Chapter 1

It's late. Here starts Chapter Ten.

"Kyaa!"

"Hii!"

"Damn! Ugh!"

In front of a shrine deep in the mountains of Kansai.

There, cries of agony echoed. Several people lay sprawled in blood, their faces twisted in terror.

They were all exorcists, but they were helplessly defeated by the sudden attackers. In front of them stood a young boy and a large man.

The boy was probably in his mid-teens, with a small, slightly chubby build and brownish-black hair cut in a bowl cut. He was dressed in a black school uniform, laughing as he looked down at the fallen exorcists. A small black owl perched on his shoulder.

The other man was a giant, nearly two meters tall, with a sumo wrestler-like build. His face was painted like a kabuki actor, and his limbs were as thick as logs.

"Hehe! You really are nothing! Is this your limit? I'm not even trying, you know."

"Y-You!"

"Oh, you guys are so weak. Oh, wait! It's not that you're weak, it's just that I'm a genius and this guy is too strong!"

The boy laughed, and the surrounding exorcists glared at him with loathing, but he ignored them and continued.

"Hehehe. Well, it's time to take what we came for."

"Stop! Don't get near that shrine! If you break the seal—!"

"I don't know what you're talking about. But don't worry, I'll make good use of it."

This shrine sealed away a certain demon, managed by a clan that protected the area, different from the Six Families.

The boy had suddenly appeared and was trying to break the seal when they discovered him and tried to stop him.

But the situation was dire. These exorcists, who were skilled in protecting the area, were already in a dire state.

"You plan to use the sealed demon! Stop this foolishness! It's said to be a top-class demon, gah!"

"Shut up. Then I want it even more."

The boy attacked one of the exorcists, forcing him to be silent, and ordered the large man to break the seal of the shrine.

Immediately, a loud noise echoed as the shrine collapsed, and the sealed demon appeared.

◆◆◆

"Not bad."

In the hallway of the private Tennozaka Academy, Hoshimori Mana stood with other students, staring intently at the bulletin board and muttered.

The bulletin board displayed the rankings for the second-semester final exams.

This school, a private institution, had a system of publicly announcing names and rankings after each regular exam.

Among the nearly 300 names of first-year students, Mana found his rank and let out a sigh of relief.

The first semester had been tough, partly because he had returned from another world after four years. But thanks to his hard work in the second semester, he had improved significantly, ranking 147th in the mid-term exam and 32nd in this exam.

"Good job, Mana."

"Mana, you did really well this time, didn't you?"

Turning around at the voices, he saw Hozumi Nagisa (formerly Kyougoku) and Hinono Akane.

"Yeah, it's okay. I owe a lot to Nagisa for helping me with my studies. But I'll aim higher next time. Your ranks... Nagisa is 9th, and Akane is 43rd, right?"

"Yes, I'll work hard to improve my rank next time."

"Hehe, you two are too much. I'm doing my best, but this is my limit."

Mana's improvement was due to his own efforts, but also to Nagisa's help with his studies.

She had been an excellent student at her previous school and was good at teaching, so both Mana and Akane studied with her late into the night, which helped them improve their ranks.

Nagisa herself, while not as high as at her previous school, still achieved a high rank. She was 9th, but there were still higher ranks.

Akane was also working hard and maintained a rank within the top 50, but she thought she could fall at any time.

"Oh, the three of you are together. How did you do on the rankings?"

A gentle voice called out to the three of them.

She was probably around 160 cm tall, with wavy black hair that reached her back and narrow eyes.

"Ah, Reina. We did okay. Mana did really well. How about you, Reina?"

"That's impressive. Hoshimori-kun must have worked hard. And I did as usual."

Reina, called by Akane, smiled and pointed to the top ranks.

Her name, Amano Reina, was listed as third in the grade.

She was the granddaughter of the chairman of the founding family of this school. Akane, as a member of the Hinono clan, had met Reina by chance in middle school through upper-class social circles and had reconnected in high school, becoming good friends.

"Hmm. I did as usual. Hoshimori-dono did quite well."

Suddenly, a boy of average height and plain appearance appeared near Mana and muttered.

"I studied a lot this time. You... are average, aren't you, Keigo?"

"Average is great."

Mana spoke casually to the boy. Hattori Keigo, one of Mana's few friends at this school.

"Hattori-kun, I think you could do better if you tried a little harder."

"Hanano-dono, I don't want to stand out too much."

(No, that way of speaking won't work, will it?)

Mana, Akane, and Nagisa thought to themselves in response to Keigo's argument with Reina.

"Still, the first and second places are the same as always..."

"Aaaaah! This me! I lost again! Damn it!"

"Sorry, I won again. Want a candy as an apology?"

"You skinny chimp! Don't treat me like a kid!"

"Who are you calling a skinny chimp! You shorty!"

"Don't call me a shorty!"

A noisy pair of a boy and a girl.

The girl was probably around 140 cm tall, with a petite and cute appearance, her reddish-brown hair cut in a bob.

The boy was tall and slender, with long limbs, standing over 190 cm. His face, as the girl said, was slightly aged and a bit monkey-like, but he was not skinny, with a model-like build.

They seemed to have a bad relationship and a huge height difference, but there was a sense of familiarity between them.

"You two are still as close as ever."

"Hey, Amano. This guy is just persistent. We're not close at all."

"Reina! How can you say that? This guy and I are like oil and water! We have the worst compatibility!"

"You two are clearly bickering."

"Are your eyes broken, Akane!?"

The indignant girl was Saotome Kako. She was also a friend of Akane and Reina, known for her petite appearance and being the second-best student in the grade, making her one of the popular students in the school.

"Right, Hinono. How are this guy and I close?"

"Well, if you fight that much, you must be close."

"No, no, Hoshimori-san. We just have bad chemistry."

The tall boy, pointed out by Akane and Mana, was Kondo Takumi. He had consistently been at the top of the grade since entering the school and was also one of Mana's few friends.

Kako had never beaten Takumi in a test and was known as the perennial second place, so she was often confrontational with him.

The other students watched this noisy group from a distance.

"Look, look. The top members of the first year."

"The top three in the grade and the young hope of the exorcist world."

"Ugh, Reina-sama and the others are so beautiful!"

"Kyougoku-san recently became an adopted daughter of the Hoshimori family, so her name changed."

"Really? So Hoshimori-kun and she are step-siblings?"

Various comments were being made. Mana listened to the surrounding voices.

(Akane and Nagisa are beautiful, and with Amano and Saotome, they are treated like idols of the first year.)

Akane and Nagisa, along with the other two girls, were in the same class and were among the most beautiful girls in the school. They were very popular among their peers, and many students confessed to them.

Akane and Nagisa were self-explanatory, Reina had a gentle and soft demeanor that made her seem like a high-class flower, and Kako, despite her noisy image with Takumi, was popular for her cute and friendly appearance.

Takumi had maintained the top rank since entering the school and was well-liked for his helpful nature.

Mana was surprised to be part of this group.

But in his heart, there was something more important than being part of this upper-caste group.

(I'm dating Akane and Nagisa. Normally, I'd be stabbed in the back for dating two girls at once.)

Mana, who was dating the idol-like Akane and Nagisa, felt a sense of superiority but also knew that he would be envied and hated by other boys and seen as unfaithful and the worst by other girls.

While it was common for excellent exorcists to have multiple wives, dating two idols of the school would make him a target of envy and hatred.

The exorcist community was aware of the situation, and various negotiations were underway, but it was still a secret within the school to avoid unnecessary trouble and because the negotiations between the families were not yet complete.

Thanks to the recent exchange event at the Hoshimori family and the efforts of Asahi, Akane, Seihiko, and Kousya, the situation was nearing a formal decision.

(If it leaks before then, I can still push through with the family's backing, but I don't want to cause a fuss.)

The jealousy of the boys and the disdainful looks of the girls would be difficult to handle.

To maintain a peaceful school life, Mana had to ask Akane and Nagisa to be patient until the negotiations between the Hinono and Kyougoku families were finalized.

It seemed that others were starting to notice, but no one had confronted him directly.

Mana himself was doing well in his studies and sports, and thanks to Akane and others, he had few enemies.

(I'm pretty lucky, I guess.)

He used to be a failure, living a depressed life. In middle school, he didn't have such a peaceful school life.

But now, every day was very enjoyable.

"Mana! We're going to eat. Are you coming? Kondo and Hattori are coming, right?"

"Hey! That's great, Hinono! Let's go! Mana and Keigo, are you coming?"

"I'll join you as well."

"Sure, I'll come."

An ordinary day. A fulfilling life. Mana enjoyed the trivial conversations with Akane, Nagisa, and his friends.

Chapter Ten is set in the school.

I'm a bit worried if I can create the same excitement as before, but I hope you'll enjoy it.