Not good... Really not good...
Miko Yotsuya curled up alone under her blanket, trying her hardest not to cry.
Today was supposed to be just an ordinary weekend. Due to Hana Yurikawa being busy with her studies, their weekend plans had been canceled. Miko had actually felt relieved—finally, a day to slack off at home and enjoy life without being bothered by spirits.
She woke up from a nap and discovered that the power was out.
When she went to the community center to ask about it, she was told that it was a city-wide blackout affecting all of Chiba.
At that point, Miko still hadn't realized how serious the situation was. After all, it was just a blackout—surely with modern technology, the repair crews would have it fixed by tonight, right?
Then came the calls from her mom and little brother, saying they wouldn't be coming home tonight...
Miko could understand her mom not returning due to work. But what was up with her brother not coming back either!?
He was only an elementary schooler! Saying something like "I'm staying over at a classmate's house tonight" just sounded so sketchy!
Though she screamed inside for a while, Miko ultimately had to accept the reality: she was alone at home again.
Wait—again? Why did she say "again"? Ugh... why did she suddenly feel like crying again?
"Crying too often isn't a good habit, you know. It might give the boy you like the impression that you're too delicate."
Suddenly, her father's voice echoed in her ears.
Miko's body froze mid-motion as she lay on the sofa clutching her head.
Then, expressionless, she stood up, put on her shoes at the entryway, and headed to the convenience store to buy some instant food for dinner.
But when she finally returned home with a bag full of food in the setting sun— A "surprise" was waiting for her.
A spirit, covered entirely in countless eyes, was hanging silently from the ceiling at the entrance.
When Miko looked up at it, all of its eyes instantly locked onto her.
In that moment, she felt completely exposed, as though every inch of her body had been seen through. She began trembling violently.
Just as she was about to lose control and break down, her father's spirit appeared beside her in time, telling her to focus and absolutely not cry.
Covering her mouth and pretending she was just scared of being home alone, Miko managed to bluff her way past the eye-covered spirit with her acting.
She was just about to open the door and go stay at Yuri's house when—
Another spirit appeared behind her—this one covered in heads from top to bottom.
Her hand slipped from the doorknob.
Desperately trying to stay calm, Miko changed her shoes, went back inside, quickly ate a little food, didn't even shower, and climbed straight into bed—fully clothed.
"Just fall asleep. That's all I need to do."
She kept reassuring herself.
Just make it through tonight. Tomorrow, she'd ask Hikigaya Hachiman to come perform another exorcism at her house.
There was nothing to be afraid of about those two spirits outside her room...
—Until, just as she was starting to doze off and almost successfully hypnotize herself—
The two spirits in the living room suddenly came in!
Not only that—but for some bizarre reason, they suddenly started fighting each other right in front of her!
Yes—the spirit covered in eyes and the one covered in heads started fighting!
Because they weren't physical beings, Miko's room didn't suffer any actual damage. But to her, the space was now littered with grotesque things like shattered eyeballs and other disgusting debris.
The moment the fight broke out, Miko immediately buried herself deeper into her blanket.
But the roars of the battling spirits continued to echo through the room.
She wanted to run, but couldn't. Hiding , it was only a matter of time before her mental defenses broke, and the surviving spirit would detect her and kill her.
She was utterly trapped.
"This really is bad…"
A middle-aged man with glasses silently appeared just outside the bedroom. He only stuck his head through the door and took one glance inside— Then quickly pulled back, shocked.
The spirits in his daughter's room were far more powerful than anything he had seen before.
And he was merely a benevolent spirit—able to linger in this world for a long time, yes, but completely incapable of fighting.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man had a flash of inspiration. He remembered Hachiman Hikigaya.
"Please hold on until I bring him back..."
Muttering under his breath, the man turned and rushed outside the house.
But just as he reached the boundary of the house, he suddenly slammed into something—like an invisible wall, and was violently repelled backward.
"Crap—I forgot I'm an earthbound spirit." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Nov3lFɪre.ɴet
Not caring about the big bump on his head, he adjusted his glasses and returned to the edge of the boundary.
This time, instead of charging at it, he placed a hand on the invisible wall and slowly pushed forward.
Finally, he broke through the boundary and made it outside.
"Now this is really bad…"
Looking down at his slowly fading body, the middle-aged man let out a bitter smile. Then, he flew as fast as he could toward Hachiman's house.
How did he know where Hachiman lived?
Well, the last time Hachiman came to his house, the man had been hiding in a corner and overheard it.
Speeding through the night, the man finally reached Hachiman's candlelit living room just before completely vanishing.
"Miko is in danger..."
He rushed up to Hachiman and explained everything about Miko's current predicament. Then he closed his eyes, ready to accept his impending dispersal.
Hachiman suddenly pulled out a talisman and pressed it against the fading spirit.
As Hachiman's spiritual energy flowed into the man's body, his fading form solidified once more.
"Onii-chan, what are you doing?"
Seeing Hachiman suddenly stand up mid-sentence and stick what looked like a talisman into midair while holding out his hand—
Komachi immediately stood up too.
She ducked behind the sofa and stealthily reached her right hand toward her left wrist, where the red ponytail band was wrapped.
Hachiman shook his head, assuring her the house was safe.
With that, Komachi gave up on transforming.
Then Hachiman turned to the now fully restored, albeit dazed, middle-aged man.