After leaving the hospital, Nakano Yu and Katsura Kotonoha headed home.
The two of them had taken time off, so naturally there was no question of returning to school. It was already approaching evening, and a thin half-moon could already be seen in the sky, which meant that Nakano Yu could now use Moon Authority for teleportation, but Nakano Yu did not do so.
It wasn't that he couldn't, but rather that, recalling the recent period, Nakano Yu realized that he had indeed neglected Katsura Kotonoha a little.
Katsura Kotonoha was not like Miura Yumiko or Kasumigaoka Utaha. When it came to Katsura Kotonoha, she did not want to cause trouble for Nakano Yu. Even if there was something she desperately wanted in her heart, she would still suppress it out of consideration for not burdening Nakano Yu.
With today's incident, although it had been a misunderstanding, Nakano Yu could sense that Katsura Kotonoha was not in a particularly good mood, which made him want to take a walk and go shopping with her.
Only—
"Hey, Nakano Yu... is this really okay?"
Holding Nakano Yu's hand, Katsura Kotonoha asked softly, her expression looking somewhat strange.
"Don't pay attention to them."
Nakano Yu naturally knew who Katsura Kotonoha was referring to. It was none other than Iwanaga Kotoko and the group of little youkai following her.
From the moment Nakano Yu and Katsura Kotonoha finished their examination and left the hospital, Iwanaga Kotoko had been following them from a short distance behind.
Before the crescent moon appeared, Nakano Yu did not want to make a move against a physically handicapped female pervert in broad daylight, but now, beneath the faint moonlight illuminating the ground, he could directly use Moon Authority to teleport Iwanaga Kotoko and the group of little youkai far away from here.
Without any hesitation, Nakano Yu stopped. His fingers moved slightly, and in the very next second, the moonlight shone with a silver radiance, falling upon Iwanaga Kotoko and the group of little youkai.
"N-nani?!"
"W-what is this?!"
"Light? It feels itchy, so strange."
"Princess! This..."
Instantly, the little youkai following Iwanaga Kotoko panicked because of the moonlight.
These youkai had volunteered to protect Iwanaga Kotoko. In fact, they had not followed Iwanaga Kotoko before, because their identity as youkai would inevitably bring her trouble and inconvenience. However, ever since the Police Department publicly announced the existence of youkai and Nurarihyon, the great youkai stationed in Ukiyoe Town, came forward publicly to make a statement, they had gradually stopped hiding themselves.
Even so, they were not youkai from the Nura Group, so they were somewhat restrained in their actions, especially when interacting with Nakano Yu, the young man they called the "Twin Star Onmyoji."
Unlike the noisy reactions of the little youkai, Iwanaga Kotoko, whom they were protecting, remained exceptionally calm. Feeling the moonlight fall upon her, a trace of curiosity appeared in her eyes.
As the "Goddess of Wisdom" of the youkai, Iwanaga Kotoko had seen much of the world and understood many different kinds of power.
For example, the demonic energy of youkai, the spiritual power of onmyoji and psychics, as well as the life force contained within ordinary humans. But the power appearing now was completely unfamiliar to Iwanaga Kotoko. She was certain that it was a power she had never seen before, and she knew it was extremely powerful!
Even though she was the "Goddess of Wisdom," Iwanaga Kotoko had no power to resist Moon Authority. Looking at Nakano Yu, Iwanaga Kotoko opened her mouth, just about to say something to him, but in the very next moment, an intense feeling of dizziness swept through her body. When Iwanaga Kotoko regained her senses, she discovered that she and the group of youkai had already arrived at another hospital.
"What an incredible power."
Suppressing the discomfort in her heart, Iwanaga Kotoko sighed in admiration. After muttering quietly, she glanced at the little youkai who had not yet recovered from their dizziness and let out a soft sigh. Once all the youkai had recovered, she led them away and left.
On Nakano Yu's side, after sending Iwanaga Kotoko and the troublesome youkai far away, Nakano Yu took Katsura Kotonoha shopping.
Although the girl did not say it aloud, Nakano Yu could tell from the smile lingering on Katsura Kotonoha's face that she had enjoyed herself very much today.
As it was already getting late, Nakano Yu spent some gentle time with Katsura Kotonoha before escorting her home.
After leaving the Katsura household, Nakano Yu checked the time. Classes at Sobu High School had long since ended, so Nakano Yu did not return to school. Instead, he directly used Moon Authority to go to Tachibana Marika's home.
Although Nakano Yu and Tachibana Marika were currently engaged, the Tachibana family still had Tachibana Gen, his future father-in-law. Out of courtesy, Nakano Yu only used Moon Authority to appear in front of the entrance to the Tachibana family's apartment.
Fortunately, the apartment Tachibana Gen had purchased did not occupy the entire floor, and the corridor had windows, allowing the moonlight to illuminate the interior.
Just as he appeared in front of the Tachibana family's door, Nakano Yu was about to press the doorbell. However, before his finger touched the button, the Tachibana family's door suddenly opened.
Immediately afterward, the figures of Tachibana Gen and Tachibana Marika, their eyes and noses slightly red and obviously swollen from crying, appeared within Nakano Yu's field of vision.
Seeing them like this, Nakano Yu frowned slightly and asked in confusion:
"Uncle Tachibana, where are you going? Did something happen?"
At this moment, Tachibana Gen obviously had not expected Nakano Yu to be standing outside the door. However, his heart was in such turmoil that he had no intention of explaining anything. Under Nakano Yu's shocked gaze, Tachibana Gen's sturdy body heavily dropped to its knees, his knees striking the floor in front of Nakano Yu with a loud impact.
"Lord Nakano! Please, save Fujimaru Chika!"
Before Nakano Yu could react, Tachibana Gen's words, filled with sobs, pleading, and sorrow, reached his ears.
Looking at Tachibana Gen, Nakano Yu let out a helpless sigh.
Their relationship had always been very good, and Tachibana Gen had never addressed him so humbly. Now that Tachibana Gen was like this... Nakano Yu knew that there must be a problem Tachibana Gen could not solve.
With a green glow appearing in his eyes, Nakano Yu did not help Tachibana Gen stand up. Instead, he simply used Cut Through to sever Tachibana Gen's consciousness. Instantly, a wave of intense dizziness flooded Tachibana Gen's mind. Before he could react, Tachibana Gen fell forward, collapsing onto the floor and losing consciousness.
After putting Tachibana Gen to sleep, Nakano Yu looked at his body, waved his hand, and a powerful Wind lifted Tachibana Gen's body, carrying it to the sofa in the living room.
After finishing all that, Nakano Yu looked at Tachibana Marika, whose face was covered in tears and who looked utterly pitiful. His voice became gentler as he asked:
"Marika, can you tell me what happened?"
Looking at the young man, Tachibana Marika finally recovered slightly from her grief. After pressing her lips together, Marika walked over and grabbed Nakano Yu's hand, burying her face in his chest. Warm tears flowed out at that moment.
With Marika like this, Nakano Yu did not know what to say. He could only hold her in his arms, allowing the girl to cry against him while waiting for her to calm down.
A few moments later, Marika's sobbing gradually stopped, and then Nakano Yu heard the girl's quiet whisper:
"Yu, my... mother... she has... passed away..."