Let's do it again, Yukino.

"I'm sorry, but no matter how eloquently you describe it, I won't believe a word of it. You Kyoto shrine maidens are all trying to create a big scandal. If my life goes astray because of your words, you'll be held responsible."

Haruhi ignored the shrine maiden spouting nonsense, gave a cold laugh, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

"Stop bothering me. I really don't like you charlatans."

"But I can't just stand by and watch someone die, as a shrine maiden."

The shrine maiden in front of him took out a folded piece of white paper from the pocket under her long sleeves and handed it to Haruhi.

"This amulet might help you someday. I'll sell it to you cheaply, young man, for only 100,000 yen."

"..."

A moment of silence fell between the locals and the outsiders.

Springtime did not speak first.

He was genuinely curious about the shaman in front of him, wondering what kind of shameless ideology led her to offer him such a price.

"Get lost! A normal amulet costs at most a few hundred yen, but you've given me a hundred thousand yen. Do you have any integrity?"

"No, you have to buy it, or something really bad will happen. I'll sell it to you for a lower price, 90,000 yen?"

"I don't have time to waste on your nonsense, I'm leaving now."

Kasuga was driven crazy by this shrine maiden. Just as he was about to use force to resolve this forced sale, the shrine maiden, seeing Kasuga's disbelief and his obvious assumption that he was a fraud, finally couldn't help but say something else.

"If you don't want the girl who made a wish with you to get into trouble because of you."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a gust of wind, like a fist, swept past the priestess's ear.

Looking down again, the mysterious witch's eyes were calm as she watched the boy in front of her gripping her collar tightly.

"What exactly are you trying to say, you persistent witch?"

Haruhi looked at the shrine maiden with some displeasure.

"I told you from the beginning, young man, your face is quite interesting."

"You and that girl made wishes to the gods, and you made two completely different wishes,"

"He should have been a person who no longer exists, yet he appeared in a world that shouldn't exist, and in an era that shouldn't exist."

"Furthermore, after making your vows, you did not offer the necessary sacrifices to the gods,"

"So, young man, you should understand now..."

The shrine maiden continued to smile.

that moment,

And along with the priestess's words,

The cold air of autumn

They surrounded the boy.

“I don’t believe in gods… I never have.”

Haruhi loosened the shrine maiden's collar and took two steps back.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. But young man, I'll ask you one more time: will you buy this amulet or not?"

"..."

……

…………

I don't know how much time passed.

When Hiratsuka Shizuka walked all over Kiyomizu-dera Temple...

Finally, covered in sweat, she found the boy Haruhi crouching in a corner near Otowa Waterfall.

"I've been looking for you for ages, and I couldn't get through on the phone. I was almost about to call the police. And here you are, happily squatting down and resting. Don't you know how worrying your behavior is?! You brat, stand up and take this punch."

"I'm sorry, Ms. Jing."

Chunri, who had been squatting in the corner, raised her head and said in a hoarse voice.

"My stomach hurts, I need some peace and quiet."

"Do you have a stomachache? I have some stomach medicine in my bag, would you like some?"

Hiratsuka glanced at Haruhi, whose complexion seemed a little pale, and forgot her earlier worries, rummaging through her bag.

Spring, on the other hand, gazed at the azure sky with vacant eyes, muttering to herself as if she were saying something.

"I was so stupid, so incredibly stupid. The sign not far away clearly said that there have been some fraudulent shrine maidens appearing in the Kiyomizu-dera area recently,"

"I actually believed that fake witch and gave her the money."

Hiratsuka gazed at Haruhi, who was clutching a plain white paper amulet, her face filled with sorrow.

"Hey, did you get scammed?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly seemed to understand something and burst into laughter.

"When I finally realized what had happened, I saw my few coins scattered all over the ground. The conman shrine maiden was long gone. I asked the tourists nearby, and sure enough, there was no shrine maiden at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. I panicked and begged the shrine's head priest to go out and search. In the afternoon, after searching for a long time, I finally found Otowa Waterfall and saw a shrine maiden's robe that had just been changed off hanging not far from the waterfall. Everyone said, 'Oh no, I've probably been scammed.' When I finally went into the grove, sure enough, there was a whole bunch of amulets that looked exactly like mine."

Haruhi gazed sadly at Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei.

"This last bit of my savings was originally intended for a luxury hotel room to celebrate Christmas, but now it's all gone and I've ended up with this piece of junk as a talisman."

"This is it, all my plans are ruined."

The boy was utterly despondent.

I told you I don't believe in gods or Buddhas, but you insisted I believe!

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Injustice! Lord Xue

"Does anyone know what's wrong with this guy?"

The next evening,

The members of the Service Department happened to gather in the center of the hotel lobby.

However, when Yukino Yukinoshita, the head of the Service Club, first saw Haruhi sitting on the sofa like a white statue that had been burned to ashes, she was shocked.

"It seems like Haruki has been through something traumatic, but Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't say anything specific."

Yuihama had already asked Hiratsuka-sensei beforehand, but the latter seemed to be suppressing a smile and didn't reveal the truth.

"It's nothing, just leave me alone."

Springtime was too embarrassed to admit that she had been swindled out of all her savings by a stranger because of her low IQ. If she did, it might just make the already somber lobby even more cheerful.

and……

Knowing it was a scam is, in a way, a good outcome.

Springtime, still wearing her yukata after taking a shower, with the amulet she had foolishly bought in her arms.

It was bought with all of his savings, and he was still 20,000 yen short of 100,000 yen. When the other party gave him a 20% discount, which seemed reluctant at first, Kasuga was very grateful and thanked the shrine maiden.

Looking back now, I feel a deep sense of shame.

Unfortunately, the swindler searched the entire Kiyomizu-dera Temple but couldn't find the guy. Tourists said that there seem to be quite a few female swindlers who specialize in scamming people who seem easy to fool lately.

"..."

Yukinoshita frowned as she looked at the boy who was clearly hiding something from her, but because the other two were present, she didn't continue to blame Haruhi for the time being.

In the past two days, students from Sobu High School have also visited Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Nanzen-ji Temple, and Ginkaku-ji Temple.

Autumn leaves are still falling, and the riverbank is reflected in the twilight.

Overall, most of the second-year students had a pretty good time on this school trip.

With the exception of a few isolated cases, such as Kasuga.

……

"What would you like to drink? I'm just about to go out and buy some drinks."

Suddenly, Yukino looked up, her pretty face, flushed from a recent bath, revealing a faint smile as she looked at Hikigaya and Yuihama.

Hikigaya: "..."

The boy with the dead fish eyes fell silent for a moment. For a short time, he couldn't accept the fact that the minister in front of him had taken the initiative to ask him what he wanted to drink.

"Max Coffee".

After hesitating for a long time, even though he had been fooled many times before, Hachiman still honestly gave a reply.

"Then they have strawberry milk."

Yuihama, however, did not harbor the same ulterior motives as Hikigaya.

"I want a Max coffee too."

Chunri, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly raised her hand as well.

He was also a bit thirsty, and almost all of his drinks from the past two days had gone to waste.

"I can't carry that many by myself. How about this, Kasuga-kun, you come with me. As payment, I'll buy you a can too, okay?"

When faced with requests from people outside the Service Club, Yukinoshita answered quite fluently, and at least her candor in answering prevented the other two members of the Service Club from noticing anything amiss.

"Do you need me to come along?"

Yuihama followed up with a question.

Yukino shook her head.

"Yui, you and Hikigaya should discuss the matter concerning Tobe and Ebina now. The weather outside isn't suitable for a nighttime walk. I'll be back in a bit."

As she spoke, she glanced casually at Chunri sitting on the sofa, who shuddered and followed the aloof girl out.

Until Yukinoshita and Haruhi's figures completely disappeared at the hotel entrance,