Chapter 41: I See Yui Yuigahama as a True Hero
Thinking of this, Yotsuya Miko suddenly remembered something.
She forced herself to sit upright, pressed her palms together, and her face flushed red as if she were exerting all her strength.
"Come out!"
This sudden move dumbfounded both Yui Yuigahama and Yoru.
"Come out... what?"
Miko separated her palms, looked at her empty hands, and sighed.
"I wanted to try your method of condensing evil spirit aura into a weapon, but there was no reaction at all."
"As expected, am I still too weak?"
Disappointment showed in Miko's eyes. She looked up only to see Yoru looking like he was struggling to hold back laughter.
"You! Are you laughing at me? Do you think I'm too weak?"
"Not exactly."
Yoru waved his hand with a faint smile.
"I'm not laughing at your strength, but your brain."
Before Miko could retort, he smiled and explained.
"Condensing evil spirit power as a weapon and devouring spirits to enhance strength are traits of my own special constitution, not abilities of soul manifestation. If you want to compare, you should compare your Hyakume with my Pale Ghost Hand."
"Oh, oh... is that so."
Hearing this, Miko felt a bit embarrassed. So that's how it is.
She had even thought about what weapon she wanted to use after awakening her soul manifestation.
Turns out, that was Yoru's special constitution.
"By the way, how many eyes does your Hyakume have right now?"
Hearing Yoru's question, Miko didn't hesitate and replied directly.
"Two. One on each hand."
"Hmm..."
Yoru tapped his fingers on the table rhythmically and said thoughtfully.
"Evil spirits can devour each other. Your Hyakume currently only has two eyes, which is completely different from the great demon covered in eyes described in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. This proves that your Hyakume is currently just a newborn among evil spirits, and there is still huge room for improvement."
Low EQ: Why are you so trash?
High EQ: Miko-san, you still have huge room for improvement.
Miko didn't detect the sarcasm in Yoru's words and just nodded.
"Mmhmm... In other words, if I want my Hyakume to become stronger, I have to let it devour other evil spirits. This evolution method... really befits an evil spirit."
Then, Miko looked up at Yoru.
"By the way, there's something I want to tell you."
"What's up?"
"My Hyakume is female."
"Heh, how novel. Hyakume is the manifestation of your heart and soul, of course it has the same gender as you."
"Then your Pale Ghost Hand... is it male or female?"
This question from Miko surprised Yoru.
He pondered for a while before replying.
"This... I feel like... it seems to be a hermaphrodite?"
Noticing the slightly complicated expressions on Miko and Yui's faces, Yoru immediately explained righteously.
"Of course, this doesn't mean I am a hermaphrodite. The Ghost Hand is a 'Yin-Yang Person' simply because I like to be sarcastic."
"Is there such a saying?"
"You bet."
Yoru maintained the smile on his face, but he had other thoughts in his mind.
Through Miko's soul manifestation, he confirmed two things.
First.
Just as Futaba Rio analyzed.
Spirit mediums with the "Sight" already possessed the qualification to fight against the supernatural.
And the shift in perception was like a key to unlocking the ability of soul manifestation.
When Miko's perception of evil spirits changed from "monsters she must hide from, can only avoid, and cannot defeat" to "enemies she must destroy to protect others," her soul manifestation, Hyakume, awakened.
As for himself?
As an Isekai traveler... no, I can't blame this on being a traveler.
As an Abstract Master and a person with abnormal thinking, on the first day Yoru awakened the "Sight" and saw an evil spirit, he didn't think about fleeing. Instead, he thought: If the enemy can go there, I can go there too.
Evil spirits can harm humans, so why can't humans harm evil spirits?
So from the very beginning, he awakened his soul manifestation and possessed the ability to fight the supernatural.
Second.
Whether it was his ability to devour other evil spirits to become stronger and gain memory fragments, or that Pale Ghost Hand, both seemed different from Miko's Hyakume and most evil spirits.
Based on Yoru's experience.
Whenever this happened, the abnormal one was usually him.
After all, being an Isekai traveler, being a little abnormal was quite normal.
"So sleepy. I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Yui Yuigahama stretched lazily, rubbed her eyes, and walked into the bedroom yawning.
Miko sighed helplessly and muttered to herself.
"I really don't know whether to call her dense or just incredibly brave. To be able to sleep in a situation like this."
After complaining, Miko looked at Yoru, who was leaning lazily on the sofa. Hesitating, she asked tentatively.
"After we return to the physical world, about Yui... what do you plan to do?"
Miko didn't need to spell it out; Yoru understood her meaning.
This was an unexpected situation.
Yui, an ordinary person, had followed him and Miko, two spirit mediums, into the Otherworld Kyoto.
And she had witnessed the entire battle with Hachishaku.
How should they proceed from here?
"I see Yui Yuigahama as a true hero (Good Fellow). Why don't the two of us think of a way to trick her into joining the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Investigation and Research Club? From then on, we can eat meat in big mouthfuls and drink wine in big bowls. Wouldn't that be delightful?"
Miko pouted and looked speechless.
"Do you think this is Water Margin?"
"Oh, you're quite cultured."
After teasing her, Yoru spoke unhurriedly.
"Anyway, don't worry. Even if Yuigahama-san doesn't join the club, given her personality, she won't go around blabbing. Even if we take a step back and assume she tells others about tonight, no one would believe her."
"Alright, rest for a while."
Miko nodded slightly, curled up on the sofa, and closed her eyes to rest.
The consumption from her first soul manifestation felt like it had drained her completely.
Miko was already exhausted. Being able to hold on until now was purely due to her resilient mental fortitude.
....
Soon, it was 5 AM.
"Open the door."
Yoru's two short words made Hachishaku, curled up in the corner, tremble again. She obediently swiped her hand in the air, and a wooden door slowly materialized.
Just as Yoru, Yui, Miko, and Sablé—three humans and one dog—were about to cross through the door and return to the physical Kyoto, Hachishaku suddenly reached out and grabbed Yoru's sleeve.
"Can... can you take me with you?"