Becoming a Devilish Cultivator's Miko

"Hello, uh, Kyosuke?"

"Yes, Yotsuya Kyosuke, my brother."

Miko said from the side, pulling Hana closer to her, not caring what Kyosuke thought. After all, he had wanted to follow them. Although she would eventually have to question Hana and Yuria, it didn't stop Miko from making him feel awkward now. It was a rare opportunity, and her own brother was meant to be tricked, after all.

"Alright, we should get going."

"You're right, Miko. You have to do your best today."

"Mm, I will."

As they spoke, the two had already walked a considerable distance. Watching Miko deliberately leave him behind, Kyosuke glanced back at Yuria, already understanding her malicious intent. But… he could only brace himself and continue using honorifics.

"Let's go too, Sister Yuria."

Since he wanted to get information out of Yuria, he had to build a good relationship with her first. Although the height difference made him feel awkward, and this blonde, twin-tailed Yuria didn't seem easy to talk to, he had to go all out to report back to his mother today.

"Uh, got it. Let's go."

Yuria, still not very good at conversation, struggled to think of how to communicate properly with the child in front of her. She didn't notice the unnaturalness in Kyosuke's tone and expression. She acknowledged him and reached out her hand to Kyosuke.

"Do you want to hold my hand while we walk?"

In that instant, Kyosuke felt a sense of… perhaps indignation that could be considered humiliation. This action seemed to treat him as an unruly child, as if she were serious about him getting lost on the way.

…As expected, my sister's friends are all weirdos.

Yotsuya Kyosuke silently suppressed his frustration, forced a smile onto his face, and then grabbed Yuria's fingers with his slightly trembling right hand.

He had to endure it to get the information he wanted.

"Then… I'll be counting on you, Sister Yuria."

He said through gritted teeth, glancing at Miko walking ahead of him. Whether it was his imagination or not, he thought he saw his sister's shoulders tremble inexplicably.

"Pfft."

Miko covered her mouth with her hand, hiding her smile. Hana, who had been chatting with her, looked confused at her reaction.

"Miko?"

"I just thought of something funny. I can't help it."

Miko waved her hand, indicating she was fine, then composed herself, hiding her smile, and looked at the large door in front of them.

"Well then, I should go participate in the competition. Hana, remember to keep an eye on Kyosuke for me."

Although she wasn't worried about her brother's safety, she hadn't just made protective items for Hana and Yuria.

After instructing Hana, Miko silently walked towards the competition venue and entered the waiting area to await the official start of the match. The number of participants in this competition wasn't small. On the contrary, as it was a common event, many people had a certain foundation in calligraphy and were naturally willing to participate. However, most of the people present would be eliminated in the first round, followed by the second round and the finals.

She was probably fine for the first round. As for the subsequent matches, Miko was actually unsure. She didn't know if her calligraphy, which was entirely copied, would be seen through, nor did she know the extent of the judges' eyesight. However, since she was here, she was here.

Meanwhile, after seeing Miko into the waiting area, Yurikawa Hana turned her gaze to the two behind her. The awkward atmosphere still lingered between them. Yuria didn't know what to say to start a conversation, perhaps about romance. She felt a sense of being older and didn't know how to speak. If the topic was too frivolous, it would damage her image as an elder. Kyosuke, on the other hand, wanted to use a few casual topics to transition to his sister, but looking at the short girl in front of him, and feeling suspicious of the glances from those around them, he couldn't say anything.

"Um, actually, Yuria-chan, you don't have to hold Kyosuke's hand like this."

Hana looked at the odd pair, finding Yuria's actions both amusing and exasperating.

"Kyosuke is very smart and reliable! Last time, when I got lost, he led me out."

While vouching for Kyosuke, she inadvertently revealed her own absentmindedness. This was also why Kyosuke didn't have the best impression of her; this orange-haired older sister didn't seem very smart.

However, he was grateful for Hana's intervention now.

Chapter 68: Kyosuke's Misunderstanding

Difficult to get along with. This person is nothing but trouble.

After meeting Yuria, this was Yotsuya Kyosuke's impression of her. It was precisely because of this person's existence that he was now filled with gratitude for Hana's appearance.

"Speaking of which, has my sister already gone to participate in the competition?"

"Yes, she has. We'll be able to see Miko soon."

"Mm, but speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen Sister Yuria."

Using Hana as a stepping stone, Kyosuke quickly steered the conversation toward Yuria and his sister. Hana, completely unaware that he was trying to extract information, directly answered his questions.

"Mhm, mhm. Actually, I was really surprised when I first saw Yuria. I had no idea how Yuria-chan knew Miko. But Yuria-chan is a super nice person! She brings me food every day. Um, of course, I've given her proper gifts in return."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and quickly took out a bag of bread from her backpack, smiling sheepishly.

"Speaking of which, I'm getting a little hungry."

No, what kind of appetite do you have?

Although this wasn't the first time Yotsuya Kyosuke had seen something like this, he was still greatly shocked. However, this was not the time for him to be shocked. He quickly sorted through the clues in Hana's words in his mind and subtly shifted his gaze back to Yuria. Although he disliked Yuria's attitude a little, he carefully observed her clothing, the mushroom accessories on her head, her black-painted nails, and the mushroom patterns that appeared everywhere. Those vibrant mushroom patterns highlighted their owner's unique hobby.

Does she like mushrooms?

Kyosuke could only come up with such a hypothesis, but outwardly, he smiled and revealed his curiosity about Yuria.

"Hey, Sister Yuria, can you tell me how you met my sister?"

"How we met?"

Yuria was slightly surprised by the question. However, she couldn't exactly say that she had been spying on Miko, was discovered, and was forced to grant her three wishes, could she? She was Yuria, after all, and she had her pride.

"Uh, actually, we met at the fortune-teller's shop," Yuria fabricated a lie, thinking it over. After all, she had seen Miko at the fortune-teller's.

"We both planned to go to the fortune-teller's, so we got acquainted after we met."

"And what did you go to the fortune-teller's for?"

Kyosuke stared straight at her, quickly connecting fortune-telling with certain topics, his emotions stirring.

"Could it be... you were there to get your love fortune told?"

It wasn't surprising he thought that. Given the personalities of the elementary school girls in his class, love was the only topic they'd discuss with him. As for other topics... they probably didn't want to waste their time talking to him, so they rarely brought them up. The thought of his sister getting her love fortune told suddenly made Kyosuke sensitive. Just like a father hearing his daughter is dating, he, as her younger brother, didn't want his sister to be in a relationship. You could call it sibling affection, or perhaps because they were too close, he didn't want his sister to be neglected because she had a boyfriend.

"Love? No, it's not!"

Yuria's face turned red, and she quickly waved her hands, feeling ashamed of Kyosuke's astonishing remark. If he hadn't said it, Yuria wouldn't have thought that young people nowadays go to fortune-tellers to get their love fortunes told.

"It was just a reading about my parents' well-being and whether any good things would happen recently. It has absolutely nothing to do with love."

"And what were the results of the reading?"

"Of course... of course, they were very good."

Stammering through her fabricated lie, Yuria looked at Kyosuke's serious expression and, recalling his words, couldn't help but look away, flustered, and changed the subject.

"Ah, the competition is about to start, let's go inside."

As she spoke, she grabbed Hana's arm and pulled her forward.

"Huh? Yuria-chan?"

"The competition is about to start, we should hurry."

Something was very wrong. Seeing Yuria's panic, Yotsuya Kyosuke's small face tensed. He didn't know how much his words had affected a girl who had virtually no contact with boys her age and knew nothing about love. He quickly attributed Yuria's flustered expression to her hiding something.

"So... the fortune-telling results were terrible?"

He stroked his chin, accepting this version of events.

"No wonder my sister has been bullying me lately and has been in a bad mood. It's because her luck has been terrible recently. Then this competition..."

Looking at the two figures gradually disappearing into the distance, almost forgetting about him, and thinking of his sister's never-before-seen calligraphy skills, Yotsuya Kyosuke suddenly hesitated.

"I've figured it out anyway. Maybe I should... just go back first?"

It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his sister. It was just that seeing his sister needing him to wake her up every day made it difficult for him to hold her in high regard. His thoughts swirled for a moment, and then he made up his mind.

"Yeah, I'll go back first."

Soon, Miko, who was idly scrolling through her phone, received messages from both Hana and her mother. Hana said she couldn't find Kyosuke and kept apologizing, while her mother said Kyosuke had gone home.

"...What's gotten into that kid?"

Even as a cultivator, Miko couldn't deduce what had happened. She could only vaguely guess that Yuria had said something nonsensical to the kid, causing some misunderstanding.

"Whatever, I can't be bothered to deal with him."

She replied to both of them on her phone, comforting Hana and Yuria, and then looked around at the people nearby, feeling a sudden anxiety. As the competition drew closer, she began to have unusual emotions about the event. Unease, anxiety, nervousness – just like every other participant.

She tightly gripped the strap of her shoulder bag, took a deep breath, and imagined the competition as if she were drawing a talisman, finally feeling somewhat at ease.

As time passed, the door to the waiting area finally opened. Miko silently placed her shoulder bag into the storage compartment for her belongings, checked the talismans on the iron box, and then walked into the venue with the others.

Lights shone on everyone, and the stands were filled with people, making the event seem lively. Consequently, some participants inevitably felt the pressure.

"Please, no mistakes."

Someone muttered. Miko simply scanned the stands with her Spiritual Sense and quickly found Hana and Yuria, smiling at them.

Chapter 69: Words Written by the Dead

The competition proceeded quite smoothly. Yotsuya Miko easily passed the first round after simply writing a haiku. Each contestant's work was projected onto the large screen in the venue, where the audience and judges jointly reviewed and scored them. This approach made the atmosphere in the venue cheerful.

Since there was no preliminary round to improve the overall quality of the contestants, the public display of some contestants' works was undoubtedly a heavy blow to those individuals and a challenge to the audience's viewing standards. In fact, when one contestant's work was presented, faint, unintentional laughter from the stands made the contestant too embarrassed to stay, and they quickly covered their face and left.

However, after the first round, a large number of contestants were eliminated, and the calligraphy skills of the remaining participants improved. Miko, possessing more acute perception than ordinary people, couldn't help but admire the works of several contestants. The qualities and spirit contained within made their calligraphy exceptionally outstanding.

But now, she didn't have to worry about whether she could win. The moment her work was displayed, the gasps of the audience and judges told her that it contained a certain emotion, or something that could be called inner substance, which ordinary people found difficult to grasp. They were more impressed by the script Miko had imitated.

Even the judges immediately identified which master she had copied, praising her for embodying his spirit and calling her a reincarnation of the era. However, she knew her own capabilities. If the calligraphy master whose style she had imitated were to see her work, he would probably point at her nose and curse her out.

Thus, she calmly continued, neither overjoyed nor saddened, and wrote two more rounds. Amidst a chorus of exclamations, she safely secured first place. It was so smooth that she felt a pang of frustration, wondering what the point of her previous rigorous training had been.

"Well then, congratulations, Miss Yotsuya Miko."

Several judges greeted her warmly, subtly inquiring about her teacher and revealing their identities. Especially upon hearing that the young girl before them had no formal teacher, their enthusiasm increased by several points. However, Miko wasn't in the mood to converse with each of them individually. She merely looked at the other winners beside her. As she had suspected, they were the ones whose calligraphy she had previously sensed an inner substance in.

The second-place winner was a delicate-looking young girl who seemed uncomfortable with crowds and enthusiastic welcomes. Seeing Yotsuya Miko drawing the judges' attention, she secretly felt relieved, looking as if a weight had been lifted. The third-place winner was a young man who appeared amiable on the surface and seemed particularly adept at pleasing others. However, the inner substance of his calligraphy was completely different from his appearance. The young girl's script was extremely forceful, with an indescribable dominance, while the young man's script was opulent and noble, exuding an aura of wealth, with a hidden touch of refinement.

"Can you tell? My calligraphy."

Miko suddenly spoke, turning her gaze to the young girl. Startled by the question, the girl could only blush.

"I... I think Miss Yotsuya's writing is very good."

With everyone's eyes on her, she found it difficult to speak, and she genuinely couldn't discern anything unusual. She could only stiffly squeeze out a sentence.

"With several calligraphy masters here, I'm sure everything will be fair and just. Ladies, you don't need to worry too much. I admit defeat."

The young man was a bit lost by Miko's words at this moment. He just thought she felt he was being too praised and didn't quite believe it. He found it amusing and enviable, but nothing more. That's just how he was; he often worried about his own calligraphy not being good enough, but he'd come to accept it over time.

"After all, calligraphy really does depend on talent. I wonder what the two young ladies think of my handwriting."

He was indeed experienced enough to know how to speak, naturally shifting the awkwardness of the judges being neglected. This way, there wouldn't be any further complications after winning first place.

"Huh? Mr. Fujiwara's handwriting? Um... it's also very good."

The young girl was still a bit dazed and didn't know how to say anything nice, speaking only the most straightforward words. However, Miko glanced at him and nodded slightly in agreement.

Her Spiritual Sense was still active, allowing her to guess about seventy to eighty percent of people's thoughts. She understood why the judges had been so enthusiastic towards her, and naturally, they had neglected others. She also understood Mr. Fujiwara's thoughts, but there was no need for such thoughts. After all, she would only participate in this one calligraphy competition and likely wouldn't participate again. Although her original purpose for entering the competition was just for the prize money, winning so easily made her unable to feel happy because no one could truly see the flaws in her calligraphy.

Thinking this, what came out of her mouth was something else entirely.

"Mr. Fujiwara's calligraphy is very skilled. The judges' comments have also given me many new insights. I believe my calligraphy level will greatly improve and advance after this.

Hearing this, the judges' impression of the first-place winner being "arrogant" slightly changed, and their enthusiastic expressions returned. After a slightly drawn-out award ceremony, Miko politely declined the judges' invitations to stay and quickly walked over to the two contestants.

"Mr. Fujiwara, and Miss Amamiya."

"What is it, Miss Yotsuya?"

The two turned around in confusion, but Yotsuya Miko smiled slightly and apologized to them.

"I'm very sorry for asking such a strange question earlier."

"Oh, it's nothing like that. We were just a little surprised."

"Yes, please don't worry about it."

After they said this and exchanged a few pleasantries, the three parted ways in different directions.

As soon as Miko walked out of the venue, she was hugged by Yurikawa Hana, who seemed very excited.

"Wow! Miko, your handwriting is so beautiful."

"Really?"