I have an unlimited number of shikigami

Compared to his counterparts in other regions, Ito Takumi's dissatisfaction with Fujiwara Izaya was even greater.

It should be noted that, apart from commissions from the public, a significant source of income for clergy comes from commissions from the Nine Sections.

Yoshiwara and Asakusa are both in Taito Ward, Tokyo. Last year, Asakusa Shrine took all the Section 9 requests, while Yoshiwara Shrine didn't get a single one!

Senso-ji Temple also didn't get anything.

But Senso-ji Temple is a large and powerful family, with 30 to 40 million visitors every year, enough to make them incredibly wealthy.

And Yoshihara Shrine...

They're so poor they're practically forced to hold up billboards in the red-light district and compete with all sorts of brothels for customers.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get!

The angrier you get, the more you'll think about it!

Ito Takumi did the math.

From the day Fujiwara Izaya appeared until today, he has lost tens of millions of yen.

Leaving aside those scattered commissions, take the ghost at the construction site in front of us as an example. It's a low-level ghost, insignificant compared to his own strength, and could be killed with a single slap.

who knows……

There's been a problem.

The ghost wasn't killed, but Ito Takumi's money was gone.

Because of the intense competition in the industry caused by Fujiwara Izaya, the fees he received from the commissions he took last year were not enough to cover the cost of the talismans.

Every order we accept results in a loss.

Not only did they not make any money, they also emptied their savings.

Now, he has no money left to buy talismans.

I'm so angry!

Fujiwara Izami, your crimes are heinous!

Because he had no money, when Kitahara Takaki came to him, Ito Takumi directly asked for a reward of 1000 million yen.

As a real estate developer, restoring the construction site to its original state was of utmost importance, so Kitahara Takaki agreed without hesitation.

Ito Takumi had carefully calculated that this commission would net him at least 800 million yen, enough for him to live comfortably for more than half a year.

But he never expected the ghosts on the construction site to be so troublesome. Every talisman he cast felt like a massage to the ghost, making it howl with pleasure and look like it wanted more.

He spent 200 million yen on over a hundred talismans and squandered them all on the first night.

The second night, he bought 300 million yen worth of spirit talismans, but it was like having a nightmare. When he woke up, his eyes were still slightly wet.

On the third night, he went all out, gritting his teeth and using the remaining 500 million yen to buy talismans, intending to make a name for himself in one fell swoop.

As a result, the ghost that had been subjected to so much lashing did not die, but instead turned into a vengeful spirit.

By Amaterasu Omikami—

Please save me!

Without a talisman, Ito Takumi had no courage to confront the vengeful spirit, so he had no choice but to shamelessly ask Kitahara Takaki for more money.

Kitahara Takaki told him to get lost.

So he left.

Although abandoning his post halfway through would damage the reputation of Yoshiwara Shrine, Ito Takumi didn't care. After all... he couldn't win a fight, and he didn't have any talismans, so why stay and throw his life away?

My life is the most important thing!

Therefore, when Inspector Suzuki came to his door today, Ito Takumi refused.

When the police inspector offered to provide free talismans and a reward, he was tempted. Money aside, salvaging his reputation was more important than anything else, as long as his life wasn't in danger.

As long as you have enough talismans, you can eventually kill that vengeful spirit. After eliminating the vengeful spirit, you can then turn around and extort a large sum of incense money from Kitahara Takaki. Just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful.

Inspector Suzuki also mentioned that the monk Fujiwara from Asakusa Shrine would help.

Now, Ito Takumi was not just tempted, he was extremely excited.

According to his understanding, although Fujiwara Izaya was extremely handsome, with no one in Tokyo able to compare to him, in terms of strength, he was nothing more than a piece of trash who couldn't even pass the examination for a lower-ranking priest.

Those commissions might just be paid to be completed by others, a way to boost one's professional title by accumulating points.

Otherwise, how can you explain how a priest who couldn't even pass the lower-level exams could complete so many D-level missions?

Ito Takumi has seen many people like this.

Just like rich kids spending money to get a prestigious university degree—it looks impressive, but they actually have no real skills.

snort!

Nonsense!

In the world of exorcism, you can't get ahead just by having a reputation!

In this field, you need to speak with your abilities. No matter how famous you are, you will not earn the heartfelt respect of your peers if you don't have the ability.

snort!

tonight!

Let me, Ito Takumi, teach you, Fujiwara Izaya, what exorcism really means!

※※※※※

"Master Ito?"

Are you listening to me?

"Hey, Master Ito?" Inspector Suzuki raised his hand and waved a few times.

Ito Takumi snapped out of his reverie, put his hands behind his back, and maintained a stern posture: "What do you want?"

"It's about tonight. Are you confident, Master?" Inspector Suzuki asked with his usual obsequious smile.

He would flatter any clergyman who could bring him merit, and as long as they were pleased with his flattery, he could naturally get promoted and make a fortune—a sure-fire way to make money.

“No problem at all!” Ito Takumi nodded confidently.

“That puts my mind at ease,” Inspector Suzuki leaned closer, grinning mischievously. “If you ask me, I shouldn’t have asked that question! Everyone in the Taito Ward knows that Master Ito is a rising star among the younger generation. He reached the middle level at the age of twenty, making him a genius in the entire Tokyo. A mere vengeful spirit is nothing to him.”

“That’s natural.” Ito Takumi proudly raised his chin.

Despite trying to maintain the composure of a clergyman, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

Seeing that his flattery was effective, Inspector Suzuki became even more enthusiastic and began to praise the woman even more vigorously.

"Ito will definitely win the trial of power at Yoshiwara Shrine next month. There are only a handful of people in the entire Tokyo metropolis who can compare to Ito, let alone at Yoshiwara Shrine. Your competitors are doomed, they're destined to be just runners-up..."

Ito Takumi couldn't hold back any longer.

He really liked this kind of flattery.

What is a power broker?

This is the greatest honor for the younger generation of priests.

Becoming a power officer means becoming an agent of the shrine, allowing one to act in the shrine's name, participate in the Onmyōryō (Yin-Yang Bureau) conference, stand on equal footing with countless geniuses, and enjoy the respect and envy of the younger generation of peers.

The two women, Gonji of Tokyo Daijingu Shrine and Kamakura Hachiman Shrine, are both once-in-a-millennium genius beauties. Ito Takumi met them once and has never forgotten them.

If I could become the priest of Yoshiwara Shrine, and our status would be equal, wouldn't we have more opportunities to meet?

That feeling...

It sounds wonderful!

Lost in his fantasy, Ito Takumi suddenly caught a glimpse of a Honda Civic slowly driving by.

The driver was none other than Fujiwara Izaya.

Chapter 38. Besides Fujiwara Izaya, there couldn't possibly be anyone else that handsome!

"Master Fujiwara has arrived."

Inspector Suzuki's face lit up with joy.

Upon hearing the name, Ito Takumi's face turned cold, and he immediately wanted to step forward and give the Asakusa kid a hard time.

But there are people who are faster than him.

Inspector Suzuki appeared in a flash and greeted him with great enthusiasm.

"Ouch~~"

"Little mage, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for ages, I've been so anxious!"

"Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? I've prepared food and drinks. Little mage, come over here and rest for a bit. Once you've had your energy up, we'll go together to rid the people of this scourge!"

Ito Takumi stood there, stunned, his face turning black and green.

The person was licking him enthusiastically just now, and now they're licking someone else right in front of him, making him feel like he's been NTR'd.

what--

How infuriating!

Ito Takumi took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to adopt a cold expression.

He remained where he was, hands behind his back, gazing in the direction from which the Honda Slug had come, maintaining the aura befitting a master.

Honda's Little Wolf is approaching.

There seemed to be a witch in the back seat.

The two completely ignored Inspector Suzuki, who was chasing after the car and chattering incessantly, and instead said things that sounded like flirting to outsiders, like a young couple.

"Hurry up, Asuka can't wait to see her senior's performance!"

"Could you please stop referring to yourself as 'Asuka'?"

Why?

"It's suspicious that she's trying to be cute."