Kuzeha had guessed that Yukinoshita Haruno would likely contact him soon.
But he didn't expect it to be this fast.
He had just arrived at school the next day when he received a message from Shizuka Hiratsuka.
...
Office.
Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at her former student with a subtle expression.
"You're asking Kuzeha to perform an exorcism too?"
"When did this kid get so famous…"
Hearing her murmur, Yukinoshita Haruno asked with mild surprise, "Too?"
"So you've seen this Kuzeha… classmate perform an exorcism for someone else?"
Hiratsuka nodded. "Yeah, just yesterday he resolved the anomaly that had possessed Teacher Rena."
Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes showed clear surprise.
She knew Nakano Rena, of course.
When she first enrolled at Sobu High, that teacher had been one of the grade directors.
Then she resigned due to illness and never returned.
She hadn't expected that the mysterious illness plaguing Nakano Rena for so many years had been resolved by Kuzeha.
That made her gain a bit more confidence in Kuzeha's abilities.
"Rena-sensei paid him a ten-digit fee, you sure you want to ask my student to handle this?" Hiratsuka reminded her.
Ten digits was indeed a hefty sum.
But compared to the Yukinoshita conglomerate, that was barely a drop in the ocean.
"…Don't worry, Shizuka, I'm prepared." Haruno gave a bitter smile.
"As long as you're ready!" Hiratsuka nodded in satisfaction.
"Last time, this guy only bought me a bowl of beef ramen. This time… it'd better be at least three!"
Yukinoshita Haruno looked at Hiratsuka in surprise.
She'd thought Hiratsuka was kindly warning her, but it turned out she was just worried Kuzeha wouldn't make enough money—and wouldn't buy her beef ramen?
Haruno couldn't help but smile wryly.
And to think, she was satisfied with just three bowls of ramen…
This made her realize that the relationship between Hiratsuka and Kuzeha was probably not just that of an ordinary teacher and student.
A while later.
Kuzeha pushed open the door to Hiratsuka's office.
Seeing the handsome and gentle boy before her, Yukinoshita Haruno found it difficult to reconcile him with the version of Kuzeha from last night.
She steadied herself and asked the question that weighed most on her mind.
"Last night, you said Yukino only had three days left. What did you mean?"
That one line carried so much information that Hiratsuka blinked in surprise.
Kuzeha glanced at her, but didn't answer directly. Instead, he shifted the topic to the anomaly surrounding Yukinoshita Yukino.
"If I'm not wrong, the anomaly Yukino is facing should be what's called a bakeneko."
"Only… the bakeneko attached to Yukino is a bit strange. It hasn't turned on her, but instead became a second personality formed from her accumulated stress, frustration, and emotional repression!"
"I'd guess that the source of that stress is probably you and your mother, right, Miss Haruno?"
The boy's words echoed in Haruno's ears. She lowered her head slightly, her beautiful face dimming a little.
She couldn't refute him.
Because of their mother, the Yukinoshita household's education was domineering and even extreme.
Haruno had taken it upon herself to shoulder everything, hoping Yukino could grow up in a more ordinary and comfortable environment.
But she hadn't expected that this only made things worse for Yukino, the "useless" second daughter, intensifying the pressure on her instead.
Especially in recent years, as the Yukinoshita conglomerate expanded rapidly, the relationship between Yukino, her sister, and their mother had hit rock bottom.
Now that this had happened to Yukino, Haruno was deeply ashamed and believed she bore undeniable responsibility.
"Actually, the solution is simple. Either eliminate the source of pressure that's making Yukino uneasy…"
Kuzeha smiled lightly.
"Unfortunately, that's the hardest path for the Yukinoshita family. So I imagine you chose the second route—eliminating the bakeneko!"
"If I'm not wrong… you sought help from one of those so-called deities, didn't you?"
Kuzeha noticed Haruno's face darkened slightly and immediately understood.
"Looks like you've realized the consequences."
Haruno nodded heavily.
They had initially thought they could resolve the anomaly clinging to Yukino, only to discover that the being merely wanted to make her a permanent servant—an eternal slave.
"Sankokudani Shrine… we were warned about it by an old woman. We've stayed far away ever since."
"Wait… when you said Yukino only has three days left, did you mean that shrine?"
Haruno's expression changed as she caught on.
Kuzeha nodded.
"If you don't pay your debt, of course they'll come to collect."
Haruno's face paled noticeably.
No matter how you looked at it, they were dealing with gods.
"Do you have confidence?" she asked nervously.
Compared to gods, even the weight of the Yukinoshita conglomerate meant nothing.
"Gods…"
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk appeared on Kuzeha's lips.
In this country, where any random spirit or monster could call itself a deity, even if it were a real one—what was there to fear?
Any spirit-based entity couldn't escape the grasp of spiritual binding and summoning!
"Still, it's best if Yukino comes with us."
Kuzeha suddenly turned his gaze toward the office door, making both Haruno and Hiratsuka freeze.
"Yukino?"
A moment later, the cold, snow-like girl with long black hair pushed open the door and entered everyone's view.
Her beautiful face showed a mixture of complicated emotions as she looked at Kuzeha and Haruno.
"Yukino, you… heard everything just now?"
...
Ten minutes later.
Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino, Shizuka Hiratsuka, and Kuzeha all rode in the same car, headed for Sankokudani Shrine.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat in the back seat, her long, slender hands twisted together.
Her mind was a chaotic mess.
Possessed by an anomaly… According to Kuzeha, her inner personality—Black Yukino—would sometimes take over her body and cause harm outside.
The dreams she'd been having recently were real…
Which meant last night's dream was also real.
And that boy—was the very same Kuzeha sitting beside her…
The thought of her acting like a clingy cat in that dream, rubbing against him in all sorts of positions, even meowing in pleasure from the way he scratched her…
Yukino's snow-white face flushed bright red.
What made it even worse—
With the car swaying slightly, she occasionally brushed against Kuzeha beside her.
That sensation, combined with the scent coming from him, made it nearly impossible for Yukinoshita Yukino to calm her pounding heart.
"Turn up the A/C… It's a little hot in here."
She tried to stay calm as she spoke to the driver.
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