"They look so much alike," Natsuki mused. "Even if she's not the mother, she must be a close relative. No wonder you said 'please' this morning. Even the ice queen Kaguya has things she wants to protect!"
"It's my mother," Kaguya replied calmly, crossing her arms.
Nailed it, Natsuki thought. It really is Mrs. Shinomiya.
His eyes discreetly flicked to Kaguya's chest. What a shame, he thought. She didn't inherit her mother's... assets.
"What are you looking at?" Kaguya narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Natsuki quickly changed the subject. "Sounds like some rich family conspiracy. Are you going to lock me in a dark basement now?"
"Don't worry," Kaguya said with a slight tilt of her head. "The military's developed an amnesia spray. You'll get to try it out soon."
"Any side effects?"
"You might regress to childhood intelligence levels."
"Sign me up," Natsuki joked.
Kaguya's red eyes met his as she bit her lip. "My mother died of a heart attack when I was little. Yesterday in that horror game, when someone mentioned earthbound spirits... it got me thinking."
So that's why she looked odd then, Natsuki realized.
Kaguya gazed at her mother's figure by the window. "I came here yesterday and saw her standing there."
"Did you talk to her?" Natsuki asked suddenly.
"No," Kaguya shook her head. "I... I didn't know what would happen if I did."
Or what to say after all these years, she thought to herself.
"That's too bad," Natsuki said sympathetically.
"When I was leaving last night, I saw this creepy spirit with a sickle," Kaguya continued, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Those types hunt other spirits. They're bad news."
Natsuki nodded. He knew spirits weren't always friendly with each other. The weaker ones often ended up as prey for the stronger ones.
"I couldn't let it hurt my mother," Kaguya said coldly. "So I took care of it."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. Trust Kaguya to face down a dangerous spirit without hesitation.
Kaguya whispered, glancing at her mother's distant figure, "I'm not sure if that sickle spirit is still around. If not, we'll come back tomorrow."
"You mean that spirit?" Natsuki suddenly said in a low voice.
In the shadowy corner, a spirit in a black, misty cloak appeared, wielding a massive sickle. It looked eerily similar to the Western concept of the Grim Reaper.
The air chilled instantly. Kaguya's mother, in her earthbound state, quickly stood up, her pretty face panicked as she stepped back nervously.
Kaguya's face froze. "Natsuki," she said urgently.
"On it," Natsuki responded, stepping forward to activate his spirit-repelling aura.
Transparent flames engulfed the sickle spirit, but burned slower than they had on that head-in-the-fridge spirit from before. A bone-chilling roar filled the air as the spirit retreated, passing through the wall and vanishing.
Kaguya's mother finally noticed them, her eyes widening in surprise and curiosity.
"Let's go," Kaguya said, turning away.
Natsuki nodded, but saw Mrs. Shinomiya approaching. They pretended not to notice as they headed downstairs.
Mrs. Shinomiya caught up, looking confused as she tilted her head at Kaguya. She reached out a slender finger and poked...
Natsuki felt a slight chill on his face and was stunned.
Madam, your eyesight is terrible! Your daughter's right there, why poke me?
"Wait..." Natsuki suddenly realized. Why could he feel Mrs. Shinomiya's cold touch? Where was the usual electric shock feeling?
Unlike game spirits, real-world spirits were usually intangible. You could walk right through them if you pretended not to see them. But Mrs. Shinomiya was different.
Suddenly, a complex magic circle appeared under Natsuki and Mrs. Shinomiya's feet. As the light flashed, Natsuki had a moment of clarity.
At the same time, Mrs. Shinomiya's confused eyes cleared. She spoke for the first time, her voice as lovely as a stringed instrument: "...Owner."
"Master?!" Kaguya exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief. Forgetting her mother was right there, she whirled to stare at Natsuki.
"I definitely heard that right. Mom just called him master!" Kaguya thought, stunned.
"Kaguya, please let me explain," Natsuki said quickly, a bead of sweat on her forehead. "Your mother just voluntarily became my guardian spirit. I didn't plan this!"
"Kaguya?" Mrs. Shinomiya blinked, looking curiously at her daughter. "That's my little girl's name."
"That's because it is your daughter," Natsuki sighed.
"Eh? What?" Mrs. Shinomiya gasped, covering her mouth. "My Kaguya's only three! How did she grow up so fast?"
Natsuki turned to Kaguya with a wry smile. "Well, good news. You can be as spoiled as you want with your mom now."
Natsuki explained, "Earthbound spirits aren't truly human anymore. They might seem the same, but they lack real self-awareness. However, as a guardian spirit, your mother's awareness has been restored. She can learn and think normally now."
"I became a ghost without even realizing it," Mrs. Shinomiya said brightly, gently poking Kaguya's cheek. "It's like I took a long nap and woke up to find my little girl all grown up."
"Please don't," Kaguya said, stepping back.
Mrs. Shinomiya had died when Kaguya was very young. After more than a decade, Kaguya's memories of her mother had faded. Despite being mother and daughter, they couldn't suddenly become close.
"Oh..." Mrs. Shinomiya's shoulders shook as she began to cry. "I had to leave because of my heart. I didn't mean to abandon you... You must hate me, right?"
"I don't," Kaguya said flatly.
"But you do," her mother insisted. "My little Kaguya used to laugh all the time. Now you won't even smile at me. You obviously hate me."
"I don't hate you."
"Then smile for mommy."
Kaguya hesitated. She hadn't truly smiled since becoming the "Ice Queen Kaguya." Sneers of contempt didn't count. Her friend Chika would tell jokes and laugh, but Kaguya never understood what was funny. She'd forgotten how to smile.
But faced with her mother's pleading, she couldn't coldly refuse.
"Alright," Kaguya sighed. "Stop pretending to cry."
"I'm not pretending! I just don't have tears now," her mother said, peeking through her fingers. "Come on, smile!"
Kaguya exhaled softly, forcing the corners of her mouth up in a stiff smile.
"No, that's too rigid. It's obviously fake," her mother said, hands on her hips. "Try again."
Kaguya bit her lip. "No fake smiles."