"It seems this isn't something I can resolve," Kawashima Toya murmured gravely.
He had overestimated himself. The black aura surrounding that high mountain was not an ownerless substance; it looked more like the leakage from some strange anomaly.
However, there seemed to be opposing forces at play, preventing the entity from fully gathering the black aura.
Suddenly, Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped in front of him, closing the distance to a single step. She asked curiously, "Mysterious boy, you seem to know a lot of things."
"Can you tell me how I became like that just now?"
Although the nightmares and memories regarding the Evil God's mental pollution had dissipated, the image of her right hand turning into a claw was still fresh in her mind.
Toya silently took a step back and spoke calmly. "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
"Regarding what happened just now... don't speak of it to others, and don't try to recall it if you can help it."
"Otherwise, you will only harm yourself and the innocent people around you."
After saying this, Toya turned to leave.
The system's commission had changed long ago. It had shifted from the initial "Capture Kasumigaoka Utaha" to "Save Kasumigaoka Utaha, who is about to transform into a minion of an Evil God."
Now, the commission was complete.
With ten thousand Source Points in hand, he could confidently stand tall and live a life without financial worries.
"You really won't give up a single piece of information, will you?"
Utaha looked at Toya with astonishment, her heart filled with an even greater curiosity about the truth.
This world was clearly not as peaceful as she had thought.
Her right hand turning into a monster's claw for no reason.
A mysterious exorcist boy wielding a wooden sword.
All of this terrified her, but at the same time, she felt a sliver of anticipation deep within her heart.
What does the true face of the world look like?
Just then, the crisp sound of a text message notification rang out.
Utaha realized the sound came from Toya's phone. Driven by curiosity, she did something rare for her and quietly leaned in to take a peek.
Toya took out his phone to check the message.
[Notice: Your balance at the Internet Cafe Hotel is insufficient. Please recharge immediately.]
[Notice: If you cannot recharge in time, please pack your luggage and vacate the premises as soon as possible.]
"Heh, I wasn't planning on staying there anymore anyway," Toya scoffed, putting his phone away.
When he transmigrated to Japan three days ago, the system had provided him with nothing but an identity and a pitiful amount of cash.
Aside from covering basic food and drink, he had absolutely nothing left.
To save money and prepare for any unexpected situations, he had followed survival tips for Japan he had seen in videos from his past life and found a place similar to an internet cafe hotel to stay in.
The living experience over the past three days had been terrible. Now that he possessed ten thousand Source Points, there was no way he would go back to living like that.
"Exorcist-kun, do you have nowhere to stay?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha hopped in front of him with her hands behind her back, a beautiful smile on her exquisite face. "My house actually has a spare room."
"The rent won't be too expensive. All I ask is that you explain what happened just now. How about it?"
Toya fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously, "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Once you know the truth, you won't be able to return to a normal life."
"The anomalies will find you. No matter what methods you use, you cannot hide forever."
He had intended to turn around and walk away, but the figure of Kasumigaoka Utaha in her black stockings was simply too...
Wait, no. He rationalized it quickly: The source of Kasumigaoka Utaha's mental pollution hasn't been found yet. It is necessary to stay temporarily.
"Of course I want to know." A look of intrigue appeared on Utaha's beautiful face as she lightly touched the corner of her mouth. "I almost turned into a monster. How could I possibly ignore that?"
"But this isn't the place to talk about the truth. I'll take you to where I live—which will also be your future room."
As she spoke, Utaha, who had already started leading the way, turned her head and asked, "I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha. What is your name?"
"Since we're going to be living under the same roof, I can't just keep calling you 'Hey' or 'You', right?"
"Kawashima Toya."
Toya replied calmly, "Just an ordinary person you can see everywhere."