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Tatara Kogasa Race: Tsukumogami (Umbrella Spirit) Ability: Surprising Humans Occupation: Blacksmith Residence: Cemetery behind Myouren Temple Unlock Condition: Go out without an umbrella on a rainy day.
"Oh? Are you saying I scared you?"
Kogasa's beautiful heterochromatic eyes—one ruby red, one sapphire blue—narrowed slightly. She leaned forward, getting face-to-face with Leo, trying to detect if this adult was lying.
What a cute child!
Whether she was angry or suspicious, the little spirit in front of him looked like a soft, white milk-bun. Even if she got mad, she looked adorable. It gave off a feeling of fragile defenselessness, like kicking a ball of cotton.
Leo, however, was genuinely terrified. His brain had just rebooted, deleting the traumatic memory segment where a giant umbrella tongue had sucked on the back of his head like a lollipop.
"You look a bit suspicious," Kogasa hummed, staring into his soul.
She couldn't find any signs of lying, but she couldn't let a bad adult off the hook. She pointed the open paper umbrella in her hand directly at Leo.
"Kogasa! Lick him!"
"NO!"
Leo panicked. He raised his hands to push the umbrella away.
He forgot a crucial detail: Umbrellas can be closed. Especially when they are sturdy Youkai.
Snap.
Leo's hand hit the locking mechanism. The canopy collapsed instantly.
Slip.
Leo lost his balance and fell forward.
Smooch.
Time froze.
Leo found himself in intimate, mouth-to-mouth contact with the "face" of the closed umbrella.
Cue romantic music.
Leo and the Umbrella widened their eyes simultaneously.
Compared to Leo's horror and panic, the large eye on the umbrella surface lit up with pure ecstasy.
Slurp! Slurp!
The massive tongue began frantically licking Leo's face. It made excited woo-woo-woo sounds. The handle slipped from Kogasa's grip and wagged back and forth violently.
The entire umbrella clung to Leo like a Golden Retriever begging for cuddles.
"Stop! Stop licking!"
Leo grabbed the thick, fleshy tongue with both hands to pry it off.
It wasn't gross. Being a spirit, it had no saliva. It felt warm, fleshy, and elastic—like a balloon filled with hot water. The texture was... surprisingly excellent.
Hearing Leo's command, the Umbrella froze. It stood up straight, its large single eye staring brightly at Leo, the tip of its tongue trembling with suppressed excitement.
It really was just a puppy in umbrella form.
"Well," Leo wiped his mouth, looking awkwardly at the tool that reached his waist. "That was a misunderstanding. If you're okay, I'll call Yukari to pick you up. I have things to do."
He couldn't believe his first kiss—preserved for over twenty years—had been stolen by rain gear.
"Woo..."
Seeing Leo's rejection, the One-Eyed Umbrella drooped. A black aura of resentment began to leak from its frame.
"Misunderstanding?"
Kogasa stared at him, eyes wide with shock and anger.
"Do you know what kissing Kogasa means? It means you are Kogasa's Master now! Are you going to abandon us like the last master did?!"
She glared at him. If he dared say "yes," she would explode. And she wouldn't let him off, even as a ghost.
Kogasa was pitiful. Her previous owner threw her away because he didn't like the color. She sat in the rain for a hundred years until she gained a soul. This was the first time in a century someone had shown "affection" (the kiss).
If she was abandoned again, her resentment would be strong enough to choke Yukari.
"Ah? No! Not abandoning!" Leo waved his hands frantically. "I meant sending you back to Gensokyo! But if you don't want to go back, that's fine too!"
He realized the gravity of the situation. That accidental smooch was a binding contract in her eyes.
Recalling Kogasa's information, Leo looked at the umbrella that was waiting for orders like a loyal dog. He felt a pang of sympathy.
"Do you want to stay?" Leo asked gently. "My house is quite big. I can take you in. I absolutely won't abandon you."
He pulled out an ID Card.
Kogasa and the Umbrella were one entity. The Umbrella was the body, Kogasa was the spirit born of resentment. Without the resentment, they were just an innocent child seeking a home.
"You want to take us in? Seriously?"
Kogasa looked at the card but didn't take it.
"You won't keep us for two days and then throw us in the trash?"
She hesitated. Having been abandoned once, she couldn't survive a second time.
If this were a standard edgy novel, Kogasa would have become a Demon Lord seeking revenge on humanity. Let the world feel my pain! She would have been a tragic mid-boss whose defeat would bring tears to the audience.
The reason she remained a harmless, cute nuisance was simple:
She ran into the Final Boss immediately after leaving home.
Decades ago, a newly born Kogasa jumped out of the bushes to scare her first victim.
It was a woman with green hair, red eyes, a red plaid shirt, and a long skirt, carrying a parasol.
Kogasa had licked her.
(They should be thankful Kogasa has no saliva. Otherwise, Yuuka Kazami wouldn't have just smacked them into orbit—she would have turned them into fertilizer.)
I wanted to avenge the world, but I ran into the Level 99 Boss in the starter village.
She retreated and tried again.
Target 2: A blonde 24-year-old walking a fox. (Yukari). Target 3: A Red-White Shrine Maiden demanding exorcism fees. (Reimu).
After three strikes, Kogasa developed social anxiety.
Revenge on society? Stop joking. Let's just embrace the rot.
Thus, the potential World-Destroying Demon King became the current Tatara Kogasa—a spirit so pathetic that even her scares were endearing.
"Seriously," Leo swore. "I promise. If I abandon you, I'll let Aya Shameimaru write one hundred fake news articles about me, and I won't even clarify them."
"You don't have to be that harsh..." Kogasa murmured.
She grabbed the ID Card.
"We'll trust you this once. Remember... if you abandon us, I won't let you off, even as a ghost!"