Chapter 179: Chapter 183: So I Was the Real Culprit?
Ugh, that's disgusting...
Yukinoshita Haruno instinctively shivered at the sight of the curse spirit's head exploding from Hayashizaki's punch, sending purple blood and flesh flying everywhere.
It wasn't that she found the scene too gory. Since Hayashizaki was the one controlling her body, it felt no different from watching a hyper-realistic 3D movie through a VR headset.
But it was still her body, her fist, that had crushed the curse spirit's head. That thought alone made her uncomfortable. Even though she wasn't the one controlling it, she could almost feel the slimy texture of brain matter and blood sticking to her hand.
Thankfully, once a curse spirit is exorcised, its body—made entirely of cursed energy—gradually dissolves over time. No bloodstains or remains were left on Yukinoshita Haruno's body.
Still, she had already made up her mind. As soon as she got home, she was throwing these clothes away. Even though there was no blood left on them, just knowing what had happened made her feel uneasy.
"You get it now?" Hayashizaki asked after switching back control.
"Get what?" The short-haired girl was busy brushing off the spot on her shirt where the blood had been, looking disgusted.
"…?"
Hayashizaki could feel her blood pressure rising.
"Oh, cursed energy, right. Yeah, yeah, I got it," Yukinoshita Haruno said, realizing she was pushing her nagging demon mentor's patience. She waved her hand and grinned. "Let's go home. After all that, I don't even feel like enjoying the night view anymore."
"Fine by me. I've already achieved my goal."
"Your goal was to piss me off?"
"No. I just wanted to see if you were really as cold and ruthless as you seemed," Hayashizaki said with a faint smile.
Yukinoshita Haruno pouted but didn't say anything.
If there were eight normal people in that situation, none of them would just stand by and do nothing, right?
Summoning the designated vehicle, they took Yukinoshita Haruno back to the Yukinoshita residence, sneaking in unnoticed through the window and returning to the room.
The duplicate, Hayashizaki, who was currently taking on Yukinoshita Haruno's appearance, was—unsurprisingly—sitting in front of a laptop. But instead of playing games, they were… watching anime?
"Shuusi, you can't do that~"
"It's fine, no one's coming here…"
The screen was playing a scene that would make anyone blush. Just as Yukinoshita Haruno regained control of her body, the duplicate Haruno sitting at the computer froze for a second before swiftly grabbing the mouse, closing all the tabs at lightning speed. The questionable sounds coming from the computer instantly stopped.
With a slightly flushed face, the duplicate quickly explained, "It's not my fault! I actually closed it once already, but since you guys kept switching back and forth, it's not easy for us duplicates either!"
Yukinoshita Haruno realized what her duplicate had been watching on her computer. Her face turned slightly red, but she looked at them with disdain. "Didn't expect demons to be into this kind of thing too."
Honestly, it was a relief that her mother didn't walk in during this. If she had, and saw "her" watching something like that, the carefully built image of a perfect heir would've crumbled instantly.
But her worries were unnecessary. There was no way the duplicate Hayashizaki would make such a rookie mistake.
"It was the duplicate, what does that have to do with me?" Hayashizaki argued.
He just felt like this dumb duplicate was embarrassing him. Of all things to watch, they had to pick something like that. And if that wasn't bad enough, they even got caught in the act. That was just shameful.
Wait—there was no way the duplicate hadn't sensed the real body approaching. That meant they had purposely left the video running, just so Yukinoshita Haruno would see what they were watching.
In the end, the real culprit was still himself. No excuses there.
Letting out a cold snort to show her dissatisfaction, Yukinoshita Haruno ended the spell, sat at her desk, and wiped the browser history clean.
By the time she got home, it was already past 1 AM. But since she had slept the entire day, she didn't feel tired at all.
If anything, she felt a little hungry after being dragged into a fight with an ugly cursed spirit by the demon inside her.
She left her room and headed to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she was about to see if there was anything to eat—or maybe just cook something herself—when she noticed a bento box placed on the top shelf.
That wasn't there before she left…
Did her mother make this? Had she already anticipated that she'd be looking for food in the middle of the night?
Yukinoshita Haruno blinked. Suddenly, her usually strict mother seemed a little more warm and kind.
She took out the bento, warmed it up slightly, and sat at the dining table to eat. While feeling touched, she also felt like she was forgetting something.
Tilting her head in thought, she finally remembered.
"Oh no, I forgot to video call little Yukino today."
It was already late at night in Japan, but it should still be daytime where little Yukino was. Plus, it was the weekend.
With that in mind, she quickly finished her meal, cleaned up the table, and went back to her room. Turning on her computer, she made a video call to her little sister overseas.
It didn't take long for the call to connect. Soon, Yukinoshita Yukino's adorable face appeared on the screen.
Since she was still in middle school, Yukino hadn't completely grown into her features yet. Her cheeks were slightly chubby, giving her a youthful look. Her fair skin had a healthy pinkish glow, and her deep navy-blue eyes were as calm as ever, like a still ocean.
When she saw Haruno calling, Yukino looked a bit surprised but happy. "Sis? Isn't it really late in Japan? Why are you calling?"
"Because I just realized I forgot to call you today. I can't sleep without seeing my cute little sister."
Hearing Haruno's voice from the computer, her expression softened. Video chatting with Yukinoshita Yukino was the most relaxing part of her day.
She had chosen this path for the sake of her unbelievably adorable little sister.
"Sis, that was so cheesy. It sounded fake." Even as she said that, the corners of Yukinoshita Yukino's lips curved up slightly.
The two of them exchanged smiles through the screen, looking like the perfect pair of close sisters.
Suddenly, Yukinoshita Yukino seemed to freeze for a moment, her eyes staring directly at Haruno's cheek.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
She felt a little uneasy. Could it be that Demon-san was messing with her and had drawn something on her face?
"No, it's nothing..."
The black-haired girl on the screen snapped out of it and shook her head.
Even she didn't understand why she had been staring at her sister's face just now, as if trying to find something there.
How strange.
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