Chapter 221: I Have a Demon for Protection  

Three hours later. 

The shop owner watched as the short-haired girl—who had claimed she had just turned twenty-one—walked out of the store with her arms full of exchange tokens. He couldn't help but wonder if he was dreaming. 

"Hey, she's gotta be a plant, right?" 

"Has to be. There's no way anyone could win that much in a row! The machine must've been rigged." 

"Those exchange tokens will definitely be returned later. Don't fall for the owner's tricks!" 

Inside the store, customers whispered among themselves. 

It wasn't just that the girl was lucky—her wins were downright ridiculous. Most people came here hoping to get lucky and turn a small bet into a big win, but she was playing like she was stocking up inventory. 

The store wasn't big, so every word of their hushed conversation reached the owner's ears. His face stiffened. 

Just how dumb would he have to be to plant someone who was taking out loads of exchange tokens instead of bringing money in? 

Although he suspected she was using some kind of trick, without any proof, he couldn't accuse her outright. He could only let her leave for now. 

But one thing the customers got right—those tokens would be coming back. Not directly, like a plant returning them, but through a little behind-the-scenes maneuvering to cut his losses. 

Pachinko parlors couldn't exchange tokens for cash directly, as that would be illegal. Instead, there was always a separate exchange shop nearby where players could trade their tokens for money, creating a legal loophole. 

The shop owner exchanged glances with a skinny, blond-haired man standing near the entrance. The man nodded knowingly and followed Hayashizaki out, trailing her to the exchange shop next door. 

This was a common tactic. 

Although no one had ever cashed out as outrageously as Hayashizaki, there were always a few lucky players who hit big. To minimize losses, the pachinko parlor would send someone over to the exchange shop to give a subtle signal—an agreement to lower the exchange rate, meaning the winner would get less cash than usual. 

The exchange rate for tokens was publicly known, but most of these shops were run by gangs. Even if they cut the payout, no one dared to argue with them. 

Just as the blond-haired man was about to signal the exchange shop owner, a sudden sharp pain shot through his stomach, as if an invisible force had slammed into him. 

His foot barely crossed the threshold before he was sent flying backward. Clutching his stomach in agony, he collapsed onto the pavement, groaning in pain. 

A snow-white rabbit bared its tiny teeth in a grin that almost seemed… human. Then, with a flicker, it melted into a shadow and disappeared into the ground. 

That rabbit had protected countless people—it was, after all, the weakest shikigami among the ten shadow techniques. 

Without so much as a flinch, Hayashizaki walked into the exchange shop and dumped all her tokens onto the counter. 

"Whoa, that's a lot! You're on a lucky streak, huh, kid?" 

The exchange shop owner, lounging with his legs crossed and a cigarette in his mouth, raised an eyebrow in surprise at the pile of tokens. 

Out of habit, he glanced toward the entrance. Seeing no sign of a pachinko parlor worker giving him a signal, he muttered about how unusual it was for the other shop to actually pay out such a sum. Then, without any tricks, he handed Hayashizaki her cash. 

"Thanks." 

Hayashizaki stuffed the thick wad of bills into her bag, gave a polite nod, and walked out with her guitar case slung over her back.

In just three hours, she had easily made 180,000 yen. 

She glanced at the time—it was already past 2 AM. The night was deep and dark, with the moon hidden behind thick clouds. Only the city's neon lights continued to shine. 

That sorcerer from the Star Religious Sect was probably asleep by now. As the short-haired girl walked down the street, she brushed past a drunken man who was staggering along. The moment they passed each other, her figure suddenly vanished, unnoticed by anyone. 

Hayashizaki reappeared on an apartment balcony, landing as lightly as a cat without making a sound. 

She stepped into Sonoda Shigeru's room. The brown-haired man was already fast asleep, his breathing occasionally interrupted by soft snores. 

This was why he drowned himself in alcohol every day. Only like this could he sleep peacefully, free from the nightmares of his wife and daughter's deaths. 

Keeping her presence hidden, Hayashizaki approached the desk and opened the laptop. 

It seemed their Star Religious Sect friend didn't care much about privacy. Not only was there no password to unlock the laptop, but even the email was set to log in automatically. 

A lucky break for Hayashizaki. 

Most sorcerers didn't pay much attention to these things. 

She checked the browser history first. 

It was just a bunch of ordinary searches. 

Disappointed, she closed the browser and opened the email instead. The latest message had arrived at exactly 9:43 PM, matching her expectations. 

The name of the Star Vessel was… Amanai Riko? She was just a middle school girl? So Tengen was going to fuse with someone that young? Would that mean he'd end up looking like a little girl too? 

Ugh. An ancient monster turning into a little girl? Just thinking about it was disgusting. 

As she silently mocked the situation, Hayashizaki continued reading through the emails. The blue glow from the laptop screen faintly illuminated her face. 

It turned out the Panxing Cult wasn't the only group after the Star Vessel. Another group of sorcerers calling themselves "Q" was also planning to kill Amanai Riko. Their goal was to stop the fusion with Tengen and throw the jujutsu world into chaos. 

Interesting idea, but not very realistic, Hayashizaki thought. 

If it were that easy to throw the jujutsu world into chaos, things would have fallen apart a long time ago. There'd be no need to wait until now. 

With the target, mission time, and location all confirmed, Hayashizaki silently shut the laptop. Then, like a phantom, she left Sonoda Shigeru's apartment without a trace, as if she had never been there. 

… 

The next morning, when Yukinoshita Haruno slowly woke up, her head still felt heavy. Her memory was blank, as if a chunk of it had been cut out. Everything after handing her body over to Hayashizaki after her performance was completely gone. 

So this is what a hangover feels like? 

Rubbing her temples with a complicated expression, Yukinoshita Haruno sat up in bed, starting to reflect on her actions from the night before. 

She had actually taken a sip of vodka just out of curiosity… 

Now, if her mother scolded her, she wouldn't even have a way to shift the blame onto Hayashizaki. After all, she really had been drinking. 

She must have been unknowingly tempted by the devil to do something so reckless! 

Wait—oh no! 

If Hayashizaki had just taken her straight home while controlling her body, then her family would definitely have smelled the alcohol on her! 

Just as panic flashed across her face, Hayashizaki's slightly exasperated voice rang out. 

"Calm down. Take a good look at where you are." 

Hearing that, Yukinoshita Haruno finally realized—she wasn't in her room at home. 

Looking around at the familiar hotel decor, she let out a slow sigh of relief. 

"…Oh, it's a hotel. Good, at least you had some sense." 

But just as she finished speaking, she caught a strong smell of alcohol on herself. Her face instantly twisted in displeasure. 

"What a horrible smell. Do you never shower before sleeping? Or is this just from drinking too much?" 

"I thought you wouldn't want me to bathe you," Hayashizaki said casually. "Maybe next time." 

"Next time?! There won't be a next time!" 

Realizing that what she just said was inappropriate, Yukinoshita Haruno's cheeks flushed slightly, as if she were still feeling the effects of yesterday's alcohol. 

Although, judging by her usual behavior, she didn't seem to mind much when Hayashizaki was involved in her private time, that was only because it was unavoidable. She had to trick herself into pretending it didn't bother her. 

But if Hayashizaki were to actually wash her body, there was no way she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. 

Yukinoshita Haruno let out a small sigh. That guy was a bad influence—ever since drinking, she had been speaking without thinking. 

She wanted to take a bath first, but she had no change of clothes. Left with no other choice, she turned to the nearly all-powerful "Demon-kun" for help. 

"Can you sneak into my house and steal a set of clothes for me?" 

"Why not just buy a new set outside?" 

"No way! Who goes shopping for clothes while reeking of alcohol?" 

After being firmly rejected by Yukinoshita Haruno, Hayashizaki couldn't resist her exaggerated pleading and finally gave in. He took control of her body once more, summoning an owl shikigami to fly toward the Yukinoshita household. 

If it were Yukinoshita Yukino in this situation, she would never do something that required setting aside her pride. 

She would simply bite her lip in frustration, upset at her own lack of ability for needing to rely on others. At the same time, she would feel wronged when her request wasn't immediately granted—like a pitiful little grudge-holder who had just suffered an injustice. 

As for which of them was more troublesome, Hayashizaki could only say—it's a close call, both are equally difficult to deal with. 

The lightweight figure landed in the Yukinoshita estate's courtyard, then climbed through the window back into Yukinoshita Haruno's room. If he weren't inhabiting Haruno's body, he might've mistaken himself for a sneaky thief. 

He opened the wardrobe and was about to pick out a suitable outfit for Yukinoshita Haruno, using his own sense of fashion as a guide, when suddenly— 

He got kicked out of her body. 

Hayashizaki: "?" 

"Picking out a change of clothes is something I should be doing myself. Having you do it just feels... wrong." Yukinoshita Haruno said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

"But I'd still see everything anyway," Hayashizaki countered. 

"Seeing is unavoidable. But touching? That's a different story." 

As she spoke, Yukinoshita Haruno quickly picked out a neutral-toned outfit, one similar in color to what she was currently wearing. 

This way, she could avoid alerting her family—especially her mother—that she had been home. She rarely wore these kinds of neutral outfits, so her mother probably wouldn't recognize them. 

After grabbing a set of underwear as well, she packed everything into a bag and turned to Hayashizaki. 

"Alright, driver, let's go." 

"I'm not your driver," Hayashizaki said flatly. After a brief pause, he added, "At the very least, I should be called a pilot." 

"Haha, alright then, I'll call you Mr. Pilot." Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled at his dry humor, her laughter ringing like silver bells in his mind. 

Back at the hotel, Yukinoshita Haruno took a satisfying bath and changed into fresh clothes, finally getting rid of the lingering alcohol smell. 

"Alright, now let's talk about the Star Religious Sect situation." 

She sat down on the bed, shaking out her damp hair. Fresh out of the bath, she smelled faintly of shampoo. 

"After handing my body over to you yesterday, I don't remember anything that happened afterward. So, Mr. Pilot, you'll have to explain everything to me." 

"The so-called 'Star Vessel' is a middle school girl named Amanai Riko. If nothing unexpected happens, the Star Religious Sect will make their move on her tomorrow. Not only will that brown-haired man we saw at the bar be involved, but there will also be other curse users hired by the cult. We just don't know exactly who yet." 

Hayashizaki began relaying everything he had uncovered during his investigation the previous day. 

Yukinoshita Haruno knew that when it came to anything related to sorcery, Hayashizaki wouldn't step in unless it was absolutely necessary or it was a hands-on lesson for her. Since she was the one who had proposed interfering with the Star Religious Sect, she had to ask him for intel herself. 

"Besides, the Star Religious Sect isn't the only group after Amanai Riko. There's also a curse-user organization called 'Q'—but honestly, that name sounds like trash, so I doubt they're worth worrying about." 

"Being targeted by two evil organizations at the same time... is this 'Star Vessel' really that valuable?" Yukinoshita Haruno was surprised, feeling a little sorry for the girl named Amanai Riko. 

"It's not really Amanai Riko they're after. Their real target is Tengen." Hayashizaki said casually. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is the time and place. I already told you the time—it's happening tomorrow. As for the location, it's in Tokyo. If you want to get involved, you'll probably have to take a few days off." 

After all, Yukinoshita Haruno's sorcery range couldn't extend from Chiba all the way to Tokyo—not even Hayashizaki himself could pull that off. 

The moment taking leave was mentioned, Yukinoshita Haruno, who had been full of enthusiasm just a second ago, hesitated. 

"Hmm... that's a bit tricky…" 

If she requested time off from school, her mother would definitely find out. And there was no way she could take leave without a good reason.

I can't exactly tell my mom, "Hey, I need to take a few days off because I have to rescue an innocent little girl from two evil organizations," right? 

I need to figure out a way to get past her first. 

"Shizuka, I'm counting on you!" Yukinoshita Haruno pulled out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and called Hiratsuka Shizuka, hoping she would help. 

"Beep... beep..." The phone rang for a while before it was finally picked up. A groggy voice came through the speaker. 

"Hello? Haruno? What do you want this early in the morning...? My head hurts..." 

"It's almost noon, Shizuka," Yukinoshita Haruno teased. "You blacked out from drinking again last night, didn't you?" 

As she said that, she felt a little guilty, but luckily, the hungover Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't notice. 

"Quit nagging. If you've got something to say, say it. If not, I'm going back to sleep... ahh—" 

"I need your help!" Yukinoshita Haruno quickly said before Shizuka could hang up. "I need you to get me a few days off, and don't tell my family!" 

"Sure—wait, what?" Shizuka had almost agreed without thinking, but then she caught herself. "Why do you need time off? And why do I have to keep it a secret from your family?" 

"I can't tell you, but it's really important!" 

"That won't do." Shizuka's tone became serious. "If something happens to you, I'll be the one responsible!" 

"Please! I'll treat you to barbecue when I get back!" Haruno tried to sweet-talk her, but it didn't work. 

"Not happening. If you want time off, tell me the real reason." 

"I'm going to save a little girl's life!" 

"I'm hanging u—wait, are you serious?" Shizuka's voice sharpened. "Tell me everything." 

"I can't," Haruno said, sounding troubled. 

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone. Then, finally, a deep sigh. 

"Alright, fine," Shizuka gave in. "But you have to promise me—you won't get yourself into danger!" 

"Of course," Haruno said with a firm smile. 

After all, I have a demon watching over me. 

(End of Chapter) 

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