Rio Futaba froze.
These past few days, she had been constantly thinking.
If Ye Xing wasn't just suffering from chuunibyou, if all those things he'd told her were actually true...
A world filled with despair at every turn, barely maintained through desperate measures, chilling to the core with its pervasive fear, teetering on the brink of destruction...
Would she truly be willing to face such a reality?
To continue living as a confused, ignorant person, or to summon the courage within her heart and lift the thin veil covering this bloodstained, twisted and terrifying world?
At this moment, Rio felt like the male protagonist from that movie.
Before her lay two pills - one blue, the other red.
Whichever she chose...
The result would undoubtedly be disastrous.
Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya remained silent, quietly awaiting Rio's response.
After spending these days together, they had already come to regard her as a friend.
However...
This friendship, built on concealment and half-truths, left them deeply unsettled.
Yui Yuigahama aside.
Even Miko wasn't good at lying - she was just skilled at masking her emotions.
Someone as perceptive as Rio had probably long suspected they were hiding something, yet never brought it up.
Could such a friendship, where both sides kept secrets, truly endure?
From an emotional standpoint, both Yui and Miko naturally wanted Rio to become privy to the truth.
But would that really be for the best?
The Reverse World, evil spirits, spectres, Gates - these bizarre phenomena were beyond ordinary comprehension.
"Futaba, you need to think carefully," Yui said with flickering eyes and a complicated expression. "The truth of this world... It's terrifying."
Hearing this, Miko beside her couldn't help but sigh.
This was just like Yui - too kind.
Kind to a fault.
Always putting others before herself.
Yui didn't actually need to involve herself in these matters at all.
Even after visiting Kyoto in the Reverse World and getting dragged into supernatural incidents, she could have simply turned a blind eye like Miko used to, and life would have continued as normal.
Come to think of it, why had Yui agreed to join the Society without hesitation?
She wasn't particularly brave, nor was she like Ye Xing - that lunatic with his extreme mental fluctuations and high-frequency madness.
Even Miko, who was quite close to her, couldn't understand the reason.
Leaning against the window, Mai Sakurajima listened to the conversation in the clubroom with only one expression:
Confusion.
What on earth were they talking about?
Mai only knew that Miko was fighting against something, but she couldn't see the evil spirits or the Gates.
Ye Xing hadn't explained.
Mai hadn't asked either.
She simply couldn't follow these juniors' conversation!
Was she getting too old?
"I..."
Seeing even the usually silly-smiling Yui Yuigahama wearing such a solemn expression, Rio Futaba also hesitated.
What exactly did the real world look like?
Noticing her indecision, Ye Xing spoke up calmly.
"Miss Futaba, the choice is yours. Whatever you decide, this clubroom will remain yours. That was our agreed condition. We won't come here anymore after this. This place will forever be your private place... I mean, personal space. You can rest assured."
Hearing this, Rio's eyes behind her glasses flickered. After a few seconds, in a move completely unlike her usual calm and rational self, she suddenly slammed the table and stood up.
Bang!
The abrupt noise made Yuigahama jump in fright.
Miko Yotsuya's pupils also contracted slightly.
Two seconds later, her shoulders began to tremble, too.
Miko's delayed reaction was like a live broadcast's safety delay - her brain first determined whether the scare came from evil spirits, then judged whether she could afford to show fear, before deciding on her physical response.
This skill could win her a talent show.
"I..."
Rio took a deep breath, her expression turning resolute.
"I'm... curious!"
Ye Xing thought she'd wandered into the wrong story.
Curious? She should join the Classics Club. This was the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society.
"Because I'm curious, I want to observe."
Rio adjusted her glasses frame deliberately, enunciating each word.
"I want to observe, and I like the atmosphere here. So please allow me to change my affiliation from the Quantum Mechanics Research Society to the Super... Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society!"
After several seconds of silence in the clubroom...
"Pfft."
Both Miko and Yuigahama burst into laughter simultaneously.
"Hahaha! Miss Futaba, did you just bite your tongue?"
"You're pretending to be calm, but you're actually super nervous, aren't you?"
"I can't... I'm dying..."
Watching the two girls laugh hysterically, Rio's cheeks flushed slightly. She adjusted her glasses, maintaining composure with effort.
"A-anyway, you understand what I mean."
"In that case, let's begin."
"Begin what?"
Instead of answering directly, Ye Xing called softly:
"Appear, Hachishaku-sama."
As he spoke, Rio and Yuigahama's vision was suddenly filled by a towering woman in white, nearly three meters tall, her head almost brushing the ceiling.
"Holy... what!?"
Even the usually unflappable, eternally rational Rio Futaba couldn't help her pupils contracting at the sudden appearance of this monstrous figure in the clubroom.
Meanwhile, Yui Yuigahama stood there with her mouth slightly agape. After a long pause, she forced a smile and waved hesitantly at Hachishaku-sama.
"U-um... Yahallo?"
"Yahallo."
To Yui's surprise, Hachishaku-sama actually waved back with a gentle smile.
Looking closely now...
Hachishaku-sama was quite beautiful - with an excellent figure, smooth skin, elegant features, and a hint of shyness like a reclusive girl who rarely interacted with people.
It's just that her height...
Was rather excessively tall.
Had she grown even taller since their last meeting?
"Are you wondering why Hachishaku has grown taller since last time?" Ye Xing saw through Yui's thoughts and chuckled lightly.
"See? This is what we refer to as personal spiritual development after joining the company. What do you think, Little Hachi?"
"The Boss is absolutely right."
Seeing Hachishaku-sama's utterly deferential manner left Yui speechless.
Had it only been a few days?
Ye Xing had already trained Hachishaku-sama to be this docile?
Yui could hardly believe the well-behaved figure before her was the same dishevelled, fanged female ghost from before.
Watching this scene, one might genuinely mistake it for some idealistic company where employees and bosses supported each other harmoniously towards boundless prospects.
The reason for Hachishaku-sama's recent growth spurt was simple.
She had devoured numerous evil spirits lately, naturally increasing her power.
Though as evil spirits go, Hachishaku-sama wasn't particularly formidable - more of a mid-to-low tier entity that couldn't even kill openly, relying on underhanded schemes.
But Ye Xing was an excellent exorcist who knew how to utilise spiritual talents.
While Little Hachi would've normally had little room for improvement, having fused with the Gate made her worth cultivating.
After devouring other evil spirits and growing stronger, she gained better control over the Gate within her and even unlocked a new ability.
Now, whether during Demon Hour or normal hours, as long as Hachishaku-sama enveloped them with her power, ordinary humans could pass through a Gate between worlds just like psychics such as Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya.
Of course, the cooldown for opening a Gate anywhere remained seven days.
Currently, Hachishaku-sama's limit was enveloping three ordinary people at most - any more risked losing control.
Her evolution to this stage was undeniably thanks to the nurturing from the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society and Boss Ye Xing.
This was a true mutual benefit between the company and the employee.
Exploitation? What exploitation?
As long as salaries were paid, it wasn't exploitation!
Ye Xing checked his phone.
Good, almost 5:30 pm.
Time to go.
"Alright then."
Ye Xing stood up and declared grandly.
"Marvellous Exploration Team, move out!"
Yui muttered under her breath: "I thought we were called the Paranormal Investigation Squad?"
Miko equally whispered back: "Whatever, he can call it what he likes."
Then Miko suddenly froze, asking incredulously:
"Wait... when you say 'move out'... You don't mean we're all going to the Reverse World's Kyoto City, do you?"
"Precisely so."
Ye Xing nodded, adding one final remark.
"Remember to send your families a message saying you're staying at a friend's place tonight."
Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya didn't hesitate, immediately nodding in agreement.
"Okay."
Currently, Hachishaku-sama could allow ordinary people to travel between worlds through a Gate during two time periods. But if it went past 7 pm - the final limit of Demon Hour - even psychics like Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya would have to wait until the 5 am Human Hour to return to the real world.
After finally gathering everyone to visit the Reverse World together...
Surely they wouldn't have to return after less than two hours?
Staying out overnight required informing their families.
Noticing Ye Xing only asked Yui and Miko to call home without taking out his own phone, Rio couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Like me, do you have busy working parents and live alone?"
"No, I don't have parents."
"Oh... Sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine. There's someone in Gotham who enters alleys with six legs and comes out with two. My situation's nothing special."
Rio Futaba definitely wouldn't understand such dark humour, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't find it funny.
After all, Ye Xing's circumstances weren't much different from Batman's - aside from lacking the sexy butt chin.
"As for Mai Sakurajima..."
Ye Xing looked towards Mai, who was leaning by the window, completely lost and unable to follow the conversation.
"You can go home after dinner, or stay longer in the club room if you prefer. Up to you."
Over these past two days, he'd made an interesting discovery.
Would you look at that?
Mai Sakurajima's Adolescence Syndrome was truly peculiar.
Not only was she imperceptible to ordinary people like Rio Futaba and Yui Yuigahama, or psychics like Miko Yotsuya...
Even spiritual entities like Hachishaku-sama and Hyakume couldn't perceive her existence.
This was downright baffling.
Was science the best way to dispel superstition?
The problem was, Rio's quantum mechanics had nothing to do with actual quantum mechanics.
Mai's situation alone could make an episode of "Approaching Science".
Why had a former nationally famous idol beauty become an imperceptible, invisible girl?
Was it moral decay or legal...
Wait, that wasn't the opening line for "Approaching Science", that was the one about the village sow getting pregnant.
In any case, Mai's situation was special.
Since Hachishaku-sama couldn't "perceive" her existence, she couldn't use the Gate's power to bring her into the Reverse World.
Temporary staff Mai Sakurajima.
Duties: Guarding the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society club room door.
Salary: Three meals a day.
(The "day" part hadn't been implemented yet - currently just three meals.)
"Alright, let's begin."
"Eh? Eh!?"
Before Rio could react, Hachishaku-sama activated the Gate's power, pulling her, Yui Yuigahama, Miko Yotsuya and Ye Xing into the Reverse World.
For Ye Xing, Hachishaku-sama fused with the Gate served as a rapid transit between worlds.
But her true special quality was this:
She could bring ordinary people like Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba - who couldn't normally "perceive" the other world's existence - into the Reverse World.
After a brief moment of dizziness lasting less than a second, Rio Futaba found herself confronted by a sight that completely overturned her worldview.
Hanging in the sky was a dark crimson crescent moon.
The place where she stood still appeared to be Sobu High School, still within the clubroom of the Society.
Yet the problem was—outside the windows lay only darkness.
In the distant reaches of her vision, she could see thick, churning black mist, within which twisted figures occasionally flickered in and out of view. The mere sight of it made her hair stand on end.
"Where... is this place?"
Hearing Rio Futaba's question, Ye Xing chose to respond in the most straightforward manner possible.
"This is the stronghold of Satan's emissaries—the other side of the demon army's supply point."
Rio Futaba walked to the window, repeatedly verifying the scene before her. Behind her glasses, her eyes betrayed disbelief as she murmured to herself,
"So... you really weren't just suffering from chuunibyou. Another world... actually exists."
Thanks to her exceptionally rational mind, Rio Futaba accepted this reality within mere seconds.
Moreover, she began cross-referencing all the information Ye Xing had previously provided with the scene before her.
"Are you alright, Futaba-san?"
At Yui Yuigahama's inquiry, Rio Futaba turned and gave a slight nod before looking back at Ye Xing. Her tone remained calm and composed as she said,
"Regarding the protagonist awakening their abilities, I believe I've mentioned to you before that 'perception' is the foremost prerequisite."
"Correct."
Ye Xing shrugged and smiled.
"Well then, that condition has already been fulfilled."
Without the slightest hesitation, Rio Futaba immediately grasped his meaning and continued,
"In other words, as long as we achieve a shift in 'perception'—transforming one's view of the 'enemy' from something invincible that must be escaped into a target that can be 'eliminated'—that should trigger the awakening."
Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya exchanged glances, both girls' eyes filled with confusion.
'Did you understand that?'
'I didn't. You?'
'Me neither.'
Two pools of crystalline stupidity collided, forming an ocean of bewilderment and question marks.
Neither Yui Yuigahama nor Miko Yotsuya were actually unintelligent—it was simply that Ye Xing and Rio Futaba's thought processes moved too quickly for ordinary people to keep up.
"You've only just arrived here, and you're already considering how to awaken abilities?"
Rio Futaba neither denied nor confirmed this, merely stating noncommittally,
"I just want to account for every possibility. Besides, wasn't the whole point of you inviting me to join this club in the first place to provide this sort of perspective?"
"Fair enough."
Just then, the group suddenly heard a faint, haunting melody drifting through the clubroom window—a sound interwoven with sorrow, desolation, loneliness and countless other emotions.
"Oh? Interesting."
In contrast to the three female members whose expressions darkened upon hearing this mournful music, Ye Xing looked positively intrigued.
He'd visited the Reverse World many times before, but this was the first occasion he'd encountered something like this.
Tell me—what is it that a player most desires to satisfy when entering an RPG game world?
That's right—it's curiosity!
The first time triggering a mission brought that nervous yet eager feeling to explore further.
Especially if the missions weren't fixed but randomly triggered...
That would be absolutely perfect!
"Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society team, charge!"
Before the words even finished, Ye Xing had already sprinted out of the clubroom like lightning.
To those who knew, he was investigating a sudden supernatural incident.
To those who didn't, they might think he was a starving ghost crawling out of hell who'd just spotted a grilled steak.
This was way too eager.
"This guy... I really don't know how to describe him."
Watching Ye Xing leave the clubroom, Miko Yotsuya sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead. She glanced at Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba beside her, then at Hachishaku-sama standing nearby, pursing her lips before speaking.
"Let's follow him."
"Mmm, let's go."
Though it was her first time entering the Reverse World, Rio Futaba's curiosity had already overwhelmed her fear of the unknown.
A world identical in appearance to Kyoto, yet fundamentally different.
Why did such a place exist?
Was it related to quantum mechanics?
What role did "perception" play here?
Rio Futaba was deeply intrigued.
...
When they followed the sounds to Sobu High School's gate, they witnessed an extremely eerie scene.
On the dimly lit road outside, a long procession of vehicles moved at a measured pace.
Each evil spirit wore deathly white garments, maintaining perfect formation with neither hurried nor sluggish steps.
The carriages weren't pulled by horses, but by wheels with human heads growing from their centres, rolling forward autonomously.
About a dozen spectres who appeared most human-like—not evil spirits but harmless yokai—held various musical instruments.
The mournful, sorrowful melody came from their playing.
"Is this... a wedding procession?"
Seeing the paper-white double happiness character pasted on the carriage, even Miko, with her strong mental fortitude, felt chills alongside Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba.
The evil spirits and spectres in the procession didn't notice them, continuing their solemn advance.
"This looks seriously bad."
Miko pressed her lips tightly, turning to Hachishaku-sama beside her.
"What do you think?"
Hachishaku-sama parted her lips, emitting an unexpectedly soft, slightly timid voice.
"I think... It's best not to provoke these things."
Yui and Rio started simultaneously.
"You can talk?"
"Of course."
Hachishaku-sama looked genuinely puzzled.
"I can obviously talk."
Yui and Rio realised this made sense.
They'd heard fragments about Hachishaku-sama's legend.
A yokai who mimicked deceased children's relatives to lure victims out.
How could she deceive anyone without speech?
They just hadn't expected her voice to be this soft and gentle, like a kind young wife.
"Wait."
Rio frowned slightly, scanning their surroundings.
"Where's Ye Xing?"
Hearing this, Yui and Miko finally noticed.
Right, where had Ye Xing gone?
He'd left before them—why was he nowhere in sight now?
Could it be... that something unexpected happened?
Just as the three girls were growing increasingly anxious, a voice tinged with laughter suddenly emerged from the procession.
They looked up to see Ye Xing, who had somehow blended into the wedding escort party, now standing amidst the dozen or so spectres.
What shocked them even more was this:
Black mist coalesced in Ye Xing's hands, rapidly forming the shape of a double-reed woodwind instrument.
"Don't tell me..."
Toot, toot, toot.
The three girls stared dumbfounded as Ye Xing experimentally blew into the instrument, producing sharp yet melodious notes. After nodding in satisfaction, he addressed the surrounding evil spirits and spectres.
"Hello everyone, I'm the new suona player."
"To celebrate this joyous occasion, I'll perform a famous Chinese piece for you all - 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'."
"Thanks for your support."
As his words faded, Ye Xing had already raised the suona to his lips.
Toot, toot, toot toot toot.
The high-spirited, jubilant notes of the suona resounded through the Reverse World's Kyoto.