“I told you already.”
Shiye spoke coldly.
“Get lost.”
Feeling the burning pain on his cheek, the Ghoul was about to explode with rage. His whole face twisted and deformed with anger, his lipless mouth splitting all the way to the base of his ears, revealing rows of shark-like sharp teeth. Disgusting green pus oozed from between his teeth, dripping to the floor, while his bulging, bloodshot eyes looked ready to pop out of their sockets.
“Are you looking for death?!”
He roared, his knotted muscles swelling and writhing as if they were alive.
“Dear customer, fighting is not allowed in the Bar. Otherwise, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”
Jack, who was wiping a glass at the side, kindly reminded him.
“Shut up!”
The Ghoul screamed hysterically, whipping his head around and pointing a grayish-brown finger at Shiye:
“You filthy wench, you’ll pay for this! I’ll cut off your limbs, slice you up! Chop you into pieces—!”
His earth-shattering howl nearly shredded everyone’s eardrums, making the whole Bar tremble:
The chandelier swayed, bottles toppled off the shelves, smashing to the floor, rainbow-colored liquor painting the concrete like some delinquent child’s graffiti.
“My booze—!”
Jack wailed, but the monster launched itself like a bullet. The sonic boom had barely sounded when it was already right in front of Shiye, its hooked claws seeming as if they’d pierce the frail girl at any second!
“Sensei!”
Yukino’s alcohol-fogged mind cleared in an instant. She cried out, her youkai power surging into a biting cold that covered the liquor graffiti with a sturdy frame of ice.
Yukino knew very well that although Shiye was from the Investigation Bureau, she was still just a normal human. If attacked by a monster like a Ghoul, even if she dodged those claws and wasn’t impaled, the sheer impact would turn her into a spray of blood.
Though she hadn’t known Shiye for long, at the instant Shiye faced mortal danger, Yukino’s heart twisted tight.
I won’t let you die…!
Ice crystals piled up at a startling speed, and a thick wall of ice was about to rise between human and beast.
Bang!
The Ghoul’s three-toed foot smashed into the ground, leaping high before the ice wall could form, pausing briefly in midair, then hurtling down with force.
“Die!!!”
His twisted face stretched into a ferocious grin, as if the girl who had driven him into a frenzy was already his prey.
Thud!
The Ghoul heard a dull noise by his ear, and suddenly the whole world spun around. In the next moment, he saw the black-haired, red-eyed girl hanging upside-down from the ceiling!
What happened?!
Shocked, he hurried to move his limbs, but then heard the sound of gravel rolling by his ears. Looking down, he discovered he was actually lying on the ground, his body and limbs deeply embedded in it!
“I… gah—!”
A mouthful of thick green blood sprayed from his throat, viscous slime flowing from his mouth to his nose, over his eyes, dripping from his forehead to the ceiling.
“What… what kind of magic is this! What did you do?!”
Terrified out of his mind, he dared not show his fear, afraid it would provoke an even more terrifying attack.
“Can you manipulate gravity?!”
“Pfft…”
Standing on the ceiling, her clothes defying gravity, the girl covered her mouth and laughed:
“This isn’t some kind of anti-gravity magic… idiot.”
She spread her hands. “Take a good look around you.”
The Ghoul hurriedly looked around, and saw not only the girl, but the entire Bar—the bar counter, tables and chairs, the Bartender, even his own colleagues—all were stuck to the ceiling!
He suddenly realized:
It wasn’t gravity that was reversed. He himself was now head-down, feet-up, embedded in the wall!
“Damn…”
The Ghoul cursed, rolled his eyes, and fainted.
Seeing that this mutated Ghoul had lost the ability to fight, Shiye breathed a slight sigh of relief, rubbing her aching temples.
It’s been too long since I used magic. Doing it so suddenly is a bit much for my mind…
The spell she just used was called “Fist of Yog-Sothoth.” Although the name was related to that deity, there was actually no connection. The effect was to unleash a powerful shockwave in an instant, the strength of which depended on the caster’s mental strength and magic power.
The reason she could knock out a mutated Ghoul in one blow wasn’t just her strong spirit—it was also because the two of them were so close. The moment he was hit, it was like being rammed head-on by a speeding freight train.
“Old Zhao!”
Seeing their colleague stuck in the wall, several Ghouls who’d been watching the show hurried over, scrambling to pry him out.
“Whew…”
Shiye let out a long breath, then turned to Yukino’s side.
“Yukino, are you alright?”
Under Shiye’s concerned gaze, Yukino quietly drew back her rampaging youkai power. The heart-shaped ice crystal that had appeared in her palm melted away unnoticed.
“Mm… Sensei, I… I’m fine.”
Yukino forced a smile, but in her heart she secretly rejoiced:
Good thing Sensei acted first. If she’d been a second later, that Ghoul would’ve been nothing but ice shards by now…
“You’re drunk. How much did you drink?”
Seeing Yukino’s flushed face and dazed eyes, Shiye frowned slightly.
“Not much, just four bottles.”
Yukino blinked innocently.
“Four bottles here is equivalent to twenty regular beers.” Jack, who had been watching the drama, chimed in.
“Hmm?”
Shiye snorted, turning her gaze to Yukino. She saw Miss Snow Woman sitting primly, hands rubbing between her knees, eyes wandering in guilt, like a child caught in the act.
“Ugh…”
Seeing Yukino like this, Shiye’s heart softened. The words of scolding she’d planned wouldn’t come out. She only said,
“Forget it. I’ll lecture you later…”
Then she looked up and asked,
“Excuse me, are you the Bartender here?”
“That’s me.” Jack’s mechanical arm waved. “What, you want a drink too?”
“Is this Bar legitimate?” Shiye didn’t answer, changing the subject.
Jack put his hands on his hips and replied,
“Of course it’s legitimate. I have an Electronic Business License.”
As he spoke, his facial display switched to a document:
“Quality guaranteed, fair prices, no cheating, no tricks.”
“Is that so?” Shiye’s crimson eyes stared at him. “Then why are you serving alcohol to students?”
“Huh? Who?”
A question mark popped up on Jack’s display. He followed Shiye’s gaze and looked at Yukino:
“Could it be this young lady who drank four huge mugs in twenty minutes?”
Shiye’s eyebrow twitched. She looked at Yukino again, only to see Miss Snow Woman clutching the half-finished beer and sipping in small gulps. Instantly, her anger flared and she snatched the mug from Yukino’s hand:
“Still drinking?! You know you can’t handle it and you drink so much—do you not care about your health?”
“……”
Yukino tilted her head back, a bit of white foam still clinging to her lips. Her broken ice-colored eyes gazed up at Shiye, looking so pitiful that even without a word, Shiye couldn’t stay mad.
“Ha…” Shiye helplessly rubbed her face.
Why does she have to be so cute? She’s going to be the death of me.