The Old Man on the Train and His Phone

However, in general, Divine Gate's interests were aligned. These people assisted Divine Gate's actions while also carrying out their own affairs. This led to a situation that was not good for Yotsuya Miko —the number of psychics under Kawamori increased.

For her, who relies on Spiritual Power energy to search rather than manpower and resources, these complex auras would only interfere with her search.

"If you could understand it, then nobody would watch this kind of program."

Shimizu Tenpu took out a lighter and lit the cigarette between his fingers.

"Many shows, and many things, are like this show, filled with things you find completely uninteresting, yet they still gain popularity and support."

In his view, the show might be quite successful, but it's hard to say. Whether it's the previous point system or the current criticism from calligraphers, the seriousness of traditional competitions and the casualness of public scoring, these awkward things mixed together have created a mess. But sometimes, such messiness can be seen as its other side.

After all, the right to interpret calligraphy is not held by the general public, just like the art forms that are little known to the public. The right to interpret calligraphy is also held by a minority of authorities. And this minority of authorities is deeply entrenched in this country.

"There's nothing to pay attention to in this competition. The Shepherds are unlikely to appear in such events, and neither is the spy we're looking for."

After exhaling a smoke ring, Shimizu Tenpu decided not to continue watching the game.

Such an event is very grand, so the deployment of police forces at the venue is also very important. In modern society, the power of firearms far surpasses that of these exorcists. Unless the shepherds have lost their minds, they wouldn't dare to cause trouble in such a place.

As for the spies they were looking for, none of the event organizers that Kawamori Divine Gate provided to him met the requirements for spies.

Regarding another matter... he didn't have many clues either.

We still couldn't get many useful clues from Kawamori Divine Gate; they didn't show any signs of being exposed on the surface.

Remembering what Okita Qishen had told him, Shimizu Tenpu frowned. He stubbed out his cigarette and walked out of Yuria's room.

"Go to sleep early, we still need to cooperate with the Kawami -Divine Gate branch tomorrow."

"Yes, I understand, senior."

As she said this, Yuria picked up the remote control, ready to change the channel.

She initially watched the show out of curiosity, since it was practically Divine Gate's own program, and Divine Gate had generally given her a good impression so far. Therefore, she held a somewhat favorable view of the show. Surely, a program from such a leading figure in the psychic world wouldn't be so terrible?

Then, she was deeply moved by the program.

In any case, such art is premature for humankind.

Just as she was about to switch channels, the program's camera panned to another contestant. Looking at this person who seemed to be giving it their all, radiating an aura of "I've tried my best" but clearly just going through the motions, Yuria froze.

The remote control slipped from her hand and fell to the ground, but that didn't fully express her astonishment.

"Miko?"

After recognizing her true backer, her mind went blank, and she quickly began to deduce the situation.

Because of Kaishoku Shugaku's incident, she finally learned to use her intelligence to discern things.

Why did Okita Qishen assign her to the Kawamori area without explanation? Why were they assigned a job that was essentially a complete leak, involving catching the mole?

First of all, it's highly unlikely that Yotsuya Miko came to Kawamori because of the competition, even if the prize money was substantial. For a deity like her, money is worthless.

Secondly, it's unlikely that Yotsuya Miko was due to calligraphy, because this competition was nowhere near as good as some formal calligraphy competitions, or rather, it didn't seem like a formal calligraphy competition at all.

Then, given Miko's personality, she is very friendly towards humans, so it's highly likely that she came to deal with some very powerful spirits or to eliminate some forces that would harm humanity.

Does such a force exist in the Kawamori region? The answer is yes, the Shepherds.

According to Okita Qishen, Yuria's mission was to use the pretext of Kawamori Divine Gate searching for the shepherds in Kawamori-no-Mikoto to request outside help in order to find the spy inside Kawamori Divine Gate. So, in reality, they had two missions: one was to search for the shepherds, and the other was to search for the mole. Moreover, they could slack off on both missions.

So here's the question: who would believe that the head of the Investigation Department at Divine Gate would send his subordinates on such a mission?

"First of all, Senior Shimizu Tenpu definitely has other missions; there's no need to guess."

She rubbed her head, picked up the remote from the floor, and turned off the TV.

"This kind of mission doesn't need my participation, because even if I did, it wouldn't be of any use. For Okita Qishen, my significance is greater, not in my strength, but in..."

She took her phone out of her pocket and opened her contacts.

"Find a powerful backer."

Before seeing Yotsuya Miko, she had no idea she was here. But upon seeing Yotsuya Miko, she finally understood Okita Qishen's intentions.

"And this kind of thing is only known to me, him, and Vice Minister Oe."

Shimizu Tenpu certainly didn't know that their missions were completely isolated. In Shimizu Tenpu's eyes, he was probably just a rookie used to cover up his own mission, and to outsiders, it was probably the same; perhaps his own mission was also a decoy.

However, even if she could contact Yotsuya Miko, what message did Okita Qishen want her to pass on to Yotsuya Miko?

I don't understand.

Yuria shook her head, made the call, and gave up thinking about it.

She didn't have many other emotions about Okita Qishen giving her the task in this way. Because she, Okita Qishen, and Yotsuya Miko all knew the truth.

"Hey, Yuria."

A weak, listless voice came from the other end of the phone.

Is there a way to remove my name from the second round of selections?

Chapter 137 The Elderly Man's Cell Phone on the Tram

"I'm sorry, but I simply can't do that."

"Yeah?"

Yotsuya Miko rubbed her head.

"Do you have any news about the shepherds over there?"

The moment she saw herself on television, she knew it was only a matter of time before Yuria realized what was happening.

This kid isn't stupid, but he's not particularly smart either; otherwise, he would have called me the moment he arrived in Kawamori.

Of course, it doesn't matter if Yuria doesn't realize it; she won't force her. She'll protect the child anyway.

"No... I only arrived yesterday. I heard that Kawamori Divine Gate and other Divine Gate personnel in other areas have started searching, but haven't found anything yet."

"I see..."

She nodded, wondering why she had learned so much about psychics from Kawamori.

"In that case, it'll be hard for me to find someone... Ah, how's it going at Divine Gate?"

"To be honest, my boss is terrible."

Yuria sighed, feeling a headache coming on at the thought of her boss, who always seemed all smiles but was actually deep in thought.

"But it went relatively smoothly."

"How is Granny Saegusa?"

"My mother-in-law is very kind, but she didn't join the Divine Gate. She didn't say anything about me joining, but I guess she was a little disappointed?"

"Is that so?"

Yotsuya Miko remained noncommittal. She had learned some things about Divine Gate's actions from Kaishoku Shugaku and from Amamiya Xingqiu.

"However, if you join Divine Gate, good luck! Who knows, you might get a promotion and a raise someday."

"Um... but..."

Yuria opened her mouth, about to say something, when a voice came from the other side.

"Now that you're here, don't overthink it. Just follow your senior Shimizu Tenpu. There are some things I haven't even sorted out myself, and telling you would only confuse you."

"... Yeah?"

"Yes, congratulations, Yuria, you've been caught up in another big conspiracy."

Miko was joking,

"Isn't this great? You've broadened your horizons again."

"... But this feeling is awful."

Yuria felt a little annoyed by these joking remarks.

"I can't do anything else, I can only rely on your strength."

She understood what Yotsuya Miko meant; it was simply that the waters were deep, and if she was too reckless, even Miko would have a hard time saving her. But if she did nothing, she felt like a mere decoration.

"Relax, relax. Now that I'm here, I really need your help. Although I don't plan to contact Divine Gate right now, I want information about Divine Gate."

"So,"

Miko paused,

"Could you be my matchmaker?"

Knowing she would likely have to miss another two days for the competition, Yotsuya Miko decided to abandon her inefficient Spiritual Sense search. Given the competition schedule, she was wasting far too much time.

With the help of the information provided by Divine Gate, her investigation will be much easier than if she were alone.

"I need to find the shepherd as soon as possible, and while I'm at it, figure out the location of the Gate of the Underworld."

"Okay, I understand."

Yuria agreed without hesitation; it was all she could do at the moment.

"I'll try to find out more about this for you, and I'll contact you if I find anything."

"I understand. Be careful, Yuria-chan."

"Yes, you too, Miko."

Just as Yuria was about to hang up, she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, is everything alright with Hua?"

"It should be fine, right?"

Yotsuya Miko probably didn't even quite believe it herself.

"But there's nothing we can do about it. I miss her terribly."

"... If you go back, bring her some local products as a souvenir."

With that, Yuria hung up the phone. Then she thought of something else.

"Speaking of which, both Miko and I submitted leave requests under the name of Kawamori Hana. Could she be misunderstanding something?"

Although Miko herself was unaware of it, anyone with eyes could probably see just how much she valued Yurikawa Hana, to the point where it was practically a romantic relationship.

Although Yuria wasn't one of those who shipped them, she still carefully maintained a certain distance from Miko.

Otherwise, she always felt like she was a little...

"What are you thinking?"

She shook her head, deciding to temporarily abandon thinking about the problem, otherwise she would become increasingly conflicted.

Whether it's the vow made by Kaishoku Shugaku Yotsuya Miko, or the Straw Rope Doll that Miko gave her, things start to get worse when viewed through this kind of lens.

"Go to sleep. I still have work to do tomorrow."

She repeatedly hypnotized herself until her mind was completely empty, and finally calmed down.

He took the Straw Rope Doll out of his pocket and sighed softly.

It carries a certain inexplicable meaning.

Completely oblivious to these matters, Yotsuya Miko was preoccupied with other worries.

For example, what kind of expression should she wear when facing Ten'gu Sanae tomorrow?

Surprise? Relief? Or joy?

Originally intending to use the competition as a pretext for her own convenience, she unknowingly found herself neglecting her original business because of it. This made her sigh at the unpredictability of life.

"I really don't want to participate in the competition..."

She did want to coast through the rest of the competition, but the problem was that even if she wanted to coast, she had to maintain her previous level. The calligraphers on the show weren't fools; with their sharp eyes, they could easily spot her throwing the game.

If I don't hold back, according to these calligraphers, I'll probably have to continue advancing.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

She felt a strange sense of frustration, even more so than when she was fighting the Mountain God.

"What kind of competition is this...? It was supposed to be based on points earned through reputation, but then suddenly they told me they'd consider other factors too. Don't they even bother to put on a show of rigging these days?"

The most outrageous thing is--

Yotsuya Miko scrolled through the news about the competition on her phone, wondering how it was possible. It was clearly a terrible last-minute rule change, yet hardly anyone criticized it. Instead, people praised the competition's meticulousness and seriousness, and there were even long articles explaining the significance of such a last-minute rule change. Miko had read them all; if she hadn't been involved, she would have been completely fooled.