The white dress, the abnormally tall stature, the cascading black hair.
And that suffocating pressure that seemed to freeze one's breath.
No mistake about it.
Miko could be absolutely certain.
This towering woman before them wasn't human - she was the spectre from Japanese folklore, Hachishaku-sama!
"Miko, what's wrong?"
Unlike Miko, whose pupils were already shaking violently, Yui continued yawning lazily, beckoning to Sable by the door.
"Come here, Sable. If you keep barking like this every night, the neighbours will complain."
'Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm.'
Miko clenched her teeth, suppressing the terror in her heart.
The training she'd done with Ye Xing over the weekends was precisely for moments like this.
As long as the spectre didn't realise she could "see", she wouldn't come to harm.
As for fighting it?
Such an absurd notion never even crossed Miko's mind.
This was the legendary Hachishaku-sama after all!
If this were compared to games or light novels, it would be like being a new player who hadn't even finished the tutorial or named their character, suddenly encountering an Elite BOSS!
She had to message Ye Xing immediately.
Holding onto this thought, Miko Yotsuya did her utmost to keep her hands from trembling as she prepared to compose and send a text to Ye Xing.
At that very moment, the front door of the house swung open on its own, inexplicably and without a hint of wind.
Sable, who had been crouching by the door, immediately dashed outside.
"Sable?"
Seeing her dog run out, Yui Yuigahama didn't hesitate for even a second before chasing after it.
"Yuigahama, wa—"
Miko didn't even have time to stop her.
'This is bad. It's over. We're done for. Game over.'
These were the only words that surfaced in Miko Yotsuya's mind.
Humans who couldn't see evil spirits wouldn't be harmed by them.
But the problem was...
Could the legendary Hachishaku-sama really be measured by the behaviour of ordinary evil spirits?
If it were truly like the stories she'd heard as a child, Hachishaku-sama would lure its victims outside before killing them.
Now Yuigahama had already gone out.
What would happen next?
Miko took a deep breath. Even though her legs were shaking, she finished typing the text to Ye Xing and sent it, then resolutely strode out of the house.
She couldn't just stand by and watch something happen to Yui Yuigahama.
At the very least, she had to protect her friend until Ye Xing arrived.
When Miko rushed outside, she witnessed a sight she'd never seen before in her life.
Under the ghastly pale moonlight, the apartment corridor was filled with countless white-yellowish paper scraps drifting in from nowhere.
The ground was even covered in a thick layer of paper scraps, reaching up to her ankles.
"What... what is this..."
Cold sweat had already soaked through Miko's pyjamas.
At the end of the corridor, Yui Yuigahama had found Sable and was holding him in her arms.
Seeing that Miko had followed her out, Yui hurried over with quick steps, smiling apologetically.
"Sorry, sorry! Sable must've gotten too excited because we had guests today. Did he wake you?"
"N-no, it's fine."
Miko forced a smile.
Although her gaze remained fixed on Yui's face, her peripheral vision was clear enough to see it.
The towering figure of Hachishaku-sama stood right behind Yui.
From within the waterfall of black hair, only a pair of inhumanly pale pupils stared directly at her.
"Y-Yuigahama, let's go back inside. It's cold out here, you might catch a chill."
She couldn't take it anymore.
Miko felt she truly couldn't hold on much longer.
"Mm, let's go back."
Yui nodded sweetly, gently patting Sable's head as she chided sternly,
"No more running off, okay?"
Just then.
"Haa..."
The Hachishaku-sama standing behind Yui slightly parted their lips and let out a sigh filled with endless resentment.
But that wasn't the worst part.
What made Miko's pupils dilate in shock was that, as Hachishaku-sama sighed, the ends of Yui's peach-pink hair had stirred faintly.
How was that possible!?
Hachishaku-sama's breath stirred Yui Yuigahama's hair?
But Yui was just an ordinary person who couldn't see them—evil spirits shouldn't be able to touch her!
The next moment, to Miko Yotsuya's horror, Hachishaku-sama extended a deathly pale finger and lightly lifted a strand of Yui's hair, clutching it in her palm.
Meanwhile, Yui remained completely unaware, her expression still blankly innocent.
"Miko, why aren't you coming in?"
The current situation was this:
If Yui took just one more step forward, she would feel her hair being pulled.
And what would happen after that...
Miko couldn't bear to imagine.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Sable barked furiously at Hachishaku-sama, baring his teeth.
"Huh? Why are you barking again?"
Yui looked puzzled and instinctively began to turn her head.
Miko's body moved faster than her thoughts.
Thud!
Before she realised it, her left hand had already slapped Hachishaku-sama's palm away, then she shoved Yui straight into the house, slammed the door shut, and pressed her back against it.
"Miko?"
Inside, Yui's voice called out.
Outside, Miko stood face-to-face with Hachishaku-sama.
"You... can see me?"
Hachishaku-sama's first question came softly, her voice carrying a desolate clarity.
But then it twisted into a hoarse roar.
"You can see me!"
At that moment, Miko's mind became eerily calm.
All surrounding sounds seemed to vanish.
Even if Ye Xing moved as fast as possible, less than a minute had passed since she'd sent her text.
This time, no one could save her.
"Is this... my end...?"
As Hachishaku-sama's enormous right hand descended towards her face, Miko had only one thought.
Unfair.
It was so unfair.
Why had she awakened the power of Mystic Eyes in the first place?
Just to experience this despair?
When clearly...
For the first time, she had just saved someone using the power of her own eyes.
[Frustrated?]
A woman's voice suddenly echoed in Miko Yotsuya's mind.
[Only able to see, yet powerless to change anything... Have you finally grown disgusted with your own weak, incompetent self?]
[Then call my name.]
As the voice in her mind faded, a barrier of black Qi materialised before Miko, blocking Hachishaku-sama's outstretched hand.
A strange glimmer flashed through her golden eyes.
'So this is it... the ability of Soul Materialisation.'
All hesitation and panic had already vanished from Miko's heart.
She stared directly at Hachishaku-sama before her and spoke word by word:
"Open your eyes, Hyakume!"