We discovered this while tracking []'s scent." Otherwise, Hozuki wouldn't have known about a person like Miki.
They should already know your true identity, the reason he chose the people you know..
"Provocation? It couldn't possibly be a coincidence, could it?" Kisaragi Chiyo sneered.
His fingertips, which were gripping the candle, turned slightly white. "I think it won't be long before he knows I am in Hokkaido, naturally, he will also guess my purpose for coming here."
He will definitely come chasing after me.
After all, so much has been prepared; if the protagonist doesn't make an appearance, how can this play continue?
That evil spirit on your side.." Hozuki abruptly brought up another topic, "Is there really no need to have him leave first?
Hozuki was naturally at ease regarding Matsuda Jinpei. However, when it came to Hara Kenji, the subordinate who had just transitioned from an intern to a full-time employee, Hozuki found himself feeling a rare sense of headache.
Especially in cases of mutual consent, as long as it didn't interfere with work, he could turn a blind eye.
After all, his speed in handling official business was even faster than some of his seniors in the same department.
Please rest assured," Kisaragi Chiyo promised repeatedly. "He will not cause any impact on the plan.
Hozuki had previously suggested that, to ensure the plan's safe execution, it would be best to exclude the unstable factor in advance.
And that unstable factor referred to Hara Kenji.
"Suit yourself." Hozuki didn't expect Kisaragi Chiyo to listen to his advice; he was simply offering a kind reminder, while also giving his employee a bit of a warning not to let romance interfere with her work.
"He is different from Matsuda Jinpei." After all, being ghosts who had transformed into evil spirits due to intense obsessions after death, they were more like a hybrid of humans and beasts compared to normal ghosts.
Even if they act as close to human as possible, their paranoid nature will still drive them to do some unpleasant things at times.
No matter how docile and harmless he may act, he can still rip your throat out in a single bite.
I know." Kisaragi Chiyo flashed a smile. "That's exactly what I like about him.
Hozuki: ".."
Forget it, I can't reason with people in love like them.
Hozuki gave a cold sneer and took the initiative to blow out the candle. As the figure in the mirror vanished, the once silent environment gradually became lively.
*
Before Kisaragi Chiyo could even push open the door, she heard the noisy voices of Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji outside.
The Bernese Mountain Dog, with its soft and lustrous fur, was wagging its tail rapidly. Its head poked under the bed, extending a joyful invitation to Matsuda Jinmi hiding beneath: "Little Jinpei, come out and play with me quickly."
"Get out." A cold response came from under the bed.
"Don't be so heartless." The Bernese Mountain Dog refused to give up; he nudged the Black cat with his nose as it lay under the bed with its butt facing him, his moist breath falling directly onto the kitty's ears.
Then, in the next second, the Bernese Mountain Dog was given a flurry of thumping cat punches by Matsuda Jinmi.
"Chiyo-chan.." Having been beaten, the Bernese Mountain Dog ran toward Kisaragi Chiyo with its tail wagging low, burying its head in the young man's arms. If its body hadn't already grown to the size of an adult Bernese Mountain Dog, it might have tried to squeeze its entire self into the young man's embrace.
But unfortunately, he had already passed his peak period of cuteness.
“What have you done now?” Kisaragi Chiyo guessed in a fraction of a second who had taken the initiative first. He rubbed the puppy's ears, under his superb massage technique, the Bernese Mountain Dog let out a gooey whimper.
"I just wanted Little Jinpei to play with that with me," the puppy said, staring at Kisaragi Chiyo with its round purple eyes and an innocent expression.
The young man followed the direction of the puppy's raised, furry paw toward the corner of the room. There sat a sound-making button board, which had been tucked into the suitcase and brought along at some unknown time.
Has it already reached the point where even bringing only a sleeping Abébé isn't enough?
Kisaragi Chiyo felt it was necessary to establish a rule later that when one cat and one dog go on a trip, they can only each bring one item.
This seems to be..
Kisaragi Chiyo fell silent for a second; he remembered that he had bought that button board by mistake. It was originally intended for training dogs, but after he bought it and read the manual, he discovered it wasn't for puppies at all, but for children who were just learning to speak.
Most of the words inside the buttons were terms of address, like Mommy and Daddy, or Grandpa and Grandma.
"How is Matsuda Jinpei supposed to play like this?" Kisaragi Chiyo lightly tapped the head of the unreasonable puppy.
"I'll ask about the character relationships, then Little Jinpei can just answer by pressing the buttons." The Bernese Mountain Dog wagged its tail and spoke in a lighthearted tone, showing absolutely no interest in such a childish little game. After being rejected by Matsuda Jinpei, the puppy bit Kisaragi Chiyo's hem and demanded that the young man come and play with him.
But Kisaragi Chiyo felt that the question couldn't be that simple; otherwise, Matsuda wouldn't have had to hide under the bed to escape Hara's harassment.
"What question did you ask?" In the end, Kisaragi Chiyo decided to give the puppy a chance to prove his innocence.
"I asked, what is the name of mother's mother's sister's daughter's son?" The Bernese Mountain Dog tilted its head and looked up.
Kisaragi Chiyo: ".."
"Serves you right." Kisaragi Chiyo stood up expressionlessly, bypassing the puppy that was looking at him with a pitiful expression.
Was Hara Kenji getting a bit too excited right now? Kisaragi Chiyo covered her ears, ignoring the little dog's whining and acting spoiled, as she pondered.
So, after all that circling, what should this complicated kinship be called in the end?
After agonizing for a second, Kisaragi Chiyo decided to give up; after all, he had no relatives to worry about.
But wait, he still had to take advantage of the moment Hara wasn't paying attention to pop the battery out of the button.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you for the support, little angels! Mwah!
Chapter 143
By the time the snow stopped, it was already the next day.
A beautiful layer of frost crystals had formed on the glass window of the inn's bedroom, sunlight streamed in through the window from outside, brightening the entire room.
Kisaragi Chiyo stood before the full-length mirror, fully dressed. He had wrapped most of his face in a white wool scarf, on his head was a matching fleece-lined knit hat large enough to cover his ears, leaving only those cold, heterochromatic willow-leaf eyes visible.
The dark green insulated jacket made a faint rustling sound as he adjusted it. Just as Kisaragi Chiyo was about to stick the eighth heat pack inside his clothes, Hara Kenji pushed the door open from the outside.
The Evil Spirit had his hair tied back today with a light purple hairband, the patterned light purple silk ribbon shimmering with a beautiful luster in the daylight.
"I was wondering if you were awake yet, Chiyo-chan," Hara Kenji said, his gaze falling upon Kisaragi Chiyo. He looked at the young person wrapped up so thickly and airtightly, his eyes crinkled as a faint smile played upon his lips.
“Where did you go so early in the morning?” Kisaragi Chiyo glanced at Hara Kenji as he entered from outside. He was wearing a blue windbreaker of the same style, with a red scarf hanging loosely around his neck, seemingly serving only as a decoration.
The zipper of the windbreaker wasn't pulled all the way to the top, only up to the collarbone, revealing the light white turtleneck sweater underneath.
Once winter arrives, Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but feel envious of Hara Kenji, who was completely unafraid of the cold.
If she could, she would also want to avoid wrapping herself up so thickly during this time, like a waddling penguin.
This is also why Kisaragi Chiyo always likes to huddle up at home whenever winter arrives.
Don't worry," Hara Kenji said, giving him a playful wink, "even if Chiyo-chan turned into a penguin, you would definitely be the cutest one among thousands of penguins. I would recognize you at a glance, then I'd take you home.
"Sorry." His words were cut short before he could finish.
Matsuda Jinpei emerged from the bathroom, his handsome face flushed slightly from the hot water. Leaning one hand against the doorframe, his teal eyes remained calm and expressionless as he said to Hara Kenji in a steady tone, "Penguins are a world-class protected species. Even if Japanese law allowed individuals to keep them, there has only been one exception in all of Japan to date. Furthermore, if an individual wants to keep penguins, they must meet specific animal welfare and quarantine requirements."
"So, in conclusion, you cannot keep a penguin." A hint of a smile appeared in Matsuda Jinpei's eyes. He intentionally kept a straight face and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Besides, if Kisaragi were to become a penguin, he would be sent to a wildlife conservation center in Hokkaido the very next second to be protected, then after undergoing quarantine, you might even be able to see him in a local zoo in the future.
"If you want to get closer to him," Matsuda Jinpei walked up to Hara Kenji's side, patted his shoulder, looked at him with a pitying gaze, as if looking at an ignorant puppy.
In that case, Hagi, you'll have to work hard, get a zookeeper certification, then use your connections to get into a zoo.
"Of course," Matsuda Jinpei's smile was almost impossible to suppress. His shoulders trembled slightly as he struggled to steady his voice. Looking at Hara Kenji, whose expression had turned blank and who seemed to be turning into stone, he delivered one final blow.
“Even if everything goes smoothly, you pass your animal keeper certification and successfully pull some strings to get a job at the zoo, the animal you're finally assigned to might not necessarily be a penguin.” Matsuda Jinpei's gaze drifted toward Kisaragi Chiyo; perhaps because of Hara's words, an image of a young penguin version of him inexplicably surfaced in his mind.
Round and plump, moving slowly, the white fur on its belly might be very soft.
After all, there are still monkeys, giraffes, crocodiles, macaws, other animals waiting for you in the zoo.
"Stop talking, Little Jinpei," Hara Kenji said weakly. He clutched his chest, his expression turning despondent, as if the fact that he couldn't raise penguins still dealt him a significant blow.
I'm so sad." Hara gripped his chest, filled with grief. "How could they let Chiyo-chan stay in that cold zoo, being stared at by tourists through glass? From now on, she can only eat cold, slippery fish, will never again be able to eat curry udon, fried tofu, small cakes, or sushi rolls..
They can't provide a warmth like Chiyo-chan's home at all!
Is there a possibility," Kisaragi Chiyo said, slowly putting on her gloves, addressing the crux of the matter, "that I haven't actually turned into a penguin, but am still human, so there's no need to be sent to the zoo at all?
Hara Kenji froze, his dark purple, drooping eyes slowly widening as an expression of sudden realization appeared on the man's handsome face.
"That seems to be the case!" The Evil Spirit blinked innocently.
What a nuisance.
Kisaragi Chiyo passed by Hara Kenji with an expressionless face and went downstairs to have breakfast.
*
There weren't many people in the dining area, scattered about in small groups.
This was likely due to the heavy snow that fell last night; because of the cold weather, most people chose room service, the guests who, like Kisaragi Chiyo and the others, chose to come downstairs to dine were still a minority.
After taking their seats, the three of them glanced at the menu and, in unison, all chose the Oden with white pepper, then ordered three large portions of Tempura Don.
Because the three of them were planning to head into the mountains today, they had to choose foods that could provide high energy intake.
In addition, the backpack contained chocolate and energy bars, as well as some cookies, bread, other foods that could provide a quick energy boost.
"It's a bit hot." After sitting for a while, Kisaragi Chiyo felt her body growing warm, her cheeks felt slightly flushed. She had taken off her hat and pulled off her scarf, exposing her head, only then did she finally feel a little more comfortable.
"After all, you're still wearing eight heat pads even with indoor heating." Hara Kenji propped his head up with one hand, watching with amusement as Kisaragi Chiyo grabbed Matsuda Jinpei's hand and pressed it against his own face, attempting to cool down in that way.
"Take off your coat first." Matsuda Jinpei lightly brushed his fingertips against Kisaragi Chiyo's earlobe. Unlike his own body temperature, the young man's body was filled with vigorous vitality and heat.
After taking off her coat, the heat in Kisaragi Chiyo's body finally subsided. She took out a handkerchief to wipe the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, once she had finished, the young woman returned to her usual calm and composed demeanor, as if she weren't the same person who had been so desperate to bury her face in Matsuda's palm.
Hara Kenji looked at Kisaragi Chiyo with a smile, his gaze sweeping over him without concealment.
The silver earrings swayed slightly with the young man's movements, his jet-black hair contrasting against his snow-white skin. The young man had pulled down the collar of his mouse-gray turtleneck sweater, exposing a section of his neck. Beneath that delicate skin, the faintly protruding pale blue veins looked like strokes on a canvas, making one want to resist the urge to trace them carefully with a finger.
Hara Kenji rubbed his slightly itchy canines; he suddenly felt a surge of intense hunger.
It was only natural, after all, as he hadn't eaten in over ten hours, his stomach was empty.
"After all, when it comes to things like that, I'm a traditional type of person.." Hara Kenji muttered softly, his eyes cast down.
Kisaragi Chiyo didn't notice Hara Kenji's movements; he was staring with a very serious expression at a large-eyed Shiba Inu wearing a collar, which was sitting beside a married couple at the next table.
Matsuda Jinpei, however, sensed something. He glanced at Hara Kenji, who had suddenly fallen into a sulk for some unknown reason. He then glanced again at Kisaragi Chiyo, who was attempting to interact with the Shiba Inu at the next table through eye contact.