“It must be a beautiful place under normal circumstances.”
“It’s dark.”
After an hour and a half in the limousine Myozen had arranged, we arrived at a hot-spring town tucked away in the mountains of the Kansai region.
It had been known as a somewhat exclusive destination since the Showa era.
This was an ancient hot-spring town, supposedly discovered about a thousand years ago by a high-ranking Buddhist monk. Unlike the more commercialized resorts, the inns scattered along its picturesque riverbanks had an almost artistic charm.
…or they would have, under better weather.
The sky was overcast, a light drizzle was falling, and the air was oppressively humid.
Although it wasn’t even noon, the town looked gloomy enough to dampen anyone’s spirits.
Behind me, Sayako-san idly played with the hair at the back of my head.
Stop stroking the nape of my neck! Your touch is far too sensual!
“Are you one of Myozen-sama’s disciples?”
As we stepped out of the limousine, a woman approached us.
She was slender and appeared to be in her fifties, dressed in a neat kimono that was elegant without being overly flashy.
“Yes. Please forgive my informal attire. My name is Muku. The woman behind me is my wife.”
I was using the alias I’d adopted for my role as Myozen’s “assistant.”
Incidentally, I’d come up with it in about two seconds.
My hairstyle was different from usual, too. I’d slicked my bangs straight back.
The woman gave me a suspicious look when she saw my dark suit and sunglasses. But when she noticed Sayako-san, her eyes widened in surprise.
Their sect permitted marriage, so perhaps she was simply astonished by my wife’s extraordinary height.
Just as I handled the work that fell within my abilities, the reverse arrangement applied, too.
When a situation was clearly beyond Myozen’s capabilities, or at least beyond what he’d agreed to handle, it was my turn.
Or more accurately, Sayako-san’s turn.
Normally, my cut was twenty percent. For a job like this, it rose to eighty percent.
These assignments tended to pay extremely well, so Myozen didn’t seem to mind.
And me? Of course I had no objections.
After all, we were supposedly just his assistant and apprentice. Neither of us attracted much attention in that role.
Well, Sayako-san certainly stood out, but as I’d mentioned before, she rarely appeared properly in photographs or videos. That made it easy enough to disguise her appearance.
“We’ve been expecting you. My name is Sakakibara. Thank you for coming all this way…”
“Oh, there’s no need to explain everything here. My master has already briefed me. Let’s go straight to the site.”
I raised a hand to gently stop Sakakibara before she could continue.
Even a light drizzle was enough to get us wet, and Sayako-san became twice as alluring whenever her clothes were damp.
That was dangerous in more ways than one.
The sooner we got under a roof, the better.
…
“This is completely different from what I was told.”
Sakakibara led me to one of the oldest and most luxurious inns in the hot-spring town.
We were shown into a room that seemed to require a certain level of social standing just to reserve.
And there, waiting for us, was someone I knew very well.
Gone was the lecherous grin Myozen had worn when he left Kibagami-do, practically announcing that he was off to enjoy a night with his mistress.
In its place was an expression of profound displeasure.
“Her?”
His mistress lay asleep on a futon.
The air around her was unusually clear, almost as though a protective barrier had been erected around the bedding. Wooden talismans and other ritual objects were scattered nearby.
As you might expect, I was no expert in these matters. My knowledge of the occult was broad but shallow, and I had neither the ability nor the inclination to figure out exactly what each object did.
“She was exposed to miasma,” Myozen explained. “Normally, she’s a sensitive and capable woman, but situations like this are difficult for her. Fortunately, we got her out quickly, so it didn’t become serious.”
Miasma was the negative energy emitted by supernatural entities.
Prolonged exposure could drain a person’s vitality, especially if they were spiritually sensitive and lacked the ability to protect themselves. Eventually, the resulting exhaustion could become severe enough to require hospitalization.
Considering that this had only happened yesterday, the miasma must have been exceptionally potent.
Me? I was perfectly fine, thanks to Sayako-san’s super-powerful curse barrier.
…Or so I liked to joke.
Still, Myozen’s expression made one thing obvious.
His mistress mattered to him far more than his wife ever could.
If Sayako-san collapsed, I’d be a hundred times more distraught.
Actually, I couldn’t even imagine such a thing happening.
“Please, have a seat. I’ll explain what we’ve learned so far.”
“I’ll make some tea.”
While Sayako-san busied herself with the teapot, I settled onto a comfortable cushion.
The original request Myozen had received was straightforward:
Exorcise the evil spirit inhabiting one of the inn’s rooms.
Apparently, about ten years earlier, an adulterous couple from Tokyo had died violently in that room.
Both had been married to other people, yet they’d fallen passionately in love. With no other way out or so the story went, they had stabbed each other in the chest.
What was this, a tragic novel from the Showa era?
Their dramatic romance had left the inn with a rather inconvenient problem.
If they wanted to die so badly, couldn’t they have gone somewhere deep in the mountains and dealt with it there? Think of the trouble they’d left for everyone else.
Well, obviously, I wasn’t going to say that out loud.
After all, the job was a source of income for me.
I didn’t remember hearing anything about the incident in the news, so I suspected that influential guests, the sort who frequented these exclusive inns, had helped keep it quiet.
Given the prices, several establishments in the area probably served as discreet retreats for wealthy and well-connected people.
Anyway, when Myozen entered the room, he’d effortlessly exorcised the two spirits believed to be the dead lovers.
He’d been cleaning up after the job, pleased with how smoothly everything had gone, when he noticed something else.
There were other evil spirits in the room.
And not just one or two.
Several of them.
The sudden release of miasma had caused his mistress to collapse, so Myozen had grabbed her and immediately retreated.
“What do you mean, just two people?” he grumbled. “It’s not that simple. The people ‘staying’ in that room aren’t limited to those who died at this inn.”
Myozen crunched on a rice cracker and washed it down with tea.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. That room is basically a prison.”
…That was a rather unsettling description.
“You met that woman, Sakakibara, didn’t you? She isn’t the owner of the inn. She’s one of the directors overseeing the entire hot-spring town.”
Ah, so that was why she’d been showing us around.
She must have been quite beautiful thirty years ago. I could see it in her features.
“I don’t know who created it, but every person who died in this town and whose spirit remained behind has been bound to that room.”
“What? Something like that is possible?”
My knowledge of the occult was broad, but hardly deep enough to explain a situation like this.
Myozen knew that, so he continued.
“It’s a technique for luring the dead onto a spiritual path, trapping them, and binding them in place. Judging by its age, it probably dates back to the Showa era. The technique is old, but the spell itself is still firmly established.”
He paused to consider it.
“Based on the way it behaves, I’d guess it was created by a spiritual practitioner from western Japan. They might be around my master’s age or even older.”
Even among psychics, there were different schools and factions. The occult had a long and complicated history.
I knew a little about those things, mostly from listening to people who knew more than I did.
And of all the people I knew, Myozen was the one who loved explaining things the most.
“Anyway, there are far too many spirits for me to handle alone. Besides, I was only contracted to deal with two of them. Unless they agree to additional compensation, I have no intention of doing anything more.”
He was clearly irritated.
Typical of a greedy, corrupt monk: even when supernatural forces were involved, he was meticulous about the terms of his contract.
“Getting even this much information out of them took some effort. I had to put pressure on about five of the younger members of the board before they finally told me what was going on. Honestly, there’s a limit to how much they can take advantage of people!”
He crunched another rice cracker and gulped down his tea.
His stamina was impressive, too. I’d read in a weekly magazine that he held an assistant-instructor rank in some style of karate and judo.
“So, what do you intend to do?” I asked.
“Hmph. With Kibagami-sensei here, we have nothing to worry about. Let’s keep them waiting.”
“Are you planning to torment them?”
Strictly speaking, it was more like, With Sayako-san here, we have nothing to worry about.
She listened to me, after all, and would never deliberately do anything to put me at a disadvantage.
The only exception was when she wanted to drag me into bed.
“The ridiculous thing is that they still haven’t finalized the additional compensation. If they continue dragging their feet, we’re leaving tomorrow.”
“What? We’re leaving? We only just arrived!”
“I may be a corrupt monk, but I have my pride. Don’t worry, though. If I have to return without completing the job, I’ll cover the cost of this trip myself.”
Oh, in that case, everything was fine.
Myozen was hundreds of times wealthier than I was. He’d even recently published an occult book through a rather dubious publisher.
“We’ve booked the room next door for you and your wife. Relax for now. If the board makes any moves, I’ll contact you through the internal phone.”
“Understood.”
I was only the assistant, after all.
As long as I was paid for my waiting time, I had no complaints.
“Boss! Come on, let’s go!”
Sayako-san looked delighted to have been introduced as my wife. She grabbed my clothes and tugged me toward the door.
“Well then, Myozen-san. See you later.”
Before I could say anything else, Sayako-san practically dragged me out of the room.
“I should have brought Akemi along, too.”
Behind us, Myozen murmured the name of another mistress as he gazed sadly at the woman sleeping on the futon.
What a man of worldly desires.
Then again, I wasn’t exactly one to talk.
…
“Kibagami-sensei, I’ve secured the additional contract!”
I’d been cuddling with Sayako-san for about two hours when the internal phone rang.
“Oh, understood. Are we leaving now?”
“They’re demanding that I hurry up. The nerve of them! I’m going to make them wait another two hours. I won’t lift a finger until the advance payment arrives.”
“Hahaha. All right, then. I’ll go take a bath.”
“Please don’t start without me. I’ll let you know before I head out.”
“Understood.”
The call ended.
Well, I supposed I’d have to be patient.
“Food?”
Sayako-san was lying on the futon with me sprawled across her.
In this context, food meant evil spirits.
“Not yet, he says. Are you hungry?”
“It’s okay.”
Her arms tightened around my torso.
Having another person involved in the job seemed to have put her at ease.
When Sayako-san relaxed or became stressed, her hair grew fuller and the number of her arms increased.
Right now, she seemed perfectly calm.
I wasn’t frightened in the slightest.
If anything, those extra arms only made her more alluring.
And for me, there was even a bonus.
“Maybe I’ll have a sweet bun. I think there’s one on the table…”
“Hmmm…”
Sayako-san’s arms were long enough to reach the table without her having to get up.
She snatched the bun and immediately popped it into her mouth.
“Give me half! Half!”
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
I’d just said I was fine!
Don’t steal the part sticking out of my mouth so skillfully!
That was downright naughty!
Stop it! Don’t blame me if round one starts right here!
…
“I’ve told you time and time again. You’re still remarkably energetic.”
“It won’t interfere with my work, Master.”
“Mmm. That was delicious.”
After another phone call, I returned to Myozen’s room.
Judging by my appearance, he seemed to have figured out what had happened.
Well, what could I do? Sayako-san was simply too cute and too mischievous.
There was no hiding the enormous hickey on my neck, either.
“All right, then. Let’s go. Madam, if you would.”
“Hee-hee. Hmm-hmm-hmm…”
Being called wife had put Sayako-san in an excellent mood.
Of course, only a little while earlier, she’d been draining the life out of me.
“I really envy you in that regard, Kibagami-sensei. I wish I had that much stamina.”
“It all depends on your partner, doesn’t it?”
With Sayako-san in even higher spirits, she wrapped me in a huge hug as we headed toward the room in question.
It was difficult to walk like this.
But it was a very happy sort of inconvenience.
…
“Damn it… Their numbers keep increasing! Just how many people have died in this town? This isn’t the accumulation of a mere ten or twenty years!”
Myozen clutched his prayer beads and frowned.
I met up with Sakakibara, whose face had gone pale, and we arrived at the room.
The woman looked as though she’d rather die than enter.
The employees and other important-looking people gathered in the corridor weren’t much better.
Ignoring their expressions, I stepped inside.
If they were that afraid, they could always run away.
The room was about ten tatami mats in size.
Its surfaces were stained a vivid, horrifying red.
The miasma emitted by the spirits had become so concentrated that it was almost visible to the naked eye.
Even an ordinary person with no psychic sensitivity would probably collapse after entering.
“I’ll erect a barrier to keep the spirits from escaping,” Myozen said. “The rest is up to you.”
“Got it. Anything I should watch out for?”
Myozen thought for a moment, then smiled mischievously.
“Your wife will probably finish this in no time. But let’s give the people outside a surprise. It would be wonderful if you could make the whole thing… spectacular.”
“Understood. Sayako-san, it’s all yours.”
I patted her waist encouragingly.
Squish!
That was her backside.
I’d aimed too low.
“Hee-hee! You’re such a pervert, Boss ♡”
At least she seemed to be in a good mood.
Sayako-san gently stroked my cheek, then gave me a deep, lingering kiss before walking toward the center of the room.
Wow.
She was absorbing the miasma just by moving through it, like a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.
“…Sanmyakusanbodaya taniyata on baiseizei baiseizei baiseijasamborigyatei sowaka…”
Myozen clasped his hands and began chanting a mantra.
A translucent wall was already taking shape around the room.
As expected, he was a first-rate psychic.
That sounded like a mantra from esoteric Buddhism, didn’t it? It had a certain style to it.
Maybe I should learn it myself, just to bluff my way through future consultations.
Crack.
A gruesome sound pulled my attention back to the room.
Sayako-san had torn the head off a spirit and was ripping its body apart.
The struggling black figure’s limbs were torn away one by one as she laughed.
Shlurrrp.
With another strange sound, the remains were sucked into her mouth.
“Mmm. So strong. So sexy. Invincible.”
At some point, she’d become completely naked.
Her long black hair had come undone, flowing beautifully against her pale skin. Her six arms looked powerful and strangely alluring.
Ah! Don’t stare!
Obviously, I wasn’t going to look!
Wait, when had I started covering my eyes with a protective charm?
“Kibagami-sensei is abnormal,” Myozen muttered. “His spiritual rank is so far beyond the ordinary that anyone who saw him in that state would be blinded.”
I was perfectly fine, though.
Oh! Was that a lovely shade of pink?
Heh-heh-heh.
This might be a little difficult to endure while standing upright.
“…”
Sayako-san laughed hysterically, shouting something in a dialect I couldn’t quite make out.
Well, at least she was enjoying herself.
“Damn it… If I weakened the barrier even a little, the people in the hallway would end up hospitalized for six months!”
Hmm? I thought her voice sounded lovely.
While I was busy admiring her, Sayako-san continued her rampage without slowing down.
She tore the head off a spirit trying to escape, strangled another with her hair, and ripped it apart. Then she crushed the heads and bodies of others with her extra hands.
The screams, normally audible only to people like me and Myozen, seemed to echo all the way down the corridor.
From outside came more screams, followed by the unmistakable sounds of people vomiting.
Please make sure to clean up before we leave.
“Um… would this count as helping them find peace in the afterlife?” I asked.
“No,” Myozen replied. “She’s trampling them, grinding them up, and turning them into nutrients. Besides, these spirits probably haven’t accumulated enough good karma to rest in peace. They’re better off becoming nourishment for your wife.”
Well, either way, it wasn’t my problem.
The evil spirits in this room didn’t seem like the sort that deserved much sympathy.
I watched Sayako-san having the time of her life while I munched on the rice crackers I’d brought from our room.
The humidity was unbearable.
Probably because of all that miasma.
…
“Ahhh! A drink after work is the best even if I didn’t actually do any work.”
“Hey.”
I could practically hear the familiar ka-poon sound of a hot-spring bath.
Sayako-san and I had the outdoor bath all to ourselves.
After she effortlessly wiped out the entire horde of evil spirits, Sakakibara had thanked us profusely. She looked as though she’d been on the verge of death from sheer terror, but she and the others were now positively delighted with the outcome.
For some reason, more than half the staff had suddenly taken ill by the time I joined them.
How mysterious.
Meanwhile, Myozen had been invited to a banquet with the board of directors.
It was an excellent opportunity for him to build connections, so he’d asked us to look after his mistress while he was away.
He’d even said, “Kibagami-sensei probably has eyes for no one but his wife.”
He wasn’t wrong.
His mistress was certainly beautiful, as one would expect of someone Myozen had chosen, but she was less than 170 centimeters tall.
And compared with Sayako-san, her figure was hardly voluptuous.
I wasn’t even remotely tempted.
To begin with, I wasn’t interested in women shorter than me… or in someone else’s girlfriend.
Ha-ha-ha.
So we left Myozen’s mistress resting in the room and headed for the inn’s largest private outdoor family bath.
I could have rented the main outdoor bath for myself, but I had a guest to look after.
She seemed to be a deep sleeper, so I hoped she’d be fine on her own for a little while.
“Osha… ku.”
“Whoa! Sayako, aren’t you going a little fast?”
Sayako-san poured sake into the deep cleavage of her ample breasts, treating it like a little cup, then pressed herself firmly against me.
“The night is still young. Let’s take our time and enjoy ourselves, shall we?”
“…Mmm. Hee-hee ♡”
That wasn’t a joystick, so please stop gripping it like that!
You weren’t going to perform a Hadouken with it!
“Gen, you liar… I’m being honest with you ♡ So, ah?! Mmm…!”
“Don’t think I’m going to keep losing forever! I’m ready for you this time!”
Not to be outdone, I grabbed hold of a convenient protrusion.
Heh-heh-heh. Revenge at last!
Oh, she had a very determined look in her eyes.
Whenever Sayako-san entered her ultimate perverted mode, the third eye on her forehead glowed bright red.
It was beautiful.
Oh, right!
She’d devoured a whole horde of evil spirits earlier. Her rationality was probably nowhere to be found now.
In other words, Sayako-san was currently an unstoppable force of nature.
“I love you so much ♡ Gen, I love you so much…!”
When we were alone, my adorable wife called me Gen.
“I love you so much! Mimi-mii~!”
At least let me answer!
Kissing someone with your tongue while they’re trying to talk should be illegal!
That was what I thought as Sayako-san straddled me, breathing heavily.
Her tongue was incredibly long.
I wondered just how far it could reach…
Wow, my Sayako-san is truly the strongest in the world!