"My strength is lacking, so you seem quite confident in yours.How about a contest to see who's truly weaker?"
Jizō Maruji's fury had barely cooled from the failed shikigami summoning ritual, and waking up to someone openly comment on his inadequacy felt like pouring gasoline on a fire.
He had believed the summoning was successful. His offerings had attracted the deity's attention—but at the very last moment, everything had collapsed. It would have been one thing if there had been no hope at all, but to have it dangled in front of him only to be snatched away… the humiliation was unbearable.
And now, the reason for the failure had been laid bare before everyone. Silence hung heavy, but everyone understood.
Yuuto's blunt words—that Maruji had been rejected because of his own lack of strength—felt like a public shaming.
"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to offend. I just… didn't expect such a shameless god. They take everything, then throw in some cheap display like a discount magic trick? That's all. I meant no offense to you," Yuuto added hastily, realizing too late that he had spoken carelessly.
But Jizō Maruji wasn't listening. If the deity responding to his summoning was so unworthy, then someone like Yuuto—who hadn't even attempted a summoning—must be even more so.
"Since you're here, you must have a shikigami, right? Or are you planning to summon one now? No? That's fine too. I also accept duels between Onmyoji. Since you think my strength is insufficient, prove your skill to me."
Yuuto glanced nervously at Yamato Kuka for guidance. Unfortunately, she simply shot him a look that said, "Good luck," clearly implying that her family and the Jizōs were not exactly on friendly terms. This was Yuuto's problem to solve.
And, truth be told, Yuuto's careless remark had been a serious provocation to the notoriously hot-tempered Jizō family.
"I just transferred here today," Yuuto said, keeping his voice calm. "So technically, I'm not exactly an Onmyoji yet. I'd love to spar, but… I actually know nothing about Onmyoji techniques."
Yuuto's logic was simple: he'd just arrived, didn't want to start trouble, and this duel was completely unreasonable.
"This guy… even though he's a transfer student, he's got experience slaying demons, and now he's here to register a shikigami," Yamato Kuka remarked, as if reading his mind.
At first, Maruji's anger ebbed slightly—he had been prepared to dismiss Yuuto as an inexperienced newbie. But Yamato Kuka's casual comment made him stop dead in his tracks. His glare snapped back to Yuuto, sharp as a blade.
"You've been hiding it, haven't you? Have you ever slain a demon? Perfect… so you do have some skill. I won't overdo it and end up dead later."
Yuuto turned to Yamato Kuka in astonishment. She stood there, innocent and serene, as if to say, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Where did your aloof persona go? Are you secretly cunning? And you're a teacher, right? Shouldn't you be stopping students from fighting? Why do you look so… excited?" Yuuto muttered.
Before he could finish, Jizō Maruji raised a blue talisman and charged while chanting an incantation.
"Return! Rivers of the Earth! Spirits of the Cave Veins! I call your name! Manifest! So be it!"
The moment the talisman hit the floor, a blue magic circle materialized out of thin air. From it emerged a creature resembling a groundhog. Instantly, it burrowed through the ground beneath the dormitory and shot straight toward Yuuto.
At the same time, Maruji himself lunged. The Jizō family specialized in physical combat over Onmyojutsu, and their attacks were direct, powerful, and relentless.
"This is absurd! The Shikigami Dormitory… and they're actually fighting here!"
The Shikigami Dormitory had its own supervising teacher, and he was about to intervene when the former headmistress, Kurahashi Tomoko, appeared silently behind him.
"Some of these scions from powerful families have become far too arrogant," she said calmly. "It's good to teach them a lesson."
"But if the battle damages the altar, the repairs alone will be enormous," the supervising teacher protested.
Kurahashi Tomoko's lips curved in a subtle smile. The arrogance of the scions—suppressing those from smaller families—had long annoyed the Academy's staff.
"You didn't notice the little girl from the Yamato family walk up to the altar?" Kurahashi continued, eyes on Yamato Kuka. "Her defensive spells were already prepared. This fight won't be as intense as you imagine. It may even end instantly."
"End instantly? You mean the transfer student will be defeated in an instant? And we'll use Jizō Maruji's reckless behavior to teach the powerful families a lesson?" the supervising teacher asked, confused.
Kurahashi Tomoko only smiled knowingly, leaving him speechless. He shouldn't underestimate transfer students. Usually, they were ordinary kids recommended by the Countermeasures Team—but not today.
Though Jizō Maruji was only a first-year, he had awakened his spiritual power at a young age and had already exorcised demons independently before entering the Academy. Among first-years, his strength was exceptional—the kind the Academy focused on. Could someone like him really be taken down by a mere transfer student?