Beep… beep… beep… beep…
The irritating alarm echoed through the bedroom, announcing the arrival of the next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling onto the wooden floor, highlighting traces of last night's chaos scattered across the room.
A single black cat ear popped out from under the blanket on the side of the bed, accompanied by a faint wriggling of the covers and a lazy, slightly groggy voice.
"So noisy… what's that sound?"
"The alarm clock."
One corner of the blanket was lifted, revealing Hanakaiin Tomitaka stifling a yawn as he sat up steadily.
He ignored Kuroka, who was still squinting sleepily and whining softly, trying to hold him back with her body. Instead, he got out of bed and walked straight to the desk by the window, pressing down on the alarm clock that was still relentlessly beeping.
Once the noise stopped, Kuroka, still curled up in bed, blinked sleepily and raised her head, one cat ear perking up while the other drooped.
"Off to that… school thing again, huh? I swear, alarm clocks have got to be the worst invention humans ever came up with… haaaah yawn… Wait, wasn't your old alarm clock a different sound?"
"No choice. Got a new one."
Tomitaka released the alarm and turned to look at the cat-eared girl sprawled half-upright on the bed, her body twisted like a mountain peak inverted.
"The last one was on the bedside table. You punched it and broke it, remember?"
"Well… it was making that huge noise all of a sudden! I was half-asleep and it went off—almost had a heart attack!"
Kuroka's gaze darted around nervously, clearly lacking confidence.
Tomitaka shrugged lightly. "So this time, I put the alarm on the desk. Can't reach it while lying in bed."
"Mm…"
Kuroka puffed out her cheeks, ready to continue complaining about how alarms were the pinnacle of bad human inventions. But when her gaze fell back on him, all the words lodged in her throat.
The sunlight that had fallen through the curtains now slanted across Tomitaka's body, outlining the long, toned lines of his muscles in perfect clarity.
"…What's wrong?"
Seeing her quietly staring, he tilted his head, a question mark forming above it.
"…Morning credit…"
"Morning credit doesn't matter. Not enough time before school. We'll take care of it tonight when I get back."
He shook his head, bent down to pick up the scattered clothes from the floor, and added thoughtfully:
"Besides, we went at it until we both passed out last night. You want to start again first thing in the morning? Even a monster's body has limits."
"Every time I hear you say stuff like that as a human to a monster… I get this weird, misplaced feeling…"
Watching Tomitaka pick up the clothes one by one, Kuroka sat up and gave a faint pout.
Then, ignoring the fact she wasn't dressed yet, she yanked the other half of the blanket off herself, leapt off the bed with the agility of a cat, and latched onto Tomitaka from behind like an octopus wrapping its tentacles around him.
Throughout the whole maneuver, he didn't budge a bit, as if he'd anticipated this move all along.
Their skin pressed together, heat and touch clear between them. Tomitaka turned slightly, brushing his nose against her cheek.
"Maybe put some clothes on first…"
"Nooo~ We're at home, no one's watching, so who cares~"
Kuroka swayed her head back and forth, humming softly. Her logic was simple: she was already "credited," meaning she could erase negative status with magic anytime, but the better solution was to mess with Tomitaka's credit too.
Then he wouldn't have to go to that school thing, and they could spend the entire day together at home.
A perfect plan, a triumph for all.
Unfortunately… it didn't succeed.
Twenty minutes later, Tomitaka, now clean and dressed, sat at the dining table in the living room. Beside him was Kuroka, sulking after being forced into her kimono.
Breakfast: sandwiches with milk. Tomitaka had a fried egg and bacon sandwich, while Kuroka, being a cat-girl who preferred fish, had sardines and bacon instead.
"Hey, did anyone reply to that post you made last night?"
Kuroka bit into her sandwich, her legs swinging on the chair, toes brushing against Tomitaka's calves despite being clothed.
"Let's see…"
Tomitaka set down his glass of hot milk, patted Kuroka firmly to straighten her back, and pulled out his phone from under his clothes.
Revisiting last night's post, unsurprisingly, there were several replies: some gave "+6 points," others said "who asked you?" The rest mostly questioned whether it was real or some prank.
"This is strange…"
Tomitaka scrolled slowly, taking a bite of his sandwich.
Kuroka, finally shaking off some of her shyness, leaned close, her cheeks tinged pink.
"…What is it? Something wrong?"
"Mm… not exactly wrong."
He hesitated. Although the forum was run by Tokyo Jujutsu Academy students, ordinary civilians could freely post, especially paranormal enthusiasts. The academy used it to monitor supernatural phenomena efficiently: early detection, early handling.
Even a centuries-old Onmyoji family like Hanakaiin could only respond to requests—they couldn't patrol Japan for strange occurrences 24/7. It was impossible. Better to let enthusiasts post and increase work efficiency.
But that didn't mean the jujutsu students just browsed casually. Sometimes, they replied to posts that warranted attention.
The finger he'd found yesterday had clear jujutsu seals, yet no "professional" had contacted him.
Not very professional, huh?
Unless—
A lightning bolt of inspiration struck, and a tiny light bulb appeared above his head.
Tomitaka closed the forum post and checked his inbox.
Sure enough, there was an unread message from last night, probably sent just after his post. He hadn't seen it because he was… otherwise occupied with Kuroka.
The message came from an ID called [Meikyou Shisui]. The opening line identified the sender's identity:
[Greetings. I am Saeko Dokujima, a third-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu Academy. According to verification, the sealed item in your post belongs to Tokyo Jujutsu Academy. It is extremely dangerous. Upon reading this message, immediately distance yourself from the item and contact me.]
The tone was polite but firm, and a phone number followed.
Normally, no problem—but Tomitaka felt a twinge of irritation.
What do you mean "belongs to the Academy"? I seized it fair and square!
And dangerous?
He glanced at the suitcase on the table. His seal was holding perfectly.
Opening it, the finger lay quietly in its groove, absolutely still. Obedient.
Well, any funny business and he'd just unleash his "Great Celestial Dragon" technique.
A smirk crossed his face. He thought for a moment, then typed a reply:
[Hello, I am Qin Shi Huang.]