"Mii chan have grown into a lively teenage girl. She's no longer the quirky little girl that lives off in her own world"
Keiki comments as Fuuka listens, pouring a cup of tea.
"She's grown hasn't she? She's been missing you."
"Haha is that so?"
He lets out a small chuckle. As much as he believes that fact, a hint of doubt surfaces from beneath his smile.
"She couldn't stop grinning when she received your package, I'll let you two catch up during these holidays, make the most of your time here"
"Still, she grew up so fast. I've been away for so long, I'm running out of things to talk with her..."
"It's fine to just talk with her like you always do"
She tries to console the brooding father.
"At her age she'd be more interested in love talk compared to dead bones"
"Oh don't say that, she's just a bit awkward because it's been too long. Give it a couple days and you two will hit it off like usual again"
" *sigh* that might be true..."
He replies with a lukewarm smile, similarly hopeful of that outcome.
"You came back to support the helpless little Mii Chan, but instead you get to meet the healthy and strong Mii Chan. Don't overthink the negative part and just make the most of this opportunity."
That advice wakes him up somewhat. Though Fuuka herself seems unaware of how profound that was. She just yawns, tired for the day.
"for now let's sleep it off first Dear"
"Oh no I think I'll go for a short walk first. You go ahead, Dear"
"Oh? Then I'm comin-"
"-oh no you don't have to, you're already so tired"
She puts her arm around his neck as if trying to drag him with her, lovingly.
"Am I not allowed to tag along? Are you meeting someone so important that I can't come too?"
"Ahaha no no Dear, I missed both my family and this town, and I've already met my family.."
"Yes yes, I'm just teasing~ but don't stay out too long, Dear"
The beautiful housewife left the living room with a hint of longing still lingering on her faint smile.
A flashback of a not so distant past in the Kitahara household.
{A little girl attentively listening to Keiki explaining about the difference between animals bone. A gloomy little girl. She looks uninterested at first, and after some time she'd withdraw back into her room.
The next day during lunch, he'd start talking about it again and she has no choice but to hear him through her meal. Same goes for the next day. And the day after. Until one day the little girl starts sharing her own thoughts
"Isn't that the same as the bird one?"
Actually involving herself in the discussion. Over time growing more invested in his explanation. Eventually they would always get into heated discussion during lunch to the point that Fuuka cannot butt in. The two were inseparable.}
Keiki's outside overlooking the night beach while popping a drink. Getting lost in past memories.
'Mii chan has always been a thoughtful kid. I still don't know if she developed genuine interest in this field. Perhaps even back then she was just-'
He chuckles.
"she's such a good kid..."
He takes out a picture, of all them three celebrating Mizuki going to school.
"instead of us trying to cheer her up, maybe it was the other way around..."
His thumb wipes off the night vapor that fogs Mizuki's face in the picture.
'she grew up so fast...'
{"You came back to support the helpless little Mii Chan, but instead you get to meet the healthy and strong Mii Chan. Don't overthink the negative part and just make the most of this opportunity"}
His wife's word from earlier echoes inside his head. A reminder. He lightly hits his forehead with the top of his knuckle, a wake up hit.
"This time it's my turn to talk about her interest. Now's not the time to mope around, you old thing"
As he turns away from the beach to return home, under the dark of the night, he massage his yet stiff shoulder.
'this much overthinking is no good for my body'
Under the cover the night, someone else is stalking him from a distance.
"It's no use, if I so much as breath in it's vicinity it'll hide"
Daisuke reports.
Back in the house, Mizuki is plotting the capture plan to catch that onbu obake on Keiki's shoulder.
"Then what do we do? He already went out"
Daisuke questions, letting Mizuki decide their next move.
"Dad usually have a brief walk in the neighborhood after he got home. He won't be out for long. When he gets home, that's our chances"
She reveals.
"Nice, leader!"
Mizuki paused at first, taking in that praise and feeling a little happy about it.
"It can't be helped, I'll show you the ropes!"
She points her nose upwards.
He's just enjoying her reaction
"Make sure to play your part right"
In front of the house, Keiki realizes his house is already dark and not a single light is turned on.
'I guess they're all already asleep huh...'
He rubs his shoulder as he opens the door.
Inside, he finds it even darker than he expected
"Uwaa, I can't see a thing..."
And it's not just his imagination, even beneath the shadow of the night, a black fog fills the room, only adding to the darkness. A Reichitsu smokescreen.
As Keiki turns behind him to turn on the light switch, a soft but rapid footstep escalates. The clinging obake behind is the only one that hears the footstep, Mizuki's footstep. She rushes in while holding a knife to kill the thing. It wasn't alarmed because Mizuki is in human form but after seeing the knife it panicked and jump to the other side of the man.
"Bariikkurai"
he chants and immediately conjures a unique weapon in his hand. A trench knife with an arm's length blade that fuses into it's jagged hilt with a sharp edge on both ends. A weapon he recalled from his past memory last night.
Unbeknownst to that obake, Daisuke is waiting there to finish the job. It only managed to react after it's too late. Daisuke slash at it's joint with his new weapon, weakening it's grip and swiftly grab it out of the area. It all happened within a second.
After dad pressed on the light switch, he notices the footstep noise and turns around to find not the bloodthirsty Mizuki but his cute and precious daughter
"Welcome home dad!"
At the drop of a hat she switchs persona.
"Mii chan? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
He says while fending off the charging girl. After making sure Daisuke's gone, Mizuki let go and distracts her father with a smile.
"I just can't wait to talk to dad!"
"Even so...-"
While mildly happy about it, he still thinks it's way too late for their bonding session.
"H-how's your recent research going on, Dad? Are you doing well?"
As Mizuki desperately tries to talk with him about his recent research updates, he notices even she's struggling to find topics or words to talk.
'this time, I'll build the bridge'
"So.. wanna tell me about this new friend of yours?"
"Huh? W-Who cares about him!"
Mizuki immediately turns sassy.
"Like I said, we're just classmates that go the same way!"
Ehh that's how it always start"
"Are you in any committee together? Or same sports? Same interest-?"
As some trace of their SP comm still lingers, Mizuki use that chance
'umm Daisuke kun, can you...-'
The rest of her request fades under Keiki's conversation.
"Ah that reminds me! Dad, guess what? I'm in a club now!"
Before quickly she changes the topic too.
"Owh really? Mii chan in a club? What kind of club?"
"Hehe Supernatural Club~!"
She reveals while lighting torchlight under her face.
That revelation instantly reminds him of a heavy past. A fragment of Fuuka calling him in a distressed voice mentioning about Mizuki's worsening condition on the phone.
"Dear! Mii chan she- she's-"
"Paranormal.. club, Mii chan is? Isn't that too scary-"
But Mizuki promptly denies
"Hmm not at all! I'm a big girl now! Any scary ghost that shows up I just fi- I mean tell them off and poof they're gone!"
She holds her head high, confident and proud.
"I see..."
A bit in awe, almost seeing the ghost of a smaller Mizuki, the constantly crying Mizuki besides her. Fading and disappearing.
"I see, if that's what Mii chan wants to do"
His smile of approval accompanies that comment along with some headpat.
"What are- seriously I'm too big for that already"
"What are you talking about? You'll always be our little girl. Whether you're 10, or 20, or 30 even 50"
"That's- just ridiculous isn't it! I'd be having my own grandkid at that point!"
She retorts. Keiki just laughs, relieved to finally hear the usual Mizuki once more. They both share the joy in that moment.