Miko Becomes a Demonic Cultivator

One, no—it should be said, four heads spoke at once, like they were performing a four-person comedy routine. Speaking of which... does a four-person comedy routine even exist?

Probably, the best way to describe it was a variety-show atmosphere?

Yotsuya Miko continued scrolling through the prayer bead purchasing interface, watching the increasingly expensive beads pile up, and felt a kind of pressure—financial pressure.

The ghost, which had originally maintained a human form, started its performance the moment it sat down in front of her. Its four elongated heads all thrust themselves before Miko's eyes, repeating the same four lines over and over.

Really annoying.

Yotsuya Miko thought this, but didn't pay it much attention.

So the big mass of ghost slipped behind her to keep causing trouble.

The bus stopped for a moment at a red light, then slowly passed through the intersection. The driver on this shift drove with dull boredom; inside the nearly empty vehicle, silence reigned, broken only by the ghost's repeated recitation of its dialogue. It was a truly terrible variety show, just three lines and a burst of laughter on loop.

"I'm almost there."

13:51. Yotsuya Miko checked the time and replied to Yurikawa Hana like that. Pressed for time, she had no mind to indulge the ghost's boring performance, and besides, having just gathered her third strand of Profound Nether Qi, she didn't want to kill this ghost.

The intense Soul Devouring Sensation brought by the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record was already pushing her to her limits. When she had exterminated the third ghost and converted it into Soul Extract, a feeling of dissatisfaction had naturally risen from the depths of her heart, making her realize she would have to wait a long time before her fourth hunt. Otherwise, she might well be consumed by that soul-devouring appetite.

That was why she had planned to meet up with Yurikawa Hana, to see if she could find some way to suppress it. Even if the prayer beads were useless, just going out and having a good time with Hana could ease her mood.

Thinking this, a faint smile tugged at her lips.

But that smile quickly vanished.

"The next stop is Ichitani Station."

"Approaching Ichitani Station."

The conductor's announcement for the stop rang out. Yotsuya Miko looked at the "STOP" button beside her that signaled the driver, and pressed it.

Then, as she watched the ghost once again surround her with its four heads, a foul mood rose from within.

This time, its mischief had crossed the line.

Damn it, but...

Yotsuya Miko took a deep breath, restraining the impulse to unleash a Soul Collision Art. Her soul-devouring urge was already deep; even just looking at this malevolent ghost stirred a desire to devour it. If she saw its body shattered by the Soul Collision Art, she really didn't know if her body would autonomously refine Soul Extract due to the overwhelming craving.

And this ghost's Soul Extract looked like it would be much higher quality than the ghosts she had encountered before.

Frustrated, she refocused her mind on the prayer bead selection interface. But the ghost, completely unaware of what it was courting, shifted form again and actually sat down to Miko's left.

"What do you think?"

It asked in a thoroughly punchable way.

"Ichitani Station. Ichitani Station. Please mind your step."

The bus stopped at the place she needed to get off.

The ghost, sensing it had worn out its welcome, pulled away and continued its variety show elsewhere.

But Miko had stopped thinking about any of that.

Thanks to that ghost's provocation, a fierce hunger had enveloped her thoughts. A voice repeatedly urged her to kill the ghost, while her brain had already started fantasizing about devouring it.

Troublesome...

Miko stared fixedly at the prayer beads on her phone screen, as if they could purify her abnormal emotions and thoughts from across the distance.

No... deep breath... relax... relax.

She slowly suppressed the Soul Devouring Sensation that had burst forth along with her anger.

"Ichitani Station. Does any passenger wish to alight?"

The ghost, once again running over to court death, nearly made her emotions surge back up. The conductor repeatedly asked if anyone was getting off. Confirming no one was, the driver slowly closed the door.

The vehicle moved forward slowly. Watching the ghost recede into the distance, Yotsuya Miko realized it had slipped outside. But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a woman's voice startled her.

"Is this for real?"

"That's way too ridiculous."

Familiar words came from the woman beside her, who had just answered her phone. Fortunately, at least the one speaking these words was a person.

"Hahahaha..."

"What the heck, that's hilarious."

"Hahahaha..."

But after laughing for a while, she seemed to notice the murderous look from the person beside her, and sheepishly stifled her laughter.

Was that my fault?

The Japanese sense of shame over public behavior made her realize what she had done in a public place, and a wave of guilt quickly washed over her.

"Sorry, I'll hang up now."

Sighing, Yotsuya Miko looked at the time on her phone, and her mood turned sour.

13:58. Clearly, she was going to be late.

Yesterday, The Girl Who Can See wrapped up its run. Honestly, the last episode caught me off guard—they got all the way to the movie theater plot, but cut Rom's scenes entirely, and instead added a dream sequence for Miko along with a recap of the ghosts from earlier episodes. But I guess that's none of my business anymore. Now that Miko has become a demonic cultivator, if she runs into the Mountain God again, it won't be about shaking off its protection.

Finally, may the signing be successful.

Chapter 13: Fish-faced Ghost and Cave Bear Philosophy

"Sorry, Hana... I missed my stop, I'll be a bit late."

Not long after the message was sent, Yurikawa Hana replied.

"I got on the wrong train too! I'll be late!"

Looking at the message above, Yotsuya Miko sighed.

"Then, see you later?"

She suggested this, silently sending the message.

By the time she reached "Tea Bus," the agreed meeting time had already passed.

She ordered a cup of milk tea, and even after the warm drink was placed on the table by the server, Yurikawa Hana still hadn't arrived.

Bored, she sipped the milk tea, fiddling with the strands of hair that drifted in front of her, and glanced toward the door again.

Why isn't Hana here yet?

As she thought this, her Spiritual Sense, strengthened through several enhancements, sent her another warning—the presence of ghosts was drawing closer.

Gripping her milk tea, she looked toward the direction of the ghost.

"Don't worry, just trust me."

A young man whose very attire exuded a Normie vibe spoke into his phone to the person on the other end, presumably his female companion. From his frivolous tone, it was hard not to see just how skilled he was at dealing with women.

Especially the Malevolent Ghost hovering around him.

"I'm not lying to you, really."

A female-shaped Malevolent Ghost slowly leaned closer to him, as if expressing affection.

"I... you..."

"I love..."

Witnessing this scene, Yotsuya Miko felt a sense of wonder at the vastness of the world and its endless oddities.

Even among Malevolent Ghosts, could there be such bizarre existences? No, perhaps bizarreness was the unique trait of these ghosts.

"I... aban-don you... die... this group..."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too."

"Love you..."

Even as the Normie slightly tilted his head, the ghost shifted its form along with him, as if completely clinging to him.

"I love you."

Like someone expressing affection, the female ghost extended its long, slender tongue, licking the air around the Normie's face. Miko could even clearly see the mucus on its tongue.

"Yeah, I love you."

The Normie spoke these cheesy words without hesitation into the phone, his expression utterly flat. Yet the ghost seemed to take those words as directed at itself, and its already perverse nature became even more blatantly twisted.

"I love you... I love you... I love you..."

It kept repeating that one phrase, over and over.

"Ugh..."

Even Yotsuya Miko, who had mentally prepared herself for the bizarre behavior of these ghosts, was disgusted by this "love even in death" act, though her appetite remained completely unaffected.

Under the influence of the Nine Nether Profound Soul Treasure Record, her consciousness and body still conveyed the message that ghosts were food. For now, she could suppress this urge well, as long as these ghosts didn't get too close to her.

Having finished watching this farce, she was about to shift her focus back to her communication with Hana, but the Normie seemed to have noticed her gaze and misinterpreted it. He flashed her what he thought was a cool, faint smile.

...Ah, crap.

Sure enough, the ghost quickly twisted its neck 180 degrees, revealing its front.

A long, slender tongue, fish-like dull eyes, and lip structures that somehow felt symbolic of some organ. These ghosts never bothered with much detail in their facial features—they probably grew however they wanted.

The Fish-faced Ghost glanced at the Normie, wearing an expression of disbelief, as if jealous—no, probably more severe than jealousy. The angry look of someone catching their partner cheating?

Yotsuya Miko stared blankly at the Fish-faced Ghost, completely ignoring the Normie's face.

She could only pray now that this thing would just vent all its anger on that Normie and not come anywhere near her. Please, no—she didn't want to experience that Soul Devouring Sensation a second time.

Clearly, this was probably a luxury she couldn't afford.

Even as Miko silently averted her gaze, the ghost seemed unwilling to let it go.

"What are you doing?"

She caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye, and immediately regretted this careless move.

She could have just used her Spiritual Sense to perceive it, so why did she have to instinctively look with her eyes?

That sidelong glance didn't catch the ghost, but instead met the Normie's gaze, deepening his misunderstanding even further.

Trouble...

Yotsuya Miko flipped open her phone, scanning for something—anything—to suppress the Soul Devouring Sensation about to rise within her.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?"

That sidelong glance became the straw that broke the camel's back, sending the Fish-faced Ghost storming toward Miko in fury. Within her Spiritual Sense, the creature's distance shrank with every step.

And with that perception came a hunger that clawed ever stronger. Her stomach churned, secreting gastric acid, a sharp cramping pain soon arriving. Even though she had eaten lunch, her body still deceived her, making her believe she was starving.

The body's instincts could still be held at bay—but the worst was the hunger in her consciousness.

That sensation, like withdrawal from some substance, came with pain, weakness, and dizziness, quickly overwhelming her still-lucid mind. Then, scene after scene of devouring ghosts flickered through her thoughts. At its worst, she could hear another version of herself, a voice pressing close to her ear, whispering persuasively:

"Eat it."

That self even wanted to seize control of her body and act.

She scrolled rapidly through her phone's browser, trying to find something to turn her stomach, while gulping down her milk tea. But the tea brought her not even a shred of fullness.

Soon, the ghost was right in front of her.

The second triggering of the Soul Devouring Sensation—it was still a little more bearable than the first. Yotsuya Miko kept searching, finally stopping on a frame from a fighting video.

Ah... pure aesthetic violence.

Yotsuya Miko stared at the screen, feeling as though her mind had taken a different kind of impact.

Two naked, burly men were locked in combat, exchanging all sorts of physical grappling. The camera captured every detail of their bodies with perfect clarity. Through the screen, Miko could clearly see the hair on the Bald Giant's yellow brows and beard, his developed, muscular physique.

"Don't you dare—"

The Fish-faced Ghost, having crept up without her noticing, froze for a moment at the sight of the phone screen, as if stunned by her "heavy taste."

"There it is—the Great Serpent Offensive!"

That man, named Cave Bear, used his powerful arms to ruthlessly lock his opponent's throat, squeezing until white foam bubbled from the man's mouth.

The camera zoomed in on the man's confident smile.