Episode 79: No, we just accidentally stepped on a banana peel...
Episode 79: No, we just accidentally stepped on a banana peel...
『 Reigen roared, a heavy punch aimed straight at the evil spirit leader's face!
" EXORCISM SALT PUNCH!!!! "
" One of Reigen's ultimate moves!! "
The punch landed squarely on the evil spirit leader's face.
Everyone in the live stream widened their eyes, anticipating the effect of this attack.
After all, the opponent was the teacher of that extra who looked like Saitama.
It couldn't possibly be just a huge bluff, right?
Everyone's hearts seemed to hold a glimmer of expectation for Reigen.
Sure enough, the evil spirit leader immediately shrieked!
"Awooo... "
But soon, everyone watching the video felt that something was off.
Not only the viewers, but even the evil spirit leader in the video noticed something was wrong.
It had been howling for a long time, so why hadn't it been sent flying yet?
The evil spirit leader raised a hand to wipe its face and began to ponder.
"It doesn't hurt or itch at all... This is weird."
The evil spirit leader squinted at Reigen Arataka, its eyes full of doubt.
Is this guy really a big shot exorcist???? 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream, Chat Room~
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Haha, he looked so mighty, but it didn't cause any damage." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "He looks impressive, but he's just for show." ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Alright, this guy is still useless." ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "Huh? So salt really can't drive away evil spirits?" ]
[ Hu Tao (Genshin Impact): "There's no way that would work, is it?" ]
[ Yuki Takeya (Gakkou Gurashi): "What a shame." ]
[ .....]
The realization hit like a thunderclap.
Every spectator watching the screen tensed, teeth clenched as the truth became undeniable.
"You're nothing but a fraud!!!"
.....
『 But the next moment—
"CRACKLE-BOOM!"
A surge of blinding electricity erupted through the malevolent spirit's form, its very essence convulsing in existential terror.
"Get lost and haunt the ozone layer!" 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream~
"Wait—was that Reigen Arataka who just—?!"
"HIM AGAIN?!"
The audience's collective jaw dropped. Just when they'd written him off as a charlatan, he'd pull some inexplicable move that defied all logic.
So which was it?
A powerless conman?
Or some hidden expert?
For the first time, the majority of viewers found themselves utterly...
Baffled.
~Chat Room~
[ Xingqiu (Genshin Impact): "Could it be that this attack has a delay?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "But the delay shouldn't be that long." ]
[ Walter Yang (Honkai: Star Rail): "It should be said that this attack wasn't launched by him, but by the extra boy standing behind him." ]
[ Nevada (Azur Lane): "Hey, kid, that's pretty good." ]
[ Genos (One Punch Man): "I had initially assessed this person to possess considerable combat capability. However..." ]
[ King (One Punch Man): "..." ]
[ .....]
『 In the screen,
Upon hearing Reigen Arataka's words, the evil spirit leader clutched its head, seemingly enduring immense pain, and shouted loudly:
"Wait!!!! Do I not even have this much resistance!!!"
As soon as the words fell!
The evil spirit leader's massive body gradually disappeared!
With a 'poof,' a somewhat comical small 'spirit' appeared before Reigen.
Reigen's eyes widened, looking at the spirit before him with some surprise.
Of course, he knew that all of this was actually the masterpiece of his star pupil, Shigeo Kageyama, but he was surprised that Mob didn't directly eliminate this spirit!?
At this moment, Mob walked out from behind Reigen.
Reigen immediately said, "Mob, what are you doing? Hurry up and eliminate this guy!"
Mob looked up and calmly reassured him with a blank expression, "Alright, Master, let's hear what it has to say first."
The evil spirit leader's spirit immediately trembled all over upon hearing Mob's words and quickly said, "Behind us! There's a super evil spirit, and compared to it, we're not even worth mentioning!!"
"We were just following its instructions to scare people who came here..."
Upon hearing the evil spirit leader's words, Reigen sneered repeatedly, "Hmph, don't think you can fool me, Reigen, with such fabricated nonsense."
However...
He looked extremely nervous, seemingly ready to turn and run.
The thought of an even more powerful ghost behind them?
Reigen's heart pounded, wishing he could just take off.
But his (obedient) disciple (and ATM) was still watching, so Reigen had to bite the bullet and pretend to be calm as he spoke.
However.
The evil spirit leader, upon hearing this, was clearly as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle.
It waved its tiny hands and yelled at the top of its lungs, "This is absolutely not made up! I just feel that if I'm eliminated like this without understanding anything..."
"Then no one will remember us lost souls!!!"
"No one will know the past of me and those guys..."
The evil spirit leader looked incredibly sad and plopped down on the ground, refusing to get up.
"Do whatever you want, whether you destroy me or dissolve me, I don't care!!!"
Reigen glared at the defeated evil spirit leader and angrily said, "Are you trying to gain sympathy!? Mob, don't fall for it! It's an old trick, eliminate it!!"
He was planning to have Mob quickly deal with this guy, and then they would seize the opportunity to escape.
To his surprise, Mob calmly glanced at his master, Reigen, with unusual composure: "Before that, I'll go check the situation!"
Mob walked forward calmly, saying to his master as he walked, "I'll go ahead and check it out first."
Reigen was stunned upon hearing Mob's words.
Huh???
What's his good disciple doing now!?
Why does he have to go forward!!
There's a terrifying evil spirit up ahead, you know!!!
But obviously, Reigen, wanting to maintain his cool image, couldn't stop his disciple.
He could only watch as Mob walked forward step by step.
Mob continued to walk and say, "Actually, I felt a strange spiritual energy when I came in earlier, and it hasn't disappeared."
Upon hearing Mob's words, Reigen's eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly interjected, "Yes, of course, I also..."
But before he could finish, the evil spirit leader, who had been ready to lie flat on the ground, suddenly yelled, "Stop him quickly!!!"
"Huh?"
Reigen looked down in confusion.
He saw the evil spirit leader shouting, "No matter how capable that kid is, he can't defeat that guy!!!"
"That guy has been entrenched in this mountain for hundreds of years, a super evil spirit!!!"
Immediately after, the evil spirit leader revealed a terrifying truth!!!
"Everyone who died here was killed by that guy!!!"
Hearing what the evil spirit leader said, Reigen's heart immediately went into a mess. He swallowed hard, staring at the evil spirit leader in front of him, and said with a hint of fear in his voice, "Then... were you guys also... by that person..."
Just as everyone was curious.
The evil spirit leader in front of them suddenly revealed a fact.
"No, we just accidentally stepped on a banana peel..."
Reigen: "..." 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream~
Every spectator across the multiverse: "...."
The adrenaline that had been surging through their veins just moments ago—
Splish.
...Now evaporated into awkward silence.
~Chat Room~
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Tch, and here I thought how they died." ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Turns out they just stepped on a banana peel while speeding." ]
[ Ganyu (Genshin Impact): "So, it's better not to litter." ]
[ Gintoki Sakata (Gintama): "Exactly, exactly, those who litter banana peels are the worst." ]
[ .....]
『 At this moment, Mob, who was walking inside, seemed to have been detected by the evil spirit within!
Whoosh!!!!
Immediately after, a fierce gust of wind suddenly swept out from the depths of the tunnel!!!
The wind came so suddenly that Reigen, caught off guard, his face contorted.
Of course, his face was also distorted by the wind, so his original expression couldn't be seen.
But the evil spirit leader was truly anxious.
Yes.
That's exactly right.
The terrifying evil spirit inside had woken up!
"Oh no, oh no, now you know the situation!!! If you care about that kid!! If you want him to live, then quickly call him back!! Hurry!!"
Hearing the evil spirit leader's words, Reigen gritted his teeth and shouted loudly, "Hey! Mob! Can you hear me!? Come back quickly!! Come back right now!! Mob!!!"
But precisely.
Mob acted as if he hadn't heard anything, his face blank, and he continued to walk deeper into the darkness ahead!
Tap, tap, tap!
Tap, tap!
Suddenly, Mob stopped and looked up ahead!!
Right in front of him, an extremely ugly, evil spirit suddenly appeared and swallowed Mob whole. 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream, Chat Room~
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "Huh, the other me with hair got eaten." ]
[ Genos (One Punch Man): "What's going on? Why is he seeking death?" ]
[ Rimuru (Tensura): "Could it be that it wants to swallow him to preserve him?" ]
[ Hiraga Saito (Zero No Tsukima): "Hey, hey, hey, that's impossible, right?" ]
[ .....]
『 In the darkness, only the evil spirit leader witnessed this scene, and it trembled all over in fear.
Reigen's eyes were wide, watching the trembling evil spirit leader, his gaze shifting to where Mob had disappeared.
If anything happened to Mob, he would feel guilty for the rest of his life!
No.
It was questionable whether he himself could even get out alive!!
But...
The evil spirit that had swallowed Mob, the next second, its body began to flash with endless electric light!
Its body swelled!
It screamed in pain! 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream, Chat Room~
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): Wait, what happened? ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "This guy looks like he's in a lot of pain." ]
[ Tsugikuni Yoriichi (Demon Slayer): "The demon from another world seems to be about to be annihilated." ]
[ Tokine Yukimura (Kekkaishi): "Is it because the energy is too powerful?" ]
[ Yoshimori Sumimura (Kekkaishi): "That's disgusting, getting eaten by someone." ]
[ Klee (Genshin Impact): "So much fun! It's going to explode!" ]
[ Yoimiya (Genshin Impact): "It exploded!" ]
[ .....]
『 Immediately after!
Its bloated body suddenly exploded!!!
Mob reappeared unharmed!
And that evil spirit shattered into pieces with a roar!!
In the recording, Mob looked around blankly; the evil spirit was gone.
No, it should be said that it was inadvertently eliminated by Mob!
"Hmm..."
Mob was full of questions, but he could feel that the evil spirit's spiritual energy had completely vanished without a trace.
So, Mob turned around and walked towards Reigen.
In the darkness, Reigen's eyes widened, trying his best to see the situation deep inside the tunnel. He heard a roar, but that roar was quickly swallowed.
Tap, tap, tap! Tap, tap, tap!
Before long, a series of hurried footsteps came from the depths of the tunnel, and Reigen's heart couldn't help but tighten.
However, not long after, he saw Mob calmly walk out from the depths of the tunnel.
Seeing Mob safe and sound, Reigen's heart dropped, and he quickly asked,
"Are you alright!?"
Mob looked at Reigen and nodded, "Yes, that evil spirit wasn't a big deal."
The evil spirit leader standing beside Reigen was shocked. It stared blankly at Mob, who was slowly approaching, and shouted, "You... who exactly are you!?"
The evil spirit leader's words made Mob pause for a moment, then he looked somewhat flustered.
"No, there's no 'who exactly'..."
As soon as Mob said this, Reigen immediately reprimanded, "You kid!! You're a new star in the psychic world! You're my disciple, Reigen Arataka's disciple! Mob!!!"
Mob's eyes lit up upon hearing Reigen's words, "Ah, right!"
However, the evil spirit leader, who knew Reigen's true nature, didn't take Reigen's words to heart at all. It walked up to Mob and said with a smile, "I have to thank you!"
"Without that evil spirit's restraint, we can now live with peace of mind!"
Mob looked at the evil spirit leader in front of him, and although he didn't quite understand, he still raised his hand: "By the way, could this be..."
At some point, a photo appeared in Mob's hand. He had picked it up deep inside the tunnel.
The evil spirit leader paused for a moment, then took the photo, and his eyes widened!
"W-what is this thing!?"
The photo was a group shot of their former biker gang!!
Looking at this photo full of memories, the bad ghost leader finally couldn't hold it in and burst into tears!!
He looked at Mob with eyes full of gratitude and shouted loudly, "Thank you so much!!!"
Immediately after, his entire body emitted a golden glow, and his whole soul floated gently towards the horizon!
At that moment, he seemed to have transformed back into the leader of the biker gang, looking down at the expressionless Mob with immense gratitude.
Mob and Reigen stared blankly at the bad ghost leader gradually ascending into the sky, until he completely disappeared!
Both fell into silence...
Reigen didn't know what to say for a while.
Mob had no idea what to say at all.
Reigen shook his head and said, "Mob! What did you do!"
"Let's go!"
Mob came back to his senses and quickly nodded, catching up with Reigen.
Reigen was quite satisfied. This time, he and Mob had absolutely crushed it with their combined efforts!
Mob was responsible for the crushing, and he was responsible for... the "ga-ga" sound!
On the way, Mob curiously asked, "Master, why didn't you do anything?"
Upon hearing this, Reigen's expression changed, and he quickly explained,
"No! That's because... cough, cough!!"
Reigen put on a smile, "Didn't I tell you earlier that I'd leave those little guys to you?"
Mob nodded in sudden understanding upon hearing Reigen's words,
"I see!!!"
Seeing Mob completely fooled by him, Reigen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, a drop of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
Luckily, he reacted quickly; otherwise, he would have been exposed!!!
After this exorcism, Reigen and Mob returned to the office, and then Reigen took Mob out for ramen. 』
『 .....』
~Dimensional livestream~
After seeing this scene.
All the viewers also started complaining.
~Chat Room~
[ Sawamura Eriri (Saekano): "Clearly, the one who did all the work this time was Mob." ]
[ Sawamura Eriri (Saekano): "But in the end, he only got a bowl of ramen?" ]
[ Shizuka Hiratsuka (Oregairu): "The adult's bowl is piled high with roasted meat, while that Mob boy's bowl only has a few slices." ]
[ Nanami Aoyama (Sakurasou): "Bosses like this should be hung from a lamp post sooner or later." ]
[ Hayate Ayasaki (Hayate the Combat Butler): "Hiss..." ]
[ Sorata Kanda (Sakurasou): "???" ]
[ Nanami Aoyama (Sakurasou): "Ah, well, I don't know why I said that." ]
[ Yato (Noragami): "One should receive appropriate compensation for the deeds done." ]
[ Yato (Noragami): "Otherwise, the gods will be displeased." ]
[ Tanya von Degurechaff (Youjo Senki): "Heh, gods..." ]
[ .....]
『 As the screen quickly shifted.
The video continued to play!
Mob slowly got up from the tatami mat at home. Yes, it was the start of another new day!
And at this moment.
A voice, seemingly a narrator, began to introduce the scene.
Look, this boy is named Shigeo Kageyama. People usually affectionately call him "Mob-kun." He is currently in his second year of middle school.
If you mention the second year of middle school, most people would think of the chuunibyou phase, which is the most sensitive period in a person's life.
However, this period is also generally referred to as the era of youth.
But our Mob-kun, in this era of youth, spends all his time at a psychic company, earning 300 yen an hour. 』
『 .....』
(The minimum hourly wage in Japan is around 900 yen, so 300 yen is already illegal, isn't it?)