That night, at Kyoto Municipal Hospital, basement level three, outside the corpse storage room.
As they looked at the security guard, knocked into infant-like slumber by Ye Xing's karate chop, and felt the eerie chill seeping through the door cracks, both Yui Yuigahama and Mai Sakurajima paled.
"When you said sleeping... you didn't mean...?"
"Exactly."
Leading Mai, Yui and Kazusa straight into the corpse storage room, Ye Xing gestured at the metal cabinets lining both walls with a smile.
"In this summer heat, sleeping in a morgue is both quiet and cool. What could be more delightful?"
Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama: "..."
"Wait, you... this... I..."
Both Mai and Yui found themselves at a complete loss for words.
What the actual hell!!!
They'd imagined going to Ye Xing's place for dinner, sitting together on the sofa, leaning against him for some intimate alone time.
But this so-called "sleepover" was in a morgue?
What kind of person takes girls on a date to such a place!
"Ye Xing, you've gone too far this time."
At Kazusa Touma's icy words, both Mai and Yui froze.
This was the first time they'd heard her speak to Ye Xing in such a tone.
Even Kazusa Touma, with her loyal-dog personality, had finally been pushed too far by Ye Xing's outrageous behaviour.
Under the watchful gazes of Yui Yuigahama and Mai Sakurajima, Kazusa Touma's slender, delicate eyes gleamed with sharp coldness as she fixed her stare directly on Ye Xing's face. Parting her lips slightly, she spoke with utmost seriousness.
"I thought you'd only invited me. I never expected there would be others."
"This is truly unacceptable."
Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama stood dumbfounded, instantly regarding the standing Kazusa Touma with newfound respect.
Well played.
So your concern, Touma-san, lies here?
Rather than questioning why we're sleeping in a morgue, your issue is why you can't sleep alone with Ye Xing?
This love-struck brain of yours...
Is truly peerless.
Clang.
Ye Xing reached out and pulled open four compartments on the far right side of the mortuary cabinet against the wall.
"Huh? Someone's already here?"
Noticing a white-shrouded corpse already lying on the leftmost metal slab, Ye Xing was remarkably polite.
He single-handedly grabbed the corpse by its neck, lifted it up, and casually placed it in the corner.
"Move aside for a bit, would you, mate?"
Witnessing this scene and hearing Ye Xing's bizarre remark, Mai Sakurajima frowned slightly.
"You show absolutely no respect for the dead."
Ye Xing looked at Mai as if she were an idiot.
"Have you forgotten what I do for a living?"
"I'm an exorcist. The only 'dead' I recognise are the lingering souls wandering this world."
"A mere corpse is just lifeless flesh to me."
"Besides, how else am I supposed to conduct your rookie training if I don't clear some space?"
"Relax, they don't mind. See? No objections from our friend here."
Mai found herself at a loss for words.
His logic was technically sound.
In this world where evil spirits and spectres undeniably exist, a corpse was indeed just a corpse - no lingering soul attached.
Even if there were spirits present, they wouldn't belong to the deceased.
"But..."
Yui Yuigahama averted her eyes from the corpse in the corner.
Staring at the four open compartments with their eerie darkness and the chilling drafts emanating from within, her face paled considerably.
"D-do we really have to go inside there?"
Ye Xing replied with complete nonchalance.
"Of course. Did you think I was joking?"
Before Mai and the others could respond, Ye Xing continued with a smile.
"This is rookie training for aspiring exorcists. Even Miko went through something similar back then."
Hearing that Miko Yotsuya had also undergone such training, both Mai and Yui realised Ye Xing wasn't simply messing with them.
Was this a necessary step to becoming an exorcist?
Upon reflection, it made sense.
Though Mai had never personally encountered an evil spirit, descriptions from other members painted them as twisted, terrifying entities that chilled one to the bone.
Without sufficient courage, fatal mistakes would occur in combat.
Even with awakened Soul Materialisation abilities, lacking the mental fortitude to match those powers meant little contribution could be made to the Supernatural Society.
Thus, this trial was unavoidable.
Kazusa Touma's perspective, however, differed entirely from Yui and Mai's.
She had no idea what exorcism even meant. Although Ye Xing had regarded her as an internal member of the Supernatural Society, she didn't actually know what the society did.
Kazusa Touma only understood one thing.
Whatever Miko Yotsuya and Ye Xing had done together, she would do with Ye Xing, too.
Whatever others hadn't done with Ye Xing yet, she would be the first to do it.
In short.
No matter what it was, as long as it was with Ye Xing, Kazusa Touma was willing to do it.
Under the slightly eerie atmosphere, everyone lay down one by one on the four metal slabs of the mortuary cabinet.
The most timid of them all, Yui Yuigahama, took the rightmost position against the wall.
Mai Sakurajima lay to her left, with Kazusa Touma on Mai's other side.
And naturally, Ye Xing occupied the outermost position.
Silently pushed by the pale ghost hand, the four of them lay on the cold metal slabs as they were slowly slid into the mortuary cabinet.
As frequent mortuary cabinet sleepers would know.
The interior wasn't divided into separate compartments; it was one vast, pitch-black space as cold as an icehouse, where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
All the corpses lay quietly together like that.
"Life should be spent in such leisurely moments."
Within the spacious mortuary cabinet, there was only impenetrable darkness and Ye Xing's lazy, contented voice, brimming with enjoyment.
Mai Sakurajima, Yui Yuigahama, and Kazusa Touma remained silent.
When they first entered, they had felt the biting cold.
After all, the refrigeration system was activated to preserve the corpses, temperatures that were completely unbearable for humans.
Yet once they actually lay down, it didn't feel as cold anymore.
This wasn't just psychological.
Ye Xing had created a barrier using evil spirit power.
Because Yui Yuigahama, Mai Sakurajima, and Kazusa Touma were just ordinary people.
While building courage was important, they first needed to withstand the freezing temperatures inside.
Ye Xing's beginner exorcism training always adhered to one principle:
Only psychological torment, never physical harm.
He was too kind.
"Why is no one talking?"
Faced with Ye Xing's question, Mai Sakurajima and the others had no response.
They didn't dare to speak.
As for the others...
If someone lying in a morgue drawer could still speak, wouldn't that be terrifying?
However, to ease the tension and comfort the most timid Yui Yuigahama, Mai Sakurajima found a topic to break the silence.
"You asked us to join this operation... to guide us in awakening our Soul Materialisation abilities?"
"Guide?"
Ye Xing replied casually with an amused tone.
"Such things cannot be guided."
"Only by facing one's true self can it be awakened."
"Whether you can awaken it or not doesn't depend on me. I can only tell you how to awaken it."
"Whether you succeed still depends on yourselves."
True self.
Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama had long known that the conditions for awakening Soul Materialisation were completing "cognition" and confronting one's true self.
The problem was...
After the emergence of the Reverse World, the "cognition" condition could be easily achieved.
But facing and accepting one's true self wasn't something everyone could do.
If it were that easy, there would have been no need for pretence in the first place.
During this time, Mai and Dango had been pondering:
What exactly did their true selves look like?
Mai Sakurajima already had a plan in mind.
...
Meanwhile, in the conference room at Sobu High School.
Facing the school's year heads, vice-principal, principal and other senior staff, Shizuka Hiratsuka sat with her legs crossed, ignoring the no-smoking sign on the wall as she casually held a slender cigarette between her lips, appearing utterly indifferent.
No one present dared object to her lax behaviour. Even Sobu High's balding middle-aged principal wore an ingratiating smile, rubbing his hands together as he spoke in a fawning tone.
"Um... Ms Hiratsuka, regarding Shuchi'in Academy's proposal for a joint examination with our Sobu High... what are our... no, what is your opinion?"
In response to the principal's obsequious words, Hiratsuka merely blew a smoke ring and replied offhandedly.
"My opinion? I'm just an ordinary homeroom teacher. Such matters aren't for me to decide, are they?"
The principal chuckled awkwardly.
"Ms Hiratsuka, how can you say that? You're an outstanding teacher, the backbone of our Sobu High. How could you be ordinary?"
The other senior staff quickly chimed in.
"Indeed, Ms Hiratsuka may be young, but her teaching skills are absolutely first-rate!"
"We should increase her salary and benefits."
"Absolutely, such an excellent teacher deserves commensurate treatment."
Faced with their flattery, Hiratsuka's smile carried a hint of scornful disdain.
Outstanding teacher?
They were clearly just buttering her up.
The reason Sobu High's administration had called this meeting and invited her was painfully obvious to Hiratsuka.
Because she was Ye Xing's homeroom teacher.
Moreover, the establishment of the Supernatural Society, the application for its clubroom, Hina Amano's enrolment...
All these matters had been communicated to the school administration by Ye Xing through her.
What did this signify in the eyes of Sobu High's administration?
Since the school's founding, Ye Xing has proven himself the most gifted student, not only academically surpassing all his peers but also breaking three school records during the summer sports festival. Yet he would only discuss such matters with Shizuka Hiratsuka.
On the surface, Hiratsuka appeared merely a messenger.
In reality, Ye Xing had already made his position clear to Sobu High's administration through his actions.
He would only discuss these matters with Hiratsuka. Everyone else should keep their distance.
Because of this...
Sobu High's administration dared not offend Hiratsuka. If she were to transfer to Shuchi'in Academy, there was no guarantee that the student named Ye Xing wouldn't follow suit.
Who would risk that?
Today's meeting had an obvious purpose.
Sobu High wanted Hiratsuka to first consult Ye Xing before deciding whether to accept Shuchi'in Academy's proposal for a joint examination between the two schools.
Nobody here was foolish.
What qualifications did Sobu High have to compete with an elite institution like Shuchi'in Academy?
Clearly...
They were coming for Ye Xing.
Even if they couldn't win on average scores, having a Sobu High student take first place in the joint exam would make for excellent recruitment publicity...
The principal could practically taste the glory.
But ultimately, this was just wishful thinking from Sobu High's leadership.
Whether they could win depended entirely on whether Ye Xing was willing to give his all.
Given Ye Xing's temperament, if Sobu High agreed to the joint exam without his prior consent...
He'd most likely phone it in completely.
"This is quite troublesome," Hiratsuka remarked, legs crossed on the conference table with exaggerated reluctance.
"As you all know, Ye Xing isn't one for following rules."
"Topping Sobu High's rankings poses no real challenge for him."
"But against Shuchi'in Academy? Even he would need to study hard and prepare properly."
"Without proper incentive, given his personality, I doubt he'd take this seriously."
Was this Hiratsuka underestimating Ye Xing's abilities?
Not at all.
This was pure negotiation tactics.
No difficulty meant no leverage for compensation.
"Well..." The principal hesitated before gritting his teeth. "Teacher Hiratsuka, you've always wanted my parking space, haven't you? It's yours."
Hiratsuka took a long drag from her cigarette, smiling as she shook her head. "Not enough."
"All paperwork and administrative tasks - I'll assign someone else to handle them for you."
"Not enough."
"Then... on days without classes, you can leave early once your homeroom duties are settled!"
"That's more like it."
Hiratsuka nodded approvingly before adding one final condition.
"But I have one last request."
"What is it?"
Stubbing out her cigarette, she smiled. "There are some first-year students from other classes I want transferred to Class A."
"And when they advance to the second year, all Supernatural Society members in their year must be placed in the same class."
"With me remaining as the homeroom teacher."
"That's all."
The principal nodded without hesitation.
"Good, no problem."
He was naturally aware of the club Ye Xing had established.
The students from other classes that Shizuka Hiratsuka referred to included Rio Futaba, who was also in the first year but not from Class A.
The principal didn't hesitate at all – in fact, he'd be delighted if Rio Futaba could transfer to Class A immediately.
Since Shizuka Hiratsuka could manage problematic students, let the capable bear more responsibility.
This condition was simple.
Everyone was happy.
Shizuka Hiratsuka smiled cheerfully again.
She didn't think it would be difficult to persuade Ye Xing to take this exam seriously.
After all, the school administration didn't understand Ye Xing as well as she did.
Shizuka could tell that he usually appeared lazy and indifferent to everything.
But based on his previous remarks about privileges and his spring exam results, she had already deduced one thing.
Ye Xing was someone who...
Hated losing at anything.
...
Several hours later, at 1 a.m.
Kazusa Touma, Mai Sakurajima and Yui Yuigahama had been lying in the mortuary drawers with Ye Xing for who knew how long.
Yui Yuigahama had progressed from initial unease and fear to her current state of bewilderment and unexpected calm.
Who am I?
Why am I lying here?
I'm sleepy.
Dango was genuinely tired – after all, she wasn't a night owl like Kazusa Touma.
But...
Who could possibly sleep in this eerie, corpse-storing morgue!?
Meanwhile, Mai Sakurajima had been contemplating how to awaken her Soul Materialisation ability.
She'd nearly figured out the method to confront her true self.
As for Kazusa Touma...
Fortunately, it was pitch black inside the mortuary drawer.
Otherwise, one might see her flustered state and blushing cheeks.
Only one thought occupied Kazusa's mind:
She was lying here with Ye Xing.
She could hear his breathing, and just by reaching out, she could touch him.
This made Kazusa's heart beat considerably faster.
The corpse storage room was so deathly quiet that she had to press both hands against her chest to muffle the sound of her pounding heartbeat.
Kazusa Touma remained silent throughout. Mai Sakurajima, on the other side, assumed she was just as timid as Yui Yuigahama, paralysed by fear.
Had Mai known what was actually going through Kazusa's mind at that moment, her expression would have been priceless.
This was peak romantic delusion.
Who could possibly lie in a mortuary drawer and still entertain such thoughts?
Her nerves must have been made of steel.
Just then—
Bang!
The heavy door of the corpse storage room suddenly swung open with a dull thud.
Yui Yuigahama shuddered violently, her pretty face turning ghostly pale as she clamped both hands over her mouth, determined not to make a sound.
Screech...
Amidst the grating of metal, dim light from the mortuary seeped into the pitch-black storage drawers as the metal slabs were pulled out one by one.
Time crawled by.
Eventually, whatever lurked outside reached their row.
Ye Xing occupied the outermost position.
Naturally, he was the first to be dragged out.
Contrary to Mai and the others' expectations—where they'd imagined Ye Xing would immediately leap up and pummel whatever horror awaited—nothing of the sort happened.
Instead,
Ye Xing lay there with eyes closed, playing dead.
"Hmm?"
The evil spirit haunting the mortuary—a humanoid figure clad in a bloodstained white coat, its face obscured by a blood-soaked surgical mask, its pupil-less eyes milky white—emitted a puzzled gurgle from its throat upon seeing this fully clothed "corpse."
It leaned in, sniffing intently at Ye Xing's scent.
After several seconds, it straightened up and moved to Kazusa Touma's drawer, gripping the handle to slide her out.
That's when,
From the corner of its eye, the evil spirit noticed something impossible—the metal slab where Ye Xing had lain was now empty.
It froze.
In the next instant, Ye Xing's amiably smiling face appeared mere inches from its own as he whispered,
"You... can see me?"