Yumiko Miura fell silent.
Ren’s words sounded casual, maybe even careless, but Yumiko’s heart sped up anyway.
She had to admit it.
When he spoke with that calm confidence—he looked frustratingly cool.
Yumiko felt her cheeks grow warm and quickly turned away.
The oppressive silence returned soon after, but this time, she didn’t feel as scared.
They continued walking until a sudden rustling came from the bushes along the tracks.
It sounded like someone was running toward them.
“What was that?” Yumiko flinched.
An old man emerged from the dark woods.
The moment he saw Ren and Yumiko, excitement spread across his face, and he ran toward them.
“You…”
Yumiko instinctively stepped forward.
Had he wandered into this place by mistake too?
If he was lost like they were, then maybe he needed help.
Ren grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.
“That isn’t human.”
He only needed a single glance to tell.
With his free hand, he pulled out a yellow paper slip.
It was one of the talismans he had made after learning the Art of Talismans.
“Evil-Warding Talisman.
Eradicate—”
He flicked his wrist, sending the talisman flying.
It hit the old man directly, and the figure was thrown backward by the force.
“BOOOOOOOOOOOOMM!!”
Yumiko stared, stunned by the impossible sight.
Before she could say anything, the old man’s body twisted.
His limbs bent at unnatural angles, and bright flames erupted across his entire body.
“BOOOOOOM!!”
The old man exploded.
Ren did not hear a System Prompt.
That meant this urban legend was not dead yet…
“I see,” he muttered.
“A suicide-bomber type of evil spirit.”
Its method of killing was specific: close the distance, grab the target, then drag them into a self-destructing explosion.
Yumiko stood frozen.
The strange scene made one thing clear to her.
If Ren hadn’t pulled her back, she would have died with that thing.
“T-Thank you,” she stuttered.
“Don’t worry about it.
“…” Yumiko stared at his back, her feelings all mixed up.
For once, she didn’t know what to say.
She just walked faster to keep up.
After a stretch of silence, she finally asked, “Ren, are you an onmyoji?”
“Yes.”
“Have you fought urban legends before?”
“Yeah.” He answered casually, as if fighting monsters from rumors was normal for him.
Something clicked inside Yumiko’s mind.
“You’re not that hard to get along with.
Not like what everyone in class says.”
“I just don’t want to waste my time.” Playing house with a bunch of high school students had no appeal to him.
Yumiko, however, interpreted his words differently.
So that was it.
Everyone in class, herself included, had misunderstood him…
The real Ren was not an antisocial creep or a gloomy weirdo.
He was someone who fought urban legends in secret and protected ordinary people from the shadows.
Maybe he seemed like a loner because fighting these monsters wore him out.
Maybe he kept people at a distance because he lived in a world no one else could understand.
The more Yumiko thought about it, the guiltier she felt.
She had judged him based on rumors, made fun of him in her mind, and assumed the worst without really knowing him.
“I’m sorry…” she whispered.
“What did you say?”
Ren was honestly confused by her sudden apology.
“N-NOTHING.” Yumiko shook her head in a panic.
“I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING.”
“Alright.” Ren did not press the issue.
He probably had no idea that Yumiko had just made up a whole tragic hero story about him in her mind.
Self-delusion really was the deadliest weapon…
Before long, the tracks came to an end.
A small two-story building stood ahead, silent and strangely clean compared to the surrounding darkness.
“Should we go inside??” Yumiko asked.
She was already starting to rely on Ren.
Instead of acting on her own, she instinctively looked to him for what to do next.
“Let’s check it out.” Ren wanted to know what the entity behind this place was trying to do.
“Okay.”
Yumiko agreed without hesitation.
Her obedient attitude caught Ren off guard.
Since when had Yumiko Miura become this docile?
“…” He glanced at her strangely.
“W-What is it?” she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious beneath his gaze.
“Nothing.” Ren shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
They walked inside.
Everything was fully furnished and spotless, but there was no sign anyone actually lived there.
The place didn’t feel abandoned—it felt staged, like it was set up for guests who were never supposed to leave.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Footsteps resounded from the quiet staircase.
Yumiko immediately hid behind Ren and looked up.
“What is that?”
A figure slowly descended the stairs.
“Yui?” Yumiko froze.
The person coming down was Yui Yuigahama.
But this Yui had a wide, unnatural smile as she stared at Yumiko from the stairs.
“Yumiko, come play with us.
Stay here with us, Yumiko.”
Another figure appeared beside her.
Hina Ebina.
She wore the same sinister smile.
A moment later, Hayato Hayama stepped into view.
“Yumiko, don’t you love me?” Hayato asked in a gentle voice that felt horrifyingly wrong.
“Then stay here and be with me forever.”
It was Hayato’s familiar face, but seeing him like this sent a shudder through Yumiko.
“No.” She shook her head hard.
“I’m never staying here.”
“YUMIKOOO.”
The next second, all three figures lunged at them at once.
“Eradicate.” Ren already understood the trick.
Three Evil-Warding Talismans flew from his hand.
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
BOOOOM!
Just like with the old man, all three figures caught fire and exploded.
“What is happening?” Yumiko asked, her pulse racing.
“I think I understand now.” After destroying the three illusions, Ren nodded in understanding.
“Those things are illusions created by the evil spirit.
Its real goal is to trap people inside this dimension forever.”
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