Shiranui Mizuki, Yatsu Murasaki, and the others had never seen explosive tags before. They watched as the flames in the corridor gradually died down, while the massive two-headed demon lay severely wounded—its entire body torn apart, and even its head seemingly blown off by Yukikaze's gun without regenerating.
At this point, with its regeneration abilities gone, it should have been the perfect opportunity to finish it off.
Shiranui Mizuki and Yatsu Murasaki both tightened their grips on their naginata and great axe, ready to step forward for the finishing blow. But then Yukito suddenly said he would teach Yukikaze an advanced way to use the Shadow Clone Technique.
They had originally looked at Yukito with curiosity, wanting to see what special use Shadow Clones might have.
Instead, they saw Yukito pull out a stack of white papers covered in strange patterns from nowhere, stuff them into his clone's arms, and then suddenly tell them an explosion was about to happen.
Before Shiranui and Yatsu Murasaki could even react, Yukito grabbed Yukikaze with one hand and Shiranui with the other, leapt through the shattered wall, and landed in the open space outside the abandoned hospital.
Although Akiyama Rinko and Yatsu Murasaki were still confused inside the corridor, their trust in Yukito made them hesitate only briefly before following closely, jumping down through the broken wall opening as well.
The demons in this abandoned hospital had already been mostly cleared out, so even if an explosion occurred and reduced the entire building to ruins, it wouldn't be a big deal.
"Boom—!"
Once everyone had left the hospital, Yukito's Shadow Clone reached the heavily damaged demon and plastered dozens of explosive tags—taken from the system backpack—onto its body.
With a body three to four meters tall and grotesquely bloated, dozens of tags were more than enough.
After doing this, Yukito's Shadow Clone expressionlessly triggered the explosion, then immediately dispersed to avoid being caught in the blast.
After all, any damage sustained by a Shadow Clone would be reflected back to the main body. Even if it disappeared the moment the explosion hit, Yukito had no interest in personally experiencing what it felt like to be blown apart by explosive tags.
Standing in the open space outside the abandoned hospital, everyone watched as a violent explosion suddenly erupted from the second floor. The deafening blast, rising flames, and faint tremor beneath their feet made them swallow nervously.
They turned to look at Yukito—still calm, even with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth—with a mixture of shock and unease.
"This mission should be considered complete, right? What do we do next?"
"Do Anti-Demon Ninjas have a dedicated organizational base? Who usually assigns missions to you? Is there a bonus after completing missions, or do you receive a salary after becoming an Anti-Demon Ninja?"
Yukito looked at the hospital building, which was still swaying precariously after the explosive tag bombardment. After checking the system map and confirming that there were no red dots representing enemies nearby—and that the mission could be considered successfully completed—he couldn't help but ask Shiranui with some curiosity.
Although Yukito had known what kind of world he was in since he transmigrated as a child and met Shiranui at that time, things had been different back then.
At that time, Yukito had no golden finger, nor did he possess the talent to become an Anti-Demon Ninja, a priest, or an Onmyoji. His body had also regressed into that of a child.
Under those circumstances, Yukito could only honestly attend school like an ordinary kid. Aside from occasionally reminding Shiranui to be careful during missions and suggesting she simply retire from being an Anti-Demon Ninja, he never really had the time to learn in detail about this world's Anti-Demon Ninja system.
Now that he had a system, gained some power, and decided to join the Anti-Demon Ninja organization himself, Yukito naturally felt it was necessary to understand it more deeply.
"Anti-Demon Ninjas originally hunted demons and protected the Human World as family units or ninja village organizations. However, in recent years, the major families have reached a consensus and are now cooperating with the official governments of various countries."
"This Anti-Demon Ninja unit we belong to is a squad led by Lady Asagi. We cooperate with the authorities while still maintaining a certain degree of autonomy."
Before Shiranui could answer Yukito's question, Yatsu Murasaki spoke first.
The two-headed demon they encountered in the hospital earlier had actually been targeting Yatsu Murasaki. If she had been alone, she might have been entangled by it and, relying on its astonishing defense and regeneration, slowly worn down until she was exhausted and captured.
Yukito helping to defeat that two-headed demon this time was also a favor to her, which naturally made Yatsu Murasaki feel a slight fondness toward him. Her tone and attitude were no longer as cold as when they first met.
"Yukito-kun, if you want to join us, this still requires Lady Asagi's approval."
"However, given Yukito-kun's relationship with Senior Shiranui and Yukikaze, I believe Lady Asagi will not refuse."
"It's already late today. Let's discuss everything else tomorrow when we meet Lady Asagi."
In fact, Shiranui wasn't very keen on Yukito joining the anti-demon ninja, even though he had already shown considerable strength.
However, she also knew she probably couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she simply chose to change the topic for now.
"Murasaki and Rinko, are you going back to your own homes today, or staying at my place for the night?"
"I still need to report today's events to Lady Asagi. The artificially modified demon that appeared here seemed to have known in advance that I would come to this hospital and was already waiting."
"I suspect there's a traitor among us—or that our intelligence network has been infiltrated!"
Yatsu Murasaki frowned as she carefully recalled the artificially modified two-headed demon they had encountered earlier. A faint suspicion began to form in her mind.
However, she currently had no evidence, so she could not spread such claims recklessly. She could only first report her suspicions to Igawa Asagi, the leader of all Anti-Demon Ninja squads.
She believed that with Asagi's capabilities, if there truly was a problem within the organization, she would definitely be able to uncover some clues.
Yatsu Murasaki declined Shiranui's invitation and left alone.
As for Akiyama Rinko, she readily agreed to stay at the Mizuki Estate. She, Yukikaze, and Yukito were childhood friends who had grown up together, and staying at the Mizuki Estate—or even sleeping in the same bed—was nothing new to them.
This time was a good opportunity to stay over; she had so many questions she wanted to ask Yukito. How had he suddenly become a so-called ninja—and such a powerful one at that?
"Gurgle~!"
As the group walked toward the Mizuki Estate, Yukito—probably finally relaxing after the battle—suddenly felt a wave of intense hunger.
Come to think of it, he had just finished club activities and was on his way home when he received a call from Shiranui, saying she had some business to take care of and might be back very late today.
After confirming that they were going to subjugate demons, he hurried home, changed into the red Sengoku-era armor modeled after Uchiha Madara that he was now wearing, and then rushed straight to the Abandoned Hospital.
He simply didn't have time to eat a proper meal, and the successive battles inevitably consumed a lot of his stamina.
"Yukito-chan, did you not eat properly after getting home today?"
"I wonder if there are any izakayas still open late at night? Or, would you like to drink something else to replenish your strength?"
"I also consumed a lot of Anti-Demon Factor during the fight just now, so I can feel a slight… swelling sensation right now!"
Hearing Yukito's stomach growl, Shiranui Mizuki instinctively realized he probably hadn't eaten properly tonight.
After a moment's thought, she glanced at Rinko beside her and Yukikaze walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Rinko. She gritted her teeth, blushed, and approached Yukito. Seizing the moment before anyone noticed, she leaned close to his ear and whispered.
Back when Shiranui Mizuki chose to have Yukikaze through artificial means and raise her alone, it caused some issues with her body.
That is, even though Yukikaze is now sixteen years old, Shiranui Mizuki still hasn't stopped producing breast milk.
Every time Shiranui Mizuki's desires become heightened, she becomes sensitive and starts acting like a nursing mother. If she consumes a large amount of Anti-Demon Factor during battle, a similar situation occurs afterward.
Shiranui Mizuki did see a doctor for a check-up, but no problems were found.
In fact, if someone were to consume this particular "baby's nourishment" she produces over a long period, it could even have health-boosting effects.
This also led Shiranui Mizuki to often prepare "milk" to supplement Yukito's nutrition after she took him in and found his physique a bit weak.
It was only after drinking the "milk" Shiranui had specially prepared for him for several years that Yukito, by chance, discovered this "milk" wasn't milk in the literal sense.
Hearing Shiranui mention it again now, he couldn't help but recall his elementary school days, and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward Shiranui Mizuki's chest.