Tokyo: I can enlighten all obsessions

Thinking back to what the bald section chief said to me before I moved:

"Kamiki, in order to retain your fighting strength, I have even abandoned my dignity as an adult to beg Miss Kujo to agree."

"Once you move in, you absolutely mustn't cause that child any trouble. After all... she's the last survivor of that family."

After that, the section chief lowered his voice and revealed to him the world's biggest secret in all of Japan.

Ten years ago.

A large-scale paranormal event codenamed "Hyakki Yagyō" (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) once broke out throughout Japan.

It was a large-scale spiritual disturbance that swept across all of Japan.

No one knew the cause, nor were there any warning signs.

Overnight, human reason completely collapsed.

The pent-up obsessions erupted like an out-of-control plague. Citizens who were ordinary people yesterday were transformed into monsters that craved flesh and blood. Even the demons that only existed in ancient scrolls suddenly appeared in the real world.

The Kujo family, as the key point guarding Shinjuku, was the first to bear the brunt.

Faced with that utterly broken reality, the entire clan was wiped out.

She was the only one who survived.

The night wind swept up a few withered leaves, swirling them in the empty courtyard and making a soft rustling sound.

Kamiki Tetsu pulled himself out of his reverie and turned his gaze to the window in the side hall that emitted a warm, orange light.

Faintly, one could still hear the silly woman's loud laughter, which lacked any semblance of refinement, and her younger sister's protests as she fought for the special sushi.

"...Oh, I see."

Kamiki Tetsu stood in the darkness, looking at the light, and muttered to himself.

"No wonder that idiot keeps spouting those cringeworthy lines about reviving the family's glory."

If he didn't find a grand excuse to numb himself, that guy's mind would probably have completely broken down long ago.

"but……"

Kamiki Toru raised his hand and gently stroked his chin.

"Although it is a bit unfair to think that way."

Since this is the epicenter of that tragedy ten years ago, since this place buries the despair and resentment of an entire family.

That means that this seemingly dilapidated shrine is actually a "gold mine of obsession".

"Let me see just how much powerful equipment this so-called prestigious family background can translate into."

Without any hesitation, Kamiki Tetsu strode forward, stepping onto the creaking old wooden planks, and entered the main hall, which was completely shrouded in darkness.

The air inside the hall was filled with the smell of stale wood and the lingering, cool scent of incense.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the lattice windows, one could vaguely see the enormous shrine in the center of the hall.

The thick shimenawa rope coiled around the roof beams like a giant python, while the bronze mirror in the center of the shrine, which should have reflected all things in the world, was now covered with a thick layer of grime, reflecting a murky light in the darkness.

The walls around the room were covered with faded ema (votive plaques) and broken gohei (imperial coins), which swayed gently in the night breeze, making a rustling sound like the whispers of ghosts.

The moment he stepped in, the pale blue text on his retina popped up.

Strong emotions and obsessions were detected.

"Oh?"

Kamiki Toru raised an eyebrow.

Did I get loot as soon as I entered?!

But on second thought, it's only natural.

After all, this is a shrine.

Over the past few decades, countless people have stood in this temple.

They clasped their hands together, dropped the warm coins into the box, closed their eyes, and frantically poured out their desires in their hearts.

They want to get rich, they want to fall in love, they want to get something for nothing, and they want to exchange a few hundred yen for a miracle from the gods that can change their lives.

These desires, accumulated over the years, naturally form what is known as "intense obsessions."

"Let me see what kind of result these decades of vows have yielded."

Without any hesitation, Kamiki Tetsu extended his finger and gently tapped the heavy mahogany box.

"Enlightenment".

When the command was issued, the expected blue or purple light, representing rarity, did not appear.

A pale white light flickered twice, like a faulty light bulb, before coalescing in his palm.

[Item obtained: Five Yen Ambitions (White)]

【Title: A Five-Yen Ambition】

[Quality: White]

[Type: Consumable]

[Note: This is a crystallization formed from countless intense thoughts of "desire to gain without effort".]

"God! I bet a full five yen! Please let me win the 700 million yen lottery!!"

"God! If you won't let me get rich, then may this world be destroyed!!"

These shameless and fanatical desires, piled up, ultimately transformed into this coin brimming with the aura of "opportunism." While the concentration of obsession is frighteningly high, its essence is laughably cheap.

[Special Effect - Accidental Accident: Throw it on the ground, and low-intelligence creatures passing by will be attracted to it, mistaking it for some kind of treasure and stopping to fight over it. Duration: 10 seconds.]

"..."

Kamiki Tetsu looked at the unremarkable coin in his palm, remained silent for a moment, and then let out a sneer.

really.

The idea that quantitative change leads to qualitative change is not universally applicable in the field of metaphysics.

No matter how much garbage is piled up, it will still be a garbage mountain and will not turn into a gold mine.

Kamiki Tetsu casually put the coin into his pocket and continued walking deeper into the main hall.

As I passed the old wooden shelf covered with ema (votive plaques) on the side, that familiar message popped up on my retina again.

Strong emotions and obsessions were detected.

Kamiki Tetsu stopped and glanced at the ema (votive plaque) on the wooden board, which had turned black from the erosion of wind and rain.

The same name was densely engraved on it, and the handwriting became increasingly messy and frantic from the beginning. It was a person's "foolishness" of praying to a god who would never respond, for someone who did not love him to turn back.

"This kind of unrequited love is so heavy it's suffocating."

Kamiki Tetsu extended his hand.

"Enlightenment".

No miracle occurred, and a pale white light reappeared in his hand.

[Item Obtained: Ineffective Bond Plaque (White)]

There's no need to look closely at the attributes; just by looking at that glaring white quality, Kamiki Tetsu knew it was another piece of junk.

"...Another piece of white pollution."

He casually stuffed the ball of light into the corner of his schoolbag like he was throwing away a piece of waste paper, without even pausing for a moment.

His gaze was completely drawn to the corner in the very center of the hall, which reeked of a strong stench of blood.

On the floor beneath the shrine lay a Kagura bell, long since oxidized and blackened.

When his fingertips touched the cold and somewhat rough handle, unsurprisingly, the same prompt, with identical punctuation marks, popped up on his retina again.

Strong emotions and obsessions were detected.

"here we go again."

Kamiki Tetsu looked at the words, feeling nothing at all; he even felt a slight urge to yawn.

Having learned from his previous two experiences, he had come to a profound understanding of the murky nature of this intense emotion and obsession.

The so-called "intensity" does not seem to refer to quality, but simply to the magnitude of emotion.

It's like a drunk man yelling in the street late at night; the sound is loud, but the content is worthless.

"These broken magical artifacts casually tossed on the ground are probably left behind by some priest who wanted to leave work early or a shrine maiden who didn't want to dance, reflecting their workplace resentment, right?"

Since the first two were that kind of people, this one probably won't escape either.

They didn't even have the inclination to bend down and pick it up to check.

Kamiki Tetsu bent over, extended his index finger, and casually tapped the grime-covered bell handle.

"Enlightenment".

As the command was given, he habitually squinted, bracing himself for being blinded by that pale white light once again.

However, the expected "pale white" did not materialize.

Instead, a noble, deep purple light shone in the dark main hall.

hum!

The light was so dazzling that it instantly turned Kamiki Tetsu's face, which still wore a nonchalant expression, a ghastly purple.

"……ha?"

Kamiki Tetsu's narrowed eyes widened instantly, and he froze on the spot.

The boring white scrap box did not pop up.

What appeared before his eyes was a brand-new panel radiating an eerie purple light, along with lines of shocking explanatory text.

He read in silence.

His gaze swept over the cold descriptions of the "one hundred and three people".

Silence fell over the hall, with only the purple halo slowly flowing in the air.

a long time.

Kamiki Toru lowered his head, let out a helpless chuckle, and reached out to scratch his somewhat messy hair.

"Really... as expected, all relatives in the world are the same."

Whether it's her own grandmother or this group of guys who would give their lives for Kujo Hisana.

They're all idiots who are completely unreasonable when it comes to something called "love".

Kamiki Tetsu reached out and grasped the Kagura Bell, which looked brand new in the purple light, feeling its heavy weight in his palm.

Although this was definitely a top-tier piece of equipment, he didn't hesitate for a moment this time.

"This thing... let's just return it to that Kujo guy."

The moment the words fell.

A series of hurried footsteps, accompanied by the creaking of the old floorboards, came from the direction of the approach.

"Bang!"

The heavy wooden door of the main hall was rudely pushed open from the outside.

The loud noise caused dust to fall from the roof beams.

Moonlight streamed in.

Standing at the door was Kujo Hisana, still wearing that dark blue tracksuit and slightly out of breath.

She seemed to have run all the way from the side hall; her chest was heaving violently, and a few strands of hair were stuck to her cheeks with sweat, making her look somewhat disheveled.

Kamiki Toru subconsciously turned around, still holding the Kagura bell in his hand.

Their gazes met in the stale, musty air.

Without any discussion, even their breathing frequencies strangely overlapped.

The next second, the two of them took a step forward at the same time and shouted at each other in unison:

"Kujo-san!" "Kamiki-kun!"

"I have something to tell you!"

The awkward silence of overlapping voices lingered in the air for half a second.

Looking at the girl in front of him, who was panting heavily and had obviously run all the way here, Kagura Tetsu subtly hid the hand holding Kagura Bell behind his back.

The atmosphere is too tense right now; it's clearly not the best time to give a gift.

"You go first."

He sighed and gestured with his chin toward Kujou Hisana.

"The way you're acting is like someone snatched your half-price bento box the second before it was put on."

"This is not the time for jokes!"

Normally, Kujo Hisana would definitely puff out her cheeks and retaliate, but at this moment, she had no time for that.

She stepped forward and held the smartphone, its screen still lit up, right in front of Toru Kamiki's nose.

There was a bolded emergency communication on it, the red font particularly glaring.

"My section chief just contacted me."

Kujo Hisana swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly with nervousness.

"Just ten minutes ago, a point of extreme abnormality in spiritual energy reaction was observed in Adachi Ward, Tokyo."

She took a deep breath and announced the rating that would send chills down the spines of all field personnel:

"Classified as—Fourth Grade, [Calamity Level]."

"The Calamity...?"

Kamiki Tetsu's previously nonchalant expression vanished instantly.

He remembered clearly that in that "Newcomer's Handbook," this was described as a "regional radiation type" natural disaster.

If the "evil spirit" is a murderer with a knife, then the "calamity" is a walking source of radiation.

"Has that old bald man gone mad?"

Shinki Toru frowned.

"What does this kind of spiritual disaster that big shots should be worried about have to do with a marginal branch like ours that can't even afford to fix an air conditioner? Our salaries don't include going to our deaths."

"It's no use, they can't escape."

Kujou Hinata pointed to the black command line at the bottom of the screen, stamped with the seal of "Metropolitan Police Department Special Disaster Countermeasures Office Headquarters".

"All personnel currently employed at the Shinjuku branch are hereby ordered to immediately proceed to the scene to provide support to other branches!"

She looked up, took a deep breath, and gazed at Toru Kamiki:

"If we dare to desert, even before the monsters make a move, headquarters will cancel our registration for defection and issue a nationwide warrant for our arrest..."