"B... bread?"
Miko's expression turned complicated, unsure how to respond.
She truly didn't remember how many slices of bread she'd eaten.
But the key question was—were evil spirits the same as bread?
Did Ye Xing mean that, in his eyes, evil spirits were just like food? Something he didn't even bother keeping track of how much he'd Devoured?
Before Miko could recover from her shock, Ye Xing pulled out the notebook she'd seen that morning from his pocket and casually handed it to her.
"The answers you're looking for are probably all in here. I'm too lazy to explain, so just read it yourself."
Staring at the black notebook Ye Xing held out, Miko bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth, her golden eyes flickering with hesitation.
A deep sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart.
According to Ye Xing, he had only awakened the ability to see those "things" about half a month ago.
Yet clearly...
His understanding of evil spirits and spectres far surpassed hers, even though she'd had Mystic Eyes for years.
If she took this notebook now and learned the truth of this world...
Would she still be able to turn back?
After hesitating for a long time, Miko finally extended her fair right hand, her slender fingers brushing against the black cover before taking it.
She took a deep breath, steadying the nervous pounding in her chest, and slowly opened it.
The first sentence that greeted her made Miko freeze.
[March 20th, Weather: Overcast.]
[Today, I awakened the ability to see evil spirits and spectres.]
[Damn it, woke up this morning and opened my eyes to see a twisted monster standing by my bed. Scared the hell out of me.]
Reading this, Miko couldn't help but sigh.
She could only say she understood the feeling all too well.
Even now, there were mornings when she would wake up and suddenly be startled by evil spirits and spectres, breaking out in a cold sweat.
At the same time, Miko Yotsuya felt a slight relief in her anxious heart.
She observed Ye Xing leaning against the rooftop railing, gazing at the distant scenery, thinking that although he appeared calm, his first encounter with an evil spirit had frightened him just as much as it had her.
Having fear—that was the mark of a normal human being.
Miko had just begun to smile when the next passage froze her expression.
[Finished eating.]
[Surprisingly, evil spirits taste pretty good. How should I describe it?]
[The texture is a bit like spicy strips, but the outer layer is crispy.]
[Those who frequently eat evil spirits know that eating is easy, but cooking them is hard.]
[I tried deep-frying them in oil, but they don't seem to be proper ingredients—only edible raw.]
[Oh well, raw it is. There's a certain primal, natural flavour to it.]
Miko's brain short-circuited, unable to process any thoughts as she mechanically turned the page.
[March 26th, Weather: Sunny.]
[After continuously devouring evil spirits these past few days, I've gained a deeper understanding of my abilities.]
[It's not just about seeing them.]
[After devouring them, my physical condition improves slightly. The effect seems to depend on the strength of the target evil spirit.]
[Moreover, after devouring them, fragments of memories that don't belong to me appear in my mind.]
[I suspect these might be remnants of the evil spirit's past experiences.]
[In these memory fragments, I only observe from a third-person perspective, never experiencing them firsthand, so they don't affect me at all.]
[April 2nd, Weather: Clear blue skies.]
[How many evil spirits have I devoured over this period? I didn't keep track.]
[Maybe two or three hundred? Could be four or five hundred—there are just so many of these things.]
[As I've devoured more and more evil spirits, I've noticed that common ones, perhaps out of fear of their natural predator, no longer dare to approach me.]
[In fact, they flee the moment I appear.]
Reading this entry, Miko's eyebrows twitched.
From March 20th to April 2nd—only thirteen days in total.
Ye Xing had devoured hundreds of evil spirits in such a short time?
That averaged out to at least twenty or thirty per day?
Though the notebook didn't explicitly state it, based on Miko's experience, unless she deliberately sought out dark, secluded places, she'd only encounter four or five of those "things" daily.
What did this mean?
It meant that from the moment Ye Xing awakened his Mystic Eyes, he hadn't avoided evil spirits—instead, he actively sought them out every single day.
Was this normal behaviour!?
The next entry contained something Miko struggled to comprehend.
[April 4th, Weather: Rainy.]
[Found another "Gate."]
[Just as I suspected—areas where these exist have far more active evil spirits and spectres within a several-kilometre radius.]
[If left unchecked, Kyoto will become a playground for them in less than two months, won't it?]
[Those old fools at the shrine—utterly useless. With evil spirits clinging to their backs, they still dare offer to bless me and pray to the gods?]
[Still, if the rules governing evil spirits and spectres are the same as in Miko Yotsuya's world, I recall there are supposed to be gods capable of eradicating them.]
[Perhaps I just haven't found the right place.]
[Or maybe the gods do exist—they simply refuse to help me.]
[Either way, it doesn't matter now.]
[Tomorrow marks the start of the term at Sobu High. I'll figure out my next move after meeting Miko Yotsuya.]
The daily notebook entries ended there.
The final section detailed Ye Xing's compiled data on how weapons of different materials reacted when used against evil spirits.
Reading this, Miko finally understood why he had acted that way in the morning.
It wasn't for pleasure.
He'd been experimenting—testing which weapon materials could inflict maximum damage on evil spirits.
Now this was professionalism.
Miko almost felt there was a scientific approach to his exorcism methods.
Only one thing still puzzled her.
She looked up at Ye Xing and asked, "What do you mean by 'my world'? Have we met before? And what's this 'Gate' you mentioned?"
"Hmm... how to explain."
Ye Xing shrugged, smiling carelessly.
"Let's just say I know you well, even if we've never actually met."
"As for the Gate..."
"If you're free after school today, I can show you in person. You'll understand everything then."