Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

But today there's no one there.

Hoshino Rin stopped in her tracks.

Before her was a flat area overgrown with weeds.

Unlike the normal weeds nearby, they were lying flat.

One can imagine that someone once rested here.

But many more traces have disappeared.

"Is there any way?"

Hoshino Rin found nothing and could only look at Haruhiko.

Her demon-taming black cat, Liuli, finds people by scent.

The time interval is too long now, and no smell remains at the scene.

Other methods are also available.

For example, time-related spells.

But the cost is too high.

Don't use it if you can.

Haruhiko remained silent, continuing to survey his surroundings.

His ventriloquism is so advanced that he can understand the language of all animals.

Insects belong to the arthropods, which are invertebrates, and therefore meet the criteria.

Soon, he had a goal.

An ant.

As we all know, ants are social creatures.

This means they have a complete understanding of the surrounding situation.

Haruhiko crouched down and began to talk.

Hoshino Rin tilted her head, somewhat confused.

What kind of curse is this?

How could this be so strange?

She didn't understand Haruhiko's behavior at this moment.

But she didn't ask either.

Everyone has secrets; there's no need to pry.

Rin Hoshino herself also has one.

Thinking about this, she felt a subtle sense of unease.

She is the young lady of the Izumo Shrine, and she has met the person she loves.

It's clearly double the happiness.

Hoshino Rin lowered her head and waited silently.

A moment later, Haruhiko stood up.

He already got the answer he wanted.

Last night, a woman did indeed come to this place.

Spatial fluctuations also caused casualties among the ants.

"That's the direction."

Haruhiko raised his hand and pointed.

Hoshino Rin snapped out of her daze, somewhat taken aback, not expecting that they had actually found traces of them.

She nodded and walked forward.

Haruhiko quickly followed.

Ants only know the direction, but not the specific location.

He walked and stopped, asking questions along the way, until he finally arrived at a cliff.

The stream cascades down from a height, creating a small waterfall.

At this moment, a woman who looked to be in her thirties was standing in front of the waterfall.

She was wearing a gray robe, and her hair was disheveled, as if it hadn't been styled in a long time.

Rin Hoshino and Haruhiko exchanged a glance.

She slowly stepped forward and tentatively called out, "Hidaka Yuki?"

The woman suddenly turned around.

Hoshino Rin was so frightened that she took half a step back.

You can't blame her for being timid.

Even Haruhiko, caught off guard, felt his heart racing.

Hidaka Yuki's otherwise delicate face was covered in scales.

The scales had a black sheen, and there were faint traces of silk threads flowing through them.

"You...what's wrong with you?"

Hoshino Rin had never seen anything like this before and couldn't help but ask.

Yuki Hidaka did not answer, but instead looked her over.

Her eyes were filled with confusion, as if she didn't recognize Hoshino Rin.

But a moment later, she pressed her forehead, and her eyes turned into vertical pupils.

"You are Hoshino Rin."

Hidaka Yuki said in a cold tone, "It's the young lady of Izumo Shrine."

Hoshino Rin's heart tightened.

Her attitude was too stern.

Combined with those inexplicably vertical pupils, it was as if a venomous snake was staring at her.

Scalp-tingling.

What did you experience in Takamagahara?

Hoshino Rin took a deep breath and asked.

Although Hidaka Yuki has become very strange, she is clearly conscious.

If they could communicate, she planned to extract more information.

"Izumo Shrine, the largest shrine in Japan."

Yuki Hidaka did not answer her question, but muttered to herself, "You are qualified to be transformed."

"Transform? What does that mean?"

Hoshino Rin immediately sensed something was wrong.

"To give you a new life."

Hidaka Yuki's lips curled into a terrifying smile.

She raised her hand, and a dark purple light quickly condensed, then flew out and attacked Hoshino Rin.

It's fast, but even faster is the mental shock it delivers.

The moment Hoshino Rin's gaze met that ball of light, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

My whole body was so cold that I was stiff and unable to move.

Priest - Star Shield!

Haruhiko had already made preparations.

As she spoke, she began chanting incantations.

Priest's Star Shield is a second-tier spell that Haruhiko recently learned.

Four seconds later, the surging psionic energy transformed into a shield shimmering with starlight, blocking Hoshino Rin's path.

With a crisp sound, the dark purple light and the Star Shield vanished simultaneously.

Haruhiko frowned slightly.

It was actually a second-tier spell.

Why didn't Hidaka Yuki chant any incantations just now?

This doesn't make sense.