"What's wrong, Miko? You've been acting really strange all day."
"You're not still shaken from the spacequake, are you?"
Slouched over her desk, Yotsuya Miko flinched when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
Her ever-cheerful best friend, Yurikawa Hana, leaned over with her usual bright smile.
Miko lifted her head and forced a weak smile in return.
But the very next second, her expression froze.
Behind Hana loomed a black, writhing mass of hatred—an evil spirit, its twisted form barely resembling a human anymore. Its hollow gaze was fixed squarely on her friend.
Miko's heart sank.
Why did you have to wake me up?!
If I'd just kept pretending to nap, I wouldn't have had to see this…
"Miko, why do you look like you're about to cry? And what are you staring at—"
Before Hana could finish, Miko cut in, her voice trembling.
"Because… I just remembered something really sad."
Her lips quivered, her tone shaking so badly she actually sounded like she was mourning.
Hana blinked, startled.
Did something happen to her family?
Just as she was about to offer comfort, Miko blurted out again.
"I… I went into the wrong bathroom earlier."
"…I ran straight into the boys' room…"
"…and accidentally bumped into a guy."
The mortifying memory spilled out of her like a confession, words tumbling over each other faster and faster.
Hana could only stare at her in silence.
…Yeah, that would be pretty depressing.
But strangely, Miko looked almost… relieved. Happier, even.
"Miko… do you know the boy?" Hana asked cautiously.
"No. I think he's from another class."
Miko recalled the sharp features of the boy she'd collided with, vaguely familiar.
"Then why do you look so happy? Don't tell me… you've awakened some kind of weird fetish?"
Hana's eyes went wide.
Miko stiffened, the corner of her lips twitching helplessly.
How was she supposed to explain?
Compared to the horrors she'd seen in the last two days, accidentally barging into the boys' restroom was practically a blessing.
Two days ago—
Her eyes had suddenly opened to a new reality. She could see them. Evil spirits.
Every single one radiated pure malice, their voices whispering in her ears.
"Can you see me?"
She wanted to scream. But some instinct told her that if she admitted it—if she reacted—they would do something truly terrifying.
Sleep was impossible that night.
Coming to school hadn't helped either. If anything, there were more spirits here.
A ghost girl lingered in the girls' bathroom, suspiciously reminiscent of the urban legend Hanako-san.
And in the boys' restroom… a decapitated head pressed itself against the toilet lid.
She had held it in all day.
"I'll just have to check another building after class…"
Clutching her thighs tightly, Miko longed desperately for the final bell.
Two torturous periods later—
"Miko, I've got plans, so I'll head out first!"
Hana's cheerful goodbye brought her enormous relief.
Thank goodness. She'd had no idea how to explain all this anyway… especially since evil spirits seemed unusually drawn to Hana.
Miko hurried out of the classroom, intent on slipping away.
But as she passed the neighboring class, a deep, magnetic voice called out.
"Yotsuya-san…"
Her head turned on instinct—only to meet the gaze of Kuzeha.
It's him… The boy I ran into in the boys' restroom.
Wait. He knows me?!
A thunderclap went off in her mind.
Mortification hit her late but hard, spreading through her whole body.
Her cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
"A-ah… ah…"
Miko opened her mouth, but only incoherent sounds came out.
"Let's talk outside."
Kuzeha smiled faintly.
Dazed, Miko nodded and followed him. It wasn't until they stood in a quiet corner that she snapped back to her senses.
She stared down at her shoes, only the tips of her toes visible from beneath her skirt, her heart pounding.
"What is he planning to do?"
"Mock me? Bully me? Threaten me?"
"…Or maybe—"
She squeezed her thighs together, her mind jumping to… less wholesome possibilities.
"Yotsuya-san, you can see this, can't you?"
Kuzeha's voice snapped her out of her spiral. She lifted her head—and froze.
In his hand, he was casually tossing up and down the same severed spirit-head she had seen in the boys' restroom.
Miko's pupils shrank. She stumbled back a step in shock.
"Don't worry. I'm not a spirit. My name is Kuzeha—you could think of me as an exorcist of sorts."
His handsome face softened into a warm smile, easing the tension wound tight inside her.
"E-exorcists… they're real?"
Miko whispered, awe and relief battling within her.
She had tried searching online these past two days. She had even looked around town for spiritual practitioners.
But every single one had been a scam.
Kuzeha only nodded, neither confirming nor denying.
In truth, while this world was crawling with supernatural phenomena, for ordinary people without connections, finding a genuine exorcist was nearly impossible.
"K-Kuzeha-kun… you're not trying to silence me, are you?"
Miko asked nervously.
She recognized his name—he always ranked near the top of the honor roll after exams. A model student.
And now… an exorcist too?
If he was going to pay her off to keep quiet, he'd probably be generous about it…
She thought bitterly of all her allowance wasted on fake spirit-beads.
What a loss.
"Silence you? Not at all."
Kuzeha's voice was calm, resolute.
"Yotsuya-san, you have talent. That's why I've decided—"
"—to take you on as my disciple."
The words fell on her ears like something out of a dream, almost unreal.
"M-me? Your… disciple?"
Kuzeha nodded firmly.
Of course. He had just acquired the Command Spirits and Marshal Ghosts entry.
What better way to test it than with her?
The "Command Spirits" part was decent enough. But if he could use "Marshal Ghosts" properly…
The potential was enormous.