Sobu High School,
Soon, it was three o'clock in the afternoon.
Ringgggg-Dingggggg!
The final bell echoed throughout the campus.
Students poured out of their classrooms in groups, chatting excitedly as another school day came to an end.
Nakano Miku quietly remained at her seat.
She carefully organized the stack of worksheets on her desk. Every single page had been assigned by the mathematics teacher during the previous period.
Last night, she had stayed up far too late playing her handheld game console.
As a result, she had spent almost every class today fighting off sleep!
Most teachers had been lenient toward the transfer student and simply ignored her occasional drowsiness due to her father background.
Unfortunately...The mathematics teacher wasn't one of them....
Not only had he refused to let her sleep during class, he had also assigned her a mountain of extra homework after school as punishment!
What a tyrant!
Miku let out a quiet sigh of sorrow.
"...What a disaster."
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the handheld game console hidden inside her handbag.
A trace of melancholy appeared on her usually expressionless face.
"So annoying...My game console broke... and now I have extra homework too."
It felt like today simply wasn't her day.
Unfortunately, the console itself had also suffered an accident.
Earlier at lunch, while she had been dozing off at her desk, two classmates had been fooling around nearby.
And one of them accidentally bumped into her schoolbag.
Causing the bag to fell straight onto the floor.
Normally that wouldn't have been a problem.
However, her handheld console had been inside without any protective case!
When the rudely awaken Miku picked it up afterward to check....
A long crack had already appeared across the screen.
Although the console still worked, the damaged display greatly affected the gaming experience.
Miku had already decided.
After leaving school, she would visit a nearby electronics repair shop to see if the screen could be fixed.
Ding!
A sudden notification sounded from her phone.
She stopped organizing her homework, reached into her pocket, and opened the LINE app.
The sender was...Nakano Nino, her sister.
[Nino]:Have you finished packing up yet, Miku? We're waiting for you at the school gate.
[Miku]: You guys head home first. I have something to do after school. I might be a little late, so just leave dinner in the refrigerator for me.
[Nino]:Something to do? Do you want one of us to come with you?
[Miku]: No. It's okay. You don't have to wait for me.
[Nino]:Fine. We'll save dinner for you. Oh, and buy some snacks on your way home. We've almost run out.
[Miku]: Okay. I will.
After replying, Miku slipped her phone back into her pocket and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately...Nino hadn't insisted on coming with her.
When Miku had first bought the handheld console, she had casually told her sisters that it was simply something to help pass the time.
If Nino discovered she was actually spending money to repair it...
There would definitely be another lecture waiting for her.
It wasn't that they had any financial problems their father always make sure send them monthly allowances instead of visiting them himself, trying to mend their relationship with money....That is why Miku and her sisters didn't have any issue with spending money on their hobbies even though they all check esch others to make sure — the main reason why she didn't want them to know was because....
Miku wasn't ready to admit that—not even to her own sisters.
Once everything was packed away, she picked up her handbag and quietly left the classroom.
Third floor...
Second floor...
First floor...
The hallways gradually emptied as students headed toward the school gates.
Walking out of the academic building, Miku suddenly realized her throat felt dry.
She instinctively reached into her handbag for her favorite matcha-flavored drink. Her hand searched around in the bag, she doesn't bring too much books in the school and the only think always in the bag are her headphone and the gaming console.
"...I'm out." She sigh at recognition.
As she remember that in the fit of anger at having her console broken she had finished ber last drink and already thrown the empty bottle in the dustbin.
"I should buy a few more while I'm here."
Changing direction, she walked toward the vending machines located near one of the quieter corners of the school grounds.
A few minutes later...
She arrived in front of the only vending machine on campus that stocked her favorite matcha drink.
Miku inserted several coins.
She pressed the button with visible longing.
Only for nothing.
Miku twitch feeling the unwanted feeling of Déjà vu, as she stared at the completely silent machine.
"...It swallowed my money again."
Her expression became slightly darker.
It was really wasn't her day today.
Setting her handbag beside her, she carefully looked around checking to see if anyone was there. As the empty place greet her back, Miku turn towards the machine again with determination.
"..."
Without another word—
Bang!
Her long slender leg, covered in black tights, struck the side of the vending machine with a clean kick!
The loud metallic sound echoed across the courtyard followed the painful noise of the perpetrator.
"Oww...It hurts..."
Miku immediately grabbed her foot, hopping up and and like a rabbit in one leg while also trying not to make too much noise she doesn't want to get another lecture by a teacher about school manners.
The vending machine...Didn't react at all against her assault.
As it remain stubbornly still without even a slight dent, it neither dispensed a drink nor returned her money even after getting a beating.
Her lips puffed into a small annoyed pout.
"...You're stubborn." Remembering something, Miku narrowed her eyes.
"This time...I'll use Master's method."
Using the term master for a specific person, she stepped back.
Her eyes burning with the fire of indignity as she raised her leg again, it is good think that no one was around otherwise they would see a very beautiful scene.
BOOM!
The second kick landed far more precisely than the first directly against the glass like structure of the machine.
Clunk!
A bottle of matcha tea finally rolled into the collection tray.
The Demonic Vending machine has been defeated as everyone's favorite Miku jumped in joy forgetting the pain in her leg.
"It worked."
She happily picked up the drink and placed it inside her handbag.
In her excited, she forgot the reason as to why she had came here.
Then...Another thought crossed her mind.
Since it worked once...Why not buy another?
She inserted one more coin inside it.
Once again...the vending machine swallowed them without dispensing anything. The vending machine was ready for round two!
"...Seriously?"
For some reason, instead of getting angry, Miku felt an odd competitive spirit awaken inside her.
"This stubborn Demon king dares swallow my money..."
She folded her arms confidently, she had already learn what move is super effective against this type.
Another kick.
Bang!
Another bottle dropped out.
"Hmph." Miku crossed her arms proudly. "Your Excellency, Mr. Vending Machine...If this is the extent of your strength..then you're still unworthy of challenging my master!"
Closing her eyes dramatically, she imitated the dignified speech pattern of a Sengoku warlord from one of her favorite historical games.
She even nodded solemnly, completely immersed in the role. Miku felt oddly satisfied doing it.
Stretching comfortably, she picked up her handbag and prepared to leave.
Then—
A deep, tired voice suddenly echoed from the vending machine.
"I see... So you're a disciple of the legendary Gojo-san. No wonder that kick looked strangely familiar!"
Miku froze in stunned horror, when she suddenly heard the voice from behind.
"..."
Her entire body stiffened as her grip against her bag lossen slightly. She slowly turned her head toward the vending machine.
"...It talked?"
The mysterious voice continued.
"Next time...I won't lose." The voice turn agitated, "If I can't even defeat you...How could I ever hope to challenge that legendary man?"
A chill ran down Miku's spine as she struggle to hold her scream.
"...Gh-Ghost!"
She grabbed her handbag and immediately prepared to run at the speed of a rocket.
"Hey! What are you running for? It's me."
The voice changed it's tone.
This time...It sounded much younger.
Much more familiar.
"...?"
Miku stopped in her track, blinking several times before trying to focus on the voice.
"...That voice..."
A rustling sound came from behind the vending machine.
Moments later...
A tall figure with snow-white hair casually stepped out from behind it.
He scratched the back of his head helplessly.
"Hey." Gojo Satoru smiled awkwardly, not thinking that he would scare her so much.
Miku stared blankly With a flat look that was clearly criticizing him.
She let out a long sigh before rolling her eyes.
"So it was you, Gojo-sensei...I honestly thought the vending machine had started talking."
Gojo adjusted his collar with complete seriousness.
"What are you talking about? We live in the age of science, you should believe in science."
As the strongest exorcist in the world...A man capable of defeating Kegare with overwhelming ease...a person who has already seen and defeated ghost like being.
Was now asking someone to believe in science!
The irony was overwhelming.
Gojo: Hey, I asked to believe in science didn't really said that they don't exist, did I?
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Bonus Chapter:-
4 Bonus chapter at 100 powerstone
6 Bonus Chapter at 150 powerstone
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Word Count — 1,627