Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya watched helplessly as the pale ghost hand pinned down the deity's massive body, while the pitch-black ghost hand slowly drove its ghastly, sharp nails into its flesh, then twisted and tore.
Just witnessing it made the two girls tremble.
How painful must that be?
"Time's tight, so let's not waste any."
Still smiling, Ye Xing tore off one of the golden deity's four legs with the ghost hand, transforming it into a translucent golden mist before swallowing it whole.
"Tastes pretty good."
Satisfied, Ye Xing crouched down and patted the golden deity's head.
"Mate, you're delicious. Way better than evil spirits."
Though Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama couldn't see the deity or the ghost hand, they could roughly guess what was happening from his words.
Miko was stunned.
Ye Xing could devour not just evil spirits...
But even gods?
His appetite was truly indiscriminate—absolutely no pickiness here.
"Made up your mind yet? Want to sign the contract?"
After the previous incident with Hachishaku-sama, both Miko and Yui had come to understand.
The "contract" Ye Xing spoke of was nothing like what they had imagined.
That was a contract?
That was exploitation!
"@@!＃@!*"
The golden deity let out a weak, incoherent whimper, too drained to even scream in pain—its state was downright pitiful.
Ye Xing showed no mercy, directly manipulating the inky ghost hand to deliver another resounding slap to the creature.
"Did you leave your vocal cords at home?"
The golden god was already severely wounded, and the inky ghost hand seemed to have a particular suppressive effect on spiritual entities.
This slap caused its form to dim further, flickering like a candle flame in a cold wind.
"#!@&!#*"
Even so, the golden god emitted those incomprehensible, cryptic utterances—though its voice trembled with unmistakable fear.
"Oh..."
Ye Xing nodded indifferently.
"So you genuinely can't speak human language. You're not just messing with me."
He had actually known this from the start.
On one hand, in the original story, Miko Yotsuya was human—perhaps this golden, goat-headed god wasn't incapable of speech, just unwilling.
On the other hand...
He wasn't the one getting slapped. He was the one doing the slapping. What harm was there in trying?
If he hit it, he hit it. What could it do to him?
"Come, sign this contract. The terms are as follows."
Ye Xing smiled faintly as he addressed the golden god.
"My condition is this: whenever anyone present encounters an evil spirit, you must immediately appear to assist."
"By assistance, I mean you personally show up. And if it's an overwhelmingly powerful evil spirit, you actively act as rearguard to buy time—even if it means perishing alongside the evil spirit. Understood?"
A classic unequal treaty.
Miko thought back to all the stories she'd read where humans begged gods for help—always reverently, always offering sacrifices.
How had it come to this with Ye Xing? Completely the opposite.
She'd truly never seen anyone threaten a god like this before.
"@!*&!&..."
Slap!
Before the deity could finish speaking, the pitch-black ghost hand slapped it again.
"I don't care whether you can leave the shrine or not. You must appear in person - none of that nonsense about sending your two weak, fox-faced divine messengers. Even being a few seconds late counts as breaking the contract."
"Eh?"
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Miko Yotsuya stepped forward, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Can you understand its language?"
Ye Xing shook his head.
"No."
"Then how do you know what it means?"
"Who cares if I understand? I'm just guessing that's what it's saying. If not, great. If so, well... after this slap, it's not saying that anymore."
Miko Yotsuya: "..."
The students at Sobu High School described Ye Xing as extremely antisocial, doing things his own way with a terrible temper.
But if they could see Ye Xing facing evil spirits, they'd realise the school version of him could practically be described as 'amicable'.
At least in school, he gives reasons before hitting people.
"You can understand me, right?"
Ye Xing's smile faded as he stared directly into the golden-eyed face of the goat-headed evil spirit. His gaze remained calm and unruffled as he spoke softly in an even tone.
"Also, every fortnight I'll come here once. Using your current size as a reference, I'll devour about thirty per cent of your body each time."
"If you don't want to be gradually eaten away by me, then actively seek out and devour the evil spirits in Kyoto."
"Those are my terms."
"Your reward is simple - you won't be eaten right now."
"Nod if you understand."
Hearing Ye Xing deliver these terrifying words in such a matter-of-fact tone - statements that carried no overt threat yet chilled one to the bone - Hachishaku-sama nearby suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of having narrowly escaped disaster.
Thank goodness she'd joined early enough.
Thank goodness she hadn't actually harmed Yui Yuigahama or Miko Yotsuya that time.
Otherwise...
Remembering that night when she'd watched her own body gradually turn into black mist and be devoured by Ye Xing, Hachishaku still felt terrified.
Whether for evil spirits like them or for this shrine-dwelling being called a deity...
Any spirit-related creature instinctively feared Ye Xing.
After all, he'd devoured thousands of evil spirits - a more powerful exorcist than any famous Great Onmyoji in Japan's history.
The pale golden goat-headed deity didn't want to accept these terms.
But clearly, it wanted annihilation even less.
Judging by this shrine's decor and age, this deity had existed for at least a century or two.
The longer one lives, the more one fears death.
This applies not just to humans, but to spirits too.
"Oh, right, wait."
Just as the contract was about to be sealed, Ye Xing suddenly added something.
"There's one more person - Hana Yurikawa from Sobu High School Class 1-A. If she encounters any evil spirits, you must immediately appear to help her."
Hearing this, the members of the Supernatural Society first froze, then exchanged knowing smiles.
For all his apparent indifference...
Ye Xing had actually considered Hana's safety, too.
"Ye Xing, you..."
Before Miko Yotsuya could speak, Ye Xing waved his hand to interrupt.
"Don't misunderstand. I only included Hana Yurikawa's name in the contract because she's your and Yui's friend, that's all. I don't have any other intentions."
"Even if you did, it's fine."
Yui Yuigahama said carelessly, covering her mouth with a light laugh.
"Little Hana is cute, has a great personality, and is quite popular among boys."
As she spoke these words, Yuigahama suddenly felt three sharp, murderous gazes fixed on her face.
Two of them came from Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya.
But what puzzled Yuigahama was that while she clearly sensed intense killing intent from another direction, there was visibly no one there...
Could it be...
A ghost?
If so, Ye Xing would be overjoyed.
An unexpected bonus?
Unfortunately, the murderous gaze Yuigahama felt was from Mai Sakurajima.
...
After signing the extremely one-sided contract that practically amounted to slavery, the Goat-Headed Deity silently vanished.
"Finally settled."
Just as Ye Xing was about to leave with Mai Sakurajima and the others, he suddenly stopped as if remembering something.
"What's wrong?"
"Wait, there's one more thing I nearly forgot."
Ye Xing turned around and strode to the shrine's offering box. With a powerful kick, he sent it crashing into a nearby stone statue, splitting it open.
Crash!
He crouched down and meticulously collected the banknotes he'd just put in, along with some coins and the original contents, stuffing them all into his pocket while muttering:
"I'm not leaving you a single penny."
The girls stared in stunned silence.
Seriously, dude? Was this necessary?
Making that deity sign an unfair contract was one thing...
But you kicked over the offering box, too?
And took back the money you'd donated?
Then again, considering Ye Xing had beaten up the deity itself, this minor act seemed trivial by comparison.
"OK, that's it for today. Meeting adjourned. I'll contact everyone later about the Onimaru Kunitsuna matter. For now, just relax these next few days."
...
After Ye Xing left, Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya exchanged glances and simultaneously sighed.
Yui Yuigahama, still confused, tilted her head curiously.
"You both look like the mission succeeded. Why the sighs?"
"Yui, you're not a psychic. You wouldn't understand."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses with a complicated expression.
"Evil spirits, the Gate, the Reverse World... all these dangers we're fighting alone. We'd hoped the gods from legends might become allies, but seeing them today..."
Miko Yotsuya continued softly:
"These so-called gods might be even more malevolent than the evil spirits themselves."
Listening to them, Yuigahama's eyes dimmed, though she forced a smile.
"Alright, alright. At least there's no immediate danger now, right? We finally have spring break, and it's still early. Why don't we go shopping, grab some food, and relax a bit?"
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, her eyes betraying a hint of anticipation. She cleared her throat lightly, trying to appear indifferent.
"Relaxing might help clear our minds. It's not a bad suggestion."
Yui Yuigahama saw through Rio's act and linked arms with her, smiling brightly.
"Come on, you want to go too, don't you?"
"I... suppose."
"Then let's go!"
With Yui's playful intervention, the heavy atmosphere surrounding Rio Futaba and Miko Yotsuya lightened considerably.
True enough.
They'd take things one step at a time.
Though this world was filled with despair and terror, they'd endured this far, hadn't they?
As more psychics joined in the future, the Supernatural Society's power would only grow stronger.
Surely, they could protect this city of Kyoto.
Yet the faint trace of loneliness in Yui Yuigahama's sweet smile went unnoticed by both Rio and Miko.
"I'm the only one left now..."
Yui glanced at Rio and Miko beside her, Ye Xing's image surfacing in her mind.
She reminded herself not to sigh—she had to keep smiling. She couldn't let her personal feelings dampen her friends' moods.
But human thoughts and emotions weren't so easily controlled.
Yui had already felt lately that her contributions to the Supernatural Society were dwindling.
And now...
With Rio's awakening of Soul Materialisation, she felt even more out of place.
Among the Society's four members, only Yui Yuigahama remained an ordinary person.
Forget fighting evil spirits.
In the surface world, she couldn't even perceive those entities, completely oblivious to what was happening.
Right now...
She could do nothing.
...
Half an hour later, at Ye Xing's home.
"Hana Yurikawa..."
Ye Xing sat on the sofa, contemplating his next steps.
The frequency of Gate appearances had gradually decreased. Whether caused by evil spirits or human crime, both scale and occurrence had diminished significantly.
This was partly due to the Supernatural Society's efforts in eliminating Gates and powerful evil spirits, but the Metropolitan Police Department's actions also deserved credit.
During this period of relative peace, Ye Xing's priority was recruiting more individuals with potential—those who might awaken Soul Materialisation abilities and become assets against evil spirits—into the Supernatural Society.
Hana Yurikawa, with her abnormally strong life aura, was an excellent candidate.
There was just one thing.
Miko Yotsuya appeared to be an ordinary high school girl, but was actually a psychic with Mystic Eyes. After overcoming her fear of evil spirits, she'd awakened her Soul Materialisation: Hyakume.
As for Rio Futaba, she seemed calm and rational on the surface—almost like an emotionless robot.
In truth, she was deeply sensitive. The scrutiny and opinions of others had made her grow to despise herself.
After expressing her true feelings and realising that even someone like Rio Futaba was needed and indispensable in the eyes of certain people, she awakened her Soul Materialisation – Bone Woman.
This is what they call confronting one's true self.
But here's the question.
Hana Yurikawa...
This girl is too genuine, too transparent.
Ye Xing found it hard to imagine that someone as naive, ditzy and voracious as Hana Yurikawa could harbour any inner conflicts.
The only thing she might struggle with is occasional shoulder stiffness.
She envied Yukino and Kazusa Touma for not having such troubles.
Could someone so transparent meet the conditions for Soul Materialisation awakening?
Hard to say.
If all else failed, he could at least recruit her into the Supernatural Society.
Even if she couldn't awaken Soul Materialisation, having Hana - whose intense life aura burned any evil spirits daring to approach - act as Miko Yotsuya's human shield would still be useful.
Wielding a spiritual longsword in her right hand and Hana in her left.
Utterly invincible.
"Haven't you finished packing yet?"
Mai Sakurajima descended the stairs carrying a suitcase in both hands, placing it on the floor before panting slightly with flushed cheeks.
"Wait, packing for what?"
"Our trip."
"Where to?"
"Hmm..."
Mai took out her phone, her slender fingers swiping across the screen before she smiled sweetly.
"Let's go to Wakayama. I want to see the ocean."
"How long for?"
"Return by noon the day after tomorrow? That shouldn't interfere with your plans, right?"
"I've got nothing scheduled during spring break. Plenty of time to collect Onimaru Kunitsuna after we return."
Seeing Ye Xing agree, Mai beamed like an excited schoolgirl and urged,
"Then hurry up and pack! We'll miss the last train otherwise."
"Alright."
For just two days, Ye Xing quickly gathered some clean clothes into a small bag.
The contrast with Mai's heavy suitcase couldn't be starker.
...
Two hours later, coastal Wakayama City.
Though they'd left Kyoto for this trip, the cities were barely 100km apart - just over an hour by train.
"Ahh, the air's so fresh!"
Mai wore a light-coloured sundress, her raven hair cascading naturally, adorned with a cute rabbit hairclip. Her long, shapely legs seemed almost luminous.
Upon exiting the station, she immediately stretched with a contented sigh.
Ye Xing chuckled at her reaction.
"Look at you. When you were acting, didn't you travel all across Japan?"
"How is that the same?"
Mai shot him a glare.
"That was work - no time to enjoy the scenery. Besides..."
She paused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with feigned composure.
"The... the company was different too."
Ye Xing nodded sagely.
"True. Having Kyoto's top exorcist accompany you on holiday is indeed an honour."
Mai rolled her eyes.
'Classic you,' she thought.
...
At the hotel, they encountered an issue.
"One room, sir?"
The receptionist maintained a professional smile, completely ignoring Mai standing beside Ye Xing.
After all, in her eyes, Ye Xing was the only guest present.
"Mm, book one room then. The best suite available."
"Understood."
Though Mai Sakurajima felt extremely embarrassed, there was no alternative.
Hotel check-ins required ID verification.
Personal items bearing her name and representing her identity remained completely invisible to outsiders, even when separated from her physical contact.
Naturally, one ID card could only book one room.
Perfectly reasonable.