Chapter 231: Staying Overnight…
“Kou-kun, see anything?” the shrine maiden asked softly, her breath almost visible in the chill air.
Kouya narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings for any fluctuation of energy. “Nothing.”
At first glance, the place seemed harmless—just a decrepit shrine left to rot under the weight of time. The faint scent of moss and old wood filled the air, and for now, there was no sign of youkai or any lingering spirit energy.
“Let’s go inside and have a look,” the shrine maiden suggested. “Maybe we’ll find something unusual.”
“Alright.”
The shrine doors were only half-closed. A small push was enough to make them groan open, the sound echoing eerily into the silent night.
Inside, the shrine—once a symbol of peace and divinity—was a shadow of its former self. Weeds sprouted through cracked tiles, and vines curled along the wooden pillars. The air smelled of damp soil and forgotten prayers. A few old talismans still clung to the walls, yellowed and brittle, their ink faded into nothingness.
They walked slowly through the small hall. The moonlight streaming through broken tiles painted long streaks of silver across the dusty floor.
After circling the grounds, they returned to the main hall. Nothing. No cursed objects, no spiritual distortions—just silence.
“Looks like whatever’s haunting this place hasn’t appeared yet,” the shrine maiden murmured, sighing softly. “Let’s eat something while we wait.”
She knelt down gracefully and opened her pack, pulling out a few small homemade bread rolls. The aroma of freshly baked flour and butter mingled with the cold night air as she handed one to Kouya.
He accepted it without much thought and took a bite. The bread was warm, soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, its texture delicate enough to melt on his tongue. “Pretty good,” he said after a pause.
She chuckled. “I brought extras, in case you wanted more.”
The shrine maiden’s smile glowed softly in the moonlight. She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, gazing at the pale silver orb in the sky through the shattered roof beams. “Kou-kun, thank you,” she whispered suddenly, her tone sincere.
“Hm? What’s that about?” he asked, glancing sideways.
“My grandfather told me before he died that I must carry on the shrine’s duties. Hinata was still little then, and I had no choice but to drop out of school to care for her. I posted that help-wanted notice out of desperation. The moment I did, I regretted it. After all, normal people can’t handle exorcisms. I thought about deleting it…” Her lips curved faintly. “And then you called.”
Kouya blinked. “That’s all it took, huh?”
“Maybe fate brought you here.” She smiled softly, then tilted her head, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Oh, and Hinata told me that when she grows up, she wants to be your girlfriend. What do you think?”
Kouya froze, face darkening. “Stop. I’m not entertaining that.”
Her laugh was light and melodic, filling the hollow shrine like a wind chime. For a moment, the eerie silence felt almost alive again, warmed by the sound of her amusement.
Time slipped by as they exchanged idle conversation—talking about the city, the shrine’s history, even about the strange things she’d seen growing up. But their small world of calm was soon disturbed.
Kouya’s expression changed. “Fog,” he muttered.
The shrine maiden blinked, realizing that the forest sounds had faded completely. The night had turned deathly quiet, and a thick white mist now crept between the trees, curling around the shrine walls like ghostly fingers.
Summer fog shouldn’t exist. Not like this. The air was unnaturally cold, biting against their skin.
“It’s here,” she said, her tone sharpening.
“Yeah,” Kouya replied. “It’s coming for us.”
Moments later, footsteps echoed faintly through the haze. Out of the whiteness stumbled a slender girl, clutching her arm as if injured.
“Who’s there?” The shrine maiden raised her voice, wary.
The girl froze, her eyes wide. “I’m… I’m Uehara Miyuki. I finished my cram school and was taking a shortcut home, but I—I got lost. I’m so glad to see someone! Can you help me?”
Kouya’s gaze hardened. Her words flowed too smoothly, her face too pale, too perfect. And more importantly—
He looked down. “You don’t have a shadow.”
The girl stiffened instantly.
When the shrine maiden’s presence made her hesitate, she turned instead to Kouya, voice trembling. “My ankle… hurts. Could you help me walk?”
“No,” he said flatly.
“Eh?”
“Stupidity’s contagious,” he muttered.
Her expression twisted in outrage. “What did you just say?!”
“I said you’re an idiot. Stay away from me.”
The girl’s face warped, revealing a cold, hollow grin. “You—!” she shrieked, her tone no longer human. Shadows rippled from her body as she lunged forward.
The shrine maiden’s hands flashed into motion. “Rin!”
A pulse of spiritual power shook the ground. A glowing circle of sigils flared beneath the ghost’s feet, freezing her mid-lunge. Silver chains erupted from the maiden’s sleeves, snaking through the air and wrapping around the ghost’s body like living vines.
The spirit thrashed, her voice trembling. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you! I just wanted help! If he hadn’t called me stupid—!”
“Why are you here?” the shrine maiden cut in sharply. “Were you the one terrorizing the villagers?”
The ghost blinked, her fury fading into confusion. “I don’t know… I just woke up here one day. I absorbed the mist for warmth and began remembering things, but I can’t leave this place. I tried. Every time I reach the gate, I’m pulled back.”
“Pulled back?” Kouya echoed, his voice thoughtful.
She nodded quickly. “And those villagers—I didn’t hurt them! They passed out before I could say anything! It’s not my fault they… fainted.” Her expression faltered. “Or wet themselves.”
Kouya’s lips twitched. “Charming.”
The shrine maiden sighed. “So you’re bound here by something else. The fog isn’t yours.”
The ghost hesitated. “Maybe… there’s something nearby that drew me here.”
“Then lead the way,” Kouya said curtly.
She nodded and led them through the back courtyard. The air grew heavier with every step, the fog thickening around their ankles. Beneath an ancient willow tree, something gleamed faintly in the soil.
Kouya knelt, brushing the dirt away to reveal a dark, fist-sized stone. When he lifted it, icy energy crawled up his arm.
The shrine maiden’s eyes widened. “That’s a spirit stone. They gather negative energy from the land. But for one to appear here—it means someone planted it.”
Kouya turned the stone over in his hand, feeling its weight. “Then whoever did this wanted to trap her here.”
After a moment, she asked softly, “Do you want to keep it?”
He shook his head. “No. You take it.”
She slipped it into her pouch. The moment she did, the fog began to thin, and the night air grew warmer again. Moonlight filtered down through the trees, clean and cold.
“It’s over,” she whispered with a faint smile. “Let’s go home.”
“Yeah.”
The ghost girl’s panicked voice rose behind them. “Wait! What about me?! Don’t leave me here!”
The shrine maiden looked at her briefly before gesturing. The silver chains dissolved in a flash of light. “You’re free.”
Without the spirit stone’s presence, the ghost’s essence weakened instantly. Her outline began to flicker.
But instead of fading, she puffed her cheeks and followed after them stubbornly. “You took the stone! Without it, I’ll lose my memories again! You have to take responsibility!”
“…” Kouya sighed. “Persistent ghost.”
They reached the base of the mountain where the villagers waited anxiously. After reassuring them that the disturbance had been resolved, the shrine maiden politely refused their invitations to stay for dinner or lodging. The two of them boarded the waiting car and began the drive back.
The road wound through forests bathed in moonlight. Neither spoke for a while. The exhaustion of the night’s events pressed heavily in the quiet space between them.
When they finally returned to the city, it was already past eleven.
The shrine maiden unlocked the gate, turning to him with a small, tired smile. “It’s late… You shouldn’t walk back now.” She hesitated, cheeks faintly flushed. “Kou-kun, why don’t you stay here tonight? There’s a spare room. You can head home in the morning.”
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