Chapter 18: The Ghost of Miko's Father
Meanwhile, on the shopping street.
Seeing Yoru strap the longsword directly to his waist without any attempt to hide it, Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but whisper a reminder.
"Is it really okay to be so blatant? What if someone notices..."
Yoru waved his hand dismissively. "Do you see anyone looking at us?"
Miko looked around and nodded.
"Yes, quite a few people are staring at you."
"That's because I'm handsome, not because of the sword."
"Uh..."
Narcissism is usually a detestable trait.
But Yoru's narcissism was so simple and self-assured that Miko really couldn't find the words to refute him.
Indeed.
The people stealing glances at Yoru were mostly women, and their gazes lingered only on his face, completely ignoring the longsword at his waist.
"True, I guess I was worrying too much."
Miko thought about it and realized he was right.
In Kyoto, where Otaku culture was prevalent, especially in a bustling shopping street like this, it wasn't uncommon to see people in cosplay.
Yoru's attitude of not hiding the sword actually made it seem normal.
Put another way.
Even if he tried to hide it, given the length of the sword, it would be impossible, and it would only arouse more suspicion.
After leaving the shopping street, Miko looked at the longsword at Yoru's waist and asked curiously.
"Then how will you get home later? If you can't take the train or bus, you'll have to walk, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
Yoru glanced at Miko in confusion, unbuckled the sword from his waist, and held it out to her with one hand.
"How to get home with this thing is a problem you need to consider."
"Huh?"
Looking at the sword Yoru was offering, Miko was completely bewildered.
"Why... wait, are you asking me to take it back?"
"Of course."
Yoru's tone was matter-of-fact.
"This longsword is a special spiritual item. The first thing we need to verify is whether it can deter evil spirits and ghosts to some extent. So, it must be held by someone who can see those things. You know my situation; only you can shoulder this heavy responsibility."
Miko looked hesitant, not knowing what to do.
The only people who could clearly see those "things" were her and Yoru.
Although Oda Noto was also a spirit medium, he could at most notice some faint shadows; he wasn't on the same level as her and Yoru.
To test the deterrent effect of the longsword, the holder first had to possess the "Sight."
Otherwise, how would they know if the evil spirits and ghosts were repelled?
And Yoru's situation was special.
He didn't need to do anything special or hold any spiritual items.
Just Yoru himself was an existence that made evil spirits and ghosts retreat three shals (a long distance).
The proof was that after Miko entered Sobu High today, she hadn't seen a trace of those "things" for the entire day.
For her, who lived in constant fear, this had been a rare and blissful time of relaxation.
So, if Yoru held the sword, it wouldn't serve the purpose of the experiment at all, since ordinary spirits wouldn't dare approach him anyway.
However, there was one critical issue.
Miko bit her lower lip, her eyes full of conflict. She looked up at Yoru and finally spoke slowly.
"Yoru-kun, can I trust you?"
"That's a question you have to ask yourself."
Yoru stopped smiling, his face showing a rare seriousness.
"If you have any unspoken difficulties, it's not too late to back out now. The choice is in your own hands."
Yoru knew the reason for Miko's hesitation.
In her house, there was a... he didn't know how to describe it. Neither "ghost" nor "evil spirit" seemed appropriate. perhaps it should be called a soul.
If that were all, it would be fine.
Miko had encountered hundreds, if not thousands, of evil spirits and ghosts.
The problem lay in the fact that the soul lingering in her home was her father, who had passed away not long ago.
If she took this longsword back and it didn't work, fine.
But if it truly expelled her father's soul, would she ever be able to see him again?
That was what she was hesitating about.
The two stood silently at the exit of the shopping street, inevitably drawing sideways glances and whispers from passersby.
"Are they breaking up?"
"Looks like it."
"Ah, to be young."
"A drama? Did she catch him cheating?"
"Forget it, let's go in and shop. I'm dead tired after working all day."
...
After a long silence, Miko pursed her lips. A look of determination gradually emerged in her golden eyes. She slowly reached out and grasped the longsword Yoru offered.
"I have made my resolve."
Miko took a deep breath and told Yoru everything about her father's soul wandering in her home after his death.
She tried her best to calm the complex emotions in her chest and spoke firmly.
"Although I'm still reluctant, please rest assured. I will take responsibility and personally send my father... to the afterlife."
"Uh..."
Yoru's expression became very colorful. He looked at her with a complicated expression.
"Um... I appreciate your resolve to place righteousness above family, but have you misunderstood something?"
"Huh?"
Miko was stunned.
"You don't intend to eliminate my father's soul?"
"When did I ever say that?"
Yoru waved his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Your father isn't an evil spirit, he's harmless to humans, and he hasn't been affected by the Door. Why would I eliminate him when I have nothing better to do?"
Miko finally realized.
So, she had misunderstood.
She had preconceived the notion that since Yoru had devoured hundreds or thousands of evil spirits after awakening his ability, he must harbor intense hatred for such existences.
Coupled with what he said on the train earlier:
I won't meddle in things unrelated to evil spirits.
Miko naturally interpreted this to mean that Yoru would resolutely take action in anything related to evil spirits and ghosts.
That was what she had been hesitating and stammering about.
It turned out that all of this was just wild speculation she had concocted in her own head, and Yoru didn't mean that at all?
"Th-This... I... um, that..."
Even Miko, who usually didn't show much emotion, blushed with embarrassment thinking about her words and her resolute appearance just now. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Shame. It was just too shameful.
She had gone directly from having a cool resolve to looking like a fool talking to herself. It was humiliating.
Seeing Miko like this, Yoru couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Then he composed himself and said.
"However, there is one thing you weren't wrong about."
"This situation cannot continue."
"As long as the Doors in Kyoto keep appearing, one day, your father will also be affected by the Door and transform from a harmless soul into a terrifying evil spirit."