After school, pick up Shirosaki Hana, take her home, eat snacks and do homework with her, and then... sleep separately.
A calm and happy day passed just like that. Although he really wanted to maintain this stable life, Matoba Seiji's invitation and Maki Ryuko's request finally arrived on the weekend.
.....
At ten in the morning, by a suburban river far from the city, Uchiha Ryo stood alone in front of a black sedan.
Matoba Seiji pushed open the car door, still in that black suit, his right eye covered by an unknown paper talisman, as if guarding against something.
"Young friend Uchiha, let's go."
They drove to a remote Matoba clan mansion in the Tokyo area. According to Matoba Seiji, this gathering of youkai exterminators was to lure out the one who had been attacking them.
Matoba Seiji: "You're still a high school student, right? Although you're a civilian I've invited to help, please be careful when we arrive. Some of the ill-tempered guys really hate other youkai exterminators."
"Of course, if you and Takashi are willing to join the Matoba clan, I can protect people like you... who aren't strong but can see youkai."
Uchiha Ryo: "Mr. Matoba... you've worn the same suit last time and this time. Is the Matoba family that poor?"
Matoba Seiji: "....."
"I was just visiting some important people. The higher one's position, the more one understands, and the more superstitious one becomes. As a family of youkai exterminators with a hundred-year heritage, the Matoba family has friendships with many people."
"We're here. The Matoba family villa. The gathering is in half an hour. You can go to your room and change. Of course, if you don't want to reveal your identity, you can also wear a mask."
A huge courtyard, in no way inferior to the Shinomiya residence, came into view. Uchiha Ryo wasn't very interested in this gathering of over a hundred youkai exterminators from the Tokyo area. He just wanted to get this over with.
"Welcome back, Head."
Upon entering the main gate, the Matoba clan disciples respectfully greeted Matoba Seiji. A few strange-looking, but humanoid, youkai also slowly appeared, guarding his sides.
Uchiha Ryo: "Shikigami...."
A tall, humanoid creature, emaciated and with skin as dark as ink, was staring at Uchiha Ryo with a face whose features were completely indistinguishable.
Another old man with a tengu mask had a casual look, leisurely following behind Matoba Seiji.
But Uchiha Ryo looked at the third one... the light brown-haired young man wearing a fox mask.
"Oh my, is young friend Uchiha interested in my shikigami? This kind of spirit fox is a rare sight in the country. It took me a lot of effort to find him."
Uchiha Ryo took a step forward and looked at the fox-masked young man with a sudden smile.
"A spirit fox?"
"Stay away from me! Youkai exterminator...."
The young man bared his teeth, but in his human form, he didn't look fierce at all.
Matoba Seiji: "He's a new shikigami I've taken in. Don't be fooled by his appearance. He actually has a very fierce temper."
Uchiha Ryo nodded and walked past the fox-masked young man.
"I know your sister. Shut up for now, and follow me if you don't want to die."
The tiny voice entered his ears. The face under Maki Chi's mask was full of surprise. By now, Uchiha Ryo had already walked far away with Matoba Seiji.
In an empty room, Matoba Seiji pushed open the door and looked at the wardrobe and the dressing table on the side.
"The gathering is about to start. You can change your clothes, or you can wear a mask to hide your identity. After all, youkai exterminators aren't always friendly with each other. It would be dangerous if your civilian identity were exposed."
Uchiha Ryo walked straight into the room. There was no need to change clothes, but he did notice the various masks on the dressing table.
"Why did you even make masks from manga?"
Matoba Seiji: "The mask maker in our family really likes them, so he made quite a few."
Uchiha Ryo casually picked up a tiger-skin mask and put it on his face.
"No need to change clothes. Let's go. Do you have a plan to find the culprit?"
Matoba Seiji: "I have a general idea of which youkai is causing trouble, and I've already found a way to deal with it. I'm just waiting for it to appear, and then it's time for me to make my move."
Uchiha Ryo chuckled lightly. "Since you've already guessed which youkai it is, why did you still gather so many youkai exterminators?"
Matoba Seiji sighed. "It can't be helped; the youkai is too cunning. But given its hatred for youkai exterminators, it will definitely appear at the gathering."
Uchiha Ryo looked up and suddenly opened his eyes.....
The youkai exterminator gathering officially began. Uchiha Ryo, wearing the tiger-skin mask, sat alone at a round table. Such lone-wolf youkai exterminators were not uncommon at the gathering, so no one bothered him.
However, a little fox did come and sit down, looking at Uchiha Ryo with hostility.
"Who are you? How do you know my sister! And what are you doing here?!"
Uchiha Ryo: "Well, calm down. Don't be a tool to lure the enemy without even knowing it."
Maki Chi: "What on earth are you talking about..."
The little fox was already very unhappy about being forced to come here as a temporary shikigami, and now there was this cryptic person who had some unknown relationship with his sister.
"What am I talking about? See for yourself."
Maki Chi looked blankly at Uchiha Ryo's eyes under the mask, and the next moment, he was in a deep forest.
This place is....
"This is Matoba Seiji's memory...."
Maki Chi found himself seeing through the perspective of a bystander, looking at a young Matoba Seiji and many other Matoba clan youkai exterminators.
The once-dense forest had been ravaged by the battle between humans and youkai and had turned into a wasteland.
Dozens of youkai exterminators were covered in bandages, looking as if they had just finished a battle. On the ground lay many youkai exterminators who were receiving emergency treatment.
Maki Chi looked towards the center of the wasteland. There lay the corpse of a giant fox, three stories high. The fox's entire body had been mutilated by anti-demon arrows and other shikigami attacks.
Uchiha Ryo quietly watched Maki Chi, who felt something hot and unstoppable streaming from his eyes.
So, this is where Mom died....
"We finally finished it off. A spirit fox's pelt can sell for a lot of money. It's just a pity her soul escaped. Otherwise, my Matoba clan would have one more powerful shikigami under our control."
The 12-year-old Matoba Seiji looked up.
"Why do we have to hunt youkai in the deep mountains? Didn't they already sign a non-aggression pact with the onmyoji..."
The previous Matoba head looked at the fox demon's corpse. "They are youkai. That's enough. It's only natural for youkai exterminators to kill youkai. And the most important thing in this world isn't some pact, but profit!"
"The Matoba family is in decline. We need the support of those in high positions! And we need new shikigami!"
Maki Chi gritted his teeth. "So it was here.... Mom! Ten years ago, you were surrounded here by humans so that we could safely escape to the divine tree...."
Although he had long suspected that his mother might have been killed by humans, Maki Chi still couldn't help... looking at that cold, lifeless corpse.
"The Matoba clan killed my mom. Why.... We didn't even do anything. We just stayed in the mountains and never even interacted with humans! Why did that Matoba Seiji... bring me here?!"
Uchiha Ryo stood aside and suddenly said.
"According to Matoba Seiji's memory, the soul of a spirit fox is no less powerful than its physical body. Your mother's soul desperately broke through the encirclement, but she lost her sanity and became a monster that only knew how to take revenge on youkai exterminators."
"They are going to use a large number of youkai exterminators to lure out the spirit fox's soul, and use you, a living spirit fox, as a vessel to forcibly refine both your and your mother's souls into a shikigami for the Matoba clan."
"...."
Maki Chi collapsed to the ground, his voice becoming more and more hoarse.
"Hehe... hahahahahaha! Why? We, who are far from humans, just because we are youkai! We have to be hunted down and killed by youkai exterminators?! We were just living peacefully... Why did they have to come and kill us for no reason!"
The spirit fox clan was already rare, and they had no interest in the disputes between humans and youkai. The fox mother's cold corpse showed no despair, because she knew that her three children would probably survive under the protection of the divine tree.
"What about you! Why did you, a human, let me know all this? You want me to die understanding?!"
Uchiha Ryo's eyes under the mask spun, finally transforming into the Mangekyo pattern.
"I told you, your sister asked me to save you. So if you don't want to die, shut up and don't do anything."
Outside, Matoba Seiji stood in the center of the venue, announcing the reason for gathering everyone today. At the same time, he also announced the truth behind the recent disappearances of youkai exterminators!
"An evil spirit fox youkai has set its sights on humans. This youkai, in order to devour youkai exterminators and become stronger, has been on a demon-like killing spree. And today, I have gathered you all here to completely exterminate that fox!"
Roar—
A giant, translucent fox, accompanied by a deafening roar, tore through the ceiling of the entire mansion. The murderous fox, with its blood-red eyes, bit down towards Matoba Seiji.
At the same time, Matoba Seiji seemed to have already prepared. The shikigami behind him drew its longbow and shot at the fox.
A black shadow wearing a tiger-skin mask flashed by. A large black hand directly grabbed the giant fox's neck. The shikigami's anti-demon arrow shattered upon contact with the black skeleton.
Uchiha Ryo stood in the center of the venue, in front of Matoba Seiji, his entire body surrounded by a black, skeleton-like energy body.
Matoba Seiji: "You! What are you doing?!"
At this moment, a large number of feathers suddenly began to drift down from above. The illusion of white feathers floated in the air. Everyone who saw the scattering feathers was unconsciously overcome by drowsiness and fell into a deep sleep.
This is... the Temple of Nirvana Jutsu!
Uchiha Ryo: "Now that the riffraff has been cleared out, well... Mr. Matoba. I've caught the real culprit for you. How is the entire Matoba clan going to thank me?"