Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 345, The Origin of the Village Beauty
"My name is Uesugi Muneyuki."

Wearing a plain white kimono, Arimura Hanajun appeared behind Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai. She stood quietly, like an ice sculpture about to melt, exuding a lonely and lingering sadness that kept people at a distance. Snowflakes gently and continuously covered her, as if the world was draping the white plum blossom in its final burial garment.

"Come on, Uesugi Muneyuki. Didn't you say you would be my eyes and window, letting me see the outside world?" The woman in the snow, dressed in a pure white kimono with black hee-hime hair, spoke coldly, her fragrance like that of white plum blossoms.

"Um, Princess Rain Woman, weren't you not going to leave the Inner World?" Uesugi Muneyuki was startled to see that she had actually followed her out.

“I haven’t left the Rain Realm. This is just my projection. I’m connected to you through the Rain Contract, using your senses to perceive the outside world. This way, I can experience the outside world without being disturbed.” Arimura Hana Jun just stared at Uesugi Muneyuki: “Only you and she can see my projection… Problem, problem, another problem. Contractor, I hate answering questions the most. Ask me another question and I’ll kill you. Now, lead the way.”

"Yes!" Uesugi Muneyuki quickly shut up.

The figure in the snow, holding an oil-paper umbrella, quietly followed behind Uesugi Sōsetsu. It seemed that Arimura Jun really liked the snow scene. Uesugi Sōsetsu could feel a cool pleasure through the contract, like ripples spreading when raindrops fall on the surface of water. The Rain Woman was "tasting" the "snow" that had been accumulated for hundreds of years.

"Are all powerful beings in the Otherworld like this?" Uesugi Muneyuki turned to Mai-senpai and said. Ayaka Jun couldn't understand human language, so he told Mai-senpai about his conversation with Ayaka Jun on the way: "I feel like she's not human at all."

Mai-senpai was still a little scared. She shook her head repeatedly: "Yes, she is neither human nor a curse formed by humans. In fact, among the beings from the underworld I have encountered, she is unimaginably rational and reasonable. I think we went really smoothly this time! And we were even able to sign a relatively equal contract with such a being!"

"Huh?!" Uesugi Muneyuki exclaimed in shock.

You call this... rationality and being able to reason?

“Each of these beings, who symbolize the essence of the underworld, has a different personality. Some are arrogant, some are domineering, and some are curious, but without exception, they are all impossible to communicate with. Whether one can escape unscathed depends almost entirely on its initial level of affinity towards humans, and her affinity towards humans… you saw it too.” Mai-senpai said in a low voice, “Under these circumstances, it’s unbelievable that she’s willing to let us go… Uesugi, you actually have the ability to communicate with beings of higher status!”

"I see... Then what exactly are Takamagahara and void that she mentioned before?" Uesugi Muneyuki asked again, "What is the door?"

“I think I told you before that the Old Gods left this world no later than the fourth century BC, right? It is said that Takamagahara is the plane where they once existed, and those who pass the Old Gods’ test to become New Gods will not truly die after their lifespan is exhausted. Their ascended souls will go to the plane where the Old Gods once existed, which is Takamagahara.” Senior Mai frowned: “As for void, or the so-called void, I don’t know what it is either.”

"Only the souls of the new gods who have passed the test of the old gods can enter Takamagahara after their death. Apart from them, the gates of Takamagahara have been closed forever with the departure of the old gods. At least from ancient times to the present, the gates have never been opened again."

"All beings in the underworld and our supernatural abilities are of the same origin, both friend and foe. They all come from the remnants of the divine power and influence of the old gods. For someone like Jun Arimura, the scent of the old gods is the scent of her hometown and loved ones. I even suspect that, given the wisdom and understanding she has shown, she knows very well that the door will never be opened again."

"Then why is she still guarding the entrance? And she doesn't know Kurosawa Yoko or the Kanto Shrine Alliance, which means she came here after the Kurosawa Shrine was completely abandoned."

After thinking for a moment, Mai-senpai casually said, "Let me give you an example. For instance, we can use a 'door' as a metaphor. No door can be completely sealed off. Otherwise, the souls of the new gods after their lifespan ends cannot enter Takamagahara. Sometimes, when guarding the door, the breeze blowing out of Takamagahara can still carry the scent of the old gods. Although we can no longer see the departed old gods, we can see a phantom of the ancient rulers, which is enough to satisfy this kind of inner world existence."

"It's a pity we couldn't complete our exploration of the Kurosawa Shrine. What exactly happened there, whether any other legacies remain, and what strange changes occurred after the shrine lost its maintenance—we have no way of knowing anymore," Shirakawa Mai said with a bright smile. "However, just the fact that we signed the contract alone has already given us more than we ever imagined."

“That’s right.” Uesugi Muneyuki held Mai-senpai’s small hand and smiled. “More importantly, we’ve always been together. As expected of you, senpai, you’re so strong. It seems I still have a lot to improve on.”

“It’s okay, at least time is still on our side, and with her, we already have a safe house.” Mai-senpai glanced at Arimura Hana Jun who was following behind.

If Mai Shirakawa's looks are 100 and Minami Watanabe's looks are 99, then Jun Arimura's looks are 98.

But where did she come from to look like this?

Unfortunately, she really hates answering questions.

Now that they were out, there was no rush to go back. Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai discussed it and decided to take the opportunity to have some fun in Gunma.

At 3 p.m. the next day, they drove to Karuizawa, Japan’s most famous resort and summer retreat. Every winter and summer, a large number of political and business elites from Tokyo come here to spend the winter. Even the Emperor has a month-long summer vacation every year. The famous Emperor Heisei met Empress Michiko while playing tennis in Karuizawa.

Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai checked into the famous Kusatsu Onsen Ryokan "Ki no Niwa". Naturally, this is Mai-senpai's private property. She booked the best room and soaked in the private hot spring to relieve the fatigue of the journey. The floor-to-ceiling windows directly face the cedar forest of Mount Gunma.

Through Uesugi Muneyuki's senses, Arimura Hana Jun truly opened her eyes to the world. She was amazed by how much the outside world had changed, to the point that her memories of the outside world were still stuck in the era of the eighth Edo shogun, Yoshimune. Now, seeing that the cockroaches outside had actually built such a large cockroach kingdom, Arimura Hana Jun stood in the wind and snow, speechless for a long time.

Uesugi Muneyuki didn't say much to her. He simply ignored Arimura Hana Jun and enjoyed the pleasure of being together with Mai-senpai. After soaking in the hot spring, the two of them had a passionate lovemaking session. Around 5:30 pm, they enjoyed a Shimonita scallion hot pot set meal. The top-quality scallions from Shimonita, cooked by the master chef, were indeed particularly delicious, sweet like fruit. The soup base was made from a golden broth of free-range chicken, paired with Gunma Wagyu beef and local handmade konjac. Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai enjoyed the meal to their heart's content.

These senses were also transmitted into Arimura Hanajun's contract through their actions. After dinner, the two, wrapped in warm robes, strolled hand in hand along the "Yubatake" (hot spring field), watching the steam condense into frost in the sub-zero temperature, and visited the "Mini Snow Lantern Festival" held at Kusatsu Onsen. Uesugi Muneyuki explained the various snow lanterns throughout, while Arimura Hanajun listened attentively, sometimes asking questions out of curiosity, and sometimes remaining silent.

You female ghost, how dare you ignore the light!
Wearing a plain-colored, high-quality plum blossom patterned kimono that accentuated her slender and graceful figure, Shirakawa Mai took Uesugi Muneyuki's hand, pointed to the snow lantern hanging on the cedar tree, and laughed, "Hey, Yukishomaru? See that snow lantern shaped like an inspiration mushroom?"

Uesugi Muneyuki rolled his eyes upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "You call me by my nickname too?"

Damn it, don't think you can bully me just because you're my senior!
"How about calling this snow lantern, perched high on a cedar tree, the Tall Pine Lantern? Haha~"

"That's rime, not cedar. If you're going to call it anything, it should be rime lanterns, right?"

Uesugi Muneyuki couldn't help but say.

"Snow lanterns...?" Jun Ayamura stared at the snow lanterns high up, a look of interest on her face.

The tsunami crashing against the shore, the thunderous force of the cascading waterfall, the chaos of a tropical downpour—this is the power of water that belongs to her.

What Uesugi Muneyuki showed her was the crystal-clear beauty of high-altitude glaciers, the silent beauty of a snowy night, and thousands of snow lanterns made with exquisite craftsmanship.

This is a surging emotion of "life" that is completely different from the deathly stillness of Kurosawa.

Similarly, the grandeur of Karuizawa's scenery, the magnificence of human creation, the scattered lights, and the bustling scenes of thousands of hot spring inns and tourists gave Arimura Hana a completely new feeling.

This mortal is right; the outside world has changed a lot.

Of course, she still couldn't understand human writing and language, so all her explanations required Uesugi Muneyuki to provide complete narration, and even her conversations with Shirakawa Mai had to be translated by Uesugi Muneyuki.

So when the two returned to their hotel room at 10 p.m. to rest, the village beauties interrupted their spellcasting animation: "Wait a minute... Is reproductive behavior really that interesting?"

“You’re not human, you can’t understand the instinctive reproductive needs ingrained in our DNA.” Uesugi Muneyuki spoke first, forcing Yumikami to stop what she was doing: “Just like your desire for the doorman… But, Princess Ameonna, your human female posture…”

“I took this image from an ordinary woman,” Arimura Hana said calmly. “During the Edo period, she was the eldest daughter of a lower-ranking samurai family. However, her fiancé died in the Shimabara Rebellion and never returned. She wore a pure white kimono and died in the world with sorrow and grief. This resonated with me. I ate her body and soul and decided to act in her image from then on. It is said that humans prefer the image of unmarried young women.”

"And your name..." Uesugi Muneyuki asked hesitantly.

“Of course it’s hers.” Arimura Hana was in a good mood and answered casually at first, but she quickly interrupted Uesugi Muneyuki’s question with a cold tone: “Another question. I hate answering questions.”

"Yes." Uesugi Muneyuki and Shirakawa Mai sat obediently in front of Arimura Hanajun, waiting for the Hanajun to speak.

"Indeed, the outside world has changed a lot, and it even feels a little... unfamiliar to me." Arimura Hana Jun pondered for a long time: "Uesugi Muneyuki, will you go to more places?"

"Um, I have work to do... My identity is somewhat similar to... a shogun's hatamoto. I spend most of my time serving in Edo, and I may travel when I have official business. In the future, I will probably expand my business to all of Japan."

“Very well, then according to the contract, you have an obligation to take me traveling around, to let me see the outside world, and to tell me everything.” Village Flower Palace’s tone was not one of negotiation at all: “You and her go together and take me.”

"And I will bestow my power upon you through the Rain Pact."

After saying that, Arimura Hana Jun didn't wait for Uesugi Muneyuki's consent and started the process immediately!
Her power surged into Uesugi Muneyuki's body and quickly found a place to contain it!
The third chakra from the bottom up is the navel chakra!
"Ugh!" The power of the Rain Contract was so strong and irresistible that Uesugi Muneyuki groaned, feeling as if he were being directly infused with the power of the Village Flower Prince! And it was being infused wave after wave without stopping!

I never thought that I, the mighty Uesugi, would be injected with something like this?
As Uesugi Muneyuki was intensely infused with the power, the third Myō-ō finally emerged from his body.

Western Lotus Family, Yamantaka!
The image of the Wisdom King in the Garbhadhatu Mandala, with its entire body in a bluish-black color, in a wrathful form, with six faces, six arms, and six legs, gradually takes shape as it sits on a throne. At the same time, new abilities also arise.

Clairvoyance!

(End of this chapter)