With Tsuchimikado Arima's orders, Charles was successfully assigned to live in the Starfire Dormitory alongside Rokuro Enmadou and Benio Adashino.
Like other onmyō dormitories, Starfire was responsible for protecting Narukami Town and purifying Impurities in the city. Including Rokuro and Benio, there were a total of six onmyōji stationed there.
The dorm master, Zenkichi Otomi, was elderly, so the daily duties fell mainly to the three young onmyōji: Ryōgo Nagitsuji, Atsushi Egatsuka, and Shinnosuke Kunizaki.
Additionally, Benio's guardian, an old lady named Sururi Juan, also lived there to care for her.
And now, with Charles having just moved in, this was the full roster of the Starfire Dormitory.
After finishing arranging his assigned room, Charles headed to the common room.
The moment Rokuro saw him, his expression darkened, and with a cold snort, he turned away and headed straight for his room.
"Hey! Rokuro, that's really rude!" Nagitsuji, who had grown up with Rokuro and was like an older brother to him, instinctively spoke up.
Charles waved it off. "Don't worry. It's not like he can change the fact that I'm here to protect him."
Hearing that, Rokuro's body visibly twitched with anger, and he quickened his pace.
Charles let out a sigh. He still doesn't understand what I really taught him.
He thought he had made it clear—"Without strength, you can't change anything." But Rokuro still acted so stubborn.
Teenagers in their rebellious phase really were a handful.
It was obvious that Arima hadn't just assigned Charles to protect the pair—he also wanted Charles to train them.
Both were already excellent onmyōji. Even Rokuro, who had quit the path for two years, had been recognized as a prodigy at age twelve.
And Benio, from the prestigious Adashino clan, had already mastered Linked Enchantments at a young age.
Normally, growing into mature onmyōji would take considerable time.
But Arima could sense that unprecedented changes were coming. To face the challenges ahead, the two needed to grow stronger—fast.
Arima wanted to test if this visitor from another world—Charles—had any method to help them improve.
Even if he failed, there was no real loss. As long as the two became spiritually synchronized, they could awaken the true power of the Twin Star Exorcists.
Charles was essentially a backup plan—but just for this insurance policy, Arima had offered him the Tsuchimikado clan's ancestral scrolls on jutsu as payment.
Charles hadn't planned on babysitting, but Arima's offer had been too generous to refuse. So, he accepted the task.
Charles sighed again, then turned his gaze to Benio, who had been staring at him this whole time.
Looks like Rokuro's not the only handful—Benio at this stage is also a pain…
As he thought that, he pulled out the scrolls Arima had given him from his storage ring and began reading.
He'd come to the lounge because Zenkichi had told him dinner would be ready soon. Even if it was just a few minutes, Charles didn't want to waste time.
But Benio kept staring at him without blinking.
Unable to take it any longer, Charles set the scroll down and asked, "Miss Benio Adashino, is there something you want?"
Benio stood and said slowly, "I… want to know… how… to become… like you."
Because of the trauma of witnessing her parents' deaths as a child, the once-lively girl had turned into someone who now even spoke haltingly.
Charles looked at her carefully. Her issue wasn't that serious. He said, "I can tell you—but words won't be enough. Let's head to the training hall after dinner. If I teach you now, you might not even be able to eat."
Rather than being intimidated, Benio smiled.
Much to everyone's surprise, she quickly devoured her meal and sat there quietly, waiting for Charles to finish.
Charles put down his chopsticks helplessly. "Fine, it'll be over quickly anyway. Let's go now."
He stood and walked with Benio toward the inner section of the dorm.
The Starfire Dormitory, being a facility for onmyōji, wasn't simple. Beneath it lay a special training area designed for onmyōji.
Of course, this was built using jutsu. Digging out such a large underground space would've required massive effort and resources.
Benio stood across from Charles and asked, "How… does the teaching… begin?"
Charles glanced at the crowd gathered to watch, sensed Rokuro's unique jutsu aura near the entrance, then turned back to Benio.
"It's not that complicated. Just hold your ground."
With that, Charles released his mana field.
In the instant he did, the sudden pressure blew Benio's hair upward.
On instinct, she threw out talismans and activated her enchantments.
Blue lines of light formed orderly patterns across her body like armor.
Charles, having studied jutsu himself, could tell her skill from how quickly she activated her enchantments. However, within his mana field, all energy was suppressed.
So, not even ten seconds in, Benio's enchantments shattered, and she was forced to retreat.
"What is this?"
The onlookers also stepped back quickly. Charles had limited the field's range, so after a couple steps, they were unaffected again.
But Benio had no such relief. She was under direct pressure from Charles's mana field, yet she forced herself to stay upright and step forward, bit by bit.
"Not bad. Then… how about this?" Charles said, and he released the full effect of Draconic Intimidation.
A fearsome flaming beast roared behind Charles, and Benio dropped to one knee.
"Father… Mother… Brother…!"
Charles couldn't hear her inner voice, but he saw her stand up once more.
"You can still keep going? Then let's move on to the final stage."
Then, Charles unleashed… killing intent.
"I'm going to die…"
For a moment, that was the only thought in Benio's mind.
I haven't avenged my parents yet. I haven't uncovered the truth about my brother… And now I'm going to die?
Her chaotic thoughts vanished. Her mind went blank—and then came a strange thought:
I really want one more bite of red bean mochi…
At that moment, all the pressure vanished. She collapsed into a seiza sitting position and looked up at Charles.
He said, "So? How did it feel—facing death? Remember that feeling well.
And also, that last thought in your head—maybe that's your real reason for fighting."
Benio was stunned. There's no way I fight just for red bean mochi…
Charles didn't explain further. "You'll understand in time. Let's go eat again. You're only alive if your stomach's full."
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