Chapter 6: Hikigaya's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

Although he wanted to eliminate all the scattered evil spirits in the school to collect a large number of spirit coins, Hikigaya Hachiman did not forget that Miko Yotsuya had been captured by a high-level evil spirit. As a nearby low-level evil spirit let out a pitiful "Awooo!", the system notified him of another 50 spirit coins earned. "We can't delay any longer!" He glanced at the time—ten minutes had passed since Yotsuya Miko was taken. No one knew what could happen in those ten minutes, and Hachiman had to rescue her right away! He opened the light screen and checked his stats panel again: Name: Hikigaya Hachiman Age: 17 Occupation: Novice Exorcist Spirit Power: 90/100 Ability: Spirit Flow Technique (Novice) Weapon: Basic Demon-Slaying Blade Spirit Coins: 575 He finally had enough! After defeating three waves of scattered low-level evil spirits across the school, Hachiman had finally gathered enough spirit coins to upgrade to a higher-grade demon-slaying blade. Familiar with the process, he opened the spirit coin shop, and the goods were displayed in front of him instantly. Because he was still a novice exorcist, and had already redeemed the Spirit Flow Technique, the only item now available in the shop was a mid-grade demon-slaying blade priced at 500 spirit coins. To access more weapons and abilities, Hachiman would need to defeat higher-level evil spirits to unlock them. Without hesitation, Hachiman confirmed the purchase in his mind—and yet, the scene of a new weapon appearing before him didn't happen. Just as he was feeling confused, the basic demon-slaying blade in his hand began to glow with a pale blue light. As the glow faded, a brand new demon-slaying blade appeared in his hand. "It's not a replacement... it's an upgrade?" Looking at the newly transformed blade in his hand, Hachiman started to think. He had assumed that the original weapon was merely a beginner's tool provided by the system, but now it seemed its origin might be more complicated. "But now's not the time to think about this..." With his upgraded weapon in hand, Hachiman felt more confident facing a high-level evil spirit. Without wasting another moment, he followed the map provided by the system and ran toward the gymnasium—where the brightest red dot was located. At the gym entrance, no evil spirits were in sight. Without hesitation, Hachiman charged into the darkness inside. As soon as he stepped in, the doors behind him slammed shut. Instantly, Hachiman was plunged into darkness. Bzzzz... The blade in his hand began to hum and then glowed with its familiar pale blue light. A built-in light source? Momentarily stunned by the blade's added function, Hachiman quickly shrugged it off. Having light was a good thing—who cared who designed the illumination upgrade? He noticed the massive red dot on the map blinking near him but with no signs of attack. Hachiman figured the evil spirit was probably also stunned by the sudden light. Suddenly, the darkness receded like a tide, and blood-red moonlight streamed in through the windows. "Did it leave?" The red dot disappeared abruptly, leaving Hachiman confused. Was this evil spirit overly cautious or what? The battle hadn't even started, and it just left because of a light source?! "Wuuuu!" Suddenly, a muffled sound came from above. Hachiman looked up. He saw Yotsuya Miko wrapped in white threads—like spider silk—into a ball and suspended from the ceiling. "Hold on! I'm coming to save you!" After confirming on the map that the evil spirit had truly left, Hachiman gathered spirit power and leapt up to the ceiling beams, moving toward her. Seeing Hachiman approach, Miko began struggling even harder. "Stop struggling! You might fall if you move too much..." Hachiman frowned at her reaction. What's she doing? Doesn't she know that's dangerous? But Miko wouldn't listen. The closer he got, the more violently she struggled. Finally reaching her, Hachiman ripped off the spider silk covering her mouth. "Run!" The moment she could speak, Miko urgently urged Hachiman to flee. "I already stepped into the trap. You think it'll just let me go now?" Hachiman calmly used his blade to cut away the rest of the webbing, freeing her. "Y-You knew it was a trap and still came?!" Miko was shocked. Who would knowingly walk into a trap? How could someone be this stupid?! "Of course I knew." Hachiman shrugged. Such an obvious trap—if he couldn't see through it, that'd be an insult to his intelligence. "Then why still come?!" Miko's voice rose. Hachiman replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Before you were taken, the last person you were seen with was me, right? If something happened to you, the first person the cops would question would be me. I'd rather not be mistaken for a suspect..." But that was just the excuse he gave aloud. In truth, Hachiman understood clearly: the evil spirit's real target was Miko. The only reason it didn't devour her immediately was to lure him into the trap. If Hachiman didn't take the bait, then to the spirit, Miko would have no value left except as food. And there was no way Hachiman would just stand by and watch Miko die. "You... you're such an idiot..." Hearing his words, Miko saw through his tsundere facade. A warm feeling spread in her heart. Aside from her friend Hana, this was the first time someone had made her feel so important. "Fine, say whatever you want." Being called an idiot didn't faze Hachiman in the least. Compared to the venomous remarks from girls in the past, Miko's words were practically harmless. "So... where is it?" Hachiman looked around. He, the prey, had already entered the trap, yet the evil spirit hadn't made a move. What kind of incompetent hunter was this? Forget it, not gonna bother. He scanned the area one more time. Still no trace of the evil spirit. Hachiman picked up Miko, preparing to jump down. Miko didn't struggle—on the contrary, she cooperated and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What is it?" she asked, sensing his momentary pause. "N-Nothing..." Hachiman tried to act calm, but inside he was panicking. Aside from his little sister Komachi, this was his first time holding a girl! The soft touch in his arms, the faint fragrance from her hair—it was all overloading his senses. Suppressing his chaotic thoughts, he leapt down from the beam. Suddenly, a giant spider burst out from beneath the gym floor, opening its gaping jaws directly at the two of them as they fell. "Guess we're the all-you-can-eat buffet now..." That was the last thought that flashed through Hachiman's mind before the spider swallowed them whole.