In Tokyo, building the Holy Light Girls team

...Speaking of which, she's been practicing for so long, she should be ready to finish by now, right?

As Natsuki was thinking to himself, he suddenly noticed that Kanzaki Rika had finished her practice, and then he glanced in the direction where she was!

Fortunately, Xia Mu lay down in time, thus avoiding being seen by the other party.

Is it just my imagination?

Rika whispered something, glanced around again, and went back inside. Natsuki wiped the sweat from his forehead, almost thinking he had been discovered!

He then lingered for a while longer, making sure he had completely lost the ghost's presence, before turning around and leaving.

Little did he know that after he left, a wisp of black mist rose from the shrine, gradually covering the sky above, and even the bright moonlight seemed unable to penetrate this layer of black mist.

……

Chapter 53 The Legendary Leg Pillow!

"what……"

Xia Mu let out a long yawn. Mai, who was walking beside him, tilted her head and asked in confusion, "Xia Mu, didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Probably."

Xia Mu scratched his cheek with his finger, responding somewhat embarrassedly.

After all, he got home close to six o'clock last night, so he simply gave up on sleeping and chose to go to work. As a result, he was sleepy now and didn't even hear much of Director Takizawa's passionate speech.

Xia Mu only remembered that a certain little girl kept waving her arms in front of him. As for the abnormal damage to the stadium, he said he completely forgot about it as soon as he left the house!

"Is that so? Then..."

Mai looked around, and after locking onto her target, she suddenly grabbed Natsuki's hand and went straight to a bench to sit down together.

Does she want me to sit down and rest for a while?

The moment those words flashed through Xia Mu's mind, she saw Mai gently pat her thigh and say shyly, "Xia Mu, why don't you sleep here for a while?"

"This...here?!?"

Xia Mu looked down at Mai.

Because of her sitting posture, her skirt slipped to one side, revealing her thighs covered in black stockings.

The sunlight was just right, shining on the black stockings and giving them an unusual sheen. Her snow-white skin seemed to be clearly visible as well. In this scene, it was as if she were in an abyss from which she could not escape, causing Xia Mu to swallow hard.

Gudong!

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"It's alright. It's during class time now, and the school buildings here aren't fully completed yet, so no one will be passing by."

Xia Mu looked around.

The place they were in was the site of the school's newly planned teaching building, which was located on the road from the conference room to the office, so there were far fewer people coming and going.

If this were outside, Xia Mu would have just laid it on his pillow without a second thought, but since this was inside the academy, he felt it was a little strange to do such a thing.

"Ma Yi..."

Before Xia Mu could speak again, Mai gently patted his face with both hands: "Listen carefully, Xia Mu. All you need to do now is rest well, that's enough, understand?"

"Okay, okay..."

Unbeknownst to her, Xia Mu was guided by Mai's hand. When she came to her senses, a soft sensation filled the back of her mind, and the scenery in her eyes transformed into exceptionally majestic peaks.

A ray of sunlight shines into your eyes through the gaps in the mountain peaks; the splendor of that moment can only be truly appreciated by those who have experienced it.

"Xia Mu...this is the first time this has happened to me...are you...feeling okay...?"

Mai's shy voice reached his ears. Xia Mu glanced at Feng Luan, then turned his head away and softly replied, "Thank you, Mai."

"No...it's nothing...as long as Natsuki is comfortable...Mai will do anything..."

???

Hey, Mai-sensei, what you just said could easily lead people astray. This is clearly not a short film about Tokyo being too hot!

Having nowhere to vent her frustration, Xia Mu could only change the subject: "Speaking of Mai, have there been any problems in your class lately?"

Hearing this, Mai immediately looked up, lightly touched the tip of her lips with her finger, and said in recollection, "A problem? There isn't one, but there's something... that seems to be bothering me..."

"Oh?"

"You should know Rika from our class, right?"

"Her..."

Xia Mu suddenly recalled seeing that figure earnestly wielding a wooden sword under the moonlight at the shrine last night—

"I don't know what happened to Rika's family. She took two days off last week and hasn't returned to school today either. She said she can't leave because of family matters."

"But no matter what, as a teacher, I'm always a little worried about my students..."

Mai's words carried a hint of worry.

After hearing her explanation, Xia Mu finally understood the situation. Although he taught every day, it was on a shift system, unlike Mai, who taught in a fixed class. Naturally, she knew more about the students' situation than Xia Mu did.

"Are you worried...?"

Even though the view was blocked by the peaks, Xia Mu could still see the worried expression on Mai's face.

He thought about the unusual thing he had encountered last night, and then felt the delicate warmth of the hot spring on the back of his head, and finally spoke:

"If Mai doesn't mind, I can..."

"A home visit?!"

Hearing Natsuki's words, Mai asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes."

"Since Mai is quite busy lately, let me make a home visit to Rika. After all, she's the school's psychology teacher, so I guess I'm the one who has to handle these kinds of things!"

Mai exclaimed in surprise, "Natsuki, is this really possible?"

Xia Mu nodded habitually, but this posture clearly did not allow it, so he continued, "It just so happens that Rika's house is not too far from where I live, so it will only delay me a little on my way home from get off work."

"Well... thank you so much, Natsuki!"

Mai's tone was noticeably happier, and she subconsciously moved her thigh. As a result, Natsuki turned his head slightly, and he also saw the faint white at the end of the black stockings...

"...Xia Mu, you've really been a great help. Come to think of it, I haven't had much time to do home visits this year. It seems that once I'm done with everything, I really need to make time to get to know the students' families better. What do you think, Xia Mu?"

"Ahem... Mai, you're right!"

Xia Mu coughed lightly, then turned his head away with difficulty. If Mai had lowered her head slightly, she might have seen the change in someone's expression.

"...Besides Rika, there's also recently..."

A gentle breeze blew, and he heard Mai's murmured voice in his ear, along with the softness of the back of his head. For some reason, Xia Mu felt his mood suddenly calm down. He simply closed his eyes slowly, and then he could hear the even breathing.

He fell asleep.

“…Natsuki? Teacher Natsuki?”

Having received no response from him, Mai noticed the even rise and fall of Natsuki's chest and realized he had fallen asleep, so she quickly stopped talking.

She finally lowered her head and, through the gaps in the peaks, saw that face sleeping soundly.

At this moment, Mai couldn't help but complain in her heart about her size. If she were a little smaller, maybe she could see it more clearly...

Unconsciously, her gaze fell on the other person's lips, and a past romantic scene flashed through her mind, causing a blush to suddenly rise to her cheeks.

"Natsuki, meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to Mai in this world..."

A gentle breeze carried the sound of hemp clothing into the distance, taking with it the worries of a young girl.

……

Chapter 54 Home Visit

"Back here again..."

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Xia Mu sighed and then patted the old-fashioned brass ring at the entrance of the shrine. A girl peeked out from the doorway shortly afterward.

"Teacher Xia Mu, you've arrived..."

Unlike last night, upon closer inspection, the girl's face appeared even more delicate, like a porcelain doll. Even though Xia Mu had seen it many times before, he was still slightly stunned.

However, Xia Mu, who was "unfazed by a sea of ​​flowers," quickly realized what was going on and smiled at the girl, saying, "It seems that Ms. Mai has already told you about my home visit, right?"

Rika nodded, then opened the door to welcome Natsuki inside. The moment he stepped in, Natsuki's expression suddenly changed, but when he saw Rika looking at him, he returned to his previous demeanor.

That feeling from last night is back again!

For some reason, after actually stepping into this place, he felt an aura that was much stronger than the one he felt last night, as if ten or a hundred times stronger than the aura of ghosts was filling the shrine.

Even the gentle sunlight overhead seemed to have taken on a slightly dark hue, causing him to squint slightly.

Natsuki walked along the main path in the courtyard. Although it wasn't his first time here, he still pretended to look around curiously: "Rika-san, your house is a shrine?"

"Because my grandmother passed away, we have stopped visiting the temple this year to deal with her affairs."

"turn out to be……"

Xia Mu thought for a moment.

It seems that when he first transmigrated, he did hear about something similar, but he was busy adapting to his new body and life, so he didn't keep it in mind. It wasn't until he heard the girl's words that he remembered it.

However, looking at the calm expression on the girl's face, he still admired her. He hadn't expected that after experiencing so much, the girl could still maintain her first place in the grade. It seemed that her perseverance was much stronger than he had imagined.

My condolences...

Hearing Natsuki's words, Rika simply nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Natsuki-sensei."

As they walked, they passed through rows of mahogany archways, with fox statues on both sides.

The fox statue indicates that this place is dedicated to Inari, the god in charge of agricultural harvests. Inari is a common deity in rural areas, but it is relatively rare in modern cities like this.

However, when Xia Mu's gaze swept over these fox statues, he felt something was amiss.

He could sense a similar ghostly aura emanating from each of the statues, and Xia Mu had seen no fewer than ten fox statues since the entrance!

What the hell is it?