episode_0009

“Munch munch. This is delicious, give me one more.”

“No. Buy it with your own money.”

“I don’t have any money right now.”

“Sigh… fine, eat. Eat.”

To be precise, I had to listen to her story while even my lunch was stolen.

Otherwise, she’d just whine and cry.

Thanks to that, I learned a little about the household affairs of this girl, Misaki, and that she was a loner with no friends.

“So. You’re the daughter of a famous exorcist family, and you have such immense talent that you can talk to or see ghosts in your daily life?”

“Yep!”

That this kid was… weird.

‘What is this, Jujutsu Kaisen?’

No, I mean, isn’t the story she’s telling something straight out of an exorcism anime?

The problem was that I couldn’t simply dismiss this as a child’s delusion.

[First scenario progress: 5%]

‘What I’m seeing right in front of me is already unreal enough.’

I’m already weird. Who am I to call someone else weird?

Besides, if I remember correctly, there were two games by Ero Villain that featured yokai.

One was an eroge where you ran away from female yokai appearing in the neighborhood, and the other was a completely opposite story where an exorcist in a skintight suit vanquished yokai in the neighborhood.

‘Huh? Wait a minute…’

If I recall correctly, the protagonist’s name in that game was definitely…

“Your name is Misaki, right?”

“Munch munch. Yeah. Why?”

“Then what’s your family name?!”

“Ah! Yeah. Tachibana, Tachibana Misaki.”

It was Tachibana Misaki.

Hearing Misaki’s name, I couldn’t help but be shocked.

One, the protagonist of that eroge was not a high school girl but an elementary schooler. And second…

‘This little kid is going to get a body like that?!’

That the character who made you exclaim ‘Wow!’ was like this when she was little.

While I made a shocked expression upon hearing Misaki’s family name, Misaki, who found my expression strange, asked me.

“Why? Is Misaki’s name weird?”

“No. It’s not that…”

“Pout! Then why are you like that? I even gave you rice, and I specially told you my family name, which my grandfather told me not to reveal.”

“Huh? He told you not to reveal your family name?”

I expressed doubt at Misaki’s words.

Clearly, in Japan, it’s common to call people by their family name when you’re not close. So why would he tell her not to reveal it?

“Yeah. If they know our family name, ghosts or people who hold grudges against us can attack us. So, we can only freely say our name when we want to reveal it to an enemy, or when we’ve successfully completed a mission.”

It seems there’s some kind of tradition in the exorcist family.

Wait a minute, now that I think about it.

‘Definitely, when Misaki first appeared in the game, her goal was to defeat the yokai who destroyed her family, right?’

In fact, thinking about it carefully, the protagonist’s family name never appeared during the game’s progression.

The only time her name was mentioned was at the very end, before fighting the final boss, and then after defeating the final boss yokai, when she shouted her own name, declaring the mission complete.

I didn’t think much of it then, but to think there was such a story behind it.

‘Ero Villain, those crazy bastards.’

What kind of eroge has a hidden story like this?

No. Now that I think about it in detail. Ero Villain definitely had this side to them from before.

‘It seemed like they definitely had their own story that the players didn’t know about, right?’

What connection does this have to this world?

“What are you thinking so hard about? Oh, and now that I think about it. I’ve talked so much about my name and my story, but you haven’t told me your name!”

No. This isn’t something I need to worry about right now anyway.

What’s important to me right now is.

“Ah, right. My name is Takuya. Let’s be good friends from now on.”

“R-really? You don’t think it’s weird that I talk about yokai or don’t say my family name?”

“It’s fine. I’ve seen a lot of people weirder than that.”

That her family was very wealthy.

‘I was already wondering how to gather initial investment funds for Bitcoin.’

If things go well, maybe I can find a sponsor?

Even if it’s just pocket money level, it’s fine. A kid from such a good family would have a different scale of money than me.

Thinking that to myself, I pondered how to get along with this kid, Misaki—no, my future sponsor-nim.

***

About another hour passed.

It was now the time when the sun, which had been scorching the earth, was beginning to subside.

Takuya bid Misaki farewell.

“Ah. I should probably go now.”

“Already?! No! Play with me more!!”

At Takuya’s words, Misaki threw a tantrum, telling him not to go, but…

“No. I’m not playing anymore. Go home.”

Takuya simply spread his palm out, saying no.

At that sight, Misaki puffed her cheeks full of air, appealing with her whole body that she was sulking.

Poof.

Poke.

“Pffft!”

It was easily suppressed by Takuya pressing her cheek with his finger.

Of course, apart from that, Misaki, who was treated like a child, flared up.

“Hmph! Don’t treat me like a child!”

“Hehe. Sorry, sorry.”

He indulged Misaki’s complaints for a moment, and then.

“If you’re sad, come back here at this time the day after tomorrow. I’ll come too.”

Takuya told Misaki.

At his words, Misaki made a questioning expression.

“Why not tomorrow?”

“I have plans with a friend tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is fine.”

“Friend?!”

At the mention of another friend, Misaki seemed quite shocked, making an expression far more surprised than before.

And seeing Misaki’s face like that, Takuya chuckled and said.

“Because I’m not a loner with no friends like you.”

“Hmph! I have friends too!”

“Who are your friends?”

“Yoshino and! Haruhiko and! Also…”

“They’re all yokai or ghosts, aren’t they?”

“…Sniffle.”

At that single remark, Misaki squatted down, hung her head low, and sniffled.

The phrase ‘no friends loner’ was too painful for a girl with no friends.

Seeing Misaki sniffle again, Takuya wondered if he had teased her too much… and clicked his tongue, offering words of comfort to Misaki.

To be precise.

“Aw, it’s fine. It’s okay not to have friends sometimes.”

“Sniffle! Go away!”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“You’re the meanest! Sniffle!”

Although it seemed like teasing.

Takuya said that for a moment, then stroked Misaki’s head and said.

“Then I’ll be your friend. So now Misaki, you’re not a loner anymore, right?”

“Sniffle. Sniffle.”

“If you’ll be my friend, I’ll bring you a lunch box the day after tomorrow too.”

“Sniffle. If you bring it, I’ll be your friend.”

“Hehe. Alright. Then look forward to the day after tomorrow! I’ll bring a good lunch box. Oh, and since I’m older, call me Oppa when we meet.”

“No… I’ll call you Uncle.”

“…Fine. Do as you please.”

“Hehe, just kidding!”

Darn it.

Takuya then casually patted Misaki’s head as if tidying it, then pulled his bicycle and headed somewhere.

“The day after tomorrow! This time! Remember it!!”

Leaving those words behind.

Misaki simply watched Takuya out of the corner of her eye until he was far away.

A little while later, as Takuya was already out of sight, someone appeared smoothly beside her.

Naturally, it wasn’t a person, but.

[Young miss. Shall we follow him now?]

The ghost following Misaki, Chunsik… no. It was Yasuo.

For some reason, the male ghost with a name that sounded like it came from a canyon asked Misaki.

[Sniffle. No. Don’t go.]

Sniffling at Yasuo’s question, Misaki replied.

At Misaki’s answer, Yasuo looked at Misaki with a contented gaze, as if watching youth.

Just as such a heartwarming atmosphere was forming.

[Do you like that child, Young Lady Tachibana?]

Another sound began to be heard from the air.

But it was different from when Yasuo appeared.

A voice that seemed to transmit sounds directly into her mind rather than her ears. At that voice, Misaki turned her head to look at the being calling her.

[It’s not like that. Please be quiet, Zen Unnie.]

The being calling her was a great yokai who had plunged Japan into chaos in the past, and who had fought against the Tachibana family and been defeated, now reduced to a shikigami.

[Oh dear, it makes Unnie sad if you lie to her~]

It was the great yokai Nyotengu.

True to the name ‘female Tengu,’ Nyotengu was not only in a female form but also possessed an overwhelming figure and shallowly lidded eyes, appearing like a yokai one would feel compelled to call ‘Mama.’

[Don’t lie. You always just tease me.]

[I’m not lying. There’s no way Unnie would do that~]

Nyotengu said that and hugged Misaki tightly.

Misaki grumbled inwardly but didn’t escape from the embrace.

After enjoying the brief hug, Misaki spoke to Nyotengu.

[Let’s stop now and slowly go home while hugging, Zen Unnie.]

[Whine. That’s mean~]

Misaki left Nyotengu alone and began descending the mountain shrine.

At Misaki’s actions, Yasuo quickly clung to Misaki, and Nyotengu simply watched the scene leisurely, smiling.

A moment later. While Misaki rode home in a car sent by her family.

Nyotengu, who remained at the shrine, muttered to herself, remembering the boy—no, the man who looked closer to an old man—she had just seen.

“Who could that be to have accumulated such a degree of killing karma~”

Killing karma is something that can only be obtained by taking lives.

Even the samurai called the greatest in the Warring States period only accumulated a few hundred karma at most.

But that man…

[He had thousands, perhaps~]

He carried thousands of death karma.

At least, it was absolutely impossible for a normal human.

However, this alone was not enough to pique the great yokai’s interest.

Thousands of people, it wasn’t unheard of. Past emperors and shoguns had that much karma.

What interested her the most was.

[Who was ‘that woman’ hiding behind the thick killing karma♪]

The woman who had been hiding behind his karma, staring at her with murderous intent.

Thinking back to that moment.

-A shiver!

A being capable of making even herself, who possessed power close to a god, tremble with fear for a moment.

[Shall I investigate her separately~?]

Nyotengu was extremely curious as to who it was.

***

[Yokai are invisible to the eyes of ordinary people; a special ‘eye’ is required to see them.]