Chapter 182: Tokyo's Native God, Returning the Famous Sword Mikazuki Munechika to Its Original Owner
Looking at the red thread tied to their wrists, Kazusa, Mai, Yui, Rio, Miko, and Kawasaki Saki, all six girls felt both shy and somewhat speechless.
There's actually this kind of method?
Yoru alone holding six, equals everyone holding hands and walking through the Torii together?
Are you exploiting a bug here?
"You this..."
When Mai turned her head, she realized that at some unknown time, Menma had already jumped onto Yoru's back.
Goodness, it turns out there are more than six?
Six people and one spirit?
Not far away, Amano Hina and Marin looked at each other, both looking at a loss.
This... what's the situation?
Why wasn't a thread tied for me...
No, that's not the point.
"Tch, this guy..."
Watching Yoru, along with Mai and others, step into the Torii gate together and walk towards the shrine, Yukino didn't know why, but a very aggrieved feeling came from her heart, couldn't help gritting her silver teeth lightly, and spat softly.
"What a playboy... yet they all just let this guy mess around."
A wonderful thought suddenly emerged in Yukino's heart.
If I was the first one...
I definitely wouldn't share with others.
When this thought popped up, Yukino finally realized something was wrong, and hurriedly shook her head.
How could I have this kind of thought?
There is no first come first served, I never even thought about coming.
But sister Haruno....
Yukino looked at Yoru's increasingly distant back, the headlines of those news reports she collected flashing in her mind.
And the hot news on the internet still lit up on her phone screen.
[Famous Sword Mikazuki Munechika is currently on public exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum]
Yukino picked up her phone and glanced at it, a thoughtful look revealing in her eyes.
If... it's really as I guessed... this trip to Tokyo, ostensibly the Super-Quant Club's summer activity, actually...
Then Yoru's true identity is obvious.
....
When the Super-Quant Club members walked through the dozen-meter-long Torii and came to the front of the shrine gate, the shrine, originally gathered with many tourists coming to worship in twos and threes, instantly quieted down.
Everyone's gaze turned to Yoru.
Not looking at him as a person.
But looking at the six red threads tied to his wrist, and the six beautiful girls connected at the ends of the red threads.
"This... what is the situation?"
"Is there a special god-worshipping ritual today? I haven't heard of it."
"Looking at their dress, they don't seem like internal staff of the shrine either..."
"What is this? A wonderful little train connected by red threads?"
"Eagle catching chicks, red thread connected version?"
....
Amidst the discussions of the tourists, an old woman wearing a standard robe and dressed quite antiquely frowned slightly, walked slowly in front of Yoru and others, and said displeased.
"You people, do you think the gods' blessings are playing house? To actually do such a highly disrespectful act!?"
"Hehe."
Yoru returned a friendly smile, but the words he spoke were as highly aggressive as always.
"Old geezer, speak to me more politely. Even if you let that BYD god come personally, He wouldn't dare to speak to me like this."
"You..."
The old woman didn't expect Yoru would actually say such words, instantly choking and freezing for a moment.
The surrounding tourists also frowned, discussing in low voices.
"Highly disrespectful..."
"BYD god... this is too offensive."
"Current young people are truly audacious."
....
"You actually dare to speak such disrespectful words inside the shrine!?"
The old woman frowned tightly, her lips trembling with anger. Just as she was about to say something, the wind chime hung in front of the shrine's donation box suddenly moved without wind, making a crisp and pleasant sound.
Jingle bell~
Hearing this crisp bell sound, the old woman first looked stern, then looked at Yoru standing in front of her, and said in a cold voice.
"The god is displeased. You better leave as soon as possible, to avoid suffering divine punishment...."
Just as she was halfway through speaking, the wind chime sounded again.
Jingle, jingle, jingle, jingle!
Compared to the softness just now, the frequency of this ringing was much faster.
Felt like it was getting anxious.
"This..."
The old woman had obviously never encountered such a situation either, not knowing what message the god she worshipped wanted to convey.
And at this time, Mai, Miko, Yui, and Rio, these four spirit mediums possessing Yin-Yang Eyes, and Menma, who was a ghost herself, looked at that constantly shaking wind chime with complicated faces.
In the eyes of ordinary people, the wind chime moved without wind.
But these four people and one spirit could clearly see that a short old man wearing linen clothes and a long white beard was constantly shaking that wind chime with an anxious face.
Even the old man's face was seeping nervous sweat.
"Stop talking, stop talking, this old man begs you, stop talking quickly."
The aged voice was full of panic.
The short body was sweating profusely.
In his eyes, there was a look of horror and dread.
This was the guardian deity of this shrine.
And at this time, this guardian deity with the appearance of an old man was almost unable to hold on.
From the moment Yoru led the Super-Quant Club members through the Torii gate, He, as the guardian deity of this place, already sensed it.
There's an ordinary ghost, this doesn't matter.
Four special humans who vaguely exude a power aura similar to evil spirits, but give a completely different feeling.
This is also easy to say.
As a guardian deity existing in Tokyo for over a hundred years, it's not like the old man hasn't seen spirit mediums before, it's just that the ones coming to worship this time belong to the relatively powerful category.
But the point isn't here.
The point is... there is one human among them...
No.
The old man god's sight carefully stole a glance at Yoru standing there.
Unexpectedly, this stolen glance perfectly met Yoru's smiling gaze, which also mixed with a bit of... appreciation for ingredients.
At this instant, for the first time since becoming the guardian deity of this shrine, an unprecedented terror was produced in the old man's heart.
Is this guy really human?
Not knowing why.
When the old man god saw this human male, there was an inexplicable feeling of coldness and trembling deep in his bones.
Like a rabbit seeing a tiger.
Natural enemy.
His original idea was to hide in a corner of the shrine and appear after this group of people left.
Unexpectedly...
His divine envoy actually actively provoked the opponent!?
If he didn't jump out now, the old man god was truly afraid that his days as a god would come to an end today.
Jingle, jingle!!!
Hearing the wind chime ringing at a gradually accelerating frequency, changing from pleasant and crisp at the beginning to sharp and ear-piercing, the old woman's face suddenly changed, and she said in a deep voice to the people worshipping.
"The god is displeased, today ends here. Please leave as soon as possible, everyone."
Hearing the old woman's words, although the people worshipping were puzzled, since they came to the shrine, they naturally believed somewhat in this profound and mysterious stuff. Without saying much, they passed through the Torii one by one and left.
After everyone was gone.
Just when the old woman looked at Yoru and others, wanting to say something, the wind chime suddenly shook again.
This time, she was completely confused.
After hesitating for a while, the old woman tentatively asked.
"God-sama's meaning is... these people don't need to leave?"
Jingle bell~
"Since God-sama has spoken, you can stay, but..."
Before the old woman finished, the wind chime suddenly shook quickly again.
"This... what exactly do you mean?"
Having served as a divine envoy for decades, the old woman truly hadn't encountered this kind of situation.
The old man god was also terribly anxious.
No choice, although a divine envoy, this old woman wasn't the particularly powerful kind of spirit medium. At most, she could only see some phantoms, let alone hear the god's words.
The only way these two old geezers, one human and one spirit, communicated was through the shaking of the wind chime.
"BYD, can you stop shaking that broken thing of yours?"
Unexpectedly for the old woman, the moment Yoru said this sentence, the originally shaking wind chime instantly stopped as if pressed down by someone.
Under her incredulous and shocked gaze, Mai took two steps forward, wearing a polite smile.
"Granny, I think God-sama's meaning should be, asking you to leave here first."
"Eh? Me leave?"
Just as the old woman said this sentence, the wind chime hung there carefully shook once.
Jingle~
"Eh? Really making me leave?"
The old woman was dumbfounded.
Serving as a divine envoy for so many years, it was her first time encountering such a thing.
Herself...
Being kicked out of the shrine?
However...
Since it was God-sama's meaning, she could only obey.
After the divine envoy old woman left, the old man god standing there, having shaken the wind chime for a long time, looked as if a heavy burden was lifted.
He looked at Yoru standing there, a look of fear and worry appearing on his aged face.
Next second, the old man god made an action that Mai and the others absolutely hadn't expected.
He used an extremely nimble posture, adopting a sliding knee celebration-like movement, slid straight to Yoru, and prostrated himself completely (wuti toudi).
"Please spare me!"
Mai, Yui, Menma, Rio, and Miko were all dumbfounded.
There's such a god?
How did he directly start kneeling and begging for mercy?
It's hard to say who's stronger and who's weaker...
But this courage is far worse than that golden goat head.
That's not right either.
It shows that he is smart, a wise man submits to circumstances.
Yoru didn't answer directly, but looked at Yukino and Marin.
"Finally came to the shrine, you should go worship a bit, right?"
Yukino and Marin weren't like Amano Hina and Kazusa who knew the truth about the existence of evil spirits, nor did they possess the ability to observe spiritual bodies.
They were completely confused about what had just happened.
"Worship?"
Before Marin and Yukino could react, Mai and others understood tacitly, pulling the two and walking to the shrine's donation box and coin-tossing pool.
After they moved far away, Yoru finally squatted down, wearing a friendly smile on his face, looked at the old man god prostrating in front of him with a trembling body, and spoke softly.
"BYD, with an image like yours, you manage romantic luck?"
"I am wrongly accused!"
The old man god didn't know why, but when Yoru said this sentence, he seemed to have deep resentment, and his voice even carried a killing intent that made Him terrified. Not caring to think much, He hurriedly explained, wanting to cry but having no tears.
"That Torii wasn't built by me. The legend that holding hands and walking through it means never separating for a lifetime wasn't spread by me either. I am truly wrongly accused. I am a god managing land and fortune."
"You are still managing things here?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
The old man god didn't care about his status either, explaining quickly.
"I just make those people who come to pray feel more joyful. As for managing land and fortune, it's all fabricated out of nothing, fabricated out of nothing."
Most so-called gods in Sakura Prefecture were not considered true gods.
Like this old man in front of them, and that golden goat head....
Rather than calling them gods, it's better to call them earth-bound spirits living in shrines.
Not considered evil spirits, but could be considered ghosts and Yokai.
"Ask you a question."
Yoru patted the old man's shoulder, chuckling.
"Why did you ask your divine envoy, that old woman, to leave first?"
"This... this..."
Seeing the old man god hesitating, Yoru seemed to see through the opponent's thoughts and smiled.
"Afraid I would kill her?"
The old man god gritted his teeth, trembling.
"Um... she is after all this old man's divine envoy, just an ordinary person. The ignorant are not guilty. If there is anything offensive to you, this old man will take the responsibility. Please do not attack her."
"Well said."
Yoru nodded noncommittally.
"Although you are a bit weak, you are still a proper god. Very good, I won't eat you."
The old man god breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden was lifted, his face complicated.
"Then... thank you very much."
As an existence that could be called a guardian deity and owned an independent shrine, He never thought that one day He would be so aggrieved.
Forget it, there are no outsiders anyway.
Losing face as a god is losing face as a god.
"Ask you one more thing."
"Please go ahead and ask."
"As Tokyo's native god, regarding the area around the Shibuya commercial pedestrian street, right here..."
Yoru took out his phone, opened the map, and pointed to the location on it.
"Have you heard anything about this area?"
"Here!?"
Seeing the location Yoru pointed out, the old man god's face suddenly changed, lowering his voice.
"Let me advise you, it's very dangerous around there. I had a ghost friend visit and he mentioned seeing an evil spirit with a bare, emaciated upper body, skin painted black, dressed like a monk around there."
"Kurobozu (Black Monk)?"
Seeing Yoru actually know this name, the old man god nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes, exactly the Kurobozu in the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons), very dangerous..."
At this moment, an automatic translator seemed to appear in Yoru's mind.
"Very dangerous" = "Very delicious".
"It seems the time for a feast has arrived."
.....
That afternoon, 5:50 PM.
"Really, Tokyo's weather is also this strange. I originally wanted to continue shopping."
Hearing Marin's soft complaint, Yukino, holding a light novel and reading, said faintly.
"I actually think this is very good."
Yui sat beside her, intimately hugged Yukino's shoulder, and smiled sweetly.
"Little Yukino, put down the book occasionally and chat with us."
Yukino originally wanted to refuse, but after seeing Yui's cute and adorkable expression, she sighed slightly.
"Occasionally."
Just then, the phone in Amano Hina's bosom suddenly rang.
"Sorry, I'll go out to make a phone call."
Watching Amano Hina leave the room, Yukino showed no flaws on her face, but a few traces of a complicated look flashed in her eyes. Looking down at the light novel in her hand, she asked seemingly casually.
"By the way, where are the others?"
Yui squeezed out a smile, pretending nothing happened, and replied.
"Um... they should still be outside. After all, we didn't act together."
"I see..."
Yukino nodded noncommittally, glanced at the rain falling outside the window, a thought emerging in her heart.
Yuigahama Yui...
Really doesn't know how to lie.
On the other side.
After coming to the hotel corridor, Amano Hina walked straight to the window at the end of the long corridor.
She looked at the raining sky, closed her eyes again, and began to pray.
This time, it wasn't praying for a sunny day.
But...
Rumble!!!
A dazzling lightning flash, accompanied by deafening thunder, appeared in the sky over Tokyo city.
This lightning seemed to blow a certain horn.
The originally just falling light rain, in just a few seconds, turned into a pouring rain like a river flowing backward.
Ten minutes later.
"It has begun."
Yoru held a black umbrella, standing in a secluded and unpopulated alley in Tokyo city.
Behind him, Mai, Rio, and Miko all had solemn expressions.
"Let's go."
Yoru's tone still carried a smile.
He slowly lowered the black umbrella. The umbrella in his hand suddenly turned into black flames, covering his body and face, revealing only a pair of black eyes.
Similarly, Mai, Rio, and Miko also used their Soul Manifestation abilities, changing into their images for exorcism operations.
Yoru stretched his shoulders, led them, and walked towards the "Door" in front, speaking with a chuckle.
"It's time to return the famous sword Mikazuki Munechika to its original owner."