After discussing these matters, Kotoha and Kai took their leave.
It was then that Miko arrived at the shrine. She was wearing a light blue dress, looking exceptionally pure and lovely.
"Aosora-sama, it's been a long time."
Upon seeing the shrine, tattered and worn as if it had undergone a fierce battle, Miko was stunned. Her initial nervousness was significantly diluted by the shock.
"What happened here?"
The main hall of the shrine had collapsed, the ground was riddled with cracks, and piles of items were strewn everywhere. Inside the wreckage, a cat as fat as a pig was rooting around.
Further off in the shade of a tree, a canine creature she had never seen before lay on the ground, with a small fox curled into a ball resting on top of it.
"Don't mind it. This place was too old, so I'm preparing to rebuild the shrine."
Miko withdrew her gaze. Recalling the previous state of the shrine, she nodded in deep agreement. "It certainly was time for a rebuild."
"However, because of this, your work as a shrine maiden will have to be pushed back a bit."
'Thank goodness!' Miko breathed a private sigh of relief. Being a shrine maiden was a daunting prospect for her.
"So, next up is teaching you how to become a qualified exorcist."
"Eh? So soon? Right here?" Miko looked around; there wasn't even a place to sit.
"Hmm, this place is indeed a bit inconvenient." Aomori quickly thought of a better location and called out to Pidgeot.
Pidgeot loved flying about aimlessly. It seemed a bit unwilling to accept its previous loss in a race and had been practicing its flight maneuvers relentlessly. Hearing Aomori's summons, it immediately descended from the clouds and landed at the shrine.
"So big!" This was the first time Miko had seen such a massive bird; it was surely larger than an elephant.
'Is this one also Aosora-sama's companion?'
As Pidgeot's wings kicked up a powerful gust of wind, she used both hands to press down the hem of her skirt.
"This is Pidgeot, and over there is Absol. Like Darkrai, they are both my companions," Aomori introduced.
"Hello, I am Miko," she said, bowing toward Pidgeot.
"Pijo!" The bird glanced at her and gave a slight nod.
"Um?" Miko didn't understand what Pidgeot said and looked toward Aomori.
"Heh, he's saying hello. It seems he quite likes you."
"Really? That's wonderful." Miko was overjoyed. She suddenly pointed at Nyanko-sensei in the pile of gifts and asked, "What about him?"
"Him? That's a Daiyokai called Pig-Cat. Don't let his appearance fool you; he's actually quite fierce."
"Pig-Cat? Is there really a Yokai like that?" Miko's horizons were broadened, but after looking closely at the portly figure, she felt the name was quite fitting.
"This great one is not a Pig-Cat!" Nyanko-sensei snapped without even raising his head, grumbling under his breath.
"Ah?" Miko was dumbfounded. This cat actually spoke; it really was a Yokai.
"Nyanko, we are going to town. Do you want to come along?" Aomori asked.
"No, no! I'm going to stay in this paradise until the end of time." Nyanko-sensei dived straight into the pile of gifts until Miko could no longer see him.
Soon after, the sound of munching could be heard.
"Forget him then, let's go." Aomori hopped onto Pidgeot's back first, then used Psychokinesis to pull Miko up.
"Wait a second, are we really going to ride on him?" Miko sat behind Aomori in a "duck sit" posture, feeling a sense of foreboding.
"Correct. Remember to hold on tight."
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Before Miko could prepare herself, Pidgeot flapped its massive wings and soared directly into the sky, punching through the clouds.
"Ah!" The sudden sensation of G-force made Miko cry out, and she instinctively threw her arms around Aomori.
Only when Pidgeot leveled out into a stable flight above the clouds did Miko dare to open her eyes. Seeing the azure sky and the mist passing by, her fear instantly vanished, replaced by an indescribable sense of wonder.
"It's so beautiful."
If Hana were here, she would definitely be snapping away with her camera.
This truly was a memorable experience.
Sensing Miko's inner excitement, Aomori gave Pidgeot a gentle pat.
Pidgeot understood, flying even more smoothly and even making a few extra loops.
Ten minutes later, they landed on the rooftop of a school building.
Since it was Sunday, no one was at school. Aomori led Miko off the roof with confidence and walked into a random classroom.
"Alright, Miko, class is about to start. Please return to your seat." Aomori immediately entered character, playing the role of a teacher.
"Yes, Sensei." Miko's reaction wasn't slow either; she responded perfectly and sat in the front row.
"Today's lecture is on how to become a qualified exorcist. Of course, this course might be a bit difficult for a student like Miko who has zero foundation, but if you listen carefully, you will have the ability to graduate," Aomori said with a straight face. His imitation of the tone was so life-like that Miko almost believed he really was a teacher.
"Mhm, I will listen very carefully," Miko said seriously.
Unfortunately, she hadn't brought a pen or paper, so she took out her phone, intending to record the lecture.
Aomori didn't stop her. He glanced at her and continued, "In our first lesson today, I will first give you an understanding of Spirit Users, Yokai, demons, ghosts, and other supernatural entities."
"Mhm." Miko's eyes lit up. This conceptual knowledge was exactly what she wanted to know most; otherwise, she wouldn't even know what she was facing when she encountered those things.
"First, 'Spirit User' is a general term for those who utilize Spirit Power," Aomori summarized based on his own experience. "Spirit Power is a special energy that allows you to see and come into contact with Yokai and ghosts. Without Spirit Power, you are insulated from these things, just like your life was before."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote "Spirit User" and "Spirit Power" on the blackboard, specifically circling "Spirit Power."
"Therefore, Spirit Power is the foundation of becoming a Spirit User."
"So, I see those ghosts because I have Spirit Power? But why was everything normal before?" Miko raised her hand to ask.
"Well, your physique is quite special; we'll get to that later. Let's stick to the concepts for now."
"Okay."
Aomori paused and continued, "Spirit Users use Spirit Power as either a weapon or an energy source for combat. However, they are divided into several categories based on how they use it. For example, Onmyoji or Shrine Maidens who fight using talismans, formations, and Shikigami; these usually belong to families or sects with ancient heritages."
"Then there are martial artists or swordsmen who purely use Spirit Power. In modern times, these are becoming increasingly rare, but they do exist. Many such Spirit Users can still be found in certain ancient dojos."
"Furthermore, there are Espers who have awakened unique Spirit Powers and can use various bizarre abilities. The proportion of such people is steadily increasing. However, the largest group consists of folk Spirit Users. These people can see Yokai and ghosts but lack proper exorcism techniques. They have to figure things out on their own or through informal exchanges; as a result, many lose their lives."
'The old me and Yulia were both that type, weren't we? If it weren't for Aosora-sama, I might have died at the hands of an evil spirit,' Miko thought with lingering fear.
'When I get back today, I should warn Yulia to keep a low profile. I'll bring her along once I've learned how to exorcise.'
At that moment, Aomori said with a smile, "Miko, your previous strategy was correct. If you pretend you can't see them, they won't target you."
"I... I was just too scared, so I pretended not to see. It was more of a lucky guess," Miko said bashfully.
"That also proves you have good luck, Miko."
"My luck really is quite good."
Otherwise, how could she have met such a wonderful Kami-sama?
"Alright, let's move on." Aomori tapped the blackboard and wrote "Yokai, Demon, Ghost, Apparition."
"I'll explain these four separately."
"First are 'Yokai.' These are the ones you usually hear about, like Yuki-onna or Karasu Tengu. Of course, there are many more, including many unnamed ones. Their typical characteristic is that most have a physical form."
"'Demons' are the opposite of gods; they are the natural enemies of deities and can easily cause a god to fall. A typical characteristic is that they have many eyeballs, which is enough to make one's skin crawl." Aomori categorized the Ayakashi from Yato's world as "Demons" to make them easier to distinguish.
"'Ghosts' are spirits, the things you've been seeing all along. They are divided into ordinary spirits and evil spirits. When we talk about exorcising spirits, we are generally referring to evil spirits."
Because Miko encountered evil spirits most often, Aomori focused on explaining their characteristics to her.
"Evil spirits also vary in strength. Generally speaking, the larger the evil spirit, the stronger it is. However, the more advanced ones possess high intelligence. They can easily affect physical matter; they can attack you whether you see them or not, and can even possess and control human bodies."
"The larger they are, the stronger? That does seem to be the case." Miko recalled the evil spirits she had encountered. The tiny old man, not even the size of a palm, was the weakest, and the larger they got, the greater the pressure they exerted.
As for high-intelligence evil spirits, she didn't seem to have encountered any.
Wait, no—that blue spirit from yesterday seemed to have quite high intelligence and spoke very clearly.
It was a relief she hadn't encountered many high-level spirits before.
"But possessing and controlling human bodies sounds terrifying. Is there any way to tell them apart?" Miko asked worriedly.
"People possessed by evil spirits will show certain abnormalities in their appearance, like appendages or dark circles under their eyes. If it's you, it should be quite easy to see."
"That's good then." Miko breathed a sigh of relief.
"'Apparitions' are spirits of things like trees, flowers, and plants that have gained sapience. But there aren't many of those nowadays."
"Aside from those, there is one more category." Aomori pointed to himself. "'Gods' or 'Deities.' Anyone who survives on human faith counts. Before becoming a god, one might have been a Yokai, a demon, a ghost, or even a human."
"Then what was Aosora-sama before?" Miko asked curiously. "Were you human?"
"Hmm, you could say that." Aomori was non-committal and continued, "Gods are also divided into several types. Those well-known to you who have shrines in various places are called 'Official Gods.' Those who are homeless and wander about are 'Noragami.' And those who masquerade as Official Gods to deceive humans into giving them faith are 'Evil Gods.'"
"So, gods aren't necessarily good. Some Evil Gods will turn people into fanatics who only know how to offer sacrifices in order to obtain a stable source of faith. You must be careful in the future. Any contract that doesn't state the price beforehand is most likely from an Evil God."
"Yes, I understand," Miko nodded solemnly.
"Do you have any other questions about what I've covered?"
Miko thought seriously for a moment and raised her hand. "I once saw a white, glowing cat spirit on someone. What category does that belong to?"
"Hmm, that would likely be a guardian spirit. Because they want to protect something, they refuse to leave the world. That's also a rare type."
"What about Hana? I've noticed that Hana always seems to attract evil spirits, and she gets incredibly hungry after they get near her." Miko took the opportunity to ask about her best friend; she was worried about Hana's situation.
"Her?" Aomori thought for a bit and said, "Her physique is very special. The life energy in her body is extremely abundant; in the eyes of evil spirits, she is like a burning torch. Weak evil spirits will be scorched to death by this torch, but powerful ones can use it to keep warm or cook food. This consumes her life energy, which manifests as hunger, requiring her to eat to replenish her strength."
"Can you understand that analogy?"
"Mhm, it's very fitting." In Miko's mind, an image appeared of a torch-shaped Hana eating while the flames on her body burned even brighter.
"So it should be fine, right? Will it affect her health?"
"As long as she eats well and replenishes her strength in time, there won't be much of an impact."
"Good, I understand!" Miko decided that when she went back, she would stuff a few more boxes of chocolate into her bag to feed Hana the moment she got hungry.
Then, a new doubt arose in Miko's mind: "But why can't I see the life energy on Hana, while some other Spirit Users can?"
"That goes back to what I said earlier—you are special." Aomori looked into Miko's golden eyes and said, "I suspect your eyes are the legendary Yin-Yang Eyes."
"Yin-Yang Eyes?!" Miko thought of the protagonists in many ghost movies; they usually had the ability to see ghosts, which was indeed similar to her.
As if knowing what Miko was thinking, Aomori nodded and said, "Your situation is similar to a movie protagonist, but there are differences from a typical Spirit User."
"The reason Spirit Users can see ghosts is because of the resonance of the Spirit Power within their bodies. The stronger the Spirit Power, the clearer the ghosts they see. But your Yin-Yang Eyes allows you to see them clearly even without Spirit Power."
"Eh? Does that mean I actually don't have Spirit Power?" Miko's heart suddenly sank.
"No, you have it. It's just that your eyes are gluttons; they've sucked all the Spirit Power in your body dry. You should be able to feel it, right? The appearance of the ghosts is becoming clearer and clearer."
"Yes, every day when I wake up, I feel like they've become a bit clearer."
"That is proof that your Yin-Yang Eyes is constantly growing. It hasn't fully matured yet."
Aomori concluded, "The Spirit Power you naturally generate every day is swallowed by your eyes, which is why you lack the Spirit Power to see Hana's condition."
"Then what should I do?" Could she still be an exorcist?
"What else can you do? Naturally, you have to feed them until they're full."