ISEKAI? More like I See Crap!-Chapter 183: Silent Night, Ominous Dawn ( )

That night, Hazuki lay back on the floor of the living room, arms folded behind his head, eyes half-lidded as he stared at the ceiling.

The house was quiet. The kids were already tucked into their new beds, their soft breathing filling the silence of the night like a lullaby.

He sighed, belly full, body sore, but his mind unusually clear.

Then—

Tap. Tap.

Soft footsteps.

Hazuki turned his head slightly. A faint rustle came from the hallway. In the dim lantern light, a silhouette appeared.

Kisha stood there in a thin nightgown, her hair loosely tied, and a nervous look on her face.

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why are you standing there?"

Kisha hesitated, then slowly stepped into the room, her bare feet brushing the floorboards. She sat down beside him, lowering herself as if unsure whether to sit or kneel.

Hazuki leaned his head away, suspicious. "Oi... What do you want?"

She said nothing. Her hand moved toward him, fingers trembling. Hazuki’s body tensed, and he immediately rolled aside, dodging the touch like it was a spear thrown by a beastman gladiator.

"Wh—hey!" he hissed.

Kisha froze. Then, without warning, she slowly slipped off her nightgown.

Hazuki’s soul nearly left his body.

Her soft form trembled in the firelight, her eyes confused but determined, her voice barely above a whisper. "Am I... not enough? I thought you wanted this. You looked at me like..."

Hazuki scrambled backward, pointing at his pinky ring as if it was a divine ward.

"HELL NO! Do you not see this? Huh!?" he shouted, genuinely panicked. "THIS! RING! PINKY! PROMISE!!"

Kisha blinked, her expression shifting as she finally noticed the faint shimmer of the sacred mark on his hand.

"A-ah..."

"Listen here, girl," Hazuki muttered, still looking away, his voice low and firm. "If I weren’t bound by this damn pinky promise... do you really think you’d have to wait?"

Kisha flinched slightly.

"I’m the one who would’ve gone to your bed," he continued, shoulders tense. "It’s not like you’re not pretty. You are. You’re beautiful."

He exhaled, long and bitter.

"But even if I wanted to... I can’t. Sorry."

Kisha hugged her knees tighter, silent.

The room sat heavy in silence, lit only by the flickering lantern on the wall.

Hazuki didn’t speak again.

For all his usual crude talk and barking tone, there was something painfully honest in that voice. Something too human.

Kisha looked at him, eyes wide. She didn’t understand everything about this man—but she understood that those words weren’t a rejection. They were restraint. A wall built by something deeper than her own pain.

"...I see," she whispered.

She stood, pulled the nightgown tighter around her, and quietly turned to leave.

Hazuki didn’t watch her go.

When the door closed behind her, he finally spoke, barely audible.

"Haaa..." Hazuki let out a long sigh, his hand resting behind his head as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Damn... the chance was right there."

He chuckled weakly to himself, shaking his head.

"The first experience... laid out like a buffet, right in front of me."

A faint smirk curved on his lips as he remembered Kisha’s silhouette.

"Well... at least the scenery wasn’t bad."

He closed his eyes, letting the silence of the room settle around him. The warmth of the fire, the distant sound of the wind outside, and the occasional creak of the wood gave the space a rare peace. A kind of comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time.

But one thought lingered.

"Where the hell did Ridan go?"

Hazuki opened one eye, glancing at the empty space near the ceiling.

Usually by now, that idiot spirit would be bouncing around, rating furniture or making jokes about chest sizes.

Now it was just... quiet.

"Don’t tell me he finally found a melon big enough to ascend to spirit heaven or something," Hazuki muttered.

He waited a moment.

No reply.

"...That bastard better not be doing something stupid."

He rolled over, pulling his makeshift blanket up to his shoulder.

Just one night. Let me sleep in peace for once.

Ridan floated leisurely above the orphanage, arms behind his head, enjoying the cool night breeze and the distant smell of roasted meat still lingering from dinner. The stars twinkled above, and for a rare moment, he actually felt relaxed.

"Ahhh... peace and quiet~" he hummed to himself.

Until—

WHUMP!

A large hand snatched him mid-air like a basketball.

"Mmmpphh!!!"

Ridan wriggled, only to stop cold when he looked back.

That guy.

Tall. Wearing the same old brown cloak, with eyes too sharp for someone supposedly senile.

"You..." Ridan muttered with narrowed eyes. "What now?"

The old man didn’t smile. "Make sure he stays here. Two or three days at least."

"What? For what?" Ridan groaned.

The old man’s gaze intensified.

"Just listen, Ridan."

The old man said sharply, his presence releasing a heavy pressure. Even as a spirit, Ridan felt his cloudy form shiver.

"Gulp... o-okay..."

The younger one leaned lazily against a post, arms folded, watching them with a smirk. "This is for his good. You’ll assist him."

"Heh. I’m already doing that, in case you forgot," Ridan snapped. "I mean, I can’t even possess him. All I can do is float around, land on his head, or touch whatever he touches so I can taste food again!"

"You won’t have that excuse anymore."

"You’re wrong," the old man said, pressing two fingers against Ridan’s forehead.

Flash. A soft glow enveloped Ridan’s form.

His eyes widened.

"What the— What did you just—!?"

"I’ve temporarily lifted your limit. You now have permission to partially possess him through contact. Support, enhance, and protect," the old man said, stepping back.

"But why now?" Ridan asked. His tone lowered, suddenly serious.

The younger one grinned and activated a silent rune over his palm, its glow ominous and warning. "Or you want to be sealed again, Ridan~?"

"Tch! No! Ugh, fine!" Ridan floated upright and adjusted his aura indignantly. "I get it. Big things coming. Danger. Doom. Blah blah."

The old man finally said, "He’s going to face something that can’t be solved with brute force or flashy spells. When it comes... you’ll know."

And just like that, they vanished. No sound. No trace.

Ridan floated in silence for a moment.

"...Why is it always me?"

He glanced down at the orphanage, at the dim light in the living room where Hazuki lay sprawled and snoring.

"...Idiot doesn’t even know what’s coming."

( End Of Chapter )