Chapter 25: Chasing After You

Chapter 25: Chasing After You

Countless books.

The reference books are focused on the subjects dealing with modern history.

From tourist maps to textbooks, everything was mixed within.

That part of the room looks like a separated mismatch belonging to an exchange student.

It’s surely out of place for the personal belongings of a lonesome man of old age.

Keisuke: “It was purchased in the Ootsuki secondhand bookstore.”

That store frequently stocks these sorts of books under my request.

That’s right.

These are books perfect for someone that just recently returned to Japan and had to collect information.

On top of that, the price was affordable.

Keisuke: “He even learned about how to use the currency…ah, probably he was still breathing when she was transferred, so she could learn from these.”

Angelica: “Umm…dad?”

I still can’t swallow the situation at all though, Angelica asked.

Still looking perplexed, she inched away from the dead body.

It’s quite harsh to tell this to your scared daughter, but I have no choice but to tell her.

Keisuke: “…I told you before, but there are no such things as spiritual bodies on Earth. When I was summoned to the other world, I understood that. Yet right now, this town is flooded with ghosts. Don’t you think it’s weird? Then where would they come from? There’s no other options but the other world.”

Angelica: “They came from the same world as I did?”

Keisuke: “They came at the same time as you did too.”

When the people of that world thought of sending me something, a massive amount of energy was required.

The high priests gather a lot of people and assembled a complex spell. It requires money and manpower, truly a troublesome work.

Keisuke: “If you’re sending several things, it’s better to do it all at once.”

I told Angelica as I stared at her green pupils waver.

Keisuke: “The priests sent you here with a lot of spirits possessing you. With that, both you and the evil spirits can be sent here in one shot.”

Angelica: “…that’s got to be a lie, right?”

I could see the color of blood getting drained from Angelica’s face.

Her doll-like graceful face turned pale, further making it look artificial.

Keisuke: “That means,” I said in one beat, “Ange, it’s you. The sightings of white woman around our apartment for the last week has been you.”

Angelica: “I don’t understand…”

Keisuke: “You were sent to Japan a week earlier than you remembered. You were probably manipulated by the spirits the first few days you get here.”

However, she was transferred next to my room.

Just the slightest calculation error, especially in the cramped housing situation in Japan, the transfer would get to the wrong person’s house.

The room was lived by a lonely old man waiting for his death.

When Angelica suddenly appeared in that room, and perhaps it looked like an angel had descended upon him.

Just by being a talking companion, the spirit could extract as much information about Japan as possible.

Yet in the middle of all that, the source of information passed away.

Or perhaps when Angelica came about, the man was already dead.

Either way, the spirit had to find another means to obtain information about Japan other than the old man.

As a matter of necessity, it turned to start learning on its own.

At first, it went out dressed as the Holy Maiden and became the source of the ghost stories.

Eventually it gained the knowledge of having to borrow the outfit and money of the old man and reached a decision to buy books from the bookstore.

The evil spirit used Angelica’s body to quickly learn about modern Japan.

Keisuke: “You probably slept here for several days, took showers too probably. It’s a room full of putrid smell, so it’s natural if you wanted to get rid of that smell. That’s why your hair smelled nice since the beginning. It’s a smell that’s only possible by the technologically advanced shampoo from Japan. Even if you use fragrances from your world and the soap there, it wouldn’t have smelled like that.”

But after that, Angelica who managed to regain control of her body again didn’t notice the difference in the smell of her hair.

It’s like someone washed your hair while you’re asleep, and when she opened her eyes, she was in another world and I have arrived in front of her.

Suppose that she noticed, the situation of her hair would be down in her priority list.

What if I was summoned to another world and noticed that my hair smelled like a different shampoo?

There would be a lot of things more important for me to think about other than that.

So I’d definitely ignore it.

Angelica: “…Everything is a speculation, right?”

Keisuke: “Pretty much. But the situation is exactly the same like when I did this.”

Angelica: “When dad did?”

Keisuke: “You see, this strategy is what me and the Head Priest thought of over there. We capture prisoners of war and possess them with tamed spirits. They would seize control of the body, and we’ll send them back to enemy territory. After that they can do whatever they want. They can sabotage or cause internal discord. We tend to use this method against enemies that were difficult to defeat or storm a castle that seem difficult to take down. Especially when my status were still low. It’s a method for the weak to use the strong. So what would the people of the other world do to take down the strongest hero?”

Right after the possession is finished, the possessed is left with no memories.

It’s a common occurrence that after several days passed, the personality of the person possessed will resurface.

That was what happened with Gondou.

There’s no mistake that that Yakuza was possessed by one of the spirits that came out of Angelica.

Angelica: “But, that’s not possible.”

With shivering voice, Angelica said that.

Tears are surfacing on her eyes.

Keisuke: “Ange, do you remember the first time we met? When I opened the door, you came in from the veranda, right? You came from the veranda next door, right? Wasn’t that why you were in that place? By the time you realized it, you were on the veranda of my room. Isn’t that right?”

Angelica could not answer.

Keisuke: “Ange?”

Angelica: “……”

Keisuke: “Ange, is it true?”

Angelica: “The Head Priest said he wanted to thank the hero you know? Then why is this…?”

I have no idea. I don’t know his objective nor am I interested in it.

He was probably upset anyways.

Angelica: “I’m sure this is a mistake……I mean, dad was the first man I’ve seen, and this is the first time I’ve seen this old man…”

Keisuke: “It’s inevitable that you forgot. It’s that sort of thing after all.”

It’s that sort of thing, I sighed.

It was white and misty.

In the room with no heating, the temperature isn’t different from the outside.

Keisuke: “Do you have anything that can explain the situation better? No, right? In my part, there are some more evidence that led me to doubt you. When you used Perception, there was a spiritual presence radiating centered on you, right? Isn’t that because the spirits are exiting your body?”

Everything was caused by you, I told her.

Angelica: “It’s…my fault…”

Angelica froze up.

Keisuke: “By the way, that speculation I brought up was the best case scenario for you.”

Angelica: “…what do you mean?”

Keisuke: “Here’s a worse case scenario; you knew everything, don’t you? Are you colluding with the Head Priest? Are you planning to get close to me so that you can dispose of me? You didn’t volunteer to be possessed by the evil spirits and bring them to me, did you?”

Angelica: “I, I didn’t…!”

Angelica brought both hands to her mouth and lightly trembled.

My paternal instinct is tingling, it was a gesture that made me want to hug her.

Is that, too, an act?

Keisuke: “You’re suspicious, is what I’m trying to tell you.”

Twitch! Angelica’s shoulders jumped.

Keisuke: “For a miserable old man like me, if a beautiful young girl suddenly follows him around, I could only think that there’s something more to it. You were so aggressive about it too, weren’t you? Was that also an act drilled in your head by the Head Priest?”

Angelica: “I love dad, so that’s why…”

That again.

When she’s troubled, she’d say that probably trying to trick me.

Keisuke: “Do you think I could believe someone who says they love me in no time after we meet? That’s definitely impossible.”

Angelica: “…I really…love dad.”

Keisuke: “You’d probably say that to any men, wouldn’t you? You’re just curious of the opposite gender anyways, aren’t you?”

Angelica: “—”

That sentence was the cue.

Angelica ran towards the entrance without even looking back.

Are you thinking that you’re going to resort to violence? Or did you think this is just too mentally unbearable?

Whichever is fine. Whichever.

Whatever the reason is, the fact that “I made Angelica cry” won’t change.

Keisuke: “……shit.”

Cold wind blew in from the wide open front door.

Clang, clang, clang, clang, I could hear the sound of footsteps running down the staircase with fury.

The girl who said she loved me is running away somewhere.

What am I even doing?

It’s true that Angelica holds the important hint regarding the fuss about the ghosts.

Which means there are no meaning in driving her out like this.

Granted that she was being used; granted that she deliberately did all that, there are still more things that I should be asking her.

It shouldn’t be like this.

I really wanted to press for an answer in a gentler flow.

Then why did I get so emotional in the middle of all that?

Now that I did that it looked like I was fighting with my younger girlfriend.

Even though I said I would be her guardian, I’m not acting mature at all.

I thought of cooling my head for a while.

I sluggishly exited to the veranda and vaulted back to my room like before.

I closed the window and headed for the kitchen.

I poured water into a cup and drank it up.

The tap-water in winter felt so cold that it stings my throat.

I should be off searching for Angelica soon, but I completely couldn’t feel any motivation welling up.

I walked to the living room and lowered my back onto the bed.

In a daze, I looked at the screen of my smartphone. The time is 5:11 P.M.

Winter days are short. It should get darker soon.

Oh right. I found a dead body. I should notify the officials. I should also tell the landlord.

I rose to my feet and noticed a white cloth folded in front of the bookshelf.

It was Angelica’s Sacred Maiden outfit, which was perhaps the cause of the ghost uproar.

The half-transparent veil was woven by mysterious materials; even in the other world, it was considered a very high class item.

And that item was carelessly left lying on the floor.

A brown paper bag was sitting on top of that sacred outfit.

It was a bag that contained the clothes and snacks I bought for Angelica yesterday.

The bag was neatly folded; she was treasuring it.

Even though I told her that the bag and the wrappings are trash she could throw away, she’s still keeping it.

It was the first present dad gave me, she said, adamantly refusing to throw it away.

She treasured the paper bag and put it on top of her highest-class otherworldly item.

Keisuke: “I’m an idiot, aren’t I?”

The moment I muttered that, a window popped up.

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at -500】

I truly am an idiot.

It’s true that I was too busy being a hero that I didn’t get to attend school.

The fact that Angelica had been holding affection for me had been shown front of my eyes the entire time.

Her favorability points dropped, but previously it said that she harbored some desire to monopolize.

She wasn’t acting to get close to me. She truly sought for me.

My blood is rising because I managed to forget such important thing.

Or rather, it was blowing off of my head.

Just thinking that a lot of spiritual body residing inside Angelica, I feel like going crazy.

I forgot myself.

In just a moment where the doubt that “Angelica might be an accomplice” appeared in my head, I got irritated.

This is not the behavior an adult man should do.

I’m just a brat.

Why was I that upset?

For me, it was a very important matter, so I couldn’t react any less.

It was because I wanted to believe her, I flipped out because of a single suspicion.

Am I losing my composure if it involves her?

Do I like Angelica?

I myself don’t know.

The one thing I’m sure about is that I need to look for her and apologize.

I’m a bad parent.

I dashed out of my room.

In my haste, I stopped my legs as I descended the stairs.

I probably won’t find her by blindly running around, so I jumped high and got on top of the apartment’s roof.

I thought searching for her from a high ground would be easier.

But I couldn’t find her.

How far did she go?

I don’t want to think…that she wouldn’t return.

I jumped off and ran at full speed.

Every few hundred meters I jumped into the roof of a building and looked around.

Concealment magic can hide sounds, but it can’t hide vibrations.

Perhaps some families would be surprised from the mysterious shaking of their house.

I apologize, but I have no time to be considerate.

I exited the residential area and run along the public roads. I climbed to the roof of a convenience store and scanned the area.

I can’t find her.

I’m getting farther away from the apartment.

I was thinking to ask some passerby if they saw a white girl around, but I just remembered that she was also still under the effect of concealment magic.

She’s simply invisible for normal people who possess no mana. I can’t just collect information from eyewitnesses.

As I descended to the ground, I decided to return to the area around the apartment.

As I breathe heavily, I continue my dash.

I hoped that she had returned to the room, so I climbed the staircase and opened the door to the room. But she wasn’t there.

Keisuke: “Ange…”

I’m really bad at searching. I even lost my life at some point.

Can I even find Angelica as I am now?

I thought that as I walked toward the neighborhood public park.

Spring is still far away, so the the sakura trees encircling the grounds were only trunk and branches.

Like a bird without its feather, it gives off a poor impression.

Those…are just pieces of wood.

The horizontal bar, the jungle gym, the parallel bar, and the swing.

Even the playing facilities are nothing more than just a pile of rods.

A collection of iron bones.

In this park full of skeletons, there was one playground equipment with some flesh on it.

A light blue slide in the shape of an elephant.

It looked like a watering can where you can get into the stomach part.

Children tend to use that part to hide……If someone gets in there, I wouldn’t have seen anything but the elephant’s back from higher altitude.

It’s a blind spot.

Somehow, I took a peek inside.

Keisuke: “So you’re here.”

This park is within viewing distance from my room.

I thought she wouldn’t ran away to a place like this.

But probably she didn’t have any intention to run away from the beginning.

She wants to be followed and she wants to be found; that’s why she hid nearby.

Perhaps that was it.

Keisuke: “I’m sorry, it was my fault. Let’s go home.”

Angelica was sitting under the slide, hugging her knees. There were marks of her tears on her cheeks.

I crouched down and extended my hand.

Keisuke: “It wasn’t a proper thing for a man of my age to tell a girl something like that. I regret that. I was upset.”

I, too, thought that it was a stupid excuse. I talked like a violent husband.

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at -300】

Keisuke: “You really want to be held by me back then. I didn’t have confidence in myself. Why would someone like you want to be with me, I thought, and I doubt everything from that world from the beginning. I wasn’t treated well back there…but I’m just making excuses at this point. What should I be saying…”

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at -200】

Keisuke: “When I thought that you were set up to be possessed by some spirits, everything in my head turned completely red. I don’t really know, but that’s what happened. I wonder why is that. My head was boiling and I can’t collect my thoughts. I then started talking things that wasn’t like me. I think it was because it’s you we’re talking about. I wouldn’t be so upset if we’re talking about other girls…”

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at -100】

Keisuke: “…come on back, to my place. It’s fun having you with me. I also rely on you to cast Perception…please come back. I won’t say anything mean anymore. I’ll treasure you. I want to look for a nice job with good pay, so I can give you good clothes. I’ll also give you some good food.”

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at 1】

Angelica slowly crawled outside.

She stood up while scrubbing her eyes before suddenly glint! glared at me.

Keisuke: “Ange, sorry.”

Angelica: “……Do you know why I hide somewhere close? It’s because thought you would be chasing after me. I’ve at least calculated that much. I’m not an idiot.”

Paf, paf, she pats the dirt off her behind while she said those thorny words.

Angelica: “I purposefully chose a place that’s easy for you to find but it took you this long to find me? …Isn’t it weird?”

Keisuke: “Sorry.”

Angelica: “Can’t you say anything else other than sorry?”

I’ve got nothing to say back. I was just there begging for her forgiveness.

Angelica: “That one hurts, you know.”

She joined the fingers from her two hands and turned to look at the side of the slide.

Angelica: “The one where you said that I’d probably say that to any men. Isn’t that too cruel?”

Keisuke: “Sorry.”

Angelica: “Because some part of it was true. That’s why it hurts the most.”

Keisuke: “……?”

Angelica spread her arms and twirled around.

And then, just her face turned to my direction and she said,

Angelica: “Honestly, I’d volunteer for anything as long as I can get out of the sanctuary. I’ve had enough living in a place with only girls around and all I can do is pray. If I can have the chance to do anything else, be it being the offering for the hero or being a scout for an adventurer party; I’d do a~nything.”

Her green eyes were filled with paleness.

Angelica: “The first time I met you, dad, I thought that you were somehow unimpressive. I was told you were the Hero, so I thought that you’d have a cooler image, but all I see was a haggard middle-aged man, and I thought, well, this is fine, or something like that. If I can live with a man, I felt that anyone is fine. I mean I always wanted a boyfriend.”

And then, Angelica continued.

Angelica: “I also thought I’d go out with you, and then we quickly break up and look for a better man…I mean, there’s no way an old man like dad would be unconditionally loved by a young girl, right? I thought of that.”

I heard the sound of the ground being kicked.

Angelica’s body turned around and turned my way again.

We ended up facing each other.

Angelica: “…but…once I tried living together with just the two of us, dad was so kind to me…and when you had nightmares at night calling for Elza-san’s name, you look so sad…and when you get along with another girl, I felt that I don’t want you to be taken away from me……and then you managed to find me…like now…”

Tears are spilling from both of Angelica’s eyes.

They followed her soft cheeks and flowed down to her lower jaw.

Angelica: “Right now, I truly, earnestly love you, dad…”

Keisuke: “I understand. You’ve delivered that feelings.”

Angelica: “I don’t want anyone but you…!”

Perhaps holding her was the correct decision.

I’m dull and rusty, but I understood that much.

While stroking Angelica’s hair, I told her,

Keisuke: “I also don’t want anyone but you, you know? It’s going to be more difficult for me if they sent me a girl who look uncannily similar to Elza. I’d prefer if she’s the complete opposite like you. When I’m with you, I can forget about all the bad things.”

Angelica buried her face in my chest and nuzzled her nose.

Keisuke: “I’m okay with you, Ange. It’s okay because it’s you.”

【Party Member, Sacred Maiden Angelica‘s favorability point is at 9999】

I pat Angelica in the back while I read the system message.

For some reason we’ve been spouting sugar-sweet words since a while ago.

Ah whatever. I’ll just think I became a melodrama character just for now.

…I still feel embarrassed anyways.

We did that for a while with me being embarrassed, and Angelica finally raised her face.

Angelica: “I’ve received your commitment, okay?”

she said, smiling.

I got a feeling like I’m stuck in something deep.