I Am an Emperor in a World of Mixed Anime

Higashino Akira, with a grim face, tried to recall if he had offended anyone recently, but after thinking it over, he couldn't recall anyone.

As everyone knows, Akira Higashino doesn't hold grudges and settles scores on the spot, so he naturally has very few enemies.

Moreover, after entering university, he was admitted to a prestigious university. Few of his alumni were the energetic, trouble-prone fools cultivated by the "happy education" of high school. Few intelligent people would be so brainless as to ruin their future by causing trouble. Furthermore, Higashino Akira had an awesome mentor, so even fewer people would provoke him.

Furthermore, even if someone is dissatisfied with you, an ordinary person might at most cause some minor incidents like splattering water or duct tape, but to orchestrate so many evil spirits to launch a targeted attack is clearly beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.

After much deliberation, Higashino Akira concluded that the only possible sources of a supernatural attack against him were a few specific ones.

In the case of haunted houses associated with the cursed house, Kayako usually doesn't like to use other people to commit murder, as it's not satisfying enough.

Or perhaps among the psychics traveling with Makoto Higa and Eiko Hozuki, there was someone who had feelings for them and took action when they saw them getting close.

Or was it brought from Xiangzi's side?

Could it also be related to other haunted houses?

Even from angles you couldn't have imagined, but which are possible.

Whoever it is, once the other party has made a move, they are no longer completely in the shadows and will inevitably leave traces.

Akira Higashino didn't care who the other person was; he only needed to know that such a person existed and harbored ill intentions towards him.

Then, find a way to find him and kill him!

If it's a human being, even if they hold a high position of power, at most they can only play a few rounds of Anbeiqie.

If it's a ghost, then throw money around to recruit people, invite everyone you can. If that still doesn't work, then use explosives and shells. If it's a haunted house, blow it up. If it's a grave, blast a big crater out of the grave mound and scatter the ashes. And you should also install a focusing mirror nearby so that bastard gets scorched from morning till night every day when the sun comes up!

Akira Higashino is not good at holding grudges.

Holding grudges is too tiring and easy to forget; he's good at taking revenge.

Seven or eight minutes later, the train arrived at the station.

Akira Higashino got off the train in Okumo-zome. Outside the train, police officers had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Higashino come out, they bowed slightly to show their respect.

Higashino Akira cooperated with the other party to go to the nearby police station to complete the statement, and asked him for a towel to wipe his face and simply clean the wound on his hand.

When I left the police station, the officer walked alongside me for a distance.

Avoiding getting close to others, Higashino Akira calmly said, "Pass the word down, keep a close eye on these people, follow the clues upwards, and find the mastermind behind it all."

"As ordered!"

The other party bowed slightly and respectfully accepted the order.

Higashino waved his hand, signaling him to go back; otherwise, it would seem suspicious to anyone else.

That's right, this was also a member of the Imperial Guard who had infiltrated Tokyo. Higashino Akira had called him to report the incident to avoid trouble. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to make such a simple statement and be released from the police station so quickly without being questioned.

Of the hundred men, only about twenty remained in Tokyo, while the rest of the Imperial Guards were dispatched. In reality, not many were assigned to various places, and arrangements had to be made according to strategic planning. As for insignificant places like Okumizome, only because it was Higashino Akira's hometown in this life was an exception that allowed two or three men to infiltrate there.

Akira Higashino walked home alone along the road with his luggage and cat.

Since they had already gotten off the train, the cat no longer needed to be kept in a cage, and Xiangzi didn't like that, so Higashino Akira let her out.

Toyokawa Shoko sat quietly on the suitcase that was being pulled along, looking at the bloody wounds on Higashino Akira's hand that was pulling the suitcase. Her mind kept replaying the terrifying scene on the train, and her heart was pounding.

She was both scared and angry, angry at those people for hurting him for no reason.

Although this guy's personality is somewhat unpleasant, he doesn't deserve to be treated like that!

Seeing him face such a life-or-death situation, yet still maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, it's hard to tell whether he felt any lingering fear or relief.

Toyokawa Shoko felt a dull ache in her heart, a bit suffocated.

What has this person been through in the past?

How can someone be so strong?

Toyokawa Shoko felt that this person was the kind of person she had wanted to live, but when she actually saw such a powerful person, whom she had once admired, standing next to her, she felt a mix of emotions and couldn't feel envious.

Instead, I felt a pang of sympathy, a sour feeling in my heart, and a bit of sadness.

She wanted to comfort him, but right now she was just a cat, unable to speak, only able to meow.

After walking for about half an hour, he walked from the cement road to the stone steps leading up the mountain, and finally completed the entire journey to reach his destination.

Looking at the girl in the courtyard not far away, dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, sitting on a small stool with her sleeves rolled up, diligently weaving straw rope, Higashino Akira spoke softly.

"I am back."

"Long time no see, Ying."

The familiar voice she had been longing for reached her ears. The girl looked up in disbelief, staring blankly at the person who had come. Tears welled up silently in her eyes, but before they could fall, she flashed a big smile and ran quickly toward the person, bumping into his arms.

"Welcome back, Brother Ming!"

The tears were wiped on his clothes. When the girl lifted her head from his chest, apart from her slightly red eyes, there was nothing else wrong with her. She had a sweet smile on her face and greeted him happily in a cheerful voice full of energy.

..........................................

..........................................

P.S.: I'm returning one chapter from the previous book's bounty campaign, which hadn't yet accrued interest. I still owe 37 chapters.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Big Cities Are Terrifying

Looking into the girl's bright, cheerful eyes, Higashino Akira gently patted her head.

The girl obediently narrowed her eyes, her expression seemingly one of enjoyment.

Then, a slight pain came from her cheek, causing her to open her eyes in surprise and look at her brother with some confusion.

Higashino Akira pinched the little girl's cheek and gently tugged at it.

"Why are you still so clingy when you're all grown up? And you just wiped your tears on me, didn't you?"

"Hehehe..."

Amane Akira grinned foolishly, like a carefree little idiot, trying to get away with being cute.

He glanced at her helplessly.

Akira Higashino took a large bag from his luggage and stuffed it into the little girl's arms.

"Here, a small gift for us. Go try it on and see if it fits."

Then he waved his hand and sent the little girl back inside.

Higashino Akira put his luggage away, then returned to the courtyard and sat on the small stool where Amaneme Akira had sat before, continuing to weave the straw rope.

Although there are still about ten days until the New Year, it is definitely not okay not to make preparations in advance. Higashino Akira himself does not care much, but Amamiya Akira is a serious girl and will not be perfunctory about these things.

The spring cleaning, shrine setup, prop inspection, and even the making of lucky charms like amulets all require time to prepare in advance.

In other words, their family shrine only has one shrine maiden, Eir, so there's no need to put on any Kagura or dance performances during the New Year, otherwise Eir would be even more tired.

This is also why Akira Higashino came back early.

If she doesn't come back, she'll probably exhaust herself.

As the head priest of this shrine, Higashino Akira's maternal grandfather had long been in poor health. Every winter, people were worried that he wouldn't make it through. Akira was adopted by Higashino's grandfather when she was about five years old. She took his surname and called him "Grandpa." When she was little, she was often teased by outsiders as a child bride who would grow up to be Higashino's wife. When Akira was still quite young, she seemed to have worked hard in that direction, but she was obviously disappointed later because Higashino was unwilling to play house with her. He didn't want to be the little kid's husband or his child.

When Eir grew up, she became a shrine maiden.

Meanwhile, Akira Higashino gradually went away to study, going further and further away. He would come back once every six months in high school, but only once a year after entering university.

As for child brides, Higashino Akira never cared about it, and the old man didn't force it either. He just let the children's future relationship develop naturally.

"Clang clang...!"

Once the straw rope was finished, Akane Tenjo-me ran out of the inner room of the shrine. She had changed her original red and white shrine maiden outfit into a trendy cartoon animal-style down jacket. The down jacket's hood was shaped like a cartoon cat face with a pair of cat ears, which the girl had pulled up onto her head. She adorably spun around in place, raised her arm and shook it like a lucky cat, and meowed.

"How about it?"

Higashino Akira nodded. "It's alright, the size is basically the same."

"But it seems that your height and other features haven't changed much over the past year."

"Waaah..." the girl let out a cute, mournful cry.

Seeing this, Toyokawa Shoko, who witnessed everything, almost laughed. She thought to herself, "This man doesn't understand people's hearts, and his personality is not likable at all."

In situations like this, just offer a compliment; why say anything else? That's really silly.

Toyokawa Shoko's smugness didn't last long. Another cat approached, interrupting her mood. Seeing this cat circling her, occasionally sniffing and glancing at her, Toyokawa Shoko turned away, annoyed, and walked towards the curious cat, avoiding it. She had no interest in playing with it.

Amane Akira's disappointment didn't last long; she almost forgot about it in the blink of an eye. She seemed to be a naturally optimistic and cheerful child, completely different from Higashino Akira.

Ying walked closer, squatted down, and rested her chin on her hands to observe her elder brother's serious demeanor.

Only then did he realize that there were many wounds on the back of his right hand, where the knuckles and fingers were, with red, swollen, and torn skin, as well as some bruises from blunt force trauma.

Suddenly, the girl couldn't help but grab his big hand, and tears began to well up in her eyes again.

"Don't overthink it, it was just a little accident on the way back."

Higashino Akira pulled his hand away from hers and tapped her forehead. "Crying is time-consuming. It's your fault for being so stubborn. If you don't come to help sooner, you won't make it before the New Year, and I won't care."

"It must hurt a lot."

"No pain."

"Liar!"

"The wound is on my body, so my opinion doesn't count?"

"But just looking at it makes me feel so much pain."

Higashino Akira looked up and shoved a handful of straw into his hand. “We don’t see each other more than a few times a year. This is our first time meeting again this year, so we should be happy. Don’t force me to hit you when I’m in a good mood.”

Tiannv Muying sniffed and fell silent.

It already looks painful enough, but if you get whipped on top of that, it'll really hurt.

When I was little, if I misbehaved or naughty, I could get away with it by acting cute and charming with my grandfather, but if I fell into the hands of my older brother, I would almost certainly get a beating.

You really will get ripped off.

Recalling the unpleasant experience of almost drowning while playing in the water behind the mountain when she was a child, and being pulled out by her older brother and then being spanked hard on the bottom with his thigh, the girl puffed up her cheeks and looked somewhat unhappy.

Akira Amane brought over a small stool and sat opposite Akira Higashino, weaving straw rope with him. Once they finished this today, they could start making souvenirs tomorrow. There would be many people coming to visit during the New Year, so they had to work hard.

However, Amamiya Ei was, after all, a lively and cheerful child, or perhaps she was too curious about her brother whom she hadn't seen for a year. After a brief moment of quiet, she started asking all sorts of questions about her brother, about Tokyo, and about everything she was curious about.

Finally, they asked the blue cat that was playing hide-and-seek with her cat, 'Master,' around Higashino Akira's legs.