After a quiet, almost emotional farewell with the principal, we finally stepped off the school grounds.
The difference was immediate.
Whatever had infected that place was truly gone. The air felt clean, stripped of the suffocating weight that had pressed against our chests for days. Above us, the sky was bruising into soft shades of burnt orange and deep purple as the evening set in.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
We just stood there by the gates, looking back at the brick facade. It was hard to believe that only a few hours ago, those dark halls had been crawling with something entirely inhuman.
I was the first to turn away.
Without a word, we walked to the car and climbed in.
The engine turned over, and we pulled away from the curb. The rural roads were completely empty. The only sounds were the steady hum of the engine and the rush of wind slipping past the glass.
Haroku stretched his arms overhead, letting out a long, exhausted breath.
"Finally," he said, sinking deep into the passenger seat. "This case is done."
I didn't answer right away.
My eyes stayed locked on the windshield, watching the blur of passing trees and the dim glow of distant streetlights. I was looking at the road, but I wasn't really seeing any of it. My mind was already miles ahead.
"No," I said quietly. "It's not."
Haroku opened his eyes and turned toward me, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"
I kept my grip steady on the wheel. "Did you read that parchment carefully? He told us to come to the Hinamoruka Hills."
"Yeah, but—"
"That wasn't a warning to stay away," I cut him off, glancing sideways for a split second. "It was an invitation."
A pause stretched between us.
"And a challenge."
The atmosphere inside the cabin immediately shifted. Haroku sat up slightly, the relaxed ease draining entirely from his posture.
"That means this is just the beginning," I told him, letting the heavy reality settle over us.
"So... what now?" he asked.
"Tomorrow," I said, my voice sharpening, "we head to the Hinamoruka Hills. And this time, I kill him."
Silence filled the car.
I could feel Haroku staring at me. I didn't need to look at him to know exactly what he was thinking. This wasn't how I usually operated.
He shook his head lightly, trying to defuse the sudden tension. "Relax, man," he said, offering a strained smile. "We just survived a brutal contract. Take a break for one night."
I looked down at the dashboard for a second. He wasn't wrong.
After a short pause, I gave a slow nod.
"Yeah... you're right." The sharp edge in my voice softened, though the underlying resolve didn't budge. "Today, we rest. But tomorrow afternoon, we meet up again."
He raised an eyebrow. "And then?"
I leaned back slightly against the leather. "My grandfather told me something a long time ago."
Haroku's attention zeroed in instantly.
"He said an old associate of his lives near the Hinamoruka Hills," I explained. "He runs an organization called the Spirit Hunter Society."
"Spirit Hunter Society?" Haroku repeated, testing the name.
"A guild of trained professionals," I said. "And they aren't like us."
He leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean?"
I kept my eyes on the dark road ahead. "They operate on an entirely different level. They're experienced, highly skilled, and incredibly powerful. They've been hunting high-tier entities for decades. They understand the mechanics of this world in ways we don't."
Haroku processed the information quietly. "So... you're saying..."
"They'll train us," I said, taking a slow, grounding breath. "They'll break our limits and make us stronger."
My tone hardened into absolute iron.
"And then... we fight Jason."
Saying his name felt different now. He wasn't just a target on a contract anymore. I clenched my hands tightly around the steering wheel.
"And this time, it won't just be an exorcism. We'll take revenge for my grandfather."
"...Really?" Haroku asked softly.
I turned and met his eyes directly.
"Yeah. Really."
There was no hesitation left in me. No lingering doubt. Just cold, absolute certainty.
Haroku leaned back against his seat, but I could tell the tension remained locked in his shoulders. He knew something fundamental had changed. Usually, after a near-death case, I would laugh it off. I'd make a few jokes, act like the brush with the afterlife was just another Tuesday.
But I couldn't fake it this time.
Jason wasn't just another job. And whatever was waiting for us at the Hinamoruka Hills was going to eclipse everything we had faced so far.
We drove on as true night settled over the countryside.
Streetlights flickered to life, casting long, rhythmic shadows across the asphalt. The silence in the car wasn't empty; it was heavy with unanswered questions and the quiet understanding of what we were walking into.
"But for now," I finally said, breaking the quiet.
Haroku looked over.
"Let's not overthink it." I offered him a small, genuine smile. "Let's head back to my place. We'll grab some food and celebrate surviving."
Haroku smirked, the tension breaking just a fraction. "Now that sounds like the Symen I know."
I let out a quiet chuckle.
For a fleeting moment, things felt normal again.
But only for a moment. Because when I looked back at the dark road stretching out ahead of us, the heavy reality settled back in.
"But starting tomorrow," I said slowly, "everything changes."
Haroku nodded, looking out the passenger window. "A new start."
"Yeah," I exhaled. "A new beginning."
The car carried us forward into the dark, driving toward something uncertain, incredibly dangerous, and entirely inevitable.
Because the truth was simple. The real battle hadn't ended.