Chapter 330: Sleeping In Is Not Allowed
"Regrettably, I have no intention of clashing with the current you."
Just as Tsuchimiya Garaku began forming hand seals to trap him, Kazuhiro Mitogawa's body suddenly disintegrated into countless butterflies, scattering in all directions.
"Planning to flee?"
Watching Mitogawa's actions, Garaku did not stop him; he simply stood silently on the spot, watching him depart. After lingering for a moment to ensure that he had truly driven Mitogawa away, Garaku returned to his residence.
Coincidentally, Tsuchimiya Kagura had just returned from outside at that exact moment.
"Father!"
Kagura, who hadn't seen Garaku for a long time, showed a look of pleasant surprise.
"Kagura, you're back."
Compared to Kagura's reaction, Garaku's response upon seeing his daughter could only be described as cold. However, for Garaku, there was no other choice. Ever since his wife died, in order to control the Tsuchimiya family's hereditary spiritual beast, Ga-Rei "Byakuei," he had been forced to embed that pigeon-egg-sized Sessho-seki into the back of his hand, using its power to manipulate the beast.
The side effects of the Sessho-seki were extremely potent. To better resist its negative influence, he had to keep his emotions flat and devoid of fluctuations at all times.
Kagura was naturally aware of the reason behind her father's coldness. Therefore, she was not discouraged by his reaction at all. Instead, she took this rare opportunity of meeting him to make a request.
"Sessho-seki?"
Hearing that Kagura wanted to take the Tsuchimiya family's entire stock of collected Sessho-seki fragments, a rare flash of bewilderment appeared on Garaku's face. One must understand that except for the Tsuchimiya family, who used them out of necessity to control Byakuei, the Sessho-seki was considered a wicked and heretical object by other spiritualists.
And the reason Kagura was asking for them now was to give them away to someone as a reward...
"Kagura, you should be aware of the side effects the Sessho-seki has on the human body, right?"
Since he didn't yet understand the full scope of the situation, Garaku did not rush to a conclusion but instead asked if she knew the dangers.
"I know, but if it's him, I believe the Sessho-seki won't affect him at all."
Kagura's tone was full of confidence. This was a typical thought for an ordinary spiritualist; in their eyes, an "Exorcist" was an omnipotent existence, comparable to a god.
"In other words, knowing full well the side effects, you still insist on giving it to someone else?"
Garaku fell silent. He didn't know exactly who this person Kagura spoke of was. But judging by the admiration in her voice, it was likely someone whose strength was not inferior to his—perhaps even stronger.
"Fine. Wait here for a moment."
After weighing it for a while, Garaku nodded. He decided to hand over the family's remaining stock of Sessho-seki to Kagura, letting her decide their ultimate ownership.
"Thank you very much, Father!"
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The next morning.
Having returned to his own bed for the first time in two days, it was no surprise that Hikigaya Hachiman overslept. However, Komachi—who had already promised a friend they could visit—could naturally not allow her brother to lie in bed snoring at such a critical juncture.
The time reached 7:30 AM.
Komachi, who had been waiting at the dining table with Sakura for some time, finally lost her patience. She led Sakura and charged toward Hachiman's bedroom door.
"Onii-chan, it's morning! Get up already!"
Given that she had tricked him out of the house once before, Komachi decided to try the polite approach first before resorting to force. However, she knocked several times, and there wasn't the slightest movement from inside the room.
"I guess Komachi has to take matters into her own hands after all?"
Staring at the closed door, Komachi sighed and rubbed her forehead. She turned the handle, preparing to enter the room. However, no matter how she twisted it, the door remained immovable.
"He locked it?"
Attempting to push the door, Komachi was surprised to find that for the first time, her brother had actually locked the door while sleeping!
"Could it be he guessed I was coming to wake him up today?"
Considering Hachiman's unique abilities, Komachi couldn't ignore that possibility. But!
"Thinking a single door can stop Komachi from getting in? Impossible!"
With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Komachi turned and walked into the room she shared with Sakura. When she reappeared at Hachiman's door, she had a ring of keys in her hand.
"......."
Accompanied by a low clicking sound, Komachi slipped quietly into the darkened bedroom. Looking at the large lump in the middle of the bed, she grinned and launched herself into a flying pounce straight onto the mattress.
"Urgh..."
The fast-asleep Hachiman suddenly felt a heavy impact on his abdomen. With a muffled groan, he forced his eyes open to assess the situation.
"Good morning, Onii-chan!"
The moment he opened his eyes, Komachi's high-energy smile appeared right in front of him, instantly banishing all sleepiness.
"Good morning..."
After instinctively responding to her greeting, Hachiman suddenly realized something.
"Why are you in my room? I locked the door, didn't I?!"
Because he had returned so late, Hachiman had intended to have a good rest today. To prevent Illya—who often came over—from disturbing him, he had specifically locked the door and even set up a barrier.
It wasn't surprising that Komachi had keys to every room in the house, but how did she break the barrier?
"Um... I was the one who broke the barrier..."
Sakura's soft, sweet voice came from beside the bed. Hachiman turned his head to find that Sakura had also entered his room at some point.
"You two..."
Seeing his two-layered defense dismantled by his two younger sisters, Hachiman felt mentally exhausted and lay back down.
"Ah, why are you sleeping again! Onii-chan, get up now!"
Seeing Hachiman lie back down and pull the covers over his face, Komachi was having none of it. With two cute little sisters personally coming to greet him, how could he possibly keep sleeping in!
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