Multiverse: The Forced Exorcist

Yukino had thought it was just a coincidence. But after seeing the dinner table setup, she realized there were more people coming.

Even so, she never expected him.

"..."

Her expression stiffened. It wasn't about grades—what bothered her was the spiritual awareness she'd recently gained. The ability to see evil spirits had shaken her.

She wasn't the type to ask for help from others. And she could feel that the cost involved in dealing with this wasn't something she could afford.

"Hm? Why does it seem like Yukino-chan and Shirakawa-kun..."

Catching the subtle shift in her sister's expression, Haruno asked teasingly, "You two seem to know each other?"

"Yeah."

"There weren't enough club rooms at school, so Yukinoshita-san's club and the one I used to be in ended up sharing a room."

Shirakawa replied casually.

It was true—there was nothing deeper between them. At most, she had just been present when Miura Yumiko's power awakened. He returned to his seat, ready to just get dinner over with.

The food was expensive, sure, but the key part was that he wasn't paying. That made it taste even better.

Throughout the meal, Haruno kept glancing at him, clearly trying to steer the conversation his way. But he didn't even bother to respond.

Eating meant eating.

Haruno narrowed her eyes. She caught Yukino's subtle evasiveness in her words. Her curiosity toward Shirakawa only grew.

With Hiratsuka's sudden decision to move, and Yukino's clearly guarded behavior, everything pointed back to Shirakawa.

As the dinner party wound down, Haruno paid the bill herself. Then, in a light tone that clearly carried other implications, she said:

"It's a shame you and Yukino-chan still have school tomorrow, Shirakawa-kun. We'll end it here for tonight. But oh—one more thing."

"I hope you can look after Yukino a little at school."

"Of course!"

Shirakawa replied decisively. Whether or not he was actually planning to attend school was beside the point—saying something nice didn't cost a thing.

Helping deal with the evil spirits…

It all depended on what choice Yukino would make.

Haruno hadn't expected Shirakawa to be so cooperative. Now she even had a valid excuse to go find him again. After waving goodbye, she turned to see Shizuka's rather odd expression.

"What's wrong, Shizuka?"

"Ah… I forgot to mention, Shirakawa's academic performance is excellent. He's already finished studying all of the high school curriculum. Just recently…"

"He asked me for a long-term leave of absence."

Haruno's expression twitched at that revelation, and she couldn't help but glance at Yukino, who was struggling to hold back a laugh.

Suddenly, she didn't know what to say anymore.

Eventually, she looked back at Shizuka with a smile and suggested, "Let's go have a drink at the bar. I'll take you home afterward."

Looking at the Line message from Shizuka, Shirakawa gave it a brief glance. The content could be summarized in one phrase: "Nicely done!"

Still…

He didn't really dwell on it. As far as interactions with Haruno went, what he needed to focus on now was Esdeath's challenge in the dimensional group chat.

He needed to enter subspace for the battle.

That sort of encounter counted as a peak condition battle, dependent on time and place—it wasn't representative of his usual power level. Considering Esdeath's near nation-destroying strength…

"I really need to visit the Akame ga Kill world..."

Shirakawa quickly made up his mind and began constructing a link to the chaotic realm, allowing subspace storms to descend upon Akame ga Kill. It was a good way to get a better grasp of things.

As a god-class profession, leveling up his strength…

Wasn't just about increasing his chosen followers or cult followers. The main factor was still the expansion of his subspace.

As for how to actually expand it—

He hadn't figured it out yet.

After leaving the high-end hotel, Shirakawa was just about to hail a cab when he ran into a familiar figure—Kawasaki Saki.

She was still in her bar waitress uniform.

Holding her schoolbag in one hand and looking down at an old flip phone, she turned her head warily when the hotel's automatic doors opened—only to see that it was Shirakawa.

As always, Kawasaki Saki's face remained cold and emotionless. Still, she gave a brief thanks, her tone distant: "Thanks for what happened earlier."

"Even if you're working part-time, you don't need to hide from your teachers, right?"

Her sudden gratitude was probably due to what had happened earlier. Shirakawa didn't think much of it. As for why she was working…

He already knew the story.

She wanted to go to college but lacked the money, so she was doing night shifts to ease her family's burden. The plot had always developed that way. He'd just gotten lucky to run into her during dinner.

"..."

"Other teachers might not care, but Hiratsuka-sensei definitely would ask a lot of questions."

Kawasaki didn't explain in too much detail. After all, she couldn't exactly say she was emotionally absent most of the time. Getting caught working could lead to bigger problems.

During their short conversation, she glanced at her phone: "I told my manager I was taking a break. Now I'm going back."

"Bye."

"See you."

Shirakawa had the most goodwill toward Kawasaki Saki. She had ambition, took action, and most importantly—she was mature and understanding.

He watched her walk off, seemingly toward the train station.

It wasn't like he had any pervy ideas about following her. He casually flagged down a cab and went back to his rented apartment.

As for how to expand the subspace...

He could run a simple test in the Apocalypse world. After greeting the four urban legends who protected the apartment complex...

He arrived home.

Without even having time to wash up, Shirakawa prepared to head to the Apocalypse world to put his ideas to the test. But just as he was about to depart—

The brief sound of the doorbell echoed through the living room...

And into his bedroom.

Feeling puzzled, he got up and opened the door—only to be met with a familiar sight.

It was Izumi Mio, wearing her loungewear.

It was obvious she had just taken a bath. Her damp hair still dripped with water, and her fair face had a faint pink flush. Realizing how inappropriate a nighttime visit was...

The proud Izumi Mio gave a gentle smile and explained, "I-I've been working on illustrations for an isekai light novel recently..."

"There are some things I don't quite understand, so I came to ask for your help!"