The two left their hotel and walked through Wakayama's streets.
Mai looked around like an excited child, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere.
Wakayama wasn't particularly bustling - it paled in comparison to Kyoto.
Though to be fair, Kyoto itself was far less metropolitan than Tokyo.
As the saying goes:
There's only one major city in Japan - Tokyo.
Everywhere else might as well be the countryside.
"Eh? Is that... tarot cards?"
Mai spotted a street vendor with a "Fortune Telling" sign, her eyes lighting up with innocent curiosity as she dragged Ye Xing over.
"You should get your fortune read."
Of course, she wanted hers done too.
Unfortunately, the elderly fortune teller never once glanced in Mai's direction - proof she couldn't perceive her existence either.
"Nonsense."
Ye Xing shook his head.
'If this old woman can't even see you,' he thought, 'what credibility does her "fate-determining" fortune telling have?'
"Young man, that's not something to say lightly."
Mistaking Ye Xing's comment as directed at her, the grandmother maintained a kindly smile. With a mysterious gesture, she motioned him to sit, whispering conspiratorially:
"Tarot reveals the path of your destiny. Have a seat - you'll understand after the reading."
As Ye Xing sat opposite the stall, he took a proper look.
Well, well - if it isn't an old acquaintance?
In the original storyline, Miko Yotsuya had bought bracelets from this very grandmother.
What was she called again? Godmother? Spiritual Mother...?
Ah, yes - the Divine Grandmother.
Oh ho! If it isn't the Great Onmyoji Godmother!
Haven't seen you in days - how'd you end up in Wakayama?
Couldn't compete with the old man's popularity in Kyoto's shopping district?
'Wait... is this actually my fault?'
Shaking off these whimsical thoughts, Ye Xing glanced at Mai's expectant expression.
'Well, if she wants to see a tarot reading, might as well humour her.'
"Just so we're clear - if this is a scam, I'll have to use my secret bloodline technique: Dust Release: Maternal Separation Jutsu."
Faced with such absurdity and Ye Xing's accompanying hand gesture, the Godmother forced a strained smile.
"Er... young man, the energy you emanate suggests you're no ordinary person!"
Mai started beside him.
Could this street fortune teller actually possess supernatural abilities?... She could actually see the peculiarities in Ye Xing?
"Heh."
Unlike the simple-minded Mai Sakurajima, who fell right into the trap with one sentence, Ye Xing saw through it immediately.
Wasn't this just the classic opening line used by fortune-tellers?
'Your forehead looks dark - you'll face bloodshed soon.'
'Your philtrum looks dark - you'll face bloodshed soon.'
'Your crown looks dark - you'll face bloodshed soon.'
And when facing high school students like himself - 'You don't seem like an ordinary person.'
First, identify whether it's just teenage delusions of grandeur.
If it is, then the money's easy to scam.
Normally, ordinary people would only show either excitement or bewildered denial at this point.
Under the confident gaze of the old woman, Ye Xing merely curled his lip. His unexpectedly tough attitude caught her off guard as he retorted sharply.
"Tell me something I don't know. You think I'm unaware? Hmm?"
Hearing his utterly matter-of-fact tone...
The old woman's smile froze.
'In all my years,' she thought, 'I've never encountered such a self-assured delusional teenager!'
Normally, when finally meeting someone who recognises them, shouldn't they eagerly spout all their fantasy settings to satisfy their need for validation?
Why aren't you following the script, kid?!
"Hurry up with your tarot reading. Stop beating around the bush."
The old woman dropped her pretentious, polite smile. Her eyes gleamed intensely as they fixed on Ye Xing's face.
She sensed a challenge.
She, who was called the Divine Grandmother, was a genuine psychic.
Before that old fool Oda Noto's sudden rise, she had been the leading figure in Kyoto's - no, all of Japan's - exorcism circles.
Never did she imagine that today, in this small city of Wakayama, she'd encounter the most difficult opponent of her life.
This kid's money...
Wouldn't be easy to scam.
The harder it seemed to scam him, the more indignant the Godmother became.
Today, even if it costs her this old body, she'd make him willingly hand over his money!
This wasn't about a few thousand yen.
This was a battle of dignity to defend the title of Divine Grandmother!
"Very well."
The Godmother assumed a grave expression, picked up the stack of tarot cards on the table, and began shuffling them slowly with her wrinkled, withered hands.
Ye Xing sat opposite her, their gazes colliding mid-air like sparks flying from flint.
Snap!
After shuffling, the Godmother slapped the deck onto the table and, with practised ease, fanned them out face-down in a perfect arc. Speaking deliberately, she intoned:
"Please... state your divination query. Then draw three cards!"
"Excellent! My query is: the identity of the person who accompanied me to Wakayama City this time!"
Ye Xing matched her intensity, his declaration brimming with dramatic flair.
"Now... It's my turn! Draw!"
He selected three cards from different positions and laid them before him.
Mai Sakurajima was dumbfounded.
Seriously? It's just a tarot reading. Do you two need to make it this intense?
Especially Ye Xing.
Even during that battle against the so-called gods at the shrine, she'd never seen him look this serious.
The Godmother's eyes burned with determination, staking her decades of reputation, experience and ability on this single reading.
'Today, you will take that 4000 yen from your pocket and hand it to me with sincere reverence!'
Ye Xing's expression mirrored hers, radiating unshakable resolve.
'Today, there's no way I'm parting with that 4000 yen!'
The battle lines were drawn.
The Godmother extended her gnarled, tree-bark-like right hand and slowly revealed the three cards before Ye Xing.
"Hmm... The Hermit, The Empress, The Lovers."
Mai didn't understand tarot symbolism.
But hearing these three cards named, she froze.
Ye Xing's query about his companion in Wakayama City referred to her.
Mai's current situation perfectly matched The Hermit.
The second card, The Empress, aligned with her former status as a nationally famous idol-actress.
As for the final card...
Mai stole a glance at Ye Xing, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as her cheeks coloured slightly.
Well... that's somewhat accurate.
"Not bad. But not impressive either."
Ye Xing delivered his verdict, producing a red 2000-yen note from his wallet and placing it lightly on the table.
The Godmother shook her head with a knowing smile.
"This first question was merely testing my skills. For queries where the querent already knows the answer, I charge no fee. Now ask your real question."
At her age, truth be told, money wasn't her priority.
What she wanted?
To make this young client bow before her formidable divination skills and address her as 'Godmother' with genuine awe!
This was a battle of pride!
The money was secondary.
"Very well."
Ye Xing didn't stand on ceremony.
That the old woman actually possessed some skill was unexpectedly impressive.
Mai's Adolescence Syndrome was a peculiar phenomenon that even psychics like Miko Yotsuya and Rio Futaba couldn't detect.
Although the Godmother couldn't perceive Mai Sakurajima's existence either, she could precisely identify Mai's identity through tarot divination - she did have some genuine skill.
But not much.
After all, Mai Sakurajima was still just an ordinary person who hadn't awakened the ability of Soul Materialisation at this stage.
Now came what he truly wanted to ask.
After the Godmother collected those three tarot cards and reshuffled them, Ye Xing slowly spoke.
"The question I want divined this time is the identity of the next person in Kyoto City who might become my assistant."
Normally.
One shouldn't ask such vague questions during tarot readings.
An assistant?
What exactly would they assist with? In what manner? These details should be specified.
But the Godmother merely smiled slightly without voicing any objections.
She was a genuine psychic who had cultivated her abilities for many years.
The tarot divination of the Divine Godmother was completely different from the fraudulent tricks peddled to gullible girls on street corners.
She welcomed the challenge!
When Ye Xing drew three cards and placed them before himself, the Godmother took a deep breath, channelling all her spiritual power at this moment. Extending her right hand, she slowly revealed the first card, softly intoning:
"Justice."
Ye Xing's expression remained impassive as he gave a noncommittal nod.
His question concerned the identity of his next potential assistant.
In this context, the Justice card seemed too abstract.
For starters.
Every member of the Supernatural Society was aligned with the Justice card, as they all worked in the shadows to protect the safety of Kyoto.
The Godmother could tell Ye Xing wasn't surprised by the first card's revelation, but she remained unhurried, using the same motion to reveal the second card.
"Judgement."
"Justice... Judgement..."
The Godmother pondered briefly before analysing:
"Based on these two cards, the person in your question likely holds a position like judge or prosecutor."
But when the second card revealed Judgement, a peculiar light flickered in Ye Xing's eyes.
Justice and Judgement?
Could it be... that person?
If his speculation proved correct, then the third tarot card should be...
Ye Xing extended his right hand and flipped the third card in front of him. Gazing at its imagery, he softly uttered:
"Death."
As these words left his lips, an inexplicably chilling breeze brushed past the Godmother.
Her brows furrowed deeply, her aged face etched with bewilderment.
"How can this be... This doesn't make sense."
The Justice and Judgement cards had convinced her that Ye Xing's query pointed to legal professionals like prosecutors or judges.
Yet the third card overturned her deduction.
In this context, Death represented someone surrounded by mortality - even an eyewitness to death.
While nurses in hospice wards or hospital doctors might fit this card's definition, that contradicts the implications of the first two cards.
It left her utterly perplexed.
"Hmm, an accurate divination."
Ye Xing pulled another 2000-yen note from his wallet and, together with the previous one, pushed them towards the fortune-teller granny with a faint smile.
"Your divination was very accurate."
Watching Ye Xing's retreating figure and then glancing down at the two 2000-yen notes on the table, the fortune-teller granny's expression was deeply conflicted.
By all accounts, this should count as her tarot reading being accurate—she had won.
Yet, the confusion over the answer to his question lingered stubbornly in her mind.
Justice, Judgement, Death—three tarot cards.
Just what kind of person was this so-called "assistant" in reality?
Or rather...
What exactly was the "assistance" that Ye Xing had referred to in his question?
She was merely a tarot reader, yet she couldn't decipher the results of her own divination.
For the first time, the fortune-teller granny felt this sense of defeat.
...
On the way, Ye Xing called Rio Futaba. Without going into detail, he simply said that "club activities" would be suspended for the next couple of days.
Moreover, he used the codename "Quantum."
Rio naturally understood that Ye Xing meant all exorcism-related matters were to be put on hold.
She didn't ask further, simply agreeing and saying she would inform Yui Yuigahama and Miko Yotsuya before hanging up.
...
After lunch, in the afternoon.
"The seawater's so cold."
Mai Sakurajima, clad in a two-piece swimsuit, stood barefoot on the golden sand, cupping a handful of seawater in her palms and examining it with a lazy, contented smile.
Meanwhile, Ye Xing had also changed into swim trunks.
Not that he wanted to.
But this public beach didn't allow entry without proper swimwear.
Since it was a Friday workday, the beach wasn't crowded—just small groups of friends or couples here and there. So far, no one had approached Ye Xing to strike up a conversation.
Which was a relief.
Mai Sakurajima, in her two-piece swimsuit, revealed vast stretches of fair, delicate skin. Her figure, while not exaggerated, was undeniably shapely, and her flawless face, bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight, was nothing short of a breathtaking sight.
A shame, really, that such a beautiful scene could only be appreciated by Ye Xing.
Wait—no.
The fact that only he could see it was precisely what made it not a shame at all.
"Aren't you coming over?"
At Mai's question, Ye Xing, lounging on a deck chair under a parasol, waved her off.
"Go ahead and enjoy yourself. I'm not really interested in the sea."
"Come on, we're here already. Hurry up, join me."
Mai quickly strode over, grabbed Ye Xing's arm, and pulled him up from the chair.
So white.
Dazzlingly white.
So soft.
So soft that... there are no words to describe it. In short, just soft.
While Ye Xing was admiring Mai Sakurajima's beautiful figure, she was also secretly observing him out of the corner of her eye, pretending to be nonchalant.
'Ye Xing's physique is really good...'
Coming to this beach served two purposes for Mai.
First, she'd only ever been to the seaside for filming before, and now that she could finally enjoy some quiet time without being seen by others, she wanted to fully relish the seaside experience.
Second...
She wanted to see Ye Xing's physique.
Even girls feel curious about someone they like.
And this look certainly didn't disappoint Mai Sakurajima.
Ye Xing's build was well-proportioned, yet his six-pack abs and the muscular definition in his arms were clearly visible.
Compared to those exaggerated, almost grotesquely muscular physiques that could be off-putting, Mai preferred Ye Xing's type - the kind that looked natural in clothes yet revealed well-defined lines when undressed.
"Miss Sakurajima, please stop taking liberties with me. You're acting like a pervert."
Hearing Ye Xing's righteous accusation, the exposed Mai instantly blushed and pouted in defiance.
"W-who's taking liberties with you? Narcissist."
Then, Mai crouched down, scooping up a handful of sun-warmed sand with both hands, and said with a playful smile:
"Shall we have a contest? Sand sculptures? Loser treats for dinner."
"No problem."
Hearing this perfectly normal response from Ye Xing, Mai suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
His reply was far too normal.
And with Ye Xing, normal was abnormal.
Fifteen minutes later...
Staring at the nearly 1.8-meter-tall, lifelike cylindrical structure meticulously crafted from sand before her, Mai finally understood the source of her foreboding.
"Art, truly art."
Ye Xing examined his masterpiece with satisfaction, nodding approvingly.
"Excellent, this is my magnum opus! I shall name it the C5 Sculpture!"
For some reason, although Mai found Ye Xing's sand sculpture excessively abstract and hard to look at directly...
She glanced down at the pitiful little castle at her feet, then back at this towering cylindrical creation.
"I lose."
...
After a full day of fun, the two returned to their hotel room.
While Mai was showering, Ye Xing received a call from Haruno Yukinoshita.
"Hello, Ye Xing-kun."
Haruno's tone carried her usual slightly teasing lilt.
"Just calling to say everything's arranged. It starts promptly at nine tomorrow morning."
"Thanks."
Ye Xing responded with a smile before asking:
"By the way, will Wakayama City be covered?"
"Of course. I've arranged coverage for every city in Japan - this was a massive investment."
Haruno answered first before continuing with meaningful amusement:
"You're in Wakayama? Probably not alone, I'm guessing? A date?"
Ye Xing nodded slightly and said something Haruno hadn't anticipated:
"Yes, it's a date. If you'd like to join, you can book an appointment half a month in advance, and I'll schedule an available slot for you."
Then he added with a laugh: "We're friends, no need to stand on ceremony."
Haruno, on the other end of the phone, chuckled helplessly and shook her head.
"You high schoolers have spring break to relax all you want, but us university students are quite busy. I'll visit you next time I'm in Kyoto."
"Sure thing, just remember to book in advance."
"Enough of your cheek. I'm hanging up now."
...
Early next morning.
Mai Sakurajima, wearing hot pants and a short-sleeved top as sleepwear, stretched lazily as she got out of bed.
Rubbing her eyes, she hopped down and glanced at her phone's display.
8:55 am.
Thinking about returning to Kyoto today, Mai gazed wistfully out the window at the scenery.
Still, she felt content having occupied two days of Ye Xing's spring break.
Her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet, Mai spotted Ye Xing sitting on the sofa and waved cheerfully.
"Good morning, Ye Xing-kun."
"..."
"Ye Xing...kun?"
Ye Xing remained engrossed in his phone, seemingly oblivious to Mai's greeting.
"Could it be...?"
Mai's heart sank.
Had even Ye Xing finally stopped recognising her existence?
Her eyes drifted to the suitcase nearby. After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip and opened it.
Inside lay a pair of sheer black tights, two white arm sleeves, a bodysuit resembling a swimsuit, and most importantly—
A pair of bunny ear accessories.
Changing into the bunny girl outfit in the bathroom, Mai blushed at her reflection.
"No choice but to try this."
She remembered Ye Xing once saying:
"If I ever forget you, just wear a bunny outfit and I'll definitely remember."
The idea had sounded utterly ridiculous at the time.
But it couldn't hurt to try.
Steeling herself against embarrassment, Mai slipped on black high heels and tiptoed to stand before Ye Xing.
After a long silence...
"So this is how it ends..."
Mai's smile turned bittersweet.
Of course, such an absurd method wouldn't work.
Kneeling down, she openly studied Ye Xing's face this time—no more stolen glances.
Leaning forward, her soft pink lips lightly brushed his cheek.
Still no reaction.
Mai sighed wistfully.
Even fairytale solutions proved unreliable.
The last person who could see her... could see her no more.
As Mai hung her head in silence, Ye Xing's amused voice whispered in her ear:
"That was textbook stalker behaviour, Mai-san."
"Eh... EH!?"
Mai sprang up in shock.
"You... you still remember me?"
"Of course. Didn't I promise I wouldn't forget?"
Ye Xing stood and pointed towards the hotel room's floor-to-ceiling window.
Following his finger, Mai witnessed a sight she would remember for life.
A massive airship floated in the sky, its underside displaying a wide banner clearly visible even to pedestrians on the ground.
The message on the banner was simple:
"Celebrating Yukinoshita Construction Company's successful completion of its first Kyoto project. On the office building's handover day, renowned idol actress Mai Sakurajima will perform the ribbon-cutting ceremony."
Mai Sakurajima froze.
Ye Xing, as indifferent as ever, shrugged and grinned.
"Now, no one in all of Japan will ever forget you again."