Chapter 7: The Promising Elementary Schooler
Haikawa decided to tell the two girls a little about his psychic abilities.
“First of all, I should make this clear.”
“I generally can’t see ghosts or spirits in everyday life.”
“Eh?”
“Eh?”
“Of course, there are exceptions.”
“I can sometimes see vengeful spirits or particularly powerful ghosts.”
“And if I concentrate hard enough, I can see certain things.”
“But in normal daily life, I almost never see them.”
“I can sense them, though.”
“A psychic who can’t see ghosts sounds like a scammer!”
“The scammers are the ones who claim they can see things they actually can’t.”
“It’s a different field altogether.”
Psychic abilities came in many forms.
Some people could see spirits but couldn’t hear them.
Others could hear them but not see them.
Some experienced chills or physical symptoms whenever spirits were nearby.
There were countless variations.
“In my case, I’m particularly good at sensing and seeing curses.”
“The Haikawa family used to be fairly influential.”
“We produced onmyoji, shrine maidens, and various spiritual practitioners.”
“And I inherited some of those abilities.”
“Onmyoji?”
“Those are the practitioners we hear about from the Heian period, right?”
“Exactly.”
“The Haikawa family apparently declined so badly that our name disappeared from history.”
“But the power itself is real.”
“You declined that badly?”
“What happened?”
Ichino asked with obvious curiosity.
It wasn’t the kind of story people heard every day.
“We had alcoholics.”
“Gamblers.”
“Relationship scandals.”
“People who tried too hard to stand out and failed.”
“Others who attempted shady schemes and failed.”
“I’ve heard all sorts of stories.”
“In other words, we’re a family of idiots.”
“Pffft!”
“That’s way too many disasters!”
“We’re basically proof that giving power to idiots only ruins things for everyone involved.”
The family had fallen from prominence because they were hopeless at everything except spiritual matters.
The Haikawa family was ordinary now, but stories of the past had been passed down through generations.
Fumina listened seriously.
Meanwhile, Ichino was desperately trying not to laugh.
History and daily life were often filled with ridiculous stories.
“Anyway, back to the point.”
“The Haikawa family specializes in placing and removing curses.”
“Among those, we’re especially good at positive curses.”
“Positive curses?”
“Things that give people strength.”
“That’s a thing!?”
“I might want one too!”
“It’s basically stuff like praying for success on an important exam.”
“Or hoping a major project goes well.”
“Things like blessings and prayers.”
“We can also make it harder for spirits to attach themselves to someone.”
Though the family had declined, their abilities remained intact.
Unfortunately, the family’s natural tendency toward stupidity had prevented any revival for roughly a thousand years.
More importantly, nobody in the family even wanted to restore its former glory.
The era when psychic abilities could elevate a family to greatness had ended centuries ago.
“I can do more than just positive curse techniques.”
“But that’s the area we’re best known for.”
“Okay, got it.”
“Then it’s our turn.”
“I want to tell you about Kanami-chan.”
After briefly explaining his family background, Ichino moved on to the real reason they were here.
The story of Akemihara Kanami.
This was what Ichino explained.
The person involved was a fourth-grade elementary school girl named Akemihara Kanami.
She had recently joined Happy Relay.
The company had launched a project to train junior-age streamers.
During the auditions, her talent had stood out immediately.
Not just to the judges.
Every staff member who saw her recognized it.
The company decided on the spot that they had to recruit her before anyone else could.
Right now, she was studying the fundamentals of streaming.
Conversation skills.
How to express individuality.
And many other aspects of content creation.
“She’s an amazing kid.”
“The other children are supposedly talented too, but Kanami is special.”
“She’s also an incredibly kind and hardworking girl despite being so young.”
Both girls praised her without reservation.
They had already exchanged social media accounts and become friends.
However, for the past month, Kanami had been suffering from disturbing dreams.
She wasn’t sleeping properly.
And her mental condition had gradually worsened.
“She won’t tell us exactly what the dreams are about.”
“But apparently they’re really awful.”
“Two days ago, she even had a panic attack in the middle of the night.”
“It almost turned into a major incident.”
A panic attack suggested a fairly serious mental state.
Mental health was troublesome precisely because it couldn’t be seen.
Even severe problems often went unnoticed.
“Shouldn’t she be seeing a psychiatrist or counselor?”
“She just joined a major agency.”
“Her mind probably hasn’t caught up with all the changes in her environment.”
Connecting mental illness directly to the occult was extremely dangerous.
If someone fell into the hands of a fraudulent psychic, their condition would only worsen.
“She already went to a mental health clinic.”
“But apparently they told her pretty much the same thing you just said.”
“Then that’s probably the correct diagnosis.”
“It sounds more like a mental health issue than a supernatural one.”
To Haikawa, the doctor’s conclusion sounded entirely reasonable.
Children often became emotionally unstable after changing schools or classes.
This simply sounded like a stronger version of that.
“Haikawa-san.”
“Are you really going to decide that without even checking for yourself?”
“…!”
Ichino’s words hit him hard.
What he’d just done wasn’t much different from people who dismissed psychic abilities as complete nonsense.
“W-Well…”
“Maybe.”
“But it’s not like we can actually meet her.”
“These days, if an adult man talks to an elementary school girl, people call the police.”
“Hello, Kanami-chan?”
“I found someone who might be able to help solve your problem.”
“He’s an incredibly reliable psychic.”
“Oi!”
“Don’t just make decisions on your own!”
Before he realized it, Ichino was already speaking on her phone.
Haikawa tried to stop her.
Too late.
“Kanami-chan said yes!”
“We’re meeting near the Happy Relay office right now.”
“Accept your fate, Haikawa-san.”
“We’re counting on you♪”
“Why do you sound so excited, Fumina!?”
“I’m not nearly as reliable as you people think!”
“Alright!”
“Let’s go!”
The decision was made almost entirely without his consent.
They left the café.
Both Ichino and Fumina had absurdly high expectations of him.
The meeting place was a convenience store near the Happy Relay office.
Since it was within walking distance, the three of them headed there on foot.
Along the way, they chatted casually.
Then Haikawa suddenly brought up a different topic.
“By the way.”
“How much do you two actually make?”
“Who asks something like that!?”
“You’re surprisingly rude sometimes, Haikawa-san.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone.”
“I’m just curious.”
He couldn’t help wondering how much corporate VTubers with a million followers earned.
After helping them this much, wanting to ask a slightly impolite question felt perfectly reasonable.
“If Ichino doesn’t want to answer, I can tell you my average income.”
“Eh?”
“You’re okay with that, Fumina?”
“Of course.”
“And I’m happy you finally called me by my real name.”
Apparently, Fumina liked Haikawa more than Ichino did.
She agreed without hesitation.
Then she revealed a shocking number.
“I receive about three and a half million yen per month on average.”
“WHAT!?”
“WHAT!?”
“Why are you surprised too, Ichino!?”
“Because I only average three million!”
“I have more subscribers than you!”
The difference was probably influenced by average viewership, Super Chats, merchandise sales, and various other factors.
“That’s insane…”
“Three and a half million.”
“Three million.”
“From high school girls…”
“You really do live in a different world.”
“We worked hard and got lucky!”
“It’s not like people are just handing us money for nothing!”
It truly was a dream-like story.
And neither Mitsuhashi Eris nor Kitagawa Minami was even at the top of the industry.
There were people above them.
Considering the money flowing into Happy Relay itself, the highest earners were probably making at least three times as much.
“It makes me feel stupid for working at a black company and earning less than a tenth of that.”
“The world starts feeling ridiculous.”
“If you’d like, why not apply for a Happy Relay streamer audition?”
“I’m sure you’d get in easily, Haikawa-san!”
“Haha…”
“I’ll think about it.”
“We’re here.”
“Kanami-chan already arrived.”
Even though he had absolutely no confidence he could pass an audition, the idea represented a complete reversal of his life.
Thinking about that, he realized they’d reached their destination.
A small girl stood in front of the convenience store.
Haikawa immediately knew she was probably Akemihara Kanami.
The reason was simple.
She was unbelievably cute.
Ichino and Fumina were both very attractive.
But Kanami was different.
She looked like the kind of girl who was guaranteed to grow into a stunning beauty.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Kanami-chan!”
“You’re adorable as always!”
“Hello, Kanami-chan.”
“Good work with your lessons today.”
“Hello, Ichino-oneesan.”
“Hello, Fumina-oneesan.”
“Sorry for causing everyone so much worry.”
After exchanging greetings, Ichino and Fumina introduced Haikawa.
The introduction itself was ordinary enough.
However, the situation required discussing more complicated matters.
“Um…”
“Are you really a psychic, Haikawa-san?”
“Something like that.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Can I call you Kanami-chan?”
“Y-Yes…”
She looked extremely nervous.
Which was understandable.
He was an unfamiliar adult man.
Haikawa didn’t expect her to open up immediately.
Children normally didn’t trust strangers so easily.
“Standing around talking here isn’t ideal.”
“Let’s find somewhere nearby where we can sit and chat.”
“Before that, can we stop by a variety store?”
“I need to buy something.”
“What are you buying?”
“Something necessary.”
The four of them searched for a place where they could sit together.
After stopping by the variety store, they found a comfortable café with semi-private seating and went inside.
“Another café…”
“What can we do?”
“This was the only place where we could talk comfortably.”
Despite having just left a café earlier, they’d somehow ended up in another one.
Haikawa didn’t hate cafés.
He simply wasn’t particularly fond of coffee.
“I’ll pay.”
“You helped me, Haikawa-san.”
“And I was the one who suggested this.”
“Then I’ll take advantage of your generosity.”
“I’ll have herbal tea.”
“Excuse me, Ichino-oneesan.”
“I’d like orange juice, please.”
“I’ll have pasta.”
“A hot sandwich.”
“The hamburger set.”
“French fries.”
“Fried chicken.”
“A cola.”
“A café au lait.”
“And for dessert, a strawberry parfait and shortcake.”
The moment he heard someone else was paying, he ordered without mercy.
The fact that the payer was a high school girl didn’t matter in the slightest.
“That’s way too much!”
“Do you have no pride!?”
“You’re making a first-year high school girl pay!”
“Nope.”
“You make plenty of money.”
“Besides, we should’ve gone to a yakiniku place.”
“Haikawa-san!”
“If you’re ever hungry, just tell me.”
“I’ll treat you anytime.”
As this utterly shameless conversation continued, Kanami suddenly giggled.
“Sorry.”
“But Haikawa-san is really funny.”
“Feel free to laugh as much as you want, Kanami-chan.”
“I’m used to being laughed at.”
“Hey now.”
“There’s a difference between making people laugh and being laughed at.”
“And also—”
gulp
“—talking while eating.”
“Ahahaha!”
“You’re talking while eating!”
“Ahahaha!”
For the first time, Kanami displayed a bright, childlike smile while laughing loudly.
Being laughed at was far better than watching her remain depressed.
“Whew.”
“I’m full.”
“Looks like I saved money on dinner.”
“I’ve never met an adult like you before.”
“Ahahaha!”
“Haaah…”
Kanami was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
Apparently, he’d struck her funny bone perfectly.
It was slightly surprising.
She seemed like such a mature and composed child.
“Let’s wait until you calm down before we continue.”
“I ate too much myself.”
“You’re complaining about eating too much!”
“Ahahaha!”
“You’re saying things like a little kid, Haikawa-san!”
“Even though you’re a psychic!”
“Hehehehe!”
At this point, she looked like she’d laugh even if he simply stood up and walked across the room.
He was starting to wonder whether someone this easily amused could really become a professional streamer.
“Kanami-chan.”
“I don’t know what kind of image you have of psychics.”
“But if you eat until you’re stuffed, your stomach hurts.”
“That’s just being human.”
“Hehehe—!”
“‘Stuffed!'”
“You said stuffed!”
“Ahahaha!”
“Haaah…”
“Tell me, Fumina.”
“Is this really Happy Relay’s great future star?”
“She’s basically a laughing bag.”
“Yes.”
“This is Kanami-chan, Happy Relay’s future star.”
“Though this is the first time I’ve ever seen her laugh this much.”
“Don’t call me a future laughing bag!”
“Ahahaha!”
“It hurts!”
Now everything he said made her laugh.
Realizing resistance was pointless, Haikawa quietly decided to stop talking for a while.