Great, we're doomed now!

"First place!"

As she climbed twenty or thirty steps and passed through the dilapidated torii gate, Chika stretched out her arms and loudly proclaimed her victory.

The two of them walked along the mountain path and finally arrived at the dilapidated Nishikida Shrine.

"Although there are no rankings in the test of courage competition~ hehe!"

"This shrine is more impressive than I imagined."

Ruri was quite surprised when she came up. Although the shrine in front of her had obviously not been repaired for many years, the size of the area and the foundation structure of the main building showed that it had been prosperous in the past.

The moonlight is now obscured by dark clouds, and the surroundings are shrouded in darkness. Only a few broken stone lanterns in front of the shrine emit a faint light, barely revealing the outline of the shrine under the cover of night.

Light?

Ruri asked in a low voice, "Chika, did you arrange for someone to wait for you at the shrine?"

"Ok?"

Chika was taken aback, then noticed Ruri's gaze and suddenly realized.

"No, but Xiao Shou did bring quite a few people over. It must have been the priests who ordered them."

But the shrine was far too quiet, it didn't seem like anyone was there—Ruri pursed her lips, not telling Chika about her concerns.

"It's so quiet?" Qianhua looked around and realized something was wrong.

Just then, she vaguely saw a figure standing on the stone steps in front of the shrine entrance in the distance. The figure was indistinct but slender, and looked very much like Ye Shou.

"Xiao Shou!" Qian Hua's eyes lit up, and she immediately waved and called out, "How come you got here first?"

Just as she was about to step forward, Liuli suddenly grabbed her wrist with such force that she stumbled.

"Wait!" Liuli's voice was low and urgent, with a rare hint of tension.

"What's wrong?" Chika asked疑惑地, "Ruri-chan?"

"I should be asking you what's wrong... Who were you greeting?"

"Little Shou!"

"Wake up, Fujiwara Chika."

The maid took a deep breath, her already fair face appearing as if coated with a waxy yellow under the dim firelight, and her expression seemed somewhat stiff.

"There is no one in my field of vision in the direction you are facing!"

"……well?"

Qianhua was stunned, but just as Liuli finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept through the mountains!

The leaves rustled, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees instantly. A strong gust of wind lifted their hair. Chika squinted instinctively as the wind blew, and she vaguely saw something—a dark shadow rushing towards them at incredible speed!

"Get out of the way!" The maid noticed it too and suddenly pulled Chika away. The dark figure howled and flew past the two of them, staggering off the platform, and a piercing scream immediately rang out.

Aww! Aww!

Bang!

The heavy body rolled on the steps, the sound of which drifted further and further away from the two of them.

"...A wild boar?" Chika, still shaken, clutched her chest. "I didn't see clearly, but it sounded like one."

“It’s a wild boar, but…” Liuli hesitated.

Would Chika really mistake this beast for Ye Shou?

hold head high!!!

A loud shout came, startling the two of them.

"Is that wild boar coming back?"

After hesitating for a moment, Liuli finally turned on her flashlight and led Qianhua forward.

However, they did not enter the main hall, which was the place where the "figures" had appeared earlier, but instead groped their way into the side hall.

The shrine's interior appeared even more dilapidated than its exterior; the wooden floors creaked, and a damp, decaying smell filled the air. Ruri pulled Chika into a side room and quickly closed the rickety paper door.

"Thump!" A muffled sound came from outside, as if something had crashed heavily into a pillar of the shrine.

Judging from the noise, it seemed to be a wild boar, which relieved Liuli—wild animals were much easier to deal with than ghosts and spirits.

Qianhua hadn't recovered yet, her heart pounding. Hearing that the wild boar outside hadn't left, she instinctively reached for her phone to contact Ye Shou, but found nothing.

"Oh no, I dropped my phone... It must have been when the wind picked up earlier."

Qianhua whispered some bad news in Liuli's ear, but Liuli remained calm. She had already taken out her phone and was about to contact someone to deal with the wild boar.

As soon as they took it out, the screen suddenly lit up, and the two women immediately held their breath, their hearts even skipping a beat.

Fortunately, no notification sound was heard; it turned out to be a work email address, not Line.

Where are you? Do you need help?

"..." The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

"How did Xiaoshou know about our current situation?" Qianhua's voice was barely audible.

"Well, he's my master, after all~"

Afraid of disturbing the wild boars running around outside, the two deliberately kept their voices very low and listened carefully to the sounds outside.

Liuli quickly sent a message back, and all that was left was to wait.

The wind outside gradually subsided, but it was replaced by an eerie silence, as if even the chirping of insects had disappeared.

"Ching, ching~"

Outside the shrine, moonlight finally pierced through the clouds and shone into the dilapidated courtyard.

The enormous beast stood on the platform, its fangs menacing, its heavy breaths exhaling a thin mist of white smoke.

The two women were right; the creature charging towards them was indeed a wild boar, a rather large one, currently wandering aimlessly around the shrine. But judging from its frantic state, it seemed less like it was searching for something and more like a giant headless fly, running around without finding a way out.

As the surrounding environment became quieter, it became increasingly restless, pawing anxiously with its four hooves, even managing to tear up the brick-paved ground.

The moonlight shone on it, and its bulky shape cast a longer, thinner shadow on the ground.

Suddenly, the shadow twisted eerily!

"...Huh?" Chika and the other girl stared wide-eyed at the scene outside through the crack in the paper door, their little faces turning pale with fright.

The wild boar's shadow seemed to be torn apart by some invisible force, suddenly lengthened and deformed, its outline gradually becoming sharper—and finally, it transformed into a human shape!

hum!

The light from the stone lantern suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the scene in the courtyard more clearly, and the shadows became clearer than ever before—as if they had "stood up."

The figure appeared to be wielding a two-handed longsword, its posture sharp and fierce, like an ancient warrior. The next second, the shadow suddenly swung its sword through the air.

Swish-!

The air seemed to ring out with the sharp sound of blades cutting through the air. The wild boar let out a shrill cry, but its massive body was useless as its head was chopped off its neck!

"—!"

Chika gasped, almost crying out. Ruri immediately covered her mouth, and Chika reciprocated by covering Ruri's mouth as well. The two were pressed tightly together, their breaths almost stopped.

After a long while, there was no further movement in the courtyard, so Liuli cautiously looked outside.

"...What is that?" Chika asked softly.

"..."

Liuli didn't answer, but just stared intently outside, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Phew... It's gone. I don't know what it was... but I can't see it anymore."

"Tonight's test of courage is way too exciting... ugh!"

Chika's voice stopped abruptly, and Ruri felt her body stiffen as if it had rusted. She immediately understood something, and her hands and feet turned icy cold, as if something had been pulled away.

But as expected of an elite office worker who could keep up with Ye Shou's pace, she did not lose her judgment even so, and looked directly into Chika's eyes.

"Is there... something there?"

"..." Qianhua could vaguely see a faint outline deep inside the room.

"I understand."

Liuli gave a bitter smile and quietly tightened her grip on Qianhua with her left hand.

The Fujiwara family's daughter, always oblivious, quickly recovered from her initial shock and calmly traced two lines on Ruri's forearm with her fingers.

【three】

【two】

【One】

Swish!

The phone's flashlight suddenly illuminated everything in the room. Startled by the unexpected situation, the shadowy figure covered his face, while the two high school girls had already burst through the paper door and run out.

"Awoooooo!!!"

Don't look back!

The roar and heavy footsteps were already upon them!

Suddenly, her foot slipped and she screamed as she fell to the ground.

"Liuli!" Qianhua turned around and helped her up without thinking.

With this pause, a stench of heat rose up!

--call out!

At this critical moment, a "shooting star" shot into the sky, and the intense white light made everyone instinctively squint, revealing everything in the darkness.

boom!

boom!

boom!

The heatwave raged, and the clang of metal filled the air!