NOVEL NEXT Chapter 389: Who Is Kawai?
(Fixed a small bug, deleted the scene of Tamako and Kawai playing silly sand sculptures earlier)
Inside the Japanese old house, Fushimi Roku hurriedly finished his homework just before Kujo Yua returned home.
At the exact moment he put down his pen, the sound of the door opening came from the living room entrance, followed by Kujo Yua's ghostly voice:
"Homework..."
"Is it finished?"
Fushimi Roku felt uncertain, as the answers were all scribbled down without thinking. He dared not speak casually and looked back at Tamako, signaling her to report to her mother.
"Finished, finished." Tamako said timidly.
Kujo Yua slowly drifted in, again wrapping around like a python, and leaned over Tamako's back like an earthbound spirit, extending her slender fingers to meticulously check the homework.
Tamako broke out in a cold sweat, said nothing, pursed her lips, and stole glimpses of Kujo Yua's side profile. The latter showed no sign of being a kind mother; her cheeks were sunken and pale, eyes bloodshot with malice, wishing she could stick her eyeballs onto the notebook to find flaws in the homework.
"Hmm..."
"Hmm..."
The room was so quiet that only the sound of flipping pages was heard, along with Kujo Yua's occasional meaningless interjections.
After a while, Kujo Yua finished checking the part of the homework Tamako wrote, and continued to check the part that Teacher Fushimi wrote.
Tamako was so nervous that her little face turned pale, occasionally sneaking glances at Teacher Fushimi with the guilty look of a thief, afraid that Kujo Yua would catch her.
Fushimi Roku was observing with an indifferent expression, acting as if he was above it all.
Kujo Yua realized something was wrong after watching for a while; she tightened her grip even more, her finger nearly poking through the notebook, and harshly reprimanded: "Such simple questions, how could you get them wrong!!"
Tamako felt incredibly wronged, for they were not her answers; they were done by Teacher Fushimi... Isn't Teacher Fushimi reputed to be a distinguished home tutor? How could he get elementary school questions wrong?
She turned her head towards Fushimi Roku, hoping Teacher Fushimi would say something to help her out of the situation.
Fushimi Roku looked serious and upright, frowning in agreement: "Exactly! I have explained it to you so many times, how could you still get it wrong?"
What?!
Tamako's eyes widened, on the verge of tears.
She truly felt like crying. Had Teacher Fushimi not asked her to go play, she would have obediently stayed at home and finished her homework; now Teacher Fushimi not only went back on his words but also added insult to injury?
Is this what adults are like? It's simply despicable!
Kujo Yua finished stabbing the workbook and started poking Tamako, her sharp nails pressing against Tamako's forehead, making her wobble like a rag doll. It hurt her so much that she shed tears, not daring to cry out loud, only sobbing quietly, her small shoulders trembling.
At this moment, from Fushimi Roku's perspective, a progress bar similar to an experience bar appeared above Tamako's head, rapidly declining from green to red, leaving only a thin sliver.
He didn't know what this was, guessing it was similar to a life bar display, and now Tamako was losing health, hence continuously deducting her life value... something like that, perhaps?
"You dare to cry? You're not even serious about your homework! Is it so difficult to finish it properly? It's not like I haven't given you break times!" Kujo Yua harshly scolded, like devilish sound piercing the ears, wishing to work Tamako to exhaustion.
Fushimi Roku couldn't bear to watch any longer, even if this scene wasn't real and was merely a dream, he couldn't endure it. He immediately grabbed Kujo Yua's arm and said: "Miss Kujo, please don't be too harsh on the child..."
"This is my family affair!"
Kujo Yua glared at him, her eyes glowing red. If Teacher Fushimi didn't say the right word, today he'd have to pay for Tamako's lack of seriousness in her homework!
Fushimi Roku felt the danger; he had played horror RPG games, knowing not to go against an NPC that triggers instant death—since dialogue options have been triggered, what he says is crucial.
"Learning is not accomplished overnight. I promise Tamako will seriously do her homework tomorrow." He said sincerely.
"This is your dereliction! She got the homework wrong, didn't you check it? Didn't you correct it? Why didn't you explain the problems to her? Why do you think I brought you here?!"
Kujo, the fierce ghost, spoke increasingly terrifyingly, her body cracking and creaking, like a Soulsborne game boss entering a second phase, distorting her serpentine figure into an unnamable horror... Probably because Kujo Yua reached this level of anger, Tamako didn't dare look directly at her mom, hence leaving such a deep impression.
Fushimi Roku had never seen such a side of Kujo Yua before; in his mind, she always conducted herself with poise and professionalism befitting a police chief... But thinking it through carefully, she was also a mother.
As they say, distance brings beauty; even the greatest heroes are seen as mere mortals in the eyes of servants, potentially even annoying.
Fushimi Roku was about to say something to rectify his failure when suddenly Kujo Yua sprouted four tentacles, ensnaring his limbs, suspending him in midair. With a sudden twist, his arms and legs turned into twisted knots, causing him excruciating pain.
The dream still had sensations of pain, and they felt very real.
Then, Kujo Yua opened the cupboard, flung Fushimi Roku inside like a rag doll, and seized Tamako's ear, pushing her in as well.
"You two shall reflect on your actions tonight!!"
After speaking, Kujo Yua abruptly shut the cupboard door, plunging the surroundings into darkness, leaving only Tamako's sobbing sounds.
Fushimi Roku lay in the corner of the cupboard, sweating profusely from the pain. He tried to move his arms and legs but had no feeling whatsoever. It seemed that he narrowly escaped death, yet became a cripple.
He listened carefully for a while but didn't hear Kujo Yua's footsteps leaving. Uncertain if she really left, considering Kujo Yua floated in, she might float out as well.
On the other side, Tamako hugged her knees, curled up in the cupboard corner, weeping continuously.
Fushimi Roku felt irritated and guilty, unable to help but advise: "Please stop crying."
He should have stayed silent, as soon as he spoke, Tamako cried even harder, her sobbing turning into a wailing.
Fushimi Roku could still see that dubious 'life bar' thing in the darkness; he didn't know its purpose but sensed its importance. Otherwise, why would such a thing appear in Minamoto Tamako's dream?
He pondered for a while but couldn't think of anything better to say, forced to change the topic, he asked: "Has Kujo Yua always been like this?"
"Mom, Mama-chan... she's under a lot of work pressure... uuuu... I know she means well for me... Dad doesn't want to face gossips and always wants Mom to quit... They often argue... uuuu... Mom says she can take care of me besides work... Actually, they're both very busy... Mom hardly has time..."
Tamako leaned against the cupboard, hugging her knees with her right hand, couldn't help but scrape the wallpaper with her left hand, feeling so down, she cried while saying: "But I don't blame Mom, I just want to have a friend... Today, when I went out to play, I still didn't dare talk to other classmates..."
"Uh? Kawai?" Fushimi Roku was puzzled.
"Ka-Kawai... Hic! Who is that?" Tamako sobbed, hiccuping.
Fushimi Roku recalled that Kawai became her good friend only in high school... Minamoto Tamako seemed to have never mentioned having any peers before high school.