Reborn as the Villain in a Forbidden Game-Chapter 16: Yokai (2)

Shaking off that lingering unease, I arrived at the shrine.

The moment I stepped onto the grounds, something felt off. The air was crisp, almost autumnal, despite the sweltering heat I'd been sweating through just minutes ago. I wasn't dumb enough to brush it off as a random chill.

Something's here.

Something was warping the atmosphere. That was the only logical conclusion. Maybe that's why my senses, dulled for years, suddenly snapped to life. My ears caught every rustle and whisper around me. My nose picked up a faint, metallic tang of blood beneath the grassy scent. My eyes seemed to take in more, feeding my brain a flood of details.

Like a hedgehog bristling at the first sign of danger, I went on high alert, scanning the area for any threat.

Nothing.

No matter how much I strained my senses, the answer was the same: no one was here. No enemies. No predators. Just me, the shrine, and that eerie chill. I let out a long breath, forcing my heightened senses to relax.

"Right... what would even be out here?" I muttered, shaking my head.

I was probably just paranoid, haunted by old memories. Even if something was lurking, what could I do about it? In this frail body, my best bet was calling the cops.

Get it together, Takuya. You're not that guy anymore.

I wasn't the person I used to be before... whatever this was. Scolding myself, I headed to the back of the shrine where Misaki was waiting for our lunch date.

When I got there, I froze. The ground behind the shrine was blanketed in snow. Snow. In the middle of this heat? I stood there, dumbstruck, staring at the surreal scene.

"Miss, it doesn't seem like he's coming," a refined voice said from the veranda, untouched by the snow.

"No, he promised he'd be here!" Misaki's voice rang out, stubborn as ever.

I turned toward the veranda and saw two figures. One was Misaki, same as I'd seen her a couple of days ago. The other...

"Oh?"

Pale skin, a flowing white yukata, long straight hair as white as the snow around us. She looked like she'd stepped out of a myth.

"It seems you were right, Miss. He's here," the woman said, her voice cool and ethereal.

Have you ever heard of a Yuki-onna? If you're into anime or yokai lore, you probably have. She's a snow spirit, a staple of Japanese folklore, popping up in manga, anime, and stories whenever yokai are involved.

So why am I bringing her up? Because she was right there, handing me a teacup that radiated an icy chill.

"It's cold, so sip it slowly, or your head will ache," she warned, her voice as calm as a frozen lake.

"Uh, right. Thanks..." I mumbled, shivering as the cup's frost bit into my fingers.

I was utterly thrown by the situation, but Misaki, the one who'd brought this literal snow spirit here, didn't seem fazed at all.

"Try it! Yuki-unni's tea is amazing!" she chirped, completely oblivious to my nerves.

I wanted to bop her on the head for her cluelessness, but I held back and shot her a question instead. "Okay, but... why is a Yuki-onna here?"

Misaki blinked at me, tilting her head. "What, you don't mind, do you?"

I nearly choked. Mind? I'm freaking out here! But before I could say anything, she laughed. "Kidding! The family's doing a big yokai extermination today, so they rounded up most of the spirits. Yuki-unni's just here as my escort."

So, she was the only one left, huh? That made sense, I guess. I nodded, trying to play it cool.

Misaki's eyes lit up. "Oh, did you bring the lunch box?"

"Duh," I said, pulling out two lunch boxes I'd grabbed for us.

"Two today?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What, you want me to starve?" I shot back, grinning. "So, does this mean we're friends now?"

"Hehe, sure! But, like, is it okay even though I'm way younger?" she asked, suddenly shy.

"Friends are about the heart, not age," I said with a shrug.

"Is that how it works?"

"Yup, that's how it works."

We dug into our lunch boxes, chatting about random stuff. I'd worried I wouldn't have much to say to a kid like her, but Misaki surprised me. She wasn't just some ditzy airhead—she was sharp, knowledgeable even. We talked about everything from random trivia to, yeah, a bit of economics to set up some future plans.

When I mentioned how smart she was, her response was peak Misaki. "Duh! My family calls me a genius!"

Her smugness was so over-the-top I almost wanted to ruffle her hair—or smack her—but I just laughed it off. fгeewebnovёl.com

After lunch, I couldn't resist asking something that'd been nagging at me. "Hey, Misaki, are there any other yokai or ghosts around besides Yuki-unni?"

She thought for a second. "Nope, just her for now. Why?"

"Just curious," I said, keeping my tone casual. Inside, though, I was pumped. Seeing the Yuki-onna had sparked an idea for an experiment, and I needed the coast to be clear of other spirits.

We kept chatting until around 2 PM when Misaki's face fell. "Oppa, I gotta go..."

"No worries, we'll meet up again next time," I said, giving her a reassuring smile.

She perked up a bit, and I seized the moment to ask something else that'd been bugging me. "By the way, how come I could see Yuki-unni from the start?"

Misaki looked at me like it was obvious. "Oh, that? She wasn't born a spirit, so she's got a physical body."

I almost blurted out, What kind of weeb nonsense is that? but I just nodded like it made perfect sense.

As Misaki prepared to leave with Yuki-unni, I stopped her. "Hey, can I talk to Yuki-unni alone for a sec? Got some... personal yokai questions."

Misaki pouted, clearly skeptical. "You could just ask me, you know."

"It's personal," I insisted.

She made a face but relented. "Fine, I'll wait by the car at the bottom of the stairs."

I grabbed her arm to thank her, and her face turned beet red for some reason. Weird, but whatever.

And just like that, I was alone with the Yuki-onna.

She sat across from me, her icy gaze curious. "So, what do you need?"

"Oh, nothing big," I said, pulling a small bottle from my pocket. "I'd appreciate it if you could drink this."

The bottle? Yeah, it was the [Aphrodisiac].

I was dying to know if it'd work on a non-human like a yokai, and this snow spirit was the perfect test subject.

"You want me to drink this?" she asked, eyeing the bottle suspiciously.

"Yup! Nothing weird, I'm just curious what'll happen," I said, flashing a totally innocent smile. (Totally weird, but she doesn't need to know that.)

She hesitated, but Misaki's earlier vouching for me must've helped. "It's not some strange potion, is it?"

"Of course not," I lied smoothly.

Convinced, she downed the aphrodisiac in one go. Gulp, gulp, gulp.

For a moment, she just stood there, looking confused. Then her pale cheeks flushed a faint pink. "Ugh...♥ W-what is this...?"

Her body started to squirm, her yukata slipping to reveal shapely legs. Her voice turned sultry, almost breathless.

Watching the Yuki-onna transform in real-time, I couldn't help but think: This stuff is even wilder than I imagined.