Chapter 5 “That Girl Is Here”
It’s being eaten away continuously.
The grotesque monster, which had grown by incorporating Houzuki’s best friend, is being eaten by the lone silver-haired, red-eyed male student.
Deprived of its limbs, carried to the mouth, the massive body turned into a lump of meat is meticulously sliced with a silver knife.
Before the exquisite dish, the hands of the boy do not stop, no matter how the monster screams or what it tries to do; it is nothing more than a meal served on a plate.
“…………”
Houzuki absentmindedly gazed at the dining scene.
The poisonous, vivid purple sky remained unchanged, and the towering pile of scrapped cars began to resemble a different monster. As expected, there were no cars passing by, and pedestrians were nowhere to be seen.
It seemed like a different dimension, similar to the Otherworld Station.
If that were the case, it would make sense. Silver-haired, red-eyed male student, Yuiru Enen, spoke while cramming pieces of monster meat into his mouth.
“I’m fortunate to encounter such a delicious meal… I am a lucky person.”
“…I feel like throwing up just watching it.”
“In that case, you don’t have to watch. Don’t interfere with my meal, how indecent.”
“Where is there any element of that? Explain yourself.”
Because there were some irritating words mixed in, Houzuki looked away as she was told.
Ah, with this, Aoyagi Towako will die.
Already deceased, Houzuki’s best friend is about to experience a second death, being devoured by a malevolent spirit that feed on evil spirits. In the end, despite saying she would “help,” Houzuki couldn’t do anything to provide assistance.
(I’m tired……)
Seeing ghosts, providing meals, and even living –
The lifespan of the best friend who had been by Houzuki’s side was ticking away, and as Yuiru calmly and neatly enjoyed his meal, Aoyagi Towako was approaching death.
Houzuki really wanted to help, but she was only naturally inclined to attract ghosts, and she didn’t possess any other mysterious abilities. If she could use magic, would she have been able to save her best friend?
While listening to the chewing sounds coming from behind, Houzuki asked Yuiru during the meal.
“Hey.”
“gulp What is it?”
Yuiru, who had swallowed a mouthful of meat, responded while carefully cutting the monster into pieces with a silver knife.
“What will happen to the ghosts you ate?”
“They would, of course, settle into my stomach, wouldn’t they?”
“You don’t really get it, do you?”
“It doesn’t come out as excrement. Ghosts don’t use the toilet, you jealous?”
Yuiru’s response wasn’t what Houzuki wanted to hear.
With this, she doesn’t know where Towako will end up in.
She doesn’t even know where her grave is, at this rate, she won’t be able to see Towako anymore.
Her beloved best friend, the friend who has always been by her side.
―― Even though we promised to “always be together”.
Suddenly, Yuiru suddenly groaned, “Ugh.”
“What is this part? How unpleasant, it tastes too unpleasant.”
Yuiru frowns and says,
“I can’t eat such an unpleasant part. Houzuki, dispose of it properly.”
“What? I can’t possibly dispose of a ghost!!”
“You can stew or roast it, do whatever you want. I just said that it tastes so unpleasant that I can’t eat it.”
Until a moment ago, Yuiru’s repeated praise of “delicious” seemed like a lie.
Houzuki sighed and began searching for a part of the monster he had likely discarded.
On a cracked concrete surface, it was carelessly thrown. Retaining a human form, a young girl lay facedown on the hard ground.
The worn-out red backpack on her back, along with the hanging keychain, was covered in what seemed to be the monster’s bodily fluids, even from the muddy surface. The sparkling obsidian eyes on the other side of the slipping silver-framed glasses seemed to take time to comprehend whether this was reality.
Aoyagi Towako was there.
“Towako……!!”
“Houzuki-cha……?”
Houzuki runs to Towako, who is barely able to lift her upper body, and hugs her.
“Towako, Towako. I missed you, I missed you so much……!!”
“Yes…… yes, I’m sorry, Houzuki-chan. I did so many scary things to you…… I was terrible to you……”
“Not at all, having you here with me is enough.”
A best friend who promised to be together forever, a friend with whom Houzuki shared various experiences.
Despite being distanced from many people due to the ability to see ghosts, only Aoyagi Towako had always stayed by Houzuki’s side. They exchanged jokes, had a few arguments, yet she never really left.
At this moment, Houzuki genuinely appreciated having the ability to see ghosts. If she couldn’t see ghosts, she wouldn’t have seen her best friend, Aoyagi Towako.
While it might be possible to make other friends besides Towako, Houzuki couldn’t imagine having another best friend aside from her.
“Towako, promise. We will always be together until I die, okay?”
“I, too, will quietly enter Nirvana if Houzuki-chan can no longer see ghosts.”
“At least wait for me on the other side of the Sanzu River.”
“It can’t be helped, Houzuki-chan. Even though your body has grown up, you’re still lonely, huh?”
Towako giggled and Houzuki laughed as well.
☆
Watching the interaction between the ghost girl, who attracted ghosts, and the ghost girl who had been absorbed by the monster, Yuiru systematically sliced through the monster with his zigzagging silver knife and carried it to his mouth.
Discovering Aoyagi Towako was a coincidence. Although it was a delicious part that he truly wanted to consume, maintaining the mental state of his subordinate was also crucial. Since she provided him with meals, he felt obligated to return the favor.
“Be grateful for my generosity, Houzuki. – munch munch”
Swiftly pushing the remaining small portion of the monster into his mouth, Yuiru concluded the meal and uttered a polite phrase,
“Go-chi-sou-sa-ma-de-shi-ta”
