From the beginning, Akira thought he was walking the brainless urban power fantasy path.
A little later, he suspected it might be a sweet yet angsty slice-of-life youth story.
But hey, he still had a choice—he wasn't stuck in Kansai. As long as he didn't follow that path, it'd be fine.
But last night, sitting by the window, cigarette almost in his mouth, about to let out an "interesting woman" with a devilish smirk, he realized something felt... off.
Then lying in bed mulling it over for a long time, he finally noticed—without even realizing it, he had stepped right into a female demographic CEO romance route.
The heroine starts off oppressed and miserable, then stumbles into a chance encounter with a rich, handsome, domineering male lead who helps her just a little—as if tossing down a lofty handout.
Despite the massive gap in status, they end up entangled in a torturous back-and-forth that breaks hearts and bodies alike.
Eventually, while the male lead is surrounded by perfect white lotus flowers, he suddenly develops a peculiar interest in this woman...
Aside from the fact that the "white lotus" wasn't used pejoratively here, there really was no difference.
And this time, he'd gone too far—there was no turning back.
That so-called "interest" was just a shift in perception—like seeing someone go from "a pushover" to "a person I kinda admire"—it wasn't nearly enough for Akira to be caught in an endless, emotionally tangled soap opera.
It was far too early to talk about love.
But still… This flavor was wild. The more he tasted it, the wilder it got.
Thanks to that suffocating emotional intensity, Akira went to bed quite late.
By the time he woke up the next day, Utaha was already sitting at the table having lunch.
When she looked at him, she was smiling—but this time, there was something different in that smile.
"So now I owe you, huh?" Akira said irritably.
"Oh no, not at all. I was actually hoping to ask Mr. Ogiwara for more guidance on dealing with spirits.
Maybe even another protective charm. Considering you've already saved me at least twice, I'd say I've benefitted far more."
Utaha spoke "modestly," but the gentle sway of her black-stockinged legs under the chair betrayed her delight and ease.
The debt to the Sawamura family had already been repaid.
As for Akira, although nothing had been repaid yet, at least there was a clear path forward—it was just a matter of time.
The final debt was also steadily being repaid, and nearly complete.
So, for the first time since everything began over a month ago, she could finally let go of all the burdens and show a truly genuine smile.
"Besides, who says a trade must have 'perfectly equal perceived effort and reward'?
If both sides feel like they gained something and the cost is within an acceptable range, isn't that actually a better trade?
And really, getting too precise about it is just being neurotic."
Once again, she delivered an irrefutable argument—this time even borrowing Akira's own words.
Love makes people impulsive. Stress makes people irrational. Together, it's a double whammy of brain fog.
But now, having cut ties with past emotions, freed herself from pressure, gained some knowledge, and endured hardship, the Utaha who had once been stuck in the mire had emerged completely transformed—almost like a new person overnight.
She was practically glowing with life.
Seeing the joy in her smile, Akira shrugged. "You put in so much just to get a fair deal—was it worth it?"
"Looks pretty dumb, huh?" Utaha tapped her cheek playfully with a finger. "But I think it's worth it—and that's enough, isn't it?"
Akira gave her a cryptic smile. "Well, just don't end up crying later."
That wiped the smile off Utaha's face.
It's like the saying: owning a cat is fun—until the cost of cat food burns your wallet. Sure, cuddling one cat brings joy.
Two cats? Double the fun. But when you look at your expenses later, you'll want to die.
Utaha was the textbook example of someone swept up in momentary relief and joy, selectively forgetting the consequences. Just a tiny reminder was enough to snap her back to reality.
But if she worked a little harder, maybe she could keep fooling herself.
Utaha lowered her head and focused on eating breakfast—as if she hadn't heard a thing.
Her heart had only just lightened. She wanted to hold onto that peace a little longer, refusing to go back to the heavy reality.
Akira sat leisurely across from her and opened his own takeout box.
If she hadn't thought to get him a portion and instead ate by herself, he definitely would've nagged her a bit—maybe even teased her until she cried.
As for that "equal trade" she wanted—well, since she had laid everything on the line, of course he'd make sure to return it fairly.
After all, Akira had never taken himself too seriously—not like some big shot whose authority couldn't be questioned.
He just didn't take others seriously either. And if someone pissed him off, he'd lash back.
"By the way, why were you inside the house yesterday instead of waiting at the door?"
Hearing that, Utaha shivered. "I was at the door… but I don't know how, I ended up inside, like I was sleepwalking."
"Oh, that sounds like a type of hypnotic spiritual influence. Yeah, that's a common ability among weaker spirits." Akira nodded knowingly.
"Come to my room after you eat. I'll give you a new protective charm and another Clear Heart Talisman to make up for the one you used."
This time, Utaha responded with a light "okay," free of any psychological burden.
Akira thought the physical cost she'd paid was too much—and besides, if something happened to her midway, he wouldn't even receive that payment.
Emotionally and logically, she needed to protect herself properly.
She still knew the difference between pride and stubbornness.
That afternoon, Akira didn't play any games, and Utaha didn't read her novels.
Instead, with a book about Japanese yōkai in hand, they sat together—one teaching, one learning—chatting as they experienced the joy of being teacher and student.
At least, that was Akira's plan… until he suddenly realized—
His usual way of dealing with spirits was just to toss a charm and go "BOOM"—problem solved.
He didn't actually know anything about using salt or sticky rice or other traditional countermeasures.
Sure, he had learned a bit early on, but once he realized he didn't need it, he stopped. And whatever he did learn, he'd long forgotten. He couldn't teach this stuff at all.
Facing Utaha's eager, knowledge-thirsty gaze, Akira felt genuinely awkward for once.
"Um… Miss Kasumigaoka, how about I just teach you how to cultivate qi and draw talismans instead?"
"Huh? I thought we were learning how to deal with yōkai?"
Akira waved a hand dismissively.
"That kind of knowledge is too broad and messy. It takes forever to learn, and you might never use it.
Like—if you encounter something that's repelled by salt, are you gonna run to a convenience store to buy a bag first?
Or are you planning to carry salt and sticky rice with you every day?"
Utaha found that argument surprisingly convincing… though Akira's sudden change of direction did feel a little strange.
"So… you're saying you want me to become an onmyoji too? But I thought that kind of thing came with the whole 'five misfortunes, three deficiencies' curse?"
"Yeah, but that curse exists because onmyoji peek into fate—damaging their own life force.
But if you only cultivate qi and draw talismans, without doing feng shui or divination, it has nothing to do with fate. It's basically just a superpower that lets you toss items."
Utaha nodded, still a bit foggy but thinking it sounded pretty amazing.
In the end, she sat inside a circle that Akira laid out—called a Spirit Gathering Formation—doing her best to sense the so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Meanwhile, Akira took the opportunity to frantically flip through books, planning to wait a few days.
If Utaha still hadn't made any progress by then, he'd say, "Looks like you're not cut out for this," and fall back on some secondary plan to teach her something else.
After all, his power system was basically from a brainless urban fantasy.
He gained experience by fighting, leveled up to get mana, and added skill points to get feng shui, divination, and talisman drawing knowledge.
He had no clue how a normal person was supposed to start this kind of career.
Sure, the Spirit Gathering Formation was the real deal—but this whole meditation stuff? That was just something he saw in a novel once…
___
Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics
Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!
Don't forget to leave a review too~ Actually, please leave one.
Check out the other translations too
___