Chapter 158: The God of the Shrine!
The heat from their talismans made both girls jump.
Of course, neither of them had forgotten what a burning talisman meant.
It meant an evil spirit they could not handle was right beside them.
They had no idea why something like that had taken an interest in them, but there was no time to worry about the reason.
Yotsuya Miko and Niguredo Yuria could feel its gaze.
Even without looking directly at it, they could sense something watching them from above.
Neither girl dared turn her eyes toward the spirit lingering at the edge of their vision.
Instead, Miko took out her phone and used the camera to see what had appeared overhead.
Inside the torii, above the shrine approach, stood a spirit resembling both a fox and a deer.
Something like a head lowered toward the three girls.
Bells and shimenawa-like cords were wrapped around its two ears, swaying gently in the breeze.
Its animal-like head was silhouetted against the sunlight.
Cloudlike streams of energy gathered around its body, gleaming brilliantly beneath the sun and giving it an almost sacred appearance.
The dazzling radiance made it extremely difficult to associate this creature with the usual evil spirits that looked sinister at first glance.
As if supporting that impression—
Two other spirits stood beside it like attendants.
They had human bodies and fox masks, dressed in white robes and hakama with red cords.
Their hands were clasped together as they stood faithfully at either side of the larger spirit.
'Is that… an actual god?'
Miko knew about Inari shrines, and the creature's appearance certainly resembled a benevolent deity associated with Inari.
But she quickly abandoned that thought.
'If it really were a benevolent god, why would nobody worship here?'
'And why would there be so many evil spirits nearby?'
Besides, this was hardly the time to gamble on wishful thinking.
Trusting the warning from the burning talisman, Miko tightened her grip around the substitute rabbit doll in her pocket.
Based on nothing more than instinct and her limited experience—Neither she nor Yuria stood a chance against whatever had entered this shrine, whether it was merely an evil spirit or a true god.
She was already prepared.
If anything strange happened, she would throw every substitute doll she had and drag the other two back the way they came.
At least the evil spirits behind them, no matter how numerous, were still individually within her ability to fight.
"Miko? Should we go inside? The scenery looks prettier in there."
Hana finally spoke after seeing Miko and Yuria standing still for so long.
"Let's rest here for a bit…"
Miko hurriedly stopped her.
Sensei had already replied.
They only needed to wait here a little longer.
"Let's see if anyone comes out first."
A torii marked the entrance to a shrine's sacred territory.
In the broadest sense, it separated the realm inhabited by the gods from the ordinary human world.
And right now, the fox-deer spirit stood beyond the torii without making any further move.
Meanwhile, the swarm of evil spirits behind them refused to approach.
That alone was enough reason not to enter.
"Ah, are you hungry, Miko? You really are hopeless~"
Hana apparently assumed Miko was simply tired after walking so far.
She rummaged around inside her school bag.
"Ta-da! Melon bread!"
"No, thanks. I'm just a little tired."
Miko hurriedly declined.
This was hardly the time to eat.
"It's fine! I still have more in my bag!"
Hana continued digging around.
"Yuria-chan, you should have one too! Let's eat dessert before dinner right here!"
"Eh? No, I'm fine. I can't eat anymore."
Yuria hurriedly refused.
She had also opened the camera on her phone and did not dare take her attention away from the godlike spirit before them.
Besides—What exactly was "dessert before dinner"?
Wasn't dessert supposed to come afterward?
"No way!"
Hana immediately shoved a melon bread into each girl's hands.
"Miko, Yuria-chan, you absolutely have to remember this one rule—"
"If you're hungry, eat!"
Completely unaware of what was happening, Hana pulled out another bread for herself and happily began munching on it.
'It must be nice not knowing anything.'
Miko thought.
At that moment, the spirit that had been watching them remain outside the torii slowly extended one of the limbs supporting its body.
Jingle~ Jingle~
Two enormous fingers held two normal-sized bells.
As they moved, the bells released a crisp ringing sound.
Both Miko and Yuria felt their minds suddenly sharpen.
The spirit slowly lowered the two bells until one hung in front of Miko and the other before Yuria.
'Is it telling us to take them?'
Watching through her phone, Miko bit her lip and lowered her head even further.
The bell hanging before her face continued ringing.
She had no idea what would happen if she accepted it.
Yet every chime felt less like the clear sound of a bell and more like a call echoing from some distant, mysterious place.
It felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
And somehow—It made Miko want to raise her head and take the bell.
With every ring, that urge became stronger.
Slowly, Miko began lifting her head.
Behind the spirit, its foxlike tail immediately started wagging excitedly, curling happily through the air.
"Miko!"
"Hm?! What?"
Miko abruptly snapped out of her daze and turned toward Yuria.
Yuria stared at her in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Miko followed the direction of Yuria's finger.
Only then did she realize in shock that her hand had somehow reached almost all the way toward the bell beside the torii.
'When did that happen?'
Panic surged through her.
Miko quickly pulled her hand back and lowered her head again.
At the same moment—The bell rang once more.
'My head felt weird just now…'
'This is bad.'
Remembering that almost intoxicating sensation, Miko hurriedly covered her ears.
But she immediately discovered that blocking the sound did nothing.
The ringing was not traveling through the air in any ordinary way.
It bypassed her ears completely and reached directly into her mind—or perhaps her soul.
'How is Yuria-chan resisting it?'
Miko glanced sideways.
Then she saw Yuria blankly staring at the melon bread in her hands, which was nearly half the size of her head.
'Oh.'
'So that's how.'
Now that she understood the principle, Miko emptied her thoughts and prepared to start spacing out too.
Before she could properly enter that state—A roaring engine suddenly approached.
It was the unmistakable rattling noise of an ancient sedan that sounded as though it might fall apart at any moment.
Soon, from deeper inside the shrine—and directly behind the so-called god—A taxi visible to the naked eye came charging toward them like a wild boar.
"There's no time to explain! Get in!"
The ghost driver stuck his head out the window and shouted at the three girls.
Capable of traveling between the realm of the dead and reality, the ghost driver had easily reached this shrine isolated from the outside world by using the exorcism tool Miko carried as a coordinate.
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