Watching Kazusa Touma begin tuning her bass while standing beside Ye Xing, who held a black guitar, Naruko Anjou forced a faint smile and murmured.
"In a certain sense... this Touma-san is really impressive..."
"What's impressive about that..."
Saki Kawasaki shook her head helplessly, sighed, and looked at Kazusa Touma and Ye Xing standing there, without a trace of fear, excited and expectant, as if about to hold a concert in the Reverse World.
"Touma is just... missing a few screws, that's all."
Menma tilted her head slightly and smiled sweetly.
"But isn't that nice too? Look at how well Ye Xing-nii and Touma-nee work together."
Hearing this, Saki Kawasaki froze for a moment.
She suddenly formed a hypothesis.
Thinking carefully, the most normal members in the Supernatural Society seemed to be herself and Marin Kitagawa.
Like the science geek plus socially awkward girl, Rio Futaba; the former nationally famous idol actress, Mai Sakurajima; Miko with Mystic Eyes who could see evil spirits and spectres from the beginning; the blunt, highly aggressive Yukino Yukinoshita; and Hina Amano, who could change the weather...
Even Yui Yuigahama, who appeared to be just an ordinary high school girl, reportedly displayed murderous intent that made evil spirits tremble during the previous Kyoto attack incident.
Saki Kawasaki might look like a delinquent girl on the surface.
But in reality, she was just an ordinary, family-oriented, domestic-type high school beauty.
Could it be that because she wasn't abstract enough, her relationship with Ye Xing couldn't progress further!?
Saki Kawasaki was already spiralling into mental exhaustion, desperately grasping at straws.
She had mistaken the cause and effect.
It wasn't that abstract people could become Ye Xing's lovers.
Rather, after becoming Ye Xing's lover, one would gradually be influenced by his innate abstract constitution.
Hadn't they seen what happened to Hachishaku-sama?
Meanwhile.
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you."
Kazusa Touma didn't even look up as she spoke calmly.
"What is it?"
"I've invited Setsuna Ogiso to be our band's lead vocalist, and she's already agreed."
"Oh, I see."
Seeing Kazusa Touma's unusually calm reaction, Ye Xing couldn't help but ask curiously.
"You don't have any objections to this?"
Kazusa Touma shook her head without changing her expression.
"None."
Then, Kazusa Touma looked up at Ye Xing, a complex light flashing in her eyes as if contemplating something. After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke softly.
"You and me... is it just the relationship between band members?"
"Of course not."
"Then... just the relationship between club members?"
"Not that either."
"Then..."
Kazusa Touma's lips trembled slightly, but in the end, she just shook her head and said calmly.
"In that case, that's enough. As long as our relationship doesn't change because of that Ogeso Setsana joining, it doesn't matter to me."
"You make a good point."
Ye Xing nodded, then added.
"But her name is Setsuna Ogiso."
A faint blush appeared on Kazusa Touma's pale face as she pretended not to care.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I don't care."
"But."
Kazusa Touma's expression suddenly turned serious, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed as she spoke slowly.
"I can indulge you in other matters, but when it comes to music, I have my own principles. If that Setsuna Ogiso's singing ability doesn't meet my standards, even if she's playing bass instead of piano, I won't allow myself to be a supporting act for someone with insufficient skill."
It wasn't surprising that Kazusa Touma held such views.
Which position is most important in a band?
If you asked band members, most would answer the same way.
Every position is indispensable.
But Kazusa Touma wasn't just any band girl - she was a pianist.
The piano is an instrument that, with sufficient skill, can stand entirely alone in a solo performance.
Just like Kazusa Touma herself, who didn't need to rely on anyone and didn't want to rely on anyone.
In her eyes, other positions in the band - whether bassist or guitarist - were merely supporting acts for the lead vocalist.
The only reason Kazusa Touma was willing to be a bassist in the band was because of Ye Xing's request.
Her proud self-respect would absolutely not allow her to serve as a supporting act for some amateur high school girl vocalist who wasn't taking this seriously and was just doing it to pass the time.
"Don't worry, I've certainly considered your feelings."
Ye Xing smiled meaningfully.
"I can't speak for others, but Setsuna Ogiso is someone you'll definitely approve of."
"Is that so?"
Kazusa Touma responded noncommittally, clearly not very convinced by Ye Xing's words.
After all, she knew she was a difficult person to get along with.
Setsuna Ogiso, gaining her approval?
That seemed unlikely.
"Then now..."
Kazusa Touma lifted her bass, looked at Ye Xing beside her, and revealed a smile that would be unbelievable to Saki Kawasaki, Menma, and Shoko Makinohara - three people who understood her personality well.
"Let's play, the same one as before..."
"White Album."
...
Watching Ye Xing playing guitar and Kazusa Touma playing bass, their fingers plucking to create a beautifully melodic yet somehow melancholic piece that brought inner peace, Naruko Anjou and the others momentarily forgot they were in the Reverse World, simply listening quietly.
Compared to the music in her ears, Saki Kawasaki watched the two perform together, her emotions complicated, lightly biting her lip, her thoughts unknown.
"Sister Touma's bass... she plays it so well..."
Hearing Menma's soft exclamation, Naruko Anjou adjusted her twin-tailed curls, pretending nothing was wrong, though a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"That... Ye Xing's guitar playing is really quite good, almost like a professional band member..."
"Brother Ye Xing goes without saying."
Menma watched Ye Xing playing the guitar, her eyes filled with admiration.
"In Menma's heart, he's an omnipotent, perfect hero."
Seeing Menma like this, Naruko Anjou sighed softly.
This lovestruck behaviour was far too obvious.
The question was...
Did Menma herself realise it?
Thinking carefully, when Menma died unexpectedly, she was just an eleven-year-old girl. Although her body had grown to resemble a sixteen-year-old girl after retrieving her soul, when it came to matters of love... she probably... still didn't understand, right?
After finishing playing a piece from White Album.
"Phew, OK, perfect."
Hearing Ye Xing's words spoken with laughter, Kazusa Touma said flatly.
"Hmm, the coordination between you and me is indeed perfect enough, but if we add a lead singer, that might not necessarily be the case."
"Eh, didn't you say you didn't care?"
"Hmph, just stating facts."
"You're such a tsundere loyal dog."
After chatting with Kazusa Touma for a while, Ye Xing scanned the surrounding environment.
Their recent duet should have been quite noticeable in this deathly silent Reverse World.
Yet even after finishing the entire piece, not a single evil spirit had appeared.
Tamamo-no-Mae seemed to have discerned Ye Xing's thoughts, approaching with a smile.
"The density and strength of evil spirits in the Reverse World have decreased too much compared to before. After all, Shuten-dōji took away most of the useful evil spirits. Plus, nothing particularly noteworthy has happened in Kyoto's real world recently, so no powerful evil spirits have been born. Therefore, the Reverse World isn't as dangerous as it used to be."
"How disappointing."
Ye Xing shook his head regretfully, muttering to himself.
"Been looking forward to this feast for so long, only to be told there are no ingredients when I finally arrive at the restaurant. Too disappointing."
Hearing this, Tamamo-no-Mae couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Saying that Shuten-dōji took most of the evil spirits from the Reverse World was just her being diplomatic.
Although he did take many evil spirits to attack Kyoto, that wasn't the main reason for the Reverse World's decline.
The primary reason was that during the week Ye Xing was trapped in the Reverse World, he directly activated Gluttony Mode.
Apart from Tamamo-no-Mae by his side, he devoured every evil spirit he encountered, focusing on quantity and satisfaction.
You ate the entire restaurant out of business, and now you're complaining?
Don't you know why the evil spirits in the Reverse World have decreased so significantly?
You nearly ate them to extinction!
Of course, Tamamo-no-Mae only complained inwardly, knowing that the evil spirits in the Reverse World would increase or decrease with human negative emotions, and that their birth rate would rise or fall accordingly, but they could never truly go extinct.
Unless...
This entire world, representing humanity's inner negative emotions, could be completely eliminated.
That kind of thing...
Even Ye Xing couldn't accomplish it... right?
"In that case..."
Watching the black guitar disappear from Ye Xing's hands, Tamamo-no-Mae and Hachishaku-sama had already guessed what he intended to do next.
"Kazoo! Making its grand entrance!"
"Next, I'll perform 'The Disease Called Love' - kazoo version."
Everyone stared blankly at the instrument in Ye Xing's hand.
Seriously, where do you keep pulling all these special skills from?
You can even play the kazoo?
Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep, beep beep beep!
Like hearing celestial music that gradually clears the ears.
Compared to the suona's piercing clarity, this kazoo had its own...
Abstract charm?
The tune itself was good, but when played by Ye Xing, why did it feel... altered?
...
And so the pleasant weekend passed.
Monday, Sobu High School, during lunch break, outside Class 1-A.
"Um..."
Setsuna Ogiso peeked inside and, finding Ye Xing wasn't in the classroom, approached a male student from Class A with a polite smile.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where Ye Xing has gone? I need to speak with him."
The boy sighed faintly upon hearing this, as if he had reached a state of exhausted envy beyond showing further jealousy about attractive girls from other classes coming to look for Ye Xing.
"He's in the club room. Do you know where it is? Just past that corner, straight ahead, you'll see the sign."
"Alright, thank you."
After expressing her gratitude, Setsuna Ogiso turned the corridor corner and, sure enough, saw a club room doorplate bearing the words "Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society".
Although she had heard many rumours about the Supernatural Society, this was her first time actually standing before its club room.
Setsuna took a deep breath first, then, for reasons even she didn't understand, consciously smoothed her hair before raising her hand to knock on the club room door.
"Come in."
As Setsuna pushed the door open, her eyes immediately fell upon Ye Xing sitting by the window.
"Ah... sorry to disturb everyone."
Being highly socially aware, Setsuna first offered a polite smile and softly uttered this greeting before turning her attention to Ye Xing.
"Ye Xing, about that audio file you promised me...?"
"Oh, it's right here."
Ye Xing stood up and walked over, producing a USB drive which he handed to Setsuna.
"Thank you."
After carefully storing the USB drive, Setsuna smiled cheerfully.
"I'm not working today. Would you like to practice together in the music room after school? Since we're a band, we should rehearse together, don't you think?"
"No problem."
"Okay, see you after school then."
Only after Setsuna Ogiso had turned and walked away did Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been reading a light novel, close her book with a moderate force - not too heavy, not too light, but just enough to make an audible sound - and remark in a flat tone.
"For files like audio, email would suffice, wouldn't it? Was it that you wanted to see this Ogiso, or that she wanted to see you?"
"Oh ho?"
Looking at Yukino Yukinoshita, whose expression remained calm but whose eyes held a hint of aggression, Ye Xing chuckled in response.
"Since when do you get to question me? Little sister-in-law?"
"I..."
Yukino Yukinoshita's brow furrowed slightly as she turned her face away from Ye Xing's gaze, murmuring.
"I'm asking on behalf of my sister. She told me to keep monitoring you for any unusual behaviour."
Hearing this, Ye Xing thought to himself, 'As expected of Haruno Yukinoshita, her schemes truly run deep.'
'Wasn't this just giving Yukino a legitimate excuse to interact more with him under the pretext of helping her sister make inquiries?'
'Next time I see Haruno, I must reward her properly and fill her with milk thoroughly.'
"I don't have Setsuna Ogiso's contact information."
"Hmm?"
This answer took Yukino Yukinoshita by surprise.
"You don't have her contact details?"
"Is there any need to keep them?"
Ye Xing spread his hands, looking completely natural about it.
"We just formed a band together - we're not even friends, just classmates who know each other. Why would we need to exchange contact information? Having her come to me personally to collect the USB drive doesn't show ill intentions - rather, it proves I'm someone who maintains proper boundaries."
"This..."
Yukino Yukinoshita thought carefully.
You know what? Actually, he had a point.
If Ye Xing had any hidden intentions towards that Setsuna Ogiso, he would definitely have used the excuse of sending audio files to exchange contact information with her.
But he hadn't done so.
Moreover, although that Ogiso girl was quite beautiful...
Yukino Yukinoshita glanced around at the club members.
Mai Sakurajima, a former child actor and idol.
Marin Kitagawa with her gyaru style, the simple and cute Yui Yuigahama, and Miko Yotsuya, who, though usually expressionless, made her occasional smiles all the more heart-stopping.
The lively and considerate Hina Amano, the tall and heroic Saki Kawasaki, who surprisingly had homemaking skills.
And then Rio Futaba, with her impressive figure, and the even more impressive Hana Yurikawa.
With so many different types of members around, Ye Xing had no reason to look elsewhere.
Thinking this, Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips, looked up at Ye Xing, and spoke somewhat awkwardly.
"Sorry, I misunderstood you."
"It's fine, we're family after all."
The so-called tsundere has two aspects - the tsun is one thing, but the dere is what really matters.
If Yukino Yukinoshita continued to be stubborn after realising she'd misunderstood someone, she wouldn't be Yukino Yukinoshita anymore.
Of course, since Yukino joined the Supernatural Society, she hadn't had many opportunities to be tsun anyway.
After all, she was the challenger here.
"Ye Xing."
Just then, a voice came from the clubroom door.
Shizuka Hiratsuka beckoned to Ye Xing.
"Come here for a moment."
After stepping outside, Ye Xing looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka and chuckled lightly.
"What is it, Shizuka-kawaii? Want to ask me out on a private date?"
Shizuka Hiratsuka froze for a moment, then her face flushed bright red. She waved her fist and gritted her teeth.
"What nonsense are you talking! We're at school... if someone hears..."
"Let them hear, I don't care."
Ye Xing looked completely unconcerned as he smiled.
"Anyway, Sobu High School's regulations don't say anything about prohibiting relationships between students and teachers. As the saying goes, if it's not forbidden, then it's permitted."
Shizuka Hiratsuka said irritably.
"That's because the school never anticipated someone as outrageous as you appearing."
"Hey, that's not fair, Shizuka-chan."
Ye Xing suddenly stepped forward two paces, looking directly into Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes with a serious expression.
"I'm a first-year student, part of the vulnerable demographic. If it really came to a teacher-student relationship, wouldn't the greater responsibility lie with you? How could it become solely my burden?"
"But clearly..."
It was only at this point that Shizuka Hiratsuka finally caught on.
"Wait... I never said anything about wanting a teacher-student relationship with you."
Ye Xing remained silent, simply watching Shizuka Hiratsuka quietly as the single older woman broke composure on her own, muttering under her breath.
"A-at the very least... we'd have to wait until after you graduate from high school... Before that... It's absolutely impossible."
Then Shizuka Hiratsuka remembered she had actual business to discuss, and seeing it as a good opportunity to change the subject, she quickly spoke up.
"There's something I need to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"There's a school that wants our Sobu High School to send representatives for what they call an exchange programme. To put it bluntly, they want our school's outstanding students to experience a day at their institution and then provide some feedback. After all, since our joint exam victory over Shuchi'in Academy, our Sobu High has gained quite a reputation."