Don't use Type-Moon references in Oregairu!

The house looked like it had been uninhabited for months.

Fujimaru Ritsuka told Eriri about her discovery while gesturing for her to step back.

Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief: "Impossible! If you're saying that, then Aki Tomoya must have had problems several months ago?"

She was just a little anxious to find clues as soon as possible, so she didn't notice some details around her. After being reminded by Fujimaru Ritsuka, she immediately realized what was going on, but found it even more absurd.

Yes, the saying that uninhabited houses age faster is simply because the doors and windows are kept tightly closed, creating an environment with poor air circulation. Such houses are prone to mold growth on the walls and the proliferation of microorganisms, which can corrode building materials and furniture.

However, even so, it's impossible for things to turn out like this in just 10 days.

“Normally, it shouldn’t be like this. But anything can happen in mysterious events, that’s basic common sense, my dear Sawamura-san.” Kasumigaoka Utaha was already holding a calligraphy brush in her hand, standing to Eriri’s right.

Yukino Yukinoshita also revealed her sharp sword-like feet, protecting Eriri's left side.

Eriri felt safe and secure being surrounded by the three of them.

But then she felt something soft and warm against her right hand. Looking to her right, the sight of that wretched fat woman's enormous breasts made her face darken. Looking to her left, she saw Yukino Yukinoshita, whose 190cm height made her have to look up to see her.

Short and petite Eriri was a little annoyed, but could only urge Fujimaru Ritsuka's back onwards: "Fine, I'll protect you like this as we move forward. Hurry up, we're going to the bedroom... Hmm, actually, there doesn't seem to be much to see..."

After pushing a few times, Eriri suddenly felt disheartened and vaguely thought that it might be better to go back...

She tried to walk out of the house, but was held down by her left and right sides. Fujimaru Ritsuka remained motionless.

Eriri wanted to ask what was going on, but then the words Fujimaru Ritsuka had said before she came flashed through her mind.

“Eri, you must remember that you are an ordinary person. At least for now. Therefore, you must always be careful in the future.” That’s what Fujimaru Ritsuka told her. Although Eriri only replied impatiently that she knew, she truly took those words to heart.

So she didn't speak rashly again, nor did she mention going back. Instead, she peeked out from behind Fujimaru Ritsuka and looked ahead.

There seemed to be nothing in front of us.

But Eriri looked closely and noticed something was wrong. At the bottom of the stairs on the first floor, the surrounding walls seemed to be a much darker color, and there was a lot of mold growing on them.

What surprised Eriri even more was that when she looked towards the stairwell, her heart started beating faster involuntarily—there seemed to be something there.

"Hehehehe..." The fact that everyone was standing still made "that thing" realize that its ambush strategy had failed, and a series of nauseating sneers rang out.

An invisible, blurry outline in the air began to move, producing a crackling sound like a whip lashing through the air.

Fujimaru Ritsuka gripped the Twilight Muramasa, wielding her long sword to parry the invisible attack coming her way. A howling wind shook the corridor walls, causing clutter hanging there to fall.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through something, and even Eriri, who was hiding behind it, heard the sound of liquid spurting out.

The invisible monster let out a strange shriek in pain. Its powerful attack did not make Fujimaru Ritsuka take a step back, but instead made him realize something.

As her golden pupils lit up with flames, Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't see anything this time.

The karmic eye, which had previously been able to see through cause and effect, failed this time.

He only saw a blurry, broken dotted line in the void, as if the invisible monster there was born from the illusion, and even the ownership of it had been completely relinquished by the summoner.

Since we can't trace the monster's actions back to its mastermind, let's just kill it.

Fujimaru Ritsuka made up her mind, and with a flick of her wrist, the Twilight Muramasa sword she held glowed with a black and red light. Eight pseudo-evil spirits, filled with resentment and targeting the living, flew out from the blade and, driven by their demon sword's owner, pounced towards the stairwell.

Sensing something amiss, the invisible monster attempted to flee. It crashed through the living room wall, struggling to escape towards the window. In its path, it left the floor, surrounding furniture, and walls in ruins, but its speed was still no match for the pursuit of the pseudo-evil spirits.

The pseudo-evil spirits split into four directions, surrounding a certain point in the void. Mouths appeared on the black and red orbs of spiritual light, their teeth tearing at something thick. Fujimaru Ritsuka thus deduced the exact location of the monster's center.

"It's about 2.5 meters tall, with numerous columnar limbs, and the head or torso is here!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka gripped the Twilight Muramasa in her right hand, tip down, blade up, her left hand gently stroking the blade. Her feet were drawn into a lunge position, and the red flames of the Crimson Lotus coiled around the demon sword. It had no heat, but rather emanated a chilling aura that burned the soul.

"Dental protrusion".

With a boom, the wooden floorboards in Aki Tomoya's house were torn off layer by layer. Fujimaru Ritsuka shot out like an arrow, his long sword thrusting forward. Before Eriri could even see his movement, the demon sword wreathed in flames had already pierced through the invisible monster.

Crimson flames burst forth from the tip of the blade, scorching the monster. A piercing scream, beyond human comprehension, rang out, and the monster, which could not be looked at directly, revealed a blurred form due to the burning red flames.

Countless tentacles pulsated on the headless, faceless, and eyeless body, like a constantly writhing and pulsating block of jelly. At the tips of the tentacles were sucker-like mouthparts, which were frantically opening and closing due to being scorched by flames.

The thick tentacles thrashed about in agony, making a desperate, death throes, but all in vain.

Fujimaru Ritsuka calmly drew her sword, yielded, and dodged countless blows.

The flames showed no sign of stopping, burning continuously on the monster, but strangely, they didn't ignite anything inside the house.

The monster was finally reduced to ashes, but the living room was still in ruins from the whipping. The three people behind approached and saw Fujimaru Ritsuka standing there, thinking for a while before coming to a conclusion: "It's the essence of a star."

"As expected, it's those guys who play with sanity."

19. All the pears are gone, the strawberries are gone (revised)

"Speaking of which, aren't we always fighting and demolishing other people's houses?" Yukino Yukinoshita brushed the dust off the ground with her sword-like foot, disappointed to find no spoils of war. She looked around and felt a sense of déjà vu.

"You should ask those guys why they all like to set up traps or rituals in their houses." Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the dilapidated living room and could only hope that Aki Tomoya's insurance was reliable, or that the Special Affairs Bureau would give them some compensation when they cleaned up the mess.

Eriri pouted: "We can just ask Mom to clean up the mess later."

There was nothing left on the wreckage beneath their feet. Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't linger and took the lead up the stairs, with everyone else following.

Aki Tomoya's bedroom is on the second floor, and the door is open, as if the room's owner had accidentally gone out and carelessly left without taking anything with him.

The room was simply furnished, no different from a typical high school boy's room. The only unusual feature was a large bookshelf filled with light novels and games in boxes, as well as a cabinet for figurines. However, the table in the middle was piled high with books that contrasted sharply with the rest of the room.

The books were piled up haphazardly, with many open and placed on the table, as if their former owner had constantly flipped through and compared their contents.

Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't sense anything amiss, but he approached and observed carefully. The books on the shelves included *The Key of Solomon* and *Dictionary of Hell* (related to demonology), *Lectures on Astrology* (related to astrology), *The Golden Bough* (discussing the evolution of human folk culture and mystical traditions), *General Theory of Witchcraft, The Nature and Function of Sacrifice* (as the title suggests), and *At the Mountains of Madness* and *Outside the Door* by Howard Philip Lovecraft and others...

On the open book, there were long stretches of lines drawn by people. Fujimaru Ritsuka flipped through a few pages and occasionally saw some scribbled marks in the blank spaces, mostly some intermittent and meaningless ramblings.

Eriri, seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's actions, raised her hand and gestured, "Mr. Fujimaru, I know a place where there might be something left behind by Tomoya."

"where is it?"

“Pull out the drawer, and deep inside the back of the cabinet, there’s a hidden compartment. I’ve seen him store some things in there before.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka did as she was told, her fingers groping for a hardcover book: "...No way?"

He glanced hesitantly at the three of them, signaling them to be on guard. Kasumigaoka Utaha immediately pulled Sawamura Eriri back, while Yukino stood still, focusing her attention.

Fujimaru Ritsuka tightened her grip on the book and pulled it out forcefully. The hard cover of the book reacted with the air, emitting a green light, and the book began to shake continuously, as if it were a harbinger of an attack.

Yukino Yukinoshita rushed forward, intending to shield Fujimaru Ritsuka from the attack. However, she ended up colliding head-on with Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Ah, don't be nervous, it seems to be just a joke." Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression was strange, but there was nothing to be proud of.

Anyone would probably feel nothing if a piece of armor plate hit their ribs...

Yukino Yukinoshita pushed it away with a nonchalant expression, though her earlobes were slightly red.

It's understandable; Yukino, with her extremely high self-esteem, would definitely be unhappy to be played.

Fujimaru Ritsuka thought to herself as she examined the book in her hands.

This book—no, it's more like a notebook—was encased in a hard case. It was vibrating incessantly, like a scumbag's phone that was being relentlessly called thirteen times by his obsessive girlfriend. It even flashed a green light, which looked quite intimidating.

But in Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes, there was absolutely no sign of powerful magic; it was purely a sound and light effect.

He opened the cover, and then a voice rang out:

"Yo-ho~ I wonder if the person who hears this will be my childhood friend and best friend Eriri, or someone else? Anyway, it doesn't matter."

Eriri clenched her fists, feeling dizzy—was it still the worst-case scenario?

"Since you were able to resist the spell at the entrance that banishes ordinary people and instills illusions..."

(Eri suddenly realized why she had unusually wanted to go back back then.)

"If you can chase away or kill that useless idiot guarding the first floor, then you're qualified to participate in the game."

"But I hope you don't become paranoid because of the battle and accidentally smash the books to pieces, only to hear this recording of my spell, hahaha."

Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Wow, that's impressive! You've got some skills, bro. If someone else did that, they'd be ridiculed by you and probably would be furious."

After a burst of tasteless laughter, the spell's message continued: "Anyway, since you managed to get here, it means you're diligent, and I'm going to reward you. This notebook contains things I wrote when I was still foolish; perhaps it can serve as a clue."

"I want to play a game with you and see if you can resolve the predicament I've set up. I hope you can please me and please my God."

"Struggle as much as you want! Let the foolish lambs who haven't woken up run wild, that's love too, it's love!"

The comments stopped abruptly, and there was no further activity.

Eriri stood there, her expression complex, her eyes filled with joy, sadness, and loneliness.

She was delighted that Aki Tomoya mentioned her name and acknowledged her status as his childhood friend.

She was saddened that Aki Tomoya had caused the incident, which was the worst possible outcome she had anticipated, and even more disheartened by the mocking tone in the other person's comments about her.

Her heart ached as if it were being squeezed, and she vaguely sensed a fact—the Aki Tomoya she knew might never come back.

Negative emotions surged like a tide, leaving her feeling like a lonely lighthouse on a remote island in the ocean, surrounded by raging storms, towering waves, and dark clouds, with nothing familiar in sight...

The only thing I could do was desperately tell myself: Don't cry, you can't cry.

"Eri-kun, please come over here and look at the notebook together. Perhaps, based on your understanding of him, you can find some useful clues."

Through her blurry vision, Eriri Sawamura heard that gentle voice. She choked back tears and tried to respond, but couldn't speak, so she just took a few steps forward.

The first sentence in the notebook that caught my eye was: "I may be dying soon."

20. There's always a strange sense of immorality in peeping into someone else's diary.

"When I wrote the first sentence, I wasn't sure if I was in my right mind. After desperately closing the 'Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Monarch' to save my childhood sweetheart, I should have thrown it as far away as possible. But for some inexplicable reason, I brought it home. In just a few days, I felt myself falling into an abyss that was beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"It's April 25, 2017 now, and I hope I can leave behind some useful information... while I'm still lucid."

The content on the first page wasn't complicated, but it made Eriri cover her mouth with both hands.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others became serious—so when they were reading the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Lord's Secret Scripture," was it Aki Tomoya who barely managed to save the two of them through his own willpower?

Turning the pages, everyone carefully read the message left behind by this ordinary boy:

"May 4

The first day back from the expo.

The contents of that ancient and obscure book haunted me like a discarded, yandere girlfriend. Ha, I never thought I could joke like that.

Countless questions popped into my mind, constantly asking me: Is it true? How can I prove it? Can it be used?