"Oh? Her perception is quite sharp. And she's very sensitive?"
How keen was Sukuna's perception?
He immediately captured Miko's subtle, fear-filled peering. Like he had found an interesting toy, his mischievous side came out again. "Let's let her see a bit more clearly then."
Thus, Sukuna intentionally controlled his aura, releasing a tiny, extremely weak sliver of it. This sliver of aura would be unfelt by ordinary people, but for Miko, who had super-strong spiritual sensitivity, it was no different from a death knell tolling in her ear.
Buzz—
Miko felt a bone-chilling cold instantly sweep through her entire body, her mind going blank. It wasn't a physical low temperature, but a pressure on the soul level.
She felt like she was being stared at by a prehistoric giant beast, an invisible force gripping her throat, making it so she couldn't even move a finger.
Her muscles were all stiff. She could only maintain her head-down posture, trembling even more violently, tears almost bursting from her eyes, yet she forced them back. Her heart was filled with immense fear.
'Don't move... can't move... I'll be eaten... too scary...'
'Sukuna-san, what did you do?'
Utaha immediately noticed the anomaly in the girl across from her. The girl's face had instantly turned as pale as paper, and her body was shaking, clearly suffering from great fear.
"Nothing, just saying hello." Sukuna said nonchalantly.
"This little girl is quite interesting. She has a good pair of eyes, yet lives in a world full of filth, playing the 'can't see' game every day. It's quite rare that her mind hasn't collapsed yet."
Looking at the pitiful state of the girl across from her, Utaha couldn't help but feel sympathy.
Although she was also afraid of Sukuna, at least they were in a "symbiotic" relationship for now, and Sukuna had no intention of harming her for the time being.
But that girl across from her was clearly terrified purely by Sukuna's aura.
She tried to give the girl a friendly, apologetic smile, wanting to comfort her.
However, this smile, in the eyes of the extremely terrified Miko, took on a completely different meaning.
She saw that incredibly beautiful girl suddenly give her an... indescribable smile with some deep meaning?
Combined with the looming terrifying phantom behind Utaha, Miko felt her hair stand on end, nearly fainting on the spot.
She bit her lower lip, forcing herself to stay conscious, praying frantically in her heart, 'Don't look at me... please... don't notice me...'
"Hey, little girl." Sukuna's lazy voice rang out within the depths of Utaha's consciousness.
Utaha's expression remained unchanged as she responded with her thoughts. "What is it now, Sukuna-san?"
"Go and have a chat with that girl."
"Have a chat?" Utaha thought she had misheard and repeated it in her mind.
"Why? Just because she looked at me a few more times just now?"
She couldn't understand Sukuna's sudden command. What kind of twisted sense of humor was this?
"I am very interested in those eyes of hers." Sukuna's answer carried a cold, inquisitive interest, like a researcher examining a specimen.
"To be able to 'see' my existence so clearly, and even perceive subtle changes in aura... such a talent is rare even in a thousand years. Go, chat with her."
"Chat?" Utaha showed obvious resistance. "Sukuna-san, can't you see how terrified she is? You want me to go over and chat with her? I'm afraid I'll just scare her into fainting."
She simply couldn't imagine the scene—her walking over to that girl, who was shaking miserably, and saying, "Hello, the old monster inside me wants to be friends with you"?
"Hmph, so what if she faints? Just ask her when she wakes up." Sukuna sneered, not seeing any problem with it at all.
"I want to know to what extent those eyes of hers can see and how they operate. Whether you go ask, or I ask personally, is your choice."
This naked threat sent a chill through Utaha's heart.
She had no doubt that if she refused, Sukuna would immediately seize control of her body and 'ask' in a more direct, and likely more terrifying, manner.
Thinking of the possible consequences, Utaha gritted her teeth.
"I... I'll go."
She felt her cheeks burn—half from anger, half from embarrassment.
To have her, known for her sharp tongue and unapproachability, take the initiative to strike up a conversation with an overly frightened stranger who clearly wanted nothing to do with her? This was more painful than a public execution.
"But... how do I chat? What do I say?" Utaha felt a surge of helplessness.
Despite being a sharp-tongued literary beauty who held a high social position at school, her coldness was partly because she disliked socializing and partly because she was simply bad at it.
Initiating a friendly conversation, especially with such a peculiar subject, was outside her skill set.
"That's your business." Sukuna's tone was filled with indifferent detachment.
"Say whatever you want, ask her why she was looking at you, or just tell her you can see what she sees. In any case, get over there and start a conversation. Don't just stand there like a block of wood."
Utaha took a deep breath, as if she were heading to her death.
The train slowly pulled away from the platform, leaving Utaha and Miko on the much emptier platform. The evening breeze brushed past, carrying a hint of coolness and fluttering the hair of the two girls.
Utaha saw Miko prepare to leave the station and followed her.
Inside, Utaha was undergoing a fierce internal struggle.
Approaching a complete stranger, a girl who was clearly terrified of her?
This made her scalp tingle more than facing an editor's deadline.
Utaha bit her lower lip, nearly drawing blood. She knew the consequences of defying Sukuna were unpredictable.
Moreover, deep down, she felt an unspeakable curiosity toward this girl who could "see" Sukuna and was currently extremely scared... and perhaps even a subtle sense of shared fate?
After all, they could both see that "reality" which shouldn't exist.
Taking a deep breath as if facing her end, Utaha braced herself and stepped forward toward the black-haired girl who had her head bowed, looking as if she wanted to shrink into a crack in the ground.
The sound of high heels clicking against the pavement was exceptionally clear on the quiet platform, each step feeling like a hammer blow to Miko's taut nerves.
"Ex-excuse me... fellow student?" Utaha tried to make her voice sound less cold, but her long-standing habit still made her tone seem somewhat stiff.
Miko trembled violently as if struck by an electric current. Her head dropped even lower, and her hands gripped her schoolbag straps so tightly her knuckles turned white. She didn't dare answer, didn't even dare breathe, wishing she could just turn into air and vanish.
"I... I mean no harm." Utaha racked her brain for words, feeling more pained than when she had writer's block.
"Just now on the train, I noticed you seemed to be... looking at me? Did you see something... special on me?"
These words were like a thunderclap exploding in Miko's ears. She snapped her head up, her already large eyes now wide with extreme terror. Tears welled in her eyes, which were filled with the despair of being "found out."
She looked at Utaha's aggressively beautiful face and those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through one's heart, her body shaking.
"Re... relax." Utaha said, her heart softening at the sight.
Her tone unconsciously became gentler. "I... I won't hurt you. I'm just a bit curious."
These words seemed to have a small soothing effect, or perhaps Miko was simply numb with fear.
She looked at Utaha. The other party didn't seem to have any intention of immediately pouncing and eating her?
But that shuddering sensation from the depths of her soul didn't diminish in the slightest. She didn't dare speak, only using her eyes to convey a plea and a longing for release, hoping this terrifying girl would leave quickly.