Back at the detached house.

Yurine suddenly stood up and walked over to Jashin-chan. She held out her hand, and Jashin-chan instinctively handed her the hatchet.

"Since you brought the hatchet over... it must taste blood before it can be sheathed," Yurine said with a straight face, glancing down at the weapon in her hand.

Jashin-chan blinked, confused. "This thing doesn't have a sheath, does it? What sheath are you talking about?" she asked, looking at the hatchet, still not getting it.

"That's not important. What's important is the blood... Jashin-chan, you can be the sacrifice." Yurine suddenly raised the hatchet, making a move to strike.

Jashin-chan jumped in fright. She whipped around, her snake tail coiling to its limit, and shot out of the living room. "Are you crazy!? Why don't you be the sacrifice!"

Seeing that Yurine wasn't chasing her, Jashin-chan reappeared at the doorway, shaking her fist and shouting indignantly. This was blatant snake abuse! Trying to chop her up for no reason! It was too much!

"Hm? Are you cursing at me?" Yurine, who had returned to her seat and taken a sip of congee, arched an eyebrow, her face filled with displeasure. She grabbed the hatchet and charged.

Jashin-chan's soul nearly left her body. She scrambled upstairs, tumbling and crawling her way into her room, locking the door behind her—all in one smooth motion. She leaned against the door, her heart pounding.

"Open up!"

"Bang! Bang! Let me chop you, just once! I promise I won't kill you!" The sound of knocking and Yurine's menacing voice came from the other side of the door. Jashin-chan's heart leaped into her throat. 'She's not going to break down the door, is she?'

After the initial terror came a wave of anger. "You monster! Who would let you chop them!? If you keep this up, I'm calling the cops, you hear me!?" Jashin-chan shouted through the door.

Hearing the threat of calling the police, Yurine, who was standing outside with the hatchet, actually paused, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "Are you serious?" she asked. "Fine." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and, typing with one hand, sent a message to a certain chunibyo, yandere, sadistic policewoman. "I just messaged Mei-san," she said in a calm voice. "I told her you miss her."

"Buzz, buzz—"

"Oh, she replied. Says she's coming to pick you up right away." Yurine looked at the message, a wicked grin spreading across her lips. She looked up. "Looks like Mei-san misses you too."

"Click—!" The locked door was suddenly thrown open from the inside. Jashin-chan stood there, looking furious. "You monster! What have you done!?" She was particularly bad at dealing with Mei Tachibana. The woman wasn't just crazy; she was a pervert. Just being around her made Jashin-chan's skin crawl.

"What have I done?" Yurine was enjoying Jashin-chan's fury immensely. "Didn't you say you were going to call the police? I figured you must be missing Mei-san, so I helped you get in touch..." she said, feigning innocence. "Now, say 'thank you'!" A bright, soul-crushing smile bloomed on her face.

"You... you actually want me to thank you!?" Jashin-chan's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Are you even human?' She was trembling with rage, gritting her teeth so hard they might shatter. "You monster! This is too much!"

She couldn't take it anymore. A murderous glint appeared in her eyes as demonic energy, like boiling lava, surged through her body and gathered in her fist. "Die! Killer Move Number Two—Royal Copenhagen!" she roared, her right fist tearing through the air with a sonic boom, aimed straight for Yurine's head.

"I kick!" Yurine reacted faster. Her leg, clad in a black calf-high sock, shot out and kicked Jashin-chan square in the stomach. The force sent her flying back into the room, rolling once before slamming into the wall with a loud "thud." The wall nearly caved in.

"Oww!" The kick instantly extinguished Jashin-chan's rage. She clutched her stomach, a searing pain twisting her insides. Her intestines were probably ruptured, and her liver might be damaged too—a true gut-wrenching experience. A wave of regret washed over her. She shouldn't have attacked. She should have just run. All she had to do was avoid Mei! If she couldn't beat her, she could at least hide, right? 'I lost my cool... but it's Yurine's fault for being so infuriating!'

"Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong..." A rapid ringing of the doorbell came from downstairs. Jashin-chan froze. "...No way."

Yurine, who had just stepped into the room, paused and looked down at her buzzing phone...

...

Down in the living room, Ryohei Tanaka and Minos were calmly sipping their congee, completely unfazed by the commotion upstairs. They were used to it. Persephone II, however, kept glancing up, looking a bit concerned.

"They're often like this... It's very lively, isn't it?" Ryohei said to the Second with a smile.

"Mmm... it is lively," the Second replied with a subtle nod. 'Is this... what you call lively?'

Just then, the doorbell rang urgently. "I'll get it." Ryohei finished the last two mouthfuls in his bowl, set it down, and went to the door.

When the door opened, both he and the person outside froze.

"Huh? Am I at the wrong place?" A policewoman in a dark blue uniform and cap, with a very cute face and a curvy figure, tilted her head in confusion. She looked down at her phone.

"Where are you trying to go?" Ryohei had a feeling he knew who she was, and that she was probably in the right place.

"I'm looking for Yurine's house, to pick up Orochimaru..." Mei Tachibana looked up, a slightly obsessed smile on her face. "Yurine said Orochimaru misses me, hehe."

"Then you're not in the wrong place..."

"No! Make her go away! I'm not going with her!" Jashin-chan's protesting voice echoed from the stairs. Ryohei gave a slight glance back before turning to Mei. 'It doesn't seem like she wants to see you very much!'

"By the way... mister." With a whiff of a citrusy fragrance, Mei Tachibana moved closer to Ryohei, one hand on her hip, the other pinching her chin as she stared intently at his face. "You look kind of familiar... Are you a wanted criminal or something?"

"...!" Ryohei stared at her, utterly shocked. 'Just because I look familiar, I must be a wanted criminal? What kind of logic is that!?' And also—'If I really were a wanted criminal, would you just ask me so casually like this? Is that appropriate?' This policewoman was seriously strange.

"Do you think it's possible... that I'm a public figure?" Ryohei asked, raising a hand to point at his own face with a serious expression. He was, to some extent, a public figure. He'd been a trending topic, appeared on TV shows, and been on live streams. It wasn't uncommon for people to recognize him when he was out.

~~~

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