466 I’ve already done such a thing twice already (1/2)

A moment of silence fell between them.

Natsuya's face started reddening even further.

”No, no, I just… tried imagining it for a bit! I'm not saying that I can accept him having a harem right now… Besides, I'm not even his girlfriend yet!!”

'What did I just say!? Why did I just say such things?

'Was I just trying to make a joke, or did I get carried away… at any rate, that wasn't what I should have said out loud!'

”I… I was actually joking around. Something like a harem… I was just casually saying it.” Natsuya did her very best to maintain her composure.

”…But you seemed quite serious just now,” the cat-eared hat girl muttered in a low voice.

”I wasn't being serious! I just… slightly considered the situation pragmatically…” Natsuya's face continued reddening as she averted her gaze. ”I was just extrapolating things from an objective, practical angle… I definitely wasn't thinking about my future at all…”

Hana was rendered speechless.

She wanted to say something about this scene, but didn't know how to comment.

”Well, whatever you like... at any rate, it doesn't have anything to do with me. Let's just leave things at that, Yoruhana-san.” Hana decided to end the video chat after several seconds of silence.

After that, Natsuya quietly stood up, left her study, returned to her bedroom, and locked the door.

”Wahh ahh~~~” The scion jumped into her bed, covered her face with a pillow, and started rolling around.

Seiji suddenly sneezed.

At this moment, he was in the business district. He went to an internet café and into a private room there.

Hisashi was currently waiting for him inside.

Hisashi wasn't gaming or reading any manga, instead simply waiting by a kotatsu. Hisashi greeted Seiji upon his arrival.

”Did you want to talk about your older brother Zankita?” Seiji asked as he sat down.

”Yep.”

”You asked me to come all the way here for a discussion instead of just calling me… what happened?”

”I don't know.” Hisashi sighed as he poured some tea for Seiji.

”Eh?”

”I don't know exactly what happened to him. That's the problem.”

Hisashi poured some tea for himself as well and sipped on it as he began explaining.

”Ever since that day… the last time that you visited us, he's been going out every single night, and nobody knows where he was going. When I asked him, he only told me that he was out practicing his cultivation, and he showed me his flame ability that definitely got stronger compared to before. He also told me not to tell you. However, he's been gradually… changing ever since he started secretly going out every night.”

”Changing?” Seiji raised his eyebrows.

”Is it similar to awakening an evil side of himself?” Seiji tried asking.

”…You could say that,” Hisashi agreed. ”I don't know what happened to him, nor would he tell me. At this rate, I feel like something terrible will happen. Even though he told me not to tell you anything, I'm still doing so anyways. Seigo, do you know anything about what might have happened?”

Something flashed in Seiji's eyes.

”I think I might know where he's going every night.”

”Where?”

”A Spirit World.”

The fact that Zankita would vanish every night, and that his powers were indeed getting stronger… the first thought that Seiji had was of Spirit Worlds.

But if Zankita Juumonji indeed went to a Spirit World, just where did he obtain the knowledge about Spirit Worlds?

Besides, Spirit Worlds were highly dangerous areas. For an Awakened like Zankita to adventure in one by himself, that would be highly risky, not to mention how it seemed that Zankita was going on a nightly basis and hadn't even been injured yet… that seemed highly unlikely.

”So let's assume that he's really going to a Spirit World. In that case, there's definitely someone providing him with information, as well as going together with him… That is to say, some other Spiritual Ability user or Awakened came into contact with my older brother when I wasn't aware.”

Something flashed in Hisashi's eyes as he came to this conclusion after hearing Seiji's explanation.

”Yes. But, this is only one possibility.”

”I think it's highly likely that some other Spiritual Ability user or Awakened contacted him. While these people made him stronger, they also caused his personality to change… and as for why he forbids me from telling you about this, it's probably because those people wanted him to keep their secret.”

Seiji fell silent as he contemplated.

Hisashi remained silent for a while as well.