Chapter 50: Know the Tradition 2

Translator: Soafp

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I waited in front of the girls’ high school until noon, but there were no significant changes, and I couldn’t find any clues. In that case, I have no choice but to go to the person known as the mayor…

Just then, a car stopped. It seemed like the fortune teller had returned. I opened the door and quickly explained my request.

“Excuse me, please continue monitoring this place attentively.”

“S-Suddenly, huh…”

“That’s why I’m asking you. If anything happens, please contact me.”

“U-umu. Isn’t this pace a bit too fast?”

Alright, for now, I’ll go to the library and check the documents. After that, I’ll decide whether to visit the mayor or not.

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[Gindou PoV]

“Uuugh, still no message back…”

“Well, it’s still noon…”

“B-But isn’t it late? It’s been over three hours without a reply.”

“T-that happens sometimes. Maybe his phone ran out of battery. Or maybe he dropped it in water and it broke.”

“That’s right! There must be a reason!!”

“Yeah, that must be it. Oh, sorry, I have to go to the committee meeting soon.”

“Thank you for accompanying me. Good luck.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Today, Natsuko-san has a committee meeting and will spend her lunch break there. Who should I have lunch with today? Neither Izayoi-kun nor Natsuko-san are here…

As I ponder how to spend my lunch break, the classroom door opens.

“Oh, Izayoi isn’t here after all…”

“I told you, Karen-chan. He’s at the beach today, that’s why he’s not here.”

The person I dislike the most, Karen-senpai, and Moegi-senpai, who are currently ranked number one on my list of disliked people. They both came here to search for Izayoi-kun, but… wait a minute, what is this beach they’re talking about?

“Uhm, Moegi-senpai, what do you mean by ‘beach’?”

“Eh? Oh, it seems like he’s at the beach or something.”

“Why would Moegi-senpai know about it?”

“Hiii, w-wait, you are a bit scary”

“It’s not like that at all. More importantly, please tell me his phone number.”

“Well, I just heard him over the phone…”

“Why? Why did you get the phone number?”

“That’s right, Moegi, spit it out!”

“Hiiii, both of you!!”

“Is it hard to talk about it here? If so, let’s go to the rooftop.”

“That’s right, let’s go.”

“Why do you cooperate only in moments like this?!”

Karen-senpai and I locked Moegi’s arms and took her to the rooftop. I don’t like her very much, but for some reason, I can sympathize with her in this situation.

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[Moegi PoV]

For some reason, I was taken to the rooftop by the two of them. Even though these two are always at odds with each other, occasionally they click together in a strange way. I can’t say anything weird about it because they’ve saved me too…

“So, why do you have Izayoi-kun’s contact information?”

“Yeah, spill it out.”

The two of them quietly began interrogating me. Being sandwiched between two beautiful women on the rooftop should make me really happy, but… even though I should be happy… all I feel is fear. I see an illusion of black clouds covering the clear blue sky.

“Uhm, he gave it to me….”

“Eh? From Izayoi-kun?”

“What do you mean? When did you trick him?”

“N-no, it’s not like that. I think he did it because he was worried about me… I had a problem and he reluctantly gave me his contact information…”

“Is that so?”

“We have to ask your body to confirm.”

“What!?”

Suddenly, they pinned me down and straddled me. And they locked both my arms.

“H-Hey, isn’t this too sudden!?”

“You shall be punished with the tickle of the armpits.”

“Eeeh!? Why!? I told you the truth!”

“I don’t like the fact that you got his contact information before me.”

“Is this pure venting!?”

“I’m suggesting that Moegi might be lying, so I have no choice but to tickle your armpits.”

“Eeh!? I’m not lying!?”

“You can say anything with your mouth.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

The two of them approached my armpits like predators. It’s a mixture of happiness and fear…

“Well then, let’s start with a durability test for now?”

“Sooner or later, you’ll have to tell the truth.”

Their shadows covered me.

“Hey, Ahh, Hiiii. Hahaha, st-stop it! It’s ticklish!”

I endured for a while…

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“Haa, haa, haa… Th-that was harsh. haa, I… I’ve had enough… this was too much… I felt like I was going crazy.”

“I’m sorry, Moegi-senpai.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“We don’t think poorly of you at all…”

Although they apologize, it’s clear that they don’t genuinely feel sorry. I’m currently sitting down, catching my breath while leaning on my shoulders. While both of them are sitting comfortably, they have relaxed expressions, unlike me.

“Well, it was quite tough for me. At first, I thought it was okay, but towards the end, it really messed with my head.”

“I sincerely apologize. I genuinely didn’t realize it at all.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t notice even the slightest bit.”

“Liar!! You must have noticed! You both looked so delighted and had those creepy grins on your faces!”

“Eeh? Is that so?”

“Hmm? I wonder.”

They tilt their heads and exchange glances, pretending not to know.

“Ugh, do you two still hold a grudge about the bath incident?”

When I stayed at his house that time, I did some pretty extreme things to them. I took advantage of Kohaku-chan and restrained Karen-chan. I thought they might still hold it against me, but I wonder…

“We don’t hold any grudges at all.”

“I don’t either.”

“Is that so? Well, even if you don’t hold a grudge, what you did was terrible. There’s a limit to everything…”

“I’m sorry, Moegi-senpai. I’ll treat you to some fried bread.”

“I apologize. I couldn’t help but want to see Moegi suffer because your distressed appearance was cute.”

“No, I don’t think you’re sorry at all. You definitely hold a grudge! And you’re still grinning!”

These two definitely hold a grudge.

“Well, at least I’m relieved that Moegi-senpai didn’t trick Izayoi-kun.”

“Yes, that’s a relief.”

“But why is Izayoi-kun at the beach?”

“We can’t gauge Izayoi’s actions, so there’s no point in speculating… But it’s still worrisome that we haven’t heard from him.”

“I feel the same way.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere between the two became heavy. I wonder what’s causing this unstable mood…

“However, my best friend Natsuko-san has given me the stamp of approval that Izayoi-kun is fine, so I think he’s doing well without any danger to his life.”

“How do you know that?”

“Natsuko’s intuition is remarkably accurate. It’s always on point, without a single miss.”

“What’s that? Some kind of superpower?”

“She only refers to it as intuition, but who knows?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter. If he’s fine and not in any danger, then the bigger issue is why he hasn’t replied to us.”

“If Moegi-senpai was the only one who knew the circumstances, it means he only replied to her. Well, it’s possible that our timing just didn’t align…”

“I wonder about that. I want to ask him directly…”

“Yes… Face to face, in person…”

“Yeah… Let’s gather at Izayoi’s house when he comes back?”

“That sounds good…”

“”Hahahaha””

No, no, no, no. Scary, scary, scary. What’s with these two? I love them because they’re cute, but occasionally, they’re really frightening.

B-But wait, is this all because I made that phone call….

No, it’s not my fault, yeah.

Haa, It’s such nice weather today. I look out at the blue sky. It should be a clear and refreshing sky, but I feel like I see thunderclouds in the distance.

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[Izayoi PoV]

Current time: 12:12 PM. I arrived at the library a few minutes ago and hurried inside. The interior is well-designed but looks like an ordinary library you could find anywhere. There is an incredible amount of books. It might be challenging to find the specific book I’m looking for, but asking one of the staff members should do the trick.

“Excuse me.”

“What can I help you with?”

I approached a female staff member who was returning books to the shelves. She wore glasses and gave off an intellectual impression.

“Do you have any books about the folklore or legends of this town? Particularly, about a yokai or supernatural entity called ‘Yumekui (dream eater)’? I’m not entirely sure about the details…”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen something like that… Let me see… Please wait a moment.”

“Yes, thank you for your trouble.”

If even the staff member doesn’t know much, could it be an extremely old book? After a few minutes, the staff member returned with an old book in her hands. It looks quite worn out…

“Here it is. It’s quite damaged, so please handle it with care.”

“Yes, thank you very much.”

“No, don’t mention it. It’s part of my job.”

She smiled, providing good customer service. She’s quite skilled. I received the book from her and looked for a place to sit. There aren’t many people in the library. It could be because of the time, and if there are any, they are mostly elderly.

Now, I’ll spread the book open on the desk and start reading. It’s old… Some parts are faded and hard to read…

Let’s see…

[In the past, there were yokai in this land. They devoured dreams, consumed human spirits, and devoured souls. Many people perished because of them… But this land was saved by a single onmyoji who placed a seal and saved the land. To honor this achievement and pass it down to future generations, an event is held in this land every year…]

Umu, umu. hoho—-, this book… IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII don’t give a damn about it.

It’s filled with utterly useless information. I already heard most of it from that old woman, and besides, I’m not interested in folklore. I’m only interested in how to defeat this yokai and its weaknesses. I don’t give a damn about its background story.

There’s no information about countermeasures anywhere. It’s a complete waste of time!

Haa, I guess there’s no choice. I should hurry and go to the mayor’s office.

“Oya, so you were here after all.”

“Oh, hello.”

It’s the same old lady wearing the visor. Her posture is perfectly upright. It’s a testament to her good health.

“How did it go? Did you find the information you were looking for?”

“No, I didn’t find anything. I wanted to know how to defeat the ‘Yumekui,’ but it wasn’t in this book.”

“I see. So you’re going to the mayor’s office?”

“Yes.”

“If that’s the case, bring some manju with you. The mayor can be difficult, but if you bring a gift, it should smooth things over. He’s always grumpy at the elderly meetings. Even during the swimming lessons, everyone makes an effort to please him. So if you want to get information quickly, a gift is a must.”

“I see. Thank you very much. Well then…”

“Just a moment.”

“Yes?”

I feel bad for asking her so many things, but I don’t have much time. I want to gather information before she goes home. I need to hurry to the mayor’s office…

“You wanted to know how to defeat the ‘Yumekui,’ right?”

“Yes, well…”

“It’s not guaranteed, but there’s a saying ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ Perhaps there’s something related to ‘dreams’ as a countermeasure against the Yumekui.”

“??? What do you mean?”

“Hohoho, even I’m not quite sure. It’s just a hunch I have.”

“I-I see. I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“Oh, sorry for holding you up.”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. Thank you very much. It’s really helpful.”

I rushed through the library. Then, because I was wearing slippers, my feet got tangled, and I fell.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Yes, I need to hurry.”

The staff member from earlier expressed concern for me. Damn, there’s a bit of blood. Maybe I’m tired too. Falling like this… Maybe I’ve accumulated too much fatigue.

“You seem quite tired.”

“Eeh? Do I really?”

“Yes, please don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Thank you. I apologize for the rush.”

Ignoring the advice, I dashed away from there.

“Please don’t run inside the library.”

“Ah, yes.”

I switched to a fast walk.

To think the staff member could see through my fatigue… Maybe I really am exhausted. Is it showing on my face?

Well, I’ll be fine once this is all over. I’ll do my best.

Ah, but after everything is done, it feels like all the effort and tension will come crashing down at once…

I ran towards the manju shop.

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“Excuse me. I’ll take some manju, please!”

“Oh, welcome. You’re a new face.”

The owner looks cheerful. No time to talk.

“Where did he…”

“I’ll take this!”

“Aah, u-understood.”

“Yes, 10,000 yen is enough, right!!??”

“Eh? Uh, yeah, that’s right…”

“I don’t need any change!”

“Ooh, thank you very mu—”

I dashed from there and headed towards the town hall. The current time is 1:42 PM. School usually ends at 3 PM, so I have to hurry…

I spent quite some time at the library. I need to hurry to the mayor’s office…

Once again, I became a gust of wind and rushed through the town. My destination is the town hall where the mayor is. I hope I can get reliable and practical information this time…

I carried both anxiety and a faint hope in my heart.

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