are you sure?”

Kagami, who must have seen the same scene as Koko, asked.

I nodded.

“At least for now.”

After everything’s over…

Well, maybe I’ll rest for a bit then.

---

I asked Koko to move a little more slowly than usual.

It wasn’t because of my physical condition. It was just that if she moved like she normally did, almost teleporting, I wouldn’t be able to find the way.

After moving for about a few dozen seconds—

“Koko, there!”

“Yeah!”

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing echoed, and a dagger flew into the sky.

Splat, the sound of flesh being cut and blood splattering followed.

“…”

And then, a woman stood there, gazing her eyes as she looked at me.

Her features closely resembled Kagami’s. When I first met her, I mistook her for Kagami.

But yeah, seeing her face to face like this, her impression was a bit different.

“She definitely looks older.”

I adjusted my grip on my sword and spoke.

Surprisingly, my words seemed to have had quite an effect. Kosuzu glared at me.

Was she upset that I had interfered again?

Even though she had already succeeded.

In Kosuzu’s hand was a small monkey.

It wasn’t large. It was so small that at first glance, it could be mistaken for a baby, with a red face and light-colored fur.

Blood was dripping from its neck.

The shiver that I had felt down my spine gradually subsided.

Just from that, I knew it was already too late.

Looking around, there were several of the same slime creatures we had cut down earlier.

I moved to knock away Kosuzu’s hand, and Koko had gone for her throat, but our attack was blocked by the flesh of slime that had lunged forward.

And it wasn’t just the slimes or the dying Satori that we had to worry about. There was also a third-party present.

On the ground lay a blood-soaked, unconscious person I recognized.

“…So you’ve made it all the way here.”

“How did you even get here?”

“I still don’t like you.”

As usual, Kosuzu didn’t give me a proper answer.

Thud.

The monkey that had been in Kosuzu’s hand fell to the ground.

Koko looked like she wanted to kill Kosuzu, shaking her hair wildly—

Splat!

The surrounding slimes spread out their bodies in unison.

…In the original Cthulhu Mythos, were slimes supposed to serve as tools?

Eventually, they rebelled against their masters and ate them all.

Jingle.

And beyond the walls of flesh, a sound like that was heard.

I swung my sword, but the thick wall of slimes, seemingly made of dozens of them all piled together, wasn’t something that could be cut down easily.

Even if I took out a talisman now, it’d be too late.

When Koko and I finally broke through the dome-like wall of flesh and looked inside, Kosuzu was already gone.

Fine. At least I now knew that Kosuzu had the ability to move freely.

It was probably connected to that jingling sound. Since Kagami’s mirror could connect to the other side, that bell must serve a similar purpose.

I still didn’t know how Kosuzu could remain unharmed over there, though.

After confirming Kosuzu’s disappearance, I turned to look at the blood-soaked person.

“…Miura-san.”

So he was here after all.

I rushed over and pressed my hand against Miura-san’s wounds. He was cut all over and bleeding, but the worst wound was on his chest, where he had been stabbed deeply by Kosuzu’s dagger.

There were other men around too, some in military uniforms and others in suits, all collapsed. …At a glance, not many seemed to have survived. Some, perhaps eaten by the slimes, had bodies that were no longer whole.

I think I understood now what Kosuzu had been after.

My grip was weak. Blood was still flowing from my left wrist.

“Koko, help me.”

“Yeah!”

At my words, Koko’s hair moved. Watching it wrap around Miura-san’s wounds, I removed my hands.

Koko’s hair didn’t just wrap around Miura-san’s body but also the others’. She checked to see if they were alive, and if they were wounded, her hair tightly bound the injuries to stop the bleeding. Only after seeing this did I let out a small breath.

I staggered to my feet and turned to the fallen Satori.

Through the faint darkness, I could barely make out the slow movement of its chest.

Was it trying to run away from me?

Thud.

I knelt beside it.

Tears filled the monkey’s eyes.

It didn’t want to die. Of course. That’s only natural. All living beings feel the same.

What should I do?

I didn’t know how to save a yokai. Should I take it to a veterinary hospital?

But even as I thought that, I knew it was already too late. Kosuzu had stabbed its neck. Blood was gushing out with every breath.

No, the flow of blood had already slowed to almost nothing. It must have already bled as much as it could.

Still, I wanted to help, even just a little. I had come to kill this creature, but in this moment, that meant nothing.

I slowly reached out and touched its slender neck—

And then, the Satori’s half-closed eyes suddenly shot open.

Its face contorted in terror, twisting into that of a beast.

Through the hand touching its neck, I felt the Satori draw a deep breath.

And then.

“I want to live!”

It shouted.

“I don’t want to die! I really, really want to live! I want to stay with my friends and family! It hurts so much! I feel like I’m going to die, but I don’t want to go!”

The Satori’s voice was so different from what I had imagined.

I thought it would be more like a screech, a real monkey-like voice.

“Somebody save me! Please, please…”

The Satori’s last breath slowly slipped out of its mouth.

“Help me… save me.”

“…”

And with that, the Satori died with its eyes wide open.

I stared blankly at the Satori for a while before slowly pulling my hand away.

My fingertips were trembling.

I was cold. Suddenly, it felt like the cold was creeping in.

When I slowly turned around, I saw Koko’s face, her eyes wide with horror.

She stood there with her mouth hanging open, looking at me as if her world had shattered.

And a little further away, Kagami was standing too.

Her expression was one of blank disbelief.

Both of them were just silently staring at me.

I slowly opened my mouth but then closed it again. I knew that whatever I said here wouldn’t help.

In the distance, I saw a light.

It seemed that the others had judged it safe to stop hiding, and the people had turned on their flashlights and were shining them in our direction.

There were people dressed like Catholic priests, people in military uniforms, and people in suits. From afar, I could easily make out the familiar figures of our people.

The bleeding from my wrist had stopped.

The sword had left only a trace of blood before disappearing.

…So that’s it.

This is what you wanted, Nirlass.

Feeling a bit empty, I let my arm hang limply at my side.

Chapter 136. Request (11)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Kagami never really liked her life.

That doesn’t mean she ever cursed it either. She simply thought living like this was only natural.

Yes, she never cursed her life.

Though she did resent it at times.

The teenage years are a sensitive time.

It’s a period when one gradually becomes aware of their sexuality, starts realizing they are a woman, and might even dream about the future.

Even so, she never refused to do what she was told. She had faithfully followed her older sister’s orders, who was regarded as the most capable among those who continued the Kurosawa family’s business.

There wasn’t any direct action, but there was awareness. After that, her belly began to swell, and Kagami gave birth to incomplete vessels. Again and again, over and over.

With bells, mirrors, and a sword. Kosuzu seemed intent on straying slightly from these traditional methods.

Blood and flesh. Motherhood, soul, and body. The ritual, which had been adapted from some old religion of the West, wasn’t very successful.

Each time it failed, it seemed that Kosuzu simply believed it was bad luck. Kagami, who had initially followed her sister’s words without question, couldn’t help but have doubts.

Childbirth, even if it doesn’t produce a real child, is never easy. After several years, Kagami was completely worn out.

Around that time, a child finally came out.

A child with a proper body.

Though they thought it was a completed vessel, in the end, no god descended into it.

It seemed Kosuzu was utterly disillusioned after seeing that. By the time the vessel reached the same age that Kagami was when she first became pregnant, Kosuzu left the Kurosawa family without a word.

It was only then that Kagami started to wonder if everything she had done had been meaningless.

Kosuzu, who had spoken of turning their family into a religious organization, of needing more power, left behind a mess. It was inevitable—Kosuzu, who had driven everything forward, had disappeared without a trace, abandoning it all.

Kagami had to run around everywhere to somehow clean up the mess. She knew that there were people monitoring the Kurosawa family, and that there were enemies. But what mattered most was maintaining the relationships they had.

Although she wasn’t completely indifferent, Kagami didn’t particularly like the old apartment.

It was proof that over a decade of self-sacrifice had meant nothing.

...It was only then that Kagami began to think that she was truly unlucky.

What if she had been born into another family with no power, into an ordinary household?

She would have gone to school in a uniform, made ordinary friends, and by now, she might have been married and started a family. She might even have had a child.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been a child like Kurosawa Kotone or Kurosawa Koko. The child might have been just starting elementary school by now.

And that child would be someone who could speak properly and think independently—

As Kagami lamented her life, that girl suddenly appeared in front of her one day.

A girl who gave the impression of having skipped right past her childhood. Kurosawa Kotone.

* * *

Ironically, Kagami’s first thought upon seeing Kotone engulfed in flames was, “Beautiful.”

The sight of the girl floating in mid-air with nothing beneath her feet seemed slightly unsettling. Her hair was tangled and wet, and her body appeared somewhat crushed.

Anyone who saw her at that moment would likely think she looked more pitiful than elegant.

Blood was spreading around the girl. The blood flowing from her left wrist had already spread everywhere, making it painfully clear that the transparent space she floated in was actually the inside of something’s mouth.

The girl, who had been struggling against something invisible, pulled out a piece of paper from her clothes and tore it.

Then, the surroundings ignited in blue flames.

Whether it was due to some mystical power or simply because of her posture inside the mouth of that thing, Kagami didn’t know, but for a brief moment, the girl appeared to be floating stably in the air.

In that single moment, as she wrapped herself in blue flames and hovered in the air, Kagami thought to herself.

That she was beautiful.

But that thought was shattered in the next instant.

What Kagami heard was a scream.

It was the terrible scream of a young girl.

Unlike the moment when she had been slashing through enemies while surrounded by blue flames, this was the kind of scream that someone might let out when they were literally set on fire.

The blue flames quickly burned everything around the girl, forcing into existence something invisible, something that should not have existed in this world.

All that remained was white ash floating in the air and a pungent burning smell.

Watching everything burn, there was nothing Kagami could do.

There was no way she could do anything.

“Kotone!”

The first one to run toward the scene after everything had ended was Koko.

Following Koko, Kagami hurried into the scorched remnants of the monster, where what she saw was a girl lying on the ground.

Her skin was pale.

Kagami realized for the first time how pale that white skin was. Even in the middle of summer, after a trip to the beach, Kotone’s complexion had remained ghostly pale.

Come to think of it, Kagami had never seen the girl looking healthy.

That made sense—until recently, she hadn’t even considered Kotone to be a person.

“...It’s not over yet.”

The girl spoke.

Blood was still flowing from her severed wrist.

Paler than usual, with a face so white it seemed almost blue, the girl spoke.

What was Kagami supposed to think when she saw that?

As someone who served the great beings beyond, should she have felt a sense of reverence? Should she have viewed the girl as one would the saints of old, who were sacrificed long ago?

And then the girls leaped.

What could drive her to act like that?

Why did the girl, who always threw herself into the most dangerous situations, fight so desperately?

...Wouldn’t an ordinary person have already given up long ago?

......

No, if she had given up.

What would have happened to this world?

Perhaps, instead of becoming the plaything of some malevolent being capable of bending the laws of reality, that girl was the one preventing it all from happening.

“Kagami!”

Lost in her thoughts, Kagami realized that she had started running.

The Yamashita family members, who had barely caught up, called out to her. Kagami didn’t look back.

She didn’t know exactly which direction the children had gone.

She just ran toward the direction of the sound.

And she heard it.

“I want to live!”

She heard the girl’s scream.

It was a cry of desperation.

A scream from a girl who had become the unlucky plaything of an otherworldly being, always suffering. A scream begging to escape the pain.

A cry from a girl who had once sat with a carefree expression, as if her small room was the coziest place in the world. A scream from the girl who always acted as though nothing could faze her, saying she was fine with everything.

By the time Kagami reached the scene, the scream had stopped.

In front of the girl lay the corpse of a small monkey, already dead. The people around were groaning, and Koko stood there with a hardened expression, staring at the girl. The few who remained unscathed looked at the girl with blank expressions.

The girl, with a defeated look, let her arms hang limp without saying a word.

That expression reminded Kagami of a child who had been caught showing their secret diary to someone else. So, Kagami said nothing.

The girl’s scream.

It was simply the cry of a child—

—A child who had been born into the world as the daughter of a woman named Kagami.

The pitiful cry of a child who had been born into suffering, solely because she was Kurosawa Kagami’s daughter, Kurosawa Kotone.

* * *

Kurosawa Kotone was a strange and suspicious child.

First of all, the fact that the body, which had been practically in a brain-dead state and left unattended, had started moving again was very suspicious.

Wasn't she just a vessel? Even if the being Kosuzu had so desperately longed for had taken control of the body, it wouldn’t have been surprising.

In fact, it would have been stranger if the being inside wasn’t the one Kosuzu had sought so fervently.

And soon, Kagami found herself thinking that something “even stranger” was happening.

The girl, Kurosawa Kotone, who faced Kagami, had a completely different atmosphere compared to other teenage girls of her age, who were usually brimming with emotions and talkative. Yet, she didn’t have the air of some transcendent being from the far reaches of the universe either.

That’s why Kagami should have remained suspicious, but for some reason, it was hard to do so.

The more they conversed, the more human the girl seemed.

Even when Kotone glared at Kagami with suspicion, it absurdly felt like she was just a regular person. So much so that Kagami started to tease the girl a little whenever they met.

When Kotone brought out another sealed being and started raising it as her “little sister,” Kagami had been shocked.

...Oh, right. There was another moment that had startled her even more.

It was when Kotone unexpectedly thanked Kagami or obediently followed her requests.

That strange sound that Kagami had never heard even from those she called “family.”

“...”

So now, Kagami was confused about what emotions she should be feeling.

As she looked at Kotone, unconscious and lying on the hospital bed, what should she have been thinking? What should she have felt?

Unable to describe the emotions she was feeling, Kagami just sat quietly beside the girl without saying a word.

At least Koko was more honest than Kagami. Koko clung to the unconscious Kotone, crying, screaming, and wailing. It was only after they arrived at the hospital that she finally quieted down.

Did she believe what the doctor said? She seemed to nod in agreement when told that Kotone’s body was fine, but she still clung to the bedside as if she didn’t believe it.

The ones who had suffered the most last night were, of course, Kotone and Koko. Kotone, especially, had fought while nearly spilling all of her blood. She had even set herself on fire.

Yet, ironically, Kotone had the fewest injuries.

Which is why Kotone was one of the first patients to be discharged from the emergency room, out of the group of people who had flooded in.

People whose legs had been crushed, arms severed, intestines spilling out, or skulls half-shattered were, of course, given priority.

Upon hearing this, Kagami felt another odd emotion. Strangely, it was a feeling close to anger. Fortunately, Kagami knew that Kotone would soon wake up, even in this state, so she didn’t react beyond just feeling that emotion.

None of the families of the fallen had come to the hospital.

They probably hadn’t even been called in the first place. Everything that had happened today was “classified.”

Even Miura’s daughter, who was in charge of things, probably hadn’t come either.

“Ugh...”

Koko, who hadn’t slept at all and had been keeping vigil beside Kotone, let out a sound.

What was the right thing to say?

Kagami didn’t know.

Normally... someone else would have been here. Not Kagami—

“Kotone!”

—Yes, someone like that.

There are two kinds of people in the world.

Those who know classified information, whether they are government-affiliated or not, and those who do not.

Right now, none of the family members of the other patients undergoing surgeries in this hospital could visit, and yet, ironically, one girl who had no blood relation to Kotone had been allowed in.

...Along with that girl’s family.

“Yuka!”

Koko jumped to her feet and shouted.

For a brief moment, Kagami felt as if she was all alone in the room.

The daughter of the Yuuki family had rushed over to Koko, holding her hands tightly and earnestly asking what had happened. Her family also quickly checked on Koko’s well-being.

...Meanwhile, Kagami, the one with actual blood ties, had never even considered reacting like that.

Just as she was about to feel that strange sensation again, those brief few seconds ended.

And the atmosphere became incredibly awkward.

Kagami had expected the Yuuki family’s daughter to confront her the moment she saw her, accusing her of being responsible for Kotone’s condition, or perhaps asking if she had used Kotone for her own purposes.

But the Yuuki daughter only briefly showed a furious expression before quickly erasing it.

Or perhaps it had been erased.

Seeing the blank expression on her face as she stared at Kagami, even Kagami wasn’t sure what to say.

Silently, Kagami stood up.

And she slipped out of the room as if fleeing.

* * *

Annoyingly enough, the Yuuki daughter followed Kagami out.

“...What happened...?”

As if unsure what to say, she hesitated over her words, finally speaking them slowly. Kagami turned to look at her.

The two of them were outside. How had she managed to follow her?

No, the answer was simple. She must have been following Kagami ever since she had walked out.

“...”

There was something about the Yuuki daughter’s attitude that was different from the last time they had met. So, for a while, Kagami just watched her in silence.

The Yuuki daughter waited patiently for an answer.

“...It was because of the Satori.”

“...”

That one word seemed to have answered a lot for her.

The Yuuki daughter—Yuuki Yuka—had a pained expression on her face.

“You asked for it, didn’t you?”

“...I did. But I didn’t force it.”

“...You probably said something she couldn’t refuse.”

How could she be so certain?

Even though it was true.

“So, did it succeed?”

“It failed. You must have heard by now.”

Yes, it had failed.

From what the survivors said, Kosuzu had apparently read Miura’s mind. Through Satori.

Satori is extremely sensitive to the malice of others. So sensitive that it goes into a panic and loses all self-control, spouting anything that comes to mind.

And Miura must have been the one on the receiving end.

“...If you have people around Kosuzu, you should pull them out as soon as possible. Although it may already be too late.”

Yuuki Yuka didn’t respond to Kagami’s warning for a while.

“...And.”

“And?”

Kagami turned back to face her. There was a hint of irritation in her eyes, but the brazen girl wasn’t fazed at all.

“Kotone must have said something.”

Kagami, feeling slightly incredulous, let out a small laugh without even realizing it. It seemed Yuuki Yuka didn’t like that reaction.

“With something this serious happening, you’re more interested in what that girl said.”

Before Kotone collapsed, there had been another girl who had come to visit. Her senior at school, Hagiwara Hana.

Kagami had thought of her as a bothersome person. She wondered if the girl had come to the hospital to make some kind of threat, but Hagiwara had simply approached Kotone, asked for permission, and knelt by her side to hold her hand.

Then, she had acted as if she were praying to her god. Only acted—since she hadn’t said a word, Kagami had no idea what kind of prayer it was.

Shortly after that, all of Hagiwara’s people had left, likely because the girl had taken them with her.

For some reason, that scene reminded Kagami a little of the girl standing in front of her now, Yuuki Yuka. If the logic of her god were to be followed, everyone on Kagami’s side would likely be tossed into the fires of hell.

“Of course I’m more interested.”

Yuuki Yuka spoke with confidence.

“Because she’s my friend.”

“...”

“And isn’t it the same for you?”

“The same?”

“...She’s your daughter, after all.”

“...”

Kagami tried to laugh again.

But this time, it didn’t come out right.

“Judging by my behavior, it’s surprising you can say something like that.”

“It’s not because of your behavior.”

Yuuki Yuka, perhaps reaching the limits of her patience, glared at Kagami and spoke.

“It’s because of Kotone’s behavior.”

“And what kind of behavior did my ‘daughter’ show?”

Barely managing to let out a sarcastic comment, Kagami found Yuuki Yuka glaring at her briefly before responding.

“...She said she was making peace with you.”

“...”

And that was enough to leave Kagami speechless.

“Little by little, she said she was making peace with you.”

“...That child said that.”

“Yes, she did. She told me directly.”

Yuuki Yuka continued.

“So I need to hear it from you. If you were making peace with her, then you must have some feelings toward her, just like Kotone did.”

Kagami almost opened her mouth, but then clenched her jaw shut.

If she had spoken, she probably would have ended up sitting there in silence with a blank expression.

“What happened with Satori? Koko couldn’t even explain it properly because she was crying.”

“...”

“You can tell me, can’t you? At least, you must be better with words than that poor girl.”

Kagami stared at Yuuki Yuka for a while before finally speaking.

“...She said she wanted to live.”

She said.

“She tried to stop the Satori from bleeding. And what Satori said was that—‘I want to live. I don’t want to suffer. Please, someone help me.’”

It was Satori who had cried out.

But it was Kotone’s voice. Since it was Kotone’s inner thoughts, that’s how it sounded.

“...Kotone.”

For a moment, Kagami had hoped Yuuki Yuka would suffer. Honestly, the girl was annoying. She didn’t like how Yuuki Yuka always made hostile faces during these situations.

But Yuuki Yuka didn’t react that way.

With her brow furrowed, Yuka seemed lost in thought, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

“That kid.”

And she spoke.

“If that’s how she felt, she should have told us sooner.”

Her expression was still full of pity.

But at the same time, there was a certain relief in her expression as well.

“Alright. So that’s what she said. Then there must be something else she’s hiding.”

Yuuki Yuka opened her eyes and looked at Kagami.

“In that case, we just have to help her.”

“Sure, good luck with that.”

Kagami replied.

“No.”

But to her surprise, Yuuki Yuka denied it.

“...What do you mean, ‘no’?”

“That’s not how you’re supposed to say it. Is it because you believe in some strange religion? You don’t know how to deal with people.”

Rather than feeling angry at the blatant provocative words, Kagami felt more incredulous.

“At times like this, what you’re supposed to do is make a ‘request.’ You ask for help. Honestly, I think you know you can’t do it on your own.”

“...What makes you think that?”

But the one sounding unconvincing was Kagami herself. She could feel it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Irritatingly, Yuuki Yuka looked up at Kagami confidently and said,

“You know, even though I don’t want to admit it, you and your daughter are quite similar.”

Kagami blinked.

She couldn’t help it. She had never learned how to respond to such a statement.

“And I’ve been watching Kotone’s subtle changes in expression for quite a while now. So I think I understand.”

Yuuki Yuka took a step closer.

Kagami instinctively took a step back.

“It’s painful, isn’t it? Seeing Kotone like this—it bothers you. Especially after hearing her words, your expression is hard to look at.”

Yuuki Yuka spoke with an air of authority, as if she were making a declaration.

“So, alright. It didn’t really sound like a request, but I’ll grant it anyway.”

“...”

“Which means, you can’t run away either. Just like Kotone didn’t run away from you. ...I’m not saying you’re a good mother, but you can’t let Kotone’s efforts go to waste, can you?”

You don’t know anything.

That thought crossed Kagami’s mind.

Yuuki Yuka didn’t know that it had all been an act. In Yuuki Yuka’s eyes, the relationship between Kagami and Kotone was simply that of an abusive mother and an abused daughter—

—But maybe that was actually a more accurate understanding of their situation than Kagami wanted to admit.

A girl left alone in an empty house.

A girl who had to figure out how to go to school and adapt to society on her own, without anyone telling her what to do.

A girl who had narrowly escaped terrible things—or rather, who had suffered through terrible things, and had been hospitalized multiple times, without any of her blood relatives ever visiting her.

And beside that girl, there was another girl who had tried her best to stay by her side, helping her as much as she could.

...Which of them truly didn’t know Kotone—Kagami, or Yuuki Yuka?

“No one can erase your past. To be honest, I still don’t trust you. If possible, I’d rather keep you far away. But.”

Yuuki Yuka said.

“...If Kotone has decided to forgive you, then I have no right to stop that. All I can do is try to support her. She’s my friend. So, if you have even the slightest awareness of being a ‘mother,’ then at the very least, act like one. Otherwise, that would be just too pitiful for Kotone.”

Then, as she turned her body to leave,

“I’m going back to the hospital room. You can follow me if you want, or not. That’s up to you.”

With that, she walked away on her own.

Kagami stood there for a long time, staring blankly at the retreating figure of the girl.

Chapter 137. Year-end (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When I came to my senses, it was Wednesday.

And the moment I woke up, the hospital went into chaos.

The nurse who made eye contact with me immediately ran out and called the doctor, who bombarded me with a ton of questions.

From what I heard, it seemed that when I first arrived at the hospital, I was pushed down the priority list. I get it, though. The wounds on my body disappear quickly over time.

The people who came in with me probably had more severe injuries, and it was only natural that they were treated first.

However, seeing that I wasn’t waking up despite not having any issues over time, the hospital staff must have thought that something had gone wrong.

“You don’t feel any abnormalities, correct?”

“…Yes.”

When I nodded in response, the doctor’s face showed clear relief.

“Let’s proceed with some tests just to be sure.”

“…More than that, when can I be discharged?”

The doctor looked like he wanted to take me straight away for CTs or MRIs, but I had more important things to take care of.

Honestly, now that I’ve regained consciousness, there’s a high chance my body has no issues. Tests would probably just be a waste of time. The results would likely just come back as “normal.”

Rather than that, I wanted to be discharged as soon as possible.

Since it’s Wednesday today, that means next week is the final exam period.

No matter what, I didn’t want to let the semester slip away just because I couldn’t take the tests.

“Excuse me? Discharge?”

But the doctor looked shocked when he heard what I said.

“Rather than discharging immediately, it might be better to rest a little longer and observe your condition.”

Doesn’t the doctor know how important exams are? Though, I suppose his job would make it problematic to let a patient leave just because they want to.

However, I didn’t need to argue further.

“…Let her do as she wishes.”

I heard a voice from beyond the slightly open door where the doctor had come in.

Standing there was Miura’s father.

He looked very unwell.

His wrists and neck, visible from his loose hospital gown, were wrapped in bandages, and an IV was hooked up to his arm.

He seemed able to walk on his own but was dragging an IV stand with him.

Unlike me, his wounds wouldn’t heal just by staying still.

“But—”

“More importantly, I’d like to have a conversation.”

At Miura-san’s words, the doctor closed his mouth.

He alternated his gaze between me, the nurse beside him, and Miura-san outside the door before sighing deeply, scratching his head.

“Alright, then. Let’s observe a little more this afternoon. However, I still recommend you take some tests before being discharged.”

“…Fine, I’ll take the tests.”

The doctor’s expression brightened slightly at my response.

“Good, we’ll discharge you if everything comes back fine. But if there’s a problem, come back immediately.”

When I nodded, the doctor finally left the room with the nurse.

Miura-san, who had been watching them leave from the side, came into the room and closed the door only when they were far enough away.

He then approached me and sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed. Judging by his grimace, he didn’t seem to be in a state where he should be walking around.

What should I say?

Honestly, asking if he’s okay seemed inappropriate, given how bad he looked. Of course, he did look better than when I last saw him, but just because the bleeding from the hole in his lung had stopped didn’t mean he was “okay.”

“…How’s your body?”

It seemed Miura-san had similar thoughts.

He hadn’t seen my condition at the time since he was a bit farther away, but he must have gotten a report as soon as he regained consciousness.

…Come to think of it, the doctor’s intense reaction might have been because of Miura-san. After hearing everything, he would’ve been curious about my condition.

Given the circumstances, Miura-san’s concern also meant government interest. I didn’t know how high-ranking he was, but he was someone representing an organization, after all.

It’s possible my status had risen to something akin to a VIP.

“I’m fine.”

“I see.”

After looking at me for a moment, Miura-san spoke again.

“First, I want to apologize for tailing you without permission.”

“…How did you follow me?”

“We used methods professionals use. I can’t go into details, but there are ways to observe from a distance silently and approach from different directions.”

That’s pretty scary.

Well, in spy movies, they make it obvious to the audience who’s following who, but in reality, getting caught is probably the last thing they’d want.

I didn’t want to think too much about how far they’d leveraged their assets. Knowing wouldn’t do me any good anyway—it’d just overwhelm me.

“…”

I wonder what Miura-san thought of my lack of response.

He kept observing me before slowly opening his mouth again, perhaps trying to gauge my reaction.

“In the end, it turned out to be meaningless, though.”

If I think about it, Kosuzu must’ve used Satori to extract information from the government people at that time. She probably planned to reverse the situation.

Bringing a being that could cause widespread panic—enough to paralyze an entire village, or worse, a country—was for that reason.

She probably figured I’d resolve the situation if I arrived with Koko, and she just needed to buy time.

“Our people were infiltrating various places, but… just yesterday, most of them were found dead. The opponent didn’t even bother hiding it.”

“…”

Those people were likely ones Miura-san knew. After all, it was information extracted from him.

I didn’t know who wanted Satori. I didn’t want to know. They were probably some very high-ranking people who didn’t care about the deaths of a few subordinates.

They’d probably try to pin the blame on Miura-san.

On top of that, since it was an area that couldn’t be publicly discussed, there wouldn’t be any cries of unfair dismissal. It’s a world that exists behind the normal one, a world ordinary people should never know about.

“Is Mako okay?”

I asked.

Miura-san looked at me quietly.

“Does Mako know about the current situation?”

“…She visited the hospital. It seems she was contacted before I regained consciousness.”

“…”

“Mako will be fine. She’s a strong kid.”

I think so, too.

“But she didn’t come to see you. Only a few people know you’re hospitalized here.”

“I haven’t been to school, though.”

“I told them you were sick, but I didn’t go into details. No one knows the full story.”

That makes sense. If the government wanted to control the situation, keeping quiet would be the best approach.

“But that doesn’t mean no one came by. Those who could figure things out without us telling them have already visited.”

Even with a little thought, one particular face easily came to mind.

She was probably at school now.

“…”

“I won’t tell you not to hold a grudge. After all, the reason you’re here is because of us.”

“I don’t hold a grudge.”

I would’ve learned about the information even without them. Kosuzu was already moving to find it.

Maybe that was the real beginning of it all. It wouldn’t be strange if Kosuzu had set up the whole situation herself.

“…I see.”

At my answer, Miura-san let out a deep sigh.

---

Whenever I’m hospitalized, I always feel like time moves very slowly.

There’s not much to do in a hospital.

No computer, no game console, not even books unless I bring them myself. Maybe there’s a library somewhere in the hospital, but I didn’t feel like looking for it.

In the morning, I underwent CT and MRI scans, had a consultation with the doctor, and was told that there didn’t seem to be any issues for now.

Then, I returned to my hospital room and sat idly.

Should I insist on being discharged right away?

But it feels a bit annoying to move right now.

I guess it’s because the last thing I remember feels so vivid after being unconscious for several days. It feels like that ordeal happened just a few hours ago.

Maybe I should just sleep until I get discharged.

As I was pondering this, someone visited.

“…”

“…”

It was Kagami.

Neither of us spoke for a long time.

I wished she’d say something first, but it seemed like if we both stayed silent, we’d end up saying nothing at all. So, I opened my mouth first.

“How’s the situation?”

Even after I spoke, Kagami remained silent for a while before finally answering.

“I’m sorry.”

“…Huh?”

“Our side reacted too quickly. Before we could get our people out.”

“Ah.”

She took it as a question about her side of things.

Well, that’s important too.

The thing is, I’m not really a member of their organization yet. I’m not someone high up in their ranks, either.

I’m not sure what symbolic role I might hold in their eyes, though.

“And… I’m the one who caused all of this in the first place. If I hadn’t come to talk to you…”

“If you hadn’t, a lot of people would’ve died.”

Kosuzu brought that monster to that place for that reason.

Even if I stopped it, it would’ve taken time, and if I wasn’t there or couldn’t stop it, every person in that place would’ve been wiped out.

It’s a relief Yuka wasn’t there. I’m glad I didn’t ask her to come.

“Is Koko okay?”

“She stayed here all weekend and went to school. She’ll probably come straight back here after school.”

I felt bad for Koko.

She should’ve been having the time of her life at year-end, but I made it all miserable for her.

Though, it’s not like I had much choice.

“…And you? Are you okay?”

“…”

Kagami didn’t answer that.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem upset or anything—she just had nothing to say.

“So, no other movements besides that?”

“Even if there were, we wouldn’t know anymore. On the other hand, they’ll likely know about our movements.”

That’s… a problem.

I let out a deep sigh.

I wonder if I’ll be able to stop the Hyakki Yagyo that’s supposed to happen next year.

…If this were the original story, how would the behind-the-scenes events have unfolded? It wasn’t me, but “Kurosawa Kotone” who was there, and Koko didn’t exist in that world either.

If Miura’s father had died there, the story might have taken a completely different direction from what I’m experiencing now.

I can’t predict how things will unfold from here.

“…”

A lot of people probably died. No one was telling me anything, and I didn’t ask either.

But that aside, things were really awkward.

Recently, my relationship with Kagami had changed in ways I couldn’t quite understand.

We weren’t exactly close, but we also weren’t distant anymore. It was this strange feeling of being somewhat in between.

That made things a little more uncomfortable, too.

“…”

At that moment—

*Growl.*

As I opened my mouth to say something, I heard a noise.

Oh, right.

I hadn’t eaten anything by mouth since I passed out. If too much time had passed, they might have fed me through a tube, but nutrition through IV fluids works for a few days.

However, I had pulled the IV out myself after I woke up. Seeing no immediate issues with my body, the doctors reluctantly agreed to it. After all, the patient’s will is the most important part of treatment.

That meant my stomach was completely empty.

It was only after hearing the sound that I realized I was hungry.

“…Would you like to eat something?”

Kagami asked.

I thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Is there anything specific you want to eat?”

“…Bread, maybe.”

At my words, Kagami nodded and stood up.

---

“Kotone!”

A few hours later, after a light meal to fill my stomach.

Koko burst into the hospital room with a tearful voice and lunged at me.

Then she hugged me tightly with both arms.

“…Are you okay?”

“You’re the one asking her that?”

Yuka, who had come to visit with Koko, placed a big plastic bag full of snacks on the bed.

She can ask if she wants.

But still, seeing that Koko seemed fine, I didn’t feel the need to dwell on the details.

Koko, who had finally let go of me, sat down, and Yuka pulled up a chair beside her.

“Here.”

Yuka handed both Koko and me a piece of bread.

The one I received was a soft sponge cake. Coincidentally, it was the same type of bread Kagami had bought earlier.

Not that I minded—I like sponge cake. And it had been a while since I last ate.

Both of them probably picked the same bread for a reason. They were likely being considerate, choosing something soft for me since I hadn’t eaten properly in days. Though I hadn’t really felt those days pass.

“And this.”

Yuka placed something on my lap while I was eating the bread.

It was a notebook.

Inside, it was likely filled with notes.

“You missed a few days of school. The teachers made a list of the key points you’ll need for the exams.”

“…”

“What?”

When I looked up at Yuka blankly, she tilted her head.

“No, it’s just…”

I thought for a moment and then spoke.

“I thought you might ask me something.”

“What’s there to ask?”

Yuka answered with an exasperated tone.

“You probably ended up in the hospital after throwing yourself into something dangerous without telling me, like usual.”

“…”

“And here.”

Yuka opened one of the notebooks and said.

“This part is important. The teacher said it would definitely be on the test, so memorize it. You haven’t had time to study since the weekend, right?”

“…”

I didn’t know how to respond to Yuka.

“If there’s something you don’t understand, just ask me. I’ll help you with anything exam-related.”

After thinking for a long while about what to say, I finally responded.

“…Thanks.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

Yuka replied so naturally.

---

Yuka even helped me prepare for my discharge.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to help with.

The clothes I had worn before couldn’t be used anymore, and I didn’t have any other belongings here.

That doesn’t mean there was nothing to prepare. I still needed clothes to wear when I left, and I also needed new shoes. Yuka took care of all of that for me.

…I didn’t see any of my other friends, not even Mako.

Well, even though Mako knows her father is here, she doesn’t know I’m here too.

Fukuda and Yamashita are probably wondering about my situation as well. I was a little worried about the flood of questions I might face when I go to school tomorrow.

“But Yuka.”

I spoke as we were leaving the hospital, looking at Yuka’s bulky bag.

“What’s with that bag?”

At first, I thought it was large because of my clothes, but even after she took them out, the bag was still quite heavy.

“Well, obviously, I plan to stay at your place until the exams.”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

And then I glanced at Kagami, who had been silently sitting in the corner of the room.

“I already got everything sorted out.”

Yuka said with a dazzling smile.

“You know, class placements are influenced by grades. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but having similar scores seems to make it more likely you’ll end up in the same class.”

Really?

Don’t they mix the students randomly?

But since I don’t know much about how Japanese schools assign classes, I didn’t have anything to say.

“And I want to be in the same class as you next year. So, you need to catch up on the three days of classes you missed, and all the after-school study sessions we couldn’t do. We have to make up for it all before the exams.”

“…”

Once again, I looked at Kagami.

She avoided my gaze.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

Yuka smiled brightly.

“I’ll help you wholeheartedly with your studies, right?”

Is that what she meant?

“Or… am I being a bother?”

“…”

At Yuka’s words, I felt the most conflicted I’d been since meeting her today.

I looked at Kagami once more, then at Koko.

But neither of them came to my aid. They just stared at me, waiting for my answer.

After thinking for a moment, I shook my head.

“No, you’re not a bother.”

Could she ever be?

No, there’s no way I’d find Yuka bothersome.

It’s not just Yuka.

How could I hate someone who’s willing to help me just because they’re my friend?

…When I first came here, I thought I was someone unlucky.

There were so many things I had to deal with, and there was this sense of malice in everything.

But looking back, I wonder if there’s ever been a time when I’ve been helped by so many people.

…Actually, there was.

After my family died, my relatives and friends tried to help me in any way they could.

But I shut myself away in despair, and slowly, I was forgotten.

But Yuka wouldn’t let me shut myself away like that.

“Right? So let’s go. Studying works best in a comfortable environment. Oh, and let’s buy some meat on the way, too.”

“Meat!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled at Yuka’s suggestion.

I looked at Kagami again.

Kagami simply bowed her head slightly.

“…”

I gave a small wave to Kagami and turned to leave.

Well, at least the worst has been averted for now.

Let’s be satisfied with that and take a little break.

There’s still work to be done.

Yeah, I need to make sure I don’t fail the year.

Chapter 138. Year-end (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Expressing one’s emotions honestly is not as easy as it seems.

Even if it’s not a situation where you have to verbally express your emotions to someone else.

Fundamentally, the human mind is not a series of neatly divided rooms, but rather like a furnace where all sorts of impurities are mixed together, indistinguishable.

Even when you're feeling down, you can laugh at something funny, and even in the middle of joy, you can feel sadness and gloom. So, even when you try to sort out your emotions alone, it's not easy.

Especially now, for me.

Although Yuka was staying at my house, ostensibly to make me study, she didn’t just force me to study like a cram school teacher.

After school, we’d study for a while in the Literature Club room, go home, study for about two more hours, and then have free time.

Honestly, it was better than coming back from my part-time job and collapsing on the bed.

...Speaking of part-time jobs, the boss told me I didn’t need to come in during exam period.

She said I "didn't have to come," but it was basically her telling me to take a good rest. Even after being discharged from the hospital, I didn’t look completely well, and maybe the boss noticed that and gave me a break until the end of the exam period.

I was thankful, but I started to feel like I was receiving too much.

"Why?"

Yuka, picking up a tangerine from the basket on the heated table, noticed my gaze and asked.

"...It’s nothing."

I replied to Yuka, who had a slightly curious expression.

"I was just wondering if it’s okay for you to stay here for so long."

That’s right.

My house is in Saitama.

To explain a bit further, it takes at least an hour and ten minutes to get to school.

That’s only if you take the bus during the last ten minutes. Including waiting time, it could take even longer if you’re unlucky.

Even worse, I usually walk, which adds another 30 minutes.

Yuka’s house wasn’t exactly close to the school either, but at least it was in Tokyo, right? I’ve been to Yuka’s house a few times, and in terms of time, her place was much closer.

"Do you not want me here?"

However, instead of answering my question directly, Yuka responded with a question of her own, blocking my words.

"No, it’s not that..."

Yeah, I didn’t dislike it.

If it were someone I wasn’t close to staying here, I probably wouldn’t have liked it. But unless they had some kind of mind control app, that seemed unlikely, so the question didn’t really make sense.

"Is it uncomfortable? If it is, I’ll go back."

"...No, it’s not uncomfortable..."

Honestly, it’s comfortable.

It’s comfortable, but the problem is it’s ‘too’ comfortable.

It’s not like I can’t do household chores at all.

Until recently, I did most of the housework, but at some point, Koko started helping out a lot, wanting to assist me.

Though she speaks like a child, Koko is fundamentally smart. Simple tasks like cleaning and washing dishes were easy for her to pick up.

Plus, while I was in the hospital for a few days, Koko managed the housework and took care of Kuro by herself.

She even stopped by the house to clean before coming to the hospital. How admirable is that?

And then there’s Yuka. While she’s been staying here, I haven’t had to do anything.

Before I could move, Yuka had already taken care of the housework.

That’s right.

If this continues, I’ll end up leaving all the household chores to two high school girls much younger than me.

No matter how I think about it, my conscience can’t allow that.

"If it’s not uncomfortable, isn’t it fine?"

"...."

With things like this, it was hard to express my feelings properly.

It’s fun being with friends. It’s comfortable. It gives me some peace of mind.

But at the same time, I felt a strange sense of burden. It wasn’t Yuka’s or Koko’s fault. It was just me agonizing over it by myself.

In the end, with nothing else to say, I reached out and grabbed a tangerine.

"Well, it’s fine. My studying is going well, and at this rate, I think I can at least maintain an average rank."

Yuka said with a smile.

"Christmas starts the vacation, right? Do you have any plans for the end of the year?"

Hmm.

If Kagami and I had a truly close family relationship, we’d have plans, wouldn’t we?

Unlike Korea, where New Year’s is split into the solar and lunar calendars, in Japan, all holidays are based on the solar calendar. In other words, New Year’s Day, or "Shogatsu," is on January 1st.

January 1st, 2005.

It was really not far off now. Once the finals were over and the vacation started, just a few days later, I would age by one more year.

One more year in this world.

"...I don’t have any plans yet."

And while thinking about the absence of plans with Kagami, I suddenly remembered I had other friends, too.

If it were Mako, she would have asked me about my New Year’s or Christmas plans by now, but at the moment, the situation wasn’t great. Miura-san was still in the hospital.

...Look at that, I suddenly got depressed again. It was a peaceful winter evening, yet internally, I became terribly gloomy.

"...Hmm."

It seemed Yuka was planning to suggest spending time together if I didn’t have plans, but since I responded with a sad tone, she lost her words for a moment.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Somewhere I want to go?"

I absentmindedly echoed Yuka’s question, as if she were trying to change the mood.

"Yeah. Since we’ll be relaxing after the exams, I thought it might be nice to go somewhere, like we did during the summer."

Ah, I see.

It’s winter vacation.

I pondered for a moment.

How about a hot spring?

We went in the summer too, but honestly, for someone like me, who wasn’t born Japanese, a hot spring in the middle of summer was just too hot. But an open-air hot spring in the middle of winter? That’s something I have a bit of a longing for. It’s something I’ve seen a lot in manga.

A longing—

Wait, hold on.

While I squinted and stared blankly at the ceiling, a thought suddenly crept up from somewhere deep in my memory.

What was it again? I’m sure there was something I promised myself I’d do at the end of the year—

"Ah."

"Oh, what is it?"

As I let out a small exclamation while lost in thought, Yuka leaned forward curiously, her eyes sparkling.

Maybe because I rarely asked for anything, Yuka’s eyes were gleaming with interest as she looked at me.

But...

Is it okay to just say it?

The term "otaku" definitely existed in 2004. The word itself had been around for quite some time.

In light novels, the "otaku" demographic is usually portrayed pretty normally. It makes sense, since the consumer base is otaku in the first place.

And even if you’re in your 20s, it’s not uncommon for teenagers to have a few otaku friends.

But reality and fiction are different, aren’t they? In novels, there are heroines who enjoy games and cosplay, who read manga with the otaku protagonist. But in reality, many people don’t understand anime or manga at all.

I hadn’t had much free time until now, and because I ended up living with Koko, I didn’t have the chance to buy or display figures or other such things. But at my core, I still leaned towards that kind of interest.

So, suddenly asking Yuka for something like this?

"What? Are you hesitating because you think I’ll feel burdened? Is it Disneyland you want to go to?"

It’s not Disneyland.

There’s somewhere else I want to go.

"...Uwa?"

Koko, who had been listening in, also showed interest.

"Well..."

"Go on, tell me."

I hesitated for a moment, then finally let out a small breath and spoke my thoughts.

"Comic Market."

That’s right.

What I really wanted to see was that.

Of course, I knew.

There would be a lot of people. It might not be as fun as I imagined.

But still.

It was the time when the light novels and manga I loved as a child were at their peak. Not the 2020s, where those series had ended long ago, but during their prime.

I’d looked up some of them since coming here, and most of them existed in this world. Only ‘Tokyo Slayers’ wasn’t around.

So, I wanted to go.

You know how some people still regret not being able to see Michael Jackson’s concert when he came to Japan? It’s not about whether they could or couldn’t go, but just that they couldn’t be there.

That was how I felt. Naturally, back then, I wouldn’t have even thought of coming to Japan just for this kind of thing.

"..."

Yuka and Koko said nothing for a moment.

Suddenly, I felt my face heat up.

Koko liked magical girl shows, and Yuka used to enjoy video games.

Of course, Koko’s mental age didn’t quite match her high school appearance, and I wasn’t sure if Yuka still played games.

But from what I could see, neither of them seemed like the kind of people you’d call otaku. I’d been to Yuka’s room, after all.

"Comic Market? The one where a bunch of people who like manga gather?"

"..."

See? She doesn’t know much about it.

"Uu?"

It made sense Koko wouldn’t know.

"...No, maybe just a shrine or—"

"Hmm."

As I tried to change the subject, a smile tugged at Yuka’s lips.

For a brief moment, I wondered if Yuka and Kaoru were distant relatives. The mischievous cat-like smile on her face was something I had never seen from her before.

In fact, even in the original novel, I hadn’t seen that expression. In the original story, where Yuka was seen through Sasaki’s eyes, she had a very sharp tsundere personality. There were hardly any episodes where she made such a playful face.

Bang!

Suddenly, Yuka slapped the kotatsu table, and I flinched in surprise.

"Sounds good. Let’s go. When is it?"

...I don’t know either.

Reading the answer from my face, Yuka nodded.

"Well, we can just look it up."

She crossed her arms and nodded again and again, saying "Yeah, yeah."

"Let’s go together after the break. You want to go, right?"

"..."

Even though Yuka said it so decisively, my face still felt hot.

Not that I wanted to take it back, but anyway.

Looking at Yuka’s oddly satisfied expression, I nodded a bit hesitantly.

---

From Yuka Yuuki's perspective, Kurosawa Kotone wasn’t someone whose thoughts were easy to figure out.

Well, that might be obvious when you think about it. Yuka, who had moved around schools due to various circumstances since childhood, didn’t know how to talk to kids her age.

It was kind of strange.

Everyone else seemed to easily approach new people, find common ground, and naturally become friends. But when Yuka tried to do the same, it felt difficult.

It’s not like you can just wave a sword around and expect a yokai to die.

The way you move the sword depends on the yokai’s form. Plus, yokai have different traits, so you need to prepare accordingly.

Learning all that, while trying to keep up with school, meant Yuka didn’t have time to enjoy the things other kids her age did.

Whenever they talked about yesterday’s dramas or TV shows, Yuka couldn’t follow the conversation.

She didn’t know much about the popular singers or songs either.

Of course, it wasn’t that she was always excluded, but it was hard and uncomfortable for Yuka to keep up with those conversations.

In that sense, Kotone was the first friend who matched Yuka in having "things to talk about."

But just as Yuka had to be careful about what she said in front of others, Kotone also seemed to hold back in front of Yuka.

Even though Kotone had become much more talkative and open since they first met, she still didn’t share anything that might worry others.

That’s why, before Satori revealed everything, Kotone had been keeping those thoughts to herself.

But now, Kotone was telling Yuka.

She was directly saying where she wanted to go.

Yuka had no intention of letting this opportunity slip.

"Then, let’s go together after the break. You want to go, right?"

"..."

At Yuka’s words, Kotone’s face turned red.

Seeing Kotone purely embarrassed like this was also something Yuka had rarely seen. No, maybe it was the first time she’d ever seen Kotone blush like this.

Even Koko, sitting next to her, was staring at Kotone’s face.

"But, why did you suddenly want to go there?"

Of course, Yuka was curious.

She didn’t think Kotone was entirely without hobbies. Kotone read a lot of books, as expected from a member of the Literature Club, and she sometimes watched TV dramas or movies. There had been times when Yuka felt relieved seeing Kotone play an old game she had brought.

But it was refreshing to see Kotone say she wanted to do something like this.

From what Yuka knew, "Comic Market" wasn’t really a festival for manga lovers. It was more like a market where a lot of people gathered to buy and sell doujinshi, secondary works of original creations.

In other words, if you weren’t particularly interested in a specific work, it could be a bit dull.

"Do you have a favorite manga or something?"

When Yuka asked that, Kotone’s face turned even redder.

Now that she thought about it, Kotone worked in Akihabara.

At a maid café, no less.

At first, Yuka thought Kotone had chosen the place just for the hourly wage, but now it seemed there was more to it.

"..."

However, Kotone didn’t want to talk about it.

Yuka decided not to push her further, not wanting to upset her.

Well, they were going together anyway.

Once they got there, Yuka figured she’d find out which works Kotone liked by seeing what she bought.

Thinking that, Yuka leaned on the table and continued to quietly watch Kotone’s blushing face.

---

Well, fine.

I had planned to mention it someday anyway.

Honestly, I was thinking of bringing it up more casually, without making it seem like I was eager to go. But, well, since the result was good, I guess it’s fine.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling Yuka might stare at whatever I bought there. That made me a bit anxious.

...I can’t buy anything weird, I guess. And with Koko around, that’s impossible anyway.

After searching on the school library’s computer, I found out the event hadn’t passed yet. It was scheduled for the end of the year, as expected.

December 29th and 30th.

It was truly the final day of the year for otaku activities. Although I hadn’t been as enthusiastic about it since coming to this world.

"After Christmas, huh."

Yuka, peering at the computer screen beside me, commented.

"Great. We can fully enjoy everything before the year ends. Then we can visit a shrine like you said, right?"

"...Yeah."

Yuka smiled so brightly that I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

To be honest, I did want to go. After all, I didn’t want to spend all my time here just wielding a sword.

"Then, to enjoy everything properly, we should study."

Ugh.

Yuka glanced back and forth between Koko and me, and said,

"It’s the final exam of the year, right? We should finish it off properly so we can have fun afterwards."

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

I nodded.

---

"Ah, by the way."

Later that afternoon.

Somehow, thanks to Yuka, the club room had completely transformed into a study environment. Kaoru, who was always so focused on her textbooks, seemingly inspired by Izumi’s study habits, suddenly looked up.

"Do any of you have plans for the end of the year?"

"Ah, well, we do."

Yuka started to answer but then looked at me.

...Why?

Oh, is it because of that? When I blushed after asking if we could go there?

She had already teased me back then, and now she was trying to be considerate?

"We do have plans for the end of the year."

Instead of saying where we were going, Yuka finished her sentence like that.

"I thought so."

Kaoru smiled.

"I was thinking of having a year-end party."

"A party sounds fine, doesn’t it?"

"But you said you have plans?"

"That’s for the 30th. If it’s on the 31st..."

Yuka trailed off and glanced at me.

"I’m fine with it."

"I’m okay too!"

At my answer, Koko excitedly chimed in.

Right. A party always sounded fun.

It might be awkward if it was with strangers, but I welcomed the idea of a party with close friends.

"Oh, really?"

Kaoru turned her attention to Izumi.

"Izumi, what do you think? The others are up for it. You wanted to do it, right?"

"Kaoru...!"

At Kaoru’s words, Izumi’s face turned bright red.

So that’s how it is.

It was Izumi’s idea in the first place.

It seemed she couldn’t find the right moment to bring it up.

"Alright, then. Let’s have the Literature Club’s year-end party on the 31st. Does that work?"

By the way, hearing Kaoru say "Literature Club’s year-end party" felt kind of strange.

It seemed she hadn’t realized it, but Kaoru had completely blended into the Literature Club.

Even with her face red from embarrassment, Izumi had a satisfied smile on her face, which I found somewhat impressive.

Chapter 139. Year-end (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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What kind of mindset is most necessary when you have a job that involves helping people?

Is it to ensure that there’s no discrimination in helping the person in front of you? Having such a mindset isn't that difficult. In fact, when everything around you is burning, there's no time to think about who the person in front of you is.

Just like any other job, jumping into a fire repeatedly becomes less about a sense of duty and more like a routine task. And in that task, there’s not much room for emotions to interfere.

What’s really important is what happens after all the work is done.

Your body is exhausted, it feels like you’re stewing inside your clothes, the equipment is heavy. Enduring all that pressure while working, and finally finishing, only after removing the equipment and taking a sip of water, a thought suddenly occurs.

Did everyone I brought out survive? Was anyone seriously injured?

Was I too late?

And, unfortunately, there are always people who could have survived or been less injured if you had arrived just a few minutes earlier.

I know it’s physically impossible. The time it takes to recognize the situation and call for help, the time it takes to receive the report and hear the explanation, and the time it takes for the message to reach us and for us to rush to the scene. No matter how fast we move, there’s always an unavoidable gap.

And once you're inside the site, it’s a whole different story. No matter how well you hear the explanation from outside, it’s incredibly hard to quickly orient yourself and just rescue people inside a burning house.

I try not to think about it.

That I couldn’t have done anything more, and the result is just what it is. That things could’ve gone worse, but it ended the way it did and that’s a relief.

But when it’s a matter of life and death, it’s impossible to shake those thoughts off easily.

“……”

It was the same this time.

These days, there are very few reasons for me to go into fire scenes carrying an oxygen tank on my back. Catching yokai isn't an obligation for me. It’s just something I choose to do because I want to.

However, because it’s something I choose to do, it's not easy to dismiss thoughts about where I failed.

Mako, who usually seemed calm but full of energy during conversations, had no energy at all during the exam period.

I had been reassured when I saw her talking with Miura, but it seems that the wound was far deeper than I had anticipated.

Although the worst-case scenarios—like falling into a coma or suffering permanent disabilities in his limbs—were avoided, the injury was still significant. After all, he was stabbed with a knife.

Was it my fault?

Even though I tell myself it wasn't, on the other hand, I can’t help but think like this. It's not easy to fully accept that everything was beyond my control, especially because I was actually there.

“……”

Right, thinking about it doesn’t change anything. I can’t go back and change things now.

I lowered my gaze back to the test paper.

……Studying with Yuka had helped quite a bit.

Of course, I couldn’t answer all the questions on the paper, but it seemed a bit easier than the midterms.

Yet, despite feeling that way, my heart still wasn’t entirely light.

---

What should I say?

I sat absentmindedly in the Literature Club room after the exam, thinking about this.

Mako was clearly trying to maintain kindness towards those around her, even though her spirits were low.

When the kids talked to her, she responded well, and she even laughed at jokes. During breaks, she’d check answers with me too.

For a moment, I wondered if it was just my imagination.

But, seeing how Fukuda and Yamashita were cautious around Mako, it was clear that she was forcing herself.

And that made my heart heavier. I know how bright and lively she usually is.

If only it was something trivial that made her feel down.

No, of course, most big events that happen at this age are the first serious experiences of life, so trivial matters are fewer. But still, if it was just a breakup with a boyfriend, we could all just go out and shout or have fun to cheer her up.

But if it's because her parents were sick, hmm.

Most of the ways I know to comfort people only work for adults. Just silently taking them out to have a drink together.

……But I couldn’t use that method on a kid like Mako.

“Is it because of Miura?”

Yuka asked, noticing that I couldn’t concentrate on studying.

I nodded.

“Even if it’s not your fault.”

“Un.”

Koko, who was sitting next to Yuka, let out a sound as if agreeing with her. Her face looked a little angry.

No, maybe I should say she seemed frustrated.

I was a bit amazed that Koko had become so perceptive about people’s emotions, but that didn’t completely lift my gloomy mood.

Yeah.

As I said before, I know. It’s not my fault. The blame lies with Kosuzu, who caused the incident, and I have no legal responsibility.

I know that—.

But still, it’s different thinking about it alone versus hearing it directly from the person involved.

That’s right. I was having a selfish thought. I wanted Mako, who was already struggling, to tell me that everything was fine.

“Hmm.”

Yuka folded her arms, thinking, as she watched me nod with a gloomy expression.

Had Yuka thought something similar? She’s been catching yokai since she was young, after all. Surely there were times she felt guilty thinking about those who died because she couldn’t protect them.

“A way to cheer up Miura, huh.”

Yuka thought for a while but didn’t come up with a good answer.

……That’s to be expected, after all, Yuka is still Yuka. She’s only in her mid-teens and just recently started making real friends.

It’s only natural that she doesn’t know how to cheer up a kid whose parents are sick.

“How about you just start by talking to her?”

Yuka suggested to me.

“Yeah, I know it’s hard. That’s probably why you haven’t talked to her yet.”

When I stared at her, Yuka shrugged her shoulders in acknowledgment.

“But even so, if you start the conversation, I’m sure she won’t dislike it. When people are struggling, they usually want to lean on someone.”

I was a little surprised by Yuka’s words.

As I kept staring at her, Yuka’s face turned a bit red.

“What? I know at least this much.”

And then, it finally dawned on me again that Yuka didn’t have a mother.

She must have had a hard time too. Maybe she relied on her family back then.

……

When I went through something similar, I didn’t lean on anyone.

I’m not sure why. Maybe I just hated the world.

Even so, I had to keep working to make a living.

“……Okay.”

I nodded slightly and returned my focus to the textbook.

---

The last day of exams.

“……Mako.”

After the final exam ended and our homeroom teacher, Ms. Suzuki, came in to congratulate us, I spoke to Mako.

“Huh?”

Since I hadn’t approached her first for the past few days, Mako seemed a bit surprised.

Her surprised expression made her look a lot better compared to when she had seemed utterly down.

No, maybe that was just my wishful thinking. I steeled myself.

What should I say?

No matter how much I thought about it, just telling her she’d be okay didn’t seem right.

It seemed better to start with something else—.

“Oh, what’s this, what’s this?”

As I was wracking my brain, suddenly a weight landed on my shoulders, and I stumbled slightly. But I didn’t fall over. The person who pounced on me had firmly locked their arm around me.

“Are you all planning to hang out? Well, since the exams are over, you should go somewhere to blow off some steam!”

Fukuda said, interrupting what I was about to say.

“What do you think, Yuu?”

“Mmm.”

As always, Yuu, with her somewhat indifferent expression, glanced up from her phone.

For a brief moment, our eyes met.

Yuu looked back at her phone and answered.

“Sure. I wasn’t doing anything anyway.”

“Great, great.”

“Wah?”

Fukuda said, pulling Koko over to her side with her other hand.

“Let’s go to karaoke for the first time in a while. We’ve been under so much pressure, we need to let it all out!”

Karaoke, huh.

It’s true we haven’t gone in a while.

But still, isn’t it a bit too much for someone whose father is in the hospital—.

“……Okay.”

But, contrary to my concern, Mako agreed.

“School’s finished early, and so are the exams.”

“Aren’t we going to check the answers today?”

When Fukuda teased her with a grin, Mako just glared at her.

“It’s the last day; there’s no need to stress about it till the very end, right? We don’t need to be tense anymore.”

Raising her hands over her head, Mako stretched and looked at me as if she suddenly remembered something.

“But what about Yuuki? Is she not coming with us today?”

“……Ah, well.”

Yuka had said she’d head home first today. Probably out of consideration.

She said she’d go home to pack her things.

Besides, we already had plans even after the exams were over.

“She had something to do, so she went ahead.”

But for some reason, I felt a bit embarrassed to mention that Yuka had been staying at my house for a while, so I gave a vague answer.

“I see.”

Mako seemed slightly relieved.

“Okay, then let’s do that.”

She smiled faintly as she spoke.

Maybe because some time had passed by now.

It felt like her expression had lightened up a bit, and that made me feel at ease.

---

Sometimes people feel tightness in their chest because of actual stomach problems, but often it’s because they have a lot on their minds.

Mental suffering is, in fact, linked to physical pain.

Just like when you see someone get hurt and feel an itch in the same spot or when thinking of delicious food makes your mouth water, the human body has the ability to simulate sensations to some extent.

That’s why emotions can make your body ache—your head throbs, your chest feels heavy, or it feels like you’re being torn apart.

The cliché in robot stories where they say, ‘So this is what pain feels like…’ is actually illogical. The feeling of regret and the simulated pain that follows are sensations that can’t be felt without organs that register pain.

……I’ve gone a bit off track, but this is the point I want to make.

Whether the issue is truly something physical or just emotional, shouting out loud is an act that’s somewhat unrelated to either of those feelings.

But at the very least, if the tightness you feel is due to emotions, screaming your lungs out to release those emotions can help.

That’s probably why people want to go to a high place and scream when they feel suffocated.

Of course, if you actually do that on a mountain nowadays, well, at least in the 2020s, you’ll probably get scolded by a public official for scaring the wildlife.

“……Whew.”

And that’s why we came to karaoke. Karaoke was the only place in the middle of Tokyo where we could scream to our hearts’ content.

And today, Mako, who usually only sang calm songs, belted out some powerful ones.

“Wow, Mako’s really going for it today.”

Fukuda said, sounding a little surprised. Even Yamashita, who usually doesn’t react much to songs she doesn’t know, widened her eyes slightly as she watched Mako.

“Whoaa….”

Even Koko, who loves upbeat songs, hadn’t expected Mako to sing something like this.

“……Here.”

After finishing the loud song, Mako, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, blushed slightly and handed me the microphone.

Uh, but I haven’t queued up any songs yet.

Checking the screen, I saw that no song was queued.

Maybe they were being considerate. Perhaps Fukuda and Yamashita were waiting for Mako to sing whatever she wanted to without feeling any pressure.

I happened to make eye contact with Fukuda.

“What are you waiting for? Sing something.”

“Uh, no, but you guys—”

“The person holding the mic is the one who sings first.”

Is that how it works? I don’t remember there being any such rule the last time we came here.

“Look, even Koko looks like she’s expecting it.”

Well, that’s true, but.

I glanced at Yamashita.

Yamashita had already gone back to looking at her phone.

……Could it be that they thought I seemed down too? Hmm, maybe they’re right. I was feeling gloomy because Mako was down.

Fine, then.

If that’s the case, I’ll sing.

“…….”

Though, I couldn’t think of a song to sing.

“If you’re not sure what to sing, want to sing together?”

Mako asked.

I was glad to hear that.

It felt like she was being considerate of me, and maybe she also wanted to sing another song. After all, time passes whether or not we sing.

“Sure.”

“Then, I’ll sing the first verse, and Kotone can take over from the second verse.”

The song Mako chose was a popular, upbeat song. Yeah, I’ve heard this one on TV before.

“Looks like you know it.”

Seeing my expression, Mako smiled.

We sang the song together.

Koko joined in halfway through, and thanks to that, any lingering sadness I had was completely blown away.

---

We played until it was nearly time for dinner, and then we stepped outside for a leisurely walk.

“Ugh, it’s cold.”

Well, actually, we couldn’t be that leisurely.

The weather in Tokyo wasn’t cold enough to cut through the skin, but it was cold enough to make your body shiver. Maybe it felt colder because the clothes I wore were more of a coat type.

And after muttering that, Fukuda was the one wearing the shortest skirt among us. It was bold of her to expose her legs so much even in this winter weather, but as a result, it seemed like Fukuda had no resistance to the cold.

“Oh, right, right.”

Maybe to forget the cold or perhaps because the cold reminded her of something, Fukuda clapped her hands.

Then quickly put them back in her pockets and said,

“What’s everyone doing on Christmas Eve?”

We all looked at each other.

It seemed like no one had any plans.

……Ah, right.

No one here has a boyfriend. It makes sense for Mako not to have one since she doesn’t even seem interested in dating, but even Fukuda and Yamashita didn’t have boyfriends.

Well, technically, they both tried. It’s just that things didn’t go anywhere after the initial contact.

“If no one’s doing anything, how about we have a party? Not just us, but invite a few friends and gather somewhere.”

“……Where?”

Yamashita asked, and Fukuda blinked.

“Huh? Just somewhere that’s available?”

“……On Christmas Eve, most places would’ve been booked by now, don’t you think?”

“True.”

Mako nodded at Yamashita’s words.

“Places like that are at their busiest right now.”

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah, we probably should’ve booked a month in advance.”

It wasn’t just Christmas. With the New Year’s Eve and New Year’s holidays around the corner, most places would be fully booked for weeks before and after.

“Ah… then, should we meet at someone’s house?”

Fukuda glanced at me but quickly looked away.

Yeah, of course. Even though there aren’t any adults around, my place is way too small to fit everyone. It’d be more like a depressing experience of poor living conditions than a party atmosphere.

“Ah, sorry. My dad’s not home right now, but—”

“Oh, oh!? No, no! I wasn’t suggesting that!”

Fukuda jumped in shock when Mako hesitantly spoke.

Well, that’s understandable.

Suggesting to gather at her place when her father is in the hospital would be a terrible thing to do.

“Ah… but, my place might be a bit tricky at that time too.”

Yeah, that’s probably true. Seeing her dad drinking with Kagami, there’s a chance that Fukuda’s father might bring someone special home by then. Maybe he’d give Fukuda some money and tell her to go out.

Naturally, all eyes turned to Yamashita.

“……”

Seeing Fukuda’s pleading eyes, Yamashita let out a deep sigh.

Yamashita’s house is spacious. Not just spacious, but it’s a genuine Japanese-style mansion that looks like something straight out of a movie.

Though it wasn’t intentional, having spread blood all over various parts of the house, I know that there’s more than enough space for us to bring a decent number of people over to sleep.

“……You know, if you were going to bring this up, shouldn’t you have told me earlier?”

“Sorry.”

Fukuda smiled apologetically. It wasn’t that her apology didn’t seem sincere. The slight downward curve of her eyebrows showed that she really did feel sorry.

“……I’ll talk to my dad.”

“Thanks!”

“Nuuu…”

But amid all the conversation, someone let out a worried sound.

It was Koko.

“Uh, why? Is there a problem?”

Naturally, the gaze fell on me. Koko is smart, but because she has a bit of a quirky side, she’s not great at explaining things clearly.

“……I’m not sure.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure either.

Wasn’t Koko the one who was really looking forward to Christmas? What reason would she have to object?

As I looked at Koko, she hesitated for a moment and then nervously said,

“What if Santa Claus gets confused about the location?”

“……”

All the eyes that had been on Koko shifted back to me.

……

Indeed.

What should I say?

I thought long and hard about how to explain this to Koko.

Chapter 140. Year-end (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Come to think of it, if the Yamashita residence had appeared in a children's animation, the entire episode would have likely been deleted during its import to Korea.

That's how much of a traditional Japanese-style mansion the Yamashita residence was.

No matter how similar the architectural styles of Korea, China, and Japan may be, honestly, how could you call a place that looks like an exaggerated "yakuza house" a hanok?

And to have Christmas in such a place...

...They must have had a tough time.

That was the first thought that crossed my mind as soon as I entered the mansion.

Indeed.

This enormous Japanese-style mansion had already been decorated in a "Christmas style."

It seemed that Yamashita had said something like, "I'm going to spend Christmas with friends," and her father, Yamashita Yohei, must have thought, "Well, then we should create that atmosphere."

Honestly, he didn't seem like someone with a sense of humor, so it probably wasn’t meant to be funny.

"......"

And, as we passed through the entrance, Yamashita’s face turned slightly red.

She seemed to be extremely embarrassed.

Was it really something to be that embarrassed about? Our house is decorated for Christmas too, after all.

"Wow!"

Koko exclaimed cheerfully. Judging by her sparkling eyes, she seemed to like the glittering tinsel hanging in the hallway of the Yamashita residence.

"Mya."

And Kuro, who was held with a sullen expression in Koko's arms, meowed as if displeased.

Perhaps it was because all my friends on the way here had stroked her head. Kuro could act affectionate at times and want to be alone at others. Her constantly changing mood was very cat-like.

Speaking of "my friends," of course, Yuka came with us.

When they suggested inviting friends, I contacted people I knew, but in the end, it seemed like I was the only one who actually invited someone I knew.

Coincidentally, aside from three people, the group gathered here was the same as during the summer camp.

For reference, the three who weren't here were Sasaki, Hagiwara, and Nakahara.

"Hmph. I don’t know anyone like my brother."

Seeing Shii cross her arms and turn her head sharply, it seemed that Sasaki had done something that greatly displeased her.

Maybe he made Christmas plans with the two before Shii?

Not wanting to get tangled up in that strange relationship, I didn’t ask any further.

Besides, things were already a bit uncomfortable with Hagiwara.

"Hey, hey, Izumi, this place totally—"

"Shh, shhh!"

I overheard Kaoru and Izumi whispering.

Kaoru seemed to want to say that this place looked like a yakuza den, but Izumi quickly jabbed her elbow into Kaoru's side. Kaoru made a pained "ugh" sound and didn’t speak for a while.

After walking down the somewhat overdecorated hallway,

"...Here. Basically, you can stay here. I won’t stop you if you want to wander around."

Yamashita spoke with a very grumpy expression.

If every time we passed by, yakuza uncles in the hallway gave us a straight-angle bow, I guess it would make anyone feel that way.

"...By the way, my father is out on a date, so you don’t need to look for him."

As she said this, Yamashita's expression became even more sullen.

Was he out on a date with Mori-san?

...Well, she’s probably still Mori-san for now, since I hadn’t heard of any wedding news yet.

Anyway, the room Yamashita led us to was a very large tatami room.

The distinct smell of tatami wafted through the air. They say it smells terrible if not properly maintained, but this room didn’t have that scent. It seemed either the tatami had been completely replaced, or they were very strict about maintaining it.

I had no idea what the exact purpose of this huge room was, but honestly, who cares?

The truly important thing was the huge Christmas tree in the middle of the room.

A giant tree stood in the middle of the tatami room, which was very much in the Japanese style, and was wrapped in the same tinsel that hung in the hallway. At the top, a large star twinkled brightly.

They had even wrapped string lights around it. Since the tree was in the middle of the room, they had connected a long power strip to it, which made the tree’s isolated presence in the room feel even more pronounced.

...Well.

I could tell they’d put effort into the decorations, but it was painfully obvious that the people who did it weren’t experienced at all.

Even yakuza uncles have kids, right?

"Wow... It’s cool!"

The first to speak was Fukuda.

"My dad put up an enormous tree at our house, too. It’s so big, it blocks part of the TV when you sit on the couch!"

"..."

"...Harumi, I don’t think that’s really helping."

Seeing Yamashita's face turn even redder, Mako tapped Fukuda's arm, and Fukuda quickly closed her mouth.

...Well, alright.

At least there were no yakuza uncles in the room. They probably made sure we wouldn’t run into them as we wandered around the mansion. Besides, there was no reason for us to leave this room anyway.

"So then..."

In the silence that filled the room, it was Mako, with her class president experience, who spoke up first.

"Shall we start?"

"Yeah, oh..."

Kaoru raised one hand to try to liven the mood, but seeing that no one followed, she awkwardly lowered her hand again.

No, seriously, what’s with this atmosphere?

---

Well, what could we do?

In the end, we were all just high school girls. Even though my identity was still stuck as an old man’s, spending time with high school girls long enough gave me an idea of how to blend in.

We laid out a variety of snacks and brought in different types of drinks, which helped create a party atmosphere.

It wasn’t like the college parties you see in Western movies, where everyone’s standing around, drinking from punch bowls. Instead, it was a more Eastern-style party where we sat on the floor, but the mood wasn’t too bad.

"Wow, this is delicious! Koko, do you want to try?"

"Wow!"

Kaoru exclaimed after popping a chocolate in her mouth, then offered one to Koko, who took it directly into her mouth.

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she crunched it without letting it melt.

It was a brand I recognized. I’d tried it before. It wasn’t too hard, with a chewy texture—kind of like mochi chocolate. It seemed to be from a well-known brand.

I’m sure Kaoru had eaten it before, but she was probably just saying that to suit the mood.

"Still, having a tree does make it feel like Christmas."

Fukuda stood in front of the tree, looking up at the large star on top.

"If it weren’t here, it’d feel like we were just gathering at a friend’s house, like usual."

"......"

This time, Yamashita didn’t seem to mind as much, perhaps because she sensed that Fukuda’s compliment wasn’t forced. Though her face still reddened, she didn’t seem as sullen.

"I like mystery novels too."

"Really!? We’ve got a bunch in the club room. I can lend you one anytime you want. I’m confident we’ve got all the famous ones."

Do they really have that many books? Honestly, I doubt the club room has more books than the library.

Well, if it’s a well-known book, you could just go to the library. Izumi was probably talking about more obscure books, ones that aren’t widely known to most people.

"Kotone and Koko were in the literature club, right?"

"Yeah, that’s right. How about you visit after school? If you have time—"

Though she couldn’t utter a word to a boy, perhaps because she was talking to a fellow girl and junior, Izumi was quite enthusiastic about recruiting new members for the club.

"Hey."

As I was observing everyone spending time in their own way, Yuka gently tapped my arm from the side.

I turned to her, and she subtly motioned toward one side of the room with her chin.

There sat Shii.

Indeed, unlike the others who were starting to get into the mood, Shii seemed a bit downcast, sitting alone.

Yuka and I exchanged glances, nodded, and headed toward Shii.

"Mya."

On the way, I picked up Kuro, who was sprawled out on the floor. Though she didn’t struggle to escape, Kuro had a very annoyed expression.

...I was grateful she had grown healthy over the past few months, but was it just me, or had she gotten too bold as she grew?

When I first met her, she was incredibly wary of everyone around her.

"Why are you sitting here like this?"

As I plopped down next to Shii and asked, she flinched in surprise.

"Is something wrong?"

"..."

When Yuka sat down and asked from the other side, Shii seemed to be about to say something but closed her mouth.

"Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to."

Yuka said that.

I plopped Kuro into Shii's lap.

"Se-senpai?"

Shii seemed a bit flustered at first but soon began stroking Kuro as she settled on her lap.

"Mya."

Kuro, who had looked incredibly annoyed in my arms, began rubbing against Shii, positioning herself comfortably as if nothing had happened, and closed her eyes.

"Looks like she likes you more than me."

"Huh? No, that’s not—"

"It’s fine. You were the one who originally took care of her, after all."

That’s right. If I hadn’t taken Kuro with me, the attention of whatever deity or entity had been attached to her would have likely been directed at Shii, not me.

"Mya."

Kuro meowed as if agreeing, making me feel slightly indignant. Hey, even so, I’m the one paying for your food, you know?

"I don’t know what’s bothering you, but it’s Christmas Eve. Maybe it’s okay to let everything go, just for today?"

Yuka said with a cheerful face.

I see.

Until now, she had probably spent Christmas with her family.

Of course, that’s the norm, and there’s joy in that too. But spending Christmas with friends like this is also a different kind of happiness.

"Do you... think so?"

"Is it something to do with Sasaki?"

Well, even though Shii’s full name is "Sasaki Shii," it felt too odd to call Sasaki by his first name, "Sota," considering the lack of connection between us.

Besides, if I started calling Sasaki by his first name, Nakahara and Hagiwara would be shocked.

I had no intention of becoming a heroine candidate, after all.

"..."

Shii’s face turned red, and she didn’t answer my question.

"If it’s about that, you don’t need to worry."

"Huh?"

Though I don’t run into Sasaki that often, in the original novel, Sasaki was the male protagonist.

Even if it’s a rule of light novels for the protagonist to end up with the heroine, there should be something that allows readers to identify with him and think he’s cool.

To be precise, they should think, "I want to be like him."

In my memory, Sasaki was that kind of protagonist. He would sacrifice himself to save the heroine when in danger and use hidden strategies to turn things around and lead to a positive outcome.

...Though, here, things seemed to be heading in a different direction.

In any case, Sasaki wouldn’t just stand by while his little sister was feeling down.

He’d probably come by tomorrow or sometime soon to apologize or make amends.

"I don’t know Sasaki that well, but—"

I began speaking slowly.

Though I thought that, I didn’t have enough reason to openly express such thoughts, so I had to put it in a way that sounded convincing enough.

"...There are plenty of people who fight with their brothers. But I don’t think Sasaki’s that kind of brother."

"..."

Shii looked at me, wide-eyed.

"..."

Even Yuka was staring at me, wide-eyed.

"..."

Even Kuro, on Yuka's lap, was staring at me.

"...What?"

Did I say something strange?

"Uh, no, it’s not that."

When I tilted my head in confusion, Yuka quickly responded.

"Y-yeah! It’s just... I never thought about it like that. Yes!"

"Mya."

"...Is that so?"

Their reaction seemed suspicious, but since there wasn’t any concrete evidence to doubt them further, I decided to let it go.

I might end up saying something weird if I pressed the issue.

"Kotone!"

Just then, as if perfectly timed, Koko called me.

I turned around, and something was suddenly popped into my mouth.

In an instant, sweetness spread through my mouth, followed by the slight bitterness characteristic of chocolate.

"How is it?"

Koko, who had popped a piece of chocolate into my mouth, smiled and asked.

I gently chewed the chocolate. There was a soft cocoa powder-like coating on the outside, and the inside had a chewy yet soft texture, somewhat like a brownie.

It was incredibly rich and luxurious.

"...It’s delicious."

"Yay!"

Was she simply happy that our tastes aligned?

Koko raised her hands high, as if cheering.

As I accepted another piece of chocolate from Koko, I noticed Yamashita quietly leaving the room.

Before I even finished chewing the second piece of chocolate, Yamashita peeked back into the room.

Though she wore her usual cool expression, her actions seemed somewhat cute, and as I thought that, our eyes met.

Without saying a word, Yamashita gestured toward me with her hand, beckoning me. It seemed she had something to say.

"Just a moment, I need to use the restroom."

I wiped the cocoa powder from my mouth with my hand and stood up.

---

The reason I didn’t tell the others was simple.

If Yamashita just wanted to talk to me, she would have come over and asked directly.

It seemed like Yuka, who had been sitting in the same direction as me, had also noticed Yamashita. But perhaps to help me out, she immediately started engaging Koko, making it easier for me to slip out alone.

Grateful for her help, I stepped outside the room, and Yamashita carefully closed the door behind me.

"Come with me for a minute."

Had I met Yamashita for the first time today, I would have been terrified. Honestly, Yamashita could easily be categorized as a "gyaru" character, except without the blonde hair and tanning.

And as a former teenage otaku, I wasn’t particularly good with people like her.

Yamashita started walking, leading me quite far from our room.

Was this something others shouldn’t hear?

Curious, I followed behind her—

"...Oh."

And we stopped in front of a room.

I felt a strange sense of unease.

No, there was nothing wrong with the room itself. Even though the mansion had been turned into a bloodbath before, they must have repainted and replaced the doors, as there were hardly any traces left.

But still, this room... Was it one of the rooms I had drenched in blood?

Was this an eerie feeling deeply ingrained in my memory?

"...What are you doing?"

Noticing me staring blankly at the room, Yamashita turned back to ask.

"Oh, uh. It’s nothing."

I quickly caught up to Yamashita.

And only then did I realize.

There was something odd about the entire mansion.

Not that there were yokai here. If that were the case, I would have sensed it during our conversations with the others. My skin would have crawled, and Yuka would have noticed it too.

It was a completely different feeling from when the Curse of Isolation was present. More like—

"We’re here."

But my thoughts were interrupted by Yamashita’s words.

"Here?"

In front of a room that didn’t seem any different from the others.

Yamashita took a deep breath, as if hesitant to show me what was inside.

Was something happening in the mansion? Did Yamashita figure out who I really was?

While I was lost in such worries, Yamashita suddenly swung open the door.

And the moment I saw what was inside, all those thoughts flew away into the cold sky above.

"......"

"......"

"......"

We stood in silence.

Yamashita, me, and the people inside the room.

Inside the room... was "Santa."

It was a Santa dressed in a red suit, perfect for the Christmas season, with a thick white cotton beard.

A Yakuza Santa.

"...What do you think?"

"Huh?"

I stood there, mouth agape, unable to find the words, as Yamashita spoke a bit anxiously.

"...It’s the Santa who’ll bring presents tonight."

"Oh."

"...Because Koko was looking forward to it."

I see.

Well.

What should I say?

The outfit was certainly Santa-like.

And it seemed like they had specifically chosen someone big to recreate Santa’s rotund figure.

The problem was... the fierce eyes peeking out between the white beard and red hat.

It felt a little mean to say this, since the guy wasn’t making that face on purpose.

But still, wasn’t this a face that would make kids burst into tears?

"...What do you think?"

Yamashita asked again.

Could this not have been Yamashita’s idea?

Seeing the anxious looks from the uncles who had probably spent time decorating the room, I started to think that maybe Yamashita was actually quite adored in this house.

"...If he just softens his gaze a little..."

In the end, I couldn’t completely dismiss the kindness in front of me and gave that evaluation.

Koko was a fearless child, so...

...It should be fine, right?

There’s no way Koko would be scared of a big, red-suited dwarf, after all.

Chapter 141. Year-end (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“There’s no need to worry too much.”

Santa spoke to me with the utmost politeness.

It feels a bit rude to put it this way, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he truly looked like a yakuza.

Wait, is he actually a yakuza? Without that red suit, I could totally imagine a dragon or a koi tattooed on his back.

“I’ve raised a daughter myself, you know. When she was young, I used to dress up as Santa every Christmas.”

“...Is that so...?”

Well, she probably wasn’t scared of him, since he’s her father.

“Now that daughter’s all grown up... She’s in high school now, and she goes out with her friends, so she doesn’t even come to visit on Christmas... It’s been a bit lonely lately.”

If his daughter is out all night, doesn’t he have his wife to keep him company?

“My wife only nags at me...”

“...”

Mister, you’re oversharing your family issues a bit too much.

And honestly, I wonder if his high school daughter isn’t just out with friends but rather with her boyfriend. I don’t have any proof, so I can’t say for sure.

Although, even if I did have proof, I wouldn’t say anything. I get the feeling he’d go straight to confront the boyfriend if I did.

Even if he’s in a Santa costume.

“...Anyway, the gift is ready.”

Yamashita spoke up.

“It’s fine if we exchange gifts among ourselves, but Koko needs a present from ‘Santa,’ right?”

How considerate.

In fact, I was planning on sneaking a gift by Koko’s bedside and lying that Santa had come.

Yamashita had prepared for the chance Koko might wake up, so she brought in a Santa.

And even prepared a present.

By the way, I also prepared a gift.

It wasn’t an easy task since Koko tried to stay glued to me as much as possible.

Once exam period ended and I resumed my part-time job, I finally had some spare time. I stopped by the department store with Shii after work, and with the money I’d saved, I bought a large cat plush.

Oh, and I bought a smaller cat keychain as a bonus. So the gift I’d be giving Koko consists of two items: the plush, which Santa would place by her bed at night, and the keychain, which I’d give her during the gift exchange.

Naturally, I bought similar ones for my friends as well. I ended up spending a bit more than I thought, but it was worth it.

Yuka, who had received our message in advance, helped hide it. We stashed it at Yuka’s house for the time being, and I hadn’t mentioned anything to Koko about it.

Yuka’s grandfather probably stopped by while we were having fun to deliver the gift. Honestly, I’m always indebted to Yuka’s family.

Actually, I’m indebted to almost everyone I know.

“...Thank you.”

Above all, I was truly grateful to Yamashita for organizing this event.

When I bowed slightly to show my gratitude, Yamashita looked a bit flustered.

Seeming unsure of how to respond to my thanks, Yamashita darted her gaze around, then simply answered,

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

---

They were yakuza who probably hadn’t hosted this kind of party before, but they didn’t just prepare an “empty room” for us.

In truth, one empty room would’ve been plenty for us. I mean, what do high school girls even do at a party? Just laugh, chatter, eat, drink, and maybe sing a bit.

But maybe because “Christmas party” comes with a certain sense of duty, the yakuza guys even brought in a projector to play a movie on the wall.

It was one of those Christmas movies they often show on TV this time of year. The story was exactly as I remembered: a young kid, left alone at home, fends off burglars in a comedic way.

Even though we all knew the plot, we watched it and laughed together.

Koko, on the other hand, was the only one watching the movie for the first time.

Gazing at the wall, with sparkling eyes and an open mouth, Koko looked even younger than usual.

“...”

I found myself watching Koko’s face for quite a while.

I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. Whether I should worry, be relieved, or feel guilty.

Maybe it was all of them.

“Uu?”

Even though she was engrossed in the movie, Koko noticed me looking at her.

Turning her head, she made a curious sound as our eyes met, and I smiled slightly at her.

Koko smiled back at me.

That face, which looked exactly like mine, was smiling brightly.

Is that smile because of me?

Could it be because she’s happy I’m here?

...

A bit selfish of me, maybe.

But I hoped that was the case.

---

The sun had set outside, but it wasn’t completely night yet.

After dinner, we exchanged gifts.

There was a small misunderstanding here: the kids had apparently planned to put the gifts together and randomly pick one.

I had prepared gifts specifically for each friend.

Shii was with me when I picked them out—now I think I understand why she looked at me strangely back then.

...How was I supposed to know how to plan a party like this?

The Christmas parties I’d known were just a bunch of guy friends without girlfriends getting together to drink.

There was never any gift exchange.

“Uu...?”

Koko seemed a little surprised by this arrangement.

That’s right.

To Koko, a “Christmas gift” was something Santa Claus gave to good children. She hadn’t even considered the idea of friends exchanging gifts with each other.

“It’s okay.”

Yuka comforted Koko gently.

“I prepared one for you.”

“Uu?”

Though Koko still looked uncertain, she didn’t question it much longer—

“All right, everyone ready? Let’s begin the gift exchange!”

Before her doubts could fully settle, Fukuda shouted with a Christmas wand in her hand, using it like a microphone.

I wondered when she’d gotten it, but it seemed she’d taken it from the Christmas tree.

“Okay, okay, let’s put these notes in the box like this.”

With a delighted expression, Fukuda placed the numbered notes in a box that had a hole on one side.

When did she prepare that?

Looking at Yamashita, who was smiling proudly, I guessed the yakuza guys had provided it.

Apparently, Yamashita didn’t find this embarrassing. Well, it’s not like she needed to.

“Then, as Kotone-chan prepared gifts for everyone, she can go first!”

With that, Fukuda turned the box towards me.

Everyone was looking at me, so I couldn’t refuse, and I reached into the box without a word.

I pulled out a folded slip of paper.

Opening it up, I read the name aloud—

“Yuka.”

As I read her name and looked at her, Yuka grinned broadly.

Now I noticed she had her fist clenched tightly.

...Well, that makes sense. If she had to pick the person she’s closest to here, it’d be me. I’m friendly with the others too, but still.

“Okay, shall we open the gift?”

At Fukuda’s prompting, Yuka got up, picked up the gift in front of her, and brought it to me.

She carefully placed the box on the floor.

It was beautifully wrapped. A classic Christmas gift box, the kind you’d see in an online search for “Christmas present.”

When I opened it—

Inside was a hand-knitted scarf.

And a pair of woolen gloves, and a hat.

There were even two sets of each.

...It was obvious they were meant for Koko and me. The colors were opposite—one blue and one red—but otherwise, they looked identical.

“Well, I thought you looked a little cold when you walked around,” Yuka said, sounding shy.

“Thanks.”

I smiled and wrapped the scarf around my neck.

I didn’t wear the hat or gloves yet since it felt cumbersome to wear them indoors. I’d put them on when we went outside.

I also wrapped the scarf around Koko, who was sitting next to me.

I had red, and Koko had blue. This way, it’d be easy to tell them apart.

I thought I’d tease Yuka about it later.

“Okay, Yuka-chan, do you want to go next?”

It seemed Yuka wasn’t entirely used to Fukuda addressing her so familiarly, so she blushed a bit as she reached into the box.

The note she drew read—

“Koko! ...Oh, are you okay with this?”

“Uu?”

That’s right. Koko hadn’t prepared a gift; Yuka had prepared one on her behalf.

So if things went this way, it would be as if Yuka were giving herself a gift.

“It’s fine.”

But Yuka cut in firmly and handed the gift to Koko.

“Here.”

“Uu...?”

Koko tilted her head, confused that Yuka was giving her the gift Koko was supposed to give her.

“It’s really fine.”

After a bit of hesitation, Koko opened the box—

“Wow!”

It was full of snacks.

Yuka picked up a chocolate bar from the top and smiled.

“I’m happy with this. After all, Christmas presents are all about the thought, right?”

“Thank you!”

Koko shouted with sparkling eyes, and Yuka blushed slightly.

But her pride seemed to outweigh her embarrassment, and she puffed out her chest a bit, looking like a proud older sister. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

---

The gift exchange continued smoothly.

Koko, Yuka, and I ended up giving gifts to each other by coincidence, but for the others, it was completely random.

For example, the luxury shampoo Yamashita prepared ended up with Kaoru.

“Is...is this really something I should use...?”

Kaoru looked at the shampoo, clearly flustered.

Well, she’s the most unadorned person here.

“You should try it sometime, like when you’re meeting a guy. Who knows, he might fall for the scent?”

When Izumi suggested it with a laugh, Kaoru blushed.

And Yamashita looked at the two of them, baffled.

Right. Neither of them really seemed like the type to care about their appearance. And from Yamashita’s perspective, it’s just slightly fancier shampoo, hardly a luxury item.

Women may seem uninterested in appearance, but apparently, they all have a fascination with things like this. I don’t know if that’s because this is a light novel-inspired world or if it’s just my limited experience with women.

Kaoru’s gift went to Shii.

“Is...is it really okay for me to have something like this?”

“Of course! Try it on!”

...It was a jacket with bold patterns that looked like something a biker might wear, so it seemed oddly out of place on Shii.

Not that it didn’t suit her.

It made her look either like a girlfriend of that type of guy or like she was borrowing it. Either way, it oddly emphasized her innocence, which was funny.

Though it was a bit big, it shouldn’t be an issue.

The quirky mystery novel Izumi brought, written by an author with a name over 12 syllables long, went to Yamashita, and the pretty hairpins Shii brought went to Mako. Mako’s gift, an elegant fountain pen, went to Izumi.

“Wow!”

Izumi’s eyes sparkled.

“Were you interested in fountain pens?” Kaoru asked, surprised.

“Not exactly, but I mean, I kind of always wanted to write something. And writers do have a bit of a fondness for writing tools, right?”

“So, you’re not using one right now?”

Ignoring Kaoru’s nitpicky remark, Izumi turned to Mako.

“Thanks, kohai!”

Blushing, Mako scratched her cheek shyly.

Then—

“...Oh...”

Her gaze turned to Fukuda.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Fukuda said, holding up a keychain with a smile.

“See? I got this.”

It was a black cat keychain resembling Kuro.

It wasn’t three-dimensional, just a deformed flat cat character, like a cat badge.

All of them were different. Different colors, too. Cat fur color variations are more than I expected. Many patterns and colors.

...But.

“That’s all you got…”

I had bought enough gifts for everyone.

So technically, everyone got a gift at the end. The others each received two types, while Fukuda only received a single keychain.

“I’m fine. This is adorable.”

But Fukuda smiled brightly, brushing away any pity.

“Thanks, Kotone.”

“…”

Fukuda had omitted the “-chan” honorific.

Her tone made me blush a little.

“...Yeah.”

That was all I could say.

---

And we played around for a long time.

The mansion was huge, so we found fun things hidden all over.

I don’t know why the yakuza would have something like The Game of Life, but here it was.

And it wasn’t new, either. Judging by the tattered box, they’d used it quite a bit.

At least it didn’t smell like cigarettes.

It was a simple dice game, really, just with humorous illustrations of people’s lives on the spaces.

In the first round, I graduated college, had student loans, bought a house, and nearly went bankrupt, so I thought I’d try going straight into the workforce the second time—

Click.

Just as we were about to roll the dice, the door we’d been staying in cracked open.

“...Miss.”

A yakuza spoke quietly.

“You have a visitor. He says his name is Sasaki Sota.”

“...”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Shii.

Her mouth dropped open a little.

“What would you like to do?”

Yamashita, who’d heard Shii’s story about her fight with that “older brother,” asked.

Technically, Yamashita was the daughter of the mansion’s owner.

“I…”

Shii’s expression darkened.

“...Is Sasaki alone?”

Shii asked the yakuza, and he nodded.

“Yes, he’s alone.”

Meaning he sent Hagiwara and Nakahara home.

How did it go in the original?

If this were a game, this part might’ve been the turning point, the flag that led to the heroine ending.

But what I’d read wasn’t a game, it was a novel.

My memory’s fuzzy, but I think Yuka was with him. They weren’t together from the start; there were misunderstandings and a mess of a love comedy. After the chaos, Yuka and he were left alone to exchange gifts.

Here, Yuka is no longer part of the “heroine” category, so the story has completely changed.

“...Let’s go, Shii.”

I spoke to the troubled Shii.

“It’s cold outside.”

At my words, both Shii and Yuka snapped their heads toward me.

…What?

Did they think I was worried about Sasaki?

Well, I guess I was worried.

“He’s probably here to say something important to you.”

“...”

Shii looked down but eventually nodded.

---

Sasaki looked utterly surprised when a crowd of high school girls emerged at the mansion gate.

“How did you find out where I’d be?” Shii immediately asked him.

Shii isn’t the type to disappear without saying where she’s going. She probably didn’t tell him the exact details, just that she’d be staying at a friend’s house.

...But thinking about it again, it was understandable for Sasaki to be worried.

After all, Shii’s not the kind of girl to keep him in the dark.

Wherever she was going, she’d usually inform Sasaki of everything in advance. If she suddenly disappeared after vaguely saying she’d be at a friend’s, of course Sasaki would worry.

“Brother?”

“…”

Sasaki glanced at me.

Right.

He was so worried he’d sent me an email.

Shii hadn’t responded, so he’d asked me for the location via email.

Thankfully, he hadn’t come with another girl in tow, as I’d feared.

Well, even the most oblivious protagonist has some sense.

“Um, it’s just…”

Sasaki stammered, obviously feeling pressured by the stares around him.

After a moment, he gulped and bowed deeply to Shii.

“Brother!?”

Even Shii seemed surprised by Sasaki’s actions.

“I’m sorry!”

Sasaki said.

“I should’ve thought about your feelings as family first, but I hesitated!”

“…”

With those words, everything around them fell silent.

“Brother…”

“I should’ve been more considerate. Here…anyway.”

Sasaki, looking slightly awkward, straightened up and lifted the shopping bag he’d placed at his feet.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Brother…”

Tears welled up in Shii’s eyes.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was just past nine. It seemed they both wanted to share a moment before they came back inside.

“…”

Well, anyway, it was…

Kind of cold.

I hadn’t dressed warmly enough since I’d just come from inside, and I was freezing.

Honestly, if they planned to talk longer, I wished they’d go back inside.

But the touching atmosphere between the two was so thick that none of us dared to interrupt, so we had to stand there, shivering for a few more minutes.

Chapter 142. Year-end (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The Sasaki siblings, who seemed unusually warm-hearted, entered the house with Yamashita's permission.

Since we were all gathered, it felt odd to send Shii back alone, and sending home just one high school student who’d come by this late didn’t feel quite right either.

Fortunately, there were enough spare rooms in the mansion, so Sasaki didn’t have to sleep mixed in with us.

…Well, even if he hadn’t slept together with us, if this story reached the ears of Nakahara or Hagiwara, it would stir up all sorts of conflicts. But that would be Sasaki’s problem.

Still, Sasaki was already a familiar face from the last group outing. None of the kids outright excluded him.

Although he seemed extremely awkward, Sasaki managed to fit in well enough to hold a conversation.

“...Brother, could we have a quick chat alone?”

In the end, perhaps because the awkwardness felt a bit too much, Shii turned to Sasaki with that suggestion.

“Y-Yes! Let’s do that!”

Sasaki responded to Shii’s rescue mission with a bright smile.

“Then, excuse us for a moment,” Shii said to us politely and left to spend some time with her “brother.”

The two probably had a calm talk over tea or something.

Hopefully, if there were any misunderstandings, they could sort it out peacefully.

If it’s those two, I think they likely did.

---

We all went to bed late.

It didn’t feel all that unusual. Even in high school, I had times when I stayed up all night doing something.

…Though it wasn’t for fun back then. While PC cafes and karaoke bars wouldn’t accept minors past ten o’clock, schools, cram schools, and reading rooms kept students penned in, trying to get them to study, or at least something resembling studying.

I think that practice got banned eventually, but I can’t remember exactly when.

In this world, too, I wasn’t the type to go to bed promptly at nine.

Though I did have to wake up early, so I rarely stayed up all night, there were a few times I’d watched meaningless TV with Koko almost until midnight.

Well, even so, this kind of late-night gathering with friends wasn’t something I’d done much until I became an adult, so today felt a bit novel.

Around one in the morning, Koko began to get sleepy.

That’s when we started laying out blankets on the floor.

When viewed from above, the blankets were laid out in a circle around the Christmas tree, creating a peculiar atmosphere. Although we weren’t outside, the tree gave a strange camping-like feel.

After switching off the lights and unplugging the power to the little tree lights, the room went completely dark.

“Nuuu…”

Koko, who didn’t seem to want to sleep, was tucked in with a blanket.

Yeah, I get why she doesn’t want to sleep. She probably wants to see Santa.

Even though we’d already prepared a Santa ahead of time… still, should we really show her a Santa with such an… impactful look? If she wants to see him again next year, we’d have to use him again.

It’d be nice if he had a bit less distinct a look.

“Merry Christmas.”

Hearing my words, Koko’s eyes sparkled open.

In her drowsy state, she looked up at me and smiled.

“Merry Christmas…”

And soon after, she closed her eyes and began breathing peacefully.

“Merry Christmas.”

Yuka, who was watching beside me, whispered quietly.

“Merry Christmas.”

I said it once more to Yuka.

Thus, I spent my first Christmas in this world.

A Christmas I might not ever experience again.

---

I woke up midway through the night, for the simple reason that I needed to go to the bathroom.

Staring up at the dark ceiling, I seriously debated whether to just endure it and go back to sleep or to get up and head to the bathroom.

If this had been an apartment, there would have been a bathroom close by, but unfortunately, this was a vast Japanese-style mansion.

Considering it was renovated to add more bathrooms—or rather, to put bathrooms inside the house in the first place—there were probably more than before.

Still, even if there were several, the sheer size of the mansion meant it wasn’t all that convenient.

The very fact that I had to leave the room felt risky.

Even this room felt chilly outside the blankets, so I could only imagine how cold the corridor would be, especially with the outer wall and windows right there.

After wriggling around in my warm blanket, I decided I should just go to the bathroom.

There weren’t that many bathrooms here, after all. And right now, the house was packed with high school girls who thought they’d die if they didn’t wash up in the morning.

Plus, we had Sasaki, who’d ended up staying because sending him back was awkward.

Thinking of how the bathrooms would be packed in the morning, I decided to handle things now and got up.

“Fuwaa…”

Koko murmured, and I flinched, but it seemed she was just sleep-talking. I let out a small sigh of relief and moved quietly.

I slipped into the hallway without waking anyone and shivered.

It was freezing.

Saying it wasn’t as cold here as in Korea only made sense when dressed in proper winter clothes. Without a heater, of course the hallway was freezing.

I hurried along to the bathroom, meeting no one along the way. It seemed even the Yakuza Santa wasn’t ready yet. Was he waiting for us to be sound asleep?

Thanks to that, I handled things without any interruptions.

After washing my hands and drying them carefully with a towel, I was walking back down the corridor when I sensed something odd.

It was the same feeling of unease I’d felt earlier while walking with Yamashita.

It wasn’t the chilling feeling I got when sensing a yokai; it was far more subtle, a faint impression I’d hardly have noticed amidst other stimuli.

The kind of subtle unease one wouldn’t notice while talking with friends, rushing to the bathroom, or thinking about nothing.

An unease I would have brushed off, thinking it was nothing.

The only reason I paid attention to it was probably because I was feeling so relaxed.

After all, it was Christmas. And it was winter break.

As long as I was careful about the upcoming Hyakki Yagyo next year, I figured nothing major would happen for a while.

To be honest, the unease didn’t mean anything serious had happened.

But.

Like holding onto a thin thread that seemed as if it would snap with just a bit of force, I walked slowly, following the thread to one room.

I carefully opened the door, and there was no one inside.

“…”

And it was a room I knew.

I stepped inside and turned on the light.

It had a completely different atmosphere from the last time I’d seen it. Back then, the place had looked like a murder scene, with blood everywhere.

Though really, even a murder scene wouldn’t have that much blood spattered around. That time, the blood had been deliberately scattered.

Yes. This was the place where I’d scattered blood to capture the Curse of Isolation.

The room was completely empty. There had been things here back then, but now it seemed uninhabited.

I carefully examined the room.

The walls looked like they’d been freshly painted. Or maybe there was some other treatment, since it was a Japanese-style mansion?

From the ceiling to the walls to the floor… everything was definitely clean.

“…Ah.”

In one corner of the room, there was a small black dot.

I knelt down to look closely at the spot.

It wasn’t a neat circle drawn with a pen. Rather, it looked as if it had been partly covered over with paint.

So… at first glance, it looked like an unfinished dot drawn with black ink, but it was probably actually red blood that had dried and darkened to black.

My blood.

Since stepping into this room, the feeling of unease had grown much stronger.

I didn’t know exactly what it meant.

But the moment I realized it was my blood, my heart started pounding.

I left the room.

Then I searched the mansion. Meeting someone along the way didn’t cross my mind.

The “thin thread” I’d mentioned was more like a spider’s web. I’d only grabbed hold of one strand and was following it.

Like building a spider web, all over this mansion, where I’d scattered blood, a delicate web had been woven.

I was probably right. I didn’t remember every place I’d gone that time, but in a few spots, I found traces of my blood that hadn’t been completely cleaned away.

“…Here.”

The last place I reached was somewhere I clearly remembered.

It was where Mori-san had collapsed, and where I’d finally scattered blood after facing the Curse of Isolation.

I slowly opened the door.

No one was inside, but this room definitely had a lived-in feel. At least the arrangement of furniture wasn’t very different from the last time I’d seen it.

“Miss?”

A voice called to me from behind.

Turning around, I saw the Yakuza man looking at me. He wasn’t the one playing Santa, but he was someone I’d seen when I first arrived.

“Do you need something in here?”

A slightly tense voice.

He seemed to be watching me cautiously.

Well, that made sense. After all, I was a guest here. If I was caught snooping around the homeowner’s rooms, it would be suspicious.

…Or it would have been, except—

“The blood I scattered when I was last here…”

“What?”

Maybe because I’d spoken out of the blue, he didn’t quite understand what I meant right away.

“…When I fought the Curse of Isolation, there was blood all over this mansion, wasn’t there?”

“Ah, yes. There was.”

“What happened to that blood?”

After listening to me, he seemed to realize why I’d been looking around the rooms, and he scratched his head as he answered.

“We cleaned it up as quickly as possible because Miss Yuu was here. We repainted the wallpaper wherever possible, and for areas where that wasn’t enough, we replaced it, though we didn’t rebuild the whole place.”

In other words, there might be some remaining traces. That can’t be helped. After all, the traces I found were just tiny dots that would be hard to notice without searching carefully.

But the real problem isn’t that blood traces remain.

It’s that, because of this blood, some… phenomenon is happening in this house.

And besides, I hadn’t only spilled blood in this house.

I’d bled at school, in the mountains, and countless other places whenever I needed to, cutting my wrist and scattering drops all over.

“…”

I… had thought Nirlass was simply tormenting me for fun.

Could there be another purpose?

“…Sir.”

“Uh, yes. Is there some sort of issue?”

When I called him with a serious expression, the man looked nervous, too.

“…No, not really.”

Hearing me, the man, who had witnessed the events of that day, looked even more nervous.

“Could I perhaps borrow a knife?”

“Pardon?”

But he looked a little startled by my next words.

---

I took off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

It’s Christmas, after all. I didn’t want to worry my friends by showing up covered in blood.

In the shower, I turned on the water.

I knelt down on the floor, placed my wrist close to the drain, and held the sharpened blade against it.

And I paused, thinking.

In this situation where the blood seemed to be causing some kind of issue, was it really right to spill even more?

It didn’t take me long to reach a decision.

I cut my wrist.

Right. After all, I’d already scattered blood all over the place in all sorts of ways. This little bit more wouldn’t change things drastically.

“Did you call me just to give a Christmas greeting? It would have been nice if you had a present for me.”

For someone who’d been watching all along, that was certainly cheeky.

“It’s a day that has nothing to do with you in the first place.”

Could a god from Christianity even exist in this world? I don’t think so. After all, the sense of horror in the Lovecraftian universe would lessen if there were an omnipotent being on humanity’s side.

“That’s a shame.”

But Nirlass’s voice didn’t sound disappointed at all.

“There’s one thing I want to ask.”

“What might you do for me if I answer?”

“…What do you want?”

“Hmm.”

Nirlass pondered for a moment before answering.

“At the moment, I don’t really want anything. I doubt that acting in this situation would lead the story to flow enjoyably.”

Nirlass knew me well.

If they proposed an extreme trade, I wouldn’t act. I’d rather remain in ignorance.

And controlling my body directly would bore Nirlass.

A cheat should only be used sparingly, at crucial moments, to keep the story enjoyable.

“So, does that mean you have no intention of answering my question?”

“That depends on the question. Whether it’s a question I can answer or one I can’t.”

If it were a question involving a deal, they would remain silent, but if it were trivial, they would probably answer.

“...Alright, then. I’ll ask.”

At least, Nirlass keeps their promises. There may come a day they'll shrug and say, 'I didn’t exactly lie,' but so far, that hasn’t happened.

“When I fought in this mansion last time, I lost a lot of blood. Today, I noticed an odd feeling in every place where that blood had been. What does that mean?”

“Oh? Don’t you already know?”

Nirlass chuckled.

“When I first spoke to you, do you remember what I said?”

“…You said this body was your avatar.”

“Then wouldn’t the blood you spilled also be part of that avatar?”

“…”

“Just as Koko’s body isn’t limited to just the part that resembles you, isn’t it natural that your body, designed to be offered to me, would be different from a human body? A body that heals wounds no human could survive?”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

That’s… well.

…I knew it.

But knowing something intellectually and truly being conscious of it are two different things.

It’s like how I don’t think of Koko as anything other than a person, even though her original form isn’t human.

“This body of yours was made to be dedicated to me, so isn’t it only natural that it’s different from a human’s?”

Since I didn’t respond, Nirlass smiled.

Although I couldn’t see them, I could feel that they were.

“Is that all you wanted to ask?”

“…Yes, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry about the wound on your wrist.”

As I replied, Nirlass taunted me with a faint amusement.

“It won’t last long. By the time you leave the bathroom, no one will notice.”

And with a final, unseen smile, Nirlass vanished.

Time resumed its flow, and my wrist throbbed.

The wound I’d made with the knife, as Nirlass had said, quickly began to close.

Red blood flowed, diluted by the water from the shower, and slipped down the drain.

Part of my body.

Like a severed part of Koko.

How much blood have I spilled on this land?

Could it be that my presence has already far outgrown even Koko’s?

I stared blankly for a long time, thinking.

---

Well, what’s done is done.

Honestly, I’ll need to keep spilling blood in the future, too. Getting caught up in such things would only make it harder to keep doing so.

Besides, this was the first time I’d felt such unease. I’d shed blood at home frequently, but I’d never felt much unease there.

So, probably, it’s nothing major. Maybe turning the blood into the “Curse of Isolation” had triggered something.

…I’ll discuss it with Kagami later.

I washed myself thoroughly, put on my clothes, and left the shower room.

Of course, I handed the washed kitchen knife back to the man and returned to the hallway.

I was exhausted.

My body may heal, but mental fatigue doesn’t go away so easily.

And this wasn’t even sleep I’d woken up from. The exhaustion hit all at once.

Among the kids sharing the room, there were those like Yuka and Mako, who are very diligent. Even if they slept in on a day off, in my experience, Yuka never sleeps in when she’s with me.

If I don’t fall asleep soon, I’ll be quite tired tomorrow.

With that in mind, I picked up my pace a little—

“…”

“…”

In the hallway, I found myself face-to-face with a big man in a red suit.

If Yamashita hadn’t introduced me to him earlier, I might’ve thought he was a burglar.

The big sack he carried must be filled with gifts.

“Ho… hohoho.”

He wasn’t trying to imitate a noblewoman’s laugh you see in animes, of course; it was Santa’s laugh.

It seemed like he’d practiced the laugh for his daughter many times because it sounded quite good.

What should I do?

Uh… well, I guess it’s better if I go in first?

“…Could you come in after about five minutes?”

“Hohoho.”

Taking the laughter as an answer, I went inside.

Not long after I got under the blanket and closed my eyes—

Creaaak.

The door opened again.

It sounded like he was trying to open it as quietly as possible—

“Uwaah!”

“…!”

Hearing Koko’s voice, I instinctively sat up and looked over at her.

Koko was awake.

Her eyes sparkled in the light coming through the doorway.

“Santa Claus!”

“Ho… hohoho.”

Our Yakuza Santa froze with one foot raised mid-step, looking like a burglar caught in the act.

…Um, yeah.

Looking at me won’t help you out of this one.

Chapter 143. Year-end (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

A cute girl, her eyes sparkling, stood in front of me towards a man dressed up as Santa.

…Well, she looked exactly like me, so maybe calling her cute myself is a bit odd.

Honestly, even when I first saw her from a third-person perspective, I thought she was a cute, pretty girl, so it wasn’t exactly an exaggeration.

Though the Yakuza guy mentioned he used to do events like this when his daughter was young, he looked a bit uncertain about what to do, seeing Koko respond as if she were a young child.

Well, he did say that after his daughter grew up, she stopped reacting like that.

“Santa Claus!” Koko said, her eyes sparkling.

How exactly Koko had woken up… didn’t seem like a particularly important question.

Maybe she’d just happened to open her eyes; sometimes people wake up to sounds they usually sleep right through.

Just a matter of bad luck, perhaps.

But it wasn’t only the Yakuza guy who was unlucky.

The sound of Koko calling out “Santa Claus!” roused the other kids in the room one by one.

“Hmm… Koko? What’s going on…?”

Yuka, rubbing her eyes, looked at Koko, and then froze when she saw the Yakuza guy.

…

Ah. Right.

Now that I think about it, this is a room full of sleeping high school girls.

Thankfully, none of them were sleeping in their underwear. Which, if you think about it, makes sense—no matter how close a friend, being in just underwear around them… it’s not exactly something everyone’s brave enough to do.

The problem was, only about half the people in this room seemed to think, ‘Oh, it’s just him, after all.’

First, there was me. Then, Koko, who didn’t think much about it. Then Yamashita, who had set up the event. And Kaoru, who was still half-asleep.

The other girls either pulled the blankets up to cover themselves, turned beet red, or jumped up, about ready to tackle Santa Claus.

For the record, two people actually jumped up.

Koko, who leaped up to greet Santa Claus.

And Yuka, who also leaped at Santa Claus.

Ironically, the two had entirely different motives.

“Wait, Yuka—!” I reached out to Yuka, but she was already airborne.

Besides knowing how to swing a blade, Yuka seemed to have learned some hand-to-hand techniques, too, because her flying kick landed perfectly in the center of Santa’s body.

Then, right underneath that, Koko added her football-style tackle with just enough strength that, if she felt like it, her body alone could far exceed human capabilities.

“Ugh.”

Santa Claus didn’t even have time to scream.

Instead of his “Ho, ho, ho!” all we heard was a faint wheeze as he flew backward.

Wham!

Even though this was a traditional Japanese mansion, it wasn’t like it lacked any modern features, yet it wasn’t just any mansion.

This was the kind of Japanese mansion you’d see in a light novel, belonging to a Yakuza.

And as expected, the door leading to the hallway was a sliding door, typical in Japanese-style mansions.

It wasn’t built to withstand the body of a large man flying toward it at high speed.

The slightly open door bent inward and went flying down the hall.

Thud!

Yakuza Santa slid across the floor, bumping his head against the corridor wall.

And just like that, he collapsed.

…

All of this happened less than thirty seconds after Koko had woken up.

I just blinked.

A moment later, the room’s lights came on, and the hallway lights followed.

“What’s going on!?”

Yakuza members came pouring in from who knows where. Not as many as last time, but still.

“Santa Claus…?” Koko said, shaking the unconscious Santa’s body.

“…Santa?”

Yuka, who had landed on the floor, still had her fists clenched, murmuring softly.

I turned to look at where Yamashita was standing.

Yamashita had a hand pressed to her forehead.

Yeah, of course.

Anyone who saw this kind of scene—and knew they were responsible for it—would feel embarrassed.

Embarrassment often feels stronger the less intentional it is, after all.

*

Thankfully, Santa didn’t stay unconscious long enough to make Yuka a murderer, nor did we have to dig up a grave in the mansion’s courtyard.

After about five seconds, Santa came to, blinking as Koko shook him awake. The giant sack on his back must have cushioned the fall. Most of the contents were stuffed animals, so that made sense.

I just hoped none of the stuffed animals had burst open.

This time, Santa looked a bit different than when I last saw him.

He had covered the dark, caterpillar-like eyebrows with fake white ones made of cotton.

Just looking at them made me itch.

“Ho… ho, ho, ho.”

“Santa!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled as Santa made an overly enthusiastic “Ho, ho, ho.”

Or maybe he lost some memory in the fall? His eyes did look a bit unfocused, which actually made him seem more benevolent.

I felt Yuka nudge my side.

“What’s going on?”

Koko’s hearing was more sensitive than a regular person’s, so she could likely hear whispers from here.

Normally, I wouldn’t worry too much about Koko overhearing, since there aren’t many topics we keep from her. Besides, she doesn’t usually pay much attention to our conversations.

But who could talk about “Santa not being real” in front of a girl who believes?

Instead of answering, I looked at Yamashita, and Yuka’s gaze followed my own to her, hiding her face in her hand.

That rare reaction from Yamashita was enough to answer us all.

Yamashita had set up this situation, and Yuka misunderstood and attacked.

Some people even saw me step out of the room earlier.

“What’s going on!?” The door next door flew open, and Sasaki burst in.

He gaped at the scene in front of him.

Right? I thought so, too.

Not sure what you’re thinking, but same here.

“…Koko…” Yakuza Santa hesitated briefly over what to call her.

“Miss Koko.”

And finally settled on that.

“Santa Claus!”

He looked at Koko’s shining eyes, then turned to me. I nodded for him to continue.

I wasn’t sure what exactly he should do, but it felt right. Besides, I didn’t feel like thinking too hard about it.

“Is he… really Santa Claus?” Koko asked, eyes shining.

“Ho, ho, ho.” Yakuza Santa laughed.

Why did it feel like that laugh wasn’t entirely an act?

“Yes, it’s Santa Claus,” he said with a gentle smile.

“I came all the way here because it’s Christmas.”

“Wow!”

Koko didn’t seem aware that she’d been the one to knock Santa flying.

With Koko’s high-energy response, Santa’s eyes softened. Then again, it’s hard not to smile seeing Koko laugh like that.

And isn’t she the only high school girl who genuinely believes in Santa? She couldn’t be any cuter.

“Koko, you’ve been good all year, haven’t you?”

“Yes!”

Koko answered without hesitation.

She had been well-behaved.

If Koko’s personality were truly childlike, I would have had a much harder time.

She understands when I explain things, tries her best to study, and even when she had a big appetite at first, she stopped causing trouble after realizing how hard it was for me.

I know how difficult that is.

I’ve put my family through a lot, too.

…

She really is a good kid.

If she didn’t get a Christmas present, it would be strange.

Looking around, I realized everyone was quietly watching, transfixed by Koko and Santa.

Like they were witnessing some kind of ritual.

I could understand that feeling.

Santa straightened up and pulled his gift sack around in front of him.

He untied the sack, and the gifts inside came into view.

I’d already bought a large cat plush, along with a few similar ones.

At first, all we could see were their shapes, because each was carefully wrapped. Though they weren’t boxed, so they didn’t have perfect corners.

“Let’s see here.” Santa checked each name tag, and found the one with Koko’s name.

“Miss Koko.”

“Yes!”

“Here’s your Christmas present.”

Santa briefly glanced at me, his eyes softening.

“You’ll keep listening to your sister, won’t you? Want another gift next year?”

“Yes!”

Koko nodded vigorously.

Santa handed the present to her.

“Wow!”

Clutching her gift, Koko bounced around the room, and everyone smiled softly, watching her.

It was a Christmas scene. She didn’t look like a little kid, but it suited her perfectly.

“Now, who’s next…?”

Santa pulled another present from his sack.

Since he was Santa, it only made sense to give everyone else gifts to avoid arousing Koko’s suspicions. This… was Yamashita’s idea.

Always so poised, yet surprisingly thoughtful in these ways.

Though, if she weren’t so considerate, she probably wouldn’t have run away when her father remarried.

Seeing her still hiding her face confirmed it.

“Miss Kotone.”

I wasn’t sure if he chose mine because he knew I was Koko’s sister, or if it was just the next gift he picked.

It didn’t matter either way.

I went up to Santa.

“You were good this year, too.”

Praise from someone who didn’t even know me. It felt a bit silly. This wasn’t really Santa; it was a Yakuza. If anyone here wasn’t innocent, it would be him.

“…”

I accepted the gift in silence.

“You were good, Kotone!”

“…”

I had even less to say to Koko’s words.

Though the gift was wrapped, I had a feeling I already knew what it would look like. Hugging the large plush to my chest, I felt the crinkle of wrapping paper and the soft cotton beyond.

Everyone received a gift.

They were all plush toys, it seemed.

“Ho, ho, ho.”

Once his sack was empty, Santa got up.

“Well then, kids, see you next year!”

There wasn’t a single “kid” in the room, but no one could bring themselves to object. What would they even say?

Santa hurriedly left the room, disappearing out of sight in no time.

Luckily, Koko didn’t try to follow him to see Rudolph.

“Let’s see our presents!”

Instead, Koko’s eyes sparkled as she shouted.

Usually, you check in the morning.

But since we were all awake, if we didn’t open them now, Koko might deflate with a soft “aww…”

That would break my heart.

So, it was probably better to open them now.

I looked around, and after exchanging glances, the others nodded in agreement.

…Ah.

But Sasaki didn’t get a present.

Which made sense, as he’d joined us later.

Besides, he wasn’t exactly “good,” was he? Harems aren’t accepted in modern Japanese society. Not unless this were a light novel or a rom-com.

This is a light novel world, though.

*

Apparently, Koko loved her giant black cat plush, as she fell asleep hugging it.

My plush was similar—another black cat, though its fur was a little less dark.

With that plush beside my pillow, I lay down and looked over at Koko, sound asleep.

“…Not sleeping?”

Somehow, Yuka knew I was awake and asked.

“…Going to sleep now.”

“Alright.”

Yuka stayed quiet for a while.

“Thanks… for today.”

Out of nowhere, she thanked me.

Did I do something she should thank me for? Yamashita had arranged the place, and we all shared the presents.

“…It’s just that this was my first time coming to a gathering like this.”

Oh, right.

Yuka did have kids in her neighborhood she knew, but they didn’t go to the same school.

It’s hard to stay close with someone you only see occasionally; compared to someone you’re forced to see and talk to every day, the distance is bound to grow.

“Of course, I’d invite you.”

I answered, looking back up at the ceiling.

Yuka stayed quiet for a moment.

“Good night.”

“Yeah, you too.”

We said our goodnights and fell asleep again.

*

The next morning, we woke, had a warm meal, and spent the rest of the morning lazily hanging out.

There was a lot I learned from this experience.

“Ah, that was fun. Should we meet again for New Year’s? Let’s discuss it later!”

For example, that Fukuda, despite her appearance as a fun-loving gal, was the type to hide under the blankets when she saw Santa.

It’s nothing major, but that’s what friendships are, right? Discovering the unexpected about each other over time?

“I was planning an end-of-year party, but we ended up doing it like this. So, how about we meet for New Year’s? Before the break ends.”

“Yeah, let’s meet again. We still have time, right? Next year, we’ll be third years, so let’s enjoy it now while we can.”

Kaoru and Izumi smiled as they spoke. Izumi’s happy laughter showed she enjoyed the party.

Right. I hope we meet again soon.

It’s still vacation. If we get through the Hyakki Yagyo safely, we’ll see each other again soon.

Maybe we’ll even go on a trip again.

“…Goodbye.”

Perhaps due to last night’s embarrassment, Yamashita said her goodbye a bit stiffly, and I waved.

“Senpai, I really had fun.”

“Me too… yeah.”

Shii gave her usual polite goodbye, and Sasaki… well, I didn’t have much to say to him.

He’d been with us, but it’s hard to feel as close to him as to the others.

After saying goodbye to them, it was just me, Koko, and Yuka.

“Uh… um.” Yuka looked around nervously.

I waited quietly for her to speak.

“…Would you like to come to our shrine for New Year’s?”

Yuka said, a bit shyly.

“It’s nice to visit other shrines, too, but—”

“Sure.”

I replied before Yuka could explain any further. Her face lit up.

“Okay! I’ll let you know then! Oh! But I don’t mean I won’t talk to you until then!”

The train arrived, and Yuka waved energetically with one hand, holding a large plush in the other, like an excited high schooler. It suited her.

As I watched Yuka board the train, I turned to Koko.

“Koko. Before we go home, there’s somewhere I want to visit. Is that alright?”

“Hm?”

Koko tilted her head but then nodded.

“Thanks,” I replied.

*

We headed to Kagami’s bar.

Honestly, I was worried Kagami might not be there. After all, it’s her workplace, and I didn’t know if she stayed there all the time.

And I didn’t know any of her other hideouts.

I had things I wanted to say, but that’s not why I came today. I just didn’t feel like doing any “business.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Thankfully, Kagami was there.

Even though it was still around noon, which made me wonder if she didn’t have much to do.

Oh, maybe not. I noticed the bar seemed recently cleaned.

It was Christmas Eve, after all.

Christmas isn’t a holiday in Japan, but that doesn’t mean people ignore it.

There could be couples, or those hoping to find one, who’d come to a place like this.

Though not the usual kind of “couple,” probably.

“Are you giving me a Christmas present?” Kagami asked.

“Yes.”

She probably meant that teasingly.

But when I answered without hesitation, she looked a bit stunned, which I found amusing.

I reached into my coat pocket, pulling out the item I hadn’t taken out since leaving home.

It was a keychain. I bought it along with the others.

“Here.”

“…”

She took it from my hand.

I hadn’t chosen it with her in mind; it was just a cat, like Koko’s black cat keychain, by coincidence.

“Merry Christmas.”

“…Would you like a warm cocoa?” she asked.

“You have some?”

Now that she mentioned it, I did feel a bit cold.

“…I’ll prepare some.”

While Kagami busied herself, Koko and I set our plushes on the seats beside us. Leaning them against the table kept them from falling.

Then, we sat together, waiting for Kagami to bring out the cocoa.

Chapter 144. The Beginning of the Year (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

December 30th.

The day before the last of the year, I was totally relaxed.

Neither Koko nor I are particularly lazy.

Except for situations where we had no choice but to be swept up in major events, Koko and I had never once been late, even though the school was quite a distance away.

In a way, it was only natural.

There’s a sort of rule that the students who live closer tend to be late more often than those who know they have a long journey ahead.

When I was in college, it was usually the students who lived in dorms or nearby rentals, rather than those commuting from farther away, who tended to arrive late or sometimes just skip class.

Maybe it’s just that it makes you feel more relaxed.

When the pressure of waking up early, getting ready, and walking to the train station lightens, your body slackens as well.

"......"

When I woke up after sleeping for quite a while, it was already eleven in the morning.

Today was Thursday, so it was a workday, but since I went in during the afternoon on weekdays, I still had plenty of time.

Growl

"Waaah?"

Hearing the growl from her own stomach startled Koko, and she shot up to a sitting position.

Her eyes were still half-closed.

"Mya."

I picked up Kuro, who had slipped under the covers and was lying on my stomach.

… I wonder if she doesn’t feel short of air under there? Well, she’s never passed out or anything, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

After I pulled back the blankets, set Kuro down, and sat up, she burrowed right back under the covers, probably seeking the lingering warmth.

I gave a little shiver.

If only there were air conditioning in the house, I’d have set it to warm mode, but, sadly, that luxury didn’t exist here.

It’s not so cold that I can’t endure it with the thick winter blankets, but I still hate that chill I feel when I get out of bed in the morning.

They say electric blankets are pretty common in Japan. Maybe I should get one, I thought as I headed to the kitchen.

There wasn’t much to breakfast.

Things were definitely “way” better than when I first arrived here, but whipping up a major meal in the morning still felt like too much trouble.

Besides, it was already eleven by the time we got up, so this was really breakfast and lunch combined.

I pulled out some instant curry, heated it up, and served it.

It felt lacking on its own, so I added some sausage I’d bought on sale to go with it.

It’s hardly what you’d call a “Japanese set meal,” but Koko ate it happily.

While watching her take big spoonfuls of curry and chew slowly, I took a few bites myself.

Whenever I was at home, I was almost always the one to handle the meals.

Not that I minded it.

"Koko."

"Yes?"

"When you’re alone at home, how do you handle meals?"

"Uu?"

Koko tilted her head, maybe thinking my question was a bit random.

"I just follow Kotone."

"Follow me?"

"Yes."

I see.

Well, I had taught her how to use the kitchen.

Though it’s not exactly ideal, I often leave Koko home alone for long periods.

Kuro is there, and Koko isn’t as naïve as a young child, so it’s not something I worry too much about. Still, I’ve never actually seen her cooking, so it’s hard to entirely put those concerns to rest.

So… I suppose she might have to live here on her own one day.

"…Why?"

"Hm?"

"Should Koko cook?"

"No, that’s not it."

Koko looked crestfallen as if she thought I was blaming her, so I shook my head.

"As long as I’m home, it’s enough if I do it. I just…"

"Just?"

"…No, I was just asking."

I glossed over my words.

I didn’t want to make her worry.

"I’ll be home late today, but I’m off tomorrow."

"Yay!"

When I quickly changed the subject, Koko’s face lit up.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year.

When I lived alone, I didn’t celebrate or get celebrated, so it was just another red-letter day on the calendar. But this year is different.

I’d made plans with Yuka. On the last day, we’d head over to her house to celebrate the new year.

I didn’t have to request time off from the boss either.

Since reuniting with her sister, the boss decided she wanted to spend the end of the year with family, so she’d already told us that the store would be closed on the last day of the year and the first of the new one.

By “family,” she probably didn’t mean all of her relatives. I didn’t know the full story and didn’t really want to ask, but the boss never went to see her family during holidays.

Maybe they all had different opinions when it came to her sister, Miki.

"What time will we go tomorrow?"

Koko asked, her eyes gleaming.

"Hmm…"

After a moment’s thought, I replied,

"Yuka said we could come a little early, so let’s do that."

People would swarm to welcome the new year. It wouldn’t matter even if it was just a local shrine.

If anything, people nearby would want to welcome the new year at a convenient local shrine rather than traveling too far. It was the same at the summer festival.

On the other hand, plenty of people would go far away.

Unless it’s the train going from Tokyo to Saitama, the one coming into Tokyo from Saitama is bound to be packed. And I don’t exactly want to jostle through people when it’s not even for school.

"Okay!"

Koko nodded with a big smile.

She really does love going out.

…

Well, so do I.

It’s not like it’s hard to meet up, and we’ve even slept over at the same place, but once a plan is set, I always look forward to it.

How should I put it?

It feels like I’ve really turned into a teenager.

"……"

I had to struggle not to let my lips curl up the entire meal.

---

“You worked hard this year.”

As I was leaving, I heard a voice behind me.

When I looked back, I saw the boss looking our way.

She still didn’t pry into our lives, and as long as we didn’t cause massive trouble, she didn’t really care what we did. But she’d changed a little.

I guess she was less stiff, maybe more lively, as if things in the world mattered to her just a bit now.

I guess that’s because of Miki standing beside her now.

Since she was planning to welcome the new year with her sister tomorrow.

Shii and I exchanged glances and bowed to the boss.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yeah. Get home safely. See you next year.”

“See you next year~”

The boss and Miki took turns responding.

After leaving, Shii and I went to our usual ramen place.

There were exactly two seats available.

I’d seen plenty of Japanese manga, but I didn’t really know much about the everyday customs, so it was only recently that I learned about the custom to eating noodles on December 31st.

Some eat other types of noodles too. Since I hadn’t even lived here a full year yet, I still didn’t fully understand what “normal” was.

Realizing this, I felt that time, surprisingly, wasn’t passing so quickly.

Indeed, I’ve been through so much, I’ve spent so much time here, and yet it hasn’t even been a full year.

And somehow, I became so close with my friends in that short time. I guess that’s what it means to be a teenager. In a workplace, you wouldn’t get close enough with a coworker to put your life on the line for them just because you sat next to them.

That it was “just business” didn’t completely answer my question.

Because Shii, who was sitting next to me, also started off as “just business.”

There was a story to how we opened up, but isn’t the longest bond we share that of a part-time senior and junior?

All right.

This year’s year-end noodles with Shii will be enough for me.

Shii tilted her head as I glanced up at the menu, but she didn’t ask any questions, so I didn’t bother explaining.

It probably just looked like I was in a good mood. That was likely it.

Feeling a bit hungrier, I ordered the large size.

The warm ramen with its rich broth came out sooner than expected.

“Hoo…”

We took our first sips of the broth, both of us exhaling deeply at the same time.

While leisurely enjoying the meal, we exchanged small talk, meaningless though it was, I didn’t mind. We would talk about what we’d seen on TV that something had happened somewhere or that a certain movie was coming out that looked interesting.

Most of it was Shii’s conversation.

“How’s it going with Sasaki? Are you getting along?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Shii’s cheeks flushed at my question. She was probably remembering the time she’d whined about her “big brother” in front of us.

“He said we’d definitely spend New Year’s together.”

… Or maybe she was thinking of something else. Either way, it didn’t matter.

What kind of brother could actually say, “I’ll spend New Year’s with you,” without being slapped by his sister?

If I said that to my sister, she’d punch me in the stomach.

I didn’t bother voicing this thought and just blew on the noodles to cool them a bit before taking a bite.

It was delicious.

I’ve often heard people talk about wanting to live a short but meaningful life.

My perspective is a little different.

Even if I live a long, quiet life, even if the world doesn’t know my name, there’s still enough proof that I existed.

Even if my fate is already set, I hope that time, like these noodles I’m eating, stretches on just a little longer.

---

Today, I also woke up late.

Koko, like yesterday, sat there dazed for quite a while.

After sitting there blankly for about ten minutes, we got up and had a simple meal.

We did the dishes in advance, did a quick cleaning, and washed up.

Since we were washing up, I gave Kuro a bath too. Kuro, of course, hated it intensely, but there was no escape from Koko’s determined hands.

After drying both my and Koko’s hair and Kuro’s fur, I placed Kuro in her carrier with her special blanket, slung the overnight bag on my shoulder, and got up.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah!”

At my question, Koko gave an enthusiastic nod.

The cold air filled my lungs as I stepped outside.

It was such a crisp, clear air that I felt I could almost see through it even with my eyes closed.

To spend the last day of the year, Koko and I set off together.

---

“Welcome!”

The person greeting us with a bright smile was none other than Yuka.

And she was wearing a traditional shrine maiden outfit that’s common in subcultures.

In other words, she was a real miko, like something out of a light novel.

As I felt a slight sense of awe, Yuka looked at the carrier I was holding and spoke.

“It’s cold outside, so why don’t you bring Kuro inside? I still have some things to do.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“Kuro’s never caused any trouble while staying at our house.”

“Thanks.”

“Go ahead and unpack too while you’re at it.”

I nodded and headed toward Yuka’s house with Koko.

No one was inside.

Of course. There were already quite a few people around, so both her grandfather and father must have been busy outside.

“There you go.”

I set the carrier down near the entrance and opened the door, but Kuro didn’t seem inclined to come out.

Was she sulking because I’d given her a bath on the last day of the year? When I peered inside, it seemed she saw the carrier as a kind of box.

Cats do love boxes that fit them perfectly.

And it was lined with blankets.

Well, if that’s what she wants.

I shrugged and went upstairs to Yuka’s room to drop off my bag.

This is where I’d be spending the last day of the year.

The feeling of a “special occasion” is certainly different.

For my part, I hadn’t spent a full year in this world yet, and the timing didn’t quite align with the world I came from either.

In fact, in that world, this “year” had probably ended long ago.

Even so, I kept feeling the significance of this last day.

Maybe because I’m Korean and used to celebrating the new year in terms of traditional age?

In Korea, you turn two years old on January 1st, whether you’re born on last January 1st or December 31st.

Even if the law changed, people probably still keep that age.

So… by that logic, I’ll be one year older in this world too.

“Uu?”

Koko tilted her head, watching me laugh to myself.

“Let’s go see if Yuka needs any help.”

“Okay!”

I guess I wasn’t the only one excited.

Come to think of it, Yuka was also in a great mood earlier.

Having someone be genuinely happy to see me—well, it feels great.

Thanks to Yuka, I realized that all over again after coming here.

---

“Then, do you want to try on a shrine maiden outfit?”

When I asked if she needed any help, Yuka responded almost as if she’d been waiting for that question.

“A shrine maiden outfit?”

I looked at Yuka.

Yuka could pull off pretty much any outfit. She’s a real beauty.

The shrine maiden outfit didn’t seem like she wore it to impress; she was just wearing it for work, but it suited her so well that I couldn’t find words to say otherwise.

If I wear it… well, I think it would suit me, too. I mean, I’m a beauty myself.

Though I don’t think it’d look as good on me as it does on Yuka.

As I looked away, I noticed Koko’s eyes sparkling.

“…I’ll try it on.”

I wear a maid outfit for work, so why not try on a shrine maiden outfit for once?

---

“Wow, you look amazing!”

Looking at the two of us side by side, Yuka exclaimed with a smile, looking as lively as any other high school girl.

In the light novels, at least the parts I’d read, she was always portrayed as a bit more reserved. She was competing with other girls over the male lead, after all.

In that novel, there was no Kaoru, no Izumi, and certainly not Mako’s trio.

In other words, every female character there was Yuka’s rival.

She probably couldn’t afford to show this girlish side of herself in front of them.

Though, in another way, she did show a girlish side in the story. But still, I like this side of Yuka more.

*Click.*

Yuka took a picture of us standing together and showed it to me.

… I’m smiling.

Not just Koko, but I’m smiling too. Koko’s smile was much brighter, though.

I reflexively raised my hand to touch around my mouth.

Sure enough, I was wearing a faint smile.

It wasn’t a forced smile. Rather, I couldn’t seem to hold back the smile, as if it were seeping out.

Well, there goes my character image.

Not that I really planned to stick to it anyway.

Then, I noticed Yuka watching me intently and quickly put my hand down.

“Great! Now, I’ll tell you two what to do.”

Thankfully, Yuka just laughed without mentioning it.

“Alright, alright, follow me over here.”

When we arrived, there were already quite a few people, even though it was just past noon.

Even though it took less than thirty minutes to put away our stuff and change clothes, the crowd had grown.

“Just stand around here. If your legs get tired, you can find a place to rest out of sight, or if it’s too much, you can head inside and wait.”

Since I’d come out to help and ask her for something to do, I didn’t plan to do that.

Though it was cold, we had warm clothes underneath the shrine maiden outfits. Maybe they were winter versions, but the fabric was thick enough that I wasn’t unbearably cold.

If I got too chilly, I could just warm up somewhere.

“I’ll be standing over there, so if you have questions, come and ask. Oh, by the way.”

Yuka clapped her hands together.

“And you’ll be getting paid. Grandpa and Dad both already agreed.”

I thought so.

Yuka wouldn’t just work us for free.

“If people ask for directions, point them our way, and if something happens, come to us. We’ll take care of it.”

I guess it makes sense not to give a part-timer too much responsibility.

“Alright, let’s chat again when I get a bit of time!”

Yuka waved at us as she walked away.

Koko also waved enthusiastically beside me.

“… I’m really grateful.”

As I quietly watched her go, a voice spoke beside me.

It was a familiar voice.

It was Yuka’s grandfather.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen her smile like that… Always working hard to take care of the family business.”

“…”

The old man gave me a smile and a slight bow before following in the direction Yuka had gone.

It wasn’t just Yuka who’d begun to smile again.

If anything, I should be the grateful one. I’d received so much from them.

It wasn’t just the physical help they’d given me.

“…”

And as I thought about it, the prophecy came to mind.

Once that happens to me… will Yuka be able to smile again?

I could only hope that I wouldn’t leave a scar on her life.

Chapter 145. The Beginning of the Year (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Work can be surprisingly enjoyable and fulfilling when you think it’s only for a day.

That’s why children enjoy selling or serving something at the cultural festival; a single day feels like enough time to experience it.

Moreover, if the money isn’t vital for survival, there’s no reason to keep doing it on a regular basis, and that reduces the pressure, making it less burdensome and naturally lowering the stress as well.

Maybe because it was the last day of the year, there was a pretty big crowd, and even though some were quite excited, almost none acted disrespectfully towards us.

Though there were a few who expressed admiration for our appearance.

Click.

Exactly, there was nothing too strenuous about the work itself. To be honest, weaving through a crowded shop in a maid costume was more exhausting. A mug full of coffee is heavier than it seems.

However, if there was one issue—it was that my and Koko’s appearance wasn’t much different from cosplay in a certain sense.

Click.

Someone else took a photo. Most were using cell phones, but some had digital cameras or even disposable ones. Well, it was still an era where film was in use.

This era did have things like internet blogs, and I think You○Tube would be released next year, but it was still a transitional period before the “smart” age. Not everyone was carrying a device with high-speed wireless internet.

So, despite being in the 21st century, older people still carried film cameras around.

Click.

And, I don’t think the concept of portrait rights was that widespread in this era. In the 2020s, they’d mosaic faces of people on the street for broadcast, but back then, it wasn’t uncommon to see bikini-clad women at the beach on TV without their faces hidden.

Sometimes, news reports would warn about “keeping safe” while showing videos of women in short skirts, focusing on their hips or thighs. Sure, they might hire models for those shots.

Click.

“……”

I turned to the direction of the camera sound.

An older man met my eyes, awkwardly looked away, and then pointed his camera at the shrine building.

At least he seemed to have a sense that taking photos without permission was a bit like sneaking shots.

“Kotone?”

As I stared in that direction, Koko tilted her head and asked.

For a moment, I thought about asking Koko to break that camera, but decided against it since it didn’t seem fair.

After all, there were probably many more people who had taken photos of us, and just because that man looked a bit creepy, it didn’t seem right to only smash his camera.

He might have even been photographing something else nearby us.

“It’s nothing.”

The shrine maiden attire didn’t reveal any skin, so I decided to let it go.

“Uu?”

As Koko tilted her head, a group of women nearby let out small squeals of “Kyaa~.”

Since I had never been to Japan before, I wasn’t sure if this was a common exclamation, or if it was more of a manga-style expression of excitement, or maybe just a sound that escaped in the thrill of the holiday.

I thought of Fukuda, Mako, and Yamashita—but they were all too uniquely individual to make a good comparison.

Yuka, on the other hand, would probably never make such a sound.

“Waa!”

“…?”

Koko, who had been watching me, suddenly let out an exclamation, which made me tilt my head curiously. Koko, looking at my face, gave a big smile and said,

“Kotone, you’re smiling.”

“……”

“You’ve been smiling the whole time.”

Was I?

I lifted my hand to touch around my mouth.

I was, indeed, smiling.

Hmm…

Maybe I hadn’t stopped the people taking pictures because, even while being distracted, I was in a pretty good mood.

Was it because we had safely made it through today?

Not sure how to respond to Koko’s remark, I simply raised my hand and ruffled her hair.

“Uu…?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion at my sudden display, then smiled warmly as if she liked it.

---

“Kotone, Koko, let’s have dinner.”

“Waah!”

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

I didn’t get much chance to chat with Yuka, but every time I caught a glimpse of her, she was always smiling.

I didn’t really know what Yuka was like last year. Perhaps she wouldn’t have even been here; she might have been out hunting yokai if she had bad luck.

“Our shrine doesn’t ring the New Year’s bell, so as a family, we eat the year-crossing soba around midnight. So, don’t eat too much for dinner.”

Yuka said that but didn’t seem too keen on stopping us either.

In her eyes, Koko and I seemed skinny and probably appeared to not eat enough.

Whenever I stayed still, she’d give me something to eat, and even her Christmas gift was a huge box filled with all sorts of snacks.

…Now that I think about it, I am a bit stingy about buying snacks. Every time Yuka came to visit, she’d bring a ton of snacks.

Since I don’t need to worry about money anymore, it’s probably fine.

I’ll start buying some bread and snacks occasionally.

“Tonight’s dinner is sukiyaki!”

“Yaay!”

It was the first meal I had here.

At that time, I had limited means of getting protein, so the moment I heard it was being offered, I rushed straight over.

Now…

Well, I’m still much the same.

Though my craving for protein has lessened, it’s an invitation from Yuka, after all.

If I had come for the meat alone back then, now it’s for both the meat and to spend time with my friend.

Thinking that, I chuckled softly.

---

The shrine maiden outfit is white. The ones we wore, whether new or just well-maintained, were white enough that they’d stain very easily.

So, we changed clothes before dinner.

“Is it good?”

“It’s delicious!”

Yuka’s grandfather and father were still at the shrine. People were still coming in, so they couldn’t leave.

Yuka told us not to worry and to eat slowly, but Koko always ate quickly regardless.

“……”

Watching Koko, I moved my chopsticks at a slower pace.

I’m not a food connoisseur, so I couldn’t tell if the beef here was particularly high-grade or not. But maybe because of my mood, the meat tasted fantastic.

For a while, I slowly placed pieces of meat in my mouth, enjoying its texture as I chewed, when I suddenly noticed that Yuka had gone quiet.

She looked as if she had just remembered something.

And I could tell from her expression that it wasn’t something particularly pleasant.

…Should I ask about it?

As I hesitated, Yuka spoke first.

“Um…sorry.”

“…Hmm?”

“Uu?”

Seeing Yuka apologize to us while serving beef, both Koko and I tilted our heads in confusion.

What was she apologizing for?

“Well,”

Yuka glanced at me nervously and said,

“I said we’d go to Comic Market together.”

“…Ah.”

That’s right.

I had completely forgotten.

While studying during exam period, I had promised Yuka that we’d all go together.

And the reason I’d forgotten…was simple.

I was more excited about hanging out with my friends than about Comic Market itself.

Since we’d planned a Christmas party before that promise, my mind had been focused on that. I needed to buy a Christmas present and think about how to give Koko her gift.

Koko didn’t seem to mind whatever gift she received, but I had been giving it serious thought.

So, it was no surprise that an event scheduled days later had entirely vanished from my mind.

…Now that I think about it, it was yesterday.

“I’m really sorry. I only remembered last night…”

For Yuka, who usually handles things so thoroughly, it was rare for her to forget something.

Well, I guess it’s nothing unusual.

With the Christmas party rescheduled, it probably just got pushed to the back of her mind.

Isn’t that right? Comic Market was on the 29th and 30th, the last day of the year was the 31st, and the New Year’s holiday started on January 1st.

More importantly, we hadn’t made a definite plan for Comic Market. We’d only talked about going.

And it was the year-end, after all. Yuka’s family must have had a lot to prepare for. With no firm plans and their hands full, it’s natural for vague memories to slip away.

“It’s okay.”

I answered sincerely.

“I like it better this way.”

Yes. If I’d gone and gotten jostled by the crowds, I might have changed my mind. Similar events are regularly held in Seoul, and when I was younger, I went a few times.

I stopped going as I got older, not because there weren’t any works I was particularly enthusiastic about, but because I realized that I’d only end up buying a few things and then going home after being jostled by the crowd.

I was curious about the atmosphere of Comic Market, that’s all, and when Yuka asked me what I wanted to do, it was the first thing that came to mind.

But Yuka seemed to think I was only saying this to comfort her.

“…Next time, we’ll definitely go. I’ve already marked it on the calendar so I won’t forget!”

“……”

Oh, that’s really not necessary.

Because, maybe next time—

……

No, no, I shouldn’t think that way already.

It’s possible I’ll be able to go. Maybe I’m just imagining the time too narrowly.

And, if there does come a time when I really can’t go…

I should let Yuka and Koko know in advance.

The only reason I haven’t said anything is because I lack the courage.

I don’t know how Yuka and Koko would react if I told them.

Pathetically enough, I haven’t been able to share the most important thing with them.

…There’s still time, so it’s probably okay.

“Kotone?”

Koko, pausing from her meal, tilted her head.

Meeting her gaze, I came to my senses and looked at Yuka.

Yuka had a very uneasy expression. Not like herself at all.

“…Yes. Next year, let’s definitely go together.”

When I said that with a smile, Yuka let out a long sigh, as if finally relieved, and placed a hand on her chest.

“So, do you have a manga you like?”

As we resumed our meal, Yuka asked.

I thought for a moment and shook my head.

I knew quite a few series from this era, but I hadn’t actually watched them here. I was aware of their existence, and I’d occasionally seen an episode or two during late-night airings, but I’d grown too accustomed to the convenience of 2020s OTT services to watch them regularly.

“Well…there’s still plenty of time. Why don’t you try finding one to watch in the meantime?”

“…Okay.”

Yeah, there’s still plenty of time.

I nodded, trying to convince myself.

But whether I managed to smile as naturally as before, I honestly couldn’t tell.

---

It must have been around the time when my sister was in middle school, before I’d become fully independent.

When the New Year came, Mom would gather the whole family, even if she had to force us.

I wasn’t independent yet, but as a college senior who’d completed his military service, and with a sister still not fully past her rebellious phase, the two of us were quite in sync.

Not that we ever talked about it, but we both thought it was “a little cringey.”

We didn’t actually exchange words on it—just a brief glance at each other was enough.

Mom must have sensed it, but even so, she still woke up Dad, who was half-asleep on the sofa.

Then, we all listened to the midnight bell toll on TV together.

And after that, it was nothing special.

It was just another day beginning. My sister and I were both still students, on break for winter, but it wasn’t exactly a memorable day.

…Neither my mom nor dad, and certainly not Koko, was the same as my sister back then.

But for the first time in a long time, I felt a bit like I did back then.

It felt a little strange.

“We don’t have a large bell here since we’re not a temple.”

Grandfather chuckled as he spoke.

“There’s a large temple nearby, as well as many others, so if we sit here quietly, we’ll hear the bells.”

Japan’s religious worldview is a bit unique.

Ordinary people living in this world might not realize it, but in a world where sacred water and holy relics from Christian traditions exist, where real shrine maidens and exorcists battle actual yokai, there probably are even genuine onmyoji too.

Maybe in places like India, their gods and mythical creatures are real as well.

Even though everyone has proof that at least one deity from their religion exists, the shrine-keeping family here awaits the Buddhist temple bells.

Well, I did see shrines inside temples when I visited Kyoto.

Maybe it’s similar to how Confucianism shifted from a religious doctrine to a life philosophy in Korea.

For me, practically a foreigner living in Japan, it’s refreshing.

But there are familiar elements, too.

On the last day of the year, to be with family like this…

…Saying that feels a bit shameless.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

Apparently, it doesn’t have to be eaten exactly at midnight. Maybe each family eats at a different time?

Quietly, we picked up our bowls and, with a bit of slurping, started to eat our noodles.

The flavor wasn’t particularly unique. It was a simple dish seasoned with soy sauce in bonito broth, sprinkled with chopped green onions.

But it felt a little special to eat together, like performing a ritual.

Just as we finished our bowls and put them down,

Dong— the sound of a bell resonated in the distance.

The bell sounds overlapped from various directions. It didn’t seem to be an echo; perhaps every nearby temple was ringing its bell.

“May the New Year bring you much fortune.”

Grandfather was the first to say it.

“May you be healthy this year too.”

Yuka’s father said the same.

“Please take care of us this year.”

Following Yuka’s greeting, Koko and I slightly bowed our heads.

“Please take care of us this year.”

“Please take care of us this year!”

…And so, the New Year began here.

---

There were many people yesterday, but today there were even more.

If yesterday was bustling, today was downright packed.

I was so busy running around giving directions all morning that I lost track of time. But since this shrine isn’t a famous tourist attraction, once everyone from the local neighborhood had come and gone, the crowd thinned a bit.

Not to the point of being relaxed, but still.

And in the midst of it, we had an unexpected visitor.

“…Kagami.”

Or rather,

I suppose I should say “Mother” now, given that I’d been calling her that in front of others.

But Kagami didn’t seem to mind the way I addressed her; she wasn’t one to care about such things.

Was it because of the cold weather? Kagami was dressed in a way that wasn’t embarrassing in front of others.

She wore a thick winter coat, and her clothes underneath were… rather conservative for someone her age. More of a suit, I guess. Women’s suits are so varied compared to men’s that I don’t know how to describe it exactly.

“……”

Koko, Kagami, and I stood staring at each other in silence for a while.

Kagami looked like she wanted to say something, but oddly enough, she couldn’t seem to bring herself to speak.

I decided to break the silence before Kagami froze on the spot.

“…Happy New Year.”

Kagami blinked at my greeting.

Why.

Surely this isn’t as creepy as the Christmas present, is it? I didn’t think my expression was that stern.

“…Thank you for today.”

Kagami replied softly.

I nodded and looked over at Koko.

Koko tilted her head, seeming more interested in me than in Kagami.

What should I do?

As I was debating whether to have Koko greet her or not,

“…You must be Kotone’s mother.”

Grandfather’s voice came from behind us.

Oops.

The last time those two met, sparks practically flew between them. It was probably because Kagami had been pretending to be abusive towards me, which didn’t help her image.

Considering the negative religious connotations, I couldn’t defend Kagami either. After all, this was partly Kagami’s own doing.

If I were to step in and diffuse the tension, it might just complicate things.

“…Hello.”

But Kagami merely greeted politely.

“Are you here for the New Year’s visit?”

Grandfather asked, with no apparent ill-will.

Kagami hesitated briefly, glancing at me in the shrine maiden outfit.

Come to think of it, Kagami was supposed to play this role too.

Does the Kurosawa family not have a shrine?

“This way, please.”

Grandfather spoke politely, and Kagami nodded.

As she walked past me, she looked back over her shoulder.

For a while, Kagami looked into my eyes, then turned and followed Grandfather.

……

I really can’t understand her emotions.

It would be easier if she’d just say it.

Though, I guess I’m one to talk.

Chapter 146. The Beginning of the Year (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The Kurosawa family was from an old lineage.

Back in the time when the name Kurosawa did not exist—no, back in the era when writing itself did not exist, when the only beliefs in the world were primitive shamanism and totemism—it was said that the foundation of the family was already present.

However, Kagami did not fully believe that story.

Under that name, a belief had been consistently passed down.

By the time it reached Kagami and Kosuzu, this belief was spreading as a form of religion.

There was also a 'shrine.'

Strictly speaking, Kagami and Kosuzu could also be considered shrine maidens of that religion.

Perhaps they would be the last ones.

At first, she thought her sister was doing it for the sake of the family and followed her.

She thought they were working for a faith that was already on the brink of extinction, practically fallen from grace.

But that wasn’t the case.

“Here we are.”

The place Kagami was led to was at the very back of the line.

Although people were decreasing little by little, it seemed it would still take considerable time before she could pray.

“......”

Kagami looked at the person who had guided her.

A wrinkled old man though, somehow, he didn’t look as old as he actually was.

Ironically, the fact that Kagami even knew this man’s age was part of the legacy from her sister, Kosuzu.

Kagami barely managed to keep up with it, but it still proved somewhat useful.

“I don’t know what you came here to pray for, but it doesn’t seem like it’s a prayer that the god you believe in will grant.”

To discern whether his words were meant to mock or were just sincere, Kagami quietly observed his old face, but she failed to fully grasp his emotions.

So, Kagami simply decided to take it as she pleased.

At the very least, these were people who had always gladly taken care of the children, so she didn’t feel inclined to hold any blind animosity toward him.

In fact, precisely because they had taken on that responsibility so willingly, some might even feel a strange resentment toward them.

The old man looked at Kagami, who remained silent, for a while, then turned without saying anything.

“......Haah.”

Kagami thought to herself that she didn’t even really know why she was here.

She still wasn’t sure how she should treat the existence known as Kotone, or the one known as Koko.

She thought she’d never truly been heartless.

Kagami’s 'that side' only appeared when she was performing an act in front of others to deceive them.

But that didn’t mean she ever considered Kotone as family.

When she clenched her hand tightly in her pocket, she felt the hard keychain.

A black cat-shaped keychain.

She didn’t think Kotone had gifted it with any special sentiment.

Kotone had handed it over with an indifferent expression as if it were simply natural to do so.

On the contrary, though, that indifference implied that Kagami was naturally included among those who deserved such a gift.

The murmuring crowd gradually moved forward.

Having come through guidance, she ended up at the back, so as she moved forward, Kotone and Koko, who were visible in the distance, came into view little by little.

In Kotone’s face… there was a hint of herself.

It was only natural.

She had borne her.

And the world called such an existence ‘daughter.’

“......”

Their eyes met.

Neither of them smiled.

It wasn’t that they held any particular feelings as they looked at each other without averting their gazes.

They simply didn’t know how to react.

They didn’t know how to respond to the presence of the other.

It wasn’t with the gaze of a follower to a cult leader, nor with the disdainful gaze reserved for a failure that only produces failures, nor with the suspicious eyes that would mark a potential criminal or terrorist.

It wasn’t a warm gaze meant for family, but it was at least the gaze of someone looking at another person as simply another human.

Kagami was the one who broke eye contact first.

She thought about saying something when she got closer, but since she couldn’t think of anything, she just passed by them.

If one had to describe Kotone’s gaze, it would probably be one of ‘curiosity.’

It was only natural, after all.

The fact that someone like Kagami would come here to pay respects was strange enough.

…Even Kagami thought so herself.

However, amidst all her curiosity, there was one certainty.

No matter what Kagami prayed for, she was sure that the entity she believed in would not answer that prayer.

---

Yuka had never thought of herself as particularly righteous.

She tried to be calm, yet was extremely emotional, and she was quite clear about what she wanted and didn’t want to do.

And strictly speaking, the job Yuka had was something she “didn’t want to do” until recently.

Yuka’s life had never gone smoothly because of that job.

She hadn’t had a proper chance to make friends, moving from school to school.

She had a few friends in the neighborhood, but there was always some distance between them, since she rarely saw them.

Even though they were yokai, slicing something that looked so alive was hardly beneficial to her mental health.

Besides, she had lost her mother to that work.

It was impossible to like a job like that.

It was just something she was forced to do because no one else could do it.

Still, Yuka was beginning to like it, just a little.

Not that she suddenly wanted to do it.

She still found it unpleasant to cut things, and she hated being covered in blood.

But through that job, she had been able to make friends.

And she no longer had to switch schools for various reasons.

For the first time, attending a single school, she had made quite a few friends.

Last year, could Yuka have imagined being invited to a Christmas party or meeting a friend during the New Year?

Until now, there had been no kids her age who understood her work.

Most were high-up people or those who shared the same line of work.

Naturally, they were much older than Yuka and weren’t close enough to be considered family or friends, nor would they confide in her.

Now, she even had friends willing to fight alongside her.

“......”

And because of that, Yuka couldn’t bring herself to completely like her friend’s mother.

She wasn’t sure if “like” was the right word when it came to her friend’s parents.

Recently, the atmosphere had changed.

Kotone had described it as ‘making peace,’ and if that was true, their relationship no longer seemed like one-sided abuse.

In Yuka’s view, Kurosawa Kagami was still far from being an ideal mother, but if Kotone herself reacted that way, there was no room for Yuka to interfere.

Legally, she wasn’t sure how it would be judged.

And she didn’t want their relationship disrupted because of the law.

…In that sense, Yuka thought she could be selfish. At least, that’s how Yuka saw herself.

Kagami, Kotone’s mother, took Yuka’s gaze as she walked forward, enduring until it was her turn.

Why did she come here?

This was the woman who had called her own daughter, who could directly communicate with gods, a ‘failure.’

Wouldn’t it be better to pray to her own god instead?

As Yuka pondered this, Kagami rang the bell.

She bowed twice, clapped her hands twice.

Holding her hands together in silence with her eyes closed, she then bowed once more.

And she turned.

Yuka thought she would leave since her prayer was over, but Kagami headed straight toward her.

Stopping about five steps away, she halted.

“......”

“......”

For a while, the two of them just looked at each other in silence.

At first, she wondered if Kagami’s actions were hostile, but Kurosawa Kagami wasn’t glaring or anything.

She just looked blank, as if wanting to say something.

“Do you have something to say?”

Yuka asked because she felt Kagami might stay there indefinitely if she didn’t.

It was a brief moment, but she thought it might be pointless to even ask.

Kurosawa Kagami froze, staring at Yuka without doing anything.

But soon…

“......”

Kurosawa Kagami slowly leaned forward toward Yuka.

---

To be honest, what Kagami did couldn’t exactly be called a prayer.

Looking back now, she wondered if what she believed in was even a complete religion.

The entity she believed in had a different atmosphere from the usual deities.

It wasn’t an entity worshiped for the purpose of removing obstacles or vaguely seeking blessings.

Nor was it believed in simply because it was great and deserved reverence.

It wasn’t for the purpose of gaining favor with it to avoid the apocalypse and secure a place in heaven.

There was a more specific reason for her belief.

To break down the boundary between life and death and erase the concept of ‘death’ itself.

So that no one would fear death and everyone could enjoy eternal life.

It was a belief passed down since long ago, even before the name Kurosawa existed.

So that a powerful being could change the laws of the world and descend upon it.

Kosuzu seemed to have additional purposes beyond that.

Because of this, Kagami had never truly prayed. She had simply yearned.

For a purpose, she had longed for something, but it wasn’t Kagami’s own wish.

“......”

She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, organizing her thoughts.

If she were to hope for something, was it right to make a wish here?

It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.

After ‘praying,’ Kagami turned her body.

Near her stood Yuuki Yuka.

Approaching her, Kagami abruptly bowed.

“...Huh?”

Yuka, caught off guard, made a startled sound.

Kagami spoke.

“Please take good care of my daughter.”

…Daughter.

The word still didn’t feel natural in her mouth.

In truth, Kagami herself didn’t know what Kotone thought about it.

Would she accept the word? Would she look up at Kagami with an odd expression, wondering what nonsense she was spouting? …Most likely, yes.

Kagami could easily imagine that expression.

It was the look Kotone often gave her.

“Um, yeah? Well...”

Having asked her favor, she felt painfully inadequate.

Yes, she was indeed inadequate.

What other way was there to describe herself?

“......”

Yuka said nothing for a while.

“You should’ve said that sooner.”

Hearing Yuka’s voice, Kagami looked up.

“You should’ve said that back then.”

Yuka was smiling.

“I can’t say much since I wasn’t in the position to talk back then, but fine. Whether you liked it or not, I’d intended to look out for her anyway.”

Kagami didn’t fully understand the meaning of her smile.

It looked as if she felt relieved and slightly annoyed.

“But, thinking about it now, it is a bit strange.”

Yuka said, sounding exasperated.

“Aren’t you her mother?”

“......”

“Then say it directly to your daughter.

It’s New Year’s.

Why are you asking someone else’s daughter for something like that?”

Kagami stared blankly at Yuka’s face.

“You could at least give her a New Year’s allowance.”

“......”

Kagami reflected on Yuka’s words.

“If you’re going out, you should tell her to change into regular clothes. It’s hard to clean stains off a shrine maiden outfit, especially if it’s something like ice cream.”

It felt strange.

To hear such things from someone much younger—technically young enough to be her daughter’s peer.

“Is it because of what you did before?”

Not particularly.

So, Yuka still thought Kagami had abused Kotone.

In strict terms, that might not be wrong, but Kagami didn’t think Kotone considered being ‘neglected’ as abuse.

Back then, if Kagami had offered her help, Kotone would have probably fled in fear.

So.

Kotone’s personality began to change, likely after she met this girl.

This girl she met at school, who found a reason to live, a girl who had been isolated in a small room with no attachment to the world, like a living doll.

“Kotone forgave you.”

Yuka said.

“So show that you’re trying to repay her forgiveness.”

...

So, it was like that.

Kagami couldn’t completely agree, but Kotone had certainly started gradually approaching her.

Not with some specific purpose in mind, but simply, naturally.

“Over there.”

Following Yuka’s gaze, Kagami turned her head to see two people watching them from afar.

Even from this distance, Kotone’s face was clearly colored with ‘discomfort.’

Understandably so.

She might not think of her as a mother, but the fact that someone like Kagami had bowed to Yuka would surely pique her curiosity.

Not that she’d tell her.

“...Go ahead. Honestly, I’m still not completely convinced.”

Looking at Yuka, who seemed ready to deal with her personally if she betrayed her trust, Kagami chose… just to stay silent.

Kagami offered a slight bow to Yuka and moved toward the two.

Without yet knowing what she was supposed to do.

---

What was going on?

The Kagami I knew, well, I still didn’t fully understand what kind of person she was, but she didn’t seem like the type to bow easily to anyone.

Wouldn’t you agree?

It wasn’t just her demeanor with people; her position within the cult was quite high.

She was more accustomed to being revered than to treating others politely.

Watching Kagami approach us, I stared blankly, lost in thought.

Kagami came over as usual, her face unchanged, and gave us a slight smile.

“Let’s go.”

“To where?”

“I’m not sure.”

At my question, Kagami tilted her head slightly, as if in a good mood.

“Are you suggesting we go somewhere without knowing where we’re going?”

“Well, I was told to take you all out somewhere.”

“......”

I looked over at Yuka.

Yuka, who was watching from a distance, waved her hand slightly toward us.

I waved back and turned my gaze back to Kagami.

“So… why?”

“I’m not sure.”

A double “I’m not sure.”

Just for a moment, I felt dizzy.

As I racked my brain to find a reason, Kagami asked.

“If you don’t want to, I can leave.”

“...No, it’s not like I don’t want to.”

That was true. I didn’t dislike it. It just felt a little odd.

Are we that close?

Well, we’d had a few meals together.

The logical part of my brain reasoned with me.

Kagami had come by while I was cooking, and since it felt awkward to eat alone, I’d ended up sharing with her.

And… although she didn’t give one, I gave her a Christmas present.

Now that I think about it, why did I buy it? I just felt like I should.

I hadn’t thought about getting one for Sasaki, Hagiwara, or Nakahara.

Kagami hadn’t even been at the Christmas party.

“You already had dinner, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

I tilted my head as I answered.

Yuka’s family wouldn’t call us over and not feed us.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t have something else. How about we get a snack?”

“Hm?”

Koko perked up at the word ‘snack.’

Using food to lure someone—how sneaky.

Then again, I fell for it often myself.

“What should we have? Ice cream might be a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Ice cream!”

“Seems like it’s not too much at all.”

Kagami said with a slight smile at Koko’s response.

It was a different kind of smile, strangely unfamiliar.

But somehow, it felt more natural.

“Still, let’s change our clothes before we go. It’s hard to clean white clothes if something spills on them, especially if it’s ice cream.”

“I wasn’t planning to wear this for an ice cream run, anyway.”

Even Yuka would probably feel embarrassed doing that, right?

Then again, is this really an outfit meant for that?

It was just a part-time job outfit, so maybe it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Oh... alright.”

I turned to look at Koko.

Koko looked at me with a face full of excitement.

She wasn’t thrilled about Kagami; she was excited for the ice cream.

“...Let’s go.”

I held in a sigh and nodded.

Seeing me agree seemed to brighten Kagami’s mood. Though I had no idea why.

“Think of it as a response to the gift you gave me.”

“......”

Is that so?

If she said it like that, it sort of made sense. Though I still didn’t fully get it.

Well… I wouldn’t say no to free ice cream.

It’s winter, but I bet the shop would be warm inside.

“Let’s go.”

“Not that way.”

Kagami confidently started walking in the complete opposite direction from Yuka’s house, so I grabbed her sleeve.

“......”

Kagami looked at my hand.

I quickly let go.

“...Let’s go.”

This time, I was the one who spoke first and began walking.

Kagami and Koko followed behind me.

It was strange; with both of them smiling, they looked slightly alike.

Chapter 147. Blood (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I was eating ice cream with Kagami and Koko.

And it was an inexplicably strange experience.

It wasn’t that odd, though. Legally, we were technically family.

It wasn’t because Kagami particularly wanted it that way. While my registration was settled that way, Koko’s wasn’t handled by Kagami but through Yuka.

Thinking about how it was resolved like that made me question this country’s administrative system, but things like this are common enough in light novels or manga. I decided long ago not to dwell on such details.

Right now, my instincts were telling me that I should be wary of Kagami, who was smiling faintly and eating ice cream in front of me.

The ice cream was delicious, though.

Even in the middle of winter, there were quite a few customers inside.

Under a warm heater conveying the owner’s desperate hope to sell even a single scoop of ice cream in winter, people were eating, having shed their coats and draping them over their chairs.

This was a luxury unimaginable at home. Besides, usually, I wouldn’t have come to an ice cream parlor on my own. At the very least, I wouldn’t have come for myself. If it were to buy for Koko, maybe.

“It’s delicious here,” Kagami said.

“Yeah!” Koko nodded enthusiastically to Kagami’s words, making me feel a bit of cognitive dissonance.

Wasn’t she supposed to be afraid of Kagami?

Even if she wasn’t, she’d clearly been uncomfortable around her before.

For now, that kind of atmosphere wasn’t present. She wasn’t openly friendly, but at least she wasn’t glaring suspiciously at her either.

…….

Maybe it’s been that way for a while now. On Christmas, Kagami seemed somewhat flustered when she saw the two of us visiting the bar, but she wasn’t displeased or appalled.

“Does the ice cream not suit your taste?”

“Hm?”

As I alternated glances between the two of them, Kagami asked.

It was only then that I noticed the ice cream melting slightly, a drop trailing down to my fingers.

I quickly licked it off. The unique slight bitterness of green tea ice cream filled my mouth, followed by a wave of cold sweetness pressing down on my tongue.

The ice cream itself was probably much sweeter than I was tasting, given that coldness tends to dull the tongue.

“…It’s good.”

When I said that to Kagami, who was watching me with a slightly expectant gaze, a faint smile played on her lips.

That smile—although it felt odd to think of it this way—conveyed, well, a sense of ‘pride.’

Why I felt that, I wasn’t entirely sure. It wasn’t based on any logical deduction.

“…Why did you bring us here today?”

I licked off more melting ice cream, wiping my fingers with the napkin I’d received earlier as I asked.

“Because it’s the new year.”

Kagami’s answer to my question was very simple.

Hm.

In Japan, I don’t know how many people still go to shrines for the New Year. In Korea, the majority of citizens don’t go to temples to pray either. Most likely, people prefer relaxing at home or going out somewhere.

Though temples and churches do get crowded during holidays.

Japan might be similar.

Even so, I couldn’t quite bring myself to ask, “Why not just stay home?”

…After all, I knew next to nothing about Kagami.

Besides, this was my first experience of the Japanese New Year. Whatever Kagami planned to do, it was none of my business.

I might have asked if there wasn’t a shrine nearby, but, well, I didn’t feel like pestering someone who’d treated me to food.

“Sure.”

So, that was my simple response.

“And by the way,” Kagami leaned forward on the table slightly, as if proposing something confidential, and spoke in a low voice.

“Would you like to join me for dinner as well?”

“Dinner?”

“Huh?”

This time, even Koko, who’d been eating her ice cream, opened her eyes wide.

Why on earth was this person doing this?

I did give her a Christmas present, but it wasn’t exactly expensive or anything.

“There’s a good yakiniku place nearby.”

Kagami sounded surprisingly confident about this.

It was the same sort of confidence she’d had when I first met her.

At the time, I’d thought of Kagami as a ‘divine being’ because of that uniquely commanding air.

I know better now, but still.

“Would they have space on a day like this? Isn’t it a popular spot?”

“They could probably make room for us.”

Kagami said this, licking her ice cream once.

“The organization’s influence is surprisingly widespread.”

“Even at a yakiniku restaurant?”

“To be precise, it’s the influence of the Yamashita family.”

“….”

“It’s not power gained through illegal means, so don’t worry. It’s simply the home of a retired yakuza.”

“…Is that so?”

Somehow, that made me feel even more uneasy.

But Koko was already excited at the mention of yakiniku, her eyes sparkling.

…If I refused, she’d be extremely disappointed.

I didn’t want to see that look on her face.

What would I tell Yuka?

“I’ll tell her. No family would interfere with our private meal together, I think.”

A cozy family meal…? That hardly described our trio, did it?

“Kotone?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion.

…….

Well, from an outside perspective, maybe we did appear that way.

I decided to leave it at that.

Taking a small breath, I replied,

“…I’ll ask Yuka.”

Surely, Kagami hadn’t asked Yuka for permission just to make us work, right?

Did Kagami actually bow to Yuka just to ask her this?

After finishing our ice cream, we returned to the shrine and asked Yuka.

Yuka nodded easily, smiling brightly.

“Have a nice meal!”

In fact, she even said it like that.

Wedged between Kagami, who looked strangely pleased, and Koko, who looked openly delighted, I headed to the yakiniku restaurant, still trying to sort out my complicated thoughts.

“Wow!”

The meat was delicious, enough to make Koko exclaim like that.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Kagami asked, and I couldn’t help but nod.

The meat really was delicious.

If I’d had it right after arriving here, I might have cried.

…….

I wasn’t fully appreciating the flavor, though, too lost in other thoughts.

Oh well, it didn’t really matter.

If Kagami had decided to change her character, I’d support her. No one likes being hated, after all.

Even if she saw it as an act, it must still hurt to be genuinely disliked by others.

Having settled my thoughts roughly, I ate about three more servings of meat, awkwardly meeting Kagami’s still-smiling gaze.

It was delicious, honestly.

I decided not to dwell on the fact that the owner was a former yakuza.

***

Winter break made life physically comfortable.

But my mind was far from at ease.

It might seem strange, given how many people around me genuinely cared for me, yet I still felt uneasy.

“Kotone?”

“Hm?”

I was sprawled in the kotatsu, watching TV, when Koko tilted her head and called my name.

“What are you thinking about?”

Did my worries show on my face?

“Tonight’s dinner.”

“Huh?”

Even Koko had become sensitive to these kinds of things.

It was a relief that she didn’t seem bothered by my presence, but it was slightly unnerving when she approached me like this during silent moments of contemplation.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“I like anything as long as you’re also eating it.”

I shrugged at Koko’s words.

Well, Koko eats just about anything.

Not that I’d feed her just anything, of course.

Even after my response, Koko kept tilting her head, seemingly concerned by my expression.

…What I was worrying about was the Hyakki Yagyo.

Doesn’t the name alone sound terrifying? I’d have to fight with everything I had against even one of them, yet there were supposedly a hundred.

Moreover, the ‘hundred’ didn’t literally mean one hundred. It just meant ‘a whole lot.’

In the story, it wasn’t specified how many exactly, but considering they’d thrown all of Tokyo into terror, it must have been an absurd number.

And that terrified me.

Usually, when someone gets transported into a story like this, they grab every opportunity, every overpowered item, and prevent the situation from ever escalating.

They track down the villains early on, and any potential incidents are crushed before they can even begin.

But I had done nothing.

I knew nothing.

All I knew was that such an event would happen, but I had no evidence or information.

I debated it several times. Should I tell Yuka or the others?

In fact, I had. I’d even warned Kagami pretty clearly, saying that Kosuzu seemed to be planning something. It was suspicious how quiet she’d been. When I told her this the day after New Year’s Day, Kagami’s response was:

“We’re doing our best to search as well.”

Kagami’s answer was that simple.

“However, all the insiders have vanished…”

After the Satori incident, all insiders within her organization disappeared. They’d probably been killed.

The government agents within were reportedly the first to go missing.

Those government agents had supposedly held the most information out of all the factions embedded within.

Getting the information out of ordinary people likely wasn’t hard. While everyone tried to hide intel on each other to the end, Kosuzu must have known it all already. The remaining leaks probably came from Kagami’s group…or so it’s assumed.

The reason it’s only an ‘assumption’ is because we haven’t received any internal information to confirm it.

It’s the same with the church’s people.

I’d tried reaching Miura-san through Kagami, but Miura-san had his own issues.

While he’d recovered enough to be discharged, his credibility within the government had been damaged… Since he’d been the one to reveal the information, after all.

Kosuzu and her cohorts vanished as if dust blown by the wind heading for the sandy shore.

…….

And I kept thinking it was because I hadn’t acted sooner. The lessons I’d learned from my previous job didn’t help at all.

Losing one person out of necessity and having many die just because I’d acted too late were completely different.

And while we didn’t know Kosuzu’s location, Kosuzu knew ours.

Kosuzu’s forces had suffered quite a loss as well. They’d lost Whateley, likely their biggest asset.

That slight advantage was the only thing we had over the original story.

I felt my own powerlessness all the more because I knew the original plot but couldn’t manage any more than this.

Moreover—

“Hehehe.”

Today, when I slashed my wrist to ask, Nirlass just laughed silently. That was what convinced me.

If Nirlass laughed, it was proof that a moment of suffering was on its way.

Just two days ago, I’d been in high spirits and feeling a hint of hope, but with that one laugh, my confidence completely deflated.

Naturally, the one who sensed this first and most certainly was Koko, who lived with me.

“Kotone.”

“Yes.”

“…Let me make dinner.”

“……”

Turning to look at her, I saw Koko staring at me with a firm expression.

If I got up to do it myself, I was sure she’d stubbornly stop me.

For a moment, I could only open and close my mouth soundlessly before saying,

“…Alright.”

Only then did Koko break into a wide smile.

It was January 5, 2005, Wednesday.

That was the day before everything happened.

---

Happy New Year.

Even if a person is thoroughly twisted, they should at least have the basic etiquette of a New Year’s greeting to find employment.

I’d learned that much. Even though I’d lost my family and had minimal ties left with others, I would greet my coworkers like that on New Year’s.

I would have done the same in this life, too.

Thursday was a workday. It didn’t change, even with winter break.

As routine as it was, attempting it for the first time in months made it feel a bit strange and embarrassing.

Right. I couldn’t show such a side of myself in front of others.

I didn’t particularly want Koko to see it, either. It was simply a byproduct of living together.

After showering, I stood in front of the mirror, giving myself a moment of encouragement, then stepped outside.

After dressing, I found Koko waiting.

“Koko?”

“I’ll go with you today.”

“…To work?”

“Just to that point.”

In just a few months, Koko had developed enough understanding of human society to know not to insist on staying at my workplace.

I figured the boss wouldn’t mind if Koko just sat around without being asked to do anything.

“…How about when you’re heading back?”

“I want to buy something.”

Her words took me by surprise.

Come to think of it, Kagami had even given Koko New Year’s money.

It was yet another shocking moment after the ice cream.

Of course, I didn’t take it away from Koko. Nor did I offer to hold onto it for her.

If Koko wanted to buy something with that money, there was nothing wrong with that.

I nodded.

“Alright.”

“Yes!”

“Myaa.”

Kuro, sprawled on a black cat plush twice her size but strangely similar to herself, mewed in greeting.

We waved to Kuro, and Koko and I headed for the door—

Knock, knock.

—only to be stopped.

Startled by the sudden knock, Koko and I looked at each other.

Who could it be?

Kagami? I thought it might be. Or maybe another friend.

I composed myself as much as possible, trying to not look worried, in case Koko felt the need to join me, and then opened the door slightly.

The person on the other side was—

“…Miura-san.”

It was Miura-san, who still seemed physically unwell.

“I need to speak with you.”

He said, leaning on a cane in one hand.

……

I turned aside to let him in.

Miura-san limped inside.

After neatly removing his shoes, he slowly scanned the room.

Unlike Yamashita, who’d looked shocked as if he’d never seen such a place before, Miura’s expression seemed both troubled and almost as if he’d expected it.

“Please, have a seat.”

When I spoke, Miura-san slowly sat down.

“I’ll skip the tea. I won’t be staying long.”

At Miura-san’s words, I simply took a bottle of water from the fridge and poured it out.

“When you leave, should we go out with you?”

As I sat down across from him and asked, Miura-san nodded gravely.

His expression looked…was it guilt?

“I… know how you fight.”

Miura-san began.

“I learned firsthand the last time.”

Seeing it firsthand must have felt very different from reading it.

“But now, I think we need your strength.”

“Koko.”

Seeing Koko’s face darken, I reached out to gently hold her arm. But her mood didn’t improve easily.

“Kotone doesn’t have to—”

“It’s alright.”

I told Koko.

“It’s alright, Koko. If it’s something I have to do.”

“Kotone…”

Koko looked uncertain at my words.

She was always supportive of anything I did, but this situation felt very different.

“I’ll listen to what you have to say first.”

Miura-san nodded and spoke.

“It’s a murder case.”

“A murder case?”

“Yes. Across all of Tokyo, seventeen murders have occurred simultaneously. That’s only what we’ve found; there could be more.”

……

I listened carefully.

Even if it was a murder case, it could be just a coincidence. Tokyo is a big city. Hundreds of murders happen each year.

“They were all killed in the same way. The left wrist was severed. And…”

His gaze landed on my left wrist.

“They bore a similar mark.”

……

“I don’t think they were performing some sort of ritual. That would… require someone like you.”

……

“The victims might not all have been innocent civilians. So you needn’t look so troubled yet.”

“Kotone…”

Koko murmured my name anxiously.

“…So, what do you need me to do?”

“We’re going to investigate the murders. There’s a high chance it’s connected to Kurosawa Kosuzu.”

……

It wasn’t an incident I’d ever seen in the original story.

But as I listened, I sensed something.

I was certain that this case was deeply connected to the Hyakki Yagyo.

If so, what was Kosuzu aiming for by causing all of this?

“…It might sound strange to say this after telling you all that, but…”

Miura-san said.

“Will you come with me?”

……

After a brief pause, I replied.

“Yes, I’ll go.”

“Kotone…”

Koko called my name in a sorrowful tone.

Chapter 148. Blood (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The standard for ‘normal’ is different for everyone.

Most people think they are normal, so they judge anything outside their view as abnormal.

But right now, my situation was far beyond anyone’s idea of ‘normal’.

Even if the standards vary, there's usually a baseline, and I was far past it.

That's why, even entering the morgue in a high school girl’s body, I didn’t feel anything strange for quite a while.

I had already seen several corpses, and honestly, compared to the state of the bodies I had seen before, these ones were still quite intact.

The corpses here had cleanly slit wrists, leading to death from blood loss.

In fact, the wounds on their wrists were much cleaner than the wounds on my wrists.

My wounds were always gouged out, torn open, and forcibly ripped apart.

"..."

What did catch my attention wasn’t the bodies, but rather the people standing nearby.

Those people in white coats were likely forensic pathologists.

It wasn’t a big deal, but their eyes were all focused on me.

And on Koko, who was following me.

Only then did I realize that I looked a bit too young to be here.

It’s... refreshing.

I've known my situation was unusual ever since I entered this world, but with everyone around me accepting it so easily, I was becoming increasingly numb to it.

Do they know who I am? And how I fight?

Even if they know, they still keep that same expression.

They should at least acknowledge that there’s a monster in front of them that could kill them in an instant, even if it makes them look uneasy.

“There’s no sign of resistance,” Miura said.

“Then it wasn’t murder, right?”

“They weren’t alone. Even if there’s no resistance, killing someone is still murder.”

"So, you’re saying they just sat still and let someone slit their wrists, letting themselves be killed."

When I said this with a frown, Miura nodded.

"Could such a thing... really happen?"

My job in my previous life was also somewhat close to death, and I had even witnessed something that could be called a murder scene.

But I hadn’t always seen such places.

Miura seemed to hesitate before answering my question.

Did my question seem strange to him?

“There was an incident overseas in 1978 when members of a religious cult died together. Most of it was suicide, but there were also signs of murder, and most of the children killed were young."

“...”

"And in 1987, there was a similar case. If we only count mass suicides, it’s about that level, but if we add smaller cases, there are many more.

"So, this case... while unique, isn't an impossible event."

Miura looked down at the body with a gloomy expression.

The young woman looked older than me, probably an adult.

Her face was ordinary, and her hair fell around the back of her neck.

There were no unusual wounds on other parts of her body.

“There are several ways to avoid instinctive fear.

"Though no definitive results are out yet, it’s possible that she took some kind of drug."

I had no choice but to agree with him on that.

After all, I was the same.

Every time I fought, I cut my wrist, maybe not indifferently, but without hesitation.

And the amount of blood I lost was more than enough to have died several times over.

I looked down at the body again.

"Is there... anything you can tell?"

Miura asked cautiously, as if he sensed something from my expression.

I shook my head.

After a moment's thought, I spoke up.

"Kagami would probably know better."

"I see."

Miura nodded slowly at my words.

"Would she cooperate?"

"...If necessary."

I didn’t think Kagami was that inflexible.

And Nirlass wouldn’t always be hostile to the government either.

If they were, they would’ve tried to stop me from cooperating with Yuka in the first place.

As for the Cathedral... well, they hate me regardless because of their doctrine.

"I understand."

Miura spoke.

"So, what should I... do now? Should I just go back and resume my daily life?"

Miura shook his head at my question.

"There’s been an order to... 'protect' you.

"We don’t know what might happen."

"..."

I see.

So that’s how it’s going to be.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Mister.”

Miura had a daughter.

And that daughter was also my friend.

If anything happened to her, he’d feel too much pain.

The position of a civil servant is fundamentally a choice.

And for a normal civil servant in a 'normal' position, quitting would be free to decide.

But it might be different for someone in an ‘abnormal’ position.

For someone who knows things the average person shouldn’t.

In light novels like this, the government is usually portrayed as hardheaded, stubborn, and even a little dumb.

People who cause huge disasters by sticking to their methods.

Maybe similar things happened behind the scenes in the original Hyakki Yagyo.

“Mister, there’s actually something I haven’t told you.”

“Go on.”

"The prophecy about the Kudan from last time. I actually lied."

Miura looked at me intently.

I looked back at Miura as well.

"Uu...?"

Koko tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what I was saying.

“Didn’t you say that there would be a huge disaster in Japan within a few years?

"That was something I just made up. The prophecy I actually heard was something else.”

“Would you tell me why you lied back then?”

"...I didn’t trust the higher-ups.”

The truth is, saying they’re hardheaded is a generalization, but it might be a bit different for individuals.

Civil service exams... I’m not sure about Japan, but they probably have exams or something here too.

Naturally, people in high positions are bound to be intelligent.

The problem is that when people like them gather, they solidify around traditional values, rules, and regulations, hardening like a set concrete.

They grow complacent within the rules, only looking out for themselves.

...If that’s the case, I just need to show them that they need to stay flexible if they want to survive.

“Then, will you tell me the true prophecy now?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t know much about the life Kurosawa Kotone had in the original story.

She might have shed far more blood than me, and might have suffered far more before her death.

Unless I returned to my original world to reread that novel, I’d never know.

I’d probably never know forever.

But I’m different from the Kurosawa Kotone in this world.

I’m not suffering that much.

I have friends, people who care for me, and I’m somewhat satisfied with my life.

Thanks to the people around me, I could know what ‘normal’ was, even in this world.

That’s why, if I could help somehow in this situation, I wanted to do so.

I wanted to protect the normalcy, the daily lives of those people.

“A lot of people are going to die soon.”

The people around me, who were meeting me for the first time today, looked at each other.

There were no murmurs or outbursts.

They just seemed surprised by my words.

“Yokai will flood out, to the point where they can’t hide them from people anymore.”

The worst-hit area was naturally around the school the protagonist attended.

...Did any students die? I don’t remember well.

And I don’t know why such an event had to happen there.

I quit reading before that plot point was resolved.

Or rather, I simply kept forgetting to buy the new volumes.

"..."

Miura was silently staring at me.

Was he trying to gauge if I was lying?

“I see.”

And then, with a nod, he finally said it.

He didn’t seem particularly emotional.

Maybe he didn’t fully believe me.

“I’ll make sure to deliver that message. For now, would you mind waiting?”

All I could do at Miura’s words was nod.

---

The room provided by the higher-ups was cleaner and better than expected.

To be precise, it was a hotel somewhere in Tokyo.

I’d never traveled all over Tokyo, so I wasn’t sure exactly where this was.

"...I going to miss work."

"Uu?"

When I murmured to myself, Koko responded immediately.

Even though she reacted right away, her expression and posture were a bit gloomy.

No matter how nice the room, being locked inside wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.

Outside, large men were stationed.

These men, unlike the Yakuza guys from the Yamashita group, had a much more professional atmosphere.

Not that the Yakuza guys seemed weak, but, well, there’s a difference in the vibe between someone who’s maybe handled one or two people and someone who does it professionally.

...Well, normally, people don’t get face-to-face with either of those types.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that I was so used to this.

“Kotone, are you okay?”

"I’m fine."

Just a little worried.

I hadn’t been able to contact the boss yet.

It was the same with Shii.

I left Kuro at home, and my phone had been taken.

On the way to this hotel, they even covered my face with a black cloth—a far from pleasant experience.

They said it was "for safety," but I doubted that safety was meant for me or Koko.

The only reason Koko didn’t resist during the process was probably because I stayed quiet.

And since they didn’t tie me up or put handcuffs on me, I followed them for now.

"...Do I not seem okay?"

"Yes."

Koko nodded at my question.

“Kotone, you were smiling just a few days ago.”

"..."

So I looked totally different now.

I wanted to smile, even if it was forced, but it wasn’t going to happen.

“It’ll be okay.”

In the end, my answer was vague.

I had no choice but to believe that.

I didn’t want to die just yet.

I still had so much I wanted to do.

After all, I had only just greeted the new year.

“Kotone...”

Koko looked like she was about to cry.

She sat down next to me.

For a while, we sat side by side in silence.

---

The door opened about ten minutes later.

There was a polite knock first—a very formal knock.

But the door opened before I even answered.

It wasn’t like I had clothes to change into or anything, but I thought they could have been a bit more considerate.

“Will you come with us?”

The words were polite, but the meaning was simply ‘Come along.’

For a moment, I felt tempted to ask, "And what if I don’t want to?"

Hiss.

I heard a noise that a mad cat might make from beside me.

...Hearing Koko’s sound made me quickly abandon that thought.

No matter how professionally trained they were, these big guys couldn’t beat Koko if she charged at them in a rage.

If I was going to see blood soon, I didn’t want to see it in the hotel.

And I didn’t want Koko to kill anyone.

“It’s fine, Koko.”

When was the last time I heard Koko make that sound?

When she first learned to hiss, she had mimicked it without even knowing it was meant for anger.

Kuro and Koko had both changed a lot since then.

Kuro spent her days lounging around at home without a care, while Koko... Koko had become a much kinder creature than when I first met her.

When I got up, Koko followed.

We walked after the two men.

We moved along a rather luxurious hallway and took a large elevator to the upper floors.

This time, they didn’t cover my face, so I could easily see which floor we were heading to.

The building had about twenty floors.

We had been on the fifteenth.

Well, the view from the window looked about right for that.

We arrived at the twentieth-floor rooftop.

“This way.”

"..."

And following the men, we arrived at... well.

I had heard a story once about a ‘hidden floor’ in a hotel in North Korea.

Supposedly, the elevator never stopped on that floor.

There are no rooms on that floor, so there’s no need for decorations, making it look shabby, with exposed inner walls, and North Korean security agents roam around constantly, keeping an eye on every guest in the hotel.

This place had a similar vibe.

It wasn’t exactly like the ghost stories with no inner walls or unfinished construction, but it was stark and unwelcoming.

After thinking about it, I realized that unlike the warm, cozy lighting in our previous floor’s corridor, here it was lit with only stark, functional lights.

I walked under the cold white fluorescent lights, looking around.

None of the doors had nameplates.

“This is the room.”

One of the men leading us opened a door.

This room didn’t have a nameplate either.

I admired how he could find his way through such identical, nondescript rooms.

But judging by the stiff expression of the guard who just opened the door for me, asking anything wouldn’t get a proper answer.

So, I entered without a word.

And.

"...Kagami."

"..."

I met Kagami’s eyes as she sat inside.

It didn’t look like she’d been dragged here.

In fact, she was dressed in a formal suit, like she had come of her own accord.

When Kagami saw me, her eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Miura standing with his cane in the corner of the room.

Miura gave no response.

Was she trying to contact me?

Unfortunately, I had lost my phone when I came to the hotel, so I couldn’t reply.

Did Yuka try to reach me too?

No one told me where to sit, so I went over to Kagami and sat beside her.

“So you came here, meaning you know something has happened.”

Kagami said in a low voice.

I nodded.

"..."

Kagami had a complicated expression.

I couldn’t quite grasp the emotions swirling within her.

I could only tell that one of them was regret.

Kagami.

Not knowing what to say, I just nodded again.

A few minutes later, the door opened once more, and a man entered.

I recognized him too.

"Oh, you’re..."

The man, who looked at me with his mouth agape, was my neighbor.

I hadn’t seen him in a while, but he looked healthier than the last time.

At least, he didn’t look unwell.

“Kurosawa?”

Looking at Kagami with even more surprise, the man took a seat, looking unsure of what to do.

A few more minutes passed, and then another man entered.

No, this time it wasn’t just one man.

A few others came in, similar in atmosphere to the big men who’d escorted me, along with some who seemed around Miura’s age.

In total, there were eight people.

Their clothes varied.

Some were in suits, while others wore something like police uniforms—not the type worn by street officers, but those you see high-ranking officers wear on the news.

In the main seat of the round table sat an elderly man with graying hair.

He didn’t look particularly strict.

He gave the impression of someone who would fit perfectly as a political party leader on TV.

Is this some kind of meeting?

There wasn’t anyone to call the meeting to order, nor anyone to announce the start.

“...Ms. Kurosawa.”

After a long silence, the old man finally spoke.

"Can you tell us the prophecy again, as thoroughly as possible?”

---

“Is she not answering?”

“Yes, it seems the phone is on, but...”

Shii replied to the boss.

“She’s not the type to just not show up without a word.”

To be precise, there had been times she hadn’t shown up without saying anything.

Usually, it was when she was in the hospital.

So, it wasn’t strange for both the boss and Shii to be worried.

There were almost no customers now, and orders had closed a while ago.

With so much time passing, it was even more concerning.

“Should we try contacting others?”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

The boss shook his head at Shii’s suggestion.

“She’ll probably show up fine in a few days.”

She always did.

“We’ll call it a day. I’ll handle the rest.”

“...Thank you.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Shii agreed, leaving a word of thanks.

She sensed the boss might want to think alone.

“Bye!”

Miki waved goodbye, and Shii nodded in response.

She had already changed, so Shii could leave immediately.

Today, she decided to go straight home.

She usually ate dinner with Kotone before heading home, so she thought she’d do that.

Then, she’d call her senpai after resting a bit.

With that thought, as she stepped out of the building—

“Myaa.”

Shii heard a familiar meow.

“Kuro?”

Kuro was waiting for Shii at the entrance of the building that housed the shop.

“Myaa.”

For a moment, Shii wondered if she had mistaken her for another cat.

But it was hard to forget that distinctive meow.

Besides, Shii used to take care of Kuro before Kotone did.

When Shii approached, Kuro stood up.

“Oh, wait, Kuro!”

Shii hurriedly followed Kuro.

If she’d come out and gotten lost, she’d need to take her to her senpai.

...Though she wondered why Kuro, who was supposed to be in Saitama, was here in the first place.

Chapter 149. Blood (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“So, are you saying that you are currently detaining Kotone?”

“It’s not detention; it’s protection.”

The man in a suit with a stern expression who had visited Yuka’s house said this, adjusting his glasses. His precisely parted hair and impeccably wrinkle-free suit made it very clear where and how he worked, Yuka thought.

He must be someone who sits at a desk all day, reading reports in written form. He might have a few photos, but there’s a big difference between seeing something firsthand at a scene and seeing it in a photo.

Blood in a picture is just red, but blood seen on the scene is sticky and has a horrifying stench. First-timers gag not because they’re shocked by the state of the corpse but because all the senses are assaulted at once.

…If anything, corpses killed in excessively gruesome ways are so unreal even when seen up close. It’s the other senses that force you to realize it’s real.

“Do you really believe that?”

Grandfather spoke slowly.

His expression was far more composed than Yuka’s, which showed a bit of emotion. However, it would be hard to say that there wasn’t any hint of reproach in his voice.

At first, Grandfather had looked at Kotone with doubtful eyes.

However, any person with normal sensibilities would find it hard to treat Kotone as a monster after observing her surroundings and her own character.

Kotone retained a kind heart even in that environment. She kept enduring in a situation where it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had broken down.

“In that situation, do you really think keeping her locked up in that place without being able to move is protecting her? It seems more like bait to me.”

“…”

The man could not deny it.

“I heard that you lost your intelligence network. Even if some remain, they’d have to keep quiet for now. No one wants to risk their life, after all. And then, of course, there might be those who have betrayed you.”

Grandfather paused and examined the strict-looking civil servant. The man’s expression remained stoic, but Yuka noticed that his gaze briefly shifted away from Grandfather.

Understanding the situation stirred Yuka’s anger a bit more, but she held it back. Yelling here wouldn’t change their minds.

“If you can’t find them, then you’re thinking of making them come to you, right? They were trying to lure Kotone out, so now you’re setting a trap and waiting for them to fall into it.”

“That’s why we are ‘protecting’ her.”

The man responded as soon as Grandfather finished speaking.

“They’re the kind of people who don’t care how many die to achieve their goals. There’s no way that girl could protect herself alone in that situation.”

“Is that so?”

Grandfather’s tone wasn’t exactly mocking. It was just an indifferent voice.

“Then what do you plan to do if you can’t protect Kotone?”

“…”

The man seemed to be trying hard not to convey too much with his silence.

But Yuka understood what his silence meant because of that very silence.

“Is that also why you want to keep me there?”

“…”

Again, there was only silence in response.

And once more, Yuka felt she understood the reason.

---

“Kuro?”

“Meow.”

When Shii entered the house holding a pet carrier, Sota looked a bit startled.

“Did something happen to Kurosawa?”

“Well…”

Shii tilted her head slightly as she replied.

“To be honest, I’m not sure either.”

Shii calmly explained to her brother, who looked at her questioningly.

“Senpai didn’t come to work today. And she didn’t answer when I tried to contact her.”

“So, where did you find Kuro?”

“I met her in front of the store.”

“That’s… strange.”

Sota couldn’t help but say that.

It wasn’t like he knew Kurosawa that well. They’d eaten together once and hung out occasionally, but he wasn’t as close to her as Shii was.

But even with that distance, he couldn’t help but think, “Is something wrong?”

At the very least, she didn’t seem like someone irresponsible enough to abandon her pet, and it wouldn’t make sense for her to bring a cat to work.

“Myaa.”

Kuro stretched after strolling out of the cage and casually walked toward the living room.

When they followed her, she had already claimed the sofa and was lying on it, yawning as if nothing was wrong.

“…It’s Kuro, right?”

“I thought it might not be, but…”

But the relaxed atmosphere Kuro gave off was unmistakably her.

…Maybe nothing was wrong?

Would a cat really be this indifferent even if their owner was in trouble? Since neither of them had ever owned a pet, Sota and Shii didn’t know.

Watching Kuro roll around on the sofa, looking like she had no intention of sleeping but also not wanting to do anything else, they exchanged glances.

“…I did buy some treats.”

Shii said this, taking out a few cat snacks from her bag, and Kuro’s ears perked up.

“Let’s keep Kuro here until we can reach her. It’d be embarrassing if something happened to Kuro.”

“Yes.”

Shii nodded cheerfully at Sota’s words.

“Meow.”

Kuro meowed, looking at both of them.

---

“Is this the branch?”

An old man asked as he looked at a bundle of what appeared to be ordinary tree branches.

“Yes. This is all we have.”

“…”

It didn’t sound like they were easy to come by, judging by Kagami’s words. If all they had was one bundle, that made sense.

But the uncle, who was my neighbor, seemed to have a different perspective.

Judging by his open-mouthed stare, it seemed like this was an amount that would be impossible to find under “normal circumstances.”

“If you made talismans from this, how many could you make?”

“…I could make a whole lot.”

“Hold on a minute.”

The uncle cut in, stopping the conversation between Kagami and the old man in charge. Neither of them looked annoyed as they turned to him simultaneously.

“Are you planning to use all of this? This is essentially a fossil that hasn’t decayed.”

“I believe your side already used it with my assistance before.”

“And that time… it wasn’t just ordinary ink?”

“You think just ordinary ink would glow suspiciously when it was just written on paper?”

Seeming to have recovered his composure a bit, Kagami spoke as if joking.

“But back then, I was only told it was fluorescent ink…”

“Excuse me.”

Trying to keep up with the conversation, I finally raised my hand.

“Can you really tell it’s that kind of wood just by looking?”

“Oh, there’s a feature.”

The uncle immediately responded to my question.

“You can’t tell at a glance, but if you keep looking, you’ll see a faint blue light flickering. The Necromicon describes it as a ‘transparent flame that flickers.’”

The Necromicon… I knew this name even if I didn’t remember much else. It’s a name translated into Chinese characters from the Necronomicon, a book central to Lovecraft’s mythos, like remembering the name Cthulhu itself. I’d once read a lot on fan wikis.

Isn’t his job folkloric research? In that case, it makes sense that he’d know it as the “Necromicon” rather than the “Necronomicon” or “Al Azif.”

But could a normal person stay sane after reading the Necromicon? Kagami mentioned him having a unique talent—maybe this was it.

It’s strange he talks so nonchalantly about a book most wouldn’t recognize. Well, fans do often assume others know the same things they do.

“…”

After hearing this, I stared at the branch.

Slowly, I began to see something like a shimmer above it. Just as described, it looked a bit blue. I couldn’t be sure if it was blue or transparent, but it was visible enough that it wasn’t exactly “transparent.”

“But don’t think about touching it. It might set your body on fire.”

“Of course not.”

The uncle countered Kagami’s words.

“I’ve touched it myself. It’s said to burn the impure, but that’s probably folklore. People in the past saw mysterious natural phenomena and attributed them to gods.”

“…Are you saying you don’t think it’s something divine?”

“Hm? Of course. Many things once accepted as scientific or real have been disproven in modern times.”

“…”

I looked over at Kagami. He merely shrugged slightly.

Perhaps he’s a strict atheist who finds such ideas utterly unconvincing. Going insane from the Necronomicon is supposed to happen because people understand it even a little, but he’s just treating it like “study.”

“Why hasn’t academia revealed this unique… plant?”

“Oh, that’s only because it hasn’t been published yet.”

The uncle responded with a proud smile and even straightened his shoulders confidently.

“Our lab isn’t the only one; we collaborate with quite a few. The wood is said to be from a tree called ‘Avon’ and has been used worldwide for rituals—ah.”

The uncle’s face turned slightly red, seeing us all looking at him without saying anything.

Did he realize he was oversharing things he knew alone?

“…It’s known as unpublished in academia.”

The old man in charge completed his sentence for him, directing his words to me.

“But in reality, it’s being ‘concealed’?”

“It’s not reality, but that’s what this young man will think. Research hasn’t fully concluded yet, so we’re waiting until everything’s verified.”

So he’s under an ‘embargo’.

“Wait, what?”

“That’s fine.”

The old man in charge ignored the uncle’s attempt to speak and turned back to Kagami.

“We can provide you with the materials we have. Make as many as possible to ensure a strong barrier. Also…”

“If you’re suggesting a ‘sacrifice,’ we decline.”

Kagami interrupted the old man in charge.

“We value this side’s ‘precious resources’ too much for that.”

“…Understood. Then, we will do our best to prevent the prophecy.”

The old man in charge said this and rose from his seat.

“What? Hold on—what do you mean? Prevent? You’re not planning to perform a ritual with all that wood, are you?”

“It’s probably more serious than that.”

Kagami replied with a smile.

“It’ll burn away more meaninglessly than you imagined.”

But her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

---

As the old man left the room, someone walking beside him asked,

“What do you think of the prophecy?”

“If they lied once, they can lie again. And originally, that cult was one.”

The old man spoke calmly as he walked forward, leaning on his cane.

“You think it’s a lie?”

“‘Think again,’ was one part of the prophecy. Is it possible to prevent Hyakki Yagyo by merely reconsidering? If there was a way to change it, we’d have enough basis to alter Hyakki Yagyo itself. But we have no such foundation. Which means…”

“…The prophecy is likely false.”

“Yes.”

“Then why are you listening to that girl’s words?”

“For the evidence. Considering the corpses’ states and expected affiliations, it’s simple. That woman, Kurosawa Kosuzu, is targeting that girl. At the very least, she judged she could attract attention that way. So, we cannot hand her over.”

The old man let out a small sigh.

“There’s not enough time to move outside Tokyo. Defending something in open space is difficult, and there are too many escape routes. Let’s lure them all into this safehouse and eliminate them in one sweep. Even if the woman hides herself, she’ll send significant forces to capture the girl.”

“Yes, we’ll prepare accordingly.”

After the man bowed, the old man nodded back and got on the elevator.

“If it becomes impossible to protect the girl, make sure she’s ‘not handed over.’ We can’t risk a situation where anything could happen.”

Though he had already given the order, the old man repeated it.

“…Understood.”

The old man nodded once more as the doors closed.

---

“Meow.”

Kuro, who had been lounging on Shii’s lap like a crumpled blanket, suddenly perked up her ears.

“Kuro?”

Shii was surprised as Kuro, who had been lying around lazily, suddenly struggled to get up.

“Meow!”

“Kuro, what’s wrong?”

Shii blinked as Kuro, fur raised and crying loudly, suddenly became agitated.

“What’s going on?”

Sota, who was nearby, was also startled.

“No, Kuro just suddenly…”

Kuro leaped from Shii’s lap down to the floor.

“Hiss!”

And he made the distinctive hissing sound of an angry cat.

The yellow eyes were fixed on the front door.

Shii and Sota looked at each other and stood up.

“Is… someone there?”

“Hiss!”

Kuro hissed again at Sota’s muttered words.

But there was no doorbell sound—

Ding-dong.

“…”

As soon as Sota turned to the door, the doorbell rang.

Shii and Sota looked at each other again.

…Was this unusual?

But the thought quickly faded. Cats naturally have sharper hearing than humans, so it’s common for them to pick up on small sounds that people can’t notice.

People often think cats stare into space because of ghosts, but they’re usually reacting to tiny sounds or bugs too small to see.

Ding-dong.

So Sota moved toward the door without much suspicion.

“Hiss!”

But Kuro blocked his path.

“Kuro?”

With only one step, Sota could easily step over Kuro, but he blinked and paused.

“What’s wrong? Is someone over there?”

Thump, thump, thump.

Before Sota could finish, someone banged on the door.

Hard. Like they were pounding it with their fist.

[Sota!]

A voice called from beyond the door.

[Sota, Shii!]

It was a familiar voice.

“…Mom?”

Shii muttered, her face pale.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

The doorbell rang again.

Thump, thump, thump.

The door was banged again.

“…”

Sota hesitated, his steps stopping.

But not because of Kuro.

“Hiss!”

It was because he thought he understood why Kuro was making that sound.

[Sota! Are you in there? Please open the door!]

From beyond the door, his mother’s voice.

A voice as if she was urgently being chased, as if something terrible would happen if they didn’t open the door right away.

“Hiss!”

“Kuro.”

As Sota hastily moved towards the door, Kuro again moved to block his way.

Thump, thump, thump!

The door shook as if it were about to break, and suddenly, the noise from beyond the door stopped.

“…”

Sota and Shii paused and listened.

If it were truly their mother on the other side, in a dangerous situation, they should, of course, open the door. A human life is not something light, regardless of good or bad relationships.

Besides, it was their mother.

But they both felt more chills than urgency. This situation itself was too abnormal.

Their gazes fell back on Kuro.

Come to think of it, Kuro had appeared suddenly in the house.

And it was late enough for no one to come visiting.

“…”

The two looked at each other again,

Bang!

“Kyaa!?”

The loud sound of something slamming against the door made Shii scream in fright.

Bang!

Bang!

The door was struck several times, and the handle began to bend inward.

“Shii, stay behind me.”

At Sota’s words, Shii quickly moved to hide behind him.

And in that moment,

Bang!

With a final loud bang, the door latch flew off, and the door swung open.

“…”

Shii sucked in her breath, a slight sob mixed in.

“Even so…”

A voice came from beyond the open door.

Or rather, from “behind” the person there.

“Shouldn’t you have opened it at your mother’s word?”

Thud.

Their ‘mother’ collapsed forward.

“She’s useless as a hostage. A complete waste.”

Her body was covered in cuts, bleeding. Dead? It was hard to tell if the wounds were enough to be fatal or not. What was certain was that if left untreated, she would ‘definitely’ die.

Stepping over her mother’s body, someone—someone who resembled Kotone’s mother—spoke.

“Well, no matter. There may be some loss, but it’s within expectations. Now, stay perfectly still, won’t you? If you don’t want to end up like your mother.”

The woman said this while pulling something out of her white coat pocket.

It was a small bell, like one that might hang around a cat’s neck.

She raised the bell—

Swish!

Suddenly, she dodged to the side.

Thunk.

A knife embedded itself where she had just stood.

“…What are you doing to Sota?”

A familiar voice echoed.

Chapter 150. Blood (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

When a person is cornered, they become uncontrollably depressed.

Even things that normally go well no longer work, and things that didn’t work before only worsen.

Usually, that despair comes from the realization that there’s nothing you can do.

"Ugh…"

And when my depression begins to erode the people around me, guilt only adds the finishing touch.

It’s like a beast representing my despair sits crouched in front of me, waiting for me to collapse.

This feeling, it’s been a while.

It’s been quite some time since I last felt this way after coming to this world.

Yes, I’ve felt this way since the moment I arrived.

In this world, I was no longer the person I used to be in my original world, so I could feel somewhat unburdened.

After all, I was used to being alone.

Unlike my original self, who gradually became isolated to avoid letting my depression consume those around me, I thought the version of me here was heading in the opposite direction.

I met such good people who were way too kind to leave me alone.

But there's nothing I can do for them.

This kept pulling my mood down, deeper and deeper.

"Here."

"…Huh?"

I looked up at Kagami’s voice to see that she was handing me something.

In her hand was chocolate.

“What’s this?”

“A snack.”

"…."

I looked up at Kagami in disbelief, and her hand moved again.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

I stayed silent for a moment, then took the chocolate from her hand.

It wasn't from any notable brand.

In fact, I couldn’t even tell which brand it was.

It was just in transparent plastic… it looked like one of those famous alphabet chocolates, though the shape was a bit different.

But it tasted good.

The cheap chocolate’s overly sweet taste, if anything, helped me feel a bit more at ease.

The depression hadn’t completely lifted.

Kagami took out another similar one from her pocket and handed it to Koko as well.

"Muu…"

Koko, who was staring at the chocolate for a moment, handed it to me.

"Not eating it?"

"Not hungry. Kotone, you eat it."

"…."

After a moment's hesitation, I decided to eat it too.

I doubted Koko would eat it if I didn’t.

“Don’t go slashing your wrists yet.”

Kagami said.

“If you’re already bleeding, there’ll be trouble when the time comes. You can cut yourself after we know something’s wrong with the building.”

As she said this, Kagami picked up the small handbag she had set down at her feet.

Was the mirror we saw last time in there?

As I slowly dissolved the chocolate in my mouth, I calmed myself.

Fine, maybe I haven’t done anything yet, but maybe the situation itself is still better than the original story.

Isn’t it?

In the original, Kurosawa Kotone’s situation might have been different, but the Hundred Demons Parade took place across all of Tokyo.

If that was really due to Kotone and if Kosuzu caused that incident just to capture Kotone, then having a specific location now might actually be better.

I can fight too.

Some questions remain. If she knew where I originally lived, why didn’t she target that place? And why did she leak the information first, knowing it would prompt the government to act?

…Well, I’ll ask Kosuzu about it myself after we fight.

“Looks like you’re feeling a bit better.”

“…Yeah.”

“Good.”

Kagami didn’t bother adding anything else to that.

And that made me feel a bit grateful.

"Ah… Ah…."

After calming down, I looked at the situation and saw something amusing.

She called it an "Aven branch" earlier, though I had no idea which tree it was taken from or if only the branch was left.

Either way, it seemed incredibly precious.

Well, if the tree were still alive, she wouldn’t have mourned it like that.

The metasequoia tree, once thought extinct, was discovered in China and then spread worldwide, even planted along roadsides everywhere.

Either the tree itself no longer exists, or if it does, it no longer grows.

Uncle had a regretful look on his face, making an exasperated sound as he watched the branch being cut.

“We own them all, so there’s no reason for you to feel regret.”

“It’s because it’s not mine. Just like a cultural heritage isn’t mine, but I’d regret it if someone destroyed it.”

Kagami only shrugged in response to that.

Well, at least Uncle doesn’t seem brazen enough to oppose the government alone.

After all, Kagami ended up grinding up the entire branch she brought into talismans.

“I’ll hold onto this talisman.”

Kagami said, securing the talisman.

“And I’ll give some to the people downstairs.”

“…What about me?”

“Didn’t you hear earlier? We’re planning to avoid déjà vu situation.”

“It’s not like fire would kill me.”

"…."

Kagami looked at me with a blank stare, and I just shrugged.

"So… now we just wait for them to come?"

“Yes. And even if they do, getting up here is another issue.”

"…Right."

We’re on the top floor, after all.

"Now—"

Just as Kagami was about to say something,

flick.

The lights in the room flickered.

Everyone in the room looked up at the lights.

Flicker, flicker.

The lights flickered again and then went out completely.

The room was not in complete darkness.

Some of the city lights still seeped in through the small window.

But that didn’t mean it was safe.

“The power must have been cut off by the government.”

Kagami said, still looking at the lights.

"They can’t risk letting the enemy use the elevator."

After those words, silence filled the air.

This building is a hotel.

On the surface, it looks pristine.

Aside from this top floor, the interior is as luxurious as any high-class hotel.

So, even if a fight broke out downstairs, we likely wouldn’t hear anything from here.

“Let’s get ready.”

Kagami picked up her bag.

Koko stood up.

"Hey? Uh, what’s happening here…?"

Uncle asked, but unfortunately, no one answered him.

Everyone was just staring at the door, listening intently.

…There’s no sign of Nirlass’s voice yet. I haven’t slashed my wrist either.

Will they even tell me what I want to hear just from slashing my wrist?

Something tells me that Nirlass wouldn’t make it so easy—

---

"Ah, look…!"

Yuka shouted, pointing out the window from the passenger seat.

It had only been a week since the New Year. It had only been about ten days since Christmas.

Tokyo was still basking in the festive New Year’s atmosphere.

But there was just one building where all the lights had gone out.

If the lights had been off from the beginning, it might have gone unnoticed, but seeing them suddenly go dark made it ominous.

People nearby were blocking off the building.

A few onlookers had gathered, but heavily armed personnel were controlling the area.

The incident had already begun.

Realizing this, Yuka shouted.

“Grandfather!”

“Alright.”

Yuka undid her seatbelt and unwrapped the cloth around her sword, and her grandfather nodded and pressed down on the gas pedal.

Screech.

The car lurched forward, and I could feel myself lift slightly in my seat.

Several of the people blocking the way dove aside in shock.

The van, carrying Grandfather, Yuka, and Yuka’s father, smashed through one of the barricades and drove halfway into the restricted area.

Thud. Yuka, who was holding herself steady with one hand on the glove compartment, jumped out of the car the moment it stopped.

"Hey!"

Someone shouted at Yuka’s back, but she didn’t look back.

Inside, on the top floor, Kotone was there.

And a group targeting Kotone for some reason was ascending.

Shing.

She drew her sword.

The streetlight gleamed on the blade of her sword, Mumei.

The faint smell of iron hit Yuka the moment she stepped out of the car.

And soon after, a faint stench followed.

A smell she could never get used to, a smell she had long since given up on growing accustomed to.

Bang.

The sound of a car door closing, followed by Grandfather’s footsteps behind Yuka.

Click.

Yuka turned on the flashlight she had tucked into her coat pocket on her left side.

As Yuka approached, the flashlight beam from her chest pocket illuminated the path ahead.

It was red.

Some spots were lighter.

Something was crawling inside.

A rustling sound came from behind her. Grandfather must have pulled out a talisman.

"Let’s go."

“Yes.”

Grandfather murmured, and Yuka sprinted forward.

The entrance itself was still blocked with barricades.

Besides the police outside, someone inside had piled up chairs as if trying to block something from coming in.

…The glass doors and adjacent walls were made of regular glass, so the attempt to block it was laughably futile.

Did they not expect someone to come through the main entrance?

Or maybe a terrified hotel employee had stacked them up.

Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter now since they’d already driven through it with their van.

Someone in red lay sprawled out on top of a body.

It looked like a hotel uniform.

Their abdomen had been ripped open, but their face was relatively intact, preserving a last expression of despair.

"…The government bastards."

At Grandfather’s words,

“Grrr…?"

The creature feeding on that abdomen raised itself.

Slash.

Without waiting for the twisted mass of flesh to turn around, Yuka swung her sword.

Yellowish pus-like fluid and blood-red liquid sprayed together.

A sickening stench filled the air.

That was the beginning; slowly, things camouflaged in the darkness began to rise.

"…Ah."

Yuka muttered.

“When I saw them last time, I thought they were just made from people.”

"They mimic humans, it seems."

The misshapen, translucent blobs resembling slugs made from partially melted human flesh began to rise and take shape.

That’s not to say they looked like people.

Their eyes still protruded like a snail’s, and their skin was semi-transparent, revealing bones inside. Were they the victim's bones?

A chill ran down her spine, a shuddering of two kinds.

One ran through Yuka’s veins, the other a visceral repulsion.

Thunk.

An arrow lodged in one of those creatures' heads.

Woosh.

Blue flames flared up.

"…!"

It let out an inhuman, unintelligible sound and thrashed wildly.

“If we leave it as it is, we won’t be able to distinguish it from humans later on.”

I heard Father’s voice from behind me, accompanied by the soft sliding sound of an arrow being drawn back on the bowstring.

“Then, let’s cut them down in advance.”

Yuka responded.

Woosh.

This time, a blue flame ignited by the staircase leading to the upper floor.

The color was slightly different. The flames there were far paler, almost as if they belonged to a different realm.

Gunshots echoed next, followed by a person’s scream.

“Let’s go.”

With that, Yuka lunged forward.

The darkness was no longer an issue; blue flames were blazing all around us.

If we sweep away all the enemies like this…

As Yuka slashed at the enemies charging at her, she thought to herself.

Then—will Kotone be safe?

Could she finally live a peaceful life without threats?

Somewhere in her mind, a voice answered, probably not.

…If their leader is still alive, these monsters will appear again and again.

All we can do is cut down as many as possible to make it harder for them to come back.

It seems the government believes everything might end if Kotone dies—that it could be a possibility.

“No.”

Yuka replied firmly.

Sacrificing that child who wants to live just to secure peace? No, I’d rather fight over and over again.

…

She knew that it was a selfish decision.

If it hadn’t been Kotone, a dear friend, who was at risk…

Yuka might have felt conflicted just by looking at the person dead on the first floor.

---

Nirlass remained silent.

I slashed my wrist but I hadn’t asked it anything, knowing that it wouldn’t give me a straightforward answer.

Above all, if I pushed for something here, I felt Nirlass would try to break my resolve.

It’s the kind of thing it would enjoy.

But still, it was strange.

When Nirlass gets excited, it rambles on without me asking. So is this not an exciting situation for Nirlass?

My heart pounded. The unknown was terrifying. Even if I get through this safely, I know nothing about what lies beyond.

…Precious people could disappear without my knowledge, in places I’m unaware of.

In my previous life, I read enough of the story, so I assumed everyone would be safe up to the point I’d read.

Bang. Bang.

The gunshots were much louder than I had expected.

But I already knew this really. I had served in the military after all.

When I first fired a gun during training, it had sounded much louder than I imagined.

But the guns in people’s hands here all had silencers.

Perhaps because we were in the heart of the city, they’d prepared accordingly.

Still, they didn’t entirely muffle the sound of the approaching gunshots.

It wasn’t that cinematic “pew” sound—just a slightly less sharp version of the gunfire I knew, still loud.

My wrist ached needlessly.

Perhaps because of my racing heartbeat, I felt I was bleeding even more from my wrist.

“Fire, fire!”

I heard someone shout from beyond the door, followed by more gunfire and the crackling sound of something burning fiercely.

I gripped my sword.

Bang!

The door swung open, and people poured in. Then the door shut behind them.

“Where’s the enemy?”

“They’re far more numerous than we thought!”

“Damn it. I thought we’d dealt with a lot of them last time.”

“…”

Miura glanced over at Kagami.

“Do you think those bodies could have been sacrificed in some kind of ritual?”

“Even if it was a ritual, it wouldn’t have been ‘that kind’ of ritual. …You mentioned the female corpses showed signs of having given birth, right?”

Miura nodded.

And no one spoke.

Kagami’s question held too many implications.

“There are many ways religion makes death less frightening. Kosuzu’s sect takes that even further. They display phenomena beyond this world, grant power, and persuade their followers, saying, ‘Even if you die, we will bring you back.’”

“…When everything ends and the boundary between life and death collapses, even the dead will return.”

Miura murmured as if he knew something.

“…And the being at the top of it all would be the head of the Kurosawa family.”

Kosuzu.

“The eternal ruler of a world without death. And those who rose high with that ruler.”

“…”

And most likely, Kurosawa Kotone was needed in that process—an existence necessary for being ‘from the other world’ to fully wield its power here.

Almost like an instrument in the hands of a musician, able to produce the desired sound.

“Do you disagree?”

Kagami glanced at me.

“Don’t you find it unrealistic? Religion becomes meaningful because there’s a goal it can never achieve.”

“…”

It was such a Kagami-like answer that even the tense people in the room glanced over at her, momentarily forgetting their tension.

“…Thank you for the information.”

Miura acknowledged Kagami’s words, moving on with that response.

Listening to the conversation, I suddenly noticed that the gunfire had stopped.

Groans still echoed. I could still hear the fierce crackling of flames.

But now, there was a new sound.

A soft, slicing sound. The sound of someone breathing heavily.

Click.

The doorknob turned.

Amidst everyone’s tension, the locked door opened easily.

And then.

“…If you’re going to hide someone on the top floor of a building.”

Sweaty and disheveled, Yuka opened the door.

“…at least let the elevator work.”

Yuka met my eyes and gave me a wide grin.

“…”

I felt my strength drain away.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling that way; everyone visibly relaxed a bit.

“What about the ones outside?”

“They’re not all taken care of, probably. We came the quickest way.”

Yuka said, flicking the blood off her sword.

She exhaled a short breath and continued.

“But we did cut down enough of them that, with a few more people and a bit more reinforcement, they should be able to clean up slowly. The monsters seemed to be thinking the same thing as us.”

She looked at me and smiled again.

Sweat plastered her hair to her forehead, and her clothes were splattered with blood and pus, but she didn’t look the least bit disheveled.

“Well then, let’s wrap things up for to—”

Beep, beep, beep.

Yuka was mid-sentence when someone’s phone rang.

“…Sorry.”

Kagami apologized for disrupting the atmosphere and took out her phone.

From my angle, I could glimpse the screen.

The name read “Yamashita Yohei.”

“…Yes.”

Kagami’s eyes widened as she took the call.

“At the mansion?”

“What is it?”

I asked without thinking.

“What’s going on?”

“…Understood. First, find a safe place. If you can leave the mansion—oh, I see. In that case, please secure the item I entrusted to you last time. Yes.”

“Kagami?”

Kagami turned to look at me.

She wore a slightly bewildered expression, but her voice remained calm.

Gripping her handbag tightly, Kagami spoke to the phone.

“There should be a mirror inside that cloth. Please… hand it to Ms. Yuu.”

“…”

So the mirror wasn’t in her handbag.

“…Yes. No, I’m sure you can do it.”

Kagami’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“If you think of who Yuu’s mother is, you’ll see it’s possible. Buy us some time. We’re on our way.”

Kagami closed her eyes for a moment, then reopened them.

Her eyes gleamed in the darkness as she spoke.

“I’ll explain the steps to proceed from here.”

---

There’s an expression about blood boiling.

Of course, human blood is liquid and can’t actually boil just from body heat. When body temperature exceeds 40 degrees, cells would die from cooking long before the blood could boil.

So it’s just a metaphor—a way to say you’re so angry it feels like your blood is boiling.

However, that evening, at the mansion, things were a bit different.

The traces that couldn’t be wiped away and had been hastily covered with paint and wallpaper—the splattered bloodstains inside the house suddenly glowed a vivid red, as if they had returned to that moment, and began to trickle down the walls.

And soon, that blood began to boil.

For some reason, the boiling blood expanded and grew.

By the time people noticed it, it was too late.

“Damn it, what is this! What the hell is this…!”

“Everyone, get it together! Protect the young lady!”

Grotesque creatures surged in from every direction.

They looked like something out of old stories or fairy tales, twisted into the stuff of nightmares.

“I—I have to live—!”

The one shouting this and attempting to flee was suddenly impaled by something that shot up from the ground, like a needle.

Or should I say “impaled”?

To put it more accurately, he was “sliced to pieces.”

In an instant, he was shredded so thoroughly that he barely retained any recognizable form. I could only hope he didn’t feel the pain.

If you try to escape, you’ll die.

If you stay here, you’ll die too.

In the corner of the mansion, at the entrance to the storeroom, the men gathered were on the verge of losing their minds.

And inside that storeroom—

“D-Dad, I…”

“…Yuu. Don’t worry too much.”

“But why do we have to hold up this mirror?”

“I’ll explain it all once it’s over. Kurosawa-san is on her way right now.”

“Kotone is? Why?”

“….”

Yohei fell silent, unsure of how to explain.

That Yuu’s mother was the leader of a cult faction that killed people without hesitation.

That Kotone, whom Yuu considered a friend, was actually her cousin.

And that because of this, both of them—Kotone and Yuu—possessed abilities the cult needed.

There wasn’t enough time to explain all of this in a way that would make sense.

“…”

Yuu looked back and forth between her father and the mirror, visibly confused.

Clutching the mirror tightly, she asked,

“With this… we’ll be safe?”

“….”

Yohei was silent for a moment before replying.

“Maybe.”

“…All right. Either way, we’re going to die if we do nothing. And… Kotone… Kotone didn’t just sit by when she left, did she?”

“That’s right.”

“Okay. Fine. Then, I’ll trust you for now. After all, the things outside aren’t exactly easy to believe in either.”

Taking a deep breath, Yuu said,

“I’ll do it.”

Yohei nodded and held the phone to Yuu’s ear.

Chapter 151. Blood (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"……."

Yuu held the mirror tightly and closed her eyes.

And she followed the person’s words on the other end of the phone.

[The mirror is an object that reflects one’s true self.]

There was a sound, perhaps of someone moving, on the other end as if they had started to walk. Voices of people nearby could also be heard.

Among those voices, there was one that Yuu recognized.

[Without any exaggeration, regardless of whether the being looking into the mirror wants to or not, a mirror reveals all the falsehoods they represent when they stray from this world’s laws.]

The voice was calm, distinct from the movements.

At the very least, they seemed to be trying to remain calm.

[That's why those beings instinctively fear the mirror. Just one glance can pull them back to the underworld where they belong.]

"Why have they come here from the underworld in the first place."

Even Yuu didn’t know why she mumbled that.

The situation was overwhelmingly confusing. In truth, she didn’t know how to process it.

If this was a dream, she wanted to wake up. But unfortunately, everything felt too vivid to be just that.

[……It’s a transaction.]

"A transaction?"

[For entities from the other side, coming to this world means becoming an absolute predator. We don’t know what the underworld is truly like, but we know one thing. Those who cross over and obey our commands come here because there’s a benefit for them.]

"How… how do you know so much about this?"

And how can you be so confident in handling these things…? While grappling with confusion, Yuu remembered what had happened last year.

Her sister Miho had suddenly fallen gravely ill, on the brink of death. Then Kotone had come and somehow resolved it.

And then there was the woman—Kurosawa’s mother—who had tormented Kotone.

…The voice didn’t come to her mind clearly. After all, she had only encountered that woman a few times. She could vaguely recall her face.

But perhaps it was an overreach to think that the voice on the other end resembled hers.

"……."

For a moment, silence hung over the phone.

"…Please, continue instructing me."

She was terrified. She didn’t even know if this was the right course of action. Even if the creatures outside were indeed law-defying beings, she wasn’t sure if that meant they could be stopped by breaking the laws of nature. If they lay outside natural order, could any order restrain them?

But the reason she still said it was simple.

She didn’t want to die like this. She couldn’t think of any other solution.

[As I said, focus. Keep your mind clear.]

The woman on the other end of the line instructed again.

[You need to be at the forefront, standing strong until we arrive.]

"…Understood."

Yuu took a step forward.

She heard someone yelling from beyond the door. It sounded like a fight.

"Yuu."

"...The person Dad called said I have to go forward and protect everyone."

"……."

Her father's face darkened.

[Oh, one more thing to keep in mind.]

The woman on the other end of the phone spoke again.

[Under no circumstances should you look into the mirror yourself. To control what defies natural order, one must wield a power that defies it as well. And that includes you—no, that includes all us.]

---

If anyone tried to stop us, I'd kill them.

In contrast to my resolve, the police were remarkably cooperative.

Was it because they had seen Yuka’s family tear through the enemies to reach us? No, more likely because this situation could only be resolved with us.

The van that had driven into the hotel had only suffered a crack in the windshield. The car itself was still functional.

"Here."

Before we got into the car, Kagami took something out of her handbag and handed it to the man next door.

It was… a talisman. Kagami’s handbag held a multitude of talismans already.

But it didn’t look like one made from the branches. Instead, it resembled the design Yuka used at school to confront the Nue.

For a brief moment, Yuka, her grandfather, and her father all stared at the talisman.

Yet no one said anything.

After handing over several talismans, Kagami looked at the man holding them blankly and spoke.

"You studied ‘folklore,’ so you should know what kind of talisman this is."

"Yes, but…."

"Just use it as your knowledge dictates. If the monsters come down from above, it should create a protective barrier for the people. We still have enough offensive talismans."

Before the man could respond further, Kagami got into the van with us.

And before anyone could stop it—not that they tried—the van reversed out of the hotel.

I felt anxious.

Of course, the Yamashita household was connected to Kosuzu, so she knew its location. In fact, she had even tried to kill Mori-san before.

So maybe Kosuzu would have attacked the house if she wanted to.

…Yet I couldn’t stop thinking about the unease I’d felt at Christmas.

My blood, which was so evidently a part of me, had been spilled there in excessive amounts. I had even asked Nirlass about it after cutting my wrist again.

I had been careless.

I should have anticipated this when I first felt something was off. If I had, maybe even now—

—Could I have prevented this?

Isn’t it too late now? I’ve left so many traces everywhere. Not just at Yamashita’s, but at school, at home, even on the subway.

I even discarded blood-stained items as garbage…

Ah, that’s right.

How many hospitals did I visit while bleeding?

"……."

A chill ran through me.

"It’ll be okay."

Yuka, sitting beside me, said softly.

"They’re holding on. And it won’t take long to get there by car; there’s barely any traffic."

Yuka didn’t seem to entertain any doubts.

"Kotone…."

Koko, sitting next to me, placed her hand on my arm.

"…Yes."

Yes.

It might be fine.

No, it won’t be fine. They’re going through something terrible. But maybe, at least, it’s not my fault.

We still don’t know anything for sure. There wasn’t anyone on their side who could explain what exactly happened.

So… no, it can’t be.

I tightened my trembling hands, trying to convince myself.

Nirlass said nothing.

---

Just as Yuka had said, it didn’t take long to reach our destination.

Yuka jumped out of the car with her sword in hand, and I followed suit.

Flames were blazing in parts of the house. Fire trucks were dousing water all around.

But there were no people around the ambulances.

"Did anyone go inside?"

"What?"

As Yuka approached with her sword, one of the policemen controlling the area jumped in surprise.

"Uh…."

He looked back and forth between us, unsure how to react to Yuka and me with swords in hand.

In Japan, openly carrying such a weapon was illegal.

"Uh, yes. Some people went inside."

As soon as we heard this, we rushed inside.

"Wait, hold on—!"

We heard someone call after us, but naturally, none of us looked back.

For them, this must have been an abrupt turn of events.

After all, it’s not often people dash into flames, swords drawn.

Yuka led the charge.

Ahead of us was—

"A Kasha!"

I shouted instinctively.

A massive cat, singed in places by the fire.

But this time, the situation was different.

Ping!

A bowstring snapped, and an arrow shot forward from behind us. The arrow, too fast to follow with the eye, struck the cat right in the forehead.

There was a howl of pain, and a talisman flew forward.

The blue flame from the talisman wasn’t particularly large, but it was enough to spread onto the Kasha’s body.

The sound of the Kasha’s howling wasn’t pleasant.

The blue flames spread, eating away at the Kasha’s red flames, and Yuka took advantage of the distraction to close in.

The Kasha swung its front paw. Based on our previous encounter, even dodging would have inflicted some burns.

But the blue flames didn’t harm humans.

Swish.

Yuka’s "Mumei" gleamed blue in the light. In an instant, she sliced off the Kasha’s right front paw, and before it even registered the pain, her sword slashed through its neck.

Its head fell to the ground, mouth agape in an expression of shock.

Thud.

I heard the sound nearby Yuka.

There were long, black needles stabbed into one focused spot. The ends were linked by black thread.

Koko’s hair.

The creature, looking like the "Isolation" I had seen before, was quickly rendered helpless by Koko’s attack.

It wasn’t transparent. Rather…

"…It’s red."

I muttered without realizing it.

It was red. Though its shape was the same as what I’d seen before, it looked like it had been meticulously sculpted from red clay, with fur, skin, and eyes all in shades of red.

Or perhaps it looked as if it was drenched in blood.

"Kotone…!"

At Yuka’s shout, I turned around and saw a Nue charging at me, mouth open wide. It was crawling along the ground.

Thunk!

An arrow flew into its temple. Another talisman lit up, and Yuka decapitated the Nue, killing the yokai instantly.

And this yokai was also red.

When I came to my senses, I found myself sitting on the ground.

Did I fall back out of fear?

Realizing this, I finally noticed the pain in my body.

And the heat.

While the entire house wasn’t yet engulfed, large flames were blazing all around, enough that I could feel the heat on my face.

And the pain from my wrist.

The bleeding hadn’t stopped.

My blood was still spilling onto the ground.

Nirlass had yet to say a word to me.

Nirlass only remained silent when it enjoyed what I was doing.

"Kotone!"

Yuka roughly grabbed my arm and pulled me up. There was no malice in her gesture; it was simply urgent, trying to get me to move.

All around, I heard cries.

There were sounds of people sobbing, as well as the sounds of yokai I’d encountered before.

Right, these were yokai sounds I knew.

But why did that fact fill me with such unease? Shouldn’t it be reassuring? After all, most of the yokai here were ones I had faced before.

"…Let’s go!"

Yuka said, pulling me along.

Taking me outside the mansion or leaving me behind was equally dangerous. It was too urgent to leave me outside and then come back. With the house on fire, we could all die, and if we delayed any longer, Yuu and the remaining survivors would certainly perish.

"Run!"

Yuka must have realized it would be impossible to hold out any longer, so she shouted.

I tried to pull myself together. I tightened my grip on the sword in my right hand. Right. I could still fight.

Now isn’t the time to dwell on other thoughts. I’ll think about it all once this is over. If I was the cause of everything, I’d deal with it then.

Because this was urgent. Right, this was urgent.

And so I ran.

With no other thoughts.

"Yamashita! Yamashita Yuu!"

Yuka shouted.

"Here! Over here!"

The shout echoed back to us.

"Put down the mirror!"

I heard Kagami’s shout.

When I realized Yamashita wasn’t injured, and saw that those with her were still alive,

"Cover them with this."

"…You’re…."

"Now’s not the time to explain. Let’s get out of here and talk."

When Kagami’s words turned Yamashita’s gaze to me,

I tried my best not to think anything.

Not to think that Yamashita might be judging me.

"Then, let’s go—"

Yuka’s words trailed off as a scream came from outside the mansion.

My body trembled.

I was still, continuously, bleeding. Nirlass wanted me to bleed.

But why?

If it was connected to what was happening here—

Yuka grabbed my hand.

And started running.

I clutched the sword tightly in my right hand and followed her.

"Don’t think about anything!"

Had Yuka realized something too?

"Just keep running for now! Don’t say anything! We’ll figure it out when we get there!"

I heard someone shouting behind us. Several voices. And there were voices ahead too.

The ones behind us were familiar. Yamashita, Kagami, Yuka’s grandfather and father, and Koko. They were all calling me.

Yuka pulled me along as if fleeing from those voices.

The ones in front were unfamiliar voices.

These weren’t people I’d met today for the first time, or even people I’d passed by earlier without noticing.

There was the sound of gunshots. And I thought I heard a car racing toward us. Was it all a hallucination?

Everything here felt like a dream. I wished it were only a nightmare.

Ah, I should stop thinking.

As Yuka had said, we needed to get to safety for now.

…To safety?

Where? Nirlass follows my blood. And I’m bleeding. As long as Nirlass wants it, I’ll keep bleeding.

I looked down at my hand.

Yuka’s right hand was gripping my left arm. Her hand was already drenched in blood. My blood covered her hand.

The instant I saw it, a feeling of dread washed over me.

My blood… I don’t know if that’s just what it really is.

But can I say for sure that’s not the case, given what’s happening now? Can I confidently say I didn’t cause this?

Yuka probably couldn’t say either. That’s why she was pulling me along.

I tried to pull my arm free. But Yuka was holding on too tightly.

"Yuka—"

"Don’t say anything! I said don’t say anything!"

"Yuka, I’m—"

"It’s fine! It’s all going to be fine! There is nothing you need to worry about! Really!"

Even Yuka, who was usually calm in situations like this, was saying whatever came to mind.

Ah, I see.

Now I understand a bit.

Maybe Yuka was starting to be creeped out by the realization.

If Yuka, whose lineage had been specially bound to combat monsters from another world that plagued humanity, felt "that" way—

…If those crimson creatures were made from my blood,

And Yuka was beginning to feel creeped out seeing that.

What those that mean about the blood flowing inside me?

Strangely, I felt… nothing. Not even the goosebumps on my back that I had felt until now.

Why, only now?

Ah, why?

If it had been like this from the beginning, if Yuka had felt this way even before meeting me—

"…I see."

I think I understand a little now.

From the very start, from the moment someone saw me, they must have thought this.

That I was an amusing toy.

With this blood, anything is possible. It can create a sharp blade to cut down creatures outside the natural order. It can make a modern oxygen mask to breathe within a smoke-filled building.

It can even create "living things" from blood, of course. I had seen it done countless times before.

Then why hadn’t I considered that the small, wriggling Chi might take the form of the monsters I had seen before?

It was because I had relied in it too much.

"Kotone! Yuka!"

"Koko, help us!"

Yuka’s voice as she shouted at Koko, who had come close to us, sounded almost like she was sobbing.

As if she didn’t know what to do in this situation.

"We have to escape!"

"Yes!"

Why hadn’t Yuka realized it? Why hadn’t I?

That too was because I had trusted in it too much.

In the first place, could it really be right to hope that an existence outside of human being would wish for things to align with human reasoning?

It was all my fault.

I leaned on it too much. I thought it was an easy power to use. I thought if I granted its wishes, it would grant mine.

But if—

If what it wanted was far greater than what I wanted—

"Ah, splendid."

"…Kotone? —Ah!"

When my mouth moved on its own to speak, Yuka turned to look at me.

And we both tumbled to the ground.

"Kotone! Kotone! Kotone—"

As I rolled on the ground, I heard Koko calling out, but her voice grew distant.

Lying sprawled on the ground, I looked up and saw that the Chi, my spilled blood, was coiling around Koko’s legs. And her arms, and her body.

"Don’t… do that."

"You desire something, don’t you?"

When I spoke, my mouth responded on its own.

My neck twisted around. I could see the mansion’s gate. The people beyond it. No one appeared dead, but I could see some people skewered by the Chi in places like their thighs and calves. They had been stabbed by something rising from the ground as they tried to escape.

Several cars had crashed into the neighboring wall to get inside. Some tires had been completely ripped off. I could see people bleeding as they emerged. Police officers were helping others out.

My spilled blood—

The blood I had shed in alleys, in apartments, in schools, in hospitals, on mountains—it was moving. I could feel it.

"No one has died yet, you see."

My lips curled into a twisted smile. I laughed at myself as I spoke.

"Though injured, no one has died yet. Do you wish to end it here?"

…It’s not my fault.

I didn’t… I didn’t know.

"Or did you know? At least you suspected it, didn’t you?"

A snickering laugh echoed.

"After you told your story, I peeked into your mind out of curiosity."

So Nirlass had known all along how I understood this world.

That’s cheating.

"Oh, is it not cheating for you to borrow the power of the other side? And who exactly set those rules?"

"You knew. You suspected that ‘Kurosawa Kotone’ must have done something important from outside the story."

"All I saw was the way those tied to Ye, and those who serve her, serve you just the same.”

"Do you really think you can feign ignorance?”

"This is on you."

My mouth hung open.

No scream or cry came out. After all, this voice wasn’t mine.

"Ye’s avatar. An existence that shouldn’t be here. I wonder, do you have a wish?"

A wish for what?

"Ko…tone…!"

Yuka, who was standing up, swung her sword. The Chi coiled around her legs was sliced away, turning back into harmless liquid.

"You already know what Ye wants."

Writhing.

I felt the Chi in my left arm begin to wriggle.

Yuka didn’t seem to notice yet.

"If the prophecy comes true, it’ll all be over."

Nirlass spoke through my mouth.

Yuka limped toward me.

I heard footsteps from the mansion, but I couldn’t turn around.

"Kotone!"

Koko’s voice sounded panicked.

"So, what will you do?"

This time, the voice wasn’t coming from my mouth; instead, it whispered directly into my ear.

With hands on both my shoulders, coaxing and controlling me.

If only I had told them the prophecy from the start.

Or if I hadn’t lied today.

Would things have been different?

This was my responsibility.

All of it.

I…

"…I have a wish."

"Then all you have to do is act as you desire. Just as always, Ye will not demand more as long as your desires align."

"Kotone."

Yuka had come up to me.

When she touched my shoulder as if to support me, the oppressive force that had been weighing me down vanished as if it had all been my imagination.

The flames from the mansion reflected off Yuka’s sword, gleaming brightly.

"Yuka."

"It’s okay, Kotone."

"…Yes. I know a way to make things okay."

"…Kotone?"

"Yuka. I need you to do me a favor."

I looked at Yuka. Her face showed no expression. She had hidden her emotions completely.

"I’m sorry… I’m truly sorry."

My vision blurred slightly.

"I lied to you."

She was so young. Just a high school girl, who sometimes got to have fun with her friends, make silly mistakes, live like an ordinary girl her age.

To make her endure this, to bear this burden, was far too cruel.

I had failed to save someone like her.

The idea of doing so had been arrogant from the start.

"The prophecy, the one that was spoken of—it was about me. I’m sorry."

I pleaded.

As if somehow, it would lessen the guilt I carried.

Though that… wasn’t likely.

Chapter 152. Blood (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The force that had been pressing down on my body disappeared.

It was as if Nirlass had let go, telling me to do as I wished.

But even so, my body wouldn’t regain its strength; it wasn’t simply because I was exhausted.

I... I hadn’t thought about it. Or maybe, I hadn’t wanted to think about it?

Think again.

Power comes at a price, especially if it isn’t mine, but someone else’s.

Did I think about that before borrowing this power?

No, not once.

I looked down at my hand.

My left arm was covered in blood. Blood was still flowing from my wrist. The skin that wasn’t touched by the red blood was pale, like a corpse.

Twitch.

Something moved beneath my left wrist.

What I’d summoned countless times was now moving inside me.

The Kudan foretells, bringing a prophecy that could spell the world’s doom.

People assumed that doom meant a disaster that would befall the world, but was it only that? Maybe it was the doom of the person who heard the prophecy.

And I already knew a way to prevent that doom.

Think again.

I hadn’t thought.

That’s why things turned out this way.

“A prophecy?”

Yuka asked.

I slowly raised my head.

I saw her mud-stained legs. Her knees were scraped. She was wearing tight jeans, but even through the jeans, I could see the scratches and the blood seeping out from them. It must have been from when we rolled on the ground.

As I lifted my gaze further, I saw her arms scraped from dragging along the ground, and then I saw her chin, which was also slightly scraped.

Even so, Yuka’s eyes showed no sign of pain.

Instead, they were filled with anger.

“I…”

“Does the prophecy mean I have to kill you?”

I couldn’t answer.

“That’s strange.”

Yuka replied calmly.

Slowly, Yuka’s body descended.

Her scraped knees bent, and soon they touched the ground.

Yuka knelt before me, looking straight into my eyes.

“Didn’t the prophecy say ‘it would bring disaster’?”

Yuka spoke.

“If your death is the prophecy, then are they saying your death itself is a disaster? Or that your death will cause a disaster?”

“……”

My lips parted slightly at Yuka’s words.

“I…”

“The other Kudan told you to think it over again, didn’t they?”

Which one was the disaster, and which one was the way to stop it? The distinction wasn’t precise.

But when I thought simply, the answer was straightforward. Even if neither option was clear, being told to think again was typically a kind of “advice.”

“So I’m going to think about it. I won’t just stab you without thinking or doubting.”

Just moments ago, Yuka seemed bewildered, unsure of how to handle the situation. She had gripped my hand tightly, as if ready to run away from it all.

But now, somehow…

Somehow, Yuka was smiling after hearing my words, as if all her anxiety had melted away with just one word from me.

“You want to live, don’t you?”

“…What?”

“Sorry, but I already heard it. From the woman who called herself your mother.”

Kagami?

“I wasn’t there, but you met Satori, right? And I heard that just before Satori died, you reached out to that body.”

Yuka spoke, looking directly into my eyes.

Her left hand gripped my shoulder tightly.

“Prophecy or whatever, I don’t care about the current situation. What about you? Do you want to die right now?”

“If I don’t die—”

“What happens if you don’t die? And if you do, what happens? Do you know? Are you certain?”

“……”

I... I don’t know. Not anything at all.

That’s right. When I first came here and started living as Kurosawa Kotone, it was the same—I knew nothing about this world.

What I knew about this world was that it was supposed to be a harem story about Sasaki Sota, a boy pestered by three beautiful girls who could charm anyone at first sight.

But in that novel, nothing I came to know after arriving here ever appeared.

So, I thought these events happened in the background of the story.

“You don’t know, right? You’re not certain, so what reason is there for you to die?”

“But the prophecy…”

“Even now, I keep thinking about it. But no matter how many times, over and over again, I still don’t understand.”

Yuka said.

“Why would a person who slashes their own wrist without hesitation and bleeds nearly to death for others have to die?”

“……”

That’s the kind of world we live in.

It’s a world where people die, even if they’re kind, even if they have someone they love, even if they’re at an age full of things they want to do, even if their lives haven’t yet blossomed.

A world where people die just because they’re unlucky enough to be in the wrong place.

Even if someone wants to save those people, even if they keep throwing themselves into the flames over and over again, there will still be people they can’t save.

If there’s even a chance that dying could save them—

“No.”

Yuka rejected my thoughts.

“That’s not it.”

Yuka said firmly, looking directly at me.

“Why do you think I ran away with you even when I didn’t understand anything?”

Yuka said.

“Yes, I don’t want to see you die. You’re my first real friend. I’ve never had a friend who was close enough to stay over at my place. You’re also the first friend who called me because you were afraid of ghosts.”

Yuka took a deep breath.

“And I trust you.”

“…Ah…”

“No matter what power you have, or who you were born to be, it doesn’t matter. Kurosawa Kotone—the girl I know—is my friend. I know you’re not choosing this, and I know none of this is your fault."

“Yuka…”

“So don’t talk about dying. Let’s figure out a way to fix this, somehow. I can’t accept you giving up without trying. What do you think?”

“……”

From my blood that spilled onto the ground, something began to rise, like long, thin strands, something creepy to look at.

Yuka would be able to see it too. But she never looked in that direction.

“I…”

“Yes?”

When I finally opened my mouth, Yuka nodded with a smile.

What do I want?

Now, in this moment, what do I want?

Do I want to die? Do I want to end this situation completely?

Or if not—

“Yuka, I—”

But I couldn’t answer.

All that came from my throat was the sound of air escaping.

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

After a few seconds, as if time had stopped, a tingling sensation filled my throat.

And what dripped from my mouth was probably blood.

“…Ko-Kotone?”

Yuka’s gaze finally fell.

So did mine.

…Ah.

I see.

The blood that had been creeping up…

“Ko-Kotone, this is, ah…”

Yuka tried to let go belatedly, but it seemed it wasn’t working.

The hand gripping my shoulder was Yuka’s left hand.

In her right hand, she held a blade.

That wasn’t what was wrong.

I had a blade too. In a situation like this, it was only natural. For Yuka, who had been in situations like this far more often than me, it was almost instinctive.

But for Yuka’s hand to be entangled in a red tendril—this was no ordinary situation.

Yuka’s Mumei blade plunged deeper into my lungs.

I had read once that in some fantasy movie, a director had asked an elderly actor to “scream,” but the actor, who had served in World War II, replied, “How can one scream with a punctured lung?”

It was the same for me.

All that came out was the sound of air hissing. There was no moment for me to leave behind dramatic last words.

“No, no! Kotone, this—!”

Yuka tried to shake her arm free, but it only made a gruesome slicing sound.

Gush. Blood poured from my throat.

I grabbed Yuka’s hand.

It’s fine.

It’s fine. This was going to happen anyway.

It’s not your fault.

With my mouth barely moving, I somehow managed to speak.

Slowly, the red blade I held melted away, scattering onto the ground.

It was the same behind Yuka. The tendrils that had pierced people’s legs began to melt away.

From behind, there was the sound of something bursting and tearing.

“Kotone! Kotone!”

Koko came running, her voice almost a scream.

“Kotone!”

Koko was shouting as if it was the only word she knew, as if she had forgotten all others.

Around that time, Yuka’s hand finally broke free from the red tendril.

Startled, she pulled the blade from my body.

Not a drop of blood stained the nameless blade.

Blood flowed freely through the gaping hole.

My body collapsed sideways. Koko pressed her hand hard against my chest. It seemed she was trying to stop the blood, but unfortunately, there was a hole on my back as well.

No, it wasn’t something that could be stopped just by blocking the blood. That blade was… that kind of blade.

There was no pain.

My vision slowly darkened.

I placed my hand over Koko’s.

It’s fine. It’s fine.

I kept repeating those words over and over.

Someone was screaming. Was it Yuka? Or Koko? Or one of the people running over from the back? Or was it everyone? I wasn’t sure.

My eyelids felt heavy.

It’s fine.

It’s fine.

As I felt the warmth of her hand slowly fade, I mumbled those words repeatedly.

I didn’t know if anyone could hear.

*

“A-Ah!”

Yuka’s scream echoed.

Koko, her face pale, couldn’t say anything.

Blood was gushing between her fingers.

The sound of people running drew near.

“….”

One of them stopped halfway, staring blankly at the fallen Kotone.

“…Oh.”

Bleeding out, Kotone’s eyes weren’t even fully closed. Her vacant gaze was directed towards the sky, without focus or expression.

“Kotone!”

Koko shouted.

The fire was still burning. Despite the firefighters’ efforts, it would take time to extinguish the flames that had engulfed the wooden mansion.

Fortunately, the monsters had disappeared after Kotone… stopped moving. They all dissolved into blood, spilling onto the ground.

“…Kurosawa?”

Someone muttered.

Yuka looked up at the sound.

A girl with black hair hesitantly approached Kotone’s fallen body.

But as if afraid, she couldn’t kneel beside her like Koko.

“Kurosawa? What’s wrong?”

Yuka remembered her. Yamashita was her name. Though they weren’t particularly close, they’d spoken a few times, and she even had her contact saved in her phone.

It was a connection she’d made through Kotone.

“….”

There was nothing she could say.

Yuka moved her lips but then turned her gaze away. Her grandfather and father were running toward her.

“Yuka!”

Her father quickly ran over and held her in his arms.

“…Ah.”

Yuka’s hands trembled. She vividly remembered holding the blade just moments ago.

She could still feel the sensation of the blade sinking into flesh.

Yuka had wielded that sword.

And because of that, Kotone—

“Ah…”

She didn’t know what to do.

Nothing came to mind on what to say or how to handle this. In times like this, what was one supposed to do?

“Aaaah!”

The scream wasn’t intentional.

Her mind was simply overwhelmed. If this were a dream, she just wanted to wake up.

She had never imagined such a nightmare—never thought she would end up stabbing Kotone.

Her ears hurt. Her throat hurt, and her chest felt unbearably tight. No matter how many times she screamed, the suffocating feeling wouldn’t go away.

It probably never would.

Yuka would never forget Kotone’s face, mouthing the words, “It’s fine,” even as no sound came out, over and over, for Yuka’s sake.

“…It’s fine. It’s fine, Yuka.”

No, it wasn’t fine.

Was this really what Yuka was supposed to do?

She wanted to deny it all, but everything that had been threatening people stopped the moment Kotone died. Had Kotone truly been at the center of it all?

She wanted to reject it. It would have been better if it was just a mistake. If it were all just Yuka’s fault, that would have been easier to bear. Although she didn’t know how to make amends or earn forgiveness—

How could someone’s fate involve stabbing their friend to death?

Yuka’s gaze dropped.

‘The Nameless One’ lay on the ground.

…A sword that cuts down things not of this world.

A sword Yuka had wielded countless times.

She’d tried hard not to curse the work her mother had passed on to her. It was a job that needed to be done, one that only she could do.

Lately, she’d even started to feel okay with it. Because of that job, she’d met her friends.

….

But in the end, Yuka couldn’t help but curse her duty.

Her throat hurt.

Her voice was hoarse.

But Yuka screamed.

She didn’t know what else to do.

*

“Foolish, foolish.”

At those words, I opened my eyes.

Or maybe, had they been open the whole time?

It felt as if I’d always been here, like when I first woke up in this world.

Come to think of it, I’d already died once in that other world. So dying and going somewhere else wasn’t new to me.

“Well, at least you followed some of my advice. Well done, very well done.”

“Advice?”

I asked the cat-like figure in front of me, Kuro, who was lying flat on the ground, tail swaying.

“To live without thinking too deeply.”

“…To live like a cat?”

“Meow.”

At my question, Kuro meowed, as if remembering fondly. Strangely, her face looked like she was smiling. I could even hear a faint purr.

“…Are you mocking me?”

“No, I mean it.”

Kuro replied.

“Oh, do you think you know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t used that power?”

“…Perhaps…”

“Are you going to say none of this would have happened?”

Hmph.

Kuro snorted, a clear mocking laugh this time.

“Foolish. Foolish. Everything is your fault, isn’t it? What, was it also your fault that your entire family died?”

“…”

When I stared silently at Kuro, she rose from her spot.

“Well, since it’s come to this, follow me.”

“…Where are we going?”

Around me was a shallow puddle, or maybe it was more of a lake with very shallow water. It looked like one of those salt lakes in another country, where after rain, the entire lake reflects like a mirror.

One of those stereotypical portrayals of the afterlife, mysterious and easy to imagine.

And right in the middle of it stood a door, leading nowhere.

It reminded me of a “door to anywhere,” though it wasn’t pink.

Beyond the silver door, there was a shallow staircase leading upward, toward there.

Kuro stood on the third step.

“I… that is…”

And as I saw Kuro guiding me, I began to feel a little scared.

That is… right, this was my second death.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t afraid of dying.

Isn’t that right? Together with Yuka, I had faced those who crossed over from the Underworld. It wasn’t hard to imagine why beings from the Underworld would keep trying to come to the mortal world.

Kuro, who was showing me her back, turned around to look up at me blankly.

“What? Are you afraid of going to hell?”

“…”

“What did you do wrong to be so scared?”

“I…”

“…”

Kuro looked up at me quietly and spoke.

“What do you think dying is?”

“Huh?”

That’s… well.

More importantly, why was she asking me this?

Was she about to say something like “as long as you’re remembered, you’re not truly gone,” or something like that?

“…When your heart stops beating?”

It wasn’t something easy to accept. I… had done that kind of work. Rescuing people from terrible situations. Doing whatever it took to keep hearts beating and people breathing.

“That’s one way to see it. Usually, that’s the case.”

Kuro turned her body and began ascending the stairs slowly.

“But it’s a bit strange. By that logic, you should already be dead. You had a hole in your heart, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know you sometimes come across as a bit stupid?”

Kuro glanced back at me as she spoke.

“You came from a world full of strange things, and yet you think in such simple terms?”

“…”

For some reason, that annoyed me.

Just moments ago, I’d done something terrible to a friend. I hadn’t done it willingly, but it had happened because I hadn’t shared the prophecy sooner.

How were Yuka and Koko now? Were they crying?

What about the others I knew?

“…You were the one who said to think simply.”

At my words, Kuro let out another “hmph” as she chuckled.

“Yes, I did. So there’s no need to overthink. Just think of what you saw.”

Kuro continued ascending the stairs.

“You saw so many strange things. And yet you think death is just the heart stopping?”

“…”

As I stared blankly at Kuro’s back, she looked back at me, now sounding slightly annoyed.

“Aren’t you coming up? If the door closes, I won’t know what to do. You don’t have a key, do you?”

Only after hearing Kuro’s words did I slowly step into the door.

And one by one, I began ascending the shallow stairs.

“Good.”

Kuro’s tail swayed back and forth.

“Let’s talk as we climb. There will be more than enough time to pass. Meow.”

For some reason, Kuro’s voice sounded strangely excited as she spoke.

Chapter 153. Blood (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

It was too late.

That was Kagami’s thought as she looked down at Kotone, who no longer moved.

What was she too late for?

If she had run a little faster. No, if she could have stopped that child from grabbing Kotone’s hand in the first place.

No, from the beginning, if she had stopped Kotone from coming to a place like this—

—if only they had lived in the same place.

If she had welcomed Kotone without caution when she first opened her eyes. If she had treated her a little more like a ‘mother,’ perhaps this wouldn’t have happened.

It was strange. Just until recently, she couldn’t see Kotone as a person, no matter how much she spoke like one.

Even when Kotone took on a human form, Kagami never thought of her as a person as she watched her sleeping.

Thus, even when the girl woke up, it took a long time for Kagami to think of her as her daughter.

It’s only been about ten days since she received her gift.

“Don’t come here!”

Kagami blinked only after hearing Koko shout.

It felt like her breath had briefly stopped.

When she raised her gaze, she saw Yuuki Yuka standing a few steps away from Kotone, hesitating.

She seemed exhausted just from standing there, probably from all the screaming in her father’s arms moments ago.

A sword lay discarded at her side, a precious item that was now ignored by everyone.

Koko was screaming at Yuka, who just stood there.

“Don’t come! Don’t come here!”

Her voice was more of a desperate scream.

A cry from a child who didn’t know what to say.

In her small hands, bright red blood was smeared.

Blood was still slowly seeping from Kotone’s chest.

Kagami walked forward.

She didn’t stagger, nor did she walk deliberately slowly or quickly. At least on the outside, she would have looked calm.

“Koko…”

Yuka spoke with a pleading tone.

“Koko, I—”

“No!”

Koko shouted, not waiting to hear Yuka’s words.

“Go away! Kotone’s in pain!”

It was as if her learned language skills had regressed all at once, and Koko spoke only in childish phrases.

“…”

Yuka looked blankly at Koko, stunned.

Her arms hung limp, and her legs gave way.

Yuka knelt on the ground, staring dazedly at Kotone.

As if she couldn’t even grasp the situation.

Kagami, at least, could objectively understand the situation. Thankfully.

“Koko.”

“Don’t come!”

Even to Kagami’s voice, Koko shouted the same thing.

Kagami ignored her.

Instead, she slowly knelt down next to Koko.

She reached out and placed her hand on Kotone’s face, lying there with her eyes open.

…Cold. It was hard to believe that this was someone who had been alive just moments ago. Did a dead person’s body cool so quickly?

Ah, that’s right.

The weather was cold. Kotone had lay on the cold ground without anything underneath her.

She must have remained there, even after opening her eyes. There were no blankets or beds in that house. And when it had been hot, unlike now, the ground would have been scorching back then.

Slowly, slowly.

Thoughts like that seeped into Kagami’s mind.

A child who, not long after opening her eyes, started working to survive, even bringing home a rice cooker from work to cook for herself.

Kagami never thought of that child as admirable. Rather, she only found it strange.

Even seeing such a child, Kagami did nothing for her.

“…”

She slowly moved her hand to close Kotone’s eyes.

With her eyes closed, Kotone looked at peace.

It had been a painful life.

And that pain was likely because Kagami had given birth to her.

A child born in the wrong place, oddly upright. A kind child, almost impossible to think of as family, unlike Kosuzu or Kagami.

Finally, Kagami’s hand began to tremble.

“I… I…”

She knew.

This was someone’s twisted scheme. She couldn’t be sure what their exact goal was, but at least there was a terrible malice in it.

If Kotone were to open her eyes now, she’d probably say, “It’s fine.” Even if it were a wound inflicted on purpose.

Yet, even as she thought so—

“Wait.”

Kagami spoke, despite herself.

She knew it was purely emotional, but she couldn’t stop her voice from growing cold.

“Just give me a moment.”

“…”

She heard someone breathing shakily.

Yuuki Yuka’s hands were stained bright red. It was Kotone’s blood.

Kagami tried her best not to raise her gaze.

“…Koko.”

“No.”

As if knowing what Kagami was about to say, Koko responded.

“No! No! Kotone is—”

“…”

Kagami reached out and placed her hand over Koko’s.

It was the first time.

Koko was so startled that she stopped shouting for a moment.

What could she say?

No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t think of how to comfort her. Kagami had lived in a world like that.

She’d seen people die countless times. Kagami, who had even contributed to creating Koko, knew exactly what Koko was.

So.

Pretending to be a mother now would be nothing but revolting.

But.

She couldn’t just leave her here.

Though she didn’t yet understand her feelings, she knew she couldn’t do that.

“…Kotone…?”

A voice came from behind, barely audible, but Kagami didn’t turn back.

Slowly, she lifted Koko’s hand.

The wound beneath it had stopped bleeding. The blood pooling in the sword-shaped wound was slowly receding. The ground beneath Kotone’s back was stained red.

Kagami took Kotone’s limp hand and placed it neatly over her abdomen.

Then, she placed her own hand over Kotone’s and looked at her face for a long time.

Pale. Now that she thought about it, Kotone had always been pale.

Just because I suffered, didn’t mean this child had to suffer as well.

With that thought, Kagami felt as though she had been struck in the head.

She could hear footsteps of people gathering around. Yuuki Yuka was the only one among them who couldn’t bring herself to approach—

…And within those footsteps was the sound of military boots.

Kagami raised her head. For a brief moment, she locked eyes with Yuuki Yuka, and her shoulders flinched.

But soon, Kagami looked past her.

People were coming. Most were sturdy men.

They wore black uniforms with vests full of pockets, probably for ammunition.

None of them held guns, yet they appeared fully armed. Or perhaps those weren’t bulletproof vests but stab-proof ones.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

Yuuki’s grandfather stepped forward, as if to protect Kotone lying on the ground and the area itself.

But the soldiers moved swiftly, surrounding them.

The man who emerged from between the soldiers was the same elderly man with white hair Kagami had seen at the hotel earlier.

He wore a brown suit, with a fedora on his head, and held a cane in his hand, looking like a gentleman from a painting.

Yet the words he spoke weren’t gentlemanly.

The old man glanced around, then looked at Kotone lying on the ground. He raised his gaze to look at Yuka, and then Yuka’s father beside her.

“There is no need to worry. You were merely handling the situation.”

“…What?”

Yuka murmured dazedly.

“Consider the subjugation complete with this.”

“What? Subjugation?”

Yuka asked again, but the old man ignored her.

“Research on the phenomenon has not yet concluded. Fortunately, the body remains.”

“Excuse me, what are you saying—”

“Yuka.”

Yuuki’s grandfather stopped her, then spoke to the old man.

“Are you saying that Kotone… is responsible for this phenomenon?”

“That is correct, based on the circumstances.”

The old man replied.

“Therefore, securing the specimen takes precedence. I trust you understand. Entities from other worlds begin to decompose rapidly upon death in this world.”

The old man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“And, the ‘possibility’ hasn’t ended yet, either.”

His gaze fell on Koko, sitting close beside Kotone.

“…I refuse.”

Kagami spoke up.

“This child is my daughter. I will… ensure she has a proper burial.”

Koko’s head whipped around, but Kagami, ignoring her, simply glared at the old man.

“I have that right, don’t I?”

“Being her legal parent, are you saying you wish to claim the body?”

“…”

“I’m sorry, but the body may carry a severe infection and must be handled by the government for research. Until it is deemed safe, we will take responsibility. The same applies to everyone here.”

The old man looked around as he spoke.

“Since you were near the body, there’s a risk of infection, and some among you are almost certainly carriers. After some examination, if everything is safe, we will return her to you.”

“What kind of pathogen are you talking about?”

Kagami asked, and the old man shook his head.

“We can’t be certain yet, which is why we must investigate, don’t you agree? Rest assured, if deemed safe, she will be returned to her mother’s arms.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll dissect her?”

“…We will treat her with the utmost respect.”

Only then did Kagami avert her gaze.

Click.

The sound of guns being readied echoed.

Kagami scoffed. Those guns might be able to kill her, but they could never kill the other one they sought.

Even if they used the “Branch.”

“…Koko.”

With a look that suggested she might slit the old man’s throat at any moment, Kagami whispered softly to Koko.

“Kotone wouldn’t want any more pain, would she?”

“…”

Koko looked at Kagami, her eyes trembling slightly.

“Could you hide with Kotone for a while?”

Or maybe forever.

Hidden where not even Kagami could reach, free from anyone’s interference.

“…”

Koko stared blankly at Kagami for a while.

And then, without warning, she vanished.

Along with Kotone.

“Hey!”

Someone shouted. Footsteps of people rushing forward could be heard. The click of firearms, each made of various parts, also reached her ears.

Kagami raised her hands and placed them behind her head.

---

“…No one does as I say, do they?”

“What kind of lunatic would listen to you?”

Hagiwara Hana, wielding a sword and standing between Kosuzu and Sasaki, spoke.

“…”

Kosuzu tilted her head slightly.

“That’s a strange thing to say. If you weren’t mad, you wouldn’t be here.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I’ve already weeded out enough of my people. Your faithful ones are all in the underworld now, so how did you come here?”

Hagiwara’s eyes widened slightly at Kosuzu’s words.

“I—”

“Did you secretly watch over him? Without information, you wouldn’t have been able to find this place unless you kept tabs on him.”

“No!”

Hagiwara shouted in a hurry.

Kosuzu shrugged.

“Well, if necessary, I suppose you’d do it. I like that about you. I think the same way.”

“Shut up!”

Hagiwara threw her sword at Kosuzu again. This time, Kosuzu didn’t dodge.

Splat!

The sword collided with something in midair, spun around, and fell to the ground, making a lonely metallic clink.

A long tentacle had emerged from Kosuzu’s coat.

“Tsk!”

Hagiwara immediately turned and lunged at Sasaki and Shii.

“Ah, Senpai!?”

“Eek!”

She tackled them to the ground, narrowly avoiding a sinister presence that sliced past the back of her head, scattering several strands of her hair.

“…”

Hagiwara pulled out another sword from her waist. It was the last of the three she carried.

“…Sota.”

She called softly, and Sota nodded. He showed no concern for what he had just heard, which gave Hagiwara a bit of relief.

Sota extended his hand. Shii closed her eyes. Hagiwara raised her sword.

“Hmph.”

Kosuzu approached them, her footsteps echoing with a confident stride.

“Do you really think you can take me on with something like that? Without that girl, you’d all be dead where you stand.”

“…”

Hagiwara didn’t respond.

She stood up, gripping the sword faintly stained with Sota’s blood, and glared at Kosuzu.

Kosuzu shrugged and continued her confident approach.

“What is it that you want?”

Kosuzu didn’t answer, as if there was no reason to tell.

With a faint hum, as if pleased that things were going well, she swung her tentacles from beneath her coat.

Swoosh!

This time, the sword did not bounce back. The sword with Sota’s blood was able to resist the tentacles, but—

“Tsk…!”

Hagiwara was pushed to the side, stumbling as she barely managed to regain her stance and swung her sword again.

Thud!

She struck, but held firm. She couldn’t back down here, or the two behind her would truly be in danger.

Besides, she couldn’t die here. Hagiwara had something she wanted to say. The things the enemy had said earlier were misunderstandings, and if she couldn’t clear them up, she felt she’d die in frustration.

Her right arm throbbed.

Hagiwara rummaged through her pocket, pulling out a vial and throwing it at Kosuzu.

Crash!

Kosuzu, unwilling to be hit, shattered the vial midair.

Hiss.

Holy water spilled and hit her tentacles, leaving slight burn marks, but that was all.

Slowly, the tentacle lowered, and Kosuzu’s hidden face emerged.

She was glaring at Hagiwara.

Rather than being extremely angry, she seemed irritated, as if she’d encountered an annoying obstacle.

Kosuzu let out a soft breath, raised her hand again.

In it was a small bell.

Kosuzu moved the bell—

—but it didn’t ring.

A hiss like that of an angry cat sounded.

Kuro, with its back bristling, was looking up at Kosuzu. Its tail stood upright in pure fury.

The bell made no sound.

“…”

Kosuzu looked down at Kuro in silence.

“Honestly—”

Kosuzu’s tentacles moved.

Their tips pointed straight at Kuro.

And the moment they were about to strike.

“…”

Kosuzu froze.

Kosuzu, her eyes wide open, stared off in the direction behind her.

Hagiwara didn’t miss her lapse in focus.

Thunk.

“Eek!”

Kosuzu finally screamed when Hagiwara’s sword pierced deep into her tentacle.

“You—”

But Hagiwara wasn’t the only one who moved.

Red droplets splattered across Kosuzu’s face.

“…”

“Who do you think you are, coming here!”

With blood now staining her face, Hagiwara’s fist slammed into Kosuzu’s face.

Crack. Something broke, though it was unclear if it was the fist or her face.

But one thing was certain: Kosuzu, punched in the face, stumbled back.

Hagiwara yanked her sword out of the tentacle, yellow blood spattering as a deep cut was left behind. Kosuzu grimaced in pain.

Hagiwara was thrown aside by the tentacle that seemed unfazed by the injury, her body slamming into the wall before dropping to the ground.

“You all—”

But before Kosuzu could continue, more blood splattered.

Sota was swinging his blood-drenched hand.

Reacting instinctively, Kosuzu raised her tentacles to block the blood, grimacing as it seeped into her wound.

She started to swing her tentacle, then paused, her movements hesitating.

She raised her hands, staring blankly at her body.

“…How…? He…”

“Urgh…”

Hagiwara used the wall to pull herself up, somehow still holding onto her sword. She looked as if she might collapse any moment, but her expression showed she hadn’t given up the fight.

“Hiss.”

Kuro inched closer to Kosuzu.

“…”

Kosuzu, still staring at her hands, looked up at Kuro before turning away.

No one tried to follow her out.

“Meow.”

Kuro watched Kosuzu leave, then finally relaxed, letting its fur settle.

“Hah…”

Hagiwara slumped to the ground.

“…Senpai.”

Sota approached Hagiwara, blood still flowing from his hand.

“O-Onii-san…”

“…Shii. Are you both okay?”

“…”

Hagiwara only let out a small sigh.

“Onii-san, your hand…”

“Oh, right. And you, Senpai.”

“Yes.”

Shii nodded, wiping away the tears in her eyes, trying to regain her composure.

Sota placed his uninjured hand on Shii’s shoulder.

Feeling that she might cry even more, Shii thought she had to wrap things up quickly and try to contact Senpai.

If Kotone-senpai was around, she might know something about this situation.

Chapter 154. Blood (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

My friend died.

Death was a foreign concept to the kids around her.

If they were in high school or middle school, they might have attended a relative’s funeral before. If their great-grandfather or great-grandmother were alive, they might have gone to a funeral as a child and even seen a body directly.

They could have attended a funeral of a distant relative with their parents. Maybe one of their parents, or even both, had passed away.

But that didn’t mean they were accustomed to it.

Especially when it was the death of a friend.

In a country at war, or one that was politically unstable or lacked security, or in a place where even one meal a day was a struggle, the death or disappearance of peers would feel more familiar.

But Japan was not such a place. Especially for children who had never experienced financial hardship.

“……”

Yamashita Yuu was one of those children.

Her gaze was fixed outside the window. Although the weather wasn’t particularly cold, she didn’t feel like going outside.

Last night, she had been grilled by government agents. She couldn’t remember how many times she answered, “I don’t know.” So she had no desire to go out and face more officials.

Yesterday, Koko had taken Kotone and vanished. It wasn’t that she had simply run off with her. Carrying Kotone, who weighed almost the same as her, would have been impressive, but what Yuu saw was Koko literally “disappearing.”

The officials couldn’t pursue them. They had tried to track her by following the bloodstains, but it wasn’t easy.

Now, they were shoveling dirt from the Yamashita estate’s garden into plastic bags.

The soil on the edge of the spade was darkened. It had absorbed the blood that Kurosawa Kotone spilled last night.

Kurosawa Kotone.

Yuu had seen her yesterday, falling to her side after being stabbed, motionless.

That was… an unimaginable sight. She had seen it with her own eyes, but when she squinted, trying to recall it, the memory oddly blurred.

Oh, yes, she remembered that.

Kotone’s mother, a woman named Kagami, had knelt beside her.

Kagami had tidied Kotone’s body, which had been sprawled haphazardly, and closed her eyes. It was strangely sorrowful.

Yes. It was odd.

That woman had acted as though she disliked Kurosawa Kotone, hadn’t she? Hadn’t Yuu even seen her slap Kotone? But for some reason, as Kagami gently arranged Kotone’s body, it was as if she had lost a daughter and didn’t know what to do.

Kurosawa’s face looked peaceful.

Like she was just sleeping.

Is that what death is normally like?

Yuu shook her head.

She couldn’t imagine Kurosawa dying. Just like that? Without leaving any last words?

Death felt… well, like something that shouldn’t happen.

Besides, Yuu had once seen Kurosawa drenched in blood, then standing up as if nothing had happened. In the bathroom that day, Kotone’s neck had been twisted in an unnatural direction after a fall. But the next moment, she was up on her feet.

It wasn’t only because of that, but for various reasons, Yuu still couldn’t fully accept that Kurosawa was dead.

“…Yuu.”

Her father’s voice came from behind her.

“Dad.”

Yuu answered calmly.

Perhaps worried by her calm tone, her father let out a sigh.

His gaze followed hers out the window, where people in protective suits were mechanically digging as if the place had been contaminated.

“Would you like to talk for a moment?”

Her father suggested.

Yuu nodded.

Watching wouldn’t make anyone suddenly appear to sort out and explain the situation.

Kurosawa’s mother was still being held in a temporary interrogation room in the mansion. It would be a while before they could get any real answers.

Her father turned and started walking, and Yuu followed behind.

“Miho-nee—”

“She’s safe. She’s at a hotel quite far from here.”

That was a relief.

Miho-nee’s room had been completely wrecked anyway. According to testimony, everything had started there. If she had stayed, she might not have survived.

Yuu’s father, Yohei, had sent Miho-nee away to another location out of concern.

So why did Yuu stay here?

The two walked in silence for a while, entering a room.

There were many rooms in the mansion. Naturally, some of them went unused. The room they entered was one of those. It was clean, prepared to host guests at a moment’s notice, but usually, no one except for the cleaning staff ever entered.

Her father set down two cushions on the floor.

Then he took a seat on one and looked up at Yuu. Yuu sat across from him in silence.

“First, I want to apologize for what’s happened.”

Her father lowered his head.

Yuu stared at him in surprise. In her memory, her father wasn’t one to apologize to her.

He wasn’t the perfect dad, but she thought he was a decent one. And the fact that he wasn’t one to apologize was part of why she didn’t think he was perfect.

Maybe it was because he was a yakuza. Or maybe it was just his pride.

“What happened, exactly?”

Her father lifted his head at her question.

“…I’m not sure where to begin.”

“From the beginning.”

Yuu answered firmly.

“Tell me everything from the start.”

“…”

Her father was silent for a moment before nodding heavily.

“I’ll have to start with your mother.”

Slowly, he began to speak.

Yuu stared at him. Why bring up Mom now?

“Your mother… Kosuzu was a shrine maiden.”

*

“…Can you believe it?”

After her father finished his story, he asked Yuu.

Yuu looked at him, dazed, then shook her head.

“Of course not.”

It was exactly as he said.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t accept the existence of things like yokai. Even after seeing that scene yesterday.

It was as hard to believe as the fact that Kurosawa was dead.

But what could she do?

If this wasn’t a dream, she’d have to accept it eventually.

“…”

Yuu lowered her head slowly.

She clutched her skirt. She had changed her clothes, but she still felt as though something sticky clung to her.

So, according to her father…

Yuu’s mother was the leader of a cult that killed several people. She must have gotten blood on her hands.

That… oddly enough, felt like the most real thing out of everything she’d heard since yesterday.

Yuu remembered her mother.

The woman named Kosuzu was perfect. She always looked at Yuu with a warm smile, often hugging her. She taught her the names of flowers, and when Yuu made mistakes, she would kindly correct her without scolding.

That was the kind of person she was.

“…There’s something I want to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“If Miho-nee was almost killed by Mom…”

Yuu said in a low voice, still staring at the floor.

“Does that mean what happened yesterday is also connected to her?”

“We don’t know yet.”

Her father answered immediately.

“Is it possible?”

“We don’t know that either. Kagami-san might know more.”

Kurosawa’s mother.

“Why did she do it?”

“…I don’t know.”

“…”

Yuu looked up at her father.

His face showed no expression. It frustrated her.

“Do you really not know? You married a woman like that without knowing? Why?”

“…”

Her father remained silent.

“Why? Why? How did it come to this?”

After a long silence, her father finally spoke, eyes closed.

“Back then, we thought it would help us both.”

Yuu was at a loss for words.

“Then, what about me?”

There was no strength in her voice as she asked.

“Why was I born? Was I just… part of the plan?”

“…Yuu.”

“You can’t even say no?”

Yuu’s voice trembled.

“Then, what about Kurosawa? How did she come to be?”

“…”

“Was she born for the same reason? Just to be useful? Is that how things work in that family?”

Her father seemed lost for words in the face of her questions.

“Yesterday, did that happen because it had to? Because it was useful for her to be dead?”

“Yuu.”

The memories of last night resurfaced.

The pale, lifeless face had looked peaceful.

She had never seen that expression on her. She’d seen her smile before. She’d seen her in pain, even deep in thought. But looking back, Kurosawa always seemed haunted by something. Even when she was still.

Yuu had thought they’d gotten close. She’d stayed over at Kotone’s house, and Kotone had stayed over at hers.

But she hadn’t known anything.

It hadn’t even occurred to her that they might be blood-related.

Cousins weren’t always close, but still…

…Weren’t they close? She’d been right next to her and had known nothing.

Yuu hadn’t known anything about her.

They hadn’t even been on a first-name basis.

Her heart pounded fiercely.

Yes. That realization filled her with fear.

She’d never see her again. Maybe she’d visit her grave someday, but that would be it. She wouldn’t go to her small but lively house anymore, or suddenly strike up a conversation with her while she was sitting there absent-mindedly, or plan a surprise Christmas event to shock her.

She had thought they would naturally grow closer and become friends.

“…Why was she left there, just like that?”

“…”

Her father had no answer to Yuu’s question.

“Why did you stand by while her mother did those things…?”

Her father replied that he hadn’t known.

But he could have asked, couldn’t he? Wasn’t her mother his sister?

“Yuu.”

Yuu’s father called to her, watching her stand abruptly.

“I’ll go ask her myself.”

“Yuu, wait—”

Before he could get up to stop her, Yuu had already bolted out of the room.

She couldn’t understand. She couldn’t accept it.

She didn’t want to believe that Kotone had left without even being properly thanked.

If she had heard this under normal circumstances, Yuu probably wouldn’t have been angry.

She would have just stared blankly in disbelief, rolled her eyes, and shrugged.

And then, after hearing it together, or even directly from her, Yuu would have probably just acted awkwardly, as she often did.

As time passed, those things would have seemed trivial, and she’d have gone out with Mako and Harumi as usual, watching, eating, and doing things together.

…But what now?

Once she started thinking about it, thoughts flooded her mind.

What was she supposed to tell Mako and Harumi? They had cared deeply about Kotone, especially Mako, who had continued to help her after learning about her situation.

Everything felt unfamiliar. It was a feeling she had never experienced.

Yuu… had thought of Kurosawa as a friend.

She had never been particularly talkative, nor had she taken the lead in making plans to hang out.

But since Yuu didn’t have many people around her…

Until Mako and Harumi had approached her, others had avoided her as soon as they knew her family background.

So Yuu had stopped paying attention to those around her, until Mako and Harumi casually started talking to her.

Kurosawa Kotone was peculiar in that sense. Or maybe, because her past was even stranger than Yuu’s, she wasn’t bothered by the yakuza background.

It felt strange.

As if something that had occupied a corner of her heart had disappeared in an instant.

So Yuu ran, as if fleeing from it, making all kinds of excuses.

“Wait…!”

Naturally, there were people standing beside the door.

As soon as Yuu touched the door, the two men lunged to grab her arms.

“Let go of me!”

Yuu shouted.

“You’re not allowed in here!”

“This is my house!”

Their words were so absurd that Yuu struggled. As she kicked them, they were about to throw her down—

“Can’t you take your hands off her!?”

Yes. As Yuu had said, this was indeed “her house.”

Although Yuu wasn’t a yakuza, her father was. And the mansion was always staffed.

And Yuu, somehow, had saved the lives of those people. At least, those who had survived in this mansion owed her.

More people than the two holding her down quickly surrounded them.

No matter how professionally trained those men were, responding immediately while holding someone was no easy feat.

“Young miss!”

“Yes!”

Without even a chance to say thank you, Yuu got up and rushed to the door.

It wasn’t locked. Had they thought it unnecessary? Or maybe they hadn’t wanted to bother with locking a sliding door.

Thanks to that, Yuu managed to roll into the room.

Bang!

The sound of her body hitting the floor was loud, but Yuu sprang up, oblivious to the pain.

Then, she shuddered.

Everyone in that room looked like someone important. Men and women in suits sat there, including an elderly man she had seen earlier.

Among them were people who Yuu recognized as Yuuki Yuka’s grandfather and father.

And Yuuki Yuka herself.

“…”

Without thinking, Yuu looked at her.

She was sitting with her head lowered, saying nothing, only sitting there in the chair. Why had they brought her here?

“Young miss.”

Someone called her.

When she looked, Kurosawa’s mother, Kagami Kurosawa, was sitting there.

Was this some kind of makeshift hearing? No, it looked closer to an interrogation.

Her hands were cuffed. Although her body wasn’t bound by ropes like in courtroom footage, she didn’t look comfortable either.

People were seated around Kagami in a wide semicircle.

“If you want to do something like this, I’d appreciate it if you could have done it somewhere else, not in my house.”

Yuu’s first words to them were that.

It wasn’t that she had any particular thought. Her mind was too jumbled to function properly.

So she just said whatever came to mind.

…Like when she had swung her fist that time.

“We apologize.”

The elderly man said. He did look genuinely sorry, his eyebrows furrowed in discomfort. He reminded Yuu of the older adults she had seen as a child.

People from “other factions” who occasionally visited the house had made that same expression.

“But this matter was so urgent, you see. I hope you’ll understand?”

“There are other buildings nearby, aren’t there?”

“Given the incident that took place here, it would be difficult to leave before investigating further. We don’t know what might happen.”

“…”

Yuu narrowed her eyes.

It sounded like an excuse, no matter how she looked at it.

Of course, she couldn’t know what was actually going on, or the exact reason behind it.

“So we ask for your understanding.”

Yuu looked again at Kagami.

“Did you still have more questions after interrogating her all night?”

“If she doesn’t answer, then we have to ask for as many hours as it takes.”

Kagami met Yuu’s gaze.

Kagami’s eyes were calm. She didn’t seem like a person who had just lost her daughter.

…Or perhaps she did. After all, she was one of the few who had seen Kotone’s fate firsthand.

Now, she was the only one. One of the few who had sat beside Kotone then, Koko, wasn’t here now.

Could it be because Kotone was her daughter?

Those people had tried to take Kurosawa with them then.

She didn’t know exactly what they were planning. But one thing was clear: it wouldn’t have been welcomed by those who knew Kotone.

She looked over at Yuuki again.

Yuuki wasn’t looking her way. The sword she had held was nowhere to be seen, but dried blood still clung to her hands in dark red stains.

Seeing that, Yuu’s heart began to pound again.

Could that be… Kotone’s blood?

“Did you think it was appropriate to keep those who went through that last night awake all night?”

Yuu said.

“Girl—”

“It seems you’re forgetting something.”

Yuu said.

“This mansion isn’t yours.”

“We know that but—”

“Which means that in this house, you don’t get to decide who stays where.”

“…”

The old man stared at her.

Groaning sounds came from the hallway outside.

Two government agents lay pinned under the men outside, their faces flushed red.

“Maybe you could do as you please outside, but in here, I don’t think anyone would be surprised if something were to happen to you.”

Reactions varied.

Some chuckled, while others shifted uncomfortably. The old man did neither.

“…You said the place was sealed off due to pathogens. Since we lack evidence, we can’t refute that.”

Yuu recalled the moment when they had fought off the monsters.

“On the other hand, there’s no proof that you won’t get mauled by an unknown beast.”

She thought back to that sensation.

The mirror that revealed the truth.

Conversely, it was also a gateway to “the truth beyond.”

Few people scoffed now.

Instead, some people glared at Yuu, while others looked uneasy.

“I believe you all know who my mother is.”

Yuu spoke with all the confidence she could muster.

She was acting impulsively, just as she had when she’d thrown that punch.

…She was glad, in a way, that she took after her father.

Kagami quietly observed her.

Her expression was complex in many ways.

Chapter 155. Blood (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The elderly man, who had been quietly observing Yuu for a moment, finally opened his mouth.

"Was that girl, Kotone, truly such an important presence to you?"

He asked in a calm voice.

"Important enough that you'd be willing to trade everyone here for her? Wasn't she already dead?"

Yuu furrowed her brows at the old man's words.

It was true... if you looked only at the words, it made no logical sense. No matter how she felt, Kurosawa... had ended up like that, and now she was saying she'd kill others because she felt bad about it.

But did she have the kind of personality to care about something like that? Yuu pondered briefly.

Kurosawa, she thought, would have been like that. Even back when Yuu visited her home, before they were truly close, she had gladly let her stay, despite her own circumstances.

And despite her awareness of her own difficulties, she continued to take care of her younger sister, Koko, to the best of her ability.

Yes. That was all she could discern about her. Yuu still wasn't close enough to say they knew each other completely.

All she wanted was to get closer.

"..."

Yuu's gaze turned toward Kagami.

The relationship between the two seemed too complex to understand from what she’d heard alone.

Though they were mother and daughter, they didn’t get along well; yet there was still some affection. At least from Kagami’s side, she seemed to regard Kurosawa as her daughter.

Then, did Kurosawa know? Had she kept the secret, knowing that Yuu and she were closer than they seemed?

Next, she looked at Yuuki. She, too, had held a sword then. She had even seen her slay monsters. Just like Kurosawa had held a sword. The two seemed quite close, even though she had known her for a shorter time than Yuu.

There were so many things she wanted to know.

Questions she could never ask the person herself anymore.

So, Yuu wanted to hear more about her. There was no logical reason for it. She simply wanted to.

So,

"Yes."

Yuu answered.

Far more composed than when she had blurted out words earlier.

"Won't you regret it?"

"...Then, I’ll regret it when the time comes."

Yuu said, calmly looking at the person trying to reason with him.

"...My older sister had that side to her, too."

Kagami spoke.

With a tone that sounded either supportive or sarcastic, she turned back to look at the old man.

"When there was something she wanted, she'd do it right away without listening to anyone else, never considering others at all."

Yuu looked at Kagami in surprise, but she only kept her gaze fixed on the old man.

Raising her hand with the cuffs still on, there was a faint clink of metal.

"No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same. So why don’t you stop being stubborn and let me go before this turns worse? After all, both of you are asking for nearly the same thing."

Forcing someone to answer, despite knowing they wouldn’t give a satisfactory response, while keeping them confined and threatened.

Likewise, telling someone to back down, knowing full well they wouldn’t, then threatening them.

In a situation where someone’s life was being held hostage, it was obvious who was being more unreasonable.

In truth, Yuu wasn’t sure she could go through with it. She didn’t even have the mirror on her right now.

But it seemed the other side was equally unsure.

In such a situation where neither side was certain, it was rational for the one with more to lose to take a step back.

Though in this case, as the government, it might not even be a full step back—perhaps just half a step.

In reality, none of those here were entirely convinced the girl’s words were genuine.

Only that if they delayed further, the ones who would suffer would be those “working.”

"...Alright."

There was a mountain of work to resolve. Problems had broken out elsewhere, too.

In this case, civilians had witnessed events, and some had even been seriously injured. While no civilians had died apart from those inside the mansion, it was hardly a comfort; many were gravely wounded, and just handling the situation for those who saw the scene firsthand left much work to be done.

The reason for keeping Kagami here was partly due to that. If she rushed out to handle it, they couldn’t be sure what tricks this “cult” might pull in the meantime.

Most government officials were appointed, not elected. Those elected held only a fraction of the positions.

But among those officials with the highest authority, some were indeed elected.

And annoyingly, this woman had close acquaintances among those elected.

If she started contacting them, it might cause complications in resolving the issue, but it was precisely this that allowed her to persist like this.

In the end, they were running in parallel lines.

Having decided to handle what he could first, the old man stood up.

"But this matter is far from over, Ms. Kurosawa. You will need to explain why you were raising such a dangerous entity."

"I’ve been telling you all along."

Kagami responded unyieldingly.

"I raised her simply because... she was my daughter."

As an aide released her cuffs, Kagami rubbed her slightly sore wrists without looking up, and the old man let out a faint sigh.

"Unless you’d rather hear something different? In that case, I could introduce you to a certain assemblyman—"

"...No, that won’t be necessary."

The old man replied with a sigh, then turned his gaze to Yuuki’s side.

"And the reason for not neutralizing the cause, despite the circumstances?"

"...Why would you say such a thing to a child?"

Yuuki’s father said to the old man.

This time, the old man responded directly.

"Isn’t it the case for your family? Surely you have many tales of those who were lured or enamored by yokai, only to meet their deaths. And even in this situation, it wasn’t the girl who directly dealt the blow, was it? If..."

The old man briefly glanced at Kagami and Yuu.

"If that girl hadn’t chosen to end her own life, what do you think would have happened next?"

At those words, Yuuki’s shoulders quivered.

"..."

Yuu glared at the old man. She had witnessed the scene herself, but there was no need for him to go this far.

"Then it would seem we all owe our lives to that deceased girl, wouldn’t you say?"

This time, Yuuki’s grandfather spoke in a calm tone.

He was the oldest person present. Although he looked younger compared to the cane-bearing old man, given his profession, it might simply be a matter of health.

"And to use that child’s body in such a manner... isn’t that lacking in compassion?"

"...There are those who can save countless lives even after death."

"Such words hold no meaning unless spoken by the deceased themselves. If there were no dignity left for the dead, why would society give them such respect?"

"That’s certainly true."

The old man said, as he picked up the hat he had placed on the table and put it on.

"May I ask what makes you believe that girl was human?"

"..."

Perhaps it was because he had spent his life fighting yokai.

Yuuki’s grandfather couldn’t bring himself to answer.

---

"Hah."

Only after watching everyone leave the room did Yuu exhale quietly.

It wasn’t particularly a sigh of relief. There were still far too many unresolved issues.

And more than that—

"..."

Now that the people she could be angry at had all left, the room felt far more uncomfortable.

In truth, the atmosphere was chaotic.

The mansion had burned down just yesterday, and a large portion was damaged. Although more parts remained unburnt than burnt, the pervasive, sickening smell of ash lingered. The very reason she couldn't leave was due to those occupying this room.

And besides—

What could she even say?

Kurosawa's mother, Kagami, was not someone close to her. In fact, she had only recently become aware of her existence. Staring at her face brought vague memories from childhood, but if she had been a friendly figure, Yuu would surely have remembered her.

Even if she had come to this mansion, they probably would have only discussed work. There had been no personal interactions.

Her feelings toward her... were complicated.

She wasn't the person to unload personal resentment onto. She wanted to blame her for mistreating her daughter, but her father had just told her that wasn’t the case. And this woman had just lost her daughter yesterday.

Even if she had conceived her for a purpose, if she felt no attachment at all, she wouldn’t have acted as she did yesterday.

But she hadn't openly mourned either.

Had she displayed emptiness like Yuuki, it might have been easier to understand. Not that she wanted that.

Yuu didn’t have much experience in comforting others. She had lived concealing her emotions, and people around her rarely approached her warmly. Naturally, she had almost no experience with emotional exchanges, so she didn’t know how to respond in such a situation other than getting angry.

Even now, she didn’t know what to do with the roiling emotion in her chest. The reason she had acted so forcefully earlier was because of it.

"...Thank you, ma’am."

Kagami was the first to speak to the uncertain Yuu.

When Yuu looked at her, she shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"If you hadn’t come, I’d probably have been held here for several more hours."

"Ma’am..."

Yuu muttered, somewhat incredulous.

"Did I use the wrong title?"

"...I think I’m called your... niece."

"You overheard that."

Kagami let out a small sigh.

"Yes, technically that is the case... but I think it’s a little late for us to start being friendly with each other."

"...True."

If they were to continue knowing each other, things might change, but for now, she didn’t particularly want her to call her "Yuu" with any warmth.

She could still vividly remember her face from the police station.

"Kurosawa was... your biological daughter, right?"

"She was."

Kagami answered clearly to that question.

"Yes, she was my biological daughter. And as my sister’s child, you and Kotone are cousins."

"...Why didn’t you tell me before?"

"There were various reasons."

Kagami let out a small sigh.

"To start, your father was against you getting too deeply involved in these matters."

"..."

Only after hearing this did Yuu recall how kind Kosuzu had been to him.

And how, one day, she left without a word.

"Was that why my parents split?"

"...I’m not sure. Kosuzu never fully explained why she left. Personally, I think she was simply tired of it all and looking for another path. It was probably not your fault."

Yuu felt as though her words implied, "not only your fault."

But, hearing that at least made her feel a bit... better. Only a little. Since that didn’t necessarily mean her mother, Kosuzu, was a good person.

"And Kurosawa?"

"My daughter? Is there an issue with her?"

"...I heard she was created as a tool."

"Harsh words."

But Kagami’s expression turned self-deprecating as she spoke.

"But... yes, if I’m being honest, you could say that."

Yuuki slowly raised her head upon hearing that.

Dark circles hung under her eyes.

"If you want to blame me, go ahead."

Kagami looked down at her wrists as she spoke. They were red and swollen. From the cuffs, maybe?

Massaging the swollen areas, Kagami spoke in a detached voice.

"Ultimately, all of this is my fault. If I hadn’t intended to raise a daughter that way, none of this would have happened."

"What intention?"

This time, it was Yuuki who asked, not Yuu.

"...I thought you knew. Kotone’s... powers were mainly advantageous to your side, weren’t they?"

The words were sharp.

Blink.

Yuuki, hit by the words, blinked.

"If Kotone hadn’t been born for that purpose..."

"Are you saying she wouldn’t have died yesterday?"

Kagami cut Yuuki off.

"Funny, isn’t it? Isn’t it strange? If there hadn’t been a sword there, my daughter wouldn’t have died."

"..."

Yuuki’s face twisted.

At first, she wore a fierce expression, but as if she realized that she bore the greatest responsibility for Kotone’s death, her face crumpled. Tears began to well up, but she gritted her teeth, clearly trying to hold them back.

"Ms. Kagami."

Yuuki’s grandfather tried to stop her, but Kagami didn’t stop.

"...Perhaps."

Kagami spoke as if none of the arguments mattered.

"Yes, perhaps it would have been best if she’d never been born at all."

With an empty, hollow voice, she slowly raised her gaze.

"If so, then the reason for all of this would never have existed."

There would have been no reason to be a source of power for the sinister.

Nor a reason to be stabbed.

Or even a reason to have to bear all that suffering.

"Just what are you saying?"

Yuu’s words drew the attention of everyone in the room.

Even Yuuki’s grandfather and father looked at her, but Yuu didn’t shrink back this time.

Anger boiled up within her once again.

She couldn’t understand why the two of them were saying such things.

Of course, Yuu also knew that Kotone... was likely dead. Although she had seen her neck twisted, that was one thing, and having her heart stabbed was entirely different.

And now that she was beginning to learn the truth, he figured the "experts" here knew far more than she did.

But that only made her angrier.

Yuuki and Kotone were undoubtedly friends. Though she and Kotone were also friends, their bond was closer than that. Listening, it even sounded like they had risked their lives together.

And Kagami was her mother.

That made it worse.

Shouldn’t they be the last people to give up, no matter how logical the reason? The fact that she was the one getting angry felt quite absurd.

"Isn’t it wrong for you to be like this?"

"..."

Kagami gazed at Yuu for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Do you know what kind of sword stabbed Kotone?"

"I don’t."

"That sword was—"

"I don’t care to know."

Blink.

Yuuki blinked.

"Are you going to be stubborn?"

"Yes. If that’s what you’re thinking."

Yuu clenched her fists.

"...Otherwise, it would be too pitiful for her."

"..."

"Where is Kotone now?"

"Koko is with her."

"Where is that?"

"I don’t know."

Kagami sighed.

"To be honest, they haven’t even gotten their phones back yet."

"..."

"But even so, there’s no chance she’s alive. I already confirmed that myself."

"...Then prove it. Because I won’t believe it until I see it myself."

With that, Yuu turned abruptly and left the room.

---

Yuka stared blankly after her for a long time.

"...Yuka."

Her grandfather’s hand touched her back.

"Yuka. Let’s go home for now."

At his words, Yuka slowly rose from her seat.

Because she truly didn’t know what to do at the moment. Or if she even had any options.

No matter how she thought about it, it felt as if it was all her fault.

Kotone had died because Yuka had held the sword.

And because she tried not to kill Kotone, it had seemingly endangered everyone else.

"..."

What should she say?

"...Ah."

As she passed Kagami, Yuka tried to say something.

To apologize.

She had witnessed the situation, but still, mother and daughter were mother and daughter. She had killed her daughter—

But, even though Kagami must have heard, she didn’t look at Yuka.

She only kept her head down, massaging her wrists.

"..."

Yuka’s grandfather bowed slightly. Her father did the same.

In the end, Yuka, too, could only do the same.

...If she hadn’t had the sword, if she had let it go at that moment—

Then, would Kotone still be alive?

Her heart hurt terribly.

Had Kotone felt like this the moment she was stabbed?

Upon leaving the mansion, Yuka felt the temperature drop drastically.

When the mansion had been on fire, she hadn’t even felt the cold.

...Kotone must be cold now.

Where could she be?

Was she lying on the cold, bare ground again?

As the thought that she had caused Kotone to end up that way overwhelmed her, Yuka shivered.

Would she ever be able to hold the sword again?

...She thought probably not.

---

"Ugh..."

Koko, who had run as far as she could, now held Kotone’s body, unsure of what to do.

She was in the mountains. She didn’t know exactly where. She just had a feeling that running with Kotone wouldn’t help.

"Kotone?"

Koko shook Kotone’s body once more.

Plop.

Kotone’s hand dropped to the ground.

Koko picked up the hand and placed it back on Kotone’s chest. She didn’t know why. The hole there just frightened her too much.

...Kotone had turned completely pale.

It was as if all the blood had drained from her body. The wound was so large that it probably had.

"Ugh..."

Clutching Kotone’s body tightly, Koko began to sob again. Tears trickled from her eyes.

What should she do now?

She had no idea.

Up until now, Kotone had always told her what to do. Though there were times when Koko acted on her own, Kotone was always the foundation.

If she wasn’t sure, she just had to find Kotone.

"Kotone... Kotone..."

Once more, she shook Kotone’s body.

She already knew she wouldn’t wake up—no, she couldn’t know that.

Yes, Kotone would open her eyes. She had always done so before. Even when Koko failed to protect her, Kotone always opened her eyes again.

This time, too, Koko thought it would be the same.

She had to believe that.

It was getting cold. Koko missed home.

She missed the house where Kotone and Kuro were.

Chapter 156. Flesh (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

This is a bit much.

I've never heard anyone say they could feel exhausted even after death.

The first time I climbed the stairs, it wasn't a big deal. Even if there were a lot of stairs, I figured I wouldn’t be affected by things like gravity since this place wasn't reality.

If there was any problem, it was that without gravity, it would be impossible to stand on something in the first place. My body would just float around instead.

So, that means there is gravity here, and that I have a body to support that gravity.

It must mean I can get tired, too.

"Wait... let's rest for a moment."

When I plopped down on the stairs and said that, Kuro, who had been walking ahead, stopped as well.

Kuro took a seat on a stair and stared up at me.

"…Not saying anything, huh?"

"Why would I need to say anything?"

"No reason, really. It’s just... if you were some kind of divine being, you'd probably lack an understanding of humans, that sort of thing."

I looked down the path I had climbed. I must have climbed... about 300 steps.

I didn’t really count, but there was a bit of a wider space in the middle, with another door. When climbing, it had felt as if the door rose out of nowhere and was transparent from the other side. But looking down, I could only see the space beyond the door, not all the way down.

So, clearly, I had entered a “different place.”

I recalled: 70 steps… and then 700 steps, wasn't it? I’d likely already climbed the 70 steps, since that wider space earlier must have marked the end of them. If I’d gone further, another world might have come into view.

Could it be purgatory? And where I was headed... hell?

"Meow."

Kuro let out a single cry and lay down flat on the floor.

"I was waiting here to guide you, not to nag you."

"And... where exactly are you guiding me to? Is this some kind of trial or something?"

"A trial?"

"You know, like how people say you go to certain hells according to your sins after you die."

"Did you already forget what I told you before we started climbing?"

Kuro’s face took on a look that seemed to regard me as slightly pitiful, which left me at a bit of a loss.

"Did you think you died just because your heart stopped beating?"

"...Most people would think that way."

Kuro gazed up at me, unblinking.

"Let me ask you again, did you do anything wrong?"

"Huh?"

"You’ve been going on about death and hell this whole time."

"Well... I guess I did as much wrong as anyone else."

When I replied, Kuro tilted his head.

"Really? Then let’s take a quick look."

"A look? Like a flashback or something?"

"Maybe. It could be. Meow."

Kuro gave a vague response and turned his head.

The empty sky began to move. Just like in the distant past, during the time of the Big Bang, countless lights scattered like exploding stars from the depths of that darkness.

And soon, those lights formed constellations.

"...Ah."

My family’s constellation.

"There are two kinds of sleep, right?"

Kuro looked up at the sky alongside me.

"Shallow sleep and deep sleep. Shallow sleep is the kind where you dream. We've just crossed the 70 stairs of shallow sleep. We’re climbing the steps of deeper sleep, though we haven’t reached the top yet, so there’s still time to dream."

After a pause, Kuro continued.

"And usually, dreams follow one’s memories."

While listening, I couldn't answer.

Those moving constellations were so beautiful. No, they were beautiful in a way I remembered.

Whenever I dreamed... my family was always there. And that family always appeared as they did in my final memories of them. I didn’t even get to speak to them for the last time; they passed without even leaving behind their bodies.

In my memory of my family from even further back... I hadn’t seen them in a long, long time.

The family in the constellations was having a birthday party. It seemed to be my younger sibling’s birthday party. Since both of us were very young, I didn’t remember the exact timing.

My sibling, who looked about four, wore a cone-shaped hat and stared at the candles on the cake. A sparkle lit up those big eyes. One, two, three, four… With four candles, it must have been when my sibling was four.

At that age, I was old enough to know a bit of right from wrong, but I was still a child.

What kind of expression did I have back then?

"You probably wore the same expression you do now. Kids like cake."

As if reading my thoughts, Kuro spoke.

My parents, much younger than I remembered, clapped and sang. My sibling clapped along, and so did I.

When the song ended, my sibling blew out the candles with a puff. They didn’t go out all at once. With a second puff, the candles finally went out.

"Yeah, I liked cake back then."

I probably ate the cake, with cream smeared all over my face.

"A dream only follows your own memories. If you don't try to remember your family, the only family you’ll meet in your dream will be the one you last saw."

"…."

"Diving deeper into sleep without a single moment to dream, that’s what you’ve been doing."

"I…."

I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it.

It wasn’t wrong, after all.

I just stared blankly at the dream.

Time passed.

My sibling grew, and my parents, and I grew older. My sibling sometimes acted like they couldn’t stand me, but now and then, they showed care. Well, we were family, after all. I did the same. We fought, but I never truly hated them.

When my sibling got into their dream university, I gave them a watch as a gift. They complained about getting a watch as a gift, yet still wore it on their wrist. Now that I think about it, maybe a bag or clothes would have been better? I wasn’t good with things like that, honestly.

"Oh, wait. Wait a moment."

I lowered my head hastily. I was relieved the memory didn’t include sound, but I knew what was coming next.

The next memory would surely—

"You don’t have to."

Kuro spoke.

"But, still—"

"It’s okay."

"...."

Kuro’s voice was calm, lacking her usual teasing tone.

I slowly raised my head.

And there...

"...Ah."

Koko was there.

Not only Koko but everyone I had met on the other side.

"I told you, dreams follow your memories."

Kuro spoke as I gazed blankly at the scene with my mouth open.

The dream followed my memories.

Going out with friends, feeding Koko, putting Koko to sleep. It was mostly trivial things. Just eating together with friends made me happy, and I think they enjoyed seeing me happy. The same went for Koko.

Running on the beach, staying in a hot spring inn. Enjoying sports day and the cultural festival.

Having a Christmas party, praying together at the shrine.

"If you have both good experiences and bad memories, you can just pick the good ones, can’t you? Good and bad memories are always intertwined. It’s because there are bad memories that the good ones feel that much sweeter."

Yuka, dressed in a shrine maiden’s attire, smiled at me. So did Koko. Even Kagami gave a slight smile.

Then, slowly, like the dying embers of a fire, they all faded away into faint starlight.

"..."

I wiped my eyes.

"How do you feel?"

"...Do I really need to put it into words?"

"Expressing emotions verbally is a crucial part of therapy, or so they say."

The surreal nature of a supernatural being speaking of psychology almost made me laugh.

"…Annoyed."

"At me?"

"No, at this situation."

I sniffed and scrubbed my eyes.

Why was I even here, with a body, when I was supposed to be dead? I hated sweating while climbing these stairs, and I hated being here, crying.

I hated my aching legs, my aching heart.

Above all, I hated that I was here, unable to do anything.

As I climbed, I thought about the friends I had left behind.

What would happen to them?

Would they grieve for me? What had happened to my body? No, more than that, I had no way of knowing what was going on in that world.

It made my chest ache.

There was still so much I wanted to share with Koko. So much I wanted to tell Yuka. I wanted to know why Kagami had suddenly grown so kind lately.

Even though I acted uninterested, I found Kaoru’s ghost stories surprisingly amusing, and, honestly, I had once looked forward to fishing for buns. I felt a bit sorry for Izumi, but teasing her with silly comments had been fun.

And Mako… Ah, would she know about my death? If she did, she’d be devastated. She’d think it was her fault, even though she had nothing to do with it. Would Fukuda have a complicated expression? Yamashita, how about her? Although they were all friends, I couldn’t imagine the expressions they would wear when they learned I was gone.

The boss would be sad too. Would the boss even try to take care of Koko a little? If Miki had been able to come to our school, that would have been fun. She’d have been an upperclassman younger than me.

And as for Yuka—

—I wanted to go back and tell her everything was okay. That the sword wound she gave me didn’t even hurt, that it wasn’t like I was really hurt at all. That kid must be terribly distressed and confused. She probably even think she is the one who stabbed me. How was Koko? What did Kagami say to her? I’m so worried.

"I’m frustrated and angry."

"Do you want to go back?"

"Isn’t it obvious?"

I wiped my eyes.

"Of course, I don’t want to leave yet."

"Even after all that?"

"...Yeah."

Who would want to die? I have so many people who care about me.

Even if I was bruised, stabbed, torn, or bleeding, I didn’t want to leave those kids behind. I wanted to see them grow.

"I see."

When I looked up after hearing Kuro’s words, the sky was pitch-black once more. I couldn’t even see the stars that had once floated there, and it made my heart ache.

"That answer is enough."

Kuro rose and stretched his front paws forward.

"Meow. Now that we’ve rested, shall we climb a little more?"

I stood up.

Looking up, the end of the stairs seemed closer than before. Of course, I hadn’t moved, so the actual distance was likely the same.

"So, what was all that just now?"

"What do you mean? It was your dream."

"Did you show it to comfort me?"

"Was it?"

Kuro's tail swayed softly as she climbed a few steps ahead of me.

"The word 'dream' has multiple meanings, doesn’t it?"

"...You’ve been saying cryptic things from the start."

Kuro simply let out another “meow.”

Now that I thought about it, that sound might be Kuro's way of laughing.

---

"…What?"

Shi's face turned grave as soon as she heard the story.

"Where is Senpai right now?"

"..."

Yuu didn’t respond.

Thinking it would be impolite to call her senpai in the middle of the night, Shi waited until morning.

She wanted to sleep, but it didn’t come easily. Even though Hagiwara had agreed to guard the house, her fear from the previous day didn’t disappear.

She had known since summer break that monsters existed and that her brother’s blood could repel those creatures.

But until now, she hadn’t felt fear due to the monster. Even having seen it, she had still felt distant from the reality of it all.

"Meow."

Kuro sat close to Shi and Sasaki as if standing guard.

This eased her mind a bit, but in the end, she didn’t get a wink of sleep.

Waiting until 10:00 p.m., Shi called Kotone-senpai, but no one answered. After two attempts, she tried calling Koko-senpai. Again, there was no response.

Panicked from yesterday’s events, Shi began calling people close to Kotone-senpai.

The first person she called was Yuka-senpai.

[I’m sorry. Yuka isn’t available to take your call right now…]

"Oh, no, I’m sorry. Please forgive me."

Yuka-senpai’s grandfather spoke in a deeply apologetic tone, and Shi unconsciously bowed to thin air before hanging up.

What on earth was happening?

Next, she called—

[...Kotone is...]

Yamashita-senpai, who answered the phone, trailed off.

Hearing the hesitation in Yamashita-senpai's voice, Shi realized she knew something about Kotone-senpai's situation.

[Kotone is… she’s hurt, a bit.]

After a long pause, Yamashita-senpai finally said that.

"…What?"

It was no wonder Shi reacted that way.

If she was only “a bit” hurt, Yamashita-senpai wouldn’t have sounded so hesitant.

It was the voice of someone unsure whether or not to lie.

The last time she’d seen Yamashita-senpai, they hadn’t been super close, but she wasn’t someone who would avoid speaking without a reason.

"Where is Senpai right now?"

Without realizing it, Shi had asked in a tone that was a bit too rude.

She regretted it as soon as she spoke, but her concern for Kotone-senpai outweighed it.

Because Kotone-senpai was the kind of person who would remain calm even while bleeding. So if Yamashita-senpai was sounding like this, then it couldn’t be good.

[That—]

Just as Yamashita-senpai opened her mouth to answer.

The door burst open.

"Sota, Shi—"

Hagiwara, who rushed in, closed her mouth when she saw Shi on the phone and Sasaki next to her, listening with a worried expression.

[—I’m sorry, but I can’t say. I don’t know yet.]

"Oh, uh, I see. I’m sorry…."

[...No, if you’re worried, it’s natural.]

In response to Shi’s apology, Yamashita-senpai replied.

It made sense; even knowing someone was hurt but not knowing where they were would be concerning. Shi felt the same way.

[...When I find out, I’ll let you know too.]

"Thank you…!"

Once again, Shi bowed to thin air after ending the call.

After she hung up, her brother looked at her with a serious expression.

"What did she say?"

"She said Kotone-senpai… is hurt. They don’t know which hospital yet."

"...Really? That’s serious."

Her brother surely remembered that summer.

Knowing someone like her was hurt and in the hospital must be worrisome. And considering the monster they’d seen the day before, even more so.

"Still, it’s a relief that she’s in a hospital. Senpai will probably recover with time."

"Right? The situation doesn’t seem great, so let’s not try to search for her just yet. Not knowing the hospital might mean they’re hiding it on purpose."

Shi and her brother nodded in agreement.

"…Hagiwara-senpai?"

Then, they turned to Hagiwara, who had burst in and was watching them talk with a vacant expression.

"Yes?"

Hagiwara replied with a slightly spaced-out voice.

"Um… did you have something to say?"

"Oh, that."

With a similarly vacant look, Hagiwara fell silent, then looked at Shi and gave a reassuring smile.

"Our people decided to protect this place, for now. It may not be completely safe, but you should be able to rest easier."

"…Thank you."

Shi bowed to Hagiwara, wearing a complicated expression.

It was a mix of relief and fear. And there, just a hint of defeat.

In this situation, there was nothing Shi could do but wait for news.

Not even blood—

—Ah?

Deep in thought, Shi blinked.

"What? Did something happen?"

Her brother, seeing Shi’s reaction, asked worriedly.

Shi quickly shook her head.

"No, it's nothing. I was just feeling relieved."

"...Okay."

Her brother rubbed his eyes.

"Ugh."

Then he stretched his arms.

"Alright, let’s have breakfast. For now, all we can do is wait for news."

Shi nodded in agreement.

---

"Sota, hold on a moment."

After forcing Shi, who had insisted on cooking, to rest, Hagiwara urgently called Sota into the hallway.

When Sota, wearing a puzzled expression, approached, Hagiwara glanced at the door to make sure Shi wouldn’t come out unexpectedly.

"I’ll help with the cooking."

"Um? Senpai, you’ve been through a lot and are a guest, so I should—"

"Just follow me, no arguments."

Before Sota could finish, Hagiwara grabbed his arm and pulled him to the kitchen.

"Senpai?"

Surprised by the unusually forceful behavior from Hagiwara, Sota followed and finally spoke once they reached a corner of the kitchen.

"Huu…."

The first thing that came out was a sigh.

A heavy, worried sigh.

"Senpai?"

"Sota, listen carefully and try not to be too shocked."

Hagiwara spoke with a pale face.

"…Kurosawa Kotone... she died last night."

"…."

For a long time, Sota remained in that dazed state.

"...What?"

It was the only word he could manage.

"I just found out. I tried to tell you both earlier… but your sister."

"But Yamashita said—"

"...She lied. Kurosawa is close with your sister, isn’t she?"

"But we can’t be certain—"

"Last night, Kurosawa was at the Yamashita family’s place."

"..."

"I just thought… you should know. You’re her older brother, after all. And you weren’t as close to Kurosawa as Shi was."

Although he was still in shock, Sota began to understand why Hagiwara had told him.

…One of them had to know, so they could be prepared to handle the truth when it eventually surfaced.

But—

"...."

Both Hagiwara and Sota stood there in silence for a long time.

What could they possibly do?

Neither of them knew what to say or do in a situation like this.

It felt as though a lead weight had lodged itself in a corner of their hearts.

Chapter 157. Flesh (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The swelling on my wrist had mostly gone down.

I was still sitting in one of the rooms in the Yamashita family’s mansion, but at least now there was no one around.

This gave me a little more space to focus on my thoughts.

Back when I’d closed Kotone’s eyes, my mind hadn’t been functioning properly, but after ignoring the people in front of me for a few hours and getting lost in other thoughts, a few things started to surface.

The thoughts that came to mind weren’t anything extraordinary.

Couldn’t there be some way to save Kotone?

“...”

That… was a strange thought.

Even when my parents had suddenly passed away when I was a child, I hadn’t thought like that.

In fact, I was never the type to care deeply when someone around me died.

As a child, even looking after myself felt somewhat burdensome.

Besides, Kurosawa’s faith is inherently like that.

Even in death, transcend that very death, tear down the boundary between life and death, and free oneself from the fear of death to enjoy eternal life.

From that perspective, there was no reason for me to mourn Kotone’s death.

What I needed to do was simple: go to my sister immediately, beg for her forgiveness, and finish the plan as soon as possible to bring Kotone back from the other side.

…No.

I shook my head.

A multitude of emotions beyond rational judgment were blocking me from making that choice.

I hated Kosuzu.

Moreover, the name “Kurosawa” now felt meaningless.

After my sister, whom I trusted so much, had tossed Kurosawa’s principles away like garbage, clinging to that name no longer held much significance.

Everything I’d done so far was just something I kept doing because I’d always done it.

I was simply living like a machine because there was no reason to seek further meaning.

Come to think of it, the origin of that motivation was fear.

It wasn’t fear of divine punishment for losing faith, nor because I thought Kurosawa’s name could still protect me.

It was simply that I’d seen many times how far betrayed believers could go.

And I’d found meaning in that name once again when I saw the “successful creation.”

When a god inhabited the shell I had given birth to.

…Of course, that “meaning” soon became a “doubt.”

That divine being, no matter how I looked at it, didn’t think much differently from other children her age.

My initial feeling reverted to “fear,” as I didn’t know what she wanted.

I kept a certain distance from her, careful not to anger her too much, while also trying to sound out her thoughts.

It wasn’t particularly successful, but it wasn’t a failure either.

At the very least, the world hadn’t ended in a catastrophe because I misjudged her personality.

The being within her was far less capricious than I had thought and closer to calm rather than eccentric in personality.

When she lightly expressed irritation and then shared the food she was about to eat with me, she didn’t look remotely close to the cosmic horror I had imagined.

So, no.

Using Kosuzu’s power to achieve that goal wasn’t what that child wanted.

Even if she were revived in such a way, I was certain she wouldn’t be pleased.

I, like Kosuzu, was a greedy person, and I didn’t want to sever the relationship I had painstakingly saved.

Giving in to Kosuzu wouldn’t balance things out fairly.

I stood up.

As the folding chair, which I had roughly placed, scraped along the floor, it made an annoying sound.

Excluding that first choice, the second option had much lower odds.

But at least, it wouldn’t ruin the relationship with the person who came back.

I thought of the apartment where Kotone and Koko lived.

There must still be some flesh that hadn’t been used yet.

* * *

“Kagami, wait.”

Just as I was about to head straight for the main gate without greeting anyone in the mansion, a voice from behind stopped me.

It was Yohei.

My sister’s husband.

“…What are you planning to do from now on?”

His tone wasn’t as courteous as usual.

However, I didn’t find that tone unpleasant.

In fact, it was a tone I used to hear quite often, back when my sister was still around and I wasn’t the head of the family, just the younger sister-in-law.

“I plan to find my own way.”

I answered.

“What way?”

To Yohei’s question, I remained silent.

“Could it be…?”

“Maybe.”

Though I hadn’t heard the question, I could guess what Yohei was asking.

Kosuzu would always say the same thing when turning the people of the Yamashita-kai into believers: create a world where life and death are transcended, granting eternal life, and we will be the highest among them.

Then again, isn’t that what any religion claims?

But what set Kurosawa’s affairs apart from other religions was that Kurosawa at least had an established theoretical framework.

The means that could be utilized all actually existed, and recently, the one closest to those means had even opened her eyes.

So this wasn’t just about emotions.

It felt strange to say I sacrificed myself for that child, but that child, born from my lifetime of effort, was the only “childlike” one among all my attempts.

Letting her disappear would remove a significant part of my life.

Yohei stared at me.

“That’s….”

“It’s likely impossible. If it were possible, there would already be people living eternally in the world.”

I answered calmly.

Yohei hesitated for a moment, choosing his words.

“Is that…”

“Yes. You can say it’s motherly love if that makes it easier.”

I replied.

“It must seem strange to you. After all, I’ve never shown this side of me.”

Yohei didn’t say anything, but that silence itself seemed to serve as some sort of validation to me.

“Actually, I’m a bit confused too. But looking back at my life, I realize I’ve always been like this. Ever since my sister left, I’ve been doing whatever I wanted.”

Managing the organization and maintaining connections kept me busy, but in a way, I also felt a degree of freedom.

After all, I was now the head of the Kurosawa family.

“What price are you willing to pay?”

There is always a price for wielding great power.

Anyone who has lived in the world long enough, whether religious or not, can easily recall this rule.

“The price has already been paid. At least enough to save one person.”

I replied simply.

Yes, the price had already been paid by me.

So the right to use it was mine.

“On what grounds?”

“…”

But I couldn’t answer that.

In the end, what I was doing was merely a desperate, stubborn struggle.

I couldn’t say I had no grounds at all, but they were slim.

“Kagami, why don’t you stay in the mansion for a while?”

Seeing my inability to respond, Yohei suggested.

I felt a slight curiosity in his tone. Did Yohei still consider me part of the family?

“If you take some time to think—”

“Is that story… true?”

But Yohei’s words were interrupted midway.

With a tired expression, he turned to look behind him, where his daughter, Yuu, was standing.

Although she was a bit far away, and there was still noise from outside the mansion, it seemed that Yuu had managed to overhear our conversation.

“Yuu.”

Yohei tried to stop her, but Yuu stepped right up to me.

“Can you bring Kotone back to life?”

“….”

I looked at Yuu silently.

Under my gaze, Yuu’s brows furrowed slightly.

“Can you bring Kotone back?”

“You’re calling her by her name. Not long ago, you were only using her family name.”

At my words, Yuu frowned even more.

“…To answer your question, yes, there is a chance.”

“How much of a chance?”

“It’s slim.”

This time, I could answer clearly.

“And it’s dangerous.”

“I’m coming with you.”

As if she hadn’t even heard my words, Yuu insisted.

“Yuu.”

“Even if you try to stop me, I’ll go.”

Though Yohei tried to intervene, Yuu was adamant.

I simply watched their exchange in silence.

“Yuu, this isn’t something you should get involved in.”

“No, this is my place to be.”

“You’re—”

“Mom was a shrine maiden, wasn’t she? And I have that ability too.”

Yuu looked up at her father.

“Then I can help, right?”

Yuu’s gaze turned to me. I shrugged in response.

Yuu didn’t seem pleased with that gesture, but she didn’t comment on it.

“Kagami.”

Yohei’s gaze shifted to me, as if hoping I’d say something.

“As I said, she is my sister’s daughter.”

I looked Yohei straight in the eye as I spoke.

There was a faint smile on my face.

Whether it was sincere or mocking, it was hard for anyone present to tell.

“And if she inherited even a bit of that personality, it’s unlikely that she’ll back down easily.”

“…”

At that, Yohei placed his hand on his forehead.

* * *

“By the way, it seems your personality has changed a bit.”

“…In what way?”

“You used to be much shyer when you were younger.”

“…”

“Then again, maybe you haven’t changed at all.”

“I just don’t bother saying unnecessary things.”

“Hmm.”

“Why, is there something wrong with that?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

I shrugged.

In the car on the way to the house where Kotone and Koko had lived.

The car was a large sedan that I’d ridden in a few times. It was a Japanese brand, but not lacking in luxury.

Yuu and I sat in the back seat, as far apart as possible.

Specifically, Yuu was sitting as far away as possible with an uncomfortable expression, and I respected her wishes, leaning against the door on the opposite side.

“…Do I look like your mother or something?”

“I didn’t say that.”

At Yuu’s question, I tilted my head.

Apparently bothered by my response, Yuu looked around the car.

“If you ask me, you don’t look like her at all.”

At my words, Yuu’s eyes drifted back to me.

I wasn’t looking at her, either on purpose or lost in my own thoughts, and was staring out the window, resting my head against the glass.

Outside, the world seemed unaware that Kotone was dead; people laughed and chatted as they passed by.

It was still early in the year, so the people walking around were mostly either very young or, conversely, older.

Some looked a bit lonely, while others seemed to be laughing happily. Both types of people were likely steeped in thoughts of the new year.

And, Yuu thought, maybe the people in this car were steeped in similar thoughts, too.

…Ever since Dad told me, I couldn’t help but feel aware of my bloodline.

After all, I hadn’t seen my mom since I was a child, and we’d never had a conversation since.

It suddenly struck me that this person beside me was the one who’d known my mother the longest.

It was an obvious thought, but it hadn’t crossed my mind until I’d calmed down.

“…I look nothing like her.”

“Of course not. My sister didn’t have friends.”

“…”

Yuu was at a loss for words.

“…I almost didn’t either.”

After hesitating, Yuu countered.

“It sounds like you’re saying friends just came to you.”

I turned my gaze to Yuu.

Yuu remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

“The friends I have now are all ones who reached out to me first.”

“Is that so?”

I watched Yuu quietly for a while.

“Was Kotone one of them?”

Yuu thought for a moment.

“At first, the teacher told her to befriend me.”

That’s right. Kotone had stood out from the start of the semester.

After all, she hadn’t been at school long before she skipped days at a time.

Not to mention, you couldn’t just attend Hanagawa High School if you didn’t want to.

It required an entrance exam and a certain grade to get in.

Naturally, rumors began to circulate among the students about a girl who had just enrolled and was already missing school.

Though Harumi wasn’t very interested in the rumors, so she didn’t know, Yuu felt a little curious.

She had experienced being distanced from others due to her family situation several times.

But even then, she held preconceived notions about the girl who wasn’t attending school.

Yuu had never skipped school and had always maintained her grades.

And after she started hanging out with Mako, the other kids had learned to keep certain unspoken rules, not mentioning her family, knowing that Yuu wasn’t a risk to them.

Thus, Yuu wasn’t pleased that a teacher assigned Mako to that task, as though they were making Mako do her job.

…And after seeing the girl in person, I somewhat understood why the teacher specifically told Mako to befriend her.

After asking Mako to befriend her, she continued to hang out with her, and although she was a bit odd, I found her to be okay.

Harmless.

That was the conclusion I reached after spending time with her.

When I’d run away, I’d boldly gone to Kotone’s place, probably because of that assessment.

I knew she wouldn’t turn me away, and it felt like she wouldn’t reject me.

In other words, I’d thought she was easy to approach.

Wow, I was really awful.

Yuu sighed internally.

“…Was that so?”

“Didn’t you know? I heard you were faking not getting along.”

“Yes, I didn’t know.

The lack of closeness might not have been an act.

Perhaps it was just my own misunderstanding.”

My gaze returned to the window.

“Kotone might not have told me. Maybe I just didn’t ask.”

Would she have regretted it?

But the answer to that question felt obvious, so Yuu chose not to voice it.

* * *

The place we arrived at was Kotone’s house.

Just yesterday, Kotone had been here, so there was no reason for anything to look much different, yet the place seemed strangely empty.

“This place was always just Kotone, Koko, and one other person.”

“…One other person?”

“They weren’t someone who would do any harm. They’ve been detained by the government.”

“…”

Wait, isn’t being detained by the government the really important part?

Of course, if Kagami didn’t tell her, Yuu wouldn’t know anything about that person, nor was she inclined to find out.

What really concerned her was what exactly Kagami was planning to do.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“First, I need to check on something.”

“Check on what?”

“Flesh.”

“…Flesh? As in—”

“Yes, that’s right. Flesh. Skin. If we’re being precise, it includes the muscles and bones beneath.”

Kagami gave Yuu a slight smile.

As if to say, “Didn’t you already know?”

“Flesh from what?”

“…”

Kagami turned her gaze to the apartment and spoke.

“The flesh of the being now called Koko. I plan to use that.”

“…”

Yuu couldn’t comprehend Kagami’s words.

“If there’s a shell, the soul can return, don’t you think? Well, it’s just my idea.”

As Yuu’s mouth dropped open, Kagami walked ahead slowly.

Watching her back, Yohei ran a hand over his face.

“Yuu, you might want to reconsider. What you’re about to see—”

“It’s related to Kotone and Koko, right?”

After a moment of thought, Yuu replied.

“I still want to see it.”

“Yuu.”

“Now that I’m finally learning things about myself that I never knew, I don’t want to just stand back and watch.”

I had already given up.

Dad never answered me about Mom, no matter how many times I asked.

Everyone around me was the same.

I’d even thought maybe my mom had died fighting in some rebellion.

And now, I was finally coming to know the blood that flowed through me.

Moreover, that blood connected me to both Kotone and Koko.

I felt a slight kinship with the two of them, in a sense.

They were kids who grew up in circumstances not so different from my own.

But at the same time, they’d grown up in much worse situations than I had.

Add Kagami’s words about “revival” to that, and it was enough to make me take a step forward.

Dad sighed.

I walked quickly and entered through the door Kagami had opened.

She was already standing in front of the solitary refrigerator in the room, as if she’d been waiting for me.

“Well then, I’ll show you.”

With those words, Kagami opened the fridge door pointedly.

Judging by the thick layer of dust on it, it had been left unattended for at least several months, but the fridge itself was still running.

And inside—

“…”

“So, do you regret it?”

—was something far more grotesque than Yuu had anticipated.

* * *

Taking a short break midway, I was able to make it up the stairs.

Would I gain stamina if I exercised in the underworld? If that’s possible, I should consider working out.

…As I climbed up, mulling over these pointless thoughts, I entered through the open door at the top with Kuro.

And then.

“...Wow.”

I marveled, filled with mixed emotions.

“How is it? Doesn’t it look like something out of a *Di*sney cartoon?”

…Are you joking?

Well, it did look like the kind of “*Di*sney-style” image you might get if you typed “Cthulhu Mythos” into a search engine.

Although, it seemed closer to Cthulhu Mythos.

A very colorful Cthulhu Mythos.

“Welcome to the dream world. You can relax and stay for a while.”

“Myaa,” Kuro meowed.

“Oh, and I’d be grateful if you could do me a few favors while you’re here.”

Kuro smiled, a look that seemed extremely sinister.

Chapter 158. Flesh (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“Then…”

Yuu swallowed nervously before speaking.

“Then with this, Kotone…?”

“Not quite yet.”

But Kagami shook her head, dismissing Yuu’s faint hope.

“I told you before we came here—it’s a method with slim chances and potential risks.”

Kagami continued, staring into the refrigerator.

“And since it’s a dangerous method with only a slim chance of success, we should be even more certain and prepare thoroughly. I’ll need to move these somewhere else.”

“Why…?”

“Because there are others who may be after this. Kotone may have cooperated with the government so far, but now that there’s a chance she might become an enemy, they won’t be able to just ignore her.”

“So it can’t be done right away?”

“…You’re worried about the start of school, aren’t you?”

The third term started in early January, and only two days remained.

If Kotone couldn’t return to school by then, how would the school respond?

Would they say she went missing?

Yuu clung to that word with some hope, but Kagami quickly dismissed it.

“They’ll probably assume Kotone is dead. No, given the circumstances, she’s as good as dead.”

“But if that’s the case…”

“I’m not going to give you false hope. I don’t particularly want to hold onto such hope myself.”

Kagami closed the refrigerator and turned towards Yuu.

“I’ll say it again. There’s a possibility, but bringing the dead back is a complex matter that only works on certain individuals. And if anything goes wrong, it could go in a very ‘strange direction.’”

“A strange… direction?”

“It could mean that a monster bearing Kotone’s appearance is born instead. Or perhaps…”

But Kagami narrowed her eyes, leaving her thought unfinished.

“This must stay secret from others. For now, following government directives is the safest course.”

“But if that’s the case…”

“Yes. Kurosawa Kotone is dead. Formally, that’s how it will be handled, and the school will be informed as well. Even if they don’t know exactly what I intend to do, they’ll still take preventive measures.”

Yuu’s arms fell limp.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the words you wanted to hear.”

“Then… what about the others?”

Kagami nodded.

“At the very least, this method must never fall into Yuuki’s hands. Throughout history, the means of bringing back the dead have always been a mix of dark and vile practices.”

A slight smirk appeared on one side of Kagami’s mouth.

Yuu couldn’t tell if Kagami was mocking herself or the Yuuki family, who avoided such useful methods on principle.

“But I’ll promise you one thing.”

Kagami said,

“If it works, Kotone will return.”

“…”

Yuu stared at Kagami for a moment, then nodded.

“If there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thank you. That might make things a little easier.”

Kagami smiled at Yuu.

At least that smile seemed genuine.

---

January 7th, Friday

Waking up early to go to school was something most students found annoying, but it didn’t mean they hated seeing their friends at school.

Sometimes it was because they shared hobbies, walked the same route, sat near each other, or met through club activities. Sometimes, it was a simple matter of coincidence, or no reason at all.

One way or another, friendships started this way and could last a lifetime.

“Good morning!”

Even the kids who’d grumbled all the way from home were now smiling and waving as they entered the classroom.

“This is the first time we’ve seen each other since Christmas!”

“Well, everyone was busy…”

When Harumi laughed and spoke, Mako gave her a slight smile with raised eyebrows.

Mako’s father had been discharged from the hospital, though he was still unwell. It wasn’t enough to change their everyday lives drastically, but seeing her family suffer still weighed on her.

Still, Mako’s expression seemed a bit lighter than before Christmas. Whether it was thanks to the Christmas party or not, Harumi felt relieved.

“Yuu-chan—”

Turning to Yuu with a smile, Harumi suddenly froze.

Yuu’s face wore its usual expressionless look.

But when you knew someone well, you could start to understand the emotions behind that expression. Even with the same blank look, there was a big difference between resting one’s head on the desk and staring blankly out the window.

And right now, Yuu was…

“Yuu-chan, is something wrong?”

Harumi asked, noticing Yuu staring into space. She’d seen this look before, mainly when Yuu had something on her mind—often a situation where classmates were gossiping behind her back.

It was an expression Yuu had often worn back in middle school, and now she wore it again.

Why?

Come to think of it, it was rather strange that she hadn’t worn this expression since entering high school. In middle school, her classmates eventually learned that Yuu wasn’t as harmful as they’d thought, but high school brought a new crowd.

Hmm…?

But something seemed odd to Harumi.

It was only yesterday that winter break ended, so if anyone at school had been gossiping, Yuu wouldn’t have been there to hear it.

Could it be something at home?

“Yuu-chan?”

“…Yes?”

Only after Harumi called her again did Yuu respond.

Now that their eyes met, Yuu, who already looked pale, appeared even paler—almost ashen.

“…Are you really alright?”

Harumi asked with concern, watching Yuu ponder her answer.

Whatever Yuu was thinking, it didn’t seem trivial. Her face grew darker the longer she thought about it.

“Yuu?”

Seeing her face, Mako also asked worriedly.

It seemed the nearby students had overheard, and they began glancing in their direction. Mako was friendly with everyone in the class, and Yuu and Harumi had also become acquainted with the others through her. They weren’t particularly close, but they often hung out with Mako.

“Um…”

Yuu’s gaze moved forward.

It was directed at Kotone and Koko’s empty seats.

With those empty seats and Yuu’s troubled look, it wasn’t hard for Mako and Harumi to guess what she was thinking about.

“Did something happen to them?”

In hindsight, it was strange. Kotone and Koko usually arrived a bit earlier to avoid being late due to the distance they had to travel.

Yet now their seats were empty.

Did Yuu know why they weren’t here?

Mako and Harumi had been in touch with Kotone, both during the holidays and the new year. They hadn’t exchanged any significant messages, but they never lost contact.

So if something had happened to Kotone and Koko, it must have been in the past few days.

Harumi’s face grew somber, and Mako turned pale.

“Yuu—”

But before they could ask her anything, the classroom door opened.

The person who walked in was their homeroom teacher, Ms. Suzuki.

And Ms. Suzuki looked just as pale as Yuu—perhaps even more so.

Gone was her usual cheerful greeting, replaced by the expression of someone uncertain about how to proceed.

As she entered the classroom, her gaze lingered briefly on Mako, Harumi, and Yuu.

It seemed Yuu already knew what was coming, but Mako and Harumi felt an inexplicable fear under that stare.

Ms. Suzuki hadn’t spoken yet, but her eyes alone conveyed that something was wrong with Kotone and Koko.

“Oh, it’s fine. Stay seated.”

When the class monitor tried to stand, Ms. Suzuki gave an awkward smile, raising a hand to stop them. The monitor sat back down, looking puzzled.

The class was divided: those around Mako, Harumi, and Yuu whispered cautiously, while the rest, who hadn’t heard the earlier conversation, whispered more freely.

Ms. Suzuki observed her students for a moment, as if gathering her courage, then took a deep breath.

“First, there’s some news I need to share.”

The classroom quieted. Perhaps more out of curiosity about what she was going to say than out of obedience.

“To start with…”

Ms. Suzuki carefully chose her words.

“It’s sad news right at the start of the term. Kurosawa Kotone will no longer be attending school.”

Mako’s mouth fell open.

The students began murmuring.

“Did she transfer?”

One student raised their hand to ask.

Ms. Suzuki shook her head.

“No, it’s…”

With a pained, pale face, she closed her eyes briefly before speaking.

“…Kotone has left us.”

For a moment, silence filled the classroom.

“Sensei?”

Mako timidly raised her hand.

The murmuring subsided again, everyone aware of how close Mako and Kotone had become. While it began as Mako looking after Koko, Kotone had gradually integrated into their circle.

No one was quite sure what “left us” meant, and they all waited cautiously.

When Ms. Suzuki met her gaze, Mako softly asked, even more cautiously than when she’d raised her hand,

“Do you mean she’s… gone?”

“…”

Ms. Suzuki didn’t confirm with words.

Instead,

“I hope that when Koko returns, you’ll welcome her warmly.”

That was her reply.

Kotone had left, never to return.

If she’d transferred, Koko would’ve gone with her. And if she’d simply left school, there’d be no reason to keep it secret.

Besides, Mako and Kotone were in touch, even over the holidays. If there’d been complicated circumstances, she’d likely have known.

“…”

Mako’s hand dropped lifelessly.

Harumi just stared blankly at Ms. Suzuki, mouth agape.

Ms. Suzuki bowed her head slightly, then slowly gathered her belongings from the desk.

And, perhaps it wasn’t an illusion, but tears seemed to glisten in her eyes.

---

In dramas or movies, when a student passes away, sometimes flowers are left on their desk.

But no one had expected to see that happen in real life.

“…”

All day, Mako stared blankly at the single flower someone had placed on Kotone’s desk.

She didn’t cry or tremble, nor did she openly express her grief. She just looked as if she’d lost her spirit.

Around the second period, a couple of upperclassmen came down to their class. It was Kaoru and Izumi, Kotone’s club seniors.

Yuu brought them into the classroom as they hesitated outside.

Both of them stared at Kotone’s seat, faces filled with disbelief.

“Why…?”

Izumi muttered, but no one had an answer.

Technically, there was one person who knew. But Yuu couldn’t bring herself to tell them how Kotone had died.

How much did they know about Kotone? Yuu had only recently learned of Kotone’s activities herself. She couldn’t be sure how much Kotone’s friends knew.

“…”

Izumi adjusted her glasses and wiped away her tears. Kaoru, who had been silently standing beside her, placed a korokke bread roll from the cafeteria on Kotone’s desk.

The two started to say something to Mako, Harumi, and Yuu, but seeing Mako’s face, they fell silent.

With gloomy faces, they left the classroom.

Just as they were exiting, Izumi’s loud sob echoed. Kaoru put an arm around her shoulder.

Mako and Harumi looked lost, unsure of what to do.

Yuu understood. She felt the same way.

More than that, the whole situation seemed so unnatural.

Usually, when a student passed away, there would be a funeral, and friends would attend to pay their respects. Yet now, they didn’t even know where Kotone was.

Ultimately, Yuu, too, didn’t know what to do with the frustration in her chest.

The only difference was that she held onto a sliver of hope, however faint.

---

During the next break.

Unable to endure the stifling air inside the classroom, Yuu stepped outside.

Mako and Harumi didn’t follow. Though she felt bad about it, Yuu was relieved. She had no idea what to say if they asked her questions.

But after running into Yuuki, she immediately regretted that thought.

Of all people to meet right now, Yuka was the worst.

“…”

Yuu’s feelings upon seeing her were complex.

She remembered Kotone’s death and Yuuki’s scream. Logically, Yuu knew Yuuki hadn’t intended to kill Kotone—that the blade had been moved by something else, something watching from afar.

But still…

Dark feelings stirred within her.

Yuuki stood in the hallway, right between Yuu’s class and the neighboring one.

Had she planned on coming to Yuu’s class? To see Kotone’s seat?

Yuu clenched her fists tightly.

When Yuuki noticed her walking down the hall, she opened her mouth as if to say something.

But she quickly closed it.

Yuu felt the same.

She wanted to say something to Yuuki, but when their eyes met, the words wouldn’t come.

Yuuki’s gaze reminded her of the classmates who hadn’t yet accepted what happened.

It seemed she, too, was trapped in that moment.

What would it feel like if someone forced a knife into Yuu’s hand and made her stab a friend?

“…”

Her heart pounded just imagining it.

So, Yuu decided to say nothing.

…There was also a warning to be cautious of the Yuuki family. She still didn’t fully understand why, though.

As Yuu walked past in silence, Yuuki’s head lowered again.

That forlorn sight seemed to infect Yuu with sorrow, making her more restless than she had been in the classroom.

---

“…The funeral?”

Having stayed silent until the end of the school day, Mako finally spoke on their way home.

“Mako?”

“We have to say goodbye, don’t we?”

Mako’s voice trembled.

Had she been holding back her emotions all day at school?

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“To think it could just… end like this. It feels wrong.”

It made sense that she’d feel that way. While death rarely allows time to prepare, not even having a chance to say goodbye felt especially cruel.

“I… I can’t believe it. Is it real?”

Mako continued.

“No matter what… no matter what, this is too much. Did they just leave us out of it? Or was there no… no farewell at all? If so, that’s too sad for Kotone.”

Yuu’s throat tightened, and she couldn’t get a word out.

It was true. She had seen it with her own eyes. And she’d been told the very next day that there might be a way to bring Kotone back.

She hadn’t let herself relax. She was sad and conflicted, but she was too overwhelmed to think clearly.

But if Kotone really had died, then yes, there should’ve been a chance to say goodbye.

“She had a family, and even then? And what about Koko? What’s Koko going through right now? Her sister… her sister’s gone. She must be crying…”

What should she do?

Yuu was just as confused.

Fidgeting with her fingers, Yuu couldn’t bring herself to respond, so Harumi wrapped an arm around Mako’s shoulder.

“…”

But Harumi’s expression showed she was just as lost.

The three of them stood silently by the roadside for a long time.

Harumi glanced at Yuu. She probably remembered Yuu’s troubled expression from that morning. Mako was too distraught to notice, but Harumi seemed to recall Yuu’s face back then.

Yuu felt a shiver of fear.

Only now did she understand that Kotone had likely felt that same fear all along.

“She didn’t deserve this… it’s too sad…”

Mako’s sobs were heart-wrenching.

Chapter 159. Flesh (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Mako couldn’t calm down easily.

It must have been hard for her to believe that they would part forever, without a chance for one final conversation.

When I thought about it, Mako was a sensitive child, even shedding tears when someone transferred to another school.

The death of a close friend, surely, would not be easy for her to accept.

Although Harumi also looked sad, she seemed unable to cry freely since Mako was crying right in front of her.

I knew that Harumi was a child with a lot of emotions.

Even though she always wore a smile, it didn’t mean she was someone without tears.

Once, we all went to see a sad movie at the theater together, but since then, Harumi consciously avoided going to sad movies with us.

...When Mako and Harumi were crying, I didn’t cry along with them.

Just like right now.

Standing in the middle of the road, Harumi and I didn’t know what to do with Mako, who was sobbing.

I didn’t know what to do in situations like this.

If this were just a sad movie that made her cry, Harumi would have told a funny story, lightening the mood.

But you can’t say things like that to someone grieving over a friend’s death, can you?

"Hey, Mako, for now—"

Harumi spoke with a slightly muffled voice, then suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Her gaze was fixed on something down the road.

I, too, turned my head to follow her gaze from where I stood, just a step away from Mako and Harumi.

At the end of our line of sight was Kagami.

...Logically speaking, it was possible for her to be here.

For better or worse, Kagami was in the position of being Kotone’s mother.

After a child’s death, the one to deliver the news was naturally going to be Kagami.

Besides, Koko was also nowhere to be seen at the moment.

Whether the homeroom teacher called her, or Kagami came directly, it wasn’t unusual.

But to me, her presence felt very out of place.

On sports day, when other parents came to watch, Kagami hadn’t come.

In fact, it was the same on other occasions.

Whenever Kotone and Koko faced trouble at school, they had to resolve it on their own.

Even knowing the background—

—It was only then that I realized this situation wasn’t exactly ideal, either.

At least I’d already heard the news, but Mako and Harumi hadn’t.

The last memory those two had of Kotone and Kagami was—

I turned my head urgently again, seeing both Harumi and Mako staring intently at Kagami, who was approaching.

Especially Mako, who seemed to have forgotten about crying, simply staring blankly.

Her glasses were slightly askew, likely from wiping her tears with her sleeves earlier.

"..."

Kagami also spotted us standing on the road and came to a halt.

Mako and Harumi had hardly met Kagami.

But it seemed she remembered their faces.

That day had been unforgettable, after all.

Kagami’s gaze lingered on me for a brief moment before moving on.

Then, she resumed walking with an indifferent expression, as if we weren’t there at all.

"Ex-excuse me!"

As Kagami passed by, Mako called out to her hastily.

Kagami stopped in her tracks.

I felt a faint curiosity stir inside me as I watched.

Did she stop because Mako, Kotone’s friend, had called her? Or was she preparing to act again?

Seeing her turn around, I thought it might actually be the former.

"..."

Kagami didn’t bother to respond verbally. She simply stared at the three of us in silence.

"Uh, um."

Mako’s words came haltingly, her voice cracked.

She hesitated, then gave a slight bow towards Kagami.

"My condolences for your daughter..."

"..."

The words shocked me a little.

Because… even though I’d seen it all firsthand, I hadn’t thought of saying something like that.

"...My condolences."

Harumi also offered her condolences, as if following Mako’s lead.

Was Kagami just as shocked?

Perhaps Kagami and I were both struggling to accept Kotone’s death.

Kagami said she would bring Kotone back to life, and I had accepted those words without hesitation.

Even though Kagami had warned me.

My heart pounded fiercely, just like when I saw Mako and Harumi earlier.

Kagami’s eyes darted around.

Seeing her lips quiver, it seemed she was searching for a fitting response.

A daughter’s death without even a funeral.

No friends gathered, no condolences exchanged, not even a eulogy—a death as cold as ice.

How would Mako and Harumi come to terms with such a reality?

Only now did I realize just how much I had overlooked in the midst of everything.

And how would Kagami herself come to terms with it?

"...That sort of condolence..."

Kagami started to speak but then closed her mouth.

"...I imagine you must be deeply grieved by what happened."

But before she could finish, Mako continued speaking.

I looked at Mako with a slightly astonished expression.

Somehow, Mako had lifted her head.

No outright hostility was visible in her gaze.

Mako was too far from being someone who’d harbor such emotions.

But her eyes were intense, even through her glasses.

As if she needed to know something.

And interrupting her like that in this situation also meant that Mako’s emotions were quite stirred.

"But, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask."

"..."

Did she take Kagami’s silence as agreement?

Probably not. Mako was someone who always put others' feelings first.

She was likely just holding her ground so Kagami couldn’t escape.

"How… did Kotone come to pass away?"

Kagami’s mouth opened slightly.

"Why didn’t you call others to be there? What about a funeral?"

Confident that Kagami wouldn’t just turn around and leave, Mako took a step forward.

"Mako-chan."

Harumi seemed equally surprised, gently grabbing Mako’s arm.

But Mako barely seemed to notice.

Her gaze was solely fixed on Kagami.

"No matter how much you might have resented Kotone, you didn’t have to go that far. You at least knew that she had friends..."

Kagami simply stood there, as if rooted to the ground.

Tears began to flow again from Mako’s eyes, following the traces left by the earlier tears she had wiped away with her sleeve, dripping down her chin.

"How… how could she leave like that, without us knowing if there was anything we could have done to help... I even brought bread from my grandmother’s house today to give her..."

"Ah."

I let out a sound unconsciously.

Now that I thought about it, Mako had given Kotone a gift after the last school break ended.

Seeing Kotone’s delighted reaction, Mako had smiled proudly.

"I… still haven’t been forgiven for that incident back then."

That incident?

Harumi blinked.

For a moment, Harumi and I exchanged glances, but neither of us had any guesses.

Had Mako done something to Kotone that warranted an apology?

Mako clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, speaking to Kagami in a desperate voice.

"Perhaps... perhaps..."

Kagami looked at Mako silently, then slowly opened her mouth.

"...That’s not it."

"...?"

Neither Harumi nor I knew what had happened between Mako and Kotone.

But judging by the atmosphere, it seemed clear that Mako was hoping to say something specific.

"She didn’t take her own life."

Mako took a small breath.

Was it relief?

No, it didn’t feel like a comforting emotion.

The feelings were so complex that they couldn’t be described in one word.

Not just for Mako, but for Harumi and me as well.

"So, you don’t have to worry about that."

Her tone sounded almost sarcastic.

It was a completely different tone than the polite speech she used with me.

Kagami was acting now.

She wasn’t the parent who, though not the best mother, at least didn’t antagonize Kotone.

This was the version of her that didn’t see her own daughter as her child.

"But..."

Kagami continued speaking with some difficulty.

Her grim expression seemed to suggest she didn’t know what else to say.

At least that was how it appeared to me, knowing the story behind it.

"...So?"

After several silent movements of her mouth, Kagami finally managed to say just that one word.

The impact of that word seemed to hit Mako hard.

"So, what?"

"So, if it wasn’t suicide..."

Kagami, who had barely been able to move her mouth earlier, now found her pace, continuing in a more natural tone than before.

"What difference does it make?"

"Huh?"

Mako responded to Kagami's words with a question.

"Even if she didn’t die because of someone, she’s dead all the same, isn’t she? What exactly are you hoping to gain by knowing that?”

"I-I just… Kotone and I…”

Because they were close.

That was probably what Mako had wanted to say.

However, Mako wasn’t the kind of person who could say something like that in front of a mother who had lost a daughter she had a poor relationship with.

“…You’re Kotone’s mother, aren’t you?”

But Harumi, who was standing beside her and listening, wasn’t that type of person.

“How could you say something like that? No matter what, she’s your daughter. Your daughter… ended up like that.”

The more I listened to this exchange, the more it felt like my chest was tightening painfully.

It was as if the things I’d been avoiding were slowly being brought right in front of my eyes.

No matter how faint my hope was, like Kagami had said, Kotone was someone who had died. No matter what we did right now, we couldn’t bring her back to school, we couldn’t give her something tasty to eat, and we couldn’t laugh while watching her nibble away.

And maybe it would stay that way forever.

"…."

Kagami looked at Harumi, as if her words were some kind of strange remark.

After a long moment, Kagami spoke quietly.

“...Just because you gave birth to them doesn’t make them your child.”

“Excuse me!”

Harumi shouted.

Mako’s face looked as though her soul had left her body.

I glared at Kagami, but she turned away, as if she no longer had any business with us, and walked back toward the school.

The other kids, who had been watching from a distance, started to move as well. Ah, right. It was still time to head home. Only then did I feel like I’d returned to the world. During that conversation, it had felt strangely distant.

“What kind of person—Mako!”

Harumi murmured, and Mako’s body suddenly sagged down.

Startled, I crouched down with Harumi to face Mako, but fortunately, Mako hadn’t collapsed.

She had just sat down on the ground, lowering her gaze to the ground.

“…Why, just… why…”

The look on Mako’s face as she muttered was so unfamiliar.

“Mako, let’s go somewhere we can rest. It’s cold out here,” Harumi said, sniffling. Tears had gathered in her eyes, so it wasn’t just because of the cold.

“…Yeah, Mako. Your body’s so cold,” I said, hooking my arm around hers to help her up.

And it was true. Mako’s body was cold. She was wearing a coat, so it might not have been cold inside, but somehow, I felt as if it might be.

The three of us slowly started walking. Harumi picked up the bag that Mako had dropped.

As we shuffled along, I glanced back.

I could see Kagami’s retreating figure.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But she looked far more miserable than she had on the night Kotone had died.

---

Just because you give birth to a child doesn’t mean you’re family.

There are many ways society classifies the parent-child relationship.

Traditionally, if there was a blood connection, they were considered family. Parents’ words were absolute, and children were expected to obey them. It was the parents’ role to feed and raise young children, and, in return, children were expected to show filial piety.

By those traditional standards, even if the balance was a little off, there would be people who’d take the parents' side. Most people would place filial duty above the obligations of being a parent.

Conservative people often view children from the parents’ perspective.

But in the modern view, there must be a balance in the relationship. When parents do something, children reciprocate. And if children show filial piety, parents are expected to respond to it.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be about money or things. Respect and love are enough. Just that is enough for people to see it as an ideal family and nod in approval.

…Kotone, Koko, and Kagami were far from fitting into that family mold.

Maybe giving birth alone doesn’t make someone a parent. If a child fails to meet the expectations of the parent, people may not criticize the parent for severing the relationship.

But, in this case, it was Kagami who had been the first to sever that connection.

How would ordinary parents have reacted?

If their child was physically healthy but mentally unwell, what would they have done?

…At the very least, they wouldn’t have left them alone in an empty room for over ten years.

No matter how times change, certain things remain the same when it comes to ‘parent and child’ relationships.

Few people question the ‘qualifications of a child.’ Even if a child makes mistakes, if a parent forgives and accepts them, that relationship remains intact. In the end, the older party is the parent, and the younger one is the child.

But in contrast, everyone questions the ‘qualifications of a parent.’

Taking in a helpless newborn, feeding, sheltering, and clothing them—these are the bare minimum duties of a parent, expected from any parent.

Kagami couldn’t even do that properly.

Which is why—

In front of the school gates, Kagami stopped walking for a moment.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. The end of her breath trembled slightly.

“I am…”

She had felt it many times already.

That was why she was clinging like this now.

It was strange. Kagami, who had never felt maternal feelings before, now felt a motherly affection simply because her daughter had acknowledged her a few times.

Even though she wasn’t ‘qualified’ for it.

She thought that maybe, with a little more time, things would be okay. While fully mending the mother-daughter bond was impossible, perhaps they could still exist within a family framework.

The one who reached out first had been Kotone.

It was Kagami who hesitated to grasp it and ultimately missed her chance.

Perhaps this was just a pathetic struggle.

“...”

Even coming to the school might have been for the simple reason of wanting to feel that sense of reality.

What would the homeroom teacher say to Kagami?

Kagami let out a small sigh and started moving again.

She just hoped she wouldn’t run into Yuuki inside.

---

After school, Yuka went up to the Literature Club, almost as if on autopilot.

Usually, she looked forward to the walk up there.

It hadn’t always been that way. Originally, Yuka had joined the club because of the chills she had felt there.

She had transferred to a nearby school to hunt down the Oni, and for a while, she had been on high alert.

On days when she didn’t feel anything unusual, she wouldn’t bother going up. Club activities felt like a bit of a waste of time to Yuka back then.

But when had Yuka started climbing those stairs so eagerly?

And why had she felt such excitement while climbing them?

…She didn’t quite know—

“…Oh.”

Yuka’s eyes widened as she climbed the stairs.

There were still dark circles under her eyes, and her face looked rough.

But she wasn’t so out of it that she would miss something like this.

Feeling the chills creeping up her back, Yuka leapt up several steps at once.

“A, hold on—Yuuki!?”

She heard someone shout behind her, but she ignored it and ran.

She clutched her blade in her hand—her fingers trembled. Her heart pounded like crazy. It wasn’t fear of the yokai but fear of the bloodstained sword that had once been tainted by a friend’s blood.

Until now, she hadn’t felt anything like this, no matter how many times she had swung it.

If it had been a fear of the yokai or cutting them down, that would have been understandable.

But could she wield it properly now?

Yuka shook off the thought and kept running.

Then.

Bang!

She flung open the door to the Literature Club room.

"...."

"..."

And then, she saw something that seemed almost like a joke.

“…Senpai?”

“Y-Yuka.”

At Yuka’s words, Kaoru blinked.

Izumi, sitting across from her, did as well.

“…What are you doing right now?”

“Oh, well, um, that is…”

Yuka looked uncertain, as if she didn’t know how to interpret the situation.

Kaoru and Izumi had, without a doubt, visited Kotone’s classroom. Yuka had seen Kaoru place bread on Kotone’s desk from outside the window.

Both of them still had red, swollen eyes, evidence that they had cried for a long time.

“Is that…?”

But now, between the two of them, there was ‘Kokkuri-san.’

It was a type of summoning game, usually conducted without any serious intent.

And at that moment, Yuka realized.

She understood the true nature of the chills she felt.

And she understood what those two, who had been crying for so long, were attempting to do.

Chapter 160. Flesh (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I thought about it, and it still feels quite different from Disney.

Just because it’s colorful doesn’t mean it’s like Disney, right? Rather... it’s more like those illustrations of the Cambrian ocean I used to see as a child.

It’s not like we’re actually underwater, though. The way those old illustrations would have colorful creatures roaming everywhere—it kind of felt similar to that atmosphere. And if you know those kinds of illustrations, you’d agree it was a bit frightening to look at.

The creatures from that era all look kind of “Lovecraftian.”

I was tired as I climbed the stairs. If this were underwater, I would have had to stop breathing right away, but luckily, it wasn’t.

Still, I was thankful that I had a living creature like a cat beside me. Otherwise—I might not have gone insane the moment I saw it like the protagonists in the Lovecraftian tales, but I might have developed some sort of deep-sea phobia.

“…So?”

I looked up at the sky, painted in a style reminiscent of Van Gogh’s dawn. Scattered across the sky, crustaceans that looked like they could have had archaeological names in real life were flying around in swarms. I just hoped those creatures wouldn’t take an interest in me.

“What am I supposed to do here?”

Do I have to slit my wrist again?

But would that even work? In reality, my body was supposedly Nirlass’ avatar or something, so I could draw on Nirlass’ power, but here, it probably wouldn’t work.

“It’s not a difficult task. As ‘you,’ I’m sure you can handle it.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘me’? Do you mean me as myself? Or me as Nirlass’ avatar?”

“Myao, well, who knows.”

Since I’d already decided to interpret Kuro’s meows as laughter while climbing the stairs, I decided that ‘myao’ was also a chuckle.

That made me feel instantly irritated.

And seeing me react that way, Kuro meowed again. Well, at least this one didn’t seem like a laugh. Maybe more like an awkward chuckle.

…What a scene, interpreting a cat’s expressions in the afterlife.

I have such a twisted fate.

“This world isn’t entirely like this, you know. It’s a dream world, right? There are ‘people’ who live here too. Some of them are bound to want help.”

“…And?”

I didn’t think the people here would be like the “people” I knew.

Besides, I was beginning to figure out where this place might be.

In Lovecraft’s Mythos, the only place that could be called the “dream world” was the literal “Dreamlands.”

Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about that. I was a big Lovecraft fan as a kid, but I didn’t read the entire collected works.

The reason’s pretty simple—just like with other comics or light novels I started and didn’t finish.

The book about the Dreamlands came out too late; by the time it was released, I’d forgotten I even wanted to read it. When I eventually learned it had come out, my passion had already cooled.

Still, I remembered some details.

…Hopefully, the people of this world weren’t something like “ghouls” or “nightgaunts.”

“First, we’re going to the moon.”

“The moon?”

I looked around.

There was a moon floating in the Van Gogh-style sky. There was also another smaller satellite-like thing, which looked… well, it hung in the sky like a moon but resembled Mars more. A planet that looked like it would have rusty, red desert sands if I landed on it.

And the moon was absurdly close. In reality, there’s enough distance between the Earth and the moon to fit all the planets of the solar system in between, but not here.

Just seeing it there felt like it might cause tidal waves with its gravitational pull.

“…How?”

In reality, you’d need a rocket to get to the moon, but in a world that looked more prehistoric, from a time long before humans existed, it didn’t seem like that would be an option.

Don’t tell me we’ll be riding on the back of some creature?

“Of course, we’ll be going by ship.”

“A ship? A spaceship?”

“Close enough.”

Kuro began to lead the way as if she was delighted to reveal this to me.

Just as the surroundings gave off an underwater vibe, so did the ground beneath us. Anemones, or maybe their ancient ancestors, were growing all over the place, and worm-like creatures were scurrying around between patches of sand that looked safe to step on.

I cautiously followed Kuro’s footprints in the sand, afraid that stepping off them might make some unknown creature pop out from below.

“Where are we going?”

“Through Ulthar, to Dylath-Leen. From there, we’ll take a ship to sail across the Western Sea.”

It sounded like both were city names or something like that.

“No need to worry. From there, you can just carry me.”

“…Why?”

“It’s a place where people who don’t harm cats aren’t harmed.”

Myaa, Kuro meowed.

“So, as long as you don’t suddenly punch me or anything, you’ll be safe as a guest.”

As long as I don’t abuse a cat?

“What does carrying you have to do with that?”

“Well, although not harming cats is a requirement, you’re probably not a very welcome guest. Even if you get glared at, don’t worry. While you’re with me, you’ll still be a guest, albeit an unwelcome one.”

“…”

Not sure what to say, I just nodded.

Kuro noticed the nod without even turning his head and wagged his tail in response.

---

Fortunately, the “people” Kuro mentioned really were “people.” People not much different from me. In fact, they even looked like Asians, just like me.

Of course, it didn’t seem like Asia here was the same Asia as back home.

And as Kuro mentioned, most of the people stared at me with hostility. Some ignored me entirely, but others looked like they’d jump at me and grab my collar if Kuro weren’t there.

Maybe it was because they couldn’t hurt cats? Just as cows roamed freely in Hindu areas of India, cats were everywhere here.

People didn’t mind what the cats did. Instead, they’d give the cats strange fish from another world, which the cats happily devoured.

The innkeeper looked at me with clear distaste, but thanks to Kuro, I didn’t have to pay. I wasn’t sure money even existed in this world.

“So, this is Ulthar?”

Finally able to relax in the inn Kuro had secured, I asked.

“Yes. The city of cats.”

“Not even ancient Egypt worshipped cats to this extent.”

I looked down from the window, and Kuro meowed.

“Yes. If anyone kills a cat here, they’ll die too.”

“A death sentence?”

“There’s no need for a formal execution. The cats handle it. They don’t leave a single bone, piece of flesh, or drop of blood.”

“….”

That’s… terrifying. Very Lovecraftian.

Only then did a faint memory of a short story surface in my mind.

“You… That…”

“Myaa, that’s right. I’m revered as a goddess here. I was once worshipped as a goddess where you lived too. Time sure is cruel, isn’t it?”

Kuro glanced up at me and meowed again.

“You’re not even surprised.”

“Well… I’ve been imagining something much worse.”

Like Nyarlathotep, who I had been cautiously anticipating for quite a while after coming here.

The reason it wasn’t any other god but Nyarlathotep was that Nyarlathotep was the most malicious of all the gods in Lovecraft’s works.

Other gods, those referred to as true “gods,” don’t care about humans unless humans start worshipping them. They simply have no interest in people. Their mere presence drives people mad, but that’s not intentional.

Nyarlathotep, however, is different. In the stories, he’s an undeniable “evil god” who infiltrates the human world, committing all sorts of atrocities from behind the scenes. He’s a minion of the gods, but in that sense, he’s more of a threat to humanity than the other gods.

“Myao.”

Kuro laughed again.

Maybe it’s because she’s in her favorite city. Kuro has seemed cheerful since we arrived.

“Is the being you’re thinking of that scary?”

“…Can you read my mind too?”

“I told you. This is the dream world. And dreams come from thoughts. Since you don’t have a physical body here, someone like me can see your thoughts clearly.”

“…”

“Yes, I know. You want to go back, right? Don’t worry. Time will solve everything. I’ll make sure you’re safely protected here.”

“Thanks.”

“Instead, as I said earlier, just help with this one thing.”

“Going to the moon, right?”

Lying down on the bed, I asked. It didn’t feel like a spring mattress. It rustled and felt a bit stiff, so maybe it was straw?

“Yes, exactly. All you need to do is complete the task only you can do.”

“…How long will it take?”

“About two weeks to get there?”

“What?”

As I shot up from the bed, Kuro laughed again.

“Time here flows relatively. Don’t worry; you won’t be too late in the world you came from.”

Kuro curled up on the bed and stared at me.

“…And yes, since I’m helping you,

I’ll also do you another favor. When this is all done, I can tell you about the prophecy.”

“…”

I thought for a moment.

Then, I made a simple decision. After all, I couldn’t do anything here without Kuro.

“Well, alright.”

I lay back down on the bed.

“Myaa, alright.”

Kuro responded to my words.

“…”

“…”

I closed my eyes and lay still.

I couldn’t fall asleep.

“I can’t sleep.”

“Of course not. This is the dream world, remember? Strictly speaking, your soul is still asleep.”

…That sounds incredibly boring.

---

Being one year older than the dead child and their friends didn’t mean they were an adult.

No, even if they were an adult, they were still at an age to learn a lot.

So, they didn’t know how to handle the fact that a friend they cherished like a younger sibling had suddenly died.

Kaoru and Izumi habitually went up to the Literature Club room after class.

On a regular day, Kotone, who took classes on a lower floor, would have arrived in the Literature Club room after them, bringing along her sister Koko.

Kaoru had been planning to prank them. She had prepared bread and fishing line, intending to play a trick on Kotone, like she used to. Kotone had grown wise to it, but it still worked on Koko.

If Kaoru put it this way, Kotone might hate it, but in Kaoru’s eyes, Kotone was like a small animal. She was the kind of adorable creature that didn’t know how to run away, just staring blankly even if there was danger ahead.

But Kotone wasn’t truly like that.

She was someone who would pick up a weapon and fight for her life if necessary. That was the Kotone Kaoru had seen.

A girl who fought monsters from the underworld without batting an eye.

“…Why?”

Kaoru muttered as she sat slumped in her chair.

Yes, why?

What could have led that girl to die? Kaoru had no idea.

Typically, even if one isn’t directly involved, the cause of death would be revealed.

Kaoru hadn’t experienced this before, but she was certain of this. If she had died in an accident, they would have been told so; if someone had murdered her—

“…”

Kaoru’s face hardened.

Yes.

If she had been murdered, maybe that would have been hidden. Not being told about her death implied that there was a complex reason behind it, one that couldn’t or wouldn’t be spoken of.

If Kaoru hadn’t known Kotone,

If she didn’t know about the underworld or believe in the existence of yokai, she might have dismissed it as an intriguing conspiracy theory.

…No, if Kotone hadn’t been around, Kaoru might not have even made it through this third semester.

“Kaoru?”

When Kaoru suddenly stood up from her chair, Izumi looked startled, her shoulders trembling as she asked.

Without even thinking to apologize for surprising her best friend, Kaoru roughly rummaged through her bag.

What she pulled out was a single sheet of paper.

Izumi blinked as she watched Kaoru write out the kana syllabary on the paper.

“I can’t understand it.”

Kaoru muttered, either talking to Izumi, herself, or maybe even to Kotone, who was no longer there.

“I don’t understand why Kotone had to go like that.”

Yeah. Kotone was strong.

And above all—

She wasn’t a child who should have left this world so soon.

Despite all the hardships, she was a kind child. She was as steadfast as if nothing in the world could change her true nature.

So why did she have to leave?

Kaoru wondered if it was a lie. Maybe someone was hiding her and lying about it? Thoughts of the kind of stories she’d read before flashed through her mind, but Kaoru couldn’t be sure those things actually existed.

The only thing she was certain of was that the junior and friend who had suddenly left was real.

So none of that mattered.

“Why did she have to leave without a single word to us?”

Kaoru and Izumi probably didn’t have the right to hear Kotone’s last words.

A person’s final words are something that only those who stay beside them until the end get to hear.

But even so, if she had to go, she could have said something.

That way, they’d know what to do going forward. Whether to simply let her rest in peace, or to uncover the truth and expose it to the world, or even take revenge.

The only one who knew was Kotone, who was no longer with them.

“At the very least, she could have told us why.”

Maybe it was selfish.

But the weight in her heart was so suffocating, and she didn’t know how else to handle it.

Kaoru had already almost lost one junior. Out of negligence. Out of ignorance of what was happening. By the time she figured it out, everything had ended.

It had happened again. That realization pierced Kaoru’s heart.

“Wait, Kaoru!”

Now realizing what Kaoru was creating, Izumi grabbed Kaoru’s arm in alarm.

“Kaoru, what are you doing!?”

Her words were almost a scream.

“Are you seriously going to—”

“Yes.”

Kaoru stared at the paper.

Izumi’s grip had made some of the letters crooked, but the chart was still more or less complete.

“That’s… too much!”

Izumi yelled.

“Kotone… Kotone ended up like that, and you’re thinking of messing around with her name?”

Kaoru finally raised her head.

Izumi’s face showed a mix of emotions. Shock, anger, sadness. Her eyes, especially, looked at Kaoru as if she were a stranger, enough to make Kaoru shiver a little.

“That’s… that’s…”

“Izumi.”

Kaoru, slightly back to reality thanks to Izumi, spoke in a calmer voice.

“Izumi, that’s not it. Listen.”

“If that’s not it—”

“I can do it.”

Izumi was left speechless. It wasn’t that she was shocked by the fact Kaoru could do it. Rather, she seemed to wonder what had happened to her friend.

“We… saw it, right? The woman with the slit mouth.”

Izumi slowly nodded, still unsure how to handle the situation.

“It happened once more. And a long time ago too. I think I told you.”

“But—”

“And you saw it too.”

Kaoru looked straight at Izumi.

“When we did it with Kotone. When the coin moved. You definitely saw it.”

“…”

Izumi’s expression began to crumble. She looked confused, caught between disbelief and understanding.

“So I can do it. If Kotone has really left this world—”

Kaoru paused to catch her breath, her heart racing.

In truth, she didn’t know exactly what she wanted from this.

She just wanted to do something. She’d learned about it too late again.

“I can ask Kotone. What exactly happened. Aren’t you curious? And… aren’t you sorry? As her senior, if there’s anything I can do, I want to do it…”

Kaoru’s voice started breaking as she spoke.

The tears she’d held back spilled over, running down her face, a few drops landing on the paper in her hands, smudging some of the letters.

“So… I…”

Kaoru couldn’t fully explain.

But seeing her illogical determination—or rather, because it was that very sight—Izumi could only nod blankly in the end.

Chapter 161. Flesh (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

—And thus, we found ourselves in the current situation.

Yuka, who had barged through the door only to freeze in place, finally regained her composure and spoke.

"Senpai, what… are you doing?"

Although she had regained her senses, it wasn’t completely.

Her gaze moved from Kaoru's face to Izumi’s, who sat across from Kaoru, and finally, to both of their fingers.

Both Kaoru and Izumi had their index fingers resting on a coin. Beneath the coin lay a sheet of paper inscribed with the Japanese fifty-sound syllabary.

Above it was a drawn pentagram and a circle, inverted.

"No way—"

"It's not like that!"

As Yuka’s face showed a hint of shock, Kaoru reacted sharply, though she didn’t lift her finger from the coin. Izumi, sitting across from her, flinched slightly but also kept her finger on the coin.

"I think I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not what this is!"

Izumi, too, looked slightly uncomfortable. In truth, she had initially wondered if Kaoru was simply fooling around with the syllabary.

"It’s just… I wanted to ask."

"…What?"

Yuka repeated in a dazed voice.

"She left without saying goodbye to anyone else! We still don’t know the reason, right? If we don’t find out what happened, and whether there’s something we could have done… we’ll carry the weight of it for the rest of our lives."

Yuka's face went pale as she listened.

Her gaze fixated on the coin.

"…Yuka?"

Izumi asked carefully.

"Don’t you feel the same?"

Kaoru pressed her a little.

"You were… the closest to Kotone."

After hearing this, Yuka slowly lifted her gaze to look at Kaoru’s face.

"Doesn’t it frustrate you, not knowing why Kotone ended up like that?"

Yuka stared silently at Kaoru for a moment.

Izumi looked a bit unsettled. Yuka’s blank expression was unsettling.

She held something wrapped in a thick cloth—a long, slender item she often brought with her, though Izumi had never seen the contents.

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have thought much of it.

But something about Yuka’s current state made her feel that the object might not be as ordinary as it seemed.

"Yuka?"

Izumi asked cautiously.

"Kaoru’s right. We… we’re sad about losing Kotone, too. That’s why…"

After a long silence, Yuka took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, as if trying to calm herself. She closed her eyes.

Was she sensing something? Yuka, after standing still for some time, slowly opened her eyes again.

"So… do you think it’s working?"

Kaoru blinked at Yuka’s words.

"Uh… honestly, I’m not sure. …Do you feel anything?"

Their previous “success” had been something Kaoru and Izumi hadn’t fully grasped. Before they knew it, the coin had moved on its own. But the information it revealed had been far from enlightening.

"Yes."

Yuka answered.

Thud.

The item in Yuka's hand dropped to the floor. She approached them as if entranced, leaving it behind.

Up close, Yuka's face was a mess. Her skin was dull and nearly bloodless, showing not only a bad mood but a hint of real health concerns.

More than anything, the dark circles under her eyes showed just how exhausted she was.

Could Yuka know something about Kotone?

Kaoru had that thought, but she didn’t let go of the coin.

The world Yuka and Kotone inhabited was far removed from the ordinary. Kaoru, naturally, hadn’t known of such a world until she got involved.

A hidden world unknown to others.

…She knew Yuka wasn’t a bad person, and she didn’t dislike her.

But would Yuka really answer honestly if Kaoru asked her about it?

Seeing Yuka approach, Kaoru gripped the coin tighter. She was even breaking into a cold sweat when Yuka’s fingers hovered over the table.

But Yuka only placed her finger on an empty spot on the coin.

"…Yuka?"

Kaoru spoke in a slightly surprised voice, and Yuka looked down at the coin with a blank expression and said.

"Let’s continue."

"…Are you sure you are fine?"

Kaoru asked, noticing the change in her tone.

Yuka, though she still looked incredibly weary, now had a slightly eerie expression.

"Do I look fine to you?"

Yuka raised her head to look at Kaoru.

Her eyes were void of any emotion. Kaoru felt sure Yuka was hiding her feelings, trying not to show them. She was the kind of person who would become this haggard over losing a friend. If she wasn’t showing emotion, it had to be intentional.

"Did you start this because you thought it was okay, Kaoru-senpai?"

"…Not really."

"Neither do I."

Yuka’s voice overlapped slightly with Kaoru’s hesitant answer.

"Summoning the deceased, or trying to speak with them, doesn’t usually end well."

Kaoru had sensed this too. They’d come close to disaster already.

"But even so."

Yuka’s gaze fell to the table.

"I still want to know what Kotone… wanted to say."

"…."

Kaoru stared blankly at Yuka.

"Yeah."

Izumi spoke quietly.

Her gaze, too, was fixed on the coin where the three of them had their fingers.

It was just one coin on a piece of paper filled with letters—

"But Kotone… wouldn’t do something to hurt us, right?"

—as if Kotone were sitting on the other side, waiting to speak.

"But just so you know, there’s no guarantee that the answering spirit is actually Kotone."

Yuka said.

"So don’t put too much trust in it…"

Her words cast a heavy shadow over the atmosphere once again.

"Hah."

Kaoru sighed quietly after thinking for a while.

"Got it. I’ll keep that in mind. Then… I’ll start."

Kaoru swallowed hard, looking at Yuka.

"So… you’re really feeling something?"

Yuka nodded.

"Then, that means we’ve connected, right? So…"

Kaoru said.

Such rituals usually had many “obstacles” along the way. If the ritual were real, that was only natural. If contacting the deceased were easy, the world would be in chaos.

Likewise, even if it were fake, there would still be barriers—there had to be a way out that wasn’t foolproof.

Even in this situation, they’d faced multiple possible points of failure, but Yuka’s responses suggested…

"If there’s something you want to ask, go ahead."

Kaoru shook off her doubts, speaking in a slightly trembling voice.

"Uh…"

Izumi looked uncertain, at a loss for words.

Kaoru felt the same.

If this ritual really connected them to the other side, and the spirit beyond was indeed Kotone…

…How could they coldly ask, “Tell us how you died”?

“Are you okay?”—that question no longer mattered. The answer was clear.

“We’re doing well”—what use was such a statement to someone already beyond?

They missed Kotone. They wanted her to be okay. They hoped what they heard was a lie—

A heavy feeling settled in Kaoru’s chest.

Seeing Yuka's face like that and how she readily participated—it felt like proof that Kotone was… truly gone.

A realization that struck far too late and tightened Kaoru’s throat.

"…."

Izumi seemed to feel the same.

Thinking of something to say made her sad again, and she looked as if tears were about to spill. Though she moved her lips, her trembling fingers suggested that just holding this posture was already taxing.

"So, should we just—"

Kaoru was about to suggest a confirmation when,

"…Can I say something?"

Yuka spoke up, a little hastily. She hadn’t meant to interrupt, it seemed, only poor timing.

After exchanging glances, Kaoru and Izumi turned to Yuka.

"Uh, yeah. Go ahead…."

Kaoru said, and Yuka nodded.

She closed her eyes tightly before opening them again.

After taking several deep breaths, Yuka spoke in a trembling voice.

"…I’m sorry."

Those were the words that came out of Yuka’s mouth.

"If only I… hadn’t been there."

Kaoru held her breath.

She remained frozen, her gaze locked on Yuka.

Yuka continued, her voice quivering.

"If only I hadn’t been holding that sword there— It’s all my fault."

Now her voice was distinctly breaking.

Izumi's eyes darted back and forth as if she didn’t know how to process the situation.

"I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry…."

Yuka’s voice shook with sobs.

It wasn’t the usual line of questions.

Ordinarily, there would be a process. They’d confirm the spirit’s gender, then its location, or its identity. As Yuka had warned, if the spirit lied, the questions were meaningless.

Did Yuka think the same? Or perhaps she simply wanted to reach out.

Would she get an answer despite skipping the steps?

"…."

As if in response to Kaoru’s concern, there was silence.

Kaoru didn’t know what to do. Yuka was the only one who could understand what was happening, but she seemed on the verge of collapse, barely holding herself up with one arm on the table.

But letting go of the coin felt terrifying. Not because of any backlash from a failed ritual. No, what she feared was to not receive an answer--- to miss hearing Kotone’s response.

"…Ah!"

Izumi was the first to cry out.

Their hands were moving.

Or rather, the coin was moving.

Kaoru’s eyes widened, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Yuka, too, stared wide-eyed at the coin.

Slowly, the coin moved—

"I’m fine."

It spelled out.

Kaoru’s heart pounded. Izumi, too, stared in shock, her glasses fogged with tears.

"Kotone—"

Yuka called out in a choked voice, but the coin continued to move.

Dragging their fingers, as if to say, “Don’t think like that,” the coin spelled,

"I’m sorry."

"S-sorry?"

Yuka stammered.

"No, Kotone, you have nothing to—"

"I’m fine."

Kotone answered once more.

"Kotone!"

Kaoru shouted.

"Is it really you? Are you really…!"

The coin hesitated.

For a moment, Kotone seemed to have departed, and Kaoru’s body trembled as she awaited a response.

"I’m sorry."

The same answer came again.

"S-sorry…."

Izumi’s voice wavered.

Yuka's left arm trembled uncontrollably. Her arm, extended forward, seemed on the verge of giving out.

"Yuka."

"It’s not your fault."

"I’m fine."

"Don’t worry."

Unable to hear Kotone’s voice, had Kotone been worried about them?

As they watched the coin create those words, Yuka wept.

"Kotone, please…."

Yuka murmured.

The coin paused once more.

After lingering for a long time, as if voicing its message with conviction, it slowly moved to spell out each letter.

"I’m fine."

"Really."

"It’s not your fault."

"I’m fine."

Could it be a different entity limited to such reassurances?

But despite such thoughts,

Even without asking for a name—

All three believed that the one responding was Kotone.

"Kotone… I…."

Yuka opened her mouth as if to say something.

But she quickly lowered her head, defeated.

"…Is she gone?"

Kaoru asked carefully.

Yuka nodded slightly.

Then, as if collapsing, she fell to her knees.

Kneeling on the floor, clutching the desk tightly with both hands and lowering her head on it, she looked utterly miserable.

Kaoru let go of the coin.

Izumi did the same.

The truth of the conversation Yuka had with Kotone was unclear. Kaoru could hardly imagine what Yuka might have done to feel responsible.

But one thing was certain.

Kotone didn’t consider it Yuka’s fault.

Whether Yuka would ever share the story was unknown.

But whatever she chose to say, Kaoru… well, honestly, she wasn’t sure how she’d react.

But she’d try.

…Because Kotone would want that.

Kaoru and Izumi approached Yuka, who was kneeling on the floor.

They sat beside her, each placing a hand on her shoulder.

For a long time, the three of them leaned on each other in silence.

---

---

"It’s not your fault, Yuka!"

I shouted.

Not knowing how to respond.

I wasn’t sure if they’d even heard my answer.

Kaoru, Izumi, and Yuka’s voices gradually grew softer until they could no longer be heard.

Trying to get closer, I closed my eyes and focused.

And I kept shouting.

"I’m okay! So you…!"

My throat hurt. I coughed a few times, and as I took a breath to speak again—

"It’s over now."

Kuro spoke from where she sat across from me.

"You can’t hear them anymore, right? Then, no matter how many times you call, it won’t reach them."

I knew. No, I didn’t fully understand the mechanism. But I knew the three of them weren’t here with me anymore…

The sense of connection, the sensation of moving something with my hand—it was all gone.

Curled up on a tiny boat adrift in the middle of a vast sea, I panted.

"Do you want to go back?"

"…Of course I do."

Kuro asked gently, but my reply was edged with frustration.

I looked up at Kuro and replied.

"Of course I want to go back."

"Meow."

Kuro meowed and continued.

"Even if that world isn’t so welcoming?"

"…What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said."

Kuro replied.

"Think carefully about which entity your body might be connected to."

"…Are you saying Nirlass can interfere if I return to my body?"

"Who knows?"

Kuro still spoke in riddles.

The path leading to this world’s moon.

We’d left Ulthar and secured a boat in the harbor city of Dylath-Leen, setting sail in a single direction for quite some time now.

The boat was large enough for the two of us, but being in the middle of the ocean was a little scary. Well, it was nothing compared to what I’d just experienced.

…Kaoru’s power seemed far greater than I’d expected.

"I’ll ask you once more: what do you think of death?"

"…A stopped heartbeat?"

"In that case, you’re already ‘dead’ in that world. All right, let’s consider it from a more religious perspective: what would death be in this context?"

"Religiously? The soul leaving the body, I guess."

Most religions have that concept.

As I slowly caught my breath and sat down, Kuro continued.

"Then you’re technically still alive. This is the Dream World. You either find a way here through deep sleep or by bring your whole physical self here. Since you didn’t bring your body, it’s obviously the former."

"…."

Absorbing this sudden influx of information, I squinted.

"So… I’m in a coma or something?"

"Death is an odd concept."

Rather than answering directly, Kuro licked her paw. Or was she answering? Her tongue moved outside her mouth as she spoke, which looked odd.

"They say brain death doesn’t equal death. Yet, people pump the heart and claim it’s alive. Do you think your body would count as alive?"

"…You’re starting to get on my nerves."

"Just as each myth has its unique concept of gods, people have different concepts of death. You might not be dead after all."

"…."

"There was a prophecy, remember? That you would die to someone who trusts you. But Kudan only prophesies events that could be considered disasters."

I looked at Kuro intently.

"Oh, but how was it supposed to be prevented? Oh, yes the other prophecy was—‘think again,’ wasn’t it? It seemed like Yuka reconsidered. So, can you really say that they are someone who trusts you?"

Meow.

Kuro let out a soft cry.

"Does trust only mean complete faith? I’m not sure."

Chapter 162. Flesh (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Sanae Suzuki hadn’t been a teacher for very long.

She’d only just shaken off her new teacher status, so she was finally able to take on a homeroom class.

She had a passion for the job in her own way, and since it was her first class as a homeroom teacher, she thought she’d do her best.

“Ms. Suzuki, it must be… tough on you in many ways.”

But that was the kind of comment Sanae Suzuki heard the most last year.

Being a teacher isn’t exactly an easy job.

Especially in the role of homeroom teacher, where she had to take responsibility for a class of children.

In fact, there were even a few people who didn’t want to take on that responsibility.

Still.

When she saw other teachers happily chatting with students who visited years after graduation, she wanted to do the same herself.

How admirable it was to be someone students remembered as an important part of their lives, even if they’d only crossed paths for a single year.

For that reason, Kurosawa Kotone’s presence in her class stood out in many ways to Sanae.

Not in a bad way—in a literal sense.

She was in a much more unique situation compared to other children.

“……”

There was no teacher who would tell Sanae Suzuki, who stared blankly at her own desk, that it “must be hard for her.”

Some people took on the job of teacher just to earn a living, while others lost their passion over time as they taught too many students to count.

But among all those teachers, it’s rare to have seen one of their own students die.

Even if there were such teachers, very few would have faced that situation in their very first year.

So, in this situation, no one knew how to reach out.

Most of the teachers were carefully following social etiquette when it came to Sanae Suzuki.

They simply left her alone, hoping things would settle on their own.

Of course, that didn’t mean Sanae Suzuki could sit around doing nothing all day.

“I see… I understand.”

Sanae said this to the woman sitting across from her.

The woman had barged into the staff room and taken the seat of an absent teacher next to her.

And then the woman had told her this:

“There’s a possibility that Kotone is still alive.”

What exactly is one supposed to say to a person like that? Sanae had no idea.

The woman didn’t seem much older than Sanae herself. Though she only appeared that way on the surface, there was probably a decent age gap.

Sanae was in her mid-twenties. Even considering that, though, the woman looked quite young.

“…Ah.”

Only after speaking did Sanae remember that the person in front of her was the mother of the deceased child.

As she was about to stand up from her seat, the woman, Kurosawa Kagami, held her down.

“I didn’t come here to be consoled.”

“…I understand.”

Sanae had started to say, “It must be difficult for you,” but stopped mid-sentence, unconsciously nodding at her unusual intensity.

In fact, she had expected this person’s visit; Sanae had specifically requested to meet her.

Even though she had taught Kurosawa Kotone, she hadn’t been able to attend her funeral.

She’d intended to pay her respects, but as soon as she called, the woman had said, “I’ll come by tomorrow.”

Was that why she’d wanted to come?

For a brief moment, Sanae wondered if Kotone’s mother was so overwhelmed with grief that she was denying reality.

But she quickly dismissed the thought.

This woman wasn’t exactly the picture of a devoted “mother.”

Sanae remembered what it had been like when she’d visited Kotone’s house.

The house had been practically empty.

Kotone, who had started making friends, had shown a bit more expression but still seemed unstable in ways that were hard to ignore.

From a child psychology perspective, it was likely because of Kurosawa Kagami, who was sitting right in front of her.

Sanae had tried using various institutional methods to resolve the situation, but for some reason, nothing worked.

What had shocked her the most was what the principal had said, telling her not to interfere with that household anymore.

That made her think that perhaps the Kurosawa family was a special household like the Yamashita family in Kotone’s class.

And so, after that, she had focused on reaching out as much as she could and managing Kotone within the school.

But now, she wondered if even that approach had been wrong.

“There’s no need to feel sorry about not coming to the funeral. In fact, there wasn’t one.”

“……”

“There wasn’t even a body. Technically, Kotone’s situation is closer to ‘missing’ or ‘runaway’ than ‘deceased.’”

“But I’m sure… I mean, I definitely—”

“Yes, you must have received some kind of notification. It was likely a ‘clerical error.’”

Sanae stared at Kagami, looking dazed.

If her expression could be summed up in words, it would be “What on earth are you saying?” Of course, that wasn’t something to say to a mother who’d lost her daughter.

People only realize their mistakes after things happen, and if the person in front of her was one of those people, then it somewhat made sense.

“Madam, in that case—”

“Yes, so there’s one thing I’d like to ask you, Ms. Suzuki.”

“…Go ahead.”

Sanae made an effort to stay calm as she spoke.

Even if the person in front of her had some mental issues, there was nothing Sanae could do about it.

That was a job for a psychiatrist, and Sanae had no right to force her to see one.

“How many days has Kotone missed school? Is she in danger of having to repeat a grade?”

Seeing Kagami ask this as casually as if she were inquiring about a troubled child’s school life made Sanae feel strange.

“…No, it hasn’t reached that level. If she’s absent for about a third of the school days, it could be an issue, but that’s not the case with Kotone. Still, Madam—”

“I see.”

Hearing this, Kagami sounded relieved.

“Then Kotone can continue her school life as normal when she returns.”

“Yes, she certainly can, but—”

“Alright, that’s good enough for me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Kagami rose from her seat.

Then she slightly bowed to Sanae.

As Sanae hastily stood up, Kagami smiled faintly at her.

“Well then, please… take care of my daughter from here on.”

“Ah, yes, I’ll do my utmost to—”

Before Sanae could finish her awkward reply, Kagami nodded and walked away.

Sanae stared blankly at Kagami’s retreating figure, which disappeared quickly.

When she turned her head back, she saw that the other teachers in the staff room were watching her.

Some simply shook their heads and went back to their seats, while others shrugged.

Most of their reactions seemed to say, “That woman must be crazy.”

Sanae thought that she would have put it a bit more mildly, but—

She couldn’t help but agree with them.

---

*

---

At least now, the school wouldn’t try to stop Kagami from wandering around the building.

Of course, that was assuming she stayed within the range Kotone had usually frequented.

And Kagami had no intention of stepping outside those bounds.

She didn’t assume there were no government agents at the school.

However, even to people like them, Kagami would likely just look like a crazy woman.

And now, she was about to do something that would add a bit of credibility to that image while also serving her purposes.

Like the last time she’d visited, Kagami headed toward the Literature Club room.

She remembered where it was located.

The few students still at school glanced her way, but they didn’t seem all that curious.

It seemed they assumed that any adult confidently walking through the school must be a school official.

How lax.

Though, if anyone had been the most lax, it had been Kagami herself.

Without hesitation, she climbed to the top floor and swung the Literature Club’s door open without knocking.

And, as it happened, she found herself face to face with someone she hadn’t particularly wanted to see.

“...Ah.”

The girl on the left gasped.

Kagami remembered her name as well: Kaneko Kaoru, Kotone’s upperclassman in the club.

And the girl across from her was Ikeda Izumi.

And the tear-streaked girl who couldn’t even stand properly in the middle didn’t require Kagami to recall her name deliberately.

“…Oh.”

Though she couldn’t tell exactly what had just happened, it must have been a rough time for the girl in the middle.

Kagami’s eyes fell on the paper and coins lying on the desk.

She frowned but didn’t say anything.

It seemed they just wanted to try anything they could.

Blaming them for that wouldn’t be very productive.

“...Yuuki Yuka.”

Kagami began in an even tone.

Speaking to the girl in the center.

“I have a favor to ask. Are you free right now?”

“…”

Yuka, who had been looking blankly at Kagami, slowly nodded.

“Alright. There’s no need to keep anything from those present, so I’ll say it here.”

Kagami continued, her hand in her coat pocket.

“You know that I have two ‘daughters,’ don’t you?”

She wasn’t about to share the most important information.

At the very least, the keyword “resurrection” couldn’t fall into the hands of those watching her.

It’s an appealing word. Even if they couldn’t use it, there were bound to be people who would try to find a way to apply it to themselves.

It would be nothing but trouble.

“The thing is, I haven’t been able to reach that daughter. It seems she’s doing a very good job of hiding Kotone.”

At Kotone’s name, Yuka’s face twisted with grief.

Kagami shrugged slightly and went on.

“You can find her, can’t you?”

“…”

“At the last moment, Kotone… you knew something was changing about her, didn’t you? That’s why you tried to take her and run away.”

Kagami looked into Yuka’s eyes steadily.

It would be a lie to say she didn’t harbor resentment.

Even if it wasn’t this girl’s fault, it was still the same.

Kagami wasn’t so broad-minded as to be kind to someone who, intentionally or accidentally, had killed the daughter she’d just started to care for.

For now, she was simply postponing judgment.

If Kagami could bring Kotone back to life, then she could forget about that incident.

If she couldn’t, she would never forgive it.

…And while most of that unforgiveness came from self-loathing, Kagami decided to ignore that part.

“So, whether you use your powers or the Yuuki family’s resources, I’d like you to find Kotone and Koko. And I’d like you to protect them with your ability.”

“…”

Yuka looked up at Kagami. Her face still looked completely drained of life.

“Aren’t you going to ask why?”

Seeing her silence, it seemed she wasn’t in the mental state to ask.

Kagami frowned.

Could she still trust Yuka to carry out this request?

…She decided not to overthink it.

She planned to do everything she could for now.

“…”

Oh.

Maybe the reason she wasn’t asking why was that she already knew what Kagami meant.

“I don’t want her to end up in someone else’s hands. Besides, it wouldn’t be right for her to be left lying around anywhere, would it? She deserves a proper burial.”

For a moment, there was a flicker in Yuka’s eyes.

“Whether you do it or not is up to you. If you don’t, I’ll find another way to do it myself.”

“I’ll do it. I will.”

For the first time, Yuka responded to Kagami’s words.

Kagami nodded at her.

“Good. Then… I’ll leave my other daughter in your care.”

I don’t like it.

But that was separate from being able to trust her.

She was, after all, the one who had reacted like that in that situation.

Still.

“Just… please, aim your sword in the right direction this time.”

There was no way she could let that go unsaid.

Even though she trusted her, it didn’t mean she liked it.

“…”

Yuka’s face hardened.

Yes, she’d have to steel herself.

If things went as planned, they’d both be in grave danger the moment they succeeded.

---

*

---

“See? Isn’t it beautiful? Didn’t I tell you so?”

From a ship drifting in midair, Kuro spoke.

I hated to admit it, but I couldn’t help but agree.

My heart was pounding, though I’d already felt uneasy seeing the kids like that, and now Kuro wasn’t even answering my questions.

As embarrassing as it was, my heart pounded with excitement.

Is this how astronauts felt heading to space? Although it was somewhat different in my case.

The dream world was like the realm some conspiracy theorists imagine—a flat world, not on a round planet, but stretched out over a flat land.

I had no idea where it was coming from, but at the edge of this world, seawater was cascading down endlessly, like Niagara Falls but on a far grander scale.

A boundless horizon on a flat plane, with waves pouring off in a majestic waterfall.

Water vapor from this fierce flow rose upward, forming a wall-like mist.

It was a beautiful sight, but also a frightening one.

It was a relief to know I wouldn’t fall.

The ship had moved along the current, crossing an ocean-free edge and floating through midair.

“Think about it. Without gravity, it naturally just moves straight ahead, right?”

“But I’m breathing. Isn’t there supposed to be friction slowing us down?”

Plus, isn’t gravity why planets are round in the first place?

Shouldn’t gravity pull toward the heaviest point in a three-dimensional space?

“Don’t get caught up in the details. It’s a dream, after all.”

“Then don’t bother throwing in halfway reasonable explanations…”

But, maybe because it was a dream, the sense of sailing through space wasn’t so bad.

The ship’s bow pointed precisely at the moon, which felt satisfying.

Anyone who’s looked up at the night sky must have dreamed of looking down on the world from above, haven’t they?

And the dream world—

It wasn’t a round Earth but a fantasy-like setting.

It looked like a mountain that had been cut off and flipped over.

Could there be another world under the dream world?

I turned back to look at the moon.

There was a movie a long time ago.

They loaded a man into a huge cannon and shot him at the moon.

It was a black-and-white film, supposedly the first sci-fi movie about a journey to the moon.

Isn’t that what we’re doing?

Ignoring physics entirely, we’re headed straight for the moon.

“…”

…Wait.

“So, what happens to us?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’re sailing straight toward the moon. Is this safe? How do we land?”

“Oh, that.”

Myaa.

Kuro let out a soft meow.

“Don’t worry so much. We won’t die.”

“No, but how are we going to…”

“If you’re that worried, you could just swim back.”

“…If I step off the ship, won’t I fall down?”

“Myaa.”

“Hey.”

I knew it was a joke, but it was still irritating.

“…It feels like we’re going faster.”

Did I start to feel it once I became aware of it?

For some reason, the closer we got to the moon, the faster the ship seemed to be moving.

“I told you.”

As if to answer my worries, Kuro spoke.

“There’s gravity, so what do you expect when we’re near such a huge moon?”

“No, you said this was a dream world.”

“Ever floated around in a dream without gravity?”

It’s possible!

Though I never have!

Just as I was about to shout, the wind picked up, tossing my hair wildly.

Well, technically, it’s weird to have wind on the moon…

---

*

---

Contrary to my worries, the ship seemed to have some sort of magical mechanism.

It lifted its bow, landing gently on the moon’s surface like a helicopter.

“…”

“Alright, alright. I apologize, okay? Are you satisfied, nya?”

I’d ignored Kuro for a long while, and she laughed.

Which only annoyed me more.

“…So?”

But I couldn’t stay annoyed forever.

There was a reason we were here.

Though I didn’t yet know what it was.

“What am I supposed to do here?”

“There are living creatures on the moon in this world.”

Of course there are.

Since I can breathe on the moon, it wouldn’t be strange to find creatures here too.

Are there rabbits?

Kuro wagged her tail and looked up at me.

“They’re toad-like with tentacles instead of heads, and they’re extremely fierce.”

“…”

I carefully brushed the image of rabbits aside.

“I’d like you to calm them down somehow. What do you think?”

“…”

I mean…

I don’t particularly want to.

“We’ve got plenty of time, don’t we?”

Does having time make it any easier?

I rubbed my face with my hand, wondering.

Chapter 163. Flesh (8)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"……."

How should I put it? I felt really strange.

No matter how much people say not to judge by appearances, I don’t think anyone would be comfortable looking at a creature that seemed like a toad split in half and then given multiple octopus legs at the waist.

More than that, I suppose it was designed to provoke revulsion. After all, wasn’t it from the Lovecraft Mythos? I hadn't read the Dreamlands storyline, but if it’s a monster from there, it’s bound to be like this.

Yet that monster, upon reaching out its hand, groaned and sat down.

When I heard someone needed help dealing with fierce monsters, I didn’t quite understand what they meant, but now I got why they brought me here.

"……Is it because I'm a being who came from reality?"

As I mumbled my thoughts, looking at these beasts that let their tentacles droop down and accepted my touch, Kuro shook her head.

"No, that’s not it. It's because you're ‘you.’"

Letting out a meow, Kuro sprawled out on the ground.

There were a lot of beasts in similar positions in front of me, although they didn’t seem to be groaning.

It felt kind of strange, like they were showing a gesture of submission.

"But thanks to you, it’s a relief. If it weren’t for you, there would have been a bloodbath. Lots of people would have died."

"……."

I stopped petting the Beasts of the Moon and looked at my hand.

Nothing seemed to have rubbed off on it. The creatures looked as if they should be covered in sticky mucus, but they weren’t.

"……So?"

"Meow?"

"You said you’d tell me the story if I helped."

I turned to Kuro, dropped to the ground, and sat down. Fine sand covered the ground beneath me. I wasn’t sure what it was made of, but anyway, it was ‘moon-colored.’ It sparkled enough that it could have been silver dust rather than sand, or perhaps fine silver particles were mixed into the sand.

I could breathe, and there was wind blowing, but why didn’t the craters dotting the surface, like those on the real moon, disappear? Was this another influence of people’s dreams?

But right now, that didn’t really matter. Speculating about physical laws here would be foolish, I realized.

Instead—

"The prophecy."

Kuro looked up at me.

"Is that so? You want to know?"

"Yes."

If that hadn’t been the reason… No, even if it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t have had any other option but to follow along.

Kuro seemed to be hiding me, as if… protecting the spirit separated from my body. I didn’t understand why, though.

Is this really my final destination? Or is there another hidden reason? It’s a little worrying.

"You said I haven’t completely died yet. And Yuka reconsidered. So, has the prophecy been broken?"

"Meow, well."

Kuro replied, her eyes narrowing. That meow must be Kuro’s way of laughing.

"Does that mean there’s nothing more to worry about?"

"Who knows."

Kuro gave the same answer once again.

"Yuka isn’t the only person you trust, right?"

"……What?"

"There’s room for debate on whether someone who’ll do something for you equates entirely to ‘trust.’ You trust Yuka, but you didn’t tell her everything. That trust is different from the kind based on verifying facts, like a transaction. But you trust that Yuka will be on your side no matter what, even though you didn’t tell her everything, even if you lied about something. That’s trust, though not necessarily reliance."

"……."

"So, what about the Outer God, Nirlass? You trust that Outer God because you believe it will do anything as long as the conditions are right. In a way, that’s trust too, isn’t it? But at the same time, you’re cautious, aren’t you? You believe it won’t lie, but you also think it’s toying with you. You don’t think it’ll lead to purely positive results."

"So?"

"Do you think it was Yuka or Nirlass who stabbed you?"

"Of course, it was Nirlass."

I frowned and answered immediately.

I didn’t want to think that Yuka would hurt me, and that wasn’t the reality anyway. When someone gets hit by a car and crashes into another person, you don’t blame the person they hit—you blame the driver of the car.

"Fine. Regardless, it’s clear you were hurt by someone you trusted. And it’s certain that Yuka ‘reconsidered,’ at least once. Since she herself said so. Then, what about Nirlass?"

"……Uh."

"Well, I can’t read the memories of an entity equal in rank, so I’m not sure, but seeing as it didn’t go out of its way to mock you, maybe things went differently than it expected. Given that it moved that blade to stab you, too."

I tried to stay patient. It wasn’t particularly because Kuro had claimed equality with Nirlass; I’d been expecting that.

However, if Kuro got annoyed and stopped talking, I wouldn’t hear the story I wanted.

Kuro looked up at me, seeming to enjoy my expression, and spoke.

"You have many people you trust, but if you narrow it down to beings with the ability to truly kill you, there aren’t that many. Could Kaoru kill you? Probably not. Even if she threw you from a high place, you’d just get back up."

I agreed. Not that I thought Kaoru would ever do that to me… Oh, right. This is also a type of trust, isn’t it?

"If it’s someone you trust who could kill you, who else is there?"

"……Koko?"

"Really? Could that kid kill you? I think that’d be impossible."

Kuro said.

"Because the possibility of her even considering killing you wouldn’t cross her mind. You two are connected somehow. Since you share the same mother."

"Because… we’re beings born of an Outer God?"

"Meow."

Kuro cried.

"That, you’ll find out later."

Kuro gave a faint smile as if she was looking forward to that time, then continued.

"So, back to the basics. What do you think about the concept of ‘death’? The heart stopping? The head being severed?"

"……You said yourself those only apply to regular people."

Even Koko, when I found her, was nothing more than a ‘nose.’

Once I attached some flesh, she had a head, and I continued building up the body one part at a time until we had the current Koko.

"Exactly. Ultimately, you’re still in a dream and sleeping, so your soul hasn’t left your body. Truly dying would be like that—leaving the body. Another thing: how many souls do you think can go into a single body?"

"……One?"

"That too, only applies when we say ‘usually,’ right?"

Kuro looked up at me with narrowed eyes.

"That’s why you’re interesting."

"You mean I’m… different?"

"Yes."

Kuro smiled.

"When you talked to Nirlass, where did you hear the voice coming from?"

"Well, right beside my ear… it was usually there…?"

"And what about the sensation?"

"It felt like it was stroking my body, placing a hand on my shoulder."

I shrugged.

"Even though I couldn’t actually see it."

"Interesting."

Kuro meowed, laughing again.

"Being that close and never realizing it—that’s very human."

"……What?"

"Let me ask you. If there’s a being closer to you than anything else in the world, yet you can’t see it, who do you think that is?"

"That would be…."

"Whether it’s human or not, all animals’ attention faces outward, not inside themselves."

Kuro continued.

"What happened every time you called Nirlass? Your body didn’t move, right? Like you’d lost control."

"……Huh?"

"Every time you wanted to call Nirlass, what did you do? You cut your body and let the blood flow. That blood flowed through the markings purposely drawn on your wrist."

"Ah, wa-wait a minute."

I got up from my spot.

"You got a hole in your chest, didn’t you? That wound still hasn’t healed, and most of the blood has drained out."

"So that means—"

"Don’t worry. Blood… well, in general, it’s ‘just a part of the body,’ right? Remember what Nirlass said when you talked to it?"

Avatar, it had called me that.

That’s right. It had clearly said so from the beginning, without beating around the bush.

Meow.

Kuro cried.

"As long as your soul doesn’t leave and you don’t truly ‘die,’ it’ll stay as it is. Nice, isn’t it? While you’re here, no other owner of that body will ever awaken."

"Does that mean the prophecy… still hasn’t been fulfilled?"

"Yes."

"Then, the one to kill me is…?"

"There’s still one person left, isn’t there?"

Kuro gazed at me quietly.

"Someone who, relatively recently, came to place their entire faith in you."

"Ah—"

"What if, due to their change in heart, they wanted to see you again? Wouldn’t they go to any lengths to bring you back?"

Stretching her front paws and standing up, Kuro said with a yawn.

"And to revive someone, death is necessary. Even if a soul can occupy two bodies, one soul can’t be in two bodies. And after the soul has moved on, the remaining body can rightfully be called ‘dead,’ can’t it?"

---

Kagami thought it was important to confirm the condition of the corpse.

If Kotone dies and her body doesn’t revive, then perhaps she could rest easy.

After all, it would be the end.

If the corpse was stiff from rigor mortis, or was already slowly decaying… in that case, Kotone would truly be dead.

It’s possible to recall a soul that’s left for the Underworld. But getting it to settle in a new body is nearly impossible.

No one knows why. Even if a new body is found, there’s a rejection, or the body decays slowly despite the revival. There’s a way to possess the living, but it didn’t last either. According to the literature, ‘it’s impossible to keep on living that way.’

There was a theory that, like a human body grows, so does the soul, and if the body doesn’t match precisely, it can’t settle. But it’s unproven; everyone who’s been to the Underworld is already dead.

But, thankfully—

If the body doesn’t decay and remains intact.

Then, through Koko, reproducing the body might be possible. They could create a body where Kotone’s soul remains. Like Koko, who mimics Kotone’s body.

That way, Kotone could be brought back to life.

…Of course, that means handing Kotone’s body over to someone else entirely.

Again, Kagami had no idea why. She had no idea why an Outer God, disinterested for 16 years, suddenly tried to enter Kotone’s body.

Maybe, after all, Kosuzu was right.

They’d made body after body for gods to inhabit, and finally, one had become suitable.

Only bodies that perfectly matched a soul could hold it.

After years passed and the body grew, perhaps it could finally settle—a discouraging thought.

Kagami hadn’t known this from the start. Only after long conversations with Kotone did Kagami conclude that Kotone was not what Kosuzu desired.

Kotone’s blood attacked people.

Kotone’s blood had stabbed Koko.

Kagami didn’t believe Kotone would kill someone she was close to.

She didn’t think Kotone would decide to die.

The conclusion was obvious.

At least the blood flowing through that body wasn’t Kotone’s.

It’s impossible to know what lies inside, but as soon as Kotone’s soul is removed, that body’s ownership would pass to whatever’s inside. Therefore, it was dangerous.

Fail, and they would lose Kotone and burn the world.

But—still.

It didn’t matter.

Even if the world burns.

She’d wanted to burn it for so long. Back when she was used and discarded by her sister. When she realized she wasn’t following a noble purpose but was just a tool.

When, sick of the suffering, she was about to give up, Kotone appeared.

For the first time, she had someone she considered a daughter. Someone she could call family, who treated her as a person, not a tool or a superior.

She’d given everything up.

So, she’d resigned herself to fate.

It wasn’t just her sister Kosuzu; it was the whole family. Their purpose had been set long ago, and both Kosuzu and Kagami were merely tools in that household.

Collected, gathered, pooled, accumulated into a black pond with no visible bottom.

That was Kurosawa.

Honestly, there was hope when Kosuzu tidied things up.

And she felt like she was flying when someone like Kagami was told she was important.

Only to be discarded again.

Had she known nothing, she would have just lived. She would have covered her emotions with a smile, narrowed her eyes, and won over people.

But finally, she met someone who revived her hidden emotions. A presence that came into her life, who sought her out without her trying.

If she were to lose them forever, she would return to that state.

If there was a chance of bringing Kotone back, even if the world burned, she would take it.

If Kotone lived again, what would she do?

She would take her hand and run away.

Take Kotone and Koko, and flee as far as they could.

Until the fire sweeping the world caught up. Until there was nowhere else to escape.

Still, in the end, they would meet a warm death in the arms of family.

---

Shii was confused.

"……Brother?"

As she muttered in a daze, she looked up at Sota, but he couldn’t say anything.

"……."

And between Shii and Sota, Nanami stood speechless.

The reason Nanami ended up at Sota’s house was none other than Kotone.

They weren’t close enough to be called best friends, but Nanami considered Kotone a friend.

News of Kotone spread rapidly throughout the school.

Of course, it would; after all, a student had died.

And Kotone was quite well-known at school. She was a pretty girl with a perpetually expressionless face.

She had been caught up in all sorts of trouble since the beginning of the semester, so unpleasant rumors had spread behind her back. Of course, Nanami mostly ignored them, and she even tried to correct some.

But that girl was dead now.

Nanami could guess the reason.

After all, she wasn’t the type to live in this world. Having once been drawn into that world, Nanami had always felt Kotone’s life could end anytime.

Kotone was said to have died, but Nanami knew nothing about it. She had visited Kotone’s class, stood in front of the flowers left there, and offered her respects.

But Nanami’s relationship with her hadn’t been deep enough to let her jump in and say, ‘It’ll be okay.’

She couldn’t see Kotone’s little sister, and her supposed best friend was in no state to speak.

Hagiwara hadn’t come to school.

And Sota had already left school and gone home.

While Nanami hesitated anxiously, she remembered Shii was close to Kotone.

She’d always felt a bit resentful that Shii had gotten in the way of her relationship with Sota, but she was still worried—

And in the end, she found herself here, in this situation.

Only after seeing Sota’s face did Nanami realize Shii didn’t know yet.

"What happened to… senpai?"

Shii’s voice trembled.

"Uh, well… that is…."

Nanami tried to gather herself to answer, then closed her mouth. She could feel the blood draining from her face.

And having shown such a face, there was no point now in claiming it was a misunderstanding or a mistake.

"……Shii."

Sota was the first to speak.

"……Listen to me, calmly."

"Brother?"

Still unable to process what she had heard, Shii looked up at Sota with a puzzled expression.

It was as if she didn’t understand why Sota had such a serious face.

"Kurosawa is…."

With a serious expression, Sota looked at Shii and put his hands on her shoulders. Though she looked utterly lost, her shoulders were already trembling.

"Kurosawa has left this world."

"Brother?"

Shii blinked.

Not understanding what he meant, she looked up at her brother and then turned around.

Only after noticing that Nanami, standing anxiously by the door, wore an unchanged expression did Shii blink again.

"Wait, Shii!"

"Shii!?"

Then she collapsed, slumping down as if she’d fainted. If not for Sota, it could have been dangerous.

"Shii, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I…."

With her hand on Shii’s shoulder, Nanami spoke, but it seemed Shii couldn’t hear her anymore.

"Senpai… she’s gone? Why?"

Was she speaking to Sota or Nanami? Perhaps it didn’t matter much.

"Shii."

Sota held Shii, letting her rest against his shoulder.

Shii leaned into Sota without a word.

Normally, Shii would have blushed.

But now, she was utterly silent, like a doll whose strings had been cut.

Chapter 164. Flesh (9)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"How... How could you?"

Shii asked that same question for the third time.

How could anyone simply move on when someone had died? How could no one question it?

To Shii, it was something strange.

Yes, for sure... Sota and Shii also went through a difficult time.

They’d seen the woman they called "mom" collapse in a bloody mess right before their eyes. Even if it was hard, she had still been family to them.

She hadn’t died. She was still hospitalized, though it seemed she couldn’t hold a proper conversation. They said she’d go into a frenzy at the mention of Sota and Shii’s names, so they thought it best not to visit her for the time being.

For that reason, the concept of death was unfamiliar to Shii, especially the death of people around her.

And besides—

“Brother, didn’t you find it a little strange? After what happened to Kotone-senpai, nobody... nobody told us anything.”

Logically, Shii understood.

Sota cared about Shii. So maybe he didn’t want her to be shocked by certain events. And once they hid it once, it probably became impossible to talk about it afterwards.

What could they have done? Shii could understand that much. She didn’t like it, but she understood. Still—

"Someone died, yet how could they."

No one was there to offer their condolences for Kotone.

At least, that’s what Shii thought. She knew that people died lonely deaths in this world, but she didn’t think Kotone would be one of them. While she hadn’t given much thought to death, Kotone was surrounded by many people.

Those who had gathered at Christmas, during summer break.

Even the people at her part-time job.

But how could there be no funeral, no ceremony—like she’d never existed at all?

"...I’m going."

"Shii?"

Sota looked on in surprise as Shii abruptly pushed her chair back and stood up.

Shii... she wasn’t usually a child who acted that way.

She was always cautious, trying hard to avoid offending others.

And Sota knew why. The woman who’d taken Shii, the one she called "mom," wasn’t exactly a positive influence. Nor was the man who stayed close by her mother.

What had happened to that man? Sota hadn’t heard. When that woman Kosuzu visited, had she left him alone? Sota wondered if the police were now investigating him. Though ultimately, it wasn’t a matter of much concern.

If things had been different, Sota might have been glad as her brother to see Shii behaving like this. It would mean she’d found someone else she held dear.

The problem was that this bond had ended in a situation neither of them had wanted.

"Where are you going?"

"To Senpai’s house."

Shii replied firmly.

"Until I see it for myself, I don’t understand. There might be some... something involved that we don’t know about, right? Something like, she’s not actually dead but in a situation where everyone had to say she was…"

"..."

Sota and Nanami exchanged glances.

Normally, Shii would have sensed their hesitation. She might have suggested they eat together or have tea to stall them.

But she didn’t do that.

Instead, she hurried straight up to her room, as if anxious.

Thud, thud, thud. Sota stared at the ceiling in a daze, hearing the quick footsteps that Shii usually never made.

"Sota."

"Yes?"

"Is this connected to Hagiwara-senpai as well?"

"..."

"Senpai didn’t come out today. Could it be...?"

Nanami’s face looked unusually serious.

Sota remembered that Nanami had once been involved in this as well. Not just involved—she’d been in the most dangerous situation. Had it not been for Koko’s protection, Nanami might not be here now.

Because of that, she also knew what kind of person Hagiwara-senpai was.

Sota thought for a moment, then nodded. Nanami nodded as well.

They didn’t exchange further words.

Sota got up and headed for his room.

He had no intention of stopping Shii. If he tried to stop her now, it would only make her misunderstand more.

His heart ached. He should have told her from the beginning. He’d been afraid that if he told her something even more shocking after a traumatic event, Shii would truly be shattered.

It had been a mistake.

No, it wasn’t just a mistake—it was Sota’s fault.

His selfish choice had cost him the chance to even offer condolences for his friend.

Nanami got up too, putting on the coat she’d draped over her chair.

"Nanami?"

"I knew her too."

Nanami’s hand, buttoning up her coat, paused.

With her head lowered, she spoke with some difficulty.

"Do you know what I thought when I heard about her?"

Nanami let out a small sigh.

"I was scared. I... I saw how they fought back then. And then... when I thought about her ending up that way, I felt so alone. That’s probably why I came here—not because I was worried about someone but because I wanted to lean on someone."

Then she looked up.

Her expression was grim.

"It’s strange, isn’t it? When you hear a friend has died, the first thought shouldn’t be... something like that."

"Nanami."

"So I’ll go too. Even if it feels too late... still. I don’t know what I want to do when I get there."

Sota looked at her for a moment and then nodded.

Just as they finished their conversation, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs again, a bit rushed.

"Brother."

"Alright, Shii. Let’s go."

Sota wrapped a scarf around his neck as he spoke.

Yes.

In truth, Sota wasn’t in a position to blame Nanami.

Because he’d felt the same.

When someone dies, the first thing you should do is mourn them—not worry about safety or keep secrets from others.

The three of them moved quickly toward the door.

None of them spoke on the way.

*

It’s further than I thought, Sota thought.

He’d been here before, but back then, he’d chatted happily with Shii on the way, so he hadn’t realized how long it took.

It was definitely a difficult commute to make every day.

Kotone had traveled that far every day, just because she wanted to go to that school.

Even when someone suffering was so close by, Sota hadn’t known.

Or had he ignored it? He’d known but hadn’t truly empathized.

Shii and Nanami, walking with Sota, sometimes showed discomfort, but they didn’t say they wanted to turn back.

After about an hour on the train, they got off at Omiya Station.

That wasn’t the end.

They either had to take a bus or walk for another 30 minutes.

"…"

As they went along the long road, the children’s faces grew darker.

Kotone’s usual expression couldn’t exactly be called cheerful.

But following that path, for the first time, they felt it clearly.

Kotone had kept her struggles to herself, even in that situation.

Had she been the same way in her final moments? Had she thought of her pain but only told others she was fine?

…Now, there was no way to know.

"Hah."

Shii exhaled, her breath visible in the cold.

Ahead of them, they could see Kotone and Koko’s house.

An old house, probably built decades ago.

The sky had already grown dark, making it look even more desolate.

But—

"…Ah."

The light was on in Kotone’s room.

The only place in the whole apartment.

Could Koko be there?

After exchanging glances, the three of them moved quickly.

*

"Are you asking me to stay here?"

"If you'd prefer a different room, I can arrange that."

Yuu looked at Kagami in bewilderment.

She didn’t understand her intentions. She could accept her suddenly calling her here, but she couldn’t understand why she’d tell her to stay.

She’d just sent Mako home after finally calming her down and had been about to leave when Kagami contacted her.

The message was for her to come to Kotone’s house.

And as soon as she sat down, she’d said it.

That she wanted her to stay here for a while.

"I know you stayed here before."

"Yes, but…"

That had been because Yuu had run away from home.

It was a completely different situation now.

"We don’t know when Koko will return or if we can even find her body."

But Kagami continued calmly.

"And it takes a long time to go back and forth from Tokyo. Moving those fleshy remains to Tokyo is out of the question."

"…"

Yuu couldn’t argue.

"…What proof do you have that this place is safe?"

She managed to ask.

"We can bring some of your people over. There are plenty of rooms here, anyway."

Kagami’s words shut down her protest.

"And if anyone attacks, it’ll likely… Ah, yes. There probably will be an attack. Definitely once."

"Then—"

"But if there’s an attack, it won’t be on me. It’ll be on you."

Kagami didn’t give Yuu a chance to interrupt.

"I know how to respond, and I’m prepared. Didn’t I take the mirror back?"

"…"

"Given that, they’ll choose you. My sister will."

Yuu found herself at a loss for words.

"Is this place uncomfortable? I thought you’d have fond memories here."

"…After seeing what’s downstairs, it’s hard to think that… It’s almost depressing knowing they lived here with that ‘thing’."

"That ‘thing’ downstairs is the reason they could become ‘sisters.’ But we can talk about that later."

Kagami searched his pocket and pulled something out.

It was… a bell. An old, worn bell.

"I secured it after a fight with my sister to keep her from splitting off. There’s only one, but it’ll be enough for the ritual."

"Why haven’t you retrieved it until now?"

"Usually, these ceremonial bells aren’t used one at a time. You’ve seen the shrine maidens carry them around, haven’t you?"

Yuu nodded, and Kagami continued explaining.

"There was no need to retrieve it because we didn’t plan to use it. My sister saw Kotone’s existence as a failed creation. Since she wouldn’t try anything further, she probably thought it would just decay away."

Kagami exhaled.

"But things have changed."

His gaze was fixed directly on Yuu.

"…"

"So I’d like you to stay here if possible. Koko will probably come soon, and then we can start the ritual immediately."

"…What about my mother?"

"She’ll likely come here as well. We have ways to defend against her, of course. Things have become complicated. My sister never intended for things to go like this."

"Are you saying… that she didn’t want Kotone to die?"

"Correct. She’d hoped to take over her body. My sister’s goal was similar yet different from our family’s purpose. A world where everyone lives eternally, free from the fear of death. Kosuzu wanted to rule over that world. She can’t stand seeing anyone above her."

Kagami chuckled.

"She even tried kidnapping people to experiment on. Though it seems she gave up eventually."

"…"

"There’s no need to be embarrassed. It’s a dream that anyone might have. My sister just believed she had the means to realize it. And she might have succeeded if Kotone hadn’t woken up and forced her to change her plans."

Kagami picked up the bell from the table.

"Even so, she’ll come. My sister still needs time. As long as she’s alive, she’ll keep moving toward her goal, and if you’re here, she’ll come for this place. The question is, do we split into two places and leave our defenses split, or do we concentrate on one? Which is better? Ah, and there’s one more advantage—the government is monitoring this place."

Yuu wanted to argue but ultimately had no rebuttal.

"Then, I’ll take that as your consent. You’ll start staying here tonight. I’ll arrange to have your things sent over. This place… well, you know it has everything necessary."

Yuu opened her mouth.

She had no real argument left, but she wanted to try one more time.

But before she could speak—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

At Kagami’s invitation, the door slowly opened.

"…Yamashita-senpai?"

Shii’s eyes widened when she saw Yuu.

"I didn’t call her here."

Yuu looked at Kagami, who shrugged.

"But it’s perfect timing… Ah."

As Kagami spoke to Shii and Sota, she tilted her head in confusion at Nanami, who entered last.

"Uh…"

Nanami hesitated, not expecting anyone else to be there, unsure whether to step inside.

"Well, come in. Since you’re here, I can’t just send you back."

Kagami sighed deeply.

*

Yuka was heading to a mountain in Saitama.

In truth, she had no concrete reason to go there. She had no idea how far Koko could have gone, and it had been enough time that Koko could be anywhere in Japan by now.

She hadn’t considered if Koko had eaten or rested during her grief over Kotone’s death, but Koko’s condition must be dire too.

She must have been carrying Kotone’s body everywhere. If Koko wasn’t well… who knew what might have happened?

Yuka had come here with one hope.

This mountain was where Koko and Kotone had their fondest memories. Since she’d fled from Tokyo, she wouldn’t likely be in the city.

Choosing a mountain was based on the hope that she’d seek a place away from people.

And—

"...!"

Yuka felt a shiver run up her back.

At the same time, a pang echoed in her chest.

Yuka had never felt this kind of sensation around Kotone and Koko before.

The only ones who made her feel this were the monsters she was meant to slay.

But Kotone—

Smack!

Her cheek stung as the delayed pain set in.

"Pull yourself together."

The cold winter wind grazed her reddened cheek, making it sting.

"At least I found a clue."

She still wasn’t sure. But she had a strong enough feeling that they were nearby.

She gripped her sword tightly. If it wasn’t Koko or Kotone, she would just kill it and continue. Again, and again.

Even if she had to cut down every yokai in this land.

And—

This time, she wouldn’t ever raise her sword against Kotone.

Questions still lingered.

She hadn’t learned why someone wanted Kotone’s body.

She didn’t know why she could sense Kotone’s presence, even though she should have died.

But right now, none of that mattered.

"I’ll find you. I’ll worry about the rest later."

Yuka murmured, quickening her pace.

*

There was no strength left to make a sound.

Koko sat with her knees drawn up to her chest.

Kotone still lay in front of her, unmoving.

Kotone… looked fine. There was still a gaping hole in her chest, but that was all.

Koko remembered things she’d overheard at school.

Some of them were so-called "scary stories."

They said a person stiffens soon after death. That the body becomes rigid like stone and impossible to move.

But Kotone wasn’t like that. Koko could still bend her joints. When Koko picked her up, Kotone’s arms and legs would just hang limply.

While she was cold, she hadn’t become like that.

So maybe Kotone wasn’t dead after all?

"…"

Koko was hungry.

But she couldn’t move. If she looked away, Kotone might disappear.

She’d never see her again.

"Uu…"

Koko tried to keep her eyes open.

Doing her best to stare at Kotone without blinking—

Rustle.

She heard a sound from far away, as far as she could hear in her weakened state, and stood up.

She immediately went to Kotone, slipping her hands under her back and knees to pick her up.

But she couldn’t.

"Eeh?"

She didn’t even have the strength to wonder why.

She’d run every time someone came near.

She hadn’t even thought of hunting something to eat.

She hadn’t slept, always on guard.

All those things had caught up with her, hitting her like a boomerang.

"Ugh…!"

Even so, she mustered all her strength to lift Kotone.

"Ah…!"

And collapsed forward.

"Kotone, I’m sorry!"

Though Kotone hadn’t fallen far, Koko immediately apologized.

There was no time for this—

"…Koko."

Just then, a voice called out.

Koko froze.

Slowly, she turned her head.

And standing there—

"…"

It was Yuka.

"Koko, are you okay?"

Yuka approached, gripping her sword.

"Stay away!"

"Koko!"

Koko swung her hair, but Yuka didn’t dodge.

Slash. A long scratch appeared on Yuka’s arm. It wasn’t deep. Just a shallow scratch, one that didn’t even bleed.

But Koko knew she had cut Yuka.

"Uu…"

She had no strength.

And Koko probably couldn’t kill Yuka. Not just because she lacked the strength but because she couldn’t.

Instead, she desperately tried to shield Kotone’s body.

Her hair flared wildly around her.

"…Koko,"

Yuka took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

Then she placed her sword on the ground.

"Koko, calm down."

Yuka spoke.

"I’m not here to hurt you."

"…"

But Koko didn’t listen.

She held Kotone tightly.

One last time, mustering all her strength, Koko leaped.

"Koko…!"

She heard someone’s voice behind her, but she tried not to listen.

Chapter 165. Flesh (10)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

“Koko!”

My throat hurt.

Maybe someone nearby heard me? Midnight in the mountains is always quiet.

Bzzz.

While I was shouting, I heard the phone vibrating, too.

I took it out to check; it was my father. I had over five missed calls already.

This was the first time I’d rebelled this way. My family wasn’t overly strict, and my grandfather and father understood the weight I felt. Unless it was unavoidable, they had let me do as I pleased.

So really, there’d never been a reason for me to go against their wishes.

Until now.

Now—if I told them the reason, it would cause numerous problems. Someone could be eavesdropping on the call, and my grandfather and father might not want to fight those people.

I didn’t want Kotone… to fall into the hands of people like them.

“Koko!”

I shoved the phone back into my pocket and shouted again.

Honestly, there might not be any need to yell. I would find Koko eventually.

Koko didn’t look good earlier. I wasn’t relieved by it at all. I didn’t want to lose Koko, too.

Still, because of that, Koko probably hadn’t run far. I still felt chills down my spine.

The wind blew through the trees. Even though I was wearing a coat, and my body was warm from searching the mountain for a long time, the wind seemed to cut right through my clothes.

How cold must Koko be?

I quickened my pace.

And then—

“…Koko.”

Panting, I muttered under my breath.

“Don’t… come any closer.”

Koko, shielding Kotone behind her, sat on the ground and spoke.

The tips of her hair trembled. But those strands could no longer attack me.

Looking back, I had never seen Koko go hungry like this. She usually moved as if she had boundless energy.

However, Kotone had always made sure Koko didn’t go hungry, by bringing her food regularly.

…It was just that this situation hadn’t happened before.

“…”

I lowered the sword in my hand.

Then, I slowly, slowly approached Koko.

The cuts Koko made stung. Although I wasn’t bleeding, the wounds themselves were sore, and the wind blew through the tear in my clothes.

But I wasn’t angry with Koko.

In fact, I felt sorry.

I… had taken everything from Koko.

Now, even if I apologized, she probably couldn’t forgive me.

I rummaged in my pocket and found a chocolate I had brought just in case.

With a five-step distance between us, I unwrapped it.

Maybe she could smell it? To a hungry Koko, it must have been enticing.

But Koko only glanced at the chocolate momentarily before looking at me and turning her head away.

“Koko.”

My chest ached.

“If… you’d at least take this…”

I approached Koko slowly.

“You don’t look well right now. Okay? Let’s start by filling your stomach. Then, we can think about what’s next…”

Koko curled up.

As if even though she couldn’t resist, she wouldn’t make it easy for me to take her, she clung tightly to Kotone’s body with her upper torso and curled up.

“…”

I moved closer to Koko.

Even as I knelt and extended my hand, Koko didn’t move a muscle.

Only when I finally touched her back and felt her shudder slightly did I feel a bit of relief. I didn’t want to lose another precious friend right before my eyes.

I didn’t say anything.

Instead, I pulled Koko into an embrace.

I felt slightly dizzy. Maybe it was the exhaustion flooding over me all at once from the relief?

The three of us stayed like that for a while.

None of us said anything.

***

After being captured, Koko seemed to have given up completely.

When I brought the chocolate to Koko’s mouth, she slightly turned her head to avoid it.

It felt like she was determined not to accept my help, which made my heart ache.

But it was okay.

I thought this was enough.

At least she wasn’t running away anymore. Maybe it was just that she had no strength left.

“Here, take this.”

I wrapped the chocolate in the foil again and placed it in Koko’s coat pocket.

“If you’re really hungry, eat it.”

“…”

For a moment, I thought about saying that Kotone would have wanted her to eat it, but I decided to keep my mouth shut. I thought it might have the opposite effect here.

At least she didn’t immediately pull it out and throw it on the ground.

“Ugh…”

When I bent down to lift Kotone’s body, Koko lightly grabbed my arm, but soon let go, her hand dropping limply.

“Can you walk?”

Koko stayed silent, with her head drooped down.

I decided to take it as a yes and lifted Kotone onto my back.

Thud.

Kotone’s hand fell downward.

For a moment, I nearly burst into tears—

“…Huh?”

I looked at Kotone’s arm.

Kotone’s arm, draped over my shoulder, kept swaying as I moved.

That could happen if she was dead.

But if she’d been dead for a while, it wouldn’t be possible.

A corpse stiffens over time. All the mechanisms and fluids that allow a person’s joints to move work only when a person is alive. After some time, the body’s fluids pool downward, and the body stiffens. Naturally, Kotone’s should have, too.

But she hadn’t.

Her hand was the same. If her palm had been facing down, blood would’ve pooled there, creating a bluish lividity. But Kotone’s hand was simply pale.

Could it be because she’d lost too much blood?

Though winter might have slowed decomposition, Kotone didn’t even have an odor.

Was it because she’d received powers from another world—

I shook my head.

“Ugh.”

I stood up and walked slowly. In truth, I felt unsteady. I hadn’t eaten properly in days either.

Leaves and dry branches crunched and cracked underfoot.

When I looked back, Koko, too, was following, unwilling to leave Kotone alone.

Keeping pace with Koko, I continued down the mountain.

I felt a nameless, inexpressible emotion.

Could it be…?

Of course, it felt wrong to even have such thoughts.

Kotone was dead.

The dead cannot return.

But even so—

Kotone hadn’t been just an ordinary person—

As I descended the mountain, I couldn’t calm my heart.

***

“Koko.”

“Auu…”

When we finally reached the road at the base of the mountain, I called out to Koko.

Whether it was because she had given up or because she understood that I wouldn’t act right now, Koko responded to my call.

I was at a loss for words for a moment when I saw Koko looking up at me with a weary expression, but I steadied myself and spoke.

“We need to be careful from here. Kotone… is in this state right now. If others see her, it could cause trouble.”

Koko looked up at me intently. She seemed to understand. I wondered if she’d eaten the chocolate in her pocket? I hoped so.

“So… if someone asks, you need to answer calmly. It would be hard if they knew about Kotone’s… current condition.”

“Nuu…”

Koko nodded.

After surveying the area, I squatted down. With Koko’s help, I carefully laid Kotone down and took off my coat.

Then I lifted Kotone again.

“Koko, cover her with the coat.”

This way, at least, I could hide the hole in Kotone’s chest.

Koko covered Kotone’s back with my coat.

A shiver ran through me.

Without the coat, it was much colder. But we couldn’t just go straight to the police like this.

I checked Koko frequently as I walked, keeping some distance between us. Koko followed, maintaining her distance.

Several cars passed us on the road, but none paid us any attention. I was grateful for that.

“Haa… haa…”

My breathing grew heavy.

My legs began to tremble.

Should I call for help? I couldn’t be certain someone wasn’t listening in, but still…

After walking for quite a while, we finally reached a residential area.

“From here, we’re heading to your house.”

I had decided on that.

I’d take them there and then call Kagami for help.

Or maybe she’d already be there waiting.

“Once we get there, we can think things through.”

“…”

Koko nodded.

There weren’t many people on the street. It was late enough that most places were closed, except convenience stores or family restaurants. The New Year’s atmosphere was fading as school started again.

As we walked down the road—

“You there, students.”

We heard someone call out to us.

“…”

It was the police.

Right. It’s that time already.

I turned toward the officers.

Koko stepped between me and the officers, standing guard.

“You’re students, right?”

There were two police officers.

“What are you doing out at this hour?”

Normally, I wouldn’t think much of it. I could just call my dad or explain we were heading home. They only asked because they wanted to check we weren’t up to anything suspicious.

But right now, this was a problem.

Kotone… was in a state that would be hard for a stranger to see.

“We’re on our way home.”

“Doing what? And why is the other student being carried? Is she ill?”

Was it the unconscious student on my back that was the issue?

The officers didn’t seem inclined to let us go.

“Do you think…”

Maybe they thought we’d been drinking?

“We had a tiring day. So, I’m carrying her to help…”

“…”

It probably wasn’t a convincing excuse.

Kotone, as well as Koko and I, looked a mess. It wasn’t obvious in the dark, but now that we were in a well-lit area, leaves and branches clung all over our clothes.

…What should I do?

Noticing the color drain from my face, the officers narrowed their eyes further—

“Excuse me—what’s going on here?”

A passerby approached and spoke up.

Really.

A stranger, someone I’d never seen or known.

The man’s gaze wasn’t even on me but on Koko.

Koko looked at him with wide eyes.

“You—”

The man looked back and forth between Koko and the officers, frowning as if in deep thought.

And in the next moment.

“What are you doing out so late!”

The man shouted.

I looked between Koko and the middle-aged man.

“Huh?”

“Don’t you know how much your parents are waiting for you?”

For a moment, I wondered if this man was an acquaintance of Kagami’s. But Koko’s reaction suggested otherwise.

“Sorry. My nieces caused you trouble.”

“Huh? Oh, no—”

The man bowed his head to the officers, and I blinked in surprise.

It didn’t take long for me to decide how to respond.

“Uncle, we…”

The man’s expression wasn’t intimidating, but I kept my mouth shut deliberately.

At least the officers seemed convinced we were related after seeing my reaction.

The man and the officers exchanged a few words before looking back at Koko and me.

“You kids are lucky. Do you know how many people target kids like you? You’re fortunate to have a good uncle.”

“Hurry and apologize.”

“…Sorry.”

“Ugh…? Sorry…?”

Seeing me apologize, Koko followed suit. She still seemed confused, but she understood this was better.

After watching the officers walk away for a while, the man turned to Koko and me.

“…Did something happen?”

“Thank you for your help just now.”

I replied to the man cautiously, my voice full of wariness.

“Do you know each other?”

“Oh.”

At my question, the man scratched his head and answered.

“A while back, this student—”

The man looked at Koko, tilting his head.

“No, was it that student?”

Looking at the sleeping student on my back, he tilted his head again.

“Anyway, one of them helped me once… I collapsed at the train station, and they saved me. Was it meddling? You seemed troubled.”

“Oh, no.”

I was a little surprised by his story.

Koko was also staring intently at the man.

“…Thank you for helping us.”

“By the way, is she…?”

“It’s been a rough day. She fell asleep.”

“Is that so…?”

The man had helped, but it seemed the situation looked strange to him.

I bowed and thanked the man who kept staring at us.

“We live nearby. I’ll take her home right away.”

“Got it. Be careful, all of you.”

The man nodded, still puzzled. Maybe Koko’s presence helped. He must have felt it wasn’t his place to dig deeper, as social etiquette often advised.

Koko, the man, and I parted ways.

I was relieved. If the police had stayed longer, things would have gone wrong.

I quickened my steps.

Not by much. I was too tired.

***

Was it lucky?

Before we even got close to Kotone and Koko’s house, someone came running toward us.

At first, I thought he was a government agent, but seeing his Yakuza-style clothes reassured me.

Maybe there were no government agents around. They might have wanted to avoid conflict. Or optimistically, maybe they’d given up on securing Kotone’s body.

After all, Kotone was dead. The government and exorcists knew exactly what “Mumei” was capable of. Over the years, they’d tried a few times to take it from me.

Maybe something urgent had come up somewhere else. Experts in this field are always few, and searching wide areas often requires pulling people in from other regions.

Thinking like this wasn’t exactly right, but if yokai were rampaging elsewhere… that was a relief for me.

“…Wasn’t calling an option?”

When we finally arrived at that old apartment by car, with Kotone and Koko, Kagami asked, sounding a bit dumbfounded.

“…We could have been tracked…”

I replied in a small voice, but surprisingly, Kagami just looked at me silently.

Her expression didn’t reveal any emotion. Still, Kagami didn’t mock me or say more. She simply helped, taking Koko inside.

“…Aren’t we going to the second floor?”

“What we need is down here.”

I looked up at the second floor. The room where Koko and Kotone stayed was lit. Had she stayed there all this time after losing her daughter?

“Leave things here to us from now on.”

“…I want to…”

“I know.”

Kagami said as she studied me.

“Since you were careful enough to avoid using your phone on the way, I can trust you. But in your current state, you can’t help anyone.”

“…”

“Take Koko to the second floor. There should be people there. First… feed her something. You should eat and wash up, too.”

At that, I couldn’t help but nod.

“What about Kotone?”

Koko, who had been nervously waiting outside the room, asked.

“First, let’s get some food.”

“Nuu…”

“Your… mother is taking care of her, so I’m sure she’s okay.”

“Is Kotone okay?”

Hearing her question stirred many feelings in me.

Pity, knowing that Koko had no one else to lean on. Gratitude, that she was reaching out to me. …And the pain of imagining what Koko must feel after losing her most cherished person.

“Let’s focus on getting our strength back first. There were times you were separated from Kotone before. For now, that’s enough.”

“Uu…”

Koko lowered her head.

In the meantime, Kagami came out of the room.

“What are you doing, just standing there?”

She said that to me and then turned to Koko, at a loss for words for a moment.

Approaching Koko silently, Kagami took her wrist.

“Huh?”

“For now, let’s eat something.”

And, half-forcing her, he led her to the second floor.

Koko followed her, helplessly.

“You too.”

Kagami called back to me as she turned, and only then did I slowly follow behind.

Chapter 166. Flesh (11)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The meal was quiet.

The only sound was the occasional clink of silverware against bowls.

Everyone was cautious, too hesitant to speak up.

The room where Kotone and Koko stayed was, in fact, too small to accommodate this many people.

But Kagami had somehow brought in another table, just enough for everyone to sit and eat together.

The menu wasn’t anything special: curry, prepared all at once in a big pot.

Considering the large group, it was a practical decision, something Kagami hadn’t anticipated when she set up this space.

While the others glanced at one another from time to time, Kagami and Yuka’s gazes were focused on one person.

It was Koko.

Though Koko hadn’t eaten even a bite of the chocolate Yuka had given her, she was now diligently eating her meal.

But she didn’t eat in a ravenous way.

Yuka remembered the first time she saw Koko, who had rummaged for food when no one was watching and had a strange obsession with the cat food left in a corner of the kitchen.

It was Kotone who had managed to teach Koko some basic manners while living with her.

Yuka’s gaze lingered on the children’s books stacked in the corner of the room; they looked well-loved, worn down at the spines, likely secondhand even when bought.

Kotone cherished Koko.

Koko was her only family, after all.

"……."

Curry was also something the two ate quite frequently. Kotone had chosen it for its simplicity in making large batches. Perhaps that’s why it tasted a bit different today, since it was Kagami who had made it instead of Kotone.

“……Would you like some more?”

“Hmm?”

Kagami spoke to Koko, her tone sounding unusually gentle to Yuka, different from her usual demeanor.

Or perhaps she simply spoke differently with Koko and Kotone than she did with Yuka?

Koko looked at Kagami as if she were a stranger, then shyly handed her plate to her.

Kagami took the plate, scooped some white rice from an old rice cooker beside her, and ladled a scoop of curry onto it.

She handed it carefully back to Koko.

Koko took it, placed it in front of herself, gave Kagami a quick look, and began eating a bit faster.

Koko’s complexion seemed better than when Yuka first saw her that day, which made Yuka breathe a sigh of relief.

“Myaa.”

Kuro rubbed her head against Koko’s leg.

“Huh?”

Koko looked down at Kuro for a moment before slightly moving her leg back.

Kuro hopped up onto Koko’s lap.

“Kuro.”

Koko smiled slightly.

Yuka thought that smile resembled Kotone’s so much.

When the others had nearly finished their meals, Kagami slowly began to speak.

“It seems everyone we needed has gathered.”

“…….”

All eyes in the room turned to Kagami. Koko, spoon still in her mouth, stared wide-eyed at her.

“Not everyone here has come for the same reason, I’m sure. At least one of you knows why I’m here.”

When Kagami’s gaze landed on Yamashita, Yuu averted her eyes awkwardly.

“As you all know, I was never a good mother to Kotone and Koko, whether or not you know my true nature.”

Kagami’s face was smiling as she said this.

A smile meant to hide emotions, a face that was typical for Kagami.

It made Yuka feel a little tense.

“So I wouldn’t be surprised if this sounds absurd or strange to you.”

Kagami continued, her tone calm.

“But I hope you can understand that what I’m about to say is sincere.”

After pausing briefly, Kagami continued,

“From now on, I’m going to try to bring Kotone back.”

“…….”

Everyone but Yamashita looked at one another.

The expression on everyone’s face, including Yuka’s, was one of confusion.

In particular, Nanami looked more bewildered than surprised.

“The ritual must proceed quickly, and no one can leave this place in the meantime. I believe each of you will be able to assist in some way.”

“W-Wait!”

Nanami raised her hand suddenly, then shuddered as everyone’s eyes turned to her.

“S-So… bringing her back… Does that mean it won’t end with just… keeping her here?”

Unable to fully voice her thoughts, Nanami’s question was vague.

Though she had experienced many unbelievable things, it seemed difficult for her to accept the concept of resurrecting someone who had died.

“Yes.”

But Kagami responded firmly to Nanami’s hesitation.

“I am. I plan to bring Kotone back to life.”

“…….”

Silence filled the room.

“Isn’t there… some kind of price?”

Nanami asked quietly.

“A price?”

When Kagami tilted her head, Nanami spoke in a timid voice.

“Like… sacrificing something to bring someone back to life?”

“Ah.”

Kagami shrugged.

“There’s nothing like that. Just… Kotone’s condition has to be stable.”

“Kotone’s condition?”

“You saw it, didn’t you?”

When Kagami’s gaze shifted to her, Yuka’s shoulders tensed.

“It’s unusual for a body that has been dead for several days to not have stiffened, don’t you think? The skin remains in good condition too.”

Even in winter, it’s rare for a corpse to remain in ‘intact’ condition for days, especially when left exposed.

“Kotone isn’t fully gone. Therefore, she can still be revived. It’s like she’s simply returning from a state of suspended animation.”

Yuka’s heart started to race slightly.

“But it’s not something I can show others.”

Kagami turned back to look at everyone.

“So I hope you’ll all stay here until the ritual is over. Leaving to talk about this elsewhere… is something I can’t permit. It won’t take long, but in modern society, a few hours could take you dozens of kilometers away.”

“…….”

A heavy silence settled.

“Then….”

Shii finally spoke.

“Does this mean we’ll be able to see Senpai again?”

Kagami looked at Shii for a while.

“Of course.”

Shii’s face brightened a little.

Yuka had the feeling Kagami was holding something back. But she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.

More than anything, Kagami’s words struck her mind so forcefully that—

She didn’t want to refute it.

To deny it even once felt like— it would make the possibility vanish entirely.

---

The ritual started a little after that, around two in the morning. During that time, Kagami seemed to have been preparing various things.

“…If my dad finds out what I’m doing here…”

“Well, he probably won’t say much.”

Kagami cut off Yuu’s muttering.

“They likely expected you to be born with such abilities.”

“…….”

Yuu glared at Kagami, who simply shrugged.

The scene between the two looked somewhat peculiar.

In a room almost as small as the one where Kotone and Koko had lived, both of them wore shrine maiden outfits.

To anyone, it looked like ‘ceremonial’ attire, strangely cumbersome.

Yuu held a small bell in her hand.

Beside Kagami was a mirror covered in cloth.

“Uu?”

Koko, who sat beside Kotone lying neatly on the floor, tilted her head in curiosity.

Koko wasn’t dressed in ceremonial clothes. She’d been fed, dressed in clean clothes, but that was it. She wasn’t participating in the ritual; her outfit was just a normal one.

“…Alright. The preparations are complete.”

Talismans surrounded Kotone. They formed a protective circle around her, though she wasn’t lying exactly in the center.

In fact, Kotone was slightly off to the side, as though someone else was meant to lie alongside her in that round formation.

Kagami turned her gaze to Yuka.

Yuka also wasn’t wearing shrine maiden attire, as she wasn’t participating in the ritual.

Instead, Kagami had told her to hold a sword, with the outer cloth removed.

“…….”

Without a word, Yuka stood by the door, watching silently.

“Alright then—”

As Kagami was about to speak, a phone began to vibrate.

Buzzing.

“…Excuse me.”

Yuka quickly pulled out her phone.

And was about to hang up when—

“Oh, this is perfect. Is that your grandfather?”

Yuka looked up at Kagami.

Kagami held out her hand as if asking for the phone.

“Let me answer for you.”

Yuka stared at Kagami for a while.

Feeling the buzz of the phone in her hand—

Then slowly reached out and handed the phone to Kagami.

Taking it, Kagami opened the phone, put it to her ear, and spoke.

“Hello, this is Kurosawa Kagami.”

[So, Yuka is there.]

“Yes, she’s here helping me with a request. She’s been doing wonderfully.”

[May I ask what the request is?]

As Kagami looked up at Yuka, she replied with a slight smile on her lips.

“Yes, I asked her to help find Kotone’s body.”

[Did you find it?]

“Of course. It was in a much better condition than I expected, though it seems there were moments when that child’s stubbornness almost spoiled everything.”

[…]

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

[What exactly are you planning to do?]

“I’m going to bring Kotone back.”

Another pause followed.

[There’s no such way—]

“Yes, there is a way to bring her back,” Kagami said.

“If you’d like, you’re welcome to come and see for yourself.”

[Even if such a way exists, it can’t be… normal.]

“Well, whether it’s ‘normal’ or not depends on your standards, doesn’t it? At the very least, I see hope right now.”

[…]

There was another brief silence over the phone.

[Kurosawa-san, can’t you reconsider this, just once?]

And then, a question, quiet but resolute.

“I think it’s a little late to ask me to reconsider, after all the time I’ve spent hesitating through those most crucial moments.”

Without a trace of hesitation, Kagami answered.

“I’ve waited far too long already. I’m sorry, but my answer will always be the same.”

Kagami’s voice was calm, even more so than usual, but it was a voice of unyielding resolve.

“I’ll hand the phone back to your granddaughter now. You two should talk.”

She handed the phone back to Yuka.

Yuka accepted it carefully and held it to her ear.

[Yuka.]

“…Grandfather.”

[Yuka, you must think carefully.]

Her grandfather’s voice held a gravity that felt different from his usual sternness.

[There’s no ritual that comes without a price. Connecting the Underworld and the living world is always a dangerous path. You know this, don’t you?]

“……”

[Yuka.]

His tone wasn’t as strict as it normally was for this kind of talk.

It was a voice that suggested he sensed something was very wrong.

[Yuka, please, just reconsider this, one more time.]

“……”

I’ve thought about it over and over.

Where did it go wrong?

Why did I have to kill my closest friend? Did Kotone really have to die then? Was there truly no other way?

Or was it that we should never have grown close in the first place?

The moment I met Kotone, should I have opposed her? Should I have stabbed her then to stop any pain that might have come later?

[Yuka, those who have passed on belong to the world of the dead.]

He was right—maybe that was true, if Kotone was truly gone.

Yuka lowered her gaze to Kotone.

She lay peacefully on the floor, looking as if she were simply asleep.

“Hm?”

Koko looked up at Yuka.

[Yuka.]

“…Grandfather.”

Finally, Yuka spoke.

“Grandfather, I can’t do it.”

Slowly, Yuka said,

“I’ve already thought about it far too much.”

Yes, she’d been thinking it over and over.

She had questioned herself so many times.

Did Kotone truly have to die?

Was she really someone who had to die for the world to be safe?

“Grandfather, may I ask you just one question?”

Without waiting for a response, Yuka continued.

“What was your first impression of Kotone, when you saw her?”

[…]

“Did you ever think, even for a moment, that Kotone was someone who didn’t belong in this world?”

[Yuka.]

“Did you ever let yourself believe that she was a child who was doomed to die -- a child who had to die?”

Her grandfather had always been kind to Kotone.

When Kotone was hurt, he would rush to the hospital and try to do everything he could for her.

But—

“Grandfather.”

No matter how kindly he treated her, he had never once claimed to have changed his mind.

Because to her grandfather, Kotone was always something unknowable, something mysterious.

“What was it about Kotone that you pitied so much?”

[…]

“That day, when I told you everything Kotone had shared with me, you didn’t say a word.”

Yuka had thought it over countless times.

The Kudan foretold impending threats to the world and spoke of ways to prevent them.

If the prophecy forewarned that Kotone would be killed by someone she trusted, then the way to avoid it was to reconsider.

But she still didn’t fully understand the nature of the prophecy.

If her death by someone she trusted was a harbinger of disaster, then surely her being saved wouldn’t cause any harm, would it?

In fact, Yuka had a question of her own.

“Grandfather, please reconsider.”

Yuka’s voice was firm.

Yes.

If the salvation of the world’s calamity could be forced on the shoulders of a single girl, if they could tell her she had to die for the world’s safety—

Then why should only one person—

Should bear the burden of agonizing the decision till the time comes?

If the weight of responsibility is to be placed on a single person’s shoulders, then shouldn’t the remaining responsibility be shared by everyone else?

And so, Yuka wanted to ask.

“Have you ever thought differently, even if it was just once? Not just you, but all those in high places in this country.”

If the threat foretold by the prophecy were a disease, a typhoon, an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or a meteor impact—

People would not place all their trust in one individual to protect them from it.

They would build levees, demolish or reinforce buildings that lack earthquake resistance, create agencies for disease control, and preemptively evacuate people.

These measures wouldn’t be laid upon the shoulders of one person alone.

So why was Kotone’s death something she had to bear entirely alone?

“Are you on your way here? Then, I want to ask everyone else as well. Why did they think this way? Why did they… place all the blame on just a few people?”

[Yuka…]

“Yes, I’ve reconsidered.”

Yuka spoke while meeting Kagami’s unwavering gaze.

“My answer is this. I’m going to find my friend. And whatever happens after that, I’ll take responsibility for it myself. I’ll do it in a way those adults never did.”

Click.

She closed the phone.

“I didn’t expect you’d thought it through this much.”

Kagami said, sounding slightly impressed.

“You’re just trying to make amends too, aren’t you?”

Yuka looked at Kagami with a sideways glance.

“There were so many things you could have done while Kotone was alive, but you didn’t.”

Kagami stared at Yuka, speechless for a moment, looking slightly overwhelmed.

Yuu glanced back and forth between Yuka and Kagami.

“…Yuka.”

Koko mumbled blankly.

Yuka looked at Koko and smiled gently.

“If I’m not needed here, I’ll step outside. I don’t know how long this will take, but I’m sure we’ll have a visitor soon.”

“……”

Kagami closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded.

“…Thank you, Yuuki-san.”

“……”

“Yuuki-san, did you get your answer?”

“My answer?”

“That thing left on the club room desk back then. I was wondering why were you doing it at that moment, not that I knew it at the time—but, maybe…”

Kagami gave a slight smile.

“If it were you, perhaps you did it because you wanted to talk to my daughter.”

“……”

Yuka lowered her head for a moment.

“She said, ‘It’s fine.’”

“Huh?”

“She said it’s fine.”

“Yes, that’s just like Kotone…”

“I see.”

Kagami nodded.

“Yes, that sounds exactly like her. That’s what she’d do.”

Leaving Kagami’s response behind, Yuka turned around.

She opened the door and went outside.

In the distance, the sound of a car could be heard.

Was it just her imagination? It seemed to be headed this way.

“……”

Yuka placed her hand on the sword’s hilt.

---

“If you don’t come back to life—”

“What happens if I don’t?”

Hearing Kuro’s words, I mumbled in shock, and Kuro continued.

“Were you planning to spend the rest of your life over here?”

“……”

“I told you, it’s only because your consciousness is here that your soul can’t leave.”

Kuro looked at me, her eyes gentle yet firm.

“A living body can’t remain here forever. Your mere presence will trigger too many big changes. This is the realm of dreams. When the one who dreams moves here, things happen all too quickly. Just look at them.”

I followed Kuro’s gaze to the beasts that still sat there, quietly.

“Right now, what you’re doing hasn’t caused any issues, but how long do you think you could stay here without making any mistakes? Especially when time flows so much more slowly here than in the world you came from?”

“……”

“You’re not planning to do anything reckless to the one who’s been so generous to you, are you?”

I couldn’t say a word.

“You don’t have to worry too much.”

Kuro looked at my face and gave a small laugh, “Meow.”

“Yes, there’s nothing to worry about. You have a truly wonderful friend. And—”

Kuro looked straight at me.

“You have far greater strength than you realize. Not just Nirlass’ power.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You seem worried about something strange.”

With a face like a sphinx riddling me, Kuro spoke.

“It connects to what I said before. You’ve been worrying about being a servant of the gods, realizing their will, delivering their message. Isn’t your perspective a bit too narrow? Why not look at things beyond your immediate view?”

As she said this, Kuro looked over at the beasts, now calm.

Chapter 167. Flesh (12)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"I..."

"Yes."

Kuro spoke with a smile playing around her lips, as though finding this entertaining.

"Who’s the one who wandered around following Nirlas’s words, taking care of various monsters?"

It was me.

"And who’s the one who acted as the vessel so that the gods could descend?"

That was me, too.

"Well, who do you think that being could be? The one who throws the world into chaos by its mere existence—a creeping chaos. Though, with you here, maybe ‘creeping’ is just a figure of speech."

Kuro rose from her seat, stepping toward me one step at a time.

"No matter how deep you’re thrown down, you’d claw your way back up with gritted teeth."

"I was just trying to survive—"

"Yes, that's right. Just trying to survive. Most people would have given up by now. Wouldn't that have been easier? Even after you cut ties with everyone around you, you wanted to live, and you wanted others to live, too. Maybe it’s because of the family you lost."

Kuro's gaze turned upward.

I looked at the sky as well.

Once again, constellations of memories were forming.

"Well, whether the results are good or not doesn’t matter. The being that chose you doesn’t concern itself with things like that."

The constellation was sketching out my family.

And other people I’d met.

"With no firm beliefs or order, always chaotic thoughts filling your mind, stirring up all sorts of contradictory ideas."

Kuro’s tail swayed back and forth.

"Wanting to die, yet wanting to live. Saying you’re tired and want to quit, but still trying to save people. You’re so capricious, creating all sorts of messes and dragging everyone in along the way."

Kuro looked up at me, her face like a smiling cat with eyes curling upward.

She looked like one of those maneki-neko statues often found in front of Japanese shops, paw waving to attract customers.

"So, maybe it was just you after all?"

"Why... me?"

"Just because."

Kuro grinned.

"It seemed like it would be interesting to put you here. Whatever the end might be, some being, dreaming of this world while sleeping, rolled the dice just hoping for a fun story."

"What—"

I tried to respond, but my legs faltered.

I fell to one knee on the ground. Even though I dropped down with a loud thud, there was no pain.

"Looks like time’s up. Your 'mother' seems to be calling you."

Kuro stretched her forepaw forward, stretching like any four-legged animal would.

"Wait, wait!"

I shouted, reaching out toward Kuro.

"There’s still so much I don’t know! Isn’t there a mountain of things you haven’t told me yet!?"

"Well, true, but I can’t teach you everything in the world. Sometimes you have to learn things properly by diving in yourself."

Is that something to say!?

"At least, couldn’t you teach me how to use my powers—"

"I doubt we’d have time to explain each and every one."

Kuro’s tail swayed.

It was like she was waving goodbye.

"Well, see you next time. Whenever that might be, time flows lazily here, after all. Take good care of Kuro."

"No—"

I tried to keep talking—

—But before I could finish my words, my consciousness abruptly faded.

*

……Is it always like this on this side?

Yuu thought to herself with a deeply uncomfortable expression as she looked at "Kotone."

In front of her were two Kotones.

One was the Kotone that Yuu originally knew, the one that Koko guarded, and the one Yuka had brought over.

The other was… the Kotone who’d just been "created" a moment ago.

The only difference between the two was the scar on her chest. Since she’d been created based on Kotone’s bare body, they’d probably look exactly the same.

Under normal circumstances, Yuu wouldn’t have looked closely at her friend’s naked body. Even when they’d gone to the hot springs together, she hadn’t. It wasn’t polite to stare like that in the first place.

So, only while helping with this process did Yuu realize something for the first time.

Kotone was quite thin.

Had she not been eating properly? Thinking about it, Kotone always enjoyed whatever food was offered to her. It probably wasn’t just because she had a good appetite. She was likely in a constant state of hunger.

"No need to worry too much."

Kagami spoke, trying to reassure Yuu.

Like Koko, who’s personality was nothing like Kotone on the outside, their bodies would be the same.

"......"

Yuu stared blankly at Kagami in her shrine maiden attire before finally opening her mouth.

"What if the Kotone who wakes up isn’t the Kotone we knew?"

"There’s no need to worry."

Kagami smiled as if trying to reassure her. Though she rarely did such things, so the effect wasn’t particularly successful. Even when Kagami smiled, it only made her look like she was plotting something.

"You believe in the existence of souls, don’t you? Even if the body is different, if the soul inside is the same person, the outward appearance doesn’t matter."

"......"

Maybe it was because they cared, going through all this trouble.

Yuu felt that way but shook her head to brush it off.

Right, she was right to say that.

The goal was to bring Kotone back to life.

"Our job is to send Kotone’s soul away for a moment and then call it back."

Kagami said, holding a mirror up in front of her stomach.

The mirror was still covered with a cloth.

"I’ll open the path, and you’ll guide her."

"......"

Yuu carefully raised the bell in her hand.

The bell should have been attached to a stick with multiple bells on it, but now it hung precariously from a single thin thread.

"Koko."

"Mm?"

Koko, who had created Kotone’s body at Kagami’s request, looked up at Kagami with a tilt of her head.

"For a moment, could you step outside?"

"……Unyaa?"

Koko’s expression scrunched up slightly.

"It won’t take too long."

"......"

Koko stared at Kagami for a moment.

"Outside, help Miss Yuuki."

"……Okay."

Only after Kagami’s words did Koko finally move.

Standing up, Koko turned her head back once, seemingly uneasy.

She cast a lingering gaze at Kotone’s figure, then moved slowly.

Maybe Koko had heard something as well.

The sound of cars had been audible outside for a while now.

"I’ll say it once again."

Kagami waited until Koko had left before speaking.

"This is a dangerous ritual. Even if it’s only for a moment, we’ll be connected to the other side, and we’re the ones who have to open that connection. One wrong move could cost us our lives."

"But it’s something only I can do, isn’t it?"

"……Yes. Your mother would never help with this."

"Then I’ll do it."

Yuu looked down at the two Kotones and said.

"There are still mountains of stories I haven’t heard yet."

"......"

After looking at Yuu for a moment, Kagami smiled.

"Alright. So, everything is… prepared."

After a brief pause, Kagami spoke in a slightly hardened voice.

"Let’s begin, then."

*

Yuka was afraid.

It had been a long time since she’d faced off against people. And of course, she’d never done so with a real sword in hand. Yuka’s work was exorcism, not murder.

She hadn’t drawn her sword from its sheath.

Instead, she’d tied the sheath and sword together with a string she’d found in Kotone’s house, to keep the sheath from slipping off while she swung.

"Phew."

She closed her eyes and exhaled.

There were still children inside the apartment.

She didn’t know what Kagami was thinking, but Kagami must have decided they were useful somehow.

…She had a good idea why. That person, Kosuzu, hadn’t shown up yet.

While Yuka was steadying herself, the cars appeared.

One, two, three… All of them were large black vans.

"Haa…"

One of the yakuza uncles standing nearby let out a sigh, overwhelmed by the sheer number.

Click.

The door of the first car opened, and the person who stepped out was Miura-san.

"……Miss Yuuki."

"Fancy meeting you here."

Yuka spoke calmly.

She hadn’t expected that old man to come in person. Normally, people like him stayed far away, only giving orders from a distance. It was unusual to meet him directly like this.

"……Do you intend to fight with that sword?"

"I have no intention of killing or severely injuring anyone."

"......"

"Miura-san."

Yuka said.

"Miura-san… that is, Miss Mako, is deeply saddened."

"I know that."

"If so—"

"But, Miss Yuuki."

Miura-san spoke slowly.

"The dead must be laid to rest. That’s how we move forward."

"......"

"Over time, all memories become calmer. When you recall them again, your chest might ache. They’ll remain as sad memories, tragic memories. But, in the end, it’ll be alright."

I know.

Yuka knew that too.

She had already lost her mother.

But—

"I don’t want to just let her go, thinking it’ll be okay."

Yes, she didn’t want that.

Kotone was her first friend.

It was thanks to Kotone that she even had the friends she did now.

So—she didn’t want to just be okay with it.

"You think the world will be safer if Kotone dies, don’t you?"

Yuka asked.

"Are you hoping the world will be secure with Kotone’s sacrifice?"

"……In a way, perhaps."

Miura-san replied.

"But it’s different from killing her. We… intend to preserve Kotone’s body. We’ll do our best to keep her in this state for as long as possible. Until we find another way."

Yuka’s mouth opened slightly.

"We heard about the prophecy. And we also have your panicked testimony. We don’t know how that child’s death could threaten the world. But if it serves as the first spark, it’s best to prevent it from happening."

"In the end, you’re saying the world is saved by one child suffering endlessly."

"......"

"Even if that child doesn’t want it."

"It’s a necessary sacrifice."

"What meaning does a world have if it requires unwilling sacrifice? What meaning does a world have where one child has to suffer forever? If the same thing happens next time, will you do the same thing all over again?"

"Miss Yuuki."

"If you’re adults—you should have found another way."

Yuuki spoke.

She knew it might sound like she was pushing it.

But even so.

"It’s strange."

Yes, it’s strange.

To be born only to suffer. To be a child who lives to prevent a tragedy in the world. It’s strange.

"……It doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to talk any further."

As Miura-san stepped back, the people who’d gotten out of the cars behind her stepped forward.

In their hands were guns.

They were probably what they call shotguns.

"They don’t have live rounds. But… it will hurt if it hits, Yuka."

"......"

Yuka tightened her grip on her sword.

Bang—!

A shot fired.

At the same time, Yuka dashed forward, swinging her sword.

Thunk!

She felt something hard hit the sheath. Thud! Then the "bag" burst—

Beans.

The contents inside were small beans.

I see.

Non-lethal ammunition. What’s inside wasn’t lead, but beans. Whether they were actual beans or not, she didn’t know.

If that’s the case—

Bang! Bang!

"Hey, what are you doing!"

A shout came from behind.

"It’s a girl not even half the size of you, step up!"

Then came the sound of footsteps running.

The gunfire resumed in quick succession, but—Yuka didn’t stop.

Thunk!

"Ugh."

Even if the clothes could block swords and bullets, they weren’t entirely immune to the shock hitting her joints.

Especially with a sheath containing a long piece of metal.

"Hey, what are you doing! Do it right!"

Now, shields were approaching. The kind that had likely been gathering dust in storage, only used for riot control.

"......"

At first, she’d been scared.

But no.

Thinking again, Yuka didn’t have to win this fight outright.

The important thing was to cause as much commotion as possible to buy time.

To prevent anyone else from entering through that door.

Thunk!

"Ouch!"

A heavy pain spread across Yuka’s back. When she swung her sword backward, nothing was there. The impact on her back was probably from one of those "bean bags."

She swung her sword, blocking the incoming bean bags.

From the other side, the mix of screams and shouts grew louder. It seemed the yakuza group and the police were clashing.

Clack, clack, the sound of windows opening could be heard from various places. Were they just watching this scene?

…Would I be suspended? Or expelled? A thought like that flashed through her mind for a moment, and Yuka snickered involuntarily.

In the past, she wouldn’t have had time for thoughts like these.

After all, she wouldn’t have been able to attend this school. She would’ve moved to another school, farther away, to infiltrate again.

…This, too, was thanks to Kotone.

Every time Kotone looked at Yuka, she acted as if she owed her something. She even said that she felt she’d received too much and didn’t need any more.

But Yuka, just as much, had received too many things from her.

She hadn’t even repaid half of it.

So—

Thunk!

"Guh!"

As she brought her sword down from above on the helmet of a police officer, she let out a groan and stumbled.

There were more painful spots than just her shoulder now. Yuka gritted her teeth and held on.

One more person.

When Yuka narrowed her gaze and lifted her head, several people who met her eyes backed away. The guns turned towards her. Yuka didn’t bother dodging; she charged in, swinging her sword. The gun barrel swung sideways, firing, hitting another officer, who then reflexively pulled his own trigger and shot someone else.

A few more minutes.

To allow her friend, Kotone, to return.

She didn’t know what Kotone would say when she returned.

Would she blame Yuka?

Would she say she’d rather die than see the world end? Would she choose to suffer forever instead?

Who knows.

If that were the case, Yuka wanted to hear it from Kotone herself.

Not from someone else’s mouth, but from Kotone, who truly held the right to decide her future.

Not the world that left Kotone in that situation—Kotone, who bore it all with her own suffering.

Kotone, who once said she wanted to live.

Directly.

Once she heard that directly, and if Kotone was okay with it even after that.

Then, granting her friend’s true wish wouldn’t be too late.

So, Yuka ran.

***

"......"

"......"

"Are you planning to stay silent until we arrive?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don’t know. You could say 'thank you,' since you’re getting help from an old friend."

"……I’m not sure if a job you’re paying for warrants a 'thank you.'"

"You’re the type who doesn’t even thank the owner after eating at a ramen shop, huh?"

Fukuda looked over at Yamashita in the passenger seat.

He’d never liked this guy for the past 20 years. With his pride of being a 'traditional yakuza' or whatever.

"......"

The car was silent once again.

"No, seriously, are you going to say nothing?"

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"Uh, your daughter, maybe?"

"We know each other well enough."

"Sure, but still."

After all, Yuu and Harumi stuck to each other all the time.

"……You’re awfully quiet for someone who asked me to ram a car into the police."

"You’re the one who agreed to it."

"Fine, fine, forget I said anything."

They drove in silence for a while longer—

"Oh, there it is. Whew—there sure are a lot of them."

Fukuda slowed the car a bit.

"Ramming into them without killing anyone… Isn’t that a bit much to ask, for someone who loves his daughter?"

"For someone who’s leaving his only daughter at home to do this, you’ve got a lot to say."

"You said Kagami-san would be here, didn’t you? Just trying to look good."

Fukuda grinned, a mischievous smile on his face.

"……You’re seriously into her, huh."

"Why are you looking so surprised? Wouldn’t you be into that body, too?"

"......"

"Besides, I like women with a story."

Yamashita Yohei decided not to bring up the fact that Fukuda’s marriage had ended in a trainwreck after getting involved with such a woman.

"Alright, ready?"

Baaaang—!

Fukuda honked the truck’s horn wildly as he hit the brakes.

Screeeeeech—!

With a slightly dangerous sound, the truck sped toward the officers cornered in a narrow alley.

Crash!

The truck scraped against the wall, and well, it seemed a few people had been hit and sent flying, but this distraction was effective enough to draw the officers' attention here.

"……Is that girl filming a movie or something?"

"Don’t try to understand too much."

Yamashita pulled out his "popper" from the inner pocket of his suit.

"Hey, hey—"

As Fukuda gaped in shock, eyes wide—

Bang! Bang bang!

The sound was way too loud for something called a "popper."

With the truck’s windshield shattered, Yamashita nimbly swung his large body out of the truck.

"……Sheesh."

Watching Yamashita raise his silver Tokarev, forcing the officers back, Fukuda blinked.

Is he insane?

"……Should I turn back?"

Blinded by love or not, Fukuda briefly thought about his own daughter.

Then he scratched his head.

"Well, I already got paid up front."

Fukuda reached behind his seat for an iron pipe.

"Let’s just say it’s going toward Harumi’s school fees."

And with that, he leaped out of the window just like Yamashita had.

*

"Boss is here! The boss is here!"

Someone shouted, and morale surged among Yamashita’s people.

"Keep pushing them back!"

"Don’t let them get to the building!"

Of course, in the long run, they were severely outnumbered. No matter what, the opponents were armed, and several people were already sprawled on the ground.

Plus, the government forces could just bring in reinforcements whenever they needed.

But there was the sound of another vehicle approaching from the alley behind them.

Are they circling around? Those who looked back were in for another shock.

"……"

Leading the group was a young girl in a nun’s habit, around the same age as Yuuki Yuka.

Behind her were people dressed in priestly robes, wildly out of place for this scene.

In their hands, each held a menacing sword.

We’re done for.

That thought was likely shared by more than one person.

But—

"Hagiwara-senpai!"

A voice came from the apartment side.

The girl in front raised her head.

"……Sota."

The girl’s face stiffened.

It seemed things were turning out to be far more complicated than expected.

Chapter 168. Drop (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The streets were chaotic.

People were shouting at each other from all directions; some were being beaten, and others were throwing punches.

Yuka’s body ached all over. Honestly, she thought she’d done well just to endure this far.

Of course, she had no intention of giving up now that she’d come this far.

She was only waiting until Kotone opened her eyes again.

The sound of something slicing through the air reached her, and a beanbag flying toward Yuka was split mid-air.

When she turned her gaze, she saw Koko right beside her.

It was a peculiar sense of distance. Koko was barely protecting Yuka with just the swish of her hair.

As if sulking, as though forgiveness hadn’t yet been granted.

“…….”

This was the situation.

There was no guarantee that Kotone would return, and honestly, Yuka wasn’t even sure if what she was doing was right.

But even so, Yuka let out a faint smile.

At the very least, she now felt a bit hopeful that her relationship with Koko—sweet Koko—might be repaired.

“Smack!”

She intercepted a beanbag flying toward Koko, knocking it down in mid-air. Perhaps Koko didn’t need that, given that she could fight far better than anyone else once she regained her strength.

But even so.

Koko glanced at Yuka briefly.

That was enough.

Yuka turned her gaze away and—

“Yuka!”

—heard a voice call out to her.

“…Grandfather.”

She heard her grandfather’s voice from beyond the crowd.

“Yuka, stop this!”

Which direction had he come from? Well, this was the middle of a residential area, so there were plenty of ways to get here, with all the winding alleyways.

His booming voice was clearly audible from afar. It was a voice fitting of her grandfather.

“There’s no way I can stop,” Yuka murmured, knowing that her grandfather wouldn’t be able to hear her from that distance. Her soft murmur wouldn’t carry that far, not in this ruckus.

“…….”

Then Koko slipped in front of her.

She wasn’t even looking at Yuka, nor did she say anything.

But the meaning behind her actions was clear.

Koko was going to block her grandfather’s path.

Yuka didn’t bother thanking Koko.

Right now, they were simply fighting for the same goal.

Yuka turned and ran.

In the direction away from her grandfather’s voice.

Her heart had been pounding wildly for a while now, her head spinning. Maybe it was the toll of days without proper food or rest finally showing.

But even so.

She was fine. Not even a flicker of a desire to give up crossed her mind.

She only feared that seeing her grandfather’s face might weaken her resolve even a little. She was scared that she might end up crumbling.

*

“Sota, so you were here…!”

“……”

Despite Hagiwara’s words, Sota didn’t respond, standing firmly in her path.

To be honest, he wasn’t that much of a threat.

Sota was just an ordinary high school student. Whether it was by coincidence or by some divine intervention, his blood might have been special. But as far as fighting went, he wasn’t particularly skilled compared to other high schoolers.

Standing beside him, Shii was even less so. She took care of herself through diet and exercise, but she was still several years younger than Hagiwara.

And—

“…Nanami.”

Hagiwara called out to Nanami, who was standing firm next to Sota.

“Hana-senpai.”

When had they started calling each other by their names?

Probably after last Christmas. On that special day, they’d competed on either side of Sota, only to bond once he left to look for his sister.

They were too young to drink, so there was no drunken bonding in a bar. But they were able to get carried away by the mood.

Left alone in the karaoke room after Sota left, the two sang loudly to let out their frustrations. That was probably when they’d started calling each other by name.

It hadn’t been long since then, but—

“What are you doing here?”

“……”

Hearing her question, Nanami looked momentarily confused.

But she didn’t look as if she had any intention of leaving or running away.

“I… came looking for Shii because I was worried.”

“……”

Hagiwara squeezed her eyes shut. She could already tell how things had unfolded.

“You’re not supposed to be here, Nanami—”

“Oh really? Then, what about you?”

“I’m… involved in this—”

“So you were involved and you still treated Shii like a stranger? Even though you knew how close they are?”

“I…”

Hagiwara opened her mouth, ready to argue, but found herself at a loss for words.

“So you like Sota just for his looks? Even though you know who’s most precious to him?”

“Nanami.”

Hearing Nanami’s taunt, Sota called her name, but she kept her gaze locked on Hagiwara.

“If Shii knew the truth, she would have obviously stood in the way. But why are you on that side?”

There are things more important than that in this world.

…Those words caught in her throat.

“More importantly, that girl already saved our lives once, didn’t she?”

In fact, it might’ve been more than once.

When they’d gone after Satori, spurred by information from the other side.

Without Kotone’s sacrifice, none of them there would’ve survived.

Not to mention that the ordinary people in the area would have perished too.

“Senpai.”

Sota addressed Hagiwara.

“I’ve… heard a bit of the story. I’m sure you have your own reasons.”

He spoke calmly, not glaring like Nanami.

“But still, that girl is our friend too.”

Sota said.

“And we owe her.”

Sota’s gaze fell on Shii.

“……”

I see.

For Sota right now, his most cherished family member was Shii. And that bond was wholly separate from romantic feelings.

If there was someone who’d taken care of Shii diligently over the past year, it would be Kotone lying there.

In a way that was different from her brother, Sota.

He looked at Shii.

Her face was pale. Even though she was clearly terrified, she stood her ground.

“……”

But still.

This… this couldn’t be helped—

“…Senpai.”

Sota made a last, pleading attempt, but Hagiwara didn’t let go of her blade.

“Sister.”

“Yes, right.”

A voice from behind urged her forward.

Hagiwara launched herself forward.

“Senpai!”

Nanami spun towards Sota, but her movements were much slower than Hagiwara’s. Naturally so; she was just a normal high school girl who’d never been trained.

Shii was almost the same.

Hagiwara charged at Sota and brought him down.

And then—

Smack!

Something collided with Hagiwara’s bayonet and burst in mid-air.

Tiny beads scattered everywhere.

“…Fine. I get it.”

Hagiwara spoke as she looked down at Sota.

“It’s true, oppressing someone you owe a debt to isn’t something a Christian should do.”

“Senpai!”

A smile broke out across Sota’s face.

In a way, it could be seen as betraying her faith.

Anyone familiar with the Bible would know what ‘resurrection’ meant.

But—

“…Be not one of those who give pledges, who put up security for debts.”

If every sin in the world were blamed on a single girl, how could she repay that debt? If someone someday demanded that the debt be cleared, how could she put a value on the world to pay it?

Some might call it a misinterpretation.

Some might say it was twisting words to hear what she wanted.

But she knew well the story of someone who bore humanity’s original sin and sacrificed for the forgiveness of others’ sins.

“…That’s not something you can just force on others.”

“Senpai?”

Lying beneath Hagiwara, Sota questioned her, and she simply smiled, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

“Ah—!?”

Nanami, who finally realized the situation, tried to push Hagiwara away.

“What are you doing!? Trying to take advantage of the moment like this!?”

Rising confidently, Hagiwara glanced back at Nanami.

“Well, we’ll finish this later.”

“There is no ‘later’!”

“……”

Hagiwara looked over at Shii.

Shii’s face was still pale, her eyes wide in slight surprise.

How scared she must’ve been.

“…I’m sorry. I’ll apologize properly later.”

“Huh? Oh, no, I’m—”

Hagiwara turned around.

“Come to think of it, it was strange.”

She glanced at her companions.

“If this world was truly made according to God’s will, there wouldn’t be any reason to persecute a child struggling just to live. What could that child have done to deserve it?”

Maybe it was just human nature that hadn’t changed.

After all, humanity had been doing the same thing for 2,000 years.

“Fall back, all of you.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Nanami looked shocked.

“You’re trying to hog all the glory alone? Not happening!”

“No, you don’t even know how to fight—”

“Exactly why it’s important.”

Nanami pointed at Hagiwara.

“No matter how illegal a gang is, they wouldn’t dare harm a good citizen like me, right? They wouldn’t try to hurt me, would they?”

No, she’d probably be subdued instantly.

Not that she was wrong about it being illegal.

“…Do whatever you want.”

Hagiwara sighed.

“I won’t be responsible if you get hurt.”

“How can I stand back with Sota standing firm?”

Nanami stuck out her tongue.

Hagiwara shrugged.

“I’ll try to be of some help.”

“Be careful. You too, Shii.”

“Hey, the way you treat people is so different.”

Nanami muttered, pulling something out of her pocket.

…It was pepper spray.

Seeing that, Hagiwara finally couldn’t hold back her laughter, which only soured Nanami’s mood further.

*

The fight didn’t end with a “win” on either side.

“No!”

A despairing scream came from within the house.

Only a few people heard it at first.

Only those near the house, friends of Kotone.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Realizing this, Shii was the first to fall.

As she was forcibly restrained, her arm was twisted back, and Nanami, trying to run to her aid, was also subdued. Because of the pepper spray she had sprayed earlier, her arm was twisted a bit more harshly, and she screamed in pain.

Hagiwara and Sota attempted to help the two of them, but they were ultimately outnumbered and couldn’t hold their ground.

Fukuda and Yohei were also taken down.

All the bullets in their guns had been used for warning shots, and Fukuda, trying not to cause any “permanent injuries,” had only aimed his steel pipe at non-lethal spots, so they, too, were inevitably overpowered. They had done well to hold out this long against a well-trained anti-terrorism unit.

The last ones standing were Koko and Yuka.

And Yuka believed it was all thanks to Koko.

“No, no, no!”

…It was Kagami’s voice.

Koko’s head turned.

With her eyes wide open—as if she was about to shed tears any second—she was staring at the direction where Kotone, Kagami, and Yuu were.

The moment Yuka heard that scream, she was already running.

Throwing aside the sword she held, she kicked open the door she had been told not to open until the ritual ended, and what she saw—

“…Ah.”

She dropped to her knees on the floor.

Kotone was lying there. Just as she’d last seen her, her face was simply peaceful, as if she were merely asleep.

The wound on her chest remained untreated. Kotone lay there, as if she would never open her eyes again.

The only difference from before she’d left was the ‘pile of flesh’ lying next to her.

That mass of flesh—resembling Kotone in a grotesque way—now looked less like a person and more like something that had once tried to become one.

Here and there, the limbs of a human protruded grotesquely.

It looked as if, in its suffering, it had tried to escape from itself.

“…Ugh.”

Could that be Kotone?

Had she met a pitiful end, struggling in a body mismatched to her soul, all because of Yuka’s selfishness?

She wasn’t sure.

One thing was certain: the hope that Kagami had spoken of was gone.

“Ah, ahhh!!”

Kagami was lying on the floor, screaming in grief.

Yuu’s face was dazed. Pieces of fat and scraps of meat were stuck to her face.

As if she had just seen something unspeakably horrifying.

Someone grabbed Yuka’s shoulder and dragged her outside.

“Wait!”

Yuka, in her dazed state, was shoved to the ground, her arms twisted behind her back, handcuffs snapped on. Someone shouted out as this was happening. Soon, the heavy weight pressing down on Yuka was lifted, and someone carefully helped her up.

“…Grandfather.”

“Yuka.”

“I…”

“It’s all right.”

Her grandfather embraced her as he spoke.

Yuka felt his hand pat her back.

“It’s okay, Yuka. It’s over now.”

Over? What is…?

Yuka muttered to herself, but there was no answer.

Her father simply told her again and again that everything would be okay.

People poured into the open doorway.

Inside, there was a brief commotion before men dressed in black came out carrying something white.

Kotone, still with a body as limp as ever.

“No!”

“Yuka!”

“No, it can’t be! She’s still…!”

Yuka cried out, but Kotone’s body was carried away all too easily.

“…I hope you understand that this incident isn’t fully resolved yet.”

One of the men in black said.

“For now, securing the specimen takes priority, so we’ll leave, but more personnel will arrive soon. Until then, please remain in the building. If you’re not within view when the new team arrives—”

“…They’ll assume we’ve escaped and will pursue us, yes. Understood. We understand.”

Her grandfather replied.

“…Yuka? What about Kotone?”

Koko asked blankly.

Koko didn’t seem to grasp the situation, only looking back and forth between Kotone and Yuka, who were moving farther apart.

“Huh?”

Koko tilted her head, confused.

It seemed that Koko was at least left alone, perhaps because the others knew not to mess with her carelessly.

“We ask that you retrieve your sword and come with us. We’ll ensure your granddaughter’s protection. Should anyone else overhear what’s about to be discussed—”

The man in black stopped speaking when he noticed Yuka’s grandfather looking up at him.

“…I trust you understand.”

Then he turned and quickly left the scene.

“Yuka. You must keep your wits about you.”

Her grandfather said.

“Try not to worry too much.”

“…How can I… not worry?”

Yuka muttered absentmindedly.

“…Kotone…”

“She’s gone.”

Her grandfather replied.

“….”

He only held Yuka’s shoulders firmly.

*

“Sister Hagiwara.”

The man with white hair, dressed as a priest, addressed Hagiwara.

“…Are you prepared to face excommunication?”

“If following my faith means excommunication, then I’ll accept it.”

In truth, to marry someone, she would have to either be excommunicated or renounce her vows. Neither would be something the church would look kindly upon.

Well, in any case, Hagiwara hadn’t held her position solely out of religious devotion.

“Follow us and—”

“No.”

Hagiwara looked over at Sota, Shii, and Nanami gathered in one corner of the apartment, each handcuffed.

“I’ll stay here. There’s more I need to do here.”

“……”

The man regarded Hagiwara silently.

“What have you gained by siding with the government? A few of Kotone’s limbs, perhaps?”

“…I can’t discuss that.”

“Yes, well, of course.”

Hagiwara’s behavior, which had always been restrained while in her habit, seemed to shock him somewhat.

She turned and strode away.

Handcuffs still bound her wrists.

With handcuffs and her habit slightly torn, she didn’t exactly look the part. So no one would mind if she acted a little less formally than usual.

She approached the group of children.

…The smell of blood wafted from the open door.

In the end, had it… all failed?

Hagiwara thought, with a strange sense of relief.

*

“…Excuse me.”

Yuu spoke quietly.

“…How much longer do we have to keep pretending?”

“Until we’re sure everyone’s gone.”

Kagami whispered, just as quietly.

There was a slight tremor in her voice.

“Until everyone is far enough away for Kotone to come out.”

Kagami’s shoulders trembled slightly as she spoke.

Seeing her like that… gave Yuu a slight chill.

Chapter 169. Drop (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I shuddered as soon as I opened my eyes.

It was truly freezing cold.

Even though I’d lived far north of Tokyo in my previous life, and was used to being in and out of the fire, so I preferred cold to heat, this was a different kind of cold.

It was so cold that, for a brief moment, I wondered if I was in a freezer or somewhere similar.

Wouldn’t that be plausible? My heart had been pierced, and I’d been lying with my eyes closed for a while, so it wouldn’t be strange if they’d put me in a morgue refrigerator, thinking I was dead.

Even if it wasn’t a morgue, it would probably take a long time for my body to return to its original temperature after going cold in death.

But as I looked around, it didn’t seem like I was in a morgue.

At the very least, I had space to sit up.

It seemed strange to think my body had been left outside. In a morgue, there should be some light on, at least in the hallway outside, but this place had none of that atmosphere.

Instead, what I sensed was—

…a sewer?

There was a foul smell in the air. Not extremely strong, but faintly like the smell of sewage drifting up occasionally on a damp, hot day.

…Wait, have I been abandoned?

Is this for real?

No. No way. Calm down.

Maybe they’d just hidden my body somewhere safe. It would be problematic if anyone saw me suddenly resurrected, whether in my original body or a new one. It wasn’t hard to imagine that government officials would want my corpse for some reason.

As I pondered how my body had ended up discarded in the sewer—

*Clank.*

There was a sound, and the top of the sewer opened up.

"…Ah."

And I heard a relieved voice.

To my surprise, the first person I locked eyes with upon regaining consciousness was none other than Kagami.

…Or maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.

I’d heard it from Kuro.

But still—

If it were Yuka or one of the others who tried to bring me back, I would’ve understood. I probably would’ve made the same choice. Just imagining Yuka or Koko dying is heartbreaking.

But Kagami…?

As I lay there, staring blankly at Kagami, others started to peek down through the hole, one by one.

Yamashita, then Koko.

After a moment, Yuka too.

"…."

And then, realizing something a bit too late, I looked down at my body.

I quickly covered myself as best as I could.

I mean, couldn’t they at least have left a cloth to cover myself—?

"…Sniff."

Hearing that sound, I looked up in surprise.

…Kagami was crying.

"…."

I had no idea how to take this. Honestly, everything was happening too suddenly for me.

Time flows slowly in the dream world. Kuro and I had spent nearly three weeks there. According to Kuro, we could’ve stayed longer “if necessary,” but in the end, we’d been chased out.

And in those three weeks, Kuro had carefully kept secrets from me. Even while I was calming the Beasts of the Moon.

So here I was, back in this world, without any knowledge or preparation.

"Kotone!"

Koko, who’d just been peeking through the hole, disappeared and immediately reappeared right in front of me.

Then she hugged me tightly.

So tightly, it hurt my neck where her arms wrapped around me.

"…."

Warm.

Most people snap to their senses when they feel cold, but for me, it was the opposite.

My mind, which hadn’t been functioning well in the freezing chill, started to clear as I felt Koko’s warmth.

"Auu…."

I heard Koko’s muffled sobs right next to my ear.

Unable to say anything, I just froze, then slowly wrapped my arms around Koko’s back.

Koko was still Koko, as always.

"…."

We stayed that way for a long time.

Until I remembered, once again, that I was still undressed.

—

"Kotone, Kotone."

"Yes?"

"Do you want this?"

Koko held out a piece of chocolate.

Had she saved it just for me? The chocolate, loosely wrapped in foil, was a bit melted, probably from being held in her hands for a while.

I appreciated that she’d restrained herself from eating it, but… I was in the middle of a meal.

By the way, I wasn’t allowed outside the building.

Just after giving me a moment to gather my senses, Kagami quickly ushered me into a room.

"Others might know about this place, so let’s be cautious."

It made sense; when we used this passage before, the government had tracked us, so she had a point… But if they did know, wouldn’t they have stationed guards here during all the chaos?

Honestly, I never fully understood how they traced us that time.

Maybe they’d been monitoring us from the moment we entered the passage. With all the technology like satellites at their disposal, they might’ve been observing the entire area.

Koko had been hiding in the mountains, making it much harder to locate her, and her movements were fast enough not to leave a trace.

Though I hadn’t been dead for long, a lot had happened, and as soon as I stepped into the room, I was bombarded with too much information all at once.

"I thought I’d never see you again. But I’m so glad I could. Since our last conversation—"

Yuka began to speak without a clear direction, her eyes darting about. Judging by the deep dark circles under her eyes, she hadn’t slept much.

I thought about what I could say to ease Yuka’s mind, but the right words didn’t come.

And even before I could respond, someone else spoke up.

"Senpai, I knew you’d come back—"

Shii, with tearful eyes, had one cheek red and swollen. It wasn’t just from the cold; it was an obvious bruise. Before I could ask who the hell did that—

"…You’re actually related to me."

Yamashita’s words froze me in place.

Actually, I wasn’t the only one; everyone in the room looked stunned.

"Uh, well."

I didn’t know what to say.

Well, a cousin is a cousin. Kosuzu is Yamashita’s mom, and here, Kagami is supposed to be mine.

But I was confused about how to respond because I didn’t know the distance implied by the word “cousin” here in Japan.

I’d lived at a bit of a distance from mine. Not estranged, but we only saw each other during holidays or family gatherings.

When we met, it was awkward, and conversations were always brief.

After my family situation changed, we barely kept in touch.

So I wasn’t sure whether to respond to Yamashita warmly or just act normal.

"Alright, alright."

My awkwardness was thankfully interrupted by Kagami.

"Let’s eat first."

"…Eat?"

"Yes, there’s some dinner left over."

Had she made extra for me too when she prepared it?

Knowing Kagami, I could see her planning that far.

"I…"

"You might not feel hungry in this new body, but knowing that Koko loses strength without eating, I assume it’s the same for you, Kotone."

"…Oh."

Did Kagami just call me by my real name?

But before I could ponder it further,

"Alright, I’ll set the table."

Kagami got up immediately.

—And now here we were.

"Want some?"

Koko was shaking the chocolate in front of me.

For some reason, I noticed Yuka beside me shifting restlessly, even though we weren’t actually eating together.

…It wasn’t just Yuka.

They all watched me eat my curry with intensely serious expressions.

"…Thanks, I’ll enjoy it."

I accepted the now-mushy chocolate, carefully placing it on the table.

Some Japanese curry recipes add chocolate, but that doesn’t mean you eat them together.

"Yay!"

Koko let out a thrilled sound with a very pleased look on her face.

Yuka, too, looked relieved for some reason.

…What on earth is going on?

Kagami kept telling me to focus on eating first, no matter how much I asked.

And she even had an apron over her shrine maiden outfit now. Why? Was that her usual look? I didn’t think so.

"…."

Well, anyway.

So I ate.

It was delicious.

…Seems I was hungrier than I thought.

—

Now that I’d eaten, it was time to gather my thoughts.

"First of all… thank you."

No matter what Kuro had told me, I couldn’t ignore the sincerity of those who wanted to save me.

From what I heard, a lot had happened.

Apparently, even this building was under government surveillance, but no one had entered this room, and the curtains were thick enough that there was no worry about being seen from outside.

As Kuro had said in the dream, Kagami had prepared an extra body for me.

This had two advantages.

First, I could, to some extent, escape Nirlass’s control.

No one knows “how much” I could escape, theoretically, since this body was also something I received through Nirlass.

But at least, so far, Koko had never been directly controlled by Nirlass. I was the only one who had directly communicated with her.

It’s always good to prepare for the worst.

The second advantage was—

"…You just handed it over to the government?"

"Well, I never gave it to them."

Kagami smiled, her eyes narrowing as usual.

In the past, seeing that expression, I would’ve thought I had no idea what she was thinking.

But now, I understood.

Kagami seemed… slightly thrilled.

"Wait, hold on."

I pressed my hand to my forehead.

"So… that’s basically a nuclear bomb?"

"I was crying, and they just took it."

I looked down at the floor.

Bloodstains lay starkly visible.

It was the remains of the decoy flesh that Kagami had prepared. There’d been plenty in the fridge. Enough for more than just this room.

Given that I could still eat after seeing that, I guess my tolerance had gotten stronger.

"Therefore, whatever happens to them is a consequence of their own choices."

"…."

What should I say to Kagami?

I thought I should rush over there immediately, but something told me it wouldn’t be right to say that here.

Kagami was acting a bit different from usual.

She’d always had a somewhat dangerous air, but this was… something else entirely. What that “something” was, I wasn’t exactly sure.

I glanced around the room at everyone.

Kagami, Koko, Yuka, Yamashita, Shii.

And apparently, the others were all outside. Yamashita-san and Fukuda-san had also come, it seemed, and they were also now under investigation.

…Hagiwara, Nakahara, and Sasaki too.

Honestly, it was a little terrifying.

Kagami showed no intention of leaving this room.

I wanted to speak privately with each person, but it didn’t seem possible right now. There were things to discuss individually, not as a group.

There was Yuka, who hadn’t taken her eyes off me since I woke up, and Koko, who wouldn’t move more than 50 centimeters away from me.

There was also something I needed to talk to Shii about, and the same went for Yamashita.

"…and we can’t go outside?"

"No. If we step out, the government agents will probably approach. Right now, their attention is all on the ‘corpse,’ but that doesn’t mean we aren’t being watched."

"…."

"Don’t worry too much."

Seeing me go silent in thought, Kagami spoke up again.

With a smile.

"When the time comes, we’ll escape. I’ve made plans for that. This time, we don’t have to face everyone all at once."

"Escape…?"

"We discussed this a moment ago."

Kagami looked me straight in the eyes.

"Since you’ve moved into a different body, it’s likely that someone else will…."

Kagami stopped talking when everyone’s gaze turned toward her.

Rather than stop out of concern that she’d been overheard, it seemed more like she wanted everyone’s attention and then stopped.

"You…."

I spoke to Kagami, my voice slightly cracking.

"You knew this might happen, and you still saved me?"

"…."

Kagami didn’t answer.

She just looked at me, still wearing that enigmatic smile.

—

The room was too crowded to have personal conversations, but when I finally spoke again, I almost cried.

No, to be honest, I did cry a little.

Koko ran over and hugged me as soon as she saw me and then sat right next to me, watching me with a bright smile.

I didn’t find it overwhelming. In fact, Koko had done that sometimes before too. Usually, she wanted something from me when she did that.

But now, she wasn’t asking for anything.

It was probably… because she was so happy, afraid that I might disappear again.

The reason was so heartbreaking that I decided to let her stay by my side until she was ready.

Yuka kept a slight distance even after seeing me.

When I moved closer, Yuka flinched in surprise.

"Yuka."

I called her name, briefly wondering how to reassure her.

"I…."

But when I tried to say something, the words wouldn’t come.

To be honest, the shock I’d felt was nothing compared to what Yuka had gone through.

I’d known I was going to die. Though I didn’t want to, I’d been somewhat prepared.

Even if it happened suddenly, I’d eventually come to terms with it, knowing that it was inevitable in that situation.

Even after reaching that state, nothing changed.

It’s like… I didn’t really feel like I’d died.

Since I’d suddenly moved to a different world, it wasn’t so different from when I’d first arrived here.

And I had plenty of time.

If it had been a friend instead of me who died, three weeks probably wouldn’t have been enough to heal me completely.

"…."

So I knew that no matter what I said, it wouldn’t comfort Yuka.

"…Sorry."

In the end, that was all I could manage.

"…Sorry?"

That was her response.

"No, it’s just."

"At that time, in that moment."

Yuka stared at me, her expression blank.

"I was the one who stabbed you."

"I…."

I paused briefly.

"Because I didn’t tell you about the prophecy…."

"If you heard a prophecy about yourself, would you tell someone else?"

Yuka said.

"You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who stabbed you."

"Yuka."

"It’s my fault."

No, it wasn’t Yuka’s fault at all.

But still.

"…Then let’s just drop it."

"Yuka."

"…."

Yuka looked at me quietly.

"I…."

This time, Yuka opened her mouth to speak.

She seemed as unsure of what to say as I’d been.

Her lips moved, but instead of words—

She suddenly hugged me tightly.

"…."

Yuka’s arms wrapped tightly around me.

What should I say to Yuka?

That thought drifted away the moment she embraced me.

Yes.

Whatever happened, whoever was at fault or not—

There was no point in dwelling on it now.

Because I was here again.

Now, I just needed to focus on what lay ahead.

Sniff.

I thought it was Yuka sniffling, but I realized the sound came from a completely different direction.

When I turned my head, I saw Shii crying.

Trying her best to hold back her sobs.

"…."

Yuka let go of me.

Her eyes were red. Not wanting to show it to others, she quickly covered her face.

I turned to Shii.

"Senpai."

Shii said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

I placed my hand on her head without a word.

Then Koko approached me with sparkling eyes.

I was thankful for Koko, who brought a lighter air to the room. Without her, the heavy mood would have been even heavier.

I patted Koko’s head as well.

My vision blurred slightly, with shallow tears pooling in my eyes.

I wanted to hold them back, but in the end, I couldn’t.

"…."

And Kagami watched me silently as I cried.

In a room with boundaries I’d placed myself, we stayed like that for a long time.

Chapter 170. Drop (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Now that I’ve sorted out my emotions, it’s time to solve the remaining issues.

First,

"So, where is my original body?"

I asked Kagami.

"I have no idea."

Kagami answered so straightforwardly.

……

Ah, well, that made sense.

If the government intended to do something with my corpse, they certainly wouldn’t leave it lying around just anywhere.

Even if Kagami had sources, they wouldn’t be able to bring information right now.

Besides, considering the situation, the existing sources might already be cut off.

After all, it could be seen as a situation where we’ve turned against the “government.”

"But… if that’s the case…?"

"What about it?"

Kagami replied, still smiling brightly.

"No, I mean… shouldn’t we stop whatever that body might end up doing?"

Watching Kagami, I somehow began to feel a little unsure of myself.

It’s not that I’d changed my mind. I still thought we should do something about that body.

But… somehow, watching Kagami made me feel like I shouldn’t say that in “this situation.”

"Even if we wanted to stop it,"

Kagami spoke up while I was contemplating.

"We don’t have any weapons on our side."

"Huh?"

"Yuuki’s sword was taken away by them."

"……."

I glanced toward Yuuki. She looked away, avoiding my gaze.

Indeed, in this situation, I hadn’t seen the sword that Yuuki always carried with her.

But there was no need for her to feel so guilty and avoid my gaze.

"And I doubt you’d want to use your other friend’s blood, right?"

She meant Sota.

I nodded.

If we wanted to face Nirlass directly, a “little bit” of Sota’s blood wouldn’t be enough. After all, we’re dealing with something very different from the slimes we’re used to.

And there’s no way to know if any attack from Koko—or rather, from me in a Koko-like body—would even work.

Wouldn’t it? Although Nirlass didn’t possess Koko’s body, she was still heavily involved in its creation.

If Nirlass had intended to be reborn here, she likely accounted for such things.

"So, there’s no way now."

"……."

I stared blankly at Kagami, who was still smiling as she said there was no way.

So, that meant she truly hadn’t planned anything for what to do after resurrecting me.

Kagami.

The same Kagami who was a religious leader.

I swallowed dryly.

Now that I thought about it, Kagami did seem a little strange—not just because she was wearing a shrine maiden’s outfit with an apron.

More than that, she gave off a fundamentally different vibe from her usual self.

Kagami’s usual self?

What was Kagami usually like?

In truth, I hadn’t seen much of Kagami’s “usual” self. Unless I needed something, I wouldn’t seek her out first, and she generally maintained some distance from me.

She almost always wore a smile in front of me. Whatever she did, I’d usually let it go without concern.

I didn’t even know the exact size of Kagami’s religious group.

"…Kagami."

I looked directly at her and asked,

"Don’t tell me… you didn’t care at all about what will happen to the world as long as I was revived?"

Kagami just kept smiling without a word.

“What will happen to the world? What do you mean by that?”

“…Yuka.”

At Yuka’s question, I turned to her with a slightly dazed expression.

"That is… well…."

Where should I start, and how should I explain it?

Yuka knew I worshipped a certain god. She knew I borrowed that god’s power through blood.

She might even know how unpredictable that god could be; after all, that god was the reason she ended up stabbing me with a sword.

But… did Yuka really know?

That the god already lay dormant within my body and that my soul was the force holding its manifestation in check.

If she had known, would she have still helped bring me back to life?

"A mighty foreign god, with no connection to this Earth."

But before I could explain, Kagami spoke first.

"The being we served was just such an entity."

Everyone in the room turned their attention to Kagami.

"With that god’s power, I birthed many children."

The atmosphere in the room grew colder.

Yamashita-san, Fukuda-san, Hagiwara, and Nakahara were not in the room.

Yamashita and Fukuda were guarding the door, while Hagiwara and Nakahara had gone up to my room.

It was likely out of consideration, giving us time to talk amongst ourselves.

However, Kagami seemed unconcerned with such considerations when she spoke.

Kagami’s tone was like she had let go of everything.

"Looking back, I may have only truly created two beings."

Kagami’s gaze turned toward Koko and me.

"Nn…?"

"It’s possible that the first creation couldn’t hold its form within a human body and shattered into fragments. Well, who knows, when it comes to gods."

"……."

All eyes focused on Koko and me.

The atmosphere was… rather strange.

Usually, if someone you know suddenly appears to be a god or a monster, you’d instinctively react with rejection first, regardless of your previous relationship.

Only then would you accept or reject the situation.

But the gazes directed at us now didn’t feel that way.

Instead, I felt a complex mix of emotions.

The most prominent emotion was pity.

"And in the end, both creations were considered failures."

Without regard for the mood, Kagami continued speaking, causing the kids’ gazes to snap back to her.

Their gazes held “anger” rather than pity.

They were reacting to her labeling Koko and me as failures.

Was Kagami acting again, like when she pretended to mistreat me in front of the others?

… I didn’t know.

I didn’t fully understand, but I had a feeling this wasn’t the same.

The calm Kagami before me exuded a different atmosphere from the Kagami I knew.

It reminded me of the time Kagami appeared at Christmas, promising me a gift. Though she was much calmer now than she was then.

"The god didn’t take possession."

Kagami ignored everyone’s gaze, looking at me as she continued.

"The first being couldn’t even maintain a human shape and turned into a creature that devoured every living thing it touched. Lacking not just divinity but even intelligence, it was a monster driven by pure instinct."

"Mmm…?"

Should I take Koko outside? But Koko only tilted her head, seemingly unable to grasp the situation, so I left her as she was.

It would be a disaster if we missed any crucial details.

"And after repeatedly creating such shattered creatures, finally, at the very end, I gave birth to…"

Kagami looked straight at me as she spoke.

"You."

"……."

What was I supposed to say?

There was so much I wanted to say, yet at the same time, nothing at all.

It was clear that I had lost control of my expression. The children’s faces showed it as they looked at me.

Only Koko’s expression remained the same as before the conversation began. Perhaps she already knew?

"Certainly, you were alive and bore a perfect human form, unlike the earlier creations, but the god still didn’t take possession. No matter what happened around you, you merely lay there without any reaction."

Ultimately, we decided to leave you be.

Even as a failure, you might prove useful one day.

Kagami’s voice resonated throughout the room.

"… So what?"

Yuka finally spoke, her voice breaking as if barely holding back.

"Does that mean… that your perspective has changed now?"

"That’s one way to put it."

Kagami replied.

"It’s strange. When you first opened your eyes and moved, all I felt was fear."

"……."

"But the more we conversed, the more curious I became, and once I realized you posed no real threat, I even grew fond of you. You were the only one I could open up to about my situation."

Was that so?

Perhaps it was. To Kagami, I must have seemed godlike, someone she could confide in to some extent, unlike those beneath her.

Though much of Kagami’s words held crucial truths and important insights, she’d also shared snippets of her own thoughts in between.

"Looking back—"

Kagami spoke.

"Yes, ‘looking back’ is the right phrase. I wonder when curiosity and interest transformed into something close to affection."

Kagami paused briefly, lost in thought.

In the silence, she continued slowly.

"To be honest, I’m not sure. If you had behaved like a completely clueless child from the start, things might have been different. Your body is in its mid-teens, but if you had acted like an infant, I probably wouldn’t have been fond of you."

"……."

"For some reason, you acted as if you knew everything from the moment you woke up."

Yuka and Yamashita turned to me in bewilderment.

Their expressions asked what that meant.

For the record, Shii and Sota didn’t seem to understand at all.

"You knew how the world worked, how to behave, and even how to show proper courtesy. The day you cooked for me, I was incredibly taken aback."

"……."

Oh.

No, I mean, well.

I started to sweat for an entirely different reason.

"But I decided not to think further about it. It doesn’t matter to me what kind of being you are. Whether you’re a god-like entity trying to suppress Nirlass or just someone who awakened with ordinary common sense and hasn’t even turned a year old."

"……."

The color drained even further from Yuka’s face.

Hey, if we go any further, Yuka might not recover.

I tried to remain calm, seriously wondering if I should reveal my true identity here.

No matter what, how would Yuka react if she found out she had pushed a child to slit their own wrist of a being that wasn’t even a year old? Yamashita beside her looked equally pale, but Yuka seemed worse.

However, before I could say anything to Yuka, Kagami spoke first.

"One thing is certain, and that is that I gave birth to you."

"……."

I stared at Kagami, slightly opening my mouth in surprise.

"So— I won’t overthink it or calculate my gains anymore. I’ll simply hold on to the ones I have in my hands."

Despite the gravity of her words, Kagami’s tone remained calm and composed.

But between that calmness and composure, I sensed… some emotion.

Was it because we’d spent time together, talking on numerous occasions?

The way Kagami looked at me now was similar to when she called me a godly being, vowing to trust me regardless of my actions.

Only this time, it felt like those words were directed at herself.

"So, I know it may be too late to say this. And I know it sounds unbelievably shameless."

Kagami spoke slowly, as if letting out a breath.

"But I don’t want to lose you now, even if the whole world burns. I’m not sure if this feeling is a mother’s heart or what."

Kagami smiled.

And, the talismans on the floor, which hadn’t been removed, glowed a faint blue.

"It seems like you’d willingly go there if it were up to you. But I can’t send you to your death after going through the trouble of bringing you back."

While everyone in the room looked flustered, Kagami spoke.

"……."

I simply stared at her blankly.

---

Someone once said that human greed knows no end.

People repeat the same mistakes over and over because of that endless greed.

"……."

"…Hm."

Nanami snorted at Hagiwara, who was staring blankly at her phone.

When Hagiwara looked up, Nanami commented with exasperation.

"Are you still hung up on that?"

"…Would you give up so easily?"

Hagiwara sighed deeply and put her phone down.

"And, I haven’t given up yet."

"……."

Nanami glared at her.

Hagiwara averted her gaze. She was the one with a guilty conscience.

"I’m not exactly friends with Kurosawa-san, but—"

"……."

"—no one has the right to tell someone to die, right? Isn’t that going too far?"

She’d heard this multiple times already.

It wasn’t just her being aggressive. Nanami was genuine. Hagiwara knew that well.

That’s why she couldn’t think of a response.

Even if she’d only realized it at the last minute… she had ended up coming over to this side.

What would her final fate be?

Worrying about that would be an insult to her.

But it was hard not to worry at all; Hagiwara was still just a teenager, after all.

"……."

Nanami glared at Hagiwara, who remained silent, then sighed and buried her face on the table.

"Ahh, who am I to lecture anyone right now?"

And,

"Maybe I’ll go down to where Sota is—"

As Nanami muttered,

Bzzz.

"Ah!"

Startled by the vibration of Hagiwara’s phone on the table, Nanami quickly lifted her head.

"What’s up?"

She asked, feeling embarrassed, but Hagiwara was staring down at her phone with a stiff expression.

"Why? Did you… get fired or something?"

Not familiar with church terms, Nanami fumbled for the right words.

But Hagiwara simply stared at her phone for a long time, then suddenly stood up.

"Uh? Senpai? Where are you going?"

"Right now—"

But before Hagiwara could answer,

The window shook.

And a moment later,

A loud scream could be heard from far away.

A chill ran down Nanami’s spine.

It wasn’t just a scream from a large crowd. It was as if someone with a huge voice had screamed alone, and that scream had echoed throughout the entire city.

Imagining the source of such a sound was difficult.

The only thing that came to mind was someone with a twisted sense of humor playing horror movie screams over massive speakers.

"Senpai…?"

But Nanami had just recently experienced such things and had been through other unusual events as well.

So it was easy for her to realize that this was far from normal.

Hagiwara was simply staring blankly at the door, tightly clutching her phone.

---

The corpse seemed as though it was literally alive.

Of course, no one dared to attempt anything reckless with it. This was the sensible choice, and besides, everyone transporting the body knew it wasn’t just any ordinary girl’s corpse.

So, no one found it strange when they used a large truck, much like a cash transport vehicle, to carry a seemingly lifeless girl.

No one questioned the presence of armed soldiers inside the truck.

"So, where are we headed with this thing?"

"Who knows. Probably to some research lab."

These soldiers, too, had some knowledge of these matters.

So they didn’t anticipate any significant problems as they discussed the situation.

"They say lots of places are asking for samples. Apparently, she didn’t die after being cut multiple times. Seems they want to study things like cell division."

Someone once said that human greed knows no end.

If there are beings like yokai or malevolent spirits, naturally, there would be those seeking to exploit them.

Even if there were an evil god aiming to destroy the world, some would believe they could control it.

Greed that doesn’t fade with time.

And then—

Bam!

"…Huh?"

When the truck’s side was torn open, and a sharp tentacle pierced his stomach, one soldier didn’t understand what had happened and made a sound of confusion.

Then, without another scream, the soldiers aimed their guns outside the truck and fired.

Bang!

There was a loud crash, as if something had struck the vehicle from outside.

—And, such people are never alone.

There are always those who fight to be the first to seize wealth and power.

It always begins with them.

Chapter 171. Bell (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

The moment a scream came from outside the window, Yuka shuddered.

It felt like something in her body was reacting.

But for some reason, I didn’t feel anything.

There was no familiar chill like the one I usually felt whenever I encountered a yokai.

“Kagami.”

I looked at Kagami calmly and spoke.

The talismans scattered around the room were all glowing blue.

The moment I cross the threshold, flames will probably ignite on my body.

And—probably, I won’t be able to endure it this time.

Though I was affected by Nirlass in the same way, Koko’s body was different from the one I originally had.

I’d seen Koko track “me” down several times, so I knew she had some way of sensing me, but I didn’t know how to use it myself.

Koko didn’t like fire.

Not just the blue flames made from that god-repelling twig powder—even ordinary fire was enough to keep her from getting close.

So, if I go out there now… I’ll die.

“Kagami, this isn’t right.”

“...”

“People are going to die. So many.”

It might already be too late.

I hadn’t yet sensed any “end-of-the-world” signs.

In other words… nothing like the massive explosions that destroy all of Tokyo in manga had happened yet.

But regardless, the signs of a catastrophe were definitely emerging.

“And we’ll die too.”

“Yes, probably,” Kagami said calmly.

“But why?”

“...”

Kagami looked at me silently.

“I’ve already explained it to you.”

Then, slowly, she continued speaking.

“The meaning I found in the final moment of my life… I don’t want to lose that, not now.”

“So… does that mean your last moment should be with your ‘daughters’?”

“Yes.”

I fell silent at Kagami’s words.

I didn’t know what to say at all.

I felt like I understood what she was saying, yet I didn’t.

I could imagine feeling something like motherhood.

If it were her own child, and that child was dying in front of her, she might want to bring them back to life.

But wouldn’t that change if the price were the world itself?

“Kagami, I…”

“No,” Kagami interrupted me.

“If you die, the reason for bringing you back disappears.”

“…”

“I’ve considered it. Maybe death is inevitable, one way or another.”

“In the distant future, if I die, I might see you again.”

“Or, I could even take my own life sooner.”

The emotions in Kagami’s gaze deepened.

“But… then what? If that happens, will I really get to see you?”

“I don’t even understand what kind of being you are.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it again.

There was nothing I could say to Kagami.

“The fact that you didn’t need to learn about the world from the beginning means that you already knew it.”

“So your mind probably didn’t come from here; it must be from far away.”

“Even in the afterlife, will I be able to meet you?”

“Will we still be able to be mother and daughter?”

I… couldn’t bring myself to answer.

I hadn’t even spent a year here.

In that time, I’d gained a lot.

I’d gained relationships I absolutely didn’t want to lose, and I wanted to live here for as long as possible.

But that didn’t mean I’d completely forgotten my previous life.

When I closed my eyes, I could still recall my family.

I could remember the faces in the photos I looked at daily, and I still dreamed about the moment I lost them.

Could someone like me truly call Kagami my “mother”?

Maybe someday, if a very, very long time passed.

But…

If this moment was the end, and we went our separate ways, meeting again in some other place…

It would likely mean the end of our relationship, too.

The bonds of friendship and family are formed for very different reasons.

“...”

“So, I can’t let you go.”

Kagami looked at me as she spoke.

Almost pleadingly.

“Please, don’t go. I’m begging you.”

The talismans on the floor were still glowing blue.

Neither Yamashita nor Yuka, nor anyone else in the room said a word.

“If I don’t go… we’ll all end up dead.”

“Yes, probably. But at least, until that moment, we’ll be together as family.”

“…”

Kagami was serious.

That much I could feel.

The silence grew heavy.

For some reason, the screams outside had stopped.

What was happening out there? Was the world really ending?

“I… I have to go.”

“Why?”

Kagami asked, her voice tinged with a hint of urgency.

She was now staring at me with wide-open eyes, different from before.

“Why… does it have to be you?”

“Because I’m the only one who can do this.”

“You’re saying that you’re the one who has to protect this world?”

No, that wasn’t it.

I wasn’t a hero.

I’d never been one.

If there’s a criminal, it’s the police’s job to arrest them.

If there’s a foreign invasion, it’s the army’s job to defend the country.

And if a fire breaks out somewhere, it’s a firefighter’s job to put it out.

Those people aren’t all heroes or noble people.

Some are simply working to make a living, some are pursuing their dreams, and some are driven by a sense of duty.

And as for why I was a firefighter before… why I kept holding onto it, even after I’d lost everything—

“Because if not me, then who else?”

Yes, if not me, then who?

It was the same now.

I turned around.

“Wait!”

Kagami shouted.

I walked forward.

The room wasn’t that big.

A few steps and I’d reach the boundary of the barrier Kagami had set.

Blue flames would likely ignite on my body, and I might die in agony.

“Wait! Wait!”

I heard someone call desperately from behind me, and someone grabbed my waist.

Then they hugged me tightly.

It was the first time Kagami had ever hugged me.

“No, no. Don’t go. Please.”

Kagami’s tearful voice reached my ears.

“Please… please…”

Her voice grew faint, swallowed by her sobs.

“Kotone…”

My name.

The name someone had given me.

“…”

And then, there was one more person blocking my way.

Yuka stood on the talisman, blocking the door I was about to exit.

“Yuka.”

“Kotone.”

When I called Yuka’s name, she called mine in return.

Her face was already streaked with tears. She was far from fine.

Her wet eyes glared at me.

In a small voice, Yuka asked.

“Do you want to die?”

“…”

A question completely opposite to what I’d expected.

I opened my mouth, hesitated, then spoke slowly.

“No, I don’t want to die.”

Yuka waited for my next words, saying nothing.

I continued, more firmly this time.

“I want to live. Here, with all of you. Always.”

Things I want to try? There are so many.

Soon, the world’s largest video streaming site will be around.

I want to try recording and uploading videos there.

When things calm down, I want to buy as many anime DVDs and manga as I can find from this era.

There are so many things I want to try eating.

And I heard the second-year school trip is to Hawaii, so I’d love to go there.

…That’s why I want to live. I want to keep living.

But.

“Still… if not me…”

I stopped speaking.

Yuka was smiling at me.

“That’s right.”

Yuka said.

“Exactly. I feel the same way. I don’t want to die. I want to live.”

“…”

“My mom… she died while doing the same job I do.”

Ah.

I see.

“I hate transferring schools all the time. I want to know my friends longer.”

“Honestly, waving a sword around isn’t my thing.”

“After school, I’d prefer just staying home.”

Yuka was telling me her true feelings.

Probably for the first time.

“I don’t want to just wear easy clothes all the time either.”

“I want to wear frilly dresses too. But you know what would happen if I did, right?”

It’d probably be a huge hassle, and I’d have to be careful with everything.

“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to be in pain.”

Yuka said.

“But in the end, I’ve been thinking the same thing all along.”

“If not me, then who else will do this?”

Yuka laughed.

“We’re the same, aren’t we?”

“…”

Yuka reached out her hand.

I hesitantly placed mine on top of hers.

It was a little cold.

Her hand was a silent testament to everything she’d felt today.

Yuka’s hand, gripping mine tightly, began to pull me forward.

“Ah, ah…”

A pained cry sounded from Kagami.

Her arms around my waist weakened.

Yuka’s foot lifted off the talisman.

As my hand followed Yuka’s over the talisman, nothing happened.

No flames ignited on my body.

Slowly, step by step,

I followed Yuka’s lead, walking forward.

Kagami’s arms slipped weakly from around me.

Her hand dropped to her side.

As my arm, then my body passed over the talisman, nothing happened.

The talisman simply continued to glow blue.

“…”

I turned to look back at Kagami.

She lay face down on the floor, fists clenched tightly as she sobbed.

…Ah, I see.

Kagami… really saw me as her daughter.

What kind of parent would set their daughter’s body on fire just because she was leaving the house?

Yuka gently let go of my hand.

Did she already know?

At first, her expression showed a bit of surprise, but gradually, as she calmed down, I thought she might have.

I paused for a moment, silently watching Kagami.

“…When I come back.”

Not knowing what else to say, I decided to say whatever came to mind.

Yes. If I return—though there’s a chance I might not—

If I do return and face Kagami again.

“Then, I’ll stop addressing you just by your name.”

I couldn’t quite bring myself to promise to call her “Mother.”

Even in this moment, it felt too awkward to say that out loud.

Kagami slowly lifted her head.

The dazed look on her face was one I’d never seen on her before.

She looked at me blankly, and I gave her a small nod.

“Um…”

I said hesitantly, and Yamashita peeked her head out.

Both Sota and Shii looked at me, too.

“Please… wait for me.”

The three of them looked at me intently.

There were so many things I felt sorry for.

If I hadn’t interfered, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Without even reading the entire story, I was always jumping to conclusions and trying to handle everything on my own, which is probably how things ended up like this.

Sota… if it weren’t for me, he’d probably be surrounded by girls, enjoying a happy school life.

And Yamashita… probably the same.

Just because she ran away from home didn’t mean something terrible would have happened to her.

Maybe she would have just gone home, or maybe she’d have asked a friend like Fukuda to let her stay over.

And as for Mako…

Well, at least with Mako, I think I did the right thing.

So, I’m selfish.

In the end, I dragged everyone into this mess because I stubbornly insisted on doing things my way.

“…”

Sota nodded his head.

Next to him, Shii did the same.

Yamashita was still staring at me, and then she said suddenly,

“Yuu.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, call me Yuu. You’ve always used my family name.”

“Oh, that’s…”

“We’re cousins, aren’t we?”

Yamashita—

—no, Yuu said in a slightly blunt tone.

“If I hadn’t figured it out myself, were you planning on keeping it a secret forever?”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything in response.

“…Let’s stay close, too.”

Yuu glanced slightly away as she said that, and then ducked back into the room.

“Nuu…”

Koko was suddenly standing right next to me.

“…Koko.”

“Kotone!”

As always, Koko called out my name.

What should I say to Koko?

But before I could say anything, I felt my heart start beating.

I placed a hand over my chest.

It just felt like my heart was beating, but I sensed that it was somehow different.

It was as if… Koko’s heartbeat was mirroring mine, letting me know she was alive.

Is this how Koko always managed to find me?

I pressed my lips together.

I felt embarrassed.

And somehow, it felt unnecessary to put it into words.

“…”

I lifted my gaze and looked back at Kagami.

“…I’ll come back.”

I said this as I looked at Kagami directly.

“I promise.”

“…”

Kagami kept her mouth tightly shut and bowed her head deeply.

*

When I stepped outside the apartment, the situation was still unclear.

“…Are you leaving?”

Yamashita-san spoke up.

“Yes.”

I looked up toward my room and saw that Hagiwara and Nakahara were outside, too.

Nakahara waved at me, while Hagiwara… looked like she wasn’t sure what to say.

Honestly, I didn’t know what to say either, so I didn’t try to start a conversation.

“Hey, kid,” Fukuda-san said.

“Something big must be happening.”

Fukuda-san glanced around, chuckling as he noticed that the police weren’t rushing to apprehend me now that I was outside.

“Harumi cried her eyes out. Said you were dead.”

“…”

Fukuda shrugged as if it wasn’t surprising at all.

“I’ve known for a while that you were up to something. At least ever since this guy got married to that strange woman.”

Fukuda pointed his chin toward Yamashita-san as he spoke.

“…”

After a moment’s thought, I said to Fukuda,

“…Please look after Kagami.”

“Huh?”

Fukuda’s eyes widened slightly.

“What, are you planning to die or something?”

“No, but…”

Hearing my answer, Fukuda looked at me quietly, then shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, alright. Doesn’t sound like a bad deal to me.”

That’s how Fukuda responded.

Here I was, planning to rush straight into danger after just being brought back to life as a daughter… I never thought I’d feel sympathy for Kagami.

“…”

Once more, I looked back at the apartment.

Could it be called fondness?

Though the apartment was worn and shabby, there had been more good memories than bad.

The early days had been the only time I’d felt so tormented.

I met friends and even found people I could consider family.

“…Let’s go.”

So, I would just do my best not to let it all fall apart.

It’s a blessing to have a place to come back to.

In my previous life, I’d lived alone.

Even if I went home, there was only darkness waiting for me.

I had almost no one to contact, and every time I slept, I kept dreaming about losing my family.

Here, I’d finally found a way to overcome all that.

So, I planned to do what I could.

I took Koko and Yuka’s hands.

And we ran.

*

Kagami came out a few minutes later.

Though her face was a mess from tears, she seemed a bit more composed, lips pressed together in a firm line.

“…”

Kagami silently gazed at the spot where her daughter had disappeared, then suddenly turned to Fukuda.

“Fukuda-san.”

“Yes.”

Having been asked by Kagami’s daughter to look after her, and personally feeling sympathetic, Fukuda’s voice held strength.

But Kagami didn’t seem interested in that as she continued.

“Could you take me somewhere?”

“Excuse me?”

Fukuda blinked at Kagami’s request.

So… is this why she asked me to look after her?

While Fukuda was making sense of the situation, Kagami turned toward Yamashita’s daughter.

Both of them were dressed in shrine maiden attire.

They’d mentioned something about a ritual before; maybe that was why.

“You have the bell, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

Yuu opened her palm to show an old bell.

“…Stay here. Don’t go anywhere else. Use the bell as needed.”

“…”

Yuu looked at Kagami intently.

“Are you leaving?”

“…Yes. Otherwise, all of this will have been pointless.”

Kagami spoke, still facing forward.

Yuu couldn’t fully understand her feelings.

The relationship between them was too twisted, too complex to describe.

Kagami was willing to burn the world if it meant saving her daughter.

So when that daughter came back from the jaws of death, what was Kagami supposed to feel?

Yuu wasn’t sure.

Maybe she couldn’t fully understand because she hadn’t had a daughter herself yet.

It made sense… but at the same time…

Then again, it was hard to feel the weight of “world’s end” talk.

Yuu had only just begun to understand what was going on.

“I hope you come back with her.”

So Yuu only said that much.

Kagami nodded.

“…”

As she was about to turn away, her gaze met that of Yamashita Yohei.

They looked at each other briefly, then turned away without a word.

“Well… shall we go?” Fukuda asked awkwardly.

Kagami nodded.

In her hand was a flat object wrapped in cloth.

Chapter 172. Bell (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

In a situation like this, saying something like this might be a bit out of place.

To be honest, though, the feeling of liberation was overwhelming.

It’s not that I hadn’t lived freely before. Here in this world, I lived far more freely than I ever had in my previous life.

In high school, I went to cram school, did independent study—things like that.

I also joined club activities with my friends, took part in school festivals; those were incredible experiences, memories I’ll always cherish.

But, the freedom I felt now was completely different compared to all of that.

“…Though I’ve gone through it before, it’s still hard to get used to.”

Yuka muttered with a slightly nauseous expression.

I was running at a speed that no ordinary person could achieve.

That was something I could do now.

I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of logic governed it. It just felt different from ‘running.’

At this speed, you’d expect it to create a tremendous noise or for the wind to rush around, but none of that actually happened.

It felt like space itself… folded with each stride. I guess it’s something like the “instantaneous movement” they talk about in martial arts.

Well, that’s not what matters right now.

“…Hah.”

Yuka let out a breath.

In front of us was an overturned truck.

Luckily, there didn’t seem to be any cars driving nearby. The only damage was to a parked car that had been crushed under the truck.

And inside that truck, lying over the parked car, blood was seeping out.

There was a jagged hole on the side of the truck.

I went straight up to the truck and looked inside.

“P…please, help.”

There was a survivor.

Though he was in a desperate state.

It was someone who might recognize my face, but… I couldn’t tell if he thought of me as Koko, or if he was even conscious enough to notice.

I quickly climbed into the truck and pulled the man out.

His side was torn open.

I could almost see his internal organs.

Yuka knelt beside him and pressed her hand to the wound. Keeping one hand firmly on the injury, she took out her phone, lifted it high into the air, and looked slightly panicked.

“…There’s no signal.”

Yuka’s expression turned grave.

…If we left him here, he’d surely die. In fact, even if an ambulance came, there was no guarantee he would survive. Maybe, if there was an open spot in a nearby hospital’s ER, he might make it—

I knelt beside the man as well.

“What happened?”

I calmly asked the man, who was starting to lose focus in his eyes, and only then did he really look at my face. His eyes widened.

“You… you’re…”

“…I’m not the one you were transporting.”

The man looked confused.

“…I don’t know.”

He said.

“It was… something with huge claws.”

Claws?

Could he be saying it came from my body?

But for something like that, the surroundings were remarkably intact. If a monster capable of ending the world had appeared, there’s no way this area would look so untouched.

“The body?”

“Stolen…”

The man murmured and lost consciousness.

“He’s still alive.”

Yuka checked his pulse as she spoke. When I placed my hand on his chest, his heart was still beating.

…

There might be an emergency kit inside the truck. But we didn’t have the time to check. We were in the middle of a ‘pursuit’ right now.

Then—

I pulled out a strand of my own hair. Snipping it off with my fingernail, a sharper pain than usual pricked me. Blood oozed a little, but it wasn’t serious.

“Kotone?”

Koko, who had been watching me, gasped and called my name in surprise.

I placed the strand of hair on the wound on the man’s side and visualized the image I wanted.

Just as I’d acted on instinct up to this point.

The strand of hair wriggled, almost disgustingly, burrowing into the man’s side.

Moving through the wound, it gradually closed up as though zipping shut.

As the two sides met, the bleeding slowed a bit.

…I didn’t know if this would save him. The wound was already open, so infection might be severe, and it was only a superficial closure, with who knows what happening internally.

But if I left him, he would surely die.

For a moment, I thought that maybe, I could save this man, or perhaps everyone inside the truck too.

But time was running short, and above all—

“…It’s so quiet around us.”

“Huh?”

When I said something so out of the blue, Koko tilted her head in confusion.

This place… is Tokyo, right? It seemed like it. It wasn’t near the sea like where my school was, but close enough to Saitama.

If so, even at night, there should have been some noise.

Sounds of people.

There should have been people around here and there. Even in a residential area, there are always people who come out early in the morning for one reason or another. And with an accident like this, someone should have heard it.

Didn’t that huge scream in Saitama’s apartments reach everyone’s ears? So how could no one come outside to see?

The power was still on. The streetlights were on.

The headlights of the overturned truck were still flickering.

I ran to the house right next to us. There was a window on the first floor. Curtains were drawn, but the lights were on inside.

“Kotone?”

Yuka came over to me.

I pressed my face as close to the window as possible and looked inside.

Since the curtains weren’t drawn all the way to the edge of the window, I could catch a glimpse of the inside.

I could also hear a faint sound coming from inside the window.

The sound of a TV playing.

And, there was someone there. Sitting on the sofa, watching the TV.

It wasn’t too strange that they were fixated on the TV without moving. However, it was odd that their body seemed frozen, like a statue.

They might have fallen asleep.

I knocked on the window.

“Excuse me!”

The person didn’t respond.

I knocked harder, enough to make the window rattle as if it might break.

“Please look over here!”

But still, there was no reaction.

"…"

“Do you think they’re unconscious?”

Yuka said, but I thought that wasn’t quite it.

If that were the case, then the situation would have already spiraled out of control. If the person driving had lost consciousness, there would have been an accident.

But it was silent. Too silent.

I looked at the neighboring house. The family was seated at the dining table. They were all smiling, yet they sat completely still, like mannequins. In the next house, an elderly couple sat on their sofa, unmoving, watching the TV.

As if time had stopped.

“…Let’s go.”

When I spoke, Yuka nodded with a serious expression.

I wasn’t sure why everyone seemed frozen, yet the man in the truck was able to speak with us.

I could make a guess, though. Perhaps it was because he had come into contact with the one who stabbed him. After all, the being that attacked the truck was hardly an ordinary creature.

Or perhaps something related to my corpse was at work.

I took hold of Yuka’s and Koko’s hands.

And we ran, following the trail.

---

Time was freezing over.

That was the sensation I felt.

I hadn’t quite noticed it back where the truck was, but the closer we got to where we were headed, the stronger that feeling grew.

It was different from the chills I used to feel in my former body.

It felt more… tied to a fundamental fear.

“…Everything’s stopped.”

Everyone along the way had frozen mid-action.

It was hard to describe it as just a halt in movement. People appeared as though they’d been flash-frozen mid-step, a pose no strength could maintain.

A necktie fluttering in the air, strands of hair suspended mid-sway. Everything had come to a standstill.

It was as if the very laws of physics were affected—or maybe not. Streetlights remained on, and TVs in nearby shops continued to play.

Was it connected to some external cause? Electricity, communication—things like that.

Or, perhaps, it was the ‘space each person perceives.’ It felt like each individual’s time had frozen independently.

We stopped running when we reached a wide plaza.

It wasn’t large, not even as big as a school field, but it was one of those relatively spacious areas found in urban parks.

"…"

In the center of it lay a young girl.

And clinging to that corpse was a figure.

Yuka drew in a breath.

There were people lying around the area.

Were they the ones who had tried to stop that figure?

Most of them were dressed in the same uniforms as the ones who’d come after us. I couldn’t tell if they were police or soldiers, but swords, guns, and other weapons lay scattered across the ground.

And—

"…"

Without hesitation, Yuka stepped forward, picking up a sword that lay discarded on the ground.

It was the ‘Mumei’ they’d supposedly taken.

“This is what happens when you wield it carelessly.”

Yuka muttered with a sigh.

Just as she said, someone who had been holding that sword lay sprawled beneath it. While the man in the truck had survived, this person was unmistakably dead.

A hole gaped in his stomach. Had he died without even swinging the sword?

“This sword… it’s still being forged.”

Yuka shook the sword, splattering the blood on the ground, and the blade glinted under the moonlight.

“You give a weapon its name only once it’s complete.”

Sensing my gaze, Yuka smiled.

Even in this situation, was she not afraid?

…No.

I closed my eyes briefly and took a breath.

No, surely, she was scared. Because Yuka had said so herself.

She’d said she didn’t want to die. That she’d rather have fun than wield a sword.

But the reason she could still smile was because Yuka knew that no one else could do this but her.

In Yuka’s hand, the ‘Mumei’ glowed.

Though imbued with the blood of yokai for centuries, it was still an unfinished blade.

So, that was it. I hadn’t read anything about this in the original story. I’d suspected there might be some foreshadowing behind that name, but—

“So, in the end, does that mean it’s a sword to cut down even gods?”

I joked.

It’s a common theme in light novels, isn’t it?

Yuka shrugged.

“Maybe its very process of creation is its reason for existence?”

That could be it.

“Well.”

Yuka turned her gaze forward.

“…In that case, it wouldn’t be bad to complete it with one final strike. Even once finished, a sword can still be wielded.”

And then, she turned toward the figure in the center of the clearing.

An eerie crunching sound echoed.

The sound alone was enough to send chills down my spine, but seeing the ‘figure’ itself intensified that feeling.

Kurosawa Kotone’s body was scattered into pieces.

And those pieces were being crushed by enormous tentacles and stuffed into its mouth.

“…Is that really how it’s supposed to be used?”

When I asked, its head lifted.

Amidst the mass of flesh and tentacles sat the figure of an ordinary person.

She looked strikingly similar to Kagami—but, ah, seeing her now, I understood why she wasn’t the ‘same person’ as Kagami.

Her makeup had come off, revealing a face with more wrinkles than Kagami’s. Assuming their ages weren’t far apart, she looked unusually aged.

Had she used her body for something?

…No, she must have done something, given the mass of flesh attached to her body writhing even now.

Crunch.

Whether Kosuzu was looking at me or not, the tentacles continued to devour my corpse.

It was a sickening sight.

Even to someone like me, who’d seen bodies eaten before, it was a revolting spectacle.

“…There was no other way.”

Kosuzu’s mouth moved.

"…"

Maybe everything had happened too fast.

Kosuzu must have had her own plans. But something must have gone seriously awry along the way.

If she were truly a being that could gain something by eating me, she would have tried to kill me when she saw me in Kyoto. Back then, I was significantly weakened, so she might have succeeded. Who knows, she might have even been able to bring a gun.

I never got to finish reading the novel.

In fact, I hadn’t even read up to the part where Kurosawa Kotone appeared.

But I doubt the character suddenly appeared in a single volume to resolve every plotline perfectly.

There might have been clues in the story that I hadn’t noticed.

A point where everything converged.

“…There’s something I want to ask.”

I said to Kosuzu.

Of course, I kept my eyes moving, assessing when and how I might need to jump in. How I might effectively land an attack.

It seemed possible right now.

But seeing all the people lying around, it was clear this wouldn’t be easy.

“What was the reason… for creating me?”

"…"

Kosuzu couldn’t answer.

“What would you have done if something else, a different entity, had entered here instead of me?”

Kosuzu, who had been staring at me silently, swung her tentacles as I got closer.

The ground split deeply—not just a hole, but the cement itself shattered and flew up. I leaped back to avoid the debris.

“It was supposed to be a bridgehead.”

Kosuzu spoke, glaring at me.

“A bridgehead to connect us all.”

"…"

Was that aimed at me?

And was it blaming me for not being that bridge?

“But in the end, you were just a child.”

In other words, a failure.

Whether I awoke or didn’t, I was ultimately a failure.

Yeah, I get it.

Kosuzu hadn’t been seeking Nirlass themself.

No, perhaps in the end she wanted to use Nirlass, but first, she needed someone to ‘connect this world to that entity.’

What was her plan after that?

She would have likely manipulated that nearly mindless child to her liking, filling them with knowledge, tormenting them, enticing them as needed.

…In the original story, Kurosawa Kotone, who was never even born into this world, probably deteriorated slowly.

She might have suffered everything Kosuzu had endured. Every piece of knowledge she held could have been twisted.

And that Kotone would have been in the same school as the protagonist.

Slowly breaking down from within. With no one the wiser.

No Mako to look after her, no Fukuda or Yuu to play with. Never even daring to consider joining a club.

“…It probably would’ve failed. Even if things had gone your way.”

I answered.

Yes, I never read to the end.

But I knew how the Hyakki Yagyo ended.

Many people died. They barely managed to stop it, but there was no way there were zero casualties.

When something like that happened right in the middle of Tokyo, the government openly intervened, marking the end of that arc.

Was Kosuzu still safe then? What about Kagami?

…Maybe, at that time, everyone who could control ‘Kotone’ had died.

And that’s what led to the world-ending incident that the protagonist and the heroine had heroically prevented in the original story.

Well, I can’t say for sure since I never read it myself.

Now I feel a little regret.

I should have read it to the end. It’s disappointing I never got to see the ending of one of those novels that brought so much joy to my childhood.

“Still, I understand why I’m here now. And what my abilities are.”

When I spoke, Kosuzu stared intently at me.

Crunch, crunch.

For reasons unknown, Nirlass didn’t resist. Kurosawa Kotone’s corpse was being reduced to chunks of meat, devoured into Kosuzu’s body.

“The key to breaking something that’s already set in motion… is ‘chaos.’”

I recalled what Kuro had said.

I thought about the things that had happened since I came here.

That… yes.

The original story’s development had been twisted completely, relationships between characters had changed fundamentally, and in a way, even the role of the ‘protagonist’ had shifted.

The space and time that should have been the core of the story had changed.

Looking back now, to someone who knew the original story, it was chaos in every sense.

To that distant one, so wise they knew nothing, always sleeping in their boundless ignorance, it must seem that way.

Nothing could be confirmed. Nothing could be assured. It was a thought impossible for someone who had read everything in advance.

“…Kotone?”

For once, Yuka and Koko spoke my name in unison.

Gradually, I felt the ground drifting away beneath my feet.

If I truly am something that can fit the role of ‘chaos,’ then fine.

…Then I should be able to ignore the existing rules to some extent.

I mean, everyone here does that, after all.

“I still don’t fully understand what you’re trying to do.”

How she planned to break the boundary between the afterlife and the mortal world.

Why she needed Nirlass’s power to break it. Though, it’s true that leaving it all vague was part of the appeal of the Cthulhu mythos.

“But if you succeed, we definitely won’t get to live the lives we want.”

What I wanted was something similar to what Yuka wanted.

To simply live a normal life, happily, in a peaceful world.

Sure, I long for the extraordinary now and then. But that extraordinary should be something that occasionally adds spice to life, like seasoning. The most important thing is the vibrant, everyday life.

“So, just like you, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”

Kosuzu’s tentacles moved.

I moved too.

And I bet Koko and Yuka moved, as well.

Chapter 173. Bell (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I twisted my body in mid-air, dodging the incoming tentacles.

I had no idea what principle was keeping me afloat, or how I was able to move so freely.

Was it thanks to Koko's body? Or was it because I had realized my true identity?

"......"

Kosuzu remained silent.

Considering she had even dropped her formal speech when talking to me, she must have been quite desperate.

There were supposedly many who followed her, but none of them could be seen now.

I didn’t think it was because she had met a miserable downfall. If anything, with Kosuzu, it was more believable that she had manipulated people with words to offer them up as sacrifices.

No, more likely, she used them to transform her own body, whether they wanted it or not.

Kosuzu was… gradually growing larger.

Maintaining only a barely human shape, she devoured everything around her, and even watching her made a sense of crisis creep over me.

Though we were still in an open area, if she grew any larger, she would undoubtedly threaten the people nearby. People who couldn’t even run away.

Crack!

Electricity started emanating from around Kosuzu. The streetlights shattered, extinguishing the lights. Like an EMP blast in a movie, the city’s power shut down one block at a time.

I twisted a few strands of my hair, shaping them into a spear.

Upon gaining Koko’s body, I instinctively felt something.

It felt as though my senses extended to the very ends of each strand of hair.

The movement of the air against my skin felt like I was submerged in a pool, filled to the brim with water.

I turned, aiming my head towards Kosuzu.

Kosuzu stood on the ground, while I was suspended in the sky. We looked at each other, and our eyes met.

I tread upon the air.

Using the earth’s gravitational pull as energy to fall, adding the force from the push of my own legs, I shot forward like a bullet.

Kosuzu did not remain idle.

From the moment our eyes met, she had already started aiming her tentacles at me.

Each end of those tentacles was as sharp as the tip of the spear I had created.

As if forming a net to pierce me in the middle, Kosuzu jabbed her spears at me, crisscrossing them in overlapping layers.

I twisted my body again.

I recalled the sense of running earlier. It wasn’t as though the path here had been obstacle-free. Japanese city alleys were narrow and winding, and Koko and I had leapt through them effortlessly.

It was an instinctual knowledge, something I knew without needing to learn.

Dodging the spears extending from all directions, I continued falling. When I started to lose momentum from twisting my body too much, I stepped on an approaching tentacle to regain my balance.

“Ugh…!”

Kosuzu clearly didn’t intend to make it easy for me.

She diverted the tentacle I was about to step on to the side, creating a sharp thicket or guillotine-like formation in the spot I intended to use as my foothold.

Curling up my body and falling backward, I then straightened, shifting into a diving posture.

“Ah…!”

Ahead of me was a literal net—a web of razor-sharp strands, anything but a soft landing.

I doubted it was simply meant to catch me from above. Just moments ago, Kosuzu had formed sharp shapes wherever I touched. The instant I got caught in that, my entire body would either be riddled with holes or turned into cube steak.

I probably wouldn’t die.

But still.

I remembered that Koko had tried not to let her form collapse.

…That was likely her way of preserving the humanity she had developed while staying with me. Because I liked that form, and so did everyone else Koko cared about.

I felt the same way.

Though I had moved to a different body, I didn’t want to lose the form my friends called "Kurosawa Kotone."

Spinning around, I adjusted my stance.

With my feet pointed downward, I spread my hair to either side.

The two clusters of hair became enormous blades.

Screech. The two massive blades parted.

Slash!

“Grrk!”

The blades cut through the net, but my hair wasn’t unscathed either. I felt a sharp pain, and blood burst from my back.

The spear I had crafted earlier was now useless. My hair had torn.

I moved my body again, still falling.

“Ahh!?”

And then, a scream sounded from below.

It wasn’t from anything I had consciously done.

Looking down, I saw my hair drifting toward the ground, strand by strand. Influenced by whatever was keeping me afloat, the hair fell to the ground unusually slowly.

Perhaps because it had detached from my body? For some reason, each slender strand caught my eye.

I wasn’t sure why there was screaming, but I thought I could put this to use.

When I crafted Koko's body, she could easily control flesh even if it was separated from her own. So I should be able to do it too.

The strands of hair floating in the air abruptly stiffened.

And with their sharp ends aimed downward, they all began to fall simultaneously.

The strands embedded themselves in the other tentacles whipping toward me. Those tentacles jerked and convulsed at the puncture. Their aim on me had already faltered.

I twisted my body to dodge the remaining tentacles, and continued falling, lower and lower.

The scream echoed continuously, reverberating so intensely that it made my entire body tremble. Was that scream coming from Kosuzu?

…Now that I thought about it, the scream resembled the one I’d heard from the apartment.

Kosuzu’s face showed no reaction.

So, that meant—

That sound was likely coming from Kotone’s corpse.

*

"Koko!"

"Yes!"

No matter how exceptional Yuka’s physical abilities were, she was still human.

Unlike Kotone or Koko, her body wasn’t particularly sturdy. If her heart stopped, there would be nothing anyone could do.

Thus, of everyone present, Yuka was the one who couldn’t afford to get hurt.

And the ‘Mumei’ she wielded was a weapon only she could use.

Not just because the blood coursing through Koko and Kotone wasn’t human blood. This sword had been perfected over generations, passed down through Yuka’s ancestors.

For anyone else, it was merely an ordinary sword.

‘A sword steeped in blood has finally gained self-awareness.’

Some even described it that way.

As tentacles flew toward Yuka, Koko blocked them with her hair. Some of the strands were skewered and left to dangle, while others disappeared without a trace.

Gripping Yuka’s hand, Koko leapt over the hole carved by the tentacles and released her hand, moving swiftly to cut down the tentacles surrounding Kosuzu.

“……”

Even though she had seen it before, Yuka couldn’t help but admire the sight.

She also dashed forward, following the path Koko had cleared, slashing any obstacles that approached.

The sensation of slicing through meat with a thin piece of metal wasn’t exactly pleasant. It was something she would rather avoid.

But she found herself relieved to see her arm still moving.

For now, at least, it was okay.

It wasn’t completely healed yet, but still.

At the very least, she could be of help to Kotone.

Holding the sword still scared her a bit, but she couldn’t just stand by.

Kotone had come here with her, putting her trust in her.

She dodged a tentacle flying toward her by bending down.

But she still held the sword tightly with both hands, the blade positioned over her head.

Warm, unpleasant liquid splattered on Yuka’s body. She felt her clothes getting soaked but ignored it.

Thud!

It seemed the tentacle had fallen, as Yuka felt the ground beneath her shake.

She immediately spun around and slashed the tentacle that approached, sweeping across the floor. The tentacle, already wounded at the base, suffered another gash from Yuka’s slash.

She dashed quickly to move out of the tentacle’s range.

This meant that she had drawn closer into Kosuzu’s grasp.

The sight of the tentacles writhing, as if they belonged to some kind of octopus, wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Swoosh!

From above, Koko descended and sliced through the tentacles in front of Yuka, then turned back to face her.

Yuka naturally reached for the hand Koko offered.

In the blink of an eye, Yuka found herself flying through the air.

She looked down.

“Koko, let go of my hand!”

“Alright!”

At Yuka’s command, Koko released her hand.

As Yuka descended, Koko’s hair rained down like a torrent. Though her hair was far thinner than the tentacles flying at Yuka, she wielded it with surgical precision, cleanly cutting only the harmful ends that could hurt Yuka.

Whack!

“Koko!”

Perhaps the tentacles deemed Koko more troublesome than Yuka, as they swung toward her.

Koko solidified her hair to block the attack, but it left a momentary gap in Yuka’s protection.

“Ugh!”

Yuka swung her sword to deflect the incoming tentacles.

However, she couldn’t block them all.

A burning sensation flared in her right thigh, side, and shoulder. The numerous hooks, like a broom made for raking leaves, had lashed at her, making it impossible to defend herself entirely.

Yet, it was still manageable. She could still move.

Yuka decided to ignore the injuries from the attacks, focusing only on what lay below.

What she needed to slash, what she needed to pierce.

And most important of all.

What Yuka saw was "Kotone."

Not the Kotone who had ascended into the sky moments ago, but the already deceased Kotone. The one in whom another god might be lying dormant.

"......"

Yuka gritted her teeth.

Bracing herself, she tightened her grip on the sword. She adjusted her body mid-air, making sure her legs were positioned downward.

Perhaps Kosuzu noticed Yuka’s movement, as she urgently brought a thick tentacle over Kotone’s body, as though shielding something precious.

However, this left no room to aim for anything else.

The whip-like tentacle lashed toward Yuka again, but the hooks at the end had been cut off.

A hand touched Yuka’s shoulder.

“Yuka!”

It was Koko’s voice.

Instead of replying, Yuka gritted her teeth, gripping the sword handle tightly. Koko’s body blocked the tentacles flying at her from all directions, spraying blood everywhere. Yuka didn’t have the luxury to worry whether it was Koko’s blood or that of Kosuzu’s tentacles splattering all over her.

“Argh!”

With all the strength she could muster in mid-air, Yuka thrust her sword downward.

Squelch.

At first, it felt like any other tentacle she had cut. But deeper inside, the sword encountered something harder.

Something like a bone, something that shouldn’t exist within a tentacle resembling a mollusk.

Yuka didn’t know what it was, but she drove the sword deeper. Koko grabbed hold of the surroundings to assist her. The force pressing against Yuka’s shoulder grew stronger.

However, this time, she didn’t intend to let go of the sword.

As if Yuka and the sword had become one, she felt everything the nameless blade sensed.

As though the sword’s tip had become her own fingertips, touching something—

“————!”

That’s when an ear-splitting scream erupted.

*

The sensation of time freezing solid grew denser.

I felt myself expand from a human form to something beyond.

The flow of air across my face slowed, growing colder.

The trembling of the ground, which had pulsed like a heartbeat, gradually faded.

The unearthly screams, which seemed to belong to another world, stopped.

Yet, Kosuzu continued to stare at me.

I transformed my hair, merging it into a massive blade.

As I fell, I twisted my body to slice horizontally, blood splattering in all directions, chunks of tentacle flying.

Kosuzu and I were now a bit closer.

Close enough that I could clearly see her expression, Kosuzu smiled.

A small bell dangled from the hand she held out toward me.

“...Ah!”

Before I could react, Kosuzu moved her hand first.

Jingle.

The bell’s sound was surprisingly clear, something I hadn’t expected to hear in this situation.

But I knew that sound couldn’t possibly mean anything good.

I knew, as though I had known from the beginning.

“Ugh!”

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my head.

This wasn’t good.

I didn’t know why Kosuzu was using that—

“————!”

A scream rang out again.

“Yuka! Koko!”

And I realized where it was coming from.

When I looked in that direction—

The spot where Yuka and Koko stood was exploding.

Like the special effects in a B-movie, the area around the tentacles they were on blew up, sending the two flying backward.

Fortunately, Koko managed to catch Yuka, and Yuka rolled backward once before springing to her feet, clutching her sword. Though it hurt to see her bleeding from all over, I was somewhat relieved to see she was still alert.

Jingle.

The bell rang again. In the now-silent world, that sound echoed alone.

I dove straight down toward Kosuzu—

“Shriek!”

I was struck aside by something massive that had rushed at me.

After rolling several times across the ground, I got up—

“Sigh.”

I let out a long breath.

The being in front of me had the head of a monkey, a yokai.

“...I’ve seen you so many times, and I still haven’t gotten tired of you.”

This time, it wasn’t red as if made of blood.

It was the same creature Yuka and I had encountered at the playground.

Well, it’s probably a different individual, anyway.

…The power to break the boundary between life and death.

I guess, being a god, such abilities weren’t strange.

After all, it was an entity from ‘beyond.’

The monkey-headed yokai lunged at me with a scream.

But this time, I had no intention of letting it catch me.

I reached for my hair, and it quickly took shape in midair, as if embroidering a pattern.

What I formed was a sword, resembling the one in my memory.

But its color was jet-black.

When I cut the connection to the hair with my fingernails, blood trickled from the end that had been attached.

The blood flowing down the black blade stained the tip a dark red.

Slice.

The monkey’s foreleg, which had been rushing at me, was severed. The creature let out an ear-splitting screech, blood spurting.

I didn’t pay it any mind.

Recalling the movements Nirlass had used while controlling my body, which I hadn’t particularly liked.

The dance-like motions that cleaved the opponent’s head.

I couldn’t replicate it exactly, but the sensation remained imprinted in my memory as if engraved. Perhaps because I was using the same body as back then?

More yokai poured out after that.

There was another nue. There was a kasha and creatures that resembled oni.

And there were countless other beings with names I didn’t recognize.

Oddly, they didn’t spread outward. Their bloodshot eyes were all fixed on me alone.

Jingle.

Ah, so that’s it.

It’s because of the bell.

That bell… it was likely summoning yokai from the otherworld.

The dead and the yokai.

Those who had already perished and for some reason had become twisted beyond recognition.

“The boundary is…”

Breaking down.

Just as Kosuzu had wished.

I closed my eyes.

And, just as I had done upon arriving here, I lunged forward with all my strength.

Kosuzu, as if she had anticipated my movement, swung her tentacles at me.

No, they were no longer quite tentacles.

Since the tentacles had exploded, the areas connected to them had started to mutate.

Protruding forward like extended tentacles were hands, as though something was trying to emerge.

It wasn’t hard to imagine where they were now connected to.

Distorted human faces surfaced on the tentacle’s surface, arranged in such a way that they formed an even larger face.

All those eyes were watching me.

Was it resentment?

I jumped with all my might.

I swung my sword.

Black blood splattered, and screams echoed. I felt as if I would lose my hearing any second.

Slash after slash, I continued cutting them down.

It was my fault.

Because I hadn’t done things properly, people who shouldn’t have suffered were now suffering.

If so, I would send them back to the underworld as quickly as possible.

As I lunged forward—

“Kotone!”

A voice called out to me.

It wasn’t from my ears, which had gone numb, but from much deeper within, like a voice ringing directly in my head.

“Koko!”

“This way!”

Koko’s shout made my heart race in resonance with her emotions.

A faint sense of fear seeped through that emotion.

I thought I knew why Koko was looking for me.

“———!”

As I jumped toward the sky, countless human hands sprang up from the tentacles I had stepped on, grabbing my legs.

Squelch!

I fell forward, burying myself in the tentacles.

They bit into my arm. The ‘faces’ on the tentacle were gnawing at my fingers, as if trying to chew them off.

I extended my hair, stabbing all the eyes on the face. Then I twisted, crushing what might have been its brain.

A louder scream echoed. The sheer volume shook the fabric of my clothes.

As I forcefully stepped downward, I heard something burst below.

I got up and ran toward where Yuka and Koko were, toward the direction Koko had mentally indicated—only to be struck from above by a tentacle swinging downward at the same speed I was running.

“Gah…!”

As my body slammed into the ground, my lungs collapsed, and I gasped for air.

After bouncing off the ground like a ball a few times, I was finally able to stand.

“Kotone!”

I heard Yuka’s panicked shout.

When I opened my eyes, Yuka was there, helping me up.

…Well, I did make it to where I was headed.

I staggered to my feet, thinking this.

Chapter 174. Bell (7)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

As I watched Yuka raise her sword, I thought about what I could do.

Blood was flowing from Yuka’s body. If only I could cast a healing spell like a character in an anime or game, but unfortunately, I didn’t have such abilities.

However—

I extended my hair and wrapped it around Yuka’s body. At the very least, this should be enough to stop the bleeding.

Cutting my hair with my nails, I felt a sharp pain.

“Kotone.”

Seeing blood drip from the ends of my hair, Yuka called out to me, but I only gave her a small smile.

There wasn’t much time.

For now, the yokai pouring out from the otherworld were after us, but if we failed to deal with Kosuzu properly, the yokai would spread everywhere.

Everyone trapped in frozen time would be in danger.

…If I were truly like Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos—the emissary of the Outer Ones, then I should have similar powers.

It wouldn’t end with merely flying through the sky.

“…”

Is it common sense? Or prejudice? Am I unable to unleash my power because I’m held back by such notions?

Jingle.

Every time I heard the bell ring, a hideous scream echoed. It was the sound of monsters stirring. Kosuzu rang the bell over and over, as if she would overturn the entire world.

The giant tentacle—was it Kosuzu’s throne, and was everything in this world the source of her power?

The faces of people gradually became clearer on the surface of the tentacles, with limbs emerging one by one. It was like grotesque human faces and limbs protruding from a mass of flesh, making my skin crawl.

“Yuka…!”

Beside me, Yuka shot forward in a flash.

Several spirits that had just emerged from beyond the world were slashed by Yuka’s sword.

With a splash! Just like slicing a water balloon, the flesh formed from Kosuzu’s body burst. Black blood splattered in all directions, and what was inside vanished as if it had never been there.

I also charged forward.

Grabbing Yuka by the waist, I jumped upward. Yuka, not particularly surprised, swung her sword toward the place we were aiming to land.

It was where the tentacle had exploded moments ago.

From there, yokai were pouring out.

The corpse of “Kurosawa Kotone” was now unrecognizable. The chest, where Yuka had stabbed, was wide open, with the ribs spread out like a blooming flower. The opening was so wide that it seemed as if it was barely held together by thin skin, extending far beyond my original body’s size.

The limbs had already been devoured by the surrounding tentacles and spread out in a large “X” shape.

“…It’s too much, seriously.”

No matter what, seeing something that had once been “me” like that didn’t feel good. I felt a slight relief that I wasn’t there anymore.

“Do you think we can cut that down?”

“We have to try.”

Yuka replied.

Her voice was resolute, as if she didn’t know the meaning of giving up.

Her voice made me smile, despite the situation.

My heart raced. I could feel Koko.

Koko, who had followed us up, darted ahead, as if she knew exactly what we needed more than anyone else.

I didn’t know how to describe this feeling. A little embarrassed, yet proud at the same time.

In a practical sense, perhaps.

Maybe, when this fight ends, I’ll also start craving sweet things like Koko, munching on them as if filling my mouth with various flavors.

Koko let out a growl.

Her long, black hair extended in all directions, cutting through everything around her.

The spirits pierced by her black blades screamed, and flesh burst from all directions.

Then—

Among the things Koko was cutting down, something large and horn-like burst forth. It looked like an animal’s claw, or perhaps the horn of a goat or rhinoceros. The tip of that massive horn was sharp.

And I saw the end of it.

Between me and the horn was Koko.

“Koko!!”

My heart ached. Koko was hurting.

But, even with a hole in her stomach, Koko kept moving.

The tentacles that had spread everywhere converged toward the place where the horn was. With one horn forced outside, and the other partially out of the entrance, Koko’s hair pierced the eye of the demon-like creature.

A thunderous scream rang out.

The creature, wedged in the gap like it was stuck… in a way, it was fortunate. Thanks to it, the “entrance” was partially blocked, preventing other creatures from escaping.

Monkeys, snakes, chickens, even dragons or—creatures that shouldn’t even be able to move this way were jammed together.

Things that should have been separate were clumped together in a chaotic mess. It looked like a single, monstrous mass.

I gritted my teeth and tore my gaze away from Koko.

Usually in human form, but wasn’t she really an amorphous being? I wanted to believe she wasn’t in immediate danger…

With a thud!

As I shifted my weight downward to fall faster with Yuka, the monsters grew desperate.

The demon forced one of its horns outside. Because of this, the “path” tore wider. Blood exploded in midair, and more souls spilled out, only to be devoured by yokai and burst like water balloons.

Like a colony of Venus flytraps, a horde of creatures raised their varied, gaping jaws toward the sky, struggling to emerge.

Yuka swung her sword.

With me too busy maintaining our balance in midair, Yuka deftly blocked each attack headed our way, cutting through tentacles, fangs aimed at our throats, and even the horns.

While supporting Yuka’s center as best as I could, I tore through the necks of the things lunging at us.

I heard the rush of wind in my ears. We must have jumped much higher than I thought, and our descent was faster than expected.

“———!”

The demon roared, shaking its head. Koko’s body, which had been impaled on one of its horns, almost flew off, but her hair was lodged back in the horn, barely keeping her there.

Seeing Koko crawl toward us, I released my grip to push Yuka further, focusing my weight downward.

Yuka swung her sword with all her might.

She let out a scream that was hard to distinguish from a battle cry as she slammed her sword down on the highest creature in the layered mass.

The creatures stacked like layers of tofu were sliced through.

A line of blood drew in midair, accompanied by an ear-splitting sound.

It hurt.

As I struggled to block the claws and fangs aimed at Yuka, my body was torn in various places. Thankfully, Yuka didn’t see it.

I pressed down with my strength on Yuka’s shoulder and the sword embedded in the enemy. Yuka’s hand gripped the sword tightly, as if she would never let go.

The line split open like a door, and the creature’s arm, which had been reaching for us, fell limp. The steam rising from its exposed innards and blood quickly drenched us in sweat.

Boom.

In the final moment of the lengthy sword strike, I supported Yuka’s legs to prevent her from being injured.

How was it in the original story?

After failing to prevent this scenario, how did Yuka resolve it with her strength?

What was Yuka’s condition after everything ended?

Did she survive? Back then, it was common for both male and female protagonists in novels to meet tragic ends.

At some point, the sounds faded.

“…”

When I opened my mouth, I tasted blood. The blood in my throat welled up and surged.

“Kotone…!”

Yuka barely managed to hold me up.

Jingle.

The sound of the bell rang again. And I thought I heard someone laughing.

The tear created by the emerging creature widened. People started coming out of it.

A child with a shattered head, a man with a severed neck, a woman bleeding from her lower body…

A person without legs, someone without arms, someone completely decayed and aged, someone burned—

I swung my hair. The ones struck by it burst with a splat, but the ones behind pushed forward, crawling over those who had fallen.

There were so many, stacking and stacking until the ones below burst, trampled under the relentless crowd.

“Y… uka…!”

I said, struggling to my feet.

Yuka, who had briefly panicked, rose uncertainly.

I moved forward.

Yuka swung her sword.

Forward, forward. We moved forward, guarding each other.

A black mass fell from above.

Koko, bleeding from her mouth, dropped like a spider, weaving a web with her long hair. The web swelled from the inside, as if it was about to burst.

“Kotone… Yuka…!”

Koko’s voice trembled, mixed with sobs. Her hair was tearing from within, and blood was seeping out through the tangled gaps.

I ran over to help. My remaining hair was already almost cut short, so I used my hands.

“Kotone!?”

Koko gasped in shock.

The tip of my hand was merging into Koko’s hair. Just like when Koko first formed her body…

…I could feel Koko’s thoughts.

And her emotions.

Shock. Sadness. Fear.

Was she afraid that I would disappear, absorbed into her?

Yuka's footsteps echoed as she ran.

It was a strange sound, hard to tell if it was a groan or a scream.

I looked back.

Monsters were rushing toward Yuka. Wounds covered her body—

Yuka raised her sword.

And she brought it down.

I let go, sprinting quickly to move behind Yuka’s back.

Thud!

With a burst, blood sprayed from the web Koko had created. Blood fell like rain.

Koko, now as short-haired as I was, ran toward us.

With my arms tattered, I hugged Yuka’s back. With what little hair I had left, I spread my body as wide as I could. From my back, multiple tendrils, like wings, sprang out to block the attacks.

Koko and I locked eyes as she shielded us from attacks in front of Yuka.

Even with the hideous screams surrounding us, oddly, that moment felt silent.

We were covered in blood, so much so that it was hard to see the pale skin we originally had. Yuka, standing with her back to me, and Koko, facing me.

Koko’s back sprouted wings of blades. They were far from angelic—more like something even a demon from hell might hesitate to possess.

Koko loved her appearance more than anything else. Even in the most dangerous situations, she didn't want her form to collapse.

But now, it was slowly unraveling, just like mine.

Koko smiled.

I could feel Koko's emotions. Her beating heart.

She sensed the end approaching. Both Koko and I did. Koko wanted to show me a smiling face, even in the final moment.

My vision blurred.

Was it because we were connected, even as I tried to deny it?

I was empathizing with Koko.

Without any reason or evidence, I also somehow felt my end was near.

Even though I had already ended once and started anew, why now?

I fought to hold onto my consciousness as it slowly slipped away.

Beyond us, someone was waving to me from somewhere.

That figure was—

“——!”

Yuka let out a short cry. She screamed with such force that I could feel her body, clinging to mine, tremble.

Yuka’s sword, the nameless blade forged to slay things not of this world—

—or rather, the sword still “uncompleted and continuously tempered”—

cut through the neck.

---

*

---

“...That is—”

Fukuda, riding with Kagami on a stolen motorcycle, stopped instinctively.

He had no idea what that thing in the distance was.

The eerie screams and inhuman cries didn’t seem to matter as much as that enormous—something.

It almost looked like a flower.

A flower that swayed endlessly in the air, blooming on the ground. But on closer inspection, it resembled thick, aloe-like vegetation.

“...An octopus?”

Yes. That seemed like the most accurate description. An octopus with its head buried in the ground, stretching its legs straight up into the sky. Whether that was possible or not didn’t matter; that was the sight before him.

The octopus’ legs swayed toward the sky, then suddenly stretched straight up, repeatedly jabbing into the “mouth” area, the center where the tentacles rose.

“...Fukuda-san, from here, I’ll go alone.”

With those words, Kagami got off the back seat.

Still dressed in her shrine maiden outfit, Kagami seemed resolute, as if she had made a decision.

She uncovered the cloth from the circular object she had been holding.

In the darkness where even the streetlights had gone out, only that mirror shone.

Fukuda hadn’t seen what was reflected in the mirror. But, like sunlight intensely reflected off a mirror, light poured out from it.

As if playing a prank in an old school hallway, Kagami directed the mirror’s light toward the distant monster, which looked to be hundreds of meters away.

It was as if the light aimed to shine into the creature’s inner core.

“Hey, Kagami—”

“Don’t!”

When Fukuda reached out to grab Kagami, she shouted. Her voice made Fukuda's hand recoil back.

“…One’s essence is something that mustn’t be seen, except by those who can withstand it.”

Kagami muttered as if speaking to herself.

The tentacle hit by the light shuddered.

Some of it seemed to turn, as if glancing in this direction.

“…”

For a brief moment, Fukuda considered running away, but he managed to endure it.

Was it because of the distance?

On the other hand, Kagami had never intended to flee.

“…I see.”

Kagami murmured.

“Sister. Over here.”

Kagami took a step forward.

The tentacles reacted further.

Their behavior, as if looking this way, grew more intense.

The ground trembled.

“I think… I finally understand a little.”

Kagami stared straight at the tentacles as she spoke.

“…You were jealous of me.”

Kagami remembered Kosuzu’s gaze when she looked at her.

Always laughing, yet mocking her.

She had forced Kagami to bear children, even knowing her body was deteriorating. Receiving the seed of something that was neither human nor spirit and birthing children was painful. Even if they were smaller than humans, the pain of tearing was there.

And what emerged were creatures that were neither human nor yokai.

But—what was it that “Kosuzu” had given birth to?

Just an ordinary child, not even a monster.

A perfectly normal child, like all those born into the Kurosawa family before.

And so, Kosuzu despaired.

“…It’s strange.”

As if speaking to the tentacle, Kagami murmured.

“—The child I always wanted was just that kind of ordinary child.”

---

*

---

The sky was visible.

For some reason, some of the tentacles that had been pressing down on us were looking outward.

The ground rumbled. Was this giant body trying to rise?

“Urgh…”

As I forced myself to get up, I realized both my hands were gone.

The moment I noticed it, my hands slowly began to grow back.

But there was no bone structure—just hollow shapes mimicking hands. I suppose there wasn’t enough flesh to form fully.

“Guys…?”

But it was barely enough to support my body.

I crawled across the ground, reaching out my hand.

Was this—Yuka? I saw black hair. I couldn’t tell if blood was flowing from it or not. All three of us were too red to tell.

Then I found her hand. It was tightly gripping her sword. So, it was Yuka.

I urgently placed a hand on her back, and she was breathing.

“Yu… ka…!”

When I called out, blood gushed from my mouth.

When I shook Yuka’s shoulder, she coughed, spitting up blood. The sight made me feel like all the blood drained from my head.

“…Ko… tone.”

Yuka barely muttered, looking at me.

I placed my hand on Yuka’s cheek, still rough and unfinished. But I could feel it. She was warm. Yuka was still alive.

“Koko!”

When I called out, I heard my name spoken in a slightly weakening voice.

Koko crawled over, resting her face on my shoulder. Still awkwardly lying down, I wrapped my remaining right arm around her back, hugging her.

She was breathing. She was warm. All three of us were still alive.

“———!”

It was probably Kosuzu’s scream.

It wasn’t over yet. We had only finished one stage.

I looked away, doing my best not to see the severed head rolling on the ground.

The three of us staggered to our feet.

Yuka gripped her sword.

Asking if we were okay seemed pointless. None of us looked okay.

But, even if we weren’t okay, we had to keep going.

“Ka… gami—!”

A voice calling out to Kagami.

“…Let’s go.”

I said, extending a hand to Yuka and Koko.

Both of them looked at my hand with sad expressions. They didn’t need to. Because, honestly, they looked just as bad as I did.

But, knowing there was something we had to do—

—it seemed both of them agreed that we all had a job to finish.

They each took my hand.

I looked up at the sky.

A beam of light was cutting through the center of the dark night sky.

I somehow knew what that beam of light was.

“…I told her to wait.”

I muttered to myself.

—The problem wasn’t fully resolved yet.

We had only managed to cleared the most immediate threat.

Nirlass’ body had already been mostly consumed by Kosuzu.

…I never thought I’d find myself thinking this—

—but in this moment, Kagami’s timing was nothing short of miraculous.

Chapter 175. Mirror (12)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"Koko."

I called Koko.

I first sat her down and examined her body.

"Kotone..."

Koko's voice lacked strength. There were still holes in her chest and stomach. Just like my hand, which hadn’t fully recovered and felt as rough as an unfinished 3D print, Koko’s body was barely held together.

I felt her heartbeat slowing.

No, I couldn’t let this happen.

"Kotone...!?"

When I reached my hand into the hollow part of her body, Koko flinched in shock. She tried to push me away, but she was too weak.

I sacrificed my slowly healing hand.

It wasn’t just my hand. To properly fill her empty body, a lot of flesh was needed.

Maybe I could use parts of Koko’s arms or legs to fill it in. But... somehow, I didn’t want to do that.

By the time Koko was recovered enough to move somewhat, my left arm was nearly gone.

"Ugh... Kotone..."

Koko’s eyes glistened with tears.

I looked down at my stubby left arm and then grasped it firmly with my right hand.

The flesh from my left arm moved over to my right side, forming a 'complete' right hand. My left arm was now entirely empty. But this felt like the better choice. Having both halfway there wouldn’t have been helpful.

"......"

Yuka, who had been staring blankly, finally snapped out of it.

"So, what now?"

I could still hear screams.

Although we had barely managed to close ‘the biggest hole,’ most of Nirlass’s power seemed to have flowed into Kosuzu. The dead continued to wail from the tentacles.

Yuka wielded her sword as if dusting off her clothes, bursting the dead as they rose slowly from underfoot, a sight so natural it looked even more grotesque.

Yeah. What now?

That was the situation. It felt like I’d just taken down a phase one boss, leaving it with just a sliver of health, and there were still multiple phases to go.

And on top of that, retrying wasn’t an option.

Really, if I was a god, I’d want a more complete set of powers.

Apparently, my 'Nyarlathotep power' and 'Koko power' were entirely separate. While I could do things like levitate or move objects with authority, transforming my body was an entirely different matter.

"......"

Wait.

Seeing Koko rise to fend off the dead, I looked down at my missing left arm.

If fighting meant 'using up' my body—then obviously, it would help to have 'more' of it.

There were still a few refrigerators back at the apartment.

And each of those refrigerators was packed with amorphous chunks of flesh.

...Why hadn’t I thought of bringing it?

Well, I already knew the answer. It was simply because... I wanted to preserve my own form. Even knowing my form had changed, knowing it was originally shapeless.

I looked down.

There lay what was left of me, already beginning to lose its shape. Slowly, hands were emerging from below, dragging the remnants further inside the tentacles.

"…Alright."

"Kotone?"

Yuka looked back at me.

I couldn’t let these people die. Even though I wanted to maintain my appearance—still, it wasn’t worth risking my friends’ lives.

That would be putting the cart before the horse.

After all, the reason I wanted to hold on to my form—was so that I could stay like this in front of my friends.

And I wasn’t just talking about appearances.

Since the moment I inherited Koko’s body, I’d felt that the thing linking us was not simply 'Koko' alone.

Somewhere deeper, things were squirming, things I instinctively knew not to touch.

They had said that one had been divided into many.

In that case, among those 'many,' there might be parts that weren’t 'Koko.' Kagami had only guessed, but I could tell.

If I merged everything together, maybe I wouldn’t be able to stay myself.

It was a primal fear.

But also a lingering curiosity.

Why was Koko in that form, while I was in this one? After all, we were both 'failures.'

Why was Koko able to absorb all of herself, even consuming nearby humans at birth, yet when I met her in that form, she didn’t consume me?

Why was Koko so dedicated to me, just because I gave her a little help?

"......"

If 'many in one' meant something that only completed itself by merging into one, maybe that explained why we seemed like failures—because we were split apart.

Then.

"Yuka, Koko. Protect me for a moment."

"Yeah!"

"Alright."

At my words, a glimmer of hope returned to their faces.

They were sure I’d found a way. They trusted me that much.

Then I had to live up to that trust.

I could only hope the ability I’d received from that nameless, clueless god would be enough.

---

*Chime.*

The sound of bells echoed.

Yuu had stepped forward, slowly ringing a bell.

She couldn’t ring it too quickly. Doing so would summon too many monsters to ‘contain.’

But if she rang it too slowly, the monsters would devour the people.

The area around the apartment was in chaos with nameless yokai.

Soon after Koko, Yuuki, and Kotone left, the lights in the area began to go out.

From far off, as one by one the buildings stretched endlessly dark, the place was shrouded in darkness.

And then came the distant screams.

Yuu stepped forward and rang the bell, a decision she made after discussing with the others.

The three of them had left to protect everyone. So they decided they needed to help in their own way.

How could they help ‘protect’?

When the monsters started to pour in, Yuu realized the bell she held would attract them.

And so, it had come to this.

She plastered the apartment’s surroundings with talismans Kagami had left behind, and inside that protective barrier, they regularly rang the bell as if staging a protest.

The monsters, sniffing the scent of humans, would turn their heads towards the bell each time it rang.

It was an eerie sight as the monsters, filling the streets as far as the eye could see, turned to face them all at once.

Something towering high enough to be visible from afar was pushing through the streets, the monsters drawn by the bell like an ancient painting come to life.

Where had that thing come from? Thinking this, a strange image surfaced in Yuu’s mind.

A grotesquely open hole that, for some reason, resembled a human.

And the cracks spreading across the ground.

The cracks weren’t like something split or cut—they looked scattered and spilled.

...She had seen that form before. The monsters rising from Kotone’s bloodstains.

"......"

Standing awkwardly on the apartment roof, Yuu slowly rang the bell.

She focused her mind, drawing the monsters’ nature closer through her mental connection.

*Whoosh.*

The monsters that ventured too close were ignited by the talismans.

Sota, bleeding, swung a stick soaked in his own blood. Beside him, Nanami and Shii did the same.

The monsters that made it past the burning barrier crumbled under their blows.

Yohei was among them, and of course, Hagiwara was running around, her sword stained with red.

No one knew when it would end.

They simply kept fighting the onslaught of monsters mechanically with bodies that felt ready to collapse from exhaustion.

And then—

*Thud.*

Yuu’s focus wavered slightly as she rang the bell.

Something was rumbling. Though the ground had trembled before, it hadn’t affected them this strongly, so they had felt somewhat safe.

"...Ah."

Yuu thought of one possibility.

...If it was Kotone, of course, wouldn’t she have bled inside the house as well?

She had thought the barrier would keep it safe, but maybe not.

Yuu quickly ran towards the stairs leading down from the roof, shouting.

"Everyone—"

Before she could say, ‘Be careful!’

*Bang!*

That sound echoed from inside the apartment,

*Rip, rip—*

like something was tearing.

And then.

A scream tore through the air, loud enough to split their eardrums.

*Bang, bang, bang.*

All the doors burst open except for three rooms: Kotone’s room, the room where Kotone’s resurrection ritual had been, and the room where someone else had lived.

"Ah!"

"Shii!"

Sota quickly pulled his sister Shii away from the door, preventing her from slamming into the huge wooden door...

"Shii, are you okay!?"

"I, I’m—"

"You’re hurt."

Nanami rushed over and grabbed Shii’s arm.

There was a long wound, a single line of blood trickling down.

But it wasn’t from the door’s impact.

It looked more like a long, thin scratch, as if something had clawed past.

"Sota, you too."

Sota bore a similar scratch.

The blood from both of them was flowing out from the apartment building, moving in the opposite direction as the thing that had just brushed past them.

"What’s... that?"

Yohei muttered.

A huge mass of flesh was flying through the air, emitting an eerie blue flame.

Compared to the monsters that filled the streets, grotesque and jumbled like a mass of tangled humans, this thing looked even more horrific.

*Boom!*

It crashed to the ground.

Like something desperate to extinguish itself, it flailed, flipping over every car, every pole along the street.

And as it crushed the monsters below, it set them ablaze.

"———!"

The thing let out an inhuman scream and leapt into the air—then vanished.

"......"

For a few seconds, everyone gaped, mouths agape, before finally coming back to their senses.

Yuu started ringing the bell again.

There was no time to figure out what that was.

—And to be precise, anyone who might’ve understood it had already left.

---

"What... the hell is that?"

Fukuda muttered blankly.

Something was flying through the air, leaving a blue streak behind. It moved so fast he couldn’t make it out before it slammed into the tentacle with a thunderous crash.

The enormous thing crawling toward Kagami with lumbering steps spewed blood. Blue flames seemed to spread across it.

Screams echoed once more.

"......"

Kagami, who had been watching, stashed the mirror into her chest and sprinted toward it.

"Hey, Kagami-san—!"

"Go!"

Kagami shouted.

"......"

Watching Kagami’s back, Fukuda sighed heavily.

And he turned his bike around.

"Kagami-san."

He spoke as he approached Kagami, who was running.

"Get on."

"......"

Receiving Kagami’s gaze, Fukuda let out another deep sigh.

"If Kagami-san isn’t here, wouldn’t the world end or something like that?"

"......"

"I’d like my daughter to live, at least."

Perhaps it was that word, 'daughter.'

In the end, Kagami climbed onto the back of the bike.

Her expression didn’t change, but somehow, he felt like he understood her heart.

"I’ll take you as far as I can. Beyond that, who knows what’ll happen."

Fukuda called out as he revved the bike forward.

---

"Yuka."

"......"

"Yuka."

Even though I knew the situation was dire, I had something I had to say.

Strength kept draining from my body. It wasn’t just because I’d consumed one of my arms.

My body was already at its limits, exhausted. More importantly, this power didn’t come without a price.

Honestly, if I was a god, I’d want a more godlike power, something invincible.

"Kotone?"

Seeing me stagger and sit down, Yuka looked at me in alarm.

I shook off whatever was trying to hold onto my body.

And, lying almost flat on the ground, I spoke in a cracked voice.

"Something’s about to happen."

From that moment on, I probably wouldn’t be myself anymore.

This was a world where the author had twisted the names of the gods in the Cthulhu Mythos, so it was hard to predict exactly what name it would be.

But one thing was clear.

I was probably going to become true 'chaos.'

I was going to become a messenger of the god’s will.

Even now, something was pressing against my mind like water seeping through a cracked wall.

Yes, this power definitely didn’t come without a price.

I tried to keep my composure as I spoke.

"Protect Koko."

"Kotone!?"

Yuka shouted urgently.

"And—"

I gasped for breath, struggling to finish my words.

"Yuka… listen to me carefully. This time, you must get it right.”

I forced my head up.

What was my body reacting to?

Would it respond to the name Kagami had sealed away?

"This time, it’s my will."

I felt my body beginning to lose shape.

Lying flat was my form of resistance. Just like when I had floated in the air earlier, it felt like something invisible was about to lift me up again.

Ha, it was good to hold on here. Though I had no intention of getting dragged into the tentacles.

"So."

Yuka looked at me, puzzled.

She seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.

"Please."

With those words—

*Boom!*

A sound echoed.

Yuka and I looked up.

There, blue flames were blazing.

A massive tentacle was being pierced and slashed by another tentacle. Burning blood flew toward us.

I shook off the hand gripping my ankle.

The blood soaking into my socks felt uncomfortable.

Slowly, my body began to rise.

"Wait, wait, Kotone! What do you mean by that? What do you mean by ‘please’?"

"Kotone!?"

Koko looked up at me, shouting.

Sensing something was wrong, she reached out, but she didn’t have the strength to grab me as I ascended quickly.

"......"

Right.

That’s how it was.

It wasn’t giving up. I would struggle to survive to the very end.

Just as Yuka had said.

But still.

I didn’t want my friends to die.

I wished for them to have more time.

Until the very end, just happily.

Overcoming hardships, conquering fears, like a true protagonist.

Blue rain fell from the sky.

My body began to disintegrate.

My arms and legs turned mushy. Just like the first time I saw Koko, I spread out as if I were crushed under my own weight.

My body became like an umbrella, shielding them from the rain.

The flames from the rain burned me.

But there was no pain.

It felt almost comforting, as if this was the way things were meant to be.

My body blazed blue.

Just like that other 'body' above.

"Kotone!"

Who was calling my name? Who was shouting with a voice worn to shreds—

Without thinking, I knew it was both of them.

I couldn’t see because I had no eyes.

Slowly, the sounds began to fade.

After that, all I could feel was the sense of touch.

Without ears, I could hear the murmuring of voices.

It was like the sound of a prayer.

Stretching back through eons, the wisdom of countless beings that once existed on this Earth covered my mind, like a mountain burying my meager secrets.

My senses expanded.

The small human I was, growing steadily larger.

Not just a mass of flesh, but as if I were nature itself—

No, beyond nature, as if I were a single ‘natural being’ in itself.

---

How could something as shapeless as a hunk of flesh appear divine?

With limbs sprouting all over, it could barely be called a god even as flattery.

It stretched and transformed, forming a single sword, piercing upward without end.

"———!"

A scream not of this world filled the air.

Something shattered.

Time, frozen, was breaking apart. Something beyond space—

"Kotone! Kotone—!"

Barely clinging to consciousness, Koko frantically called out Kotone’s name.

Yuka hurried forward and grabbed onto her from behind, keeping her from running away.

"Let me go! Kotone, Kotone’s—!"

"Koko, please...!"

Yuka still didn’t understand what was happening.

She couldn’t grasp what was going on.

What was happening to Kotone.

Or what that blue colossus above them was.

She couldn’t understand anything.

But she clenched her teeth.

And held Koko back, preventing her from joining them—

…at the very least, she had to honor Kotone’s final request.

The dead wailed.

Those with hands covered their ears.

They shielded their eyes, their mouths.

As if the very sight of that thing frightened them, they struggled to hide.

Those that had tried to break through retreated back into the tentacles, writhing in retreat.

"......"

Yuka cried.

She didn’t know why she was crying. She just cried.

It was as if she simply had to.

Chapter 176. Mirror (13)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Yuka couldn’t understand.

How the situation had ended up like this.

She’d heard the story.

She knew that Kotone wasn’t an ordinary person, and she also knew that Kotone was a child representing a god.

The same went for Koko, and she knew that using a part of Koko’s body, Kotone had been able to come back to life.

She understood that this might be the best choice under the circumstances.

When faced against a being that couldn’t simply be dealt with using a single sword.

A monster connected to a world that the living were not meant to know.

Yuka understood that to face such a creature, one would have to become a monster of the same level.

But even so, there was one thing she couldn’t understand.

Why did it have to be Kotone?

Why did the child who had always suffered have to be the one to sacrifice herself?

Why, in this world—

“————!”

An irritating sound reached her ears.

A mass of flesh glowed blue and was screaming.

At the very least, it wasn’t the voice of Kotone that Yuka remembered.

It was huge, but it was smaller than the massive bundle of tentacles rising from the ground.

The tentacles grasped that menacing flesh as though they intended to tear it apart.

“…….”

Yuka gripped her sword tightly.

She blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes.

“Kotone…….”

Holding the sniffling Koko tightly in her arms, Yuka stood up. Koko also got up with her, almost by reflex.

Koko’s face looked up at Yuka. It was a mess. Blood clung everywhere, and from her now almost bobbed hair, a mysterious liquid that could be blood or something else flowed continuously.

Only the tracks left by her tears revealed white skin.

“Koko, we can’t stay here like this.”

“Auu……?”

“Kotone…… Kotone went that far for us.”

Yuka looked up at the sky.

She still didn’t have an answer as to why it had to be Kotone.

But at least she understood one reason for Kotone’s actions.

Kotone’s appearance as she ascended into the sky.

Those blue flames that had fallen over Yuka’s head might not have harmed her, but they would have been fatal to Koko.

Koko, whose body had already weakened, would not have been able to withstand it.

Luckily, that mass of flesh was now struggling high in the sky, so no flames were falling directly overhead for the time being.

But it was only a matter of time.

A few of the corpses had already caught fire.

“……We have to go.”

That thing Kotone had said about her request.

She chose not to think about what exactly that request entailed.

She simply knew that, for Kotone’s actions not to be in vain, they had to survive here.

Mourning could come later.

Yuka raised her sword and slashed sideways.

With several dead bodies, the tentacles were also severed.

“———!”

The tentacles screamed as well. Whether it was due to Yuka’s sword or because of the flesh tearing at them, Yuka couldn’t be sure.

She simply carved out a path.

She didn’t know which direction to go, but she had to protect Koko until the very end.

Koko, seemingly understanding Yuka’s intentions at last, did her best to widen the gaps in the tentacles’ flesh to make room for the two of them to pass.

The regeneration speed was much slower than before.

It was challenging to feel any joy or relief, but—

***

The ground was still trembling. Fukuda’s bike, which he drove, nearly toppled over several times, but he managed to keep his balance and keep riding.

Screech!

But even that had its limits.

After stopping the bike by tipping it to the side, Fukuda felt a shiver down his spine.

The ground was cracked right next to where he was standing. A moment later, and they both would have fallen into that gap.

As he turned to check behind him, he felt the weight on his back disappear; Kagami had already gotten off the bike.

“Kagami-san!”

“We still have further to go.”

Was she always such a single-minded person?

Fukuda thought as he watched her back.

To be honest, her demeanor in the shop had been the opposite. She would look off into the distance as though indifferent to everything.

Whenever someone spoke to her, she’d reply formally, and while she’d smile at a joke, she was far from the image of someone dedicated.

He’d seen her at the police station, too.

“Go on.”

Kagami spoke.

“Fukuda-san, you have a daughter, too.”

“…….”

Fukuda opened his mouth briefly, then closed it.

……Indeed, he doubted he’d be able to help even if he followed.

Besides, if he died here, he couldn’t completely shake off his thoughts about what would happen to Harumi if he wasn’t there.

If the world ended, he wouldn’t be able to see his daughter either—that thought crossed his mind, too—

Bang!

“Ugh!?”

Just as he got off the bike to follow, something fell from the sky.

A massive……octopus tentacle, for lack of a better term. But it was far from an ordinary octopus tentacle.

It was covered in small holes, as though boils had grown and burst, and thick red blood was streaming from them.

It had fallen in the direction Kagami was heading.

“……Kagami-san!?”

He shouted, but there was no reply.

Whether she couldn’t hear him or something else had happened.

“…….”

Fukuda looked up at the sky.

The blue flesh had split vertically.

It was turning into a massive mouth, gnawing at the tentacles. Even from this distance, he could see the blood or some kind of fluid pouring out in torrents.

“……What is all of this?”

Fukuda muttered in a daze.

***

A blue, blazing dragon.

To Kagami’s eyes, that flesh looked like that.

It transformed into a massive mouth, and legs sprouted from behind it. It created a tail as if to strike at something, swinging it like a whip.

Its elongated, writhing body in the sky looked exactly like a dragon from mythology.

“Ah…….”

And seeing that battle, tears streamed from Kagami’s eyes.

That’s…… definitely Kotone. Or perhaps Koko is with her.

It might be difficult to explain. Kagami had created these fleshes multiple times. Enough to fill several refrigerators in the apartment.

There was no way to know if it was truly one entity or multiple beings as one.

When merged into one, consciousness might also have blended.

If so, then that might not truly be Kotone or Koko up there.

“Hah, hah.”

But even thinking that, Kagami didn’t stop moving.

Thud!

Something fell from above.

It was a severed tentacle. It crashed down beside the road where Kagami was running, causing the ground to shake. Kagami stumbled but held onto the mirror in her hand.

No monsters or anything else were around. The monsters that had been appearing had disappeared at some point. There were traces of them, like something had burst open everywhere.

The ground was sticky and damp.

Were they all dead?

Something had changed with the arrival of that flesh. She forced herself to stand.

“…….”

Kagami noticed the unnaturalness.

If those huge tentacles fell, it would surely be fatal to anything below. Just as a human stepping on ants crushes them, the buildings and homes below would be destroyed.

The people inside wouldn’t be safe either.

But now—

Pieces that had been torn into fragments fell, curiously avoiding the houses.

Cars were crushed, roads shattered. Parts of buildings collapsed and crumbled.

Yet, Kagami didn’t think anyone had died because of it.

When people survive by a hair’s breadth, even if it’s just by chance, they sometimes think that there was a divine blessing.

Was it going too far to think this scene was like that?

Kagami’s heart pounded.

“————hahahahahahaha!”

She heard laughter.

She looked up at the sky again.

That laughter—could it really be her sister?

Was it just that her voice had changed along with her body, or had her sister—become something else? She didn’t know.

But amidst that insane laughter, the jingling bell sound had long since faded.

Kagami started running again.

Her heart wasn’t pounding only because she was running.

Would a being from the otherworld care about humans, these insignificant creatures?

In Kurosawa’s plan, it didn’t matter how many people died. Even if people died because of that power, if life and death became one, then that concept itself would no longer matter.

If even a fellow human thought that way, would a god be any different?

That’s why—

“She’s still…… Kotone.”

Kagami couldn’t give up.

Even if she had turned into something like that, even if she had merged with countless beings to the point where she was no longer recognized as a single entity.

Because Kotone’s heart was there.

Though she was an avatar of a god descended upon this world, Kotone was a being who could empathize with humans more than anyone.

And so, Kagami ran.

“Hahahahahaha!”

As the laughter continued, the dragon seemed to open its mouth even wider, as if angered.

She couldn’t tell what was making the laughter, but the dead that had sprouted on the tentacles all screamed in unison.

Pop, pop, pop.

The dead burst one by one, spraying blood in all directions. Although the dragon hadn’t spat anything out, the dead, who had heard some incomprehensible sound beyond normal human perception, all lost their forms in this world.

With the dead gone and the tentacles now covered in blood, the dragon bit down on them.

Its long body coiled around the tentacles, holding them down as the other tentacles struggled to tear away from it. The blue, burning body seemed to be aiding its strength.

Crunch!

With a sound like pulling out steel rods, the tentacles were torn to the side, and black blood poured from them.

The mix of red and black pouring down created a strange sight, the blue flames of the dragon lighting up the dark night around them.

The monsters fought under the pale glow.

As the dragon opened its mouth again, a tentacle slipped inside. The tentacle wrapped around the dragon’s lower jaw, ignoring the tearing pain as it tightened.

With a sickening crunch, the dragon’s lower jaw broke. The tentacle also tore apart, but the dragon’s jaw hung down, barely attached.

“———!”

The dragon’s tail was caught by the tentacles, and numerous tentacles wrapped around its long body.

Squeak.

Crack.

Under the constriction of the tentacles, a sound of something breaking came from within.

The dragon roared, and—

Shhk.

Razor-thin blades emerged from its body, piercing through the tentacles that bound it.

Each blade sliced through the creature’s grip, the tearing noise echoing far and wide.

“Hahahahaha!”

But its opponent, seemingly amused, only applied more pressure.

In the end, the dragon managed to escape. No matter how large the creature was, once its form was shredded beyond recognition, it couldn't maintain its hold

But the dragon’s body was equally torned.

Blades jutted out from various points.

Its exterior was now in tatters.

It looked as though it had reverted to the raw flesh from the beginning.

The dragon appeared to retreat to the sky, only to lower its head again and descend.

Then it bit down on one of the tentacles it had torn to pieces.

The razors became hands. With a grotesque form resembling a snake with human arms, the dragon grabbed the tentacle.

And it bit down.

The chunk of flesh the dragon bit off disappeared into its mouth.

After chewing on it several times, the dragon swallowed the flesh.

Thud.

Another tentacle slammed down on the dragon’s waist, but this time, instead of evading, it twisted its body like a snake, moving its head toward the tentacle.

One of its hands grasped the end of the tentacle.

As if to resist the tentacles wrapping around it, the dragon also coiled its body around the tentacle.

Chomp.

And it bit into the tentacle.

With a manner of feasting that looked like a combination of a snake and a wolf, the dragon bit and swallowed the tentacle over and over.

The laughter didn’t stop. In fact, the creature seemed to laugh louder and more gleefully with each bite it took.

Thud. Thud.

Countless tentacles rose toward the dragon, striking down like whips.

Perhaps thanks to the flesh it had eaten, the dragon seemed to gain strength, lunging its jaws forward several times.

*

Breathing heavily, Koko and Yuka finally emerged on the other side.

How many tentacles had they passed?

Their entire bodies felt exhausted to the point of collapse.

It couldn’t be helped; they had been risking their lives in battle for some time now.

It didn’t seem that the dragon fighting Kosuzu had any leeway. Although it had been laughing loudly this entire time, Yuka didn’t feel it was laughing out of comfort.

Above, the dragon—Kotone—had bitten into the tentacles several times, allowing Yuka to avoid cutting them herself on occasion.

Several times, they were nearly crushed under the violently moving tentacles, but Yuka swung her sword, and Koko shielded her, allowing them to survive.

Without saying a word, the two walked aimlessly, not knowing where they were headed.

Stopping meant death.

That single thought kept Yuka moving.

And then—

Was it a coincidence?

Or perhaps some kind of guidance.

They had just been fleeing, wandering in any direction to survive.

“……Ah.”

Before them, a ‘person’ stood.

At least, it looked like a person.

The lower half of the body was no longer in human form. The legs were so fragmented that they seemed to have merged with the ground and split apart.

The many tentacles rising high into the sky were connected to the countless tendrils protruding from its back.

Around them, numerous dead bodies hung limply.

And at the center, that very being, stood slumped without moving.

Their hair was completely white.

The face and arms were wrinkled and shriveled.

It no longer looked like Kagami’s ‘sister.’

“…….”

That figure—Kosuzu—held her right hand out in front of her.

A single bell dangled there, swaying helplessly.

The bell jingled softly, but unlike before, it seemed to hold no meaning.

Could it mean that the bell’s owner was dead?

For a moment, Yuka nearly lost the strength in her legs.

“Yuka!?”

If not for Koko beside her, she might have collapsed.

Yuka moved forward slowly with Koko.

The corpses of the dead crumbled beneath her feet.

Crunch.

Unable to bear Yuka’s weight, they simply turned to dust.

It looked as though they had dried and shriveled over a long time.

Yuka walked to the closest point she could reach near Kosuzu.

Then, slowly, she raised her sword and brought it to Kosuzu’s neck.

Before she could even perform the act of stabbing, Kosuzu began to crumble.

It was as if she had been made only of dust, as though she were a dry, brittle leaf that broke apart too easily.

The head fell and, before it hit the ground, dissolved into sand.

The neck crumbled, and the chest turned to powder.

An arm fell.

As it hit the ground, the hand shattered, and the bell simply rolled across the earth.

The dust, sticky and wet like the insides of some creature, clung to the damp ground and walls, slowly changing color as though soaking up moisture, like sand absorbing water.

Kosuzu was already dead.

It was unclear exactly when, but it was before Yuka and Koko had arrived.

For some reason—

—there was nothing to think about.

“—Hahahahahahaha!”

Overhead, a presence laughed as though it could shatter the world itself.

It must have been because of ‘that’ which Kosuzu had swallowed.

No matter how much a human transcended humanity, they could never become a god.

A human who tried to consume a god would ultimately be consumed by the god instead—

Why hadn’t Yuka thought of that?

“Yuka?”

Koko called to Yuka.

As Yuka turned toward Koko—

“—Ugh!”

She suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her head, dropping to one knee.

“Ahh!?”

It seemed Koko had felt the same pain.

The tentacles, beginning from where Kosuzu had been, were slowly collapsing.

As if they had purposely taken that form until now.

Her head felt as though it would split, but Yuka managed to raise her sword and stand up.

Despite the tears streaming from the pain, she held onto Koko’s floating body, gripping tightly.

Because Kotone had made a request.

“There’s no way… I could ever give up!”

Yuka shouted, her voice filled with tears.

She had absolutely no intention of giving up.

She put Koko down and held her close.

Then she stood up and began to run.

“Ugh!”

Something grabbed at her foot, but Yuka swung her sword.

Swinging wildly, she kept running.

“Uuu, uuu…….”

“Koko! Stay with me! You can’t give up!”

Koko was reaching her hand toward the sky. Her eyes remained rolled back.

As if something were calling her from above.

At last, she could see the sky.

A blue, blazing dragon appeared.

The dragon twisted its body in midair.

As if in unbearable pain.

“……Ah!”

The broken tentacles were beginning to rise toward the sky.

Koko, too, began to be pulled upwards, and Yuka held her tightly, wrapping an arm around Koko and clinging to the ground.

She was terrified.

Terrified of what would happen next.

But she couldn’t give up.

“—Hahahahahahaha!”

The sound of laughter reached them.

It was a chilling, eerie laughter.

Had Kotone been hearing that laughter this entire time?

With tears streaming down her face, Yuka thought this.

Chapter 177. Mirror (14)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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High in the sky, in front of the writhing dragon, stood a small figure.

A woman’s body with long, black hair.

It looked like a woman’s body, but somehow, I didn’t think it was really a person.

It wasn’t human—the way it drew in surrounding substances to mimic a human appearance made its skin far from smooth.

Especially because the tentacles that had been squirming high in the sky until just moments ago were now sustaining its body, which heightened that impression.

Was the amount of material too much to form only a human-shaped body? The remainder formed ‘hair.’

A being flying high in the sky, with hair stretching endlessly behind it.

The hair spread in all directions, writhing, as if it were the body of a corpse underwater.

Seeing that, Yuka thought of Kotone and Koko. Not that they looked alike, but somehow...

“How pitiful.”

A voice spoke.

The sound didn’t travel to the ears but seemed to pierce directly into the mind.

“I wonder what brought you to this state.”

The woman approached Kotone as she spoke.

Now, there wasn’t a single tentacle left around Yuka and Koko.

Only a floor broken and cracked in every direction remained. The park-like scenery they’d started with was completely gone.

“With power like yours… You could have chosen to become Ye’s servant and enjoyed a long life.”

Kagami Yuka had no way of stopping the woman who stretched her hand toward Kotone’s body.

“Why did you make that choice?”

The woman asked.

“Even at the cost of losing yourself, what was it you so desperately wanted to achieve?”

Was thisat… a god?

Could it be the god Kotone served?

It seemed that way to Yuka. After all, this country had countless gods.

Every mountain had its shrine, and each shrine enshrined a god for that area. It was a concept incomprehensible to religions with only one god.

But the ‘god’ Yuka knew wasn’t like that.

The world was eerily quiet.

Aside from the woman’s voice and Kotone’s groans, it felt as if every other sound had disappeared.

Then Yuka realized.

Even in a situation like this, there were no missiles launched, no jets deployed. If anyone on this land was awake, they wouldn’t have missed the sight of that mass of flesh in the sky.

Slowly, the woman’s hair began to move.

“No!”

Koko cried out.

As if knowing exactly what that action meant.

The only thing Yuka could imagine was the woman using her hair as a weapon, like Koko or Kotone. Did she intend to tear Kotone apart with it?

Yuka wanted to help, somehow.

But with only a sword, there was nothing she could do.

“————!”

As the hair touched her, Kotone twisted her body.

It was a horrible sight.

Her dragon form had already melted away, and Kotone’s body had become a chaotic mass of flesh.

When thin black lines wrapped around that flesh, her body twisted and let out a shriek.

An ordinary person would have been terrified.

Both of those beings looked like they would bring harm to this world.

But Yuka shed tears.

Even while watching this incomprehensible scene, Yuka was thinking of Kotone.

How could she not? In that moment, the one who had given up on herself was none other than Kotone.

[Please—]

Yuka wondered if that plea had been about more than just protecting Koko.

Yuka looked down at her sword.

It gleamed in the dark light, appearing indifferent.

“Despite everything, you are still Ye’s child.”

The woman spoke, as if enjoying herself.

“—I see. I’ve figured out what you should do. Wouldn’t it be interesting if you destroyed the world yourself?”

“…!”

Chills ran down Yuka’s back.

The most intense she’d ever felt.

Her hair seemed to bristle, and her blood ran cold, while the sensation in her hands and feet gradually faded.

“Ah—”

“…Kotone?”

Koko asked in a slightly weak voice. Her eyes were unfocused.

As if wondering what was wrong.

“————!”

Kotone was still twisting her body,

but her head—if you could call it that—was somehow looking down.

And below was Yuka and Koko.

For some reason, the woman, whose hair was wrapped around Kotone’s body, seemed to be smiling as she looked in this direction.

*

Kagami ran.

All the obstacles blocking the path had vanished. Even the tentacles that had crashed down, breaking streets and buildings, were gone entirely.

To be precise, it was as if even the dead parts had floated up into the sky.

The streets were still split, but when she came across an area that seemed impassable, she climbed over the walls of nearby buildings or crossed over a crumpled car and kept running.

In the process, her shrine maiden attire got dirtied. Strange red stains appeared. Did she trip and cut herself somewhere?

Even so, Kagami didn’t let go of the mirror in her hand.

…The god Kurosawa so desperately longed for was in the sky.

If this had been Kagami just last year, she would have given up on everything.

She would have dropped to the ground and wished for this world to disappear.

But strangely, now, she didn’t want to do that.

For the first time since her sister left, she wanted to live.

Yes, before then, until she really saw her daughter—

Until she met someone who treated her as a human being—

Kagami had merely existed, with no lingering attachments.

“————!”

Kotone groaned.

Her eyes filled with tears.

After all the effort to save her, and now, not even a day later, she was in this state.

Well, that was how she was.

She was just that kind of girl; Kagami had realized it too late.

She should have let her in.

Instead of only leaving her to herself, Kagami should have forced her way in and lived together with her.

No—

Even if she were a child who might never open her eyes again, at least she wouldn’t have died.

If only she hadn’t denied from the start that she was her daughter.

If only she had stayed beside her and waited for her to open her eyes.

Things might not have turned out this way.

Even if it was too late to regret, Kagami couldn’t help herself.

“Kotone!”

Kagami called out as she should have always doneid, like a mothersister.

She should have called her by that name more often.

That would’ve been much closer than addressing her as ‘you.’

“Kotone!”

She hadn’t thought the voice would reach her.

But still, she wanted to call out.

Even if it was already too late.

Off in the distance, she could see the girls who had left earlier.

Yuuki was holding Koko tightly, practically collapsed on the ground.

Kotone’s head was slowly turning downward.

The tip of her head was unmistakably looking at those two.

No, that can’t happen.

Though Koko was important, Kotone couldn’t kill Yuuki.

That would be too cruel to Kotone.

Rather—

“Kotone!”

Kagami screamed with all her might.

Though it was her own voice, it felt oddly distant. Had something in her body broken after running so hard?

Kagami raised the mirror high above her head.

The white light reflected from the mirror shone on Kotone.

“————.”

The mass of flesh twisted.

The strands connecting it broke open as if someone were pulling the strings of a doll.

Seeing the blood flow down, Kagami shed tears.

Kotone—was turning her head. Though the black threads tightly held her body, as if it didn’t matter, even as her flesh was torn and fell away.

Toward Kagami.

Toward the mirror Kagami held.

The white light illuminated Kotone’s face.

Was it just her imagination?

Kagami thought she saw Kotone’s face faintly appear in that white space.

*

It was hazy.

But even in the midst of that, could I keep myself from being lost?

Why was that?

Even as I was buried beneath so many personalities, even as I was mixed with so many secrets, I maintained the self that was ‘me.’

Though I had no eyes, I had sight.

Looking around, all I saw were strange shapes I couldn’t understand.

Were human natures inherently so twisted?

Would I too become something that twisted and tangled—

—No, somehow, I felt that wouldn’t happen to me.

“…This.”

Without a mouth, I muttered.

I saw a light circling around me.

The light resembled ‘blood.’

Two small, dot-like red drops.

They circled around me as if guarding me.

I stretched out an unseen hand and touched those red dots.

They were warm.

“……”

I didn’t know exactly what they were.

But strangely, I had a guess.

I’d seen things like this before.

My blood.

But my blood wouldn’t be able to isolate ‘my’ flesh. It wasn’t ‘my’ blood, after all.

Then, this must be—

…Could it really be?

I quietly gazed at the droplets of blood.

How could such droplets of blood be in a separate mass of flesh?

And not just anyone’s blood—the blood of the Sasaki siblings.

“…Ah.”

Though my thoughts were hazy, my mind gradually became clearer.

The sensation of floating grew stronger.

Though I had no visible form or shape, I felt as if I were slowly rising into the air, or perhaps floating up to the surface of deep water.

A white light shining from beyond the surface enveloped my vision—

*

Huff, huff.

It was hot.

Even through the thick fireproof suit,

the raging fire felt intensely hot. Through the oxygen mask, it seemed as if my skin was burning.

Naturally, my body was soaked with sweat. Pain like something pressing into my shoulder was present. The oxygen tank was heavy and, after a long time, dug into my shoulder.

My arm. There was weight on my arm as well.

I looked down and saw a small child. About five years old? I couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, but it was clearly alive.

A mask covered the child’s face. Firefighters’ oxygen tanks had auxiliary oxygen masks attached. They were for placing over the faces of survivors when found inside. If there was only one oxygen mask, the victim could die of gas poisoning on the way out.

I moved my legs.

I had to get out. The fire was growing stronger. If I delayed even a bit, the suit wouldn’t be enough protection.

From a distance, I heard the creak of a burning building collapsing.

Water dripped from the ceiling. It must have been constantly sprayed with fire hoses to control the blaze. In places where the roof could no longer function, water trickled down.

Breathing heavily, I wrapped both arms around the child to shield it from the flames as I headed toward the exit.

“…Ah.”

But it was blocked. The sound I’d heard earlier must have been the path I’d entered from getting sealed off. The light line was melted and broken by the fire from the collapsed building.

I turned around without hesitation.

I had to find another way out.

The flames didn’t show any signs of stopping. The building was old, and the clustered buildings spread the fire too easily.

On top of that, the paths were haphazardly connected, so it wasn’t clear which direction to go.

But I couldn’t die.

I didn’t want to die.

Even after my family had ended up like that, even after losing all reason to live, I had never wanted to die.

“……”

I walked, forcing myself to take each step. My steps grew heavier. The sweat was flowing so much it was obstructing my vision.

Then, I—

“……”

I found another child.

I wasn’t sure exactly where I was. I might have somehow ended up in a different building than the one I entered.

Could the other firefighters not reach this far? Although water was dripping from above, it didn’t seem like it would be enough to extinguish the flames.

I bent down and looked at the child’s face.

The child was still breathing, but unconscious.

I lifted the child into my other arm.

Even though the weight of one child and the equipment was already pressing down on me, now I had the weight of another child added.

It wasn’t unbearable. But there was no avoiding the increased strain on my body. The fire continued to blaze, and visibility was limited.

After walking a while, I checked the child’s condition again.

The child was still unconscious.

I knelt down, putting one knee on the ground, and thought for a moment.

I… didn’t come here to die. I had never thought about dying. Even while living with no reason to live.

But, even so.

If I stayed here holding this child, could it survive?

I had learned that life has no weight. I thought so too. It wasn’t right to weigh my life against the child’s.

Only…

Only, I was the only one here who could save this child.

If I hadn’t known, it would have been different, but the child was still alive, my body was still functional, and, above all, I had equipment.

“……”

I took off my mask.

And placed it on the child’s face.

I lifted both children into my arms and stood.

My face burned as it came into contact with the heat of the flames. But, somehow, visibility seemed a little better now that the glass was gone. It was as if the absence of glass made the view a bit clearer.

I walked, even as nausea hit me and my head started to ache.

Bang!

A sound came from somewhere. It was probably the sound of other firefighters striking down a door with an axe to enter a house.

In my dazed mind, I followed the sound.

My steps grew steadily heavier.

Bang!

Bang!

The sound came closer.

Far ahead, I saw the exit. It was a part that the flames hadn’t yet fully engulfed.

Crack!

And then the door opened.

“There’s someone inside!”

Hearing that voice, I felt a bit relieved.

As I continued to walk forward, colleagues outside rushed inside.

They took the children from my arms and ran out, and I collapsed as the strength left my legs.

“Hey, stay with us!”

A hand slapped my cheek as they grabbed me and dragged me along.

I heard the slapping sound, but it felt distant.

Someone urgently called my name.

Being dragged along, I looked up at the sky outside.

It was clear, without a single cloud.

I wondered if those kids would be okay. I was especially worried about the second child, who had inhaled too much toxic air—

I was placed on a stretcher and moved toward an ambulance.

Someone kept calling my name and shaking me.

…It was the guy who had told me to stay away. The one who had found my family before I did on the bridge.

…Since then, I hadn’t spoken to him. Whenever I saw the people from that day, those memories came back to me.

…But they were all kind to me. They tried to understand me. Always so kind.

The voice calling my name grew increasingly sorrowful.

Someone forcibly pulled that person away from me.

A mask was placed over my mouth, and a flashlight shone into my eyes.

I could hear someone calling my name, but I couldn’t answer.

That was the last thing I remembered.

*

Right. I don’t want to die.

I had never tried to die.

It was just something that needed to be done, and I did it because I was there.

Because it was something only I could do.

In the white light, I opened my eyes.

*

Even in this situation, Yuka felt she couldn’t just do nothing.

The mass of flesh, as if about to swallow them both whole, suddenly turned its head.

Maybe running was the right decision.

But if they ran, would they survive?

Perhaps it would only buy them a few moments of miserable survival.

Koko’s face was blank.

Supporting the limp Koko, Yuka swung her sword.

She tried her best to cut the black threads within reach.

She wanted to help somehow.

She didn’t want to leave everything to Kotone alone.

With tears streaming down her face, she moved desperately.

Slice, slice.

Perhaps her efforts were working, as strands binding Kotone’s body began to fall one by one.

The wounds made by those threads slowly, gradually healed.

Over and over, over and over.

Yuka kept moving for Kotone.

*

Kotone’s face was looking at the mirror.

Kagami couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not.

What was Kotone seeing beyond the mirror?

This was the mirror that revealed one’s true self. With such a body, Kagami thought it might even backfire.

But there was nothing else she could do.

Even if Kotone opened her mouth and tore Kagami apart, it couldn’t be helped, Kagami thought.

After all, it was Kagami who had made Kotone this way.

“…I’m sorry.”

Kagami spoke.

“…I’m sorry.”

Had Kotone heard?

Would she hear?

Even so.

Kagami prayed.

At least, in the very last moment, at least when everything was over—

Kotone could be Kotone—

Blink.

Kotone’s face blinked.

Seeing that face, Kagami’s heart raced.

Chapter 178. Mirror (15)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Memories were in disarray.

Was it because of the mirror? Memories of my past life and this life were all jumbled, making it hard to focus.

But still, it was a bit better than before.

What was happening? I was sure I had risen into the sky.

I shifted my gaze.

Or rather, was it more accurate to say I looked with different eyes? My senses were strange. It felt as though my body was bound in places.

Forcing my eyes to shift, I saw my body bound in various places.

…My body? This?

"…."

Ah, that’s right. I had melted into that lump of flesh.

"Kotone!"

Someone called my name.

I looked over.

Someone was holding a mirror toward me. Their white and red clothing was now a mess, dirt smeared all over, and even a hint of blood as if they’d rolled somewhere.

But the arm holding the mirror was steady.

The light reflected in the mirror was white. It was the light that revealed my essence. Ironically, my current form didn’t show in the reflection.

What was there.

I reached out.

A hand slowly emerged from the mass of flesh. The sensation was strange as well, like something squirming out from within a soft mass, or like pulling my body out from the places it was embedded.

The reflection in the mirror—was me.

It wasn’t the appearance of my past life, nor some incomprehensible divine form, but ‘Kurosawa Kotone.’

Why that was said to be my essence, I didn’t understand.

Was it because I perceived it that way, or because those around me perceived it that way?

But there was one thing I knew for sure.

I liked that form.

Though it was a body I hadn’t used in over a year—a body that, in many ways, felt like an unwelcome guest in my life—I liked it.

Because with ‘Kurosawa Kotone,’ I only had good memories.

Memories, like those of my family that I never forgot until the end.

My hand touched the mirror.

When my fingertip met the me beyond the mirror—

Snap, snap.

I heard the sound of something breaking.

It felt like the bindings behind me were loosening.

My feet touched the ground.

"…Ah."

As my gaze lowered further, I could see Kagami, partially obscured by the light pouring from the mirror.

"Aah…."

Kagami, who was looking at me, was shedding tears.

"…."

I looked back.

There stood Yuka and Koko.

Both of them were watching me with somewhat dazed expressions.

How must I look?

Floating in the air, my hair flowing toward the sky. The massive black wave surrounding me looked almost like wings.

But, to think of them as angel wings would be far too grotesque.

And, high above, a woman looking down at me.

A face I’d never seen before.

Well, I wasn’t even sure if there was anything that could be called a face. It looked like a bundle of writhing tentacles thrown together until it resembled something like a human.

The ‘face’ looked down at me, seemingly smiling.

I wondered how that sight looked to others.

An existence from beyond the universe, an unknown being. It couldn’t simply be a matter of appearance alone.

…Well.

At this point, it didn’t really matter.

Here were Yuka and Koko. Kagami was here too.

And there was no one else who could stop Nirlass.

If so, I had to do it.

Thud.

I kicked off the ground.

My body began to rise slowly. As if gravity didn’t apply to me alone, I could leap toward the sky.

The woman moved as well.

Her movements were leisurely.

"This is all very entertaining."

The woman’s voice laughed with genuine pleasure.

It wasn’t mocking, but seemed sincerely amused. What could she find so enjoyable?

Nirlass didn’t seem to want to say more.

As my hair moved, so did Nirlass’s. Her long, slender hair tore at mine.

Though they appeared to be hair, they were actually made of my flesh, so naturally, blood flowed.

But the blood wasn’t ordinary blood.

"Ho."

Nirlass laughed in admiration.

My blood was burning with a blue flame.

The flames entwining my body merged with me. I didn’t know how this was possible. Was it because of the Sasaki siblings’ blood now blended within me? Or perhaps because of Kagami’s mirror I’d seen a moment ago.

The blue flames scattered across the sky, flickering like ghost lights.

The torn flesh danced in the air and coalesced. When fire ignited on Nirlass’s hair, she simply cut it off.

Was that body also an avatar?

Was it, like the moving blood, merely a projection of Nirlass into this world? I couldn’t say.

Nirlass moved with a smooth grace, like swimming through water.

I could see the area where her ‘eyes’ should be shifting toward the ground.

Nirlass had no need for such gestures. Just as she could simply create eyes wherever convenient when I was mere flesh, she didn’t need to look to see. She could perceive and speak to me even when I was trapped within her.

Hair spread out.

Before Nirlass’s tentacles could pierce those below, I spread my own hair like a web to shield them, just as Koko had once shielded us from the departed.

It wasn’t... perfect.

While my body was large, in truth, it was just enough to be chopped into pieces and stored in multiple refrigerators. I could swell to several times my size, and physical laws of this world didn’t fully apply to me, so it wasn’t impossible to block and fight this way.

However, there was still an immense gap in size.

Nirlass’s avatar, based on the enormous tentacle that Kosuzu had created, seemed much smaller than the flower she had bloomed on the ground before, but it was actually capable of growing even larger.

Simply shielding them like an umbrella was impossible.

I first formed a dome to cover those below, then wielded my hair to fend off and sever Nirlass’s attacks. Thanks to the blue-flamed blood, it was possible to cut through each one.

But—

I could see something writhing behind Nirlass.

It wasn’t a tentacle. Rather than a physical object, it was the space itself writhing.

"…."

Well, she was a god, after all.

*

Space was neither being torn nor distorted.

Instead, it was as though the very form was lost, melting into an amorphous mass.

Space around Nirlass was ‘melting.’

Is this what the end of the world looked like?

The ‘space’ dissolving flowed down slowly, piling up like lava on the ground.

It wasn’t moving fast. But if it continued ceaselessly, stirring the ground like that, how long could Earth hold out?

I think I understand a bit of what Kagami was thinking.

She probably just wanted to stretch out our time, realizing it too late.

After all, it takes time to end the world.

Not only around Nirlass but gradually, in the surrounding areas, the space seemed to melt.

Like sand falling in an hourglass, Nirlass was showing me as if to teach.

"…."

If that’s the case, I had no choice but to fight.

Countless blades—all the types I could imagine—rushed toward Nirlass. Some were cut midair, spilling blue flames, while others merged into the melting space, dissolving along with it.

Nirlass started to move quickly as well.

Her eyes continued to watch me.

Every time Nirlass’s body whipped around, space fractured. Monsters didn’t emerge from it. It merely broke, shattered, and melted away.

Everywhere Nirlass moved, the world was breaking apart.

Soundlessly, Nirlass was announcing the world’s end.

There was probably only one reason.

Just to show me.

To make me struggle.

Yes. Struggle.

I was struggling.

I wanted to… save this world.

Not because I was a hero, but simply because no one else could.

And because I wanted to keep living in this world with the others.

I turned my gaze. My hair—parts of my body were fused with the melting space. Some parts were gone, while others remained.

I forced the remaining parts to move, grasping the melting space itself. Where too much of ‘me’ was mixed in, the melting seemed to slow.

…So that’s how it was.

My power was not only in changing appearances. Just as Nirlass’s ability wasn’t only in wielding tentacles.

Then, I too—

"Marvelous."

Nirlass murmured.

The part I grasped shattered with a crackling sound, scattering like fragments of glass and falling to the ground. Once shattered, those fragments did not return.

"I hope you continue to struggle like that."

At Nirlass’s laughter, I clenched my teeth and moved more fiercely.

I stepped on space and advanced. Behind me, a black trail remained. My flesh was stretching and tearing from the speed.

I reached forward, grasping space and breaking it just as Nirlass had, though it didn’t seem to impact her much. Perhaps because this was her own ability.

Nirlass’s tentacle swung, hitting me in the side.

"Ho?"

But I didn’t get thrown back.

Instead, a dog’s head appeared at my side, sinking its teeth into Nirlass’s tentacle.

I stabbed at the tentacle I’d caught with my hair. Like climbing, I moved along the tentacle toward Nirlass. The part the dog head bit into tore away with the space, vanishing.

Nirlass swung the tentacle, slamming me to the ground.

"Ugh…!"

For the first time in this form, I felt actual pain.

Nirlass descended slowly, approaching me.

With clicking footsteps, as if wearing heels.

"It seems you have no intention of giving up."

"…Are you enjoying this?"

At my words, Nirlass laughed.

The face formed by tentacles was smiling. Oddly enough, the smile felt kind. It wasn’t the mad, rending laughter, nor was it a sneer.

It simply seemed to enjoy facing me here, alone.

"At first, I thought of you only as an obstacle."

Nirlass said.

"If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have found this world quite so fascinating."

She wasn’t interested in the world, but in me.

As for the original story, I would never know to the end. Unless I died and reincarnated back into that world with all my memories, I would never know.

There were times I regretted it. I could have reaped many advantages if I’d read until the end.

But, not now.

Even without it, I’d made friends. I could connect with people.

The people here weren’t mere characters in a story but people who thought and felt.

And—

If not me, I’m sure some innocent child would have suffered endlessly.

I was glad it was me in this place instead of someone else.

I stood up.

And leaped at Nirlass with all my might.

Thud!

I struck with my fist, but the tentacles, which looked flimsy at a glance, absorbed the impact without flinching.

One of Nirlass’s other tentacles pierced my arm.

My arm lifted slowly as Nirlass approached.

"It’s disappointing that I seem to enjoy this more than you."

"…You think I’m not enjoying it?"

"Isn’t that what your expression says?"

…She’s right.

How could anyone enjoy a situation like this?

No one would relish the weight of such a huge responsibility. Maybe a politician or someone addicted to power, but in this situation, most people would want to run.

But—well.

To be honest, I had enjoyed a lot in this world.

I enjoyed school life again.

I even felt a bit like I was traveling abroad, enjoyed festivals, and had a Christmas party, something I never did as a student.

I don’t think I even got along with as many people when I was in high school.

Catching yokai was the same.

It was scary, painful, and I almost died several times, but honestly, there were moments when I felt a bit thrilled, like I was in a comic.

Since this was a world I’d seen in a story, I couldn’t hate it.

So, to be honest, for that, I was grateful.

And that’s why I didn’t want to give up.

"…Yeah."

When I responded, Nirlass smiled slightly.

"So then,"

I looked at Nirlass and said,

"There’s no way I’m giving up."

A blade shot out from beside my neck.

The blade narrowly missed my body, piercing Nirlass’s neck that held me tightly.

*

If Nirlass’s eyes didn’t actually function as eyes, then it should be the same for me with my similar form.

I realized this when I created the black dome to protect Yuka, Koko, and Kagami.

"Yuka."

"Kotone?"

And just as I thought, I could hear Yuka’s voice. Though the body in the form of ‘Kotone’ was outside, that part of my body was not the ‘main.’

After all, my original form was just a mass of flesh. If so, every part of my body could be considered the main body.

"Can I ask you for one favor?"

"Of course."

Yuka answered immediately.

Yes. Yuka was always like that. She always acted as if she would grant any request I made.

…But because of that, I was a little worried.

Ideally, I didn’t want to involve others in this fight. I hoped to resolve it alone if possible.

But, it didn’t seem likely.

Yuka was gripping her sword tightly.

A sword forged through centuries or even over a thousand years of slaying the monsters that had constantly threatened humans.

There must be a reason Yuka was the main heroine of the story.

Because she could cut down a god with that sword.

I kept thinking.

Though I never read to the end of the story, it didn’t seem like it would have had a happy ending. Back then, many novels had shocking twists where the heroine died or was assaulted.

Could Yuka have died? Or perhaps the protagonist, Sasaki, had died instead.

But, likely, that sword served as a ‘key’ until the final moment.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been introduced as such a crucial tool.

"I’ll hide you."

I said to Yuka.

"I’ll get as close to Nirlass as I can."

"Okay."

Yuka nodded seriously with determination.

Though Yuka seemed to have already understood my intent, I decided to make it clear, as it would be a problem if something went wrong at a critical moment.

"When the moment’s right, stab Nirlass."

"Got it."

Yuka nodded, understanding my plan.

"…."

I thought for a moment, then,

"Koko."

"Kotone!"

Koko beamed at me, even in this situation.

"Help Yuka. She might need your strength."

"Yes!"

Koko nodded enthusiastically.

She was such a good kid.

I nearly smiled without realizing it.

And—

"…Kagami."

"…."

Kagami, who was clutching the mirror, looked up at me.

Though she looked up, we didn’t exactly meet eyes. All she could see was my dark hair.

But at least, even from her face alone—I could tell it was quite different from usual.

Kagami was crying.

….

I didn’t know what to say.

Our relationship was still undefined.

She’d asked me to call her by that title once everything was over, but it wasn’t over yet.

Only,

"…You were looking at me through that mirror."

It was a thought that came to mind upon seeing the mirror.

Kagami, too, was ultimately a ‘child’ left abandoned.

Did she receive proper care after she was born? I doubted Kosuzu had done so. It would be more surprising if she hadn’t pressured her to bear other beings.

I might not have sensed it when I was merely dormant, but as I began to live and move, her thoughts must have gradually changed.

…Still, I knew my environment was far better than Kagami’s.

Well, it wasn’t perfect. Perhaps she kept her distance simply out of caution, but it was quite helpful for me.

"Once we have some time, let’s talk leisurely."

I decided to leave it at that.

And I hid the three of them within my hair.

*

"Hahaha!"

Nirlass laughed, as if pleased to have taken a hit.

She held the sword in her hand.

Though Yuka’s sword was embedded in Nirlass’s body, it didn’t move easily.

Well, that made sense.

She wouldn’t die from a single slash. And this neck probably wasn’t even a vital point.

"You’ve been quite clever."

Nirlass said.

"Yes. I did use my head a bit."

Though Yuka tried her best to hold on, the sword eventually slipped out from Nirlass’s neck.

At first glance, it looked as if Nirlass’s neck was half-severed, her head dangling, but the effect was much weaker than if it were a human’s neck.

"That won’t—"

"No, it will."

The sword had merely cut off part of Nirlass’s body.

But at least, that severed part wouldn’t heal immediately. Because it was that kind of sword.

I reached out and grabbed Yuka’s blade.

"Kotone!?"

Yuka gasped, but I dragged the blade across my palm, leaving a long cut.

This wound, too, wouldn’t heal easily.

With that wounded hand, I tightly gripped the severed part of Nirlass.

And broke space apart.

Chapter 179. Sword (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

There was one thing I confirmed during the fight earlier.

If space melts or shatters, everything within that "space" meets the same fate.

If it shatters like glass, everything inside also breaks. If it melts, things inside clump together and melt, like being thrown into a furnace.

That was why I grabbed Nirlass by the neck with my injured hand and shattered the space.

What happens if two people are in a collapsing space, like inside a crumbling building?

Though they are separate entities, if something heavy crushes them both, they’d be impossible to distinguish.

Blood and flesh would mix indiscriminately, bones would shatter and scatter, and fragile organs inside would make it even harder to tell them apart.

In reality, though, even then, the two beings wouldn’t truly become one. They would just be separate entities forced into the same space.

But what if the space itself was obliterated?

Not just overlapping and grinding two objects together, but destroying the very concept of space.

"I see."

Nirlass spoke with a grin.

"Are you planning to fight over influence with Ye?"

I didn't bother to answer.

Or maybe, I didn’t even have time to answer. Nirlass was devouring my body more voraciously than I’d expected.

I heard the other personalities maintaining my body scream.

Parts of me that weren’t in contact with Nirlass started to split. Places that should have been flesh and bone separated, turning into strands like hair.

"Kotone!"

Yuka shouted and tried to swing her sword, but Nirlass moved my body to block her.

"How delightful."

Then she spoke to me.

The mouth on the twisted face smirked.

"I’m curious to see how far your twisted thoughts go. I hope you show me everything."

Whether she understood my thoughts or not.

Whether she held back intentionally, or couldn’t fully read me due to my partial status as a foreign entity, I wasn’t sure.

Either way, my choices were severely limited.

Simply cutting them wouldn’t be enough to stop Nirlass’s endless regeneration. So, I could only bet on a slim chance that wasn’t zero.

"Kotone!"

I heard Koko’s desperate cry.

Koko’s body was starting to break down. With one arm dissolving, she swung it with all her might.

But even the blue flames couldn’t entirely fend off Nirlass. She was far beyond what Koko’s body alone could manage.

"Koko."

I turned my body around.

My right hand was still clutching Nirlass, so I could only barely turn my head to see her.

But even so, my hand could reach.

Koko, standing protectively in front of Yuka, was crying.

"Kotone…."

Had she sensed what was about to happen?

Through her tears, Koko seemed to plead.

If I pulled away now, could I avoid being pulled in?

Though parts of me were disintegrating, still—

"……."

But all I did was place my left hand on her face.

I gently wiped her tears.

Then, I turned my gaze to Yuka.

"Yuka. Please take care of Koko."

"Kotone!"

I wasn’t sure if the last scream was Koko’s or Yuka’s.

But, judging by the overlapping voices, I think both of them screamed.

I watched Yuka run to Koko and embrace her before my consciousness collapsed.

---

No, it hadn’t completely collapsed.

There was still light flickering before my eyes. Glimmering softly in the dark night, like fireflies, guiding me forward bit by bit.

I followed that light, bodiless.

As the light grew brighter, my vision slowly cleared.

What lay ahead was a door.

An open door.

Had Nirlass opened it to lure me in?

Or was it a memory brought to the surface by Sasaki’s siblings’ blood, helping me hold onto consciousness?

Either way, it was awful.

The memory I had tried so hard to avoid was spread out before me.

A car alarm blared loudly. The horn sounded constantly, not because someone was honking it, but because something heavy was pressing down on it.

"……."

People were frantically running around.

Someone opened their car door, trying to see what was going on since the road was blocked.

Someone else rushed with a stretcher, trying to get the injured to safety as quickly as possible.

A firefighter pulled a hose from their truck to extinguish flames clinging to a car, while someone else controlled onlookers who’d stopped to watch.

The memory of that day was painfully vivid.

I walked forward slowly. There was nothing else I could do.

I was still scared, anticipating what I’d see.

But— this was just a memory. The events unfolding outside were real.

Whatever happened here, if I couldn’t do what needed to be done, I’d likely die with regrets.

At least as long as I was conscious.

Thinking this, I tried to run, but someone suddenly blocked my way.

"Wait. That’s not the way."

It was exactly like my dream—

No, it was slightly different this time.

My colleague and I had been about the same height. When we faced each other, our eyes were on the same level.

But now, I was looking up at him.

I lifted my hand to look.

I wasn’t wearing a firefighter’s uniform, but a black sailor uniform.

The uniform of the high school I attended.

And my body wasn’t that of an adult man, but a young girl.

"This way."

My colleague didn’t seem to notice the change in me as he guided me forward.

I followed him, feeling slightly dazed.

"……Don’t think too deeply about it right now."

As we walked, he spoke.

His voice was full of concern.

The memory was slightly different. Why?

"Listen carefully."

After walking a bit, he suddenly stopped and looked at me with a serious expression.

"So, don’t think too much. Just think about those who are still alive, alright?"

He placed a hand on my shoulder.

Though he leaned down slightly to look me in the eye, he didn’t seem to notice my altered body.

Well, this was just a story within my memory.

It could even be the story I wished for.

Gently.

He patted my shoulder and then ran off.

He must have been going to save others.

I watched his retreating figure for a moment, then resumed my path.

An ambulance stood a short distance away from the accident scene.

This part didn’t differ much from my memory.

But what had he wanted to tell me? What was here?

At the time, I hadn’t had the presence of mind. Even with my family’s condition, there was work to be done, and I threw myself into it.

Grief and despair came afterward.

Now, I felt strangely calm.

I had… gained as much as I’d lost. In that world, I had lived happily.

"……."

My steps stopped.

Even from here, I could clearly see who was inside the ambulance.

It was… of course, a person.

A rescued person.

Someone sat at the entrance of the ambulance, her face smudged with soot, with a hospital blanket draped over her shoulders.

She looked like a young woman who wouldn’t seem out of place starting college.

Talking briefly with a paramedic and nodding, she soon looked in my direction.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

I couldn’t say anything.

I took unsteady steps toward the ambulance.

I hadn’t looked at her photo in a long time. After the accident, seeing her photo felt like a dagger to my heart, so I hid it deep in my desk drawer and almost never took it out.

Naturally, in the new world, I hadn’t seen it at all. There were no photos to look at.

As I approached, my sister gazed at me intently.

Could she recognize me in this state?

It made sense if she could, since this was within my memory.

"……."

But what could I say?

Even in the dreams I’d had, I hadn’t seen a scene like this.

My sister… her face was unharmed. Naturally, since she was rescued here. Maybe the car was less crushed.

What about Dad? What about Mom?

I opened my mouth but closed it again.

My colleague had just said to think only about those who were left.

So… perhaps even within this memory, my parents were.

"……Sorry."

In the end, that was all I could say.

My memory was still too vivid. I wasn’t sure if Nirlass was showing me this scene to trick me, or if my subconscious was protecting me.

"Sorry?"

My sister asked, as if she didn’t understand.

"I…."

"You couldn’t help it."

I looked up at her.

She was staring at me steadily.

"There was nothing you could’ve done."

Was I just talking to myself?

"We were just unlucky. Like all unfortunate people are."

Her face was so serious.

I’d seen this expression often. My sister used to look like this when talking about her grades. It was so annoying in high school.

"What are you thinking, staring at my face?"

"……."

"That uniform suits you, by the way."

Her comment deflated me.

This felt strange.

Though I hadn’t seen my family in years and had always thought I wanted to see them again, here we were… having a casual conversation.

"High school?"

"…Yeah, kind of."

I answered.

It felt awkward.

Was it because she was my ‘sister’?

The guilt, sadness, and despair I had felt moments ago faded oddly.

This situation didn’t even feel serious anymore.

With a playful smile, my sister looked at me.

"Wow. You were so into manga that you ended up inside one, huh?"

"…It’s not a manga."

I muttered, glaring at her.

"It’s a light novel."

"Not much different from a manga cover, though. The contents are probably similar too."

"……."

I couldn’t deny it.

A slight smile escaped me.

And then, a pang of sadness hit my chest.

Yes, only with her could I have a conversation like this.

Koko, Yuka, and everyone else I knew couldn’t replace her. She was the one who had shared my childhood.

We knew each other so well.

I had bought my sister a watch as a bit of a prank.

Despite her complaints, she was too kind-hearted to throw it away, and she used it. Though she’d never called me ‘brother,’ I could tell she cared for me as family.

So, I had prepared two gifts for her college entry. One was a wristwatch that didn’t serve much purpose beyond telling time.

The other was a laptop she’d been eyeing since before entering college.

…Though I never got to give her the laptop.

Ironically, my sister ended up liking the wristwatch I gave her. She’d even worn it on her wrist in her final moments, so she must have found it useful.

"……."

She was still wearing it now.

"Why do you look like you’re hurt?"

"I—"

"What, are you planning to come with me?"

My sister frowned.

It was the face she’d make whenever I did something she disliked. Seeing her again brought back so many memories.

"Isn’t it a little too early for that?"

She tossed the blanket draped over her shoulders back into the ambulance and hopped down.

"You…."

"What?"

"No, it’s just…."

Was it because she was my sister from my memory?

Seeing that familiar face, I felt strange.

It didn’t feel like recalling a memory but rather like witnessing something that reminded me of my memories.

"Don’t tell me—"

I started, but she gave a mischievous grin.

It was the expression she’d often make.

"Not yet."

She said firmly.

"You still want to be there, don’t you?"

I couldn’t respond.

It felt like she was truly speaking to me.

Then, I suddenly remembered.

Kosuzu, who had absorbed Nirlass’s body, had become a bridge between this world and the next.

Through her body had come countless souls.

How many yokai had I cut down? Because of those battles, Yuka, Koko, and I had been left almost unable to move—

"Wait, wait a moment."

I cried out.

It was starting to make sense.

Why my body was different from my past self,

Why I was now in “Kurosawa Kotone’s body.”

I was now—

"No."

My sister cut in sharply.

And then she extended her hand.

"Not yet. We can talk later. Honestly, do we even have much to talk about?"

At her words, countless memories flashed through my mind.

"I—"

"After Mom and Dad and I died, you holed up in your room and wallowed in misery? Is that really it? After reuniting after all this time, you’re only going to dump such a depressing story? Isn’t that a bit much?"

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"And as for new stories to tell… well, they’re a bit short. We’d probably run out of things to say after just an hour or two."

She came over and gently placed her hands on my shoulders.

"So, go back."

Her hands gently pushed me.

"It’s not time for you to come yet."

I felt myself being pushed back, as if I were floating, gradually drifting away.

"Besides, you know, I already know most of your stories. I’ve seen it all."

"Huh…."

She laughed playfully.

Her face receded gradually.

"Don’t worry too much. It didn’t hurt. It was just… a bit boring here."

She said.

Koko’s body held many memories.

Many minds torn from a world beyond this one—

"Could it be, all this time!?"

I shouted.

But she was already beyond my reach.

"No!"

"What do you mean, ‘no’?"

She said, as if it were obvious.

"You were always there with me! I haven’t been able to talk to you at all until now!"

"That’s why I’m telling you to go."

She took a step back.

The scenery around me began to distort, slowly crumbling and turning dark.

Only she remained in my sight.

My sister, moving further away.

"Let’s meet much later next time. Bring plenty of stories when you come."

"There are things I still haven’t given you—"

"I know."

She replied.

"But I already received them."

She raised her hand. There was a small wristwatch there.

"This was more than enough."

She said.

"I’ve received so much. This time, it’s my turn to give something to you."

My sister waved at me as she drifted further away, smiling.

Or maybe she was crying.

Was I going to lose her again this time?

No matter how I reached out, or tried to get closer, I couldn’t reach her.

The distance grew rapidly, like falling from a great height.

"It was really nice to see you again."

Barely audible, I heard her voice.

"This time, try to live happily."

With her playful voice, I regained my senses.

---

The first thing I felt was pain.

My whole body was burning in pain.

"How strange."

Nirlass said, his voice puzzled.

"You were able to emerge from within. Where did it go wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong."

I replied.

My hand reached out.

It felt like my whole body was on fire, but I could move.

I was sure we looked far from normal.

My body was burning.

It hadn’t burst into flames right away as I was absorbed.

The flames must have reignited as my consciousness returned.

"Kotone!"

I heard a voice filled with mixed emotions.

I moved forward.

Nirlass braced her body as if reluctant to let me go.

My face. My body.

And behind me, connected, was Nirlass.

"Yuka! Koko!"

When I called, Yuka stood and ran to me.

Koko rose a bit slower, visibly struggling from her injuries.

I could feel Nirlass trying to lift herself. As though our bodies had become one—

No, we were already one. The fact that my consciousness moved separately was strange.

I looked up at the sky.

The distorted space was slowly returning to its original form.

"Hahaha!"

Nirlass laughed.

"I see, so that was your plan!"

She was trying to resist, as if refusing to let me go, yet I could also feel her exhilaration.

It wasn’t my excitement but Nirlass’s.

"Ah, what a ‘narrative’!"

As Nirlass laughed joyfully, Yuka ran to me.

Yes, this was the story.

---

—You will die.

I died. Twice. And both times, it was to those I trusted.

Thus, the world reached this state.

Despite the many weapons prepared, it was a grim future where time froze and space melted into ruin before we could even wield them.

It all happened because I died.

So.

In such a desperate situation, what would have been necessary to prevent the worst outcome?

---

—Think again.

Another prophecy left by the Kudan.

It said the way to stop the disaster of the future was that path.

Who was meant to think again?

I’d heard it repeatedly.

But in the end, the future didn’t change, leading to this situation.

…The person meant to change their mind, of course, had to be the one capable of ending this crisis.

In the distance, I saw Kagami struggling to stand.

Was it because she saw my expression?

She abandoned the mirror she had clung to and staggered toward me.

Her desperate movements were heartbreaking.

I held my melting body and consciousness together as best as I could.

How did I look to Yuka?

Was it too horrific?

…I was sorry to show her this sight.

I stabbed my chest with my hand.

Then, I forced it open.

Nirlass’s laughter grew louder. She must have been in pain too, so how was she laughing?

Earlier, Nirlass had remained unfazed even when her neck was half-severed.

Perhaps that was because her weak spot was different from what an ordinary person might think.

"……!"

I groaned through the pain, widening the wound further.

What lay there was some kind of… ‘core.’

It wasn’t like a human heart. Yet it pulsed, as if circulating blood.

Was that heartbeat due to this, even with our bodies fused?

Yuka’s expression wavered.

As if shocked by my actions, her pace slowed slightly.

"Yuka, please."

I said.

There wasn’t much time left for me to hold on.

Yes.

The person meant to change their mind could only be someone who had never once changed it.

Yuka always said she had "thought about it once more" whenever the topic of my life came up.

But in reality, her thoughts had never changed.

Not once had Yuka considered killing me.

So—

"Yuka."

"…Kotone."

Yuka stopped, looking dazed, as if not understanding what I was saying.

The sword in her hand still glinted in the void.

"…Yuka. Please."

I looked at her straight on.

"…Please, think about it just one more time."

Chapter 180. Sword (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I wasn’t sure.

Even in this situation, Yuka couldn’t quite understand what Kotone was saying.

She thought it was quite strange.

Kotone had… been dead these past few days, hadn’t she?

She had just returned here.

"Yuka."

Kotone was speaking, almost pleading.

"There’s not much time."

Kotone’s hand was trembling.

It didn’t seem to be out of fear. Just like Kotone said, maybe it really was because "there’s not much time." The foreign god, now a part of Kotone, was trying to escape this situation.

That god was laughing.

As if this whole situation amused her, as if she was seeing something she had wanted to see, her laughter filled the air. There was even a sound like something pounding on the ground.

Though Yuka didn’t understand what Kotone was saying, she understood the situation itself.

This situation was exactly what that god wanted.

Stabbing Kotone to death was the very thing that would accelerate the end of the world—

"…No."

As if she had read Yuka’s thoughts, Kotone spoke.

"That’s not it, Yuka. You know that."

The noise around them was loud. A buzzing sound echoed in Yuka’s ears.

It wasn’t real noise, but something only Yuka could hear.

"Yuka, please, just think it over once more."

"…"

Yuka’s lips moved slightly at Kotone’s words, and she whispered softly.

"You said you wanted to live, right?"

Yes. Kotone had said she wanted to live. She had definitely said that.

Hadn’t they talked about it together?

Yuka didn’t want to lose Kotone.

She wanted to go to school wearing the same uniform, to study together, to take exams together.

To compare scores, and, after exams, go out and have fun.

When they got juniors, she wanted to play the part of the senior in their club. She even had plans for the next issue of their magazine to be better than the last.

"Yeah, that’s right. I want to live."

"Then why…!"

Yuka couldn’t hold back her shout at Kotone’s calm words.

She knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.

Kotone was willing to sacrifice herself for everyone. She must have prepared herself mentally for this outcome.

She was prepared to give up even the small bit of happiness she had struggled so hard to obtain, even though it was only a tiny handful.

"Why do you always have to sacrifice everything?"

It was always like this.

When Kotone thought it was necessary, she could cut her wrists without a second thought. She would help whenever someone asked.

Despite all the pain she went through helping others again and again, she always thanked them for the smallest things.

"I’ve never sacrificed anything, though."

Yuka lifted her head in anger at Kotone’s words, but couldn’t find any words to respond.

There was Kotone, smiling.

"I did it all because I thought it was worth it."

Lies.

No, Yuka knew it wasn’t a lie.

Kotone probably really believed that.

Maybe that was just her way.

She wanted to hold onto the happiness she had barely grasped, to somehow keep it intact.

"…That doesn’t make sense, you idiot."

Yuka knelt down on the ground.

She felt weak. Partly because she had been running around non-stop until just now, and partly because her body was covered in wounds.

But more than anything, the weight of this situation felt unbearably heavy.

Kotone knelt down in front of Yuka.

"You said… you wanted to live…"

"Yes. I want to live."

Kotone looked Yuka in the eyes and spoke gently.

"I want to go to school with you. I want to graduate. I want to take graduation photos with you."

"Then why…"

"Because, if we don’t change the future, those things won’t happen."

Kotone spoke.

There was a gentle smile on her face.

"If things stay as they are, you won’t graduate. Neither will Koko."

"…"

"A lot of people will die, Yuka. Our friends will be among them, as will my grandfather and father. They’re all people who have been kind to me."

"So, you’re going to sacrifice everything?"

"It’s not a sacrifice, Yuka. I’m just saying what I hope for."

Yuka’s vision blurred.

She wiped away her tears with her sleeve.

"I hope you can graduate properly, Yuka. I hope you can make lots of friends, go out, and have fun."

She gritted her teeth, but couldn’t stop the sound of her sobs.

"I hope you study hard and get into a good university, and that you can have the career you want."

"But you won’t be there."

"No, I will."

Kotone spoke.

There was no hesitation in her voice.

"Yuka."

"Yes, Yuka."

A voice overlapped with Kotone’s.

A hand appeared on Kotone’s shoulder, and, as if playing a prank, someone peeked over her shoulder and looked at Yuka with a gleeful gaze.

The mouth wasn’t visible.

But those eyes were clearly laughing.

"Why don’t you try stabbing your friend again? You’ve done it once before, so you’ll be even better at it this time."

"…"

Yuka looked at it, mouth slightly open.

"Go on, do it. It’s your duty."

The voice was full of mockery.

"…Yuka."

Kotone spoke.

"Please, think it over carefully."

Kotone spoke.

"I… want to protect this world. I want to end this."

"…"

"As much as I want to live, I want you to live too. I want everyone to go on living."

Kotone smiled.

She smiled and cried.

"It’s my… last request."

Yuka bowed her head, listening to Kotone’s words.

After a while, she trembled, then let out a long breath.

"When you put it like that… I can’t refuse."

Yuka, in a voice like a child’s whimper, slowly reached out and picked up the sword lying beside her.

She placed the sword’s tip against Kotone’s chest.

"—Ah, damn it!"

And she shouted.

It wasn’t so much a scream as the kind of emotional outburst a teenage girl would make when full of frustration.

"If I’d known it would come to this, I never would have chosen this stupid job!"

She knew it was pointless.

After all this time, in the end, the sword had chosen her.

Maybe… the sword had known all along.

It had been tempered, forged by slaying countless yokai, passed down from person to person, in order to finally complete itself by slaying a god.

Though it didn’t matter to Yuka.

"Yes, Yuka."

Kotone smiled.

"Then, when all of this is over, let’s just quit."

"…Really?"

Yuka forced a smile in response to Kotone’s smile. The tears blurred her vision, making it hard to see. She wanted to wipe them away, but both hands were gripping the sword.

"You promised, right?"

Yuka knew that promise was one they couldn’t keep.

The blade’s tip dug a little deeper into the erratically pounding center.

Red and black blood flowed along the blade.

"When it’s all over, you’ll quit too, right?"

"Yes."

Kotone answered Yuka’s question.

"I’ll quit everything. I’m honestly sick of cutting my wrists. When it’s all over, I’ll live however I want."

She clenched her teeth and managed to lift her lips into a smile.

She put strength into her hand.

It felt like the sword was piercing into flesh.

Whatever the sword touched seemed to thrash wildly, as if in protest. Blood flowed freely. Yuka honestly wanted to stop.

But then, she changed her mind.

How could she stop when Kotone was smiling like that?

This was what Kotone wanted.

"We’ll go to school together, take trips over the holidays."

"We didn’t make it to Comiket, so let’s go in the summer."

"When it’s all over, you have to study hard. I’m not going to a mediocre college."

"You want me to go too?"

"And Koko. All of us together."

"…Yes, all of us."

Blood trickled from Kotone’s mouth.

Their faces were close enough that even through the tears, Yuka could see Kotone’s face.

She was bleeding. There were wounds all over her face, and her body was melting away in places.

It was a gruesome sight.

So, that’s it.

Kotone… That’s what Kotone meant when she said she wanted to live.

From behind them, someone was calling Kotone’s name.

Even though it had been quite some time, Koko and Kagami hadn’t managed to get here.

It was probably because both of them were too injured.

…She was sorry.

To those two, as well.

To Kotone, too.

She was sorry to everyone.

"Yuka."

Kotone, even with that expression, was still smiling.

Kotone let go of Yuka’s hand.

There was no longer any reason to pry open the wounds on her body.

"Poor thing."

A voice, tinged with amusement, spoke.

"Thanks to you, it was quite entertaining. Truly."

The voice murmured in satisfaction.

"But in the end, you’ll lose everything you wanted."

After those words, the eerie chill Yuka felt down her spine slowly faded away.

Kotone embraced Yuka with both arms.

Yuka leaned into Kotone’s embrace.

Kotone’s melting body was slowly returning to the form Yuka knew.

The disordered patches of flesh were crumbling away like sand. Her long hair was gradually shortening, matching the length that Yuka remembered Kotone having.

Her vanishing body turned to light and melted into the world.

Yuka couldn’t understand what that meant.

Whether it was Kotone’s final farewell, or if, even at this moment, Kotone was giving something of herself to the world.

Didn’t they call her a god?

Maybe…

"Kotone, please…"

Sensing this was the final moment, Yuka spoke.

"Yes, I promise."

Kotone replied.

There was no strength in her voice.

But there was a faint smile on her lips.

Gently, Yuka held Kotone’s shoulders and lowered her to the ground.

A metallic sound echoed as an object fell to the floor.

The sword, now discarded, lay carelessly on the ground. The color of the blade had changed slightly. Maybe it had absorbed the blood of a god.

But none of that mattered now.

Holding Kotone’s hand, Yuka looked down at her silently.

"…"

Kotone’s eyes were closed.

She wasn’t struggling to say something with a voice that wouldn’t come.

Nor was she looking at Yuka with lingering regrets.

At least this time, she looked at peace.

Yuka clenched her teeth.

She heard footsteps running from behind.

She held Kotone’s hand tightly. Her warmth hadn’t yet faded.

In that state, Yuka kept crying.

*

Something had definitely happened.

But no one knew exactly what.

After everything had ended, all people could see was that the road that had been intact just moments ago was now cracked, parked cars were crushed, and buildings were damaged by some unknown force.

There were rumors of casualties, but those were unavoidable. The world had been that damaged.

Some thought there had been an earthquake; others speculated it was a meteor.

But in the end, no one really knew exactly what had happened.

"…"

Except for a select few.

Those who had been affected by Kotone on that day were aware of the incident. At least, up until the moment it began, even the government remembered that something had happened.

But as for what came after that, they knew nothing.

It was a strange thing.

"Are you saying you truly know nothing?"

The person interrogating Yuka was an elderly man she had seen before.

Yuka nodded.

"…If the experts don’t know, how would I know anything?"

"Someone remembers you, though."

"Yes, because Kotone helped me."

Yuka looked directly into the old man’s eyes as she spoke.

He seemed to sense something from her gaze, pausing for a moment.

"What did you intend to do with Kotone’s body?"

"We—"

"Did you really take her body to protect the world?"

"You don’t have the authority to hear that…"

"…I see."

Yuka muttered softly.

Then she thought to herself, if that’s the case, you don’t have the authority to hear our story either.

"Who died?"

"…As far as we know, there were no fatalities."

The old man offered that piece of information.

"Those in the attacked vehicle… It was a close call, but they’re all alive, though some are in critical condition. Those who ran to stop Kurosawa Kosuzu… yes. They’re receiving intensive care at the hospital, but they’re alive."

They were alive.

It was strange. Yuka distinctly remembered confirming that they had all been dead.

She looked up slightly, lost in thought.

That moment when Kotone’s body scattered into light—perhaps it had something to do with all of this.

The dead who had writhed within the god’s tentacles, the yokai pouring out from beyond the gate…

When it all ended, there wasn’t even a trace left to show that any of it had happened. Yuka felt a little hollow.

"Very well."

"Is it over?"

"…We’ll call you again if there are further questions."

Without answering, Yuka stood up and left the interrogation room.

"Yuka."

Her grandfather and father were waiting outside.

"Grandfather."

Her grandfather seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say something, but then let out a small sigh and spoke.

"Let’s go."

Yuka nodded.

They returned home by car.

After a bit of preparation, they’d have to go out again right away.

Yuka had no idea what kind of things she’d hear.

Had they shared what happened with Kotone’s other friends?

Even if they hadn’t, Koko and Kagami, who were there…

Neither of them could say anything.

They couldn’t even cry.

In that moment, Yuka had shattered their hopes right in front of them.

Even if it had been what Kotone wanted.

While opening her closet, Yuka finally broke down.

She collapsed on the floor and cried. Maybe the neighbors could hear, but she didn’t care.

"…Kotone, how…"

She mumbled through her tears.

"What should I do?"

There was no answer.

And for a long, long time, there wouldn’t be.

"What am I supposed to do?"

But she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Yes, people might think it strange.

They might say that since she was still young, she’d eventually forget.

They’d say it was just a childhood memory, something that would fade away.

But Yuka, here in this moment, had no idea what to do.

In the end, the world had been saved.

Countless children would spend their youth smiling, graduate from school, and become adults.

Yuka and her friends would, too.

But Kotone would never get to do those things.

"Aah…aaah!"

She screamed as hard as she could, but it didn’t ease the pain in her chest.

Her nails scraped against the floor with a screech.

Right. That’s probably how it’ll be.

That’s probably exactly how it’ll go. Time will pass, these wounds will eventually heal, and even the painful memories will fade and be forgotten.

How long would it take? A few years?

No, maybe just a year, or even a few months. Though her heart would ache each time she remembered Kotone, Yuka would eventually adjust.

"I don’t want that!"

But she didn’t want that.

Yuka wanted to remember Kotone forever.

Now, she finally remembered how Kotone had been taking pictures diligently since summer vacation. Her camera was filled with photos of Kotone.

Kotone knew all along.

After hearing that prophecy, she must have been resigned to it ever since then.

"No, I don’t want that—!"

She cried out in despair.

She pounded the floor several times, so hard her hands hurt.

She sobbed uncontrollably.

She just… didn’t want to let go. She wanted to hold onto these memories, cling to them.

Already, Kotone felt too far away. It had only been two days, but Kotone was becoming just a memory.

It hurt too much, and it was unbearable.

She couldn’t show herself like this in front of others.

Especially not in front of her friends.

If it were Koko—

"How… How am I supposed to be okay with this…"

Yuka whimpered.

Not directed at anyone in particular.

No, perhaps those words were meant for Kotone.

Could she hear?

If she could, maybe it was something Yuka shouldn’t say. Kotone would be hurt to hear it.

But…

"You said we’d go to school together."

In a voice drained of energy, Yuka muttered.

"You promised, so why aren’t you coming back?"

In that moment, Yuka knew it was something Kotone had said to comfort her.

Kotone had told her that to prevent Yuka from feeling guilty after everything was over.

Because Kotone was that kind of person.

Pretending not to care about others, acting like it was all a bother, but tirelessly looking out for everyone.

Until the very end, Kotone had cared for Yuka.

Even though Kotone had been the one who suffered the most.

"…Kotone."

Yuka slowly lifted her head.

Her face was a mess.

"I’m sorry, I…"

She offered a small apology to Kotone.

"I don’t want to act like I’m fine, like you said. I don’t want to live pretending nothing happened."

She didn’t want to be okay.

She barely managed to swallow those last words.

"Kotone, what am I supposed to do?"

Yuka asked the girl who had never given up, even in the worst of situations.

There was no response.

After sitting there in silence for a while, Yuka slowly stood up.

She wiped her tears with her sleeve.

She looked in the mirror and tidied her face.

…Yes. At the very least, she couldn’t show this side of herself to Koko.

No matter what that girl said, Yuka would have to accept it all.

"…Alright. I’ll do my best."

Though she wasn’t sure who she was speaking to, she mumbled those words to herself.

Chapter 181. Things You Should Never Do at a Funeral (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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The journey there filled me with unease.

Perhaps that's why Yuka had chosen the subway instead of driving.

It wasn’t exactly a short distance, but by car, I’d have arrived there much earlier.

My grandfather and father told me to come separately.

I understood why they had said that; anyone would value the survival of the world itself over that of a single girl.

Even Kotone herself and Yuka, who was heading to see her now, felt the same.

Even as she dressed in black and got on the subway, Yuka thought of herself as cowardly.

“……”

The world was still noisy.

The incidents where the ground cracked and houses were destroyed were still the main talk.

Whenever I turned on the news, I’d hear about it at least once a day, and newspapers displayed in front of convenience stores or shops were flooded with "occult" stories—even though those that weren’t supposed to be occult tabloids.

Naturally, there was no mention of Kotone’s death.

People just went on chattering about aliens, ghosts, or natural phenomena. For those who knew nothing, it was merely entertainment—stories that helped newspapers and magazines sell a little better.

A family sat across from Yuka. Had the parents taken a day off?

The child sitting between them whined to his mother, and the father, finding it endearing, teased him further.

It matched perfectly with the sunset sky outside the window.

Those people wouldn’t know, would they? What happened at that moment? Whose sacrifice allowed this world to continue as it does?

There were only three who remembered that final moment, and even then, only a few had heard the story.

If others knew of Kotone’s death, how would they react?

Would they feel pity?

Or would they dismiss it as inevitable for a being that was bound to bring harm?

“……”

Enough of these thoughts.

If it were up to Kotone, I had a feeling she wouldn’t want herself to be known.

Yes, probably so. She’d be terribly flustered if she became famous.

Imagining that face brought a faint smile to my lips.

But it wasn’t a smile that lingered long.

*

The place I arrived at wasn’t Kotone’s house that Yuka usually visited.

It was an old, slightly unkempt house.

It was big enough to be called a mansion, but it didn’t give off the impression of an extraordinarily wealthy household.

To be precise, it felt less like a home and more like an abandoned temple, even though someone had tried to tidy it up—it was still clear that it had been neglected for a long time.

Yuka wondered if this was the Kurosawa family’s main residence.

It was a lonely place. For a house of this size, you’d expect crowds of people to gather, but that wasn’t the case.

Ah, I see. Rather than gathering at a temple, it seemed they had chosen to gather here for that reason.

Everyone gathered wore black, just like Yuka.

A child was trying hard to hold back tears. But the thick glasses on her face were already smudged with tears.

She was Miura Mako, the girl in Kotone’s class who had been the first to look after her..

… In a way, it was as though I had ripped open her heart twice over.

Yuka had no words to offer. Whatever she said wouldn’t lessen the burden in either of their hearts.

On either side of Miura were the two people who were always with her.

Fukuda Harumi was doing her best to comfort Miura. But there were tear marks on her face as well.

How had the story reached them?

Kotone had been regarded as a girl who couldn’t even have a proper funeral.

Had they said her body had been found? I wasn’t sure. Somehow, prying further felt wrong.

Yamashita, standing beside them, met Yuka’s gaze. She gave her a small nod, her face etched with sorrow.

When Kotone was revived once before, Yamashita hadn’t been nearly as devastated as she was now. Perhaps it was because this time, she was truly saying goodbye.

Not only was she crying, but her face was deathly pale.

Yuka bowed her head slightly in return.

The awkwardness was unbearable. This mingling of sorrow and discomfort was overwhelming.

No one would have ever imagined a funeral like this.

No one, except for Kotone herself, lying in the coffin.

“...Why?”

I turned toward the voice, spotting an adult with a dazed expression, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

It looked like she’d just arrived, as her clothes were slightly wrinkled. She had barely managed to dress appropriately in black, but she looked as if she was hearing the news for the first time.

I recognized her face. She was the manager of the shop where Kotone worked. Beside her was a girl around Kotone and Yuka’s age, her face equally somber.

I couldn’t bring myself to speak to them either.

… Kotone had connected with many people. At school, she was just a quiet girl who disliked loud noises, yet she had offered and received help from many.

She was a girl loved wherever she went. And she deserved it.

Therefore, I couldn’t bring myself to speak to those connected to Kotone. They were people too far removed from me, and they would never understand if they knew what I had done.

Once again, I wondered if that decision on that day was truly the right one.

I still didn’t know. Being unable to be sure meant it wasn’t entirely a good deed.

“...”

Would I eventually forget this weight? After decades, once I was an adult, would I become indifferent?

The fear of that sent a shiver down my spine.

Anyone who heard this would call it foolish.

That I shouldn’t refuse happiness just because I did what needed to be done. They’d say it was nonsense.

But, what about Kotone?

What about Kotone, who also “did what needed to be done”?

Only a few around her knew the truth, and no one knew that their lives were indebted to hers. Most would live on in ignorance.

And it all stemmed from the sword Yuka had held.

So, this guilt belonged entirely to Yuka as well.

I spotted a few other adults.

Mr. Miura, Mr. Yamashita, Mr. Fukuda.

The three of them stood together, engaged in conversation. Their expressions were complex, as adults tend to hide their emotions.

But even those three slightly bowed their heads to Yuka as our eyes met, expressing their condolences.

Kotone’s homeroom teacher was also there, looking dazed as if she didn’t fully understand the situation. That was understandable. After all, this "funeral" should have been held long ago.

But even that teacher, meeting Yuka’s eyes, composed herself and gave a respectful bow.

As Yuka reciprocated, she couldn’t understand why everyone was doing this.

It felt as if they saw Yuka as Kotone’s family. But any right to that had disappeared long ago.

…And if that right were somehow granted, then it would be no different than saying that Yuka had killed her own family with her own hands.

My lips twitched slightly.

I knew I had to hold it in. That’s why, before leaving, I had screamed alone in my room over and over.

But emotions, it seemed, couldn’t be entirely emptied out just by pouring them out.

Another sound of sobbing echoed.

“...Senpai.”

Finally, Yuka managed to speak, barely parting her lips.

Kaoru and Izumi.

Kaoru, who always wore her emotions on her sleeve, was struggling hard to suppress her tears. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief to stifle her sobs, but tears continued to flow from her eyes.

Izumi was the same. She had already taken off her glasses, her eyes red and swollen.

These two didn’t even know that Kotone had returned. She had risked her life immediately after her brief return.

“...Yuka.”

Kaoru barely opened her mouth to respond. Izumi, next to her, also gave Yuka a slight nod.

We barely managed to call each other’s names, but there was still nothing more to say.

To be precise, any words would likely spill out everything bottled up inside.

The closer Yuka got to Kotone, lying in her coffin, the more her insides churned. Even though she hadn’t eaten all day, the nausea was overwhelming.

I felt disgusted.

I felt disgusted for even thinking of coming to this place.

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Kaoru lightly grabbed my arm with trembling hands. She seemed as though she wanted to pat me on the shoulder, but her own emotions were still far from under control.

I decided to tell these two everything later.

At the very least, it felt like I owed them that.

…No matter what they’d say.

Hagiwara and Nakahara.

Neither of them had any intention of fighting here.

Standing side by side with conflicted expressions, they too gave a slight bow as our eyes met.

I continued walking and finally arrived at where Kotone lay.

The atmosphere was heavy, even just seeing her from a distance.

Shii was barely standing, leaning against Sasaki. She had been there that day, and because of that, the impact must have been immense. She must have seen Kotone open her eyes again.

…And then she’d left and returned as a corpse, so of course, she would be shocked.

At one point, I’d felt a little envious.

They had worked together part-time, finishing at the same time and eating together.

Perhaps Shii was the only person Kotone had ever bought food for.

I could feel just how much Kotone had cherished her as a junior.

…

And because of that, the impact must have been even greater.

Once, I hadn’t feared death.

After all, death comes to everyone eventually. Even if I didn’t die right now, one day, I would close my eyes forever.

Especially as someone who took pride in being a shrine maiden, death was merely another journey to the Underworld.

But that was only because I hadn’t yet lost someone precious in front of me.

Kotone’s farewell was final until the end of this life.

The thought of following her was out of the question. She had sacrificed herself to protect the lives of others.

Those lives included Yuka’s as well.

So, her life was far too precious. To avoid making her death meaningless, Yuka couldn’t harm herself.

I clenched my teeth.

Yes, even if I forgot everything else, I couldn’t forget that.

I couldn’t think that dying would be fine, that my soul would simply cross over to the Underworld.

Kotone had understood well. She knew just how vast the difference between living and dying was.

She had wanted to live so dearly.

That was why she had sacrificed her precious life to convey that message.

So, I couldn’t forget it.

I couldn’t forget it.

“……”

Exchanging a silent nod with Sasaki, Yuka stepped forward—

—and then halted.

I couldn’t go any closer.

I caught sight of the two figures from behind.

The adult’s posture appeared calm.

Her long hair was tied at the end.

I recognized that ribbon.

It was Kotone’s hair ribbon. Or perhaps the ribbon she had used to cover her wrists.

The ribbon was stained a slight reddish-black.

… It was Kotone’s blood.

Blood that she had shed countless times.

Kagami had found it and kept it with her.

Sitting silently on her knees in her shrine maiden attire, Kagami showed no hint of emotion. Whether she was suppressing it or if she had transcended some boundary, I couldn’t imagine.

Perhaps her expression would have been a bit different, but…

… Kagami had thrown the world into chaos. Ultimately, it was only thanks to Kotone’s sacrifice that everything was quelled, but had Yuka not acted at that moment, it truly might have ended that way.

I didn’t resent her.

I had no right to.

After all, even I had hesitated in that moment to strike, so how could I blame her as a mother?

Besides, looking at the situation, it was that very act that allowed us to stop it.

Had Kotone not been resurrected and died naturally, or if she had died by any other cause, only Nirlass would have remained in this world with no one to stop her.

Perhaps we would have found another solution later.

But the outcome wouldn’t have been any better than it was now.

“……”

With the two of them sitting side by side in front of the coffin, I felt afraid to go see Kotone.

Could I really do that?

Or rather, did I even deserve to be here in the first place?

Standing there trembling, the smaller of the two suddenly looked back.

Our eyes met in her dark gaze.

I swallowed hard.

Koko was staring up at me intently.

I was terrified of that gaze.

But I couldn’t run.

I had come here prepared to hear whatever was said in this place. So—

“...Why?”

Koko spoke.

“Yuka, why…?”

“……”

At her words, my vision began to narrow. It felt as if I might collapse at any moment.

Koko had stood up before I realized it.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

“Yuka…”

Her words faltered. It was as though her ability to speak had regressed, like when I first met her.

That’s right.

Kotone had taught her to speak. She had bought fairy tale books and read them to her, spending time with her.

Who else would have done that, even knowing what Koko was?

Tap.

Koko’s hand lightly touched Yuka’s shoulder.

Tap.

Once more.

“Why?”

The voice was accusatory, yet it didn’t quite convey that emotion.

But each time Koko lightly tapped Yuka, the pain was almost unbearable.

Not because of the strength behind it.

But because there was no strength in that hand.

My fists clenched tightly. My body trembled.

Being resented by Koko was agonizing beyond words.

Because her face was so much like Kotone’s, seeing Koko’s blank expression as she lightly struck Yuka… it terrified me.

It terrified me, and it pained me, and I didn’t know what to do.

Seeing her that way was heartbreakingly sad.

The people around us seemed to feel they should stop Koko, yet none could bring themselves to do it.

“…Koko.”

“Why?”

Her question wasn’t in response to my voice calling her name.

Not knowing what to do.

Having lost the most important person in her life and not knowing what to do, she was simply acting on her instincts to release her feelings.

“Why Kotone?”

Why indeed.

Why did it have to be Kotone?

Because she was kind?

Because she was someone who could sacrifice herself for others?

Shouldn’t such a person be the one to live instead?

In this world, not everyone who goes on living is a good person.

There are corrupt politicians, officials rotten to the core, and businessmen who crush others with money.

There are murderers and rapists.

Did Kotone really have to sacrifice herself to save all of them?

… Yes, I knew.

Because Yuka was among them.

Because Koko was among them.

Kotone had simply chosen that path.

In the end, among those who had pushed her back, Yuka was one of them. I already knew that.

“Kotone, Kotone…”

Tears welled up in Koko’s eyes, trembling on the edge.

“She promised we’d hang out together…”

Yes.

That’s right.

Even when she was barely holding on.

Kotone had wanted so desperately to live.

She wanted to laugh and chat with the people she loved, to live an ordinary life.

She would have wanted to do all the things people take for granted—study, take exams, and enjoy a little rebellious fun afterward.

Everything that people would enjoy in life, Kotone had wanted for herself.

My vision blurred.

“Why…?”

I took Koko’s arm in mine.

She let herself be held so easily. She could have pulled away if she wanted, but she didn’t, perhaps because she had neither the strength nor the will.

I tried to imagine Kotone growing older.

I couldn’t.

Kotone was simply Kotone. She couldn’t be replaced by anyone. Not even by Koko, who resembled her so closely.

That was why everyone was crying.

Yuka embraced Koko.

“Ugh…”

Koko’s hand gripped Yuka as if to push her away, but then she let her arms drop.

She seemed so lost, not knowing what to do, and it was pitiful.

What should I do?

For Koko, Kotone had been a beacon in life just by being by her side.

Could Yuka be that? Or was it just arrogance to think so?

In the end, sobs escaped from between my lips.

The girl who had done nothing wrong, who had simply wanted to live, who had only lived her best—

In the end, I would have to accept her death.

I would have to witness the proof of her life slowly fading.

We would all grow up, become adults, and eventually move on.

I didn’t want that.

I didn’t want to think about it, but in the end, it would happen.

For everyone here.

And I hated that.

I even hated myself for thinking that way.

“How could I… How could I…”

The words I had whispered alone at home slipped out again.

“How… How…”

“...Ugh…”

Koko’s cries echoed in my ears.

Yuka lifted her head.

The coffin where Kotone lay was visible.

So close, yet the thought that she couldn’t rise and greet me was unbearably painful.

With no strength left in her legs, Yuka eventually sank to the floor with Koko in her arms.

Chapter 182. Things You Should Never Do at a Funeral (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Koko looked exhausted.

I worried that she hadn’t eaten again this time. Although it wasn’t as bad as last time, her face still looked pale.

… I don’t want to lose anyone else.

I’d already lost Kotone twice, so losing Koko too would be unbearably cruel.

Even if Yuka was at the heart of it all—even if she could never be forgiven.

Yuka hugged Koko tightly.

In Yuka’s arms, Koko just sniffled helplessly, seemingly at a loss for what to do. Her limp hand, which had been weakly hitting Yuka, hung down.

Feeling a bit more weight on her shoulders, it seemed Koko didn’t even have the energy left to sit up.

“I’m sorry.”

Yuka whispered softly.

She had no intention of making excuses. Even if she had saved the world, Kotone was gone.

She didn’t know if things would ever be okay again, but she wanted to protect at least Koko.

One day, when she met Kotone again, she didn’t want to be so shameless that she couldn’t even look her in the eye.

She thought back to Kotone’s last words.

The things Kotone had wanted to do.

But hadn’t been able to.

If she did those things, one by one, with Koko, would that make Kotone happy?

Would Koko find happiness?

It would be a tremendously difficult task.

It would probably take a very long time for Koko to forgive her or for her to make Koko happy.

But there was no other way.

Yuka owed her too much.

Though she had no right to represent all those who survived, she still wanted to repay as much as she could as a friend.

“I’m sorry, Koko.”

Hugging Koko, who was crying endlessly, Yuka closed her eyes tightly and spoke.

“Uu…”

Koko made a small sound.

“I’m sorry…”

Yuka could only apologize again and again.

---

Kagami didn’t say a word.

In some ways, Kagami might have been the person who least belonged in that place.

How must others have seen her?

Did they see her as a mother who refused to acknowledge her daughter’s death and endured it all, only to hold a funeral now?

Perhaps that was correct in a way.

She hadn’t accepted it, had forced her to live again, and ultimately ended up killing her twice.

She couldn’t even cry.

Though the person who had stabbed Kotone had come, ultimately it was Kagami herself who had left her vulnerable to that stab.

… If only Kotone hadn’t been born into such a family, she wouldn’t have had to die like that.

If only she hadn’t been manipulated by her older sister.

If only she hadn’t given birth to Kotone in the first place.

Kagami knew such thoughts were irrational.

Had Kotone not been born, Kagami and Kotone would never have met at all. Even if Kagami had married an ordinary man and had a child, she still wouldn’t have met Kotone.

At least, they wouldn’t have hurt each other.

Staring blankly at Kotone lying in her coffin, Kagami sank deep into thought.

In the end, who had that time been for?

Even if the world was ending, she had wanted to be together until the final moment. Why had she thought that way?

Perhaps it was because they hadn’t known each other well enough.

Maybe she had just wanted to talk a little with someone who was the first person she’d ever cared for.

But that time had passed.

Kotone had risked her life to save the world. Until the very end, she tried to save even one more person. The lack of casualties in a world where everything had ended was proof of that.

Had Kagami been included in that?

Had Kotone been forced to save her as well, or had she actually thought of Kagami among those she’d wanted to save? She still didn’t know.

They hadn’t shared enough conversations to figure that out.

But—

She knew that her life was one owed.

It was a part of the world that Kotone had fought to protect, suffering until her last moment.

… Even if she didn’t know exactly what she should do or how to live from here on out, she knew she had to make it meaningful.

Though she hadn’t learned how to do that, she knew she had to try.

“…Ah.”

In the end, a sound slipped from her mouth.

Holding back tears was difficult.

What was the point of crying now?

In the end, Kotone had suffered because of Kagami.

She couldn’t even use the word “mother” to describe herself. And yet, it was impossible to sever that bond.

Even if she wanted to deny it, she couldn’t.

In the end, Kagami slumped forward.

She put her hands on the ground, gritted her teeth, and cried.

What should she do?

Was it okay to live on like this?

She hadn’t done anything for Kotone. Until just recently, she hadn’t even intended to; even after they’d spoken, she had seen her more as someone to be wary of than family.

She had stalled, delayed, and delayed, ultimately doing nothing.

Before coming here, she had visited the room where Kotone and Koko had lived.

Finding something Kagami had given her there was incredibly difficult.

The rice cooker Kotone had used was a gift from her boss. Almost all the furniture in the house was from Yuuki’s family, and even the blankets were from them.

Kotone had bought what she needed with her part-time earnings.

… The only things Kagami had ever bought for her were a few heating supplies.

When there had been nothing in the house, how had Kotone gotten by? Kagami didn’t even know that.

Without a bookshelf, Kotone might have just stacked her books in a corner of the room, worn her school uniform because she had no other clothes, and slept on the bare floor without a blanket.

Thinking she didn’t deserve to call Kotone her daughter, she had left her in a place with nothing.

Was she someone who could be called “mother”?

Maybe the attempt to revive her had only been for Kagami’s own satisfaction.

—I’d said that if she came back, I’d call her by something other than her name.

What had I intended to say?

Kagami would probably never know the answer to that question.

The thought of it left a hollow feeling, as if there were a gaping hole in her chest.

“What…am I supposed to do now?”

How…should I live?

Should I just go on, empty and without purpose, because I can’t bring myself to die?

Having lived her entire life that way, finding an answer was all the more difficult for Kagami.

… Strangely, Kotone, who was so much younger, had seemed to know the answer.

---

Inside her ears, there was a vague, muffled sensation as if underwater.

She had seen this scene before.

Water filled the ground up to her ankles. She couldn’t see into the water. It only reflected the surroundings like a mirror.

The sky was filled with stars, as if they were about to rain down. Not only were the stars twinkling, but a colorful universe, the kind seen only in illustrations or photos, spread out above.

“….”

This was the sight I had seen the first time I died.

When I turned my head, there was an open door, just as I had seen back then.

A cat sat in front of the door.

“Meow.”

The cat sitting by the door meowed, as if to welcome me.

I started walking toward it.

This time, for real, would be the last.

If I climbed those stairs, the world of dreams would be there.

Perhaps I would wait for those left behind in that place, or maybe in a place far beyond.

It had been a brief time. So short that it felt regretfully fleeting.

I couldn’t forget the last image of Yuka that I’d seen.

Yuka had been crying.

She’d struggled to smile for me, but she was crying.

We had shared our dreams and things we’d wanted to do.

I had truly wanted to do those things.

There had been so much we could have done there. Though now I would never get the chance.

I was saddened by the fact that I hadn’t been able to leave final words for Koko and Kagami.

They would probably suffer over it for the rest of their lives.

When we met again someday, I wouldn’t know how to comfort them.

And, all the other people I’d known.

There were so many people I hadn’t said goodbye to. Most would learn of my death quite suddenly.

The shock would be tremendous.

I felt truly sorry for what I’d done to them.

There hadn’t really been another way, though.

“Why do you look like that?”

As I got closer, Kuro asked that question.

The expression was like she was genuinely curious.

I’d spent enough time with Kuro that I could read the expressions of a cat, it seemed.

“Well, because I’m sad.”

I replied.

“I still had so many things I wanted to do…”

I let out a bit of a whining sound and closed my mouth.

What was I doing, acting like this in front of a cat at my age? Though Kuro herself claimed to be a god, so maybe it didn’t matter.

“Then why not just do them?”

But those words made me a little angry.

“What? Are you telling me to reincarnate?”

I’d already experienced something like reincarnation once, and I felt I’d had an amazing experience because of it, but to tell someone who had just died to reincarnate and start over was too much.

“…Why would you reincarnate?”

Kuro asked again, with a look of exasperation.

Maybe she meant I should at least enjoy the afterlife a bit.

“…Well, because I died.”

“…”

Kuro stared at me for a moment, then, like explaining numbers to a child for the first time, slowly opened her mouth.

“When you climbed the stairs past that door last time, what did I say that world was?”

“…You said it was the world of dreams, didn’t you?”

“Right. And the world of dreams is the place where the consciousness of the dreamer goes. It’s not impossible to go with a physical body either. And it’s also a place where those who fall into eternal sleep sometimes come. For some, it might be considered the afterlife. But…were you one of those?”

“No, but things are different this time, aren’t they?”

“Are you sure?”

“…”

Kuro looked up at me and said,

“Didn’t your sister say she’d go ‘instead’ of you? Are you just going to die without considering what she said?”

“Huh?”

“That’s right.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

When I quickly turned around, there stood my sister.

She looked a bit different from the last time I’d seen her, cleaner somehow. Maybe it was the outfit I’d seen her wear in our previous lives.

But before I could even ask her about it, she placed her hand on my shoulder.

“What are you trying to die for, you idiot!”

“Hey, wait, hold on!”

A sense of foreboding washed over me, and I shouted.

From beside me, I heard, “Meow.”

Kuro was smiling, with a mischievous expression.

It was the kind of look that made it clear she was planning something serious.

Before I could say anything, my sister suddenly pushed my shoulder hard.

“Well then, I guess this really is goodbye. I hope it takes longer until we meet again next time.”

Without a chance to respond, I opened my eyes.

---

The first thing I heard was the sound of sobbing. It sounded as though someone was calling my name.

Judging by the white light pouring in past my closed eyelids, I seemed to be inside a building. Or it was day outside…no, it felt a little too warm for that.

I didn’t know what I was wearing, but from the scent, it seemed to be incense.

“….”

I was terrified to open my eyes.

Was it…could this be?

Where I lay was oddly soft, and I felt something tickling my bare skin that wasn’t covered by clothes. Was it flowers?

Am I lying inside a coffin right now?

My heart pounded wildly.

My first emotion was joy, but the problem was what came next.

… There was no way I could get up now.

I could hear Yuka, Kagami, and Koko.

All three were sobbing in a way more sorrowful than anything I’d ever heard from them before in my life. The sound was even more desperate because they were struggling to hold back their feelings.

The last time I’d heard anything like this was at my sister’s funeral.

Maybe it was a cultural difference, but back then, people didn’t bother to hide their emotions and openly cried.

Lying there unable to time my movements, I seriously considered what I should do.

Should I just go back to sleep?

Should I go find Kuro and beg her to take me back? Hearing them cry like this, I felt like maybe that would be the polite thing to do.

…

No, that would be problematic.

I wanted to live. I’d meant it when I said it.

Of course, right now, I wanted nothing more than to jump out of this coffin and hug Yuka and Koko tightly.

Thinking that made my heart pound once again.

And then—

Suddenly, my vision went dark.

Was the lid of the coffin closing?

Oh, wait!

Thunk.

As I tried to sit up quickly, my head slammed into the coffin lid.

Holding my forehead with my hand and groaning, the light flooded back in.

Squinting against the sudden brightness—

I saw the faces of people.

Particularly Kagami, Yuka, and Koko, who were closest, their features the easiest to make out.

Each of them had an expression I couldn’t quite describe.

…

For a very brief moment, my brain went into overdrive, processing the situation at several hundred times its usual speed, and I quickly reached a conclusion.

Alright.

Run first.

Think later.

I shot up and leaped out of the coffin.

I saw the faces of the people who had come to pay their last respects to me.

Taking advantage of the moment they all stepped back in surprise, I ran.

With all my strength.

I heard my name being called behind me, along with the sound of people rushing out.

…

Now that I think about it, this might have been the wrong choice.

---

The funeral continued in a heavy atmosphere.

It was quite different from a funeral held at a temple.

Perhaps you could call it a Kurosawa-style funeral; with only two family members left to represent Kotone, it felt desolate.

There were no Buddhist chants.

Only a mother sitting in front of the coffin in silence.

Kagami, who had been sitting stiffly for hours, eventually collapsed forward.

After holding back her sobs and taking several deep breaths, she finally rose to her feet.

All eyes in the room focused on Kagami.

Everyone present had some idea of what kind of relationship she had with Kotone.

Whether they knew the whole truth or not, everyone would agree that Kagami…was not a typical mother.

But at least now, her expression was that of a mother grieving the loss of her daughter.

They couldn’t keep Kotone lying here forever.

Those who left had to leave.

Even without a temple or Buddhist chants, a grave still needed to be prepared.

When Kagami moved toward the coffin, some adults, who had been watching from a slight distance, hurried forward.

They closed the coffin lid—

Thunk.

—But as they lifted it, there was a sound from inside.

The adults near the coffin exchanged glances.

Kagami had a slightly blank expression.

Kagami, Yamashita, Fukuda.

Then Yuka, and two members of Yuka’s family, who had arrived a bit later.

These were all people who had directly or indirectly understood who Kotone was.

Especially Kagami, who had personally resurrected Kotone.

“…”

Could it be?

A fleeting thought crossed Kagami’s face.

Her expression wasn’t explicit.

It was a barely perceptible flicker of her eyebrows, mingling resignation and sorrow.

The tremor also affected Yuka and Koko, who were nearby.

Both of them were looking at Kagami.

Kagami steadied herself.

Perhaps Kotone’s body had just shifted on its own. They hadn’t lifted the coffin yet, but they had jostled it a bit.

If that was the case, they should at least adjust her position.

It might seem meaningless to reposition the body now that the soul had departed.

Once the cremation was done, it would truly be meaningless.

But still. She felt uneasy.

Seeing Kagami’s face, others seemed to agree that it was worth checking, so they opened the coffin.

And there—

“…”

Kotone was inside, clutching her forehead with both hands.

Blinking against the sudden brightness, Kotone looked dazed as she met the gaze of the people staring into the coffin.

“…”

Silence.

It was a silence so light that any substance weighed against it would be heavier.

The seconds that passed felt like an eternity.

Kotone, having apparently processed the situation, acted decisively.

She shot up from the coffin.

As the people around her stepped back in shock, Kotone used the opportunity to break into a run.

Wearing a white shroud.

“…Kotone?”

Someone muttered.

“Kotone!”

Others called out urgently.

“…What?”

“What is—?”

Some people were still too stunned to grasp the situation.

Naturally, that made sense.

The first person to start running after Kotone was Koko.

With tears streaming down her face, it was hard to tell if Koko was crying or smiling as she chased her.

There was no time to think about whether she had a reason for not using her powers—

“Wait, Koko, Kotone?!”

Yuka, who had been beside her, jumped up in surprise and followed after them in a hurry.

Then Shii. And Sasaki, who had been standing beside Shii.

Kagami, who had been frozen, let out a strange scream and then finally started running. The subtle atmosphere that usually surrounded her had completely disappeared.

A crowd of people rushed after them.

Wearing a white shroud, her face flushed red, Kotone, the deceased, ran as fast as she could.

And in black funeral attire, people with a mix of tear-streaked and smiling faces chased after her.

Even after they ran outside the house where the funeral was held, the chase continued for quite some time.

It wasn’t until Koko threw herself at Kotone from behind, locking her arms around her and rolling down the street five times that they finally came to a stop.

Yuka then tackled them, pressing them down as Kagami ran over.

Then, Shii and the others joined in.

The adults, though, didn’t go as far as to throw themselves onto the ground. Most of them just stood there with dazed expressions, barely understanding the situation.

But Kotone’s friends—

Regardless of whether they had a full grasp of the situation or not, without exception—

Held onto Kotone tightly.

To keep her from escaping any further.

Kotone’s face flushed with an unavoidable blush as she was held tightly, unable to move.

Chapter 183. Things You Should Never Do at a Funeral (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

My body felt heavy, and it was extremely hard to breathe because of Koko’s arm tightly squeezing my waist.

More than that, though, I was more worried about my face.

It felt like my face had been burned.

I heard that a human body starts to cook when its temperature goes up by only a few degrees from normal, and maybe that’s what was happening.

My face was so flushed with blood that the temperature alone could have left burns on my skin…

On second thought, it wasn’t just my face. My whole body felt hot.

The thought that it was purely from embarrassment made the situation feel even more humiliating.

Honestly, it would be better if Koko squeezed me hard enough to knock me out.

That way, I’d at least wake up in a situation better than having been caught running away in funeral attire.

“Kotone!”

With my forehead pressed to the asphalt, I struggled to avoid being flipped over, but Koko wouldn’t let me stay like that.

My body suddenly flipped to the side.

The others who had pinned me down had stepped back, leaving only Koko, Yuka, and Kagami close by.

Whether they were sitting or standing, they were still looking down at me.

"……."

Their gazes stung.

Thankfully, they weren’t filled with contempt or anger.

Most of them looked shocked or amused, like they’d cried so hard they’d ended up laughing.

But then again… some of them still had no idea what was going on with me.

“Kotone!”

Before I could process any further, Koko’s face suddenly filled my vision.

As cute as Koko looked, it was honestly kind of scary.

She was smiling brightly, though.

Koko seemed convinced that I was really me. She didn’t seem to suspect I might be the remnants of Nirlass or something.

But then, when I felt my heart pounding, my thoughts changed.

My body was still somehow connected to Koko’s. The last stab had been to Nirlass’s body.

So of course, the remaining part would be the one used to revive me.

With each thumping beat of my heart, I felt how happy Koko was, her emotions coming straight through.

As I slowly sat up, Koko backed off a little.

I settled down on the ground and faced her.

Her eyes were red.

Those eyes had been crying until just now. The skin around them was puffy, and her complexion was pale. Had she not been eating properly?

As I was worrying about her, my vision went black again. Koko’s hair had fallen over my face.

Her arms squeezed me tightly. She was hugging me.

The weather was cold, so Koko’s high body temperature came through to me clearly.

"……."

And that warmth made it feel real that I had come back.

I slowly moved my arms and hugged Koko back.

This was a body identical to my own. The body I thought I’d never see again was trembling slightly.

Koko had buried her face in my shoulder and was crying.

Maybe because my body was receiving Koko’s feelings, or maybe just because I was happy myself.

I, too, suddenly felt like crying.

I knew that I’d hurt everyone here deeply. Given what I’d just done, maybe I wasn’t the one who should be crying here.

But somehow, I felt a rush of relief and ended up bawling.

Someone else put a hand on Koko and me. Was it Yuka? Or maybe Kagami, who was sitting nearby? It didn’t matter.

The feeling of being held tightly as though welcoming me back felt good.

Ah, I see.

I was afraid, too.

When I met Kuro, I acted calm, like I’d come to terms with everything, but I really did want to live.

Even in my past life, when I acted like I’d given everything up, I still wanted to live.

There were so many things I wanted to do alive.

The things I’d said at the very end, and the things I hadn’t managed to say.

All of them.

And so, for a long time, I cried in their arms like a child.

*

After shedding endless tears and blowing my nose countless times, someone suggested, “Let’s get something to eat.” I wasn’t sure who had said it, but we ended up going to a nearby restaurant.

Since it was late at night, we naturally ended up at a family restaurant.

Even though I was still a bit dazed from crying so much, I couldn’t help but think, ‘This is a strange group.’

I hadn’t had a chance to change out of my funeral clothes.

Since Koko was clinging to me, I couldn’t change.

The once-white funeral clothes had become dirty from rolling on the ground.

The few people inside the restaurant couldn’t help but turn and stare at us.

And that was enough to jolt me back to reality.

At the very front of the group stood a girl in a soiled funeral outfit. Her face looked deathly pale, as if she’d just returned from the grave.

Beside her stood another girl dressed in black, looking like a mourner, and who looked just like her.

On either side were also people dressed in black, one an adult who looked similar to the girls and another a girl of the same age, her hair tied neatly back.

And that wasn’t all. Behind them were a whole group of people dressed as mourners.

Among them, even our homeroom teacher, Ms. Suzuki, was there, still confused by the situation!

“K-Kagami.”

Realizing the situation, I quickly looked up and called her name.

Kagami looked down at me.

She was smiling.

She was smiling, but the atmosphere around her felt like she was incredibly angry.

I swallowed nervously and opened my mouth.

“So… maybe it would be better if we… went back… there?”

I wasn’t sure where “there” was. The place where the funeral was held was somewhere I’d never seen before, and I could barely remember it.

After frantically running, I hadn’t had the presence of mind to take in my surroundings, but I knew I’d never been to this restaurant before.

Kagami just looked at me without saying anything.

Then she gave me a slow, thin smile.

I shuddered.

I turned to the side.

“There wouldn’t have been anything to eat there.”

Really?

If it were a Korean funeral, there would at least have been spicy beef soup.

Though, of course, it was a Japanese funeral, so maybe it wasn’t that there was no food, but just that we were too busy to notice.

Besides, it would’ve been a little strange for me to eat spicy beef soup at my own funeral.

……

Yuka’s stiff expression was as scary as Kagami’s smiling face, so I didn’t argue further.

“…Hungry.”

And with that, I couldn’t say anything else.

To be honest, I was hungry too.

Now that I had calmed down, my stomach growled. I wasn’t sure if it was because of Koko’s influence or just that I hadn’t eaten for days.

In the end, we took up a corner of the family restaurant.

There were a few seating options.

One was a four-person booth like you’d see in American TV shows.

The other was a long, eight-person table, meant for a big family.

I headed toward the four-person booth without hesitation, but someone grabbed my collar.

Not that they needed to, since I couldn’t move without Koko moving anyway.

Yuka, the one who grabbed me, dragged me to the eight-person table.

Koko sat on my left, and Kagami sat on my right.

Across from me was Yuka. And next to her was Yuu.

The other empty seats quickly filled with Shii, Fukuda, and Mako, and before I knew it, the table was full.

Even Kaoru had dragged over a chair from the next table to join us, which seemed to prompt Izumi to do the same.

I was completely surrounded.

…Would I even know if the food went into my mouth or my nose?

Even more people were gathering around the once-eight-person table, now expanded to fit ten.

It was like a funeral was being held at this family restaurant.

My own funeral.

What am I supposed to do about this, really?

I broke into a cold sweat, staring down at the table.

*

By the time I realized it, a hamburger steak had been set in front of me, though I couldn’t even remember what I’d ordered.

All sorts of other dishes had appeared in front of the others too.

We began our meal in an awkward, heavy silence.

The atmosphere felt so much like a real funeral that I felt like I should say something, but—

—what was I supposed to say?

The street would’ve been better. At least back there, it was a little heartwarming, but here, it felt like a post-mortem hearing.

Besides, some of my friends here were aware of the supernatural, while others were not.

I glanced at Mako.

She was mechanically eating fries, her glasses slightly crooked, looking as dazed as Fukuda next to her.

Everyone was eating, so I cautiously picked up my knife and fork.

Then I looked around.

All eyes were on me.

Was this some kind of test?

As if to say, zombies don’t eat food, so let’s see if you can eat?

I slowly cut the hamburger steak. It cut easily.

I put a piece, topped with a fried egg, into my mouth and tasted the rich flavor of the meat.

It was cooked perfectly, and even though it was ground meat, it had a satisfying texture.

It was delicious.

It was delicious, but this wasn’t the kind of atmosphere where I could openly say so.

On my right, Kagami was still smiling.

On my left… Koko was eating the same thing, but she kept glancing up at me after each bite, so if I turned my head, our eyes met.

Yuka was staring at me with her usual blank expression.

And the others were all looking at me, too, some sneaking glances, others staring openly.

“…Um.”

This was a lot of pressure.

But I was the one who had to say something in this situation.

After all, it was my actions that had led to this.

What should I say?

"Surprise!" might make them lose all faith in me.

And besides, that wasn’t even the truth. I didn’t want to lie in this situation.

But the words that finally came out of my mouth were pathetically simple.

I carefully put down my fork and knife.

There was still food left on my plate.

I wanted to finish it all right away, but I held back and forced my sluggish mind to come up with the first thing I should say.

“…I’m sorry.”

Yes, that was the first thing I needed to say.

Everyone here had worried about me in some way, so of course, apologizing was the right thing to do.

Whether they knew I wasn’t exactly human or even if they didn’t know that I fell outside the typical definition of human, they had thought I was dead.

It felt a bit unfair, but… fine.

It wasn’t their fault. That was all thanks to that mischievous cat in the sky.

I bowed my head.

“I’m really sorry for worrying you.”

I sneaked a glance around.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt the atmosphere soften a little after I said that.

There was still silence, but it felt a little better than the sound of only clinking cutlery.

“…Indeed.”

Kagami spoke slowly, either because her guard had lowered or she was feeling a bit calmer.

“Sometimes, people who seem dead come back to life.”

The kids at the table shifted their attention to her.

I let out a small sigh.

“There are various reasons. Someone might recover after a brief heart attack or stop breathing but still have brain activity.”

Kagami continued with a smile on her lips.

“So it seems we made the right decision. If we’d made a mistake, you might have ended up in a coffin, headed straight for cremation.”

"……."

Wait, is she not actually feeling better?

It definitely sounded like she was angry.

“I think I heard about that somewhere too.”

Yuka nodded, agreeing with Kagami.

“People who are pronounced dead but then wake up later… I’ve heard of cases like that. In some Western country, someone was buried alive, and when they dug up the coffin later, they found scratch marks inside.”

"……."

Are… they really glad?

They hugged me so tightly just a bit ago, so I think they’re happy… at least I hope they are.

Yuka glanced at me.

Seeing my pale face, she stuck her tongue out slightly.

I felt a bit reassured.

“That’s… really how it is?”

Mako asked blankly, and Fukuda tilted her head beside her.

Yuu sat with a deeply uncertain expression, looking at Kagami.

“I think I’ve heard of that, too.”

Kaoru chimed in.

“Maybe I read about it in a magazine or something?”

That actually sounded like something she might have read.

It wasn’t unusual for that magazine to contain strange stories.

I think… I might’ve read something like that myself.

“Yes, I think I read that somewhere too.”

“Y-yes! It must be something like that! That’s a relief, Senpai!”

Izumi quickly agreed, and Shii nodded vigorously.

I couldn’t say anything to them.

They were desperately making excuses on my behalf, so I didn’t want to interrupt.

If I spouted nonsense, things might turn out even worse than if I’d run away earlier.

"Nn?"

Koko, sitting next to me, tilted her head and made a sound that nearly stopped my heart.

But thankfully, she didn’t say anything for the rest of the meal.

*

“So…”

Before we parted ways, Ms. Suzuki looked at me with a deeply uncertain expression.

“Are you planning to return to school?”

She seemed unsure if this was even the right question to ask.

Well, I was still in funeral clothes, after all.

And there are few people in this world who know what to say to someone who’s come back from the dead.

“…Yes, as soon as I can.”

I was extremely worried about what might happen if I returned to school.

But I had no intention of dropping out.

“Alright, then.”

Ms. Suzuki looked at me for a moment, then said,

“We’ll talk about this properly later. Alright?”

That was a comforting suggestion.

Even if I had to make up a story, it had to be one where others could believe.

And I’d have to keep the story consistent.

If I gave different answers to each person who asked, they’d think something was strange.

Coming back to life was strange enough.

“Make sure to take your daughter to the hospital.”

After saying she’d leave, Ms. Suzuki turned to Kagami and added that with a serious expression.

It seemed she’d been a bit late in calling an ambulance earlier, which the adults around her had stopped her from doing.

Mr. Yamashita and Ms. Miura had at least known the situation, so I’d avoided being carted off to the hospital.

“Yes, we’ll do that.”

Kagami replied with a smile, placing both hands on my shoulders.

Having someone standing right behind me was oddly unsettling.

And Kagami’s expression had been strange since earlier.

Ms. Suzuki’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Kagami.

Maybe she thought this was some abusive stunt Kagami had pulled?

Her hand holding her phone twitched as though she’d call the police immediately, but after taking another look at me, she sighed deeply.

Apparently, she didn’t want to make that call, considering my condition.

Ms. Suzuki alternated her gaze between Kagami and me, then asked,

“Is it okay if I contact you?”

She would likely assume something was wrong if I didn’t respond.

I nodded.

“Please don’t worry.”

Hearing that, Ms. Suzuki’s lips curved into a faint smile.

It was a weak smile, showing her fatigue.

“I’ll get in touch.”

With that, she turned away.

And before I could even think, my vision was blocked by hair.

It was Mako.

I felt a sense of déjà vu.

However, the feeling was slightly different from when Koko had jumped at me.

Unlike Koko’s tight hug, Mako’s hug was softer, a bit hesitant.

"……."

Mako didn’t say anything grand.

“It’s… really a relief.”

That’s all she said.

And hearing those words made me feel relieved, too.

She must have been through a lot.

Kagami, who had placed her hand on my shoulder, sensed the moment and took it away.

Mako stepped back.

Tears were spilling down her face again.

“Whatever happened, I’m so glad.”

“...Yes, I feel the same.”

Really, I’m glad.

I’m so glad I could come back.

Chapter 184. Things You Should Never Do at a Funeral (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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"When are you coming back to school?"

Mako's voice was still broken with sobs every time she spoke, so Fukuda, who was beside her, asked on her behalf.

"As soon as possible."

I replied.

I meant it.

I never thought I'd say that I actually missed going to school, but honestly, I really wanted to go back.

I didn’t miss the classes themselves, but I missed the relaxed atmosphere and the after-school club activities.

"If I can go back starting tomorrow, I will."

"Why not take a little rest first? Is your body okay?"

"I'm fine."

Considering I hadn't moved in so long, I should have felt stiff and sore, but I didn’t.

Maybe because this wasn’t an ordinary body.

Though, I was hungry.

"I see."

Fukuda stared at me for a moment.

Then she looked over at Kagami.

"What?"

"Nothing, really."

Fukuda tilted her head as she spoke.

"It’s just… nothing."

Why did she respond so cryptically?

Surely, she's not still thinking about whether I could be her sister, right?

I glanced over at Fukuda's father, who was smiling, which made me feel a little uneasy.

"I’d love to celebrate our reunion today, but I guess that would be difficult. You just woke up, and it might be awkward for everyone to gather in one place."

Fukuda glanced up at the apartment building.

We’d returned to the apartment where I used to live. There were plenty of rooms at the house where the funeral was held, but since it had been uninhabited for a long time, it was… overly gloomy.

It didn't seem like Kagami wanted to stay there, either.

"Let's plan to hang out next time."

"…Sure."

I nodded, smiling slightly in response to Fukuda’s words.

"Let's have a proper conversation next time."

After watching Mako and Fukuda wave and walk away, Yuu approached me quietly and said those words.

Then, before I could answer, she followed after them.

Mr. Yamashita looked at me with a somewhat complicated expression before turning away.

"You ended up not coming to work for quite a while."

The boss spoke in a calm tone, though there was a slight nasally quality to her voice.

"…I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. You had your reasons."

I guess I was dead for quite some time.

Even in winter, my body shouldn’t have remained intact this long. It’s not like it’s freezing all the time, even in winter.

"Start working again from next week."

"Yes."

I nodded at the boss's words. She seemed a bit relieved and finally allowed herself a faint smile.

"I was so shocked~"

Miki suddenly jumped in front of me.

"What’s all this today? A surprise?"

I mean, a surprise wouldn't really be appropriate for something like this.

But it was a bit awkward to go into detail, so I just kept quiet.

After the boss and her sister left, Kaoru and Izumi came over.

"I even bought bread and left it on your desk."

"…."

Oh, that.

I’d seen it in movies or dramas, where students leave things on the desk of a deceased classmate.

"Did you eat it in the afterlife?"

"…No."

As if I would.

I didn’t even know there was anything left there.

"Hmm, can people in the afterlife not eat food left on altars?"

I figured such offerings were more for the living than for those in the afterlife.

In a world where ghosts and such exist, it seemed like a plausible idea, but unfortunately, I hadn’t been a ghost, so I couldn’t answer that question.

Besides, what kind of question is that for someone who just came back to life?

As I looked at her incredulously, Kaoru jumped at me.

She hugged me tightly.

It wasn’t as intense as Koko’s hold, but it was still a solid embrace.

"Welcome back. Really."

"…."

Izumi, who was beside her, started sniffling again.

"We'll be waiting in the Literature Club room. Let's start working on this year's magazine a bit earlier. This time, we'll make it even better than last year!"

Wasn’t she a senior this year?

Even if I told her not to, she’d still do it with confidence, so mentioning it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

"See you at school."

That was all Izumi could say.

Kaoru patted Izumi on the back as they turned to leave. Izumi waved at me several times, looking back.

…I really should go to school tomorrow. If I don’t, they’ll probably worry that something happened to me. Izumi, and my homeroom teacher too.

Even as everyone was saying goodbye, there was one person who lingered behind.

I looked at Shii.

"Senpai."

Shii wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Seeing her red, swollen eyes made my heart ache.

I wanted to blame the circumstances that led to this, but I realized that I was the only one to blame, which made it harder to bear.

Not knowing what to do for Shii as she cried, I simply reached out and patted her shoulder.

"…I’ll buy you ramen next time."

In an incredibly foolish moment, that’s what I came up with.

Shii gave a small laugh, showing it had helped at least a little.

Teasing her about laughing while crying would only make things worse, so I nodded seriously.

"Promise."

Not that I hadn’t been treating her all the time anyway.

Unable to respond with words, Shii just nodded firmly.

I looked at Sasaki, who stood next to Shii. Understanding the meaning of my gaze, he approached Shii.

"Shii."

"Yes, brother."

Shii waved at me. I waved back.

"…."

Hagiwara and Nakahara stood a little further away.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward between them.

Nakahara didn’t have much connection to me, so it wasn’t too awkward, but Hagiwara…

When I gave a slightly stiff wave, they both waved back.

Hagiwara even bowed her head slightly toward me. Considering she was my senior, this gesture probably meant she knew a little about what happened that day.

I might have to hear her side of the story when there’s time later.

After seeing off the last group of people, only I, Koko, Kagami, Yuka, and Yuka's family remained.

"Yuka."

Yuka's grandfather spoke.

"…I’ll stay here tonight."

"Oh my."

Kagami reacted as if she’d been waiting for Yuka’s response.

"We were planning to spend time together as a family today."

"…."

Yuka glanced at Kagami.

Family… huh?

I looked up at Kagami too.

"You’re staying here tonight?"

As I glanced back and forth between Yuka and Kagami, they both looked at me like I was speaking nonsense.

"There’s a lot we need to talk about. Besides, no one knows what might happen tonight."

No one knows what might happen… Was she implying I’d suddenly disappear again?

Well, I couldn’t argue.

After all, as soon as I revived, I had encouraged Yuka to stab me. It would make sense if that left some trauma for her.

Even though it was a funeral, Yuka wasn’t carrying her usual sword today.

"Stay the night?"

Yuka aside, Kagami reacted as if she couldn’t believe what I’d said.

"Isn’t it only natural for family to live together?"

Yuka’s words didn’t surprise me, but Kagami’s comment was a bombshell.

"What?"

"Remember whose name is on this house’s deed?"

Not that it mattered if I remembered or not.

I stared up at Kagami, but before I could say anything, she was already heading toward the house.

"Kotone."

Koko tugged on my sleeve.

"Kagami’s been living with us since then."

I gaped, dumbfounded, at Koko's words.

"She’s gotten better at cooking."

She even added that part as if she was pleased.

When I looked at Yuka, she shrugged her shoulders.

"Kotone."

While I was left with a strange feeling, watching Kagami climb up to the second floor, Yuka’s grandfather spoke to me.

"I’m sorry."

"Pardon?"

"When Yuka said she wanted to bring you back, I was against it."

"…."

"I only focused on one side of the prophecy and trusted it completely."

"…Well, that’s how prophecies are."

Even in Greek and Roman mythology, it’s clear.

Once you know about it, you can’t escape it even if you want to. Prophecies are annoying concepts.

The Kudan I met back then was quite gentlemanly and even pitiful, so I feel a bit sorry for saying this… but honestly, I hope I never meet Kudan again in this life.

If I hear another prophecy like that, I won’t have a clue how to handle it.

"Can I leave Yuka in your care?"

Yuka’s father, who was beside her grandfather, asked.

He looked genuinely remorseful. More precisely, he looked ashamed.

I slowly nodded.

"…Yes."

Well, Yuka staying over for a night wasn’t unusual.

Yuka grinned brightly at my answer.

Her grandfather gently patted my shoulder before exchanging goodbyes with Yuka and turning to leave.

"Let’s go."

With that, Yuka entered the house ahead of Koko and me.

"Let’s go, Kotone!"

Koko pulled on my sleeve. Her grip was so strong that I ended up moving forward, almost dragged along.

So, I returned home.

A bit weary, a little worn out.

But a place that I’d grown so attached to that I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for it.

---

The next day, when I went to school in my uniform, it caused a huge stir.

The kids’ reactions were more intense than I had expected.

Just sitting next to Koko as usual, every girl who entered the class screamed and pressed herself against the wall.

Even the boys couldn’t help but look pale. Well, I really had come back from the dead, after all. The medical report, just like when Koko was registered as my sister, had apparently been handled by Yuka’s family.

The government was probably willing to create forged documents because they still found me useful.

I didn’t know the full details, but it seemed that something huge had happened, and somehow, I was at the center of it all.

About ten minutes before class started, our homeroom teacher, Ms. Suzuki, entered with a big smile.

Since I was officially back in school, I’d gone to the teachers’ office early that morning with Kagami and Koko.

All the teachers looked pale when they saw me, but that didn’t matter. To put it simply, after submitting a medical report explaining my survival, I was recognized again as a living student.

Since Ms. Suzuki already knew, it was no wonder she was in a good mood as she entered the classroom.

"Alright, everyone, please take your seats."

Ms. Suzuki spoke cheerfully to the class.

The kids who’d been pressed against the wall and even those lingering outside the classroom finally returned to their seats, reassured by the teacher’s reaction.

It seemed they’d decided I wasn’t a ghost after all, since Ms. Suzuki looked at me directly.

"Alright, let’s start with an announcement about Kurosawa’s return to our class."

Ms. Suzuki spoke with a slightly serious expression. The students turned their attention to her.

"In the past few days, Kurosawa was in a coma. She was in such a critical condition that she was declared dead at one point. Due to the seriousness of her condition yesterday, it appears a death notice was officially issued. When the first declaration was made, it was believed there was little hope, and the documentation was ambiguous, so we ended up giving you incorrect information. I’m very sorry."

Ms. Suzuki stepped out from behind her desk and bowed slightly to the students.

The classroom became somewhat tense. While it was common for students to apologize to teachers, it wasn’t often that a teacher apologized to students this way.

It must have felt a bit unfair to Ms. Suzuki, but her gesture made her seem like a truly upstanding person.

"Right now, she’s recovered enough to come back to school. Isn’t that right?"

Ms. Suzuki looked at me, and I nodded.

"However, her previous illness remains a mystery. It seems to be a type of genetic disorder, so there may still be occasional health issues. If Kurosawa struggles, please help her out."

I heard the kids murmuring, but there didn’t seem to be any particularly negative comments. I mean, I was friends with Mako, Yuu, and Fukuda. Since they were relatively popular, there was a good chance the others would assume I wasn’t a bad person either.

"Alright."

Seeing that the students didn’t seem to be reacting negatively, Ms. Suzuki smiled as she opened the attendance book.

"Let’s take attendance."

But then, she glanced at me with a mischievous smile.

"Maybe today… we’ll take attendance in a different order?"

Instead of calling the first name on the list as usual—

"Kurosawa Kotone."

She called my name first.

Koko, who was sitting beside me, looked over at me.

She was grinning from ear to ear.

I almost laughed, feeling the urge to join her, but I managed to hold back.

"Here."

But as I answered, I couldn’t completely suppress the smile in my voice.

---

Returning to school was nice, but I couldn’t say I enjoyed the classes.

Each teacher who entered kept staring at me, which was uncomfortable, and it was also a bit challenging to keep up after missing the previous lessons.

It was only a few days, so I could catch up with a bit of effort, but making a “little effort” is harder than it sounds at my age. There are just so many things I’d rather do.

So I decided to delay the effort a bit and headed to the Literature Club room with Koko.

"…."

And there, I encountered a wild koppe pan.

No, on second glance, it wasn’t wild.

A small hole was poked at the end of the koppe pan bag, with a fishing line attached to it.

Once again, it was obviously one of Kaoru’s traps.

Honestly, it felt a bit pathetic to fall for this kind of trap at this point.

I’d seen it several times already, and I was no longer the same Kotone as before.

I wasn’t constantly roaming around in a half-starved state anymore. I’d even had a decent breakfast that could have come straight out of a typical Japanese diner.

Now that I think about it, Kagami seemed to be genuinely learning how to cook, or maybe she’d always been skilled but just hadn’t shown it.

She definitely has a knack for it.

If she were to marry Mr. Fukuda someday, he’d be thrilled.

Anyway, having eaten a full breakfast of grilled salmon and miso soup, I wasn’t weak enough to be tempted by store-bought koppe pan.

Koko seemed a little interested, but when I ignored it, she followed me, disappointed.

Just as we were walking toward the Literature Club room, almost at the door,

I swiftly stepped down on the fishing line.

But as if expecting it, the line flicked to the side, dodging my foot with ease.

As I tried to catch it, the koppe pan was quickly pulled toward me, coming dangerously close to being stepped on.

I hesitated, and in that split second, the koppe pan slipped under my foot and continued forward.

When I barely managed to catch the koppe pan—

"Got you!"

Kaoru, who’d reeled me in with her bait, hugged me happily.

"As expected of my Kotone! Koko always catches it in one go!"

"…."

That was a compliment that left me feeling a little complex.

While Kaoru celebrated, the door to the Literature Club room opened with a creak.

Izumi peeked out and looked at us in exasperation.

"What are you two doing?"

But as soon as she made eye contact with me, she couldn’t hold back a smile.

Izumi quickly covered her mouth, but Kaoru already looked as if she’d found something to tease her about.

"You say that, but who was waiting here for her beloved junior?"

"I-I wasn’t waiting! Why are you making things up?"

It didn’t seem made up, judging by how red Izumi’s face was turning.

I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed.

While Kaoru and Izumi squabbled, I heard footsteps climbing the stairs.

"Hello."

Yuka greeted Kaoru and Izumi.

"Oh, hey!"

"Hi there."

Both greeted her with a smile.

The sight was so peaceful and bright that I narrowed my eyes.

"Alright, let’s head in. Time for club activities."

Though club activities were really just us sitting together, reading books.

"Aren’t you guys seniors this year?"

"Shh."

At Yuka’s comment, Kaoru held a finger to her lips.

"There’s no need to speak of harsh realities. They’ll catch up to us eventually."

Where did she read a line like that?

A horror novel?

Izumi gave a bitter smile, and Yuka shrugged before looking at me.

I shrugged back. Koko, who was beside me, mimicked the motion.

We chuckled as we entered the Literature Club room.

As always.

In a way that I hoped would last forever.

Chapter 185. Epilogue. Sorting out Roles (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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I still don’t call Kagami “Mom.”

I don’t want to… well, actually, it’s just too embarrassing.

Even more so since I once said I wouldn’t just call her “Kagami” anymore. The truth is, I’d made that statement fully prepared to die, so that declaration was more of a bluff.

So even now, I address Kagami without any specific title.

The best way to address someone without a title is simply to avoid speaking to them until they speak first. Not that I avoid her entirely, but I’d say I’ve naturally lowered the frequency of initiating conversations.

I know. This is… kind of a rude method.

But Kagami doesn’t seem to mind.

As always, she waited for me and Koko at our house.

It’s been two weeks since we’ve been living like this.

Now I feel the start of a family connection. Living with Kagami hasn’t been as uncomfortable as I thought.

By the time we come home, she has already filled the bathtub with warm water, and while we take turns washing, she prepares dinner.

Kagami’s cooking skills, which were decent when I got home, have now reached a point where I think, “Maybe if she sold this, people wouldn’t complain.”

It feels a little strange thinking her improvement might be because of me and Koko.

After a leisurely bath and drying myself off, I smelled the dinner Kagami had prepared.

Tonight’s dinner was curry.

“It’s delicious!”

Koko exclaimed with sparkling eyes.

“Meow.”

Kuro paused from eating its food and looked up at the table in response to Koko’s shout.

Maybe it was curious about the curry.

I worried it might jump up, but it soon lowered its head and resumed crunching its food, as if it lost interest.

Kagami looked at Koko with a gentle smile. It was the look of a pleased mother watching a child eat well.

As I put a spoonful of curry and rice in my mouth, I glanced at Kagami.

It seemed the government had no intention of meddling with her.

Kosuzu’s organization had collapsed. Not only was Kosuzu gone, but she had also worn down her members to accomplish her goals, causing her influence to diminish over time.

Kosuzu’s cult wasn’t about money like typical cults. It pursued “true” religious goals, and followers were “truly” willing to give their lives for that purpose.

And, in a sense, that religion even served an existing god. From its leaders to every last follower, each had endured suffering and death with fanatical faith, and they ultimately failed.

It was bound to fall apart.

In contrast, Kagami’s influence remained strong.

The politician who knew Kagami seemed unharmed, and the Yamashita family was still intact.

I don’t know what the future holds, but for now, they seem to have prioritized other issues over dealing with Kagami.

…The frozen time and lack of knowledge on the cause of the incident was a stroke of luck for her.

“Is something on your mind?”

Longing to be called “Mom,” Kagami hadn’t changed her tone with either of us.

“Oh, nothing.”

And I still spoke informally.

From my past life, I’ve never been the type to use formal speech with family.

“…How’s the job situation?”

I thought that asking about my revival would make things awkward, so I just asked this instead.

Honestly, I was a little curious.

In the past, I could just go to where she worked to meet her, but now she doesn’t go there at all.

She doesn’t sneak out while we’re asleep, either. Sometimes, if I wake up at night, I find her sleeping next to me. It seems she hasn’t been running things for at least two weeks.

“Do you want me to go back there?”

She answered my question with a question.

I thought about it for a moment.

While I’d started to see her as family, it was still hard to genuinely think of her as my mother.

So right now, even if she went back to that place, it probably wouldn’t bother me too much.

But—

Kagami was looking at me.

Her eyes, usually half-open, were open wide now.

You could say it was an intrigued or expectant look, but honestly, with Kagami, it felt a bit scary.

“…No.”

I decided to give the answer that seemed like the right one.

Kagami looked pleased. That was a relief.

As I returned my focus to my meal, Kagami spoke again.

“But why did you ask?”

Normally, you’d expect that question to come up first.

If the previous question had been an expectant one with a fixed answer, this time, it seemed she genuinely wanted to know.

“Oh, just. I might go there one day. You never know, right?”

I answered half-heartedly.

It was half a joke, too. The likelihood of me working there is pretty much zero. If I even mentioned it, Yuka would rush over, smack me on the back, drag me out, and put me to work as a shrine maiden.

“….”

But right after I answered, I felt a sticky gaze and turned to see Kagami staring at me, smiling but frozen.

Her expression was a smile, but her aura wasn’t smiling.

“Uu?”

Even Koko, who was happily eating her curry without a care, seemed to feel the odd atmosphere and looked at Kagami.

“It was a joke, just a joke.”

“Is that so?”

As I spoke, Kagami’s atmosphere slowly settled down.

But it didn’t quite return to how it was before.

Hmm.

I shouldn’t say things like that around Kagami.

While I may not see her as my mom, she considers me her real daughter.

If my daughter said something like that, I’d probably react similarly.

A few words came to mind regarding her running that place, but I decided to keep them to myself.

“But I mean… Fukuda, for instance. Isn’t there a lot of people who’d miss that place? It was pretty popular, right?”

“Hmm… Yes, I suppose.”

Kagami paused briefly and then looked at me, saying,

“Are you saying that having a mom isn’t enough and you need a dad too?”

I almost spat out my curry.

“But I hope you’ll settle for this for now. I don’t have any plans to get married just yet.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Though, given that Fukuda-san’s house is spacious, it might be tempting to move in.”

I took a moment to imagine living with the Fukuda family.

Fukuda… would be my sister?

I frowned.

I can’t even call Kagami “Mom.” If Fukuda told me to call her “Sister,” that would be ridiculously awkward.

Not that she’s keen on taking me as a sibling anyway.

Plus, there’s my relationship with Yuu. She seems to be thinking a lot about me, too. We’ve tried to talk more since then, but Kagami and Koko are with me, and Mako and Fukuda are always with Yuu, so having a serious conversation isn’t easy.

“…No, I don’t think you need to worry about that.”

“It’s a relief to hear you say that.”

Would she actually consider getting married if I said I needed it?

Right now, the three of us are enough. It’s more than enough when friends stay over occasionally.

If we keep talking about this, it’ll start getting weird, so I just kept quiet and focused on my food.

*

Sunday morning.

I don’t know how many days a week office workers here work, but students go to school even on Saturdays.

So Sunday is a precious day for me. I stay up late the night before and sleep in until late on Sunday.

Still, I tried to keep a somewhat regular routine before. I had a part-time job, too.

But since Kagami started living with us, money hasn’t been an issue, so I don’t have to work so hard.

Now I work only three days a week on weekdays, which is much more comfortable. I especially love finishing early on Saturdays and having the entire Sunday off.

Kagami’s money still comes from donations from her followers, most of whom are either related to the Yamashita family or are politicians. With the cult’s “goal” crushed, it was becoming impossible for it to remain a cult.

Kagami seems to be pushing for its transition to a legitimate religion. She’s even begun small repairs on the Kurosawa estate.

She may even be preparing for exorcism work. I have no intention of interfering, though.

Back to the point, I was ready to enjoy a nice, relaxed Sunday.

At least, until Kagami shook me awake.

“Ugh?”

Startled, I opened my eyes and let out a dumb sound.

Kagami, as usual with her smiling face, didn’t laugh but said,

“Wake up. We have important plans today.”

Kagami was wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

“Important plans?”

I repeated her words groggily, and Kagami nodded.

Looking again, she was dressed in a white dress.

How should I put it, she looked like she should be having a picnic, holding a cartoonish wicker basket and peacefully eating sandwiches on a green meadow.

Of course, it was the end of January, so it was far too cold for that.

“Today, we’re going on an outing.”

“…Really?”

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. It wasn’t too bright, maybe because my eyes had adjusted while I was sleeping.

“Is today a special day?”

I asked with a drowsy voice.

Japan doesn’t celebrate the lunar New Year like Korea. January 1 on the Gregorian calendar is New Year’s Day here.

“There’s no special day.”

Kagami’s tone was rather serious.

“But it’s a promise I made.”

Her words made me search my mind for any memory of making such a promise with Kagami. No, no matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t remember.

If Kagami had said something like, “Let’s go on an outing,” I wouldn’t have forgotten. It’s such an unusual thing for her to say.

“It’s a promise I made with myself.”

“…”

So she just never told me.

I scratched my head, yawned, and staggered out of bed.

Well, if Kagami insists, I don’t mind. I do like outings myself.

Besides, I owe Kagami a debt. During that final battle, she brought the mirror to me, allowing me to find myself. Although the Sasaki siblings’ blood kept me grounded, without the mirror, I wouldn’t have fully recovered my sense of self.

Getting up, I saw that Koko was still fast asleep.

She was clutching her blanket and had her mouth open—a cute sight.

She really does look just like me.

“The water’s ready.”

Shivering at Kagami’s thoroughness, I went to wash up.

Ignoring the rustling sounds, Kuro was sprawled out in a strange pose on the floor, sleeping.

A bit envious, honestly.

*

Despite claiming we had plans for an outing, Kagami didn’t seem to have a specific place in mind.

Thinking over her intentions, I figured she wanted the “ordinary family day.”

Not a special outing, but the spontaneous sort where someone says, “Hey, let’s go out for a bit.”

We started by walking around our neighborhood.

Though the apartment was in Kagami’s name, she had never explored the area.

I guess I couldn’t really picture Kagami wandering around the neighborhood without a specific purpose.

As we walked, I explained various things to her.

The nearby convenience store, the reasonably priced grocery store. Kagami was already familiar with the grocery store, which was a bit impressive.

For some reason, Koko’s eyes sparkled as I explained places we’d already been to together.

“Shall we go to Tokyo?”

After we circled the neighborhood, Kagami suggested.

Since we left early, we had plenty of time. Koko was in good spirits, and I figured Kuro would be fine at home for a day, so I nodded.

Luckily, the train wasn’t crowded.

Koko, Kagami, and I sat side-by-side, staring blankly out the window—it felt a bit surreal.

How long had it been since I’d felt this?

An adult buys my ticket, and I follow their lead onto the train.

Without having to plan anything myself, I’d just get taken to fun places.

It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Although high schoolers don’t typically experience this—

I glanced at Kagami sitting next to me.

Sensing my gaze, Kagami looked down at me with a proud smile.

She had promised to be a mom.

Naturally, she’d want to try all the things she missed as a mother.

“Wow!”

And next to me was Koko, who still had all the purity of a young child.

Well, to be exact, it’s not that she “kept” her purity; t’s simply who she is. It hasn’t been that long since she became aware of this world.

Koko was sitting on her knees, looking out the window like kids often do, facing the opposite direction of everyone else.

Even though she saw these sights every day, saying, “We’re going on a trip” seemed to make everything look new.

I guess it really did look different. Normally, the train would be packed at this time.

“Koko, sit properly.”

“Aw.”

When I said that, Koko puffed her cheeks a bit in protest but sat down properly.

“…”

Feeling a peculiar gaze, I turned to see Kagami looking at me with a slightly odd expression.

What?

Did she want to say it herself?

She wasn’t puffing her cheeks, but it looked like she wanted to.

She felt… a bit like an overgrown child.

Come to think of it, I wonder if Kagami graduated school? I feel like Kosuzu might have stopped her.

I decided not to ask and risk touching a sore spot.

With that thought, I quietly looked away.

*

We arrived at Odaiba.

I’d visited before alone. Back then, it was scorching hot, but now it’s the exact opposite.

And I’m not alone this time, either.

The winter sea has a charm of its own.

It would’ve felt lonely if I were alone, but it feels different with others beside me.

Sipping.

I took a sip of the can of coffee Kagami bought me. She even chose a warm one on purpose.

In moments like these, I feel like I’m with a real adult.

I know it sounds a bit odd coming from me, but it almost feels like I’m back in my childhood.

“Kotone. Kotone.”

Koko tugged on my arm.

When I looked over, I saw Kagami waving a short distance away. It seemed she’d gone to look for something.

When Koko and I approached her, Kagami said, looking a bit excited,

“Shall we eat something?”

Though it was a bit early for lunch, I didn’t mind.

Today, I planned to go along with whatever Kagami wanted, so I nodded willingly.

With an expression full of joy, Kagami led us to a tonkatsu restaurant that wasn’t particularly special.

At that point, I was certain.

Kagami longed for “normalcy.”

Not that she would openly admit it.

After the shop staff showed us to our seats, Koko and I sat together, and Kagami sat across from us.

Kagami was always smiling, but now I could distinguish the real smile from the fake one. There was a significant difference in naturalness.

The prices were a bit higher than average, and the food was just ordinary.

But it was precisely this ordinariness Kagami most wanted.

For her, it was something she’d never experienced but I had.

“How is it? Is it good?”

Without eating her food, she asked us, her eyes filled with anticipation.

“It’s delicious!”

Koko exclaimed with bright eyes.

“…Yeah, it’s good.”

I replied, smiling despite myself, and only then did Kagami start eating, looking satisfied.

“….”

I watched her briefly, then picked up a piece of tonkatsu with my chopsticks and took a bite.

For some reason, it tasted a bit better than it had at first.

Chapter 186. Epilogue. Sorting out Roles (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Sometimes, even I, who live with her, misjudge Koko’s tastes.

Because her appearance and way of speaking seem somewhat young, I end up mistakenly thinking she’d have a childlike palate.

Not that Koko has especially mature tastes.

To be exact, it’s more accurate to say she’ll eat just about anything.

She even enjoys cat food, which isn’t meant for people. Sometimes, when Kuro is eating, Koko watches with envy.

Although she doesn’t try to snatch Kuro’s food anymore, it still worries me a little, so I bring her something to eat.

"Drinking bitter coffee with sweet treats together, it seems she already knows how to enjoy her food."

When Kagami muttered this, I considered whether or not to correct her.

In the café we visited after a meal, Koko had ordered a coffee and dessert set and was happily eating.

The only reason we came was that I glanced at the price list by the entrance and thought it was decent.

The coffee was freshly brewed by hand, with no sugar added.

People who don’t usually drink coffee enjoy canned coffee, but they’re often surprised by the lack of sweetness when they try unsweetened coffee.

And since Koko is a bit childish, Kagami probably thought she wouldn’t like it either.

Rather than say anything, I just sipped my coffee quietly, and Kagami watched me intently.

"Kotone, you’re drinking it well, too."

"Well, yes."

I used to drink it often in my past life.

With Kagami staring so intently, I felt a bit embarrassed.

There was no mistrust between us anymore. We saw each other as family, in a way. But we still hadn’t completely figured each other out.

If it were Yuka acting like this, I’d sense what was going on, but with Kagami, it’s harder to tell.

“...Want a bite?”

Just in case, I slid my cake toward Kagami.

“Let’s go on a trip.”

But her reply had nothing to do with my offer.

Out of nowhere?

“Oh, I don’t mean we should leave tomorrow or anything.”

Kagami spoke seriously.

It seemed like she’d simply thought of it.

Koko widened her eyes, looking at Kagami.

“What about during the break?”

I thought for a moment.

The next break is at the end of March. Unlike Korea, which divides the school year into two semesters, Japan has a three-semester system, and students move up to the next grade after the spring break ends in early April.

Spring break isn’t very long—barely two weeks before April 7.

“Nothing’s stopping us.”

I nodded.

I might have plans with friends, but I wouldn’t spend the entire ten days just hanging out with them.

Koko’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a trip.

It seemed she was even looking forward to it, having no hesitation about Kagami anymore.

“Do you have a place in mind?”

At my question, Kagami paused in thought.

Her serious expression was a bit amusing.

“Shall we go see the cherry blossoms?”

That’s the time of year when cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

“A trip, though?”

“Living in Saitama, even sightseeing in Tokyo counts as a trip.”

Not such an elaborate plan.

Well, knowing Kagami, she might never have been on a real trip.

If we book a hotel in Tokyo, wander around, and see the cherry blossoms, it could count as a trip.

“Sure.”

I nodded.

Koko nodded as well, looking more excited than me.

Kagami smiled brightly at us.

Her smile made me feel shy for some reason.

---

When we finally got back home after our outing, it was quite late. Having added a dinner stop at a BBQ place, it was well past eight.

We filled the tub with water and took turns bathing.

Recently, Kagami had been dressing casually at home. At first, she felt a bit shy, but as with any habit, it soon became natural.

Shorts and a white T-shirt.

Was she like this before living with us? It’s hard to imagine.

A disheveled Kagami, stumbling home after work, washing up, then lounging around in light clothes while watching TV and munching on peanuts—it’s an odd sight.

In the past, she always seems to be plotting something, 24/7.

Though she doesn’t seem that relaxed yet.

“Aren’t you sitting down?”

I asked, slouching with my lower half tucked under the kotatsu, sprawled out.

Kagami fidgeted, pacing by the doorway between the room and the kitchen.

“Well, there’s something I want to do.”

Kagami answered with a bit of embarrassment.

Did she need to go to the bathroom?

Although we’ve lived together for about two weeks now, that’s not something you say openly.

I used to think Kagami was Nyarlathotep, but now I know she’s just a person. While “ordinary” may not suit her, she is human.

Of course, she uses the bathroom just like anyone else.

Pretending not to notice, I turned my gaze back to the TV. Kuro climbed up and tapped my hand with her paw. I petted her fur gently.

Soon, I heard the sound of water from the bathroom. Kagami moved slightly, and I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye. It was about time for Koko to come out.

Feeling curious, I shifted my gaze.

And in my line of sight—

“Ah!”

Kagami hugged Koko, who had just come out, freshly bathed and in light clothing.

“….”

Is this what she wanted to do?

Maybe she had been planning this since she suggested the outing today.

If Koko or I had shown strong disapproval, Kagami wouldn’t have dared, but the three of us have a reasonably harmonious relationship.

She might have been feeling a bit anxious, as we weren’t getting much closer than we already were.

“Mm?”

Koko looked up at Kagami, who was holding her, then snuggled closer.

Koko doesn’t hug just anyone. In fact, no one has really tested it, but while she appears innocent, she has quite dangerous powers, so trying it would be risky.

Up to now, only people close to me have hugged Koko.

So, in other words…

“Oh…”

Kagami, who looked like she might melt from holding Koko, was now someone Koko considered safe to hug.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Kagami opened one arm and turned toward me.

“…”

I silently turned my gaze back to Kuro.

Kuro squinted and purred.

I could sense a hint of disappointment from Kagami in my peripheral vision... but it feels a little strange.

Somehow, somewhere. Embarrassing.

That night, Kagami didn’t succeed in hugging me.

---

“…”

“…What?”

When Mako, who sits behind me, left for a moment, Fukuda, who sits behind her, stared at me, making me unable to hold back and ask.

“How’s… that person Kagami been doing?”

Fukuda still seemed unsure how to refer to Kagami.

She couldn’t just call her “that woman” since she knew Kagami lived with me, but calling her “mom” also felt awkward, given our relationship.

Fukuda-san and Kagami had met face-to-face.

“…She’s doing fine.”

I told it as it was.

Kagami, living with her daughters, seemed to be finding real joy in life. Sometimes, she was so delighted with the little things I did for her that I felt embarrassed.

“Oh… really?”

At my response, Fukuda crossed her arms, deep in thought.

Her expression looked serious. Well, although she often let go of her serious attitude quickly, I didn’t think she was joking.

“Why?”

But I still felt unsettled enough to ask, seeing as she’d brought up Kagami.

“Oh, well.”

Fukuda sighed deeply.

“Dad asked me to send his regards.”

“…”

Not only I, but Yuu, who sat behind Fukuda, wore a slightly uncomfortable expression.

She was probably thinking the same thing as me.

Though it would be more of an issue for me if that thought came true.

I racked my brain, wondering what to say to keep things from getting weird.

If this were the usual Fukuda, I wouldn’t be this flustered. She’d previously joked about her dad, saying, “How about I become your sister?”

But now, Fukuda looked more serious than ever before.

“Let’s talk during lunch.”

Moreover, it was rare for Fukuda to be this insistent.

Feeling that an annoying topic was about to come up, I couldn’t resist my curiosity and nodded.

---

Lunchtime.

Yuka, entering the literature club room, flinched.

Unlike usual, there were five people in the room.

Myself, Koko, and then Mako, Fukuda, and Yuu.

Since Fukuda and Yuu were coming, it felt odd to leave out Mako. Also, I figured it wouldn’t hurt for everyone to know about our family ties.

After all, we’d likely be in each other’s lives for a long time.

“Hello.”

I was the first to greet her.

“Hi.”

Though a bit flustered, Yuka returned my greeting without much awkwardness, since we at least recognized each other.

“So, as I was saying…”

For some reason, Fukuda, who sat on the table rather than in a chair, began.

“You and she are cousins.”

Fukuda pointed at me and Yuu alternately.

“And Dad… well, he seems interested in Kagami-san.”

I nodded.

“So, if they were to marry, we’d be family, too?”

When Fukuda said this while looking at Yuu, Yuu’s expression turned conflicted.

Even for close friends, actually becoming family is another matter.

It might not be bad… but accepting those complicated feelings is challenging.

I haven’t even brought myself to call Kagami “Mom” yet.

“Isn’t that… something to be happy about?”

Mako wondered, seriously.

No one could answer.

Yuka looked a bit uncertain, while Koko received a piece of bread Yuka handed over, indifferent to our conversation.

I also took the bread Yuka offered, pulled out a chair for her, and watched her look around cautiously, trying to follow the conversation now that she was here.

“So, what do you two think?”

Fukuda abruptly asked Yuu and me.

We glanced at each other.

Yuu and I were close enough that if she suddenly decided to sleep over, I’d think nothing of it.

To put it simply, we were as close as Fukuda and Mako.

But it’s a little tricky now, as someone else has joined our small home.

It’s not just the lack of space; inviting a friend over and being around both my friend and… well, the person playing the role of a mother isn’t easy.

Also, Kagami technically held the position of Yuu’s aunt.

“…we’re friends.”

Yuu concluded first.

I had also discussed this with her.

Though we hadn’t had much time to meet alone, we’d exchanged emails.

Our decision was to keep things the way they’d been.

While cousins in Japan are technically family, they can still marry, so they’re closer to friends.

So, we decided to continue as close friends.

Occasionally, we might see each other at family events.

That was the understanding we’d reached.

So, I nodded in agreement with Yuu’s statement.

“Hmm… okay? Then, next question.”

Fukuda looked at me.

“So… Kagami-san isn’t running that shop anymore, right?”

It was a slightly awkward question, but no one here was unaware of what kind of work Kagami had done.

There was no need to openly discuss it.

“I think that’s the case.”

Not certain, but that was my impression.

“Then… does that mean Dad won’t get a chance to meet Kagami-san?”

Fukuda seemed quite serious.

I looked at her for a moment before replying.

“…Do you want them to meet?”

“Oh, well…”

Fukuda frowned.

“To be honest, no. What about you? What if my dad started seeing Kagami-san?”

“I wouldn’t care.”

“Even if they were to get married?”

“…That’s a different story.”

“Right? I feel the same.”

Fukuda responded firmly.

“Besides, I don’t want another mom now.”

Well, I get it.

While Kagami has adapted to her role well enough, I only let it slide because I know she’s meant to be a mother figure. For Fukuda, a complete stranger stepping in as a mom would feel strange.

“But I don’t mind if Dad finds a girlfriend. Just as long as I don’t end up with a new sibling.”

Mako’s face flushed slightly.

She’d been silently listening to the conversation but seemed slightly embarrassed by her friend’s family situation.

It’s hard not to be intrigued, even if it’s awkward.

Yuka looked taken aback.

“And right now, my dad’s feeling really down. I think he’s on the verge of depression or already depressed.”

“….”

For a moment, we were all speechless.

“And… I think it’s because of Kagami-san.”

Fukuda looked at me.

Her face held a bit of regret.

“That’s why I’m bringing it up.”

“…I see.”

All I could say was that.

What else could I say here?

We all began eating our food in silence.

Fukuda is… my friend. Like Yuu, I wanted to help her if she was in trouble.

But it’s hard to take such a personal matter seriously, especially since I hadn’t seen him being down myself. Even if I had, it wouldn’t be easy to get involved in another person’s romantic life.

Fukuda probably just felt burdened and wanted to say it out loud.

“Is Kagami-san… staying home all the time?”

Yuka asked.

“Yes.”

“…”

Yuka fell silent.

“Then, why don’t we all visit?”

Yuka cautiously suggested.

Everyone looked at Yuka, then at me.

“I don’t mind…”

It’d be easier if Fukuda directly asked Kagami herself. But… hmm.

It’d be impossible to accommodate everyone in our place, though.

However…

“…We did renovate the rooms.”

We’ve fixed up other rooms, and though we haven’t fully patched up the ceiling, we cleared out one room on the upper floor, so it can serve as a guest room.

The repairs were made because I’d mentioned wanting a place to host friends.

It seems they’ll gradually renovate the rest of the house, though they don’t plan on charging rent just yet. With an entire apartment, it’ll be easier to make use of the space.

By the way, the old man still lives next door. He now seems to work as a research staffer for a government agency, but I haven’t seen him come home much, so he must be overworked.

Looking around, Mako’s eyes sparkled. Yuka also looked excited, likely why she’d made the suggestion in the first place.

“Then, should we?”

I glanced at Fukuda to check if she was okay with it.

“Oh, yeah? That sounds good. We haven’t even had a proper celebration since you came back.”

Fukuda’s response made me nearly spit out my pastry.

Chapter 187. Epilogue. Sorting out Roles (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"Oh..."

Fukuda glanced around the room, lost in thought for a moment.

"Do you think everyone can sleep here?"

Hmm.

With Yuka, Yuu, Fukuda, and Mako, that's four people, so it should be doable.

In the room where Koko, Kagami, and I stayed, we even had space for one more person, so having four people in one room shouldn't be a huge issue space-wise.

The prepared room was a bit bleaker compared to ours. There wasn't even a TV. Since it's usually empty, we hadn't bothered to furnish it much.

Just in case, we’d put in the bare essentials—a kotatsu to get through the cold winter and storage furniture for bedding. While the kotatsu was like the one in our room, the storage unit was more of a mobile cloth wardrobe, not wood or plastic.

Still, I thought it was good enough for a short stay.

"We have enough blankets, so we'll manage for sleeping at least."

We exchanged glances, with Koko the only one looking totally carefree.

"So... how should we arrange sleeping?"

Exactly. We had to decide how to split up the rooms.

Three of us would definitely be sharing a room.

I didn’t mind sleeping apart, but I doubted Koko and Kagami would agree to it.

Unless absolutely necessary, Koko insisted on sleeping right next to me. Normally, she was willing to share things, but only for things she felt she didn't need.

Since my near-death experience, Koko had clung to me even more. Maybe she developed a bit of separation anxiety?

I thought she might get over it in a few months—

"Uuu?"

Realizing I was watching her, Koko tilted her head.

Seeing her standing close to me even now, it seemed she wouldn’t manage sleeping apart tonight.

And Kagami?

In a way, she was even more troublesome than Koko.

I was convinced that Koko’s stubborn streak was inherited from Kagami. Though she usually wore a lighthearted smile, Kagami never gave up on something once she’d decided on it.

Kagami also wouldn't yield her spot by my side. She was adamant about being my "mom."

Though she might step back when we're playing with friends, she’d insist on sleeping in the same room, which meant Koko, Kagami, and I would be in one room.

That left the other four to sleep in the adjoining room.

"..."

"..."

Mako, Fukuda, Yuu, and Yuka looked at each other.

They were friends but only close when someone was there to bridge the gap.

When they had mutual friends, they could talk and have fun, but if not, things quickly grew awkward.

…It would be cruel to make them share a room at night.

"Yuka, would you like to stay with us?"

After a moment’s thought, Yuka nodded.

That made sense.

Among the group, Kagami and Yuka were at least somewhat comfortable with each other.

It was slightly ironic.

Since we’d gathered here today, it seemed like a good chance to help everyone bond a bit more.

"What about Kagami-san?" Fukuda asked.

"She’ll probably join in when she sees us having fun together."

Kagami wanted to play the “typical mom” role.

So, what would a mom do when her kid’s friends visited?

From what I remember, they usually came in with cut fruit. It's not essential, but it’s a familiar image.

Aside from Koko, the others looked a bit puzzled, but no one questioned my explanation.

"Ah..."

When the kids fell silent in thought, Yuu suddenly seemed to remember something and reached for her bag.

She took out a white envelope.

It wasn’t the typical thin letter envelope that opens from the short side, but a classy-looking envelope that opened along the wider side.

"What’s this?"

"A wedding invitation."

"…"

At Yuu's bombshell, we stared at one another and quickly pulled out the contents.

…Luckily, it wasn't "Yuu’s" invitation. After all, she didn’t have a boyfriend.

It was an invitation to Mr. Yamashita and Ms. Mori's wedding.

Hadn’t they already married?

Maybe I’d underestimated things. While this was Mr. Yamashita’s second marriage, it was Ms. Mori’s first.

They probably wanted to celebrate it with everyone.

Even with Yuu, who was like a little sister but would soon become like a daughter to Ms. Mori.

Everyone’s expressions turned slightly awkward.

Yuka and Koko, who were unfamiliar with Yuu’s family situation, looked confused. Fukuda and Mako, though, embodied the term "awkward."

Should they offer congratulations? Or express sympathy?

Yuu had even run away because of it. Maybe they should comfort her since it wasn’t exactly a marriage she’d wanted.

But it seemed Yuu had somewhat accepted the situation.

Maybe the near-death incident that almost took Miho-san had actually helped mend things.

If you looked at it that way, it felt like they should congratulate her… but still, how do you react to your “father” getting married?

"...It's okay to congratulate them."

In the end, Yuu herself set the tone for us.

"Oh... congratulations?" Fukuda spoke up first.

"Congrats!" Mako quickly echoed.

"..."

Yuu looked over at me, Koko, and Yuka.

"Congratulations."

I went first.

"I... wish them a happy marriage."

Yuka, who hardly knew Mr. Yamashita or Ms. Mori, looked visibly stressed.

In fact, her back might already be drenched with sweat.

"I'm sure there will be lots of good food at the wedding."

"Yay!"

Koko, who had looked unsure about why we were congratulating the wedding, perked up at Yuu’s mention of food.

I thought Koko knew a lot about the world, but there were still so many things to teach her.

Yuu looked at me for a moment, then reached into her bag and pulled out another invitation. How many did she bring?

"This one’s for Kagami-san."

"Ah."

I accepted it.

Of course.

Kosuzu’s character had been terrible, and her actions had even shattered her mother-daughter relationship with Yuu.

But, regardless, Kagami and I shared a blood connection with her.

"Miho also wants to thank you," Yuu added.

Ah, right.

It felt odd saying this myself, but if it weren’t for me, Miho-san wouldn’t be alive either.

That, too, had been Kosuzu’s doing—an act driven purely by selfish emotion, not even tied to her cult’s goals.

She truly was an intense person.

"No worries."

Still, receiving thanks left me feeling a bit embarrassed.

As I fiddled with the invitation—

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"I brought something to eat while you all talk."

Entering the room was Kagami, her tray stacked high with neatly prepared strawberries, her face smiling brightly. The whole scene felt strangely surreal.

Typically, Kagami wore a somewhat suspicious smile.

Though I felt bad for thinking it, that first impression had left such an impact that her smile still felt suspicious. She had a long way to go to earn the "affectionate mother" title.

Everyone turned to look at me at once.

I shrugged.

See, what did I say?

---

"May I join in?"

When we asked Kagami to sit down for a bit, she promptly squeezed in between Yuka and me.

Did she really want to join in? I suppose parents sometimes bring snacks just as an excuse to join the conversation.

That didn’t mean we’d be making friendly small talk with her, though.

Ignoring Yuka’s glare, Kagami turned her gaze back and forth between the invitation and Yuu, as if surprised she’d actually received one.

Considering her shattered relationships, she likely didn’t have any close friends. I doubted she even had friends her age, but increasing her social circle might help her seem a bit more human.

"...Well, I did recieve an obituary notice."

"..."

Oh, right.

"Of course, the funeral was properly prepared."

Kagami stared at the invitation, looking entirely unfazed.

I glanced around at my friends.

"I got one too. I think it’s still at home."

"Me too..."

Fukuda and Mako nodded.

Yuka gave a nod as if unsure whether to smile or stay serious.

"…No one threw theirs away?"

"I'm keeping it as a memento."

Yuka answered my question.

"Yeah, no need to throw it out."

I frowned slightly.

But it’s an obituary.

It's about someone dying.

At some point, I noticed Kagami had started using my old hair tie, which had been soaked in blood and no longer looked clean. She’d been using it since the funeral, keeping it as if it were the keepsake of a lost daughter.

"Just consider it a bad omen to start the year with."

Yuka cracked a smile, unable to suppress her laughter.

In Japanese shrines, there’s a custom where you draw fortune slips called omikuji.

"When you draw the worst luck, the rest of the year is bound to be good."

That’s what they always say, right?

Shrine maidens' usual service line.

If you draw bad luck, they tell you that since it’s the worst, the rest of the year will be great. If you draw great luck, they just celebrate it with you.

"More like a once-in-a-lifetime bad luck instead of a yearly one, don’t you think?"

Fukuda might have known some details about the incident. Her father was there, so she might have heard something.

"That’s a good point. Lifetime bad luck. After dying twice, I doubt you’ll be dying a third time."

If I avoid a third death, does that mean I’ll live forever?

Listening to Yuka, I had an odd feeling, noticing the strange dynamic between Fukuda and Yuka.

"If you like, we have a few spares. How about tying it to a shrine tree?"

This tradition was a way of tying the misfortune to the tree so it wouldn’t follow you.

"…I don’t need to see my own obituary."

Everyone laughed at my response.

At least it was finally something we could joke about.

At that thought, I felt a little relief amidst my lingering awkwardness.

Chapter 188. Epilogue. Sorting out Roles(4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

In the end, Yuka ended up sleeping in our room.

If we consider familiarity with Kagami, then technically Yuu would have been the better choice, but Yuu had shown a rather reluctant expression upon hearing the suggestion, so there was no other way.

Since we were all students and had school tomorrow, we split off to different rooms around ten.

Kagami, seemingly dedicated to fulfilling her role, had laid out the bedding before going to sleep.

It was at least fortunate that Yuka’s spot was next to Koko; Kagami could at least show that level of consideration.

Or maybe she still hadn’t forgiven her for stabbing me.

Once the four of us lay down together in the room, the space was almost completely filled.

Hmm…

If Kagami weren’t here, we might have had a long conversation even in this situation—

“Feel free to talk as much as you like,”

—as if reading my thoughts, Kagami spoke up first.

“I’ll just pretend I can’t hear.”

“……”

But no matter what, the fact that she could hear us wouldn’t change.

Of course, I knew well enough that Kagami wouldn’t bring up such topics to anyone else.

It wasn’t entirely that I trusted her; it’s just that Kagami… well, she didn’t really have anyone else to confide in about the conversations she overheard with the person she considers her own daughter.

I didn’t respond to Kagami and just tried to go to sleep, thinking Yuka might find it difficult to open up in front of her.

“...I have something I’m curious about.”

But Yuka broke past my thoughts and began speaking in a casual tone.

“What exactly is the relationship between you three?”

The emotions in her words were difficult to define.

The Kagami that Yuka saw was a mother abusing her daughter. Apart from that, Yuka knew her as the head of a cult or someone doing suspicious things behind the scenes, and as a woman willing to endanger the entire world to save her daughter.

The huge gap between the first two and the last seemed to be causing some confusion.

“...How should I put it?”

Kagami, after a bit of hesitation, prodded me to answer, her tone as if she had just heard something amusing.

Unfortunately, that voice was coming from right next to me.

Judging by the rustling sounds, Kagami had turned to face my direction.

“......”

I hesitated to answer.

The reason was simple.

If I answered truthfully, I was sure Kagami would use it as some sort of weakness.

Not that it was a serious weakness, more like a minor vulnerability regarding how we addressed each other, but for now, it felt a bit critical.

“Koko, what about you?”

“Uwuh?”

Yuka seemed to sense that my mind was in turmoil, so she turned to Koko first.

After a moment of thought, Koko replied,

“Food, tasty.”

...She gave that kind of answer.

“Really? That’s a relief. I put in quite a bit of effort learning how.”

And surprisingly, Kagami seemed quite pleased with that answer.

I mean, really?

She was probably thinking of her more like an automatic cooking appliance than a mom. But is that okay?

Well, it’s certainly a better relationship than one between mortal enemies.

And, in a way, this was probably due to Koko’s unique tendency to ‘omit’ things. Since Koko was happy to hug her back tightly when Kagami held her, Kagami likely appeared as a ‘friendly’ person to her.

...Oh, right.

Kagami also brought me back to life.

Since Koko tended to judge people by whether she liked them or not rather than by gains and losses, the fact that Kagami saved someone she liked might put her in the ‘good person’ category.

“So, it sounds like it’s true that you’re all living together.”

Yuka sighed softly as she replied.

So, did she not believe it until now?

Well, I couldn’t blame her if she didn’t.

“Are you uncomfortable or anything?”

“No, I’m not uncomfortable.”

I wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

To be honest, it was actually quite convenient. Kagami was taking care of most of the things I used to do regularly.

She would wake up right on time in the morning to prepare Koko’s meal, and she’d have Koko’s dinner ready in advance, so I didn’t have to worry about those things.

And I didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving Koko to eat alone at home.

…Judging by her questions, it seemed Yuka was genuinely concerned.

“I understand that the relationship between the two of you was just an act,”

Yuka said.

“But... if you needed to go to that extent, it means she was pretty much a stranger, right?”

After pausing briefly, she added cautiously,

“So, I was wondering if you might still be acting.”

It wasn’t an act.

Honestly, Kagami wasn’t entirely easy to be around. I still hadn’t fulfilled the promise I’d made to her.

Even so, Kagami treated me as if I were truly her daughter.

It felt like a one-sided favor at times, which made me uncomfortable.

Rationally, I told myself it was just Kagami filling her role as my ‘mother,’ but there was still a part of me that hadn’t accepted her as a mother.

“It’s nothing to worry about.”

Before I could answer, Kagami spoke first.

“I’m sincere about this.”

“Sincere?”

“Yes. Is there any reason not to be? Right now, these two are the only ones I have left.”

Technically, the cult group was still around.

But that wasn’t the kind of ‘remaining presence’ Kagami meant.

“……”

Yuka couldn’t respond to Kagami’s words.

“I know I deserve to be told it’s too late.”

As Yuka remained silent, Kagami slowly continued.

“While hurting and mistreating them was just an act, my past actions were genuine. Kotone being left in a barren room, and Koko being locked in a fridge… all of those things happened because of me. I didn’t even consider the two as my real daughters.”

A soft sigh could be heard.

“So, if they were to tell me they can’t forgive me even now, I’d have no excuse. The only reason I’m allowed to be here is because these two are letting me stay.”

“……”

Though Yuka didn’t say anything, her breathing wavered slightly.

She probably didn’t expect the conversation to go this far.

I hadn’t either, actually. I was also a bit taken aback. Why was Kagami talking to Yuka about this? It wasn’t like the two of them were especially close. If it were me saying this to Yuka, maybe it’d make more sense.

But soon, I understood why.

“While I wasn’t fulfilling my role, the one who helped those kids the most was you.”

Kagami said.

“Almost everything in this room came from your home.”

Even the blanket we were all sharing.

“The one who saved a child abandoned with nothing was not their mother, but their friend. I’m infinitely grateful for that.”

“……”

Yuka, looking a bit flustered, stayed silent.

It seemed she’d never expected to hear this from Kagami.

“You might call it repentance, but… who knows?”

Regardless of what we said or didn’t say, Kagami spoke in a tone as if gazing into the distance.

“I think I was just me then, and I’m just me now. Simply a human with a yearning, something lacking within.”

It seemed she was implying that she had finally found what she wanted, and was now trying to achieve it.

The way she had moved before was just the same.

“It’s a stark contrast to you, who moved out of pure goodwill.”

“…No.”

Yuka replied.

“Even if it was goodwill, I still ended up using Kotone’s power.”

Why was I caught between the two of them, sensing an odd camaraderie?

And, somehow, it felt like both of them were subtly apologizing to me.

I decided to close my eyes and pretend to sleep.

“……”

Their conversation stopped immediately.

Were they watching me?

At least, Koko had fallen asleep somewhere along the way and was breathing evenly.

So that night, I drifted to sleep feeling awkward all over.

---

The Next Morning

Early in the morning, we all gathered in the room where we stayed.

To avoid the hassle of splitting up, we had breakfast together.

“…It’s good.”

Yuu muttered with a slightly uncomfortable expression as she drank her miso soup.

“Yeah. I thought she’d know nothing about this sort of thing.”

Fukuda said.

“Simple dishes are easy to pick up with a little practice. I could teach you if you’d like.”

“...No, I’m fine. I cook for my dad every day, after all.”

Fukuda sighed deeply.

Her expression was complicated. Did she still think the ‘possibility’ lingered?

Personally, it was hard for me to imagine Kagami treating Fukuda as a daughter.

As Kagami mentioned last night, she was here because of something she wanted.

And what she wanted was a family.

A family with the daughter she’d given birth to.

If she had simply wanted a family, she could have gotten married long ago.

If she had wanted that, I think she would’ve become a good mother for Fukuda as well, but the fact that she didn’t want it from the start meant it wasn’t likely.

Or maybe… could she consider dating someone, at least?

“Is there something on my face?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

Without realizing it, I had been staring at Kagami’s face.

Seeing Kagami’s reaction, I turned my gaze back to my bowl.

Mako, observing the exchange between Kagami and me, hesitantly spoke up.

“So, you two are really mother and daughter?”

Everyone eating looked over at Mako. Kagami and I also directed our gaze toward her.

“…Well, yes…”

I answered reluctantly,

“Yes, that’s right.”

Kagami replied with a big smile.

Mako looked more taken aback by Kagami’s response than mine.

“Oh, I see…”

Perhaps feeling that she shouldn’t pursue it further, Mako trailed off.

“Does it seem strange?”

Kagami asked Mako.

Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but it was still a question difficult to answer.

Of course, it would seem strange.

Even our manner of speaking was off.

I used informal speech with Kagami without hesitation, but Kagami addressed me with the utmost formality. Though there was a playful undertone, her choice of words was still excessively respectful.

It was hardly the typical mother-daughter dynamic.

And Mako had also seen Kagami treat me harshly before. Yet, after that, she’d only seen Kagami’s changed demeanor.

So, her curiosity was natural.

“Well…”

But who could say that to her face?

“I suppose it’s time for us to settle on how to address each other..”

Kagami said, looking at me.

“It’s about time, isn’t it?”

“……”

I shot Kagami a glance.

She looked like she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Seeing my lack of response, Kagami didn’t press any further.

In the end, we finished our meal in silence.

---

Naturally, Koko and I were the last to leave the room.

It would have been awkward for the others to wait if we had hurried out first, so it was better this way.

“……”

As I sat crouched, waiting for the others to file out, petting Kuro, who’d just woken up and was rubbing against my legs, I felt a gaze on the back of my head.

I turned and saw Kagami.

She was staring at me as I petted Kuro.

Why?

We usually exchanged at least a simple greeting before school. It wasn’t exactly a ‘Goodbye,’ but I’d at least wave.

Kagami even saw us off outside the house.

From the outside, we looked like a picture-perfect family.

The only funny thing was that our speech forms were entirely reversed.

“Nn?”

When Kagami’s gaze shifted to Koko, Koko tilted her head curiously.

After a moment of looking at her, Kagami suddenly spread her arms wide.

Koko, after tilting her head briefly, walked over to her and hugged her.

Kagami smiled happily, holding Koko tightly.

It seemed Koko was getting used to Kagami more and more.

With Kuro around, Koko had become a bit cat-like, perhaps influenced by Kuro. She loved to be petted and hugged. That is, if the person wasn’t someone Koko was wary of.

Kagami had apparently earned her trust. Since she’d hugged her willingly during our last outing, she no longer had any qualms about it.

Contrary to how Kagami had been watching me intently a moment before, this time, I found myself staring at the two of them.

When she noticed, Kagami freed one arm and gestured for me to come over.

Was she inviting me to join?

“……”

I hesitated briefly.

I did consider her family. I knew how hard Kagami worked to get closer to us.

But…

Hmm.

Something about the conversation last night and this morning was lingering in my mind.

Even if I thought of her as family, wouldn’t it be meaningless if I didn’t show it?

There’s no point in calling someone a friend if you don’t actually feel close to them.

The kids who showed up at my funeral were the ones who truly grieved my passing.

Kagami was among them.

She’d sat in the front row, her face streaked with tears, frozen in a daze.

I clearly remember the moment our eyes met.

She must have truly wanted to bring me back, even if it meant exchanging this world.

In my past life, I hadn’t been particularly close to my family. I hadn’t disliked them or had a bad relationship, either.

But my personality kept me from openly expressing my affection. I spent more time arguing with my younger sibling than chatting happily.

And then, I lost them.

“……”

The smile on Kagami’s face started to turn into a bitter one.

Her raised hand slowly began to lower. Would she give up again today?

I suppose she would.

You can’t force someone to become close if they’re not ready.

Every time Kagami did something for me, I’d respond with a weary look, keep a distance, or show signs of discomfort.

After going through that so many times, any confidence she had must have worn away.

Slowly, I stood up.

“Meow?”

Kuro, who had been purring contentedly as I scratched her, looked up at me as I stopped petting her.

I turned around, walking somewhat stiffly over to Kagami.

And I stepped into her open arms.

Kagami’s eyes widened briefly.

I started to pull away, thinking I’d done something wrong, but her arms had already wrapped around my back.

Kagami held me and Koko in a warm embrace.

She didn’t say a word.

It was as if she wanted this moment to last forever, just as it was, for a long time.

By the time she let go, the parts of me that had been in contact with her felt oddly warm.

I could feel my face was bright red without needing to see it.

Kagami, however, just looked at me with her usual expression.

Something about it felt annoying, but I noticed her eyebrow twitching slightly.

“……”

I turned and left without saying a word.

Since we’d already hugged, there was no need for a morning greeting.

“Kotone?”

As I abruptly turned to leave, Koko quickly followed.

“Meow.”

Kuro, still looking up at me, meowed softly, so I crouched down to pet her and muttered a quick, “I’ll be back.”

Then I stood up, avoiding Kagami’s gaze as I turned around.

Just beyond the door, the others were peeking in.

Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and warmth, all wearing faint smiles.

Oh, right.

We’d stayed in here too long.

At this point, it wouldn’t be strange if they were curious and took a peek inside.

“Have a good day.”

Kagami’s voice came from behind.

Without looking back, I simply raised my hand in a wave and left the house.

Oh, right. I had thought there’d be no need for a goodbye, yet I’d forgotten.

The kids stared at me intently during the hour-long subway ride, and honestly, it felt like a miracle that I didn’t explode.

…And in the end, we still hadn’t sort out the terms to address each other.

But, somehow, it felt like…

Someday, we would be able to.

It was just that kind of morning.

Chapter 189. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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My workdays had decreased, but with that, the need to earn as much money had also lessened.

Since our living expenses were coming from the savings Kagami had accumulated, my earnings from my part-time job were simply piling up.

Of course, I felt slightly guilty just sitting idly, so I offered to contribute to the expenses, but Kagami declined with a serene smile.

"You're not even an adult yet; there's no need to do that yet."

…She seemed to appreciate the fact that I at least offered to help with expenses.

So, she expects us to live together even after I turn into an adult for a while. Well, I suppose we’ll keep living together until I become fully independent.

Anyway, now that money was accumulating, other thoughts naturally came to mind.

Before, I would’ve worried about covering food and transportation costs, but now this was truly "free" money.

No one would complain no matter what I spent it on.

And the moment I realized that, I immediately rushed to Akihabara.

Yes, even though I hadn’t been able to indulge in otaku-like activities since coming to this world, my essence remained unchanged.

People might think that comics, anime, or games could wait, but that wasn’t the case. Once a trend passes, it never returns.

Now is the only time to get the merchandise for current anime in its best condition.

Game cases, DVDs, and albums tend to break and wear out, and no matter how meticulously you care for figures, they start yellowing after several years.

Even if, as an adult, I want to buy something from this era, I know too well that what I’d be able to find will be steeped in the wear of time.

“Kotone?”

“…….”

However, my plan to "buy anything I want" was shattered with a single response from Koko, who had come along.

In my previous life, I didn’t care about my little sister’s opinion. In fact, I didn’t really care about my friends’ or classmates’ opinions either.

I would proudly talk about manga with friends in class, and even if my little sister looked at me with disdain, I would buy bunny-girl figures and display them in my room.

But here?

I glanced cautiously at Koko’s face.

“Mmm?”

An innocent and pure expression.

Thankfully, Koko didn’t ask, "Why is that character dressed like that?"

I didn’t have a single answer if she asked why I’d buy something like that.

I’d lived my childhood with my little sister, and I hadn’t cared about her contempt back then, but if Koko looked at me like that, I’d be deeply wounded.

Besides, all my friends here are girls. The only guy friend I have is Sasaki. Although Sasaki supposedly liked manga, I never actually saw any figures at his place.

I don’t think my friends would despise me for buying a figure. Maybe they'd think it was an unusual hobby, and I might end up as that “popular otaku” protagonist like in those old slice-of-life series.

“…….”

If only I were about 20 years younger.

I was no longer as ego-driven as I’d been, and my middle-school chunibyo phase had mostly been cured, leaving me more interested in blending in rather than standing out.

Moreover, Kagami is at home.

If she looked at me with that serene expression and nodded kindly, I felt I’d break mentally.

"…Shall we go look at books?"

“Un!”

In the end, I changed direction.

Well, fine.

Books and DVDs should be okay.

Come to think of it, the ability to buy content without waiting months or even years for it to be uncensored is already a big advantage.

If I save up a little more, I can even buy a game console.

When I nodded to myself, Koko, who was following behind, tilted her head in curiosity.

---

And what I bought was a camcorder.

It wasn’t the old 8mm tape kind; it was one of the newly released digital camcorders. Though it didn’t even reach the SD quality, let alone DVD-quality 720p.

Compared to monitors that would become widespread 20 years later, its resolution was terrible, but in this era, monitor quality wasn’t great either, so it didn’t matter much.

“Oh, a camera?”

Kagami smiled as she looked at me.

“Is there something you want to film?”

It was only after Kagami said that that I remembered taking quite a lot of pictures last year.

I had wanted to leave evidence of myself, thinking I was going to die. Though the photos taken with my phone weren’t high quality, I thought that was the only way to leave a long-lasting memory with my friends.

I had planned to buy a film camera but never got around to it because my parting came sooner than expected.

“Something I want to film…”

I muttered as I opened the packaging box.

For a generation that no longer had any reason to buy camcorders in the smartphone era, it was quite a novelty.

Even for me, who had never had a camcorder as a kid, this one looked a bit unusual.

The way the screen folded for storage was similar to camcorders 20 years later, but this one had a rather elongated shape. Imagine a pistol without a grip—perhaps that’s the best way to describe it.

The screen could rotate quite a bit, making it possible to film oneself by rotating it to the opposite side.

Honestly, it wasn’t as if I bought it because I had something specific to film.

I just knew in advance that this year, a streaming site called Y*uT*be, which would grow into the largest platform worldwide, would start its service. I didn’t think I’d make a lot of money right away. But if I started now, by the mid-2010s, I’d at least have the unique persona of someone who’d been on YouTube for ten years.

People in this world wouldn’t know me as a character, but there was something mildly exploitative in the idea of real high school girls in sailor uniforms that might draw some interest.

“Kotone?”

Seeing Koko tilt her head in curiosity, my thoughts quickly disappeared.

Though I didn’t mind filming myself, I didn’t want Koko or my friends to appear in any videos and get hurt.

…Guess it’ll be videos of just me.

Well, that’s fine.

Even if it’s just me filming, there’s nothing I can’t capture with this camcorder.

I attached the battery to the camcorder. When I turned it on, there was a bit of battery left.

I opened the screen and aimed it at Koko and Kagami.

“Oh, my.”

Koko simply blinked, unsure what I was doing, but Kagami quickly tried to move away.

“What? Are you shy about being filmed? You took photos so well.”

By the way, the photos she took at the festival were beautifully framed and proudly displayed in her room. She often looked at those photos with delight, so I thought they were a good choice.

Would she have cried looking at those pictures if I had died?

"Filming when I’m properly dressed is different from being caught on camera out of the blue."

Kagami spoke with a bit of reproach as I hurriedly turned off the camera, thinking she might get upset.

This was the first time she’d been so serious since we started living together, so I should probably be careful about it.

I hadn’t expected Kagami to care about her appearance—no, actually, she used to work in a field where appearances were everything, so of course, she would care.

“Kotone.”

When I lifted my gaze, Koko was intently watching the camcorder I held.

She seemed curious about what it was, seeing as Kagami and I both knew about it.

“Want to see?”

“Yes!”

I turned the camcorder back on and showed it to her.

[Oh my.]

[What? Are you shy about being filmed? You took photos so well.]

And then Kagami’s face appeared on the screen.

She looked pretty, even like this. Her casual clothes were a bit low-cut, but honestly, they were much more modest than what she wore at the bar.

Plus, I had no intention of sharing this video with others. I only planned to use it as a keepsake years from now.

“…Is it saved?”

Kagami’s voice came from behind as Koko and I watched the video.

Although her tone was nearly the same as usual, I knew that she sounded slightly upset.

“Oh, that’s—”

I thought about making an excuse and deleting it, but it didn’t seem quite right.

Natural videos are most effective when captured only once. If you film it again, it’ll just look like a typical staged scene.

Though I didn’t have the philosophical depth of a film director, if I were to capture everyday life, I thought it best to film us just living normally.

Thinking that, I turned the screen back toward us.

The screen felt a bit cramped.

The three of us sitting side-by-side filled it almost entirely.

None of us were meticulously groomed. Koko and I had just showered, so our hair was still a bit damp, and Kagami looked slightly more casual than usual.

But because the three of us sat together like that, the image in the video seemed very fitting.

And watching us all side-by-side, I realized something.

Ah, I really do look like Kagami.

Koko looked just like me, too, so the three of us sitting together truly looked like a mother and her daughters.

“…….”

Kagami went silent, so I glanced at her.

Her hand, which had been reaching between Koko and me to take the camcorder, lost some of its strength as she stared at the screen.

“…How is it?”

I asked cautiously.

Without responding, Kagami sighed softly.

“Don’t show it to anyone else.”

“Alright.”

I nodded.

Kagami lowered her hand and hugged both Koko and me close.

“Waaah!”

Koko sounded delighted.

The three of us huddled even closer, completely filling the frame.

“Kagami, look at the lens, not the screen.”

“I know.”

She smiled at the lens.

It was a slightly awkward smile.

For someone who was always smiling, her expression seemed tense when suddenly asked to take a photo.

Or maybe it was because it was a video.

Well, fine.

I won’t tease her about it for now.

Though, who knows what might happen in ten years?

Noticing her glance in my direction, I did my best to pretend not to see it.

---

“Ah?! Oh, a camcorder?”

On the way to school.

Yuka was waiting in front of Tamachi Station, so I filmed her from afar, making her jump in surprise.

“You got a new one?”

She adjusted her bangs slightly, indicating that being filmed wasn’t as easy as taking a photo.

“Yeah. I wanted to keep some memories.”

“…I see.”

Sensing something in my words, Yuka narrowed her eyes as she looked at me.

“It’s not like last time.”

Judging by her reaction, Yuka seemed to know that the reason I’d been so focused on taking photos before was because of the prophecy. I cut her off in a slightly firmer voice than usual.

“We only have two years left to go to high school.”

“Oh, right.”

Yuka nodded, as if she understood.

It was February.

We weren’t in our second year yet, and we’d graduate in April, so there was technically more than two years left, but as someone who had already experienced school days once, I knew that time would feel short.

Time only feels fast once it’s passed.

“The seniors will graduate next year.”

I nodded calmly at Yuka’s comment.

Though I couldn’t hold back time, I wanted to at least record it.

It was a shallow reason at first, but I was glad I found a more meaningful purpose for it.

“Gotta bring it for our trip, then.”

Yuka smiled.

“Of course.”

I smiled back.

After a brief silence, Yuka spoke as if she’d suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right.”

Looking at me, she said,

“We couldn’t make it to Comiket last winter because we were so busy.”

“Yeah.”

She was thinking about it.

Of course, Yuka would care about that.

They say that after nearly facing death, you start viewing life differently.

They say people start to live cherishing time more, knowing life can end any moment.

I was the only one here who had died and returned, but Yuka must have felt something from that.

“Let’s go this year. It might be a bit late for New Year’s resolutions, but hey.”

Yuka said brightly, her smile dazzling.

Somehow, my instincts whispered that she might have a hidden agenda, but I had no idea at the time.

Later, I would learn that cosplay costumes can take months to make if you really put in the effort.

---

“Wow, it’s great! I love it!”

Fukuda grinned as she looked at the camcorder.

She took it and started filming all around.

Every time the lens turned toward me, I felt a bit nervous. It turns out there’s quite a difference between being filmed and doing the filming.

Thinking of this, I felt a bit sorry for Kagami.

“W-wait, Harumi!”

When the lens turned toward her, Mako’s face flushed as she covered her face with her hands.

“Ha ha ha, that just makes me want to film you more. You’re way cuter this way.”

“You sound like a criminal.”

Seeing Fukuda change the angle to film Mako, Yamashita looked at her incredulously.

“Then what about you!?”

Fukuda aimed the camera at Yuu, but Yuu just stared indifferently at her phone.

With a knowing shrug, Fukuda handed the camcorder back to me.

“At least I captured plenty of Mako’s cute moments.”

For the record, she filmed herself the moment she got the camcorder. And when I aimed the camera at Koko right after, she lifted her arms high and shouted, “Waaah!” which made everyone in the classroom burst into laughter.

“Are you going to edit all the videos together to make a movie?”

“……Hadn’t thought that far.”

Without mentioning that I bought it to film Y*uT*be videos, I figured that Fukuda had a good intuition.

She must be in tune with trends like this.

“Hey, it’d be a shame if you just recorded without editing.”

Fukuda smiled.

“I’ll think about it.”

At least editing the videos of my friends could be fun, so I left it at that.

Of course, I’d need to buy a computer and editing software, but I decided to worry about that later.

“Oh, hey!”

With a snap of her fingers, Fukuda said,

“What about this? A test of courage!”

“A test of courage?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

When I asked, she nodded enthusiastically.

“You know, they say cameras are good at capturing ghosts. If we go to a spooky place, maybe we’ll capture one too!”

To be honest, those were usually just weird shadows caught on low-resolution cameras, and once image quality improves in a few decades, those photos pretty much vanish…

But hey, why ruin her dream?

Besides, there really are ghosts in this world.

And compared to cameras 20 years later, this one I’m holding is genuinely low-resolution.

“Sure.”

“Really?!”

When I nodded, Fukuda beamed.

“A-a test of courage?”

On the other hand, Mako turned pale.

It seemed natural to her that she would join us despite being terrified.

“Of course, it’d be better in the summer, right?”

Fukuda laughed.

After all, scary stuff is best done in hot weather.

So, another plan for summer was added.

For the record, Yuu, who sat behind Fukuda and Mako, had been giving me a funny look ever since the topic of a test of courage came up.

While I couldn’t officially call myself a shrine maiden, I was still a Kurosawa by blood.

So, in a way, I was a bit like a shrine maiden.

Honestly, I was a little curious about what would happen if a ghost ran into a group full of real shrine maidens.

It’d be pretty funny if I could film a ghost getting flustered.

In that case, I’ll definitely bring Yuka along.

…I wonder if Kagami would join too?

Chapter 190. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Well, there's still half a year left until the summer schedule, so I decided to put that off for now.

Right now, what was right in front of me was spring break.

Countries like Japan, which have a three-semester system, seem to have vacations scattered all over.

Summer break is relatively long, about a month, but winter break is around two weeks, and spring break is just under two weeks.

For someone like me, who spent my school days in Korea, it felt like one vacation split into two.

The third semester isn't exactly short, but because it overlaps with the start of the year, the atmosphere in the third semester feels somewhat relaxed.

Instead of midterms and finals, there’s just a single final exam, so some people find they have a bit more free time.

“Are we already in third year~?”

Around the time winter began to pass and the weather started to warm up a bit, Kaoru spoke in the Literature Club room, looking like she might die tomorrow.

“As soon as break ends, I’ll be a test-prepping student….”

It felt strange hearing that from someone who had proudly declared she’d still be involved in the literature club’s magazine production even in third year.

Basically, she was practically announcing she wouldn't be studying.

“Technically, you could say you've been a test-prep student since the start of this year.”

And Izumi responded to Kaoru's words.

“Don’t say something so depressing~ No one ever feels like studying at the start of the year.”

Well, I really did have a reason not to feel like studying this past New Year, but since my reason was a bit … well, I chose to keep quiet and sit still.

I was serious enough to even set down my dorayaki.

“In summer, you said you couldn’t study because of summer break and festivals, and in fall, you said you couldn’t study because of sports meets and cultural festivals.”

“Of course I couldn’t!”

Kaoru cried out, bursting with passion in response to Izumi’s comment.

“How could anyone study year-round? You need breaks in between to keep your focus.”

I completely agree with that, but for some reason, when Kaoru says it, I can’t really trust it.

“Plus you’re even reading a novel right now, too.”

Seeing the attention drawn to the book Izumi was holding, her face flushed red.

“Well, I don’t plan to be a test-prep student until break ends.”

And she echoed almost the exact words Kaoru had said just moments earlier.

They really are two peas in a pod.

“And why are you both so relaxed? It will also be your turn soon.”

“…Still, a year versus a week feels like a huge difference.”

At Yuka's words, Kaoru clutched her chest as if hit by a fatal blow, then collapsed onto the desk.

“…Fine!”

But soon enough, Kaoru recovered completely and stood up.

Her eyes were blazing.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll spend my last real break having a blast!”

I could already picture her enjoying every single break next year too, but since arguing with Kaoru about that wouldn’t do any good, I quietly resumed eating my dorayaki.

“Huh, what’s this, Kouhai! Aren’t you listening to what your Senpai is saying?”

“I am listening.”

“Fuu.”

“Even Koko…”

Kaoru looked a little shocked at Koko’s indifferent response, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

“And Senpai, didn’t you say you’d still make the club magazine this year? That alone sounds like it has little to do with studying.”

At Yuka's comment, Kaoru shrugged.

“That’s that, and this is this. Making the magazine isn’t playing around, right? It’s something we do because the school tells us to.”

Well, she does make it like she’s playing. If the club activities weren’t fun, she would just quit.

“Oh, come to think of it, I spent last year just working hard on Literature Club stuff…!”

“I let you put an occult article in the magazine, didn’t I?”

“But that wasn’t an Occult Club activity!”

Since the topic of club activities came up, it seemed Kaoru remembered that she was actually the president of the Occult Club, not the Literature Club.

“No need to worry. Your name is already listed as a Literature Club member.”

Izumi spoke confidently, puffing out her chest with a proud smile.

“Oh no, is this how my school days wither away?”

“Wither away? I’d say last year was a pretty fulfilling school year.”

“Well, that’s true, but…!”

Kaoru made a series of incomprehensible groans for a while, then suddenly stood up.

“This won’t do. I’m going to have a blast this spring break. Does everyone have time?”

“Ah.”

When I made a vague sound at Kaoru’s words, everyone's gaze turned to me. Of course, Yuka already knew, so she wasn’t particularly surprised.

“…Well, I’m going on a family trip.”

That's right. Kagami had already scheduled it. Although she hadn’t decided where we were going yet.

“A family trip? Is it by any chance?”

Kaoru, who had been passionately shouting about this and that a moment ago, asked with wide eyes.

“Mmm, with Kagami!”

Koko raised both hands high and shouted.

“Oh, then it can’t be helped.”

Kaoru’s face turned serious, as if she hadn’t been so enthusiastic earlier.

No, she didn’t have to be that serious about it.

“That’s great.”

Even Izumi, who normally would have teased, smiled warmly.

Yuka, on the other hand, had a slightly ambiguous expression. It seemed like she still wasn’t quite used to Kagami. First impressions do linger.

“Did you decide on the destination?”

“Well… I’m not sure. Kagami’s the one who suggested it.”

“If necessary, I can ask my grandma.”

She probably meant the hot springs we visited last summer.

“No, there’s no need to go that far….”

“What do you mean, go that far? It’s not like she’d lend it out for free. There’s no way my grandma would do that, especially during a busy time.”

Kaoru grinned at my words.

“Still, she could probably help you get a nice place. And it might be a bit cheaper than other places. Spring break is a good time for family trips, isn’t it?”

That's true.

But… a hot spring, huh.

Hm. It’s not bad, but…

It’d feel a bit awkward thinking Kagami would go into the same bath with me.

“Koko, how about the place we went to last summer?”

“The food was good!”

“Right? Grandma’s serious about cooking!”

Seeing Koko’s sparkling eyes, Kaoru proudly straightened her shoulders.

Well, the food was good.

“Then… I’ll talk to Kagami about it.”

“Mm-hm, I’ll wait for the update!”

Kaoru’s broad smile was refreshing.

*

“A hot spring?”

When I relayed Kaoru's suggestion, Kagami replied with a slightly dazed expression.

She’s someone who always wears a smile, and even when her emotions change, her expression rarely shifts. In fact, I only noticed the ‘dazed’ look because I unconsciously picked up on it through the subtlest of cues.

Living in close quarters with someone really does make you notice these little shifts.

Just as I marveled at this, Kagami suddenly grabbed my hand tightly.

“Let’s go.”

“…Didn’t you already have a place picked out?”

“Yes, but we can go there too. The break is long.”

If you put it that way, I can’t argue.

“Do you have other plans over break?”

“No, I left it open just in case.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Could she actually be planning a whole break full of outings?

It’s not like I mind too much, but…

“Traveling all break?”

“Yes, the whole break.”

When Koko asked, Kagami replied with her usual smile.

“Yay!”

Excited, Koko raised both hands above her head in delight.

Kagami promptly pulled Koko into a hug. Stuck in her grasp, Koko couldn’t move, her arms still raised.

Watching Kagami nestle her cheek on top of Koko’s head, I took a slight step back.

Uh, well…

Getting hugged every morning is already more than enough.

Kagami looked a bit disappointed but didn’t try to hug me.

It seemed like just as I was learning about Kagami, she was learning about me.

Thinking this way, it felt a bit intimidating.

“Where did you plan to go first?”

“Here and there.”

How am I supposed to understand that?

“I got a car.”

“You have a license?”

This was the most shocking thing I’d heard about Kagami.

I can’t imagine her driving.

Kind of like trying to imagine Kagami as a “mom.”

No, wait. Come to think of it, picturing Kagami grocery shopping or cooking for someone was hard too.

“You mean that small car that’s been parked out front since last week is ours?”

“It’s not just sitting there. I practice when I get the chance.”

Hearing her say “practice” makes me more nervous.

Could she be worse at driving than me? I haven’t driven in a year, but I used to have some experience in my previous life.

Anyway, I didn’t realize her plan to go traveling meant all that.

In fact, I’d noticed a small car parked in front of the apartment for the past few days.

It seemed a bit too cutesy for an adult man to be driving. If it wasn’t that, I thought someone had illegally parked it. Since Kagami didn’t mention it, I hadn’t asked.

So, she bought a car and practiced driving?

It’s a good development, but seeing Kagami enjoy her life little by little felt new.

She always had a cheerful air, but back then, it was an artificial vibe to create tension. Now, her expression felt purely bright.

“…Don’t trust me?”

“It’s not that.”

Well, this is the same Kagami who brought me back to life. I trust she won’t do anything that risks my life.

“It’s just… it sounds like it’ll be fun.”

Yes. Once you start working, it’s harder to enjoy things like this.

I don’t know if Koko or I will go to university. I do want Koko to go to college.

It’s less about diving headfirst into society and more about extending that grace period.

It was hard to imagine Koko or me working in a company in a few years. I wonder if Koko will be different by then—no more shouting things like “Yay!”?

Koko doesn’t seem like she’ll change easily, but…

Little by little, we’ll all change, just as we have.

One day, you suddenly look back and think, “Time has flown by.”

Time can’t be held back.

You can only remember it once it’s passed.

“Can I film in the car?”

“Of course.”

At my words, Kagami nodded.

The danger of death might be gone, but I still want to keep memories.

Ones I’ll remember for as long as I can.

Even twenty years from now—or, in a time far beyond the world I once knew.

*

And so, time passed, and spring break came.

Since I’d be away from home for over a week, I had a farewell party with friends to mark the end of the school year. It wasn’t a big event, just everyone going out for yakiniku.

We set out the next morning.

I woke up early, had a simple breakfast, washed up, and stepped outside.

I stood in front of a slightly classic-looking, cute car. Standing there, looking at the beige car, I felt an odd mix of emotions.

Even though it wasn’t a car I bought.

“So, this is your taste?”

I muttered absentmindedly and nodded.

Come to think of it, I still don’t know much about Kagami’s tastes. She does things for Koko and me, but she rarely gets things for herself.

Her clothing is usually simple, with no real distinguishing features. She wears pants and skirts about equally, and when she does, they're generally long.

Sometimes she wears dresses with a bit of an open neckline, but her usual outfit is either a light long-sleeved shirt with a flowing skirt or just a plain white long-sleeve shirt with jeans.

I know she likes clean styles, but beyond that, there isn’t much to go on.

Maybe it’s that Japanese sense of minimalism.

“Does it look strange?”

“No, I think it’s nice.”

I said, sitting down in the passenger seat.

“What’s the car’s model? Lapin?”

“Yes, it’s called a Lapin.”

In French, huh?

“Yay!”

Koko, sitting in the back, cheered happily.

The luggage was all packed in the trunk. It was a small car, but it seemed to be designed to maximize space, so there was more room for storage than expected.

I held onto the camcorder as I climbed in.

“I didn’t expect you to buy a car.”

I said, fiddling with the camcorder.

“If you bought one, I thought it’d be something big and fancy.”

And you’d have someone else drive it.

It makes sense, considering Kagami is still the head of a religion. Even if she plans to change how things are done, plenty of money must still be coming in.

“Should I have bought a bigger, better one?”

Kagami asked, looking slightly concerned.

“…No.”

If I was the type to want a better car paid for with Kagami’s money, I wouldn’t still be living where I am.

Kagami has a mansion that’s somewhat maintained and is even closer to central Tokyo than where we live now. If we were basing things on money, I’d have suggested we live there.

But for now, I like things just as they are.

Maybe I’ll want my own room one day, but for now, this is fine.

“I think this is good.”

“So do I.”

Kagami replied, lightly brushing the steering wheel with her hand.

“This kind of house, this kind of car, this kind of distance…”

As she spoke, she smiled, her eyes focused on the wheel in front of her yet looking as though she saw something further away.

I see.

Kagami has always longed for a “normal” life.

She was born into a bizarre and twisted family, raised among equally bizarre and twisted people.

She couldn’t live like an ordinary person. I don’t even know if Kagami went to school.

Would Kosuzu have cared about things like that?

Maybe Kagami had someone she liked. She might have had her first love at school. She might have wanted to make close friends or travel to new places.

But all those dreams were taken away by someone else.

Her belief that enduring all this would allow her to gain something precious was trampled upon.

And after all that time, here we are.

Has Kagami finally achieved what she wanted?

Or is she still in the process of obtaining it, one step at a time?

…The passage of time isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Well, let’s go.”

Gripping the wheel with both hands, Kagami said.

I nodded.

Then I reached up and grabbed the ceiling handle above the door.

“Hmm?”

Koko tilted her head and copied me.

“Koko, seatbelt.”

“Mm!”

At my words, Koko nodded and buckled her seatbelt in the back.

“You really don’t trust me, huh?”

“I trust you.”

I just don’t trust your driving.

“If that’s the case, I’ll make sure you feel confident in my driving skills.”

Kagami said and put the car in reverse.

Then she pressed the gas a little too forcefully, and we all jerked forward before she immediately let go.

“….”

My face was probably pale.

I seriously considered offering to drive instead. Though of course, without a license, I’d get arrested, so I just kept it to myself.

“You trust me?”

How can I when you make mistakes like that the moment you press the gas?

But at this point, I couldn’t say I didn’t want to go. Kagami’s driving practice seemed genuine, so I just nodded quietly.

“Yay!”

Koko was cheering from the back, hands raised.

I wonder if she thinks this is a theme park ride.

“Alright, then…”

Kagami, looking a bit pale herself, slowly pressed down on the gas.

The car was moving, slowly.

She turned the wheel, fully backing out, then shifted gears and moved forward.

It was slow, but at least it was much steadier than before. My racing heart calmed down a bit.

“Drive safely. Drive safely.”

I repeated it twice for emphasis, and Kagami nodded.

“I already am.”

Well, then I have nothing more to say.

I just hope her driving skills improve throughout this trip.

Chapter 191. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Kagami’s expression was so serious that it made me a little uneasy, but at least we managed to travel somewhat safely.

Maybe it was because she was a beginner? She drove slowly and carefully, which helped me relax, even if just a little.

The hot spring operated by Kaoru’s grandmother was the last stop on our trip.

The plan was to wander around and have fun, then get some proper rest before returning home.

Kaoru had already been informed and had approved of it.

So then, where would we be going before that?

“Did you know?”

Kagami spoke in a slightly cheerful voice while driving. Her gaze was fixed on the road, but she seemed to have enough leeway to talk.

“I’ve never once been outside the Tokyo area since I was born.”

“……”

“Although, I think my sister traveled here and there.”

Well, that would make sense..

Even though the children Kagami gave birth to were not a typical human child, pregnancy still wouldn’t have been a short period. It likely took weeks or even months, and she wouldn’t have been able to roam freely during that time.

It wasn’t just about it being dangerous for a pregnant woman to move around excessively.

What she carried wasn’t a human child; its form, size, and duration might be all different.

What would happen if Kagami suddenly went into labor, was rushed to the hospital, and what she gave birth to turned out to be that mass of flesh?

Kagami had never directly talked about that time in her life.

It wasn’t something she wanted to discuss.

The exact process of her pregnancy, how she gave birth, or what she did before realizing she was pregnant—it was hard to imagine her being treated as an ordinary human during that period.

Even after Kosuzu left and everything was over, Kagami had to clean up the aftermath.

I didn’t know, but she must have been incredibly busy behind the scenes.

Considering that she lived a life devoid of interest in the world, it’s not something I could hold against her for not having a broad view of it.

Looking at her general knowledge, though, even this much seemed quite impressive.

I never felt like I couldn’t carry on a conversation with her or that there were too many words she didn’t know.

I didn’t feel like she lacked common sense, either.

“So, I’m kind of excited. It’s my first time going out in a car like this.”

Had she gotten her driver’s license after I woke up from the funeral?

Kagami hadn’t missed a single day of school during the entire third semester, so I had no way of knowing what she did during the day.

Besides, it’s not as if it was only during the third semester that she had time. She had quite a bit of time before that as well.

If I counted from the moment Kagami started paying attention to me, the time only increased, so maybe she’d been preparing all along.

Thinking back, Kagami also had a few books among her belongings.

I didn’t really plan to go through all of them, but that bookshelf even had picture books for Koko.

Well, lately, I haven’t been reading picture books to her much.

…Was I too insensitive?

Feeling slightly regretful, I glanced over at Kagami. She didn’t seem to notice, focused as she was on driving.

I wonder if Koko would like it if I read picture books to her again.

Or maybe Kagami reading to Koko would be better.

Wouldn’t Kagami also be glad to have something to do that was motherly?

“……”

Was I going too far, considering her as family?

I broke into a small sweat internally.

After a moment’s thought, I spoke up.

“Once I graduate, I should probably get a license too, right?”

“That’s up to you.”

Kagami seemed to take a hands-off approach.

Evaluating myself as her “daughter” still felt strange, but, in a way, since I already have an older soul, she didn’t need to teach me much.

In that sense, I might be an easy-to-raise teenager.

Koko, though her way of speaking is childish, she is also someone who’s lived for quite some time in her own way.

I’m not sure if it’s because she carries the knowledge of the souls within her, but apart from her speech, Koko is fairly mature.

So, even with a bit of hands-off parenting, it wasn’t a problem.

In fact, Koko and I had already spent a long time on our own.

But still…

If Kagami wanted to “raise” me, maybe I should give her a bit of a chance.

It’s impossible to re-raise me from early childhood, but as for what comes after that—

“Even after I get my license, I might still be a bit nervous.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, well…”

For instance, Japan has left-hand traffic.

The driver’s seat is also on the opposite side from Korea.

It means the controls would be quite different from the vehicles I’m used to.

The steering wheel is one thing, but getting used to the gear lever on the left would take some time.

In Japan, it generally takes a long time to obtain a driver’s license, and they teach all sorts of detailed things, so people say they’re quite comfortable driving immediately after getting licensed.

But even so, a beginner is still a beginner.

They can’t be as skilled as someone who’s been driving for years or even decades.

So…

“I was wondering if, when the time comes, could teach me a few things?”

I figured there might be people who get extra lessons from their parents.

And Kagami might feel a little special about it too.

However, my words seemed to have had a much stronger effect than I expected.

Feeling an odd sensation, I looked over at Kagami to find her staring at me.

It took me a few seconds to realize what was wrong, and then I jolted in shock.

“Wait, Kagami! Watch the road, watch the road!”

“Oh, right!”

At my words, Kagami quickly turned her gaze back to the road.

Luckily, it wasn’t a winding road, so there was no accident.

“……”

A brief silence fell in the car.

Only Koko, who hadn’t fully understood what had just happened, was smiling brightly.

“…I’ll be more careful.”

“Alright.”

At Kagami’s words, I nodded.

It would probably take two to three years before I could improve, so until then, I hoped things would get better.

I really hoped they would.

***

Since it was a leisurely trip, there was no need to rush.

With Kagami being a beginner at driving, we couldn’t avoid getting lost here and there, even though we mostly stuck to the speed limit.

Besides, in 2004, vehicles didn’t yet come with built-in navigation systems.

Well, maybe in some expensive models, or as an option on PDAs, there might have been similar functions, but…

Still, I don’t think my father’s car had navigation when I was young.

Plus, this car was a compact used model. Since it was older than 2004, it was no surprise it didn’t have navigation.

Kagami was driving, but as a beginner, her visibility wasn’t perfect. Sometimes, she couldn’t find the road she wanted to take.

So, it was only natural that I ended up holding the map in my hands.

I moved my head around, reading the signs outside the window, and then checked the map to see where we were.

Somehow, it was kind of fun. Though maybe it was just me trying to see the bright side of things.

We could have taken the highway, but that would’ve been if we were heading straight for our destination. Instead, we wanted to stop here and there along the way.

From Saitama to Tokyo, and then following the coast westward from Tokyo.

We deliberately drove along roads with views of the ocean.

Japanese cars drive on the left side, and of course, the passenger seat I was in was on the left as well.

We could see the ocean all along the way.

We had started early in the morning, and by 2 p.m., we’d only just arrived in Shizuoka City.

It didn’t look that far on the map, but without a navigation system or smartphone, it was hard to gauge how long it would actually take.

One thing was certain: the time it took us to get here was much longer than usual.

After finding a parking lot and leaving the car, we stretched a bit.

I hadn’t thought I was that tired, but it seemed my body was a little worn out.

“Let’s rest here for a bit before heading off again. If my guess is right, we should reach our destination tomorrow.”

Kagami said this with a slightly proud look.

It was only after we’d set out that Kagami finally told me our destination was Osaka.

To clarify, we were just heading toward Osaka without a specific destination in mind.

We hadn’t booked accommodations and would look for a place once we got there.

We hadn’t decided on any restaurants to stop at either.

And we had stopped in Shizuoka City simply to rest and use the restroom, not as any planned midway destination.

In other words, it wasn’t so much that she kept the plan secret—it’s that she didn’t have one to share.

I figured that Osaka was our destination simply because it was a well-known place that wasn’t Tokyo and was somewhat far away.

Well, I didn’t particularly mind.

“We’ve come pretty far for a road trip, haven’t we?”

When I said this with a smile, Kagami’s shoulders shrank a little.

“Is it too far?”

“No, we have plenty of time, after all.”

Kaoru’s grandmother’s place is close to Tokyo.

Two days to get there, two days to relax, two days to return. If we stayed at the hot spring for a couple of days, that would line up with our schedule.

“So… anything you’d like to eat?”

“Well…”

Kagami paused for a moment, lost in thought.

If I asked Koko what she wanted to eat, she’d likely answer that anything was fine, and it was the same for me.

Honestly, given that Kagami mostly stayed in Tokyo and nearby, there probably wasn’t much I couldn’t eat.

“Even though it feels odd to say this after coming out so far…”

“But?”

Seeing Kagami hesitate, I asked her patiently.

“…Would a hamburger be alright?”

“A hamburger?”

I tilted my head slightly, surprised at her answer, and a flicker of embarrassment crossed Kagami’s face.

Ah, maybe she thought I wouldn’t like it?

“No, I don’t dislike it.”

Before Kagami could change the subject, I shrugged.

“I was just curious why you wanted a hamburger.”

“Well…”

Feeling a bit more comfortable, she answered hesitantly.

“I saw it on TV.”

“On TV?”

“Yes. Families enjoying a meal together.”

“……”

There was no way I could refuse her after that.

Not that I intended to refuse in the first place.

So, it was a kind of longing.

Kagami, who had never had a proper family, might have longed for those picture-perfect scenes she saw on TV.

Well, even if the atmosphere hadn’t been right, Kagami and I had once been to a family restaurant together.

“Alright.”

“Hamburger!”

When I nodded, Koko raised her arms in excitement.

In that case, let’s go all-in on a “typical” franchise today.

“McDonald’s?”

“That… would be perfect”

Kagami seemed to have just realized how much she had sounded like someone wishing for a trip to McDonald’s.

Her expression wasn’t much different from usual, but her cheeks had turned faintly pink.

“Let’s go, then. We’re bound to come across one if we look around.”

I took the lead as I spoke.

Though it felt a bit unusual, well…

Teenagers leading with parents following behind must happen sometimes, I thought to myself.

We made sure to capture a video of eating at McDonald’s.

We had left most of our belongings in the car but had brought the camcorder along, with plenty of battery.

Kagami seemed a bit embarrassed to have her burger-eating recorded, but because of what she’d said when we set out, she sat quietly and let me film.

Then, as if to get back at me, she snatched the camcorder from my hand and recorded me eating too.

But by the middle of it, she became so absorbed in filming that she kept recording Koko and me until I took the camcorder back.

We walked to the beach, sat together looking at the ocean, and then strolled along the sand.

Since we were here, I persuaded Kagami to buy a disposable camera, and we used it up quickly.

We planned to print the photos later, so I just put the camera back in the bag for now.

After spending some time there, it was around three in the afternoon.

We got back in the car and started driving again.

We arrived in Nagoya around midnight.

Actually, it was closer to dinner time, but with the sun already set, it only looked like nighttime.

“Let’s have meat for dinner.”

This time, I declared it firmly.

No particular reason. Truly.

I just happened to feel like eating meat while we were driving, maybe because of all the mental effort spent on navigating.

“Meat!”

Naturally, Koko raised her arms beside me, cheering.

“What kind of meat do you think we should have?”

Kagami spoke, sounding pleased. I think she was happy that I’d suggested something first.

“Beef. Let’s have wagyu, wagyu.”

Again, I was just going with my mood.

Since riding with Kagami, we’d been choosing roads as they appealed to us.

Maybe it was rubbing off on me.

“Sounds good. Let’s look for a decent place together. We might have trouble finding a spot, though…”

Surely, in a city this big, there’d be somewhere nice.

And we found just the right place—a small, tucked-away shop in an alley with only four tables.

But that was all we needed.

The meat was delicious.

“……”

Focused on grilling the meat on the burner in front of her, Kagami also diligently flipped mine and Koko’s portions, and I captured her doing so on video.

Honestly, I wondered if it was necessary to go this far, but, well, Kagami was enjoying herself.

“So tasty!”

Koko exclaimed, eyes shining.

Kagami, feeding meat to Koko with a fond smile, and I, watching them, along with the elderly shop-owning couple watching us from afar, all wore contented smiles.

Come to think of it, how long has it been since I had a trip like this?

Obviously, I hadn’t taken any trips after losing my family.

Maybe I was enjoying myself now because it reminded me of the trips I’d taken with my family when I was young.

Back then, we hadn’t left behind many videos or photos.

Perhaps that’s why everything felt so empty once they were gone.

After eating to our fill, we stepped out of the shop, our bellies contently full.

“Let’s take a picture.”

I said, and set both Kagami and Koko in front of the shop.

The camera flash went off with a burst.

I wasn’t sure how it would turn out since the disposable camera’s lens was so small, and photos taken in the dark often didn’t come out well.

Maybe even the shop’s name wouldn’t show up, but that didn’t matter.

We’d all remember being here.

After I took the picture, Kagami reached out to me.

Not quite understanding what she wanted, I blinked at her until Kagami took the camera from my hand.

Then she grabbed my shoulder, lining me up beside Koko.

“We both look exactly alike anyway.”

So, even if only Koko or I showed up in the photo, there shouldn’t be any problem. It would be enough to remember us both by.

“I’d know the difference.”

But Kagami said that.

Standing side by side with Koko at Kagami’s urging, Koko squeezed my hand tightly.

Then, she looked up at me with a big, bright smile.

While I was watching her, there was a flash—the camera went off.

With a satisfied expression, Kagami handed the camera back to me with a smile.

Well… as long as she’s happy, it’s all good.

As I cranked the camera lever, I thought to myself.

***

Even though it was vacation time, it wasn’t as if every single room in Nagoya’s accommodations was fully booked.

A room with three beds side by side.

It was a rather fancy hotel, but Kagami paid for it without a second thought. Well, she must be able to afford it. Maybe Fukuda-san had invested quite a bit of money into Kagami.

“I think we could make do with just one bed.”

I looked at her with disbelief, but Kagami’s expression remained unchanged.

“In terms of size, doesn’t this room look about the same as the one we use at home?”

“….”

Well, yes, that’s true.

I couldn’t exactly argue with that.

“Let’s wash up and rest.”

Since it seemed Kagami intended to use only one bed regardless of what I said, I replied with that to sidestep the issue.

I washed up last. Kagami and Koko went in first, and I followed afterward to wash up alone.

When I came out, giving Kagami an exasperated look—as if she’d achieved one of her life’s ambitions—I saw her lying in bed next to Koko.

Koko, resting her head on Kagami’s arm, was fast asleep.

On the nightstand next to the bed, there was one of the picture books from home.

With the two of them snuggled together, there was surprisingly still space left on the bed.

When our eyes met, Kagami put a finger to her lips, then patted the spot next to her.

For a moment, I considered sleeping in one of the other beds, but—

Seeing Kagami look so content, I let out a long breath and went over to join them.

I didn’t rest my head on her arm like Koko did.

But even that seemed to be enough for Kagami.

Maybe I was more tired than I realized.

Without further conversation, the three of us drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 192. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Both Kagami, Koko, and I, to be honest, knew next to nothing about the different regions of Japan.

We did learn some things in school. I have a vague idea of where cities are located, and though I forgot most of it after exams, I can faintly remember some of the local specialties.

But in reality, the things you know in theory aren’t all that useful when you actually go there. I hadn’t even traveled much outside of Seoul in Korea, let alone Japan.

I might have tried to sound knowledgeable to Kagami, but really, we were both in the same boat.

Still, since we had come all the way to Nagoya, shouldn’t we at least take a picture?

We took a photo in front of Nagoya Castle, had tonkatsu for lunch, and set out around 1 p.m.

Looking at the road map Kagami had prepared, I saw that the distance from Nagoya to Osaka was much shorter than the distance from Tokyo to Nagoya. Based on yesterday’s drive, I figured it would take about two and a half to three hours.

“…Driving.”

“Pardon?”

I muttered while idly sitting in the moving car, and Kagami responded. This time, her eyes were focused straight ahead.

“You’re getting a bit more used to driving, aren’t you?”

Well, after hours of driving, it was natural that she’d improve. She’d practiced diligently before, and I’m sure she trained hard at the driving school, too.

“Really?”

Kagami seemed pleased with my compliment.

“Kotone!”

Koko, who was sitting behind me, suddenly thrust a snack bag forward.

Over time, as people gave her more people-food, Koko who eats just about anything has now developed a preference.

She generally likes anything people say is “delicious”—snacks, bread, meat dishes. She also enjoys vegetables and eats them well, but if there’s meat and vegetables, she’ll go for the meat first. Koko doesn’t yet have the concept of “saving the best for last.”

When she picks snacks on her own, she tends to choose sweet ones over salty ones. Texture doesn’t seem to matter much to her.

Kagami bought a bunch of snacks that Koko picked out, and the one she handed me was one of those.

Hmm… but looking closely, it seemed a bit strange to call it a “snack.”

I think they sold it as a “snack,” but it looked more like mochi.

I remembered the excited store clerk explaining things, thrilled to have a pretty mother and two beautiful girls walk in. I hadn’t paid much attention to most of what they said, but I recalled they mentioned it was steamed.

Apparently, it was a specialty of Nagoya. Like the traditional snack that Mako brought back from Sendai after summer break, it seemed to be a regional treat.

Inside the package, there were five small square-shaped mochi-like pieces lined up in a row, with “Uirou (ういろう)” written on the label.

Though it was mochi, looking again, it also resembled yokan. Well, mochi is mochi, but yokan isn’t exactly mochi either. I suppose it could be considered a type of confectionery.

“Is it good?”

“Yep!”

I asked Koko just in case, and she answered cheerfully. Judging by the way her mouth was moving, she might have stuffed a few pieces in at once.

She was probably offering it to me because it was tasty. Though, Koko’s taste is so broad that I can’t always trust her judgment.

I unwrapped one and popped it in my mouth.

The taste was similar to yokan, just as it looked. It was a bit less sweet than the factory-made yokan you’d buy at a Korean supermarket.

If I had to rate it, I’d say it was tasty, but like most local specialties, it wasn’t something I’d travel just to eat.

After chewing on one piece, I unwrapped another. The one I’d just eaten had a strong red bean flavor, probably because it was made with actual red beans. This next one, darker in color, looked even more like yokan.

“…Want some?”

I showed it to Kagami, who was driving, and asked.

She almost turned her head sharply towards me again but stopped herself, only turning about 15 degrees. Thankfully, her eyes remained forward, though her expression looked a bit awkward.

Hmm… Kagami’s still a beginner, so it might be risky to have her take her hands off the wheel.

Thinking that, I brought the snack close to Kagami’s mouth.

It wasn’t too big, so she managed to fit it all in one bite. Though once inside, her cheek looked a bit puffed up.

Seeing her happily munching on the yokan… or yokan-like snack, she seemed quite content.

“Kotone, Kotone!”

I heard Koko’s excited voice from behind, so I turned around slightly.

Koko had her mouth open, like a baby bird waiting to be fed. It was cute.

I unwrapped another piece and put it into her open mouth. Koko happily munched on the snack with a delighted expression.

This trip was really a great idea.

I wiped my slightly sticky fingers on my pants and turned on the camcorder to film the two still munching on their snacks.

Then, I widened the angle to capture my own face and made a peace sign with my fingers.

“…”

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I thought for a moment.

“On our way to Osaka.”

I mumbled casually.

Kyoto City was on the way to Osaka.

We chatted a bit in the car and decided it’d be better to stay in Osaka and visit Kyoto from there, rather than stopping in Kyoto first.

We planned to spend two nights in Osaka.

When we arrived, it was still only 4 p.m., so we left our luggage in a room at a hotel near the beach and quickly looked up famous spots in Osaka.

We decided to visit Osaka Castle tomorrow. It was too close to closing time to go now.

Universal Studios Japan was open at this time of year, but if we went tomorrow, we wouldn’t be able to see anything else. While spending the whole day at a theme park didn’t sound bad, Kagami and I both felt… well, like something would be missing.

We agreed to save the theme park for another time. After all, there’d be Japan’s Golden Week after spring break, and there’s summer and winter break too.

I’m not sure how hard I’ll study for exams, but it shouldn’t be impossible to take a few days off during third-term break.

Kagami seemed eager to take a good look around Osaka, and I wanted that too.

Our first stop was Dotonbori.

If you live in the area, going to a bustling place like this too often might get boring, but as a visitor, it’s completely different.

Even if modern buildings look similar, each place has its own unique atmosphere. Even different cities within the same country do.

Dotonbori was like that.

At night, as darkness fell, Dotonbori lit up like any busy district.

The most eye-catching sight was the giant sign with the marathon runner. The neon lights along its edges flashed brilliantly.

Even I recognized the backdrop. It’s a common spot for photos tourists post on blogs after visiting Japan.

Kagami’s eyes sparkled, probably recognizing it too.

We took a photo together there.

It was too dark to use a disposable camera, so we took pictures with the camcorder and our phones. The digital photos were grainy in the low light, but we’d take clearer ones tomorrow in the daylight.

We bought takoyaki to hold as we strolled and looked around. People around us spoke in a dialect unfamiliar to me. Was it the famous Osaka dialect?

Tokyo is vast, and visiting all its famous streets would take a long time, but just being somewhere this far away was enough to enjoy the different atmosphere.

We had udon for dinner.

They say udon originated in Osaka, but honestly, I couldn’t tell much difference from the udon elsewhere.

But it was fun.

Walking with my family, without any worries, without any thoughts.

It had been so long.

“…”

I suddenly stopped walking.

Koko and Kagami, a few steps ahead, noticed and turned to look back at me.

“Kotone?”

Their voices overlapped.

Koko’s always called me by my name, so there was nothing surprising there, but thinking back, at some point Kagami had started calling me by my name too.

She used to call me “you” or other pronouns more often, but now she only used my name.

Maybe it’s because Kagami now thinks of me as family. You wouldn’t refer to your daughter by “you,” after all.

“Is something wrong?”

I wondered if there’d ever be a day when Kagami would speak to me in a more informal tone.

I thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.

Well, whether that day comes or not doesn’t really matter. Forcing it might only strain the family bond.

And I don’t have any particular preference either.

What matters is how I change.

Will I change naturally and slowly, like Kagami, like Koko? Will I even realizing it by then?

I’m not sure, but I don’t think it matters either way.

"It's nothing."

When I voiced my thoughts and moved between the two of them, Kagami and Koko tilted their heads in curiosity.

They really do look like mother and daughter.

But if I said that now, Kagami would probably hug me tightly, so I decided to keep quiet.

Back at the hotel, Kagami, who had read Koko a picture book yesterday, subtly hinted that she wanted to read to me as well tonight.

So I quickly escaped to take a bath. I was already the last one to bathe today. Did she plan on putting me to bed without even washing up?

…Was she really that eager?

I’ve heard that children who grow up without feeling much parental love can sometimes undergo therapy that mimics early childhood nurturing stages. Kagami seemed to be instinctively applying that method to herself.

Although she sees me as family now and has broken down many walls, no matter how close we are, reading picture books at my age is a bit much.

That kind of role would be better suited for Koko. She enjoys it and doesn’t find it a hassle.

“Phew.”

I sank deeply into the bath and dozed off a bit. The bath salts provided by the hotel had a pleasant fragrance.

After drifting in and out of sleep, I unconsciously smiled a little.

Kagami and I—

Even though we know we could afford to stay in hotels like this, we strangely cling to living in that house. If we wanted, we could move to a place closer to Tokyo to cut down our commute and be nearer to friends.

But, for some reason, we don’t want to.

It’s not that we want to be inconvenienced. Nor is it that we don’t want to live near our friends.

It’s just that somehow, I already think of that place as home.

In the span of a year, I’ve become so attached to that house that there are too many things I don’t want to leave behind or move.

At first, the emptiness was painful, but someone kept trying to fill that void for me. The things in that house, and the people who sometimes came by—everything.

One day, that too will pass.

Living there forever might not be possible. There may come a time when we’ll have to move to a bigger house, or for one reason or another, tear down that home.

Even now, this moment will eventually pass.

“...”

I can’t hold onto it.

But I want to remember it. All of it.

“Guess I should get out.”

After drying off and stepping out, I found Koko once again sleeping with her head resting on Kagami’s arm.

What is it?

Does her voice have some kind of sleep-inducing effect? Is it magic or something?

Well, Koko does tend to fall asleep comfortably anywhere, but this is a bit much, isn’t it?

When I tried to head to another bed, Kagami patted the spot next to her just like she did last night.

If that’s the case, then why did we get a room with three beds?

Not that it’s any of my business since Kagami paid for it.

I lay down beside Kagami.

I’d already been dozing off in the bathroom, so it seemed that driving for hours and walking around late into the night had worn me out more than I realized.

“…Kotone.”

Just as I was drifting off, Kagami suddenly spoke, startling me a bit.

“Huh?”

Instead of answering, I let out a weird noise, but Kagami didn’t seem surprised or laugh.

She simply asked in a serious voice,

“Are you having fun?”

I opened my eyes again.

Turning to the side, I saw Kagami looking at me.

We hadn’t closed the curtains on purpose, and the mood light by the bed was on, so I could see Kagami’s face quite clearly.

Since this bed, meant for one person, now held three of us, her face was pretty close.

“This trip… we didn’t plan anything in advance.”

“Wasn’t that on purpose?”

I had thought of it as just a long drive.

“It was on purpose… but still.”

Kagami lay back down, looking at the ceiling.

Her profile looked a bit dazed.

Kagami must be the most exhausted. She drove such a long distance for two days in a row, and after driving, she didn’t even get a proper rest and just kept going around with us.

“Honestly, I wanted to make a more well-thought-out plan.”

She probably didn’t know how.

Even people from ordinary families struggle to plan their first trip as adults.

Planning a perfect trip to a place you’ve never been is impossible. Even in the age of smartphones.

It might tell you how long it takes to get from one place to another, but in reality, crowds or your own pace can change those times.

Only after visiting several times and gaining confidence in how to get around, can you then make a smooth plan.

But Kagami didn’t grow up in an ordinary family.

So she doesn’t know that such “difficulties” are things everyone faces. It’s similar to how parents in dual-income households make an extra effort to ensure their kids are well-fed.

“It’s your first time.”

So I simply said,

“It’s my first time too, and Koko’s first time as well.”

If I were to nitpick, I’d been on a school trip before, but I decided not to bring that up here.

“Next time, we can do even better, right?”

When I asked, Kagami was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“That’s true… next time…”

Her voice was tinged with a bit of lingering emotion.

“Yes, next time.”

And then, I felt the need to add something else.

“And besides, this is fun enough as it is. Like I said before, it’s our first time, after all.”

Everything’s fun when it’s your first time. Even just exploring a new place is enough to fill the day. Didn’t we just feel that a little while ago?

“…Is that so.”

Kagami finally let out a long breath, as if relieved.

***

The next day.

In the morning, we went to an aquarium to see the fish.

For some reason, Koko started drooling a little while watching the fish swim freely in the water. Did she think of them as food?

Thankfully, since we’d drilled into her that she shouldn’t eat cat food, she didn’t try to hunt any fish right then and there.

For lunch, we grilled meat, and in the afternoon, we visited Osaka Castle.

It was larger than I’d expected. The main keep, called the Tenshukaku, had apparently been rebuilt later on, so the interior was more modern than I thought.

But it’s not like we came here to learn about its historical significance.

Koko’s eyes sparkled the entire time. Kagami tried not to show it, but I could see a slight sparkle in her eyes too.

And I’m sure my eyes sparkled as well. Honestly, I felt like I was on a foreign vacation.

Even when hanging out with friends, I’d never felt this relaxed. Thinking back, there was always too much I had to worry about back then.

This was the kind of carefree vacation that only comes after clearing all obstacles.

“I want to eat something!”

“Then, shall we go get something?”

When Koko suddenly announced what she wanted to eat, Kagami responded eagerly.

I almost burst out laughing at the sight, but I bit my lip to hold it in and walked beside the two of them.

The sound of the three of us walking under the clear sky was light and cheerful.

Chapter 193. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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Kyoto was actually somewhere I’d been before, so there wasn’t anything new to see just by looking around.

But while there was nothing new in what I saw, the people I was with and the scenery were very different.

The landscape of March was a vibrant green.

The lush greenery had a refreshing effect that just by gazing at it, it made me feel as though my eyes were being cleansed.

And, unsurprisingly, Kagami seemed to be seeing this scenery for the first time as well.

She must have seen it in photos before. Probably watched it on TV, too. But capturing everything with her own eyes was entirely different from seeing it on a small screen back home.

“Let’s buy a camera.”

After buying our third disposable camera, I said this.

By the third one, I meant it was our third one today. If I counted all the ones we’d bought throughout the trip, there were already quite a few.

The reason we went out of our way to buy these was because I thought that preserving the moments on film would give us higher quality photos than phone pictures.

But since we were taking so many pictures endlessly, we were running out of film, and carrying them around was more cumbersome than expected. Now that I was trying it out, I could understand why digital photography had taken off so quickly.

“And if we're buying, we might as well get a high-quality one..”

When I said this with a serious expression, Kagami laughed.

“Shall we?”

“Yeah.”

I said this as I rotated the camera’s lever to advance the film.

“It’s convenient to have one. We can keep it for a long time, it takes up less space, and once we get one, we'll probably use it all the time—not just for travel, but even in everyday life.”

I looked up at Kagami as I spoke.

“We could even fill up an entire album.”

“…”

Kagami looked at me with a smile.

“That sounds nice.”

There was a moment of silence, so I wondered if she though the idea of a camera was too much, but it seemed she was just daydreaming a little. Her cheeks were slightly flushed.

Hmm…

Did I say something weird? I had a feeling she might wake up early one morning to snap a picture of my sleeping face.

Click.

I pressed the shutter right in front of Kagami’s face. At the sound, she blinked as if snapping out of her thoughts.

“Since we’re planning to stay here all day, should we go ahead and print some of the photos?”

“Sure. It would be a bit much to just carry them all around as they are.”

While our trunk wasn’t full yet, it would still be inconvenient to bring everything back to get printed once we arrived.

“Then, let’s just go buy a camera while we’re at it!”

“Huh?”

I blinked at Kagami’s suggestion.

“A camera? Now?”

“Yes. Since we have the time and while we remember it.”

Kagami said it so naturally that I just stared at her in slight amazement.

“But... it’s expensive, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like we can’t afford it, right?”

Huh? Is she richer than I thought?

I mean, it’s not like the hotels we stayed at looked cheap, and if she could travel almost full-time during the break, she must have enough money.

In both my past life and this one, I hadn’t fully let go of my commoner mindset, so it was a bit of a shock.

“Let’s just go and think about it. If we don’t move quickly, the sun will set.”

Honestly, we were a bit short on time to go to multiple places. We’d been taking the subway instead of driving around the city to save time, but even so, Kyoto and Osaka were further apart than I’d expected. Especially since tourist spots were quite spread out.

Maybe that was why Kagami seemed to be rushing; perhaps she didn’t want to waste time.

“Uwah?”

When Kagami took Koko’s hand, Koko tilted her head in confusion.

Then she took my hand with her other hand, and I felt a bit flustered, but Kagami’s bright expression as she led us forward left me unable to say anything.

In the end, we bought a camera.

Neither Kagami nor I knew much about cameras, so we went with something easy to use and portable. Not just a digital camera, but an impressive-looking DSLR.

It looked similar to the camera I’d seen the photography club use once. Well, all cameras look like cameras, so to someone who doesn’t know much, they all look the same.

Click!

The sound of the camera shutter was crisp. It was different from the simple click of a disposable camera.

We left the disposable cameras we had at a shop to be printed. Since the car was at the hotel, going back there would waste more time.

Click!

“Wow, this is nice.”

Kagami pressed the shutter with a truly delighted expression.

I wondered if my face looked the same when I first played around with a camcorder.

Being able to see the photo results immediately must be convenient. And of course, the quality was far better than a phone camera.

Since the digital technology here was far behind what I was used to, it took a bit longer to save photos, and the camera itself was much bulkier than what I remembered from my time. But even so, it was much more convenient than film cameras.

It seemed like Kagami had already taken a full roll’s worth of photos.

I’d been unsure if we’d get our money’s worth, but seeing her snap away like this, it seemed like we’d get our value pretty quickly.

“I want to try.”

“Of course.”

When I reached out my hand, Kagami handed the camera over to me without hesitation.

Even back when I was a child, there was a film camera at home that looked like this, though it wasn’t a DSLR. It felt familiar.

I positioned Kagami and Koko’s faces in the center of the frame through the lens and snapped a few photos, one at a time.

Both of them were so photogenic that just taking their pictures made for a beautiful shot.

“Alright, let’s take lots of photos with this today.”

“Of course.”

Kagami nodded with a smile.

***

And so, after spending our time in Osaka and Kyoto, it was time to leave.

Normally, when leaving a travel destination, there’s a certain sense of regret, but I didn’t feel that way here.

Maybe it was because even the journey home felt like part of the adventure.

Seated in the car Kagami was driving, I checked the map while Koko hummed cheerfully.

Whenever Kagami recognized a tune Koko was humming, she’d join in, and I found myself humming along, too. I didn’t even think about it.

It just showed how relaxed we’d all become.

We stopped at rest areas along the highway to buy snacks, recommending treats to each other and enjoying them together.

At a clothing shop in one of the rest areas, Kagami bought me an outfit. It was a simple white dress that looked just like the kind Kagami often wore.

It reminded me of the outfits I’d seen on heroines in mid-2000s shows, and it made me chuckle a little.

With Kagami’s insistence, Koko and I changed into the dresses. Adding a cardigan on top made us look almost identical to Kagami’s usual style.

Our figures were too different to compare side-by-side, though. I wasn’t sure if the outfit suited me, to be honest.

Well, Kagami seemed thrilled and kept taking photos, so I figured it looked good to her at least.

On the way back, we didn’t stop anywhere else. Since we’d spent an extra day exploring Osaka and Kyoto, we had to head straight to the onsen to arrive at the scheduled time.

Unlike our previous trip, where we’d taken a break halfway, spending over three hours straight in the car was a bit exhausting.

“This place is lovely.”

When we arrived at the ryokan, Kagami’s eyes sparkled.

Every experience with family was a first for her.

At first, I found her childlike excitement amusing, but since every activity made her look so thrilled, I couldn’t think of it that way anymore.

It’s not that I was getting tired of it or that it felt stale.

It was just… I started to feel a bit sorry for her.

Maybe that’s why my attitude softened over time, and I found myself accommodating to Kagami more and more.

“Come on, come on, let’s go in!”

After greeting Kaoru’s grandmother and being shown to our room, Kagami managed to stay composed, but her expression relaxed as soon as we entered.

I barely stopped her from tossing her clothes off right then and guided her to the changing room first.

Our room was a family-sized one. It seemed large enough to comfortably sleep about five people, so it felt quite spacious with just the three of us.

And outside, there was an open-air onsen. A small, private bath reserved for our room, which added a cozy atmosphere.

March in Japan isn’t particularly cold. Still, it was much more pleasant weather for the onsen than the peak of summer.

Before entering the onsen, we washed ourselves thoroughly and tied our hair up.

Koko, Kagami, and I all wrapped large towels around ourselves.

Honestly, there wasn’t any need to be self-conscious with Koko. Obviously, her body was the same as mine.

And I’d bathed her many times while looking after her.

Not to mention, I’d also been to the onsen with friends before, so it wasn’t like I was particularly shy about showing my body to others.

But this was Kagami we were talking about.

To be honest, I couldn’t help but be a little conscious of her figure.

Fortunately, Kagami didn’t seem to notice my self-consciousness.

“Ah…”

Kagami was the first to step into the onsen, which was a relief.

Carefully dipping her toes into the hot water, Kagami slowly and cautiously entered, looking like someone experiencing an onsen for the first time.

I’d often heard that Japanese people are passionate about their onsens. I’d also heard several times that they love soaking in baths, not just hot springs.

I’m not sure how frequently Japanese people go to onsens, but I’d guess that an average family of three or four might go on a hot spring trip at least once.

It seemed that Kagami didn’t know even that much.

I took Koko and sat down with Kagami between us.

Exhaling softly, I looked up at the sky.

The sky was tinted red by the sunset.

“Did you really want to come in that badly?”

When I spoke, Kagami’s gaze turned toward me.

Her eyes were slightly unfocused.

I stifled a laugh as I looked at those eyes.

“I mean the onsen.”

“Ah…”

At my words, Kagami chuckled softly, then leaned her head back with her eyes closed.

And in a somewhat languid voice, she spoke.

“Well… that’s part of it.”

Her eyes opened halfway, drowsily.

Gazing up at the sky in a daze, Kagami continued.

“For some reason, I felt like I had to enjoy it quickly, to leave some proof of it.”

“Why? It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“Is that so?”

Kagami glanced my way again at my words.

Her gaze was still a bit unfocused, but there was a hint of disbelief on her face.

“…That kind of thing won’t happen anymore.”

She was probably thinking to the fact that I had died twice..

The reason Kagami always seemed strangely anxious when we were together was likely because of that. She still hadn’t completely shaken off those memories.

“Hmm, is that so?”

“Don’t you believe me?”

When I asked, Kagami thought for a moment, then replied.

“Honestly… no.”

“…”

“Is it alright if I whine a little?”

Whine?

But before I could respond, Kagami began speaking.

“It’s partly because of what happened back then, but to be honest, Kotone… it doesn’t feel like you completely treats me like family yet.”

“Oh…”

I found myself at a loss for words at that.

In truth, I hadn’t fully thought of us as family yet. Not that I didn’t think of them as family, but… isn’t it natural?

I had memories of my past life, and I hadn’t lived here since childhood. I hadn’t even known Kagami for a full year.

A lot had happened in that time, and thanks to all those events, I’d been able to adapt relatively quickly, but I still needed a bit more time.

Slowly—

The phrase “slowly” felt somehow inappropriate to say right now.

“…”

Like Kagami, I leaned my head back and looked up at the sky.

The color of the sunset sky was gradually changing. In a little while, it would be fully night, and the stars would come out.

“…What if I make a promise?”

I couldn’t give her a definitive answer right now.

But with time, I would surely come to accept it.

So…

“A promise?”

“Yeah. A promise that I’ll stay here.”

By “here,” I meant the life of “Kurosawa Kotone.”

Once I’d begun living this life, I didn’t want to abandon it. So, I would continue to live in this world as Kurosawa Kotone.

That meant Kurosawa Kagami would always be my mother, and Kurosawa Koko my sister… Well, technically, she’ll be the older sister if you went by birth order, but let’s just leave it at that.

My existence would continue to change, but those changes would happen as Kurosawa Kotone.

“So, there’s no need to worry too much.”

When I stated this firmly, Kagami thought for a moment, then suddenly extended her hand toward me.

Her hand held up her pinky finger.

“Then, let’s make a promise.”

I looked at her hand for a moment before hooking my finger around hers.

“Alright. Promise.”

“And one more thing.”

“Hm?”

Kagami tightened her grip around my finger, making it hard to pull away. Well, given that we were both wet and that Kagami wasn’t extraordinarily strong, I could easily pull away if I wanted to.

“I need one more piece of proof to be completely reassured.”

“Proof?”

“Yes. Actually, Kotone, you’ve already made a promise with me once.”

“…”

Oh.

“Do you remember what you said when you returned?? Well, you didn’t say it exactly, but I think you called me ‘Kagami’ at the start of our trip.”

Right.

In the car, I was so surprised that I called her that without thinking.

I thought Kagami might not remember since she’d been flustered, too.

“You already broke that promise, so how can I trust this one?”

Kagami’s words pricked my conscience.

Her expression was playful. If I truly didn’t want to, she would probably let it go.

But…

I clamped my mouth shut.

Should I make an excuse?

I could say that the promise back then was related to returning alive. So, technically, that’s void now.

No, that would be a bit too cowardly.

Besides, in that final moment, I hadn’t been able to leave any words for Koko or Kagami. I’d had a conversation with Yuka, but I’d already closed my eyes by the time they’d reached me.

Given that, I shouldn’t break my promise and then say, “I didn’t mean it.”

After a brief hesitation, I exhaled softly.

“…Alright.”

Nodding my head,

“…Mom.”

I said it.

“…”

Kagami was silent.

She just stared at me, her eyes wide open.

She was squeezing my finger so tightly that it wouldn’t come loose. The tip of my pinky was starting to turn red now.

“…Mom?”

If I was going to change the way I addressed her, I’d have to do it properly. Even though the word made me cringe and my heart shrivel a little each time I said it, she was my mom in this world, after all.

Terms of endearment like that feel awkward at first, but you get used to them after saying them a few times.

Besides, there was something more important than that right now.

“Mom?”

“Uu?”

When I spoke a bit louder, Koko, who’d been lounging around, also responded.

“Kotone?”

Koko tilted her head, confused.

“Mom, try breathing!”

Right.

Kagami had frozen not only her body but even her breathing. Could her heart have stopped?

It was only after I grabbed her shoulder with my free hand and shook her that Kagami finally blinked.

Then, taking a deep breath,

“Kotone!”

She shouted and released my hand.

Then she wrapped her arms tightly around me.

“Ah?!”

My face was buried in Kagami’s embrace, and I struggled. I could hear the sound of water splashing.

“Kotone? Kagami?”

Koko, perhaps thinking we were playing—well, Koko had always liked being hugged.

I felt Koko wrap her arms tightly around both me and Kagami.

Kagami’s grip loosened a bit, and I managed to pull my face back to breathe, only for her arms to encircle me again.

This time, though, at least I could lift my head.

On her face was the happiest expression I’d ever seen.

Kagami didn’t say anything.

She just smiled, tears rolling down her face.

“…”

Seeing that expression, I found myself unable to say anything, too. Even Koko had gone silent.

For a long while, we stayed that way, embraced in Kagami’s arms.

Chapter 194. Epilogue. Moments We Can't Hold Onto (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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After enjoying a relaxing two days at the hot springs, we got back in the car and returned home.

As soon as we arrived, the three of us collapsed in our room without even taking a shower.

Even though we had relaxed at the hot springs towards the end, we couldn't help but feel exhausted after a trip.

The slightly dingy ceiling caught my eye, but for some reason, I liked it. It felt familiar, maybe because I’d been looking at this ceiling almost every day since coming to this world.

“Meow.”

Kuro, who had been in her cage, leapt onto my stomach. She was much heavier now than when I first started raising her. Honestly, it's a bit weighty now when she jumps on my stomach.

We had left Kuro at Yuka's house. During our final second-year party, I asked if she could look after her while we traveled, and she had readily agreed, even coming by the day before to pick her up.

Even after everything that had happened, I still relied on Yuka for help. I thought about that as I petted Kuro.

But still, my heart felt a little lighter. I wondered why.

Maybe it was because we’d grown closer.

Or maybe because I knew I'd have plenty of chances to repay the debts I owed.

“Meow.”

Kuro, purring at my touch, let out another meow.

Even after staying at someone else’s house for so long, she acted like nothing was amiss as soon as she got home. She really has a thick skin.

“…What should we order for dinner?”

Kagami, sprawled on the floor, asked.

“Let’s get pizza, pizza.”

I suggested, the thought suddenly coming to mind.

“Pizza!”

Koko raised both her arms and shouted but soon let them droop again.

“Let’s rest a bit before ordering.”

Yeah, it's a hassle.

Honestly, I found it troublesome too.

“The trip was fun, but… I think taking such a long car trip might be too much.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m feeling a bit sleepy…”

“Eat pizza and then sleep! Pizza!”

At my words, Koko raised her arms again. Lying down like that, she looked like she was doing some sort of exercise.

“We’ll have to think of a more convenient way next time.”

“When I’m a college student, we could take turns driving.”

“That sounds good.”

Kagami replied with a chuckle.

“….”

And we fell silent for a while.

“Shall we order before we fall asleep?”

“Good idea.”

I got up as I spoke, and Kagami also got up.

Meanwhile, Koko had already fallen asleep. She had also been sleeping in the car most of the time, too.

Still, I figured she’d wake up once she smelled the pizza, so I decided to leave her be.

***

Before the pizza arrived, we looked over the photos we’d taken.

We had about an hour and a half of video footage on the camcorder, twelve disposable cameras with twenty-seven shots each, and nearly 500 pictures taken with a digital camera we bought in Kyoto.

Basically, we had been taking photos every chance we got. The camcorder’s total recorded time didn’t seem that long, but most of the videos were less than a minute each. So that meant we’d recorded at least ninety times, which was a bit absurd, even to me.

We’d developed about half of the disposable camera photos, but six cameras still had undeveloped film.

As for the printed photos… some were just poorly taken, honestly, and some were blurry because we hadn’t kept a good distance.

But even so, I liked them as they were. The random, unplanned shots mixed in showed just how much fun we had.

Koko, who had woken up from the rustling noises, saw the spread-out photos and quickly squeezed herself between Kagami and me to look at them intently.

“Not a single one can be thrown away.”

Including the ones that turned out badly. Kagami seemed to be thinking the same as me.

“Yeah, they’re all keepers.”

In a way, this was our first family trip.

It was likely that our excitement over this first trip led us to take so many random shots. But that was fine. This wouldn't be the end of our photos.

“We even bought a digital camera. You’ll come to the next sports festival, right?”

“Of course. I was actually researching lunchbox recipes even before the trip.”

Does she realize the sports festival is still months away?

Then again, making a lunchbox on that day would be chaotic.

“I should buy an album.”

I planned to store the film safely, but since we’d developed the photos, I wanted to preserve them properly.

The digital photos were the same. Digital data can be surprisingly fragile, and if you don’t print it out, it could all disappear without you noticing.

Since we’d captured these moments in time, I didn’t want to lose them.

While we were absorbed in looking at the photos, we heard a knock on the door.

Kagami, considering Koko's appetite, had ordered two pizzas. One pizza would have been enough for Kagami and me, but Koko might eat more than half of one by herself.

Kagami's prediction was spot on—the two pizzas disappeared without a trace. Koko even ate an entire pizza and a few extra slices, which wasn’t surprising.

Where does all that food even go?

…Since I currently have a body similar to Koko’s, does that mean I could eat that much too?

But I didn’t feel like testing that.

I do care about my figure, after all.

***

For the rest of the break, we took it easy at home.

We bought a DVD player and attached it to the TV, renting a bunch of DVDs to watch.

Koko liked flashy movies. She preferred action movies with lots of explosions or animations with plenty of effects.

Kagami… well, it didn’t seem like she had any particular taste in movies.

To be exact, she gave the impression of someone who had never been to a rental store before.

Watching her stand around aimlessly in the rental store made me think, “How can a person be like this?” but I refrained from saying anything.

If you’re not used to watching movies from a young age, you don’t tend to start later. Kagami must be one of those cases.

I’d seen her stare blankly at the TV from time to time, but that was usually because Koko had put on a movie. Besides, Koko wasn’t the type to watch a movie from start to finish anyway.

So I ended up renting a bunch of movies that I considered old—though in this world, they were still new releases.

Surprisingly, Koko and Kagami focused on the movies.

Well, they were likely just following my lead since I was watching intently.

As for Kagami's taste… hmm.

It seemed that romance movies didn’t suit her. Kagami’s life was quite far removed from “romance.” She didn’t seem interested in dating or harboring any fantasies about it. Considering the things she’s been through, she’s probably seen all kinds of people.

Action movies caught her interest to some extent, but not enough to make her thoroughly enjoy them. You know, like the kind of people who watch superhero movies and say, “It’s too unrealistic to be relatable.” She had that kind of expression.

Maybe it was because what we went through was on a larger scale than most action movies, even if it was a bit bizarre.

I didn’t pick thrillers or horror movies because I’m not a fan.

But I saw a hint of interest from her in animations.

Kagami didn’t show much interest in princess-themed animations, but she seemed intrigued by stories with “family” as a theme.

Ah, I see.

She once said what she wanted most was a family.

And during our trip, she mentioned she wanted to eat a hamburger because of a commercial she’d seen on TV.

So, on my next trip to return the DVDs, I rented a bunch of family-themed movies. Some were funny, while others were a bit sad.

Naturally, most of them were heartwarming, given the family theme.

My choice turned out to be almost perfect.

“…Sniff.”

In the end, I managed to make Kagami tear up.

“Sniff.”

Koko, too.

And as the two of them sniffled, they hugged me tightly from both sides, so instead of feeling moved by the movie, I had to endure the discomfort of my position.

Should I feel proud about this?

Well, I decided to take it as a success.

***

After the third semester, I would naturally become a second-year student.

Technically, I arrived in early April, so I hadn’t been in this world for a full year yet, but in my heart, I felt like a year had passed.

So what? Being short by a couple of weeks isn’t a big deal.

I waved goodbye to Kagami, who had come out to see us off, and walked leisurely with Koko.

When I first walked this road, it had seemed so far.

With a thirty-minute walk to the station, it’s reasonable to take the bus. But I chose to just walk to save a bit on living expenses.

But at some point, I started to enjoy walking here.

Probably, it was from the moment I began walking with Koko.

A place that was boring and dull to walk alone becomes a time worth waiting for when you walk it with someone you like and get along with.

Even if you don’t exchange many words along the way.

The train was, as usual, crowded.

There are a lot of students who commute by train, whether it’s us or not. Many schools start on the same day, so naturally, the number of students adds to the rush of working commuters.

After an hour's ride, we arrived at the station.

“Hi.”

As usual, we ran into Yuka.

Koko and I waved. Koko was especially happy to see Yuka. The only time she’d seen Yuka during the break was when we picked up Kuro, so it was understandable.

“I feel a bit nervous.”

Yuka said as she walked beside me.

“Nervous?”

Is it because the new semester is starting?

Hmm, I think this is the first time Yuka’s said she’s nervous about going to school.

“They’re assigning the new homeroom classes today..”

“Oh, right.”

I nodded in understanding.

That made sense. Yuka had been in a different class from me until now.

Her class was right next to mine, so we could see each other whenever we wanted, and we were in the same club, so it didn’t feel that far apart.

But still, there’s a big difference between being in the same class and not.

Hearing Yuka’s words, I felt a bit nervous too.

Doesn’t that mean I might be separated from Koko?

Well, if the teacher has real blood flowing through their heart, that won’t happen, but there’s still a chance I might be separated from Mako, Fukuda, or Yuu.

And, of course, I didn’t want to be separated from any of them. They’re all close friends.

“Right? Doesn’t it make you nervous?”

“…Yeah.”

“Wuu?”

When I answered with a slightly nervous tone, Koko tilted her head in curiosity.

***

I’m not sure how they announce class assignments in the 2020s. I didn’t attend high school in this era.

Do they send it by text message or something?

Honestly, I don’t remember how it was done when I was younger either, but at this school, they post the students' names and class lists in big letters.

In my class—

All of us were there: me, Mako, Fukuda, and Yuu.

And Yuka, too.

Of course, Koko as well.

“Yes!”

Yuka cheered and pulled me and Koko into a hug, jumping up and down.

“Uu?”

Koko seemed a little confused, not understanding why Yuka was suddenly so excited, but then she got swept up in Yuka’s joy and raised her arms, shouting, “Waa!”

Around us, there were others sighing and cheering at the same time, though maybe not as exuberantly as us. It’s rare to be lucky enough to be in the same class with friends like we were.

Did Ms. Suzuki take special care of my mental well-being? Or maybe our grades just aligned perfectly? I’m not sure, but with such a good result, I couldn’t complain.

The three of us walked lightly to our new classroom.

We’d arrived early. The Mako Trio wasn’t here yet.

But instead—

“…Sasaki?”

In the corner of the classroom, sitting in the so-called “main character’s seat,” was a familiar face.

“Oh, hey.”

Sasaki, who noticed us, gave a slightly awkward smile and raised his hand.

Oh, right. I hadn’t thought to look, so I didn’t realize he was in the same class.

Who would have thought Sasaki would be in my class too?

Hmm… should I feel happy about this? I wasn’t as thrilled as I was about being with Yuka or my other friends, but I was still glad.

I wasn’t sure what to say. Hmm, let’s get along?

While I was choosing my words, the back door suddenly swung open.

“Sota!”

The person who opened the door shouted loudly and ran straight toward us.

And then they nearly tackled Sasaki in a hug.

“Sota! I’m so glad! I’m so relieved!”

Watching the tears stream down her face, I wondered if she’d heard he’d been in an accident that morning, but that probably wasn’t it.

More likely, she was just incredibly happy to be in the same class.

The one clinging to Sota was Nakahara.

Nakahara Nanami. Sota’s childhood friend.

How should I put it?

It’s honestly surprising how many familiar faces are in this class.

Does Ms. Suzuki have more influence than I thought? Could she be the principal’s daughter or something? I don’t remember reading anything like that in the novel.

“N-Nanami, can you give me a break?”

“Oh, right!”

At Sasaki’s words, Nanami quickly wiped her tears and stood up.

Then, noticing us nearby, she smiled brightly.

“You guys are in the same class too?”

“Yeah… I guess.”

At least I wouldn’t have to greet Sasaki awkwardly anymore. The conversation itself isn’t difficult, but sometimes saying hello can be a little tricky.

“Hehe.”

Nakahara chuckled slyly.

“Great, with this, I’ve won the competition against Hagiwara-senpai.”

“…”

I seriously debated whether I should tell Shii about this.

If I don’t say anything, I’d just be hiding the truth. And I don’t want to keep things from Shii. I’ve already kept so much from her.

But if I do tell her, it’ll give Shii a massive headache.

Maybe the best solution is for Shii to skip a grade and join this school as a second-year.

I glanced at the door, just in case, and let out a small sigh.

Thank goodness. It doesn’t seem like that’s happening.

And neither Kaoru nor Izumi was held back and placed in our class either. At least that part of things seems to be running normally.

“Let’s get along this year.”

Sasaki finally gathered himself and smiled at us.

I nodded.

“Looking forward to it.”

Thankfully, Nakahara didn’t seem bothered by us talking to Sota like this.

At least she doesn’t see every girl as a rival.

It’s a relief that Sota isn’t one of those pheromone-laden main characters.

“Kotone!”

I heard someone call my name, and when I turned, Mako was running toward me.

She hugged me tightly and bounced around just like Yuka had earlier.

“Huh, why does it seem like you are happier about this than being in the same class with us?”

“Ah.”

Fukuda, standing behind her, made a remark with an amused expression, and Mako’s face turned red.

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“I’m just kidding.”

Seeing Mako’s face turn pale, Fukuda patted her back reassuringly.

“We’re in the same class again. Let’s have a good year together.”

“Yeah.”

I nodded at Fukuda’s words.

“…”

Behind her was Yuu. When our eyes met, she lifted one hand slightly. Unlike Fukuda and Mako, who openly expressed their happiness, Yuu’s reaction was subtler, but I knew this was her way of showing emotion.

She’s a bit awkward that way.

After that, more and more students started filling the classroom. Friends reunited joyfully, forming little groups and chatting excitedly.

A pleasant, lively atmosphere.

The classroom where we’d spend the next year.

Click.

While we were chatting, the front door of the classroom opened, and Ms. Suzuki entered.

“Alright, everyone, take your seats.”

As she spoke, she made eye contact with me.

Ms. Suzuki gave me a small smile.

“…”

I smiled back slightly, thinking to myself.

This year would truly be a fun one.

A true “school life.”

Just like those light novels from back in the day.

Chapter 195. Epilogue. Welcome to the Literature Club! (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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At the beginning of this year, I was still a freshman. When the school year began, I didn’t even attend the entrance ceremony.

In my previous life, it had been years since I graduated from college. I did have relatives, but most of them were my age, or they either had children who were too young or were old enough to be far removed from the idea of ‘starting school’. And I barely kept in touch with those relatives.

So, I didn’t even remember that the first semester opening day usually overlapped with the entrance ceremony.

“...Did they usually hold the entrance ceremony around that time?”

As I tilted my head in thought, Koko, who was beside me, tilted her head as well.

Yes, both of us had completely skipped our entrance ceremony yet still managed to attend this school.

I had at least skipped only the first part of the semester, but Koko had skipped an entire semester. And Koko had never even attended a school before this one.

As we both tilted our heads, the kids around us looked a bit awkward.

Ah, I see.

If we reacted like this, it would be incredibly awkward to laugh it off.

Whether or not they knew our true identities, the stories behind us were intense in various ways. And on top of that, they were all depressing stories.

"......"

Hmm.

Now that I think about it, Kagami probably hadn’t attended any entrance ceremonies either, despite having two daughters.

Maybe I should study hard and plan to go to college.

As my thoughts drifted, the kids quickly changed the subject, sweating nervously.

“So, does that mean we’re getting juniors starting today?”

At Mako’s comment, the kids nodded.

I briefly thought of Shii. She was a middle schooler while I was in high school, and although her uniform colors were inversed, we were technically considered to be at the ‘same school’. Shii also called me her senior, after all.

Unfortunately, Sasaki and Shii have a two-year age gap. If nothing happens, Shii will enroll as a high schooler here, but that’s something for next year.

Next year… Hmm, while I wouldn’t say I couldn’t hang out at all, I still need to plan on studying enough if I was planning on going to college. But, I’d probably still find some time for her.

“Yeah… But does having juniors really change anything aside from attending the same school?”

“That’s just because you didn’t join any clubs, so you don’t have any chances to interact with them.”

Yu commented matter-of-factly in response to Fukuda’s words.

Well, that’s true. There’s hardly ever a reason to talk to kids in other grades.

Back when I was in high school, I rarely talked to juniors. The little interaction I did have was mostly through the club I was forced to join on Saturdays. Even there, I mostly hung out with my friends rather than the juniors, so I barely remember any of them.

“Hmm, maybe I should join a club.”

“Why? Do you want juniors?”

“Well, I didn’t have any close juniors in middle school, so this might be my last chance, right? Next year, I’ll be a senior.”

Fukuda, you’re surprisingly diligent. Though, she does seem to get decent grades, if I remembered correctly.

There’s a certain aura about the word ‘senior’. It makes you tense up, and it’s one of those things that annoys you every time you hear it. But even when you become a senior, you still find time to have fun.

“But, I’m not really sure which club to join.”

Fukuda didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic.

“...How about asking Kotone?”

Yu suggested.

“Kotone?”

“She’s in a club.”

“Oh, right!”

Fukuda glanced at me and smiled.

“That’s a great idea! The literature club seems like a place you could get by even if you’re a bit lazy.”

What an impure motive for joining.

Does she think the Literature Club is that easygoing?

Well, it kind of is.

Especially the club president.

“...She might get scared, though.”

“Get scared? Who would?”

As I muttered, Fukuda tilted her head in confusion.

Izumi had been quite nervous when Yu visited the club room. She relaxed a bit after seeing we were friendly, but she still seemed uneasy around the “delinquent crowd.”

You know that cliché. In these kinds of manga, the bubbly, fashionable “gyaru” type often has little experience, while the reserved, ‘honor student’ ones are portrayed as secretly experienced or even alluring.

But you can kind of tell by the design. The inexperienced gyaru is usually a stereotypical gyaru, while experienced, reserved characters have an undeniable sensuality in how they’re drawn.

Izumi is definitely not that type. Honestly, it’d make more sense if Mako had a boyfriend than if Izumi did.

Not that she isn’t attractive or pretty, but… well, it’s about the atmosphere.

As I was about to answer Fukuda’s question, the front door of the classroom opened. The teacher walked in, signaling the end of the break.

“Oh, then let’s go after the entrance ceremony ends. Now that I think about it, I’m a bit curious too. Since it’s the place you’ve been attending for a whole year, I’m guessing the seniors aren’t bad either.”

True, we do all know each other’s faces.

So if they showed up at the club room, it wouldn’t be too surprising?

I nodded in agreement.

It’d be nice to have more friends in the club room.

I hope the Literature Club lasts a long time, so even if I revisit this school someday, it’ll still be around. The magazines we created might remain as well if there aren’t any major issues.

In my previous life, I never really visited my old school after graduating, but for some reason, I feel like that might happen in this world.

*

The entrance ceremony was held after morning classes ended.

Just in case, I looked around diligently, but I didn’t see Miki.

…Well, this school isn’t just difficult to get into because of its entrance exams; I’d also heard they check students’ backgrounds.

Considering a yakuza’s daughter attends, it may not be a super strict standard, but Miki, well…

Anyway, she’s someone who’s been involved in some pretty unfavorable situations.

Still, since she wanted to attend school, I hope she got into a good one. Ideally, I’d like to hang out with her someday.

Miki is still working hard at the shop managed by the boss. She’s somewhat popular, too. Watching her makes me feel like I should try living like her.

I don’t know exactly what kind of incident she was involved in or the details behind it. But it’s clear to me that whatever happened was likely out of her control.

That’s probably why the boss couldn’t give up on Miki until the very end.

"......"

Still, it would have been nice if she could have come to this same school.

"Kotone?"

As I left the gym, looking slightly disappointed, Koko called my name from beside me.

"Koko."

Instead of saying anything, I simply called Koko’s name in response. Hearing her name, Koko flashed a big smile at me.

And around us were a lot of our friends. Almost like some cosmic coincidence, all the friends I was close to were here at this school.

Well, to wish for anything more would be greedy.

As for people I don’t get to see at school, I can just go hang out with them somewhere else.

Since there was an entrance ceremony today, we’ll need to gather new club members soon, too.

We still have enough members for now, so the club won’t close, but if we want it to continue after we graduate, we need at least one freshman to join.

Alright.

The first step is to take these friends of mine to the literature club.

*

About that comment I made earlier, saying there wouldn’t be any issues since Fukuda had already seen Izumi before—let me take that back.

"......"

“Uh… Ikeda-senpai?”

Contrary to my expectations, Izumi was hiding behind Kaoru’s back, just like when she first met Yuu.

Bringing a bunch of friends may have been a bit much, but the main reason was probably that the girl at the front radiated a total “gyaru textbook” vibe.

“Hello?”

Fukuda leaned toward Ikeda, who was peeking out from behind Kaoru, and greeted her.

“Eek!”

Ikeda shifted her position behind Kaoru to avoid Fukuda.

“Hey, Izumi? You two have already met.”

Of course, they hadn’t actually spoken to each other.

At the Christmas party, and even at the hot springs, we were all gathered in small groups, so they probably hadn’t had a chance to get close.

“B-but that was a social gathering!”

Ah.

I think I understand what she means.

No matter how awkward it is meeting new people, if you go somewhere with a friend and meet their friend’s friends, you can’t just sit there being awkward. That would make everyone uncomfortable, including yourself, the other person, and your friend.

In situations like that, you end up scraping the bottom of your social barrel to engage, at least enough to appear friendly in the moment.

And you mentally prepare for it to some extent beforehand.

The problem is that when I brought my friends here today, I didn’t think to give Izumi any sort of heads-up.

“Come on, they’re the new members you were so eager for, right?”

Kaoru grabbed Izumi by the shoulders and pushed her forward as she spoke.

From her expression, Kaoru was clearly enjoying herself.

“Eek!”

Our proud club president, Izumi, seemed flustered as a blonde, tanned gyaru appeared right in front of her.

Fukuda looked over at me. I shrugged.

Honestly, I don’t fully understand why Izumi reacts this way either.

I’d asked both Kaoru and Izumi about it, but Izumi didn’t seem to have any dark past involving gyarus or anything.

So it really just comes down to personal preference.

“Since our Literature Club president is in this state,”

Kaoru, sensing an opportunity, leaned over Izumi’s shoulder and spoke.

“Don’t you guys want to join the Occult Research Club instead of the Literature Club?”

“Occult Research Club?”

Fukuda looked at Kaoru’s face for a moment, then her eyes sparkled.

“What’s that? It sounds fun!”

“Right? Doesn’t the Occult Research Club sound better than the Literature Club?”

“What are you talking about!”

At Kaoru’s words, Izumi finally snapped back to reality and yelled.

“This is the Literature Club, the Literature Club! There’s no such thing as an Occult Research Club —that’s a club that hasn’t even been approved yet! You haven’t even submitted an application in the first place!”

“That’s only because I didn’t have enough members. If I had a foundation, I definitely would have applied for it.”

Leaving the kids bewildered by the two bickering, Koko, Yuka, and I naturally took our seats.

“Want some dorayaki?”

I pulled the snack basket from the desk and pushed it toward the kids. They tilted their heads but each took a snack.

I unwrapped the dorayaki and took a bite.

It was delicious. Just pancakes with red bean paste inside, but it tasted as if every ingredient used was high quality.

Yeah, sometimes you just crave this flavor.

Even if I buy it at home, it won’t taste quite like this. Next year, after Izumi and Kaoru graduate, it probably won’t taste the same either.

Maybe it’ll have a new flavor then, but since it’ll be something I can never taste again, I plan to enjoy as much of it as I can while it’s here.

“Um, could you not watch people argue like it’s some kind of show?

Izumi, noticing my gaze, spoke with a slightly exasperated look.

After arguing like that, her focus seemed to have shifted, slightly easing her gyaru-phobia.

"......"

Izumi’s cheeks reddened as if embarrassment was finally catching up with her.

Unable to endure her embarrassment any longer, Izumi hid herself behind Kaoru’s back.

The kids’ attention returned to the three of us.

But Koko was already fully immersed in her snack, and Yuka and I were calmly eating another dorayaki with completely relaxed expressions.

It took Izumi about five more minutes to fully calm down.

Chapter 196. Epilogue. Welcome to the Literature Club! (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

"You're way too shy, Izumi."

"......"

Izumi seemed like she wanted to argue against Kaoru's words, but in the end, she couldn’t say anything.

After all, everyone here had already witnessed her shyness.

"Anyway."

Clearing her throat, Kaoru spoke.

"So, you want to join the Literature Club?"

"Yes."

Somehow, the group had settled in the Literature Club room, each person taking a seat.

The chairs just barely matched the headcount. While there were originally only seven chairs around the desk, we managed by pulling out a folding chair that had been leaning against the wall allowed for eight people to sit comfortably.

Incidentally, I also asked Sasaki and Nakahara if they were interested, but Sasaki seemed hesitant about the idea of joining a club that was all girls.

Not that he had any issue with more people vying for his attention—he was already managing two girls who were after him—but rather, he just seemed genuinely uncomfortable with the idea.

Come to think of it, last summer, he was the only guy in a place full of girls. Plus, three of them openly clung to him.

...Hopefully, this year he’ll make a close friend who’s a guy. Romantic drama is one of those high school experiences, sure, but hanging out with friends is just as great.

"So, how much do you know about the Literature Club?"

"Isn’t it a place where you just sit and read books?"

Fukuda offered a very straightforward review in response to Kaoru’s question.

“W-We also make a club journal too!”

Izumi protested weakly. Though, to be honest, we usually scrambled to finish the journal right before it was due.

While Izumi countered that comment, she couldn’t entirely deny that 90% of our club activities involved hanging out here, avoiding the summer heat and winter cold.

"And we also do group retreats. That’s important."

Kaoru nodded in agreement.

Was it really important?

Ah, well, teaching Koko during that retreat did help her pass this school’s entrance exam, so if that counts, then sure, it was important. Though not exactly critical to the Literature Club's activities.

"So... is it okay if we join?"

At Fukuda’s question, Kaoru looked at Izumi.

We all looked at Izumi.

Izumi’s shoulders gave a small shiver.

Even though she’s a year older than me, she seems so much younger in moments like this. Maybe that’s partly why Kaoru tends to follow her around so much.

"Yes, well, it’s fine for you to join, but..."

"It’s fine, but?"

Kaoru tilted her head.

"It’s just that, for that to work, we might need more club equipment."

Well, you’re supposed to have a little extra in terms of equipment, not just the exact amount for the number of people.

It’s always possible more people could join mid-semester, or that we suddenly get a surge of new members.

"Oh, I see."

Looking at the ceiling, Kaoru spoke up.

"Does that mean you need to talk to the student council?"

"Yeah."

We all exchanged glances at their conversation.

And then we looked back at them.

"Why do you need to talk to the student council?"

"Oh, it’s..."

Kaoru explained on Izumi’s behalf, as she seemed a bit lost in thought.

"Well, while it’s true that clubs should have some flexibility with equipment, the student council doesn’t just approve budgets that easily."

"Right. They tend to be conservative about budget allocation."

"Conservative?"

As I tilted my head in question, Izumi provided some additional context.

"Club budgets are meant to support clubs’ ongoing needs. In other words, if a club doesn’t have any future potential—even if it has enough members for now—it’s harder to justify increasing its budget."

Ah, I see.

In other words, this policy exists to prevent clubs from simply collecting funds to use as a casual hangout for friends.

Clubs at this school typically only need three members to avoid getting shut down. Especially in cases like the Literature Club, which was created when the school was first established as a "basic must-have" club, it seems the standards are more lenient.

There aren’t many members, and there isn’t much of a track record either, which is why we’ve been able to indulge generous in snacks without much oversight.

In fact, there are a few more clubs here that are old yet unpopular. If students wanted, they could pick one of those clubs, put in the bare minimum of effort, and still make use of the club funds.

So, just because a club grows doesn’t mean its budget automatically increases. For all the student council knows, the listed members could be inactive or even trying to monopolize the club room for personal use.

"......"

After Izumi’s explanation, we all averted our eyes a little.

I mean, Mako’s trio originally joined to "recruit new members," so, yeah.

"Do we really need to increase the budget?"

Yuka asked.

"It seems like what we have now is enough."

"Well, actually..."

Izumi looked around sheepishly.

"I planned to mention this today, but with everything that’s been going on, I hadn’t had the chance."

Then, taking a deep breath as if she were about to make a major announcement, she continued.

"Actually, it looks like we’re running out of snack funds."

"Wh-what?"

Crash!

A metaphorical one-ton weight dropped on me and Koko’s heads.

I lowered my gaze.

So... no more free dorayaki?

I mean, sure, I wasn’t exactly strapped for cash anymore, so it’s not like I needed to rely on this place for food. But still, knowing that something you’re used to having is going away—that’s kind of a blow.

"Don’t we still get the same budget?"

"Well... you see."

Kaoru scratched her cheek with a finger as she spoke.

"It seems like the rules are set to change this year. Apparently, there’s been some talk among the other clubs about overspending."

"......"

Since I’d relied on the club snacks as emergency rations last school year, I had no right to complain.

"It’s not like we really need dorayaki," Fukuda said with a slight tilt of her head.

“But more budget is always better. How can we help?”

She hadn’t even officially joined yet, and her eyes were already gleaming.

Well, Fukuda does love to be part of something lively.

"Yes, we’re planning to join anyway, so if there’s anything we can help with, we’d love to assist."

Mako, who had been listening calmly, added in.

"You guys..."

Izumi looked at the two of them with a slightly touched expression, nodding her head.

"First of all, the best approach is to show some solid achievements as a club. Essentially, we need to prove why we need a larger budget."

That would be tricky.

Last year, we made a club journal. Sure, if we put in the effort, we could make more, and even better ones, but as an unpopular club, it’s hard to attract attention.

And if no one’s interested, few people will bother taking those journals, so printing a lot only to have leftovers won’t help us make a good impression.

"What’s the other option?"

When I asked, Izumi gave a bitter smile.

"The other option... is to recruit more first-years."

"Ah."

That approach makes sense.

Even if the second-year members keep up their club activities, they eventually become seniors who need to prepare for exams. Sure, there may be some who keep coming to the club room, but as the year-end nears, they’ll inevitably get busier with studying and scouting for schools.

But first-years are different.

Once they join, they’re likely to stick around for at least two years. As long as they keep joining, the club should be able to function just fine.

But how would we go about recruiting club members?

I thought about it for a moment.

Although I’m not exactly in the position to talk since I joined in my first year, it’s difficult to really gauge the character of a new member when they first join.

Once they join, they’re in the same building every day, even if they’re in a different grade. Kicking them out just because they don’t fit in would be difficult. Worst case, they might come by every day to cause trouble or confront us.

On top of that, this school is co-ed.

As much as it feels awkward to admit, but all the girls sitting here in the Literature Club are cute, myself included. Even Izumi, who’s more reserved, probably has at least one boy who likes her.

An all-girls club with eight cute girls and not a single guys.

...Yeah, that’d make anyone want to join. Not that I can say much since I’m already a member.

Someone like Sasaki is fine since he’s decent and well-mannered, but if someone who just seems okay on the outside but turns out to be a delinquent joins, things could get unpleasant.

I don’t want to ruin Izumi and Kaoru’s last year.

"I think I get what’s bothering you."

Seeing me deep in thought, Kaoru smiled and said,

"You don’t have to worry so much. Izumi once even added a ghost member who was a guy."

"Kaoru!"

Izumi jumped up from her seat in response to Kaoru’s bombshell statement and shouted.

“A ghost?”

Fukuda asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Izumi protested to Kaoru, while Kaoru tried to avoid her, attempting to tell the story, as the original Literature Club members resumed their snack-eating session.

Thinking that I might not see this dorayaki again, I decided I should eat a little more of it now. Maybe I should ask Izumi what brand it is.

The three people interested in joining the club were watching Kaoru and Izumi with expressions that were part confusion, part amusement.

For the record, Yuu was still calmly fiddling with her phone at that time.

*

A few days later, during lunch.

“I’ve been thinking,”

Fukuda suddenly said right after the break began.

“Wouldn’t it be best to leave promoting the club to Yuu or Mako?”

At those words, Yuu looked up with a deeply displeased expression and glared at Fukuda.

“No, no. Just listen.”

Fukuda held up both palms, as if to calm her, and said,

“Both of you have the perfect ‘literature girl’ image. Honestly, if I were sitting there as a Literature Club member, no one would believe it.”

I didn’t think something like that should be decided by appearance, but I couldn’t bring myself to disagree.

According to her, she supposedly liked romance novels, but judging by her appearance alone, she looked like someone who would rather spends her time texting than reading.

“...You just thought of something rude, didn’t you?”

Fukuda narrowed her eyes and asked, as if somehow reading my expression.

“Not really.”

“Well, whatever.”

Fukuda shrugged her shoulders and continued with her thoughts.

“First of all, Izumi-senpai, the club president, is way too shy. I thought it was because I seemed too energetic, but after a few days, I realized it’s just her. Izumi-senpai acts that way with anyone she meets for the first time.”

Actually, I think her appearance probably had a big influence.

I still don’t fully understand how she became so close to Kaoru, but she wasn’t all that scared when she met me. The same went for Koko, and Yuka was somewhat fine too.

Mako probably wasn’t very intimidating either. Only Yuu and Fukuda got that kind of reaction from her.

But I ignored the thought that stuck in my throat and swallowed it down.

“On the other hand, Kaoru-senpai has way too much energy, and honestly, she doesn’t seem very interested in the Literature Club.”

…Well, she did get that part right.

It wasn’t so much that Kaoru was interested in the Literature Club; it was more that she was there because Izumi was there.

“Yuka is diligent, but she doesn’t exactly have a ‘literature girl’ vibe. She could probably pass as a Literature Club member, but she’s not quite like Mako or Izumi-senpai.”

“Well, I’ll admit that.”

Yuka, who was sitting next to me with her body turned toward us, nodded in agreement with Fukuda’s words.

“Right. So, it has to be Mako and Yuu.”

“M-me?”

Mako blushed slightly as she spoke.

“Yes, Mako. That exact impression. A little shy, yet with a subtly senior-like, mysterious vibe, you know?”

“…”

While complimenting Mako, Fukuda noticed Yuu glaring at her and quickly held her palms up again.

“Yuu, it’s the same for you. Right now, you have a cold beauty vibe, but with your fair skin and calm atmosphere, it fits perfectly. A little touch-up would suit you well.”

“…How?”

Though she didn’t seem convinced, Yuu showed a willingness to listen.

“Mind if I touch your hair?”

“…Do whatever you want.”

As Fukuda, with a gleeful expression, stood up, Yuu let out a deep sigh and agreed.

Fukuda stood up with a slightly excited expression and moved behind Yuu.

Then, she began braiding Yuu’s hair at the back.

“You know, a person’s impression is often shaped by their hairstyle. Just a small change in the bangs can make someone look completely different, like this.”

She braided Yuu’s hair and gathered it over one shoulder.

“Here.”

Then she took Mako’s glasses and placed them on Yuu’s face.

“It’s dizzying.”

“Just bear with it for a moment.”

With that, Fukuda took a worn paperback from her bag, opened it to a random page, and placed it in Yuu’s hands.

“Now, sit with your back to the window and look down at the book.”

“….”

Yuu, with an expression that said, “I’ll put up with this because we’re friends,” turned around, leaned her back against the window, and pretended to read the book with her head slightly bowed.

“….”

“…What?”

Seeing Yuu like that, all of us, including Fukuda, were left speechless, and Yuu seemed annoyed by our stunned silence

“It really suits you.”

Mako said that very honestly.

And it was true.

There was a reason Fukuda had asked her to sit with her back to the window.

Yuu’s skin was very fair. Although she had the appearance of a “gyaru” type, she didn’t seem to enjoy tanning and wasn’t particularly active outdoors.

Perhaps that’s why the warm light of the clear spring sky reflected beautifully off her pale nape.

The thick braid pulled over one shoulder was an excellent choice. Combined with her fair skin and glasses, Yuu looked like the perfect “literature girl” who loved reading so much that she rarely ventured outside.

And yet, Yuu still wore makeup in her own way. It wasn’t flashy, but rather a natural look, which subtly added to her impression as a “modest beauty.”

“See, she has a slightly different ‘literature girl’ vibe than Mako, doesn’t she?”

Mako, who seemed warm and kind, and Yuu, who came across as a bit cold and quiet.

The two of them together might even stir curiosity about why they were there.

It was, in every sense, “storytelling.”

…But, is this going to backfire? Since a little while ago, I noticed some boys near the window stealing glances at Yuu’s neck.

I’d once heard about a school with a rule banning ponytails because they “provoked inappropriate thoughts.” Now I could see there was a reason behind that.

Still, I couldn’t help but think.

Fukuda, you’re surprisingly committed to the club activities.

When I looked at Fukuda with that thought in mind,

“You’re thinking something rude again, aren’t you!?”

Fukuda said that cheerfully, ruffling my hair and leaving it in a mess.

Then she fixed it back herself.

I just hoped Kagami wouldn’t notice when I got home.

*

The “literature girl Yamashita Yuu” made her appearance in front of Izumi and Kaoru as well.

“Wow, impressive. If you’d looked like this from the start, Izumi probably wouldn’t have been so scared.”

“Who says I was scared!?”

Even though she’d hidden behind Kaoru earlier.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Izumi cleared her throat with a small cough.

“…Well, fine.”

A slightly calmed Izumi said.

“If she’s okay with it, I’ll allow it.”

Our gazes turned to Yuu and Mako.

Mako looked at Yuu.

Yuu let out a deep sigh and said,

“I’ll just sit there.”

“That’s the key.”

Fukuda said, giving a thumbs-up.

“Oh, and if any weirdos show up, you’ll handle them, right? Mako is probably too kind for that..”

It seemed that this was also part of the reason Fukuda had put Yuu on duty.

Hearing Fukuda’s words, Yuu let out another resigned sigh and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll take responsibility.”

“Responsibility…?”

Mako puffed her cheeks slightly, but honestly, that expression didn’t exactly inspire confidence. While she did step up when it mattered, her gentle look often made people underestimate her. Even her role as class president was something she’d been half-coerced into.

“Club promotion is next week, right? We should start preparing soon. I actually bought some supplies in advance to make the posters.”

Confirming the conversation had ended, Kaoru pointed to a corner of the Literature Club room, where there were some boards, assorted paper, and origami supplies neatly arranged.

“Since this is our last year, Izumi wanted to promote it properly, so she bought these with her own money. Let’s give a round of applause for our president, who sacrificed her allowance for the club snacks!”

When we applauded, Izumi’s face turned bright red.

“H-half of it was her money, you know!”

Kaoru looked rather smug when the applause turned toward her.

“We don’t have much time, so let’s get started quickly. A day should be enough.”

“Yes!”

At Kaoru’s words, we all eagerly dove into the materials.

After several hours of cutting and gluing, we managed to make some decent posters.

Though honestly, the posters alone might not be enough to attract attention.

Fukuda’s words were probably right. If the Literature Club wants to become well-known, we’ll need a little cheat.

Chapter 197. Epilogue: Welcome to the Literature Club! (3)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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No, it’s not that I thought men shouldn’t join the club.

It’s just that all the new students who start conversations with Mako somehow seem rather shady.

Not only the new students, but classmates and upperclassmen would sometimes strike up conversations, though if Mako kindly responded, Yuu—sitting next to her with a thoroughly annoyed expression—would glare them away.

I didn’t mean for her to chase everyone away… Well, if she doesn’t like them, then there’s no helping it.

I thought of it as a ‘cheat code,’ but it doesn’t seem to attract female students as well.

Well, freshmen might hold some ideals about their future school life. Not just anyone can enter this school simply because they want to.

If they worked hard to get in, they’d want some kind of reward from the school. While they’ll eventually have to worry about their third-year when in second-year, freshmen typically aren’t overly concerned about it.

If they dream about romance, joining a club with only the same gender might make that a bit difficult.

“Hm~ Guess it’s not working out after all.”

Fukuda, who had been watching from a slight distance, remarked.

“Should we have made Kaoru-senpai dress as a boy?”

Somehow, if we’d told Kaoru, she’d probably have found it extremely amusing and would have done it… Though honestly, I’m not sure it would have had much effect. Kaoru falls within the beautiful-girl category, so it would have been obvious anyway.

Will no freshmen join us at all?

While I was contemplating that and watching the scene—

“Uh, um….”

A hesitant voice spoke up.

The student, who spoke with a slight stammer as if nervous, looked surprisingly flashy despite their hesitant tone.

Their nails were painted, and their skirt was short. Almost as short as Fukuda’s was in her first year.

Their skin was fair, but based on looks alone, they seemed to belong more to Fukuda or Yuu’s circle than Izumi’s.

Even if their tone was timid.

“Hm.”

Watching the student’s back, Fukuda had an expression hinting she had picked up on something.

By the way, Yuu gave the student a quick glance, then returned her gaze to her book.

That means, in Yuu’s view, this student isn’t any harm. Even if they’re dressed like that.

On further reflection, this student was alone. While it’s not odd for people to walk alone, isn’t it usually the case in light novels that popular kids hang out in groups?

If they had close friends, they might join a club together.

“Looks like a kid who came from a different middle school.”

Fukuda murmured.

I thought so too. If they attended middle school with other kids, there’s a high chance they’d know some people in high school.

But this student was alone.

In that case, it could be that they had plenty of friends in middle school but entered high school alone, creating a sense of isolation.

For people like me who spent a lot of time alone, going to a cafeteria and eating alone doesn’t matter, but some people I’ve known would insist they couldn’t eat alone because “staring at a wall is suffocating” or “it’s too boring,” making phone calls while eating to cope.

Even loners feel uneasy about being loners, but popular kids would naturally find it even more nerve-wracking.

“High school debut, huh.”

Fukuda nodded as if she’d come to a conclusion on her own.

“High school debut?”

I asked from beside her.

“That must be it. Changing your image drastically when you go from middle to high school.”

Ah, so that’s what it is.

I’ve tried it too. Not in high school, but when I went to college and after I returned from military service.

Both times, I failed spectacularly. Luckily, since I was barely noticeable, it didn’t cause much of a problem, but it did leave a considerable scar on me personally.

So, could that be… what’s going on with this student?

You can’t read someone’s past just from their appearance and demeanor, but I mean, at a glance, they seem like a quiet kid from middle school.

“And speaking with the Literature Club, too?”

“Well, obviously, they’re picking the club because it’s easygoing. You can just read books and naturally form connections.”

In response to Yuka’s question, Kaoru nodded. If Izumi had heard that, she would’ve been quite disheartened.

The funny thing is that Yuka, Koko, and I all eventually formed connections through the Literature Club, just as she said.

As Fukuda mentioned, the atmosphere of quietly gathering and reading books without much talk suits reserved people. And if you can make friends or meet seniors that way, there’s nothing better.

Besides, Mako and Yuu are both quite pretty, aren’t they?

…Still, joining the Literature Club while trying to maintain that kind of image feels a little mismatched.

Mako finished a short conversation with the freshman and handed them a piece of paper.

It looked like an application form to join.

“Take your time and decide.”

“Th-thank you!”

The freshman, who’d been tense, shouted stiffly as Mako smiled kindly at them.

Hmm, how should I put it?

They look incredibly innocent.

Almost like a character straight out of a light novel.

“Alright~.”

Fukuda rolled up her sleeves as she spoke.

“Then let’s wholeheartedly show the freshman around.”

Then, taking large strides, she walked over and slung an arm around the blonde freshman’s shoulder.

“Eek?!”

Of course, the student panicked, but by then, Fukuda had a firm grip on them.

“Th-th-th-th!”

They seemed to be trying to say something, but it wasn’t coming out right. Did they have a bad experience with a similarly flashy girl in middle school?

Or maybe it’s that instinctive fear introverts feel toward extroverts.

I somehow get it, which makes me feel a bit sad.

“Come on, come on, the clubroom is this way.”

But Fukuda didn’t seem inclined to let them go and, still holding their shoulder, turned towards the old school building.

While the school buildings were connected, the look and feel of the older, long-standing structure and the relatively newer building were quite different. Though the old building isn’t too decrepit to use, it admittedly looks a bit shabby.

If I were a clueless freshman, I probably would’ve been startled. Getting dragged to the shabbiest part of the school by someone who clearly seems like a social butterfly would be unnerving.

The freshman, in fact, looked at Mako as if seeking help, but unfortunately, Mako was also an accomplice.

Even her smile looked slightly twisted.

Yuka, Koko, and I quickly followed behind.

We were worried the girl might pass out from fright, but seeing them turn more pale as more people were joining, I realized it had the opposite effect.

…Well, but Koko and I don’t really give off that kind of vibe, do we?

Plus, our appearance was even a bit gloomy.

Honestly, if you asked who was scarier to be dragged by—me or the freshman—the freshman would probably look scarier.

Afraid they’d really pass out if we spoke, the three of us just walked silently up to the clubroom.

***

“…”

And there, in the clubroom, was someone even more nervous than the freshman.

“Um, senpai. No matter what, it’s troublesome if the club president gets scared of a freshman.”

Fukuda, saying that, held the freshman’s shoulder and circled around Kaoru.

Izumi, just as when she last saw Fukuda, was darting around using Kaoru as a shield.

“Eh? Eh? Eh?”

Once again, the freshman only made broken sounds, as though malfunctioning.

“Hey, Fukuda, maybe you should let them go?”

Yuka said this casually while perched lightly on the desk.

Arms crossed, with a look of mild exasperation.

Yuka was behaving as usual, but honestly, the posture wasn’t helping. For the already scared student, it probably just looked like another delinquent joining in.

In reality, Yuka’s closer to being a loner than a delinquent, but there’s no need to clarify that here.

“Yeah, yeah, even our president looks troubled. Teasing Izumi is a bit fun, but she’ll get sulky if you overdo it.”

“You…!”

“Tease…?!”

Kaoru’s words had a strong effect on the two trembling small animals.

Izumi slapped Kaoru’s back, and the freshman turned completely pale. Did they interpret teasing as some kind of bullying?

I wish they’d notice Izumi slapping her bully’s back right now.

Fortunately, Fukuda listened to Kaoru.

“Alright, sit here, freshman-chan.”

“Freshman-chan,” huh.

It’s been a while since I heard that term.

The place Fukuda seated the freshman was, coincidentally, right next to me. Maybe it was deliberate, seeing as I’m considered quite sensible within the Literature Club.

Of course, Koko was sitting next to me, watching the freshman with a cheerful expression.

Now that I think about it, this would be Koko’s first junior in her life.

The thought made me feel a bit strange. Though, in terms of the order of birth in this world, you could say I came after Koko, Koko has barely interacted with people and never had even the minimal relationships others might have.

Would Koko know what a junior is?

With a cheery expression, Koko reached for the snack basket in the middle of the table, picked up a dorayaki, and offered it to the freshman whose name we didn’t yet know.

I leaned back to clear the way for her hand to pass.

"Want some?"

"Uh?"

The junior, who seemed a bit dazed as they sat in the chair, asked again with a blank expression.

"Want some?"

Koko repeated with her cheerful smile.

Hmm.

It seems she understands the concept of having a junior. She’s been oddly excited since this morning, probably at the thought of finally having a junior.

"Ah, yes, thank you…."

The junior, a bit confused, took the snack from a smaller senior.

Even after receiving the dorayaki, they hesitated, unable to bring themselves to eat it.

Koko extended her hand back to the junior.

"Give it."

"Huh? Oh, okay."

The junior, still bewildered, handed the dorayaki back to Koko.

Passing by in front of me, Koko took the snack and—

"This is how you do it."

She kindly unwrapped the plastic packaging of the dorayaki.

With a look that seemed to say, "It can't be helped if you don’t know this."

I reflected once more on Koko’s learning of social skills. I thought she'd mastered the basic common sense that most people have…

Actually, on second thought, the junior had been stuttering nearly every word until now, even making sounds that weren’t complete words at times.

So, Koko probably saw them as "someone who needs help."

Just like how people first viewed Koko when she encountered others.

Come to think of it, I used to teach Koko that way too. Perhaps she now wants to teach others in the same way.

"Here."

"Oh, um, thank you…."

Unintentionally becoming a student labeled as somone who didn’t even know how to open a snack wrapper, the freshman accepted the dorayaki with a vacant expression.

Then, with a slightly troubled look, they glanced at Kaoru, who was smiling brightly at them from the opposite seat.

Kaoru continued watching silently, and finally, the freshman took a small bite of the dorayaki.

"…It’s tasty."

"Aw, they’re adorable."

Kaoru gave Fukuda a thumbs-up as she spoke.

Fukuda also raised her thumb proudly.

Their expressions felt a bit like they’d successfully caught prey, which was a little amusing.

Seeing the freshman’s blatant bewilderment, Izumi, who now seemed more at ease, took a seat beside Kaoru, watching the new student closely.

"Ahem."

Izumi, who had been avoiding the freshman just moments before, cleared her throat with a confident expression.

"So… you want to join the Literature Club?"

"Huh? Oh, yes."

The freshman replied.

Holding the dorayaki in both hands, they gave off a remarkably blank impression.

With blonde hair, painted nails, and a subtly fitted uniform, their outer appearance screamed “gyaru,” yet they seemed incredibly naïve otherwise.

"Uh, excuse me."

Seeming to regain their senses, the freshman blinked.

With a nervous expression, they glanced back at Fukuda, who was still hovering behind them, then looked back at Izumi.

It was as if we were seeing a glimpse of how they looked before their makeover.

"Um, is this… not the Literature Club?"

"Well, actually, it's the Occult Research Club."

Kaoru interrupted Izumi.

"No, it’s definitely the Literature Club. You brought the club application, right?"

I handed the application form to the freshman. I’d picked it up earlier when Izumi was hiding.

"Here, see? It clearly says Literature Club."

"Y-yes…."

"If you don’t believe us, we can show you our club magazine too."

"Oh, um, no, I would definitely love to see it, but there’s really no need to go that far right now!"

"Is… that so?"

Izumi looked a bit flustered, and as she stared, the freshman slowly sat back down after having stood up.

They gave off the vibe of a small animal.

Though they were taller than me.

"We usually just gather here to read or write various things."

We only do the “writing various things” part a few days a year, but well, that’s true.

"We also make a club magazine for the school festival."

"Oh, about the festival. Have you thought about doing something different this year?"

Fukuda jumped in, as if she’d been waiting.

"How about a café? Like a maid café?"

She looked at Koko and me with those expectant eyes. Is it because she considers us the veterans?

"A maid café? For the Literature Club?"

"Technically, a literature café. Cafés have books too, right? So if the Literature Club does it…."

"…Let’s think about that later; we still have time."

Izumi’s expression turned wary, as if she wasn’t too keen on the idea of wearing a maid outfit herself.

Fukuda, on the other hand, seemed to sparkle at Izumi’s reaction.

Kaoru too.

The two really get along well. I should be careful not to become their prey when they’re together.

"Anyway."

Izumi tried to reclaim control of the conversation.

"During breaks, we go on trips together. There’s hardly anything to worry about in terms of club activities."

That part was true.

For some reason, the freshman looked over at Koko and me, and I nodded in response. Koko, in turn, nodded along with me.

"Last year, we went to a hot spring. We also had a Christmas party."

I casually included events that weren’t officially part of the Literature Club, though all of us here attended, so it wasn’t exactly wrong.

Not that they were Literature Club activities.

"O-overnight trips!"

But at the mention of trips, the freshman’s eyes sparkled.

"D-does that mean you also have pajama parties!?"

It seemed like they latched onto an unexpected part.

"Uh… We did wear pajamas?"

Since we did sleep, after all.

"…!"

The freshman’s eyes sparkled even more, as if they’d forgotten their nervousness from earlier.

"I, I really want to join!"

"Oh, really?"

Izumi, who seemed ready to give a persuasive pitch, was caught off guard by the eager response.

"Is there, um, any requirement to join?"

"No, not really… well, alright."

Finally, understanding the freshman’s enthusiasm, Izumi pushed the application form in front of them.

"Then, sign here. Join for now, and if it doesn’t suit you, you can always quit."

"Yes, thank you!"

The freshman enthusiastically signed their name with the pen I handed over.

*

In the end, that freshman was the only one who joined.

Almost everyone who approached us was a boy, and most were openly checking out Mako or Yuu. Even the boys who seemed more serious ended up staring at one or both of them, until Yuu’s glare sent them fleeing.

"…Harumi."

By the time we went to pick them up, Yuu was thoroughly annoyed.

"Sorry, sorry."

Fukuda apologized with her hands clasped, smiling brightly.

"But hey, that one student decided to join!"

"Really? That’s great. They seemed nice."

Mako beamed as she said this.

"Yes, yes, right? They totally seemed su~per nice!"

Fukuda spoke with her hands clasped.

…Hmm, how should I put this?

To be honest, the freshman was the one who had gotten a good looking at in the end.

While Fukuda is nice and wouldn’t torment anyone… there’s just that one thing.

Fukuda really loves cute things.

And Kaoru, too.

I can already imagine them getting totally wrapped around the freshman’s finger.

Well, as long as they’re happy, I guess it’s fine.

Chapter 198. Epilogue. Welcome to the Literature Club! (4)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

Tsuneda Tsugumi.

That was the name of the new freshman.

We only managed to recruit one person, but it was still better than nothing.

Another student might join the club later in the year, and we could always get more members next year.

To be fair, the second-years only joined this year, so technically, if you consider last year’s active Literature Club members, there were only three freshmen, including me, so it wasn’t like the numbers had changed drastically.

Plus, all three of us had joined the club in the middle of the school year, not at the beginning.

Technically, I joined at the start of the school year, but I hadn’t attended school during the recruitment period, so my case was a bit different from Tsuneda’s.

Anyway.

This Tsuneda Tsugumi was, in many ways, a sweet and naive kid.

She gave off a bit of a playful vibe, but she wasn’t great at initiating conversations, and she tended to look a little intimidated whenever Fukuda was nearby.

Maybe she attracted playful kids just by pretending to be one.

Though, to be fair, Fukuda herself, aside from her looks, didn’t really fit the stereotypical "gyaru" image either, so it wasn’t a big deal.

What concerned me was something else entirely.

It seemed like Tsuneda didn’t have any friends in her class.

Didn’t it?

Even though I often stayed after school for the club or my part-time job and didn’t always go home with Mako and her friends, we still occasionally hung out, ate, or went out together.

In class, I wouldn’t say I blended in seamlessly, but I was always hanging out with those three.

Even if I exclude Koko, who’s my sister, it’s not like I was completely friendless.

And it’s not just limited to my own class.

I often went home with Yuka, who was the same age as me.

I was friendly enough with Sasaki, and through him, I know Nakahara as well.

Honestly, I hadn’t put in any particular effort in expanding my social circle, but… well, regardless of the reason, I couldn’t deny that I had friends.

In contrast, I’d never seen Tsuneda hanging out with anyone.

Ever since she joined the Literature Club, she’d been coming straight here every day after school.

Eating dorayaki we’d bought with the extra budget.

“...”

Well, that was fine, I guess.

There was a time when I treated dorayaki as my emergency ration too, eating a few every time I came to the Literature Club to cut down on dinner expenses.

But, this girl also eats her lunch here during lunch break.

After school, she sits here looking a bit awkward until someone else strikes up a conversation, but when she sees us coming in, her face lights up.

She has this look, like she’s never experienced the joy of eating with someone else before.

Aside from having long, messy hair, Koko and I have pretty cute faces, and Yuka might look stiff at first glance, but she’s not intimidating when you get to know her.

Plus, when she’s with Koko and me, her face softens a lot.

Because of that, Tsuneda seemed to feel a certain level of closeness toward us.

“...Do you pack your own lunch?”

During lunch, since it felt awkward for the three of us to talk among ourselves while leaving Tsuneda out, I’d occasionally strike up light conversation with her.

“Uh, my mom packs it for me.”

“Same here.”

Koko nodded vigorously beside me. She still saw Tsuneda as her junior, which, well, she was.

By the way, Kagami is the type of person who thinks that if we don’t eat three meals a day, we’ll be dead from starvation in two hours.

Ever since I started living with Kagami, I haven’t missed a meal.

Also, she seems to think that buying bread from the school store for lunch isn’t nutritious enough, so she always gets up early to pack a proper lunch for us.

Thankfully, it wasn’t a massive three-tiered lunchbox.

Up until last year, I used to rely on bread from Yuka, but now I didn’t need it anymore.

Yuka seemed a little disappointed at first but understood when she saw our healthy lunches.

Yuka still eats bread from the school store. Every day, we go to the store together, chatting while we wait, then head to the club room once Yuka buys her bread.

So, Tsuneda ends up coming to the Literature Club room by herself and starts eating her lunch first.

The amount of food in her lunchbox seemed to vary each day.

At first, she would have eaten it pretty quickly, leaving barely half of it left when we arrived, but now she leaves a lot more than before.

Yuka also noticed, and we discussed it the other day.

It seemed like she was deliberately eating slowly, maybe waiting for us to arrive.

So, based on various observations, I suspected that Tsuneda was, in fact, isolated in her class.

Like Yuka and I were at the beginning of our first year.

...Well, in my case, it was more about saving money.

The problem was, bringing this up was incredibly awkward.

Neither Yuka nor I are in a position to tell her to go make friends. After all, we’re only a year older—barely even a full year if you count months.

And we’ve experienced isolation ourselves.

Fortunately, Koko never brought up that topic either. She was just happy to have a junior in the club room.

“So, why did you choose this school?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, it’s not a school you can just get into. I thought maybe... you had a particular reason for choosing it.”

Yuka, trying to keep the conversation going, carefully chose her words.

At Yuka’s question, Tsuneda’s eyes shifted around.

Then we both realized, a little too late, that maybe that wasn’t the right kind of question to ask.

A student who’s made an image change in high school probably doesn’t want to bring up middle school memories.

Yuka, who’d transferred between multiple schools before finally settling here, probably didn’t think of that.

“Um... well...”

A bead of sweat appeared on Tsuneda’s forehead.

Yuka, looking flustered, glanced at me.

Well, I didn’t know what to say in this situation either. Just because you’re looking at me…

“The... the uniform.”

“Uniform?”

Since Tsuneda finally answered, I tilted my head in curiosity and asked again.

“The uniform is cute. It’s unique... you don’t see clothes like this elsewhere…”

“Y-Yeah, that’s true!”

Yuka agreed a bit too loudly.

“It is cute! It’s stylish and distinct. A sailor uniform.”

Sure, it was cute.

But it seemed like she was lying.

I felt too sorry for her to call it out.

“Tsugumi looks pretty in the uniform .”

“Huh?”

At Koko’s words, Tsuneda’s eyes widened.

“It looks good on you. You’re pretty.”

Koko repeated it to Tsuneda.

“R-Really?”

Tsuneda’s face gradually turned red.

“Yep!”

When Koko nodded enthusiastically, Tsuneda’s face brightened up.

“...”

Thanks to Koko, both Yuka and I could finally let out a small sigh of relief.

“Let’s go out today.”

I said to Izumi.

“Out?”

Surprised, Izumi, who’d been reading a book, looked up at me.

“Yeah. Let’s hold a welcome party for the new member.”

We technically already did, just a simple one in the Literature Club room.

Even then, Tsuneda had looked a bit touched, her face flushed with emotion.

But, seeing how things went today, I thought maybe we should make it a bit grander.

When I glanced over at Tsuneda, Izumi looked over at her too.

Tsuneda was sitting there, trying her best to read a book.

Right next to her was Koko, and across from her was Fukuda.

Tsuneda, with her small-animal-like reactions, seemed to have caught Fukuda’s attention, as Fukuda always made a point of sitting beside her.

Mako was watching Tsuneda’s tense expression with an amused yet strained smile.

Now that I looked closer, Tsuneda wasn’t really reading her book; she was just pretending to.

Her wavering eyes were fixed on a single page.

“...”

Realizing this, Izumi let out a small sigh.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Izumi said, closing her book.

I did feel a bit guilty for always asking things of Izumi, a third-year student, but she was still the club president.

None of the second-years had stepped up to take on the role yet.

Well, soon someone would have to. It’s only the beginning of the first semester now, so there’s a bit of leeway, but by the second semester, both Kaoru and Izumi would be busy with their studies.

“Oh, are we going outside?”

“Yeah. A big welcome party is always nice.”

I answered Kaoru’s question.

“Alright, everyone, attention!”

At Izumi’s call, the club members turned their attention toward her.

They were all such well-behaved kids.

Though Izumi herself looked a bit nervous under the focused stares, she still managed to do her duty as club president.

"Let’s go outside for a bit today. Staying cooped up in the club all the time feels a little off, doesn’t it? We already had the welcome party, but I think it’s good to have regular social gatherings. Especially now that the Literature Club has grown so much."

It seemed that, as I had suggested, Izumi had already considered holding another welcome party as the club president.

"Who wants to go out and have some fun?"

Izumi asked jokingly, raising one hand slightly, and Fukuda eagerly raised her hand and replied.

"Me!"

"Alright, let’s go," Izumi said with a smile.

I glanced over at Tsuneda’s face.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were frozen wide open.

She wasn’t dead, was she?

I waved my hand slightly in front of her face, and Tsuneda blinked.

Koko followed my lead and waved her hand in front of Tsuneda’s face as well.

Tsuneda, looking unsure of how to respond, waved back at us.

Yuu watched this scene with a somewhat bemused expression.

“Wanna go to karaoke?”

“Karaoke…”

The one who reacted was Yuka.

…Oh, that’s right.

She hadn’t had many opportunities to go to places like that either.

Since she usually went around with me, we rarely go to karaoke or places like that unless the other person suggests it first. I wouldn’t go out of my way otherwise.

I felt a bit guilty.

Well, we could all go together this time, anyway. We were all moving as a group, so it was fine.

It felt different moving as a group like this—it reminded me that I was in a different grade now.

We had juniors, seniors, and friends we made all throughout our first year.

Originally, I suggested going out because I felt a bit sorry for Tsuneda, but now that we were actually heading out, I felt excited myself.

Maybe my heart was getting younger to match my age.

I didn’t think that was a bad thing.

*

Let me just say, Mako is an expert at things like this.

Just as she had helped me out in a similar way last year, Mako was doing the same for Tsuneda.

Perhaps it was because she’d helped other students with stories of their own, like Fukuda or Yuu.

At first, Tsuneda seemed a bit flustered, but over time, she started to warm up to the group, smiling brightly as she moved around with us.

"Kurosawa-senpai, you sing really well."

When people get really excited, they tend to say random things to those they feel even a little close to.

"...Just call me Kotone."

When I said that, Tsuneda’s eyes widened a little.

Was it really that surprising to tell her to call me by my name?

Fukuda was already calling her by her first name.

"There are two Kurosawas in the club."

So, I gave her a logical reason.

Yes. I wanted to get closer, but I didn’t want to skip steps.

The reason I asked her to call me by my name was simply because there were two people with the name Kurosawa in our club, including me.

"Kurosawa."

"Kurosawa Koko!"

I pointed to Koko as I said this, and she followed suit by pointing to herself and saying her name.

"And Kurosawa."

"Kurosawa Kotone!"

When I pointed at myself, Koko pointed at me and shouted.

"It’s confusing."

"It’s confusing!"

"That... that’s true."

With an incredibly serious expression, Tsuneda nodded. She looked as if she didn’t want to cross a line.

That... how should I put it?

It was like her expression didn’t match her appearance.

Or rather, maybe it suited her in a Tsuneda kind of way. Somehow, the impression of “Tsuneda” was starting to settle into my mind.

"Oh, by the way."

While we were chatting, Fukuda suddenly interrupted.

"But Kotone, you’re still calling me Fukuda, aren’t you?"

"...Do I?"

Oh, I guess I was.

I hadn’t really noticed.

"You call Mako by her name, and you call Yuu by her name too. Why am I just Fukuda?"

"......"

I didn’t have an answer for that.

Fukuda had also changed the way she addressed people. At some point, she had stopped adding "-chan" at the end of names.

In Fukuda’s case, it might have just been that she got lazy halfway through and stopped bothering with it, but...

After living in Japan, I’d come to understand a bit about the culture here. I’d been here for a year, after all.

Calling someone by their first name without an honorific implies a close relationship. Adding something like "-chan" is still somewhat formal, as there’s an honorific attached.

Of course, I’m not sure if adults use it among themselves, but it seems Fukuda felt comfortable enough to drop it.

"Go on, call me Harumi."

"Harumi."

"...You said it too easily."

What, didn’t she just ask me to call her that? Did she expect me to hesitate or something?

Sorry, but if she was hoping to see me get flustered, she should’ve spoken up earlier.

I’d just been calling her Fukuda out of habit, not because I felt any particular distance.

"So, what about Tsugumi~?"

"Y-Yes!?"

"Can you call me Harumi? Hmm?"

"Oh, um, h-how could I call a senior by their...!"

"Why not? Kotone and Koko said they’d call me by my name, so why can’t you?"

"No, no, it’s not that...!"

Hmm…

Harumi didn’t seem to have any ill intentions, but this reminded me of a senior teasing a junior in the military.

Except in this case, there was far less aggressiveness, and there was no yelling or scowling..

The difference here was that Harumi genuinely wouldn’t mind if Tsuneda called her by her first name.

"Um, I mean, well..."

Tsuneda stammered as Harumi playfully gripped her shoulders and leaned in closer, unsure of what to do.

Then, all of a sudden, Tsuneda froze up.

"Hm? Tsugumi?"

Harumi blinked, noticing the change.

Tsuneda had even stopped walking, so the rest of us also paused.

With her eyes wide open, she was staring at something.

I followed her gaze to see what had caught her attention.

There was a group of girls who looked somewhat similar to Tsuneda.

Their hair was dyed in various colors, and they wore school uniforms that were more ordinary than ours.

Those girls looked at Tsuneda and then suddenly burst into laughter, as if they’d seen something hilariously funny.

Then, still laughing, they walked away in another direction, glancing back at Tsuneda.

Oh no.

I had a feeling I knew who those girls were.

They were probably from the same middle school as Tsuneda.

And, most likely—

"...Tsugumi?"

Harumi asked with a slight hint of concern.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I’m fine."

Even though no one had asked, Tsuneda replied like that.

We exchanged glances, then looked back at Tsuneda.

Her hair was a shade of blonde close to yellow, but none of those girls had hair that color.

I think I saw one with blue hair, though.

Their attire... well, maybe a bit more rebellious than ours. Their skirts were ridiculously short, and their skin tone seemed slightly darker.

Hmm.

"Tsugumi-chan."

Mako quickly spoke to Tsuneda.

"Shall we go get something delicious? How about some ice cream?"

Now that the weather had warmed up, it seemed like a good idea.

"...Okay."

We practically had to drag Tsuneda, who looked a bit down, over to an ice cream shop.

They say sweet things help when you’re feeling down.

We gave her a big chocolate ice cream, and her eyes sparkled as she devoured it.

At least after eating, she seemed to be in a much better mood.

But even if her mood improved, the problem still remained.

I wondered what could be done to help Tsuneda feel better about this situation.

It was something worth thinking about.

Chapter 199. Epilogue: Welcome to the Literature Club! (5)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━

I don’t know what situation Tsuneda was in when she was a middle school student.

She might have been really severely bullied, or there may have just been a few kids she didn’t get along with.

Thinking it was just because they laughed a bit loudly doesn’t seem likely, and since Tsuneda didn’t seem ready to talk, I decided to leave it be.

After all, as long as she’s at school, she’ll be with us for a while, at least until next year.

And next year, Shii will probably join this school. Of course, it’s entirely up to Shii to choose which school she’ll attend, but with Shii’s personality, I’m almost a hundred percent sure she’ll pick this one.

The reason for that was right in front of my eyes at that moment.

“Sota~”

“N-Nanami.”

Since becoming classmates, Nanami started clinging to Sota more actively.

Surprisingly, the two of them weren’t ostracized by the others.

Sasaki actually had more friends than I thought. I hadn’t noticed because he usually hung out with the girls, but it seemed like he got along well with his own friends in his class.

Some of those friends had moved to our class as well.

Incidentally, one of them is someone I also know. I don’t remember his name, but you know, in typical harem stories, there is the one who is oddly obsessed with girls but never manages to be popular.

Although he’s interested in girls, he can’t speak properly in front of them, so I’ve deemed him harmless for now. In the novel, he either ends up getting a girlfriend or doesn’t… hmm, it’s been twenty years since I read it, so my memory is hazy.

Anyway, while Sota was a bit envied by his friends and occasionally teased, it wasn’t causing him any significant issues at school.

The same went for Nakahara.

She’s not exactly at the top of the social hierarchy, but she does have quite a few friends. Like Sasaki, she has a few friends in our class and others who come to visit from different classes during break time. And since she gets along with our group too, in a way, she’s on good terms with nearly all the girls in the class.

If Sasaki held the position of some sort of school idol, it would make sense for him to attract attention, but since he’s classified as the “average protagonist,” the girls’ opinion of him was more like, “somewhat good-looking”—a position that’s as ambiguous as it can be.

Nanami’s friends mostly cheered on their relationship, without interfering or getting in their way.

As a result, the atmosphere in our class was relatively good.

Sasaki is the only guy in this school who talks to me without any reservations. Nakahara doesn’t think badly of me either, probably because she knows I have no interest in Sasaki.

This was the case for Shii as well, even though she doesn’t attend this school.

That’s why Shii thought of asking her older brother to do favors related to me.

And that was a problem.

*

It had been about a month since I started working a few times a week, spending the rest of the time in the literature clubroom, doing homework with friends or chatting lightly before heading home.

I couldn’t count how many times I’d thought about how nice it would’ve been if school life had always been this peaceful.

Honestly, I wanted to bring in a computer or a TV to make our time in the literature club more enjoyable, but I refrained. Something told me that if I asked Kagami for it, she’d actually make it happen, and that thought made me feel uneasy in a different sense.

Usually, when we get to the clubroom, Tsuneda is already there waiting for us. It’s almost strange how fast she gets there, but then again, we don’t rush, so it’s not impossible for her to arrive first.

Today, we arrived at the literature clubroom as usual, but Tsuneda wasn’t there.

While Izumi and Kaoru often come late or miss a day due to third-year activities, it was unusual for Tsuneda to be absent.

It’s not like she’s never missed a club activity before, but Tsuneda would always write a very polite “absence reason” email to us, typically for reasons like family dinners or something similar.

We were curious, but we didn’t worry too much just yet.

She might just be running a bit late, right?

After leisurely preparing tea and taking out snacks to nibble on, about ten minutes later…

Just as we were genuinely starting to get concerned about Tsuneda, the clubroom door opened cautiously.

Coincidentally, we were all quietly engaged in our respective club activities, so even the slight sound made us all react simultaneously.

Although it had already been a month since we started club activities together, Tsuneda still looked a little startled when everyone’s attention focused on her.

But today, she looked different.

She looked dazed.

Her eyes were slightly unfocused, her cheeks flushed, and her hair a bit messy. Her uniform was slightly disheveled, and her knees were a bit bruised and red.

“T-Tsugumi!?”

The first person to react was Harumi.

Maybe it’s because they share a similar gyaru style? Or it could be that she joined the club to have a younger member around. Whatever the reason, Harumi genuinely cared for Tsugumi.

She stood up and checked Tsuneda over, placing her hand on Tsuneda’s shoulder as she spoke.

“...Who was it?”

Harumi spoke with a real delinquent vibe, as if she’d go beat up anyone whose name she heard.

“An… attractive man…”

Harumi’s face turned even paler at those words.

“Ts-Tsuneda, Tsuneda! Did some guy take advantage of you?”

“Harumi.”

Mako held Harumi back.

“Calm down for now. Let’s hear her story.”

Mako looked serious, but she was far more rational than the overly-agitated Harumi.

We sat the dazed Tsuneda down in a chair. Since she was in a daze, she didn’t resist at all.

Not that she would’ve resisted even if she hadn’t been dazed.

“So, what happened?”

“Oh, um, well…!”

Tsuneda suddenly reacted intensely.

“The thing is, I had this whole set of world literature anthologies at home I no longer read.”

At this point, I began to sense what had happened to her.

Of course, I still had no idea who the “attractive man” was, so I listened for more details.

“I’d already read all of them, and with the bookshelf getting cramped, I got my parents’ permission to bring them here.”

“...How many volumes are we talking about?”

“About fifty…”

No wonder she was out of shelf space.

I guess that would’ve been me at her age too, filling my shelves with light novels and manga.

“Fifty volumes.”

When Yuu muttered in disbelief, Tsuneda flapped her hands.

“Of course, I wasn’t planning to bring them all at once!”

Fifty volumes would be too heavy to carry in one go, anyway.

Tsuneda planned to carry around ten volumes at a time. Even though it was heavy, it seemed manageable within her limit.

“You should’ve told us ahead of time.”

Harumi’s tone softened a bit, probably realizing that Tsuneda hadn’t been forced into anything unpleasant.

“Oh, I didn’t want to bother my seniors…”

“Tsuneda, it’s fine. We’re all in the literature club together. Those books are for the club, right? Of course, we’d help you carry them.”

When Mako said that with an almost angelic expression, Tsuneda’s face went blank again.

“H-Hehe, really? Hehe…”

If Koko and I had gone, maybe we could’ve carried all fifty volumes in one trip, though it would’ve looked pretty odd.

...Well, even so, if the literature club all helped, we wouldn’t have to go that far. I don’t plan on drawing attention to myself anymore.

Tsuneda, who had been chuckling a bit foolishly, quickly shook her head, realizing she’d veered off-topic.

“Anyway, while I was carrying the books, I tripped…”

“Did you hurt yourself badly? Shouldn’t we go to the nurse’s office?”

Harumi asked with a worried look.

“N-No. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“What about the books?”

Yuu asked.

“Oh… Ah!”

Tsuneda jumped up from her seat, suddenly shouting.

“He offered to carry the books for me!”

“He?”

Yuu furrowed her brows, looking up at Tsuneda.

“The person who helped me when I fell! He even gathered up the scattered books and, with a gentle and caring look, said, ‘Heading to the literature clubroom, right? I’ll carry them for you, so you go on ahead!’”

That didn’t clarify anything for me.

And the fact that Tsuneda had actually handed over the books and come here alone was surprising. If it were me, I’d feel too bad and insist on carrying them myself.

Well, it probably wasn’t that she found it convenient, but that she’d been mesmerized by his noble gestures and instinctively acted on impulse. Tsuneda wasn’t thick-skinned enough to be blatantly shameless.

“I’ll go get them right now—”

See, she just realized it and was ready to dash off.

However, before Tsuneda could open the door, the door to the literature clubroom quietly swung open.

The person beyond it was—

"Where should I put this?"

"......"

"Um... why are you all looking at me like that?"

The “person” Tsuneda mentioned,

That is, Sasaki Sota, stood at the entrance, flustered, as he received the subtle gazes of the second-year literature club members.

*

“Here, take this.”

What Sasaki handed me was a wagashi, a Japanese confectionery.

That... it's one of those sweets made to look like fruit that I tried once when I was a kid.

Not that I didn’t like it—it was delicious, for sure.

"A gift from one of my father’s acquaintances. So many boxes came that there’s too much for just us to eat."

Wasn’t he not on good terms with his father?

Though, I guess it's a different story if it’s a friend of his father’s. I hadn’t read it in the novel, but it wouldn’t be strange if he had at least a few people helping him out.

Opening the luxurious-looking wagashi set, I looked down at the sweets with a complicated expression.

For reference, Sasaki was still standing in his place.

Tsuneda sat at her seat, lowering her head and fidgeting.

Thinking about it seriously, maybe Sasaki really does have the kind of looks that wouldn’t be odd to fall for at first sight?

Maybe the girls’ “somewhat good-looking” assessment was actually just them hiding their true feelings...

But then again, the girls here in the literature clubroom seemed immune to his looks.

I mean, even I have daydreamed about dating a pretty girl just by having a slight connection with her. Humans are the kind of creatures who can even fantasize about celebrities like that, without needing a direct link.

“Tsuneda, did you go to an all-girls’ middle school by any chance?”

“Yes!? How did you know?!”

Wait, really?

While my question made the other girls’ expressions turn uncertain, hearing Tsuneda’s answer, they all nodded knowingly.

No immunity to guys.

So, she fell on the street, and then a handsome guy she’d never met before approached her kindly and helped her up.

Not only that, he sent her ahead and took care of all her scattered belongings, offering to carry them for her.

After setting up that simple premise, I tried flipping the gender.

Would that be enough to... fall for someone? I mean, it could be enough of a reason to feel an immense amount of affection.

"......"

"......What?"

As I looked up at Sasaki blankly, Sasaki asked in a slightly flustered tone.

"It's nothing."

Goodness, he’s so oblivious.

Though, perhaps Sasaki’s reaction is somewhat understandable.

What guy would ever assume that a girl he’d just met had fallen for him at first sight? Usually, any girl who says that is either in a pyramid scheme or a cult. Unless the guy is extraordinarily handsome.

Feeling vaguely annoyed for some reason, I picked up a wagashi.

I’d chosen one that looked like a peach.

Its surface was quite sticky, with a texture similar to mochi. The filling inside was something I didn’t recognize, but it was soft and delicious.

Seeing Koko absentmindedly eating wagashi with a completely uninterested look in her eyes regarding the whole romance talk somehow made me feel like I shouldn’t care either.

Yeah, who am I to interfere? It’s someone else’s love life, anyway.

Even if it’s a little irritating, I’ll just let them do what they want.

If Nakahara or Hagiwara ever went too far with their jealousy, I might help Tsuneda a little, though.

...Speaking of which, it’s been a while since I last saw Hagiwara. Hope she’s doing well.

As I reached my conclusion not to meddle in other people’s love lives, it seemed the others had come to the same conclusion.

We knew there were two strong-willed girls competing over Sasaki, but we didn’t feel the need to mention it. Suggesting she should give up would have felt too much like urging her to quit.

Tsuneda, for her part, was too timid to even approach Sasaki, so it wasn’t an urgent issue for now.

If it was just a passing interest, it would probably end as a short-lived crush, and if Tsuneda eventually got frustrated enough to ask us for help, we could just help her out then.

Not that I’m sure my help would be of any use.

*

“I’m heading out first today.”

One sunny day in May, I told the other classmates.

“Okay. See you tomorrow.”

Waving brightly were Mako and Harumi, and Yuu, looking a little indifferent but still waving earnestly, so I waved back once more before heading home, walking between Koko and Yuka.

It wasn’t that I was leaving early for a part-time job or anything; I’d just started to sense that Kagami was about to start singing one of her silly, melodramatic tune about how she might “wither away from loneliness” if we didn’t go out for dinner soon.

If she wants to go out to eat, she could just say so—why put on such a sad tune?

Maybe Kagami’s been alone for so long she’s forgotten how to talk normally.

...

Now that I think about it, the idea feels so convincing that I almost feel sorry for Kagami.

“Where should we go? Since your schedule’s a bit tight, we probably won’t have time for dinner...”

School lets us out far earlier than most people’s work shifts. Naturally, we still had time in the afternoon to go around.

“Then how about a quick look around?”

“Sounds good.”

“Yay!”

When I replied to Yuka’s suggestion, Koko raised both hands and cheered.

She really does enjoy eating and having fun.

As Yuka and I tousled Koko’s hair playfully, Koko went “Ooh?” in slight surprise but still looked quite pleased.

Since both Koko and I had a long train ride home, we decided not to wander too far. We didn’t really need to, anyway, since Hanagawa High School, ridiculously wealthy as it is, was located right in the heart of Tokyo.

It had been a while since we wandered around together, exploring this way and that.

None of us were particularly interested in clothes or buying accessories, but somehow, just walking around together made everything seem interesting. Maybe it felt that way because it’d been so long.

And while we were strolling around like that, we spotted someone.

A slender figure, a skirt cut short from her sailor uniform.

And above all, striking blonde hair, dyed all the way to the roots.

...It was Tsuneda.

What’s Tsuneda doing here?

What’s more, Tsuneda was hiding around the corner of a building, observing someone.

“...Sasaki?”

Yuka muttered, her gaze following the person Tsuneda was watching.

The three of us exchanged glances.

Then, as if by instinct, we moved—

“Ooh?”

—stopping Koko from calling out to Tsuneda by grabbing her on both sides and quickly dragging her away.

We ducked behind the corner of another building, just like Tsuneda.

People passing by kept giving her strange looks, but Tsuneda was too absorbed in her own world to notice, so we shamelessly kept ourselves hidden.

And we began observing Tsuneda.

Chapter 200. Epilogue. Welcome to the Literature Club! (6)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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First of all, in Sasaki's case.

Today, he was alone, which was rare.

To be fair, this might seem a bit unfair to Sasaki.

I rarely have private moments with Sasaki. While he barely falls within the range of 'friend,' there isn’t a compelling reason for us to meet one-on-one.

Naturally, I only encountered Sasaki at school, during group meetings, or when Shii was around, and during those times, there was usually a girl hovering near Sasaki.

And not too long ago, yet another one joined that group..

So, it felt somewhat refreshing to see Sasaki on his own like this. It was almost a first for me, regardless of how Sasaki might feel about it.

Sasaki was holding a piece of paper in his hand.

He stopped on the sidewalk, looking down at the paper, before he resumed walking.

Following him was Tsuneda, whom we also followed.

Keeping a slight distance.

Luckily, or maybe because Tsuneda lacked superhuman hearing, she didn’t notice us trailing behind her.

Sasaki entered a jewelry store.

Tsuneda froze at the sight. After a long pause, she couldn’t bring herself to follow him inside and instead paced nervously in front of the shop.

I knew Sasaki was likely buying something for his little sister, but Tsuneda didn’t.

Should I go over and tell her that Sasaki doesn’t have a girlfriend? I decided against it. It wasn’t worth it to startle her by admitting we’d been tailing her this whole time.

When Sasaki emerged and began walking again, Tsuneda, looking somewhat relieved, resumed following him.

So, where to next?

It was easy to picture Sasaki heading to the supermarket on Shii’s errand, but he wouldn’t do his shopping here. The house he and Shii lived in was far enough that he’d need a train ride to get back.

The next place Sasaki headed was a well-known dessert shop.

Thinking of it as a gift suitable for a girlfriend or a close female friend, Tsuneda froze again.

Come on, if that's how you feel, just go over and say something.

But soon, I shook my head, thinking of my past life.

I couldn’t approach a pretty girl myself in my past life; maybe it’s the same for her. Some people just can’t do it—probably because they fear rejection.

“Hmm?”

As I stared off into the distance, Koko tilted her head quizzically.

Sasaki, who appeared to be done with his business, slipped the notepad back into his pocket as he left the store.

And with an extremely pleased expression, he began walking toward the station.

Tsuneda’s face looked somewhat disappointed.

“...Should we go tell her now?”

Yuka, who knew how close Shii and Sasaki were, asked, but I shook my head.

“It would mean revealing that we’ve been following her the whole time.”

“...True.”

Yuka looked at Tsuneda with a somewhat sympathetic expression.

Rather than saying anything now, it might be better to wait until tomorrow or another time to mention Shii.

Whether or not anything would actually come of it was up to her, but at least I didn’t want to leave her sulking over a misunderstanding.

“...Ah.”

Just as we were debating whether to stop following her, something happened that made it hard to stop now.

“Hey, Tsubomi.”

A group started talking to the anxious Tsuneda, who was trailing behind Sasaki heading to the station.

They had a sort of delinquent vibe, with various hair colors.

I can understand blue, but pink hair? It’s 2005—don’t they have teachers who’d comment on that?

“You’re alone today?”

“Um…”

Tsuneda’s expression darkened slightly when she encountered them.

The three of us exchanged glances immediately.

While we had enough decency not to talk to Tsuneda while she was following Sasaki, we’re not heartless enough to ignore a junior in trouble. Actually, maybe it’s because we have decency that it’s only natural.

We quickly closed the distance, as the blue-haired girl at the front of the group spoke.

“You look like you’re having fun! Always hanging out with other people, getting so popular.”

“Yeah, so popular.”

“Though it doesn’t seem like you’re popular with guys~”

Something about that last comment got to me, but we kept moving—

“Kept saying you wanted to go to a co-ed school, didn’t you? Serves you right, traitor!”

Hearing that, Yuka and I immediately ducked into the nearby alley.

“Woah!?”

Koko, unaware of what was happening, kept walking forward before we grabbed her and pulled her into the alley, causing her to let out a small shriek.

We hid in the alley for a moment.

Passersby gave us strange looks, but we didn’t hear any footsteps approaching us.

“We...we all took the same entrance exam.”

We could hear Tsuneda’s voice and cautiously peered out of the alley.

“But all of you failed.”

Tsuneda’s blunt response silenced the group that was pestering her—

…Hmm, or perhaps, would it be more accurate to call them her friends?

Anyway, they seemed at a loss for words.

“”And all your other applications were for all-girls’ schools...”

.”

“Well, yeah, but there weren’t any co-ed schools comparable to this one!”

I see.

So, they’re not exactly bullying her.

It seemed like they had all been attending an all-girls’ school together, planning to move on to a co-ed high school, debut in a new social setting, and maybe even get boyfriends.

But unfortunately, only Tsuneda was accepted into Hanagawa.

The others still got into respectable schools, but they were likely all-girls’ schools, not co-ed.

... I understand.

I suppose it’s natural for many students to prefer co-ed schools over single-gender ones. High school fantasies are something everyone has, after all.

Hanagawa High School is especially good at fulfilling those fantasies.

I feel kind of foolish for worrying.

“But I couldn’t pass up the best high school I could get into with my grades.”

“Ugh! I get it, but...!”

So the laughter during the last encounter wasn’t because they were mocking her—it seems it was all just bravado on their part.

“Ugh! It’s just so frustrating!”

“Even if you’re frustrated...”

Tsuneda said, sounding troubled.

She seemed more confident with them than she did when she was with us.

If anything, shouldn’t you be happy if your friend goes to a co-ed school? If they’re that starved for male attention, they could always ask her for introductions.

Then again, that only applies if their friend has a lot of guy friends. Tsuneda had joined a club with only girls.

“Ugh, whatever! Since it’s come to this—”

What was she planning to say? That Tsuneda should take the lead and start searching for boys?

I’ll never know, because someone else abruptly interrupted.

“Hello.”

A boy approached Tsuneda out of nowhere.

Or rather, it was just Sasaki.

It’s like protagonists in harem light novels have a ‘heroine detection sensor’ or something.

While it wasn’t exactly a dangerous situation, it could easily appear as bullying to someone else.

Maybe he heard them talking from that distance and came over.

And Tsuneda already knew Sasaki by face.

“Eep!”

The blue-haired girl leading the pack seemed startled to see a ‘male student’ pop up out of nowhere.

Sasaki, whose face was known among students, and who’s undeniably attractive.

Considering that they’re friends with Tsuneda, who has little experience with boys, they probably responded the same way.

"Tsuneda?"

"S-Sasaki-senpai..."

"S-Senpai?!"

Seeing Tsuneda respond with a flushed face, twisting nervously, the blue-haired girl at the front let out a surprised cry.

Just moments ago, she had teased Tsuneda about her supposed lack of popularity with guys, but now she was shocked to learn that Tsuneda actually knew a male student.

"What’s going on? Are these friends of yours...?"

It seemed Sasaki really did think she was being bullied and came over to help.

Tsuneda looked as if she’d just seen a knight in shining armor, while her friends… well, their faces had turned pale.

I mean, is it really that surprising?

Even I might’ve been a bit startled in high school if I’d seen one of my friends talking casually with a girl from our class.

"Ah, it’s... like..."

"W-We’re friends!"

The blue-haired girl shot her hand up as if she were answering a teacher’s question, drawing even more attention from passersby. Her face turned bright red.

Honestly, the situation had been mildly entertaining until now, but at this point, it was starting to get a little annoying.

How many girls is he planning to attract just by being good-looking?

This was supposed to be a light novel with occasional tension, so how did it end up being such a pure love-comedy?

Oh, right... because of me.

"I’ve been friends with Tsubomi since middle school."

The pink-haired girl emphasized their friendship, poking the blue-haired girl’s back with her finger.

"We were super close."

The purple-haired girl added, as if nailing down the point.

"Hey, Kotone..."

Yuka called to me with a rather serious expression.

"Hm?"

"Is Sasaki really that good-looking? Like, fall-in-love-at-first-sight kind of good-looking?"

Yuka asked, a bit earnestly, but when she saw my expression, she looked even more confused.

For reference, my expression read, "Are you seriously asking that?"

Of course, Yuka would have no reason to be interested in Sasaki. She’d ended up getting closer to me through various entanglements instead.

But still, hearing that from a former protagonist of the novel felt a little strange.

"So, if you're friends, you weren’t actually fighting?"

"No, we weren’t."

Tsuneda replied, nervously pressing her index fingers together. Her gaze stayed fixed on the ground, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Anyone could see the face of a girl in love.

"Absolutely not!"

"Just a minor difference of opinion."

The blue-haired girl insisted emphatically, while the purple-haired girl nodded.

"I see."

Sasaki still seemed a bit puzzled, but with the girls around him gazing so kindly at him, he didn’t have much to say.

"Well then—"

"Wait a second!"

Just before Sasaki could say anything, someone shouted.

The voice didn’t come from Tsuneda or her friends.

The voice came from farther away,

And it was Nakahara, stomping toward them for some reason.

"Nanami?"

Sasaki tilted his head in genuine confusion.

She hadn’t been following from the beginning; Nakahara must’ve been on her way home from finishing up something at school.

Just bad luck, I guess.

Or maybe good luck, depending on who you ask. For Tsuneda, not so much.

At the sight of this new girl, Tsuneda’s eyes went wide.

“You girls—what are you doing to Sasaki?”

Nakahara said, as she quickly joined Sasaki’s side, linking her arm with his.

The other girls looked like they’d been hit on the head with a hammer.

"...S-Senpai?"

"Oh, this is Nanami. Nakahara Nanami. A friend from my class."

Despite Sasaki’s introduction, Nakahara’s expression remained confident.

Really? She was just denied being his girlfriend outright, yet she looked so self-assured. Not that Sasaki meant anything by it, of course.

"So... that means you’re not dating?"

"We’re childhood friends!"

Triggered by Tsuneda’s voice, Nakahara shot a fierce look and shouted.

However, Tsuneda seemed relieved by that answer.

I don’t know exactly what Tsuneda’s school life was like in middle school. But if her friends were the otaku type I suspected, they’d probably know one thing.

Childhood friends usually end up losing out in the end.

Even if they didn’t know that, just hearing the term "childhood friend" probably reassured them.

If they were actually dating, they’d have been introduced as a couple from the start.

Tsuneda lightly placed her hand on Sasaki’s arm.

Her face was so red it looked ready to burst, but it was probably the most courageous moment of her life.

In other words, a small territorial dispute.

"Tsuneda?"

Sasaki looked a bit flustered, but Tsuneda mustered up all her courage to speak. I don’t know where she got that bravery from. Competition? Or was it relief that at least Sasaki had approached her first?

One thing was clear—Tsuneda was determined to make the most of her high school years.

"As... as a thank-you for last time, would you be free today?"

"...!"

Nakahara and the other girls in the vicinity looked utterly shocked.

"Oh, um..."

Caught off guard, Sasaki was left speechless.

"...Shall we go?"

Figuring we’d seen enough, I suggested.

Yuka, who had been watching the scene with an exasperated look, nodded.

"I feel like eating something bitter."

"Same here. I was thinking the exact same thing."

Otherwise, I might lose a tooth. I feel queasy from all the sweetness.

"Hm...?"

"Koko, you can have something sweet if you’d like. How about some cake?"

"Yay!"

At Yuka’s words, Koko’s face lit up.

*

We headed to a nearby cafe, known for its great desserts, and ordered plenty of coffee and sweets.

We had wanted something bitter, but well, chocolate has a hint of bitterness, so that was good enough, right?

...But I feel like I’m forgetting something.

Something to do with "withering away," but I couldn’t recall, so we spent a good time chatting before heading home.

Only when I saw Kagami’s sulking face did I remember her saying, she was going to "wither away from loneliness "

Suddenly turned into an unfilial daughter, I quickly took Kagami to a nearby family restaurant, and we had a nice family gathering.

At least, Koko looked delighted to get to enjoy some delicious food through it all.

Chapter 201. Epilogue. What I Hope For (1)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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This was a story from a few days before I learned about Tsuneda's past.

To be a bit more precise, this is the story of how Kagami ended up singing that ‘dining-out song’ of hers.

Since I started calling Kagami ‘Mom,’ Koko naturally began calling her ‘Mom’ too, following my lead. Kagami seemed genuinely happy all that time, looking like she found everything she ever wanted as a family.

To be perfectly honest, I still found the term a bit awkward. The only time I called Kagami ‘Mom’ was when I called for her first, so it will probably take me a few more months for it to feel natural. But anyways…

Japan and Korea were only separated by the sea, but they had some significant cultural differences. One prominent example was the ‘fiscal year.’

They say it’s a standard for the government to allocate budgets and whatnot, but I don’t really understand the exact meaning. The important thing is that most workplaces align with the fiscal year.

Japan’s fiscal year runs from April 1st to March 31st of the following year.

And naturally, school schedules followed that cycle, with the school year starting in early April, summer vacation in August, the end of the second semester in late December, a short break, then the third semester, and finally, another short summer break.

For someone like me, used to two long vacations a year, it was a bit strange. It felt like they split winter break into two parts.

Moreover, what felt even stranger was the Golden Week in late April. It’s about a week-long holiday, right after the spring break, making everything feel much more drawn-out.

Of course, I wasn’t saying that there was ‘too much rest’. After all, holidays are always welcome.

Strictly speaking, Saturday and Monday were in between, but Hanagawa High School decided to just take the whole break. I’m not sure if it’s common for other schools, but for Koko and me, it meant we had continuous days off from April 29th to May 5th.

*

“…You’re going to sleep over at a friend’s house?”

And, surprisingly, Kagami seemed to have planned a similar outing to the one from our last trip for this Golden Week as well.

When Koko and I told her that, Kagami looked like she’d lost her kingdom.

“…Yeah.”

When was the last time we did this?

Oh, of course, if I considered my past life, it was a bit of a strange thing to say. In my past life, the first time I stayed over at a friend’s house was in college. I was always a bit uncomfortable staying at a friend’s house as a teenager since my parents were at home. And my parents felt the same way.

Whether it was because this world was like a light novel setting, or because in Japan this was normal, I didn’t know. But I often stayed at friends' houses or had friends stay over at ours.

Since I’d been living independently for a while, it was natural. Isn’t it common to hang out with friends when you live on your own?

The issue was that there are times when my thoughts and Kagami’s thoughts don’t align perfectly..

Seeing Kagami slump down onto the floor, I felt a pang of guilt.

Yes.

Even though I was living with Kagami, I hadn’t thought she’d make any plans like this.

I was so used to deciding everything on my own and then acting accordingly.

“Well… I’m not staying over for the whole break.”

“Of course not!”

Kagami exclaimed.

“Holidays are when families should have some time to spend together!”

Right, yeah.

When Koko and I were at school, Kagami was home alone.

It’s probably just the life of a stay-at-home mom, but unfortunately, Kagami didn’t have a husband, nor was she connected with the network of married women in this area.

Maybe it was because she was usually alone, but after coming to see Koko and me as family, Kagami seemed to be affected by loneliness more.

If she hadn’t experienced it in the first place, she might not have noticed, but once you have it, that emptiness feels even bigger. I could empathize a bit, having lived with Koko.

“…”

After a moment of thought, I spoke.

“Then how about this: after the holiday, let’s go out to eat. Even during a weekday evening is fine.”

Anyway, since I was likely to spend weekends with Kagami, I decided not to include weekends in the deal. If I did, Kagami might demand it as a condition next time I wanted to go out with friends on the weekend.

It felt strange negotiating like this between mother and daughter, but weren’t we still getting closer? If we didn’t meet at a regular frequency, we’d grow distant again.

Hearing my suggestion, Kagami thought for a moment and then nodded seriously, looking as if she’d made a decision.

“Alright. Four times.”

“…Four times?”

“You’re staying over one night, aren’t you?”

Well… I was.

I had been thinking about staying an extra night if I could, but seeing Kagami’s response, I decided that wouldn’t be a good idea.

“If we divide each day into two halves and for each half you own me one meal, that’s four times.”

Watching Kagami’s expression, as if she were being very lenient, I had a lot to say but held back.

If I opposed her now, she might really break down the time by the hour and make everything even.

Oh well, I understood that Kagami meant well in her heart.

“…Alright.”

“Good. It’s a promise.”

At Kagami’s words, I nodded.

“Then, I’m off.”

“We’re off!”

Just as I was about to turn to leave,

“Wait a minute!”

I paused my steps at Kagami’s words.

When I turned around, Kagami was standing there with her arms wide open, looking at us.

“You need to say goodbye to Mom properly before you go.”

She didn’t forget.

Honestly, I’d hoped she’d slip up and forget sometimes, but Kagami never intended to do that. She never forgets, even in the morning.

Koko had already wrapped her arms around Kagami’s waist.

If I didn’t approach her, Kagami looked like she’d stand there forever with her arm outstretched, waiting for me.

When I stepped over hesitantly, Kagami gently pulled both of us into a tight hug with her arms.

“Take care.”

Her heartfelt voice was far more embarrassing and ticklish than a casual hug with a friend.

This is why I can’t get used to it.

I grumbled to myself inwardly.

*

Anyway, the reason Kagami ended up singing that strange song about how she might wither away if we didn’t go out to eat was because of that promise.

It wasn’t that I’d intended to forget. I’d just been so focused on school life that it slipped my mind.

As long as Kagami hadn’t forgotten, that was all that mattered. In the end, we did keep the promise.

…Anyway, I decided to set that story aside for now.

The place where I was staying overnight was at Yuka’s house.

I had considered visiting Yuu, but I thought that could be something Kagami could join as well.

After all, we were technically relatives.

It didn’t feel right to call ‘Mr. Yamashita’ my ‘uncle,’ but both Yuu and I readily accepted that we were cousin.

A family visit for a little chat wouldn’t be a big deal, and that place had plenty of rooms anyway. I’d just need to make arrangements and bring a gift along.

On the other hand, bringing Kagami to Yuka’s house didn’t seem right no matter how I thought about it.

I hadn’t even considered staying overnight with her there, and, frankly, keeping Yuka’s family from meeting Kagami was probably better for my mental well-being.

“Welcome!”

The moment I rang the doorbell, Yuka opened the door wide, as if she had been eagerly waiting.

The look Yuka had when she faced Nirlass was nowhere to be seen now. In a good way. It meant there were no shadows left.

She seemed especially happy today.

“We’re having sukiyaki for dinner tonight!”

Sukiyaki.

That was the first meal I’d ever had at this house.

Right. Originally, I hadn’t planned on getting close to Yuka.

One thing led to another, and we ended up eating together, and then I found myself invited over.

The first time Yuka invited me, it wasn’t just to feed me. It was because of the ‘Kokkuri-san’ session we’d held in the club.

The word ‘sukiyaki’ had enticed me to come, and somehow, in the course of things, we ended up here, smiling as we looked at each other.

And now, it’s sukiyaki again.

I wasn’t sure if Yuka had chosen that menu on purpose, remembering, or if it was simply a common meal her family often made, so it just happened to match.

But, really, did it matter?

What mattered was the heart of the person who invited you.

“Sukiyaki!”

Koko’s eyes sparkled as she echoed Yuka’s words.

Yuka stepped aside to make room for us, and we quickly took off our shoes and entered.

Tonight’s sleepover probably wouldn’t be anything special.

We’d eat, head up to the room to do a bit of homework, chat while munching on snacks, watch a movie or play games, and have fun late into the night.

It was such an ordinary day that it probably wouldn’t even stay in our memories after tonight, but that was enough.

That was the reason we came all this way, after all.

As I followed the delicious aroma toward the kitchen, that’s what I thought.

Chapter 202. Epilogue. What I Hope For (2)

Translator: Elisia

Editor/Proofreader: TempWane

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In my previous life, how was I during my teenage years?

I think I was rather laid-back.

Sure, there were definitely busy times. Like exam periods, or preparation for university entrance exams. When I was in high school, I went to cram school and attended night classes, so it’s not that I wasn’t busy at all.

I also worried about the future in my own way. For the first time in my life, I even had musings that resembled philosophy.

But even so, in my teenage years, there was something, a sort of ease that I couldn’t feel when I was an adult. I only realized it after it was all over.

There was an ease in relationships. The only time I could naturally meet friends of the same age with the same hobbies was when I was in school. As an adult, even if I met someone my age, we started conversations formally, and it was hard to find someone who shared an interest in manga or games.

At least I didn’t worry about making a living. I couldn’t even fathom the long stretch of life ahead of me. I’d joke about having to support myself, but I didn’t truly understand what that meant.

Sure, there are parts of being an adult that eased my mind. By the time I graduated from college, I had mostly resolved my identity issues.

I knew I was male, I liked women, I didn’t have any intention of following a religion, and there were plenty of moments outside of work where I didn’t feel the need to do anything.

I didn’t have to prepare for exams, and as long as I had an emergency fund in my account to last me a month, I felt a bit at ease.

It wasn’t that I had no anxiety about the future, but it was much better than when I knew nothing about society.

…But you know.

When I think about it now, I’m reliving all of that again, one step at a time.

“How is it?”

Yuka asked, looking quite serious.

How is it, she asked, but I know nothing about fashion. The place I worked had no need for me to worry about that kind of thing at all. Sure, there was a time when I paid attention to clothes, but that was... quite far in the future by this world’s standards, and a distant past in terms of my life.

In fact, I’ve never even heard anyone say I dressed well back then.

So now, looking at the clothes a model wore in a women’s magazine, I had no idea what to say.

When I looked at it, it seemed pretty.

But I couldn’t tell if that was just because the model was pretty and could make any outfit look good, or if the clothes genuinely looked good on her.

In my opinion, the proportions of the people around me aren’t bad at all. Of course, if I were to rank them, Yuu probably comes closest to having model-like proportions, but honestly, everyone was pretty enough to be the heroine of a harem anime. It’s just that Yuu stands out the most—not that the others aren’t good-looking.

Including me and Koko.

…Well, to be fair, we’re a little on the shorter side.

“Um… looks pretty?”

I said, gauging Yuka’s reaction, and Yuka seemed to take on a somewhat sad expression.

“Why?”

Seeing that expression made me feel a little uneasy, so I asked, and Yuka calmly placed her hand on top of mine and spoke.

“You haven’t been conscious for very long, have you?”

Well, that’s true.

It hasn’t been long since I came back from the dead—oh, that’s not what she meant.

Yuka’s words were referring to the time since I woke up in this world.

Yuka thinks I, like Koko, really know nothing about this world. And culturally, she’s not wrong. The Japan I know is limited to the Japan I’ve seen in manga.

So, in Yuka’s mind, my lack of fashion sense was entirely due to that.

…Although, didn’t I help pick out clothes before? Well, maybe she didn’t realize how clueless I was back then..

“Honestly, I think it’s completely natural for you to not know these things.”

Watching her smile a bit too sadly, I couldn’t say anything.

“Uuu?”

Koko responded to that expression.

“Koko, you must feel the same.”

Koko had been aware for quite a long time, but I didn’t want to remind her that she had been in the form of a “giant nose” all that time.

“Alright. Let’s add it to the list, then.”

“List?”

I tilted my head, curious at Yuka’s words.

“Yes. The list.”

Yuka, lying on the bed, sat up and looked at me.

“You remember the things we talked about back then, right?”

Did we ever talk about a list?

As I racked my brain, Yuka gave me an incredibly sad look and spoke.

“The things we talked about… before I stabbed you.”

…Oh.

Yes. We did talk about things like that.

Back then, I truly thought I was going to die, so I said everything I wanted to say. The things I thought I’d never be able to do, the things I wanted to do.

Yuka must remember all of that.

It makes sense that she would remember.

If I’d been the one who had to stab Yuka, I would have tried to remember that final moment as clearly as possible too.

“We agreed to quit when it was all over.”

Yuka spoke with a somewhat relieved expression.

“I’m planning to quit too. I can’t keep doing this if I want to go to college anyway.”

“Right…”

I couldn’t think of anything to say other than that.

I know very well that Yuka didn’t do this because she wanted to. No one would willingly crawl through mud or get slashed unless they had no other choice. She only did it because she knew it was necessary and forced herself to do it.

“It’s the same for you, isn’t it? Your ‘mom’ would oppose it.”

“Yeah.”

I could easily imagine Kagami fuming, furious enough to start pacing angrily.

She might even take up the sword on my behalf. Though with Kagami, I imagine she’d be more inclined to use talismans than a sword.

So Yuka is really going to quit, huh?

Lately, she hasn’t even been carrying her sword. She might have already quit for real.

“Well, if I’m absolutely needed, I might take on a job or two, but for now, it doesn’t seem like anything too serious will come up.”

In the story, the sudden increase in yokai was suspected to be a precursor to the Hundred Demons Parade. So it’s likely the same in this world.

The gates of the netherworld must have weakened, letting harmful entities slip through.

Of course, that doesn’t mean all the yokai will suddenly vanish. It’s been that way for hundreds of years, and it’ll continue. It’s just that the reasons to risk our lives fighting them have decreased a bit.

“So now, I’m no longer an exorcist. Just a regular high school girl.”

That made me smile.

I briefly considered congratulating her, but I decided not to.

From the start, I had thought of Yuka as a fairly ordinary high school student.

She wielded a sword, cutting down things ordinary people couldn’t.

But that’s all.

The girl holding that sword was a regular high school girl, easily hurt, full of desires, and wanting to make friends.

It’s just that she had a bit more to protect than others.

An ordinary girl who just became a bit more ordinary.

“Now I have my main job set: going to school diligently, and graduating. Taking graduation photos with everyone.”

“I see.”

For a moment, my heart skipped a little.

“If the future hadn’t changed, that wouldn’t have been possible.”

Yuka smiled as she spoke.

“Thanks to you, I can graduate now. So, I just wanted to say thank you. It’s just… a bit embarrassing to say in front of your mom…”

“Ah, I get it.”

I laughed.

There was an unspoken rule about not bringing up those times in front of Kagami.

She was understandably shaken by the whole ordeal, just like Yuka. Koko, fortunately, had a robust mental strength, so she seemed fine. She has this existentialist outlook. As long as I’m alive, the past doesn’t really matter to her.

Not to mention, Kagami might get unnecessarily jealous.

That would be quite a hassle. She’d cling even closer than usual. The idea of my mom coming to pick me up from school at this age… yeah, no thanks.

I decided to let it go.

Yes. I decided to let it go.

I looked down at my wrist for no reason.

There’s no longer a tattoo there. Just white, clean skin, with no marks left by a blade.

“Going to school together. Traveling during vacations.”

Yuka counted things off on her fingers.

“We missed Comiket last time, so let’s definitely go this time. I’ve even marked it on the calendar.”

"That sounds exciting."

I spoke sincerely.

“Uu?”

Koko, who still didn’t quite understand what Comiket was, tilted her head in confusion.

Would Koko end up cosplaying too? She’d probably look great in a bright, cheerful character’s costume.

“You’ll need to study hard too.”

Yuka spoke with a slightly mischievous expression.

“We said we’d go to university together, didn’t we? If I’m going, I want to go to the highest place I can get into. You have to keep up with me.”

“Yes, that’s what we agreed on.”

We did.

At the time, I thought it was just an empty promise. Honestly, I meant it, but I’d also said it to soothe Yuka.

But I truly want to make it happen.

If we went to the same university, probably even the same department, it would definitely be fun. Who knows, one of us might get a driver’s license, and we could take road trips across the country.

There are still so many places I haven’t seen. Somehow, when I imagine it, Kagami ends up in those plans too, but oh well.

…If time and money allow, I’d like to visit Korea again. There’s something I want to check.

But that’s a story for about twenty years from now… or rather, nineteen.

“So, let’s start from here.”

Yuka pulled out the magazine again and placed it between us as we sat facing each other.

“We’re just regular high school girls, right? Let’s start by doing regular things like going shopping. We’ve done it before, but we’re starting fresh now, right? This time, it’s like a brand-new start. I’m technically in my retirement phase too.”

Retirement at this age—sounds like something an idol leaving a group under a scandal would say.

But I guess it really is retirement for her.

In a few years, she’ll get another job.

Imagining Yuka working a regular office job is surprisingly difficult.

Or would she do something else? Opening a restaurant might actually suit her, oddly enough.

As I thought that, I looked back down at the magazine.

Hmm. Instead of a floaty dress…

“How about something like this?”

I pointed to a model wearing a neat button-down shirt and slacks.

It’s a bit of a boyish look, but it’d suit her well. Yuka was the type who’d probably be popular even among girls.

“Isn’t something a little more colorful better?”

Is it different from her taste?

Well, it’s fine.

After all, we have plenty of time.

Yes. At least until high school graduation, there was time. Whatever came after, like in my past life, could be thought about then.

We’ll slowly fulfill our wishes, one by one. There will definitely be things we miss along the way. Some things will be too hard, and some may need to be adjusted due to circumstances.

It’s okay.

The meaning lies in the attempt. There’s value in being able to choose.

Who knows how our relationships will change in the future?

But each choice will shape us. Whether we stay close until the end or inevitably drift apart. We might have a big fight and make up, or we might discover we’re more different than we thought.

Who knows, really?

For now, let’s just keep our eyes on what’s right in front of us and walk forward slowly.

A chance we couldn’t have hoped for is right before us.

*

“What time should you be back tomorrow?”

“…She said to come back before dinner.”

When I pouted at the sudden curfew, Yuka burst out laughing.

“What are you going to do if you get a boyfriend later?”

Not likely.

I doubt that will happen.

Even if I did, Kagami might freak out. Would it be okay if it were a girl? Hmm, hard to say. Either way, it’s still like being ‘taken away’.

But isn’t that a strange feeling for a mother to have? Aren’t parents supposed to be supportive of their kids’ relationships? Usually, moms root for their daughters, and dads for their sons, right?

“Well, anyway, if that’s the case, it means we have some freedom until then. Let’s wake up late tomorrow, then go out and pick some clothes. Maybe we can get a gift for your mom too. That might earn us some leniency for staying out late.”

“That’s actually a great idea.”

I nodded.

For reference, Kagami still cherishes the Christmas gift I gave her. It’s prominently displayed, right in front of the TV, and she keeps that area spotless, rarely sitting near it.

The more we talk, the more solutions seem to come up. Funny.

When I first met Kagami, I only worried about what to do, but now that I understand she’s just another human being, it’s like I can see the pattern.

I wonder if I look like that way to others?

“Koko, what about you? What kind of clothes do you like?”

“Hmm?”

When Yuka gently tugged Koko’s arm and asked, Koko tilted her head and looked at the magazine.

In the end, Koko couldn’t decide on any clothes. More accurately, she doesn’t seem to understand why she’d need to coordinate “fashion.”

Well, that’s something we can figure out as we go, too.

To put it another way, we have plenty of time.

*

Though we didn’t make it by dinner like Kagami asked, Koko and I barely made it back by the time she’d set.

Kagami had actually come out to the front of the apartment to wait.

It wasn’t particularly cold, but it seemed she’d been waiting for quite some time. Judging by her beaming face as she saw us, it must not have been a struggle.

I think I even texted her when we left. Did she miss it somehow?

But the warmth of her smile quickly disappeared when she saw Yuka.

It didn’t just vanish but turned rather icy. Not quite the look you’d give an enemy, but certainly not a welcoming one either.

I suppose that’s fair, considering Yuka stabbed her daughter twice. Both times were unavoidable, but a parent’s feelings don’t always follow reason.

“I’m not here to stay over, so don’t worry.”

Since she’d stayed over before, it sounded a bit funny, but Yuka responded casually.

“Then are you heading back right away?”

“Well, actually…”

Yuka replied.

“I was just discussing the future with these two.”

Kagami’s expression immediately hardened, and she hugged me and Koko, turning us protectively away.

“It’s nothing about work.”

Yuka said with a hint of exasperation.

“We were talking about going to the same university.”

“University…”

With that, Kagami turned back toward Yuka, forcing me and Koko to shuffle sideways.

“To the best university we can get into.”

“…”

Is she ambitious about that kind of thing?

Kagami narrowed her eyes at Yuka.

“I just thought I’d mention it. Just to see if you’d be willing to support us.”

“…If you’re talking about university, I’d be willing to support that, of course.”

Her expression was slightly terrifying, as if to ask, “But why are you bringing this up?”

I decided it was time to intervene.

“Mom, Mom.”

I called to her, and Kagami looked down at me.

It was as if she was trying to give all the love she hadn’t been able to give when I was a baby, her expression melting as soon as she saw me.

“We got you a present.”

At my words, her soft expression instantly froze.

Was it that shocking for me to bring her a gift?

Well, it has been a while since Christmas.

“…”

I glanced over at Yuka.

Yuka shrugged and gave a broad smile to me and Koko.

Just like that, the path beyond high school was set.

We haven’t decided where we’re going yet, nor have we seriously started studying.

But so what?

One step at a time, we’ll slowly work towards our goals.

I decided to be satisfied with this for now.