Chapter 30: Professional Exorcists

Chapter 30: Professional Exorcists

"Are you the students from the School for Exorcists who encountered a fifth-ranked monster and brought back information?"

It was after school.

Karasuma and I were in the spiritual disaster counseling room facing the professional team of exorcists that had arrived earlier than expected.

"Well, more or less."

I smiled vaguely, unable to say that we were only able to bring the information back safely thanks to the help of my teammate’s big breasts.

"That’s amazing. I’m actually an alumnus of the school myself and it’s great to have such talented juniors. I hope you’ll beat those dimwits from Kyoto to a pulp in the summer tournament."

The woman in her mid-twenties gave an aggressive smile and extended her hand for a handshake. Her name was Kadokura Masumi and she seemed to be the leader of the team. She looked like the typical Buddhist priestess type of exorcist and wore a robe that seemed arranged for ease of movement and equipped with a khakkhara staff.

The other three exorcists that made up her team were also similarly dressed.

To be honest, the jingling gold rings on top of her staff were noisy but I kept my mouth shut about that.

All of them exuded an uncanny presence and level of spirit power, with Kadokura-san seeming the strongest. They looked friendly at first glance but I bet that if you tried to crack jokes with them, they would smash you with their staffs.

Karasuma had been with me since a while ago but perhaps she felt the same intimidating aura from Kadokura as Kaede, she didn’t even try to hit on her and remained quiet. Although not as big as Nagumo’s, Kadokura-san was also a beautiful woman with big breasts that could be seen clearly even from above her robes.

"So, I wanted to ask about ‘Monster A of Shinonome city’…"

Kadokura-san cut to the chase without much of a greeting.

It seemed that the policy was to not use the term "woman who runs away from boobs". Well, I supposed it was only natural. I would have laughed if she said "woman who runs away from boobs" while maintaining her current serious attitude. And then I would’ve been beaten with her staff.

"You’re certain that she’s a flat-chested female student of this high school?"

"Yes ma’am. However, that’s as far as we got. We still haven’t succeeded in identifying the monster."

While saying that, I handed the materials to Kadokura-san.

It was a list of classes and the potential monster candidates in each of them that Soya had written up this morning using her demon eyes.

Even I thought that it was a rather perverted document but this was for the sake of resolving the case. There was no choice. No choice.

"This is…?"

Kadokura-san skimmed through the material and furrowed her brow. She seemed to recoil for a moment but apparently, she was simply surprised.

"Our teammate used her spirit vision to obtain this. It’s only a half-finished document right now because she exhausted her spirit power in the middle of gathering this information. However, I hope it will help your team search for the monster more efficiently, Kadokura-san."

"A student who has not even gotten her provisional license yet, gathered all this material yesterday…? Speaking of which, there are only two of you right now, where is your other teammate?"

"Um–"

At that moment, through the door of the spiritual disaster counseling room, Soya’s voice came from the hallway.

"I heard that the professionals arrived. I’ve recovered a bit of my spirit power so I wanted to come by and give my greetings."

A murky figure wiggled behind the frosted glass of the door.

Kadokura-san looked irritated and expanded her spirit power intimidatingly.

"Then why don’t you hurry up and come in? You say you want to give your greetings but you’re talking to me through a door without even showing your face."

"Um, but.."

But Soya just mumbled on the other side of the door and didn’t come in.

"What’s the matter? Come in already."

"Are you sure? I’m, Soya Misaki…"

"So what… hm? Soya Misaki!?"

They truly moved at the speed of lightning.

When they heard Soya’s name, Kadokura-san and her teammates’ faces paled and they began pushing back against the door with all their might without shame or embarrassment. Kadokura-san even used her staff as a medium to activate some kind of warding-type technique. Their dignity as veterans had been instantly blown away, just what were they–

"Could you by any chance be the Soya Family’s daughter!? The one with demon eyes!?"

Kadokura-san called out to the other side of the door in a trembling voice.

"Yes, that’s me."

"I see… well that explains the material I was just handed… ah no, my apologies! I don’t mind you giving your greetings through this door! It is truly an honor to be able to meet the daughter of the famous ‘Soya the Shikigami Family’!"

No, it didn’t look like it was an honor to me.

"Um, by any chance, could it be that you guys know about Soya’s ability…?"

"Of course we know! We’re professional exorcists!"

I didn’t know why being a professional exorcist had anything to do with it but come to think of it, Soya did say it before. That her demon eyes were famous among professional exorcists.

"I should be the one asking you guys that! You guys know what she’s capable of and yet you’re still teaming up with her!?"

"Huh? Ah, well…"

When Karasuma and I both nodded, Kadokura-san and the others looked at us with perplexed expressions.

"So that’s how it is… no wonder your team survived a fifth-rank despite it being your first spring as first-years. You guys must have the mental strength of steel…"

She praised us lavishly. I wasn’t sure why, but the veterans were apparently in awe of us.

I mean, Soya threatened me using blackmail as soon as we met so I didn’t think that my mind was as strong as steel, even now. As for Karasuma, she was just a pervert. And an idiot.

"However, hmm. Since you have the Soya Family’s daughter…"

Kadokura-san pondered something with a serious face while remaining in a strange posture as she continued to push back against the door, then said,

"Then maybe it would be better to leave the spirit observation of the school to you guys for now."

"Eh?"

"Of course, we will prioritize the students on the list you have just given us and try to detect the monster from among them. However, it would be far more efficient to have the remaining students also be screened in advance by the Soya Family’s daughter’s spirit vision ability. The trouble with monsters is that they are highly dormant. Even we can’t cope with the large number of students in this school."

"Well, that’s certainly true… but then what will you guys being doing while Soya sifts through the students?"

Kadokura grinned and replied,

"We’ll just do what we always do."

Then tossed a talisman out the window.