I stood near the park in Miko-chan's neighborhood, hands tucked into my pockets as I waited for her.
It is Sunday.
Five days had passed since I first met Miko-chan and joined the Fushiguro family gym.
And in those five days, a lot has changed.
First—
My Town Hall has finally reached Level 4. New buildings have unlocked, the most notable being Air Defense and I've already begun maxing out my troops and structures.
The 40% debuff is gone.
The increase in cursed energy was undeniable, it's nearly double what it had been before.
Now I could sustain summons for longer and channel more energy into reinforcement, making it stronger and far more reliable.
The troops have improved in strength as well. They are stronger now, though not enough to push them into the next grade just yet.
However, I noticed a flaw in their upgrades—while their attack power and attack speed increases, their walking, or movement speed, barely improves, rising only slightly.
It's a glaring weakness, one that makes me an indispensable part of my own technique. To compensate, I have to constantly summon and unsummon them, forcing repositioning, making them appear exactly where I need them to be.
It seems I can only be the Alibaba version of Sung Jin-Woo...
...because I can't afford to relax, and my troops aren't reliable.
Still—
A new troop has unlocked.
Balloons.
Huge hot air balloons with skeletons riding them, dropping bombs. Their attack power is exceptional, but due to their large size, aerial nature, and the need for open spaces to deploy them, and their slow speed ....they lack the element of surprise.
…But I can use them to fly.
They are slow, though.
And... now I can summon troops and structures within a 200-meter radius, up from 100 meters.
Though housing capacity has remained unchanged. 80
And there is bad news too.
Upgrade times have increased from three hours to five hours.
Repair times remain the same, though.
(Author note: I will add a complete update info of town hall level 4 in auxiliary chp....well this Town hall one is not gonna be stay for long)
A small exhale left my lips.
Second—
Then there's training under Toji Fushiguro—it's hell…
...no, worse than hell.
That man clearly doesn't know how to train people.
I've definitely been scammed out of my money.
He just throws a few pointers my way, then spars with me...or rather, beats me, while Shizuku-san claps from the side, either to encourage me not to give up or to tell him to keep going.
I honestly can't tell.
And he clearly enjoys torturing me.
Whenever I complain, he says I don't have as much talent for fighting as I think—that I spend too much time thinking instead of just acting.
Clearly, shifting blame.
Though… the gym is going well. I can feel my muscles building, soreness settling deep after every session.
Each time, I'm pushed to my limits, and I can feel myself improving at a rapid pace.
But he never lets me feel satisfied and dismissing it all as "beginner gains."
And as if it all isn't enough…..
He makes me do chores too.
I clench my jaw slightly.
That gorilla of a man...
And Shizuku-san isn't any better. They're both far too comfortable ordering me around like I'm part of their household.
Making me carry their groceries, cleaning the gym and calling it "warm-up" like it's supposed to make sense.
Do they think this is some kind of Chinese martial arts film?
At this point, I'm not even sure if I'm a student… or just unpaid labor.
Which is insane—because I'm the one paying them. 😑
And their kid—
That Megumi brat is always staring at me with that same blank, nonchalant look. 😑
Hmph… failed potential brat.
I sighed.
Though… not everything has been bad.
I introduced Miko-chan to Satoru to measure her cursed energy capacity.
That alone made it worth it. Though, from that, I also realized something, that others can't see my cursed energy unless I actively release it. It's probably because my cursed energy is tied to my elixir collector and storage.
Back to the point—
The entire meeting was chaos.
Satoru bounced around like an overexcited zoo animal, while Miko-chan just stared at him with that same blank expression.
…It was like watching two completely different worlds collide.
Still—according to him, her cursed energy reserves are around Grade 1 level.
Which means joining Jujutsu High won't be a problem for her. Even if, by chance, she doesn't have a cursed technique, her reserves are on par with Kusakabe–senpai—and he doesn't have one.
My gaze drifted ahead. I've been waiting for Miko-chan for around forty-five minutes, though, to be fair, I did arrive early.
It's not a date or anything.
It is about something else.
She had asked me to do something for her that day…
A promise.
And I still have no idea what it is.
Just as the thought crosses my mind, I spot her.
Miko-chan.
Walking toward me.
She looks as pretty as ever, even in something simple, a green-blue hoodie with an eye symbol in the center and shorts.
She doesn't even try, and still… she looks beautiful.
Meanwhile, I've actually put in the effort, an oversized green T-shirt with a Zoro "Z" symbol on the back, baggy jeans loaded with pockets, and Air Jordan 1 to finish it off.
All branded.
Now that I'm earning, I will spend on myself.
I'm even thinking about getting a good motorcycle.
"How long have you been waiting?" she asks.
"Not long. I just got here," I reply.
…A complete lie.
I've been standing here for almost forty-five minutes.
A brief pause settles between us.
"So… what is it you wanted me to do?" I ask, getting straight to the point.
Miko glances toward the park, then back at me.
"…Can we sit?" she says quietly.
I nod. "Yeah."
We walked over and took a seat on a nearby bench.
For a while, neither of us speaks.
The park is quiet—just the faint rustle of leaves and distant voices drifting through the air.
She keeps her gaze lowered, her hands resting in her lap, fingers lightly clenched.
"…Do you remember," she begins softly, "when you said you could help me?"
I nod. "Yeah."
A small pause follows.
Then she speaks again.
"…It's about my dad."
Her fingers tighten slightly in her lap.
"I want you to exorcise him."
(Author note: Guys please check out my novel "NOT RIGHT NOW" . It isn't showing on my profile due to some issues so please search it🙏)