Hearing this, Ye Xing smiled as he organised items on his desk.
"Why don't you two practice together? Why drag me along?"
Kazusa Touma's brow furrowed slightly, her tone turning somewhat cold.
"You... have you been deliberately avoiding me lately? After every practice session in the music room, you never walk home with me, never eat with me and Setsuna. Have I done something that disgusts you? If so, please tell me. I can change."
When Kazusa Touma spoke these words, though her expression remained calm, perceptive observers could detect the faint traces of loss and melancholy hidden deep in her eyes, much like an abandoned loyal dog.
Especially those final words: "I can change."
When uttering these words, Kazusa Touma's voice trembled slightly, even carrying a hint of choked tears.
"Hey now, that's completely not the case, don't overthink it."
Seeing Kazusa Touma in this state, Ye Xing hurriedly explained.
"I'm not intentionally avoiding you - I'm intentionally avoiding both of you."
"Both of us...?"
Kazusa Touma showed a hesitant expression.
"You mean... Setsuna? But you were the one who invited her to join the band and asked me to collaborate with her. Now you're telling me you don't like her as a person? Then why invite her to join in the first place?"
"See, you've misunderstood again."
Ye Xing shook his head and spoke with a smile.
"I don't dislike Setsuna Ogiso, and I certainly couldn't possibly dislike you. I'm not avoiding either of you individually - I'm avoiding both of you together."
"Eh?"
This statement nearly short-circuited Kazusa Touma's brain.
What did that mean?
Not disliking her, and not disliking Setsuna, but avoiding them when they were together?
What kind of strange chemical reaction was this?
"But looking at it now, perhaps I shouldn't have made that choice..."
Ye Xing wore a thoughtful expression, muttering to himself things that made no sense to Kazusa Touma.
Things like perfect clearance methods for battlefields of love, how triangles are the most stable shape, and something about as long as he wasn't scummy then Touma wouldn't be the third party and Setsuna wouldn't be the other woman, about creating a world without romantic conflicts and competition where everyone was his important wings, about Harem God's grand shared bedding world...
"Alright then, let's practice together at your place."
Ye Xing nodded first, then immediately added.
"Let me emphasise first - you can't peek when I'm bathing, and you can't suddenly climb into bed when I'm sleeping. Don't get any improper ideas."
Kazusa Touma sighed and said calmly.
"Don't talk nonsense. Setsuna is staying at my place too - how could I possibly do such things?"
"So you mean if Setsuna weren't there, you would do it?"
"Of course, is there any problem with that?"
"No problem, absolutely no problem at all. That's so like you, Kazusa."
...
While the Harem God was carrying out Kazusa Touma's awakening plan, making all preparations and deciding to directly confront the battlefront, the other members weren't idle either.
At Rio Futaba's home.
"It's been half a month already, and we still haven't found any trace of psychics. It's almost as if that guy who appeared was just a coincidence."
Hearing Yui Yuigahama's words, Rio Futaba took a sip from her coffee cup and said calmly.
"It wasn't a coincidence."
"I agree with Futaba's view."
Miko Yotsuya nodded and slowly spoke.
"If it were a Soul Materialisation of the same type as ours, it might be a coincidence. But that dark-green, flame-hued humanoid controlled by Tasuke Tamura was clearly abnormal. I've been looking through some materials recently, and his Soul Materialisation should also come from Hyakki Yagyō, called Haka-no-Hi, which is what we call ghost fire."
"Ye Xing said that when the building caught fire, there were several gun-wielding lunatics who had lost their minds, as if influenced by evil spirits, attempting to attack."
"If this isn't a coincidence... no, this definitely isn't a coincidence, it means that Tasuke Tamura possesses abilities similar to evil spirits, capable of guiding human malevolence."
"None of us here possesses such abilities."
"Soul Materialisation is a power constructed from the user's heart and soul manifestation. Our true soul forms are all normal human shapes, whereas Tasuke Tamura's true soul form appears as an evil spirit. This indicates his heart has become so twisted that it's completely inhuman."
Having said this, Miko Yotsuya paused briefly before continuing with a smile.
"However, I only mean we should remain vigilant and not give up the investigation, but there's no need to worry too much. Based on my experience from the last battle, although Tasuke Tamura's spiritual power is strong, he doesn't know how to use it properly as we do... how should I put it, it feels like he has high numbers but actual combat strength is weak, as if he was forcibly grown."
Combat isn't just about spiritual power.
If it were only about spiritual power strength, then the battle with the Weather God some time ago should have been one-sided, or at least a hard-fought stalemate.
However, it wasn't.
After successfully sealing the Weather God's endless spiritual power with Domain Expansion, the actual battle was simply Ye Xing using Soul Materialisation, transforming, and instantly winning - that simple.
This process was actually the part that consumed the least spiritual power.
For the members of the Supernatural Society, the only consideration when other psychics appear is how to reduce casualties among innocent people in Kyoto City. There's no such thing as evenly matched battles, because just like the incident half a month ago, the moment the enemy's main body location is locked, victory is already assured.
"That may be true."
Mai Sakurajima glanced at the members present and spoke with a serious expression.
"But don't think the enemies are weak just because Miko instantly defeated them, especially you two, Yui and Hina. You still haven't mastered the power of Soul Materialisation or transformed it into spiritual defence skills. Your fusion with your soul's true form isn't fast enough either. If you encounter a sudden attack, you'd still be in danger. You must improve your reaction speed in these two areas."
"Hmm, Mai-senpai makes a good point."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and placed her right hand on the table, showing Hina Amano and Yui Yuigahama the ring on her ring finger that had a bone-like texture.
"Let's follow the method that I, Miko, and Mai-senpai are all using - specifically enhancing your speed in mobilising spiritual power. As long as you can defend against sudden attacks, with your current abilities, you two shouldn't have any problems."
Just as Rio Futaba said this, she suddenly frowned slightly, lightly tapped the table, and looked towards the sofa in the living room.
"And you two over there!"
This sudden exclamation startled Shoko Makinohara and Menma, who were sitting there playing with Hachishaku-sama and Kuchisake-onna.
"Just because I didn't call your names, you think it has nothing to do with you?"
Rio Futaba stood up and walked over to Shoko Makinohara and Menma. Though her figure was quite petite, she currently carried herself like a teacher scolding students.
"You two, although you're not psychics in the true sense, and the probability of being targeted by enemies is extremely small, it's not absolutely zero. We can't protect you all the time - you must become stronger yourselves!"
Hearing this, Menma nodded very seriously, but then showed an expression of only partially understanding.
"But... Shoko can still awaken spiritual power, but Menma... how can I become stronger?"
This question actually stumped Rio Futaba.
Hiss...
Menma should belong to the category of spirits, similar to Hachishaku-sama, Kuchisake-onna, and Tamamo-no-Mae, right?
Can human ghosts awaken spiritual power?
This was really hard to say, as Rio Futaba hadn't researched this area.
Kuchisake-onna, wearing her mask, reached out, patted Menma's head, and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Menma-chan, how about I take you along next time when Hachishaku-sama and I go hunting? You can become stronger by consuming other evil spirits."
"Too slow."
As soon as Kuchisake-onna voiced this idea, Hachishaku-sama noticed the obvious reluctance on Menma's face and immediately shook her head.
"That's too slow. Menma is too weak right now - she's just an ordinary ghost. The powerful evil spirits in Kyoto are too scarce now, so the efficiency would be too low. That won't do."
At this point, Hachishaku-sama paused, then meaningfully said, "However, I do have an idea..."
"Please stop right there."
Rio Futaba quickly interrupted.
Didn't she know Hachishaku-sama well enough?
She didn't even need the other to speak - Rio Futaba knew this was about to bring up the milk matter again.
"Is that all you think about every day?"
This time, Hachishaku-sama didn't back down but chose to argue her case.
"To protect Kyoto, this is the only way we have no choice but to take."
Rio Futaba: "...Be honest, who did you learn that line from?"
Hachishaku-sama declared confidently: "The boss said it."
Rio Futaba was left speechless.
She couldn't tell anymore whether Hachishaku-sama was genuinely naive or just pretending to be.
Just like that time in the Reverse World - according to what Saki Kawasaki and the others said, Hachishaku-sama had been copying Ye Xing's lines verbatim, trying to directly persuade Kuchisake-onna to surrender.
This time too, Hachishaku-sama seemed to know she wasn't the quickest thinker, so she simply repeated words Ye Xing had said before, leaving Rio Futaba with no way to refute her.
What a cunning Hachishaku.
"Hachishaku-nee, Futaba-nee, what exactly do you mean by drinking milk?"
Looking at Menma's completely clueless, innocent expression, Rio Futaba's cheeks flushed pink. She turned to glance at the other members, only to find Mai Sakurajima, Miko Yotsuya, Yui Yuigahama, and Hina Amano all maintaining expressions of detached innocence, clearly having no intention of taking responsibility for explaining to the mentally-young Menma what 'drinking milk to get stronger' actually meant.
This...
Rio Futaba parted her lips slightly, and ultimately could only sigh and say hesitantly:
"After... after our school's cultural festival ends, I'll explain everything to you properly."
...
That evening, in the practice room at Kazusa Touma's home.
"Mmm... at this level... it should be about right now."
Kazusa Touma stretched lazily as she lifted her head from the piano, unable to suppress a happy smile.
"Though it's a bit challenging for me to handle both keyboard and bass alone, it's not really a big problem. What do you think of the new accompaniment, Setsuna?"
Setsuna Ogiso put down the microphone in her hands, beads of sweat dotting her forehead. She looked quite exhausted - after all, the recent practice sessions had drained much of her energy - but she still responded with a sweet smile.
"Well... I don't have many thoughts about the accompaniment itself, but... when I see you playing the piano, Touma, I feel like I must let the entire school's teachers and students see the Touma that I see."
Hearing this, Kazusa Touma's cheeks flushed pink, and she even sounded somewhat flustered:
"Wh-what are you saying... I'm just me... I'm always like this..."
"No, it's different, completely different."
Setsuna Ogiso shook her head seriously, looking thoughtful.
"How should I put it... when you're playing the piano, Touma, you're like... like..."
Just as Setsuna Ogiso was racking her brains, trying to find the right words to describe it, Ye Xing, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up with a smile:
"Like she's enveloped in a glow, her entire aura pure and transcendent, yet filled with that kind of wholehearted passion? So that anyone who sees her can't help but be captivated by the charm she radiates while playing piano?"
Hearing this, Setsuna Ogiso nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Yes, yes, that's exactly it! As expected, Ye Xing-kun understands Touma best."
Ye Xing teased:
"It's your language organisation skills that are lacking; no wonder your liberal arts grades aren't great."
Setsuna Ogiso muttered somewhat indignantly at this remark:
"Compared to you, everyone's liberal arts grades would seem lacking... It's not that I'm particularly bad."
"It's fine, Setsuna."
Kazusa Touma patted Setsuna Ogiso's shoulder, a barely suppressed smile on her face.
"Compared to me, your results are already quite good."
Setsuna Ogiso didn't show any happy expression at this praise, instead sighing helplessly.
"Compared to you, anyone's results would look good, right? I really can't feel happy about this."
Seeing the rare smile on Kazusa Touma's face, Ye Xing knew his decision to invite Setsuna Ogiso to join the band had been the right one.
These two, though they might unlock stomach-churning bonds when together...
But they'd need to form bonds first before the stomach aches, wouldn't they?
"There's something I forgot to tell you both."
Ye Xing took out two sheets of music with lyrics from his pocket, placing them on the table as he spoke with a light laugh.
"I've been thinking it over carefully, and I believe we should perform two songs on stage."
"Two!?"
Before Setsuna Ogiso could say anything about this, Kazusa Touma slammed the table hard, standing up abruptly with visible anger.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? We had plenty of time before, but now there are less than 4 days until our stage performance on Tuesday, and you're telling me we need to perform another song? How can we possibly manage the timing!?"
It was clear Kazusa Touma was genuinely furious.
Seeing her angry state, Setsuna Ogiso quickly stood up to comfort her.
"Kazusa, don't get upset yet. We've already built up our tacit understanding now, so learning a new piece should be much faster than before. If we work hard, we might still make it before Tuesday."
"Don't glare at me like that, no need for that."
Noticing Kazusa Touma's murderous gaze, Ye Xing maintained his carefree smile.
"Why don't you look at the music first before deciding? If you don't want to perform this one, we won't play it. What's the rush? Don't let your anger shrink your chest later."
"Hmph!"
Kazusa Touma snorted displeasedly, walking straight over and snatching up the sheet music.
The moment her eyes fell on the lyrics and musical notes, her previously angry expression suddenly froze in surprise.
Seeing Kazusa Touma's reaction, Setsuna Ogiso grew curious and couldn't help taking the other sheet of lyrics. What met her eyes was that title.
"Unreachable... Love?"
"Alright then, you two practice. I'm going to rest first."
As Ye Xing stood up to leave, Kazusa Touma frowned slightly.
"Aren't you going to practice with us?"
"No need, I'm very familiar with this piece, and..."
Ye Xing said seriously.
"For the sake of my fragile stomach, I'd rather listen to this song fewer times. I'm afraid I can't handle it."
After Ye Xing left, Kazusa Touma and Setsuna Ogiso each looked at the lyrics on their sheet music, their attention completely captivated.
That White Album music and lyrics, though also very good, felt like singing someone else's song.
But this Unreachable Love...
Setsuna Ogiso and Kazusa Touma shared the same thought in their hearts.
Looking at the lyrics of this song, could it have been written specifically for them by Ye Xing?
Now they had no choice but to practise.
...
Monday morning on the Sobu High School campus.
Today's Sobu High was completely different from usual. Every classroom from first to third year had been decorated according to theme events - there were maid cafes, restaurants, and even haunted houses.
"Miko, are you sure we don't need to arrange people inside?"
Hearing the female classmate's question, Miko Yotsuya shook her head.
"No need."
"But... other classes all have students dressed as spectres to scare people... Just relying on the classroom decorations... this..."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Miko Yotsuya appeared completely confident, as if this wasn't a problem at all.
After all, while other classes' haunted houses might have NPCs,
Class 1-A's haunted house contained genuine evil spirits.
Hachishaku-sama, Kuchisake-onna, Tamamo-no-Mae, who had specifically come from the Reverse World to join the excitement, and... Menma, who had been clamouring to play along too.
Except for the last one, who couldn't really scare people, the first three were all authentic evil spirits. Though they usually appeared either ditzy, somewhat foolish, or elegant and noble, if they wanted to deliberately frighten people, they could certainly manage it.
...
Meanwhile, at Sobu High's school gate, Ye Xing was standing together with Shizuka Hiratsuka.
"Really, this makes me feel like a greeter."
Hearing Ye Xing's complaint, Shizuka Hiratsuka rolled her eyes and said irritably,
"What can I do about it? Toyogasaki High School heard that our Sobu High is holding a school festival and insisted on sending students to visit. And that young lady from Shuchi'in Academy also said she wants to come visit, both specifically requesting to experience our Class A's project..."
Here, Shizuka Hiratsuka paused, looking meaningfully at Ye Xing.
"Are they really here to experience our class project, or to experience you? I'm starting to doubt it."