The Awards Ceremony / And... What's the Price? ...

In the end, they still couldn't finish all those poti; it seems like most of them were given to Kyosuke.

There isn't much difference now compared to before.

A large portion of these purchased Bodhis also ended up in their younger brothers' stomachs. Children love sweets, but after her transformation, she rarely tasted the original flavor of food anymore.

They eat like normal people only because they don't want others to know about their abnormality. Besides, at this level, they no longer need to eat.

Chapter 301 Award Ceremony

The following morning, the school gathered all the students to conduct a final review of the cultural festival and announce the winners.

Although it was a bit of a disappointment, Yotsuya Miko's class came in second place, while first place was taken by Yuria's class for their café project. Compared to activities like haunted houses, which are somewhat challenging to one's courage, café activities are more acceptable to most people.

However, the students in the class were already quite satisfied with getting second place, since they hadn't really expected to get first place.

After visiting the café of Yuria's class, the students at this school understood what it meant to be outmatched. Compared to their projects, which were simply chosen based on interest and preference, the café project of Yuria's class demonstrated extremely high professionalism in every aspect. This level of professionalism was something they couldn't learn, given their limited organizational skills and funding.

Yuria went up on stage to receive the award. She calmly walked onto the stage and accepted the honor of first place without any nervousness or fear. She also maintained a humble and dignified demeanor when looking at the principal who was presenting the award, showing no signs of being overwhelmed by the honor shown to a leader.

Rather, the principal was more humble when he presented her with the award, as if the award was not a formal election but rather preordained for Yuria. Students at the school rarely saw a principal be so polite when giving out awards.

Combined with the many things that had happened to Yuria before, the students present finally confirmed the fact that Yuria was undoubtedly a young lady with a powerful background.

Next up was the second place winner. After deciding that Yuria was from a wealthy family, the class president of Miko's class made what he thought was a very correct decision: to nominate Yotsuya Miko to receive the award.

These people aren't fools, and Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana have never hidden their relationship with Yuria. It would be foolish not to know what to do in this situation.

"Please, Yotsuya-kun!"

As the class monitor, she clasped her hands together and earnestly pleaded with Yotsuya Miko, already imagining what would happen after she went on stage to receive the award and took a photo with Yuria: some burly men in black, a rough burlap sack, a corpse, and a river bend.

Having never met a rich heiress before, the class monitor could only try to connect Yuria with the image of a chaebol heiress portrayed in TV dramas. Such chaebol heiresses usually have fathers who are yakuza bosses involved in both the legitimate and criminal worlds. Anyone who displeases the daughter of such a powerful figure will face a terrible end.

"I don't want to get washed away by the sand..."

Her voice was very soft, but no matter how soft it was, Miko could hear it easily. After learning what the class monitor was thinking, Yotsuya Miko couldn't help but put a few black lines on her forehead, quite admiring her class monitor's bizarre association. To think of the worst possible outcome in such an extreme way, she really was worthy of being a class monitor.

Although he wanted to explain, there wasn't much time. The announcement of second place came quickly, and Miko didn't say anything more. He simply nodded to the class monitor and went up to receive his award.

After receiving the certificate from the principal, the second-place winner received far less praise than the first-place winner. The principal simply offered a few words of encouragement before moving on to announce the third-place winner's achievements.

This differential treatment further confirmed Yuria's identity among the students.

The students below the stage whispered among themselves, Yotsuya Miko remained silent on stage.

She glanced at the relatively calm Yuria, thinking to herself that this was a huge misunderstanding. However, upon closer reflection, such "concrete evidence" wouldn't have any negative impact on Yuria, nor would it lead to any confrontation—after all, she might not be a second-generation official, but she was a first-generation official.

After Divine Gate's reforms and his own intervention, this department will veer in a different direction, becoming a powerful institution. And Yuria, who is nominally affiliated with this institution, will certainly possess considerable connections and power.

In fact, it should already be underway.

She thought about it briefly, then quickly put it out of her mind.

The third-place winner received even less praise, just a single sentence. As for the subsequent rankings, the principal no longer presented awards; instead, the grade head presented them. Once representatives from the top twenty classes were on stage, they took their positions according to their rankings, facing the camera.

With a flash of light, several fresh photos were taken.

After the photos were taken, the representatives stepped down from the stage one by one. Next came the rankings of club activities and concerts. In addition to these two, there is also the tradition of selecting outstanding teachers at the cultural festival. In short, it was quite a long gathering.

The music club was excluded from the club activities because it was already a separate, large project, and the first place in the music club concert unsurprisingly went to the student who sang "White Bird".

When it came time to select the outstanding teacher, the students were given a slight surprise—or rather, the students in Miko's class brought a surprise. When Tono Zen stepped onto the stage, the students were incredulous and immediately erupted in cheers, expressing their excitement at the teacher's award.

Because of its overwhelming enthusiasm, it attracted the attention of many leaders. It's rare to see such a strong bond between students and teachers. Teachers are responsible for educating students, but students often don't want to be disciplined by teachers, leading to many conflicts and contradictions between the two.

Elementary school teachers are unforgettable, but they fade away as time goes on. Then come middle school teachers, then high school teachers, and then university teachers. The impressions gradually fade, leaving only titles like "high school math teacher" or "middle school chemistry teacher." I can't recall their names, nor do I seem to remember their faces or the content of their classes.

Many teachers have become accustomed to parting ways with their students and have taken them for granted, simply teaching them in a conventional manner without intending to deepen their emotional connection with them.

"It's wonderful to be young. I hope that Mr. Tono Zen will retain this passion for his students and his profession for a long time to come."

The principal sighed, looking at Tono Zen standing on the stage, then at the class cheering for him on the stage, and a lot of emotions welled up inside him.

Once the selection of outstanding teachers was completed, the assembly came to an end. The students left and returned to their classrooms to begin their regular classes, while the teachers went about their own business.

After the cultural festival, this semester's classes are drawing to a close. The semester should end before the snow falls.

A group of students left, and a new group of students arrived.

This is a school.

Chapter 302 And... what's the price?

The Divine Gate has been changed to Lost Dwelling.

Several days after the cultural festival, Yuria learned from the current branch manager what Yotsuya Miko had done at the Lost Dwelling.

A new cultivation method, integrating extraordinary organizations worldwide.

All the Gate of the Underworld in this world have disappeared, powerful Ghosts have been killed, and the whole world has been cleansed. It was Yotsuya Miko herself who accomplished all of this.

After accomplishing these tasks, the various countries began discussing the idea of forming a global, extraordinary organization. This idea had been proposed long ago, but ultimately failed to unite the interests of all nations and was abandoned.

And now, the Lost Dwelling of this country are part of this global extraordinary organization.

Yotsuya Miko changed everything. By killing powerful Ghosts and breaking the Gate of the Underworld, she completely severed the long-standing affairs of various countries' supernatural organizations, causing them to set their sights on a grander goal: the law of life and death.

The new techniques she distributed to various countries and the principles she expounded shattered the previous understanding of the supernatural world in these countries, but in the end, facts proved that her words were correct and completely feasible.

There is no true Yellow Springs, Netherworld, Hell, or Underworld in this world, so Ghosts and humans coexist in the world.

Ghosts harm people, and powerful Ghosts are much easier to harm than powerful superhumans. Over time, this has created a situation where ghosts are strong and humans are weak. Once a certain limit is reached, the living will face serious disasters.

Because this world needs a force to balance Ghosts and humans, allowing newly born Ghosts to enter the cycle of reincarnation and become human again, so as to prevent them from remaining in the world and causing harm.

This authority is not exercised by Heaven and Earth, but is handed over to a global supernatural organization, and then distributed to each secular political entity, which in turn has its supernatural organizations exercise it. It must be said that this is a rather bold idea.

When such power falls upon each nation, it naturally grants the truly implementing supernatural organizations a power that is not bound by any nation. After all, this is the power to determine life and death, a power exercised jointly by all nations. And the most crucial point is that the source of this power does not lie in the establishment of a global supernatural organization, but in the cultivation method given to this organization by Yotsuya Miko —because only this cultivation method can purify Ghosts and increase cultivation.

In other words, the essence of this authority is the cultivation technique itself, and those who possess the technique are considered to be the wielders of this authority. This cultivation technique, like the law, establishes a set of rules that cannot be easily changed, forcing everyone to follow it.

After learning everything, Yuria realized the consequences of her actions. It would change the entire supernatural world, drawing a clear line between Ghosts and humans, and placing them under the complete control of human "power."

Compared to the two main gods, the Huori Jue and the Huiming Qiyue, described in the mythology of this country Yotsuya Miko performed an even more amazing feat in the present world—she used the power of all the people in the world to create a predetermined cycle of life and death for this world out of thin air.

From this point on, Ghosts will truly withdraw from the human world. There will never again be Ghosts so powerful as to inspire despair, nor will any Ghosts harm mortals. The supernatural realm will be completely hidden beneath this world, difficult to truly uncover.

"You're really something, Miko."

After hanging up with the branch manager, Yuria looked out the window.

Compared to her time with Divine Gate, Miko's behavior is now much more composed, but it also makes Miko feel more uneasy.

She didn't know why Yotsuya Miko would do this, even though such an action seemed to be entirely out of good intentions.

"Is this because you no longer want to deal with Ghosts?"

As Yuria spoke, she felt that such a reason was simply untenable. Because Miko didn't seem like that kind of person, nor did she seem like someone who would selflessly sacrifice herself.

Yotsuya Miko has her own little thoughts, her own worries, things she doesn't want to talk about, and she doesn't want to be controlled by others or act for any lofty ideals. She's just an ordinary person who wants to live her own life well, to deal with the things happening around her, and not to meddle in other people's business.

She is indeed very capable, but the responsibility she bears is only a small part of herself. Anything beyond that, whether it's pity or occasional kindness, would never lead her to take such action for the current situation.

Unless... she has a more important purpose.

What exactly happened?

At the cultural festival concert, the question Hua had asked her resurfaced in her mind once again.

"Miko arm, do you know anything about it?"

Arm...

She looked up at the few sparse clouds in the sky; it was a rainy day, a nationwide downpour.

The rain blurred her surroundings and her vision. She was troubled by a question and a worry.

My gaze tried to penetrate the figure in the rain, but I could only make out a few scattered points. Even the conversation was unclear and difficult to understand.

Miko and the black monster were speaking in a language she couldn't understand at all. The monster's tone was filled with a variety of emotions, such as surprise, regret, smugness, and madness. Miko's tone, however, remained calm, unmoved by the monster's words.

When the rain stopped, the monster died; it was killed by Yotsuya Miko.

Miko's heart was also shattered, leaving a large hole. She was anxious, thinking that Miko was about to die, but she was alive and well, and losing a heart had no impact on her.

She seemed to be immortal.

From that time on, Yuria never worried about Miko's health again, because she knew that if such a powerful monster could not kill Miko, and so many families in this country had failed to kill Miko, then there was no one in this world capable of killing Miko.

She is very strong, ever since I first met her.

"... Is that really the case?"

Yuria suddenly thought of that calligraphy competition, the one where Miko and Hua broke off their friendship.

The Yotsuya Miko of that time was not as strong as the Yotsuya Miko of today.

It was only Miko was improving at a speed that she couldn't even imagine that she had this illusion that Zi was always very powerful.

From the past to the present.

She will continue to improve, but what about after that?

And... what's the price?

Chapter 303 Christmas

Christmas has arrived as scheduled.

Because their house wasn't big enough, the Yotsuya family didn't bother with setting up a Christmas tree. And normally, it would be much better to celebrate such a holiday outdoors.

However, the weather is gradually getting colder, and staying indoors enjoying the warmth of the heating and a cup of hot tea is obviously more relaxing.

Yotsuya Miko carried the freshly baked cookies to the coffee table in the living room. On the small coffee table were several cups of steaming green tea, their aroma wafting through the air.

After placing the cookies on the table, I took the cutlery back to the kitchen and put it down. Just as I finished doing all this, a knock came at the door.

With nothing to do, Yotsuya Kyosuke instinctively stuffed a cookie he had just picked up into his cheek and hurriedly ran to the door to open it for the person outside.

A gust of cold wind rushed into the warm and comfortable house before the guests even entered. Only after the wind had subsided slightly did the two guests step into the hallway.

"Excuse me."

Yurikawa Hana adjusted her scarf; her face was flushed red in the cold wind, and her fingers would probably be red too if she weren't wearing gloves. Beside her, Yuria also breathed out a sigh of relief, enjoying the warmth of the room.

The two walked for quite a while in the cold wind, not daring to even take out their phones, keeping their hands in their pockets.

"Sister Yuria, Sister Hua, welcome!"

After the two entered, Yotsuya Kyosuke quickly closed the door, finally stopping the cold air from flowing into the room. Because he was inside, he was dressed much less warmly than his two guests. The gust of cold wind made him shiver all over, and his teeth were still chattering when the door closed. It took him a while to recover.

However, compared to the cold wind, he was very happy about the arrival of the two people.

The Yotsuya family originally planned to celebrate Christmas as usual; to be precise, Yotsuya Touko and Yotsuya Kyosuke planned to celebrate it normally.

No one said anything about when Yotsuya Miko went out or came back; she could spend a long time out with her friends on Christmas Day.

As for Yotsuya Kyosuke, that wouldn't work. His mother, Yotsuya Touko, thought the weather was too cold and that letting a child stay outside for too long would easily make him catch a cold. So, the plan was to just buy some food and let Yotsuya Kyosuke stay home, watch TV, and eat some snacks to get through the day.

Yotsuya Kyosuke was certainly not pleased by this idea. Children his age have a strong desire to go out and play. Keeping him at home watching TV in a dull state would be torture for him.

Inviting two friends to Yotsuya Miko home was far better than him and his mother sitting idly at home; at least the atmosphere wouldn't be too dull. Besides, the house was stocked with delicious food to entertain Hana and Yuria.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to eat the cookies his sister made.

"Over here, over here!"

She jogged a few steps to the two guests and led them the way, while slowly chewing and swallowing the cookie she had just stuffed into her mouth.

The commotion finally drew out Yotsuya Miko, who was tidying up the utensils in the kitchen. She glanced at Yotsuya Kyosuke, who was still talking, and then greeted the two of them.

"Hua, Yuria, Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!"

The two responded and, guided by Yotsuya Kyosuke, quickly sat down on the sofa. The kid thoughtfully handed them a plate of cookies and two cups of green tea, but while handing them the cookies, he also popped one into his own mouth.

Seeing his expression, Hua became interested in the plate of exquisite cookies in front of her, took one out and put it in her mouth. Before she could even chew it properly, a rich, sweet aroma spread in her mouth, making her squint her eyes involuntarily.

"Delicious! I really like these cookies!"

"If you like it, that would be best."

Yotsuya Miko smiled and sat down on the sofa, picking up the remote control and turning on the TV.

"I was worried that the cookies I just learned to make wouldn't suit your taste. Yuria, you should try some too; freshly baked cookies taste the best. And please try the green tea as well."

Before Yuria could even move after hearing these words, Hua, who was standing to the side, obediently picked up the cup of green tea, blew on it a few times, and then took a small sip.