On the other side...
Miko and Akuto were unaware that they had already been shrouded in shadows.
On the last day of the vacation, Miko stopped her assault on the punching bag, panting heavily.
Just as Teacher Okuma was about to come over to offer some encouragement, he saw a palm-long scar starkly visible on Miko's lower back!
The scar was hideous, looking like a centipede crawling across the girl's fair skin.
Miko immediately pulled her clothes down.
This wound was left behind from Miko's exorcism a few days ago; after all, Akuto wouldn't help Miko recover from every minor injury.
Unless it was an injury like a severed limb, Miko had to rely on herself.
As for the Reverse Cursed Technique, Miko still had no clue how to use it.
Furthermore, Akuto hadn't shown his face for a long time. She didn't know what he was researching, but he was very quiet every day.
"Miko, let's call it a day."
Okuma opened his mouth but couldn't bring himself to ask where the wound came from.
"Yes, I'll be heading back now, Teacher."
Miko bowed slightly, then left the dojo with Hana. "Classes start again tomorrow... How painful!"
Hana wailed while clutching her head.
The two chatted for a bit before Hana headed off in another direction, while Miko walked toward an unfamiliar area on her own.
Arriving at a construction site, Miko set her bag aside and took out her phone.
"Is it here? The project stopped because of a cursed spirit causing trouble."
Miko stretched her body and then strode inside.
Shortly after Miko entered the site, another figure followed her in, looking at Miko's back with confusion.
"Excuse me, your presence here is causing trouble for people, so I'm sorry."
Miko stared at the empty air in front of her.
The next moment, the air distorted, and a cursed spirit roared as it turned around.
[ You can see me! I'll kill you!! ]
"Miko, what are you doing here? Are you in danger?"
At that moment, Teacher Okuma walked up from behind. Miko, who was about to attack, froze and turned her head in shock:
"Teacher!? Why are you... Get out of here, quick!"
"Boom!"
Just as Miko finished speaking, she was sent flying as if struck by something, slamming hard against a wall.
The entire wall collapsed, pinning Miko beneath it.
"Miko!"
Although Teacher Okuma didn't understand what was happening, he instinctively rushed to Miko's side and looked around warily.
"Watch out!"
Just as Miko crawled out, she saw the cursed spirit lunging for Teacher Okuma's chest.
Teacher Okuma instinctively used his arms to block.
The next moment, the cursed spirit's hand passed right through Teacher Okuma's body.
Miko breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this was only a Disaster Grade cursed spirit and could not harm ordinary people who couldn't see it.
"What? Where is the enemy?"
Teacher Okuma scanned the surroundings alertly. "Miko, don't worry, I will definitely protect you! I am your teacher after all!"
Miko felt a warmth in her heart but also a sense of helplessness as she struggled to her feet.
"Teacher, I can't explain this to you right now."
"There is a cursed spirit here. Please leave as soon as possible."
Saying this, Miko lunged forward. Reaching the spirit, she suddenly ducked to avoid its claws and followed up with a heavy right hook to its ribs.
"Bang!"
Half of the cursed spirit's body was blown apart, but it recovered quickly.
Feeling no pain, the cursed spirit kicked out violently at Miko below it.
"Bang!"
Miko took the kick with her arms crossed in front of her, sliding back uncontrollably for five or six meters.
"Damn it, I won't allow anything to hurt my student!"
Teacher Okuma swung a punch with all his might toward the direction Miko had just been facing.
His fist passed through the cursed spirit, causing Teacher Okuma to stumble.
Ignoring Teacher Okuma entirely, the cursed spirit flickered and appeared beside Miko.
Miko instinctively threw a sidekick toward the spirit's head.
The cursed spirit grabbed Miko's ankle and hurled her away with immense force.
"Boom!"
Miko crashed into a pile of construction debris, her body covered in abrasions and small cuts.
"Damn it..."
Veins bulged on Okuma's bald head as he clenched his fists tightly.
He couldn't see it, and he couldn't hit it.
He could only watch as his disciple was put in danger.
"No! No matter what, I must protect my disciple!"
(T/N: Goat.)
"Go to hell!"
Teacher Okuma threw a punch with all his strength into the empty air before him.
At that exact moment, Miko saw it clearly!
The female Benevolent Spirit behind Teacher Okuma smiled tenderly. She hugged Okuma from behind and gently guided his fist.
In that instant, the two fists merged into one.
A fist radiating golden light slammed heavily into the cursed spirit.
"Boom!"
The cursed spirit's head was blown apart.
Okuma looked at the golden light on his fist in disbelief. He had seen it just now, and there was a very familiar feeling to it.
"Whoosh!"
Seizing the opportunity, Miko mounted the cursed spirit and rained down punches.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Accompanied by a series of booms, a crater half a meter deep was smashed into the ground.
Miko breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the cursed spirit completely dissipate.
However, there was a much bigger problem now.
Miko looked at Teacher Okuma beside her and sighed deeply.
"Miko, you..."
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I've actually always been able to see cursed spirits. I've joined a special organization and I'm fighting them."
Teacher Okuma didn't show the disappointment or fear Miko had expected.
Instead, his face flushed with excitement.
"Really? My student is actually a secret agent?!"
"Hahahaha! Miko, you're seriously amazing! As expected of my disciple!"
Miko's mouth twitched.
"But just now, I..."
Teacher Okuma looked at his fist, then back at Miko.
At this moment, Miko's eyes uncontrollably drifted to the Benevolent Spirit behind Teacher Okuma.
This movement was caught by Okuma.
He looked behind him, but there was nothing there.
Yet, he had a suspicion in his heart, and his eyes gradually reddened.
"Is it... Aoi...?"
Although Miko didn't want to act as a medium, he was her teacher after all, so she could only nod.
"It's a very beautiful girl in a dress. She has been protecting you, Teacher."
...When Miko and Okuma left the construction site, Okuma had clearly been crying.
He looked at Miko gratefully, "Miko, thank you so much. Knowing that Aoi is by my side, I can live my life properly now."
Miko watched Teacher Okuma departing back in silence for a long time.
Miko had learned quite a few things, such as how Teacher Okuma used to be a professional fighter. Because he had been fighting on the streets since he was young, he was very talented.
He was eventually discovered by a talent scout.
But before that, Teacher Okuma relied on the charity of others to survive.
Among them, the ramen shop owned by Aoi's family would often set aside a bowl of noodles for him.
It was the bond formed over those bowls of noodles that brought the two closer.
Later, Teacher Okuma competed constantly. After earning enough money, he and Aoi officially got together.
But by then, Aoi had been diagnosed with leukemia, and the treatment required a large sum of money.
For the sake of the money, Teacher Okuma signed many unfair agreements with his company.
This included throwing matches.
Later, during an important match, Teacher Okuma learned that Aoi was in critical condition and immediately forfeited the match to leave.
This led the organizers to investigate Teacher Okuma's record thoroughly, and the match-fixing scandal broke out.
Afterward, Teacher Okuma was not only banned for life but also owed the company a massive amount of money.
He was still paying it back to this day.
It was no wonder the Benevolent Spirit chose to stay and protect him forever, even after fulfilling her wish to say goodbye to him.
"Honk honk."
The sound of a car horn honking rang out, and Miko naturally stepped into the business van.
Inside the car, Tozuka said excitedly. "Lord Akuto! Miss Miko! I have successfully completed the mission—I found the transaction case files!"