Becoming a Devilish Cultivator's Miko

Yotsuya Miko muttered, using her ability to leap through the window and into the room. She took the Talisman Iron Pellet from beside the sleeping woman and replaced it with a new one she had just made, one designed to kill Ghosts.

Finally, she left with peace of mind.

She wouldn't even know if I swapped it out, since these things don't have any special markings.

Miko thought this to herself. It wasn't until she was on her way home that she suddenly remembered something. Apparently, due to the influence of the "Guardian of Silver Pellets," she had awkwardly made a few Talisman Iron Pellets with markings. Then she remembered that she didn't plan to maintain the heat of the Silver Pellets like last time, since she didn't intend to manage them anymore.

...I should really destroy those marked ones quickly. Seriously, what was I even thinking back then.

As she spoke, she secretly erased the markings on those Talisman Iron Pellets and then finally got back into bed to sleep.

Speaking of which, how many did I refine?

As Miko closed her eyes, her mind sank. Before she could find the answer, her consciousness slowly faded, and she fell into a deep sleep.

This was one of the earliest nights she had slept in days, falling asleep at three in the morning.

"I will remember your words."

The female teacher felt that she was probably too worried about her father's illness and whether her salary could continue to cover the medical expenses. She had a dream where she saw Sadako climbing out of a well, pushing aside her long hair to reveal a face embedded with small, silvery-white balls, and speaking to her in a hoarse voice.

Then, she woke up with a start.

I really shouldn't have gone to watch ghost movies with my friends. And how much do I really care about the effect of the Silver Pellets?

She grumbled to herself, rubbing her messy hair. However, after washing up, she still followed her original plan to visit her father in the hospital. She instructed him to keep a small, unmarked ball on his person. Then, she rushed off to work.

This child... how could she believe such silly things.

The old father in the hospital bed didn't refute her to her face, but after she left, he let out a long sigh.

My illness has made her worry too much.

He thought about it and decided to follow his child's arrangement and put the iron pellet under his pillow to put her mind at ease. However, before he could do so, the silvery-white ball in his hand suddenly showed black marks.

Unable to see clearly, he called a nurse over in surprise to help him take a look.

"Is this... Silver Pellets?"

The nurse had also heard of this urban legend. Looking at the black marks on the iron pellet, she silently read out the words on it.

"? What does this mean?"

The nurse, completely confused, looked at the small ball and then... called for a doctor.

Although she didn't know what was happening, an urban legend seemed to have appeared before her.

Chapter 53: A Peaceful Daily Life

In the morning, Yotsuya Miko felt a rare sense of comfort as she got out of bed.

"Mmm..."

She stretched her body, a gentle laziness spreading through her. After such a long period of deep sleep, her worn-out body had already begun to recover significantly.

To be honest, if it weren't for school, she would have slept until noon today.

Did I really neglect my health so much during this past period? (3%), Silingqi Er'er Si Ba Shi Yue+Yi?

Muttering to herself, she got out of bed. She checked the box in her shoulder bag that held the Talisman Iron Pellets, confirming that they were all functioning normally before slowly getting dressed to brush her teeth and wash up.

The Yotsuya household was no different from usual today. Yotsuya Kyosuke, as always, woke up a little earlier, and their mother, Touko, had already prepared breakfast for the two of them.

"Sister, you seem to be in good spirits today."

Kyosuke ate his breakfast slowly, looking at his older sister with his fierce-looking eyes. He had keenly noticed that Miko was different from her usual self today.

"How should I put it... it's rare to see you not looking unhappy."

Usually, his sister would be like she had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, expressionless, as if her face clearly stated "I'm unhappy," but that wasn't the case today.

"No way."

Miko retorted. She looked at the abundant breakfast before her and quickly began to enjoy it, completely ignoring Kyosuke's confusion.

She didn't intend to answer her brother's questions; this kid tended to overthink things.

"It's probably because I finally got a good night's sleep today."

Touko said with a smile, looking at the two of them and taking over the conversation for Miko.

"Miko hasn't been sleeping well at all lately."

After all, how could a mother not care about her child? And Miko had looked sleep-deprived every morning lately; even the most careless person would have noticed by now.

"...Yeah, I've been having a bit of insomnia lately."

Miko fell silent for a moment before giving a reason.

"I'm a little worried about the competition."

The calligraphy competition became the excuse she naturally used. After her last conversation with Kyosuke, she had signed up for the competition, treating it as a way to relax.

And, to her shame, she had been a bit short on funds lately.

If it weren't for the calligraphy competition, she would have planned to take on a part-time job during the holidays to earn money for materials. But a part-time job would be even harder to explain.

Besides, part-time work really took up a lot of time.

"Oh… you mean the calligraphy competition?"

Kyosuke looked at her, asking in surprise, "Big sis, did you really sign up? No way, right?"

Looks like this little brother needs a few more hits.

Miko looked at him with a forced smile, ready to contribute to their sibling relationship for the day.

"What, you don't think my calligraphy is good?"

"No, it's just… well… how do I put it…"

Seeing the smile on Yotsuya Miko's face, Kyosuke started recalling past pains and realized how carelessly he had spoken.

He frantically waved his hands to indicate he didn't mean it that way, "I mean… big sis shouldn't need a competition like this to prove her strength."

"That's a very nice thing to say, Kyosuke."

Touko slightly covered her smiling lips with her hand and turned to go into the kitchen to clean up the used cookware.

"Remember to finish your breakfast early and get to school."

She didn't particularly dislike the emotional exchanges between siblings, and Miko, receiving a certain signal from her mother, smiled even more.

"Hey, could you repeat what you just said to me again?"

As she spoke, Miko had already gotten down from her seat and was looking down at Kyosuke, who was sitting on the chair and trembling. She grabbed him by the earlobes without hesitation.

"N-ouch, ouch, ouch—go easy, go easy, I was wrong…"

A cry, half real and half fake, soon echoed from the living room, while Yotsuya Touko, tidying up the cookware, smiled faintly, happy about their relationship.

"The children's feelings haven't really changed, have they, dear?"

She said softly, pouring a cup of hot tea for herself and then filling another cup.

After a bout of roughhousing filled with pain and laughter, Kyosuke and Miko quickly finished their breakfast, packed their things, and headed towards school.

After clearing out Ghosts from the surroundings for a long time, the number of Ghosts on the nearby streets had significantly decreased. At least, they weren't so numerous that they were seen everywhere. Today, they were even lucky enough not to encounter a single Ghost on the way from home to school, although Spiritual Sense still detected a large cluster of Ghosts.

If only every day were like this.

Yotsuya Miko thought this, then shook her head gently, feeling that this idea was probably impossible. Sometimes, things don't go the way people want.

Even the peaceful life she had previously envisioned was disrupted when a powerful Ghost like the Kimono Ghost targeted Yurikawa Hana.

Unless she became strong enough herself, all peace would eventually be shattered. And by then, no amount of regret would help.

"What are you thinking about, Miko?"

A strong impact, a soft touch, came from her back, accompanied by an energetic voice.

"I'm thinking about how much breakfast you ate today, my big eater Hana."

Yotsuya Miko teased, turning around to look at Yurikawa Hana's pouting face and saying.

"That's so mean. You should at least call me a glutton."

"Is there a difference?"

Miko smiled, and walked towards the classroom with Hana, chatting and laughing.

"Did you hear? The new teacher, Tono Zen, seems to have obtained the Guardian of Silver Pellets."

"Yeah, it seems to have spread among the teachers."

Yotsuya Miko nodded, showing no sign of being involved herself.

"It seems Tono Zen has his own worries and troubles. I hope the Silver Pellets can help him solve them."

She said this, glancing at Tono Zen walking by in the hallway.

Although the Talisman Iron Pellet's only function was tracking, she had indeed helped this gentleman kill the cat spirit and the Ghost that were on him.

"That's true."

Hana nodded, then subconsciously touched her stomach, her face looking glum.

"Because I overslept, I didn't have time to eat much this morning, and I'm already a bit hungry."

"You really are something."

Miko shook her head. Just as she was about to say something, a blonde child slowly approached.

"If you don't mind, you can have this."

Yuria offered the bread she had prepared. Although she didn't know how things had turned out this way, giving Hana a portion of bread every day had become her habit.

She had specifically decided not to bring bread this morning, but when she looked in her bag at school, there was a bag of bread inside as usual. Habits are truly a terrifying thing.

She mused, and since she couldn't eat it herself, she could only feed it to Hana. Anyway, for her family's financial situation, these few bags of bread didn't matter.

Consider it repayment for yesterday's donuts.

"Wow, thank you so much, Yuria-chan."

She said, once again using her ample figure to embrace Yuria tightly.

Yuria immediately began to regret it.

"H-help..."

Seeing Yuria struggling to breathe while being held, Jianzi smiled and rescued her.

"Alright, alright, eat up."

"Okay, I've decided. Tonight, I'm treating you to strawberry-flavored Butt Mochi."

"Me too."

"Of course, Jianzi."

PS2: Because I have an exam this afternoon (in two hours) and haven't studied at all, the author had to push the update to the evening. Today is my last exam. If you see me updating at two or three in the afternoon, it's probably because I had insomnia again. Anyway, wish me luck.

PS3: Speaking of which, the manga author has created quite a few bugs and plot holes themselves.

Chapter 54: The Silver Pellets That Save People

Tono Zen had heard of the Guardian of Silver Pellets but paid it no mind, until today.

He gazed out the window, lost in thought. Even for someone like him who disliked crowds, the weather today was exceptionally fine, bringing a sense of joy.

For some reason, Tono Zen gradually felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from him.

He suspected it was an illusion, yet it felt unusual.

During Japanese class, today's lecture was a reading of an excerpt from Ryunosuke Akutagawa's "Rashomon." Soon, the sound of reading echoed from the classroom. Students, called upon one by one, recited different passages in standard, steady tones, as if such a tone was beneficial for reading aloud.

Long passages of description were interspersed with the strong atmosphere of his writing style. Just a few short lines were enough to sketch out the scene at the time.