Not a detective

Page 21

"So, why did you come to my house?"

Earth Spider's Spring: Chapter Thirty-Six - Today We're Making Croquettes

Although Asakawa Riku just made a fool of himself with his outfit, Chizuko-senpai's outfit today was also quite peculiar.

We often saw each other at school (Asakawa Riku thought it was often, but in reality it was only once a week, probably because we would be together at noon and after school), and I was even used to her appearance, but today she suddenly looked "somewhat familiar". If I didn't look closely, I wouldn't even recognize her, all because of this outfit.

At school, she always wore a sailor uniform, had an ordinary bob haircut, and was not very noticeable.

But today, Chizuko was wearing a peach-pink vest and a white knitted T-shirt, with off-white jeans on her lower body, and her loose cowboy hat had just been taken off.

It's like "a lively high school girl who wants to create a unique French-style lazy charm today".

Asakawa Riku thought that Chizuko, as the daughter of a shrine, would choose a more traditional Japanese style for her personal clothes.

"You really put a lot of effort into dressing up."

Asakawa Riku wanted to retaliate.

"Of course, this is my first time visiting a boy's house."

She answered readily, which made Asakawa Riku somewhat embarrassed.

Chizuko held the teacup with both hands, took a small sip, and answered his previous question in the process:

"I'm here today to help Asakawa cook."

"what?"

"I was thinking, if I hadn't brought Asakawa-san's lunch, would you have starved to death at home? Then Tsuchigumo wouldn't have been able to find any bait."

"No, no, no, that's too much of an exaggeration. There's no need for that."

Asakawa Riku was so startled that he stood up: "I'm already very grateful that you prepared lunch for me when I was in school. That's enough. There's no need to bother you on the weekend."

"Of course I'm joking."

"...You should have said so earlier."

"I'm here to help you solve the [murderous love letter incident]. To subdue Tsuchigumo, I need to be present."

Chizuko stood up and said with a smile, "But cooking isn't a lie, is it? I need to eat something while I'm waiting here..."

Besides her small handbag, she also brought a large shopping bag with her.

The contents were finally revealed: food items, including rolled-up vegetables and meat wrapped in plastic wrap, all neatly categorized and carefully placed.

It looks like it was bought at the supermarket on the way here.

"Since Asakawa-san can't cook, I assume you don't have any ingredients at home, but seasonings will do."

"Yes, I do," Asakawa Riku said helplessly, feeling that she was making a mountain out of a molehill. "Actually, if you had told me in advance, I would have just ordered two takeout meals."

"That won't do, I'm very picky about food."

Chizuko shook her head and said firmly.

That seems to be the case, after all, she seemed quite persistent back then when it came to the "strawberry tart".

Chizuko peeked around, searching for the kitchen: "Do you have any aprons for cooking?"

"I'll get it for you... Thank you for your help, I'll help."

Since the other party had already put it this way, Asakawa Riku couldn't possibly pretend to refuse. Chizuko-senpai's cooking was far superior to any takeout food. He felt his palate had become a bit too picky, and he wondered how severe the reaction would be if he ever had to give it up.

Asakawa Riku took out the apron his mother had used; it was still relatively clean.

Chizuko took the bag of ingredients without saying a word, put it on skillfully, and went to the kitchen with the bag of ingredients.

"Today we're making croquettes! Asakawa-kun, please take the potatoes and onions out of the bag. Chop the onions into small pieces, and peel and dice the potatoes."

She gave instructions with a smile, seemingly enjoying herself.

"Understood." Asakawa Riku felt like he was taking a home economics class, but if he could learn a skill from it, it wouldn't be bad.

Although his cooking skills are poor, they are not to the point where he can't even cut vegetables properly; he is a skilled knife user himself.

　A kitchen knife and a long knife are the same thing; cutting vegetables and chopping people are the same thing—the principles are the same.

If I had to pinpoint what he couldn't understand, it would be things like "the amount of seasoning" or "the difference in cooking time"... Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

After a while, the monotonous and relaxed food preparation work continued, accompanied by the repeated sound of the knife on the cutting board, and Asakawa Riku's previous tension dissipated by most of it.

"Okay, that's enough for the two of us."

Chizuko took the potato chunks that Asakawa Riku had cut, put them in a pot, and cooked them into soft mashed potatoes.

While she was using the strange bottle to add seasoning, Asakawa Riku casually struck up a conversation:

"When you first came in, I thought you were carrying that big bag, which contained exorcism tools."

"Exorcism?"

Chizuko responded without turning her head.

"That's right, aren't you an Onmyoji, senior? I was thinking that to fight against yokai, don't you need things like talismans, items, and magical artifacts?"

In fact, what Asakawa Riku was thinking of was the image of a "Taoist priest holding a peach wood sword," but it was not easy to explain, so he said it this way.

He didn't yet know how the Onmyoji here performed exorcisms.

"Asakawa-kun is a bit of a chuunibyou (delusional teenager), isn't he?" Chizuko saw right through him. "Is this what you imagine an Onmyoji to be like?"

"perhaps--"

"For example... [Domain expansion, boundless emptiness!] Like that?"

However, Chizuko made an even more childish gesture and imitated the voice very well.

"So you know."

"Of course, I'm just an ordinary high school girl. Mr. Gojo is really cool."

Chizuko turned around and smiled. She fried the onions, added the minced meat, stirred it in, and mixed it with the seasoned mashed potatoes.

"Speaking of which, Gojo Satoru has already..."

Please don't spoil it, I've only watched the anime.

She was glared at: "However... in the real world, spells don't exist, and I don't know any exorcism spells either."

"Hmm?" Asakawa Riku asked in confusion, "You said you came here today to exorcise demons, so you should have the ability to fight monsters, right?"

"Yes, the power of an Onmyoji comes from [Shikigami]. In layman's terms, it means that after communicating with and gaining the approval of a yokai, I can draw upon their power."

Chizuko smiled. Behind her, the enormous ghost that Asakawa Riku could not see, still lingered: "For example, as I told you, ghosts and mountain children are shikigami that I can communicate with. Humans don't have any special abilities. All I can do is use the power of yokai to exorcise yokai."

I see……

Asakawa Riku roughly understood the principle, and he couldn't help but ask, "In other words, if I could also gain the approval of yokai, would I also be an Onmyoji?"

"It's not that simple. Also... well, it's nothing. Asakawa-kun, with her zero inspiration, could never be an Onmyoji."

Chizuko seemed unwilling to delve deeper into the topic, and she abruptly cut off the conversation.

She handed the mashed potatoes with onions to Riku Asakawa. After being fried and seasoned, they already had a delicious aroma, and it wouldn't hurt to start eating them now.

Turn up the heat and pour in half a pot of oil.

"Asakawa-kun, please shape these fillings into ten croquette shapes, just enough for the two of us."

It's a very simple task, and she even carefully cut the ingredients into ten equal parts: "Then coat them with egg wash and breadcrumbs, and they're ready to be fried."

“Okay,” Asakawa Riku replied.

Watching Chizuko-senpai cook, he felt that it was not difficult at all... He decided to try it himself tomorrow.

"Is this okay?"

"It's a little ugly, but it's great for a beginner."

"I really wish you could compliment me without mentioning the part before that."

He shaped one, wrapped it in dough, and handed it to Chizuko.

Chizuko carefully observed the temperature of the oil until bubbles appeared at the tip of the chopsticks before putting them in.

"one."

"two."

She counted them.

"...six, seven."

Their seamless teamwork was like that of partners who had been together for many years. They passed croquettes one after another without looking at each other.

"Eight, nine—"

Until the very last moment.

pat.

The croquette that had just been shaped fell to the ground and splattered back into mashed potatoes, a soft, mushy mess.

"Ok?"

Chizuko turned her head blankly, thinking that Asakawa-kun hadn't handed it to her properly, or that she hadn't caught it correctly.

But then she realized that Asakawa-san had vanished without a trace.

The kitchen was empty; she was all alone.

The Spring of the Earth Spider: Chapter Thirty-Seven You...are you a spider?

"You... are you the spider?" The voice was deep and calm.

As far as the eye could see, there was only darkness.

This is a closed room.

Light cannot circulate, and air cannot escape. Those who live here must be non-human beings. It is impossible to distinguish between the ceiling and the ground, as if day and night are reversed.

Dyed to a pure black.

In that dark world, there was a faint, inconspicuous light.

From the computer screen.

Yes, this is something that clashes with the atmosphere. If a film director existed, he would surely be furious at the set designer for placing such a prop.

But reality is often full of strange and illogical things.

A boy stands in the darkness.

And in front of the computer screen, there is a monster.

Calling it a monster might be a bit of an exaggeration; it was actually a woman who just appeared monstrous in the eerie environment.

Her hair was unusually long, cascading to the ground, but it wasn't the smooth kind; instead, it consisted of stiff, dry, black strands.

Her thin face and prominent features, with her wide-open eyes and strange expression, hardly make her beautiful. However, if you only look at her upper body, you can tell that she has a woman's figure.

Why not mention her lower body? Because her lower body was deformed and twisted, with extra limbs growing out, which hovered and gripped the computer chair.

She has four hands and four feet.

A genuine spider.

The boy seemed to be trying hard to maintain a blank expression. But was it just a facade to appease the situation, or did it reveal his truly emotionless inner self?

Even spiders don't understand.