Tokyo Psychic

Page 272

"It must have been quite a journey from Tokyo to here, right?"

When asked by the town mayor, Lai Xixiao looked at An He Mao, who was standing crookedly behind her, and said, "It must have been quite tiring."

The mayor nodded. "Then please take these documents with you and leave. I went to the shrine again today to check, and the water and electricity are working properly, and they've even installed internet."

More than living at the shrine, Akira Kurusu was concerned about the "demon sword" that the mayor had mentioned many times before.

In their repeated conversations, the mayor seemed to show a strong resistance to the knife named "Congyu".

It was only mentioned vaguely that "it was not originally a 'demon sword'; it was only because it was associated with the ruin and decline of that shrine that it was given such a stigma."

Akira Kurishi was puzzled. "Since you mentioned 'the past,' then it should be considered an antique."

"Yes...antiques..."

The old man's eyelids twitched a few times, and then he very abruptly changed the subject.

"The sword is kept in the main hall in the center of the shrine, and no worker dares to repair that hall..."

"In short, if you have any doubts, please go and see for yourself in that temple. After all, you are the owner of the shrine, and the ownership of that sword should rightfully belong to you as well."

I bid farewell to the town mayor.

Akira Kurusu returned to the streets of Suizhi Town with the slightly yellowed documents bound together in folders.

He looked at the listless girls and said, "Should we buy some drinks and popsicles before going to the shrine? I searched for a tourist map of Suizhi Town from half a century ago on the way here. It's quite a long mountain road to get to that shrine."

An and Subaru immediately let out a wail.

Originally, Jing Qinrencai was also physically exhausted, but now, due to her excited emotions, she forgot about her fatigue.

After a lot of trouble.

After being bothered by An and Subaru and forced to rest for a while longer, the group finally finished climbing the mountain path, passed the vermilion torii gate with the plaque "Hoshiori" hanging on it, and entered the shrine that looked quite imposing after being renovated.

(I deleted part of it and reposted it; it was originally a 6,000-word chapter. I've posted screenshots of the reasons displayed in the backend to the full subscription group, so there's no need to speculate.)

249. I have a knife fetish (two-in-one)

The vermilion torii gate has been repainted.

The shadows cast by the bushes on both sides grew in the square crevices of the ground, where shady green moss thrived.

Walking on it gives you a unique feeling of moisture and smoothness.

The shrine renovation was done meticulously; even the water troughs encountered on the way to worship were rebuilt.

However, the red threads adorned with the wishes of worshippers had rotted away over time and were all removed by the construction team responsible for the renovation. Clear water flowed in the stone trough, reflecting iridescent halos, and upon closer inspection, one could see the blue sky, white clouds, and lush tree shadows reflected on the dark blue stone slabs beneath the water's surface.

Akira Kurusu's fingertips brushed across the cool, flowing water.

He looked towards the gray-brown eaves a little further away, where a few sparrows were perched.

A strange tremor ran through the depths of my soul, making me feel uncontrollably cold.

It was clearly the height of summer, with temperatures in the thirties...

Akira withdrew her hand, and as she passed by Serina Izayoi, she pretended to pat her shoulder, wiping the water all over her clothes.

"Huh?!" While taking a series of photos of the shrine with her phone, Izare Nina suddenly felt a force on her shoulder and turned around in surprise to look at the phantom thief passing by.

"It's okay, you can continue playing." Akira Kurusu also took out her phone, opened the camera app and started taking pictures of the shrine. Momoka Kawaharaki, who had originally planned to drive to Kyoto together, suddenly got the inspiration for a new song and dragged Ryo Yamada into seclusion.

Yamada Ryo doesn't really care about things like travel. This girl's love for rock music is quite pure; she probably enjoys the joy of expressing her personality freely.

Of course, since we were all living under the same roof as "Fujiki-ju", it was only natural for me to take some pictures of the scenery to show them when we went on vacation.

Even just glancing at it through the screen is like completing a cyber picnic.

The chat rooms of all sizes on the Laiqixiao chat software have recently undergone a "major merger".

This effectively brought together the residents of "Fujiki-ju" along with their respective band members into the same group.

After all, whether it's "Red Ginger Band" or "End Band", most of the members are young girls of similar age, so they inevitably have a lot in common.

[Ebizuka Tomo: Finally, some peace and quiet!]

[Goto Ichiri: Tomo... doesn't like Amamiya-senpai?]

[Ebizuka Satoshi: They live next door and it's too noisy!]

[Yamada Ryo: I didn't answer "like" or "dislike" at all.]

【Ebizuka Satoshi: Hello! ! (#`O′)】

[Yamada Ryo: I know how to solve Satoshi's situation. Just find her a boyfriend.]

[Ebizuka Satoshi: I'm not interested in that kind of thing!]

[Ebizuka Satoshi: I will absolutely not have any extra emotions before I arrive at the Budokan!]

[Kita Ikuyo: Oh my god, senpai! Do you already have a boyfriend?! !!]

[Yamada Ryo: Hehe, of course!]

[Niji Natsumi: You guys are talking about this again! Weren't you just discussing the new song?!]

As the girls in the band become increasingly entangled in romantic relationships, Ichiji Nijika inevitably develops a terrible illusion that she is being "isolated."

At times like these, Goto Ichiri could only kneel in reverence and trepidation before the screen—

It's summer vacation, and the heat island effect in Tokyo is so severe that even leaving home feels like a difficult task.

The originally planned band practice was moved online due to everyone's physical condition.

Seeing that it wasn't yet time for ensemble practice for her, the guitarist who was gradually taking over as lead guitarist from Akira Kurusu, Miss Ichiri took a break from her busy schedule and found the summer homework assigned by the school.

Her younger sister, Goto Jiri, was running around beside her with a paper airplane she had just folded.

Just as the atmosphere in the chat room was gradually becoming ambiguous, Izare Nina's sudden interjection saved Ebizuka Tomo from being put to the test at any moment—

[Iori Nissai: We're staying at the shrine today!]

[Izakura Niina: I never imagined that Amamiya would have her own shrine in her hometown!!]

As soon as the words were spoken, dozens of pictures flooded the screen, burying everyone's chat history in a place where you had to drag your finger up to see them.

(A set of pictures was uploaded by "Master of the Chain Schemes".)

[Jingqinrencai: I just opened my photo album and selected the pictures!!!]

[Master of Strategies (Kurasu Akira): You disagree?]

[Celery and Vegetable: I'm going to bite you to death!]

[Ebizuka Satoshi: I can't stand it anymore.]

[Niji Natsumi: What a coincidence...]

[Rupa: Let's get started with training, everyone.]

[Niji Natsumi: Sigh, I'm going to cram school too.]

The girls in the chat room parted on bad terms.

Only Jingqin Rencai remained, still chattering and acting coquettishly towards Laixi Xiao.

......

The girl, typing on her phone, stormed into a side hall of the shrine.

Air conditioning is installed in every part of the side hall.

This was a request made by Akira Kurusu.

Having secured strong sponsorship, the Mind Thieves no longer needed to bother with such trivial matters.

The path to the shrine is interrupted before the main temple.

The construction company owner refused to repair the shrine's main hall, saying it would bring misfortune.

Although Izayoi Nina really liked the Showa-style architecture and the sculptural style of the Buddha statues that was difficult for her to describe with her literary skills... this "Hoori Shrine" does not enshrine Buddha statues. Legend has it that a long time ago, it was enshrined a divine sword called "Murasame".

In addition, the main hall was not repaired and looked dilapidated.

Jing Qinrencai could only begin to tour the place where she would be staying that night with little interest.

The camera app wasn't turned off; it was pointed directly at the hallway adorned with scented paper as I entered the bedroom.

This is a very traditional Japanese bedroom. The spacious area is covered with tatami mats, and there are sliding bamboo paper doors on both sides. One side connects to the corridor, and the other side can be opened to see the courtyard, low wall, and the mountains and forests behind the shrine.

Jingqin Rencai took off her shoes by the door, and a pair of white lace socks rustled softly on the tatami mat.

Curious, she walked over to the paper door on the opposite side.

This kid is on summer vacation now, and he's been forced to play reincarnation games in front of the computer by Akira Kurusu and Subaru An.

Previous events recap—

Although the world no longer has Hidetaka Miyazaki, who created works including "Demon's Souls," "Dark Souls," and even "Elden Ring," due to cultural differences.

However, it still gave birth to the Shin Megami Tensei series of games, which is known for its strict action judgment and extremely difficult numerical control.

In the latest installment, players take on the role of an ordinary young urbanite who gradually grows stronger after undergoing a series of life-or-death trials, until finally defeating the ultimate god who rules the multiverse.

Of course, in reality, the iconic "Door cannot be opened from this side" message from Shin Megami Tensei will not be displayed.

Jingqin Rencai easily opened the paper door, and was just about to take pictures of the courtyard scenery when...

A light green shadow seemed to flash by suddenly in the camera app's display.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she must have seen wrong.

Looking down at the phone in my hand again, I saw a girl dressed as a shrine maiden sitting alone on the low wall of the courtyard, hugging her knees.

But in just a moment, she vanished without a trace.

Jingqinrencai immediately screamed in fright.

Immediately, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor behind them, and the members of the Mind Thieves rushed over.

"What happened?" Toyokawa Shoko asked Ishigami Renna.

Still shaken, Jing Qinren shook her head, stammering as she pointed to the spot in the courtyard where the "ghostly figure" had just flickered, saying, "There...there was...there was one..."

"A ghost?" Akira Kurusu asked her in return.

Jing Qinren nodded hurriedly, her cute and tender face turning deathly pale with fear.

How did you see it?

"Hmm... this is it! It was taken with my phone!" Izana hurriedly picked up her phone screen to show Akira Kurusu, only to realize that she hadn't actually pressed the shutter button in her haste.

A clear look of annoyance and frustration immediately welled up in the girl's eyes.

Lai Xixiao carefully observed every subtle change in the girl's emotions, making sure they weren't distorted in the direction of "regret," before she quietly let go of some of her worries.

"Nina, you don't need to worry about the ghost anymore."

"Huh?"

"That child won't hurt us."

Akira Kurishi recalls her experiences during that time period.

He reached out and stroked Iori Rina's head. "Subaru brought the handheld game console. You can rest here for a while. I'll go down the mountain to buy you some popsicles and drinks."

"It must have melted by now!" Jingqinrencai muttered to herself.

"The popsicles must be put into an insulated styrofoam box, and then the box must be filled with ice to preserve them," the thief said, pinching the child's round little ear and tugging at it. She immediately seemed to lose all strength, her shoulders drooping, and she began to whimper and wail.

Upon seeing that Iori Rina had not met with any misfortune, the members of the Phantom Thieves scattered in all directions.

Everyone had sweated a lot during the journey and was thinking of taking a shower first.

Suizhi truly lives up to its reputation as a hot spring tourist town.

Even this shrine, which had been dilapidated for many years, had its hot springs built outside the bathhouse during renovations, taking advantage of the mountain's natural features...

Or rather, the bathhouse was actually built inside the hot spring.

Feeling embarrassed, Izayoi put down her backpack, unzipped it, took out a towel, and jogged to catch up with the girls in front of her to find the shrine's bathhouse.

“I’ll go with you,” Shiomi Kotone said, offering to go down the mountain with Kurusu Akira once everyone was out of the bedroom.

Akira Kurusu looked at Kotone Shiomi and said, "As expected, Shiomi-senpai has already seen it, hasn't she?"