Why is the Demon King like this?

"Nice to meet you, Keisuke Ao. Do you mind if I'm a single mother with a child?"

Qing Keisuke:?

Without hesitation, Shiraishi Chizuru rewarded his younger brother and sister-in-law with a chestnut.

"Let's be understanding; your husband left for the harbor at four in the morning to load cargo!"

"Haha~ Just kidding." Miki Komatsuda scratched her head and said with a grin, "But speaking of which, Keisuke Ao is really handsome, to the point that even housewives would want to get to know him."

"Thanks."

"That cool and aloof demeanor that's typical of handsome high school guys is also quite cool."

Miki Komatsuda dodged Chizuru Shiraishi's punch, giggling, "It's Saturday today, so don't worry about it so much, right, Keisuke Ao?"

Reiko Shiraishi's ability to talk such nonsense is probably largely due to the influence of this woman.

Let's briefly talk about the seating for four people:

On either side of the low square table, near the door, sat Miki Komatsuda and Reiko Shiraishi. Reiko, who had fallen, was completely quiet and didn't even interrupt the conversation.

On the other side sat Chizuru Shiraishi and Keisuke Ao.

"You don't need to worry about me, after all, it was me who was being presumptuous to bother you." Qing Keijie dealt with the curious young mother while concentrating on his meal.

The slightly sweet white porridge, the soft and tender dried lily bulbs and white fungus, and the small fish coated in batter and fried to the perfect crispness and sweetness, while still being tender and juicy inside.

tasty!

It's truly astonishing how such simple home-cooked dishes can have such a texture and flavor.

"How was it? Chizuru's cooking was delicious, wasn't it?" Miki Komatsuda said proudly. "She almost dropped out of school to study cooking."

"Oh?" Keisuke Ao showed some interest. "Why?"

"Why?" Miki Komatsuda glanced at Chizuru Shiraishi. "Let her tell me herself."

"What's there to say?"

Chizuru Shiraishi tossed her hair smugly: "I'm just interested in how the food will taste after it's cooked!"

Little White Stone has actually made such an arrogant and imposing declaration!

Aokiji couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and then he remembered the look in Shiraishi Chizuru's eyes that he had seen on the rooftop that night.

I acknowledge this talent!

Keisuke Ao had another bowl of porridge for himself, praising, "If Dr. Shiraishi opened a restaurant, I would be willing to eat there every day."

"Me too~" Miki Komatsuda raised both hands in agreement.

"You two, I didn't learn to cook for this!"

"Hahaha!"

It was a pleasant morning, and everyone, except for Reiko Shiraishi, enjoyed themselves immensely.

After clearing the table, Aoki Keisuke and Shiraishi Chizuru left together—after a night, their formidable grandmother should have calmed down.

Walking along the still quiet street, Chizuru Shiraishi followed Keisuke Ao's pace and sensed that the Demon King was in a good mood, so she couldn't help but tentatively ask:

"Qinggui, in the field of occultism... do I really lack that talent?"

"To be precise, not having talent doesn't mean there's no hope," Qing Guijie said after a moment's thought. "The simplest way is for you to die and then transform into an evil spirit."

Chizuru Shiraishi: ? ? ?

The female doctor clenched her fist: "Besides dying!"

"Go burn incense and pray to Buddha more often; maybe some crazy deity will bestow divine power upon you."

"Gods...?! Wait, don't try to fool me!"

Keisuke Ao stopped and looked at her, speaking at his usual pace: "Although the chance is less than one in hundreds of thousands, I'm not just giving you the runaround."

"Huh?!" Chizuru Shiraishi shrank back. "Then there really are gods in this world?"

Aokiji smiled coldly: "That depends on how you understand the concept of 'gods'. If you mean a god who can grant your wishes by worshipping him, then it's probably just a joke."

But if we only measure power, then perhaps gods really do exist.

Hearing this, Shiraishi Chizuru was greatly shocked. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "What other methods are there besides these two?"

"There's one last way," Aoki Keisuke smiled, as if he had expected it. "It's also my favorite way."

"What? What is it?"

"Kill those monsters, and bathe in their spirit."

Upon hearing this, Chizuru Shiraishi's expression suddenly became quite interesting.

"So, what do you think? Suddenly, don't you feel like the first two suggestions were pretty good too?"

"No... before this, what was spirituality?"

Aoki Keisuke didn't even need to think: "You can think of spirituality as the necessary material for casting spells, the source of miracles. Whether it's magic, spells, or curses, spirituality is the foundation of it all."

What you cannot sense is the key to unlocking the mysticism.

"key?"

"Would you like to take a look?" Keisuke Ao suddenly asked.

Chizuru Shiraishi, both frightened and tempted, asked, "Is it alright?"

"Consider this a thank you for today's breakfast," the Demon King said meaningfully.

He looked around and led Shiraishi Chizuru into a small alley.

"Huh?"

"Keep up."

"oh!"

Chizuru Shiraishi followed like a little hamster, taking tiny steps, but she was also a little afraid that Keisuke Ao might suddenly become beastly.

Aoki Keisuke didn't care about Shiraishi Chizuru's inner monologue; if she chose to refuse, that was perfectly fine with him!

But if someone has the courage to keep up, he will never be stingy with his inspiration.

Ultimately, it's just a little bit of fun after dinner.

After several twists and turns, the two soon arrived at a relatively old area, and even Shiraishi Chizuru couldn't immediately recognize where they were.

"Get ready."

Hearing Aokiji's calm voice, she involuntarily tensed up: "What?"

"Go and see the radiance of the spirit."

Aoki led her over into an old house that had been uninhabited for a long time. The yard was overgrown with weeds, and there were patches of solidified black marks in the corners of the walls.

Even in the morning, you can feel the cool air blowing in your face.

Shiraishi Chizuru's hair stood on end. Just then, Ao Keisuke stretched out his right hand and gently pressed two fingers against her forehead.

"Close your eyes—"

A sigh-like sound rang out, and she immediately obediently closed her eyes. In that instant, Shiraishi Chizuru felt a surge of heat flowing from Ao Keisuke's fingertips.

The sensation was so striking in the cold environment that Chizuru Shiraishi trembled and involuntarily wanted to get closer to those hands.

Aoki Keisuke's fingertips brushed across her eyes, and a warm current spread through them.

It was as if something had been activated.

Chizuru Shiraishi felt an even more biting cold, heard a chilling roar, and a gust of wind swept by, taking away the warmth from her body.

"Open your eyes."

In a mere instant, he used far more spiritual power than was required for exorcism, but Qing Keisuke didn't care at all; he was eagerly anticipating Shiraishi Chizuru's expression—

Those beautiful, lively eyes held a light as resilient as stone.

So what about now?

Chizuru Shiraishi slowly opened her eyes, and there she saw filthy black saliva dripping from the roof, and indescribably distorted shapes spread across the building. Just seeing it took away all her strength.

The monster stared intently at her with countless pairs of venomous eyes, then opened its enormous mouth, like a hollow arch rising from the mud, and lunged at the two of them.

"Look closely, Dr. Shiraishi, this is... the world you've been curious about."

Keisuke Ao gazed at Chizuru Shiraishi with eyes that seemed to see right through her, admiring her pale face.

"Open your eyes wide, don't close them, and treat this as the last spectacular view you'll ever see in your life."

Keisuke Ao turned and stepped forward, blocking Chizuru Shiraishi's path, a satisfied smile on his face.

—How interesting! Despite having absolutely no talent, he has such a strong curiosity about the mysterious.

So much so that even knowing the danger, they would subconsciously take a step forward.

Won't this curiosity kill her?

But only someone like that could so effortlessly make such delicious food, right?

His silhouette seemed to give Shiraishi Chizuru a little strength. She gasped for breath, her eyes stinging, yet she couldn't help but look at the figure moving forward against the turbid current.

Aoi Keisuke.

Facing the black tide forward, his body radiated golden light.

I saw it, the spiritual—

It dispelled all the chill, and in an instant, it felt as if we had arrived at the scorching midday sun, with even the ground becoming scorching hot.

"boom--"

In a world she couldn't comprehend, all the filth instantly shattered in the golden light. With thunder and lightning, the monster howled and fell, but before it even hit the ground, its form was obliterated by the golden light.

Immediately afterwards, spirituality burst forth, and pure white light rose from the ancient house, a dreamlike scene suddenly appearing before Shiraishi Chizuru.

The fear vanished, and for a moment, a feeling of being moved even arose, and tears finally streamed down my face uncontrollably.

"What a nice view……"

Aoki walked up to her, who was in a daze, reached out and wiped away the tears on her face, and studied her expression.

I took out my phone and snapped a picture to remember the occasion.

"This is the mystery you've been waiting for, Dr. Shiraishi."

Qing Keisuke’s spirituality index: 52 → 65.

Bai Shiqianhe's spirituality index: 6→10.