Chapter 131: The Mountain God's Request
Several days later, Friday.
"Woohoo, school's out. Weekend time~"
Hearing Iwanaga Kotoko's bright voice, Asagiri packed his things with a faint smile and shook his head.
"Why is it that the moment school ends on Friday, you start acting like a wild dog that slipped its leash?"
"What wild dog? Shouldn't it be a wild horse that slipped its leash?"
"With your build, you're at most a wild chihuahua."
"I don't care, I don't care. No school on the weekend is obviously happy."
"You took leave from Monday to Thursday and only came back today. Don't act like you're finally escaping prison."
While the two of them bickered without pause, Kaguya Shinomiya walked over in her usual calm manner.
"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt your comedy routine."
Then she turned to Asagiri, her voice softening slightly.
"Utsunomiya… next week, the Student Council election officially begins. We've already secured the support of almost every sports club, and the Board Game Club as well. Most people in the high school division have heard that we're entering the election."
"Mm, good."
Asagiri nodded, chuckling lightly.
"Then the part where I needed to help ends here. From here on out, we stick to what we agreed. I'll be the Vice President in name only, and Asuna will have her name listed in the Student Council too. Don't forget."
"Mm… you've already helped a lot. If it weren't for you…"
Kaguya's voice trailed off. She fell silent, as if something complicated rose in her chest and pressed against her throat. After a moment, she finally spoke again, a little more quietly.
"If you want to go on stage as my supporter and give a speech…"
Before she could finish, Asagiri cut in without hesitation.
"That would be going too far, and you know it. Suggesting something that irrational isn't like the you I know."
Over the past few days, as Asagiri and Kaguya, along with Yuuki Asuna and Fujiwara Chika, visited club after club to canvass for votes, a problem they had never anticipated surfaced.
Asagiri's popularity among the sports clubs was far higher than anyone expected.
Normally, that would have been an advantage. The problem was that Asagiri was not the one running for Student Council President. Kaguya was.
If the crowd's attention and expectations centered too heavily on Asagiri, it would become a burden for both of them. After all, even if Asagiri became Vice President, he would not be doing Student Council work. It was only a title.
And for Kaguya, the one actually running for President, it would be unacceptable for her spotlight to be swallowed by someone holding a nominal position.
That was why, even though Asagiri had the strongest presence, the best negotiating tongue, and zero stage fright, he had already decided not to speak during the final stage of the election. The closing speech that sealed victory would be Kaguya's responsibility.
Still…
For some reason, the moment she heard him say, "it ends here," an unfamiliar emotion stirred in Kaguya's heart. She knew it was better if she stood alone at the front, yet she still found herself extending the invitation.
It was not like her. Not like the version of her that refused, absolutely refused, to be second place.
"We'll be going now."
Asagiri slung his bag over his shoulder and headed toward the classroom door. Kotoko stood up too, but before leaving, she gave Kaguya a strangely meaningful look.
"Kaguya Shinomiya… you've become quite different from before."
…
A little later, inside a family restaurant.
"Another monster request? But…"
Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi exchanged a glance, both hesitating.
"Megumi and I have appointments today and tomorrow. We're doing special training with Ashikaga sensei."
"That's great!"
To Asuna's surprise, Kotoko did not look disappointed at all. She practically glowed with joy.
"Then Asagiri and I can go alone. It's not even that tricky anyway~"
Asuna stared at Kotoko's bright smile with deep suspicion, as if looking at someone about to pull a prank.
"Is there really a monster request? You're not just making things up, are you?"
"How could I? How could I joke about something like that~"
Kotoko giggled behind her hand, then finally set her playful expression aside and turned serious.
"This request is a bit troublesome. The location is the mountains in Kanagawa. The Mountain God who lives there sent a messenger to find me and said a series of murders have happened within its territory."
"Huh?"
Megumi tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
"Does a Mountain God handle murder cases? Isn't that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's job?"
"Of course it handles them."
Kotoko raised her slender, pale index finger, speaking like a teacher lecturing a class.
"So far, the killer has murdered five innocent people. Each time, they enter the mountain late at night during rain, then scatter the body parts in the forest."
Her tone remained calm, as if describing something mundane. That calmness made it worse.
"The souls of the dead carry intense resentment, especially when they were dismembered after death, the culprit hasn't been caught, and their grievances remain unresolved. If this continues, it's very likely to produce powerful Banshees."
Kotoko leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp.
"Putting that aside, if it were you, could you tolerate someone dumping body parts into your home over and over? The hikers have already discovered the remains. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating and has sealed the mountain off. That means the shrine on the mountain is receiving no incense offerings, so the Mountain God grows weaker by the day. If this keeps going, it will dissipate."
Her voice carried the certainty of doctrine.
"I'm the God of Wisdom who maintains the balance between the yokai world and human society. When humans cause this kind of disturbance, it's only natural that I can't stand by and watch."
Megumi nodded slowly.
"I see."
"Exactly."
Kotoko's serious face instantly turned sweet again. She cupped her cheeks with both hands and smiled shyly, as if she had just thought of something adorable.
"Oh dear. Since it's Kanagawa and we need to investigate, we probably can't go and come back in one day. We'll have to stay overnight. To save money, we'll just book one room. Then Asagiri and I will sleep in one bed so we don't catch a cold. We'll warm each other with body heat, and then neither of us can suppress the feelings rising in our hearts, and something unforgettable will happen in the quiet night…"
"Are you starting again?"
Asuna cut her off, brows knitting.
"If you're going to do something serious, stop getting ahead of yourself with that nonsense. First, tell me, how are you planning to catch a criminal the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department can't track down?"
"Oh, that's simple."
Kotoko kept smiling, but the next words sent a chill through both Asuna and Megumi.
"The yokai in the mountains saw what the killer looks like. Asagiri and I just need to find him, kill him, and leave evidence behind that lets the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department confirm he was the culprit. That will dissipate the resentment, and it removes a threat from the world. Best of both worlds. Request completed perfectly."
Asuna and Megumi's expressions stiffened.
Kotoko only shrugged lightly, still smiling.
"My duty is to maintain order between both worlds, not to play at being some righteous hero. As long as the request is completed, the method doesn't matter. Besides, someone who kills should be prepared to be killed. That's the outcome they chose."
That last line felt eerily familiar, like something Asagiri had once said in the beginner Dungeon.
Asuna exhaled softly, then turned to Asagiri beside her and spoke in a gentle, careful tone.
"Then you and Kotoko go. Be careful, stay safe… and Sunday, don't forget, okay?"
Asagiri nodded with a small smile.
"Don't worry. I won't forget. We'll be back tomorrow."
…
Half an hour later, on the train to Kanagawa.
There were plenty of empty seats, and the carriage was quiet, but Kotoko insisted on sitting right beside Asagiri anyway. He glanced at her with amusement.
"Why don't you just sit on my lap?"
"Something that good exists?"
Kotoko did not hesitate for even a second. She sat down in his lap as if it were the most natural answer in the world. To get comfortable, her small body shifted instinctively a couple of times.
Asagiri clicked his tongue.
"You really don't hold back."
"Family doesn't need to be polite, right~"
Kotoko said it with a teasing smile, but the next moment, a blush rose across her fair cheeks.
"Y you have a weapon on you? Or is it…"
"I don't have a weapon."
Asagiri answered calmly at first, then followed with a deep, dramatic tone.
"I am the weapon."
"Why are you trying to sound cool at a time like this…"
Kotoko's voice turned bashful, her expression shy in a way that betrayed her complete lack of experience. For all her suggestive jokes, when the moment actually pressed close, she still looked like a flustered girl.
The shyness only lasted a few seconds.
Kotoko slipped out of his lap and returned to the seat beside him. While smoothing her dress, she muttered something scandalous under her breath.
"Fine, I won't crush it. I might still need it tonight~"
Then she put away her playful smile and switched into rare seriousness.
"As for the method to resolve this request…"
While speaking, Kotoko reached into her bag and pulled out a SIM card and a sheet of paper. Asagiri took the paper and unfolded it. An email address was written neatly across it.
Kotoko explained in a low voice.
"Using the yokai's tracking, I learned the killer's real identity. Kōsaku Hosokawa, thirty four years old, an ordinary employee at an insurance company."
"As soon as I had his real name, I searched online. As expected, I found his email address listed on his former university's website. I confirmed the account is still active, meaning he uses it normally."
She tapped the SIM card lightly.
"This SIM card came through special channels. You'll register a new email account with it, send Kōsaku Hosokawa an email with Crazy Mita attached, and have Crazy Mita appear at the right time to kill him. Then we eliminate the Banshee in his house. The request will be completed perfectly."
Kotoko's gaze remained steady, almost clinical.
"Afterward, destroy the SIM card immediately. Even if the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department investigates, they won't find anything useful."
.....
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