Hearing this, Mitsuha Miyamizu roughly guessed Ye Xing's idea. She was momentarily stunned, then shook her head with a wry smile.
"Are you joking? My father would never agree to me leaving Itomori Town to go study alone in Kyoto."
"Alone?"
Ye Xing replied in a calm tone.
"Your sister and grandmother can naturally come along too. Why would you be alone?"
"But the Miyamizu family's duty is..."
Before Mitsuha could finish her sentence, the guardian deity of Itomori Town quickly manipulated the red threads to form a new sentence.
[Don't worry, little Mitsuha, I'll come along too.]
"Huh?"
Mitsuha showed a puzzled expression, speaking cautiously.
"But your shrine... isn't it all within Itomori Town? And... you're the guardian deity of Itomori Town..."
[Little Mitsuha, once this crisis is resolved, Itomori Town will no longer need protection. I will have fulfilled my duties, and what comes next is naturally following Lord Ye Xing, along with my dearest Hitoha, little Yotsuha, and you, little Mitsuha, to Kyoto to contribute my share in creating a better world.]
Mitsuha Miyamizu didn't notice the slight change in Ye Xing's expression as he read these words - her full attention was captured by the astonishing content of the guardian spirit's declaration itself.
"This..."
Mitsuha parted her lips, only to realise that without her noticing, most of the obstacles to her dream of living in a big city had already disappeared.
The generational duty of the Miyamizu family shrine maidens?
If even the enshrined deity had been 'kidnapped', what meaning was there for her, her sister, and grandmother to remain here? What significance remained in performing those rituals and in offering the homemade kuchikamizake she prepared?
If one truly followed the Miyamizu family traditions passed down through generations, when even the town's guardian spirit was following Ye Xing, they should all go to Kyoto together - that would be considered proper shrine maidens.
If they learned this news, whether Mitsuha's grandmother, Hitoha, would follow was uncertain. After all, she had lived her entire life in Itomori Town, and moving to Kyoto at her age would likely be uncomfortable.
And to care for their grandmother, Yotsuha probably wouldn't want to leave either. But both would certainly not object to Mitsuha going to Kyoto - they might even strongly support it.
"But... my father..."
Mitsuha Miyamizu sighed, her face showing worry as she murmured to herself.
"If it's for attending that Shuchi'in Academy... my father might agree..."
At this point, Mitsuha suddenly noticed that Ye Xing, sitting before her, and the floating red thread pattern representing Itomori Town's guardian were both looking at her with expressions suggesting they thought her foolish, making her feel somewhat discomfited as she hesitantly asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Are you feeling alright?"
Ye Xing reached out to feel Mitsuha Miyamizu's forehead, murmuring to himself, "No fever... so why the nonsense?"
"Stop that, you're the one talking nonsense!"
"Don't you realise how absurd what you just said sounds? Even I find it ridiculous, which means it must be extremely absurd."
Ye Xing shook his head helplessly.
"You need to understand something - Shuchi'in Academy not only implements elite education but also elite admission standards. What the school administration considers 'elite' are either children from top-tier families or exceptionally talented individuals who cannot be ignored. Even then, among each year's incoming students, those from ordinary families make up no more than one percent - they're considered special admissions."
Here, Ye Xing paused slightly, looking at Mitsuha Miyamizu with an amused smile.
"I'll be blunt - your father is just a small town councillor, and your academic results aren't exceptional enough to meet Shuchi'in Academy's special admission standards. What you just said is equivalent to saying that if Tokyo University offered you a full scholarship and let you choose any major you wanted, you might consider it. That's ridiculous, understand?"
"Do you think I don't know that myself?"
Mitsuha Miyamizu rolled her eyes and retorted irritably.
"I'm just saying that unless it's a school like Shuchi'in Academy, my father might agree to let me leave Itomori Town and study alone in another city. For ordinary high schools, he wouldn't consent."
"Hey, what a coincidence?"
Hearing this, Ye Xing smiled as if he had anticipated it.
"There happens to be another school in Kyoto City that gathers a former national-level idol actress, a genius girl who started researching quantum mechanics in high school, a piano performance prodigy destined to become a master pianist, a hundred percent success rate Sunny Girl who can control weather, a cute girl with golden pupils who looks quite... appealing when crying, daughters of a prefectural councillor and construction company president, a pure gyaru skilled in cosplay, an orange-haired child-faced cute girl unmatched in certain aspects, an assassin master of cuisine, the mastermind behind the kitchen, the ruler of taste buds, and most importantly..."
"Sitting before you now is Kyoto City's number one eroge player, the strongest exorcist in history, Japan's unified exam top scorer, the Satan who defeated all first-years at Shuchi'in Academy, founder of the Supernatural Quantum Mechanics Research Society, future heir of Yukinoshita Construction Company, the suona player, master musician for weddings and funerals, saviour of beautiful girls, natural enemy of love triangles, Harem God, and top player who achieved the only perfect ending in White Album 2."
"This is prestige, understand?"
Hearing this long list of titles from Ye Xing, Mitsuha Miyamizu was stunned, only reacting after several seconds as she exclaimed in surprise.
"You... you're the unified exam top scorer?"
"Correct."
Ye Xing nodded lightly with a soft laugh.
"And if you come to Sobu High School, your tuition will be fully waived, and they'll arrange an apartment for you. You'll even be in the same class as me and Hina Amano, whom you met last time. Isn't that wonderful?"
"That's true, but my father..."
Halfway through her sentence, Mitsuha shook her head, her eyes showing determination.
"No... this has nothing to do with my father's opinions. I've always known very clearly what kind of life I want, so... I need to strive for it myself."
Mitsuha clenched both hands, her voice completely free of hesitation.
"After we resolve this crisis, I'll go to my father and tell him directly that I want to go to Kyoto, that I want... want..."
"Want what?"
Mitsuha glanced at Ye Xing sitting opposite her, ultimately swallowing the words on the tip of her tongue, blushing as she whispered.
"No, it's nothing."
The guardian deity of Itomori Town watched from nearby, completely speechless.
So utterly spineless.
They'd been practically jumping out of their skin trying to play matchmaker for you two, wearing down the red thread of fate until it's nearly sparking, and here you are, little Mitsuha, playing at speaking, then stopping, trying to cover up, then revealing more, and fleeing at the critical moment, is that it?
Were it not for the fact that Itomori Town's guardian deity was a principled god, they would have eagerly taken over her body as usual when Mitsuha's soul departed, disregarding all consequences to resolve the matter personally first.
They refused to believe that Ye Xing, who called himself the Harem God, would shirk responsibility after being intimate with Mitsuha - even if her soul wasn't presently inhabiting the body.
That way...
After their disappearance, Mitsuha's safety would be guaranteed.
...
Two days later, at Itomori Town Middle School.
Mitsuha Miyamizu, sitting distractedly through class, saw sudden crimson-black mist boiling across the sky outside the window. Witnessing this astonishing phenomenon, her expression immediately changed. Ignoring the teacher lecturing at the podium and the astonished gazes of all the students, she rushed out of the classroom, pulling out her phone to call Ye Xing as she ran breathlessly.
"The... the sky..."
"I see it."
Ye Xing, on the other end of the call, also saw the suddenly appearing crimson-black mist that spread across the sky like a centipede.
"So that's the Gate..."
Last time when this peculiar disaster-causing Gate appeared in Kyoto City, Ye Xing hadn't been in the real world but had been feasting heartily in the Reverse World.
This time, he finally witnessed it with his own eyes and could confirm at this moment - wasn't this exactly the same kind of Gate from Suzume's journey?
Ye Xing felt too exhausted to complain.
Great.
Does everything have to fall on me?
Where did Suzume's protagonist run off to? Turned into a three-legged chair again?
But upon second thought...
The absence of annoying protagonists like Tomoya Aki and all other male leads except those two from Death Note - this was something he'd known all along.
He couldn't maintain a harem while complaining about these burdens falling on his shoulders.
Is this the necessary price to become the Harem God? How heavy indeed.
"No need to rush, we should have enough time."
Ye Xing advanced toward the source of the crimson-black mist while speaking cheerfully.
"Based on last time's experience, there should be at least fifteen minutes between this mist appearing and the world-destroying disaster occurring."
Hearing his calm words, Mitsuha Miyamizu on the other end felt too drained to retort.
"You... what kind of life do you normally lead in Kyoto? How can you remain completely unruffled facing something like this?"
"If being nervous worked, I would have been nervous a long time ago."
Ye Xing first responded with a laugh, then his tone turned uncharacteristically serious.
"Mitsuha, are you sure you want to come with me? This is truly dangerous. I've never experienced it personally. Although people around me resolved the crisis last time, that was coincidental. I'm not certain I can..."
"What are you saying at a time like this?"
Before Ye Xing could finish, Mitsuha Miyamizu interrupted firmly.
"We promised to save Itomori Town together! How could I retreat when the place I've lived my whole life faces danger!?"
"Good. The source of that crimson-black mist..."
Having already run out of the school gates, Mitsuha Miyamizu stared at the spot where the black-red mist was rising from the ground, her face freezing momentarily in shock.
"That place... that's... the town office building where my father works..."
...
Meanwhile, town councillor Toshiki Miyamizu, sitting in the mayor's office, was handling administrative documents at his desk.
"Hmm?"
Just then, Toshiki suddenly noticed black tendrils of mist appearing in the air.
Frowning deeply, he observed the smoke-like black gas but couldn't detect any scent.
"What is this thing?"
Just as Toshiki was feeling puzzled, his mobile phone on the desk suddenly rang.
Picking up the phone and seeing the caller ID number, he couldn't help but frown slightly. Pressing the answer button, he spoke in a deep voice directly.
"Mitsuha, unless I'm mistaken, it should still be class time. Why are you calling me? Have you skipped class?"
On the other end of the line, Mitsuha Miyamizu had no time for explanations, speaking in an urgent tone.
"Father, there's no time to explain now! Please evacuate everyone from the office building immediately, the further away the better!"
Hearing this, Toshiki's frown deepened, his tone stern.
"What exactly are you talking about? It's still working hours; the town government isn't a place for games. Delaying work progress could cause serious..."
"Please listen to me seriously!"
Hearing his daughter's uncharacteristically forceful tone, Toshiki couldn't help but pause in surprise. Seizing the opportunity, Mitsuha quickly continued on the other end.
"If we don't evacuate immediately, everyone in the building will be in danger!"
"You..."
After a moment's hesitation, Toshiki showed uncertainty on his face.
"Are... are you serious about this?"
"Yes, I hope you'll do as I say. I'll explain the reasons later, but there's no time for that now!"
"Alright then."
Toshiki didn't know why, but he felt that his daughter's words weren't untrue, and moreover...
This was the first time Mitsuha had spoken to him with such forceful seriousness. Even when he had gone against the requirements of being an adopted son-in-law and left the Miyamizu Shrine after his wife's death, Mitsuha had never confronted him with such an attitude.
Soon, an announcement came through the building's speakers.
"Emergency notice: There appears to be a safety hazard in the office building. Please evacuate the building in an orderly manner. Repeating: Please, everyone, including all staff members, stop what you're doing immediately and evacuate the office building."
Hearing the announcement and recognising it as town councillor Toshiki Miyamizu's voice, everyone felt confused but began evacuating the building nonetheless.
Only one young woman dressed in a business suit and skirt, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking like a secretary, showed a cold glint in her eyes upon hearing the broadcast. She murmured in a barely audible voice.
"As expected... the plan has been disrupted. Those useless fools..."
Pretending to be organising documents, she procrastinated at her workstation until all her colleagues in the office had left the building, still lingering in place as if waiting for something.
Sure enough, two minutes later, footsteps echoed from outside the office door.
The female secretary looked up and immediately recognised the young girl outside as Mitsuha Miyamizu, daughter of town councillor Toshiki Miyamizu and the current shrine maiden of the Miyamizu family.
As for the boy who appeared to be around Mitsuha's age and quite handsome, she felt somewhat unfamiliar with him at first, but quickly recalled the recent rumours circulating in Itomori Town.
The town councillor's daughter had reportedly gotten herself an out-of-town boyfriend. These past few days, the two had been seen together everywhere, and were even rumoured to have ventured into remote wilderness areas to engage in... activities most popular among young people at this stage of life.
Thinking this, the secretary pretended to retrieve something from her drawer while quickly typing a message on her phone.
[Plan obstructed. Obstruction: Mitsuha Miyamizu, plus a boy approximately 180cm tall, exceptionally good-looking, build similar to Mask, black eyes and hair, suspected to be Mask.]
"Miss."
Only after pressing send did the secretary look up, pretending as if she had just heard someone calling.
"Didn't you hear the evacuation notice?"
The secretary feigned confusion and shook her head.
"Was there a notice? I was busy with work just now, probably didn't hear it."
"I see."
Ye Xing nodded noncommittally, maintaining a friendly smile.
"Then we'll escort you out of the building."
"Um... yes, alright."
The secretary pretended ignorance, even deliberately gathering a stack of folders before leaving her desk, as if taking important work documents with her.
She had no intention of confronting Ye Xing whatsoever - after all, her mission was already complete. She had identified who was obstructing Lady Izanami's plans.
All that remained was to evacuate this place. If this boy before her really was who she suspected... she stood no chance against him alone. There was no need to seek her own death.
"By the way, miss."
After exiting the office, under Mitsuha's slightly surprised and distinctly jealous gaze, Ye Xing draped his arm over the secretary's shoulder and asked softly,
"Did your text message go through?"
Hearing this, the secretary's expression froze instantly. Cold sweat broke out all over her body as she forced a smile.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't know..."
Ye Xing responded indifferently before suddenly gripping her neck with his hand. He lifted the secretary's body effortlessly, then, with a dull thud, slammed her against the wall.
"Ye Xing, you..."
Seeing Mitsuha's astonished expression, Ye Xing simply smiled carelessly.
"This place is called a Domain. It's an advanced skill among psychics. Every psychic's Domain has different effects. My Domain, Demon-Slaying Divine Purification, isolates anything possessing spiritual power from the real world while creating an independent space."
As he spoke, Ye Xing's fingers gripping the secretary's neck slowly tightened, actually sinking into her flesh. Watching her pained expression, his eyes showed no trace of pity as he continued softly.
"And for this person to appear within my Domain means she is either an evil spirit, or like those I've eliminated, a psychic."