Tokyo: A Quiet Cafe
Yukino Yukinoshita understood what the other party meant.
They wanted to ask Miko Yotsuya to take them to a specific address in Kyoto: Senbon Marutamachi, Kamigyo-ku.
There was something strange about this request.
What place was that?
The Old Imperial Palace Grounds.
It was the site of the ancient Bureau of Onmyo (Onmyoryo) from the Heian-kyo era.
Yukino held a very subtle view of the three strangers in front of her.
She herself could only claim to be a "Supernatural Person" solely based on the Black Crow she carried—a tool borrowed from Seiran. Yet, this woman—Michiko—could see the peculiarity of Miko Yotsuya's eyes at a glance without any tools.
That makes her the real deal.
Now, these "Real" strangers wanted to go to the heart of ancient mysticism.
Michiko Nishikiori held a playful mood towards the beautiful high school girl in front of her.
This child… is she longing for the means of cultivation?
Michiko gave the Yagyu Twins a look without leaving a trace, and the two sides reached a tacit understanding. Even if they came from different factions in their home world, the most urgent task was to locate that thing first, and then see if they could use its power to return home.
The God's Perspective (Seiran)
Yes.
These three people were the Intruders detected by Seiran.
At the beginning, Seiran wanted to wipe them out silently using System Points. But after scanning their data, he hesitated.
The world on the "Other Side" where they came from was indeed… a little better than the ordinary world, but not by much.
The background is Ancient Japan, but with heightened abilities.
There are Samurai and Ninjas who practice martial arts; if they practice deeply, they may be able to cut out three feet of Sword Qi.
There are also Wizards (Sorcerers) and Onmyojis who hold laws and strange methods.
However, they were not High Fantasy. They were essentially "Low Magic" users.
Therefore, Seiran sincerely sighed for these "Delivery Boys" (girls) who sent him free resources.
Martial Arts manuals and Cultivation Methods are exactly what I need to throw to the Metropolitan Police Department and the Chaebols.
It's impossible for Seiran to exchange expensive skills from the System every time he grants power to a subordinate.
What a waste of points.
These intruders were the perfect "Livestock." He could harvest their techniques and distribute them to his followers.
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In fact, the three women didn't know how they arrived in this modern world. It was like passing through a whirlpool, and then they were dazzled by the tall skyscrapers and technology.
But after all, they are practitioners with their own aspirations. Even if they are shocked by modern technology, they will not show their fear.
Yukihime Yagyu and Koyuki Yagyu are twins. They are martial artists from a Dojo, and sometimes take jobs as mercenaries or assassins.
Michiko Nishikiori is a Wizard (Sorcerer), not the benevolent Shrine Maiden or Onmyoji she claimed to be.
The reason why she got involved with Miko Yotsuya was accidental. She found that Miko seemed to be able to see the Little Ghost she raised.
This is a pleasant surprise.
Yin-Yang Eyes? Psychic Vision? Or is she born with high spiritual perception?
Whatever it is, it's fine. What Michiko wants to retrieve from Kyoto happens to require those eyes. And if Miko proves useless, she is a good choice for Corpse Refinement.
But Yukino seemed very hesitant.
Are these people really Extraordinary?
If so, then…
Yukino caught a glimpse of the Black Crow standing outside the window. It looked no different from an ordinary crow to the untrained eye, but it was her lifeline.
She looked at Michiko's smiling expression again.
Didn't she notice the Crow?
Or did she notice it but didn't care?
Miko Yotsuya noticed Yukino's hesitation, but she was too terrified to speak.
She saw it.
The two twins were fine; they had strong, burning vitality, just like her best friend Hana.
But the woman with the chrysanthemum in her hair… Michiko.
She was terrifying.
There were ghost things wrapped around her body.
Not just one.
Five.
Five human-shaped Evil Spirits with blue faces and blood bleeding from all seven orifices were clinging to Michiko's kimono, whispering into her ears. They were enslaved spirits.
Just when Miko was about to open her mouth and frantically refuse, Michiko gave Yukino a condition she couldn't refuse.
"How about this? If you are willing to help us navigate Kyoto, I can teach you some ways to… Exercise."
Exercise?
Yukino's mentality was immediately shaken.
Could it be… a method of Cultivation!?
The method to become a Superhuman!?
In an instant, Yukino thought of many things.
She thought of the Service Club.
She thought of her philosophy of self-reliance.
She did not agree with her mother's law of the jungle. She did not approve of the humble practice of Haruno and Reiko "sticking their butts up" for Seiran just to survive.
If I can get on the ladder to become a Superhuman myself…
Will the Yukinoshita family no longer need to be slaves?
Even if not, at least she could raise her own value.
She clenched her fists, her eyes darting between the three women.
The wavering expression made Michiko's smile intensify.
She didn't lie.
It really is just a way to exercise the body.
She planned to give Yukino two sets of inferior, basic martial arts manuals. That would be enough to satisfy a layman.
That kind of unwilling look… I have seen it many times.
The look of the powerless longing for strength.
The three women left first, as Yukino said she would give them an answer the next day.
In the cafe, Miko looked at Yukino with pleading eyes.
"Yukino-san… we really, really shouldn't…"
Miko told Yukino about the evil spirits wrapped around Michiko.
That person is not a good person. She enslaves ghosts.
"I know," Yukino said, her voice trembling slightly but her eyes firm. "But you have no other choice, Yotsuya-san."
Miko's symptoms of Psychic Vision were getting worse.
If there is no solution, she will have to live with a group of twisted ghosts every day.
When she thought about the ghosts crawling out of her quilt, the monsters in her bathtub, and the dead heads on her desk… Miko's face turned pale.
She compromised.
Seeing Miko's aggrieved look, Yukino sighed.
It's not that she didn't think about asking Seiran for help.
But her mother, Reiko, had vetoed it in a text message earlier.
> "Yukino. I hope you reserve his kindness solely for the Yukinoshita Family. Do not waste it on a passing classmate.">
Reiko was right.
Favors are limited.
Use them once, and they are gone.
If she used Seiran's favor to save Miko Yotsuya, the Yukinoshita family would have one less guarantee of survival.
Obviously, Miko Yotsuya was not worth the Yukinoshita family's safety.
We have to do this ourselves.
I will get the power. And I will protect us.
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