He tried to explain it as best as he could remember. He didn't know all the details himself, but he figured Momo had a much better grasp of spiritual powers than he did.
Anyone would dream of learning and mastering some kind of power system like in a manga.
But when he realized how vague and complicated it really was, he decided it was better to take things slow — as long as he had the time to improve his abilities bit by bit.
With the way things had been escalating, falling behind wasn't an option.
"Uh?" Momo blinked a few times, giving him a confused look.
Hideo hesitated before continuing.
"I'm not sure what to call it exactly… maybe you'd know it as chi. But it's a kind of spiritual energy."
He pointed to his chest, as if to show where that energy might come from.
"When we were inside the UFO, one of those serpent guys said your chakras had opened or something… do you remember what happened back then?"
"UAP…" Okarun corrected automatically before adding,
"C-certainly, at that moment you looked invincible… You even managed to control the curse inside me."
Momo's eyes widened as she caught on.
"Oh, I see…" she sighed, rubbing her temple. "You want me to teach you some of that stuff? It was all thanks to my grandma… I'm not exactly teacher material, though."
"But Ayase, your powers were way stronger back then. Maybe if—" Okarun started to say.
"Yeah, yeah… well, I'd rather have my grandma do the teaching." Momo puffed her cheeks but gave in. "Fine, I'll tell you what I know."
°°°
Momo began explaining what she remembered — the sensations, the memories flashing through her mind, and the advice her grandmother had given her.
"So you just… focus energy in your stomach?" Hideo asked, awkwardly copying her hand gestures. "That sounds a little…"
"Hey, don't you dare make fun of it," Momo snapped. "Remember, that's how I saved your lives. You've got to visualize it — let the energy enter through your stomach and flow out through your head."
He didn't fully get it.
But thinking it through, it made sense that Momo's awakening came from strong emotions — and that strange stimulation caused by the serpian aliens.
Which meant that for someone ordinary like him, it would take longer and look a lot less impressive.
"So… you're saying you've gotten weaker since then?" Okarun asked, mimicking the same hand motions.
Momo folded her arms. "I've felt… different, I guess. That's one way to put it."
"That's interesting… So, how exactly do you do it?" Hideo asked, avoiding Okarun's real name just to keep her from getting annoyed.
"Hmmm… it's like I can see a kind of aura around people. A small blue flame near their navel — and I just squeeze out whatever evil spirit is sitting on top of it."
Hideo thought for a moment.
How were psychic and spiritual power even connected?
He suddenly seemed to realize something. "Come on, I want to try something outside."
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Momo asked, puzzled.
Outside, Hideo stood beside Okarun, facing her.
"Release the curse in Okarun," he said calmly.
"Eh? Didn't your brain almost melt when you used that fire? Why would I do that?" Momo asked, confused.
"I've been thinking about what you said. I just want to see if you can actually perceive my aura or something."
"...!" Okarun's eyes lit up as he understood. He adjusted his glasses excitedly.
"Maybe we don't even need that! Ayase, if you just release the power and suppress the yokai at the same time, we can test it!"
"W-wait! I'm still learning to use my powers — I don't think I can pull that off!" Momo protested.
"Maybe if you just release the curse in my head but keep it contained through the rest of my body," Okarun suggested earnestly.
"Fine, fine!" Momo groaned, exhaling sharply. "You're asking a lot, but I'll try…"
She took a deep breath, raised her hands toward Okarun, and closed her eyes in focus.
Hideo braced himself.
If his theory was right, he'd feel part of that spiritual energy as it was released.
He clenched his fists, watching closely.
Then he felt it — a shiver running down his spine, like the air itself was trembling.
He could sense the yokai's presence before he even saw it.
Okarun's body began to twist and distort, his face shifting between his own and the yokai's.
"Th-this feels so weird!"
"Believe me, I'm trying!" Momo shouted back, straining to control it.
Okarun's body shrank, then suddenly stretched, radiating a powerful aura.
His hair turned white, and a jagged, toothy mask appeared around his mouth.
"I-is this what you were expecting?"
"In theory, yeah—"
"Damn… this feels awful…" Okarun growled, his voice warped.
"Even his personality changed!" Momo gasped, turning toward Hideo. "Wait… I can see it more clearly now."
"Sorry… guess I'm a weird guy," Okarun muttered.
Momo's breath caught.
Meanwhile, Hideo still couldn't perceive any of the auras she mentioned — even with his new skill. Apparently, it had limits. Maybe it only worked for spirits or entities like yokai. Trying to see human auras was probably too advanced for the skill's current rank.
Didn't he get this ability after defeating the Serpians?
So how did the system decide when to grant abilities, anyway?
"What exactly do you see?" he asked.
"Hmm… how to explain…" Momo narrowed her eyes at Okarun. "His aura looks like one stacked on top of another — like one's trying to devour the other. But you… yours is weird. I can't really see it, but just looking at it feels… strange. Like it's buried deep inside you."
"Great… so I'm still useless," Okarun sighed.
"Hey, come on. At least act a little happy about having powers," Momo shot back.
"I see…" Hideo rubbed the back of his neck and sat down on the ground. "Okarun, you should practice that form a bit."
"I'm clumsy, don't expect much from me…"
Momo gasped again.
°°°
It turned into an impromptu training session.
Okarun was fast — incredibly fast — but soon realized his human body couldn't fully handle the yokai's speed.
Hideo kept trying to channel his spiritual energy, with little success.
Until a voice cut through the air behind them.
"And what the hell do we have here?"
All three turned instantly.
At the edge of the yard stood a slender woman with sharp eyes and gray, triangular hair — watching them with a calm yet dangerous air.
"Well, well… bringing two boys here after last time?" Her gaze fell on Okarun. "And one of them doesn't even look fully human."
"G-grandma!" Momo froze, instantly canceling Okarun's transformation. "I can explain!"
Seiko raised an eyebrow, scanning the scene: Okarun half-transformed, Hideo mid-pose, and Momo sweating buckets.
"Explain?" Seiko repeated, her voice deceptively gentle but carrying an edge. "Because it looks to me like you were about to summon a ghost. Or maybe you already did."
"W-we were training!" Momo blurted, waving her hands frantically.
"Training, huh…" Seiko sighed. "If you're going to mess with curses, at least understand what you're getting into."
She took a step forward. "Momo, you went somewhere spiritual, didn't you?"
"I know! It's important, please just let me tell you—"
"Funny you say that. Wasn't she supposed to be a fake psychic?" Seiko replied dryly, walking toward the house.
"I know that's what you thought, but—!"
Hideo and Okarun exchanged tense glances.
Seiko paused, glancing at them over her shoulder. "And you two…" Her eyes narrowed. "Especially you." She pointed at Hideo. "Your energy feels irregular. Have you been trying to channel your own spirit?"
"Uh… a little," he admitted nervously.
A faint smile tugged at Seiko's lips.
"Are you even listening to me!?" Momo shouted, chasing after her.
"…That was scarier than the yokai," Hideo muttered. "Let's go before he forgets to control your curse."
"Totally," Okarun agreed.