I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 340 The Daily Life of Exorcising Spirits at the Vocational College

Saitama Prefecture,
There is no bald demon king here, but just an ordinary inland county in an island nation.

It borders Chiba Prefecture to the east, Nagano Prefecture to the west, Tokyo to the south, and Ibaraki and Tochigi Prefectures to the north. Historically, it was known as Musashi Province along with most of Tokyo and was one of the important transportation hubs in the eastern part of the island nation.

Chaoxia City, the top of Wildfire Stop Park.

A few days ago:
"Fang Zhi, come up here quickly—"

The boy on the mountaintop waved, causing the panting middle school student to wipe away his sweat.

"Zhixiong, aren't you tired?"

"What's there to be tired about! Look, you can see the 'divine tree' from here!"

The boy standing atop the mountain pointed into the distance: Saitama Prefecture is adjacent to Tokyo. On a clear day, you can even see the 'Divine Tree' on the distant horizon from the mountaintop. Just like you can see Mount Fuji from Tokyo.

"Although we Saitama are called 'Little Edo', Tokyo is the center of the extraordinary era."

The boy named Zhixiong gazed into the distance, his face filled with longing.

"That's the only place we should go!"

Yes, yes, yes.

A junior high school student named Fang Zhi arrived at the platform at the top of the mountain and reluctantly agreed.

They are just ordinary junior high school students, how could they be qualified to step into the Sacred Tree District?
Well, an annual opportunity to visit the shrine is certainly possible.

but--

"Wow, it's magnificent!"

Looking at the hazy giant trees on the distant horizon, no one can help but feel a sense of awe.

"If only we could become superhumans,"

"Yes, when the time comes?"

“Evil spirit!!”

Just as the two middle school students were daydreaming about the future, an uninvited guest appeared.

"Damn it, how could there be an evil spirit in the park?"

"There's Matsudaira Nobutsuna's tomb nearby, run!"

Faced with the sudden appearance of the evil spirit, the two boys hurriedly ran down the mountain, punching it as they ran to drive it away.

Just as they were about to run out of the park, junior high school student Fang Zhi slipped. Zhi Xiong instinctively reached out to grab him, but was pulled down by the inertia. The two boys tumbled down the steps, resulting in one death and one injury.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"I'm sorry, Zhixiong."

In an apartment building, a middle school student named Fang Zhi covered his face with one hand and stroked a photo frame on the table with the other.

The photo shows two elementary school students with their arms around each other's necks, smiling and making peace signs.

That's a photo of him and Zhixiong.

Their families are neighbors and live in the same apartment building.

They were in the same class from kindergarten and elementary school, and then went to the same school after junior high. They are true best friends.

Just a few days ago, while hiking, he encountered an evil spirit, lost his footing, and tumbled down the steps.
By the time he came to his senses, Zhixiong was already lying in a pool of blood!

"it's all my fault."

Fang Zhi, a middle school student with a frustrated expression, stood up, walked out of his room, and went to the living room.

"mom,"

?

Upon hearing 'Fang Zhi's' voice,

The middle-aged woman who was eating in the living room shuddered.

"I want to go see Zhixiong and apologize to him in person."

The middle-aged woman trembled as she put down the clean bowl and chopsticks, got up, picked up a small box, and, dressed in black, opened the door to her home.

Seeing his mother like this, Fang Zhi sighed and followed her with a heavy heart.

Knock knock knock,

Zhixiong's house is right next door.
At the sound of knocking, the door opened, revealing a haggard face.

"Ah, Mrs. Sadojima, there's more."

"Please come in."

The haggard woman, Zhixiong's mother, was startled and forced herself to step aside, suppressing her grief.

"You've come to visit Zhixiong, haven't you?"

"This way, please—"

Led by Zhixiong's mother, the two entered a room.

A boy lay motionless on the bed in the room, his head, face, and hands wrapped in bandages, with the blankets sticking out.

"Zhixiong!"

Seeing his friend's miserable state, Fang Zhi could no longer suppress his grief; he knelt down in front of the bed, tears streaming down his face.

"sorry Sorry!"

"If I hadn't held you back, you wouldn't be like this."

As the two middle-aged women silently wept, Zhixiong, whose body was wrapped in bandages on the bed, twitched his eyelids.

The next second, he struggled to open his eyes and turned his head slightly.

".Fang Zhi?"

"Zhixiong, it's me!"

The junior high school student was so excited he didn't know what to do.

But the boy on the bed continued speaking in a weak voice.

"sorry,"

"I couldn't save you."

?

"Zhixiong, what are you saying?"

Amidst the confusion of the junior high student named Fang Zhi, a voice came from outside the door.

"He means that it wasn't him who died from an extraordinary disaster; it was you: Sadoshima Fukaji."

As two middle-aged women stepped aside, a girl dressed as a junior high school student walked in, causing Fang Zhi to stand up in confusion.

"Excuse me, who are you—"

"Extraordinary Countermeasures Department,"

"Dong Xiaomei".

He pulled out an ID card, interrupting Fang Zhi's questioning.

Immediately afterwards, the short-haired girl reached into her pocket and pulled out a:
Mirror!

Even though her pockets were only the size of a palm,
However, the mirror in the girl's hand was as big as a human head; it was an antique bronze mirror with patterns of pine trees and cranes painted on the back.

“Look at your reflection in the mirror, Sadoshima Hoji.”

? !
A junior high school student named Fang Zhi subconsciously looked into the bronze mirror, where he saw a face with a broken forehead, blood covering half of his face, and a twisted neck!

And this face is—

"my face?"

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, the middle school student was first stunned, then a chill ran down his spine.

Wildfire stopped in the park, gazing at the sacred tree, evil spirits, tripping and falling while running away.
Yes, yes!
Even lying in a pool of blood, there is still myself!
The trembling middle school student—no, it should be said that the evil spirit named 'Fang Zhi'—covered his forehead with both hands, his face contorted in pain, as if a worm was crawling inside his brain, causing him unbearable agony.

"I"

Fang Zhi glanced back at Zhi Xiong on the hospital bed.
She then looked at her mother, who dared not meet her gaze.

Finally realized:

"I am already dead?"

"I'm dead, I'm dead! Aaaaaaahh ...

The next second, the evil spirit 'Fang Zhi', knowing he was dead, opened his mouth in agony, blood began to ooze from his forehead, and his neck twisted into a bizarre angle; his mouth was wide open to the point that it could fit a fist, and his rationality vanished rapidly from his eye sockets, turning into a chaotic mix of white and black.

"Die!!!"

Not all spirits are able to maintain their sanity.
No, it should be said that most spirits are incomplete, with only some unforgettable memories remaining;
The boy 'Fang Zhi' from before was repeating a regretful act.

That's right,

He has come here to see Zhixiong three times already!
He would kneel before Zhixiong's bed to apologize every time, but he remained indifferent to everyone else.

Faced with this bizarre situation, the two families had no choice but to call the police and request the Extraordinary Countermeasures Division to handle the matter.

"Hmm, it has indeed turned into an evil spirit."

Faced with the situation before her, Higashi Takami, who had put away the mirror, muttered to herself as she raised her hand and patted the middle school student who was 'evil-like' on the shoulder.

"calm down!"

"You wouldn't want Zhixiong to see you like this, would you?"

???

Dong Xiaomei's voice was like a heavy hammer, slamming into the spirit on the verge of collapse, allowing the being named 'Fang Zhi' to gradually regain a sliver of reason.

Zhixiong! He was dead.

But Zhixiong was the only one who was worried.
"Calm your mind, follow my guidance, and condense your spiritual body!"

In a daze, a voice that seemed to enter his spirit body kept ringing out, causing the middle school student 'Fang Zhi' to instinctively follow the voice step by step forward.

"My lord, it's my son."

"Mrs. Sadoshima, don't go over there!"

"That's not Fang Zhi anymore, please calm down—"

At the doorway, Zhixiong's haggard mother held tightly to the woman dressed in black, who was carrying a small box.

No matter how the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department tries to 'exorcise' spirits, as ordinary people, they can only wait for the outcome: the dead are dead, but the living must continue to live.

"Ugh...ahh ...

The 'evil spirit' that Higashi Takami placed on her shoulder was twisting and turning.

One moment it swells into a sphere, the next it shrinks into a skull shape, seemingly enduring intense pain, yet also appearing to be:
Reshape?

A few minutes later, the evil spirit stopped struggling and writhing;
Instead, he gradually reverted to the appearance of Fang Zhi, a middle school boy.

This time, however, there was no blood on his body, no twisted limbs, and apart from looking somewhat unreal, he looked almost like a normal person.

"call---"

Releasing her hand and letting the spirit kneel on the ground, Dong Xiaomei let out a long sigh.

"Does this count as a success?"

"I know I'm not qualified, but I'll save as many as I can."

As the girl from the 'Extraordinary Countermeasures Department' muttered to herself, 'Fang Zhi,' who was kneeling on the ground, raised her head.

"What am I?"

Her bright eyes glanced at her slightly unreal hands, then turned to look at Zhixiong on the hospital bed, before looking up at the woman being held back at the door.

"mom?"

In a flash,

The two women who were struggling were stunned.

"My lord, this is—"

“I have stabilized his condition. If you are willing, you can let him possess you as a ‘guardian spirit’.”

Guardian spirit?
This term is now widely known in island nations.

Many lucky people, or rather unfortunate ordinary people, have become extraordinary individuals known as 'psychics' because the spirits of their deceased relatives, lovers, and friends attach themselves to them.

But if given a choice, most people would never want this power: because those who become guardian spirits almost always have a deep and unforgettable bond with each other.

Well, simps don't count.

"You mean, Fang Zhita?"

Sado Island looked at her 'son' through teary eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mom."

"Please forgive me for dying first."

The boy responded with an embarrassed apology, scratching his head.

"No,"

"I won't blame you, how could I bear to blame you, my son! Waaaaah~~~"

As the middle-aged woman collapsed to the floor, weeping, a soft but firm voice came from the hospital bed.

"Let Fang govern"

Possess me!

Zhixiong, who was seriously injured in the hospital bed, turned to look at everyone and spoke with a firm tone.

"It was my suggestion to go hiking. It was because I couldn't save Fang Zhi that I decided to take Fang Zhi with me for the rest of my life."

"how about you?"

Dong Xiaomei's gaze fell on the now stable spirit body 'Fang Zhi'.
"Would you like to become Zhixiong's guardian spirit?"

The driving force of a spirit comes from 'emotion'. Although it is somewhat impolite to say this, since Fang Zhi's spirit only cared about Zhi Xiong before, it means that in his heart, Zhi Xiong is more important than anyone else.

If I had to choose someone to possess, Zhixiong would definitely be the most suitable.

"I"

Turning his head to look at his friend on the hospital bed, the spirit body named 'Fang Zhi' nodded heavily.

"willing!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A few minutes later,

"Thank you so much, Inspector Higashi Hsiao-mi."

Outside the apartment, a middle-aged man in a police uniform held the hands of a junior high school girl, shaking them excitedly.

"Ahem, Director."

A female police officer who couldn't stand it any longer coughed, bringing the middle-aged police chief back to his senses.

"Oh my, I'm so excited."

The middle-aged director released the girl's hand and apologized on the spot.

A handshake is a courtesy, but holding on and not letting go is workplace harassment!

"It doesn't matter,"

"The spirit of the boy named 'Fang Zhi' has already attached itself to the boy Zhi Xiong."

"Zhixiong is in the recovery period, so pay attention to supplementing his nutrition—it would be best to apply for an 'extraordinary subsidy' for them to help him recover first."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance!"

The local police chief nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with smiles.

How could one not be happy to find a 'spiritualist' in their own territory for free?
The current Higashi Hsiao-mei is no longer the girl who was at the 'lower class' and could become a target of bullying at any time. After making her final arrangements at the local police station, she waved and declined the chief's invitation to 'have a meal', and got into the low-key black car parked next to her.

"Back to Tokyo."

"Yes,"

After the driver answered, the car started smoothly.

She is both the captain of the "Guardian Squad" of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Department and a student at the Spellcasting School.

Unbeknownst to her, Dong Xiaomei had become a 'big shot' whom others looked up to, with a private car and driver to pick her up and drop her off.

"Hmph, what a waste of spiritual energy."

As they sat in the car without rearview mirrors, a figure floated out from Dong Xiaomei's body.

It was that guy who called himself 'Oda Nobuna' and had a terrible personality.

"It's not a waste; it's also a form of training."

Higashi Takami's earnest rebuttal:

"Sister Xinna, isn't stabilizing a spirit on the verge of collapse a better way to hone your control over the 'yin attribute' than creating a 'spiritual artifact'?"

"Hehe, you're just soft-hearted."

When Nobuna pointed directly to the core issue, Higashi Takami asked him a question in response.

"Isn't it good to be soft-hearted towards ordinary people?"

Softhearted?

For someone like Oda Nobuna, this is simply unbelievable.

In any case, she is a composite of countless people's perceptions of 'Oda Nobunaga'.

Nobunaga only softened his heart once in his life: because he was too unruly as a child, even his mother supported his younger brother's rebellion; after the internal strife, he spared his brother once because of his mother's pleas for forgiveness.

However, unlike Shibata Katsuie, who remained loyal from then on, his younger brother Nobuyuki still harbored rebellious intentions. So Nobunaga feigned illness to lure him into his bedroom and killed him on the spot!

From that moment on, Nobunaga and his mother were completely estranged.

Nobunaga's later development into the eccentric person was also inextricably linked to his mother's favoritism towards his younger brother.

"Whatever you want,"

Oda Nobuna skipped over the topic.

"Don't get cocky. It's just that I can stabilize the spirit body and create some simple 'spiritual artifacts'."

The mirror that was used to make 'Fang Zhi' face reality was also the result of Higashi Takami's training during this period; in theory, her progress was quite good, but given Oda Nobuna's wicked personality, she certainly wouldn't say anything nice.

"I heard there's a woman named Takahashi Eileen on the battlefield in the southern seas."

"Her ability is also a transformation of Yin-attribute spiritual power, which allows her to create various 'generals' out of thin air."

"Your skill level is nothing compared to hers!"

"That's enough, Shinobu."

Another figure emerged from Higashi Xiaomei's body; it was Izuki, who couldn't bear to watch any longer.

"Hyomi has already tried her best, you."

"OK OK,"

Higashi Hidemi skillfully began to mediate between the two who were locked in a fierce internal conflict.

"Don't argue because of me~~"

(End of this chapter)