"I can't even get a moment's rest, can I?"
In the empty air, the red mechanical Kabuto Zecter materialized. It bobbed toward Kawashima Toya, as if nodding to reassure its master before settling into a watchful hover.
Toya closed his eyes again, sinking back into the warmth of the spring.
.....
The silence didn't last. Toya opened his eyes just in time to see the Zecter sent tumbling across the room like a stray spark.
"Darling, I'm here!"
The door burst open, and Nyaruko lunged inside with a look of pure delight.
"Seriously... how did you even get in?" Toya sighed.
He had specifically deadbolted the door, yet she hadn't spent a single second fumbling with the lock.
He noticed the ahoge on top of her head had stiffened into the precise shape of a skeleton key.
Logic really has no place around her.
"Fine. Luckily, I have other ways to keep you at bay."
Without another word, Toya summoned the demonic spear Gae Bolg.
He leveled the tip at Nyaruko's throat. The sharp point emitted a faint, cold light—an unspoken promise of its lethality.
"Care to take another step?" he asked icily.
Cold sweat beaded on Nyaruko's forehead. "I... I wouldn't dream of it!"
"Darling, I was wrong! I had a momentary lapse in judgment and walked into the wrong room! Please, forgive me!"
Soaking in the water, Toya gave a slow, deliberate nod. "Admitting it is a start. Now, back to your own room."
"Right away!" Nyaruko nodded frantically before spinning on her heel and bolting.
She didn't dare linger. The aura of the spear was no bluff. While it might not kill her permanently, walking around with a gaping hole in her neck would be a massive blow to her vanity.
Once he confirmed she was gone, Toya lowered the weapon. "Honestly, not a single one of them can just behave."
The battered Zecter flew back, landing on the floor with a metallic click. It vibrated sheepishly, as if apologizing for its failure.
"You did your best. Go back to your post," Toya comforted it.
The Zecter was ultimately a transformation tool. While it granted God-like power during a transformation, in its independent form, it couldn't be expected to stall a persistent Outer God.
The mechanical beetle spread its wings and flew off to resume its duty.
.....
Outside in the darkness, Jashin-chan wore a truly sinister grin. She had devised a plan so precise it would eliminate her target without leaving a trace.
In her mind, there would only be one victim tonight: Kawashima Toya.
Hehehe! I'll quietly swap his bathwater for boiling water at 100°C!
As the temperature rises, he won't be on guard. He won't even have the chance to react! The rising heat will numb his senses and lull him into a stupor. He'll pass out and die quietly, and no one will ever suspect a thing!
Unknown to her, Toya had sensed her intent from the beginning.
Bold move, but incredibly stupid.
Jashin-chan really was an idiot. She had forgotten that he was a specialist in combat. Boiling water was hardly a threat; at most, it would just feel a little "refreshing" to his constitution.
"However, I can't just let it slide," Toya muttered.
He changed into the clean yukata provided by the inn and glanced toward Jashin-chan's quarters. "I wonder how 'stewed snake' tastes?"
Moments later, Toya slipped into Jashin-chan's room. He intercepted the boiling water she had prepared for him and redirected the flow into her own private bath.
"Now, I just need some seasoning from the front desk to make sure the meat is properly flavored."
Toya headed to the lobby, where he found the proprietress. She was currently scolding a young girl—likely her daughter.
Toya leaned against the wall, watching the scene. Interrupting now would only deprive the girl of a formative childhood experience.
"What is wrong with you? Why must you waste your time on shogi?"
"Do you want to end up like your deadbeat father? Abandoning your family just to obsess over a board game?"
The proprietress, Hinatsuru Akina, spoke with a cold, biting severity. The girl, Hinatsuru Ai, had tears welling in her eyes, yet her gaze remained defiant.
"Mama, I'm going to learn! I'm going to become the Ryuou!"
"No matter what you do, I won't give it up!"
The little girl stood up, shouted her defiance, and sprinted away.
Akina watched her daughter go and sighed. "Ai... why won't you understand?"
Ai's father had divorced Akina shortly after the girl was born, claiming he had to seek out the "Ryuou" of the shogi world. He had severed all ties to train in the mountains.
Akina couldn't bear to let her daughter walk down a path that had already destroyed their family.
"Proprietress, do you have any stew seasoning? I'd like a few packs," Toya said, stepping forward.
"I do. One thousand yen each," Akina replied, instantly reverting to her professional, distant demeanor.
"I'll take five."
"Fine." Akina didn't ask for an explanation. She simply handed them over.
Toya slipped back into Jashin-chan's room and dumped all five packets into the steaming spring.
One pack wouldn't be enough for a demon. Five should do it. Toya's eyes gleamed. Jashin-chan, you brought this on yourself.
He quietly exited the room. Jashin-chan's quarters returned to a deceptive silence, filled only by the rising steam and the savory scent of spices.
.....
I wonder how long it'll take for the first scream? Toya wandered through the inn's gardens, waiting for the inevitable.
Near a secluded thicket, he heard the sound of low sobbing. To a normal guest, it might have sounded like a ghost story, but he found Hinatsuru Ai crouching by a tree, crying.
Toya decided to offer some comfort. "Hey there. Why the long face?"
He put on a gentle smile, softening his presence. Even so, the girl jumped in surprise.
"Who are you?!"
Once she realized it was the guest from earlier, she calmed down. "Big brother... what are you doing out here?"
Toya sat nearby. "I just like to wander. I happened to hear a sound that reminded me of a crying spirit from an old legend."