Translator: LynneSuzuran——

  [Well then. There is something I need to tell you in just a bit.]

  When the lunch was almost over, and just when the tea and the cheesecake dessert came out, Mikoto-san opened her mouth again. All the members of the family have gathered in the dining room, and we asked the maids to withdraw from the room so as to protect this secret.

  [Normally, the world matters don’t concern me anymore, but this time is an exception. Because I also want you to be more careful, so I especially told you this.] “As expected, is there something?”


  [Mn.]

  Oh my? Tou-san seemed to have sensed something. Or rather, Kaa-san was also listening in seriously.

  After looking alternatively towards both of my parents’ faces, Mikoto-san turned around to me. Well, the one who’s the most poorly informed of this world is me, after all.

  [Seiren. Have you ever heard of the meaning behind us, the ancestors going to visit the present world at the end of the year?] “Ah, yes. The god’s power is weakened around this time, and the evil spirits are appearing to commit bad deeds, and the ancestors are coming to patrol, or something like that…”


  [Mmhm. Well, that’s right.]

  Amazing! My rough explanation seemed to be correct, more or less. Well, though I don’t really understand of the god’s circumstances.

  [Those evil spirits are, in short, the people who were good-for-nothing during their lives. When we were dead and were lined up in the row of the ancestors, those who underwent transformation to become the so-called evil spirits, or so they were named.] “I see. Ah, what would happen in the cases of people who—for example—were killed and died while holding grudges?”


  [That is, well, it will be decided based on their hearts during when they lined up in the row of the ancestors. Well, there were people who managed to become the ancestors by normally transforming despite them having committed evil deeds, and there are also cases of those who died normally, but since their reburial were messy, they became enraged and turned into evil spirits.]

  So, that’s how they defined evil spirit in this world, huh?

  …If that’s the case, I wonder what kind of treatment do the people who couldn’t become the ancestors due to their bad reburial receive?

  [Anyway, those evil spirits committed evil deeds. To put it simply, they want to increase their numbers and convert the living humans to become their friends, in order to surpass the God of Sun someday. Though their path still looks quite long.] “Is it still quite long?”


  [Do you think that the God of Sun will just let those guys alone? He frequently exterminated them.]

  Towards my mother’s question, Mikoto-san answered with an uninterested face. By exterminating, are the evil spirits some bugs?

  In a sense, they’re bugs, I guess. Even if we were to crush them, they’d appear from somewhere else, so obviously one would feel fed up with them. Nah, I’m not sure since I haven’t become an ancestor, though.

  Or rather, the evil spirits’ ambition or objective is that, huh? To pass over the god, what an ambition. Well, if they don’t do that, they won’t be able to do whatever they want, though.

  …That’s why, they’re evil spirits, I guess.

  [It’s just, no matter what, the God of Sun’s power is weakened during this period. Therefore, the evil spirits will appear as much as possible to commit evil deeds. Also, the first thing that they targeted would be the infants who were born in that year.] “Well…”


  “Is that why the ancestors would come and visit the residence where the child was born at the end of the year?”


  [Mn. It’s so that we’d be able to protect that child from the evil spirit.]

  Kaa-san opened her eyes wide, and Tou-san asked a question just to make sure. Then, Mikoto-san nodded deeply.

  Amazing, so the ancestors appeared with some sort of a significance. Nah, it’s not that the legend doesn’t mention it, but it’s just because we’ve finally received a proper testimony.

  Then, Mikoto-san turned her gaze to me. In the first place, she came here to see me, so it was quite natural, but her gaze didn’t seem to be as simple as that.

  [Once we protected the child, the child would be awarded with a mark to eliminate evil spirits although that mark couldn’t be seen with eyes. After that, it would depend on that child, though…] “…Ah, and then, there’s that thing about me, huh?”


  [Mn.]

  Right. I left this world just one month after I was born. In any case, since I was born in March, I disappeared from this world around the spring. Obviously, I haven’t received the mark to eliminate evil spirit that Mikoto-san just mentioned.

  [Because you were already not here at the end of the year when you were born, I couldn’t award you with the mark to eliminate the evil spirit. Therefore, the evil spirits who’re gushing out this winter would target you. Since you see, the next one they will target after the pure babies would be the innocent young women.] “That too, since everyone had the marks bestowed on them in the first place, the spirits won’t be able to approach them. Therefore, they would approach the people who harbor evil intention in the end, right?”


  [That is right, Maya.]

  Innocent young women.

  Eh-, ah-, in other words, that must be it, huh? Yup.

  Nah well, Taiga-san has never made a move on me. That kind of thing will come after I become his bride. Well, as for the approach from my side, I wonder how about it…


  [Well, that’s why I hastened to pay a visit this time to protect her. Although if you have kissed even once, it could become some sort of a protection, more or less.] “Oh dear, you haven’t done it, Seiren?”


  “…”


  Kaa-san, don’t ask me here. If you heard Mikoto-san’s sigh being mixed into her lines, you’d be able to tell that I haven’t kissed, right?

  Also, Saryuu is understandable, but why would Tou-san’s face turn red as well? As expected, did you feel bothered because it was after all your daughter’s matter?

  “Uh-m, what kind of evil deeds will the evil spirits commit, specifically?”


  [In here, it’s common and popular to intervene with the humans’ consciousness to have them act as an agent to commit misdeed. Babies still don’t have much consciousness, so they will be able to directly insert evil intention inside their heads.] “And that can be repelled by the mark to eliminate the evil spirit…?”


  [That’s right. …It’d be nice if we could immediately attach that mark, but it could only be done at the Week of the End of the Year. Sorry, Seiren.] “Ah, no. It’s already a good thing that we could understand the situation.”


  Intervene the human’s consciousness, huh?

  …I, when I went to Touka-san’s place at that time, something weird happened, right? The people who were intervened by the evil spirits, could they feel like that and ended up attacking someone else, I wonder?

  Scary. That was what I felt when I recalled that moment, though. I thought that I ought to do that no matter what.

  I didn’t know why, but I ought to do that, I must do that.

  I think that those people who attacked people under that condition, once their consciousness returned, they wouldn’t be able to understand how and why it happened, I guess.

  It’s really scary.

  [Ahem. Well, since there’s also Kasai Jigen in the Shiiya residence now, so there’s no need to be very anxious about it. However, just in case, I came to warn you. I repeat again, be careful.] “Understood. Has Jigen already known of it?”


  [It seems that he has already known about it even before I talked to him. Perhaps he’s refining a countermeasure around this time.]

  My parents felt so relieved upon hearing Mikoto-san’s words. Is Jigen-san actually an outrageously amazing magician? Let’s put aside the thing about his age, then.

  …Even so, Touka-san.

  It seems that I’ve become involved in something troublesome again because of you.

  “…I give up, really. I wonder why must it be me, each and every time?”


  “You’ve had enough of it, right…?”


  “Although it’s difficult, we have no choice but to work hard.”


  I returned to my room. Not having any willpower to continue wrapping up the cookies, I lied down on the sofa. It seems that the situation has been reported to Alica-san and Minoa-san, too, and Alica-san continued to wrap up the cookies while sighing. Minoa-san showed her fighting spirit for some reason. This person will show her willingness whenever it comes to physical work, huh? Nah, I’m saved because of it, though.

  [Sorry, Seiren. As expected, the God of Sun’s power doesn’t reach the other world.] “No, no, it’s not God of Sun or Mikoto-san’s fault, after all.”


  I properly answered Mikoto-san’s apology. Or rather, in this case, the one who’s at fault would be the Touka-san who harbored feelings for my mother and ended up becoming like her stalker. Although I was splendidly getting involved in that matter.

  …Haa, if it’s like this, it won’t go as smoothly as to not influence Taiga-san at all, right? Even if it doesn’t show any influence, the troubles will continue at the Shikino residence when summer and autumn come.

  “…For now, let’s tell Taiga-san about it-…”


  “There’s the possibility that he’d think, ‘Is Seiren fine-?’ and then he might fly here, would that be all right?”


  Alica-san’s comment is reasonable. If it’s still during the harvest time, I can still imagine that the letter will come flying with the same-day delivery service, but since it’s already winter, his work should have become calmer already.

  B-but, there will still be people who can become his ‘stoppers’ in the Shikino residence. That’s why everything will be all right… I guess?

  “…If we’re talking about Taiga-san, it would seem like he’d do that, but I think I will believe in Saya-san.”


  [Not believing in your future husband?] “That person, for some reason, whenever it comes to me, he tends to get quite rash, after all.”


  I only stated the facts, but why would everyone avert their eyes and sigh? Did I just say anything weird again?

  [Your remaining self-consciousness has become nonexistent now, huh?]

  Eh-? No, wait, I really only stated the facts, though? Why did it come to that?

  “…Does that count of speaking fondly of someone else?”


  [That’s right on the spot. In short, you said that the young feudal lord would do anything for you.] “Aah, but it’s Taiga-sama, after all.”


  “Although it’s better if he could calm down more, so that it would match his age perfectly…”


  Even that kind of thing counted as speaking fondly of someone else, huh? When they mentioned it, I guess so. Also, Alica-san, Minoa-san. That’s something we all couldn’t deny.

  Despite being around 10 years older than me, he was already proactive from the first time we met. He came to save me with all his might, and he took various things into considerations… Eh?

  If one were to look at it from a third party’s point of view, certainly this is categorized as speaking fondly of someone else, huh? Whoa, I totally didn’t notice it, damn it.

  For a moment, I feel greatly perplexed. Dear my ancestor and my maids, please don’t look at me.