ch21-ch40 · 034-ch30

Chapter 30 — Shinjuku Demon Frontline ⑦

The battle against the powerful demons — the Majin — that had appeared near Shinjuku Tower was over.

After confirming the final strong enemy, the tengu, had vanished, Sai approached Hiyori and the others.

"You two did great."

"Sensei... we did it!"

"I can use Hexa Shield now...!"

The two had mastered the Hexa Shield in that desperate moment.

Five-senses concentration and intuition. The essence of magic control.

And the mastery of the Hexa Shield.

Sai rejoiced at their significant growth.

"Heheh~, we did it, Mio-chan..."

"Hehe, we managed..."

They smiled at each other, and then — perhaps because the tension had released, or they'd used up their last reserves of stamina — both collapsed unconscious, supported by Sai.

Even if a high-grade recovery potion healed their bodies, it couldn't heal their minds.

"You really did well. Hiyori, Mio."

Sai supported his two disciples, celebrating their growth.

But he couldn't forget.

After a battle is over, there's still plenty of work to do.

From a distance, Yoshida, Sakuraba, and the surviving exorcists were approaching.

This was supposed to be the exorcists' fight, yet a non-exorcist adventurer had casually shown his face.

Sai would be asked for an explanation.

"Now, how should I explain this..."

In the end, thanks to Hiyori's attendant Yoshida, Sai was saved.

When Sakuraba questioned who he was, Yoshida covered for him — "He's the young ladies' teacher" — and Sai replied that he'd come to check on them after recently lending them equipment. The situation was resolved without incident.

In fact, the handing over of high-grade recovery potions had been witnessed by Yoshida and Sakuraba, and they were grateful for that.

In this battle, the exorcists who participated were all injured to varying degrees.

In a fierce fight that had produced many casualties, their stock of recovery potions had apparently run out, and Sai's provision was truly appreciated.

Hiyori and Mio were immediately carried to a hospital affiliated with the Ichijō family.

Though they were suffering from extreme fatigue, thanks to the high-grade recovery potions, they had no major injuries and recovered after a few days of solid rest.

As an aside, for the non-combat exorcists, this was where the real battlefield began.

First, they coordinated with the government to lift the evacuation advisory around Shinjuku Tower.

At the same time, post-battle cleanup was conducted for the exorcists who had fought on the front lines.

Any traces of demons were dealt with.

For buildings damaged in the fight, consultations were held with the government and insurance companies.

They also secretly checked whether anyone in the surrounding area had seen the exorcists fighting. Since an exclusion barrier had been set up during the battle, no one was found trying to film.

Similarly, nearby surveillance cameras were processed so that "for the relevant time period, all cameras were inexplicably out of order."

On top of that, the incident was publicly announced as: "Violators appeared at Shinjuku Tower, triggering sanctions by the Shinjuku Tower Guardians in the vicinity, and the Adventurer's Guild dealt with the matter."

Though the incident was covered on TV and the internet, neither the government nor the Adventurer's Guild released any further information, so it rapidly faded from public discourse.

Several days after the Shinjuku Majin Frontline.

Sai was called to the Ichijō residence.

This time, they weren't going to the dojo, but to the Ichijō family mansion.

Next to Sai were the MVPs of this operation — Hiyori and Mio.

"Ugh, I think I'm getting nervous."

"Why are you nervous, Hiyori?"

"Well, they said they'd introduce their parents... it's just, y'know?"

"Wha?! What are you saying?!"

"Stop saying stupid things and just lead the way."

Sai was exasperated at their banter and urged them to guide him.

The Ichijō residence was a huge, Japanese-style mansion.

Even as a veteran adventurer, Sai was a commoner, and he hesitated slightly to step over the threshold — but Hiyori and Mio, who were guiding him, walked without a care, and he found himself following along.

They were led to what might be called a drawing room.

It was a massive reception room of several dozen tatami mats.

In it were three men. One was Hiyori's attendant Yoshida, but the other two were people he was meeting for the first time.

"Please, have a seat."

The man in the center of the three prompted him to sit.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Hiyori's father, Ichijō Hayato."

"Likewise, her grandfather, Genji. Sorry for calling you out so suddenly."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Yamana Saito, an adventurer working at Shinjuku Tower. Most close acquaintances call me Sai. I've been teaching Hiyori-san and Mio-san the basics of being an adventurer."

With such greetings, the meeting began.

The purpose of this meeting was mutual introductions and a debriefing on the recent battle.

The meeting generally proceeded in a friendly atmosphere.

Sai was thanked for lending equipment and providing high-grade recovery potions.

"...I see. I heard the circumstances from Yoshida as well, but it seems Hiyori and Mio-kun were greatly assisted by you."

"I only did what was natural. My disciples were about to fight, so I supported them within my ability."

Ichijō Hayato presided amiably over the meeting. Grandfather Genji was also smiling.

"Hohoho. It seems Hiyori and Mio have found a very fine teacher."

"Heheh~, he's my pride and joy, Sensei is!"

Though the smile was the same as before, Genji's eyes weren't laughing.

"But, Sai-kun. You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"Th-that is...!"

Mio jumped up in a panic.

If there was something Sai was hiding, it was a massive bombshell.

The fact that he was from another world.

With these people present, it might be acceptable to reveal it.

But it wasn't Mio's decision to make. It was Sai's.

"I don't particularly care what you are, boy. But don't you think that secret of yours stinks in a place like this? I can smell it loud and clear."

The air in the reception room grew heavy with pressure.

Hiyori hastily called out, "Wait."

"Hey, Gramps! That kind of talk!"

"Ah, Hiyori-san. Calm down."

Sai, who was being pressed about hiding something, remained completely unfazed.

"But..."

Hiyori tried to keep talking, but Sai stopped her with a hand gesture and looked at Hayato and Genji.

"I hadn't intended to hide it, but timing-wise, it seems now would be a good time to hand this over."

Saying that, Sai took out a single mask from his bag.

It was the mask that had covered Kinya's face — the one Sai had faced.

Everyone present was stunned.

"Actually, while Hiyori-san, Mio-san, and the other exorcists were fighting, I encountered another demon in a different location... a Majin. I obtained this during our battle."

Right after being hit by the anti-demon annihilation magic, Kinya had removed his mask — perhaps to remove his own restraints.

After that, Kinya himself had exploded and been annihilated, soul and all.

But perhaps because he'd removed it just before, only the mask remained in the present world.

"What a vile stench..."

Genji was shocked by the smell.

Sai explained that while watching over Hiyori and Mio from a distance, he'd been spotted by Kinya (who had been watching from hiding) and engaged in battle. Kinya, already wounded, had self-destructed and was annihilated, but only this mask remained.

He hid the part about anti-demon annihilation magic, but he didn't conceal what had happened to him.

Everyone present reacted in their own way to Sai's story.

"So that happened..."

"As expected of Sensei."

"So this is the source of that sickening stench..."

It seemed Genji judged vile things by their smell.

Come to think of it, they'd said things from Kakuriyo felt different, so perhaps that was the case.

According to Genji, "the man sitting with my granddaughters had a nasty smell, so I was curious."

Still, "sickening stench" seemed a bit harsh for a middle-aged man.

That's what Sai was thinking.

After that, the atmosphere returned to a friendly one and the debriefing concluded.

Kinya's mask was to be sealed at the Ichijō residence.

As for Sai, he'd done what he needed to do and given his report, so he was satisfied.

"Hmm. I've heard most of what I needed to hear. The rest is for the Exorcist Alliance to handle. With that, this meeting is adjourned — but there's one thing I need to confirm with you, Sai-kun."

"Confirm?"

A different kind of manly energy from Genji's earlier demeanor filled the air.

Without realizing it, Sai swallowed nervously.

"...You haven't been seducing my daughter, have you?"

Hiyori, who had been leisurely drinking tea beside him, spat it out.

Yoshida, who had been maintaining a straight face throughout, faceplanted.

Mio stared blankly at Hayato's sudden bombshell.

"Huh?"

Caught off guard by the sudden accusation, Sai let out a strange noise.

"Honestly, ever since you became their teacher, Hiyori-chan and Mio-kun have been talking about you nonstop."

As he spoke, he produced a katana from somewhere he'd been hiding it.

"This is unfair! Depending on your answer, I'll have no choice but to cut you down. Your answer—"

WHAAAM!

Hiyori, using Body Enhancement, smacked her father Hayato's head. Mio, also using Body Enhancement, forcefully took the katana from Hayato.

"Hey! What are you doing! I'll do anything for my daughter! ANYTHIIIING!"

Yoshida hurriedly locked Hayato in a full nelson from behind and dragged him toward the reception room door.

"Hayato, don't do anything stupid! Hey, Chitose-san! Hayato's having one of his usual episodes!"

A woman named Chitose, who had apparently been waiting off somewhere, grabbed the scruff of Hayato's neck and said "Hohoho, please enjoy the rest of your time together~" as she led him away.

Sai later heard that Chitose was Hiyori's mother.

Though the very end had fallen flat, the meeting concluded.

Everyday life returned to normal.

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Thank you for reading.