A faint stench of decay gradually filled the air.
Yukima Azuma narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on the seemingly empty space behind the two high school girls from Shuka.
As if sensing his stare, the black-haired girl turned around.
In that moment, Yukima Azuma clearly saw her face.
A calm, dignified beauty with long, straight black hair and an air of gentleness that required no words.
But what stood out most were her eyes.
Golden amber—brilliant like polished gems.
Whether it was illusion or reality, Yukima Azuma felt as though there was a slow, swirling light within them.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Then the girl silently turned back around.
It was then that the fortune teller stepped out from the back room.
"Girl, have you noticed anything strange lately?"
No small talk. She went straight to the point.
"No," the girl replied immediately.
"Anything bizarre happen?"
"No." This time, she cut her off mid-sentence.
After that strange exchange, the fortune teller placed a worn, red wooden box on the table.
A strange seal with odd characters covered the lid.
With a knife, she sliced through it and solemnly opened the box.
"Don't worry, girl. This is the real deal—top quality."
The moment the lid was lifted, light burst out.
It didn't look like a bracelet inside, but a case full of diamonds.
The unnatural light refracted so intensely, it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
"This one contains power completely different from the bracelet I showed you earlier," the fortune teller said. "I won't charge you. Try it on."
"Is that really okay?" the girl asked, a little unsure.
"Yeah. Thanks to you, I've finally come to my senses."
Another strange exchange.
Then, the girl picked up the overly radiant bracelet and put it on.
One second. Two seconds. Three—
Boom!
The bracelet exploded like it had been shot apart.
Yukima Azuma had been ready.
He instantly reached out and caught all the flying beads in a single motion.
The speed of his reaction was incredible.
The fortune teller, less fortunate, got smacked in the face by two beads and stumbled backward.
The scene turned chaotic.
The other Shuka girl rushed to help the fortune teller.
The girl with amber eyes stood frozen.
Her eyes filled with quiet despair.
She sighed, as if resigning herself to fate—and turned to find Yukima Azuma staring at her.
Realizing this, she suddenly shivered.
Her emotionless expression shifted, surprise flickering into excitement.
Her name was Yotsuya Miko.
Not long ago, she was just an ordinary girl.
Mediocre grades, which explained why she ended up at Shuka High.
Cute, but not enough to debut in the entertainment world. Not good at expressing emotions either.
She came from an ordinary Japanese family. Two office worker parents. A normal life.
If nothing had changed, she would've stayed on that path—graduating high school, maybe going to university if her grades held, or working after graduation.
Marriage would come when it came. Maybe she'd be lucky. Maybe not.
Just like most people.
But fate had other plans.
During spring break this year, everything changed.
One day, her amber eyes gained a strange ability.
She could see things—things ordinary people couldn't.
Spirits, ghosts, monsters, youkai—all the stuff from horror stories started invading her daily life.
A shadow devouring souls in a dark alley.
Severed arms twitching in the trash outside her house.
A ghost tapping from inside her bathroom mirror.
A smiling head in her refrigerator.
And at night—something brushing its hair while staring at her as she slept.
They'd all turn to her and roar—as if demanding to know if she could see them.
But oddly, they didn't attack, as long as she pretended not to notice them.
So that's what Yotsuya Miko did.
She endured, day after day, pretending she saw nothing.
Pretending she was still normal.
Her world grew silent.
She drifted through life alone, surrounded by people who seemed impossibly distant.
Until today.
Today would be the second turning point in her life.
She had come out with her friend Yurikawa Hana to buy sweets.
While passing through a narrow alley, a terrifying monster blocked their path.
A grotesque humanoid figure over three meters tall, wielding a giant knife, shouting over and over again:
"It itches!"
The bracelet Miko bought online exploded on the spot.
This monster—this thing—it wasn't like the others.
It was stronger. Far more terrifying.
Still pretending not to notice, Miko pulled Hana away.
But to her shock, the monster followed.
Desperate, they ducked into a fortune-teller's shop with an exaggerated sign:
"Fortune-Telling. Exorcisms. Everything Solved—No Limits."
It was there that things changed.
The old woman inside didn't look like a fraud.
She spoke as if she truly understood Miko's hidden world.
And then—she handed her a new set of prayer beads.
They shimmered unnaturally, almost alive with light.
Miko had felt hope. Maybe, just maybe, this time it would work.
But that hope lasted all of three seconds.
The beads shattered.
The monster's body twisted and contorted.
"It itches!" it howled again.
It was over.
Nothing could help her.
Not gods. Not spirits. Not talismans.
Yotsuya Miko quietly gave up.
But then, she noticed someone else had entered the shop.
A boy.
Short black hair. Sharp eyes. A presence like a manga protagonist.
And he wasn't looking at her.
He was staring directly at the monster.
Could it be… he could see it too?
She felt her heart skip a beat.
But then fear followed.
If he responded, he'd be targeted!
Didn't he know? He had to pretend not to see!
But the boy didn't flinch.
The monster's many eyes locked onto him.
"Can you see me?"
"It itches!"
"Can you see me?!"
The horrible screech echoed through the shop like nails on glass.
Yotsuya Miko opened her mouth to warn him, but the words never came.
The monster raised its enormous blade—and swung down.
She could only watch in despair.
Time returned to the present.
Yukima Azuma calmly looked toward the space behind Yotsuya Miko.
The stench of rot intensified, pushing against his senses.
But amid the scent of decay, the fragrant aroma of tuberoses and pears clung faintly to the two girls beside him.
He murmured.
"Get lost."
That was all.
Shogi Level 8's aura awakened fully around him for the first time.
The air pressure dropped.
Sunlight dimmed behind sudden, inexplicable clouds.
This was the man who had once stood undefeated, atop the corpses of fallen opponents.
Dragged into hell—and clawed his way out.
Throughout Heaven and Earth, He Alone The Honored One.
Even his whisper felt like it could command the heavens.
Wind surged upward.
The foul stench vanished.
Yukima Azuma inhaled deeply.
Tuberoses. Pears. Sweetness. Clarity.
His mood lifted.
Yotsuya Miko stood frozen, eyes wide, pupils shrinking.
What had she just seen?
The monster—unstoppable just moments ago—froze mid-swing.
The moment Yukima whispered, it was as if some invisible force had slammed the creature into the ground.
Its blade cracked. Shattered.
The monster collapsed, its body writhing in agony.
Then it broke apart into black smoke—swept away by the wind.
Gone.
It was the first time Yotsuya Miko realized:
Even those monsters could die.
And die in a way so absolute.
"Hey! What are you saying?!"
Yurikawa Hana rushed forward, shielding her friend.
Kato Megumi clung to Yukima's sleeve. "Yukima-san, what's going on?"
Eriri peeked out from behind him and muttered, "Seriously, what is this girl even doing…?"
"It's fine," Yukima Azuma said, gently patting both girls on the head. "Nothing to worry about."
"Hana, I'm okay. Really!" Yotsuya Miko reassured her friend.
"Huh? But just now—?"
"Really, I'm okay. Actually… I'm grateful to him."
"HUHHHH?!"
Yurikawa Hana blinked.
Wait a minute… was her friend into that kind of thing?
Was she… an M?!
Hana shook her head to clear her thoughts.
Must be a misunderstanding. Her friend was just worried about causing trouble…
Then—Yotsuya Miko took out her phone.
"Excuse me," she said to Yukima Azuma, "Could I exchange contact information? Please."
She clasped her hands, face expressionless—yet somehow smiling.
Like a girl falling in love.
Yurikawa Hana: …she really is that type!
Meanwhile—
Eriri stormed over and glared at Miko.
"Why do you want Azuma's contact info?"
Still smiling after getting scolded? No doubt about it!
She's totally an M!!
Weird knowledge +1.
How could someone like this be allowed near Yukima?!
"All right," Yukima said casually, scanning Miko's QR code over Eriri's head.
Eriri: ?!
Traitor!
She spun toward him, ready to complain with full force.
But Yukima had already blocked her with a gentle palm to the forehead.
Baka Eriri.
Yotsuya Miko nearly jumped with joy.
But her face stayed expressionless, betraying nothing.
"We'll be in touch through LINE. Thank you again," she said, bowing deeply.
Then she and Hana left the shop.
On the way back,
Yurikawa Hana kept glancing at her friend, noticing the subtle smile on her lips.
"Miko…"
"Hmm? What is it, Hana?"
"I mean… everyone has their preferences, but… maybe see a doctor, just in case?"
"…Huh?"
Yotsuya Miko: ?
Back in Shimokitazawa.
Eriri pouted, turning her face away from Yukima.
What's so great about weirdos like that, anyway?
Just then, she spotted a flash of red hair.
"Ah! Kita-chan!"
Eriri pointed at the fleeing figure.
Kita Ikuyo was running away, a musical instrument case in her hands.
She'd already disappeared down the road.
"Tomorrow, I'm definitely asking her what's going on!"
Eriri declared.
Just then, Kato Megumi approached Yukima quietly.
"What really happened back there?" she asked.
Yukima Azuma simply nodded.