English
Indonesia
Chinese (Simp)
Japanese
Korean
Spanish
Portuguese
French
German
ArabicAnime Crossover: Eating Evil in a Daily World — Chapter 34
Chapter 34: Hachishaku-sama’s Appearance
Miko thought to herself that this situation definitely carried the distinct, foul stench of the paranormal.
“Is Sable the dog you keep at home?”
“Yes, he’s super cute!”
Miko nodded slightly. Ever since her Yin-Yang Eyes had awakened, she had discovered a few terrifying truths about the world. One of them was that animals, particularly cats and dogs, possessed senses and vision far sharper than any human. They could easily perceive the grotesque existences that ordinary people remained blissfully blind to.
According to Yui’s account, her usually well-behaved pet dog had suddenly started barking wildly into the dead of night. The most alarming detail was the timing—it happened at exactly one o’clock in the morning, every single day. There was definitely something wrong.
“Is he in heat?”
Hearing Yui’s story, Yozora’s eyes flickered for a fraction of a second. Then, looking as though he couldn’t care less about the plight of a noisy canine, he waved his hand dismissively. “Like the famous animal documentaries always say, spring is the season for mating.”
Those words instantly painted the faces of the two pure-hearted high school girls a furious shade of crimson.
Yui forced herself to retort, her cheeks burning. “M-My Sable wouldn’t think about dirty things like that!”
“Does Sable know you’re out here acting as his official spokesperson?” Yozora asked dryly.
“I-In any case, something is definitely not right!”
Yui had entirely forgotten her original motive. She had only brought up this supposedly paranormal event as a convenient excuse to strike up a conversation with Yozora and Miko. Now, the situation had completely flipped on her.
“How about this.” Yozora yawned, stretching his arms with deep laziness. “Miko, you crash at Yuigahama’s place tonight. Stay over and play detective.”
Miko froze, her golden eyes widening. “You want me to stay overnight at her house?”
Yozora shrugged, letting out a light chuckle. “What, you want me to go instead? Men and women should maintain a proper distance, you know. I’m a gentleman.”
If literally anyone else on the planet had said that, Miko would have nodded and agreed with the logic. But coming from Yozora—a guy who treated common sense like a mild suggestion—she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was walking into a trap.
“Let Miko stay the night at my house? Yes! That’s a great idea!” Yui practically jumped for joy, her cute face lighting up with the sheer excitement of having a friend over for a sleepover.
Seeing the situation spiral out of her control, Miko covered her forehead and sighed. She was completely defenseless against energetic, golden-retriever-type girls like Yui. Asking her to outright refuse and crush that innocent, beaming smile was something Miko simply didn’t have the heart to do.
“Alright,” Miko relented. “But let me make this clear first—I’m only staying for one night.”
“Okay, okay! My mom is going to be so happy when she finds out you’re coming.”
“Huh? You’ve told your mom about me?”
“Of course! Whenever I make new friends at school, I always tell my mom about them.”
“That’s… well, since it’s my first time visiting, I should probably go buy a gift.”
“Then let’s go shopping together after school! We can head straight to my place after we’re done.”
Watching Yui and Miko chat and laugh together, Yozora let out a quiet, dramatic sigh. ‘The bond between girls truly is a wonderful thing.’
“Oh, right.” After Yui hopped happily back to her seat, Miko leaned in, looking at Yozora with a serious expression. “Should I bring that knife?”
“Why would you bring a knife? Are you actually planning to neuter Sable? I mean, it’s a valid tactical approach.”
“Stop talking nonsense. You know exactly what I’m referring to.”
Yozora spread his hands, his tone completely indifferent. “If you think bringing a deadly weapon to Yuigahama’s house won’t make her mother think you’re a complete psycho, then feel free to pack it.”
Miko frowned. He actually had a point. “Then what are you doing tonight?”
“Old man Oda sent over a few new commissions. I need to go check them out.” Seeing the lingering anxiety in Miko’s eyes, Yozora chuckled and offered a rare word of comfort. “Relax. Yuigahama’s neighborhood isn’t some abandoned wasteland, and there’s no history of gruesome accidents there. There definitely won’t be any evil spirits. Stop scaring yourself.”
Miko nodded noncommittally. Despite his reassurance, the heavy, sinking feeling in her chest simply refused to dissipate. She couldn’t shake the premonition that something terrible was going to happen tonight.
Evening soon arrived.
After stopping by the commercial district with Yui to purchase a nice box of pastries as a visiting gift, Miko found herself standing in front of an upscale apartment door.
The door swung open to reveal a young woman wearing an apron. She shared Yui’s bright features, her hair tied up in a neat bun, and greeted them with a radiant smile. Before Miko could even offer a polite greeting, the woman stepped forward and pulled her into a warm, suffocating hug.
“You must be Miko! I’ve heard Yui talk about you for ages. Welcome to our home!”
“S-Sorry to intrude.” Miko was still a bit stiff from the sudden affection, but she let out a quiet breath of relief. Yui’s mother was certainly enthusiastic, but she radiated a genuine, comforting warmth.
, Miko had kept her eyes peeled the entire walk over. Yui lived in what could easily be classified as a luxury apartment complex. In Japan, affording a place this large in such a prime location meant her family’s finances were incredibly stable.
More, the surrounding area was bustling with life. Miko had spotted a few of those “things” on the way, but they were all ordinary, harmless ghosts drifting aimlessly. She hadn’t seen a single malicious spirit.
It seemed she really had been overthinking things. There was no paranormal event here. It was just a noisy dog.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
A small, brown-and-yellow puppy trotted up to Miko, its tail wagging furiously as it panted happily.
“Is this Sable?”
“Yep! Isn’t he cute?”
While Miko was strictly a cat person, she couldn’t deny the charm of such a friendly puppy. She knelt down, gently petting Sable’s head with a soft smile. “If only I could talk to you. I’d ask what you’re yelling about every night.”
Sable merely tilted his head. “Woof, woof.”
After a pleasant dinner and some lighthearted chatting, Yui retreated to her room to sleep.
Miko, however, remained wide awake. Sitting on her borrowed futon, she mindlessly scrolled through her phone, her eyes constantly darting to the digital clock at the top of the screen. She fought off the heavy pull of sleep, waiting until the numbers shifted to 12:59.
The exact second the clock struck 1:00, Miko’s heart skipped a beat.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
Right on cue, Sable’s frantic barking erupted from the living room.
Miko took a sharp, trembling breath. Her golden eyes widened in the dark. Forcing down the rising tide of panic, she slowly pushed her bedroom door open, muttering under her breath like a mantra. “There’s… there’s nothing there. It’s fine.”
She crept into the living room. The normally sweet and affectionate Sable was entirely transformed. The dog was baring its teeth, the fur on its back standing straight up as it glared fiercely at the front door. Deep, guttural growls tore from its throat.
“Miko? Did he wake you up too?”
Yui, dressed in a fluffy set of pajamas, stumbled into the living room, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning.
Miko couldn’t answer. Cold sweat drenched her back, freezing her in place.
Reflected in her trembling golden eyes was the inverted image of a woman draped in a long, tattered white dress.
But the dress wasn’t the horrifying part.
The horrifying part was the sheer, impossible scale of the entity. The woman’s head was practically scraping the ceiling.
And the ceiling in this luxury apartment was a full two and a half meters high.
“Hach… Hachishaku-sama?”