Shirakawa, a member of the Classics Club, had a brief discussion with other members about the "urban legend" of Miss Mary after school.
Unexpectedly,
the urban legend found him on his way home by train!
"I'll just go home first, it doesn't seem like I need to do much preparation." Shirakawa shook his head lightly, not paying much attention to the urban legend.
He was a nearly maxed-out "Exorcist" profession.
Among the many skills he had mastered, dealing with so-called Marys was a breeze. In fact, he was even a little grateful that he was the target of this urban legend.
If it had been Yotsuya Miko or Chiantida, things would have been much more complicated.
He could consider it a form of chivalry.
After all, after crossing over to the world of anime, aside from grinding for skill points, Shirakawa's life was filled with renting properties and spending time with beautiful girls.
The call from Miss Mary didn't delay his usual schedule.
As he was about to return to his apartment building, Shirakawa turned his gaze towards the nearby bustling street. He wasn't particularly picky about dinner.
But when his eyes glanced at the three giants on the street, Sukiya, Yoshinoya, and Matsuya.
He instantly lost interest.
Shirakawa shook his head slightly. He was a bit short on time, and the taste of Japan's fast food giants had grown stale for him.
A simple bento would be perfect.
He arrived at the 711 convenience store downstairs from his apartment building. The cashier on duty was a young woman. While there were no ugly women in the world of anime, she wasn't exactly beautiful.
She noticed the owner of this apartment building returning.
After all, the store manager, whose attitude was extremely bad, had to bow and scrape to this young man every month to discuss rent, so naturally, he had to treat him with respect.
With a smile on her face, she greeted him proactively: "Shirakawa-kun, you're back."
"Mhm."
Shirakawa wouldn't put on a sour face towards people around him. He nodded with a smile and then turned his attention to the bento boxes currently being sold in the convenience store.
They could be easily reheated in the microwave.
He wasn't particularly short of money, so he chose fresh salmon, sushi, and other items that weren't discounted.
However.
He didn't expect to encounter a familiar figure here.
Silvery white, silky long hair was braided into a dangerous style, gently cascading over her chest. Even in loose home wear, she couldn't hide her perfect curves.
But, this woman of mature charm was clearly facing some financial difficulties.
She was frowning, carefully selecting discounted bento boxes from the convenience store supermarket, oblivious to Shirakawa beside her.
"Izumi-san."
As for the woman's appearance, she was a magnified version of Sakuya. Shirakawa was naturally familiar with the young wife, Izumi Mio.
She was a tenant in his apartment building.
A young, beautiful ero-guro artist wife, raising her hikikomori daughter, Izumi Sakuya. It seemed that due to the change in the timeline,
the original plot hadn't unfolded.
Izumi Mio, who didn't remarry, became a tenant in this apartment building with her daughter. There were occasional rumors about Sakuya being so small.
Was it because of in vitro fertilization?
"Y-you're... Shirakawa."
She was startled by the sudden greeting, but when Izumi Mio saw Shirakawa's handsome youthful face, a smile immediately appeared on her face.
She had a good impression of this landlord.
When she was late with her manuscript fee, Shirakawa didn't urge her to pay rent. And when the lights or the sewer got clogged,
he would enthusiastically help her.
Izumi Mio carefully looked at the bento box in Shirakawa's hand, and the schoolbag on his back: "Shirakawa-kun, are you just back from school?"
"Yes."
Shirakawa advocated for efficient communication. He didn't need to ask her again about her obvious dinner selection.
But, seeing her pick out such cheap bento boxes,
he suddenly asked: "Izumi-san, is your manuscript fee still not paid?"
It was obvious that she was being looked at, Izumi Mio's gaze shifted slightly, but she still nodded seriously: "Shirakawa-kun, you can rest assured."
"I won't be late with this month's rent."
"That's not what I meant."
Shirakawa didn't really care about the rent. Instead, he continued to suggest: "Izumi-san, what I said before, you can really consider it."
"I'm about to go to university, and the academic pressure is a little heavy."
"I don't have time to clean the house during the day, and eating bento boxes every day isn't good for my health, so I hope Auntie can help me out a bit."
"..."
When she was brought up to the crucial issue, Izumi Mio looked at the discounted bento box in her hand. Sakuya was growing up, and eating bento boxes every day,
she was already hesitant, and her heart leaned even further toward the other side of the scale.
Izumi Mio had a basic understanding of Shirakawa's family situation: his parents had passed away in an accident, and there was probably no one in his life who could take care of him.
This was a way to thank Shirakawa for taking care of them.
Izumi Mio's delicate face nodded seriously: "Shirakawa-kun, I will seriously consider it. I will give you an answer tonight."
"Okay."
Shirakawa certainly wouldn't mind having a charming young wife take care of his life. Moreover, Izumi Mio was a mother and daughter who, in his past life, he had a very favorable impression of.
He nodded with a smile. He noticed a brief vibration on his phone. It was another call from an unknown number. He easily guessed it was the urban legend Mary.
He didn't want to linger any longer.
After all, this was his first real exorcism. He needed to prepare beforehand. If he let Miss Mary run away, it would be much harder to get started with his new career.
The difficulty would be extended indefinitely.
He paid for both of Izumi Mio's bento boxes. Anyway, this expenditure wouldn't affect his string of digital balances. Shirakawa went back to the apartment.
He took the elevator.
He directly returned to the top floor of the elevator. It wasn't the layout of an ordinary apartment building. To be precise, the entire floor was his home. The decoration was luxurious.
There was a home theater, a rooftop garden, a swimming pool, and even a karaoke room.
The only flaw was...
this large flat was too big. He had to hire a cleaning lady every week. He'd rather give the job to Izumi Mio.
"I still need to do some simple preparation."
"Logically, I just need to stay home and wait for Mary to knock on the door. Then, I'll set up a forced exorcism formation here."
Shirakawa decisively used his core skill.
As his palm touched the ground, a faint blue light instantly appeared, eventually condensing into a circular exorcism formation on the wooden floor.
No further preparation was needed.
Next, all he had to do was wait for the "Miss Mary" of the urban legend to come knocking!