I have an unlimited number of shikigami

Drawing cards must be done with a sense of ritual... Fujiwara Izaya lit an incense stick for his idol, clapped his hands, and paid his respects before going into the bathroom to wash his face and take a bath.

After taking a shower, I carefully trimmed my nails, cleaned my ears, and finally examined my face closely in the mirror.

He hasn't changed much from a year ago; his overall demeanor remains gentle and refined, a typical well-behaved high school student. But when he sweeps his bangs back, he exudes an imposing aura, like a delinquent young master from a wealthy family.

I've done everything I could, and now I'm starting to get hungry.

Fujiwara Izaya came out of the bathroom and went into the kitchen to prepare something to eat.

The refrigerator is well-stocked with ingredients, including meat, milk, fruit, vegetables, ham, and cheese. It's barely enough to cook a big meal, but it's sufficient for making sandwiches, chopping vegetables for a salad, and stir-frying a couple of simple dishes.

Normally, Fujiwara Izaya cooks at home, but occasionally, if he wants to treat himself, he orders takeout or eats at a restaurant.

He was a bit of a hedonist.

Even if there is a need to save money to repair the shrine, they wouldn't be so stingy as to not treat themselves to a nice meal.

After busying myself in the kitchen for a while, I sliced ​​some ham and fried it, then fried two eggs, toasted two slices of bread, and finally took two cans of beer from the refrigerator. I went to the veranda of the worship hall and sat down on the ground.

A cool breeze was blowing in the courtyard.

Cherry blossom petals danced silently, drifting down from above onto the eaves.

There were no lights on the eaves; Fujiwara Izaya only lit an oil lamp.

The flame, about the size of a little finger, flickered slightly as if breathing.

Apart from this small light, everything was surrounded by darkness. The hustle and bustle of Tokyo seemed to have been completely absorbed by the thick, cotton-like clouds that obscured the city, leaving everything in utter silence.

Fujiwara Izaya sipped his beer, staring at the oil lamp for a long time, watching the flickering flame.

Living a single life for a long time will inevitably lead to the development of various habits, some strange and some normal.

For example, staring at something for a long time, ironing clothes over and over again, eating in a noisy restaurant, listening to outdated music and reading outdated books, and unknowingly becoming outdated step by step...

This kind of life, just as Asuka said, is like that of a lonely old person.

But it's actually quite pleasant, like a squirrel nestled in a tree hole, resting its head on pine cones and waiting for spring to arrive. At least, that's what Fujiwara Rin thought.

Moreover...

He also has the Snow Maiden baby to keep him company.

"Yukihime, come out for a drink!"

An icy wind blew, and the Snow Woman emerged from the white snow.

After resting in the system space for a while, her demonic power recovered considerably, and her body was once again covered in frost.

Its crystal-clear eyes stared quietly at its owner, without moving an inch.

As the night breeze blew, the owner's bangs swayed along with the cherry blossom leaves in the courtyard, creating a pleasant trail. Petals fluttered down, and one particularly playful petal gently brushed against the owner's cheek.

The owner seemed unaware.

He maintained the same posture, leaning against the pillar, casually bending his left knee and placing it across the floor.

The snow woman watched for a while.

Curious, she reached out, picked up a petal, and gently sniffed it; it had a faint fragrance.

I'm 14 years old

I'm pretty

(I'm 14 years old this year, and I'm kind of cute.)

The sudden ringing of the cell phone startled the snow woman.

She hid behind Fujiwara Izaya, her hands on his shoulders, her little ears twitching as if she were on guard against potential danger.

"It's okay, don't worry." Fujiwara Izaya habitually ruffled her hair.

The snow woman buried her face in his back.

Moonlight streamed through the eaves, casting a slanting glow onto her long, silvery-white hair.

Fujiwara Izaya took out his cell phone from his pocket.

The screen displayed an unfamiliar number. Swipe across the answer icon, and a woman's voice came through the receiver.

"Ten minutes, please give me ten minutes." That was her opening line.

This is an unfamiliar voice.

Fujiwara Izaya was very confident in his ability to remember timbre and was certain that it was a stranger's voice.

"Excuse me, who are you calling?" he asked politely.

"I'm calling you! It will only take 10 minutes, just 10 minutes," the woman said in a low voice.

The voice was soft and ethereal, as if someone were secretly having an affair with their lover in the middle of the night, away from their husband.

“Please speak,” Fujiwara Izaya said.

"I've found out something... about the one the young master gave me..."

“What——”

Fujiwara Izaya suddenly raised his voice, his face showing disbelief.

"Doggy, what's wrong?"

"Dog?"

"Dog, how did you turn into a woman?"

The other end of the line went silent, as if it had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

About a minute later, Dark Raven's voice, which sounded like that of a young, resentful woman, finally came through in a sweet, coquettish tone.

"Young Master, I am a celestial dog, not a dog..."

"Oh, that's not the point," Fujiwara Rin replied indifferently. "What's wrong with your voice?"

"After arriving in the territory of Mount Eihiko, I disguised myself and blended in with the local Tengu people. I found out that all the jade processing was handled by the Tengu Liangma of Mount Eihiko. During the day today, I went to his house to cause trouble under the pretext of quality issues, carrying the beads. Then... I drugged the Tengu Liangma's wife and pretended to be her to trick him into revealing information in bed."

In a way, it's like having an affair with your lover in the middle of the night behind your husband's back... Fujiwara Izaya sighed, "Dog, you've had a tough time."

"It's not hard work at all to serve the young master!"

On the other end of the microphone, Dark Raven's breathing became slightly rapid.

It was a great honor for him to be able to help the young master with his affairs.

"So far, I have obtained two pieces of information. First: the young master's Cleansing Bead is a Sequence 10 bead, custom-made by a mysterious client, and there are a total of ten. Second: the Sequence 9 bead is in Jorogumo's hands."

"Since they are mystery shoppers, how was the second point determined?"

"It was Ryoma Tengu who said it himself. In the second year after delivery, there was a problem with the Sequence 9 bead, which needed to be reworked. The spider girl who delivered the bead inadvertently revealed the name of Jorogumo and also revealed that Jorogumo was currently in Tokyo."

"Well done!" Fujiwara Rinya praised his subordinate. "When we get back to Tokyo, I'll give you a few days off."

"Thank you, young master!"

After a slight pause, just as Fujiwara Izaya was about to hang up, Dark Raven's voice came through.

"However, I will not be returning to Tokyo so soon. Please allow me to stay here for a while longer, young master."

"What are you still doing over there?" Fujiwara Izaya asked curiously.

"I plan to understand the operation of Yingyan Mountain from the inside, as well as the number of the three-tiered demons and the troop strength that the warriors can mobilize."

"..."

“I’ve always felt that the reason why the young master has been slow to issue decrees to the other seven great Tengu and has been slow to unify the Tengu clan is because the young master doesn’t understand them and is afraid that they will rebel. Now let Dark Raven become the young master’s eyes and let it see Mount Eihiko clearly first.”

"Uh, dog..."

"Young Master, please speak!"

“Is there any possibility, and I mean possibility…” Fujiwara Izaya hesitated for a moment, then said to him in a vague tone, “Your young master doesn’t want to unify the Tengu clan, perhaps because he’s a bit of a lazy bum?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone for more than a minute.

"Young Master, Gouzi... no, Dark Raven is a little injured," Dark Raven said in a dry, lifeless voice, "Time's almost up, I need to go back and continue playing the role of someone else's wife, or I'll be exposed..."

"Oh, then be careful." Fujiwara Izaya instructed, "Get out of there if there is any danger, especially when Ryoma Tengu tries to take you, remember to stay away. I won't let you go so far as to sell your virginity."

"Thank you for your concern, young master!"

On the other end of the receiver, Dark Raven's voice came back to life, giving the impression that he had been brought back to life.

Fujiwara Izaya hung up the call and fell into deep thought.

The legendary male assassin, the ruthless juice extractor, the great demon Jorogumo...

She was a renowned beauty in life, but after being betrayed by her lover, she transformed into a vengeful spider spirit.

Hatred for her loved ones consumed her body and heart. Driven by her belief in revenge, she began to seduce men and take their heads to eat.

Of course.

The above settings represent the first Jorogumo.

The modern Jorogumo, apart from retaining her beautiful genes and juicing properties, has nothing else to do with the legend.

Furthermore, it must be clarified that "Jorōgumo" is not a title exclusive to any particular spider demon. This title represents the empress of the spider demon clan, and only the most powerful spider maidens can be given this title.

The empress from Spider Girl... Fujiwara Izaya held a beer can, thinking that he really had a run of bad luck with spiders lately, and that he might already be secretly being targeted by that empress.

He wasn't flustered by this guess; on the contrary, he was a little excited.

Subduing the Empress is practically equivalent to subduing the entire spider demon race; a massive force can then be brought under our control.

And the most important point.

Every generation of Jorogumo is the most beautiful and charming spider girl. If I could capture the Empress and make her wear white stockings on her eight long, hairy legs... just thinking about it makes me even more excited.

The problem is...

Where is the Empress?

Chapter 46. New Shikigami: Jorogumo

"Snow Princess, would you like me to freeze another cucumber?"