Chapter 184: Going Out with Friends in the Afternoon
"Kagura, are you okay?"
During the break of the first period in the afternoon, Komachi looked at Tsuchimiya Kagura, who had just returned and was slumped over the desk looking listless, and asked with concern.
"I-I'm fine…"
Tsuchimiya Kagura, pale-faced, lifted her head and forced a faint smile. Then she rested her head on the desk again.
No sooner had she closed her eyes than the images of the corpses lying on the ground last night flashed through her mind.
Kagura quickly opened her eyes, a cold sweat breaking out on her back.
"Still can't let it go, huh?"
Wiping the cold sweat off her forehead with a handkerchief, Kagura bitterly smiled.
Even though she knew that the people she had slain were already dead, and what she had actually cut down were just the bodies controlled by evil spirits.
But having encountered such a situation for the first time, she still couldn't come to terms with it quickly…
"Was Yomi the same when she first went through this?"
Unconsciously, Kagura recalled how calm Isayama Yomi had been last night when facing that group of corpses already possessed by evil spirits.
To be able to remain so indifferent, she must have gone through this countless times before, right?
"Hey, Kagura, are you listening to me?"
While thinking this, Komachi's voice suddenly appeared beside her.
She looked up.
Komachi had her hands on her hips, looking down at her with a face full of helplessness.
"Sorry, Komachi, I got distracted just now… Could you say that again?"
"I was asking if you want to go out this afternoon? You look really tense…"
Repeating what she had just said, Komachi stared at Kagura's trembling hands, waiting for her response.
She had skipped class in the morning, and now, having returned in the afternoon, she looked absent-minded.
If she didn't resolve this mental knot and let her naturally come out of it, nobody knew how long it would take.
Komachi had finally gained a close friend, and she didn't want to see Kagura sink into despair like this.
"If school ends, I still have to…"
Hearing Komachi's invitation, Kagura instinctively wanted to refuse.
After all, she wasn't an ordinary middle school student.
Having already joined the Special Department of the Ministry, she had to remain on standby after school, ready for missions at any time.
But Kagura suddenly remembered that, considering her situation after completing last night's mission, the section chief had told her to take a proper break and relax for a couple of days.
"Of course!"
Nodding, Kagura accepted Komachi's invitation to go out together after school.
"OK~ In that case, I need to let my brother know in advance…"
Saying this, Komachi took out her phone, edited a message, and sent it to Hachiman Hikigaya.
"Ah, I also have to tell Yomi…"
Prompted by Komachi, Kagura also took out her phone and sent a message to Isayama Yomi.
Almost at the same time, in their respective high schools, Hachiman Hikigaya and Isayama Yomi, both bored and staring at their desks, heard their phones vibrate.
"Going out with friends this afternoon?!" ×2
Seeing the message from his little sister/Kagura, both Hachiman Hikigaya and Isayama Yomi were shocked.
"Well, going out with friends is indeed a good way to relax…"
After a moment of surprise, Isayama Yomi felt relieved.
Yesterday, she hadn't expected a B-class mission to suddenly escalate to A-class, and then encounter such a situation.
On Hachiman Hikigaya's side, however, he frowned.
"Could it be that something happened to Komachi's friend, and she needs comfort?"
After all, after school, Komachi usually went straight home.
Going out with friends was an activity reserved for holidays.
If she was breaking her usual schedule, it could only mean something had happened on her friend's side.
"Don't come back too late…"
After replying with a single sentence, Hachiman Hikigaya put his phone back on the desk.
Afternoon, after school
Hachiman Hikigaya was about to head to the Service Club when he received news that today's Service Club activity with Yukinoshita had been canceled.
Shrugging helplessly, he picked up his packed schoolbag and left the school.
Knowing that Komachi would be going out with a friend in the afternoon, Hachiman Hikigaya wasn't in a hurry to return home and walked slowly along the road.
"Eh?"
Passing through a small alley in the shopping street, Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly stopped.
Looking into the alley, several evil spirits were fighting each other.
But one of the evil spirits was clearly stronger than the others and, if nothing unexpected happened, would win in the end.
As it turned out, Hachiman Hikigaya's prediction was correct.
After standing at the alley entrance for a few minutes, the evil spirit he had favored suddenly lunged and tore the weakest one in half, swallowing it.
Its body then seemed to grow larger and stronger…
It grabbed another evil spirit and put it in its mouth.
Its size changed further…
At this moment, the remaining evil spirits clearly sensed danger.
Panicking, they tried to escape, but long tentacles grew from the body of the spirit that had devoured two others, catching all the fleeing spirits and tossing them into its mouth to chew.
At that moment, the evil spirit noticed Hachiman Hikigaya's gaze.
"Intermediate-level evil spirit detected…"
A system notification sounded in his mind. Hachiman Hikigaya expressionlessly looked at the evil spirit in front of him, which looked formidable but was actually only intermediate-level, thinking about the scene of the spirits devouring each other.
"Roar!"
With a deafening roar, the evil spirit suddenly lunged at Hachiman Hikigaya.
Although it understood nothing, instinct told it that if it devoured this human, it would evolve to a higher level.
A flash of cold light passed in front of the evil spirit.
Sheathing the Demon slayer Sword, Hachiman Hikigaya walked out of the alley without looking back.
Accompanied by the notification of 200 spirit coins being credited, the body of the evil spirit collapsed and dissipated into black smoke in the air…
"Was that a coincidence, or did I overlook something before?"
Walking home, Hachiman Hikigaya frowned, recalling the previous event.
He didn't care about an intermediate-level evil spirit.
But what if it had been a General or King-level spirit?
Does this type of devouring and evolution have a limit?
Or, as long as it keeps consuming, can it evolve indefinitely?
For a moment, many thoughts ran through Hachiman Hikigaya's mind.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from a nearby store.
Hachiman Hikigaya stopped in time and stepped back to avoid a collision.
But the person who dashed out wasn't so lucky.
With a low cry, she fell heavily to the ground.
"Isayama-san?"
Looking at Isayama Yomi, whom he had only seen on Saturday, Hachiman Hikigaya called out in confusion.
She should be in Tokyo; how could she appear in Chiba at this time?
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