Sett Chapter 11: There's someone who can help you (Patreon)

"What do you mean?" Hiratsuka Shizuka raised an eyebrow, her expression becoming more serious.

She had been asked by Haruno to look after Yukino at school, so naturally, seeing Yukino struggling with sleep piqued her concern. Normally, why would anyone have trouble sleeping?

After taking a closer look, Shizuka suddenly sensed something and said, "Something’s wrong—you’ve encountered something unusual, haven’t you?"

She could vaguely feel an abnormal coldness surrounding Yukino.

Although Shizuka hadn’t fully mastered her Qi yet, she had learned the breathing technique, and her own Qi and blood were stronger than most people’s, allowing her to faintly detect unusual energy.

At this moment, she could sense an abnormal coldness lingering around Yukino!

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you…" Yukino looked up in surprise and asked, "You can tell I’ve encountered something supernatural?"

"Supernatural?" Shizuka shook her head and explained, "I didn’t ‘see’ anything, but I can feel that there’s an unnatural coldness around you."

"That’s not something that belongs to humans."

"Only those who have come into close contact with something otherworldly would have such a residual aura."

Shizuka’s expression grew more serious as she stared at Yukino and said, "Tell me, what exactly did you encounter?"

"Alright," Yukino took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened over the past few days.

The injured cat…

The burial…

The nightmares…

The eerie meowing…

The more Shizuka listened, the more shocked she became.

This was, in fact, her first encounter with anything supernatural.

Before learning the training method from Higashino Tadashi, she hadn’t even known that the supernatural existed.

Listening to Yukino’s explanation now, Shizuka was utterly confused. She had no idea what was going on.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, do you know what’s happening to me?" Yukino asked hopefully after finishing her story.

"Uh…" Shizuka awkwardly scratched her head and replied, "Honestly, I don’t know much about supernatural events. I only noticed the issue with you because of some things I’ve learned recently."

"I see…" Yukino’s expression darkened.

"But," Shizuka quickly added, "I know someone who might be able to help you!"

"Who?" Yukino immediately perked up.

"One of my… friends? A playmate? A mentor?" Shizuka struggled to find the right word. "Anyway, he’s really capable. I noticed your problem thanks to what he taught me."

"Really?" Yukino raised an eyebrow, still feeling a bit skeptical.

It didn’t sound very reliable, but at this point, she had no other options.

She had no choice but to trust Shizuka!

"Hiratsuka-sensei, please take me to meet this person!" Yukino said earnestly.

"Alright, you’re clearly not in any condition to attend classes this afternoon." Shizuka waved her hand decisively. "I’ll take you now, and I’ll write you an excuse later."

"Yes, Hiratsuka-sensei!" Yukino immediately began packing up her lunch box.

She didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.

What mattered most now was solving her problem!

The two left the clubroom and headed straight for the parking lot.

Yukino didn’t even bother grabbing her bag. As long as she had her phone and wallet, she figured she was fine.

*Vroom!*

The engine of the McLaren roared to life.

With one hand on the steering wheel, Shizuka used the other to dial Tadashi’s number.

*Ring… ring…*

The call quickly connected.

"Hey, Tadashi…"

"I have a student who’s dealing with a supernatural issue and needs your help."

"Yes, right now!"

"…Fine, I’ll agree to all your terms!"

"We’ll see you at home!!"

Shizuka gritted her teeth as she hung up the phone, her expression furious.

Yukino glanced at her, slightly puzzled.

But feeling drained, she didn’t pay too much attention to it and instead adjusted the seat.

The previous passenger had left the seat reclined to a flat, 180-degree angle and hadn’t returned it to normal.

"Uh, the button is here," Shizuka said awkwardly, helping Yukino adjust the seat while feeling slightly annoyed.

It was all Higashino Tadashi’s fault!

Last night, he had said it would be the last time because she had to work today, but he still pulled her into the car for another "battle."

She had been so exhausted afterward that she forgot to fix the seat.

‘I wiped everything down, and I used air freshener. There shouldn’t be any smell, right?’ Shizuka thought nervously as she buckled Yukino’s seatbelt.

She was terrified that Yukino might notice something strange.

That would be a social death!

"All set, Hiratsuka-sensei," Yukino said after settling in.

"Alright, off we go." Shizuka avoided eye contact with Yukino as she quickly reversed the car and drove out of Sobu High.

On the way, Yukino was silent.

Probably from exhaustion, she soon fell asleep in her seat.

Seeing this, Shizuka instinctively lowered the seat a little, but as soon as she did, she was reminded of last night’s craziness.

"…"

Shizuka’s face quickly turned red.

Looking at the sleeping Yukino, she couldn’t help but feel awkward.

Lowering the seat felt wrong, but not lowering it felt wrong too.

"Screw it, just leave it as it is!" Shizuka thought, deciding not to adjust it further. After all, it wasn’t a long drive from Sobu High to her place.

…

At a high-end restaurant, Higashino Tadashi put down his phone, a sly smile on his face.

"A supernatural event?"

"It’s rare for Shizuka to ask me for help like this… A perfect chance to make some ‘excessive’ demands!"

"Once I cross that line the first time, doing it a second time will be much easier."

How could Tadashi miss out on such an opportunity?