"M-Miko, I can see the monster!"
Hana was both terrified and excited.
"Mm, I know. I can see it, too."
Miko fought to suppress her fear, trying to calm Hana. She herself was shocked that Hana could suddenly see monsters. Did this monster awaken Hana's "spiritual sight," or was it simply a tangible entity rather than an evil spirit? Miko wasn't sure. All she could do was clutch her protective charm and wait for Rei Ao to arrive.
"Ding-ding-dang-dang!"
Countless bells attached to the monster chimed as it stared at them with its eerie gaze, though it took no overt action. The two fox-masked humanoid creatures, however, seemed to receive some signal and began approaching.
"W-what's that?"
Still trembling in fear, Hana suddenly noticed something new appear before them. She looked upand realized what it was.
It was a familiar figure for Miko.
"Rei Ao-kun!"
Yotsuya Miko called out in relief.
Indeed, it was Rei Ao who had just appeared.
"Hana, it's Rei Ao-kunwe're saved!"
" "
While Miko was overjoyed, Hana stared up blankly. Following Hana's line of sight, Rei Ao glanced downward and quirked his lips.
"Scared?"
"Mmit's so big," Hana replied timidly.
"Yeah, Rei Ao-kun, that monster is huge! What in the world is it?!"
Miko, clearly more focused on the creature, spoke in a rush. Rei Ao merely waved his hand, and a fresh set of clothes materialized on him. He then briefly examined the two fox-mask figures, akin to "shrine maidens" of this so-called god, as well as the giant figure perched atop the shrinea thing wrapped in an aura of holiness.
"I see."
With a single glance, he understood. It was, beyond doubt, still an evil spirit. But it had cloaked itself with something akin to human worship, hiding its true nature within.
"So you want to become a god through human faith?"
Rei Ao almost laughed.
"Let me share a little saying: 'One worthless wretch remains so for life.' If you're an evil spirit for a day, you're an evil spirit for life."
"ROOAARR!!!"
His words seemed to enrage the massive being. It let out a thunderous bellow, its body splitting apart to reveal countless eyeballs. The golden, sacred aura faded, exposing a glimpse of its real evil-spirit form.
"Tsk. You really hate being an evil spirit, huh?
What's with all the disguisesso pretentious."
Rei Ao smirked. "Guess I'll show everyone your true face."
At that moment, the two shrine-maiden-like figures suddenly charged him. Rei Ao gave them a cold look, and instantly they froze in place, losing the ability to move. Fire ignited upon their bodies.
"Ahhh!!"
They let out shrill screams. In a mere blink, right in front of Miko and Hana, these two humanoid evil spirits were burned to ashes.
~~~
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Chapter 353: Easy to Coax...
Its own "miko" was killed.
"Roar!!!"
The false god-evil-spirit let out an enraged bellow.
"Stop howling. It's obnoxious."
Rei Ao was already annoyed by the noise.
He raised his right hand.
Crack!
A crisp sound came from overhead.
Miko and Hana looked up.
"Whoa, what is that?"
Hana's mouth hung open in astonishment.
From the sky above came a rush of frigid air
two colossal hands formed of solid ice.
"Let me help tear off that fake shell you're wearing."
Rei Ao's right hand closed in an empty grip, and the pair of icy hands seemed to come alive, reaching for the false-god evil spirit.
"Roooar!"
Sensing danger on instinct, the false god-evil-spirit spun around, trying to flee into the mountains. But those colossal hands belonged to Rei Aolike an unbreakable iron cage slamming shut, sealing its fate.
The frozen hands clutched it as if grasping a tiny chick.
"Rooooar!!!"
The false-god evil spirit gave a terrified howl, but it couldn't stop the icy hands. Like plucking feathers from a chick, they ripped away its golden outer shell.
Stripped bare, it revealed the nauseating, twisted form beneathenough to make one's sanity plummet.
"An evil spirit!"
Miko cried out in alarm.
The creature's entire body was wrapped in a familiar pitch-black aurathe same that enveloped every evil spirit.
"tsk-tsk, your true form is hideous,"
Rei Ao remarked, shaking his head.
"You can't change what you areyou'll always be just an evil spirit."
Snap!
He snapped his fingers. The two icy hands suddenly flung the enormous evil spirit into the air like a pebble. Then they flattened into great palms.
Smack!
Using a classic "squash-the-bug" motion, they smacked it between them. A shockwave rippled outward, shattering the icy palms into countless glittering shards that rained down over the mountainside. The evil spirit itself was nowhere to be seen.
[Ding! Trade complete!]
Turning back toward the dumbstruck Miko and Hana, Rei Ao asked, "You two alright?"
Miko was first to gather herself, nodding like a pecking chick.
"Rei Ao-nii, I'm fine~."
Hana, a moment behind, snapped out of it and, without thinking, blurted, "Big Chungus Oniisanare you a magician?"
"???"
Miko gave her friend a bewildered look.
Big Chungus?
She recalled an image of herself holding an item to be licked in both hands. Her cheeks immediately turned the shade of a ripe apple.
"H-Hana, what are you saying?!"
She blushed and quickly covered Hana's mouth.
"Mmm, mmm!"
Hana, confused, tried gesturing with her hands. She would swear she definitely didn't see wrongsomething was very, very big just now.
"Miko, don't overreact."
Rei Ao stopped her attempt to muffle Hana, smiling as he patted Hana's head.
"At least she's telling the truth. Besides, Miko, you've seen it and even used it, so just stay calm."
Big is big. Nothing wrong with that.
"Ugh, Rei Ao-nii!"
Hearing she'd been singled out, Miko shot him a shy, reproachful glance.
"Eh?!"
Hana, finally catching on, realized that Miko had not only seen itshe'd even used it?! She gaped at her friend in disbelief.
Blurting out, "Miko, you already took a step onto the grown-up path behind my back?!"
"Ugh!"
Miko was so embarrassed she was on the verge of tears.
"Alright, alright."
Rei Ao rescued her from further awkwardness.
He stretched out his hand, producing ten dark-blue crystalline tokens.
"These are new protective charms for you two."
"Protective charms?!"
Hana immediately pulled out the black crystal pendant around her neckit looked quite similar. She suddenly realized, "So you're the 'Rei Ao' Miko told me about."
"That's me. And you must be the cute, big-chested Hana Yurikawa she talked aboutHana, right?"
"Hehe, cute~"
Hana grinned in a silly, happy way.
"That's me, Hana!"
Flattered by his praise, she seemed to have already forgotten the scary incident just now. Possibly her mind just worked in a very simple, single-track manner.
Accepting the protective charm, Miko asked anxiously, "Rei Ao-nii, was that thing an evil spirit too? Why didn't our charm work on it earlier?"
"It was an evil spirit, yes. But you could also call it the 'god' of this shrine, relying on people's worship for faith."
"A god?"
Miko felt a wave of revulsion. How could the god they revered be such a monster?
"Of course, it wasn't really a god," Rei Ao went on, pointing around the shrine.
"That thing was an evil spirit that drove out the real occupant, trying to use stolen faith to become a so-called deity."
And the "godhood" he meant wasn't one of those mighty, omnipotent deities up in the heavens. In this world, it was closer to the concept of "Yaoyorozu no Kami"basically a type of yokai.
Becoming a god would just mean transforming from an evil spirit into a yokai-like entity, freer in nature, nothing to do with a true divine being.
"The new charms I'm giving you retain the old charm's functions, plus a protective shield and a means to attack if you choose."
He had barely finished when
Crack!
A shard of ice shot out from in front of Hana, striking a large tree a hundred meters away.
Crunch!
In a mere blink, the entire tree turned to glittering ice under the sunlightand then shattered completely.
"That's amazing!"
Hana's eyes widened in shock.
"It's like magic!"
Miko nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Hana, you can't waste such a precious thing on a demonstration like that!"
"It's fine," Rei Ao reassured them. "There's plenty of energy in each one, and it's not precious at all."
In truth, it was anything but preciouspractically cheap. All he'd done was casually pour some magic power in and install a few unconditional magic seals.
"Hold onto these. If you ever run into an evil spirit like that again, you won't have to worry."
"Thank you, Rei Ao-nii!"
Beaming, Miko stowed her charm away.
"And here, Miko, you should"
Hana began, intending to return the charm in her hand.
"No need to give it back to Miko."
Rei Ao stopped her.
"Since you're her friend, this is my gift to you as her boyfriend and future husband. Take it."
"!!!"
Hearing him call himself her boyfriend and future husband made Miko's head spin.
"ReRei Ao-nii"
A small smile played on Rei Ao's lips.
"Miko, do you want to be my wife?"
He had said from the second time they met that he would genuinely make Miko his. Naturally, he saw no reason to hesitate, and pulled her into his arms. She didn't resistin fact, she nestled in willingly, burying her face in his shirt.
"Mm."
And then he heard the faintest little hum of agreement, quieter than a mosquito's buzz.
Rei Ao smiled broadly.
Miko, you really were quite easy to win over.
~~~
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Chapter 354: The Cute Friend of Miko, Yurikawa Hana
"..."
Hana blinked her big eyes, staring at Miko and Rei Ao standing there.
Suddenly, the protective charm in her own hands no longer seemed so appealing.
"Ugh~"
She exaggerated a dainty hiccup, then clutched her chest dramatically, eyes shimmering with faux sorrow. "Waah, Miko, whywhy must you shower me with public displays of affection like this!"
Hana clutched her large chestor rather, her heartin dramatic sorrow.
"I shouldn't even be here; I should be under a car instead!"
"Pfft!"
That theatrical display made Miko, who was still flustered, break into laughter.
"Hana, stop talking nonsense."
"Haha."
Hana dropped the pretense. Yes, it had been over the top. She scratched the back of her head.
"I just never imagined that not only has Miko become an adult, but she's gone so far already. But either way, I'll be sure to congratulate you, Miko!"
Hana was unswerving in her support for her best friend.
"Hana"
Miko felt deeply moved. Hana not only trusted her unconditionally, but also supported her unconditionally.
"Oh, right!"
Wishing she could do something for her friend, Miko recalled something.
"Rei Ao-nii, Hana could see that evil spirit earlier too. Was it something special about that spirit that made her see it, or did she awaken a Spirit Sight of her own?"
"Oh?"
Rei Ao cast another look at Hana.
[Name]: Yurikawa Hana
[Level]: 0
[Ability]: "Spirit Sight"
"Hana has awakened a Spirit Sight, too."
Hana tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Rei Ao-nii, how do you know I've awakened the same spirit-seeing eye as Miko?"
"Because my own eyes have special powers."
"Eh?"
Hana was surprised yet again, her curiosity on full display. "Then, Rei Ao-nii, do you have x-ray vision?"
That inquisitive expression stirred certain thoughts in Rei Ao's mind, but he simply nodded.
"That's rightI can see through things."
He eyed Hana with a mischievous grin.
"At this moment, Hana, I've seen everything there is to see."
"Eeeek!!!"
Hana reacted like most girls would: she tried to cover herself. But only a few seconds passed before she relaxed, letting her arms fall. Not only thatshe stretched them wide, as though prepared to face whatever came.
"Go ahead and look!"
"Whatare you doing now?"
It was Rei Ao's turn to be baffled.
Wearing a serious expression, Hana said, "Just now, I kinda saw everything about Rei Ao-nii. Now it's Rei Ao-nii's turn to see me. That way it's fair!"
"..."
An awkward silence spread.
Miko's mouth twitched a few times.
"Rei Ao-nii, please don't mind her. Hana is justa bit dumb."
"Ugh, Miko's saying mean things about me again."
Hana pouted, cheeks puffed roundly. "I'm not dumb! If you don't believe me, ask super-sharp-eyed Rei Ao-nii!"
Rei Ao laughed. "Haha, I think it's kinda cute, actually."
"See, see? Rei Ao-nii says so, too! You're such a great guy, Rei Ao-niiplus you've got that big chungus and you're a super nice guy!"
"..."
Miko's lips twitched again. Rightso she's not stupid?
Having settled things at the shrine, Miko hadn't forgotten the real matter at hand: a trade, and she needed to give her payment. The thought of what was about to happen made her blush as she approached Hana hesitantly.
"Hana, you should probably head home now."
"Huh?"
Hana shook her head vigorously like a rattle.
"No way, I want to see more of Rei Ao-nii's magic!"
"But"
"It's fine, Miko. If Hana wants to watch, I'll let her. Let's just move somewhere else," Rei Ao said with a light chuckle.
Such a delightful, naive girlhe had no intention of simply sending her away.
A while later.
"Wow! What is this fancy hotel? It's my first time in a place like this!"
Hana pressed up to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in a tall building, looking off into the distance.
"It's the sea!"
They were in a luxury five-star hotel with an ocean view. Rei Ao had brought them here and set up wards against hidden cameras, wiretaps, peeping, even magical eavesdropping. Not a trace could be seen through the windows, even from the balcony.
Miko, still bashfully flustered, had gone to shower. At the moment, only Rei Ao and Hana remained.
After the initial excitement wore off, Hana asked, "Rei Ao-nii, what are we doing here?"
Rei Ao smiled. "Hana, do you know what I really am?"
"Uma magician?"
Hana still clung to that idea.
Rei Ao nodded and then shook his head.
"Not quite right. The correct answer is that I'm someone from another world who was summoned here because Miko needed help."
