Chapter 171: Tomorrow and Surprises Always Come
"Is that so? Thank you very much, but I really don't have anything that needs help."
Hearing Kazuhiro Mitogawa's rather reasonable explanation, Hikigaya Hachiman nodded, but he didn't let down his guard.
Indeed, entrusting Kawasaki Saki's safety to Kazuhiro might work. But in doing so, Kawasaki Saki—who might not have been under Kazuhiro's attention—could now be placed under surveillance.
Therefore, no matter what, he could not ask Kazuhiro to find Kawasaki Saki.
"I see. Well, if that's the case, I'll be going then..."
Mitogawa's face showed a trace of disappointment at Hikigaya Hachiman's words, as if lamenting that he couldn't latch onto Hachiman's "line."
Watching Mitogawa's figure recede, Hachiman hesitated but eventually gritted his teeth and gave up on going after Kawasaki Saki, heading instead toward the place that had been mysteriously calling to him.
Shortly after Hachiman left, accompanied by a blue butterfly flying by, Mitogawa Kazuhiro's figure reappeared at the spot he had just stood.
"You're quite cautious, huh? But I wasn't really targeting you anyway..."
He knew exactly who could be provoked and who couldn't—even with the large Killing Stone he possessed, Mitogawa Kazuhiro was very aware of limits.
Encountering Hachiman today and exchanging greetings was purely out of fleeting interest. After all, this was the legendary Exorcist.
"Speaking of which, the fish have already bitten."
Noticing that the four evil spirits he had set up had already been dealt with, Mitogawa turned his gaze toward Komachi's middle school.
Hopefully, he won't ruin my plan...
A flicker of Hachiman's face crossed his mind, frowning slightly, then his body transformed into a swarm of blue butterflies and disappeared once again.
Unaware that he had just come face-to-face with a behind-the-scenes "big boss," Hachiman now stood in front of an unfamiliar apartment building.
Looking at the building, he knew for certain he had never been here before. Yet somehow, he felt that he had to come here tonight.
The building's doors were unlocked, allowing him to enter easily.
Stepping into the elevator, he pressed 18 on instinct, took a deep breath, and prepared himself. Although he didn't know what he would face, it was always better to be prepared.
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"Two special-grade together as a group, four groups to capture the four women around Hikigaya Hachiman, then one of the remaining general-grade spirits should take the remaining special-grade and grab his sister while I'm dealing with that guy, got it?"
In Room 1806, Inoue Yasutaka surveyed all the special-grade and higher evil spirits he had summoned tonight, assigning them their tasks.
Beside the sofa, Miura Yumiko stood silently, expressionless like a doll.
"Honestly, I was planning to use you to mess with that guy..."
After distributing the tasks, Inoue Yasutaka approached Miura Yumiko, lifted her chin, and sighed.
According to his original plan, he would slowly gain Miura Yumiko's trust, implant commands in her subconscious, create friction with Hikigaya Hachiman via Yui Yuigahama, and thereby increase interaction opportunities.
Then, he would seize an "accidental" chance to let Hachiman consume a poisoned item through Yui Yuigahama, put Miura Yumiko in danger, and force Hachiman to rescue her.
At that moment, he would strike down Hachiman decisively.
Of course, if he failed the instant kill, he would attack together with the remaining five general-grade evil spirits. Meanwhile, the other special-grade spirits would kidnap Yotsuya Miko and the others to distract Hachiman...
But plans cannot keep up with changes.
Unfortunately, Inoue Yasutaka's situation was collapsing. His subordinates had suffered heavy casualties, he had been injured by the Exorcist, and a neighboring middle school's demon king was now targeting his location.
Because both demon kings belonged to the same Demon Emperor, the higher-ups were not planning to intervene in this trivial matter.
Fighting a peak-condition demon king? Inoue Yasutaka knew he couldn't win.
Giving up the territory quietly was also not an option.
So the only thing left for Inoue Yasutaka was to execute his plan: eliminate Hikigaya Hachiman.
Even if the Exorcist didn't keep his promise, killing an Exorcist would earn Yasutaka merit, granting him access to the Otherworld, protected by the Three Demon Gods.
"Since it's useless anyway..."
His hand brushed across Miura Yumiko's face, his eyes flashing with cruelty.
A little appetizer before the main plan begins isn't a bad idea.
Yet just as he was about to act, the doorbell rang.
"?"
Before Yasutaka and the evil spirits could react, the front door was flung open.
Immediately, a golden magic array enveloped the entire room!
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One minute earlier.
Hachiman had just stepped out of the elevator when the system alerts kept sounding.
"Detected one Demon King-class evil spirit, host please be careful!" "Detected five general-grade evil spirits..." "Detected eleven special-grade evil spirits..." "..."
Honestly, Hachiman was stunned hearing the alerts.
Had he just arrived at the Chiba evil spirit's nest?
But then he realized: this was a perfect opportunity to wipe out all the spirits.
General-grade and special-grade evil spirits posed little threat to him now; the real target was the Demon King.
"If I take out all these spirits, Komachi and the others will be completely safe..."
Recalling the system-issued title "Protector of Chiba," Hachiman summoned his Demon-Slaying blade.
Tonight was the perfect opportunity to complete the task!
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Back to the present.
Inoue Yasutaka looked at Hikigaya Hachiman appearing at the door with a mixture of rage and disbelief.
Why is this guy here?
But it didn't matter anymore.
Seeing himself enveloped by the magic array, Yasutaka realized one thing: tonight, only one side would walk out alive.
"Attack!"
Without hesitation, he waved his hand, signaling his evil spirits to act as cannon fodder to wear down Hachiman's strength.
At the same time, he gathered black mist into his palms, clearly preparing a powerful spell.
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