"To Nibangai."
"Alright, kid."
"Ugh! Am I that small?! Whatever."
By the roadside, a petite blonde figure stopped a taxi, opened the door, and got in.
That figure was none other than Yamada Elf, who had left the Undying River Publishing banquet.
Hearing the driver call her "kid," Yamada Elf, who was already in a bad mood, wanted to say a few sharp words. But she suddenly realized that her suppressed anger shouldn't be directed at others. She shook her head and spoke.
"Miss, you seem to be in quite a bad mood."
The driver started the car and, noticing Yamada Elf's bad mood through the rearview mirror, asked.
"It's nothing, I just… want to grow up quickly."
Yamada Elf, who was looking out the car window, glanced at the driver and sighed. She wanted to say it was nothing, but she felt uncomfortable saying nothing at all.
"Actually, growing up isn't that great. It can be very tiring."
Hearing this, the driver smiled and spoke, inexplicably recalling her own childhood. Children Yamada Elf's age probably all want to grow up quickly. She had wanted that too, but after growing up, she truly felt that being a child was better.
"Mm."
Faced with the driver's words, Yamada Elf only responded softly, then turned away and said nothing more, quietly watching the scenery and shops continuously receding through the window.
How could she not know that growing up is tiring? But for her now, growing up was undoubtedly what she wanted most.
Seeing that Yamada Elf had no intention of continuing the conversation, the driver tactfully closed her mouth and said nothing more.
The car continued to drive, neon lights outside the window flickering like shooting stars appearing in Yamada Elf's eyes, then quickly disappearing.
Soon, the taxi stopped at a traffic light, and the rapidly vanishing shooting stars in the girl's eyes also stopped.
Outside the car, workers returning home, couples walking, and students playing crossed the pedestrian crossing. Just looking at them made one feel both relaxed and somewhat sad.
Relaxed because the day had ended, sad because the day had simply passed.
At that moment, Yamada Elf, who was absentmindedly watching the street, suddenly straightened up, as if she had seen something, her gaze fixed on the window.
By the roadside, pedestrians who had been waiting for the green light hurried across the crosswalk. However, among them, one person stood out. Dressed in a black coat and wearing a mask, and with the car window between them, Yamada Elf could not see that person's face at all.
But for some reason, Yamada Elf felt that this person was strange. Although they looked completely normal, somehow they gave off the feeling that this person… was not human?
"Ding."
The traffic light changed, and after a brief wait, the taxi started moving. The figure flashed and disappeared from Yamada Elf's sight.
Yamada Elf continued to look out the window until the car had traveled quite a distance from that intersection, only then did she withdraw her gaze.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing Yamada Elf's unusual behavior, the driver asked curiously.
"There was a strange person just now. I don't know if it was a monster."
Leaning against the seat, Yamada Elf said. Although the person in black looked like a human, she simply felt that it was not human. Thinking about it, maybe it was a monster, hiding like that so as not to scare people.
"A monster, huh? Actually, I have one at home too. It's a very cute Zashiki-warashi. Ever since Tsuchimikado announced the existence of monsters to the public, that child voluntarily appeared before us."
Hearing this, the driver smiled, her finger rhythmically tapping on the steering wheel, perhaps humming a tune in her mind.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Hearing that the woman actually had a monster at home, Yamada Elf was obviously a bit confused and asked.
"Zashiki-warashi are good monsters that protect family wealth and ensure people's happiness and safety. They are what Tsuchimikado calls benevolent monsters, and they are also very interesting! They know many secrets among monsters! It told me that the most powerful monster lord in Japan currently has a human wife."
Compared to Yamada Elf's confusion, the woman's answer was very simple: the monster in her family was benevolent, so she wasn't afraid.
"I see. Then the one I saw just now is probably also a good monster, hiding in black clothes so as not to scare people."
Receiving the explanation, Yamada Elf nodded thoughtfully, thinking so in her heart.
Not continuing the conversation with the woman, Yamada Elf looked out the car window again. Just as she wanted to make a melancholic expression, she noticed something unusual on the car window.
More precisely, it wasn't an object, but a trace — a very large handprint.
"What is this? Did I make this?"
Looking at the handprint, Yamada Elf showed confusion, carefully placing her hand against it, only to discover that the print was several times larger than her hand.
But if that print wasn't hers, whose could it be? Had it been there all along, and she simply hadn't noticed?
Just as Yamada Elf was surprised by this, a black shadow suddenly passed by the car window.
Drawn by the shadow, Yamada Elf didn't even have time to see what it was before a dull thud sounded, followed by the taxi suddenly braking.
"Bang!"
"Screech!!!"
The taxi's tires screeched against the asphalt, producing a piercing sound. Soon, the taxi came to a stop.
Holding her forehead, Yamada Elf sat upright. The sudden braking had almost caused her head to hit the front seat. Fortunately, she had fastened her seatbelt as soon as she got into the car.
But even so, Yamada Elf was still frightened. Rubbing her forehead, she looked at the driver and asked:
"Hiss~ What happened?"
"I… um, just now it seems… I hit someone?"
At this moment, the driver had completely lost her composure. Her heart was racing, she swallowed hard, and spoke with fear and uncertainty.
She had heard it and indeed felt that she had hit someone. She had been driving a bit fast, mainly because there were not many people on this road, so driving fast didn't have much impact. But why today of all days?
As for why the driver wasn't sure whether she had hit someone, it was because she hadn't seen clearly.
That's right, she hadn't seen clearly. Even with the headlights on, she had only seen a black shadow flash by, and then nothing.
Moreover, she hadn't heard any screams from pedestrians or animals. Maybe… someone had thrown trash onto the road?
Hearing the driver's words, Yamada Elf was also stunned. Was her luck today really this good? First she declared war on Kasumigaoka Utaha, but the other party didn't take her seriously at all, leaving her full of suppressed anger.
And now, while taking a taxi home, the taxi driver had actually hit someone?
This was a bit too absurd, wasn't it?
"I probably hit something. I didn't hear any screams. I'll get out and check."
Coming back to her senses, the driver also reacted and said.
Her window here wasn't closed. If what she had hit was a living being, it would definitely have made some sound, but she hadn't heard anything except the dull impact of the car.
"Mm."
Nodding, Yamada Elf watched as the driver unfastened her seatbelt and got out. But the driver soon returned.
Sitting in the driver's seat, the driver quietly started the taxi.
"Did you hit something?"
Seeing the driver return so quickly, Yamada Elf felt something was wrong. Could it be that the driver had hit someone and was hiding it from her?
What should she do? She… she wouldn't silence her to cover it up, right?
Thinking this, Yamada Elf felt a surge of regret. If only she hadn't been curious just now, why did she ask that extra question?! What if she gets silenced?!
She had only just reached her teenage years and hadn't yet achieved her goal of a billion sales! If she died here, she would really regret it!
"It was trash…"
The driver didn't turn around, briefly answering Yamada Elf's question.
Hearing this, Yamada Elf was startled and let out a deep breath. What was that? She had overthought it. She thought she would be silenced.
Thinking this, Yamada Elf relaxed and leaned against the seat, looking at the driver.
She had already passed this road; it was a shortcut to Nibangai. Due to development issues, very few people knew about this road. Yamada Elf had discovered it once when returning home from the publishing house.
She remembered encountering an unfamiliar road and deciding to take a risk, only to eventually discover that it was a small alley leading to the main street near her home.
"Da da, da da da…"
Her mind calmed down, but Yamada Elf's ears caught a chaotic rhythm.
Hearing it, Yamada Elf slightly frowned and looked at the driver. It was fine when she didn't look, but the moment she did, her eyes suddenly narrowed, her hair stood on end, and her mind buzzed.
The driver was driving, her fingers still tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the driver's hand: the driver actually had eight fingers.
And that wasn't the most terrifying part. Where the nails should have been, there were none. Instead, there were eyes, one after another!
"What's wrong, kid?"
The driver opened her mouth, and her teeth were covered with densely packed blinking eyes, looking at Yamada Elf through the rearview mirror.
"N-nothing."
Yamada Elf swallowed hard, stammering, but her pale face didn't look like nothing was wrong, as she claimed.
"Alright."
The driver responded and quietly continued driving.
Seeing this, Yamada Elf let out a breath, but the sense of danger in her heart did not fade.
"No, I have to find a way to get out of the car quickly."
Thinking this, Yamada Elf clenched her skirt, tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and a faint sensation arose in her lower abdomen.
"Um! Can you stop?"
Gritting her teeth, Yamada Elf gathered her courage and said.
"Screech!!!"
The driver braked suddenly again, and the taxi came to a stop.
The driver said nothing, only quietly looking at Yamada Elf through the rearview mirror.
Yamada Elf didn't dare hesitate, quickly opening the door and running out.
After getting out of the car, she didn't dare hesitate and ran back along the path she had come from.
She wasn't stupid; that monster had a car and could easily catch up to her, maybe even run her over. If she ran in the opposite direction, the reversing speed wouldn't be as fast.
However, just as Yamada Elf took a few steps, her legs suddenly gave out and she fell to the ground.
Looking at the driver's head floating in the air, Yamada Elf's heart turned to ashes.
The driver hadn't moved, but her neck had stretched very long. Yamada Elf didn't know how long, but it must have extended from the driver's seat all the way to right in front of her.
"Little friend, where are you going?"
The driver asked with a smile, as blood began to continuously flow from her eye sockets, nostrils, mouth, and ears.
Under the moonlight, this scene was especially terrifying!
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