Nice to meet you. I’m Miura Morozumi, but you can just call me Morozumi. This here’s my card…

Thank you so much. Here’s mine…

Ahh, the chief at HAMA Tours, ay? HAMA’s been showing up in the news lately as a freshly-renewed tourism region.

Thank you, that’s an honor to hear. And you work as a…

…“Spirit lawyer”?

That’s right. I go around makin’ contract with spirits, like the one that was possessing your van earlier, so we can all coexist.

If any of them cross the line, I just exorcise them. That’s my bread and butte⁠— My…job.

Ahh… Real sorry. I ain’t the best at speakin’ the standard dialect…

Oh, no, it’s okay.

I’ve heard about your line of work from my customers, but I never would’ve expected to meet someone from the industry myself. It’s truly an honor.

Whole lotta folks ain’t believe in the stuff I do.

(Not surprising.)

I see… So how much money does this pot cost again?

Huh?

Ahhh! I see now, this must be what you humans call a snake oil salesman!

…You callin’ him a scammer or something? Watch your fuckin’ mouths.

I’m not doing anything like that. As soon as Morozumi-san showed up earlier, that weird earthquake stopped happening, so…

Very true.

If he actually has psychic powers, I had a theory that he might have a real pot that can bless you with eternal luck.

He ain’t got that kinda stuff, brother, come on.

Aha! If he did own a pot, he would be even closer to the genuine article!

Sorry, folks, I ain’t use those sorta tools.

Ahhhh?

Give it a rest already. Morozumi-san, you gotta put your foot down and tell ‘em off.

Naw, lotsa folks react like that.

But…

It’s mighty hard t’ change someone’s mind once they got it set on somethin’. You gotta remember that yerself.

……

…Fine, I guess ignorance is bliss or whatever.

So how much is the pot again?

……

Ah, Toi-kun, you’re awake. You went back to sleep when Morozumi-san showed up, so I didn’t wanna wake y⁠—

I was having a brief talk with Toi.

! Fucker, you’re usin’ Toi’s body again…!

I smell the unfamiliar odor of a rat amongst you. Ryui, was it you who brought it along?

Ohh, well, lookie here. Ya don’t get t’ see stuff like this every day. Now that’s a whopper.

*scoff* Peasants are not permitted to speak of me.

The name’s Miura Morozumi. It’s an honor to meet you.

Are you the man who indoctrinated Ryui with the concept of a “contract”?

Maybe so. I ain’t too fond of folks who live outside a’ the law, y’know. No matter how powerful y’are.

Haha, how small-minded of you. Regulations were made to be broken.

(…? What’re they talking about?)

Ryui, didja come out here t’ Aomori to do somethin’ about this’un here?

…Yeah. I wanna know where they came from, and how I can get ’em outta Toi’s body.

Get me out? Haha…!

HAAAAHAHAHA!

Uhh, Morozumi-san? Sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, but he’s goin’ through a phase right now…

Naw, whatcha got here’s a kid possessed by a high-rankin’ demon. That’s why his divination powers are so strong. Ain’t that right?

……

…Are you actually the real deal?

Yeah, he’s been sayin’ that this whole time.

(Like I believe that…)

Ryui, y’remember the night ya made yer contract with this here demon?

Yeah… It was the day I ran outta that izakaya and went back home.

There’s somethin’ I forgot to say back then.

This Oshisha-sama that the Shiramitsus have been worshippin’ for ages is actually a god native to these parts.

A native god. Namely, one of the eight million gods.¹

But they’re actually a demon, not a god, right? Y’already told me that.

This is where y’gotta listen real carefully, alright?

Seems likely that they were a bona-fide god at first, but at some odd point, Oshisha-sama got replaced with this here demon.

…?!

Replaced…?

(So this demon fucker was just usin’ Oshisha-sama’s name…?)

Umm, so you’re saying that Oshisha-sama isn’t really Oshisha-sama…?

Thank you for the clear explanation. Even though I still don’t really get it.

Hold on. So where’s the real Oshisha-sama at then?

That’s the thing. If the original god was still ’round, they’d give Toi a hand.

……

What’d you do with the original god?

Who’s to say?

You fucking…

Haha, they ain’t gon’ tell us that easily.

Morozumi-san, uh…

I gotcha. I’m gon’ look into it a wee bit more, so don’t gimme that face. At ease, ay?

…I owe ya one.

Anyways, looks like it’s time f’ me to head on out. Sorry t’ disturb all y’all folks, Chief.

Oh, it’s okay! I’m glad we were able to meet the person Ryui-kun’s been looking for this entire time.

…See you later.

Hmmm. Aah, forgot somethin’.

?

My card. Y’lost my old one, ay? Jus’ call me from here next time ya need me.

…Saw right through me.

And that eyepatch looks mighty good on ya.

!

…Don’t just spring that kinda shit on me…

Ryui is…

Embarrassed.

Can it. Don’t fuckin’ look at me.

A demon? Has he lost his mind? How very unscientific.

(I do remember Ryui mentioning that Oshisha-sama was supposed to possess him, but ended up possessing Toi-kun instead…)

Possess? As in, when a god or spirit takes over a human body, yes? How utterly unscientific. Perhaps that “god” is nothing more than an alter ego that Toy’s brain made u⁠—

I’m not tellin’ you all this ‘cuz I expected you to believe me!! That family’s been fucked up for ages. Normal people wouldn’t get it.

I just… I gotta keep ’im safe from everything that happens. I have to…!

I gotta protect Toi from that fuckin’ demon…!

I’m gonna keep sayin’ this, but it ain’t any of your damn business. It’s our family’s greatest shame, ’n’ it stays in the family.

Ryui-kun…

Even though you’ve already told us so much?

Yeah. Sorry, ya shouldn’t havta know alla this. Wasted your time too.

(Any connection to this damn family, and you’re bound to be unhappy.)

……

Hmhmmm… ♪ Poppy-pop! ♪ One pop, two pops…

Twist it, crush it… Ah, this is so fun!

……

*sigh* I’m hungry…

Aa-chama, you said that I’m only allowed to eat red things, right?

Correct.

What about garlic cloves?

Out of the question.

Red things, huh? Apples are red. Red flesh tuna, medium-fatty tuna, fatty tuna, and akatonbo squid are red too…

……

Okay, it’s my turn!

……

Aa-chama, I said it’s my turn on the TV! I wanna play otome games!

……

Hmph! Fine.

I’ll just sit here and eat the liver pâté in this jar until you let me use the TV.

Mm… *smack* *munch, munch…*

(Hm, I wonder who brought this jar in?)

Whatever! It’s super tasty anyway⁠—

Ow! What was that crunching noise…?

Huh…?

It’s my…tooth…

Ah… Ah…! No!

(My teeth keep falling out…!)

What’s going on…?! No, please…! Please stop…!!

You are changing. You are changing at an incredibly rapid pace.

No… No, no, no, no, no, no, no…!

The time has finally come for your body to sprout my wings!

NOOOOOOOO!!!

*gasp*

*pant, pant, pant…*

(Someone’s in the shower…)

(Oh, right, Brother Dearest is taking a shower right now… We’re in a hotel in Hirosaki… I don’t even remember falling asleep.)

(…I still have all of my teeth…)

Oh, that’s such a relief… It was just a dre⁠—

…No.

My hands and my mouth are…all sticky…