Chapter 132: Such a turn of events will never happen . Never .

A week had passed since we parted with Ouka . My family along with me returned back to our home and Karen, who got mad at me for an unknown reason, returned to act as usual . I had a hard time making her talking to me during the festival and a few guys tried to hit on her, but let's not talk about that now .

(ED: Let's hope you didn't kill them . )

Nothing happened after that . I spent the remaining days in my grandparents home calmly until we went back to the city . I didn't meet Ouka since the day we parted with her, but I'm still worried that she may come to me if I don't call her every now and then . I hope she was just kidding . Anyway, my grandparents home was quite comfortable, but not as much as my own room .

Laying on my bed like this feels the best . I'm going to sleep a little bit...

Getting tired after eating launch and laying on my comfortable bed, I slowly closed my eyes . I left my books on the desk thinking I'd do my homework, but ended up procrastinating . I just remembered that Karen called Saya to come here sometime today . Well, whatever . I gave up to the assaulting drowsiness and fell into a slumber with my face buried in the pillow .

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A few minutes after Yato fell asleep . His room became quiet with only his faint breathing and the noise coming from the outside resounding . Inside that room, giving the impression that it will stay that way for a long time, a single visitor barged in .

"Yato-sama, I apologize, but I need your advice on something, oh?"

It was a fox Youkai in the form of a shrine maiden who showed up with a somewhat anxious expression . She spoke to Yato in an uneasy voice tone, but halted her words when she saw him sleeping .

He is . . sleeping .

This was the first time Ouka saw Yato's sleeping face . With her uneasy expression unchanging, she kept gazing at him comfortably sleeping while hesitating about whether she should wake him up or not .

Unable to come up with a decision, she noticed the oddness of the room she teleported to . It was full of items she had never seen in her life . A Youkai rarely shows up in the eye of humans . Even if they walked in front of them, humans won't be able to see them, however, due to the tragic past between them, Youkai are still afraid of humans until today . That is why Ouka never stepped in the new generation of the human world .

The items she saw were similar to some that she remembered in her past, but the materials in which they were made were different . Running her fingers on a drawer nearby, she observed it with curiosity . She then noticed the sharp pen on the desk and picked it up .

"What could this be?"

Taking a closer look at its new shape, she carefully held it with both of her hands . She guessed that it's used as a writing brush since there were a few papers placed next to it, however, she couldn't figure out how to use it . She spent a while looking at it and then intuitively pressed on its base . The pencil lead peeked from the other side as a result and Ouka got startled before she felt an indescribable sensation .

"Oh!"

She let out an impressed voice and pressed on the pencil again and again until she got back to her sense . She almost forgot the reason she came here . She considered waiting for him to wake up obediently, but the excitement of being surrounded by unknown items didn't let her do that . She convinced herself that she won't play around for too much and continued to fiddle with the items in the room .

Is this a clock?

The next thing that attracted her attention was an alarm clock next to the bed . The only clock she has in the shrine is an antic one created by a brave youkai who visited the human world and copied their items . She never saw a clock this small . It was a digital type; plenty for attracting Ouka's attention and increasing her curiosity .

I wonder how it works...

She turned the clock around and looked at it closer, trying to figure out how it worked, though she didn't find any clue .

The technology of humans all amazing...

Ouka was impressed to have all those items before her eyes and exhaled an excited breath . She wondered if the day when Youkai will have similar items in their daily life would come . She knew well that not all humans were evil . Sadly, not all Youkai think the same way as her . Some of them consider humans as their enemies and always act hostile towards them . The day when they will be able to coexist with each other is nothing but a mere dream at this point . Ouka let out a sigh .

It was at that moment...

*knock* *knock*

She heard someone knocking on the door .

"Yato-kun? It's me, Saya, can I get in?"

Ouka lost her composure for a second when she heard a voice coming from behind the door, but she immediately remembered that she was invisible to ordinary people by default . She got more startled than usual because of what she was doing .

It should fine...

Calming down, Ouka went back to focus on the digital clock again .

"I'm entering . "

The woman opened the door without waiting for a reply .

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A little while before Ouka came to Yato's room and started playing around with his items, Saya visited Karen's room .

"— And that's what happened . "

"Wow . I didn't know that Youkais existed . "

Placing back the mug she was drinking from on the table, Saya listened to Karen .

He really gets involved in many things .

Saya thought to herself after hearing about the last incident in which Karen and Yato got involved in . It was only recently that she heard about the incident of the Goddess of Destruction, and now, it's a Youkai . She got used to these topics that she stopped feeling surprised every time .

"It must have been tough for you . "

That was the reply she casted on Karen after letting her finish her story . Karen nodded back and suddenly looked a little displeased .

"He seemed happy to be kissed by that fox Youkai . "

So that's the reason she called me today, huh .

Watching Karen puffing her cheeks, Saya confirmed the hidden reason for her getting invited by Karen . She couldn't stop wondering why Karen would ask her to come to her house today, but finally found out about it now . In other words, Karen just wanted to complain to someone . Saya reacted with a titter and replied .

"We're talking about Yato, I don't think he was that happy . "

"I thought the same thing recently . "

Apparently, Karen had already reached that conclusion and called Saya only to complain at her . Both of them would never imagine Yato acting lovestruck towards another girl . Despite trying to picture him like that, nothing comes up to their mind .

"Could it be that Yato-kun is actually into guys?"

"That's possible . "

Saya who came up with that reasoning when she couldn't picture him with a girl spoke half seriously . Karen agreed with her with a giggle and eventually forgot about her bad mood .

"But what if that were true?"

"Eh?"

With that short question, Saya answered with a perplexed voice and slowly shifted to a bitter expression .

"T-That can't be..."

"You never know . I heard him talking with an old man only recently . "

What if he is into old men, the other day he was talking to an old if he knew him very well . Saya guessed that the man that Karen mentioned is the detective who sometimes works with Yato, but at the same time, something didn't sound right . She remembered that Yato doesn't have many friends; although she is not one to talk . She never saw him talking to a guy before . Yet, he acts friendly only towards that detective . She didn't doubt him at first, but when Karen pointed out that fact, it started to sound more credible . Saya revealed a dry smile as she started flustering internally .

"W-What should we do?"

"The fastest way to find out the answer is by directly asking him . "

Karen suggested a solution for the flustering Saya, but she knew well that she can't ask him something like if he likes guys more than girls straight away . It would be awkward and embarrassing .

"I don't think we should ask him directly . "

"It's better to ask honestly in this situation . "

Saya was getting uneasy while Karen kept on obstinately insisting on her to go ask him . She was right about it being the fastest way, but is it really okay to ask him something like that?

"Okay then, Saya-chan . I will let you handle it . "

"I'm the one who will ask?!"

Saya wasn't waiting for Karen to throw the entire plan onto her . She strongly shook her head and refused .

"No, no, no way! You go ask him, Karen-chan!!"

"This is a question that only you can ask, Saya-chan . "

Karen replied with a cold and composed voice to Saya who was firmly refusing and grabbed her shoulders while looking at her with a serious expression on her face .

"Listen here, Saya-chan . "

"Eh? Y-Yes . "

"It is possible that he is into guys . "

"Eh? No way..."

"Try imagining it; him merrily holding hands with an older guy . "

As told by Karen, she imagined him acting that way with another guy and suddenly started feeling dizzy by the unexpected creepiness she got from thinking about it .

Boys' love...

"You don't want him to be like that, do you?"

"Y-Yes . "

"Then you need to ascertain it by asking him . "

"Y-You're right . "

"Well then, go!"

"O-Okay!"

Saya got totally coaxed by Karen . She got brainwashed by her to the point that asking Yato whether he was straight or not started to feel like her natural duty . She stood up and made her resolve, oblivious to the truth that she didn't really have to go ask him in the first place .

"O-Okay, I'm going now . "

"Ah, wait a second . "

Before she was left the room, Karen called Saya to stop and opened up the drawer under her desk . She looked for something inside it while making a rustling noise, then picked that thing and handed it to Saya .

"Take this with you . "

Saya unintentionally took the item that got abruptly handed to her .

"What is this?"

She tilted her head as she cast her sight on that item . Is it a present from Karen? She looked at the plain and simple silver bracelet and wondered .

"Just in case . "

"Eh? What do you mean? What is this?"

"I don't think it will there, but you'd better wear it before you go . "

Seeing Karen riddling mysterious words, she felt more uneasy about the bracelet and pressed her for an answer .

"Hey, just tell me what's this . "

"It's okay . Come on now, you should go ask him before it gets too late . "

"Are you fine with him liking old men, and not you?"

Karen revealed a mischievous smile, which making Saya remember his duty call .

"O-Okay, I will go now . "

She revealed a frightened expression by imagining Yato again and left the room in a hurry . She didn't hear Karen muttering 'so easy' with an amused face since she already left .

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How should I ask him...?

Getting dragged by the flow of the situation, Saya found herself standing nervously before the door of Yato's room . She only realized that Karen played with her this late in the game . She couldn't think properly earlier because her mind was full of weird delusions, but now that she thought about it, she got easily manipulated by Karen . However, it was already late for her now to step back, so she made her resolve, took a deep breath to compose herself and knocked on the door .

"Yato-kun? It's me, Saya, can I get in?"

She asked for permission to open the door, but she didn't get an answer back . She found it strange that Yato didn't answer and placed her hand on the doorknob to realize that it wasn't locked . The only reasonable explanation she could come up with was that Yato was sleeping . After all, there was no way that something bad could have happened to him . The thought that he may have left somewhere crossed her mind and she decided to check the room to and see if he was there or not .

"I'm entering . "

She announced that she will be entering and opened the door . The moment she was going to step inside the room, her body naturally stiffened in its place .

Eh?! Who is this person?!

The first thing she saw inside was a blond shrine maiden with fox ears . She got spooked to see an unknown person inside the Yato's room, however, on the other side, the shrine maiden, Ouka, was composed .

Who could this be...

Ouka's composure affected even Saya who gradually cooled down and looked around the room . She noticed Yato sleeping calmly on his bed .

So he is sleeping...

Saya was relieved to see Yato sleeping on his bed, but she immediately remembered that she had something else to worry about .

Rather, why is that person holding a clock?

Saya couldn't understand why Ouka was looking at the digital clock with a curious face so she had to come up with another reasonable explanation, or misunderstanding . An unknown woman, Yato sleeping, the woman examining the clock that might have costed expensive . Is she a thief?

C-Could she be a thief!!?

Saya was simply bad at associating things to come up with a logical deduction . She didn't take into consideration the shrine maiden clothes Ouka was wearing, but no one could blame her as she had already forgotten the proper way of thinking by that time . Saya could no longer keep up with this series of unfamiliar situations .

W-What should I do!!? T-The police!!

Unable to scream out her fear, Saya remained standing near the door while trembling . Ouka didn't give her mind and continued to examine the clock until she looked as if she gave up and placed it back on its place .

Huh? She won't steal it?

Saya followed Ouka with her eyes as she placed back the clock and walked near a chair .

S-She's still looking for something!!?!?

Saya was both impressed and frightened to see Ouka continuing her search for expensive items despite being watched by her . She completely lost her voice to that attitude . Ouka moved her hand around the chair near the desk while making a serious face and examining it . Sometimes, a short giggle leaves her mouth, cracking up Saya's misunderstanding .

Saya thought for sure that Ouka was laughing because she was interested in the chair . The shock took control of her mind and she was no longer able to judge the situation . She even believed that she will have to keep standing in her place until the thief leaves the room, but luckily a saviour appeared out of nowhere .

"What are you doing, Saya-chan?"

Karen came to check on Saya since she didn't get back to Karen on time . Saya turned to look at Karen with her lips shivering . She looked as if she wanted to say something . Her body was faintly trembling and tears were about to leak from her eyes . Karen asked her about what was wrong, but the best thing she could do to answer was lifting her hand and pointing at Ouka .

Of course, Karen didn't see anything when she followed the direction she pointed at, but she could tell that something was there by looking at her panicked expression . Taking a quick guess and judging from her past experience, she touched the bracelet in Saya's wrist and muttered, 'as expected . '

"What are you doing, Ouka?"

Hearing her name called, Ouka turned to look at Karen .

"Ah, Karen-sama . It has been a while . "

With her hand still placed on the chair and her waist bending over, Ouka greeted Karen . She spent a short moment shifting her gaze between the chair and Karen before realizing the weird position she was taking and standing up in hast .

"I am very sorry for letting you see me in this shameful state! I couldn't control my curiosity!!"

"It's fine, no problem . "

Ouka bowed down to Karen with her face dyed in red from embarrassment . Karen replied while seeming to grasp the situation, but Saya got even more confused than she already was .

"Eh? You know here?"

She asked Karen in a perplexed voice tone .

"She's the Youkai I told you about . "

"My name is Ouka . It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance . "

"A-Ah, S-Same here . My name is Kamaishi Saya . "

Watching Ouka politely introducing herself, Saya got swept by her attitude and bowed down as well .

So this is the youkai that Karen was talking about .

She took another glance at Ouka's appearance with a calm mind this time .

I wonder how I ended up classifying her as a thief .

Nobody knows how a person would react when they fall into a panicking condition . Saya thought to herself after recognizing Ouka as a Youkai and presuming the reason Karen made her wear the bracelet .

"So that's why you gave me this bracelet . "

"Yeah . You can see Youkais if you wear it . "

"So she is a Youkai . "

Saya uttered after confirming the influence of the bracelet . Karen asked her about what else she assumed Ouka to be, but she wasn't brave enough to tell her that she thought that Ouka was a thief, and instead, replied ambiguously as she looked away . Ouka who heard their conversation let out a short scream then came to ask Saya timidly .

"Um, could it be that you were watching me from the time you opened the door?"

"Ah, yes, kinda..."

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Hearing that answer, Ouka's face turned bright red from the embarrassment and shame .

"I am very sorry! I am very sorry for making you watch me acting like that . "

"Eee!? No, it's fine, really..."

"If I only noticed it from the start, oh, what did I do!"

Regretting her shameless miss, Ouka kept on desperately bowing down . Saya started flustering again while asking her to raise her head, though Ouka didn't show a sign of listening to her . As for Karen, she kept gazing at the both of them awkwardly apologizing to each other without meddling in . Their nervous conversation will never reach an end as long as no third party interferes in it . Their voice gradually grew higher as the conversation prolonged . It is needless to mention how every person who's sleeping would get disturbed by their loud voice and would wake up .

"... Just, what are you girls doing?"

Yato woke up and joined them by falling into a confused mindset . Luckily, Karen gave him a brief report while his eyes were still half closed .

"This is the result of coincidences combined with misunderstandings . "

"Uuum, I don't understand what you mean by that . "

In the end, things didn't settle down until Yato woke up completely and calmed down Ouka and Saya .

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Bonus

Waking up from a dream .

"Saya . "

"Yato-kun . "

"I'm dating this guy . "

"Eh? Yato-kun?"

"I'm planning to be by his side for the rest of my life . "

"Y-Yato-kun? Isn't that a guy?"

"Yeah, that's because I like gu—"

"Uwaaaaaaaa!!!! Ouch! My head!!... Haha, I-It was a d-dream . "