CH 14

Chapter 14 – Yandere and the Real Deal Part 2

Sunday. When I left the house as the appointed time approached, Tsubaki was already waiting for me right next to my door. I guess she didn’t dare to ring the intercom, but listened to the noises inside the room. What a creepy guy.

As soon as she saw me, Tsubaki grinned through her long bangs.

“How do you always break in? My apartment building has auto-locking.”

“It’s a secret. If I tell you and you tell them, they’ll take countermeasures, won’t they?”

“Don’t wait out the door because it’s bad for my heart…”

“Fufufu…”

There’s no point in standing around here talking. Anyway, we should go to the meeting place. Asai-sensei is coming by car, so maybe I should just wait at the taxi stand in front of the station.

“It’s a shame, isn’t it, senpai? As we’re going in Asai-san’s car, it’s going to be difficult to dump her in the mountains…”

“You’re the only one who feels that way. I’d rather just dump you in the mountains.”

“I’ll come out as a ghost then, don’t worry. Ghost marriage tales are very common in Chinese folklore.”

“You literally won’t give up even after death… You’re oddly optimistic for someone who looks so gloomy.”

“Right?”

“I wasn’t complimenting you.”

While we were talking about trivial matters, we arrived at the taxi stand in front of the station. As I was scurrying around, wondering where I should wait, I heard a horn honking from the right of the stand.

“Good morning, you two. I don’t want to disturb the other cars, so if you could get in quickly that would be great.”

Asai-sensei’s car is a plain-colored minivan, which seems a bit mismatched with her dignified atmosphere. It’s probably owned by her parents. Well, it would have been a problem if she had come in a stylish sports car.

When I put my hand on the door to get in the passenger seat, Tsubaki, who was behind me, forced me into the back seat. Tsubaki then got in beside me. She doesn’t seem to have the attitude to get a ride in someone’s car…

“I’m sorry, Asai-sensei. You’re even letting us both ride in the back.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. It will take us two hours to get to our destination, so please sleep in the back. I don’t mind driving.”

“Thanks. And Tsubaki, don’t stick to me. Fasten your seatbelt.”

Reluctantly, Tsubaki sat back in her seat. Thank goodness for the spacious car. I don’t even want to imagine the horror of sitting next to Tsubaki in such close proximity.

As soon as Tsubaki fastened her seatbelt, the car started to drive off silently.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, where are we going?”

“Asago City…though, even if I say it, you probably wouldn’t recognize it. It’s in the northeastern part of Hyogo Prefecture.”

Asago City? It sounds like a place I’ve heard of somewhere, but I’ve never been there. Tsubaki is staring at us as if she has no interest in where we are going. She’s also staying silent. Somehow, I’m getting kind of scared…

“So your parents live that far away from you, Asai-sensei? And do you live alone?”

“To be exact, it’s my mother’s parents’ house we’re going to. I lived there until I was in middle school. But there weren’t any high schools nearby, so I had to move to the city with my parents, leaving my grandmother alone.”

“Hmm…”

But if there were no high schools, the place might be quite deep in the mountains. I wonder if the old lady who lives there alone is also a psychic. I hope she doesn’t make me do some weird practice or something…

“You’re going to have your grandmother take a look at Tsubaki, aren’t you? Does that mean your grandmother is pretty good at it?”

“Yes, it’s fundamentally different from a knock-off like me. We’re related, but I really don’t know what and how much she can see.”

I looked at Asai-sensei’s face through the rear view mirror, but I couldn’t quite read the emotions she had.

I was worried what if she was a fanatic for her grandmother, but apparently things aren’t that simple.

Whether her grandmother is psychic or not, she may not be an ordinary person.

“Well, I don’t think I’m possessed by anything as far as I’m concerned.”

“Then what are you here for?”

“To sit next to senpai like this. Do I need any other reason?”

“I was a fool for asking.”

“Don’t worry, Honjo-san. I will surely help you.”

“Hah… Is that so? I’ll have a nice chat with your grandmother and then I’ll be on my way.”

Tsubaki doesn’t seem to trust Asai-sensei, or even her grandmother. To be honest, I’m still skeptical too, I’ve never encountered any kind of spirit or ghost in my 20+ years of life, and if anything, I’m more afraid of a living Tsubaki.

But I’m not averse to occultistic ramblings, so I’m a little excited about it in some ways.

After that, while Asai-sensei and I chatted and talked about our part-time jobs, the car drove deeper and deeper into the mountains. Although the road was narrow, it was strangely impressive that the road was surprisingly well maintained.

And then, the minivan with the three of us in it stopped in front of a large Japanese house.

“We’re finally here. This is my grandmother’s house.”