Kei: No, no. Foxes and tanuki shape-shifting into people or whatever, in real life, that’s——
Youko: Impossible? It’s not unheard of in this world to find a mystery now and then, yup.
Kei: Impossible. Stuff like that can just stay in fiction where it belongs. I’m sure those two just went on a walk, and’ll pop back in any minute now.
Youko: A walk, huh……
Kei: That’s right. The air here’s nice and clean, and anyone taking a walk would have it in the morning, when it’s cool.
Youko: Izzat so? In that case, why’d you call?
Kei: I had nothing to do, just waiting for Tsudzura-chan to come back, so no reason in particular, but…
Youko: Yo-yo-yo! You mean I’m just keeping you busy ’till your real wife comes home!? Am I your #2-san!?
Kei: Hey now……
I breathe a quick sigh.
Sometimes, I just can’t keep up with her.
In times like this, it’s best just to change the subject, though it’s more than probable she won’t even listen to me……
And, right then, I remember a particular item of interest.
Kei: That’s right. Youko-chan, when you called me last night, just before being cut off, you were about to say something, right?
Youko: Ahh——
It seems a topic of higher priority than joking around, as her words come to a sudden halt.
Youko: Lessee, just a little before I called yesterday, someone called here. A friend of your mama-san, they said, wanting to know where you were.
The feel of her tone is just screaming, “watch out!”
Kei: ……I wonder who. There were quite a few people who knew Mom.
Youko: I’ll bet— and for someone related by work, you’re likely not to know who, right?
Youko: In that case, they could make up any sort of name or status and you wouldn’t even know, would you, Hato-chan?
Youko-chan seems to be dragging that tone along, as she lapses into an amateur person-search tirade à la detective memoir style.
Kei: So, what was that person’s name, then?
Youko: Heh?
Kei: You know, the one who called. I might just know that person.
Youko: ……Ahaha… about that—
Kei: About that?
Youko: It’s kinda… well… I forgot to ask the name—
(TN: In Japanese, the onomatopoeia of a crow’s caw is “aho,” which also happens to mean, “moron.”)