Early in the morning, Miko woke up and immediately smelled the scent of smoke on her body.
As her eyes fell upon the socks and shoes in the corner, covered in blood and flesh, her eyelids immediately drooped in exhaustion.
"What on earth did you do with my body..."
"Can't you pay a little attention to hygiene? Cleaning off bloodstains is a real pain."
Miko spoke to Akuto much more naturally now. As she complained, she carefully went to the bathroom to scrub the shoes and socks clean.
Bloody water flowed all over the floor.
Miko felt a moment of pity for whichever unlucky soul had been crushed to death by Akuto.
After hanging the shoes and socks on the balcony to dry, Miko finally finished washing up and went downstairs.
"Are you finally up?"
Mrs. Yotsuya was wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt today, paired with denim capris, an apron over her front, and her hair tied up and resting over her shoulder.
She looked virtuous and gentle.
Combined with her appearance, which was seventy percent similar to Miko's, she was practically a top-tier young mother.
Unfortunately, the only regret was that Miko seemed to have inherited her mother's figure.
Akuto glanced at Miko's flat chest.
At this moment, Miko was not nearly as calm. In her eyes, the entire dining room was occupied by a Cursed Spirit.
Its massive body was curled up in the dining room, and as it saw Miko approach, its disgusting head leaned in close.
"Are you... up…?"
Watching the Cursed Spirit's head get closer and closer, the corner of Miko's eye twitched.
"Ara? Hurry and sit down to eat."
Mrs. Yotsuya looked at Miko with confusion.
"Sit d..own..."
The Cursed Spirit mimicked Mrs. Yotsuya's words, though it sounded more like a threat.
"Um... I think I forgot to brush my teeth! I'll be right back!"
Miko said hurriedly as she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
"Lord Akuto, help!"
Akuto, who was dozing, didn't even open his eyes as he spoke indifferently:
"I've already taught you how to fight."
"This is clearly not something I can fight, right? This is too much! I'll die, I'll definitely be eaten!"
Tears welled up in Miko's eyes.
"Then study combat properly. In any case, I won't help you."
Akuto was quite heartless.
"Lord Akuto~"
Miko pressed her hands together. The thing outside was truly too terrifying; just the aura it emitted made Miko's hair stand on end.
"Solve it yourself!"
"If you have to beg me for a piece of trash like this, you might as well die sooner and give your body to me."
Akuto opened his eyes, which were filled with violence and bloodlust.
He didn't want to repeat things he had already taught.
If someone had a weapon in their hand and still expected others to save them, they were either stupid or useless.
Neither type of person deserved to live.
If Miko had attempted to fight, failed, and been beaten half to death, Akuto might have been in a good enough mood to heal her.
But she didn't even have the courage to make a move and only wanted to rely on others.
She might as well just die early.
The last bit of hope in Miko's heart vanished. She rubbed her face, regained her expressionless mask, and turned to walk back out.
As she sat at the dining table, the Cursed Spirit pestered Miko once again.
"Oh, right, Sis, there's a box of pudding in the fridge. Is it yours?"
Miko looked at the Cursed Spirit right in front of her. Her mouth twitched, and her voice was slightly distorted.
"Yes..."
"If you don't write your name on it, someone will eat it, right? Just like Dad did back then. Sis, you really looked like a demon then, hahahaha!"
Kyosuke laughed at Miko without reservation.
"That time Dad ate your pudding, you two had a huge fight over it."
Mrs. Yotsuya also couldn't help but speak up with a smile.
The Benevolent Spirit nearby had an awkward smile on his face:
"Let's not bring up old grudges from last year."
Unfortunately, no one could hear him except Miko.
At that moment, the Cursed Spirit looked at the food in front of Miko and licked it with its tongue.
The meal was instantly covered in the Cursed Spirit's foul-smelling saliva.
"Sorry, I don't have much of an appetite today."
Just as Miko stood up, the Cursed Spirit leaned in again, opening its mouth and hovering over Miko's head, as if wondering how best to eat her.
"I'm full too."
Kyosuke got up, grabbed his school bag, put on his shoes, and walked out the door.
"I'm leaving!"
Miko also changed into her shoes and was about to leave when she seemed to think of something and turned back.
At the entrance, Mrs. Yotsuya, Mr. Yotsuya, and that Cursed Spirit were all looking at her.
Miko's heart throbbed violently twice.
"Haha!"
"What a loving family. A ghost father, a mother, and a Cursed Spirit pet."
Akuto kicked her while she was down without hesitation, laughing quite wickedly.
Miko rolled her eyes, ran to the kitchen to get the pudding, and placed it in front of her father's memorial tablet.
Mrs. Yotsuya poked her head out from the doorway, looking at Miko curiously.
The Benevolent Spirit saw this and walked over slowly, his voice gentle.
"So that's how it is."
"Is this for me, Miko?"
"I'm sorry for eating it without permission last year."
"I've always wanted to apologize to you, but I could never say it."
"In the end, we still never managed to make up..."
Miko lowered her head, tears shimmering in her eyes. She suppressed them and whispered.
"I'm leaving."
Miko remained silent the whole way to school, and Akuto didn't provoke her emotions further.
Akuto could understand Miko's thoughts.
She had a fight with her father, and then he died in an accident that same day.
Anyone would blame themselves.
Compared to the sudden sadness of a loved one's passing, that sense of guilt and self-reproach was a long-lasting dampness... Inside the locker room.
"Why is it Health class again..."
"I just want to lie in bed and sleep..."
Several girls wailed as they walked outside reluctantly. Miko put on a red tracksuit without a word.
Through Akuto's reaction, she had also come to understand.
If she didn't save herself, no one would come to save her.
Cursed Spirits would always exist and might even haunt the people around her.
If she didn't want to die in the mouth of a Cursed Spirit one day, she had to work hard to adapt to the power Akuto brought.
"If I didn't have this power... I probably could only cry..."
Miko clenched her fists.
"Miko, let's go."
Hana jumped up energetically, and Miko's eyes followed the shaking of the massive objects on her chest.
The group arrived outdoors, and the Health Teacher blew the whistle.
"There's no set curriculum today. Everyone is free to do as they like, but you cannot go back into the school building."
"Huh?!"
"There's no teaching content anyway, right..."
"I still have homework I haven't finished..."
The Health Teacher gave a bright smile,
"You always need to breathe some fresh air. Everyone, free activities!"
"Mio-chan~ let's go play basketball!"
"Does anyone want to join?"
"Miko, do you want to play ball together?"
Hana was excitedly bouncing a basketball. Miko shook her head and zipped up her jacket.
"I'm so sorry, I want to go for a run. Hana, you go play by yourself first."
After Miko spoke, she jogged onto the track and gradually increased her speed.
"Eh?"
Hana looked at Miko in confusion, but she didn't think much of it and was soon playing with the other students.
Meanwhile, Miko had already finished one lap. Feeling her body heating up, she was unusually excited.
Before, she couldn't even finish half a lap, but now, running a full lap actually felt comfortable.
It was as if her body was being stretched out.
Miko gradually became immersed, running lap after lap around the 1200-meter track.
Half an hour later, many people in the class noticed Miko.
"Hey, Miko seems to have been running for a long time, hasn't she?"
"It looks like she's done several laps!"
"When did her physical condition get so good?"
"That's great, I'm so jealous. She definitely won't have to worry about her grades for the final exam."
"If it were me, I'd die on the track."
On the other side, the Health Teacher pulled out a stopwatch from somewhere and pressed it as Miko ran past.
"3 minutes and 20 seconds for a single lap! She's actually... running faster than me! And which lap is this already?"
The Health Teacher's eyes were shining now, as if seeing an unpolished gem!
This was simply prime material for competitions!
How had she not noticed this before!
---
Read 30+ Chapter in advance.
Ko-fi(.)com(slash)averagebooklover(/)