Chapter 89

---

"Katsura, are you really sure it's okay to leave it to that stupid boar? Because of his incompetence, we couldn't get the heart of the evil god, you know?"

The black-haired girl with a lazy expression walked beside the man with long black hair tied back, and spoke to him.

"Kaori, that was an unavoidable situation. The presence of other forces targeting the heart of the evil god in Asahikawa was unexpected. Moreover, the power of the evil god was temporarily unleashed. No matter what Boar Bamboo King did, it was impossible to retrieve the piece in that situation."

The man called Katsura, without changing his expression, replied to the girl called Kaori.

"Ha ha, still, Boar Bamboo King is really stupid. Pretending to be a wild boar and deliberately getting caught in a trap set by a child, it's hilarious just thinking about it! There are no wild boars in Hokkaido! Ha ha!"

"It seems that the absence of wild boars in this area was a blind spot. Well, he has done his part. We'll overlook it this time. More importantly, we should focus on increasing our pieces."

As he spoke, Katsura readied a large broadsword that appeared in his right hand.

"According to the stupid boar, the demon in that dilapidated hut seems to be a good candidate for a piece, right?"

"The demon there is not in cooperation with the Mizukawa family, who control this area. That's why it won't be noticed if it disappears."

As Kaori listened to Katsura's words, she also readied a spear that appeared in her right hand.

"That's what he said, but the last piece we obtained was a demon from the Mizukawa family. We almost got caught. If this information turns out to be false, I won't forgive it."

"Hmm, in that case... he will just become one of our pieces."

The two of them, speaking thus, stepped into the old house quietly nestled in the forest.

---

The morning after the welcome party for the new family. I had brought Kuro and the others to the meeting place with the class president.

It wasn't necessary for all of us to come, but we all followed to avoid being toyed with by our parents at home.

Additionally, there was a bit of trouble when Father tried to come along after learning about the job with the onmyoji, but Mother managed to restrain him.

"Good morning, Mizukawa-san. Sorry to keep you waiting?"

"Good morning, Yukiya-kun. I haven't been waiting at all. I just arrived, and no other freelance onmyoji have come yet."

We were a bit early for the meeting time, but the class president was already waiting.

As expected of the class president. Not only is he academically excellent, but he also has a good personality and works as an onmyoji for the benefit of society in his private time. It's no wonder he has a fan club.

"By the way, I haven't explained the reason for the patrol yet."

As he spoke, the class president explained the circumstances leading up to this job.

Apparently, the number of missing demons has been increasing recently.

"Demons are going missing?"

"Yes. Recently, we lost contact with a demon who was cooperating with the Mizukawa family. When I asked other demons who were close to them, it seems that other demons have also gone missing."

Demons have a different sense of time from humans, so some might go missing for decades after saying, "I'm just going for a walk."

Therefore, missing demons appear regularly, but this time, the number is clearly higher.

"Many demons are whimsical, so they might travel to other lands and settle down, but the missing ones are not just in Hokkaido."

"Really? They're missing in other regions too?"

"Yes, the number of missing demons is increasing in the Tohoku and Kanto regions as well. That's why we are patrolling to check for any abnormalities. Junna and Owl are also patrolling other areas."

"Junna and Owl are working on their days off too."

Being an onmyoji is tough. I feel embarrassed practicing barrier techniques while watching recorded anime.

"By the way, you call me Mizukawa, right?"

"Yes, I somehow started calling you that."

In my heart, I still call you "class president."

"Since it overlaps with Junna and Father, I'd prefer if you called me by my name."

"Um, Junna-san."

"Yes, please do."

"Then, you can call me Kousuke."

"Um, then... Kousuke-kun. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Junna-san."

S... This is youth!

I never thought I'd experience such a moment during a job shadowing. I'm glad I asked for this.

"Nea, did you record that line?" "Master, I have recorded this youthful moment," a faint voice said. I'll delete Nea's recording data later.

"Sorry to interrupt your youthful moment, but can I join the conversation now? Your black cat and white crow are looking at me like that too."

Turning to the voice, a young woman with wavy hair stood there with an apologetic expression.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Inui Mei. I'm the freelance onmyoji who will be accompanying you."

"Ah, nice to meet you, I'm Yukiya Kousuke. I'm also a freelance onmyoji."

This is the freelance onmyoji who will be accompanying us. She seems cheerful.

And thanks to Inui-san's words, I realized that my moment of youth was fully observed by Kuro and the others. Embarrassing...

Rin still seemed to be sleepy and hadn't heard anything.

"Um, you can call me Mei-san. It doesn't overlap with anyone else."

Immediately, I was teased. And I was called "Yukiya-kun."

"Still, from a distance, I thought you were just a little girl with a cat and a crow, but it's quite a large group... I thought I was used to strange things, but I didn't expect to be this surprised."

"Sorry about that..."

I introduced Kuro and the others, but Mei-san's expression twitched. It seems the presence of a great demon, shikigami, robot, fairy, and sword exceeded her understanding.

"Let's get moving. The car is this way."

For this patrol, we will be moving in a rental car driven by Mei-san.

Mei-san is a 19-year-old first-year university student and has a driver's license.

"Mei-san, you're balancing university life and freelance onmyoji work?"

"Yes. Though onmyoji jobs are rare, I help out when I get a request from Junna-san's father."

"How long have you been a freelance onmyoji?"

"Hehe, despite my appearance, I have quite a long career."

Mei-san had spiritual abilities as a child and could see spirits so clearly that she couldn't tell the difference between them and ordinary people.

During that time, she was possessed by various evil spirits and had a tough time, but she learned barrier techniques from an onmyoji serving the Mizukawa family and gained a life free from the threat of evil spirits.

"Now, my spiritual abilities have faded, and I can't see spirits at all, but thanks to the daily practice of setting barriers against evil spirits, I'm confident in my barrier techniques. That's why I wanted to use this power I've gained. I also want to repay the Mizukawa family who helped me back then."

Mei-san laughed as she spoke, but she must have gone through a lot of hardship.

I can see spirits too, and sometimes I encounter spirits with such a strong presence that they only evoke discomfort. If I were possessed by such spirits all the time, I might go crazy.

"Mei-san's barrier techniques are really amazing. There's a demon named Wako who protects Asahikawa, and even Wako recognizes Mei-san's skills."

"Hmm, that's interesting."

Hearing Junna-san's words, Kuro, who was being petted by Junna-san, reacted.

Wako is an old friend of Kuro and is known for being an expert in barrier techniques. I would like to see and learn from such a skilled demon.

"No, no, no, you're flattering me. I learned barrier techniques from Wako, but compared to that monster's skills, mine are nothing."

As she spoke, Mei-san started to tremble. Perhaps she was recalling a bad memory.

"Still, Mei-san's barrier techniques surpass those of ordinary onmyoji, so I think Kousuke-kun can learn a lot from you."

"Master, please teach me!"

"Hehe, I can't resist. I'll teach you my secrets. But, don't tell Wako that you're my disciple. I'll get beaten up if she says I'm not ready to take on disciples yet..."

Wako seems to be a strict demon.

And I'm glad Mei-san is easy to get along with. I was worried she might be a quiet lone wolf type because she's a freelance onmyoji.

"We're almost there."

While chatting, the car driven by Mei-san arrived at a dense forest.

---

So, the boar captured by Takagawa during the lodging and recreation was this setup! The appearance of a boar that doesn't exist in Hokkaido was a flag!

...Just kidding. Sorry. I forced it to be a flag.

I didn't know that there are no boars in Hokkaido, even though I've lived there for a long time. m(_ _)m