Miracle Summoner

"Have you been doing well?"

The moment those words entered Kurahashi Kyouko's ears, she felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

At this moment, she wanted nothing more than to shout—

"Not at all!"

Indeed, not at all.

Just when her relationship with Rozen had started to improve, he became a jujutsu criminal and disappeared without a trace.

Even Natsume had left, leaving Kyouko feeling completely alone. Even though she could return to Onmyo Academy, it never felt the same as before.

For the past year and a half, all she had was loneliness, longing, and sorrow. Besides that, only one belief kept her going.

That was to find Rozen—to see him once more.

Now, that wish had finally come true.

Seeing that familiar face, hearing that familiar voice, Kyouko truly wanted to cry.

But she held back.

Because…

"They're...."

Kyouko finally noticed the situation on the rooftop, her expression changing drastically.

She saw that everything around Rozen, who stood at the center of the rooftop, had turned into a frozen wasteland. Even more shockingly, numerous Onmyoji were trapped in ice—some filled with fear, others with despair—frozen in a way that made them look eerily lifelike and utterly terrifying.

Among them, Kyouko even recognized Kogure Zenjirou, Yuge Mari, Yamashiro Hayato, and even Miyachi Iwao, the man known as the strongest Onmyoji of this era. Watching them turned into ice sculptures, completely unable to move, the impact on her heart was unimaginable.

"Don't worry."

Rozen immediately reassured her, saying, "Hokuto only froze them. It might affect their bodies a little, but they'll be fine."

Those words made Kyouko feel relieved.

But rather than being relieved that the Onmyoji were unharmed, she was more relieved that Rozen had not gone on a killing spree.

She never wanted to see Rozen truly lose himself to violence and become a ruthless killer.

Even though, by definition, he already was one.

Thinking of this, Kyouko bit her lip.

"Where have you been for the past year and a half?"

She asked in a low voice.

"Where else?"

Rozen shrugged.

"Running around everywhere to avoid the Onmyo Agency's pursuit."

That statement was half true and half false.

The true part was that he had indeed been running around.

The false part was that he had never actually been afraid of the Onmyo Agency's pursuit.

So, Rozen had not been running to escape them.

But to Kyouko, it sounded completely different.

"Did you really become a jujutsu criminal?"

She stared at him intently.

"Did you really touch the taboo?"

That was what the Onmyo Agency had told the public.

In the modern era, Onmyojutsu was based on Common-Style Onmyojutsu, which denied the existence of souls and gods. Instead, it regarded all spiritual entities as mere forms of spiritual energy, similar to Spiritual Disasters. This ideology removed all religious elements from the system.

Because of this, only a handful of high-ranking officials in the Onmyo Agency knew the truth—that Rozen had conducted a Divine Descent.

The rest of the world only knew that Rozen had committed a forbidden act, that he had performed a taboo ritual and successfully completed it. This led to his arrest by the Onmyo Agency, after which he caused a major incident and escaped, becoming a special-class wanted criminal.

That was all Kyouko knew as well. She had no idea what Rozen had actually done.

That was why she wanted to ask him directly—because she believed he might have been falsely accused.

Unfortunately...

"If you judge by modern standards, then yes, I did break the taboo."

Rozen admitted it without hesitation, shattering Kyouko's last sliver of hope.

Rozen had indeed touched the forbidden. He was not falsely accused.

"You must have suffered a lot because of me this past year and a half."

Rozen looked at Kyouko, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"I'm sorry for putting you through that. But this is the reality. If you can't accept it, there's nothing I can do."

At that moment, Kyouko's heart ached.

This was not what she wanted to hear.

But Rozen had no intention of stopping.

"Maybe you feel betrayed by me."

Rozen looked straight at her and spoke decisively.

"But you'd better forget about me."

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

"I don't want to drag you into this."

With those words, Rozen mercilessly severed their connection.

This was the best explanation he could give Kyouko.

He had indeed broken the taboos of this world—he acknowledged that.

Though he never believed he was wrong, nor did he regret his actions, the facts remained. Rozen would not deny them.

He had changed. He now understood the importance of respecting each world's rules. That was why, back in Sword Art Online, he had restrained himself and refrained from using mystical powers.

And in this world, Divine Descent were indeed forbidden. The things Rozen had done were truly dangerous. He would no longer deny that.

Because of this, he would not try to distort Kyouko's beliefs.

Moreover, given his potential conflict with the Kurahashi family, particularly with Kurahashi Genji, it was unclear what their relationship would become in the future. Rozen did not want Kyouko to be caught between him and her father, suffering because of it.

Rather than letting that happen, it was better to cut ties completely. That way, she might feel less pain.

However, Rozen had no idea how much his words were impacting Kyouko.

"Betrayed?"

"Forget you?"

"Not part of the same world?"

Every word he spoke was painfully familiar to her.

In the past, her father had said the exact same things to her—to suppress her and make her give up.

And now, Rozen was saying the same thing.

Kyouko's body trembled.

Then...

"What about Natsume?"

She suppressed her emotions and asked.

"She got caught up in your situation. She did nothing wrong, yet she also became a jujutsu criminal and is now wanted by the Onmyo Agency, isn't she?"

Kyouko's words were sharp.

Rozen raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"That's true."

After a moment of silence, he admitted,

"But Natsume is my shikigami. We are bound by fate. So, I don't see it as me dragging her into this."

That was how Rozen saw it.

It wasn't that he felt no guilt. He simply knew that between him and Natsume, such emotions were unnecessary.

"From the moment Natsume chose to become my shikigami, the question of who dragged who into what stopped mattering. For both of us."

He stated plainly.

Kyouko was left speechless.

Just as Rozen thought she had given up and was about to leave...

"Then let me become your shikigami too."

Kyouko lifted her head and spoke with unwavering determination.

"What?"

This time, Rozen was truly shocked.