Chapter 5: Spinning Cappuccino (1)

Spinning Cappuccino (1)

On a hot and humid night, I was spinning my mechanical pencil instead of my head, praying that the answers to the practice questions for high school entrance exams would spontaneously appear to me, when a silly ringtone struck my eardrums.

Who is it?

I picked up the smartphone on my desk and checked it, and the video call app was urging me, "Asahi-sama is calling you! Hurry, hurry!"

"Asahi-sama," I muttered.

Mumbling, Asahi is the current head of the Momotari family, a group of Japanese exorcists (people who punish evil spirits and youkai). My family - the Tachibana family - are their underlings, which means Asahi-sama is my boss.

It's no good keeping her waiting, so I answer quickly. The screen changes and she appears.　

"Good evening. I'm sorry to bother you at this time," said Asahi-sama calmly, dressed in a kimono. "Are you feeling okay now?"　

"Thank you for your hard work. Of course I'm fine."

"That's good..." Asahi-sama smiled with a charming smile that didn't match her young appearance.　

Although she looks about 12 years old, her actual age is apparently over 500 years old. I don't really understand why, but apparently she has the blood of a great demon mixed in her veins, which is why she has such longevity.

Asahi-sama continues, "Actually, it seems that there was a Ginpatsu-chan in Kei-kun's area of responsibility." Ginpatsu-chan is the nickname of a wanted youkai. She's known for her long silver hair, so she was given this name for ease of understanding. "The location is an abandoned building called Ghost Paradise. Do you know?"

Ghost Paradise is an abandoned amusement park.　

I know about it, but I've never been there.　

"So, can you please do that for me?" She told me to investigate the ruins.　

I cannot refuse given my position.　

"I've got it"

When we finished talking about work, she puffed out her cheeks. "You've been cold lately. Have you gotten bored of me?" she said, laughing as if rolling a candy over my body.　

It's true that we haven't seen each other recently.

I have a physical relationship with Asahi-sama.

I just thought she was surprisingly easy to talk to and a comfortable person to be around, but one time the atmosphere became like that and I couldn't resist and ended up having sex with her.

Just to be clear, I'm not a lolicon. Asahi-sama may look like a girl of about 12 years old, but she acts and speaks like a completely grown woman. It's impossible for a virgin to resist that sex appeal. So, I'm not a lolicon.

That's why I occasionally meet up with Asahi-sama and have sex with her. However, when asked if we're dating, I'm not sure. I like her, but I'm not sure if it's romantic feelings or just affection that has nothing to do with romance.

And I don't know what she thinks.

However, if you think about it normally, I'm nothing more than a kid that Asahi-sama can play with whenever she wants. She probably see our relationship as something that will end when she gets bored of it.

Even so, even through the screen, Asahi-sama is still beautiful. More than anyone else.　

Perhaps because I was thinking about that, my mouth started moving naturally. "I'll never get tired of you, Asahi-sama."

Damn it, I thought. I'd spoken to her in a casual manner without considering my position. I was being too familiar. This made me look like a pathetic guy who was acting like he was her boyfriend just because we had sex.

However, Asahi-sama did not scold me, but simply frowned at the disobedient child, saying, "Say that again...", but I kept quiet after that.

It's not that I can't stand the silence between us, but I speak up. "...Next time," I begin, and she tilts her head slightly, asking, "What's the matter?" It's bad for my heart. "Whenever you have time, Asahi-sama—" No matter how many times I do this, it still makes me nervous. "Would you like to go out and play somewhere?"

Asahi-sama pauses for a moment, then says seriously, "You really are a hopeless kid," and smiles, tickling the folds of my heart, "It seems like Kei-kun needs some education. Be prepared."

"..."

I know I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight so could you please stop making that face?　

•

•

•　

Ghost Paradise is an abandoned building located in one of the most aging areas of my prefecture, where the population is aging and the birthrate is declining - about an hour's drive from the city where I live, and surrounded by nothing but a few sparsely populated houses, a convenience store, and a cemetery.

By the way, this strange name was apparently given with the hope that ghosts from the nearby cemetery would come and visit.

The taxi carrying me pulled into the large parking lot of a convenience store near the ruins - although close, it's still a 30-minute walk - and came to a halt.

"Thank you," I said, paid the fare, received the receipt, and the taxi quickly drove off.

Well, first I'll go to a convenience store and buy some rice balls, so I go inside the air-conditioned store.

It was a little after 10 am, and although the heat hadn't yet reached its peak, the cool air felt pleasant on the skin.　

"Huh?" the store clerk said. "They're gone...Again?" she muttered to her self, alternating between looking at the rice balls on display and the board in her hand.

Has something gone wrong?　　

I'd like to buy the rice ball you're looking at... I said, looking at her with a gaze filled with desire, when finally the woman seemed to notice me and welcomed me with a perfunctory "Oh, welcome in," so I approached her and asked, "Is is about shoplifting?"

"Is that so...?" the older sister answered hesitantly, then continued, "I don't know," before quickly correcting herself and saying, "Oh, I don't know, that's right."　

"...You don't have to use formal language."　

"Really? Thank you. I'm not very good at using formal language." She seemed to find her way back to water. Her tongue moved quite smoothly.　

"So what happened?" I asked because I suspected that a youkai was involved.　

"Lately," she began, speaking with such naturalness that it seemed as if teaching me was the most legitimate thing in the world, "I suddenly realized that we'd run out of drinks and rice balls."　

"Was the culprit not caught on the surveillance cameras?"　

"But it's not on the screen," she said, looking puzzled. "That's why the police don't believe me, and it's kind of creepy, it's the worst."　

"That's pretty terrible," I say in awkward, pretending to sympathize, then ask what I wants to know: "So, are there still no drinks left?"

"That's right. Today I had lost barley tea, rice balls, and ice cream."

"That's a pretty good combo." It's hot, so I understand wanting ice cream.　

"Hey, my lunch is just a pasta bento with no toppings," she said, sounding dissatisfied. "Isn't that unfair?"

"That's unfair," I nodded. "I want some ice cream too."　

"I know," the older sister said solemnly, "I like matcha ice cream."　

"Matcha is good---"　

We continued having meaningless conversation, and for some reason we exchanged RINE, bought salmon rice balls and vegetable rice balls, and left the convenience store.

The older sister said, "See you later," but I wouldn't come to such a deserted place if it wasn't for work. However, there was no point in telling her that, so I just nodded.　

•　

•　

•

Under the blazing sun, I stood at the entrance to Ghost Paradise, listening to the chirps of cicadas.

Asahi-sama's shikigami - a bird made of spiritual power - apparently saw Ginpatsu-chan near the entrance to Ghost Paradise. However, it was quickly noticed and destroyed.

Even though it wasn't intended for combat, Ginpatsu-chan was skilled enough to kill Asahi-sama's shikigami in an instant, so this wasn't going to be an easy job.

With this in mind, to be on the safe side, I activated my special eyes, Senrigan - eyes that can see many things - which I possess alone in this generation - from the time I left the convenience store, and observed my surroundings as I made my way to Ghost Paradise, but there was nothing suspicious along the way, and no youkai either.

But when I was inside the ruins...

Using my wide-range perspective, I spotted a girl who looked to be about Asahi-sama's age (the appearance age). She was sitting beside a coffee cup in a playground about 200 meters from the entrance, motionless and spacey, but she was exuding youkai power (the mysterious power of youkai), so there was no doubt she was a youkai.

However, her hair wasn't silver, it was just black. It was highly likely that she had no connection to "Ginpatsu-chan."

However, it might be related to the incident at the convenience store.

Keeping my presence low, I made my way towards the girl.

Then, when I was about 30 meters away from the coffee cup, the girl slowly looked my way.

"..." We stared at each other.

The girl has sleepy eyes. My Senrigan, on the other hand, has jet-black sclera with emerald green irises and pupils. I even think it's a superhuman appearance.

"..." The girl kept her eyes locked with mine in silence, slowly tilting her head in a puzzled manner.

There was no point in continuing the staring contest, so I tried to communicate. In other words, I tried waving my hand.　

"!?" the girl startled, and softly said, "(Found it...?)" - I couldn't hear her, but I figured it out using lip reading.　

"Excuse me. Can I talk to you for a moment?" I asked loudly.　

The girl nodded, and I began walking again with quiet steps.

I stepped onto the round floor where the coffee cup rested, a worn floor that creaked with every step, making an unsettling noise.　

I came to the coffee cup where the girl was sitting. Looking at her up close, she was indeed young. However, the amount of supernatural power the girl possessed was quite impressive. I mustn't let my guard down. "So first of all..."

"I love you," the girl said in a calm, flat tone.　

"....What?" I naturally asked back.　

"I love you," she repeated as if it was natural.　

"..."

•　

•　

The girl introduced herself as Yagami Touko. She said she was a Nurarihyon.

I thought, "Oh, I see."

Nurarihyon are also known as gap youkai, and they can slip into any gap there is, and they can even slip into gaps in recognition and detection to deceive humans and machines. It's no exaggeration to say that they were born to shoplift.

What's more, they have the extremely troubling trait of finding comfort in entering people's homes and eating and drinking without permission. In other words, the reason the food at the convenience store had run out was because Touko was eating it.

However, since they basically don't do anything else besides that, they pose no danger, and as a general rule, they are left alone.

But Touko declared that she would go with me. She seemed quite strange, and had seriously decided to become a mate with whoever found her hiding. I didn't understand what she meant.

But to me, there's Asahi-sama... What is Asahi-sama? She's not my mate... or rather, we're not husband and wife, and I don't think we're lovers either...　

"I guess we're just Sefure after all..." When I said it out loud, I felt a strange tingling sensation in my throat.　

It shouldn't be a problem.

"A sefure...?" Touko looked at me with innocent eyes. We were sitting on a bench at the edge of the amusement park.　

"...Forget it." Unlike Asahi-sama, Touko is just as 12 years old as she looks. There's no need to learn inappropriate words like "sefure".

Touko nodded and fell silent again. The chirping of the cicadas was awfully irritating.　

I'll decide what to do with this girl later, but for now, there's Ginpatsu-chan

I asked, "Have you seen a youkai with long silver hair around here?"　

"I don't know..." She answered without looking at me.

"So what about non-silver-haired youkai?"　

"Onii-chan," Touko said in an icy cold voice.　

"Your brother is here too. Where is he?"　

"I don't know..." Touko said in a voice that was unclear as to whether it was sadness, indifference, or something else.

So what should I do? As far as I can see with my Senrigan, there is nothing suspicious in Ghost Paradise.

I'll investigate a bit more and then ask Asahi-sama for instructions. That's the only option.　

But…….　

Look at Touko.　

"?" Touko noticed and turned towards me.　

How can I explain about this child?　

•

•

It was past 7 pm when I arrived home.　

I opened the front door and said, "I'm home," and Touko was standing next to me.

In the end, I decided to take Touko home. Judging by her behavior, it seemed like she would come here on her own if I left her there—my spiritual powers are quite noticeable, so she would be able to find me easily—and most importantly, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth.

That said, I have no intention of becoming her mate or anything like that. She says she's ready to become a mother, but even if that's true, so what?

In other words, I plan to take my time and try to convince her to give up. If I do that, she'll probably leave eventually.

When I entered the living room, my mother was sitting on the sofa. "Welcome back. How was it?"

"I couldn't even find a trace of it."

"Oh, that's a shame," Mom replied with an expression that didn't seem to show any disappointment, then she looked at Touko next to me. "So, what about that girl?"　

"A habitual shoplifter" is not a lie. "I'd like to keep her at home for a while to help her rehabilitate, but is that okay?" This may be a lie.

"What kind of youkai is she?" Mom remained calm and collected.

"She say it's Nurarihyon," I said, and Touko nodded.

"Huh? That's rare," Mom said, giving an indescribable response. Then she asked Touko, "Do you like my son?"

"Yes," Touko answered immediately.

"How much do you like him?" Mom repeated the question.

"We'll be mates and have a baby," Touko answered, her eyes still as sleepy as ever.　

"Oh," my mother said, turning to me. "So you're a lolicon after all."　

"No. It's a misunderstanding," I replied with a speed that rivaled Touko's.　

Why should I be treated like a lolicon just because a kid like me? It's completely wrong.　

"Just be careful of the police," my crazy mom said, lighting a cigarette.

Ignoring my pleas to "listen to me," my mom said, with no room for argument, "You smell of sweat, so go take a bath," and continued, "Since you're here, why don't you come and take a bath with her?" 

I wonder what she wants from me.

•

•

After finishing my bath time, I was in my room. I had an appointment to call Asahi-sama at 8 pm to report back, so dinner had to wait.

Touko was in the living room with my mother - she seemed too familiar. My mother was also very adaptable. I wanted to know what kind of conversation they were having, but I didn't want to know.

As I was thinking about this, my smartphone started ringing. I answered it immediately. "Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for contacting me."

"Yes, good evening," replied Asahi-sama, wearing crimson lipstick, a rare sight for her.　

Maybe it's because it's been a while since I last saw her, but she seems strangely sexy. Against my will, heat rises in my face.　

However, Asahi-sama just smiles and doesn't say anything.

It's even more embarrassing. I feel better when she make fun of me.

"...I have something to report," I said, not wanting to sound tough, but deciding not to mention the lipstick. "I have investigated Ghost Paradise and the surrounding area, but I haven't found any trace of Ginpatsu-chan."

"...Even if you have the Senrigan," Asahi-sama sighed. "She seems to be a tough girl after all."

"I'm sorry." Was she disappointed?　

However, Asahi-sama said in a gentle voice, furrowing her brows, "I'm not blaming you. Don't make that face."　

A feeling of shame welled up inside me, but I managed to keep my expression straight by saying, "...Shall I continue the investigation?"

Asahi let out a knowing chuckle, then said, "That's right," and spoke. "Actually, at today's meeting at the Seita Research Institute, it was decided that I too will be fully involved in Ginpatsu-chan's investigation."

"?!" I was a little surprised. "That means..." Asahi continued, taking over. "I'll be staying there for a while, starting in five days."

"..."

Things are looking a little ominous...

I thought of the girl with short black hair who wasn't here, and I felt as if countless baby spiders were crawling under the skin on my back.

No, no, it'll be fine. It's not like I'm her boyfriend or anything.

But in the end, I wasn't able to report about Touko.

•

•

•

It was 11:16 pm. I was sitting in a chair in my room, agonising over all sorts of thoughts like, "Asahi-sama was beautiful," "I wonder if she'll get angry," and "Asahi-sama was sexy," when suddenly I felt a weight and warmth around the base of my thighs.

"Touko..."　

Touko, who had become hard to recognize using Nurarihyon's power, straddled me and then deactivated her power. As a result, it seemed as if she had suddenly appeared in front of me. That's about it.

That's what youkai are like. They go at their own pace, or maybe they're just naive.　

"Fill my gap..." Touko said as she hugged me.　

"..."

Even though we used the same shampoo, she smelled different from me, I could definitely feel her damp heat even through her clothes, and her body undulated gently in time with her breathing. All the stimulation that Touko brought to me melted my brain, driving me towards it - no! No No!

"I won't," I said, gently pushing Touko back.　

"Why...?" she asked, looking me straight in the eye.　　

"I love you." This explanation—so vague it was hard to tell whether it was a lie or the truth—was the third time I'd heard it.

I don't feel any malice from Touko. She must not truly understand.

"Even if you don't understand, if something's no good, it's no good. I can't—"

Suddenly, Touko thrust her hips forward—as if pressing against my 'that'—and then looked quizzically into my eyes. "I think you can now...?"

"...You're misunderstanding."

A simple physiological reaction doesn't count. Therefore, I'm not a lolicon. So please, get away from me now.