“Get home safe!” you call out to Maruhashi. You catch a flash of pink blooming throughout his cheeks, and he waves back wildly with a giddy giggle before turning the corner, practically skipping.

It had been a long day of spirit hunting. Well… not the hunting part yet. Investigating a series of dog killings, endangering everyone’s lives over a vengeful spirit — the usual.

Surprisingly, Maruhashi put in a good load of work into this case. No one else had known about the Kubitarou of Kintoki tale; it was just a coincidence that he had grown up hearing about it, or else you really would’ve gotten stuck on a dead end.

Regardless of Maruhashi’s input for this one particular ghost, you don’t think he’s a bad guy. Actually, he’s quite cute. The least you could’ve done was bid him a nice farewell, you know?

But then, you feel a presence behind you, and you watch as another shadow overtakes your own in front of you.

For a moment, your heart stops. You’re not exactly the most fearful of spirits, but now that you know they’re very much real and very much capable of killing the living, you’d be out of your mind if you weren’t even the slightest bit scared.

But it can’t be the Kubitarou of Kintoki — he’s known to be a big guy, much bigger than the one that had just creeped up to you.

Hm.

Seiji towers over you; silent, deadly… and something else. He doesn’t reach for your hand as per usual when you’re both about to go home. He doesn’t even say anything.

You have a feeling it’s about what you just did.

As the son of the Yakuza boss, Seiji already has unimaginable power over practically anyone he may come across if it’s not his own father. His favorite pastime is forcing men twice, maybe even three times his age, onto their knees, bowing their head after their ego has been all but crushed.

But he especially likes bullying the giant, fat, wimpy thug-wannabe. Maruhashi is both Seiji’s punching bag and dog. Just someone to follow him around and listen to orders obediently, a brawn without any brain whatsoever.

But you find Maru sweet, you even laugh at some of his jokes, and as someone important to Seiji…

Ah. You understand.

Seiji’s jealous.