Hearing Yozora's words, Yotsuya Miko's heart sank, and she murmured.
"If that's truly the case, then the so-called Gate is indeed very dangerous."
Yotsuya Miko's psychological resilience was extraordinary, and her mind was quite sharp.
She immediately realized that if the Evil Spirit's ability to disguise itself as a human was indeed caused by the "Gate," then for a Supernatural Power User like her, it would be nothing short of an utter disaster.
The Evil Spirit that had just disguised itself as Hiratsuka Shizuka had no flaws in its appearance whatsoever; even if there were, Yotsuya Miko certainly couldn't discern them.
The most troublesome part was that if she couldn't distinguish them, no matter how cautious she was, there would always be times when she mistook an Evil Spirit for a human.
If such a thing happened, the consequences would be self-evident.
It's not like she could always rely on Yozora to arrive in time to save her at every critical moment.
Thinking of this, Yotsuya Miko finally made up her mind, her eyes showing seriousness, and she slowly spoke.
"I want to see the Gate you mentioned. Is it nearby?"
"Yes."
After receiving Yozora's affirmative reply, Yotsuya Miko nodded slightly.
"Mmm, then after the last class ends, after school, I'll trouble you to lead me there."
"No problem."
...
When the two returned to the classroom together, Yotsuya Miko noticed that the surrounding classmates were all scrutinizing her and Yozora with very gossipy eyes.
She knew everyone must have misunderstood the relationship between them.
However, Yotsuya Miko really wasn't in the mood to consider such trivial matters right now.
What she was most worried about now was how she would continue to survive if Evil Spirits gained the ability to disguise themselves as humans.
Everything else had to be put aside for now.
When the class bell rang, Hiratsuka Shizuka, wearing a white lab coat and yawning, walked into the classroom right on time.
She stretched languidly, a bored expression on her face.
"Alright, as per custom, before this class ends and we dismiss for the day, we need to elect class representatives. Does anyone want to volunteer?"
Hearing Teacher Hiratsuka's question, the students below were very enthusiastic.
"I, XXX, genuinely want to be class president!"
"I choose XX, he's the popular choice!"
"If you ask me, it has to be..."
...
There were quite a few students who actively raised their hands to express their opinions.
But without exception, the names they spoke were never their own.
From this attitude of 'sacrifice others to save oneself,' it was clear that class representative was not a good job in everyone's eyes, but rather a troublesome matter to be avoided.
Yozora, sitting in the corner of the classroom, said nothing, merely looking detached and staring blankly at the scenery outside the window.
He didn't believe that any classmate, or even Teacher Hiratsuka, would choose him as a class representative.
With the ridiculous rumors about him in school, how could he possibly serve as a class representative?
Responsible for what? Firearms management? How to become famous on the first day of school? A hundred rules for eliminating anomalies?
Actually, come to think of it.
The last one might actually work.
But with a little thought, there wouldn't be a committee member responsible for that, right?
Teacher Hiratsuka clearly saw that the students were just messing around and not seriously choosing anyone, so she could only shake her head helplessly and sigh.
"I know it's only the first day of school, and you're not familiar with each other, so asking you to vote directly would indeed be asking too much."
At this point, Teacher Hiratsuka paused, then changed her tone.
"Then how about this, today is Monday, we'll hold the election before school ends this Friday."
"But let me be clear, by then, everyone must vote and state their reasons."
Teacher Hiratsuka scanned the students in the classroom, her slender, fair right hand clenching into a fist and shaking it in front of everyone.
"If anyone dares to cause trouble, they'll face my iron fist of justice."
As soon as she said this, the students sitting below were all amused, and the classroom was filled with a cheerful atmosphere for a moment.
Only Yozora knew that the 'iron fist of justice' Teacher Hiratsuka spoke of was no joke.
This Teacher was an expert who loved hot-blooded manga and was skilled in martial arts.
Teacher Hiratsuka's punch was not something an ordinary student could withstand.
After class, Yozora didn't linger for a moment and left the classroom directly with Yotsuya Miko.
Watching their retreating figures, Toma Kazusa stood in the corridor, pausing for a moment, her eyes showing a complex expression, finally settling on the can of Pepsi gripped in Yozora's right hand.
...
Yotsuya Miko first went to the office to find Teacher Hiratsuka.
Although the latter didn't know why she hadn't come during the last break but waited until after school, she didn't mind, merely reconfirming the matter about the club room that morning.
Since Yozora was also there, Teacher Hiratsuka was concerned that Yotsuya Miko might not feel comfortable speaking directly, so she specifically asked again now.
Yotsuya Miko's answer remained the same, covering it up with a slightly clumsy lie.
...
After leaving Soubu High School, Yozora led Yotsuya Miko for several hundred meters, appearing to wander aimlessly.
Yotsuya Miko wanted to ask, but the words caught in her throat and didn't come out.
After all, Yozora had saved her from the Evil Spirit.
If she were to ask so soon after they came out, would he think she didn't trust him? Or that she was impatient?
Just then.
Yozora stopped, pausing at the entrance of a deep, narrow alley, and pointed inside.
"It's in here."
"In here?"
Yotsuya Miko glanced into the depths of the alley and couldn't help but frown.
It wasn't because she saw many Evil Spirits.
It was quite the opposite.
This alley was simply too "clean."
Even the small, harmless ghosts were nowhere to be seen.
If not for Yozora's words, Yotsuya Miko might have even thought that a very ancient Shrine, surrounded by Ryokunoryoku, was hidden in this alley.
"Come in, be mentally prepared."
Hearing Yozora's words, Yotsuya Miko took a deep breath, suppressing the tension in her chest, and obediently nodded, stepping into the alley.
With just one step in, her expression instantly changed.
Yotsuya Miko's golden pupils trembled as she looked at the scene before her, exclaiming in disbelief.
"What… what is this place!?"
The moment she stepped into the alley, the originally unremarkable alley suddenly underwent an unbelievable transformation for Yotsuya Miko.
The darkness deep within the alley seemed to come alive, writhing and covering the entire sky.
Black mist, similar to what emanated from Evil Spirits but much denser, permeated the entire alley.
Although Yotsuya Miko couldn't smell anything, just being in this environment gave her a suffocating feeling, as if she couldn't breathe.
And at the very end of the alley, an ancient-looking, seemingly aged, slightly ajar wooden door stood quietly.
Through the crack in the door, all Yotsuya Miko could see was pure darkness emanating an ethereal aura.
Yozora's expression remained calm; after all, it wasn't his first time seeing such a sight. He just spoke softly.
"That is the door."