Yotsuya Miko was at her wit's end. Haunted by the ever-present, nightmarish curses, she was desperate to find a way out.
She had spent most of her summer vacation holed up at home, reluctant to step outside. The reason? Her home seemed to be the only place safe from the terrifying apparitions that stalked her.
But school was about to start again, and hiding forever wasn't an option. She had no choice — she needed a real solution.
Buddhist charms, protective beads, and warding scrolls from local temples had all proven useless. Still, she refused to give up. Her search brought her to a local rumor — an old, abandoned Western-style church that had supposedly been renovated and reopened.
"If the local stuff doesn't work," she reasoned, "maybe a foreign religion will."
So, with equal parts desperation and hope, she set off in search of the place.
Yet when she arrived in the general area, she couldn't find it.
No matter how closely she followed the map, the church simply didn't exist. Frustrated and confused, she found herself wandering aimlessly… and then things got worse.
She felt it — that cold, suffocating pressure behind her.
A curse.
Panicking, she picked up the pace, muttering to herself in an attempt to stay calm. "Looks like I'm lost… guess I better head back."
But that was a lie — she was fleeing. The monstrous presence behind her was closing in fast.
Just as she was about to give up and bolt outright, a figure stepped into her path.
It was a man, tall and dressed in a black priest's uniform. His face was calm and welcoming, his smile gentle.
"Do you need help?" he asked.
For a brief, glorious moment, Miko thought she was saved.
He could see her — he had to see the monster chasing her. Tears welled up in her eyes. She could've hugged him.
"Yes! I need help!" she blurted out, almost sobbing.
But then the man's kind expression twisted. His mouth stretched into a grotesque grin.
"You can see me?"
The black-clad priest's form began to convulse. Thick, tar-like miasma poured from his body as it twisted, contorted — until all that remained was a writhing, flesh-like mass of limbs and faces. A cursed spirit born from the souls of dead exorcists.
"Why… why can it still pretend to be human?!" Miko's heart crumbled. Terror surged through her, hot and paralyzing.
She turned to run — but the way back was blocked.
Another cursed spirit — one with rotting flesh and eyeless sockets — loomed behind her. Trapped between the two, Miko stood frozen in place, shaking.
---
"That's one impressive cursed spirit," Adrian Blake observed as he stepped out of the barrier that had kept him hidden.
From Miko's point of view, a silver-haired young man had suddenly appeared beside her like an angel — or worse, another monster.
She didn't feel the comfort of a savior. No. She felt more fear.
He was handsome, sure, but that didn't mean anything anymore. The last 'friendly face' had turned into a nightmare.
Was this one the same?
Her legs refused to move. She couldn't even scream.
Adrian tilted his head slightly, watching her.
"You're pretty calm for someone your age, Miss," he said with a teasing smile, and casually placed a hand on her trembling shoulder.
Immediately, his spiritual pressure surged outward like an invisible wave, forcing the two cursed spirits to retreat several paces. The very air crackled with tension.
But the moment passed, and something else caught Adrian's attention.
Drip… drip…
He glanced down.
Tears streamed from Miko's eyes — big, round drops — and not just from her eyes. Her entire body was trembling, and there was an unmistakable dampness to her uniform.
Adrian winced. "...Too early for compliments, huh?"
Miko had peed herself in fear.
He reached out and gently pinched her cheek — not cruelly, just enough to ground her — then stepped forward, raising one hand.
"Lance of Light."
With a ripple in the air, dozens — no, hundreds — of radiant spears appeared overhead.
In the blink of an eye, they rained down like a holy storm.
Boom—!
The cursed spirits didn't even have time to scream. Both were obliterated on the spot, torn apart and purified in a flash of divine brilliance.
A mechanical chime rang inside Adrian's head.
> Ding! Randomly acquired Trait: Soul Devourer (Blue).
Allows consumption of spiritual entities to strengthen one's own soul.
He raised an eyebrow. "Huh. That came from the priest-shaped one, didn't it?"
It made sense. Most of the cursed spirits he'd dealt with recently had been weaklings. This one was different — it had been formed from the fused remnants of multiple exorcists' spirits, giving it intelligence well beyond its level.
Adrian folded his arms, considering the implications, then looked over at Miko again.
She was still rooted to the spot, staring at him wide-eyed and trembling.
"I'm not a cursed spirit," he said calmly. "If I were, you'd already be lunch."
He waved a hand, and the invisibility field surrounding the church dissipated like fog in the morning sun.
The building appeared before them — beautiful and eerie, like something out of a gothic painting.
Miko blinked.
"...It's real?"
Adrian nodded. "Come on. You'll be safe inside."
---
She followed, legs shaking, the humiliating wetness between her thighs still bothering her. She tried not to think about it.
But the moment she stepped into the church, she regretted it.
The air inside was thick — not with incense, but with something darker. The scent of blood mixed with something… sweet.
And then she saw them.
Two beautiful, half-conscious women were slumped in the corner, barely covered by thin blankets. One had long blue hair, the other chestnut brown. Neither looked like they were in danger — but both looked like they had been.
Before Miko could even open her mouth, another girl approached — black-haired, beautiful, and strangely… respectful.
She bowed her head and called Adrian Master.
Miko froze.
What kind of place was this?
Oh no. No no no. This can't be right. Is this one of those perverted… evil spirit harems?!
Am I about to get sacrificed to a demon?!
Her face went pale. She lowered her head, hoping no one would notice her panic.
Adrian sighed, clearly reading her thoughts. "Relax. Those two in the corner are fallen angels. They got what was coming to them."
"Fallen… angels?" Miko repeated numbly.
She wasn't sure what was more surreal — seeing curses up close or hearing someone casually mention fallen angels like it was a grocery list.
Adrian chuckled. "Yeah. They caused trouble. I punished them. No big deal."
"...This is your way of exorcising things?"
He grinned. "Let's call it my little exorcism trick."
Still dazed, Miko finally accepted the business card he handed her.
> Adrian Blake
Exorcist. Cursed Spirit Removal. Demon Cleansing. Open 24/7.
Now hiring: Experienced or gifted individuals.
She read it three times, struggling to believe it.
"I'm… Yotsuya Miko. Just a regular high school girl," she mumbled, finally regaining her voice.
"Nice to meet you, Miko. So about payment…" Adrian leaned forward with a lazy smile. "Normally I charge five million yen. But you seem nice — I'll give you the friendship discount. Three million."
Her jaw dropped. She went ghost-white again.
Three million?!
Miko's hands trembled.
Forget curses — debt was way scarier!