"Meow~~"
"Meow meow~~"
A chubby and extremely cute British Shorthair kitten looked at the human girl who kept meowing at it with confusion.
It tilted its head: "Meow?"
Hearing the soft, milk-like meow, and seeing the kitten's adorable head tilt, Yukino felt her heart melt.
"Meow meow, did you just come from somewhere else?"
"Meow?"
"Meow, are you hungry? I have something to eat here."
Initially passing through the park, Yukino had planned to head straight back to her apartment due to limited time, but she hadn't expected to meet such a cute kitten.
"You poor little kitten."
Yukino always carried cat food in her bag. After spending some time gaining the kitten's trust, she took it out and fed the kitten.
"I don't know if it's a stray or if it ran away from home. It's getting late, and the temperature drops a lot at night."
While gently petting the kitten, Yukino looked around, trying to find the kitten's owner.
Unfortunately, she couldn't find anyone.
Perhaps because it had taken her a while to gain the kitten's trust, the once-bustling park had emptied out, and there was no one around.
Under these circumstances, it was almost impossible to find the kitten's owner.
Yukino exhaled a breath of cold air, lifted her hand to adjust the fur around her ears, and then gazed at the kitten, speaking softly, "Would you like to come home with me?"
"Meow?"
Seeing the kitten tilt its head and look at her, the corners of Yukino's mouth lifted slightly, and she carefully and hesitantly reached out her hand.
The kitten was brave and affectionate. It took the initiative, gently rubbing its head against Yukino's hand.
With a satisfied and happy expression on her face, Yukino gently scratched the kitten's chin, then softly picked it up. "Little kitten, it's too cold outside. Why don't you come home with me tonight, okay?"
"Meow~"
The kitten obediently nestled in Yukino's arms, purring softly.
"So adorable."
Yukino gently stroked the kitten's head, then lifted her gaze, determined the direction, and began walking towards her apartment.
At that moment, a voice suddenly called out: "Can you give me that cat?"
Startled by the voice, Yukino turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes stepping out from the darkness under a tree, carrying a bottle of wine.
Upon seeing the man, Yukino's expression immediately turned wary.
Especially after noticing the man's unsteady steps, indicating that he was likely drunk, her wariness increased.
"Sorry, this cat—"
"I said, give me that cat!"
The middle-aged man interrupted Yukino impatiently.
Yukino frowned, realizing she might be in trouble.
She didn't want to continue the conversation, so she turned and walked away.
After a while, as she exited the park, Yukino realized that the middle-aged man was still following her.
For some reason, the street seemed eerily quiet.
There wasn't a single pedestrian in sight.
Not even a car passed by.
Yukino felt a growing unease in her heart. She sensed that today's streets were too deserted, almost as if the entire city had stopped functioning.
Glancing back, she saw the middle-aged man still following her from a short distance away, drinking from his wine bottle while staring intently at her.
Feeling uneasy, Yukino quickly dialed the police.
No need to be polite to someone like that!
"How could this be..."
Yukino's eyes widened as her call failed to connect. What shocked her even more was that her phone had no signal.
"Uh-oh."
Her heart sank. She gritted her teeth and suddenly quickened her pace, all the while trying to keep calling.
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering echoed, and the wine bottle broke into pieces.
"Ah~"
Yukino winced in pain as her foot grazed the broken glass, causing her to stumble. As a result, her phone fell to the ground, but she managed to dial Haruto's number.
Haruto's voice came through the phone, and a look of surprise appeared on Yukino's face. At this point, she didn't care about names anymore.
"Kuromori-kun..."
Yukino picked up the phone, intending to ask for help. However, the next moment, her movement froze, and her eyes suddenly filled with fear.
'What's happening... why can't I move all of a sudden?'
The middle-aged man, not far away, continued sipping his wine and staggered closer. Behind him, a blurry, black shadow appeared, stretching across the ground and extending down the road.
"Your vigilance was good, but in front of me, you still want to run? Ha... You managed to ignore the barrier and get here, but you're not an Onmyoji, tsk..."
"Interesting."
"Very interesting."
Yukino looked at the approaching man with growing fear. When she heard the call disconnect, her heart sank to the bottom.
"Your soul must be special, right?"
"Even though we were warned not to cause trouble in Chiba City, as long as we don't get caught by others."
"A bunch of cowards, terrified by a young man over just rumors."
"What kind of oddity or anomaly is nothing but a joke!"
"It's just a trick to fool people!"
The middle-aged man stopped, raising his hand, sneering, "Kid, sorry, but I'll be taking your soul first."
"Hmm?"
The man suddenly frowned, "What's happening? Extract her soul already!"
The shadow on the ground didn't move. "Damn it!"
The man stomped the ground angrily, shouting, "You dare defy me!!!"
"It not defying you; it just doesn't dare to move."
From the darkness, Haruto slowly walked out, his eyes scanning the terrified girl who had collapsed on the ground, feeling relieved.
Then, he looked at the middle-aged man, his black eyes narrowing slightly, "What organization are you from?"
"Never mind."
Haruto gently shook his head, suddenly losing interest. He walked toward Yukino with a calm expression, raised his hand, and lightly snapped his fingers.
*CLIK*
The sharp sound echoed.
The middle-aged man's eyes widened in terror for a moment. This time, he felt an uncontrollable fear and despair engulf his body, unable to even utter a word to beg for mercy.
He stared, pleading silently, but could say nothing. Moments later, the man stiffly turned around and disappeared into the darkness, consumed by fear and despair.
Thus, an extra monster entered the oddity.
But in the next second, it was torn apart by a swinging scythe and vanished entirely.
In the darkness, the expressionless girl disappeared.
Haruto knelt down and said, "Yukinoshita is the high mountain flower of Sobu High, the one everyone admires, so don't cry."
"I'm not crying."
"Alright, Yukino-chan isn't crying. I'll seal this memory when you return."
Haruto took out a tissue and handed it to her.
Yukino took the tissue, turned her face to the side, and whispered, "Thank you."
Haruto nodded slightly, stood up, and looked around, frowning a bit.
It was one thing to set up a barrier in Chiba City. After all, he wasn't a dictator. If others wanted to investigate the "Demon Summoning" incident, even if they overestimated their abilities, he wouldn't interfere.
But to set up a barrier while attacking a civilian...
That was a slap in the face.
And though his face wasn't worth much, not everyone was allowed to step on it.
There were rules in every circle.
Haruto believed he needed to warn a certain force. If they still didn't repent, such people would become disasters if they remained, so it would be better to eliminate them directly.