I'm a thankful fox in Tokyo

Chapter 1 Abnormal World
"It seems that the Takada family is here."

Dong Ye Yu stretched his neck to look into the yard, comparing it with the photos given by the system.

It was an old, somewhat yellowed photo, taken early in the morning.

The background of the picture is a small courtyard with some flowers and plants, a grape trellis, and cherry trees in full bloom.

An old woman in her fifties was sitting on the edge of the courtyard. She grabbed a handful of wood fish flowers and stuffed them into a bowl full of rice. She faced the gray and skinny fox under the edge and smiled kindly, as if she was saying something.

"Don't worry, it'll be done soon."

Dong Yeyu stared at the photo in a daze, and this sentence naturally emerged in his mind. Along with the old lady's gentle laughter, his memory seemed to have returned to that time.

At that time, I was less than one year old and had not yet started formal training. I was wandering around while avoiding monsters.

It is no exaggeration to say that I went hungry for six meals in three days - the remaining three meals were spent eating junk food.

If it weren't for this old lady feeding me regularly, I would probably have grown up eating garbage. Not to mention practicing, my health would have been a problem too.

If I were to eat rat poison one day, I would probably be the first time traveler to be killed by rat poison.

After sighing for a moment, Dong Ye Yu was sure that this was the home of the old woman from that year, but when he thought of Xiu Ji's words, he still felt a little worried.

I don’t know whether the old lady is still alive.

Xiuji is Dongye Yu's follower - a pigeon spirit who is of no significance.

After he rescued it from the cat's mouth, he has always regarded himself as its follower, but because of his weak demonic power, he can only serve as a messenger.

In this regard, Dong Ye Yu often felt that this pigeon spirit lowered his own status.

The monsters in the legend either cause havoc in heaven or eat people alive. Even the little Zuanfeng can patrol the mountains.

How come it becomes precise feeding of cats here at Xiuji?

Because he was worried that it would die in the mouth of some predator, Dong Ye Yu didn't use it often, and only occasionally let it check on the people who had helped it.

Yesterday it suddenly came to report that the old lady who made bonito rice for it when it was almost starving to death was possessed by a demon.

Dong Yeyu then asked for leave from his class teacher and came here to see what the situation was.

My sight first fell on the house in the yard, which was filled with an evil aura.

Then he looked at the people at the gate of the courtyard, who seemed to be performing an exorcism ritual.

The host of the ceremony was an old man wearing hunting clothes and with white eyebrows and beard, who looked like a clergyman. He was squatting at the door of the courtyard and placing a dish of salt and a dish of water on a wooden tray with a serious expression.

Then he took out a piece of white talisman paper from his arms, and stuck it on the tray while muttering something. There were spells written in Chinese characters on the white talisman paper.

Seeing how dignified and respectable he was, Dong Yeyu thought for a moment, then quietly squatted down and hid behind the fence.

After the ceremony was completed, the old man stood up, took the white towel handed to him by his attendant, and wiped his hands.

The middle-aged man standing next to him probably felt that the ceremony was a little too simple, and his tired, bloodshot eyes were stunned for a moment.

"Is that all?" he asked in disbelief.

The old man turned his head and glanced at the house, his expression normal.

"I have exorcised the evil spirits in the house. This barrier is only to prevent them from coming back. It doesn't need to be put up for too long. It can be removed after a month."

"That's good." The middle-aged man nodded doubtfully and sighed in his heart.

Although he was still a little suspicious, there was nothing he could do.

Even the hospital couldn't figure out what disease his mother had. Now seeking help from these clergymen was just a last-ditch effort.

Then he asked, "Oonomiyaji, when will my mother wake up?"

Ono Masao was also puzzled. In the past, after he had done this, the person affected by the monster should have woken up quickly.
He hesitated for a second and said, "Your mother is old and has been attacked by an evil spirit. I'm afraid she will need to be nursed back to health for a while."

"That's it"

The middle-aged man was a little disappointed, but he still politely handed over the money in the envelope with both hands.

"Thank you for your hard work, Onomiyaji."

Ono Masazo nodded slightly, and the followers behind him stepped forward, bowed, thanked, and took the gift money.

Dong Yeyu, who had been watching for a long time, saw that they had finished. After careful observation and confirmation that the ritual was for scaring off demons, he stood up generously and walked forward.

"Excuse me, is this the Takata residence?"

The middle-aged man habitually answered, "Yes, I am Hiroki Takada."

When his eyes fell on the person who came, his expression showed a little surprise.

The person who came was a young man whose age was difficult to tell, but judging from his temperament, he should still be a student. He was not wearing a student uniform, but rather cheap clothes, so it was impossible to tell which school he was from.

Her appearance is extremely outstanding, her facial features are like the perfection pursued in Western classical sculptures, yet with oriental softness. Her jade-colored skin has a healthy blush, and her starry eyes are filled with laziness and aloofness, and the bright afterglow of dusk is reflected in them. Strangely, she gives people the feeling of having the eyes of a fox.

Just looking at the appearance makes people can't help but admire it.

Not only that, his physique is also rare to be tall and strong, about 1.85 meters tall, and you can vaguely see the beautiful muscle lines under his shirt, but his muscles are not as offensive as those exaggerated muscles of bodybuilding champions.

Although Takada Hiroki was already in his forties and was an elder, he felt suppressed just by standing in front of this young man.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Dong Ye Yu." Dong Ye Yu bowed slightly and introduced himself briefly.

After careful observation, Hiroki Takada could not remember ever knowing a young man with such an outstanding physique and appearance.

"Excuse me, what can I do for you, Tono-kun?"

Dong Yeyu took out the speech he had prepared long ago and smiled in an approachable manner.

"Your mother once helped me when I was in the most difficult time, but I never had the chance to repay her. Recently I heard that she had encountered some bad things, and I thought that maybe she could use me, so I came to visit her."

Hiroki Takada nodded thoughtfully. His mother was a warm and kind person. She had indeed helped a lot of people over the years. In addition, there were also strangers who came from far away to visit her recently, so he didn't find it strange.

Then he asked, "Excuse me, Dong Ye-kun is a student, right?"

"Yeah, a high school student."

High school student? So well developed?
Hiroki Takada was first surprised at the age and figure of Mr. Higashino, and then he lamented his visit.

Although the young people of the Reiwa generation are not very polite, this young man is quite good and can be said to be grateful.

But it is a bit rude to visit someone without bringing any souvenirs.
But now that the problem that had troubled him for a long time had been solved, he was in a good mood and didn't want to care about it, so he bowed slightly out of courtesy.

"I'm so sorry to have you come all this way."

"But thanks to Onomiyaji, this matter has been resolved."

"As for visiting, my mother is old and needs to rest. It's not convenient for her to see visitors. If you have anything to say, you can tell me. I will convey it to my mother after she wakes up."

"Solved?" Dong Yeyu was a little confused, his eyes fell on the wooden pallet at the gate of the yard.

Salt has played an important role in many civilizations, and thus has given rise to many folk legends about salt.

In the folk customs of Neon, salt has "spirituality" and "divine power" that can drive away evil and pray for peace.

Therefore, it is often used in funerals, exorcism, and worship ceremonies.

As for its effect.
Higashino Yu is neither a folklorist nor an exorcist. He only judges based on his own feelings and believes that salt is of little use.

Maybe it would be effective against some weak monsters, such as Xiuji, a monster that even a cat can't beat.

But it was obviously not enough to drive away the monster hiding in the courtyard before him.

"Yes, the demon has been exorcised." Ono Masazo, wearing a hunting robe with wide sleeves, had a calm expression, and had an air of a man who had hidden his merits and fame.

Dong Yeyu turned his gaze and looked at Ono Zhengzang, and asked seriously: "Are you sure?"

Exorcist?
The boy's gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing people's hearts, and his sandbag-sized fist seemed to be about to hit his face in the next second.

Ono Masazō swallowed his saliva. He saw that he was not doubting the existence of the demon, but suspected that the demon had not been driven away. Several guesses flashed through his mind.

Although he had no spiritual power and could not see the so-called monsters, he knew that this world was far from being as normal as it appeared to ordinary people.

This world is full of demons and monsters.

Ono Masazo's father was a serious demon hunter, and among the techniques passed down by him, there are very few exorcism spells that can be used by ordinary people.

Although he was unwilling to be a lousy palace official when he was young and devoted himself to cultivation, as he grew older, such thoughts faded.

Life always has to return to the daily necessities of life, not to mention that you have to maintain such a big shrine.

In the past, since Ono Masazo could not see the demons, he could not tell whether there were really demons causing trouble, so he always used his ancestral exorcism magic to perform the exorcism seriously.

With this serious attitude of trying both ways, coupled with outstanding verbal therapy, it is quite effective.

After decades of active operation in villages and towns with very few defeats, he became somewhat famous in the surrounding towns.

Seeing that the young man had a good appearance and was certain that there was a demon at work, Ono Masazo became a little hesitant.

But the old man was very experienced. He had lived for decades so there was no way he would be frightened by this question. He was only nervous for half a second, but after observing the young man in front of him, he calmed himself down.

Most demon hunters have family heritage. Not all of them are noble, but none of them have fallen to the level of this kid in front of him, wearing all cheap clothes.

They are all imitations of old styles from several years ago, probably all discounted products.

Furthermore, Mizuho Town, a small place close to Tokyo, has not seen any evil ghosts or monsters for decades.

Even if something goes wrong, the priests of Mizuho Taisha Shrine will solve it.

Even if this guy is really an exorcist, he can at most accuse me of being incompetent, but he can't say that I'm a liar.

Ono Masazo quickly figured all this out in his mind. His thoughts were clear and he didn't reveal any flaws. He kept a stern face and suppressed the situation with the authority of a head of a society.

"Boy, are you questioning me?"

Dong Yeyu squatted beside the wooden pallet, picked up the white talisman paper stuck on it and felt it carefully, and found that it might not be as useful as salt.

"Your magic is only effective against beings with weak demonic powers, but it won't do anything to the monsters in this house."

Ono Masazō remained calm: "It seems that Higashino-kun knows a lot about exorcising demons. Do you know the name of the technique I use?"

"I don't know." Dongye Yu shook his head. He really knew nothing about Shinto magic.

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Ono Masazo felt more confident. He waved his sleeves gently and pointed to the wooden tray with talisman paper pasted on it at the gate of the courtyard.

"This is called Yuguan, a kind of demon-exorcism barrier, and it's considered a very common Yin-Yang technique. How dare you speak so arrogantly without even knowing this?"

Recently, I heard from my granddaughter that urban legends are quite popular among young people, and there are also clubs such as psychic clubs in schools.

This guy is probably the kind of psychic enthusiast that my granddaughter mentioned?

You may know a little about monsters, but not much.

Ono Masazo shook his head.

"You can't learn how to exorcise demons by reading some random books on the Internet. Most of the techniques and tricks recorded in them are fabricated. If you rashly approach demons with just fabricated knowledge, you will be in danger sooner or later."

"Young man, I advise you to take care of yourself."

Dong Ye Yu ignored him, stood up and squinted his eyes to observe the sky.

At this time, the setting sun has already half fallen into the horizon, like a dazzling gem embedded in the horizon.

The blazing red light burned half of the sky, but the momentum was no longer as strong as the sun in the sky. The light only spread to the middle of the sky and then began to gradually turn into light blue. Later, it took indigo as the background color. A crescent moon gradually rose, and the side was dotted with stars like broken diamonds.

It was dusk, the so-called time of the devil.

The time of demons is when ghosts and gods are most likely to appear except for midnight. It is also the best time to drive out the demons - provided you can defeat them.

Higashino Yu didn't want to waste time, so he walked straight into the courtyard at the speed of a dragon or a tiger. After finishing this job, he had to rush back to Tokyo before the last train.

Hiroki Takada subconsciously wanted to reach out to stop him, but when he saw the boy's serious face and thought of Ono Masazo's previous exorcism ritual which seemed a bit too simple, he somehow let him enter the courtyard.

He then turned his gaze to Ono Masazo.

"Oonomiyaji, look, this..."

When Ono Masazō saw that Higashino Yu was so rude to him, he remained calm and waved his hand in a masterly manner.

"It's okay. Young people are arrogant and like to be the center of attention. After reading some ghost stories, they become fantasies and want to do something sensational. It's understandable."

"But he didn't know that such fields were beyond the reach of ordinary people."

"Forget it. As a practitioner, I still have to give you some advice. Such nonsense is really causing trouble for you, Takata-kun."

Ono Masazo ordered his followers to wait at the gate of the courtyard, and then followed Higashino Yu into the courtyard.

So this kid was just fooling around?
Hiroki Takada frowned. He was also the same age as Higashino Yu, and knew that there were many anthropomorphic boys in their youth.

After realizing that Dong Ye Yu might be playing tricks, he walked into the yard angrily.

My mother is still unconscious, and I don’t have the time to play tag with a brat like that!

"Sorry for bothering you."

Dong Yeyu whispered something at the entrance, took off his shoes, and walked deeper into the corridor with a clear goal. The dull footsteps echoed in the dim corridor.

This house is a bit old, and its layout was from the Showa period. After entering the corridor, there are shoji doors on both sides, hiding the Japanese-style room behind.

The light in the corridor was surprisingly dim, with only a little light coming through some glass shoji doors at the end of the corridor facing the courtyard. There was a faint smell of moldy wood in the air.

Higashino Yu stopped outside a room with a half-open shoji door.

This was a living room with old furnishings. The electric lamp hanging from the ceiling was emitting a dim light with difficulty, illuminating the person lying in the middle of the room.

She was an old woman with silver hair, lying on the tatami covered with thick bedding.

He looked to be in his seventies, with his eyes closed and a kind face, but he looked a little haggard and seemed to be seriously ill.

"Long time no see, old lady."

Dong Ye Yu looked around for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he was not too late.

At this moment, the light bulb in the room flickered, and the weak light went out, leaving only the ticking sound of the old clock.

The black color lurking in the darkness quickly spread throughout the space at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Something began to flow slowly, and several black arthropod-like shadows swayed in the dim light.

"Hey! Kid, my home is not a place for you to mess around!"

At the entrance, Takada Hiroki walked towards Higashino Yu, followed by Ono Masazo who looked calm and collected.

The contract may be signed tomorrow, so the big guys can invest early

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(End of this chapter)