kscans

Chapter 252 - Return to the Shrine

The next morning.

I awoke from a light sleep.

After everything, Tina had joined us. It seemed the men in black suits had taken the attackers away. After a brief exchange, we returned to the hospital room.

Inside, Milfy and Matilda were standing guard by the bed. Rumily looked relieved.

Even if she knew they wouldn’t be defeated, it must have been nerve-wracking to know people were fighting for her sake in a place she couldn’t see.

We all got a little sleep in the hospital room.

The others, now awake, looked refreshed. I guess they were more used to this kind of experience than I was.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Excuse me. I’ve brought your breakfast."

A nurse came in pushing a food cart.

The meal consisted of croissants, bacon, a fried egg, coffee, yogurt, and strawberries. It looked very much like a patient’s meal. There was enough for everyone, of course.

After efficiently setting everything up, she said, "Please call me when you’re finished." She bowed and left.

Bardos asked, "So, I guess she doesn’t know about what happened last night?"

"Who knows?" I replied. "Hospitals are generally secretive. It’s common for patients’ conditions to worsen if they get anxious." I was stating a common fact of Earth. A disease that could be cured quickly can worsen depending on one’s state of mind. To prevent that, they eliminate all sources of anxiety. Not physically, but through information manipulation. It was too strange that no one had noticed a fight like that, even if it was quiet.

Most likely, the men in black—no, Kuroda—had pulled some strings. He was a cunning one, that’s for sure.

Such thorough preparation would be impossible without a wealth of experience and adaptability. I really didn’t want to get too involved with him.

Matilda asked, "By the way, Shinsuke-san, what should we do now?" She looked worried.

It was a natural question. After what happened, we needed a plan.

"For now, it’s best not to leave this room," I said. "If you absolutely have to go out, make sure at least one person stays behind. I don’t think there will be another attack anytime soon. They’ll probably lay low for a while after a failure like that, but we can’t let our guard down."

The five of them nodded. After we finished breakfast, the nurse came to clear the dishes and left.

A short while later, I announced, "I’m heading out. I’m counting on you all."

Tina asked, "Where are you going?"

"There’s a shrine I’m indebted to," I said. "I want to do some research there. The person in charge there knows about the other world."

Bardos chimed in, "What? You told them?"

"His ancestor came back from another world," I explained. "He used the knowledge from there to become successful."

Tina stood up. "In that case, I’ll go with you. If they know the situation, we can speak freely. And it’s probably best to have a lookout outside."

It was true that even though the hospital attack failed, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t try something outside. In that case, was going to the shrine a bad move? But it was also a fact that there was something I wanted to find out.

My only option was to go as a regular visitor and make contact naturally.

"All right," I said. "Go get changed in the bathroom. That outfit stands out too much." I pointed to Tina’s armor.

Tina took some clothes from her luggage and headed to the bathroom. I was wearing normal clothes under my armor, so all I had to do was take it off.

When Tina came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and jeans—a common outfit that wouldn’t attract any attention.

"Is there anything else I should bring?" she asked.

"Not really," I said. "Just carrying a knife could cause trouble. Last time, we had someone who could smooth things over, but not this time. If we get attacked, we can fight them off with magic."

After our brief exchange, Tina nodded.

Bardos said, "Well, be careful. And bring back a souvenir."

The other three looked on with similar expressions.

Tina and I left the hospital and headed for the station.

It was two stops from here. After getting off, it was a two-hour walk.

We arrived at our destination, Hikyō Shrine.

It was rather bustling with people. There weren’t many here last time. Was there some kind of event? I looked at a sign. It read ‘Brahmi script Fortune-telling.’

I sighed. "To think they’d use it for business. Shrine management must be tough."

It seemed they might have learned something from my research. It couldn’t be helped. You can’t live in this world without money.

The same was true for shrines.

Tina asked, "Use it? With those Brahmi script characters? Is the one doing it a user of power?"

I had briefly explained my previous interaction at the shrine on the way here.

"Probably," I said. "It must be the Miko here. Though her power is faint. I don’t know what happened after I left, but she must have gotten the hang of it."

As we walked, we overheard people talking.

"The fortunes here are really accurate. The other day, it told me the date and time to buy a lottery ticket, and when I actually bought one, I won! It was fourth prize, though."

"Fourth prize? That’s pretty tame. If it was going to be right, shouldn’t it have been first prize? Well, you still won, so I guess it’s the real deal."

"I got a lucky item from the love fortune-telling, and when I confessed, she said yes! I’m so happy!"

"I should get my love fortune told, too."

All sorts of people were talking.

Listening to them, I mused, "It seems she can do simple fortunes. A large-scale one would probably be impossible."

A large-scale fortune, like one concerning world affairs or matters of life and death, would require a considerable amount of power.

If she could do that, it wouldn’t be fortune-telling; it would be a certainty, something that absolutely couldn’t be changed. The conversations I’d heard were all about things that wouldn’t come true unless the person took action.

Tina seemed impressed. "I don’t know what a lottery is, but she seems to have a strong power."

"She didn’t seem that powerful when I first saw her," I said speculatively. "She must have trained, or maybe she learned how to use the power of the Brahmi script. That’s the only explanation."

Just then, an employee spoke to me. "Oh? Aren’t you an acquaintance of the Chief Priest?"

"Acquaintance is one way to put it," I said. "It’s impressive that you remember me."

"The Chief Priest is not a very sociable person," the employee replied. "He rarely lets visitors in. That’s why I remembered you."

I wondered just how few friends he had.

"Is the Chief Priest here now?" I asked.

The employee scratched his head. "He is, but… he’s busy right now. Would you like me to show you where he is?"

"Yes, please," I said.

The employee led the way.

He took us to the shrine grounds, where a line of visitors had formed. At the front of the line, sitting behind the offering box, was the Miko.

Behind her, torches were lit on either side, and in front of her were a sheet of paper with Brahmi script and a ten-yen coin.

She would listen to a visitor’s request, and the visitor would press their thumbprint on the edge of the paper. Then, she would place her hand on the ten-yen coin. The coin would start to move, sliding from one character to another.

"It’s like an application of Kokkuri-san," I remarked.

"What is Kokkuri-san?" Tina asked.

"Simply put, it’s a form of spiritism," I explained. "You summon a spirit and have it communicate through letters. Usually, you get wandering spirits or mischievous ones. But that’s different. The Miko is using her own magical power. She probably uses the fingerprint to get a glimpse of the person’s future and enhances it with the Brahmi script on the paper. But she can likely only read the near future with that. The distant future would require a lot more power, and there are too many uncertainties."

As Tina was pondering my explanation, the Chief Priest, who had been watching from behind the Miko, noticed us. He whispered something to a monk next to him and left his post.

After a short wait, he appeared. "It’s been a while. Have you decided to settle down?"

His sudden, misleading words made Tina ask, "Settle down?"

She didn’t seem to know what he meant, which was a small relief.

"I’ll explain later," I said. "Chief Priest, I came today because I have a question about the Brahmi script."

The Chief Priest’s expression turned serious. "We can’t talk here. Let’s speak in the back."

He led us away.

We sat in the same reception room as before.

The Chief Priest began, "Now then, what do you want to ask? Though I doubt I’ll be of much help." He gave a wry smile.

I paid it no mind. "It’s about the power of the Brahmi script. I have a question about its demon-warding power."