Chapter 41: Ah, I Am a Deer

The moment Qiao Qiao spoke, it truly was just an instant. The girl felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss, her entire body rigid, as if time itself had stopped. Qiao Qiao watched her in silence. Ten seconds passed before the girl managed to force a smile.

“A monster? I—I don’t know anything about that,” she said, her acting painfully poor.

Qiao Qiao sighed and took out his registered exorcist credentials, confirming once more—she was indeed a monster. With his spiritual sight, he could see her spirit: beneath the human appearance, there was a deer, two tiny antlers sprouting from her head. So, she was likely a boy, Qiao Qiao recalled from his biology classes.

Just as he had learned for the exorcist registration exam, most beings classified as Type Two anomalies were monsters—animals or objects, steeped in spiritual energy over time, developing intelligence and eventually becoming monsters. Simply put, they were non-human beings who possessed human-level intelligence.

Among monsters, shape-shifting was a difficult feat: transforming into human form. According to the manual, it took at least a hundred years for a monster to possibly take on human shape. Of course, shape-shifting was merely a visible indicator, unrelated to strength. A monster could lazily idle away a hundred years and become human, or it could diligently cultivate for a century and achieve the same. Age and power did not correlate; sometimes, a monster’s spiritual energy would plateau after ten years of cultivation, and even if it trained for another thousand years, it would remain a ten-year monster. Just as with humans—fifty-year-olds are not necessarily smarter than twenty-year-olds. The differences between people, and between monsters, are objectively real. Qiao Qiao had learned all this from the study materials, knowledge required for his exams.

Moreover, a monster’s hundred years was very different from a human’s. A gifted, revered monk with just fifty years of cultivation could suppress monsters that had lived for centuries. Otherwise, if victory depended only on age, monsters would outlive humans, and civilization would be lost. According to the Onmyoji Bureau’s research on shikigami and monsters, they discovered that the human form was the most suitable for accumulating spiritual power. That’s one reason why, upon reaching a certain stage, monsters strive to take human shape.

Naturally, the exact ratio of cultivation time to strength remains undetermined, due to significant individual differences. Much like the concept of anomalies itself, the affairs of that world are always ambiguous, lacking quantitative descriptions—hence, the fear they inspire. Humans inevitably dread what they cannot control.

Nevertheless, shape-shifting remains a clear indicator of age. In other words, this adorable little deer monster before him must be at least a hundred years old.

“An—an exorcist…” the little deer trembled, utterly unlike a monster of a century’s wisdom.

“Don’t worry, I’m not some shady person,” Qiao Qiao smiled. “Nor will I destroy you without reason, as long as you show your residency permit.”

That was why Qiao Qiao could so calmly share a half-price bento in the supermarket’s dining area with a monster: monsters were regulated by the Exorcist Association. In the beginning—hundreds or thousands of years ago—humans and monsters fought fiercely, leaving many legends behind.

For example, the sword in the Atsuta Shrine of the Asano priestess family was a relic obtained after Susanoo defeated the Yamata no Orochi. Yet, as human civilization progressed, monsters gradually fell behind. Not only could they not defeat humans, but they were also eroded by human culture. It must be said: human culture was a greater threat than human weapons.

Especially in modern times, many monsters even began to think, “If we wipe out humans, wouldn’t we lose TV shows and video games?” Of course, they couldn’t actually eliminate humanity. Especially after a certain incident years ago, a significant portion of monsters chose to assimilate. They realized their limits and ceased being monsters, registering with the Exorcist Association, obtaining residency permits, and submitting to regular check-ups—living as ordinary humans.

As for the minority—those newly awakened, driven by instinct to slaughter humans, or who simply enjoyed killing—these were exterminated by the association on sight. For example, the half-monster Qiao Qiao encountered previously in Wadabori Park, collecting vengeful spirits and wreaking havoc. Such threats had to be dealt with decisively.

Back to the present. When he first saw the girl in the half-price bento section, Qiao Qiao’s spiritual vision told him she was a monster. But he was not reckless; he didn’t immediately draw his weapon or engage in a drawn-out battle—otherwise, the supermarket staff would suffer. So, Qiao Qiao prudently pretended not to recognize her, even kindly offering her a meal.

While the girl waited in the dining area, Qiao Qiao feigned a trip to buy drinks, assembling his revolver and loading bullets before returning. At that moment, under the table, while the girl happily ate, as Qiao Qiao smiled and offered her oolong tea and asked if she wanted anything else, his gun was already trained on the little monster.

Qiao Qiao was no demon; if she had a residency permit and was merely wandering, all would be well. But should anything seem amiss, he would not hesitate.

However, the moment she heard “residency permit,” she burst into tears. The store staff glanced over, perhaps thinking a heartless man had dumped a girl.

“My residency permit was confiscated,” she sobbed, explaining, “They tricked me, took my permit, made me work, said I couldn’t escape, and that if I walked the streets without a permit, exorcists would kill me.” Her clothes were soaked with tears.

Click—

A crisp sound came from beneath the table: a bullet being chambered.

“I—I can find someone to vouch for me! I’m a good monster!” Sensing the murderous intent, the girl pleaded, then uttered a name that surprised Qiao Qiao.

“Miss Sakura! Miss Sakura from the Shinjuku Branch helped me get my permit!”

Hearing that name, Qiao Qiao raised an eyebrow, taking out his phone to message Miss Sakura on Line. If he remembered correctly, she was on duty at the association today.

Soon, she replied:

[Sakura Kokoro]: Hmm? Deer monster—if she knows me, is it Suzuka?

Suzuka? That seemed familiar.

“What’s your name?” Qiao Qiao asked, checking the message.

“Suzuka! My human name is Tamura Suzuka!” she said hurriedly.

“Wrong answer,” Qiao Qiao said coldly.

“That’s impossible! Miss Sakura definitely remembers me—I helped her before, let me talk to her!” the girl protested, incredulous.

It seemed genuine. Qiao Qiao eased his killing intent a little.

At this moment, Miss Sakura sent another message:

[Sakura Kokoro]: Qiao, did you really run into Suzuka? Wait, you’d better not do anything weird.

[Qiao Qiao]: Don’t worry, I’ve handled her properly.

[Sakura Kokoro]: Han—handled, meaning…

[Qiao Qiao]: Miss Sakura, I’ll bring her to the Shinjuku Branch now.

Seeing Qiao Qiao’s reply, Miss Sakura, working in the vast office, suddenly had a bad feeling.

...

In front of Shinjuku Station, at the National Exorcist Association’s Shinjuku Branch. Even during Golden Week, staff were on duty. In the lobby, Miss Sakura handed her work to a colleague and led Qiao Qiao and Suzuka to the reception room.

“Miss Sakura!” Suzuka cried loudly, clinging to Sakura’s leg like a lost child finally reunited with her parent.

“Qiao, you really do pick up the strangest things,” Miss Sakura said, gazing deeply at Qiao Qiao. After calming Suzuka for some time, she finally stopped crying.

“Indeed, the boss was right—spirits attract each other,” Qiao Qiao mused, nodding in agreement. His sudden urge to buy a half-price bento was, he supposed, due to the presence of this little monster.

“But Suzuka, why are you alone on the street, and why was your residency permit confiscated?” Miss Sakura glanced at Qiao Qiao, then patiently questioned Suzuka. She remembered Suzuka had come to Tokyo half a year ago to stay with relatives, with no criminal record—a good child. But now, something seemed off.

Suzuka, hearing the question, burst into tears again, then explained between sobs. She had been an ordinary deer in Nara, just recently separated from her mother, living alone. One day, she felt a mysterious sensation and transformed into human form. Some monsters found her and brought her to Tokyo. Only after arriving did Suzuka realize these weren’t good monsters: they lured other monsters, confiscated their residency permits, and forced them to work for money.

Without a permit, simply walking the streets meant exorcists would hunt them down. These monsters threatened them not to seek help from the association, saying that merely approaching a branch would lead to instant extermination. Thus, these inexperienced young monsters dared not resist.

Suzuka, who earned the most, enjoyed slightly better treatment. Some monsters, unable to earn money, were brutally abused. Even so, Suzuka longed to escape. One day, she succeeded—she fled, but without a permit, she could only venture out when no one was around. With no money or phone, she survived on the scant cash left in her pocket, eating the cheapest bean sprouts, sleeping in parks—a life she endured for nearly a month.

Eventually, Suzuka could bear it no longer. She thought of ending her life. So, with her last three hundred yen, she decided to eat one final half-price bento, then go to the exorcist association and seek release.

It was at that moment she met Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao, upon hearing this, noticed one detail. “You said you’d just left your mother and transformed into human form. How old are you?”

“Um, three years old,” Suzuka replied after thinking, then added, “The age on my permit was filled in by those monsters—everyone from my area is about my age.”

Now even Miss Sakura realized something was amiss. A monster that shape-shifted in three years—was it extraordinary talent, or had monster evolution accelerated dramatically? Moreover, there wasn’t just one, but a whole group?

???