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No wonder she felt so familiar.
So it was that famous golden-haired loser from the otaku world.
After Eriri introduced herself, memories about her immediately surfaced in Asher's mind.
Even so, no matter how familiar she was, his expression stayed polite and distant.
"Asher. Class 2-B."
"Asher? You're that transfer student who's been all anyone can talk about lately."
Eriri looked genuinely surprised when she heard his name.
She usually didn't care much about this kind of thing, but she was still a girl, and they went to the same school. More or less, she'd heard her classmates gossiping about him.
Asher hadn't expected his reputation to spread this far. Even someone from a class so far away had heard of him.
Well, I guess being too handsome really is a burden sometimes.
Of course, compared to you dear readers, my looks are nothing special.
"Alright, since we've met," Asher said, "I'll be heading back now, Sawamura."
He hadn't even finished much of his lunch yet. If he kept hanging around, he'd be starving all afternoon.
Just as he turned to leave, Eriri called out again.
"Wait!"
"Yes? Is there something else, Sawamura?"
"Well… it's not a big deal. I just wanted to ask if you have anything like protective charms."
"If you don't mind, I'd like to buy two. One for me, and one for my mom."
In the end, Eriri still asked.
Her mom had already left this morning for Kyoto. But compared to places like Meiji Shrine she'd only heard about from others, Eriri trusted Asher more. After all, she'd seen him exorcise a monster with her own eyes.
Before, she hadn't known him, so she couldn't ask. Now that they'd met, there was no reason not to.
However…
Faced with her request, Asher simply shook his head.
"Sorry. I don't have anything like that."
"Huh? Seriously?"
Eriri stared at him in disbelief.
You're an onmyoji who literally wiped out a monster. Those flashy spells looked insanely powerful. And you're telling me you can't even make a basic charm?
She instinctively assumed he wasn't telling the truth.
Seeing her expression, Asher immediately understood what she was thinking and chuckled.
"Exorcising monsters and evil spirits is my specialty. If you ever run into something like that, you can come find me. For a fee, of course."
"But charms? I really don't know how to make those."
Hearing this, Eriri sighed in disappointment.
There was no reason for him to lie. They'd only just met, after all.
So that meant he really didn't have that kind of ability.
"I see…"
"Then… can we exchange contact info?"
"If I run into something like this again…"
Asher didn't hesitate at all.
"Sure, no problem."
No joke, he wasn't about to pass up a rare money-making opportunity like this.
If he'd known yesterday that this girl was Eriri, he definitely wouldn't have settled for just one hundred thousand yen. Her family wasn't just rich. They were rich rich.
And getting close to Eriri meant access to even more wealthy people. Expanding his client network now would pay off big time later. If those rich folks ever ran into supernatural trouble, he could charge them a fortune.
"After all, eliminating evil and upholding justice is the duty of us onmyoji."
"…"
Eriri's mouth twitched at those noble-sounding words.
After what happened yesterday, there was no way she believed he was some righteous exorcist.
Still, she didn't say anything.
The two exchanged contact details.
"Alright then, I'll be going."
"Oh, and Sawamura, if you or your friends ever run into this kind of thing, remember to contact me anytime."
"First exorcism comes with a 20% discount."
"Uh… got it."
After a brief farewell, Asher left under Eriri's slightly speechless gaze.
Watching his retreating figure, doubt crept into her heart.
"Is this guy really reliable…?"
The scene of him exorcising the spirit yesterday had left a deep impression on her. She'd even mentally labeled him as one of those mysterious masters beyond the mundane world.
But after everything he'd just said and done, that shiny aura completely shattered.
This wasn't some detached, powerful onmyoji.
This was clearly just a greedy little money-grubber.
…
The afternoon passed quickly.
When the dismissal bell rang, Asher packed up his things, said goodbye to Akizuki Marina in front of him, and left the classroom.
At the same time, his phone buzzed with a message from Yotsuya Miko.
She said she and Yurikawa Hana were waiting for him at the school gate.
Asher headed over right away and met up with them.
"Well, if it isn't Mr. Asher!"
The moment they met, Yurikawa Hana's bright, cheerful voice rang out.
"I was wondering why Miko dragged me here to wait for someone."
"If it's you, Mr. Asher, then that makes total sense."
That single remark made Miko's face flush red.
Asher didn't mind at all. He already knew what Hana was like.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Oh, not at all. Miko and I just got here too."
"Now that we're all together," Hana said curiously, "Miko, what's next? Got any plans?"
As Hana spoke, Miko subtly glanced at Asher. After a brief exchange of looks, she nodded and smiled softly.
"Um… Hana, and Asher. Come with me. There's somewhere I want to take you."
"Huh? Where are we going?"
"What are you plotting, Miko? You're being all mysterious."
Hana asked, completely confused.
Miko just grabbed her arm.
"Come on. You'll see when we get there."
With that, Miko pulled Hana along, with Asher following behind, heading in a certain direction.
About ten minutes later…
Miko led them to a secluded, abandoned construction site.
"Huh? Miko, why did you bring us to a place like this?"
Hana voiced her confusion again, but Miko didn't answer.
She only exchanged a glance with Asher, then quietly moved to stand beside him, leaving Hana alone where she was.
Seeing the two of them acting so strangely, Hana was even more bewildered.
She had no idea what these two were suddenly planning.
"....."