Chapter 53: Do Not Eat the Pickled Radish!

Sitting cross-legged beneath the eaves, Little Black, who had been summoned by Kayako, yawned with boredom and rested its chin near Udo Kayaha's leg, while a hand behind its rear remained poised to block any sudden dashes into the house.

Udo Kayaha certainly had not forgotten that there was still a little one inside the house. If he let Little Black wander in to be treated like a rat and bitten in half, that truly would break his heart with grief.

It would be the kind of regret that would wake him up abruptly in the middle of the night just so he could slap himself twice.

Glancing back toward the living room, he watched the two amateur Go players. To be frank, it took a truly special kind of talent for a single match of Go to stretch on for twenty minutes.

"Juice."

"Coming right up~"

Lifting Little Black and placing it upon his shoulder, Udo Kayaha ignored the creature's bewildered gaze and carried it along as he poured each of them a glass of juice.

Kayako's parents were completely oblivious to the fact that their daughter had not eaten a single meal at home for half a month. Such extreme apathy would be a cruel torture for anyone to endure.

Yet Kayako had stubbornly survived in such an environment for nearly a decade. Therefore, one could hardly blame her for developing a personality that clung desperately to the slightest shred of kindness shown to her.

As night fell, after seeing the two young women off as they stepped out of their respective homes, Udo Kayaha went upstairs to begin comforting the disgruntled Little Tomie.

"You spend your time with them, but not with me..."

Although the little one's jealousy lacked the aggressive edge of Tomie's, her constant nagging was far more persistent and harder to brush off than Tomie's selective indifference.

"It's fine, you know. I'm just a mere clone, mm... the kind who works without complaint, answers every call, acts just like a puppy—no, even worse than a puppy, just a pathetic pet~"

Sitting in the bathtub, Udo Kayaha felt a mix of amusement and exasperation as he listened to Little Tomie's sarcastic barbs.

Fortunately, Little Tomie only grumbled a bit, as she herself knew she was unsuited to appear in public places.

Yet Little Tomie's complaints also prompted Udo Kayaha to start pondering whether he should find a way to take the little one out with him.

To appease Little Tomie, Udo Kayaha stayed with her, chatting deep into the night, until he finally managed to coax her to sleep.

The following day, Little Tomie woke up, gave a huge yawn, and struggled out from beneath the blankets. She curled her lips into a pout as she looked at Udo Kayaha's side of the room, realizing he had already left for parts unknown.

"Scumbag..."

"Hah... Do you even have the right to say that word?"

As the bedroom door pushed open, Tomie walked in with a cold sneer. Little Tomie glanced at her, too lazy to waste words on her.

"You never visit without a hidden motive. To what do I owe the great honor of your presence?"

Exchanging their usual round of mutual sarcasm, Little Tomie showed not the slightest bit of fear toward what Tomie might do to her. Worst case scenario, she would just rapidly grow up and have a showdown with her.

Who was afraid of whom?

"So, what is it?"

Tomie sat down in Udo Kayaha's chair, picked up a pen, and began spinning it rapidly and flexibly across her fingertips.

"Go to the Inoue household."

"Ha? Are you insane? If I go to the Inoue house, how am I supposed to keep my promise to Kayaha? Sure, we can grow up fast, but that doesn't mean we can shrink back down!"

Hearing this, Tomie coldly cast a glance at her clone.

"Are you going or not?"

"Not going!"

Seeing Little Tomie's refusal, Tomie stood up, walked to the edge of the bed, and looked down condescendingly at the tiny figure leaning against the pillows. Little Tomie met her gaze without a flicker of cowardice.

After a long moment, Tomie finally spoke first.

"Send a clone instead."

"Why don't you go your—"

Little Tomie started to retort out of sheer instinct, but before she could finish, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Has the new evolution started?"

Tomie nodded, walking over to the window to gaze at the distant sky.

"Which aspect is it this time?"

"I don't know."

"Not even a premonition?"

Tomie remained silent; her quietness was the best answer.

"Neither of us has died recently. Why is our power..."

Lost in a silent thought, Tomie spoke softly.

"Contamination."

"?"

Tomie turned around to look at the bewildered Little Tomie, her gaze unreadable—holding both the shy sweetness of romance and the helpless amusement of irony.

"Kayaha is indeed special."

The abrupt and seemingly nonsensical remark caused Little Tomie's brow to furrow deeply, but a sudden realization struck her immediately afterward.

"That night...!"

Little Tomie gasped in sudden enlightenment, and Tomie nodded in confirmation.

"But—that little bit? It didn't even reach half the standard of the films..."

Tomie snatched an eraser and hurled it at her in annoyance.

"You're actually bringing up something shot in segments? Who in their right mind could handle that? That was a lethal dose!"

Dodge-rolling away from Tomie's projectile, Little Tomie crossed one arm over her chest and rubbed her chin.

"Still... I find it a bit far-fetched. Kayaha is just an ordinary human being. How could he possibly manage to... reverse-contaminate us?"

Tomie half-sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at Udo Kayaha's unfinished manuscript, her fingers tracing over the handwriting.

"Because he is special."

Tomie's murmured words plunged Little Tomie into deep thought. Indeed, if he weren't special, facing those sickening and repulsive scenes month after month would have driven him either into the abyss of despair or to flee far away long ago.

"Although I can't fully confirm whether it's because of Kayaha, but... I understand now."

As her voice trailed off, Little Tomie bit down hard on her own finger, severing it, and tossed it casually onto the floor.

In less than ten seconds, a brand-new Tomie materialized inside the bedroom.

"Hello there."

Greeting them with icy detachment, the newly born Tomie gave the other two an indifferent glance.

Retrieving a spare set of clothes she kept stored in Udo Kayaha's wardrobe, Tomie tossed them over and crossed her arms as she eyed Tomie Number Three.

"As for the Inoue household, Inoue no Suke needs help."

Tomie Number Three nodded. Having synchronized her memories, she naturally understood what needed to be done.

"I suddenly find myself feeling a bit nostalgic for the old days..."

Looking at Tomie, Number Three dropped a remark full of hidden meaning.

The old days?

Still thinking about replacing her?

Tomie sneered, feeling utter disdain for Number Three's ulterior motives.

"Very well. We can start right now if you like."

A voice brimming with confidence and utterly devoid of panic escaped Tomie's lips.

Yet neither Number Three nor Little Tomie made any rash moves. As fellow incarnations of Tomie, they knew all too well that they had long since evolved to a level where they could no longer be replaced.

Especially now, after the strong possibility of having been contaminated by Udo Kayaha...

"Where is the car?"

"At the front door."

Hearing this, Tomie Number Three rose to her feet and strode out of the room with a frosty expression. However, just as her front foot crossed the threshold, Tomie's voice suddenly called out from behind.

"That exorcist circle where Kiga Haruko is—make contact with them."

Tomie Number Three paused, looked back with a sinister smile, and remarked,

"I thought you'd be sitting around singing kumbaya and playing happy sisters with her."

Tomie maintained her bland expression, showing no desire to answer.

With a cold snort, Tomie Number Three turned and walked out of the room.

At the entrance, Matsushima Yuko caught sight of Tomie Number Three dressed in her new outfit.

"Oh my, why have you changed your clothes? Is little Kaha not at home either?"

Tomie Number Three glanced at her grandmother and rolled her eyes.

"He's been missing since early morning. Who knows where he went to die."

"Is that so? And where are you off to, little Tomie?"

"Just going out for a stroll. Grandma, do you want me to bring anything back for you?"

"Hmm... buy Grandma some taiyaki from Daiga. I haven't had it in ages."

The moment she remembered that Daiga's taiyaki shop was nearly ten kilometers away and that Tomie would have to make a special trip all the way there, Tomie Number Three broke into a delighted smile.

"All right, Grandma. I'll buy it and bring it back for you by noon."

Inside Udo Kayaha's bedroom, Tomie froze for a fraction of a second upon hearing Number Three's reply, then glanced down at her watch.

"DON'T EAT THE SOUR RADISH!!!"