Chiaki and Mika returned back to the Uehara residence in order to give Yukari and Seiji some privacy for their discussion.
âBreakfast was delicious. Thank you.â
âItâs good that you liked it. Actually, Shika-chan cooked it.â
After Yukari finished breakfast and Seiji finished washing the dishes, the two of them sat down by the kotatsu.
âAfter you began your battle, my spirit forcibly took me out of that forest and I had to wait until I woke up,â Seiji told her. âSo, I didnât see anything of your battle⊠how did it go?â
âI was beaten quite badly.â Yukari smiled wryly. âI find it quite fortunate that you werenât there to see it.â
âAh⊠so you must have failed your trial.â Seiji looked towards her. âBut, itâs fine as long as youâre safe⊠While you were sleeping, I took you to a hospital that has Spiritual Ability user doctors for a checkup. The doctors there said that you were basically fine, just a little fatigued.â
âNo⊠I passed the trial.â
âEh?â
âAlthough I didnât defeat the spider, it admitted my worthiness, just barely.â Yukari sighed. âThis trial isnât one that required me to win. Instead, it was just testing me⊠no, I should say it was forcing me.â
âForcing?â
âYes, forcing me to face it directly⊠If I only kept trying to escape it or was paralyzed with fear, not doing anything at all, that would have been the worst result. However, I displayed some courage and managed to resolutely face it head-on, which earned its recognition⊠the lowest level of recognition.â
âOhâŠâ Seiji blinked upon hearing this. âThen, that means youâŠâ
Yukari smiled faintly as she lifted her right hand, then quickly opened up, then closed up her palm again.
Suddenly, a tea cup flew into her hand!
âThat wasâŠâ Seiji was astonished and immediately cast [Astral Vision] to see what was going on.
âSpiderweb threads?â He saw that there was a white thread connecting Yukariâs palm to the tea cup.
âThatâs right.â Yukari held the tea cup in her left hand while showing Seiji her right hand.
She cast more white spiritual spiderweb thread, which was invisible to the naked eye, on the tea cup.
Then, she faced her palm towards the ceiling, and shot out sticky threads that attached to the ceiling. Then, she tugged with her right hand, and let go of the tea cup with her left. This caused the tea cup to successfully hang in midair.
For those without the power of [Astral Vision], all theyâd be able to see was the mystical scene of a tea cup floating in midair.
âThis⊠how did you cast this?â Seiji asked.
âJust with my instinct⊠it feels just like using my hands or feet.â Yukari paused for a moment. âAfter I woke up, I noticed that I had this additional new ability.â
An ability⊠not a spell of some sort.
Something flashed in Seijiâs eyes.
Every single Spiritual Ability at his disposal, apart from the [Beginner-level punching techniques] and [Beginner-level sword techniques], which were classified as [Martial arts techniques], were all [Spells].
That was to say, all of his Spiritual Power relied on magic spells as the foundation.
However, that wasnât the same for Yukari. She didnât need any methods at all and only needed to rely on her instincts to use her âabilityâ just like she could use her hands and feet!
Or, perhaps there could be another term for it: âMystical Ability.â
That red spider was termed a âmystical connection,â while passing its trial would help the host obtain a Spiritual Ability. Calling it a âMystical Abilityâ seemed quite appropriate.
Mystical connections were fated connections between a human and a demon or spirit⊠what if it wasnât limited to only demons and spirits? Seiji suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
He thought of his [Character reward cards].
[Hoshi Amami] and [Shika Kagura] cards. Both of these two cards had given him many abilities. If they were âmystical connectionsâ, then wouldnât it also make sense to call those abilities on the cards as âMystical Abilitiesâ?
No, this wasnât limited to only his [Character reward cards]! If he took it one step further, the [Gifts], [Items], and⊠possibly even the entire dating sim system, could it all be a mega-powerful âMystical Abilityâ!?
Seiji faintly felt as if he was approaching the truth.
As for whether or not he was on the mark, he had no idea. For now, it was just a guess.
After thinking about this for a while, he finally returned to his senses. He saw that the purple-haired girl was patiently and quietly observing him.
âI apologize, I was lost in my thoughts just now.â
âItâs fine. I enjoy watching you like that.â Yukari smiled.
Seiji suddenly received yet another direct attack!
âEr⊠um⊠you have a Spiritual Ability now, so from now on, you can be considered a Spiritual Ability user.â Seiji paused for a moment. âAlthough I feel like I should say something as your senpai in being a Spiritual Ability user, Iâm actually just a newbie myself as well. By the way, do you have any plans for yourself? Such as wanting to do something with this ability of yours⊠or anything like that.â
Yukari blinked at this.
âIt told me that there would be danger.â
âEh?â
âThe spider that gave me this ability told me that the intention behind this power is to protect myself against impending danger⊠something like this.â
âThat sounds rather hazy.â
âIt was indeed rather hazy in its description. You saw the way it communicated with me as well. I could only piece together my best understanding of its intentions, which may not even be a correct interpretation.â Yukari sighed. âI can only describe it like this⊠it feels like someone who doesnât know how to speak is trying to transmit their intentions to me via hand signals and facial expressions while I can only guess at what they mean.â
âI seeâŠâ Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation. âIt talked about impending danger⊠was it referring to the night of one hundred demons?â
Last night, the night of one hundred demons occurred once again.
Many new messages and topics about âdemonsâ appeared once again on the most popular Channel 22 message forum. This topic became more popular and more people paid attention to it than yesterday.
âIf danger refers to the night of one hundred demons becoming more and more severe, that would be quite bad.â
âYeahâŠâ
The two of them fell silent.
âUse that ability well to protect yourself, then. Of course, if thereâs something you canât deal with, you can still come to find me.â Seiji smiled. âAlthough, I canât guarantee that I can help. Perhaps Iâll even get in the way.â
Yukari smiled. âYou definitely didnât get in the way. If you hadnât come at that time, I definitely would haveâŠâ A gentle expression arose on her face as she looked towards Seiji. âThank you so much, Mister Hero.â
âNo need to be polite, my Princess.â Seiji awkwardly scratched his face, feeling embarrassed from being looked at like this.
âThe hero that saved the princess should receive a thank-you present. Is there anything that you would like?â
âAbout that⊠I only need the Princessâs smile.â
âOnly a smile?â Yukari acted all disappointed while a flirtatious look appeared in her eyes. âI can give you much more than that~â
Seiji received a direct hit from the main cannon! Sergeant Haruta, maintain your composure!!
âCough⊠actually, I didnât do that much at all.â Seiji couldnât help but recall the way she kissed him yesterday, which caused his face to redden. He then averted his gaze. âNo need to stand on formality with me.â
âI want to thank you properly!â Something flashed in Yukariâs eyes. âIf you donât have anything else that you want, then I shall give you what I want to give. Youâre forbidden from not accepting it.â
âErâŠâ Seiji averted his gaze yet again. He then thought of something to change the topic. âRight, I almost forgot to mention. Is it alright to tell Mika and the others about what happened to you?â
âHmm?â
âThatâs because they may meet with similar incidents, so I want to tell them at least something⊠if you donât want to reveal the details, would it be alright for me to tell them a rough explanation?â
Yukari was rendered speechless.
âIdiot Seigo, read the atmosphere!â
She began to mentally pout.
âIf you want to tell them, tell them. Do whatever you want.â
âEr⊠are you angry with me?â
âNo.â Yukari averted her gaze.
âIt seems like you really mind⊠how about I donât mention anything about spiders and only say that you met a large demon⊠will that be alright?â Seiji tried asking once again.
âI said, do whatever you like. I donât care even if they start calling me Spider Girl.â
âJudging from your tone, it doesnât sound like you donât careâŠâ
âHmph, at any rate, in your heart, those two are the most important to you. It doesnât matter what I feel.â
âThey are indeed quite important to me.â Seiji smiled wryly. âBut, youâre also very important to me. I canât possibly ignore your feelings, Yukari.â
âHmphâŠâ
The purple-haired girl still appeared somewhat angry on the surface. However, she was already feeling warm in her heart now.