Chapter 100 - 98

The story opened with a boy being chased—by something unseen. As Junpei read on, he realized it was the same boy from the cover. The protagonist. After bumping into a few classmates, the boy awkwardly brushed it off and asked for directions to a nearby shrine. Then he ran off again. "...Wouldn't you just ask for help?" Junpei muttered, frowning. Soon, the perspective shifted. The boy was fleeing, and a large, one-eyed creature loomed close behind. A narration explained: the protagonist, Natsume, could see things others couldn't. Ever since losing his parents and moving in with distant relatives, people had treated him as strange. To avoid causing trouble—or being labeled a weirdo—he kept his ability to himself. "Oh... it's that kind of story," Junpei murmured. He'd seen this setup before: ghosts, monsters, hidden powers. Usually, there'd be an inherited artifact or a mysterious mentor who would show up to change everything. Was Mizushiro really going for another monster-fighting manga? Junpei frowned. There were already plenty of those. Even someone as talented as Mizushiro couldn't hope to top the legends of that genre. If that's where this was headed, he almost wished Mizushiro had just continued Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance. The story continued. At the shrine, Natsume stumbled upon a weathered seal—and accidentally disturbed it, releasing a bound spirit. Junpei sighed. So far, the plot was going exactly as expected. Until... The spirit appeared. A fat, round cat. Junpei blinked. "What the—?" He couldn't help laughing. So much buildup... and the fearsome sealed monster turned out to be a chubby cat. And yet, as the story unfolded, something shifted. We learn about Natsume's grandmother, Reiko—who, like him, could see spirits. Shunned by others, she spent her days challenging yokai and collecting their names in a notebook she called the Book of Friends. Now, those same spirits were drawn to Natsume, believing he held the book—and that he was Reiko. Junpei had expected the cat spirit to unleash some kind of secret power and drive off the enemy. Instead, the story slowed down. Natsume and the cat—who introduced himself as Madara—sat and talked. In a quiet moment, Natsume found the notebook among Reiko's old things. Madara explained the truth: anyone holding the Book of Friends could command the spirits listed inside. But Natsume wasn't interested in that power. He wanted to return the names. To set the spirits free. Even if it put him in danger. Junpei slowly put the magazine down. This wasn't what he'd expected. This wasn't a battle manga at all. The art was soft and restrained—nothing like the intense, exaggerated style used for fight scenes. And the story wasn't about strength or revenge. It was about understanding. Still unsure how to feel, Junpei grabbed his phone to vent in the fan group chat. But when he opened the app— The messages were already flooding in. "Didn't expect this, but... wow. That ending hit me hard." "I actually teared up at the last few pages. I thought it'd be some generic supernatural thing, but it's something else entirely." "I still love Rurouni Kenshin: Remembrance, but this... this is definitely Mizushiro. You can feel it." "At first, I thought that one-eyed spirit was gross. But after reading her story... I felt bad for her." Junpei hesitated. Maybe... he'd spoken too soon. What was going on? He stared at the chat, surprised. Everyone was praising it. Why had it felt so flat to him earlier? Was there a twist later on? Curious now, he scrolled through more messages. After a moment, he set his phone down, picked up his copy of Shroud Line, and flipped back to where he'd stopped. On the next page, the two spirits parted ways. The round cat—Madara—headed off to confront one of them alone. At Natsume's request, he also explained how to return a name. As Natsume fled the one-eyed spirit, he focused. The Book of Friends in his hands flipped open on its own, as if sensing something. One page floated up, weightless. Natsume tore it free, folded it carefully, and brought it to his lips. He exhaled slowly. The ink shimmered, lifting into the air and swirling toward the spirit. And in that moment, a memory surfaced. A glimpse of the past—the spirit's memory of Reiko. A lonely yokai wandering without purpose, until one day, it met a girl. "You there! Fight me!" Reiko had shouted, grinning. "If you win, I'll buy you Nanatsujiya's red bean buns!" The spirit lost, of course. Reiko took its name. "That makes you my subordinate," she said casually. "From now on, when I call your name, you'd better come flying!" "What's your name?" it had asked. "Reiko," she said with a wave, already walking away. To Reiko, it had probably been just a moment—something fleeting and fun. But to the spirit, it meant everything. She had called its name. Then she was gone. Spring passed. Summer. Autumn. Winter. Again and again. But she never called it. One year. Two. Ten. Decades. "Reiko..." "Was that you just now?" That's how the manga landed its weight. The early scenes had seemed simple—almost mundane. But in one quiet panel, it hit like a wave. And just like that, Junpei was completely drawn in. "So lonely..." "Even lonelier than before..." "Give it back—give me my name..." "If she'll never call it again, then at least... return it to me." Natsume's eyes opened—clear and steady. The name floated back into the spirit's body. "Rishigaki," he whispered. The spirit went still. "Reiko... were you doing okay?" "Even if you were lonely... you weren't afraid, were you?" Before fading, Rishigaki asked, "She wasn't alone... right?" "Thank you, Rishigaki," Natsume said gently. "You were... a kind friend to my grandmother." As the spirit vanished, Natsume stood in silence. The final panel came. The two-chapter one-shot was complete. Junpei sat for a long moment, staring at the last page. There was a lump in his chest. Not quite sorrow. More like a quiet ache. Something that almost made him want to cry—though no tears came. That memory between Reiko and Rishigaki—it had struck something deep inside. Natsume's Book of Friends... He looked down at the cover again. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he picked up his phone and rejoined the fan group chat. Bragging, praising, posting half-coherent bursts of emotion. This time, he wasn't disappointed. (TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 50+ advanced chapters)