Miracle Summoner

A Turbulent Night Slowly Fades Away.

Before long, dawn arrives.

Sunlight spills across the land, reviving Tokyo from its nighttime silence and making it lively once more.

On the top floor of a luxury hotel, in an opulent room, a young girl slowly awakens from her slumber.

"Where is this...?"

Kyouko murmurs, her voice drowsy, still not fully conscious.

But in the next second, a rather irritated voice snaps her awake.

"This is a human trafficking den. If I say that, will it help you sober up a bit and realize just how reckless you were last night?"

The voice rings in Kyouko's ears.

"..."

Startled, Kyouko abruptly turns her head toward the window.

There, a young man, having removed his ever-present black outer coat, now dressed in casual clothes, sits on the windowsill with his arms crossed, rolling his eyes at her.

"Akikan...!"

On instinct, Kyouko sits up with great force, only to sway and collapse back down almost immediately.

Seeing this, Rozen speaks up helplessly.

"Alright, just stay there for now. I've already checked on you—there's no major issue, but you've overused your Hoshi-Utau ability multiple times. Not only are you completely drained, but your mental state is also highly unstable. If you don't get proper rest, you won't be able to get out of bed for the next few days."

Hearing this, Kyouko first freezes, then speaks in shock.

"You know?"

She looks surprised.

She wants to ask something, but Rozen already understands.

"You're wondering how I knew you possess that star gazing ability, right?"

Rozen's tone remains full of exasperation.

But the content of his words is enough to shock anyone.

Hoshi-Utau.

A highly rare ability that allows one to divine and predict through observing the movement of the stars.

In the past, only a handful of specially gifted shrine maidens and priests possessed this power. In the modern era, there are fewer than five known individuals worldwide with this ability.

Within today's jujutsu world, only two people are officially recognized to have Hoshi-Utau: Kurahashi Miyo, Headmaster of the Onmyo Academy, and Tsuchimikado Yasuzumi, the current head of the Tsuchimikado main family.

Yet Kyouko had awakened this power.

"Considering you inherited the bloodline of your grandmother, who possessed the same star gazing ability, it's not all that surprising you awakened it." Rozen states matter-of-factly. "Besides, you were able to track me down multiple times. If not through star gazing, how else could you have done it?"

Hoshi-Utau functions by reading celestial movements to divine the future. It allows for a degree of future sight. No matter how skilled Rozen's Invisibility Jutsu is, it's impossible to evade the perception of this ability.

Unless Rozen uses special means to conceal his celestial presence or casts jujutsu to curse, reflect, or counter those attempting to observe him, the moment he appears in this world, the stars' movements will naturally include his existence in their flow.

Thus, Rozen had long suspected that Kyouko had awakened as an star gazer and obtained the Hoshi-Utau ability.

However…

"Your ability only awakened about a year and a half ago. You're still inexperienced, and your skill level isn't high. Yet in just one day, you used Hoshi-Utau repeatedly. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?"

Rozen's tone shifts into one of reprimand.

And this is no exaggeration.

The power of Hoshi-Utau is not an omnipotent future-seeing ability. Even if the celestial movements record everything, how much one can see depends on the practitioner's capability.

Just like Rozen's Mind's Eye, which allows him to perceive past and future events by reading the world's records, an overwhelming flood of information would overload his brain if he peered too far. That's why he only selectively uses it, limiting his glimpses to several minutes before and after key moments to protect himself.

Star Gazers are the same.

Even though the turning of the stars is akin to the records of the world itself, for a mere human to perceive everything is nothing but a fool's dream.

If an star gazer misuses their ability or overextends their sight, not only will they suffer mental erosion from the inaccurate impressions, but they also risk being drawn into the unfathomable mysteries of the celestial flow—never to return.

Hoshi-Utau is a double-edged sword. If abused, the consequences are inevitable.

Kyouko's ability had only awakened a year and a half ago. She wasn't proficient in using it, yet today, she repeatedly invoked it. The fact that her mind didn't break was already fortunate.

More than that, the fact that she managed to pinpoint Rozen's celestial signature so accurately—despite her lack of mastery—meant that she had performed beyond her limits. It exceeded her capacity, throwing her spiritual energy into disarray and completely exhausting her spiritual reserves, leaving her on the verge of collapse.

To put it bluntly, had Rozen not arrived in time to take her away and use jujutsu to stabilize her spiritual energy, jutsuryoku, and even her soul, Kyouko might have ended up in a vegetative state, never to wake again.

Under such circumstances, how could Rozen not scold her?

Yet, rather than getting upset, disappointed, or fearful, Kyouko simply gazes at Rozen in a daze.

A moment later, she smiles.

A beautiful smile.

"So, you do care about me after all?"

She seems genuinely happy about this.

Rozen, however, is both amused and infuriated.

"You actually think this is something to be happy about?" He narrows his eyes. "Do you even realize that if I hadn't shown up in time, you would have—"

Before he can finish his sentence, Kyouko interrupts.

"But you did show up in time," she says firmly, looking straight at him. "And I found you."

Rozen raises an eyebrow.

"I found you." Kyouko declares as if proclaiming victory. "So now, shouldn't you fulfill your promise and make me your Shikigami?"

Even now, this girl is still thinking about that.

Rozen falls silent.

Kyouko, meanwhile, grows visibly tense.

Clearly, she feels anxious and uncertain about Rozen's reaction.

Because she doesn't know whether he will accept the outcome.

But Kyouko has already made up her mind. No matter what, she wants to stay here—stay by Rozen's side. Even if it means becoming his Shikigami, she won't hesitate.

Just as Kyouko firms her resolve and prepares to say more, Rozen finally speaks.

"You truly wish to become my Shikigami?"

His gaze locks onto Kyouko, his expression and tone utterly indifferent.

"Do you understand what fate awaits you once you make this choice?"

His cold words make Kyouko's breath catch.