Read Novel Full Vol 19 Chapter 3 Part 4
Vol 19 Chapter 3 Part 4
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ED: LonelyMatter
Part 4
Unaware that Lexia and the others were worrying about him, Yuuya was enjoying dinner with his family.
“Here, Nii-san! Try this, too!”
“Oh, this one’s tastier!”
“Ahaha… I’ll eat both, so you two calm down.”
Youta and Sora, with whom I had already reconciled, were encouraging me to try the New Year’s dishes.
As I smiled wryly at their behavior, Mom spoke up, exasperated.
“What are you talking about? I made both of them, so of course they’re delicious!”
“Now, now. It’s good they get along, isn’t it?”
Dad wore a cheerful smile as he ate the osechi, too.
Faced with this peaceful scene, I felt deeply moved.
This was how Mom and Dad were meant to be.
I could ask Kuuya-san for details, but I imagine that, in places unrelated to family, like their workplace, Dad and Mom behaved perfectly normally.
Otherwise, living a daily life while possessed by a demon would be unbearable.
The demon probably sought to gain greater power by forcing them to display only harsh, ugly attitudes toward their family.
Regardless, I was truly glad they’d returned to being the kind parents they were.
As we continued our peaceful meal, Dad suddenly spoke up.
“Come to think of it, Yuuya, aren’t you coming back to this house anymore?”
“Huh?”
Startled by the unexpected question, I froze as Mom continued.
“Well… I don’t know what Yuuya’s plans are for the future, but wouldn’t it be okay for you to live with us for now?”
“That…”
“Yes! Let’s all live together, Onii-chan!”
Sora nodded as if it were the best idea ever.
“Yeah, Mom and Dad are right. Why don’t you live with us, too?”
My family offered this gently, with pure hearts.
But my answer was already decided.
“Thank you. I’m happy you feel that way. But… I like that house. So, I’m fine.”
It was the house where Night, Kuuya-san, Lexia-san, and the others were waiting for me.
To me, Grandpa’s house had become the place I should return to.
When I answered that, Sora’s expression clouded over.
“I-I guess it’s because we did something terrible to you…”
“Ah, no, it’s not like that! I really love that house. Plus, Grandpa’s house is closer to the school I’m attending now, too.”
“…True, having the house close to school is important.”
Mom seemed convinced by my words and nodded.
Then, I smiled at Sora.
“It’s okay. This place is an important home to me now, too. I’ll come back.”
“Do you promise?”
“Yeah!”
Feeling the importance of home, I enjoyed a peaceful New Year with my family.
＊＊＊
“Haa… Yuuya-kun…”
Oki gazed at the monitor, enraptured.
The monitor showed Yuuya, who had just left his home to visit his family.
Oki’s room was filled with an overwhelming number of Yuuya’s photos, creating an eerie atmosphere.
But Oki seemed completely oblivious to this, utterly immersed in bliss.
“The real Yuuya-kun… It was wonderful. He smelled so good. I should have sniffed him more closely…”
Oki wore a slovenly expression.
Looking at her, it was impossible to believe that she was a strict government official.
She had been like this ever since her first encounter with Yuuya the other day.
Recalling that moment, she pressed her hand to her cheek and wriggled.
“Eek! Did I manage to look beautiful? Anyone would agree that I’m a charming onee-san, right!?”
Oki was getting excited all by herself, not asking anyone in particular.
“Ah…how wonderful… Not only did I get to meet Yuuya-kun, but now I can also legitimately keep in touch with him!”
Although she was a government official, Oki had already been secretly filming Yuuya using illegal methods.
However due to the recent intensifying mutations and the peculiar nature of Yuuya’s home, the government decided to strengthen surveillance. Consequently, she was now permitted regular contact with Yuuya.
Moreover, Yuuya himself had accepted this arrangement, meaning Oki could visit him openly.
Oki couldn’t stop her sloppy grin, but she immediately remembered something and grimaced.
“Hmph… Even though I’m the only one allowed to interact with Yuuya, all these female bureau staff kept butting in. It was a real hassle. Plus, I don’t know who told her, but it seems that Sakaki has also taken an interest in Yuuya-kun after learning of his existence. Honestly, there’s no room for complacency or carelessness.”
Although no one was originally designated as the contact person for Yuuya, Oki had no intention of ceding that position to anyone.
She was thinking about this when she suddenly tilted her head, puzzled by Yuuya’s actions.
“Still, where is he going? I’m sure his twin brother and sister came to visit him a little while ago…”
Yuuya’s family situation had already been investigated, of course.
Therefore, Oki knew about the conflict between Yuuya and his twin sibling and the treatment Yuuya endured at home.
“After the Red Ogre incident, their lives changed drastically, didn’t it? Well, it’s only natural, I suppose. Still, they say they’ve reformed. And judging by the recent visit, it seems safe to assume that Yuuya has reconciled with them.”
Having said that, Oki inferred Yuuya’s destination based on the direction he was heading in.
“I believe his family home was over there, right?”
At that, Oki’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Yuuya-kun’s conflict with his parents wasn’t resolved, was it? Could he be going there to resolve that issue? Or maybe, since he reconciled with his siblings, he’s just riding that wave?”
Truthfully, just as with Youta and Sora, investigations into Yuuya’s parents were underway as well.
That was precisely why Oki couldn’t imagine Yuuya going to his family home.
But…
“Strangely enough, Yuuya-kun’s parents behave perfectly normally outside the home, don’t they?”
The investigation had also revealed that Yuuya’s father, Taisei, displayed an extremely diligent work ethic and kind disposition at his workplace.
Naturally, his mother, Asahi, was the same.
However, for some reason, both parents exhibited impossibly aggressive personalities only towards Yuuya.
“At first, I wondered if Yuuya-kun’s parents were mutated or influenced by entities from our side. In the end, though, I couldn’t observe anything.”
Ultimately, Taisei and Asahi were driven mad by a demon lurking within them. However, neither Oki’s special mutation technology nor the demonic powers of modern onmyōji could detect the demon’s presence, so no one could have known.
“Whatever the case, I just hope nothing happens to Yuuya-kun…”
Later, upon learning that Yuuya had ultimately reconciled with his parents, Oki quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
＊＊＊
The Crow-Masked Man and the Cat-Masked Man, who were both members of a secret underworld society, faced each other in a stone-built chamber.
The Cat-Masked Man, who was still holding a book, then began carving a large magic circle onto the floor.
“Is that the magic circle to summon the shadow from another world?”
“Yes.”
The Cat-Masked Man nodded in response to the Crow-Masked Man’s question, continuing to carve the magic circle.
He then handed the book to the Crow-Masked Man.
“It’s based on the magic circle recorded here.”
“This is…”
The Crow-Masked Man tried to read the book, but it was written in an unknown language. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
“You… could read this?”
“Only part of it. Before I got this book, I defeated a mutation that left behind a pair of glasses that could decipher some of the characters used in it. Using those, I managed to decipher part of this book.”
“I see… But what is this book anyway? Is it a product of mutation itself?”
“No, it’s not. This book originally existed in Japan.”
“!”
Upon hearing this, the man with the crow mask widened his eyes.
“Originally… So you’re saying that people in Japan have had contact with another world for a long time?”
“That’s what it means.”
“Nonsense… I’ve never heard of anything like that. Above all, even if there really were people who had contact with another world, it would be strange for us not to know about it.”
As the Crow-Masked Man said, the secret underworld society was formed by people who had operated in the shadows of Japan since ancient times. They were the descendants of demonic sorcerers who were supposedly extinct or exiled from famous underworld families. They knew almost everything there was to know about the underworld.
“When exactly is this talking about?”
“Upon investigating the date this book was written, surprisingly, it seems to be from several decades ago.”
“What? That recent?’
While several decades ago wasn’t exactly recent, given that the secret underworld society has been operating in the shadows since ancient times, it might as well have been yesterday.
“Regardless, deciphering this book has taught me how to summon the shadows of beings from other worlds. It seems this book also describes other techniques. Unfortunately, we currently lack the means to decipher them.”
“Hmm… If we could use the tools left behind by the mutation to decipher it, our combat strength would become formidable indeed.”
“Indeed. All right, it’s done.”
“Oh.”
The Crow-Masked Man exclaimed as the Cat-Masked man finished carving a magic circle on the floor.
“Impressive… So? What do we do now?”
“Actually, you’re supposed to channel a power called magic into this, but we lack the means to use it. However, we’ve discovered that our ‘irregular power’ can serve as a substitute.”
With that, the Cat-Masked Man touched the magic circle and channelled his ‘irregular power’ into it.
The next instant, the magic circle began to glow eerily.
The glow steadily intensified, and soon three black shadows emerged within it.
The shadows gradually shifted form, ultimately transforming into the silhouette of a being from another world.
“With this…”
The Cat-Masked Man grinned at the three shadows.
──And so, the plans of the secret underworld society finally entered their final stage.
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