— — — — — —
"What kind of work are you doing?"
Hana Yurikawa glanced from Miko to Kazuma, then sat down right beside Miko as if she owned the place. Her curiosity was plain as day.
"Just a part-time gig, nothing major. You want to join too, Hana?"
Kazuma studied her quietly. This girl wasn't normal either—her life energy was far denser than that of an ordinary person.
Spirits that got too close to her would literally burn from the positive energy radiating off her.
Unfortunately, that same energy was like a beacon—it attracted them too.
"No way!"
Before Hana could say anything, Miko cut in fast: "Hana's family runs a bakery. She helps out whenever she's free, so she really doesn't have time for part-time jobs!"
Her words tumbled out in a rush.
"Mm, Miko's right," Hana said with an easy smile. "Thanks for the offer, but I really can't take on another job."
She had no idea why Miko reacted so strongly, but she trusted her best friend. If Miko said no, there must be a reason—and that was enough for her.
"Hana…"
Miko's chest tightened. Watching her friend, who didn't understand a thing yet still chose to believe her without hesitation, made her want to cry.
Hana was her best friend in the whole world—and there was no way she'd let her get dragged into this mess. She'd protect her, no matter what.
Kazuma smiled faintly but didn't push the matter further. Sooner or later, Hana would end up involved anyway. With that blazing energy of hers, she was basically a walking buffet in the eyes of spirits. They'd never leave her alone.
...
The three of them chatted for a while longer, snacked a bit, and then Hana got a call from home and had to leave. When she left, Kazuma and Miko left the café too.
"See you at school tomorrow, Hana."
Miko tried to sound casual, even though her eyes darted nervously to the spirits wandering along the street. Her heart was pounding, but she forced a smile.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow!" Hana waved with her usual bright energy, then jogged off.
Several spirits tried to cling to her along the way—but as soon as they approached, they sizzled and vanished, burned by her overwhelming aura.
"Hana… she is getting targeted by spirits again because of me?"
Miko's "Spirit Sight" let her see the spirit, but not the living aura of others. So she'd always assumed that the spirits surrounding Hana were her fault.
She'd been blaming herself all this time.
"No," Kazuma said. "You've been with her this long and never noticed anything special about her?"
"Special? Well… she's cheerful, super sweet, adorable, kind—oh, and always so warm to everyone!"
The words came out instantly. Hana had always been that shining presence in her life, ever since they were kids. No matter how dark things got, Hana's smile always made it better.
"That explains it," Kazuma said with a chuckle. "Her personality's part of it. Her body's special, sure—but that brightness of hers, that optimism, it feeds her positive energy. And high positive energy naturally attracts spirits. It's not your fault, it's just who she is."
"Positive energy? Attracting spirits? What does that mean? Is Hana in danger?"
Miko's voice trembled as she grabbed Kazuma's arm in panic.
Bang!
Her outburst drew the attention of a nearby spirit—it lunged at them, but before Miko could even flinch, Kazuma casually shot it through the head.
The spirit evaporated on the spot.
"Ah!"
Miko jumped, startled by the sound, then immediately realized how overexcited she'd been. She tried to calm herself down, eyes pleading for an explanation.
"Okay, let me simplify it," Kazuma said, amused. "Think of your world as a dark room. Every person is like a little torch in the dark. But your friend? She's like a giant spotlight. What flies or mosquitoes do when they see light in the dark?"
"They are drawn to it…" Miko murmured, her eyes widening.
"Exactly. Spirits are the same. They're drawn to her light, instinctively."
Miko's breath caught in her throat. Now she finally understood how serious this was.
She hesitated, then looked down at the green gem pendant around her neck. "Can I… give this necklace to someone else?"
According to Kazuma, it could block spiritual energy and ward off attacks. If she gave it to Hana, maybe Hana wouldn't be hunted anymore.
"Of course you can," Kazuma said. "But if you do, you'll be defenseless. No protection if a spirit decides to come after you."
He gave her a look of interest. "You sure about that?"
Miko nodded firmly. "Yeah. I still have the Soulfire gun. And if I just act like I don't see them, I'll be fine. Hana needs it more than I do."
Kazuma smiled. "Good answer. Tell you what—since you're so generous, I'll give you one of your own."
He pulled out another identical necklace, leaned over, and clasped it around her neck himself. Then he gently patted her head.
"T-thanks…"
Miko looked down at the glowing green pendant. A strange warmth filled her chest.
For as long as she could remember, she'd been alone with her fear—seeing things no one else could see, things she couldn't even talk about.
But now, for the first time, someone understood. Someone could see the same world she did.
She wasn't alone anymore. And this someone… was strong enough to protect her.
That thought alone made her heart feel a little lighter.
"If you really want to thank me," Kazuma said, smirking, "then work hard on your missions. I didn't give that to you for free—it still costs five hundred thousand. Not a yen less."
"Also, you're just a normal human. Without some protection, you'd get yourself killed in no time. And if you die, how are you supposed to pay me back?"
He looked positively delighted. Every time Miko completed a mission, he'd get a free 1% boost to his magic.
Ten missions meant a 10% boost. A hundred missions? 100%. Sure, it wasn't as fast as doing the missions himself—but it was basically free power. And once he had more members, that boost would only multiply.
"You're so greedy," Miko pouted, puffing her cheeks.
Still, she couldn't help but laugh. It had been a long time since she'd felt this relaxed—just joking around like a normal high school girl instead of worrying about monsters lurking everywhere.
Then it hit her again, five hundred million and five hundred thousand in debt.
Her smile froze.
No, wait — add Hana's amulet, that makes it five hundred and one million.
This time, tears welled up in her eyes.
She was doomed to work for Kazuma for the rest of her life… maybe even after.
[Ding~]
[Achievement Completed: First Cross-World Commission Fulfilled.]
[Reward: Shadowkhan – Ninja Division.]
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