I have an unlimited number of shikigami

"Thank you, Uncle." Fujiwara Rin didn't refuse.

"Haha, you're welcome." The shop owner laughed heartily and simply. "You should come often in the future. Although Nan Yindou Town doesn't have anything particularly good, the scenery and people are quite nice. And these pots of camellias, if you like them, I'll give you two pots for free."

“That won’t do…” Fujiwara Izaya quickly shook his head. “We have a date later, we can’t let the two girls each carry a pot of camellias.”

"Haha."

Just then, several girls nearby finished their cold drinks and hurriedly ran out.

"This year is really lively, so many people from other places have come..." The shop owner said with emotion as he looked at the figure of the girl in the kimono. "I have lived here all my life, and this is the first time I have seen so many people from other places."

Out of professional instinct, Fujiwara Izaya asked, "Is there anything special this year?"

"I'm not quite sure about that," the shop owner shook his head, thought for a moment, and then answered uncertainly, "I heard from the monks at the temple that a businesswoman from Tochigi Prefecture came to buy something, and the temple's income has increased significantly this year, which is why we can afford such a large-scale temple fair. It definitely won't be as lively next year, after all, the place is small..."

A businesswoman from Tochigi Prefecture came to the temple in Nan'indou to buy things.

What are you collecting?

Are you accepting monks?

Fujiwara Izaya felt something was strange and planned to ask the monk when he went up the mountain.

It was getting a little darker.

Summer evening mist hangs heavy, and the sea is calm and still.

The lanterns on both sides of the street lit up, stretching endlessly all the way to the ancient temple at the top of the mountain.

During the boring wait, a mother and daughter walked by. The five or six-year-old girl was very curious, her eyes darting left and right. There was a roasted corn stall by the roadside, and probably attracted by the aroma of the roasted corn, the little girl ran to the stall, screaming as she reached out to grab a corn.

She wasn't tall enough to reach the edge of the barbecue grill.

"Wow!"

The little girl was so burned that she cried.

"Whose child is this..." When the stall owner ran out to check, his foot accidentally tripped over the barbecue grill and hit the little girl directly on the head.

"careful!"

"Ah!" a woman cried out, covering her face with her hands.

Many people shouted at the same time.

Fujiwara Izaya heard the sound and turned around.

A surge of divine power emanated from the ground, stabilizing the toppled barbecue grill. The three or four people who had been frozen in shock snapped out of their daze and rushed over to right the grill. The little girl clung tightly to her mother, who was pale with fright, and burst into tears.

"What a stroke of luck! What a stroke of luck!" someone said. "If it had hit us, we would have been disfigured."

The barbecue stall owner kept apologizing to the girl and her mother, asking if they were injured and if they needed to go to the hospital. The mother was stunned for a while before she came to her senses and burst into tears.

Amidst the noise, Fujiwara Izaya caught a glimpse of a faint blue light lingering on a girl's fingertips. It was the girl who led the dance performance earlier, and a cluster of camellias given to her by the ice cream shop owner was tucked into her hair.

A girl with divine power...

The small-scale disturbance was quickly quelled.

The girl and her companions continued their play, and Fujiwara Izaya withdrew his gaze and looked up.

A flock of birds hopped from the lantern onto the power line, making a ruckus.

I initially thought they were sparrows, but upon closer inspection, I discovered three yellow-browed pheasants mixed in.

The three yellow-browed leiothrixes were rather docile, rarely flying around, unlike the restless sparrows. Their movements also revealed their differences in personality: the yellow-browed leiothrixes were as still as if they didn't move, while the sparrows hopped around everywhere, making their lanterns sway incessantly, much like the difference between an older and younger female student.

"Senior, you're mine tonight."

"What do you mean by 'it's yours'?"

"The point is, you're not allowed to come with us!"

"why?"

"Because you're a loser! Losers should be aware of their own limitations!"

"cut."

"Asuka is warning you, if you dare to follow me, I'll treat you like my senior in front of my face."

"..." Fujiwara Izaya stared at the birds for a long time, wondering: Are the sparrow and the yellow-browed bird arguing?

"Ah, senior—"

Kasahara Asuka spotted him first and ran towards him with a clattering sound.

At this moment, she changed into a summer festival yukata.

The outfit features a light red base adorned with white peonies and gold butterflies, while the belt is a vibrant pink, giving it an overall retro yet playful feel.

Fujiwara Izaya stepped forward: "Here's your milk tea."

"Hehe~" Kasahara Asuka held the milk tea, but didn't drink it. Instead, she stared at her senior.

He was also wearing a kimono, white with dark blue vertical stripes. The pattern was a bit plain, but the size was just right. Paired with a navy blue obi, he gave off a very refined and handsome vibe, a classic example of a handsome man.

"ah!"

Kasahara Asuka shouted excitedly.

Immediately afterwards, she spread her arms and naturally leaned forward.

"..." Fujiwara Izaya naturally caught her.

A sweet citrus scent wafted into my nostrils, and something soft pressed against me, a sensation that was indescribable.

"Senior, please don't bother with my senior tonight, okay?"

"what?"

"She's heartbroken. Let her have some peace and quiet tonight."

"..."

"That's decided!"

Can you call it heartbreak if you haven't even started dating yet...? Fujiwara Izaya put his arm around his junior's slender waist.

"Who are you calling a heartbroken person—"

A terrifying sound, like a volcano about to erupt, rang out.

Oops!

The senior student is watching!

Fujiwara Izaya immediately let go of her hand and handed her another cup of milk tea.

"No!" Hoshimi Rinko crossed her arms and looked at him with a slightly cold gaze.

Kasahara Asuka stood behind the two, happily sipping her sweet milk tea, looking completely unconcerned.

"Senior is late!" Fujiwara Izaya said with a smile, his eyes never leaving Hoshimi Rinko's eyes.

"..." Hoshimi Rinko turned her face away, glancing sideways at his movements. She pretended to be calm, but her cheeks were flushed with anticipation and nervousness, and her toes nervously traced circles on the ground. "I'm only a few minutes late! I only wasted a little time changing into my yukata, is that a problem!"

At this moment, she was wearing a light blue, cool yukata. Small white and dark blue flowers extended from her chest to the hem of her skirt, and she wore a white belt.

A white belt isn't unusual in itself, but perhaps it's her overall aura that makes it look very refreshing. Also, this outfit makes her small bust appear less noticeable.

"It looks so cool, it suits you perfectly!" Fujiwara Izaya complimented sincerely.

Just before the volcanic eruption, Hoshimi Rinko's anger subsided somewhat.

"Fine, I won't argue with you." Hoshimi Rinko took out a red hairband from the small cloth bag in her hand, put it on her mouth, gathered her hair behind her head with both hands, turned it into a bend, and quickly tied it into a ponytail.

She was naturally beautiful and refined, and when she tied her hair up, her slender neck appeared even more fair and radiant. Her ears, which were hidden beneath her hair, were revealed, and the delicate, fair skin behind her ears was covered with pretty, fine downy hairs.

After completing the ceremony, Hoshimi Rinko appeared satisfied and relaxed. She feigned calmness, suppressing the smile that crept onto her lips, and whispered to Fujiwara Izaya, "It's been a year, and I still have the same hairband."

“She’s a perfect match for my senior.” Fujiwara Izaya said with a smile.

"Hmm?" Kasahara Asuka's ears twitched.

Is this woman showing off how long she's known her senior? The little devil was immediately displeased. He took a big step forward, grabbed Fujiwara Izaya's hand, and then leaned his right ear close to Fujiwara Izaya's left ear, smiling innocently: "Senior, help me take a picture with my senior."

"..." Hoshimi Rinko's eyes turned slightly cold.

On the two people's earlobes, the cat-head-shaped couple earrings were slightly reddish under the light.

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Fujiwara Izaya quickly took a step forward, "Uh, now that everyone's here, let's go for a walk, and then we can go up the mountain together..."

The two girls hummed at the same time.

Along the path leading to the steps, besides the usual stalls, there were also many local specialties found only in the countryside. In addition to common mushrooms, wild vegetables, and pickled vegetables, there were also some unidentified dried snakes, medicinal herbs, and even two pairs of bear paws... Selling this stuff is probably illegal.

The two young ladies, wearing wooden clogs, lingered curiously in front of the stalls selling local specialties.

For them, who live in Tokyo, demons and monsters are not as rare as a dried snake of unknown purpose.

Kasahara Asuka was taking pictures of several glass jars filled with some unknown substance on her phone; next to her, Hoshimi Rinko was observing the sunflowers on the stall.

Fujiwara Izaya walked over and said, "Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll go buy it for you."

Takoyaki!

"Apple candy!"

"No apple candy!"

"No takoyaki!"

"...Stop arguing, buy both!"

Hoshimi Rinko shrugged and turned her gaze back to the sunflower.

The petals resemble the rim of a crown, and the flower's center is full and clustered, without any vying for attention with its colors. Instead, it is neat and serene, exuding a well-ordered and dignified power. The petals around the disc of the flower's center are yellow, resembling the hem of a woman's skirt.

After a while, Fujiwara Izaya returned carrying two servings of candied apples and takoyaki.

Hoshimi Rinko asked curiously, "Aren't you going to eat?"

Before Fujiwara Izaya could answer, Kasahara Asuka spoke first: "Senpai is so stupid, of course Senpai eats the same portion as Asuka!" After saying that, she provoked Hoshimi Rinko with that "loser is a loser after all" smile.

"Really?" the senior student asked with an elegant smile.

"I just ate a lot of shaved ice!" Fujiwara Izaya swore to the monks on the mountain.