"Your daughter has arrived," Kael said into the phone, then walked through the entryway to open the door for Yukinoshita Haruno.
Lady Yukinoshita said to Kael: "Then please follow Haruno for a while."
"No problem." Kael hung up, then smiled at Haruno. "Shall we go now?"
Haruno nodded. "If Renjou-kun has nothing else, we can leave now."
"No problem."
Kael laughed, changed clothes, and got into Haruno's luxury car. The car took him to a familiar place—Tōtsuki Resort.
"Again?" Kael muttered to himself. This place really appeared often.
He felt like a regular guest here, constantly entangled with it. But that also proved how famous the resort was. Otherwise, it wouldn't attract so many visitors. He hadn't expected such a small arc in the original story to have such influence in Tokyo. Clearly, manga and reality differed. Especially in this crossover world—trusting the original plot blindly could be fatal.
After getting out, Kael followed Haruno into a luxurious guest room, where he saw the ever-beautiful Lady Yukinoshita. But this time, she wasn't alone. Beside her stood a black-haired girl. Kael glanced once and recognized her. The absolute heroine of Oregairu. The Yukinoshita family's second daughter… Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Welcome, Renjou-kun," Lady Yukinoshita rose to greet him warmly.
Yukino also stood, following her mother's lead, her curious eyes fixed on Kael.
"You're too kind, Lady Yukinoshita," Kael said with a smile.
She smiled back. "Renjou-kun, you look well."
"Joy brings vitality. Naturally, I look better," Kael replied.
"Did something good happen? Perhaps your strength has improved?" she asked pleasantly.
Her tone was warm, humorous, and gracious—like a spring breeze. Yukino could hardly believe this was her mother. In her memory, her mother was cold, strict, and unsmiling. But now, she seemed different. And this man—who was he, to make her mother drop her icy mask and act so accommodating? Yes, to Yukino, it looked like her mother was catering to him.
"You're right," Kael said. "My strength has indeed improved."
These days he had been cultivating with Yakusha and Nozomi, advancing rapidly. The yin and yang energies flowed through him. With more high-quality partners, he could transform it into true mana. Lady Yukinoshita herself would be an excellent candidate. But she hadn't agreed, perhaps out of pride. He wondered if Rikka had explained the benefits of dual cultivation to her.
After some pleasantries, Lady Yukinoshita got to the point. "The match will be held tonight at nine, here at the resort."
She nodded to Haruno, who handed over a file. Lady Yukinoshita passed it to Kael. "This is your opponent. Would you like to see?"
Kael accepted, curious. Opening the folder, a photo slipped out. He caught it. It showed a man with a buzz cut, wearing a suit and sunglasses. He looked familiar. Kael checked the file—his name was Toguro. Recognition struck instantly.
Lady Yukinoshita watched his expression. "You seem to know him? I tried many channels but only obtained his name and photo. His identity and background are unknown. Shinomiya Un'yo has hidden him well. Our family cannot match Shinomiya in intelligence."
Kael chuckled. The Yukinoshita family was weaker than Shinomiya not only in intelligence but in many fields. After all, Shinomiya had the powerful Shinomiya conglomerate behind him. But since Lady Yukinoshita was his ally, Kael didn't expose her weakness.
He nodded. "Yes, I know him. Strictly speaking, he may not be human."
"Not human?" Lady Yukinoshita was shocked.
"He was once human, but now he has transformed into a yokai."
Yukino scoffed. "Ridiculous. How could yokai exist? Mother, you don't believe this nonsense, do you?"
Lady Yukinoshita's face darkened.
Kael sneered. "It seems your younger daughter has been sheltered well."
Lady Yukinoshita sighed. "Forgive us, Renjou-kun."
Yukino was stunned. "Mother, you…"
"Enough, Yukino."
At that moment, Haruno placed a hand on her sister's shoulder and shook her head.
Yukino was confused. Why stop her from exposing such lies? "Do you believe in yokai too, sister?"
Haruno nodded. "I do."
As heir of the Yukinoshita family, she understood the world's cruelty far better than her naive sister. Yokai, onmyoji, evil spirits, hell—they all existed. This world was far from simple.