"Is it better to let her think her fiance disappeared and keep waiting? Or is it a little better to tell her the truth?"
"This...", Faced with yet another dilemma tossed at her by Hachiman, Nishikigi Chisato felt incredibly conflicted and miserable.
How was she supposed to know which was better? No matter which one, she felt neither was good, but reality always required a choice.
"It's fine. Even if you don't say anything, I'll still do what needs to be done. I only want to ask you this. Do you think Ms. Ebihara should know the truth? Should she know how many terrible things her fiance has done?"
Hachiman placed his hand on Nishikigi Chisato's head and signaled her to look at the victims lying on the ground.
He had already made up his mind long ago. Even though he liked long straight black hair, and wanted to raise his teaching halo's buff effect, there were plenty of pretty women in the world. He would never let Ebihara Urara's fiance off the hook.
He disdained doing things like using Ebihara Urara's fiance to threaten her.
Even if it meant letting Ebihara Urara know that he killed her fiance, he still had to kill him. And if this Saijo Takayuki were still alive, he would have dragged him away for a good round of torture.
So many cultists had to be dragged back and tortured. Why should Saijo Takayuki be an exception?
But he also understood that Nishikigi Chisato, who looked bright, lively, and full of energy, was a genius only in firearms and combat. In every other way, she was just an ordinary kid with no firm answers to anything.
So when he kept giving her difficult choices after coming here, it wasn't aimed at her on purpose. He just wanted her to think more.
Like during the fight earlier, Nishikigi Chisato couldn't bring herself to kill, but she also didn't impose her own will on him by stopping him from killing.
He shouldn't impose his own will on her to force her to kill either.
But this world had so many bad people. If they weren't killed, wouldn't they just go on to harm good people?
If they never crossed his path, fine. The world had too many bad people for him to kill them all. But if he encountered them and didn't kill them, then he was aiding the wicked.
"Should Ms. Ebihara know the truth," Nishikigi Chisato lowered her head and looked at the victims on the clearing ahead, who were receiving Sylpha's healing magic.
Aside from a few female teachers and students who had just been tricked into coming here and were only frightened, the others who had been abused for a long time had already lost all light in their eyes. Their gazes were empty and dull.
It wasn't hard to imagine. If no one came to save them and this state continued, they would completely become living corpses. Once useless, the cult organization would throw them away.
And these women, who knew the cult's secrets and hideouts, would never be released. Being thrown away only meant one thing: they would be killed and their bodies disposed of.
Even now that they had been rescued, they were still dazed and unresponsive.
They were all so y*ung, even the oldest female teacher was probably only in her thirties.
Unlike Lycoris, who were orphans since childhood, most of these female students and teachers had parents, and some even had children.
Cult organizations caused the most harm to ordinary people. Every active cult meant countless broken, ruined families behind it.
"Mr. Hikigaya, I think, we should let Ms. Ebihara know the truth about her fiance."
Looking at the victims' blank expressions, Nishikigi Chisato suddenly nodded heavily and looked seriously at Hachiman.
"Are you sure? That will deal a huge blow to Ebihara Urara, who still believes in her fiance, and plunge her into pain. If you tell her her fiance disappeared, she can at least retain a bit of hope."
"I'm sure! Thank you, Mr. Hikigaya. I understand what you mean. I won't hesitate anymore."
Nishikigi Chisato nodded firmly. She wasn't stupid. She had only been struggling because she couldn't bring herself to kill.
Hachiman gently patting her head and throwing hard questions at her to make her uneasy, she also felt he was teaching her.
Although this kind of education felt painful, she understood Mr. Hikigaya's intentions. Facing villains like this, she couldn't keep respecting life and let them live comfortably while innocent people suffered under them.
"Good. Since you already have an answer, I won't say more."
Hachiman continued to pat her head. Seeing his absolute domestication method having some effect, he nodded quietly to himself.
["Ding~"]
["Detected character card — Mizushima Kaho."]
["Detected character card — Ichinose Anna."]
["Detected character card — Okita Asuka."]
[T/N: All three from "Rin x Sen + Ran → Sem: Cross Mix"]
Hachiman looked at the female students and teachers who seemed to have been tricked into coming today and had not yet been harmed, their mental state completely different from the others who had already been abused. He fell into thought.
He roughly remembered the cult's storyline. They constantly used threats, temptation, coercion, and all kinds of methods to drag people in. But he hadn't played the game, only watched the anime briefly, so he didn't know the details of characters who were basically background extras.
Other than Ebihara Urara, there were only the Ichinose sisters.
"You're Ichinose Anna? Do you know Ayano, Honami, and Marika?"
Hachiman looked toward a short-haired girl with faint lavender-pink hair, also someone who seemed to have been tricked into coming today and hadn't yet been harmed.
This surname naturally reminded him of the Ichinose family around him.
"Huh? I'm related to Ayano and the others. You-you know them?"
Ichinose Anna, who was shrinking in the crowd with extreme anxiety, jerked her head up at hearing her name and stared blankly at him.
She never imagined she'd meet someone here who knew Ayano. Was the power of a Diet member's family really this strong?
"I'm... a friend of Ayano and Honami. I thought you looked a bit like them. Didn't expect you're really their relative. Don't worry. Everything here has been resolved. There's no more danger. They'll arrange someone to send you home later."
Hachiman nodded gently to reassure the uneasy Ichinose Anna.
This one was probably the younger sister. Since the younger sister was tricked in today, the older sister must not have been deceived. She likely didn't even know her sister had entered a cult.
Though Ichinose Anna was cute, she was also a problem child with a strong sense of jealousy.
As an unnoticed rookie model, she was extremely jealous of her older sister, who used to be a top model. But she kept it buried inside, so her older sister never noticed.
"Ms. Ichinose, let me treat you."
Seeing Hachiman talking with Ichinose Anna, Sylpha stepped forward and used healing magic.
Originally she hadn't planned to treat Anna, since these girls only had minor scrapes from panic and nothing major. But since the Savior himself was speaking to the girl, she had to show proper consideration.
Hachiman watched Ichinose Anna receiving treatment, then chose not to continue speaking with her. Instead, he waited for Inoue Takina to arrive for cleanup.
———
Half an hour later, Inoue Takina returned to Kokutetsu Academy with a large team of Lycoris, having beaten down and captured all the cultists who tried to escape. They began searching the building for documents and dragged out the still-living cultists.
"Mr. Hikigaya, according to some documents and the interrogation of the conscious individuals, we found the principal of Kokutetsu Academy, Hirukawa Keizou, and the leader of the cult 'Self Liberation Association,' Majima Yoshimitsu. Both seem to have had their arteries cut by the elf lady and are in shock from blood loss."
Inoue Takina summarized the findings and had the Lycoris drag two large, ugly, unconscious men to Hachiman.
"The loan company worker who had dealings with Ms. Ebihara should be named Onijima Yuji. He was the man in sunglasses who tried to approach us from behind during the fight. Mr. Hikigaya, you killed him by piercing his throat."
"Savior, do you need me to treat them so we can wake them for questioning?"
Realizing she may have almost accidentally killed the cult leaders, Sylpha hurried over and asked with her head bowed.
"No need to question them. Just confirm their identities. Give them basic treatment so they don't die."
Hachiman waved his hand. He had no interest in hearing their disgusting criminal records. He just needed them alive enough to continue being tortured.
"I'll head back with Sylpha first. Takina, Chisato, you handle the arrangements. Don't let them die too easily. I'll send someone to check later."
"If you're worried about the cost of keeping them alive, just talk to me. I'll have someone send funds."
Keeping these many people alive required money, but that was fine. He was rich. Torturing them was worth it.
"Understood. But you don't need to worry, Mr. Hikigaya. We'll follow your instructions."
Takina nodded, tucked away the documents, then lowered her voice.
"Commander Kusunoki from DA Headquarters asked me to greet you and Princess Iris on her behalf. She hopes this cult incident hasn't disappointed you."
"All right. I'll head back with Sylpha now. Takina, if you want to learn from me, you can come with Chisato to Sobu High, or wait for me at STARRY. I go to STARRY often."
Hachiman nodded. He wasn't surprised. Ordinary people saw him as a normal high school student, but DA Headquarters would definitely know him. Lycoris reporting the scene ensured it, otherwise he wouldn't have casually ordered Lycoris around.
"Calling 'Cleaners.' They're the professionals at clearing battlefields."
Watching Hachiman and Sylpha vanish from sight, Takina let out a heavy breath and turned toward the Lycoris girls around her, including Nishikigi Chisato, who also relaxed.
Although Hikigaya seemed very gentle, aside from randomly patting her and Chisato's heads, he seemed normal. But seeing him singlehandedly slaughter waves of cultists, the Lycoris couldn't relax easily.
Still, if he was willing to teach her such skills, once she trained under him and grew stronger, she would surely receive orders to return to HQ for missions soon.
In the crowd, the forgotten Ichinose Anna watched Hachiman disappear while treated with respect by so many agent girls. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how, and quietly lowered her head.
———
[Student Council Office, Reception Area]
President Kaede was eating lunch while discussing matters with Vice President Rurina Tsubaki and Vice President Origamine Ouka.
The secretary, Suzu, the treasurer, Shion, as well as ordinary students Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana sat to the side eating with them.
Because Yotsuya Miko had encountered a ghost, Kaede asked Origamine Ouka, whose main job was shrine maiden, for some exorcism talismans.
She also wanted to learn more about the ghosts' situation, so they themselves wouldn't get unknowingly entangled by invisible spirits.
Although, according to the elf princess Iris, even more succubus-like than succubi, they didn't need to worry about their life force burning away, since constantly receiving Hachiman's aid overflowed them with life energy.
But unlike Iris, Aegis, or Lumilia, those unbelievably obsc*ne elf princesses who could go to school daily as if playing shameful games, Kaede wasn't like them.
Without necessity, she preferred safer, healthier, less indecent protection methods.
"There aren't many ghosts with actual consciousness. Most are ghosts that can't touch physical objects, and normally won't attack humans or can't attack them."
"Those born from the accumulation of negative human emotions are called anomalies. These exist throughout human society and specifically target humans. Since most yokai have retreated to the countryside, these anomalies are now what our exorcist families deal with."
After examining Yotsuya Miko's situation, Origamine Ouka studied her for a moment before speaking.
"Yotsuya, you can clearly see powerful evil spirits that ordinary spiritual users can't see. You've probably awakened an onmyoji eye. But aside from that, you likely also have a spirit-attracting constitution, which is why you keep encountering ghosts."
"Um, Vice President Origamine, how should I deal with this? I can't pretend not to see them forever, can I?"
Yotsuya Miko was about to cry after hearing her analysis.
"Can you give me some protective talismans? I can buy them if they're not too expensive."
'Don't just say scary things. Give solutions.'
The onmyoji eye sounded cool in name, but aside from seeing ghosts, what else?
And this spirit-attracting constitution was even worse. So it wasn't that the world was full of terrifying spirits, it was just that she was unlucky enough to attract them.
"Talismans that destroy spirits usually require spell power to use. Giving them to you won't help."
Origamine Ouka shook her head and handed out some handmade charm pouches to Yotsuya Miko and the others.
"But I can give you some protective charms. If a ghost or anomaly appears near you, the charm will heat up to warn you. Just stay calm and leave. Usually they won't follow you."
"Thank you, Vice President. I just need to wear this? How much does it cost?"
Yotsuya Miko brightened instantly, taking the charm and handing another to Yurikawa Hana.
If this kept her free from spirit trouble, she would work a job every day to buy these charms.
"No need for money. They're not difficult to make, just time-consuming."
Origamine Ouka shook her head, then hesitated while looking at Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana.
"Under normal circumstances this charm is enough. When it feels empty, come get a new one."
"Unless... you keep encountering powerful ghosts. Then the charm will fail on the spot."
An ordinary person almost never encountered spirits, let alone powerful ones.
But based on Miko's description, even these charms might not last for her and Hana.
Hana's abundant life energy attracted ghosts, but Miko was even more prone to attracting them, she just wasn't as obvious.
"Anyway, thank you, Vice President. With this charm, Hana and I can finally go home and sleep."
Yotsuya Miko thanked her with a bitter heart.
The charm wasn't very strong at all, far worse than staying near Hikigaya.
But a little protection was still better than none. At least they could feel slightly safer at home.
After all, she couldn't live at Hikigaya's house every day.
Not to mention whether her mother would allow her to stay out all night, there were all the girls living in Hikigaya's place and the apartment next door.
They all had deep ties to Hikigaya. Except for his sister Komachi and Shion, all of them slept in the same bed with him.
She and Hana were outsiders with shallow connections. It would be far too awkward to suddenly ask to stay over.
"Don't worry, Miko. We're at school all day and only home at night. We won't be that unlucky."
Yurikawa Hana put away her charm and comforted the dejected Miko before going back to eating.
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