Kami-Jutsu: The Yakuza's Son is Aware-Chapter 35: Shinigami Ō, do you like Older Women?

The kimono-wearing woman with red hair, whose hand I had crushed in the penthouse... she clearly held a grudge.

She rarely responded when I summoned her, and when she did, she was always the first one out the window and the last to return.

By now, all of them had become aware of Kami particles, which meant they could wield them like a godman.

From the information I’d gathered, there were women in Valhalla known as Valkyries who not only looked after them but also disciplined them.

They trained my summons, armed them with better weapons, and even provided firearms and explosives.

Apparently, Yamada and the others couldn’t die anymore either.

That was a terrifying ability I had ended up with. They were going to be crucial in tearing down the remaining mammoths.

What I couldn’t figure out was how I could increase the number of people who could join their ranks. I didn’t even know what I’d done to gather the ones I had now.

I hadn’t even killed Anastasia, yet here she was.

So, is it that when people die around me, their souls are automatically snatched by Valhalla?

I turned to ask Ferry, who was seated across from Aoi—Yamada’s sister—playing a slow game of shōgi.

"I wonder... I’m not entirely sure how Valhalla operates," he said, his narrowed gaze locked firmly on the board, his furry paws resting against his chin in thought. "It might be connected to your own desire to keep them trapped, maybe."

"You mean, if I want to keep them, their souls would carry my seal of possession," I asked, while Mio continued to massage my shoulders against my will, "so when they die, their soul would already be mine for the taking?"

"Ken, you’re starting to sound like some kind of deranged necromantic scientist right now, and I never said all that," Ferry muttered through clenched teeth, clearly frustrated as he realized Aoi had beaten him.

"We’ll just have to test it on real people again," he said, resetting the board with quick, precise movements. "But I think it’s linked to your own attachment to their lives. If you think about it more, you’ll probably figure it out. Now stop nagging me—you made me lose that time!"

I see...

And get off my bed, the both of you.

*

I became a third-year in middle school a few months ago...

Though to be honest, school has never interested me. Everything about it is so uncomplicated that it feels as though the entire system is mocking me with its ease.

Ridiculous rumors about me circulate constantly, which doesn’t help.

I also have no friends—no one close enough for me to study and observe in detail, to truly understand how people react in various situations.

I collect that kind of data regardless, but having someone close as a friend would make the process far more efficient, especially since I’d be able to study their family as well.

With Yamada, Mio, and Ferry around, going to school stopped feeling quite so lonely.

Of course, Yamada—he is popular with the girls—insists on acting as my personal bodyguard, while Mio—also popular with the boys—insists on holding my hand in public, which only feeds more rumors.

Najimi, now a first-year at my school, often lurks in the corners of the halls, radiating bloodlust in Mio’s direction whenever she thinks no one’s looking.

Ferry had done some background work—I still don’t know who he used to be when he was a human—so Yamada and Mio could be enrolled in my class, while he himself took the form of a small, doll-sized wolf and hid in my school bag.

Suddenly, my daily life turned into something far more chaotic.

Still, there are benefits:

I’ve learned certain things from Mio, Yamada, and the others, and I’ve grown stronger as a godman.

One more year, and I’ll be ready to set my sights on another mammoth. I can hardly wait to fill Valhalla with more residents. They’re far more docile, and almost adorable, once they’re there.

However, I wonder if my perspective on murder will become warped, considering I keep thinking, "They’ll just turn into obedient spirits in my pocket afterlife."

*

One night, while reading "Tales of the Unseen Murder," Minase—the red-kimono red-haired woman who had blown up the penthouse that time—appeared before me.

Wait, she could materialize without me calling her?

And why was she here?

"Good evening, Oba-san," I greeted her.

"Call me ’Oba-san’ again, and I’ll cut off your male organ!"

Ah, she snapped.

I had only been trying to be polite.

"Understood," I said with a short nod. "Not that I ever planned on using it... But what should I call you, then? You are my elder, after all."

"I’ll have you know I was twenty-five years old before you ended my life!"

Ah, so... young?

Either way, I apologize.

"Well, I’m sorry. I did what I felt I had to do... But I also understand that, in doing so, I cut your life short. Believe me, I know... at least to some extent, how it must feel to die."

She gave a low, almost mocking laugh, then moved toward me with deliberate, feline grace, crawling across my bed in a way that I perceived to be seductive.

"I came to turn you into my slave..." she whispered into my ear.

Hm?

"I have no intentions of becoming anyone’s slave. But tell me... how do you intend to achieve that?" I asked.

Ferry, sensing the change in atmosphere, had tactfully given us space.

He covered his eyes in a show of decency, though I could tell he was still peeking between his fingers

"I specialize in seduction, and I am very confident in my abilities..." She bit lightly at my ear, her voice almost purring. "Tell me, Shinigami Ō, do you like older women? You’re curious, aren’t you?"

Her fingers traced an unhurried path along my abdomen, moving upward to my chest.

I didn’t react.

Truthfully, I was only mildly thrilled ... more interested in seeing how far she intended to take this, and in the act itself.

It became apparent that Minase’s plan was to make me dependent on her.

Perhaps that was why she had avoided showing herself to me before now. Maybe she assumed she was of no real use to me, and her pride refused to allow her to linger in my presence without purpose.

I had, after all, done considerable damage to both her and her sisters.

But still...

"Somehow, I’m actually glad you’re opening up to me like this," I said with a faint smile, glancing at her. "I was beginning to think you were holding a grudge against me, and that we’d never get along. I happen to like you."

She froze for a moment, her face taking on a sudden flush of color.

Ah, right. I remember now. That is the sort of thing people say when they’re proposing marriage.

What I meant, of course, was that I liked her personality and her character.

After all, she had been both commanding and brave during the incident at the penthouse. I sincerely hoped she didn’t misunderstand my intent.

Still, Minase was an adult. She should be able to recognize when someone is speaking seriously about such matters and when they are not.

"H-Hmph!" She turned her reddened face away from me. "Don’t get cocky with me, you bratty chuunibyou!"

They are still calling me that?

She lifted my shirt, baring my chest and stomach to the cool air.

"I bet you’re just a virgin pretending to act like some big shot!"

As her hands began to slide into my shorts—

"O... Onii-sama..."

The cold, cutting voice was followed by a sudden drop in temperature and an overwhelming wave of bloodlust that poured in from the open window.

Najimi’s face was a mask of pure terror, as she hung outside the window like a bat...

And I could almost see the dark, twisting emotions physically swirling around her like a storm.

The instant her crazed gaze locked onto Minase, she lunged toward us, and blood began to spill—