Chapter 89

Come to think of it, it had been strange from the very beginning.

After all, wasn’t this a situation where a daughter was visiting home after a long time?

A family member who had come home for the first time in months because of the League.

If it had been my house, the first thing they would have said was how much they missed their son. If it had been Seo Dami’s house, even if they were gruff on the outside, they would have asked how she was doing with the team.

But for Kato, there was no one.

In this large house, the only people who welcomed her were, at most, the servants.

If her family had happened to not be home, I could have at least understood the situation, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

I guessed that the man who had given orders while looking at the exhausted Kato was probably her father.

And so, I quietly passed the time.

Kato couldn’t wake up all night.

When the sun had fully risen and morning came, all the restrictions that had been sealing my senses were released.

I realized that the sensory block using the Power of the Ley Line would naturally undo itself if Kato didn’t actively try to maintain it.

And the exhausted Kato moved back to a place inside my head, which, thanks to her, allowed me to move my body freely.

Just as I was thinking of doing some stretching.

“Lady Kato. Are you awake?” a voice called out from beyond the paper screen door.

The voice wasn’t loud.

The one asking after me seemed to be a servant, and the low volume was likely intended not to wake me if I was still sleeping.

I replied, “I’m awake.”

She then asked for my preference, saying that breakfast was ready.

Should I go and eat?

Come to think of it, Kato hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday.

I thought it would be better for a patient with depleted energy to fill their stomach, if only for recovery.

‘But a meal with the family would be awkward.’

I didn’t know how many family members were in this house, but given its size, it seemed likely there were one or two more of Kato’s relatives around.

Seeing as not a single one had shown their face, their relationship, no matter who or how many there were, must not be very good.

Guessing as much, I asked the servant if she could bring the meal to me, as I was feeling unwell.

I was thinking that if she couldn’t, I’d just skip it, but the servant quietly withdrew with the reply, “I will bring it to you.”

She returned about ten minutes later.

The paper screen door opened, and after setting down the breakfast brought on a small table, she said, “Please enjoy your meal,” and disappeared again.

‘Breakfast is here, aren’t you going to eat?’

I asked casually, but Kato was still deep in dreamland.

I rolled up my sleeves to eat alone.

Honestly, I had an appetite.

Just because I was a ghost didn’t mean I didn’t get hungry.

Especially since I had been sharing senses for a long time, I felt very empty if food didn’t come at mealtimes.

‘Nothing unusual.’

Having eaten my fill of Japanese home-style cooking while staying at the Kamui Team House, there were no ingredients that could surprise me.

A salad with sliced tomatoes and lettuce.

Grilled fish, already cut into pieces so I couldn’t tell what kind it was.

White rice, pickled vegetables, and a rolled omelet.

And there was warm tofu with soy sauce, and miso soup.

‘Somehow, it tastes even better…?’

It seemed to taste better than the food I ate at the Kamui Team House.

The chef in charge of the team members’ meals was surely first-rate, so it was somewhat ironic that the cooking of an ordinary household was more delicious.

After emptying the rice bowl in the blink of an eye, I opened the door and placed the table outside.

This way, the servant would take the table away on her own without the need for any unnecessary conversation.

Now that my stomach was full.

I tried practicing opening and closing the Energy of the Ley Line, which I had only practiced in my head until now.

Image training and practicing with an actual body would surely be different.

As the Power of the Ley Line began to circulate through my legs, arms, and entire body, I got the feeling that I could completely Control it myself, even without Kato’s help.

Honestly, it was hard to predict the future in this situation.

Although Kato was a bit prickly, I didn’t think she was the type of person who would kill me.

But since she said promises were important to an Onmyoji, I doubted she would take the Risk of keeping me alive.

So, I was practicing how to escape.

So that I could leave this place at any time with my own power.

I practiced handling the Earth Vein diligently, and when the sun was high in the sky, a disheveled Kato opened her eyes.

When I greeted her with, “Are you awake?” Kato, clutching her head and groaning, asked what time it was.

When I told her it was just past noon, Kato touched the corners of her eyes, saying, “It’s that late already?”

<Hey, but why am I back inside again?>

‘Well…’

I was about to say, “Because you threw up blood yesterday,” but I changed the subject.

The memory of last night wouldn’t be pleasant for her either.

‘Never mind that.’

<……?>

‘You remember what you said yesterday, right?’

<What?>

‘You told me to just bear with it for a little while. You said yesterday that we’d return to the Team House today.’

<Ah.>

As if remembering that she had said so yesterday, Kato let out an “Ah!”

She looked a little troubled.

After all, she still had things to do at home today.

Just as the words “I’m sorry, but” began to leave Kato’s mouth, followed by a question of whether we could return tomorrow, I plopped down on the floor in protest.

‘No way. A promise is a promise! Let’s go back today!’

<I said I was sorry.>

‘You said an Onmyoji must always keep their promises. Are you saying it’s okay to break a trivial promise like this?’

<…….>

‘Besides, you can’t do anything even if we stay here any longer. Can you even switch places in your current state?’

When I first entered Kato’s body, I knew nothing, but now it was different.

Thanks to my senses sharpening from training with the Power of the Ley Line, I could clearly tell that Kato’s Condition was a mess.

It meant she needed to rest for a while, and since things had come to this, she couldn’t completely ignore my opinion.

Because I had to pretend to be her in her stead.

‘I’m not confident I can act properly if I stay in this house.’

At those words, Kato’s hesitation was palpable.

It was understandable.

No matter how much I had learned to handle the Earth Vein, it was impossible for me to do things like telling fortunes as she did last night.

After pondering for a long time, Kato suggested we stay for just a few more days.

She said that as soon as she was well enough to switch places, she would finish her family business and leave.

I wondered, why on earth?

Hadn’t she suffered to the point of throwing up blood just yesterday?

There was no way she enjoyed it, so there had to be some reason.

‘Tell me the reason.’

What in the world was this business that she had to stay home to do, to that extent?

I subtly brought it up, hoping to hear the inside story, but she dismissed it as a family matter.

‘For crying out loud, is a family matter more important than the Olympics?’

The Olympics, the grand festival of the world, was only two weeks away.

Everyone else had already gone to the US in advance to adjust to the time difference and what not, so for Kato, the pillar of the Japanese team, to waste several more days here was absurd.

Besides, if that happened, Kato’s Condition would surely be even worse than it was now.

‘Wait a minute. Then maybe this is an opportunity…?’

Come to think of it, I wondered why I was trying to take care of this person’s health so much.

The condition of the bet Kato Mikane made with Seo Dami was to defeat her by the year-end World Championship.

In other words, even without waiting until the end of the year, if Dami beat Kato at the Olympics, the condition would be met.

And the more wretched Kato’s Condition became, the higher the probability that Korea would beat Japan.

I was momentarily conflicted, but in the end, I let out an “Agh!” and decided to follow my conscience.

Hoping for Kato to collapse in such a way felt somehow wrong.

Even though her personality was a pain in the ass, if you looked closely, she had definitely helped me in some ways.

She helped me with the game, and she also told me how I could continue to live.

So, for now, I decided to help Kato a little.

So that her prestige wouldn’t fall due to unexpected family problems.

‘I’m sorry. I have a rough idea of what happened yesterday.’

<…How?>

‘I heard it. Perhaps your Concentration wavered, and a problem occurred with the Seal you placed on me.’

I lied, and Kato bit her lip at the fact that her shame had been unwillingly exposed.

‘I didn’t hear everything. But I heard you telling a fortune and throwing up blood. What happened?’

Kato Mikane had said it before.

That the Power of the Ley Line was a good energy that caused no harm to the user’s body.

That it was different from Doping, which gnawed away at a player’s health and lifespan.

But last night, Kato was clearly suffering more damage than that.

When I pointed that out, Kato replied in a bitter tone.

<Have you heard the saying, ‘too much of a good thing’? Even good medicine can become poison if used too excessively.>

Kato then said that an Onmyoji’s fortune-telling must be conducted with great care.

<But yesterday, there was a lot to do. I unintentionally overdid it. But don’t worry. It’s something I can finish if I just hang on for about one more day.>

Kato said that as soon as her body recovered, she would tell fortunes for just one more day, and then her business in this house would be over.

‘You want me to wait?’

<Just one day.>

‘The work itself is one day. The recovery time is separate, isn’t it?’

<…That’s right.>

‘Let me ask you one thing.’

I asked Kato.

‘What does UA mean to you.’

The first-ever UA Olympics was just around the corner.

Kato couldn’t be unaware of the importance of participating as a National Representative.

If she still prioritized her remaining family business despite that, I felt I would be quite disappointed in her.

However, Kato’s answer was different from my expectation.

<What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m looking down on UA because I’m telling fortunes instead of preparing for the Olympics? Is that what you mean?>

After that, Kato got genuinely angry.

Saying, what do you know.

<I made Japan, our team, the strongest in the world. Even with the Power of the Ley Line, do you think that happens by just sitting around?>

Even with the Power of the Ley Line, UA training is hard.

Just because you know how to handle the Earth Vein doesn’t mean the pain of training disappears.

It’s the same In-Game.

Even with overwhelming Physical abilities, you have to develop the ability to Control them, and you have to constantly learn Strategy and tactics to make them shine.

And what about Skills?

Even the great Kato Mikane, when a new Season had just started, was defeated by a Skill she had never seen before and had to take a break from the Legendary Challenge.

The UA Meta was still changing rapidly.

The fact remained that to keep up with this flow, even with the Power of the Ley Line, the player herself had to put in a lot of effort.

<I’m the pillar of our team. I taught all our kids, and I made all the tactics. Do you think the team would function without me?>

She raised her voice.

Saying that even if you put a player who was merely good Physically in her place, they wouldn’t be able to draw out even half of the team’s capabilities.

That she had always done her best while playing UA.

<Did you look down on me because I won with the Power of the Ley Line? Now that you’ve learned a bit about how to use the power, you think you can easily win and lift the World Championship trophy when you return to your original body? Don’t make me laugh. You think UA is a joke?>

I offered an apology to her as she snapped at me.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to think that far.

But there was still a part I couldn’t understand.

The reason why she was so intent on finishing her family business before leaving, even though it seemed she did like UA.

Can’t she just do it after she gets back?

When I conveyed that thought, Kato snapped with a sharp sound of irritation.

<You don’t know anything, that’s why. What happens if you disobey an order in this house. I like UA, but if I don’t listen, I’ll never be able to do this work again!>

‘You mean your parents will stop you from being a Pro Gamer?’

<Our family wields powerful influence, reaching from the political world to Kasumi Hall. Blocking one person’s future is nothing to them.>

Kato’s explanation was that although the Kamui team had become the pride of Japan by winning a world tournament, if her family put their mind to it, they could see the team dismantled overnight.

I wondered if there was really a group that could do something like that, but since she said so, I decided to believe her.

<If you understand, then help me just one more time. Then I won’t forget this favor either.>

Was she saying she’d take it into account later when weighing my life?

But there was a problem.

Kato said she would rest for a few days, but I doubted the family would let her do that.

In reality, Kato’s Condition was bad enough to require several days of rest, but to others, I could look perfectly fine.

When I mentioned that I had cleaned the breakfast tray brought in the morning, Kato showed a question mark.

<…You ate while I was sleeping?>

‘I was hungry. I hadn’t eaten for over a day. The tofu was delicious, thank you for the meal.’

<You’re a Soul!>

‘Souls can eat too.’

Do you think the saying about ancestors coming to eat the food from memorial rites came from nowhere?

It must have come about because they can all eat.

As I grumbled, Kato put a hand to her forehead.

<Just, if someone comes and asks something, answer as I tell you. Don’t say anything weird.>

‘Yes.’

But things didn’t go as expected.

The servant who came at lunchtime instructed us to prepare for the evening ceremony.

It was an order from the Family Head, Kato Mikane’s father.

Kato relayed the message that it would be better to postpone it as she wasn’t feeling well today, but the only reply that came back was that it must be done today.

Kato Mikane, feeling a complex mix of emotions like irritation and worry.

Because I could feel her heart, I made a decision in my mind.

‘Alright.’

<What’s alright?>

‘I understand well your feelings for UA.’

<Suddenly?>

‘I should have said it earlier, but I missed the Timing.’

<And?>

‘As someone who also loves UA dearly, why don’t you leave this to me for once. Aren’t we comrades? Comrades who love UA.’

<…Why are you being so unsettling.>

It seemed I had absolutely no trust from Kato.

That evening, when I had resolved to regain her trust.

The scheduled summons from the Family Head came.

In a rather dark room lit by a few candles, facing the Family Head of the Kato clan, I abruptly declared a strike.

“Father. I’m too sick to tell fortunes, so I will proceed with the remaining work after I finish my Olympics schedule.”

<…Aah, what have you done.>

Kato collapsed in my head.

And at my declaration, the Family Head glared this way as if looking at an insect.

It was a look that said, where on earth did this thing come from?

“You’ve brought back something strange.”

<…!!!>

A chilling voice.

In that moment, I thought, huh?

I didn’t think I’d be found out this quickly.

At that moment, the Family Head’s hand shot out towards my face.