My daily life of exorcising demons and falling in love with a witch.

The three left the school gate and arrived at the torii gate at the foot of the mountain of Hatsuyuki Shrine.

It looks a bit like a red grid. Behind the torii gate is a stone-paved staircase leading to the top of the mountain.

Along the steep path surrounded by cherry blossoms, there are handrails made of wooden stakes connected by shimenawa ropes. They also serve to separate the path.

Cherry blossoms were scattered along the road.

It's obvious that Sakura Chiai cleaned up not long ago, otherwise there would definitely be even more petals piled up here.

"I'm going to visit my sister-in-law's house, I'm so excited!" Erina looked at the path and rubbed her hands together excitedly. "I wonder if Sakurayuki can let me pet her..."

"Maybe it's better not to, Miss. Don't scare her." Yoshiyuki reminded her with a wry smile, "And please don't assume Sakura is your sister-in-law right away. We're not even sure about that yet, it would be embarrassing if we made a mistake."

"Hmph, I know without you telling me." Erina chuckled, ruffled Hime's hair, and stepped through the torii gate first: "You really think I'm stupid?"

"Oh, are you that smart?"

"You worthless servant, how dare you speak to your master like that! Commit seppuku as an act of atonement!"

"Alright, alright, I'll cut you some tripe tonight as an apology."

"Oh! Beef tripe!"

Erina's attention seemed to immediately shift to the hot pot with beef tripe.

Xiao Ji also seemed to swallow hard.

This made Yixing incredibly hungry, and the lunch he had just eaten seemed to have vanished into a black hole, leaving his stomach completely empty.

This reaction is actually the same as yawning.

You might not want to yawn, but once the people around you start yawning, you can't help but want to yawn too.

This phenomenon can be called XX syndrome.

Applying this to his current craving for hot pot, it's essentially a hot pot craving syndrome.

Of course, there's an even simpler way to put it.

It's just a simple craving.

"Miss, have you noticed? There are quite a lot of cats around here."

As Yi Xing spoke, he looked around.

Many cats were nearby. Some lay lazily on the ground or in the treetops, while others ran around because of their visit.

They were probably all stray cats without owners.

"Indeed," Erina agreed. "So Arisa probably gets along well with them usually, right? Maybe she was one of them before."

"Hmm..." Yixing pondered for a moment, then sighed, "This discovery is very important. If the black and white cat really did transform from these stray cats, then if we take a female cat from here home, it might also turn into a catgirl, right? Even if it doesn't react at first, if we keep telling it to transform, it will eventually succeed!"

"Oh? Constantly hugging female cats is really suspicious! So, you scumbag servant, what do you want to do with this catgirl?" Erina clicked her tongue, saying disdainfully, "Are you thinking about something lewd?"

"How could that be! I only hugged the female cat because catgirls are cuter than catboys! And it's easier for you to hug her or something!" Yoshiyuki immediately clarified, "I didn't have any ulterior motives, okay? It's you who's acting strange, Miss!"

"What's wrong with me! It's perfectly normal to suspect a servant's motives, isn't it? After all, you're so improper!"

"Young lady, you really won't find a more decent man than me! It would be strange if you were the one thinking dirty thoughts! You should really reflect on your actions!"

"I have nothing to reflect on!"

The two of them continued arguing as they walked up the steps to the second torii gate. It seemed that the argument had given Erina a lot of energy, as she didn't complain at all about not being able to walk anymore or needing to stop and rest.

Xiao Ji watched the two bickering silently from the sidelines, a rather gratified smile on her face.

Since they were quite close to the second torii gate, the two stopped arguing and fell silent without prior agreement.

This is not a matter of them arguing and deciding who won or lost.

Rather, it was because both of them understood the rules of visiting a shrine—even if they weren't there to worship, they still had to show respect to the gods.

There are currently no visitors at the shrine.

The courtyard was so quiet that you could almost hear the cherry blossoms falling.

Standing outside the courtyard and looking at it, you can feel an overwhelming sense of awe.

From time to time, cherry blossoms drift down from the huge canopy of the cherry tree. Some fall gently and slowly into the courtyard, while others are carried away by the wind into the distance.

How tall is it exactly?

Yi Xing felt that it should be at least forty meters.

The tree trunk is so thick that it would take about ten people to encircle it.

He had seen photos of this sacred cherry tree before. It could be seen from afar, even from Sakurajima Academy and the foot of the mountain, but that didn't capture its grandeur at all.

Only by witnessing it firsthand can one truly feel awe.

Before entering the shrine, the three of them bowed in the direction of the torii gate, as is customary.

Moreover, when passing under the torii gate, one should avoid the center and walk on either side—this is because the center is a passage reserved for deities.

After leaving the shrine from under the torii gate, you should bow again.

They didn't bow when they passed the first torii gate, but they did walk around it as they passed through. This is how you walk on any pilgrimage route that has multiple torii gates along the same path.

There are also more elaborate ways to walk, such as bowing at the torii gate at the bottom of the mountain. It all depends on personal preference.

The three of them crossed the torii gate, climbed the last set of steps, and entered the main gate.

From here, the structure of the courtyard can be clearly seen.

Not far from the entrance, you can see the fountain.

It's a place for washing hands and rinsing the mouth, purifying the mind and body. Its exterior is a roofed, wallless structure supported by four pillars.

In the center of the building is a wooden pool inscribed with the words "Purify the Mind". On the pool wall are large wooden ladles with long handles.

Erina stepped forward first and skillfully began the purification ritual.

There are a few things to keep in mind when purifying your mind at the Hand-held Water House.

First: You can only scoop water once.

Second: Wash your hands thoroughly before rinsing your mouth. Pour water into your palm and then into your mouth to rinse; do not let your mouth directly touch the long-handled spoon.

Third: Finally, stand the long-handled ladle upright to let the remaining water drain out and wash the ladle.

Yoshiyuki frequented the Yoda family's Yomi Shrine and was already used to it.

When it was his turn to purify his mind, Yixing felt that the water was very cool and sweet, probably spring water.

Yoshiyuki felt immense admiration for Sakura Yuki Chiai, who managed the shrine all by herself, as she carried water to fill the pond every day.

After purifying your mind at the water fountain, you can continue along the pebble path lined with stone lanterns every few steps, following the usual worship procedure.

Unlike Yomi Shrine, Hatsuyuki Shrine is a small shrine with only one priest.

Therefore, there was no dedicated Kagura Hall for playing Kagura or a dance hall for performing dances.

There was no treasure hall for storing treasures, nor a palanquin hall for storing the divine palanquin.

There is no dedicated office for granting sacred items such as fortune slips, ema (votive plaques), and amulets. Instead, the shrine administration office, where priests handle shrine affairs, serves as the office, and it is very small. When there are many guests, Sakura Yuki usually sits by the window to greet them.