I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

What on earth is this magazine even about?
For a brief moment, I thought it might be run by some magnificent organization.
A magazine that messes around with information about yōkai and other supernatural stuff, which appears to be just a silly rag to others, but is actually dedicated to telling the truth—what a quirky media outlet.
But then I shook that thought off.
In the reality I lived in, there were newspapers that completely ignored embargoes, blinded by money, and reported vital information as if it were an exclusive scoop.
And when the government complained, they would cry about media control and dictatorship.
Well, if it were just a murder or two, it might even seem weird if they were the ones doing the stopping.
After a little while, that shock wore off, but just earlier this year, there was that serial murder case that shook up Tokyo. The police were probably being so sensitive because of that.
Honestly, this magazine is closer to being a “tabloid” than a proper media outlet, but still, those who write for it are journalists.
They might have connections with other journalists. Even if they scribble down hearsay they picked up from somewhere, it’s not the kind of paper that cares whether it’s true or not.
Even if it’s just a mishmash of “rumors I heard somewhere,” I think I could believe it.
“Oh? But…”
Kaoru blinked and said,
“You guys being here means, could it be?”
“……”
Um.
“It’s just for an investigation. It’s not like we’re here for any other reason.”
Even when I said that, Kaoru, who had already flipped the switch, started sparkling with excitement.
“I want to go too!”
Is she really looking for these kinds of things even after seeing that scene back there?
I stared at Kaoru blankly, then looked at Izumi behind her.
I wondered how much Izumi knew.
If everyone around me shared the same knowledge about my situation, I could act more comfortably. No need to think deeply every time about who I told what.
The problem is, despite having quite a few people around me, everyone knows different things about me.
That said, I can’t just spill all my secrets either.
“Oh, right.”
Kaoru turned to Izumi.
“Izumi should head back first. It’s dangerous.”
“What?”
Izumi’s mouth dropped open.
No, it’s dangerous for you too!
Yuka has been fighting against those kinds of beings from the start. That’s her family business.
Koko is the most powerful force I know, and, well, if it’s Hagiwara, she would willingly come along. She knows how to fight too.
But with Kaoru…
“I don’t want to.”
Yet while I was thinking that, Izumi steeled her face and replied.
“I’m staying here too.”
Why?
Just a moment ago, she was terrified and sprinkling salt everywhere. The container with salt was still tightly held in Izumi’s arms.
Surely, if a red-masked figure could be chased off with just salt, it wouldn’t have become so famous. No, wait, do salt and similar methods even work against yōkai in this world? I’m not sure.
“Izumi, you were honestly super scared. You hated coming all the way here.”
“That’s different.”
Izumi cut me off clearly. I could see her arms tightening around the salt container.
“You think I’d let you go out alone at this hour? Of course not. You made a mess and ended up skipping school last time, remember?”
“Ah.”
At Izumi’s words, Kaoru looked incredibly guilty.
“I don’t want to go through that again. Plus, what’s with this? Everyone here is a member of the literature club. I can understand Yuka being out of it, but sending me back while all the other club members gather? That’s just leaving the president out!”
“……”
At that, we all fell silent.
“Kotone?”
Is that really the case?
Koko tilted her head, looking at me with that kind of expression.
Of course, that’s not the case. I didn’t want to ostracize my friend.
“And you guys are suspicious. Right now, it feels like you’re keeping some secret among yourselves.”
Izumi pointed her finger at Kaoru with a snap!
“You guys are…”
Usually, Kaoru would tease Izumi with various remarks, but after hearing what Izumi said, she seemed unable to make any playful comments.
From what I’d heard, Izumi doesn’t have many friends. She couldn’t even gather enough people to maintain the literature club in times of crisis.
It’s not that she’s a complete outcast, but you know those types? The ones who, through not knowing how to approach others, become subtly isolated?
I think Izumi is one of those.
“Izumi senpai—”
“Alright, I get it.”
Izumi pointed her finger in our direction.
“You guys are plotting to create an occult club!”
“……”
Oh.
Um.
Izumi pressed her index finger against her face to push her glasses more firmly while she said,
“I’m a benevolent literature club president, but I’m not kind enough to just let a coup go unchecked, you know? The club’s collection must naturally include novels or critiques. An occult report? No way!”
Flash.
Even in a place without light, her glasses seemed to shine.
“I won’t allow that as the president! I’ll keep an eye on everything here!”
“……”
Pfft.
As I stared at Izumi, speechless, Kaoru burst into laughter.
“Pfft, hahahaha!”
And then she laughed out loud.
“What’s with that laugh? Is what I said funny?”
“Ah, no, it’s just, um.”
Kaoru, still trying to suppress her laughter, said,
“Just… I thought it was so you.”
“What are you talking about?”
Izumi glared at Kaoru as she said that.
Hoo.
Taking a deep breath, Kaoru turned to me and said,
“So, Kotone. The president just said this. Are you going to send her back?”
I replied with just a small exhale instead of an answer.
*
The L-Rod was indeed a superstition that passed its prime.
Also known as dowsing rods, these L-shaped metal sticks were said to be able to detect the presence of magnetic fields where ley lines flowed… or so it was said. Of course, there’s practically no scientific basis for it. It just claims to be scientific while spewing pseudo-science nonsense.
But why did Kaoru bring that thing here, you ask?
“Of course, because magnetic forces tend to change in places where ghosts appear.”
That’s right. Kaoru answered that way.
So wouldn’t it be better to just bring a compass instead of a thick and heavy L-rod? But then again, I didn’t feel like saying that in front of an occult believer like Kaoru.
“……”
Izumi, in a very distrustful manner, regarded the rod.
“So, have you found anything with that so far?”
“Not yet.”
Kaoru replied with a smile.
“I didn’t even think it’d be that easy to find anything! Last time—ah.”
Kaoru almost blurted out something about the Nue story but quickly shut her mouth.
“Last time?”
Izumi tilted her head.
“Anyway.”
Kaoru quickly pivoted the conversation before Izumi could dig deeper.
“So, if there’s a being that’s genuinely out of this world nearby, we will definitely find it.”
The reason I didn’t refute Kaoru’s words was two-fold.
One, it’s pointless to argue with someone who believes in that sort of thing; they’ll stubbornly insist they’re right until the end. I know this well since I once gave up trying to convince a high school friend who believed in blood type personality theories.
The other reason… is that I truly believe there are ghosts and specters in this world. Because they may exist, there may indeed be some physical effect in play. Besides, Kaoru has a strong intuition; she once summoned Nirlas just by drawing a pentagram on a piece of paper.
Who knows, we might actually find something real?
Filled with a faint hope, I followed Kaoru and Izumi for quite a while, but ultimately, nothing appeared that day.
*
It seemed like the methods of investigation might have been a bit off. Just like how smashing your head against a concrete wall doesn’t bring about any results, it felt like I needed to gather a bit more evidence first.
But where could I find that evidence?
I can’t ask the police. If a high school girl mentions knowing about an embargoed case, they will obviously get suspicious. Given my ties to a questionable organization, I certainly didn’t want to raise any suspicions about myself.
Asking around the people nearby…
……
Well, how should I put it?
This area is filled with a lot of pubs. There are plenty of hotels too. While there are women among the crowds, they still make up a minority, and lots of establishments cater primarily to men.
In a place like that, would a high school girl really just strike up a conversation with some random uncle?
If they misinterpret it as some weird proposition, what can I say? Besides, I can’t imagine anyone would take me seriously if I asked them about the woman with a torn mouth.
Again today, I didn’t feel like stopping by Kagami’s store at all. I already heard the information, and honestly, it felt rather awkward walking in wearing a school uniform.
Also, since I had said I would wait for Kaoru and Izumi, I didn’t want to go there.
Friday evening. There were significantly more people than yesterday, but as I stepped out to the edge of the bustling district, that noise seemed to fade away in an instant.
Well, it is still the 2000s after all. There must be tons of people working even on Saturdays. There were back in the 2020s too. Perhaps Saturday evenings are the times when the most people are out and about in this era.
“Hmm… Are we going to come up empty again today?”
Kaoru frowned while she spoke.
The L-rod in her hand hadn’t moved at all. It occasionally moved when Kaoru twisted her body, but that wasn’t because of any ghostly phenomenon.
Maybe we’d have to wait until a much later hour. After all, the victim was estimated to have died a bit after the hour hand had struck.
However, therein lies the problem. Unlike in Korea, where high school students can hang out late at night without any legal justification, Tokyo has local ordinances that set curfews.
Judging by recent cases like Toyoko Kids from the 2020s, the police don’t seem extremely proactive in detaining people, but still, aren’t we pretty well-known high school students?
If the police see us, they might want to hurry and send us home. So pulling an all-nighter for an investigation isn’t really an option.
Rather, I was seriously considering doing a spirit summoning or something, when—
“Ah! Over there!”
Izumi, who had been surveying the surrounding area anxiously, suddenly exclaimed.
As I followed where she pointed, a woman was walking towards us, her heels clicking as she walked. It looked like she was wearing quite high heels. She hurried, her steps slightly brisk.
Under the streetlight, I could see she was wearing a long coat. And there was a mask covering her face.
“Oh? Could it be!? No way!?”
Kaoru exclaimed as she instantly pointed the L-rod in that direction. Wait, in this situation, aren’t you scared?
…I guess it makes sense. She probably knows what kind of person I am.
I didn’t feel scared at all. Koko felt the same way. Koko is the type who wouldn’t panic even if she saw a genuine ghost, and for me—
Rather than becoming desensitized to ghosts and yōkai due to frequent encounters, it was simply because I knew the person.
“Oh?”
The woman approaching us exclaimed.
Just ten steps away, she lowered her mask.
She hadn’t put on any makeup. Even so, her face was pretty, but—
…Oh dear.
“It’s the kids from Kagami’s place~ What are you doing here?”
Right, she was that odd person who worked for the Kagami family. Maybe she slept in today or something, as she hadn’t even had time for makeup.
And upon seeing her face, I felt I could understand why it was giving me that eerie feeling.
This person looks a lot like the boss.
Not to the extent of Koko and I being like two peas in a pod, nor to the level of Kagami and Kosuzu. But they resembled each other closely enough for it to be uncomfortable. Especially around the shape of their eyes and the corners of their lips.
Could it be?
Hold on, didn’t she say she was around my age?
“Oh? Do you two know each other?”
Kaoru, who didn’t know about us, asked that.
“Yup~ I’m working at Kagami’s store~”
“Kagami? Ah.”
Does she know? Even if she hasn’t met me directly, anyone who has seen me and met my mother might start thinking that my mom isn’t exactly normal.
It’s not just that she leaves me unattended, especially at the beginning of the semester, where I had such an obsession with food, after all.
Plus, with Koko’s case as a basis, it makes sense why the ‘Kagami’ reputation spread amongst my friends. We spent an entire summer camp together because of Koko. And it was at Kaoru’s grandmother’s place of all things.
I couldn’t really divulge anything about her.
…I feel a bit bad for Kagami.
No, that’s not the important part.
There are many people in the world who look alike. No matter how much I think about it, I can’t picture Kagami making such arrangements to have a student around my age work in a place like this… No, though I can’t definitively say there isn’t a possibility, I prefer to believe that’s a low probability, especially with the police and all that stuff.
Anyway, having thought that, it was likely that the age wouldn’t match up, so I decided to move past it.
“So you pass through here every day on your way to work?”
Upon hearing the phrase ‘on the way to work’, both Kaoru and Izumi exchanged odd looks. They looked at each other, glancing uneasily.
It seemed less about the thought that something was wrong and more that the situation made them uncomfortable.
“A woman working late at night.” Of course, it’s the 21st century now. Isn’t it about time that women can take on night security? They might even work at convenience stores.
But still, the high-heeled shoes visible under her coat were too eye-catching in design, no matter how much you try to turn a blind eye to it. They shimmered with a pearly finish.
I tried to hold back the desire to show that concern on my face.
“Yup~ It’s close enough to walk to work~”
“Then, have you seen any unusual people on your way here?”
It wasn’t that I was probing for information; rather, it felt like I had finally found someone I could ask.
“Strange people?”
“Yeah, I mean… someone with a noticeable scar?”
“Hmm~”
With her finger at her lips, she glanced toward the sky, sinking into thought for a moment, then—
“I did see someone!”
She replied with that.
Up until this point, I didn’t have high expectations. Plenty of drunk people usually crowd around here near the entertainment district. So it wouldn’t be unusual to spot some odd behavior.
However…
“There was someone with a big scar on their cheek!”
Her words made me drop my mouth wide open.
Kaoru and Izumi looked the same. Even though their mouths were agape, their expressions were entirely different. Kaoru was smiling brightly while Izumi looked pale. For reference, Koko tilted her head.
“……”
We all momentarily lost our words.
This person clearly knows what being late means. It’s not just a little tardy, but almost an hour late. If we hold her any longer, Kagami might just slash her paycheck.
So I decided to keep my questions to a minimum.
“What did that person say?”
“Hmm~”
She seemed to sink into thought briefly before answering,
“Something like, ‘Am I pretty?’”
Alright. For now, I’ll set aside the fact that this person might just be said to be the missing younger sister Kagami mentioned.
For the moment, there’s something even more important to address.
*
“Name?”
I thought I might be slightly late from the way she spoke, so I ended up bringing her to Kagami’s shop for the time being.
Kaoru was curiously looking around, while Izumi held tightly onto Kaoru’s outer garment and stuck close behind her, seeming a bit scared.
In reality, Izumi’s reaction is the more normal one.
Luckily, Mr. Fukuda wasn’t around. If Mr. Fukuda had shouted something like “My second daughter!” I would have been sweating bullets trying to clarify that again.
“I just want to have a quick chat, not a name drop—”
But Kagami, glancing at me, quickly checked the time on her wristwatch.
“An hour late.”
“I’m so sorry~”
“Since you held me back for almost an hour, I’ll factor that in too.”
“No,”
We didn’t even hold her back for five minutes.
Aside from that, her lateness must have been her own mistake. She probably either misset her alarm or turned it off and went back to sleep.
But I think I understood why Kagami was being so ornery.
Because Kaoru and Izumi were here. Both of them were dressed in normal clothes, but anyone could tell they were students and were clearly out of their element in this place.
On the contrary, my uniform and Koko’s fit better, with us looking rather at ease.
“Whether you’re just saying you want a name or you actually need to leave, I’d prefer that you just go.”
Kagami naturally played it off, acting indifferent.
“Despite her looks, Miki has many fans, you know.”
“Thanks for the compliment~”
But no, her voice sounded extremely half-hearted though it was.
…If my assumptions are correct, there’s a reason she’s taking words literally.
“…Please leave then.”
“……”
Kagami gave me a fleeting glance.
Then, she gestured toward an empty seat with her chin.
As we walked, people were observing us.
Oh man, this is a bit embarrassing than I thought.
I just wanted to ask her for a quick chat and that’s it.
“Name, thank you!”
The Miki approaching our seats smiled as she took off her coat. It was the same daring outfit I had seen before.
Kaoru, completely unconcerned with that, sat down and cheerfully picked up the menu.
“Oh, what’s this? Izumi, look at this! The drinks are super pricey!”
In saying that, no means constrict your excitement.
“I want to try this! It’s something I wanted to taste since a while ago! Sex on the Beach!”
Please don’t pick alcoholic drinks so casually.
And you don’t need to yell out such an embarrassing name!
I had to hold back the overwhelming urge to clutch my head.