007

And then, after an hour, midnight had arrived.

We stopped at the side of the road where a set of stairs rose upward. Stairs that would lead us to the shrine Kasuga had spoken of.

The location was very far from our apartment. At this hour, there were no buses or taxis left. I just had to pedal my bike to get us here. I hadn't calculated the exact distance. But I could guess I'd ridden at least ten kilometers. Maybe more.

This wasn't the first time I'd ridden my bike that far. But it was the first time with a girl on the back.

"Here?"

"Yes. Here."

Kasuga, still sitting on the back rack, answered.

She jumped down from it, holding her waist. She seemed sore after sitting so long on the metal rack. Luckily, I'd cushioned it with a small pad, so her butt wouldn't hurt. I didn't want my passenger complaining too much.

"By the way, where's Miss Renma?" Kasuga asked.

"She said she had somewhere to go. She told us to wait up there if we got there first."

"Is that so," she replied, tugging at her collar. "By the way, how do I look right now?"

The question came out of nowhere.

"How you look...?"

"Is this better than when I was wearing my sailor uniform, or worse? Since these are Yamato's clothes, the ugliness level could be even higher."

"You think my clothes are worthless too."

"What? I'm just stating facts."

"Fictional facts!"

"So? Do I look like a tomboy like this?"

"Uh..."

She wasn't dressed like a girl right now.

Because it was late, Miss Renma had asked Kasuga to clean up at our apartment rather than go home first—I don't know where that is. The clothes Kasuga was wearing now were mine. A long-sleeved checkered shirt and brown chino pants. Her previously loose hair was now tied up in a ponytail.

A ponytail...

She's twice as cute like that. The long bangs that used to cover her forehead were now swept aside and held with bamboo hair clips. You're right. She's cuter this way.

"Yeah, I think it looks good."

"Just 'good,' or 'very good,' or 'not as good as the word good actually implies because good has connotations meaning lower than the general standard of good'? Which one?"

"Are you a robot or a human?!"

"A semi-android from the Civil War era with the most advanced brain."

"The Civil War didn't have androids! Which Civil War are you even talking about?!"

"The Galactic War."

"That never happened!"

"Is that right? Then you don't know anything."

"Fine, whatever. I don't care!"

"So, which 'good' is it?"

"You still want to continue?!"

"I haven't heard the answer yet."

She's persistent.

For some reason, that trait impresses me.

"Yeah, good— Very good at the most good level where the category of 'good' has never even seen such goodness!"

"Wow, you're really enthusiastic with the praise. What's possessed you?"

You, of course. Who else do you think!

"Is that so. Very good, then."

She swept back her tied-up long hair and smiled broadly.

"Thank you."

That smile pierced my heart.

"Then, how about we go up now."

"You should have said 'now' thirty seconds ago."

"You complain so much, don't you. No wonder you've never had a girlfriend."

"Shut up."

Leaving that argument behind, we continued climbing the stairs toward the shrine. Kasuga walked behind me, holding onto the hem of my shirt. She looked exhausted. We hadn't eaten anything—Miss Renma neither—tonight. The only energy we'd gotten was from a glass of sweet tea earlier. We were starving.

"By the way, what's your relationship with that vampire, Yamato?"

As our feet climbed the stairs to the shrine, Kasuga asked.

A confusing question, actually.

"Let's just say I'm her slave."

"Slave?"

Kasuga's steps slowed.

She seemed to be trying to interpret what I'd just said.

"Since when?"

"Two years ago."

Kasuga let out a long "hmm."

"Where did you meet her?"

"Romania."

"Romania?"

"You sound surprised."

"Because it's surprising. Even more surprising than a vampire's existence. I never once imagined that Yamato Tatsuya would go to a country that far away."

I didn't know if that was an insult or a compliment. And I didn't care. At least I did go there.

"How did you end up meeting her?"

"Complicated. Too long to tell."

"Too long?"

"Yeah. Later, after this case is over."

Our footsteps fell in rhythm.

"Promise."

"Huh?"

"Promise you'll tell me."

She said it firmly.

"A-all right..."

"There's a very popular cat café in the city center. We can talk about it there."

I never knew such a place existed. That's even more surprising than a vampire's existence.

When we reached the top of the hill, someone was already waiting for us. She was still in those navy-blue overalls, katana in hand. Another long sword—more like a large cross—was stuck in the ground, leaning casually against her.

"You took forever."

The female vampire was already there.

"You're already here, Miss Renma."

"I've been here thirty minutes."

"How? You didn't ride a bike— So how did you get here first?"

Kasuga's question made me want to laugh.

"Didn't you know that vampires can jump higher than a kangaroo, girl?"

"Really?"

"Oh, never mind that."

She skipped the explanation.

"Miss Renma, what's that?"

I pointed at the large sword behind her back.

"The key to the underworld."

"Underworld?"

The realm where monsters, evil spirits, madness, supernatural mysteries, and other irrational fantasies reside.

The Underworld.

"What's that for?" asked Kasuga, standing beside me.

"We're going to summon that creature with this."

"How do we do that?" Kasuga asked again.

"Ah, that's easy," Miss Renma said, placing her palm on the hilt of the large sword. "Anoint this sword with your blood and start calling for him."

This was clearly a summoning ritual.

A ritual that humans should not perform.

"How do I do it?" Kasuga asked, still confused.

"You've done it once before, haven't you," Miss Renma answered with a smile. "That means you can do it twice."

Had Kasuga summoned it before?

Didn't she say she met it, not summoned it?

Did that creature appear because Kasuga Kaneko willed it?

"Can you do it?"

Kasuga was silent for a moment.

She turned to look at me.

Her eyes were hesitant.

"I'll do it."

But she still carried out that determination.

"Good. That's how it should be."

Miss Renma was still smiling as she extended her hand.

"Give me your hand."

Kasuga stepped closer. She reached out her hand as well. Miss Renma scratched her wrist with the tip of her nail. Blood seeped out like tea poured from a pot. In an instant, the large sword was bathed in red. Kasuga's blood now covered the sword. She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain.

"Good, that's enough."

Once it reached a certain point, Miss Renma pulled Kasuga's hand away from the sword. She immediately licked the wound on Kasuga's wrist, slowly. Miraculously, the wound steamed as if touched by acid, then closed back up. The wound healed completely. Without even a scar. As if it had never been there at all.

"The wound..."

"Don't be surprised. You just got licked by a vampire," I said.

"Will I become a vampire too, then?"

"You won't become a vampire unless you make a contract with us," Miss Renma said, then pulled something from behind her waist—a bottle that looked like a sake container.

"What's that, Miss Renma?"

"Matatabi."

"Matatabi?"

"A type of drink that cats like. The scent of this sake will attract him. Mixed with the blood of a human who once made a contract with him, even better."

So she planned to lure the creature here with alcohol.

The sword itself was probably meant as an antenna. I'd never seen a summoning technique like this.

"Where did you get that?"

"I got it from Akane."

"So you went to Akane's place earlier, then?"

"Yes."

Fukase Akane.

The only human with a connection to us. She was one of the people we'd helped. She's the daughter of the owner of a large company in America. She's our source of funds. Miss Renma charges her 500,000 yen every three months in exchange for helping Akane. She has to keep paying until she graduates high school. The terms Miss Renma set so that Akane could become human again. It's cruel blackmail.

Luckily, Fukase isn't some nobody's family, so I don't feel too guilty.

Back to Kasuga.

"Now, calm yourself and sit in front of this sword. Relax, no need to be tense, no need to be afraid."

Miss Renma spoke, gripping both of Kasuga's shoulders, massaging them, pressing her down to sit on the ground.

"Lower your head, take a deep breath."

Kasuga did it.

She bowed her head. Took a deep breath.

"Do it several times. Until you're truly calm."

Kasuga repeated it. I could see her back pumping with air, expanding and contracting, trying to ease her heart and mind. She was as clear as a starless night. But the full moon still filled this earth with an ocean of light.

"Calm now?" asked Miss Renma.

"Yes."

She had herself under control now.

"Now, Kasuga Kaneko, tell me—what do you want to do right now, here before this sword bathed in your blood?"

First question.

"I want to summon the creature that took my eye."

She really wanted to do it.

She truly blamed that creature for her empty eye.

"Do you really want your eye back?"

"Very much."

"Then take another breath and start summoning him. Intend it with all your heart that you want to see him. Whisper your wish with absolute sincerity."

"......."

Kasuga fell silent. She brought her hands together in a prayer position. She focused her concentration. Her breath drew in slowly, so faintly that I wasn't sure she was breathing at all. Her hair swayed in the gentle wind. So did the scent of sake poured over the sword. This silence was killing my courage.

"—?!"

Suddenly, a ring of fire ignited. A ring of fire surrounding us. I hadn't noticed any of it before. There had been candles around us all along—probably placed by Miss Renma but unlit—forming a circle as if to create an isolation chamber for us. All the candles' wicks caught fire, flooding our surroundings with light.

But not like ordinary candle flames.

These flames were different.

None of the candles burned with orange fire—they burned with bright blue flames. A strange aura emanated from them. An aura that couldn't be considered normal.

That wasn't methane-based gas fire, so I couldn't possibly consider it normal. Besides, no candle can burn with a flame as blue as the ocean.

That wasn't ordinary fire.

Nor was it fire formed from cosmic explosions or chemical reactions.

It was, more precisely, flames ignited by the supernatural power of a creature.

Blue flames.

Flames of evil.

The creature had come.