Chapter 296: Kizuna Tachioka’s Thoughts

「I’m home…」

I called out from the doorway, but the house stood still and quiet.

It’s past six in the evening, and considering that the school day ended with the opening ceremony and homeroom, I’ve come home quite late.

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My brother is probably wearing headphones or something. He must have stayed in his room for a while again, and probably hasn’t even noticed that I’ve come home.

（Minami-onee-chan… seems normal）

During the opening ceremony, I had been observing Minami-onee-chan for a long time, but I didn’t see any change in her.

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（Well, it’s a good thing…）

It was quite a long time ago, but late at night, I saw her going out of the window of my room.

I wondered what she was doing at this hour. But I didn’t think too much about it, thinking that she might have gone to a convenience store or something.

The thought of Kobayashi-sensei came to my mind, but it had been a long time since she had been called, and she was always called in the evening.

But later, I heard a classmate who lived near Kobayashi-sensei’s house talking about this.

『Kobayashi-sensei is being harassed. He said that dead cats are thrown into his garden in the middle of the night』

When I listened to the story carefully, I found out that the first dead cat was thrown into the garden on the very day I saw Minami-onee-chan late at night.

That’s when I became convinced that Minami-onee-chan was trying to take revenge on Kobayashi-sensei.

What a stupid thing to do. I can understand how she feels, but even if not, a man like that will surely destroy her sooner or later.

I thought about asking her, but there was no way she would approve of such a thing. Despite her fluffy atmosphere, she is stubborn as hell.

But I can’t leave her alone.

If she is caught by the police, her reputation will be damaged. If that happens, my brother will be hurt, too, of course.

My brother says he’s broken up with her, but I don’t believe him. They’re childhood friends who’ve grown up together.

There may be differences, but it’s only temporary. I believe that once the devil problem is solved and my brother is able to return to society, things will be back to normal.

That’s why I tried to stop her.

Whenever she goes out late at night, she always wears a black hoodie. I don’t know why, but it’s out of season.

So I put on a black hoodie and followed her too.

I wanted to be able to take her place in the worst-case scenario if she was seen by someone.

The method is simple: I follow her, pretending to be coincidental, and say, “It’s a coincidence, Onee-chan. Convenience store? Then let’s go together”

She probably knows that I’m trying to interfere.

But in fact, the day after my successful attempt, I didn’t hear that a dead cat was thrown into Kobayashi-sensei’s house.

This time, however, a dead policeman was thrown into his house. Even I was dismayed by this.

I didn’t think it was possible, but when I talked to a girl who lived in Kobayashi-sensei’s neighborhood, she confirmed that it was not the work of onee-chan.

At the same time, I was relieved to know that if such an incident happened, the police would be patrolling the area a lot and my sister would give up.

Still, if it was just a coincidence that the body was thrown into Kobayashi-sensei’s garden, it was really a case of retribution.

Now that the existence of the devil is known, there must be a God in the world. If someone does something wrong, they will be punished.

As usual, I haven’t told my brother about Minami-onee-chan and Kobayashi-sensei. I don’t want him to worry about something strange, and if I do, it might be an obstacle for him and my sister to get back together.

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Without knowing anything, he’s sitting at his computer, trying to find out about Fumio Kijima, the whereabouts of Kasuya-senpai and Teruya-senpai, and the whereabouts of Detective JK.

Thinking to that point, I remembered something very important.

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（…Oh yeah, I forgot! I have to tell Onii-chan about this）

Today, I had promised to stop by a diner with Sato-chan on my way home, so I was waiting for the club activities to finish, and I saw the sister(Ane) of Detective JK there.

She was coaching the track and field club members on the field.

Although my brother said that she might have been killed by the devil, she seemed to be in good health.

So, my brother must be relieved to know that they are okay.

For a while, I wondered what would happen to him, but I felt that things were slowly starting to get better.

The same is true for my sister.

Kobayashi-sensei hasn’t been coming to school, and I’m sure he’s not in the mood to mess with my sister right now. As for me, I’ve done what I had to do, and I’m sure their relationship will be broken soon.

And from here, things start all over again.

With my brother and I, the two Detective JKs and Shiratori-senpai, this time we might be able to hunt down Fumio Kijima, the devil’s pawn.

As I stepped into the living room, I fumbled with the wall with my fingertips to find a switch and turn on the light.

Just as I set my bag down on the couch, I hear the door open upstairs and the sound of my brother’s footsteps coming down the stairs.

「Kizuna… I’m hungry」

Shaggy hair, light beard and stubble. With that appearance, my brother complains languidly.

「I’m sorry I’m late. I’ll make dinner soon. Do you want an omelette?」

「Sure…」

I put on my apron over my uniform and move straight to the kitchen.

Following me with his eyes, my brother sits down on a chair and puts his elbows on the dining table.

「Today is the first day of school, right? You’re very late」

「Yeah, I was just hanging out with Sato-chan and her friends. And there’s a girl in my class. She’s being bullied by her senior and she needs help」

「You?」

「No, I was introduced to Shiratori-senpai by Sato-chan. I was just listening from the side」

As soon as Shiratori-senpai’s name was mentioned, my brother’s expression turned bitter.

「Kizuna, I told you that you should stay away from Saki-chan… There’s something wrong with that girl, you can’t trust her」

「Yeah… but I wonder… Last time I saw her, Shiratori-senpai said she was still suspicious of Kijima」

「…Is that so?」

「Yeah, and today. I saw the detective JK’s sister(Onee-chan) at school!」

「Really!」

Immediately, my brother crashed his chair and stood up. That’s the kind of reaction one would expect.

「Yes, it’s true. She was just coaching track」

「What did she say?」

「She said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It’s just not a good time”」

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When I told him, he collapsed into a chair with a heave.

「…What is it? They should at least call me」

His voice sounded somewhat relieved.

Since we had no means to fight the devil other than Detective JK, the fact that they were safe must have been like a lifeline he thought he had lost.

But then he gave a small snort.

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「Tsk, if I had known that, I wouldn’t have had to go all the way to Fukuoka…」

「Fukuoka?」

「Yeah, but whatever. I’m going to Fukuoka tomorrow for a while, so I’ll leave the contact with Detective JK to you」

I was surprised to hear that.

It would be strange if I wasn’t surprised at the fact that my shut-in brother suddenly decided to go away.

「…I’m glad you’re going out, but why Fukuoka?」

「I was looking for someone besides Detective JK who could fight the devil, and I found it. There’s a place in Fukuoka called Futsukaichi」

Apparently, he had found someone who might be on our side. But I’m worried about my brother being alone.

「Are you okay by yourself? Do you want me to come with you?」

「Don’t treat me like a kid. I’m fine. The old man says he’d be happy to meet me if I’d come, but he’s acting so high and mighty… it’s annoying」

「This guy you’re talking to, is he old man?」

「Yeah, I found him on the net, and he’s rumored to be the most powerful psychic in Japan. He’s a priest of a small shrine…」

「A Shinto priest…」

Surely he can at least deal with devils.

I think it’s called an Onmyoji? Something like that.

His voice sounded somewhat relieved.

It would be strange if I wasn’t surprised at the fact that my shut-in brother suddenly decided to go away.

「This guy you’re talking to, is he old man?」

***

I was surprised to hear that.

「But… now that the two detectives are back, don’t we need to see them again?」

「…I’m glad you’re going out, but why Fukuoka?」

But then he gave a small snort.

「Yes, it’s true. She was just coaching track」

By that, I assume he means the image of the goat-skull-headed devil slaughtering the guards.

「…What is it? They should at least call me」

「Well, that’s true, but… once you see them, there’s never enough allies」

When I told him, he collapsed into a chair with a heave.

Surely he can at least deal with devils.

Immediately, my brother crashed his chair and stood up. That’s the kind of reaction one would expect.

「Yeah, I found him on the net, and he’s rumored to be the most powerful psychic in Japan. He’s a priest of a small shrine…」

Apparently, he had found someone who might be on our side. But I’m worried about my brother being alone.

「A Shinto priest…」

If so, we certainly need more allies. Or so I thought.

「What did she say?」

「Yeah, but whatever. I’m going to Fukuoka tomorrow for a while, so I’ll leave the contact with Detective JK to you」

「Are you okay by yourself? Do you want me to come with you?」

「Don’t treat me like a kid. I’m fine. The old man says he’d be happy to meet me if I’d come, but he’s acting so high and mighty… it’s annoying」

「Fukuoka?」

「I was looking for someone besides Detective JK who could fight the devil, and I found it. There’s a place in Fukuoka called Futsukaichi」

Since we had no means to fight the devil other than Detective JK, the fact that they were safe must have been like a lifeline he thought he had lost.

「She said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It’s just not a good time”」

I think it’s called an Onmyoji? Something like that.

「Tsk, if I had known that, I wouldn’t have had to go all the way to Fukuoka…」

His voice sounded somewhat relieved.

It would be strange if I wasn’t surprised at the fact that my shut-in brother suddenly decided to go away.

「This guy you’re talking to, is he old man?」

***

I was surprised to hear that.

「But… now that the two detectives are back, don’t we need to see them again?」

「…I’m glad you’re going out, but why Fukuoka?」

But then he gave a small snort.

「Yes, it’s true. She was just coaching track」

By that, I assume he means the image of the goat-skull-headed devil slaughtering the guards.

「…What is it? They should at least call me」

「Well, that’s true, but… once you see them, there’s never enough allies」

When I told him, he collapsed into a chair with a heave.

Surely he can at least deal with devils.

Immediately, my brother crashed his chair and stood up. That’s the kind of reaction one would expect.

「Yeah, I found him on the net, and he’s rumored to be the most powerful psychic in Japan. He’s a priest of a small shrine…」

Apparently, he had found someone who might be on our side. But I’m worried about my brother being alone.

「A Shinto priest…」

If so, we certainly need more allies. Or so I thought.

「What did she say?」

「Yeah, but whatever. I’m going to Fukuoka tomorrow for a while, so I’ll leave the contact with Detective JK to you」

「Are you okay by yourself? Do you want me to come with you?」

「Don’t treat me like a kid. I’m fine. The old man says he’d be happy to meet me if I’d come, but he’s acting so high and mighty… it’s annoying」

「Fukuoka?」

「I was looking for someone besides Detective JK who could fight the devil, and I found it. There’s a place in Fukuoka called Futsukaichi」

Since we had no means to fight the devil other than Detective JK, the fact that they were safe must have been like a lifeline he thought he had lost.

「She said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It’s just not a good time”」

I think it’s called an Onmyoji? Something like that.

「Tsk, if I had known that, I wouldn’t have had to go all the way to Fukuoka…」

His voice sounded somewhat relieved.

It would be strange if I wasn’t surprised at the fact that my shut-in brother suddenly decided to go away.

「This guy you’re talking to, is he old man?」

***

I was surprised to hear that.

「But… now that the two detectives are back, don’t we need to see them again?」

「…I’m glad you’re going out, but why Fukuoka?」

But then he gave a small snort.

「Yes, it’s true. She was just coaching track」

By that, I assume he means the image of the goat-skull-headed devil slaughtering the guards.

「…What is it? They should at least call me」

「Well, that’s true, but… once you see them, there’s never enough allies」

When I told him, he collapsed into a chair with a heave.

Surely he can at least deal with devils.

Immediately, my brother crashed his chair and stood up. That’s the kind of reaction one would expect.

「Yeah, I found him on the net, and he’s rumored to be the most powerful psychic in Japan. He’s a priest of a small shrine…」

Apparently, he had found someone who might be on our side. But I’m worried about my brother being alone.

「A Shinto priest…」

If so, we certainly need more allies. Or so I thought.

「What did she say?」

「Yeah, but whatever. I’m going to Fukuoka tomorrow for a while, so I’ll leave the contact with Detective JK to you」

「Are you okay by yourself? Do you want me to come with you?」

「Don’t treat me like a kid. I’m fine. The old man says he’d be happy to meet me if I’d come, but he’s acting so high and mighty… it’s annoying」

「Fukuoka?」

「I was looking for someone besides Detective JK who could fight the devil, and I found it. There’s a place in Fukuoka called Futsukaichi」

Since we had no means to fight the devil other than Detective JK, the fact that they were safe must have been like a lifeline he thought he had lost.

「She said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get a chance to tell you. It’s just not a good time”」

I think it’s called an Onmyoji? Something like that.

「Tsk, if I had known that, I wouldn’t have had to go all the way to Fukuoka…」

「But… now that the two detectives are back, don’t we need to see them again?」

「Well, that’s true, but… once you see them, there’s never enough allies」

By that, I assume he means the image of the goat-skull-headed devil slaughtering the guards.