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Tengu was a rather famous demon.
Legends had it that this type of demon had internal rank differences amongst its ranks. The highest level would be called Great Tengu, next was Tengu, and the lowest was Crow Tengu and other similar Lesser Tengus.
And, amongst the highest-level Great Tengus, there was one particular heavenly emperor who held a grudge and transformed into an Emperor Tengu, and became one of the three strongest and evilest demons, ranked as an equal with Shutendoji and Tamamo-no-Mae!
In his previous world, Seiji had never been able to draw a Great Tengu SSR card in his cell phone game…
What people typically thought of Tengus was that they had red faces, large noses, were tall in appearance, wore monk attire and wooden clogs, held fans and hammers in their hands, and would be winged. In summary, they were a type of male bird humanoid.
However, according to the description from the victim, the Tengu that he met had a white face and a vicious appearance. The Tengu had a large nose and was wearing black-colored Sakura Island clothing. He was holding a red folding fan and had no wings on its back.
“Compared to a demon, I think he looked more like a singer you’d find at a New Year’s Eve party,” Hisashi said. “But there’s no singer I know that’s capable of causing someone severe injuries with a single swipe of his fan.”
Seiji was rendered speechless.
Indeed, there were some New Year’s Eve party singers that had even more ridiculous or demonic-appearing outfits than actual demons.
“How did he meet this Tengu?”
“He suddenly met the Tengu on the street and was scared by the Tengu’s face, so he reflexively cussed at him, and then…” Well, he was beaten up.
“…I see.”
“Do you know what’s going on? Seigo.”
Seiji knew that Hisashi wasn’t asking about the Tengu demon, but rather about the entire incident of demons appearing.
“Everything was caused by the Midnight Spell!”
“…Which anime did you copy that line from?”
“I admit that I intentionally used a line that seemed like it came from an anime, but that’s the short one-sentence summary version of what happened.”
Seiji gave an appropriate explanation to Hisashi.
“The ‘Midnight Spell…’ That’s quite a suitable name that you came up with.” Hisashi agreed with Seiji’s naming sense after listening to the explanation. “Such a powerful spell… do you think it will also appear in other cities?”
“It’s possible if the caster’s goal is to make ordinary people know about the existence of the mystical.”
“What benefits would that give to them to reveal the mystical side of society?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps the caster is just like the antagonist in some manga or anime, someone acting for the sake of their beliefs.”
“Our goal is to make everyone see the truth!” Hisashi made up a line that sounded like an anime character’s.
“It’s worth sacrificing some people for the sake of our cause!” Seiji followed up with this line.
“There will be a beautiful new world after a short and temporary pain!” the two of them said together.
They had copied those lines from a mid-level antagonist in the Honey Candy Girl anime. That was a classical character, although it had a rather comical death.
“If the person who cast the Midnight Spell has such a way of thinking, then that’s not laughable at all.”
“Yeah.”
A moment of silence fell between them.
“Seigo, if something happens to Kaede, are you willing to protect her?” Hisashi suddenly asked this question.
Seiji instantly pictured the blonde teacher in his mind.
“Of course I’m willing to.”
“That’s great… then start living together with her, right from today!”
“What?”
“Actually, my younger sister met Tengu as well.” Hisashi sent a serious-looking emoticon. “Although she defeated it with our family heirloom, it’ll definitely return. She needs a Spiritual Ability user as a bodyguard!”
“Hey, hey… aren’t you just making all of this up?” Seiji didn’t believe these obvious made-up lies.
“Its real, except that there weren’t wings behind this Tengu. Instead, there was a horde of tentacles!”
“What the hell!? Stop ruining the classic images of demons!”
“Its large nose was capable of spouting out white, murky, disgusting-smelling liquid!”
“That sounds so depraved! Don’t add such a setting!”
“Any women that this Tengu catches will be *** and then **** and then *****!”
“Stop censoring your own comments! I’m mysteriously curious about what the ***** is supposed to represent!!”
“Our family heirloom ‘anti-tentacle spray’ was all used up, so the next time it comes, there will be no way to fight back!”
“Your family heirloom is incredibly strange!!”
“In conclusion, live together with her, Seigo.”
“Don’t forcefully come to such a conclusion!!” Seiji energetically retorted.
Hisashi sent a slightly smiling emoticon.
“I think that this will be the best because Kaede truly likes you. As long as you accept, she’s even willing to be a mistress.”
“What are you saying!”
“Hear me out, Seiji Haruta. You’re a man that’s worthy of her love. I think that it’ll be the best for her if she’s together with you, both objectively and subjectively speaking. You’re willing to protect her but not willing to accept her, or perhaps I should term it as not being willing to accept what she wants to give you. That’s not good for her, since it’ll make her feel uncomfortable… do you understand?”
Seiji was rendered speechless.
“Living up until now, I’ve never experienced love in 3D even once, so I actually don’t have the right to talk about love, but I’m still her older brother,” Hisashi stated seriously. “I hope that my younger sister can live well and happily, and you’re capable of giving that to her.”
“Hey, hey…”
“Are you feeling like I’m leaving you with my last will and testament? Heh, I am indeed showing you my will. I’m representing my father and leaving my younger sister to you.” Hisashi sent an emoticon that was pretending to be cool with sunglasses. “We’re in the mafia, and in our world, you have to be sensitive to death. Otherwise, you might not even have a chance to say your last words. And right now, I’m detecting the scent of death. To be more direct, my instinct tells me that this night of one hundred demons won’t end with just a single night, and it’ll be continuing. As members of the mafia, we’re very likely to be attacked by demons. After all, it’s our karma. Maybe I’m a coward, but I feel that it’s better to say something while we’re still able to. Otherwise, if these bad premonitions come true, we won’t even be able to cry anymore.”
Seiji didn’t know what to say.
“Seiji, please protect Kaede. Also, if possible, accept her. The best would be if you could have one or two children together…”
“Don’t talk like you’re actually going to die!”
“Just treat it as something likely to happen.”
“You’re just having some bad premonitions, don’t make it sound so severe.”
“…Fine, as long as you understand what I mean.” Hisashi sighed.
Then, he told Seiji that he had something to do, and logged off.
After logging out of the chat group, Hisashi put down his cell phone and lifted his head.
Across a glass window from him was a hospital room where a middle-aged man with whitening hair was lying on a bed. He was wearing a breathing respirator, and receiving an IV drip. There was also a heart rate monitor; he was obviously in quite a weak state.
What Hisashi hadn’t mentioned to Seiji was that the person who had been seriously injured and still in a life-threatening condition was actually his father—the Juumonji mafia group’s leader, Michirou Juumonji!
For a mafia to have been beaten up to such an extent by a randomly appearing demon… what a joke.
If he died just like this, then that would be a terribly unfunny joke.
The Midnight Spell… Night of one hundred demons… even the mafia that ordinary people feared could only take it lying down, powerless.
Only Spiritual Ability users would be able to resist.
“Kaede, when it’s morning, immediately go to the Uehara apartments and stay by Seigo’s side as much as possible,” Hisashi told his sister who was beside him. “Only by his side is where it’s safest.”
“…What about you guys?” Kaede asked in a light voice.
“Don’t mind us. Let us survive on our own,” another red-haired man stated casually. This was Zankita Juumonji, Hisashi and Kaede’s older brother.
“Go, be with that young male friend of yours and live well and properly as his woman. No need for you to mind mafia affairs anymore.”