In an abandoned house in the countryside.
A Cursed Spirit, about three meters tall, was mixing a pile of edible and inedible items together.
It stirred them with something shaped like a shovel.
It looked like it was imitating a human stir-frying food.
This Cursed Spirit had six long, slender arms and five heads.
Its body was a giant head, with two legs growing out of its neck, and three arms on each side of the head, slightly above its ears.
The top of its head was not round, but sunken, as if it had been flattened.
From that sunken pit, four flat heads, like dough pressed down, protruded upwards.
At this moment, the Cursed Spirit was playing house with the children it had captured.
It played the role of the mother.
But it clearly wasn't a real mother.
The children's clothes were tattered, their bodies dirty, and they were all extremely thin.
Yet none of them spoke, cried, or even dared to make a sound.
Because the ones who cried, disappeared.
As the Cursed Spirit walked toward her, Kurusu Hana numbly raised her head, then stretched out her hands.
A moment later, the Cursed Spirit handed her a broken bowl.
Inside the bowl was the only food she could use to fill her stomach.
Kurusu Hana took the bowl and reached for the food.
Crunch. Splat.
Her teeth bit into something, and a wave of pain surged through her.
Expressionless, she spat the food into her hand.
Picking out the screws and pebbles from the food, she continued eating the meal that made her want to vomit but couldn't afford to.
If she didn't eat, she'd starve at best, and at worst, the Cursed Spirit "mother" would force-feed her.
At that point, it wouldn't be as simple as it was now.
When she first got here, Hana tried to record everything around her, hoping for a chance to escape.
But after watching her companions disappear one by one at the hands of the "mother," she gave up.
She couldn't even remember how long she had been trapped here.
Suddenly, a white figure appeared in front of her.
Hana froze and looked up at the pure white figure.
The Divine Dog lowered its head and sniffed the dirty little girl.
If it had been before, Hana might have screamed in fear at a dog bigger than herself suddenly putting its snout in front of her.
But after living with the grotesque Cursed Spirit for months, the Divine Dog's appearance seemed beautiful.
She subconsciously followed the Divine Dog's footsteps.
The Cursed Spirit, still distributing meals to the other children, didn't notice her.
A white, fluffy tail.
Barefoot, Hana walked across the corridor scattered with pebbles and dust, following the Divine Dog out of the shack.
What appeared before her eyes was a figure she would never forget.
Megumi was gently stroking the head of the White Divine Dog.
This is the right place.
Eichi, not far away, saw Hana and confirmed that they hadn't gone to the wrong location.
Whether or not Hana and Megumi would become lovers, Eichi had no intention of interfering in what seemed like destiny.
Maybe some people would criticize her for being too focused on love and causing trouble, but her feelings for Megumi were sincere.
"Is it inside?"
Megumi asked softly.
"Woof."
The Divine Dog wagged its tail, giving an affirmative response.
"Alright, let's go in."
With that, Megumi led the Divine Dog into the shack.
Hana reached out to stop him.
But not having spoken for so long, she didn't know what to say. All she could do was reach toward Megumi's back.
Placing her hands on her chest, Hana bit her lip tightly, as if making a decision.
The next moment, she ran back into the house.
She didn't want Megumi to disappear like the others.
"There are one, two, three children…"
"Including Kurusu Hana, six children?"
Eichi quickly grasped the situation inside using the shadows.
Megumi followed the Divine Dog into the house and saw the tall Cursed Spirit standing at the center of the room, having just finished distributing the food.
At three meters tall, the Cursed Spirit was massive compared to Megumi, who was just over one meter.
There are other children.
The moment he stepped in, Megumi noticed the other five children.
They were crouched in the corner, eating the contents in their hands.
I need to make sure the others are safe first.
Megumi made his decision.
Clang.
Because his focus was on the children, Megumi kicked an empty can on the floor.
The Cursed Spirit looked at him. Upon realizing Megumi was also a child, it picked up a cracked bowl and began walking toward him.
Perfect. I'll lure it away like this, then have the Divine Dog exorcise it.
Megumi turned around and began to retreat.
His actions clearly enraged the Cursed Spirit.
Crack.
The Cursed Spirit stormed toward him, its massive frame crushing the dusty floor beneath its feet.
Megumi immediately ran outside with the Divine Dog.
Not far away, they encountered Hana running toward him.
Without hesitation, Megumi channeled Cursed Energy to reinforce his body and scooped her up.
The Divine Dog immediately understood its master's intent and lowered itself, allowing the two to climb on its back.
Hana's eyes widened as she looked at Megumi holding her tightly. Her long-numb heart began to pound uncontrollably.
This should be far enough.
Confirming that this spot wouldn't affect the children in the shack, Megumi ordered the Divine Dog to face the Cursed Spirit.
"Rabbit Escape."
One after another, Rabbit Escape manifested and charged at the towering Cursed Spirit.
However, Megumi didn't notice that a few rabbits not summoned by him had mixed in.
The Cursed Spirit's six arms flailed wildly, quickly knocking away the Divine Dog.
Megumi's Rabbit Escape continued to draw the Cursed Spirit's attention.
After regaining its footing, the Divine Dog attacked once more.
Just then, one Rabbit Escape began to move cleverly.
It leaped onto the Cursed Spirit's massive face and viciously scratched at its eyes.
Then, it climbed up its forehead, clawing and kicking at its other eyes.
"Grahh!"
The Cursed Spirit howled in pain, its body leaning backward as it tried to avoid the Rabbit Escape's attacks, its six arms desperately clawing at its face.
Suddenly, one Rabbit Escape struck hard at the Cursed Spirit's knee joint.
Its already off-balance body collapsed to the ground.
The Divine Dog did not miss the opening and began a savage assault.
Soon, the Cursed Spirit was killed by the Divine Dog and devoured.
Watching the Divine Dog and Rabbit Escape successfully eliminate the Cursed Spirit, Megumi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you alright?"
Megumi turned around and looked at the girl he had just protected.
"I-I'm fine."
Hana tried her best to reply.
"That's good."
Megumi exhaled in relief.
"Well done, Megumi."
At that moment, Eichi came out with the children from inside the shack.
"The mission is complete."
Megumi tried to keep a straight face, acting like it was no big deal.
But inside, his heart swelled with joy from the praise.
Eichi smiled and ruffled his sea urchin-like hair.
Megumi.
Hana engraved that name deeply into her memory.
(To be continued.)