Ripple Breathing + Breathing Techniques = ?

Until more than a decade ago, ghosts and Vengeful Spirits had somehow made a comeback, even showing signs of recreating the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from a thousand years ago.

At this point, Shinomiya Kaguya wrote You Know Who in her Diary again and added a question mark after it.

Could You Know Who's arrival in this world, the Diary that had appeared in their hands half a month ago, and this matter be connected somehow?

She thought of her father again.

As the head of the Shinomiya conglomerate, how much did her father and older brothers know about these matters?

What happened tonight should reach the Kyoto main family soon enough. She could judge based on their reaction when the time came.

Shinomiya Kaguya asked Shitamachi Godmother about a few more details, confirming that she was not simply stringing her along.

Only then did she ask Shitamachi Godmother whether she and Yotsuya Miko had the aptitude to become Exorcists, and whether she would be willing to temporarily teach them.

Shitamachi Godmother naturally understood what "temporarily" meant, but she still agreed, not even mentioning payment.

She knew her abilities were meager and beneath the notice of a young lady from the Shinomiya Family. Still, even if she only taught them for a few days, surely they would not mistreat the old woman who had introduced them to the field.

Wouldn't it be far more comfortable to take such a sum of money back to the countryside and retire?

Since the matter had been settled, Shinomiya Kaguya had someone arrange lodgings for Shitamachi Godmother nearby.

Afterward, she had someone find a clean car to take Yotsuya Miko home. Then Shinomiya Kaguya sorted out her thoughts and posted them in the group.

She now held a great deal of initiative.

Sorcerers, Vengeful Spirits, and the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons that might arrive in the future.

Those things should be enough to make the people in the group change, truly connecting all of them who possessed diaries.

Although You Know Who's Diary had not stirred everyone's minds that night, these "truths" still had an enormous impact on the members of the Diary Enthusiasts Club.

They also had no small impact on Miyauchi Hiyage.

He had followed those girls around all day. Thanks to Kasumigaoka Utaha and Shinomiya Kaguya mentioning his name from time to time, he had missed some things, but he had still heard most of the crucial information.

Beika Town was a gathering place for Vengeful Spirits, Sorcerers and Sorcery Headquarters existed, and spiritual Aura had begun recovering more than a decade ago.

They called it "the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from a thousand years ago descending once more," but wasn't that just the classic spiritual Aura revival trope when all was said and done?

"The timing of the spiritual Aura revival seems close to when I came to this world. I just can't tell which came first for now. What do you think, Jerry?"

Miyauchi Hiyage pulled Jerry out, and Jerry cooperatively replied, "I believe there must be something suspicious going on."

"So... I wasn't sent here just to mess around?" Miyauchi Hiyage shook his head somewhat wistfully. "Could it be that this world's consciousness really summoned me here to be its savior?"

After all, wasn't that how those spiritual Aura revival novels always went?

He had even thought up the plot that would come next.

The stories in the other worlds had yet to conclude, so creatures like demons and monsters probably would not officially take the stage so soon.

At the very least, they had to wait until Conan's plot had run its course, right?

And while they were still in this final peaceful period before the spiritual Aura revival, this "savior" should work hard to develop his own faction and harem.

Then, when the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons appeared before the world again, he would put on the forehead-flick artifact he had made, walk up to Nura Rikuo at the head of the parade, and give him a forehead flick, shocking the entire world in the process.

At that thought, Miyauchi Hiyage hurriedly shook his head.

That image was far too beautiful. It did not suit him at all.

Besides, it was too early to talk about something so far off. He was currently just an internet comedian who had spent three years making tacky videos. Making him consider that sort of thing really was asking too much.

He should think about something closer at hand first.

Wasn't Beika Town supposed to be a gathering place for high-level Vengeful Spirits?

Why had he not seen a single Vengeful Spirit after living here for so many days?

Could it be that, because of his arrival, Beika Town had become the cleanest street in the world?

If that were true, not only would Sorcery Headquarters have to give him an award for outstanding exorcism work, Conan would have to come kowtow to him over Beika Town's reduced crime rate.

"Although I already prepared for it before, I should go over it one more time and check for loopholes in my identity, right?" With that thought, Miyauchi Hiyage decided what to write in tomorrow's diary.

Ripple Chi Kung + Breathing Technique =?

Although it was Sunday the next day, Miyauchi Hiyage still got up early.

He had arranged with Koshigaya Suguru several days ago that he would come by today to deliver some furniture models Jerry could use.

He tidied up the western-style house, then put away anything that could not be seen in the basement.

As for Jerry?

Miyauchi Hiyage thoughtfully gave it a day off, prepared a phone and a huge pile of snacks for it, and let it surf the internet in the basement to pass the time. Hopefully, the little mouse would not pick up the habits of online trolls. Otherwise, there would probably be a large number of people online today getting utterly broken by a mouse's insults.

At around eleven, Koshigaya Suguru arrived in a village vehicle with a huge pile of things.

Miyauchi Hiyage owning a western-style house in Tokyo had not been widely spread around Asahigaoka Village, but capable assistants like Koshigaya Suguru and Kaede Kagayama, who had worked with him for years, knew about it.

Even though he had known beforehand, Koshigaya Suguru, who was somewhat expressionless by nature, could not help showing a hint of surprise when he saw the unimaginably luxurious mansion before him.

After all, he was one of the people who knew best how much Miyauchi Hiyage had earned from making videos. That money should not have been enough to buy such a mansion in central Tokyo, should it?

Yet he did not grow suspicious. Instead, he began coming up with explanations for Miyauchi Hiyage himself.

In the end, he reached a conclusion: no wonder Brother Miyauchi Hiyage had so decisively handed over Asahigaoka's affairs to them. Looking at it now, Brother Miyauchi Hiyage must have made quite a name for himself in other unknown fields as well!

At once, Koshigaya Suguru looked at Miyauchi Hiyage with even greater respect.

He remembered Miyauchi Hiyage occasionally saying some outrageous things in front of him. One of them seemed especially fitting now.

Brother Miyauchi possesses the makings of an emperor!

Miyauchi Hiyage knew from Koshigaya Suguru's gaze that this guy had definitely overthought things again, but that saved him the trouble of explaining.

He warmly welcomed Koshigaya Suguru into the mansion for a look around. Over lunch, the two also discussed quite a few of Asahigaoka's recent projects.

There was not much to say about videos. Several years had been enough for the people of Asahigaoka to figure out their own methods. So long as sensitive subjects were not involved, Miyauchi Hiyage had stopped managing that side of things long ago.

What Koshigaya Suguru talked to Miyauchi Hiyage about were projects with larger investments, such as television dramas.

Before obtaining the diary, Miyauchi Hiyage had written a script for Warrior Questing in the Demon Castle. The work had enjoyed considerable popularity online in his previous life and had created quite a few memes that spread beyond its original audience.

As for production costs?

Most scenes took place in the wilderness, while spending on props and special effects was frighteningly low. Filming the entire drama would not cost much at all.

Even if it failed, it would not have much impact on Asahigaoka. But if it succeeded, the benefits would greatly surpass what they currently had. Therefore, in Miyauchi Hiyage's previous plans, this project ranked fairly high.

Kaede Kagayama and Koshigaya Suguru had already begun the preliminary preparations. They would probably see the finished product before long.

When the conversation turned to props for the crew, Miyauchi Hiyage suddenly thought of Professor Agasa, who lived next door.

Although he lived right next to Professor Agasa, Miyauchi Hiyage had not encountered any murder cases so far. Presumably, his Pure Yang Body's ability to drive away Vengeful Spirits had played some part as well.

At most, during that week, he had run into Conan once on the way home from school. Conan had also just gotten out of school and was heading to Professor Agasa's house to visit.

However, Conan seemed afraid that Miyauchi Hiyage would drag him off to film tacky videos, so he had merely offered a hurried greeting before leaving, with no intention of talking further.

Of course, Miyauchi Hiyage was more than happy to maintain that sort of relationship with Conan.

In any case, after lunch, Miyauchi Hiyage immediately prepared another serving of food. Then, using the excuse that too much food had been made at home, he pulled Koshigaya Suguru along to visit Professor Agasa.

If Koshigaya Suguru, whose hands-on ability was practically bugged, could spark something with the black-tech master Professor Agasa, then the kid's future would truly be limitless.

The facts proved that communication between engineering men was simple. Thanks to the delicious food, Professor Agasa, who had spent the entire morning working in his laboratory, became noticeably friendlier toward Miyauchi Hiyage.

And when Koshigaya Suguru asked whether he could take a look at the laboratory, Professor Agasa agreed with a cheerful smile.

After that, Koshigaya Suguru saw the inventions Professor Agasa had displayed in the laboratory. He only asked a few questions, yet that was enough to make Professor Agasa see him in a new light.

When Professor Agasa learned that Koshigaya Suguru was still only a ninth-grade student but already served as the person in charge over at Asahigaoka, he praised him repeatedly.

And since he was naturally helpful, after asking Koshigaya Suguru a few engineering-related questions and confirming his current level, he took the initiative to exchange contact information with him, saying that Koshigaya Suguru could come ask him directly if he had any questions in the future.

Although this "teacher-student" relationship was not stable yet, with Miyauchi Hiyage around to regularly raise Professor Agasa's favorability, and as long as Koshigaya Suguru did not slack off, it would sooner or later be formally established.

By the time they left Professor Agasa's house, everyone was extremely satisfied with the visit.

Koshigaya Suguru had gained a good teacher, Professor Agasa had gained a good student, and Miyauchi Hiyage had raised both of their favorability. This round had been an absolute win.

That evening, after seeing Koshigaya Suguru off and dragging Jerry out of the basement, where it was frantically tapping at its phone screen and apparently arguing with someone online, to test out its exclusive furniture, Miyauchi Hiyage finally opened Diary and prepared to write today's entry.

He had learned so many secrets yesterday. Although, according to his senses, none of the people who had mentioned his name today seemed to be Sorcerers or anything strange, it was likely that Exorcists from Sorcery Headquarters or other factions had not yet noticed the changes in Beika Town.

He wondered what sort of place Beika Town was considered to be in the eyes of those factions.

Still, he should prepare in advance in Diary, lest the girls holding Diaries suspect him after his Pure Yang Body was exposed.

Yesterday was everyone's first offline gathering. I wonder how it turned out in the end?

After all, I only secretly took a glance. If I hadn't discovered Little Bocchi spying in secret, I would not have planned to show myself either. You all guarded against me so tightly that it really broke my heart.

So, after seeing you meet up with Little Bocchi, I went to deal with other matters and did not pay attention to what happened later at your gathering.

Still, it looks like you had quite a good time.

After all, before going to sleep last night, I happened to see Guitar Hero post an update while scrolling through videos: "Today was my first offline gathering with new friends, and I had a lot of fun."

But Little Bocchi, don't get too carried away. Although you have always pretended to be socially outgoing on Guitar Hero's account, you are still a long way from becoming truly socially outgoing. Talk to me when you dare show your face in a livestream.

Also, I secretly slipped into your group last night for a look and found that Yotsuya Miko had joined. It seems, Yotsuya Miko, you really are a Diary holder.

I just don't know why you never joined the group before or posted any requests for help online.

Could it be that you thought Diary was something unclean and did not dare open it?

Thinking about it, that does seem somewhat possible.

But whatever the reason, you should be able to confirm now that this Diary poses no threat to you, right?

Then let me tell you a little more about your situation, as a warning for someone whose life has not been easy.

By now, you should have developed a certain resistance to Vengeful Spirits with obvious appearances and will not be easily frightened by them.

However, those vengeful Evil Spirits do not necessarily all have horrifying appearances. Some smarter Vengeful Spirits may even deliberately disguise themselves as ordinary people.

For example, a perfectly ordinary-looking little boy holding an adult's hand with one hand and a balloon with the other, who happily greets you when he sees you.

The moment you respond, they will reveal their true form and attack you. You should be careful about that, lest you stumble in a ditch.

Secondly, I don't know whether you have gone to someone called Shitamachi Godmother to buy prayer beads. Although that Shitamachi Godmother looks like a scammer, she does have some skill. At the very least, she has far more experience than you and has risked her life to save you several times in the future. For now, she can be considered someone you can trust.

You can learn more about those vengeful Evil Spirits through her and build up some experience.

Of course, if you find other supernatural factions, you should still be careful. Unlike me, you do not have foreknowledge and cannot tell whether those factions are good or bad.

But honestly, I am not sure whether those other factions can solve the problem with you, Miko.

According to how it was portrayed in the work, you suddenly awakened the highest-grade Spirit Vision, yet you possessed no Spiritual Power and could not control your Spirit Vision.

What you truly need is an item like Mystic Eyes of Death Perception that can suppress Spirit Vision. But ordinary people cannot make that, and you probably will not encounter the big shots capable of doing so.

I'm only mentioning it in passing.

If you can find Garan no Dō, you might be able to pay a price and buy a pair of Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from its owner.

But her level is far too high, and she may currently be wanted and hunted by some supernatural faction from the Reverse Side World.

If you really want to find her, it would be best to keep a low profile, lest she casually crush you like bugs.

Of course, Ripple Chi Kung should also be able to ease your problem.

It can increase your life energy, making weak Vengeful Spirits afraid to approach you.

However, before the intensity of your life energy undergoes a qualitative change, it will not have much effect on powerful Vengeful Spirits.

Some powerful Vengeful Spirits may even deliberately stay around people with abundant life energy, using that life energy to roast weaker Vengeful Spirits and make themselves some vengeful spirit barbecue.

Your friend, who was born with powerful life energy, encountered such a crisis in the story in the future. I wonder whether you have experienced it yet.

Moreover, Ripple Chi Kung requires slow, painstaking cultivation. Even with cheats, it would be difficult for you to achieve mastery in less than a year or two.

Even after achieving mastery, you would need to develop the Ripple combat method best suited to your own circumstances. That depended even more on talent.

But after thinking it over more carefully, I really did come up with the Breathing Technique passed down through generations by the Demon Slayer Corps in Demon Slayer.