[Part 5/6]
I wasn't in the business of serving expensive drinks to anyone.
"That's a sha. If you were to entertain , Tomobe-san, I'd open more expensive bottles for you."
"It wouldn't bring joy."
"...Do you really think so?"
"Ah...!?"
'(*ノ▽ノ) Kyaa, so daring!!'
It happened in an instant. Just as I thought she was pulling , she brought her body closer, effortlessly closing the gap until her face was right in front of mine. Due to her natural actions, I couldn't react in ti and she was too close. My face was reflected in Kayo's erald eyes...
"...Miss Kayo?"
To mask my surprise, I called out her na. While it wouldn't be unusual for my heart to race in response to her beauty and bewitching innocence, thanks to the foolish spider, my head was able to stay cool in this situation.
"Since becoming an attendant, your attitude toward Princess Aoi has grown colder. What could be the reason behind this change?"
'(*ﾟ∀ﾟ) That's right! Please tell !!'
"…"
In response to Kayo's question and 'actions', I fell silent. I pondered the aning and derived an answer. Ah, I see, so that's it.
"It's quite bold to make the daughter of a major trading company her attendant. Princess' courage knows no bounds."
"Isn't changing the topic considered impolite, Tomobe-san?"
'(*´ω｀*) Papa is a sturdy and reliable man!!'
The rchant whispered, narrowing her eyes at my non-response. She grinned and gazed at with an alluring look. She saw through and observed .
"I am currently a direct attendant of the family's head. I am not Princess Aoi's subordinate."
"Are you saying you're switching allegiances?"
"...Between the Princess and the head, there's no need to say which one should be prioritized. Isn't that right?"
'(*＞∇＜)ﾉI'm next!'
(That's not the point...)
In response to Tachibana Kayo's... no, Onitsuki Aoi's questioning, I answered calmly. Impersonally, dutifully, without emotion. Although I did want to interject internally.
"...I see, that makes sense."
Kayo's interpretation of my response, whatever it may be, led her to detach with an understanding expression.
"I've more or less understood your thoughts, Tomobe-san."
"More or less... There's a possibility of a misunderstanding, you know?"
"I won't go into the details... I can't read your mind, after all. But I know enough about what kind of person you are, Tomobe-san, and I'm confident that won't change!"
'(-∀・) But I'm the number one supporter!!'
With that declaration, she laughed and smiled innocently. Unfortunately, her perception was greatly exaggerated. She jumped to conclusions. It was a biased view.
The she knew wouldn't plan to commit murder, at least...
"Oh, by the way! Tomobe-san, since we've arrived in the capital, would you like to co to the mansion anyti?"
"Hm? Yes? ...Mansion?"
'(＾Д＾) Is it a vacation?'
In the midst of my gloomy thoughts, Kayo's sudden proposal caught off guard. Setting aside the spider's cryptic interpretations, I pondered her words. Kayo smiled and began to explain.
"Yes, it's located on the outskirts of the city..."
The surrounding mountains visible from the capital were dotted with forts, temples, shrines, and mansions of exorcist families. Naturally, these were ant to protect the city, the emperor, and the spiritual veins. However...
"There's an abandoned mansion that an exorcist family that fell from grace left behind. It should have an heir, but there's no one to inherit it..."
'(；＾o＾) Really?'
Maintaining the mansion required money, and while it was relatively close to the capital, it was on a mountain. The threat of evil spirits and monsters hadn't posed a danger to the capital for a long ti. While distant relatives of exorcist families inherited the mansion on paper, they left it untouched for decades. The imperial court didn't reprimand them either. Tachibana Kayo had her eyes on it.
"Considering its distance to the capital, it was surprisingly cheap to buy. I've renovated the top-quality parts and turned it into my personal mansion. Well, I did use so of the company's money for it too."
It was, after all, the forr mansion of an exorcist family. So defense chanisms seed to still be operational, and the inconvenient location seed to be quite convenient for Kayo. After all, she had almost lost her life twice to human and youkai threats. To conduct secret negotiations and entertain guests, she even partially used the company's funds to renovate the mansion.
"Ah, so why ...?"
I understood the flow of events leading to Kayo's mansion construction project. The problem was why she would invite there in the course of our conversation.
"I thought it might be a good idea to have Tomobe-san check everything from your perspective before using it seriously."
She seed to be suggesting that I, as a specialist in dealing with youkai, could investigate the mansion's security and such.
"...I see. And what's your true intention?"
"Since it's a new residence, I thought it would be nice to explore it together with you before I start using it."
'(＾ω＾) I want that too!"
With a teasing tone, she stuck her tongue out and playfully revealed her ulterior motive. It was easy to see through. Given her position and expertise, she could easily arrange for specialists to inspect the mansion.
"But, in a way, it's not entirely untrue, you know? Tomobe-san, you're perceptive, cunning, and persistent, aren't you?"
"Are you possibly criticizing ?"
"Oh no, not at all!"
As I candidly pointed out Kayo's assessnt, the nanban girl tried to divert her gaze as if trying to deceive. It's not really 'oh no, not at all,' though.
"I can't believe Miss Kayo thought of in that way... It's truly disappointing."
"Hey, Tomobe-san!? Please don't sigh in such a heartfelt voice! Wait, this is a joke, right? This conversation is just a silly joke, isn't it!?"
"..."
"Tomobe-san!?"
'( ´;ﾟ;∀;ﾟ;) Papa!?"
With Kayo's voice verging on a scream, I finally ended my act. With a mischievous chuckle that sounded like the triumphant laughter of a successful child from beneath my face, the girl who had teased pouted her cheeks. It was an incredibly adorable sulking expression.
To the point where I couldn't help but let out laughter naturally...
"Geez, Tomobe-san?"
"Hahaha... No, I apologize. Your reaction was better than expected. No, I apologize sincerely for this."
'(´ω｀) Papa is bad man!'
Pressing down on my slightly aching abdon, I regulated my breathing and voiced my apologies. The imagined dialogue ringing in my mind was remarkably accurate for a spider. However... in reality, these playful conversations with her were a source of precious energy for .
With the Onitsuki family's affiliates, internal conflicts and the potential for exposure to danger had reached a point where such conversations were no longer possible. It was precisely because Tachibana Kayo was an influential outsider to the Onitsuki clan that such a situation was possible.
With the Onitsuki family's affiliates, my internal conflicts and the potential dangers had made such conversations impossible. It was only because Tachibana Kayo was an influential outsider to the Onitsuki family that this was possible.
"Ughh!!"
"I apologize... Please, calm down. I'll do my best to secure permission for your request."
After so ntal calculations, I answered. With Kayo making the request, even that yandere psycho father wouldn't be able to reject it outright. In fact, he might be more worried about damaging his image by refusing such a request. Given that Kayo had succeeded as the heir, he wouldn't want to unnecessarily antagonize the Tachibana Trading Company. Permission for this request would probably be granted. It wasn't a thod I could use frequently, though...
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Oh! By the way, the mansion is located in Mt. Tatara, and during the renovations, a hot spring was discovered! So, I've prepared an outdoor bath! Please look forward to it!"
"Oh, I see... That's interesting."
'(*ﾟ∀ﾟ) A bath!'
While it wasn't uncommon for warm water to flow due to spiritual veins around the capital, having it developed into a hot spring was quite... Wait, huh?
"...Wait a mont. Mt. Tatara?"
Upon hearing the familiar place na, I unintentionally erased my smile and questioned her. A sense of unease crept over .
"Is there a problem? Yes, it's Mt. Tatara."
"I apologize... Can you confirm sothing for ? Whose property is the mansion that was bought?"
"Whose property? The one who bought it is the Suyake family, but the original owner of the mansion... I believe it was the Yakushiji family. They had so troubleso things dwelling inside, and it seems like they went through a lot of trouble with it."
"...Wait, seriously?"
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