Early the next morning, the familiar notification chimed inside Natsuki’s head.
[Ding!]
[Today’s superpower, Two-Tomoe Sharingan—Dual Kamui, has been delivered. Please remember to claim it. We hope you have a wonderful day.]
Natsuki opened his eyes as faint morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains.
‘Dual Kamui?’
That was a pretty good pull.
Unfortunately, it was only a two-tomoe Sharingan for now, so the boost to his combat ability was not as dramatic as he had hoped.
Natsuki shrugged, got out of bed, and went to wash up.
After breakfast, he picked up his schoolbag and left the apartment.
In the hallway, he ran into Gabriel, who was also preparing to head out.
The angel looked even worse than she had before.
The circles under her eyes were dark enough for her to cosplay a panda at the zoo.
“G-Good morning, Natsuki-kun…”
Her voice was faint, and she looked as though she might drift away with the breeze.
“You stayed up all night again?”
“Mm… Valhalla Kingdom Online released a new dungeon…”
Gabriel rubbed her eyes.
“It took us the whole night to clear it…”
“Take better care of yourself.”
Natsuki sighed.
“Angels can still die from overwork, can’t they?”
“I… don’t think so?”
Gabriel did not sound particularly certain, so she smoothly changed the subject.
“We could leave later, you know. I could use Divine Step and take you to school.”
‘Divine Step…’
Natsuki immediately remembered the kind of mistakes a certain useless shut-in angel tended to make, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He had no desire to reach school only to discover that his underwear had been left behind—or worse, that only his underwear had arrived.
That would not be transportation. That would be public execution.
“Yeah, no thanks.”
“What a shame.” Gabriel looked genuinely disappointed.
The two headed downstairs together.
Just as they reached the entrance of the apartment building, Natsuki noticed a familiar figure standing across the street.
A beautiful girl with long black hair was wearing Toyogasaki Academy’s uniform.
Yotsuya Miko.
She was staring at an apparently empty utility pole, her face pale and her body trembling slightly.
Even so, she was doing her best to pretend she could not see anything.
The contrast between her terrified expression and desperate composure was almost unfairly cute.
“Gabriel, go on ahead,” Natsuki said suddenly. “There’s something I need to take care of.”
“Okay~”
Gabriel walked off with a yawn.
Natsuki crossed the street and approached Miko.
“Yotsuya-san?” He called to her softly.
The girl jolted back to awareness. When she saw him, panic flickered through her eyes.
“A-Amamiya-senpai…”
“Are you all right?”
“I-I’m fine…”
She lowered her head, her fingers twisting nervously in the hem of her skirt.
Natsuki looked toward the place she had been staring at.
A gecko-like Cursed Spirit clung to the utility pole, its crimson eyes fixed on the pedestrians passing below.
It was only a Grade 3.
To a jujutsu sorcerer, it would be little more than cannon fodder, but it was certainly disgusting enough to ruin someone’s morning.
“You can see it, can’t you?” Natsuki asked directly.
Miko’s body immediately stiffened.
She looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.
“Senpai, you can…?”
“Yeah.”
Natsuki nodded and raised his right hand.
“Don’t look.”
He gently covered her eyes.
His left hand closed around empty air.
“Trace on.”
Points of magical light gathered, and a short blade took shape in his hand. Natsuki immediately threw it.
The dagger became a streak of light and struck the Cursed Spirit with perfect accuracy.
Hiss—
It vanished before it could even scream.
Natsuki lowered his hand.
Miko blinked and discovered that the utility pole was now completely empty.
“It… disappeared?”
“For now, you’re safe.”
Natsuki smiled.
“But things like that are everywhere.”
He looked at her more gently.
“You’ve been having a hard time, haven’t you?”
Miko’s eyes immediately reddened, and the emotions she had been suppressing nearly burst free.
She could see things no one else could.
Every day, she lived in fear.
She could not tell her family or her friends, so she had been forced to endure everything alone.
Living like that was exhausting.
“Senpai…”
Her voice trembled.
“I…”
“You can cry,” Natsuki said softly. “There’s no one else here.”
Miko finally broke down.
Tears streamed down her face while Natsuki waited quietly beside her.
…
Several minutes later, her sobs gradually faded.
“I’m sorry… You had to see me like that…”
“It’s fine.”
Natsuki took a packet of tissues from his schoolbag and handed it to her.
“If you run into trouble again, contact me.”
He gave her his LINE ID as Miko hurriedly saved it.
“Thank you, Senpai…”
“You’re welcome.”
Natsuki checked the time.
“We should get to school.”
He looked at her.
“Want to walk together?”
“Mm!”
Miko nodded eagerly.
…
At Toyogasaki Academy, Natsuki escorted her all the way to Class 1-A.
“Wait for me after school. I’ll walk you home.”
“Eh? Y-You really don’t have to go through all that trouble…”
“It’s on my way anyway. Consider it settled.”
“O-Okay…”
A faint blush spread across Miko’s cheeks.
…
During lunch, Natsuki ate with Utaha on the rooftop.
“You were sooo coool yesterday, Kouhai-kun~”
Utaha smiled at him.
“Especially when you rescued me.”
“It was only natural.”
Natsuki took a bite of his rice ball.
“You didn’t bring a bento today, Senpai?”
“I overslept, so I bought rice balls from the convenience store.”
Utaha sighed.
“I was working on my manuscript until three in the morning.”
“Take better care of yourself.”
“Are you worried about me, Kouhai-kun?”
“Of course.” Natsuki answered without hesitation.
The corners of Utaha’s lips curved upward.
“Then why don’t you move in with me?”
“That way, you could supervise my bedtime every night~”
Her tone was playful, though it was difficult to tell how much of the offer was truly a joke.
“Are you serious, Senpai?”
“What do you think?”
She gave him a wink.
…
The afternoon classes passed quickly.
When the final bell rang, Natsuki began packing his bag. Eriri lingered at her desk instead of leaving.
“Natsuki-kun…” She spoke quietly.
“Yeah?”
“Um… could you help me with English today?”
Eriri finally gathered the courage to ask.
“The quiz is tomorrow, and I’m completely unprepared…”
She looked at him pitifully, like a hungry kitten begging to be fed.
Natsuki remembered his promise to Miko.
“I can’t today. I already made plans with someone.”
“You m-made plans?” Eriri’s expression froze.
“With that black-stockinged—Kasumigaoka-senpai?”
“No.”
Natsuki shook his head.
“A first-year kouhai.”
“A k-kouhai?”
Eriri’s eyes widened.
Just how many girls did Natsuki have around him?!
“I should get going. See you tomorrow.”
Natsuki waved and left the classroom.
Eriri stood there in silence for several seconds before stamping her foot in frustration.
“Idiot! Blockhead! Shameless flirt!”
She muttered the insults under her breath, her eyes filled with unwillingness to admit defeat.
…
Miko was already waiting outside Class 1-A.
The moment she saw Natsuki, her eyes brightened.
“Senpai!”
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“No, not at all! I only just came out.”
They headed downstairs together.
Once they left the school grounds, Miko visibly relaxed.
“Senpai… can you really see those things?”
“Yeah.”
“And you aren’t afraid?”
“Nope.”
Natsuki looked ahead calmly.
“I have the power to deal with them.”
“That’s amazing…”
Miko’s eyes were filled with envy.
She wished she had that kind of strength. Then she would not have to live in fear every single day!
“Oh, right.”
Natsuki remembered something.
“How do you usually avoid them?”
“I try not to look at them… and pretend I can’t see anything.” Miko spoke quietly.
“If I can’t avoid one, I just force myself to walk past it…”
“That must be difficult.”
“Mm…”
She lowered her head.
By the time they reached the shopping district, the streets had become much busier, and there were fewer Cursed Spirits around.
“Senpai, why are you helping me?” Miko suddenly asked.
“Well, obviously…”
Natsuki smiled at her.
“Because Miko is cute.”
“Ah!”
Miko’s face immediately turned bright red.
“Senpai~!”
…
After walking Miko home, Natsuki turned back toward his apartment.
He stopped at a convenience store along the way and bought a few ingredients, planning to cook dinner for himself.
When he arrived home, he had barely put down his schoolbag before someone knocked on the door.
He opened it to find Eriri standing outside.
She was dressed casually, and her twin-tails had been tied much more loosely than usual.
A paper bag hung from one hand.
“Eriri?”
Natsuki looked surprised.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came for help with English!” Eriri answered with a flushed face.
“The quiz is tomorrow, and I can’t afford to fail!”
After thinking about it all afternoon, the shut-in otaku had decided to gather her courage and make the first move.
“So… can I come in?”
Her eyes wandered away, making it obvious that studying was not her only reason for visiting.
Natsuki stepped aside.
“Come in.”
“Thanks for having me…”
Eriri entered and curiously looked around the apartment.
“Have a seat. What would you like to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
Natsuki poured her a glass, then brought out the English textbook.
“What are you having trouble with?”
“This part…”
Eriri pointed to the grammar section.
Natsuki patiently explained it to her.
His English was at a native level, so teaching a fake English young lady like Eriri was effortless.
An hour later, he closed the textbook.
“That’s the general idea. You’ll have to memorize the rest yourself.”
“Mm… Thank you, Natsuki-kun…”
Eriri thanked him quietly.
Then, after fidgeting for a moment, she took a bento box out of the paper bag.
“Th-This is for helping me…”
“I made it myself. It might not taste very good…”
Her voice grew quieter with every word.
Natsuki opened the lid.
Inside was a carefully prepared plate of omurice, complete with a smiling face drawn in ketchup.
“You made this?”
“Mm…”
Eriri kept her head lowered.
“It was my first time, so if it tastes awful—”
“I’ll try it.”
Natsuki picked up a spoon and took a bite.
It was surprisingly good.
“This is delicious.”
“Really?!” Eriri’s eyes immediately lit up!
“Yeah. Thank you.”
“Y-You’re welcome…”
Her cheeks remained bright red.
The room suddenly fell quiet.
“Um…”
Eriri gathered her courage once again.
“What kind of relationship do you have with Kasumigaoka-senpai?”
“We’re friends.”
“And your blonde neighbor?”
“She’s a friend too.”
“What about the first-year kouhai?”
“She’s my underclassman.” Natsuki answered every question without hesitation.
Eriri relaxed, only to grow tense again almost immediately.
“Then… what about me?”
Her voice was so soft that he could barely hear it.
“You’re my friend too, Eriri.”
Natsuki smiled.
“A very important friend.”
“Important…”
Eriri quietly repeated the word, her heart filling with sweetness.
“It’s getting late. Should I walk you home?”
“N-No need!”
She jumped to her feet.
“I can go by myself!”
“No. It’s dangerous after dark.”
Natsuki picked up his jacket.
“Come on.”