The Missing Ley Lines

Although it is just a prototype and cannot represent anything, it still has some reference value.

Furthermore, since Miyauchi Hiyage and was able to feel its history, the Takanomiya Shrine, managed by the Hiiragi Family, must also be an old shrine that has been passed down for over a thousand years.

Given the circumstances of this world, it's not surprising that the ancestors of the Hiiragi Family were able to establish a shrine during the era of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, and even during the century of decline of mystery, they were still able to make a living and have connections with the Reverse Side World.

Perhaps the ancestors of the Hiiragi Family and the Kanoe Family knew each other hundreds of years ago.

Miyauchi Hiyage muttered to himself, then walked toward the school gate.

Shortly after, a woman with short purple hair, who looked to be in her early twenties, arrived at the school gate by car.

After exchanging greetings and confirming each other's identities, the other person gave a more formal self-introduction.

Hiiragi Inori, a shrine maiden at Takanomiya Shrine.

However, the other person was not wearing Miko Robes at the time, but was just wearing ordinary everyday home clothes.

She patted the bag on her back, indicating that the Miko Robes was inside, but it was too troublesome to wear. She rarely wore it even at home unless necessary, let alone when going out.

Although it was their first meeting, upon hearing the other person's words and seeing their habitual stretching motion after getting out of the car, Miyauchi Hiyage immediately connected the other person with her eldest sister.

He seems to be a lazy guy, just like his older sister.

"Miss Hiiragi Inori, if I remember correctly, you should have several younger sisters," Miyauchi Hiyage asked, adding that she had visited the Takanomiya Shrine before and had greeted two of her sisters.

But after Miyauchi Hiyage said that, Hiiragi Inori patted Miyauchi Hiyage on the shoulder. "So you've visited my house before. You were able to find that remote spot in my house. No wonder I felt we were destined to meet when I first saw you."

"Next time you come to my shrine, I'll show you around properly, and I'll have my sisters dress up in Miko Robes to entertain you. But let me warn you, although my sisters are all quite cute, if you want to marry them, you'll have to go through quite a few trials!"

As she said this, she paused for a moment, then continued to whisper to Miyauchi Hiyage, "However, if you are willing to marry into my family, I can put in a good word for you with my family."

Hearing this, Miyauchi Hiyage's lips twitched slightly, and then she secretly glanced at the girl in front of her.

That's just how the Hiiragi Family's genes are. Not to mention Hiiragi Kagami Hiiragi Tsukasa, those two high school girls who barely developed, even you, as the eldest sister, are somewhat pitiful in this respect.

"I'm sorry, I'm also an only child, and I haven't considered marrying into the family yet," Miyauchi Hiyage waved his hand, causing Hiiragi Inori to sigh slightly.

After muttering something like "Why can't I find a suitable guy?", she looked up again and continued speaking to Miyauchi Hiyage, "Speaking of which, I've seen your video. To be honest, it's pretty good. At least my sister, that coward, couldn't sleep after watching it. But when you were filming the video, did you feel nervous when you realized you had filmed that 'Vengeful Spirit'?"

Miyauchi Hiyage looked at Hiiragi Inori in front of her and said, "Aren't there people like you in this world who are specifically responsible for dealing with those 'things'? With you guys around, what do I have to worry about or be nervous about?"

After hearing Miyauchi Hiyage's words, Hiiragi Inori looked at him a few more times, as if to confirm whether the other's heart was truly so calm.

"So you already realized that, huh? That guy Nanami even asked me to tell you these things quietly without making a sound."

So you were the helper that Nanami found.

This fake middle-aged man has quite a wide social circle.

But you didn't do anything sneaky, there wasn't even any foreshadowing.

Who would come up to someone and immediately ask if they are afraid of ghosts?

Miyauchi Hiyage shrugged. "After all, I'm just a videographer. Even if I'm filming videos related to murder cases, it shouldn't be that someone comes along so quickly to warn me not to film similar videos anymore."

"Although Mr. Nanami later informed me that I could continue filming, it was clearly abnormal that I had to report in advance before each filming session."

"Moreover, the ghost captured in the video actually has more footage in the original audio and video files I have. After confirming that it wasn't a problem caused by camera flickering, I began to realize this."

The Miyauchi Hiyage eventually pointed to the entrance of the Seiwa Academy.

"Then the day before yesterday, I saw with my own eyes that the so-called twilight girl appeared at the school gate. Although my friend told me that the girl's figure had disappeared when she took me there, I don't know why, but I could still vaguely see some of the girl's figure."

Upon hearing this, Hiiragi Inori stared into Miyauchi Hiyage's eyes with her blue pupils.

"As expected, what they told me was right. You might have already begun to awaken your power. Although your aptitude might be a little lacking, it's no wonder that those Sorcerers were interested in you because of your dedication..."

"It's a pity you've already been reserved by those Sorcerers, otherwise I would have liked to introduce you to them."

She muttered to herself, seemingly considering whether to cause a scene in the Jujutsu Society for the sake of Miyauchi Hiyage, but in the end she probably gave up the idea of kidnapping him.

Of course, if the other party insists, that's a different story.

Miyauchi Hiyage continued to feign confusion, seemingly unaware of what Sorcerers was.

Hiiragi Inori waved her hand, seemingly finding it too troublesome to explain these things.

"These things are too complicated to explain. Let them explain them to you when the time comes."

She turned to look inside the school. "I just came to check on the situation of that Vengeful Spirit here. My mother came to check on this place about ten years ago."

"If there aren't any major problems, I'd like to go home for dinner tonight."

As she said this, seeing that Miyauchi Hiyage still had a puzzled look on her face, she added a few more words, "You don't know yet, do you? The Vengeful Spirit here are old guys that have been around for half a century. They have been very well-behaved all these years and can even help suppress other Vengeful Spirit, so this area has always been quite safe."

"As long as you confirm that her condition hasn't changed, even if you want to demolish the Old Schoolhouse she's living in, let alone film her, she probably won't do anything to you."

"Otherwise, Nanami wouldn't have agreed to let you contact the other party."

Although he didn't say much, Hiiragi Inori was clearly too lazy to explain anything further and immediately prepared to walk into the school.

Along the way, Miyauchi Hiyage also tried to ask the shrine and her sisters about it, wanting to know if the twin sisters Hiiragi Kagami and Hiiragi Tsukasa had also awakened their Spiritual Power.

When these topics are brought up, Hiiragi Inori is quite willing to talk.

Judging from the other party's words, it seems that the plot inertia on Lucky Star's side still exists.

The four Hiiragi Family sisters all seem to possess a certain amount of Spiritual Power. As twins, Hiiragi Kagami Hiiragi Tsukasa may have even greater talent in Spiritual Power than her.

However, because she was the eldest sister in the family and displayed a Spiritual Power talent that was much stronger than her mother's during the Mystery Revival, she was chosen early on to become the successor of the shrine and was secretly trained.

In order to abide by the secrecy law signed by the Reverse Side World, this information about the Reverse Side World is currently known only to Hiiragi Inori among the next generation of Takanomiya Shrine.

Unless the three younger sisters awaken their own Spirit Vision, they will not tell them these things on their own initiative.

In other words, apart from the lazy eldest sister who has little screen time in the anime and her mother, the remaining daughters of the Hiiragi Family are completely unaware of their own family's affairs and continue to live according to the trajectory in the anime.

"It's just that the spiritual energy has become increasingly active lately, and more and more people are awakening. The secrecy laws are starting to struggle to keep up. I reckon my sister and the others will soon become aware of the power within them too. I wonder what this world will be like after that..."

As she said this, Hiiragi Inori encouraged Miyauchi Hiyage again, seemingly implying that if Miyauchi Hiyage could marry her sister, their future children might inherit their Spiritual Power and become a new extraordinary family.

It wasn't until she reached the vicinity of the Old Schoolhouse where the filming location had already been set up that she became slightly more restrained, but she still maintained that relaxed demeanor, seemingly unaware of the strangeness hidden beneath the calm surface of the Old Schoolhouse.

"Although the resentment has increased significantly compared to ten years ago, it is still within the normal range. It looks like today's work will be finished soon."

Muttering about finishing up quickly so he could go back for dinner, Hiiragi Inori walked straight into the Old Schoolhouse in front of the people outside.

Seeing the other person's bewildered expression, Miyauchi Hiyage wondered if he should call Kento Nanami again to ask for reinforcements.

Chapter 175: The Vanished Ley Line

It was still daytime, and Shadow Yuuko was conserving her power at this time.

As for the other normal Yuuko, although she has no other restrictions on her movements except that she cannot leave the school area, because her own power is being intercepted by Shadow Yuuko, she is probably hiding somewhere in the Old Schoolhouse and will not come out on her own.

Therefore, before Hiiragi Inori arrived, Miyauchi Hiyage and the others had already entered the Old Schoolhouse take some photos and record the routes inside.

Seeing that the "helper" Miyauchi Hiyage had found was a strange woman, who went straight into the Old Schoolhouse with her bag without saying a word, Itou Kaiji couldn't help but ask Miyauchi Hiyage a question.

"Miyauchi, who is that woman?"

Fujimiya Miki also moved a little closer, somewhat concerned about this.

"That woman was someone Mr. Nanami asked to help. She's here to check on the condition of this Old Schoolhouse," Miyauchi Hiyage briefly introduced Hiiragi Inori's identity.

The shrine maiden of Takanomiya Shrine?

Isn't Mr. Nanami a government employee? Why would he need a shrine maiden to help him?

What can a shrine maiden do here? Can she help with prayers?

Moreover, that woman didn't seem to have any of the qualities a priestess should have.

As Itou Kaiji muttered to himself, Fujimiya Miki also fell into thought after hearing these words.

However, Kanoe Kirie, who was standing to the side, showed an expression that seemed to recall something.

This morning, her grandmother had just explained to her the past of the Kanoe Family, including how the Kanoe Family had been the managers of a long-established shrine on this land a hundred years ago.

However, a hundred years ago, for some unknown reasons, the ancestors of the Kanoe Family gave up continuing to run the original shrine.

After the shrine closed, the Seiwa Academy was built on the site of the original shrine.

It was also in her grandmother's explanation that the Kanoe Family had once worshipped the spirit of fortune and its origins were mentioned.

I also heard about several other shrines in Saitama Prefecture that had enshrined other spirits.

This appears to include the Hiiragi Family of Takanomiya Shrine.

It can be said that the Hiiragi Family was a long-time friend of the Kanoe Family, but since the Kanoe Family abandoned the shrine, their relationship with those shrines and families has naturally decreased.

Thinking that her grandmother still seemed to remember the Kanoe Family's old shrine, Kanoe Kirie thought she could go and ask the shrine maiden of the Hiiragi Family about the situation.

But then she thought of Yuko's vengeful Vengeful Spirit hiding in the Old Schoolhouse, and a hint of tension appeared on her face.

After all, although she could be considered the other party's granddaughter, more than half a century ago, it was her grandmother who made an irreparable mistake, leading to the other party's tragic death.

Recalling the hideous Evil Spirits he had once inadvertently encountered, Kanoe Kirie still somewhat afraid to step into this Old Schoolhouse, even though it was daytime.

She could only comfort herself, as her grandmother's granddaughter and the future heir of the Kanoe Family, she had to overcome her fear and face her grandmother, Yuko, who had turned into Evil Spirits.

Miyauchi Hiyage glanced at the three people beside him.

After learning that most of the rumors about Yuko were spread by Kanoe Shizuuko, Itou Kaiji felt much more relaxed and no longer believed that any real ghosts or monsters would appear here.

Fujimiya Miki is probably still in the stage of doubt. After all, the twilight girl he saw with him was a real event. She probably wants to know what changes have occurred in her and whether she has really come into contact with ghosts or something.

As for Kanoe Kirie, whom she had only known for a short time, it seemed that she had heard a lot about him from her grandmother, but she was probably still in the process of adapting to these changes.

Hiiragi Inori, who had just entered, was an extraordinary person who had received orthodox Shinto lineage at the shrine, although Miyauchi Hiyage did not sense any particularly powerful aura from him.

However, by signing a contract with the local Ley Line and being able to borrow power from Ley Line, the opponent should be able to maintain a relatively stable level one combat force when fighting on their home turf.

Perhaps it is precisely because a Level 1 superhuman is already capable of handling more than 90% of abnormal events in this world that her attitude towards this ghost, which has been stable for more than half a century, seems a bit too relaxed.

Even Miyauchi Hiyage couldn't help but recall the Satoru Gojo quotes from Shinomiya Kaguya had recently shared in a group chat, which Shiina Mashiro then showed to him.

Some people believe that the recent rapid pace of Mystery Revival and the increasing activity of Spiritual Power have led many sorcerers to misunderstand their own abilities, mistaking the world's progress for their own growth.

Therefore, because it was their first meeting, Miyauchi Hiyage didn't know if Hiiragi Inori had similar thoughts, having developed some illusions about her own strength due to her rapid improvement in recent months.

In short, Miyauchi Hiyage simply summarized what was happening here, along with what Hiiragi Inori had just told him, and sent it all to Kento Nanami, which was considered a formal showdown with them.

After all, he has already been pre-booked by the Jujutsu Society, so they should at least give him some joining fee.

While waiting for Kento Nanami's response.

Hiiragi Inori also quickly walked around several places in the Old Schoolhouse, and then seemed a little puzzled.

"That's not right. I remember the Ley Line are gathered around here. Why haven't I seen any reaction after walking around?" she muttered to herself, wondering if she had misremembered her mother's instructions when she left home.

But the Spiritual Power around here is indeed much more active than in other places.

She muttered to herself as she walked around the Old Schoolhouse again, but she still couldn't find the location of the Ley Line.

"Could it be that the Ley Line have shifted due to the Mystery Revival?" Hiiragi Inori still didn't consider that all of this might be caused by Yuuko.

Ley Line shifts can occasionally occur due to earthquakes or other disasters, but they usually don't shift too far. The Ley Line in this area should still be in the vicinity.

With that thought in mind, she walked out of the Old Schoolhouse, greeted Miyauchi Hiyage, and then headed to other parts of the school to search for the location of the Ley Line.

She has two reasons for searching for Ley Line.

One reason is that the Shinto she cultivates requires the power of the Ley Line. Although this is not her main base, it is still possible for her to temporarily borrow an unclaimed Ley Line and sign a temporary contract.

Of course, if other Spirit Medium have already signed contracts with the local Ley Line, she naturally cannot use the power of the local Ley Line without their permission.

However, the Kanoe Family, the owners of this land, were no longer a priestly family. Although the land's Ley Line were nominally still managed by the Kanoe Family, it was practically no different from unclaimed land. All she needed was the Ley Line's approval. The second reason was that Kanoe Yuko had died near this Ley Line.

According to her mother's research, the location where Kanoe Yuko was sacrificed should be near the last shrine of the Sakitama Shrine.

The other party generated intense resentment upon death, which, through the priest's bloodline within her, formed a connection with the local Ley Line that was close to a contract. This allowed Kanoe Yuko to become a Vengeful Spirit close to Earthbound Spirit in that era of scarce Spiritual Power.

As long as the Ley Line can be found and a Ley Line established, the current state of Kanoe Yuko can be quickly determined based on the condition of the Ley Line.

The problem is that she can't even find where the ley Ley Line are now, so naturally she can't confirm the situation on Kanoe Yuko's side.

Muttering to herself, Hiiragi Inori spent the next hour searching the entire school. Realizing that she wouldn't make it back in time for dinner even if she went back now, she stood on the top of the mountain behind the school and helplessly called home to ask if her mother had misremembered the location of the spiritual vein.