Yamata no Orochi? Shikigami?

[You have obtained a key item for Side Quest 1 - a complete Ksitigarbha statue!]

[Side Quest 1: The Ksitigarbha Statue's Damage - When did the Ksitigarbha statue enshrined in the south of the village become damaged?]

Previously, it was Side Quest 2, and now Side Quest 1 has also arrived.

Uesugi Tetsu carefully examined the Ksitigarbha statue in his hand.

Now, all that was needed was to locate White Brahma's activity area to complete the full construction of the ghost village map.

However, the content described in Side Quest 1... even Uesugi Tetsu, who didn't frequent forums much, had heard of it.

A rural village, and a damaged Ksitigarbha statue.

If nothing went wrong, the ghost story mentioned in Side Quest 1 should be "Yao-Shaku-Sama."

--Legend has it that Yao-Shaku-Sama will appear inexplicably around the target, making a "popopo" sound, and anyone who looks at it will be absolutely cursed.

After that, Yao-Shaku-Sama will use various methods to approach the target, inflicting a curse upon them...

Even among various urban legends, Yao-Shaku-Sama is one of the most popular, with dedicated manga and anime adaptations widely spread.

There's even a saying that Yao-Shaku-Sama prefers to appear in the eyes of cute young boys.

However, after contemplating, Uesugi Tetsu found that Yao-Shaku-Sama, aside from "cursing," didn't have any powerful killing methods, and didn't seem difficult to deal with.

Without seeing the status panel of the Ksitigarbha statue, Uesugi Tetsu muttered to himself, "So, what's the use of this Ksitigarbha statue?"

"Master said..."

The little one was about to speak, but upon seeing Uesugi Tetsu's gaze shift towards her, she froze as if struck by a petrifying spell.

"Take your time and tell me."

Uesugi Tetsu tried to keep his tone gentle—damn it, how many things did this Blacksmith tell his child laborer, one after another? Would it kill him to say it all at once?

The little one cleared her throat, seemingly imitating the Blacksmith's tone:

"--Walker, if you have the intention of subduing Shikigami, you can use this Ksitigarbha statue on the ghost in the south of Arakawa Village."

Uesugi Tetsu stared quietly at the little one, understanding why he couldn't see the Ksitigarbha statue's attributes.

Because this was a hidden item that could only be triggered by the "Walker" identity.

If he had a different identity, even if he obtained it, he wouldn't know how to use it, leading him to still kill Yao-Shaku-Sama, making no difference whether he had the Ksitigarbha statue or not.

Thinking this, it was likely that from the first time he stepped into the Blacksmith's shop, the Blacksmith had recognized him as a Walker.

It was a shame the Blacksmith left too early, not giving him a chance to ask about matters related to Walkers.

Uesugi Tetsu put away the Ksitigarbha statue, resolving to try and capture Yao-Shaku-Sama within the Ksitigarbha statue before dealing with White Brahma. If successful, it would be an additional fighting force.

"Next, I will eliminate the ghosts in Arakawa Ghost Village one by one." Uesugi Tetsu walked to the door and suddenly turned back, startling the little one who was about to close the door, "Is there anything else you want to say?"

The little one quickly pulled up her hood that had slipped down, stood still for a moment, placed her hands in front of her, and bowed deeply to Uesugi Tetsu:

"I wish you, good fortune in battle."

Uesugi Tetsu nodded at her cheerfully and stepped over the threshold of the Blacksmith's shop.

It seemed the effect of that sudden glance back was quite significant; he finally saw the appearance of the little one under her hood, who liked to speak in half-truths.

Her face was round and quite cute.

--But what was with tying two golden bells to the ends of her hair?

"You took quite a long time bathing."

Amidst the noisy crowds, Ririko's voice was exceptionally clear, even making Uesugi Tetsu instinctively want to swing a non-existent sword.

Ririko quickly turned her head and raised her hands to block above her head: "Are you ungrateful?!"

"Instinct, instinct... look, you even triggered my knee-jerk reflex."

Pressing his right hand with his left, Uesugi Tetsu looked around: "Where's your friend?"

"Standing under the small grove, scrolling on her phone."

The two interacted as if no one else was around, leaving the passing students dumbfounded.

--When did the usually stern captain of the Kendo Club become so lively?

But the two involved had no intention of caring about the onlookers' thoughts. Uesugi Tetsu's mind was entirely focused on his next plan, while Ririko, with a clear mind, chatted and practiced sword fighting in her heart.

That's right! After achieving Clear Sword Heart, Ririko discovered that she could actually construct a training ground and enemies in her mind, allowing her to train every moment, without a second's pause.

Although the results of inner training couldn't directly affect the body, it was an excellent method for honing willpower and refining sword details.

The downside was that it placed a great burden on the spirit.

Of course, Ririko didn't care.

"Last night, a gas explosion occurred in a building in the Arakawa district..."

Under the grove, Shizuma Manatsu muttered, "Why do gas and pipeline explosions seem so frequent lately? Do so many people lack basic safety awareness?"

Beside her, Kitano Runa's face twitched, her fingers trembling as she slid this report into her "[Trying to Conceal]" collection.

Her expression was grim. "This is going to be bad... Are they going to pull some kind of Arakawa Incident in a couple of days? If people have to die, can't it be the capitalists and the rich first?"

After greeting the two Shizumas, Uesugi Tetsu led them to the entrance.

He looked around for a while but couldn't see Hasegawa Ken anywhere.

"Strange, did Nanjō-senpai stand me up? That's not like her..."

Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to call her, he heard Shizuma Manatsu exclaim beside him, "Big sis! What are you doing here?!"

Uesugi Tetsu followed the sound and saw a woman with a neat short haircut, dressed in an OL outfit, her expression unyielding.

A name tag was pinned to her jacket: [Shizuma Mafuyu].

She looked a bit like a smaller version of Nanjō Emi.

Shizuma Mafuyu clearly saw Uesugi Tetsu too. She wanted to say something, but with her sister so close, she turned to her first.

"Manatsu, I should be asking you, why are you...?"

Shizuma Mafuyu paused, glanced at Uesugi Tetsu again, and then said, "Out with this Mr. Uesugi?"

Although Manatsu had a carefree personality, she was far from stupid, so she immediately realized, "Big sis, you're that acquaintance of Uesugi-kun?"

"Younger Division Excellency asked me to pick someone up... is that my sister?"

Shizuma Mafuyu thought blankly for a moment, then quickly grabbed her sister's shoulders and asked sternly and anxiously, "Manatsu! How did you come into contact with those things?!"

Shizuma Manatsu was flustered by her sister's attitude and stammered, "Huh? Ah! I..."

Seeing that the two sisters were about to argue at the school gate, Uesugi Tetsu reached out and gently grasped Shizuma Mafuyu's arm. "Ms. Shizuma, excuse me, where is Mr. Hasegawa?"

The intervention of an outsider made Shizuma Mafuyu's words falter. She finally realized her loss of composure.

"Sorry..."

Shizuma Mafuyu apologized, rubbing her temples, and whispered to Uesugi Tetsu, "Hasegawa-dono sacrificed himself last night. I am now replacing him as Nanjō Younger Division's Trainee."

Uesugi Tetsu was slightly taken aback.