Chapter 94: Feeding Play
"Father, what's wrong?" Takeda Koji quickly caught the old man as his body staggered, his voice trembling with worry. He then turned toward Kirigiri, his expression fierce. "What did you do to my father!"
"Ignorant human." Kirigiri sneered coldly, his gaze full of contempt. "This has nothing to do with me. I merely happened to hear that Lady Hotaru's life is about to end, so I came to retrieve her heart."
"You're saying Hotaru's heart... is with me?" The old man took a heavy breath, pushing away Koji's support as he straightened himself, face pale yet determined. He took a step closer, his voice shaking.
"That's right." Kirigiri's tone turned mocking. "Lady Hotaru is a plant youkai. After taking human form, she condensed a Heart of Nature—an organ brimming with vitality and healing energy. Otherwise, how could a fragile human born with congenital heart disease live this long without a single relapse?"
"So... that's how it is..." Takeda Kazuya's eyes widened in disbelief. His hand clutched at his chest as if to protect the beating heart beneath, his whole body trembling as he fought back sobs.
"Start the car!" Kazuya gasped, his breathing unsteady. "We're returning to Fukushima immediately!"
"Father, it's late at night—" Koji tried to reason gently, but the old man's expression turned resolute.
"Now!" he barked, his voice carrying the kind of authority that silenced everyone.
Koji could only sigh helplessly and gesture to the nearby guards. "Prepare the car."
"Yes, sir!" The guards bowed deeply and hurried off.
Koji turned back to Kouya and the shrine maiden, bowing low. "Tonight's crisis was resolved thanks to you both. But since that Hotaru creature was indeed a youkai, for my father's safety, I beg of you to accompany us once more."
The shrine maiden glanced toward Kouya. Seeing he showed no impatience, she nodded gently. "Naturally."
Koji straightened and said with gratitude, "As for dealing with the youkai, I'll leave that to your expertise."
With that, he departed with quick, worried steps.
The moment the doors closed, the shrine maiden asked softly, her eyes moving to the trembling Kirigiri, "Kou-kun, what do you intend to do?"
"Kill him," Kouya replied flatly, his tone indifferent. Wearing women's clothing was one thing, but showing up just to disgust people? Death was mercy.
Kirigiri's legs nearly gave out. He fell to his knees, his voice cracking in panic. "Please spare me! I'm useful! The youkai in the southern district all answer to me! I can serve! I can offer information!"
The shrine maiden narrowed her eyes slightly, her lips pressing together before she looked back at Kouya. After a long pause, she spoke softly, "If possible, could you leave this one to me?"
Kouya shrugged. "As long as he never appears before me again."
The shrine maiden leaned in toward Kirigiri, whispering words that made his face go pale. After signing a contract with her trembling hands, he slinked away in defeat.
"Kou-kun... thank you for tonight." The shrine maiden's eyes glimmered faintly as she bowed her head.
"Don't mention it." Kouya waved lazily. "Just make sure the pay is good."
The shrine maiden bit her lip, suppressing a small smile.
...
Ten minutes later, four sleek black cars glided out of the Takeda estate under the moonlight. The air outside was cold and still.
Two cars carried the guards, one carried the Takeda family, and the last—spacious and dimly lit—carried Kouya, the shrine maiden, and Rina.
It was a luxury business-class car. Though not partitioned, the front and back were separated by tinted glass, leaving the three in the rear with quiet privacy.
The shrine maiden brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. The moonlight filtering through the window framed her face in silver. "Before accepting this commission, I investigated a little. Takeda Kazuya's hometown is in Fukushima. He must be going there because someone important to him is waiting."
Kouya nodded lightly, staring out at the passing lights. "Maybe so. People cling to what they love until the end."
His tone was detached. He had long grown numb to human sorrow and joy.
He'd seen it too many times—grief, reunion, parting. In the end, only love and hatred ever left real marks on the soul.
The shrine maiden looked at him for a long moment, sensing the calm weight in his silence, and said nothing more.
The car fell quiet, the only sound the steady rhythm of wheels on asphalt.
Kouya closed his eyes, attempting to rest. The hum of the engine filled the air like a lullaby. Then, unexpectedly, something soft and warm brushed against his leg.
He opened his eyes and found Rina—the little catgirl—curled up on the shrine maiden's lap, fast asleep. Her small chest rose and fell in gentle rhythm, her tail twitching lightly.
"Shh~" The shrine maiden leaned closer, her lips near Kouya's ear. Her voice was low and soft. "Rina fought earlier and even went searching for you after. She's exhausted. Let her rest, alright?"
Her breath brushed against his skin—warm and fragrant. The faint scent of sandalwood and spring blossoms lingered. Kouya caught himself tensing as her breath grazed his ear.
The shrine maiden seemed to notice and flushed slightly, pulling away. Trying to hide her embarrassment, she casually asked, "That girl who called you earlier... who was she?"
"A classmate," Kouya replied curtly.
Her eyes gleamed. "You must be close. It's quite late for a classmate to be calling, isn't it?"
Close? Don't make me laugh.
That humiliating 'poke-poke' game from that day was burned into his memory! And that lazy angel wouldn't call him for anything trivial. If she was contacting him now, it meant trouble.
They chatted for a while before the shrine maiden stretched lazily. Her red-and-white robes tightened across her chest as she arched her back, drawing a perfect curve. Covering her mouth, she let out a quiet yawn.
"Well then... I'll nap a bit. Fukushima's still a long way off. Good night, Kou-kun."
The car fell into silence again.
Listening to the even breathing of his companions, Kouya's earlier tension faded. His mind slowly calmed.
Unable to sleep, he pulled out his phone and scrolled idly through the news. Minutes passed quietly until something tickled his foot—something soft and flexible.
He reached down instinctively and caught it.
A sudden "meow!" echoed through the car.
He turned—and there was Rina, her cheeks flushed bright pink, eyes shimmering. Her tail quivered in his hand.
"N-no... don't touch there, meow!"
Kouya froze, speechless. For a long moment, he could only stare at the trembling catgirl.
He groaned inwardly. Damn it. Why couldn't she have a normal tail instead of one with... strange reactions!?
Letting go immediately, he leaned back with a sigh. Rina quickly snatched her tail back, curling up defensively. She twisted her body like a gymnast, proving how flexible she was, glaring at him with tearful amber eyes.
"When someone touches my tail, it feels weird, meow... really weird..."
"Won't touch again." Kouya said flatly, though his tone was faintly exasperated. He had no interest in awakening that kind of fetish.
Rina thought for a moment, then puffed her cheeks and raised her hands beside her face like claws. "And... and don't tell anyone about it, meow! Or... or I'll bite you!"
A few minutes later, her voice came again, this time small and timid. "Meow's hungry..."
Kouya sighed inwardly. Of course she was. Even weak youkai burned through energy faster than humans.
"Then eat something," he said simply.
The catgirl sniffed the air. Her small nose twitched adorably as she leaned closer to him. "Sniff sniff... I smell food, meow... from your pocket!"
Kouya blinked and reached in, pulling out a small packet of yogurt. "Oh right, that blue-eyed hatchling shoved this at me earlier."
Rina's eyes lit up instantly. She stared at it like a starving kitten.
"Don't look at me like that," Kouya muttered. "You're not getting it."
Her lower lip quivered. Her hands clasped near her chest as she looked up at him, amber eyes sparkling with tears that hadn't even fallen yet.
It was the oldest trick in the book.
Kouya pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Here."
"Really for me, meow?" Her eyes widened in delight.
"Take it or leave it."
"I'll take it! Thank you, meow!" She accepted it eagerly, biting the edge open and sipping happily. Her ears perked up, her tail swishing.
Then the car hit a bump.
The yogurt splashed—straight toward Kouya.
He blocked it instinctively, catching most of it with his hand before it stained his clothes. He reached for tissues.
But Rina shouted, "No, meow! The three-second rule! It's still good!"
Kouya blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "The what—"
She nodded earnestly. "If it's less than three seconds, it's safe to eat, meow!"
Shut up! Stop showing off your nonsense!
Who told you that crap!? Do you think bacteria wear watches!?
He mentally ranted, recalling every failed myth he'd ever heard.
Before he could say another word, Rina leaned forward, clutching his wrist.
"Still drinkable, meow~" she purred.
Then, to his horror, she bent down and began licking the yogurt from his palm with her small pink tongue.
The sensation was unbearably strange—soft, wet, warm, and ticklish, crawling across his skin like electric ants.
Her scent—sweet, soft, like freshly washed fur mixed with vanilla—filled the air around him. When he looked down, his eyes couldn't help but trace the delicate curve of her collarbone, the glint of smooth skin, and the faint swell beneath her clothes.
And then, from the side, a quiet, drowsy voice spoke:
"Kou-kun... care to explain yourself?"
Kouya froze. The shrine maiden had woken, still half-asleep, her expression blank and hazy. The faint confusion on her usually composed face made her look unexpectedly adorable.
Before he could respond, she let out a quiet, knowing sigh.
"Or is it that Kou-kun finally couldn't hold back... and decided to reveal his love for little girls?"
Kouya: "..."
That sharp tongue again. Even half-asleep, she couldn't resist twisting the knife.