A dark, cold world──[Underworld].

It is an “afterlife” world composed of many layers, and the souls in each layer are
assigned.

In the uppermost layer, you can feel the warmth of the earth, and this is where the
souls of those who did good deeds during their lives rest peacefully.

Descending deeper from there, the lower level is an underground prison where the
souls of those who had done evil in their lives are sent to.

“Ah…”

“G-get out…”

“It hurts… it hurts…”

The underworld, where the world itself is a prison.

The prison is made of special cages and bare rock surfaces that mercilessly harm the
specters and souls housed there.

By nature, souls and specters do not exist as entities.

Therefore, a special power called [Mystical Power] or [Spiritual Power] was needed
to harm them.

And in this underworld, everything is imbued with mystical and spiritual power to
prevent them from escaping from their prisons.

In this underworld, where the screams of specters echo through the air, there is only
one building.

In contrast to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the underworld, the building is
decorated with goldsmith’s work and is extremely luxurious.

The floor is also covered with polished tiles, making it hard to believe that it is a
building in the underworld.

In the center of the building, there is a hall where criminals are judged.

On an honorary seat, as if overlooking everything in the underworld, sat a young girl.

“I’m bored.”

She was wearing a little civil official’s hat on her bobbed hair, a royal scepter in her
hand, and luxurious clothes that looked like some country’s official uniform.

This girl was the king of the underworld──Reimei, and the master of this building.
[T/n: Let me know if someone can provide a better name for this 霊冥, maybe Dark
Soul?]

Reimei cheekily poked her head in boredom.

“The dead used to come here so often, but recently there have been fewer and fewer
of them… Well, it means that time has moved on, and the world over there has become
more peaceful, hasn’t it?”

Reimei looked like a young girl, but her age was much older than anyone else in the
underworld.

In ancient times, there were many conflicts in various parts of the world, and medical
technology was not developed, so many people flowed into this underworld.

However, as time passed and technology developed, the number of souls flowing into
the underworld at one time decreased, and eventually, Reimei’s work also decreased.
“Well, peace is the best thing. There will be no major work for me to do today, so I will
take a nap──”

“──Reimei-samaaaaaa!”

“……”

Just as Reimei jumped down from her chair, seemingly determined that today’s work
was done, a muscular creature burst into the building.

It was humanoid in appearance, with red skin and two large horns on its forehead,
resembling the Bloody Ogre of the other world.

However, in its eyes, there was a light of reason that was different from that of a
monster, and in addition, there was a sense of charm.

Suddenly, Reimei, who had been caught off guard, stared at the red oni with a blue vein
on her forehead.

“What is it, Nikkaku? I’m just about to go to sleep──” [T/n: She called him Nikkaku or
two horns (二角), should I just use the Japanese, or just translate his name?]

“This is not the time to say such a thing! T-the underworld is in trouble!”

“Huh?”

At the plea of the oni called Nikkaku, Reimei tilted her head and sat back in her chair
again.

“What in the world is going on?”

“T-the specters of the underworld are escaping!”

“What?”

The report was unbelievable to Reimei.

“That is impossible! How is it possible for the specters in this land to escape from the
underworld’s prisons?”

“But, actually, the oni under my command are already working to capture the specters
that have escaped from their prisons!”

“!?”

Reimei’s mystical and spiritual powers created all the prisons that existed in this
underworld, and there were no specters that were powerful enough to break through
Reimei’s mystical power except one.

“Don’t tell me that Meiko’s seal has been broken?”

“N-no, it seems that Meiko’s seal is intact.”

“What? Then why… in this current world, there should be no one but Meiko who can
escape from my mystical power…”

As Reimei desperately pondered the cause, Nikkaku opened his mouth to say
something that sounded difficult to say.

“Um, there’s one more thing I’d like to tell you…”

“What is it?”

“The fact that specters have escaped alone is important, but the border between the
underworld and that world seems to have disappeared…”

“Why didn’t you tell me that first…?”

The content of what Nikkaku said was not something that could be left unattended.
Essentially, there is a firm boundary between this world and the underworld, and it is
because of this boundary that those in the world of the living are not able to wander
into the underworld.

Conversely, specters could not escape from the underworld into the world of the
living.

But now that the boundary between the underworld and the living world has
disappeared, specters who have escaped from their prisons in the underworld can
easily escape to the world of the living.

“This is not good… If this continues, specters from the underworld will be unleashed
in the world of the living…!”

For reasons unknown, now that the boundary between the world of the living and the
underworld has disappeared, Reimei herself will have to take action.

“Nikkaku! Now mobilize all the other oni to guard the boundary between the
underworld and the living world! I will reinforce the prisons and seal the specters
again as soon as possible!”

“Y-yes!”

After receiving the instructions, Nikkaku ran out of the building, and Reimei got out of
her chair and stood in the center of the room.

And then──.

“Hmph!”

At that moment, a torrent of purple power, cloaked in a bewitching atmosphere,

overflows from the center of Reimei, and the wave blows across the entire underworld.
At the same time, the prisons of the specters who were about to escape were once
again strengthened by the solid mystical and spiritual power, making it impossible for
the specters to escape.

“Phew… this should be enough to strengthen the prison for the time being.”

Once again, Reimei spread her own mystical power throughout the underworld, and
after confirming the situation of the underworld, she let out a deep sigh.

“…I never thought that the prison seal would be broken and the boundary between the
world of the living and the underworld would disappear…”

With the unprecedented emergency situation in the underworld, Reimei shook her
head with a grim expression on her face.

“No, let’s think about the cause later. I must seal them back up before any more
specters escape from their prisons and flee to this world──Fuh!”

Then, purple power erupted again from under Reimei’s feet, and it transformed into
countless giant ‘hands.’

In the next instant, countless purple giant hands ran all over the underworld at once,
seizing fleeing specters and sealing them back into their prisons.

After sealing all the specters in their prisons, Reimei let out a small breath.

“Nikkaku, Ikkaku.”

“──Yes!”

“Did you call for me?”

At Reimei’s call, Nikkaku and the blue-skinned oni known as Ikkaku appeared and
kneeled there without a sound.

“Nikkaku. Have some of the oni guard the perimeter, and gather the rest of the oni in
this hall.”

“As you wish!”

“Ikkaku, while the oni are gathering, investigate the cause of this disturbance.”

“Understood.”

Both oni immediately disappeared from the scene, and a few moments later, Nikkaku
gathered all the available oni under his command, just as Reimei had ordered.

Then, Reimei looked around at the assembled oni and began to speak in an imposing
tone.

“───Thank you, all of you, for gathering here. There is an emergency in the
underworld. As you all know, the boundary between the underworld and the living
world has disappeared, and specters have escaped into the living world. I immediately
resealed the prison and was able to seal the escaped specters before they headed to
the living world, but it is a fact that some of them have managed to escape. And now
that the boundary has disappeared, it has become necessary to be vigilant to prevent
those from the living world from wandering into this one. Of course, I am still working
to repair the boundary, but a complete repair will not be a quick process.”

After sealing the specters that escaped from the prison, Reimei had also begun to
reconstruct the boundary with her own mystical power.

However, reconstructing the boundary between the living world and the underworld
is different from reinforcing the prison of the underworld, and it will not be an easy
task.

“Therefore, everyone should be more vigilant and watch the boundary between the
living world and the underworld than ever before!”

“Understood!”

“And, Ikkaku! What have you found out?”

When Reimei finished giving instructions to the oni, Ikkaku appeared from among the
group.

“Yes. The cause of this incident was a single soul that flowed into the underworld.”

“What do you mean?”

Reimei tilted her head at Ikkaku’s words.

This is because Reimei had assumed that the specters in the prison had cooperated
with each other to escape from the prison and, at the same time, had somehow worked
out the boundary with the living world.

In reality, however, Reimei was surprised to find that the cause was a single soul that
had drifted into the underworld… that is, a soul before it had been judged by Reimei.

“What in the world is going on?”

“Actually, that soul that drifted into the underworld… belonged to a false god.”

“False god?”

When Reimei twisted her head in response to the unfamiliar word, Ikkaku explained.

“The ‘false god’ is a kind of disaster that appears in the [Heavenly Realm] where the
gods live. Their power is such that they annihilate everything they touch, and to
counteract them, one must have a power called divine authority.”

“I know about divine authority. The power of these observers is the very embodiment
of omniscience and omnipotence. But still, who would have thought that there is an
existence that cannot be defeated without such power?”

Reimei also knew of the existence of the heavenly realms, but since the observers
living in the heavenly realms have no concept of life or death, and the only threat to
their existence is annihilation by the false gods, thus their souls have never been able
to flow into the underworld.

“So what? What does this false god have to do with this case?”

“As I mentioned earlier, the false god has the power to annihilate everything it touches.
That does not change, even if he is only a soul. In other words, anything that touches
the soul of the false god will also be annihilated.”
“What? No way…”

“…This time, his soul touched the boundary between the living world and the
underworld, and that boundary disappeared.”

If Ikkaku’s story is true, the soul of the false god could erase any boundary or, worse,
even the concept of existence in it just by its presence, and if left unchecked, the
underworld would surely be in turmoil.

“Where is that soul now?”

“Fortunately, the soul of the false god was already weakened by the time it arrived in
the underworld, and its spontaneous extinction has just been confirmed.”

“Oh…”

Once it was clear that the damage would not spread any further, Reimei leaned back
deeply in her chair with relief.

“W-what a troublesome existence…”

Reimei was left scratching her head, wondering why this had happened!

“Let me and Luna attend the academy in Yuuya-sama’s world!”

After the battle with the false god, we returned to our original world.

Then, Ouma-san told me that my acquaintances were being attacked by monsters in

the [Great Devil’s Nest], so I went to help them and found Lexia-san and Luna there.

After rescuing them, I asked them why they had visited the [Great Devil’s Nest], and
this was what they answered.

As I froze at Lexia-san’s unexpected comment, Iris-san, who had come with me to see
what was going on, raised her voice.
“W-wait a minute! What do you mean by… the school in Yuuya-kun’s world?”

“I mean it as it is, Iris-sama. We want to attend the school that Yuuya-sama attends!”

I thought I had misheard something, but it seems to be true.

I finally finished digesting Lexia-san’s words and hurriedly asked.

“U-um, you want to attend the school I go to… What happened?”

“The truth is, it is customary for us royalty to enroll in the Aurelia Academy in the
Luminous Kingdom when we reach a certain age. The school attracts children of
royalty and nobility from countries other than ours in the Kingdom of Arcelia, so I was
to enroll there for networking, diplomacy… and other such reasons.”

“Y-yes…”

“But it’s boring to go to school for political reasons or to look the part of a princess
like that! If that’s the case, I thought it would be more fun to go to the school that
Yuuya-sama goes to!”

“Eeeehhh?”

The reason was even crazier than I thought!

“I-is that okay? If you have such a diplomatic reason, you should go to that Aurelia
Academy…”

“It’s fine! It is far more important to deepen my relationship with Yuuya-sama than it
is to deepen the connections I can get there! And there are many things in Yuuya-
sama’s world that I can never experience in this world… so it would be best if I could
experience many things in Yuuya-sama’s world and bring what I learned there back to
the Kingdom of Arcelia.”

I don’t really understand, but I guess Earth is a more valuable place for Lexia-san and
the others than for them to deepen their relationships with other countries in this
other world…

That being said, if it were the other way around, would that be the case?
I guess it’s like saying that the other world might have resources lying around that we
don’t have on Earth and are worth exploring, rather than diplomacy among the
countries that exist on Earth today.

When I was thinking about this, Luna let out a sigh.

“Hah… well, you see. Lexia is ready to go to the academy that Yuuya is attending…”

“Ara, so Luna isn’t going too? That’s fine if that’s the case, though?”

“Wha!? I-I’m not saying that!… A-anyway, if she goes to the Aurelia Academy, I will have
to accompany her as her escort. And that would inevitably lead me to participate in
the troublesome exchange between nobles. I don’t want that either. That’s why, this
plan includes me too, I would like to be taken care of in Yuuya’s world…”

“W-wait a minute!”

Then Iris-san hurriedly interrupted Luna’s words.

“I understand that you don’t want to go to Aurelia Academy. I know what kind of
academy it is, and I’m sure it’s a hassle… but what do you mean you’ll be taken care of
by Yuuya-kun!”

“Actually, I’ve already talked to my father about it. Then my father said that if he knew
that the Earth… where Yuuya-sama lives, is a safe world, he would be willing to change
my study destination to the academy where Yuuya-sama attends! Then, the only
acquaintance we can rely on is Yuuya-sama, and I thought it was inevitable that… we
would be under Yuuya-sama’s care.”

“Why? You see, that ‘Saintess’ called Mai is on Earth, too, right? Why don’t you live with
her!”

“Unfortunately, Mai goes to a different school than Yuuya-sama. I got permission from
my father to go to the school where Yuuya-sama is.”

“Ugh!”

Iris-san bit her teeth in frustration as Lexia-san told her so in a happy mood.

As I was appalled by their exchange, Lexia-san suddenly took my arm.

“So, Yuuya-sama! Will you please come with me?”

“Eh? W-where are we going?”

“To the royal castle, of course! I want you to explain to my father that Earth is a safe
place!”

The conversation went on and on, and it was decided that I was going to head to the
Royal Capital.

With Iris-san present, we were able to get out of the [Great Devil’s Nest] without
incident, but there we parted ways with Iris-san.

“The truth is… I really want to go with you…! If anything, I want to spend my school
life with Yuuya-kun too…!”

“T-that’s…”

Unfortunately, Iris-san and I are obviously different in age, so no matter how hard we
try, we won’t be able to spend our school life together.

Anyway, Iris-san was reluctant to part with me until the very end, but I guess she was
still busy with her duties as a Sword Saint, and she left with regret.

After parting with Iris-san, we headed directly to the Royal Capital.

＊＊＊

When I arrived safely at the royal castle in the Royal Capital, I found myself being taken
to the audience chamber, where I was to have an audience with Arnold-sama.

Then, sitting in the depths of the audience chamber, Arnold-sama stared at me with a
somewhat tired look on his face.

“Oh, Yuuya-dono… it’s been a while.”

“I-it’s been a long time…”

“Now, Father! I’ve brought Yuuya-sama!”

“Hmm… what a lot of energy she has, despite being my daughter…”

“This is the result of Your Majesty’s pampering.”

“Don’t say that…”

Arnold-sama frowned even further when Owen-san made a small rebuttal to him, but
he regained his composure and turned to me.

“So, I’m sure you’ve heard the story from Lexia…”

“Y-yes. She said that she wanted to study at my school…”

“That’s right.”

“Um, is that okay? From what I’ve heard, she’s originally going to attend a place called
Aurelia Academy…”

“If you’re asking me if it’s okay, I can’t say it’s really okay.”

“Hey, Father?”

“Then…”

“But the world you live in, Yuuya-dono, is also important to us.”

Arnold-sama spoke in a dignified manner.

“Certainly, the connections formed at Aurelia Academy are a part of our tradition and
have been valued up to this point. But it is no exaggeration to say that the connections
that can be forged there are ultimately dictated by the relationships between
countries at that given time. In other words, for example, it is not possible for people
from hostile countries to get along with each other. This inevitably leads to a fixed
network of contacts.”

“I-I see.”

“In comparison, the world of Yuuya-dono is a far more unknown territory for us. That
is precisely why I am willing to bet on it.”
After saying all of this, Arnold-sama let out a heavy sigh.

“…However, I am also worried about Lexia’s safety. So I would like to ask Yuuya-dono.”

“W-what is it?”

“Is the world where Yuuya-dono lives safe?”

It seemed that his heart as a father prevailed more than as a king.

“Well, yes… first of all, I can’t say that it is absolutely safe.”

“Mm… that would be true.”

“But I think it is very safe.”

There is no place in any country where there is no possibility of being involved in a

crime.

Of course, Japan, where I live, is definitely safer than other countries.

And needless to say, there are no monsters, so I think it is less dangerous than this
country.

“Besides… if something should happen to Lexia-san, I will definitely protect her.”

In response to my words, Arnold-sama closed his eyes and then quietly opened his
mouth.

“…I understand. I will officially approve Lexia and Luna to study there.”

“Yay! We did it! Father, I love you!”

“Ugh!”

At Lexia-san’s words, Arnold-sama pressed his chest and smiled happily.

“I-I see. Umu.”

“I’m glad for you, Your Majesty.”

Owen-san said so with a bitter smile.

Then, somewhat embarrassed, Arnold-sama cleared his throat.

“Hmm! So, I accept Lexia’s study there, but Yuuya-dono will take care of her in your
world, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will.”

I can’t just suddenly throw Lexia-san and Luna out to the Earth, can I…?

“I see. Well, if Yuuya-dono is around, it will be a great relief. However! I won’t allow
you to touch Lexia!”

“Father!”

“A-ahahaha…”

I could only give a wry smile to Arnold-sama, who was intimidating me as if to remind
me.

＊＊＊

While various thoughts were crossing in various directions, a certain agenda was
being discussed in the student council room of Ousei Academy on Earth.

“──As expected, our school should have a big promotion like the Nittei Academy!”

So declared a cheerful young man with brown hair.

At first glance, the young man looked like an idol, but his eyes sparkled with a boyish
curiosity that could not be contained.

He was the student council president of the Ousei Academy──Sou Kitaraku.

The student council members who were present at the time turned a blind eye to the
outlandish comments made by Kitaraku.

Then, the first to come to his senses was a young student council member… Yuu Inukai,
whose eyes lit up just as brightly as those of Kitaraku.

“Well, I agree! Let’s do it!”

“Oh… Well, that’s a bad habit of Kitaraku-senpai…”

Contrary to Inukai, the girl who spoke up in a somewhat languid manner was Nekota
Yume, also a student council officer.

Seeing their extreme reactions, Kitaraku laughed happily.

“Hahahaha! That’s good! You have to challenge everything!”

“That’s right!”

“The last time you said that you even suggested that we do some weird project like
‘Nagashi Soumen‘…”

“It was a pain to have to stop that one! That would have been fun…”

“I’m glad they stopped it, though… If you want to know, the teachers said a lot of things
about it during the athletic festival…”

“Was it? Hahaha! But the athletic festival itself was a success, wasn’t it?”

“Well…”

The student council takes the lead in planning and carrying out school events at Ousei
Academy, so all the events that Yuuya has participated in so far have also been held
under the leadership of this student council.

At the recent athletic festival, the student council was able to incorporate a number of
new events and activities, and they were able to do just about anything they desired.

Naturally, the teachers tried to stop them at least once, but because of their strong
pushiness and the fact that all the past events were a great success, the council and
their outlandish plans were tolerated at any rate. However, there is a limit to how
much they can do, and the teachers will stop them if their plans are too outrageous.

The teachers were always nervous about what Kitaraku would say because they never
knew what he would say.

Kaori, who belongs to such a unique student council, raised her hand ostentatiously.

“Um… specifically, what do you mean by promotion…?”

“That’s a good question! What are we going to do… I haven’t decided on anything yet!”

“You haven’t decided what you’re going to do?”

Kaori was surprised to hear Kitaraku say it so matter-of-factly.

“It’s obvious! I just came up with the idea, after all!”

“Do we always get pushed around by your ideas…?”

“Hey, hey, Nekota! Are you complaining about what Kitaraku-senpai is doing?”

“You are too thoughtless.”

“What?”

“W-well, well…”

While Kaori is quieting them down, Kitaraku is lost in thought.

“Fumu… I’d like to do some big promotions, but when it comes to concrete ideas… hah!
That’s right!”

“Eh?”

“How about a school idol?”

“””School Idol?”””

While the three tilted their heads at Kitaraku’s outlandish statement, Kitaraku nodded
his head as if saying it was a good idea.

“Yeah! School idols have been the subject of many anime and video games, right?
However, there are only a few schools that actually do it… So! If our school has a school
idol, it will definitely increase the school’s recognition more than ever before!”

“A-as expected of Kitaraku-senpai!”

“No, no, no! I don’t think the teachers will give us permission if we suddenly propose
such a thing!”

“I’ll push through!”

“You always do that, don’t you?”

“B-but, isn’t the idol a bit too much…?”

When Kaori uttered this, Kitaraku thought for a moment since she was the board
chairman’s daughter.

“Mm, if Houjou-san says so… no, but the board chairman is a man who can understand
what I’m talking about, and I’m sure it will be alright…?”

“Even if the board chairman allows it, I’m sure the other teachers will oppose it…”

“Is that so? Well, the school festival was also a spectacular one, following the athletic
festival. It was a lot of fun!”

“It’s strange that you can call that fun, Kitaraku-senpai…”

“I-I apologize for the inconvenience…”

The school festival showdown between Nittei Academy and Ousei Academy over the
enrollment of Yuuya was decided to be carried out at the sole discretion of Kaori, so
the student council, which was planning the school festival as usual at the time,
became very flustered.
Although they did not actively advertise the festival externally, they instead carefully
selected the artists they invited every year and strengthened the school’s security, and
there was a lot of hard work that was not visible to the public.

However, even these hardships are done by Kitaraku because it was “fun,” and the
hardships of the student council members who had to go along with it were
immeasurable.

“In the first place, who will be in charge of this idol project? I know you know that, but
we can’t do it, can we?”

“Mm? Is that so? If we work hard, we can manage…”

“No, we can’t.”

Nekota anticipated and crushed Kitaraku’s statement.

“And I’m sure it’s going to be tough to select those school idols, to find someone to take
charge of the project itself, and most of all, to convince the teachers! It’s all going to be
tough!”

As Nekota said this while exhaling a sigh, Kitaraku pondered.

“Hmm… Nekota has a point… Can’t we somehow convince the teachers while selecting
the candidates for the school idols, as well as deciding who will be in charge of the
project…?”

“I don’t think that’s possible…”

Thus, Kitaraku began to think of ways to move forward with the school idol project.
Although it was decided that Lexia was going to study at Ousei Academy, there were
many things I couldn’t do on my own. So, just as I did with Yuti, I decided to ask Kaori
for advice, and after school, I approached her.

“Kaori!”

“Yuuya-san! What’s wrong?”

“Actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about…”

“What do you want to talk about?”

I look around, lower my voice a little and tell Kaori.

“Um… Do you remember Lexia-san and Luna?”

“Yes, of course, I remember them. Lexia-san was… the princess of the other world,
right?”

“Yeah. It seems that… Lexia-san wants to study in this world…”

“Eh?”

As expected, Kaori also raised her voice, probably because she was not expecting it.

Then the people around us looked at us in surprise, and Kaori hurriedly dropped her
voice.

“Study in this world… Do you mean that she will be living in this world?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“U-um… We can’t stop Lexia-san and the others, of course, but will it be alright? Lexia-
san is a princess, isn’t she…?”

“It doesn’t seem to matter. Rather, Lexia-san’s father, the King, has allowed it… Well,
he has given me a lot of conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Yeah. I will take care of her at my house, along with Yuti.”

“At Yuuya-san’s house? W-why?”

The moment I said I would take care of Lexia-san and the others, Kaori rushed over to
me.

But when she noticed the stares from the people around us again, she moved away
from me with an embarrassed look on her face.

“I-I’m sorry… I was just surprised… B-but how did that happen?”

“It seems that the King feels it is safer if she’s with me, I guess.”

“That… That may be true, but…”

Kaori has a complicated expression on her face after hearing my explanation.

Well, that’s just natural. Even now, I live with a girl named Yuti, and soon Lexia-san
and the others will join us.

From the outside, it’s natural to worry that something might go wrong.

I’m also worried about many things… and Arnold-sama told me to be very careful and
not to do anything strange…

Kaori, deep in thought, eventually let out a sigh.

“Sigh… I understand. As long as the conversation has already been decided, there’s
nothing I can say… So, you’re talking about studying abroad, but what will you do
about the school?”

“Um… I don’t know if it’s a good idea to discuss this kind of thing… but is it possible
for them to study at Ousei Academy?”

Normally, there is no way you can immediately study abroad when asked in this way.

However, if this Ousei Academy is no good, the Nittei Academy is the only other school
that I know of or can introduce them to…

Lexia-san and the others said they wanted to study at the same school as me, and more
importantly, Arnold-sama made it a condition of their study abroad that they be safe.
In that sense, if they could attend the Ousei Academy with me, I would be able to
protect Lexia-san in case something were to happen.

Besides, Lexia-san and the others were here to study abroad to learn about the culture
of this planet. In that sense, Ousei Academy would be the perfect place for them to
challenge themselves and experience a variety of things.

However, there is no doubt that I am asking for something reckless.

If it doesn’t work, I will have to think of some other means…

When I thought so, Kaori said as if nothing was wrong.

“I understand. Then, I’ll take care of the transfer procedures.”

“Eh? I-is that alright?”

I was surprised at how easily she accepted my request, but she smiled at me.

“Yes. Above all, it’s a request from Yuuya-san!”

“A request from me, you say… but I’m not really that important…”

No, that’s not true! Thanks to Yuuya-san’s active role in this school, my father also said
that his work as board chairman is going well.”

“Huh…”
Kaori’s father, Tsukasa-san, is indeed the board chairman of Ousei Academy, but I
didn’t think I had any influence on that work.

“Anyway, Yuuya-san, don’t worry about it! I’ll take care of the formalities on my end.”

“Thank you so much…!”

It is thanks to Kaori that I was able to enter this school.

I really can’t stand up against Kaori…

“So, I’m going to ask you again, but I was wondering if you could help Lexia-san and
the others prepare the daily necessities they will need to live in this world, just like
you did with Yuti…”

“No problem! We also need to prepare our school uniforms, so let’s get them together
then!”

I was able to get Kaori to cooperate with me, and we made arrangements to bring
Lexia-san and the others back to Earth.

＊＊＊

“Kaori! Long time no see!”

“Have you been well?”

“Lexia-san, Luna-san! Long time no see!”

Lexia-san and Luna arrived safely at the Earth through the door in my house.

The three of them were delighted to see each other after a long time. For a moment,
Lexia-san looked at me and began to talk with Kaori in a hushed voice.

“…Kaori. Now that I’ve come to live in this world like this, I won’t show any mercy to
you as a rival from now on, okay?”

“Hmph! As I thought, Lexia-san is here for that reason…”

“Yes, of course!”
“That can’t be true… W-well, it’s one of the main reasons for her, but I hope she can
learn a lot of things in this world and use them for the development of her own
country.”

“…I see. But I’m not going to lose, either…!”

“Yes, that’s what I want!”

There seem to be some sparks flying between the three of them, but… I don’t sense
anything serious in that atmosphere. What in the world are they talking about…?

“Well, for the time being, we’ve prepared what we can in advance, so all that remains
is to prepare the clothes that you two need to be measured for, such as your sizes.”

“Yes, please!”

“The only clothes I have from this world are the ones I got from Mai before. I’m looking
forward to seeing what kind of things there will be.”

I followed Kaori as she prepared the clothes for Lexia-san and Luna.

“Ara, these are so cute! What do you think, Yuuya-sama?”

“Hey, Yuuya! Not only Lexia but… M-me too…”

“U-uh… It really suits you…?”

“Geez! I wish you’d call me cute.”

After trying on one outfit after another at the clothing store, Lexia-san and Luna asked
for my opinion every time.

To be honest, shopping with women is a very high hurdle for me, but when I am asked
to give feedback on their clothes, it is a very difficult thing for me to do.

Above all, from a few moments ago, there was a great deal of staring from those
around me.

“Hey, that…”
“A-amazing! Are they celebrities?”

“They are all beautiful, and the man is handsome… Well, it’s a pleasure to the eye.”

“Kuh! That guy… I-I’m so jealous!”

Some of the men glared at me as if they were about to shed tears of blood, which was
very scary.

I was so terrified that I could not relax as I stayed vigilant about my surroundings in
case something happened to Lexia-san and the others.

Thus, as we finished shopping with my nerves on edge, the last thing to do was to try
on the Ousei Academy uniforms that Kaori had prepared for them.

“Wow…! This outfit is so cute!”

“Y-yeah. Um, Kaori. Are you really going to wear this kind of clothes to school?”

“Yes, we do. If it’s a different school, the uniform will be different again…”

“I see…”

“There are a lot of pretty uniforms in the academies of our world, but the uniforms of
the academies attended by royalty and nobility are strangely formal, difficult to move
around in, and troublesome.”

“Kaori and the other students who attend the school all wear the same uniform, right?
That part is different from ours.”

“Heh…”

I was surprised at Luna’s explanation.

Since it is a school, I thought there would be no major differences in appearance, only

something different to represent each grade level, even if the designs were different.

But listening to Lexia-san and Luna, it seems that there are quite a few differences.

As I was thinking about this, Lexia-san smiled mischievously and turned her gaze
toward me.

“So, what do you think? Does this uniform suit me?”

“O-of course, it looks good on you.”

“Then… Am I cute?”

“Ugh! I-it’s cute…”

“Fufu! Yuuya-sama said I’m cute! Now we have no choice but to get married!”

“Eehh?”

“You forced him to say it. In addition, he never said that you are cute. He said you were
cute in your uniform.”

“What did you say?”

“Ahaha… They’re so lively, aren’t you?”

“R-right.”

Lexia-san pressed Luna and showered her with one complaint after another.

But Luna brushed Lexia-san off and did not seem to respond at all.

──This is how the preparations for Lexia-san’s and Luna’s study abroad program
ended without incident.

A few days after the shopping trip with Lexia-san and the others.

Thanks to Kaori’s efforts to talk to Tsukasa-san about the transfer and to follow up on
the procedures, it was officially decided that Lexia-san and Luna would be studying at
our school.

After that, just as with Yuti, Lexia-san and Luna also acquired the [Language
Comprehension] skill under Kaori’s guidance before they started their school life.

As for speaking the language, apparently due to the effects of the [Doorway to
Another World], it was not a problem from the start, so all they had to do was to learn
to read and write.

Thinking about it, I tried to find out more about the door before Lexia-san and Luna
came to visit, but I put it off until later. I need to look into it properly eventually.

And so the preparations proceeded smoothly, and finally, it was the first day of their
study abroad program.

At first, Lexia was ready to study in the same class as Yuuya, but because of her age,
she ended up in middle school. She cried and ended up in the same class as Yuti.

On the other hand, Luna, being the same age as Yuuya, was placed in the same class as
him.
“No fair, no fair, no fair! I want to be in the same class as Yuuya-sama too!”

“Hmph… you’d better give up like a grown-up.”

“Mukiii! Why is Luna in the same class as Yuuya-sama?”

“That’s because we are the same age. Oops, that means Lexia is going to be my junior.”

“Kiiiiii!”

After being teased a bunch, Lexia looked seriously frustrated, but in the end, she
managed to swallow the reality of the situation and found her own satisfaction.

“…This can’t be helped. Besides, being a junior means that… Yes! I can call Yuuya-sama
Yuuya-senpai! That’s just great!”

Lexia was positive to no end.

After this agonizing rebuttal, the two students decided to go to their classes, and it
was their first day of school.

“Hi, everyone. Take your seats!”

Yanagi-sensei, who had been assigned as Yuti’s and Lexia’s homeroom teacher, asked
the students to sit down in a calm tone.

“Before we start homeroom, I’d like to introduce you to a foreign student who will be
joining us today.”

“!?”

Yuti’s classmates were astonished at the completely unexpected situation.

“A foreign exchange student! I wonder what kind of student it is?”

“I wonder if the foreign student will have different hair color like Yuti-san…”

“I’m looking forward to it!”

While each student was looking forward to the discussion, Yuti’s friend Haruna called
out to Yuti in an excited tone.

“Hey, hey! Sensei said it was a foreign exchange student! As a fellow foreigner, are you
curious about it too, Yuti-san?”

“Hmm? Negative. I already know.”

“Eh? D-do you already know the person who is coming today?”

“Affirmative.”

“What kind of──”

“Yes, come in then!”

The moment Haruna was about to ask Yuti a series of questions, a female student came
into the classroom after receiving a signal from Yanagi-sensei.

That student had beautiful overflowing blonde hair and clear azure eyes, and the
Ousei Academy uniform fits her well.

Seeing such a student──Lexia, Yuti’s class fell silent.

Overwhelmed by Lexia’s presence, the silence continued, and Lexia bowed gracefully
without seeming to mind it.

“Nice to meet you. I am Lexia von Arcelia. There is still a lot I don’t know about this
country, but I look forward to learning with you.”

Then, raising her head, Lexia added as if remembering something.

“Ah, also! Yuuya-sama, who is in high school, is my fiancee! Best regards to you♪”

“Eh.”

The class froze at the words told so casually.

And then──.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhh!”

A loud voice echoed through the middle school building.

＊＊＊

“Hmm!? W-what’s that? It seems like a terrible misunderstanding just occurred

somewhere…”

Today is Lexia-san and Luna’s first day of study in Japan.

At least, there seemed to be no information about Lexia-san and Luna in the high
school yet, and as the morning hours passed by as usual, I was struck by a strange
chill.

While I was twisting my neck because I had no idea what the chill was, Sawada-sensei
entered the class.

“Alright, I’d like to start homeroom, but there’s actually a new transfer student coming
into this class.”

“Eehh?”

“By the way, the transfer student is a foreigner and an exchange student as well.”

“Eehhhh?”

The sudden information about the foreign student caused a stir in the class.

“T-transfer student…”

“How can I put it? There seems to be a lot happening since Yuuya-kun…?”

“I was surprised at the time of Merl-san’s arrival.”

“I wonder what kind of student is coming?”

“It’s a foreigner, isn’t it? It’s rare──and so was Merl-san.”

While everyone was speculating about the new student they had not seen yet, Merl
tilted her head.

“Is it rare to have a transfer student?”

“Hmm… it is certainly rare.”

In most cases, students move from one school to another for family reasons, but I think
it is unusual for high school students to transfer to another school. Unlike junior high
school, each school will have its own examinations.

However, this time, rather than the rarity of the transfer students themselves,
everyone seems to be surprised by the fact that transfer students are coming to this
class in succession.

Normally, the classes would have been divided into more separate classes, but Kaori
must have been very considerate and put everyone in the same class.

“By the way, it’s someone Merl knows, too, you know?”

“Eh, is that so?”

As we were talking in this way, Sawada-sensei clapped her hands.

“Yes, yes, calm down. I can’t introduce the foreign student to you until then, can I? Now,
you can come in.”

“──Excuse me.”

Prompted by Sawada-sensei, a female student entered the room.

The girl with shining silver hair had an interesting appearance and was beautifully
dressed in the uniform of Ousei Academy.

The whole class fell silent at the sight of this somewhat unrealistic beauty.
Without paying any attention to the state of the class, the girl──Luna, opened her
mouth.

“I’m Luna. I’m new to all of this, but I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Yes, so Luna will be studying with you in this class from today, and I hope you’ll be
ready for it.”

“……”

“Hey, kids? I know Luna is beautiful, and you’re admiring her, but it’s time for you to
come back to reality.”

“Huh?”

“Good grief… Right, let’s decide where Luna’s seat should be… You can sit next to Merl.
Look, there’s the blue-haired girl over there.”

“I understand.”

Aside from me knowing about Luna’s transfer, Merl is surprised to see her.

Luna walked over to us and whispered quietly.

“Yuuya, Merl. Take care of me from now on, okay?”

“Hahaha…”

I don’t know what will happen now, but I can only give a wry smile.

＊＊＊

“Lu-Luna-san! What country is Luna-san from?”

“Wow, your skin is so beautiful…”

“Hey, hey, do you have a boyfriend?”

“Have you decided what club you’re going to join?”

“U-um…”

After homeroom was over and it was time for a break, many students came to Luna to
ask her questions.

Luna faltered under the pressure of her classmates, not expecting them to be so
interested in her.

Luna had been living her life as an assassin… and now she was being overwhelmed by
other high school students of her age.

It might be very confusing for her, but this change in the environment could be a very
good thing.

While I was thinking about this after observing Luna, Ryo and the others came over.

“Whew… our class often gets people who stand out in some way, doesn’t it?”

“T-that’s right. The first is Yuuya-kun, and then Merl-san and Luna-san…”

“Are we that conspicuous?”

“No, you’re really conspicuous.”

As for me, I just want to live my life in peace, but that’s not always possible, and as a
result, I’ve been involved in many events and troubles.

However, unlike in the past, I don’t feel uncomfortable about this, so I’m enjoying my
life as it is for what it’s worth.

Then Luna finally couldn’t stand the pressure of everyone and turned her gaze toward
me.

“Yu-Yuuya! Help me!”

“Ah…”

“Eh?”

I had not told anyone in the class that Luna and I knew each other, although I had not
been hiding it, so Luna’s words startled everyone in the class.

Kaede then asked the question that represented everyone’s doubts.

“C-could it be that… Yuuya-kun and Luna-san are acquaintances…?”

“Um… well, yes… I guess.”

“Yes. I’m staying at Yuuya’s house.”

“Hey, Luna-san!”

“Eeeeeehhhhhh!?”

The whole class screamed at Luna’s words.

Sheesh… this is the same thing that also happened with Yuti…!

I don’t have anything to hide, but the fact that Luna is living in my house is enough
information to cause misunderstandings.

In fact, everyone seemed to have started making all sorts of assumptions, and it got
noisy.

“Yu-Yuuya-kun? What does it mean that Luna-san is staying with you?”

“You see… Luna is currently staying at my house, or so to say…”

“What kind of connection do you have?”

“…I-it just happened…?”

“Is that too harsh an excuse…?”

Rin gave me a puzzled look when I managed to squeeze out an answer.

That being said, I can’t talk about the other world and have no way to explain it.

Then, Luna dropped another bomb, wondering what she would think when she saw
Kaede’s astonished look.
“By the way, Yuuya and I have quite a deep relationship.”

“D-d-d-d-deep relationship!?”

“Luna-san!”

Why do you talk in such a confusing way?

It’s true that we trained together in the Great Devil’s Nest in the other world, but you
don’t have to say it like that…!

When I looked at Kaede, it seemed as if her soul had been drained from her mouth, as
if she had been burned out, but everyone else’s reaction was different.

“A-as expected of Yuuya-kun… I didn’t know you had already made a move on Luna-
san…”

“Well… It can’t be helped if it’s Yuuya; I guess it’s understandable…”

“‘Kuh! I’m so jealous… For you to have such a deep relationship with a beautiful silver-
haired girl!”

“Um, it’s a misunderstanding! Everyone has misunderstood me!”

I desperately tried my best to speak up and clear up everyone’s misunderstandings.

Perhaps it was because of this that by the end of the break, everyone seemed
convinced that Luna and I didn’t have that kind of relationship.

In the end it was only that some people, such as Kaede, still seem to have doubts about
it…

“I-I’m tired…”

“Mm… you don’t have to deny it so desperately, do you? It’s really hurting me too.”
“Oh, I-I’m sorry! But it would be a problem for Luna if such misunderstandings were
to occur.”

I don’t know what she meant by that comment, but it must have been a nuisance to
Luna if someone thought of her as my lover.

“…That low self-esteem is really Yuuya’s bad point.”

“Eh?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway! Since Yuya is the senior here. You’re going to teach me a lot,
okay?”

“O-okay.”

──The class became lively again after welcoming Luna as a foreign exchange student.

＊＊＊

Homeroom was over, and it was time to go home.

Just as we were about to leave, Sawada-sensei announced something to the class as if

she had just recalled something.

“Oh, yes, that’s right. Recently, there have been some suspicious incidents here and
there in the vicinity of the school, so be careful not to get involved. If you do encounter
anything suspicious, be sure to call your teacher, okay?”

“Suspicious incidents?”

I twist my head, not knowing what she is talking about, and Yukine tells me.

“…Recently, there have been some strange incidents in the city, such as buildings being
damaged and things that were supposed to be there disappearing. Have you heard
about it?”

“I-I’ve never heard of that before. But that means there’s someone who did it… and it
was done by that suspicious person, right?”

“…I think so too, but they haven’t come up with any evidence. The area that was also
damaged had surveillance cameras installed, but nothing was caught on camera, and
yet only things were stolen.”

“T-that kind of thing… can’t be true…”

How can something be stolen and the surveillance cameras don’t even show the
culprit?

No way, you’re saying it’s the work of a ghost?

Then Merl thought the same thing and denied it with an impatient look.

“I-I can’t believe in such an unscientific existence. There is no such thing as a…

ghost…!”

Merl may want to deny the existence of ghosts, but both Merl and I have encountered
real ones in the amusement park’s haunted house. I was really surprised at that time…

Well, there are people from the other world and aliens, so it’s not so much of a surprise
if you think about it calmly.

As I involuntarily look away, Yukine turns her gaze toward me.

“…So, I’m going to investigate this mysterious phenomenon… what do you think?”

“M-mysterious phenomenon? And you’re looking into it?”

“…Since it’s a big deal, why don’t you and Merl-san and Luna-san join me and look into
it together?”

“M-me too!?”

“Hmm… that’s fine, but why me too?”

Luna has not yet become that close to Yukine, so she seems to be questioning the fact
that she was invited.

“…Since you live in the same house as Yuuya, I was wondering if it would be better for
us to work together. Besides, in order to investigate this mysterious phenomenon, we
will look around various places in the city, and Luna-san probably doesn’t know that
much about this city yet, so I’ll serve as your guide as well.”

“I-I see.”

It is true that Luna has only been in this world for a short period.

In that sense, I was grateful that we could look around the city together, regardless of
whether or not we seriously investigate the mysterious phenomenon.

“If that’s what you mean, I’d be grateful too. However, may I invite someone else to
join us?”

“Ah, Lexia-san?”

“Yes… It would be very noisy if she found out that I left her and went out with you.”

“Hahaha…”

I could easily imagine Lexia-san complaining about it, and I couldn’t help but let out a
wry smile.

Yukine nodded to Luna’s words.

“…It’s okay, anyway, let’s call on others, and we can all look around the city together.”

In this way, Yukine called out to various people, and as a result, the usual group of
people, such as Kaede, Rin, Ryo, and Shingo-kun, gathered together.

My name is Lexia von Arcelia! It’s nice to meet you!”

After school.

When everyone gathered to begin the investigation of the mysterious phenomenon

proposed by Yukine, Lexia-san, and Yuti, whom Luna had called in advance, were
present.

They also decided to ask Kaori to join the investigation team, and before long, the
group had grown fairly large.
Seeing Lexia, the princess of another world, Ryo and the others squinted in
dazzlement.

“A-amazing…! What is this aura…?”

“Y-yes…! I’m just standing here, but I’m overwhelmed…!”

“Hahaha…!”

It may seem a bit exaggerated, but the actual atmosphere around Lexia-san is
somewhat overwhelming and makes you realize that she really is a princess.

Then, seeing such a Lexia, Kaede looked somewhat anxious.

“U-um… Lexia-san is also living in Yuuya-kun’s house, correct…?”

“Oh, Y-yes. That’s right, but… just like Luna, it’s a homestay!”

“I understand that, but… Mmm…”

“Hahaha! Kaede, you don’t have to be so pouty! You know, isn’t it good if you can turn
things around from here?”

“R-Rin-chan!? What do you mean by turning things around… Ah, that’s right, but…!”

While such an exchange was taking place, Kaori also had a difficult expression on her
face.

“…To move so boldly… does it mean that both Lexia-san and Luna-san are that serious
about it…?”

“Kaori? What’s wrong?”

“Ah! N-no, it’s nothing at all! More importantly, it’s fun to go out with everyone like
this!”

“Yes, that’s right. This is what Japanese JK should be all about.”

“…Merl, as usual, where do you get that eccentric information from…?”

At any rate, I was looking forward to it, too, because it was a new experience for me to
play after school with such a large group of people.

“But then, it would have been nice if Akira had been with us too.”

“Certainly! I think he’s the type of guy who wants to be a part of this kind of fun, but
he’s kind of busy every day!”

Akira was also invited to participate in this investigation, but he seemed to have
something to do and was returning home with tears in his eyes.

Ryo was right. He always seems to be busy.

As each of us gathered in this way to deepen our friendship, Yukine opened her mouth.

“…We’re all here now, so let’s get going.”

“Y-yeah! I’m a little scared, but with this number of people…”

“As usual, Kaede is scared. But have you decided where to go?”

“…Yeah. There’s actually this mysterious phenomenon happening right next to the
school, so I thought we’d go check it out there.”

This time, the investigation was to find the cause of the mysterious phenomena, but it
also included the purpose of showing Lexia-san and Luna around the city. There is
nothing wrong with that, but I have some concerns about the mysterious phenomena.

I called out to Kuro, the ‘Evil’ power lurking in my body.

“(Hey, Kuro. I wonder if it’s possible for an evil beast to be summoned to this world
like before?)”

“Huh? Well, that’s not going to happen in a normal way, though. But it has actually
appeared before. It would not be surprising if it appeared in this world again by some
chance.”

“(As I thought…)”

I wondered if an evil beast might be involved in this mysterious phenomenon.

If the identity of the culprit was unknown even after such a public uproar, it no longer
seemed as if the crime was committed by human hands.

And if it really was the work of an evil beast, I couldn’t just leave it at that.

While I was making a difficult face, Yuti looked at me curiously.

“Question. What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? A-ah, nothing.”

“Hey, Yuuya! Let’s go first.”

“Yes!”

For now, I put off thinking about difficult things and followed Yukine to the site where
the mysterious phenomenon had occurred.

On the way there, Lexia-san came up next to me and smiled.

“Hey, what do you think of me in my uniform? Yuuya-senpai?”

“S-senpai?”

“Isn’t that right? I’m in the grade below Yuuya-sama. In that case, it’s normal for me to
call you ‘senpai,’ isn’t it?”

“T-that’s true, but…”

“Then I’m a senior too, Lexia.”

“Luna is Luna!”

“Hey, why?”

Kaede and the others were surprised to see the two of them continue to argue, but
Yuti, who was enrolled in the same middle school as Lexia-san, looked at me with a
tilted head.

“Question. Yuuya, a senior?”

“Heh? W-well, in terms of position, yes…”

“Yuuya-senpai… Strange.”

“Strange, you say…?”

Certainly, it is strange to be suddenly called senpai by Yuti since she had never called
me senpai before.

That should be the same for Lexia-san, but from Lexia-san’s point of view, she seemed
to enjoy calling me senpai.

“I see… that the hierarchical relationship on Earth is formed in this way.”

“No, it’s not that this is the only way…”

“But you are saying that those in the grade above yours should be called senpai, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

As for Merl, she was also trying to acquire a lot of information in order to somehow fit
in with the Earth’s culture. Whether that direction is correct or not.

After walking around happily like that, we finally arrived at our destination.

“…I believe it’s somewhere around here.”

It was a back alley with few pedestrians, a place I would not normally pass by.

The area was littered with trash, and to be honest, it was hard to tell that a mysterious
phenomenon had occurred here.

“It’s kind of a dirty place…”

“…Is this the way back alleys are in every country? It still doesn’t seem as bleak as it
does over there, and it’s better.”

“What a comparison…”

While Lexia-san frowns, Luna, who has lived in the underworld as an assassin
belonging to the Dark Guild, seems to think nothing of this back alley.

As we continue down the narrow alleyway, Yukine suddenly stops.

“…Ah.”

“Hii!?”

Ryo looked at the place where Yukine stopped and shouted in surprise.

Caught by the voice, we turned our gaze…

“W-what is this…?”

“Claw marks…?”

There were sharp claw marks carved into the concrete wall as if some giant creature
had gone wild here.

“Hey, hey, are you telling me there’s a bear in the city?”

“E-even so, isn’t it too big?”

Shingo-kun was right. The claw marks were too big to be from a bear. After all, the
marks left by the marks were much longer than our height.

Then Merl touched the claw marks.

After examining something, she whispered to me in a whisper so that Ryo and the
others could not hear.

“…It’s strange. These claw marks don’t seem to match the claws of any creature on
Earth that exists in my database…”

“Then again, maybe it’s not an earthly creature, but the work of some otherworldly
creature? That would be an evil beast or…”

“Negative. It’s not the size of an evil beast. And I don’t feel any remnants of ‘Evil.’ It’s a
different creature.”
“I think Yuti is right. There’s no sign of evil around here.”

Not only Yuti but also Kuro had denied the possibility of the work of evil beasts.

In this case, it would be better to think that these claw marks were caused by another
being, different from the evil beast.

If so, what kind of creature could have made these scratches…?

As I contemplated various things in front of the claw marks, Kaede, who had been
quietly keeping quiet, opened her mouth.

“H-hey, why don’t we go home now…? L-look! We could check it out like this! Right?”

“Kaede says, but what about Yukine?”

“…That’s right. I don’t think we can find out anything by looking any further.”

“T-that’s glad to hear…!

“Geez… If you’re so scared, you shouldn’t have followed us at all.”

“Eehh? Rin-chan, that’s terrible!”

We decided to leave the back alley as we realized that we had nothing to gain from it.

“Ara? Are we done with this place?”

“I guess so. I don’t think we’re going to find out anything more by staying here…”

“Hmm… I don’t know about it, but are there creatures in this world that can leave those
claw marks?”

“No way! I’ve never seen claw marks that big before!”

“Hmm? Then what are those claw marks, then?”

Lexia-san and the others seemed to find the place itself, a back alley on Earth, unusual,
and looked around, but for the moment, there was no point in staying here, so we
agreed to leave.
“Right! Now that we’re all here, let’s all go somewhere and have fun!”

“Oh! That sounds great! With this many people, maybe a sports center?”

“O-or maybe karaoke?”

While everyone was talking about what to do, we were about to leave the back alley…
that’s when it happened.

“!?”

Suddenly, I felt a terrible chill, and a cold sweat broke out on my back. How can I
describe it? I felt an irresistible sense of disgust.

I was bewildered by the sudden situation, and it seemed that I was not the only one
who was feeling this sensation.

“W-what is that?”

“Suddenly, I feel cold…”

“…Maybe we hit the jackpot?”

“What do you mean, jackpot?”

Yukine was the only one who spoke carefree, but everyone looked around and was on
the lookout.

Luna was also protecting Lexia-san behind her back, and before long, she was also
preparing her weapon, a string.

“…Yuuya, do you know what this presence is?”

“N-no. I’ve never felt this kind of presence before either…”

“I’ll tell you one thing; there’s no sign of an Evil beast or an evil beast.”
If Kuro says so, then this chill must be caused by a totally unknown entity.

I looked at Merl, who was operating a device attached to her left arm while hiding from
Ryo and the others.

“…It’s strange. I don’t see any particular life forms in the vicinity…”

I’ve been trying as well with my [Presence Detection] skill, and there are no reactions
around me that seem to be that.

To get out of this situation, for the time being, we try to get out of the back alley.

At that time──.

“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

“!?”

Suddenly, a monster we had never seen before appeared right in front of us!

The monster had the physique of a seemingly elementary school student at first
glance, but its head was bald and clean, it wore no clothing on its body, its belly was
greatly swollen, and its entire body was covered with reddish-black skin.

The most distinctive feature of its body is its claws, which are unusually long and
sharp, disproportionately so for a childlike figure.

Because the claws were so huge, the monster in front of us was walking while dragging
its claws.

The sudden appearance of this unknown monster made everyone in the place gasp in
awe.

Then, the monster turned its sunken eyes toward us.

“──”
“Kuh!”

“Yuuya!”

It was almost a reflex.

As soon as I quickly thrust the bag in my hand in front of my body, the monster pierced
the bag with its claws!

“Hah!

“Kii!”

After blocking the monster’s attack, I threw the bag away, and at the same time, I flung
myself at the monster and slammed a kick into its torso.

The monster was blown away by my kick, and I shouted to everyone while it was still
in the air.

“Everyone, run!”

“R-run, you say…!”

“──Kishaaaaaa!”

“Shocked. Yuuya’s kick didn’t work at all!”

The monster in front of us did not seem to have suffered any damage at all, although I
thought I had released the kick with a lot of force.

However, even if I tried to fight the monster, Kaede and the others would be caught in
the middle of it, and I couldn’t take out my sword or spear in the middle of the city.

What should I do…!

What should I do…!

Then Merl quickly operated the device attached to her arm, and the next moment,
Kaede and the others suddenly collapsed on the spot.

“H-huh? I’m suddenly sleepy…”

“I-I have to get away from here…”

The next instant, the group suddenly collapsed in this place.

“Due to an emergency situation, I have temporarily put everyone to sleep. At the same
time, I have also sent out a radio signal to inhibit recognition, so it is safe to fight here!”

“Thank you…!”

Thanks to Merl, we confirmed that we could fight, and we each readied our weapons.

“Kaori, Lexia-san! You two watch over everyone who’s sleeping!”

“A-alright!”

“Leave it to me!”

We were going to face the monster while the two who didn’t have the strength to fight
were watching Kaede and the others.

At that time, I activated my [Identification] skill…

“Wha-? It’s been blocked!

I was surprised that my skill did not work.

While I was surprised, Luna shouted.

“Yuuya, it’s coming!”

“Kishaaaaa!”

“At one time. We’ll take it down for now.”

Yuti foresaw the movement of the monster and tried to release an arrow, but…
“!? Confused. I can’t predict it…?”

“Eh?”

“…Change. Shifting to a normal attack.”

Unexpectedly, even Yuti’s foresight could not be used, but Yuti quickly calmed her
agitation and fired a sharp arrow.

However, the monster blocked the attack by using its own claws as a shield.

Moreover, even though the claw was hit when it was used as a shield, even Yuti’s arrow,
which flew at a furious pace, did not seem to do any damage at all.

However, the fact that the claws were huge meant that the opponent’s vision was also
blocked, and Luna did not miss that opportunity.

“Take this! Spiral!”

The countless threads that Luna unleashed were combined into one, and they spun at
great speed, heading toward the monster.

This attack is a vicious technique that not only pierces the opponent’s body but also
inflicts even more damage by tearing up the inside…

“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

“What?”

The attack, which was released by precisely exploiting an opening in the monster, did
indeed reach the monster’s body.

However, Luna’s threads did not penetrate the monster’s body and dissipated on the
spot.

“How can this be? My attack doesn’t work?”

“Then how about this!”

Then Merl raised a small knife she had taken from somewhere and thrust it at the
monster’s claws.

“This is a mono-molecular knife! With this, any armor can be──”

“Kishaaaaaaa!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“Merl!”

Surprisingly, Merl’s knife was repelled without being able to inflict even a scratch.

Merl was blown away by the monster’s swing of its arm, but after adjusting her stance
in mid-air, she landed safely.

“No way… such an attack couldn’t get through at all!”

“If physical attacks don’t work, then…!”

I quickly deployed my Magic Armor, clothed my body with magic power, and attacked
again with the [Omni-Sword] in my hands.

I thought I could definitely finish it this time with the reinforcement from the magic
power and the effect of the [Omni-Sword], but──.

“Kishaaaaaaa!”

“Kuh!”

Suddenly, the monster screamed.

The shockwave from its voice had a physical impact, causing the surrounding walls to
crack and the windows of the building to shatter.

But even as I endured the shockwave, I managed to get within the monster’s chest and
drew my sword──.

“Eh?”

The [Omni Sword] did not slice through the monster’s body but passed through it as
if it had just slashed through a cloud.

In the same way, I had fought with wraiths in the other world as opponents that were
ineffective using physical attacks.

However, I could inflict damage on it using the weapons inherited from Zenovis-san,
such as the [Omni-Sword], or with attacks infused with magical power.

However, this monster could not be damaged even by Zenovis-san’s weapons, let alone
by magic power.

The [Omni-Sword] should be able to cut any object as long as the target is present,
but it was as if the monster in front of us didn’t exist.

If I exerted any more power, the surrounding area would be in a terrible state, so I was
fighting while purposely saving my strength, but I could no longer afford to do so.

Therefore, as the remaining means, I also invoked Holy Evil Creation and divine
authority and attacked the monster…

“Kishaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Not even the divine authority can get through, let alone the Holy Evil Creation…!”

Despite the fact that I had used a kind of all-powerful divine authority, to my surprise,
it was completely unable to get through to the monster.

However, since the opponent’s attacks could penetrate us, we were left on the
defensive.

“Hey, Yuuya! We’re not going to get anywhere if we keep going like this…!”

“Yes, but…!”

I couldn’t think of a way out of this situation, and I was desperately trying to think of
something to do.

“Ugh!”
“Yuuya!”

Suddenly, I felt a heat rising from the depths of my body.

While I was puzzled by the sudden situation, the heat gradually filled my whole body
and overflowed out of my body.

Then, a strange purple aura began to rise from my body.

It was as if I was reacting to the monster in front of me…

“W-what is this…?”

I don’t know why, but I felt this is the second time I manifested this power.

But I was sure I had never seen this kind of power before.

The purple aura that erupted from my body shimmered and wrapped around the
[Omni-Sword] as it was.
I was surprised by the suddenness of it, but Luna and the others were watching me
even more surprised.

“Yu-Yuuya… what is that power…?”

“F-for some reason, I can’t stop my body from shaking…!”

“Fear. When I see that power, I shudder…”

“Eh?”

As for me, it was kind of eerie that an unidentified aura started rising from my body,
but I didn’t have the same feelings of fear as Luna and the others.

However, it seems that Luna and the others were not the only ones who felt fear from
this aura, and the monster in front of us, which had been on the rampage, changed its
behavior.

“Ki-kishaaaaaa…”

It began to back away as if frightened by this purple power.

…I don’t know what’s happening, but with this power…!

When I charged at it with all my strength in my hand holding the [Omni-Sword], the
monster showed a sign of running away for the first time in this battle and showed its
back to me.

I didn’t miss that opportunity and swung down with my [Omni-Sword], and I was
able to cut the monster, on which our previous attacks were ineffective, in half.

“Ki-kiki-kii──…”

And the monster, whose body had been cut, crumbled and disappeared like ashes on
the spot.

“I-is it over…?”

For a while, I held up the [Omni-Sword] and remained vigilant, but there was no sign
of the monster’s revival.
The purple aura that covered my body just a few minutes ago disappeared as if nothing
had happened.

“What in the world was that power…?”

“Yuuya-sama─!”

As I stared dumbfounded at my hands, Lexia-san and Kaori came running up to me.

“Yuuya-sama! Are you okay?”

“Eh? Ah, yes. I’m fine, but… where’s Kaede and the others?”

“Kaede-san and the others are safe!”

Kaori’s words brought me some relief.

But…

“This devastation… what should we do…?”

The back alley was in pretty bad shape because the fight against the monster was more
difficult than expected.

“Oh, yes! Maybe I can do this much with my divine authority…”

When I activated my divine authority with thought and turned my attention to the
surroundings, the surrounding walls and ground, which had been so battered and
bruised, were instantly restored to their original state.

Seeing this, Lexia-san and Kaori’s eyes widened.

“Yuuya-sama, when did you acquire such power?”

“T-that’s amazing… Is that also magic…?”

“N-no, this is a different kind of power…”

“…You are getting stronger and stronger without me even knowing it.”
Whether or not I got stronger, there was no doubt that I had acquired much power.

However, it is certain that the divine authority of me and Iris-san, and others are not
as all-powerful as that of the observers living in the heavenly realm.

Observers can even create life with this divine authority, but we do not have such
power.

This is probably the result of the fact that the observers had to stop being human once
and for all.

But even so, it seems that even my divine authority can do things like restore buildings
like this to their original state with no problem.

“Let’s leave this place for now.”

“Right. Let’s use the anti-gravity device to carry everyone away while activating the
radio waves that inhibit recognition.”

If we stayed here too long, there was no guarantee that the monster would not appear
again, so we slipped out of the back alley and rested in a nearby park, waiting for
everyone to wake up.

“…Hmm? H-huh? Where am I?”

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“Huh? Yu-Yuuya-kun!”

When I called out to Kaede, who was the first to wake up, she jumped up in a panic.

Perhaps caught by the voice, everyone else wakes up as well.

“Hmm? W-was I asleep?”

“Nn! What is it? Why am I here…?”

“A-as I recall, Yukine-san suggested that we go to see where the mysterious

phenomenon occurred…”
“A-ahaaaahhh! Yes! What happened to that mysterious creature?”

Kaede looked around in a panic as she remembered that monster.

In fact, Merl had put everyone to sleep in an emergency, but the memory of seeing the
monster could not be erased.

Hearing Kaede’s words, Rin and the others also remembered that time and hurriedly
looked around…

“H-huh? This place, the park?”

Yeah. That creature has… vanished.”

“Vanished, you say…?”

“…Too bad. I wanted to take a picture.”

“Unbelievable!”

For the time being, we kept it under wraps that we had defeated the monster, and the
story went in the direction of the monster’s spontaneous disappearance… How could
Yukine say such a thing after what happened before?… She must have a lot of guts.

Anyway, after what happened, I didn’t feel like hanging out anymore, so we decided to
part ways here.

＊＊＊

“──That’s what happened.”

“Monster, huh…”

“Woof?”

“Fugoo.”

“Pii!”

When I returned home, I told Ouma-san and the others about today’s incident, but he
looked at me in a somewhat suspicious way.

“An unknown monster, neither an evil beast nor anything else, suddenly appeared in
the city? I didn’t feel any such presence, you know?”

“Eh, you didn’t notice it, Ouma-san?”

“Oh. Isn’t it just your imagination?”

“It’s not my imagination… I actually fought with it…”

Certainly, Ouma-san would be able to sense immediately if an evil beast appeared on

Earth in the state of being in this house.

Even Ouma-san, who has that much power, could not detect the monster this time.

“I’m not lying! I had a pretty tough time with it!”

“T-that’s right. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Affirmative.”

“I can’t believe it…?”

Lexia-san and the others told him so, but Ouma-san still didn’t believe it.

As I tried to figure out how I could get him to believe me, that mysterious purple aura
suddenly overflowed from my body!

“E-eeh? Why all of a sudden?”

“Yu-Yuuya? What is that power…?”

Ouma-san didn’t seem to know about this power and looked at me with an astonished
expression.

I noticed that the purple aura overflowing from my body was reacting to something.

Earlier it was shimmering as if rising from my body, but now it was flowing in that
direction as if being pulled by something.
“Over here…?”

“H-hey!”

As if guided by the purple aura, I arrived at the storage room where the [Door to
Another World] was placed.

There were a lot of mysterious things that Grandpa had collected in the room.

Then, I saw what looked like a very old scroll on a shelf in the storage room.

It seemed that the purple aura was responding to this scroll.

Lexia-san and the others looked at me with interest as I moved as if guided by the
purple aura.

And when I reach for the scroll──.

“Hohoho! It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this world──Cough, cough, cough!
Eh, what’s with all the dust?”

The purple aura and the old scroll reacted with each other, and suddenly a man
appeared in the storage room.
“W-why don’t you clean it up a little bit? Yuck! Cough!”

A mysterious man suddenly appeared.

The man was dressed like a nobleman of the Heian period, something rarely seen in
this era. In addition, he was well-dressed and gave the impression of being a good-
natured person.

Of course, I was curious about the man’s unusual appearance, but what surprised me
even more was the fact that he was──.

“Oh──”

“Hmm? Oh?”

“A ghooossstt!?”

“Eeeeehhhh! G-ghost!? Where, where?”

“I’m talking about you, though!”

“Huh? Me?”

I couldn’t help but retort to the man who was looking around in fear. Rather than that,
the man in front of me had the appearance of a ghost, just like how everyone imagined.

I looked down at the man’s feet and saw that he had no feet, and they were thin and
transparent.

Even Ouma-san and the others who were watching the exchange between the man
and me looked astonished.

“Mmm… I’ve seen insubstantial beings like wraiths before, but they have a certain
presence. But I don’t feel any presence at all from this ghost…”

“Woof…”

“Fugo?”

“Pippi!”

Night also seems to be puzzled, but Akatsuki and Ciel only twisted their heads
curiously and did not seem to be that bothered by it.

“Astonishment. Ghosts, they’re real?”

“That’s amazing! I mean, what is that outfit? I haven’t seen anyone wearing that since
I came to Earth…”

“Hey, Lexia! How can you be so calm?”

“Eh? Because it’s Yuuya-sama’s house, and I was wondering if something like this
could happen…”

“…That’s true too.”

“You’re convinced?”

It’s difficult to be convinced that a startling situation can happen just because it’s my
house, but I can’t remain surprised forever.

I called out to the man who was strangely convinced by my tsukkomi.

“Well, I am dead, aren’t I? I inadvertently accidentally…”

“U-um…”

“Hmm? Oh, you’re the one that put me on… Right! First of all, I’m not a ghost! W-well,
I’m dead, sure. But I’m not one of those youkais! Okay?” [T/n: I decided to change
specter to youkai from this chapter onwards, youkai basically means strange apparition.
Since that’s too long, so I just decided to use the Japanese word for it, and I think everyone
knows about youkai at this point.]
“I-I’m sorry!”

I called out to him, but after his flowing speech, I apologized to him.

But the man seemed satisfied with that and nodded his head.

“Umu, well, that’s good. So, what is it?”

“N-no, um… I was wondering who you are…”

When I finally said what I wanted to ask, the man smiled and puffed out his chest.

“I am so glad you asked! I am the most powerful sorcerer of the Heian period, Tenjou
Kuuya!”

The man with the most confident look on his face… is named Tenjou Kuuya-san.

…Hmm? Tenjou?

When I responded to the unexpected last name, Kuuya-san grinned.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you──Descendant.”

“Eh… Eeeeeeeeeeeehhh!”

──My screams echoed throughout the house.

＊＊＊

“Muhoo! Modern confectionery is so sweet! It’s the best, the best, the best!”

“Y-yes…”

──After that, I moved to the living room with Kuuya-san in order to calm down and
listen to his story.

When I introduced myself again, I prepared some sweets, and he reacted strongly to
them. It seems that Kuuya-san is a fan of sweets.

Even now, he is stuffing his mouth full of sweets and looking like a squirrel. Well, you
don’t have to be in such a hurry, no one is going to take it…

“Astonishing. Nobody can take that much candy in their mouth.”

“That’s amazing. Well, if he eats that many sweets, it’s no wonder he’s like that.”

“Right. However, he is Yuuya’s ancestor, isn’t he? They don’t look much alike…”

“Is that so? I think they have the same airiness about them.”

“Hmm? When you say it… they look completely different, but both of them have this
kind of mysterious air that envelops them…”

Seeing Kuuya-san engrossed in the sweets in front of them, Lexia-san and the others
were whispering something to each other, but the content of their conversation did
not reach my ears.

“Phew~. It was very delicious, wasn’t it?”

“T-that’s good to hear.”

“By the way, I don’t see any of my descendants here except for you.”

“Oh… T-that’s…”

I was wondering what to say when Kuuya-san’s eyes suddenly flashed with a
mysterious light.

It was only for a moment, but I could see it glowed purple as its gaze rested on me.

“Hoho… I see. It’s a pity. How can a child of the same blood not be loved equally…?”

“Huh? H-how can you…”

I looked at Kuuya-san, who seemed to see through everything I said and did, even
though I hadn’t told him anything.

However, Kuuya-san stares at me in disbelief at my reaction.

“Didn’t I tell you? I am the most powerful sorcerer. Compared to destroying a great
youkai, seeing through people’s minds is nothing.”

“Eh, was it true that you are a sorcerer?”

“Did you doubt me?”

I thought it was rude, but I couldn’t believe it when I was suddenly told that he was a
sorcerer.

Come to think of it, it’s a wonder that I am able to meet the ghost Kuuya-san in this
way, and more importantly, given my knowledge of the existence of the other world
and aliens, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a sorcerer.

But when I am told that my ancestor was a sorcerer, it’s a different story.

My grandfather also ended up obtaining the blueprints Merl was looking for, but even
so, he was just a traveler with the habit of collecting stuff, and I’m sure he didn’t really
know what it was that he collected in that warehouse.

My father and the others were very normal people, and there was no indication that
they had any unusual powers, or for that matter, were able to use sorcery or anything
like that…

Then, as if he had looked into my family and read my mind, Kuuya-san covered his face
with his hands sadly.

“Should I rejoice that the world is now at peace thanks to my efforts, or should I lament
that the skills of the greatest and most powerful sorcerer have fallen into ruins…?”

“Y-you call yourself the best and the strongest, don’t you…?”

“Since no one else said it for me!”

It’s sad…

I was about to burst into tears, too, but Kuuya-san stared at me.

“Even so… I am surprised that you are my descendent.”

“Eh? Why is that?”

“Because you’re not fat.”

“That’s…”

My grandfather, my father and the others were thin.

In comparison, I was fat in the past… so does that mean that I used to look like Kuuya-
san…?

Then, Lexia-san and the others also have a subtle look on their faces at Kuuya-san’s
words.

“I don’t think you should be surprised by whether he’s fat or not, do you?”

“Right. The body shape can be managed by exercising.”

“Affirmative. You and Yuuya don’t look much alike right now.”

“Hmph. Well, Yuuya is similar to you only in that he is a strange being.”

“Woof.”

“Buhi.”

“Pii.”

“Huh? I’m in total denial?”

In response to everyone’s comments, Kuuya-san’s cheeks tightened, and he cleared his

throat.

“Ahem. I’m telling you, it’s not just about whether it’s fat or not, you know. In my case,
there is a great deal of significance in my physique.”

“Eh? What does that mean…?”

“Oh, I see… The knowledge of sorcery has ceased, and the constitution has also ceased
at some point in your life.”

“Constitution?”
When I asked him back, Kuuya-san nodded his head.

“Right. I’ve always had an abundance of… ‘Spiritual Power,’ or the power to use magic.
And that power has grown to such an extraordinary amount that it has been stored in
the form of an expanding body.”

“Eh?”

“So, even if I wanted to lose weight, I would not be able to. It is not just fat or muscle
but the result of the accumulation of spiritual power in the body. That is why I am not
good at exercising, but I am very good at sorcery! Ahem.”

Kuuya-san was puffing out his chest, but I was not concerned about that.

Before I entered the other world, I had never been able to lose weight, no matter how
much I tried muscle training, exercise, and dietary restrictions.

Even if I suspected that I was sick… my body was healthy, and there was nothing
anyone could do about it.

Looking at me dumbfounded, Kuuya-san twisted his head, and once again… the purple
light in his eyes, probably the spiritual power he was talking about earlier, was in his
eyes.

“Hmm? You… you seem to have come to your current form in some strange way… What
is it? You must have inherited my constitution, didn’t you? No wonder you have so
much power… and yet your body shape is the opposite of mine. I’m surprised.”

After saying this, Kuuya-san looked at me in a somewhat pitiful way.

“But I see… because you suddenly inherited my constitution, and all knowledge of
sorcery disappeared from the world, you were shunned by my other descendants… As
a result, you, like myself when I was a child, have been wasting your time trying to lose
weight.”

“W-wasted my time?”

“Yes. I told you, right? I told you that the body is not a storehouse of fat and muscle but
a storehouse of spiritual power. Since the body has been transformed into a storage of
spiritual power, there is neither muscle nor fat. No matter how hard you work, you
will never be able to lose weight because the spiritual power is not dissipated.”

I was appalled to learn the secret of my old body.

It is true that I was not able to lose weight, but there was another serious problem that
I had in the past.

“I-I was bullied in the past because people around me said I stunk…? Did that have
something to do with that mysterious power…?”

“Oh… is that right? Spiritual power, in other words, is the power of youkais. It is
something that humans subconsciously fear and loathe. And you have the same
constitution as me and, by the looks of it, a great deal of spiritual power. Consequently,
in the past, you were able to channel this immense power out of your body. However,
this is incomprehensible to ordinary people. Therefore, your spiritual power was
perceived as body odor, and you were estranged from those around you.”

“N-no way…”

Really, what have I been doing all this time?

I had been taking a proper bath and doing all the muscle training, exercise, and diet
that I could.

Still, nothing had changed.

I can’t believe all of that was due to a constitution that I suddenly inherited from my
ancestor…

Kuuya-san looked at me with a pained expression as I was seriously depressed.

“…It seems that in your case, you have more spiritual power than me. The result is that
your human body can no longer contain it, and your physical body has become more
like that of a youkai. This must also be the reason for the pain you are going through.”

“……”

“D-don’t be so downhearted! No, I had no idea that one of my descendants would

suffer because of my constitution! I am so sorry! As an apology, I will teach you all my
skills and knowledge! Huh?”
I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Kuuya-san trying desperately to cheer me up.

“…Fufu. I’m fine. I’ve learned the reason for this, and as a result, I’ve been able to
change. And I even found my family and friends.”

When I said this and turned my attention to Lexia-san and the others, she raised her
hand.

“Yes, yes! I don’t know what it is, but I’m Yuuya-sama’s fiancee!”

“How can you raise your hand if you don’t know what it is? Besides, you’re not Yuuya’s
fiancee… Well, I don’t fully grasp the flow of the conversation either, but the fact that
Yuuya is an important person nonetheless is for certain.”

“Affirmative. Yuuya, important.”

“…Well, I don’t want him to go away.”

“Woof!”

“Buhi!”

“Pii!”

“…Thank you all. I’m having fun living like this now!”

“You’re such a good descendant; it’s hard for me.”

I was happy that everyone was being so frank and gentle with me, and as Night and
others rubbed up against me, I patted them gently.

“That’s nice; I wish I could be petted by Yuuya-sama too!”

“No, that’s… Not that that’s bad, but…”

“…These guys are as if they’re on their last days.”

As I was enjoying the feel of Night and the others, I heard Ouma-san’s dismayed voice.
What’s wrong with him?
Then Kuuya-san, who was watching our exchange, let out a sigh.

“Hah… you say so, but as for me, I must reflect on what I have done to cause your
suffering… But then again, it’s a strange world. As for the Night and your family
members, they are exquisitely different from Earth’s monsters, although their
presence may be similar. However, it seems that the dragon there is not so different
from the dragon on Earth.”

“Eh?”

“What? Are there beings like me in this world?”

Kuuya-san’s unexpected comment made my eyes widen.

Rather, I wonder how Kuuya-san recognized the existence of the other world, and in
addition, that Night and the others came from the other world, when I have not yet
properly explained about the other world to him…

Maybe he learned about the other world in the same way, just as he has been aware of
many things about my situation since a while ago? For example, maybe he’s looking at
the memories of everyone here… Whatever it is, it’s a tremendous power.

When I thought about that, Kuuya-san nodded like it was nothing.

“You don’t see dragons in this day and age, but in the past, I saw them aplenty, and I
slayed a lot of them.”

“Eeeehhh!? There were dragons on Earth in the past?”

“Yes, there were. I am a sorcerer, you know. Besides dragons, I have exterminated most
of the famous youkai. Well, I’m sure few people in this world know about it, and the
ones that do are probably credited to other people, not to me.”

“Eh? I-is that right?”

“Hmm? That’s fine. The important thing is the result of exterminating them, and it
doesn’t matter who exterminated them. Besides, it’s a dangerous world, and it’s not
for the people to know about it. And I will fight to keep it that way. The fact that no one
knows about the danger is a sign of peace. It is a good thing that these stories, which
have been passed down to this time, are still being enjoyed as fairy tales.”
Seeing Kuuya-san with such a bright and cheerful expression on his face, I felt proud
to be his descendant.

As we talked, I remembered that I had a question I wanted to ask him.

“Right! Actually, a purple power rose from my body a while ago, and as a result of being
guided by it, I touched the scroll and met Kuuya-san… Do you have any idea about that
purple power?”

“What are you talking about? That’s the spiritual power, of course.”

“Is that it…?”

“Well, since knowledge of spiritual power has been lost, it’s no wonder you don’t know
how to use it…”

I did have that feeling from earlier when I saw Kuuya-san’s eyes glowing purple from
time to time.

However, I just don’t understand why this power suddenly became accessible.

That’s exactly what happened when I fought the monster in that alleyway… and was
that monster a youkai that Kuuya-san was talking about?

“Um, actually, I encountered a strange monster today, and when I fought it, I was able
to use my spiritual power.”

“Mm? A monster, you say? Speaking of which, the scroll that sealed this me is now
unsealed──”

Kuuya-san was about to say that much when he seemed to notice something and
looked at me with a serious expression on his face.

“Wait, what did that monster… look like?”

“Eh? It looked like a child, just about my waist height, with huge claws that it dragged
behind it.”

“I’ve never seen a creature like that before.”

“Come to think of it, you mentioned something like that. Were they really there?”

Ouma-san was still skeptical, but Kuuya-san seemed to believe my story and continued
without any mischievousness.

“There is no doubt about it. It’s a demon.”

“Demon?”

“Moreover, judging from its appearance, it must be a demon that has escaped from the
lower levels of the underworld.”

“Eh, u-underworld?”

The explanation continued one after the other, and my head was confused, but Kuuya-
san explained it to me slowly.

“First of all, sorcerers like me dealt mainly with demons. A youkai, to put it simply for
you, is a being similar to a demon.”

“I-I see.”

“The demon is slightly different from the youkai and refers to the soul of a dead
creature that has been transformed. Therefore, unlike a youkai, it is already dead.”

“Eehh?”

“The souls of dead creatures originally do not emerge from the underworld. Especially
the souls that transform into demons are more strictly controlled in the underworld.
However, in order to be able to deal with demons should they appear in this world for
any reason, I sealed my thoughts in that picture scroll before my death. So that future
generations of sorcerers will have no difficulty in exterminating demons.”

“So…”

The trigger for Kuuya-san to be released from the scroll was for the scroll to be
touched by a person with spiritual power in their body, but it seemed that another
condition that needed to be met was for demons to appear in this world.

“I see… I understand what you said. But the demons you mentioned earlier have
already been defeated by Yuuya, right?”

“Yes! Yuuya-sama defeated it in a cool way!”

“…If that is the only demon that appeared in this world, that would be fine. But that’s
not the case, is it?”

“That’s…”

From what I’ve heard from Sawada-sensei and Yukine, it seems that strange
phenomena are occurring in various places, and when I think about it, I can’t believe
that the demons are just that one.

However, Ouma-san, who had not seen any demons, sniffed in a bored manner.

“Hmph. No matter how many of them appear, I’m going to wipe them out.”

“Not so fast. I told you, didn’t I? I told you that demons are already dead. I ask you, can
you make a dead person disappear?”

“T-that’s…”

“That is where a sorcerer like me comes in. With the spiritual power that resides in
Yuuya and me or another kind of power, it is possible to interfere with the demons of
the dead.”

“I see.”

As I was convinced by Kuuya-san’s words, Kuuya-san gathered the spiritual power in

his eyes and looked at me again.

“Fumu… you seem to have suddenly released your spiritual power, but you still can’t
manipulate it as you wish, can you?”

“T-that’s right.”

I answered, and Kuuya-san laughed and puffed out his chest.

“Don’t worry! You have me here with you! I will raise Yuuya to be a great sorcerer!”
“Eeeeeehh!”

Before I knew it, it was decided that I would become a sorcerer, and this was how it
was decided that I was to learn about spiritual powers from Kuuya-san.

──We are now changing places to the world after death, the underworld.

“Reimei-sama. I have more to tell you.”

“More?”

Reimei had finished dealing with the demons in the underworld that had escaped
from the seal and did not want any more trouble, but one of her subordinates
wonderfully ignored her wishes and continued.

“The soul of the false god has indeed disappeared, but it doesn’t change the fact that
his soul has moved on until it came to this place.”

“W-what? So what about it? Tell me without any pretense!”

“It seems that not only the boundary between this world and the underworld, but also
the boundaries between the various parallel worlds that the soul of the false god
touched before reaching this place, and even the boundaries of the time axis, have
disappeared.”

“───”

Reimei almost fainted.

Originally, this world and the underworld were considered two in one.

But if what Ikkaku said is true, this incident is no longer something that can be dealt
with in one world. Because it means that the underworld in which they are now living
has become connected to countless other worlds.
Moreover, if even the boundaries of the time axis had disappeared, the worlds could
collide, and one of them could swallow the other and merge.

“I-if, as I suspect, the boundary with the other underworlds is also…?”

“It’s gone. Rather, the soul that caused trouble this time is a soul that originally existed
in another world, and it just arrived at this underworld while destroying the boundary
between worlds.”

“───”

It was beyond the realm of what Reimei alone could solve.

“In other words, my underworld was hit by a stray bullet that flew in from another
world… what a mess…”

If it had happened in the underworld under her control, she would be willing to take
responsibility and deal with it, but this time, since it was the victim of a false god’s
soul that came from a completely different world, Reimei could only hold her head in
her hands.

Then, Ikkaku added another blow to Reimei’s mind.

“And one more thing.”

“One more thing?”

“──Meiko’s seal is also gone.”

“……”

Reimei looked up to the heavens at the words she did not want to hear the most at this
moment.

“…So seal her again…?”

“It is not impossible, but like the restoration of the boundary between this world and
the next, it will take time. Fortunately, Meiko herself seems to be still quiet…”

Besides the restoration of the boundary, the resealing of Meiko.

“I don’t know what to do anymore…”

When Reimei was in tears, wondering where to start, Ikkaku made a suggestion.

“Reimei-sama. I have one suggestion for you.”

“What is it…?”

“You may already know this, but this matter cannot be solved by Reimei-sama or us
alone. So, I’d like to bring in some collaborators.”

“Collaborators…? I’m telling you, you can’t get people from the heavenly realms. You
think that with the divine authority of those who live in the heavenly realms, the
boundaries between the various worlds can be quickly restored, don’t you? I certainly
think it is a good idea, but since divine authority was necessary to defeat the false god,
there is a high possibility that the boundaries of the worlds annihilated by the false
god cannot be restored quickly even with the available divine authority. Above all, the
heavenly world is too far away from this underworld. The longer it takes now, the
more damage will spread, won’t it?”

“Yes, I am well aware of that. I am not talking about the observers in the heavenly
realm. Besides, I am asking this person to seal up Meiko.”

“What?”

Reimei’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“The truth is, I had tried to find out how the soul of the false god drifted to this
underworld before it was annihilated. As a result, I found out that it was sent to the
underworld of another world by the hand of a single person.”

“What? You mean that this person defeated the false god──”

“As you may have guessed, this person seems to be able to use divine authority.”
“Hmm… But he is from a different world, isn’t he?”

“No. He is from the Earth, the counterpart of our underworld.”

“What? There is someone with that kind of power on Earth?”

Although there are not many, there are a few people with special powers on Earth as
well.

However, Reimei could not hide her surprise at the fact that a person with such a
powerful power, like divine authority, existed on Earth.

“In the first place, why is that earthling related to a different world, is that person a
false god or a godlike being?”

“It seems that the human’s home has a mysterious door that crosses over the world…”

“T-that person even possesses such a thing?”

“Yes. And this person also seems to be capable of… dealing with spiritual power.”

“In addition to divine authority, that person also possesses spiritual power?”

The information that was being added one after another left Reimei baffled.

But if Ikkaku’s words were true, it would not be a bad thing for Reimei.

“In addition, we are not at fault in this matter, and it is all due to what happened in the
other world. So I thought it would be possible to request cooperation with that
underworld, which is the counterpart of that different world. If we do so, I think it
would help to seal Meiko.”

Reimei pondered over Ikkaku’s words.

“…If it is a human, it’s far easier to bring that person to the underworld than it is to
bring someone from the heavenly realm. And even though we don’t know how far the
divine authority will go in restoring the world’s boundaries, we can’t say that it will
be totally ineffective. And if that person also has spiritual power, then even more so…
If that is the case, we may be able to have Meiko resealed while the boundaries of our
world are being restored. Above all, if the help of the underworld of another world is
also added…”

Having reached a certain point in her thinking, Reimei looked over at the oni.

“I give you a royal command! Bring me a human who can use that divine authority
right now!”

“Yes!”

“Ikkaku, contact the underworld of the world where this incident originated and get
them to cooperate with us at all costs! Is that clear?”

“Understood.”

───Thus, unbeknownst to Yuuya, he was about to be involved in yet another trouble.

＊＊＊

It was the day after it was decided that I was to practice sorcery with Kuuya-san.

After finishing school without incident, I called out to the people I went to that
alleyway with after school yesterday.

“It was so unusual for you to invite me out, Yuuya-kun! What’s the matter?”

“…Maybe you got hooked on the occult after yesterday’s experience?”

“Eehh!? W-well, are you talking about going on another exploration?”

“T-that’s not it! I mean… you all remember that encounter with the monster, don’t
you…?”

I asked, and they all looked at each other and nodded.

“Well, how can you forget something so shocking…?”

“Y-yeah. I’m not sure if anyone would believe me if I told them, but…”

“As expected, it’s impossible that they don’t exist when you can see them so clearly.”

“Haha… I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, you know.”

As expected, the encounter with the monster seemed to be a shock to everyone, and
they all had indescribable expressions on their faces.

“That’s the thing, after all, we’ve encountered such an eerie presence; I think we
should exorcise it…”

“E-exorcism? Could it be that we’ve been cursed?”

“…I’m interested.”

“Yukine-chan?”

I didn’t mean to scare her more than necessary, but Kaede was frightened by my
words. On the contrary, Yukine’s eyes are shining… What can I say? She has a very
unobtrusive personality.

However, there was a good reason why I made this suggestion.

That was yesterday, after I heard about the demons from Kuuya-san.

＊＊＊

“You should exorcise the residue of the demon.”

“Eh?”

Kuuya-san suddenly told me that.

I was surprised at the sudden words, but Kuuya-san continued with a serious
expression on his face.

“I told you earlier, demons are already dead. Yuuya may be able to withstand the
residues of demons because of your spiritual power, but even so, you are not currently
able to use your spiritual power to its fullest extent. That means that there is no telling
where it will have an adverse effect on your body. Above all, I’m sure that… other
children have also come into contact with the demon.”

“They didn’t touch it directly, but…”

“It doesn’t matter if they touched it or not. Just being in close proximity to that demon
is enough of an influence. Anyway, the children there do not have spiritual power. If
that is the case, they will continue to accumulate the demon’s residue in their bodies.”

“You want me to have them exorcised…”

“Yes, that’s right. If it were true, I would be the one to exorcise it… but as you can see,
I’m dead. In other words, you can say that I wear the stain of death as much as the
demons do. Therefore, I cannot exorcise them.”

“Eh? So, does that mean it’s really dangerous for me to be talking to Kuuya-san like
this…?”

“No? The demon spreads the stain of death to its surroundings, but for me it is no big
deal to keep that stain inside my own body. Therefore, Yuuya and the others will not
be affected.”

After saying all that, Kuuya-san gathered his spiritual power in his eyes and stared up
at the sky.

“Hmm… I wonder how much information about the spiritual power and the impurities
is left in this world… but it seems that there are people who have the power to purify
the impurities. If you go there…”

“Uh…?”

“…Good, I’ve found it. Is that okay? You will be exorcised at the place I am about to tell
you. It’s──”

＊＊＊

And so, I was reminded by Kuuya-san to go for an exorcism.

Certainly, I felt a somewhat sinister presence from that monster… that demon, and
regardless of whether it was just me who had an effect, it would be bad to have a bad
influence on everyone else.

“Hmm… well, it’s surely weird to keep going like this.”

“I agree! I think I should go for an exorcism too!”

“You are too scared, Kaede.”

“Are you not scared, Rin-chan?”

“Well, I think it’s creepy, but I don’t know if it’s that bad.”

“Eeehhh? W-what about Kaori?”

“I’m not that bothered by it either…”

“Unbelievable!”

Well, as for Kaori, she knows about the existence of the other world, so there’s a good
chance that when she sees that monster, she’s just as likely to recognize it as a monster
from the other world.

While Kaede was surprised at the lack of rejection from everyone, Merl opened her
mouth with a serious expression on her face.

“Kaede-san. I do understand.”

“Me-Merl-san…!”

“Such an unscientific existence… can’t possibly be believed…! It’s impossible… it’s

impossible…!”

“Me-Merl-san…?”

“I think Merl’s way of being scared is scarier than yours.”

As she smiled bitterly at that, Rin turned her gaze toward me.

“So, I understand the exorcism, but where are we going?”

“Let’s see, do you remember the shrine where we tried to test our courage during the
summer vacation?”

“Eh? If I’m not mistaken, that’s the place where a girl named Mai Kagurazaka was,
right?”

“Hey, hey, are we going to get exorcised at the place where we tested our courage?”

“…But if you think about it, that place is a shrine, right?”

“If it’s Mai’s place, you can be certain!”

When Lexia-san, who knows Kagurazaka-san well, said so, Kaede and the others, who
did not know the situation, tilted their heads.

“Huh? Lexia-san, do you know Kagurazaka-san?”

“Of course! Mai is on the other side of the world──Mmgh!”

“Ah! Ignore what this girl says. We just happen to know each other by chance.”

“I-is that so?”

Luna hurriedly held Lexia-san’s mouth, and Lexia-san, who finally got out of that
restraint, was angry at Luna.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing to you, you idiot! We are from another world is a
secret, you know?”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“You… well, fine. Anyway, don’t say or do anything that might raise suspicion. Do you
understand?”
“It can’t be helped.”

Lexia-san, who was whispering with Luna, nodded her head reluctantly, perhaps
convinced.

“A-anyway! I’ve heard that they have a great reputation for exorcisms there.”

“I see. Well, I’m a little nervous about spending the rest of my life like this, so I thought,
why not?”

“T-that’s right! Now that it’s decided, let’s go right away!”

We decided to go to Kagurazaka-san’s shrine, so we made our plans together and

headed once again to Kagurazaka-san’s shrine on the next day off.

Around the time Yuuya and the others were talking about exorcism.

At Ousei Academy, the student council president, Kitaraku, was beginning to push
forward with the school idol project.

“──So, school idol, let’s do it!”

“What are you talking about…?”

The gym teacher, Ohki, was tired of dealing with Kitaraku’s frequent and sudden
arrivals.

“What, you ask…? It’s school idols, you know!”

“No, I don’t understand what you’re talking about in the first place…”

In response to Ohki, who was simply bewildered, Kitaraku continued with his usual
tone.
“Oh, right. Actually, I’m thinking of making this school even more exciting…”

“Making this school even more exciting?”

The teachers, including Ohki, are aware that Ousei Academy has already become the
talk of the town.

The reason is that every year, the school held large-scale athletic and school festivals,
and this year, with the arrival of Yuuya, who was a remarkable newcomer, each school
event had become more exciting than ever before.

But Kitaraku is not satisfied with that and wants to make the school even more
exciting.

“Surely, even now, the school has already become a hot topic of conversation.”

“R-right? In that case, It’s not──”

“That’s naive!”

“!?”

“You’re being too naive, Ohki-sensei!”

Kitaraku interrupted Ohki’s words and declared so.

“Didn’t you realize something at the school festival the other day?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“What did you think of it? Certainly, thanks to me, the school is now showing a great
deal of excitement.”

“You say that it is thanks to you…?”

“The other day, at the school festival… we ended up competing with Nittei Academy,
and I was made keenly aware of this. I was struck by how much effort they put into
advertising their products and services, while ours did not.”

“Y-you say so, but in the end, we won.”

“That perception is naive. We managed to win that competition because of Yuuya
Tenjou, who has recently been the talk of the town in our school… Without him, it
wouldn’t have even been a contest.”

“That’s…”

Ohki could not deny Kitaraku’s words.

In fact, Yuuya’s existence made it possible to win the competition against Nittei
Academy.

…However, no one here pointed out that if not for Yuuya, the school festival
competition with Nittei Academy wouldn’t have happened in the first place.

“Of course, winning or losing the school festival competition is one thing, but what I
am more concerned about is what lies in our future.”

“What?”

“…Unfortunately, I will be graduating from this academy and going on to higher

education next year. This means that I will no longer be able to make this school as
exciting as it is now.”

The current third-year student, Kitaraku, will be entering the University Affiliate of
the same Ousei Academy next year.

Although he will still be in the same academy, he will no longer be able to meddle in
the policies of the high school.

When the next student council president is chosen, Ohki knows that there is no way
his successor would be able to act in the same way as him.

“It will be fine while I am here. I can take every possible means to publicize the charms
of Ousei Academy to the outside world. However, once I am gone, there will be no one
left to take on that role. Then, this school, even though it is currently attracting a lot of
attention, will gradually lose its appeal.”

In the school festival competition, they won against Nittei Academy, but Nittei
Academy was clearly superior in terms of the quality of its facilities, and the teachers
there were also excellent.
Moreover, perhaps because of the defeat in the school festival, Nittei Academy, which
until now had only admitted students from well-financed families, began to actively
accept talented commoners, just as Ousei Academy had done.

This was an instruction by Mirei Kamiyama, the student council president of Nittei
Academy.

She was trying to lead the school in a better direction by removing the hierarchical
class consciousness that had been entrenched in their school up until now.

“And Yuuya-kun, who is now attracting a lot of attention, will also graduate from this
school in due course. There is no guarantee that a talent as good as him will come back
to this school. That is why I want to leave something behind that will attract as many
new students as possible to this school.”

“Kitaraku…”

While Kitaraku said this with a serious expression, Ohki, who was listening silently,
was trembling as if he was moved.

But…

“N-no! That’s no good, no good!… I was almost swept away for a moment, but I don’t
know what would happen if I let you have your way! Besides, how could I possibly
decide on such a big project on my own?”

“Tch…”

“Did you just click your tongue?”

“No, it was just your imagination.”

Ohki’s expression was indescribable as Kitaraku smiled refreshingly.

“But I’m in trouble… I can’t proceed with the project without your approval…”

“You know… think back on your past behavior. And even if I were to approve it, it
doesn’t necessarily mean that the other teachers would approve of it. It’s more likely
that they will stop you. So give up.”
Ohki told him and left to prepare for his next class.

“Mm… As I thought, teachers are wary when I make a move… Well, it can’t be helped,
but it is what it is.”

Kitaraku was also aware that he had done quite a few things in the past, so he had
already assumed that he would be rejected by the teacher in this way.

“In this case, it would be better to put someone other than myself as the
representative… and it would also be better to put someone with a good reputation
among the teachers… but who would do it…?”

At this time, other members of the student council came into Kitaraku’s mind.

“Um… Inukai is energetic but a bit of a goofball. Even though not as much as me, he’s
causing trouble for the teachers, and Nekota isn’t very positive about this plan in the
first place… although Houjou is the most realistic of the three… Mm… wait?”

As he thinks about this, a certain person comes to mind.

“Right… how about that Yuuya Tenjou, who has made the event so much fun…? He’ll
be well received by the teachers, and he’ll be able to make good progress in gathering
potential idol girls, which is key to this plan… Yeah, that’s good, isn’t it?”

Kitaraku’s eyes lit up, and he immediately began to move.

“Ahahahaha! Once that’s decided, let’s start planning again with him as the main
focus!”

──Thus, it was decided that Yuuya would be involved in another big project without
even knowing it.

＊＊＊

“So, could you please perform an exorcism for me…?”

“You, why are you getting involved in so many things…?”

We immediately headed to Kagurazaka-san.

When we arrived at the shrine, we soon met Kagurazaka-san, who was cleaning the
grounds.

I had visited here at night during the summer vacation, so I had not been able to get a
good look at the shrine grounds, but the shrine was very quiet with a somewhat sacred
atmosphere.

Ryo and the others were looking around with interest because the situation was so
different from the time of the courage test.

“Heh… it’s like this in the daytime, huh?”

“In this way, it doesn’t look like it is haunted at all. It looks rather purifying…”

“It sure looks like they can do a proper exorcism here!”

While each of them shared their thoughts with the others, Lexia-san and the others
were also looking around and getting excited.

“So this is Mai’s house! What can I say? It feels like… a church? It’s so relaxing; it’s like
I’m surrounded by a divine atmosphere.”

“Right. I don’t usually believe in God, but the clean air of this place… might suggest
that God is real.”

While I am the one who met the observer, a god-like being, the holiness I felt in this
place was a different type of holiness.

Then Kagurazaka-san noticed Lexia-san and Luna and opened her eyes.

“H-hey! Why are you here?”

“Oh… actually, those two have decided to study abroad at an academy in this world.”

“Studying abroad?”
When I lightly explained the situation, Kagurazaka-san let out a sigh of exasperation.

“There are really too many things happening… Lexia-san and the others are studying
abroad, but then suddenly there are demons… those are different from evil beasts,
aren’t they?”

“I suppose so…”

“I really wish you would give me a break.”

No, really.

Of course, I welcome Lexia-san and Luna to this world, but I don’t want them to get
into trouble with demons and other needless trouble, you know?

As I nodded my head in agreement with Kagurazaka-san’s words, for some reason, she
gave me a cold look.

“You are nodding about something, but it’s mostly your fault, isn’t it?”

“Eh?”

“Hah… well, that’s okay. You want an exorcism, right? To be honest, I don’t really know
what this spiritual power or demon is, but I’ll do what I can to help.”

We were led to the shrine and made to sit there.

“Other places have a lot of chanting and other rituals, but ours is just this.”

While saying that, Kagurazaka-san pulled out a mysterious talisman.

“Well, you probably don’t understand even if I explain the details, so I’ll just do it
quickly. First, close your eyes.”

We sat down and were instructed to close our eyes, and we did so obediently.

I know that Kagurazaka-san was fighting the evil beasts with those talismans, but how
would she perform the exorcism?

But since we were told to close our eyes, there was no way to check.
“───”

As I waited, somewhat somberly, a sacred presence was suddenly released from

Kagurazaka-san’s side.

As I recall, Kagurazaka-san was summoned to the Regal Kingdom as a ‘saint’ and

should be able to use the same Holy power as me.

However, I think the feeling I’m getting now is something different from the Holy
power.

I can’t say which is better or worse compared to Holy power… but this feeling seems
to penetrate deep into my body, and it’s very comfortable.

It felt as if it was purifying all the bad energy that had built up inside my body.

After a while of surrendering to this comforting feeling, Kagurazaka-san called out to

us.

“Phew… that’s enough.”

“Oh…”

“As expected of Mai! How can I say this? I feel refreshed!”

“What’s that abstract impression… but Lexia is right. I felt like I was being healed from
the inside out.”

“I’m glad you felt that way.”

Kagurazaka-san smiled after hearing Lexia-san’s and Luna’s impressions and shifted
her gaze toward me.

“I think you’re all good now for now. As I said at your last test of courage, these things
need to be done in moderation or you’ll be in trouble someday, you hear me?”
“R-right, Yukine-chan! Be careful, okay?”

“…I’ll think about it a little bit when you say that much.”

“Not just a little, but think about it properly!”

While I was smiling at Yukine, who didn’t seem to have learned her lesson at all, Rin
suddenly mentioned something that was bothering her.

“I was wondering what this shrine is known for?”

“Oh, certainly. The exorcism earlier was amazing, but is it also known for warding off
bad luck?”

“…I wonder what god they worship.”

As each of us talked about the shrine’s deity, Kagurazaka-san answered.

“We are a matchmaking shrine.”

“We are a matchmaking shrine.”

“Matchmaking?”

Lexia-san, Luna, Yuti, and Merl twisted their necks, perhaps not being accustomed to
hearing this word.

“Yes. There are various requests to get a job at a good company or to connect with
friends, but… the most obvious request is to find love.”

“Love?”

The moment they heard those words, I thought the eyes of Lexia-san and the others
had changed.
“For example, we have a lot of things like love fortune and spots to increase your luck
in love.”

Heh… I didn’t know it was a place like that.

Because I came here before for a test of courage, I didn’t have that impression.

After a brief explanation, Lexia-san’s eyes lit up.

“I-I want to do all of that! No, I’ll do it!”

“R-right. It is also important for us to investigate the God of this country. Yes.”

“I-I’m curious too…!”

“Is that so? Then go ahead and do it.”

Thus, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of some of the girls, we were led by

Kagurazaka-san.

First, we were taken to a place where we could draw fortunes.

“You can draw the omikuji here.”

“What’s an omikuji?”

“Well, to put it simply, it is something that predicts a person’s fortune… Ours is a love
omikuji, so it only predicts things related to love. What do you do? Do you want to
draw it?”

“Of course!”

“O-oh… everyone’s so motivated!”

“Y-yeah… women in love are so strong…”

Ryo and Shingo-kun were a little taken back in front of the exploding enthusiasm of
the girls. I-it’s true that it’s a great amount of energy…

However, since we’re here, we decided to join in as well.

Lexia-san and the others seemed a little hesitant to see the contents, so they decided
to read the fortune that Ryo, Shingo-kun, and I had drawn first.

“Hmm, ‘Shokichi,’ huh? What is it…? ‘Since you have a good sense of humor, although
you have many friends of the opposite sex, it is unlikely that you will be able to make
progress beyond that point. Therefore, it is difficult for them to realize that you are
interested in them, and it is important that you are able to recognize this.’…It’s kind of
specific, isn’t it…?” [T/n: Shokichi = Slightly good luck.]

“I’m ‘Chukichi’…”Enjoy your hobbies and interests to the fullest and expand the circle
of your community. You may talk passionately with other people who share your
interests, but it is also important to stay cool and not get too passionate.’ That’s what
it says…” [T/n: Chukichi = Medium luck.]

What can I say? I am quite surprised at the content of the omikuji, which seems to be
tailored to Ryo and Shingo-kun.

Although I don’t know what the two of them are actually like, I didn’t think the content
would be so suited to them.

“I know you were surprised, weren’t you? The omikuji at this shrine often come true.”

“O-often comes true…”

“Well, but you shouldn’t worry too much about it. It is important how you feel and how
you act after reading it.”

That’s certainly true…

While admiring Kagurazaka-san’s words, I checked my omikuji too.

“Let’s see… Eh?”

The omikuji should have said ‘Shokichi” or ‘Chukichi,’ but what was written on it was
the symbol───’?’ a mark question symbol.

“W-what is it? This is…”

“Hmm?… What is that?”

“I want to know about it too, though…”

I was so confused that Kagurazaka-san peeked into my hand, and her eyes widened at
the omikuji I had drawn.

“What did you do to get such incomprehensible luck?”

“Is it my fault?”

I don’t think it’s my fault at all…

Anyway, although my fortune was ‘?’ just like Ryo and the others, there was an
explanation written under it, and the content is:

“‘What is it? This strange destiny is… so complicated with various connections that I
can’t see what’s to come… but if you do well, you could be connected to all of these
connections. I’m curious too, so please do your best.’…What is it? It’s like it’s talking to
me!?”

The content is a mess, and what is this omikuji?

I mean, is my connection so complicated…? Is this also something to do with spiritual

power?

I’m curious about that too, but isn’t it bad to be tied to all the connections? This is a
love fortune, right? Also, this country is monogamous… And I can’t imagine myself
being that way in the first place…

I felt indescribable: I believed in the existence of God because of the fortune that spoke
clearly to me, but I didn’t really believe in the content of the fortune itself.

Well, I have met an observer, a being close to God, and it would not be surprising if
God existed on this Earth.

While I was pondering the contents of my own omikuji, Rin, Yuti, and Yukine were
reading the contents of the omikuji that they had drawn.

“It’s good luck…”Think about your own happiness,” huh…?”

“Medium luck. ‘Engage with others as much as possible and learn the subtleties of the
heart.’…Difficult to understand.”

“…Small fortune. ‘Be moderate in your hobbies.’…I think it’s working for me right now.”

Each of them groaned in front of the omikuji as if they had their own thoughts on the
subject.

And Lexia-san and the others, who are the most serious about their omikuji, have
finally made up their minds and decided to read what’s inside.

“Let’s go… Eeehh! ──Eh?”

“──Eehh?”

Lexia-san read the contents first, but her eyes were dotted with what was written.

And Kaori and the others who followed her also dotted their eyes when they checked
their contents.

“It seems that everyone has the same thing written on it…”

“It says ‘do your best’…What does it mean…?”

“Eehh!? That’s… true.”

Kagurazaka-san immediately checked, but everyone’s omikuji had only a brief

encouraging sentence, “Please do your best.’

After that, at Kagurazaka-san’s suggestion, Lexia-san and the others drew their
fortune again, but the result was still the same.

“Aaah! I feel kind of bewildered!”

“That’s for sure…”

“B-but, but maybe I’m a little relieved…”

“That’s… you’re right.”

“…Action is still the only way to go, isn’t it…?”

Everyone seemed disappointed that they didn’t know what the contents were about
but also somewhat relieved. Well, I wouldn’t like it if something bad was written on it,
would I?

“The omikuji ended up being kind of weird, but… I’m sure the love spots I’m going to
take you to now will be no problem.”

“Oh, that’s right! There’s that one, too, isn’t there?”

“I guess this is where the battle begins…”

“I-I’ll do my best!”

Kaori and the others show their motivation once again.

The place we were led to was a pond inside a shrine with a small island floating in the
middle.

“It is said that if you can throw coins from this position and have them land on the
small island, it will bring good luck to your love life.”

“I see. It’s not that easy! Then, Luna, give me the money!”

“Good grief…”

Luna, in amazement, handed Lexia-san some coins, and Lexia-san put her arm around
it and threw it as hard as she could.

However… Lexia-san’s coins did not reach the small island but fell into the pond.

“Eeeehhh? No way!”

“Pfft… too bad, huh? Lexia. Now your love is over.”

“Why do you say thaaaaaat?”

When Luna snickered, Lexia-san complained with tears in her eyes, but Luna didn’t
seem to mind and took the coins in her hand.

“Well, just watch me there. This is the difference between you and me──!”
Luna’s coins, thrown sharply, flew straight to the small island in the pond.

But──.

“Meow!”

“Wha-!?”

A cat suddenly crossed there and knocked away Luna’s thrown coins.

“That stray cat… often comes to visit our shrine…”

Luna trembled at Kagurazaka-san’s words.

On the contrary, Lexia-san smiled happily.

“Ara ara ara!? I’m so sorry to hear that. You must be even unluckier than I am to be
stopped like that!”

“Ugh! N-no, you couldn’t even reach it by yourself! You must have had worse luck than
me!”

“What did you say?”

“What?”

“”Gnunununu…””

We didn’t know what to say to the two of them, who were snarling at each other face-
to-face.

Then Kagurazaka-san quieted them down, looking somewhat dismayed.

“You see… I understand how you feel, but as I said before, the important thing is what
you do, okay? This is just wishful thinking. You shouldn’t worry too much about it.”

“T-that’s true, too…”

“I got carried away…”

“Well, okay, now what? Who’s up for the challenge next?”

“I-I’ll go next!”

The next person who raised her hand was Kaori.

But when I saw that, I had a bad feeling.

And it turned out to be right on the money.

“I’m ready… Eeii!”

“Whoa!”

“Why is it coming this way?”

The coins flew toward us, who were watching from behind at an unbelievable speed!

“H-huh! I-I’m sorry! O-once more… Eeiii!”

“Hyii!”

She tried again, but this time the coins flew out like they were going to cut my cheeks.
Oh, that was dangerous… If it had been off by a few more centimeters, it would have
been really painful.

After that, Kaori tried several more times, but in the end, she couldn’t make the coins
fly forward and had to give up.

“Ugh… I hate myself for my lack of athletic ability…”

“I wonder how it could fly so neatly right to the back…”

“I-it was like in a manga…”

“Ah…”

Kaori was depressed by Ryo and Shingo-kun’s impressions. D-don’t mind it…

While Lexia-san, Luna, and Kaori continued to fail, Kaede and Merl also tried, but both
ended up failing.

“N-no way…”

“I-it’s strange… both the force and angle of the throw should have been calculated…”

Merl even seemed to have done the calculations using the technology of the planet
Amel, but suddenly a strong wind blew, agitating the coin and causing it to fall into the
pond.

As the most motivated of them all went down, we were a little nervous, but then Yuti
raised her hand and said.

“Challenge. I’ll give it a try.”

“Eh?”

I was surprised that Yuti raised her hand because I thought she was not interested in
this kind of event in the first place.

But when I heard what she said, I understood.

“Question. Since a while ago, it seems that something has been blocking the coins with
a strange force. I want to see if my technique will work.”

“Ah, I see.”

The most likely to succeed, Luna also failed, so as a disciple of the Bow Saint, she
probably wanted to test her own abilities.

In that sense, I’m certainly concerned… because, looking at the flow of events up to
this point, I couldn’t help but think that a great invisible power, like God, was affecting
the small coins that were being thrown.

As everyone watched, Yuti gazed at the small island in the pond with a serious
expression on her face.

And then──.

“──Saw it. [Comet]!”

“You’re going to use that?”

I couldn’t help but raise my voice at the unexpectedly exquisite technique.

The coin was thrown with such force that it pierced through the gusts of wind that
blocked the path and the twigs that flew up in the air and pierced into a small island
in the pond.

“Oooohhhh! A-amazing!”

“I-it went straight through!”

“N-no way…!”

“D-did we lose…?”

Unlike Ryo and the others, who were excited by Yuti’s divine feat, Lexia-san and the
others had a despairing look on their faces, like it was the end of the world. That’s how
depressed they are!

I was surprised at the extreme reactions of everyone, and then Yuti came in front of
me.

“Show off. Yuuya, is it great?”

“Eh? Ah, y-yeah. That was amazing!”

“…I see.”

When I told her honestly, Yuti hid her face as if she was a little embarrassed.

“Kiiiii! I wanted to be praised by Yuuya-sama too!”

“Mai! Is there anything else out there? Something even we could do…!”

“Eehh? I thought you did that one just now well enough, but… well, okay. There’s one
last thing, and I’ll take you there.”

As we followed Kagurazaka-san, who had an indescribable expression on her face, we

saw a magnificent tree growing there.
The size of the tree was overwhelming, but combined with the serene atmosphere of
the surroundings, it seemed sacred.

“This tree is called ‘the great tree of the rim,’ do you see the hollow there?”

“Oh, it’s true.”

I looked in the direction indicated by Kagurazaka-san, and sure enough, there was a
hole just large enough for one person to pass through.

“It is said that if you can go through that hole in a figure of eight, you will be blessed
with the chance to be united with the person you love. It is said that it means ‘to mesh
the ties by going through in a figure of eight.'”

“That sounds like something we can do!”

Indeed, while the previous wish involved physical ability and luck, this one seemed
easy enough to do since all we had to do was go through the hole.

The hole is certainly narrow, but it seems that the girls here could at least get through
it.

So Lexia-san was the first to try, and this time she succeeded in making a wish.

“I did it… I did it! Mai, I succeeded!”

“Mhm… then me too…!”

Following Lexia-san’s lead, Luna and the others also tried, and all succeeded.

“I succeeded too!”

“I think we’re in the clear.”

I thought it would be a relief if they all succeeded, but… it didn’t work out that way.

“Ueeeeeee! Something got stuck, and I can’t get through!”

To my surprise, It was Kaede… that, her chest got stuck in the hole, and she couldn’t
get through.

We boys felt uncomfortable with this situation, but the girls were in despair when they
saw the reason for Kaede’s failure.

“S-so this is what you call a gap in strength…”

“It’s strange… we should have succeeded, but why do we feel so defeated…!”

“Kaede, it’s not fair…”

“…Yeah. Kaede, it’s not fair.”

“Eeeeeeeehhhh!? Why am I being blamed for this?”

Kaede must have felt terrible because even though she failed to make a wish, she was
blamed by everyone.

Thus, despite all the happenings, we were able to accomplish the goal of the exorcism
as originally planned.
After the exorcism by Kagurazaka-san.

I was being trained by Kuuya-san to practice spiritual power.

“……”

“Good, keep it up. If you are in a hurry, it will end up with an outburst of spiritual
power. So, it is important to continue your training slowly.”

The goal of my current training was to be able to freely release my spiritual power at
will and to be able to circulate my spiritual power freely within my body.

As a way to achieve this, I first needed to face my own spiritual power, so I focused on
my own body while sitting in meditation.

This method was similar to the first time I sensed magic power, but at that time, I was
unaware of this spiritual power that was lurking in my body.

…It was only after I completed the trial in the heavenly realm that I became able to
sense the spiritual power in my body.

I don’t remember what kind of trial it was, but it was a test to cease being human, and
I guess it was that act that led me to face my own existence, and this was how I came
to manifest my spiritual power.

As I was thinking about this and manipulating the spiritual power inside my body,
Kuuya-san gave me the signal to end the session.

“Alright, let’s call it a day.”

“Hmm…”

“Umu, umu. As expected of my descendant. You have quickly mastered the art of using
spiritual powers.”

As Kuuya-san said, it had not been that long since I began training, but I was able to
freely release and move spiritual power within my body without any particular
difficulty.

The only thing I had to be careful about was that I don’t spread my spiritual power
around too vigorously, but since Kuuya-san was watching over my training, I don’t
have to worry about that at the moment.

In other words, I could say that my training was going quite well.

I continued with my training regarding spiritual power, but there were still many
things I didn’t know about it.

“Um, Kuuya-san. I am training in this way, but what can I actually do with spiritual
power and sorcery?”

“Well, right… It seems that there is a technique called magic in the other world, it can
definitely do something similar to it. If magic consumes magic power to cause
phenomena, then similarly, sorcery is a technique that consumes spiritual power to
cause phenomena.”

“Does that mean you can create flames?”

“Yes. The only clear difference between magic and sorcery is that sorcery is more
offensive.”

“Offensive?”

I tilted my head, and Kuuya-san continued.

“As I mentioned before, spiritual power is the result of the stain of death becoming a
power. Therefore, its power is also close to ‘death.’ In other words, the sorcery that is
released by consuming this power also has a high ability to kill. For example, if you
compare a flame created by magic and a flame created by sorcery, the flame created
by sorcery is much hotter, and above all, it does not disappear.”

“It doesn’t disappear?”

“Yes. Just as you cannot attack a demon without spiritual power, a phenomenon
created with spiritual power can basically only be canceled by another phenomenon
that is also filled with spiritual power. You must remember that.”

Indeed, the difference would be quite large since a flame created by magic can be
extinguished even by water that is not separately imbued with magical power.

“I see…”

“In addition to this, the training you are currently undergoing to manipulate the
spiritual power within your body, if you are able to do this, you will naturally be able
to continue strengthening your body.”

In other words, it would be a sorcery version of the physical ability through magic.

“Due to having the demon’s constitution, you and I have never been able to develop
proper muscles, but if you can handle your spiritual power, you will always be able to
exert a force that cannot be compared to muscular strength. Unlike sorcery, which
releases spiritual power out of the body, this one does not consume spiritual power…”

If it weren’t for this power, I wouldn’t have been able to fight against those demons.

──Thus, I spent peaceful days with Kuuya-san training me to control my spiritual

power.

…To be honest, I’m curious about the demons that appeared in this world and the
reason why they appeared in this world.

But I couldn’t exterminate the demons on my own.

I think Kuuya-san was concerned about this, too.

“You shouldn’t worry too much about it. Right now, you should only think about
helping the people around you.”

This was what he said.

I was not sure that the underworld would leave the situation as it is where demons
were unleashed in this world.
That’s why I’m learning how to use my powers so that I can protect those close to me
from the damage of demons.

Come to think of it, Kuuya-san said earlier that I learned to handle spiritual power
very quickly, but I wonder if there’s a reason for that.

At least, I didn’t feel a shred of spiritual power until I went to the heavenly realm…

It should be an unknown power, but for some reason, spiritual power seemed
strangely familiar to my body.

When I asked Kuuya-san about it, he said,

“Of course it is. You have never been able to recognize it, and you have never had to
use it, but it has always been there with you. Once you are aware of its existence, you
will be able to use it just like breathing, without having to be particularly conscious of
it.”

So it seems.

As a result, I am now able to release my spiritual power out of my body and use it with
my weapons to some extent, so I should be able to deal with demons when they
appear.

I was spending a reasonably fulfilling day in this way, and after finishing school today,
I was about to go home…

“──Is Yuuya Tenjou-kun here?”

“Eh?”

Suddenly, the classroom door opened vigorously, and there stood a male student.

The boy had a somewhat confident expression on his face… and wore such an
atmosphere that attracted attention unintentionally.
However, when I was surprised by the sudden appearance of a complete stranger,
Sawada-sensei, who was still in the classroom, held her temples.

“Hey, Kitaraku… What are you doing here? And don’t open the door so aggressively;
it’s dangerous.”

Sawada-sensei, who would normally be on the side of the students, looked tired in
front of the student who suddenly appeared.

I mean, that guy… called me, right? No, did I mishear it…?

While I was puzzled by the feeling of being called by a strange male student, that
student laughed at Sawada-sensei’s words.

“Hahahahaha! That was rude of me! I just got carried away! As I said before, the reason
I came here was because I wanted to talk to Yuuya Tenjou-kun!”

“To Tenjou?”

I knew it wasn’t a mistake to have my name called, and Sawada-sensei turned his gaze
toward me with a dubious expression on her face.

The boy followed her gaze, and when he finally spotted me, his eyes lit up.

“Oh, there you are! You must be Yuuya Tenjou-kun…!”

“Y-yes!”

The student took my hand as soon as he came in front of me.

“I’m always grateful for what you do for us! I always look forward to seeing what you
do!”

“H-huh… Um, who are you…?”

I asked, and the boy’s eyes widened for a moment.

“Hmm? Oh, I see. You are a transfer student, aren’t you? I’m Sou Kitaraku. I’m the
student council president of this Ousei Academy!”
“Ee… Eeeeeeeeeeehhh!”

I didn’t expect him to be the student council president and was surprised to hear him
say that.

Well, come to think of it, I haven’t seen the student council president since I came to
this school…

I had seen the other student council members, including Kaori, greeting each other at
athletic and school festivals and other events, but I had never seen the student council
president.

I hadn’t been particularly concerned about that until now…

“Well, I’ve done so many things that I’ve been on the teachers’ radar. They won’t let me
stand in front of everyone anymore!”

What did you do to deserve that?

No wonder I’d never seen or heard the student council president address the class!

I was surprised at the situation, which was unbecoming of a student council president,
but the person in question did not seem bothered by it and laughed boldly.

Seeing the student council president like that, Sawada-sensei let out a tired sigh.

“It’s not a laughing matter… it’s true that all the events you’ve been involved in have
been successful, but you certainly can’t take it lightly with the effort that went into
them… That’s why the other teachers are stopping you. If you would just think a little
more about what you’re doing, you’d be able to act as a normal student council
president, you know?”

“I won’t be such a boring student council president!”

“Do as you please…”

Apparently, this student council president is quite a unique person.

“So, Kitaraku. I have a very bad feeling about this… you, what’s your business with
Tenjou?”
“Oh, that’s right!””

The student council president Kitaraku, who remembered his purpose thanks to
Sawada-sensei’s words, said to me with his chest puffed out.

“Yuuya Tenjou-kun! I would like you to raise the school idols of our school!”

“……Yes?”

I couldn’t help but ask back at the unexpected words of the student council president.

The other classmates who were listening around the room were also darting their eyes
at the student council president’s words.

However, only one person, the student council president, alone was convinced and
took my hand.

“Oh, you’ll take care of it! Then let’s start talking about the details──”

“W-wait a minute! I didn’t say I’d take on the job.”

“Hmm? Didn’t you just say ‘yes’?”

“I was asking back!”

It should not have looked like I agreed to it by any stretch of the imagination, but
apparently, the student council president didn’t think so. That’s strange… is it possible
for there to be such a difference in perception…?

Then the student council president let go of my hand and tilted his head.

“Hmm… that I was mistaken. But what do you want to ask back?”

“No, I want to hear it all back from the beginning…”

As well as the school idol, and I’m the one who will raise it, and I don’t understand the
situation from what it’s all about.

Sawada-sensei, who had been quietly watching what was going on, let out a sigh.
“Hey, Kitaraku… are you trying to start something weird again?”

“What do you mean by strange? I’m just proposing a means to spread the word about
how wonderful this academy is!”

“This direction is too crazy…”

Everyone in the class, not just me, nodded in agreement with Sawada-sensei’s words.

Then Luna, who was getting ready to leave as well, asked in a whisper.

“I don’t know what it is, but what is this school idol thing that guy was talking about?”

“U-um…”

To be honest, I don’t know how to explain it.

I am not very familiar with those things as well.

Shingo-kun, perhaps sensing my concern, appeared out of nowhere.

“Lu-Luna-san!”

“Oh! W-where did you come from…?”

“T-that’s not the point. School idol is…”

Shingo-kun’s explanation, which was even more enthusiastic than usual, helped not
only Luna but also me to understand the school idol thing somewhat.

“I see… So, there is such a culture in this world… and when it comes to a position of
gaining popularity among the people, it may be similar to that of a saint or a hero, like
Mai.”

Luna was a little overwhelmed but seemed to understand the concept of idols by
matching it with her own knowledge.

“Ah, Kitaraku-senpai…!”

“I-I’ve been looking for you…!”

“Kaori?”

While everyone in the surroundings was buzzing at the student council president’s
surprising statement, another two people came to this class.

One is Kaori, and the other is a female student whom I have seen greeting at an event.
So, this person must also be a student council member…

Then, the girl and Kaori came straight to the student council president.

“Senpai! I thought I couldn’t find you… but what are you doing without telling us?”

“No, I think momentum is important in everything!”

“Please put yourself in the shoes of those who have to deal with it!”

The student council president didn’t seem to respond at all but simply laughed
cheerfully. W-what amazing mental fortitude…

The student council president then stopped the female student with his hand.

“Well, calm down! I’m just trying to persuade Tenjou-kun.”

“E-even if you put it that way… Yuuya-san, you’re having trouble because he’s talking
too much all of a sudden, aren’t you?”

“I guess so…”

Thanks to Kaori’s words, I managed to nod my head, albeit a little hesitantly.

“I don’t even know what made you decide to start that school idol project, but what
I’m most curious about is why you consulted me about it…”

“That reminds me, I didn’t tell you about that, did I?”

“Senpai! You should explain it to him if you want to get him involved!”

“That’s fine; I’m going to tell you now! Well, regarding the school idol project, the
purpose is to promote this academy. The other day, the school festival showdown with
Nittei Academy made me think of something.”

It seems that the school had a lot to think about after witnessing the publicity power
of Nittei Academy during the school festival showdown.

This is because Ousei Academy only conducted its publicity as it had in previous years,
while Nittei Academy, on the contrary, advertised through all kinds of media, including
TV and the Internet.

“I think the current Ousei Academy is attractive enough, but I think we can create a
different atmosphere by introducing a new approach here and there. As part of that, I
decided to start the school idol project.”

“H-huh…”

“And that’s why I chose you to be in charge of the project, because… frankly speaking,
you make a good impression on the teachers!”

“You’re so frank!”

I was surprised to hear him say that so openly.

“B-but I don’t think I have a good reputation among the teachers…”

“That’s not true, you know. Hey, Sawada-sensei.”

“…I didn’t want to say it in front of Kitaraku, but it’s right! It’s because you are active
in all the ball games, the athletic festival, and the school festival, and on top of that,
you don’t go out of control like this Kitaraku. In that sense, the teachers think very
highly of you.”

“So that’s how it is. As you can hear, I’ve gone a little overboard, and the teachers are
watching me closely! I thought it would be a good idea to appoint you, who has a good
reputation among the teachers, to be in charge of this project!”

“You’re really frank, aren’t you?”

As was the case earlier, the student council president seems to say what he thinks too
much…
But I guess that’s also his charm.

“Now, I’ve explained all this to you! Tenjou-kun, would you be willing to take on this
project?”

“I’m…”

I was about to decline the offer since I still didn’t know what exactly I was going to do,
and more importantly, I didn’t know if I could be of any use to them.

“Hey, Luna! You have the nerve to keep me waiting!”

“Bored. I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“Ah… I forgot about Lexia and Yuti…”

Lexia-san and Yuti couldn’t wait any longer and even came to this class in the high
school.

Although Lexia-san came to this world as an exchange student, she is still royalty, and
no matter how safe the environment in Japan is, there is no guarantee that something
dangerous will not happen to her.

That said, there have been incidents related to demons recently.

So, although we were in different grades, we would meet up and go home together
every time. Since we were going home from the same place and, more importantly, we
were not involved in any club activities, it was easy for us to meet up.

Lexia-san and Yuri were already at the meeting place as usual, but when we didn’t
show up no matter how long they waited, they came to pick us up.

Then, seeing Lexia-san and Yuti, the student council president’s eyes lit up.

“You!”
“Eh? M-me?”

“Yes, it’s you! That overflowing aura… why don’t you become a school idol of our
school?”

“Senpai?”

The student council president, as soon as he saw Lexia-san, started scouting for her to
become a school idol!

The female student council members rushed to stop him, but the student council
president wouldn’t stop.

“You have talent as a school idol! I really want you to show off that talent!”

“I- it’s too sudden; I don’t know what’s happening…”

The student council president began his presentation as if he had been waiting for
Lexia-san, who was puzzled.

At first, Lexia-san seemed to be in doubt, but her expression changed as she gradually
listened to what he had to say.

Then──.

“I don’t really understand it yet, but it sounds interesting! And besides, Yuuya-sama is
going to take care of me, right? I’ll definitely do it!”

“Eehh! I’m not really…”

“Won’t Yuuya-sama help me with this…?”

“Ugh…”

Lexia-san looked at me with a sad expression on her face.

When I couldn’t speak at the sight of her, Lexia-san continued.

“I wanted to experience a lot of things in this school… I see. I can’t cause any trouble
for Yuuya-sama… Don’t worry; I just have to put up with it. So don’t worry about it,
Yuuya-sama──”

“I-I understand! I’ll help you! I’ll help you!”

“Yay!”

As soon as I unintentionally agreed, Lexia-san’s sad expression changed, and she

smiled happily.

I was a little confused, but the fact was that Lexia-san would like to experience many
things in this world, and it’s not good to make her sit on the sideline.

Then it’s just a matter of me doing my best.

I don’t even know what I’m going to do… so I don’t even know if I can do it.

Then Lexia-san looked at Luna.

“Of course, you’re going to do it too, aren’t you, Luna?”

“Eh, me too?”

“Hmm… sure, you have an aura as good as hers… you’re hired too!”

“Eeehhh!? I-I haven’t said I’ll do it yet!”

When Luna mentioned this, Lexia-san smiled somewhat meaningfully.

“Ara, really? If Luna doesn’t want to do it, I won’t force you to do it, you know? But in
return, I’ll ask Yuuya-sama to take care of me.”

“Wha?”

“!”

Luna’s eyes widened at Lexia-san’s words, but at the same time, she felt a reaction
from some of the people around her who were watching what was happening.
“Luna didn’t want to do it… sorry.”

“Mm… I see… It’s unfortunate, but it can’t be helped. Then──”

“…do it! I’ll do it too!”

“Eehh! Luna!”

I was surprised because I didn’t expect Luna to join too, and she muttered something
with a determined look on her face.

“I can’t fall behind Lexia here…”

“Fufu. That’s my Luna! So, what about you, Yuti?”

When it was decided that Luna was going to participate, Lexia-san smiled happily and
approached Yuti, who had seemed unconcerned until now.

“Question. What good will it do to be an idol?”

“You will be taken care of by Yuuya-sama!”

“!?”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good thing…”

“…Agreed. Then I’ll do it.”

“You’ll do it? I mean, as for Yuti, I feel like I’m always taking care of her…”

I was surprised that even Yuti would be willing to participate.

I thought Yuti wasn’t interested in this kind of thing…

“Hohohoho! Well, it was a bit haphazard, but we’ve already got three participants!
Hahahaha!”

“What’s really going on here…?”

At the student council president’s words, the female student council member let out a
tired sigh.

Despite her, the student council president looked around the class.

“For now, I think three is fine… but it’s worth the effort. Is anyone in this class
interested in becoming a school idol? We will probably put out a call for applications
to the entire school later, but we’d appreciate it if you could come forward here!”

The whole class was abuzz at the student council president’s call for applications.

“H-how about you…?”

“It sounds kind of fun, but… I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable lining up with those
three.”

“What about the boys?”

“I’m curious, but then there’s Yuuya, the absolute idol…”

As I expected, it was too sudden, and although everyone discussed it, no one in
particular seemed to come forward.

The student council president, who took notice of the situation, nodded his head once.

“Fumu… Well, it was very sudden, after all. For the time being, it’s just these three──”

“U-um!”

“Hmm?”

It was the moment when the student council president was about to close the
recruitment process.

To my surprise, Kaede raised her hand, looking a little embarrassed.

“T-that school idol thing? Can I participate, too?”

Then, following Kaede’s lead, Merl raised her hand as well.

“I have little basis for judgment and was going to wait and see what would happen…
This would be a great experience, and I would like to be a part of it!”

“Oh, two more participants! That’s great! I hope you will contribute to our school as a
school idol!”

Since there were no additional applicants other than Kaede and Merl, it was decided
that Lexia-san, Luna, Yuti, Kaede, and Merl would become the school idols.

From the student council president suddenly coming to me to this point, I was
surprised that the story had already taken shape so far, despite the fact that I was told
about it out of the blue, Sawada-sensei, who had remained silent up until now, let out
a sigh.

“Hah… I didn’t stop you because I thought it would be a futile attempt, but it’s still
going as smoothly as ever… How can this guy’s ideas go so smoothly…?”

“Don’t just say it’s useless to try; I was hoping you’d stop him…”

“Nekota, that’s impossible. This guy won’t stop at anything. Or rather, he never listens
to people in the first place…”

“…How can he be the student council president if he’s like that?”

“I guess it’s another one of those qualities that make him a leader.”

The female student council members who came with Kaori also let out a tired sigh
along with Sawada-sensei. W-what can I say…? Good luck.

Nevertheless, I’ve also been determined to be in charge of the school idol project
without knowing the reason why.

What am I going to do now…?

While I had such anxieties, Kaori approached me.

“Yuuya-san. Um… I’m sorry. You got caught up in our circumstances…”

“N-no, that’s fine, but… it looks like Kaori is having a hard time too.”

“W-well… but it’s more fun than just trouble.”

Kaori was smiling bitterly, but she probably meant what she said.

The fact is, the conversation was carried out quite forcefully, but I guess this student
council president Kitaraku has the ability to make everyone around him smile.

“But I wonder if I’m up to the task. I don’t even know what I’m going to do yet…”

“Don’t worry! I’m sure Yuuya-san will do well!”

“R-really?”

“Yes!… If only I didn’t have to work for the student council, I would be joining Lexia-
san and the others…”

“Eh?”

“Ah, i-it’s nothing!”

As we had this exchange, the student council president was thinking about something
with a serious expression on his face.

“Since we have gathered so many attractive people, we have to put more effort into
other parts of the school so as not to waste the charm of these girls… First of all, the
music is… right! Let’s ask that popular artist Kanade Utamori-san! We’ve already made
a connection at the school festival! We also have to think about costumes and…
hahaha, you have a lot to think about, Nekota-kun!”

“And please put yourself in the shoes of those of us who get caught up in it every
time…”

“Isn’t that great! It’s more fun than that…! Alright, let’s get moving right now! So,
Tenjou-kun! We’ll talk more about it soon! See you later!”

“Ah!”

The student council president said all he had to say and left.
W-what can I say…? He really came and went like a storm…

I had never met the student council president before, but I just kept being
overwhelmed by him.
“Haah!”

“Kikiii!”

I thrust out the [Absolute Spear], which was imbued with spiritual power, at the
small creature in front of me.

The enemy I am dealing with now looked like the demon I first encountered, but it was
even shorter and looked like a goblin from another world, and it was called an imp.

I was currently training under Kuuya-san’s guidance on how to handle spiritual power,
and as part of that training, the imp was specially created by Kuuya-san using his own
spiritual power.

The creature, pierced through the torso by my attack, vanished like dust.

Kuuya-san watched the scene and nodded.

“Umu. You’ve mastered the use of spiritual power quite well. You’ve passed your first
goal of applying the power to an object.”

“Phew… Thank you very much.”

I let out a sigh of relief when I managed to get a pass from Kuya-san.

Then, Ouma-san, who had been watching my training, had a curious look on his face.

“Hmm… the more I look at it, the stranger the power is… I’ve never seen anything like
it before. Moreover, unlike ‘Evil,’ it is not a negative power, but I didn’t know a power
with such a dense sense of death existed…”

“So even Ouma-san is not familiar with this power… By the way, is it possible to acquire
this spiritual power after birth?”
When I asked Kuuya-san what was suddenly on my mind, he shook his head.

“It would be difficult. As I have explained, spiritual power… in other words, the power
of spirits, is a power that should be avoided by the living. The degree of defilement by
death is much stronger. Therefore, it is necessary to have a body that can originally
store spiritual power. If you are born with a small amount of spiritual power, it is
possible to increase it.”

“Well… one thing I was wondering is that if you don’t have the power originally, it is
difficult to acquire it later, isn’t it? Then why did I… or Kuuya-san, for that matter, have
the spiritual power in our bodies?”

“It’s simple. It means that our ancestors had demons’ blood running through their
veins.”

“Huh?”

I was not expecting that, and my eyes widened.

“I explained that demons are souls that have somehow escaped from the underworld
and have been transformed… In the days even before I was born, the boundary
between the underworld and this world was less defined than it is now. Therefore,
demons sometimes traverse into this world.”

“Such a time was…”

“At that time, some people were forcibly attacked by demons and became pregnant
with demon children, while others genuinely fell in love with demons and had children
born with both human and demon blood. Such was the case with our ancestors, and
as a result, the blood of demons flowed through the Tenjou family.”

“I-I see.”

“So, it is almost impossible for a living person to acquire the power of a demon. There
is nothing to do but to give up.”

“Mmm…”

“Woof!”
Ouma-san seemed to be interested in the spiritual power, and he was not so amused
when he heard that he couldn’t acquire it. In the same way, Night had hoped to acquire
spiritual power, but he seems disappointed that this possibility has vanished.

“It is impossible for you guys to acquire the spiritual power, but there is a way for
Yuuya to raise his own spiritual power.”

“Eh?”

“Well, it’s not a method I recommend, but… it’s a method of forcing another person’s
spiritual power to dwell in your body.”

“Dwell?”

“Yes. It would be similar to when you took… that strange power inside of you.”

“…This guy, is he aware of my existence…?”

Kuro was surprised by Kuuya-san’s words, as he didn’t expect that he would in this
discussion.

It was the same for me. I had not explained Kuro to Kuuya-san, but he easily saw it
right through.

“Don’t be so surprised, okay? I can detect the presence of power just as you can. I can
also tell you how you obtained that power. If Yuuya can sharpen your sense of power,
you will be able to do it.”

“I-I see.”

“…I know this is a bit off-topic, but it seems that Yuuya has taken on this power and
put it in your body, right? In the same way, you can increase your own power by
absorbing the power of another.”

“Can you do that to any demon?”

“Well, you can, but as I said at the beginning, I don’t recommend it. What’s more, you
can’t just absorb the power of one demon after another; in other words, it is the same
as receiving the stain of death into yourself. Moreover, most of the demons that you
have encountered are those that have been tainted with evil, even in the underworld,
and even their souls are tainted with malice. You and I have demon blood in our veins,
so our bodies are accustomed to the power of demons, but if one suddenly accepts
such power, it will have an adverse effect on them as well.”

“I-I see…”

“The safest way to increase your power is to use up all the power stored in your body.
Even if a person who has spiritual power in their body uses up that power, they will
recover little by little. And with each recovery, the amount of spiritual power stored in
the body increases, albeit only slightly. Yuuya and I have a lot of power, so it is difficult
for us to consume it, but this is the safest and most reliable way to do so. Everything
is best done steadily.”

It’s true; I’ve seen firsthand how sudden gains of power result only to be swept away…
While I was getting a lecture from Kuuya-san on the subject of spiritual power, I
suddenly realized something.

“Come to think of it, where are Lexia-san and the others…?”

“Hmm? They went shopping.”

Lexia-san and the others didn’t just come to Earth to study. By looking around the
Earth, I guess there are some things that can benefit the Kingdom of Arcelia.

“I wondered what would happen to them at first, but I’m glad to see that they seem to
be adjusting well to Earth.”

Yuti also made some friends a short time after arriving on Earth.

Lexia-san and Luna also seem to be basically enjoying themselves, even if they are a
bit bewildered by the cultural differences.

After finishing my training, I returned to my home on Earth and was about to prepare
dinner for Lexia and Luna…

“!?”
Suddenly, a cold shock ran down my spine.

It was similar to the feeling I had when I first confronted the demon… but it was so
dense and deadly that it made the demon of that time seem almost adorable.

I looked around in a panic, and a mysterious black vortex appeared in front of me, and
a muscular arm stretched out from within.

And following the arm, it appeared, looking at first glance like a Bloody Ogre from
another world.

Moreover, not only one but several of them appeared in succession.

Although I said they looked like Bloody Ogre, their skin color was very colorful, yellow
and light blue, and upon closer inspection, their eyes had a light of reason in them that
demons do not have.

What can I say…? The word “Oni” seems to fit them well.

Nevertheless, one of the oni notices me while I am still alarmed by the presence that
suddenly appears, sprinkled with a hint of death.

“You must be Yuuya Tenjou, right?”

“Eh? H-how did you know about me…?”

I was surprised that he spoke the human language, clearly different from Bloody Ogre,
who is, after all, a monster, but I was even more surprised by the content of his speech.

The oni continued indifferently to me.

“Reimei-sama wants to see you. Follow me.”

“Reimei…?”

I asked back unintentionally, and at that moment.

The presence of the oni suddenly changed to something disturbing.

“You… how dare you call out to Reimei-sama with such disrespect!”

“Eh? I-I didn’t mean to call…!”

“…It looks like we need to give you an education before we send you to Reimei-sama.”

The oni approached me, clicking their arms.

The next moment, a yellow demon suddenly struck me.

“Oraa!”

“Kuh!”

I quickly jumped back and deployed my “Magic Armor” and also activated my “Holy
Evil Creation.”

In any case, in order to get them to calm down and listen to me, I have to fight back
first…!

“Haaah!”

Since we were inside the house, I hit the oni without exerting too much force, but it
didn’t look as if he had sustained any damage. Is this with… spiritual power?

“It’s no use. People like you can’t even hurt us. You should be beaten down quietly.”

“Hmph!”

“Gaahh!”

“What?”

I immediately realized that I needed to use my spiritual power, so I spread my spiritual

power throughout my body and once again kicked at the oni’s torso.

It seemed that the opponent thought that I could not handle the spiritual power and
did not even defend himself properly, so my kick connected with him, and the yellow
oni went down on his knees, holding his stomach.

Seeing this, the other oni were alarmed and, at the same time, enraged.

“You… know your place, human…!”

“Kuh!”

The other two were in a rage as well as alarmed.

“Take this!”

“Oh, no!”

Having a punch thrown into my bosom in an instant, I can’t avoid the oni’s attack… the
moment I’m ready to take the attack…

“──What are you doing?”

“Wha?”

“Ah, Ikkaku-sama!”

“…Huh. It seems that the information was not well received.”

Suddenly, someone quietly caught the oni’s fist that was unleashed on me.

He was a blue-skinned oni, but he was far more rational than the other oni, and above
all, I was horrified by the calmness of the spiritual power overflowing from his body.

The reason for this is that the oni I had been fighting up to this point had attacked me
while releasing, rather than restraining, their spiritual power.
In contrast, the oni called Ikkaku’s spiritual power was so serene that it did not appear
strong at first glance.

However, the subtle overflow of his spiritual power was frighteningly dense.

Surprised by the sudden intruder, I heard Kuuya-san’s voice from behind me.

“Phew… you suddenly started fighting, so I hurried to protect this house with my
spiritual power… but I’m tired.”

“Eh? Oh… S-sorry!”

It seems that Kuuya-san tried to break into the fight against the oni, but rather than
that, he divided his efforts so that this house would not be destroyed.

“It’s okay; it’s okay. In fact, it would have been better if it had been stopped earlier. I
didn’t expect the oni, messengers of Reimei-sama, to come. It seems that the
underworld is finally getting quite noisy.”

“…You… I see, you are a thought body. It seems that you had great sorcery skills in your
life to be able to leave such a beautiful thought body.

The blue oni was surprised at Kuuya-san’s appearance, but Kuuya-san shook his head.

“Please stop. I’m not that big of a deal. More importantly, are you looking for Yuuya
over there?”

“Oh, yes, I was… I am one of Reimei-sama’s messengers. I am sure you have heard from
these onis, but our lord, Reimei-sama, has summoned you. So I sent these oni to pick
you up… It seems that there has been some rough treatment on our part. I am very
sorry.”

Ikkaku-san bowed his head without hesitation as he said this.

“Oh, please raise your head! I’m not particularly hurt, and I’m fine! More importantly,
why is it that I am being called by the one called Reimei-sama…?”

I was surprised to be suddenly attacked by these onis, but that was still fine.

More than that, I couldn’t understand why Reimei-sama, the supposed master of these
onis, was calling me all of a sudden.

“Regarding that, I would like you to hear from Reimei-sama herself… I would like for
you to come to the underworld and talk with her.”

“Eeehhh? U-underworld?”

An underworld is a place where the dead go, right? I’m invited to a place like that, and
I’m still alive… Is that okay? I’m not going to die from this, am I…?

Perhaps my concern was conveyed, Ikkaku-san continued.

“You must be worried if you are suddenly told to go to the underworld. However, if it
is Yuuya-sama, you seem to have spiritual power in your body, and more than anything
else, you are invited by Reimei-sama. There is no need to worry about that sort of
thing.”

“I-I see.”

“But unfortunately, only Yuuya-sama has been invited, and I can’t take everyone over
there with us.”

“Eh?”

“Woof?”

“Buhi?”

“Pii!”

“…What did you say?”

Even if we were to head to the underworld, I had assumed that Night and the others
would be able to go with us, and my eyes widened involuntarily.

“I know you may disagree, but it’s something that can’t be helped. As you all know, the
underworld is the land of the dead. The land of the dead is permeated with the stain
of death. In order to spend time there, you must have spiritual power.”

“If that’s the reason… then what about Kuuya-san? I think he is much more skilled in
the use of spiritual powers than I am…”

I introduced him as such, and Kuuya-san shook his head.

“No, it is impossible. Even though I have spiritual power, I am originally just a thought
that I left behind in that scroll before I died. Therefore, my true body exists in the
underworld. So, I can’t follow you now.”

“No way…”

“Don’t worry. I can still exchange memories with my body, and my body in the
underworld will know about Yuuya. I’m sure my body will serve you well when you go
to the underworld.”

“I understand that you are confused by the suddenness of the situation. But I really
want Yuuya-sama to come to the underworld. Please, can you help us?”

After saying this, Ikkaku-san bowed his head again.

Then, as if to help Ikkaku-san, Kuuya-san also asked me for help.

“Sorry, Yuuya. If you can, will you lend them a hand? These oni serve the lord of the
underworld, Reimei-sama. This one, in particular, can be called the right hand of
Reimei-sama. The fact that they came directly to this place must mean that something
terrible is happening in the underworld. That’s why…”

To be honest, I am still puzzled.

Nevertheless, I cannot just sit back and be silent after being bowed down to.

“I understand. I don’t know what I can do, but… please take me to that Reimei-sama.”

“Thank you very much!”

Ikkaku-san snapped his fingers as he said this.

At that moment, a black vortex appeared in front of him, same as the one the oni had
first crawled out of.

“This way, then.”

“…So I’m off to the underworld. I don’t know what will happen, but please keep watch
at home.”

“Woof! Woof, woof!”

“Buhi!”

“Pii!”

“…Well, if you’re the only one who can go, then so be it. I’ll take care of the house for a
while.”

Night and the others raised their hands as if to say, “Leave it to me,” and Ouma-san
turned away and said so.

“I’m sorry, Yuuya. Please take care of it.”

“Yes!”

When Kuuya-san said this to me for the last time, I stepped into the vortex.

Around the time Yuuya was heading to the underworld.

At Ousei Academy, the student council president, Kitaraku, was finally moving forward
with the school idol project.

“Now, the most important idol candidates and Yuuya-kun have been secured.”

“Huh… you’re really going to go ahead… with it now that you’ve come this far, but
what’s next?”

“Right… after all, when it comes to idols, the stage is important, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s right.”

“But I don’t have the know-how for that!”

“Even if you say it so refreshingly… then what are you going to do about it?”
In response to Nekota’s question, Kitaraku smiled.

“As a matter of fact, I’m going to ask for help from Star Productions, which has
connections with our academy.”

“Eh?”

The company that Kitaraku mentioned is a leading entertainment agency to which Miu
and Kanade belong, and it has been involved with Ousei Academy in many events, such
as ball games and school festivals.

“Besides having a large number of entertainers, they also have Kanade, whom we
invited to the school festival. The direction of the idol project is different, but the
setting of the stage is the same.”

“I-I see…”

“Besides, I already have their contact information!”

“When did you get that?”

The teachers had forcibly pulled him off the stage, but behind their backs, Kitaraku
had been able to get a hold of a variety of contacts.

“I’ll have to get in touch with them right away!”

“Oh, hey!”

Before Nekota could stop him, Kitaraku was already on the move.

After successfully making an appointment, he visited the agency once again.

＊＊＊

“──I see. So that’s why you came to us.”

“That’s an impressive plan…”

The president of the company smiled amusedly in front of Kitaraku, who visited the
office, while employee Kurosawa had an indescribable expression on her face.
“So, what do you think? Can you help us?”

“Hmm… as for me, it’s an interesting project, and I’d be happy to help you, but…”

“President. If you decide so easily…”

When Kurosawa was about to say so, the president restrained her with her hand.

“Of course, it’s not so easy for us to decide just like that. We have our own work to do,
and more importantly… we don’t know how much it will benefit us because there is
no precedent.”

“……”

With the company on her shoulders, the president could not proceed just because it
looked interesting.

However, Kitaraku already had a card in his hand to persuade the president.

“Certainly, it is a new venture, and there is no doubt that there are many uncertainties.
But I am already convinced that this attempt will be a success.”

“Heh? Why is that?”

“Since you have already been to our school, you have seen our students, and there are
many very attractive students at Ousei Academy.”

“That’s true. They were all idol-caliber girls. Right, Kurosawa?”

“Yes. I wanted to bring some of them out of the school.”

“But it’s a mistake to think that just being cute is enough to attract attention when it
comes to idols. What do you think about that?”

The president shot a sharp look at Kitaraku.

However, Kitaraku is not intimidated by this gaze and smiles.

“──Yuuya Tenjou.”

“!?”

“He is the key to this project.”

“Don’t tell me he’s going to be an idol!”

The president and Kurosawa, who had once been rejected by Yuuya to enter the
entertainment business, were surprised by Kitaraku’s statement, as they had not
expected Yuuya’s name to be mentioned.

“No, we are only going to have him work as the person in charge of this project. But…
if the school idol project progresses, he will be forced to take the front stage. There is
no way he won’t attract attention then.”

“That’s…”

“Besides, I’m thinking of having him work as a school idol eventually.”

“Wha!?”

“Is that… possible? He has refused to enter the entertainment industry before…”

In response to Kurosawa’s concern, Kitaraku nodded.

“There is no problem. Perhaps he refused to enter the entertainment industry because

of his earnestness and sense of responsibility… School idols are only for the time they
are students. In other words, as long as he has a fixed period to be active, I believe the
emotional hurdle would be less than if he were to enter the entertainment industry as
an ordinary person.”

“I-I see…”

“And if he tries out as a school idol… he might even be interested in the entertainment
industry, right?”

For the president, who is interested in obtaining Yuuya, Kitaraku’s proposal was an
attractive one.

The president broke out in a cold sweat, not expecting one student to think this far
ahead.

“…You’re quite good at this.”

“No, no, I’m still inexperienced. So… will you cooperate with us?”

──Thus, it was decided that Star Productions would fully cooperate with the school
idol project of the Ousei Academy.

＊＊＊

“Huh!… This place!?”

The moment I passed through the black vortex, I felt the presence of death… or
spiritual power, clinging to my body.

This spiritual power is not something that resides in my body but something that fills
the underworld.

The most surprising thing of all was that the moment I passed through the black
vortex, the scenery around me changed in an instant.

The entire underworld was dimly lit, and as I had sensed earlier, there was a sense of
heaviness, as if there was spiritual power floating all around me.

On top of that, from out of nowhere, I could hear the roar of probable demons.

What would you call it…? An underground world? Anyway, that’s the impression I got.

But the thing that caught my eye the most was a luxurious building that was out of
place in such an underworld.

“This is…”

“This is the residence of Reimei-sama. Please come this way.”

As I was stunned by the presence of the building in front of me, Ikkaku-san led the
way.

I followed his guidance and was soon brought to a large hall.

And then──.

“Reimei-sama. I have brought you Yuuya Tenjou-kun-sama.”

“!”

“──Thank you for your hard work.”

A quiet but dignified voice echoed through the hall.

The only thing is, just by hearing the voice, you naturally feel such power that you
want to kneel down on the spot.

T-to think that someone could have this kind of power… what in the world is a Reimei-
sama…!?

I was surprised, but when I turned my gaze toward the voice──.

“I’m Reimei!”

“……Eh?”

──There was a little girl there, dressed like Enma from an old tale. In response to my
surprise, the girl said, “Am I cool?” With her chest puffed out.
I was stunned by the unexpected situation, and the girl noticed my appearance.

“Hmm… You can’t even speak in front of my majesty, can you? Good, good! I have
brought you here for my own reasons. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Huh! Y-yes.”

I couldn’t help but freeze up… Judging from Ikkaku-san and the other oni gathered in
this hall, and thinking of the girl’s comment, she must be the Reimei-sama.

She may appear like a little girl, but she rules such a large underworld. I guess she is
not as young as she appears to be.

I steeled myself once again, and Reimei-sama’s eyes narrowed as she inspected me.

“Hou? As I recall, your name is… Yuuya Tenjou, right? You don’t seem to underestimate
me, do you?”

“Eh? Ah, yes… well, I was surprised, but I thought appearances can be deceiving…”

There are all kinds of people in the world.

I was surprised at the appearance of Reimei-sama, but on second thought, Zenovis-

san was a more unbelievable existence from my point of view…

Thinking this, Reimei-sama smiled with satisfaction.

“Umu, umu! You have good instincts! I like you!”

“T-thank you…?”

“…Reimei-sama. I think it’s time to get down to business…”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Ikkaku-san whispered in her ear, and Reimei-sama looked at me with a serious

expression on her face.

“Yuuya. I called you because I want to borrow your power.”

“My power, you say…?”

“Umu. The truth is, the underworld is in a great deal of trouble right now. As you may
already know, demons from the underworld have escaped into your world. The reason
for this is that the boundary between the underworld and your world has temporarily
disappeared.”

According to Reimei-sama, the underworld is a land of the dead, and originally, a

boundary line was drawn by her power to prevent the beings of my world from
wandering into the underworld.

However, with the disappearance of that boundary and the disappearance of the seal
that imprisoned demons within the underworld, some demons have escaped into the
present world.

I wondered why that boundary had suddenly disappeared…

“The reason for the disappearance of the boundary line is… because of the false god
you defeated.”

“Eh?”

I was surprised to learn that it was caused by a being that I had not expected.

“As you know, the false gods have the power to annihilate everything they touch with
heir hands. This power does not change even when only the soul remains… As a result,
when the soul of the false god arrived in the underworld, it annihilated all the
boundaries it touched with its hands.”

“No way…”

“So! I really need your help.”

“With my power… W… well, what can I do?”

When I asked this, Reimei-sama’s face took on a somewhat sad expression.

“…You have to seal a certain being.”

“A certain being?”
“Yes. She is called Meiko. She is a being born in the underworld.”

I tilted my head when I heard that explanation.

In the underworld…? This is the world where the dead end up, isn’t it…? And yet, how
can something be born in this world?

No, perhaps both the demons and Reimei-sama are beings born in this world?

Then, Reimei-sama seemed to read my thoughts like that and continued speaking.

“I understand what you are thinking. This underworld is indeed the land of the dead.
Something is not born anew. The demons here were originally different beings, and
they became demons because they have lived in the underworld for so many years.”

“T-then, what exactly is this Meiko…?”

“Meiko is… a being born from the crystallization of all the evil intentions of the demons
in the underworld.”

When I heard those words, what came to my mind was the existence of Evil in the
different world.

That, too, was born from the crystallization of the malice that arose in the other world
of Argena.

Does that mean that this Meiko is the same kind of being?

That’s what I thought…

“I’ve been researching, and it seems that there is a similar existence in a certain world.
But it is nothing compared to that. The one you know of is… called ‘Evil,’ I believe. It is
a being with a will, a being in which the malice of the world is actualized. On the other
hand… Meiko is the crystallization of the malice of the ultimate sinners imprisoned in
the lowest levels of the underworld. How many years do you think it took for the souls
of the dead sinners to drift down to this underworld? The negative power of a single
world is not enough to bring about the quality and quantity of the souls of the deadly
sinners.”

“……”
I couldn’t help but be struck by Reimei-sama’s words.

I can’t believe that even Avis, the “God of Destruction” with that mighty power, or the
most powerful ‘Evil’ in the past with Zenovis-san, are no match for Meiko…

“How can I fight against such a being…?”

“It’s impossible for you right now. Above all, it is said that you have only just awakened
your powers. You haven’t even mastered the art of sealing with your spiritual power
yet, have you?”

“Then how?”

“Ikkaku. Bring those people here.”

“Eh?”

I asked, and Reimei-sama called out to Ikkaku-san.

“You will need to seal Meiko by your own hand, but I will not spare you any assistance
in getting there. In other words, you will have to do a little training here.”

“Training?”

“Yes. We have a master for that──”

“──We’re here.”

“I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Oh! You must be Yuuya! I’ve heard so much about you from myself in the present
world!”

“!”

Reimei-sama’s words were interrupted by three voices.

When I turned my gaze in the direction of the voices, I saw an old man wearing a
tattered cloth, a woman with a beaming smile, and Kuuya-san, whom I had left on
Earth.

For a moment, I was surprised to see Kuuya-san there, but the Kuuya-san on Earth is
a thought body sealed in a scroll, not the main body.

In other words, Kuuya-san here must be the main body.

The old man’s clothes were in tatters, but he did not look dirty.

This is probably due to the atmosphere that the old man exudes. His back is not bent,
and he even looks somewhat graceful.

And the woman wears a gentle air, and I feel my heart naturally relax.

Are these the people who will be my mentors in the underworld?

I can say that this is definitely the first time I’ve met the woman, but…

I had a strange feeling when I saw the old man. I did not feel as if I was meeting this
old man for the first time.

I was puzzled, but the old man smiled kindly.

“It’s been a long time, Yuuya.”

“Eh?”

It’s been a long time? That means we definitely haven’t met for the first time.

Then this person is…?

Then the old man saw me puzzled and gave a wry smile.

“I see… this is the first time you’ve seen me at this age.”

Then the old man looked straight at me again.

“I am Zenovis. Yuuya, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Eh?”

I froze at the old man’s words.

Zenovis. That was the name of the sage who had changed everything in my life.

And if I look closely at the old man in front of me, I can see the face of Zenovis-san.

In other words, this man is──.

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhh!”

My exclamation echoed through the underworld.

I had a shocking reunion with Zenovis-san, but he was not the only mentor from the
underworld.

Seeing my surprise, the woman I assumed to be the other mentor deepened her smile.

“Ara ara, it’s so interesting to see the newest addition to Yuti-chan’s family〜”

“Eh, Yuti?”

I didn’t expect her name to come up here, and I was surprised. Then, the woman
continued with a gentle smile on her face.

“I am Yuty-chan’s master… ‘Bow Saint’ Archer Arrow. Nice to meet you, Yuuya-chan!”

“Eeeh?”

To my surprise, this woman… Archer-san… was Yuti’s late master!

Reimei-sama laughed amusedly at my continued astonishment.

“Hohoho, that’s a good reaction! Those three are your mentors.”

“Well, Sage-sama and I are just helping Yuuya-chan seal Meiko-chan.”

“Is that so?”

“Umu. As I said before, Meiko is the crystallization of the malice of all the great sinners
imprisoned in the underworld. Even the slightest overflow of its power can create all
kinds of evil beings in its surroundings. That’s why I’ve asked Archer and the others
there to take care of it.”

“Evil beings are different from demons, aren’t they?”

“No, it is not. They can’t be defeated without the same kind of spiritual power as
demons do, but in their essence, the malice that overflowed from the body of Meiko
has transformed into a different form and started to move. Since it is originally
malevolent, once it is unleashed, it will attack those around it without regard.
Therefore, this existence cannot be left unchecked.”

“We have obtained a power called spiritual power instead of mystical power because
of our death. But with this spiritual power, it would be enough to deal with the
creatures produced by Meiko and the like. Therefore, I have decided to train Yuuya so
that you will be able to fight Meiko alone.”

“I-I will be trained by Zenovis-san again…!”

The training was quite tough, but there was no doubt that I acquired my strength
thanks to his training.

While the thought of undergoing that painful training once again made me feel a bit
intimidated, it’s an opportunity that I’m going to take advantage of. I will do my best
again.

“Whew… I didn’t expect you to still be so motivated after all the hard work I put you
through. If so, then I will respond to that motivation. Unfortunately, I personally don’t
have any idea about spiritual power. So I will mainly teach you how to use weapons
and magic. Well then, about spiritual power…”

“Yes! I will teach you!”

Kuuya-san’s expression showed his pride as he said this.

“I have heard about you from my thought body in the present world!”

Now that I think about it, it’s amazing that he can communicate between the main
body here in the underworld and the thought body he left behind on Earth.

To put it another way, it’s quite a feat to be able to seal one’s own thought body in a
scroll.

“With your current ability, can you fight with your body or weapons clad with your
spiritual power? For the time being, in order to deal with Meiko, I’m going to have you
learn the art of sealing while improving your ability to use your spiritual power, so
please keep that in mind.”

“I-I understand.”

I was just about to say this when I noticed something.

“Huh? Come to think of it… I made a soul contract with Zenovis-san, but your memory
was gone at that time, wasn’t it? Then why…?”

“Ah. I am already dead now that we could meet again here. That’s why I look the same
as I did when I died… but being dead means that I am now only a soul. In other words,
my memories have been released from my body, and I can remember Yuuya.”

By dying and becoming only a soul, Zenovis-san was able to remember things about
me that he should have forgotten.

As we were discussing things with each other in this way, Reimei-sama grinned.

“Well, I think you’ve had enough of talking with your mentors… There is one last
person I’d like you to meet.”

“Eh? Someone you want me to meet?”

“Here, come in.”

When I saw the person who came into this hall, I was even more shocked than when I
met Zenovis-san again.

Because──.
“Yuuya. How have you been?”

“Eh───”

I will not forget.

How could I forget?

That voice and that figure.

Absolutely.

As I stood there in a daze… my grandfather, Yuusuke, was in front of me.

“G… Grandpa…?”

“It’s been a long time, Yuuya.”

I was stunned and muttered to myself; Grandpa smiled gently at me.

Ah… how many times have I been saved by this smile?

Grandpa was always kind to me.

The appearance of the grandfather I knew very well was certainly here.

“A-ah… Grandpa… Grandpa…!”

I ran up to him and hugged him without worrying about the tears that were welling
up in my eyes.

“Grandpa… Grandpa…!”

“…You’ve become splendid, Yuuya!”

“Yeah… yeah…!”

I was sobbing, but Grandpa gently held me in his arms.

Yes, Grandpa always soothed me like this.

I thought I would never see him again.

I never thought I would see him again like this…

In any way, being able to see Grandpa again was the best thing that could have
happened to me.

＊＊＊

“Now, have you calmed down?”

“I-I’m sorry…”
When my tears had finally subsided, and my heart had calmed down, Reimei-sama
called out to me.

Reimei-sama smiled gently at me as I felt my cheeks heat up.

“Don’t worry about it. You must have had strong feelings for him, which is rare among
humans these days.”

“That’s nice. I’d like to meet Yuti-chan, too.”

Archer-san, who was watching the reunion between me and my grandfather, said so
enviously.

“I’m sorry… I wish I could have brought Yuti along…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it~. After I died, Yuti-chan went down the wrong path
once. But thanks to Yuuya-chan, she’s looking straight ahead now… and that’s all I need
to be happy about.”

“I see…”

Seeing Archer-san smiling kindly, I knew that she truly cared about Yuti.

Thus, after everyone had been introduced, Reimei-sama clapped her hands.

“Alright! This concludes our conversation here. I’ll immediately ask Yuuya to train hard
for the sealing of Meiko!”

“I-I understand!”

“Huff… Leave it to me.”

“Onee-san will do her best, too.”

“Fumu, for the first time in a long while, I can feel my skills as a sorcerer ringing.”

We each responded to Reimei-sama’s words.

“……”
At that time, I didn’t realize that Grandpa was thinking about something else.

“Haaaaah!”

“””Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”””

──How much time has passed since I met Zenovis-san and the others again?

Now I was wielding the [Omni-Sword] clothed with my own spiritual power against
the kobolds that Kuuya-san had created with his spiritual power.

When I started my training in this underworld, I had no idea how long it would take
to resolve this situation, and I had many things to worry about because of my life on
Earth.

However, the underworld had a separate flow of time from the present world, just like
the heavenly realm, and on top of that, it was said that one does not age while in this
place.

Therefore, I don’t have to worry about the time it took to train, and I had spent a
considerable amount of time training here.

In the beginning, I concentrated too much on manipulating my spiritual power, and

when there were more than two kobolds to deal with, I often became careless with my
handling of my spiritual power.

Now, however, I am able to handle multiple kobolds while manipulating spiritual

power in a natural way.

Nevertheless, as I became more adept at using my spiritual power, Kuuya-san made

the kobolds he produced stronger, so my training was quite painful.

“Yuuya. Relax your body. If you keep exerting yourself so much, you will collapse soon.”

“I-I understand…!”

In addition to operating my spiritual power, Zenovis-san taught me how to handle

weapons, just as I had done when I was sent to the past.
However, this time I was allowed to use [Omni-Sword] from the beginning, so this
would be a big difference.

“You can cut anything you want to cut without having to rely on weapons anymore. So
adding restrictions to your weapons now will have no effect.”

…Zenovis-san said so, but I’m probably still relying on my weapon.

I had also taught some various sorcery from Kuuya-san to seal Meiko, but it was also
difficult.

Because of this, the only new sorcery I was learning here was the “sealing technique,”
and I didn’t have time to learn any other types of sorcery.

Well, since all I needed now was the sealing technique, there would be no problem if I
could learn the other arts at another time.

I continued my training in this way, but then I was allowed to take a break.

“I-I’m tired…”

“Thanks for your hard work, Yuuya-chan.”

“Oh, thank you, Archer-san.”

“I don’t know exactly what it is, but Yuuya, you’ve gotten a lot stronger, haven’t you?”

“I-is that so? I’m glad to hear you say so.”

While receiving a towel from Archer-san, I can’t help but smile at my grandfather’s
words.

Then Archer-san opened her mouth, looking a bit dazed, as she sat down next to me.

“Even so… Sage-sama training is outrageous, isn’t it?”

“I-is that so?”

“Yes, it is. I had only known Sage-sama as a character from a fairy tale, but seeing him
in person like this, I realized that all those fairy tales were true.”
“A-ahahaha…”

“Anyway, you have to remember that the training you’re undergoing right now is quite
frankly outrageous, even from my perspective as the holder of the title of Holy.”

“I-I understand.”

“However, if Yuuya-chan is that strong, Yuti-chan will be safe, and I am very grateful
for that.”

I couldn’t help but ask Archer-san, who looked somewhat sad.

“Um… How did you get acquainted with Yuti?”

“Well… when she was a baby, she was abandoned in the forest near the village where
I lived.”

“Eh?”

“I found her by chance when I was making my rounds outside the village, so I was able
to protect her… I don’t know what would have happened to her if I hadn’t found her
then.”

“I see…”

Amidst the surprise that Yuti was an abandoned child, Archer-san continued.

“The villagers were scared of her because she looked and sounded so out of touch with
the world and because she seemed to be a seer due to her excessive insight. Besides,
it wasn’t a very wealthy village, and there was no one to take her. So I decided to take
her in and raise her.”

According to Archer-san, while raising Yuti, she also taught her the art of Bow Saint so
that she could live on her own.

But even though Archer-san, who was already a Bow Saint at that time, was protecting
the village where she lived, her power was feared, and she was kept away from the
people of the village.

“I tried my best to help the villagers as much as I could. But the harder I tried, the more
they saw me as different, and I was always alone.”

“……”

Villagers kept Archer-san away from them despite the fact that she protected them.

…I can’t say anything because I think it’s selfish, but maybe there was something in
that village that I don’t understand.

But there was no doubt that Archer-san was seriously trying to reach out to the
villagers.

“I was always alone like that, and Yuti-chan was the first family I had ever had. That’s
why I was so attached to her. I knew I had to let her do a lot of things on her own, but
I was overprotective.”

“Ah…”

When I heard Archer-san’s words, I recalled the early days when Yuti first came to live
at my house.

Back then, she was trying to get me to do whatever she wanted… Now, she’s trying
hard to correct herself and is able to do a lot of things on her own… But was that all a
problem with the way Archer-san had raised her?

“Because it can’t be helped! Yuti-chan is just too cute! Isn’t she?”

“T-that’s right.”

I felt pressured by Archer-san’s tone that I couldn’t help but nod.

She nodded her head in satisfaction at my reaction.

“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean, right, Yuuya-chan? That’s why I can leave her in
your care with peace of mind… Please continue to take good care of Yuti-chan, okay?”

“…Yes.”

I nodded with a serious expression on my face.

“It’s time to resume your training.”

“Ah, yes!”

I replied to Zenovis-san’s words and was about to resume my training──but at that

moment.

“!?”

Suddenly, a tremendous chill swept over my body.

The feeling was similar to when demons appeared at my house on Earth… but it was
nothing like that.

Above all, it was a sign of death or… something darker and denser.

I hurriedly turned my gaze in the direction of the signs and saw a pitch-black, bipedal
monster standing there.

It was covered in pitch black, its eyes glowing red, and its silhouette was that of a
werewolf, a combination of a beast and a human being.

The monster stared at us, and in the next instant, it disappeared from the scene.

“Wha!? W-where──?”

“──Fuh.”

“Giiii!?”

“Zenovis-san?”

As soon as I lost sight of the creature, it appeared in my blind spot and attacked me at
an unbelievable speed.

However, Zenovis-san, who had anticipated this, quickly gathered spiritual power in
his hands, created a sword with it, and cut down the creature with a single sword
stroke.

“This one is…”

A red oni came running from the distance as Zenovis-san looked like he had noticed
something in front of the creature he had just slain.

“E… everyoneeee! T-there’s a problem!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Meiko’s power has started to go out of control!”

“! So you’re saying this is the residue from Meiko’s power overflowing?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

According to Nikkaku-san’s story, the monster that had just attacked us was a being
created from the power of Meiko.

The moment I confronted it, I felt a wave of such a terrifying power that seemed to
reject life…

The boundary between the underworld and the present world is disappearing, and if
that creature wanders around into the underworld, it could cause an avalanche of
creatures to descend into the present world.

That must be stopped at all costs…!

We looked at each other and told Nikaku.

“Please lead us to where Meiko is!”

“I know that Meiko’s outburst has only just begun, but now that it’s happened, we need
to seal her up as soon as possible…”

“While Yuuya seals Meiko, we’ll have to deal with the creatures from before, won’t
we?”
“My arms are ringing.”

“Yuuya, can you do the sealing technique now?”

“I- I think it’s probably fine!”

I don’t know if I can actually do it properly, but I have no choice but to do it after
coming this far.

As we were about to head for Meiko’s place, Grandpa, who had remained silent up
until now, opened his mouth.

“Are you sure this is the right thing to do?”

“Eh?”

It was an unexpected word.

Everyone except Grandpa was surprised by his words.

“Yuusuke. What do you mean by that?”

“It means exactly what I said, Zenovis.”

Grandpa, who had once been in touch with Zenovis-san beyond the constraints of time
and the boundaries of the two worlds, said in his usual tone.

“I’ve been stuck on it ever since I heard Reimei-sama talk about it. I wondered if it was
really okay to seal Meiko. And now I finally understand.”

“W-what are you talking about? Meiko is an existence formed by the crystallization of
the malice of the deadly sinners in the underworld… and we can’t just let her go
unchecked!”

Nikkaku came to his senses at Grandpa’s words and said so in a panic, but Grandpa
put on a serious expression and uttered one word that came as a shock to us all.
“Did Meiko do something wrong?”

“!”

“We knew that the creature was created by the outburst of Meiko’s power and that
Meiko herself was the culmination of the evil intentions of the dead sinners of the
underworld. But has this Meiko ever done anything wrong herself?”

“T-this is not the time to be talking about that! Do you know how dangerous the mere
appearance of the creature you just saw could be?”

“I do know that. But is sealing Meiko really the only way to stop that creature from
appearing?”

Zenovis-san opened his mouth to answer Grandpa’s question.

“Yuusuke. I know how you feel, but we’re not in that situation.”

“Hmm… if you guys are going to stand on that side, I might as well side with Meiko.”

“!?”

Grandpa’s words, delivered in such a matter-of-fact manner, left everyone speechless.

But Grandpa continued on without paying attention to them.

“Because, you know, Meiko is not doing anything wrong of her own volition. But I can’t
overlook it if you just assume that she is evil and seal her up.”

“What are you talking about? She is the fruit of the evil intentions of the deadly
sinners! Such a thing is so bad that you don’t even need to think about it──”

“Then why didn’t Meiko make her move right after the seal was lifted?”
“T-that’s…”

I couldn’t hide my upset when I heard Grandpa’s words.

Certainly, the creature that we just saw was probably created because of the overflow
of the power that came from Meiko’s seal being broken.

But it was not the will of Meiko herself.

Besides, as Grandpa said, Meiko’s seal had been broken before I came to the
underworld. And yet, the fact that the creature did not appear until just a few
moments ago suggested that Meiko was trying to stop herself from going out of control
as much as possible.

“We don’t know much about this being, and to just seal her up unconditionally is just…
It seems that Meiko hurts those around her regardless of her own will, but we don’t
know if Meiko herself is at fault or not. It’s not very nice, but I don’t think she should
be sealed under those circumstances.”

Grandpa’s figure, who told us so with a resolute attitude, had not changed at all since
he was still alive.

While I was being pressured by his imposing attitude, Zenovis-san confronted

Grandpa head-on.

“Do you understand? Yuusuke. If that creature escapes into the present world, those
without spiritual power will be overrun in an instant. Knowing that, you think you can
save them from that creature?”

“That’s what I’m saying. If there is a chance that I can save her, I will pursue it.”

“…I’m not as optimistic as you are about the slim chance of saving her. If you try to
stand in our way any longer, I will not tolerate it.”

At that moment, Zenovis-san released a pressure that almost choked us as we

watched.

But even in the face of such pressure, Grandpa did not change color.
“That’s scary. I don’t have strength like you, so I’m sure I’ll be easily defeated. Still, I
will continue to insist on this.”

“…Are you sane?”

“Of course I’m sane.”

“What makes you so stubborn?”

“I just don’t like the idea of unilaterally deciding something is evil and sealing it up.
The idea of just sealing it up and getting it over with, without considering other
options.”

“…If you can’t find a way to do that, it’s all for nothing. But you still want to persist?”

“Of course. I’ll persist even if it ends in failure or is a waste of time. Because that would
be… the human thing to do, wouldn’t it?”

“!”

Those words penetrated deep into the heart of Zenovis-san, who wished to die as a
human being.

That was why Zenovis-san’s eyes widened at Grandpa’s words.

And then──.

“Kukuku… Hahahaha! Well, that’s certainly true!”

Zenovis-san laughed out loud.

“Yes… that’s right. Humans are foolish beings, to begin with. Even though we know it
in our heads, our hearts often fail to agree with us. And then we follow our hearts and
fail. But I used to love them and think they were the way they should be… I didn’t
realize I’d forgotten that before I knew it…”

“Zenovis-san…”

Then, in a complete change of mood from earlier, Zenovis-san smiled ferociously.

“And there’s nothing that I can’t do. That’s right…”

“Hmph… that’s what it is, Zenovis.”

Grandpa and Zenovis-san laughed happily.

Seeing them, Archer-san and Kuuya-san smiled as if they knew they were in for
trouble.

“Ara ara, this is a big trouble, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. But… that’s what makes it so worthwhile!”

I heard that Archer-san and Kuuya-san were willing to help as well.

But…

“W-wait a minute! You can’t just go ahead with this on your own! We don’t have time
to waste on something we don’t even know will succeed!”

From Nikkaku’s point of view, this is a crisis in the underworld and the present world,
and he probably doesn’t have time to think about Meiko.

However, Zenovis-san had already begun to think of measures to rescue Meiko.

And I, too, had already discarded the idea of simply sealing Meiko up after hearing
Grandpa’s story.

“──Enough said, Nikkaku.”

“Re-Reimei-sama!”

Just as we and Nikkaku’s arguments were reaching a crossroads, Reimei-sama

appeared out of nowhere.

When she looked over at us, she had a sad expression on her face.

“…I’ll tell you all about it. About Meiko…”

“……”
“As you say… Meiko herself has done nothing wrong. It is merely the crystallization of
the malice of the deadly sinners in the underworld. Meiko has no will herself. And the
power that resides in her body had never been wielded by herself. She must have
known from birth that if she used her powers, the world would collapse. Despite being
born from the malice of the deadly sinners, Meiko herself was surprisingly pure and
kind. However… Regardless of Meiko’s will, the power that resides in her body goes
out of control. The result is that she continually hurts those around her, and she has
asked me to seal her up. That is how she has been sealed… for tens of thousands of
years.”

“No way…”

The reason why Meiko was sealed was because she herself wanted to be sealed.

And for an amount of time that I can’t even imagine…

After she had said all that, Reimei-sama looked us straight in the eye.

“Now that Meiko’s power is out of control, we have no time to waste. It would be next
to impossible to find any means other than sealing under such circumstances. Even
so… I still don’t want to give up on rescuing Meiko.”

For Reimei-sama, those words must have been heavier than anything else.

It was not something that could be easily spoken out because it was Reimei-sama who
bore the burden of the underworld.

Even so, Reimei-sama did speak up and said that she wanted to save Meiko.

…If that’s the case, then it’s decided what I’ll do.

Grandpa laughed gently at Reimei-sama, who was about to start crying.

“We’ll just have to dig our feet in until the end. Besides, if you see someone in
trouble──”

“──We will help them, right? Grandpa.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Hearing my words, Grandpa smiled happily.

“Reimei-sama. I don’t know how it will turn out, but… I’ll try to hold my ground and
see it through to the end.”

“…Thank you.”

I accepted his words, and we headed off to Meiko’s place.

While Yuuya was on his way to Meiko in the Underworld, Lexia and the others were
shopping on Earth.

“Hmm! After all, this world is full of all sorts of unusual things!”

“Yes, indeed. I was amazed when I came here before, but I still can’t believe it when I
see it again.”

“Unknown. I still don’t know anything about it.”

Because Lexia, Luna, and Yuti had lived in a world where magic was natural, they
couldn’t help but wonder about a world without magic and without monsters like this.

“This world is full of machines, and they help people’s lives…”

“What’s wrong?”

Luna looked around the city, then saw Lexia with a difficult look on her face and tilted
her head.

“…No, I’m thinking about how we can make use of it in our country, but I don’t know
where to start…”

“Well, the fastest way would be to develop it into a magic tool, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s true. I’m currently thinking of… the ‘smartphone’ that everyone in town has!”

“Ah… That board-like thing, huh?”

“Agreed. As I understand it, everyone has one.”

Although Yuuya does not have one, most people living in Japan have smartphones in
their hands, and Lexia and the others have often seen them operating them on the
streets.

“I’m also curious about the ‘car’ vehicle, but don’t you think it would be easier to
replicate the smartphone than the car?”

“Well, a smaller one would be less hassle than a bigger one, but… what does that thing
actually do?”

“Answer. It’s a tool for communicating with people who are far away from you.”

“What? Such a valuable thing so easily…”

In the other world, the means of communicating with distant people are greatly
limited, so the fact that such means are widely available to the public was a shock to
them.

In the other world, if there was a tool that could easily communicate with distant
places, there was no doubt that it alone would create a great change.

“Well, it seems to have many other functions, but that’s still what I’m interested in. It
would be best if we could figure out the principles behind it, but I don’t know if I can
be technical enough to understand it.”

“Neither do I…”

“That being said, we can’t invite people from the other world to come here, so it’s not
easy.”

In the beginning, Lexia’s goal was to somehow avoid admission to the Aurelia
Academy.

She thought that if she could study abroad at Yuuya’s school, she could be with Yuuya
and also avoid admission to Aurelia Academy, but her ostensible reason was to bring
back Earth technology.

Lexia, who was hoping to make life a little more comfortable for the citizens of the
Kingdom of Arcelia, was unconsciously carrying out her ostensible goal of bringing
back Earth’s technology.

Luna noticed such thoughts of Lexia and gave a small laugh.

“Fuh… As expected.”

“Hmm? Luna, what’s wrong?”

“It is nothing.”

“Hmm? Well, okay! We don’t know much about this world yet. We’re going to have a
look around!”

“Yes, yes, princess.”

And so the three of them continued to enjoy the Earth to the fullest.

＊＊＊

When Nikaku took us to Meiko, we found that the place was overflowing with the
creatures that had just attacked us previously, and the onis were struggling against
them.

“There are already so many monsters…”

“You were right to leave Yuunosuke behind.”

As Zenovis-san said, I asked Grandpa to stay where we were training.

The reason being was that as long as we were going to Meiko, there was no doubt that
it would be a fierce battle, and it would be dangerous for Grandpa, who didn’t have the
strength to fight.

Grandpa was worried about Meiko and wanted to come with us at first, but Zenovis-
san convinced him to entrust us with taking care of Meiko.
So the four of us… Me, Zenovis-san, Archer-san, and Kuuya-san were going into
battle…

When I looked closely, in the center of the battlefield where monsters were being
created one after another, I saw a woman releasing a dark mystical power like a raging
storm.

Is that Meiko…!?

“Ugh… Aaaaahhhh!”

Meiko groaned, shaking her long black hair as if she was desperately trying to
suppress her own power.

And every time she cried out, her voice was imbued with a spiritual power that caused
cracks to appear here and there in the underworld.

“Let’s get rid of those monsters first…”

“Alright, Onee-san will do her best!”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a rampage.”

The three of them are walking forward without any signs of being particularly nervous
in the face of the rampaging monsters.

And then──.

“Go away.”

Zenovis-san randomly swung the sword he created with his spiritual power, and with
that alone, many of the monsters were instantly cut down!
T-that’s a lie, isn’t it? He must have swung it only once, but how could it be cut into
such tiny pieces?

“──[Meteor Shower].”

Archer-san released the same ‘Bow Saint’ skill as Yuti.

The power of the arrows, however, seemed to be more than twice as powerful as Yuti’s.
The arrows produced by the spiritual power shot through the monster’s head one
after the other.

“[Spirit Ball].”

Kuuya-san spread out his hands, and a spherical mass of spiritual power appeared
there, which split apart all at once into smaller orbs.

“Now, perish!”

And then they flew toward the monster like a machine gun, annihilating it rapidly.

As I was appalled by the tremendous fighting power of the three of them, Zenovis-san
turned his gaze toward me.

“Now, Yuuya. Leave this to us, and you take care of Meiko.”

“Huh! I understand!”

I left the monsters in the hands of Zenovis-san and the others and pushed on.

I had actually discussed what to do about Meiko with the four of them before we got
here, and I had come up with a plan, and I was going to execute it.
As I approached Meiko, more and more monsters were being created, and I kept
pushing forward, cutting them down with my [Omni-Sword], which I had covered
with spiritual power.

I finally got close to Meiko and took out a certain item from my item box.

“How about this?”

What I took out was the──[Gluttonous Vacuum Cleaner], an item that had sucked
in the beam cannon that was once released from a Dragonian spacecraft.

This vacuum cleaner had the ability to suck up anything the user considered as trash.

That is, it can suck in anything except living organisms. In other words, it should be
able to be used for the spiritual power, the power of death.

It was a gamble, but I turned on the vacuum cleaner as if praying.

Then, as if my prayer had been answered, the vacuum cleaner began to suck up all the
spiritual power that was floating around Meiko!

“G-good! At this rate…!”

As the vacuum cleaner sucked in more and more power, Meiko, who had been
suffering so much, turned her head to look at me, stunned.

“Y… you are…”

“I’m absorbing your power right now! If I can absorb all of it, I’m sure your outburst
will subside…”

For a moment, hope flashed in Meiko’s eyes as she listened to my words, but then a
sad expression quickly appeared on her face.

“T-that’s… No, i-it’s impossible…! Please seal me up… I don’t want to hurt anyone
anymore…! I-if only I weren’t here, I wouldn’t have to hurt anyone… if only I weren’t
here…!”

A cry from the depths of her heart.

Meiko, who possessed the power to cause harm to those around her against her own
will, must be despairing of her own existence.

…In the past, I, too, was mistreated by those around me even if I did nothing, and I
used to think that it was my own fault.

I thought that my existence was making everyone uncomfortable…

In fact, my parents hated me.

So many times I wanted to disappear, but… only my grandfather accepted me.

That’s why I──.

“No matter what you say, I… we won’t give up! We will fight to the bitter end! So don’t
you give up either!”

“Why… why would you do that for me…?”

For Meiko to hear such a thing from me, someone she has never met before, would be
nothing but bewilderment.

I just couldn’t believe it was someone else’s problem when I heard the true story of
Meiko from Reimei-sama.

And besides…

“Reimei-sama wants you to be free!”

“……!”

At those words, Meiko’s eyes widened.

“A… am I… allowed to be free too…?”

“That’s obvious…!”
I said, moving the vacuum cleaner while dealing with the monster that attacked me.

But… just how much more of this spiritual power would continue to overflow…!?

As long as the vacuum cleaner was working, I just had to keep fighting the monsters
until this vacuum cleaner absorbed all the spiritual power.

And if I keep going like this, I’ll be able to absorb all of Meiko’s power… Or so I thought.

“!? A-ah… N-no… it overflowed again… Aaaaaaahhhh!”

“Wha-!?”

The spiritual power overflowing from Meiko’s body became even more intense and
erupted with more force as if she was fighting against the vacuum cleaner with all her
power.

As a result, the vacuum cleaner could no longer keep up with the speed at which it was
absorbing the overflowing power, and finally, it overheated and stopped!

“Oh no!”

“Ugh… Aaaaaaaaahhhh!”

“Kuh!”

With the vacuum cleaner stopped, there was nothing to stop the momentum. Meiko’s
spiritual power came forth with the greatest force ever and attacked me.

“Yuuya!”

“No way! At this rate, all of us will be swallowed up by her power!”

The wave of Meiko’s power did not only attack us, but it also created a new wave of
monsters, and they too, attacked us.

What to do… What should I do…!?

Is there no other way but to give up here and seal up Meiko…!?

When I thought about it… I remembered something.

…I don’t know what will happen, but… this is the only way…!

I stopped resisting in the face of Meiko’s spiritual power and opened my arms as if to
embrace it.

“Yuuya-chan! What are you doing?”

“Yuuya! Get out of here!”

While Zenovis-san and the others were shouting that, only Kuuya-san noticed my
intention.

“Don’t tell me you’re…! No, Yuuya! That method is…!”

What I was going to do was… accept all of Meiko’s spiritual power into my body.

This is the method that Kuuya-san had taught me before as a way to increase my own
spiritual power.

But this method was said to be very dangerous.

Still… if there is even the slightest possibility, I would like to take a chance on it…!

“Uooooooooooooohhh!”

I was swallowed up by Meiko’s spiritual power.

Even in such a situation, my body accepted and absorbed Meiko’s spiritual power.

However, unimaginable pain struck me.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

It was as if my entire body was being devoured from the inside out.
In addition, the dark feelings and evil intentions of the sinners in the underworld were
also invading my mentality.

Certainly… this is painful.

Still, compared to what Meiko had endured until now…!

It was a battle of willpower and guts from here on out.

With the intention of absolutely saving Meiko, I just keep on absorbing Meiko’s
spiritual power.

I wonder how much time has passed since then.

The wave of overflowing power from Meiko finally stopped.

“R-really… my spiritual power is…?”

“Hah… hah… I’m glad I managed it──”

“Ah!”

My vision blacked out like a broken thread from the relief that I had managed,
although I thought I would never make it if I collapsed.

“──Good grief, you are so reckless. But… well done.”

And just before I lost consciousness, I heard such a voice as someone held me up.
──Several days had passed since Meiko was released.

The underworld had been devastated by Meiko’s overflowing spiritual power, and
there was a flurry of work to repair the damage.

At the same time, while we were dealing with Meiko, Reimei-sama was able to
reestablish the boundary with the present world, so it seems that no more demons
will appear in the present world.

However, it seems that Reimei-sama and the others cannot directly go to the present
world to deal with the demons that had already escaped, and those demons could only
be dealt with by people like me in the present world who possessed spiritual power.

Since demons could harm people and damage things if left unchecked, they cannot be
left unattended and… must somehow be found and defeated.

Also, Reimei-sama said that only the boundary between the present world and this
underworld could be restored and that other boundaries with other worlds that have
disappeared could not be restored… but to be honest, I didn’t really understand that
part of it. What are the boundaries with other worlds…? And I also didn’t really
understand what would happen if those boundaries disappeared.

At any rate, peace has finally come to the underworld, and there have been major
changes for me as well.

One of them is──.

“Master. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“U-um, it’s okay… Meiko.”

──Surprisingly, I had absorbed all of Meiko’s spiritual power, and she had become my
subordinate.

I didn’t understand the meaning at first, but it seems to be similar to the so-called
tamers in the other world, and it seemed that by accepting all of Meiko’s spiritual
power, a soul connection was created between Meiko and me, and she was tamed by
me.

I immediately tried to free her, but I changed my mind because I knew that if I did so,
the power I had accepted might return to Meiko.

And then, the very same Meiko insisted on making me her master and tries to devote
herself to me while dressed as a maid.
But when I asked her why she dressed as a maid, she said──.

“Is it… strange? I was taught that a servant is supposed to dress like this…”

“H-hmm… I guess you’re right but also wrong… Where did that perception come from
in the first place…?”

“…As you know, Master, I was born from the negative side of the great sinners trapped
in this underworld. And the knowledge I possess was also obtained from the souls of
those sinners. Therefore, I think that this current knowledge also came from one of
the deadly sinners from whom I was born… This is the underworld──the Maid of the
Underworld… Doesn’t that sound perfect to me?”

“I don’t think that’s how the word ‘maid’ came about…”

What kind of a great sinner would have such biased knowledge of maids in the first
place… and it’s too silly…

Putting that aside, Meiko seemed to like the way maids dressed and the way they acted
as well.

I told her softly that it was fine, but I didn’t think it was right for her to serve me, and
I didn’t feel comfortable, so I asked her if she could stop, but…

“Understood. If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

…Like this, she shows no sign of stopping at all. Well, maybe it’s my fault for not
stopping her earlier.

But, in this way, Meiko was released from the seal and became free. I’d like for her to
do what she wants and… well, all I can do is be patient.

At any rate, Meiko no longer needs to be sealed.

And the other big change is… about my spiritual power.

I absorbed Meiko’s spiritual power in a way that Kuuya-san prohibited me from doing,
and if I hadn’t been able to absorb it fully, my body would have exploded.

But as it turned out, I had succeeded in taking on all of Meiko’s spiritual power.
I later heard from Kuuya-san why I was able to do this, and it seems that even before
I leveled up in the other world, I was already a world-class holder of spiritual power,
but after I leveled up and my body changed, I became an even more excellent reservoir
of spiritual power.

However, since Meiko’s spiritual power was originally born from the malice of the
great sinners, it should have had some effect on me if I accepted it normally, but… I
was able to manage that as well.

I originally had a similar power called ‘Evil’ in my body, and thanks to the fact that I
was able to control it, I was able to control Meiko’s negative power with relative ease.

I had fainted right after freeing Meiko from the burden of the spiritual power, but in
the past few days, my body and mind have recovered, and I have completed everything
I needed to do in the underworld.

…In other words, it is time to say goodbye to everyone in the underworld.

Ikkaku-san made a black vortex appear, just as he did when I arrived in the
underworld.

If I dive through this vortex, I will be able to return to my home.

Not only Zenovis-san and the others, but even Reimei-sama came to see me off.

“Yuuya. This was our second time fighting together, and it was a lot of fun.”

“I’m glad to have met you too, Yuuya-chan. Please take good care of Yuti from now on.”

“This is the last time I can be with you… But I still haven’t taught you about sorcery
yet. Please ask me in the present world about it.”

As I exchanged farewells with each of them, Reimei-sama approached me.

“Reimei-sama!”

“Yuuya. You really have… saved me. I almost made her… lonely again.”

“Reimei-sama…”
Reimei-sama looked at Meiko, who was standing behind me, and then they smiled
softly at each other.

“Yuuya. Please take care of Meiko, okay?”

“Yes!”

I finished greeting Reimei-sama and turned to face Grandpa for the last time.

“…Grandpa.”

“Yuuya. Even though it was only for a short time, I was happy to be able to spend time
with you again like this. More importantly, Yuuya grew up to be very honest. That
alone is enough for me.”

Seeing Grandpa with a radiant smile on his face, I just didn’t want to leave him… I
thought.

But…

“…I’m still inexperienced in everything, but… I’ll do my best from now on.”

“It’s okay. You can do anything you want. Don’t be in a hurry. Take your own pace.”

“…Yes!”

I stood in front of the black vortex with my grandfather’s words engraved in my heart
once again.

And then──.

“Goodbye, everyone!”

──I dove through the vortex in front of me and returned to my home.

＊＊＊
──When Yuya was undergoing training in the underworld.

The influence by the soul of the false god had spread far beyond the underworld where
Yuuya was.

The soul of the false god had annihilated the boundaries between various worlds, in
addition to the boundary between the underworld and the present world where
Yuuya was.

And this time, thanks to Yuuya’s cooperation, the crisis in the underworld controlled
by Reimei was resolved, but there was nothing Reimei could do about the effects that
had spread to the other worlds.

Reimei was only the master of one underworld and did not control the time axis or
the parallel worlds.

The boundary between the underworld and the present world, where Yuuya was, had
been restored, but there were still many problems to be solved.

“──That world, if we don’t take it over…”

──And that problem was steadily approaching Yuuya and the others.

＊＊＊

Meanwhile, at school…

“Listen up, everyone! The stage has been decided!”

Kitaraku said happily in front of the student council officers.

The officers’ eyes were all dazzled by his words, but Nekota was the first among them
to come to her senses.

“Huh? The stage? W-what are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about, huh? Of course, it’s about the school idols.”

“Huh? Didn’t we just decide on the members the other day? How can you be so sure
that the stage has already been decided?”

“A-as expected, I think it’s a little too early to say… We haven’t even decided on the
costumes or songs yet, have we…?”

“It’s okay! We’ll do something about that!”

“Can you please stop involving us so casually?”

No matter how much Nekota complained, as long as Kitaraku had made the decision,
it was almost a given that the student council would be pushed towards dealing with
these things.

However…

“Let’s say we could arrange costumes and songs by the time the stage is set up. Even
so! Even if we could arrange the costumes and songs before the stage, the idols would
still have to sing and dance on stage, right? Do you really think the idols who have
agreed to participate in this event will be able to prepare so quickly?”

“That’s where those girls will take care of it.”

“And yet another victim…”

Everyone was getting more and more overwhelmed by Kitaraku’s momentum.

The one at the center of the commotion, Kitaraku, just laughed happily.

“It’s alright; it’s alright! The stage is still a long way off, even though it’s been decided!
We’ll just have to make it work by then!”

“Huh… are you sure everything is going to be okay…?”

Despite Nekota’s anxiety, Kitaraku is extremely optimistic.

Thus, even at Ousei Academy, it was only a matter of time before Yuuya would be
assigned the ridiculous task of being in charge of the school idol project──.
Thank you for picking up this work.

I am the author, Miku.

This is the 12th volume, and we have finally revealed the [spiritual power] that was
hidden in Yuuya’s body.

Along with this, the ancestor Kuuya, who had appeared in the Kakuyomu arc, also
made his appearance.

In addition, many new characters appeared in this volume, including Reimei, Meiko,
and the student council president, Kitaraku.

I had been vaguely thinking about writing a story about the underworld for some time,
so I am glad that I was able to give it shape this time.

Also, Lexia and the others have started their lives at Ousei Academy, and on top of that,
with the addition of another new event, School Idol, it looks like their school life will
be even more lively than before.

However, there are also some disturbing signs approaching, and it seems that…
Yuuya’s daily life is going to be busy.

But I don’t know what will happen from now on either.

I look forward to seeing Yuuya’s future activities with you all.

And with the release of this volume, a spin-off, Girls’ Side, will also be released.
This one features Lexia and Luna as the main characters, and there are also a number
of new characters.

I have read the book myself and enjoyed it very much. I am already looking forward to
the next story.

It is very interesting, and I hope you will read it as well.

Now, I would like to thank the editor in charge for his great help again.

Reine Kuwashima-sama, who always draws cool illustrations.

And to all the readers of this work, I would like to express my sincere appreciation.

Thank you very much.

See you soon.