OREGAIRU : Hikigaya Hachiman's Exorcism Story

With a "gurgling" sound, the giant spider swallowed both Hikigaya Hachiman and Yotsuya Miko.

Afterward, the spider even patted its belly with its front legs, as if satisfied with its meal.

However, before it could burrow back underground, a faint blue-glowing knife tip suddenly pierced through its abdomen and began cutting upwards.

The spider let out a loud screech, repeatedly crashing into the surrounding buildings.

However, this did not stop the blade from advancing...

A few seconds later, with the last scream of the spider, it collapsed to the ground and turned into a cloud of black mist that dispersed.

"Ding! Congratulations on successfully slaying a mid-level evil spirit. The host has automatically leveled up to a mid-level exorcist."

With the system notification, Hikigaya Hachiman's personal panel popped up.

Name: Hikigaya Hachiman

Age: 17 

Occupation: Mid-level Exorcist

Spirit Power: 93/100

Ability: Spirit Flow Technique (Beginner) 

Weapon: Intermediate Demon Slayer Sword 

Spirit Coins: 275

"Is a mid-level evil spirit really worth 200 spirit coins?"

Looking at the sudden increase in spirit coins on the panel, Hikigaya Hachiman could only say that happiness came too suddenly. The spider evil spirit just now was incredibly dumb. It was so greedy that it swallowed him whole without even chewing.

It completely underestimated the Demon Slayer Sword in his hand.

After closing the panel, Hikigaya Hachiman looked down at Yotsuya Miko, who was still clinging to him like an octopus.

Since the spider evil spirit swallowed them, she hadn't let go of him, wrapping herself around him tightly.

"Hey, you can come down now..."

He gently patted Yotsuya Miko's shoulder and signaled that it was safe now.

Yotsuya Miko didn't respond, only tightening her grip around his neck.

Hikigaya Hachiman: ......

Seeing that Yotsuya Miko wasn't coming down, Hikigaya decided to use his last resort.

"If you stay like this, the evil spirit will come back."

Sure enough, as soon as Hikigaya Hachiman whispered this in Yotsuya Miko's ear, she immediately released her hold and jumped down from him.

It was clear that the high-level evil spirit had left her with a deep psychological scar.

"It's okay, I'll protect you..."

Hikigaya Hachiman gently reassured the frightened Yotsuya Miko.

He looked up at the red dot on the map, gritted his teeth, and asked the system, "System, how do I get out?"

Clearly, to take care of Yotsuya Miko, Hikigaya Hachiman had chosen to give up on clearing the remaining evil spirits.

"Eliminate all evil spirits in the dungeon or wait until the sun rises tomorrow..."

The system's emotionless voice echoed in his mind.

"Aren't there any other options?"

Upon hearing the two options, Hikigaya Hachiman furrowed his brows.

He had asked the system because he wanted to avoid the first one. As for the second option...

Not to mention how they would spend the night in a school overrun by evil spirits, how could he explain to his parents that he hadn't come home all night?

Should he tell them that he spent the whole night with a female classmate?

"There are no additional options for now."

The system's voice came again, and Hikigaya sharply realized something odd.

"Not for now," meaning there could be options later.

It seemed there were many ways to leave the dungeon, but with Hikigaya Hachiman's current strength, he could only defeat the monsters or wait until the morning.

"We'll have to take them all out..."

Looking up at Yotsuya Miko, Hikigaya Hachiman sighed and said, "We have to go."

"Go where?"

After thinking for a while, Yotsuya Miko had calmed down from her previous panic.

"We need to deal with all the evil spirits here, or we'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to leave."

"Can't we just wait until tomorrow morning?"

Yotsuya Miko's voice held a hint of pleading.

Although she had been chased by evil spirits before, the experience of being swallowed whole just now was something she had never gone through before.

Not to mention, Yotsuya Miko had also been taken away in front of Hikigaya Hachiman once.

"This space doesn't belong to our world. No one knows what will happen if we stay here."

Hikigaya patiently started explaining to Yotsuya Miko.

"Instead of passively waiting for dawn, I think the best option is to deal with the remaining six evil spirits and go straight out."

As the strongest force in this instance, the high-level evil spirit had been wary of Hikigaya Hachiman when he was still a Junior Exorcist. After noticing the mid-level demon-slaying sword in his hand, it had chosen to retreat immediately.

Therefore, Hikigaya Hachiman believed that, at this point, the high-level evil spirit was no longer a match for him as a mid-level exorcist.

"But what if something happens, like before?" 

Yotsuya Miko grabbed the sleeve of Hikigaya Hachiman's clothes, asking.

Before, she had listened to Hikigaya Hachiman and hid in a corner, only to be captured by the evil spirit. How could he guarantee her safety in the upcoming fight?

"I promise you!" 

Looking into Yotsuya Miko's eyes, Hikigaya Hachiman spoke seriously, "As long as I'm alive, you'll be safe!"

"Well, if that's the case, okay then..." 

Upon hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's words, Yotsuya Miko's face instantly turned bright red.

She nodded slightly and agreed to his plan.

"Then, I'll go ahead. If anything happens, you call my name out loud right away."

Seeing that Yotsuya Miko finally agreed to go with him to defeat the evil spirits, Hikigaya Hachiman let out a relieved sigh and made a pact.

Out of the remaining six evil spirits, one was high-level, two were mid-level, and three were low-level, clustered together on the playground.

The low-level evil spirits were no threat to Hikigaya Hachiman, but the spider-like evil spirit earlier had served as a reminder.

He wasn't sure what strange abilities the remaining three evil spirits might have, so to ensure Yotsuya Miko's safety, they needed to take proper precautions.

"Mm, I understand."

Despite the seriousness on Hikigaya Hachiman's face, Yotsuya Miko seemed somewhat distracted at the moment.

"Ugh..."

Suddenly, Yotsuya Miko let out a painful cry, holding her forehead.

"Stay focused, we're not safe yet..."

Pulling back his hand from where he had just flicked Yotsuya Miko's forehead, Hikigaya Hachiman checked his own status while speaking to her.

"I understand!"

Having survived for 17 years under the threat of evil spirits, Yotsuya Miko understood well that this wasn't the time to lose focus.

"Then, let's go."

Seeing that Yotsuya Miko had regained the calmness she had shown when they first met, Hikigaya Hachiman nodded. He pushed open the gym's large doors and led Yotsuya Miko toward the three low-level evil spirits on the playground.

Of course, they would go after the easiest targets first!

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