So he'd misunderstood.
Miko Yotsuya was indeed pure-hearted, not thinking about that at all.
Ye Xing felt he'd fallen into a mental trap.
From his experiences with Mai Sakurajima and Haruno Yukinoshita, he'd confirmed that infusing ordinary people was completely useless.
That's why he'd considered using either Miko Yotsuya or Rio Futaba for experimentation.
But it seemed...
It didn't necessarily have to be a cream infusion.
"A kiss..."
Hearing Ye Xing's murmur, Miko felt her heart suddenly tighten.
She didn't understand what he meant by "infusing."
Miko had misread the situation.
Seeing Ye Xing's noncommittal expression, was he unwilling to share such intimate contact with her?
Had she been presumptuous?
At this moment, Miko suddenly took a deep breath, her golden eyes showing determination.
Hesitation leads to defeat.
This applied to both exorcism and romance.
Whether it was meeting him first, joining the club first, or becoming a psychic first...
Technically...
She'd been there before anyone else.
"Ye Xing!"
Miko suddenly called out, nearly startling him.
"What is it? Are you trying to eat me?"
Miko realised her tone had been too intense, showing slight embarrassment, but she spoke firmly nonetheless.
"I... I'm willing to kiss you..."
Her voice suddenly became much quieter as she lowered her head and mumbled.
"Whether... whether it's for experimental analysis or... or my personal feelings, I... I'm willing."
Miko had made her choice.
She chose to go all in.
If not now, then when?
Taking a deep breath, Miko stood up and sat right beside Ye Xing.
Closing her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, she slowly leaned in to press her lips against his.
"Hmm?"
Feeling the strange sensation on her lips, Miko felt confused.
Why did this feel... off?
Ye Xing's slightly exasperated voice sounded.
"Why are you kissing my forehead? Cosplaying as Tsunade and Naruto?"
Opening her eyes, Miko realised she'd kissed the wrong spot. Instantly flushing crimson, she retreated slightly, stammering:
"W-well... I don't have experience with this, sorry."
Ye Xing said matter-of-factly:
"Pfft, what's that supposed to mean? It's my first time too."
"Eh? Really?"
"Of course. I auto-refreshed."
Miko didn't understand what "auto-refreshed" meant.
But if Ye Xing said it was his first kiss, then it was.
Miko Yotsuya took a deep breath, clenched her fair right fist, and gave herself a determined pep talk gesture.
"One more try. This time I'll definitely succeed."
"Why are you making it so difficult?"
To Miko's surprise, her soul manifestation, Hyakume, appeared beside her without being summoned.
Hyakume, with a thin cloth covering her eyes, leaned lazily against the wall and said nonchalantly,
"If you really can't do it, I'll help. Just close your eyes and I'll aim for you. Simple as that."
"Y-you—shut up!"
Miko's face turned so red she nearly steamed like a kettle.
Hyakume pursed her lips indifferently.
"Tch. I'm just saying what you're thinking. Otherwise, why would I appear? Hmm?"
"Stop talking! Disappear!"
Miko hastily waved her hand, dispersing Hyakume's manifestation and forcibly ending her torment.
After this interlude, her previously tense mood had relaxed considerably.
Miko glanced at Ye Xing with an awkward smile before sighing sincerely.
"Your ghost hand... it doesn't talk, right?"
"Mm, correct."
"That's nice..."
Miko had recently discovered something about psychics.
Most Soul Materialisations shared this same flaw.
Soul Materialisations were manifestations of the user's true inner self.
Rio Futaba's Bone Woman was violent and taciturn.
And what was Miko's greatest wish?
To not live in fear every day, to freely express any emotional fluctuations.
This resulted in her Soul Materialisation Hyakume having a personality best described as... unfiltered, unrestrained boldness.
The worst part?
Miko couldn't even refute it.
Because everything Hyakume said represented her true inner thoughts.
Just then.
Hyakume's figure suddenly materialised again.
"Oh, right, one more thing."
Before Miko could stop her, she leaned close to Ye Xing and said playfully,
"Don't let her calm act fool you. Inside she's practically burning with desire to kiss you—for at least half an hour—and don't forget the cuddles."
With that, Hyakume wisely dissipated before Miko could scold her.
A subtly silent atmosphere descended.
Miko pulled her hoodie over her head, tucking her snow-white feet onto the sofa and drawing her knees into the oversized sweatshirt before hugging them tightly.
Ostrich mode: activated.
Watching Miko's pale pink-polished toes curl adorably, Ye Xing badly wanted to play with them.
But he feared she might literally overheat from embarrassment.
After a long silence, Miko's mosquito-like whisper finally emerged from the hoodie.
"You... heard all that just now?"
Ye Xing played dumb.
"Heard what? No idea what you mean. My hearing's been bad lately—getting old."
"Stop lying."
Miko gave Ye Xing's shoulder an exasperated slap, scolding through laughter.
"Normal people wouldn't hear, but you? Don't treat me like an idiot."
Ye Xing answered with perfect sincerity.
"You're not exactly the brightest."
"You!"
Miko Yotsuya huffed in frustration, then, with a defiant air, she leapt up and straddled Ye Xing's lap.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her expression deadly serious.
"Since you heard, what do you think?"
"What do you mean, what do I think?"
"'What do you think' means what do you think?"
"If you want to kiss, then kiss."
Miko frowned deeply, clearly displeased.
"What do you mean 'if you want to kiss'? I'm not asking about the act itself, I'm asking about..."
Here, Miko hesitated.
But remembering how Hyakume might pop up and say something shameless if she didn't speak, she ultimately decided to push through her embarrassment and continue.
Looking directly into Ye Xing's eyes, Miko asked with grave seriousness:
"Do you... Do you like me? Not as a fellow club member, not as a friend, not even as a fellow exorcist. As the opposite sex - do you have those feelings?"
Ye Xing answered without hesitation.
"Of course I do."
Receiving this affirmative answer, Miko Yotsuya let out a relieved sigh.
She truly couldn't imagine it.
If her confession had been rejected, how could she have continued staying in the Supernatural Society afterwards?
How would she interact with the other members... and with Ye Xing?
It was precisely because she'd considered this that Miko had used the self-control she'd cultivated while facing evil spirits to forcibly suppress her feelings.
Yet today, Hyakume's spontaneous appearance had finally broken her restraint.
Fortunately.
The outcome was everything she'd hoped for.
"Then I want to kiss you."
Miko said in a coquettish tone, this time making sure of her position before leaning in.
Mission accomplished.
Contrary to her emotionless, nearly expressionless exterior,
Miko's kiss was unexpectedly passionate.
Remembering Hyakume's warning, Ye Xing placed both hands around Miko's waist.
Miko wore an oversized hoodie, but underneath was a pair of sporty hotpants.
Sometimes Ye Xing even wondered if his Soul Materialisation taking the form of two hands was because his own hands were too dexterous.
Without Miko noticing, his hands had already changed position.
His left hand slipped stealthily beneath the oversized hoodie while his right pressed against her snow-white, smooth legs - slender yet pleasantly fleshy.
Touch. Touch thoroughly.
Miko's skin was truly smooth.
Her dark blue hair carried the scent of shampoo, mingling with the girl's natural fragrance to create an intoxicating aroma.
"Mmm... Ye Xing, you..."
Miko parted her lips, her pretty face flushing crimson. Golden eyes glazed with misty moisture, her gaze practically forming visible threads of desire.
She took a deep breath, raising a hand to tidy her dishevelled hair, blushing as she chided him:
"You... hugging is fine, but what's with the... the reaching inside?"
Ye Xing, shedding his usual flippant demeanour, countered directly:
"Can't I touch?"
Miko froze momentarily, lightly biting her lower lip like a wronged little rabbit - obedient yet slightly uncomfortable - before nodding.
"If... if you want to touch, then go ahead."
"Anywhere I want?"
"As... as you like."
...
Meanwhile, at Rio Futaba's home.
"Hmm... this is rather complicated."
Rio sat with legs crossed, left hand holding a coffee cup, while her right grasped a quantum mechanics textbook. The desk before her displayed various intelligence she'd gathered from the Reverse World during this period, a ballpoint pen clenched between her teeth as pensive light shone in her eyes.
The more she engaged with the Reverse World, the more miraculous it seemed.
Evil spirits and a black mist shrouded the entire city, buildings that perfectly mirrored real-world Kyoto in a 1:1 scale.
Through comparison, Rio discovered that apart from humans and items carried by them, every detail between the Reverse World and the surface world was absolutely identical.
Vehicles in the Reverse World could be started normally with their keys.
Moreover - something Rio hadn't mentioned to anyone, including Ye Xing -
She'd conducted a private experiment.
First trial: moving an item in her Reverse World home.
Returning to the surface world revealed the item hadn't moved.
The second time, she reversed the order, first moving an object in her home in the surface world.
This time, after entering the Reverse World and verifying, she found that the corresponding item there had also shifted position.
From this, she drew a conclusion.
The Reverse World mirrored the real world, not the other way around.
Confirming this was crucial.
This way, if the Supernatural Society entered the Reverse World, they could take whatever they wanted or drive freely without worry.
There would be no incidents where an object in the real world suddenly changed position.
As for the Reverse World itself, Rio Futaba was deeply intrigued.
She had once asked Tamamo-no-Mae, who lived in the Reverse World, whether the legends and tales of Japan were true.
The answer surprised her.
According to Tamamo-no-Mae, she had lived in the Reverse World since birth and had never visited the real world.
It was only with the appearance of the Gate that the Reverse World and the real world became connected for the first time.
In Japan's recorded legends, Rio couldn't find a single one that matched the characteristics of the Reverse World.
The only thing that came close...
Was hell.
But what truly shocked Rio was something Tamamo-no-Mae said.
"The first appearance of the Gate? Let me think..."
"Probably a little over a month ago..."
"March 20th."
When she heard that date, Rio's shock was indescribable.
She struggled to keep her composure, ensuring neither Ye Xing nor Miko Yotsuya noticed anything amiss.
Rio's memory was extraordinary, almost photographic.
She had seen something before.
The diary Ye Xing used to record daily changes after awakening his abilities.
Of course, he had stopped writing after entering Sobu High School and meeting Miko.
Rio still remembered the first entry and its opening line.
[March 20th, Weather: Overcast.]
[Today, I awakened the ability to see evil spirits and spectres.]
...
Meanwhile, Mai Sakurajima sat on the sofa in her luxurious apartment.
Logically, she wanted to stay at Ye Xing's place tonight.
However, he had plans with Miko.
No—
If anything, that made her want to go even more.
Unfortunately, Mai had an important call to take tonight.
The moment the clock struck eight, her phone rang right on time.
Mai stared at the familiar number and the name beneath it, hesitating for a few seconds before finally answering.
"Hello."
A cold, mature woman's voice came from the other end.
"Have you decided to make a comeback?"
"No."
"Then what was that airship promotion about recently?"
Before Mai could respond, the woman pressed on aggressively, leaving no room for breath.
"I told you back then—during the peak of your career, you should've capitalised on it. Choosing to retire was a foolish decision."
"Do you even realise how rare it is for a child star like you to regain public attention after fading into obscurity?"
Faced with the woman's questioning, Mai Sakurajima replied coldly.
"Shooting bikini photos for a magazine? You call this an opportunity? I'm an actress, not a model. I don't need this so-called opportunity to gain attention by selling my body."
This firm response caught the woman opposite off guard, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"You... you've never spoken to me like this before."
Mai's tone remained calm yet sharp as she responded.
"Since you treat me as a tool, I have no reason to treat you as a mother. This is how I deal with my agent... no, my former agent."
The woman on the phone was indeed Mai Sakurajima's former agent.
And also her mother.
"You..."
After a moment of silence, Mai's mother spoke up suddenly.
"Could it be... you're in a relationship?"
For her daughter to undergo such a drastic personality change, Mai's mother could think of no other reason besides romance.
And she happened to be right.
Mai's expression wavered with hesitation, but remembering her decision not to return to show business, she replied firmly.
"I'll be an adult soon. I'd appreciate it if you stopped prying into my personal affairs."
"You know very well you're not an adult yet. Right now, I'm still your legal guardian!"
"I don't need your supervision!"
Mai abruptly hung up and buried her face between her knees, staring blankly at the cold floor.
Sitting there on the ground, her eyes filled with complex emotions, she murmured to herself.
"What on earth... should I do..."
...
Meanwhile, at Mafuyu Kirisu's home.
"Oi oi oi, your place is way too messy!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka, holding a slender cigarette between her lips, looked at the chaotic living room before her and visibly recoiled.
Mafuyu coughed lightly, her cheeks flushing slightly as she feigned nonchalance.
"I devote myself to my students' education every day. It's inevitable that my personal life gets somewhat neglected."
"You're just plain lazy, aren't you?"
Perhaps trying to change the subject, Mafuyu abruptly shifted the conversation.
"By the way, about that Ye Xing from your class topping every subject in the year... something seems off about it."
"Ah, what could possibly be wrong with this?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka waved her hand dismissively, cracking open a can of beer and taking a hearty swig before responding.
"That Fumino Furuhashi may be a genius in liberal arts, but the quality of such subjects can ultimately be judged objectively. Ye Xing's liberal arts skills far surpass those of an ordinary high school student—she lost fairly."
"What about Rizu Ogata then? Science is rigorous, unaffected by examiners' subjective judgements. Both scored full marks, so why is Rizu Ogata ranked second?"
Shizuka shot Mafuyu Kirisu a knowing glance, her lips quirking slightly.
"Are you genuinely unaware, or just pretending?"
Mafuyu frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Shizuka replied, "During the joint exams, Rizu Ogata and Fumino Furuhashi ranked among the top in Japan for science and liberal arts, respectively, correct?"
Mafuyu nodded.
"That's true. If not for their severe subject imbalances, they might not have chosen Sobu High School."
"Since you already know that..."
Shizuka smiled meaningfully.
"...then Shuchi'in Academy definitely knows too."
Mafuyu paused for a moment before realisation dawned.
"You're saying... the school deliberately placed Rizu Ogata, who also scored full marks, in second place? To signal externally that this year's top examinee hasn't slackened after entering Sobu High, and has instead defeated two geniuses in both arts and sciences—to provoke Shuchi'in's competitive spirit? But to what end?"
"To settle the score, of course."
"That's impossible."
Mafuyu shook her head.
"That's the prestigious private Shuchi'in Academy. How could our Sobu High possibly compete?"
"Hard to say."
Shizuka chuckled, taking another deep swig of her ice-cold beer.
"In terms of average scores, we can't win."
"But if we're just comparing which school produced the top student..."
"I don't think we'll lose."