The transformation happened so suddenly that everyone froze.
Even Kamikura Ringo—an onmyōji trained since childhood—forgot herself and stood
wide-eyed, jaw slack.
The Sugar Bean Man loomed before them, pink and plump under the flickering corridor lights.
He stretched his limbs as though warming up, hopping lightly on his stubby legs.
Each bounce made the tiles tremble faintly.
Was he… doing calisthenics?
In truth, Touta found it embarrassing every single time.
His Sugar Bean form demanded a short "activation phase" to synchronize body and energy, but
the warm-up always looked ridiculous.
How ridiculous?
Ridiculous enough that even the blood-soaked spirit—which had been charging toward them
a moment ago—paused mid-air, visibly baffled.
That ticked him off.
Really? Humans being scared, sure. But you—a ghost—get confused?
I'm scarier than you, dammit!
He snorted, but what came out was a bright, squeaky "Woo-hoo!"
The sound echoed cheerfully through the dark hall.
He took off running.
The massive, muscle-pink Sugar Bean Man charged forward, his heavy steps shaking the floor.
Behind him, Lu Zizhen's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Idiot! Move!" she yelled, though it wasn't clear whether she was warning him or cheering.
Kume Chinatsu snapped out of her daze first.
She remembered—the night before, this thing hadn't attacked her. It had saved her.
It only targeted spirits.
And the woman beside it—camera in hand—was the same one from those videos.
So it wouldn't hurt them.
Right?
Mustering her courage, she dove sideways, tackling Ringo to the ground just as the Sugar Bean
Man thundered past.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The floor quaked like something alive.
Zizhen was right behind him, filming with her GoPro, pure delight on her face. "This is gold!
GOLD!"
The blood-soaked shirt—momentarily stunned by the absurdity—hovered uncertainly in the air.
Then Touta reached out.
A pink blur flashed forward. His massive hand closed around the fabric.
A shriek split the air—
and stopped.
He slammed it down.
BANG!
Tiles shattered. Dust burst upward.
[Low-Grade Vengeful Spirit detected! Please eliminate immediately!]
The system message appeared across Touta's vision, candy-colored borders and cheerful fonts
at odds with the horror around him.
Below it, the crumpled, twitching remains of the spirit lay sprawled across the floor—an unholy
mess framed in pastel cuteness.
Touta blinked. "…That's it?"
The "garment" twitched weakly, then went limp in his grasp—like a towel that had given up on
life.
Zizhen leaned in with her camera, whispering, "That's it?"
Behind them, Ringo finally found her voice.
"P-please… have a little respect."
Zizhen whipped around, incredulous.
"Respect? For the ghost?"
Ringo hesitated but didn't back down. "They were human once. You shouldn't mock them."
Touta paused.
For a fleeting moment, he thought, She's kind.
He glanced at her—the girl in the simple tracksuit, a short blade at her waist. Her courage was
rough, unpolished, but real.
A down-to-earth exorcist girl.
He wanted to tell Zizhen to ease off—but in this form, that wasn't possible.
All that came out was another cheerful, childlike "Woo-hoo!"
Zizhen groaned. "Fine, fine, Mr. Woo-hoo." She turned back to the camera, grumbling under her
breath.
The "blood garment" still pulsed faintly, its essence coiling like ink around invisible threads.
It wasn't gone—not yet.
Fine. Let's finish this.
Killing spirits had become mechanical work for him now—one more "mission complete" to check
off.
He gripped the fabric in both hands and twisted.
"Wait! Don't—!" Ringo gasped. "That's too cruel!"
But the pink Sugar Bean Man didn't stop.
Screeeee—!
Black mist burst from the cloth, thick as tar. It spiraled upward—then was sucked into his eyes,
devoured completely.
He twisted once more. The air cracked.
Rrrrip—!
The fabric tore like wet paper.
The fragments slumped lifelessly to the floor.
And that was that.
An evil spirit capable of possession—
obliterated as easily as wringing out laundry.
Kamikura Ringo stared at the pink figure's back, her faith shattering.
All her life, she had believed exorcism was sacred—a dance of light guided by divine will,
freeing tormented souls with compassion.
But this?
This was brutality wearing a smile.
A god's work, done like a street fight.
Why could he destroy spirits so easily?
Why did he treat it so casually?
What was this creature?
Touta turned, gesturing to Zizhen. The night was over.
They hadn't found the high-level entity, but since his school enrollment was still technically
active, he could come back later—during the day.
Zizhen gave Ringo one last scathing look, then followed him out.
The Sugar Bean Man and the woman in black disappeared into the dark corridor, their
silhouettes melting into shadow.
Only when they were gone did Ringo finally exhale, trembling from head to toe.
"So strong…" she whispered. "So unbelievably strong."
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