Chapter Eight
The Social Death of Yotsuya Miko
"Yotsuya, what's wrong? you've been acting weird all day."
"Haven't recovered from the shock of the Spatial Quake yet?"
Yotsuya Miko, slumped over her desk, felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.
The perpetually energetic voice of her best friend, Yuri Kawara Hana, reached her ears.
Yotsuya Miko lifted her head. Seeing Hana's concerned expression, she forced a weak smile.
The next instant, that smile froze on her face.
Behind Hana, an Evil Spirit, wreathed in black miasma and barely recognizable as human, was staring fixedly at her.
Yotsuya Miko wanted to cry, but had no tears left.
'Why did you have to wake me up?!'
'If I just kept sleeping face-down, I wouldn't see anything...'
"Yotsuya, why does your smile look sadder than crying? Why are you staring..."
Before Hana could finish, Yotsuya Miko quickly spoke up.
"Because... I remembered something sad."
The girl's lips trembled. Her voice shook. She did look genuinely distressed.
Hana was startled.
She thought something terrible had happened at Yotsuya Miko's home.
Just as she was about to offer comfort, Yotsuya Miko spoke again.
"I... went into the wrong restroom earlier."
"I ran into the men's restroom..."
"And I accidentally bumped into a boy..."
Even though it was such a socially mortifying incident, Yotsuya Miko spoke as if a long-suppressed floodgate had opened.
Her words sped up, tumbling out in a rush.
Hana fell silent, listening.
It really was a sad thing...
But, why did she get the feeling Yotsuya Miko's expression seemed... lighter? Happier?
"Yotsuya... do you know that boy?"
"No, I don't. I think he's from the class next door."
Yotsuya Miko recalled the boy's handsome features. She had a vague impression.
"Then why do you look kinda happy... Did you awaken some incredible new fetish?"
Hana was utterly shocked.
Yotsuya Miko fell silent at that. The corner of her mouth twitched helplessly.
She didn't know how to explain her current state of mind to Hana.
Compared to all the other things she'd encountered these past two days, the social death of running into the wrong restroom really did count as something to be happy about...
Two days ago.
She had unexpectedly gained the ability to see entities like Evil Spirits!
Every single Evil Spirit radiated malice constantly!
They whispered in her ear, asking if she could see them.
Yotsuya Miko wanted to scream. But she had a faint premonition... if she exposed herself, something utterly terrifying would definitely happen.
Her nerves stretched to the breaking point, Yotsuya Miko had lain awake all night at home.
She'd thought coming to school would be better. She never imagined there'd be even more Evil Spirits here!
A female spirit, suspected to be the urban legend Hanako, had taken up residence in the Women's Restroom.
Running to the men's restroom, she'd ended up encountering a human head pressed against the toilet lid.
And she'd been holding it in all day, unable to use the restroom.
'I'll have to check other school buildings after class...'
Yotsuya Miko squeezed her slightly plump thighs, desperately awaiting the final bell.
After enduring two excruciatingly long classes...
"Yotsuya, I have something to do today, so I'm leaving first!"
Her best friend Hana's words made Yotsuya Miko sigh with relief.
Otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to explain things to Hana.
Especially since this best friend of hers seemed to be particularly popular with Evil Spirits...
Yotsuya Miko walked quickly out of the classroom.
She headed for the other school buildings.
Passing by the neighboring classroom, a magnetic voice reached her ears.
"Yotsuya..."
Yotsuya Miko instinctively turned to look.
Her eyes met Yu Hisashi's gaze directly.
'It's him... the boy I bumped into in the men's restroom.'
'He knows me?!'
Yotsuya Miko felt a thunderclap go off in her head.
The delayed sense of social death rapidly spread through her entire body.
Her small face visibly flushed bright red at a speed you could see.
"Ah... ah..."
Yotsuya Miko opened her mouth, but could only produce meaningless syllables.
"Let's talk outside."
Yu Hisashi said with a light laugh.
Yotsuya Miko nodded dumbly. Only when she followed Yu Hisashi to a secluded corner did she snap back to reality.
She looked down at the tips of her shoes, only half-visible. Her heart was a mess of anxiety.
'What... what does he want?'
'Mockery? Bullying? Threats?'
'Could it be...'
Yotsuya Miko tightened her thighs. Scenes unsuitable for children flashed through her mind.
"Yotsuya, you should be able to see this, right?"
Yu Hisashi's voice reached her ears. Yotsuya Miko instinctively looked up.
The Evil Spirit head she'd seen in the men's restroom was now being casually tossed up and down like a ball by the boy before her.
Yotsuya Miko's pupils contracted slightly. She instinctively took a step back.
"Don't worry, I'm not an Evil Spirit... I'm Yu Hisashi. You can think of me as... something like a Spirit Exorcist."
A gentle smile appeared on the boy's handsome face.
It instantly soothed Yotsuya Miko's highly-strung nerves.
"Spirit... Spirit Exorcists... really exist..."
Yotsuya Miko opened her mouth. Her feelings were complicated.
These past two days, she'd also tried searching for Spirit Exorcists online and offline.
But everyone she met was a fraud!
Hearing Yotsuya Miko's words, Yu Hisashi gave a noncommittal nod.
Even though this world was pretty chaotic, with Supernatural Level phenomena occurring frequently, for ordinary people without any connections, seeking help from Supernatural Level individuals wasn't an easy task.
"Yu Hisashi, did you find me to... buy my silence?"
Yotsuya Miko asked cautiously.
She had a slight impression of the name Yu Hisashi.
She often saw it in the top ten of the honor roll after exams.
People said he was a good student with both character and grades.
She never expected he was also a Spirit Exorcist.
'A good student like that... should be pretty generous with hush money, right...'
Yotsuya Miko thought to herself.
Her allowance lately had all gone into buying Spirit Energy Bracelets.
Every single one of them was fake.
What a total waste!
"How could this be about silencing you?"
"Yotsuya, you have real talent. That's why I've decided to take you as my disciple!"
The boy's voice drifted into her ears like a whisper from another world.
Yotsuya Miko could hardly believe it.
"Take... take me as your disciple?"
Yu Hisashi gave a firm nod.
Exactly. He'd just obtained Spirit Binding and Commanding. How could he not test it out properly?
In his view, the binding effect was just decent.
But if used correctly, the commanding aspect could be incredibly useful!