Japanese Terrorist: What? I'll fight Hellstar!

"Yes, yes, you two are very lucky."

The middle-aged man chuckled, touched his nose somewhat boredly, and glanced at Tomie beside him, seemingly hoping she would say something to liven up the atmosphere.

Tomie's red lips curved into a subtle arc, and she drew out the melody, her voice languid and tinged with a nonchalant playfulness.

"In just half a month, Toshiyuki-kun is so young, and he's already stepping into the grave of marriage? What a pity."

Toshiyuki frowned slightly as he looked at Tomie, his gaze still gentle, but carrying a clear sense of estrangement and dissatisfaction.

"Miss Tomie is too kind. Marrying Hinako is more like opening the door to happiness for me."

Tomie's smile faded slightly, and a hint of displeasure surfaced in her heart.

Since the birth of Tomie Kawakami, almost no man has been indifferent to her charm. It's one thing for that stinky monk Amamiya Rin to be unmoved, but this man in front of her actually ignores her charm and openly professses his love for an ugly woman.

Tomie picked up the teacup in front of her, her fingertips gently tracing the warm rim. Her gaze shifted between Toshiyuki and Hinako, then she chuckled softly, her tone innocent yet tinged with cruelty: "Although Toshiyuki-kun says that, Hinako-san doesn't seem entirely ready yet. Toshiyuki-kun, are you sure Hinako-san genuinely wants to marry you, and isn't just doing it because her family arranged it and she can't refuse you?"

Tomie's words were so blunt they couldn't be more direct, like a sharp needle piercing the otherwise peaceful atmosphere.

The middle-aged man's smile froze, and he looked at Toshiyuki with some embarrassment.

Hisashi frowned slightly, tightened his grip on Hinako's hand, and said in a tone that was still gentle but with a distinct chill: "Hinako is just nervous. She has two more weeks to adjust."

Hinako raised her head and looked at Toshiyuki, her expression complicated. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.

Tomie took in Hinako's reaction, her smile deepening, revealing undisguised malice.

"Oh dear, I was just expressing my concern. After all, marriage is a major life event, and it would be so pitiful if Miss Hinako wasn't interested."

"Miss Tomie!"

Toshiyuki raised his voice slightly, released Hinako's hand, and instead put his arm around her shoulder, shielding her trembling body, his eyes sharply fixed on Tomie.

"Please watch your words. Hinako and I grew up together and have been corresponding for many years, expressing our feelings for each other. I know her feelings better than anyone else, and there is no need for an outsider to make unwarranted assumptions."

"I'm sorry, they didn't mean any harm."

Tomie clasped her hands together, playfully stuck out her tongue, and her bewitching beauty and alluring eyes made it impossible for anyone to criticize such a beauty.

However, while Tomie can deceive others, she cannot deceive others on the Tomie Network.

In the meditation room of Guiku Temple, the smoke from incense sticks rose straight up, filling the air with a tranquil atmosphere.

Amamiya Rin and the abbot sat facing each other across the tea table.

"Abbot, are there any methods in this world for exorcising evil spirits and subduing demons?"

Amamiya Rin put down his teacup, his face sincere, and asked the abbot.

The abbot slowly spoke: "Benefactor, you practice Buddhism, but do you truly believe in gods and Buddhas?"

Amamiya Rin answered frankly, "I believe more in the principles expounded by Buddhism itself than in worshipping the Buddha."

Buddhism is about principles, while gods and Buddhas are about beliefs. Even the Buddha himself didn't believe in these things, so he told everyone else not to either.

"Not believing in any specific god or Buddha, but believing in the true meaning of Buddhism, is also a form of Buddhism. It's just that what you believe in may be the Buddha as you understand it in your own heart."

The abbot nodded slightly, his fingers slowly and deliberately moving the prayer beads, his face showing no displeasure.

"According to the *Konjaku Monogatari*, the monk Kūkai once held a rain-praying ceremony at the behest of Emperor Junna, offering sacrifices to the virtuous dragon queen according to esoteric Buddhist rituals. As soon as the ceremony concluded, sweet rain fell from the sky, benefiting the entire nation. There was also a monk named Gen'ō who, seeing the Killing Stone causing havoc in the world, dreamt of Tamamo-no-Mae's true form—a white-faced, golden-haired, nine-tailed fox. Upon waking, he struck the stone three times with his staff, and the Killing Stone shattered, the fragments scattering everywhere. The former story is not recorded in official history; it is only said that in the spring of the first year of Tenchō, there was a drought, and envoys were sent to pray for rain. The latter is also mostly a folk tale. However, the vajra used by the monk Gen'ō is indeed preserved in this temple."

A look of doubt appeared in Amamiya Rin's eyes: "Does the Abbot mean... that gods and Buddhas truly exist in this world?"

In his understanding, Junji Ito's worldview contained ghosts, hell, and various supernatural beings, but it seemed that no gods or Buddhas in the true sense ever appeared directly.

The abbot shook his head, slowly got up, walked to the shrine, took out an ancient vajra, and handed it over.

"This is the Vajra left behind by the monk Xuanweng. Please look at it, benefactor, doesn't it resemble some kind of extraordinary magical treasure?"

Amamiya Rin took the vajra, and felt its weight and coldness upon holding it.

He examined it repeatedly. The object was about the length of a forearm, with a dark color and covered with signs of wear and tear over the years. But no matter how he looked at it, there was nothing special about it; it was just an old antique.

"I don't see anything special about it."

Amamiya Rin gently placed it back on the coffee table and said truthfully.

"Because it was forged by an ordinary blacksmith, but Lanzi once used it to destroy the white-faced, golden-haired, nine-tailed fox vengeful spirit that had revived from the fragments of the Suicide Stone."

The abbot stated calmly.

"Officer Inudo is that strong?"

Amamiya Rin was taken aback. After all, it was a nine-tailed fox. Even if it was just a vengeful spirit born from a fragment of the Killing Stone, it could be a mid-game boss in some fantasy comics.

He knew that people with squinty eyes were monsters, but he never expected that Inspector Inudo would be this strong.

The abbot put the vajra back in its place and asked Amamiya Rin.

"Why do you think this ordinary vajra could help Lanzi destroy the vengeful spirit of the nine-tailed fox?"

Amamiya Rin shook his head.

The abbot said, "This country has been said to have eight million gods since ancient times. Mountains, rivers, plants, objects, and tools can all be inhabited by deities. This is not to say that they are inherently sacred, but rather that people's understanding is essentially using an unknown perspective to explain the incomprehensible myriad phenomena. Long-term belief makes them seem special. Sincerity can move even the hardest heart. Masters Kukai and Gen'ō may not have prayed to a specific deity to achieve supernatural phenomena."

Amamiya Rin pondered: "So, the special power actually comes from the collective subconscious's approval? The reason why the Vajra was able to subdue the vengeful spirit of the nine-tailed fox is because Inspector Inudou believed that the Vajra had such power. Over the long years, the beliefs of countless people have also given the Vajra the meaning of subduing demons."

The abbot nodded, approving of Amamiya Rin's conclusion.

"Like a knife, it is a tool for cooking in the hands of a chef, a weapon of slaughter in the hands of a samurai, and a sacred ritual object in a ceremony. The object itself does not change; what changes is the person who uses it and the mind that views it. Even personal beliefs, obsessions, and desires can possess great power and can even distort reality."