I'm in a real religion, why are all the people who confess to me girls?

Tenon looked at that half-hidden, grinning face and wanted nothing more than to punch him. However, she had already used more than 70% of her strength in that punch, and the chairman of the board, Fujiwara, didn't seem to have any reaction. She guessed that he was just as freakish as Ayanokouji.

A fight would definitely delay her, but now that she had confirmed the other party's identity and that they meant her no harm, she could set off with peace of mind.

"Since it's a misunderstanding..."

As she spoke, Amane pointed to her fist, which was being held in the palm of Chairman Fujimori's hand.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you. You should go find someone. I smelled blood over there when I came over, but I didn't look closely. I hope this helps you."

After releasing Amane's hand, Chairman Fujiwara pointed in a direction to the south.

Upon hearing this, Tianyin's pupils contracted sharply. The smell of blood meant that someone must be injured. Without even thanking him, Tianyin quickened her pace and ran in the direction that Chairman Fujiwara had pointed.

Watching Amane darting through the forest, President Fujiwara felt a pang of emotion. In high school, she had once been just like Amane, but with the passage of time and the demands of handling official duties, her physical abilities had long since declined.

"It's so good to be young."

Chairman Fujiwara looked at the patch of skin on his palm that was starting to change color. If nothing unexpected happened, it would probably turn bluish or purple by tomorrow.

The rapid offensive and defensive maneuvers just now made it seem like Chairman Fujii had the upper hand, especially his effortless demeanor, which to some extent made Amane give up the idea of ​​quickly ending the battle. However, in reality, Chairman Fujii's defensive move just now was an extraordinary performance brought about by muscle reflexes.

The reason she didn't choose to spar with Tianyin here was that the arm she used to block Tianyin's punch was completely numb and had no feeling at all. In the end, she had to use all her strength to barely restrain Tianyin's punch, but it seemed like Tianyin was holding back.

It was because of this punch that Chairman Fujiwara finally believed the old man's story.

"He really is a monster."

……

Following the direction pointed out by Chairman Fujimori, Amane traveled for about a kilometer. She was almost out of the mountains but still couldn't smell any blood. What bothered her was that although the rain had lessened along the way, fog was starting to roll in.

This made her already blurry vision even more blurry. Now, Amane had no doubt that even if Ichinose stood in front of her, she might not be able to see her. So why was she looking for anyone?

On the contrary, there are many people who are just as irritable as her.

The two people secretly observing Tenon were filled with helplessness. Why was that Fujiwara pointing at things for no reason?

They discovered that Ichinose was clearly located to the west, and this casual pointing caused Amane to run further and further away, and after a few more steps she would be back at school.

This is outrageous! In order to get Amane back on the right track, Mai decides to make some sacrifices.

"Lulu lulu..."

The sudden sound, like a pig grunting, immediately alerted Tianyin. Then she heard something running towards the west.

Tianyin immediately confirmed that the creature running ahead was indeed a wild boar, because she could hear what sounded like four hooves stomping in a puddle. It was impossible for a human to make such a strange sound.

With no clear destination, Tianyin had no choice but to try anything and chase after the direction from which the sound came from.

But even Mai herself probably didn't expect that her actions would actually attract the person in question.

Chapter 137: I've finally found you! (Fanbo)

Amane hurried along the direction from which the wild boar's sound came, even though her most urgent task at the moment was to find the missing Ichinose.

But her intuition told Amane that if she followed the sound, she could find the key clues needed to find Ichinose.

Even Tianyin did not expect that she would encounter a scene that she would remember vividly even ten years later.

The moment the sound broke through the thick fog shrouding the forest, it met a pair of deep brown eyes that were clearly visible even in the night.

Unlike humans who need lighting tools to compensate for weakened vision at night, wild boars can move freely even at night. The main reason for this is their eyes, which are completely different from humans. Wild boars have larger pupils, giving them night vision capabilities far exceeding those of humans.

However, even the most physically powerful beast is nothing more than a sitting duck in front of someone with tools.

Unfortunately, Tianyin did not carry such a weapon, and the two met almost head-on, leaving no room to dodge.

The wild boar's brown eyes seemed to glow like gold in the night, and the foul, earthy smell it emitted hit Tianyin's face.

To avoid being scratched on the head by tree branches that were not visible at night, Tianyin chose to run with her body low to the ground, but she never expected that this would put her in danger.

Both the human and the beast were slightly taken aback when they suddenly saw each other, and then quickly made completely different reactions. The wild boar lowered its tusks and made a low warning sound, as if it was trying to test Tianyin's strength.

Tianyin's approach was even simpler and more direct.

"Get out of here!!!"

Tianyin knew the wild boar's weaknesses well. Although the wild boar had weight, thick fat to defend against beatings and impacts, and tusks that could pierce through most creatures, its attack methods were very limited.

It's simply a matter of using a running start to increase the lethality of the tusks and the force of the charge. So, if you want to defeat a wild boar without any tools, the only chance is to launch an attack at extremely short distances.

Like lightning, Tianyin punched the wild boar in the eye socket. Before the wild boar could even cry out, Tianyin stepped forward and pressed down on the wild boar's tusks with both hands, desperately slamming it into the ground.

"Gurgle gurgle!!!"

The wild boar began to grunt angrily, its hind hooves pawing the ground violently, trying to use its physical advantage to knock its prey away, as it always did.

But this time it was horrified to discover that the offensive methods passed down through generations in its bloodline were completely ineffective against Tianyin.

Taking the initiative, Tianyin desperately pressed down on the wild boar's tusks, the immense force causing the boar's entire head to be pressed against the gravel and rubbed back and forth.

Despite possessing immense strength, she was unable to use it. When Tianyin saw the wild boar still trying to resist, she pressed down on the boar's tusks with her knee and then desperately beat the boar's head.

Mai, who was secretly watching from a distance, was trembling. Although she had been trained since childhood, this was a peaceful era and there was no need for them to play a role. The only assassination training that reminded her of her special identity was just simulating infiltration and assassination. The only thing that could be called brutal was dissecting some small animals to train her courage.

Wild boars are naturally no stranger to her; she has even killed one herself that charged into a field and caused damage.

Killing an adult wild boar by shooting it and fighting it are completely different concepts.

Mai suppressed the churning in her stomach and stole another glance in Tianyin's direction.

Tianyin was wiping the filth stuck to her fists on the wild boar's carcass. It was hard to say whether to praise Tianyin's strength or her good luck. Tianyin's full-force punch had actually cracked the wild boar's skull with a single blow. The wild boar, whose mind went blank for a moment, lost consciousness on the spot. However, due to her habit of finishing off the boar since childhood, Tianyin continued to beat the wild boar's head desperately.

Tianyin stopped swinging her fists only after the mess was reduced to a pile of unrecognizable pieces.

Looking at her still trembling fist, Tianyin knew that it was probably injured from using too much force, but unfortunately she couldn't feel any pain. Even when her body activated its defense mechanism, she didn't feel anything at all.

This is the disease that Amane is called a curse by Sakayanagi: the benefits and consequences of the inability to feel pain. The benefit is that, like now, Amane, who cannot feel pain, can unleash power beyond that of ordinary people at any time. Pain is like a shackle for ordinary people; although people can endure pain after feeling it, they can still persevere.

However, the body's defense mechanisms will react, which is why we feel weak and in pain. But once we can't feel pain, it means that the body has released the restrictions of the defense mechanisms and can fully exert its maximum strength. To many people, this is simply the best shortcut to becoming a 'superman'.

However, the consequence of painlessness is that, because she cannot feel pain, Tianyin completely loses her awareness of danger.

She could only rely on her own judgment to determine what was 'dangerous'.

Moreover, overuse of the body can lead to terrifying situations where even a severed hand can go unnoticed.

That's why Tianyin doesn't want to appear in front of others in her current monstrous form.

She didn't want to actually become a monster.

Although……

In other people's eyes, Tianyin was no different from a monster.

"There's still the scent of living things..."

Tianyin wiped the warm liquid from her face expressionlessly, her eyes beginning to search through the woods.

This judgment was made entirely based on an indescribable intuition.

Tianyin saw no one and smelled nothing but stench and fishiness.

But her intuition told her that there was a human presence nearby.

Tianyin hesitated for a moment but decided to give up the search. The other party did not interfere in such a fierce battle just now, so it should not be hostile to her.

Since they weren't enemies, she didn't need to meddle in their affairs; Ichinose was the most pressing matter at hand.

The torrential rain gradually subsided, and a biting cold wind swept over Tianyin. Although she couldn't feel the cold, her body instinctively shrank back.

Having regained some clarity, Amane began to rely on her intuition to search for Ichinose.

Of course, I also cursed Chairman Fujimori in my heart quite a bit.

If she were even slightly more reliable, she wouldn't be so completely unreliable.

What's the difference between this and letting her wander around in the woods?

After confirming with her own eyes that Tianyin had gone far away, Mai cautiously approached the wild boar.

A wild boar is an adult male that weighs over 200 kilograms.

Fatal wound... The head was so badly mangled it was impossible to confirm, but judging from the exposed bones, it was likely that a punch had caused a concussion, which was then used to kill the wild boar.

It seemed a bit like taking a shortcut, but Mai was certain that if it were her in that situation, she would probably be dead by now.

It's impossible for an average person to hold down a struggling creature weighing over 200 kilograms. Even with some techniques, it's practically impossible for someone without training to do it.

This demonstrates just how terrifying the power of the Heavenly Sound is.

"I can hardly tell which one is the wild boar anymore; that one is clearly more like a wild beast."

Mai rarely showed a helpless, bitter smile.

Does she not know if a monster like Tianyin really needs their protection?

……

After searching for more than an hour, Tianyin finally found traces.

It is a playing card.

If it were just ordinary playing cards, Tianyin might have just glanced at them and not paid them any more attention. After all, there are too many students coming and going on this road, and it wouldn't be surprising if some careless person missed a card.

However, even though the playing card in front of me has been soaked by rain and turned into a paper mess, the numbers and the creases of the card are still clearly visible.

This card is the Joker that Ichinose took from her hand.

After walking a few steps along the road, Tianyin finally found the second card on the slope to the left of the road.

When Ichinose finally lost, she still had three cards in her hand.

Based on the location where Ichinose discarded the playing cards, Tenki deduced that Ichinose would leave such a mark when changing the road.

Tianyin left the road that the school had simply tidied up and paddled down the slope. Sure enough, at the bottom of the slope, outside a naturally formed cave, Tianyin saw a card that was exactly the same as the second one.

Ichinose is probably in the cave.

but……

The wet grass outside the cave was very messy, clearly showing signs of being trampled by four-legged creatures, and the thick mud mixed with a fishy smell.

It's probably a wild boar's burrow inside.

"Let's take a gamble."

Tenon took a deep breath and took out the brooch she treasured from her pocket. It was printed with the Miyako family pattern and could also be used as a seal, but most importantly...

Actually, a short blade is hidden inside the brooch's outer shell. With a gentle push, you can see the blade gleaming coldly, clearly indicating it's a fine knife.

It is excellent in terms of both concealment and sharpness; its only drawback is that it is too short.

The blade is less than ten centimeters long, with only about five centimeters protruding. This blade was not originally intended for attacking wild boars, but it is Tianyin's only weapon at the moment.

When things come to a head, there's no other option but to try anything.

Tianyin carefully slid down the cave wall, exploring little by little, and soon reached the end.

The cave doesn't seem very big, and because it's naturally formed, it slopes down, which means that this unfortunate cave will be flooded whenever it rains.

The wild boars probably had no choice but to use this place as a burrow. This seemingly pristine forest has actually been thoroughly investigated by people, who even plan to develop some areas.

Therefore, there are signs of human activity everywhere. If you want to avoid being discovered, you can only hide in these narrow natural caves. It's good enough to be alive, so who has the energy to care about whether the rain will flood this place?

Amane lowered her body and easily reached the deepest part after passing through the narrowest section of the path. Amane immediately saw Ichinose sleeping on the leaves and dead branches that were not yet submerged in the corner.

Seeing that Ichinose's expression was quite peaceful and his breathing was even while sleeping, Amane finally relaxed.

Ignoring the puddle beneath her feet, Amane gently sat down in it, calmly watching the sleeping Ichinose.

Just as Amane was about to keep watch for Ichinose and return together at dawn, something suddenly moved in Ichinose's arms.

A pink nose peeked out from the collar of Ichinose's tracksuit, almost scaring Amane's brain out on the spot.

Fortunately, a small wild boar's head was squeezed out, and Tianyin breathed a sigh of relief, realizing it was a false alarm.

The little wild boar seemed to have smelled a familiar scent and kept moving around. Ichinose was also awakened by the little wild boar's movements. When Ichinose opened her eyes and saw Amane sitting opposite her, Ichinose showed a tired but gentle expression.

"Tianyin, you've arrived?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Neither of them said anything like "Why are you here?" They just exchanged a glance and smiled faintly at each other. Ichinose reached out his hand to Amane, who was still sitting in the puddle.

Holding Ichinose's soft little hand, Amane smoothly arrived at the corner where Ichinose was. The corner, which could only accommodate one person curled up, suddenly became crowded.

Ichinose ignored the fact that Amane's clothes were soaked through, and let Amane sit on the innermost seat first, then sat on Amane's lap herself.