I'm a teacher in Tokyo!

……

The next day, Sunday afternoon.

At the agreed-upon coffee shop, Yoshizaki met Kotoko once again.

She was dressed more formally this time, in a white shrine maiden outfit, with a bouquet of flowers hanging from her waist, and there seemed to be disinfectant and a scent similar to orange peel.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 77 Blessing or Curse?

She looked more formal than before, but for some reason Yoshizaki could sense a hint of weariness beneath her calm expression.

Furthermore, her left hand was wrapped in gauze, and judging from the way it was wrapped, it was at least a fracture-level injury, otherwise the entire hand would not have been wrapped up.

What did she experience in just one day?

Yoshizaki Kawa had some doubts, but didn't say anything and sat down opposite the latter;

Kotoko picked up her coffee and took a small sip.

“Mr. Yoshizaki, you seem quite calm about the Po-mu, unlike other people who are possessed by ghosts, you do not show great fear.”

For a normal person, knowing that they are facing an attack by such a demon and could die at any moment, they would not be as calm as Yoshizaki Kawa. In the bar earlier, he had already frantically grabbed his sleeve and begged him not to leave.

But the person in front of me remained remarkably calm throughout.

The only time I panicked was when I retrieved a video of him from the police station earlier.

The first segment is from the car accident. The guy in front of me seems to have just woken up from his hallucination and realized he was almost hit by a car and died. He looks a bit panicked in the video.

But he quickly calmed down and called the police, and there was no further panic.

"Because for me, fear is the most ineffective emotion. If being afraid could stop everything, I'd probably be rolling on the floor right now."

Yoshizaki has a big heart; otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed at school and tried to break the curse even after knowing that Kayako was his landlady and that Tomie had confessed to him.

Compared to these powerful figures, the mere Soul Demon is nothing!

Without such a strong heart, I probably would have been rich long ago, or living a carefree life with so much money, just living one day at a time.

As for the others? What do they have to do with me? Am I his father? Why should I save him?

But Yoshizaki still chose to do it, not to save anyone else.

To be fair, girls with tragic pasts shouldn't have to suffer another tragic ending.

Those innocent people should not have died unjustly.

Upon hearing this, Kotoko sighed softly, "Mr. Yoshizaki, do you know that your current state of mind is something I achieved through more than twenty years of arduous training?"

“When I was selected as a priestess at the age of seven, it took me a month to face those things, a year to overcome my fear in battle, and twenty years to completely overcome that fear.”

Her tone was somewhat melancholy, but one could understand Yoshizaki Kawa to some extent.

The terrifying curse he carries is perhaps something only his mindset has allowed him to maintain until now without erupting.

"Let's go, Mr. Yoshizaki, we'll go to the place where that Po-Xu demon often appears. But before we go, please spray yourself with disinfectant. This will remove the evil aura around you."

Kotoko Higa stood up, took a small bottle of disinfectant from her sleeve, tossed it to Yoshizaki Kawa, and then straightened her back, walking with an elegant and dignified posture.

Her back wasn't broad, but it gave people a sense of security that felt grounded.

Yoshizaki sprayed himself a few times, then followed behind Higa Kotoko. She seemed to prefer taking the lead and didn't even ask Yoshizaki where the Po-Xi Demon usually appeared.

He was just about to bring this up when he saw the latter walking straight toward Kayako's house.

—Sure enough, the high-ranking official in the movie has probably already dug up all his personal information.

It was inevitable that her attention would be drawn to Kayako, even though she tried to avoid it.

"Mr. Yoshizakigawa,"

At that moment, Kotoko, who was walking ahead, suddenly said, "The person who gave you the bracelet must be Ms. Kayako Kawamata, right?"

"Yes, perhaps she also has the talent to become a medium, but please forgive my selfishness, I don't want her to be exposed to these things."

Since the other party could openly mention Kayako's name, Yoshizaki Kawakami naturally understood that hiding it was useless, so he could only frankly admit it.

However, Kotoko's next words made Yoshizaki Kawa pause for a moment:

"She doesn't have the talent to become a shrine maiden!"

Kotoko Higa turned around and looked at Yoshizaki: "Including that bracelet, it is not an exorcism tool, but a very terrible curse! When two curses collide, they naturally cancel each other out, so it has the power to resist the Po-Xu demon, which you mistakenly thought was an exorcism tool."

"It's even possible that the Po Xi demon was lured here by that child and targeted you because of the bracelet."

"So—Mr. Yoshizaki, do you still want to continue wearing it?"

Hearing Kotoko's words, Yoshizaki Kawa was not shaken at all. In fact, he had vaguely guessed something from the very beginning of their conversation.

"But in my eyes it is a blessing, and I cannot shatter the precious expectation that a poor child longs for."

Even if it really is a curse, so what? It was Kayako's precious expectation for herself!

If I abandon it, what will she think?

Having painstakingly pulled it halfway out of the mire, are you going to destroy it with your own hands?

“Miss Kotoko, if you want to persuade me, or if you want to destroy this bracelet, although my status and strength may not be as good as yours, I will do my best to resist.”

Yoshizaki Kawa stopped in his tracks and stood still.

Kotoko naturally stopped walking, and the next moment, she suddenly smiled: "You really are a very good teacher. With you here, perhaps I don't have to worry about these things. Of course, I won't do anything as unreasonable as you said."

"In this world, there are many choices. I will only tell others the choices, and I will not force others to make choices."

"So you don't need to be so nervous."

The reason Higa Kotoko asked this question was to find out Yoshizaki Kawa's attitude. From the current perspective, the curse is related to Yoshizaki Kawa, and if his mentality remains as calm as it is now, then the curse will not easily erupt.

Then he wouldn't have to risk his life trying to erase the curse.

"Miss Kotoko, you'd better finish your sentence next time. These unnecessary misunderstandings can easily create distance between us. Didn't you say before that the Po-Xu Demon would attack by exploiting gaps in people's hearts?"

"Feel sorry."

She apologized, cleared up the misunderstanding, and the two continued on their way.

Until I reached the outside of Kayako's former house, I saw the broken tree and the window that had been repaired but was still broken.

Yoshizaki knew that Mr. Momotaro had not successfully moved in.

That demonic spirit has also been lingering in the vicinity.

He looked at Kotoko, who was now pressing her left hand against her right and beginning to chant a spell;

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 78 Higa Kotoko: 6

"Are you coming?"

"Tathagata".

Yoshizaki couldn't help but complain inwardly. He had thought Kotoko was forming hand seals because the demon had come, but after Kotoko chanted for a long time, there wasn't a rustling of wind or a blade of grass around them.

If he hadn't known that the person in front of him was indeed capable, he would have thought he was some kind of charlatan!

Just then, Higa Kotoko stopped reciting and looked ahead;

"It ran away."

"what?"

What just happened?

Yoshizaki was completely dumbfounded. Kotoko ignored him, crossed the zebra crossing, and then, looking at the open door, walked straight in without caring whether it was someone else's house or not.

Following Kotoko's footsteps, Yoshizaki returned to Kayako's house once again;

Kotoko went up to the third floor with a clear goal in mind. She stared at the warehouse at the back and began to clear away a pile of discarded junk outside the warehouse. Although Yoshizaki Kawa didn't know what she was trying to do, he followed her and cleared the area.

Soon, as the clutter was cleared away, the contents at the deepest part of the warehouse were revealed.

That is?

A chalk drawing?

On the wall of the warehouse, there is a drawing that looks like a child's. In front of a door drawn crookedly in chalk, a family of three is walking hand in hand, and there is a sun in the sky.

Next to it, written in Japanese, is the words: Dad, Mom, Me, Big Brother, A Happy Family.

This drawing was clearly done by a child; the three little figures are just simple lines, holding hands, seemingly symbolizing happiness and fulfillment, but there is no so-called "older brother" in the drawing.

On one side, there were also words written haphazardly: "We will be best friends forever, big brother."

At the very bottom of the painting,

"Mom and Dad don't want us anymore."

Is this drawn by Kayako?

But Yoshizaki felt that given Kayako's personality, she definitely wouldn't draw such a picture. Besides, even though her parents were scumbags, they still raised her and never said anything like "I don't want her."