Yuto stared blankly at the system task that had just popped up.
What the hell was this? His ambition had swelled again? He'd even stretched his demonic claws into the human world, and nobody had bothered to tell him he was this powerful? And the reward… a measly 500 reputation points? Dreaming of becoming a 996 workaholic with this? Forget it. If he went to a world like Demon Slayer and harvested a wave of gullible "crops," he could get more in a single day.
Kamishiro Isshin, for his part, had expected gratitude when he told Yuto that everything had been arranged for him. But seeing Yuto's dejected expression, he knew things were going sideways fast. He hurried on, explaining earnestly.
"Joining the Unnatural Countermeasures Team has real advantages," Isshin said. "First, society now is nothing like the old days. The government monitors and regulates people with powerful abilities. Onmyoji are expected to report their shikigami and other supernatural assets to the official Onmyodo. The yokai you captured before? Totally unregistered."
"Also, because of that rat demon incident, your situation is now widely known. This circle's small, but old-school, conservative Onmyoji will cause trouble if they learn that you and your sister possess yokai power."
"Don't doubt it. Face and honor matter more than anything in the Onmyoji world. Even though the Tenjōin family was once respected, no one wants a stain on their reputation. But our Unnatural Countermeasures Team doesn't care about lineage. As long as your background is clean and you have the determination to fight demons, you're valued. Join us officially, and even the old Onmyoji families won't dare interfere—at least, not openly."
Isshin's tone was serious, but factual. He wasn't threatening; he was stating reality. If the Unnatural Countermeasures Team hadn't intervened during the week Yuto was away, his family wouldn't have been as safe as they were.
The team wasn't an impenetrable fortress, but once Yuto's existence was known, informants naturally reported to his family. Yuto had overlooked that. He had assumed Nurikabe's protection and his younger sister's strength were enough to fend off ordinary threats—but danger could come from more than just evil spirits.
If the team hadn't stepped in, Nurikabe alone wouldn't have sufficed. And as for Tenjōin Masami? She hadn't even allowed Isshin to speak when he first arrived. She kicked him out before he could explain the role of the Unnatural Countermeasures Team.
Hearing Isshin now, Yuto frowned, feeling a twinge of remorse for his earlier carelessness. His expression softened—more friendly than before. The old threats of rogue Onmyoji like Yamato Kyuuka or Kamishiro Isshin didn't faze him now. The real issue was that he still didn't know the top human fighters' true strength. If he misjudged, killing them could unravel everything. Could he protect his mother and sister against unknown enemies?
Isshin, seeing the hesitation, pressed on, detailing the benefits of joining the team:
"You'd gain a formal military rank. You could deploy freely to assist local police with various tasks. You'd have access to generous perks."
"And every time you successfully exorcise a calamity demon, you'll get a significant bonus. Sure, money isn't why most of our exorcists join—they already have skills and don't need the cash—but it's still a nice incentive."
Money was usually meaningless to the experts. Even mediocre fortune-tellers or feng shui masters could make a fortune. Real demon hunters sought power, artifacts, or magical materials—not petty cash. Isshin hadn't seen anyone join the team purely for money.
Yuto, naturally, perked up the moment he heard about the demon-exorcism bonus. His eyes sparkled.
"How much for exorcising demons? Don't tell me it's some paltry few thousand yen to fool people?"
Isshin blinked, surprised. For someone like Yuto, money mattered more than anything else—even above the perks he'd just listed.
"Alright, here's the breakdown," Isshin explained. "Rewards scale by demon rank:
E-rank demons: 10,000–50,000 yen
D-rank demons: 50,000–300,000 yen
C-rank demons: 300,000–1,000,000 yen
B-rank demons: 1,000,000–5,000,000 yen
A-rank demons haven't appeared yet, so no standard reward exists—but those who exorcise one usually take rare items or artifacts instead of cash."
Yuto's grin grew wider. ╮(￣▽￣"")╭