Ch.113Chapter 18. Repayment (4)

Thinking about it, I lived quite a wholesome life in my previous existence.

I did smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol occasionally, but I never actually went to places like this.

Well, I didn’t have a girlfriend either, so rather than saying I was wholesome, it might be more accurate to say I just couldn’t enjoy such things.

Kagami’s outfit… was very similar to what I’d see in situations where “parents needed to be called,” but somehow it seemed to fit in here. I thought it was cheap clothing because it used so little fabric, but is it actually quite expensive?

…Maybe it’s all because of the interior design.

I sat down a bit away from the heavily intoxicated Mr. Fukuda.

There were several other customers in the bar. They were all looking in our direction. I suppose that’s natural when two girls in sailor uniforms walk in.

As Koko and I sat side by side, Kagami approached us.

“What can I get you?”

Judging by her annoyed expression, she was putting on an act because of the other customers.

“…You’ll actually serve us?”

I decided to play along. After all, I had essentially forced my way into a place Kagami hadn’t wanted to reveal to me.

“I have to take orders.”

Somehow she seems less like a relative than the manager, who isn’t even blood-related.

At least the manager made an effort to refrain from smoking.

“…Water.”

Is there even a need to order or not order anything when I’m supposedly her “daughter”?

Besides, I wasn’t even sure if we were actually blood-related.

“Tsk.”

Kagami clicked her tongue and went to get cups.

Meanwhile, I looked around the bar.

The area where Koko and I were sitting was a rather upscale bar made of solid wood, but a little further away was a section where customers could sit separately.

How should I describe it?

It looked like one of those decadent room salons you see in movies or dramas, but in an open format.

Indeed, there were middle-aged men embracing women dressed like Kagami, with deeply cut necklines, on either side of them.

When our eyes met, some looked away as if embarrassed. Why, feeling awkward because you’re embracing a woman young enough to be your daughter?

In the center of the spacious establishment was something like a stage with a large, thick TV. A microphone was set up in front.

…I think I’ve seen this before. It looks like a scene from a yakuza game. Singing there.

Bang!

I turned around at the sound in front of where I was sitting, and saw Kagami roughly putting down a water glass.

Water had spilled over, leaving only about half of what would have been a full glass.

Koko made a hissing sound like a cat as if to warn her, but Kagami just snorted and put down a water glass in front of Koko as well.

…She didn’t slam it down as hard as she did with mine.

Why, is she a bit afraid of Koko?

“What’s this~ daughter! Are you short on allowance? Should uncle buy you something delicious? Hm? Kagami, don’t you have non-alcoholic drinks here?”

No matter how I look at it, you sound like you’re hitting on a high school girl.

Besides, it’s funnier that you’re being subtly kind. Non-alcoholic, seriously.

I understand you’re being friendly because I’m your daughter’s friend, but the looks from the other customers have become very uncomfortable.

It seems this is a legitimate business. Well, of course it would be. Even if customers and employees occasionally sleep together, they could always escape with excuses like “it’s just between two people who hit it off.”

“My, if Mr. Fukuda is treating, there’s no need to refuse. Come on, pick something to drink.”

Kagami said in a suddenly affected voice, acting coy.

Good grief.

How should I put this?

I came here expecting something more… suspicious, but this is rather deflating.

“Woo?”

Koko’s eyes trembled in confusion as she looked at the heavily intoxicated Mr. Fukuda, the constantly changing attitude of Kagami, and me rubbing my face without saying anything.

*

“……”

“……”

Kagami and I, who had stepped outside the establishment for a moment, were leaning against the wall side by side without saying anything.

A drinking establishment doesn’t usually end early. Of course, today is Monday, but people who drink don’t typically go home just because the clock strikes nine.

Naturally, to have a private conversation, we had to arrange a separate place like this.

By the way, I gave Koko a real non-alcoholic cocktail.

I think she probably wouldn’t have any major issues even if she consumed alcohol, but you never know. She might kill everyone inside if she got drunk.

If Mr. Fukuda died, how would I face Harumi?

“So, what are your impressions?”

“Impressions?”

“Since you’ve only ever seen me wearing these kinds of clothes.”

Kagami said, spreading her hands.

At least what she was wearing today didn’t expose her navel. It was a red dress that had a deep neckline and exposed back, but covered her stomach.

…Actually, it looked more like lingerie with a skirt attached than a dress, but there was no need to point out such design details here.

After thinking for a moment, I said:

“It’s surprisingly wholesome.”

“Oh my.”

Kagami opened her eyes wide as if genuinely surprised.

“Wholesome, you say?”

“…Why? Do you do something else?”

If Kagami wears this kind of outfit when meeting those important people she mentioned, that would definitely qualify as unwholesome business, but if she’s just selling alcohol here, well.

That’s not what I came to criticize anyway.

“That’s unexpected.”

“Unexpected?”

“I thought people your age usually have some kind of… sexual prudishness.”

Is that so?

Among my friends, some who had early experiences seemed to have done it even in high school. Whether it was true or not, some would brag about it.

Of course, that doesn’t mean many were like that. Even if they had relationships, they wouldn’t typically go around telling others about it.

Besides, this is about male students. I’ve been living as a high school girl for less than a year.

And I don’t know how high school girls in this world differ from those in another world. Well, I guess it just varies from person to person.

“Were you like that?”

At my question, Kagami blinked.

“Why?”

“Oh, no.”

Kagami said, seeming a bit confused.

“I was just thinking whether we’ve ever shared such personal stories before.”

“……”

Have we not?

I frowned and thought about it, and it seems we haven’t.

Originally, we had no interest in each other… or rather, I had no interest in her.

Kagami would have no reason to worry about or think about my “past.” According to what Kagami and Kosuzu said, I was an existence that “shouldn’t have awakened” to Kagami.

After all, isn’t Kagami the one who watched this body lying unable to do anything for years?

School and everything else was apparently all prepared somehow. It seems Kagami’s side pays the tuition.

“Is that not allowed?”

“…There’s no reason it shouldn’t be.”

Kagami answered with an expression that still suggested something was strange.

When I stared at her, Kagami shrugged.

“I did… have such a time too.”

Did have.

Well, regardless of one’s current personality, everyone has had an innocent period. The only difference is how early and in what way that period ends.

…It might be a bit inappropriate to ask here, but if Kagami really did give birth to Kotone Kurosawa, she would have been very young at that time.

Perhaps even younger than I am now.

“……”

The atmosphere became awkward.

“So, coming all the way here, did you intend to check this out?”

“Yes.”

“…Huh?”

“That’s right.”

There’s still time. I’m planning to enjoy that time leisurely in my own way.

But if I were to disappear, Koko would be left alone in the world.

Yuka would help. Mako wouldn’t just stand by either, and the people who were my friends, and by extension Koko’s friends, would look after her.

But Kagami was a variable.

The image my acquaintances who know Kagami have of her is different from the image I have.

Koko’s image of Kagami is also different.

If they were to clash and a bloodbath ensued, Koko wouldn’t be able to live normally.

That’s why I wanted to check. How “abnormal” she was.

I didn’t know it would be this normal of a business.

Is this perhaps a business connected to the Yamashita family?

“Were you worried that the tuition money flowing in might be illegal?”

“…Maybe?”

I did worry about that.

It’s a cult, after all.

In other words, it’s a pseudo-religion. Even if the god they believe in actually exists, I would unhesitatingly call this religion a cult. If it’s harming people, what’s the difference?

But… looking at the drink prices here, I’m thinking a bit differently.

Honestly, the prices are practically extortionate, but they’re clearly listed on the menu. At least the business itself doesn’t seem illegal.

Well, I’ll need to check more about the believers.

“So, what about what I asked you to look into?”

“I’m still looking into that.”

“No leads at all?”

“…If it could be concluded in just a few days, other organizations would have found it already.”

I shrugged.

Kagami stared at me.

“What?”

“You are Kotone Kurosawa, right?”

“Yes, I am.”

“That… Koko isn’t disguised or anything, is she?”

“Why would she be?”

You saw us come in together. What would be the point of us switching places?

“No, just a feeling.”

Kagami said, tilting her head.

“…Just, somehow you seem to have become more rounded in your attitude.”

“You’re saying strange things.”

I am the same as usual. I don’t particularly want to change.

“Now that I’ve seen this place, I’d like to see how the cult conducts its rituals sometime.”

“……”

“Is that not allowed?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Kagami said, still looking at me with a furrowed brow.

“You’re really strange.”

“……”

I didn’t bother to answer.

After that, we went back into the establishment.

Kagami went in first, and I followed.

And as Kagami entered the store, she flinched and stopped walking.

Alarmed by her action, I looked inside—

—Koko was singing.

It was a children’s song.

Not an extremely childish one though. It’s a good song that many singers in Japan have performed, and it appears quite often in movies and animations. Perhaps any otaku would have heard it at least once?

“Well done! Little daughter!”

I wonder how long he’s going to use that form of address. Mr. Fukuda shouted while clapping his hands to the beat.

Koko seemed excited by the applause and sang even more enthusiastically.

“……”

And Kagami looked at Koko with an indescribable expression.

*

“…Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, take care on your way home.”

Kagami said as she saw us off outside the establishment.

Mr. Fukuda was already completely drunk with his forehead on the bar, and no one tried to stop Kagami from taking us out.

There were some people who called Koko’s name a few times, but that was it.

…But, was it okay for us minors to be inside at this hour? No, putting the time aside, was it okay for us to enter in the first place?

I’m not sure. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since we weren’t caught by the police or reported.

While I was thinking about such inconsequential things in my head,

“Ah, Ms. Kagami~”

I heard a voice calling out like that.

It was an extremely relaxed voice of a young woman.

It could even be described as somewhat youthful.

Turning my head toward the voice, I saw a woman wearing clothes similar to Kagami’s with a long-sleeved white furry coat over them, waving happily and running toward us.

The coat had long sleeves, but it was quite short both top and bottom, giving the impression that only the arm parts remained.

Is she about the same height as me? Not very tall.

But she had large breasts.

If Kagami wearing such clothes was quite burdensome, this person was even more so.

Her skin was quite fair, and her hair was dyed yellow and tied on both sides.

Well… how should I put this.

It’s a bit awkward to express it this way, but she seems exactly like the type of person who would fit in perfectly working with Kagami.

“……”

Kagami made a somewhat subtle expression upon seeing the woman.

“…What time is it now?”

“Ah~ sorry, I forgot. Hehe.”

Saying that, the woman pretended to hit her own head with her hand.

No, the sound was quite loud. She actually hit herself.

“Woa?”

Koko tilted her head in confusion seeing that.

“Oh my, they’re cute~ Are they new employees?”

“…How could I work with kids like these?”

“Why? They’re cute~”

Hmm…

She’s a bit… out there. But not in a harmful way.

Kagami sighed deeply, as if to show us. As if this wasn’t the first time they’d had such a conversation.

“It would be troublesome for me too if I employed high school students.”

Just a little while ago, one of those high school students was happily singing in that bar’s karaoke. While wearing a sailor uniform.

Well, if we’re being precise, that was more like using the establishment rather than working. Since Mr. Fukuda paid for it.

It was just as illegal as making them work, though.

“…Oopsie~ That’s right, I forgot. Hehe.”

The woman hit her head once more.

“So, why are you late this time?”

“Well, you see~ I did set an alarm~ but I mixed up AM and PM~”

The woman made excuses while stretching her words. One foot was rubbing against the ground, and her hands holding a small pink bag were clasped behind her back.

Kagami gestured toward us. It seemed to mean we should go without worrying.

“……”

But somehow, I feel a bit uneasy.

I wonder why.

Maybe I’ve developed an allergy to eccentric people since meeting Kosuzu.

I shrugged and then took Koko’s hand and headed toward the nearby subway.

“…How was it?”

“It was fun!”

Koko answered cheerfully to my question.

I see. It was fun.

Well, she did seem to enjoy herself.

I’m not sure how to take that.

Well, at least it seems Koko won’t be stressed about this.

I headed home, putting the uneasiness behind me.

…When we got back, we were extremely tired, so after preparing for bed, we fell asleep as soon as we lay down.

*

“Alright then.”

Two days later.

Kagami, who had suddenly visited our home, said.

“What do you mean, ‘alright’?”

“You agreed to cooperate with our cult, didn’t you?”

“I never went that far.”

The word “cult” contains the character for “evil.” It’s not a word one would use to describe their own religion.

Yet Kagami boldly used such a term.

So, regardless of how it appears on the surface, it must be quite an abnormal group on the inside, right?

“Paradoxically, you’re the person who can be of the greatest help in gathering information.”

“……”

I stared at Kagami with an expression that asked what she meant.

Wait, didn’t you say you’d protect me?

“Don’t worry.”

Kagami looked straight at me and said.

“You’ve already worked on many requests from the Yuuki family, haven’t you?”

…To be precise, I’ve moved much more often before receiving requests.

Even after that, whenever I got involved in an incident and exorcised a yokai, Yuka would hand me an envelope of money. It usually contained much more money than we had initially agreed upon.

Even when I tried to refuse some of the amount, Yuka would force it into my hands, so I took the money and used it.

At least I felt more comfortable using it than the money I received from Kagami.

“That’s why the Yuuki family, while suspicious of us, doesn’t try to exterminate us. To them, we’re just believers of one of the many gods in this land. At least we haven’t killed anyone.”

But you cut your wrists and offer blood?

“We cut yokai with blood. And as far as I know, there’s only one weapon in this land that can cut yokai without special processing.”

“Muname” that Yuka carries around.

It seems to be quite a famous sword. Well, that makes sense.

“We haven’t been very active so far, but with your existence, no one would complain if you performed ‘requests.'”

“…Do you have connections with the government?”

Kagami looked at me and smiled.

Ah.

Right. There’s me.

While we’re not particularly close, I’m on speaking terms with Mr. Miura.

“And it’s a matter of catching ‘yokai’ made from humans. If we retrieve the ‘yokai’ corpses you cut down, we might be able to investigate.”

That’s an incredibly unsettling method. The remains of a yokai made from a human would be no different from a human corpse.

“…So, have you found anything?”

“I’ve found some clues, but I’m still confirming whether it’s a regular murder case or something caused by a yokai.”

I became a bit interested at Kagami’s words.

So, at least she is working on it.

“What kind of case is it?”

Kagami seemed to hesitate for a moment. She looked like she was wondering if she should tell me already.

But finally, as if she had made up her mind, she said:

“Have you ever heard the story of the slit-mouthed woman?”

*

I had heard the story from Kagami beforehand, but since it was still in an “unconfirmed” state, I wasn’t deployed for the job yet.

There was no urgent matter, so the next day I went to my part-time job as usual.

And then.

“…Why are you staring at me like that?”

I felt something unsettling when I looked at the manager’s face.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

“…It’s nothing.”

Is it just my imagination?

I don’t know why I’m feeling this way.