The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

Iroha Isshiki observed with curiosity the changes in Hachiman Hikigaya's facial expressions, having guessed his purpose in seeking him out.

"I saved you on the train back then, so you know who I am now, right? Besides, there are only so many students at Soubu High School. If you really want to find me, you can actually find me in a day."

"So the real reason you came to me is that you've run into some insurmountable trouble again, which is why you thought of me?"

"Oh, this..."

Iroha Isshiki's thoughts were completely guessed.

After listening to Hachiman Hikigaya's explanation, she stared at the tips of her shoes somewhat embarrassedly and nervously twisted her hands.

She had originally planned to find Hachiman Hikigaya and express her gratitude after that night.

But then a lot of things happened...

"So what kind of trouble have you encountered?"

Hachiman Hikigaya had no intention of listening to Isshiki Iroha's explanation of why she was only now coming to thank him.

After all, when he chose to help, he never expected Isshiki Iroha to repay him.

"Um, lately I've been feeling like there's something else in my room at night. And when I sleep, I keep having nightmares. In my dreams, there's a humanoid monster that keeps chasing me, and every time I wake up, it gets a little closer... Senior, do you think I've encountered that thing on the train again?"

As she spoke, Isshiki Hachiman's face revealed a complex mix of emotions, including unease, anxiety, and fear.

"Chasing you in my dreams?"

When Hachiman Hikigaya heard Iroha Isshiki's description, he was also taken aback.

"Yes! When I first woke up, there were about 50 meters between me and it. By yesterday, that distance had shrunk to only 10 meters."

"And at first, that thing was just a dark shadow, but the closer it got to me, the more its shape resembled mine."

"Senior, if it catches me, do you think it will replace me?"

By the end, Isshiki Hachiman's voice was tinged with tears.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine..."

Looking at Isshiki Hachiman, who had suddenly shed her disguise and become incredibly fragile, Hachiman Hikigaya, who had absolutely no experience in comforting girls, could only awkwardly try to soothe her with words.

"But that was in a dream..."

Isshiki sniffed, her voice filled with helplessness.

She is very good at understanding information from people's facial expressions.

The look of confusion on Hachiman Hikigaya's face after hearing her description told her that he didn't know what the creature in her dream was either.

"Even if it appears in a dream, there must be a way to solve it!"

Hachiman Hikigaya replied confidently.

There are no absolutely unsolvable problems in the world. The reason people say they can't be solved is simply because existing knowledge is insufficient to solve them.

Therefore, if what appeared in Isshiki Hatake's dream was indeed an evil spirit, then there must be a way to deal with it!

After calming down Iroha Isshiki, Hachiman Hikigaya spent 100 spirit coins to pass the problem on to the system.

[The Unknown Evil Spirit]

[Ability: Infiltrates human dreams, hunts down the target, and the closer it gets, the more its appearance resembles the target. It is suspected that it will eventually completely replace the target. Other information is unknown.]

[Risk Assessment: General Level or Above]

.........

Based on Hachiman Hikigaya's information, the system quickly listed several solutions to deal with the evil spirit.

After a simple selection process, Hachiman Hikigaya picked out a few practical methods.

One method is to exchange for the item "Dream Guardian" from the system shop. Its function is to summon a guardian with the strength of a general in the user's dream to drive away all intruders. It costs 10,000 spirit coins.

The second method is to exchange for a drug that enhances mental strength, thereby slowing down the rate at which the evil spirit replaces the One-Colored Feather. The drug costs 5000 spirit coins.

The third method is to exchange for a dream-entering spell. Hachiman Hikigaya enters Iroha Isshiki's dream in his spiritual form and personally defeats the evil spirit. The dream-entering spell costs 3000 spirit coins.

Of the three methods, Hachiman Hikigaya first ruled out the second one.

After all, this method only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. If left untreated for too long, Isshiki will also be in danger.

Moreover, even though he cleaned up the Yotsuya family again yesterday, he only has a little over 10,000 spirit coins left, which is only enough to buy two medicines.

The first method, although the spirit coins are a bit more expensive, is still within Hachiman Hikigaya's spending range.

However, Hachiman Hikigaya was unable to determine the exact level of that evil spirit.

If it's a general-level opponent, the guardian can fight them to a draw. But if it's a king-level or higher...

Therefore, Hachiman Hikigaya turned his attention to the third method—to take action himself.

Chapter 101 A Deceptive Method of Entering Dreams

However, after spending 3000 spirit coins to acquire the dream-entering spell into his mind, Hachiman Hikigaya looked at Iroha Isshiki with a strange expression on his face.

"What's wrong, senior?"

Seeing Hachiman Hikigaya looking at him with a complicated expression, Iroha Isshiki, who had originally wanted to say a few playful words to tease him, opened her mouth but ultimately changed to speaking normally and honestly.

Hachiman Hikigaya has already helped her twice, so it would be too much for her to play a trick on him again.

"No, it's nothing, I just feel a little regretful..."

Covering his face, Hachiman Hikigaya was momentarily at a loss for words to describe his current feelings.

All I can say is that if he had known the conditions for using the dream-entering spell earlier, he would have chosen the first method.

After all, there is only one Demon King in the entire Chiba region. How could it possibly be the same one from Isshiki Iroha's dream?

"regret?"

Hearing Hachiman Hikigaya speaking in a language she didn't understand, Iroha Isshiki blinked and moved closer to him.

"Senior, have you come up with a plan to deal with that guy in my dream?"

The senior must have come up with a solution!

Looking up at Hachiman Hikigaya's slightly embarrassed expression, Isshiki Hachiman thought to himself.

Just now, when she was crying to Hachiman Hikigaya, Hachiman Hikigaya still had a solemn expression on his face.

However, the solemn expression on his face had long since vanished.

Instead, there was helplessness, regret, and shame...

Shy?

Iroha tilted her head, indicating that she couldn't understand why Hachiman Hikigaya would have such emotions.

Weren't they discussing how to deal with the evil spirit in her dream?

Why are you acting shy when facing an evil spirit? Could it be that you're planning to seduce it?

Oh, how could that be possible?

After all, with those dead fish eyes on his face, it would look really strange if he dressed as a woman.

and......

Iroha Isshiki glanced down at her own figure.

Although she can't compare to the big-breasted cow next to Yukinoshita-senpai just now, her figure is still very good.

Add to that her adorable appearance, and even if the senior really intended to cross-dress, that evil spirit would definitely not leave her dream, right?

"I have a feeling you're thinking something very rude..."

Just as Hachiman Hikigaya made up his mind to discuss entering Iroha Isshiki's dream with her, he looked down and saw her trembling as if she was trying to suppress a laugh.

"How could that be? Absolutely not! How could I possibly think about anything bad about my senior?"

Looking up at Hachiman Hikigaya, Iroha Isshiki showed a well-behaved expression.

"........."

Seeing Isshiki Hachiman revert to his dramatic self, he remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.

Iroha looks much better now than when she was all crying.

As for what she was thinking just now, it's best not to ask.

"I have a way to get rid of that guy in your dream, but..."

At this point, Hachiman Hikigaya paused, an unnatural and embarrassed expression appearing on his face.

"but?"

Following up on Hachiman Hikigaya's question, Isshiki Hachiman's heart pounded as she looked at his embarrassed expression.

Could it be that the conditions for implementing that method are extremely stringent?

"But I need to enter your dream while you're sleeping, and the distance between us must be within three meters..."

After explaining the conditions for entering the Isshiki-ha Dreamland, a hint of helplessness flashed across Hachiman Hikigaya's face.

He should have thought of that sooner.

Since he was going to enter Isshiki Hachiman's dream, he had to wait until she was asleep.

"...Even though you saved me once before, I'll still call the police if there's any sexual harassment or other forms of sexual assault."

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's words, Iroha Isshiki remained silent for a long time before finally blurting out her words, her face flushed.

She's not the open-minded type to fall asleep in front of a strange man and then let him into her dreams—how could she possibly accept that?

"I'm not lying, this really is a necessary condition for me to enter your dream and kill that guy..."

After the conditions were stated, Hachiman Hikigaya covered his face.

"Well, even if you didn't do it on purpose, this kind of thing is still..."

After a brief moment of panic, Isshiki Hachiman realized that he wasn't the type to take advantage of someone's vulnerability and deliberately make such a demand.

But the thought that to get rid of the evil spirit in his sleep, he would have to show his sleeping face to Hachiman Hikigaya...