Chapter 57: Chancing Upon An Attachment Spiri

It was a grey Magatama that looked as if it was poorly made and had rough edges.

However, since Kazuki said that it was strange, it could turn out to be a piece of treasure.

Kubo Yuki said respectfully, "Kimura-san, since you obtained this item from destroying the blood-sucking bat, it's rightfully yours. I will prepare the payment you deserve in other ways, please accept it then."

Looking at the item, he knew that he could not own it regardless of whether it was good or bad in nature. Furthermore, even if Kazuki really gave it to him, he would not dare to accept it. It fell out from within a Buddha carving, who knew if it had been tainted by evil.

Kazuki shook his head and said, "Just do as I say."

Kazuki had his own set of principles. Since the Buddha carving was Kubo Yuki's, and this thing fell out from inside the carving, it belonged to Kubo Yuki.

Although, at this stage, he craved money, he still knew that he could not be blinded by his greed.

A gentleman made his wealth by ethical means. Whether it was his agreement with the Furuhashi sisters regarding the cafeteria seating matter or the salary he earned from tutoring, they were all forms of payments that he deserved.

"Uh..." Kubo Yuki saw that Kazuki's expression did not allow for him to say otherwise, so he could only nod his head. He left his unconscious son on the bed in the study and sighed slightly. He knew for sure that his son had come to his study to steal objects and sell them off for money. Hopefully, this incident would change his son for the better.

"Now that the matter has been resolved, I should get going." Kazuki did not reveal what he knew about Kubo Sakurako. After all, Kubo Sakurako had disappeared from this world entirely, and telling Kubo Yuki would only trigger more sadness. A rebellious Kubo Sakae was enough trouble for him to bear.

"Let me see you off."

The two of them quickly reached the karate dojo again, but this time Kazuki did not exit straight away. He stopped in the middle of the wide dojo where there were currently many karate students sitting around with a middle-aged coach teaching at the center through a sparring demonstration.

"Karate was formed from the combination of traditional Japanese boxing techniques and the Ryukyu martial arts form of Tang Soo with origins stemming from our Japanese Budo and Ryukyuan Tang Soo. Tang Soo originated from Huaxia martial arts that were brought into Ryukyu and developed with the combination of Ryukyuan fighting techniques. Our countrymen took the throwing and wrestling techniques from Kyushu and Honshu and combined it with Tang Soo, finally becoming Karate."

While defending against his opponent's attacks as he explained the history and basics of karate to the students, the middle-aged coach looked relaxed. Even upon seeing curator Kubo Yuki, he did not want to stop, but as he saw the curator walking over with Kazuki, he stopped reluctantly.

Although Kubo Yuki was curious, he did not dare raise any questions, so he just followed Kazuki.

"...It's Kimura! That bastard, he's walking toward us!"

"D*mn it! He seems to have recognized us?"

"What should we do, Tojo?"

"We should have taken a leave of absence when we saw Kimura just now. Now we're stuck."

The small group sitting on the right of the dojo were the few who had wanted revenge on Kazuki. However, once Kazuki walked toward them, they shriveled up with fear in their eyes.

Even though they were currently in a karate dojo, but Kazuki's brutality was deeply ingrained in their hearts.

Chikage Tojo looked as Kazuki came toward them, coupled with his friends' remarks, he felt his body go limp where terror had already set into his bones. If it was not for the weakness he felt now, he would have been the first to escape.

However, he was also the leader of their small pack, and he could not show his weakness.

Yet, as he came face-to-face with Kazuki, he could not help but smile fawningly at him, "Kim... Kimura-san, are you here to learn karate too?"

"You know me?" Kazuki was stunned.

Erm...

Didn't you come over here to teach us a lesson? Chikage Tojo and the others looked at one another in confusion.

Kazuki certainly did not come here to teach these people a lesson. In fact, he did not even recognize them, the only thing that had attracted his attention was the apparition behind Chikage Tojo.

"This coach is retarded. He's repeated the same words over and over every day. My ears are about to grow calluses. Can't he say something new for once?" The apparition was male, and at this moment, he was lying slanted on Chikage Tojo's back with an expression of contempt on his face as he gave careless commentary without a care that someone might hear him.

However, seeing Kazuki was approaching him, the spirit looked at him curiously.

Yet as their eyes met, the spirit was stunned, and an expression of shock flashed past his blank face!

"You can see me, right?!"

"Ahhh, don't turn away from me! You obviously met my eye just now!"

"Come on, don't remain silent! Answer me! Quickly!"

"I'm begging you... Please don't ignore me..."

"If you won't answer, I'll turn into a wraith and pester you!"

Akie Hanzawa, who had initially been laying obediently behind Chikage Tojo, was shaken and overjoyed from his brief eye contact with Kazuki. He was astonished at first, but now all that he felt was joyfulness.

He had been dead for more than a month, and at this time, he had been staying in Chikage Tojo's body and could not wander too far away. This was very problematic for him as he had become a specter, yet he was trapped. He was like a camera that was doomed to record everything that happened in Chikage Tojo's life.

It would have been better if he had possessed a girl, but the fact was that he was attached to a boy.

Within the month, he had no one to talk to and could only make comments or nag when Chikage Tojo was doing something. Even though Chikage Tojo was oblivious to his mutterings, this was the only way he could entertain himself. Otherwise, he felt as if he would spiral into madness soon.

Now that he knew that Kimura could see him, he naturally cried tears of joy. The quiet boy he had been when he was still alive, had now turned into a chatterbox after death. As he looked at Kazuki now, he could not stop talking to him.

Naturally, Kazuki was able to hear him, but he would never respond to him. This spirit must have craved human interaction for too long that his mind became slow. If he were to respond, would others not perceive him as talking to the air?

"Curator Kubo, do you have a spare room here? I need to speak to him alone..." Pointing at Chikage Tojo while he directed his words to Kubo Yuki, he could now care less whether the other party was willing or not.

"What? Speak to me alone?" Chikage Tojo's expression changed drastically, and without a care for his reputation, he immediately pulled at the bottom of Kazuki's pants from his original sitting position on the floor, frightened and sobbing, "Kim... Boss Kimura, please don't do this. Shirai has already been sent to the hospital because of you, I'm just his lackey... It's been half a year since the incident, could you just forgive me? If you let me go, I... I won't come to this karate dojo anymore!"

"Yes, yes, Boss Kimura... Please forgive Tojo, we're only here to learn karate and strengthen our bodies, we have no other intentions!"

"Boss Kimura, as long as you let Tojo go, we'll be your lackeys."

"Boss Kimura, please take us in!"

The other students and the coach observed the situation in confusion where these people switched from begging for mercy on behalf of Tojo, to wanting to be Kazuki's lackeys in just a blink of an eye.

"I just have a matter I'd like to discuss with you." Although Kazuki had forgotten who Shirai was, it was evidently someone he had beaten up before. These people before him were most probably Shirai's lackeys.

"Well, we could speak here too..." Chikage Tojo looked on anxiously yet fawningly. He did not want to be alone with Kazuki at all. What if he comes out with a missing arm or limb?

Looking at the situation, Kazuki was too lazy to waste any more words. He merely dragged Chikage Tojo by his collar while disregarding his struggles and walked toward the room at the side as per Kubo Yuki's directions.

Hearing Chikage Tojo's miserable cries and pleas, his friends gulped and stayed silent.

Even Akie Hanzawa seemed stunned and no longer babbled endlessly.