It was because this could very well be the last time that he would see Hayakawa.
Of course, my main premise is to come back alive, but I’m clumsy. I’ll tell him how I feel, just in case, so I don’t end up having any regrets.
With that in mind, Masamichi looked up at Hayakawa’s face and spoke.
“Um, thank you for doing so much for me. I’m really grateful.”
Hayakawa seemed a little surprised, but he responded with his usual gentle smile and said, “No problem. This is a pleasant detour for me, too. Please don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Masamichi nodded with a smile, opened the door for the briefest time possible as he’d been told to do, and saw Hayakawa off as he waved and disappeared down the dark street.
Masamichi walked back inside and down the aisle, careful not to touch the piles of objects that had become artifact spirits, and said to himself, “Okay, this is it.”
There was no one inside to respond, but he could sense the faint buzz among the artifact spirits asking him what he was about to do.
Perhaps with his repeated use of his third eye, he had gradually gotten used to the presence of the otherworldly beings.
“Thank you for letting me stay here. I haven’t been able to take very good care of you all, but… I mean, I’m planning to come back, but since it’s only proper, I want to say this to you, just in case.”
After that, he bowed to his left and then to his right, returned to the tea room, and began getting ready.
It involved putting on his brand-new children’s duffle coat for the first time, and he was ready to go.
There was one more thing that he had to do.
“I know you were made for me…and I’m sorry. I promise to take good care of you if I can manage to come back here. Thank you for protecting me until now.”
He expressed gratitude to the black cat brooch and then removed it with his small, clumsy hands for the first time since Hayakawa had given it to him.
He removed the important tool, which stopped the outflow of his chi to prevent Kagiroi from stealing it, and placed it gently on the table.
He then bowed to the photos of Daizou and Yoriko displayed on the chest of drawers.
“Thank you for letting me live in your home. If I’m unable to come back, then please…look after Shino for me. Please watch over him from the sky.”
Masamichi left the light on and made his way through the dimly lit shop. This time, he opened the door wide and stepped outside.
Struggling to get the key into the lock, which was too high for his height, he finally locked the door and took a deep breath.
His legs were already starting to tremble.
He was the one who had decided to do this, but it was still frightening when it came to taking action.
Despite wearing a warm coat, he also felt a chill running through his entire body.
It was probably because the route that Kagiroi had set up to continuously steal his chi had already been reactivated, and it was gradually being seeped away.
He had to get moving before he was unable to move decently.
“I don’t have time. I can’t afford to be scared,” he told himself and slapped his cheeks with his gloved hands.
There was also another reason why he had to hurry.
He had chosen to do this when it was completely dark so he could avoid being seen. After all, it was also the time of day when a five-year-old shouldn’t be walking around outside by himself.
He would be in big trouble if some concerned adult was to spot him and report him to the police.
And there was more on top of that.
Shino was bound to find out that he had stepped outside his barrier.
It was unavoidable, but Masamichi had to do something before Shino became aware of his getaway and took action.
“I have to hurry. It should work…if I go back there…!”
Masamichi ran off with all the strength that a five-year-old could muster.
He sensed the adults walking by looking at him with surprise in their eyes, but he didn’t think he would be stopped if he kept running.
Praying that people would assume he was hurrying home, he ran as fast as he could, urging his fatigued body to go on.
Before long, he saw the place where his fate awaited.
It was the site where he’d come across Kagiroi and had been transformed into a child.
It was also a place that was just outside Shino’s barrier. His protective spell wouldn’t save Masamichi now.
I’m on my own. I’ve never even thought about it before, but I guess this is the kind of situation…where I have to fend for myself.
With such thoughts running through his mind, Masamichi clenched his hands tightly, trying to stop himself from trembling, and strode into the park.
Fortunately, the small park was empty.
The pale glow of the streetlights shone on the playground equipment, which children must have enjoyed during the day, and on the benches, where parents would sit and watch over them, making the place look terribly lonely.
A child who had come to play at the wrong time—
—Masamichi figured that was how silly he looked as he walked near a bench, took a deep breath, and said in a small voice, “Mr. Kagiroi? I’m here.”
That was the reason why Masamichi had come to this park, which he hadn’t told Shino about.
“Come to me,” Kagiroi had said several times that day. Masamichi felt that he hadn’t been joking.
It was because he remembered the vague sound of Kagiroi’s voice just before losing consciousness under his spell.
“Call out to me here if you decide to come to me.”
That was what he’d said.
Shino said there was no way to find out where Kagiroi was, so the method he told me about wasn’t realistic. But…maybe I could call him here!
As if in answer to Masamichi’s hopes, Kagiroi appeared before him without a sound.
Despite having brought him there himself, Masamichi let out a yelp of surprise and staggered back, and the specter, dressed in black as usual, laughed.
“Good evening, servant boy. You haven’t been giving me your chi for a while, but you’ve delighted me with your sudden summons.”
“I—I—”
“Well, your chi is only equivalent to a small pastry I’d nibble at now and then. Don’t worry about it. So you’ve decided to abandon Shino and become my toy, have you?” Kagiroi smiled elegantly, brushing back his long hair with a hand.
Masamichi swallowed and casually stuck his right hand into his coat pocket.
“I have.”
“Ah. That’s the right attitude. Then the next time I see Shino, I’ll be sure to have you by my side. I can just imagine his face when he sees you. It’s bound to be amusing.”