The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"I would like to know if you have any protective charms or sacred objects here that can help me protect myself from demons and monsters," Tatsuko Tsuchimon said.

"Amulets? This temple has plenty. I can also use my magic to bless them for you, making their protective power even stronger. But before that, I want to tell you that the little girl you met earlier was not a ghost, but a spirit, or rather, a deity. Her name is Zashiki-warashi, a symbol of a prosperous family. She was also a child spirit who was converted by Kannon Bodhisattva at the very beginning of the temple's construction, representing the foundation of this temple. The fact that you were able to see her not only indicates that you have a connection with her, but also that your family will prosper and you should have some joyous events related to your descendants soon. There is absolutely no need to worry or be afraid as if it were a taboo," Ishihara Akira explained.

"Zashiki-warashi?" Tatsuko Tsuchimon was taken aback for a moment, then became delighted.

As someone from the older generation, although knowledge about Japanese folklore was no longer prevalent when she was born, magazines about urban legends and yokai stories were still commonly available. So, she had read a lot of similar things when she was young—during junior and senior high school—and naturally knew what Zashiki-warashi was and the significance of its existence!

Given that she had come to the Arako Kannon Temple to pray for the Bodhisattva's blessing so that her daughter and child could be safe and give birth to a healthy baby boy, she couldn't contain her joy after hearing Ishihara Akira's explanation.

So, does that mean my daughter and her unborn child are blessed by the gods?

In that case, she had no mind to worry about what she had just witnessed, and she didn't even want to stay there for another moment. She wanted to rush home immediately and explain what had happened to her family.

Therefore, Tatsuko Tsuchimon didn't waste any more time. She exchanged a few words with Sho Ishihara and took back an amulet that Sho Ishihara had personally blessed. Then she immediately bid farewell to Sho Ishihara and Yoshiko Noto, and happily left the temple to head home.

……

Around late afternoon, after dealing with the worshippers at the temple, Ishihara Akira handed over the temple's management to someone who, although not a monk, had a long-standing partnership with the temple and wanted to receive discounted funeral services upon death. Of course, it's also possible that he was bored after retirement and frequently visited the temple to help look after the various rooms. After that, he changed back into ordinary clothes and set off for Atsuta Shrine.

He plans to create another shrine maiden, in addition to Toma Natsuki, who is more in line with tradition.

It just so happens that he stole the characteristics of spiritual power from the world of Bleach, and he also has the inheritance of Quincy, which allows him to create compressed spiritual particles, the small silver bottles that Ishida Uryu often used in the original work. Ishihara Sho wouldn't sell such a thing, but it's perfectly fine to give the strange creature possessing the shrine maiden the inheritance of Quincy.

Then, combined with the ability to transmit energy across space in the dream world, creating a shrine maiden who can cultivate spiritual power and make talismans should not be too much of a problem, even if it goes against the real environment.

Of course, this time the shrine maiden was not chosen randomly. Instead, based on Natsuki Toma's memories, she selected one of the shrine maidens from among her trusted friends whose appearance best suited Ishihara Sho's taste.

So after all that, Ishihara Sho arrived at Atsuta Shrine. He wandered around like a tourist, letting his senses wander and searching for a suitable target. He left his mark and then left Atsuta Shrine. He found a place to sit and rested outside, and then pulled the consciousness of the selected target into the dream world.

"Kamijou Ikue".

"Who's speaking!" The shrine maiden, known as Kamijou Ikue, nervously searched around.

"It is I." Ishihara Sho, disguised as Takeshi Susanoo, Susanoo-no-Mikoto, appeared out of thin air in front of Kamijou, enveloped in radiance.

"You are... Susanoo-no-Mikoto!" Kamijou Ikue exclaimed in surprise.

At the same time, my heart skipped a beat. Could it be that I would soon become one of the gods' chosen ones, just like my good friend Natsuki Toma?

"It is indeed me."

"Kamijou Ikue greets the Supreme God." Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Kamijou Ikue immediately knelt on the ground and bowed deeply in reverence.

"Get up."

"I wonder if the High God has summoned me for any purpose?" Kamijou Yuuki straightened up, but did not stand up from the ground, remaining in a kneeling position as she asked.

"I see that the sage Toma Natsuki is entangled in worldly affairs and has no time to deal with the anomaly. Therefore, I have decided to select another sage from the existing sages and grant her power to take over from Toma to maintain the stability of the world. Kamijou, are you willing to accept this destiny?"

"Kamijo agrees." Kamijou Yuuki did not hesitate and immediately bowed again.

“Very well, then I will grant you power.” With that, he had a thought, and a strange creature imbued with spiritual power and the legacy of the Quincy was thrown into Kamijou Yuuki’s body by Ishihara Sho. Then, he solemnly conferred the title: “Now I, the God, hereby confer upon you the title of Wise and Wise Priestess. I hope you will make good use of the power I have bestowed upon you and illuminate the world.”

"Yes, Kamijou will certainly live up to God's expectations and spread your glory." Kamijou Yuuki replied firmly.

Then, the screen collapsed, and Kamijou Ikue's consciousness returned to reality. After a few seconds of silence, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"I never thought that I, Kamijou Ikue, would one day become a chosen one! Right, I should report this to the High Priest! Also, I need to get someone to figure out what kind of power I've gained."

After saying that, Kamijou Ikue didn't hesitate any longer and turned to run towards the room where the High Priest was.

Chapter 228 The Divine Palace's Decision

"Xiao Xiang, I heard from them that you have also received divine favor?" Toma Natsuki, who had just returned from get off work at the Nagoya Police Station, appeared in front of Kamijou Ikuka as soon as possible, grabbed her hand and asked.

“Mm.” Kamijou Ikuka nodded.

"So what is your ability?" Toma Natsuki asked again.

"That's why we called you back immediately. Xiao Xiang is quite confused about this inheritance. She can't understand the nature of the power or how to use it as easily as you did. So we wanted to ask if you have any experience that can teach Xiao Xiang so that she can understand her power." The head priestess explained to Toma Natsuki after hearing this.

"Has Kaoru meditated?" Toma Natsuki glanced at the others present, then turned her gaze back to Kamijou Ikuka and asked.

“No. I came here immediately after receiving the divine blessing,” Kamijou Ikuka said, shaking her head.

“Then meditate first. A voice should come into your mind telling you what your power is and what you can do. Only then can you address the development aspects,” Natsuki Toma explained.

“Then I’ll meditate now.” With that, Kamijou Ikue, disregarding whether the ground was clean or not, or whether there was a meditation cushion, released Toma Natsuki’s hand and sat cross-legged on the ground, beginning her meditation as she always did during her training.

Subsequently, Kamitsu Ikue gradually entered a certain state, and the strange entity possessing her body gradually awakened. According to Ishihara Akira's setting, it transmitted knowledge about spiritual power and its properties into Kamitsu Ikue's mind.

Kamijou Yuuki received the information until she was sure she had received all the knowledge she could, then slowly exited the meditative state and reopened her eyes.

Without needing any further questioning from the shrine's management, such as the High Priest, the Chief Priest, or the Head Shrine Maiden, Kamijou Ikue proactively revealed the true nature of her power.

"The power I obtained is called spiritual power, which is a power specifically for beings like the soul. There are no specific inherited techniques or methods of use, so I can't use it in combat like Natsuki did. I can only find a way to develop it on my own."

“Spiritual power…” The group exchanged glances, unsure of what to do next.

After all, the matter involved extraordinary things, and even with their age and experience, they couldn't find anything useful related to it.

“Spiritual power.” Toma Natsuki frowned upon hearing this.

"Natsuki, do you have any clues?" The head priestess, noticing the change in Natsuki Toma's expression, asked.

“Although I’m not sure if my guess is right or wrong, if the power that Xiaoxiang obtained is indeed called spiritual power, perhaps our shrine can really revive the ancient heritage that has been lost in the past.” Toma Natsuki replied with a hint of hesitation.

"How so?" the high priest pressed.

“I wonder if you, High Priest, have paid attention to the recent and past anime and manga? In those stories, the power used by us priestesses and even those Onmyoji is the spiritual power that Xiao Xiang mentioned! Although it’s a bit of a joke to bring things from fantasy stories into reality, at a time when the gods have begun to manifest and the world is changing, we cannot rule out the possibility that it is a fact!” Toma Natsuki pondered for a while and then expressed her thoughts.

"So I suggest we find all the books related to talismans and spells passed down within the shrine, give them to Xiao Xiang to study, and then let her use spiritual power to activate them. If everything goes smoothly..."

The high priest and the others exchanged glances, their faces all showing expressions of excitement.

If this really succeeds, it means more than just finding the past; it also means that the Shrine can mass-produce superpowered individuals!

Even if this superpowered person is fake, only becoming a superpowered person when holding the talisman made by Kamijou Ikuka, and turning back into an ordinary person once the talisman is depleted, it would still greatly help spread the fame of Atsuta Shrine, making it surpass Ise Grand Shrine, Izumo Taisha, Meiji Shrine, and other large shrines, and become the leader of Shintoism in all of Japan.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way. Kanda, go and find the inheritance data inside the shrine and send it to Kamijou Shrine Maiden. From today onwards, we will do our best to help Kamijou Shrine Maiden restore the ancient inheritance.”

"Yes!"

Seeing this, Kamijou Ikue couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement—

Finally, finally, I've become an important figure like Natsuki, capable of influencing the shrine and even Japanese history...

……

Let's leave aside what will happen to Atsuta Shrine for now and get back to Ishihara Akira.

It was early morning again when Ishihara Akira arrived at Hanako's busy kitchen and hugged her from behind once more.

"Here we go again. How many times have I told you not to do this? If you keep doing this, I won't cook for you next time." Hanako said irritably, slapping Ishihara Sho's hand.

"Hanako, look at me," Ishihara Sho said softly.

"What?" Hanako turned her head and met Ishihara Akira's eyes, who was standing inches away. Hanako's gaze froze, and then her face flushed...

In terms of his behavior, it was exactly the same as when Emiko first saw Satan when he was first born.

Of course, it was exactly the same, because at the very moment the two locked eyes, Ishihara Shou once again activated the power of the Beast of Satan, causing Hanako to be affected by the radiation of the Beast of Satan's power.

So you can imagine what Hanako's current state is like.

"You..." Hanako instinctively moved her body back a little, afraid that if she got too close, she would lose control of the thoughts churning in her mind. However, she forgot that she was being held by Ishihara Akira. So, not only did she fail to get close, but her movement caused Ishihara Akira to tighten his arms and pull her into his embrace.

Hanako blushed deeply, lowered her head, and dared not look Ishihara Sho in the eye again.

But Ishihara Akira lifted her chin with his hand, followed her gaze for a moment, then smiled slightly and lowered his head to kiss Hanako's lips...

Until a faint smell of burning came from the pot next to it.

"Look at you, the pot is all burnt." Coming to her senses, Hanako patted Ishihara Akira and quickly turned around to deal with the pot problem, but she no longer cared that Ishihara Akira was still holding her arm. As if she had resigned herself to her fate, she let Ishihara hold her without blaming or resisting.

"I asked around, and people say that people with our kind of relationship can get married," Ishihara Akira whispered into Hanako's ear.

"That won't do either, you're too much of a womanizer," Hanako said, shaking her head.

"In that case, what will you do in the future? Although I don't mind visiting your house every now and then, it's still not a good idea, is it? What if your boyfriend catches you..."

"I never said I wanted to have that kind of relationship with you."

"Don't you have any?" Ishihara Akira mischievously reached out and grabbed Hanako's treasure.

Chapter 229 Ex-Girlfriend

In short, after a series of sensual and enchanting interactions, Ishihara Akira finished his breakfast, and Hanako fled the temple to go to work at a nearby guidance school, taking the opportunity to calm herself down.

Unexpectedly, as time went by, a certain thought was not suppressed or diverted, but instead became stronger when she had nothing to do, so strong that it made her restless and want to go back to see Ishihara Akira.

Fortunately, she remained rational and wasn't easily defeated by her inner thoughts. She continued to work diligently, waiting for the end of the workday...

But by then, Ishihara Sho was no longer at the temple and had gone off to wander around again.

However, he wasn't going to see Keiko Yamada, or Haruka Sato, or Aishwarya, but rather to see another woman named Sayaka Takenaka.

……

"Why did you think of calling me?" In a Western restaurant, Ishihara Akira looked at the woman across from him, who was wearing a suit that looked like a formal dress, and asked her with some surprise.

It wasn't that the two were distant, but rather that their relationship was far too special—

They were ex-boyfriend and girlfriend.

Yes, the woman in front of me, who is a seven out of ten in overall appearance and can reach an eight out of ten after makeup and dressing up, is none other than the ex-girlfriend of the former Ishihara Akira!

The two met in college. The opportunity arose during a general education class. She arrived late and couldn't find a good seat, so she sat next to Ishihara Akira, who happened to be sitting near the door. That's how they got to know each other, and then they had dinner together after class.

They were only acquaintances; they didn't actually become boyfriend and girlfriend until later, when Ishihara Akira took the initiative to pursue her, and the two gradually got together.

As for how they separated afterwards...

The reason remains the same, stemming from Ishihara Sho's predecessor.

That guy, probably because he's used to the temple's business, isn't very faithful in love. He's quite fickle; he'll have his eye on almost any pretty young girl, the only difference being whether he has the opportunity and whether he can succeed.

So inevitably, he would run into acquaintances or be seen by other people, and then be brought to Sayaka Takenaka's side, where Sayaka Takenaka would catch him red-handed in a karaoke bar during one of his mischief.

This marked the end of their relationship, and they entered into a cold war, having not contacted each other since.