Miko Yotsuya had faced all sorts of crises—haunted text messages, evil spirits disguised as normal people trying to trick her into reacting, or terrifying creatures intimidating her with their grotesque appearances. They used every trick—deception, ambushes—to make her slip up.
But Miko had survived them all, never letting on, perfectly masquerading as an ordinary girl who couldn't see spirits. She'd once felt the savage rage of spirits when she nearly gave herself away, so even with those closest to her, she kept silent.
So, faced with Muxiao's words, Miko pretended not to hear. She couldn't respond. Even if this creature seemed odd, different from others, she wouldn't let her guard down.
Still, its voice is surprisingly nice, she thought. Unlike the hoarse, sinister tones of other monsters, its crisp, clean, boyish voice was… pleasant.
"Stop pretending. I know you can see me, and I know you don't want me to know. You don't need to keep up the act—I'm clearly different from those spiritual entities, Miko Yotsuya. Look at me—"
Miko: "…"
I'm not looking at you!
Its words were logical, rational, unlike other monsters, but even so, she couldn't respond.
No, no, this monster's too weird. I can't keep interacting with it. I need to leave.
As the beautiful girl stood from the bathtub, water splashing, Muxiao's pupils shrank, then he smirked. "I've already seen it—pink."
!!!
Miko's heart jolted, and she forced herself to steady her trembling hands, wiping her body with a towel.
"Wow, your figure's amazing. Honestly, compared to your friend… Hana Yurikawa, was it? Your chest is smaller, but still pretty impressive—D or E? Your curves are perfect, and your skin's so fair and soft… Huh? Why's it bare down there?"
Pervert!
This monster's a pervert—
Miko's eyes spun. Despicable, so despicable, trying to make me slip up like this. What a vile creature.
Stop staring!
Ugh, my body's been completely seen…
The black-haired girl nearly fainted. She didn't know how she dried off or wrapped herself in the towel, covering her exposed skin, but it didn't stop Muxiao's relentless chatter.
"Still pretending? Honestly, this puts you at a disadvantage. It's just me—if it were another monster, they'd definitely do something to you. Be extra careful next time you shower."
"…"
The one I need to be careful of is YOU!
Seeing she wouldn't crack, Muxiao gave up. This girl's defenses were ironclad. Words alone wouldn't make her admit it. So, he went for broke, swinging a tentacle and landing a whip-like smack on her rear.
Smack!!
Only a thin towel separated the blow, and the fullness and elasticity of her hips were striking. The flesh visibly jiggled, rippling.
"Yah!!"
Caught off guard, Miko yelped instinctively as the shameful spot was struck.
"You slipped up, Miko Yotsuya~~"
Miko froze.
Muxiao grinned.
"You, you, you, you—!!"
The black-haired girl was stunned, her trembling finger pointing at Muxiao, her face alternating between red and white—furious, embarrassed, unsure if it was her carefully hidden secret being exposed or the humiliation of being touched.
Shame, shock, confusion, fear—emotions surged.
"You can touch me?!"
"What, not pretending anymore, Yotsuya-san?" Muxiao smirked.
"…"
Miko clutched the towel tighter, her full chest and hips accentuated enticingly. Realizing her futile act of playing blind and the shame of being taken advantage of, she glared at Muxiao, her face flushed.
"Pervert~~!"
"It's your fault. If you'd admitted it sooner, I wouldn't have done that," Muxiao countered, claiming the moral high ground.
"How could I admit something like that…?"
Miko studied the monster seriously, her heart racing. Unlike other spirits, it didn't go berserk upon learning she could see it. "What… what are you?"
"See-chan? What's going on? I heard a strange noise," her mom called, knocking on the door. Miko panicked.
"Nothing, I almost slipped. I'm fine—"
After shooing her mom away, Miko turned to Muxiao with a complicated look, meeting his innocent gaze, and sighed. Only now did she realize it could physically touch her.
Meaning it wasn't just visible to her—everyone could see it.
No wonder it was so sneaky outside.
If she'd known, she might've noticed something off sooner. Miko sighed. A tangible monster, visible to all, rational, capable of clear communication… aside from its appearance, it was practically human!
Especially in certain ways—a total sleazy pervert!
"So, what are you? I feel like… you're different from other monsters…"
Miko sat with Muxiao in her small room, eyes locked, pressing the question that weighed on her.
"Monster? Hmph," Muxiao scoffed. "I'm no monster—I'm a kami!~~"
Miko's face lit up with shock. "Kami? What does that mean? Are there really kami? But your appearance… And those spectral monsters around me—did you drive them away?"
Since her secret was out, Miko didn't hold back, asking directly.
"Ahem, 'kami' was just a joke. You believed it?" He smiled. "I'm Muxiao. As for what I am, I don't know myself. But maybe one day, I'll become a god."
"…"
What, playing coy now?
"As for those spectral monsters," Muxiao's face grew serious, "that's why I came clean with you. Honestly, if not for that, I'd have kept playing the 'invisible' game—it's fun."
"…"
Miko's mouth twitched. This guy! So mean~~
"I can't see those spectral monsters either," Muxiao shook his head. "Before meeting you, I didn't even know they existed. That's what I wanted to confirm with you, Miko Yotsuya."
"They're real!" Miko said passionately, tears in her eyes. "If not for those monsters, my life wouldn't… wouldn't be such a mess…"
Her once-peaceful life was now chaos, every day filled with fear.
"But… because you showed up, those monsters vanished for some reason. I don't know why."
"Oh? Because of me?" Muxiao mused.
Watching him think, Miko quieted, sneaking glances. Though he wasn't human, she wasn't afraid—her emotions were mixed.
Yes, because of him, she'd had a rare peaceful day… despite him being a pervert who'd done outrageous things to her.
But… she couldn't bring herself to hate him.