Miura.
Sota felt like he’d heard that name somewhere before.
Right. That child who died. The name of the child sacrificed to the demon was ‘Miura Mako’.
It’s not like there weren’t a couple of people with the surname Miura in Japan, but since Yuka told Fukuda that “You should know her,” it’s likely that that person with that name is…
“…Mako’s father.”
Fukuda mumbled with a blank expression.
He must have been struggling to organize his thoughts after learning too much in one day.
“Then Mako also—”
“No, she probably didn’t know… It’s not something anyone could just know in the first place.”
Yuka glanced at the doctor and the nurses, seeming to still be interested in the situation here, but thankfully, it appeared they weren’t able to grasp what the discussion was about yet.
“…For now, let’s follow the police when they arrive. I’ll manage the situation.”
At Yuka’s words, Fukuda could no longer say anything.
His gaze, which had been wavering, drooped downwards, making him look a bit pitiable.
*
The police arrived quickly.
After seeing Kurosawa’s mother and the chain around her neck, the police wore serious expressions and took us to the police station.
Thankfully, Sota and the other kids didn’t seem to be suspected in any way. The doctor seemed to have explained that they had brought the woman here.
If Sota and his group had done anything wrong, they probably wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of bringing the victim to the hospital.
And—
“Yuka.”
The person who arrived at the police station was not someone named ‘Miura.’
It was Yuka’s grandfather and father, whom Sota also knew.
“Ah, hello.”
Nanami said hello politely, albeit a bit awkwardly.
And Fukuda also lowered his waist slightly in an awkward manner.
It must have been the first time Fukuda met the two, but since it wasn’t exactly a time for ghosts to be around, the two usually wore gentle expressions, so there wouldn’t be any big problems.
And—
“……”
The gazes of the two men fell on Mr. Kurosawa.
Mr. Kurosawa didn’t lift his head. Rather than consciously avoiding eye contact, he seemed to be in a daze, unable to act properly.
“Wait here. I’ll talk to them and come back.”
Without reprimanding Yuka, the grandfather simply said that.
About ten minutes passed while Sota and the others waited.
The person who came out of the police station after talking with a somewhat high-ranking officer looked at Sota and his group and said:
“Let’s go… We need to stop by our house for a moment, is that okay?”
“Uhm…”
Sota hesitated a bit.
Shii must be waiting at home.
Of course, nothing would happen. The place where Sota and Shii moved through was not particularly dangerous; in fact, it was rather famous for being a pleasant neighborhood.
But still, it felt a bit wrong to leave Shii alone at home.
Thinking of it suddenly, he pulled out his phone, but—
“…Ah.”
The phone was already smashed. It must have been unable to withstand the impact when it fell earlier.
“Excuse me, but Shii—”
“If it’s Shii, I can bring her.”
Yuka said.
“Sota, you wait there. Today…”
“Wait, hold on.”
Fukuda interrupted Yuka’s words.
“What do you mean by ‘today’? Are you suggesting we sleep over at your house right now?”
“Exactly.”
Yuka said firmly.
Fukuda’s eyebrows shot up, seemingly displeased by that tone.
“Why—”
“Today, we saw something.”
Yuka stated.
At those words, Fukuda closed his mouth.
It was not a memory one could forget. Once you experience it, that thought sticks somewhere in your mind, and even when you don’t want to recall it, it keeps resurfacing.
You can’t erase a memory. But you can overcome it. Sota believed he could do that.
It wasn’t something achieved solely by his own strength, though.
“……”
“Right. I’m sure your father is worried at home. Make sure to contact him. He’ll probably understand.”
“…How would I do that?”
This time, Yuka’s grandfather was silent for a while.
“Well, it’s a bit strange to bring this up in such a situation.”
The grandfather said with a slight smile.
“Have you ever believed in fate?”
*
“Even if it’s not in the shrine.”
Yuka calmly explained to Sota.
“If you’re nearby, it usually has some effect. Plus, considering the location, this house is quite close to the center of the shrine, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.”
“Uh… okay.”
As Sota observed Yuka laying the blanket on the floor, he nodded awkwardly.
Of course, Yuka didn’t mean to sleep alone with him on top of that blanket.
There were a few rooms, but it was impossible for everyone to have a room of their own, so Sota decided to sleep in the living room with Shii.
Among the kids here, being the only male, he thought it was inevitable.
Yuka’s grandfather and father didn’t seem to be planning to sleep, nor did Yuka.
“I can help too.”
“With that arm?”
At Sota’s words, Yuka sharply retorted and rubbed her eyes, letting out a small sigh.
“…Sorry. I guess I’ve become a bit sensitive. It’s just… the situation.”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I understand.”
By the way, Shii was currently taking a shower.
Mr. Kurosawa and Fukuda were sitting with Yuka’s grandfather and father in the kitchen, talking about something. Most of the explanations came from Yuka’s grandfather and father, while Fukuda responded blankly or reacted incredulously.
Mr. Kurosawa seemed very uncomfortable about being in this house, perhaps thinking it was strange.
“…Uh, there’s someone named Miura.”
“No, I can’t ask that guy for a favor.”
Yuka let out another long sigh and plopped down onto the living room sofa. Sota sat next to her.
“That person is a high-ranking official, but in a situation like this, they can’t think so calmly.”
“Ah.”
Sota could only imagine the heart of a father who lost a daughter. And trying to judge that heart accurately, even if he imagined it, was impossible. It was a painful story.
“And, Mr. Kurosawa is probably connected to that death. The fact that he could tell me the address right away is probably related to that. For whatever reason, he must have been watching it.”
“Wait, then…?”
“Yeah. He probably also knew about the monster over there.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he doesn’t care. He just wants to unleash his anger on the creature that turned his daughter that way. It’s revenge, one might say. In some sense, I ended up being the bait to see how the opponent would react.”
“Revenge? But that monster was you—”
“Yeah. I took it down.”
“Then can we say that’s Mr. Kurosawa’s fault?”
Yuka thought for a moment.
She seemed to be pondering whether or not it was okay to tell Sota this story directly.
If it were the usual Sota, he would’ve said it was fine not to speak of it. He didn’t want to trouble Yuka with what he already understood.
But this time, the story was different.
Sota felt his heart race.
It wasn’t the pleasant sound of a heartbeat. It was the feeling he got when faced with danger, when afraid of something. It was that kind of emotion.
Sota was afraid.
He didn’t want Yuka to be hurt. But he understood it. If fighting was her job, then countless people would have died if it weren’t for her.
One could say it was akin to being a special firefighter.
But understanding it didn’t mean he would wish for it.
Above all, he didn’t want Yuka to be caught in someone else’s fight and become a victim.
Of course, just because Sota knew the truth didn’t mean victory was guaranteed, but still, he wanted to comprehend the situation.
“Each Yōkai usually has no connection. They’re not beings that can unite like people to form a force. Most of them are selfish and only think of their own desires.”
Yuka looked at Sota.
Her expression was neutral, but he was certain Yuka was doing that to hide her feelings.
So, that neutral expression seemed a bit sad.
“But, like I said, there’s something like the Hyakki Yagyō.”
“…But that’s just—”
“Right. We’ve already encountered it once. However, in reality, no one has seen the Hyakki Yagyō in this world. It happened so long ago that everyone from that era has died. So… what if it was thought to be a typhoon just because an overwhelming downpour was seen, but it actually wasn’t a typhoon?”
“…”
“What if, after thinking the storm had passed, they restored everything to normal, relaxing and playing outside, only for a real typhoon to come crashing in? A typhoon so powerful that it could sweep away everything, including homes and livelihoods.”
“That would be…”
“Exactly. Something like the Hyakki Yagyō could never happen twice. That’s what we believed, which is why we relaxed our guard.”
Yuka looked Sota straight in the eye.
“But what if it wasn’t the Hyakki Yagyō, but just some sort of premonition?”
Sota could not reply at all.
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