Chapter 913 - 30: The New Teacher
The following morning.
"A new day..."
Stepping out the door, Yatsugaya Miko let out a long sigh and stretched her body lazily.
The weather seemed clear today, just like her bright mood. After lowering her arms, the girl glanced around and unsurprisingly spotted a distorted shadow lingering at the street corner not far away, emanating swirling black aura.
Further afield, there were more ominous figures mingling among the crowd.
Long, snake-like necks entwining around billboards...
A tall black shadow striding between buildings like an ancient Demon God...
And a figure strangled by a rope, seemingly hanged alive on a streetlamp...
— One could basically say that evil spirits in life are far more numerous than imagined. It’s quite alright if you can’t see them, but if you do, you’ll find the world suddenly feels crowded, humans and ghosts coexist, indistinguishable.
Quietly retracting her gaze, Yatsugaya Miko realized she hardly felt fear anymore.
It seemed like an abrupt change, but also somewhat naturally transitioned, since ultimately, confidence in facing things is what matters most.
Previously, those times were really grueling. Being utterly terrified yet having to pretend calm and suppressing inner fear, unable to scream or make eye contact, unable to show fearful emotions... But now it’s entirely different; the girl genuinely lacked much fear from within.
Especially after slightly sensing the remaining Divine Power within her, a wave of deep reassurance directly engulfed her.
— That’s right!
— There’s nothing to fear anymore!
The sky was so blue, the sun so bright, everything was so beautiful, further convincing her she had made the right choice. That one must be the Fox Immortal rather than an evil spirit; she didn’t understand the Demon Exorcists’ worries, but chose to believe in that.
Of course, apart from believing, there’s no other way either.
Since the contract was already signed...
Just last night, after careful consideration, she resolutely signed her name on the contract. Initially a bit puzzled how to send the contract to the other party, whether they’d pick it up or she’d mail it herself, but the moment the pen tip left the paper...
The entire document abruptly burst into flames—
Amid her low exclaim and focused gaze, it swiftly and entirely burned, leaving not even ashes.
Such eerie and magical scene, upon reflection, one could understand it probably meant the contract was fulfilled, right?! Yatsugaya Miko felt that must be the case, she gently raised her small fist, clenched it in front of her chest, as if encouraging herself, taking deep breaths several times.
In any case, this would be a new start.
Mikko, you can do it!
......
...
The journey was very smooth, the black-haired straight-haired girl seemed to fully return to her previous JK self, the girl exuding a serene vibe.
But this time, no longer forced endurance and feigned calm, nor forcibly suppressing, but genuinely relaxed and fearless from the heart. Probably because of this, the evil spirits met along the way didn’t try to test her, unsure if her confident aura was contagious—
If ordinary people could see, generally they wouldn’t be this relaxed and joyful, right!
Perhaps with such a thought, evil spirits didn’t want to waste time confronting her either.
Of course, another important reason was she suddenly possessed strong Spiritual Power, Life Energy was also activated, Yang Fire Aura became brilliantly radiant, shining out like a brightly burning flame among the crowd.
Most evil spirits couldn’t withstand this scorching sensation, nor had ways to cope—
Thus, instinctively choosing to stay away was quite normal.
Mikko wasn’t very aware of this yet, only feeling refreshed, so comfortable; though still seeing evil spirits, they were mostly within sight yet wouldn’t come close. She initially felt slightly tense, wondering if she should prepare for battle...
Having had yesterday’s experience, she believed it should be alright.
Of course, if there’s no need for battle, that would be even better.
Yatsugaya Miko smoothly walked into the school gates, happily entered the teaching building, all the way back to the classroom, sat at her desk, opened her bag to take out books, homework, and other things, categorizing them on the desk or placing them in the drawer.
"Xiao Hua! You want to scare me again..."
Suddenly halting her actions, she turned her head to look behind at the short-haired girl hunched over, stealthily approaching, catching her in the act.
"Eh? Mikko, why are you so sharp today?"
Yurikawa Hana quietly approached from behind, but before she could make a move, her just-seated friend turned directly around as if perceiving something, freezing her actions instantly, causing slight embarrassment, and upon realizing, she couldn’t help being curious.
Wasn’t I being very light-footed? Or have I been eating too much lately and gained weight again?
Subconsciously, she glanced down, not knowing if it was true or just a psychological suggestion, but Yurikawa Hana felt that her rather well-endowed chest seemed indeed to have gained some weight.
"I just happened to hear your footsteps..." Yatsugaya Miko replied. She also noticed that her perception seemed to have become much sharper, not sure if it was due to the gift from the Fox Immortal. But so far, it seemed to have only benefits and no drawbacks.
"Really?"
Yurikawa Hana nodded thoughtfully, realizing that she must have gained weight again. Just a few days ago, Mikko wouldn’t have been able to hear her.
But she was the type to not dwell on such things, and instead, she eagerly started on another topic, "By the way, Mikko, have you heard? Our teacher seems to be going on leave, and the new teacher is coming today..."
"Uh..."
The black long-haired girl paused for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Is it because she’s pregnant?"
The teacher was a woman, and she was nice to them. Just some time ago, she mentioned she was pregnant and might not be able to continue handling this class. Although it was a bit disappointing, there was nothing one could do; after all, the teacher was in her thirties, and everyone understood.
But to hear such news suddenly today, when we thought there would still be some time, left Yatsugaya Miko somewhat taken aback.
"Yes, they say she’s going back to have a baby, and if we have time later, we can visit the teacher..."
Yurikawa Hana smiled sheepishly and said reluctantly, "Speaking of, I wonder what the new teacher will be like, and whether they’ll be easy to get along with... Hmm, thinking about it like this, I really don’t want our current teacher to go. I wish she didn’t have to leave."
"There’s nothing we can do about it, right? The teacher is not young anymore,..."
Yatsugaya Miko blinked and calmly offered comfort.
About half an hour later.
The classroom was abuzz, and amidst the exclamations of her classmates, Yatsugaya Miko could no longer maintain her composed expression. She looked in astonishment at the young man at the podium, her mind briefly blank, wondering why the new teacher was him... No, the real question was why he came to apply as a teacher?
The new teacher wrote his name on the blackboard with a solid stroke of chalk, turned around calmly on the podium after finishing his self-introduction.
He flashed a bright smile at the intended Miss Witch below.
This was his first officially designated divine choice, naturally requiring some extra attention...
Okay, it’s actually a deliberate maneuver to divert Yatsugaya Miko’s attention a bit. After all, finding a cover to draw her attention is better than letting her wander around and directly exposing the truth of the world—
Although there were some minor issues with the current pace and specific route, it was ultimately just a small problem that could be adjusted and fixed, without the need to overturn everything.
And as the central point of the entire Technique, Yatsugaya Miko’s existence and significance are self-evident.
Her observation would determine whether the plan succeeded grandly or ended abruptly, so naturally, it required more attention.
In the process, we could also conveniently ensure that the main storyline that was about to unfold would proactively seek us out, instead of us having to chase it around the world...
Yatsugaya Miko was not aware of the specific inside story. She opened her mouth, looking at the cheers and excitement of her classmates around her, feeling like she was at a concert, bewildered by a somewhat surreal feeling, with peculiar thoughts and ideas sprouting inwardly.
This... is it because of me?
"Wow, really unexpected..."
At this moment, her friend beside her quietly leaned over, looking delighted, and said, "The new teacher turned out to be like this, it’s really great, why didn’t he come to teach sooner!"
Didn’t you just say you couldn’t bear to part with the previous teacher...
And now it’s blown away by the wind in an instant...
Yatsugaya Miko turned her head, feeling speechless, looking embarrassedly at her friend; the change of heart was too fast. But it seemed that she couldn’t quite blame her, because many classmates around were genuinely emitting little starry eyes, truly glowing.
Perhaps at this moment, their thoughts have drifted into some forbidden teacher-student romance...
Ugh, no, no, what am I thinking!
Realizing her thoughts, Mikko shook her head vigorously, feeling her cheeks slightly warm. She tried hard to calm herself, attempting to reason with herself not to let her imagination run wild, nor to misunderstand anything. Even if... even if there was a little thrill, she should understand that it’s more likely just the suspension bridge effect!
Given the recent experiences over the past couple of days, she should know that of all the incidences, which one wasn’t heart-stopping, to make anyone’s heart race!
She took a deep breath and, glancing quickly at the new teacher on the podium, Mikko solidified this thought.
......
Strategy Room headquarters building.
"Hmmmmmm..."
Almost simultaneously, as the morning light streamed in through the windows, Jinguji Ayame received the latest investigation report.
Her face appropriately showed confusion, "Why did he go become a teacher...? Could it be that he’s looking for a populous place to make us hesitate?"