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Chapter 18 – A Contract with a Devil?

The days passed peacefully, and autumn was approaching.

Since the formation of the Katou Cabinet, the only event that really caught my interest was the construction of Hanshin Koshien Stadium over the summer.
Thanks to that, high school baseball would soon become something to enjoy.

Other than that, things were calm, both domestically and internationally.

This was an Olympic year, but it had nothing to do with me. 

Meanwhile, over in Italy, the Duce had just declared himself a dictator.

It was on a September day like that.

The four-year-old trio—Gentarou, Ryuichi, and I—were, as always, diligently studying under our tutor, engaging in lessons far beyond what was expected for our age.

Recently, however, there has been a change in our instructor.
Now teaching us arithmetic and science was my uncle, Ootori Kouryuu, from a branch family known as the Kou family.

Kouryuu-san was a research physician at Ootori University.
However, his personality and behavior had earned him some isolation, leaving him struggling for research funds. 

That’s why, starting before summer, he had taken up a part-time job as our tutor, teaching us twice a week.

Despite that, he had a tall build, broad shoulders, and a well-built chest, so on days like today, when he cleaned himself up, he actually looked quite impressive.

(Huh? He’s shaved his stubble today, and his hair is neatly done. Does he have some plans?)

As I glanced at Kouryuu-san from the corner of my eye, he shot a sharp glare at me.

—Or at least, it felt like a glare.
In reality, he had only looked my way, but his naturally piercing gaze made even a casual glance seem intimidating. 

He had the looks of a handsome man overall, which made it all the more unfortunate.

Despite his rather Spartan teaching methods and questionable personality, it was obvious from the way he taught that he was incredibly intelligent.
That’s why he was well-suited as an educator for the Ootori family.

Gentarou-kun had an intellectual streak and a high sense of pride, while Ryuichi-kun was all brawn—so much so that even when he was mentally pushed, he barely noticed. 

As a result, they were both being drilled relentlessly.

As for me, I still had the advantage of memories from my past life, and more importantly, the cheat-level intellect of a Villainess. 

So, I had absolutely no problem keeping up.

When Ryuichi-kun finally stretched and groaned, “Ahh, I’m exhausted,” before leaving the room, Gentarou-kun also stood up and left as well.
That meant only Kouryuu-san and I remained. 

The maids hadn’t yet arrived to clean up.

Of course, nothing unusual was going to happen between a four-year-old girl and a man approaching his thirties.

Taking my time, I tidied up my things and prepared to leave my seat.

That was when—

“Reiko-chan, I need to talk to you for a bit.”

He was trying to speak with a friendly smile, probably making an effort to be approachable, but it didn’t suit him at all.
To be honest, it was unsettling—almost terrifying.

(This guy definitely has the perfect face for a villain.)

Facing him head-on, I had an instinctive feeling, so strong that it sent a shiver down my spine, and I found myself nodding repeatedly out of fear.

Seeing that, he said, “That’s good. Hey, maid, I need to talk with Reiko-sama. Bring tea, and some sweets for Reiko-sama!” effectively cutting off any chance for me to escape.

He seemed like a tactician, but perhaps this was just his way of being considerate.
He might actually be someone who suffers from his own appearance.

“What do you want to talk about, Uncle Kouryuu? Munch, munch.“

After moving to one of the parlors, I asked in a childish tone while eating the sweets that had been prepared.

Since he had cleared the room, it was just the two of us here.
Still, I had no intention of revealing my true self to this person yet.

In fact, aside from the four people I had discussed things with at New Year’s, I hadn’t shown anyone my real self.
Mari might have noticed something odd, but since she hadn’t said anything, I hadn’t done anything to confirm it either.

As for Kouryuu, he most likely saw me as just a slightly smart little girl. 

Even so, he hesitated, saying, “Uh, um,” unable to be direct.

(If he’s about to confess his love or something, I’d be seriously creeped out.)

I was joking in my mind when he finally seemed to make up his mind.
Facing me directly as I enjoyed my chestnut yokan, he spoke.

“I have something I want to ask. I want you to answer honestly.”

“What is it? Nom, nom.“

“About a year ago, you mentioned the scientific name of blue mold(penicillin). What was that about?”

(Wow, this old man actually remembered. So he really did hear me, after all.)

However, his questioning of a young girl was awkward.
His expression seemed to be struggling to appear gentle, but it failed miserably.

It was almost laughable, yet his question was nothing to laugh about.

And his interrogation continued.

“Also, at the failed incident in Toranomon at the end of last year, I heard you said something to Tatsuya. Do you remember what it was?”

(Where did he hear that from? No, I guess some of the maids and servants did witness it. This is why bourgeois people should always have conversations in sealed rooms.)

I tried to escape reality for a moment, but I realized something.
This old man—no, Uncle Kouryuu—had likely reached a single conclusion based on these two keywords.

(In other words, Uncle Kouryuu is in a position to know about “that”, isn’t he?)

As I pondered how to respond, he spoke again.

“If you can’t answer that, then one more question. This will be the last one. Reiko, do you ever have ‘dreams’? I’m assuming they are ‘precognitive dreams’.”

(There it is—the decisive blow. He really does know.)

At that moment, I gave up resisting.

Just to be sure, I glanced around the room. 

Seeing that, Kouryuu signaled with his eyes and added another remark.

“Don’t worry. This place is one of the spaces meant for discussions among the clan. The servants have been kept away since this is an important conversation. And once this talk is over, I will report to Souichirou-sama. I have no desire to be imprisoned or sent to an early grave.”

(Why is this guy saying things that’s so scary? Wait, does that mean being a ‘Dreaming Miko’ is that big of a deal even within the clan?)

I hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but in a way, I just learned something valuable.
If that’s the case, I should at least show some sincerity.

Besides, this man is a doctor whose name is often preceded by “genius”.
There was a faint hope that he might be able to prevent the misfortunes that plague our family before they happen.

“Uncle Kouryuu, how much do you know?”

I responded in a fully adult-like tone.
I also made an effort to appear as serious and intellectual as possible.

At that, he looked slightly surprised before turning a sharp, serious gaze toward me.

That was enough for me to assume that I now held the upper hand.
I could sense a disturbance in his eyes.

“Only the rumors about our great-grandmother, Rin-sama, that have been passed down in the Kou branch family. Since I am still a candidate for the next head of the Kou family. So?”

“Yes. It seems that I am a ‘Dreaming Miko’. Great-Grandfather has acknowledged it.”

Hearing my words, Kouryuu nodded as if to say, “I knew it”. 

Then, he urged me to continue.

Considering his circumstances, I could more or less guess what he wanted to ask me.
And if my abilities could serve as a means to avoid the destruction of both myself and the clan, then this might actually be an opportunity in disguise.

That should be enough with the suspense.

“Uncle Kouryuu, I don’t mind telling you what you probably want to hear. However—”

Before I could finish, he cut me off.
A fearless, almost defiant smile appeared across from me.

“If listening to your words means I’ll fall into hell, then I don’t mind in the slightest. What I seek is to seize enough glory to make those who scorned me eat their words—and to have my revenge. For that, I’m willing to make deals with anything, whether it be the ‘Dreaming Miko’ or even the devil. Do you want my soul? If so, I ask only for a reprieve until my wish is fulfilled.”

While I was momentarily speechless, he went on spouting what sounded like full-blown chuunibyou nonsense.

But he was dead serious.
There was even a faint sweat forming on his forehead. 

This mansion has American-made air conditioning, even in this era, so it definitely wasn’t because of the heat.

Seeing him like that, I suddenly felt all the tension drain from my body.

“If someone is going to fall into hell, it’ll probably be me. Uncle Kouryuu, I want you to create medicine based solely on my words.”

“Only your words? You mean words from the future?”

“That’s right. I’ve seen many scenes of the future, but I’m no expert. So at best, it’s nothing more than future predictions.”

“I see. But I don’t mind at all. The biggest barrier, obstacle, or in English, the breakthrough or bottleneck in new technology and knowledge can often be shattered with just a single hint. A shift in perspective is what truly matters. Now, what will you show me? What does the first step into hell look like?!”

(This man is way too into this.)

Thanks to Kouryuu-san, not only did I feel more at ease, but I was actually starting to have fun.
In that case, it was only right for me to match his energy—villains should stick together, after all.

“Fine, I’ll tell you everything. But you’re going to do exactly as I say, and I’ll be testing a few things. You’d better be prepared.”

“Ohh! That’s exactly what I want!”

He really does get into the mood fast.