"Ehehehehehehe!!!!"
As if feeding on Yotsuya Miko's rising fear, the twisted spirits around her shrieked in manic delight. Their grotesque forms writhed and flickered inside the train carriage, invisible to everyone—except her.
It's over.
They've noticed me…
I'm dead.
Miko lowered her head, squeezed her eyes shut, and waited for the inevitable.
"This girl… why does she look like she's completely broken?"
Nearby, Ethan Kane frowned. Something was off.
His pupils shifted—crimson spirals blooming in his eyes.
Sharingan.
Blood-red irises marked by three tomoe spun slowly.
Through them, he finally saw them.
Dozens of terrifying spirits packed into the subway car, twisted and shrieking, dancing in malformed glee.
"A train full of monsters, huh…"
Ethan's voice stayed calm. Unlike Miko's forced stillness, his composure came from one thing:
Power.
---
"Huh…?"
Miko cracked her eyes open just enough to see Ethan.
He wasn't a monster.
A wave of relief washed through her… until she noticed something.
His eyes.
Blood-red. Swirling.
Contacts? Chuunibyou?
...No. Not that.
---
Suddenly, the spirits took notice of him.
"Can you see me?"
"Can you see me?"
"Can you see me?"
Eerie, distorted voices echoed from every corner.
"Wait!" Miko whispered desperately. "Don't respond!"
But Ethan didn't flinch.
"I can see you," he said evenly. "You little things look... pretty lame."
Miko's heart sank.
"YOU CAN SEE MEEEE!!!"
The spirits let out a collective roar, transforming into a wave of black shadows that surged toward Ethan.
She clamped her eyes shut again.
This is it…
Then—
A cold breath tickled her ear.
"Little devils… disperse."
---
Conqueror's Haki.
No movements. No technique.
Just presence.
BOOM—!
A thunderclap exploded in the enclosed train car.
An invisible pressure burst outward, sweeping through the carriage. All the howling, writhing spirits were vaporized on the spot—reduced to nothing.
---
Miko slowly opened her eyes.
Gone.
Every spirit had vanished.
Only Ethan remained, his aura steady, calm. He didn't even look surprised.
"Mere dust," he said quietly. "Not worth even half of my strength."
No panic. No uncertainty. Just power.
For the first time in a long while, Miko's tensed nerves snapped—and her body gave out.
She fell against Ethan's side.
---
"S-sorry…" she murmured, cheeks flushed. Sweat soaked her uniform. Her limbs were still trembling.
"Whoa! She fell right into his lap!"
Hana Shirakawa, seated further back, blinked in shock.
"She's usually so uninterested in guys… What's going on, Miko?!"
---
[Ding~]
[Treasure Chest Holder Detected: Yotsuya Miko]
[Extract?]
Extract!
---
[S-Rank Treasure Chest: Spiritual Perception**
Grants the user extrasensory awareness of spiritual beings across vast distances—even when not using visual abilities like the Sharingan.
A surge of data flooded Ethan's mind.
He could now detect every hidden spirit across the city.
This is basically a human radar…
---
"It's okay. Yotsuya-san must be carsick," Ethan said, gently easing her down.
He let her rest on his lap, calm and composed.
I just received an S-Rank treasure from her. I'll at least offer her some comfort.
---
Lap pillow?!
Miko's heart raced. Her cheeks turned bright red. But her body wouldn't move. She was still frozen from the overwhelming shock.
"I'm Ethan Kane," he said calmly. "Transfer student, Soubu High School, Class 2-J."
"Yotsuya-san, nice to meet you."
Miko met his eyes. Something inside her, tight and cold, began to unwind.
She wasn't alone anymore.
---
After a few minutes, she recovered enough to move.
She shot upright, her face still burning.
"Th-thank you, Ethan-kun…"
That was the first time she'd ever been that physically close to a boy.
"It was nothing," he said, brushing it off.
He hadn't even needed to lift a finger—his aura alone had cleared the entire train.
---
"Um…"
Miko looked down, hesitating. She wanted to ask him everything.
What were those things? How did you stop them? What even are you...?
But the words got stuck.
Ethan seemed to sense it.
"I don't know any more than you do," he said flatly.
A lie?
Maybe. His eyes didn't look ordinary.
But Miko wasn't one to pry.
---
"I'm getting off here," Ethan said, standing. "See you tomorrow, Yotsuya-san."
"Mhm. See you…"
She smiled softly.
The cloud that had hung over her heart for days had finally cleared.
---
Even someone as stoic and composed as Miko—who could face monsters without flinching—had felt alone for a long time.
Now, she didn't.
She finally had someone else who could see them too.
And not just see—
Someone strong enough to make them vanish.
---
"Okay, Miko," a sharp voice said from behind.
Hana Shirakawa walked up, pouting.
"Care to explain what that was? You left me in the back of the train and snagged the best seat next to a handsome guy?"
---
End of Chapter 6
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