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After chatting for a bit, Asher finally learned more about her situation.
Ebina Nana went to school during the day, and after classes she worked part-time at this supermarket. She came from the countryside, not from a wealthy family by any means. For someone like her, living alone in a big city to study, there was only so much her family could help with.
Still, Nana had a genuinely good nature.
She didn't grow resentful because of her background. Instead, she took the initiative to find part-time work, hoping to ease her family's burden and help cover expenses without adding extra pressure back home.
For a woman who was gentle, hardworking, thrifty, and independent, Asher couldn't help but feel a strong sense of admiration.
"I see. You're really admirable, Miss Ebina," Asher said, praising her sincerely, without any hidden motives.
"Ah… n-no, it's not that great, Mr. Asher…"
Being complimented so directly made a blush bloom across Nana's slightly chubby, youthful cheeks.
She rarely interacted with men in the first place, let alone being praised so openly like this. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she didn't dare meet Asher's eyes at all.
Seeing how shy she looked, Asher smiled gently.
"Haha… alright."
"Could you check me out, please, Miss Ebina?"
"Uh… o-okay, Mr. Asher. Please wait a moment."
She quickly picked up the groceries he'd placed on the counter and scanned them in. Before long, the total popped up.
"Thank you for your purchase, Mr. Asher. The total comes to xxxx yen."
After handing over the money, getting his change, and exchanging brief goodbyes, Asher left the supermarket.
Nana stood there watching his figure recede into the distance. Only after he was completely out of sight did the heat in her face finally start to fade.
Just as she finished calming herself down and was about to get back to work, the older cashier beside her suddenly spoke up with a teasing grin.
"Oh? Nana, was that your boyfriend just now?"
"What a handsome young man~"
"I didn't expect you to already have a boyfriend. I was even thinking of introducing my son to you. What a shame."
"Ah…?"
"N-no, Auntie Miko! That's not it!"
Nana flailed her hands in a panic, hurriedly denying it.
"Mr. Asher isn't my boyfriend. W-we're just neighbors, that's all."
"Hm? Really?"
"Nana, you know people who lie have to swallow a thousand needles, right?"
Auntie Miko clearly didn't buy it. She looked at Nana's frantic reaction with a knowing, amused smile.
As someone who'd been through it all, she knew exactly what girls Nana's age were thinking. Based on how Nana had acted while talking to that young man earlier, Auntie Miko was absolutely certain of one thing.
Even if Nana and that handsome boy weren't a couple yet, Nana definitely saw him differently from everyone else.
In her eyes, it was only a matter of time.
"Ugh… Auntie Miko, it really isn't what you think…"
Nana clasped her small hands together nervously and lowered her head. Her face was red like a ripe apple, unbearably cute.
"Haha, alright, alright."
Seeing Nana look like her brain was about to shut down, Auntie Miko laughed heartily.
"But since you call me Auntie, I still have to give you some advice."
"I've been around long enough to see through these things."
"If you really like that young man, you should make your move sooner rather than later."
"A boy that handsome won't stay single for long. If you wait too much, some other girl will snatch him up~"
"P-please stop, Auntie Miko…"
Nana bit her soft pink lip shyly.
They'd worked together for so many days, and this was the first time she realized that the kind-looking Auntie Miko could be this nosy.
Still, there was one thing she couldn't deny.
Mr. Asher really was handsome.
Honestly, he was the best-looking guy she'd ever seen.
And maybe that was exactly the problem.
Because he was so good-looking, Nana always felt a sense of inferiority whenever she saw him. As if someone like him must be surrounded by beautiful girls all the time.
She was just a country girl, not particularly pretty. On top of that, Mr. Asher was a real onmyoji, someone with genuine ability.
Putting all of that together, Nana had never once seriously thought that her relationship with Asher could go beyond being neighbors.
To her, simply living next door to him already felt like a stroke of luck.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
At the end of a street called Detective Slope stood an exceptionally luxurious detached villa.
The blonde twin-tailed girl Asher had saved that evening returned home in a sorry state, pushing her bicycle along.
The moment she stepped into the living room, she caught the attention of a stunning woman lounging on the sofa. The woman wore a floral kimono, had a petite, almost loli-like figure, yet somehow carried the unmistakable aura of a mature, married woman.
"Oh? Eriri Spencer, you're back?"
"You're later than usual today. Did something happen on the way home?"
As the woman looked more closely, she finally noticed Eriri's disheveled state and her dirt-stained skirt.
She immediately jumped up from the sofa and hurried over, worry written all over her face.
"Ms. Eriri, what happened to you?""Why are you so dirty? Did you fall into some mud?""Are you hurt anywhere?"
The rapid-fire questions made Eriri feel warm inside, but with her mother leaning in so close, her breath brushing against her face, she also felt a bit embarrassed.
She slapped away the hands that were patting her down.
"I'm fine, you old hag. Don't get so close!"
Seeing her daughter still had the energy to talk back like that, the beautiful woman finally relaxed a little.
"So what exactly happened, Eriri? Why do you look like this?"
Hearing her mother's worried tone, Eriri took a deep breath.
She had no intention of hiding what she'd just been through.
"Hey, old hag… do you believe that monsters exist in this world?"
"....."