Ch.285If Side Story. Tokyo Slayers: Final Chapter (23)

Yuka was keeping her frequent meetings with Kurosawa a secret from her grandfather and father.

Of course, at first she had discussed various things and sought their advice, but since shortly before the vacation, she had stopped talking about it altogether.

No matter how many times she asked, her grandfather and father’s answer was the same.

Keep your distance, don’t get too close.

At least they didn’t order Yuka to cut down her classmate. Well, they weren’t that kind of people. They were the type who fully respected Yuka’s judgment in battle.

If that was the case, perhaps she could get permission to remain friends?

She briefly considered this, but decided it was better not to mention it.

The reason was, she wasn’t quite sure.

To Yuka, Kotone Kurosawa was clearly human. She did feel a chilling sensation run down her spine when Kurosawa used some kind of ability that day—but still, she didn’t think she was a yokai.

It’s not that there are no gentle yokai. Some legendary yokai who were friendly with humans were even worshipped as gods.

But in modern society, Yuka had never encountered such a yokai.

She also had questions about the Kurosawa family.

No matter how many bad people came from a family, was it necessary to think that way about the entire family?

With nothing much to do today, these idle thoughts seemed to multiply. Staring blankly at the ceiling in the middle of the day without doing anything was perhaps a bit too leisurely.

“…Maybe I’ll go out for a bit.”

Yuka said this as she got up.

Being of a diligent nature, Yuka naturally washed up in the morning before going out. When she returned home in the evening, she would also clean herself thoroughly before dinner. Since she had properly washed up this morning, there was no need to do so again at this hour.

After checking in the mirror to make sure her hair wasn’t disheveled from lying down, Yuka went outside.

There was no need to say goodbye to anyone when leaving, but she still put her hands together briefly in front of her mother’s memorial altar.

“Hmm.”

As she walked slowly to the station, she wondered where to go.

The first place that came to mind was, of course, Sasaki’s house. There was no particular reason… really.

It’s just that there was no reason to go to school, and Yuka didn’t have any particular hobbies either.

“What am I thinking?”

Yuka muttered to herself absentmindedly.

Even so, showing up unannounced at a boy’s house during vacation.

If his house had been nearby, she might have considered it, but that would be, well, not great. She didn’t want to cause any strange misunderstandings.

…Or did she? She wasn’t sure, Yuka thought.

“If I go downtown, I’ll end up somewhere.”

This happened every vacation, not just this one. Actually, this vacation was busier than usual.

“Right, I have no hobbies.”

Yuka muttered to herself.

Was it because she actually had things to do during this vacation that a day with nothing to do felt so boring? Last year was busier than this, so maybe this year felt worse.

As she headed to the station to catch the train, Yuka decided to visit the area near school.

*

And the person she met there was unexpected.

“…Fukuda.”

“Yuuki.”

She ran right into Fukuda at a park with a clear view of Tokyo Bay.

Yuka was the one who spotted her first.

Fukuda was wearing her characteristic short t-shirt and shorts that suited the summer season very well. Perhaps due to her usual image, it seemed like an uncharacteristically casual outfit.

Maybe before her friend became like that, she had a much lighter personality than now?

“What brings you here?”

Fukuda asked without seeming particularly surprised, and Yuka shrugged in response.

Fukuda’s attitude felt a bit awkward.

That was natural, if you thought about it. The two weren’t close enough to greet each other warmly when they met.

But meeting here was somewhat pleasant.

Yuka approached Fukuda and said:

“Nothing really. I had nothing to do so I came out for a bit.”

“All the way here? Alone?”

“You came here alone too.”

“I live within walking distance of here.”

Was that so? Yuka didn’t know because she’d never heard Fukuda mention it.

“Since it’s summer vacation, I thought I’d enjoy a bit of sightseeing. Come to think of it, I haven’t really spent much time relaxing here.”

Fukuda didn’t particularly try to drive Yuka away as she stood beside her.

Though the sun was hot, there were many people outside. Most were probably out enjoying their summer vacation. Many had come to see the ocean without having to go far.

The two stood in silence for a while.

Yuka was the first to speak.

“Want to go somewhere cooler? Isn’t it hot standing here?”

“You seem like the type who could handle this well.”

“I still don’t particularly like the heat.”

“Then what was the point of coming all the way here?”

But even as she said this, Fukuda turned around as Yuka suggested.

How long had she been standing there?

Yuka hadn’t properly seen her expression when she first spotted her. But somehow, her back view gave off the impression that she was troubled about something.

Yuka couldn’t really ask Fukuda about the reason. The two weren’t close enough for that. It wasn’t that they had a bad relationship, but they simply weren’t close, literally.

Perhaps it could be said that they knew almost nothing about each other. Sometimes, from the words Fukuda let slip when overwhelmed, Yuka could glimpse a bit of her past.

…Had she caught something from Sasaki?

That flirtatious guy who approached any troubled girl he saw. With his decent looks, he couldn’t help but be surrounded by girls.

It was rather surprising that he hadn’t had a girlfriend until high school.

Fukuda and Yuka headed to a nearby café. Just as there were many people outside, the café was also crowded. For every person who sought the heat, there was another trying to escape it.

It was fortunate that they found two adjacent seats. However, they only realized why those seats were empty after sitting down. The direct sunlight coming through the glass window had warmed up everything—the table, the chairs, everything.

They each ordered a cup of coffee and sipped in silence for a while.

This time, Fukuda was the first to speak.

“You seem to know something about Kurosawa.”

So she did remember what she saw that time.

Yuka had hoped she hadn’t noticed, since the thuggish people around them hadn’t seemed to catch on.

“Do you know what happened then?”

“…”

What should she do?

Normally, she would have decided not to talk about it.

There were too many people around. Even if they spoke quietly enough that no one would hear, there was always the possibility.

Besides, the other person was still an ordinary person who knew nothing about yokai or such things.

Not only was it a secret, but the other person wouldn’t believe her if she revealed it. The more worldly a person was, the less likely they were to believe in superstitions, and the more Yuka would be treated like a fool.

But at the same time, this girl had lost her friend to that man-eating demon.

Mako, was it? Yes, Miura Mako, she thought. Yuka still remembered the list of victims from that murder case.

She might have forgotten after several decades, but it had only been a year.

Moreover, Miura Mako’s father was also in a peculiar position, so there were many complications.

And the witness was Kotone Kurosawa.

After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Yuka exhaled slightly and said:

“It’s something like psychic powers.”

She started with this light explanation and observed the reaction.

As expected, Fukuda looked incredulous.

“Psychic powers?”

“You saw her hair moving. I even got cut while trying to stop her.”

The wound had healed completely. It had been cut so cleanly that not even a scar remained.

“Why do you think that man’s hand was split like that?”

“But still—”

Fukuda, who had started to speak, closed her mouth for a moment.

After a silence, she took a sip of her coffee.

“I see.”

“You understand?”

“You said so. Besides, I was there too, and I saw what you’re describing. Hair rising up in a place with no wind. I thought about static electricity, but that doesn’t seem right.”

Tokyo summers are terribly humid after all.

“Psychic powers, huh… psychic powers…”

What could she be thinking?

It was already done. Yuka herself still didn’t know why her heart had moved like this.

Was it weighing on her conscience to leave Fukuda in the dark?

All she knew was that the conversation had just begun, and Fukuda had no intention of ending it yet.