Tokyo, but I'm a deceitful scumbag.

In other words, is she distinguishing them purely visually?

After the last warrior returned, Hoshino Hideyuki retrieved him and headed deeper into the temple.

Find a secluded corner and transform back into a fox.

Being targeted by such a thing means a protracted battle is inevitable, so we need to manage our demonic energy well.

In the evening, it's highly unlikely we can go to Inuyama or Ijichi; we'll have to find another place to stay.

The fox took out its phone and pressed the buttons one by one with its paws, first sending a message to Inuyama Tetsuya, and then calling Ijichi Kikuri:

"Kikuri, I have a task for you."

"Please say!"

Ijichi Kikuri on the other side was very enthusiastic.

"Book me a deluxe suite at the Suigintou Hotel near Zenwaji Temple. The room key is hidden in the fire extinguisher cabinet at the convenience store outside the hotel's main entrance..."

The Mercury Lamp Hotel is considered a high-end hotel in Tokyo. If the fox stayed here, it would be easy to explain away any suspicions that might arise from Kasuga Kaito.

As for why it's near Zenwaji Temple, it's because this temple is different from Zojoji Temple, which is a popular tourist attraction. It's relatively quiet, but it offers accommodation. If anything happens at night, the fox can just hide inside and sleep.

The reason why Ichiji was chosen to do this...

Well, what can you expect when she's a social outcast? Inuyama Tetsuya is still working overtime.

"Okay, I'll go now."

As an accomplice, Kikuri Ijichi was very dedicated; the sound of her getting dressed could already be heard on the other end of the phone.

"Thank you~"

After settling into his accommodations, Hoshino Hideyuki rested for twenty minutes.

Then he transformed back into human form and walked outside.

On the way, a monk stopped him with a smile and said:

"Esteemed benefactor, would you like to take a look at this amulet? It can ward off evil spirits and ensure peace..."

Upon hearing that it was a talisman for sale, Hoshino Hideyuki turned his head to take a look.

Oops.

The small cloth bags were not embroidered with Buddha images, but with chibi-style three-headed monks.

I heard before that the Self-Defense Forces used anime characters when recruiting, and now the monks are doing the same thing?

That said, Zojoji Temple usually sells amulets inside the temple grounds, not at the entrance...

Hoshino Hideyuki narrowed his eyes and noticed a sign at the monk's feet that read, "Temple renovation, please help us."

Yes, he must be a fake monk trying to sell things at tourist attractions.

In a sense, he's also a fraudster.

The fox smiled and asked, "How much is one?"

"Two thousand yen on the left, three thousand yen on the right..."

"Then I'll have one of each."

After receiving the amulet, Hoshino Hideyuki touched it and felt that it was probably made of plastic, costing no more than 300 yen...

He then asked, "Can these things really drive away evil spirits?"

"Of course!" the monk assured him.

"Then why am I okay?"

At that moment, the monk was counting money when he suddenly realized that the money in his hand had turned into leaves. When he looked up again, the handsome young man's head had turned into a fluffy fox head!

"Ah! You monster!"

Instantly, the monk was so frightened that he dropped to his bottom, abandoned his stall, and ran out of the temple.

He didn't even run inside; he really is a fake monk...

Hoshino Hideyuki shook his head and didn't chase after him; after all, he was just a small vendor.

He changed back to his normal face and walked out of the temple gate.

And the vengeful spirit that had been waiting anxiously for so long immediately followed behind.

At once……

It felt strangely like they were leading a child out of kindergarten...

Hideyuki Hoshino wandered around outside for two hours before driving to the hotel after receiving a message from Kikuri Iji.

Through a charade with the strongman, he successfully obtained the room key, entered the room, and then...

Let's start the experiment.

(See, our little fox really believes in science!)

The first step was an observational experiment, the purpose of which was to record the behavioral patterns of vengeful spirits.

The conclusion was that the other party would try to scare him every half hour, including but not limited to flashing lights, fiddling with cabinet doors, or turning tap water into tomato juice.

Considering that Hoshino Hideyuki could clearly see her but pretended not to, all of this behavior was not scary at all. Instead, it was like a very cheeky cat that insisted on sweeping the cup to the ground right in front of you.

Overall, it's so uncreative! They can't even figure out how to crawl out of the TV. This means the little fox can't even get his wish to see a vengeful spirit stuck in the TV because it's too big. Seriously!

cough cough.

Apart from all of the above, Miss Wraith will not engage in any dangerous or harmful behavior.

That makes sense; since Kaito Kasuga needs his help, he probably won't really go all out.

After the observation experiment is completed, the next step is the controlled variable experiment.

Hoshino Hideyuki summoned a strongman and had him repeatedly enter and exit the house, using the "Mirror Viewing" technique in between to test whether the vengeful spirit would accept the illusion.

It turned out to be food.

As long as he puts in enough effort, even without changing his expression, the opponent will confuse him with a strongman.

But this consumption was really too great, which shows that this vengeful spirit is much stronger than the kind in the exhibition hall.

It was around 9 p.m.

After completing the experiment, Hoshino Hideyuki had learned everything he wanted to know. He lay lazily on the hotel bed, pretending to watch TV.

Now it's time to decide what to do.

Although Hashimoto Haruna's vengeful spirit is not weak, it is still within the range of being able to be fought and killed.

Of course, doing this would mean firstly, that Hashimoto Haruna's soul would be scattered, and secondly, it would also mean confronting Kasuga Kaito...

Just as Hoshino Hideyuki was pondering, a news report came on television.

Zhujiang Private High School has achieved unprecedented results in the National High School Basketball Tournament. Their captain, who looks like a gorilla, is being interviewed by reporters on campus.

Come to think of it, these students' school uniforms look familiar...

A white shirt with three bow ties and a light gray skirt... Ah, isn't that Yukiho Amamiya's school uniform?

What a coincidence.

At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, Hoshino Hideyuki noticed that the vengeful spirit in the corner suddenly began to tremble.

Even more so, a few tears welled up in the corners of her eyes...

Yes, it's Yukiho Amamiya's uniform, which is also the uniform of her younger sister Misa Hashimoto.

So, Hashimoto Haruna recognized her?

Do vengeful spirits cry?

"what!"

"Please, let me go!"

Suddenly, Hashimoto Haruna screamed and turned to float out of the room!

But the next second, several golden chains stretched out from the invisible void and bound her neck and limbs.

The vengeful spirit struggled, its cries filled with anguish.

But soon, tiny black lightning bolts lit up the chains, followed by a series of loud explosions. The vengeful spirit cried out in pain, lowered its head, and stopped writhing.

She floated back to the corner of the room, as if nothing had happened.

Hideyuki Hoshino witnessed the entire scene.

Without making a sound, he picked up a dried plum he had bought at the convenience store, tore open the packaging, and swallowed it.

Honestly, it's so salty, it doesn't taste good at all...

what……

Forget it, forget it.

As an innocent and adorable little animal, it's not good for me to always be fighting and killing.

Let's spend more time addressing the root cause of the problem.

But how can this be solved?

If it's pure illusion magic, like the one used by Kayaba Nobuyuki before, even if the fox hasn't systematically learned it, he can still use his unorthodox methods and natural talent to deal with it.

When it comes to ghosts, he can't even be considered talented.

The best way is to ask someone who knows...

Thinking of this, Hoshino Hideyuki opened his phone and found a number in the notes app—a number he had secretly written down while playing with someone else's phone during the Kayaba Nobuyuki incident.

The note is...

A stubborn, easily fooled girl with twin ponytails.

"I remember her name was Asuka Tendo?"

Chapter 41 The fox loves to fool children~