Chapter 34: Hachishaku-sama Makes an Appearance
Miko thought this matter did indeed have the feel of a paranormal event.
"Sablé, is that the dog your family keeps?"
"Yes, he's very cute."
Miko nodded slightly.
Since awakening her "Sight," she had discovered something.
Animals like dogs and cats had much sharper senses and vision than humans and could see existences invisible to humans.
According to Yui's account, her pet dog used to be very well-behaved but suddenly started barking wildly at night, punctually at 1:00 AM every day. There might really be something wrong.
"Is it in heat?"
After hearing Yui's story, Yoru's eyes flickered for a moment, then he waved his hand casually as if he didn't care at all.
"A famous program once said: Spring is the season for mating."
As soon as these words came out, both Yui and Miko, two innocent high school girls, blushed furiously.
Yui's face turned slightly red, and she forced herself to retort.
"M-My Sablé wouldn't think about those things!"
"Does Sablé know he's being represented by you?"
"A-Anyway, something must be wrong."
Yui herself had forgotten.
She had originally come over just to use the paranormal event as an excuse to strike up a conversation with Yoru and Miko.
Now, she had put the cart before the horse.
"How about this."
Yoru yawned, looking a bit lazy.
"Miko, you go stay at Yuigahama-san's house tonight and investigate."
"Eh?"
Miko froze for a moment.
"Let me stay overnight at Yuigahama-san's house?"
Yoru shrugged and asked back with a smile.
"Then should I go stay overnight? Men and women should keep their distance."
If anyone else had said this, Miko would have thought it made sense.
But coming from Yoru, who usually had no sense of propriety, why did she feel like there was some conspiracy involved?
"Let Miko-chan come stay at my house? Sure, sure!"
Yui looked overjoyed. Her cute face was filled with the excitement and joy of a friend coming over for a sleepover.
Seeing things develop to this point, Miko sighed and massaged her forehead.
She wasn't good at dealing with girls like Yui.
Asking her to refuse now and ruin that innocent, cute smile on Yui's face... Miko really couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Alright. But I'll say this first, just for one night."
"OK, OK! My mom will be so happy to know you're coming."
"Huh? Did you tell your mom about me?"
"Of course! I tell my mom about all the friends I make at school."
"Th-This... Since it's my first visit, I should buy a gift."
"Then let's go buy it together after school? We'll go back after buying it."
Watching Yui and Miko chatting and laughing, Yoru couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
The bond between girls is truly nice.
"By the way."
After Yui bounced back to her seat, Miko looked at Yoru and asked.
"Do I need to bring that sword?"
"What do you need a sword for? Are you going to neuter Sablé? I suppose that is a solution."
"Stop saying weird things. You know exactly what I mean."
Yoru spread his hands and said nonchalantly.
"If you think bringing a sword to Yui's house won't make her mom think you're a weirdo, then be my guest."
Miko thought that makes sense too.
"What about you tonight?"
"Old Geezer Oda sent over a few new commissions. I need to go check them out."
Seeing Miko looking worried, Yoru smiled and comforted her.
"Don't worry. Yui's house isn't remote, and no accidents have happened there. There definitely aren't any evil spirits. Don't worry about imaginary troubles."
Miko nodded noncommittally, but for some reason, the heaviness in her heart wouldn't go away.
She had a feeling that something unexpected would happen tonight.
....
Soon, it was evening.
After going to the shopping street with Yui to buy a box of pastries as a visiting gift, Miko arrived in front of the door to an apartment unit at Yui's home.
A young woman wearing an apron, who bore some resemblance to Yui and also had her hair in a bun, opened the door with a smile.
Upon seeing them, before Miko could say anything, the woman stepped forward and gave her a warm hug.
"You must be Yotsuya Miko-chan, right? I've heard Yui mention you a lot. Welcome to our home."
"Sorry for the intrusion."
Miko was still a bit reserved, but she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although Yui's mother was a bit overly enthusiastic, she didn't seem like a bad person.
Also, before entering, Miko had already observed the surroundings.
Yui's home was in what could be called a luxury apartment building.
In Sakura Prefecture, being able to afford an apartment of this size in such a location meant her family's financial situation was definitely not bad.
Most importantly.
The surrounding area was very lively. On the way here, Miko did see some "things," but they were all ordinary ghosts incapable of harming humans. She hadn't seen a single evil spirit.
It seemed she really had overthought it. There was no paranormal event, just a barking dog.
"Woof, woof, woof."
A very cute brownish-yellow puppy stuck out its tongue, wagged its tail, and approached Miko enthusiastically, greeting her with barks.
"Is this Sablé?"
"Yeah, isn't he cute?"
Although Miko preferred cats, she certainly didn't dislike such a cute puppy. She squatted down, patted Sablé's head, and smiled gently.
"If only I could communicate with you and ask what you're barking at every night."
Her only response was two simple barks from Sablé.
"Woof, woof."
....
After dinner and some chatting, Yui went to her room to sleep first.
Miko, of course, wasn't as carefree as Yui. She stayed on her phone, watching the numbers on the screen change, fighting back drowsiness, and waited until 12:59 AM.
The moment the numbers on the phone jumped to 1:00, she felt her heart skip a beat.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
As expected, Sablé's barking came from the living room.
Miko took a deep breath, her golden pupils trembling slightly. Suppressing the fear in her heart, she opened the bedroom door, murmuring to herself incessantly.
"Sh... Should be nothing, right."
She walked slowly into the living room and saw the usually obedient and cute Sablé baring his teeth, staring fiercely at the front door, growling viciously.
"Miko-chan, did you get woken up too?"
Yui, wearing cute pajamas, walked into the living room yawning, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
But Miko couldn't even reply; she was drenched in cold sweat.
Reflected in her golden pupils was the silhouette of a woman in a long white dress.
That wasn't the most important part.
The most important part was...
The woman's head almost touched the ceiling.
And the ceiling height of this apartment was a full 2.5 meters!
"Hachi... Hachishaku ?"