"EAT!" Rengoku pushed a small bowl toward me. He had split the portion. "IT IS VITAL FOR YOUR SPIRIT!"
"Thank you," I whispered, picking up my chopsticks.
I took a bite. It was… acceptable. Not as good as a fresh artery, but the iron content soothed the gnawing void in my gut.
"SO!" Rengoku chewed with aggressive enthusiasm. "HOW IS CLASS 1-A? I HEARD YOU MET KOCHO! SHE IS VERY SKILLED AT POISONS! HAHAHA!"
I choked on a piece of onion. "She is… very dedicated."
"INDEED! SHE HAS A BURNING PASSION! JUST LIKE ME!" He took another bite, shouting "TASTY!" with his mouth full.
I looked around nervously. The cafeteria was a chaotic mix of cliques. I saw Tanjiro over by the window, laughing with a yellow-haired boy who was crying over a spilled milk carton. I saw Shinobu at the faculty table, dissecting her sandwich with surgical precision.
I just needed to finish this meal and leave.
Then, I felt it.
A cold, slimy sensation crawled up my leg.
I froze.
Under the table, something was moving. I shifted my gaze downward, using my [Demon Sight].
There, clinging to my ankle, was a blob of dark, purple sludge. It had one giant eyeball and a mouth full of jagged teeth.
[Entity Identified: Stray Spirit (Level 1).]
[Origin: Accumulated student stress and negative karma.]
It was a low-level demon. A scavenger. Usually, they’re invisible to humans. But this one was solidifying. It hissed quietly, sensing my dark aura. It thought I was its mother.
Get off me, I mentally commanded it.
The blob gurgled. Mama?
I am not your mother! I am the Demon King! Let go!
The spirit started climbing higher, up my pant leg.
I broke into a cold sweat. If Rengoku noticed this thing, his "Slayer Instincts" would kick in. He wouldn't just kill the blob; he’d probably incinerate the table, the chairs, and me, just to be safe.
"KIBUTSUJI?" Rengoku leaned forward, his face inches from mine. "YOU ARE SWEATING PROFUSELY! IS THE LIVER TOO SPICY?"
"It’s… the passion," I stammered, my leg shaking as I tried to shake off the slime-monster under the table. "The flavor is so… passionate… it’s making me sweat."
"EXCELLENT!" Rengoku slapped the table. The plates rattled. "PASSION IS THE SPICE OF LIFE!"
The vibrations from his slap caused the Stray Spirit to shriek—a sound only I could hear. It panicked and darted from my leg toward Rengoku’s knee.
NO! You suicidal blob of mucus!
If it touched him, he would feel the "evil chill."
I had to act.
"Sensei!" I shouted, my voice cracking.
Rengoku blinked. "YES?"
"Look! Over there!" I pointed frantically at the window behind him. "Is that… a cloud shaped like a sword?"
"A SWORD CLOUD?" Rengoku whipped his head around. "WHERE? I MUST SEE THIS OMEN!"
In that split second, I moved.
I dropped my chopstick on purpose. As I ducked under the table to retrieve it, I grabbed the Stray Spirit with my bare hand.
It squirmed, baring its teeth.
Silence, I ordered, channeling a fraction of my dormant power.
My hand shifted. My fingers momentarily turned into black, absorption tendrils. I crushed the spirit into a ball of condensed energy and—because I had no other choice—shoved it into my pocket.
[System Notification: Minor Evil Absorbed. Karma -5. Indigestion +10.]
I popped back up, clutching my chopstick.
"I DON'T SEE IT!" Rengoku turned back, looking disappointed. "PERHAPS IT WAS THE WIND!"
"Yes," I exhaled, wiping my forehead with a napkin. "The wind. Very tricky."
"WELL!" Rengoku stood up, finishing the rest of his bowl in one gulp. "I MUST PREPARE FOR MY NEXT CLASS! WE ARE REENACTING THE BATTLE OF SEKIGAHARA! ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR LUNCH, KIBUTSUJI!"
He patted me on the back—hard enough to dislodge a vertebrae—and marched away, shouting "UMAI!" at a frightened freshman as he passed.
I slumped in my chair. I had survived.
The blob in my pocket wiggled. I smacked it discreetly.
Stay still or I will feed you to the chemistry teacher.
ns216.73.216.10da2
and then Add to home screen.