The next day, Ren Kuroda officially enrolled in the Onmyo Academy. Nurikabe and Spider Princess stayed behind at his home to protect his mother and younger sister.
Spider Princess, the "dutiful" maid, had originally wanted to accompany him to school, but Kuroda refused. "My family needs protection more than I need you there," he said. Then, with a slightly teasing tone, he added, "Besides, if I have more yokai under my command in the future, I'll pick others to stay here. You can guard them instead."
Spider Princess tilted her head, a pleased glint in her eyes. She had no complaints. Her decision made, she remained behind without argument.
Since both were new students, Kuroda and Hinano arrived together—but they weren't assigned to the same class. Hinano wasn't in her usual uniform today; instead, she wore a pink dress with white knee-high socks, her hair in playful twin tails, a schoolbag bouncing against her side. She sang happily as she skipped beside Kuroda.
If he hadn't known her age, Kuroda would have sworn she was a middle schooler, not a young woman already part of society. Her excitement about finally attending the Onmyo Academy was so intense that she had stayed up all night and rushed to his house at dawn just to go together.
"I heard from the seniors in the Countermeasures Team that people here don't have a good opinion of outsiders like us," Hinano said nervously. "I wonder what the teachers will cover in the first lesson… If I don't have talent, will they kick me out?"
Kuroda walked beside her, utterly listless. Anyone would feel drained if dragged out of bed at the crack of dawn and bombarded with questions.
Though she had moved in, Hinano, as the liaison for Team Eight, had already located Kuroda's new address. Since it was her first time experiencing the academy, she clung to him for reassurance, her excitement and nerves tangled together.
"That's right. They treat non-aristocratic families badly," Kuroda replied. "And… you shouldn't stick too close to me. If they mistake you for being in cahoots with me, it could get messy."
Hinano gave him a cute, questioning look.
"I beat a student yesterday," Kuroda continued, his voice calm but serious. "And I refused a senior's request. Both of them come from influential families, so stay careful. Don't let them think you're an accomplice."
Hinano's mouth dropped. They'd only enrolled yesterday… and already, Kuroda had offended a senior and beaten a top student in their grade?
"You're not one of those legendary problem children, are you?" she asked, half in awe, half in worry.
Before he could answer, gasps rippled through the crowd around them.
"You must be Lord Kuroda! I'm Yuuri Jibanyan. Did my worthless brother cause you trouble yesterday? I sincerely apologize! Also, starting today, I'll be attending the Onmyo Academy. We'll be classmates—please take care of me, Lord Kuroda!"
Hinano barely had time to react before a girl with golden hair like sunlight and a smile that could heal wounds ran up and bowed deeply. At first, Kuroda was confused, but then he recognized her family name: Jibanyan.
"…Wait. She's Maruji Jibanyan's sister?" Kuroda thought, dumbfounded. The fairytale-like beauty in front of him didn't resemble the burly, spiky-haired boy from yesterday in the slightest.
"Are they really siblings?" he muttered under his breath. "Maruji's family is supposed to inherit the power of earth… So how does this girl look like she belongs to the same bloodline? Genetic mutation, maybe? Otherwise, Maruji looks pathetic next to her…"
"I am indeed Maruji's sister," Yuuri said, her tone light and warm. "Though I appreciate the compliment, calling me a product of genetic mutation is… a bit disheartening."
Kuroda froze. She had just read his thoughts—literally.
"You can read minds?!" he exclaimed.
"Thanks to my mother's clan," Yuuri explained calmly, "I have a slight ability to sense thoughts. But it's nothing remarkable. Right now, I simply guessed because your expression was obvious—and because you were caught off guard. Otherwise, even at full strength, I couldn't hear a single thought of yours."
She gestured toward Hinano. "Someone without spiritual power is even easier. Right now, I'm merely guessing what she's thinking—why she's approaching you, what her relationship with you is…"
Before she could finish, Hinano, blushing bright red, clamped a hand over her mouth. Reading someone's mind without permission was scandalous, and Hinano wasn't about to let it happen.
Yuuri's openness, however, was a show of goodwill. She had the ability to intrude on Kuroda's thoughts—but she had chosen not to. She was telling him, "I can do this, but I won't use it against you. My family has no ill will toward you."
Kuroda's mind reeled. Not only had he enrolled in the academy, but he had already stumbled into a world where B-rank yokai, clever shikigami, and mind-reading classmates were all part of his daily life. And somehow… he had to survive it all without losing his calm.