Shota is surrounded by monsters!

Shota turned his head away in embarrassment.

They advanced forward onto the battlefield.

Shota tilted his head back.

Senjougahara continues to advance!

Shota was bending over!

"Your flexibility is quite good, Kousaka-kun."

Shota had bent his body so low that his head was touching the ground, while Senjougagi was also bending forward, parallel to Shota's body.

"Thank you for the compliment..."

Senjougahara's black hair fell to Shota's chin, making him feel a little itchy. He swallowed and shook the strange thought out of his head.

Why won't you answer my question?

Senjougahara, seeing Shota pressing her, said, "Judging from Kousaka-kun's behavior, it must be something difficult to talk about, right? No, to be precise, it must be something wicked, right? Judging from the flippant tone with which Kousaka-kun greeted me when he didn't recognize me, Kousaka-kun probably wants to do something unspeakable with the Onmyoji girl, right?"

"..."

What incredibly sharp intuition! Shota absolutely doesn't believe this is deduction; it's definitely intuition! But if he said it aloud, he'd definitely be censored. Senjougahara could hide so many stationery items in her school uniform alone; now, with this oversized Onmyoji robe, she must be carrying an incredible number of weapons! No, no, calling her a hedgehog wouldn't be an exaggeration!

"Someone like you, Kousaka-kun..."

Shota was bracing himself for Senjougahara's venomous attacks, but she only got started before suddenly stopping for some unknown reason. She then slowly straightened up, seemingly unwilling to pursue the matter any further. But just then, a photograph slowly slid out of Shota's chest pocket.

"what is this?"

"Bam—"

Shota got so nervous that he fell to the ground.

"This...that..."

Senjougahara pressed down on Shota, placing the photo that had slipped off his chest in front of him, and pressed him for an answer: "I remember... Kousaka-kun... you should already be dating 'someone else', right?"

The photo shows a cold-eyed woman dressed in black with dark eyes. She is completely naked, but a tail behind her obscures several vital parts. Regardless, this photo doesn't look like something good...

"Please get up first."

Shota's mind raced, and finally he sighed, gesturing in a serious tone for Senjouhara to stand up.

Sensing the seriousness in Shota's tone, Senjougahara didn't make things difficult for him this time. But her eyes told him, "If you don't give me a good explanation, you'll be sorry."

Shota straightened his collar and slowly said, "The person in the photo is the target of the commission I accepted."

"A commission?"

“Yes, a request.” Shota nodded, snatched the photo from Senjougahara’s hand, glanced at it, and then stuffed it back into his breast pocket. He said, “She’s the culprit who made Kyoto like this, Hagoromo Gitsune…”

"That's Hagoromo Gitsune?!"

Senjougahara was clearly very surprised by this.

"Yes."

Shota sighed and said, half-jokingly, "You've seen the situation. Humans alone can no longer stop the Kyoto yokai's advance. If this continues, the city will be completely stained black. Then, the ink spots will spread throughout Japan."

"..."

Senjougahara also realized this. She was silent for a moment, then said, "So... Kousaka-kun, you came to Japan because..."

"It's exactly what you think."

Shota gave a bitter smile and said, "I was commissioned to eliminate Hagoromo Gitsune."

"no!"

Senjougahara's expression suddenly turned cold, and she poured cold water on Shota, saying, "You're just a lazy little monster who likes to eat. How could you possibly be their match? Don't think you're so strong, and don't try to be tough!"

"……Thanks."

Shota waved his hand, signaling Senjougahara to stop trying to stop him with such language, and replied firmly, "But once I've made up my mind, I won't change it."

“The strong have the obligations of the strong. That’s what my good friend Rikuo Nura told me. Even if he’s weak, so weak that coming here is tantamount to suicide, I think he will still come here. No, he might already be on his way. What I need to do is clear a path for him before he arrives, or simply solve the problem for him. The Nura Clan has done me a favor, and Hagoromo Gitsune is their greatest enemy. I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

Shota patted Senjougahara on the shoulder and said, "It's dangerous here. You should leave quickly. The level of combat you're about to engage in is beyond your capabilities. That's why I left Rea and the others behind to come here. I hope you can understand, Senjougahara."

"you……"

To be honest, this was the first time Senjougahara had seen Shota so serious. Had that masochistic guy who only knew how to yell all day long grown up so much in such a short time?

"I... am going to Xiangke Temple."

Shota instructed Senjougahara, "Before that, I will send you away."

"..."

Senjougahara remained silent.

"I'll be watching you. I know I'm a burden to Kousaka-kun right now, but I'll still be watching your battle from afar."

Senjougahara raised her head, her voice soft yet firm, more unyielding than ever before.

This is no child's play!

"No, if it's just this little bit of help, I can still lend a hand."

Just then, a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Oshino bleat..."

Shota's eye twitched.

Oshino Meme slowly walked in from the doorway. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be openly and legitimately entering and leaving the main residence of the Kakaiin family. He said, "Just like what the tsundere girl said, if she only wants to watch and not interfere, I can guarantee her safety. What do you say, Taotie?"

—Are you setting a trap?

—No, no, how could that be? I was deeply moved when I heard about Taotie's enlightenment.

--you……

—Oh dear, did I guess wrong?

—If you hadn't shown up, I would have been free once I sent Senjougahara out of Kyoto!

—Oh dear, the guy would never do something like that.

Oshino Meme looked at Shota with a mischievous grin. His cooperation had actually surprised Oshino Meme.

"Don't worry, although I'm a little injured, I can still manage to defend. Go find Hagoromo Gitsune to fight. Oh, and I'll take you to meet the head of the Keikain clan."

Although he was thinking of using Shota, Meme Oshino didn't want to make a pointless sacrifice. After all, Shota was his biggest card right now, but of course... it wasn't time to play it yet.

"You tsundere girl, just wait here for a bit. I'll come and call you when it's time to leave."

With that, Shinobu Meme pulled Shota out.

"What on earth are you thinking!"

"Don't worry, now is not the time to deal with Hagoromo Gitsune."

Oshino Meme said to Shota, "The second seal is destined to be lost, but before that, we must weaken Hagoromo Gitsune's power. As long as you don't face Hagoromo Gitsune and his executives at the same time, you are invincible, Taotie."

"..."

"Well, I didn't expect Taotie to be so manly in front of girls. I was quite surprised. But I wonder what the tsundere girl's reaction would be if she knew something. I'm really looking forward to it. Hmm, should I call Miss and the others? They're already near Kyoto."

"they?!"

"Don't worry, I used a little trick to lure them away so you could fight in peace."

"...How insidious, Oshino Meme."

"You flatter me... I wouldn't want to resort to this method if I weren't forced to." Shinobu sighed and said, "After this is over, you can do whatever you want with me."

"Are you sure you don't want me to deal with Hagoromo Gitsune this time?"

"Don't worry, I'm only asking you to deal with one or two of her executives. Defeating Hagoromo Gitsune... can only be done when she's about to give birth. Right now, with the Sesshoseki in her possession, she has the ability to go one-on-one with Kogoro and subtly suppress you. If you add her executives to the mix, Kogoro will be in danger. So we have to strike when she's at her weakest."

"Let me make this clear first, I'll only help this once. I won't get involved with Hagoromo Gitsune after this. Also, regarding my illness..."

"It's not good to keep your emotions inside. However, the Onmyoji will definitely have some ways to temporarily suppress your emotions—without affecting your strength."

"Heh. Young man, even if I'm not around, do you really think you can just turn a blind eye to these things?"

Of course I won't turn a blind eye... However, I won't go and confront Hagoromo Gitsune—that would be reckless.

Sighing inwardly, Shota continued walking forward with Oshino Meme.

Oshino Meme led Shota into a room and said to the group of Onmyoji inside, "Let's get acquainted first, everyone. This is a friend I invited."

"Hey, isn't this..."

Sitting in the middle, Yura Hanakain was somewhat taken aback, while the two Onmyoji dressed in black robes beside him looked at Shota with wary expressions.

"Are you a friend of Mr. Oshino? It's so rare to have an outsider lend a helping hand at a time like this. May I ask what your expertise is...?"

Seated in the very center was the twenty-seventh head of the Huakaiyuan clan, an old man whose face was etched with worry. Not only him, but everyone present wore a grim expression.

"Well, Mr. Hanakain, my friend is not human."

Oshino Meme's words caused a stir among all the Onmyoji present, and some of them even picked up their weapons in a defensive manner.

"Taotie."

Shota glanced helplessly at the people present. Is this the consequence of setting a trap for oneself and then walking into it?

"The ferocious beast Taotie?!"

"I said, don't get excited."

Oshino Meme glanced at the several Onmyoji who were already preparing to make their move and said, "Don't push your friends toward the enemy, kid."

"Since they're not sincere, let's just let it go."

Seeing the opportunity, Shota quickly said, "I'm leaving."

"and many more!"

The 27th generation stood up and called out to Shota, signaling everyone else to put away their weapons. He then apologized to Shota, saying, "I believe in Mr. Oshino, and therefore I believe in Mr. Oshino's friends. I apologize for the rudeness of my family members."

Chapter 138. Hello, Feathered Fox.

"Hurry! Hurry! Gather everyone's strength, the enemy is coming!"