I have an unlimited number of shikigami

As she pondered the changes, a simple relaxation appeared on Yukino Riho's face, and her eyes shone with a light that seemed to instantly brighten the dim room. Her eyes weren't particularly lively, even a little clumsy, but they were undeniably endearing.

After going up to the second floor, Yukino Riho washed some fruit and put it on the sofa.

Fujiwara Rinya took an apple, put it in his mouth and took a bite. After chewing a few times, his attention was suddenly drawn to the scene on the side of the sofa.

A small head peeked out from under the armrest of the sofa.

Her bright, sparkling eyes were staring at him intently, her gaze seemingly hostile.

At that moment, Yukino Riho remembered there was someone else in the room. She looked over and immediately smiled. The girl on the sofa, however, curiously observed the suddenly appearing boy, blinked, and then her face immediately scrunched up.

Fujiwara Rinya went through the list in his mind a few times, selected a name, and greeted her with a smile: "Nice to meet you, Ryoko."

"No, you've mistaken me for someone else! I'm Yukino-nee's boyfriend!" Kitagawa Ryoko jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shoving Yukino Riho back to her room. During the process, something was said, and Yukino Riho glared at her irritably, laughing as she argued back. Once back in the room, she poked her head out again, raising an eyebrow defiantly at Fujiwara Izaya, as if possessing Yukino-nee in front of him was some great achievement, before slamming the door shut.

“It’s not bad to stick to pretty girls…” Fujiwara Izaya found it amusing and couldn’t help but laugh.

After a while, Yukino Riho came out of the house and sat down next to Fujiwara Izaya without any hesitation, as usual. It was still raining outside the window, making her figure appear slightly dim, but the joy on her brows was even stronger than before.

"Ryoko became an orphan at a young age, so she probably sees me as an older sister and is a little jealous. Fujiwara-kun, don't mind her. Apart from occasionally saying bad things about you, she doesn't have any other bad intentions."

The damp morning breeze carried her soft voice, blending it with the sounds of wind and water, making it sound ethereal and dreamlike.

"Is it just occasionally?"

"Uh... haha, a little more than occasionally. Really, I'm not lying to you."

"I'll deal with her myself later!"

"Don't bully that little girl. After all, I'm her teacher."

"Please, Ms. Yukino, be my teacher too!"

"why?"

"Because I like my teacher the most."

"Hey? Hey! Don't make fun of me like that, it's annoying—"

The lights were off, and the lighting was dim. After all, it had been over a month since they last saw each other, and they had a lot to say. But Fujiwara Izaya and she weren't on a date; their relationship was just that of ordinary friends. Besides, Ryoko was eavesdropping from behind, so there were some things they didn't want to bring up.

Listening to the rain, I ate grapes one by one; the rain seemed to be getting heavier.

Yukino Riho quietly savored her complex emotions, softly recounting anecdotes from the past few days, mostly about the bakery. Fujiwara Izaya leaned back on the sofa, relaxing, listening to her rambling, occasionally glancing down, occasionally smiling… She was dressed as usual: a thin blue sweater, a black pencil skirt, and black stockings. The simple clothes couldn't conceal the maturity and grace of her womanly figure, nor the quiet, intellectual air that emanated from her conversation.

If this were ancient times, she would surely have been a talented woman raised in a family of scholars and poets.

So, does that mean I also need to have the reputation of being a talented scholar to associate with her...? Thinking of this, Fujiwara Rin couldn't help but smile.

Seeing his smile, Yukino Riho felt that the pleasantries were over and it was time to get down to business. What she truly wanted to say was something else entirely. But she didn't know how to bring it up, so she continued the conversation tentatively.

"Actually... well, Ryoko always says weird things, like 'my boyfriend' or something. Fujiwara-kun, you don't know, once you get to know her, you'll realize she likes to joke around..."

There was no need to explain, and when Kitagawa Ryoko said it, Yukino Riho didn't feel anything was wrong or resentful. However, after saying it in front of Fujiwara Izaya, her feelings became somewhat complicated. One second she felt there was no need to explain, the next she felt it was best to clarify. But after saying it, she increasingly felt she didn't need to explain, and for a moment her expression became somewhat uneasy.

Fujiwara Izaya laughed.

Then, he leaned closer and, in the dim light of the day, gazed at the face that was so close.

"Hmm, it was I who was concerned..." Yukino Riho leaned back on the sofa, her initial somewhat embarrassed mood calmed down because of Fujiwara Izaya's smile.

"Let the little girl make a fuss, I won't argue with her." Fujiwara Izaya moved closer to her, feeling a faint coolness. "Let's not talk about her anymore. But you, have you been looking tired lately?"

"Huh?" Yukino Riho paused, then shook her head in confusion.

“You seem a little distracted,” Fujiwara Izaya said.

Yukino Riho lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

“Recently, I’ve heard some people say that you did something bad in Nanyindou, and some even advised me to kick you out, otherwise you’d take advantage of me. I’ve never believed them, so I don’t discuss this with them… Besides, I’m broke, and my mind is focused on calculating my daily expenses, so I don’t care what others say…”

She paused for a few seconds, her beautiful legs encased in black stockings swaying slightly, before asking, "You didn't do it, did you?"

"What did they say I did?" Fujiwara Izaya asked.

"Uh, I mean you, I mean you kidnapped a fox spirit and did some beastly things..." Yukino Riho shook her head firmly as if denying it again, "It's ridiculous, such a thing is hard to believe."

"Strictly speaking, I did abduct a fox spirit."

"Huh? What? Really?" Yukino Riho's voice was slightly anxious, and she suddenly clutched her skirt nervously with both hands. "So what happened? Can you tell me?"

"That fox woman was involved in a big conspiracy; she wasn't a good monster. Of course, I didn't do anything to her; it was my aunt who took her away."

"Oh, I knew it!" Yukino Riho breathed a long sigh of relief.

She seemed completely unsuspecting, her expression one of utter conviction. Fujiwara Izaya thought that with just a few words, he could easily lure such a naive and foolish woman back to the hidden town to help take care of the children.

"By the way, how's Fujiwara-kun's training camp going?"

"The goal has been basically achieved. Now that I'm back, there are two Asakusa Shrines."

"Congratulations, Fujiwara-kun."

"Like I said, you get a discount if you come here!"

“Let me think…” Yukino Riho rolled up the sleeves of her thin sweater and talked excitedly, “Is it okay to draw a fortune slip? Will the gods enshrined at Asakusa Shrine bless me?”

“He will definitely protect you!” Fujiwara Izaya’s eyes shone brightly. He leaned closer, his laughter tinged with pride and boastfulness, and whispered in her ear, “I’ll let you in on a secret: the god enshrined at Asakusa Shrine is myself.”

"Hey!"

Yukino Riho was somewhat startled and didn't even notice the strange sound coming from her ears.

As he got closer to her, Fujiwara Izaya used his keen sense of smell to sniff the strands of hair near her ear, and then suddenly pulled out an ice pop.

Subconsciously, without thinking, relying on muscle memory, Yukino Riho opened her mouth and put the popsicle in her mouth with an "ah".

It feels cool and refreshing.

It felt like I'd been fed by him countless times before, he was so skilled at it.

Licking an ice pop into her mouth, Yukino Riho tilted her head back, her gaze vacant and half-asleep as she stared blankly at Fujiwara Izaya. The light was still dim, yet the lines of his face stood out sharply. Down his broad shoulders, the smooth, flowing lines revealed a remarkably thick chest, the muscle definition on his shirt clear and distinct.

What a powerful body... Yukino Riho licked the tip of her tongue, feeling that he was now more full of youthful vitality than he was a little over a month ago.

While she was eating a popsicle, Fujiwara Izaya reached out and pulled out the hair that was tied behind her head.

Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying along the lines of her shoulders... He compared the image of her flowing hair to that of Olaf, cupping her cheek in one hand while the fingers of his other hand ran through her dark hair, feeling a refreshing coolness.

really.

As guessed, her true form is a snow woman.

When asked why he would speculate about a Yuki-onna (snow woman), Fujiwara Izaya could only say that her scent and her confused expression were just too similar to Yuki-onna's.

"Ok?"

Yukino Riho sensed that something was wrong.

Her dazed gaze held a bewilderment reminiscent of someone just waking up, unable to distinguish east from west.

"Finish eating before we talk." Fujiwara Izaya withdrew his hand.

Two seconds later, Yukino Riho let out a soft "Ah!" and forgot to suck on her popsicle. The melting ice liquid choked her.

"It would be so embarrassing if word got out that you choked to death while eating an ice pop..."

"Cough cough, Fujiwara... Ah, cough cough..."

"Don't rush, catch your breath first." Fujiwara Izaya reached out, supporting her upper body and gently patting her back, teasingly saying, "When we first met, you rode your bike into the river. Now, you've choked on an ice pop. Aren't you the dumbest Yuki-onna in the Yuki-onna clan?"

Suddenly, Yukino Ryu's cough became even more severe.

Her body trembled as she asked, embarrassed and struggling, "You...cough cough, how did you know..."

As she spoke, her voice lowered; a mere popsicle couldn't possibly kill a snow woman. Even if she panicked for a moment, a few coughs would do the trick. After the initial panic subsided, shyness began to take over, and she shifted slightly to the side, trying to create some distance.

Fujiwara Izaya let go of his hand and moved a little to the side.

Half a meter away, Yukino Riho crossed her arms and bit her lip, looking somewhat bewildered.

“I’m not stupid,” Fujiwara Izaya said with a smile. “I’ve known about your part-time job at the Furukawa Hall for a long time. Now that things have come to this, I’ll be honest with you. I was afraid you would be implicated because of me, so I’ve been having my subordinates protect you secretly, and that’s how I found out some things about you.”

Yukino Riho suddenly realized something, and her face fell, revealing an expression of utter embarrassment.

After a long while, she asked in a voice barely audible, "...Yes, that fat, black crow that's kind of cute in its ugliness?"

Before Fujiwara Izaya could answer, a sharp "quack quack" sound came from outside the window.

Looking outside, I saw the crow I saw every day, perched all alone in the tree, getting soaked in the rain. While the young master was inside chasing girls, it was outside standing guard in the rain; it looked rather pitiful.

“That’s him, his name is Dark Raven,” Fujiwara Izaya said. “If you encounter any trouble in the future and I’m not around, just go to him.”

"But how did you know I was a snow woman?"

"Just a guess."

"Do you even believe what you say?" Yukino Riho's voice came with a smile.

"Of course I believe in myself." Fujiwara Izaya nodded with a smile.

That was a shameless answer, and Yukino Riho was a little annoyed, widening her eyes to express her dissatisfaction.

"Sit here for a while, I'll go make some sandwiches for breakfast." Fujiwara Izaya left the living room and headed to the kitchen.

“…Be honest, Fujiwara-kun—” Yukino Riho complained to his back, then hugged her legs and remained still on the sofa, obedient like a little girl.

Her secret had suddenly been exposed, leaving her somewhat bewildered. But more than anything, she felt a sense of relief, and even a secret delight that he hadn't looked down on her for being a demon.

She kept her identity a secret from everyone, but now that the only person she could call a friend knew and accepted it completely, nothing could make her happier.

Perhaps it was a subjective feeling, but in Yukino Riho's eyes, Fujiwara Izaya, who had returned after summer vacation, was clearly more approachable than before. The image of that handsome young man from the past had become clearer, and his eloquent speech revealed him to be a passionate and outgoing person. There was even a hint of emotion in his words and actions that was different from before.

Yukino Riho is slow-witted and can't figure out what those feelings are.

Not long after, Fujiwara Izaya made two simple sandwiches and came over to the sofa.

Yukino Riho had somehow managed to lie down on the sofa, her body slightly curled up, her hands wrapped around her legs, which were covered in black stockings. She had a tall, slender figure, and this curled-up posture possessed a strange allure. Her face was slightly flushed, but her gaze towards Fujiwara Izaya held a defiant air that refused to yield easily.

"You still haven't answered me!"

"Didn't I already answer that? It was just a guess."

"Fujiwara-kun is dishonest!"

"Only dishonest people think others are dishonest. My second greatest strength is honesty."

"shameless."