The Japanese-fear sorcerer who started by taking in Tomie

[You have mastered the first-circle spell, Eternal Bond]

A Bond of Unwavering Commitment

[One Ring/Protection]

[Effect: You cast a spell on yourself, gaining additional resistance to fear, charm, mind control effects and attacks for the duration of the spell.]

"This is good stuff!"

Xinhengyuan caught my eye.

This spell perfectly fills the gap in his mental defenses.

Like mages, warlocks are fragile, turret-type classes. The new Hengyuan already had the [Shield] spell for physical defense, and now it also has the [Constant Heart Pact] for mental defense.

This can be said to complete the final piece of the puzzle for New Hengyuan within the first ring road area.

"As expected, it's a spell that doesn't exist in D&D."

A smile spread across Xin Hengyuan's face.

"Can one comprehend magic through studying ancient texts and the like?"

He pondered for a moment and decided to conduct a control experiment.

I'll buy some Tao Te Ching and Buddhist scriptures online to see if this one is the only special one, or if all ancient books are acceptable.

but--

Shin Hengyuan's gaze deepened as he focused on the Inari Heart Sutra in his hand.

The image of the girl named "Asakusa Tamae" that I met that morning involuntarily came to mind.

Who exactly are you?

If you told me she was just an ordinary person, I would never believe it. She knew my identity, yet she still came over and gave me gifts.

Shin Hengyuan was convinced that Asakusa Tamae had ulterior motives towards him. He never believed that anyone would be kind to him for no reason.

New Hengyuan has always had its own way of dealing with those "sugar-coated bullets"—eat the sugar coating and fire the bullets back.

He certainly wouldn't refuse any benefits.

Xinhengyuan shook his head.

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Let's keep watching and see if I can comprehend any new spells.

But what exactly is this?

A spellbook?

It does indeed have the calming and soul-purifying effects that Asakusa Tamae described.

For now, Xinhengyuan will treat the Inari Heart Sutra as a magical artifact.

Turning page after page, the scriptures, though short, became increasingly profound with each reading, their calming power slowly seeping into the depths of consciousness, like a pair of hands gently supporting the back of the head.

No new spells were introduced.

Expected.

It's already a pleasant surprise to be able to grasp even one thing; how can one be greedy?

Of course, Xin Hengyuan is certain that there must be new spells that he has not yet been able to comprehend.

However, there was still plenty of time, so Xin Hengyuan wasn't in a hurry. He closed the "Inari Heart Sutra," put it in his desk drawer, and stretched.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

It must be the ramen that has arrived.

As Shin Hengyuan pushed open the door and passed through the living room, Tomie was nestled on the sofa, already wearing a mask, her eyes sparkling as she stared intently towards the entrance.

"What are you looking at? Go get it." Shin Hengyuan raised his chin.

Tomie snorted, but still obediently got up and ran to the door. A moment later, she returned carrying two neatly packaged bowls of ramen.

First, they diligently took out a bowl and respectfully placed it in front of Xin Hengyuan, also thoughtfully handing him chopsticks.

All that's left is to feed him.

"Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious. What do you want?" Shin Heng Yuan picked up a mouthful of ramen noodles, took a big bite, and asked.

"What are you going to do tomorrow?" Tomie asked while massaging his shoulders.

"Tomorrow? I have to go back to school tomorrow."

"Great!" Tomie's eyes lit up.

She genuinely didn't want to stay in her room, especially alone. Tomie was the kind of person who particularly enjoyed being the center of attention, relishing the admiring, envious, and even jealous gazes.

Being left at home for a day was torture for Tomie; she was incredibly bored.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Tomie couldn't help but hug Shingen's neck and give him a big kiss on the cheek.

"mua~ Thank you Shinheng-kun~"

"Let's eat...let's eat noodles."

Shin Hengyuan expressionlessly pulled Tomie off his neck, his voice slightly stuttering. He pulled out a chair, pushed Tomie to sit opposite him, and then went around to the other side to sit down, casually switching the two bowls of noodles.

There was a table in between.

"Eat early and go to bed, you have class tomorrow."

Shin Hengyuan lowered his head, picked up his chopsticks, and stopped looking at Tomie.

Tomie took in all of this.

She rested her chin on the back of her clasped hands, her eyes curving into two crescent moons, smiling sweetly, her voice like honey, as if she were coaxing someone: "Okay~"

He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the almost overflowing smugness in his eyes.

Hmph, Xinhengyuan is nothing special.

Sure enough, as long as I use a little trick, no one in this world can resist my charm!

Meanwhile, on the other side, at Xinhengyuan...

No, Tomie is too good at this!

The plan to use one tiger to devour another must be implemented as soon as possible!

"Tomie, when is the other Tomie you mentioned arriving? You didn't forget to call her, did you?"

Xin Hengyuan put down his chopsticks and asked.

"How...how could that be? Imposter! I definitely shouted, it just hasn't arrived yet!"

Tomie was initially a little guilty, but quickly regained her composure and shouted loudly as if she had done nothing wrong.

She doesn't want counterfeiters to compete with her for Xinhengyuan.

As the saying goes, no one knows you better than yourself. Tomie knows herself just as well as she knows other Tomies.

She knew all too well that if other imposters found out about such a high-quality target as Xinhengyuan, they would fight tooth and nail to snatch it from her. At that point, she wouldn't be able to take advantage of her proximity.

Therefore, she has not actually notified anyone in the past two days, nor has she informed other members of her "Tomie Network" about her situation.

Shin Heng-won stared at her for two seconds, as if to say, "Really?"

Tomie felt a little guilty and turned her head away, not daring to look him in the eye.

Xin Hengyuan saw through it but didn't say anything. He just hummed in acknowledgment, indicating that he understood, and then lowered his head to continue slurping his noodles.

Tomie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and sipped her noodles in small bites, but the corners of her mouth quietly curved up.

Just when Tomie thought the matter was over, Shin Gen's words suddenly came through.

"Then you should urge him to come over sooner. I'll wait a week at most. If I don't see him in a week, you can go back to sleeping in the basement."

"What? No, you can't do this to me!"

"I...I'm a pet now, and pets should be treated well!"

Tomie panicked instantly. She didn't want to sleep in that dark, dirty, and damp basement. If she slept there, her skin would get worse.

For Tomie, who loved beauty more than anything, this was tantamount to being killed. No, it was worse than death. She had long been accustomed to death after hundreds of years, but becoming ugly was absolutely unacceptable!

Shin Heng Yuan glanced at her expressionlessly, didn't reply, and continued eating his noodles with his head down.

Tomie bit her lip, staring at him expectantly. Seeing that he didn't react, she reluctantly sat back down in her chair, poking at the noodles in her bowl with her chopsticks, muttering something under her breath.

"One week, at most one week."

Xin Hengyuan added another sentence, his tone flat, but leaving no room for negotiation.

Tomie pouted, her eyes slightly red, like a pitiful little dog after being scolded by its owner.

"……knew."

She finally managed to squeeze out three words, her voice muffled and filled with resentment.

Xinhengyuan remained silent.

After a while, Tomie secretly glanced at him and saw that he looked normal. She then slowly relaxed and started eating her noodles again, but her movements were much quieter than before.

After finishing the last bite of noodles, Xin Hengyuan put down his chopsticks and stood up.

"You wash the dishes."

After saying that, he walked towards his room without looking back.

Tomie watched his retreating figure disappear at the end of the corridor, took a big bite of noodles, and mumbled a curse, "Damn Shin Hengyuan..."

But after she finished cursing, she couldn't help but touch her face.

basement?

Absolutely not!