Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Tsuraimori Shrine.
As they recalled their conversation with Hinata Hajime that morning and gazed at the street scene outside the window, Tsukino and Chiya finally arrived at their stop after some time.
After getting off the bus, he continued walking south for a while before finally arriving at his destination, which was in a relatively remote location.
The full name of the shrine is Tsurumori Shrine.
As far as the outside is concerned, this is a very beautiful shrine. There is no dust or unnecessary trash on the road, and the plants are well-maintained.
By the time Tsukino and Chiya arrived, it was already quite late. Therefore, there weren't many people at the shrine.
Tsukino and Chiya immediately noticed someone in the shrine.
The reason is simple and straightforward: when people come to such places, shrine members wearing shrine maiden outfits that are different from others are more likely to attract attention.
However, apart from that... even if she weren't wearing that outfit, she would still attract attention just as much.
Because I had initially looked at Tsukino and Chiya because of their shrine maiden attire, I immediately noticed that they were both exceptionally beautiful.
This shrine maiden is truly a great beauty.
It's human nature to want to take a second look at someone who is good-looking.
Tsukino and Chiya considered themselves ordinary people with normal common sense. Even if they admired someone with outstanding looks, they wouldn't stare at them in an offensive way.
He was simply comparing the description given to him by the person who had connected him with Tsurumori Shrine... That person hadn't sent him any photos, but had simply said, "A beautiful woman with long, straight black hair and green eyes," and "You'll recognize her at a glance once you see her."
In retrospect, she was right. Although the description was brief at the time, it was indeed so distinctive that it could be recognized at a glance when actually seen in real life.
"Sorry to bother you."
Tsukino and Chiya stepped forward, and under the shrine maiden's questioning but gentle gaze, asked in a low voice.
"Are you Ms. Tsuno?"
*******
That's how he got in.
After all, someone had acted as a go-between beforehand, and Tsukino, Chiya, and the shrine maiden all knew that there would be a meeting today, but none of them were quite clear about what kind of person they were going to meet.
I don't know how that person told the shrine maiden about himself... because the shrine maiden's look of sudden realization after hearing his self-introduction, "Oh, so it's you! I never would have guessed!" was really suspicious.
In one corner of Tsurumori Shrine lies the residence of the shrine's head priest, who also lived with the shrine maiden's family. It's a very traditional Japanese building that perfectly complements the overall atmosphere of the shrine, making it a pleasing and beautiful sight to behold.
At that moment, Tsukino and Chiya, who were sitting in the host's reception room, picked up their teacups filled with steaming tea and took a sip.
Perhaps out of concern that things might change if they were delayed, the end result was that they arrived a bit too early.
The shrine still attracts many visitors, and the shrine maiden, who is responsible for entertaining and assisting these visitors, hasn't had much time to go home and talk to herself alone.
So after leading her into the room, pouring tea, and serving some traditional Japanese sweets, she left apologetically.
Tsukino and Chiya expressed their understanding.
He sat on a cushion in the reception room, eating snacks and drinking tea, enjoying the peace and tranquility that had been somewhat long-lost, while recalling information about the shrine and the shrine maiden in his mind.
The shrine maiden's surname is Tsuno, and her full name is Tsuno Rumiko.
Tsurumori Shrine is a shrine with a certain history. However, according to the person who introduced them, the current head priest of the shrine, Tsuno Toshimoto, is just an ordinary person without spiritual power. Although he has made many efforts and undergone a lot of training, he still cannot change the fact that he has no spiritual power.
In that respect... I have a feeling that if Komaeda Nagito found out, he would seize on it and say a lot of things like "small dogs will never grow into large dogs".
However, Tsukino and Chiya didn't care about that. He didn't come for Tsuno Toshiki.
Unlike the shrine's head priest who lacks spiritual power, Tsuno Rumiko, the only daughter of the shrine's head priest, is a shrine maiden with genuine talent and skills... Furthermore, although that person did not explicitly state it, Tsukino and Chiya speculated that Miss Tsuno was highly likely to also be a calamity messenger.
Tsukino and Chiya took a bite of the peony mochi that was placed on the plate.
It's filled with red bean paste... Although it's sweet, it goes perfectly with tea and won't feel too cloying.
He glanced at the sky outside the window.
It was almost evening, but Ms. Tsuno probably wouldn't arrive for a while longer.
Tsukino and Chiya continued to let their thoughts drift away.
Although both are related to the world of calamity, that person's encounter with Ms. Tsuno was not entirely due to events in the world of calamity.
According to that person, they first met at Misasa High School. In other words, they were classmates in high school.
Putting aside the fact that that person actually did work hard and make good friends after starting school... in short, the two classmates naturally became acquainted. Then, after experiencing school life as first-year high school students for a while, they were both caught up in a curse incident, thus forging a bond through the incident and becoming good friends while solving it.
Tsukino and Chiya didn't know the full story of the incident that person was involved in, but they had overheard her mention that those involved were all their classmates, and that four or five of them seemed to be calamity makers.
When Tsukino and Chiya learned of this, they didn't quite understand, but they were deeply shocked.
When did calamities become such a common occurrence in real society? I feel like the people who advocate for the integration of calamity-stricken societies with ordinary societies would be ecstatic!
Is this the legendary "Stand users attracting each other"?
...Well, considering Komaeda Nagito's luck, this level of coincidence seems quite normal.
It wasn't exactly a coincidence that the person who helped make the connection ended up enrolling in high school in the first place.
That person enrolled in Misasa High School for someone else. Possessing a calamity that "can devour others," she originally came to obtain the calamity of a classmate.
But later, she developed different feelings for that person during their time together.
Thinking about it this way, Tsukino and Chiya felt that what they were experiencing now was somewhat similar to that person's past experiences.
If it weren't for their interest in Ouma Kokichi, Tsukino and Chiya, who had originally run away from home and were wandering all over Japan, wouldn't have chosen to enroll in Hope's Peak Academy and become members of the preparatory course.
If he hadn't become a student in the preparatory course, he wouldn't have become friends with Hinata Hajime, and he wouldn't have...
No, that way of thinking doesn't seem quite right.
Even though he didn't enroll at Hope's Peak, he was still bound to Ouma Kokichi to some extent because of the mark on his body.
Now, in the days since he enrolled at Hope's Peak, he has gradually come to understand his true feelings through his interactions with Ouma Kokichi.
However, if I hadn't enrolled in Hope's Peak, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out much differently, and I would still have gradually come to realize those thoughts through my interactions with Ouma Kokichi due to the strange events.
So... if we really want to make all of this different, the actual timeline should be from the moment I saw Ohma Kokichi lying on the ground?
If I hadn't impulsively taken Ouma Kokichi away back then...
No... there is no such "if".
Even if it were true, if they could do it all over again, Tsukino and Chiya, whose marks only appeared on their bodies after they came into contact with Ohma Kokichi, felt they would still make the same choice as before.
Um……?
Before the remaining tea in their cups had completely cooled, Tsukino and Chiya's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
The door to the reception room was opened, and Tsukino and Chiya looked in the direction of the sound, and then saw Tsuno Rumiko dressed as a shrine maiden and holding a box containing something unknown.
"Long wait, Tsukino Kazu-kun."
The elegant-looking young woman gave him a gentle smile.
"This is what you need."
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Author's Note: The Tsukimori Shrine and Rumiko Tsuno, among others, originate from the game *Death Race Romance Comedy* (abbreviated as dmlc), which shares the same world view as *The Mystery of the Werewolf Village*. At this point, the dmlc storyline has ended and will not be discussed in this article. Only a few characters will make cameo appearances; it's okay if you don't recognize them. [rose emoji]
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