"What's wrong?"
When Ye Xing arrived at the fitting room door and saw Rio Futaba's astonishing proportions that even a loose tank top couldn't conceal, he couldn't help but gasp.
"Wow... you've been hiding your light under a bushel."
Ye Xing's exclamation came from the heart.
He knew Rio had hidden depths.
But he never imagined they were this deep!
At school, in her uniform and lab coat, one could only tell she was well-endowed.
Who would have thought that in loose sportswear, she'd be this astonishing, no less impressive than Hana Yurikawa.
"Why didn't you tell him about such an important matter earlier?"
Rio Futaba's delicate face flushed slightly as she bit her silver teeth in frustration.
"I called you here to find a solution, not for you to stare at me with those perverted eyes."
The thing Rio hated most in life was having her body ogled by others.
Yet now, Ye Xing wasn't just looking—he was staring openly without concealment—and strangely, she felt no disgust at all.
Was it because he was so unabashed about it, not sneaking glances but looking openly without making any malicious comments?
Or perhaps...
Her standards for Ye Xing were different from those of other men?
Rio shook her head, dismissing the peculiar thought.
"What should we do? Can you... can you bind... bind that thing?"
"You mean breast binding?"
Ye Xing wore an odd expression.
"Miss Futaba, do you see any breasts on me?"
"You're a man, of course you don't have any."
"Exactly. Since I don't have any, how would I know how to bind them?"
Rio froze for a moment before stamping her foot in frustration.
"Didn't you say you could absorb the memories of evil spirits? You even know how to pick locks, but you can't figure out breast binding?"
"Now you're just being unreasonable."
Ye Xing rolled his eyes and shrugged.
"Even among normal women, few know how to bind breasts properly. And given your... impressive size, ordinary methods probably wouldn't work anyway."
Hearing him discuss her body so bluntly, Rio felt steam might as well be coming out of her head.
Yet because Ye Xing spoke with such matter-of-factness, as if it were purely an academic discussion, she couldn't bring herself to protest.
"However..."
Ye Xing recalled a certain golden-haired, pink-tipped gyaru from Class 1-A who looked sweet but dressed provocatively, and changed tack.
"There's probably someone in our class who knows. She likes cosplaying anime characters—she'd be an expert in this field."
Miko Yotsuya chimed in with deadpan accuracy:
"Recruit her into the Supernatural Society?"
Ye Xing waved a hand dismissively.
"No need for that. When spring break ends, I'll just ask her for advice."
"Oh, I see..."
Rio nodded absently before suddenly realising the implication. Covering her chest in embarrassment, she exclaimed:
"You... if you learn, does that mean you'll be the one binding them for me?!"
"Hey, don't worry."
Ye Xing stepped forward and patted Rio's shoulder solemnly.
"It's all to protect Kyoto. I won't hold it against you for taking advantage of me."
Both Rio and Miko shook their heads simultaneously, thinking Ye Xing would always be this absurd no matter the situation.
"What about this time then?"
After a moment's thought, Miko tentatively suggested:
"Maybe... you could wait for us back home? That way, you can also protect Hachishaku-sama, so she won't be disturbed by other evil spirits while maintaining the Gate."
Rio sighed in resignation.
"Well... I suppose that's the only option."
Rio had accounted for everything—except this one oversight.
The first official confrontation between the Supernatural Society and the Metropolitan Police Department – the earth-shattering operation to retrieve the famous sword Onimaru Kunitsuna that would soon shake all of Japan.
The reason she couldn't participate was simply that the scale was too massive!
Rio Futaba had no idea how she'd explain this to Yui Yuigahama when she got back.
Agonising. Truly agonising.
Awkward. Truly awkward.
After escorting Rio back upstairs and watching her pass through the Gate to return to the real world, Miko Yotsuya took a deep breath. Behind her pure white mask, her golden pupils flickered with nervousness.
"Let's go."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Miko blinked in surprise. Noticing his casual black outfit, she asked curiously:
"Aren't you going to change clothes?"
"I'll show you something cool in a moment. You can learn from it, too."
"Oh, alright."
...
Twenty minutes later, in a back alley of the Reverse World, nearly two kilometres from Kyoto Municipal Museum.
"We're here."
Ye Xing spoke calmly as he observed the Gate emitting black mist before them. Turning to Miko with a smile, he continued:
"Though you can't use evil spirit power to form weapons, given Hyakume's current power, you should be able to..."
Here, he took a step forward.
Hiss.
Miko heard the faint whisper of wind beside her ears.
She watched as Ye Xing's body became enveloped in writhing, dark flames of profound blackness.
Upon closer inspection, she realised this black substance wasn't actual fire.
It was an extremely condensed power, resembling the black mist that permeated the Reverse World.
Within seconds, the flame-like black mist had formed a pure black outfit, replacing his casual clothes.
A featureless pure black mask, revealing only his eyes, gradually materialised over his face.
"Understand now?"
The transformed Ye Xing, now unrecognisable from before, looked at Miko and asked calmly.
She shook her head honestly.
"Not at all."
"Your comprehension needs work, Miss Yotsuya."
Like a patient teacher, Ye Xing guided Miko's thinking with questions:
"First, let's establish one thing. As a psychic's Soul Materialisation, you can freely choose whether to manifest before ordinary people. And once manifested, you can physically affect them. You understand this, yes?"
"Mhm, I understand."
Though Miko Yotsuya had never used her Hyakume to harm ordinary people, she was well aware of the unique aspects of Soul Materialisation.
Similarly, Hachishaku-sama could also manifest before ordinary people—another special ability evil spirits gained after forming contracts with psychics.
"So," Ye Xing pointed at Hyakume beside Miko.
"While you can't wield evil spirit power yourself, by using Soul Materialisation as a medium, you might not be able to create weapons that amplify damage against spirits out of thin air like I can, but making a set of clothes? That's no problem at all."
"Really?"
Miko glanced at her Hyakume, casting an inquiring look at the spirit.
Thirteen eyes stared back at two.
The air fell silent for a moment.
"Wait, why are you asking her?"
Ye Xing frowned slightly.
"Hyakume is you, and you are Hyakume. If you're capable enough, she can naturally do it. If you can't, asking her is pointless."
"Oh, I see. Then I'll give it a try."
"Hold on, don't test it now."
Ye Xing waved his hand to stop her.
"Time's tight. You can experiment all you want after we finish the mission."
"You're right. First, we'll steal—"
Halfway through her sentence, Miko noticed Ye Xing's displeased expression and quickly corrected herself.
"Ah, I mean, first we'll return Onimaru Kunitsuna to its rightful owner."
"Now that's more like it. Let's go."
Ye Xing led Miko through the Gate before them, arriving at the corresponding location in the present world.
It was around 5:30 a.m.
At this time of year, the faint glow of dawn was already visible on the horizon.
The moment light and darkness intertwined was when the connection between this world and the Reverse World was strongest.
The streets of Kyoto at this near-dawn hour were nearly empty—partly due to the Metropolitan Police Department's public advisories urging citizens to minimise nighttime outings.
Even if passersby noticed the masked, oddly dressed Ye Xing and Miko, their weary gazes didn't linger long.
After all, this was Japan.
A bit of cosplay was perfectly normal.
The two soon arrived at the entrance of Kyoto City Museum.
The museum was vast, built from deep yellow and red bricks, exuding a solemn, historical aura.
By the entrance stood a signboard displaying a photo of a longsword, with bold text beneath it:
[Exhibiting Now: The Legendary Masterpiece, Onimaru Kunitsuna.]
"Disgusting."
Ye Xing stared at the sign with a pained expression.
"Stealing my sword and then flaunting it so brazenly in an exhibition... truly, the world's morals decline by the day. I'll have to retrieve it myself."
Miko: "..."
You're really one to talk.
"Alright, let's begin."
Eyeing the museum's glass doors, locked from the inside, Ye Xing's expression shifted to excitement and focus. He raised his foot—
Crash.
The crisp shattering of glass and the piercing wail of triggered alarms sounded almost simultaneously.
As everyone knew, master assassins were those who slaughtered everyone with an axe.
So, for the Phantom Thieves aiming to steal Onimaru Kunitsuna, a full-frontal assault was perfectly reasonable, right?
"It's begun."
Miko Yotsuya nodded, took a deep breath to calm the tension in her chest, and followed Ye Xing into the museum.
The moment she stepped through the door, she could immediately sense the extraordinary nature of this area.
In the air, faint golden threads of light floated like silk strands.
The scene exuded a sacred, inviolable aura.
Yet the colour of those threads reminded Miko of the Goat-Headed Deity she'd encountered at the shrine last time.
Recalling its grotesque, twisted true form made this seemingly holy scene feel nauseatingly hypocritical.
"Saves us time, though."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Miko looked at the walls lining the corridor and nearly laughed aloud.
Every few metres hung a signpost with arrows and the inscription:
[To view the famous sword Onimaru Kunitsuna, proceed this way.]
The Kyoto City Museum certainly didn't beat around the bush.
They'd conveniently marked the way for them.
Ye Xing and Miko walked side by side in the direction indicated.
The deeper they went, the more the golden threads multiplied in the air.
This was proof that numerous powerful spiritual objects were concentrated here.
"Five minutes forty-two seconds remaining."
Miko nodded slightly, recognising this as Rio Futaba's calculated timeframe for the Metropolitan Police Department's arrival after triggering the museum's alarms.
Within these remaining minutes, they needed to locate Onimaru Kunitsuna, shatter its display case, and retrieve the sword.
Ideally, they'd escape before any confrontation with police.
"Halt!"
As they approached the inner exhibition hall, a team of burly security guards in work uniforms surrounded them, brandishing electrified batons.
The crackling weapons sparked ominously as the guards adopted defensive stances.
"Stay where you are! This is criminal behaviour!"
Ye Xing nearly laughed at the sight.
Stun batons?
Did they think he was a Water-type Pokémon vulnerable to Electric attacks?
Then again...
These were just museum guards, not proper law enforcement like the Metropolitan Police Department.
Rio's research had confirmed their arsenal:
Non-lethal rubber bullets and these very batons.
After all, this museum housed priceless artefacts.
Who'd risk stray bullets damaging irreplaceable antiquities?
And rubber bullets could still break bones - equally effective against normal humans, just safer.
Unfortunately...
They weren't dealing with normal humans today.
When Ye Xing ignored their warnings and kept walking, two guards charged simultaneously, delivering crackling baton strikes from both sides.
Thud.
There were no electric screams, nor the imagined sensation of striking human flesh.
Ye Xing glanced down at the batons blocked by his clothing, shook his head, and murmured:
"Pathetic."
Then, bending slightly at the waist, he threw two punches at blinding speed into the abdomens of the two guards.
The soft bellies of the guards gave way abruptly under the blows. Their vision blackened before pain even registered, and they collapsed stiffly to the floor.
Ye Xing hadn't constructed this outfit from evil spirit power just for show.
Though looking cool was certainly a factor.
On one hand, it was convenient, allowing for instant wardrobe changes.
On the other...
The density formed from devouring thousands of evil spirits could deflect sharp blades, even close-range pistol fire.
What appeared as clothing was, in truth, impregnable armour.
Thud. Thud. Thud...
After five seconds of continuous dull impacts:
"Done."
Miko Yotsuya watched with complex emotions as over a dozen burly guards were all knocked unconscious in such a short time.
As the saying goes, thank goodness Ye Xing became an exorcist.
Setting aside Soul Materialisation, just his superhuman physique, combat skills, and ability to move without a trace through the Reverse World and Gates...
Had he harboured wicked intentions, he might have become history's most untraceable criminal.
Naturally...
This would also mark the first time a national treasure like Onimaru Kunitsuna had been stolen.
Truly making their mark in history.
"Four minutes fifty-five seconds."
With approximately that time remaining before the Metropolitan Police Department's arrival, Ye Xing and Miko stood in Kyoto City Museum's largest exhibition hall.
Dominating the central glass case was a long blade that shimmered mysteriously even in the darkness, alongside an ancient-looking scabbard.
An adjacent plaque bore four powerfully inscribed characters:
[Onimaru Kunitsuna]
Yet facing the displayed blade, Ye Xing and Miko exchanged glances and simultaneously shook their heads.
"Wrong."
The worst-case scenario had materialised.
This exhibit wasn't the real Onimaru Kunitsuna - merely a replica.
While visually convincing, to psychics like them, the truth was instantly apparent.
It carried not a wisp of spiritual energy.
For this, the Supernatural Society had prepared.
"Open your eyes, Hyakume!"
With Miko Yotsuya's soft command, thirteen of Hyakume's eyes slowly closed, leaving only the one that belonged to the Slaughter Demon.
All of Hyakume's power was now concentrated in that single eye.
"Over here."
Hyakume's cool voice rang out as she moved towards a certain direction behind the exhibition hall.
In legends, Hyakume was a monster that stole others' eyes and grafted them onto herself.
Once she gathered a hundred eyeballs, no exorcist could ever hope to oppose her power again.
That was the origin of her name.
The Slaughter Demon's eyeball possessed an extremely unique ability—tracking the traces of spirits.
Moreover, its compatibility with Hyakume was nothing short of perfect.
Even if a spiritual object as powerful as Onimaru Kunitsuna wasn't present here, the residual spiritual traces could still be tracked through the Slaughter Demon's eye, leading them to its location.
Guided by Hyakume, Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya found what appeared to be a wall in a corner of the exhibition hall—but was actually a hidden door.
After passing through a corridor over ten metres long, they arrived before a metal door.
Hyakume pointed lightly and whispered, "Onimaru Kunitsuna should be inside here."