What should I do after finding Hoshimi?
Hmm~ Regardless of anything else, revenge comes first, right? That bastard did so many excessive things to her, it would be unreasonable not to seek revenge.
As for other matters, I'll talk to him slowly after I'm satisfied with the revenge...
...
"Got it!" — Eriri
Seeing Eriri's final reply, Kasumigaoka put away her phone with relief.
It's good that they could meet up. After discussing the illustration issue, she would bring up asking for Eriri's help.
Kasumigaoka knew Eriri, this tsundere young lady, quite well. Though her words were often harsh, she had a soft personality underneath.
As long as the approach was right, getting her help would be extremely easy.
Of course, she wasn't a certain someone and wouldn't ask Eriri to help for free. Even for the smallest task, she would pay Eriri accordingly, or even more.
"Eriri can help with the restoration. Now, what should I do?" Kasumigaoka muttered to herself.
After thinking for a while, she picked up a pen and began noting down all the details of Hoshimi's school uniform.
Human memory is vague. As time passes, subjective thoughts creep in, gradually distorting it.
To prevent her own subjective thoughts from adding a filter to her memory, she needed to record all the details while they were still fresh. Only by doing this could she ensure that the restoration would be as close to the original as possible.
Not long after, Kasumigaoka wrote down all the details. After carefully checking everything from start to finish to make sure there were no mistakes, she stored the paper cautiously.
Hoshimi, it won't be long. I'll find you soon, and you'll be in for a surprise...
"Heh~" Kasumigaoka's lips curled into a smile, and her wine-red eyes glimmered with excitement.
...
In his dream, as Hoshimi was snuggling with Yukino, he suddenly felt a chill down the back of his neck.
Confused, he shrank his neck a little. What was this? Why did he feel such a strange sensation?
This was his dream, so where would this coldness come from? Could someone be plotting against him?
Hoshimi pondered. Had he offended anyone recently?
Not recently, but in the past, there had been a few... Could it be...
"Hoshimi, what are you thinking about?" Seeing him spaced out, Yukino pinched the back of his hand with some dissatisfaction.
Even while hugging her, he could still daydream? There must be something wrong! This bastard Hoshimi was probably thinking about another woman!
Who was it? Could it be that shameless little brat?
"Nothing, just wondering what to eat tomorrow morning."
Listening to Hoshimi's perfunctory answer, Yukino squinted her eyes and coldly said, "Hoshimi, didn't you say earlier that Iwanaga wouldn't come to the dream tonight?"
"Yeah, that's right. Kotoko is busy with her own stuff tonight and can't make it." As he spoke, Hoshimi started worrying about Kotoko.
The chill he felt earlier couldn't have been related to Kotoko, could it? Was Kotoko going to be in trouble tonight?
Thinking about this, Hoshimi unconsciously frowned.
Seeing him frown, Yukino followed suit and furrowed her brows as well.
"Hoshimi, are you worried about her?" Yukino asked calmly.
"Yeah, a little..." Hoshimi admitted frankly, then added, "Kotoko's job is quite dangerous. Plus, I had a bad feeling earlier, so I'm a bit concerned that something might happen to her."
"..." Yukino remained silent.
While she did find that shameless little brat annoying, she didn't hate her enough to wish her harm.
So, when facing Hoshimi's concern for that brat, Yukino didn't know how to respond...
After thinking it over for a while, Yukino held Hoshimi's hand and said calmly, "Hoshimi, tell me about Iwanaga. What exactly does she do? I've heard you call her the 'Goddess of Wisdom' and 'Yokai Priestess.' I'm a bit curious now."
"...Alright, I'll explain..." Hoshimi hugged Yukino closer and began to describe Kotoko's special identity, as well as the responsibilities and dangers she faced.
He had wanted to talk to Yukino about Kotoko for a while now. He hoped that by explaining Kotoko's uniqueness, it would arouse Yukino's sympathy and make her more tolerant of 'poor' Kotoko.
But since Kotoko had been provoking Yukino, he hadn't found a good opportunity to bring it up.
Now that the opportunity had finally come, he wasn't going to miss it.
While explaining the responsibilities and dangers Kotoko bore, he exaggerated the difficulty and played up the risks as much as possible...
As Hoshimi spoke, Yukino's frown deepened.
So, that little brat had it this bad? She had to deal with ghosts and spirits all the time.
Her work involved facing creatures even more vicious than murderers...
No wonder that little brat was so reckless—she had been forced into it.
Yukino's brows furrowed, unsure of how to handle the little brat anymore...
...
At 3 a.m., the night was as cold as water.
In an abandoned kiln in Hasami Town... Don't get the wrong idea; this kiln wasn't "that" kind of place—it referred to a kiln for firing pottery.
After all, Hasami Town was famous for its ceramics, and about 13% of all household tableware used in Japan came from this town.
So, it was normal for there to be abandoned kilns here.
"According to the ghosts' descriptions, this is where that 'evil spirit' was last seen."
Kotoko scanned her surroundings, thoughtfully muttering to herself, "An abandoned kiln... I have a feeling this is going to be troublesome. Could it be that some evil heretic is refining ghosts again..."
"Roar!"
Just then, a low growl echoed from the kiln nearby.
The next moment, a blurry black shadow darted straight toward Kotoko.
Kotoko glanced at it, her delicate face showing no sign of panic. Instead, a hint of relief flashed across her expression.
"Boom!!"
Just as the black shadow got within two meters of Kotoko, a massive skeletal hand descended from the sky, slamming the shadow into the ground.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
As the shadow roared and struggled violently, Kotoko's face darkened.
As expected, it was another evil heretic refining ghosts. This time it was...
Kotoko examined the 'ghost' carefully and identified its type.
A Lump Ghost—someone who had, in life, slandered others and spread rumors, turned into a ghost because of their sins. The most distinct feature was the lump in its mouth.
===
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