She looked at the unfinished doll in her schoolbag and sighed softly.
It was less a doll than a human-shaped figure made of straw rope, possessing only the form of a person. Such straw rope dolls could serve as a spirit medium for an exorcist, taking the place of the exorcist and withstanding one attack from a "spirit." It was one of the most essential skills to learn.
However, making one took a great deal of painstaking work. Yuria had never worked with straw rope before, and even after two days of weaving, she still hadn't managed to complete a single doll. Until she succeeded in making one, Takeda Mie didn't intend to teach her anything else. If she couldn't even learn a life-saving skill like this, there was little point in learning the rest.
Still, she was getting close.
The bell rang, and the clamor in the classroom slowly faded. Their teacher entered with the lesson materials in hand, but no one looked at her. Instead, everyone turned their attention to a pretty, plainly dressed girl standing outside the classroom.
"Kaishoku Shugaku, come on in."
The teacher said this and handed the chalk to the girl walking toward her.
"I'm sure you've already heard that a transfer student will be joining our class, even if I haven't said anything. So... Kaishoku Shugaku, please introduce yourself to everyone."
She moved to stand beside the lectern, leaving it to the girl named Kaishoku Shugaku. The girl merely gave a slight nod. Her gaze swept over the curious eyes watching her from around the classroom, but she showed little nervousness. It seemed she had spotted something among them, because she turned to the blackboard behind her and wrote her name.
"My name is—Kaishoku Shugaku."
The bold characters appeared on the blackboard with a dull thud as the chalk struck it. If a person's handwriting reflected who they were, then the girl named Kaishoku Shugaku seemed to possess a certain indescribable elegance.
"Please treat me well."
Her introduction was brief. She didn't even bow, only lowering her head slightly as a gesture of courtesy.
If she had been dressed in fine clothes, her manner might not have seemed out of place at all. But Kaishoku Shugaku wore only white, and at a glance, there was little about her outfit that looked luxurious.
A few quiet voices rose, then gradually swelled into a noisy buzz of discussion. Everyone was sharing their impressions of the new transfer student, and Yuria was no exception. Looking at Kaishoku Shugaku standing before her, she couldn't help frowning.
The girl's behavior wasn't exactly impolite, but if she lacked social skills, it was obvious that the class would ostracize her. Even among students, there were subtle hierarchies in this society, where status was everywhere. Kaishoku Shugaku's first impression as a newcomer... was very poor.
"Then, please take the seat beside Futamido Yuria."
The teacher didn't mind the commotion, nor did she care about the hierarchy among the students. It was an accepted part of school life, and even teachers found it difficult to change. With a sympathetic look, she assigned the student who seemed excessively proud to sit beside Yuria, whose situation might be a little better.
Then even that sympathy faded, and she focused on teaching.
Yuria, too, didn't show any concern for Kaishoku Shugaku, even though the two of them might end up in the same position.
She quietly tidied her things, so they wouldn't be scattered everywhere if someone overturned her desk later.
The moment the bell rang, the teacher left the classroom. Yuria picked up her packed schoolbag and hurried out.
At the door, she glanced back. Sure enough, people had already gathered around the new transfer student, asking about her background.
School was much like society. Before picking on someone, people had to take a good look at who they were—and remember to be wary of anyone of a "higher status" who befriended them without any apparent reason.
"Yuria?"
Of course, some people didn't count.
Yuria looked up at the two girls standing together in front of her, put the new transfer student out of her mind for the moment, and turned to Yurikawa Hana. She asked casually, "Hana, are you hungry again?"
"Why do you always ask me if I'm hungry whenever you see me?"
The orange-haired girl complained indignantly, but the black-haired girl beside her shut down her anger with a simple reply.
"Because you only leave the classroom to buy something to eat at the convenience store when you're hungry."
Yotsuya Miko sighed and explained the reason to Yuria.
"As you can see, she forgot to eat breakfast again."
"That sounds like something she'd do."
"Yeah. Yuria, why are you out here now? Isn't it only after the first period?"
"Because... I wanted to use the bathroom."
Yuria hesitated, deciding not to reveal what she was really thinking. Miko glanced toward her classroom, then nodded.
"I see. Then I should take Hana to the convenience store. See you at lunch."
"Yeah, see you at lunch."
A spiritual practitioner, huh...
Yuria wanted to keep it to herself, but Miko already knew what was going on. She glanced at the classroom Yuria was in with her Spiritual Sense and immediately understood what had happened.
It was nothing more than bullying at school. Well, it hadn't reached the point of bullying yet. They were probably just making threats.
"Hana, did you know we had a new transfer student at school?"
"What?"
Hana only looked at her blankly, then clutched her stomach with a pained expression.
"I'm so hungry..."
Seeing her like this, Miko knew there was no point asking her.
"Never mind. It's nothing. Besides, nothing's going to happen."
Now that Miko could manipulate objects with her Spiritual Sense, it was powerful enough to cover the entire school. That let her notice almost everything happening on campus. However, she couldn't keep watch over every corner of the school all day; her Spiritual Sense wouldn't hold out. But keeping an eye on a few important targets was easy enough.
The name written on the blackboard was hers?
With the Eye-Penetrating Incantation, Miko quickly saw the large characters on the classroom blackboard.
Kaishoku Shugaku.
Her handwriting revealed a sense of superiority and arrogance, as though she believed she and ordinary people were two entirely different kinds of beings.
By the time the bell rang, Yuria had only just ambled back into the classroom.
She kept her head down, glancing briefly at the students who had scattered. She saw the unease on their faces. Aside from their negative feelings, they didn't seem to have done much else. The new transfer student's desk was still fine, and her own desk... hadn't been knocked over either.
Had they run into someone tough?
Yuria thought this as she calmly walked to her seat and sat down.
She didn't intend to do anything to the transfer student beside her, even though Kaishoku Shugaku was being bullied. To put it bluntly, if she was being treated that way, it was because of her own attitude.
"You'd better rein in your attitude. People who are burning with anger won't care about anything."
Yuria opened her book, making that her first words to the girl named Kaishoku Shugaku.
"Then let me see what they can do."
The proud girl didn't accept the warning. She only looked coldly at Yuria.
"If you're afraid of getting dragged into it, then go ask the teacher to move your seat."
Just as expected, this was the sort of person who made others feel offended.
Yuria thought this and acted as if she hadn't spoken to her. She picked up her book and copied down the lesson.
If Kaishoku Shugaku really was like this, Yuria could at least feel a little more at ease. The class would be much less likely to target her. As for worrying about the transfer student? Yuria could barely handle her own problems. How could anyone expect her to look after someone who didn't seem easy to get along with?
Maybe I should take her advice and ask the teacher to move my seat.
As she wrote her notes, Yuria glanced at Kaishoku Shugaku, who was propping up her head as if daydreaming. Her impression of the new transfer student worsened.
Where had all that arrogance come from? And her manner seemed so out of place in the classroom. She'd probably get along just fine with the school delinquents.
This girl... was probably beyond saving.
Yuria passed her final judgment on the girl in her mind.
Soon it was lunchtime. Yuria had no idea what Kaishoku Shugaku had done, or whether the others were preparing something more vicious, but no one had bothered the transfer student again after the first period.
Yuria, who had been ready to protect her belongings the entire time, couldn't help feeling relieved. She carried her lunch over to the spot where she'd arranged to meet Miko. At Hana and Miko's urging, she had gradually gotten used to eating lunch with them. Usually, Hana and Miko did most of the talking while Yuria chimed in now and then, answering whenever they asked her something.
"Yuria, did a transfer student join your class?"
Yuria slowly chewed and swallowed her food before looking at Miko, who was sipping her milk, and answering.
"Yeah. Her name is Kaishoku Shugaku, but she doesn't have the best temper."
There was no need to hide anything from the two of them, so she told them all about her poor impression of the newcomer.
"She doesn't pay much attention in class, either, and she's pretty arrogant. I don't know where she transferred from, but I heard it might be Kawamori."
"So that's the general impression?"
Miko nodded. What she'd seen with her Spiritual Sense matched Yuria's description almost exactly. The girl seemed to think of herself as an exorcist above everyone else.
"Yeah. Honestly, I'd like to keep my distance from her—but the teacher seated her right next to me."
"I see. Has she bullied you, Yuria?"
Hana asked. Yuria simply shook her head and went back to eating her lunch.
"I'm planning to talk to the teacher, but I'll wait a few days. For now, I'll just see how things go."
"I see."
Miko glanced at her, realizing that Yuria still didn't know Kaishoku Shugaku was an exorcist. But with Hana there, she had to keep quiet for now.
"Maybe that's for the best. You'll get to know Kaishoku better."
She spoke meaningfully, then paused.
"Oh, and remember to check your messages."
My messages?
Yuria blinked, looking at Miko, who had started speaking in riddles. From the way this powerful exorcist was acting, it sounded as if there was something unusual about Kaishoku Shugaku's identity.
Miko said no more. She glanced at the Amanita Muscaria Charm on Yuria and began thinking about the Shepherds, an organization.
If the Shepherds really were targeting Yuria, the runes on the charm would be nearly useless. They were meant to deal with Ghosts, and when Miko had drawn them, she hadn't considered using them against humans or spiritual practitioners.
But would adding more runes now be overkill? She thought it over, then shook her head, deciding she was worrying too much.
After all, there was only a chance Yuria would be targeted. Even if she was, Miko could track down these so-called Shepherds with her own methods. Besides, she had already placed a tracking rune in the Amanita Muscaria Charm. If something really happened, she'd still have time to act.
Thinking it through, she abandoned the idea of adding more runes.
It was a little suspicious that an exorcist from out of town had suddenly transferred to this school, but surely this exorcist had little to do with the Shepherds...
Miko, who had been taking small sips of milk, suddenly widened her eyes and whipped around to look at Yuria.
Kawamori?
In an instant, she marked Kaishoku Shugaku as suspicious. According to the information Takeda Mie had given her, the Shepherds had spread outward from the Kawamori region. And now, at a time like this, an exorcist from Kawamori had joined their school.
She couldn't conclude right away that Kaishoku Shugaku was a member of the Shepherds, but her background had become a sensitive matter.
She'd better use the Divine Gate's connections to investigate Kaishoku Shugaku's background.
She thought it over. Takeda Mie had also told her about an official organization called the Divine Gate. Since they were currently investigating the Shepherds, a lone exorcist from Kawamori was probably someone they should keep a close eye on.
Miko could follow Kaishoku Shugaku and find out where she lived and what her personal details were, just as she had done with Tono Zen. But that would be risky now. Ever since learning about an organization like the Divine Gate, she'd been grateful for how things had turned out. Thankfully, they hadn't traced Yin-Yu back to her. Otherwise, explaining all the skills she possessed would have been difficult.
She planned to play things cautiously for a while—at least until she had mastered the new incantations she'd learned and the jade she'd ordered had arrived.
Besides, as long as Kaishoku Shugaku remained on campus, she couldn't escape Miko's Spiritual Sense. Under its watch, Miko could learn all of her thoughts.
With news that the Shepherds had arrived in the area, the Investigation Department and the Special Affairs Department had joined forces with the local government to carry out several rounds of investigations into people who had come from the Kawamori region. They'd asked about their public itineraries and secretly looked into their activities there as well. But even though few people had come from Kawamori recently, it was still hard to find any trace of the Shepherds.
"Well, look at that. A young lady."
Okita looked over the files that had been through several rounds of review and screening before being sent to him, studying them carefully.
"Kaishoku Shugaku, the eldest daughter of the Kaishoku family in Kawamori. She ran off to attend school here after falling out with her grandfather... I hardly know what to say."
Unlike him, Ogane didn't react. He simply read out the information about the Kaishoku family of Kawamori in a matter-of-fact tone.
"The Kaishoku family of Kawamori is an exorcist lineage that's gradually fallen into decline. Kaishoku Shugaku is one of the few in the family with the talent to become an exorcist. But her parents died fighting spirits, and she was raised by her elders at home. That made her arrogant. She has talent, but she's been spoiled and thinks too highly of herself. Because of the Shepherds, her family told her to stay quietly inside the estate. But..."
"But that idiot tried to deal with the Shepherds herself, so she ran off here alone?"
Okita scoffed.
"Who arranged for her to transfer?"
"Her grandfather."
Ogane answered, making no comment on the Kaishoku family's affairs.
"Kaishoku Shunen fainted in a rage when he found out Kaishoku Shugaku had run off here. After that, conflict within the family came to light. Even Kaishoku Shunen could hardly suppress it again, so he simply arranged for Kaishoku Shugaku to transfer here and avoid the conflict for the time being. He also asked the Divine Gate to keep an eye on the headstrong young lady."
Before you continue