Part 8

Sunset occurred so early during the winter that it was already completely dark outside. The case was solved peacefully after that and it was now approximately thirty minutes after they saw off the client.

Kujou poured the a.s.sam tea into Yui’s teacup after a perfect jumping1.

Yui watched joyfully and used her third Custard and Fresh Cream Cookie Sandwich to make her mouth full.

“By the way, I didn’t think that the old woman who bought all the cookie sandwiches right in front of our eyes would become the key to this case. It was a cool coincident.”

“It wasn’t a coincidence. The answer was based on your investigation result from the streets and the outfit of the client.”

“Kujou is also an armchair detective2.”

While speaking, Yui blew onto the hot a.s.sam tea.

“Eh? What? Euthanasia3?”

“Oh~ It’s so courageous of you to have a mouth that is seeking a quarrel with me. Kid, don’t think you can die with euthanasia! I will take your nails off one by one and use needles to p.r.i.c.k… ”

“Stoppppppp! It’s too painful to even imagine it———!!”

Yui laughed at this farce and softly place the teacup back.

“This case was slightly weird.”

“Right. Although I knew that this was an ordinary case from the result of Miss Yui’s perceiving the spirits when Miss Yui walked by Yumiko, I hadn’t thought of the possibility that it was her leaving home and planning and acting everything by herself at that time. ”

“Well, but wasn’t it still a difficult case to handle? It was great that you could actually communicate with that kind of people, but it was still very difficult, right?”

Akira’s question triggered Kujou’s memory of his conversation with Yumiko.

“When Yumiko first came to this house, our conversation began with her denying all my opinions unsparingly.”

“Wow… That was harsh…”

“She was probably afraid of being denied, so she did not even want to admit that she was wrong. That’s why I agreed with her at first, then accepted her, and I was able to communicate with her in the same world.”

“U~mm. That’s referring to what you had told us about ‘the conversation of Delete’ and ‘the meaning of to exorcise?’”

“If the person I am talking to is not in the same world as me, then it’s better to be in the same as that person.”

“I feel like it is more similar to counseling than exorcising.”

“Well, kind of. Knowing a person’s world, and communicating with them at the same position as them… It’s the purification of the heart. Well, this time, this secret box had played a significant role. ”

While speaking, Kujou turned the wooden box, whose lid was opened, around and around in his hands.

“Oh! That coincidence was so cool!! When she opened the lid, a piece of paper with ‘Congratulations’ came out!!”

Kujou sighed once.

“That’s why I said you are stupid. It was me who placed it in that box at the beginning.”

“Wwwwwwwhat–!?”

Akira yelled with, in a way, his loudest voice of the day.

“The things placed in this house were already been altered. Well, in a nutsh.e.l.l, it’s the same as magic. Most of them were arranged with tricks. Similar to the performance of magic, each of the trick can be used independently. In this case, the secret box is a nice choice.”

Saying that, Kujou sipped the a.s.sam tea and milk.

“Oh! Yeah!! B, by the way, Yui, how was I today?”

“Umm? What do you mean by ‘how?’”

“Well, see. Do you have any thoughts on something like a man who is able to work is capable? A man who apologizes for his fault is capable? A man who had been working and walking all day long is capable??”

Akira was confirming if his working was seen by the person of whom he wanted to be seen by the most. Looking forward to the most satisfying reply he might receive, his eyes were shining.

But Yui closed her eyes and said silently.

“Ah, I see what do you mean. Although I haven’t told you about this, but in the family of Mikami, there is a family rule that ‘Curse a person’s offsprings to thousand years later if you have any resentments regarding desserts.’”

“What!? Wait!! Eeeeeeeeh!?”

Yui’s words spoken with resentment caused Akira to lose his pa.s.sion suddenly.

“Although I was thinking that it was better for you to jump around the capital freeway like a pinball when we weren’t able to buy a cookie sandwich… I’m able to eat it peacefully right now.”

While speaking, Yui opened her closed eyes and added a sentence with a smile.

“You are capable, Akira.”

As all his fatigue had been already blown away by that smile, Akira’s laughter echoed.

“Oh, well,” Kujou was watching them.

“Hey, Yui. So, so, of course, please get me the chocolate!”

“Umm? Chocolate?… What are you talking about?”

Because of her excessively innocent reply, Akira’s time stopped for a moment.

At that moment, Kujou silently stood up from his seat.

Without even making a faint sound… Secretly.

“What, what are you talking about~ Speaking of chocolate during February, isn’t it about that day? I heard that you will make chocolate yourself and hand it to…”

“I don’t have the intend to make anything.”

She replied without hesitation.

His dream and hope were broken completely by the Yui’s ruthless words. The core of Akira’s heart snapped so easily that his heart fell apart right at the moment.

“No, but! Kujou said!! Hey, Kujou, say something… No!! He’s not hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee——–!!”

Kujou wasn’t at the direction that Akira turned to. There was only an empty sofa and the a.s.sam tea that was still warm with faint vapor rising up.

“Ku, Ku, Ku, Kujou—-!! You d.a.m.ned butler, wait for meeeeeeeee!!”

Yelling, Akira dashed to the hallway.

“Even he is Kujou, he probably has to lower his head this time.”

Thinking of this, Yui smiled bitterly.

She drank the a.s.sam tea that was at the most suitable time to drink and spoke with slight embarra.s.sment.

“I won’t make any… But I didn’t say I won’t give you any.”

The firewood was burning silently in the fireplace.

Only the rabbit puppet that was placed on the shelves heard the adorable murmur from its owner.