cursed 52: H,E,C I

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Chapter 52: Hexes and Enchantments and Charms, Oh My (I)

“It sounds like quite the disaster, but it is not unheard of on This Side, it is. There are a lot of times when investigations go wrong.”

Suyin laughs like it’s someone else’s problem.

Well, that whole fiasco with the Yutaka Mori-san’s house really was someone else’s problem.

Mainly, mine.

“It takes much more than interest or desire to obtain something truly dangerous on This Side, so no one would have thought that there was something so dangerous in that eccentric’s house. Is that not right, Tsu-chan?”

Un, un. Tsurumi-chan just nods along with Suyin.

It turns out the danger in the basement of that house was pretty high.

Not because the grimoire itself was dangerous – although it was, if we had prepared properly for it, then even Hanamori-san and Jakuchi-san should have been able to investigate the house safely.

The problem was that it was very well hidden.

The danger Suzu-chan calculated based on Yutaka Mori-san’s background and history of his previous purchases made it a C Rate investigation job, B Rate at worst.

In theory, if there was something dangerous, Jakuchi-san and Hanamori-san, who are particularly known for their ability to sense curses, magic anomalies, and reconnaissance, should have been able to sense that there was something that was out of their league.

Even Honoka didn’t notice it.

Or rather, she noticed something strange, but it seemed so insignificant she didn’t bother worrying about it.

… We really need to work on our ho-ren-so (report (to superiors), keep in contact (with relevant parties), and consult (with others)), especially since Honoka and I are a team.

Right now we talk about our days in the evenings, or in my dreamscape… but when we’re on the job, we should be more professional about our communication.

Either way, the problem was that the grimoire and its activation was so strictly guarded that it even misled a six-tailed kitsune.

After Hanamori-san, Jakuchi-san, and Honoka and I reported on the investigation, Suzu-san changed the job and raised the danger rating immediately.

Yutaka Mori-san’s wellbeing aside, it’s bad to leave a mana vortex unattended, so this isn’t just about Honzuki-san’s request anymore.

I don’t know who’s going to pay for S-Rated operative, though.

Since I’m an employee of Happy Life Work, I can ask Suzu-chan about the details later.

The more important thing is that Yutaka Mori-san was recovered, although in a coma, and that the S-rated operatives were able to contain the abnormality before it grew out of control.

And the most important thing is that someone or something had tried to keep it hidden as the grimoire fed on Yutaka Mori-san.

After all, if no one discovered it so soon it could have become something much worse, and if investigators came across unaware of the danger, as we almost had, they could lose their lives or even feed into the grimoire itself.

As for how and why the grimoire was activated with Yutaka Mori-san as its crux, that’s something they won’t be able to find out until he regains consciousness, and it’s something far less important than figuring out who set the illusions and isolated the grimoire like that.

… It’s all some complicated stuff, but I understand the basic idea, at least.

There’s foul play going on.

“So that’s why there’s been some tension going on. Although we weren’t told exactly what was going on, we had to convince our peers to keep that mansion cordoned off… it was quite a headache.”

Daiki-san said as he inhaled his breakfast.

“Ah… Thank you for your hard work, Daiki-san.”

It must be difficult… Unit 1 of the Tsunatou Police is practically This Side’s cover-up squad in this town.

I should make some drinking snacks for Daiki-san tonight.

“By the way… are you okay on time?”

I ask, glancing at the clock in the kitchen.

“Ah… I suppose I should get going.”

Although he speaks a bit carelessly, Daiki-san quickly shovels his breakfast down and gets up quickly enough from his chair that it makes a loud noise, walking quickly towards the front door.

“Ah, lunch-!”

“I got it, Kousei. Daiki-san, your lunch-!

Honoka, done with hanging up the laundry, swept the lunchbox up as she passed, walking quickly to catch up with Daiki-san.

“Hm, hm, the three of you have really become like a family, you have. It is heartwarming, is it not, Tsu-chan?”

“Un.”

Tsurumi-chan nods in agreement.

… By the way, why did these two start showing up for breakfast at my house?

I don’t mind so much, and Daiki-san feels relieved that they can ‘escort’ me to school.

Even though Honoka is more than enough for that… in the first place, I’m not some ojou-sama or something-! – Not that I can say that.

Rather than an ojou-sama, I guess it’s more like I’m a living national treasure or something.

Like a panda.

But I doubt that they’re here just for that.

As for why … well, I’m 100% sure that Suyin is aiming for the breakfast itself.

It’s not like she’s so poor that she can’t afford three meals a day, but she’ll happily bound over to eat if it’s offered to her.

I don’t mind, but it’s not like I do that much for breakfast?

Eggs and ham on toast, or sometimes a grilled fish if I wake up early enough – these aren’t really complicated things? I can’t imagine the level of a Cooking Blessing affecting something like a fried egg that much.

Is what I thought, but apparently there’s still an effect, according to Honoka.

Really…?

As for Tsurumi-chan, she said my house was on the way, but it’s really not.

That said, she’s not like Suyin, who lives closer to school than me and purposefully goes out of her way to double her travel time, but she lives across from the Tsunatou Park in the Hachiman Temple, so she’s just taking a small detour.

I don’t really understand, but it seems like she leaves early from home anyway, so instead of wandering in the park until it’s time for her to go to school, it’s much better for her to come over to my house.

When I asked Mayumi-san, Tsurumi-chan’s older sister, it seems there were some problems with Mayumi-san’s succession of the shrine, or maybe it wasn’t directly about the succession but rather Tsurumi-chan’s role in the shrine…

Mayumi-san didn’t really give me a full explanation, but it seems that Tsurumi-chan also had the Blessings necessary for succeeding the shrine, or at least most of them.

Given Tsurumi-chan’s nature, I think I can see what people pushing for her to take over the shrine are thinking.

It’s a bit sad that even shrines aren’t safe from manipulative politics.

Anyway, Mayumi-san says that Tsurumi-chan has been happier these days since she has somewhere to run off to, whether it’s Happy Life Work, my place, and now Cafe Cinnamon too, so I guess that answers the question as to why they let her work for Nagi-san.

How complicated.

“I heard that you were able to work with the Crow Meister and Hanamori-san. Although they are not the highest grade occult operatives, they are still very famous, they are. They excel in certain niche type jobs, but in return they are not ideal for other types of jobs.”

Ah, I can see that.

Jakuchi-san is definitely more of a reconnaissance kind of guy, and Hanamori-san’s spells and talismans require some time to activate, so she’s probably not very effective in the heat of battle.

“… Even if Jakuchi-san and Hanamori-san were good at searching for missing persons and hexes, wasn’t it too lax to send them without someone capable of doing some ‘heavy lifting’ if things came down to it?”

I frowned as I asked.

Even if you say this was an ordinary investigation gone wrong due to factors outside of most people’s expectations, it still seems pretty poor not to throw a heavy in with them – well, it’s not a video game, but maybe that makes party composition even more important.

“Kousei… Honoka.”

Tsurumi-chan doesn’t even bother with full sentences with me and Honoka anymore, just looking up and saying our names.

“…?”

“Ahaha, that is true, is it not? Kousei has exceptional senses, he does, and Honoka is more than enough firepower for most situations. The only thing is lack of experience.”

Suyin laughs.

… Sorry, I know Honoka’s a six-tailed fox, but these days I’ve been having trouble reconciling her ditzy, otaku-ness whose main job appears to be a maid waitress at a kooky little cafe with that scene of her monster fox form.

It’s crazy what a warrior will become in peace time, huh?

And I’m not talking about the philosophical ‘a war hero is just a murderer when there’s no war’ theory.

It’s more of a ‘Divine General finds a part time job as waitress and is sometimes a homebody’ theory.

Plus, she wasn’t that helpful this time thanks to the interference of some mysterious third party that had expertly camouflaged the true danger behind illusions and cloaking spells, so … … wait up.

So I was the actual secret weapon?

Uh … look.

I’m OBVIOUSLY a broken radar that can only sense things along the y-axis and not the x, okay?

But …

“Fufu, it was supposed to be a training mission for you, remember? And for me, to a lesser extent.”

Honoka returned from the foyer, which was just around the corner so she definitely heard our conversation clearly.

“… … But equipping a broken radar isn’t much better than having no radar at all.”

“Radar?”

“?”

Only Honoka understood what I meant.

Don’t worry about it, you two.

“Hm… if you are wondering why Boss-san put together such a group together, part of it would be because Hanamori-san is Mother Circe-sama’s student?”

… Suyin, you’re saying that like we should know what you’re talking about.

Just in case, since it’s Suyin calling someone with ‘-sama’, I take a look at Honoka, but Honoka’s drawing a blank.

Circe … is she a goddess? I think she’s from Greek mythology, and there were way too many minor gods and goddesses, as well as practically divine races like demigods and nymphs and stuff.

All I remember is she’s in the Odyssey and she turned the sailors into pigs, but who knows how much of that relates to a real life Circe-sama.

And not only that, Mother Circe?

All I can tell from that is that she’s well-known enough for other people to give her that monicker.

But since Honoka doesn’t seem to know who she is, Circe-sama is either not a goddess, or she’s a goddess Honoka doesn’t know about.

The kami and gods and goddesses of different regions didn’t seem to interact that much back in Honoka’s time.

But Suyin didn’t notice our confusion, or chose not to acknowledge it, and continued.

“Although Hanamori-san might be one of the lowest ranking students of Mother Circe-sama, it is not a status to be made light of. At least, her status with Mother Circe-sama is not something to be made light of.”

Suyin said flippantly as she munches on her toast.

“… You mean that scheming woman wanted Hanamori-san to meet Kousei.”

Honoka narrowed her eyes.

By ‘scheming woman,’ she means Boss Nagi.

And unfortunately, Boss Nagi would take that as a compliment.

“Mother Circe-sama likes talented people, and Kousei-kun’s abilities are not necessarily unlike Mother Circe-sama’s field of expertise. It is inevitable that she take an interest in Kousei, it is.”

Suyin grinned at me.

“… Is that a good thing?”

I can’t help but ask.

“What is this ‘Mother Circe’s’ field of expertise?”

Honoka asked at the same time.

“It’s good. Thank you for the meal.”

Tsurumi-chan said, finishing her meal and neatly laying her chopsticks down.

… She means it’s a good thing for Mother Circe to take interest in me, huh?

She’s not talking about how good the breakfast was, huh?

Although she finished her meal cleanly, so I know she likes it.

“Mother Circe-sama is THE leading authority on enchantments and hexes.”

Eeeeh…

“How is that similar to my abilities at all!?”

“Origin is similar.”

… Thanks Tsurumi-chan, but I’m still not used to reading your mind, so I don’t understand.

Suyin gives me an amused smile as she swipes the cherry tomatoes from my plate.

“Hexes and enchantments use a combination of words and intentions to make things happen. It is not so different from Kotodama, is it not?”

“That’s…”

I’m still unsure, but Honoka nods in understanding.

---

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<a/n: part of being a webnovel, serial updater is having to redeem previously poor plot decisions. Bookseller would have been more interesting as a much later arc, but yolo and all…
I don’t enjoy retconning (I will do it if necessary, but I don’t like it), so I have to get creative at times. Random Circe mention ftw.>