'Oh right!'
'There's also Kaito-kun!'
Originally so anxious she was about to spin in circles, Nijika's beautiful eyes lit up, like she had grabbed the last life-saving straw.
They had personally seen Kaito summon a fire dragon and burn the menacing mud monster into ashes.
There was no doubt he was an exorcist with great spiritual power, maybe he had some unique insight?
Facing the nervous and expectant gazes of the girls, Kaito stretched lazily, not keeping them in suspense.
"Since you can't figure it out, how about we go to the shrine tomorrow and ask around?"
That afternoon they had met the elderly woman in shrine robes, with a young shrine maiden following behind. She had invited their group to the shrine for a visit.
No matter what secrets the small town of Hoori was hiding, as the local authority, the Mochizuki Shrine surely held information outsiders didn't know.
Even if they couldn't get any answers, or if the other party intentionally kept things hidden, it didn't matter.
Reading, is to calmly talk with fools.
Cultivation, is to make fools calmly talk with you.
The originally worried Nijika and the others exchanged looks, and somehow felt much more at ease.
"Alright, if there's nothing urgent, let's head back and rest for now."
Kaito clapped his hands, "Rest up well. Tomorrow we'll go to the shrine for information."
"Mm."
Nijika nodded lightly, then said, "Good night, Kaito-kun."
The other girls also bid him good night, then left one by one.
———
[Late night, 11:30 PM]
The tightly shut door was gently pushed open, and a light figure tiptoed in.
Before she could reach the bed, she seemed to trip over something, her body lost balance and she fell straight into a warm embrace.
"Not sleeping in the middle of the night. What kind of sneaky idea are you up to?"
Looking up, Kaito was already staring at her with a composed gaze, as if fully prepared.
"Hehe~", Yumiko stuck out her tongue a bit embarrassed, then buried her pretty face into his chest, "Actually… I'm still kind of worried…"
Though she knew Kaito was powerful, even terrifying evil spirits were easily exorcised by him, this time, they might have to face a legendary god.
Even if the Inugami felt more like a yokai, it had been enshrined in the shrine for so many years, calling it a god wasn't wrong.
Not to mention, in legends, it helped the Mochizuki family crush an army of one thousand samurai sent by a daimyo, it definitely wasn't someone easy to deal with.
Kaito didn't take it to heart.
It wasn't because he was arrogant, but "crushing a thousand-man army" sounded impressive, untill you know there was no legitimate proof. And the legend of the Inugami was from hundreds of years ago. So, Kaito wasn't worried.
Still, he reached out and rubbed Yumiko's head, "Don't worry. It'll be fine."
"Mm."
Yumiko nuzzled against his chest and didn't say more. Just murmured, "But… you still have to be careful. Safety's most important."
As the mood grew tender and the two cuddled warmly, the door suddenly knocked.
A soft voice rang out, "Kaito-kun, are you asleep?"
'It is Ijichi-san?'
Yumiko, whose beautiful eyes had just turned misty, instantly shivered and jumped out of her boyfriend's arms, panicked as she looked to escape through the window.
But Kaito casually held her back, speechless, "We're on the third floor."
"Then what do I do? If Ijichi-san sees me coming to you in the middle of the night, she'll definitely get the wrong idea! She might even tell Bocchi!"
Yumiko was so anxious she spun in place, then her eyes suddenly lit up and turned to the wardrobe in the corner.
"Got it! I'll hide in there for now!"
Kaito: "..."
'Is there a possibility. I'm just saying, a possibility…'
'That I can completely influence Nijika's senses, and she wouldn't even see you?'
'And taking a step back, you could've just made up an excuse. Instead, you went full "there's no silver here" mode. Hiding is easy, but if you get caught, that's really hard to explain.'
Still, seeing Yumiko already dart into the wardrobe eagerly, Kaito could only let her be.
Kaito opened the door and saw the blonde girl in a thin pajama, looking worried. Seeing him, she forced a smile, "Sorry… for disturbing your rest, Kaito-kun. May I come in?"
She had clearly just soaked in the hot spring not long ago, yet she seemed to have taken another bath before coming. Her ponytail wasn't tied, and long hair draped behind her back, still slightly damp. The exposed white skin gave off a pleasant body wash scent, and her jewel-like eyes held a hint of shyness, reminding Kaito of a poetry collection he read long ago.
He shook his head and shoved the stray thoughts away, then stepped aside, "Come in."
Though she had just left this guest room not long ago, Nijika's solo return now felt cautious and restrained.
She sat on the soft sofa, looking a bit uneasy.
"Coming to me this late, did something urgent happen?"
There were free drinks in the hotel room. Kaito casually took out two bottles of pineapple juice and handed her one, sitting across from her.
Thinking about her purpose tonight, Nijika bit her silver teeth, "Kaito-kun… if tonight's attack really is related to the Inugami, could you… take the others and leave?"
As the leader of Ending Band, she had the duty to protect everyone.
'If the god truly wants desecrators to pay, then let me replace Ryou and become the offering.'
Kaito-kun was a mysterious exorcist, the only hope to lead everyone to safety.
"O-of course, I won't let you sacrifice for nothing…"
She took a deep breath, stood up, and began to unbutton her thin sleepwear, "At… at the very least, tonight… please use this body as you wish…"
"Stop," The sudden voice cut her off.
The loose button wouldn't come undone no matter what. Nijika looked up and saw the beautiful boy sigh.
"So, you've been struggling in your room all this time, just to repay me with your body?"
"Ichiji-san, are you sober?"
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