If one thought of Fear as a superpower, and every youkai having a different one, the most important thing was that they could—like in superhero movies—give their power to youkai they trusted, allowing their strengths to stack. It made perfect sense.
"And the human side... I mean, has human power not declined after all these years?" Noticing two terms in Nurarihyon explanation, Sū ěr asked curiously.
Onmyoji were easy to understand, but what was an "Oddity Expert"?
"Of course it has declined. But those Onmyoji can summon their ancestors with spiritual power to act as their muscle—honestly, how unfilial, right? Haha. Anyway, that's where we youkai can't compete," Nurarihyon scratched his head. "As far as I know, the Keikain family in Kyoto is like that. As for 'Oddity Experts'... well, I'm not quite sure how to describe them."
"Those guys only appeared a few decades ago. I've only heard rumors while visiting other youkai," Nurarihyon seemed troubled himself. "They act strangely and have unpredictable goals. Even the methods they use to exorcise youkai are more like rituals. But those rituals... they seem like child's play, yet they are effective enough. I really can't make head or tail of it."
"If you're interested, you can look for them later... or don't. They'll find you themselves," Nurarihyon said quite candidly. "With your abilities, you won't be harmed anyway. But I must warn you: the methods of those Oddity Experts are often very bizarre, and each one seems to have their own 'Taboo.' In short, they're quite a hassle."
"Hmm, I'll be careful." Sū ěr nodded, then thought for a moment and added, "Thanks for today."
"Don't mention it. In this world, youkai can't survive without helping each other," Nurarihyon sighed with that specific elderly sentiment. He refilled Sū ěr cup, stared at the two cups for a few seconds, and then suddenly looked up. "Want to drink a cup of brotherhood with me?"
Sū ěr: "?"
What are you trying to do?
"No, never mind. Just kidding." Before Think could even pop her head out, Nurarihyon laughed loudly and drained his own cup. "I just felt I'd regret it if I didn't say it once. Hahahaha!"
Watching the old youkai's seemingly neurotic reaction, Sū ěr fell into silence.
What a weirdo.
This 'brotherhood cup'... is it even legitimate?
Looking at Nurarihyon current lack of dignity, Sū ěr could guess what kind of rotten personality he had in his youth... Did I really let him off in the past?
Could it be for the sake of our current acquaintance?
"I understand," Sū ěr nodded with realization and said seriously: "Based on today, don't worry—in the future, I will definitely hold back."
Nurarihyon: "?"
Over a few cups of sake, the side dishes Nurarihyon had ordered were brought out by the kitchen staff. If Sū ěr wasn't mistaken, the human woman currently carrying the tray was Nurarihyon daughter-in-law, and the mother of that quarter-youkai Nura Rikuo.
She was the same human woman Sū ěr and Think had seen earlier, surrounded by youkai.
Whether in speech or manner, she was very gentle. It was likely that those youkai accepted a human as their Mistress precisely because of this gentleness.
Sū ěr didn't care about the Nura family's private business. However, he had to admit that seeing a group of non-human youkai brawling and playing all day in this modern society gave him a sense of peace. These non-human existences had, at some point, become an indispensable part of his life... simply because of that "extraordinary" feeling.
Sū ěr became a frequent visitor to the Nura manor. While most of these youkai were a bit unsightly, they were energetic and not fundamentally malicious. Even a youkai called Gyūki, who looked as serious as a corporate CEO, turned out to be surprisingly talkative when Sū ěr chatted with him.
Working was just for fun. No high mortgage pressuring him, no life-threatening threats chasing him—Sū ěr lived a quiet life.
He and Think had become regulars at the cinema—large theaters, private screenings, from romance to horror, arthouse to blockbusters. He and Think maintained a pace of watching at least one, sometimes several, movies a day.
Even though he had promised to watch movies together during the hardest times of the last world, even Sū ěr began to wonder if watching this many was a bit excessive. Think, however, was still thoroughly enjoying herself. Recently, she had even developed a hobby of writing film reviews criticizing "trash movies."
Her words were so sharp they could make a baby stop crying in the middle of the night.
"One hamburger."
"Certainly. Just one? Would you like to try our ne—ah, it's you again, Hanekawa." Sū ěr smooth customer service script nearly ran away with him. His professional smile and voice dropped instantly.
"Hey, hey. She's your friend, but if the manager sees that attitude, you'll get scolded again," Maou Sadao whispered from the side, taking in the scene.
"Thank you, Maou-san," Hanekawa Tsubasa said with a kind smile, then looked at Sū ěr. "One hamburger."
"...You're still a student, right? I remember you have a part-time job too. Is it really okay to spend money on junk food like this?" Sū ěr grumbled in a low voice.
"Sū ěr?! What are you saying to the customer?!!"
Before Hanekawa Tsubasa could reply, the door to the manager's office at the end of the counter was thrown open. Kisaki Mayumi leaned out, threatening him with a fierce glare.
"...Nothing at all." Sū ěr felt increasingly speechless. She's definitely a normal human, right? How does she have ears like a bat? Or is this just 'woman's intuition'?
"Pfft. This shop is always like this," Hanekawa Tsubasa giggled, covering her mouth, and waved to Kisaki Mayumi. "It's fine, Kisaki-neesan."
"Ah, it's little Hanekawa! Welcome! And... don't listen to Sū ěr nonsense." Her fierce expression softened. Kisaki Mayumi greeted Hanekawa with a smile, shot Sū ěr another glare, and slammed the door shut.
Beep beep beep.
"Don't girls usually hate high-calorie food? And if you always eat burgers, your finances won't keep up, right?" Unable to argue with her, Sū ěr sighed and placed the order.
"Hmm, maybe because I haven't reached the point where I need to diet yet?" Ignoring Sū ěr reaction, Hanekawa Tsubasa simply smiled. "As for the money, there's no need to worry. After all, I was lucky enough to receive 'Nature's Bounty' recently..."