I walked out of the room, leaving Nanami still in a dreamy state, her face glowing with satisfaction of both body and soul.
The same was true for me; the emotions and desires I held back during these busy past few days were finally unleashed. I felt as if my body had grown a pair of wings on my back.
As I walked down the campus hallway, my smartphone vibrated in my bag. I pulled it out, and sure enough, the name “Himekawa” appeared on the screen.
I swallowed hard, feeling a cold sweat run down my back.
“Damn, I was having too much fun and lost track of time.”
Not wanting any problem to happen, I answered the call and placed the speaker near my ear.
{Kanzaki, where the heck are you?}
A loud voice shook my eardrums, causing me to frown and pull the phone away from my face.
I took a deep breath as I replied.
“Sorry, the assignment was prolonged.”
Himekawa on the other end let out a long sigh, then replied in a calm tone shortly afterward.
{...Never mind. Hurry over here. I’m waiting for you at the gate entrance.}
“Okay, thank you!?”
Before I could answer, my smartphone emitted a flat ring, a sign the call had already ended.
As I walked through the campus, I was lost in my own thoughts, wondering why I agreed to go with Himekawa.
She hadn’t even told me what her purpose was. And she just asked me to spare some time today?
I furrowed my brows, diving deep into my own thoughts. There must be something else she wanted to discuss, which was why she called me today.
I was hoping there wouldn't be any trouble once they found out I had mysterious powers myself.
Because usually, an organization of some supernatural power users wouldn’t be happy to see an ordinary person getting the same access as them.
‘Wait a minute, am I going to be recruited by them?’
That could be a possibility too, considering Himekawa herself said that I was a ‘rogue shaman,’ back then.
If that was the plan, I had to rethink things.
First of all, I very much wanted to see what kind of organization they were like. And if it’s to my advantage, I would cooperate with them, but if not…
‘I’ll have to figure this out later.’
With my head full of thoughts, I finally stepped out of the campus building.
The blazing sunlight greeted me cheerfully from above, its glare making me squint.
‘Damn, it’s so hot!’
Knowing summer was coming dampened my mood to proceed, but she was waiting for me.
I quickened my pace, jogging toward the campus entrance only to see a crowd of guys gathered around a beautiful girl with a red sports car behind her.
For once, I could sympathize with the guys there. Their thoughts right now might be focused on that black-haired girl, but at the same time, they were also captivated by the sharp curves of the luxury car they could only dream of.
I was one of them, too.
The girl stood still, dressed casually in a beige linen shirt with long sleeves rolled up to her elbows. For her bottoms, she wore black wide-leg trousers paired with plain white sneakers.
Himekawa stood proud among the many men staring at her, her gaze steady and sharp, as if she were used to all this attention.
She might have noticed my attention, because eventually she turned toward me, her loose black hair — tied in a half-up style — swaying as she did so.
“You’re finally here. Hurry up, there’s someone I want you to meet.”
The men gathered there turned their gaze toward me, but when they realized Himekawa was meeting another girl, their stiff expressions relaxed. I could even hear a collective sigh of relief.
‘Heh, bunch of losers. For the record, I’m a man under these modest breasts,’ I thought to myself.
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come over here.”
Hearing Himekawa’s shout, my body moved instinctively. I walked around the car until I reached the door opposite to her side.
I peered down along the curve of the car, looking for a way to open the door in front of me.
But suddenly, the door lifted open on its own from the inside, giving me a glimpse of Himekawa’s black undergarments as she leaned over to open it.
‘Is she wearing a camisole underneath?... So damn sexy!’
Regardless of what fabric covered her smooth, pale skin, for a split second, I caught a glimpse of her beautiful cleavage.
And that was enough to make me swallow hard, feeling my heart begin to race and send blood rushing to my groin.
‘Be patient, buddy.’ It seemed my little friend was still raring to go.
Not wanting to be caught, I quickly clutched my bag and got into the car.
The car’s interior was just big enough for two people. I gaped, feeling how soft and comfortable the leather seat was beneath me.
I felt a subtle vibration coming from behind me, then the engine suddenly roared fiercely, causing my tight lips to stretch into a wide, amazed grin.
“What do you think? Pretty cool, right?”
Noticing my happy expression, Himekawa asked proudly. I turned to her and nodded furiously, as if my neck were about to snap.
“Hehe, okay, put on your seatbelt. We’re heading to my place.”
I pulled the seatbelt from the side of the seat and buckled it with a ‘click.’
“Your house? What’s going on here?”
I glanced at the girl next to me, watching her hands grip the steering wheel tight, then for a moment, I saw her mood shifted from beaming to somber.
She hesitated at first before replying.
“Mama wants to talk to you.”
“Your mother?”
I raised my eyebrows, recalling my earlier internal debate about recruitment, or the worst-case scenario.
‘I can’t let my guard down.’
“Okay, let’s go.”
After she said that, my straight posture suddenly jolted backward. My heart, which had been beating slowly, raced so fast it felt like it was about to leap right out of my chest.
I glanced to the side and accidentally caught sight of the speed the car had reached, causing my eyes to widen as dread drained the blood from my face.
‘Oh God, please help us!’
For the first time in my two lives — this didn’t happen even when I was staying at that hospital, nor during Kanzaki’s harsh life— I found myself begging him for something.
It’s just that this time, riding with Himekawa, I felt what it meant to be “afraid.”
‘...I’m dead!’
***
After a short but utterly exhausting ride, the car I was riding in finally stopped right in front of the wooden gate of an old Japanese house.
I got out of the car, then pressed my hand firmly against my soft left chest, still feeling my heart pounding.
‘Breast is so calming.’
“Follow me.”
Himekawa’s voice snapped me out of my daze. She had already gotten out, and was standing in front of the thick brown door.
She reached for a ring held by a fox-head statue attached to the door. With a “thump-thump-thump,” as she struck the ring, the girl shouted.
“I’m back.”
From behind the door, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, then something heavy being moved before the door in front of me creaked open.
“Welcome, Rika-ojou.”
Two men dressed formally in black suits approached, greeting her with a slight bow of their tall frames.
Then the two men turned to me; I could feel their appraising gazes behind their dark sunglasses.
I furrowed my brow, glaring back at the two men with a face full of anger while clutching my bag tightly.
‘Ugh, gross! I’m a girl… no, I have a girl’s body, you perverts!’ I cursed.
“Don’t be rude. Kanzaki is my guest. Here, just park my car.”
Himekawa broke the awkward silence and tossed her car keys to one of the men. She then turned to me and spoke.
“Come on, let’s go meet my mom.”
Without further ado, the girl walked down a path made of natural stones. I stared at her back for a while before hurrying to catch up with her.
I gaped in awe as I saw a classic building in ancient Japanese style stood right in front of me. The building stretched far in both directions, making me wonder just how large the property in this area was.
Himekawa led me through the main entrance, and showed me how to take off my shoes and put on indoor slippers.
My footsteps echoed down the narrow, long hallway. Unable to bear the silence between us, I asked,
“Do you live here?”
The girl glanced at me as I walked beside her, nodding with a blank expression that looked a little bored.
“Yeah, I live here, and it’s such a hassle.”
“A hassle?”
‘Isn’t this a blessing?’ I thought to myself.
I tilted my head, still not quite understanding why this big, spacious house wasn’t satisfying enough for her.
“Just imagine—the bathroom in this house is pretty far from my bedroom. So if I need to take care of business in the middle of the night, the long, dark hallway makes it a real hassle.”
She was right; it did sound like a real hassle, considering just how big and spacious this house was.
Yet on the other hand, though, this could be a good lesson in controlling what I would eat or drink as bedtime approaches, so that later in the middle of the night, my body won’t suddenly wake up to get rid of excess fluids or food in my stomach.
As we were chatting about random things, Himekawa finally stood in front of a paper sliding door. She knelt down, then spoke up.
“Ma—Mother, I’m back.”
Unlike usual, Himekawa, who normally seemed relaxed and casual to talk to, now she did a complete one-eighty, becoming stiff and formal.
“Come in.”