The Compendium of All Things sent a notification.
But Arthur didn't rush to check it.
Aside from Yotsuya Miko, no one else had seen or sensed how he eliminated the wraith.
Catching her stunned expression, Arthur gave her a gentle smile.
Yotsuya Miko snapped back to herself.
A faint blush rose across her pale cheeks. She took a quiet breath, working hard to suppress the shock in her heart.
Now that the wraith had been vanquished, Yurikawa Hana—having just eaten a dorayaki—also felt far less hungry.
So she looked toward Arthur, smiling sweetly as she asked:
"Would you like one, Arthur-kun?"
"Dorayaki are super tasty, you know."
The bag she held still had several left inside.
Arthur nodded with an easy smile.
"Sure, I'll take one."
He wasn't being polite in the least.
Yet far from feeling put off, Yurikawa Hana only seemed even happier at his casualness.
Yes, this was the joy of sharing.
With a bright grin, she handed him one dorayaki.
Each was wrapped in its own grease-proof paper bag.
"Thanks."
Arthur accepted it with a nod of gratitude.
Taking a bite, he found it soft and fluffy.
A rich honeyed aroma spread through his mouth.
The delicate outer layer and the smooth strawberry jam filling intertwined, surging happiness through every nerve.
Even a foul mood would instantly lift.
"Delicious."
After swallowing, Arthur gave his most straightforward verdict.
"Right? Super delicious!"
Yurikawa Hana beamed in agreement, unable to resist pulling out another one for herself.
Arthur watched her eat, his smile warm and sunlit.
Then his eyes shifted to Yotsuya Miko, who hadn't said a word the entire time.
"Yotsuya-san, don't you like dorayaki? They're really good. You can relax and eat one too."
As he spoke, he gave her a playful wink.
Their gazes met.
Hearing his words—so casual yet laced with a subtle undertone—Yotsuya's eyes flickered faintly.
Is he telling me it's safe now?
The thought flashed through her mind.
Glancing toward the spot where the wraith had been destroyed, she then turned to Hana and spoke softly:
"Hana, give me one too."
"Eh? Oh… okay."
Hana blinked in surprise before nodding, handing her a dorayaki.
But her big round eyes swirled mischievously.
Her gaze flicked back and forth between Arthur and Yotsuya, a suspicious thought forming.
She never touched dorayaki before.
Yet now, the moment Arthur encouraged her, she suddenly wanted one?
If anyone told her there wasn't something fishy between these two, she'd rather skip dinner than believe it.
Heh, there's definitely something going on here.
Yotsuya bit into the dorayaki. The sweetness burst across her tongue, filling her senses.
Her eyes darted toward Arthur.
Her lips curved slightly, a faint, happy smile spreading.
It feels so good, when there are no wraiths around.
Soon, the three of them strolled together through the food street.
Yotsuya bought two cups of milk tea—one for Arthur, one for Hana, just so her friend wouldn't overthink things.
Before long, twenty minutes had passed.
The sun dipped beneath the horizon, and children were being called home.
At the station, the three parted ways.
Since Yotsuya Miko and Hana lived in Tokyo's northern district, they boarded one train, while Arthur took another toward Nerima Ward.
Settling into his seat, he slipped on his earphones and summoned the Compendium of All Things.
Entry: Gluttonous Wraith
Rank: Blue
Description: A special type of wraith.
"…It's actually blue-ranked?"
Arthur raised a brow, surprised.
Even Satania, that demon, was only blue-level.
But considering the epithet, he soon came to terms with it.
Gluttony—one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Though the wraith's gluttony differed somewhat from the sin itself, the name carried weight.
This Gluttonous Wraith, left unchecked, would eventually evolve into a powerful boss-level entity.
The Compendium ranked things by overall value: strength, potential, identity, and more.
While its actual combat strength was probably only "green," its unique ability and potential elevated it to blue.
Arthur dismissed the book without claiming the reward yet.
Half an hour later, he was back home.
Only then did he summon the reward.
Frozen Realm—also called the Cage.
A superpower.
Specifically, a spatial-variant ability that not only shaped barriers but also created ice.
Upon fusing it, Arthur immediately sensed its origin.
The world of Beyond the Boundary.
It belonged to Izumi Nase—the current head of the Nase clan.
Her family's hereditary bloodline power was the ability to form barriers, enabling offense, defense, sealing, concealment, and isolation.
But Izumi's power was a mutation—hers came with the ability to freeze.
As a spatial superpower, its strength was beyond question.
With Frozen Realm at his command, Arthur could feel the immense potential waiting to be tapped, greatly enriching his arsenal of abilities.
Ding-dong~~~
Just as he was about to experiment with Frozen Realm, his phone chimed.
It was a message from Yotsuya Miko.
"Um… Arthur-kun, why do I feel like Hana gets targeted by wraiths really easily?"
Oh? She'd finally noticed the real issue.
Abandoning his study for now, Arthur leaned back on the sofa and began typing a reply.
"Because Hana has a special constitution. Her life energy is unusually strong, which makes her especially attractive to wraiths."
Meanwhile, in the northern district—
Yotsuya had just returned home.
Reading his reply, her expression changed, worry flashing in her eyes.
She quickly typed back:
"Then… does that mean Hana's in danger?"
Sure, so far as long as Hana couldn't see them, the wraiths couldn't directly harm her.
But what if one day that changed?
The wraiths haunting her lately felt more and more terrifying, like an accident waiting to happen.
Back on his sofa, Arthur's gaze turned lazy as he replied:
"Yes."
"Whenever a wraith harbors malice toward her, it consumes her life energy."
"If that drains too much, her life really could be at risk."
"Fortunately, Hana's constitution allows her to replenish that energy through food—otherwise, something would have happened long ago."
Reading his words, Yotsuya's lips parted slightly in shock.
Her heart surged with both amazement and worry.
Amazement at her friend's unusual nature, and worry for her safety.
After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip and typed another message:
"Arthur-kun… is there a way to keep Hana safe?"
"Please tell me. I'm willing to do anything."
Her fingers trembled slightly before she pressed send.
"…Anything, huh?"
Arthur narrowed his eyes at the message, a sly smile tugging at his lips.
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