For about 30 minutes after that, I was stuck listening to this kid nad Misaki.
"Munch, munch. This is so good. Give another one."
"No. Buy your own."
"But I don't have any money right now."
"Ugh... fine, here. Eat up."
To be precise, I had to listen to her while she shalessly stole my lunch. If I didn't comply, she'd start bawling. Thanks to her antics, I learned a few things about her: Misaki was a loner with no friends, and I got a glimpse into her family situation.
"So, you're from a famous exorcist family, and you're so talented you can see and talk to ghosts in everyday life?"
"Yup!"
There was definitely sothing off about her—that much was clear.
'Is this so kind of Jujutsu Kaisen situation?'
Her story sounded like it was ripped straight out of an exorcism ani. The problem was, I couldn't just brush it off as a child's fantasy.
[First Scenario Progress Rate: 5%]
'What's happening in front of is already unreal enough.'
I'm already weird myself. Who am I to call soone else weird? Besides, from what I rember, there were two gas in the Ero Villain series that involved yokai. One was about running away from female yokai in the neighborhood, and the other was the opposite—a tights-wearing exorcist defeating yokai in the neighborhood.
'Wait a minute...'
If I recall correctly, the main character's na in that ga was definitely...
"Your na's Misaki, right?"
"Munch, munch. Uh-huh. Why?"
"Then, what's your last na?"
"Oh! Right. It's Tachibana. Tachibana Misaki."
It was Tachibana Misaki (橘氏 美咲).
I couldn't help but be shocked when I heard her full na. For one, the main character in the ga wasn't a high school girl—she was more like an elentary schooler. And second...
'This little kid is going to grow up to have that body?!'
It was mind-blowing to think that the character who made people go "wow~" was like this as a child.
As I sat there, stunned, Misaki noticed my expression and asked, "What? Is there sothing weird about my na?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Hmph! Then why are you making that face? I even told you my last na, which my grandpa said not to share with anyone. Especially since you gave food."
"Huh? He told you not to tell anyone your last na?"
That caught off guard. In Japan, it's pretty common to call people by their last nas unless you're close. Why would he tell her to keep it a secret?
"Yeah. He said if people—or ghosts—who hold a grudge against us find out our last na, they can attack us. So, we're only supposed to reveal it when we're facing an enemy or after completing a mission."
Seems like there's so kind of tradition in exorcist families.
Wait a minute...
'In the ga, Misaki's goal when she first appeared was to defeat the yokai that destroyed her family, right?'
And now that I think about it, the main character's last na was never ntioned during the ga. The only ti she said her full na was at the end, right before fighting the final boss and after defeating it, when she shouted her na to declare the mission complete.
I didn't think much of it back then, but it turns out there was a story behind it.
'Ero Villain, those crazy bastards.'
What kind of ero ga has this kind of hidden lore?
No, actually, if I think about it, Ero Villain has always been like this.
'They always seed to have their own stories that players didn't know about, right?'
But what does this have to do with this world?
"What are you thinking so hard about? Oh, and by the way, we've been talking about my na, but you haven't told yours!"
No, that's not what I need to worry about right now. What's important is...
"Ah, right. My na's Takuya. Let's be friends from now on."
"R-really? You don't think it's weird that I'm a yokai or that I don't share my last na?"
"It's fine. I've t way weirder people than that."
The fact that her family is rich.
'I was wondering how to get the initial investnt to buy Bitcoin.'
If I play my cards right, I might be able to score a sugar mama.
Even an allowance would be fine. If she's from such a well-off family, the scale is completely different from mine.
I thought to myself, wondering how to get closer to this little kid—no, my future sugar mama.
About an hour passed.
The sun, which had been scorching the earth, was finally starting to cool down.
Takuya said goodbye to Misaki.
"Ah, I should probably head out now."
"Already?! No! Play with more!"
At Takuya's words, Misaki threw a tantrum, begging him not to leave, but...
"No. I'm done playing. Go ho."
Takuya simply held out his palm and said no.
Misaki puffed up her cheeks, trying to show she was sulking, but...
Poke.
Poke.
"Pffft!"
Takuya easily subdued her by poking her cheeks.
Of course, Misaki still threw a fit because he treated her like a kid.
"Eek! Don't treat like a child!"
"Hehe. Sorry, sorry."
After listening to Misaki's complaints for a while, Takuya said, "If you're sad, co back here at this ti the day after tomorrow. I'll co too."
Misaki made a questioning face.
"Why not tomorrow?"
"I have plans with a friend tomorrow. The day after tomorrow works."
"A friend?!"
Misaki seed genuinely shocked by the ntion of another friend, her face even more surprised than before.
Seeing her reaction, Takuya chuckled.
"I'm not a loner with no friends like you."
"Eek! I have friends too!"
"Oh? Who are they?"
"Yoshino, Haruhiko, and... um..."
"They're all yokai or ghosts, right?"
"...Sniff."
At that, Misaki crouched down, lowered her head, and sniffled.
The words "loner with no friends" hit her hard.
Seeing her like that, Takuya thought, 'Did I tease her too much?' and tried to comfort her.
Or rather...
"Hey, it's okay. It's fine not to have friends."
"Sniff! Go away!"
"I said I'm sorry."
"You're the worst! Sniff!"
It seed like he was teasing her, but then Takuya patted Misaki's head and said,
"Then I'll be your friend. That way, you're not a loner anymore, right?"
"Sniff... sniff..."
"If we're friends, I'll buy you a lunch box the day after tomorrow."
"Sniff. If you buy one, I'll be your friend."
"Hehe. Okay. Then look forward to the day after tomorrow! I'll get you a good lunch box. Oh, and since I'm older, call 'Oppa' when we et."
"No... I'll call you 'Uncle.'"
"...Fine. Whatever."
"Hehe, just kidding!"
Geez.
Takuya ruffled Misaki's hair as if tidying it up, then got on his bike and headed off.
"The day after tomorrow! Don't forget!"
He left those words behind.
Misaki watched Takuya until he was out of sight.
After a while, when Takuya was no longer visible, soone appeared next to her.
Of course, it wasn't a person.
[Miss. Shall we follow him now?]
It was Yasuo, the ghost who followed Misaki—no, Chunshik.
For so reason, the male ghost with a na that sounded like it ca straight out of a canyon asked Misaki.
[Sniff. No. Don't go.]
Misaki sniffled in response to Yasuo's question.
At her answer, Yasuo looked at her with a warm gaze, as if watching youth unfold.
Just as a heartwarming atmosphere began to form...
[Do you like that child, Miss Tachibana?]
Another voice echoed in the air.
But it was different from Yasuo's.
It was a voice that seed to transmit directly into her mind rather than her ears. Misaki turned her head to look at the being calling her.
[It's not like that. Be quiet, Zen Unnie.]
The being was a great yokai who had once plunged Japan into chaos, fought and lost to the Tachibana family, and was now reduced to a shikigami.
[Oh my, it makes sad when you lie to your Unnie~]
It was the great yokai, Nyotengu (女天狗).
As the na suggests, Nyotengu was a female tengu. Not only was she female, but she also had an overwhelming figure, and her half-closed eyes gave her a "mama" vibe.
[Don't lie. You're always teasing .]
[I'm not! This Unnie would never do that~]
Nyotengu hugged Misaki tightly.
Misaki grumbled but didn't break free.
After enjoying the hug for a while, Misaki said,
[Let's stop now and go ho, Zen Unnie.]
[Heeing. That's too much~]
Misaki ignored Nyotengu and started heading down the mountain from the shrine.
Yasuo quickly followed Misaki, while Nyotengu watched them with a relaxed smile.
A little while later, as Misaki returned ho in a car sent by her family, Nyotengu, who remained at the shrine, thought about the boy—no, the man who looked more like an uncle—and muttered.
"Who is he to carry such a heavy karmic burden of killing (殺業)?"
The karmic burden of killing is sothing one accumulates by taking lives.
Even the greatest samurai of the Warring States period only carried a few hundred karmic burdens.
But that man...
[He had thousands, maybe~]
He carried a karmic burden of death in the thousands.
That was sothing absolutely impossible for an ordinary human.
But that wasn't the only thing that piqued the great yokai's interest.
Thousands of lives were not unheard of. Emperors and shoguns of the past had carried such burdens.
What intrigued her most was...
[Who is 'that woman' hiding behind his thick karmic burden of killing?♪]
It was the woman hiding behind his karmic burden, staring at her with a murderous gaze.
Thinking back to that mont...
Shiver!
Even she, with powers close to a god, felt a mont of fear.
[Should I investigate separately~?]
Nyotengu was deeply curious about who it was.
***
[Yokai are invisible to ordinary people. You need a special 'eye' to see them.]
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