Dropout Exorcist Part 1 Chapter 8

 Chapter 8: Dinner Together

Hino Akane was visibly, unmistakably in a bad mood.

The cause sat right across the table from her.

(What is this? I was finally going to get sushi alone with Shinya, just the two of us.)

Kyogoku Nagisa. Even if she didn't know Nagisa personally, Akane knew of the Kyogoku clan.

Among the Six Houses, they were the clan with the largest and most storied faction of them all. They had no shortage of outstanding practitioners, and as a prestigious family, their name recognition as exorcists and their ties to political and business circles ran deep.

"Sorry about this. Letting you treat us to a place like this."

"Not at all. You saved me from real danger. This is just my thanks for that, so please don't worry about it."

Shinya, sitting next to Akane, thanked Nagisa.

The two of them had run into each other again after only a day. But neither had imagined meeting again right there in the middle of the city, so both of them had been thoroughly startled.

Especially since Nagisa had tried tracing Shinya's spirit power the day before, only to fail and sink into a slump over it, so she'd never dreamed she'd get to see him again this easily or this soon.

(What an incredible coincidence. I can't believe he's here, of all places. But the person next to him...)

Nagisa had recognized right away who was sitting beside Shinya. At the sight of the two of them looking somehow close, or even intimate, she felt a faint, sharp twinge in her chest. But she never once let any of it show on the surface.

When Shinya mentioned they were about to go get dinner, Nagisa had insisted on treating them, and so here they were now, at a non-conveyor-belt sushi restaurant.

"You come to places like this a lot?"

"No, this is my first time too. But you can look places up online these days, and it seems there are spots even a student can walk into casually as long as they've got the money. And, well, there is the Kyogoku name too, I suppose. I don't much like using it, but I'll make an exception this once."

"Feels like I'm living the celebrity life."

This was Shinya's first time at a sushi restaurant that looked this expensive and he found himself thinking that a place like this would definitely serve delicious sushi.

But there was one person here who couldn't quite accept the situation.

(What is this, what is this!? Talking so cheerfully with some other woman while I'm right here! I was supposed to be the one treating Shinya today!)

With her jealousy in full bloom, Akane shot Shinya a faint glare.

"So, what actually happened yesterday, anyway?"

Sipping her hot tea and giving him a narrow-eyed look, Akane demanded an explanation. Nagisa glanced at Shinya, asking with her eyes whether it was alright to say.

"Ah, yesterday, yeah. I'll skip the details, but I did something similar to today. Asked her to keep it a secret, of course."

"Today too? That's... well, thank you for your hard work."

A little surprised, Nagisa offered Shinya a word of appreciation.

"I handled that matter exactly as you asked. But that's a separate thing entirely. It doesn't change the fact that you saved me. I wanted to thank you for that properly, which is why I arranged this dinner. And of course, I don't intend for this to be the end of it, so please don't worry about that."

"You're pretty conscientious about this."

"It's only natural. And on top of that, you handed me the credit too."

"Hey. If you say that..."

"Oh, really. A Kyogoku, of all people, taking credit that Shinya handed over."

Cutting Shinya off, Akane said it to Nagisa with a grin, laced with something faintly spiteful.

"Yes. That much is true. But it was entirely his own wish, and I've kept my report on him fully under wraps. And judging by your conversation just now, it seems you were saved by him too."

"...Yeah. That's right. I got saved too, and had all the credit handed straight to me on top of it, so I've got no room to talk about you."

A little sulkily, Akane took another sip of her tea.

"In that case, we're the same. So I'll ask you the same thing, then: please keep this to yourself, Hino Akane-san."

"What? You know who I am?"

"Of course. I keep the faces and names of everyone in the Six Houses straight. Being Kyogoku, I can't afford to be rude toward people from the other clans. I've had the chance to see your face a number of times at Six Houses gatherings and the like. That said, I myself haven't had much opportunity to actually speak with people from other clans at those gatherings, so it's no wonder you don't know me."

"See, this is the normal way to handle it. I mean, you don't need to know everyone, but at least remember the people your own age."

"Ngh..."

Unlike Akane, Nagisa apparently remembered every single face and name of everyone who attended these gatherings.

Akane, too, remembered people she was close with or spoke with often, but she hadn't managed to match every single face to a name, from the adults down to every child of the other clans. Which was exactly why she'd handled Ryuki the way she had.

"Well, guess I can't talk either. I didn't know who you were either."

"It can't be helped. Even within the Kyogoku, I'm in a somewhat unusual position. I'm permitted to go by the Kyogoku name, but I don't often step into the public eye, and at gatherings and the like I'm usually behind the scenes."

So it wasn't unreasonable, she said, for Shinya not to have known her.

"As for me, what surprised me was you, a Hino, going around together with him, Hoshimori or not."

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you're looking down on Shinya?"

"No. I'm not looking down on him at all. He's my benefactor too. But objectively speaking, his standing among the Six Houses isn't a high one. Even so, I just found it strange that you, of the Hino main house, would be with him."

In a voice tinged with something like anger, Nagisa answered Akane's question.

"Heh. I just happen to know Shinya's incredibly capable, that's all. Believe it or not, we work exorcism jobs together plenty, too."

"Mostly against my will, though."

"Shinya! Don't say things you don't need to!"

Her triumphant smile barely faded before she found herself snapping back at Shinya's one remark.

"Anyway, whether I'm hanging around with him or working together as exorcists, you've got no business saying anything to me about it."

"That's exactly right. Which means I don't think you have any business complaining to me either, at least. Given the size of the debt I owe him, showing my gratitude and sincerity is only natural."

Watching the two of them with sparks practically flying between them for some reason, Shinya let out a sigh.

"Cut it out, would you. Not here."

"...Yes. My apologies."

"...My bad."

Told off by Shinya, the two of them reluctantly offered their apologies.

"Then, including this apology, allow me to treat you too, Hino-san."

"I'm fine, really."

"You're broke, aren't you. Are you planning to get by on just tea and a cucumber roll?"

"I-I can afford a little, at least. This place is reasonably priced, isn't it?"

"You should probably expect the price here to run at least several times what an ordinary conveyor-belt place would charge, though."

"That's not reasonable at all!"

Tears welled in her eyes. Having to just watch delicious sushi in front of her was painful enough. And for Akane, hungry as she was, it was probably closer to outright torture.

"You sure it's really fine for both of us to mooch off you like this?"

"Yes. Please order without holding back. Believe it or not, I earn a decent amount as an exorcist myself. Covering the two of you won't put much of a dent in my pocket at all."

"There you go, Akane."

"...Fine. I'll take you up on it."

She had all kinds of thoughts about it, but Akane figured stubbornly refusing any longer would just come across as rude and decided to accept the kindness.

"But I can't accept it being this one-sided, either. Next time, I'm the one treating."

"Understood. Then I'll look forward to it."

Never accepting charity that only flowed one way was a point of pride for Akane. Whether Nagisa understood that or not, she said nothing more about it.

"Still, of all places, running into each other there."

"I feel the same way. Yesterday, it completely slipped my mind to ask for your contact information, and I'd been agonizing over how I'd even go about finding you."

"Come to think of it, right. Well, I wasn't really planning on giving it to you anyway."

"...Why not?"

"Well, if trouble came of it, that'd be a pain. Like I said yesterday, if word got out that an exorcist who can call herself Kyogoku was keeping in touch with a Hoshimori failure like me, you'd be the one left without a leg to stand on, right?"

"But you work exorcism jobs together with Hino-san."

"Mine's different. I've got my father's permission for it."

"Come to think of it, yeah, you mentioned that. Your old man let it go pretty easy. I haven't told my old man a thing about any of this."

"Well, yeah. My father's got his own thoughts about all kinds of things, it seems."

She answered vaguely while remembering the conversation from back then.

"You mean to say you'll partner with the Hoshimori's second son, and won't be needing an escort or partner going forward?"

"Yes. He's called the Hoshimori failure, but as far as support goes, he's more than passable. He'll never be a liability."

"Hm. But won't that put a bigger burden on you?"

"That's fine. It counts as training too, doesn't it, Father?"

"I see. The people we've always assigned you have certainly been skilled, come to think of it. Very well, do as you like. But you'll report thoroughly, without fail. And you'll bear more responsibility than you have so far. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"I understand."

"Then it's settled. A person grows more when they have someone to protect. In that sense, this should be good experience for you too."

He'd said he'd like to meet Shinya if possible, but since a careless meeting risked stirring up needless suspicion or causing trouble for the Hino main house, the Hoshimori, or the other five clans, she'd talked him into holding off.

(In practice, he gave his permission regarding Shinya, but it wasn't really "approval" so much as, him using this for my own growth. He didn't seem to have much in the way of good feelings toward Shinya either.)

As both an exorcist and a father, he probably had all kinds of thoughts about Shinya, who was known as a failure.

But now, he'd probably earn a different evaluation entirely.

Once he witnessed that power firsthand, neither her father nor anyone in the Hino clan would have a single complaint. An exorcist overwhelmingly stronger than herself would, without question, earn his approval.

Even if he'd once been called the Hoshimori failure, even without the Hoshimori's secret technique, that strength alone was more than enough.

(The way Shinya is now, Father would definitely approve of him.)

Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she brought the sushi that had just arrived to her mouth. It really was delicious. The quality of both the fish and the rice was on a level nothing like conveyor-belt sushi, and beyond that, the way the two came together was something else entirely. Annoying, but delicious.

"Delicious. Yeah, so good it's bringing tears to my eyes."

Shinya, too, was moved by his first sushi in four years. He'd rarely had the chance to eat non-conveyor-belt sushi in the first place, so he was genuinely grateful to Nagisa for treating him to a place like this.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. And about what we discussed earlier, exchanging contact information with her but not with me seems a bit unfair, don't you think? Not as a member of the Kyogoku, but as myself, I'd like to build a friendly relationship with you."

"Saying all that, but aren't you really just planning to use Shinya in the end?"

Bringing a piece of fatty sea bream to her mouth, Akane shot her a skeptical look.

"...Isn't that the same for you, though? No, if anything, aren't you the one using him?"

"Excuse me?"

That was a remark even Akane couldn't just let slide. Sure, objectively speaking, maybe it did look that way. Even so, it wasn't something she could stay quiet about.

"Don't screw around. I don't have any intention like that, not one bit."

"Then why are you doing things that look exactly like using him? He said it himself. That he was dragged along, more or less against his will."

"That's..."

"Perhaps you should look at yourself before pointing fingers at others. Isn't it you, exactly, who's taking advantage of his kindness and using him?"

"Keep talking and see what happens!"

Akane's spirit power surged. In her fury, killing intent began leaking out of her. An ordinary practitioner would probably have fled the scene in sheer terror. But Nagisa, without so much as a flicker of expression, let the killing intent slide right off her.

If anything, she, too, kept her face perfectly straight as she moved to return killing intent right back at Akane.

"Enough."

With a single short word, Shinya moved to settle the scene. But both of them felt as though something invisible had come crashing down from above, pressing them flat with a heavy thud.

When the two of them looked toward Shinya, his eyes had gone flat and hard.

"I put up a barrier already, but you're still bothering the restaurant and the other customers."

Bringing a piece of fatty tuna to his mouth, Shinya let the oppressive pressure dissolve away. The two of them felt as though they'd been doused in cold water, and whatever air had hung over them until then vanished completely.

(W-what was that? I already had some idea from earlier today, but with just the pressure alone, being this strong...)

(Terrifying. But then why on earth was he ever called a failure? If he can put out this much pressure alone, he'd have to rank among the top tier of exorcists anywhere, without question.)

Both Akane and Nagisa broke out in a cold sweat. Even though it was entirely their own doing, they looked exactly like children being scolded for some prank. Both of them appealed with their eyes to stop things there.

(I've still got plenty to say, but I can't afford to make Shinya any angrier than this.)

(Understood. I'll stop arguing with you any further, too.)

Whether some kind of understanding had passed between them or not, the two of them nodded to each other.

(Sheesh. What are they even competing over so hard... Let a guy eat his sushi in peace for once.)

He understood from the flow of the conversation that he himself was the cause of the whole spat, but he had no idea why the two of them were getting this worked up over him.

"Anyway, I'm not exactly being used by Akane. I said it was against my will, sure, but I don't actually hate it. The jobs she brings me are decent training for me too, in their own way."

That much was genuine. Before he'd been summoned to that other world, those jobs had, without question, helped him rack up experience. So even while he grumbled about it, he'd gone along with Akane honestly enough.

"Well, coming this far and saying no to exchanging contact info would be rude, wouldn't it? And you're treating us and all. Guess we'll trade numbers and messaging app info."

"...Is that alright?"

"Yeah, long as you promise not to misuse it."

"I would never do such a thing. You have my word."

Letting out a small wry smile at Nagisa's earnest expression, Shinya went ahead with the exchange. Akane, meanwhile, watched the whole thing with an expression that made it clear she found none of it fun at all.

"Thank you. Then I'll be in touch again another day. I'd like to come thank you properly, once more."

"Nah, this treat here is plenty already, you know."

"No. You saved my life, and even handed me the credit for it besides. Something this small can't possibly be enough to settle it. Even if I can't as a Kyogoku, I intend to do everything I possibly can as myself."

"You really don't have to worry about it, though."

Conscientious as ever, Shinya thought as he listened to Nagisa. Stuffing his mouth with sea bream this time, he decided he'd just let her do as she pleased until she was satisfied.

"...Hey, do you live around here? That uniform, you don't see it much around this area."

"No. I was in this area today on business. Someone from the Kyogoku main house happened to be nearby, so I'd arranged to meet them. Once that was over, I was walking toward the station when I happened to run into the two of you."

"Huh. So it really was just chance, then."

"Yes, pure chance. Which is exactly why I was so surprised."

Nagisa answered Akane's question honestly. However, she kept to herself on the part about trying and failing to track down Shinya's spirit power.

"Do the two of you live around here?"

"That's right. And Shinya's the guy next door to my place."

At the faint note of triumph in Akane's voice, Nagisa's well-shaped brow twitched upward just slightly.

"...I see."

"That's right."

Quiet, and yet fierce, their gazes crossed. Given what had just happened, neither of them took it any further than that.

But between the two of them, who ranked higher in this particular arena had already been decided.

"Understood. Then when I come to visit Hoshimori-kun's home, I'll be sure to let you know."

"No need for that. If it comes to it, I could just handle things for you, you know. Shinya's busy, after all."

"That won't be necessary. I'll be sure to check with him properly before I intrude."

(These two really don't get along, huh.)

He could more or less tell he was the reason for it, but Shinya racked his brain over how he was supposed to smooth things over.

And that was when...

"!?"

Out of nowhere, Shinya sensed a burst of powerful malevolent energy nearby. Nagisa noticed a moment later, and Akane after her.

"This is..."

"This is malevolent energy, isn't it? But this High Rank youma-class energy feels like it had just appeared out of nowhere."

"You've got to be kidding. Right in the middle of the city, and out of nowhere like this. And this city's spiritually stable too, so a youma suddenly crossing over from the other realm shouldn't even be possible."

A youma that suddenly appears is ordinarily one that's wandered in by chance through some disturbance in the boundary linking this world to the other realm. Beyond that, they can also appear through interference from either side, but that tends to happen where there's some spiritual distortion or where a land's dragon vein has grown unstable.

But this city was spiritually stable so there shouldn't be any spiritual distortion or disruption to the dragon veins anywhere around here.

"Trouble just keeps coming, one thing after another like this. Seriously, is this just bad luck, or am I actually cursed?"

There was nothing left to do but grumble. This was already the third youma-related incident inside of twenty-four hours. Even for someone who wasn't Shinya would want to complain at least once.

"Please, both of you wait here. I'll go deal with it."

"I can't just leave this to you alone. This is the city I live in. Exterminating a youma here is my job."

"Well, can't have the two of you going while I just sit here. Guess I'll tag along too."

Following the logic that what's happened twice tends to happen a third time, Shinya decided to go along too, just in case.

"...Understood. Let's go, then."

Nagisa, too, decided that rather than keep squabbling here, priority should go to getting to the scene quickly to confirm the situation and keep the damage to a minimum.

So the three of them settled the bill and headed straight for the scene.