Mythical Slayer: Mythical Girls Contract

Kai was still a bit confused, but he only felt a joyful feeling from the elderly man. It was like he had met his family that was long gone.

"Are you here to visit Suzuka's grave? Or do you want to stop by the house too?" The elderly man stepped away a little bit and asked Kai. His hands were behind his hunched back.

"I only plan to visit my mother's grave for now as I need to tend to my restaurant later after I return to the US. I am sorry, but I promise I will visit the house with grandpa in the near future."

"Hmm, I see. Just contact us before you visit, okay? Also, tell that little brother of mine that he should show his face now and then! Marcus really cut off contact with us since your mother's death."

As expected, the elderly man in front of him was related to him– his family even. That was why he felt a bit familiar. He must've met him once or twice in the past.

Still…

'So he's grandpa's older brother. Somehow… they are similar.'

"I will relay that to grandpa." He nodded.

"Good." The elderly man, Marcus' older brother, nodded with a warm smile. "Oh, do you still want to talk to Suzuka or something? If so, don't let me stop you! Feel free to do that. It's been a long time since your last visit. You can stay as long as you can!"

"I've finished my business already. It seems that umm…" Kai paused in the middle of his sentence. He wasn't sure what he should call the man in front of him.

"You can just call me grandpa Hyobe. Hahahaha, I guess you already forgot about me."

"Hahaha… I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. It's been a long time since you've been here."

"Yes." Kai nodded. "Also, I was about to return earlier when I sensed grandpa Hyobe approaching us. It seems that grandpa is also about to visit my mother's grave?"

"No, child. I am here to see who visited Suzuka's grave, not her grave itself. But I am relieved that you're the one who visited. We can also talk like this, thanks to that."

'Hmm…' Kai hummed in his mind. 'It seems that my family has something hidden. If not, how could he know someone had visited my mother's grave? And that speed… Was my family a part of Supernatural World to begin with?'

If so, then it would explain something about Marcus' sudden disappearance when he met Amber for the first time.

'I need to talk to that fucking old man when I return.'

"Anyway, it's great to see you again. Don't let me hold you for too long if you have something else to do. Just remember to visit the main house in the near future! Drag that stone head with you too. I hope he has already fixed his loud mouth."

"Hahaha, that would be great if he fixed his mouth. Also, I'll tell him about that, grandpa Hyobe."

"Good, good!"

Kai talked with Hyobe for a while, catching up on what happened in the last few years he hadn't visited Japan. The elderly man asked a few questions about his lifestyle and such but never touched anything of Supernatural nature.

After talking for a while, it seemed like an hour had passed; Kai excused himself as he said he needed to catch a plane. While he was technically lying, he wanted to return as soon as possible and interrogate his grandfather, Marcus.

Was there something he had hidden from him? Did he know that Amber was a Phoenix? All of the questions he wanted to ask were filling his head. Curiosity. He didn't hate his grandfather for hiding a secret, as that was normal.

Heck, he also didn't tell his grandfather that he made a contract with a Phoenix and now an Oni.

Still, at least he wanted to know whether his family had a relationship with the Supernatural World. If he knew about it, he could also be careful if his family had enemies in the Supernatural World, making his exploration safer.

"Kai…" Ibaraki suddenly spoke as soon as they left the cemetery and walked down the street. "There are a few people hidden in that cemetery."

"I know," Kai replied with a flat face. "They have no hostile intention, so I let them." He added.

The heightened senses of Oni were truly useful for sensing other people's presence. He somehow had gotten used to it since this morning. His senses became clearer, and he could hear and see better.

'Did Shuten Douji do something to my body?'

That could only be the explanation. Was it a bond thing or something Amber mentioned before? A contract would be stabilized once he deepened his bond with his contracted Mythical Creature. Still, did doing it with Shuten Douji also have a similar effect? He didn't know.

"Hmm, they must be so skilled that even I can't sense all of them." Amber mused. "Well, isn't it good that the power you got from your contract with Ibaraki was useful immediately?" She smiled at Kai and grabbed his arm.

"Yeah." Kai nodded and looked over his shoulder at Ibaraki, who walked a pace behind him. He sensed some uncertainty from her, so he said, "You can just walk beside me, you know? Just like Amber."

"But, Master… I am just your subordinate."

"Nonsense," Kai interjected with a powerful tone. "You're not my subordinate. While we are in a contract, I'd like to keep our relationship equal. So you can just walk beside me instead of walking behind me."

"But–"

"Ibaraki Douji. Do you want to disregard Kai's words? If he said to walk beside him, then walk beside him." Amber pressed with a serious tone, causing the Oni to look at her before nodding slightly.

Ibaraki's lips curled upward only slightly, but it was clear that she was happy to be able to walk beside Kai. She then took his other arm and pushed it between her breasts.

"That's good, Ibaraki." Amber praised the Oni with an excited tone, to which she replied with a small nod.

"Un."

Meanwhile, Kai thought over his decision and mused in his mind.

'I did say walk beside me like Amber, but she doesn't need to grab my arm like her… And why did she praise Ibaraki for it?'

Maybe he wasn't clear with his words. However, looking at the happy Ibaraki, he just let it be and continued walking while under the watch of a few jealous gazes.

'Well, let's just get out of here quickly and return to the US.'

***

In the cemetery, Hyobe silently took his cane from the ground and dusted it off. Then he walked toward Suzuka's tombstone and looked at it, muttering two words.

"Iga Leader."

As soon as he said that, a person dressed in all black appeared behind him, kneeling. Their gender couldn't be identified due to their clothes, but a pair of sharp black eyes were looking at the ground. They were the so-called shinobi from Japan, a ninja.

"Keep it a secret that Suzuka's son visited her grave from the rest of the family."

The shinobi raised their head and looked confused but didn't voice anything.

Hyobe turned around to face them directly as he narrowed his eyes.

"I won't let the others in the family use Suzuka's son just like they used Suzuka, my cute niece. No, don't even let them contact him before he visited the main house himself with Marcus. Or something terrible would've happened."

Even though the shinobi was curious, their job was only to follow Hyobe's order. So they bowed deeply and replied.

"Yes, Hyobe-sama."

"Good. Leave." He ordered, and black smoke covered the shinobi. Once the smoke was gone, the shinobi had already disappeared from the spot.

Once again, Hyobe turned to Suzuka's tombstone with a solemn gaze. He caressed the tombstone gently and muttered.

"Don't worry. Your son will be fine. He has gained two really strong girls as his companion." He smiled slightly. "Even the family won't be able to touch him carelessly."