Chapter 47: My Sister Is a Top Student
Time demonstrated its power. Hachiman could travel against its current, but there was no way to precisely return to the place he had departed from.
Using a pre-prepared solar disk in ancient Egypt, Hachiman brought Mariya Hikari and, harnessing the power of the Nile, successfully returned to the modern era.
Through the Egyptian sorcerers who had been waiting, he roughly determined his return time—Hikigaya Komachi had already graduated from high school.
In other words, Hachiman's ridiculously fake oath of "being a pacifist before my little sister goes to college" had officially expired.
Although he hadn't been peaceful at all, his explanation was: fighting in the ancient era didn't count! The surname Hikigaya hadn't even existed back then!
After changing into modern clothes, Hachiman brought Mariya Hikari back to his home in Chiba.
By the time he reached his front door, Mariya Yuri—already informed—was waiting there.
The older sister of the little priestess, finally seeing her sister, was extremely excited and cried uncontrollably. Hachiman hadn't even spoken yet when he received a forceful chest hug, and then the priestess held her sister tightly, refusing to let go.
Hachiman thought Mariya Hikari would understand the lesson—losing her hair was one thing, but losing her chest was even more frustrating.
"Hachiman… no, King! Thank you so much!" Mariya Yuri held little Hikari tightly, tears in her eyes, attracting curious glances from passersby.
"Is this what happens when your girlfriend's family discovers you're living together?" Hachiman overheard a passing couple commenting…
What kind of look was that!
"Let's talk inside," Hachiman said, and pulled the two sisters into the house.
Komachi wasn't home, and the fox wasn't there either—probably off wandering again. The little sister seemed increasingly accustomed to him being gone for long periods.
Once inside, Hachiman had barely sat down on the sofa when another wave of gratitude came at him.
"No big deal, don't mention it. Just take good care of your sister from now on," he waved it off, then suddenly remembered that Komachi, who would normally appear as a "waitress," wasn't home. He got up again, went to the fridge, and grabbed some drinks.
Hachiman took his favorite MAX Coffee for himself and orange juice for the two sisters. After spending time in the ancient era, he noted that ancient food had been horribly bad.
"Thanks, brother!" Mariya Hikari happily took the orange juice and slurped it down, contrasting sharply with her older sister's restrained behavior.
Hmm… kids really are better.
For a while, the three of them remained silent, the only sound being the slurping of straws.
Was this considered awkward silence?
Hachiman decided to find a topic.
"How's the West Celestial Palace doing now?" he asked.
He hadn't checked since leaving after the last fight. He thought the Sunlight tourism industry could probably adjust its development strategy, but the West Celestial Palace… he would rely on those in the chesty-and-cleavage-heavy circles to answer.
"Not too good," Mariya Yuri said, showing a slightly worried expression. "Ena is helping there now. Rebuilding the barrier is very troublesome."
"Didn't the monkey leave? Why not just cancel it?" Hachiman asked in confusion.
"The God Lord isn't there, but that's exactly why it needs rebuilding," Mariya Yuri said hesitantly. "Because the Ghost Gate has been completely opened."
Ah, right. There was also a Ghost Gate there…
Hachiman really hadn't remembered that.
"What happens if the Ghost Gate is open?" he wondered, realizing he couldn't guess.
Demons running wild? Clearly not according to the book's setting, but since it's called a Ghost Gate, it must be significant.
"Hachiman, do you know about the 'Hour of the Meeting with Demons'?"
"No," Hachiman shook his head, then guessed, "Encountering a group of marquises?"
"…!" Mariya Yuri's eyes widened in shock, clearly frightened.
After a long pause, she stammered, "A… group… no way…"
Okay, she was genuinely scared. The psychological trauma hadn't faded yet.
Hachiman felt guilty; digging into someone else's wounds wasn't a good thing—though enemies didn't count.
"Uh, just joking, sorry." Hachiman had instinctively wanted to pat her head, but suddenly remembered this wasn't his dumb little sister. Quickly, he patted his own head instead and reassured her, "That old man isn't so bad. At least he keeps his promises. Don't worry, he won't hurt you again."
"It's… okay…" Mariya Yuri sighed in relief, no longer stammering. "That's an old saying from ancient times. It originally referred to the time of day when day and night transition, when demons were prone to appear. Nowadays, 'Hour of the Meeting with Demons' refers to the sudden increase in demons caused by external influences like the Ghost Gate."
"By demons, you mean yokai?" Hachiman asked. "Aren't they weak?"
Regarding yokai, he honestly found them weak. Not just from a god-slayer perspective—just look at his fox dog at home. That was one of Japan's top three yokai!
Planes, missiles, tanks, and cannons can't deal with gods or god-slayers, but they were excellent against yokai. He had verified this with Tamamo-no-Mae.
"Hachiman, you misunderstand how yokai survive now," Mariya Yuri shook her head. "Attacking humans directly is an ancient practice. Nowadays, most yokai hide within cities, indistinguishable from humans. If yokai get agitated due to the Ghost Gate, the army is of little use."
Hachiman nodded in agreement.
"Are there many yokai in Chiba?" he asked.
Chiba wasn't far from Sunlight. If there were many yokai and no sorcerers remained, it would be problematic.
Hachiman wasn't irresponsible. Since he had expelled the Committee's power from the city, he also took responsibility for protecting it. Yokai or humans—he stood with humans.
If Tamamo-no-Mae objected, he would just punish her by skipping dinner! Let her starve!
"That's unnecessary. Because of your presence, yokai in Chiba are already sparse. The remaining ones receive offerings, so they won't be affected by the Ghost Gate," Mariya Yuri explained, then dropped a bombshell: "However, Tokyo will likely be severely affected… Oh, I heard your sister applied to Tokyo University."
What!?
Hachiman was instantly horrified, forgetting even to drink his Coke.
His sister was a top student? Since when?
"You're not mistaken, right?" Hachiman asked skeptically. "Tokyo University isn't easy. Doesn't she need cram school? And wasn't she living in a villa with a bunch of girls… uh, forget that last part. Anyway, are you sure Komachi applied to Tokyo University?"
"Yes, just recently… Ah, since she's your sister, once our people there knew, they immediately notified us."
Hachiman went silent and finished his Max Coffee in one gulp.
This was very un-god-slayer-like.
His sister… was a top student!?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting