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They say evil spirits—what the onmyoji call "filth"—are born from human negativity. Monsters spun out of resentment, despair, fear. In short, they're bound to humanity, like shadows to light.
As long as humans exist, filth will keep on spawning.
It's endless.
If Tōtsuki Academy really tried to crank up its barrier's power and wiped out every speck of filth the moment it appeared… the barrier's energy would drain in no time.
And when that happened, the academy would still need to hire onmyoji to reinforce it, or pour in more resources to recharge it.
Which, of course, costs money.
Onmyoji need to eat too. Nobody's setting up barriers for free.
So instead of exhausting themselves wiping out every petty scrap of filth, it's way more practical to focus on the ones that actually affect students.
After all, as long as normal students can't see the weaker ones, they won't get hurt.
Most of Tōtsuki's kids don't have spirit sight anyway. No spirit sight, no problem.
At least, that was Akio's guess.
But in his mind, it was a pretty solid guess—close enough to the truth to count.
An hour later, thanks to Erina Nakiri and Hisako's nonstop efforts, the filth crawling around campus was wiped clean.
For now, at least.
More would gather in time. Tōtsuki's atmosphere was toxic, after all. High stress, unstable moods, a pressure cooker of insecurities—basically a factory churning out negativity. Filth couldn't ask for a better breeding ground.
Akio, however, wasn't concerned about the academy's safety.
It had managed fine before. And now that he had two loyal followers stationed here, it was safer than ever.
The real problem was Erina and Hisako. By the time they finished, both were slumped over and panting hard.
The power of light could patch up their stamina, sure, but mental exhaustion was another story. An hour of nonstop channeling left anyone drained.
Akio chuckled softly at the sight and didn't press them further."Alright, you two take a break. Don't worry about cooking today." He waved a hand casually. "Just remember to start offering meals to me tomorrow."
With that, he turned on his heel and left.
No reason to linger—the whole trip to Tōtsuki had been for this, and the job was done.
Before stepping away completely, he withdrew his power and released the hypnosis. Memories of him vanished from every student's mind, except for Erina and Hisako.
No one else at Tōtsuki would remember he'd ever been there.
He came quietly, and he left just the same. Not a trace remained.
The next morning came in a blink.
Akio had just crawled out of bed, still unwashed and groggy, when a voice drifted into his ears.
"Lord Akio, I've prepared breakfast for you. Please accept it."
It was Hisako's voice.
She was following his instructions to the letter: from today onward, three meals a day, offered to him like divine tribute.
With a snap of his fingers, a steaming lunchbox appeared before him.
Inside was a classic Chinese breakfast—steamed buns, millet porridge, and scallion pancakes.
Not bad at all.
He set the box on the table, freshened up in the bathroom, then grabbed chopsticks from the kitchen and dug in.
The first bite of the bun told him everything. Thin skin, generous filling, perfectly seasoned—and studded with yam and goji berries.
Hisako's signature medicinal cooking.
Akio smirked in approval. "Good stuff. Keep it up."
Meanwhile, back at Tōtsuki—
Hisako, who had been holding her breath nervously, froze when she suddenly heard Akio's voice in her head. Then a bright smile spread across her face."Erina, Lord Akio praised my cooking!"
Erina's eyes lit up, and she quickly placed her own prepared dish on the table, clasped her hands, and prayed."Lord Akio, I've prepared breakfast too. Please accept mine as well."
A second later, her food vanished before her eyes, taken by unseen power.
She'd seen it happen before, but it still left her breathless. Truly divine, beyond comprehension.
Not long after, Akio's voice reached her ears too."Excellent. I've never had breakfast this good. Full marks."
Erina let out a long sigh of relief, a smile tugging at her lips. Then she asked in a quiet prayer,"Lord Akio… what would you like for lunch today?"
At home, munching on her scallion pancake, Akio thought for a moment."Steak. And tell Hisako to make me a rice bowl."
"Rice bowl…?"
Erina blinked, then realized. Akio's "secretary" meant Hisako. Because she was her secretary, he'd just called her that?
What kind of nickname was that supposed to be?
Erina shook her head, half amused, half exasperated. Still, she relayed the order."Hisako, Lord Akio would like you to prepare a rice bowl for lunch today. Can you do it?"
Hisako nodded at once. "Of course, Erina."
Satisfied, Erina smiled faintly.
After breakfast, Akio slipped into his realm of light, reshaping it and refining it until it became even more radiant.
He lost himself in the work. Hours passed. He even had lunch there.
Only after finishing a full day's reconstruction did he return to the human world.
That evening, just as he was settling back into reality, someone knocked on his door.
Brows raised, Akio crossed the living room and opened it.
Standing outside was a stunning woman, delicate features framed by long hair, her figure graceful and striking.
He recognized her immediately—Yuki-onna.
They'd crossed paths once before, back with the Nura Clan.
If he remembered right, her name was Oikawa Yukina. She'd once been infatuated with Nurarihyon, but he had chosen a human woman—Rihan Nura's mother.
And so Yuki-onna had left the clan when Rihan was still a child.
What happened to her afterward… remained a mystery.
"..."
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