What should I do?

I don't know the full extent of Kosuzu's abilities.

But at least I know that Kosuzu has created and is controlling beings similar to me or Koko.

My tracking ability isn't actually "my" ability.

To be precise, it's the power of an Outer God called Shur-Nilras who's enjoying observing me.

If it thinks finding that yokai called satori would make things boring, it definitely won't help me. Conversely, if it thinks that would be interesting, it would force its help on me even if I refused.

"Then, may I assume you'll help us?" Kagami asked at the entrance after finishing dinner and helping with the dishes.

"...Yeah."

I nodded.

That's right. I had already made up my mind.

I don't know how Kosuzu plans to use it. But at least I'm certain it won't have a particularly positive impact on this world.

Finding out information like how to blackmail higher-ups or where to attack effectively—just knowing these things would be reason enough to track it down.

"...Thank you," Kagami replied.

I quietly observed her.

In my previous life, I never really grew up in poverty. At least when I lived with my family, I never lived in a hastily built house like this one.

So I don't know if houses like this exist in Korea, but—

Well, at least standing here in the entryway, I could definitely feel the cold air seeping through that thin wooden door.

It probably wasn't below freezing, but the temperature seemed to be in the single digits.

I looked Kagami over.

Her clothes didn't look particularly thick. ...Though I'm not sure if that's just my perception, having spent winters in Korea.

"How are you getting home? Do you have someone to drive you?"

Only after asking did I realize this was the first time I'd asked Kagami such a question.

"Yes, someone will come if I call."

Though she doesn't seem to have taken a car right in front of this apartment before.

The last time I checked the clock, it was past nine.

After thinking for a moment, I looked at Koko. Koko seemed completely indifferent. She was watching Kagami and me talk quite intently, but hadn't interrupted our conversation.

To be honest, I couldn't really tell what she was thinking.

Well, at least she didn't seem to have any negative thoughts about Kagami.

At least right now, she wasn't showing a particularly wary expression.

"Meow."

I heard a cry from near my feet.

Kuro was looking up at me and meowing.

What are you going to do?

His expression seemed to ask that question.

...Alright, fine.

"...You can just stay the night."

I said that and looked up to see Kagami frozen with a faint smile on her face.

It wasn't like she had deliberately put on that expression—it was just the last expression she'd been wearing, and she seemed to have frozen because she didn't know how to respond to my words.

"It's late," I added.

Ironically, this room contained enough items for a family of four to live comfortably. There were plenty of blankets since Yuka often came to stay over.

Accommodating one unexpected guest wouldn't be a problem.

"I..."

You can refuse if you want to.

But isn't it strange to refuse at this point? Koko and I have already stayed above Kagami's bar before.

"..."

Still, I can't say it's not awkward at all.

To ease the atmosphere a bit, I added a reasonable excuse.

"And we still have some things to discuss. If Kosuzu has started moving, it's best to find her as quickly as possible. And... I don't want others to find out that we dealt with the satori."

After saying that, I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'll be in my room, so do whatever you want."

Then I went back to my room with Koko.

About 30 seconds later? Kagami, who had been at the entrance, hesitantly came back into the room.

And somewhat awkwardly sat down in a corner of the room.

"Meow."

Kuro followed Kagami in, a little later.

Curling up on my lap, Kuro yawned widely.

As I scratched behind Kuro's ears, I smiled slightly, making sure Koko and Kagami couldn't see.

*

I'm not a very organized person and tend to be impulsive, so honestly, I can't really explain why I said that to Kagami in that moment.

But if I try to be as logical as possible and dig deep into my subconscious memories, I think there was some guilt mixed in for being overly cautious of Kagami.

It was also a relationship where I was almost unilaterally receiving help.

To be honest, Kagami deserves a lot of credit for the considerable consideration I now receive from those around me. Because Kagami took on the villain image for me.

"You know there's someone watching me right now, don't you?"

Kagami nodded at my words.

Since I'd invited Kagami to this room to have our discussion, I planned to talk about it during the remaining night.

"When they realize I'm gone, they'll move immediately. Since I've already heard about the satori."

"...That's right."

Kagami nodded.

"So I was wondering, is there any way for me to secretly leave this house? Like a secret passage?"

Actually, I already had an idea.

Opening the window and asking Koko to take me outside. Well, we couldn't completely avoid suspicion. Opening a window in the middle of winter would be suspicious, and if someone was staring intently at the room, they might see some afterimage when we disappeared.

But I had one sure method. At least they wouldn't know where we disappeared to.

So this was just something I brought up without much thought to continue the conversation, but—

"There is."

"...There is?"

I looked up at Kagami with an incredulous expression.

"Yes, there is. What do you think this place is?"

Well, it's a dilapidated apartment. One with walls so thin they can't even properly block the winter cold.

...And it was also a place where each room's refrigerator contained a massive flesh mass, and behind the plastic covering the walls was red blood smeared all over.

So, if you think about it... from the cult's perspective, this is a well-disguised and very important location.

"Did you hold gatherings here?"

"We did. Not anymore."

Kagami looked at me as she spoke. As we got into a topic she was confident about, she seemed to gradually return to her former self.

"And among those gatherings and rituals, some were very close to criminal activities in the eyes of outsiders."

Hmm, I don't really want to hear exactly what they did.

So I pretended not to hear that part and continued.

"So, about the passage?"

"There's quite a large hole under the first-floor room. We dug a passage from there connecting to the sewers."

I'm not sure if I should call this large-scale or just the kind of passage you'd expect.

...At least I'm grateful Koko didn't go out that way. It also meant they had properly sealed it off, at least on the surface.

"Well, since the passage itself hasn't been maintained for quite some time, there might be lots of bugs lurking inside."

"..."

I decided to pretend I didn't hear that either.

"Once you're in the sewers, you can go anywhere that's connected. Of course, we also designated specific escape routes to prevent getting lost and starving to death in there."

"That's... thorough."

"Hmm..."

When I muttered, somewhat intimidated, Kagami put her hand on her chin and fell into thought for a moment.

"The problem is that there's no direct way down from the second floor to the first floor. To get to a first-floor room, we must go outside."

If someone is watching us, they would find it extremely suspicious if we entered the first floor and didn't come out for a long time.

I haven't found any signs of someone secretly entering and searching this apartment. The people watching me seem to be at least that cautious.

But it's impossible to know how they'll act if they judge the situation to be truly urgent.

"That's... something I need to think about."

Which would arouse more suspicion—keeping the window open continuously or entering the first floor and not returning for a long time?

"Since I'm staying here after a long time,"

Kagami said to me as I was lost in thought.

"Let me think of a way."

Kagami looked somewhat proud as she said that.

*

The next day, after studying in the Literature Club room and returning home, I found quite a crowd gathered in front of my house.

"Kagami?"

When I called out to Kagami, who seemed to be directing these people, she turned toward me with a faint smile.

"What's all this?"

"The building is too old, isn't it? Plus, we're hardly using the lower floors."

Kagami answered my question straightforwardly.

"So I'm doing a bit of remodeling. Fixing up the walls, checking the plumbing for any issues."

I almost reflexively asked "Now?" but then I noticed people on the second floor too and kept my mouth shut.

That's right.

I had already broken through the ceiling before. Of course, part of the reason was that the construction was so shoddy it made me doubt if this apartment was ever meant for human habitation.

"Do you see over there?"

Looking where Kagami pointed, I saw the man who lived next door, his face incredibly bright.

He was peering around his home, already excited that his living space would be cleaned up. Did he finish work early today?

"And, would you like to come this way?"

I followed Kagami's gesture.

Kagami led us into the room at the far right end of the first floor.

The inside was almost unchanged. There was some luggage, but no people.

Instead, some of the flooring was exposed, and in the middle was a closed door.

"And this way, even if the people living in this house come to look, they won't be suspicious."

"...Ah."

I see.

So this was the method Kagami had mentioned.

Creating a reason for me to come in at any time.

Certainly, this would buy me enough time to disappear from their sight.

"...I see."

"Yes, that's the reason."

Kagami looked back and forth between Koko and me as she spoke.

"So, may I ask when you're planning to go look for the satori?"

"..."

Looking at Kagami, who seemed to have completely regained her usual composure, I momentarily forgot what to say.

*

We set the execution date for this weekend.

I don't know exactly where the satori might be. All I know is that it's somewhere on the Japanese archipelago.

Building a lair and moving takes quite a long time, but it's been decades since I gave up tracking it.

If it crossed the sea, it might be impossible to find, but judging by Kosuzu's movements, she must have found at least some clues.

Is it a similar method to mine? Whateley seems to have received some divine power, so it's reasonable to think he might have some convenient abilities related to that, even if not as much as me.

So, I set the deadline as soon as possible.

"You want to take the weekend off?"

The Manager asked in response to my request.

I've already taken an incredible amount of time off this year. Honestly, if this were a normal workplace, I might have used up all my annual leave by now.

"Well, fine. Take the time off."

But the Manager agreed without even asking for a reason.

"Since you brought in free labor, we're not short on staff."

As he said this, his eyes were directed at Miki.

When I gave him an incredulous look, the Manager just shrugged.

"What's the problem? She really doesn't take a salary. For now, she just seems to want to help me."

"..."

"What, do you want to talk about why you're taking time off? Is your tongue itching to tell me?"

The Manager asked with a smirk.

"Just, with my mom..."

Mom, huh.

Well, I can't call Kagami by her name in front of others. Even with the setup that we had a bad relationship but are gradually becoming friendlier, considering Eastern relationships and titles, calling her by name would be too strange.

"...I see."

I'm not sure how the Manager interpreted my words, but he showed a very warm smile and said:

"Then that's what you should do. If they're among the few family members left in the world, you should definitely spend time with them. Go have fun, eat lots of delicious food."

I was very grateful that Yuka wasn't nearby.

Yuka would definitely have had an incredibly complex expression on her face if she'd heard our conversation.

She might have thought that I didn't fully believe her and that Kagami had asked me to find the satori.

...Which was actually true.

*

Saturday, after school.

"...I see. You have to work on Saturday too."

Yuka, who had asked me to study together but was rejected, said with a somewhat empty expression.

"Honestly, I really want to go with you, but it would be a bit awkward to spend all day studying at your workplace."

Looking at Yuka, who spoke as if joking, I smiled slightly too.

Honestly, if that had really happened, it would have felt like silent pressure. Like she was telling me to study more.

Though Yuka probably wouldn't have any ill intentions.

"Well... yeah."

Yuka nodded to herself and said:

"Okay. See you next week."

I nodded at Yuka's words.

"See you Monday."

Fortunately, since Yuka's train was scheduled to arrive first, Koko and I saw her off first.

Good. That's one worry off my mind.

As I turned around with a small sigh, I found Koko staring up at me.

"...What? Is something wrong?"

Concerned by Koko's expression, I asked, and—

"Uu."

After thinking for a moment, Koko said:

"Kotone, lie."

"Huh?"

As I blinked in confusion, Koko continued:

"Lying is bad... what if Santa Claus doesn't like it at Christmas?"

"..."

Ah.

I see.

Koko had been sitting beside me with a sullen expression throughout my conversation with Kagami yesterday.

So she must have judged my deceiving my best friend and doing something alone as "lying"—a bad thing.

"This is..."

I found myself at a loss for words.

"I'll explain this to you when we get home. It probably won't be a big problem with Santa Claus."

"Uu?"

Koko tilted her head again at my words.

*

"...Santa?"

Kagami tilted her head when she heard our conversation after we returned home.

"Bad things make Santa not give presents."

Kagami's eyes widened slightly at Koko's words. Even widened, they were still narrow eyes.

Seeing Kagami give me a look that seemed to demand an explanation, I thought for a moment and said:

"This is to prevent Yuka from worrying."

"Uu?"

"Koko, is making a friend worry really a good thing?"

I looked at Koko's face with a serious expression as I spoke.

"...That, bad thing."

Koko said after some deep thought.

"That's right. But sometimes there are moments when you have to lie. To prevent people you like and are close to from worrying."

"But..."

"If I had told her the reason there, Yuka would have worried terribly."

And she would have followed me.

I said that, hiding the latter part.

"For this matter, I thought it best if we resolved it ourselves."

"..."

Koko stared at me intently.

"We'll solve it quickly without making others worry, and return by the weekend. That way, we can resolve the issue without making anyone worry."

"Not bad thing?"

"No, it's not."

Of course, even as I answered that, a corner of my heart ached a little.

There are various types of lies.

There are light lies told simply as jokes. There are cases where you withhold information for now to tell the truth later, and there are lies told purely to deceive the other person.

The lie I told Yuka was that last kind.

No matter how much the intention was for my friend's sake, probably no one would consider it an entirely good thing.

And above all.

I've already told Yuka a far too big lie.

Although it was for Yuka's sake, I already told a lie long ago that could cause a very, very deep wound in the end.

Yes.

There is one more type of lie.

The kind of lie where you don't tell anyone anything.

Deception in the form of silence.

...Considering what I know about that prophecy, the yokai called satori is one that shouldn't exist.

What expression will Koko make when she learns that fact in the final moment?

"Santa Claus will definitely come. So there's no need to worry."

"Uu."

Koko looked up at me with her head slightly bowed and said in a somewhat deflated voice:

"I hope Kotone gets a present too..."

"...I'm sure she will."

Kagami, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, said.

"She probably will. Because of what she's done so far."

Kagami was staring at me.

"So, there's no need to worry too much."

"...Really?"

"Really."

Only after hearing Kagami's words did Koko show a slight smile.

A smile of relief.

Ironically, seeing that smile gave me no relief at all.