Crossover anime, a daily life that begins with hunting supernatural beings.

After walking for a while, Sakurai stopped and asked Ogata Riju this question.

They showed absolutely no shame for not knowing the way and yet leading the way haphazardly.

"It's in this direction."

Similarly, Rizu Ogata, who is not very sensitive to interpersonal communication, is also unaware of this aspect.

She pointed in the direction of her home and continued to follow behind Sakurai.

Then...

The two arrived at their final destination one after the other.

"Does your family own a noodle shop?"

"It's great that I can eat udon noodles anytime, anywhere."

Looking up at the store name with its green background and white lettering, Sakurai nodded.

He really likes it here, and that's a genuine statement.

"Yes, please wait a moment."

Nodding, Rizu Ogata walked towards the kitchen.

"Is the person my daughter mentioned you?"

"I am truly grateful for your care."

A middle-aged man with short red hair, whose eyebrows somewhat resembled those of Riju Ogata, walked up, scratching his head.

He looked somewhat embarrassed as he half-squatted, one hand supporting his knee.

“Ogata Rizu’s father? Your daughter said she wanted me to come over no matter what, and since I had some free time, I came along.”

"Is something wrong?"

"If there's nothing important, I'd like to have dinner."

Setting his shoulder bag aside, Sakurai showed no awareness that the person in front of him was an elderly man. He glanced at the menu on the wall and then looked away at Ogata Riju's father.

"Mr. Sakurai, right? I heard that you saved my invincible and adorable Li Bao from [that]'s hands."

"Thank you so much."

Please allow me to express my gratitude to you.

“The child’s mother has passed away, and I really can’t imagine what I would do without Rizu.”

"thank you very much."

One second he was a kind and benevolent elder, the next he revealed his true colors and lay sprawled on the ground in a tiger-like prostration.

He loudly expressed his gratitude to Sakurai.

He simply couldn't imagine how he would feel after learning about Ogata Rizu's accident.

He never dared to imagine that during the few days he accompanied Ogata Riju to the Ruri Shrine for the exorcism, he could say that he wanted to express his gratitude to Sakurai every single moment.

However, he was worried about his daughter and was also extremely troubled because he couldn't get in touch with Sakurai.

If it weren't for this encounter with Fumino Furuhashi, who had a similar experience, confirming that Sakurai and her daughter were classmates in the same grade...

He'll be agonizing over this for who knows how long.

"Really? I understand."

"I accept your thanks."

"So.."

"Can we order now?"

Looking down at the prostrate Ogata store manager, Sakurai, unusually silent, didn't know what to say.

how to say...

Compared to Sayana Takagi's attempt to use gratitude as a pretext to delve into the realities of the world, Sakurai admired Manager Ogata's selfless expression of gratitude far more.

Rizu Ogata, right? That girl comes from a nice family.

By comparing Ogata Rizu, Takagi Saya, and his own past, Sakurai came to this conclusion.

Compared to the exceptionally born Saya Takagi, there is "herself" who was used as experimental material, and "him" from another world.

Rizu Ogata's home environment must be incredibly comfortable.

16. I'll take responsibility for Yotsuya's matter.

"Dad, stop messing around and get to work."

Suddenly appearing behind Ogata's father, Rizu Ogata delivered a karate chop to the back of his head.

"This isn't an expression of gratitude; it's just causing trouble for Sakurai-kun."

Rizu Ogata doesn't remember other people's names very well, but as her savior, she still remembered this somewhat tongue-twisting name.

Eito Sakurai.

When Sakurai was being pestered by her father, she had changed into an outfit that Sakurai had never seen before. Wearing a blue shop assistant uniform, Ogata Riju pouted and punched Ogata store manager on the head.

"How can you call it causing trouble? I'm doing this for your own good, Dad."

"I especially want to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Sakurai for his kindness."

The manager, Ogata, who resembled a foolish father, tried to defend himself.

"Stop nagging, I don't need you to worry about me, you're disgusting."

Rizu Ogata showed no courtesy whatsoever to her father.

Then Ogata Rizu chased Manager Ogata away on her own.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to give Sakurai a custom-made lifetime free hospitality voucher for the Ogata family as a token of gratitude for saving his life.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way."

“My dad really wanted to express his gratitude to Sakurai-kun in person, even though his way of expressing it was a bit poor.”

"But he really meant no harm."

A little embarrassed, Riju Ogata puffed up her cheeks. She wasn't good at smiling, and this was the kind of expression she always made when something happened.

"No, I don't really care."

"Compared to this, are there still people doing food delivery now?"

After thinking for a moment, Sakurai recalled the reason why Ogata Rizu first encountered a paranormal event and asked her about it.

"Do not..."

"After the last incident, my dad is extremely worried about the fact that I encountered a paranormal event on my own. For the time being, the store is only offering dine-in service."

"We can also pack food if customers need it, but we no longer offer delivery."

"My dad is more worried about my safety than the business at the store."

Shaking her head, Rizu Ogata gave her answer.

"Really? He's quite a responsible father."

“Ogata, you have a very good father.”

With his head slightly lowered, Sakurai murmured.

What is this feeling...?

My heart is racing, as if I'm longing for something.

Am I envious?

I envy the relationship between this girl and her father.

This really doesn't seem like my reaction.

I always feel...

I'm being overly sentimental these days.

After a moment of silence, Sakurai let out a breath.

Looking back on the past, he really wasn't like himself anymore.

"May I order?"

Looking at Ogata Riju, Sakurai asked softly.

"Yes, please."

Ogata Riju, feeling a little awkward under Sakurai's gaze, fumbled for a moment before awkwardly replying to Sakurai with her left hand holding her right.

Finally, Sakurai left Ogata Rizu's shop with a satisfied heart after eating three large bowls of udon noodles.

He'll come back to this shop when he wants to eat udon noodles again.

Incidentally...

He didn't accept the lifetime free admission ticket, but instead casually slipped it into Ogata Riju's pocket when she wasn't looking.

For Sakurai...

This meal was more than enough for Sakurai as a thank-you gift.

He doesn't lack the money for a bowl of noodles.

Rather, if we insisted on giving him a free meal, he would feel uncomfortable.

I might never go to this store again.

......

......

After a hearty meal, it was time to get down to business. Sakurai made his way to the shady merchant's izakaya.

This is to lay the groundwork for the next action.