Dinner at the Ayase Household.

Evening had settled over the newly rebuilt Ayase household—the air still carrying that faint smell of fresh repairs and lingering spiritual residue from the brutal showdown with the Evil Eye. The once-destroyed home now served as a makeshift supernatural containment zone under Seiko’s supervision. Jiji had refused to let them fully exorcise the yokai inside him—so he had to stay close at all times to keep the Evil Eye suppressed and prevent another rampage. The house felt crowded and constantly on the edge of chaos even with fewer people around. Tohno Shiki, a calm classmate of Momo’s from school, had gotten dragged into their world during a freak yokai incident just days after the Evil Eye mess. What started as him simply noticing something off at school escalated when his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception activated—those terrifying eyes that let him see the “lines” and “points” of death on anything, allowing him to cut and kill even the toughest spirits with a simple knife slice. Seiko had taken one look at the strain those eyes put on him and insisted he move in too, muttering something about “another kid with a power that kill him if he ain’t careful.” She promised to give him practical advice on controlling it, just like she was doing with the Evil Eye.

Momo stood in the middle of the living room now—arms crossed tightly over her chest as she surveyed the scene with a mix of annoyance and reluctant sweatdropping. “Oi baa-chan…how is it that this many boys end up squatting our house…” Ayase huffed—to which Seiko replied nonchalantly, setting up the table. “Things like that happen, Momo. Stop being hypocritical as well—you know pretty well you wouldn’t abandon them anyways.” That was well-said of her, Momo could do nothing but gulp and smile softly at those words, that’s right—if people had trouble, there’s no way she could leave them to their fate, that was her moral code.

Jiji sat on the floor—devouring his meal with such energy that Momo was forced to sweatdrop in worry. Shiki sat a bit apart on the couch, his usual calm expression hiding the faint headache he sometimes got from overusing his eyes.

Seiko lounged at the dining table with a cigarette in hand—her nonchalant eyes flicking between everyone like a warden watching prisoners. “Alright, listen up you brats. The Evil Eye stays leashed tight, or I’ll seal it for good this time. And you, four-eyes—those death eyes of yours are no joke. Seeing the death of everything ain’t something to mess with lightly. We’ll train ‘em properly so they don’t fry your brain like overcooked takoyaki. For now, no staring at the walls unless you wanna kill the damn house.”

Shiki shifted slightly on the couch—rubbing the back of his neck with a small, awkward smile as he looked up at the noisy group. “Uhh, sorry about that—I didn’t mean to cause any extra trouble. It’s just… everything here is so lively compared to what I’m used to.” He turned his gaze toward Seiko with quiet respect. “Thank you, Seiko-san for allowing me to be here, I leave myself in your care. it. I just want to make sure I don’t become a burden to everyone.” Shiki spoke—quickly standing up to offer a polite bow. Seiko smiled softly at him. “Yosh, good kid. It’s time for me to take a nap—Momo will show you a room, make sure you both go to school together tomorrow, don’t worry, I’ll handle Jiji.” Seiko spoke nonchalantly as she left the table—standing up and stretching along the way. “Goodnight, Seiko-san!” “Night, baa-cha—w-wait, you’re leaving me with them already!?” Jiji shouted—energized, to which Seiko nonchalantly answered with a wave of her hand, while Momo grumbled, visibly annoyed, before Seiko’s silhouette vanished from the dining room. “Geez, I hope Okarun was here at least…” She mumbled with a faint blush on her cheeks—before her eyes crossed with Shiki’s.