The Promise of Yotsuya Miko

"So, you're looking for a male student from our school who takes this route to school?"

In the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino set aside the map in her hands and looked at the girl sitting across from her with a slightly perplexed expression.

The visitor was none other than Yotsuya Miko—someone Yukino remembered vividly due to her prior visit, where she had spoken extensively about spirits and other paranormal matters.

It sounded like the ramblings of someone with "chuunibyou" syndrome, but Miko's panicked gaze was too genuine to dismiss, as though she had truly seen something terrifying.

For that reason, Yukino didn't simply label Miko as a delusional person but instead seriously considered her situation.

Her conclusion was that Miko might have experienced some psychological trauma, which could have triggered hallucinations of malevolent spirits.

Perhaps she had lost a family member or undergone a similar emotional shock—something that could be clarified with a few questions directed at Miko herself.

However, before Yukino could recommend seeing a therapist, Miko had left the Service Club, seemingly disappointed with its inability to help her.

What Yukino didn't know was that Miko had spotted a spirit in the Service Club room, and realizing Yukino couldn't assist her, decided to leave.

At the time, Yukino even doubted if her attitude had somehow been off-putting.

Yet, some time later, Miko visited the Service Club again. This time, instead of asking about spirits, she sought Yukino's help in finding someone.

To assist her search, Miko even brought a town map and marked a specific route, saying she wanted to locate a student who commuted along that path.

"Yes, could you help me with this?"

Miko looked earnestly at Yukino while cautiously glancing around the Service Club room again.

There had previously been a spirit in the room—not human, but more like a dog-like creature that lingered in the corners.

However, the spirit had since vanished. Presumably, the person Miko was searching for had exorcised it while dealing with other spirits at the school.

Yes, the person Miko was trying to find was the one exorcising spirits at the school. To narrow the search, she had mapped out the route they likely took to and from school.

She had identified this route the day before, noticing it had the fewest spirits. The path's relative lack of spirits suggested it had been cleansed by someone.

Miko felt confident that the person she was looking for commuted along this route.

Unfortunately, while she had pinpointed the path, she had no other identifying details—not their name, gender, or appearance.

Thus, she came to the Service Club again, hoping Yukino could help her identify this person.

"Ah… Determining someone's identity based solely on a commuting route is practically impossible, isn't it?"

Yukino sighed, looking at Miko.

Private High Schools had a large number of students and staff, and there were certainly many people who used the route Miko had marked.

Without additional clues, finding the person Miko sought was no easy task.

"That said, it's not entirely hopeless... I'll ask around for you."

An idea struck Yukino as she thought of Shin. He had mentioned before that if Miko returned to the Service Club, Yukino should contact him.

Yukino didn't know if Shin was the person Miko sought, but lacking other leads, she decided it was worth a try.

"I see. Yotsuya Miko is looking for someone? Got it."

At a café, Shin spoke with Yukino over the phone.

"Unfortunately, I'm not at school right now. Let her come to the Service Club after school tomorrow; I'll meet her then."

According to Yukino, Miko had come to the Service Club again. Since Shin had previously asked Yukino to inform him if this happened, she promptly called him.

However, as school hours were over and there were no club activities, Shin had already left for the day and couldn't return.

Meeting Miko would have to wait until tomorrow—even though Shin was curious about this girl who could see spirits.

After ending the call with Yukino, Shin put away his phone, only to find the girls around him staring intently.

"Shin, talking to another girl while sitting with so many others is quite impolite, you know."

Ijichi Nijika pouted, pretending to be upset.

Shin could tell she wasn't genuinely angry; her tone was more teasing than anything else.

"Sorry, sorry, but I couldn't just ignore the call, could I?"

Shin chuckled. After all, Yukino hadn't sent a message but had called directly—it would've been rude not to answer.

"But you still need to be punished."

Yamada Ryo nodded seriously, looking at Shin.

"As punishment, you'll treat us to snacks every day this month."

"Isn't that just an excuse to freeload?"

Gotou Hitori, sitting beside Shin, couldn't help but mutter. Despite being socially awkward, she was adept at delivering sharp remarks online or in person.

However, after making her comment, she shrank back beside Shin, as though worried she had gone too far.

Ryo, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered at all. She seriously responded, "What's wrong with freeloading? Shin has money anyway."

"You can't just keep treating people, even if you're rich..."

Kita Ikuyo looked slightly embarrassed. As an extrovert, she knew that constantly relying on someone's generosity could lead to resentment.

Not everyone was as thick-skinned as Ryo.

For Shin, though, this wasn't an issue.

"It's fine to treat you guys... but I won't always be free after school. How about Megumi handles the snacks while I fund them?"

He winked at Kato Megumi beside him.

"Me?"

Megumi blinked, then smiled helplessly at everyone's gaze.

"Alright, I'll take care of it. Please go easy on me."

To be continued…

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