Devilish Cultivator Miko

"Really! Unbelievable, Yuria and I were stunned. We never expected you to have such hidden depths."

She chattered on, expressing her joy at her friend's victory. The winner, meanwhile, touched her phone, feeling the vibration and knowing the prize money had arrived. She let out a sigh of relief.

On the other side, the young girl Amamiya hummed a tune as she slowly walked into an apartment. She ignored the pungent smell of alcohol emanating from the open door and dragged a decadent, slumped middle-aged man out from a pile of clutter on the sofa.

"Wake up. It's not like you got fired again, so why drink so much?"

"Mmm... I won?"

The middle-aged man, roused from his stupor, rubbed his head. He looked at the Amamiya girl, who had a noticeable height difference with him, and his face was full of confidence.

"You won, right? All my life's skills were used by you..."

"It was second place, but it's still enough for you to find a job."

Amamiya sighed and, ignoring her father's stunned silence, began tidying up the clutter on the sofa.

"The first-place sister was really amazing. I couldn't win at all."

As she spoke, she tossed a photo she had taken on her phone to her father.

"You'll know if you look at it yourself."

His large hand easily caught the phone. The middle-aged man squinted, looking at the calligraphy in the photo up close, and instinctively said, "This dead person's writing won an award?"

Chapter 70: Breakup

Completely unaware that her calligraphy had received such a harsh critique, Yotsuya Miko was currently out shopping with Hana and Yuria. The calligraphy competition hadn't lasted very long, leaving them ample time to stroll around the streets before lunch.

However, after the competition ended, Miko's mood became somewhat subdued. She felt her expectations for this kind of competition had been too high. If it were a more prestigious competition, perhaps the judges would have recognized the flaws in her calligraphy.

During the few days she had temporarily given up drawing Talismans to practice calligraphy, the buzz surrounding the Silver Ball legend had gradually died down. At least now, people's focus had shifted to a series of recent scandals in the entertainment industry. She didn't know what was going on lately, with one celebrity scandal after another being exposed—like coming out, time management, and so on—causing considerable debate.

This situation left Miko feeling perplexed. At the same time, she began to consider whether she should continue drawing Talismans. After all, she finally had some money in her account after the morning's calligraphy competition. This sum could support her in drawing Talismans hundreds of times. She thought this, but then shook her head, deciding it would be better to wait a few more days.

"Miko, Miko?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Yotsuya Miko turned her gaze to her friend beside her, Hana. The latter rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Honestly, why are you spacing out again? What have you been thinking about lately, Miko?"

"..."

Miko didn't know what to say. She just looked at Hana silently, then lowered her head.

"Sorry, Hana. I was just..."

A pair of hands tightly gripped Miko's hands, pulling them into her embrace. Caught off guard, Miko looked up in surprise at Yurikawa Hana. The orange-haired girl glared fiercely at her, stating her strict demand.

"No spacing out when you're shopping with me! Got it!"

"Hana, isn't that a bit..."

Yuria, standing nearby, couldn't help but intercede for Miko at her action, but a glare from Hana made her shrink back, swallowing the rest of her words.

Yotsuya Miko looked at the girl before her, unsure of what to say, feeling a great deal of guilt. Even she could clearly feel that when she was shopping with Hana, she would often drift off, either her attention drawn by Ghosts or thinking about matters related to Ghosts.

But she opened and closed her mouth, yet couldn't utter a single word. She just looked at Hana before her and silently lowered her head.

She couldn't do it.

Ghosts had become something she could never forget. Even if she tried to escape, those Ghosts would appear in her vision at all times, reminding her that she was different from ordinary people.

"Yes..."

Her hands were released.

Hana looked at her, her smile completely gone. It wasn't a lack of understanding, but a feeling of not being acknowledged. Even after reaching this point, she still wouldn't tell her what had happened? Was she really that unreliable in Miko's eyes?

She quietly looked at Yotsuya Miko, then calmly stood up and left.

"Sorry, I just remembered something. I'll be going now."

Saying this, she turned her back to Miko and walked away without looking back, her expression unchanged. But Yotsuya Miko felt it—she felt the pain.

"Hana..."

She reached out, wanting to stop her, but found herself with no reason. All her excuses were weak and powerless. If she tried to hide the truth, it would eventually be discovered anyway.

In the end, her hand slowly fell, carrying her owner's sorrow.

"Miko..."

Yuria, standing beside them, watched this parting like an outsider, unable to do anything because she wasn't one of the two. She stood frozen for a long time before finally uttering a sentence.

"Aren't you going to chase after her?"

"No need. Let her calm down."

Miko shook her head. Perhaps feeling too pathetic at the moment, she forced a smile onto her face, acting as if everything was normal.

"Since Hana left, let's go together, just the two of us."

"Where to?"

Miko looked up at the poster on the wall.

"Then let's go... see Mr. Cave Bear."

The man rumored to be more manly than any man is finally arriving...

She had nothing else she wanted to do. For now, she just wanted to get through the day as quickly as possible.

Someone else felt the same way.

The orange-haired girl walked down the road, lost in thought, feeling more dejected than ever. She looked at the bread in her hand, finding it hard to swallow. It was only when she thought of Miko's face that she took a fierce bite.

"I'm angry, I'm really angry!"

As she said this, the corners of her eyes felt a little sore. The moment she recalled the times she had spent with Miko, tears began to flow uncontrollably.

"So why did you keep hiding it from me, Miko?"

She silently picked up the Ram Rabbit next to her school bag. It was a gift from Miko, and it even had hiragana characters inscribed on it. She had always cherished it dearly.

"Can't I ever make you feel at ease?"

She clutched the Ram Rabbit tightly, treating it as if it were Miko herself. Only when she noticed someone passing by did she wipe the tears from her eyes and place the Ram Rabbit back beside her school bag.

"It's really strange. I've never seen such strange handwriting. There's no life in it at all. If it wasn't written by a dead person, then what was it?"

"I told you it's rude! That was a very beautiful older sister."

A passing father and daughter said this, not caring at all if anyone else could hear them.

"Then you probably met a ghost."

"Never mind the ghosts, hurry up and find a job. Don't just stay at home all day like you have nothing to do. If you need money, go work at a construction site for a few days."

"Isn't that good? I get to see you often."

"But I don't want to see you! You don't clean, you don't cook, honestly. I shouldn't have trusted you to teach me how to cook."

Although her words were filled with a daughter's scolding towards her father, it was hard to say their relationship was bad. The burly father continued to chat as if nothing was wrong, completely unfazed by his daughter's disdain.

"Isn't that great? You learned to cook, and I don't have to. Besides, Sanae, your talent is really good. To be able to achieve this at your age. So... are you sure you didn't show me some kind of computer robot or calligraphy written by a program? Trying to hide the bonus?"

"...Believe it or not."

His daughter punched him, and the father feigned pain appropriately.

"Ouch."

Hana, who had stopped on the road, felt envious.

Chapter 71: After the Age of Twenty-Nine

Mr. Cave Bear was a burly, tough guy, just like he was in the ring. Although he was a bit older, he was still active in various wrestling competitions, which was truly formidable.

However, compared to his fierce demeanor in the ring, he appeared kind and approachable on stage, like a friendly old grandpa. He warmly welcomed every admirer, offering them encouragement. That is, until it was Miko's turn.

"Oh? A young lady, how rare--Hahaha!"

He looked at the high school girl in front of him in surprise and let out a hearty laugh, as if pleased to have a female fan.

"Not many women get excited about wrestling."

As he spoke, he signed the autograph board Miko handed him. Although his handwriting wasn't great, its essence burned like molten lava. Through her Spiritual Sense, Miko observed that Mr. Cave Bear's life force was exceptionally robust; even the most powerful Ghosts would likely retreat in fear.

But at that moment, Miko only felt a slight pang before sinking back into dejection. She smiled and thanked Mr. Cave Bear, unlike the fans who were eager to keep talking to him. As soon as she received the autograph, she turned and left.

This action left Mr. Cave Bear a bit bewildered, but he didn't dwell on it and attended to the next fan. As Miko walked out the door, she still looked listless. She walked towards Yuria, who was waiting for her outside, and soon found herself in a state of uncertainty about where to go.

"Um... are you really okay?"

The blonde girl asked cautiously, her voice unusually low, as if afraid of angering Miko.

"...If I say I'm fine, you won't believe me, will you?"

Yotsuya Miko said this as she tucked the autograph into her shoulder bag. Her Spiritual Sense swept towards the distance, and she suddenly detected someone rushing towards her for no reason.

A robbery?

Perhaps they saw her putting something away and assumed she was distracted, making it an opportune moment.

The thought flashed through her mind as the young man roughly ran up to her, intending to shove her aside and snatch her shoulder bag.

Just at this moment.

She dodged, and in the blink of an eye, she was behind the young man, delivering an elbow strike to his back.

By the time Yuria saw the young man rushing over and was about to shout, the would-be robber had already stumbled and fallen to the ground with a dull thud.

"Be--"

"Careful."

Yuria glanced at the person on the ground, finishing her half-spoken word before looking back at Miko, who was continuing to put away her autograph. She was unsure of Miko's current state.

"What happened?"

The two standing by the entrance, along with the fallen youth, quickly drew the attention of the queuing fans and the guards. Two guards hurried over to them and asked for an explanation.

Miko remained silent. She glanced at the thief on the ground, inexplicably feeling the urge to cast another spell to clear her head a little. Seeing her expression, Yuria hurriedly began to explain, clarifying the situation. However, her explanation was clearly not very effective. Miko, the other person, and the unconscious man on the ground were politely escorted back inside to a reception room to await the police.

"Are you really okay?"

Yuria couldn't help but ask, looking at Miko, who had somehow taken out a signature and was meticulously stroking it again. She felt as if Miko had lost her senses due to a heavy blow. However, this was quite fitting for Miko's current mood. Countless thoughts swirled in her mind, thinking about how to deal with Ghosts, how to reconcile with Hana, the scene from the calligraphy competition that morning, and the night she could see Ghosts.

She carefully felt the inner substance within Anazuma's handwriting, but only felt that she was on the verge of being driven to all sorts of negative thoughts by an emotion she couldn't understand at all. For example, killing, or taking out all her Talisman Iron Pellets and launching a major purge of all the Ghosts in the city. In short, she was almost entranced by the Devil, just needing a real chance to erupt. And now, that chance seemed exceptionally close.

The young man, finally waking from his stupor, saw his situation clearly. With a dark expression, he walked towards Miko. The guards also seemed completely unguarding. He took a switchblade from his pocket, the blade pointed at Miko.

"You bastard..."

Ah... a knife.

Miko glanced slightly, then lowered her head again to look at the signature's handwriting, completely indifferent to the man's emotions, which were like a viper baring its fangs. After all, this switchblade was far too small to threaten her. With just a flick of a spell, she could directly kill him.

Thinking this, a spell was born, aimed directly at the young man before her.

"Miko!"

Both of them seemed to have tacitly ignored Yuria, who couldn't stand the scene any longer. She grabbed Miko's hand and prepared to run towards the door, her face turning deathly pale.

"At least react! That's a knife... a knife!"

As she spoke, she looked forward again. When she clearly saw the figure blocking the doorway, her face, which was already as white as if painted with white lead, turned even paler.

"Trying to run? I'll tell you, there's no way. Those idiots..."

The young man sneered, unashamedly mocking the guards. He didn't know what they were thinking, letting the three of them stay in the same room without any supervision. However, before he could finish his taunting words, a pair of thick arms wrapped around his body, making it difficult for him to breathe. The switchblade in his hand fell to the ground.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear that."

Anazuma said, his burly physique allowing him to simply lock the young man's torso. He only released his arms when the man suffocated and fainted again, then handed the unconscious youth and the switchblade on the ground to a few guards who had followed behind. He then turned his gaze to Miko and Yuria, a look of apology on his face.

"I'm sorry, the guards have never encountered anything like this before and don't know how to handle it. Fortunately, you two are unharmed. If there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask. This is compensation."

His words were straightforward, and Miko silently retracted the spell. She glanced at Yuria, who still hadn't recovered, and shook her head at him.

"No need, can we go now?"