Riding atop Pidgeot, the group of four returned to the shrine.
This time, Miko sat at the very front, treated to an even more vast and breathtaking view. By the time they reached the shrine, she felt a lingering sense of reluctance to leave the sky.
Aomori, meanwhile, immediately spotted Nyanko-sensei basking in the sun atop a pile of gifts. Natsume couldn't wait a second longer and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Nyanko-sensei! I've come to take you home!"
Nyanko-sensei's ears twitched. Snapping its eyes open from its nap, the cat thought, How am I hearing that brat's voice? Am I dreaming?
It wasn't until Natsume rushed over and scooped the cat up in a tight hug that Nyanko-sensei realized this was no dream.
"What do you think you're doing, you brat?! Let go of me! I haven't forgiven you yet!"
Pinned by Natsume's "herculean" grip, Nyanko-sensei found itself unable to break free and finally gave up the struggle.
"Alright, Nyanko-sensei, please come back with me. I was just too angry last time when I said those things; I didn't mean them. I need you, Sensei. Without you by my side to protect me, having the Book of Friends makes things very dangerous." Natsume squeezed the cat even tighter, as if afraid it might slip away again.
"Hmph, so now you realize how important I am? Fine, I suppose I have no choice, seeing as we have a promise."
"Does that mean you're agreeing to come back with me?"
"Hmph. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just worried the Book of Friends might fall into the hands of some other yokai, wasting all the effort I've put in lately."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, Nyanko-sensei. But really, you can't just go around taking things to eat anymore; it causes trouble for others."
"Hah! Did you even see this?" Nyanko-sensei pointed at the pile beneath it. "All of this belongs to me. Who would crave the scraps at your house?"
"All of this belongs to you, Sensei?" Natsume asked skeptically.
It hadn't even been a full day. Where did all this come from?
"These are gifts of gratitude for helping people. If I hadn't kept turning them down, they probably would have given me even more." As it spoke, Nyanko-sensei's tail curled up proudly.
"I can actually vouch for that," Aomori added from the side.
"Then Nyanko-sensei really is amazing."
"Naturally! I am a noble Daiyokai, after all."
Having reconciled with Nyanko-sensei, Natsume felt a heavy weight lift from his heart. Feeling much lighter, he planned to go for a stroll in the mountains with Tanuma and pay a visit to some familiar yokai.
"I'm not going," Nyanko-sensei said, looking uninterested. What was the point of looking at those yokai? It would rather take a nap.
Miko was somewhat curious about the yokai, but the morning's training had nearly drained her energy. Combined with the long time spent wandering the town, her body felt exhausted, so she declined as well.
In the end, only Natsume and Tanuma set off on their expedition. Knowing Natsume wasn't without the means to protect himself, Aomori let them go.
Turning to a yawning Miko, Aomori asked, "Are you that tired? How about I take you home?"
"Yeah... for some reason, I'm incredibly sleepy. Even though I can usually spend the whole day shopping with Hana," Miko wondered if she was getting old and tired more easily.
"It might be because you used your Yin-Yang Eyes. Powerful techniques often come with a heavy cost."
"Is that so? I'll have to be more careful in the future then."
She couldn't afford to use her skills recklessly on school days, or she'd end up falling asleep in class.
"You don't need to worry too much. It's only because your current spirit power is low that it drains your physical stamina. Once your spirit power increases, this won't happen anymore."
"Oh," Miko murmured, unable to suppress another yawn.
"Let me take you home."
"Okay."
…
Today, Yulia's schedule was also packed to the brim.
She arrived at the Godmother's shop early in the morning, only to find to her surprise that the "Closed" stickers on the rolling shutter had been torn off.
"Does this mean the Godmother is back?" she said, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Yes, the Godmother returned a few days ago," the owner of the shoe store across the street said with a smile.
He remembered this young girl; she had come looking for the Godmother several times, so he was happy to give her the answer.
"That's great!" After thanking the old man, Yulia waited in front of the door with bated breath.
It wasn't until nearly nine o'clock that the rolling shutter finally rattled upward, revealing the Godmother's somewhat weary face.
"Good morning, Godmother!" Yulia greeted her immediately.
"It's you, little girl. Why are you here so early?" The Godmother recognized the enthusiastic girl.
"Godmother, please take me as your disciple! I truly want to become an exorcist!" Yulia clenched her fists tightly and spoke with conviction.
"That's right, you should just agree. While you were away, this little girl came looking for you almost every single day." The meddling old man chipped in with another assist.
"None of your business! Go back to selling your shoes," the Godmother snapped at him.
After rebuffing the old man, the Godmother looked down at Yulia, her expression softening considerably.
Yulia's spirit power might be a bit lacking, but her sincerity is her strength. With some training, she might eventually reach my level. I don't have many years left; it would be good to pass these things down. Towako would probably approve of this too.
Though she was already willing to accept her as her second disciple, she still had to ask the traditional question: "Why do you want to be an exorcist so badly? Exorcists face many dangers. It might not be as glamorous as you imagine."
"Why do I want to be an exorcist? Well... ever since I was little, I could see those things. But every time I excitedly tried to share it with my friends, they would look at me with contempt and call me a liar."
Recalling her past, Yulia said, "From that moment on, I realized I was special, that I was different from everyone else. That difference must have a meaning. I firmly believe that becoming an exorcist is the responsibility I was born with."
"And... and if I stay this weak, Miko and the others will distance themselves from me." By the time she finished, Yulia's eyes were turning red.
"I see. I understand." The Godmother patted Yulia's head. "Actually, I'm just a low-level exorcist myself. Even so, are you willing to be my disciple?"
"Yes! You're much stronger than me, Godmother. You're not a low-level exorcist at all!"
"Very well. From today on, you are the disciple of the Downtown Godmother!"
"Yay!" Yulia cried tears of joy, lunging forward to hug the Godmother and rubbing her head against her chest.
"Wait a minute! You're getting snot all over my clothes!"
"Ah, I'm so sorry!"
Across the street, the old man watched the scene with a chuckle.
Once she had calmed down, Yulia, who came prepared, asked, "Sensei, please teach me all the powerful exorcism techniques right away! Once I learn them, I'll be a great Exorcist Master!"
"Regrettably, you can't do that yet."
"Eh? Why?!"
"Because you're too weak," the Godmother said bluntly. "Your spirit power is too low to fuel any powerful exorcism spells. So, the priority right now is to increase your spiritual capacity."
Yulia felt a bit discouraged. "Then... how do I increase my spirit power?"
"Don't worry, I have a complete training method here, but it will take some time to prepare. While I'm getting things ready, you should familiarize yourself with the basics." With that, the Godmother rummaged through her things and pulled out two yellowed, old notebooks, handing them to Yulia.
"These are the notes I took when I was studying. I'm giving them to you. Make sure to read them carefully when you get home."
"Yes!" Yulia accepted the notebooks as if they were sacred treasures.
"Also, you need to give yourself a stage name."
"A stage name?"
"Yes. 'Downtown Godmother' is my stage name. You should pick something similar. How about 'God's Elementary Student'?"
I see. Yulia felt a surge of excitement. Getting a stage name felt like a formal debut.
However, hearing the name the Godmother suggested, Yulia shook her head repeatedly. "That sounds like 'Death God Elementary Student.' Something more intimidating would be better. Wait, no! I'm not an elementary student! I'm just small for my age!" [1]
I need a catchy stage name.
She thought for a moment and then said, "How about 'Dancing Goddess'?"
"Dancing Goddess? That sounds quite nice. That works too. Are you sure you don't want to think about it more?" The Godmother still thought "God's Elementary Student" was better.
"No, this is the one!"
Yulia put her hands on her hips and shouted with full chuunibyou energy, "Hahahaha! From this day forward, I am the Dancing Goddess, Yulia!"
Luckily, there weren't many people around, or it would have been a total "social suicide" moment.
Afterward, the Godmother took her hand and told her about Rom the Prodigy. "You're actually my second disciple. Your senior was a genius, but unfortunately, our philosophies clashed, and we parted ways long ago. That's why I haven't thought about taking another disciple for all these years."
"I don't care about the rest, but there's one thing you must remember. Exorcising evil spirits is only a minor part of our duty. Our fundamental goal as exorcists is to help people and help the souls of the deceased resolve their regrets. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Yulia nodded, though she was still a bit confused.
Seeing that Yulia was wearing a prayer bead bracelet she had made, the Godmother took out another one and placed it on Yulia's other wrist.
"Take this one too. May it keep you safe."
Yulia loved it and quickly said, "Thank you, sensei!"
"Alright, go on home. Remember to study those notes. Come back next week, and I'll answer any questions you have."
"Yes!" Yulia was about to take her leave when she remembered her next destination. "Sensei, I met a very powerful exorcist before and wanted to go exchange some insights with him. Is that okay?"
"A powerful exorcist?"
"Um, he runs a place called the 'Spirits and Such Consultation Office.' Here, look." Yulia took out her phone and showed the address to the Godmother.
"Spirits and Such Consultation Office? I haven't heard of it. I've been retired for a long time; perhaps he's a talented newcomer. There used to be a very famous psychic named Keiji Mogami too."
The Godmother understood what Yulia meant and replied, "I won't forbid such exchanges, but be careful. Not all psychics are good people."
"I know. Don't worry, Master Reigen is a good person!"
With the Godmother's permission, Yulia decided to visit the Spirits and Such Consultation Office. Who knew? Maybe she'd find some special opportunity there.
However, afraid of losing the Godmother's notebooks, she went home first to tuck them away safely before heading out again to find the office.
After some searching, she finally located it in a dilapidated, secluded building.
"This place is way too shabby," Yulia complained, then her eyes suddenly widened as a thought struck her.
Could it be that Master Reigen is doing this on purpose?! Hiding the office in a place like this to wait for those destined to find it... now that is the mark of a true master!
Her doubts vanished, and with a look of pure admiration, Yulia rang the doorbell.
After a few rings, a flat, monotone voice came from behind the door.
"Coming."
The door opened, and Yulia saw the young boy who had been with Reigen the day before.
"Ah, the person from yesterday?" Mob recognized Yulia.
"Yes, yes! Is Master Reigen here?"
"Sensei received a request and just stepped out."
"Aw, what bad luck." Unwilling to just leave like that, Yulia asked, "When will he be back?"
"I'm not sure. Usually, it takes until evening."
"Eh, that late?" Yulia had no choice but to give up. "I'll come back next time then."
"Please take care."
After seeing Yulia off, Mob went back inside to focus on his homework. Compared to his immense psychic abilities, his grades were absolute trash.
A little while later, the door opened, and a smiling Arataka Reigen walked in.
"Ah, sensei, you're back early today."
"Yeah, the job was too easy. I finished it in no time. Did something happen?"
"Um, someone came to see you. It was that girl from yesterday."
"The girl from yesterday?" Arataka Reigen recalled Yulia's somewhat silly face and said, "It's fine. She probably just came to hear my stories because she admires me."
Since it wasn't a paying client, he couldn't quite bring himself to care.
"Okay." From Mob's observation, the girl indeed didn't look like she was troubled by anything.
"Forget about her. I just got another request. Apparently, there's a haunting at an all-girls school, and they want us to exorcise it."
"An all-girls school?"
"Yeah, a school full of girls. Do you like that, Mob?"
"Not really."
"Is that so? Guess you haven't hit puberty yet."
…
"Mmm..."
Miko let out a soft moan, her eyes fluttering open. The room was dark. She fumbled for her phone on the nightstand and checked the time.
"It's almost six? I slept for so long."
"Yeah. If you didn't wake up soon, your mom was going to start worrying."
"Eh?" Miko's eyes snapped wide open as she sat bolt upright. Sure enough, she saw Aomori sitting at her desk.
"Aosora-sama, have you been here the whole time?"
"I have. Because I need you to help me with one more thing."
"What is it?" Miko quickly kicked off her blanket and jumped out of bed.
Aomori produced a shrine maiden outfit from behind him, tossed it to Miko, and said, "Put this on. Then, let's do a livestream."
"WHAAAAAT?!?!"