Volume 5 Chapter 3-2 Naoshi ／ Going To Tokyo II： Not A Hero
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Naoshi stepped into the bedroom connected to the living room.
There, a man and a woman lay entwined on a mattress covered with a waterproof sheet.
”Eek!?”
”Ahh!”
The couple glanced at Naoshi and gasped in surprise, then stopped moving.
Unlike the masked girl before, it seemed they were consensual.
”You’re different from them.”
Naoshi’s presence wasn’t near the couple; he scanned the room and found what he was looking for in front of the closet.
A youma resembling a standing chameleon, with visual and spiritual camouflage.
It seemed almost mature enough to be called an Intermediate Youkai.
Its large eyes, occupying over a third of its face, seemed to be watching Naoshi without looking directly at him.
It didn’t try to flee immediately, either because it hadn’t noticed Naoshi or because it was waiting for the first move.
”Shaa──!”
Either way, Naoshi kicked.
The youma was killed by a powerful kick that left debris sticking to the back wall of the closet, not just the door.
The room echoed with another thunderous “Gashaan” sound, followed by gasps from various directions.
”Oops, sorry for the interruption. Carry on.”
Ignoring the couple, who seemed to be trying to continue, Naoshi returned to the living room. He found the masked girl while the young men were heading toward the entrance.
”Hey, do any of you have contact with one or two of your companions recently?”
”──Ah, yeah. What about it?”
The young men looked at each other in confusion, then nodded cautiously, as if in fear.
Naoshi thought to himself, “I guessed right.”
”Mmm, I don’t know anything about that.”
They were probably not in this world anymore; if they had waited here, they would have had plenty of opportunities.
Naoshi thought, “Clever guy, it was lucky I finished him off here.”
With the ayakashi dealt with, the next step was──
”Then, can we go now?”
One of the braver ones asked timidly, and Naoshi shook his head silently.
”No, I’m calling the police now. Behave yourselves. You can run, but it’ll hurt if you do, won’t it?”
”Oh, ohhh────!”
One person, who had already stood up after the police were mentioned, rushed quickly to the entrance.
”Huh!?”
Naoshi easily caught up and grabbed that person’s collar, forcing them to fall to the ground with one arm while laughing.
”Like this, huh?”
* * *
The young men, apparently a semi-gang group, were being taken away by police car, and Naoshi explained his situation.
An average middle-aged man in a suit and coat approached them.
”Hey, brother shaman, do you have a moment?”
The man opened his police badge while asking, and Naoshi nodded.
”You’re using a pretty old-fashioned way of calling me. What’s up, detective?”
”Are you from Kyoto?”
”No, I was born and raised in Osaka. Do I look that strict?”
”Yeah.”
Naoshi’s smile faded slightly with the blunt rejection.
”It’s true, Kansai folks really are cold. Should I act like I got shot?”
”No, that’s fine. I was just surprised and grateful for your polite response.”
”I’ve only done the usual. It’s none of our business to interfere with others.”
”Normally, yeah.”
”That sounds suspicious. Is it different here?”
”Yeah, there was a similar case not long ago. The gang members then had all their front teeth missing.”
”That’s horrible.”
That is a young phenomenon—people around Naoshi’s age or younger—increasingly seen even in Kansai.
When ayakashi come to the city, they tend to connect with shady groups—and then exorcists step in.
”I understand, I really do.”
”No, I apologize for our unprofessional behavior. It’s not our job, so acting like heroes only causes trouble.”
”It’s not your fault to apologize… You look old-fashioned, but it’s not a bad thing.”
”More like I look just like I do. I wish you had said this earlier. I thought you were about to interrogate me with that scary face.”
”Ah, I apologize. Thanks again for your cooperation, uh──”
”Kazuramichi.”
”I am Adachi. Kazuramichi-san, if you have any problems, contact me. I can save you some trouble.”
”Thank you for your kindness. Well, if the opportunity arises, I will ask for your help.”
Naoshi accepted the business card, smiled politely, and extended his right hand.
The stout detective shook his hand firmly and opened his mouth with a serious expression.
”So, what was the true meaning behind those words?”
”Why’s that?”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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