Hearing the girl's words and seeing the look of eager anticipation on her cute face, the shop owner scratched his head apologetically.
"Sorry about that, they just sold out."
"Eh... how could this be..." Rikka Takanashi held her wallet in both hands, her eyes filled with disappointment.
Although there were other shops selling Mask figurines, on one hand, their quality wasn't as good.
On the other hand, those people selling figurines are purely driven by personal desire, simply to make money.
Unlike the owner of this shop, who donates all proceeds from figurine sales to the families of victims of the Sunny Doll Killer incident, this act bestows the Mask figurine with an authentic soul.
"It's sold out already..."
"Ahem."
Seeing Rikka Takanashi's visibly disappointed expression, Miko Yotsuya lightly coughed twice and, as if casually, pointed to the figurine on the shelf. It was modelled after her own appearance when in action – wearing a pure white coat with pale golden patterns, the mask adorned with light golden eye-like designs – and said to Rikka with a smile,
"Actually... this one is quite nice too."
"This one?"
Rikka Takanashi pressed her lips together, not hiding her disappointment.
"Never mind, I only want Mask."
Miko sighed softly, thinking to herself that within the Supernatural Society team, Ye Xing's popularity was truly in a league of its own.
"Here."
Just as Rikka Takanashi, looking crestfallen, was about to turn and leave, she saw Ye Xing hand the box he was holding over to her.
"Take the Mask figurine."
"Eh?"
Rikka Takanashi froze for a moment, then frantically waved her hands, stammering,
"This... this... I can't..."
"Don't worry about it. The shop owner gave it to me for free anyway."
Ye Xing glanced towards the shop owner and said with a smile,
"Seeing how flustered she was, rushing to buy the figurine, she must be a devoted supporter of Mask. It's fine if I pass it on to her, right?"
"No problem at all."
The owner waved a hand breezily and laughed heartily.
"If anything, this kind of act – helping others in need – is what Mask truly represents."
Seeing the owner's demeanour, Miko couldn't help but ask curiously,
"But why do you like Mask so much? Forgive me for saying so, but at your age, you're probably past the stage of idolising celebrities, aren't you?"
"Ah, there you're mistaken."
The owner's smile faded, and his expression turned thoughtful.
"That terrorist attack at the amusement park – I don't know if you've seen it online?"
Miko nodded.
"Yes, I have."
"My wife and daughter were in the Ferris wheel at the time."
"Eh!?"
Seeing Miko's shocked reaction, the owner scratched his head and grinned.
"So, to tell the truth, Mask is the saviour of my wife and daughter. The least I can do is repay him in this small way."
"So that's how it is..."
Upon hearing the owner's words, Miko felt something deep inside her stir.
She stole a glance at Ye Xing beside her, wondering how the person involved would react upon hearing his own heroic deeds from someone else's mouth.
But the outcome was just as expected.
Ye Xing still wore his usual relaxed expression, without even a flicker in his eyes.
Miko recalled what he had said back then at McDonald's:
'Acting to save others, or to live up to others' expectations, is certainly one kind of motivation.'
'However, while enjoying this sense of accomplishment from saving others' fates, one might also begin to doubt their own actions due to being misunderstood, questioned, or even criticised by others.'
'So my choice is to only do what I want to do, without being constrained by others' opinions and beliefs.'
To act completely freely according to one's true heart, uninfluenced by anyone.
It sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult to achieve.
Whether it's praise, dislike, or criticism.
To completely ignore all of this, perhaps this kind of mindset is also one of the unique skills that Ye Xing possesses as a professional exorcist.
"This... is this really okay?"
Seeing that he had said this much, Rikka Takanashi carefully accepted the box containing the figure that Ye Xing handed over, the delight in her eyes overflowing.
Only at this moment did she finally look up at Ye Xing, seemingly wanting to say some words of thanks, but after clearly seeing his face, she couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
"Um... are you... Ye Xing?"
Ye Xing smiled.
"Only recognising me now? Takanashi."
Miko Yotsuya exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this.
"Eh, you know each other?"
"Not exactly acquaintances."
Ye Xing pointed at Rikka Takanashi.
"This is Rikka Takanashi from the class next to ours. Our classrooms are right next to each other, and we often pass each other in the corridor, right? How could you forget her name? That's really rude, Miko."
Miko Yotsuya pouted and muttered quietly.
"I'd say it's more suspicious that you even remember the names of girls you don't know from other classes."
As always, Ye Xing gave an honest answer.
"Because Takanashi is very cute, so I remembered her."
Miko Yotsuya: "...That's so like you."
She wasn't really surprised that Rikka Takanashi knew Ye Xing.
From third-years down to first-years in the whole of Sobu High School, who wouldn't know this famous figure - Sobu High's most formidable student, who defeated all first-year students from Shuchi'in Academy in the Union exams?
"Takanashi, nice to meet you."
Miko Yotsuya smiled and nodded at Rikka Takanashi as a greeting, then, with a hint of jealousy on her face, she grabbed Ye Xing's arm as if to declare her territory, saying, somewhat annoyed.
"Let's go, time to go home."
"Alright."
As the two gradually walked further away and disappeared from view, Rikka Takanashi tightly hugged the box containing the Mask figure, murmuring to herself.
"Ye Xing... is also a fan of Mask..."
...
Meanwhile, after arriving at Ye Xing's home, Miko Yotsuya took off her coat, looking eager and ready.
"You sit down, I'll cook, it'll be ready soon."
"I'll do it."
"Eh? You can cook?"
"What do you mean by that? Of course I can, I'm just usually too lazy to cook."
"Eh, well then you do it."
Miko Yotsuya rested her chin on one hand, watching as Ye Xing took ingredients from the refrigerator, then, with extremely skilled movements, put on an apron and began preparing the ingredients. A smile couldn't help but form at the corner of her lips.
She lay on the sofa, her pale feet swinging in the air, her voice carrying laughter as she said.
"Since you cooked for me, I won't hold it against you that you never gave me a gift but gave one to Takanashi-san."
Ye Xing, who was busy in the kitchen, chuckled softly in response.
"Didn't I prepare a gift for you?"
"Eh?"
Miko Yotsuya asked in confusion.
"What gift did you prepare for me?"
"Mikazuki Munechika."
"Eh?"
Miko was taken aback, exclaiming in surprise.
"Wait... Mikazuki Munechika... is for me?"
"What else?"
Ye Xing retorted.
"Do you think I'd carry two swords by myself? I don't practice dual-wielding, and besides, you know Onimaru Kunitsuna's temperament - they'd throw a fit with me."
When she heard the latter part, Miko let out a slight sigh.
'Typical of you.'
Is even Onimaru Kunitsuna, a sword, starting to get jealous?
...
Half an hour later.
"Mmm, delicious"
Miko picked up a bite of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, her face full of blissful expression.
"I never expected you to be such a good cook."
"Of course."
Ye Xing said, without any modesty, in a calm voice.
"I'm perfect."
"Tch... Being able to say something like that proves you have a narcissistic personality."
"Just telling the truth. The last person as strong as me started doing whatever they wanted."
"That makes sense, too."
After finishing the meal, Ye Xing glanced outside the window at the gradually darkening sky, then turned to Miko with a smile.
"Are you staying here tonight?"
Hearing this, Miko's pretty face flushed red, and she fidgeted as she spoke.
"Well... if you want me to... it wouldn't be impossible to stay..."
"Then you'll have to message our mum and tell her you're not coming back tonight."
"What do you mean 'our mum'... We're not even married yet, and you're already changing how you address her?"
Miko first muttered a quiet complaint, then the blush on her face became even more obvious. Clutching the hem of her clothes nervously, she mumbled softly.
"Well... I, I, I've already messaged Mum."
Ye Xing drew out his words meaningfully.
"Oh, I seeee."
"S-shut up!"
Miko said, both embarrassed and annoyed, then immediately sat on Ye Xing's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and, suppressing her shyness, leaned close to his ear to say.
"What... whatever Futaba did, I want to do it too..."
"How about together?"
Hearing Ye Xing's flippant words, Miko Yotsuya's golden eyes grew misty, a delicate pink flush spreading across her fair skin.
"N-next time... maybe next time..."
...
After entering the bedroom and lying on the soft bed, Ye Xing whispered close to Miko Yotsuya's ear.
"Shall I... put it in now?"
Miko Yotsuya took a deep breath, her face tense with nervousness, feeling as if her heart might leap out of her chest.
"Mmm... put it in."
The next moment, Miko's delicate brows furrowed slightly, tears welling in her golden eyes as she pitifully said.
"It's... it's too big, it hurts a bit."
The sight of Miko with tears in her eyes, reflected in Ye Xing's gaze, could only be described with one word.
Lewd.
It stirred a desire to tease her mercilessly.
"H-how did it get bigger again..."
"It... it won't fit..."
...
Three days later, on the Shinkansen train from Kyoto to Tokyo.
"Woo-hoo, we're finally off!"
Seeing Yui Yuigahama's excited cheers, Rio Futaba, sitting beside her, adjusted her glasses and lowered her voice.
"This isn't just a holiday, don't get too relaxed."
"I know, I know"
Yui Yuigahama replied with a laugh, watching the scenery speeding past outside the window, her excitement undeniable.
This carriage was quite empty, occupied only by members of the Supernatural Society participating in this trip.
Hachishaku-sama remained in Kyoto—only Tamamo-no-Mae and her group of minor spirits were there, and it was uncertain whether they could handle any sudden supernatural incidents.
Since this trip to Tokyo wasn't solely for tourism but also to return the famous sword Mikazuki Munechika to its rightful owner, Shoko Makinohara didn't participate either.
As during the previous joint exams, there were disagreements over seating arrangements among the members.
The solution, as before, was the same.
Marin Kitagawa was seated next to Ye Xing.
For some reason.
Marin Kitagawa felt like there was a silent war happening in the shadows, but she couldn't grasp what was going on.
Miko Yotsuya sighed as she looked at the empty carriage from her seat.
"I hope nothing unexpected happens before we reach Tokyo."
"Don't worry."
Mai Sakurajima patted Miko's shoulder, smiling reassuringly.
"It's just a simple holiday trip on the Shinkansen, nothing unexpected will happen. That would be too unlucky."
Saying this, Mai took a piece of chocolate from her pocket and secretly handed it to what appeared to ordinary people as an empty seat behind them, whispering with a smile.
"Menma, this is for you."
"Thank you, Sister Mai"
Menma took the chocolate from Mai Sakurajima, carefully unwrapped it, and put it in her mouth, her face full of bliss.
"Really now, you've got it all over your mouth."
Mai Sakurajima took out a tissue and wiped the chocolate from Menma's mouth, smiling gently at the giggling girl with a motherly expression.
Seeing this, Miko couldn't help but remark.
"Mai-senpai, you're really good at taking care of people."
"Of course, after all, I am the mature senpai here."
"By the way, Mai-senpai, are you an only child?"
Hearing Miko Yotsuya's question, Mai Sakurajima froze for a moment, her eyes suddenly becoming complicated as she murmured.
"Actually... I have a younger sister, but... I haven't seen her for many years."
Noticing the change in Mai Sakurajima's expression, Miko Yotsuya realised she'd asked something she shouldn't have and immediately smiled while changing the subject.
"It's alright, Mai-senpai. If you want to meet her, I'm sure you'll be able to soon."
"Yes, I hope so too."
Meanwhile, Marin Kitagawa was scrolling through her phone and showed the screen to Ye Xing, smiling.
"Ye Xing, look at this, isn't it cool?"
Ye Xing glanced over and saw a photo from a cosplay event on the screen.
The most eye-catching figure among the cosers was someone wearing a black coat and a pure black mask, standing at less than 170cm tall.
"Cosplaying as Mask?"
"Yeah."
Marin Kitagawa nodded with a smile.
"It's really popular lately. Not just in Kyoto, but there are cosers dressed as Mask at events in other cities too. It's ranked number one in popularity."
Ye Xing shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"There's no point cosplaying if they can't even get the height right. Besides, if everyone's cosplaying, it would be interesting if the real one slipped in among them."
"Mhm, you're absolutely right."
Marin Kitagawa nodded in deep agreement, then looked Ye Xing up and down as if suddenly struck by an idea, exclaiming excitedly.
"Hey, Ye Xing, your height seems about the same as Mask's, and your hair and eye colour match too. How about..."
Marin Kitagawa looked somewhat embarrassed as she brushed her golden hair with pink-dyed ends, tentatively asking.
"Coincidentally, there's a cosplay event in Tokyo these next couple of days. Saki's already finished making my costume, but I'm still a bit nervous going alone. Could you come with me, Ye Xing? The Mask's cosplay outfit isn't hard to buy - I could use my pocket money to get one for you."
Seeing that Ye Xing didn't respond, Marin Kitagawa clasped her hands together, her manicured white fingers sparkling in the sunlight as she pleaded.
"Please, please?"
"No need to buy the outfit."
Ye Xing waved his hand and smiled.
"If I have time, then I'll go."
"OK, thank you!"
While all the members except Yukino Yukinoshita and Kazusa Touma were chatting casually, Mai Sakurajima suddenly frowned slightly. She pointed towards the front of the carriage, whispering to Miko Yotsuya beside her.
"Look over there."
Miko Yotsuya followed Mai Sakurajima's pointing finger and couldn't help but frown too.
The carriage floor had somehow become covered in a faint black mist.
This aura was similar to evil spirits, yet didn't feel entirely like pure evil spirits.
It gave off a feeling... of complete lifelessness.
"It's powerful."
Not just Miko Yotsuya and Mai Sakurajima, but Rio Futaba and Yui Yuigahama had noticed this sudden change as well.
"It's... it's... it's over..."
Hearing the frightened voice from behind, Mai Sakurajima turned around. She discovered that Menma, who had been happily laughing moments earlier, now had two streams of tears flowing down her face, appearing utterly terrified.
"What's wrong? Don't be afraid, we're here..."
"No, Mai-nee, you all need to leave quickly..."
Menma's eyes were filled with sheer terror, her small body curled into a ball and trembling incessantly.
"That thing... is... is terrifying."
Just as Menma's words faded, the members within the carriage who had awakened Soul Materialisation abilities simultaneously heard a strange sound coming from the front of the carriage.
Scrape... scrape...
It sounded like metal being dragged across the floor, grating on the nerves.
Mai Sakurajima and the others looked up to see a bizarre figure nearly two meters tall, with an imposing build, wearing tattered black clothing, emitting thick black mist from its body surface, holding a massive axe in its right hand and a burlap sack in its left, its face wrapped in bandages, walking step by step into the carriage.
At first glance, Miko Yotsuya, who had the most extensive exorcism experience, immediately made her judgment, her golden pupils contracting slightly in shock.
"This thing... is completely different from the evil spirits we've faced before..."