The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

That's probably what the five exorcists thought too.

Otherwise, that man would never have allowed that shrine to still exist.

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

Looking at the expression on Hachiman Hikigaya's face, Yomi Isayama's heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Could it be that Hachiman Hikigaya knows some secrets about the gods?

"No, it's nothing. Thank you so much for telling me so much..."

Shaking his head, Hachiman Hikigaya took the bill to the front desk to pay, and then said goodbye to Yomi Isayama.

..........

When she got home, Komachi still hadn't returned.

But yes.

In fact, even though chatting with Yomi Isayama took a while, it was only an hour before school ended.

How could this amount of time be enough if we're going out to play?

Sitting on the sofa, Hachiman Hikigaya rolled up his sleeves, revealing the fox mark on his arm, and examined it closely.

According to Yomi Isayama, the only remaining deity associated with foxes is Inari.

A wisp of spiritual energy was channeled into the fox mark, and the mark immediately emitted a golden light.

Immediately, a miniature version of the fox shrine maiden appeared in Hachiman Hikigaya's palm.

The little man first greeted Hachiman Hikigaya respectfully, and then uttered a series of incomprehensible words.

I can't understand it at all...

Hachiman Hikigaya silently watched the chibi-style shrine maiden.

The other party seemed to understand Hachiman Hikigaya's predicament.

With a powerful leap, he landed from his palm onto Hachiman Hikigaya's shoulder, and then climbed onto Hachiman Hikigaya's forehead.

Finally, after drawing a strange symbol in the center of Hachiman Hikigaya's forehead, a clear female voice entered Hachiman Hikigaya's ears.

"Sir, can you understand me now?"

Turning his head to look at the little figure on his shoulder, Hachiman Hikigaya nodded.

"So, sir, you summoned me here because you have some requests for me."

The chibi-style shrine maiden tilted her little head and asked.

"call?"

Hachiman Hikigaya was slightly taken aback when he heard the priestess's words.

"That's right!"

The chibi-style figure nodded and then explained.

“You just summoned me through the mark of the Inari God.”

"Then what can you do?"

Hachiman Hikigaya was curious about the functions of the chibi-style characters.

"I can help you deliver messages to Inari-sama, and of course, I can also help with general chores and even cooking. After all, as an apprentice shrine maiden serving Inari-sama, I still have a lot to learn..."

"An apprentice priestess?"

"It's like me, a little fox with only one tail!"

As he spoke, seemingly afraid that Hachiman Hikigaya wouldn't believe him, the little man conjured up his true form.

As she herself said, she was a fox with snow-white fur all over her body, except for a hint of crimson at the tip of her tail.

"So the witch I met last night wearing a fox mask was also a fox?"

"That's right, if I grew another tail, I could grow to a normal human size!"

When he spoke, the little man's tone was full of expectation.

However, after a brief moment of excitement, the little man's tone immediately fell silent again.

"However, without making any significant contributions, we are not allowed to grow new tails right now..."

"why?"

If the number of tails represents strength, then naturally the more tails the better, so why would you deliberately control the number of your tails?

"Because Inari-sama's power is no longer sufficient. If everyone grows tails, given the current number of worshippers, Inari-sama will disappear..."

"I remember there should be Inari shrines all over the country, right?"

Upon hearing the villain's words, Hachiman Hikigaya's lips twitched slightly.

The Inari Shrine is one of the few remaining large shrines in Japan.

If even this level of incense offerings cannot be satisfied...

Chapter 187 The Tragic State of the Gods

"It's not like this!"

The chibi-style figure refuted Hachiman Hikigaya's statement with a serious expression.

"Although Inari shrines are everywhere in this country, many have broken free from the control of Inari-sama and been taken over by powerful evil spirits. Even the main shrine in Fushimi was taken away. Now, only a few small shrines remain in Inari-sama's possession..."

Are you doing that badly?

It's worth noting that Inari Shrines are the most numerous shrines in Japan, with over 3 located throughout the country.

Not to mention the three super-large shrines: Yutoku Inari Shrine in Kashima City, Saga Prefecture; Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto; and Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture.

However, at this moment, the apprentice shrine maiden under the Inari god's seat told him that all the shrines had been taken away by evil spirits...

It's truly pitiful that such a great deity has fallen to such a miserable state.

"However, things are slowly getting better!"

After a brief period of disappointment, the apprentice priestess's tone was once again filled with fighting spirit.

"Now that the high-level evil spirits in Chiba have all been eliminated by you and the Three-Tailed Fox, the sisters can gradually clean up the Inari Shrine within Chiba's territory and resume operations..."

With the support of the incense offerings of Chiba City, although it is still too insignificant compared to its most glorious period, at least the strength of Inari God will no longer decline, but will slowly rise.

Although the recovery is quite slow...

"Are the other shrines the same as Inari Shrine?"

If Inari Shrine, which has the most shrines, is in such a terrible state, then other shrines are probably in even worse shape than Hachiman Hikigaya.

"I don't know... Every deity's situation is different. But what's certain is that a large number of divine positions have already been occupied by those evil spirits..."

"Although occasionally evil spirits that have taken the place of gods will grant the wishes of those who pray, the reward they receive is often the most precious thing to those who pray, or even the life of the person who prays."

"This has significantly damaged the overall reputation of the shrine, and made things even worse for deities like Inari-sama who are already struggling to survive..."

After all, not many people are willing to visit small shrines these days, and there are even rumors that visiting a shrine not only fails to grant wishes but also brings misfortune.

"Okay, I think I understand what's going on..."

Hachiman Hikigaya pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned back on the sofa, feeling a slight headache.

The god's situation was far more miserable than he had imagined.

At the same time, the number of high-level evil spirits was far greater than he had imagined.

After all, an evil spirit that can take a shrine from the gods can't be too weak, right?

"Then, sir, is there anything else you wish to instruct me to do?"

The chibi-style figure raised its head and looked at Hachiman Hikigaya, asking a question.

"That's all for now. Please go back."

"Okay, if anything happens, just send out the marker. I or my companion will receive the message and come over as soon as possible."

After saying that, the chibi-style figure transformed into a ball of golden light and disappeared back into the fox mark.

...........

It was past 7 p.m. when Komachi and Tsuchimiya Kagura came out of the karaoke bar.

The sky had just darkened, and the streets were still bustling with activity.

See you tomorrow, Kagura~

After having a great time singing with Kagura Tsuchimiya, Komachi waved to her and then ran home with her schoolbag on her back.

"Okay, see you tomorrow..."

Kagura Tsuchimiya, who also waved goodbye to Komachi, instantly changed her smile to sorrow after Komachi left.

Although she did feel a little better while singing, as soon as she stepped out of the KTV, the faces of the dead surrounded her again.

"So it really isn't that easy to get out of here after all?"

With a wry smile, Kagura Tsuchimiya walked towards the train station with her guitar case containing her weapon. The next train to Tokyo was scheduled to arrive at 7:35, and if she didn't hurry, she would have to wait a while longer.

"Kagura~"

Not long after separating from Komachi, Isayama Yomi's familiar voice suddenly came from behind, and instantly a soft and warm feeling traveled from the back of Tsuchimiya Kagura's head to her brain.

"Huang Quan, why are you here?"

My heart was first filled with joy, but then I was puzzled that Isayama Yomi had appeared here.

Although Huang Quan, as a key member of the team, was granted two days off by the room leader due to mental health issues, he did not get a break.

"I just missed you."

With her arms wrapped around Tsuchimiya Kagura's waist, Isayama Yomi, while trying to control her hands to climb upwards, rubbed her face against Tsuchimiya Kagura's cheek.

"But Huang Quan, you should have a mission tonight, right?"

Grabbing Isayama Yomi's restless hand, Tsuchimiya Kagura continued to ask with her eyes half-closed.