Instead, Nishida Haji, after he followed up with another complint about Hikari's strong points to Amakawa Kanade, waited half a day but never received a reply from her.
Looking at the suddenly quiet chat box on the other side, he couldn't help but type over, [Hikari-kun really is excellent, truly amazing. By the way, Amakawa-san, after you all finished the movie, did you just disband and go ho separately?
[Or was there so other plan, like going to KTV together or maybe… going sowhere else to have fun?]
At that mont, lying on the bed, already having closed her chat with Nishida Haji and instead opening her chat with Hikari while racking her brains over how to start a conversation with him, Amakawa Kanade suddenly saw Nishida's ssage pop up at the top of her phone.
After reading it, Amakawa Kanade rolled her eyes again.
Although her personality was sowhat innocent, judging from their previous chats and combined with a woman's intuition, she guessed Nishida Haji was probably trying to ask whether, after she finished the movie with Hikari, they went together to a KTV or a hotel or sothing like that. He just didn't dare to write it directly.
"Click click click, Nishida-kun really has such 'high emotional intelligence'…"
Saying so with her mouth, Amakawa Kanade only shook her head, feeling an inexplicable irritation at being interrogated.
She tossed the phone aside, too lazy to reply to him anymore.
But after putting the phone down, she suddenly thought about what Nishida Haji had wanted to ask but hadn't been able to say out loud, about going to a hotel to open a room.
'If Hikari-kun really had invited to a hotel, would I have gone?'
'Emmmm…'
Originally convinced she would refuse, once she thought carefully, and Hikari's handso face surfaced in her mind, she suddenly got tangled up.
But soon she stopped hesitating, giving a bitter smile, "What nonsense am I even imagining, Hikari-kun wouldn't invite to a hotel at all."
"Here I am overthinking alone, how embarrassing!"
Amakawa Kanade's little feet wrapped in white socks kicked the end of the bed a few tis for no reason, and with her turning over again, the two big buns of hers spread across the pink bed sheets.
anwhile, on the other side, not receiving a reply, Nishida Haji's expression grew uglier. The hand holding his phone began to tremble, his complexion even turning pale.
He looked at the silent Kanade, seemingly busy, wanting to press further, but he didn't dare.
After all, there wasn't really any relationship between them.
So things he had no right to ask about.
He thought about asking Hikari, but also didn't dare.
Or maybe, ask Matsuoka Reiji?
Didn't feel quite right either.
Nishida Haji's face was full of hesitation and conflict.
On the table, the figurines that his cousin's child had ssed up were now neatly arranged again, but his heart was sinking deeper into turmoil and chaos.
In the end, as usual, caught between hesitation and indecision, he did nothing.
He didn't dare do… anything.
———
[On the Other Side]
After separating from Amakawa Kanade at the fork in the road, Hikari didn't know about all the girlish thoughts Kanade had afterward, or maybe he just didn't care.
Because right now, he was struggling with where to go. With no classes in the afternoon, should he head back to the Tsubakihara household?
After thinking about it, Hikari decided not to.
Going back now, he wouldn't catch lunch, and he might even get scolded by Miss Mira.
Better to head to Harmony Apartnts to find Yukino.
'Although Yukino-chan has never complained, these past few days I've been too busy dealing with Miss Mary's matter, and haven't gone much to Harmony Apartnts. I really should go once…'
Although as an urban legend Miss Mary already had her own charm, petite body type but very durable. But, compared to the snow woman, also a mythic creature, she was still lacking.
Yukino's icy yet voluptuous widow's body was truly sothing different every ti he tasted it.
Not seeing her for just a few days felt like years apart.
Also, the ti limit for the hypnotic ring he had lent to Yukino's oni friend, Kiriryuin Kaede, was already up.
It was about ti to retrieve the hypnotic ring from that oni clan's young lady, who had always treated him with hostility.
According to their prior agreent.
This ti, he could also obtain more intel about the yokai world.
And about the rumored Demi-human Academy.
Thinking of those legendary white-haired vampires, dragon girls, rmaids, elf princesses… Hikari couldn't help but feel both interested and curious.
With such thoughts, he quickened his steps toward Harmony Apartnts.
———
It was afternoon now.
Most people in Japan didn't take naps; those at school or work saved ti by bringing their own bento or grabbing sothing simple, so at this ti Harmony Apartnts wasn't very crowded.
Without the residents who usually greeted him with a smile when they saw him, the substitute apartnt manager, Hikari didn't mind.
Quickly reaching the third floor, he pulled out the key and smoothly opened the door of Yukino's rental room.
The mont he entered the entryway, Hikari keenly noticed that Yukino's usual outdoor shoes weren't placed by the mat.
Taking off his own shoes, Hikari stepped into the living room, but as expected, didn't see Yukino.
However, faint bright firelight ca from the kitchen, where a figure seed to be busy.
Dragging his sandals, Hikari walked over.
Standing at the kitchen doorway, he saw a graceful back. Dressed in a loose red-and-white shrine maiden outfit, revealing so side bust, with a slim waist and long legs, and atop her head a pair of flesh-colored horns.
None other than the oni clan's young lady, Yukino's only good friend, Kiriryuin Kaede.
Hikari looked closely and saw Kaede holding pliers in her hand, the tips gripping a ring, with flas rising from the stove below.
Kiriryuin Kaede was actually roasting the hypnotic ring.
From her absorbed expression, she seed to be observing what reaction the ring would have when exposed to fire.
Unfortunately for her, the eerie eyeball ring didn't react at all.
"Ahem!", Hikari suddenly coughed twice.
Hearing the sound, Kaede hurriedly turned her head.
Seeing it was Hikari, a trace of surprise flashed across her demonic red eyes.
She quickly put down the pliers, then clutched the still scorching-hot ring in her palm without care for the heat, turned around with her hands behind her back, forced a smile, and greeted, "I-it's you, Hikari-kun, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Kiriryuin-san. Where's Yukino-chan?", Hikari asked, looking at her flustered expression.
Kaede blinked, pulling her mind back from the experint, and answered, "Yukino-chan should've gone shopping, said today's supermarket sale was a big one, she had to grab things properly. By the way, you human, aren't you the apartnt manager? Why don't you give Yukino-chan more money? Are you mooching off her? Even making her go fight over sale items at the supermarket, how an, hmph!"
Hikari shook his head, "You don't understand. This is the charm of life. Yukino-chan likes this kind of human lifestyle. Don't worry about it."
Ignoring Kaede's snarling, Hikari thought about Yukino, who was shy and had gone out alone.
Although she'd gone out, he wasn't too worried.
After all, Yukino wasn't good at socializing, but as a snow woman, buying groceries shouldn't be a problem.
A trip to the supermarket ant little contact with people, basically no danger.
And she always wore a mask outside, while her outstanding figure was hidden by yokai power.
Plus she barely spoke to anyone, even using self-checkout when shopping. So there was nothing to worry about.
anwhile, Kaede, who disliked him, used the excuse of Yukino going to the supermarket sale to keep criticizing him, hands behind her back, chattering as she walked out of the kitchen.
Hikari ignored the scolding, instead saying sharply, "Stop hiding it. I clearly saw you roasting my ring on the fire just now. You really are untrustworthy."
Hearing that, Kaede froze mid-step.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she argued stiffly, "I-I was just researching! This ring is weird, I had to test it in different ways."
"And it's not broken! The ring didn't react at all to fire, see for yourself!"
As she spoke, Kaede quickly pulled out the hypnotic ring and shook it in front of him, showing it was intact.
Hikari only gave it a glance, then nodded, "Fine, as long as it's fine. I won't fuss with you. But the three days are up, it's ti to return the ring. Also, rember to tell the address and info about the Demi-human Academy."
Seeing his hand outstretched, Kaede didn't hand it over, instead hesitating, "I-I still want to study it more. I… I haven't finished yet."
Hikari didn't pull his hand back, "Didn't we agree? Only three days of study."
Kaede bit her teeth, "I'm about to get results! Can't you give more ti?"
"No," His tone was flat.
Seeing him stand firm, arms crossed, not grabbing the ring by force, Kaede understood his intent.
She stepped closer and offered, "Last ti I taught you about our oni clan's ghost power, I left out so key points. This ti I'll tell you everything. In exchange, give three more hours to study."
Hearing that, Hikari smiled and nodded, "Alright."
Last ti, when he lent her the ring, aside from getting much information about gods, ghosts, and legends, he also got intel on the oni clan.
Since Kiriryuin Kaede's family was basically nobility in the oni clan, she knew a lot. She had even taught him a combat thod for circulating oni energy unique to the Kiriryuin family.
Although Hikari's body had already beco very strong from stat boosts, and he had plenty of powerful skills and techniques like the Five Thunder thod, more skills were never a burden. He was still interested in learning the oni clan's combat style.
Maybe, if he slipped into the yokai world, he could even pose as an oni. So he practiced Kaede's thod many tis, but always felt sothing was missing. He had guessed back then that she hadn't told him the real knack of circulating ghost energy.
Sure enough, this ti, her wanting to extend her study of the ring confird it.
Seeing him look like he had expected her to offer this deal all along, Kaede clenched her fists, feeling tricked.
But since she had promised, she didn't argue further, only cursing the cunning human in her heart.
Then she honestly taught him the oni clan's true thod of circulating ghost power.
After Hikari nodded in satisfaction, Kaede gave a small huff, turned, and went back to her room to continue researching the ring.
anwhile, Hikari followed the technique she had just taught him, channeling a certain power inside his body.
This eerie force ca from his dual cultivation with Yukino, and also from what he had absorbed from Hanako-san and recently Miss Mary. A large amount of strange yokai power.
Though not the pure oni energy of the oni clan, it was still a kind of monster force, usable in the sa way.
Kaede probably taught him thinking he, as a human, couldn't really use it anyway. Like teaching a rmaid to dance. Without feet, how could she?
But Hikari had both the Pure Love Aura and the power to absorb abilities, so in fact he had plenty of monster energy inside, just didn't know how to use it before.
Now, following the Kiriryuin thod, he really felt a dark, ink-like black mist rise from his body.
That mist curled around him, resembling what Kaede had shown when she fought. But less pure.
Even so, he could clearly feel his strength increasing under the yokai power's blessing.
Stretching his black-enshrouded hand, he casually thrust his fingers at a nearby wooden chair's seat.
Pffft!
Almost no sound ca out, but his fingers sank through the hard wood as if cutting butter with a hot knife.
When he clenched his fist, the whole chair shattered into pieces on the floor.
Hikari nodded, very satisfied with the Kiriryuin ghost energy circulation thod.
He had hardly used his own strength just now, relying only on ghost energy to cause that destruction.
If he went all out with his own strength plus this ghost energy, he could definitely reach another level. Just for this alone, lending the ring had been worth it.
On top of the intel about the yokai world, he was quite satisfied.
'Just don't know if with only these extra three hours, that Kiriryuin Kaede can actually figure anything out from the hypnotic ring.'
Hikari glanced at the closed door of the room Kaede had entered.
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