Lunch break at Sōbu High School was always filled with the restlessness and clamor of adolescence.
Only Ai felt that this clamor was somewhat grating.
He sat in the window seat, a simple double-layered bento box placed before him.
This was something he had whipped up that morning using [God-Tier Cooking (Home Cooking)].
The dishes were simple: tamagoyaki, octopus sausages, and some pickled vegetables.
However, the moment the lid was opened, a light yet incredibly enticing aroma wafted out leisurely, as if it had eyes of its own.
“Gurgle…”
Someone’s stomach had growled.
Several boys nearby who were munching on bread sniffed the air and looked around in confusion: “What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant. It smells like Mom’s cooking, but it feels a bit more high-end…”
Ai’s expression remained unchanged, as if the discussions around him had nothing to do with him.
He picked up a piece of tamagoyaki and put it in his mouth.
Mmm, the texture was dense and creamy, with a rich egg flavor.
Is this the power of the system?
Even though they were just ordinary ingredients, it could bring out the deliciousness from the very depths of their souls.
Just as he was eating quietly, a gaze was fixed on his back like a prickling needle.
It wasn’t an evil spirit.
The gaze of an evil spirit was cold and slimy, while this gaze…
was full of longing, struggle, and hesitation.
Ai glanced slightly to the side.
On the other side of the classroom, Yotsuya Miko was sitting at her desk, holding a pineapple bun but not taking a single bite.
Her face looked even worse than yesterday, with deep dark circles under her eyes; she clearly hadn’t slept well last night.
And crouched under Yotsuya Miko’s desk was a “child” whose entire body was charred black.
That “child” was staring fixedly at Miko’s swaying calves with its one remaining eye, letting out sharp “hee-hee-hee” giggles.
Its pitch-black claws reached out from time to time, trying to grab her ankles.
Yotsuya Miko was stiff all over.
She desperately tucked her legs under the chair, not even daring to breathe too heavily.
Her good friend, Yurikawa Hana, had gone to the school store to scramble for the limited-edition yakisoba bread.
Right now, she was isolated and helpless.
‘So scary…
so scary…’
Miko screamed in her heart.
She felt that the cold claw was only a few millimeters away from her skin.
Just then, that faint aroma of food drifted to the tip of her nose.
It was the smell of Ai’s bento.
For some reason, the moment she smelled it, Miko felt the “child” crouching under the table seem to shrink back, and the originally bone-chilling coldness receded a bit.
She subconsciously looked up at the figure by the window.
The boy was eating quietly, his back straight.
The sunlight from the window spilled over him.
Although his face still lacked expression, in Miko’s eyes at this moment, his whole being seemed to be glowing.
‘If…
if I could stay by his side…’
A crazy thought sprouted in Miko’s mind.
Once this thought appeared, it spread wildly like toxic weeds.
It was the longing of a drowning person for driftwood, the greed of someone in extreme cold for a bonfire.
Ai noticed that the gaze was becoming increasingly burning.
He felt a bit of a headache.
‘Don’t look at me, young lady.
I’m just a passerby who wants to eat in peace.’
He complained in his heart, but on the surface, he quickened his eating pace, quickly packed up his bento box, and got up to leave the classroom…
The afternoon classes were somewhat boring for Ai.
As a transmigrator, combined with his system-boosted Intelligence of 14 (an average person is 10), university courses held no difficulty for him.
He spent most of his time daydreaming or researching that so-called [Romance Strategy System].
Finally, the school bell rang.
This moment was liberation for ordinary students, but for Yotsuya Miko, it was the beginning of a nightmare.
“Miko! I’m going to be late for club activities, so I’m heading out first!” Yurikawa Hana waved with high spirits and rushed out of the classroom like a whirlwind.
“Yeah… be careful on the way.”
Yotsuya Miko responded weakly.
People in the classroom left one after another.
As the human presence diminished, the things lurking in the shadows began to grow restless.
Distorted human faces were reflected on the window glass; from the corner of the corridor came the sound of dragging, heavy footsteps.
Yotsuya Miko’s hands trembled as she packed her schoolbag.
She didn’t dare go home.
The way home involved passing through a dark park and a twenty-minute train ride.
At this Twilight Hour, those places would definitely be a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
‘What should I do…
what should I do…’
Just as she was in despair, she saw Ai, who hadn’t left yet.
Because of classroom duty, Ai was the last to leave the classroom.
He picked up his bag and indifferently turned off the classroom lights.
*Click.*
As the lights went out, the classroom plunged into dimness.
Yotsuya Miko was so scared she almost screamed.
Her body reacted instinctively—she grabbed her bag like it was her last lifeline and stumbled to get behind Ai.
Ai stopped his pace and looked back.
In the dim corridor, the girl lowered her head, her hands tightly clutching the straps of her schoolbag, less than half a meter away from him.
Although she didn’t speak, that look in her eyes, like an abandoned puppy, already said everything.
Ai didn’t speak, just quietly looked at her.
He was waiting for the system’s reaction.
As expected.
[Ding! Continuous mission triggered!]
[Mission Name: Moving Haven (I)]
[Description: Yotsuya Miko’s mental defense is nearing the brink of collapse. At this moment, to her, you are not just a classmate, but her only guarantee of survival.]
[Goal: Allow her to follow you until she safely reaches home (or arrives at a safe area).]
[Special Requirement: On the way back, try to satisfy her craving for a “sense of security” (including but not limited to physical contact).]
[Reward: Charm +1, Special Ability: Malice Perception (Passive), Yotsuya Miko’s favorability will significantly increase.]
Ai sighed in his heart.
‘Physical contact?
System, get serious.
Is this still a university pure love channel?’
Even though he thought so, his face remained calm and unruffled.
“On your way?”
He asked knowingly, his voice cool.
Yotsuya Miko looked up abruptly, a flash of surprise in her eyes, and hurriedly nodded like a woodpecker: “Yes! It’s on the way! Um… Fujiwara-san is also taking the Chiba Line, right?”
In fact, she had no idea where Ai lived; she just simply wanted to follow him.
“Yeah.”
Ai turned and started walking out.
“Follow me.”
Those three simple words sounded like heavenly music to Yotsuya Miko.
She quickly trotted a few steps, following closely behind Ai’s left.
That position was the closest to him and the one where she could best feel his presence.
The two of them walked out of the school gates one after the other.
Along the way, Yotsuya Miko discovered that as long as she stayed within a two-meter range of Ai, those evil spirits that would normally bare their fangs at her or even try to touch her all avoided them from a distance, as if they had met their natural enemy.
This long-lost peace moved her so much she wanted to cry.
She looked at the boy’s back ahead of her—it wasn’t particularly broad, but it was exceptionally upright—and the sense of dependency in her heart was fermenting at a terrifying speed.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the station.
It was currently the peak hour for commuting and school dismissal, and the platform was crowded with people.
And mixed within the crowded throng were many “things” that only Miko could see.
A soaking wet “salaryman” was clinging to the back of a female office worker, constantly whispering in her ear; at the edge of the tracks, a monster consisting only of hands was trying to grab the ankles of passersby.
Miko’s face turned pale instantly.
There were too many.
A place with a mix of people like a station was also where the Yin energy was heaviest.
*Screech—*
The train pulled into the station.
The doors opened, and the crowd swarmed in.
Yotsuya Miko was pushed by the crowd, almost losing Ai.
A sense of fear instantly gripped her throat.
“Fujiwara-san!”
She subconsciously cried out, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
A hand reached out from the crowd and accurately grasped her wrist.
That hand was slender and powerful, the palm dry and warm.
Ai pulled her over with one tug, then turned, using his own body to carve out a small space for her in the crowded carriage.
“Hold on tight.”
Ai’s voice was exceptionally clear in the noisy carriage.
At this moment, Yotsuya Miko could no longer care about the propriety between men and women.
The carriage was packed with people, and right behind her, an evil spirit with a flattened head was pressed against the window glass, staring fixedly at her.
Extreme fear made her legs go weak, and she instinctively shrank toward her only source of safety—Ai’s embrace.