Shizuka Hiratsuka, a Japanese language teacher at Sobu High School, was also the strongest Demon Slayer in the entire Chiba Prefecture.
She excelled at using cursed energy to strengthen her limbs for close-quarters combat—breaking through opponents’ defenses with supersonic punches and extreme prejudice.
However, when it came to sealing arts, one could only say that humans have their weaknesses.
It was just like how God gave Shizuka Hiratsuka a beautiful appearance but also gave her a personality that ensured she would never get married in her entire life.
Some gifts came with strings attached, she thought.
Very heavy, very marriage-preventing strings.
Even with her license of mastery in the Sui-Sei-Gan-Ryu style—a fancy piece of paper that impressed exactly no one—she had to rely on the sealing arts left behind by Haruno.
Haruno Yukinoshita, she mentally corrected.
The genius.
The prodigy.
The woman who could solve problems Hiratsuka couldn’t even pronounce.
“Yuzuru, Yamakusa.” She beckoned with her cigarette hand.
“Come here and let me see how you are developing.”
“Teacher Hiratsuka.” Kaguya’s eyes narrowed.
“You look like a pervert right now.”
“Agreement.” Yuzuru nodded.
“Yamakusa is correct. You are like a hentai uncle, desu.”
Hentai uncle, Hiratsuka repeated in her head.
I’m a woman in my prime, and they called me a hentai uncle.
…This is what I get for caring.
Smoking at school was ultimately not a good influence—the staff room had a certain smell, and it wasn’t Febreze—but smoking at home didn’t matter.
With a cigarette butt in her mouth—because she was a professional—Shizuka Hiratsuka grabbed one little Spirit with each hand, pulling the two little cuties who hadn’t run away back.
They could run, she thought.
They chose not to.
…That meant something.
Shizuka Hiratsuka unbuttoned the collars of their uniforms.
Above their chests, there were striking, deep red incantations—pulsing faintly, like sleeping hearts.
Haruno Yukinoshita was a genius at studying sealing arts.
This sealing incantation was the very sealing art created from her genius concept—Separation and Reunion of Two.
The fundamental concept was simple in theory, terrifying in practice: intertwine the souls of two Spirits through fusion and separation, thereby suppressing the Spacequake caused by a Spirit’s rampage.
Two souls bound together, Hiratsuka thought, to keep the world from ending.
Poetic, in a terrifying way.
This sealing technique itself was quite ingenious.
The soul membrane produced by the fusion of two souls converted fragile soul energy into the best material for suppressing magic power.
Like turning tissue paper into steel—if tissue paper could also feel and think and love.
Of course, it was not without side effects.
The essence of Separation and Reunion of Two was to fuse two unrelated souls—causing both parties to unconsciously view the other as their most intimate and precious person.
In fact, this could not be considered a side effect.
It was merely an inevitability guided by soul fusion.
A feature, not a bug.
But the problem lay right here.
If it were two ordinary souls intertwining, there would be no issue.
But the essence of the Yamai Sisters was not two souls, but one.
Yamai was a Spirit that manipulated wind.
Originally, it was a single entity that accidentally split into two independent individuals—Kaguya and Yuzuru—upon manifesting in this world.
Since they were originally one soul, under the influence of Separation and Reunion of Two, their souls were constantly intertwining and merging.
The final result was self-evident.
The two souls would inevitably fuse.
Only one Yamai would remain in the end.
“I’m asking you two.” Hiratsuka’s voice was rough—rougher than usual—as she examined the seal.
“Have you not noticed at all that your souls are being affected?”
She checked the seal.
The situation was more serious than she had anticipated.
The Yamai Sisters both had orange hair and mercury-like eyes.
Their faces looked like they were cast from the same mold—identical, perfect, unsettling—but their hairstyles, figures, and personalities were vastly different.
When Shizuka Hiratsuka first met them, there was a very clear distinction between the two…
Kaguya Yamai was more slender, had a lively personality, and spoke in a theatrical manner—simply put, she had a bit of chuunibyou and strange speech habits.
The dramatic one, Hiratsuka thought.
The one who would strike poses and declare things.
Yuzuru Yamai had a fuller figure, was calm and graceful, often kept her eyes narrowed in a listless manner, and liked to start her sentences with the word “Agreement” to express her stance.
The quiet one, Hiratsuka thought.
The one who watched and judged and occasionally said devastating things.
However…
As the influence of Separation and Reunion of Two gradually increased, signs of their personalities beginning to blur had started to appear.
Kaguya was getting quieter.
Yuzuru was getting more expressive.
They were becoming each other.
…They were becoming one.
“It doesn’t matter.” Kaguya’s voice was defiant—too defiant, too quick—but her eyes betrayed her.
“I will definitely devour Yuzuru in the end, desu.”
“Correction.” Yuzuru’s voice was equally firm.
“Yuzuru will definitely win!” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“You two!” Hiratsuka’s heart clenched, but her hand moved on its own—delivering a loving knock to each sister’s head.
“Don’t use such outdated methods to show concern for your sister. Tsundere is already out of style.”
Out of style for at least a decade, she thought.
And yet here they were, competing to see who could sacrifice themselves first.
Stupid kids.
Her stupid kids.
“Whether it’s Kaguya or Yuzuru—” Hiratsuka’s voice softened, just slightly, “I will definitely make sure you both learn and grow properly.”
She straightened up, striking a pose that was meant to be heroic but probably just looked like a tired woman with a cigarette.
“This is the passion of a teacher!”
“Teacher Hiratsuka,” Kaguya said flatly, “is a passionate idiot.”
“Agreement.” Yuzuru nodded.
“Even though she doesn’t know a single thing about sealing techniques, she still talks big.”
Brutal, Hiratsuka thought.
Absolutely brutal.
…They learned that from me, didn’t they?
“Leave that kind of thing to Haruno Yukinoshita.” She waved her hand grandly—because grand gestures were all she had left.
“She will definitely solve it.”
She had General Haruno, she told herself.
There would always be a way to solve it.
…There had to be.
“Anyway—” Hiratsuka’s expression grew serious again.
“You two must be careful lately. Resist the fusion of your souls.” She paused.
“And also—”
“I feel like Big Sister Haruno is having a very hard time,” Kaguya interrupted.
“What else?” Yuzuru asked, ignoring her sister’s lament.
Kaguya was lamenting Haruno’s hardship, Hiratsuka noted, but Yuzuru had grasped a more sensitive issue.
Typical.
One looked outward, one looked forward.
They really were two halves of the same whole.
“Leave the other issues to me.” Hiratsuka exhaled smoke—a long, weary exhale.
“However, you must pay more attention to your safety lately. Try to go to and from school with me as much as possible.”
“But if we go to school with Teacher Hiratsuka—” Kaguya tilted her head, “—we’ll be late, won’t we?”
“As expected of my other half.” Yuzuru nodded solemnly.
“You’ve seen through fate in an instant.”
“You two!” Hiratsuka’s eye twitched.
“Show some respect!”
She waved her hand and recklessly ruffled the two girls’ hair—vented her own anxiety onto their heads—because that was easier than saying what she really wanted to say.
On one hand, Haruno’s progress on the new seal—Separation and Reunion of Three—was very slow.
On the other hand, the external pressure was very heavy.
DEM’s purpose was clear as day.
Those bastards would truly use any means necessary to obtain a Spirit.
They didn’t care about seals or side effects or the fact that these were children.
They just wanted the power.
They always did.
Shizuka Hiratsuka was really under a lot of pressure.
Smoking, she thought, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling, was indeed quite helpful for relieving stress.
…Not helpful enough.
But helpful.
She took another drag and looked at the two sisters—at Kaguya’s defiant chin, at Yuzuru’s calm eyes, at the matching red seals hidden beneath their collars.
I will protect them, she vowed silently.
Even if I don’t know how.
Even if it kills me.
…Especially if it kills me.
“Alright.” She stubbed out her cigarette.
“Who wants dinner?”
“Yuzuru wants curry.”
“Kaguya also wants curry. But Kaguya wants spicy curry.”
“Then spicy curry it is.” Hiratsuka stood up, stretching her stiff shoulders.
“And afterwards, homework. No arguments.”
“Can Yuzuru watch TV after homework?”
“Can Kaguya watch TV during homework?”
“No and no.”
“Tyrant,” Kaguya muttered.
“Agreement,” Yuzuru added.
Tyrant, Hiratsuka repeated in her head.
That’s me.
Shizuka Hiratsuka, Tyrant of Chiba, Scourge of DEM, and Part-Time Japanese Language Teacher.
…I need a raise.
The Yukinoshita Family is a famous local power in Chiba Prefecture.
But very few people know that the Yukinoshita Family is not human—rather, they are the yuki-onna clan.
As yōkai that are exclusively female, yuki-onna must mate with human males to produce offspring.
And the offspring born to a yuki-onna will only ever be a yuki-onna.
Never sons.
Only daughters, generation after generation, like a snowstorm that never ends.
Therefore, the tradition of the Yukinoshita Family for generations has been simple: the eldest daughter inherits the business, then brings in a son-in-law to live with them.
There hasn’t been a Dragon King, War God, or Medical Immortal appearing yet, Haruno mused, her lips quirking.
So it seems the quality of the Yukinoshita Family’s sons-in-law needs improvement.
…Not that she was in a position to judge.
Yet.
Yukima Shrine in Chiba Prefecture is located deep in the mountains behind the Yukinoshita Family estate.
And Haruno Yukinoshita—the eldest daughter of this generation of the Yukinoshita Family—is currently studying spells in the shrine.
Even though she is already at the age to take in a son-in-law.
That particular clock was ticking, she thought.
Loudly.
Annoyingly.
Like a mosquito she couldn’t swat.
Haruno Yukinoshita is a true genius.
Her talent in practicing spiritual power is exceptionally outstanding—ranking among the best even in the long history of the Yukinoshita Family.
Furthermore, she has a unique understanding of sealing techniques.
It would not be an exaggeration to call her a master of sealing techniques.
And yet, she thought, here she was, stuck on a problem that refused to yield.
Genius had its limits.
Apparently.
At this moment, Haruno Yukinoshita—dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, because some traditions refused to die—was continuously circulating her spiritual power.
A thin layer of sweat had already appeared on her forehead.
She had clearly encountered a difficult hurdle.
The most perfect aspect of the “Separation and Reunion of Two” formula, she reflected, is that it found the balance point of the souls.
Two souls.
Perfect symbiosis.
Perfect compatibility.
Like a dance, she thought.
Two partners moving in perfect sync.
However, if one were to evolve Separation and Reunion of Two into a Separation and Reunion of Three…
The balance point between three souls would be truly difficult to grasp.
Three dancers.
Three rhythms.
Three wills.
Chaos, she thought.
Mathematical, spiritual, beautiful chaos.
And the situation with the Yamai Sisters was even more complex.
Their two souls were originally one.
They weren’t two separate entities learning to dance together—they were a single dancer who had been split in half, each half desperately trying to become whole again.
Once a third soul was added to the formula…
Could this spell truly be called a “Separation and Reunion of Three” in the end?
Haruno Yukinoshita did not think so.
The greater possibility was that the formula would fail to find a balance point.
The twins’ souls would directly fuse back into Yamai—the original, the one, the whole—and then simply achieve another Separation and Reunion of Two with the new Spirit’s soul.
Two again, she thought.
Always two.
Never three.
The formula refused to accept three.
…So how should the problem be solved?
Haruno opened her eyes.
The shrine was quiet—ancient wood, lingering incense, the faint whisper of wind through the mountain pines.
Outside, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
She had been at this for hours.
And she was no closer to an answer.
…Typical.
She stood up slowly, her joints protesting—because genius or not, sitting in seiza for hours was torture—and walked to the shrine’s entrance.
The view was spectacular.
The Yukinoshita estate spread out below her like a miniature diorama.
And beyond that, Chiba City glittered in the distance, oblivious to the supernatural politics unfolding in its backyard.
Somewhere out there, she thought, her little sister was probably lecturing a dead-fish-eyed vampire about proper club etiquette.
Somewhere else, the Yamai Sisters were arguing about who would get to sacrifice themselves first.
And somewhere else—
DEM was preparing something.
She could feel it.
A storm coming.
And she was running out of time to build shelter.
Haruno exhaled—a long, slow breath that misted in the cold mountain air—and turned back to her scrolls.
One more try, she told herself.
One more approach.
If at first you don’t succeed…
…invent a new branch of theoretical sealing arts.
No pressure.