Yuka was keeping a secret from her grandfather and father about meeting Kurosawa frequently.
At first, she would talk and seek advice about various things, but since a little before vacation, she had completely stopped mentioning it.
No matter how many times she brought it up, her grandfather and father’s response was always the same.
“Keep your distance, don’t get too close.”
Still, it was a relief that they didn’t ask her to be friends with her classmates. After all, they weren’t the type to force such things. They completely respected Yuka’s judgment when it came to fighting.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be possible to ask for permission to continue being friends?
She briefly entertained that thought, but she felt it might be better to stay quiet.
She wasn’t quite sure of the reason.
In Yuka’s eyes, Kurosawa Koto Ne was definitely a person. That day, she felt an eerie sensation while Kurosawa was using some abilities—still, she didn’t think she was a Yōkai.
There aren’t any gentle Yōkai. Legendary Yōkai that had close ties with certain people were even worshipped as gods.
However, Yuka had never encountered such Yōkai in modern society.
There was also a question about the Kurosawa family.
Even if there were many bad people from that family, was it really necessary to think of the entire clan that way?
Today, she had nothing much to do, which seemed to trigger those idle thoughts even more. Just staring at the ceiling doing nothing in the middle of the day felt a bit too carefree.
“…Should I go out for a bit?”
Saying that, Yuka got up from her seat.
Being the diligent person she was, Yuka naturally washed up in the morning before heading out. When she returned home in the evening, she would also wash herself and have dinner. Since she had already washed properly in the morning today, she didn’t need to wash again at this hour.
Checking if her hair got messy from lying down by turning her head in front of the mirror, Yuka went outside.
There was no need to greet anyone when leaving, but she still lightly bowed her head in front of her mom’s altar.
“Um.”
While slowly walking to the station after leaving her house, she pondered where to go.
The first place that came to her mind was of course Sasaki’s house. Not that there was any particular reason… of course.
There was no reason to go to school, and Yuka didn’t have any particular hobbies either.
“What am I even thinking?”
Yuka muttered to herself absentmindedly.
After all, just dropping by a boy’s house during vacation…
If the house was nearby, she might have considered it, but that just felt too much. She didn’t want to create any awkward misunderstandings.
…No, did she want to? Yuka thought.
“If I go to the city center, I could go anywhere.”
Even without this vacation, it was always said that during vacation, she could end up anywhere. Actually, this vacation was supposed to be busier than usual.
“Seriously, I have no hobbies.”
Yuka muttered again.
It might be because she ended up having things to do during vacation that a day of doing nothing felt so boring. Last year was busier than this, so perhaps this year felt like even more of a lull.
While headed toward the station, Yuka decided to swing by the school.
*
And the person she met there was an unexpected existence.
“…Fukuda.”
“Yuuki.”
In a park where Tokyo’s scenery spread widely, Yuka bumped into Fukuda.
Yuka was the one who spotted him first.
Fukuda was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and pants that fit the summer season very well. Due to his usual image, his outfit seemed a bit out of place, looking a little too light.
Maybe before he became a friend, he had a much lighter personality?
“What brings you here?”
Fukuda said nonchalantly, not really surprised, to which Yuka shrugged her shoulders.
Fukuda’s attitude felt a bit awkward.
That was only natural since they weren’t close enough to warmly greet each other even if they ran into each other often.
However, meeting like this felt somewhat pleasant.
As Yuka approached Fukuda, she said, “Just. I had nothing to do, so I came out for a bit.”
“You came all the way here alone?”
“You came here alone too.”
“I can walk here from my house.”
Was that so? Yuka hadn’t heard about that from Fukuda before.
“I thought since it’s summer vacation, I might as well enjoy some sightseeing. It’s not like I’ve had the chance to spend time leisurely here.”
Fukuda didn’t try to chase Yuka away from his side.
Even though the sun was hot, there were many people outside. Most likely, they were out to enjoy their summer vacation. There were quite a lot of people who simply came out to see the sea without needing to go far.
The two of them stood there for a while without speaking.
The first to break the silence was Yuka.
“Want to go somewhere cool for a bit? Isn’t it hot just standing here?”
“You seem like you can endure this kind of thing.”
“Still, the heat isn’t good.”
“Then there’s no reason for coming all the way here, is there?”
Yet, even saying that, Fukuda turned his body at Yuka’s suggestion.
How long had they been standing there?
She hadn’t seen his expression properly when she first spotted him. However, there was some kind of atmosphere about his back that made it seem like he was deep in thought.
It wouldn’t do to pry into the reason with Fukuda. They weren’t that close after all. It’s not that they had a bad relationship, but it meant they weren’t close at all.
Should she say they knew almost nothing about each other? Judging from the few random remarks Fukuda made while sulking, some of his past was a little visible.
…Could he be involved with Sasaki?
He seemed like a guy who would start a conversation when there was a troublesome girl around. Plus, since he’s not bad looking, there’s no way he would be without girls around him.
It’s surprising that he didn’t have a girlfriend until high school.
Fukuda and Yuka headed to a nearby cafe. Just as there had been many people outside, there were also many people inside the cafe. Some came in to escape the heat, while others got out to enjoy it.
It was lucky that they found a spot where two seats were connected. However, they only realized after sitting down why that spot was vacant. The sunlight was streaming directly in through the large glass windows, making the seats and table warm.
After ordering coffee for each of them, they sipped quietly for a moment.
The one to speak first this time was Fukuda.
“You seem to know something about Kurosawa.”
He really did remember what he saw back then.
Yuka hoped no one else had noticed the gangsters surrounding them either.
“Do you know what happened back then?”
“…”
What to do?
Normally, she would have decided that she couldn’t tell him.
There were too many people around. If they chatted quietly, perhaps no one would hear, but anything was possible.
Moreover, this person was just an ordinary person who didn’t know anything about Yōkai or that kind of thing.
It was a secret, but once revealed, he probably wouldn’t believe her. The more worldly someone was and the less they believed in superstitions, Yuka would be treated like a fool.
But, at the same time, he had lost a friend to that being.
What was her name? Mako, was it? Yes, it seemed to have been Miura Mako. Yuka still remembered the victim list from that murder incident.
Even if decades passed, she might have forgotten, but it hasn’t even been a year.
Moreover, Miura Mako’s father had a rather peculiar position, so she was tied up in various ways.
Plus, the witness was Kurosawa Koto Ne.
After briefly organizing her thoughts in her mind, Yuka let out a soft breath and said, “It’s kind of like psychic powers.”
Starting lightly like this, she watched for Fukuda’s reaction.
As expected, Fukuda had a look of disbelief.
“Psychic powers?”
“You saw her move the hair, right? I managed to cut in while she was at it as well.”
Her wound had healed. It was cut so cleanly that it didn’t even leave a scar.
“Why do you think that guy’s hand was split?”
“Still—”
Fukuda, who had been about to say something, paused.
Then, after a brief silence, he lifted his coffee cup and took a gulp.
“Is that so.”
“Do you understand?”
“You said so. Besides, I was right there, and I saw her like you described. Hair shooting up in a place with no wind. I thought about static electricity, but that doesn’t seem right.”
Tokyo’s summer was notoriously humid.
“Psychic powers, huh, so it’s psychic powers…”
What could he possibly be thinking?
The cat was already out of the bag. Yuka herself didn’t quite know why her heart was racing.
Was it because she felt guilty about keeping it secret from Fukuda?
It was only now that the real story had begun, and Fukuda seemed to have no intention of stopping it anytime soon.
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