The sculptor's craftsmanship was excellent. The statue possessed both form and spirit, vivid and lifelike, full of pressure, even making one worry whether in the next second it might come to life and swing down the katana.
"It's said that in the chaotic times many years ago, a foolish daimyo wanted to raise an army to attack Hoori Town. Back then, the local clan of Hoori, the Mochizuki family, chose death over submission. In order to boost morale, the Mochizuki head even deliberately killed his beloved hunting dog, as a sign of determination to break the cauldrons and sink the boats."
Nijika had always been reading about legends of Hoori Town, and now they finally came in handy, "Later, when the enemy troops advanced, the Mochizuki family kept retreating. At a moment of crisis, the dead beloved dog of the Mochizuki family transformed into an Inugami and killed off all the daimyo's forces. Hoori Town was thus saved and regained peace."
"Afterwards, the Mochizuki family, in gratitude for the dog's contributions, built a statue and a shrine, offering worship day and night. Over time, it became a tradition of Hoori Town."
"Sounds like a rumor made up by a shady tourist spot to attract visitors," Ryou couldn't help but complain.
Kita and Nijika also nodded in agreement. After all, they were young people, it was hard for them to believe in ghostly superstitions like these.
On the contrary, Bocchi and Yumiko subconsciously glanced at each other and held back their opinions.
After all, the two of them had personally seen the other side of the world. Since there were ghosts, having an Inugami show up wasn't that strange either.
However, this simple little complaint happened to be overheard by an old lady in priestess attire passing by.
She glanced at the blue-haired Ryou and didn't show any intention of scolding her, just shook her head.
"Young people should maintain reverence for the gods."
"Sorry, sorry," Nijika didn't recognize this unfamiliar old woman, but judging from her attire, she was clearly a religious figuremaybe from a nearby shrine?
To secretly mock someone's god and then get caught red-handed, The Archangel was a little embarrassed and quickly apologized on Ryou's behalf, "My friend didn't mean it, it just slipped out. Please don't take it to heart."
Even Ryou didn't talk back. Though she pursued individuality, she wasn't a mean-spirited gremlin. She sincerely said, "Sorry, that was rude of me."
"What's going on?", Having just bought taiyaki, Kaito happened to return at this moment, successfully breaking the awkward atmosphere.
The old lady, who had originally planned to say something, clearly froze after seeing Kaito.
By her side was a young miko in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, who also froze upon seeing him.
After a moment of recovery, the old woman looked deeply at him again but didn't say more. She just nodded slightly and prepared to leave.
The young miko behind her gave a gentle smile and welcomed the group to visit Mochizuki Shrine when they had time, saying that the gods would bless them.
After speaking, she followed the old lady's steps, and the two left in a hurry.
"Ryou", Once their figures gradually disappeared into the distance, Nijika finally rolled her eyes at Ryou, annoyed, "You're always so careless with your words! I dare you to say something like that again next time!"
"Luckily this time the old lady was pretty nice. If not, we'd have been in trouble."
After all, they were traveling outside. The other party was someone from the local shrine, practically a local boss. If she wanted to teach a lesson to a few tourists, it'd be easy.
'If Nijika says it's my fault, then it's my fault.'
'Because this time, it really was something I said wrong.'
Ryou lowered her head obediently, sincerely admitting her mistake, "I'm super sorry! As a sign of sincerity, even if you let Kaito-san ravage me, I won't resist."
"Wouldn't that be a reward... cough! cough!, I mean, dream on!", Nijika lightly knocked her on the head, looking quite exhausted. She felt that if she spent too much time with Ryou, she'd end up being the permanent tsukkomi.
At this moment, Kaito had already heard the full story from Yumiko and Kita, but he didn't take it too seriously. Instead, he curiously watched the direction where those two people had left.
He sensed a faint spiritual power, very weak and barely noticeable, but it truly existed.
This was the first time Kaito had seen a human in this world who actually possessed spiritual power.
However, after being surprised for a bit, he threw it to the back of his mind. After all, it was too weak to really pique his interest.
Because of this little incident, the girls had no intention of continuing to stroll around. After discussing, they decided to return to the inn to rest for now and regroup in the evening to watch the Kagura performance together.
Back in the room, Kaito originally planned to watch some TV. But before long, the door was pushed open, Yumiko sneaked in.
To avoid exposing herself in front of the others, she had been holding back for a long time.
Now that she finally had some private time, she rushed into Kaito's room, and her intentions were clear.
Of course, it was still daytime, so they didn't do anything too intense, just some light affection.
But even just kissing and hugging, Yumiko still acted like a spy in the middle of a secret meeting, constantly glancing at the door, worried someone might barge in at any moment.
Seeing her so on edge, those emerald green eyes were filled not with fear, but with excitement.
Kaito couldn't shake the feeling that, 'This girl... is enjoying it?'
'Yumiko, don't tell me you've awakened some weird kind of kink?'
[T/N: Hey everyone! If you're into mystery, magic, and a whole new twist on the wizarding world, check out my new fanfic "Harry Potter: Transmigrated Detective Link." A sharp-minded detective finds himself in the world of Hogwarts, and things are about to get interesting. Give it a read and let me know what you think!]
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Chapter 65: Nijika Please Punish Me!
[9 P.M.]
Compared to daytime, the night in Hoori Town was not at all quiet. In fact, one might even say it was livelier.
Unlike the bustling Tokyo, there were no dazzling and overwhelming neon lights polluting the view here. There were barely even any streetlights; the illumination mainly came from traditional paper lanterns and stone lanterns, giving the town a very classical charm.
Walking along the small alley paved with green stone slabs, Kita recalled the kagura dance performance they had just seen and still felt somewhat unsatisfied, "The miko-sama's dance was truly sacred sacred and beautiful. No wonder it attracts so many tourists..."
"Too bad it ended after just a short while."
Yumiko also deeply agreed, but thinking this was only the first day of their trip, she felt at ease. If anything, they could just come see it a few more times.
When they returned to the hot spring inn, it was still early. Just going back to their rooms to rest seemed kind of boring.
So, Nijika straightforwardly suggested, "How about we all play a round of cards?"
"Wouldn't regular card games be kind of boring?"
Scum Ryou stroked her chin, deep in thought, "How about we add a punishment system? Like, whoever loses has to pick Truth or Dare or something?"
'Dare?'
All the girls in the group silently shifted their gaze toward Kaito, as if they'd all thought of something. Their lovely faces tinted with a strange blush.
Nijika lightly cleared her throat, "I-I actually brought a Truth or Dare tabletop card game..."
Kita softly agreed, "Then I guess we have no choice. If we don't play, it'd be a waste, right?"
Even Yumiko raised her hand, "I agree."
Add in the easily influenced little Bocchi, and the proposal passed unanimously.
Kaito didn't spoil the mood, and so everyone gathered in his room, excited and ready to play cards.
Nijika was the first to take out a small bulging box and pulled out two different types of cards from it. The blue cards were labeled "Truth," and the pink ones were labeled "Dare."
Kita quietly leaned in and asked in a whisper, "Nijika-senpai, in the Dare cards there aren't any super embarrassing punishments, right?"
Nijika winked at her but didn't say anything.
The unspoken message was loud and clear.
Kita got her answer. Her face reddened as she shrank back into her seat, her fighting spirit suddenly ignited.
The rules were simple and could be understood as a kind of matching game: only pairs with the same value could be played. Players could also draw a card from the person next to them. Whoever finished all their cards first would be the winner. When no more pairs could be made, the one left holding the Joker (the clown card) would be the loser.
The winner could then draw a card from either Truth or Dare and designate the loser to perform the content of the card.
The girls rubbed their palms in anticipation, exchanged glances, and the air seemed to spark with tension.
Then
"I won," After playing his last pair of Aces, Kaito remained calm.
Old Maid was essentially a game of luck, 'These girls of the 21st century are still too naive. They actually think they can challenge me, a cultivator, in terms of fortune?'
Do they even understand what it means to pull 7 rate-up SSRs in a 10-pull? Courting Death!!!
"Um..."
Nijika pulled a Joker from her hand and placed it on the table, "Looks like I'm the loser?"
'Although I didn't win, being punished by Kaito-kun somehow doesn't seem all that bad?'
Shimokitazawa's Archangel bashfully lowered her head, feeling the envious stares of her friends. Her long lashes trembled, "Ka-Kaito-kun... please whip meno, I mean, please punish me!"
Faced with the blue and pink decks, Kaito thought for a moment and chose the right-side Dare deck.
He casually drew a card and glanced at it, "Pin someone of the opposite sex closest to you against the wall for three minutes, and make deep eye contact... Isn't this punishment a bit too much? Should I draw another one instead?"
Kaito hadn't planned to start off with something this intense.
Normally, his luck was pretty good, he shouldn't have drawn such an awkward punishment for both sides.
No matter what, for a pure girl who's never been in love, this punishment seemed a bit too much.
"No, since it's a game, we have to follow the rules!", Nijika, however, firmly refused, wearing an expression of heroic resolve, as if saying "If I don't go to hell, who will?" "Kaito-kun, please forgive my rudeness!"
She stood up as she spoke, practically rushing in front of Kaito. She placed her hand on the wall behind the beautiful boy, creating a private and ambiguous space.
The distance between them was close. So close that they could hear each other's breathing.
Although she had long known that Kaito had a face that could outshine the world, even at this close proximity, she couldn't find a single flaw.
Those light chestnut-colored eyes were right in front of her, like whirlpools in the deep sea, threatening to swallow Nijika's rationality whole.
'If... if I just lean in right now...'
The girls watching from the sidelines felt complicated. Some wanted to stop them but also feared that when it was their turn, their moment might be interrupted too.
Yumiko especially.
To watch her boyfriend get this close with another girl, this was a wall slam, no less even she had never done that before...
She should've felt humiliated, sour, like she'd been cuckolded.
But... her breathing involuntarily grew heavier, and an inexplicable sense of satisfaction rose in her heart. [T/N: ]
Unfortunately, three minutes passed all too quickly. It was over in a flash.
When the two finally pulled apart, Yumiko felt a weight lifted from her chest, but also experienced a subtle regret that even she hadn't noticed.
"It's done, it's done! Time to start the second round!"
Even though Nijik took the first taste, that just meant everyone had a chance to eat meat.
Kita couldn't wait. She quickly reshuffled the cards and started a new round.
As expected, Kaito won again. This time, the loser was Bocchi.
The little terrified bean seemed nervous, but thinking of the reward Nijika-senpai just got, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement.
'Ev-even if there's no wall slam, just a head pat would be enough for me...'
"K-Kaito-kun, pl-please begin", she said softly.
Given the lesson from last time, Kaito originally planned to pick Truth.
But Bocchi's shy, timid demeanor looked far too bullyable. Only a saint could resist the urge for more than three seconds.
So he chose Dare again.
"Hold a Pocky stick in your mouth and choose the person of the opposite sex closest to you to eat it with."
'T-t-t-this this is basically a kiss!'
Bocchi's face was burning hot, like it was on fire, and she stammered, "B-b-b-but I didn't bring any Pocky"
"No worries, I brought some~", At the crucial moment, a certain Miura classmate, who refused to be named, stepped forward and generously provided a whole box of strawberry-flavored Pocky.
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Chapter 66: Little Bocchi Takes a Hard Hit
Pink and tender strawberry-flavored pocky, with only the tail end being a faint yellow.
Bocchi nervously held it in her mouth, but didn't dare touch it with her teeth, afraid she might accidentally bite it off.
Although it wasn't her first time eating pocky, she had never before experienced sharing one stick of pocky with someone of the opposite sex.
She could only nervously close her eyes, her fair face as pale as ivory full of blush, cautiously leaning forward.
Even Kaito felt something was off.
The attention from the people around was one thing, if it were anyone else, fine. But Yumiko not only wasn't jealous, she even actively offered a box of pocky with a face full of anticipation and excitement.
Still, Kaito hesitated for a moment but did not refuse.
After all, that was the game rule. And anyway, he and Bocchi were pure and innocent, his conscience was clear.
Kita had been paying close attention to his expression. Seeing that Kaito had no intention of refusing, she secretly let out a huge sigh of relief.
