Chapter 441: Head of the Family, Hyakumonogatari Kaidan
Kasugano Sora felt she couldn't face another living soul. Her forehead met the cool wood of the dining table with a soft thud, and she went boneless, slumping into her chair like a discarded doll. For her, the last two mornings had been an unmitigated disaster.
First, she had mistaken Friday for Saturday and refused to get out of bed. Then, today, she had mistaken Saturday for Friday, jolting herself awake from a deep sleep in a blind panic.
One moment she was sleeping soundly, the next, a primal sense of wrongness had seized her. Her eyes flew open. She fumbled for her phone, the screen's glare stabbing at her vision. The time displayed sent a bolt of pure adrenaline through her system. Fifteen minutes until she was late!
In the ensuing chaos, Kasugano Sora had performed a miracle of speed. In a mere five minutes, she had washed her face, wrestled herself into her school uniform, snatched her bag, and sprinted out the door, only to…
Lanterby's cheerful laughter echoed her thoughts. "Hahaha! Sora! That's our girl! You're amazing!"
Sora remained face-down on the table. At this point, she didn't care if she couldn't face anyone; she was a shut-in by nature, after all. But she felt utterly and completely burnt out. A mad dash like that first thing in the morning was enough to drain anyone, and she was convinced she had expended her entire energy reserve for the day.
Lucifer sighed, a note of exasperation in her regal voice. "You simply mixed up the days before, so your subconscious has become overly concerned. Either that, or you're just not accustomed to the routine of going back to school."
Kasugano Sora weakly waved a hand without lifting her head. "So... I request permission to take some time to recover at home..."
"No!" The rejection was instantaneous and octophonic.
Ren smiled. "See? I don't even need to say a word. It appears everyone here has already voiced their approval for you to go to school."
Sora's voice was a muffled whisper from the tabletop. "Ren-nii... Even if you didn't say anything... aren't you the head of the family? Your words alone carry more weight than everyone else's combined..."
"Head of the family..." The phrase hung in the air, spoken by nine different voices, each landing with a unique weight.
The reactions around the table were a study in contrasts. Courage and Decora were visibly thrilled, their eyes shining at the implication that they were included. Lanterby maintained her carefree expression, figuring she just had to go with the flow; landing an excellent boyfriend for free was hardly a loss. Lucifer was perfectly calm; she did, in fact, listen to Ren's words. Was her deference to him in their home just for show? Of course not.
Pandemonica shot Ren a meaningful glance before lowering her head to continue eating her breakfast. Anne flinched, her mouth opening as if to protest, but a sharp glare from Decora made her snap it shut and become instantly docile. As for Cerberus, her loyalty was absolute and unquestionable; the life contract binding her to her master was no mere trifle.
The most intriguing reactions, however, came from Nakiri Mana and Aoandon.
Mana merely raised a delicate eyebrow, her gaze flickering towards Ren for a fraction of a second before she returned her attention to her plate. But beneath the table, a secret was unfolding. Her free hand was balled into a tight fist, clutching the fabric of her dress in a grip that betrayed either intense nervousness or suppressed excitement. Her face remained a perfect, emotionless mask. Only after she took a bite of food did the corner of her mouth twitch into a fleeting, almost imperceptible smile. No one noticed, for it was the God Tongue, Nakiri Mana, who was eating.
As for Aoandon… her situation was somewhat more peculiar. She simply stared, wide-eyed and unblinking, at Ren. She had stopped eating, stopped speaking. Though it was a temporary Shikigami contract, she was, by definition, his familiar. But… this?
'She was actually being treated as family?'She, a youkai, was being counted as family by a group of humans, the Queen of Hell, and another demon. The word'family' was a concept so foreign, so alien, that she couldn't even begin to grasp its meaning.
Kasugano Sora finally lifted her head and took a sip of porridge, her energy slowly returning. It was only then that she noticed the extra person at the table. She narrowed her eyes. "Eh? Kirari-nee? Why are you dressed like that? Is it cosplay?"
Aoandon was startled out of her reverie. Just as she was about to speak, Lanterby sighed. "That's Aoandon, not Kirari. They're two different people, though I admit they do look a bit alike."
Sora's head tilted. "Oh." She nodded politely. "Hello, Sister Aoandon. I'm Kasugano Sora."
"Ah... Mm..." Aoandon managed a small, uncertain sound.
Sora turned back to her breakfast, but as she took another spoonful, something clicked. Her movements became stiff. She slowly, mechanically, turned her head back, her eyes locking onto the ornate paper lantern resting on the floor beside Aoandon's chair. She swallowed hard, her voice a sudden, sharp cry.
"It's Aoandon!"
This time, it was Aoandon's turn to be startled by the exclamation. Ren reached over and gently tapped Sora's head. "It's not the youkai Aoandon you're thinking of," he said calmly. "It's just a coincidence with the name. Besides, do you really think a demon would be this beautiful?"
Kasugano Sora immediately shook her head. A small spark of joy ignited in Aoandon's chest; she'd been praised for her beauty again.
Ren continued smoothly, "And the real Aoandon doesn't appear during the day."
"That's true..." Sora's panic visibly subsided. "They always pull passersby into the Hyakumonogatari at night... Phew... I'm so sorry! Sister Aoandon!"
Aoandon waved her hands dismissively. "It's okay, it's okay..."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sora continued, "I can't believe Sister Aoandon has the same name as that Aoandon. But you're very beautiful... Still, why do you carry a lamp around?"
Aoandon thought for a moment before offering a simple, logical answer. "Because my name is Aoandon."
Kasugano Sora's mouth twitched. Then, a look of sudden understanding dawned on her face. "Oh! I get it! Because your name happens to be Aoandon, and you must like those kinds of ghost stories, you decided to cosplay as her, right! Hmm... although saying it like that feels a bit strange..."
Aoandon seized the explanation she was offered. "Yes, yes, that's right."
"Hoo... you scared me for a second," Sora confessed. "But if the real Aoandon was as beautiful as you, Sister Aoandon, I doubt anyone would be afraid. People would probably be lining up to play Hyakumonogatari with her."
A faint blush colored Aoandon's cheeks. "There's no way..."
"It's possible," Sora insisted. "After all, some boys are just weird. Like that guy who confessed to me before. I clearly rejected him, but he just got more excited when I cursed him out... Tsk... And then you have people online yelling things like 'as long as you're brave enough, Sadako's on maternity leave.' It's just ridiculous."
Aoandon nodded, wearing an expression that said, 'I have learned something new today.'
Decora, however, looked confused. "Eh? Hyakumonogatari? What kind of game is that? I only know the name Aoandon."
Kasugano Sora sighed like a seasoned storyteller. "Hyakumonogatari Kaidan is the game of the legendary youkai, Aoandon. The legend says she's a demon from hell, not human to begin with. Her true appearance is unknown; everyone who has seen her real face has died. She often takes on the form of someone familiar to her victims and invites ninety-nine people to play a game with her."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "The game involves lighting one hundred white candles. Each of the ninety-nine guests tells a ghost story—a horror story, basically. After telling their tale, they blow out one candle, and the next person begins. When it gets to the hundredth candle, Aoandon tells the final story. After she finishes and blows out the last candle... everyone present is dragged to hell. It's supposed to be terrifying."
Upon hearing this, those unfamiliar with the tale shivered. Lucifer, Pandemonica, and Cerberus, however, all glanced at Aoandon with newfound appreciation. Good heavens, if she ever came to Hell, she'd be an exemplary employee!
But Aoandon herself simply tilted her head, a confused frown on her face.
She had a vague, fragmented memory of being human once. And was she really that terrifying? It seemed she had indeed killed quite a few people...
"The Aoandon of this world," she murmured under her breath, "is truly outrageous."
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