"Is that so?"
Ye Xing wore a lazy, relaxed smile as he spoke softly.
"You might die, and in an extremely painful way at that. Are you truly prepared for this?"
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Naruko Anjou recalled that night in the 'dream' where she had seen those dozens of withered evil spirits that seemed ready to devour her alive, and the day Menma died - though she couldn't remember any specific images, the intense fear that had remained in her heart for five full years without fading. Her legs began to tremble.
Yet even so, even while afraid, she replied without hesitation.
"I... I went to see Hana the other day... Though she said there were many things she couldn't tell me, she specifically emphasised one point."
Naruko Anjou took a deep breath, raised her head to look at Ye Xing, her eyes revealing determination.
"Hana said she trusts you completely, and since she trusts you, I trust you too. As long as there's hope of saving Menma... no matter how dangerous it is, I'll go!"
"Anjou..."
Hearing this, Menma's little face showed a touched expression as she tightly hugged Naruko Anjou's neck, rubbing her face against the other's cheek while giggling foolishly.
"Anjou really is the best! I love Anjou the most!"
Naruko Anjou slightly furrowed her brows, thinking to herself, 'What's wrong with me today? First, my shoulders feel heavy, now my neck feels sore.'
Could it be...
'Is it because they're too big?'
'Though my figure is quite good, it's not as exaggerated as Hana's, so that shouldn't be it, right?'
"And this is...?"
Noticing Naruko Anjou's gaze on her, Hina Amano took the initiative to introduce herself with a smile.
"Hello, Anjou-san. I'm Hina Amano, here to assist in this operation."
After saying this, Hina Amano sneakily glanced at Ye Xing beside her and muttered quietly.
"Though I say that, he's probably just taking me along because he thinks I'm too weak."
Ye Xing smiled and reached out to pinch Hina Amano's fair cheek.
"Isn't that your own fault? You've participated in too few exorcism operations. Though your abilities aren't weak, your combat experience is really lacking. Since you're the only one available, of course I have to bring you along."
"Fine then."
Hina Amano didn't resist at all and was even quite happy about it.
Though Menma and this Anjou-san were also here, she was still looking forward to conducting exorcism operations with Ye Xing.
"Since all four of us are here, let's go."
"Huh? Four people?"
Naruko Anjou looked confused, glancing at Ye Xing, then at Hina Amano, thinking to herself, 'Including me, isn't that three people?'
"Menma is here too."
"Eh!?"
Naruko Anjou froze for a moment, then looked around anxiously.
"Menma... where is Menma?"
"Don't bother looking."
Ye Xing pointed at Naruko Anjou's shoulder and smiled.
"She's currently lying on your back right now."
"Ah?"
Hearing this, Naruko Anjou's body couldn't help but tremble slightly as she carefully turned her head and whispered.
"Menma... are you there?"
Menma still had that innocent, foolishly smiling expression.
"I'm here, I'm here"
"She can't hear you."
"Oh... I forgot."
Menma's little face showed a thoughtful expression. After pondering for a while, she looked at Hina Amano standing there and smiled.
"Amano-nee, can you help me relay?"
Hina Amano smiled and nodded: "Of course, no problem."
"Thank you, Amano-nee. What I want to say is..."
Seeing Ye Xing and Hina Amano across from her suddenly fall silent, Naruko Anjou asked curiously.
"What's wrong? Did Menma say something?"
"Well..."
Hina Amano hesitated, unsure how to say it.
But Ye Xing had no reservations and went straight to the point.
"She said, Wow! Little An-Naru, you've really grown up now, your figure has developed really well! Especially your chest..."
"Drop dead!"
Naruko Anjou's face flushed crimson, interrupting Ye Xing's words with a mixture of embarrassment and anger.
However...
She was beginning to believe that Menma's ghost truly existed.
Because only Menma would call her Little An-Naru.
...
The trio of humans and one ghost boarded a bus heading to the suburbs.
Throughout the journey, Menma communicated with Naruko Anjou through Hina Amano, the psychic who relayed her words.
Many childhood memories - things only Menma and Naruko Anjou knew about, some so trivial even Naruko herself had nearly forgotten them - further convinced Naruko that Menma was truly here.
"Why didn't... Hana come today?"
Hearing Naruko's question, Ye Xing stared out the window and casually replied.
"Her constitution is quite special - it can unintentionally harm nearby spirits. However, using too much power causes side effects like fainting and dizziness. Although Menma isn't an ordinary spirit, recklessly letting Hana Yurikawa approach could make Menma vanish completely if something goes wrong. There's no need to take that risk."
"A constitution that can harm spirits... fainting as a side effect..."
Naruko repeated these words, then her expression suddenly changed as if she'd realised something.
"Could it be that Hana's sudden fainting five years ago... was actually..."
"Yes."
Ye Xing nodded faintly.
"If Hana Yurikawa didn't have that constitution, both you and her would have died in those mountains like Menma."
"This..."
Even now, Naruko still found it hard to believe that ghosts truly existed in this world.
Not just ghosts, but even mountain gods and evil spirits...
What was happening to this world?
Seeing Naruko's complicated expression, Hina Amano patted her shoulder and comforted her gently.
"It's alright. I felt the same way at first - it was hard to accept that the world wasn't how I imagined it to be."
"Mmm..."
Naruko forced a faint smile and whispered.
"Then... about this plan to resurrect Menma... could you tell me the specific procedure?"
Hearing this, Ye Xing, sitting nearby, chuckled lightly and said.
"The plan is simple."
"Enter those mountains and find the so-called mountain god's true form."
"Make them hand over that portion of your and Menma's souls, then send them off with pleasure."
"The final step... You don't need to know about the final step."
Naruko Anjou pressed her lips together, her face showing tension as she hesitated.
"Making them hand over part of my and Menma's souls... will they actually do it? Since they're an evil deity, they probably won't be that cooperative, right?"
"Heh."
Ye Xing smiled meaningfully, his eyes gleaming with that familiar excitement and anticipation as he slowly spoke.
"They'll hand them over."
...
One hour later, at the mountain's entrance.
"We're back here again..."
Both Naruko Anjou and Menma couldn't help but show expressions of tension and fear on their faces.
Everything had started here, on that day five years ago.
Menma hadn't returned here - after all, she had previously forgotten not only how she died and where, but even her own name.
As for Naruko Anjou, she didn't need to be mentioned.
Fortunately, due to childhood trauma, she hadn't returned here either, otherwise that evil spirit might have succeeded long ago in stealing her soul.
"The weather... is getting darker."
As Ye Xing, Menma, Naruko Anjou, and Hina Amano arrived, something within this great mountain seemed to sense their presence.
The sky grew gloomy, and cool breezes swept through one after another, rustling the leaves on the trees - it was as if the mountain before them had come alive, opening its bloody maw and waiting for them to walk right into its trap.
Just as Naruko Anjou, Menma, and Hina Amano were feeling extremely tense, they suddenly heard Ye Xing speak with amusement, saying something completely unexpected.
"Ah, I'm a bit tired today. Let's just forget about it and not go in."
"Eh?"
Naruko Anjou was completely bewildered.
Wait, you were so determined before - why are you suddenly backing out now?
Could it be that this man-eating mountain is too terrifying, scaring even this Ye Xing classmate?
Since Naruko Anjou wasn't familiar with Ye Xing, such thoughts were natural.
But Menma and Hina Amano would never think that way.
Fear? Terror? Retreat?
Any normal human, even psychics, would feel such emotions when facing a terrifying evil spirit that could be called a deity.
But not Ye Xing.
During every exorcism, he only felt enjoyment, anticipation, and fervour.
Logically, the more powerful the evil spirit in this mountain, the more excited Ye Xing should be - after all, according to him, the more powerful the evil spirit, the better it tasted when consumed, and the more pleasure it brought when tormented.
When facing that powerful deity controlling all of Japan's weather, Ye Xing hadn't hesitated at all - how could he possibly retreat now?
"Alright, let's withdraw."
Seeing Ye Xing actually turn to leave, Naruko Anjou, Menma, and Hina Amano quickly followed.
Before they could even open their mouths to question him, they suddenly felt the wind in the mountain forest grow more violent.
As if... the mountain deity had been provoked.
The next second, from the swaying woods, a figure clad in a black hooded robe with a peculiar wooden mask suddenly darted out. Holding a sharp dagger, their eyes beneath the mask burned with fanaticism as they charged directly towards Naruko Anjou, standing there.
"Offer the sacrifice... to the mountain god!"
Seeing the dagger gleaming coldly in the person's hand as they rushed towards her, Naruko Anjou—just an ordinary high school girl—felt her body turn ice-cold and her mind go completely blank.
'Am I going to die here?'
"As expected, they've lost their patience."
Naruko's vision blurred, and she saw that Ye Xing had somehow already positioned himself in front of her.
The coldly gleaming dagger was blocked directly by his body.
"Ye Xing!"
Naruko's pupils contracted in shock.
He... actually took the stab for her?
"Hey, why so dramatic? I'm not dead."
Ye Xing glanced down at the dagger embedded in his abdomen.
The blade had shattered as if it had struck solid stone.
The robed figure clearly hadn't anticipated this. Staring at the broken dagger in their hand, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"This is honestly hilarious."
Ye Xing reached out with his left hand, seizing the robed figure by the throat and lifting them effortlessly.
The robed figure struggled painfully, repeatedly stabbing at Ye Xing with the broken dagger.
"What a clown."
With his other hand, Ye Xing clamped down on the robed figure's wrist, his fingers tightening without hesitation.
Amidst sickening crunching sounds and the robed figure's agonised screams, Hina Amano, Menma, and Naruko Anjou watched clearly as the wrist was twisted into a grotesque shape.
The bones within had been pulverised by his terrifying grip.
"Come out."
As Ye Xing spoke these two words, what reflected in the robed figure's eyes was a completely black ghost hand with sharp white nails on each finger, choosing to manifest visibly before them.
"Crack its skull open."
"No... no..."
As the black ghost hand gradually approached, the eyes beneath the mask lost their twisted madness, replaced by pain from the shattered wrist and deep-seated terror.
But...
Pleading was useless.
The black ghost hand's index finger pierced directly through the robed figure's crown.
No blood, no splattered brains—the scene wasn't gruesome.
Within a single breath, blood trickled from the robed figure's nose and mouth, their eyes growing vacant and dull until all light faded completely.
Using its razor-sharp nail, the black ghost hand's index finger extracted a glowing human-shaped spirit from the robed figure's head, then slowly presented it to Ye Xing.
The latter nodded in satisfaction, slightly parting his lips to swallow the robed figure's soul.
Afterwards, Ye Xing casually discarded the corpse.
Though Naruko couldn't see the black ghost hand or the extracted soul, she knew with absolute clarity...
This classmate Ye Xing...
Killed someone?
"Ye Xing... this person..."
Hina Amano looked at the corpse casually thrown on the ground, its eyes wide open in death, and spoke hesitantly.
"Is he human?"
"Yes."
Ye Xing nodded with a smile.
"However, calling him human is rather insulting to the word humanity. This guy was just a fanatical believer worshipping that evil spirit called the Mountain God, willing to kill for it without hesitation."
Then, Ye Xing chuckled and shook his head.
"What a foolish Mountain God, falling for the trap so quickly."
After devouring the black-robed man's soul, Ye Xing's mind filled with the other's most profound memories from life.
As a cult believer, his deepest memories were naturally those of worship, fear, and similar emotions towards that Mountain God, along with...
The location of the sacrificial site within this mountain.
Ye Xing turned his head, his gaze seeming to penetrate through the mountain forest's cover, settling on a spot halfway up the mountain. He revealed a faint smile and spoke softly.
"Found you."
"Let's go."
Hina Amano patted the still dazed Naruko Anjou and said quietly.
"Let's go."
They took Menma with them and followed behind Ye Xing, walking slowly deeper into the mountains.
Although Menma also felt somewhat uneasy, that was only because her nature was too kind and gentle.
As for Hina Amano...
She had no objections to this.
What good could believers worshipping that evil Mountain God possibly be?
Ye Xing had said it too.
That black-robed believer had previously killed people to offer sacrifices to the Mountain God and had just attempted to kill Naruko Anjou.
That was absolutely unforgivable.
Procedural justice?
When conditions permitted, Hina Amano naturally hoped to follow proper legal procedures to bring the guilty to judgment.
But that didn't mean she was rigid or inflexible.
Ye Xing needed that cult believer's memories to locate the evil spirit's true form.
And there was the most important point.
Through this cult believer's sudden attack, one thing had been proven.
This evil spirit, called the Mountain God, didn't have a wide range of influence - its influence was limited to this mountain.
When Ye Xing brought Naruko Anjou and Menma to the mountain's edge but suddenly turned to leave with them, it must have seemed to the evil Mountain God like prey already at its mouth was about to fly away.
Simply put.
The Mountain God panicked, which was why it made its believer strike.
Unfortunately, it fell for the trap.
Not only did it fail to kill Naruko Anjou, but it even revealed the location of its true form.
As for the believer's life?
Since it was an evil spirit, of course it wouldn't care about a mere human life.
Just a foolish tool to be used casually.
As the four walked deeper into the mountain forest, the wind around them grew stronger, the sky became unusually overcast, accompanied by the rustling sound of leaves blowing in the wind, and the faint, shadowy figures in the woods that looked like swaying trees or something lurking - all of this made Menma and Naruko Anjou, who weren't particularly strong psychologically, feel quite frightened.
"Sunny Girl."
Ye Xing noticed the changes around them and smiled at Hina Amano.
"Time for you to make your move."
"Alright."
Hina Amano nodded, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, pressed her palms together, and once again assumed that prayer-like posture, enunciating each word clearly.
"Disperse the gloom..."
"Hiyoribo!"
Dressed like a sunny doll, Hiyoribo manifested behind Hina Amano.
The moment she appeared, a bright yet gentle warm light radiated from Hiyoribo's body.
Under this illumination, Naruko Anjou watched as the previously overcast sky cleared within mere seconds.
"All done."
Hearing Hina Amano's voice and seeing her smiling face as if changing the weather across such a vast area was effortless, Naruko Anjou stared in stunned disbelief.
This... could humans really achieve such things!?
This is practically... a miracle!