Chapter 26: Fox Shrine Maiden – Sudama ②

Since Sudama went out to the supermarket, I poked Jin’s arm.

Jin seemed to have restored his eardrums and let out a sigh.
Even if the noise itself isn’t loud, being surrounded by constant chatter is still noisy in its own way.

I like Sudama, but sometimes her overbearing caretaking gets on my nerves.
I’m not in my rebellious phase, so I just let it slide without pushing back.

"Where’d you meet Sudama?"

"She butted in when I was brawling with some scum."

"What kind of scum? A villain?"

Jin nodded.

So he fought a villain again. After almost dying and me picking him up, he still hasn’t learned.
I mean, if you’re already fighting villains, doesn’t that pretty much make you a hero? Or am I wrong?

Jin snorted.

"She told me to cut it out. Treating villains like a bunch of kids, huh."

"Well, she’s old, after all. Not the villain you were fighting, but why’d they target you in the first place?"

"…They got away."

"Oh, so the other guy was faster at running. That’s rare, Ironclad’s usually good at knowing when to retreat and makes a clean getaway."

"Shut up."

"So your type’s a loli granny?"

"I don’t know what the hell you just said, but it sounds like I should kill you."

"Can you not kill on a hunch?"

And the worst part is, his hunches are usually right.
Same principle as when you don’t know a foreign language, but you can still tell when someone’s insulting you.

"Oh, that reminds me. Jin, do you know about D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.—"

A sharp crack split the air as the newspaper in Jin’s hands tore perfectly in two.

"—guess not the best topic. What, you hate them as much as Raiden?"

"I’ll kill them someday."

"That’s always your line. When I first met you, you were burnt to a crisp. Explosion? Blast?"

He stayed silent. Guess that answers it.
Man, you’re so transparent I feel like I’m one step away from being able to read your mind. Maybe I should call myself a mentalist.

He did say the other day that he beat down every villain who came after him.
So maybe D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. came after him first?
Even if he couldn’t understand a word they said?
Well, like I said—same principle as with a foreign language. Even if it’s English with some weird special structure, you can still tell hostility from non-hostility.
Or maybe Jin just hates all humans.

"What do you think, Inori? If that kid’s gonna live here, should I just stay hidden the whole time?"

Leaning his elbows on the sink faucet, Mio stuck his upper body out and rested his cheek in his hand.

"Nah, that’d be too much. I already told her we’re sharing the house, so just live normally."

"But that means I’ll have to stay in a human body, right?"

"Can’t you just be Flux?"

"You do realize I’m a pretty famous villain, don’t you? And I’m wanted even in my human face. She’s from the countryside, looked like she was long-lived and out of touch, but she never forgot to keep up with society. If she didn’t know about me already, she’s bound to find out sooner or later. She looked like the type with good awareness of security, too."

Seems Mio had quite a high opinion of Sudama.
I didn’t explain, but Mio understood Sudama was from the countryside and long-lived.
Then again, anyone would figure that out when they see a little girl with fox ears in shrine maiden garb. That’s just how it is.

"Sudama’s got a decent head on her shoulders."

"…Does she, really?"

"In a moral sense, yeah. She’s got a good nature. Us, well—we’re pretty messed up."

"True. Very messed up."

She left it vague, but yeah—we’re still very messed up.

"So what do I do? If I bring up Delta, what’ll happen…? Either way, she’s gonna want to stay close because she worries, so maybe I just don’t say anything."

"Won’t she get mad if she finds out later?"

"Sudama gets mad fast, yeah. But calming her down only takes a second. Just call her cute and she’ll melt."

"Oh my! You’re more of a little devil than I thought~!"

That was kind of a messed-up thing to say, but Mio squealed with delight.
Guess I’m not the only messed-up one here.

"Can I tell Sudama about Flux? Even if she finds out you’re a criminal, I doubt she’ll attack you or hand you to the cops. But instead, she’ll probably dote on you like crazy—which, honestly, she does to everyone. Still, it might get annoying. If it does, I’ll just force her back home."

"You can handle it however you like, Inori. No matter how much you hate me, I’ve decided I’ll protect you."

I thought about it for a second.

"Is that a proposal?"

"If it were a proposal, I couldn’t let you hate me, could I? Maybe it’s more like a stalker declaration, ufufu."

"If you stalk me, there’s no way I’d ever escape. Raiden’s got it rough."

"Don’t assume I’m gonna stalk you! I’m the type who wants to be chased, you know?"

"Whoa, that’s unexpected. You fall in love so easily, though."

"Making them turn my way is when the real fun begins♡"

"Nice, keep that energy up."

We chatted idly like that, waiting for Sudama to come home.

"And that’s Flux, aka Mio. He’s a real close friend, we get along super well."

"The fact you’re clicking with a villain is already a disaster! This is all my fault, forgive me Kenji! Ooooh boohoohoo!"

Sudama curled up and burst into tears.
Heh, good thing we waited until after she finished making the nikujaga.
The dish is already here, so no matter what happens, I’m eating it.

Seeing Sudama’s tail droop all the way down, Mio’s brows softened too.

"Aw, made her cry. Kinda hurts when they look like a little kid, you know?"

"Hey Sudama, don’t make my friend cry."

"I’m the one crying here!"

Despite her years, Sudama’s emotions are rich.
She gets angry, cries, and laughs in an instant.
That’s why she always clicked better with children, and whenever a child was born in that rural town, they always became friends with her.
Everyone in that town is Sudama’s childhood friend. That’s the kind of place it was.

That’s the kind of world I want.
A society where mutants don’t have to hide, where they’re accepted naturally.
But Sudama’s goodness goes too far.
Anyone with a normal sense of things would end up liking her.

Not everyone can live as smoothly as Sudama does.

"Sudama. You know not every outsider can fit in with human society, right?"

"Still, I like humans more. I’ve decided to take their side."

"Even though you like me too?"

"Don’t say something so sad. You’re no outsider. You just have more talents than most humans."

I shrugged. Can’t beat the wisdom of age.
Everyone likes Sudama. I’m no exception.

"I like you too, Sudama. ’Cause you’ve got more talents than most humans."

"Flattery won’t work. This is about Inori’s safety, after all."

"If we’re talking safety—"

"Mio."

I cut Mio off from bringing up Delta by calling his name.

"Judge Mio first. If you decide he’s no good, then I’ll admit I had no eye for people."

"…If you’ll go that far, then. I’ll take some time to watch."

Still soft as ever. Just as planned.

"So that makes four, Jin. You heading out?"

No answer. He must’ve hardened his eardrums.
If he trusts Sudama enough to completely block out his hearing on their first meeting, then he’s not leaving.
It’ll get a little cramped, but Sudama’s small. No problem.

…Wait, does Sudama not need to size Jin up too?
Maybe I should keep it secret that he’s a villain. Otherwise, the trouble doubles.