Supernatural/Anime Crossover: Where Did My Romantic Comedy Go?

That was a sign that the night was about to pass.

For some reason, although the times are different, time seems to be synchronized between the ancient well and the modern world.

Judging by the time, from the time when Yingbang went to Higurashi Shrine to steal the Ama-no-Kurakumo before dawn, to all the things that happened in between, it was almost dawn.

They did not return to the cabin.

Although he has the identity of a god in this world, Kujo Toru knows very well that he is still just an ordinary Soubu High School student in the real world.

From the very beginning, he had no intention of sleeping in the same house or even the same bed as Hiyori Iki.

Anyway, for him now, staying up all night is not a difficult thing.

Standing on the mountain path behind the mountain, I looked down at the scenery at the foot of the mountain.

The village had quieted down, and all the lights had been turned off.

The wooden house destroyed by the centipede woman has been almost completely cleared, and the river channel that he cut off with his sword has been initially dredged to create an outlet, so there is no need to worry about the water level rising for the time being.

Feeling the night breeze on my body, if it weren't for the pervasive foulness and resentment in the air, it would have a rather peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

While waiting for his spiritual energy to recover, Kujo Toru strolled around casually.

The sound of rushing water filled my ears.

The air became humid.

The sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Points of red light began to appear from the horizon.

As we passed through the dense forest, the earthy smell, carrying a hint of fishiness, filled our nostrils.

The view suddenly opened up, and a small waterfall, three or four meters high, came into view, connecting to the small river that runs through the village.

The rushing river water lapped against the bluestone, splashing into large sprays of water mist that shimmered with golden light in the morning.

A graceful figure stood at the foot of the waterfall, eyes closed, motionless.

The white robe and crimson trousers were completely soaked, clinging tightly to the body and outlining a rounded curve, with glimpses of the fair skin beneath.

Strands of her smooth, long black hair clung to her cool, aloof face.

It's bellflower (桔梗).

It was only then that Kujo Toru remembered that the shrine maiden had indeed mentioned going to the waterfall for training that night.

With a slight tremor of her eyelids, the shrine maiden opened her eyes and quietly looked at Kujo Toru.

She did not show any shyness because he saw that she was soaking wet.

Her delicate features looked as if they were carved from white jade in the morning light.

It's hard to imagine that someone could have such great skin in such a turbulent era; perhaps it's some kind of natural talent.

"Is there something you need, Kujo?"

Because Kujo Toru had only given his name and not his name, Kikyo was still treating him as a human at this point.

The present-day gods are deities who walk in the human world in human form; although they are gods, they are also human.

She slowly walked out from under the waterfall, her bare feet stepping on the pebbles at the bottom of the water, and came to the shore, where she stood there, still wet, looking at him.

They seemed completely oblivious to the winter chill.

At this moment, Kujo Toru's thoughts, for the first time in a long time, wandered off course:

Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?

Kikyo was somewhat taken aback.

Her cool and aloof demeanor was instantly infused with a touch of vibrant humanity.

She had considered many things the other party might say, such as the escaped evil sword, or asking her to do something, and even the possibility of demanding the Shikon Jewel.

But I never expected it to be such a sentence.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and didn't lose her composure for long, shaking her head:

"No, it's just routine practice."

After saying that, she seemed to understand something and added:

“Even if I don’t entertain you, I will still come here every morning.”

She misunderstood that Kujo Toru felt bad for taking over the cabin where she usually slept.

They had no idea that the other person hadn't actually thought that much about it at all.

Grabbing her long, wet hair with both hands and wringing out the water, the shrine maiden spoke first, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere:

"What was that murderous sword from last night?"

Although it was only a glimpse from afar, the most powerful priestess, with her extremely keen senses, still detected the incredibly violent, fierce, and evil aura emanating from that sword.

It was a ferocity she had never seen before.

Even her all-out demon-repelling arrow failed to purify it.

If it weren't for the need to appease the villagers who were terrified by the centipede attack, she might have run off to search for the sword that very night.

Even if Kujo Toru didn't come, she planned to take the initiative to find him and ask him about it later.

"You must have heard of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi."

Kujo Toru told him the truth.

"So it was it..." A hint of relief flashed in the priestess's eyes. So it was this infamous demonic sword. Then it was easy to understand.

However, new doubts soon arose in her mind:

"However, when I was training with my teacher, I also heard about this demonic sword. It is said that it disappeared two hundred years ago..."

"Two hundred years..." Kujo Toru muttered thoughtfully.

According to the scabbard, it was thrown into the ancient well seven hundred years ago, but Kikyo says it was two hundred years ago.

So, this place is from 500 years ago?

To verify whether his idea was correct, he looked up at the priestess and asked a crucial question:

What year is it now?

Although she didn't quite understand what Kujo Toru meant, Kikyo still answered his question:

"It is now the fifth year of Yongzheng."

The historical knowledge he learned at Sobu High School was quickly brought up by Kujo Toru.

In the fifth year of the Yongzheng era, Ashikaga Yoshihiro once again served as the Shogun.

That is to say, it was the Warring States period, about 500 years before the present day.

His guess was correct.

At the same time, the thick filth and resentment of this era also have a full explanation of (nine) Qi (flow?*nine seals, willow feet).

Years of war and turmoil have left death everywhere.

Wars between daimyo, famine, bandits... human life was as fragile as grass, uncertain from day to day.

This is simply the environment that Kusanagi (a type of cloud) would love to be in.

When it makes a comeback, it will probably be even stronger than the clam was back then.

His gaze fell on the priestess's face.

Kujo Toru felt that he needed to recruit people in this era.

And so, a moment later.

Kikyo's beautiful eyebrows were almost furrowed in a knot, clearly indicating that she was also feeling troubled by the news she had just received.

Did the Kusanagi, five hundred years later, arrive in this era after breaking the seal?

She knew about the ancient well in the forest, because the villagers would throw the corpses of the monsters they had defeated into that well.

No matter how many corpses were thrown in, they would quickly disappear without a trace, as if swallowed by the well. Therefore, the villagers called it the Bone-Eating Well.

But she was unaware that this well could connect to other eras.

Because she didn't sense anything unusual about the well at all.

I don't know if there are any limitations on the era it connects to, but I think if we trace it back further, it should end when this well was built.

If it were even older, connecting the Heian period and even the Asuka period, she didn't even dare to imagine what might come over.

"I will write to the teachers and ask them to help search for the whereabouts of the demon sword Kusanagi."

Kikyo once studied at the Onmyōryō (the monastery of Yin and Yang), and the Shikon Jewel was entrusted to her by her teacher at the Onmyōryō.

Although the Yin-Yang Bureau is no longer as prosperous as it was during the Heian period, it is still a considerable force. At least it is better for them to gather information than for two people to search aimlessly.

"That's troublesome."

Kujo Toru nodded.

"It's just a priestess's duty." Kikyo shook her head and brought up another matter: "As for Iki-san, is it possible to return to the original era?"

"It's still uncertain. We originally planned to try it after she woke up, but it's too dangerous for her here."

Kikyo also agreed with Kujo Toru's words.

Hiyori Iki's spiritual power is only at the beginner level. It's enough to deal with ordinary small monsters, but it's completely ineffective against monsters of the level of Centipede Woman.

But over the years that Kikyo has protected the village, she herself has vanquished countless such monsters.

"Please stay in the village until we receive specific information from the teacher."

The shrine maiden's watery eyes reflected the image of Toru Kujo, and she offered her advice.

She needs to protect the Shikon Jewel and cannot stray too far from the village.

If Kujo Toru runs around aimlessly, she'll have to spend extra time notifying him, which is too time-consuming.

It would be better to stay in the village; once we receive news, we can inform him directly.

"no problem."

Kujo Toru never expected the shrine maiden to leave with him, so he agreed without any objection.

After a brief exchange, the two went about their own business.

After returning to the shrine, Kikyo didn't even have time to change her soaked clothes. She immediately took out paper and pen and wrote down everything about the Ama-no-Kumara in the shortest possible words.

After drying the ink, the shrine maiden used magic to summon her shikigami, Asuka, and asked her to deliver the letter to the Onmyodo (Bureau of Yin and Yang).

Meanwhile, Kujo Toru pushed open the wooden door of the main hall.

Hiyori Iki lay sprawled on the tatami mat, fast asleep.

Even in this strange era filled with filth and danger, her nerves remained surprisingly thick-skinned.

The girl clutched the unremarkable wooden scabbard tightly in her hand.

In mid-air, the milky-white ball of light huddled in a corner, trembling.

I wonder how much time she spent disciplining that sword sheath last night.

However, it was entirely the scabbard's fault, and Kujo Toru felt no sympathy whatsoever.

He knelt down beside the girl, his right index finger glowing with spiritual light, and touched her forehead.

After a short while, Hiyori slowly woke up.

"Well……"

Upon recognizing the person standing before her, she sat bolt upright, and the voice of Kujo Toru reached her ears:

"Let's go, let's go to the ancient well first and see if you can still go back."

"Yes!"

Hiyori Iki quickly responded, straightened her messy hair, and followed Tetsu Kujo into the forest.

The forest during the day feels completely different from the forest at night.

The melodious chirping of birds echoed among the treetops.