Natsuki groaned. "It's already nighttime..."
"It's fine!" Chika replied with a carefree tone. "My parents aren't home tonight. We can do whatever we want."
Dangerous words!
Does she even know what it means to invite trouble into her own home? Letting a guy come over in the middle of the night when her parents are out... She's seriously playing with fire! One wrong move and she might not even make it out of bed tomorrow.
"Please, Natsuki!" Chika spammed a string of pleading emojis, "This is my one and only request!"
Natsuki sighed, resigned. "Fine. What's your address?"
"You're the best, Natsuki!"
"Is this... a nice guy card?"
"Sorry! I'll make it up to you. I have a ton of snacks, I'll give you all of them later."
"..."
Natsuki got up, grabbed his shoes, and memorized the address Chika had just sent. With a sigh, he pushed the door open and stepped outside.
The walk was quiet, neither of them texted.
Half an hour later, Natsuki found himself staring at a large mansion. He pulled out his phone and shot her a message.
"I'm outside."
"Don't ring the doorbell! I'll come down and get you," Chika replied almost immediately. "Moe's still here, we can't let her know about... us."
Why does this sound so sketchy? I'm just here to help with some spirits, yet somehow it feels so much worse.
A minute later, the door quietly clicked open. A small head peeked out—towel wrapped around her hair—Chika.
"Natsuki! Come in, hurry!" she whispered excitedly, swinging the door open wide.
Natsuki stepped into the entryway and took a good look at her. She'd clearly just finished a shower. Her pink hair was still damp, her skin glowing with a soft, rosy flush. She looked like she'd just been peeled out of a fresh, juicy fruit, so soft and tender that it seemed like a gentle squeeze would cause water to drip out.
"Why did you take a shower now?" Natsuki asked in a hushed voice.
If you call someone over in the middle of the night and they find you fresh out of the shower, it really doesn't look good. And if something… unexpected happens, well, you're half to blame!
"I couldn't help it! I started thinking about what might be under my bed, and it freaked me out," Chika whispered back. "To calm down, I took a bath. After gaming for hours, a hot bath feels so good. Kaguya-chan was bathing too, so it seemed like a good idea... Anyway, here, slippers. These are my dad's, but he hasn't worn them yet. Hurry up and put them on, let's go to my room."
Natsuki slipped on the slippers just as a large dog trotted over, tail wagging.
"This is Pace. I've had him since he was a puppy." Chika tilted her chin up with pride. "Pace, meet Natsuki! Say hello, but keep it down. We don't want Moe hearing us."
Seriously? Asking a dog to greet someone?
"Woof!" Pace barked softly, sitting down obediently in front of Natsuki.
"Now, handshake." Chika commanded.
Pace lifted his right paw, offering it to Natsuki with a look that seemed far too wise for a dog.
Natsuki was speechless.
Not all dogs are the same, I guess.
With an amused smile, Natsuki shook Pace's paw before following Chika up the stairs.
"Wait!"
Chika suddenly stopped, smacking her forehead. She bent down, picked up Natsuki's shoes, and placed them neatly at the bottom of the shoe cabinet. "As a detective, I can't overlook details. It's safer this way."
As she stood back up, something unexpected happened—Natsuki's gaze involuntarily shifted downward, and in that brief moment, two things became painfully clear.
First: Girls apparently don't bother with underwear after a shower when they're at home.
Second: This pink-haired airhead seriously has no sense of self-awareness.
"Alright!" Chika stood up quickly, clapping her hands and raising her chin with a satisfied smile. "Let's head to my room... Hey, why are you blushing?"
Natsuki replied, trying to sound casual. "It's just... hot."
"Hot? It was warm earlier, but it's cooled down by now." Chika crossed her arms and held her chin in thought, slipping into her detective mode. "I distinctly remember you weren't blushing a minute ago. Something's definitely suspicious."
Stop! Don't dig any deeper, or this is going to get really awkward!
"Let's just go to your room already," Natsuki said, his voice as calm as he could manage. "Let's get this over with so I can head back home and get some rest."
"Fine, fine, let's go."
With that, Chika led Natsuki upstairs. They kept their footsteps quiet, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention as they reached the second floor without incident.
"This is my room," she said, stopping in front of a door with a panda-shaped sign that read, 'Resting.'
"The room on the left is Moe's, and the one on the right belongs to my sister."
The Fujiwara family had three sisters—Moe, the youngest, was in junior high; Chika, the middle child; and the eldest, who had already moved out for college.
"Come on in," Chika invited, pushing the door open.
A refreshing breeze hit them as they entered. Chika hugged herself and let out a small, satisfied sigh. "It's so nice and cool in here."
But suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks, spinning around to face Natsuki. Her eyes widened dramatically, and her face flushed bright red, as if it had been painted with rouge.
"Why are you blushing?" Natsuki asked dryly.
"You know why!" Chika puffed up her cheeks in protest.
"I didn't see anything," Natsuki said firmly, trying to deny any wrongdoing.
Her cheeks puffed even more as she stepped back, arms crossed over her chest. "I didn't even finish what I was going to say!"
"It's too small to see clearly..."
Wait, no, he thought, immediately rethinking that comment. Not the best choice of words.
"The light was too dim. Couldn't see a thing," he quickly corrected, turning his attention to the room to avoid further disaster.
It was a typical girl's room—bookshelves packed with novels, plush dolls neatly arranged on the bed, anime posters covering the walls, yoga mats on the floor, and a light, pleasant fragrance in the air. There were several framed photos on the desk, some of just Chika, others with her sisters.
One picture caught his eye—a group shot of four people at the beach, all in swimsuits.
"That was from our trip to the beach last summer," Chika explained, now back to her usual self. "The one in the middle is my mom, then Moe, and my sister next to her."
Natsuki stared at the picture of Chika's mother—a serious, beautiful woman—and a single thought filled his mind.
This doesn't make sense.
Your mom is flat-chested like Kaguya, so how do all three of her daughters have... well, that?
It's completely unscientific!
Trying to shift focus, Natsuki said, "Alright, let's satisfy your curiosity. Let's check under the bed."
"Hold on," Chika said, pulling out her phone. She quickly made a video call, and after a few seconds, a sleepy-looking girl in pajamas appeared on the screen.
"Kaguya?" Natsuki glanced at the phone, curious.
"Oh, I was chatting with Kaguya-chan earlier when I was taking a bath," Chika explained. "I told her I'd livestream our entire adventure under the bed."
Livestream? For what? It's not like they were doing anything exciting—just checking under a bed. What's the point?
"It's Kaguya-chan!" Chika said excitedly, waving at the screen, though Kaguya couldn't see her.
"Kaguya-chan, Sister Aya is saying hi!" Chika added with a grin. "She says she misses you so much, even though it's only been a day."
"Only a day…" Kaguya, sitting in pajamas at her desk, sighed, her expression a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Just hurry up and look under the bed. I'm about to sleep."
She always went to bed on time at nine, like a kid with a strict routine.
"Natsuki, hold the phone." Chika handed it to him. "You'll be the cameraman for Kaguya-chan's livestream."
"What's the point of streaming this?" Natsuki muttered but took the phone anyway.
"It's a girls' adventure!" Chika said, as if that explained everything.
"Your own bedroom isn't an adventure."
"…"
But Chika was already kneeling next to the bed, lifting the sheets to peek underneath, her usual carelessness showing since Natsuki was with her. The next moment, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the room.
Natsuki's heart skipped a beat.
For a second, he wondered if they'd find some kind of creepy spirit lurking under the bed. But when Chika pulled back the sheet, they were met with a pair of cold, staring eyes—dozens of them. It'd take nerves of steel not to freak out.
"You… saw me!" a cold, hollow voice rasped from beneath the bed.
Suddenly, a wave of black hair surged out like a dark tide, quickly entangling Chika and covering the bed. Without hesitating, Natsuki activated his 'Evil Spirit Repel' ability.
An invisible halo spread across the room, making contact with the hair and instantly setting it ablaze with transparent flames. The evil spirit was stronger than expected, its hair transforming into tentacles as it screamed and reached for Chika.
Natsuki yanked her back just in time, narrowly avoiding the grasping tendrils. Thankfully, the spirit didn't last long, burning out in mere seconds.
Chika clutched her chest, eyes misty from the scare. "That was way too much," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I thought it was just hiding under the bed. I didn't expect it was watching us the whole time!"
Natsuki handed the phone back to her. "Yeah, probably best not to look under the bed without a good reason. I'm heading home."
Just as he finished speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Sis, are you okay?" came a clear, sweet voice from the other side.