Chapter 11 - Child of Notsugo

Another day of school over and done with.

Yōta, Miyako, Shōichi, and Yamato head home together after school.

"I heard that you guys start the betting pool on guessing the gender of transfer student this morning. How it's going?" Yōta fixes his glasses and start the conversation between the group,

"A lot of people bet on male as expected." Yamato replied while having smirk on his face.

"Heh, your rumor plan totally worked." Shōichi grins as he pats Yamato's back, "We've already investigated and confirms this morning that the transfer student's a girl."

Yamato hums, "If we know that, it's a chance to make some money."

"How shrewd." Yōta shakes his head in response.

"Hey, don't talk like you're not in this." Yamato elbows the swordsman while huffing in annoyance.

"Hm?" Miyako raised her eyebrows at that, "What did you guys do?"

"We just need to spread rumor that the transfer student's a guy." Yamato replied, "If the rumor was spread to another class during the morning assembly, our class would receive the rumor by noon, and Yōta helped me with that part."

"Ah, so that's why you suddenly talk a lot about the transfer student with everyone back then..." Miyako nods her head understandingly.

"I'm simply following an order from our leader." Yōta smiles innocently while holding his arms up.

Shōichi laughs in response, "Yeah, I know I can count on you, Yōta."

"And I'm sure there are some who simply concluded that the transfer student will be a guy just because there're more girls in our class." Yamato added with a shrug.

"Ah, you literally used the bad habit of people who always concluding and assuming something through basic information." Yōta commented as he hums in acknowledgement.

Yamato smirks in response. If you're trying to manipulate someone, you should know and understand the person's habit first.

It will get easy after you understood them as a person first when you're trying to manipulate them.

"The more money the people lose, the more money the bookmaker makes." Shōichi puts his hands on the hips and hums, "Well, there were some guys who weren't tricked by the rumor and got the information themselves. I'm sure Gen-san's one of them since he came at the very end and betted big on female."

"We can split the profit between us and people like that." Yamato thoughtfully nods his head.

"Well, Gen-san is pretty much already getting used with this kind of thing." Yōta said with a shrug.

With him being the worker of 'Odd Jobs' and all, Tadakatsu is pretty much know what he's doing.

Getting an information is his kind of thing too, you can't really just accept any work if you don't have any information on the said work or the clients themselves.

So it's a basic thing to do for Usami Agency to gather an information about the clients first before they accept the work.

"I guess you're right. He's an underground person after all." Shōichi nods his head in agreement before he turns his body, facing the group with big smile on his face, "Well then, what should we play with next?"

"Oh no. Should I reveal your plans to everyone?" Miyako fauxes a surprised expression as she covers her mouth with her hands. Her eyes are twinkling with so much playfulness.

"Yōta."

"Got it."

Without wasting any time, Yōta circles around Miyako and carry her like a princess, making the archer squeaks out in surprise.

It doesn't take long for Miyako to melts down in Yōta's arms as she buries her face in the crook of his neck.

Shōichi snorts in amusement followed by Yamato when they look at the sight, "This trick is never failed on making Miyako shut up."

"She's too easy. Well, that's only for Yōta though."

"Haha, it's good that Yōta can keep her under control." Shōichi laughs in response, "Anyways, do you guys want to eat something at the Nakamise Shopping Street?"

"Oh, I'm in." Yōta replied as he adjusts Miyako's position first before walking together with Shōichi.

"Why not?" Yamato on the other side simply shrugs his shoulders.

Shōichi sports a grin on his face before he points the direction where Nakamise Shopping Street is, "Good! Now, let us charge, Kazama and his awesome friends!"

...

Kawakami Temple, Nakamise Shopping Street.

This is a street that leads to entrance of the Kawakami Temple. There are many specialty and souvenir shops here that have the Edo feel.

There are many specialties such as daruma, kuzumochi, candy, rice crackers, and pickled vegetables.

"There are lots of dessert cafes here, and it's popular among both tourists and local people." Yōta said while nodding his head in appreciatement.

As a sweet-tooth, he loves sweet as much as he loves sword.

"Who are you talking to?" Miyako asked as she curiously tilts her head in Yōta's direction.

Yōta already puts her down in the entrance much to her dissapointment. She wants Yōta to carry her forever in his manly arms, but with this kind of busy streets, she guesses it couldn't be helped.

"Oh! Hey, look at that!" Shōichi comes into the front and points something.

The group then look at where their leader's pointing at. There, in front of a dessert cafe...

"Here, ahh." A young girl currently spooning a strawberry parfait and try to feed it to someone in front of her.

"Ahh. Mm~" And that someone is COINCIDENTALLY, Kawakami Momoyo, "It tastes better when you feed me." She gives the girl a suave smile.

The girl swooned in response as she giggles, "Tehehe. Here, have another one."

"Okay. Ahh..."

Momoyo is flirting around with another girl like usual.

Sensing a stare pointed at her and a familiar auras nearby, she turns her head in the group's direction and smiles.

"My friend is here. Then I'll be going now."

The girl looks at Momoyo with an upturned eyes, "Can we talk again sometime?"

Momoyo smiles in response before she walks on to the group, "Yeah, of course."

"Yo." She waves her hand to the group and stands in front of them, more like in front of Yōta for some reason, "Are you guys eating somewhere? Let me join."

"Who's that girl?" Miyako asked back and look at the young girl behind Momoyo who still looking at the Goddess of War's figure.

"No, more importantly, why are you standing in front of me??" Yōta frowns as he walks back, but Momoyo follows suit.

"Oh, I was hungry, but I didn't have any money." Momoyo answered Miyako's question with a smug expression on her face, "So I picked a girl and had her treat me."

She completely ignore Yōta's question.

"Momo-senpai, you're in no position to have gotten mad at me for yesterday!" Shōichi pouted as he points an accused finger at Momoyo, who's currently playing Kabaddi with Yōta as both of them move in fast-speed with Yōta's trying to avoid Momoyo as much as possible, "You're also getting treated to free food by a girl!"

Momoyo suddenly stops her movement much to Yōta's delight as the swordsman runs fast to Yamato and hide behind the tactician, "You idiot! Bandana! I'll hit you!"

"Guha! Y-You already hit me!" Shōichi complains as he rubs the spot where Momoyo just hit.

Momoyo crosses her arm and starts towering their leader, "It's fine to be treated to free food. That's not a problem. The problem is that you didn't entertain the girl who's treating you even though you were in a position to. You have to listen to her and get along with her."

"Yeah, it's clearly on you, Capt. You can't just eat the food and leave the girl's hanging by herself." Yōta commented behind Yamato.

"I-I see... I think I understand." Shōichi mutters to himself as he stands up and dust himself off, "But it's such a bother to go eat with a girl. I prefer eating with people like Yamato."

"I see." Yamato hums thoughtfully.

"They're probably in love..." Momoyo whispers to Miyako and Yōta as three of them huddled together.

"... Yes, those two are always close after all..." Miyako whispers back.

"Wow, no wonder Capt never bother to look at girl, he's already had his eyes on Yamato-san..." Yōta added with a hushed voice.

"Hey there! Don't whisper!!!"

"Wait, didn't you just said you don't have any money, so how are you gonna join us?" Yōta suddenly comes to his sense as he stares at the Goddess of War in front of him.

"Hm?" Momoyo smiles innocently as she tilts her head, "You're going to treat me, right?"

"What? Ask Yamato-san, he's your little brother, right?"

Yamato raised his eyebrows in response, "Did you forget? I'm short on cash this month."

"What he said." Momoyo chuckles and sticks onto Yōta, "Here, I'll walk arm in arm with you. Doesn't it feel like we're lovers?"

"Don't say dangerous thing like that!" Yōta retorts the girl, "I don't want some crazy girls trying to stab me from behind because of that!"

"Like hell some normal girls could get you from behind, even I sometimes failed on doing that." Momoyo replied while pushing her boobs on his arm, staring playfully at the swordsman.

Yōta could only grumbles under his breath.

"I'm going to cling onto Yōta too." Miyako skips her way to Yōta's side and clings onto his other arm.

"Ah! Hey, that's not fair! You guys are clinging on to each other!" Shōichi flails his arm around childishly, "I don't understand what's going on, but I'm gonna join!"

"Wait, Capt—!" Yamato was trying to warn his leader, but gets cut off by Momoyo.

"No butting in." Momoyo cooly said as she reaches her hand out to grab Shōichi in mid-air before one-handed throwing the man into the sky, "Yoisho."

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Shōichi is thrown far, far away.

...

"Man, you're so absurd, Momo-senpai." Shōichi said while eating sweet red-bean soup as he rubs his wound.

"I've tried to warn you." Yamato chimed in as he bites the straw in his mouth before drinks the juice.

"Yōta." Momoyo ignored Shōichi and called out to Yōta, "Give me some of that kuzumochi. Ahhh..."

"Grr..." Yōta growls quietly as he has to give his sweet to Momoyo, his love for the sweet is making him hesitating and unwilling to feed the sweet to her, but he still does it anyway, "Here you go."

"Plunder love!" Miyako is quick in response as she steals the sweet.

Momoyo purses her lips at that as she stares Miyako with frown on her face, "Miyako, you're a bit rebellious. I'll teach you!"

"Waaa..." Miyako shouts in monotone voice when Momoyo attacks her.

With no tyrant's trying to take his sweets anymore, Yōta delightfully savors the sweet with peaceful expression plastered on his face.

"Oh yeah. The karaoke contest is coming up." Shōichi once again starts the conversation between the group.

"Oh, do you want to enter it again?"

It was when they were in elementary school and a bit after Momoyo joined their group...

(Flashback)

("Well, what do you want to do today, Capt?" Young Momoyo asked as they were standing in the riverbank, staring at their leader.

Young Shōichi grins in response with hands on the hips, "They have a karaoke contest at Kinryugai in two weeks."

Kinryugai is the name of the shopping district in front of the station.

"If we do well, we'll get lots of gift cards!" Young Shōichi continued with big smile appeared on his face.

Young Momoyo hums thoughtfully before nods her head, "That's great. It's like being able to eat all the sweets I want."

"Right? And it's not just a food. There's all kinds of stores there!"

"If we can get it, we can have fun." Young Gakuto agreed.

Young Kazuko raises her little arms high in enthusiasm, "It sounds fun just to enter the contest. Let's do it!"

"Yeah! I want to participate too. Let's go for the win if we're going to participate!"

"Then, let's choose a song and starts practicing!"

"You guys are quick to decide!" Young Takuya retorts the group, "What do you think, Yamato, Yōta?"

Young Yamato hummed in response, "We'll start with appearance. We'll really work on our outfits."

Young Yōta on the other side is screaming his lungs out while shredding air guitar and bobbing his head like a crazy punkish rocker.

"Whoa, both of them are already pumped up!"

Young Shōichi laughs merrily at the sight, "Of course! We'll thoroughly work on our clothes and stage effects! Entertainment is important!"

"I want to know who the judges are. We can choose our song after that."

—The day of the karaoke contest. The stage is located in the center of the shopping district.

"The contest is entering its climax! This is getting exciting! Next up are our youngest contestants! A group of boys and girls attending Kawakami Elementary! They're the Kazama Family! They're going to sing 'It Doesn't Hurt to be Slashed with Love!'"

Young Yamato blows the borrowed trumpet shell as soon as the announcement ends.

Seeing the signal, young Yōta, wearing an armor, jumps in to the stage and sweeps the strings of his electric guitar, his entrance was followed by a huge stage flame effects.

"Charge!!"

"Yeah!!"

"Oh, armor!! All the children coming up on stage are wearing armor!"

The crowd gets pumped up by the sight of cute children's wearing armor and Yōta's playing the guitar in the background.

"Dammit. I like history, but I'm going to be fair as a judge and look at your singing too. That's my responsibility as a bookseller."

"They're humorously warriors! Oh!? What is this? The young warrior behind the group starts shredding the guitar! Oh, is that!? It's the main commander! The main commander is rising!"

Young Shōichi, who is sitting there in samural general cosplay, is being raised by young Gakuto, who's covering himself in a white cloth.

The crowd roars at the gimmick like that Kobayashi Sachiko's at a singing contest.

"Listen to my song, commoners!!!"

Capt then starts singing, with Yōta helping him as the backing vocal.

"You're good, dammit. I'll give you a 90 with the stage effects!")

(Flashback End)

"Man, that brings back memories." Shōichi chuckles at the memory, "That was the starting point of my karaoke championship."

Yamato hums in response, "You keep entering the contest every year and continue to win."

"I'm doing well even though you guys aren't helping me, right?"

"You know..." Yōta started as he spoon the sweet into his mouth, "Normally people don't hire a theater group to dance behind them. But then again, as long as you don't invite me to do the contest with you again, I'm fine with it."

"Why? Are you still embarrassed by that last incident?" Shōichi asked Yōta while smirking at the swordsman playfully.

"You should do it, Yōta, no, Child of Notsugo." Yamato added.

Yamato and Shōichi's smirks getting widder when they saw how Yōta's getting embarrassed and coughs a lot.

"Fuck! Stop remind me of that!" He whines loudly while covering his face in shame.

Notsugo is a yōkai that is hard to describe in a simple way, since the legend of it so varies according to folklore. In one place it is described as a creature that makes it difficult for people to walk, and in another place it is known for loudly crying and screaming.

And the reason why Yōta received the aliases of Child of Notsugo is because in his second karaoke championship with Shōichi, he viciously shredded the guitar until the strings snaps, and because of that, Yōta starts smacking the guitar so hard on the stage in rage and crying 'WRRRYYYYYYYYYYY' so loud that it shocks the crowd.

But nontheless the crowd loves everything about it and in the end they still ended winning the contest with solid 98 points.

And until now, the urban legend of Child of Notsugo still traveling around the Kawakami.

"Yōta. Help me. Momo-senpai's trying to take my chastitiy...!" Miyako reached her hand out to Yōta.

While the boys are currently bantering with each other, Momoyo is on top of Miyako in a mount position, massaging the archer.

It's another rowdy afternoon after school.

-Scene Change-

Yōta's currently relaxing at the dorm at night, and by relaxing, he means doing a push-up inside the room.

He's already finished all of his homework and studying his ass off, since he's in the class S, he can't really slack off on studying.

"Hm?" As he done his 762th, he can hear someone knocks on the door, "Come in."

"... Oh! Um!!!" A familiar voice laced with nervousness coming out from behind the door, and Yukie peeks out her red face through the door before she fully slides the door open carefully.

"Ah, good evening, Mayuzumi-san. Do you need something?" Yōta asked in amicable manner as he sits properly on the tatami floor.

"U-Um!!" She suddenly steps forward, making Yōta leans back instinctively in response, "G-Good evening, s-s-senpai!!"

"Calm down, Mayuzumi-san." Yōta said as he reaches his hand out to grab Yukie's shoulder, "Take a breath first."

Yukie flinched when she saw Yōta touches her, but she soon calm down and takes a breath like Yōta instructed.

"Feel calm yet?"

"Y-Yes. Thank you very much." Yukie bows her body in very refined manners.

"It's okay." Yōta simply smiles in response and ushers Yukie to sit in front of him, which she did, "By the way, do you need something?"

"R-Right." Yukie nods her head, "This was sent to me from my family. It's nothing but please take it..." She hands him something wrapped in cloth.

"Oh." Yōta raised his eyebrows in curious manner as he stares the cloth before he turns his head toward Yukie, "Thank you."

"I-I-It's noth...!" Yukie squeaks out loud before she starts muttering under her breath, "... N-No! It's rude to call it nothing! That's not it!! Um, um, um...!"

"Calm down, Mayucchi! You can do it, Mayucchi! You can even beat a bear! You can physically take on 1000 of them!" Matsukaze cheered the girl in a hushed voice.

Yōta shakes his head at the sight in fond manner, this girl is so funny.

"Mayuzumi-san, Mayuzumi-san." He called out to her in gentle voice, when you're speaking to a disoriented person, you must not raise your voice, "In case like this, you should say 'you're welcome.'"

"Ah, r-right." Yukie nods her head frantically in response before she bows her body in front of Yōta, "You're welcome, senpai."

"See? You can do it when you try." Yōta couldn't helped himself but to pat the swordswoman's head. It's really becoming his habit to praise and pat someone when they're doing good.

"Awawawawa...!"

"Oh, sorry. I'm doing it out of habit..." Yōta said as he retracts his hand back to his side.

In response to that, Yukie shakes her head and hands in frantic manner, "N-No, it's okay. I'm j-just surprised, that's all... and it feels nice too..." She whispers in very low tone at the end of her sentence.

'It feels different compared when Father do it. Senpai's hand is very warm and strong.'

"Nice one, Nagakura-boy. You're very smooth talker." Matsukaze chimed in.

Yōta scratches the back of his head, "I'm not trying to. And I see you still chirpy as usual, Matsukaze."

"Fufu, of course I am. I won't be a tsukumogami if I'm being depressed and all."

"Of course." Yōta simply nods his head.

It's not the first time Yōta had been talked with the horse strap, while it's may be shocking at first because how ridiculous it is.

He's pretty much already getting used to it, and can talk normally with the self-proclaimed tsukumogami.

"By the way, would you like some green tea? I don't have anything to offer other than that." Yōta said as he starts to stand up.

"No, no, i-it's okay..."

"Don't be shy." Yōta said as he takes the hot water pot and a jar full of green tea leaves from his closet.

"U-Um! T-Then, at least let me help you...!" Yukie squeaks out while pushing her body to stand up and approaches Yōta.

Yōta hums thoughtfully before he smiles toward the girl, "Sure."

And with that both of the swords practitioner starts making the green tea in comfortable silence.

The two are working their tea-making with great chemistry, there's no mistake and hesitation when they're moving their hands to prepare all the ingredient.

As the sword practitioner, their focus is already a top-tier, with how swift and perfect their movement in making the tea, it doesn't take long for them to finish the perfect tea.

"You're really good at making tea, Mayuzumi-san."

Yukie turns bright red at the compliment Yōta just threw, "M-My late mother taught me how to brew the tea when I'm still a child after all."

"I see. It's the same for me. My mum also the one who taught me how to brew the tea or should I say, forced me? She said I won't get popular if I can't brew a tea. Don't you think it's ridiculous?"

Yukie giggles in response and Yōta follows suit, "It is. I never thought of that. Your mother must be a funny person, Senpai."

"She is. But she can be overbearing too. I mean, when I ignore her for two minutes ONLY, she will starts bawling her eyes out, clinging onto my legs, saying 'Yōta doesn't love his mother anymore!' or something like that. Can you believe that?"

Her giggles suddenly turns into a full-blown laughter at that, but her voice still sound very refined and beautiful for some reason.

The room was filled with a sound of happy laughter of a girl and man as they're joking around with each other.

Weirdly enough, Matsukaze doesn't talk at all at the moment.

"Do you ever go to the sports center, Mayuzumi-san?"

After they done laughing and drinks the warm tea, Yōta starts a small talk between them.

Yukie carefully places the tea cup and hums, "Sometimes. I only go there if I want to do something."

There's no nervousness remaining in Yukie right now, which is why she can speaks normally with Yōta at the moment.

The girl herself doesn't seem like she noticed it, because if she does, she will starts stammering her words in panic.

It just means Yukie starts to feel comfortable around him, which is pretty much a good thing.

"Hm, so do you go to workout rooms, or to the dummy practice rooms?"

"I often go both." Yukie nods her head enthusiastically. "I use the workout rooms for exercise first before I use the dummy practice rooms for practicing my swordsmanship."

"I guess that goes without saying." Yōta smiles in response.

Just like Yukie, he also went both, he couldn't afford to do swing practice without warming-up his muscles first.

"But you know how someone get laughed at if they're by themselves?" Yukie suddenly asked as she makes a circle on the tatami floor with her dainty finger.

Yōta tilts his head, "I don't even understand what's so laugh-worthy about that in the first place..."

"W-Well, some people think like, "'Wow, did that girl come alone? Doesn't she have any friends? Ahahaha' or something."

"Hm, I don't think most people pay that much attention to strangers."

Yukie leans forward and her beautiful dark blue orbs peering over Yōta's normal brown ones, "Really? Are you sure that's not just something they keep a secret?"

"Maybe if that person was like on a sex offender registry, but it's not like there's a ton of those people."

Yukie blushes when she heard 'sex' word, she coughs loudly before leans back and sits straight, "W-Well, I know I'm not on any registry like that... But it still bothers me."

Yōta smiles and reaches his hand out to Yukie, patting the girl's head in gentle manner, "If you just go in there with a bit of confidence, I promise nobody is gonna think anything. Why not try it sometimes? Or maybe we can go together if you still feel embarrassed going there alone?"

"E-E-Eh!? A-Are you sure you want t-t-together with me!?" Yukie suddenly jolt in surprise as she grabs Yōta's hand with both hands.

Yōta raises his eyebrows for a second before he chuckles, "Only if you don't mind my presence that is."

"Y-Yes, I don't mind at all. I would l-love to have you accompany me, Senpai!"

"Good." Yōta nods his head in before he grabs his phone on the drawer, "Let's exchange contact information then, with this we can easily contact each other when you want to go together later."

"Y-Yes, please!!" Without wasting any time, Yukie also takes her phone from her pocket and nervously thrusts it in front of Yōta after she activated her infrared.

And with that both of them exchange their contact informations.

"My first contact, outside the family..." Yukie mutters to herself as she stares at her phone with so much excitement, her eyes literally turns into bright star by now.

"Good job, Mayucchi! You finally take a first step to fulfill your dream!" Matsukaze finally join the conversation as he cheered out for Yukie enthusiastically.

"Yes, Matsukaze! This is only my first step, but it's still a big one!" Yukie replied as she giddily nods her head. She can't just stop the excitement she feels inside her body and heart right now.

Yōta grins at the girl in fond manner with his chin rested comfortably on top of his palm, "Congratulation is in order, I guess. You just got one friend and received his contact information, Mayucchi. Congratulation!"

Yukie squeaks out and covers her face in embarrassment when Yōta used her nickname. How embarrassing!

But if you look closely, you can see her lips sporting a big smile behind the hands that's covering her face.

She just got a friend. Her first friend! How awesome is that!? She doesn't know if she can sleep tonight with how excited she is right now.

But she doesn't care. She just got a friend, and nothing can stop her from getting hyped from all of this.

She deserved this excitement!

After this, both of them starts talking and joking around with each other until the curfew time.

The night was rowdy as well.