Chapter 13: A Proposal from Kobeni Higashiyama
"Why the hell should I tell you?"
Naoto Kobayashi's eyes gleamed with mockery.
"We're both Contractors—bound by a Contract with the Blizzard Devil…"
"Why would I—"
Kobayashi suddenly froze. Go Fujiwara's death flashed in his mind, and everything clicked into place.
"Fujiwara came here to hunt you down. I came to back him up—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That's not what I asked!" Hoshino groaned, rubbing his forehead as he raised a hand.
"I'm talking about you people—the ones who came to Okura Village on this mission. What exactly are you here to do? What's the end goal?"
"We came to Okura Village to—"
A howling gust slammed into them, throwing snow in every direction. Hoshino yanked down his hood, gripping his scarf until the wind passed.
When he opened his eyes again, Kobayashi's upper body was gone.
Only his legs remained standing.
There wasn't any blood—just a clean layer of snow across the cut, as if the man had been carved from frost.
For a moment, it all felt fake—like a prank. A snowman built by some cruel adult to scare kids.
[Current Buff: 5.5%]
Hoshino's whole body tensed. He scanned the empty landscape. No signs of movement. No enemies.
"He probably died from violating his Contract," Kobeni said softly.
"The power of a Contract is absolute. It binds both sides. Even a Devil can't resist it right away—it has to follow through first."
Hoshino said nothing, just stared straight at her.
"It's in the manual!" Kobeni added quickly.
He smirked. "First time I've heard you talk without stuttering."
"…"
Kobeni puffed out her cheeks. "Say you're sorry."
"Huh? No way. I'm just being honest."
"You still owe me from the hot spring inn!" she reminded him.
"Ohhh~ right, right," Hoshino said, nodding like he'd just remembered. "Still don't really feel like it, though~"
"You have to!" Kobeni snapped, standing on tiptoe.
She'd clearly been waiting for this moment forever. Which only made Hoshino want to tease her more.
"Alright then," he said with a sly grin. "I won't apologize, but I'll grant you one request. Anything. Even something… spicy. A handsome younger guy at your service—tsk, tsk. Isn't that every lonely single woman's dream?"
"Ahh! P-please don't say weird things!" Kobeni flailed her hands in a panic. "I-I'm not lonely! A-and no 'spicy' stuff!"
Then, quieter: "Just say sorry already."
"Hmm?"
Hoshino folded his arms, grin widening. "Kobeni-san, I'll ask again—are you sure you don't wanna change your mind? I'm warning you, you'll regret it. Instantly. You'll be crying your eyes out, begging me."
"I won't!" Kobeni said firmly, for once sounding confident.
He chuckled. "Relax, I won't use your favor just yet."
"Still not changing!"
"Good. Very good."
Hoshino drew in a deep breath, bent ninety degrees at the waist, and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I—I—I AM DEEPLY SORRY, MY DEAR KOBENI-SANN!
My rude and reckless behavior has caused someone as polite and adorable as you to suffer mistreatment!
Here, I offer my most—most—most most most most most most most sincere apology!"
The echo faded. Silence.
Time itself seemed to stop. Only the wind rolling across the plains reminded them the world was still moving.
"…Alright. I forgive you. Heehee." Kobeni squinted her eyes, smiling like she was bathing in sunlight.
The satisfaction on her face—pure bliss. Even better than her first ice cream at age nine.
When she came back to her senses, Hoshino was crouched down, rummaging through something.
"What are you doing?"
He ignored her, slowly standing up.
Her eyes widened as they caught the glint of light reflecting off something in his hands.
"One… two… sixty… yep, seven hundred and forty thousand yen in cash." He stuffed the money back into a wallet and dropped it into his backpack before picking up another.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Between the two of them, that's one million four hundred forty thousand yen. Figures. Guys who live by the knife never keep their money in banks."
Muttering to himself, he went to slip the second wallet into his pack—only for a pale hand to grab his wrist.
"No p-pocketing! T-turn it in!"
"Ah, my cute and well-mannered Kobeni-san," Hoshino said without turning around. "The rule says we have to hand over earnings from official missions. But this one? We never registered it. Doesn't count~"
He tried to continue—but her grip tightened. Then her other hand grabbed on too.
He turned his head slightly. "A proposal? Look, I'll admit you're cute, but we've known each other two days. I'm not even legally old enough to get married, and I've got more important things to do. So maybe next time, yeah?"
"N-no, no, no…" Kobeni hung her head, her long legs pressed together in an awkward pigeon-toed stance. "S-s-s-split…"
"Split?"
"Split the money…"
"Hell no."
"Ehhhhh?" Kobeni looked up, her eyes big and pleading.
Hoshino used that instant to yank free and shove the wallet into his pack. "You didn't even do anything!"
"S-s-seeing means s-share!"
"Keep dreaming!"
"I want some!"
He frowned. Kobeni being obsessed with money was normal—but… this felt off.
Shouldn't she be crying by now? Maybe assuming we're close enough to skip the formalities?
"…Fine. You get a share," he said.
Her face instantly brightened—until he added, "I'm using my favor."
Kobeni froze. Her expression drained of all color.
"You said it yourself," Hoshino reminded her. "If you'd swapped that rice ball for sushi, I'd owe you one non-steamy favor. So here it is: don't ask me to split the money."
Her delicate brows furrowed upward. Her lashes trembled, holding back a tear as she bit her lip.
"P-please, just a little…" Her voice was so soft the wind almost swallowed it.
"…God, that's cute. Those teeth are so white."
He blinked, pretending to think. "Alright. I'll let you off the hook."
Before she could react, he grinned. "But you have to say, 'Hoshino-nii, please. This is Kobeni's one and only request.'"
"Ah! No way! I'm older than you!"
Their eyes locked—hers blazing with indignation, his glinting like a devil's.
"Think it through," he said calmly. "One million five hundred thousand yen per line. You don't say it, there are plenty of girls who will."
"Wha—w-w-what?! One million five hundred thousand?!"
Kobeni's eyes practically turned into yen signs. Her flushed lips moved faster than her brain.
"Hoshino-oni-san, please…"
"Wait, I'm not done explaining." He cleared his throat, straightening up like a director about to start a scene.
"You're a girl from a family with nine kids. Your dad couldn't handle the pressure and got divorced, remarried a widow with a son and daughter. The daughter doesn't matter. The son's younger—smart, brave, handsome—and he bullies you all the time. But for some reason, you like him and want to call him 'onii-chan.'"
He coughed, cheeks a little pink, but kept going.
"Then the brother gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. He doesn't have long to live. You can't hold back anymore, so you confess. The full line is:
'I love you the most, more than anyone! Please marry me! Hoshino-nii, please, this is Kobeni's one and only request!'
If you only say the second part, it's half price—seven hundred fifty thousand. I'm being generous."
"Whaaa—" Kobeni's jaw nearly hit the snow.
That was even possible?!
"Well? Say it or not? One million five hundred thousand! That's double!" He held up five fingers like Himeno scolding Denji.
Kobeni nodded hard.
"Wait a sec." Hoshino turned around.
Go Fujiwara's corpse twitched. The snow rippled, forming a staircase under Hoshino's feet as he climbed higher. The steps thickened, packed tight until they became a one-by-one meter snow platform—just big enough for two people.
Standing on top, Hoshino called down, "Let's do this in one take! Even I don't wanna hear the same girl propose a hundred times!"
"Uwahhh…" Kobeni mumbled, "I love you the most…"
"Idiot! Too far! You gotta hold the guy's hand when you propose!"
"And your expression! You look like you're clocking in for work! If you can't get in the mood, just… think of me! The character's practically me anyway. I'm dying soon, right? Except I'm the one saving you three times a day. Wouldn't that make you sad?"
"Uwahhh…"
"Say that one more time and I'll spend all this money on a hostess."
"Don't! I'll do it!"
She trudged up the steps. The snow crunched softly under her boots, each step leaving a shallow imprint.
Step by step.
She repeated the lines in her head, cheeks burning.
Then she stopped.
Wait—how's this any different from a real proposal?!
No no no, he's way too young!
At least let me finish college first! But… that's One million five hundred thousand yen… one hundred…
Why do I have to make this kind of choice?!
Kobeni smacked her flushed cheeks to refocus herself.
"H-Hoshino-kun, c-can I just stand here? This distance okay?"
No answer.
He's mad, isn't he?
"I-it's just high up here! I'm scared of falling!"
Still nothing.
Great, now he hates me. Typical. Ask for one thing during a 1.5 million yen job and you're suddenly annoying.
She looked up nervously.
Hoshino wasn't angry. He was just… staring off into the distance.
"Hoshino-kun?"
She stepped closer, catching her hairpin as a soft breeze brushed past. The chill faded, replaced by warm sunlight.
When she looked down, the four-meter snow wall was beneath her. The platform was only a meter away.
The view opened wide.
Golden light spilled over the snowfield, dyeing the western slope in gold. A scrawny snow leopard crept under a drift, stalking a daydreaming snow hare. The fir forest shimmered honey-brown as snow slid off, revealing needles sheathed in glittering frost.
The wind carried flecks of ice like starlight, brushing her nose—not cold anymore, but tinged with the faint scent of thawing soil.
"Spring's here, Kobeni-san," Hoshino said from above.
"Mm-hmm."
"They say spring comes even earlier in Kawazu, on the Izu Peninsula. End of January, sometimes."
"I've never been."
"Me neither." He smiled faintly. "The books say the Kawazu cherry blossoms are the first in Japan. Eight thousand trees bloom along the Kawazu River. When the wind blows, the whole world turns pink—like in an anime. Trains pass through tunnels of blossoms, and the windows close automatically so passengers can soak in it. Locals sell cherry blossom dumplings under the trees—warm mochi filled with red bean paste. The taste of spring."
Kobeni clasped her cheeks, eyes sparkling. "I wanna go."
"Me too… You should go for me, Kobeni-san."
"Huh? Why?"
"Two days isn't enough."
"But you said—"
"Too late now."
"…Oh."
Her heart skipped a beat. Her throat tightened. Her stomach churned. Even breathing hurt.
She suddenly felt sad.
"Hoshino-kun, I won't let you die," she blurted.
Silence. Even the crows stopped cawing.
The wind brushed gently past, lifting her hair to tickle her ear.
Eh—why did I say that?!
Her thoughts spun out of control.
He probably thinks that's hilarious. He's totally holding in a laugh right now. God, I sound so stupid!
Say something! Please! Don't just stand there!
Thankfully, he didn't stay silent long.
"Kobeni-san… why do you wanna go to college?"
"…I…" She didn't know. Maybe just because that's what everyone said you should do. To get a better job. She was about to answer, but he spoke first.
"My dad told me when I was little that I had to go. He said, 'As times change, college grads will get cheaper, but a life without college isn't complete. You should experience it.'"
"Hmm… so college isn't like high school?"
He didn't answer right away. "When he died, I was in my senior year. He'd already pulled strings to get me an internship at a state company, told me they'd hire me after graduation. He even set me up with a girl—his friend's daughter. I agreed, but… didn't mean it."
Seeing him relaxed enough to tell stories, Kobeni let out a quiet breath. "Why not?"
"Because I was ungrateful," Hoshino said with a faint smile. "During grad school, on Qingming Festival, I visited his grave, then drove up a mountain. There were a bunch of tourists at the top, but suddenly… I just wanted to scream. So I did."
"Wha—so embarrassing!" Kobeni cringed. "What'd you yell?"
Facing the wide snowfield and the fir forest, Hoshino cupped his hands and shouted:
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"I'm sick of this!"
"I'm sick of a life where I can see the end from the start!"
"I want something wild! I want a life full of color!"
"I wanna date five girls at once! I want female college students so obsessed they'd kill to have me! I want every woman on earth to react when she thinks of me!"
He took a deep breath and roared,
"Next life—please make me the protagonist of a harem animeeeeeee!!!"
Kobeni burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face. "You idiot! That's so dumb!"
Hoshino grinned. First time he'd seen her laugh like that.
Cute. But pathetic's still better.
"C'mon! My first harem member—where's that proposal?" He tilted his chin high, looking down at her like some cocky harem king.
"Uwahhh…" Kobeni made a disgusted face—then broke into giggles again, wiping her eyes.
"Ahh… two days. Not enough," she sighed.
"Until I become the harem king, no one's killing me," Hoshino said confidently.
"Idiot."
"Go on."
She climbed up to the snow platform, opening her mouth, closing it again, fidgeting endlessly. Even with the silly mood, saying it out loud was torture.
Hoshino smiled. "One million and five hundred thousand yen—that's a two-person team killing twelve Devils. Or three hundred hours with a bald old client at a brothel! College can wait, but a girl's youth? Priceless~"
Kobeni swallowed hard, then held out her pale right hand.
"H-Hoshino-kun! I—I love you the most! P-please marry me!"
Her voice trailed off. A few seconds later, she peeked up—and met his half-smiling gaze.
"And?"
Kobeni went scarlet and ducked her head.
"H-Hoshino-nii! Please! This is Kobeni's one and only request!"
"Say it together. No stuttering."
"…"
"Hoshino-oni-san! I love you the most! Please marry me!"
"Please! This is Kobeni's one and only request!"
Hoshino tilted his chin proudly, placing his hand in hers, and said coolly—
"Lucky bastard."