"Akira~! Good morning."
"Eh, are you wearing glasses?"
Kato Megumi poked her head out from Akira's side.
Today, she wasn't wearing her cherry-pink felt hat, but had instead switched to a cherry-pink school bag.
Even for girls, such a direct cherry-pink color rarely appeared directly in their daily lives.
As a result, Kato Megumi once again received sufficient attention.
"Good morning, Megumi-chan."
"They're non-prescription. Just for fun."
Akira adjusted his glasses, not giving the middle finger. "Megumi-chan, didn't you also get a new school bag today? It's a very bold color."
"It is a bit bold."
"Oh, Akira, that thing you mentioned yesterday morning…"
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. It's just not the time to talk about it yet."
"During lunch break, go to the leftmost classroom on the sixth floor. I'll be waiting for you there."
Saying this, Akira reached out toward Kato Megumi's head.
Kato Megumi dodged slightly, and Akira plucked a blade of grass from her hair.
"There was some dirt."
Kato Megumi smiled shyly, feeling a little relieved, and a little disappointed.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Thankfully, the bus stopped in time, otherwise Kato Megumi wouldn't have known how to continue the conversation.
There were many fewer people today than yesterday.
Even the driver's mood improved.
But Kato Megumi was a little unhappy.
"Akira, what's so special about that classroom?"
Akira smiled. "Allow me to keep you in suspense. When lunchtime arrives, you'll naturally know."
"I heard that floor has club activity rooms, and many arts and culture clubs are on that floor."
"Eh? You know that?"
"Mm! When school started, I paid special attention to those things."
"So, Megumi-chan, when you asked me what club I wanted to join, you were actually prepared?"
Kato Megumi's heart tightened, and a blush spread across her face again.
"I don't really have anything I like to do, so I thought it might be better to do activities with people I know."
"Eh~?! Then why didn't Megumi-chan ask your classmates?"
Akira, with a mischievous smile, surveyed Kato Megumi's reddened face.
"I just asked casually at the time. And besides, don't ask things that can easily be misunderstood."
Kato Megumi turned her head, not daring to look into Akira's eyes.
Protesting too much.
Easily manipulated.
Akira cleared his throat and began. "Actually, I applied for a club."
"Can first-year students apply for clubs?"
"I used Teacher Mafuyu's back door!"
"Eh?"
"Teacher Mafuyu? Isn't she the strictest female teacher in our grade?"
"That's right. Impressive, isn't it?"
Akira looked proud, even though it wasn't really using a back door—but still…!
"Impressive. But Akira, what kind of club is yours?"
"The Deity Research Club. We collect information on deities and conduct research. But, well, we probably won't actually research. At most, we'll just eat lunch and take a nap."
Kato Megumi looked surprised. "I think Teacher Mafuyu probably thinks the same thing."
"Hahaha. The leftmost classroom on the sixth floor is the activity room for the Deity Research Club."
"I'll be there to solve your problem, Megumi-chan!"
"Eh~?! Is it some kind of magical ritual?"
"That's right. A magical training ritual."
The bus smoothly arrived at the stop, and Akira and Kato Megumi descended from the back door as usual.
But what was unusual was that an extraordinary person appeared at the bus stop today.
She was very tall, with pale blue hair braided—one braid in front, covering half of her face. Another braid was in the back, reaching past her shoulders.
She wore a black, yet very fashionable outfit, which made her skin appear somewhat pale.
Her black eyes nimbly surveyed her surroundings, quickly focusing her gaze on Akira.
Last night, Mei Mei, using Black Bird Manipulation, had seen Kitagawa Marin after she returned home—flying around the house in a little devil costume.
She had clearly gained some strange power.
Monsters? Not entirely.
Demons? But what demon would go to school during the day, change into clothes to fly around at night, and not do anything bad—like Kitagawa Marin?
Demons focus on humanity's fear of certain concepts. Like Cursed Spirits, they are inherently hostile toward humans.
After much thought, Mei Mei still categorized her as one of the Monsters.
And a Monster who hasn't committed a crime cannot be called a criminal.
So, Kitagawa Marin was, at most, just a person with potential threat.
She gave the collected information to Masamichi Yaga and verbally recounted what she had seen.
Masamichi Yaga slapped his forehead, realizing his oversight.
He had told Mei Mei to find abnormal humans. Monsters were indeed included in that category.
But this was not at all what he was looking for.
"Forget it. Put this matter aside for now. Go find Akira—a high school student Sorcerer."
"A rising star who can kill a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
"He appeared somewhat suddenly, and the Jujutsu Association wants to get some background information."
The goal of the mission was to obtain key information—characteristics of his Technique, whether he possessed a Domain, and other such further details. Once that was done, the mission would be considered complete.
"A high school student, killing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?"
"This is not a simple task. The pay needs to be increased."
After negotiating the price,
Mei Mei used her connections in Public Security to find some information about Akira.
However, because Akira was the heir of the Souo Family, under Gensei Souo's manipulation, the surface information showed no problems whatsoever.
Mei Mei only knew that, on paper, Akira was an ordinary teenager—as ordinary as could be.
Interesting. Interesting.
Looking at Akira's handsome face,
Mei Mei became increasingly interested in this target.
[Character: Mei Mei]
[Potential: S]
[Affection: 57]
[Status: Anticipation]
Just now on the bus, Mei Mei's marker had already appeared on the radar.
Now, seeing her with his own eyes, the status information appeared before Akira.
It was a three-way gaze. (Mei Mei's braid covered half of her face.)
Mei Mei made no attempt to conceal her intentions.
Akira naturally knew that Mei Mei was coming for him.
Akira stood still. "Megumi-chan, are you in a hurry?"
"Eh? Akira-kun, is something wrong?"
"Hmm. I want to tell you a secret first."
"A secret?"
"Come with me."
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