’Um... do we have to head out right now?‘
"I‘ll give you thirty minutes to prepare. Go change into your uniform and bring whatever Cursed Tools you might need."
"I don‘t think I‘ll need that long. Where should I meet you once I‘m ready?"
"Come to the main gate. The Assistant Manager‘s car should be arriving by then."
I gave a short nod at Mei Mei‘s instructions and spoke up.
"Understood. I'll get ready and head out immediately."
After offering a formal bow to Yaga-sensei, I made my way straight to the dormitory, where I happened to run into Satoru, who was already loitering outside.
"Oh, Satoru. You're out early."
"Yeah. Where are you off to? You look like you're in a hurry."
"A mission. I've been assigned to go with Mei Mei-senpai. You and Suguru will probably be heading somewhere else. You'll likely be with Utahime-neesan."
"Ehhh... I wanted to go with Touya..."
"Take this chance to get closer to Suguru and Utahime. And don't just blow everything to smithereens just to finish the mission faster."
"Why not? I was planning to finish quickly and get some rest."
"If you level a building in the process, you'll have to pay for the damages. Yaga-sensei will be furious."
"Do I really have to worry about every little thing? What a pain," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Consider yourself warned, Satoru. I have to go get ready, so I'll see you later."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Bye-bye."
Leaving Satoru waving behind me, I returned to my room and changed into the uniform Yaga-sensei had provided. I wasn't sure how they‘d taken my measurements, but it was a perfect fit. Since I didn't have any specific tools to pack, I finished quickly and stepped back out. As I emerged, I ran into Shoko, who seemed to have heard the news from Satoru as she yawned while walking toward me.
"Oh, Touya. Heading out on a mission?"
"Ah, yeah. I guess you heard it from Satoru."
"Something like that. Just don‘t get hurt enough to make me treat you. You can use that healing thing on yourself anyway, right?"
Her words, delivered with a lazy yawn, felt less like a blessing and more like a demand not to create more work for her.
"Don't worry. Unless it‘s a Special Grade, I don‘t see myself coming back with injuries."
"Right. Have a safe trip. The uniform looks good on you, by the way."
"..!"
'She always has to add that little extra something, doesn't she?'
Taming my fluttering heart, I gave her a small wave and left the building. As I walked toward the main gate, a strange sense of excitement began to build within me.
'My first official mission. Cursed spirits... I‘ve hunted a few within the Zenin compound, but this is different.'
"Well, if it were actually difficult, they wouldn't have assigned it to me for my first outing," I muttered to myself.
As the words left my lips, Mei Mei-senpai suddenly appeared from behind, her voice a silk-smooth whisper in my ear.
"My, my. Is that what you think?"
Startled, I spun around to find Mei Mei-senpai watching me with an amused glint in her eyes, her lips curled into a playful smile.
"Ha... Senpai. You scared me. Coming out of nowhere like that..."
Giggling, she gave my shoulder a light tap.
"That‘s the reaction I was hoping for. You provide quite the entertaining responses, don't you, Zenin-kun?"
'She's quite the handful, isn't she?'
"Um, Mei Mei-senpai. I have one request. Could you call me Touya instead of Zenin?"
"Oh? And why is that?"
'I was never called "Zenin" in the clan, so it feels unnatural...'
"I'm just not used to being addressed by the clan name. I‘d prefer it if you used my given name."
"If you insist. Touya-kun, then."
"Thank you, Mei Mei-senpai."
"You can be a bit more casual with me as well, Touya-kun. Call me 'Mei' if you like. It's quite the mouthful to say the full name every time, isn't it?"
"Ah, then I'll take you up on that. Utahime-neesan calls you Mei-san, so would that be alright with you?"
The senpai seemed to ponder it for a moment before looking at me with her signature crescent-eyed smile.
"Hmm... how about calling me 'Nee-san'?"
"Pardon? Big Sister?"
'That‘s... a bit sudden.'
"Why? Don't you like it? So you'll call Utahime 'Big Sister' but not me..."
I looked at the way the corners of her mouth twitched upward despite her dejected gaze.
'She‘s definitely teasing me. Is my reaction really that funny to her?'
Fine. I might as well play along.
"Mei-neesan~ Like this?"
As I deliberately maintained eye contact and spoke with a grin, the cracks finally appeared in Mei Mei's composed facade. Her expression froze completely.
"What‘s wrong, Mei-neesan? I called you exactly what you asked for."
Mei Mei-senpai turned her head away with an unnatural stiffness and began walking toward the gate at a brisk pace.
"...Actually, could you just call me Mei-san?"
I followed right at her heels, persistent.
"Why? Don't you like being a 'Sister'?"
"No... it just... it reminds me of my little brother, so it‘s a bit..."
Watching Mei Mei-senpai retreat with a slight flush on her face, I poked at her one more time.
"Mei-neesan. Look at me, please."
"Would you mind stopping? I'm finding it quite difficult to keep my composure right now..."
When she turned to look at me, her gaze was uncharacteristically intense. Feeling as though I might lose something precious if I pushed any further—though I couldn‘t quite name what that 'something' was—I immediately desisted.
"I'm sorry. I'll stop, Mei-san."
The atmosphere became slightly awkward as we walked close enough for our shoulders to graze. Soon, we spotted the car prepared by the Assistant Manager. Mei-san and I climbed into the back seat together. A woman sitting in the driver's seat greeted us.
"Greetings. I am Yuri, your Assistant Manager. It is an honor to work with you."
"Hello, Yuri-san. I‘m Zenin Touya. I look forward to working with you as well."
I greeted her with a polite smile. Yuri-san stared at me blankly through the rearview mirror for a moment before clearing her throat and turning her gaze away.
"Well then, let us depart. Our destination is Chiba Prefecture. The drive will take approximately an hour and a half. The Higher-ups have assessed the target as a Grade 2. With Mei Mei-san present, it is estimated to be an easy exorcism."
"Do we know what kind of Cursed Spirit it is?"
"They say it is a Curse born from the fear of a yōkai called the 'Land Shark.' It appears in urban legends, but its notoriety isn't particularly high, so it shouldn't be too powerful."
'Land Shark... I feel like I've heard that before. Is it like a Gible?'
Shaking off the pointless thought, I gave a nod.
"The information seems sufficient. Thank you for driving, Yuri-san."
"Think nothing of it... You are quite polite, Zenin-kun."
"Is that so? I just thought it was common courtesy."
"Many fail to uphold that 'common courtesy,' which is why those who do are so admirable. To me, at least."
Our eyes met briefly through the rearview mirror, and Yuri-san offered a faint smile. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my head.
"I see... thank you for the kind words."
"Of course. Please, make yourself comfortable. You may rest for a bit until we arrive."
I nodded and leaned back into the seat, closing my eyes.
'Grade 2... isn't that a bit weak for a test of my abilities? There's no way they don't have information on me.'
While I was feeling suspicious of the suspiciously easy mission, Mei-san, who had seemingly regained her composure, spoke up beside me.
"Touya-kun. Are you puzzled? That the mission seems too simple?"
I opened my eyes and looked at her.
"How did you know? Honestly... I feel like I could handle a Grade 1 mission by myself."
"I thought as much. To be frank, I don't trust the Higher-ups. That's because... no, never mind. I'll tell you after the mission. Now isn't the best time."
"..? Understood. I'll hold you to that, Mei-san."
As she nodded, I closed my eyes once more. Since we had an hour before our arrival, I decided to catch some sleep.
When I slowly blinked my eyes open, we were in a relatively busy urban area.
"We have arrived. This is Yawatano Yabushirazu in Chiba Prefecture."
"Oh, I've heard of this place. There's a legend that anyone who enters here goes missing."
"Correct. It is a bamboo forest inside an urban shrine. There are rumors of marshes and traps within the thickets."
"My... what a scary place. Touya-kun, I‘ll have to stick close to your side."
"I'm a bit scared myself..."
"Well, two are better than one, aren't they?"
"That‘s true. Well, Yuri-san, we're heading in. Please set up the Veil."
"Yes. I pray for your safe return."
Yuri-san bowed, and we stepped into the bamboo forest. Soon, the incantation for the Veil echoed from behind us.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than tea. Purify that which is impure."
A barrier manifested, completely severing the interior from the outside world.
"Oh. Seeing it in person for the first time is actually quite impressive."
"Don't get too worked up. You'll be sick of seeing them soon enough. Now... shall we go?"
As she spoke, Mei-san suddenly hooked her arm through mine. I was slightly flustered by the gesture. I suppressed a smirk at the soft sensation pressing against my arm.
"Mei-san. Is it really necessary to stick this close?"
"I told you. I'm scared, so I have to hold on. What are you waiting for? Let's go."
'Is she actually scared?'
I shook my head and slowly headed forward, my arm still linked with hers. As we moved into the dense forest, the sound of bamboo rustling in the wind filled the air. Suddenly, Mei-san, who had been calm just a second ago, shrieked and clung to me.
"Kyaa! That's terrifying! Touya-kun, do something!"
For someone supposedly terrified, her tone was oddly flat, but I brushed it off, thinking that was just how she expressed fear.
'But... is there usually wind inside a Veil? I'd better be careful, just in case.'
The moment I sharpened my senses, a rustling sound echoed from our surroundings.
"Mei-san, this..."
"Yes. I think so too. It must be hiding underground."
I immediately formed a hand seal to summon the Divine Dogs. It was a bit awkward with my arm caught in Mei-san‘s grasp, but I had no trouble moving my fingers.
"Divine Dogs. Track its exact location by scent."
The Divine Dog let out a small bark of acknowledgment and began to roam, sniffing the air. Mei-san watched with a hum of interest.
"Hmph... So this is the basic shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique?"
"That‘s right. By the way, weren't you supposed to be scared?"
"I am. I'm so scared I can't do anything, so you take care of it, Touya-kun. I'll just stay right here."
Mei-san clung even tighter to my arm, making it clear she had absolutely no intention of lifting a finger.
"Weren't you supposed to be my supervisor..."
As I sighed, the Divine Dog began barking in the distance, signaling that it had found something. When we approached the spot, the Dog was barking furiously at the ground.
"So it‘s beneath our feet? How should I handle this?"
The moment I spoke, a shark-like Cursed Spirit erupted from the ground, lunging at me. It was aimed directly at my head, but I didn't need to move.
"Divine Dog."
With lightning speed, the Divine Dog intercepted the Cursed Spirit mid-air, tearing into it like a lion butchering its prey. The Curse let out a pained shriek before dissolving into nothingness.
"Well, that was easier than expected. Shall we head back, Mei-san?"
"Hmm... your shikigami is quite strong, Touya."
"Haha... well, yes. It's the most basic one, but its combat prowess is arguably in the top three of the set. That aside, Mei-san, you‘re surprisingly faint-hearted, aren't you?"
Just as I was about to release the summoning, the Divine Dog began barking frantically again, darting around in a frenzy.
"What is it? What‘s wrong?"
Before I could even register the suspicion, dozens of Land Shark Curses erupted from the earth simultaneously.
Mei-san leaned even closer to me and spoke.
"So it wasn't just one. Those little bastards..."
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