Tokyo: The evil god doesn't want to be the top star

Just as Xia Fan was about to warn him, Tian Yushen had stretched his mouth to its limit and took a bite of the long, thick puff...

"puff!!!"

The crispy outer shell broke, and the white milk filling burst out from the puff, splashing violently everywhere...

"This will burst, so you have to bite it open and suck it gently before eating..."

Xia Fan raised his eyebrows twitchingly, sighed helplessly, and wiped off the few drops of sticky filling that splashed on his face.

“The taste is acceptable, but it is a dessert of unruly character.”

"Wagashi should be more reserved, at least the filling won't flow everywhere..."

At this time, Tian Yushen's little face was covered with white milk filling, but he still had a sacred and solemn expression as he ate the strip puff bite by bite.

"Today's sacrifice was barely presentable."

She licked the corner of her mouth with satisfaction, and her little face returned to its usual fair color.

"Um, when the gods are active, please abide by the agreement and do not disturb ordinary people..."

Seeing that Tian Yushen was in a good mood, Xia Fan reminded him carefully.

At present, it seems that only he can see and touch this Tianyu God when he is active, as if he is a ghost that does not exist in the world. However, Xia Fan is not sure whether this situation is really "harmless" and can only continue to observe...

"Hmph, whether you are an ordinary person or a psychic, you are not qualified to see the true face of this god..."

Tian Yushen raised his chin proudly and looked at Xia Fan as if he was an idiot.

"The Amaterasu shrine maiden is a symbol of bad luck, so avoid as much contact with her as possible..."

After saying this, she disappeared from Xia Fan's sight without any warning, leaving only the puff pastry crumbs and an empty box on the ground.

"Sir Xia Fan, I'm sorry, I'm late."

At the same time, a soft female voice sounded behind Xia Fan.

"Good afternoon, Jinguji..."

Jinguji Aoi, whose slender figure could not be concealed by her red and white shrine maiden costume, walked along the riverside path.

"There are still five minutes left before the agreed time. I came too early."

Xia Fan stood up and nodded at her.

"Um, Senior Chai Dao, how is it going..."

After hesitating for a moment, he asked in a low voice.

On the day of the second round of performances, Shibata Makoto transformed into "Amabie's Strongest Assassin" and "failed to assassinate" himself, but was subdued by Jinguji Aoi's "Flame Spin Kick". After being "packed away" by Lesson 9, Xia Fan has been feeling a little uneasy.

"My kick was very light. Shibata Makoto is not in danger of death. He just has some minor injuries and a slight concussion..."

"After waking up, Inspector Higurashi threatened him a little, and his parents cried and persuaded him, and Shibata Makoto confessed everything he knew."

Jinguji Aoi blushed and repeatedly emphasized the pronunciation of the word "light".

"A few months ago, he was introduced by a strange woman in a bar and joined the Amabie organization called "Healing House"..."

"Later, because of his merit in recommending members, he was quickly upgraded to 'Dedicated Person', and in the ceremony of worshipping 'Jizi', he obtained the 'Scale of Amabie' that can activate and eliminate diseases in other people's bodies."

"During the Idol Festival, he secretly used the scales to make his competitors sick, winning the performance and filling in their place to avoid elimination."

"This time, I attacked you at the instigation of 'Ji Zi'."

When talking about the case, she quickly calmed down and showed her professional side.

"After our analysis of the 'Amabie Scale', we found that it does have the effect of inducing illness. The severity of illness can range from a mild cold to cancer depending on the dosage. The specific symptoms depend on the individual's potential genetic diseases or bad lifestyle habits..."

"The reason why these 'devotees' and above are immune to and can control the 'Scale of Amabie' to a certain extent may be related to their regular visits to the 'forbidden child'. Further investigation is needed."

"By the way, the 'healing' effect of the Amabie Scale only works on diseases induced by it. It has no effect on naturally occurring diseases. It's better to call it 'curse retraction' than 'healing'."

"In short, making people sick first and then 'curing' them is a common method used by the Amabies to spread their religion, conduct mental control, coerce and eliminate dissidents."

Obviously, the capture of Shibata Makoto, a "devotee" with weak faith, was a major breakthrough in the "Amabie" case, allowing Section 9 to obtain a large amount of intelligence.

"So, what will happen to Shibata? He won't be sentenced to death, right?"

"Shibata's condition doesn't warrant the death penalty, but he can't escape the charge of attempted murder using supernatural powers. He will be sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in a special prison. Whether he can return to society later will depend on his mental health evaluation."

Chapter 304: A Day Trip to the Shrine

2024-07-13

"At least I can save my life, which is much better than I thought..."

"It's not that exaggerated. Although the death penalty system is retained in District 11, successive justice ministers would rather resign than sign for execution, so very few people are actually executed."

Xia Fan did not have much sympathy or apology towards Makoto Shibata.

The other party has fallen into depravity and believes in evil gods, abuses supernatural powers to compete unfairly, and even wants to threaten his life, which is already running out. As an adult, he must be responsible for his actions...

However, Xia Fan couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of life when he saw that the man who was a classmate in the same school a few months ago suddenly became an "evil assassin" and received a silver bracelet.

"The most abominable thing is this 'Amabie' who makes people sick first and then cures them. He is no different from those witch doctors who fooled the people in ancient times..."

“Is there no way to completely eradicate this evil cult?”

When Xia Fan thought about the fact that Amabie, who claimed to cure all diseases, was actually unable to cure any disease, his back teeth began to itch.

"Based on the locations of the recent visits to the shrines given by Shibata Makoto, the information team conducted a source analysis and preliminarily determined that the enemy was moving towards the route facing the sea in the south..."

"Our mobile team has already headed to the most likely location for secret reconnaissance according to the predicted route. I believe there will be gains soon."

Seeing that Xia Fan was in a low mood, Jinguji Aoi subconsciously stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder...

"Don't worry, as long as we capture the 'Jizi' who is acting as an agent, the faith of Amabie will quickly decline just like the Red God."

Realizing that this action was somewhat intimate, she withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted.

"Come to think of it, Mr. Xia Fan is alone, eating Fujiwara's puffs by the river. He really has the leisure time."

Noticing the exquisite "Fujiwara Puff Specialty Shop" gift boxes placed on the ground, Jinguji Aoi's eyes lit up.

"They finished all the boxes, and didn't even leave me any..."

But when she saw that only remnants were left inside the empty box, the light in her eyes disappeared instantly and she puffed up her cheeks quietly.

"Ahahaha, I suddenly felt hungry on the way here, so I just bought some food. Don't be fooled by the size of the box, it's just over-packaged. I only bought one..."

"By the way, Jinguji, you asked me out today and said you wanted to go see some 'real estate project'. It's not really a shrine, is it?"

Xia Fan didn't know how to explain, so he could only laugh dryly and change the subject.

After seeing the Matsudaira clan's "Yinren Yangzhai" real estate project last time, Jinguji Aoi once suggested that Xia Fan "buy a shrine" and promised to take care of it himself.

Because this idea was too fantastic, Xia Fan didn't take it seriously and put it out of his mind long ago.

Unexpectedly, the witch asked him to go out and look at a "real estate project" early this morning.

"Yes, during this period, I have collected information through the Psychic Association about several shrines that are interested in selling their land."

"I will be your guide for today's 'One-Day Shrine Tour'. Please give me your guidance."

Jinguji Aoi put her hands behind her back and puffed out her chest, then turned and walked away along the riverside.

The breeze ruffled her long red hakama, and her charming smile was reflected on the sparkling river surface.

"So, we specially arranged to meet here. Is there a shrine you want to visit nearby?"

Xia Fan stuffed the boxes into the trash can and quickly followed.

"Yes, the first shrine we need to see is in Kanda-cho, across the river."

"Look, you can see the shrine sign from here."

Raising her delicate white hand, Jinguji Aoi pointed to the other side of the river...

In the small courtyard with a moss-covered outer wall, above the not-so-wide main entrance, there hangs a crooked wooden plaque that looks like it may collapse at any time.

"Is there a shrine hidden in a place like this?"

"According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, there are 85,000 registered shrines in the eleventh district alone. They can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys."

"That's a lot... But when I think about eight million gods being squeezed into eighty-five thousand shrines, it suddenly seems a little too much. It should fit the population density of District 11..."

"Mr. Xia Fan is really humorous."

The two chatted all the way, crossed the river along the small bridge, and came to the building.

"Poor... God... what is that..."

The completely faded fonts on the rotten wooden plaque made it impossible for Xia Fan to recognize them.

"This is the Shrine of the God of Poverty, where the God of Poverty was once enshrined."

Taking out a key, Aoi Jinguji twisted the rusty lock with great effort, and with a harsh creaking sound, she pushed open the door that had not been opened for who knows how many years.

"P-Poverty God?!"

A damp and rotten smell blew in his face, causing Xia Fan's expression to freeze, and he subconsciously took a step back.

The God of Poverty is a deity in folklore who makes people fall into poverty. He is depicted as an old man with a thin and dirty body, a sad face, and a round fan in his hand. It is said that he likes to hide in the closet when sneaking into people's homes.

The deeds of the God of Poverty are scattered in folk tales, essays, rakugo, etc. in various places. He should be the most despicable, unlucky and unpopular god in District 11.

"This shrine closed down fifty years ago due to poor management and lack of successors."

Aoi Jinguji covered her nose and led the way into the shrine.

The plot of land enclosed by the stone wall is not large. Inside there is only an Edo-style wooden temple and open space serving as the front and back yards.

Because it is adjacent to the Kanda River and has not been taken care of for many years, the interior of the shrine is extremely damp and covered with moss and weeds. The main structure of the temple has also decayed to a great extent. It is no exaggeration to call it a "dangerous building."

"Although it has long been closed, the remaining majesty of the divine power is enough to ensure that no evil spirit is willing to approach this place over the years..."

Aoi Jinguji looked around and confirmed that she didn't find any "supernatural traces", then nodded with satisfaction.

"It seems both reasonable and ironic that a shrine dedicated to the god of poverty closed down due to poor management..."

“Perhaps losing the blessing of the God of Poverty is exactly what the descendants of the shrine want?”

Xia Fan, who followed her in, curled his lips.

"No, the original intention of building this shrine was not to worship the God of Poverty, but to help believers 'get rid of the God of Poverty that possesses their bodies.'"

Walking along the open space in front of the temple, Aoi Jinguji spoke softly.

"What... a shrine built specifically to drive the gods away..."

Xia Fan was unable to digest this logical paradox for a moment.

"That's right. For this reason, the worship process of this shrine is different from that of other shrines..."

The witch pointed to a stone statue in front of the temple...

Although the surface is covered with moss and the outline is somewhat weathered, it can be seen that the appearance is that of an old man with a sad face and holding a round fan, which completely fits the description of the "God of Poverty" in folk legends.

Chapter 305 The Blessing of Poverty

2024-07-13

"The first step is that before entering the temple, worshippers must first use a special leather stick to hit the God of Poverty's divine body three times with all their strength..."

"Step 2, kick the divine body three times..."

"Step 3, throw three handfuls of beans and hit the divine body..."

"Finally, enter the hall to pay the 'retirement salary' and drink a bowl of boiling hot miso soup. Then you will be able to condense the True Yang Fire in your body and dispel the 'God of Poverty' that lingers in your body."

Looking at the stone statue in front of her, Jinguji Aoi carefully explained the process of worshipping the "God of Poverty"...

No, it’s more of a retreat process than a worship process.

After all, unlike other shrines, this place does not collect money from incense offerings, but instead collects "retirement salary" in an open and aboveboard manner.

"Because the last heir of this plot of land chose not to inherit it and return it to the government, so we only need to pay about 10 million in taxes and land fees to easily take it over..."

"Although you can hear the noise of cars passing by on the bridge from time to time, this place is within your budget, the location is excellent, and the area is suitable for building a single-family house."

"Well, even if a family of five lives together, it's more than enough..."

At this point in the introduction, Jinguji Aoi seemed to have thought of some scene, her voice became softer, and her round earlobes gradually turned red.