Aiko, Aoto, and Fumiko finally arrive in Kyoto's inner city, the atmosphere lively and safe.
"Finally… That was quite the journey. Now we have to stop for some snacks while we're here!" Fumiko piped up as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Aoto took off the big mascot costume, letting out a sigh of relief.
"Ugh, I thought I was going to melt in that thing… Aiko-Chan, where are we headed now?" Aoto asked, setting the mascot costume on the ground.
Aiko hums before checking her guide, "Well it says we need to head to the large cathedral at around 5:30, and it's only 4:06. We have some time to kill so let's get Fumiko some snacks before she passes out."
As the three of them have their free time before the revelation event, Kazu is on the other side of the inner city next to the outer border.
"Man, why would they send a blind guy to look for a body? Some of these commissions are pretty illogical…" Kazu muttered.
Shaba chuckles at Kazu's words, "I know right? They probably did it just to mess with you." Shaba paused before continuing, "But from what I know, the man's body shouldn't be far."
Kazu hums as he continues walking down the edges of the outer border.
Suddenly, he smells a very horrible scent that makes his face scrunch up.
"Ugh, what is that smell? It smells like a burned corpse…" Kazu said with annoyance. He takes out his katana and starts waving it around the area to try to feel around.
Shaba lets out a small unsettled shiver as he sees what Kazu cannot…
"Kazu… When was the last time we patrolled between the inner city and the outer border….? He asked slowly, questioning.
Kazu hums in thought as he still sways his katana near the ground like a walking cane.
"I actually don't remember, maybe-" As soon as Kazu was about to finish talking, his sword stopped on a soft, fleshy object.
"Shaba…"
"Kazu…"
The border is filled with torched curses and curse residue. It seems that someone didn't properly exorcise the curses and they began rotting the area.
"This is a disaster; now I will never find the man's body in this situation," Kazu grumbled.
He took out a talisman and held it up. Shortly after, it begins to glow and develop a warm golden aura around the area.
The torched curses began disintegrating and fading away, alongside its residue, and finally the area was cleared.
"Great job Kazu, the curses are finally at rest, but where's the body? Shouldn't it be right here?" Shaba asked.
Kazu scratched his head, taking out his pack of cigarettes and popping one into his mouth and lighting it. "We should go back to the E.S.C. and tell them about our findings." He said while blowing out a cloud of smoke.
As Kazu and Shaba prepare to leave, Aiko, Aoto, and Fumiko are all in front of the inner city's main cathedral, promoting the revelation event.
"Don't miss out on this upcoming revelation event! We will be discussing The Priest and The Holy Headsman!" Aiko yells loudly while trying to pass out flyers.
Aoto and Fumiko stand beside her with their koi fish mascot costumes and they're waving pointer signs.
Unfortunately for the group, only a few people, often the elderly decided to join the event.
Aoto sighs and leans against the wall, "Let's just forget it; no one is going to listen to us yap about The Priest and The Holy Headsman."
Fumiko nods in agreement, "Yeah, I wouldn't wanna listen to that stuff either. I would probably fall asleep midway through."
Aiko frowns in disappointment, checking her watch and letting out a soft sigh.
"We might as well go report back to the E.S.C. building before dinnertime. We can tell them to just cancel the event…" Aiko muttered with a hint of sadness.
Just as the group was about to head back, a group of high school girls suddenly approached them, holding up a camera.
"E-Excuse me! Before you go, my friends and I would like to take a picture with the two wearing the koi fish costumes!" One of the shy girls piped up.
Aiko turned around and her eyes widened. Aoto and Fumiko both looked at each other then back at the girls.
"Of course you can! We are promoting an upcoming revelation event, and we would like you to join us! It would be nice if you took a picture to keep for memories…" Aiko said with a smile.
As she hands them a pamphlet, one of them speaks up, "The Priest and The Holy Headsman? I heard about those dudes; they're pretty important in the curse hunting business huh?"
[For those wondering, The Priest and The Holy Headsman are two very ideological figures in the curse hunting society. The priest is a divine being who grants holy energy for the Elite Safety Committee and for any other known curse hunting organizations. Their origin is unknown, and what makes them even more of a mystery is how they came to be. The Holy Headsman is a completely different story of course. The Holy Headsman is the sworn executioner of curses and cursed beings (Similar to Kazu). The difference between The Holy Headsman and an ordinary curse hunter is that The Holy Headsman uses natural, unpurified holy energy, and it is how he can convert it into powerful electric currents. Little does everyone know… He will be a major problem soon.]
After taking the pictures and handing out pamphlets to the high school girls, the group decided to head back to the E.S.C. building for dinnertime.
"Those girls were so sweet, I'm happy they were interested in the event!" Aiko said excitedly.
Fumiko laughed while bumping Aoto's shoulder, "Yeah, and this big doofus was completely annoyed the entire time. Learn how to lighten up!" Fumiko said teasingly to Aoto, which made him even more irritated.