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In modern day Tokyo. A presidential blue haired female ran after a ghouls spirit on a rooftop with a glowing pink spirit whip in hand. The girl tried to strike the ghoul ahead of her. The ghoul dodged and vanished. Noriko jumped to the other rooftop as she talked into her earpiece
"Teajin,do you copy?"
On the other end of the line a dark green haired,amber eyed male answers the call.
"Need my help already?"he teased her." What happened to working solo?"
"Not the right time for that. I'm being serious."
"I'm guessing you're calling because you need my help. Am I right?" Taejin asked adjusting his glasses.
He had guessed right. Being the brains of the group he was mostly relied on when it came to missions.
"Do you have the coordinates or not?"
Taejin held up his chin with one hand and pretended to be deep in thought.
"Well, let's see ....."
"TAEJIN KAWAKAMI! I swear if you keep this up,this mission will be the least of your worries. Now are you gonna give me those coordinates or not?!."
He sighed in defeat.
"It's heading for the city hall."
And with that he ended the call. Later near the city hall,the ghoul jumped off the three storey building and landed behind an alleyway. It walked out of the alleyway but was met with a calm looking Noriko leaning against the wall.
"Took you long enough. I was starting to get bored waiting."
It tried escaping in the opposite direction but it got stuck in its place. A blonde haired,grey eyed male appears from a corner.
"Sorry about that. Something came up."he answered sheepishly.
"You're lucky were both needed for this mission."
A pair of spirit chains raised from the ground and wrapped themselves around the ghoul. Taiki took out a basic talisman and cast an incarnation that sealed up the ghoul in the talisman.
"Seems were done here."Noriko remarked.
"Couldn't have done it without you."
Taejin's voice was heard from the earpiece childishly demanding some credit for the mission claiming his technology skills had helped them track the ghoul down in the first place. Taiki suggested visiting a cafe seeing as it was still early.
"You barely did anything". Noriko complained.
"What can I say? Sealing up ghouls is not as easy as it seems."
Noriko stated that they would bring them too much attention.The two's clothes were all messed up and dirty from the constant patrolling, drawing them way too much attention than they needed.
"Too late for that. I think our Little sealing stunt back there already brought us plenty of attention. Though I don't know if it's wanted or not. " He states playfully placing his arm around her shoulder.
Noriko noticing the people's questioning stares probably because of their outfits lowered her head blushing in embarrassment.
And that was team aka for you. Always drawing attention wherever they went.
**At the Kuroda Residence**
The door to the living room swung open as Noriko and Taiki entered.
"We're back," Noriko announced.
"And we've got the ghoul," Taiki added, holding up a talisman.
Taejin glanced up from his book, raising an eyebrow. "What took you two so long?"
Taiki grinned. "Had to stop for a quick snack, nothing much."
Taejin sighed, shaking his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
Setsuo walked into the room with Uncle Kuroda. "Looks like the whole team's here."
Uncle Kuroda's eyes twinkled as he took the talisman from Noriko. "Unlike most ghouls, this one is a corrupted spirit sorcerling. Sealing it was the best option."
Taejin crossed his arms. "A ghoul is still a ghoul."
Uncle Kuroda shook his head. "One day, you'll understand."
Setsuo turned to Noriko. "Now that you're done with the mission, you're free to go, but I'd like to have a word with you."
Noriko sighed but smiled. "As long as it's not another scolding, I'm in."
The two headed out, leaving Uncle Kuroda and Taiki in the room.
"Taiki, a word," Uncle Kuroda said.
"Coming. Talk to you later," Taiki called to Taejin before following his uncle to the artifact room.
**In the Artifact Room**
Uncle Kuroda placed the talisman in a casing as Taiki stood behind him, curious.
"Do you know why I asked you to stay behind?" Uncle Kuroda began.
Taiki shrugged. "Congratulate me on a job well done?"
Uncle Kuroda chuckled softly. "Partly. But that's not the main reason. Do you want to know why I specifically asked you not to destroy the ghoul?"
"Because it was a spirit?" Taiki guessed, looking confused.
"Exactly. Unlike ghouls, which are pure evil, spirits are quite the opposite. They can be easily influenced and corrupted to turn evil. Instead of exorcising them, there is another way to stop them: purification."
"I heard about that once," Taiki mused. "The Exorcists used it as a technique to stop spirits, but the technique was soon forgotten once the class went extinct."
Uncle Kuroda nodded. "Seems you've been reading quite a bit. And yes, you're right."
"But what I don't get is why keep the ghoul when none of us can purify it," Taiki pointed out.
Uncle Kuroda smiled knowingly. "You have a point. It may seem useless to keep it now, but I intend to change that." He placed his hand on the casing and closed his eyes. The seal on the talisman glowed red, emitting bright specks of light. The seal disappeared, and the talisman gradually faded away.
Uncle Kuroda opened his eyes and looked at Taiki, who was staring in awe. "And that's how it's done."
Taiki's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Taiki stated,"cool." He then asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "Didn't you say only Exorcists can purify spirits?"
Uncle Kuroda answered confidently, "I did."
"And last I remember, you were a martial artist," Taiki continued.
"And still am," uncle Kuroda replied, curiosity piqued. "Then how did you—"
Uncle Kuroda interrupted, "You learn a lot of secrets the more you stick around."
Taiki grinned. "You are definitely teaching me that later."
Suddenly, Taiki's phone rang. He excused himself and answered it.
On the other end of the line, Tasha shouted, "Where are you?!"
Taiki held the phone away from his ear. "Tasha, hello to you too."
Tasha continued, "Mom and Dad will be back in less than an hour, and you know you're on cleaning duty today!"
Taiki slapped his forehead. "I completely forgot about that. The team and I were out on a mission."
Tasha sounded exasperated. "Seriously!?"
"I may need the five of you to cover for me this one time. Think you can manage?" Taiki asked hopefully.
Tasha paused. "What do we get in return?"
Taiki thought quickly. "How about an exclusive front view of my next mission?"
Tasha wasn't impressed. "Nice try."
Trina's voice chimed in. "We want full access to the Kuroda residence."
"Not happening," Taiki said firmly.
Tasha relented. "Just pick up the groceries on your way back. We'll cover for you."
Taiki sighed in relief. "Thanks, Tash. This is why you're my favorite."
All four of his sisters except Tasha shouted, "Hey!"
Taiki laughed. "I'm just kidding, guys. I'll see you at home. Love you." He hung up.
**Later at the Ishiko House**
Tina looked out the window as their parents' car arrived. "They're back."
Tasha nodded. "Seems we really have to cover for him. Girls, you know what to do."
They all nodded. Tasha and Trina rushed out to meet their parents as they were getting the groceries from the car's boot. They insisted on helping and carried the shopping bags themselves.
Inside the house, their parents were kept occupied while Taiki climbed in through his bedroom window, carrying groceries in his hands.
"Made it," he muttered.
He found Trixie seated on his bed. "Could you be any later?"
Taiki rolled his eyes. "Do you know how bad traffic is in the evening?"
Trixie smirked. "Since when do you own a car?"
Taiki grinned. "Just about the same time you all started demanding favors. Where are the others?"
"Downstairs covering for you, of course," Trixie replied.
"How lucky of me," Taiki said, shaking his head.
"You have five minutes to get your sorry ass downstairs," Trixie ordered before leaving the room.
**Later at Night, on the Streets**
A man was busy on his phone, grocery bags in one hand, as he answered a call. "Hello? Yeah, I'm already on my way back... No, the store was out of cheese."
A dark figure quickly rushed by behind him. The man turned around, swearing he had heard something. He ignored it and continued with his call.
"As I was saying, I might be a little late today, so don't stay up waiting for me." His legs suddenly stopped mid-stride. "What's going on? I can't move," he thought, panic rising.
The man's body began to tremble, a chill running down his spine. Some drool landed on his head. Slowly, he looked up, his face turning pale as he met the open mouth of a monstrous creature above him. Terrified, he dropped his phone.
"Hello? ...Hello? Anyone there?" the caller on the other end asked, but the line went dead as the mysterious creature attacked.