Looking at the girl whose body trembled slightly, clearly afraid that her apology might not be accepted, Yuto gave a small, reassuring smile and extended his right hand.
"My name is Tenjouin Yuto. Nice to meet you, liaison officer, Ms. Kujou Hinano."
In truth, Yuto bore her no real grudge. During the first Rat Demon incident, she had no idea of his true strength. While her so-called help had been more of a hindrance than a help, her concern had been sincere—she truly worried he might not be able to handle it alone.
As for the second incident with Nurikabe, Yuto himself couldn't resist her earnest persuasion. Judging from the information she provided, he determined the danger was low and agreed to act.
"Hahaha, Hinano-san, I wasn't wrong before, was I? I knew that the young man willing to help you eliminate the Rat Demon horde without expecting anything in return had to be broad-minded and righteous. How could he refuse a girl who sincerely apologized?"
"Compared to the others here, this is probably the first time I've met Brother Tenjouin. My secular name is Hakuba Wataru, but you can call me Hakuba Monk, just like the others. Though I am older than Brother Tenjouin, skill comes first. Your ability to slay the Rat Demon King single-handedly is beyond what I could ever match."
Besides Yamato Kuka and Kujou Hinano, Yuto also met the final core member of Team Eight: Hakuba Monk, who, along with Kamishiro Isshin and the others, had previously bolstered Yuto's reputation.
Hakuba Monk's appearance was not what Yuto had expected. Dressed in a perfectly fitted monk's robe, holding a book in his left hand and a vajra in his right, the man exuded a straightforward, no-nonsense aura, despite his advanced age.
"Oh, right, one more thing. Considering you've joined the Countermeasures Team, attending a regular school might be inconvenient if a 'calamity demon' shows up unexpectedly. You may need to transfer to the Onmyojuku in Tokyo. Your shikigami can also be registered there."
At that moment, Kamishiro Isshin, still lying sprawled on the ground like a corpse, suddenly perked up as if recalling something important.
With the appearance of calamity demons being so unpredictable, Yuto couldn't keep taking leave mid-mission. Regular school was clearly no longer suitable.
The Countermeasures Team had also studied Yuto's background. Despite coming from the prestigious Tenjouin family, he had been completely ignorant of Onmyojutsu. Whether facing the Rat Demon King or confronting Nurikabe, his combat methods relied solely on swordsmanship.
Most exorcists—even junior ones like Yamato Kuka—would at least be familiar with basic Onmyojutsu techniques. But considering Yuto's fate—the Tenjouin family wiped out before his birth—it made sense that he hadn't inherited their Onmyojutsu lineage.
Thus, Shinjō Isshin and the others hoped that Yuto's transfer would allow him to learn basic Onmyojutsu skills: things like communication spells and spirit vision. Advanced techniques were unnecessary; they only wanted him to grasp the fundamentals.
Not just anyone could enroll in the Onmyojutsu Academy. The school had been re-established over a decade ago in response to the sudden reappearance of long-lost yokai. Many descendants of Onmyoji families had grown up ignorant of the craft, leaving a void in the exorcist ranks.
To prevent a future shortage of skilled exorcists, leaders of several prominent families founded the Onmyojuku, offering basic Onmyojutsu as teaching material. Over the years, and with the continued emergence of evil spirits, the Academy had flourished. Its students were considered the most capable generation of exorcists.
Admission was anything but easy. Only those with exceptional talent and spiritual power—or direct descendants of major exorcist families—had a chance to enroll.
The Unnatural Countermeasures Group, backed by the government, still held sway with the Academy and received a few slots each year. Unfortunately, previous recommendations from the group had produced mostly mediocre graduates.
Most core members of the Unnatural Countermeasures Team were Academy alumni, aside from a few exorcists overlooked by their families. Yet even with the Academy's blessing, ordinary candidates were considered a drain on resources.
The head of the Academy argued that training one ordinary recruit consumed as much effort as training five aristocratic scions. With evil spirits appearing more frequently, it was more efficient to strengthen a few elite students than waste resources on average recruits.
The Academy's words were harsh but unassailable. Children of exorcist families began refining spiritual power from a young age, often entering the Academy with considerable Onmyojutsu skills. By contrast, ordinary recruits from the Countermeasures Group were adults, lacking innate talent, and their three years of training often yielded little improvement.
For them, the advanced students from exorcist families remained almost insurmountable. The gap in talent and starting point was simply too great.