— — — — — —
"Um… that guy—are we really just leaving him like that? What if he calls the cops?"
Miko suddenly realized what they'd just done and spun toward Kazuma, panic rising in her voice. Sure, he might not care, but she was still a high school student. If the police traced anything back to her, she was done for.
"Relax," Kazuma said calmly. "He doesn't have the guts. And even if he tried, he literally can't say anything."
When the man had agreed to pay, the system had automatically triggered a silencing feature. From that moment on, no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to talk about what happened.
"Oh…" Miko nodded slowly, still not entirely convinced. She glanced down at the necklace hanging from her neck and the faint tattoo-like mark on her hand—the soulfire gun now resting dormant as a sticker.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself for her new part-time exorcist life.
Over lunch, she bombarded Kazuma with questions about spirits, missions, and exorcism techniques. He answered most of them with his usual unflappable confidence.
Then—
Ding!
Her phone buzzed again. When she unlocked it, the guild app popped open on its own, displaying a brand-new mission just a few blocks away.
"There's… another one," Miko said hesitantly, looking up at Kazuma.
"Perfect." He smiled. "I've already shown you the ropes and answered your questions. Time for your first solo field test."
He gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder, eyes shining with exaggerated sincerity. "Go, exorcist girl!"
"No, no, no, no, no!" Miko flailed her arms wildly. "I just barely survived the first mission! There's no way I can do one alone!"
She pointed at him accusingly. "And stop trusting me so much! I'm a total rookie!"
Her head spun. She'd joined the guild less than an hour ago, and now she was being thrown into another exorcism like some low-level grunt in a video game.
"You'll be fine," Kazuma said breezily. "With the gear I gave you, you've got everything you need."
Before she could argue, he grabbed her by the wrist and started walking toward the mission location.
"Uuugh… I knew it," Miko groaned. "Never take candy from strange men. You eat one lollipop and suddenly you're being dragged off to fight spirits…"
She looked down at her necklace and the glowing mark on her hand. Yeah—no backing out now.
They arrived not long after. The client lived in a fancy detached house—definitely not short on money.
"Your turn, Miko."
Kazuma stepped back a few paces, giving her a thumbs-up and what was probably supposed to be an encouraging look.
"Uuuuugh…" Miko wanted to cry. "It's fine, I can do this, I can do this, it's easy…"
Muttering to herself, she took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Moments later, the door opened to reveal a high school girl around her age, dressed in the same uniform.
"Um, hello?" the girl said, tilting her head. "Can I help you?"
Miko froze. Oh no. Oh no. Same school?! Just her luck.
"H-hi! I'm, uh… your exorcist! My name's Miko! And I swear I'm not a scammer!"
She blurted everything in one breath, her face turning redder by the second.
Dammit, why did I say that? Who would take me as a Ghostbuster seriously after this?
"Huh?" The other girl blinked, then frowned slightly. "That's strange. I already hired someone else. She just got here—a lady who called herself 'The Godmother.' Why did your guild send another exorcist?"
"Someone else…? Oh, uh, maybe there's been a mix-up. P-please wait a sec!"
Miko bolted back to Kazuma, her face burning.
"Guild Master!" she hissed. "Didn't you say there were only two people in the guild? Why is there suddenly another one?!"
"That's called competition," Kazuma said dryly. "And stop looking so guilty. You're standing there fidgeting like a scam artist. The difference between a con artist and a professional exorcist is confidence. Chin up, shoulders back."
Miko stiffened like a soldier. "Y-yes, sir!"
She took a deep breath, ran back to the door, and did her best to look like a professional.
"The woman you mentioned isn't from our guild," she said, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Our guild only sent me. I might look… ordinary, but I promise I'm not a fraud. Please believe me."
The other girl giggled. "You're funny. Okay, I'll believe you—for now."
She stepped aside and gestured toward the house. "Come in."
If it had been an older man at the door, she might've been more cautious, but since Miko was her age, the tension melted away quickly.
"Th-thank you."
Miko glanced back once, hoping Kazuma would at least follow her inside. But he was gone.
Her heart almost dropped. But she couldn't back out now, so she followed the girl down a quiet hallway into a large living room.
Inside sat an elderly woman in a shawl, her posture composed and regal.
"Thank you both for coming," the woman said with a calm smile. "I heard that you two can see spirits. Please don't misunderstand—I didn't call you here to exorcise anything."
"I just want to see my mother again. She passed away in an accident last year, but I still feel her near me. I'm begging you—help me see her, even just once."
She clasped her hands together, voice trembling slightly.
"If you can do that, I'll pay each of you five hundred thousand yen."
Her words hit Miko like a ton of bricks. The girl's father worked abroad most of the year, leaving her alone with her mother. Money wasn't the issue—loneliness was.
Miko opened her mouth. "Um, actually…"
She didn't see any gentle motherly spirit nearby. What she did see was a massive, twisted spirit hovering just behind the girl—its presence thick and suffocating.
"No problem at all," the old woman interrupted smoothly. "Your mother's spirit is right here with you, my dear. Ordinary people just can't see her."
"I can only act as a medium to convey her words."
"...Huh?"
Miko turned toward the old woman, confused. The girl's side was clear of anything that even remotely looked like a mother's spirit. Why was this "The Godmother" pretending otherwise?
Something was definitely off.
.
.
.