Takumi felt his power tick up a tiny bit… but it was barely anything.
This dragon-lizard yokai's strength was basically being propped up entirely by the Shikon Jewel shard. In truth, it didn't even qualify as a mid-tier yokai—at best, it was a small fry with borrowed fangs.
The fact that he'd managed to force-boost its genes and squeeze out a blue-grade trait from it at all meant he'd already pushed things as far as they could go.
After finishing up, Takumi turned to Kotoko Iwanaga, who was still staring at him with open shock.
"Woooow! That was insane—my boyfriend is incredibly strong!!"
She knew how strong he was from the information he'd shared, but reading about it and seeing it in person were two completely different experiences. Even what he'd shown just now was probably not even one ten-thousandth of what he could really do—and it still shook her.
"Hehe. That thing only looked scary," Takumi said calmly, waving it off. "Kotoko, once you get used to the power I gave you, dealing with a yokai like that is honestly effortless."
Killing an ant wasn't exactly thrilling for him. What he'd gained here didn't even compare to a single strand of hair from Tsumiki.
He snapped his fingers, dismissing Unlimited Void.
But even though he'd ended the fight fast, the damage had already spread—several people had been caught in the destruction.
"[Wide-Area Heal]."
Takumi extended a finger, and a wave of restorative power washed outward, pulling the critically injured back from the brink.
As for the ones who were already gone… that was beyond him.
One of the injured closest to him slowly lifted her head and looked up.
She wore a police uniform—probably a patrol officer. She was striking: long black hair, green eyes, and an aura that vaguely reminded him of Rin Hasegawa. Her fitted uniform traced her tall, sleek curves perfectly, and the pencil skirt showed off a firm, rounded silhouette with zero mercy. High heels plus a uniform like that—she had that icy police beauty vibe turned all the way up.
And yet, the fear in her eyes—how small and helpless she looked right now—made the contrast almost unreal.
Seeing that red monster get dragged away, then watching Takumi appear out of nowhere afterward… Saki Yumihara was scared stiff.
But the moment their eyes met, that strange, electric jolt hit her again—just enough to keep her from screaming.
Takumi looked down at her slumped on the ground and offered his hand.
"Up you go. Don't just sit there," he said lightly. "And if you get hurt again, I'm not treating you for free next time."
Saki blinked, then looked down at herself.
Only then did she realize—her wounds were completely gone.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally reached out.
Takumi pulled her up with an easy grip. The moment she was steady, she bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you for saving me," Saki said, then couldn't help blurting, "That monster just now—what was it…?"
"I killed it," Takumi replied. "I'm an exorcist. Here."
He smoothly produced a business card and handed it over.
Saki accepted it on reflex, still dazed.
A boy this much younger than her… an exorcist? And exorcists were real? Yokai were real? Her whole worldview shattered and reassembled in the space of a few breaths.
Takumi didn't linger. He only left her with, "If you run into anything like this again, call me," then drifted away with Kotoko as if nothing had happened.
Saki stayed rooted where she was, staring after his back, unable to forget it.
…
The two of them split up halfway.
Kotoko said she was going to handle a transfer—she planned to move to Kuoh Academy to be with Takumi.
Takumi didn't stop her. He simply let her do as she pleased.
On his way back, he got a message from Marina.
[Are you coming today?]
"Oh?" Takumi's brows lifted. "That proactive, huh?"
He immediately replied with a single word:
[Coming.]
On the other side of the screen, Airi looked at the reply and smiled faintly.
"Waaahhh—mmph!!"
Marina—tied up tightly—thrashed on the bed, fighting with everything she had. It didn't matter. No matter how she struggled, it was useless.
Airi turned her phone off and looked at her sister, voice sweet as sugar.
"Big sis… you're always the one who gets taken care of. That's not fair at all."
Her smile tilted—soft, but unmistakably off.
"This time, I'm not letting go. And I'm going to make you watch with your own eyes."
Days of pent-up frustration had pushed Airi past her limit.
She hated how Marina kept framing everything as saving them while being the one who got to enjoy herself.
Marina twisted harder, trying to say something—anything.
But with tape sealing her mouth, all she could do was watch as Airi shoved her into the wardrobe.
Airi even left a narrow crack in the door—like she'd done it on purpose, so Marina could see.
…
Meanwhile, Takumi was already heading that way.
With his speed, he could've reached Airi in an instant. But as he looked up at the dim, rainy sky—fine drizzle tapping down—his instincts warned him.
Don't go back yet.
"Feels like… someone's waiting for me to play hero," Takumi murmured, trusting that gut feeling.
He walked through empty streets. Before long, he arrived at a construction site.
It should've been deserted, but a delicate figure stood there in the rain.
Long purple hair, with two small braids tied near the ends. A pretty, refined face. Skin so pale it practically glowed.
And what really grabbed attention was her body.
Even dressed modestly, the fullness of her curves hit like a punch to the senses. Her slim waist looked like it could fit in one hand, and her long legs—wrapped in black stockings—showed off lush, stimulating lines. From top to bottom, her proportions were absurdly perfect.
"E… maybe F?" Takumi muttered, honestly impressed. "That's on par with Mio. What a build."
He narrowed his eyes, thinking.
He knew her.
Two seconds later, it clicked.
"…Karin Nanase. It's her?"
Takumi immediately took out his phone and searched.
A flood of results popped up.
[Why did rookie idol Karin Nanase kill her father? What's the real reason?]
[Was Karin Nanase's father's death an accident… or murder?]
[Why did a rising new idol vanish without a trace?]
…
The headlines alone made Takumi go a little blank.
He didn't follow entertainment news, so he had no idea any of this had happened.
He tapped into Nanase Karin's official account. It had stopped updating, and the comments underneath were nothing but filth—curses, insults, and pure venom.