Chapter 21

Third person perspective.

After her conversation with Dazai Osamu about perversion, which was lured by milk tea, Fuyuki leisurely walked back into the house as the sun set.

The gentle, comforting sunlight enveloped her, dappled shadows of the trees swaying in the wind, and a soft breeze lifted a strand of her hair, as if caressing it or kissing it.

The guys around the house have been much quieter lately; at least no one's suddenly jumping out and yelling "Robbery!" anymore.

Walking along the familiar road and opening the door to the house, an even stronger wind rushed towards me.

With the windows wide open, you can see the towering trees along the roadside, and the curtains sway in the wind, offering a panoramic view of everything inside the small house.

Dongshu closed the door behind her, then went to close the window and draw the curtains. She then turned on the light, which flickered a few times before timidly settling down and casting a dim, yellowish light into the room.

She sat in the chair, picked up the little tiger, and leaned back in a relaxed manner. The little tiger curled its tail and rubbed against her, making purring sounds from time to time. Its eyes were squinted, and it lay down with its front legs crossed.

...It's so nice to have a furry, relaxing day.

The terminal was taken out, and the messages on it remained the same. Since arriving in this world, the terminal could no longer view the exchanges between other Saniwa as before; it only displayed official announcements from the government and messages that had been previously viewed.

Undistracted by other news, Fuyuki focused all her attention on the information about spiritual power she had read before. Her increasingly skillful use of spiritual power was partly due to her continuous learning over the past few days.

I swiped across the terminal and flipped to the array formation section, which I had been unable to complete recently.

The content of this chapter is very difficult and requires a certain talent to master. Most Saniwa can only achieve the basic spiritual energy shield.

As for healing injuries, restoring energy, and strengthening the body, these abilities are not necessary for Saniwa who do not personally engage in combat.

If necessary, the primary task of the Saniwa is to protect themselves and not add to the burden of the fighting Tsukumogami.

Most martial arts-based Saniwa have their own lineages and form their own system. For them, spiritual power may just be a tool to provide power for the Tsukumogami.

Very few Saniwa (masters of spirits) have seriously studied and mastered the use of spiritual power; each one is a rare and precious individual with a special status in the political arena.

The space maintenance, teleportation arrays, barriers, and other things that are often needed for political purposes are done diligently by these beings, apart from spiritual masters who have emerged from a certain historical period.

After learning about these circumstances and realizing that his talent in this area seemed to have been unlocked, Fuyuki began to consider this high-paying job.

She was poor, or rather, her citadel was poor.

The Saniwa (Master) curled up in the chair. The chair was large, with occasional cracks in the black wood, bearing the deep marks of time. The chair was covered with soft cushions, and sitting on it for a long time made one feel warm all over.

The little tiger in her arms tugged at the Saniwa's clothes, seemingly bored, but making no big movements.

The Saniwa was engrossed in the terminal in her hand, her fingers, which were tangled in hair, twitched slightly from time to time, stirring up a wisp of noise. She tilted her head, her gaze was fixed, and her expression was focused.

The sky had darkened, and the crescent moon slowly climbed into the night sky. The gentle moonlight shone on the cottage, but it was all blocked by the heavy curtains, unable to enter the cottage at all.

The cool night breeze caressed the returning spirits, tracing their exposed skin and offering them a refreshing coolness.

The spirits were not afraid of the cold; their speed remained unchanged, and their similar golden eyes were all fixed in one direction.

"Click." That was the sound of the door opening.

The Saniwa (Master) climbed up from the chair, looked up, and smiled. Her childlike voice, innocent yet pure, struck a chord with the weary soul: "Welcome back."

"...Master, mission accomplished."

"I received quite a few new frights today, would you like to hear them, Master?"

The little tiger pounced, followed by the panicked cry of the short swordsman. The katana looked at the scene before him and chuckled.

Everything was gentle and calm, like a still lake. Nothing could disturb this serene beauty, not even the dim lighting.

Fuyuki curled the corners of her lips into a smile:

"Um."

—

In the early morning, as usual, I yawned and got out of bed, rubbed my eyes, and saw the bright and beautiful new sunrise.

Her dark hair fell over her shoulders, then was pulled up by a large hand and tied into two small braids, one on the left and one on the right, hanging down her back. A warm coat was put on, driving away the slight chill of the morning.

Picking up an umbrella from the shelf by the door, Dongshu stepped out of the house, umbrella in one hand, facing the swirling rain.

The landlord was arguing with his neighbor next door. When the loud-mouthed man saw the three people leaving together, he couldn't help but shrink back. Thinking of the scenes he had witnessed in the past few days, he kept silent about the two people who were not on the "contract".

After quietly watching the three strange people leave, he resumed his argument with the tenant who had been cowering like a quail with him.

The steam covered my face, and after finishing a bowl of hot rice, my whole body felt warm. I happily swung my legs, feeling wonderfully relaxed and carefree.

"Master." Tsurumaru Kuninaga handed over the tissue, propping his chin on his hand with a grin. "Is there anything else you'd like to eat?"

Dongshu wiped his mouth, touched his stomach upon hearing this, and shook his head: "I'm full."

She jumped off the stool, put down her change, and walked out of the store. The rain obscured the sky, making a gloomy sound as it hit the umbrella.

“…Master.” Goko hesitated.

Dongshu smiled at him: "It's nothing."

She walked silently in the rain, and the spirits followed in silence.

The gazes that had been fixed on them ever since they left the hut were kept at a distance. Although the other party could be seen to be being cautious, to the perceptive tsukumogami, this little bit of concealment from a human was really nothing.

Gokotai and Tsurumaru Kuninaga exchanged a glance.

She walked and stopped frequently in the rain, pausing to admire Yokohama in the rain; she rarely saw Yokohama like this.

"How boring~" Fuyuki sighed.

"Ah, it really does feel very bland, there's nothing surprising about it at all," Tsurumaru agreed.

Thinking about how he'd been running around these past few days because of the Time Retrograde Army, unable to even stay by his master's side, Gokotai weakly said, "Lord Tsurumaru, a simpler life... would be just fine..."

Fuyuki nodded in agreement.

"But without a shock, the heart would die first, how can life be so boring?"

"It was just one morning..." Dongshu said quietly. She quite liked the peace and quiet now. The constant trouble from the mission targets was exhausting for her.

Moreover, things are unlikely to remain ordinary from now on.

She looked up.

"Hello," the man in front of him carefully chose his words, "Little friend, would you like some candy...?"

The man was stunned, shocked by his own words.

What kind of bizarre way is this, enticing a child to speak?!

Fuyuki simply nodded silently, feeling helpless.

Well, trouble came knocking on our door.