Chapter 170: Mitogawa Kazuhiro
"I feel like a lunatic…"
After leaving Mitsuko Yotsuya's house, Hachiman Hikigaya sneaked over near Yuigahama's home.
After dealing with a few wandering evil spirits and putting a layer of defensive spells around the Yuigahama residence, Hachiman was now on his way to Yukinoshita Yukino's apartment.
The inexplicable psychic impression had driven him to take actions that would seem utterly absurd to ordinary people. Even he himself felt that what he was doing might be pointless.
How could Komachi, Mitsuko, and Yukino all be in danger at the same time?
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Yukino Yukinoshita's apartment
After some sisterly tussling, Haruno got up, refreshed after a shower, and was now sitting on the sofa in her nightgown. Beside her, Yukino sat with a cold expression, reviewing her textbooks for tomorrow's exam.
"Don't be mad, Yukino~"
Seeing her sister ignoring her, Haruno tried to act cute and clingy.
"Since you drank this afternoon, I'll let it slide. Now I need to study. Please don't disturb me."
Yukino's cold tone made it clear that she wanted to study.
"Hmm… rare for us sisters to gather, and you're reading…"
Haruno pretended to wipe nonexistent tears. She knew Yukino had an exam tomorrow, so after a little staged whining, she went to the balcony, lay on the chair, and enjoyed the night view, leaving the living room entirely for Yukino to study.
Along the way, she took calls from her mother urging her to come home and subordinates reporting task updates.
When Haruno turned to tell her sister that she probably couldn't sleep with her tonight, she noticed that Yukino, who was supposed to be studying in the living room, was now at the entrance, putting on shoes to go out!
"Yukino, where are you going?"
"Going downstairs for a walk…"
Yukino held the phone, not even blinking as she lied.
"Is that so? Then I'll go with you."
Haruno gave her a meaningful look and proposed to accompany her.
"No, I want to go alone…"
Yukino quickly refused Haruno's offer, and without waiting for her to say more, she left after putting on her shoes.
Something's wrong!
Seeing Yukino's departing figure, Haruno immediately sensed something was off. Yukino had never gone for a walk at night, and if she were going, would she need a light makeup touch-up?
Without hesitation, Haruno hurriedly changed into casual clothes, threw on a coat, and chased after her.
However, just as she took the elevator down to the first floor, she ran into Yukino returning.
"Sister?"
Yukino froze in the elevator, quickly realizing Haruno had followed her. Her expression darkened immediately.
"Don't misunderstand, I just wanted to catch up and tell you I'm leaving…"
Haruno hadn't expected Yukino to return so quickly. Even if she had gone for a walk, it wouldn't have been that fast.
"You're leaving?"
A faint reluctance crossed Yukino's face but was quickly masked.
"Yes, Mother called me to come back…"
Haruno explained her sudden departure with a bitter smile while observing Yukino. Soon, she noticed a change—an exquisite necklace had quietly appeared on her sister's pale neck.
"Is that so? Be careful on your way back tonight…"
Sensing Haruno's gaze, Yukino quickly covered the necklace with her hand. But the action only confirmed Haruno's suspicions.
"When the time is right, introduce me, okay?"
Smiling, Haruno exited the elevator, swapping places with her sister.
"Introduce to who?"
Yukino tried to argue, but the closing elevator doors cut her off. Through the reflection, she looked at the necklace on her neck, feeling a little pleased but also slightly annoyed at Hachiman Hikigaya. He came all the way at night just to give her a necklace?
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"Should I make another run to Kawasaki?"
Looking at the time on his phone, Hachiman hesitated. Urgency urged him to move to the target location immediately—any delay might cause unpredictable events.
But Kawasaki Saki had no protective measures at all. If she got caught up in this…
"Good evening, Exorcist-sama~"
A blue butterfly quietly appeared beside Hachiman.
Along with it, a boy who looked like a middle schooler appeared.
"Who are you?!"
The sudden appearance made Hachiman immediately wary. However, the system didn't identify the boy as an evil spirit, easing his tension slightly.
"My name is Kazuhiro Mitogawa, head of the Mitogawa family, a spiritualist family. I happened to pass by and saw you looking troubled, so I came to see if you needed help…"
Though young, Kazuhiro Mitogawa carried himself with the etiquette befitting the head of a family.
Hachiman felt oddly like he was conversing with an adult, not a boy.
"How do you know my identity?"
The boy's youth didn't ease Hachiman's suspicions; if anything, it made him more cautious. Only a very few knew of his exorcist identity.
"Haha, you jest. Your exorcism activity in Chiba is quite frequent. Most of the spirits you've slain are S-class… If we couldn't notice that, we'd be utterly incompetent, wouldn't we?"
Kazuhiro's explanation eased one layer of Hachiman's doubts.
Indeed, as the largest public organization in Japan, it was unrealistic to think they could completely disappear from the higher-ups' notice, even with Shizuka Hiratsuka's help.
"So, did you run into trouble? If so, I'm willing to help share the burden…"
Seeing Hachiman relax slightly, Kazuhiro continued.
"Why are you helping me?"
Hachiman remained cautious.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Kazuhiro smiled wryly.
"When a prominent figure faces hardship, seizing the chance to offer help can lead to great fortune… The Mitogawa family is just a minor spiritualist family. Naturally, I'll seize every chance to curry favor with you."
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