Miracle Summoner

"It's already been a year and a half..."

As she recalled the past, a complicated expression appeared on Kurahashi Kyouko's delicate face.

A year and a half ago, after the major spiritual disaster terror attack incident, Kyouko was taken back to the Kurahashi residence by the family members, who claimed to be acting under the orders of Kurahashi Genji, temporarily forbidding her from going outside.

At that time, Kyouko was quite anxious. She didn't understand why her father had made such a decision and was also deeply concerned about the state of Onmyo Academy.

After all, the academy had just suffered an attack from a Spiritual Disaster, and both she and Natsume had been hypnotized by an unknown party, falling into a deep sleep for several days. By the time she woke up, she was already at home, completely unaware of what had happened outside—of course, she was worried.

However, upon learning that the Spiritual Disaster had been successfully resolved, the academy remained unharmed, and both Rozen and Natsume were safe and sound—along with the fact that they had even gained new companions—Kyouko temporarily breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the fact that Suzuka, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, known as the Prodigy, had not only entered Onmyo Academy but had even become Rozen's Shikigami, greatly surprised Kyouko, she was more concerned with returning to the dormitory than anything else.

"I finally managed to ease my relationship with that guy a little, I need to take advantage of this..."

At that time, only that thought remained in Kyouko's mind.

After all, when she had first entered the academy, she had always been at odds with Rozen and Natsume. It wasn't until the Spiritual Disaster incident, due to the Spiritual Disaster, that she finally had the opportunity to speak with Rozen and even cooperate with him for a while.

Kyouko wanted to use this chance to mend their relationship.

In truth, she never harbored any hostility toward Rozen.

If anything, due to her childhood experiences, Kyouko had always held a sense of admiration and fondness for him.

As the undisputed "princess" of the jujutsu world, Kyouko had grown weary of being surrounded by sycophants and flatterers.

In contrast, Rozen, when they were children, had never hesitated to tease and mock her, which had left an oddly nostalgic impression on Kyouko.

Adding to that were some emotional changes she had experienced in childhood, making her keenly aware that she was deeply drawn to that boy.

Kyouko was not a slow-witted girl; on the contrary, she was rather modern in her thinking, embodying the spirit of a contemporary woman. So she had questioned herself more than once:

"Could it be that I've fallen for that guy?"

But in the end, she never arrived at an answer.

She only knew that she cared about him—she wanted to talk to him, befriend him, and even fulfill the promise they had made as children: to challenge him in a jujutsu duel and earn his acknowledgment, proving to him with her own eyes how much she had grown.

In such circumstances, the reason Kyouko and Rozen had ended up as rivals was merely due to her own stubbornness.

Now that she finally had the opportunity to make amends, she wouldn't let it slip away.

Despite her prestigious background, exceptional talent, and flawless beauty—being the dream girl of countless admirers—Kyouko remained down-to-earth, genuine, and humble. She was known for her approachable personality, making her an easy person to get along with.

However, love often comes with obstacles.

When she was forbidden from leaving home or even returning to the dormitory, she could only stew in frustration.

And when she later heard the shocking news—that Rozen had become a criminal, had defied the Onmyo Agency by violating taboos, was wanted by the authorities, and had ultimately caused an upheaval before disappearing—Kyouko was utterly dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.

"No way! That can't be true!?"

At first, she absolutely refused to believe it.

But then, Kurahashi Genji came to her personally and spoke the words that shattered her world.

"The Tsuchimikado family has collectively turned against the jujutsu world and is now wanted by the Onmyo Agency."

"Tsuchimikado Akikan—it's best if you forget about him."

"From now on, you are no longer part of the same world."

Each of these words pierced deep into Kyouko's heart.

That day, Kyouko cried. In the end, she even fainted.

Of course, this wasn't because she had suffered an extreme psychological shock. Instead, the intense surge of emotions triggered the awakening of a rare and precious ability within her bloodline, causing her to lose consciousness.

When she awoke, the first person she saw was not Kurahashi Genji, but rather Kurahashi Miyo.

Her grandmother looked at her with eyes filled with a sense of hope for the future. Stroking Kyouko's head, she spoke softly.

"Just follow your own heart."

Those words breathed new life and motivation into Kyouko's soul.

From that day onward, she became reserved and withdrawn. Even after she was allowed to return to the academy, she no longer got close to anyone. She carried an air of cold detachment, as if pushing everyone away.

At the same time, Kyouko became more driven and serious than ever before. She threw herself into relentless study and rigorous jutsuryoku training. Under Kurahashi Miyo's guidance, she even began learning a new kind of power.

Thanks to this, Kyouko's strength grew at an astonishing rate, surpassing the level of ordinary students. She was now regarded as one of the greatest prodigies Onmyo Academy had seen—following in the footsteps of Yamashiro Hayato and Rozen. It was all but certain that she would become an exceptional Onmyoji, and even joining the Twelve Divine Generals was a foregone conclusion.

In fact, Kyouko's current strength was already on par with what Suzuka had been in the past. While she was still no match for Yamashiro Hayato, who had just earned his First-Class National Onmyoji certification, she was, at the very least, approaching the level of a Twelve Divine General.

Yet, to Kyouko, it still wasn't enough.

"I must become even stronger."

Because she knew—Rozen was far beyond her current reach. Even a year and a half ago, he had already been capable of battling Ogre Eater, one of the Twelve Divine Generals, and had even defeated several Independent Exorcists from the Exorcism Bureau. His strength was overwhelmingly formidable.

"I can't catch up to him at all."

Even Natsume was currently stronger than Kyouko. Suzuka was even further beyond. Kyouko had already confirmed this herself through her new abilities.

That was why she paid no mind to the praise and admiration from her instructors—she even found it frustrating that such a level of achievement was considered impressive.

What she truly wanted was the power to seek him out.

And when that day came...

"I want to see with my own eyes whether he has truly become a ruthless criminal, whether he has truly fallen into darkness."

That was Kyouko's greatest desire.

Thus, she continued to push herself, refining her newfound abilities with unwavering diligence. After all, this power might allow her to find Rozen's whereabouts.

Unfortunately, she had only managed to locate Natsume, Suzuka, and even members of the Tsuchimikado family, but never Rozen.

"I must not be strong enough yet."

With that realization, Kyouko pushed herself even harder.

Fortunately, as a third-year student, her curriculum was now focused on practical training, allowing her the freedom to spend nearly every waking moment sealed within the jujutsu training grounds, honing her strength.

And today was just another day in that relentless routine.

"That's enough for today. I should go see Grandmother."

Kyouko exhaled softly and headed toward the Academy Director's Office.

"Huh?"

It was then that she noticed something unusual about Onmyo Academy.