Sett Chapter 7: Can you see it? (Patreon)

On the other side, Higashino Tadashi walked leisurely down the bustling streets, carrying the 300,000 yen in his pocket.

He arrived in a commercial district.

First, he bought a phone and an anonymous SIM card.

Then he continued strolling around, taking in the sights.

"Maid café, hehe..."

"Live performance by an idol group!"

"Arcade!"

"A Milf Brothel!"

"Streetwalkers, live!"

"Uh… I Shaved. Then I Brought a High School Girl Home, live version?"

Tadashi was amazed at the variety.

After walking around for a while, he stopped in front of a light novel bookstore, staring at a poster, deep in thought.

"A release announcement for *Love Metronome*?"

"Isn't this by Kasumigaoka? So, this world…"

Tadashi pondered as he took out his phone.

After some searching, he found the answers.

Sobu High—*My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected*.

Toyogasaki Private Academy—*Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend*.

Totsuki Culinary Academy—*Food Wars*.

The Shinomiya Family—*Kaguya-sama: Love is War*.

Shimokitazawa—*Bocchi the Rock*.

…

"And besides, there are also dangerous things here," Tadashi muttered, raising his eyebrows.

Leaning against a railing, he looked down from above.

The four-story shopping mall was brightly lit and filled with stores and customers.

On the surface, it appeared peaceful and ordinary.

But through Tadashi’s eyes, he could see vague black shadows.

These shadows muttered in low, sinister voices, wandering around various passersby.

"Can you see me…?"

"Can you see me…?"

"You must be able to see me…"

"Is this *Miko Yotsuya*’s world?" Tadashi squinted and continued to observe.

In addition to the blurry shadows, there were also grotesque, misshapen lumps of flesh.

These lumps resembled insects but had eyes, noses, and mouths.

Some even had muscular bodies, like mutated beasts.

These creatures moved freely through the floors and walls, occasionally latching onto people's shoulders.

Strangely, no one seemed to notice their presence.

"Cursed spirits?" Tadashi was speechless. This world was worse than he thought—like a cesspool.

How could ordinary people survive with so many disgusting creatures around?

"Luckily, I’m not an ordinary person." Tadashi clenched his fist and casually swung it behind him.

【Knuckle Down!】

*Boom!*

A black shadow over three meters tall that had been whispering in his ear was shattered into countless pieces.

The power of the Sett template allowed Tadashi to harm these intangible beings.

Don’t ask how—it’s just part of his cheat abilities!

*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…*

The moment Tadashi made his move, the black shadows within a hundred-meter radius scattered and vanished.

The area suddenly became empty.

It felt incredibly ‘clean.’

"Did it just get warmer?"

"Yeah, I feel it too!"

"Is the mall’s air conditioning broken?"

"It doesn’t feel like that. It’s a different kind of warmth…"

"How strange."

Passersby continued to walk by, confused.

They were all ordinary people and couldn’t see the shadows, nor did they know what Tadashi had just done.

To them, he had merely swung his hand behind him, nothing more.

They couldn’t see that a massive black shadow had just been obliterated by Tadashi.

Except…

In the distance on the same floor, a female high school student who had just come out of the restroom stared wide-eyed at Tadashi, disbelief written all over her face.

It was as if something unbelievable had just happened around him.

She had seen it!

She had seen a ghost over three meters tall get casually punched into pieces by the boy leaning against the railing.

Then, all the other ghosts scattered in fear.

The entire area around the boy suddenly became spotless—free of any ghostly presence!

"That…"

Miko Yotsuya’s heart began to race as she extended her hand, trying to call out.

"Miko, let’s go!" A voice behind her interrupted.

"Huh?"

Miko turned instinctively and saw her friend Yurikawa Hana waving at her, smiling as she walked out of the restroom.

They had planned to spend the day shopping together.

"Oh… okay," Miko nodded, and quickly looked back at the railing.

But in the brief moment she was distracted, the boy was gone.

"He’s gone?!"

Miko’s eyes widened as she frantically scanned the area, trying to find him.

But no matter how much she looked around, the boy was nowhere to be found.

"What’s wrong, Miko?" Hana asked, puzzled. "Are you looking for someone?"

"I…"

Miko bit her lip in frustration.

She had missed someone important!

That boy could directly kill the ghosts that ordinary people couldn’t see!

If she could ask him for help, maybe he could solve the problem that had been haunting her for so long.

"It’s nothing."

Miko remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed and shook her head at Hana. "Let’s go."

She had missed her chance, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Even though Hana had unintentionally interrupted her, it wasn’t her fault.

Who would have thought that on an ordinary shopping day, she would encounter someone who could kill ghosts?

"Let’s go, let’s go!"

Hana excitedly wrapped her arm around Miko’s and pulled her toward the next store.

As Miko was dragged along, she thought to herself, ‘If he was here, he must live nearby, right?’

‘Maybe I’ll run into him again!’

‘I’ve made up my mind—I’ll come to this mall after school and on weekends!’

Miko secretly resolved.