“This look makes me want to devour you even more.” It was an exclamation without a hint of a joke, coming from the bottom of his heart.
A bit dazed from being rubbed, Kisaragi Chiyo struggled to break free from the Evil Spirit's clutches. After hearing the other's outburst, he quickly turned and hid behind Matsuda Jinpei, peeking out with half his face from behind, his eyes watching the Long-haired Wraith who had just made such a violent statement with wary suspicion.
That appearance and expression truly resembled a little chick with downy fluff, hiding under its mother hen's wings, looking at the visiting fox neighbor.
"Do you know now?" Matsuda Jinpei stroked Kisaragi Chiyo's head. The youth's height had already reached his chest; thinking about it carefully, he felt a bit of regret that he wouldn't be able to wear the little bear fleece suit so soon.
But fortunately, he had already secretly taken several photos and stored them away.
Never lower your guard around strangers.
When you cannot be certain whether the other party is friendly or ill-intentioned, protecting yourself is the most important thing.
"And what about you, Lord Cat God?" As soon as the words left her mouth, little Kisaragi Chiyo looked up and asked this question.
Her misty gray eyes looked toward Matsuda, her expression showing little fluctuation; although a childish look would occasionally surface, it was much less frequent than before.
So, was Kisaragi Chiyo's personality at this point already starting to develop in the direction of being a cool-faced cutie?
Matsuda Jinpei was seriously contemplating this question in his mind.
"Even for me, it's the same." Facing Kisaragi Chiyo's question, Matsuda Jinpei answered without the slightest hesitation. Although he, like Yuan An'an, hoped to become a special existence in Kisaragi Chiyo's heart, he felt that for a child, it was too early to delve into such matters.
Matsuda Jinpei noticed that after he said those words, Kisaragi Chiyo's hand, which had been clutching her clothes, loosened slightly.
"But I can feel it." Kisaragi Chiyo raised her right hand as if it were nothing, as she did, her overly long sleeve slid down, revealing her clenched fist.
"Did I ever tell you when I grew up that I'm actually quite sensitive to other people's emotions?" Kisaragi Chiyo opened her hands, revealing a piece of candy wrapped in transparent cellophane resting in her palm.
The color of that candy was somewhat similar to Matsuda Jinpei's eyes.
Look." Kisaragi Chiyo gave a faint smile. "The moment I saw it, I thought of giving it to you.
They are just as beautiful as your eyes, Lord Cat God.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
“Little Jinpei's head is even starting to smoke from embarrassment,” Hara Kenji said in an exaggerated tone.
But even so, it couldn't change the sour expression on his face.
The Evil Spirit lowered its head with a smile, its dark purple eyes staring fixedly at Kisaragi Chiyo.
“And what about me?” he asked softly, his chilling fragrance evoking images of pure white orchids under the moonlight.
“Chiyo-chan is a good child.” The Evil Spirit tilted his head, his tone slow and deliberate, carrying a hint of coaxing.
A good child shouldn't show favoritism, so..
Hara Kenji did not continue speaking; he simply flashed a meaningful smile, like a horror movie boss who would kill anyone for giving the wrong answer.
Kisaragi Chiyo was silent for a moment, then she rolled up her long sleeves, fumbled in her pocket, finally pulled out a piece of candy and placed it in Hara Kenji's palm.
It was a dark red candy, looking as if it were pomegranate or strawberry flavored.
"Do you like it?" Kisaragi Chiyo looked directly into those eyes, which hid dark and obscure emotions deep within, where the dark purple irises were as twisted as clematis growing in the shadows.
Like a puppy.
This thought suddenly popped into Kisaragi Chiyo's head, the next second, she felt something soft brushing against her cheek.
Yuan An'an briefly hugged him, in that fleeting moment, he felt the other person rubbing their head against his.
This behavior made Kisaragi Chiyo see the Evil Spirit before her as nothing more than a large, clingy dog.
"Thank you, Chiyo-chan~" The Evil Spirit, which only a few minutes ago had been emitting a sour aura, was quickly coaxed into a good mood by the child's tricks.
I like it very much.
Hara Kenji grabbed Kisaragi Chiyo's sleeve, cheerfully directing Matsuda Jinpei.
Now, let Little Jinpei drive us to our appointment!
*
Matsuda Jinpei had never actually carried anyone before; at least, he had never had the idea of treating himself as an aerial transport. He had been a bit hesitant at first, but in the end, he couldn't resist the sparkling, admiring look in little Kisaragi Chiyo's eyes when she heard Yuan say that he could fly.
It had to be admitted that Matsuda Jinpei's little, shameful sense of vanity had been greatly satisfied.
Therefore, Matsuda Jinpei took Kisaragi Chiyo along to experience the sensation of high-speed gliding in the air for a little longer.
Little Kisaragi Chiyo was very excited; although she tried hard to maintain her calm, composed expression, her flushed cheeks and eyes betrayed her true emotions at this moment.
"Isn't it amazing?" Yuan An'an winked at Kisaragi Chiyo with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"It's amazing!" Kisaragi Chiyo cooperated enthusiastically, though she nodded with a hint of reserve.
Nozono Shizuka chose a dessert shop as the location. There were very few people at this time of day. By the time Yuan An'an and Matsuda Jinpei arrived with Kisaragi Chiyo, the head of the Mechano Family was already seated in the innermost part of the shop, wearing a dark-colored kimono.
On the table in front of him, several exquisitely presented desserts were already laid out, ranging from cakes to parfaits, from puddings to fruit daifuku, making one wonder if he had ordered every single item on the menu.
"Oh my." Nozono Shizuka's gaze slowly swept across Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji, finally landing on little Kisaragi Chiyo, who stood in the middle being led by the two of them.
"This is truly.." Nozono Shizuka's crimson eyes narrowed, a constant smile hanging on his lips, making it difficult to read his current emotions.
"What a nostalgic sight." Nozono Shizuka reached out his hand and pushed one of the desserts on the table, the Luxury Fruit Mianmian Ice, a little further away.
How about sitting down and having something to eat first?
I think you'll like the flavors of this dessert shop, Oboshima.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Mwah!
Chapter 78
While the three adults were talking, Kisaragi Chiyo sat obediently to the side, using a spoon to take small bites of the Luxury Fruit Mianmian Ice in front of her.
The white milk-flavored Mianmian Ice was topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream, as well as strawberries and mangoes. Bear-shaped butter cookies were arranged in a circle at the bottom of the cup, translucent red jam was drizzled from the top, slowly soaking into the layer of Mianmian Ice below.
It was just like when a volcano erupts, with the lava spreading and flowing down in patterns.
Little Kisaragi Chiyo felt the Mianmian Ice melting rapidly in her mouth; she blinked, casting a curious glance toward the man sitting opposite her.
He had his right eye covered by something, just like her.
White talismans covered more than half of her right face from her forehead down, little Kisaragi Chiyo quietly observed the black incantations on the paper, secretly wondering about their purpose.
Perhaps his gaze wasn't subtle enough; the Red-eyed man, who had been chatting with Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji, suddenly turned his head, his gaze locking onto him with unerring precision.
"Are you curious about my right eye?" Nozono Shizuka said with a smile, reaching out to touch his own right eye, which was covered by a talisman.
Caught red-handed, little Kisaragi Chiyo did not panic. He looked back calmly; after hearing the other's question, he first nodded and then shook his head.
"It's fine." Nozono Shizuka let out a soft laugh; he didn't feel that his right eye was a subject that couldn't be mentioned.
"It's to protect your eyes." Nozono Shizuka used his hand to brush aside the strands of hair falling over the talisman, fully exposing the black-inked incantation before Kisaragi Chiyo.
Little Kisaragi Chiyo bit down on the spoon and identified it carefully; that spell seemed to have a function like sealing.. or hiding one's aura.
Kisaragi Chiyo thought with some uncertainty; he was currently working hard to study talismans with Grandma Oboshima, the knowledge he possessed did not cover every aspect.
"To avoid having my eyes taken by a yokai.. so, these are necessary words." As Nozono Shizuka spoke, a smile remained on his lips, as if being targeted by a yokai were a trivial matter, not worth much concern.
"You can understand this, right, Kisaragi Chiyo?" Nozono Shizuka watched him with a smile, but that smile subconsciously made Kisaragi Chiyo's heart tighten.
The way the other person addressed him had changed. When they first met, he was still called Oboshima. Now, however, the person chose to call him Kisaragi, just like Matsuda and Hara.
Although little Kisaragi Chiyo was not exactly a child of extraordinary intelligence, was even occasionally overly silent and reclusive, he always possessed a sharpness and intuition beyond his years when it came to the things he cared about.
So, will my future self be renamed Kisaragi? Why not Oboshima? Did something happen at the shrine?
Thinking of this, little Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but feel a bit downcast. As soon as she imagined bad things happening in the future, even the delicious Luxury Fruit Mianmian Ice in front of her lost its flavor.
After all, Kisaragi Chiyo was only a child in her early teens right now; no matter how much she tried to control and hide her emotions, it was difficult to escape the eyes of the three adults present.
*
Matsuda Jinpei fell silent for a moment after noticing Kisaragi Chiyo's change in mood. He reached out to pat Kisaragi Chiyo's drooping head, seeing that the child was gradually turning into a dark little mushroom, he cast a silent and stern look of reproach toward Nozono Shizuka.
That look seemed to say, how can an adult like you bully a little child?
"You can't place all the blame on me." Even while being stared at by that gaze, Nozono Shizuka remained completely unfazed; his expression was still so composed and effortless.
"However, since this is your own business, you'd better explain it yourself." Nozono Shizuka stared at the somewhat dazed Kisaragi Chiyo, his gaze full of hidden meaning.
Seeing this scene, Hara Kenji, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown.
His lips were tightly pressed together, because he was quite unhappy, that handsome, pale face looked somewhat eerie when expressionless.
How annoying.
That is truly annoying.
The Evil Spirit thought irritably that if he were in his dog form right now, that powerful long tail behind him would have been thumping against the seat long ago.
Is that guy showing off?
The Evil Spirit speculated sourly, his gaze turning toward Kisaragi Chiyo. Upon discovering that Kisaragi Chiyo was listening to the other party with full concentration, the sourness in his heart began to bubble up like a witch's cauldron.
He's definitely showing off, isn't he?" the Evil Spirit thought to himself. He was certain that the casual way the man displayed his familiarity with Kisaragi Chiyo was a sign of an intimacy that required no explanation, a tacit understanding that could be understood in an instant. It was coupled with an attitude that, from beginning to end, suggested: "There's no use telling you all; I've already understood, that's enough.
Yuan An'an gritted her teeth secretly, feeling somewhat angry yet also somewhat powerless, because she truly did not understand Kisaragi Chiyo's past. Therefore, she naturally could not understand the ambiguous words coming from Nozono Shizuka's mouth.
But the only thing that could be certain was that the answer to all these questions was related to the former surname, Oboshima.
Hara Kenji's mind began to race. Although he knew very little, based on the available information and the attitudes of Kisaragi Chiyo and the Mechano Family, he was still able to make some inferences.
That must be a past filled with scars.
Just as Yuan An'an was thinking this, Nozono Shizuka leisurely picked up his coffee and took a sip. He glanced at the time on the wall, cleared his throat, finally brought up the main topic of this meeting.
I have a theory regarding the reason for Kisaragi's current situation.
Nozono Shizuka's tone was unhurried. He looked toward the demon and the evil spirit sitting opposite him and asked softly, "Do you know about Tsukiyoushoku?"
“..”
Complete silence fell, a very consistent expression of confusion appeared on the faces of the two stunning non-humans.
That expression seemed to say: What on earth is that?