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So really, when you got down to it, all those so-called campus ghost stories had the same origin.
They all came from Kanoe Yuuko—so bored out of her mind that she could only get people to notice her by making up supernatural incidents.
Just to lure curious students into exploring… so they'd keep her company.
Listening to Kanoe Yuuko's explanation, Asher finally understood everything.
And just as he pieced together the full story—
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Mission completed: Discover the origin of the ancient campus ghost legend!]
[Rewards obtained: Shikigami Tenfold Summon x1! Onmyoji-exclusive Skill Gacha x1!]
"…Huh?"
Wait, that's it?
It's done already?
Asher froze, disbelief written all over his face as the system's voice echoed in his head.
He had assumed the completion conditions would be pretty strict.
After all, the rewards were insanely generous.
But all he did was listen to Kanoe Yuuko explain what happened, and the mission cleared?
Sensing his confusion, the system spirit Kagura spoke up to explain.
[Host-sama, the difficulty of system missions is actually randomized.]
[You can think of it like shikigami dispatch missions from your previous life's games.]
[That said, please don't lower your guard. Some tasks that look simple can still be extremely dangerous.]
"I see…"
Asher nodded in understanding.
This mission had only taken some effort while searching for Kanoe Yuuko. Other than that, it was barely challenging at all.
In a good mood, Asher smiled.
"I get it now."
"Since you've never harmed anyone, I'll let you go this time."
He looked down at Kanoe Yuuko, who was slumped on the floor, and said it calmly.
Kanoe Yuuko snapped her head up.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at him.
"R-Really? Mr. Exorcist?!"
"You… you're not going to kill me?"
For a moment, she couldn't process it.
Asher simply corrected her.
"Of course. I always keep my word."
"And I'm not an exorcist. I'm an onmyoji."
"On… onmyoji…?"
Kanoe Yuuko nodded blankly.
Since everything here was settled, Asher had no intention of lingering.
"Hotaru-gusa, let's go."
"Yes, Master!"
The obedient Hotaru-gusa jogged over and naturally took Asher's right hand, completely at ease.
Man and shikigami retraced their steps, leaving the hidden, secluded room tucked between the fifth floor levels.
But as Asher and Hotaru-gusa walked away, Kanoe Yuuko didn't just stay behind.
No one knew what she was thinking.
She quietly followed them, careful and silent, like a timid little stalker.
Both Asher and Hotaru-gusa noticed her presence.
They just didn't care.
Kanoe Yuuko was absurdly weak. Not even worthy of being called an N-rank shikigami.
There was no risk of her trying anything.
Besides, she was a bound spirit. She couldn't leave this area anyway.
And just as Asher expected—
When he and Hotaru-gusa exited the old school building and reached the edge of the cordoned-off zone, Kanoe Yuuko finally stopped.
She stood at the stairwell entrance, watching their backs with reluctant eyes.
"Master… are we really just leaving that pretty big sister behind?"
Hotaru-gusa suddenly looked up and asked softly.
Asher smiled and gently patted her head.
"What, Hotaru-gusa? Feeling sorry for her?"
Hotaru-gusa nodded seriously.
"Mhm."
"She said she doesn't remember anything, right?"
"Being alone here all the time… that must be really lonely…"
She spoke earnestly.
It wasn't about being overly kindhearted. Hotaru-gusa was basically a child, pure and simple.
At some point, Asher had started treating her like a little sister… and maybe a plush toy too.
After all, who could say no to a soft, sweet-smelling little girl?
"If you agree to one request, I might be able to help that big sister," Asher said with a smile.
Hotaru-gusa's gloom instantly vanished.
Her big, watery eyes lit up.
"Really, Master?"
"Of course."
"Then what's the request? I'll do anything I can!"
Asher thought for a moment, then said, "Then… how about you call me 'big brother' from now on?"
At first, when he summoned those N-rank shikigami, he'd seen them as tools.
But after summoning Hotaru-gusa, he realized shikigami had thoughts and feelings of their own.
They weren't tools.
And Asher wasn't some cold-hearted guy.
Not to mention, that three-character game had accompanied him for years.
It wasn't just love for the game itself. It was affection for the shikigami.
Back then, he'd grind for ten days straight just to collect enough fragments for one of them.
Hearing Asher's request, Hotaru-gusa didn't hesitate at all.
In a soft, sweet voice, she called out—
"Big Brother~!"
Asher felt… weirdly satisfied.
Comforted. Happy.
Wait.
Don't tell me I'm actually a hardcore little-sister fanatic?
Did I awaken some strange trait just now?
Ugh—!
The thought made him shudder.
Still, he crouched down and gently rubbed Hotaru-gusa's head.
"Since you've called me big brother…"
"As your big brother, I naturally—"
Before he could finish—
Whoosh!
A sharp tearing sound split the air above them.
Asher looked up.
Against the clear night sky, a black dot was rapidly growing larger.
A moment later, he realized—
It was a human body, tumbling straight down.
What the hell?
There weren't any tall buildings near the old school building.
And Asher was standing near the edge. Even if someone jumped, they wouldn't fall toward him.
No matter how strange it was, his body moved on instinct.
He reached out and caught the falling figure.
Thud!
The impact nearly knocked him over, but the body was shockingly light, like a sheet of paper.
Once he steadied himself, Asher looked down.
In his arms was a small girl in a black sailor-style uniform.
Slender legs wrapped in thigh-high black stockings. Pale skin.
Black-purple hair, tied with two pink candy-shaped hair clips.
More noticeably, there was gear strapped around her thighs, something like equipment rather than accessories.
She looked awful.
Her face was deathly pale, blood streaking her cheeks and forehead.
She was clearly badly injured.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Asher patted her cheek lightly.
The girl slowly opened her eyes.
Unexpectedly, she grabbed Asher's collar with both hands.
Her lips trembled as she forced out a hoarse whisper.
"…Run…"
Then her body went limp.
She passed out completely. Even her breathing slowed dangerously.
"Oh crap… she's not dying, is she?"
Asher's heart sank.
A mysterious girl dying in his arms was the last thing he needed.
"I don't want to become a murder suspect for no reason!"
"Hotaru-gusa."
He looked at her urgently.
"I know, Big Brother!"
Hotaru-gusa nodded and summoned her dandelion.
With a wave, vibrant green life energy wrapped around the girl.
If there were HP bars, hers would be skyrocketing.
Moments later—
"Cough… cough!"
The girl opened her eyes.
"This is…?"
The first thing she saw was Asher's handsome face up close.
"You are…?"
Seeing her recover, Asher sighed in relief.
"Good. You're okay."
"Otherwise, I'd be in real trouble."
"So who are you? And what happened to you just now?"
The girl blinked, still dazed.
"My name is Adashino Benio."
"I don't know what happened, but… thank you for saving me."
"As for earlier…"
She paused, memories resurfacing—
Then her eyes snapped wide open.
She jumped out of Asher's arms and scanned the area nervously, her back to them.
"You need to leave!"
"This place is dangerous!"
"If I'm not mistaken, that impurity followed me here!"
Adashino Benio… impurity?
Those words triggered a familiar memory.
Wait.
Isn't this girl the heroine from Twin Star Exorcists?
Before Asher could think further—
Boom!
The ground shook violently.
Blood-red light spread outward, engulfing everything in an instant.
When Asher opened his eyes again, the world had changed.
Everything was crimson, thick and suffocating.
The already ruined school building looked even more decayed, its walls crawling with vein-like blood patterns.
"This is—"
Before he could finish, Benio cut in, her voice grim.
"We've been dragged into Magano."
"My talismans were all used up in the last fight…"
"If we don't defeat that impurity…"
Her words were cut short by a feral roar.
A monstrous shadow loomed as the ground trembled.
They looked up.
A massive, tentacled abomination filled their vision.
Benio's expression grew even heavier.
This was the impurity that had nearly killed her.
She didn't know how she'd recovered so completely, but she didn't believe Asher, who radiated no cursed energy, could fight.
She waved her hand and stepped in front of Asher and Hotaru-gusa.
"Find somewhere to hide!"
"I'll handle this impurity!"
She pulled out a white fox mask and put it on.
From the gear on her thigh, she drew talismans and threw them forward.
They dissolved into particles, forming intricate patterns across her body.
This was curse gear, an onmyoji combat technique from Twin Star Exorcists.
In just a few seconds, she was fully armed for battle.
And then—
Adashino Benio drew two twin blades, both etched with the same mysterious, arcane patterns.
With nothing more than a push of her calf, her body shot forward like a cannonball. She moved at blinding speed, so fast she left only afterimages behind as she charged straight at the filth so enormous it blotted out the sky.
By the time Asher snapped back to his senses, Adashino Benio was already fully armed and locked in battle with the impurity, a monster so massive it dwarfed her hundreds of times over.
Blades flashed constantly through the air.
Octopus-like tentacles were severed one after another, falling away under her strikes.
Asher watched the scene, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he observed.
"So this is how onmyoji fight in this world?"
He had assumed that onmyoji here fought the same way he did, by summoning shikigami to do battle.
He had not expected them to be more like a "dual-star onmyoji" type, charging into the fight personally.
Their combat power looked impressive, sure, but it was dangerous as hell.
If a shikigami could handle it, Asher would never be dumb enough to charge in swinging a blade himself.
Just as he was watching Adashino Benio fight—
"Ahhh!"
A sharp scream suddenly rang out from the school building behind them.
Hm? Was that Kanoe Yuuko?
"....."