Chapter 103: You Can’t Really Get Angry at a Straight Boy Friend!
Kazumi was in a pretty good mood today, humming an unknown tune as she prepared the ingredients in the kitchen.
With her part-time job salary, Kazumi could now openly buy groceries and prepare her own meals. Although her cooking skills weren’t the best, cooking for herself was much more economical than eating out. So, she’d just make do with it for now.
Besides, if it was truly unappetizing, she could always pack it as tomorrow’s lunch for that ‘guy,’ right? No matter how bad it tasted, he’d eat it all in one go, wouldn’t he? (laughs).
Her weekend part-time job was also quite relaxed. After what happened, Manager Masamori gave the two of them the day off. Today, she only needed to go in the afternoon.
So, Kazumi slept in, had breakfast, and then went to work as a cashier in the afternoon. Manager Masamori was quite concerned about Kazumi’s previous experience; he kept apologizing and said he would find a way to resolve the issue.
Kazumi wasn’t too concerned about this matter anymore. After all, if even Grandpa Sato had gotten involved, a bunch of pathetic thugs wouldn’t be able to cause any significant trouble.
What surprised Kazumi a little was that Noyoru Yokota seemed to have taken leave for some reason. According to Manager Masamori, he was participating in a qualifying exam for a Hero Agency. The leading hero of that agency thought highly of his capabilities.
However, these matters didn’t concern Kazumi too much. After a busy afternoon, she successfully completed her day’s work and returned home.
She put the sliced meat into the pan and stir-fried it. Smelling the aroma of the meat sizzling in the oil, Kazumi pondered whether she should try learning some local cuisine. Otherwise, being suspected due to her living habits seemed like a potential risk.
Skillfully taking the stir-fried food out of the pan, she quickly stir-fried a vegetable. The young girl’s dinner for the day was ready.
The unchanging chili-fried meat paired with mushy stir-fried greens gave her a sense of returning to her old, worn-out rental apartment. Back then, when she had just entered society, she lived on such meals every day to save money. The only difference was that her cooking skills were much better now?
She brought the two plates to the small table in the living room, served herself a small bowl of rice, and sat on the chair to enjoy her dinner.
Casually, she pulled up the evening news on her mobile phone, making it convenient to receive new information. At the same time, having the news broadcast in the background, from a certain metaphysical perspective, was conducive to the divergence of personal thoughts.
Listening to the news report about how Hero XXX had dismantled an organization involved in child abduction, Kazumi ate her meal while contemplating the events of tonight.
It had been very late when she messaged Shinichi yesterday evening, so he only replied at eight this morning. Judging from the content, it was as attentive as ever, and he promptly agreed to her request to go shopping today.
However, it seemed that ‘guy’ also had his own things to be busy with, probably training or something. It wasn’t until past noon that he managed to squeeze in some time and quickly replied with a couple of messages, saying he would likely only be free in the evening.
Kazumi didn’t mind these things. She wasn’t genuinely angry. Asking him out tonight was mainly for an alibi. Giving him a chance to apologize was just a bonus.
While working in the afternoon, Kazumi briefly tested the changes in her capabilities. Perhaps due to the territory or changes in her own abilities, the outward range of the coffin had extended a little. The controllable range for the Ghoul was about two hundred meters, meaning her ultimate control range was a little over seven hundred meters.
Kazumi also thoroughly tested the Ghoul’s digging skill. Its movement speed was quite fast. Although it couldn’t compare to subterranean creatures, its tireless body offered a significant advantage. The only drawbacks were the excessive noise it made and the obvious traces of death aura it inevitably left behind.
These were all completely acceptable to Kazumi. Being with Sato Shinichi would definitely provide her with a perfect alibi. The graveyard at night would surely be deserted. Even if there were noises underground, they would more likely be attributed to supernatural events rather than anything else.
Kazumi had also investigated the heroes responsible for patrolling the surrounding neighborhoods. None of them possessed the ability to perceive through obstacles, so she didn’t have to worry about her Ghoul’s actions being discovered by heroes.
However, the crucial issue now was the distance.
The nearest supermarket to Kazumi’s target destination was not close at all, far exceeding the range of her abilities. Therefore, acting directly in the supermarket was not feasible. Moreover, making strange noises in crowded places would easily attract the attention of people around her, or even draw heroes.
Reaching out, she turned off the news broadcast and opened the map app to check the surrounding commercial districts and environment. Biting her chopsticks, the frowning young girl muttered to herself.
“If I go to this shopping mall, I might pass by here on my way home, but the maximum range is still not enough.”
She drew a small circle next to the public cemetery, calculating a route from the mall back home that would fall within her range.
“This is still not enough. Let me find a way.”
Looking at the location on the map, Kazumi quickly found a nearby dessert shop with good reviews and reputation. She silently saved the shop, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
“This way, it will be enough. After shopping, I can remember there’s a good dessert shop nearby, and it would be normal to go there together.”
“And this stretch of road from here to here is within my control range. This amount of time should be enough to control the Ghoul to do those things. Ah, but I also need to consider if there’s anything specific I need to buy at that mall and if it fits my budget.”
Nodding with satisfaction, she looked closely again, reviewing the travel route, potential events, and countermeasures in her mind. Only then did Kazumi lazily pick up the last few grains of rice from her bowl and eat them, finishing her dinner.
“I’ve solved the problem while eating. What a perfect dinner!”
Justifying her praise for the meal, Kazumi cleared the leftover dishes from the table, intending to wash the bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen. However, the familiar notification sound from her mobile phone interrupted her actions. She put down the dishes, picked up her phone, and saw a small, fiery red avatar flashing before her.
[Kiyomizu-san, I’ve arrived downstairs your place!!]
