A newbie's anime life diary

Do you think it's better to learn from yoooo~meng or from Hua Ma? They both seem pretty suitable _(:з」∠)_

Chapter 50 Accommodation Issues

If you follow Ryougi Shiki along this path, you can detour to the left of a forest ahead and head towards a high mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Ryougi Shiki said to Yukiteru beside her, "See that lake over there? Try not to go there unless necessary. It's home to one of the few non-youkai in this area. Getting bled out won't kill you, but it's definitely not a pleasant experience. Don't blame me for not warning you."

"Uh... a vampire?" Xuehui thought of a certain legendary young lady who would crouch down with her head in her hands to protect herself.

Ryougi Shiki nodded: "However, the other party has been keeping a low profile. As long as you don't go near the mansion there, you'll be fine. I'll get you an identity token later. Although the monsters here don't eat people, you still need to have some protection."

"Teacher, you said you wanted me to stay here because..."

"Cultivation." Ryougi Shiki gave a direct answer. "Originally, I was planning to bring you here in a few more days, but now that you have new power, it's perfect for you to cultivate here and familiarize yourself with your power. I've also found you a sparring partner."

Yukiteru is becoming increasingly curious about just how wide Ryougi Shiki's social circle is. It seems like she knows all sorts of people and even all sorts of spirits, and they seem to have pretty good relationships with her?

"Oh, right," Xuehui suddenly remembered, "Teacher, where's my Heart Crossing?"

I remember when I was unconscious, I was holding the Heart Ferry in my hand, but now it's gone.

"Don't worry, I've kept it safe for you. It's in the shrine here, which is also where you'll be staying from now on." As they spoke, the two of them had already climbed up the stone steps.

Yukiteru looked at the name written on the tall torii gate in front of him: Moriya Shrine, and was already mentally prepared.

Upon entering the shrine, a shrine maiden dressed in a blue and white off-the-arms shrine maiden outfit, with long light green hair, was sweeping the ground in the front courtyard.

Upon seeing Ryougi Shiki, the shrine maiden smiled and approached, saying, "Shiki-neechan, you're back."

Ryougi Shiki nodded and said to the girl, "Let me introduce you. This is my disciple, Hiratsuka Yukiteru. He will be staying here to train for the next few days, so just give him a room to rest in."

“No problem.” The girl nodded, looked at Yukiteru and smiled, “Hello, Hiratsuka-kun, I’m the wind priest here, Sanae Kochiya, just call me Sanae!”

"Hello, um... I'm not used to calling you by your name, so I'll just call you Miss Kazekishi." Yukiteru was a little embarrassed by Kochiya Sanae's enthusiasm, probably because of Ryougi Shiki.

“I see. Alright then.” Sanae nodded, then stepped forward and carefully observed Yukiteru. “I knew it. No wonder the two lords wouldn’t let me go to Eientei. The power within you is truly amazing, and your rank is very high.”

Yukiteru looked at Ryougi Shiki with a puzzled expression, and she explained in a timely manner: "When you were unconscious before, the two gods of the shrine came to see you. They had never seen the power in you before and were afraid that it would pose a danger to Sanae. However, after your condition stabilized in the following days, they stopped objecting."

Afterwards, Sanae Kochiya led the two to the back of the shrine, where Yukiteru's room was already prepared.

Upon entering the room, it was a very ordinary Japanese-style room, but it was fully furnished, and his own Heart Ferry was placed there. What surprised Xuehui even more was that there was electricity in the room!

Sanae Kochiya explained that this was all thanks to the help of the Ryougi family, who even helped build several branch shrines of Moriya Shrine in the Tohoku region, the area surrounding Gensokyo, to collect faith. With the shrine's faith issue resolved, Sanae, though a living god, was also a young girl with some free time. With the support of the two gods at the shrine, she went to school regularly and is now a second-year high school student, just like Yukiteru.

Looking at the girl who wore a shrine maiden outfit with exposed armpits and exuded a homely, feminine style, coupled with her delicate features, Yukiteru thought she must be very popular at school.

After resting for a while, Sanae looked at the two of them and said, "Shiki-neechan, would you like to dine here?"

Xuehui woke up around 2 p.m. Although she had been taking in intravenous nutrition while unconscious, she still felt a strong urge to eat.

Ryougi Shiki shook her head and said, "No need. I need to take him to understand and arrange some things. I'm going back tomorrow."

"Huh? It's almost evening, are we really going out? Okay then." Looking at the approaching night, Sanae could only nod.

"Teacher, where are we going?" Yukiteru asked Ryougi Shiki after leaving the shrine. To be honest, Yukiteru was more interested in having a proper meal. As the second shrine maiden he had ever met, Kochiya Sanae was far more principled than Tojo Nozomi.

...Wait a minute, Shiki knows both of these shrine maidens. Could it be that they know each other too?

Xuehui suddenly realized that he had made some premature comments about Kochiya Sanae.

Ryougi Shiki glanced at the sky and then replied, "It's about time. Let's go to that stall that only opens at night to eat and ask about some things. Weren't you interested in that Night Sparrow before? It seems she has an organization behind the gods, and there might be someone here who knows something about it."

Is it the organization behind the Nightingale?

Yukiteru didn't care much about Ryougi Shiki exposing his thoughts. After all, he could have kept Yotsuzuru there, but she would likely have died, which Yukiteru found a bit of a pity, so he simply let her escape.

Who knew that the other party would also take away the Demon King's Hammer?

As they were thinking this, the two of them arrived at a roadside stall in the sunset.

The curtain was opened first and the two people walked in. Then they saw a girl with short pink hair, wearing a dress, and with a pair of purple and white wings on her back.

"Ah, isn't this Master Shiki? It's been so long!" The girl exclaimed excitedly upon seeing Ryougi Shiki, clearly recognizing her. Then, noticing Yukiteru behind her, she rubbed her eyes and exclaimed in surprise, "Eh! A man!"

"Don't be so surprised. This is my disciple. She came here for treatment a few days ago and also trained." Ryougi Shiki ignored the other's surprise, gestured for Yukiteru to sit down, and then said, "Two servings of eel rice."

“Okay, coming right away!” The girl nodded happily, then said to Xuehui, “Let me introduce myself, I am the owner of this shop, Mystia Lorella.”

"Hello, I'm Hiratsuka Yukiteru." Yukiteru also returned the greeting with a smile.

Before long, two fragrant eel rice dishes were served.

"Let's eat first, then we can talk about things." Ryougi Shiki didn't mince words and picked up her chopsticks first.

Xuehui nodded and began his first meal in ten days.

Chapter 51: Various Shocking Revelations

After a satisfying meal, holding the fragrant tea offered by Mystia, Ryougi Shiki looked at the night sparrow girl who was washing the dishes and said, "I came here today to ask you something."

"Ask me something?" Mystia stopped what she was doing and looked at Ryougi Shiki with a puzzled expression. "But I'm not exactly well-informed here."

Ryougi Shiki shook her head: "I'm not asking about things here, but about you. Mystia, have you seen any members of your Night Sparrow clan in all these years?"

Night bird?

Xuehui looked at the wings on Mystia's back. Although they were different from the ones he had seen before, this person should also be a Night Sparrow Youkai. No wonder Shiki-nee brought him here.

"Crack!" The plate in her hand shattered instantly. Mystia ignored it and rushed to the front of the stage, staring wide-eyed at Ryougi Shiki: "What did you say?"

Ryougi Shiki remained silent, her gaze fixed on Yukiteru.

Xuehui nodded and began to explain, "Well, a few days ago, when I was participating in a club activity, I was attacked by a group of yokai from Shikoku. One of them was a Night Sparrow yokai, and she was quite strong. I was thinking of keeping her as my shikigami, but because I couldn't control my power at the time, I had to let her escape. You're also a Night Sparrow, I wonder if you know her?"

After a moment of silence, Mystia breathed a sigh of relief and returned to her workbench. She pulled up a chair, sat down, and said with a dejected expression, "You were right not to kill her. The person behind her is not simple."

Upon hearing this, the two realized that the other party indeed knew some inside information, so Xuehui immediately asked, "Do you know who is manipulating these things behind the scenes?"

Nodding, Mystia began, "Let me start from the beginning. I do know that child; in fact, we're of the same generation. That was about 700 years ago. Our Night Sparrow clan wasn't very large to begin with, and we lived in a large mountain. Although Onmyoji and yokai roamed the outside world, it didn't have much of an impact on us."

Later, that child was born. Unlike me, who could only fight with my singing and didn't have much talent, that child had an exceptionally amazing talent. If he grew up, he might not become as famous as those great demons, but he wouldn't be much worse off.

But perhaps this was fate. An Onmyoji came to our mountain, discovered us, and discovered the child. His words were simple: make the child his shikigami, and he would spare our entire clan. Left with no choice, we handed her over to the Onmyoji. In the years that followed, everyone gradually left. I also left the mountains, and by chance, I came here and settled down. However, I always remembered the child, so every year, I spend some time searching for her.

"You found it?" Ryougi Shiki asked.

"Ah, we found it. We also discovered some astonishing facts. Do you know what that Onmyoji's name was?"

Looking at the two of them, Mystia slowly said, "His name is Abe Yuyuki."

"A descendant of Abe no Seimei?" Yukiteru asked, frowning.

This is not good news. He already knows Nurarihyon, so it's certain that the strongest Onmyoji in this world a thousand years ago was not a good figure, but a half-demon, a being standing at the pinnacle of humans and demons.

Adding Hagoromo Gitsune to the mix is ​​definitely not good news.

"You mean that night sparrow is a shikigami of Abe no Seimei's descendant?" Yukiteru continued to press.

"That's right. At that time, that person was already the fourth head of the Abe family, and his strength was unfathomable. After learning this information, I completely gave up on the idea of ​​meeting that child. I'm just a little monster; I don't have the guts." He finished speaking with a wry smile.

“But that doesn’t make sense.” Ryougi Shiki immediately refuted Mystia’s statement. “The descendants of Abe no Seimei have clearly disappeared, and this former Onmyoji family has been completely wiped out. Your clan should have changed masters.”

Xuehui felt the same way. If such a once glorious Onmyoji family still existed, how could no one know about it?

Unexpectedly, Mystia dropped another bombshell that no one could have predicted.

“That family still exists, only in a different guise. Only a youkai like me, who traveled around during that era, would know these things.” Mystia said, raising her head with considerable pride as she looked at the two, especially Ryougi Shiki, and said, “You must have heard of that surname, the Mikadoin family.”

"What? The Mikadoin family, who specialize in assisting the Emperor? You're telling me that the Mikadoin family, who isn't very capable, are descendants of Abe no Seimei?" Ryougi Shiki was clearly provoked by Mystia's news. She had only inquired about Yozuki, but who would have thought she would learn such important information.

Yukiteru was also extremely surprised. He had heard Ryougi Shiki talk about the Mikadoin family before. They were the Emperor's personal Onmyoji, but their skills were indeed much inferior to those of the Hanakain family. Their only advantage was that they were solely dedicated to working for the Emperor.

If what Mystia said is true, then doesn't that mean they've been pretending all along?

"If that's the case, then things are really hard to predict with Hagoromo Gitsune. What exactly is this family, hidden for hundreds of years, up to...?"

"Could it be related to Abe no Seimei?" Yukiteru asked Ryougi Shiki.

Mystia nodded in agreement: "Although I don't know much about the situation over the years, there is no doubt that the only person who made them do this was the first head of the clan, Abe no Seimei."

"Resurrect? Looks like I'll have to give those stubborn fools in the Kakeruin area a heads-up." Ryougi Shiki nodded and looked at Mystia, saying, "Thank you, what you said has been a great help."

“It’s nothing. After all, you’re a rare customer who actually comes to my shop and orders properly. Besides, I have a favor to ask of you.” Mystia smiled and said, “That child, if you encounter her in the future, if you’re confident you can help her leave that family, please do so. Those people are not kind at all.”

“If we have the chance to meet.” Ryougi Shiki nodded, and Yukiteru added, “Well, I’d like her to be my shikigami. I’d be happy to poach her.”

At that moment, the curtain behind him was lifted again, and Xuehui instantly felt a shiver down his spine.

"Two skewers of grilled eel, a serving of grilled small bones, and a bottle of sake, to go. She'll pay." A somewhat indifferent but elegant voice came from behind. Yuki turned around and saw a mature woman with shoulder-length green hair, red eyes, and wearing a red plaid vest and long skirt sitting down next to Ryougi Shiki.

Well, there's a celebrity... a famous monster.

"There are no small bone fragments left, I don't like them! Um... that..." Mystia said with dissatisfaction to the person who came, and then looked at Ryougi Shiki with some panic.

Ryougi Shiki didn't react much to this, and nodded: "Make the grilled eel and sake first, I'll pay for it."

Seeing this, Mystia immediately turned around and started working.

“I went to Moriya Shrine to look for you. The shrine maiden said you came out.” Turning her head past Ryougi Shiki to look at Yukiteru, she shook her head slightly. “The flames in your body are not bad, but your strength is still far inferior to that of your eldest disciple.”

"So I was thinking of having you guide me for a few days." Ryougi Shiki said these words so casually that Yukiteru almost vomited blood.

Should I let this flower tyrant guide me?

I'm afraid we won't see the sun rise the next day!

And Shiki-nee, how come you, a human, have such a good relationship with these great yokai? I want to learn!

Chapter 52 If you want to beat someone up, you have to learn how to get beaten up first!

"Do you want him to die sooner?" Kazami Yuuka glanced at Yukiteru's hand and said, "He's clearly a brat who hasn't even been practicing swordsmanship for very long, and you just sent him to my side? He doesn't have the strength you had back then."

Xuehui felt as if he had learned something incredible.

While Ryougi Shiki remained silent and slacking off, she continued, "Youmu and I have already discussed the swordsmanship. We should be able to get her to squeeze out an hour each midnight for instruction. The only thing we'll ask for in return is extra food. During the day, she can come to your place to learn how to fight powerful youkai and strengthen her own skills. Anyway, you're a flower spirit, and your healing abilities aren't bad. Boys are tough, so just don't beat him to death."

After hearing these words, Xuehui looked at Ryougi Shiki with a tearful face: "Teacher, am I your disciple?"

"Don't look like you're about to die. Do you think just any human can be mentored by a great yokai? Yuuka has the most combat experience here, and her fighting style is simpler and more direct. We'll be facing plenty of yokai in the future, so this learning opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."

Originally, I was going to guide you through these things, but since you're here, I'll let you experience what my old life was like.