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ArabicAnime Crossover: Eating Evil in a Daily World — Chapter 8
Chapter 8: The Gate’s True Form
Hearing Yozora’s grim revelation, Miko’s heart plummeted into her stomach.
“If that’s really the case,” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly, “then this so-called Gate is beyond dangerous.”
Miko possessed a psychological resilience far beyond that of an ordinary high schooler, paired with a sharp, analytical mind. It didn’t take her long to piece together the horrifying implications. If this supernatural anomaly—evil spirits flawlessly disguising themselves as living, breathing humans—was truly caused by the ‘Gate,’ it would be nothing short of an apocalyptic catastrophe for a Psychic like her.
The entity that had just masqueraded as Shizuka Hiratsuka had exhibited absolutely no flaws in its appearance. It breathed, it spoke, it carried the exact same aura. Even if there were microscopic imperfections, Miko certainly hadn’t been able to distinguish them.
That was the most terrifying part. If her eyes—eyes that could see the grotesque reality of the world—couldn’t tell the difference, then no matter how cautious she was, it was only a matter of time before she mistook a ravenous evil spirit for a normal human being.
If that happened, the consequences went without saying. She would be devoured on the spot.
She couldn’t exactly expect Yozora to magically drop from the ceiling and save her every single time she made a mistake.
Thinking of this, Miko finally made up her mind. The lingering fear in her golden eyes hardened into a solemn resolve. “I want to go see this Gate you mentioned. Is it nearby?”
“It is,” Yozora replied, his tone as casual as if they were discussing a trip to the convenience store.
Miko gave a stiff nod. “Okay. Then after the last class is over and school is out, I’ll rely on you to lead me there.”
“No problem.”
When the two of them finally returned to the classroom together, Miko immediately noticed the shift in the atmosphere. The surrounding classmates were practically burning holes into them, their eyes gleaming with unabashed, gossipy curiosity.
She knew exactly what they were thinking. Walking out together, disappearing for a while, and coming back side-by-side—everyone had clearly misunderstood the nature of their relationship.
However, Miko really wasn’t in the mood to worry about trivial high school drama right now. Her biggest concern was figuring out how she was going to survive the week if the monsters outside had suddenly learned how to wear human skin. Everything else, including her social reputation, had to be shoved to the absolute back burner.
When the final school bell rang, Shizuka stepped into the classroom right on time. She was wearing her signature white lab coat, letting out a massive, thoroughly un-teacher-like yawn.
She gave a long stretch, a deeply bored expression plastered across her face. “Well, according to custom, we need to elect our Class Committee Members before this homeroom ends. Are there any brave volunteers?”
Hearing their teacher’s question, the students instantly became suspiciously enthusiastic.
“I nominate Tanaka! I sincerely want him to be the class rep!”
“I choose Sato, he’s the one everyone wants!”
“If you ask me, it has to be…”
Dozens of hands shot into the air as students actively voiced their opinions. However, without a single exception, the names flying across the room were never their own.
From this blatant ‘better you than me’ attitude, it was painfully clear that in everyone’s hearts, being a Class Committee Member wasn’t a prestigious honor, but rather a miserable, unpaid administrative chore to be avoided at all costs.
Sitting quietly in his corner at the back of the classroom, Yozora didn’t utter a single word. He simply rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window at the passing clouds, looking completely detached from the chaotic election unfolding beside him.
He certainly didn’t believe that any of his classmates, or Shizuka for that matter, would be crazy enough to nominate him.
Given the utterly ridiculous rumors already circulating about him on the very first day of school, how could he possibly serve as a Class Committee Member? What exactly would he be responsible for? Firearms management? A seminar on how to become the school’s most infamous delinquent in under twenty-four hours? One hundred practical rules for eliminating the supernatural?
Actually…
That last one might actually be a useful curriculum.
But if anyone used even half a brain cell, they’d realize there wasn’t exactly a committee position dedicated to exorcism.
Shizuka obviously saw right through the students’ stunts. Knowing they weren’t taking the selection seriously at all, she could only shake her head helplessly and let out a long sigh.
“I know it’s only the first day of school and you aren’t familiar with each other yet, so asking you to start voting now is indeed pushing it.” She paused, her sharp gaze sweeping over the room before changing the subject. “How about this: today is Monday. We’ll hold the official election this Friday before school lets out.”
The class let out a collective breath of relief, but Shizuka wasn’t finished.
“But let’s be clear—when Friday comes, everyone must vote, and you must give a legitimate reason for your choice.”
She scanned the rows of students, raising her right hand. Her slender, pale fingers slowly curled into a tight fist, which she shook menacingly at the front of the room. “If anyone dares to cause trouble or slack off, expect to taste my Iron Fist Sanction.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the students burst into amused laughter. For a brief moment, the classroom was filled with a light, cheerful atmosphere.
Only Yozora knew that the ‘Iron Fist Sanction’ Shizuka spoke of was absolutely no joke. This lazy-looking teacher was a hardcore martial arts expert who read way too much hot-blooded shounen manga. A direct punch from her was not something an average high schooler’s ribcage could withstand.
Once class officially ended, Yozora didn’t linger for a second. He grabbed his bag and walked directly out of the classroom with Miko trailing close behind.
Watching their departing backs, Kazusa Touma stood silently in the long corridor. She paused for a while, a complicated, unreadable look flashing through her dark eyes. Finally, her gaze drifted down, fixing intently on the empty can of Pepsi still loosely gripped in Yozora’s right hand.
Before they left the school grounds, Miko first went to the faculty office to find Shizuka.
The teacher didn’t question why Miko hadn’t come during the earlier break and had waited until after school instead. She simply confirmed the matter regarding the activity room from this morning one last time. After all, Yozora had been present during that incident, and Shizuka was worried that Miko might have found it difficult to speak plainly with him looming around, so she specifically asked again in private.
Miko’s answer remained the same, using a slightly clumsy, hastily constructed lie to cover up the supernatural reality of what had actually happened.
After finally leaving Sobu High School, Yozora led Miko through the winding streets for several hundred meters, his pace casual, almost as if they were just wandering aimlessly.
Miko desperately wanted to ask where they were going, but the words kept getting caught on the tip of her tongue. Yozora had, after all, just saved her from being eaten by a disguised evil spirit. They had only just left the school; would interrogating him now make him feel like she didn’t trust him? Or make her seem annoyingly impatient?
Just as she was debating whether to speak up, Yozora suddenly stopped.
He stood at the entrance of a deep, narrow alleyway sandwiched between two old buildings. Raising a hand, he pointed into the suffocating gloom. “It’s right in here.”
“In here?”
Miko peered deep into the alley, her brow furrowing in confusion.
It wasn’t because she saw a horde of terrifying evil spirits lurking in the shadows. On the contrary, it was the exact opposite.
This alleyway was simply too “clean.”
Normally, the backstreets of the city were littered with supernatural detritus. But here, even the tiny, harmless, bug-like ghosts that clung to damp walls were completely nowhere to be seen. If it weren’t for Yozora’s ominous warning, Miko might have genuinely assumed that a sacred, ancient shrine heavily warded by spiritual power was hidden somewhere down this path.
“Come in,” Yozora said, his voice dropping a fraction. “Steel yourself.”
Hearing his warning, Miko took a deep, shaky breath. She forced down the rising knot of nervousness in her chest, nodded obediently, and took her first step into the alley.
The instant her shoe touched the pavement inside, her expression shattered.
Miko’s golden pupils shrank to pinpricks, trembling violently as she stared at the impossible scene unfolding before her. “Wh… what is this place!?” she gasped in sheer disbelief.
The moment she crossed the threshold, the once-ordinary concrete path underwent a horrific, reality-bending transformation.
The darkness deep within the alley seemed to physically come alive. It writhed and twisted, expanding upward to completely blot out the evening sky. A thick, suffocating black mist—identical to the foul miasma emitted by high-tier evil spirits, but infinitely denser—poured out from the walls, flooding the entire corridor.
Although Miko couldn’t smell anything, the sheer density of the spiritual pressure in this environment crashed down on her lungs, giving her a terrifying, drowning sense of breathlessness.
And there, standing silently at the very end of the corrupted alley, was an old-fashioned, heavily weathered wooden door. It was slightly ajar.
Through that narrow crack in the wood, all Miko could see was a void of absolute, pure darkness—an abyss radiating a chilling aura of complete nothingness.
Standing beside her, Yozora’s expression remained as calm and unbothered as ever. After all, this was far from the first time he had looked into the abyss.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and spoke softly. “That is the Gate.”