The young man rested his hands behind his head, gazing at the ghosts on the ceiling's magnificent chandelier, which swayed back and forth like Gothic decorations..
"Matsuda." Kisaragi Chiyo suddenly spoke up and called out.
I plan to buy this villa from the landlord.
"You actually have money?" Matsuda Jinpei turned his head in surprise, his teal eyes filled with disbelief.
"Wait, I have some savings too," Kisaragi Chiyo defended himself. He had been working steadily since graduation; in addition to writing novels, he also took on demon-slaying commissions through the Mechano Family.
If it were an ordinary villa, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to afford it for another ten or twenty years.." Kisaragi Chiyo poked Matsuda Jinpei's waist in reminder, "Don't forget, this is a haunted villa where two mass murders occurred, it's rumored to be man-eating.
"A super haunted house like this can naturally drive the price down quite a bit." Kisaragi Chiyo felt very satisfied with this.
“If it's not enough, I have some more.” Matsuda Jinpei calculated his account balance; of course, the money from his previous life was impossible to use. His current funds were also from an account that Kisaragi Chiyo had helped him open. Much like Hara, Matsuda would occasionally return to the shrine to take on commissions that could be traced back to the people in the Nameless Shrine.
Although most of the time, the compensation Matsuda Jinpei charges is unrelated to money, there are always a few clean-handed, wealthy individuals who come looking for him, in their case, Matsuda Jinpei is not at all polite.
But it was a fair price, certainly wouldn't disrupt the market for other professionals.
We'll see," Kisaragi Chiyo said, neither accepting nor declining the offer. "I still want to take a look; for now, it is only a plan.
With that said, the topic came to an end.
The two of them remained in a state of idle silence until Hara, who had gone out to forage, returned with some sweet treats.
*
When Kisaragi Chiyo stormed downstairs in a rage, she gave Matsuda Jinpei quite a fright.
"What's wrong?" Matsuda Jinpei cautiously poked his head out from behind the newspaper, seemingly trying to confirm once more that he hadn't done anything to anger Kisaragi Chiyo, who was clearly visibly angry at a glance.
Could it be that she discovered the hardcover Alien Detective Notes he had ruined by scratching? No, that shouldn't be it; he had clearly bought a new one and secretly put it back.
Or was it that he had discovered the Haori he had hidden away?
Matsuda Jinpei thought about it for a moment and felt this was the most likely possibility; after all, that Haori was covered in cat hair that would keep Kisaragi Chiyo troubled all day long, no matter how hard she tried to clean it.
Thinking this, Matsuda Jinpei gave a knowing wink toward Hara, only to see that Hara was also skulking suspiciously behind the kitchen door, attempting to avoid being the first person caught in the crossfire.
"Starting from today," Kisaragi Chiyo brought out that long-forgotten small blackboard again, the rules from last time, written in white on a black background, still remaining on it.
[Do not bite the caretaker at will]
Matsuda Jinpei looked at that line of text, rummaging through scattered memories in his mind; he still remembered how, when he first arrived, he had scoffed at this rule.
After all, he had great control over his own actions; he didn't feel that once he possessed a cat, he would develop the bad habit of biting people indiscriminately like an ignorant kitten.
When it came to this.. Matsuda Jinpei finally understood why this rule had appeared.
Matsuda thought to himself, casting a fleeting glance at the head that had poked out with its furry little face. Upon sensing his gaze, the other party looked back with an innocent expression and blinked.
Kisaragi Chiyo would not fail to notice the small movements of the cat and the dog; he said nothing, merely twitching the corners of his mouth into a smile.
Then he picked up the white pen and added another sentence under that rule.
[Even being close isn't allowed]
All accidents must be eliminated. Kisaragi Chiyo thought calmly, coldly, ruthlessly: 'I absolutely cannot fall into the trap of sweet words so easily again.'
Everyone should be on guard against cat and dog scams!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels. Sending kisses to everyone, one by one, mwah 030
Chapter 88
A piece of Toad Skin, Snow Night Grass.. Lizard Tail, White Mist Flower.
Kisaragi Chiyo stood before the kitchen stove, tossing them into the pot one by one, following the order recorded on the paper.
A dark brown wooden spoon continuously stirred the murky, dark green medicinal soup, which was as turbid as swamp water.
The flames grew larger and larger, as the strangely colored decoction began to bubble and surge, a peculiar, indescribable scent gradually filled the air.
Matsuda Jinpei watched from the side for a long time. Hara Kenji had originally been on the scene as well. Just as he was about to approach Kisaragi Chiyo all fluffy, the young man suddenly pulled out a Toad Skin, successfully making the Dark-purple-eyed Wraith stop in its tracks.
"Chiyo-chan.." Hara Kenji looked hesitantly at Kisaragi Chiyo as she held the Toad Skin, which still clearly showed those eyes that had failed to close even in death, despite being dried.
The young man's expression was very calm, his eyes cast downward, his demeanor indifferent, his movements as fluid and solemn as if he were performing some kind of ritual.
"What's wrong?" Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head. With a hand clad in a black glove, she pinched the toad's foot. With a splash, the toad fell into the scalding pot of boiling water.
"Um.. what is that used for?" Hara Kenji certainly didn't think Kisaragi Chiyo was the type of person who would just boil a pot of toad soup for fun.
So, this must have been prepared for some purpose.
"Oh?" Kisaragi Chiyo froze for a moment after hearing Hara's question. He slowly raised his eyes, as his misty-gray eyes looked over, a smile curled upon his lips.
Did I not tell you?
The young man looked at the Evil Spirit and said with a playful smile, "This was spe-ci-ally prepared to help you recover your memories."
Even though the words "specially prepared" were emphasized with extra weight, Hara Kenji didn't feel that heavy sense of importance at all.
After all, why on earth would you need to use Toad Skin!
This looks extremely ominous!
And Little Jinpei, was that step backward you took in secret for real? Don't tell me that when it comes to me recovering my memories, I'm the only one who won't know?
Hara Kenji watched with trepidation as Kisaragi Chiyo dropped one different ingredient after another into the boiling water.
He felt like a student who had been told on his very first day of transferring that he had to take final exams; he was so restless and uneasy that he wanted nothing more than to hide in the shadows of a corner and completely conceal himself.
Kisaragi.." When Hara saw Kisaragi Chiyo throw something that looked like a cocoon into the pot, he couldn't help but ask again, "What was that thing you just put in there?
"It's a cocoon," Kisaragi Chiyo said in a calm tone, uttering something incredibly terrifying.
To be precise, this isn't an ordinary cocoon, but a cocoon left behind after a type of insect that grows near the light veins undergoes metamorphosis upon reaching adulthood.
"Extremely expensive," the young man emphasized, as if preparing for what he was about to say next.
So, you're going to drink every single drop.
Hara Kenji: "?"
Hara Kenji: "!"
The Evil Spirit, standing more than three steps away, widened its eyes in disbelief, shaking its head rapidly like a rattle as if it had heard the most terrifying news in the world.
"Why?" Hara Kenji protested, but his voice grew smaller and smaller under Kisaragi Chiyo's disapproving gaze.
I don't want to drink soup brewed from insects and Toad Skin..
Matsuda Jinpei looked at the pot of soup bubbling with green foam, feeling truly somewhat reluctant to watch. He asked hesitantly, "Kisaragi.. do you really have to drink this kind of thing?"
Don't worry." The expression on Kisaragi Chiyo's face at this moment appeared somewhat cold: "The Evil Spirit will not die again.
Wait, that's not the core of the problem at all.
Hara Kenji's desire to seek some closeness with Kisaragi Chiyo instantly vanished. He looked fearfully at that pot of so-called devilish poison that he was supposedly required to finish entirely, wishing he could just grab his eighteen tentacles and run away immediately.
"This is the key." Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at Hara Kenji, who was preparing to sneak away, but she did not stop him; after all, Hara would return sooner or later.
You can think of Hara as a cracked vase.
The Dark-purple-eyed Wraith had already slipped away, so Kisaragi Chiyo spoke the next words to Matsuda Jinpei.
And memory is like water. If the bottle has a crack, it naturally cannot hold the water; it will only continue to leak away.
"Then this.." Matsuda Jinpei cast his gaze toward the pot, where the liquid had already boiled down by a third and was beginning to become somewhat thick.
The smell permeating the air grew even stranger.
“This is an adhesive.” Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, staring at the bubbling liquid in the pot, her hand never ceasing its stirring motion.
Its function is to repair the cracks on the original soul.
What about the water?" Matsuda Jinpei asked, somewhat puzzled. "How can the water that has already been lost return to the bottle?
"That's why I need your help, Lord Cat God!" Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head and gave Matsuda Jinpei a smile.
*
Matsuda Jinpei never expected that, under these circumstances, he would see Hara Chihaya once again.
"Oh?" Having just finished his patrol, Hara Chihaya stopped in his tracks and looked toward the bushes nearby.
"What is it?" The colleague traveling with him tilted his head curiously, following Hara Chihaya's gaze.
"Is there something noteworthy over there?" His colleague blinked in confusion. Just as he finished speaking, he saw the dense grass suddenly rustle.
A black cat with beautiful colored eyes emerged from the thick grass.
"It's a kitten!" the colleague's tone was filled with pleasant surprise.
Although it was a black cat, the paws on its four limbs were white, looking as cute as if it were wearing white gloves.
“A cat?” Hara Chihaya lowered her eyes, her azure blue eyes watching the cat that was walking toward her with elegant strides, she crouched down.
Her gaze fell upon the cat's beautiful teal eyes, which easily reminded her of certain things from the past.
Although the cat was approaching her, its attitude remained extremely aloof. Furthermore, for some unknown reason, Hara Chihaya always felt that she could actually see nostalgia and awkwardness within the eyes of a cat.
It was just a cat.
Hara Chihaya laughed and shook her head, lamenting that she had indeed overthought things. Just as she was preparing to stand up, that cat suddenly walked up to her and proactively rested its paw on her arm.
"Chihaya!" a colleague nearby let out a scream, but it was likely because she was afraid of scaring the cat away, so the scream was extremely restrained.
"Quick, pet it," the colleague urged impatiently.
She had originally wanted to reach out and pet the cat, but just as her hand extended, the cat dodged with a twist of its body, as if it had eyes in the back of its head.
Hara Chihaya did not dislike cats; back when she was small, her family also kept a cat, but that cat fell ill later and died very quickly.
Hara Chihaya didn't clearly remember what that cat looked like, only that it was a tiny little ball, but its voice was very loud and it was very clingy.. but it was doing so well, how could it have died?
She couldn't understand it, but she felt just as sad. Meanwhile, her younger brother, who was several years younger than her at the time, cried uncontrollably until he finally managed to stop after crying himself to sleep.
The cat rubbed against her palm, its soft and vibrant body, its teal eyes clear and bright.
Her mood seemed to have improved quite a bit as well.