"No!"
Miko screamed and instantly covered her mouth with her hand.
"Mom! Grab Kyosuke and run!"
"Hey, brat, stay out of this. The so-called bond of kinship only makes you indecisive and weak."
Akuto began fighting for control of the body.
"Go, now!"
Miko couldn't move; she slumped to the floor, clinging to the table leg.
"Get out of here!"
Mrs. Yotsuya snapped back to her senses at Miko's heart-rending scream, grabbed Kyosuke, and dashed for the door.
When Miko heard the door open she finally breathed out—only to see Mrs. Yotsuya run back inside.
She'd gotten Kyosuke out.
"What the hell are you!"
"What do you want with my daughter!"
Mrs. Yotsuya had found coarse salt somewhere and was flinging handfuls at Miko's body.
"Mom, just go—those things are useless! Hurry!"
"Hey, woman." The mouth on Miko's face slid onto the back of her hand. "You think this junk can hurt me?"
Mrs. Yotsuya stood tall, face set in iron resolve.
"Don't underestimate a mother's determination!"
"I won't let you harm my daughter!"
"Tch—brat, hand the body over, now!"
"Miko!"
"Everyone shut up!"
"Grrraah!!"
A distant Cursed Spirit joined the chaos with a roar.
Miko suddenly exploded.
The living room fell into deathly silence.
Rising, Miko looked at the mouth on her hand, voice gentle yet unshakable:
"Lord Akuto, if you hurt my family, I'll kill myself without hesitation."
Akuto blinked, then curled his lip and slowly faded away.
"With me around, you can't die even if you want to…"
"Forget it. Sort it out yourself—don't cause me trouble."
"Miko!"
Mrs. Yotsuya rushed to hug her, but Miko stepped back.
"I'm covered in blood." Seeing her mother's worry deepen, Miko shook her head. "It's someone else's."
"I'll take a bath first; I'll explain everything afterward."
She gathered her clothes and walked into the bathroom.
Only when she sank into the cold water did Miko finally calm down.
What followed was a flood of chaotic thoughts.
Her mother and brother, who were supposed to be away, had shown up and wrecked her plans.
She hadn't wanted to drag her family into this bizarre world, but it seemed unavoidable now.
She had to come clean.
Miko knew: if her mother got in Lord Akuto's way, her mother would die.
This wasn't something you could negotiate.
Negotiation required leverage, and her only chip was her own life.
Threaten Lord Akuto with suicide?
"No, impossible. I'm not irreplaceable—doing that again would just get me killed."
Miko's mind was a mess.
Half an hour later she stepped out in pajamas.
In the living room, Kyosuke and Mrs. Yotsuya watched her anxiously.
She sat, was quiet for a long time, then began, voice soft but firm:
"I… can actually see Cursed Spirits."
"I suddenly gained this ability long ago; the world is full of them…"
Calmly and completely, Miko told them everything that had happened.
"So later, Lord Akuto and I made a deal—we share one body."
When she finished, she looked at her mother and waited.
"So your body was taken over?"
"No matter the cost, I'll find a way to exorcise—"
"It's not like that."
Miko's words left Mrs. Yotsuya breathless.
"Truth is, without Lord Akuto I'd already be dead."
"Any spirit that notices a human can see it attack at once. Plenty of times I couldn't control my expression,"
"Or was spotted by accident."
"Lord Akuto gave me the strength to protect myself—and he protects me."
Mrs. Yotsuya drew a deep breath.
"Have you seen him?"
Miko nodded and described Akuto's appearance; the room fell into silence.
In that hush a mouth opened on Miko's cheek, speaking mockingly.
"Well? Thinking up ways to exorcise me?"
"Serve me, and I might spare your lives."
Mrs. Yotsuya studied the mouth, stepped up to Miko, and bent down.
Then she beamed.
"Then I've gained a powerful new son!"
"Eh?"
Kyosuke, Miko, and even Mr. Yotsuya's Benevolent Spirit beside them all froze.
What kind of logic was that?
"Servant! I said servant, you stupid woman!"
Akuto was fuming with rage.
"Alright, alright, you don't have to call me Mom. Aunt Touko works too, you know."
"Don't worry, I'll love you just as much as I love Miko and Kyosuke."
"Who needs your love!"
Mrs. Yotsuya didn't give Akuto a chance to refuse; instead, she turned to Miko with a searching look.
"Miko… there's a Cursed Spirit in our house, isn't there?"
"So many times before, your face looked awful. You must have seen something terrifying."
"It's Mom's fault for being useless, not knowing you were in danger all this time…"
As she spoke, Mrs. Yotsuya's tears pattered down.
Miko glanced sideways at her father's Benevolent Spirit and the other Cursed Spirit beside him.
Although she'd just said she could see spirits, and neither had attacked, she was still afraid.
If… if her father realized she could see him and attacked, what then?
At that point, she'd have no reason to stop Akuto from killing him.
Pretending she couldn't see at least let her catch glimpses of her father, let her hear his voice.
Mrs. Yotsuya knew her daughter too well; seeing Miko's hesitant, grief-filled eyes, she understood.
"Is it… your father?"
Mrs. Yotsuya sank onto the sofa, her body trembling.
Mr. Yotsuya's Benevolent Spirit stepped to her side and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry you've had to bear this."
He lifted his gaze to Miko.
"So you've inherited my gift too… You can see Dad now, Miko. Dad won't hurt you."
Tears spilled from Miko's eyes at once.
"Dad!"
The Benevolent Spirit stroked her forehead.
"You're such a brave, strong child."
Through the reflection in Miko's pupils, Mrs. Yotsuya faintly saw that familiar figure.
"Mamoru… is that you? You've come back…"
The Benevolent Spirit's face contorted in pain, eyes rimmed red.
"Miko, can you pass on a message for me? In this state… haha, it's pathetic—Dad should be the one protecting you…"
"Yes, Father, go ahead."
Then the Benevolent Spirit's words were repeated through Miko.
"Touko."
"Sorry, I couldn't stay to watch the kids grow up. I selfishly left all that responsibility to you…"
"No… Mamoru, I did it willingly…"
Mrs. Yotsuya wept until she could barely speak.
"Take care of yourself. Though it sounds irresponsible, this past year I've watched you grow more exhausted, even working two jobs to support the children…"
The Benevolent Spirit turned to Kyosuke.
"Kyosuke, Dad promised to play catch with you, but I'll have to break that promise. Still, I got you a limited-edition glove—top shelf of the white cabinet in the storeroom."
"Practice your pitches, don't make Mom angry, and you'll grow into a fine man."
"Miko-chan."
The spirit paused.
"The curse on you is my fault. I'm sorry—instead of protecting you, I only brought you harm…"
"Father, I never blamed you. I was even grateful I could see, because it let me see you again."
Miko's voice shook.
"You're the eldest; be patient with Kyosuke. And don't fear the Cursed Spirit beside me—before long it will leave."
"Also, I'm truly sorry for eating your pudding without asking. I didn't know it was yours, and now I can't make it up to you."
As he finished, the golden light around the Benevolent Spirit brightened.
"Touko, don't keep everything bottled up. Rest when you're tired, and if you meet someone you love, go after your own happiness."
"Your irresponsible husband was never worthy of you."
"I miss the warm miso soup you used to make—sadly, I'll never taste it again."
"I'll watch over you from a place you can't see. Miko-chan, Touko, Kyosuke… please forgive this unworthy father."
At that moment the golden light blazed to its peak, then scattered into stardust.
"Father! What… what's happening to you!"