Somewhere in Tokyo, at the break of dawn.
The red sun rose in the distance, its morning warmth gradually dispelling the chill of dawn. Dewdrops dripped from the tips of green grass, and a fine mist still clung to the leaves. Vehicles crowded the roads. Near a certain school’s subway station, students were gathering in small groups, heading toward the campus gates while chatting about various rumors and interesting happenings.
On the side of the road, a campaign van emblazoned with a large portrait of a balding politician was parked. Several people were swarming around it, performing maintenance; it seemed a device on the vehicle had malfunctioned.
"Yaaawn..."
Miketsu, wearing her school uniform and carrying a satchel, let out a massive yawn as she walked toward school. This immediately caught the attention of the classmate beside her.
"Hey, Inaba, did you not sleep well last night?" Hayakawa Rin asked curiously, noticing the black-haired girl's lethargic behavior.
Miketsu’s eyelid twitched as she replied, "Yeah... more or like. I accidentally stayed up a bit late."
Miketsu answered listlessly. Hearing this, Rin’s eyes lit up, and she immediately pressed for more details.
"Stayed up late? Inaba, what were you doing? Do you have a boyfriend? Were you chatting all night?" Rin teased playfully.
Miketsu’s mouth twitched as she slowly responded, "Tch, as if. I just played games for a bit too long. Don't overthink it."
"Playing games? I see. If you can play games for that long in one go, you must really love them. You must be a pro player!" Rin said, taking it for granted.
Miketsu’s mouth twitched even more violently at Rin’s words. Internally, she couldn't help but complain.
'No, it’s just the simple curse of "sleeping only after a win."'
Ever since the incident with the Hyakumonogatari Group, Miketsu had become somewhat obsessed with card games. To experience the true joy of the game, she had even started playing without using her abilities. The result was that her actual skills were so abysmal that she was ruthlessly slaughtered. However, the more she lost, the more she wanted to play, and the more she played, the more she lost. On average, she had to lose about seven or eight games before she could scrape together a single win. After winning one or two, her confidence would soar, and she would immediately dive back in—only to be met with a fresh round of consecutive losses.
It wasn't just cards. Recently, Miketsu had begun trying other games without relying on her powers, mostly competitive ones. Originally, she just wanted to prove that maybe her card skills were just uniquely bad and that she had talent in other genres. As it turned out, she was not only bad at cards, but she also played other games terribly. For example, yesterday she was playing a certain MOBA; she had intended to sleep after one win, but ended up playing until nearly three in the morning.
In short, Miketsu’s gaming habits could be summarized in four words: terrible skills, huge addiction.
'...I really am a bit sleepy. Whatever. I’ll just sleep through the first two classes with my head on the desk. As for the teacher... I’ll make his glasses "disappear" for two periods so he can't see the seating chart. Once I've slept enough, I'll let him find them again.'
As Miketsu walked forward and plotted her nap, a voice ahead caught her attention.
"Come take a look! Have a taste! Kuroda Fruit Drinks is opening today! Free samples and coupons!"
Hearing the voice, Miketsu paused slightly and looked toward the source. Next to the broken-down campaign van, a handsome young man with long black hair, dressed in a red uniform and a long apron, was standing on the sidewalk. In front of him was a small pushcart filled with cups of various brightly colored drinks that looked quite delicious. A sign hanging from the cart read: "Opening Celebration, Free Samples."
Seeing Miketsu and Rin approaching, the long-haired young man pushed the cart toward them with a smile.
"Oh, if it isn't two lovely and beautiful young ladies! My shop just opened today, and we're doing a free tasting event. Would you like to try a cup? They're very delicious~"
Hearing his words, Rin immediately got excited before Miketsu could even react.
"Free samples? Sure, sure! These look like they taste great! Inaba-chan, we’re so lucky today!"
"Haha, of course. These are our secret recipe products." Smiling, the black-haired youth picked up a purple and a yellow fruit drink from the cart.
"Here you go, ladies." As he spoke, he held out the two drinks. He handed the purple one to Miketsu and the yellow one to Rin.
Miketsu didn't rush to take the drink. Instead, she glanced at Rin and spoke calmly.
"You pick first, Rin."
"Ah, no, this isn't..." The black-haired youth was momentarily stunned by Miketsu’s suggestion. However, before he could say anything else, Rin reacted instantly.
"Oh! I get to pick? That’s great! I want this one!" As she spoke, Rin reached across Miketsu and grabbed the purple drink that had been intended for her friend.
"I could smell the grape flavor from a mile away! Grape is my favorite. Thanks, Inaba-chan~" Rin sniffed the purple drink happily. Just as she was about to take a big gulp, the black-haired youth panicked.
"Wait—wait a minute! You can't drink that!" the young man shouted. Rin stopped mid-sip and looked at the shocked youth with confusion.
"Why can't I drink it? Didn't you say these were free samples?"
"Uh... well..." Facing Rin’s questioning, the black-haired youth looked troubled for a moment. After some quick thinking, he spoke up.
"Ah, it’s like this. Um... actually, I also really love grape-flavored drinks, so I wanted to save one cup for myself. I didn't realize that was the last one, so I accidentally handed it out. Ahaha, I'm really sorry. How about I swap it for a different one as compensation?"
The black-haired youth smiled at Rin. Seeing his sincere face, Rin hesitated for a moment before sighing.
"Well, if you're a fellow grape lover, I guess I have no choice. Here you go." As she spoke, Rin handed the purple drink back. The youth let out a sigh of relief as he gave Rin another drink in compensation, then tossed the purple one back onto the pushcart.
'Looks like the plan failed. I should probably retreat for now.'
"Well then, thank you both for your patronage. I'll be heading to other areas now." As he spoke, the black-haired youth pushed the cart, preparing to leave. But before he could turn around, a stern voice reached his ears.
"Hah?"
He froze and looked toward the source of the sound, only to see Rin looking at him with indignation.
"Mister, you said you loved grape drinks, and that's why I gave it back. But as soon as you got it, you didn't even touch it; you just tossed it aside carelessly. You even spilled some! Do you really like grape? Your behavior is a stain on all grape flavors! It's a desecration! If you don't want to drink it, give it back to me! Grape flavor shouldn't be wasted on someone like you!"
Facing the bewildered black-haired youth, Rin—a loyal disciple of the grape flavor—criticized him with a severe tone. Her attitude was like that of a zealot facing a heretic, leaving the youth utterly stunned.
'What... what is going on? Is the faith of young humans nowadays this intense?'
"Ahahaha, young lady, you misunderstand. Of course I like grape. I just wanted to save it and savor it slowly later," the youth laughed nervously. However, Rin still didn't seem to believe him. Seeing that the "grape girl" wasn't backing down and looked ready to snatch the drink back, the youth was forced to pick it up.
"If you don't believe me, I can drink it right now."
As he spoke, the youth brought the purple drink to his lips. The purple liquid touched his lips, but he didn't swallow. He intended to fake a sip just to satisfy Rin so he could leave.
However, at that moment, the campaign van that was being repaired right next to him was suddenly fixed. The massive loudspeaker on top abruptly exploded with an ear-splitting blast of sound.
"FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN! VOTE FOR YAMAI SADAO! FOR A GREEN AND CLEAN WORLD! VOTE FOR YAMAI SADAO! YAMAI SADAO! THE STEADFAST WARRIOR FIGHTING FOR JAPAN'S ENVIRONMENT!!"
The loudspeaker was incredibly loud, and the powerful sound pierced the surroundings. Except for Miketsu, who had anticipated this and covered her ears beforehand, everyone else was jump-scared by the sudden noise.
In particular, the black-haired youth who was pretending to drink was caught completely off guard. He lurched violently, his mouth flew open, and he accidentally swallowed a massive gulp. His pupils dilated instantly, his face filled with shock.
'Oh no! Crap!'
The repair crew on the campaign van quickly got the volume under control. Those nearby who had been covering their ears finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Whew, finally. Can these politicians please use better equipment for their street campaigning?" Rin complained as she lowered her hands. Beside her, Miketsu was sipping the yellow drink with a smile.
"As long as it's a machine, there’s a chance it will fail. It doesn't matter how good the equipment is; it breaks when it’s supposed to, and it miraculously fixes itself when it’s supposed to as well."
"I guess that’s true. No matter how expensive a TV my family buys, it breaks easily. But once it breaks, it works again after a few slaps from different angles," Rin remarked. She then turned her gaze back to where the black-haired youth had been, only to find that he had completely vanished. Even the pushcart and the rest of the drinks were gone.
"Where did that mister go? Why did he disappear all of a sudden? But all his stuff is still here." Rin looked at the empty space in confusion.
"Who knows? Maybe he had a sudden emergency and had to leave. Regardless, the taste of this drink is actually quite good." As she spoke, Miketsu finished her yellow drink. "Alright, class is about to start. Let’s hurry."
"But... Inaba, why are you pushing that cart with you? That’s that mister’s stuff!" Rin pointed at Miketsu, who was pushing the cart full of drinks toward the school.
Miketsu didn't even look back as she replied, "Ah, I think the flavor is decent, so I decided to bring a few back to the classroom. I'll share the rest with the class so everyone can have a taste."
"But—but isn't that bad?"
"What’s bad about it? Didn't that mister say they were free samples for tasting? We're just helping him distribute them." Miketsu turned back and smiled at Rin. Hearing her logic, Rin found herself speechless.
"Eh..."
"Alright, time is running out. Let’s go to school~"
As she spoke, Miketsu pushed the cart of sugary drinks toward the school gate with a cheerful mood.
Today was also a day full of expectations.
Meanwhile, in a small grove nearby.
"Woof! Woof-woof-woof! Woof!"
"Aaah! Kurotabo, pull yourself together! You’re not a dog yokai!"
In the woods, an officer of the Nura Clan dressed as a store clerk—Kurotabo—now had black canine ears on his head, fangs in his mouth, and a furry tail at his rear. He was on all fours, barking wildly like a real dog and running around erratically.
Daytime Rikuo was holding onto a rope, trying desperately to restrain Kurotabo, but he couldn't help being dragged along by the immense strength. Beside them, Aotabo and Kejoro watched the scene with cold sweat.
"This... what happened?"
"I don't know. Looking at him like this, it seems he accidentally swallowed the pill himself."
"In any case, according to the Grand Commander, if a yokai eats a Yokai Transformation Pill, they’ll lose their sanity and be granted the traits of the corresponding yokai for a certain period of time. This lasts until their own demonic power can expel the foreign energy."
"I see. Then it looks like Kurotabo will have to be a dog for a few days." In a tree, Headless Yokai was lounging on a branch, looking down at the humiliated Kurotabo with a disdainful smirk.
"Heh, with only that much skill, he dared to snatch the first turn? Even with the peerless pills and the cloaking technique given by the Commander, he still botched it. Serves him right."
"Next, it’s time to show what real methods look like."
Rate on N.U.
