Chapter 328: An Unexpected Turn of Events
"They've all left Japan? Then doesn't that mean Big Brother has also..."
Hearing Isayama Naraku's words, Kagura Tsuchimiya habitually let her inner thoughts slip out.
"What?"
Isayama Naraku looked suspiciously at the girl in front of him, who had quickly covered her mouth upon realizing her slip of the tongue.
He had just heard her use such an affectionate term for a male, hadn't he? It was truly unbelievable that the dignified next head of the Tsuchimiya family would refer to a man in such a manner.
"No, it's nothing..."
Realizing she had almost exposed Hikigaya Hachiman, Kagura shook her head frantically. After leaving the bouquet of flowers she had brought to visit, she turned and ran out of the hospital.
"That child..."
Watching Kagura's retreating back, Isayama Naraku shook his head helplessly. Even though she had begun taking on family duties, she was still so impetuous...
After leaving the hospital, Kagura quickly took a car toward Chiba. Midway through the journey, she suddenly realized something was amiss.
She didn't know yet if Hikigaya Hachiman had also left Japan. Furthermore, by the time she reached Chiba, it would be late at night. Disturbing the Hikigaya household at such an hour might not only result in him refusing her request but could also provoke his resentment.
"Please turn around and go back."
After weighing the pros and cons, Kagura suppressed her urgent feelings and ordered the driver to turn back home.
At the same time, she took out her phone to ask Komachi via Line about her brother's whereabouts.
Since it was quite late, Kagura originally thought she would have to wait until tomorrow morning for a reply. However, the moment she sent the message, Komachi replied instantly!
'So fast... has Komachi not gone to sleep yet?'
Kagura was slightly surprised by the immediate response. But that surprise soon turned into joy.
[Komachi: Onii-chan is right here at home.]
Confirming that Hikigaya Hachiman was indeed at home, Kagura pressed the phone to her chest and took a deep breath to vent her excitement.
[Kagura Tsuchimiya: Then, can I come to visit you both tomorrow?]
[Komachi: Of course! You're always welcome to come and play!]
[Kagura Tsuchimiya: Then I'll come over tomorrow morning.]
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With tomorrow's itinerary settled, Kagura collapsed back into the rear seat.
Although she didn't know if Hikigaya Hachiman had a solution for Isayama Yomi's condition, she had finally found a glimmer of hope.
"I just don't know if Big Brother will agree to help..."
While Kagura felt that given Hikigaya Hachiman's personality, he likely wouldn't refuse her, they were still just acquaintances who had met only a few times.
"If I'm asking Big Brother for help, I must prepare a suitable reward!"
Kagura found herself troubled by this obvious necessity.
"What would Big Brother need?" she murmured, resting her chin on her hand.
Wealth in the physical world certainly couldn't serve as a reward; after all, for someone like Hikigaya Hachiman, countless people would offer him such things without him even asking. However, she currently had nothing related to the supernatural "Inner World."
After all, she was only a middle school student.
Even though her strength had reached S-rank, most of the family's resources were controlled by her father due to her young age. Even the weapon she currently used had been forged and allocated by the government because she had joined the Supernatural Disaster Prevention Agency.
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While Kagura was agonizing over what to provide as a reward, in a remote alley in Tokyo, Isayama Mei was currently surrounded by a swarm of low-level spirits.
"If your strength is lacking, it doesn't matter how many of you come!"
Despite being surrounded, there wasn't a trace of panic on Mei's face. On the contrary, she looked at the low-level spirits around her and let out a contemptuous laugh.
A few minutes later, as the scream of the last spirit faded away, the battle in the alley concluded.
She sheathed her sword. After the brief slaughter, Mei's mind had regained its calm, and she decided to end her spirit hunting for the night. However, just as she was about to leave, a highly threatening source of spiritual energy suddenly appeared within her perception.
"This is an A-rank fluctuation?"
Sensing a high-level spirit nearby, Mei's expression changed. Even though it was late at night, letting an A-rank spirit run wild would result in massive damage over a single night.
Furthermore, her current location was quite remote. Whether it was the Ministry of the Environment or the Ministry of Defense's exorcism personnel, it would take at least half an hour for them to arrive. The most critical point was that the Ministry of Defense's personnel only had records of successfully defeating B-rank spirits. As for the Ministry of the Environment, their combat power had plummeted with the temporary absence of their two main forces, Isayama Yomi and Kagura Tsuchimiya.
"Those people can't handle this spirit!"
Mei made a swift judgment. After a moment of hesitation, she began moving toward the source of the spiritual energy.
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Finding the spirit's location was easier than Mei had imagined. Unlike the typical erratic behavior of spirits, her target had remained stationary since it revealed itself.
"A child?"
Upon reaching the source, a thin figure quickly entered Mei's view.
"Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Mitogawa..."
Seeing that he had successfully lured Isayama Mei there, Kazuhiro Mitogawa raised his hand to introduce himself, but suddenly felt his heart pierced by something.
He looked down at his chest. A gleaming kodachi was held by Mei, who was currently slowly withdrawing it from his body.
"Attacking before I even finished speaking?"
A hint of helplessness flashed across Mitogawa's face. Compared to Isayama Yomi, it seemed that Isayama Mei would be quite difficult to engage in a normal conversation with.
"Not dead?"
While Mitogawa was disappointed by his inability to chat with her, Mei frowned at the spirit disguised in human form. In the next second, Mitogawa reached out and caught the blade of her sword.
Following a crisp sound, a spray of blood erupted from Mei's chest, and she collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
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