Natsuki felt a strange urge come over him.
"As long as it's cute, who cares if it's dumb..." he thought.
Suddenly, an annoyed voice echoed in the room.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Oh crap, it's Kaguya!"
Chika jolted awake, shoving Natsuki away. "Shoot, I forgot to end the livestream!"
The pink-haired girl scrambled for her phone on the nightstand. Sure enough, the video call was still active.
On the other end, Kaguya looked ready to burst through the screen, dark aura radiating off her.
This is bad. Really bad.
Natsuki wanted to bolt, but Chika had been patting his head and hugging him, completely losing track of time. "You're the worst! Using your charms to lead people astray!"
"Kaguya, let me explain..." Chika started, but stopped short when she saw Kaguya's eyes go wide on screen. Kaguya's face turned beet red in an instant. The video shook violently before settling on a view of the ceiling. Looks like she dropped her phone.
"Huh? What's going on?" Chika turned around, confused. Her own face quickly flushed.
"B-b-big..." she stammered, averting her eyes.
Terrifying. Boys' bodies become so scary when they grow up! Not cute like when they're little!
"Natsuki, put some clothes on!" she yelped.
"Then give me something to wear!" Natsuki shot back.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to Mrs. Kaguya, who was smiling oddly nearby. "Hand me those clothes."
"Here you go," Mrs. Kaguya quickly passed over the hidden outfit.
Natsuki snatched them and started dressing at lightning speed.
Meanwhile, Chika grabbed her phone and shuffled to the door, facing the wall in shame.
"I'm decent," Natsuki exhaled, finally relaxing. "Let's not try that sheep transformation thing in real life again, okay?"
"Gotcha," Chika nodded pitifully. "It worked fine in the game... who knew it'd be like this for real?"
"Lucky it was just Natsuki," she muttered. "If it was any other guy, I'd probably go blind."
Natsuki looked disgusted. "Haven't you ever seen dirty comics before?"
"Comics are just comics. I've never seen... that... in real life," Chika hesitated. Remembering the shocking sight, her face heated up again. "Hurry up, Natsuki. You should go home now!"
Natsuki asked Mrs. Kaguya to check if the coast was clear. After confirming Chika's sister was in her room, he snuck downstairs and out of the house.
Nothing unexpected happened as Natsuki quickly made his way to the entrance, changed his shoes, and left the Fujiwara house.
"See you tomorrow, Natsuki," Chika whispered goodbye.
"I won't see you tomorrow," Natsuki replied bluntly.
"Huh?" Chika was startled, but quickly recovered. "Oh right, tomorrow's Golden Week. See you back at school then."
"I'm leaving," Natsuki said, walking away.
..........
The next day of Golden Week passed uneventfully. Before they knew it, it was the third day.
Natsuki was playing the newly released Elden Ring when he got a message from Miko: "Kyousuke wants to go to the zoo to see the pandas. Want to come?"
"Zoo?" Natsuki quickly replied: "I'll change and head out."
There were nine days in Golden Week. You can't stay home gaming every day or you'll grow mold. It's nice to get out occasionally.
Natsuki turned off the TV, changed, and walked outside to find the siblings waiting.
"Morning, Natsuki," Kyousuke greeted. As Miko's little brother, he'd inherited her lazy nature early on.
"Morning," Natsuki nodded, joining them. "Which zoo are we hitting?"
Miko wasn't in her usual uniform or sportswear. She had on a white shirt, brown skirt, and black knee-high socks. Her long straight black hair was the same as always, dark circles still prominent under her eyes.
"Uaaah..." Miko yawned, covering her mouth. "Ueno Zoo. The one we went to last year."
"It's 9 AM and you're already yawning," Kyousuke complained, deadpan. "Sis just gets lazier and lazier."
"For real," Natsuki agreed. "So lazy you can't even smile."
"You talk too much," Miko grumbled. "Let's get to the station already."
They chatted as they walked, soon arriving at the tram stop.
"Morning, Miko!" A short-haired girl in a white shirt waved cheerfully from across the street. It was Hana Yurikawa, her curvy figure drawing occasional glances.
"Yurikawa's coming too?" Natsuki looked at Miko. "Didn't she say she was going on a trip?"
"Hana's leaving with her family tomorrow," Miko said casually. "She messaged saying she was bored at home alone and wanted to hang out, so I invited her along."
Thump! Thump!
A faint trembling sound reached Natsuki's ears.
Miko's best friend ran up to them, her smile brighter than the sun. "Morning, Natsuki!"
"Morning," he replied.
She stretched happily, fists raised. "It's been ages since I went to the zoo. Let's go!"
"Sis," Kyousuke tugged at Miko's sleeve, sighing softly. "What happened to our date?"
Miko was speechless. "It wasn't a date to begin with."
Besides...
Miko pursed her lips, eyeing the various spirits lurking in the streets. She sighed internally. What's the point of going on dates? Better to stay home and game together.
They boarded the tram. Natsuki spotted a familiar face.
Waist-length blonde hair, pink contacts, black choker, top button undone, fancy nails... a classic blonde bombshell.
"Morning, Natsuki!" The blonde's eyes lit up as she waved.
"Morning," Natsuki nodded back.
"Come sit," Umi Kitagawa patted the empty seat beside her.
It was rare to find empty seats on a holiday, but Natsuki took the offered spot, with Miko sitting on his other side.
"Where are you all off to?" Umi leaned in, curious.
"Zoo," Miko yawned, rubbing her eyes. They'd all been classmates in middle school, so knowing each other wasn't surprising.
"The zoo sounds fun! It's too nice to stay in," Umi beamed, her voice melodic. "I was just wondering where to go... Mind if I tag along?"
"Sure, whatever," Miko shrugged.
As the tram started moving, conversation died down. Natsuki pulled out his phone to check the news.
At the next stop, he felt someone poke his arm.
"Natsuki," Miko whispered, "a weird spirit just got on the train."
Natsuki turned towards the tram entrance. A demon in a cloak wielding a massive scythe, looking like the Western Grim Reaper, boarded the tram.
The hem of its black robe seemed to burn like flames, constantly dissolving into wisps of smoke. Various evil spirits' faces flickered across the fabric.
This was clearly no ordinary spirit.
The Reaper silently approached the driver's side.
The tram driver, obviously a normal person, didn't notice the spirit at all and focused on the road ahead.
But in the eyes of Natsuki, Miko, and Umi, the Reaper slowly raised its massive scythe.
"Hey, what's that spirit trying to do?" Umi's eyes went wide with worry.
Miko tensed up, watching nervously.
The three of them stared as the Reaper suddenly swung its scythe down at the driver's head.
"Ah!" Umi couldn't help but cry out.
"Stay calm, don't panic," Natsuki whispered. "The driver's fine."
As long as spirits can't be seen, they can't harm humans. Even this Reaper has to follow the rules.
The scythe passed right through the driver's head. He didn't react at all, not even blinking.
"Thank goodness," Umi sighed in relief, hand on her chest. "That was terrifying."
Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "It's about to get even scarier."