Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

The usual sounds of after-school chatter filled the air, and I let out a deep, deep breath.

It felt like I had been in that bizarre place for far too long. But, it had been a valuable learning experience in its own way.

I even managed to summon my first fairy.

I put Raikou Douji's artifact back into my pocket and glanced up at the clock mounted on the school building.

The time was 5:40 PM.

Judging by the sky and the activity around me, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"...We're really back," I muttered to myself.

That realization slowly started to sink in.

When I turned around, I saw Nina-chan and Sensei standing a short distance away. Nina-chan seemed relieved to be back in the real world but looked like she had something she wanted to say to me.

...Come to think of it, I hadn't explained Raikou Douji to her yet.

And as for Sensei, I hadn't told her anything about magic or the monsters either.

How was I supposed to explain all of this?

I was raised being told that things like monsters and magic weren't meant to be discussed openly with ordinary people. But after everything that happened, there was no way I could just brush it off by saying, "It was all a dream." There was no way I could play innocent.

How did other exorcists handle situations like this?

I tilted my head in thought.

There were ordinary people who got caught up in monster-related incidents from time to time. But the truth was, I had no idea how other exorcists explained things to them afterward.

That was the job of the "cleanup crew." It wasn't part of our responsibilities as exorcists.

And since this incident wasn't a case I'd been assigned but something I got dragged into, there was no cleanup crew. Which meant I had to do the explaining myself.

...What should I even say?

Just as I was about to rejoin Nina-chan and Sensei, Nina-chan suddenly collapsed, falling forward.

"Nina-chan!?" I rushed toward her, but Sensei, who was standing right next to her, caught her before she hit the ground.

"She's alright, Itsuki-kun. Nina-chan just fainted," Sensei said, her expression worried but calm as she supported Nina-chan.

"She fainted… Is she really okay?" I asked, concerned.

"It's like a fainting spell, probably from exhaustion. It's not uncommon after everything we just went through."

Now that she mentioned it, even though Nina-chan had managed to exorcise the monster, she still panicked and struggled with her trauma whenever she saw a monster. There was no way that had been fully resolved yet.

On top of that, the events that had just unfolded must have been a heavy emotional burden for her.

Given all that, it wasn't surprising that she fainted.

In fact, Nina-chan had probably held up better than most would have in her situation, considering her trauma.

Sensei, still holding Nina-chan, stood up.

"I'll take Nina-chan to the infirmary. You should head home, Itsuki-kun."

"...No, I'm coming too," I said firmly.

"It's okay. It's almost 6 PM. Your family must be worried about you."

"It's alright, Sensei. My curfew isn't for a while yet."

Sensei looked down at Nina-chan in her arms and then back at me. "Really, Itsuki-kun, it's fine. I'll stay with Nina-chan, and I'll call her guardian too."

"I'm sure you're busy with your own work, Sensei. You always seem really busy. So, let me come too."

"...Alright. Let's go together then," she agreed, relenting.

With that, Sensei turned and started walking toward the infirmary, carrying Nina-chan.

I let out a deep breath as I watched her walk ahead of me.

Something felt... off.

Ever since we met Sensei in that "sealed world," I had felt a nagging sense of unease that I couldn't quite put into words.

This was all to put that unease to rest.

As we walked toward the infirmary, I extended a Silveit thread toward Sensei, like a fisherman casting a line into the sea.

If there was nothing, then all was well.

There shouldn't be any problem if Silveit touched an ordinary person.

But as soon as my thread approached Sensei, she turned and avoided it.

"Oh?"

Even after dodging it, my Silveit thread was still active. I quickly retracted it and sent it back toward her in a follow-up attack.

"It's useless, Kisaragi Itsuki," she said calmly.

My Silveit thread was completely erased by her own black Silveit thread.

What... what just happened!?

I gasped, shocked by the sight. Content from m-vl|em|p,yr

How could someone erase a Silveit thread before the magic was even cast? I had never seen anything like it.

As I stood there, stunned, Sensei—no, the thing possessing Sensei—spoke in a voice completely different from the one she usually used.

"I thought I had pulled it off quite well... but it seems I've been discovered."

It was still Sensei's voice, and she still had Sensei's face. But everything about the way she spoke was different.

...So, it was true.

I clicked my tongue internally.

The worst-case scenario had turned out to be correct.

"When did you realize, Kisaragi Itsuki?"

I knew it.

Some monsters possess humans, hiding from exorcists until they become strong enough to strike.

They are cunning, devious, and always waiting for the right moment to pounce.

I knew this because I had dealt with such monsters before with Renji-san.

And now, one of those monsters had possessed Sensei.

"...I realized back there. It wasn't hard to figure out after all that happened. You're no ordinary teacher. You're a monster," I replied.

"Hmm... 'monster,' huh? I like that term better than 'demon,'" the creature chuckled, shrugging its shoulders.

"For the sake of future reference, may I ask what tipped you off?" it asked, genuinely curious.

"No normal person, no matter how composed, could've acted like you did after everything that happened. Just calmly carrying Nina-chan to the infirmary? There's no way that's normal."

"I thought I was being a dependable teacher," the monster said, smiling.

"That's not normal at all," I retorted.

"I see. Humans are truly complicated creatures," the monster mused, still wearing Sensei's face, still holding Nina-chan in its arms.

"...Let go of Nina-chan," I demanded.

"If I let her go, you'll exorcise me, won't you?"

"Yes."

"Then no."

Without waiting for a response, I quickly activated Silveit, preparing to exorcise the monster from Sensei's body.

But before I could act, the monster gripped Nina-chan's unconscious form by the neck.

"Don't try it, Kisaragi Itsuki. I can see too, just like you," it said, a malicious grin spreading across Sensei's face.

...A True Sight user!

I instinctively braced myself.

I had no choice.

Whether the monster was telling the truth or bluffing, I couldn't risk it. I couldn't use my magic carelessly.

No, even if I tried to use magic, its black Silveit would block me.

This monster, the one possessing Sensei... it knew things, things I didn't yet understand about magic.

"You almost had me, Kisaragi Itsuki. But did you really think I would turn my back on you without preparing for retaliation?" the monster said, a grotesque eye suddenly appearing on Sensei's cheek. The eye slithered across her skin, never taking its gaze off me.

"Consider this a demonstration. I can be far more subtle when necessary."

The eye vanished as suddenly as it appeared.

"...How long have you been inside Sensei?"

"Since the beginning."

Sensei—or rather, the monster—laughed.

"I figured that if you cared for Nina-chan, she'd make a good hostage. Looks like I was right. After all, you can't do anything to me now, can you? I must admit, I was worried when you revived Raikou Douji in that 'sealed world,' but it all worked out in the end. There's no way I could've beaten you in a direct fight."

"...What do you want?" I asked.

"My goals are threefold. First, to assess your power firsthand. Second, to absorb the magic of that tattooed monster. And third, to nip a budding exorcist in the bud."

The monster counted off its objectives one by one on Sensei's fingers.

"Two of those objectives have already been achieved. I now know I can't beat you, and I've absorbed the magic of that 'Fifth Order' monster. Just a few more Fifth Orders, and I'll be a 'Sixth Order' myself. This girl will be my next meal."

...Like hell I'll let that happen.

I was about to prepare another attack with Silveit when something dawned on me.

I stopped my attack and instead decided to keep the monster's attention on me, all while ensuring it remained oblivious to her.

"Let me ask you something. If you've been Sensei from the start... did you do all the schoolwork yourself too?"

"...What? Of course, I handled all the duties," the monster replied, confused by my sudden change of topic.

"If that's the case, then you must've heard this. Nina-chan's house has a strict curfew," I said.

In that instant, a blast of magic hit the monster from behind.

BOOM!

The sound of a body hitting the ground was like that of someone being struck by a car, as the monster was forcibly ejected from Sensei's body.

The monster looked like a rotting, sludgy slime.

Seizing the moment, I used my quick-draw Silveit to snatch Nina-chan away from Sensei's collapsing body.

It reminded me of a trick I once saw on YouTube—people used to stun fish by throwing large rocks into the water, knocking them out.

When had she arrived?

I looked up to see Ireena-san, her face pale with worry, emerging from the school building. She glanced at me and spoke calmly.

"Is Nina safe?"

Without a word, I showed her the unconscious Nina-chan in my arms.

Ireena-san let out a relieved sigh, then turned her attention to the rotting slime that had been expelled from Sensei.

...Honestly.

You're way too fond of Nina-chan, aren't you?