The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

"Should we go after them? You two just had a fight."

"There's no other way. Although this place isn't exactly remote, there are still animals roaming in the mountains."

Since she ran out crying, it's highly likely that Miura Yumiko wasn't paying attention to the direction she was heading; she was probably just thinking about getting as far away from Yukino Yukinoshita as possible.

If she accidentally ventures too far into the woods, she might get lost.

Moreover, it's pitch black now, and if something unexpected happens like a sprained ankle, putting Miura Yumiko in danger...

"In that case, I would be indirectly harming someone."

Thinking of the worst possible outcome, Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly.

However, just as she turned to leave, Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly reached out and blocked her way.

"As you just said, this area is quite dangerous at night. In that case, I'll take care of finding Miura."

"........"

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's words, Yukino Yukinoshita quietly gazed at his face.

After realizing he was truly serious, she instantly deflated and chose to compromise.

"Then I'll leave her in your care."

...............

Deep in the woods, Yumiko Miura, dressed in thin clothes and wearing sandals, was anxiously searching for an exit.

"It's absolutely terrible!"

Thinking about how she had argued with Yukino Yukinoshita and ended up leaving without even her phone, Yumiko Miura stomped her foot in frustration.

She was so focused on running away that she didn't pay attention to the path, and by the time she realized it, she was already in a forest she had no idea where she was.

"Is there nothing we can do but wait for rescue?"

A hint of confusion flashed in Yumiko Miura's eyes.

Given her current condition, staying put and waiting for the rescue team or campers to search for her is undoubtedly the best option.

But if that were the case, wouldn't Yukino Yukinoshita definitely treat me with contempt?

Moreover, if disputes continue to arise with her in the future, her experience of being rescued will put her at a natural disadvantage!

However, if one does not stay where one is and instead goes out to find a way out, the possibility of continuing to get lost in such an extremely dark environment is quite high.

At that point, not only might she not be able to leave the mountain, but even the rescue team might miss her.

"Does this mean we have no choice but to bow down to that guy?"

The image of Yukino Yukinoshita flashed through her mind, and Yumiko Miura clenched her fists, her heart filled with resentment.

But in the end, she still helplessly let go.

The current environment clearly does not allow for recklessness.

Staying put and waiting for rescue would not only ensure her rescue in the shortest possible time, but also prevent those who care about her from worrying too much.

"Spend the night in the mountains full of bugs?"

A cold wind blew again through the mountains and forests.

Feeling cold, Miura Yumiko chose a large tree as a sheltered spot and squatted down to slowly recover the energy she had wasted while running around.

However, Miura Yumiko had only calmed down for a short while when she sensed something was wrong.

The sound of insects chirping.

All around her were the chirping of unknown insects, one after another, which only made Miura Yumiko feel extremely annoyed by the terrible situation.

Moreover, the insects seemed to sense a hint of fear emanating from the humans before them.

Slowly, the various insects that had initially retreated due to the intruder crawled out from their hiding places and curiously approached Miura Yumiko.

"what!"

Suddenly, a hairy insect crawled directly onto Miura Yumiko's bare instep.

Caught off guard, Yumiko Miura screamed in surprise.

"Snapped!"

Shortly after the screams were heard, a sound of a dry branch snapping underfoot echoed through the woods.

The chirping of countless insects that had been surrounding Miura Yumiko immediately fell silent.

Yumiko Miura covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Then she quietly peeked out from behind the tree and looked toward the place where the sound had come from.

However, it was pitch black all around, and she couldn't see her surroundings at all.

"Miura..."

Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly appeared behind her like a ghost.

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's voice, Yumiko Miura turned around with surprise and delight. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hachiman Hikigaya immediately covered her mouth to stop her.

"Shh, don't speak. There's something like that around here."

That kind of thing?

A hint of confusion appeared in Yumiko Miura's eyes.

Suddenly, several images of Hachiman Hikigaya fighting with a sword flashed through her mind, and a look of understanding appeared in her eyes.

Nodding obediently, Miura Yumiko relaxed her previously tense body, indicating that she would not make a sound.

Seeing that Miura Yumiko understood his meaning, Hikigaya Hachiman also breathed a sigh of relief.

He peeked out from behind the tree, and the pitch-black scene in Miura Yumiko's eyes instantly became as clear as day.

At this moment, in the open space in front of the two, dozens of evil spirits of different levels were pacing back and forth as if searching for something.

"Were they attracted by Miura's aura?"

Looking at Miura Yumiko beside him, who didn't dare to breathe loudly, a hint of helplessness flashed in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes.

After saying goodbye to Yukino Yukinoshita, he thought he would soon be able to catch up with Yumiko Miura who had run away.

After all, although Miura Yumiko lost her ability to discern right from wrong for a moment because of arguing with Yukino Yukinoshita, she should have calmed down quickly given her personality.

As a result, she actually ventured deep into the mountains, and for some reason, attracted the evil spirits that were wandering there.

Fortunately, these evil spirits were not of a very high level and posed no threat to the two of them.

Despite this, Hachiman Hikigaya had no intention of dealing with the evil spirits in front of him.

Because the search for Miura Yumiko has taken much longer than expected, Hachiman Hikigaya is not yet able to guarantee whether the evil spirit that was in the creek that afternoon has appeared in the camp.

"Don't make a sound, come with me."

He called out softly to Miura Yumiko, but eager to get back, Hachiman Hikigaya didn't give her a chance to react and simply grabbed her hand and walked outside.

"!"

Her hand was firmly grasped, and Miura Yumiko's pupils instantly contracted.

She instinctively wanted to shake off Hachiman Hikigaya's hand, but hesitated when she thought of what Hachiman Hikigaya had just said.

"This is just to ensure a safe departure from here..."

Hypnotizing herself in her mind, Miura Yumiko relaxed the muscles in her arms and let Hikigaya Hachiman pull her along through the dark forest.

As the two moved forward, blurry shadows kept passing by.

In the silent atmosphere, Yumiko Miura, who already knew that ghosts and monsters truly existed in this world, felt the temperature around her body steadily decreasing, and at the same time, the shadows of the surrounding trees began to distort...

"It's okay, don't worry, I'm here."

As if sensing the fear in Miura Yumiko's heart, Hikigaya Hachiman, who was originally leading the way, suddenly spoke up.

"Eh?"

Yumiko Miura's expression froze, completely taken aback by the fact that Hachiman Hikigaya would say such a thing.

Please forget what you just said.

Recalling his earlier remarks, Hachiman Hikigaya now wished he could dig a hole and bury himself on the spot.

He had noticed that Miura Yumiko's hands were trembling, and he had assumed it was because she was too scared.

Judging from the other party's surprised reaction, he had clearly misunderstood.

I really want to die once............

Regretting his earlier act of being a nice guy, Hachiman Hikigaya quickened his pace.

Behind him, Yumiko Miura was staring at him with a complex expression...

More than ten minutes later, led by Hachiman Hikigaya, the two successfully returned to the camp.

"Thank you for saving me today."

Yumiko Miura stood in front of Hachiman Hikigaya, thanking him somewhat awkwardly.

"It's okay. If there's nothing else, go back and get some rest. Goodnight."

Sensing the traces of the evil spirit from afar, Hachiman Hikigaya quickly finished speaking and then turned and ran back into the forest.

"that....."

Watching Hachiman Hikigaya's retreating figure, Yumiko Miura opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't utter a sound.

He must have something very important to do, right? He ran so fast...

Thinking it over, Miura Yumiko tidied herself up briefly and then returned to her tent.

..............

Hachiman Hikigaya sped through the forest.

With the system's help, even from a great distance, he could pinpoint the location of the evil spirit that afternoon with remarkable clarity.

Just as he had expected, after marking Yui Yuigahama in the afternoon, the guy did indeed come after sunset.

And it wasn't just one evil spirit, but a whole group of them!