Though Haruno didn't know what the Reverse World was, Miko's expression told her it was no holiday destination.
"That... wouldn't be right?"
Miko frowned firmly.
"We can't kill innocent people just because our abilities were discovered. That would completely undermine the purpose of what we do."
"Hmm, fair point. I agree."
Hearing this, Miko exhaled in relief.
Though she thought the other party must be joking.
But what if?
When Ye Xing was fighting the evil spirits earlier, his mental state had already seemed somewhat abnormal.
What if he really lost control?
Fortunately.
After the playful banter with Haruno just now, and now with this familiar, lazy and flippant tone and demeanour, Miko Yotsuya could be one hundred per cent certain.
Ye Xing was still the Ye Xing she knew.
As abstract as ever.
"Then you go deal with the Gate first, lest delays bring trouble."
"Alright."
After Miko turned and walked away, Ye Xing crouched down, staring directly into Haruno's eyes, remaining silent.
Being stared at like this, Haruno wasn't the least bit nervous. Instead, she revealed a faint smile and spoke first.
"What, love at first sight?"
As a transmigrator, Ye Xing naturally recognised the identity of the woman before him.
The eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, Yukino's elder sister, Haruno Yukinoshita.
Running into her here was truly something he hadn't anticipated.
After all, this was Kyoto, not Chiba.
Seeing Ye Xing still silent, Haruno's brows furrowed slightly. She maintained that seemingly genuine yet still fabricated smile, gazing back at him with amusement.
Haruno Yukinoshita possessed a very special skill.
Within mere seconds, she could discern the personality of someone she'd just met and adjust her tone and demeanour to present the most advantageous image for negotiations.
Colloquially speaking, she could talk to humans in human language and ghosts in ghost language.
Yet even now, Haruno still hadn't figured out what kind of person Ye Xing was or what approach she should take with him.
"You..."
After a long while, seeing the blood dripping from Ye Xing onto the ground, Haruno couldn't help but speak.
"You're bleeding. Doesn't it hurt?"
"Oh, right, I forgot."
Hearing this, Haruno was speechless.
Seriously?
How could you forget that?
With so many bloody holes, a normal person would be in agony...
Just as she was thinking this, she saw Ye Xing wave his hand, enveloping himself in a faint black mist.
The dozens of wounds pierced by the evil spirits' fangs visibly healed within seconds under the mist's coverage.
"This... what is this...?"
Haruno's lips parted slightly, her expression one of utter disbelief.
They just healed?
Wounds several centimetres deep would take ages to stitch up properly, even at a hospital.
Yet they healed completely in mere seconds?
The question in Haruno's mind was no longer whether Ye Xing was normal.
Was he even human?
"Look at you, so inexperienced."
Ye Xing teased the stunned Haruno, extending his right hand palm up.
Haruno frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ye Xing said matter-of-factly, "What else could I mean? Where's my payment?"
Haruno was even more confused. "What payment?"
"You're not as clever as I imagined."
Ye Xing shook his head, explaining impatiently.
"You should understand now that the recent series of construction accidents weren't coincidences but the work of evil spirits, right?"
"Well..."
From a rational perspective, Haruno was a staunch materialist.
How could something like evil spirits exist in this world?
Yet what she'd just witnessed with her own eyes left her with only two choices.
Either acknowledge that there existed aspects of this world she'd never heard of before.
Or admit that her mind was playing tricks on her, creating hallucinations.
Between limited knowledge and having one's head squeezed by a door, one always had to make a choice.
Haruno chose the former.
"Perhaps... that's the case."
"What do you mean 'perhaps'? That's exactly it."
Ye Xing immediately followed up.
"Which company was responsible for constructing this building?"
"Our family's... Yukinoshita Construction."
"Then here's the question - who helped your family's company resolve the evil spirit disturbance?"
"Was it... You?"
"Bingo."
Ye Xing nodded with satisfaction, waving his right hand in front of Haruno.
"So, where's my payment?"
Hearing this, Haruno finally understood.
She didn't have any objections - in fact, she felt relieved.
Thank goodness, thank goodness.
He wanted money? That was simple enough.
At the very least, since meeting Ye Xing, this was the most normal human behaviour he'd displayed.
"Fine. Name your price."
Contrary to Haruno's expectations, Ye Xing merely waved his hand disinterestedly.
"I don't need money."
"Then... what kind of reward are you talking about?"
Haruno had already realised that from the moment this conversation began, her rhythm had been completely disrupted - she'd been led by the nose the entire time.
This was unavoidable.
Negotiations depend on the bargaining chips each side holds.
She had absolutely no idea what Ye Xing wanted. This was also the first time she'd encountered something that completely overturned her worldview, leaving her unable to devise any effective countermeasures or seize control of the conversation.
"The reward I want is simple. Never speak of what you've seen and heard today to anyone. Can you do that?"
Hearing this request, Haruno breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile.
"No problem. Even if I wanted to tell people, no one would believe me. I've no desire to be labelled mentally ill."
As she spoke, Haruno produced a business card from her pocket and handed it to Ye Xing.
"I'm Haruno Yukinoshita. Here's my contact information. If you ever need anything, feel free to call. Within my capabilities, I'll do my best to repay this life-saving favour."
Ye Xing accepted the card without even glancing at it, simply tucking it away.
"Alright."
...
Five minutes later.
As Miko Yotsuya poured high-proof alcohol onto the Gate and set it alight with a match, watching it dissolve into wisps of black smoke amidst the flames, the area was finally resolved successfully.
This situation differed from her previous experience at Yui Yuigahama's home.
Last time, she and Yuigahama had been dragged into the Reverse World by Hachishaku-sama, who couldn't properly control the Gate's power.
This time, because the Gate had opened to a certain degree, this entire floor had merged with the corresponding floor in the Reverse World.
Had they been just one week later, this building in the surface world would have completely fused with its counterpart in the Reverse World.
At that point, entering this area would mean no distinction between worlds - even if they dealt with the Gate, the area wouldn't return to normal.
Fortunately, they'd resolved it in time.
After the Gate burned away, the force merging the two worlds disappeared, and the building returned to normal.
"OK, perfectly resolved."
Looking at Ye Xing's lazy expression, Miko wanted to ask about that ability of his - merging with the pale ghost hand. But with Haruno present as an outsider, she could only suppress her curiosity for now.
"Right, let's leave quickly."
After Ye Xing and Miko departed, Haruno also forced herself to stand and leave the abandoned building.
When the construction team supervisors saw her actually emerge from the building, they were overjoyed.
As expected, it had just been an accident - no evil spirits at work.
They'd been worried when Miss Yukinoshita hadn't come down after nearly an hour, debating whether to call the police.
Thankfully, they'd just been overthinking it.
Facing the construction supervisors, Haruno merely parted her lips and uttered two words in a flat tone:
"Resume construction."
"Understood, Miss Yukinoshita."
Watching the several managers bow respectfully, Haruno suddenly felt as if she had been separated from the world for a lifetime.
This was how the world should normally function in her eyes.
...
Upon returning home, Haruno happened to encounter Yukino Yukinoshita putting on her shoes.
"Going out?"
Yukino's reply was indifferent.
"Yes, to the library."
"Don't come back too late. You must have heard how bad Kyoto's public security has been recently."
"I know."
Just as Yukino was about to leave, Haruno suddenly called out to her.
"Oh, that building has resumed construction."
"I see."
Yukino's expression remained unchanged, showing no hint of surprise. She had no interest whatsoever in family business matters.
Her elder sister, Haruno, was outstanding, even a genius, one might say.
Whether in academics, horseback riding, aikido, or social skills and worldly wisdom, she surpassed her younger sister in every way.
Precisely because of this, Yukino couldn't understand.
Why would such an excellent sister accept the fate arranged by their mother?
Clearly, she disliked such things just as much as Yukino did.
Why insist on pretending to be someone fake?
Yukino detested hypocritical relationships.
In her eyes, their mother and sister were synonymous with falsehood.
She admired Haruno, wanted to catch up to Haruno, yet simultaneously resisted becoming Haruno.
"There's something I want to ask you. Do you happen to know two students from Sobu High School?"
Hearing this, Yukino turned to face Haruno and replied flatly:
"You're asking me about this?"
Haruno paused, then smiled self-deprecatingly.
"Right, given your personality and habits, you probably don't even remember all your classmates' faces."
"I simply have no one worth paying attention to."
In truth, Yukino Yukinoshita had already memorised all her yearmates' names and could match them to faces to avoid mistakes.
The next step was memorising the entire school's staff and students.
However, she had no intention of discussing this with Haruno.
She couldn't understand Haruno's thoughts, just as Haruno couldn't understand hers.
With these words, Yukino left home.
After her departure, Haruno took out her phone, hesitated briefly while looking at a familiar number, then ultimately made the call.
Ring... ring...
After two rings, the call connected.
Haruno's tone instantly became cheerful as she said playfully:
"Hello, Shizuka-chan, it's me."
From the other end came Shizuka Hiratsuka's exasperated voice:
"Look, even if you're a university student now, I was still your teacher. Isn't 'Shizuka-chan' a bit too informal?"
"Details don't matter, don't worry about it."
"Sigh."
Shizuka sighed helplessly.
"So, are you calling to check on your sister? Parental concern?"
"While I do care about Yukino-chan, this call is about something else."
"What is it?"
"Does your school have a very handsome male student with black hair and eyes, about 180cm tall? And a girl with dark blue long hair, golden eyes, quite cute-looking?"
Haruno had only asked on a whim, never expecting Shizuka Hiratsuka on the other end of the line to pause before actually giving an affirmative answer.
"You're talking about... Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya from my class, right?"
"Eh, those are their names?"
Hearing Shizuka confirm it, Haruno was genuinely surprised.
She'd assumed Ye Xing had just made up some lie to deceive her.
Yet it turned out he'd been telling the truth?
Those two were actually students at Sobu High School?
Two mysterious individuals fighting evil spirits in a building owned by her family, who just happened to attend the same school and class as her younger sister.
What were the odds?
Noticing Haruno's prolonged silence, Shizuka frowned slightly. "What, did you run into those two students?"
Haruno didn't deny it, though naturally, she couldn't reveal the truth.
"Mm, Ye Xing and Yotsuya helped me with something. I owe them both a favour."
"Hah? Helped you?" Shizuka laughed incredulously. "What could two high schoolers possibly help you with? Are you pulling my leg?"
Haruno remained silent, lost in thought.
She and Shizuka weren't just former teacher and student - they were close friends in private too.
She knew this perpetually single woman's straightforward personality all too well. Shizuka said exactly what she thought.
Even if she tried lying, she could never do it so naturally.
Clearly, their teacher knew nothing about Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya's supernatural abilities.
High schoolers fighting sinister entities in the shadows to protect the city...
Kinda cool when you think about it.
"Never mind, just checking," Haruno changed the subject with a chuckle. "I'm done with work and returning to Chiba tomorrow. Free tonight for a get-together?"
"No problem. Send me the address later."
"Alright, see you soon."
After hanging up, Haruno sat on the sofa, a thoughtful glint in her eyes as she murmured, "Ye Xing... what an interesting fellow."
...
Meanwhile, on the streets.
"What was that ability earlier?" Miko couldn't suppress her curiosity any longer.
Ye Xing didn't seem inclined to hide it, casually waving his hand. "Oh, that? Simple really. Just materialising one's soul and reintegrating it with the physical body. Sacrifices the soul's independent mobility to enhance the user's individual capabilities."
Just hearing this explanation made Miko feel her brain might short-circuit.
A materialised soul that can recombine with the user's body?
Doesn't that mean it's the same as not having summoned anything at all?
"Of course, in this state, one must bear certain negative effects."
Hearing this, Miko Yotsuya wore an expression of sudden realisation and nodded slightly.
"Just like you before - going berserk?"
Ye Xing: "..."
'I think you're the one who's a bit unhinged here.'
"The negative effects I'm referring to are about one's own negative emotions being amplified many times over."
"Negative emotions?"
Miko repeated the term, looking puzzled.
"But I thought you seemed quite happy back then?"
"Well, obviously. My negative emotions surged, but I had a blast killing things - how could I not be happy?"
"Oh, right."
"Anyway, you'll naturally understand when you're able to use this ability."
"Really?"
Miko looked utterly clueless, then did something Ye Xing hadn't anticipated.
"Open your eyes, Hyakume!"
After Hyakume appeared, Miko moved close to her and asked with righteous seriousness:
"When will I be able to unite my soul with my body to enhance my individual strength?"
Hyakume's six eyes were all filled with giant question marks.
Little girl, do you even hear what nonsense you're saying?
"Speak up."
Faced with Miko's questioning, Hyakume could only shake her head honestly.
"I don't understand."
Hyakume's tone and demeanour resembled Siri being asked some outrageous question.
Siri, can you check whether I need hospital treatment after being shot in the head?
Certainly. Based on your query, here's some reference material.
Being shot in the head doesn't require treatment. The most urgent matter is hiring a chef - preferably an experienced master chef - to prepare a proper funeral banquet.
Hyakume: Miss Yotsuya, please refrain from acting deranged here.
Amusing.
Miko didn't dwell on the issue further.
After all, Ye Xing had said it.
When she became capable, she'd know what to do.
Until then, thinking about it was pointless.
As per routine, the outstanding investigator of the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society and this week's best employee, Hachishaku-sama, teamed up to investigate areas with frequent paranormal activity.
Any evil spirits or Gates they encountered would be dealt with immediately.
As for Ye Xing?
He was tired and went home to sleep.
Such trivial matters could be left to his subordinates.
...
Thus passed a peaceful and pleasant weekend.
Another new day, the familiar Class A classroom.
Ye Xing sat on his exclusive King's Throne, taking out his phone to listen to news reports.
"Due to the recent continuous rise in crime rates and severity of criminal incidents in Kyoto City, Director Soichiro Yagami of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau advises Kyoto citizens to avoid going out after 10 pm to prevent encountering danger."
"During this press conference, Director Yagami also expressed his firm determination to combat crime resolutely."
"Various cities across Japan will temporarily transfer personnel to reinforce Kyoto's Metropolitan Police Department, increasing patrol efforts. Adhering to the principle of never letting any criminal escape, they will conduct a thorough cleansing of Kyoto City."
"The above constitutes Director Soichiro Yagami's solemn promise to the citizens."