Chapter 10: The Truth About Fighting Evil Spirits
Although Yotsuya Miko wasn't exactly a genius, she wasn't dense enough to be on the same level as a certain famous Chunibyo (Eighth-Grader Syndrome) patient.
After pondering for just a moment, she understood what Yoru meant.
"Are you saying that under the premise of being able to see them, not only can evil spirits break free from the restriction of not being able to harm humans, but humans can also harm evil spirits?"
Yoru nodded slightly. "I can't say for sure, but there's a high probability."
As an Isekai traveler, Yoru could deduce this based on the plot progression of the Mieruko-chan anime.
In the original story, Miko encountered other spirit mediums.
One of them, an old lady (Godmother), made prayer beads that had the effect of repelling weaker spirits.
Of course.
Putting that kind of trinket in front of a truly powerful evil spirit would be a joke.
Yoru's own personal verification also provided strong evidence for his theory.
When he met Miko this morning, he had said to the spirits, "I can see you guys." He hadn't just said it to look cool.
Okay, maybe his Chunibyo side was part of the reason.
But the main reason was that Yoru discovered if the evil spirits didn't know he could "see" them, he couldn't cause any harm to them; all his attacks would simply pass right through.
Therefore.
The reason why so many evil spirits appeared around Yotsuya Miko was likely because a medium with powerful spiritual power like her posed a threat—like a natural predator—even to spirits that lacked the ability to think and acted only on instinct.
"Then how can I gain the ability to fight against evil spirits?"
Miko's eyes shone with hope. On her cute face, which usually masked her emotions to maintain a calm façade, a rare expression of excitement appeared.
To be honest, she had had enough of the version of herself that could only pretend to be calm when facing spirits, only to secretly wipe away tears and suffer from weak knees afterward.
"Let's talk about that tomorrow."
Yoru waved his hand.
"I have things to do today. I'll be free after school tomorrow."
"Things to do? Are you going to destroy evil spirits?"
"No, I'm going to the gym."
"Huh?"
Seeing Miko's confused look, Yoru explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Fighting evil spirits requires physical fitness as a foundation. Although I gain a little bit of physical enhancement every time I devour a spirit, maintaining a state of high focus during exercise ensures no accidents happen in the field."
At this point, Yoru patted Miko on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.
"Young lady, you still have a long way to go before becoming a professional exorcist. Learn more from your Senpai Yoru."
Miko sighed and shook her head helplessly.
Her desire to retort had been completely ground down by Yoru's endless stream of outrageous comments.
"In that case, I'll head home first."
Yoru nodded and asked.
"Do you need me to walk you?"
"No need. My house is only two stops away from here. I can get there quickly by bus. Didn't you say you have things to do? You don't have to trouble yourself."
"Alright. I was just being polite anyway; I didn't actually want to walk you."
"...."
Watching the speechless Miko turn and leave, Yoru watched her figure disappear into the distance. The frivolous, lazy smile on his face vanished, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
"As I thought. Although she can see the Door, she can't see this."
Yoru muttered to himself, then started walking in another direction.
Behind him, a gigantic hand—sickly pale, with sharp black fingernails and the size of a standard living room—floated in the air, following him silently as he left.
Meanwhile, inside a gym near Sobu High.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, wearing a long tracksuit, sat in the rest area drinking a beverage. She stared boredly at Kirisu Mafuyu, who was sweating profusely on the treadmill in front of her, and shook her head, complaining.
"I'm telling you, exercising every single day... isn't that a bit too diligent?"
Even after running for nearly twenty minutes, Kirisu Mafuyu's breathing remained steady. She replied in her usual calm tone.
"As an educator, one must maintain abundant physical stamina. Otherwise, one cannot shoulder the responsibility of guiding students."
"I think you're a little obsessed."
Shizuka muttered under her breath, then slumped on the table and complained lazily.
"Sigh. It's all your fault for dragging me here to exercise every day. That's why I don't have time to date."
"Don't make random accusations. With your looks, if you wanted to date, you would have done so long ago. It's clearly because you don't want to. Don't blame me."
"Tch. I'm blaming you anyway."
Mafuyu shook her head, pressed the stop button on the treadmill, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel, and sat down opposite Shizuka.
"By the way, how did it feel leading a new class on the first day?"
"Ugh, don't mention it."
Shizuka rested her chin in her hand, looking like she had lost all will to live.
"I really envy you. Your class is full of ordinary students, so you only need to worry about their overall grades. Unlike me... I'm constantly on edge."
Mafuyu took a sip of water from her cup before speaking unhurriedly.
"You're referring to those two students with special talents, right? It can't be helped. After all, they are exceptional talents hand-picked by the school. To be honest, although I am not their homeroom teacher, I also want to guide her and him onto paths where they can utilize their talents."
"That's easy for you to say since you're not the one dealing with it."
Shizuka sighed deeply. "Touma-san is actually fine. She just sleeps all through class and doesn't do anything outrageous. But that Yoru..."
She told Mafuyu everything about what happened that morning and all the rumors about Yoru circulating within the school.
After listening, Mafuyu nodded noncommittally and said faintly.
"Hmm... After all, he is a student who had a record of causing injury during middle school. It is normal for you to find him difficult to handle."
"Right? Right? I'm telling you, if it weren't for the school..."
Just as Shizuka was halfway through her sentence, she suddenly heard loud shouting coming from the equipment area not far away. She frowned slightly.
"What's going on? Is it necessary to be so noisy just for a workout?"
Mafuyu looked up, surprise flashing in her eyes. she lowered her voice and said to Shizuka.
"Eh? Isn't that Yoru-kun?"
Shizuka froze for a moment, then hurriedly turned her head. Sure enough, it was as Mafuyu said.
Yoru, now dressed in a black tracksuit, was surrounded by several burly men. It looked like a confrontation was about to break out.
Without any hesitation, Shizuka stood up immediately and walked over quickly.
Setting aside her personal opinion of Yoru as a student...
As a teacher, even outside of Sobu High, if she saw a student in trouble and didn't help, it would be inexcusable.
"Hey! You guys, stop it!"