Black hair.
Red eyes.
A serene, tranquil aura.
And a beautiful face that was a solid seventy percent similar to Kaguya Shinomiya's... This was clearly an adult-sized Kaguya.
Natsuki turned his head in surprise, looking at the young lady beside him.
Could this be Shinomiya-san's mother?
Very likely.
Looking this similar, even if she wasn't her mother, she had to be a direct blood relative.
No wonder you actually said the word "help" this morning. Even the cold and ruthless young lady Kaguya had precious things she wanted to protect!
"She's my mother."
Kaguya Shinomiya crossed her arms over her chest and said calmly.
He'd guessed right.
It really was Lady Kaguya.
Natsuki's gaze swept imperceptibly across the young lady's chest.
What a shame.
She hadn't inherited any of Lady Kaguya's excellent genes.
"What are you looking at?"
Kaguya half-narrowed her eyes and tilted her head toward him.
"Sounds like the typical scheming of a major family." Natsuki silently changed the subject. "You're not going to lock me in a pitch-black basement afterward, are you?"
"Don't worry." Kaguya tilted her head slightly. "The military developed an amnesia spray long ago. I'll let you experience it later."
"Are there any side effects?"
"Your intelligence might regress to childhood levels."
"Please be sure to use it on me."
"..."
Being able to return to childhood—that was something countless people dreamed of.
Kaguya's red eyes shot him an exasperated look. She lightly bit her lip and continued:
"My mother passed away from heart disease when I was very young... Yesterday in the horror game, someone provided information about earthbound spirits. It caught my attention."
So that was it.
No wonder her expression had seemed strange back then.
The exact cause of earthbound spirits' creation was still unknown, but according to widespread belief, after a human died, they could become an earthbound spirit if they had a strong attachment they couldn't let go of, or an unfulfilled wish.
So then... what was Lady Kaguya's attachment?
Kaguya's expression remained calm as she silently watched Lady Kaguya by the distant floor-to-ceiling window. She continued:
"Yesterday afternoon when I came here, I happened to see Mother standing by the window."
"Did you talk to her yesterday?"
Natsuki suddenly asked.
"No." Kaguya shook her head. "I don't know what would happen if I spoke to Mother."
There was another half-sentence that Kaguya kept in her heart.
So many years had passed. Now suddenly seeing her mother as an earthbound spirit, she didn't know what to say.
"What a shame."
Natsuki felt somewhat regretful.
If he'd known what would happen from talking to Lady Kaguya, he could have gone back and bragged to Miko about it.
"Yesterday evening, as I was preparing to leave, I suddenly saw a very strange scythe-wielding evil spirit." Kaguya narrowed her eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in her wine-red pupils as she said coldly, "That scythe-wielding evil spirit hunts and kills other evil spirits. It's quite dangerous."
What do you do when you encounter danger?
Naturally, you eliminate the threat while it's still in its infancy.
No matter what, she would never allow that evil spirit to harm her mother. Directly exorcising it was Kaguya Shinomiya's choice.
"Understood."
Natsuki nodded slightly.
The evil spirits in the real world came in many varieties, and their relationships weren't exactly harmonious. Spirits frequently got into disputes and fights. The "little old men" at the very bottom of the spirit world hierarchy were even caught by some powerful evil spirits and used as skewers.
Kaguya silently watched Lady Kaguya in the distance and said quietly:
"I don't know if that scythe spirit is here. If not, we'll come back tomorrow."
The moment she finished speaking, Natsuki suddenly said in a meaningful tone:
"Is that the evil spirit you're talking about?"
In the shadows of the corner, an evil spirit suddenly appeared—wearing a black cloak and holding a massive scythe. The edges of its cloak seemed to dissipate into the air like wisps of mist. Its appearance was quite reminiscent of the Grim Reaper from Western mythology.
As the scythe spirit appeared, the air immediately turned cold.
Lady Kaguya, in her earthbound spirit state, quickly rose to her feet. A hint of panic appeared on her pretty face as she nervously backed away.
Kaguya's expression hardened. "Natsuki."
"Copy that."
Natsuki stepped forward and directly activated his Evil Spirit Repelling aura.
Transparent flames rapidly ignited across the scythe spirit's body, though the flames burned noticeably slower than usual. It wasn't like the human head spirit that liked hiding in refrigerators, which would burn to nothing in a breath.
A cold, hoarse shriek echoed through the air, making one's scalp tingle.
The scythe spirit rapidly retreated, its body passing through the wall and vanishing from sight.
At the same time, Lady Kaguya finally noticed the two people secretly watching. Her eyes widened slightly, surprise and curiosity appearing on her face.
"Let's go." Kaguya turned her head away.
Natsuki nodded slightly, then suddenly saw Lady Kaguya walking toward them.
The two headed downstairs, pretending not to see her.
Lady Kaguya quickly caught up to them. She tilted her head to look at Kaguya, her expression somewhat confused and puzzled. Then she extended a slender finger and poked toward them...
Natsuki felt a slight chill on his face and was immediately speechless.
Ma'am, your eyesight is terrible!
Your daughter is right beside you—why are you poking someone else?!
"Wait."
Natsuki suddenly realized something.
Why could he feel Lady Kaguya's icy temperature?
And what was this sensation like electric current?
Unlike the vengeful spirits in the game, the evil spirits in the real world were only visible—they had no physical substance.
As long as you pretended not to see them, you could walk right through an evil spirit's body without issue.
But Lady Kaguya before him was completely different.
The next moment.
A complex magic circle appeared beneath both Natsuki's and Lady Kaguya's feet simultaneously. Light flickered briefly, and a sudden understanding arose in Natsuki's heart.
At the same time.
Lady Kaguya's confused eyes suddenly became clear. She too sensed the mysterious connection and spoke for the first time. Her voice was pleasant, like the music of strings and woodwinds—clear and beautiful:
"...Master."
"M-Master?!"
Kaguya's breath caught. She stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. Forgetting that Lady Kaguya was right beside them, she whipped her head toward Natsuki.
She definitely hadn't misheard.
Mother had just called him "Master"!
"Shinomiya-san, let me explain." A drop of cold sweat fell from Natsuki's forehead as he quickly said, "Your mother just initiated a contract and became my Guardian Spirit."
He'd never intended to turn her mother into a Guardian Spirit—it was completely her mom's own initiative!
"Hm? Shinomiya-san?" Lady Kaguya was taken aback. Her gaze fell on Kaguya's face, her eyes curious. "That's exactly the same name as my daughter."
"Stop looking." Natsuki sighed. "She is your daughter."
"Ehhhh?"
Lady Kaguya raised her hand to cover her mouth in astonishment. "Little Kaguya was only three years old—how did she become an adult in the blink of an eye?"
Natsuki turned to look at the young lady and said quietly:
"Good news—you can now act spoiled with your mother to your heart's content."