At dismissal time, high school students and teachers of all sorts poured out of the school gates, heading home.
At that moment, just outside the gates and behind a utility pole at the intersection, a girl with a white top, a pleated white skirt, and short black hair hid, carefully observing the bustling crowd.
"No sign of any suspicious characters..."
Yura spoke softly, her voice low. She currently had her spiritual vision active, focusing intently on the state of the demon realm before her. She was searching for anything unusual about the people passing by—looking for following malevolent spirits or leaking demonic energy. However, after watching for quite some time, she had found nothing.
'Ugh... just how many people are in this school? How long is it going to take for everyone to leave?'
After a long wait with no sign of her target, Yura couldn't help but scream internally. She realized she might have chosen a rather foolish method to find the practitioner in this school, as she had no idea how long it took for an entire campus to clear out.
Gurgle...
Accompanied by a sound from her stomach, an irresistible wave of hunger surged up. Yura leaned against the utility pole with one hand while clutching her stomach with the other.
'This is bad... I came here to stake the place out without eating lunch... I'm so hungry... how much longer?' Yura thought, holding her stomach. She had only eaten a light breakfast that morning and nothing else since. After standing there for several hours, she was naturally reaching her limit.
Although Japanese high schools let out early, most students had club activities. It would be at least a few more hours before those ended. The thought of having to wait that long on an empty stomach filled Yura with despair.
As Yura struggled against her hunger, a soft voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
"Excuse me, little girl. Are you waiting for someone?"
Hearing the voice, Yura turned around. She saw a girl with short black hair wearing a high school uniform who looked about her age. The girl was holding a can of cola and watching her with a faint smile.
'Little girl? You look about the same age as me!'
Yura complained inwardly, but seeing the high school uniform, she figured the girl must be older since she was already in high school. She assumed the girl just hadn't hit a growth spurt yet.
"Ah... and you are, upperclassman?" Yura asked, looking at the girl who was roughly her height. Miketsu smiled at the familiar face and continued.
"My name is Fushimi Inaba. Are you looking for someone here?"
"Looking for someone? Well, I suppose so... wait, your accent..." Yura paused, her eyes darting as she realized something. Her tone shifted immediately. "Are you also from Kyoto, upperclassman?"
Recognizing the same Kyoto accent she possessed, Yura asked with a hint of pleasant surprise. She hadn't expected to meet someone from her hometown here.
"Yes, I did come from Kyoto. I overheard you talking to yourself earlier and recognized the accent, so I thought I'd come over. So? Are you looking for someone?" Miketsu replied. Yura continued eagerly.
"I didn't expect to find a fellow local... I-I'm not actually looking for a specific person. I'm conducting a paranormal investigation. I heard there were strange supernatural incidents at this school, so I came to investigate. I was just about to find an upperclassman to ask. Since you're here, Miss Fushimi, do you know if anything strange has happened in this school? Or if there are any... unusual people?"
Yura asked the girl directly. She figured that since the practitioner was hiding in the school and had even summoned malevolent spirits here, there might be some supernatural rumors or leads she could gather. It seemed better than just waiting blindly.
"A paranormal investigation... are you very interested in that?" Miketsu asked with a curious expression. Yura nodded.
"Yes... something like that. Recording and investigating supernatural legends is a hobby of mine."
"I see... well, how should I put it? There are indeed some strange rumors about this school. A few places are quite eerie. I've heard that people have witnessed ghosts there," Miketsu said, tapping her chin with a finger. Yura's eyes lit up.
"Ghosts? Where!?" Yura's spirit surged, and she asked with focused attention. Miketsu gave a mysterious smile and spoke again.
"It's a bit complicated to explain. Since we're from the same hometown, if you want to go, I can take you to those places right now. Just follow me."
"You'll take me there? That would be wonderful... thank you, upperclassman!" Yura said happily, though a sliver of wariness flickered in her eyes.
...
After school, behind the school building, in a deserted small grove of trees, Miketsu walked ahead through the woods. Behind her, Yura followed closely, her expression focused.
The sun was gradually setting, and the weakening light filtered through the quiet forest. The peaceful, deserted scenery was calming. Birds circled around Miketsu, even perching on her fingertips. However, Yura was in no mood to appreciate this harmony.
"Is this... where the supernatural incidents happen?"
Following behind Miketsu, Yura scanned the surroundings. Although her spiritual vision was active at its maximum, she didn't detect anything abnormal in the woods.
"Upperclassman... if I may ask, what exactly are the specific supernatural rumors about this forest?"
Yura spoke to the back in front of her, her internal guard rising another notch.
Hearing Yura's question, Miketsu stopped. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"That... I've actually forgotten what the specific rumors were."
"Forgotten?"
"Yes. Because the spirit that was originally causing trouble here has already been dealt with, so there's no need to remember it anymore. Don't you agree? Onmyoji of Kyoto..." With a playful expression, Miketsu turned around and smiled at Yura. Hearing those words, Yura's heart jumped. She quickly backed up two steps and drew a talisman.
The hostility radiating from her eyes immediately startled the birds on Miketsu's fingertips, causing them to fly away.
"I knew it, there's something wrong with you... You're the practitioner who rescued that malevolent spirit from me!" Yura said, watching the girl with intense wariness. She had suspected something was off, but she hadn't expected the girl to expose herself so quickly.
Miketsu blinked, then laughed with realization.
"The practitioner who rescued the spirit? Oh... so that's why you're here. You were the one who resisted my spell back then? What a coincidence..."
"It really is you, the practitioner who drives malevolent spirits..."
Upon hearing Miketsu's words, the wariness in Yura's eyes turned entirely into hostility. She gripped her talisman tighter, ready to attack at any moment. Faced with Yura's actions, Miketsu said nothing more, merely continuing to smile at the familiar figure from her memories.
"Take this!"
Now that the target was confirmed, Yura didn't hesitate. She threw the talisman directly at the girl, intending to subdue her right there and hand her over to the Onmyo Agency.
Watching the high-speed talisman flying toward her, Miketsu didn't dodge. She calmly reached out and effortlessly caught the object between two fingers.
Seeing her thrown talisman caught, Yura was shocked. She immediately formed a hand seal to activate the talisman's effect. This was a paralysis talisman; if used against a human, it could rob them of their ability to move.
"Activate!"
Yura shouted to trigger the charm, but Miketsu showed no reaction. She continued to hold the talisman easily with one hand. The object didn't change at all despite Yura's activation, causing Yura's eyes to widen in shock.
'W-what's going on? Did she nullify my talisman? What kind of spell is this?'
While Yura was reeling from the shock, Miketsu brought the paper she was holding to her face. With a smile, she unfolded it and began to read the contents aloud.
"Kabara Discount Supermarket... ten cups of Dofuku instant noodles on sale for 1,640 yen... two discount sandwiches for 300 yen... discount milk... discount eggs... discount bread..."
Miketsu slowly read the item that was supposed to be a talisman but was actually a receipt. Yura stood frozen in place, her face turning a deeper shade of red with every word read. After finishing, Miketsu shook her head and looked at Yura with a smile.
"My, my. Nothing but discount items. It seems you're living quite frugally in Tokyo."
'Aaaah! I accidentally packed my talismans and receipts together! How could I use a receipt as a talisman!?'
Hearing Miketsu's words, Yura's face was so flushed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Rate on N.U.
