Kichi-san told me she had something to talk about, so I came to our usual family restaurant. When I arrived, Kichi-san was already waiting, so I headed to her table. Kichi-san usually wears her hair in a ponytail, but today she had it down. "Hey, Kichi-san. I'm glad it looks like you weren't injured." I said as I sat across from her. Yesterday, I received a message from Kichi-san and Ichinose-kun saying they were okay after going to the hospital. "Oh, yes. Thanks to you, we were saved. Thank you very much." As Kichi-san bowed her head, the waiter arrived, and I ordered us the all-you-can-drink option. "You don't need to worry about what happened before. So, what did you want to talk about?" "Oh, would you like something to drink first?" "Ah... maybe I'll go get some coffee..." I said, starting to stand up. "I'll get it for you. Black, right?" "Huh? Oh, yeah." "Got it!" Kichi-san headed towards the beverage corner. "... Yamada, that woman exudes a strong feminine scent." Miriam whispered quietly in my ear. "Exudes a strong feminine scent... like perfume or something? She's at that age, so that's expected." "No, it’s not like that, i meant literally..." Literally? "Thank you for waiting. Here you go." Kichi places the coffee in front of me. That was quick..." "Thanks. So, what did you want to talk about?" "Yes. Thank you so much for the other day. And I'm sorry I wasn't helpful. I was basically being a burden and even fainting at the end..." Kichi-san looks downcast. "It's fine. You're not good with ghosts, after all." I'm not great with them either, but seeing someone that scared makes me calm down." "I'm truly sorry. The incident from the other day made me realize how inexperienced I am." She’s such a serious kid. "Really, you don't need to worry about it. These things happen." "Still, i'm sorry. And I have a favor to ask." A favor?" I'm not tutoring you. "What kind of favor?"

"Our team was supposed to last just a month, right? If it's okay with you, could we please continue working together? Ichinose-kun feels the same way." That's unexpected... I never thought I'd hear such a request from those two." "Why that? I thought you all had experience and responsibilities at home, so you'd handle things individually." I didn't really understand the relationship between the Ichinose and Kichi families, so I didn't expect them to team up. They both get along well, but there's always been a bit of distance between them. "Well... during this period, I really felt my inexperience... Especially the day before yesterday, if Yamada-san hadn't been there, I would have definitely died." True, If I had ordered a retreat, and they had gone ahead alone, Filman might have killed both of them." "Don't you usually team up with others? Maybe family members... I'm not sure, but isn't that how your families operate?" "It's complicated. In my family, I'm the only one with the association. The same goes for Yuusei's family. We do cooperate, but the situation is quite complex..." Maybe it's about internal politics or honor... Yeah, something like that. "I see..." What should I do... This is really unexpected. I thought we'd part ways after a month, but... "Is it impossible?" Kichi-san looks at me anxiously." It's hard to say no now. "Hmm..." Well, it's not like I have to stay alone. In these past few weeks, I've earned enough and had plenty of time. Neither Ichinose-kun nor Kichi-san cause any problems, so that's also no issue." "I won't cause you any trouble..." "Well, I'm not worried about that. You guys are behaving properly for your age, after all." They are much more mature than I was in high school. "So you wanna go at it alone after all?" "I feel bad saying this to you, coming from a family like yours, but I don't really intend to take it that seriously. I have other things to do." "It's okay to go at your pace. We also have school, so your pace is not a problem for us." Well, for these kids, school comes first, huh. They're high school students, after all. Hmm, well, I guess... If it becomes annoying, I can always change things up again." "I'm fine with it, but I have a condition." "Conditions?" "You need to follow my instructions, okay? No acting on your own like the other day!"

I would hate it if something happened while they were acting alone. "Understood. I think Yuusei-kun will also be fine with that." Really? "Alright then." "Thank you! So, what should we do from now on? Shall we search for a suitable request together again?" "I think that's good, but I want to have a discussion involving Ichinose-kun, especially about what the demon said the other day." Let's focus on that before starting other work." "Indeed, the fact that he was named, right?" "Yes. We need to report this to the association and discuss the details." "Understood. I'll inform Ichinose-kun and get back to you with a meeting time when you are free." "Thanks." After that, we chatted a bit and then decided to go home." We stood up, settled the bill, and left the store. "Thank you for the meal. And, I look forward to working with you from now on." Kichi-san bowed respectfully. "Of course. Likewise. See you." "Yes. Until next time... goodbye." After saying that, Kichi-san waved and walked away, so I decided to head home too. "...Yamada." As I was walking, Miriam called out to me. "What's up?" "It's about Kichi. She can see me clearly." "What? Even with your magic?" "Yeah, it doesn't seem to work. We made eye contact several times, and she even waved at me earlier, meow." Seriously? "What should we do?" "Well, it's probably fine to just leave it be, meow." "Is that so?" "I can tell by the way she looks at you, meow." I don't get it. "Hmm..." "Don't worry about it, meow. More importantly, the apple seedlings have arrived, so let's go plant them and start an apple orchard, meow!" You really like apples... "Tomorrow. It's already late today." "Well, it can't be helped, meow..." We did the shopping that Ruri asked for and decided to head home."