Chapter 39: Slit-Mouthed Woman

"Kirara?"

Yukino revealed a confused expression.

"That's Yukitan's real name."

Kaito smiled, "Of course, if you're not used to it, continuing to call her Yukitan is fine too."

"I'd rather not," Yukino shook her head, also showing a satisfied smile, "Kirara, that name is very nice."

She hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Kurumizaka-kun, if it's convenient... can I go see her?"

As the ancients said, ["One day apart feels like three autumns."]

Even though it had only been a few days of separation, Yukino worried every night before going to sleep.

Has Kirara been eating and sleeping well? Will she be uncomfortable in a new environment? Has she been mischievous?

So, as soon as she had recovered her energy, she couldn't suppress the anxiety in her heart and took the initiative to visit.

Kaito: "Of course."

After all, it had already been agreed before: if Yukino was willing, she could come pet the cat anytime.

"Thank you very much," Yukino visibly let out a sigh of relief.

The two of them left school, planning to take the train home.

On the way to the train station, perhaps because the atmosphere felt a bit heavy, Yukino hesitated but still took the initiative to speak, bringing up a popular topic circulating at school recently.

"Kaito-senpai, have you heard the rumor about the Slit-Mouthed Woman?"

This was a very famous urban legend in Japan, even quite well known around the world. There had been many movies made on the subject.

According to the legend, she's a woman with disheveled hair wearing a mask, who stands at intersections and asks passersby, ["Am I pretty?"]

If you answer yes, she takes off her mask to reveal a terrifying mouth slit all the way to her ears, and asks again, ["Am I still pretty?"]

Then she uses scissors to cut the passerby's mouth into a shape like hers.

If you say no, she gets angry and kills the person on the spot.

Yukino originally didn't believe in such supernatural nonsense and scoffed at it.

But Kirara's existence made her realize the world wasn't so simple.

If even Yokai could exist, then one more Slit-Mouthed Woman didn't seem like such a big deal.

However... the rumor about the Slit-Mouthed Woman had circulated in Japan for at least decades, but had never been proven.

'It must be fake again this time, right?'

"Slit-Mouthed Woman?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on a street corner not far away, "You mean, that thing over there?"

Yukino froze, then followed his gaze. Only to find a woman in a light-colored trench coat standing under a streetlight ahead.

The woman had her back to them, so her face couldn't be seen, but her figure was very tall.

In a country where the average height for girls was 158 cm, this woman under the streetlight was at least 190 cm tall.

Such a towering height was oppressive even among men. But the most eye-catching thing was still the enormous scissors in her hand, nearly half her own height.

"N-No way we're that unlucky... right?", Yukino was a little dumbfounded.

Whether it was the physique or those gigantic scissors that seemed capable of slicing someone in two, it was clear this woman wasn't ordinary.

But that wasn't the unluckiest part.

The trench coat woman seemed to have been attracted by their presence and slowly turned around, revealing a face covered by a mask.

Clearly, they were still more than ten meters apart, yet in an instant, she was gone.

Yukino blinked once, and the woman who had just been under the streetlight was now standing right in front of them, her pleasant voice asking, "Am I pretty?"

As she approached, a thick malice seemed to take physical form and rush at them.

Ordinary people would just feel short of breath, a chill through their body, and their mind going blank.

But for Kaito, the Slit-Mouthed Woman in front of him also emitted a strong stench. Like someone forcing you to smell something awful while asking, "Does it smell good?"

With a frown of disgust, he lightly waved his hand and flicked out a spark of fire.

WHOOSH!

In an instant, the spark turned into a lifelike flaming dragon, swallowing the Slit-Mouthed Woman whole, leaving not even ashes behind.

Though it was a famous urban legend in Japan, the Slit-Mouthed Woman wasn't actually that powerful. She never displayed any notable abilities in the stories, at most just being very strong.

Unlike ghosts, which are spiritual beings, she was more like a type of yokai and had a physical form. So even ordinary people could see her.

Yukino watched as the tall Slit-Mouthed Woman turned to ash before her eyes, the massive scissors in her hands also devoured completely by the fire dragon.

A single Slit-Mouthed Woman had given Kaito a sesame-sized bit of merit.

To him, this was just a minor yokai casually suppressed, not worth mentioning.

But for Yukino, it was her first time seeing a supernatural power that belonged to humans.

Though she had long known that Kaito's identity couldn't be simple. After all, their first meeting had scared Kirara into an explosion. Even though she was a yokai, she had no pride and immediately bowed.

'Still... to casually summon a fire dragon. That scene was just too shocking.'

'Was it onmyodo?'

'No, no, Kaito-senpai is from China. Then it must be Daoist?'

For ordinary people, it was natural to be curious upon their first encounter with legendary supernatural powers.

Yukino was no exception, like a hundred claws scratching her heart, she really wanted to ask clearly.

But she also understood clearly that her relationship with Kaito wasn't that close. At most, just classmates.

It would be rude to ask a bunch of nosy questions like some curious baby.

This conflicted emotion lasted a long time.

Finally—

"We're here," They stopped in front of a standalone house. Kaito led her inside. After changing into indoor slippers at the entrance, they entered the living room, and he softly called out, "Kirara."

A silver-colored cat shot out from an inconspicuous corner like an arrow, circling around his feet nonstop, letting out soft, cooing meows.

Yukino's gaze was also drawn over, finally remembering the purpose of her visit today.

Kirara clearly still recognized this old friend.

The long-separated girl and cat quickly regained their former closeness.

It was a rare visit, and Yukino happily indulged in petting the cat. So much that she forgot the time.

When she came back to her senses, it was already quite dark outside.

"Sorry... I ended up bothering you for so long!"

The girl was a little upset, 'Will Kurumizaka-kun think I am a girl with no sense of boundaries?'

"I don't particularly mind."

Kaito shook his head, "But your constitution isn't strong to begin with. Being around Kirara too long might have some effect on your body."

"S-Sorry…", Yukino looked a little embarrassed. Like a girl who had eaten too many ice creams and got caught red-handed by her dad.

"If you don't mind, stay for dinner."

It was already 8 p.m. Kaito stood up, getting ready to cook something in the kitchen.

Yukino was originally planning to decline. But at that moment, her stomach let out a loud gurgle.

Her pretty face turned red with embarrassment. She could no longer bring herself to say no and mumbled, "Then... I'll trouble you."

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