Early morning.
Miko looked at Akuto's sleeping face, her face turning redder the longer she stared.
Then, she took out her phone and snapped a photo of herself with Akuto.
Looking at the photo with satisfaction, Miko got up gently and tiptoed out of Akuto's room.
However, her walking posture was slightly awkward.
Touko seemed to have noticed something, but she didn't point it out; instead, she gave a mischievous smile.
By the time Akuto came out after showering, Miko and Kyosuke were already at the dining table.
"Touko, are you trying to starve me to death?"
"Wait a moment, Akuto-kun!"
Touko quickly prepared four servings of breakfast, and the four of them sat at the table like a family of four.
"I'm full, I'm going to school. I'll have the butler drop me off."
"Eh? I have some things to do today..." Touko looked at Akuto while washing the dishes. "Akuto-kun, could I trouble you to drop Kyosuke off?"
"Got it, you troublesome brat."
"Yay!" Kyosuke was full of anticipation at the prospect of riding in a sports car.
Before long, Miko was the first to leave, and Akuto also left the house with Kyosuke. "I'm heading out."
Kyosuke opened the elevator.
Touko stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Akuto as if he wouldn't be allowed to leave today if he didn't follow the rules.
"Tch."
"I'm heading out too."
Only when she heard Akuto speak did Touko's expression turn from cloudy to bright.
Driving away from the building, Akuto noticed that the entire Shibuya Ward was undergoing emergency repairs, though fortunately, traffic had resumed.
After dropping Kyosuke off at school, Akuto went to buy himself a few sets of clothes.
A few days passed in the blink of an eye.
Everything was calm and peaceful.
The Exorcism Society had completely swallowed its pride and accepted the outcome of the recent events.
They had no subsequent plans to cause trouble for Akuto; instead, they arranged an identity for him, along with a phone card, bank card, and other items.
This could be considered a signal.
Akuto was too lazy to keep competing with them anyway.
They were too weak; it was boring.
Thursday.
In the evening, everyone from the Yotsuya Family returned home early.
Miko had ordered a large spread of food from a high-end restaurant, and Kyosuke had decorated the living room with birthday elements.
Today was Touko's birthday.
When Touko came home and saw this scene, she couldn't stop her tears of joy.
"Mom! This is my gift!"
Kyosuke gave Touko a pair of mugs.
"Thank you, Kyosuke. Mom loves this gift very much."
Touko couldn't put down the mug printed with her own portrait.
"Big sister and Big brother have them too, and there's one for me!"
Kyosuke took out the other three mugs.
Akuto also received one, featuring a picture Kyosuke had secretly taken at some point.
"This is my gift."
Miko took out a gift box and handed it over.
Touko gently opened it, and inside was a car key!
It wasn't an incredibly expensive car, just a family SUV worth a few million yen, but it still made Touko overjoyed.
"I bought this with the money I earned myself."
"Thank you, Miko. I'll make good use of it."
"This is mine."
Akuto tossed over a glittering golden object.
Touko instinctively caught it, and the moment they saw the object, the pupils of the three Yotsuya Family members constricted.
"You... when did you…?" What else could the object in Touko's hand be but the evil-suppressing hairpin?
"I just picked it up that day. Since it was thrown on the ground, I assumed no one wanted it." Akuto's explanation made Touko and Miko's lips twitch.
However, Miko's heart felt warm. This gift was too precious, but she couldn't bring herself to let her mother return it.
With this S-grade spiritual item, Touko would never have to worry about cursed spirit attacks again.
This thing could even suppress Akuto.
Recalling it now, Miko realized that Akuto really had been sealed at that time.
After about ten seconds, Miko felt she had adapted to that pressure.
Presumably, Akuto was already able to move by then.
"Mom, just accept it."
"Then, thank you, Akuto-kun."
Seeing this, Miko lit the candles.
The simple birthday banquet was very heartwarming.
That night, Miko leaned against Akuto and took out a small charm shaped like a Vajra Pestle, handing it to him.
"I got this from a shrine to pray for your safety."
Akuto picked it up to look; it was engraved with dense incantations.
Though small, it was quite exquisite!
It clearly wasn't cheap.
It was a charm, but Akuto unhesitatingly removed the hanging ring, then with a gentle snap, he expressionlessly pierced it through his earlobe.
Just like that, the small Vajra Pestle became an exquisite earring.
Wearing it added a touch of wicked handsomeness to Akuto.
"Honestly, don't get blood everywhere."
Miko gently wiped away the blood for Akuto, an irrepressible smile on her face.
Then Miko spoke about things at school. "That new classmate has a Special Grade cursed spirit on her, it's such a hassle."
"And she really likes to cling to me."
Akuto's brow furrowed. "I'll pick you up from school tomorrow and take care of it for you."
"And then, I'll be leaving."
Miko's eyes dimmed. Feeling a bit sad, she burrowed into Akuto's arms, wrapping her hands around his waist and falling silent.
The next afternoon.
Akuto's sports car was parked at the school gate, one hand resting on the window, fingers holding a cigarette.
Many students coming out looked at Akuto in surprise.
The boys took out their phones to photograph the car.
The girls, meanwhile, were nudging each other to elect someone to ask for Akuto's contact information.
Just then, Miko came walking over with Hana in tow.
"Akuto!"
"Hana, this is Akuto, my... my boyfriend."
"Eh!!!" Hana looked at Akuto in shock. "Lord Akuto is actually this handsome!"
"Lord Akuto, I'm Miko's best friend! Pleased to meet you!"
Akuto nodded slightly, then looked not far away.
Over there, Michiru Ichijou walked out of the school gate, her eyes fixed intently on Miko.
And atop her head, a Special Grade cursed spirit was perched like a hat, its tentacles flailing about wildly.
Ichijou Yō, who had come to pick up Michiru Ichijou, glanced toward Akuto's side with some disgust. "Michiru, don't get too close to that classmate in the future."
"You and they are from different worlds, do you understand?" Michiru continued to stare fixedly at Miko, nodding absentmindedly.
At that moment, Akuto got out of the car, his arm around Miko's shoulder as he walked slowly toward the Ichijou sisters.
Simultaneously, Akuto extended his index and middle fingers, chanting softly, "Born of darkness, darker than the dark."
"All impurities and lingering filth, be purged."
A curtain isolating reality slowly descended. "Halt! What are you doing? Don't come near us!"
Yō warily blocked the way in front of Michiru Ichijou, her eyes filled with both caution and deep-seated disgust.
"Mind your eyes, or I won't mind digging them out for you." Akuto gave the eldest sister of the Ichijou family a cold glance.
The latter's heart skipped a beat, intimidated by Akuto's aura; when she came to her senses, she realized she was already drenched in a cold sweat.
She turned back, wanting to grab her sister and leave.
However, upon turning around, she suddenly let out a terrified scream. "Ah!!"
"Michiru! What on earth have you done to my sister?!" Looking at the hysterical Ichijou Yō, Akuto raised his hand, wanting to slice her in two.
But Miko caught his hand.
"Miss Ichijou, please watch your words."
"It's not that my boyfriend did something to your sister, but that your sister has been harassing me while carrying that thing on her head."
By now, Michiru had also discovered the thing wrapped around her and tried to pull it off in terror.
But the more she pulled, the tighter the thing wrapped around her. "Akuto, won't there be a problem?"
Miko looked around; they were right at the school gate.
"It's fine. The function of the curtain is to make the inside invisible to ordinary people." After saying that, Akuto reached out and grabbed the flailing tentacles, then gave a violent tug!
"Aaaah!!"
Michiru let out a wretched scream as she was yanked in front of Akuto.
Akuto expressionlessly gripped Michiru's neck, lifting her up, while his other hand pressed against the cursed spirit:
"Dismantle!"
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
Three slashes fell, and the cursed spirit was cut into six pieces.
However, with a squirming motion, the pieces of the spirit quickly fused back together.