"Hello, my name is Lin."
Lin looked at Iwanaga Kotoko, answering with a slight smile.
His attitude was very friendly.
After all, so was hers.
"Lin…"
Iwanaga Kotoko's eyes flickered.
Judging by the name, he sounded like he was from the neighboring country.
She wasn't surprised by this; after all, there were people from many countries in Japan.
Especially from the neighboring country.
There were tourists, workers, and immigrants.
The moment the world was connected, diversity became inevitable.
After learning his name, Iwanaga Kotoko stepped forward, tilting her head up slightly to look at him, and said with a smile:
"I'm very sorry for having the yokai secretly follow you home just now."
Her gaze sized Lin up.
He was, indeed, wearing the student uniform of the Private United High School.
His tie clip was red.
It looked like he was a first-year high school student.
After hearing about Lin from the wagtail and white-eye birds, a certain curiosity had sparked within her.
Before coming here, she had done some related research.
For instance, what he was wearing.
Based on their description, it sounded a lot like a student uniform.
Then, she estimated his age based on their description of his appearance.
She basically narrowed the range down to high school.
So, she found pictures of all the high school uniforms in Bunkyo Ward and had the two little bird yokai identify which one it was.
Finally, she learned it was the Private United High School.
She just didn't know what grade he was in.
But now she knew.
"It's fine, I don't mind."
The corners of Lin's mouth lifted. "I'm not a petty person. Just let me make them all into grilled bird skewers later, and we'll be even."
"Eh!!!"
Iwanaga Kotoko was momentarily stunned by his words.
Meanwhile, the wagtail yokai and white-eye yokai were so terrified that they fell right to the ground, their big eyes filled with despair.
"It's over, it's over, we're done for. We're really going to be eaten this time."
"Waaaah, I don't want to be eaten! I don't want to become a skewer!"
"Waaaah ┭┮﹏┭┮"
They just lay there on the ground.
Cries of sorrow, indignation, and despair poured from their beaks.
You ask why they didn't run?
Of course, it was because they knew they had no chance of escaping.
To avoid a miserable death by torture, they would rather choose a quick end with less pain.
So they gave up all resistance.
After her initial shock, Iwanaga Kotoko noticed the mischievous smile on Lin's face and instantly understood.
She looked at the two terrified little bird yokai on the ground and said with a smile:
"Alright, Lin is just teasing you. Stop crying."
"Eh???"
The two little bird yokai stopped their wailing and looked toward Lin.
A thirst for life appeared in their eyes.
Lin gave them a slight smile.
Although to Iwanaga Kotoko this was a handsome and charming smile, in their eyes, it was the smile of a demon.
But they both breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed they wouldn't be turned into grilled bird skewers after all.
It feels so good to be alive!
Seeing this, Iwanaga Kotoko couldn't help but chuckle before turning back to Lin.
"Should we find a place to talk? Let me treat you to dinner."
"Consider it my apology for having the yokai follow you home."
An expectant look appeared on her face.
"...Alright."
Their eyes met. Lin blinked, then nodded with a smile.
"Then let's go."
Seeing Lin agree, the smile on Iwanaga Kotoko's face instantly brightened, unable to hide her happiness.
And so, the two humans and two yokai began to leave Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden.
After all, the park was about to close.
The two little bird yokai kept a slight distance, following behind Lin and Iwanaga Kotoko, unwilling to get too close.
If it weren't for Iwanaga Kotoko...
They would have turned and fled this place without a second thought.
On their way out of Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden, Iwanaga Kotoko took out her phone and spent a moment booking a place for dinner.
Lin also took out his phone and sent a message to his wives in the Mirage Realm.
Group Chat: A Loving and Harmonious Family.
He had bought phones for Akasha, Tohru, Shuzen Akua, Kanna, and the others who didn't have one.
He also registered them all on LINE.
Everyone was in the group chat.
About twenty minutes later.
Lin and Iwanaga Kotoko arrived at a restaurant that wasn't too far away.
Iwanaga Kotoko had reserved a private room.
The two little bird yokai didn't enter the restaurant with them, instead waiting outside—in truth, they just wanted to get away from Lin.
Lin and Kotoko entered the private room.
The dishes had already been served in advance.
It was a lavish spread, all the restaurant's signature dishes.
Clearly, Iwanaga Kotoko was not short on money.
After all, she didn't just look like the young lady of some wealthy household; her actual identity was the young lady of a wealthy household.
The two began to eat and chat.
Iwanaga Kotoko looked at Lin, who sat opposite her, and said with a light smile:
"Lin, you've probably guessed my identity. For certain reasons, I've become a goddess to the yokai."
"They usually refer to me as 'Princess'."
"But you don't need to worry about that status. Just think of me as a psychic who can see yokai.. ."
"I'm very curious about you."
"Would you mind telling me your identity?"
As she finished speaking, she blinked, looking at Lin with a curious expression.
"I don't mind that."
Lin smiled faintly. "But I have more than one identity, and for now, you can only know one of them."
Hearing this, Iwanaga Kotoko's eyes flickered, her curiosity deepening.
"Then how can I learn all of your identities?"
Their eyes met.
Lin raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "I'm telling you, little sister, you shouldn't be this curious about someone of the opposite sex."
"After all, once you get curious about the opposite sex, the stronger the curiosity, the more likely you are to fall for them."
"Little sister…"
Hearing Lin's term for her, Iwanaga Kotoko froze, instinctively glancing down at her two little buns.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
After hearing the rest of what Lin said, her left eye darted slightly. She looked back at Lin and said with a light smile:
"What, are you afraid I'll accidentally fall in love with you, Lin?"
Lin replied, "Not really. It's just, how old are you, little sister? A kid should act like a kid."
"You should focus on your studies, not be thinking about these sorts of things all day."
"I'm not a little sister!"
Being called that again by Lin, Iwanaga Kotoko retorted with a slight frown:
"I'm already seventeen! You're a first-year at the Private United High School, right, Lin? That makes me a year older than you."
"Seventeen…"
Lin's eyes flickered at her words.
His gaze swept over Iwanaga Kotoko, as if in doubt.
He remembered she was seventeen when she first appeared in the original timeline.
It's just that you couldn't tell from her appearance.
"It's true."
Iwanaga Kotoko stared straight at Lin, her expression very serious.
"Alright, I believe you,"
Lin said with a smile upon seeing her reaction.
He picked up a piece of tempura fried shrimp with his chopsticks and bit off half of it.
A smile returned to Iwanaga Kotoko's face as she said playfully:
"You still haven't answered my questions. Two of them, in fact."
After swallowing the shrimp in his mouth, Lin finally answered her:
"To go back to the first question."
"How can you learn all my identities? It's simple: as long as our relationship becomes close enough."
"Relationship becomes close enough…"
Iwanaga Kotoko blinked, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.
Then she smiled slightly and said:
"Is being a couple close enough?"
________________________________________
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