Chapter 10 – The Visiting Committee Seeking Help
Hikigaya discovered that being a teacher, once you got into it, could actually be addictive.
Especially for someone like him who could manipulate the content of exams with his overpowered abilities.
In just a few days, he had become quite the celebrity teacher throughout Sakura Academy.
He told stories during history class and taught martial arts during PE; everyone thought his classes were both fun and fulfilling.
History classes aside, his PE classes always drew large crowds of onlookers, some of whom even joined in the practice.
And Hikigaya really did discover a few promising talents among them.
So this guy once again leaned into his signature style of "I don't follow the rules," and basically took over all the first-year PE classes…
People who knew he was a PE teacher were okay with it; those who didn't might've thought he ran a martial arts dojo.
But what pleased him the most was that his bratty little sister, Komachi, would now pester him about martial arts at home—or ask him about history—which gave his ego a huge boost.
See that? See that?! That's charm!
Who said all he could do was plant trees? Let him tell you—he was damn good at nurturing seedlings too!
But he'd only had a few days of this happy-go-lucky life before some mood-killing guys showed up today.
The visitors were from the Historical Compilation Committee. Upon entering, they immediately bowed at a 90-degree angle, their eyes darting around, heart rates high—clearly terrified of him.
This made Hikigaya feel rather out of place. He had grown used to adoring gazes lately, and this wasn't the kind of look he thought he deserved.
"Your Majes—"
"Your Majesty my ass! I live next door to you, speak properly!"
"Y-yes, of course…" The poor jujutsu practitioner pulled out a checkered handkerchief to wipe his sweat, making Hikigaya cringe in disgust. "We've received word that the young heir of the Kuhoutsuka family was attacked, and may have been mind-controlled."
"Anyone dead?" Hikigaya frowned.
He remembered that guy—at their first meeting, he'd called Hikigaya "Dumas," and it had pissed him off.
"No, just an assault."
"Then why the hell are you coming to me? Isn't Kuhoutsuka one of your Four Great Houses? If someone attacks them, go get revenge! What am I, your babysitter?"
Attacked? Ha! Must've said something stupid!
The idiot probably shot his mouth off—he could talk his way into a grave.
"This situation is difficult. The attacker is a disciple of the Martial Hero King. For someone like that to attack an important figure in our nation, it's almost certainly on the Martial Hero King's orders. We had no choice but to come to you for help."
"You guys pissed off Luo Hao?" Hikigaya's eyebrows pinched again.
Now that was troublesome... Even Voban wouldn't mess with her lightly.
Believe it or not, she was one of only two surviving ancient God-Slayers, and her temperament was the polar opposite of Voban's. She wasn't that interested in slaying gods; she was obsessed with martial arts and alchemy.
Someone like that was terrifying. Hikigaya knew just how much Authority (divine power) could enhance martial arts and spellcraft. After hundreds of years, her martial prowess might be no weaker than her divine powers.
She was, in every sense, a master of both magic and martial arts.
Maybe he should consult Voban… He had mentioned her once before, but hadn't gone into detail.
But that was a problem too. That medieval old man didn't live in the modern world at all—he didn't even use a phone.
"…Got it," Hikigaya rubbed his temples. "I'll go ask Voban."
Immediately, his visitor's face twisted in absolute horror.
"What's with that expression?" Hikigaya frowned. "You really think he's a maniac? If you people just stay out of his way, there's no problem."
He hated the way the Historical Compilation Committee acted, like everyone in the world was supposed to let them tag and archive their lives. They never considered their own weight class.
"Y-yes, yes… you're right. We'll definitely do better," the jujutsu guy nodded like a chicken pecking grain, then cautiously asked, "But… how should we receive him? Please advise us, Your Maj—"
There it is again—"Your Majesty"!
Did this disrespectful guy not know that his current title was "Sensei Hikigaya is Amazing"?
Their intelligence-gathering was so outdated.
"I'm a teacher now, you know that, right?"
"Ah? Y-yes, yes… Your care and love for your sister is truly enviable. She's very lucky."
If you dare say "I wish I was your sister," I swear I'll beat you into next week.
Hikigaya took a deep breath. He couldn't discriminate just because the guy smiled like a creep. That's not what a good teacher does.
A good teacher should smile calmly as the people he hates slowly realize they've become useless.
"Forget it, keep talking. Have you figured out the cause yet?"
"We have some clues. According to intelligence from Lady Seishuin, the target appears to be the 'Divine Lord' worshipped at Sai-Tengu Shrine. Only such a being would interest the Martial Hero King."
"Sai-Tengu? Divine Lord?" Hikigaya looked puzzled. "You mean Tokugawa Ieyasu?"
"No. The Sai-Tengu Shrine actually worships the Demon-Slaying Dragon-Slayer Divine Lord, Monkey God. It also seals off Japan's national-level Demon Gate. If the Divine Lord's seal is broken, it could cause major problems."
Oh? That's a big deal.
Now Hikigaya was interested.
The Demon Gate was usually a treasure trove for high-level onmyoji (Japanese shamans)—they could summon powerful demons as familiars.
But if a Demon Gate reached a certain level, it stopped being a treasure and became a bomb.
A national-level Demon Gate in Japan was equivalent to Hell's Gate in Chinese mythology—connected directly to the underworld.
To Hikigaya, the so-called "Demon Gate" referred to places that could nurture spirits—perfect environments for their survival and growth.
Places with unique energy fields. The bigger the gate, the more spirits it could support.
And while Japan was often mocked as a "tiny island country," that depended on your perspective. Drop Japan into Europe and it wouldn't be small at all. A national-level Demon Gate in such a country couldn't be managed by humans.
It wasn't about strength—just the scale alone made it inhospitable to humans.
Maybe in ancient times there were ways, but modern onmyoji? No chance—they'd die instantly.
So even though he didn't yet know what this "Divine Lord" really was, if the seal of a gate of that magnitude were broken, it wouldn't just be a local problem.
All of Japan's Demon Gates could go berserk, and it'd be back to the Heian Era, where humans and yokai lived side-by-side. Monsters could literally come out in droves to feast on people.
Hikigaya thought for a moment and decided this wasn't something he could ignore.
"Fine. I'd originally wanted to visit that senior anyway. Get everything ready. I'll wrap up my current affairs and head to Nikkō."
He laid out a plan in his head and continued, "Notify Ena for me—I'll need her intelligence. And get me all the info you have on that so-called Monkey God Divine Lord."
With that, he let out a long sigh.
Time to use his brain again. How depressing.
Speaking of which, this Divine Lord seemed to be monkey-related. Was there really such a badass monkey in Japanese mythology? One that could slay dragons, no less?
He waved his hand and shut the door in the guy's tearful and thankful face.
Just saying—he hadn't let them into the house the entire time.
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