Evil Spirit Consultant

Chapter 267 The Repeatedly Rising Black Mist

Thanks to Shoji Uga's emergency treatment, Rin Koizumi's injuries, though quite serious, healed completely in less than three days and was able to return to school normally.

Afternoon math classes always have a slightly hypnotic feel to them, with sunlight streaming through the window and casting dappled shadows on the textbooks.

The teacher's calm tone on the podium was like a monotonous background sound, making one want to fall asleep.

"So, how do you solve this problem... Tanaka Yumi, please answer it."

The moment his name was called, the thin figure sitting in the middle of the classroom trembled almost imperceptibly.

The girl wearing thick glasses slowly stood up, her hands gripping the hem of her school uniform tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Her movements were somewhat sluggish, like rusty parts; a stranger seeing her reaction would probably think she was a poor student who was daydreaming in class.

But when Tanaka Yumi answered, although her voice was soft, her thoughts were exceptionally clear and fluent: "...First, based on the known conditions, we can set a variable x...then apply the formula...and finally get the result..."

The answer was completely correct, even more concise than the teacher had expected, so much so that even the notoriously strict math teacher couldn't help but smile approvingly.

However, the moment she finished answering, the relaxed expression on Koizumi Rin's face, who was sitting diagonally behind her by the window, froze instantly.

Her gaze was fixed firmly on Yumi Tanaka, as if drawn by a magnet.

In Koizumi Rin's view, wisps of extremely faint, thin black aura, like wisps of smoke, were swirling around Tanaka Yumi's frail body.

There it is again!

Koizumi Rin's heart sank.

This is definitely not an illusion!

She clearly remembered that just a few days ago, she had "passed by" and taught those guys who were always causing trouble for Tanaka Yumi a lesson.

Afterwards, she made a special observation and found that the ominous black mist on Yumi's body had clearly disappeared for several days.

But now... not only has it returned, but upon closer inspection, the black mist seems to be even darker than last time?!

How could this be?
Koizumi Rin frowned, completely baffled.

"Good answer, sit down."

Upon hearing the teacher's slightly praising tone, Tanaka Yumi immediately sat down as quickly as a startled rabbit, lowered her head deeply, and buried herself in the shadow of her books, as if trying to minimize her presence.

Her cheeks were so pale they were almost transparent, and a fine layer of cold sweat even seeped from her forehead.

Why am I still so nervous and scared when I answered so perfectly?
"Those bastards have been behaving much better lately..." Koizumi Rin muttered to herself in frustration.

This wasn't the first time she'd seen this eerie black mist emanating from Tanaka Yumi's body.

At first, she thought she was seeing things, but later she discovered that the black mist would appear whenever Yumi was feeling down, being bullied, or under great pressure.

Koizumi Rin tried various methods.

She tried to casually help Yumi out of a predicament and scare away the bullies surrounding her. She also tried to strike up a conversation with Yumi, wanting to be her friend and share her troubles.

Each time she intervened, the black mist around Yumi would indeed dissipate briefly, or even disappear completely.

But like mold that can't be eradicated, it won't be long before it silently grows back and spreads, becoming more and more stubborn each time.

What exactly is going on? !
Why is it that all my efforts seem to be in vain?!
A deep sense of powerlessness and frustration washed over Koizumi Rin like a tide. She looked at the thin figure curled up in a ball, and at the black mist that rose again like a venomous snake, and the uneasy premonition in her heart grew stronger and stronger.

The teacher on the podium continued lecturing, the sunlight outside the window remained bright, and the cicadas chirped intermittently.

But Koizumi Rin's heart felt as if it were shrouded in this recurring gloom, heavy and suffocating.

She had a strong intuition that this time, Tanaka Yumi's troubles were probably more serious than ever before.

……

……

Jingle Bell……

The school bell, like a clarion call for liberation, instantly revitalized the dull classroom. Students poured out of the classroom in twos and threes, like birds released from their cages, and the corridor was immediately filled with noisy laughter and the sounds of chasing and playing.

Koizumi Rin quickly packed up her textbooks, but her eyes never left Tanaka Yumi's figure.

Tanaka Yumi was once again the last to leave her seat, head down, carefully avoiding the crowd, drifting like a ghost toward the lockers.

Seeing the black mist gradually thickening around the other person, Koizumi Rin took a deep breath, knowing that this couldn't go on any longer.

Suppressing her hesitation and the frustration from her previous setbacks, Koizumi Rin left the classroom and quickly followed, catching up with Tanaka Yumi in the locker area: "Tanaka-san."

Koizumi Rin tried her best to make her voice sound soft, but even so, Tanaka Yumi's body stiffened abruptly when she heard the shout.

She slowly turned around and saw that it was Koizumi Rin. Her eyes seemed to relax a lot, but she still subconsciously took a small step back.

"Tanaka-kun, are you... are you alright?"

As she got closer, Koizumi Rin noticed Tanaka Yumi's pale face and faint dark circles under her eyes, and couldn't help but ask with concern, "You didn't look too well during class, are you feeling unwell?"

Yumi's lips twitched slightly, and her hands instinctively tightened around her schoolbag, her knuckles turning white. Her gaze darted away, avoiding Koizumi Rin's eyes, her voice barely a whisper: "N-no... I'm fine... thank you..."

The distance and fear in her tone were like a cold wall, shutting out Koizumi Rin's kindness.

Just as Koizumi Rin was about to say something more, a flippant and malicious voice suddenly came from the side:
"Hey! Isn't this our famous Koizumi-san? What's this? Going to do good deeds again, preparing to save all living beings?"

Koizumi Rin frowned, turned her head, and sure enough, saw several figures she didn't want to see.

The leader was tall and thin, with striking blond hair. He had his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, and wore a cynical, mocking smile. Behind him were two equally sleazy-looking henchmen.

Although the Noko Elementary and Middle School and its high school are packed with students who want to get into the University of Tokyo, with so many people, there are bound to be a few bad apples.

These people in front of me completely disregard their parents' wishes, squandering their time recklessly under the guise of "enjoying their youth."

The blond-haired man's gaze swept between Koizumi Rin and Tanaka Yumi, who was visibly more nervous and whose body was even beginning to tremble slightly. The mockery on his face deepened.

"Oh my, look at our poor Tanaka-kun, he's been targeted by our energetic beauty again? I'm telling you, Koizumi, are you really that bored out of your mind? Last time you were the one who meddlesome us and made us go on a wasted trip, what are you up to this time?"

His words were loaded with meaning, clearly referring to the incident last week when Koizumi Suzu "passed by" and scared them away.

His two henchmen also burst into laughter, their eyes filled with disdain and malice as they looked at Yumi.

A surge of anger welled up in Koizumi Rin's heart! She stepped forward, blocking Yumi's path, and glared coldly at Kenji: "What I do is none of your business! But you guys, are you trying to bully someone again?"

"Bullying?" The blond-haired guy shrugged dramatically. "We just wanted to say hello to her, to show some concern for our classmate, right, Tanaka?"

His tone was full of mockery, but a cold malice lurked deep in his eyes.

When Tanaka Yumi was called out by name, she trembled all over and lowered her head even further, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.

Koizumi Rin knew that reasoning with these scoundrels was pointless.

Although taking action here could very likely get you scolded by the teacher, or even have your parents called in...

But seeing Tanaka Yumi's state, Koizumi Rin clenched her fist, ready to take action on the spot.

As a group of idle hooligans who never study and just wander around, they still have some basic sense of observation. Just by looking at Koizumi Rin's expression, they knew what she was up to.

Having experienced the opponent's exaggerated fighting power, the blond-haired man and his two henchmen were fully prepared to run away without hesitation should Koizumi Rin make a move.

As for the loss of face today, we can get it back from Tanaka Yumi in a while!

As Huang Mao was thinking this, he suddenly noticed that Koizumi Rin's expression had changed.

"teacher!"

"teacher?!"

Huang Mao had a bad feeling, and then he realized that it seemed to have darkened behind him.

(End of this chapter)