"No... but... this..."
Upon hearing Ye Xing's words, Yui Yuigahama felt something wasn't quite right.
But after thinking carefully.
It seemed nothing was wrong - in fact, it made perfect sense.
How could the internal members of the Supernatural Society maintain their current state indefinitely?
The answer was obvious.
The method proposed by Ye Xing could not only maintain the friendship between members but also bring them closer, taking their relationships a step further.
Only...
Yui Yuigahama pursed her lips, hesitation flashing in her eyes as she cautiously said.
"Will Miko and Rio... agree to this?"
"Dango..."
Ye Xing stood up, patted Yui Yuigahama's shoulder, and said with a laugh.
"The version has long since changed. You need to update."
"Oh... I see..."
Although Yui didn't quite understand, since there was a perfect solution that could both maintain their friendships and allow her to stop pretending, that was naturally for the best.
"Then these cookies..."
Before Yui Yuigahama could finish, Ye Xing directly interrupted, speaking with profound sincerity.
"Yui, good things should be shared with friends. If I ate them all, Futaba, Miko, Mai and the others wouldn't be able to feel your sincerity. You should give your special cookies, but don't neglect the regular ones either."
"Yes, you're right."
Yui Yuigahama nodded in deep agreement, picked up the box containing the cookies, and said with a sweet smile.
"Then I'll... go share them with Marin, Touma-san, Saki, Yukino and the others first? Oh, right, and Saki's younger sister, too."
Ye Xing wore a look of schadenfreude as he urged.
"Yes, yes, yes, hurry along."
"Alright then."
Less than a minute after Yui Yuigahama left the study, Ye Xing heard a voice filled with utter despair and shock coming from the first floor.
"What... is this!!!"
...
Meanwhile, in an ordinary apartment building in Kyoto.
A girl dressed in gothic dark-style clothing, wearing an eyepatch over her right eye, with a petite figure, pale skin, and adorable chubby cheeks, was curled up on the sofa, staring intently at the television.
"Rikka, I'm going to work now."
"Mm, I know."
Seeing her younger sister completely absorbed in the television, the tall, beautiful woman with black hair and red eyes who showed no expression on her face glanced at the screen showing the live broadcast recording and couldn't help but sigh slightly.
This girl's chuunibyou... has gotten worse.
These days, television stations really have no professional ethics.
After her older sister Toka left the house, Rikka Takanashi stared unblinkingly at the screen, her eyes reflecting the figure wearing a black coat and pure black mask.
"Mask... So cool."
...
One week later, at Mai Sakurajima's home.
"Now, beginning the Supernatural Society's... whatever number meeting this is."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, looking seriously at the members before her.
"The number of people... keeps growing."
List of participants for this internal meeting.
Humans: Ye Xing, Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, Hina Amano, Kazusa Touma, Saki Kawasaki.
Non-humans: Ye Xing, Menma, Hachishaku-sama (currently residing in Shoko Makinohara's home with a memorial tablet, counted as participating).
Abstract being: Ye Xing.
Occupying all three categories - this demonstrates the calibre of the Supernatural Society's leader!
"Yes..."
Mai Sakurajima gave Ye Xing a deep look, brushed the hair beside her ear, and said meaningfully.
"The numbers are growing, aren't they?"
Ye Xing made a stopping gesture.
"Don't be sarcastic about it."
"Ah, really now, let's get to business."
Rio Futaba scanned the members before her and spoke slowly.
"Now that Dango has also awakened her spiritual power, we have more options for team combinations."
"My soul's true form leans towards specialised combat, while Mai-senpai is control-type with not particularly extensive exorcism experience, so Mai-senpai and I will form one team."
"Miko and Dango will form another team. Is that acceptable?"
Both Miko Yotsuya and the somewhat confused Yui Yuigahama nodded.
"Yes, no problem."
Veteran guiding newcomer, combat paired with support.
The team formation Rio Futaba proposed was indeed perfect.
There was just one thing.
Miko Yotsuya asked curiously: "What about Ye Xing?"
"Him?"
Rio Futaba glanced at Ye Xing lounging lazily on the sofa and sighed helplessly.
"Let him act freely. He can't really team up with us anyway, since the power gap is too vast. Either he watches the show, or he directly crushes the evil spirits - neither helps us gain combat experience."
"Exactly, exactly."
Ye Xing, as the person in question, nodded in deep agreement and smiled.
"I'm just the watering gardener. Whether you can improve your strength ultimately depends on yourselves."
Yui Yuigahama, Saki Kawasaki, Kazusa Touma, Hina Amano, and Menma - four humans and one spirit - noticed that although Ye Xing had said something perfectly normal...
Why then did Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, and Mai Sakurajima all develop inexplicable blushes upon hearing these words?
How strange...
Watering?
Could it be that this isn't literal watering, but rather a metaphor for some kind of behaviour?
"Speaking of which..."
Saki Kawasaki finally couldn't hold back any longer, tilting her head slightly as she asked curiously.
"The teams... what are you all going to do? And combat... support, what are all these things? Are we going to fight something?"
"Eh?"
Rio Futaba was taken aback, asking in return.
"You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Ye Xing didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
Rio Futaba, Miko Yotsuya, Yui Yuigahama, Mai Sakurajima, and Hina Amano - all those in the know - exchanged glances.
Then, all their gazes turned towards Ye Xing, who was sitting there.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Ye Xing appeared completely unruffled, answering with perfect composure.
"I've been very busy this past week."
"Busy doing what?"
Just that simple sentence made the present members start eyeing each other.
Everyone's eyes held only one meaning.
'Did you sneak off with him?'
'I didn't, did you?'
'I didn't either.'
After the girls exchanged looks, they all turned their gazes towards Kazusa Touma, whose expression was calm, and eyes showed no emotion.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Kazusa Touma shook her head, speaking mildly.
"I've been playing piano at home this whole time."
"Then..."
Mai Sakurajima stared intently at Ye Xing, slowly speaking.
"Who did you go to see?"
"Hey, listen to you all talking."
Ye Xing waved his hand with a serious expression.
"I was handling proper business."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Ye Xing put away his smile, speaking slowly.
"This past week, I looked up all families with the surname Honma within Kyoto city, and went to visit them."
"It's not a particularly rare surname, but not common either - there were seventeen households in total within Kyoto city."
"Two of them had already moved away, and among the rest, none had a daughter who died young - none were Menma's family from when she was alive."
Hearing this, all the girls couldn't help but pause.
The expressions on their faces were quite clear.
So you really were handling proper business.
"Um..."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Menma, who had been silent until now, cautiously spoke up.
"Big brother was looking for my family... because you want me to resolve my lingering attachments... and pass on?"
Ye Xing nodded without any attempt to conceal it.
"Yes."
Menma's cute little face was filled with despondency as she murmured to herself.
"But... Menma doesn't want to disappear. I still want to be with everyone, with Shoko."
Hearing these words, the expressions of Miko Yotsuya and the others couldn't help but become somewhat sorrowful.
Just as they were organising their words, thinking about how to tell the young Menma that the dead cannot return to life, nor can they continue to linger in this world, they heard Ye Xing speak astonishing words in an extremely matter-of-fact tone.
"Oh, I see."
Ye Xing nodded, smiling.
"You should have said so earlier. Since you don't want to pass on, then from now on, let's change our Supernatural Society's mission objective."
"The objective is to find a method that allows Meiko Honma to continue staying in this world without turning into an evil spirit due to lingering attachments."
"Of course, if resurrection is possible, that would be even better."
Miko Yotsuya and the others all wore expressions of bewilderment upon hearing this.
In the end, it was Mai Sakurajima who reacted first, frowning slightly with a worried look as she tried to dissuade him.
"Let Menma continue to stay in this world? But logically speaking..."
"There are no buts."
Ye Xing waved his hand, suddenly becoming serious as he spoke in a rare, earnest tone.
"All those sayings about the dead not returning to life and having to reincarnate are just words left behind by predecessors."
"So here's the question."
Ye Xing looked at the members before him and spoke slowly.
"Were those legendary great exorcists from historical records really stronger than us?"
Hearing this question, Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and said thoughtfully,
"Perhaps... some were stronger than us, but to say any were stronger than you... I doubt there were any."
"Exactly."
Ye Xing smiled with satisfaction, then continued speaking.
"I'm not boasting, but all the psychics here would score around eighty to ninety points if converted to marks. As for me, I'm the perfect scorer."
"This is just like taking an exam."
"Would you doubt your own answers just because you saw a failing student's paper that was different from yours?"
"No, you'd only think they were the one who was wrong."
"Since we're stronger than all those Onmyoji and exorcists from Japan's history, it stands to reason that their deeds and the rules they summarised hold no reference value for us."
The members all looked thoughtful upon hearing these words.
Well, you know what?
That actually makes some sense.
Whether it's Soul Materialisation, the Reverse World, or the Gates, there's no related information in Japan's records.
Just as Ye Xing had said long ago, what the Supernatural Society members are facing now are bizarre phenomena that have never occurred before.
And the strongest exorcist in human history is sitting right here.
So-called rules like the dead cannot return to life and souls of the deceased cannot linger in the world are essentially just patterns summarised by predecessors.
"Just like science..."
Rio Futaba was the first to express her stance.
"Science progresses over time, and perhaps exorcism is the same."
"Blindly trusting predecessors' experiences and observing from limited perspectives will ultimately lead to conclusions that are just like the frog at the bottom of the well."
Miko Yotsuya, as a veteran member, also nodded in agreement.
"From the very beginning, all the precautions, abilities, and patterns related to exorcism were things we summarised ourselves."
"In this matter, we should make our own decisions too."
Seeing that everyone, especially the person involved... or rather, the spirit involved, Menma, was looking at her with pitiful eyes, Mai Sakurajima shook her head helplessly.
"Why does this make me seem like the villain? I was just mentioning it casually; it's not like I'm insisting Menma must move on. To be honest, I don't want to see Menma disappear like that either. That kind of thing shouldn't happen."
Ye Xing nodded and smiled.
"Since that's the case, it's decided then."
"There's one more thing."
"Since it's a rare summer holiday, we should have some free time."
"I went to the Reverse World and made a new contract with Tamamo-no-Mae."
"If anything happens with our Supernatural Society that requires us to leave Kyoto, she will lead those spectres through a Gate to eliminate the evil spirits in Kyoto City while we're away."
Hearing this news, even Rio Futaba, who was usually the most composed, couldn't help but show a pleased expression.
Although they all wanted to protect Kyoto, even superheroes needed some rest.
For their first high school summer holiday, spending over two months entirely on eliminating evil spirits and dealing with supernatural incidents would indeed be quite wasteful.
"In that case, why don't we all go travelling together?"
Yui Yuigahama was the most excited one.
The "all" she referred to wasn't just the core members present; it also included Marin Kitagawa and Yukino Yukinoshita—essentially the entire Supernatural Society.
"Travelling..."
Rio Futaba was actually quite resistant to outdoor activities, especially during this hot summer.
However...
She stole a glance at Ye Xing sitting there, then deliberately coughed twice to appear composed.
"Well... visiting places outside Kyoto would allow us to observe evil spirits in other cities and gather more useful information. It's a good proposal."
Kazusa Touma also commented calmly.
"If Ye Xing goes, then I'll go too."
Seeing all the girls looking eager and turning their attention to him, Ye Xing nodded.
"Well, travelling sounds fine."
"Great!"
Yui Yuigahama beamed with joy and immediately began discussing potential travel destinations with the others.
"Where should we go? Since it's summer, wouldn't Okinawa be good? There are beaches."
"Beaches... wouldn't we encounter perverts there?"
"Considering Mai-senpai's popularity, it would be better to go somewhere less crowded. Even if we want to go to the beach, we should find a private one."
"Private beaches... probably hard to find."
"What about going somewhere with a more traditional, historic atmosphere?"
"Forget it, isn't Kyoto already historic and traditional enough?"
"Speaking of the budget..."
"Let's use the activity funds; no need to worry about money."
"How about... going to Hokkaido?"
"Hokkaido is quite nice, the weather is cooler too, it could double as a summer retreat."
Just as the members were discussing where to go for their summer trip, Ye Xing's phone rang.
He left the living room before answering the call.
"Hello."
Light Yagami's voice came through, tinged with laughter.
"Ye Xing-kun, that's a bit cold, isn't it?"
"If you have something to say, just say it directly."
Light Yagami gave a helpless chuckle.
"As expected, you're still like this."
Then, Light Yagami, on the other end of the line, continued.
"I saw the news on TV. The Sunny Doll Killer... Mask did quite well."
Ye Xing chuckled lightly in response.
"Is that all you wanted to say?"
"Of course not, I'm not that bored."
"I'm not so sure about that."
"What kind of image do you even have of me in your mind..."
After muttering this complaint, the laughter vanished from Light Yagami's voice as he spoke seriously.
"The reason I'm calling is to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"The famous sword Mikazuki Munechika will be publicly exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum in the near future."
"Oh?"
Hearing the name Mikazuki Munechika, Ye Xing's interest was piqued.
Mikazuki Munechika, like Onimaru Kunitsuna, is a legendary-grade famous sword of Japan.
It is said that those who have held this famous sword, forged by Sanjou Munechika specifically for the Genji clan to display their family prestige, include the Sword Saint Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the unifier of the nation Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it was subsequently passed down through the Tokugawa family generation after generation until today.
Compared to Onimaru Kunitsuna, while Mikazuki Munechika doesn't have any fantastical legends about slaying evil spirits, it is still a national treasure-class famous sword.
Light Yagami knew that Ye Xing had previously infiltrated the Kyoto City Museum as Mask and taken the famous sword Onimaru Kunitsuna.
Precisely because of this.
Light Yagami immediately informed Ye Xing upon learning the news.
"Mikazuki Munechika..."
Ye Xing pondered to himself.
Even without legends of slaying evil spirits, a famous sword that has been passed down for so many years must have countless lives stained upon it.
Just this aura of killing intent alone would be enough to make it a valuable weapon against evil spirits.
Perfect timing.
Miko Yotsuya's spiritual object —the long sword —was already becoming inadequate to the intensity of their current battles.
"It seems it's time for me to visit Tokyo."
Hearing Ye Xing's response, Light Yagami replied with a smile.
"Then I'll be waiting in Tokyo."
After hanging up, Ye Xing returned to the living room and stood before the members of the Supernatural Society. He cleared his throat lightly and smiled at everyone.
"I just received some news."
"The Tokyo National Museum actually stole our famous sword Mikazuki Munechika."
"How can we allow that?"
"Perfect timing - taking advantage of this trip, our Supernatural Society must ensure the famous sword Mikazuki Munechika is returned to its rightful owners."