Among the monsters and evil spirits you have exorcised in the past, there are a few wanted criminals who escaped from Hell.
While they aren't particularly troublesome characters, they still affect my year-end performance review.
The weapon smashed down into the center of the formation from above, letting out a dull thud as the stone altar instantly shattered.
As the formation was shattered, the surrounding winds formed a rapid cyclone, churning everything together.
The wind and sand blinded her eyes. Kisaragi Chiyo struggled to open them, her large Haori fluttering loudly in the whirlwind, while Hozuki stood tall on the other side, completely unaffected.
He raised the spiked club in his hands once more and smashed it down violently. Debris splattered everywhere, only after the stone altar, which served as the formation's core, was completely destroyed did the surrounding illusions rapidly recede like morning mist.
The sound of the wind stopped.
Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head as if sensing something, she saw Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji standing not far away, the deep and shallow marks left on the surrounding ground telling the story of the fierce battle that had taken place here not long ago.
But fortunately, neither of them seemed to be seriously injured, though Hara Kenji's complexion looked somewhat poor.
His hem was torn in several places, the tentacles formed from white mist surged behind him, churning with dissatisfaction and appearing somewhat agitated.
He was still the same old讨厌 sky-type enemy.
When Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head, Matsuda Jinpei naturally saw him as well, but he did not call out the young man's name, there was not even a hint of joy on his face.
He saw the black-haired man standing beside Kisaragi Chiyo, who was wearing a black haori and had a sharp horn growing from the top of his forehead; the man held a spiked club in his hand and looked like someone who would be difficult to deal with.
Matsuda Jinpei pursed his lips, his teal eyes hidden behind sunglasses as he quietly observed the man, a strange sense of familiarity rising from within his heart.
What was even stranger was that, for some reason, an extremely hypnotic, "oga" sound suddenly rang out by his ears, a phantom-like vision seemed to appear before his eyes.
With a half-dead expression and a body swollen like a giant kelp that had been dead in a fish tank for three days, the goldfish—which, despite being called a plant, could emit excruciatingly painful screams—was incessantly wagging its tail before his eyes.
If it weren't for the plant-like rhizomes attached to its belly, Matsuda Jinpei might have thought he was seeing a sight that only appears in Hell.
“Little Jinpei..” Hara Kenji looked at Matsuda Jinpei, then at Kisaragi Chiyo who was walking toward them, finally at the strange non-human male behind her.
“Are you okay?”
"I'm fine." Matsuda Jinpei subconsciously raised his hand to rub his temples. He couldn't understand why he was suddenly experiencing such inexplicable hallucinations, but he couldn't worry about that for the moment.
Matsuda looked up, his gaze slowly settling on Kisaragi Chiyo. Only after repeatedly confirming that the young man was not injured and was not being coerced by this strange non-human did Matsuda Jinpei shift his attention to this stranger.
“And who might this gentleman be?”
"I am Hozuki." The man holding the kanabo spoke, paying no mind to the Evil Spirit watching him with wary eyes, looked directly into Matsuda Jinpei's eyes.
The Hell Assistant Official, also your superior.
Matsuda Jinpei: ".."
Matsuda Jinpei: "?"
"Huh?" Matsuda Jinpei let out a questioning sound, wearing a bewildered expression.
*
There was absolutely no part involving a picnic in Kisaragi Chiyo's original plan, but how should one put it?
How did things develop to this point so naturally?
Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyes, staring blankly at the tea held in her hands, kneeling on the red checkered tablecloth provided by Hozuki's friendship. Her back straightened instinctively, the scent of burning wheat fields could still be smelled in the air.
"Kisaragi.." Something poked his waist from behind, a shadow approached from the side as Hara Kenji's voice and scent quietly drew near.
"What is it?" Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head slightly and looked up.
Perhaps because he wanted to whisper to him, Hara Kenji was leaning very close; just by looking up, he could clearly see the other man's trembling eyelashes.
“..” Hara Kenji's body stiffened. He hadn't expected the movement of the other's profile; as the young man spoke, his warm breath seemed to fall upon his chin and lips.
It was truly a bit too close.
The aura surrounding the young man grew even more intense. Hara Kenji subconsciously swallowed, feeling a thirst rising in his mouth, while the canines on both sides of his jaw began to itch faintly once more.
It seemed to be urging its master to bite something quickly, to suppress the itch that was spreading relentlessly through his entire chest.
Hara Kenji's body jerked backward, creating a safe distance between them.
".. Hara?" Kisaragi Chiyo watched the Evil Spirit's movements, which could almost be described as panicked, for some reason, felt an urge to burst out laughing for a moment.
"Sorry." Hara Kenji quickly lowered his eyelids to hide the blatant lust in his eyes, while the tentacles around him slumped listlessly on the ground, as if they were also feeling disappointed by their master's lack of resolve.
“I don't like that sentence.” Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at Matsuda Jinpei and Hozuki, who were still engaged in a serious conversation, reached out her hand, hooking around the tentacle closest to her.
The tentacle that had received a response quickly became joyful. It writhed its body, cheerfully curling the tip of its tentacle around Kisaragi Chiyo's finger, persistently rubbing itself against Kisaragi Chiyo's palm.
"You haven't done anything wrong, so don't apologize so easily in the future." Kisaragi Chiyo pinched the tentacle with amusement. Compared to the master who was still acting coy, the tentacle's reaction was far more honest.
".. Okay." Hara Kenji looked up, staring at the tentacle held in Kisaragi Chiyo's hand, but his mind flashed back to the image of her warm mouth being filled by his tentacle.
His heart was beating far too violently.
Hara Kenji raised his hand to touch his burning ears and shook his head, trying to shake off those heart-pounding and inappropriate images.
"Matsuda and that Hell Assistant Official.." From the conversation between the two, Hara Kenji had already understood most of the general details of what had happened.
He wasn't currently worried about whether Matsuda and that Lord Hozuki would get along; after all, although both of them had overly serious expressions, the atmosphere between them was quite relaxed.
What Hara Kenji was worried about was Kisaragi Chiyo.
“What is there for me to worry about?” Kisaragi Chiyo looked at him with a smile, her expression calm.
But Hara Kenji felt that within those misty gray eyes, a series of surging waves were silently crashing after hearing that the mysterious man who burned down the shrine and the village was a wanted criminal who had escaped from Hell.
Hara Kenji would have preferred Kisaragi Chiyo to choose to question him, to be angry, or to demand an explanation from Hozuki, rather than to be in this overly calm state.
"Because there is no need to do that." Kisaragi Chiyo seemed to read the unspoken words in Hara Kenji's eyes. The scalding tea had gradually cooled to a temperature that was comfortable to drink.
If Hell could truly manage everything, there wouldn't be so many ghosts and vengeful spirits lingering in the human world.. It must be because they are so short-handed that they were so eager to extend an invitation to me.
Aside from killing my enemies, I have no desire to pursue any other questions.
Kisaragi Chiyo's goal was very clear; the dead could not be brought back to life, so the only thing he could and needed to do was seek revenge.
Since the opponent is a wanted criminal from Hell, it would be perfect to be able to borrow the power of the Hell Assistant Official.
Kisaragi Chiyo lowered her eyelids, she saw her own face reflected in the tea.
*
Hozuki left.
Before leaving, he left a small pot of snapdragons for Matsuda Jinpei to serve as a communication tool.
Although she didn't know the principles behind it, looking at the Mimosa that would let out an "oga" sound with just a single poke, Kisaragi Chiyo felt that it truly lived up to its reputation as something from Hell.
Matsuda Jinpei held the pot of snapdragon, his expression looking quite grim, as if he were recalling some unpleasant memories.
But Kisaragi Chiyo felt that cats and fish went quite well together; if one ignored the strange cries, the goldfish plant still possessed a certain ornamental quality as a potted plant.
“You really need to work on your sense of aesthetics.” Matsuda Jinpei looked at the goldfish plant that kept making those "oga" sounds, a look of extreme restraint appearing on his face.
If he hadn't had such strong self-control, Matsuda would have wanted nothing more than to throw this pot of primrose out the car window.
"Oh, Little Jinpei, this is also coming from Mr. Hozuki's good intentions." Hara Kenji struggled to suppress his laughter, his dark purple eyes already curving into two crescents. However, when Matsuda Jinpei looked over, he had to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward while pretending to focus on driving.
"Hmph." Matsuda Jinpei didn't answer, only letting out a cold snort.
Sitting in the back seat, Kisaragi Chiyo did not join in the playfulness of the cats and dogs; she chose a relatively comfortable position, curled her body up, closed her eyes to rest.
The essence of Route 51 had already been sealed by Hozuki and brought back to Hell; with Hozuki's help, those innocent souls who had died would once again have the chance to attain Buddhahood.
As for the missing Hezi, she had been taken away by Hozuki long ago, perhaps she has now been discovered by the police and is recuperating in a hospital.
Everything seemed to have been handled, to the point where he didn't even need to take much action.
Kisaragi Chiyo rubbed his brow, looking somewhat exhausted; he planned to return the car to the rental agency and then immediately take the train back.
I must have a good sleep, Kisaragi Chiyo thought with squinted eyes.
"Kisaragi, are you okay?" Matsuda Jinpei grabbed Kisaragi Chiyo's arm and pulled her toward him, successfully preventing the fast-walking Kisaragi from colliding with the station pillar.
"I'm fine, I'm just a little sleepy." Kisaragi Chiyo let out a yawn and squinted at Hara Kenji, who was walking on the other side of Matsuda Jinpei, one step behind him, the corners of her mouth drooping slightly.
He still avoided him; although it wasn't very obvious, Kisaragi Chiyo could sense that whenever she and the other man stood too close, Hara Kenji would subtly increase the distance between them.
Eyes darting, gaze shifting, as if he were hiding something.
A puppy's thoughts are truly hard to guess.
Kisaragi Chiyo thought aimlessly, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. In a daze, she followed Matsuda Jinpei's footsteps, walking ahead of the distracted Hara Kenji and boarding the train first.
The noisy crowd chattered incessantly in his ears, as the lights inside the train flickered, Kisaragi Chiyo slowly raised his head and opened his eyes.
"Kisaragi," came Hara Kenji's voice from behind.
Kisaragi Chiyo turned her head and saw the other person's anxious expression.
What happened? Kisaragi Chiyo thought, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Then the train doors slammed shut with a loud bang, cutting off all the noise from outside. The interior of the train became terrifyingly quiet, Matsuda Jinpei, who was standing beside her, suddenly grabbed her hand.
The train started moving. Hara Kenji was saying something outside, but it couldn't be heard at all.
Hidden within the city, the anomalies in the gaps of people's lives always appear and disappear by chance.
Except for those unfortunate enough to encounter them, no one would notice everything that had just occurred so quietly.
The crowds continued to flow in and out of the station, everyone indifferent to one another, simply moving back and forth toward their own destinations.
Hara Kenji stood in the crowd, thinking somewhat slowly: Oh, they ran into danger, I didn't make it in time.
So, was I left behind?
Hara Kenji stood motionless in place, his dark purple eyes gazing at the track. He tried to catch that trace of abnormality that had just appeared, but no matter what he did, he could no longer find even a single hint of it.
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Author's Note: Thank you for the support, my little angels! Mwah!
Chapter 96
What happened..
Kisaragi Chiyo felt his body turn ice-cold and unable to move, his memory still lingering on Hara Kenji's anxious expression. As the train finally departed, he lost consciousness and sank into darkness.