Chapter 104 Is this also one of his lies?
Rumiko Tsuno, holding the box, walked forward.
Upon seeing the shrine maiden, Tsukino and Chiya nodded slightly to her and politely replied, "No, that's not true. You've had a long day too."
"It's my duty to help everyone who comes to the shrine to pray for blessings," Rumiko Tsuno said with a smile. "It's not hard work at all."
She sat down gracefully opposite Tsukino and Chiya. Her long, ink-black hair swayed slightly with her movements, a few strands brushing against her pristine white shrine maiden robes.
Rumiko Tsuno lowered her emerald eyes calmly, her gaze falling on the box placed on the table. Then, without a sound, she pushed the box toward Tsukino and Chiya, who were on the other side of the table.
She was truly elegant in her actions and dignified in her demeanor... In short, she perfectly matched Tsukino and Chiya's stereotypes of "shrine maidens" and "priests".
However, when Tsukino and Chiya saw her, they couldn't help but recall how she had casually mentioned her friends from high school, exclaiming dramatically, "They were all a bunch of troublesome people," and "They really caused a lot of trouble but also some adorable things back then."
Everyone has a private, hidden side, and the closer you get to someone's heart, the easier it is to glimpse those aspects hidden from the public eye. It's perfectly normal for Wu's friend to know more about Tsuno Rumiko's true, private side.
However, this has nothing to do with Tsukino and Chiya.
This older shrine maiden was entrusted to help him. Tsukino and Chiya are grateful for their kindness and are willing to lend a helping hand when they need it in the future. They are also grateful for the help they have received now... That's all.
In most cases, he has always maintained a certain distance from people associated with disaster-stricken societies.
Because... well, after all, he's just an ordinary person without any calamities, right? Getting too entangled with him would only cause trouble, and calamities are still a bit too dangerous for him.
Moreover, compared to calamities and the like, what's clearly more important to Tsukino and Chiya right now is—
Tsukino and Chiya both looked at the dark wooden box that had been pushed open in front of them.
He did not open it immediately.
As for its appearance... the box is rectangular, and the contents inside don't seem small, so it might not be very convenient to carry around.
Tsukino and Chiya reached out their hands. Perhaps influenced by the atmosphere of the shrine, he, who was originally quite relaxed, subconsciously became more solemn.
His fingers touched the edge of the lid, and with a soft but clear click, the lid separated successfully from the box. Tsukino and Chiya set the lid aside and carefully examined "that" inside.
"This is..."
"It's a demon-slaying arrow."
Rumiko Tsuno provided an explanation at the right time. As the daughter of a shrine, she knew all about these things and explained them very fluently.
“I had heard about ‘reciting the Buddha’s name’ before. So I thought that if it was for the purpose of ‘expelling evil spirits and impurities’, it should be able to do that as well.”
"Indeed... if it is."
Tsukino and Chiya nodded slowly, seemingly wanting to place their fingers on the arrow shaft, but after hesitating for a few seconds, they ultimately did not do so.
"It might actually work."
What was placed in the box was a demon-slaying arrow tied with red and white ribbons and bells.
Tsukino and Chiya were no strangers to this thing.
Because both the Demon-Slaying Arrow and the Recitation of the Buddha's Name are products of religious beliefs in Japan... although the shrines and temples they represent may not be particularly compatible.
The practice of reciting Buddha images refers to small Buddha statues that are placed in private rooms or carried on one's person.
Nowadays, the warding arrow is more often seen as a blessing ornament. On New Year's Day, many tourists buy a warding arrow at the shrine to pray for peace, health, and protection from evil spirits in the new year.
As for the price, it's not exactly cheap... well, that's not important.
Tsukino and Chiya looked at the arrowhead—unlike ordinary arrows, the Demon-Slaying Arrow had no point, meaning that if it were used as a weapon for physical attacks, it would actually have no lethality.
Even so, it is indeed a recognized exorcism tool at the shrine. Since Yashiki Kazuo successfully sealed the doll with his Buddhist chanting, the exorcising arrow should also be effective against Aurora, who is also a doll-like monster.
Moreover, the exorcising arrows that Tsuno Rumiko had carefully prepared and specially brought out were naturally different from the blessed arrows that were usually sold in the shrine.
Without a doubt, this arrow... is also a magical artifact.
Rumiko Tsuno can guarantee that this demon-slaying arrow will have the same effect as the Buddha statue from before, but how to use it and make it work will depend on the user's own operation and methods at that time.
In any case, they are no longer completely passive when facing Aurora. However… Aurora's whereabouts are elusive, and sealing her away will not be an easy task.
But in any case—
Thoughts swirled in their minds, and Tsukino and Chiya, outwardly visible, raised their heads and met the shrine maiden's calm, emerald-green eyes.
He said sincerely, "Thank you so much, Ms. Tsuno, you've really been a great help."
*******
They successfully obtained what they needed, but Tsukino and Chiya did not leave immediately.
As the people introduced by that person, the Tsuno family members had originally warmly invited Tsukino and Chiya to stay for dinner.
Rumiko Tsuno's parents also showed nostalgic expressions, saying that their daughter was about the same age when she first brought a classmate home... She was in her first year of high school when she took in a classmate who had run away from home for some reason.
In a sense, Tsukino and Chiya were also in a state of running away from home: "..." That's quite a coincidence.
Just as that person said, the head priest of Tsurugi Shrine, Tsuno Tosuki, did not possess any spiritual power. Although he inherited the title of head priest, he did not actually believe much in supernatural or strange events.
After confirming that staying there would not lead to any further progress, Tsukino and Chiya politely bid farewell to them and then left the shrine.
It was already dark.
Tsukino and Chiya put the wooden box containing the Demon-Slaying Arrow into their backpacks, which they were used to carrying every day, and took the bus back to school.
Having been enrolled for so long, he could walk back to his dormitory with his eyes closed after arriving at the school.
Upon arriving at the dormitory building and walking up the stairs, Tsukino and Chiya habitually pulled their keys from their pockets, then, holding the keys, walked down the corridor towards their respective dorm rooms, and then—
"……Um?"
Tsukino and Chiya put the keys back into their pockets with one hand and pushed the door open with the other.
The door, which had been locked when he left, was now half-open.
As soon as they entered the room, Tsukino and Chiya noticed the figure hunched over the desk.
The purple-haired boy was still wearing the white straitjacket he had worn when they first met. He sat on a chair in Tsukino and Chiya's dormitory, with most of his upper body resting on the sparsely cluttered table.
Tsukino and Chiya blinked. Although he didn't usually close doors very forcefully, he subconsciously used a lighter and gentler force than usual to close the door when he noticed this scene.
The black-haired boy walked towards the table.
Wang Ma Xiaoji, who was sleeping with his arm pressed down, had his face turned towards the door.
Therefore, Tsukino and Chiya easily noticed that the eyes that usually sparkled with a sly smile were closed, and coupled with his slightly childish face compared to his peers, he was now showing a rare, almost innocent and harmless tranquility... and exhaustion.
He looked quite different from how he was when he was awake—noisy, always stirring up trouble.
Tsukino and Chiya thought to themselves, "Oma Kokichi is indeed a very formidable swindler."
Wang Ma Xiaoji always casually says things like "I was just kidding" and "I am a liar," which is indeed very useful in leaving an impression on others.
Seeing his completely unguarded appearance, Tsukino and Chiya realized that their first reaction was—was the tranquility that Ohma Kokichi was showing because he was really tired and sleepy, or was it another lie he had prepared on a whim?
Tsukino and Chiya walked to the table, stopped, and silently watched the scene unfold.
What's going on here...?
For once, he felt a bit caught in a dilemma.
As if by some strange twist of fate, Tsukino and Chiya slowly reached out their hands, seemingly wanting to touch the unruly, upturned ends of the purple-haired boy's hair... but before they could make a light touch, their fingertips moved downwards to the boy's cheek, only to withdraw just before they were about to touch him.
"..." Tsukino and Chiya sighed silently.
Then, as if resigned to his fate, he turned around, took a thin summer blanket, and covered the other person with it.
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