Chapter 34: Should I Lick It?
The child just wants to eat delicious food, what did she do wrong?
This society is never short of people who bow and scrape for survival and money, so what's wrong with Miss Yurikawa Hana lowering her head just a little? She would kneel here today if it meant getting to eat that food!
Slap!
"Ouch!"
After a loud smack, Yurikawa Hana successfully ended up standing off to the side, clutching her head and looking pitiful.
"Fine, Miko, I know I was wrong."
"It's true that the progression to becoming best friends shouldn't be so fast. I'll add Emiya-kun on LINE first, and then ask him tomorrow to prepare a meal for me."
"...." Yotsuya Miko was speechless.
'She completely missed the point, didn't she?! Your purpose for making friends is way too strong!'
Yotsuya Miko had always thought that while her best friend was a natural airhead, her safety awareness in other areas was quite good. But judging by this performance, wouldn't she be easily tricked into rushing over if Emiya were to say something like, "Come to my place tonight and I'll cook for you?"
'Wai... wait a minute...
Would Emiya do that? He shouldn't, right?!'
Yotsuya Miko looked at Emiya with a suspicious gaze.
Emiya, meanwhile, still looked completely bewildered, utterly unaware of where he had gone wrong.
"Alright, Hana-chan, you go home by yourself today." Yotsuya Miko suddenly walked over to Emiya's side.
"Eh?" Yurikawa Hana's confusion was practically plastered on her face, completely bewildered.
"It means we have some things to attend to now, so it's inconvenient to walk you home." Yotsuya Miko's expression was quite cold.
"Eh??!!"
Without giving her best friend another chance to speak, Yotsuya Miko immediately pushed Emiya towards the other side of the road, not forgetting to wave her hand at Yurikawa Hana.
"Bye-bye~"
Yurikawa Hana remained stunned at the school gate, watching her best friend disappear into the distance, completely at a loss. Was she abandoned now? But she hadn't even had a chance to ask for his contact information yet!
It was frustrating, tormenting, and painful. If she hadn't seen the light, she could still endure the darkness. But right now, her best friend had openly stolen her light!
She was very angry, and because she was so angry, she was hungry again. But having already eaten Emiya's cooking, she now found the cakes outside to be less sweet. What was she supposed to do?
Looking down at the bento box left in her hands, a strange thought popped into Yurikawa Hana's mind—
'Maybe... I should try licking it?'
.
.
.
"Hana-chan..."
"I see it."
Walking side-by-side with Emiya down the street, Yotsuya Miko was about to say something when he spoke first.
"I see many Cursed Spirits following her. Although they aren't the strong ones, they would definitely have a serious effect on normal people.
You specifically asked me to meet her because you were worried about her safety, right?"
One could say that Emiya's emotional intelligence isn't that high, but one absolutely cannot say that his feelings and observation skills aren't delicate.
He and Miko were friends, but their connection was linked by the existence of Cursed Spirits. Miko wouldn't rashly introduce her best friend to him out of fear of getting her involved in danger; rather, her friend was already involved in danger.
But of course, there was the most direct point—why not just use his eyes to look? The current Emiya could clearly see the Cursed Spirits following Yurikawa Hana, wanting to get close yet strangely fearful.
This situation was absolutely abnormal. And during their conversation, Miko's gaze would occasionally glance behind her friend, clearly showing her concern.
"However, simply exorcising the Cursed Spirits is only treating the symptom, not the root cause. We also need to find a way to resolve the reason she attracts Cursed Spirits. I can ask the senpai about it..."
Emiya could only tell that Yurikawa Hana's life force was somewhat far beyond that of a normal person, but he didn't know how to normalize this constitution.
It was fortunate that this was the modern era, where technology and the Jujutsu system were relatively developed. If such a trait were discovered in a more feudal ancient time, the consequences might be dire. But it didn't matter if he didn't know; didn't he still have Gojo... Nanami-san?
"I see. It would be great if there's a way to solve the problem." Yotsuya Miko finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She could see those things, sure, but as long as she maintained her disguise, no one would notice she was different from a normal person, and she could even avoid danger faster than most.
But Hana was different. Not only couldn't she see those things, but she was also being specifically targeted. No matter how she looked at it, it was too dangerous. It was great that Emiya could see these things... Wait?
"Emiya-kun, you mean you can see those things now?" Yotsuya Miko finally realized something and tentatively asked.
"That's right. Thanks to a certain senior, I've formally gained the abilities of a Sorcerer.
And... since I've entered the promotion phase, the number of missions I'll be undertaking will increase, so I might not have much free time." Emiya preemptively explained that he would be very busy, but Yotsuya Miko barely heard the second half of the conversation.
She couldn't stop thinking. Emiya-kun can already see those monsters, and he's very strong, so what use am I now?
It seems I can't help at all in this area. If only I couldn't see them like before...
No, no, no. How could I think that? Facing those terrifying monsters, it was of course safer to be able to see them. It's not like she could stay by his side forever.
"It's good that you have extra abilities, but Emiya-kun... won't carrying out those missions be very dangerous?" Concern for him outweighed her concern for herself, so Yotsuya Miko chose to ask this. She was already busy trying to avoid those things; how could she dare to actively seek out trouble?
"Dangerous? It's fine, I guess. The enemies I've encountered so far haven't been too strong.
Besides, only by eliminating those things as quickly as possible can we prevent more people from being harmed." If he didn't know about these things, it would be one thing, but Emiya was
now aware of the existence of Cursed Spirits and clearly understood that they only cause suffering.
Under these circumstances, he simply could not ignore the facts. He couldn't bear to watch others grieve and cry right in front of him.
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