After saying this, Rio Futaba untied her high ponytail, adjusted her glasses, and gazed thoughtfully at Miko.
"Somehow, it feels like your physical stamina and overall fitness have improved noticeably over the past few days. Or is it just my imagination?"
This sudden question caught Miko Yotsuya off guard.
Being terrible at lying, she could only cast a pleading glance towards Ye Xing.
Noticing this detail and recalling Ye Xing's previous mention about needing either herself or Miko to assist with an experiment, Rio immediately reached a conclusion.
"So the experiment you mentioned involves a method to enhance a psychic's personal capabilities? It seems you've already succeeded."
At this point, Rio paused, her brow slightly furrowed with evident dissatisfaction in her tone.
"If this method isn't applicable to me, you could have just said so. But as fellow members of the Supernatural Society, what's the meaning of keeping me in the dark? Don't you trust me?"
Rio's discomfort was perfectly understandable.
Though she'd learned the truth relatively late, in terms of seniority within the club, she outranked Dango and had even awakened her Soul Materialisation ability, making her one of the original trio.
Yet ever since Miko and Ye Xing conducted that so-called "experiment", Rio had sensed a subtle shift in the clubroom's atmosphere.
Miko kept spacing out, occasionally casting apologetic looks that Rio couldn't comprehend.
Had they done something that warranted feeling guilty towards her?
It wasn't just Miko - everyone in the Supernatural Society, from Yui Yuigahama to Hachishaku-sama, even rival Mai Sakurajima - though Rio never voiced it, she considered them all friends deep down.
Precisely because of this, she refused to mask her feelings, choosing to speak frankly while Ye Xing was present today.
"N-no, that's not it..."
Miko bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears from distress.
Seeing this, Rio faltered, her tone softening involuntarily.
"I didn't mean it like that. As the Supernatural Society's chief strategist, even if I can't participate directly, observing and analysing patterns is literally my job description."
Here, Rio turned her gaze to Ye Xing, standing nearby and said irritably:
"Say something, won't you? Ultimately, this is your responsibility as captain."
Instead of answering directly, Ye Xing posed a meaningful counterquestion:
"You want to participate in the experiment with Miko Yotsuya?"
Though sensing something amiss, Rio nodded reflexively.
"Of course. Don't you think I make sense? Miko..."
Rio looked to Miko, expecting support on this topic.
To her surprise, she only saw the girl's face burning crimson, eyes averted in silent embarrassment.
This thoroughly baffled Rio.
Since when did discussions about psychic experimentation merit such blushing reactions?
Judging by Miko Yotsuya's combat performance, Ye Xing's so-called experiment was likely an attempt to make other psychics enhance their physical capabilities like him, thereby increasing their strength.
Ye Xing's method of growing stronger was devouring evil spirits.
Rio Futaba had long confirmed that neither she nor Miko could achieve the same feat.
If that were the case, what other method could possibly enhance a psychic's physical abilities within just a few days?
As she pondered this, Rio Futaba suddenly recalled the scene from their last battle against the Goat-Headed Deity in this very shrine.
She remembered how the golden goat-headed figure had made an utterly foolish move back then.
Namely, attempting to devour Ye Xing.
The final result was the Goat-Headed Deity transforming into a writhing dragon, painfully performing acrobatics on the ground.
Combined with what Miko Yotsuya had previously mentioned about the incident on the rooftop...
A conclusion could be drawn.
Whether innate or resulting from devouring numerous evil spirits, Ye Xing's body now contained vast amounts of evil spirit power, making him effectively half-evil spirit, half-human in constitution.
"Could it be...?"
Rio froze.
First, she glanced at Miko standing there, her face flushed crimson with embarrassment, tears welling in her eyes.
Then she looked at Ye Xing.
"You... you two... don't tell me, don't tell me..."
At this moment, Rio experienced unprecedented shock.
She seemed to have roughly guessed what this so-called "experiment" had actually entailed.
Seeing Rio's expression, Ye Xing knew she'd reached the correct conclusion.
In the distance, Hachishaku-sama, the Goat-Headed Deity, and the two fox-faced divine attendants stood silently, sensing the tense atmosphere of this romantic standoff, none daring to interrupt.
"Ahem."
With both Rio and Miko choosing silence, it was ultimately Ye Xing who spoke up to break it.
"How about... the three of us together?"
"You..."
A cold glint reflected off Rio's glasses as she bit her silver teeth, her fair cheeks slightly flushed.
"Don't go getting frisky here!"
"Hmm..."
Miko looked between Ye Xing and Rio, her expression deeply conflicted.
Just then, her soul's true form, Hyakume, suddenly manifested, whispering something in her ear.
Miko immediately reacted, pulling out her phone to check the time, putting on an exaggerated show of surprise.
"Oh my! It's almost ten o'clock! I need to get home or I'll be in trouble."
"Futaba, Ye Xing, you two stay here. I'm off now, bye!"
Without waiting for Rio's response, Miko made her escape.
On her way out, she conveniently took Hachishaku-sama with her.
The Goat-Headed Deity and the two attendants exchanged glances before their forms gradually faded away.
Within mere seconds...
Only Ye Xing and Rio remained in the shrine.
"This..."
Rio was dumbfounded.
Clearly, Miko had made her choice.
Or rather, when even she herself was uncertain, the ever-blunt Hyakume had once again intervened, providing the perfect solution.
Miko considered Rio an important friend.
But equally, she regarded Ye Xing as someone precious.
Unable to choose...
So she chose not to choose.
Miko didn't overcomplicate things.
She simply felt... happy with how things were now.
Having gained the ability to combat evil spirits, resolved her regrets with her father, and made many friends, including Yui Yuigahama, Hana Yurikawa, Marin Kitagawa, and Mai Sakurajima...
No one understood the dangers posed by evil spirits better than Miko Yotsuya.
She was different from Ye Xing and Rio Futaba.
The latter two had acquired the power to fight evil spirits simultaneously with awakening their Mystic Eyes and becoming psychics.
But Miko Yotsuya initially possessed no power at all—she could only endure her terror while pretending not to see them.
Precisely because she had personally experienced such helplessness, among all members of the Supernatural Society, Miko was actually the one who took the duty of eradicating evil spirits most seriously.
She wanted to maintain the current situation.
Thus, there was only one solution.
That was to bring Rio Futaba into the fold.
Of course, given Miko's personality, directly voicing her embarrassing thoughts to Rio was impossible.
So, she could only express her stance through actions.
"You... really..."
Rio adjusted her glasses, her cold gaze fixed on Ye Xing as she spoke icily.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Tell you what?"
"What else? Of course... of course..."
Rio stammered, struggling to articulate her words, eventually gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Pervert! Scumbag! Lecher! Two-timing jerk! Disgusting!"
Watching Rio's flushed face, torn between embarrassment and anger, Ye Xing couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
Such refined insults.
For a girl like Rio Futaba, these were likely the worst curses she could muster.
"It's not that I didn't want to tell you."
Ye Xing smiled, pulling out his phone to send Rio an email.
"I've been busy working on this recently."
Hearing the notification, Rio checked her screen to find Ye Xing had sent her what appeared to be a setting document.
Its contents left her genuinely astonished.
"This is..."
To outsiders, the document would seem like delusional ramblings of a chuunibyou—utterly absurd.
But for Rio, it was entirely different.
"Ten-Finger Bullets, Willow Dance, Pine Dance, Iron Wire Flower Dance, Early Bracken Dance..."
Rio's slender, pale finger scrolled through the document, her eyes glued to the screen.
Every recorded technique perfectly matched her Soul Materialisation—Bone Woman's bone-manipulating combat style.
As if tailor-made for her.
Moreover.
Beneath each technique's name and description were accompanying illustrations.
Rio pressed her lips together, her eyes behind the lenses shimmering with emotion.
Forcing composure, she looked up at Ye Xing's smiling face and cleared her throat.
"Did... you write this specifically for me?"
"Of course. What do you think?"
"Hmph."
Adjusting her glasses, Rio replied in a voice trembling with shyness.
"At least... you've got some conscience."
Ye Xing wasn't lying.
Although these techniques weren't his own ideas, he had indeed written them down himself.
Thanks to Kimimaro's gift.
Soul Materialisation is a rather idealistic ability.
When the power of one's soul essence reaches a certain level and meets the basic requirements for executing techniques, the only limitation becomes the user's own imagination.
In this regard, Rio Futaba, who always emphasises logic and rational thinking, is at a significant disadvantage.
To put it simply.
Her imagination isn't that rich.
This material was exactly what she needed right now.
The actual value of the material was secondary.
What mattered was that Ye Xing had thought of her - that was enough.
Rio Futaba was someone easily satisfied.
Her thoughts aligned with Miko Yotsuya's - if the current situation could just continue like this forever...
That would be fine too.
"You and Miko..."
Though she'd already steeled herself, Rio Futaba's voice still carried a hint of melancholy when she spoke.
"How far have you gone?"
Ye Xing answered earnestly: "My first kiss and virginity are still intact."
Rio Futaba frowned, replying irritably.
"I've already figured it out, there's no need to lie, is there?"
"It's true."
Ye Xing said with complete conviction.
"My metabolic rate is much faster than that of ordinary people. Strictly speaking, every twenty-four hours, I become a completely new me. So every twenty-four hours, I regain my first kiss and virginity."
Rio Futaba opened her mouth, wanting to refute this absurd claim, but found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
Without logic, one remains forever invincible.
Rio Futaba was checkmated.
She shook her head helplessly and sighed.
"You... really leave me speechless."
Ye Xing smiled carelessly, then suddenly added.
"Oh, right, there's something else I should tell you."
"What is it?"
"Your wording earlier wasn't quite accurate."
Rio Futaba froze momentarily, then blushed slightly.
"That's true... Actually, this can't really be blamed on you. Miko and I are friends - this was an outcome we both could foresee and tacitly understood, we just never said it out loud."
At this point, Rio Futaba showed an apologetic expression.
"Using terms like 'scumbag' and 'two-timing' to describe you was indeed a bit excessive. I apologise."
"Hmm, I'm pleased you recognise your mistake."
Ye Xing nodded in satisfaction, then abruptly changed the subject.
"But actually, that's not what I wanted to say."
Rio Futaba looked puzzled.
"Then what is it?"
"I'm not two-timing, rather..."
Here, Ye Xing paused, silently counting under his breath.
"One, two, three, four..."
Then he smiled at Rio Futaba.
"Including you, that makes four boats at this stage."
Rio Futaba froze for a moment before clenching her fists, a murderous glint flashing in her eyes.
"You bastard... DIE!!!"
Ye Xing deftly dodged Rio Futaba's attacks while justifying himself with complete confidence.
"In ancient times, Minamoto no Yoshitsune performed the 'Eight-Boat Leap'. As Kyoto's top exorcist, isn't it perfectly normal for me to leap across dozens of boats?"
Hearing this outrageous statement, Rio Futaba completely lost her composure and shouted angrily.
"How is that the same!? Yoshitsune was leaping across actual boats!"
...
Half an hour later, at Rio Futaba's home.
"Are you hungry?"
Hearing Rio Futaba's question, Ye Xing shook his head.
"No thanks, I've already eaten."
"Eaten? What did you have?"
"McDonald's."
At these words, Rio Futaba seemed to remember something and said thoughtfully,
"You didn't go to that McDonald's, did you? The one Miko's father's ghost mentioned - the one even evil spirits dare not approach?"
Ye Xing nodded slightly.
"That's the one."
"Find anything there?"
"There's a rather special psychic."
Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses, narrowing her eyes meaningfully.
"Female?"
"Yes, female."
"Why are all our society's members female?"
Faced with this question, Ye Xing shrugged nonchalantly.
"I only happened to meet suitable girls - what can I do? Besides, if we recruited a male member, wouldn't you all feel uncomfortable?"
Rio Futaba couldn't refute this.
She had androphobia.
If they really recruited a male member, she would undoubtedly feel extremely awkward and uncomfortable.
"However..."
Ye Xing chuckled as he continued.
"Our Supernatural Society actually has one unofficial male member, though he's not in Kyoto."
"Who?"
"His name is Light Yagami."
"Light Yagami, Yagami..."
Rio Futaba repeated the name, then suddenly her pupils contracted in shock.
"Wait... that Yagami? As in Director Soichiro Yagami?"
"Yes, his son."
Rio Futaba looked at Ye Xing's completely unfazed expression, at a loss for how to respond.
Seriously?
Is your charisma maxed out or something?
Even the son of the Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Affairs Bureau Director became an unofficial member of the Supernatural Society?
"Never mind, back to business."
Rio Futaba composed herself.
"About that special psychic you mentioned..."
"Now's the time to discuss that?"
Before Rio Futaba could finish, Ye Xing interrupted with a smile.
"Right now, there seems to be something more important, doesn't there?"
"Th-that..."
Rio Futaba nervously twisted the hem of her lab coat, her pretty face showing rare signs of tension.
"You... you want to do it now?"
Ye Xing's reply held no concealment.
"I can't wait any longer."
"You... you're such a pervert..."
Though Rio Futaba said this, the corners of her lips were harder to suppress than an AK-47.
She removed her white lab coat, took off her glasses, and her petite figure quietly shifted closer to Ye Xing with uncharacteristic awkwardness. Tilting her head up, she lightly pressed a kiss onto his cheek.
Then...
"Ow..."
Feeling the sudden pain on his cheek, Ye Xing looked at the flustered Rio Futaba with exasperation.
"Why did you bite me?"
"Eh? Isn't that how it's done?"
Rio Futaba wore an expression of genuine surprise as she hurriedly apologised.
"Sorry, sorry! I thought you were supposed to give a little bite. Was there another way? My mistake, how embarrassing."
Though she said this, Ye Xing clearly noticed the mischievous glint hidden in her eyes.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Rio Futaba covered her mouth with a light chuckle.
"Hehe."