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"See you later."
When Miko Yotsuya saw Max's message pop up on her screen, she finally let out the breath she'd been holding. The fear and tension that had been gripping her heart slowly melted away.
Without realizing it, the corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile.
She didn't even know why.
Those simple four words — see you later — somehow made her feel safe.
Maybe it was because she knew Max wasn't just some ordinary guy.
After their chat at lunch, she'd learned that the evil spirit from before had been deliberately lured away by him — and then exorcised completely.
Beside her, Hana Yurikawa noticed something off. "Miko, what are you looking at? You look... really happy."
Her big eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Since there were no evil spirits nearby this time, the endless hunger that usually plagued her had subsided, and she wasn't just focused on eating. That gave her enough headspace to notice her best friend acting strange.
"Uh…"
Miko froze for a second.
When she met Yurika's gaze, a strange guilt crept up inside her.
It felt like getting caught by your parents after secretly getting a boyfriend.
That flustered feeling only lasted a moment, though.
She quickly forced herself to calm down, put on her usual cool expression, and replied softly, "It's nothing, I was just—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Miko hesitated.
Should she tell Hana that Max was coming to meet them?
"Just what?" Hana leaned in closer, her bright eyes blinking expectantly.
She had this weird hunch — like Miko was hiding something from her again.
She couldn't explain it, but Miko really had seemed different lately.
Though she couldn't quite say how.
Seeing her curiosity, Miko finally made up her mind. She looked at Hana and said honestly, "Yurika, Max's coming to meet us later."
"Eh?! Max?"
Yurika's eyes went wide with surprise.
"So that's why you were smiling at your phone just now?"
"Yeah," Miko nodded lightly.
"Oh, I see…"
Hana looked thoughtful for a moment — then the dots started connecting in her head.
That smile. The tone in her voice.
There could only be one explanation.
Something definitely happened between Miko and Max.
Wait… don't tell me they're already together?!
That was way too fast!
About ten minutes later, Max arrived at the food street and spotted Miko and Hana outside a shop selling dorayaki.
And of course, he also saw the evil spirit.
It was holding two tiny old men by the heads and inching closer to Yurika, clearly planning another round of barbecuing.
"Afternoon."
Max walked toward the girls.
"Hey, Max, you made it!"
Both of them turned at his voice. Hana waved cheerfully, then blinked in surprise.
"Wow, you got here really fast!"
Miko looked at Max, her gaze flickering slightly.
She wasn't that surprised — after all, Max had psychic powers.
He probably used some kind of ability to get here so quickly.
Still, the fact that he came right away made her heart warm a little.
Max smiled and explained, "The student council was having an event nearby, so I just came over after that."
"Oh, that makes sense."
Hana nodded, looking relieved.
Miko, meanwhile, blushed slightly.
So she was overthinking it.
But wait — if there really was a student council event, didn't that mean he might've left halfway through just to see them?
"Hold on," Hana said suddenly, looking amazed. "You're in the student council, Max?"
"Yeah." Max smiled.
"What position?" she asked eagerly, eyes wide with curiosity.
"President."
"Eh?! Isn't Kaguya Shinomiya the president?"
Both Hana and Miko were stunned.
Even though they didn't follow school politics closely, everyone knew that the student council president at Tōgō Academy was always the top scorer on the entrance exam — the freshman representative.
And this year's freshman rep was supposed to be Shinomiya Kaguya.
So how was Max the president?
Seeing their confusion, Max chuckled and explained, "For personal reasons, I gave up being the freshman representative and let Shinomiya take the spot."
Simple enough — he didn't like the attention.
If he had gone up on stage to give the freshman speech, he'd instantly become the center of attention.
After that, there'd be confessions, love letters…
He'd been through that cycle more times than he cared to count.
To save himself the hassle, he just declined the role.
Besides, being the freshman rep didn't actually give you any real benefits — unlike being student council president.
If he completed his two-year term smoothly, he'd get a guaranteed recommendation from the school upon graduation.
At the time, his "cheat" system hadn't fully activated yet, so the recommendation was a solid fallback.
After hearing the explanation, Hana and Miko exchanged a look, then Hana exclaimed, "So you were actually the top scorer on the entrance exam?! You're a total genius, Max! That's amazing!"
Max smiled modestly. "It's nothing. Just hard work and a bit of sweat."
While the three of them chatted, the evil spirit — still clutching its tiny old men — shifted its gaze toward Max.
Its three blood-red eyes twitched grotesquely as it stared at him.
Then, as if realizing something, it turned back toward Hana and prepared to resume its "grilled delicacy" routine.
"Hungry again?" Hana frowned slightly, puzzled.
But she didn't think too much about it — just bit into her dorayaki with a blissful smile.
Max narrowed his eyes.
He could see the life energy Hana had lost earlier — and how it was now rapidly replenishing itself.
Miko, noticing the spirit's return, glanced anxiously at Max, silently asking for help.
Max met her gaze and gave her a small, reassuring smile.
Then, with his hands still casually in his pockets, he turned to face the spirit.
A faint silver glow flickered deep in his clear blue eyes.
The spirit froze mid-motion, sensing the weight of that stare. Its head snapped toward him in alarm.
He can see me!
As soon as their eyes met, the spirit's expression twisted into fury — but before it could even move, an invisible wave of crushing gravity enveloped it completely.
Its distorted scream pierced the air, though only Max and Miko could hear it.
Dark smoke burst from its body as it struggled desperately to break free.
But it was no use.
Its form warped, flattening and shrinking rapidly — and with a faint pop, it dissolved into wisps of black vapor and vanished into the air.
"...!"
Miko blinked in shock, her amber eyes widening.
Her pink lips parted slightly in awe.
She'd known Max was powerful — but seeing him wipe out such a terrifying spirit in an instant was something else entirely.
She didn't even see him move.
The thing just twisted once… and then it was gone.
That was insane.
"....."