By the time Hoshino reached the village administration center, it was exactly noon.
The center was the largest populated area in Okura Village, with around two hundred households. The actual number of people wasn't necessarily higher than the Onsen district—if you counted tourists—but the number of essential facilities like the village committee, school, and clinic surpassed it.
"Judging from the Silkworm Devil's mating activity last November, it behaves more like a wild silkworm moth.
Wild silkworms have a larger wingspan-to-body ratio than domesticated ones—usually two to three and a half times larger.
Based on that onsen guy's estimate of a five-meter wingspan, its body should be between 1.4 and 2.5 meters long."
"Kobeni-san, you hear that?"
"Mm-hmm."
Shff, shff, shff—
"How many times are you gonna count it?"
The sound of money being thumbed through had followed him the entire way here.
"Mm-hmm." Kobeni tucked the wallet she'd just finished counting into her jacket pocket.
"Put it in my bag."
"It's mine."
"It'll fall out if you keep it there."
After some back-and-forth, Kobeni reluctantly stuffed the wallet into the chest pocket of Hoshino's bag.
"A body between 1.4 and 2.5 meters rules out insects or small animals, so that leaves wild boars, black bears, snow leopards…"
After listing off the wild animals in the surrounding area, Hoshino turned his attention to the populated one:
"Dogs, pigs… as much as I hate to admit it, humans are the most likely candidates. Winter's brutal for everything except humans—it's unlikely a Devil would pick a creature that's liable to freeze to death as its 'host.'"
He turned to Kobeni. "So, are you going into the wilds, or staying in the settlement?"
"…The wilds."
"I'm not too comfortable letting you go alone."
"I—I'll be careful!"
"I'm worried you'll miss something and get me killed."
After considering that Kobeni wasn't great at communicating effectively, Hoshino decided to handle the settlement himself.
They parted ways after lunch.
In a shadowed alleyway, Hoshino's eyes began to swirl with a mysterious spiral pattern.
Within a two-hundred-meter radius, every living being appeared in his mind's eye like tiny flames.
He couldn't see their exact forms, but he could faintly distinguish between them.
He guessed the size of each "flame" correlated to intelligence, awareness, or strength.
Humans had relatively large flames; animals' were much smaller. Ordinary Devils weren't much larger than humans.
Even without direct contact, Hoshino could exert control over animals.
His view alternated rapidly between his own and theirs, scanning for any pregnant ones and narrowing them down further.
Two hours later, he'd finished surveying every animal within the settlement.
No sign of the Silkworm Devil.
He'd had to kill six pregnant animals in the process—all domesticated—and ended up compensating their owners heavily. His wallet was now half-empty.
Realizing that wild animals rarely got pregnant in autumn or winter, he figured Kobeni would be back soon anyway.
After some thought, he gave her a call.
As expected, she was already on her way back.
Just then, his phone beeped twice and automatically shut off.
Hoshino didn't pay it much mind. He used the time to check in at the inn and grab a quick shower.
He was the one paying, but still—
Knock, knock, knock—
A knock sounded at the door.
When he opened it, Kobeni stood there.
"Welcome back, my darling wife. Let me help you change your shoes."
Hoshino crouched, reaching toward her slender calf.
If only she were wearing white stockings…
Kobeni jumped back instantly, cheeks flaming. "I–I'm not your—no! That's not it!"
She crossed her arms over her chest and watched him warily, eyes darting toward the single futon laid out on the tatami floor.
"Get another room."
"What, separate rooms already? Newlyweds these days…"
"It's fake! It doesn't count! It's one point five million yen!" She held up five fingers for emphasis.
"Ah~"
Clutching his chest, Hoshino staggered dramatically and collapsed onto the futon like a man mortally wounded. Hand to forehead, he lamented:
"I can't deny it—even for me, hearing my cute, charming new wife say, 'Our marriage was all a lie, just a ploy to get my family's fortune!'… it breaks my heart~"
"It's not—ugh! No! That's not what I—! I'm just gonna get another room!"
Bang!
Like a steam locomotive at full throttle, she bolted out of the room—then came rushing back moments later.
"What, couldn't bear to leave your younger, muscular husband all alone? You really are hopeless."
Hoshino sprawled across the futon, arms outstretched like a martyr.
"Go ahead—take me away!"
"Money, money, money, money, money!"
"Money? You found out, huh? Oh well, can't be helped. Yeah, I paid for this room with your wallet."
Hoshino grinned devilishly, eyes closed. "Besides, you're trying to save for college. Wouldn't want to waste money on two rooms, right?"
Kobeni's face turned pale.
"Oh, I'm broke now. Guess I'll have to rely on you to keep me fed from here on out."
"Eh?! Y–y–you—you—"
Hoshino propped his cheek on one hand, lying sideways on the futon with a smug tilt of his chin.
"Yup, just like you're thinking. I'm that kind of guy—spends wildly on women before marriage, tricks them into tying the knot, then afterward does absolutely nothing while the wife works four jobs, has kids, cooks, and does all the housework. A total piece of trash."
"…"
Klop.
Kobeni dropped onto the tatami, sitting duck-style, looking completely defeated.
Seeing she'd had enough, Hoshino pulled another futon out of the closet and spread it out beside hers.
"Alright, I'll sleep here. You can take the one I already warmed up." He lay down.
"…"
Kobeni puffed her cheeks, then climbed quietly into the futon.
Hoshino, however, stayed awake, tinkering with his Authority and some new ideas.
After several tests, it seemed that [Amplify] really did work as the System described—it boosted everything across the board.
About ten minutes passed.
"Hoshino-kun… I'm sorry." Kobeni's voice broke the silence.
Hoshino paused for a moment, then turned over. "A new bride saying sorry to her husband—that's a hard thing for a guy to take, you know."
"…." Whatever emotion she'd been gathering instantly evaporated.
"Relax. It's normal not to find anything out there. The host has to be human," Hoshino said.
"Tonight, we'll check the hospital records."
After a beat, he added, "If we don't find any leads tonight, you should leave Okura Village tomorrow—head toward Murayama City."
"What about you…?"
"I'm going back to the Onsen district. Need to see what's really going on there."
"What about Himeno-senpai?"
"Worry about yourself first. Don't go playing hero."
He grabbed his coat, intending to scout the hospital's layout so he wouldn't be walking blind later.
"I'm heading out. Stay in the room and don't wander off."
"Where are you going?"
Kobeni sat up, staring at him like a wife watching her husband sneak out.
"I just remembered something."
"What?"
"I'm gonna die the day after tomorrow, and I'm still a virgin. I can't go out like that. When in the countryside—might as well follow local customs. Bad food's still better than starving."
He slipped his wallet into his pocket and headed for the door.
Didn't get far before he was stopped.
"What now?"
"No."
"And you are?"
"K–Ko–Kobeni Higashiyama." Her head was bowed so low he couldn't see her face, but her ears were burning red.
"And who am I?"
"Futoshi Hoshino… -kun."
"And what's the relationship between Kobeni Higashiyama and Futoshi Hoshino?"
"C–coworkers."
Hoshino yanked free. "Then as coworkers, you've got no say in what I do."
He barely made it two steps before she grabbed him again.
"Higashiyama-san, may I ask what business you have with me?"
"You're not allowed to… to go to a brothel! It'll look bad!"
"Are you kidding me? I'm dying in two days; you think I care about my image?"
"I won't let you die!" Kobeni blurted out.
"…"
Her voice was so firm it sent a chill down his spine.
Hoshino's expression shifted.
That was the second time today he'd heard those exact words.
The first time—earlier that morning—it had genuinely moved him. So much that he'd even altered his plans because of it.
Originally, he'd meant to reject her and mock her in the end.
But hearing it again now… it felt different.
He'd never asked what kind of Devil Kobeni had a contract with, nor had he seen her use its power.
That didn't mean it couldn't solve their current problem—just that doing so would likely come at an unbearable cost.
Rationally speaking, whatever happened to her shouldn't matter. All that mattered was that he survived.
But hearing her say it—something in him twisted.
What kind of harem king lets a girl sacrifice herself for him? No way. I'm not going down in history as that guy. Gotta kill that idea right now.
He steeled himself, frowning deeply before saying coldly,
"There's no need for that. We've only known each other two days. I'm just messing around because you're cute. You get money and protection out of it—it's mutually beneficial. Don't overthink it."
Kobeni's expression went distant. Hoshino averted his eyes, irritated, and continued,
"Listen carefully—I forbid you from using any Devil powers for me. We're just coworkers.
Soon enough, you'll realize coworkers aren't even as close as classmates.
I'm nothing special. Guys like me—who talk crap and act like creeps—there's one on every street corner."
Still unsatisfied, he drove the point home:
"Don't do anything stupid for a guy you've only known two days. You got that?"
He turned to leave.
But couldn't move.
When he looked back, Kobeni had her face buried against his arm, clinging to it so tightly he couldn't see her expression.
Hoshino sighed, ready to explain that he was only going out to scout the area.
Then, something clear and shimmering dropped from her face, spreading into a pale stain on the green tatami.
"…N–not… coworkers…" she whispered.