The three girls plus one evil spirit listened to the lively suona music and stared at the scene before them, completely bewildered.
"Ye Xing... actually has this skill too?" Yui Yuigahama murmured.
Rio Futaba massaged her temples and sighed. "That's not the point you should be focusing on, is it?"
It wasn't just them who were confused.
Even the bizarre wedding procession composed of evil spirits and spectres was thrown into disarray.
The evil spirits and spectres exchanged glances, their variously coloured eyes filled with puzzlement.
No words were needed to understand their meaning:
"Did you hire him?"
"Not me, I thought you did."
"There's a suona player too? The master never mentioned this."
Ye Xing's movements and demeanour were so natural, without the slightest hint of awkwardness, that he completely flummoxed the evil spirits and spectres.
Could it be...
Reinforcements they'd called in?
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you all doing?"
Lowering the suona slightly, Ye Xing frowned at the surrounding evil spirits and spectres and urged them with perfect composure.
"Let's get moving, what are we waiting for? If we miss the auspicious hour, you'll be in serious trouble."
Believe it or not.
Several evil spirits approached, seemingly sniffing at Ye Xing, then actually nodded and led the wedding procession forward at a leisurely pace.
Blending in successfully.jpg.
This left Yui Yuigahama, Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba utterly dumbfounded.
This kind of operation actually worked?
They'd thought this would be a life-or-death battle about to erupt at any moment.
How did Ye Xing end up joining their procession as a suona player?
"He's always... this abstract..." Rio murmured with complex emotions.
Yui patted her shoulder and said meaningfully, "No, when you've known him longer, you'll realise this is far from Ye Xing's limit."
"So what should we do now?"
Being ordinary humans in this Reverse World dominated by evil spirits, even Yui, who'd been here before, and the highly intelligent Rio, were at a loss.
Both girls turned their questioning gazes towards Miko Yotsuya.
The latter shook her head and sighed faintly, her golden eyes reflecting helplessness.
"Let's keep our distance and follow. Ye Xing may often act erratically, but he always has his reasons for what he does."
The three girls and one spectre exchanged glances before nodding in unison, stealthily trailing behind the wedding procession.
Their professionalism in such matters left much to be desired.
The others could manage well enough.
The real problem was Hachishaku-sama's nearly three-metre stature. In the ordinary world, this wasn't an issue - only exceptionally powerful psychics like Ye Xing and Miko could perceive her.
But in the Reverse World, her towering form stood out conspicuously, making concealment impossible.
Fortunately, the evil spirits and spectres in the procession paid no attention to their rear.
All eyes were fixed on the most prominent focal point.
Boom, boom, boom.
The sorrowful beat of drums.
Toot, toot, toot.
The exuberant, birdsong-like melody of the suona.
Plink, plink, plink.
The graceful, delicate notes of the guzheng.
Toot, toot, toot.
Again, the jubilant suona mimicking avian calls.
Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle.
The crisp yet lonely chime of wind bells.
Toot toot toot toot!
As if reaching the musical climax, the suona's notes grew more frantic and joyous.
The spectres in the procession lowered their rusted instruments, staring blankly at Ye Xing's impassioned performance and the evil spirit power-forged suona in his hands.
What the hell kind of performance was this anyway?
Traditional Japanese instruments are renowned for their subtlety and restraint.
How could these delicate things possibly compete with the suona, which has dominated weddings and funerals for thousands of years?
And that wasn't all.
The piece Ye Xing was playing was a timeless classic—Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.
The bridal procession, originally eerie and desolate, composed of evil spirits and spectres with even the carriage drapes a ghastly white, now seemed oddly festive under the lively, soaring notes of the suona.
The three girls and one ghost trailing behind at a distance couldn't help but feel a strange sense of celebration.
It was hard to keep a straight face.
Toot toot toot toot toot—
With astonishing lung capacity, Ye Xing blew the suona faster and louder.
Yui Yuigahama couldn't resist muttering,
"Is he getting competitive now?"
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, watching Ye Xing with a complicated expression as he marched forward, utterly absorbed in his performance. Hesitantly, she ventured, "Is he... just doing this for fun?"
Miko Yotsuya remained silent.
At first, she had genuinely believed Ye Xing had some deeper purpose for suddenly joining this bizarre bridal procession as a suona player.
But now, watching him lose himself in the music, pouring his heart and soul into the performance, she was starting to have doubts.
Was he just messing around?
After all, Ye Xing had a long history of being a certified lunatic.
"I'm not sure either. Let's keep following for now."
Amid the exuberant suona music, the group pressed on.
This time, however, the spectres who were supposed to be playing instruments stood by and let Ye Xing take the spotlight.
There was no helping it.
With the instruments they were holding, they stood no chance against the suona in his hands.
Playing along would be pointless.
Might as well slack off.
As they moved forward, Miko took the opportunity to explain everything about evil spirits and the Reverse World to Rio in detail.
Rio nodded in sudden understanding.
"So that's how it is."
True to her reputation as a genius, Rio grasped new concepts far faster than the average person.
While listening, she also observed the scenery on either side of the street.
Once Miko finished, Rio immediately murmured,
"Have you noticed something?"
Miko and Yuigahama exchanged puzzled looks.
"What?"
Rio gestured around them.
"As this procession moves forward, the black mist is dissipating on its own. And according to what you said, Miko, the Reverse World should be teeming with evil spirits—yet we haven't seen a single one so far."
Hearing this, Miko finally realised.
That's right.
The density of evil spirits in the Reverse World was comparable to the population density of Kyoto in the real world—and it was supposed to be bustling at all hours.
So why, after nearly ten minutes of walking down the street, had they not encountered a single one?
A thoughtful gleam entered Rio's eyes as she spoke slowly,
"If this is happening, there are two possibilities."
"First, even though evil spirits rule the Reverse World, there might still be some form of order governing it."
"Second, this eerie bridal procession might not be as simple as it seems. Ordinary evil spirits—even that thick black mist—might have to make way for them."
"As for which one it is, we'll have to follow to the end to find out."
After saying this, Rio Futaba looked at the surprised faces of Yui and Miko and spoke calmly.
"What's the matter?"
"N-nothing."
Yui Yuigahama wore an honest, slightly silly expression, her face full of naive charm.
"Futaba-san, you're so clever."
"It's nothing much."
Faced with Yui Yuigahama's direct praise, Rio Futaba coughed lightly twice to mask her embarrassment.
"Ye Xing probably noticed something unusual about this procession the moment he saw it, which is why he chose to blend in like this."
After careful consideration, he picked up the suona, joined the procession, turned the tables, and stole the show.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
A boy who can play musical instruments scores major points in high school.
Things like guitar, bass, piano.
But if I pick up this suona and play 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix', how would you respond to that, my good sir?
...
While the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society team was having their strange adventure in the Reverse World, back at Sobu High School's clubroom.
"That guy is so infuriating. What does he take me for? A digital pet?"
Mai Sakurajima held a bento box, eating while muttering angrily to herself.
She couldn't understand.
How could several perfectly normal people just disappear without a trace like that?
Like ghosts?
Mai Sakurajima couldn't comprehend it, but one thing was certain.
Just as she suspected, this Society was definitely not ordinary.
If she wanted to solve her mysterious disappearance-like symptoms, the answer could only be found here.
...
Nearly an hour later, in the Reverse World.
"Huff... huff..."
Rio Futaba was slightly out of breath, using her sleeve to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her forehead as she gasped for air.
"H-how much longer do we have to walk?"
Though Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya had slightly better stamina than Rio, they too were showing signs of fatigue.
"No idea... I'm exhausted."
The wedding procession wasn't moving particularly fast - walking pace was enough to keep up.
But after nearly an hour of walking, it had become a gruelling physical challenge for the three high school girls.
Toot toot toot.
Listening to the still vigorous suona playing that showed no signs of weakening, the three girls and one spectre all regarded Ye Xing with newfound respect.
Damn, you can really play.
Walking all this way while playing continuously for nearly an hour, and his enthusiasm seemed to be growing stronger.
That lung capacity.
Having a skill, a special talent, a signature move.
For the first time, Miko Yotsuya felt a twinge of envy for Ye Xing's special constitution.
Eating evil spirits might have been physiologically repulsive to her, but the physical enhancement it brought was now showing its full potential.
During this nearly hour-long journey, the wedding procession had moved from the bustling district where Sobu High was located to a desolate area unfamiliar to Yui Yuigahama and the others.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes today, they wouldn't have believed such a remote place existed within Kyoto's city limits.
"We've arrived?"
Ye Xing put down his suona and smiled as he asked a spectre beside him who looked almost indistinguishable from a normal human.
The spectre hesitated, then nodded.
"Yes..."
"Oh? You can talk too?"
Ye Xing looked somewhat surprised as he pulled out the black notebook from his chest and wrote in it.
"Today's findings: the evil spirits and spectres in the Reverse World, apart from the Slaughter Demon I encountered last time, all seem to possess some capacity for communication and thought. Whether this is due to the influence of the Reverse World's environment or their own unique nature remains to be investigated."
After writing this, Ye Xing tucked the notebook back into his chest and watched with keen interest as the white cloth covering the carriage—pulled by four wheels with elongated heads at their centres—was slowly lifted by a pale, slender hand.
The moment that delicate hand emerged, the weeds on the wasteland turned from lush green to pitch black in less than a breath, before withering into lifeless grey ash.
Had anyone been watching from above, they would have witnessed a bizarre sight: a circle of death and desolation rapidly expanding outward from the carriage.
From a distance, Yui Yuigahama, Hachishaku-sama, Miko Yotsuya, and Rio Futaba all felt an involuntary chill run down their spines.
At that moment, they finally realised they had misunderstood something all along.
This wasn't a wedding procession.
It was a funeral procession.
The main figure had been sitting inside the white-draped carriage the entire time.
Miko lowered her voice and warned Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba beside her, "Step back a little."
As a novice exorcist, even Miko could tell that the presence inside the carriage was no ordinary evil spirit.
Would an ordinary evil spirit have so many spectres following in reverent escort?
Would an ordinary evil spirit cause such changes to its surroundings with just the emergence of a hand?
Would an ordinary evil spirit warrant Kyoto's top exorcist playing the suona all the way here?
In short, Miko was certain.
This was the most powerful evil spirit she had ever encountered in her life.
The question was...
Could it be stronger than Ye Xing?
Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba understood that as ordinary people, they could offer no real help in this situation.
They could provide support, but when it came to actual combat...
It would be up to the two "main characters."
The greatest assistance they could give was to retreat to a safe distance, ensuring Miko and Ye Xing wouldn't be distracted protecting them.
Once Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba had backed away, Hachishaku-sama, seeing Miko's tense expression, wordlessly extended her elongated blade and offered it to the younger girl.
"Thank you."
Miko Yotsuya took the long knife, her palm gripping the hilt beginning to sweat.
Although it was Ye Xing who had made the contract with Hachishaku-sama, in reality, the most harmonious team consisted of the three of them: Hachishaku, Hyakume, and Miko Yotsuya... oh, no, I mean two spirits and one person.
Ye Xing, with his combat prowess, usually acted alone.
Typically, whether it was an exorcism or removing a Gate within Kyoto, this configuration of two spirits and one person was employed.
At that moment.
A pale, delicate hand from within the carriage finally lifted the curtain completely.
A woman dressed in a pure black kimono, with a dignified and beautiful appearance, a vermilion dot on her forehead, and adorned like a lady from ancient times, gracefully stepped out of the carriage, her feet landing on a patch of dilapidated, grey ground.
From her outward appearance, apart from her excessively pale complexion, she looked entirely human.
But Miko Yotsuya was not foolish enough to believe that this woman was truly human.
In her eyes, the woman was enveloped in a thick aura of resentment; although she could not hear any sounds, it felt as if the wails of the dead were surging into her ears.
This one...
Was definitely a spirit stained with the blood of thousands, the worst of the evil spirits!
"Miss, we have arrived."
The kimono-clad woman nodded slightly, first glancing at Miko Yotsuya standing at a distance, along with Hachishaku and Hyakume beside her.
Then, her gaze shifted to Ye Xing, who had blended into the group, holding a suona, as she stepped forward and bowed gracefully.
"Thank you for your accompaniment; the music is lovely."
The woman's voice was soft, yet it reached Miko Yotsuya and the further away Yui and Rio Futaba quite clearly.
What she said left them all stunned.
Logically, shouldn't there be a fierce battle between the exorcists and the evil spirits at this moment?
What was this development?
Thank you for the accompaniment?
No...
What good person is getting buried with a suona playing 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'?
The key point was, why was she speaking so politely?
"Oh, don't mind it; I had a craving for my suona."
The kimono-clad woman covered her lips and chuckled lightly, her every movement exuding a restrained elegance.
However, Miko Yotsuya, being a novice exorcist, had long since learned not to judge humans and evil spirits solely by their appearances.
The only way to accurately discern them, with a success rate of one hundred per cent, was through one place.
That was the eyes.
No matter how an evil spirit disguised itself or possessed a human body to hide, the gaze could not be altered.
Miko Yotsuya couldn't quite describe it.
In short, those who understood would understand; just one glance at the other's eyes, and she could tell.
It was clear that this kimono-clad woman, who had likely been dead for a long time, could not comprehend modern phrases like 'craving,' and even the smile on her face was merely a facade.
"I have recently heard of your esteemed name."
"Is that true? Am I that famous?"
"Of course."
The smile at the corners of the kimono-clad woman's lips gradually faded, and a chilling killing intent suddenly emanated from her black pupils.
"After all, you have killed many of my kind."
Hearing this sudden remark and sensing the abrupt shift in atmosphere, Miko Yotsuya was already drenched in sweat.
Is it starting now?
Is this the moment?
Can we win?
"Heh."
Ye Xing maintained his smile, enunciating each word clearly.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
The kimono-clad woman was stunned.
Ye Xing continued his verbal assault.
"Know why I played the suona for you?"
"Be polite, and we can still talk. Be rude, and I'll happily send your whole family packing."
"Get ready, Esper."
Hearing Ye Xing's call, Miko froze momentarily before realising he was addressing her.
Since awakening her Soul Materialisation ability, she hadn't actually fought evil spirits alongside him, nearly forgetting her codename.
"R-right, Captain."
Alongside her cringing embarrassment, Miko felt an inexplicable surge of adrenaline.
Was the Society's first group operation finally beginning?
"Go."
The kimono-clad woman floated backwards as the nearly hundred evil spirits and spectres in her ranks simultaneously revealed their hideous true forms at her soft command.
In an instant, the atmosphere became suffocatingly oppressive, making even distant observers Yui Yuigahama and Rio Futaba feel their breath catch.
Even the dark crimson moon above seemed to dim at this moment.