Chapter 79: Unequal Contract, Kicking the Merit Box
Futaba Rio and Yotsuya Miko watched helplessly as the Pale Ghost Hand pinned down the god's massive body, while the Pitch-Black Ghost Hand slowly sank its sharp, pale nails into the other party's body and tore at it.
Just watching it made the two girls shudder.
How painful must that be?
"Time is tight, let's not waste it."
Yoru said with a smile as he used the Ghost Hand to tear off one of the golden god's four legs, which turned into translucent pale golden aura and was swallowed into his stomach.
"Tastes good."
Yoru smiled with satisfaction, squatted down, reached out, and patted the golden god's head.
"Bro, you taste pretty good, much stronger than evil spirits."
Although Sakurajima Mai and Yui Yuigahama couldn't see the god and the Ghost Hand, hearing this sentence, they could roughly guess what happened.
Miko was even more stunned.
Yoru can not only devour evil spirits...
But even gods?
This appetite is too good; you're not picky at all.
"Have you considered it? Do you want to sign the contract?"
Having experienced the Hachishaku incident last time, Miko and Yui understood.
The "signing a contract" Yoru mentioned was completely different from what they originally imagined.
Contract?
That's exploitation!
"@@!#@!"*
The golden god let out weak whimpers, lacking even the strength to roar in pain, looking somewhat miserable.
Yoru didn't indulge it at all. He manipulated the Pitch-Black Ghost Hand to give it another resounding slap directly.
"Did you leave your vocal cords at home?"
The golden god was already severely injured, and the Pitch-Black Ghost Hand seemed to have a certain restraining effect on spiritual bodies.
With this slap, its body dimmed a bit.
Like a candle in the cold wind, flickering.
"#!@&!#...."*
Even so, the golden god still uttered obscure and incomprehensible words, but trembling fear could be heard in its voice.
"Oh..."
Yoru nodded noncommittally.
"So you really can't speak human language, not just messing with me on purpose."
He actually knew this originally.
However, on one hand, Miko in the original plot was human, so this golden god with a goat head might not have been unable to speak human language but just didn't want to.
On the other hand...
I'm the one slapping, not the one getting slapped. What harm is there in trying?
So what if I hit it? What can it do to me?
"Come, sign the contract. Conditions are as follows."
Yoru looked at the golden god with a smile and spoke softly.
"My condition is: when anyone present encounters an evil spirit, you must appear immediately to provide assistance."
"By assistance, I mean you must show up in person. And if it's an unmatched powerful evil spirit, you take the initiative to stay behind and delay time, even if it means dying with the evil spirit. Understand?"
Classic unequal treaty.
Miko thought that in the stories she had read, humans prayed for the help of gods respectfully and offered sacrifices.
Why was it completely reversed with Yoru?
She had really never seen someone threaten a god like this.
"@!&!&..."*
Slap!
Before the god could finish, the Pitch-Black Ghost Hand gave it another slap.
"I don't care if you can leave the shrine or not. Anyway, you must arrive in person. Don't send those two fox-faced weak divine envoys to fool people. Even arriving a few seconds late counts as violating the contract."
"Eh?"
Hearing Yoru say this, Miko leaned forward and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"You can understand its language?"
Yoru shook his head.
"Can't understand."
"Then how can you understand its meaning?"
"Who cares if I understand? I'm just guessing it's saying that. If not, great; if so, after this slap, it's not anymore."
Miko: .....
Students in Sobu High evaluated Yoru as extremely antisocial, doing things his own way, and having a bad temper.
But if they saw Yoru facing evil spirits, they would probably think Yoru in school could simply be described as kind.
At least he gave a reason for hitting people in school, right?
"Understand what I'm saying, right?"
Yoru stopped smiling, looking straight into the face of the goat-headed golden evil spirit (god). His eyes were calm and waveless as he spoke flatly.
"Also, every half month, I will come here once and devour about thirty percent of your body based on your current size."
"If you don't want to be gradually devoured by me, take the initiative to find and devour those evil spirits in Kyoto."
"The above are the conditions I offer."
"The reward you can get from this is simple: you won't be eaten by me right now."
"If you understand, nod."
Listening to Yoru say such terrifying words that made people shudder without any threatening tone, Hachishaku in the distance suddenly felt a sense of survival after a disaster.
Luckily I joined early enough.
Luckily I didn't cause any substantial harm to Yui and Miko back then.
Otherwise....
Recalling that night watching her body turn into black mist bit by bit and being swallowed into Yoru's stomach, Hachishaku still felt terrified.
Whether for evil spirits like them or this existence enshrined in a shrine and called a god.
In short, any spirit-related creature had a natural fear of Yoru.
After all, he was an exorcist who had devoured thousands of evil spirits, more powerful than any famous Great Onmyoji in the history of Sakura Prefecture.
The pale golden goat-headed god didn't want to accept such conditions.
But obviously, it was even less willing to dissipate just like that.
Judging from the decoration style and the degree of dilapidation of this shrine, this god had existed for at least one or two hundred years.
The longer one lived, the more afraid of death one became.
Not only humans but spirits as well.
"Oh right, wait a minute."
Just as the contract was about to be signed, Yoru suddenly added a sentence.
"There is another person, Yurikawa Hana of Class 1-A at Sobu High. If she encounters an evil spirit, you must also appear immediately to help."
Hearing this, the Super-Quant Club members froze for a moment, then smiled knowingly.
Yoru seemed nonchalant on the surface.
In reality, he also considered Student Yurikawa's safety.
"Yoru, you..."
Before Miko could speak, Yoru waved his hand to interrupt.
"Don't misunderstand. I added Yurikawa Hana's name to the contract only because she is a friend of you and Dumpling (Yui), that's all. I don't have any other thoughts."
"So what if you do?"
Yui looked carefree, covering her lips and chuckling.
"Little Hana is cute and has a good personality. She is quite popular among boys too."
When saying this, Yui suddenly felt three sharp gazes carrying killing intent land on her face.
Two came from Rio and Miko.
But what Yui couldn't understand was that she clearly felt intense killing intent coming from somewhere, but there was obviously no one there.
Could it be...
Seeing a ghost?
If it were true, Yoru would be overjoyed.
Unexpected harvest?
Unfortunately, the killing intent gaze Yui felt came from Sakurajima Mai.
....
After signing this extremely unequal contract, comparable to unilateral slavery, the goat-headed god disappeared silently.
"Finally solved."
Just as Yoru intended to leave with Mai and the others, he stopped as if remembering something.
"What's wrong?"
"Wait, one more thing, almost forgot."
Yoru turned around, walked quickly to the merit box (offering box) placed in the shrine, and kicked it hard, smashing it against the stone statue nearby until it cracked.
Crash~
He squatted down, carefully picked up the few bills and dozen coins he just threw in, as well as some money originally inside, put them into his pocket, and muttered.
"Bastard (BYD), I won't leave a single cent for you."
The girls were dumbfounded.
No, bro, is that necessary?
Making that god sign an unequal treaty is one thing.
You even kicked its merit box?
Can money thrown into the merit box be taken back?
But on second thought.
Yoru even beat up the god itself; this little thing didn't matter.
"OK, that's it for today. Dismissed. Regarding Onimaru Kunitsuna, I will contact you later. Just relax properly for these few days."
....
After Yoru left, Rio and Miko looked at each other and sighed deeply at the same time.
Yui still looked confused, tilting her head curiously.
"Looking at you guys, the operation should be successful, right? Why sigh?"
"Yui, you aren't a spirit medium, you don't understand."
Rio shook her head, pushed her glasses, her expression complicated.
"Evil spirits, 'Doors', the Otherworld—all these dangers are fought by only a few of us. I thought the gods in legends might become our allies, but seeing it with my own eyes today...."
Miko took over Rio's words and spoke slowly.
"So-called gods might be existences even more evil than evil spirits."
Hearing their words, Yui's eyes dimmed beside them, but she still forced a smile.
"Alright, alright, anyway, there is no danger now, right? It's finally spring break, and it's still early. Let's go shopping together, eat something, and relax?"
Rio pushed her glasses, a look of anticipation in her eyes. She coughed twice, pretending not to care.
"Relaxing the mood is also conducive to thinking. It's a good proposal."
Yui saw through Rio's disguise, went up to hold her arm, and smiled.
"Come on, you actually want to go too, right?"
"Just... okay."
"Then let's go!"
After Yui's banter, Rio and Miko's somewhat heavy mood relaxed a lot.
True.
Take one step at a time.
Although this world is filled with desperate terror, haven't we held on until now?
As long as more spirit mediums join in the future, the power of the Super-Quant Club will become stronger and stronger.
We can definitely protect the city of Kyoto.
However, Rio and Miko failed to notice the hint of loss in the depths of Yui's sweet smile.
"Only I am left..."
Yui looked at Rio and Miko beside her, Yoru's figure appearing in her mind.
She told herself in her heart that she absolutely must not sigh, must continue to smile, and not affect her friends' moods because of her personal reasons.
But human thoughts and feelings are not controlled by oneself.
Yui already vaguely felt that the areas where she could help and contribute to the Super-Quant Club were becoming fewer and fewer recently.
And now.
With the awakening of Rio's Soul Manifestation, she felt even more at a loss.
There were four members in the Super-Quant Club, and only she, Yui Yuigahama, remained an ordinary person.
Let alone fighting evil spirits.
In the physical world, she couldn't even observe the existence of those things and didn't know what happened at all.
Current self...
Could do nothing.
.....
Half an hour later, Yoru's home.
"Yurikawa Hana..."
Yoru sat on the sofa, pondering the next plan.
The frequency of "Doors" appearing was gradually decreasing. Whether it was crimes caused by evil spirits or by humans themselves, the scale and frequency had reduced a lot.
Part of the reason was the Super-Quant Club constantly removing "Doors" and eliminating powerful evil spirits, but the actions taken by the police also contributed greatly.
So taking advantage of this stable period, Yoru first had to consider how to recruit more people with aptitude who might awaken the ability of Soul Manifestation and become aids against evil spirits to join the Super-Quant Club.
Hana, who possessed life aura intensity beyond ordinary people, was a good candidate for cultivation.
Only one point.
Miko was ostensibly a JK (high school girl) but actually a spirit medium with the "Sight." After breaking free from the fear of evil spirits, she awakened Soul Manifestation: Hyakume.
And Rio ostensibly looked calm and rational like an emotionless robot.
In reality, her heart was very sensitive. Because of outside comments and views, she even started to hate herself.
After expressing her true inner feelings and realizing that even such a Futaba Rio was needed by someone and was an indispensable existence in some people's eyes, she awakened her Soul Manifestation: Hone-Onna.
This was the so-called facing the True Self.
Then the question arose.
Hana...
This girl was too real, too consistent inside and out.
Yoru found it hard to imagine what tangled thoughts the naive, ditzy Hana with an amazing appetite would have in her heart.
The only thing she might struggle with was probably her shoulders getting sore often.
Truly envy Yukino and Touma Kazusa for not having such troubles.
could such a consistent person meet the conditions for awakening Soul Manifestation?
Hard to say.
Worst case scenario, pull her into the Super-Quant Club first.
Even if she couldn't awaken Soul Manifestation, letting Hana, who possessed strong life aura that burned evil spirits if they dared to approach, serve as an anti-explosion shield for Miko would work.
Right hand holding the spiritual item katana, left hand holding Yurikawa Hana.
Simply invincible.
"Haven't you finished packing yet?"
Mai walked down slowly from the second floor carrying a suitcase with both hands, placed it on the floor, and panted with a slightly flushed face.
"No, packing what?"
"Going out for a trip."
"Where to?"
"Hmm..."
Mai took out her phone, swiped a few times with her slender fingers, and smiled sweetly.
"Let's go to Wakayama. I want to go to the beach."
"How long?"
"Back by noon the day after tomorrow? Should not delay your matters, right?"
"I don't have any plans during spring break. Taking Onimaru Kunitsuna after coming back is totally in time."
Seeing Yoru agree, Mai showed a jubilant smile like a little girl and urged.
"Then pack quickly. Any later and there won't be trains."
"Sure (Chi Chu)."
Only going for two days, Yoru quickly packed a change of clothes and came out carrying a small bag.
Forming a sharp contrast with Mai's heavy suitcase.
....
Two hours later, the coastal city of Wakayama.
Although they said they were leaving Kyoto for a trip, the distance between the two cities was only a little over a hundred kilometers, just over an hour by train.
"Woo~ The air is so fresh."
Mai wore a light-colored dress, her long black hair naturally draped down, wearing a cute bunny hairpin. Her two slender, well-proportioned legs were so white they almost reflected light.
After getting off the train, she immediately stretched lazily, breathed the surrounding air, and exclaimed comfortably.
Yoru shook his head with a dumbfounded smile.
"Look at you. When you were an actress, you should have traveled all over Sakura Prefecture, right?"
"Can that be the same?"
Mai glanced at him and said grumpily.
"That was work before; where was the time to appreciate the scenery? Besides..."
Speaking of this, Mai paused, tucked her hair behind her ear, and pretended to be calm.
"The person... accompanying me is different too."
Yoru nodded in deep agreement.
"True. Being accompanied by me, the Number One Exorcist of Kyoto, for a trip, you should indeed feel honored."
Mai rolled her eyes, thinking as expected of you.
....
After arriving at the hotel, the two encountered a problem.
"Sir, one room, correct?"
The hotel receptionist wore a polite smile, completely ignoring Mai standing beside Yoru.
After all, in her eyes, there was only one guest, Yoru.
"Mmhmm, one room. The best suite."
"Okay."
Although Mai felt very embarrassed, there was no other way.
Checking into a hotel required swiping ID documents.
Personal items like this with her name representing her identity, even if they left her contact, were completely invisible to outsiders.
One ID card, naturally, could only open one room.
Logical and reasonable.