Chapter 19: Visiting Miko's Home
Hearing this, Miko finally snapped back to reality.
That's right.
She had forgotten about the "Doors" scattered throughout Kyoto that could influence spiritual entities.
If one day a "Door" appeared in the area near her home...
Just imagining her father—who had been humorous, kind, and amiable in life—transforming into a twisted, terrifying evil spirit made Miko feel as though a hand were squeezing her heart. Even breathing became painful.
More importantly.
Her father's soul had been lingering at home.
If he were influenced by a "Door" and turned into an evil spirit capable of harming humans, the first victim would be her own mother.
This was something Miko absolutely refused to let happen.
"What should I do?"
On Miko's face, which usually hid her emotions, a clear fluctuation of feelings appeared for the first time. Her golden eyes held unconcealable panic.
Yoru shook his head: "It's not what you should do."
"It's what we should do."
Hearing this, Miko looked moved.
"You... are you willing to help me, Yoru-kun?"
"Of course. We are clubmates, after all."
"Club? What club?"
"Don't waste time. I'll explain on the way."
.....
On the taxi ride to Miko's house, Yoru roughly inquired about her family situation.
Differing from his original memory (of the anime/manga), Miko didn't have a younger brother; only she and her mother lived at home.
Oh, wait.
It was only the mother and daughter pair, plus one ghost.
Yoru volunteered to help Miko not just because they were fellow spirit mediums who should work together, but also for a critical reason.
The soul of Miko's father was an extremely special category among all evil spirits and ghosts.
When people die, if they hold extremely strong obsessions, they can become soul entities.
Of course, not all spirits are evil spirits. There are also benign spirits that act like broken records.
But Miko's father, although a soul formed from obsession, possessed the exact same rationality as when he was alive.
Yoru wanted to try communicating with him.
If you want information about spirits, the best entity to ask is, naturally, a spirit.
"Supernatural... Quantum Mechanics... Investigation and Research Club?"
Hearing the club name Yoru had come up with, Miko sighed helplessly, massaging her forehead.
Calling it "Supernatural" was certainly fitting, since neither she nor Yoru were normal people.
But juxtaposing it with the term "Quantum Mechanics" was just too jarring.
Miko could guess without even thinking that joining a club with such a weird name—founded by Yoru, who had a terrible reputation in school—would definitely make her look like a weirdo in the eyes of other students.
However, she didn't care.
Eliminating the threat of evil spirits and the "Doors" was the most important thing.
Not because of Yoru's request—Yoru had never forced her to help.
This was something Miko deep down wanted to achieve.
And as someone with the "Sight," it was something she should do.
After getting out of the taxi, Miko walked to her front door. She had taken out her key to open it but hesitated, opting to knock instead.
"Coming."
A beautiful, mature woman who bore a resemblance to Miko opened the door, wiping water from her hands.
"Did you forget your keys today? Why did you kno—"
The woman stopped halfway through her sentence when she saw Yoru standing beside Miko. She froze for a moment, then asked in confusion.
"And this is?"
"Hello, I'm Yoru, a classmate of Yotsuya Miko."
Yoru took the initiative to introduce himself. He looked at the woman's face and flashed a harmless smile.
"You must be Miko-san's older sister, right? Pleased to meet you."
Hearing the word "sister" come out of his mouth, the woman almost laughed out loud with joy. She waved her hand, acting slightly shy.
"Oh my, oh my, you've misunderstood. I am Miko's mother."
"For real!?"
Yoru looked shocked, staring at Miko's mother in disbelief.
"That's impossible, right? You look so young, like you're in your twenties."
"Oh my, Yoru-kun, you sure have a way with words. Do I really look that young?"
"Yes, yes. You and Miko-san look completely like sisters."
"Hahaha, don't just stand outside. Please, come in."
Watching her mother beaming like a flower, warmly welcoming Yoru and almost forgetting about her own daughter, Miko shook her head helplessly.
On the taxi ride here, Yoru had clearly learned that only she and her mother lived at home.
Calling her "sister"... that was obviously just blatant flattery.
But Miko had to admit, Yoru's move was super effective against her mother, a full-time housewife.
She thought that when Yoru wasn't being "abstract" or acting up, with his outstanding looks, his naturally likable smile, and his conversation skills that hit weak points with precision, he really could be called a social butterfly.
After leading them inside, Miko's mother finally noticed the longsword in Miko's hand.
"What is that you're holding?"
Before Miko could make up a story, Yoru preemptively explained.
"Since it's my first time visiting, I didn't bring any proper gifts. This is an antique sword capable of warding off evil and protecting the home. I hope you like it."
"Oh my, oh my."
Miko's mother wore a doting smile.
"Look at you. Just coming over is enough, why bring a gift? Feel free to come over anytime in the future; you don't need to bring anything."
"Then I thank you for your kindness."
"You must be hungry, right? Dinner will be ready soon. You two rest in the living room for a bit."
Watching her mother return to the kitchen to continue cooking without a care, Miko felt surprised.
She was still thinking about how to explain the origin of the longsword.
Unexpectedly, Yoru had resolved it so effortlessly.
A gift for the first visit?
Did he plan this step all along?
While I was on level 1, Yoru was already on level 18.
He's playing 4D chess.
Just then.
A man wearing glasses, with a few strands of gray in his hair, looking to be in his forties and dressed in a light blue turtleneck shirt, walked slowly up to the two of them.
He looked Yoru up and down with a very gossipy expression.
"Is this... your boyfriend? For real?"
"Sigh. Getting a boyfriend as soon as you start high school... you've grown up too. My old fatherly heart aches."
Just as the middle-aged man was muttering to himself with a look of heartbreak, Yoru suddenly stepped forward, extended his right hand, and smiled.
"Pleased to meet you."