Time would not stop for Miko Yotsuya's thoughts, nor would the evil spirit's claws halt for her prayers.
And so, in Miko Yotsuya's wide eyes, the evil spirit's claws pierced Tanaka Masao's chest, and then... the evil spirit melted away like ice, instantly vanishing.
Miko Yotsuya: ?
What did she just see? The evil spirit disappeared?
But why did it suddenly vanish? Did it clock out?
Miko Yotsuya didn't believe an evil spirit would disappear for no reason, so eliminating all wrong answers, the last answer, no matter how absurd, must be the correct one.
Tanaka Masao, right in front of her, performed an exorcism.
Tanaka Masao is an exorcist.
Coming to this conclusion, Miko Yotsuya felt a surge of joy; finally, after enduring for so long, she had met a reliable exorcist.
She had met an old woman with some ability when she went to buy a bracelet before, but it was only 'some' ability; the old woman's prized possession was no match for an evil spirit.
Yet, Tanaka Masao could, unknowingly, instantly kill a seemingly powerful evil spirit.
Miko Yotsuya couldn't even imagine how strong Tanaka Masao's true power was.
At the same time, she cast her gaze towards Tanaka Masao's chest.
If I wasn't mistaken, when the evil spirit touched his chest, an almost imperceptible blue light glowed there.
Because she had been focused on Tanaka Masao's chest, she naturally noticed this tiny detail.
Is there some exorcism treasure there, or is this him activating an ability?
Miko Yotsuya stared at Tanaka Masao's chest, lost in thought.
Tanaka Masao's ability to withstand the evil spirit's attack, and even instantly kill it, was naturally thanks to the Mark Armor on his chest.
No, to be precise, it was thanks to the Arc Reactor.
The technological content of this thing was much higher than Iron Man's armor.
The armor had undergone so many updates and iterations, yet the reactor had only replaced one core element, and even its design principles and structure hadn't changed.
Small in size, and using cold fusion, possessing it almost meant achieving energy freedom.
And for Tanaka Masao to wear it was no different from carrying a small sun on his body.
An evil spirit actively touching the sun, the outcome was predictable.
Moths flying into a flame, seeking death... In Miko Yotsuya's view, a thrilling incident had been successfully resolved.
But in the eyes of others, it was a completely different story.
What they saw was Miko Yotsuya suddenly grabbing Tanaka Masao's hand, then staring at Tanaka Masao with a look of joy and anticipation on her face.
Hana Yurikawa: What's wrong with Miko? She suddenly grabbed a boy's hand and made such a doting expression.
Is it love at first sight? But he isn't very handsome, is he? Is this what Miko likes?
And she usually acts so aloof, yet now she's so bold. Miko, I'm truly seeing you in a new light.
Fujiwara Chika: Why is she holding Junior Tanaka's hand? Did Junior Tanaka try to grope her just now?
But that doesn't feel right. Junior Tanaka shouldn't be that bold.
Tanaka Masao: She wouldn't like me, would she?
Just like that, the scene fell into an eerie balance and silence.
When Miko Yotsuya snapped out of her thoughts, she noticed the strange atmosphere.
She found that the other three were staring intently at her. Miko Yotsuya looked down and realized she was still holding Tanaka Masao's hand.
She let go as if shocked, her face flushed, and she explained nervously.
"Sorry, I saw a bug on your hand just now and helped you brush it off."
A clumsy lie, completely unconvincing.
Leaving aside where Miko Yotsuya's bug was, even if there was a bug, why would she need to hold his hand for so long? A quick pat would have solved it.
"Ah, so it was a bug! I was wondering why my hand felt a bit itchy just now. Thank you, Yotsuya-san."
Tanaka Masao scratched his head, saying gratefully with an 'oh, I see' expression.
Fujiwara Chika's eyes widened, looking at Tanaka Masao with some disbelief.
No, Junior Tanaka, how could you believe such a thing? That's a lie even I can easily see through. Where did your intelligence go?
I get it. This is the legendary 'being blinded by beauty.' Really, don't get carried away just because she's a pretty girl. You believe everything she says?
Tanaka Masao naturally didn't believe what Miko Yotsuya said, but after a moment's thought, he could roughly guess that her reason could only be related to evil spirits.
Also, he clearly felt the Arc Reactor in his chest fluctuate in energy just now.
Did something invisible attack me just now? But why? I'm not that special... Oh, I remember, the system gave me a 'Limitless Stamina' talent.
It must be a female ghost craving my body.
Boys must protect themselves when out and about.
Tanaka Masao suddenly felt a little scared. He felt as if countless female ghosts were surrounding him, wanting to devour him.
Living an easy life in the mundane world, he suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
No, I need to quickly earn Depravity Points for draws. It would be best if I could draw an ability to capture spirits, then I can help those poor female ghosts pass on.
Female Ghost: Don't come near me!
Thus, the four left the haunted house in an extremely strange atmosphere. Even the scares from the haunted house staff couldn't break this eerie mood.
Seeing the unresponsive group, the haunted house staff felt very hurt.
No, if you don't scream, we'll feel like we have no presence, you know?
Even ghosts fear silent treatment, even fake ghosts.
--- After leaving the haunted house, the four did not separate immediately. Miko Yotsuya spoke first.
"Um, do you want to continue playing at the amusement park together?"
Since she knew Tanaka Masao was extraordinary, she naturally didn't want to miss this rare opportunity and wanted to investigate further.
Hana Yurikawa originally thought it would be rude to interrupt Tanaka Masao and Fujiwara Chika's date.
However, seeing Miko Yotsuya's firm and expectant gaze, she hesitated.
Miko is my best friend. It's rare for her to pursue love so actively. Logically, I should help her, but Miko, why did you choose this man?
By the way, his name is Tanaka, right? To have a girlfriend as beautiful as Senior Fujiwara and still attract Miko, does he really have a unique charm that I haven't noticed?
Alright, for Miko's happiness, I'm going all out.
Sorry, Senior Fujiwara, I'm about to do something disloyal to you.
Hana Yurikawa made up her mind to act as Miko Yotsuya's wingwoman, distracting Fujiwara Chika to create an opportunity for the two to be alone.
If Miko Yotsuya knew what her best friend was thinking, she would definitely thank her profusely.
Because she was looking for an opportunity to be alone with Tanaka Masao.