Chapter 26. Tokyo Exorcism Society

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Five days had passed since that incident.

Thursday.

The morning classes had just ended.

Qiao Qiao had originally wanted to check tonight’s commission.

But then he suddenly discovered he had been added to a group on Line.

He glanced at it—it was a small group, fewer than ten people.

Among them was Ariko Asano.

Hmm.

Since the weekend’s exorcism, Ariko Asano’s attitude toward Qiao Qiao had changed once again.

If, at first, the shrine maiden Asano had treated Qiao Qiao as a colleague in a professional, somewhat distant manner,

Now, Ariko Asano regarded Qiao Qiao with reverence and warmth,

As if he were a true teacher.

It made Qiao Qiao feel a little uncomfortable.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Teacher, teacher, do you have any exorcism commissions lately? Can I observe? I don’t want any payment, I just want to watch from the side.

[Ariko☆Kira]: By the way, I just added you to our Line group. Everyone here is a newcomer from major exorcist families, about my age—some might even be your classmates.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Don’t worry, teacher. This is our little group; the adults don’t know about it. You can speak freely. We also exchange information here, so please make full use of it.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Oh, and for discretion, we usually don’t use our real names as group nicknames. You can change yours to whatever you like.

Ariko Asano quickly sent a string of text.

Young people today type on their phones so fast.

Qiao Qiao sighed and replied.

[Qiao Qiao]: Okay.

Then he changed his ID to [Newbie].

He glanced at the group.

After Qiao Qiao joined, several new messages had already appeared.

[The Sole Designated Demon God]: Huh, a newcomer joined the group, and Ariko-chan brought them in. That’s rare.

[My Wife Suzuka]: Newcomer? Where? Haven’t heard of any impressive peers lately.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Hehe, this is a remarkable master.

[Did Eijou Chant Today]: Excellent, excellent, our ranks have grown stronger.

[The Sole Designated Demon God]: The newcomer seems absent, maybe still in class.

[Wish for Archery Success]: By the way, Ariko-chan recently encountered a terrifying incident, didn’t she?

[My Wife Suzuka]: Yeah, that event was really scary—rumor has it there were ninety-nine vengeful spirits? If it were me, it might take an hour to handle.

[The Sole Designated Demon God]: Ha, keep boasting. My father said that kind of aggregation of spirits is troublesome even for the three chief priests of the shrine. You, a little onmyoji, better step aside. [Smile][Smile][Smile]

[Ariko☆Kira]: The newcomer I brought in is the exorcist who solved the incident with me.

[The Sole Designated Demon God]: Wow, impressive!

[My Wife Suzuka]: Incredible, so strong!

[Claw Machine Slayer]: Group status -1

[Wish for Archery Success]: Group status -1

[Cat Ramen]: Group status -1

[The Sole Designated Demon God]: Group status -1

Everyone expressed their admiration.

Then they continued chatting about their own topics.

Qiao Qiao greeted the group.

Everyone was welcoming.

The phone vibrated again.

It was a private message from Ariko.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Teacher, should I explain more thoroughly to them what happened that night?

[Ariko☆Kira]: Maybe after they hear it, they’ll become our allies~

Wait.

Qiao Qiao sensed something was off.

[Qiao Qiao]: No need, it was just a small task.

Qiao Qiao could see it clearly.

The shrine maiden Asano felt the group’s reaction was too subdued.

She wanted to introduce Qiao Qiao’s exploits so everyone would learn exorcism techniques from him as she did.

The intention was good.

But Qiao Qiao felt

He had only done a minor job.

Compared to those exorcists fighting ferocious evil spirits on the front lines,

It was insignificant.

If Qiao Qiao or the shrine maiden boasted about every encounter with a peer,

Wouldn’t it become a joke in front of truly powerful people?

It would make Qiao Qiao seem arrogant and ignorant.

Especially after hearing the stories the boss had told.

Qiao Qiao became more cautious.

Although the boss’s tales about past exorcisms had made him realize how dangerous the world was,

That night, Qiao Qiao was still frightened.

Just imagine: that genius exorcist, wielding the Four Souls Jewel with hundreds of thousands of spirits—by any calculation, tens of thousands of units of spiritual power—

Still suppressed.

In the end, not even worthy of a name.

Qiao Qiao thought,

His own spiritual power, less than ten thousand units,

In such a battle,

Wouldn’t even qualify as cannon fodder.

What right did he have to be proud?

So, though he knew the shrine maiden meant well,

Qiao Qiao still suggested she not excitedly ask everyone she met, “Have you heard of rocket launchers?”

Especially since this group seemed filled with heirs of renowned families like Ariko Asano.

If Qiao Qiao tried to show off without reading the room, it would be wholly inappropriate.

These heirs of famous families had seen everything, perhaps even chatting amiably with monsters.

Vengeful spirits?

Hardly worth mentioning.

The group’s reaction proved it.

Though everyone said “impressive,”

It was probably just polite flattery.

Would a top graduate of Tokyo University’s math department care if the kid next door won a prize in elementary school math?

Of course not.

They’d just smile and say, “Your child is so smart, maybe they’ll get into Tokyo University someday.”

On the other side of the phone, Ariko Asano read Qiao Qiao’s words.

“Huh? That’s something you could really show off in front of those guys.”

She muttered, switched back to the group chat, and deleted the message she had typed.

In this respect, Ariko Asano was quite obedient.

She thought it over.

Ariko Asano understood.

The teacher must feel

Eliminating ninety-nine vengeful spirits and one evil spirit—

Sit down, it’s just basic procedure.

Just a small task.

Would the world champion sprinter boast about winning first place at a school sports day?

Isn’t it obvious?

Judging from that night, Ariko Asano concluded, the teacher was used to such events.

That calm demeanor, the practiced loading of ammunition, the precise firing.

Impossible to imagine how many times he had experienced this.

So proficient.

That’s why he felt no need to emphasize these things.

If he were to brag loudly,

It would only harm his image,

Leaving a gaudy impression.

She had overstepped.

Almost

She had lowered the teacher’s status.

Ariko Asano was deeply regretful.

Fortunately, the teacher corrected her in time.

Isn’t life much the same?

Sometimes, the truth you think you know is not the real truth.

A lesson learned.

Ariko Asano recorded this in the notes app on her phone, where she kept all her insights and reflections from training.

She then replied to Qiao Qiao.

[Ariko☆Kira]: Teacher, I understand.

“Good, as long as you understand.”

Qiao Qiao saw Ariko Asano had grasped his point and nodded in satisfaction.

Lunch break.

Aside from eating a 780-yen salt-grilled mackerel set meal in the cafeteria, Qiao Qiao spent most of his time quietly observing the group.

He discovered this group

Was full of hidden talents.

For example, [The Sole Designated Demon God] had mentioned his father and family shrine many times.

Few shrines can be called “jinguu”—aside from Ariko Asano’s Atsuta Shrine, there’s Ise Shrine, Meiji Shrine, and so on.

All top-tier major shrines.

Therefore,

This [The Sole Designated Demon God] was likely the heir of a major shrine.

Even someone like Ariko Asano, an apprentice shrine maiden from an Atsuta Shrine branch, had such deep roots.

This heir must be even more extraordinary.

Then there was [My Wife Suzuka], a classmate.

He had his wife’s name as his group nickname.

Clearly devoted.

His words revealed exceptional talent.

Solving ninety-nine vengeful spirits in an hour—if Qiao Qiao hadn’t prepared an exorcism rocket launcher, it would have been impossible.

Yet to him, it was a simple matter.

This showed [My Wife Suzuka]’s prowess.

And he wasn’t a priest, but an onmyoji.

He even dared to spar with [The Sole Designated Demon God] in the group,

Unafraid of making enemies.

So young, so accomplished.

It was astonishing.

Another, [Did Eijou Chant Today],

The only identity Qiao Qiao could confirm.

From his messages, he was a Buddhist practitioner.

And Qiao Qiao had searched online in the afternoon.

Eijou was the Dharma name of a monk at Senso-ji.

Behind it was Mikoto Hoshikawa from Qiao Qiao’s own school.

Unexpectedly, Mikoto Hoshikawa never forgot to remind himself to chant even while chatting in the group.

He even changed his nickname to a self-reminder.

Truly a model for us all.

Worthy of emulation.

There were other members, but they hadn’t spoken, perhaps observing quietly.

Some made occasional comments, but even those showed they were extraordinary.

Intimidating.

The group was full of big shots.

Luckily, he was quick and stopped the shrine maiden from saying anything reckless.

Otherwise, he might have been laughed at.

Qiao Qiao shuddered.

He was about to put down his phone and preview the afternoon’s classes.

Suddenly,

The phone vibrated.

It was no illusion.

Qiao Qiao saw someone had sent him a Line message.

It wasn’t a group member.

But someone unexpected.

The message was simple.

Just one sentence.

“Master, save me!”