I have an unlimited number of shikigami

Under the sunlight, Yukino Riho's face was slightly flushed.

The Yuki-onna race has a strange constitution; they are not descended from natural beings, but rather natural spirits born from the ice and snow. Perhaps due to a lack of means to reproduce, and to compensate for this genetic insecurity, they have an astonishingly high sexual desire... Every man killed by a Yuki-onna was murdered because he could not satisfy her needs.

Yukino Riho had never experienced it herself; she had only learned about this constitution from her elders in the clan.

When she left Hokkaido, her elders solemnly warned her not to fall in love with a man, otherwise she would suffer the pain of killing the person she loved with her own hands... Thinking about these things, her slender fingers touched her right cheek, and the image of Fujiwara Izaya's strong body appeared in her mind.

Well……

Shouldn't that be okay?

"Hahaha……"

Yaeko's unrestrained laughter brought Yukino Riho back to her senses. She frowned slightly, looking a little angry, and said, "He and I are just friends. Please don't talk nonsense!"

"Oh, so you won't be angry about what I'm about to say?" Yaeko looked at her meaningfully.

"Please speak." Yukino Riho's expression was reserved and quiet.

"That kid ruined my men in Nanyindou," Yaeko said calmly.

Yukino Riho stared indifferently at her face: "Nonsense! Fujiwara-kun wouldn't do that!"

"Oh, you know a lot about this?" Yaeko responded with a knowing smile. "But he really did it. My subordinate named Tanimura has disappeared. You can ask Mr. Kamiya if you don't believe me."

Yukino Riho frowned and shook her head.

Silence descended.

The layers of leaves, with sunlight filtering through them, create a tranquil and elegant atmosphere.

"You don't need to look so upset." Yaeko's expression was ambiguous as she reassured him. "Seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys do carry a certain danger. They're idle and indulging in light music, dancing, and pleasure-seeking. It's normal for them to be so engrossed in the youth, softness, and sweetness that suit them. Besides, he's incredibly strong. My subordinates are nothing more than weak women passively accepting the chaos in his presence."

Yukino Riho frowned slightly, but Yaeko smiled gently.

“Actually, young men are unpredictable, dirty, and fanatical, a dangerous, viscous presence…” Her expression was strange, like a judge recounting a cautionary case. “Compared to young men, women, regardless of age, whoever is beautiful, are more fragile, gentle, and emotional. To young men, their existence is merely a tool to expose them to the ugly and sinful aspects of the world. You’ve probably been deceived by his appearance; it’s not too late to leave.”

Yukino Riho put on her clothes and stared intently at the other person's face.

“Especially your beautiful and sexy body, it’s like a semi-transparent cocoon from which unimaginable threads of sin can be drawn.” Yaeko’s voice still carried a certain seductive quality. “For men, your trembling breasts in fear and panic, your cold and plump buttocks that seem a little slow to react to anything, are all cocoons that can be woven into sin.”

Yukino Riho subconsciously looked down at her own body.

Then, as if on guard, she hugged her arms to protect her chest.

"The body and sin complement each other so exquisitely and subtly... This is the goal that the boy you are concerned about is pursuing. Once he is in this frenzied dream, the body itself becomes a form of sin. Your body can serve as a medium for his whimsical imagination. Accept his sins one by one, thus immersing him in perverse pleasure."

Yukino Riho looked up and glared at her without any emotion.

Yaeko raised her hands, opening her palms to apologize for her loose tongue.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Yukino Riho quietly adjusted her breathing.

Looking at her disheveled sideburns and bright, clear eyes, Yaeko was about to say something, but then changed her mind, sighed deeply, and glanced at her watch: "It's time, I have to go."

Yukino Riho remained silent, her indifferent expression seeming to say, "If you want to leave, then leave quickly, I won't stop you."

“But he actually did it!” Yaeko added.

Yukino Riho did not comment on this.

"Alright, that's enough for now." Yaeko smiled faintly, then took out a notebook from her pocket, wrote something with a ballpoint pen, tore off the page, and handed it to her. "My phone number. Uh—, you have a phone?"

Yukino Riho shook her head.

“I knew it,” Yaeko said admiringly. “My intuition told me that this snow woman definitely doesn’t like cell phones.”

“You’re wrong,” Yukino Riho said calmly. “I just don’t want to contact you.”

"So it's because I shattered your beautiful illusions about youth." Yaeko walked past her, a smile still lingering on her face. "Goodbye, adorably silly Yuki-onna!"

In the quiet courtyard, Yukino Riho was lost in thought.

The wind blew in through the walls, making her long black hair flutter and dance upwards. Perhaps because she hadn't slept well the night before, she felt the sunlight was particularly dazzling.

When we got back to the bakery, it was only 10 a.m.

Yukino Riho closed the shop door, took a deep breath, and rested her chin on her hand while reading a book on the counter. The shop's loudspeaker was playing Barth Bacharach's "The Fool of April" in a low voice.

Ah!

fake!

Fujiwara-kun isn't that kind of person!

Deliberately exuding an atmosphere of "I am truly enjoying the pleasure of reading," Yukino Riho sat alone behind the counter, her gaze fixed on the words on the pages of the book.

Ok.

That's good.

He's training in Nanyindou, how can you doubt him!

"If that were the case, he would have made a move on me long ago..." Yukino Riho tried to convince herself as she whispered, but her nose started to sting.

Although she really wanted to think that way.

But gradually, I began to feel that something was very strange about the matter.

Having not seen Yaeko for years, there was no need for her to make up a story to deceive herself… No, no, no, she couldn't think about this anymore. Yukino Riho quickly turned her gaze back to her book, and two seconds later, she couldn't help but sigh, “Please—I'm just a stupid woman, I really don't know what happened—”

She couldn't read anymore, so she closed the book and stared blankly at the shop.

After summer vacation started, this place felt like an unfamiliar place... she thought to herself, feeling a little lonely.

She whiled away the mornings in a daze; in the afternoons, she wandered aimlessly through Harajuku and Gaien. If she felt tired, she would go into a roadside café to rest, reading and drinking coffee. Once her feet stopped hurting, she would continue walking. She strolled like this until the long summer days ended.

She has been spending her summer vacation like this ever since.

I open the shop in the morning and take walks in crowded areas like Shinjuku and Shibuya in the afternoon.

Wearing sandals or canvas shoes, she walks on the hard asphalt road, sipping her coffee that gradually warms and cools. Sometimes, watching families out for a stroll or couples strolling along the roadside, she wonders if she might bump into someone she knows on the street? Or perhaps someone will suddenly contact her?

Sometimes she would scroll through her phone's contacts to see which number she could call.

haven't seen you for a long time!

It's so hot this year! How have you been?

If you have time, would you like to have a cup of tea together...? Oh, I'm so sorry for this sudden, please don't take it to heart.

These were all messages she had pre-set in her mind; she hadn't actually sent any of them.

Whenever this happens, she feels discouraged.

Having lived as an ordinary person for five years, she found herself at a loss as to who to meet when she wanted to see someone, or even who would want to meet her. She had absolutely no one in her life she could easily meet, no one she could call a friend.

Even those strange hallucinations disappeared during the summer vacation.

The cold air from the air conditioner caressed her cheeks. Yukino Riho took off her shoes and gently stroked her toes... A sense of helplessness emanated from between her toes and spread throughout her body.

Forget it...

She thought to herself, somewhat defiantly.

It would be best if they disappeared, anyway, I wouldn't welcome them...

※※※※※

A few days passed in a daze, and then it was the end of August.

That afternoon, Yukino Riho changed into a light green dress, lightly applied lipstick, and put on her only pair of high heels before heading out. She was going to class at the Furukawa Hall later, so she needed to dress up a bit more formally.

It is late summer.

There was no wind, and the heat was oppressive.

Soon the seasons will change.

On the train journey to the Furukawa Kaikan, Yukino Riho noticed a fat, plump crow flying alongside the train outside the window. Its jet-black feathers refracted iridescent light in the sunlight.

At 2 PM, we arrived at the Furukawa Kaikan located in Sangenjaya.

A flock of nimble little birds perched on the treetops peeking over the courtyard wall, while a large brown tabby cat squinted in the sun on the rooftop.

Yukino Riho rang the doorbell, then gave a faint smile to the camera lens.

After the iron gate opened, she crossed the front yard as usual and walked towards the entrance of the old house. Mr. Kamiya was still standing guard at the entrance between the front and back yards, dressed in a calm and composed black suit, his leather shoes polished to a shine.

He sat in the chair, motionless for a long time, until Yukino Riho came in, at which point he nodded slightly.

"Hello, Mr. Kamiya." Yukino Riho walked in and sat down opposite him. "There's something I'd like to ask you. Is there a fox spirit named Tanikawa who went missing in Nanamizu?"

"Her? I remember she was a fox spirit under Yaeko's command..." Mr. Kamiya lowered his gaze, examining the gleam of his black leather shoes. "She was captured by Section 9, and then disappeared from their grasp. According to Section 9, she was kidnapped. Why are you asking this?"

“I ran into Yaeko a few days ago,” Yukino Riho said.

“Oh, that mad fox…” Mr. Kamiya bent down as if somewhat wary, using a tissue to wipe away the faint dust on his shoes. “Being with her is never a good thing. Yukino, you’ve always been naive, be careful she doesn’t trick you.”

You just want to say I'm stupid... Yukino Riho pouted unconvinced.

snort!

You're as despicable as Fujiwara-kun, but you're not as handsome as him...

The bodyguard, who was bending over, inexplicably sensed the malice of someone obsessed with good looks, which was quite disheartening...

"Has Madam returned?" Yukino Riho asked.

"Hmm, no, there's a lot going on in Takamagahara, and Madam is extremely busy." Mr. Kamiya straightened up, looked at her innocent eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "If you want to see Madam, you can go to the Nagano Mountain Mountain God Festival with the dance troupe from the Furukawa Kaikan. Madam will come down from Takamagahara to attend for a day."

"Oh?" Yukino Riho was surprised. "Who is the mountain god of Nagano? It's so kind of you to trouble Madam to attend in person..."

Mr. Kamiya did not answer this question.

His gaze fell on the crow on the treetop not far away.

The crow was also watching him, its two pairs of eyes darting around a few times before reaching a consensus: we'll keep to ourselves.

Chapter 149. Kitagawa Ryoko: I'm Yukino-nee's boyfriend!

"I'm going to class now."

"Oh, okay. We can discuss with the dance troupe when to depart; the festival is starting soon. It's a pity, I haven't had such a beautiful and elegant festival in a long time..."

"Thank you, Mr. Kamiya."