Tokyo: I can enlighten all obsessions

The next day, afternoon.

Nerima Ward, Tokyo.

In this old residential area far from the hustle and bustle of the city, time seems to pass exceptionally slowly.

Kamiki Tetsu stood in front of a wooden detached house with a plaque bearing the name "Kamiki" hanging on it, but did not rush to go inside.

He looked up at the closed window on the second floor.

That's the old house my grandmother left behind.

Since his grandmother passed away a year ago, he has been working part-time in Shinjuku to make a living, leaving only a girl named Yui living alone in this old house full of memories but inconvenient transportation.

Although he would send the water, electricity, and living expenses on time, it was still unfair to leave a middle school girl alone in this empty house...

"...It's still too deserted."

Kamiki Tetsu muttered something to himself, then took out the somewhat rusty key from his pocket.

Previously, because I didn't have enough money, I lived in a cheap apartment in Shinjuku that was only four and a half tatami mats, so I couldn't bring my younger sister over.

But it's different now.

Although that bald section chief seemed unreliable, the "civil servant position" and "free residence at the city center shrine" were real.

"Click."

The door lock turned, making a dry, rattling sound.

As the door opened, a scent mingled with the aroma of old wood and a faint fragrance of incense wafted out.

The entryway is a mess.

It's not the kind of messy, lively atmosphere that comes with life, but rather the kind of decadent feeling that comes from a long period of neglect.

Several pairs of different styles of sneakers were casually kicked in the corner, and several unopened pizza delivery flyers were piled on the shoe cabinet.

"I'm back."

As he changed his shoes, Kamiki Tetsu habitually called out.

no respond.

The house was so quiet that the only sound was the ticking of the old wall clock.

Kamiki Toru frowned, picked up his schoolbag, and walked straight into the living room.

Dim.

Despite it being broad daylight, the living room curtains were drawn tightly shut, with only the faint blue light from the television screen barely illuminating the cave-like space.

On the old sofa facing the television, an unidentified object was wriggling.

To be precise, it was a girl wrapped in a gray blanket, curled up in the corner of the sofa like a silkworm cocoon.

The coffee table was piled high with convenience store rice ball wrappers, empty carbonated beverage bottles, and several empty instant noodle bowls.

Hearing footsteps, the "silkworm" remained glued to a boring variety show on the TV screen, without even turning its head.

"...If you're going to sell newspapers, please leave. All the adults in your family are dead."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, I'm still alive."

Kamiki Tetsu replied irritably, then strode over and unceremoniously reached out, pulling back the heavy curtains with a "whoosh."

The blinding sunlight rushed in instantly, exposing the dim "nest" to the light of day.

"Ugh...!"

The girl on the sofa, like a vampire whose coffin had been opened, let out a mournful cry and quickly burrowed her head into the blanket.

"My eyes... my eyes are going blind..."

"Not only your eyes, but I think your brain is going to rot too."

Kamiki Tetsu looked at the table full of junk food, sighed, and went straight over to turn off the TV.

"Kamiki Yui, rip that damn blanket off me."

Only then did the gray mass on the sofa finally stop wriggling.

The blanket slowly slid down.

What was revealed was a delicate little face that looked pale from being deprived of sunlight for a long time.

Her long, black hair was draped messily over her shoulders, and her large, somewhat empty eyes were filled with dissatisfaction at being disturbed.

She was wearing an old T-shirt with a slightly loose neckline and was holding a half-eaten bag of potato chips.

"...What?"

Yui Kamiki narrowed her eyes, looking the uninvited guest who had suddenly barged in up and down, her tone filled with surprise.

"I thought it was someone else."

"Isn't this that good-for-nothing older brother who claimed he was going to Tokyo to make a name for himself, but could only send back tens of thousands of yen for living expenses in six months?"

She popped a potato chip into her mouth, making a "crunch" sound.

"What? You finally got fired for stealing expired lunches at the convenience store, so you slinked back home and sponged off your parents?"

"If you're planning to come back and live off your parents, then that's a real shame."

She pointed to the empty room.

"This family is so poor that even a thief who breaks in will leave a thousand yen in tears before leaving."

"If you came back specifically to borrow money, I suggest you turn around and go outside right now, and lie down under the vending machines in the park over there and look for something."

"...You still have such a sharp tongue."

Kamiki Tetsu felt a vein throb on his forehead.

But he wasn't angry.

Because he could see that beneath that sharp tongue, the girl's fingers gripping the bag of potato chips were turning slightly white.

She was nervous, or rather... afraid.

She was afraid it was just a fleeting illusion, afraid that her brother was only coming back to get some things and would leave again, leaving her alone in this empty house full of memories.

"Listen up, Yui."

Kamiki Toru took a deep breath, pulled the ID card with the bright red official seal out of his pocket, and gently patted it on the coffee table piled with junk food.

Snapped.

"Stop eating."

He looked into his sister's bewildered eyes, and a smile crept onto his lips.

"Go pack your luggage."

"Huh?"

Yui Kamiki froze, even forgetting to chew the potato chips in her mouth.

"Pack your bags...where to?"

"Let's go to Shinjuku."

Kamiki Toru stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his malnourished younger sister.

"I found a new job. It's a bit of an odd civil service job, but the salary is high, and I even got a dormitory room."

"The era of those four-and-a-half-tatami mat rental houses without even windows is over."

He bent down, reached out, and gently flicked the girl's smooth forehead:

"Starting today, I'm going to take you in and care for you."

"……ha?"

Yui Kamiki covered her forehead, and a ripple finally appeared in her previously lifeless eyes.

She stared blankly at the document on the table that read "Inner Palace," then looked at Kamiki Tetsu's face, which didn't seem to be joking.

After a while.

As if to confirm something, she asked cautiously:

"...Hey, let me confirm something."

She stared intently at Kamiki Tetsu:

"Since it's about taking care of people, that means... you're sure there will be proper meals that aren't just taken from a convenience store shelf, right?"

"certainly."

"...Then, where's the meat?"

The girl swallowed hard, her eyes sharpening.

"Is that high-grade protein, flowing with oil... also available in unlimited quantities?"

"As long as your stomach and body fat percentage allow, you can have as much as you want."

The instant I heard those words.

The negotiation was successful.

The deathly aura in the girl's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by two raging flames called "Appetite".

She suddenly threw off the blanket and sprang up from the sofa, her movements so swift that she left a trail of afterimages in the air.

"I'll go pack my bags right now!"

"Give me five minutes! No... in this emergency, three minutes is enough!"

Looking at the back of the person who had been so lifeless just moments before, but who rushed into the bedroom the moment he heard the words "all you can eat," Toru Kamiki paused for a moment, then shook his head helplessly.

He suddenly started to feel worried.

Although the bald section chief had solemnly promised a "meal allowance for duty," ...

Judging from this guy's stomach, which seems to be connected to a black hole in another dimension, could it be that the Shinjuku branch, which was already running a deficit, will declare bankruptcy before it even falls into the hands of evil spirits, because its cafeteria budget has been eaten up?

"Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

Kamiki Toru sighed, looked away, and surveyed the somewhat messy living room that held the memories of the past three years.

Dim lighting, old furniture, and a faint scent of incense in the air.

Finally, his gaze settled on the inconspicuous Buddhist altar in the corner of the living room.

There was a black and white photograph on display. In the photo, an old man's eyes were squinted into slits as he smiled, seemingly muttering, "You must eat well."

Kamiki Tetsuya was silent for a moment, then looked at the photograph and whispered in his heart:

"...This time, we're really leaving this place, Grandma."

However, just as the farewell in Kamiki Tetsu's heart had fallen...

A gentle aura, like the warm winter sun, slowly rose from the unassuming Buddhist altar.

Kamiki Tetsu was slightly taken aback.

He saw that the smoke from the incense sticks swirling in front of the black and white photograph did not dissipate into the air as usual, but instead gathered and swirled, eventually condensing into a warm, pale golden ball of light in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, that familiar light blue system font appeared on my retina.

Strong emotions and obsessions were detected.

Should we perform "enlightenment"?

"……Um?"

Kamiki Tetsu's eyes widened as he stared at the cold text on his retina.

He instinctively took a half step back, his face filled with astonishment and disbelief.

It should be noted that those who are identified as having "strong obsessions" by the system and receive enlightenment are all, without exception, extremely obsessive emotions.

The extreme anger of being exploited, the capitalists' greed for money, and the twisted desire of the dead child to play.

It was precisely because this obsession crossed the critical point that it transformed into a "spiritual barrier," becoming the "material" he could exploit.

But...Grandma?

How could that always smiling, kind-hearted person, who would grumble for ages even about stepping on an ant, possibly leave behind such an obsession that could turn into a spiritual hindrance?

"Could it be...?"

Kamiki Tetsu's heart skipped a beat, and a terrible thought popped into his head.

Was Grandma not as peaceful as she appeared before she passed away?

Could it be that she...

Looking at the kind smile in the black and white photograph, Kamiki Tetsu felt his throat go dry.

He hesitated.

If what is consecrated is a murder weapon filled with curses and resentment...

How should he face this old man?

"……call."

After a long while, Kamiki Tetsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Whatever it is, since it's the last thing his grandmother left him, he has to accept it all.

Whether it's a curse or resentment.

"Enlightenment".

He silently recited it in his heart, then extended a slightly trembling finger and tapped on the line of sparse text.

hum.

The nauseating black aura that I had expected did not appear.

As the command was given, the wisp of smoke on the altar seemed to be gently summoned and slowly gathered together.

The wisp of smoke gently swirled in the air a few times before finally landing in Kamiki Tetsu's palm like a light feather, transforming into an object the size of his palm.

It was a small red cloth bag sewn from scraps of fabric, with crooked and uneven stitches.

Kamiki Tetsu was stunned.

A new system panel popped up, and only then did the font representing quality suddenly emit a dazzling purple light:

【Name: Unsent Amulet】

[Quality: Purple]

【Type: Jewelry】

[Note: This is not a ritual object blessed by a high-ranking monk, nor is it a sacred amulet obtained from a shrine.]

It was just something an elderly man with poor eyesight would sew, stitch by stitch, with trembling hands, wearing reading glasses, every time he woke up in the middle of the night worried about his grandchildren.

Inside was only a strip of paper torn from the back of the calendar, with the words written crookedly: "May Tetsu and Yui be safe and sound."

For her, nothing in the world was more important than ensuring her two children were well-fed and clothed.

This pure prayer ultimately transformed into an absolute barrier capable of repelling all malice.

[Special Effects: Grandparental Pampering]

[Effect: Passively triggered. When the wearer is about to suffer a "fatal blow" or their sanity is about to "completely collapse," this amulet will be forcibly activated. It will take all the damage and corruption upon itself, absorbing it completely. After activation, the amulet will disappear from this world completely.]

[Note: "I'm sorry, this is the only time... Grandma can only help you one last time."]

Looking at the line of text in the notes section that seemed to have its own voice, Kamiki Tetsu's lips slowly drooped.

Silence spread through the air.

a long time.

He stretched out his fingers and gently stroked the rough-stitched, even somewhat ugly, cloth bag, his fingertips seemingly still able to feel the lingering warmth of the old man's palm.

"……well."

A sigh, filled with too many complex emotions, dissipated into the air.

"grandmother……"