"Why is the taxi in this country so expensive..."
Asakura tucked his wallet away and watched the taxi he had just taken disappear around the street corner with a drift, leaving only a faint trace of taillights in the air. He rubbed his temples, which were feeling somewhat uncomfortable due to motion sickness.
Since the old Ford car had exploded along with the monsters in Kasumigaoka's Sea of Trees Demonic Realm, and the Fox Mimic was still lying flat and playing dead, Asakura had no other means of rapid transit for the moment. Therefore, he had to honestly choose the simple and rustic method of calling a cab to reach his destination.
However, that driver seemed very dissatisfied with Asakura's method of directing—"First drive like this, then drive like that, and finally drive like this, do you get what I mean? No, not like that, like this"—and drove with such a reckless "boar rush" momentum that he was only a hair's breadth away from jumping off a drainage ditch to initiate a Victory Charge Tornado.
"Let me see, it should be in this area..."
Asakura spread out his perception and began searching for Miko, or rather, the location of his Mystic Eye Killer.
Having just come out of the Sea of Trees Demonic Realm and immediately entering a continuous combat mode made his spirit somewhat weary, but if it was only this level of intensity, it was still within the scope of what he could endure.
Following the traces of the hidden trump card he had left on the Mystic Eye Killer, Asakura quickly found his target.
"Yotsuya?"
He saw Miko, wearing the Mystic Eye Killer, scurrying around the street in a panic as if she were searching for something.
The dark and gloomy sky continued to drop fine threads of rain. The streetlights on the corner, likely equipped with photosensitive elements, had already lit up even though it wasn't evening yet, casting a soft layer of white light through the mist.
One could tell the girl had not made a special effort to avoid the rain; her school-uniform-like shirt was completely soaked, the sailor collar clinging to her slender shoulders. Her long black hair was wet from the rain, cascading down her cheekbones, with several strands of hair pressed tightly against her pale skin, dripping crystal-clear water droplets.
The hem of her skirt was lightly lifted by the breeze and then pressed down by the weight of the rain; the soaked fabric outlined the curves of her silhouette, her white over-the-knee socks were already stained with light gray water marks, and a thin layer of water had pooled at the tips of her shoes, reflecting the blurred shadows of the lights.
"Asakura-kun?!"
Upon seeing Asakura, Miko's golden eyes brightened, and she ran over as fast as a little rabbit.
"You look... in decent shape?" After confirming the girl wasn't missing any limbs, Asakura asked with some surprise: "Weren't you encountering danger?"
"Yes, I did encounter a giant-like monster just now, and it even discovered that I could see it. It felt like a 'hanging by a thread' situation," Miko nodded her little head vigorously, then let out a dry laugh as if she didn't know how to speak of it, saying somewhat awkwardly: "It's just that when that monster wanted to make a move on me, a burst of... um? Flames? Something like that erupted from the glasses you gave me..."
"And then?" Asakura pressed.
"And then the monster was burned to ashes," the girl said, spreading her hands.
"..." Asakura was speechless.
So, what exactly was the point of me spending all that money and rushing over as fast as I could?
No, although he had indeed carved the Flash Pattern of [Spell-Equip: Flame Scale] onto the Mystic Eye Killer, it was only encapsulated with the ordinary intensity of the [Candle] fire... Well, it seemed that the regular monsters of this world, without external help, really couldn't get past the conventional spell [Candle]...
"That was a false alarm..."
Asakura sighed: "Give me the Mystic Eye Killer; I'll encapsulate a new spell into it."
"Oh, okay."
The girl hurriedly took off her glasses and handed them to Asakura.
"Keke," consequently, she saw Asakura take the glasses with a sinister grin appearing on his face: "Now you have no means of protection, so be a good girl and let me eat you!"
Was it a monster disguised as Asakura?! Miko's face turned pale instantly.
Then she was flicked on the forehead by Asakura, who was holding back his laughter.
"Idiot, don't believe people so easily."
Looking at the poor girl who had been scared into teary eyes, the frustration Asakura felt in his heart about wasting money instantly dissipated.
"That's... too much! I clearly believed in Asakura-kun so much!"
Miko covered her forehead and protested in a low, dissatisfied voice, but her voice was soft and limp, possessing zero deterrent power.
Between feeling miserable and getting angry, the girl chose to feel miserably angry.
"Just as detective protagonists in stories are more likely to encounter murder cases, people with spiritual constitutions are more likely to encounter the paranormal than ordinary people. You should be more careful."
Asakura cautioned.
"The former is just for the sake of the story's needs, right?" the girl muttered in a low voice.
"What did you say?" Asakura didn't quite hear her.
"I said!" The girl with long straight black hair answered loudly, then gradually became quieter: "I think Asakura-kun is right!"
"As long as you know."
Asakura nodded with satisfaction and then lowered his head once again to study the Mystic Eye Killer.
Miko cautiously stole a glance at Asakura and, finding that the other party didn't seem to mind her gaze, took a closer look at him.
She didn't know if it was because she had been wearing the Mystic Eye Killer for too long, but in a sense, it had indeed suppressed the girl's spirit-vision ability to a certain extent. This time, she did not see Asakura's terrifying "true form."
At least at this moment, in the girl's eyes, the other party was just a youth close to her in age. This was also her first time seriously looking at Asakura's appearance—she had been so frightened by his true form during their first meeting that even later, when she could see his human form while wearing the Mystic Eye Killer, she hadn't been in the mood to examine what he looked like...
At this time, the youth was standing under the eaves, his fingertips lightly holding that pair of glasses covered in water droplets, his expression as focused as if the entire world consisted only of those thin lenses.
His head was lowered; clearly, he hadn't wasted any time avoiding the rain on the way here. His fine bangs were dampened by the rain, and a few strands of graying hair were plastered to his forehead. Water droplets sliding down his eyelashes refracted a bit of cold light. His expression didn't hold a hint of irritability; he was just quietly and seriously using the hem of his shirt to wipe the arms of the glasses, his movements so meticulous they were almost tender.
The fine rain slid off his shoulders and fell into the puddles at his feet, splashing a circle of shallow ripples. The light refracted through the damp air, outlining the silhouette of his profile—calm, restrained, yet possessing a temperature that could not be ignored.
Honestly speaking, the youth's appearance certainly couldn't be called exceptionally handsome, at least not the type that would attract everyone's gaze the moment he appeared, or the type that could sit at the top of the pyramid as a "super normie" just based on looks alone.
But looking at it from another angle, this also showed that Asakura was not the kind of person who relied on a flamboyant appearance to win.
His charm was more introverted—a steady handsomeness hidden within his gestures and gaze. For those who could truly appreciate this temperament, or rather, those who "had a taste for this," he was the type that became "more flavorful the more you look at him."
And Miko was someone who "had a taste for this."
She was unconsciously drawn to Asakura, gazing intently at his appearance. Perhaps due to the lighting nearby, Asakura seemed to glow in her eyes, leaving an unshakeable impression in the young girl's heart—a moment Miko wanted to engrave firmly in her mind.
No, no, no! He specifically worked so hard to come and save me; how can I start lusting after his looks for no reason!
Coming back to her senses, Miko shook her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind.
Then, she looked at the eyepatch over Asakura's right eye, hesitating to speak.
"Alright, the repair is complete."
Unaware of the girl's complicated emotional changes, Asakura, who was immersed in further researching and perfecting the [Flash Patten], looked up with an expression of "mission accomplished": "Actually, I've made quite a few defensive-style [Spell-Equip: Flash Pattern], but this is the first time one has truly been triggered. Finally, I have a sample to study."
He handed the Mystic Eye Killer back to Miko: "You've got decent luck."
"...Can this really be considered decent luck?" the girl muttered.
Then, she summoned her courage and spoke to Asakura: "Um, Asakura-kun..."
"What is it?" asked Asakura, who was in a great mood.
"Your eye..." The girl looked at the eyepatch on Asakura's right eye. She bit her lip and said with a mix of concern and self-reproach: "Is it because I borrowed these glasses?"
"You're overthinking it."
Asakura waved his hand: "This is just a recurring eye ailment caused by overusing my eyes. If you don't believe me, you can go ask around at Sobu High. I've been wearing an eyepatch for over two months now; some people think I have Chuunibyou, and I'm quite famous for it at school."
"Chuunibyou...?"
Miko lowered her head.
She was actually quite troubled as well; after all, her spiritual vision—the ability to see monsters—had caused her plenty of grief, yet she had no one to confide in. Even if someone actually listened, they would only treat her as a Chuunibyou.
Fortunately, with people like Asakura who were just as special, the girl had broken free from the pain of being the only person in the world suffering and the immense loneliness that came with it. With the help of the Mystic Eye Killer, she was able to start enjoying life again.
"In any case, seeing that you're alright is the best result. Be more careful next time and don't run into any more danger."
As Asakura spoke, he prepared to leave: "If there's nothing else..."
The train station wasn't far from here. He had only taken a taxi earlier because he was in a rush to get here; now he could just take the train home.
"W-Wait a minute!"
Miko suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering what she was supposed to be doing in the first place: "I'm looking for my friend. She's gone..."
"No, or rather..." At this point, the girl's expression turned grim. She stared intently at Asakura and said, "She has been spirited away."
Asakura stopped in his tracks and looked at the girl.
And so, Miko poured out everything that had just happened to him.
It wasn't actually a very complicated situation: Miko had been careless for a moment and was discovered by a giant monster that realized she could see it, so she was chosen as its target.
As a result, the [Spell-Equip: Flame Scale] on the Mystic Eye Killer was activated, instantly counter-killing the opponent.
However, while Miko saw it as someone who knew the truth, in the eyes of Hana—who was completely oblivious—her friend had just pulled her to the front of the convenience store and suddenly frozen as if she had hit an invisible wall.
In the next moment, a monster covered in raging flames appeared abruptly—according to Miko, that giant monster-shape burned for a full three seconds before turning completely to ash. One could tell from this that the thing was indeed a quite powerful evil spirit. Hana, who was usually bold and brave but was still essentially just an ordinary high schooler, was instantly terrified.
So, she grabbed Miko and bolted.
"Hana-chan and I ran into that alley... It was clearly very short and had no forks, but when we ran inside, it felt inexplicably as if the alley was being stretched out. No matter how much we ran, we couldn't reach the end. During the process, I accidentally tripped, and when I looked up again..."
Miko said with regret and self-blame: "Hana-chan was already gone... I searched here for a long time but couldn't find her anywhere. Even the traces she left behind have vanished..."
Then, the girl told Asakura about the ghost story Hana had mentioned to her earlier at the convenience store.
"I see. I pretty much understand the situation. You..." Asakura glanced at Miko. Seeing that the girl looked like she had just been fished out of the water, he couldn't help but ask with concern: "Do you want to go home first? Just leave the searching to me."
"No, Hana-chan went missing because of me. If I don't find her..."
Miko bit her lip, looking very sad.
"Alright, I understand."
Upon hearing this, Asakura said nothing more.
He followed the girl into the alleyway.
Just as the girl had said, the alley wasn't very long; one could practically see the end of it in one glance.
Asakura followed the girl through the alley.
Nothing happened.
A car drove by occasionally on the road opposite them. The water in a small puddle by the roadside was splashed apart like a broken mirror, then gathered once more, reassembling into a new mirror-like surface.
"Is it really no use? Where on earth did Hana-chan go..."
Miko was pacing around anxiously.
"Don't panic. I think I know what's going on."
Asakura led the girl into the alley once more, but this time, a fork in the road appeared in the middle of the alley.
"Eh? Was there a path here originally?" Miko said, stunned.
"It existed all along, but ordinary people would simply turn a blind eye to it... It seems your spiritual vision has indeed been affected to some extent by the Mystic Eye Killer, otherwise, it would be impossible not to see it."
At that moment, from deep within the fork where sunlight could not reach (though there was no sunlight on a rainy day anyway), came the sound of a girl crying.
"Hana-chan!" Miko ran inside in a panic.
"Honestly," Asakura shook his head and sighed: "I just told you not to believe others so easily..."
After saying that, he followed her inside at a leisurely pace.