"Should we… really go in? What if there are actually monsters inside?"
In front of the pitch-dark old school building, a group of boys and girls stood clustered together at the entrance, flashlights clutched tightly in their hands. They stared at the dilapidated structure looming before them, hesitation written all over their faces.
Saori and Natsumi hadn't been particularly eager to explore the abandoned school to begin with. Now, confronted by the darkness and decay, the place truly felt like it might be crawling with monsters, and fear immediately crept into their hearts.
As for Rikuo, standing slightly off to the side, his expression was equally stiff and uneasy as he stared at the old dormitory building ahead.
Although only one-quarter of his blood carried a yokai lineage, Rikuo had grown up surrounded by monsters. Because of that, he could instinctively tell—
Something was very, very wrong with this place.
Before coming here tonight, he had clearly instructed the yokai in his household not to wander anywhere near the old school building after dark. And yet, the demonic aura seeping from the structure was so thick it made his skin crawl.
Judging by the density of that presence alone, the number of yokai gathered inside might rival the number living in his family's estate.
"You're right," Rikuo said quickly, forcing a calm tone. "This place has obviously been abandoned for years, and there's no one here. How about we explore somewhere else instead?"
Seeing the fear on Saori and Natsumi's faces, he tried to steer things away as naturally as possible.
There were definitely yokai inside the old dormitory—Rikuo was absolutely certain of that.
And if those yokai weren't part of his family's faction, then Kiyotsugu and the others were in serious danger.
After the incident at Genkōji Temple during his childhood, Rikuo had come to believe that most yokai were inherently dangerous beings.
If the yokai here belonged to his own clan, he could rely on his status as the "young master" of the Nura Clan to keep them in line.
But if they were unfamiliar yokai… there was no guarantee they would respect his authority at all.
"What are you talking about?" Kiyotsugu shot back immediately. "What's the whole point of coming here tonight in the first place?"
He grinned, eyes shining with excitement.
"We came to find yokai! If there really are some here, isn't that perfect? If you're scared, you can head back first. After I see one, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."
Hearing Saori and Rikuo hint that there might actually be yokai inside, Kiyotsugu wasn't frightened in the slightest. If anything, his excitement only grew.
Finding yokai was their goal from the very beginning. If there weren't any, why sneak out here so late at night? They weren't that bored.
Off to the side, Ren Kuroda, who had been silent the entire time, covered his face with one hand, completely speechless after hearing Kiyotsugu's confident declaration.
The fact that this boy had survived this long in life was nothing short of a miracle.
He wanted to see a yokai… and then wait until tomorrow to tell everyone about it?
Did he seriously believe yokai were gentle, harmless beings?
They were called yokai precisely because humans feared them.
And undeniably, the majority of yokai were indeed dangerous existences.
The yokai inhabiting this area abided by the rules of the Nura Clan and did not actively attack humans—but that didn't mean they would refuse a meal offered willingly.
After all, the Nura Clan had no obligation to protect people who walked straight into death of their own accord.
Provoked by Kiyotsugu's words, Saori immediately crossed her arms and declared she wasn't going back.
And Rikuo, worried about everyone's safety, hesitated for only a moment before choosing to enter the old school building with them.
What none of them realized was that this abandoned building was indeed a yokai den.
The yokai lurking within were none other than the hundred demons under Ren Kuroda's command, silently following the group's movements from the shadows.
Unlike the wealthy and established Nura Clan, Ren had only recently arrived in this world and was still painfully poor. He simply couldn't afford a massive estate to house his followers.
In the end, the old school building had become the only place his demons could settle.
After entering the dim, decaying halls, Kiyotsugu—eager to encounter a legendary yokai as soon as possible—boldly suggested splitting up to increase their chances.
He teamed up with Jirō.Rikuo paired with Kana.And Ren was grouped with Saori and Natsumi.
This arrangement had been Saori and Natsumi's idea.
Originally, Kiyotsugu had planned for Ren to accompany Rikuo, while the three of them formed another group. The suggestion was immediately met with fierce protests from both girls.
In an environment like this, they were already scared out of their minds. Having the three of them together—with no one they felt could protect them—was simply unacceptable.
And so, the final grouping was settled.
Saori chose Ren over Rikuo, purely because Ren's tall, steady presence felt far more reassuring than Rikuo's seemingly fragile build.
Thus, the reckless teenagers began their nighttime adventure—while the monsters lurking throughout the old school building slowly stirred.
One yokai, shaped like a giant gecko with its tongue hanging loosely from its mouth, watched Kiyotsugu and Jirō walk down the corridor. Thick saliva dripped from its jaws, some of it splattering onto the back of Kiyotsugu's neck.
To the demons, these young boys and girls were nothing less than exquisite delicacies. Devouring the hearts of teenagers like them would undoubtedly lead to a significant boost in demonic power.
And yet, despite the temptation, the yokai could only watch the feast pass by, drooling silently—daring not to make a move.
Their master had made it abundantly clear: crossing his bottom line meant not only expulsion from the Demon Combat Academy, but becoming its enemy.
Among the academy's many regulations, the first and most absolute rule was simple—
Do not attack innocent humans.
Those who sought trouble of their own accord were another matter entirely.
But harming innocent people was a line that could not be crossed, especially for demons who followed a half-demon lord.
"Why is the ceiling leaking?"
Feeling something sticky drip onto the back of his neck, Kiyotsugu initially assumed the building was falling apart. But when he shone his flashlight upward, there wasn't a single drop of water above him.
Since they were forbidden from attacking either their master or the students, the yokai quickly lost interest in Kiyotsugu's group and shifted their attention elsewhere.
Saori and Natsumi, walking beside Ren, had been terrified at first by the oppressive atmosphere.
But Ren's dry humor and casual banter gradually eased their nerves.
Besides, none of the yokai in the building were foolish enough to scare their master's "students."
As a result, Ren's group wandered the halls for a long time without encountering anything remotely unusual.
Rikuo and Kana's situation, however, was a different story altogether.
Kana, being an ordinary human, was completely unaware of what lay ahead.
But Rikuo, walking just behind her, had felt a bone-deep chill crawling up his spine from the very beginning—and it only grew stronger with every step.