I knocked on the door while waiting for a response.

"Just come in; it's not locked."

Her answer was friendlier than I expected, so I entered.

"It's unusual for you to knock, Rie..."

Before she finished her sentence, the middle-aged woman, busy with her work, started to look confused at me.

"Um, my name is not that."

"Eh, are you Edamura Zaizen-kun?"

"Yes, that's me. Is this with Hirashima Rina?"

"Yes, it's me. Although I've seen you in photos, meeting in person is indeed different."

The rector stood up and approached me.

"It seems you've grown much better than I imagined."

"Um, is there something wrong?"

"No, please have a seat. Do you want a cold or hot drink, or anything, I can prepare."

"Sorry, I don't want to trouble you, Rector. It's better not to prepare anything."

Of course, I didn't dare to give orders to the person in charge of the institution I belonged to.

"If you don't want to ask, I'll just make your favorite hot chocolate. Wait a moment."

"Ehhh..."

How did she know my favorite drink when I didn't mention it in my application documents here?

It didn't take long for my hot chocolate to be served.

"Let me guess, you didn't read my email and ended up getting lost?"

I could only stay silent while smiling upon hearing that.

No wonder you could get here so quickly; thank you for coming."

"Of course, I would come."

"Even if you didn't, I might have come to your place myself."

So, this is what Senpai meant earlier; it seems the rector of this campus is indeed intimidating. However, I realized there was something she wanted.

"What does someone as important as you need to call me at this time?"

The woman just sat down and started sipping her drink.

"It seems you don't like small talk."

"I'm just nervous meeting with you."

Of course, this was because she only wore a blazer and a short skirt, without wearing anything else or stockings.

She was very attractive, so I thought I should finish this business as quickly as possible.

"Ah, I see. Do you want to sleep with me?"

"Huh?"

I didn't expect her to read my thoughts so quickly.

"I don't mind."

"Um, you shouldn't say that to me. Your reputation will be at stake."

As she finished her drink, her gaze focused on me.

"My purpose in calling you here is that I intend not to become your enemy."

"Um, what is the rector talking about?"

"Edamura Zaizen, there's no point in pretending like that. I already know your background and everything."

This time, I lowered my head; for some reason, a small smile began to appear on my face.

"How far did you investigate about me?"

"I don't know much about anything else, but I just want to be honest with you from the beginning."

"If that's what you expect, then I will consider you my ally. So, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"No, I just wanted to convey that."

This time, I was confused about this woman's intentions.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all. Besides, you don't need to be too formal with me. Just call me Rina."

"Which student calls their university's rector by their first name directly? At least I should add an honorific title."

"Then, you should call me by my name when it's just the two of us like this."

It seemed like she intended to tease me; she had been showing off her body curves since earlier.

"Alright, Rina-san."

"Good. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"What is it?"

While I was trying to drink, she quickly answered.

"When do you intend to marry my daughter?"

I choked upon hearing that.

"Huh? What do you mean, Rina-san?"

"Don't pretend. You've been eyeing her since the first time you came here, right?"

I shook my head repeatedly to express my denial.

"Of course not, and besides, I don't even know who your daughter is."

"Eh?"

Why was she the one surprised now?

"I'm just being honest."

"Then, why did you enter with Rie-chan's ID?"

"Rie-chan?"

For a moment, I realized that she was the girl who brought me here.

"You really don't know about it?"

"I did meet a fellow student who brought me here, but when I asked for her name, she asked me to see you immediately."

Hearing that, Rina-san laughed.

"Hahaha, that cheeky girl. But it will be your task to discipline her. Can I say you two already know each other?"

"No, and I'm not even sure if she knows my name."

So she was indeed Rina-san's daughter; it made sense when I showed her the previous email.

"Why did you ask for Rie-chan's help if you didn't know each other?"

"I just happened to meet her when I got lost, and she kept asking about many things without explaining who she really was."

"That's her nature, as I said, she's my daughter. Her name is Hirashima Rie; get along with her."

"Hirashima Rie, I'll remember that."

"I'm honored that someone like you remembers my daughter."

"Please don't think of me that way because right now, I'm just a student at the university you oversee."

After finishing my hot chocolate, I stood up.

"If there's nothing else to discuss, then I'll take my leave."

However, Rina-san started walking towards me.

"You just moved here; let me show you around the area."

"No, I'll explore and find my way around on my own."

Upon hearing my answer, Rina-san sat right next to me.

I started to smell the pleasant scent of Rina-san's perfume, and the sound of her breathing was clear.

With a single pull from Rina-san, I fell into her lap.

"You know, I don't have many chances for this. So, want to do it here or at my place?"

"Um, Rina-san?"

"I can't wait any longer, so let's do it."

***

In the usual evening, I went for a jog on the outskirts of the city.

My name is Uematsu Nanami, a girl from the town of Zairyou.

Having graduated from high school in this town, I continued on to the nearest university, Kokujou University.

As this is just a small town surrounded by sea and mountains, there isn't much that stands out about this place.

However, there is one thing that definitely happens.

From a distance, I saw a middle-aged man about to enter a small alley.

But, there's a youkai figure following him from behind.

"This can't be allowed, as a member of the Uematsu Onmyouji family. I must fulfill my duty."

With the help of spirit energy and the acceleration of shikigami deployment, I ran at high speed to eliminate the youkai.

When I reached where the man was, I could see he was about to ingest some kind of seemingly dangerous pill.

"What are you..."

Just before the man started talking, I began striking towards the youkai I spotted.

"You cursed Onmyouji, trying to interfere with me."

The youkai noticed my presence.

As a result, my strikes were successfully evaded by this small youkai.

I pulled a shikigami paper from my jacket pocket and aimed it at the youkai.

The youkai quickly burned without leaving a trace.

I diverted my gaze to the man who was there before.

"There's no point in ending your life; seek the answers by continuing to think. That's all I can say."

"Hey, what do you mean?"

I ran away from the man just like that.

Indeed, even though I can only do this much.

Whatever the outcome, it depends on the man's will to live.

"All I can do is protect humans from external influences, that's the duty of an Onmyouji."

I have to fight even harder to save many people