The next day, it rained.
The distant view was shrouded in a gray curtain of drizzle. Perhaps because the rain was light but dense, the soothing sound made me oversleep.
When I pushed open the window, the leaf-and-tail-adorned barrel was right beneath it, swaying slightly at my sudden movement—clearly taking shelter from the rain.
What could I do? Obviously, I pretended not to see it.
I quietly extended the awning outside the window to shield her from the rain, then pretended I needed to air out the room.
Who airs out a room in the rain?
［Sayu Favorability: 6］
If I hadn't known this was a Shuumatsuban operative, I would've "invited" her out with the Debate Club the moment I noticed her uninvited presence. But since I was in the know, I had to play dumb—and even look out for her.
I fried two bird eggs and steamed a pot of rice, wrapping them in seaweed dipped in soy sauce.
［What kind of weird combination is that?］
"Your opinion doesn't matter. I'm the one eating it."
It was actually pretty good. I chewed noisily, then heard an unexpected gurgling sound.
I looked down at Kettle, who was busy eating.
She was gnawing on a bone—the stomach rumble wasn't coming from her.
"Gurgle～" The sound came again, longer this time, drifting in through the open window despite the rain. How could I keep pretending not to hear it?
I patted Kettle.
She stood up, trotted out under the eaves, and soon barks and a startled yelp followed. The child—startled—leaped through the open window, tumbled across the floor, and hid in a corner, covering her eyes. Kettle jumped onto the windowsill, pushed the awning down with her paws, closed the window, and hopped back inside.
Good girl, Kettle.
"Wah, Sayu isn't a drumstick! Don't bite me—"
"I was just napping, just a little, really just a little… But I'm so hungry, my head is spinning." The child dressed like a small tanuki murmured sleepily, curled into a ball. Her stomach gurgled again. She kept her back to me, eyes covered, likely believing her disguise was working. "She can't hear me, she can't hear me, she can't hear me…"
Me: "…"
Right. I'm deaf and blind.
I got up, scooped a bowl of rice, quickly scrambled another bird egg, and made a simple soup.
I set the bowl on the table and grabbed my umbrella.
"—Kettle, let's go for a walk."
"The food is on the table~ steaming hot rice with scrambled bird egg and soup~" I said deadpan as I walked out. "Oh my, it smells so good. Right, Kettle? Hungry people are welcome to eat it. Food only has value when given to those who need it. So delicious~"
I closed the door behind me, Kettle at my side.
The patter of rain on my umbrella masked the faint rustling inside, making me feel like a well-meaning fool.
［Sayu Favorability: 10］
［Why bother?］
"…I don't know. I just went along with it," I said, holding Kettle. "How can you, a heartless machine, stand to see such a cute child go hungry?"
［—］
The System was speechless.
——
By the time I counted a thousand sheep and returned home, the table was neatly arranged, the sink was spotless, and the used bowls were washed and stacked in the cupboard.
"See? I told you she's a good kid."
Anyone would realize I'd noticed her after all that. She must have left—
［If you mean the giant tanuki-themed Daruma with a tail by your bed—］
Oh.
I stared at the beige Daruma with a tail beside my bed, unsure what to do.
——
By dinnertime, I remembered today was the third day—the day Tamura Kaito promised to return.
The rain still hadn't stopped; if anything, it grew heavier, mixed with lightning and thunder. Kettle, frightened, burrowed into my arms with her fur puffed up—thankfully, I'd wiped her paws and brushed her fur earlier. I sat on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, reading light novels by lamplight. Kettle slept fitfully pressed against me.
I glanced at the large Daruma in the corner.
At least Sayu wasn't afraid of thunder.
Another clap of thunder sounded as I turned a page.
Tamura Kaito probably wasn't coming.
The thought lingered until sudden, frantic knocking erupted at the door—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A flash of lightning illuminated the door, casting a tall shadow outside. The moment the silhouette appeared, I leaped off the bed, grabbing the Debate Club. Kettle barked fiercely.
The Daruma behind me spun once.
"Who's there?!" I demanded, my heart pounding.
Another thunderclap. This time, I could faintly hear someone shouting my name. The silhouette became clearer—I recognized the horns and the familiar voice. "—Miya! Open up!"
Arataki Itto? Why was he here now?
Hesitating briefly, I stowed my weapon and rushed to open the door.
The tall oni was drenched and chilled to the bone, clutching a child in his arms—a child covered in blood. The once-intact purple cloud-patterned kimono was now torn to shreds, and blood still seeped from wounds. It was Tamura Kaito.
I hurriedly pulled them inside, slamming the door shut against the storm.
"Kettle! Fetch the medical kit!"
"How did this happen?" I asked. "You should've taken him to a doctor!"
The tall oni shook his head silently, water dripping from his damp hair. "They don't open their doors to oni at night."
I was furious.
I dragged Arataki Itto to the bedside.
"Put him on the bed!" I said, mourning my freshly changed sheets as I rolled the blanket aside. Gently, I helped lay the boy down. Arataki Itto's movements were stiff.
Kettle was quick, bringing the newly purchased medical kit to my hand. "Good girl, now fetch the towels I bought yesterday."
"Miya," Arataki Itto said, handing me something. "What he wanted to give you."
A soaked cloth pouch containing a few scattered Mora.
My heart sank further.
I didn't speak, taking the towel Kettle brought and drying the boy's body, removing his outer clothes. My experience fighting monsters in the wild had taught me how to bandage wounds without Violetgrass. Aside from the bruises from last time, the boy had fresh wounds—cuts from blades or something similar.
And he was painfully thin.
Despite my doubts, I worked efficiently, applying medicine and bandaging the wounds, drying his hair, and covering him with the rolled-up blanket.
"Put that on the table. Sit over there."
I instructed Arataki Itto, who had been standing silently. "I'll make something warm. Dry yourself first—"
He had wounds too—clean cuts on his sturdy abdomen, less severe than the boy's. The boisterous oni I'd seen yesterday was now somber. He nodded and did as told.
Arataki Itto looked deeply remorseful.
Kettle brought him a large towel.
As he reached for it, I noticed a long, slowly bleeding cut on his hand.
"Stay still."
I took the towel, grabbed his much larger hand—even icy to my Cryo Vision–adjusted senses—and wiped away the rainwater. The wound wasn't deep enough for stitches. After bandaging it, I tossed another towel at his head.
"Take off your wet clothes and put them on the rack by the door. Dry your hair."
My gaze fell on the cloth pouch on the table again.
I fled to the kitchen.
——
Ginger tea was something my mother taught me. Once, when my father got drunk and rolled into the snow, returning home with purple lips, she showed me how to make it.
Considering Arataki Itto and the boy would be drinking it, I added plenty of sugar.
Leaning against the counter, I watched the reddish-brown liquid bubble in the pot, the fine white sugar dissolving quickly. I thought of Tamura Kaito's stubbornness earlier and his limp hand when carried in—his thin wrist, the tightly clenched fist now relaxed.
I felt guilty.
Had I bullied Tamura Kaito just because I had the upper hand?
I ladled the hot tea into a bowl, leaving the rest warming in the pot. Bringing it out, I set it before the oni. "I added sugar. Drink it all in one go to ward off the chill."
I stood by the table, weighing my words.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
——
Tamura Kaito was a child from Kujou Village.
A child who escaped a place overrun by bandits.
His mother, Tamura Yuri, originally named Yamashita Yuri, was abducted by the ronin Tamura Daisuke. After being assaulted, she became pregnant and gave birth to Tamura Kaito.
Tamura Daisuke's older brother, Tamura Yuushi, fell in love with Tamura Yuri. He fled with her and the newborn Tamura Kaito to Inazuma City, finding work as a soldier.
Their peace lasted less than two years before Tamura Yuushi was discovered by his brother and cut down on a desolate beach.
Tamura Yuri was also found. Enraged, Tamura Daisuke and his bandit allies tormented her for days before taking the barely alive woman away. That day, Tamura Daisuke told Tamura Kaito—"Now that you're older, you can buy your mother back. Bring enough money, and I'll return her to you."
"As long as you have money, your mother will live."
So the boy began stealing. He was too young for most jobs, and kindhearted people were few.
Every day, he managed to steal something.
Until he targeted Miya Ryuguu.
Tamura Kaito went to his birth father's village, hoping to ask for help—an impossible request. Instead, he stole money from Tamura Daisuke to repay Miya, but was caught and nearly beaten to death. Arataki Itto saved him—
——
Arataki Itto was a good storyteller.
Tamura Kaito developed a high fever late at night. I used a bit of Cryo energy to cool him down temporarily and asked Arataki Itto to watch over him.
"I'm going out to buy medicine. I'll be back soon."
"I'll go with you," Arataki Itto insisted, his distinctive brows furrowed seriously. Whatever he sensed, I couldn't let him accompany me. But dropping his usual "this one" made him seem unusually reliable.
"The boy can't be left alone. Stay. I trust you to care for him. Besides, only I know where to find the specific medicine he needs." I crouched to pat Kettle.
"Good Kettle, stay with them. I'll be right back."
——
Holding an umbrella, I ran through the rainy night, wondering how frightening my expression must be—even the lightning seemed to avoid me.
I was too angry, too ashamed.
My Vision surrounded me with a cold so intense it froze the rain mid-air. Ice crystals formed and shattered under my feet, exploding into sharp spikes in the mud.
The boiling elemental energy felt like a whistling kettle, spraying droplets everywhere.
［Constellation Level 2 Unlocked — Frozen Wasteland］
My heart raced with fury and guilt.
My breath turned to white mist.
I arrived at Kujou Village. Light spilled from the somewhat dilapidated houses. I stored my umbrella in my inventory and drew my weapon.
"System, save—"
The rain poured harder, drenching me instantly.
"—I'm going to kill them all."
——
The girl dressed like a tanuki frowned from a distance, watching Miya Ryugiu charge in, smash open doors, and unleash explosive spikes of ice. Frost spread rapidly, covering everything in sharp icicles and frozen white.
Sayu was afraid of that Cryo energy.
Miya Ryuguu's elemental power was completely different from Kamisato Ayaka's—sharp and terrifying as blades.
The calm girl from daytime was now torturing people without flinching—breaking limbs, demanding information about Tamura Yuri's whereabouts. Even with average vision, Sayu could see how those men died.
So scary.
She covered her eyes.
Sayu stayed hidden in a distant tree until the screams faded, then quietly rolled away into the dark, rainy night.