Chapter 27: It’s not like you can keep her at home, can you?

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A simple bowl of noodles tossed with chili oil was still a little too spicy for someone accustomed to the cuisine of an island nation.

Yet for some reason, eating the noodles Uda Kaya had made for her filled Kayako with warmth.

She could no longer remember how long it had been since she had eaten a hot, home-cooked meal anywhere except at school.

“The Aoyama juice is a little bitter. If the chili is too spicy for you, you don’t have to eat it. I’ll make you something else.”

As Uda Kaya handed her the juice, Kayako sniffed hard.

“Thank you, Kaya... I—I really like it...”

As long as it was something Kaya had made, Kayako liked it all...

Looking at the flush spreading across Kayako’s face—whether from emotion or the chili—and the intense, clinging affection in her eyes, Uda Kaya sighed inwardly.

Although he knew that Kayako’s emotional state was far from normal, he remembered that in the original story, she had gone so far as to hide beneath Shunsuke Kobayashi’s bed, secretly listening to him have sex with his wife while pleasuring herself, and even eat his vomit, all in an attempt to form a closer bond with him.

Those actions alone proved that the girl’s personality had already become hopelessly twisted.

Compared with that, merely looking at him with affection was already a sign of considerable restraint.

He knew that becoming too involved with Kayako could very well lead to serious trouble, but Uda Kaya could not simply abandon her.

The Kayako before him was a living girl who had suffered neglect and bullying—not the terrifying evil spirit people would later speak of in hushed voices.

She was a living human being. Uda Kaya could never bring himself to ignore her and let her die a miserable death.

Besides, from the moment the two of them had formed a connection, the day Kayako died would probably also be the day his own game ended.

So no matter how he looked at it, he could not let Kayako follow the path laid out in the original story.

At the very least, she could not become the spirit of Ju-On and kill him while he was still alive!

As for what this world became after his death, or whether Kayako and Fukae drove it to ruin, that would be none of his concern...

“Your parents... If you don’t go home, won’t they call the police and look for you?”

Kayako froze at his words, then calmly shook her head.

“They won’t. They... don’t really care about me. When I was little, I got sick and couldn’t move. I stayed home for almost a week without going outside, and they never noticed...”

“Only when they suddenly saw me would they look at me as if they had just realized I was still there...”

Kayako’s description left Uda Kaya shaking his head. What kind of irresponsible parents could behave that way?

Remembering that Kayako had been driven out of her home again that day, Uda Kaya sighed helplessly. He was about to tell her to come to him in the future whenever she needed help.

But then he remembered that this time, in order not to cause him trouble, she had gone alone to wander around a park. In the end, he could only speak sternly.

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“If you’re driven out of your home again and don’t come to me, then we’ll never see each other again.”

“W-What!?”

At Uda Kaya’s solemn declaration, panic suddenly seized Kayako’s heart.

“No, please...! I—I’ll come to you, Kaya. Please, please don’t send me away...”

Watching Kayako speak until she was on the verge of tears, Uda Kaya deliberately nodded with an air of severity.

“Remember that. Now keep eating your noodles.”

“Mm-hmm! I’ll eat them. I’ll eat them right now!”

Amid her violent emotional upheaval, Kayako choked on the noodles and began coughing violently. Uda Kaya hurriedly handed her the juice. After hesitating for a moment, he went around behind her and patted her on the back.

He had come to understand that with someone like Kayako—lacking in confidence, utterly meek, and clinging to others like a parasitic vine—the only way to help was to make firm demands of her.

Only then could a girl accustomed to hiding and yielding begin to resist her own timid nature.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, as it drew near time to wash up and sleep, Uda Kaya noticed the white socks on Kayako’s feet—the pair he had given her, which she had clearly been wearing for who knew how long.

“You’ve been wearing those socks this whole time?”

When Kayako saw him looking at her socks, she assumed he thought she was dirty. She quickly crossed her feet behind her, trying to hide them as much as possible.

“Mm...”

The moment he saw her expression, Uda Kaya knew she had misunderstood. He sighed helplessly.

“I’m not saying you’re dirty. It’s just... Never mind. Sit here.”

With that, Uda Kaya hurried upstairs. Under Fukae’s watchful gaze as she poked her head out from the villa, he reminded her not to leave the bedroom, then brought several pairs of new socks downstairs.

“Take these and change into them.”

Seeing the socks Uda Kaya held out to her, Kayako’s heart filled with happiness, and she lowered her head shyly.

Kaya really does think about me... I’m so happy!

“Th-Thank you, Kaya...”

After handing the socks to Kayako and arranging matters concerning her room and washing up, Uda Kaya returned to the bedroom, locked the door, picked up Fukae, who was lying at the head of the bed, and settled down to rest.

The next morning, Uda Kaya rose early to make breakfast. When Fukae walked in through the door, a trace of surprise flashed across his eyes.

But knowing Fukae’s temperament all too well, he did not dare show any emotion on his face. He simply proceeded as usual, preparing his noodles with the mild level of spice she could tolerate.

Oh, and there was also her favorite Aoyama orange juice.

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Watching Uda Kaya’s sensible preparations, Fukae maintained an air of serene indifference. Inside, however, she thought:

At least you know what’s good for you. Otherwise, today... Today I’d make sure you never enjoyed a moment of peace!

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Fukae glanced at the other bowl of noodles, confusion in her eyes.

“I made them for Kayako. She’ll be coming down to eat in a moment.”

“!!!”

“Uda Kaya, you...!”

Seeing that Fukae was about to explode, Uda Kaya raised a hand to signal for calm and explained Kayako’s situation to her.

After hearing what Kayako had been through, Fukae was still furious that Uda Kaya had brought another girl home. But there was nothing she could do to deal with him, after all.

“So what are you planning to do? You can’t possibly keep her here, can you?”

Fukae’s voice was hostile. The unspoken meaning was obvious:

If you’re keeping her here, then what am I supposed to be?

Uda Kaya glanced toward the bathroom, which was still occupied. After thinking for a moment, he told Fukae that Kayako’s parents would die in a traffic accident while she was at university.

At those words, Fukae frowned and looked at him.

“What are Kayako and I to you? No—that’s not what I mean. What are we to you before you crossed into this world?”

“...”

Uda Kaya said nothing. Fukae did not press him, merely waiting in silence.

Just as Uda Kaya was clutching his head, unsure what to do, Kayako’s timid voice came from the direction of the bathroom.

“Fukae... Fukae, good morning...”

Kayako had changed into Uda Kaya’s yellow pajamas. Her eyes were filled with unease and timidity.

Fukae gave Uda Kaya a deep look. Then, while forcefully grinding her foot back and forth over the top of his, she turned toward Kayako and answered in a perfectly ordinary tone:

“Come over and eat. This guy’s cooking has always been pretty good.”

At Fukae’s invitation, Kayako breathed a sigh of relief and nodded vigorously before hurrying over to sit at the table.

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