Kaito cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem... Honestly, I do not really know either. It was like I just bam! Then bam! Also after done doing that, I simply bam!"
Kaito did not even try to make his story sound believable.
He absolutely could not let this suspicious woman know about his newly awakened body. The Primordial Hunter Body was a legendary cheat. If the wrong people found out, he would become a dangerous science experiment.
The almond-haired girl crossed her arms and nodded her head seriously.
"Ooh! Is that so? I understand..."
'You understand?!' Kaito was deeply shocked.
Was this girl a hidden genius or just a complete idiot?
"But still, I did not know Daemonic Energy could be used that way without blowing up your own arms. It is super interesting!"
Kaito nodded weakly.
"So, who are you again?"
The girl gasped loudly and clapped her hands together.
"Ah! Didn't I introduce myself already?"
If Kaito could scream right now, he would definitely say, NO YOU DID NOT!
But that would be very inappropriate.
Especially in the middle of the night.
Wait a minute.
Now that he thought about this specific detail.
He was, in fact, in the middle of the night. In a normally quiet residential neighborhood.
Wouldn't the loud, explosive fight from before make everybody else awake?
He immediately turned his head around in a panic. He expected to see police cars, sirens, and neighbors holding bright flashlights.
But the streets outside were completely dark and incredibly silent.
"It is okay! I already casted 'Barrier' to not alarm the civilian."
When she said this casually, Kaito raised his brows, clearly shocked.
He looked closely at the night sky. A faint, almost invisible dome of translucent energy was covering the entire city block. It shimmered slightly like a giant soap bubble under the pale moonlight.
As someone who was deeply eager to become a Hunter, he was naturally familiar with their general abilities to some extent.
One of those famous abilities is a Barrier.
It was a powerful, highly complex spatial ability used to contain fights with Daemons in urban areas. It was strictly meant to protect normal civilians from collateral damage and panic.
Usually, you would need four to five low-tier Hunters working together just to cast such a massive ability.
But she had just done it completely alone?
"Anyway, let me introduce myself properly!" She stood perfectly straight and saluted playfully. "My name is Mirei Oogami. I am exactly 165 centimeters tall! My favorite food is instant noodle, but my absolute favorite brand is Indomie! Nice to meet you!"
Seeing her completely carefree nature in the middle of a ruined bedroom, Kaito just sighed.
He stepped closer before introducing himself.
"I am Kaito Tenryū. But you can call me Kaito."
"Eeh~ Then you can call me Mirei as well, Kaito-san!"
Mirei smiled brightly, but then her expression suddenly shifted into something much more serious. She placed her hands on her hips and looked Kaito directly in the eye.
"So, Kaito-san! Since you just awakened and went unbelievably head-to-head with a Daemon, there are strict laws you have to follow. We need to get you registered at the Hunter Association immediately."
Kaito blinked curiously. "Can I not just fight Daemons on my own?"
Mirei shook her head vigorously. Her almond hair bounced around her shoulders.
"Absolutely not! Being a Rogue Hunter is super illegal. You see, Daemonic Energy is highly toxic to the human mind. If you just absorb it without proper Association guidance and regular checkups, your brain will literally melt."
She made a dramatic, gross explosion gesture with her hands right next to her head.
"Boom! You will completely lose your sanity and become a Daemon yourself. We call those poor guys Heretics."
Kaito gulped. He knew about Heretics from the scary news broadcasts on television, but hearing it directly from a real Hunter was entirely different.
Of course, with his Primordial Hunter Body, he was completely immune to this mental corruption. His internal Demonic Energy pool shielded his mental state perfectly.
But he could not tell her that.
"And what happens if I hide my powers and refuse to register?" Kaito asked cautiously.
Mirei lowered her voice into a spooky, intimidating whisper.
"Then the Association will declare you a Heretic anyway. They will place a massive cash bounty on your head and hunt you down like a dangerous wild animal. Pew pew!"
"Okay, okay! I will register! I will definitely register!" Kaito quickly agreed.
He definitely did not want a massive bounty on his head right after getting his lifelong dream powers. He just wanted to hunt Daemons, not other humans.
"Great decision!" Mirei beamed, instantly returning to her cheerful self. "But before we go to the boring official building, I want you to meet my teacher first!"
Without waiting for his final answer, Mirei turned around. Bright purple energy flared gently around her legs.
With a light, graceful hop, she leaped high into the air and landed perfectly on a distant rooftop.
"Hurry up, Kaito-san! Follow me!"
Kaito was left standing awkwardly on the broken wooden floor.
He did not have any movement techniques yet. He could not fly or jump over three-story buildings like what Mirei just did.
He had no choice but to take the stairs and use the ground.
Kaito awkwardly followed Mirei from the streets below as she agilely leaped from roof to roof.
He was just running on the concrete sidewalks, chasing her shadow.
However, a huge smile slowly crept onto his face.
As he sprinted, he realized his heart was pumping pure, refreshing energy instead of painful lactic acid.
The Primordial Hunter Body was actively absorbing the faint traces of Daemonic Energy in the air just to fuel his leg muscles.
He did not know any fancy techniques yet.
But the feeling of running without getting exhausted for the first 100 meters sure felt nice.
His lungs did not wheeze. His legs did not feel like heavy lead. He felt like he could run a full marathon and still have the energy to fight a bear.
Not for long, they arrived at their final destination.
Kaito stopped in his tracks and looked up at the large building.
It was apparently Kaito's old High School, Fujiwara High!
Why did her teacher want to meet at an empty public school in the middle of the night?
Mirei dropped down from the high roof and easily dragged the confused boy all the way up the school stairs.
Mirei took Kaito to the rooftop, where the metal door was already blown wide open.
Kaito immediately saw a chaotic scene unfolding.
He could see a middle-aged guy with long curly hair and dark sunglasses. He was casually dodging dangerous attacks while fighting another boy with bright red hair.
The red-haired boy possessed a clearly explosive temperament. He was furiously throwing highly volatile balls of condensed fire and energy at the older man.
A stray fireball missed the old man and hit the chain-link fence, instantly melting the thick steel into a puddle of glowing orange sludge.
Then, upon seeing the older guy's figure casually dodging the deadly explosions, Mirei cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.
"Edo-sensei! Look what I found!"