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The All Things Compendium pinged with a new notification.
Max didn't rush to check it right away.
Aside from Miko Yotsuya, no one had noticed or sensed how he'd just exorcised that evil spirit.
He turned toward the stunned Yotsuya, giving her a calm, reassuring smile.
That snapped her out of it. Her pale cheeks flushed pink, and she took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the shock that still trembled in her chest.
Meanwhile, as the spirit was vanquished, Hana Yukikawa Hana—who had been halfway through a dorayaki—suddenly didn't feel quite so hungry anymore.
She looked at Max with her usual bright smile.
"Hey, Max, you want one? These dorayaki are really good!"
The paper bag in her hand still had a few left inside.
Max nodded, smiling. "Sure, I'll take one."
Not even pretending to be polite about it.
But rather than minding, Hana seemed delighted by his easygoing attitude.
Ah, the joy of sharing.
She cheerfully handed him a dorayaki, each one wrapped neatly in its own little greaseproof bag.
"Thanks."
Max took it, unwrapped it, and took a bite.
Soft.
A rich honey fragrance filled his nose as the fluffy shell and smooth strawberry filling blended together perfectly.
Just that combination was enough to lift his mood.
"Good stuff," he said after swallowing, giving the most honest verdict possible.
"Right? It's super good!" Hana agreed instantly, grinning as she pulled out another for herself.
Max chuckled at the sight, his smile warm and gentle.
Then he turned to Yotsuya, who hadn't said a word since.
"Yotsuya-san, don't you like dorayaki? They're really good. You can relax and eat one now."
He even gave her a little wink.
Their eyes met for a moment, and Yotsuya caught the subtle meaning behind his words.
Relax… huh?
The thought flickered through her mind.
She glanced briefly at the spot where the spirit had vanished, then turned to Hana.
"Hana, give me one too."
"Huh? Oh—sure!"
Hana blinked in surprise but quickly nodded, fishing one out of the bag and passing it over.
Her eyes darted mischievously between Max and Yotsuya.
She couldn't help thinking—
She never eats sweets when I offer them.
But the second Max says something, she suddenly wants one?
Yeah, no way something isn't going on between those two.
Definitely suspicious.
Yotsuya took a bite of the dorayaki. The sweet flavor bloomed on her tongue, filling her mouth with warmth and comfort.
She glanced at Max again and couldn't help but smile softly.
No spirits around… feels nice.
After that, the three of them wandered around the food street together.
Yotsuya bought two cups of milk tea—one for Max, one for Hana—just to avoid giving the wrong impression.
Twenty minutes later, the sun had dipped below the horizon, painting the streets in the golden hues of dusk.
Kids were heading home.
The trio reached the train station.
Since Yotsuya and Hana both lived in Tokyo's northern district, they said their goodbyes there and headed off together.
Max boarded a train toward Nerima, slipped on his headphones, and summoned the All Things Compendium in his mind.
Entry: Gluttonous Spirit
Rank: Blue
Description: A special type of evil spirit.
Reward: Frozen Barrier
"…Blue rank?"
Max raised an eyebrow.
That was unexpected.
Even Satania, an actual demon, only ranked blue.
But after glancing at the title again, he decided it made sense.
Gluttony—one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Though this spirit's "gluttony" wasn't exactly the same, it carried the same essence.
A gluttonous spirit that never stopped eating would eventually evolve into a powerful boss-level entity.
The Compendium ranked things by total value—power, potential, identity, and so on.
Since this spirit had a unique ability and decent potential, blue rank wasn't too far-fetched.
If it were based on raw strength alone, it'd probably just be green.
Max closed the Compendium, deciding not to claim the reward yet.
Half an hour later, he got home.
Then he finally focused his mind and accepted the reward.
Frozen Barrier—also known as The Prison.
A psychic ability.
A variant of spatial power that not only manipulated barriers but also controlled ice.
Once the fusion completed, Max instantly understood where it came from.
The world of Beyond the Boundary.
Specifically, from Izumi Nase—the eldest daughter and current head of the Nase family.
Barrier creation was the family's inherited power, capable of forming defensive, offensive, sealing, or concealing fields.
Izumi's version, however, added the ability to freeze.
A powerful space-type ability—no doubt about it.
Max could sense just how immense its potential was. Another major card up his sleeve.
Ding dong~~~
Just as he was about to test the new power, his phone buzzed and lit up.
A message from Miko Yotsuya.
"Um, Max… why do I feel like Hana always attracts spirits so easily?"
Finally noticed it, huh.
He set aside the Frozen Barrier research, flopped lazily onto the couch, and began typing back.
"It's because Hana's body is special. Her life energy is strong, so she draws evil spirits to her."
Meanwhile, in the northern district—
Back in her room, Yotsuya read his reply, her face tensing with worry.
She quickly typed back:
"Then… is Hana in danger?"
Sure, spirits couldn't harm someone who couldn't see them—at least not directly.
But what if something happened?
The spirits targeting Hana lately had been getting stronger. She couldn't just ignore that.
Lying on his couch, Max's tone turned casual but serious.
"Yeah. When a spirit harbors malice, it drains her life energy.""If too much gets drained, she could die.""Luckily, Hana's special body lets her recover energy through food.""Otherwise, she'd already be in trouble."
Reading that, Yotsuya's lips parted slightly in shock.
Her heart tightened with a mix of amazement and fear—amazed at her friend's uniqueness, scared for her safety.
After a moment of silence, she bit her lip and typed again.
"Max… is there any way to keep Hana safe?"
A faint hope flickered in her chest.
Her phone buzzed.
Dreamer (Max):
"Of course there is."
Yotsuya's eyes lit up. She typed back fast.
"What way? Please tell me—I'll do anything."
She hesitated for a few seconds, then hit send.
Max stared at her message for a moment, eyes narrowing slightly.
His lips curved into a slow, meaningful smile.
"Anything, huh…"
"....."