When the Classic Literature Club had brought up the Miss Mary urban legend earlier, Shiraishikawa hadn't taken it seriously.
But now?
All it took was one train ride home, and the urban legend came knocking on my door...
"Guess I'll head home first. Doesn't seem like I need to do anything special to prepare," he murmured, shaking his head.
His Exorcist class was nearly maxed out.
With the skills he'd unlocked so far, dealing with "Mary" would be a breeze.
If anything, he was glad the first spirit to approach him was targeting him, and not Yotsuya Miko or Chitanda.
Guess I still have a soft spot for pretty girls.
After all, if you were going to isekai into a crossover anime world, it made sense to farm skills and live the chill life—collecting rent and bonding with cute girls.
The "Miss Mary" call hadn't delayed his plans at all.
As he neared the apartment complex, Shiraishikawa glanced around the nearby busy street.
He didn't have any specific cravings for dinner, and seeing the usual "Big Three"—Sukiya, Yoshinoya, and Matsuya—killed his appetite entirely.
I've already eaten way too much of that stuff.
He decided to keep it simple and grab a bento.
At the 7-Eleven downstairs, the night shift cashier was a young woman. Like all women in anime worlds, she wasn't ugly, but not particularly striking either.
Noticing the apartment owner return, the clerk quickly greeted him with a smile.
Everyone knew how the landlord here was treated—the store's own manager, a notoriously rude man, still bowed and scraped before this high school boy every month to negotiate rent.
"Welcome back, Shiraishi-kun."
"Yeah."
Shiraishikawa smiled back politely, never the type to be rude to those around him. He shifted his focus to the bento shelf, eyeing the microwaveable meals.
Money wasn't really a concern for him.
He went for the premium selections—fresh salmon, sushi, and the like—without even glancing at the discounted items.
But then—
He spotted a very familiar figure.
Long, silvery-white hair, neatly braided in a slightly dangerous fashion, hung down to her chest. Even wearing loose loungewear, her figure was stunning.
A mature beauty—elegant, but clearly financially struggling.
She was frowning slightly, carefully picking through the discounted evening bentos without even noticing him standing beside her.
"Aunt Izumi."
Her face was like a scaled-up version of Sagiri's.
Of course Shiraishikawa knew Izumi Mio well.
She was a tenant in his building—a beautiful ecchi doujin artist raising her reclusive daughter Sagiri alone.
It seemed the storyline of this world had diverged.
She hadn't remarried like in the original anime.
Now she and Sagiri were simply tenants in his building. There were even rumors Sagiri's small size was due to... being a test-tube baby?
"Oh... Shiraishi-kun."
Startled at first, Mio relaxed as soon as she saw his face, her expression softening into a gentle smile.
She had a good impression of him.
Even when her publisher delayed paying her royalties, Shiraishikawa had never pressured her for rent.
Whenever the lights shorted out or the drains clogged, he was always quick to help.
"Just got back from school?" she asked, glancing at his bag and the bento in his hand.
"Yes."
Shiraishikawa was all about efficient communication. There was no need to state the obvious.
But seeing her pick out such cheap meals—
He asked bluntly,
"Aunt Izumi, you haven't gotten your royalties yet?"
Clearly flustered at being found out, Mio averted her eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Don't worry, Shiraishi-kun. I won't delay the rent this month."
"That's not what I meant."
He truly didn't care about the rent. Instead, he made a different suggestion:
"Aunt Izumi, about what I said before—you really should consider it."
"I'm preparing for entrance exams, and honestly, I barely have time to clean up at home. Plus, eating convenience store food every day isn't healthy."
"That's why I'd really appreciate your help around the house."
"..."
Mio glanced at the discounted bento in her hands.
Sagiri was growing up—she really shouldn't be eating this kind of food every day.
She was already leaning toward agreeing.
She'd heard a bit about Shiraishikawa's home situation.
Orphaned in an accident, with no one to look after him, yet always helping others...
Out of both gratitude and sympathy, she finally nodded.
"I'll give it serious thought, Shiraishi-kun. I'll give you an answer tonight."
"Alright."
A beautiful and mature woman helping around the house? Of course he wasn't going to object.
Besides, Izumi Mio and her daughter were always high on his list of favorites.
Smiling, Shiraishikawa noticed his phone vibrate again—another call from an unknown number.
Must be Miss Mary again.
No point sticking around.
It was his first proper exorcism, and he wanted to do it right. If she slipped away now, unlocking the next class would take way longer.
He paid for both his own bento and Mio's, the price barely a blip on his massive account balance.
Then, Shiraishikawa headed back to the apartment.
Taking the elevator to the top floor, he stepped into what wasn't just a typical apartment layout—
the entire top floor was his.
Home theater. Rooftop garden. Private pool. Karaoke room.
Every luxury amenity imaginable.
Honestly, the only downside to living in this spacious apartment was how big it was—so big, in fact, that he had to hire a cleaning lady every week. Maybe he should just give that job to Izumi Mio.
"Well, I'd better make some preparations."
"Technically speaking, all I need to do is wait here until Mary knocks on the door. So let's go ahead and set up an enforced exorcism array right here."
Without hesitation, Shirakawa activated his core skill.
As his palm touched the floor, a soft blue light shimmered across the surface. Within seconds, a circular exorcism formation had etched itself into the wooden boards, glowing with sacred light.
There was no need for any additional prep work.
All that remained now… was to wait for that urban legend herself—Miss Mary—to come knocking.