While Naomi was feeding the delighted kitten noodle after noodle, Eiji moved to his old TV set and bended over to turn on a device sitting underneath it. It was a quite new gaming console and believe it or not, Eiji hadn’t spent a penny on it. He was rather fortunate to win it in a lottery held by the convenience store he worked on right after New Year’s. It was probably the luckiest thing that had happened to the young man in ages, even. Not that it amounted to anything, though.

“Eh?” Naomi cocked her head at the gesture. The reason he had turned it on though was because she herself had been eyeing it constantly since the moment she sat down.

“Here.” Eiji passed her a controller, as he sat down on his bed with his own in hand. “You wanted to try it, right?”

“Heh, my brothers were pestering my mum nonstop about one, and now they got it they won’t let anyone else near it.” Naomi chuckled “…So I am a little curious.”

“Cool.” Eiji remarked, as he selected a game called “Road Brawlers” from the home screen. It was in fact, the only game Eiji owned, and the reason why is none other than it came with the package he had won.

“What game are we playing?” Naomi inquired, looking quite intrigued.

“It’s a fighting game.”

“Road Brawlers, huh?” She leaned closer, eager to peer into the small, old-fashioned television.

Eiji pressed button after button, and soon a colorful screen loaded up. With big letters in a sharp strong font, it read “PICK YOUR FIGHTER” in typical fighting game fashion.

“Woah, there are so many…” Naomi reveled in the seer amount of characters to choose from.

Eiji on the other hand, moved to the only character he had an interest in, and selected him without even sparing a glance to the rest.

“Oh you’ve already picked yours, Senpai?” Naomi looked over to the blonde brawny character moving about in his fighting stance. The fighter was sporting a black biker outfit, and had arms like tree trunks, as well as a very distinct spiky haired hairstyle. The name up above him read “KYLE”

“Heh…” The girl chuckled. “He looks kinda like you, senpai.”

Eiji paused for a second, probably thinking it over.

“I beg to differ.” He finally said, but not spoiling the fun for Naomi, who turned back to her own selection.

“I think I’m gonna go with her…” The girl finally decided, as she locked in her own character. It was a sparsely clothed ninja girl, with kunai in both hands, and a ribbon holding her black straight hair up. Her name apparently was “KOYOMI”

After they picked a random stage to battle it out at, the word “BRAWL” flashed onto the screen, signaling the start of the battle.

“Okay!” Naomi braced herself, gripping the controller tight.

Eiji though, didn’t speak a word, but instead began mashing button after button, stacking combo on top of combo.

“Eh?” Koyomi, the poor ninja flew in the air in an instant, getting pummeled by punch after punch, kick after kick.

In no time at all, Koyomi’s health had completely depleted to 0. Three times at that.

The words “KYLE WINS” and “PERFECT” Bopped through the screen in big red letters, as if mocking Naomi even more.

“EEEEEEH?!” The girl exclaimed in utter disbelief. Eiji might not have cared if he had won the lottery that day or not, but he had never had any kind of games to play before, so he found that opportunity to really sink his time into it. When he wasn’t working either job of course.

“I didn’t even land a single hit…” Naomi slumped forward.

And as if to add fuel to the fire, Eiji scoffed at her. “Wow, you really suck.”

All of Naomi’s thoughts of Eiji being a kind and considerate person evaporated in an instant.

“Senpai, you’re a meanie!” Naomi stuck her tongue out in a showcase of anger, and gripped her controller once more.

“One more round!”

“Yeah, let’s see you try for a change.” Eiji retorted, and restarted the match.

…

Hit after hit, combo after combo, Koyomi was still getting pulverized, but Naomi was considerably getting closer to land some more hits each and every time.

The second, third and fourth game ended in her utter defeat, yet by the fifth, she was landing some kind of kick and punch combo too. Although not enough to faze Eiji just yet.

“Say, senpai…”

“Trynna distract me?”

“No… why would you think that?”

“Dunno…” The two of them spoke, as the thunderous clicking of numerous buttons served as their Battle OST.

“So you’re a year older than me… right?”

“I’m 17. I just got…” Eiji paused mid-sentence, landing his ultimate in a swift pulverizing motion “…held back a year.”

“Really? You did?”

“I just said so.”

“I... see.” Naomi said, frowning upon the screen that flaunted her opponent’s win once more.

“So you’re definitely my senpai then.” She continued.

“Guess so.”

“And why do you live alone, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I do.”

“…Sorry.” Naomi muttered.

With a sigh, Eiji landed another powerful combo, and ended the round in victory. “I just don’t have any family I can live with.” He finally explained, thinking it might have been selfish to not disclose anything while Naomi had literally spilled her guts to him a few minutes ago.

“Oh…” Naomi exclaimed, before frowning once more. “I died again…”

“You still suck.” Eiji thought it wise to comment on her performance yet again.

“Fwaaaah…” Naomi yawned and stretched. It was quite clear she was getting comfortable around the young man, and while the reason was lost in her, she couldn’t do anything about it.

“So…” Eiji started, putting his controller aside. “…What kind of monster did you see? Back in that parking lot.” He finally asked, his gaze shifting into a serious, non-bullshit look.

“You really believe me…?” Naomi inquired, surprise audible in her tone.

“I do.”

“O-okay...” The girl ultimately nodded, seeing as to how serious the atmosphere had gotten all of a sudden. “It was… a strange creature.” She gulped as she remembered. “It wasn’t extremely big, yet its mouth was gigantic. Its teeth were yellow but sharp, and its eyes, were glowing from beneath its mouth. It really was strange. It also had long grey hair I believe, and a pair of long, stretching arms… Those arms that caught Hazuki and…”

Naomi shuddered at the image she herself had forced to resurface.

Eiji stood silent for a moment, thinking to himself.

“A big mouth, eh…?” Meh suddenly popped up out of nowhere. Eiji of course was used to it, but the kitten silently enjoying the company of the two students was completely startled.

Naomi, probably startled by the cat, looked on puzzled too.

“Maybe, an agubanba?” Eiji finally muttered.

“A what…?” Naomi cocked her head to the side.

“Agubanba. It’s what we call spirits that hunt and curse young women. They mostly originate from jealousy of older women against those younger than them. They must have had great malice within them to be turned into that though…” Eiji explained, probably forming the longest sentence Naomi had ever heard from him. He was quite knowledgeable when it came to specters after all.

Naomi’s interest though, laid with a single detail “What do you mean by… We?”

“Is Eiji-dono sure he wants to tell her?” Meh looked quite concerned.

Ignoring his Shikigami, Eiji spoke once more. “I’m an exorcist. My job is to hunt those same spirits that you and your friend were so fixated on.”

“An… exorcist?” It was quite evident Naomi couldn’t quite wrap her head around it all.

“That’s what they call us. Believe it or not, all those things you and your friend were desperately searching for do exist.” Eiji paused “….And some are far more dangerous than you can imagine.”

“And you knew I had a run-in with a… spirit?”

“A specter, yeah. To put it bluntly, that encounter left you with a residue of malevolence. In short, the specter cursed you.”

“It cursed me? And that’s how you found me?”

“Practically.” Eiji answered, and Naomi felt a strong pain surge through her chest. What was that about? She thought.

“And that weird eyeball floating next to you is…?” Much to both their surprise, the girl very clearly pointed at Meh as she spoke.

“You mean you can see Meh?” “You mean you can see Meh?”

Shikigami and master said simultaneously.

“Yeah, after the incident… I’ve been seeing things, actually…” Naomi lowered her head. “Weird figures of people. And other, shapeless creatures.”

“That’s astonishing! So her contact with malevolence caused her to develop the sight!” Meh exclaimed in visible astonishment.

“Pipe down, already.” Eiji scolded him, notwithstanding his squeaky excited voice so close to his ear. “Now that you know. I may need your help.” The young man said, as he leaned forward.

“My… help?” Naomi looked quite surprised at that statement.

“There’s a barrier protecting that specter, and I can’t go through.”

“What barrier?”

“It’s complicated, so I—“ Right as Eiji was about to get into greater detail, the phone he had placed on the table went off.

After a glance, Eiji sighed. It was his manager from the convenience store.

“Wait here. I’ll be back in a bit.” The young man spoke as he rose from his seat and exited through towards the small balcony door behind the TV.

With Meh having disappeared with his master, Naomi was suddenly left all alone. And for some reason. The hole in her chest only grew bigger by the second. The only difference was that she had realized the cause.

Eiji was an exorcist.

His duty was to dispose of evil spirits.

That’s how he had found Naomi. He needed her, to get to the spirit.

He wasn’t doing all this from the kindness of his heart.

He wasn’t doing this because of Naomi.

He wasn’t her guardian angel, as she had initially thought.

She was just a means to an end.

Why did she let herself be played as a fool?

They weren’t even acquaintances nor friends, so why did she think otherwise?

Through this hour they had spent together, Naomi had thought of Eiji as someone she could trust. Maybe, he remembered how they had met too, 6 years ago, and got close to her because of that. Or maybe he had wanted to be her friend…

No.

She was such an idiot.

For a split second she had seen Hazuki in Eiji’s eyes. Maybe just maybe, they could become something more than strangers.

But that hope was dying out within her.

After Eiji’s deed was done, he would just go on with his life.

He would forget about her.

Oh, how foolish…

How dumb.

Naomi wanted to punch herself in the face. Always trusting someone so readily.

She had had enough.

Naomi swiftly rose from her seat and made for the bathroom. In a haze she put on her uniform, threw the clothes she had used on the floor in a hurry, and ran outside the apartment.

She wouldn’t be played like a fool.

She thought as she ran, enraged at herself.

…

“Where the hell…?” After finishing the call with his manager, Eiji walked back inside the apartment. There, he noticed something was clearly off. Naomi, the girl sitting just there, was nowhere to be found.

“Eiji-dono!” Meh popped up out of nowhere, looking anxious. “It appears the girl has left. And it’s past midnight!”

“Past… Shit!” Eiji clicked his tongue at the sight of his front door left ajar.

“The curse’s malevolence has grown stronger… she might be in danger!”

“Damnit!” Eiji spat once more, as he ran out the door in a flash.

Malevolence and specters were significantly stronger after midnight, and curses were even more so. It wasn’t mere coincidence that victims only rose during that time after all. And now it seemed the specter was on the move again…