Not a detective

Page 29

"My father currently holds the position of chief priest. His main job is to be the chief priest who conducts the central sacrifices when worshipping the gods. If someone entrusts him to perform activities such as local purification rituals or cleansing rites, he must go to the location designated by the person who entrusted him to pray. He is the leader of all the clergy and is also called the 'Priest'."

Chizuko finally finished tying the ribbon and continued, "In the long past, becoming a shrine master required the Emperor's permission, and shrines of this small size were not allowed to have one. But it's not so strict now. Even if all the affairs are handled by one person and there are no priests under their command, they can still be called a shrine master."

Asakawa Riku nodded, listening attentively to the unfamiliar knowledge.

He glanced at the girl in front of him, who was more than a head shorter than him, and couldn't help but say:

"Will you become the head priest of this shrine in the future?"

"Of course." Chizuko put her hands on her hips, tilted her head back, and looked smug. "What, doesn't it seem like it?"

Asakawa Riku simply couldn't imagine how that majestic, sacred, and mysterious profession described in the words could be applied to this guy.

The fox mask was worn on her right side, revealing her short, glossy black hair, which seemed to have grown a bit longer than in the spring, but still maintained a beautiful shape after careful trimming.

With innocent eyes and a small mouth, she has the face of a doll, exuding a childlike charm. Perhaps it's due to the stereotypes about her height and figure.

She smiled and turned back, revealing a patch of her fair and slender nape at the neckline of her yukata, which Asakawa Riku could see very clearly.

However, he always remembered her, the girl who descended upon the Earth Spider's secret chamber, torturing prisoners with an expressionless face.

That smile lingered in his mind for a long time. If it was a god, then Chizuko must be worshipping a strange and evil god.

"Asakawa-san, please park the car here."

As we chatted, we unknowingly arrived at our destination.

We hadn't even climbed the mountain yet; we had just walked along the foot of the mountain for a while and arrived at a place that resembled a parking lot.

It was called a parking lot, but it was actually just a cleared-out area with lines drawn on the ground. Asakawa Riku saw that there were already seven or eight cars parked there, as well as a few motorcycles and bicycles. It was quite an achievement to come to such a remote place. Besides Chizuko-senpai's family, there were probably quite a few other visitors today.

Chizuko suddenly muttered something in a low voice:

"If Asakawa-san wants to see, I did wear a shrine maiden outfit a few times when I was little. I wonder if I can still fit into it—"

"Of course I want to see it."

To everyone's surprise, Asakawa Riku answered so readily, making Chizuko, who had brought it up, feel embarrassed.

She hesitated for a moment, her exposed left ear turning slightly red, before finally pushing against Asakawa Riku's back:

"Alright, let's go, we'll talk about it once we get up there."

Riku Asakawa pushed his bicycle into the shed and locked it, then followed Chizuko back to the same spot.

Upon seeing the slightly worn-out torii gate, we finally began to climb the steps.

The mountain path wasn't particularly steep, and the stone steps were well-maintained. There was nothing strenuous to climb, and no hiking poles or similar equipment were needed. Even ordinary tourists, let alone someone like Asakawa Riku, could easily manage it. Perhaps this was to accommodate Chizuko, who has a leg disability.

Chizuko led the way, with Asakawa Riku following behind. Due to the pace of his steps, the speed was a bit slow for him.

White socks clad in high-heeled black lacquered wooden clogs; the prosthetic right leg showed no signs of abnormality, rising naturally before landing to support the girl's steps.

Beneath those wooden clogs, there's probably a monster called "Mountain Boy" working diligently. This is the heart of the mountains, perhaps the monster's domain.

"Does it look good?"

Chizuko suddenly turned around and asked with a grin.

“I’m watching the mountain child,” Asakawa Riku replied.

"Yes Yes Yes……"

She seemed to be in a better mood, and her steps became more light, her black wooden clogs making a quick, rhythmic thud on the stones.

Asakawa Riku shifted his gaze, awkwardly turning his face away to observe the scenery inside the mountains.

Everything in sight was shaded by lush greenery, with tall tree canopies overhead that blocked out the scorching sun. Only a few slivers of sunlight peeked through the gaps, bringing a cool and comfortable feeling to Asakawa Riku, who was suffering from the intense heat. It was as if he had arrived at a summer resort, and this vacation-like mood, along with his leisurely pace, transformed into a sense of joy.

The only sound in the forest is the chirping of cicadas. The cicadas from all directions create a grand and resonant symphony, but for some reason, it doesn't feel noisy at all; on the contrary, I enjoy it.

Perhaps because this place hasn't been developed for tourism yet, it has the feel of a primeval forest. The only trace of human presence is the steps underfoot, and everything else is just natural.

In this peaceful and beautiful atmosphere, Asakawa Riku suddenly stopped in his tracks.

His expression was one of surprise and solemnity, and he abruptly asked a question:

"Senior, does it snow in this mountain?"

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter 3 - Entering the Path of the Righteous

"Hmm?" Chizuko turned her head and looked at Asakawa Riku in surprise.

She thought for a moment: "Yes, it will snow. After all, it snows in Tokyo in winter. Although this mountain is not very high, it is far from the city, so it will snow."

Asakawa Riku was still looking ahead, his gaze seemingly drawn to something in the distance, his eyes unfocused and distant.

It's like there's something in the forest.

Seeing his silence, Chizuko asked in confusion, "But snow only falls in winter, it's summer now?"

That's what's strange about this question. Snowing alone isn't a big deal, but why bring up snow in the sweltering heat of summer?

"But I think I just saw snowflakes."

Asakawa Riku finally spoke, his tone filled with disbelief and shock.

He felt he hadn't misjudged the situation, because Chizuko-senpai had already verified that he had a special constitution of "zero inspiration," making it impossible for him to observe the existence of monsters no matter what.

So what is that white thing?

Because the surrounding area was full of lush grass and trees, the striking white stood out. His eyesight and dynamic vision were well-trained, so it was impossible for him to miss that moment.

Like snowflakes falling from the sky, they flashed through the shadows of the trees and disappeared in an instant.

It can't be a monster, could it be a human? But why can a human bring a feeling of "coldness"?

If you see something white, you might immediately think of cotton or clouds, but for some reason, Asakawa Riku instinctively describes it as "snowflakes".

The sweltering heat of midsummer was swept away, and suddenly I felt cold.

"So Asakawa-kun can be paranoid too." Chizuko chuckled teasingly, poking his waist with her elbow. "However, this mountain is indeed a place where monsters gather, like some kind of spiritual gathering place, nurturing all sorts of strange things. Perhaps even someone as insensitive as you is starting to sense their presence."

“Hmm…” Asakawa Riku accepted the explanation.

So they continued climbing the mountain path, and according to Chizuko-senpai, they were almost halfway there.

There are several forks in the mountain road, but it is generally easy to find because the main road has been walked on by many people, and you can tell by observing the traces.

Moreover, you just need to head towards the top of the mountain, and there will be wide torii gates every now and then, so they are easy to spot.

Riku Asakawa felt that even without Chizuko-senpai leading the way, he wouldn't get lost on his own.

"Ah, here it comes."

Chizuko suddenly spoke, and she stopped in her tracks.

She withdrew her hand to stop Asakawa Riku behind her, and Asakawa Riku stopped as well.

Looking up, I saw a monster blocking the next intersection.

Of course, only Chizuko could see that at the end of the slope, a human figure resembling a monk or beggar was clinging to a tree, but his body was strangely twisted and did not resemble a real person at all.

The eyes are shaped like a giant "X," with the two eyes connected together, making it difficult to pinpoint the location of the pupils and giving the whole face an eerie and ominous appearance.

It was about the same size as an average person and was hiding behind a tree, so it was difficult to spot at first glance, but Chizuko spotted it immediately:

"That is the [Seeing Beyond the Path], which in some places is also called the Path Demon."

"They usually appear in the mountains or on night roads. When people walk on the road, they will stick their heads out from the walls or tree branches. At first, they are the size of an ordinary person, but when they encounter passers-by, they will slowly grow larger and look down at you from above. If you keep looking up at them, they will grow bigger and bigger, even more than ten times larger. If you keep looking at them like that, you will die."

That being said, Chizuko became excited when talking about her area of ​​expertise, and kept staring at the guy.

The strange monk swelled up uncontrollably, like a balloon.

Its hands, feet, torso, and head were all swollen. It was originally lying on the tree trunk, but now its feet were dangling to the ground, completely blocking its way, as if it wanted to break the branches.

"Is it alright?" Asakawa Riku couldn't help but ask, wanting to step forward and stand in front of Chizuko.

From his perspective, Chizuko was simply talking nonsense in front of an empty space, like a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) girl shouting at the subway entrance when the show started.

But when it comes to "monsters," Asakawa Riku feels that she is not joking and that there is very likely that there is indeed something called "Kengoshi-nyudo."

"If we don't get rid of him, I'm afraid you'll get so engrossed in watching him that you might accidentally die, and then there will be no one to cook for me."

he reminded.

“It’s alright, don’t worry about me.” Chizuko smiled, still staring at the increasingly swollen Kengoshi, and said, “Because I know the key to breaking it.”

"Hmm?" Asakawa Riku was puzzled, only to see the girl in front of him suddenly take a step forward.

"Zha!" she shouted, her voice so loud that it was hard to find the right onomatopoeia to describe it. She raised her right hand and pointed it directly at the monster in front of her.

Chizuko said, "Kimikoshi Nyudo, I've seen through you!"

In that instant, as the words fell, Jian Yue Rudao's massive body seemed to deflate rapidly, like a balloon punctured by a needle, constantly shrinking and collapsing.

It shrank rapidly and disappeared in the blink of an eye; the strange monk could no longer be seen on the tree trunk.

"nailed it?"

Although Asakawa Riku couldn't see any of that, he could tell from Chizuko's subtle changes in expression that she seemed to have already dealt with the monster in front of her.

He asked curiously, "What is that? A spell? An exorcism?"

“It’s not like that.” Chizuko clapped her hands and said proudly, “It’s just knowledge from books. It’s said that as long as you can recognize the identity of Mikoshi Nyudo and say those words first, you can break his trap. When dealing with monsters, you have to find their mechanisms and key points to break them with the least amount of effort. You don’t have to fight every time.”

She said mysteriously, "In the world of monsters and the supernatural, [knowledge is power, and words are power]."

"I see."

Asakawa Riku learned something and nodded in agreement.

The same logic applies to the ghost "Akiku". She can cut off a finger by counting from one to ten. It seems like a strange and terrifying ability, but as long as this condition exists, there is a way to break it. If we can distract her and prevent her from counting to ten, the monster's ability will not be able to be activated.

Monsters exist according to a certain mechanism. They gain power through people's stories, but are also confined in a cage by these established rules.

No wonder someone like Chizuko-senpai could become an Onmyoji; with her extensive knowledge of yokai, she must know many ways to defeat them.

But Asakawa Riku was still puzzled: "Senior, would you leave such a scary monster on your way home?"

Summer of the Snow Woman: Chapter 4 Lost in the World

"Haha, that's not true. If everyone who goes up the mountain encountered Kengoshi Nyudo, all the tourists and worshippers would have died long ago."

Chizuko covered her mouth and laughed loudly, saying things that would probably cause a scandal at home if overheard.

That's true. After all, not everyone knows how to break the Mikoshi Nyudo. When ordinary people see such a monster, they might flee in panic and fall off the stone steps and die. Or they might be curious and stare at it, only to be swallowed and killed by the Mikoshi Nyudo, which has expanded to an excessive size.

It just doesn't seem right to place something like this on the only path leading up the mountain.

Chizuko explained as she climbed the mountain:

"That's our shrine's defensive and protective device. You can think of it as an electrified barbed wire fence or a warning sign that there are vicious dogs inside. Ordinary hikers or worshippers won't see the Mie-yomi-michi (a type of path). It's only when they discover a dangerous or hostile person approaching that it blocks the mountain path."

As she spoke, she suddenly realized that there was some ambiguity in her words: "Asakawa-kun, I don't mean that you have any ill intentions or hostility. I think it's just that your presence aroused the fear and danger perception of the mountain monsters, which is why Mikoshi Nyudo was triggered. But you can't actually see him, so it doesn't have any effect."

As long as you can't keep an eye on Kengoku, he won't grow bigger and bigger.

Come to think of it, this seems to be a solution.

Asakawa Riku, standing behind him, seemed not to answer or speak.

Chizuko, who was leading the way, couldn't help but feel puzzled. Could it be that she was frightened by a monster? But Asakawa-kun wasn't that kind of person.

Perhaps he's angry? This is terrible. We're here to welcome him as a guest, and this lack of courtesy will surely get me scolded by my mother when we get back.

So she turned around, flashed a bright smile, and tried to appease the younger woman:

"Asakawa-kun, okay, I got it. I'll wear a shrine maiden outfit for you when we get up the mountain—"

The conversation abruptly ended.

The mountain road was completely empty.

Apart from a few fallen leaves, there were no footprints left by Asakawa on the stone steps, as if their very existence had been erased.

Where did he go? Chizuko hurriedly looked around, but he was nowhere to be found, not only on the main road but also in the nearby forest.

The only sound left was the noisy chirping of cicadas, which sounded rather jarring at this point.

"Asakawa-san?" she called out twice. "Are you trying to scare me? Don't tease your senior. You can come out now."

no respond.