Plagued by Cursed Spirits, Yotsuya Miko was desperate to find a solution.
Originally, during the summer break, she couldn't wait to hole up at home for all twenty-four hours of the day.
That was because she'd discovered that "home" seemed to repel the ghosts—at least, she'd never seen them come inside.
But with the start of the school year fast approaching, and knowing she couldn't avoid it forever, she searched all the nearby temples.
She tried prayer beads, talismans… but none of them worked. Refusing to give up, she made her way to the church in this area for help.
Her thinking was simple: if local Buddhism didn't work, she'd turn to Western churches.
It just so happened she'd heard that a once-abandoned church had recently been renovated—so Yotsuya Miko set off in that direction.
But once she arrived near the supposed location, she was dumbfounded.
No matter how she followed the map, she couldn't find the church.
Worse yet, on her way there, she encountered a monster chasing her.
After walking for quite a while, she finally accepted that she couldn't find the way.
She scratched her head and muttered helplessly, "Looks like I'm lost. Guess I'll have to turn back."
Using that as an excuse, she quickly picked up the pace.
And in the next second, a figure in a priest's uniform appeared in her vision—a so-called Exorcist.
The man wore a gentle smile and asked kindly, "Do you need help?"
Hearing his first sentence, Yotsuya Miko was so overwhelmed she almost burst into tears.
Didn't this mean the Exorcist could actually see the "monster" that had been chasing her?!
She immediately cried out, "Yes! I need help!"
But the moment the words left her mouth, the Exorcist's face twisted into a wicked grin.
"So... you can see me~~~"
Black mist billowed around him as his body distorted and morphed into a grotesque meatball monster made of flesh and limbs.
"Why... can they even disguise themselves now?!"
Yotsuya Miko mentally broke down, her eyes brimming with tears.
She turned on her heels and tried to run—but tragically, the decayed corpse-like Cursed Spirit that had been pursuing her earlier was now blocking her path.
With enemies to the front and rear, she had no escape.
"So those dead Exorcists' grudges and souls really did turn into a Cursed Spirit this quickly. The strength's decent too—at least a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit."
Cursed Spirits were beings whose intelligence increased along with their strength.
Ordinarily, Grade 2 Cursed Spirits couldn't disguise themselves.
But this one was different. It had absorbed too many Exorcist souls, making it far more cunning than most of its rank.
Hayashi murmured to himself, stepping out from the repelling barrier.
From Yotsuya Miko's perspective, it was like a handsome boy suddenly appeared beside her.
It's over!
Another monster!
She felt no joy at seeing a handsome guy—only mounting dread.
Terrified to the point of paralysis, she stood frozen on the spot.
"You're holding up better than I thought, girl~~"
Seeing that Yotsuya Miko wasn't breaking down into tears, Hayashi smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
An invisible force field blanketed the area, forcing the two Cursed Spirits to back away.
Drip, drip, drip~~
Suddenly, the sound of falling water reached his ears.
Yotsuya Miko's eyes were watery, with tears like pearls streaming down her cheeks.
She was crying up top, and apparently down below as well.
At this moment, she truly wanted to do what she always did—pretend she couldn't see anything.
But the overwhelming fear had pushed her past her limit.
"…Okay, I spoke too soon."
Seeing that she had literally wet herself, Hayashi pinched her cheek and, under her frightened gaze, raised a finger.
"Light Spears."
Dozens, then hundreds of glowing spears of light formed mid-air.
In the next second, they rained down like a storm, piercing and annihilating the two Cursed Spirits completely.
[Ding! Random Trait Acquired: Devouring Spirit (Blue)]
[Devouring Spirit (Blue): Feed on souls to strengthen your own.]
"Interesting. That must've dropped from the Exorcist Cursed Spirit?"
He'd killed quite a few Cursed Spirits before but had never gotten a Trait from one.
Maybe because most of the ones he encountered were weak—lower-grade trash.
Hayashi had studied Cursed Spirits a bit. He knew they devoured each other to grow stronger.
They attacked humans not just for their vitality, but also for their souls.
Putting the thought aside, Hayashi turned to look at the girl who was still frozen beside him.
When his gaze met hers, Yotsuya Miko's knees began trembling uncontrollably.
She had already been tricked by one Cursed Spirit—how could she tell if this guy wasn't one too?
"Stop shaking. If I were a Cursed Spirit, I'd have eaten you already."
With a wave of his hand, Hayashi dispelled the church's repelling barrier.
As Yotsuya Miko watched him remain unchanged—no monstrous transformation—and saw the church suddenly appear, she was stunned.
She instantly concluded that Hayashi must be a powerful Exorcist.
Then came the unpleasant "wet sensation" she could no longer ignore.
"Ugh~~"
Blushing, she clamped her thighs together and, after hesitating for two seconds, quickly followed after him.
At this point, she had no other choice.
But upon entering the church, Yotsuya Miko felt like she'd stepped into a den of wolves.
The moment she entered, a beautiful black-haired girl respectfully called Hayashi "Master."
The air was thick with the scent of blood—and something else… something heavy.
Just from taking a breath, her body felt strange.
And if she wasn't mistaken, weren't there two unconscious women lying in the corner?!
Seeing Kalawarner and Mittelt lying there with only thin blankets covering them, Yotsuya Miko froze.
This scene… was way too lewd.
Don't tell me the ghost I met today was a… pervert ghost?!
Nooo!
I've never even had a boyfriend!
Yotsuya Miko looked like she was about to cry, lowering her head and saying nothing.
Noticing where she was looking, Hayashi casually said, "Relax, they're Fallen Angels. They did bad things, so I punished them."
"F-Fallen Angels?"
Yotsuya Miko looked up, dazed.
Her image of Fallen Angels came from ancient myths—beings who rebelled against God.
They certainly didn't look like those two poor women lying there in the corner.
"This is just one of my little exorcism tricks~"
"Anyway, let's introduce ourselves."
"I'm Shinryu Hayashi. This is my newly opened Exorcism Office. We also handle demon removal, spirit cleansing, and such."
"These are my sisters, Naruse Mio and Naruse Maria. She's my subordinate, Raynare."
Yotsuya Miko blankly took the business card Hayashi handed her.
Snapping back to reality, she stammered out, "I'm Yotsuya Miko… just an ordinary high school student."
"Miko, let's not beat around the bush. Normally, a spirit-cleansing job like this would cost five million yen, but since we're fated to meet, I'll give you a discount—three million."
Hayashi tapped his finger on the table and went straight to business.
Hearing the number, Yotsuya Miko's face turned ghostly pale, and she lowered her head in fear.
In that moment, she truly understood—
There are things scarier than ghosts: not having money.