Luckily, I managed to end the incident in Shibuya last midnight easily. The people who collapsed woke up as soon as I broke the harp. Thanks to the doctors and experts—who don't believe we exist—they concluded that the sudden mass collapse was probably caused by intense work fatigue and stress. After all, it was already midnight. Poor companies, the blame will be shifted onto them.
Unfortunately, because of the incident, I didn't get a chance to open my shop last night. Maybe I'll just focus on preparing for school. I'm currently a first-year high school student at Yokohama National Academy, located near the river.
How did I manage to attend school? What about the requirements? Fortunately, I have something I sell that helps with that—items that can induce hallucinations, alter memories, and even cause hypnosis. Don't worry, they're harmless.
At school, I'm pretty famous. Good looks, great at sports, and smart. Well, all of that is true. My physical abilities surpass humans, and as for intelligence, I've lived for four billion years. I've even spotted inconsistencies in history books, but I let them slide. It's not like I can say, "I was there."
Many girls like me, and a lot of boys hate me—probably because I stole their crushes. But I don't care about that. I'm loyal to my "Queen." Still, I have a few friends, and we hang out after school to talk about our hobbies and other things.
Today, we had plans to hang out after school. But then, something bad happened.
"Hey, Misaki, are you joining us today? We're going to karaoke," one of my friends asked.
"Sorry, I'll have to pass. I have something to do," I replied.
Suddenly, I felt it—a strange presence. A smell of danger lingered in the air. I sensed a giant demon nearby, along with the cries of spirits in distress.
I hurried to the location where I felt the anomaly. It was in an alley beside the river. And without a doubt, my suspicions were correct. A giant demon stood there.
It had a massive red body about seven meters tall, rippling with muscles. It carried a giant hammer. If that hammer hit me, I'd be dead for sure.
The demon charged at me, and I quickly got into a stance, preparing to counter. I transformed my weapon, "The Shape-Shifter," into a katana. My manifestation can transform into eight different weapons.
The demon reached my striking range, but just as I was about to attack, someone distracted me.
"HEY! YOU SHOULD RUN!" a girl shouted. She was in a school uniform, probably the same age as me.
I lost focus for a moment and almost got killed. Luckily, I managed to dodge at the last second. But wait… that girl… she could see the demon?
I decided to get serious and deal with the demon first. I'd ask her questions later. I switched to another weapon—the scythe. To be honest, I only used the katana because it made me feel like an anime protagonist, but I'm not that good with it. My scythe, however, is a different story. Back in the day, it was my main tool for hunting prey.
I approached the demon, aiming to finish it with one attack.
"Scythe: Death Rhapsody."
The scythe summoned a mist, and its blade was surrounded by darkness. Time seemed to slow down as I focused. The demon's movements became crystal clear to me. I dodged its attacks effortlessly and severed its head along with its hammer as if I were slicing through paper.
After dealing with the demon, I turned to the girl who had nearly gotten me killed.
"The demon I just killed—could you see it?" I asked.
"Y-yes. Why?" she stammered.
I was confused. Humans shouldn't be able to see spirits unless we allow it. Only the strongest spirits, those with developed consciousness, can make themselves visible to humans. But the demon just now wasn't strong enough for that. So how could she see it?
"Uhm, miss… what's your name?" I asked.
"Um… Hi-Himeko Tsukimiya."
"When did you start seeing those things?"
"I've been able to see them since I was a child," she replied.
I didn't press her for more personal details. Maybe she's a special kind of human. Rare, or perhaps even one of those legendary humans that appear once every four billion years.
Either way, I didn't sense any danger from her, so I offered to walk her somewhere safe. I couldn't guarantee her safety since spirits and spectres nearby were still acting wild. As we walked, I noticed how her eyes tracked the little spectres running around us.
"So, you can really see them. Do you know what they're called?" I asked.
"Sorry, I don't know," she replied.
"They're called spirits and spectres. And the one earlier was a demon. Humans shouldn't be able to see them…"
"Then why can you see them?" she asked back.
"Well… uhh… because we're the same?" I said, avoiding the truth.
I didn't expect her to ask something like that. Of course, I couldn't just tell her I'm a spirit too.
"It's nice to meet someone else with the same ability as me," she said with a sad smile. "My parents and everyone else think I'm crazy. They always say I'm mentally ill."
For some reason, I felt a bit of sympathy for her.
"Me too. It's comforting to meet someone like me…" I replied.
"Really? Then… uh… can I ask your name?"
"My name? It's Misaki. Haruto Misaki," I said.
"Nice to meet you, Misaki."
"Yeah… nice to meet you too."
I dropped her off at the nearest train station and left. I still needed to prepare to open my shop.
And yet, tomorrow came. I made a decent amount of sales last night and returned home around 5 a.m. I started preparing everything I needed for the day and finished my assignments. Yes, I don't sleep. Also, I don't need to study.
But when I arrived in my classroom, I saw something I didn't expect.