Her outfit was ordinary, not much different from those of high school girls, aside from the way her bangs covered her right eye—giving her a slightly gloomy, chuunibyou-esque vibe—there was nothing special about her appearance.
Was she overthinking it?
Oboro Asagiri raised her hand and rubbed her brow wearily. She thought that perhaps it was because she hadn't yet grown accustomed to her new environment? Or perhaps it was because her nerves had been a bit sensitive lately; that feeling of being watched by something in the shadows made it so she couldn't even sleep soundly at night.
It was precisely because of this that her temper and way of doing things had become a bit more aggressive; she would intentionally use little tricks to scare off those who tried to pick a fight with her, whereas in the past, she would have simply chosen to ignore them.
But this was fine; at least she had some peace and quiet.
Oboro Asagiri decided not to think too much about it and would go home after taking out the trash.
*
The trash disposal area was a bit far from the teaching building, with the trash cans clustered under a metal shed near the playground. After Oboro Asagiri carried a large bag of trash, tossed it into the bin, returned to the teaching building, the rain that had been brewing all day finally arrived in earnest.
The sound of the rain was like glass beads being scattered from a great height, crisp and rapid.
Oboro Asagiri hated the rain, but she couldn't quite remember why she hated it.
She stood in the corridor under the entrance of the teaching building, clutching her schoolbag, watching the rain that wouldn't stop anytime soon, wondering whether to dash straight home through the rain, or..
"Do you need help?" a voice laced with a hint of a smile came from behind. Oboro Asagiri instinctively turned around, only to find herself staring into a pair of dark purple eyes.
He was a tall, strange man with slightly pale skin. His long black hair was tied in a low ponytail with a dark red ribbon, he wore a dark trench coat. His expression was gentle, yet there was a sharp edge to the lines of his eyes.
By Oboshima's standards, this was undoubtedly the face of a beautiful man.
But when exactly had the other person appeared behind her?
"Who are you?" Oboro Asagiri looked at the other person warily. A student? A teacher? Neither seemed possible.
If it were a student, it clearly wouldn't match the age. If it were a teacher, this outfit wouldn't be considered proper.
“Hmm.. a kind passerby?” He smiled at her with squinted eyes, the downward tilt of his eyes adding a touch of innocence to his expression.
Oboshima's brows furrowed slightly. Logically, she shouldn't have paid any attention to this strange man who had suddenly appeared, but when she saw his eyes, which were curved like crescent moons, she couldn't help but ask one more question.
“I mean your name.”
"My name?" The strange, handsome man seemed unexpectedly happy for some reason, the smile on his face grew even more radiant.
"Hara Kenji." The other man reached out his hand, his dark purple eyes scanning her up and down before finally settling on her face.
"What a truly cute outfit.." The voice was somewhat low, getting quieter and quieter, until Oboshima couldn't hear the rest of his words clearly.
What on earth was this strange man talking about? Could he be some pervert with an interest in minors?
Oboro Asagiri suddenly felt relieved that she hadn't said her name out loud.
"You.." The man, who called himself Hara Kenji, looked at her, a hesitant expression crossing his face.
“What is your name right now?”
"I refuse." Oboro Asagiri ignored the hand being extended toward her and took several steps back.
"Eh?" Hara Kenji blinked, a look of surprise appearing on his face, likely because he hadn't expected such an answer.
"I'm not telling my name to someone like you." After saying that, Oboshima took advantage of the other person's dazed state and turned to run.
"Wait!" Hara Kenji wanted to chase after her, but just as he took a step, he suddenly realized the implication of her words.
"I think I've been mistaken for a pervert.." Hara Kenji stood in place, watching Oboro Asagiri's retreating figure fleeing through the rain, couldn't help but press his forehead, letting out a helpless smile.
Fine, fine, at least he has found Kisaragi Chiyo now, her condition seems to be quite good.
The next thing to consider was how he could gain her trust, thereby making Kisaragi Chiyo remember everything and break free from this identity, subsequently find a way to wake up from this Dreamscape.
That's right, Hara Kenji is currently inside Kisaragi Chiyo's Dreamscape. To be more precise, they are currently inside the Dreamscape that the Curse Dwarf created for Kisaragi Chiyo.
..
Hara Kenji tilted his head back, gazing at the rain that fell incessantly from the sky, thought of how he had gone to call Kisaragi Chiyo to wake up this morning, only to suddenly discover that she was in a deep, unresponsive slumber.
The young man lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, lost in a deep sleep within a dreamscape, his breathing even and his expression peaceful. There was nothing unusual about his outward appearance, yet no matter what methods Hara and Matsuda employed, they were unable to wake Kisaragi Chiyo.
It wasn't until later that Matsuda Jinpei found that Curse Dwarf under Kisaragi Chiyo's pillow.
The name written on the back of the Curse Dwarf had become increasingly dark, gradually expanding into a dark red stain that exuded an ominous aura.
After tearing through the facade of tranquility, this Curse Dwarf, sent to Kisaragi Chiyo with malice, finally revealed its evil side.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for your support, little angels. Mwah! 030
Chapter 116
By the time Oboro Asagiri ran to the bottom of the apartment building through the rain, she was soaked to the bone, though the schoolbag she held tightly against her chest had narrowly escaped the same fate.
Taking out her keys and standing at the entrance of the apartment building, Oboro Asagiri lived on the sixth floor, in the second apartment to the right after stepping out of the elevator.
The keys made a crisp sound in her hand, a pink peach pendant swayed beneath them.
Oboro Asagiri inserted the key into the keyhole, but just as she was about to turn it to unlock it, her movements suddenly came to a halt.
A strong sense of strangeness surged from the bottom of her heart. Oboro pursed her lips and suddenly whipped her head around to look behind her; a blurry black figure flashed past within the closing elevator doors.
Oboro Asagiri's gaze fell upon the floor indicator above the elevator.
Thirteenth floor.
Since they were a resident of the thirteenth floor, why did they stop on the sixth? Did they accidentally press the button?
Oboro Asagiri narrowed her eyes. She stood in place and thought for a few seconds, wondering why she suddenly thought of that man with dark purple eyes she had encountered just a short while ago below the teaching building.
Even though he had a completely unfamiliar face, the moment she saw him, an uncontrollable sense of familiar relief welled up in her heart.
Has she gone mad?
Oboro Asagiri gave a self-deprecating laugh, opened the door a crack, slipped inside.
There was no one home.
Oboro Asagiri stood in the entryway, looking around at everything in the dim light. She fumbled somewhat unskillfully for the living room light switch, bumping into things, even spent three minutes digging through a pile of shoes to find her own.
Is this not her home?
That strange sense of doubt surfaced in Oboro Asagiri's mind once again. Why did all of this feel so unfamiliar to her? And the photos placed on top of the entryway storage cabinet—why? Why did her parents' faces leave absolutely no impression in her memory?
Is this truly her home? Her parents? She..
Oboro Asagiri stood where she was, clutching her head as a sudden, violent pain shot through her brain, leaving her without the mental clarity or strength to think about anything else.
Perhaps what I should do right now is go take a hot bath.
Oboro Asagiri's face turned pale from the pain; if she hadn't braced herself against the wall in time, she would have collapsed straight to the ground.
She propped herself up and set her schoolbag aside. Her school uniform was cold and heavy from being soaked by the rain; if she didn't change out of it soon, she might catch a cold tomorrow.
Oboro Asagiri spent a few seconds finding her bedroom among the three bedrooms; it was a room that completely failed to meet her aesthetic tastes, filled with many cute and pink girly elements.
Oboro Asagiri paused at the bedroom door for a moment, her expression somewhat dazed, as if she were questioning why she had ever liked such things in the past.
And.. Oboro Asagiri's gaze fell upon the electric guitar placed by the bedside in the bedroom. She.. could she play the electric guitar?
Oboro Asagiri stopped thinking about it and walked into the bedroom, taking a set of clean, unopened pajamas out of the wardrobe.
A pure white pajama set with rabbit ears attached to the hood; it was the simplest one she could find.
Did I really like Hello Kitty and Piano that much before?
Oboro Asagiri couldn't quite remember; she had even forgotten her own parents' names.
If this world were assumed to be a novel, then the author might have only written two or three simple lines of character setting for her.
Some transfer student from out of town.. who seems able to see strange things, is isolated by classmates because of their gloomy and unsociable personality.. but eventually meets the only little angel of sunshine willing to accept them, leading to a healing youth campus story of gradually opening one's heart.
And then, it would be even more perfect if they formed a band together.
But is it really that simple?
Oboshima thought of that vague sensation of being watched that she had felt over the past few days, a wave of annoyance washed over her once again.
*
The incandescent light from the ceiling of the bathroom cast down upon her skin, which looked pale after being caught in the rain. Oboro Asagiri stared at her reflection in the mirror; she looked almost no different from a Ghost Vigilante.
Looking at her expressionless face in the mirror, Oboro Asagiri curled her lips slightly. She raised her hand to brush aside the hair covering her right eye, revealing an eye with a dark red iris.
Oboro Asagiri sighed softly and blinked, her long eyelashes casting small shadows beneath her eyelids. When Oboro Asagiri looked up at the mirror again, she was shocked to find that the reflection had changed.
What are you doing here?!
Oboro Asagiri's voice rose slightly, her slender, willow-leaf eyes instantly widened upon seeing the person in the mirror, much like a fox in a state of high alert.
"Uh.. actually, I can explain." After seeing the surroundings clearly, the reflection in the mirror, Hara Kenji, showed a hint of embarrassment on his face. Following that, a faint blush appeared on his handsome face.
"Just why are you blushing?" Oboro Asagiri interrogated through gritted teeth, her current feeling was not one of fear, but rather a sense of embarrassment.
It was quite strange, quite strange; shouldn't a normal person be afraid when facing a supernatural event like this?
"I'm sorry." The man in the mirror lowered his eyes and clasped his hands together, looking at Oboro Asagiri pitifully, like a little puppy that had done something wrong and was begging its master for forgiveness with its ears drooping.
"I just wanted to find you quickly, so I chose the mirror closest to you." The man's voice sounded very pleasant, his tone deliberately softened into a coaxing manner that Oboro Asagiri found impossible to resist.
Oboro Asagiri: ".."
"Are you a fox demon? Or some other kind of spirit?" Oboro Asagiri asked.
From her understanding, yokai transformed from foxes were typically much more beautiful than ordinary people. Furthermore, they possessed the ability to see through people's hearts, the men and women they transformed into were always the forms most beloved in the hearts of humans.
So
"It's not a fox demon." The voice from the mirror interrupted her thoughts.
Hara Kenji narrowed his eyes, gently pressing his face against the mirror's surface so that Oboshima could more clearly see his dark purple eyes, which were filled with deep affection.
"It's an Evil Spirit." The handsome Evil Spirit smiled, his thin lips parting to reveal sharp canines on both sides and a crimson tongue.
Just like a Glamour Ghost.
Oboro Asagiri felt so uncomfortable under his gaze that she took a step back.
“I'm going to take a shower.” Oboro Asagiri looked the Evil Spirit straight in the eyes and issued an eviction notice, "Please leave this place."