"Anyway, let's find time tomorrow to visit Shibuya's shopping district in person."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Rio Futaba nodded first, then showed a worried expression.
"But whatever did this must be extremely cunning, possessing intelligence no less than a human's. Perhaps it just placed the Gate there while hiding somewhere far away?"
"That's unlikely."
Ye Xing smiled and spoke words that made Rio Futaba, Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, and Miko Yotsuya blush, their hearts racing.
"Even evil spirits are living beings. They wouldn't feel comfortable staying far from something they value, just like how I wouldn't let you four leave my side even when knowing it's dangerous."
Feeling the silence in the room, Saki Kawasaki felt at a loss.
Wait...
What about me?
Four people, meaning I wasn't included?
Saki Kawasaki felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.
But after thinking seriously, she was, after all, just an ordinary person. Compared to Yui Yuigahama, Mai Sakurajima, Miko Yotsuya, and Rio Futaba - these psychics who could truly fight alongside Ye Xing - her position in his heart probably couldn't compare.
The reasoning made sense.
But Saki Kawasaki still felt very sad inside.
"Then tomorrow we'll all go together..."
Just as Rio Futaba was speaking halfway, Ye Xing waved his hand and turned his gaze towards Saki Kawasaki sitting there.
"Saki, you come with me."
"Eh? Me?"
Seeing Saki Kawasaki's incredulous expression, Ye Xing nodded and emphasised again.
"Yes, just you and me."
Hearing these words, Miko Yotsuya was about to say something, but Rio Futaba nodded first with a thoughtful expression.
"Kawasaki coming along too... That's actually quite a good approach."
Seeing Miko Yotsuya and Yui Yuigahama looking as anxious as cats with their tails stepped on, Rio Futaba sighed.
"Don't rush, let me finish explaining first."
"Although Kawasaki is just an ordinary person, for this operation, it's actually best to have someone who knows the truth but can't observe evil spirits."
"On a busy pedestrian street with heavy foot traffic, even if we confirm the existence of a Gate there, it would be difficult to destroy it on the spot."
"Moreover, if what Ye Xing says is true and that evil spirit is hiding nearby observing, then seeing the Gate it worked so hard to merge with about to be destroyed, it might become desperate and resort to dangerous actions."
"If it also has the ability to pull nearby areas into the Reverse World, then given the pedestrian flow in the commercial district, at least hundreds or even thousands of innocent people could be affected."
"To ensure the safety of innocent people, and of course, to ensure the operation proceeds without hindrance and our identities remain concealed - based on these two reasons, tomorrow should primarily focus on reconnaissance and gathering information. There's no need to rush."
At this point, Rio Futaba paused, looked at Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, and Miko Yotsuya in front of her, and raised her chin slightly.
"Can you guarantee with 100% certainty that even if you see terrifying evil spirits, you can remain expressionless, walk straight through their bodies, and not reveal any flaws?"
"Anyway, I admit I can't do it. If any of you think you can, then join tomorrow's operation."
Hearing this, Miko Yotsuya and Yui Yuigahama, who had wanted to say something, exchanged glances and chose to remain silent instead.
It was true that Miko Yotsuya had unusually strong mental fortitude.
But would she risk hundreds or thousands of innocent lives just to test her courage while wanting to go shopping with Ye Xing in the bustling Shibuya commercial district?
The answer was obviously no.
Even if there was only a 0.01% chance that she might reveal she could "see" in front of an evil spirit, which might alert them, the consequences would be extremely serious.
"Since none of you have that confidence, I'll continue."
Rio Futaba pointed at Saki Kawasaki, who was sitting nearby with a bewildered expression, speaking calmly.
"In comparison, since Kawasaki can't observe, she won't reveal any flaws."
"Moreover, unlike Yukinoshita and Kitagawa, she's an insider who knows the truth."
"Overall, Kawasaki is the only suitable candidate."
Hearing this, Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but raise a very logical question.
"Then... why not let Ye Xing go alone?"
"Haven't you ever gone out with him before?"
Rio Futaba glanced at Ye Xing sitting there with a frivolous smile and sighed helplessly.
"This guy's appearance is far too attractive. If he walks on such a busy commercial street, he'll definitely get lots of people coming to hit on him. Never mind that his way of handling things would be too attention-grabbing given his personality - just rejecting advances would take considerable time."
"Staying in that area for even one second longer increases the risk of alerting the enemy."
"If Kawasaki-san goes out with you, disguised as high school sweethearts, there wouldn't be such concerns."
After finishing her analysis, Rio Futaba looked towards Ye Xing sitting there.
"Am I right?"
Ye Xing nodded repeatedly, expressing his agreement.
"Yes, you're absolutely right, that's exactly what I was thinking."
Seeing him like this, Rio Futaba seemed somewhat sceptical, muttering quietly.
"Really right?"
Ye Xing stood up and walked over, patting Rio Futaba on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.
"You need to believe in your own intellect, Futaba!"
"Wait, wait!"
Seeing that the matter seemed about to be settled like this, Yui Yuigahama instantly sprang up, waving her hands repeatedly, speaking with righteous conviction.
"Saki hasn't agreed to this yet!"
"Eh?"
Suddenly finding the topic shifted to herself, Saki Kawasaki couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
She parted her lips slightly, as if wanting to say something, but Yui Yuigahama's words came faster than hers.
"After all, Saki is a girl. Even if it's for the Supernatural Society's mission, going out alone with Ye Xing, a boy, and pretending to be a couple shopping together – if she herself isn't willing, we can't force her, right!?"
Immediately after, Yui Yuigahama moved close to Saki Kawasaki's face, took the other's hands, and put on a very considerate manner.
"Saki, I know you're not the type who's good at acting. If you go out with a boy you have absolutely no feelings for, even if you try to pretend to be a couple, it would just feel awkward, wouldn't it? If the evil spirits notice something off, that would be bad."
Saki Kawasaki opened her mouth: "This, that... I."
Yui Yuigahama cut in first again.
"See, Saki is really troubled. Maybe we should drop it and find Yukino or Marin instead. If it were Marin, she probably wouldn't mind Ye Xing's strange behaviour of looking around everywhere..."
"No!"
Having had her words cut off twice in a row, Saki Kawasaki felt a strong sense of frustration building inside and couldn't help but stand up, clenching her fists at her sides, lowering her head, her face flushed as she said.
"If... if it's pretending to be a couple with Ye Xing... I, I can do it!"
"Is that so?"
Yui Yuigahama wore a somewhat hesitant expression.
"But, if you have to be with a boy you dislike, even if you try to act, you probably can't pull it off, right?"
"This, I..."
Saki Kawasaki's face showed a hint of shyness, she stole a glance at Ye Xing standing there, and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"I... how could I possibly dislike him..."
"Oh, I see, I see."
Yui Yuigahama spoke as if casually, yet with pointed meaning, yawning as she said:
"Miko, Mai-senpai, Rio, it's so late already, we should head back to our rooms to sleep. We've been exorcising spirits for so long, and finally having a break, let's leave this matter for Saki and Ye Xing to discuss. Come on, let's go."
With that, Yui Yuigahama pulled the three girls along and left Ye Xing's room.
Only after standing in the corridor did Mai Sakurajima look at Yui Yuigahama's sweetly smiling face and sincerely exclaim:
"Yui... you... are truly amazing."
"Eh? Really?"
Yui Yuigahama smiled sweetly.
"I didn't do anything at all."
Mai Sakurajima, Rio Futaba, and Miko Yotsuya exchanged glances, simultaneously realising one thing.
Dango-san...
Was really strong.
They had never noticed before - unimaginably strong.
So you were the true master of navigating relationship minefields!
Come to think of it.
What kind of person was Yui Yuigahama?
She was the most popular, note, the most popular among all members of the Supernatural Society.
Even Marin Kitagawa, who belonged to the same gyaru type though with flashier fashion sense, was far from possessing Yui Yuigahama's gentle aura that made people completely trust her.
Such a person must naturally be first-rate when it comes to emotional confrontations and seeing through others' inner thoughts!
The airhead type always hides cunning beneath the surface.
The ancients truly didn't deceive us.
...
Meanwhile, back in the room.
Under Yui Yuigahama's successive pressures, Saki Kawasaki - who had blurted out those embarrassing words in a moment of candour - was curled up on the sofa, using a cushion to cover her face.
She had completely overheated.
When a girl says she doesn't dislike something, there are many possible meanings.
In some cases, 'not disliking' means not disliking.
But in the context of that earlier topic... coming from Saki Kawasaki, who was usually cold and impatient with boys, whose personality differed from her appearance and wasn't straightforward at all...
That 'not disliking' wasn't simply 'not disliking' anymore.
"Speaking of which..."
After quite a while, Saki Kawasaki quietly peeked out from behind the sofa cushion and asked softly.
"Why not ask Touma-san? She's also an internal member, more suitable than me... more suitable to pretend to be lovers with you and investigate the scene together..."
"Kazusa?"
Ye Xing shook his head and laughed.
"She's adjusting her sleep schedule these two days. After all, she normally sleeps during the day and is active at night. She probably won't be able to get up until afternoon tomorrow."
Hearing this, Saki Kawasaki's heart sank, and she subconsciously frowned.
"You know her schedule that well? Don't tell me you two..."
"Are you alright?"
Ye Xing looked at Saki Kawasaki as if she were an idiot.
"If I remember correctly, we're in the same class, right? She sleeps in the back row every day - haven't you noticed?"
"Uh... that's true."
Saki Kawasaki was so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole, feeling completely awful.
She clearly knew that Touma-san kept daytime sleeping, nighttime activity hours...
Why had she asked that unnecessary question?
Had she forgotten in a moment of heated confusion?
Or was it...
That she wanted to hear a different answer from Ye Xing?
What kind of answer?
That he'd rather choose her over Touma-san?
No, no, no, this is impossible.
After all, Touma-san is so beautiful, and she's repeatedly shown possessiveness towards Ye Xing in front of everyone, with bold actions and words as direct as a straight pitch.
Myself...
I can't win, can I?
Saki Kawasaki recalled her younger sister's encouraging words before she left.
"Listen, sister, if you ever get a chance to be alone with big brother, you have to go all out! Hesitation means defeat! Never mind the details, just charge forward first!"
Go all out? Hesitation means defeat?
Saki Kawasaki looked at Ye Xing, who was sitting there, and sighed softly.
It's not as easy as imagined...
"Then I... will return to my room first."
"Mm, go ahead."
Just as Saki Kawasaki reached the door, Ye Xing suddenly added.
"Since we're going to the shopping street tomorrow, I might as well buy you a couple of clothes. Looking at how worn your cuffs are, it's time to get new ones, right? No need to be so frugal."
Saki Kawasaki's footsteps paused for a moment as she replied faintly.
"Mm, okay."
Click.
After leaving the room and carefully closing the door behind her, Saki Kawasaki leaned against the corridor wall, her face flushed crimson as she covered her chest. All she could hear in her ears was the rapidly accelerating beat of her own heart.
She looked down at the cuff area of her white long-sleeved shirt.
After being washed too many times, you could indeed tell it was pretty old if you looked closely.
But if you just glanced casually, you wouldn't notice anything unusual.
Could Ye Xing actually have noticed?
Does he pay attention to me...
"No, no, no... don't let your thoughts run wild."
Saki Kawasaki shook her head, forcibly pushing away the thoughts in her mind.
Overthinking and misunderstanding his attitude would only hurt me.
Ye Xing is a kind person.
So everything he's done so far has just been out of his innate desire to help others, it's not anything special towards me...
Saki Kawasaki couldn't continue this line of thought.
How could that be!?
That Ye Xing isn't the type to be a pushover - if anything, he has a rather nasty personality.
Aside from emotional factors, Saki Kawasaki really couldn't think of any other reason for his actions up until now.
"Forget it... I'll think about it tomorrow."
Thinking about going to Shibuya for reconnaissance, involving a bizarre incident that could affect hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people, Saki Kawasaki took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her romantic thoughts.
Work comes first.
As for other matters...
I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.
...
The next day, when the sky was beginning to lighten.
The strongest professional exorcist in history, Kyoto's number one eroge shooter, harem king, natural enemy of faction wars and shipping, destroyer of love triangles...
In short, Ye Xing, who possessed numerous titles, opened his eyes.
'This won't do... I'm a bit hungry.'
'Should I find time to go to Tokyo's Reverse World? It should be different from Kyoto's.'
Ye Xing sat up in bed, only to see a beautiful girl wearing a high school uniform, with long black hair cascading down, standing by his bedside.
Yukino Yukinoshita?
No.
Kazusa Touma?
Also no.
Hina Amano? Even less likely.
Ye Xing and the girl stared at each other, and after a moment of silence, he uttered a classic, highly aggressive opening line.
"Bloody hell, hotels actually have room service?"
"Um..."
The girl's eyes showed some confusion as she looked around, murmuring to herself.
"Where is this place... why am I here..."
"This is a hotel."
"Hotel?"
Hearing this word, the girl seemed quite surprised. She quickly ran to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked outside.
"This is!?"
She stared at the towering buildings outside, the roads already bustling with traffic even though dawn had just broken, and most importantly, the premium view from the high-rise hotel room that captured all this scenery. She was utterly stunned.
"This is..."
Ye Xing put on his clothes, stood up from the bed, and said calmly.
"Tokyo."
"Tokyo!?"
Seeing the girl exclaim again, Ye Xing rolled his eyes and complained.
"Hey, can we stop with all the gasping and exclaiming?"
"Sorry... sorry."
The girl apologised first, then looked at Ye Xing, thinking to herself.
Even if this is a dream, dreaming about such an eye-catching, handsome guy is really a pretty nice dream.
Meanwhile, Ye Xing's thoughts were quite different from the girl's infatuated musings.
He was pondering one thing.
Why?
Why him?
He recognised this girl before him.
Mitsuha Miyamizu.
That very Mitsuha Miyamizu from the Miyamizu family, the one Godmother Granny mentioned, with generations of shrine maiden inheritance.
"Did you make some random wish?"
"A wish?"
Perhaps because she thought she was dreaming, Mitsuha Miyamizu showed no caution at all, pondering thoughtfully.
"Hmm... I did think that if there were a next life, I'd like to be a handsome guy living in Tokyo. I never expected to dream about it so soon, even though I wasn't that desperate for it."
Living in Tokyo.
Handsome guy.
Thinking of this, Ye Xing swept a glance around the room and could see a faint, flickering red thread behind Mitsuha Miyamizu, probing towards his own body.
"Try tying that to me."
As Ye Xing spoke these words, the red thread floating in the air paused as if frightened.
He showed a kind smile and spoke softly.
"You don't seem like a decent deity either. Sooner or later, I'll eat you too."
Just as his words fell, a tremor seemed to pass through the air.
"Eh?"
Immediately after, with Mitsuha Miyamizu's slightly puzzled voice, her entire form dissipated like mist.
"Back to Itomori, in her own body then..."