Can't We Skip Dating?

Akira has been in a good mood these past few days.

Ever since Nanami started wearing a maid outfit at home, her every move had become a bit stiff—no longer as quick and efficient as before—but instead, she had gained a touch of elegance and restraint.

This was due to her still adjusting to the new behavioral expectations. Once she got used to them, she would fully transform into someone graceful and refined.

Moreover, her cooking had also visibly improved thanks to guidance from a professional chef, as well as her understanding of how to properly handle precious ingredients.

This feeling, almost like playing a character-raising game, and the lifestyle so different from the past, brought Akira great enjoyment.

During this period, Akira had gone out twice.

The first trip was to do a good deed. Utaha had declined his offer but kept showing up around his place because of her desire to see his cat. 

In other words, she dangled in front of him each week without offering anything in return. That irritated him slightly and made him do more charity work than usual to blow off steam.

The second trip came after a request from Miss Yuuko. 

He went to a school and dealt with a minor case involving spiritual residue formed from malicious student intent. 

It was the kind of task that only required a single ofuda to resolve—barely worth mentioning.

In reality, most so-called "youkai" were just this sort of spiritual residue. 

Formed from human malice and distortion, they lacked consciousness, form, or stability, floating aimlessly through the streets, generally causing no real harm.

However, if they encountered a twisted person, or someone subconsciously desiring to be haunted, they could be drawn in.

Kimihiro, for instance, had become entangled with this type of spiritual residue, leading him to make a wish and work part-time at Miss Yuuko's shop.

Of course, the reason Watanuki attracted spirits wasn't because he was twisted—it was due to his unique constitution. 

He was a delicacy to all things supernatural, treated like a main character from the start.

Those spirits wanted his body—disgusting.

As for more serious youkai, they were beings like tengu clans or rain maidens—natural incarnations with high intelligence, sometimes surpassing that of humans. 

They wielded great power but also followed their own "rules" or habits.

But to Akira, it made little difference—he could fight them all.

After two busy days, Akira had planned to stay in on the third evening, enjoying a peaceful night while checking in on how well his increasingly charming maid was progressing.

But an unexpected call came in.

"Hello, Mr. Ogiwara, this is Spencer. Long time no see."

It was Eriri's father.

Akira sat up properly. From their last interaction, he had developed a good impression of this cheerful, humorous foreign gentleman.

And since he was from the prestigious Spencer family—which had produced famous British prime ministers and princesses—the connection carried prestige but no bothersome entanglements. Keeping in touch was no issue.

"Hello, Mr. Spencer. Yes, it's been a while. What can I do for you?"

"Haha, well, there's something I'd like to ask of you. Lately, our house… I'm not sure if it's just my family and me being paranoid, but it felt cold. 

And at night, we keep hearing strange noises. Eriri even said she saw something."

So, business it was.

"I don't suppose you're a believer in ghosts, Mr. Spencer. But if you're calling me, I assume you're past the point of doubt."

"Can't hide anything from you, Mr. Ogiwara. Honestly, it's gotten scary—even for me. 

Especially Eriri—she's been so frightened she's come to sleep with my wife and me. 

It's adorable in a way, seeing my daughter cling to us like when she was little, but it's definitely causing problems."

"I understand. I'll take the job. Have your family vacate the house for the night—just leave the door open for me. I'll arrive around midnight and make sure to lock up when I leave."

Akira kept this unhealthy nocturnal schedule partly out of habit and partly because most spiritual activity peaked at night—it made tracking things easier.

Whether due to merit or spiritual power, he had long noticed that when he stepped into a place, it was as if evil spirits would flee. 

Clients would swear they saw ghosts, but the moment he arrived, the house would seem spotless.

He'd once taken such a claim lightly, thinking the client was mistaken. He accepted the fee and left, only for the client to call him the next day in a panic. 

Akira went back, did a divination, and discovered that the ghost had fled before he even arrived.

The ghost hadn't outsmarted him—it had simply been repelled by his presence. After being drawn back by karmic ties, it reappeared.

That incident nearly ruined his reputation, so Akira made the angry client accompany him, showed him the spirit firsthand, and exorcised it in front of him. 

He even gave him free feng shui services.

That client became a devoted fan and spread word of Akira's skills everywhere. It led to many good things for Akira later—a blessing in disguise.

Normally, spiritual residue would leave behind a "presence," often referred to as youki or ghost energy, which Akira used to sense clearly when he first started out.

He once thought his senses had dulled, but after some testing, he discovered he had begun purifying those residual energies just by being nearby.

Light traces of youki would disperse as soon as he entered.

So now, unless it was an emergency, he'd only conduct ghost-hunting at midnight, when spirits were most active and less likely to flee.

Satisfied by Akira's response, Mr. Spencer chuckled.

"Thanks, Mr. Ogiwara. Please give me your bank account number. I'll transfer the fee tonight."

"Let's discuss payment after I arrive. If it turns out to be nothing, 

I'll just charge a standard fee of 100,000 yen out of courtesy for our previous pleasant conversation. If there's more to it, we'll discuss appropriately."

He added, "Of course, if you'd rather stay in the house during the process, you're free to do so—but I don't recommend it. 

If you insist, then at the very least, your wife and daughter should sleep elsewhere. That's one of my rules."

"No need. Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Ogiwara—we trust you."

Just as Akira was about to end the call, something crossed his mind.

"Oh… one more thing, Mr. Spencer."

With dishwashing sounds coming from the kitchen, Akira grabbed his cigarettes and stepped outside in his pajamas to sit at the stone table in the yard.

"I have a suggestion—how about letting Miss Kasumigaoka cover the cost of this job?"

"Miss Kasumigaoka… I remember her. Why suggest that?"

"She's felt guilty ever since troubling your family last time and has been looking for a way to repay you. I think this is the perfect opportunity."

"That won't be necessary. Neither my family nor I were bothered by that little incident. This is our family's issue—"

"Please, Mr. Spencer. Hear me out."

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