In this crossover anime, I fight against the supernatural in my everyday world.

Suga Natsumi rested her cheek on her hand, tilted her head slightly, and stared at Yohoshi's handsome face with great interest, chuckling softly.

Can I take that to mean you think I'm good-looking too?

"Look at what you're saying, I'm not blind."

Compared to her professional skills, Suga Natsumi was clearly more pleased to hear Yohoshi compliment her looks, and smiled as she spoke.

"Regarding the matter you mentioned, I went through a lot of trouble and finally found some information."

"Five years ago, there was indeed a girl named Honma Meiko who died after falling into the river."

"After digging deeper, I discovered that this matter does not seem to be a simple accident."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xing became intrigued.

"Xisuo."

Suga Natsumi paused for a moment, and without thinking, replied instinctively.

"Where to eat?"

Ye Xing stared at the other person speechlessly.

"You want some milk too?"

Upon hearing this, Suga Natsumi's pretty face instantly turned bright red.

Although she had never been in a relationship and had no experience in that area, as a mature woman in her early twenties, she was not so naive as to not understand such obvious hints.

"No lewd jokes allowed."

Suga Natsumi coughed twice to calm herself down before slowly speaking.

"The place where Honma Meiko died was in a mountain on the outskirts of Kyoto, in the middle of a fast-flowing river."

"My investigation revealed that every year, more than a dozen children, around the age of elementary school, go missing or die in those mountains."

"Although the police conducted an investigation, due to insufficient evidence, they could only classify it as an accidental death."

"According to rumors, there is a terrifying evil spirit that likes to devour the souls of children hidden in those mountains."

The investigation into Menma's death, and the reunion of mother and daughter after five years.

"What?! Such a thing actually happened?!"

Noticing the change in Yohoshi's eyes and tone, Suga Natsumi was about to continue speaking when she frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

Your reaction...

Why do I feel neither surprise or fear, nor disdain for ghost stories, but rather a strange excitement and anticipation?

No.

There are evil spirits in the mountains that like to eat children, so why are you getting so excited here?

As an ordinary person, Suga Natsumi could not see that a cute little girl wearing a white dress and with bare, snow-white feet was sitting next to Yohoshi.

"River...river..."

When Menma heard this word, it was as if she remembered something. A look of fear and terror appeared on her cute little face. She subconsciously grabbed Yosei's sleeve and said in a trembling voice.

"Brother Yohoshi...that's right...that's right, Menma remembers, it's that river..."

"It's okay, don't be afraid."

Yohoshi patted Menma's hand and whispered a word of comfort.

Seeing him speak in such a gentle tone to the empty space beside him, Suga Natsumi was taken aback and asked in confusion.

Who are you talking to?

Ye Xing smiled nonchalantly.

"Oh, I'm talking to my imaginary friend, a soft-spoken, cute, fair-skinned, obedient and gentle little girl."

Suga Natsumi: "........"

It's normal for something to be a little abnormal, since it's a night star.

"Are you... a lolicon?"

"Hey, that's wrong."

Ye Xing first shook his head, then spoke in a serious tone.

"Actually, my favorite type is a mature older sister who has long black hair, dresses sexily, has manicured nails, is between 22 and 24 years old, has a bra size of 32B to 32C, works as a writer for social media, and is lively and generous."

Upon hearing this, Suga Natsumi was taken aback for a moment, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You bastard... you might as well just say my name directly. Adding so many restrictions is really something."

Immediately afterwards, Suga Natsumi looked at Yoru with a playful expression, and said with a half-smile.

"If the girls around you heard that you like my type, they might be a little disappointed."

"Oh, what are you saying?"

Ye Xing waved his hand dismissively and laughed.

"If they were here right now, my type would be different. My motto is to adapt to different situations. Whoever I'm with right now is the type I like. As long as they're good-looking, nothing else matters."

Suga Natsumi couldn't help but roll her eyes upon hearing this, thinking to herself, "You're such a scumbag, not only are you scumbags, but you're also so openly scumbags. It's really quite abstract."

"The intelligence I've gathered has been compiled into an email and sent to you."

"it is good."

At this point, Suga Natsumi couldn't contain her curiosity and cautiously inquired.

"Um... what's your relationship with that girl named Honma Meiko?"

Menma, who was sitting to the side with her two fair legs swinging, couldn't help but feel curious when she heard this. She moved closer to Yohoshi, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Brother Yexing, what is our relationship?"

"Honma Meiko..."

After much deliberation, Ye Xing gave the most reasonable answer.

"They are my family."

Upon hearing this answer, Menma beamed with joy. The feelings of loss and unease she had felt just moments before, stemming from recalling the location of her death, vanished instantly. She even hummed a song happily and swayed her head back and forth.

Suga Natsumi's expression was very heavy, and she said apologetically in a low voice.

"I'm sorry... please accept my condolences."

"Sigh, why are you so sad?"

Ye Xing shook his head, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and then chuckled softly as he spoke.

"It will survive."

"what?"

"Nothing, let's eat."

..........

After finishing her meal, Suga Natsumi decided to pay the bill herself.

After all, regardless of whether Night Star and "Mask" are the same person, the other party has indeed helped him a lot, and he must repay the favor.

Just as Suga Natsumi took out her wallet, she saw Takanashi Touka, dressed in a chef's uniform, walk out of the kitchen and stand in front of the two of them, speaking in a calm tone.

"No need to pay, it's on me."

"How can this work?"

Ye Xing became serious, which was unusual for him.

"You've already paid the reward for that incident. Let's keep things separate. When we come here for a meal, the bill still needs to be settled."

"Indeed, each matter should be handled separately."

Takanashi Touka nodded and said calmly.

"But the payment that time was just for asking you to help solve the problem. You saved my life, which was not included in the project I was asked to do. It's a favor I owe you."

To Takanashi Touka's surprise, Yosei didn't continue to refuse, but nodded in deep agreement.

"Yes, I will never forget your life-saving grace. Just treating you to a meal will not be enough to repay this favor."

The little bird, Yu Shihua, frowned slightly.

"Oh? So you don't mean you want me to repay you with my body?"

"Then I can reluctantly accept it."

"You're still forcing yourself? Are you being wronged? Hmm?"

Takanashi Touka extended her slender, fair right hand, her thumb and middle finger overlapping. She initially intended to use all her strength, but after a slight hesitation, she simply flicked Yosei's forehead lightly, as if in a playful jest.

"Okay, that's it."

After Takanashi Touka returned to the kitchen, Suga Natsumi sighed helplessly and couldn't help but complain.

"You're really good with women."

As a professional media person, Suga Natsumi certainly has the skill to read people's expressions and demeanor.

A woman as aloof as Takanashi Touka wouldn't make such an intimate gesture as flicking someone's forehead unless she felt the relationship had reached a certain level of familiarity.

Moreover, he deliberately held back.

There's definitely something wrong here.

Driven by her professional media instincts, Suga Natsumi noticed a detail in Takanashi Touka's words and couldn't help but ask about it out of curiosity.

"What does she mean by 'commission' and 'life-saving grace'?"

"If you're curious, look it up yourself."

Ye Xing stood up and smiled.

"As a professional media person, you should have this much ability. Remember to let me know after you find the conclusion."