Twenty minutes later, at Ye Xing's home.
"I'm back~"
Menma's bare white feet touched the floor, looking completely relaxed as she leapt forward and sprawled on the sofa, swinging her pale legs back and forth while wearing a silly, adorable smile.
"Menma... you really grew up..."
Shoko Makinohara looked at Menma, who had grown much taller and whose face had matured, unable to help murmuring to herself, her eyes filled with amazement.
Good grief, I grew up because I had Adolescence Syndrome.
I never expected Menma would catch up, too?
"Oh, that's right."
Menma lazily sat up straight and pointed at Naruko Anjou, who was standing there looking somewhat at a loss for her first time in Ye Xing's home, smiling sweetly.
"Let me introduce you, this is my good friend, Naruko Anjou. You can call her Annaru!"
"Don't call me by that name!"
"Annaru, this is my good friend, Shoko Makinohara. You can call her Shoko!"
Naruko Anjou held her forehead and sighed helplessly.
"Didn't I just say... don't call me Annaru..."
Though she said this, looking at Menma's silly smiling face, Naruko couldn't help but smile slightly.
It's really wonderful to see Menma again...
"Nice to meet you, Anjou-san."
Shoko Makinohara first greeted Naruko Anjou with a smile, then immediately ran to Ye Xing's side, intimately pulling his arm into her embrace without any regard for the intimate contact between certain body parts.
"Brother Ye Xing, can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Huh?"
Watching the seemingly quiet and refined daughter of a distinguished family, Shoko Makinohara, suddenly utter such shocking words, Naruko Anjou was utterly dumbfounded.
Wait...
Is she really this bold?
"Sleep with me?"
Ye Xing chuckled in response.
"Do you mean sleep as a verb?"
A faint blush appeared on Shoko Makinohara's pretty face, but she still parted her lips lightly to say.
"Well... I'm fine with either."
Nearby, Hina Amano frowned slightly, thinking to herself that this Shoko Makinohara was truly not an opponent to be taken lightly.
Too strong, really overwhelmingly strong.
Her proficiency in this battlefield of love brought pressure no less intimidating than Haruno Yukinoshita's!
Truly terrifying!
"Fine with either?"
The smile instantly vanished from Ye Xing's face as he shook his head and spoke in a flat tone.
"Then that won't do. Don't you know that although your body has grown, your heart condition hasn't fully recovered? You can't engage in strenuous activities; otherwise, you could easily die, understand?"
Shoko Makinohara's smile stiffened slightly as she muttered quietly.
"I'm not that fragile... If it's just ordinary exercise... it should be fine..."
Ye Xing patted Shoko Makinohara's shoulder and advised her earnestly.
"That wouldn't be ordinary in the slightest. You definitely couldn't handle it, so just give up."
"Really?"
Shoko Makinohara wore a sceptical expression, thinking to herself that although her grown body still had a heart condition, it had never acted up before. She could even manage activities like running, and even suddenly encountering terrifying evil spirits hadn't been enough to trigger an episode.
Could the so-called strenuous activities really be more intense than running? More stimulating than facing evil spirits?
Impossible, right? He's clearly just brushing me off.
"I'm tired, going to sleep now. You three can find any room on the first floor to sleep in; they're all cleaned up."
Ye Xing waved to Menma, Shoko Makinohara, and Naruko Anjou before heading upstairs.
While the three girls were gathered together chatting and not paying attention to her, Hina Amano crept up to the second floor like a thief.
After reaching the top of the stairs, she finally let out a relieved sigh and looked at Ye Xing standing there, complaining quietly in exasperation.
"Really... It's so difficult to get alone time with you. I almost miss being above those cloud layers - at least back then, it was just the two of us."
Ye Xing added with a laugh.
"Don't forget, there was also the big whale."
Hina Amano sighed softly.
"That's still better than now."
"Wasn't it you who brought Shoko Makinohara, Menma, and Anjou here?"
Hina Amano shook her head helplessly.
"What else could I do? They're close friends wanting to reunite somewhere - this is literally about life and death separation. How could I not bring them?"
Ye Xing also wore an expression of speechlessness.
"Is there a possibility that you could take them to Rio Futaba or Mai Sakurajima's house?"
Hina Amano was momentarily stunned, then seemed to have a sudden realisation.
"Eh? That's right, Mai-senpai and Rio both live alone, and their houses are quite spacious too. How come I didn't think of that?"
However, she soon shook her head with a complicated expression.
"But thinking about it carefully, entrusting Menma, Shoko-chan, and Anjou-kun to their care while I... never mind, it's too sinful. Let Mai-senpai have some rest, too. After all, it's always been her and Hachishaku-sama taking care of Menma and Shoko."
Ye Xing didn't know how to respond.
Indeed, given Hina Amano's personality, it was hard to imagine her dumping three burdens on Rio Futaba or Mai Sakurajima while she went straight to attack the main base - such a backdoor strategy.
In fact, most members of the Supernatural Society wouldn't do something like this.
But if it were Haruno... she probably wouldn't do it either.
Based on her style, she'd likely dump the three burdens on Mai Sakurajima with a gentle smile, then openly declare her intention to come find him.
The main point would be the blatant challenge.
"Shall we sleep together?"
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Hina Amano was first stunned, then her face suddenly turned bright red as she fidgeted awkwardly.
"This... I've never done this kind of thing before... but... but, wouldn't there be sounds?"
Ye Xing smiled slightly, looking as if he had anticipated this.
"The main bedroom on the second floor has professional soundproofing material in the walls, the kind specifically designed for musical instrument practice. It definitely won't make the slightest sound!"
Hearing this, Hina Amano couldn't help but feel happy for a moment before she realised what she was reacting to. She puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat angry and jealous.
"Even that aspect has been considered... you... just what kind of..."
"I'm completely pure, I've never even held a girl's hand. My first kiss is still intact."
"That lie is just too ridiculous! I can't believe you can say something like that with a straight face."
"How can this be called lying?"
Ye Xing took out his phone and checked the time.
"It's 10:17 PM now, so the me at this moment is the limited edition Friday 10:17 PM version of me. Even if it were me at the same time last Friday, my physical condition would be completely different from the current me, essentially making us different people."
"If the difference is so great that we can be considered different people, then what he did has nothing to do with the current me."
"It's like that philosophical question - if a ship sailing on the sea has all its planks replaced, can it still be considered the same ship as when it departed?"
"Like the ship, my body has been refreshed, so the current me is completely pure."
"Moreover, as long as you add enough qualifiers, which time isn't the first time?"
Ye Xing's lengthy speech completely baffled Hina Amano.
At first listen, it seemed quite reasonable.
But, thinking it over carefully, it didn't seem reasonable at all.
To summarise, there were only three words.
Such twisted logic.
"But..."
Ye Xing said, with a puzzled expression.
"I'm just asking if you want to sleep together. What do you mean by saying it'll make sounds? You're not... thinking about something indecent, are you?"
"You..."
Hina Amano's pretty face flushed red as she muttered softly.
"I... I wasn't... It's just that Dango told me... as long as we do that... we can become stronger... to protect Kyoto... so..."
Ye Xing thought to himself, No wonder, so that's what this was about.
Yui Yuigahama, the mastermind behind it all, was manipulating everything.
"So... it's just to protect Kyoto?"
Seeing Ye Xing's half-smiling expression, Hina Amano was so embarrassed she could barely speak, whispering.
"Do I have to spell it out so clearly... really... are you actually socially awkward or just deliberately teasing me? How mean."
Hina Amano took a deep breath, moving closer and standing on her toes to gently kiss Ye Xing's lips, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.
"What we didn't finish last time at that inn... let's complete it this time, we shouldn't leave things half-done..."
"Alright."
Ye Xing nodded slightly, speaking slowly.
"So you chose not to run away, but to approach me, Ye Xing, instead?"
"The courage to challenge me alone is indeed commendable."
"Though that's the only thing worth praising."
...
Five minutes later.
"Eh... wait, let me undo my hair first."
"No need, I want the twin tails."
"Eh... don't pull my hair..."
At this moment, Hina Amano finally understood what the so-called steering wheel really meant.
...
The next afternoon, at five o'clock, in an abandoned building in Kyoto.
"This is the place."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, looking calmly at Ye Xing, who stood at the entrance, and the several people beside him.
"Before you return tomorrow morning, we'll guard this place. Currently, there's only one known Gate left in Kyoto. We absolutely cannot let what happened last time occur again."
As the saying goes, one learns from mistakes.
Although it was Ye Xing who got trapped in the Reverse World last time, Rio Futaba, as the chief strategist, felt deeply responsible.
She believed it was due to her inadequate planning - failing to establish detailed operational guidelines, not anticipating that evil spirits could possess such intelligence and employ such tactics - that led to that situation.
They were just lucky last time that only Ye Xing got trapped in the Reverse World.
What if the entire Supernatural Society team had been operating together?
Without psychics to protect it, Kyoto City would become a living purgatory.
That's why Rio Futaba established a new operational guideline.
Whenever members need to enter the Reverse World, there must always be guards on the reality side of the Gate to ensure a return path remains available.
And this time...
Ye Xing looked at the silly smiling Menma beside him, the expectant-looking Shoko Makinohara, the slightly nervous Naruko Anjou, the continuously deep-breathing Saki Kawasaki, and the most heavyweight of all...
Even knowing she was about to enter a world full of evil spirits where ordinary people couldn't survive even an hour, a place no different from hell, Kazusa Touma remained expressionless, simply standing there silently with extraordinary composure.
"Aren't... with this lineup, I'm like a kindergarten teacher taking children on a spring outing?"
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and said calmly.
"Does it really matter? Nothing major has happened in Kyoto recently. The only newly emerged evil spirit worth being cautious about is the Kuchisake-onna you and Chief Yagami created together."
"Tamamo-no-Mae is over there, too. With you here as well, two experienced ones leading five newcomers shouldn't pose any problems."
Ye Xing wore a speechless expression as he scanned the group, then asked curiously.
"Where are Yui and Yukino Yukinoshita? Given Yukinoshita's personality, even if she doesn't dare enter, she'd at least come to take a look when hearing about going to the Reverse World, right?"
Miko Yotsuya sighed softly and murmured.
"Yukinoshita... is tutoring Marin and Yui. That's also an exceptionally challenging task..."
"However..."
Rio Futaba looked at Naruko Anjou standing there, her brow slightly furrowed as she approached Ye Xing and stood on tiptoe, trying to reach his ear to say something, only to discover an awkward reality.
She was too short.
At only 155cm tall, even standing on tiptoe, Rio Futaba could barely reach the ear of Ye Xing, who stood over 180cm tall.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, her face slightly flushed, she complained without much real annoyance.
"Bend down a bit, would you? Really, you have no consideration for others."
Ye Xing lowered his head, looking at the part of Rio Futaba's body that was pressed against his arm as she tried to reach his ear, and said quite sincerely.
"I just wanted to cop a feel."
Hearing this, Rio Futaba's face turned even redder, and she reached out to pinch Ye Xing lightly.
"Really... after you safely return from the Reverse World, you can do whatever you want..."
Then, Rio Futaba composed herself, glanced at Naruko Anjou standing there, and lowered her voice.
"Is it really all right to let Anjou enter the Reverse World? She hasn't been exposed to spiritual power for very long. Is she truly prepared?"
"This is the only way."
Ye Xing's smile faded as he spoke softly.
"Naruko Anjou has already awakened the observation ability, which means she's constantly in danger, just like Miko was before."
"With Shoko Makinohara and Menma, we already have two protection targets requiring manpower. Adding Naruko Anjou to that... it would seriously impact our operational efficiency."
Rio Futaba nodded first.
"Yes, that's true."
Then she looked meaningfully at Menma.
"Menma is a spirit. Though we don't know the specific reason for her emergence, fundamentally... she should be the same kind of existence as Hachishaku-sama and Tamamo-no-Mae. That is to say... You understand what I mean?"
"I understand all too well."
"Then why... do you think Menma's mental age is still that of a little girl, and you can't bring yourself to do it?"
Ye Xing shook his head, speaking with righteous indignation.
"Little Futaba, you overestimate my moral bottom line. As long as it's a maiden's body, even if the mind is that of a loli, that's completely fine with me!"
Rio Futaba rolled her eyes.
"As expected of you, truly shameless."
"You're getting more sharp-tongued lately, Futaba."
"Can't be helped, you're just too infuriating."
Ye Xing smiled, watching Menma standing there with a silly grin as she chatted with Naruko Anjou and Shoko, then spoke softly.
"Menma has finally recovered the missing part of her soul, and the evil Mountain God has been eliminated by me, but is this the end? I don't think so."
Rio Futaba recalled the bandaged figure holding a giant axe they had seen on the train to Tokyo over a month ago - clearly not on the same level as ordinary evil spirits - and nodded in deep agreement.
"Yes, perhaps this is just the beginning."
"But that's all for the future. Time to get ready to depart."
As Ye Xing prepared to lead Menma and the others through the Gate before them to the Reverse World, Mai Sakurajima suddenly approached and handed a small bag to Saki Kawasaki, smiling gently.
"Saki, this is a bento I made at home. Since you'll be staying in the Reverse World until tomorrow morning, you'll definitely get hungry. I made portions for you, Menma, Shoko, Anjou-san, and Touma."
"Thank you, Mai-senpai."
Ye Xing quipped from the side.
"What about mine? Am I supposed to just eat evil spirits? No food for me?"
"Of course, there's yours."
Miko Yotsuya, looking like she was barely containing her laughter, handed her own bento box to Ye Xing.
"This is a special love bento specially prepared for you by Yui. According to her, it's filled with heartfelt feelings, surpassing her previous cooking by another level. It's the pinnacle of her culinary career, so please enjoy it properly, Captain."
Just hearing these words relayed by Miko Yotsuya made Ye Xing break out in a cold sweat.
Surpassing by another level?
And it could surpass her previous cooking by another level!?
What unimaginable taste would that be?
Ye Xing even suspected that Yui Yuigahama was doing it on purpose.
On the train to Tokyo, the food she made for other members was just ordinary delicious.
But every time she made something for him, it had that indescribable Cthulhu-like taste.
Little Dango, are you sure you're not secretly sadistic?
"Alright, I understand."
Ye Xing took a deep breath, accepted the meal with a look of heroic determination on his face, and slowly walked toward the Gate.
Shoko Makinohara and Naruko Anjou, who didn't know the inside story, saw Ye Xing's expression and had the same thought.
Facing terrifying evil spirits, this professional exorcist could remain calm, even excited, happy, and expectant - yet before entering the Reverse World, he had such a reaction?
Just how horrifying and dangerous must this so-called Reverse World be!?