Collapse, the Ordinary Daily Life of the Valkyries

"How rare! Torisui-sensei actually wavered."

"But the teacher is always as handsome as ever. Should I say he's cute right now?"

"Hmm, hmm, so the teacher can also have this kind of expression that makes him want to take advantage of others."

The girls were giggling and whispering to each other, which made me feel uncomfortable. I started to get anxious.

Student No. 37 leaned over to look at the attendance book in my hand as I stood next to the empty seat.

"Look, number 36 is me after all," the boy said, pointing directly below Misao's name. He looked at me with concern, not teasing.

He couldn't see Misao's name.

I concentrated, searching for Misao's presence. Perhaps I was careless. If I'd been more careful—there was nothing... anywhere.

Shishao is not here.

There was no trace of her anywhere near here, within the range where she could move within an hour by her own two feet and by ordinary public transportation.

...Well, I got tricked!

The restless and overly quiet monsters I felt yesterday... As expected, someone from the monster world appeared here, carefully avoiding my eyes and ears.

A great youkai that would make the other youkai hold their breath and hide in fear—that would undoubtedly be my enemy. Currently, all youkai clans are hostile to each other. When they encounter an opponent unwilling to compete, at most they will sign a truce, but relations are not friendly.

The struggle for power has lasted for thousands of years, and now is the time to fight for Shishaxu - the immortal fruit.

I suppressed the urge to smack my jaw, and as soon as I got back to the podium, I glared at the students, straining my eyes a little.

Then he quietly left the classroom.

From behind—inside the classroom came the voices of students.

"Why is the bird water so slow?"

"I heard the teacher in the office say he seems to have a cold and a fever?"

"Really? Great, study on your own!"

"Hey! If I had known, I wouldn't have come to the first class in such cold weather."

This is a hint.

Someone hinted to the students that Shisao didn't exist, so I also hinted, in order to leave the school and look for Shisao.

I went to the Mathematics Staff Room and the Academic Affairs Office and gave hints to several teachers.

"My first-grade math teacher, Masaki Torisui, called and said he seems to have a cold and a fever and wants to see a doctor, so he's taking the day off."

All the humans I glared at would believe the fictitious "fact," and it would turn out that I was not present at today's faculty and staff meeting and the first class of Class 1-E.

The only ones who can do this are non-human aliens, aliens who take advantage of humans to survive as needed.

We call that a "demon".

Otherwise, it would be impossible for me, a 20-year-old who had never received education in a human school, to become a high school teacher.

I came to the back of the school building, made sure no one was around to see me, and then spread my wings.

To blend into human society, I usually hide these black wings within me. When I flap them, I catch the wind, and a refreshing feeling fills my body. These wings are proof of my status as a youkai—a tengu—and my glory.

As I soared high into the sky, my uneasiness intensified as I looked down at the crowded streets of Tokyo below. It felt like a burning sensation in my stomach.

Misao is always a prey to monsters... I should be doing my best to protect her. It's no use not only living next door to her, but also working as a high school teacher so I can protect her during the day.

"Damn it! Why didn't I notice?!"

Misao...you should be calling me desperately now.

Where is it? Who tricked me?

I clenched my left hand, which was wearing the ring, into a fist, gritted my teeth, and flapped my wings with all my might to soar.

I silenced the flapping of my wings and landed in the residential area where my home was. Then, folding my wings so no one could see me, I pressed the doorbell to the Harada residence.

Fortunately, the voice of Misao's mother, "Who is this?", came from the intercom.

"I'm Kuang, sorry to bother you."

"Oh, you're from next door... Please wait a moment. I'll go open the door now."

To Misao's mother, I was "Childhood Playmate Kozo" who lived next door to the Harada family.

When Misao was in kindergarten, I was her best playmate and older brother. Ten years ago, due to family reasons, I left home and moved out. Four months ago, I returned for work and reunited with Misao. Our childhood sweetheart love blossomed into her daughter's boyfriend. This is how Misao's mother understands me.

The entrance door opened and Misao's mother poked her head out. As soon as she confirmed it was me, she untied the door chain and opened it for me.

"Xiao Kuang, what's wrong?"

"Is Misao home?"

I know she's not here, but I wonder if her mother knows about this. Her father should be at work.

"Shi...? Sorry, who are you referring to?"

"Misao, she's your daughter."

I saw that Shisha's mother had an expression of indescribable sadness on her face.

"...We're just the two of us at home, you know? I really want to have children."

really……!

Misao's mother was also given a hint.

"Wu Yiqi, I apologize for the impoliteness."

I pushed her aside and went inside. If she was abducted at home, there might be clues about the culprit... no, the demon.

"Wait a minute, Xiao Kuang!"

I ignored Misao's mother and went upstairs to open the door to Misao's room. It was unlocked.

The bed, desk, and wardrobe—as far as I could see, there wasn't a single mess. I didn't see any uniforms or school bags. I didn't even see any student shoes in the entrance.

So, he was kidnapped on the way to school?

"What's wrong with you? That's a storage room. It only has Haosheng's books and his collection of research tools."

Misao's father was a folklore researcher. Minko refers to traditional tools used in the past, as well as festive decorations like the New Year's Gate Pine tree. It seems his father studied why people believe in monsters and the otherworldly worlds they inhabit.

Could it be that this is why a special child like Misao was born?

For monsters, they all want to grab it desperately, this special thing that only comes once every hundred years -

"...Doesn't this look like a Shimenawa or Ebisu statue brought back from a village temple?"

That was a very strong hint that the demon must be a very powerful sorcerer, which gave me the chills.

"There's a fox statue over there, and this is the fur coat that mountain hunters wear to protect themselves from the cold. Sorry, it's dusty everywhere."

That's the dog's rag doll, and this is the coat I bought yesterday, isn't it!

"Since you're interested, please come back when Haosheng is home. He'll be delighted. If we had a son, Haosheng would surely take him on a research trip."

...In Harada Yoshio's eyes, I was the man who stole his daughter. I had no room for explanation and became a thorn in his side...

In short, the situation was not good. I felt a sharp pain in my chest from anxiety and anger, and my pulse in my temples accelerated.

I hinted to Misao's mother to forget I had been there, and then I rushed out of the Harada residence and headed straight for my own house next door.

My house is a temporary residence while I'm in human society. The reason it's next to Misao's house is because my grandfather arranged it so that I can protect her and be close to her.

That's right, Misao is special to us monsters, she is the most precious human.

All the monsters want Misao's body, so I have to keep an eye on her. My teeth are clattering.

In my house, I have seven officials serving me.

The entrance was locked, and I took the key from my suit pocket.

"Is no one here? Taro? Sagami?"

Even if I called out as I entered the entrance, the house was always quiet.

It's so rare that everyone's out. Seriously, I just had to face this kind of emergency. Never mind, I can handle it on my own. Besides, we're in a hurry now, so calling with a thought wave is too much trouble.

I pulled out information about monsters from the library deep inside my home. These were scrolls and books that had accumulated over hundreds of years, with vivid ink marks on the blackened Japanese paper.

I knelt on the tatami in the living room, pulled out a bundle of scrolls, and searched for the items I needed.

"Found it, this is it."

I've been feeling uneasy since last night. If they're acting behind my back, it could only be this youkai. This scroll records our past battles with this creature.

I unfolded the scroll on the table and read the contents carefully again.

"They possess not only martial prowess but also sorcery. Their prowess in invisibility—the art of wiping out their form and aura—and illusion—the art of bewitching and manipulating people's minds—is unmatched by any other youkai, past or present." Is that so? It seems that apart from this fellow, no other youkai can hide from my eyes."

That monster's name is——

"...A ghost. Half-demon, half-monster, calling themselves the Yamase clan."

They are closer to gods than pure monsters, so their demonic powers are very strong. When they were young, Tengu heard their parents tell stories about how powerful demons were in the past.

However, the demon clan should have stopped interacting with humans a long time ago and chose a path of quiet destruction. This is not only what I and the Tengu clan think, but almost all monsters should think so.

Over the past fifty or sixty years, that clan's numbers have dwindled dramatically due to a declining birthrate and an aging population. The remaining ghosts have secluded themselves in their settlements, the Ghost Village, and no longer venture into human society.

And my grandfather also said that there hasn’t been a single ghost seen in the past thirty years.

"Those guys were probably very powerful in the past, but they're said to be on the verge of extinction now. They're probably trying to get Misao as a last-ditch effort."

Needless to say, I had to fight those demons. I wonder how scared Misao would be if I didn't save her.

No matter how strong those guys are, I have now received the energy of Misao through kisses and hugs, and my strength far exceeds that of ordinary monsters.

Moreover, the overall demonic power of their clan has weakened to the point of being on the verge of extinction.

There is no way I can't beat them. No, I have to beat them.

Once I decided to fight the demons and rescue Misao, my anger became stronger than my anxiety. If you dare, just let Misao get hurt even a little bit, I won't let those guys go!

Misao, wait. No, I don't want you to wait. Even a second earlier is better. I want to rush over as soon as possible.

I went to my room to change my clothes.

Black kosode with black hakama, a black mask, a sword at the waist, and black wings spread. This is the battle attire of a Tengu. Once the suppressed power of daily life is released and fills the body, the vision changes color.

The fiery red eyes——the eyes opened.

Tengu's normal vision is already far superior to that of humans. Once transformed into a Hikari-gan, no creature in the world can match it in both visual field and dynamic vision. Not only can it make swift movements, imperceptible to the human eye, appear still, but it can also detect distant locations that require high-powered telescopes to see. Its already exceptional hearing is further enhanced.

This is Tengu.

The Ghost Village is located in a different world isolated from human society.

In contrast, the hometown of Tengu is only located in the deep mountains, and is only accessible to human villages. Although the ghost village in the other world is extremely far away, as long as you follow a certain road, you can be close to where humans live. That road is buried in the

Miscellaneous: Random Thoughts

Two minutes left?

He pondered this in his mind, as if to remind himself. He didn't know how many times he had checked his watch, but as the second hand moved forward, his nerves gradually tensed up.

Are there any suspicious people around? Are there any strange movements around?

In order not to miss any subtle changes, Kanaka Shinya was concentrating on observing the current situation, not even the clamor from the intersection crowded with people and cars could reach his ears. Failure was absolutely not allowed - because this mission depended on human lives.

First they took a step at the same time, then they stopped at the same time.

Whether it was a high school girl skipping school to go out and play, or a middle-aged office worker dragging his tired body home from get off work, they all waited for the traffic light to turn green. The bustling scene at the intersection in front of Shibuya Station was no different from usual.

Before the statue of the loyal dog stood a petite woman, carrying a black briefcase. No one approached her yet. Unaware of the peculiar situation at the intersection today, the pedestrians hadn't noticed. Amidst the throng, fifty detectives had mingled, their gazes fixed on the woman before the statue—Ozawa Hitomi.

At the exit of Shibuya Station's Faithful Dog Statue, a train car called the Blue Frog is displayed in a static state. Kano was hiding behind this car, observing Hitomi's condition. As he focused his attention on the second hand, a homeless man sitting on the street whispered to him:

"Hey, stop staring at your watch! What if the criminal notices you?"

After hearing the other party's accusation, Garner finally came to his senses. He immediately turned his eyes away from his watch and tried to pretend that nothing had happened.

"Sasayama, aren't you even weirder? You're a homeless person, yet you're talking to me."

As if to return the favor, Garner then complained to the homeless man.

Yuji Sasayama is a patrol officer in the Shibuya Police Station's Criminal Division, and a senior officer five years older than Kana. Whenever he goes on a mission, he appears in an elaborate disguise. While he insists that this is all for investigation, rumors circulate within the station that he might be a disguise addict.