Ever since her father and little brother had died in a car accident, Miko's world had shrunk until it held only her mother and herself. A family that had been fairly comfortable suddenly slipped into hardship.
She looked down at the special grade talisman in her hand, the one she treated like a priceless treasure and kept tightly clenched in her palm, and made a quiet decision to herself.
She had to get a part time job.
Natsume senpai was a "professional." There was no way his help came free. This talisman was definitely something immeasurably valuable. She could not just accept such a gift without anything in return. At the very least, if she ever asked him to make another one in the future, she had to be able to pay him properly.
With those thoughts weighing on her, the next morning on the bus to school, the moment she spotted his familiar figure she almost moved on reflex, walking down the aisle to sit in the empty seat beside him.
Natsume looked the same as always, idle posture, leaning against the window, watching the scenery race by outside.
As Miko sat down, the edge of her vision caught a cursed spirit stumbling its way forward from the back of the bus. It was dripping wet, its swollen belly ballooning grotesquely as it drifted unsteadily toward a salaryman who had nodded off in his seat.
Her heart lurched up into her throat, but she still forced herself to chant silently, I cannot see it, I cannot see it.
Right as the spirit was about to touch the office worker, Natsume, seated calmly at her side, lifted his hand with the air of someone shooing away a minor annoyance and gave a small, casual wave in that direction.
Like brushing off a bothersome mosquito.
In Miko's vision, the terrifying cursed spirit simply popped with a soft puff, turning into a wisp of black smoke that faded into nothing.
[Purified Floating Spirit (Grade 1 Cursed Spirit). Gained 400 Eerie Points.]
[Current Eerie Points: 1050.]
In Natsume's mind, the system panel only he could see flashed into existence.
He had finally accumulated another thousand points and could perform a low tier draw.
You could call it an ability he was born with, this system. Ever since he had obtained Gojo Satoru's powers, he tended to default to overwhelming everything with those, so he often subconsciously overlooked whatever the system gave him.
Still, he had been exorcising curses frequently these few days and had unexpectedly racked up quite a lot of Eerie Points.
As a side note, Eerie Points were essentially a built in reward for exorcisms. Once he had enough, he could spin the wheel for loot.
"Start the draw."
He spoke the command in his heart.
A roulette on the panel spun rapidly, the pointer finally slowing and stopping on a small skill icon that emitted a faint glow.
[Congratulations to the host. You have obtained Minor Technique: Jureigan (Cursed Spirit Eye) (single use item).]
[Jureigan (Cursed Spirit Eye): When used on an ordinary person, grants them the ability to see spirits for a short period of time.]
The corner of Natsume's mouth lifted slightly.
That one was useful.
He had always found it troublesome to prove to clients that he was not some scam artist. Not everyone was like Eriri and Yui, able to directly experience a cursed spirit. With this, if he ran into someone who refused to believe him, he could just pop their "Heavenly Sight" and all doubts would resolve themselves.
However...
He glanced at Miko sitting beside him and sighed inwardly.
Lately, he could feel the aura of vengeful spirits growing thicker. The peaceful daily life he had been trying to protect was going to be shaken whether he liked it or not.
He had been wondering if it was time to return to his old line of work...
In his previous life, he had been a full time exorcist, handling exactly these kinds of situations, and he still had a few old contacts from that time.
"Well, looks like it is not up to me anymore."
The thought stirred in his chest. Exorcism was probably going to become a regular part of his future again. There was no point resisting it... besides, he had applied to start the Occult Research Club a while back. Maybe even then he had already foreseen where things were headed.
It was time to return to his old profession.
...
When the bus reached their stop, Miko stood up to get off.
"Wait."
Natsume Yuu called out to her, then took another talisman from his pocket and held it out.
"Take this."
"Eh? N-no, I cannot, senpai. I already took something so precious from you..."
Miko shook her hands in a panic, trying to refuse.
"Hold onto it. This one is different. It is weaker than the last one, but it lets me sense where you are."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Consider it an early investment. Someone with a constitution like yours, someone who can see the weirdness, is very rare. You might have special value in the future."
Those pale blue eyes were deep enough to make it feel like he could see right through her. Under that gaze, Miko found herself completely unable to say no.
In the end, she accepted the charm with a flushed face, overwhelmed with gratitude.
...
The next day at school, Natsume quickly noticed something strange.
Yukino, the girl who was always the first to arrive in class, posture perfect and composed like an illustration in a textbook, was absent.
That little oddity did not leave much of a mark on his mind.
After school, just as he was about to head out, his homeroom teacher and student guidance counselor, Hiratsuka Shizuka, came to find him.
"Natsume, about that Occult Research Club you applied for, the student council approved it."
She had an unlit cigarette dangling from her lips, looking thoroughly exasperated.
"Your club room is the small equipment storage room on the first floor of the old building. Go clean it up yourselves."
"Thank you, sensei."
Natsume nodded.
He did not have any particular demands for a club room. He had only created the club to satisfy the school's rules anyway. As long as there was somewhere quiet for him to sit, it was enough.
"Yahallo, Natsume-kun! We got a club room?"
Yui ran up, practically sparkling with excitement.
"Yeah. Let us go."
Just as the two of them were about to leave, Hiratsuka stopped them.
"Hold it. Natsume, you are not going anywhere yet. You have visitors."
Natsume turned back, puzzled, and saw Hiratsuka leading over two young women whose presence stood out even in the hallway.
He recognized one of them at a glance.
Houzuki Reiko, the university student and "regular client" who had previously hired him to look into that abandoned psychiatric hospital.
The other had long, smooth black hair and a face that resembled Yukino's by seven or eight parts, although her aura was completely different. If Yukino was a cold snow capped peak, this woman was warm spring sunlight. She wore a flawless, polished smile that made people feel as if they were bathed in a gentle breeze.
"Hiratsuka sensei, is this Natsume Yuu?" the black haired woman asked, still smiling.
"Yeah." Hiratsuka scratched her head, her expression equal parts helpless and skeptical. "Although I still find it hard to believe, this is the student you mentioned, Yukinoshita-san, the one who can 'exorcise' spirits."
Yukinoshita Haruno. Yukinoshita Yukino's older sister.
Natsume understood why she was here in an instant.
This was about Yukino's absence.
"Reiko, long time no see."
He greeted his old client first.
"How was that 'late night snack' last time?"
Reiko pulled a face that screamed lingering trauma.
"Thanks to you, it was very... intense. Speaking of which, that abandoned building really is scheduled to be demolished soon."
To anyone listening in, their exchange sounded completely disconnected and nonsensical, making Hiratsuka's head pound even harder. She felt like her entire worldview was being pinned to the ground and stomped on repeatedly.
"Natsume-kun, it is nice to meet you."
Haruno's usual smile faded. For the first time, her expression turned serious and earnest.
"I am Yukinoshita Haruno. I came today to ask you... to save my little sister, Yukino."