"You wish to see Japan's Hidden World?"
"A strange request."
Sayanomiya Kaoru pondered for a moment, unable to discern Hinata's true intentions.
Like Amakasu, she didn't understand why the higher-ups of the Historical Compilation Committee had ordered them to make contact with Hinata.
She was also unaware of when such a powerful Witch had appeared in Japan.
Although there had been no direct confrontation, and Hinata's exact strength remained unknown,
Judging from the information Amakasu reported,
For someone like him, to sense a threat of death, Hinata's power must have reached the rank of ultimate powerhouses.
"Touma, take Miss Sakaguchi to the Shichiyuu Shrine."
Sayanomiya Kaoru thought of a household that perfectly matched Hinata's requirements.
"That place?"
"Understood. I'll escort Miss Sakaguchi there now."
Amakasu gestured for Hinata to follow him, personally driving her to the location where she would be staying.
As for Godou,
Hinata had already removed the mystic arts placed on him.
She never intended to harm him in the first place.
Now that the spell was lifted, he would recover swiftly.
After leaving the Kusanagi residence, Hinata and Amakasu headed toward the area near Tokyo Tower.
Along the way, Hinata saw many buildings familiar from her previous life: upscale restaurants, schools, television studios, radio stations, and embassies.
Surrounding these were numerous Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
"We've arrived, Miss Sakaguchi."
Amakasu stepped out of the car and opened the door for her.
In front of them was a narrow path nestled tightly against the main road, easy to miss if one wasn't paying attention.
"Hmm?"
Hinata ignored the scenery and instead took a deep breath, sensing the thick spiritual energy in the air.
"How do you feel?"
"It's a good place."
An ordinary person would likely dislike this spot and prefer a luxury hotel instead.
"This way, Miss Sakaguchi."
"I'll introduce you to the person in charge of this shrine."
"Mhm."
Hinata followed Amakasu along the winding trail, eventually arriving at a long stone staircase.
There were nearly two hundred steps, surprisingly tall for something located in the middle of a major city.
The Shichiyuu Shrine stood at the top, built on a raised platform accessed by climbing those stairs.
Though the surrounding trees weren't dense enough to form a sacred forest, the shrine nestled within lush greenery gave a sense of peace.
"Wow!"
"A Torii!"
"A red Torii! So this is a shrine?"
The crowd observing through Hinata's 'human camera' lens saw the scene and noticed the vermillion Torii at the top of the stairs.
"As expected, compared to the modern cities Miss Rimuru mentioned, I still prefer this kind of architecture."
Shuna looked at the Torii, already thinking about building something similar in the city of the Monster Nation.
The ancestors of the Oni Clan had once been samurai who crossed into the Cardinal World from Japan.
Now, seeing a real shrine, Shuna and Shion immediately examined it closely, planning to use it as a reference when constructing homes for the Oni.
Meanwhile, within the shrine grounds, there was a single-story building used as the Shrine Office.
In one of the rooms, Yuri Mariya was getting dressed.
Wearing a white kosode undergarment and a scarlet pleated skirt, she was combing her long, beautiful hair in front of a mirror.
Her hair wasn't jet black like a black pearl, but more of a light coffee brown.
It wasn't dyed—just naturally that color, which Yuri was somewhat self-conscious about, though it wasn't important at the moment.
Snap!
Suddenly, her comb broke.
"That's unlucky. I hope nothing bad happens..."
Yuri muttered, voicing a thought lacking any scientific basis.
It felt like some kind of omen.
If she were just a regular girl, she would've forgotten about it immediately.
But Yuri's situation was different. She felt the need to investigate further.
After finishing her preparations, Yuri made her way to the Shrine Office.
On the way to the main hall, she passed several priests and shrine maidens.
She returned the bows of those who greeted her.
Though she was only fifteen, there was a reason why everyone treated her with such respect.
In this shrine, Yuri Mariya's status was more noble than anyone else's.
"...Hey there, Hime Miko of the Mariya Family. Nice to meet you."
Amakasu greeted her in his usual irritating and frivolous tone, wearing a mischievous smile.
Hinata ignored the interaction between them and instead walked around, admiring the shrine.
Though not large in scale, it took up a fairly sizable area.
She had no idea how long she wandered, nor what Amakasu and Yuri discussed.
In any case, Amakasu had completed his task.
"This must be Miss Sakaguchi, the one staying at our shrine?"
Yuri bowed politely. "Hello, nice to meet you. I am Yuri Mariya, the Hime Miko of this shrine."
"Miss Sakaguchi, don't underestimate Miss Mariya. She is the most gifted Miko in Musashino when it comes to Spirit Vision."
Since ancient times, Japan had practitioners of mystic arts or psychic abilities.
Yuri Mariya was one of them.
Musashino, the group to which she belonged, was the organization of psychics tasked with guarding the Kanto region.
And Yuri had been granted the noble title of 'Hime' at a very young age, taking on the duties of a high-ranking Miko—testament to her immense talent.
"Hello, I am Hinata Sakaguchi. Please take care of me."
Though Hinata's current body was weak and incapable of wielding her full power, she still retained basic abilities.
Such as Spirit Vision, the same talent Yuri possessed.
The moment Yuri appeared, Hinata had already observed her soul.
Pure. Kind. Gentle...
The feedback she received was that, aside from being slightly inflexible, Yuri seemed like a well-behaved child.
It was hard to believe that the Historical Compilation Committee had sent such a young girl to monitor her.
(To be continued.)