[You have obtained the key item for Side Quest One—the complete Ksitigarbha statue!]
[Side Quest One: The Ksitigarbha Statue's Damage—When was the Ksitigarbha statue enshrined south of the village damaged?]
Previously, there had been Side Quest Two. Now Side Quest One had appeared as well.
Uesugi Tetsu carefully examined the Ksitigarbha statue in his hands.
Now, as long as he found out where White Brahma was active, he would be able to complete the Arakawa Ghost Village map.
However, the contents described by Side Quest One... Even Uesugi Tetsu, who rarely browsed the forums, had heard of them countless times.
A rural village, along with a damaged Ksitigarbha statue.
If nothing went wrong, the Supernatural Phenomenon referred to in Side Quest One should be "Yao-Shaku-Sama."
—Legend had it that Yao-Shaku-Sama would eerily appear around her target without warning, making a "popopo" sound. As long as someone caught sight of her, she would definitely latch onto them.
After that, Yao-Shaku-Sama would use all kinds of methods to approach her target and cause them to contract a curse...
Even among the various urban legends, Yao-Shaku-Sama ranked among the most popular. People had even specially drawn related manga and produced similar anime, spreading them far and wide.
There was even a saying that Yao-Shaku-Sama preferred appearing in front of adorable young boys.
However, after thinking it over, Uesugi Tetsu realized that aside from her "curse," Yao-Shaku-Sama did not seem to possess any powerful means of killing people. She did not seem too difficult to deal with.
Uesugi Tetsu, who had not seen the Ksitigarbha statue's attribute panel, muttered to himself, "So, what use does this Ksitigarbha statue have?"
"My master said..."
The little one was just about to speak, but when she saw Uesugi Tetsu's gaze turn toward her, she froze as if immobilized.
"Take your time."
Uesugi Tetsu tried his best to keep his tone gentle—Damn it, just how many things did that blacksmith tell his child laborer? One sentence at a time. Would it kill him to say everything at once?
The little one cleared her throat, seemingly imitating the blacksmith's tone:
"—Wandering Excellency, if you have the intention of subduing a Shikigami, you may use this Ksitigarbha statue on the Supernatural Phenomenon south of Arakawa Village."
Uesugi Tetsu stared silently at the little one, understanding why he had been unable to see the Ksitigarbha statue's attributes.
Because this was a hidden item that could only be activated by someone with the identity of a "Wanderer."
If he had possessed any other identity, even if he obtained it, he would not have known how to use it. He would still have killed Yao-Shaku-Sama, making no difference whether he had taken the Ksitigarbha statue or not.
Thinking about it this way, the blacksmith had probably recognized him as a Wanderer the first time he entered the smithy.
Unfortunately, the blacksmith had died too soon and had not had the chance to ask him anything about Wanderers.
Uesugi Tetsu put away the Ksitigarbha statue and decided to first try to seal Yao-Shaku-Sama inside it before dealing with White Brahma. If he succeeded, it would count as another combat asset.
"From now on, I'll clear out the Supernatural Phenomena in Arakawa Ghost Village one by one." Just as Uesugi Tetsu reached the door, he suddenly turned around, startling the little one, who was about to close it. "Is there anything else you want to say?"
The little one hurriedly pulled her hood back on after it had accidentally slipped down. After standing there for a moment, she placed both hands in front of her and chose to bow deeply to Uesugi Tetsu:
"I wish you success in battle."
Uesugi Tetsu nodded at her cheerfully and stepped over the threshold of the smithy.
It seemed that the sneak attack from behind had been quite effective. He had finally gotten a clear look at what the little one who always stopped halfway through her sentences looked like beneath her hood.
She had a round little face and was rather cute.
—But what kind of style was it to tie two golden bells to the ends of her hair?
"You took a while to wash."
Amid the noisy flow of people coming and going, Ririko's voice was exceptionally clear. It even made Uesugi Tetsu instinctively want to swing the nonexistent sword in his hand.
Ririko hurriedly turned her head aside and raised both hands above her head to block. "Is this how you repay someone who saved you?"
"Instinctive reaction, instinctive reaction... Look, you've given me a patellar reflex."
Holding down his right hand with his left, Uesugi Tetsu looked around. "Where's your friend?"
"She's standing under the little woods, scrolling through her phone."
The two interacted as though no one else were around, leaving the passing students dumbfounded.
—When did the Kendo Club's usually stern captain become so lively?
But the two people involved had no intention of caring about the onlookers' thoughts. Uesugi Tetsu's mind was filled with his upcoming plans, while Ririko chatted absentmindedly and practiced swordsmanship in her mind.
That was right! After attaining Clear Sword Heart, Ririko discovered that she could construct training grounds and enemies within her mind, allowing her to train every moment without stopping for even a second.
Although the results of training in her mind could not directly affect her body, it was an excellent way to temper her willpower and hone the details of her swordsmanship.
The drawback was that it placed an enormous burden on her mind.
Of course, Ririko did not care.
"Last night, a gas explosion occurred in a building somewhere in Arakawa Ward..."
Under the trees, Shizuma Manatsu muttered, "Why do sewer and gas explosions seem to be happening so frequently lately? Are there really so many people lacking basic safety awareness?"
Beside her, Kitano Runa's face was already twitching. Her fingers trembling, she filed the report into her [Cover-Up] collection.
Her expression was awful. "This is going to be bad... They aren't going to come up with some Arakawa Incident in a few days, are they? If people have to die, can't the capitalists and rich people die first?"
After greeting the Shizuma sisters, Uesugi Tetsu led them to the entrance.
He looked around for quite some time but did not see Hasegawa Ken anywhere.
"Strange. Did Sister Nanjō stand me up? That shouldn't be possible..."
Just as Uesugi Tetsu was about to call him, he heard Shizuma Manatsu exclaim beside him, "Sis! What are you doing here?!"
Uesugi Tetsu looked in the direction of her voice and saw a woman with neat short hair, dressed in office attire, her expression utterly serious.
A name badge was pinned to her jacket: [Shizuma Mafuyu].
She looked somewhat like a smaller version of Nanjō Emi.
Shizuma Mafuyu had clearly noticed Uesugi Tetsu as well. She wanted to say something, but with her younger sister right beside her, she could only look at her first.
"Xia, I should be the one asking you. Why are you..."
Shizuma Mafuyu paused, then looked at Uesugi Tetsu again before saying, "Out with this Mr. Uesugi?"
Manatsu was carefree by nature, but she was by no means stupid, so she immediately understood. "Sis, you're the acquaintance of Uesugi-kun?"
"The person Younger Division Excellency told me to pick up... is my younger sister?"
Shizuma Mafuyu thought in confusion. Then she hurriedly grabbed her sister by the shoulders and asked sternly and anxiously, "Manatsu! How did you come into contact with those things?!"
Shizuma Manatsu was rendered at a loss by her sister's attitude. She stammered, "Huh? Ah! I..."
Seeing that the two sisters were about to start arguing at the school entrance, Uesugi Tetsu reached out and gently took hold of Shizuma Mafuyu's arm. "Ms. Shizuma, may I ask where Mr. Hasegawa is?"
The interruption from an outsider immediately stopped Shizuma Mafuyu. Only then did she realize how inappropriate she had been acting.
"I'm sorry..."
Shizuma Mafuyu rubbed her temples apologetically and said quietly to Uesugi Tetsu, "Hasegawa Excellency perished last night. I've now replaced him as Nanjō's junior disciple."
Uesugi Tetsu froze slightly.
Before you continue