Chapter 299: The Figure in the Alley
Under the company of each other's wandering, the day passed quickly. In the orange afterglow of the setting sun, Hikigaya Hachiman and Yotsuya Miko prepared to take the train back to Chiba.
"I had a lot of fun today."
Walking with small, quick steps to keep close to Hachiman, Miko squinted her eyes at him, her face full of smiles.
"It was indeed quite pleasant..."
Hearing Miko's words, Hachiman turned to look at her smiling face, but then shyly turned his head away. Although she was also a member of the opposite sex, the feeling of going shopping with Miko was completely different from the feeling of going out with Komachi and the others.
How should he put it?
When he was out with Komachi, there was no tension at all. But being by Miko's side, whenever their bodies inadvertently brushed against each other, his heart would feel a slight sense of nervousness and excitement.
'Is it because I'm just too familiar with Komachi?'
Observing Miko's profile, Hachiman thought pensively. After all, a "younger sister" is a mysterious existence—no matter how beautiful she is or how intimate her actions are, you won't have even a single "evil thought" in your heart.
"Um, Hikigaya-kun..."
Miko's somewhat bashful voice suddenly reached his ears. Hachiman felt a bit strange. He looked up to see Miko fidgeting with her hands, her face flushed as she stammered:
"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll feel very embarrassed..."
"......"
His brain stalled for a few seconds. Once Hachiman snapped out of it, he hurriedly retracted his gaze.
"Sorry."
Because he was so absorbed in thinking about the difference between the two, he had forgotten to look away.
"It's fine... actually, if Hikigaya-kun wants to look, it's not like it's forbidden..."
Lowering her head, Miko whispered words that were quite bold. Hachiman kept his head down and didn't respond directly; after all, if their relationship took another step forward...
"Ah!"
A sharp, shrill scream suddenly broke the silent atmosphere between them. Along with the scream, the sound of hurried footsteps came from an alley beside the street.
Immediately, a man and a woman with disheveled clothes rushed out of the alley. After casting a terrified look back into the depths of the alley, they hurriedly fled the area.
"...Please wait here for a moment."
Hachiman and Miko looked at each other. After hesitating for a few seconds, Hachiman decided to step into the alley to see exactly what had happened.
"Um, can I come with you?"
Placing one hand over her heart, Miko requested to go along.
"It might be one of those things. It's safer for you to stay here, Miko."
Hachiman shook his head, declining her request. It was just right inside the alley; if he truly needed her help, he could just come back out and call for her.
"I see. Then please be careful..."
Having her request rejected, a visible look of disappointment appeared on Miko's face. But she quickly adjusted her emotions and, after urging Hachiman to stay safe, watched him step into the alley.
Stepping inside, the first things he saw were a few discarded cardboard boxes and a puddle of stagnant water. The air throughout the alley was permeated with a rotten, moldy stench, which made Hachiman genuinely curious as to why that couple had chosen such a place to "do their business."
However, now was not the time to ponder their preferences for locations. Not sensing anything unusual upon entering, Hachiman continued walking deeper into the alley.
The alley was unexpectedly deep, but there were no branching paths along the way. As Hachiman moved further in, a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere gradually enveloped him.
Squelch!
The sound of a blade slicing into a body suddenly came from ahead. Then, a swaying figure appeared in Hachiman's sight.
.
.
.
After slicing the spirit blocking her path in half with a single stroke, Yomi Isayama—whose mental and physical energy had long since reached their limits—continued walking forward along the alley by sheer force of will.
"Just a little bit more..."
Yomi murmured to herself. After a long day of fighting and killing an unknown number of evil spirits, she had a premonition of a breakthrough.
As long as she kept killing, she would soon be able to break through her current limits and reach the same level as Tsuchimiya Kagura. At that time, the two of them could return to how they were before, and there would no longer be any dissenting voices within the family...
Tap... tap...
A faint, rhythmic sound of footsteps suddenly came from ahead.
"This spirit is very strong."
She no longer had the strength to lift her head, but just by listening to the footsteps, Yomi could judge that the enemy appearing this time was quite powerful.
"If I kill it, I'll definitely be able to break through, right?"
As she got closer and closer to Hachiman, a massive sense of crisis gradually crept into Yomi's heart. But she didn't have the slightest thought of retreating; instead, she chose to keep moving forward...
A flash of silver light streaked past Hachiman's face. Then, Hachiman raised his right hand and effortlessly caught the blade of Shishio in his grip.
"Has she lost consciousness?"
Looking at Yomi Isayama's hollow eyes, Hachiman felt a trace of confusion. When they met this morning, she was still lively enough to run up 300 meters to exorcise spirits. How did she end up like this the next time they met?
In the midst of his thoughts, Yomi—who tried to pull her sword away but couldn't break free—simply abandoned her weapon and threw a punch directly at Hachiman's face.
"Why has she become like this?"
Hachiman didn't even look up as he continued to ponder the problem with Yomi. At the same time, the spiritual energy in his body transformed into several chains, easily restraining Yomi, who could no longer distinguish friend from foe.
the gap in strength was simply too large!
After struggling violently for a moment, a look of bewilderment appeared on Yomi's face. Immediately after, negative emotions like resentment, despair, and lethargy suddenly exploded within her heart.
"Strange spiritual source detected. Host, please be advised."
Just as the change occurred within Yomi's body, the system's voice rang in Hachiman's head just in time.
At the same time, on the roof of a certain building in Tokyo, countless blue butterflies suddenly gathered together to form the shape of a boy.
"Has the seed finally sprouted?"
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