Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

"Mr. Seven, why did you drag this thing over here?"

Xiu stared at the doll-like monster and asked curiously.

No one would think that Seven could fail against a monster of normal size, but why leave such an obviously unintelligent monster alive?

Amamiya Rin gazed at the doll's face, spoke calmly, her steady voice carrying a certainty that pierced through the mist.

"Any living being that has ever existed will leave traces, and from those traces, clues can be found. This monster will be no exception."

Especially since this world belongs to the realm of spirit and soul, monsters are no exception.

In that case, Amamiya Rin's mental power also found a place to be used.

"What's the truth? Let me see."

After saying that, Amamiya Rin bent down slightly, her gaze meeting the empty eyes of the noisy doll.

In an instant, the surrounding fog seemed to freeze, the wind stopped, and the breathing of the three people beside them became shallow.

The presence of Hinako Fukami and her two companions, the silence of the village, and the pervasive mist all became distant background.

The awareness of non-discrimination shines brightly like an ancient mirror, its light spreading silently, piercing through the fog of external appearances and reaching the essence beneath the surface.

Old and worn.

That was the first impression Amamiya Rin had of a stitched-together monster that resembled a doll.

Like a Japanese-style room that has been sealed for many years, like beams and pillars hollowed out by insects, like coarse cloth that has been repeatedly starched until it turns white.

Then came the noise.

"Women must be gentle and obedient, and must not disobey in the slightest." "Once married into her husband's family, she must abandon her original name and regard her husband's family as her heaven." "Being a good wife and mother, and managing household affairs are a woman's lifelong duties." "She must not raise her voice, must not resist, and must not have her own ideas. She must be gentle, obedient, patient, and compliant."

……

The clamorous chanting, filled with outdated rules, acts like an invisible framework, smoothing out edges, extinguishing desires, and stripping away the self, turning flesh-and-blood people into puppets who can only act according to the expectations of others, without any self-will.

"Um?"

Amamiya Rin frowned, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

The monster's nature gave him a strange sense of disorientation.

It is unlike the bizarre creatures in Junji Itō's works that stem from the distortion of human nature or the alienation of curses, nor like the cosmic beings in the Cthulhu Mythos that are beyond human comprehension, and it does not belong to urban legends or ghost stories.

It's too humanistic; it's like a sociological issue that's been molded into a physical entity, which is somewhat incompatible with the curses that Amamiya Rin had encountered before.

Compared to those, it's more like...Silent Hill?

Suddenly, Amamiya Rin realized where her previous sense of déjà vu came from.

Fog, the inner world, like monsters materialized from inner trauma—aren't these elements exactly what Silent Hill is all about?

But isn't Silent Hill in America? Why would it appear in Japan?

Moreover, the setting seems quite different from the surface world of Silent Hill, giving it a somewhat ambiguous feel.

If I'm not mistaken, this place should belong to the surface world, but the geographical locations of the surface world, the inner world, and the real world shouldn't be too different. It doesn't make sense that the real world is the Jogi Shrine in Tokyo, while the surface world is Ebisu Hill.

Just as Amamiya Rin was pondering, a suppressed groan of pain suddenly came from behind.

"Ugh—"

Turning back warily, I saw Hinako Fukami staggering backward, her hands pressed against her temples. Her already pale face was now completely bloodless, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat. She was groaning in pain, and her swaying body gradually collapsed.

"Hinako?!"

Iwai Osamu was shocked and rushed over almost instinctively.

However, Amamiya Rin was a step faster. He shook off the doll, strode forward, and caught the girl's falling body a second before she collapsed.

"Hinako! Hinako! Ultraman Seven, what happened to Hinako? She...she..."

Iwai Osamu arrived a step too late and could only stand to the side, looking at Fukami Hinako with nervousness and worry. His pale face still showed a hint of fear. He dared not look at Amamiya Rin, for fear of hearing the worst possible news from her.

He was saddened by Sakiko's death, but he could accept it. But... but...! If Hinako were to die in front of him, he really didn't know what he would become!

"Hinako! Wake up! Can you hear me?!"

Rinko Nishida's face also showed panic. She reached out and touched Hinako Fukami's shoulder, asking anxiously.

"How could this happen all of a sudden? It was fine just now!"

Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Iwai Osamu beside her, watching him lose his composure and become helpless because of Fukami Hinako. Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched quietly, and a hint of bitterness, which she herself did not realize, was quietly mixed into her anxious tone.

"Wait a moment……"

Amamiya Rin's brows furrowed deeply. Even though he managed to support Fukami Hinako, he couldn't reverse the girl's predicament.

Hinako Fukami's brows were furrowed, her eyes were closed, and her body was motionless. However, Rin Amamiya could clearly sense that she was not dead. At such close range, he could clearly hear her steady heartbeat and breathing. The girl had simply fallen into a deep coma.

"Is it that guy's curse again?"

Amamiya Rin tried to draw out a ray of light from the depths of his heart, that inherently pure and bright light, which flowed naturally into Fukami Hinako's body according to his will.

However, Hinako Fukami's body showed no reaction, and she remained in a coma, unable to communicate with the outside world.

Amamiya Rin had no other choice. The light of nature itself didn't possess any special power; it was merely the manifestation of one's inherent light after achieving enlightenment. Its only characteristic was its ability to prevent the mind from being affected by external things and to maintain emotional stability. Even as the vessel for the ghost story "Ultraman Seven," it wouldn't possess supernatural power unless it transformed into Ultraman Seven's form.

However, this kind of coma with unknown cause is something that even Ultraman Seven cannot do, since Ultraman Seven does not have the relevant skills.

Left with no other choice, Amamiya Rin laid Hinako Fukami flat on the ground, took off his coat, folded it neatly, and placed it under the girl's head before using his medical knowledge to conduct an examination.

He first lifted the eyelids of the deep-water chick and observed the pupils in the dim light of the sky through the mist. Although the light reflex was slightly sluggish, there were no signs of dilation or abnormal contraction.

Immediately afterwards, Amamiya Rin pressed his ear against the girl's chest and clearly heard her regular but slightly rapid heartbeat. He then checked her breathing; it was shallow and steady, without any obstruction or abnormal wheezing. Her carotid artery pulsed, with even strength and regular rhythm. He then pressed on her temporal artery and felt a slight increase in the vascular pulsation.

"Her pupils, breathing, and heartbeat are all normal. There are no external injuries or signs of curse infiltration. From a medical perspective, it is a case of sudden, severe headache causing unconsciousness. There is no danger to her life. Once the pain subsides, she will gradually regain consciousness."

Amamiya Rin stood up straight and informed Iwai Osamu and Nishizono Rinko of his test results. From a medical perspective, that was all there was to it, but the possibility of a curse could not be ruled out. The problem now was that he was either completely ignorant of the curse or, at the very least, completely clueless about it.

"Just a headache? It's alright, it's alright."

Iwai Osamu's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he exhaled forcefully.

"This is Hinako's old problem. She started having headaches after entering junior high school. The reason seems to be the conflict with her father, which brought her a lot of pressure. She kept asking me for headache medicine. This time, it must have been because she hadn't taken her medicine for too long. The environment and the pressure from Sakiko's death were too much, so she fainted from the pain."

With a helpless expression, Iwai Osamu explained to Amamiya Rin and Nishizono Rinko.

"Abusing headache medication is not a good thing."

Amamiya Rin nodded, taking Iwai Osamu's explanation as the reason for the time being, since he couldn't offer any other answer.

Osamu Iwai nodded immediately and said earnestly, "I know. That's why I didn't keep giving her over-the-counter medicine. Instead, I used mild Chinese medicinal herbs like kudzu root and peony to prepare her prescription, minimizing the burden on her body. When Hinako came to me for medicine, it wasn't just for pain relief; she just wanted someone to confide in about her conflicts with her father. Sometimes, simply listening and empathizing is enough to release her pent-up emotions and improve her blood circulation... This is what I, as her partner, should do."

"traditional Chinese medicine?"

Amamiya Rin raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of worry creeping into her heart.

Iwai Osamu looks to be no more than a teenager, yet he prepares Chinese medicine on his own and gives it to his companions; the safety of this is hard to guarantee.

"Please rest assured, I will not allow myself to harm Hinako. I had been taking the medication for two consecutive weeks before giving it to her. Her health has not changed. On the contrary, she falls asleep more easily and feels good when she wakes up."

Noticing Amamiya Rin's doubts, Iwai Osamu was not annoyed and spoke seriously.

"Is that so?"

Amamiya Rin nodded noncommittally. In this isolated environment, without any testing equipment, he was unable to analyze the drug's components and could only temporarily trust Iwai Osamu's explanation.

"This is too dangerous, Xiu!"

Rinko Nishida couldn't help but complain to Osamu Iwai, "Do you really need to go to such lengths to prepare and test Chinese medicine yourself?"

She glanced quietly at the unconscious Hinako Fukami, her eyes stinging with even more bitterness.

"As Hinako's partner, this is what I should do."

Despite Nishida Rinko's complaints, Iwai Osamu remained unmoved, maintaining a self-righteous demeanor and speaking with an unquestionable seriousness.

Amamiya Rin stood aside, calmly observing the subtle atmosphere between the three of them, a thoughtful expression on his face.

A budding crush, hidden feelings, a seemingly close yet distant friendship... a typical love triangle.

Then everything makes sense.

Amamiya Rin's gaze slowly fell back on the unconscious Hinako Fukami.

If this place truly is a surface world similar to Silent Hill, then among these individuals, the one most likely to become the master of this inner and outer world is probably Hinako Fukami.

The pressure from their parents, the fear of marriage, the emotional entanglements with friends, and the wedding in the real world, all combined with the power of the fox spirit, created Silent Hill!

Hinako Fukami was awakened by a calm, warm feeling.

The intense pain that had previously gripped my mind quietly disappeared, leaving only a faint, dull sensation.

She slowly sat up, supporting herself on the ground, and looked around blankly.

The area in front and to the sides was pitch black, like solidified ink, with not a single ray of light able to penetrate. Only from behind, a warm yellow glow slowly spread out.

"What's going on here?"

Hinako Fukami murmured to herself. She subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction of the light, but she did not see the person she wanted to see. Instead, she saw a stone staircase leading upwards not far away, and on both sides of the staircase stood two tall lanterns, their paper lampshades emitting a warm glow.

Above the stone steps is the altar of a shrine.

It was a heavy beechwood altar. On the left and right sides of the altar stood two bronze fox spirit statues, each about the height of a person, with their front paws respectfully raised. At the very top center of the altar was a round bronze mirror.

Offerings were neatly arranged on the altar: several stacks of neatly folded prayer flags, three small white porcelain dishes filled with sake, a dish of plump white rice, and a twig with fresh leaves—the most standard arrangement for a shrine ritual.

"An altar? Why am I here?"

Hinako Fukami was filled with confusion. She rubbed her forehead, trying to recall what had just happened.

Suddenly, a strange thing happened in the village. Sakiko died covered in spider lilies, and a vast sea of ​​flowers swept in. Then... Ultraman Seven appeared and destroyed all the spider lilies. He then claimed that the fox spirit worshipped in the village was an evil god that accepted human sacrifices. Finally, a doll-like monster appeared. Ultraman Seven didn't transform; he defeated the monster with a single blow and captured it. And then...

pain!

All she could remember was the pain! The intense pain swept through her brain without warning, turning all her consciousness into a jumbled mess. Everything went black, and she knew nothing more.

Is it because of excessive pressure?

Hinako Fukami recalled her headache symptoms, and her expression involuntarily turned strange.

Stress... Are you kidding me? Ultraman Seven is right next to her, how could she have a headache due to excessive stress?

Although Ultraman Seven failed to save Sakiko in time, the sense of security that comes with having Ultraman Seven by your side will not disappear just because Ultraman Seven failed to save someone in time, let alone when the pressure is so great that you have a headache and faint from the pain!

In other words...

Hinako Fukami looked at the altar in front of her, which was clearly dedicated to a fox spirit, and her eyes became sharp and fierce.

"That's it! A fox spirit!"

It had nothing to do with a headache; it was the power of the fox spirit that transferred her to this space!

Perhaps, even the sudden headache was caused by the power of the fox spirit!