"What? There's actually such a thing!?"
Noticing the change in Ye Xing's expression and tone, Natsumi Suga was about to continue speaking when she frowned slightly, feeling something wasn't quite right.
Your reaction...
It doesn't seem like surprise or fear, nor is it the usual disdain towards spectre stories, but rather some inexplicable excitement and anticipation?
No.
There's an evil spirit in the mountains that likes eating children.
Why are you getting excited about that?
What Natsumi Suga, as an ordinary person, couldn't see was a cute little girl wearing a white dress with bare snow-white feet sitting beside Ye Xing.
"Riv... river..."
When Menma heard this word, it seemed to trigger some memory. Her adorable little face showed fear and terror as she instinctively grabbed Ye Xing's sleeve, her voice trembling.
"Brother Ye Xing... that's right... That's right, Menma remembers now, it was that river..."
"It's alright, don't be afraid."
Ye Xing patted Menma's hand and comforted her gently.
Seeing him speaking so softly to the empty space beside him, Natsumi Suga couldn't help but pause in confusion.
"Who are you talking to?"
Ye Xing smiled nonchalantly.
"Oh, I'm talking to my imaginary friend - a petite, gentle, cute-looking, fair-skinned, well-behaved little loli."
Natsumi Suga: "..."
Well, this is Ye Xing after all. It's normal for him to be a bit abnormal.
"Are... are you a lolicon?"
"Ah, that's not quite right."
Ye Xing first shook his head, then spoke with a serious expression.
"Actually, my favourite type is a mature older sister with long black hair, sexy dressing style, manicured nails, aged around twenty-two to twenty-four, bra size around 32B to 32C, working as a media writer, with a lively and graceful personality."
Hearing this, Natsumi Suga first froze for a moment, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"You... you might as well just say my name directly. Why add so many specific conditions, really."
Then, Natsumi Suga looked at Ye Xing with a teasing expression, smiling meaningfully.
"If the girls around you heard that your preferred type is someone like me, they'd probably be quite disappointed."
"Hey, look at what you're saying."
Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively and laughed.
"If they were here right now, my preferred type would be different. I specialise in adaptive switching - whoever I'm with at the moment is my preferred type. As long as they're good-looking, nothing else matters."
Hearing this, Natsumi Suga couldn't help but roll her eyes, thinking to herself that not only was he a player, but he's so openly shameless about it - truly abstract.
"I've organised the information I collected and sent it to you via email."
"Good."
At this point, Natsumi Suga couldn't contain her curiosity and cautiously probed.
"That... what's your relationship with that girl called Meiko Honma?"
Originally sitting to the side, swinging her pale little legs, Menma couldn't help but become curious upon hearing these words. She moved closer to Ye Xing's side, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"Brother Ye Xing, what is our relationship?"
"Meiko Honma..."
After pondering for a long time, Ye Xing gave the most reasonable answer.
"My family."
Hearing this answer, Menma beamed with joy. The melancholy and unease she had felt moments earlier while recalling her death site instantly vanished, and she even began humming happily, shaking her head from side to side.
Natsumi Suga's expression, however, remained quite heavy as she apologetically whispered.
"I'm sorry... please accept my condolences."
"Ah, what condolences?"
Ye Xing shook his head, took a sip from his water glass, and then spoke with a light laugh.
"She'll live."
"Huh?"
"Never mind, let's eat."
...
After finishing their meal, Natsumi Suga intended to pay the bill.
After all, regardless of whether Ye Xing and Mask were the same person, the other had genuinely helped her a great deal, and this favour definitely needed to be returned.
But just as Natsumi Suga took out her wallet, she saw Toka Takanashi emerge from the kitchen wearing her chef's uniform. Standing by their table, she said in a calm tone.
"No need to pay, it's on me."
"How can that be acceptable?"
Contrary to his usual demeanour, Ye Xing became serious.
"You've already paid the reward for that incident. One thing is one thing - when we come to eat at your place, the bill should still be settled."
"It really should be one thing at a time."
Toka Takanashi nodded and said calmly.
"But that reward was just payment for commissioning you to help solve the problem. Personally being saved by you isn't included in the commission items - that's a personal debt I owe you."
To Toka Takanashi's surprise, Ye Xing didn't continue to refuse but instead nodded in deep agreement.
"Indeed, the grace of saving a life is unforgettable. Just treating to one meal probably isn't enough to repay such a debt."
Toka Takanashi slightly frowned.
"Oh? So you want me to repay you with my hand in marriage?"
"I could reluctantly accept that."
"Reluctantly? Are you taking advantage? Hmm?"
Toka Takanashi extended her slender, pale right hand, thumb and middle finger pressed together. Though she originally intended to use full force, after a moment's hesitation, she merely flicked Ye Xing's forehead lightly, as if in playful banter.
"Alright, that's settled."
After Toka Takanashi returned to the kitchen, Natsumi Suga sighed helplessly and couldn't help but comment.
"You really are quite popular with women, aren't you?"
As a member of the professional media, Natsumi Suga could read such situations.
For an aloof woman like Toka Takanashi, unless she considered their relationship to have reached a certain level of familiarity, why would she make such an intimate gesture as flicking his forehead?
Moreover, she had deliberately held back her strength.
There was definitely something more to this.
Driven by her professional media instincts, Natsumi Suga noticed a detail in Toka Takanashi's earlier words and couldn't resist asking curiously.
"What did she mean by that commission and the life-saving grace?"
"If you're curious, investigate it yourself."
Ye Xing stood up and smiled.
"As a part of the professional media, you should have that capability. Remember to tell me when you find your conclusion."
...
The next evening, outside a detached house in the suburbs of Kyoto.
"This place..."
Menma examined the house before her, her blue eyes showing a hint of confusion.
"Is this... Menma's home?"
"In a way, but not entirely."
Ye Xing took out his phone and glanced at the email Natsumi Suga had sent.
"According to Miss Suga's investigation, five years after you drowned in the river, your parents moved away from central Kyoto and came to live in this rather remote area."
"Dad... Mum..."
Menma seemed to be struggling to recall something, her small face showing a conflicted expression.
"I... I can't remember..."
Seeing Menma's state, Ye Xing thought to himself, 'Just as I expected.'
From their first meeting, he had noticed something wasn't quite right about her condition.
Although Menma had a somewhat airheaded and adorable personality, she shouldn't have forgotten even her own name and cause of death - that wouldn't be airheadedness but intellectual disability.
While she hadn't completely forgotten her memories from when she was alive, it felt like many crucial parts were missing.
Perhaps bringing Menma here would help her recall some things.
"Shall we go in?"
Hearing Ye Xing's words, though Menma looked nervous, she firmly nodded.
"Mhm... I want to see Mum and Dad, and my little brother too..."
"Alright, let's go in then."
After patting Menma's head, Ye Xing led her to the front door and raised his hand to knock.
After a while, the main door slowly opened, revealing a fair-skinned middle-aged woman whose features bore some resemblance to Menma's.
Seeing Ye Xing standing at the doorway, the middle-aged woman first paused slightly, then frowned slightly.
"May I ask who you're looking for?"
"Hello, you're Meiko Honma's mother, correct?"
Hearing the name Meiko Honma spoken from Ye Xing's mouth, the middle-aged woman's expression instantly darkened.
"You... who are you? How do you know my daughter's name?"
"I'm a friend of Meiko Honma's."
Meiko Honma's mother didn't notice that Ye Xing hadn't used the phrase 'when she was alive,' instinctively assuming he must have been a childhood playmate or classmate of her daughter.
Judging by his appearance...
If her daughter were still alive, she would have grown to be around high school age, just like him.
"I see."
Menma's mother nodded, forcing a slight smile.
"Please come in."
"Thank you for having me."
Led by Menma's mother, Ye Xing entered the residence with Menma by his side.
On the way to the living room, he glanced around.
Nothing unusual, no residual Qi of evil spirits or spectres.
Menma was also curiously looking around.
"Please have a seat."
Menma's mother poured Ye Xing a cup of tea and even brought out a plate of exquisite tea cakes.
"Thank you."
Ye Xing sat down and softly uttered his thanks.
Menma's mother, with her Russian heritage, possessed fairer skin than most women, her mixed-race features evident in her appearance. In her youth, she must have been quite a beauty.
However, the weariness on her face, the exhaustion of mental and physical strain, and the sorrow between her brows made her appear older than her actual age.
"Mother..."
Menma sat beside Ye Xing, watching the grief in her mother's eyes, her own expression clouding with sadness.
"May I ask..."
Menma's mother forced a faint smile and spoke gently.
"If I'm not mistaken, we haven't met before. What brings you here so unexpectedly today?"
Ye Xing took a sip of tea and, without hesitation, went straight to the point.
"I came today to ask about the specific circumstances of Meiko Honma's death. Please tell me everything exactly as it happened."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Menma's mother's face instantly froze.
The warmth in her eyes gradually vanished, replaced by undisguised anger.
"You... you're going too far!"
Menma's mother slammed the table hard, tears welling in her eyes as she clenched her teeth.
"Did you come to my house today just to make me relive the pain of my daughter's death!? I don't need you to do such a thing—even now, I haven't moved on from that day. My daughter... Meiko..."
Two streams of tears rolled down Menma's mother's face as she pointed angrily at the memorial portrait displayed in the living room.
"If you're so curious, why don't you ask her yourself!"
Seeing the argument break out between her mother and Ye Xing, Menma panicked and hurriedly tried to mediate.
"Don't fight, don't fight! You two mustn't argue!"
Menma's mother, being an ordinary person, couldn't hear her daughter's words at all. She simply glared at Ye Xing, tears uncontrollably dripping to the floor.
Ye Xing, however, showed no reaction. He merely walked over to the memorial portrait, gazing at the image of Menma dressed in a kimono, wearing a foolishly innocent smile and holding an apple candy. He smiled and remarked,
"I didn't expect you to look so cute in a kimono."
Hearing this sudden compliment, Menma scratched her head sheepishly, looking utterly endearing.
"Hehe... is that so..."
Only then did she snap back to reality, hastily using her body to block the portrait, her cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and irritation. She stamped her foot in annoyance.
"That's not the important issue right now! Mother, she..."
Menma looked at her mother standing there, weeping incessantly, her expression darkening.
"Mother... she's grieving because of Menma."
Menma wiped her own tears and turned to Ye Xing, forcing a cheerful smile.
"Brother Ye Xing, can you help me comfort Mother? Tell her Menma is very happy now and ask her to stop crying..."
"You should do it yourself."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Menma was taken aback.
"But... Mother can't see me... or hear me..."
Ye Xing chuckled, looking completely assured.
"Don't underestimate a professional exorcist."
"Domain Expansion."
Ye Xing's Domain, Demon-Slaying Divine Purification, had the effect of drawing in all non-worldly entities, including psychics.
However, this time, he wasn't using his personal exclusive Domain, but rather the most basic type of Domain used by evil spirits fused with a Gate - temporarily merging the surrounding environment with the Reverse World.
Not only could he accomplish this, but spiritual power users like Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba, who were capable of opening Domains, all possessed this ability.
Though typically, no one would do this during combat.
After all, the Reverse World was the home ground of evil spirits. Merging the surrounding area with the Reverse World would only increase the number of enemies, wouldn't it?
But now, the situation was different.
Because the Reverse World had one crucial characteristic.
The rule of observation didn't exist there - even ordinary people could see evil spirits and spectres.
Menma's mother noticed that the bright sky outside the window had suddenly turned dark. Although the surroundings still appeared to be her home, she could sense a heart-palpitating aura.
"This is..."
Before she could properly process her thoughts, her peripheral vision accidentally caught sight of Menma standing there.
"Me... Meiko!?"
Menma's mother covered her mouth with her hand, her face showing an expression of utter disbelief.
Menma scratched her head and revealed that adorable, slightly silly smile that felt incredibly familiar to her mother.
"Mum... It's me."
"Meiko... Meiko!"
Suddenly seeing her daughter, who had died years ago, Menma's mother didn't care whether this was an illusion or if she was truly seeing a ghost. She quickly walked up to Menma, first reaching out her hand, then freezing it mid-air for a moment before carefully, tremblingly, hesitantly - as if afraid to burst this dream - gently touching Menma's cheek.
The sensation under her fingers felt completely real.
Ye Xing sat to the side, directly entering spectator mode.
What makes a professional exorcist?
This is what makes a professional exorcist.
He had never met Menma's mother before, and when she heard his questions were about her deceased daughter, her attitude had clearly become quite unfriendly.
Rather than wasting time trying to persuade Menma's mother to tell him about the circumstances of Menma's death, it was better to have Menma herself, as her daughter, communicate directly.
"Meiko... you..."
Menma's mother hugged Menma tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
"You're actually still alive..."
Buried in her mother's embrace, Menma hesitated before speaking.
"Actually... I'm not exactly... alive."
"Then you're...?"
Before Menma could answer, her mother shook her head.
"It doesn't matter, none of it matters. Whether you're a ghost or an illusion, as long as I can see you again... nothing else matters."
"Mum..."
With Menma herself present to speak, her mother's attitude immediately changed. After talking with her daughter for quite some time, she began recounting the events that occurred on the day of Menma's death.
"That day, you went out to play with two friends, do you remember?"
"Friends...?"
Prompted by her mother, Menma seemed to recall something.
"Naruko... and Hana?"
"Yes, exactly those two."
Hearing these two names, Ye Xing, who was sitting nearby, slightly furrowed his brow.
He did know Naruko—she should be Naruko Anjou from the original storyline, the girl with orange hair and a gyaru style.
Hana...?
Could it be...
"Yes, it's Naruko Anjou and Hana Yurikawa."
Upon hearing Hana Yurikawa's name, Ye Xing couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Good grief.
So the plot is a modified version?
But upon careful thought, Menma's death in the original storyline was purely an accident. If it were really like the rumours Natsumi Suga had investigated—that there was some evil spirit in the mountains that ate children—then the plot had already been altered.
Indeed, the original storyline couldn't be relied upon entirely.
"That morning, you said you wanted to go out and play with them, and then..."
At this point, Menma's mother couldn't continue, only whispering.
"Hana and Naruko probably know the situation at the scene best."