"My little girl doesn't love me anymore!?"
The heartbroken father falter in dismay. The huge physique of that family head might as well be just a shell after his little girl's reaction.
"Oh please, you're overreacting~"
Fuuka tries to comfort him.
"Maybe she's just going through puberty"
Though evidently from her face, even Fuuka herself isn't buying her own explanation.
She recalls the scene earlier
{"Surprise~!!!....."
The ecstatic couple's cheer started out cheerfully before starting to simmer down as their daughter's lackluster reception kills the festive mood. Juxtaposed against the confetti flying all over the corridor is Mizuki's pale face amidst the celebration.
"U-uwaahh! You're here dad..."
An obviously forced reaction. But whenever she tries talking to dad, she can't take her eyes his shoulder. Unable to bear the pressure, she finds an escape.
"Aaanyway dad, you must be super tired from your journey, you go catch some rest first"
As soon as she finishes her sentence, the young girl quickly turns the other way and race into her room upstairs. Leaving the stupefied and heartbroken dad in front of the door.}
'what's wrong with that girl? Even though she was the one who couldn't wait to meet him before...'
Fuuka mulls.
Meanwhile upstairs Mizuki's freaking out.
"Just now... On Dad's shoulder-"
She recalls the unsightly creature she'd witness resting atop the man in his early 30's.
"An onbu obake is in my house!!"
Somewhere around the neighborhood, Daisuke is scouting the area in search of something.
Back in the Kitahara household, the dinner table is quieter than normal. Kitahara Keiki already forgot how to talk to his only daughter and the girl in question is as tense as she can be like a student waiting for her exam result. Breaking the silence is Fuuka, who almost didn't notice the situation acting like everything is normal. Asking dad about his week and work while picking clumps of rice from the bowl.
Only the noise from the TV in the background fills the atmosphere, a typical news broadcast about the arrival of some political diplomat in Jousho's capital state.
"Ah, isn't that one of your boss? The people in the top admin? Top board or something?"
Fuuka addresses the news. Trying to end the deafening silence.
"Oh yes, he's from a different department but-"
Finally some conversation flows at the dinner table.
Meanwhile, Mizuki just sits in silence, struggling to find the appetite to finish her meal in the invisibly tense situation she's in. While her parents are busy talking, catching up after a long while, she's in a supernatural war by herself.
'It's.. staring at me!!'
Her frantic mind tries their best to hide behind her calm act on the surface, ignoring the nerve wrecking atmosphere.
'what now? Are my family in danger? What am I supposed to do?! I really wish Daisuke kun is here at times like these!!'
Her eyes turn to the face of the hardworking man who'd been supporting their small family all this while. She can't help but notice how he would massage behind his neck at times. Clearly that thing is affecting his health in some unknown way, affecting his condition. She can't afford to lose another family member.
"Mii chan, did you receive the gift I sent last month?"
Dad's question breaks Mizuki's daze. The daughter who's only been silently gazing all this time, taking no part in the conversation.
"Hehe, that one's quite the tricky one too. Even Mii chan might have trouble figuring out that one"
Mizuki flinches slightly, but responds after a brief pause
"The gift? Ah yes... that I did..."
An unenthusiastic reply. Still trying her hardest to hide her anxiety amidst the otherwise warm occasion. Still trying her best to occasionally turn to dad without displaying distress.
Fuuka recalls.
"Ah that, what is it? Some kind of animal bone?"
"Well—"
Keiki a little sheepish, a little excited.
"It's from the last field survey. "
Mizuki still playing with her rice, turning it over and over inside her bowl.
"at first, no one could agree on what it was. The proportions didn't match. Some thought it was part of a small mammal's limb, others—"
"A bird? It's kinda shaped like a bird."
Fuuka guesses.
"That was one of the theories."
He lift the glass box carefully, revealing the specimen. Mizuki's chopsticks pause midair. Without even looking, softly offers her answer
"...a bat"
"That's right!"
Keiki confirms, a little too fast, a little too happy.
"They're claws— bat claws."
"Mii chan actually figured it out the same day it arrived"
Fuuka adds.
"As expected of my girl! You even beat some of our top researcher to it"
He remarks proudly.
"I.. I just knew..."
Mizuki turns her face away from the table, pretending like she's interested in the news, or even the window outside.
"Still is there even a bat this huge over there? Your current research location is in Aramaja isn't it?" Fuuka amazed.
Keiki entertains her question, but evidently Mizuki's cold reaction got to him. After a while the conversation thins out.
"So uh, have you been doing well at school?"
A weak opener, the panicked father tries his best to include Mizuki in the conversation.
But the girl's eye is more distracted by the hunched humanoid reaching out to touch the food before her.
She reaches for a drink to hide her nervousness, trying her best to look away from that thing, she bring her gaze to the window. The last thing she'd want is for such a rare joyful occasion to be ruined by her antics.
'what should I do...? what's the right thing to do...?'
Mom just sighed from her seat, unsure of what to do with her daughter's sudden change in attitude. But then a grin takes shape on the end of her lips.
Still drinking and locking her gaze to the window, Mizuki tries to drown out the awkwardness at the dinner table. Perhaps dissolving her role in the conversation with it too. But just as she's staring blankly at the window, she start to notice something gradually appearing nearby. A silhouette. A human shadow.
'eh? Is that-'
"Ahh Mii chan, tell us more about your new friend?"
Immediately the nervous girl chokes on her drink, coughing violently into her hands. Spluttering and gasping, her face flushed bright red. Fortunately she's the only one who can see the figure emerging outside her living room.
"Oy oyh, are you okay Mii chan?"
Dad reaches towards Mizuki, he's the only one alarmed from that. Mom pays no attention to it, or rather, it seems like she'd anticipated that reaction.
Mizuki just wave him off weakly, still coughing and trying to regain her composure. But signaling that she's fine. Her eyes flit between Daisuke and Keiki.
'Daisuke kun? what is he doing here now of all time?!'
Fuuka continues on, ignoring the momentary panic.
"You can never guess huh? One moment, you worry about your little girl getting lost on her way home, then the next thing you know she came home together with a classmate, gosh you should've told Mom sooner"
"Ehh, Mii chan made a friend huh?"
Dad impressed, a sliver of proudness.
"Yes yes, Kishimoto san was it? A very nice and polite kid."
"I see I see, Kishimoto huh, which one's their house?"
Dad engages.
"Hmm not sure, maybe they just moved in? never heard of that name around here before."
"still I can't imagine Mii chan talking with girls her age... can she even keep up with Mii chan?"
"Ohoho what are you talking about dear, Kishimoto san is a boy"
Dad a bit surprised, his chuckles fades
"A boy?"
"MOM!"
Mizuki finally regained her breath, just at the right time.
"Yes, a very handsome young man, right Mii chan?"
The mother further adds to the interesting development.
"No he's not!"
Mizuki denies even stronger especially with the person in question present in the room.
"That's what she said last time too"
Fuuka brings it up.
"well I don't mind you keeping a few secrets here and there. But you know I'm not gonna get mad at you just for that, right?"
Is what he said on the outside, but really on the inside.
'I just got home after a long time all worried about my little girl. And now some punk think he can take Mii chan away from me?!'
"It's not what you think it is!"
Mizuki's a bit defensive. But then mutters some more under her breath.
'is he in Reitai?'
Mizuki thought.
'what is he trying to do?'
Meanwhile, the furious spectral creature grows more unease as it seems to sense Daisuke's presence.
"They grow up so fast right?"
Fuuka still amused.
"Please don't forget about us once you're happy with Kishimoto san, okay? Come home every week, okay?"
"Hold on, Dear!"
Keiki also worried.
"No! Me and Daisuke kun aren't like that!"
Mizuki protests, jumping from her seat. Defending her status but it's mostly the maiden shy heart protesting. Her face red, be it because of frustration or embarrassment is anybody's guess.
However her big movement startles the already cautious obake a bit and as it freaks out, it notices Daisuke slowly approaching from the back. Wasting no time, Daisuke steps forward in an attempt to grab it. However the obake crawls behind, or rather in front of the father, putting the unsuspecting middle aged man between it and Daisuke. A meat shield.
Daisuke ticks his tongue softly from that failed attempt. Swiftly he exits the scene just like how he entered.
Only then does Mizuki finally realizes why the 'very handsome young man' is here in the first place. Though as his assault fails, Daisuke quickly make his escape from the room.
"So it's a 'Daisuke kun' huh..."
Dad takes some time to judge the character of the boy he'd never seen just from his name alone.
"Daddy won't allow it!"
He exclaim, banging the table.
"Stop acting out one of your drama!"
Mizuki retorts. Seemingly, she already forget about the threatening presence in there with them.
And so dinner ended on a more lively note in that house tonight.
That night as her parents are still catching up in the living room, Mizuki sneaks out from the back door to meet the handsome young man outside.
"Daisuke kun!"
"Yo Mizuki kun, how is it, do you like your new little brother?"
"don't call him that!"
She quickly denies despite having imagined that possibility earlier.
"What are you even doing here? How do you know that thing is here?"
"Hahaha I was passing by your house earlier, then I sensed something was unfamiliar so I checked"
"You just happen to be passing?"
She glances, suspicious.
Replying her last remark with nothing but a cheeky wink, he turns to the unfortunate man with that extra 'luggage' on his shoulder.
"How's your dad?"
"I'm not too sure but I feel like dad also look more tired than usual.. doesn't look like it wants to get off my dad."
"well that's for sure it's draining reichitsu from your dad, constantly eating into his supplies. His brain will have to work twice as hard than normal. Until eventually he just become a person who's always tired all the time"
"That's not good! Is it going to possess my dad?!"
"Calm down, this is not a possession. They don't link reichitsu as far as I can tell, maybe it's just feeding off of your dad's reichitsu."
"So... do we let it be? Do we get rid of it? You make it sound like it's not too serious"
"Not every paranormal case results in immediate harm or dire situation. This is one of those, at most he'll just be a slightly more tired man than usual until his body adapt, but he'll still be your same old dad."
"Then.. it's fine..?"
"Just think of it like a tick that find it's way into your dad. But ultimately it's up to you, Mizuki kun. What do you want to do? What would it be?"
"Eh I...-"
Seeing her husband so close by, Fuuka would offer to massage his shoulder. Almost like she can sense how stiff it is from just looking. Either that or she can't help but physically expresses how much she misses that masculine back. Perhaps like this she can selfishly stop him from ever leaving her side again.
"Ah thanks, dear... it's been a pain recently I don't know if I slept wrong or something"
Keiki commented on his recent anguish.
"Was the seat on the flight too hard?"
"No I don't think it's that...-"
He complains to his attentive wife about his recent soreness and troubles dating back a couple months prior.
Meanwhile, observing from outside the window, Mizuki can see the exact reason for her father's soreness but have no possible way to let them know.
"W-what if we let it be...?"
"If we let it be now it'll keep sucking the reichitsu out of your dad, making him more lethargic with each passing day for the next few months"
Daisuke further explains.
"No way... can't you do something about it Daisuke kun?"
"The way it looks now, if I get too close it'll hide inside your dad like a hermit crab"
Scenes from the dinner earlier flashes between them.
"What? Then how are we supposed to get rid of it?"
"Not we-"
He points toward her
"-you"
"M-me?"