"Yes."
The group arrived before the ruined temple. It had likely been abandoned for a long time; even the temple plaque had completely rotted away, making it impossible to tell which deity it had once enshrined.
Weeds as high as their calves grew all around the temple. Even in her kimono, Yōki had no trouble walking as long as she lifted her hem.
"Come on, I'll carry you!"
Mei crouched down in front of Yōki, inviting her onto her back.
"Th-Thank you!"
Yōki hesitated for a moment, but she did not refuse. She climbed straight onto Mei's back.
After Mei stood up with Yōki on her back, her expression briefly went blank. It felt a little like carrying Taniwara Natsu. But she did not dwell on it, and simply carried Yōki into the temple with Yingcao.
No one had visited this temple in a very long time. It was covered in cobwebs and looked filthy and dilapidated.
At the center of the temple stood an enshrined statue, but it was so thoroughly covered in dust that they could not make out which god or Buddha it depicted.
"Looks like we'll have to clean up first." Mei set Yōki down and let her stand properly.
Looking at the cobwebs and dust all around them, they really did need to clean the place up. Fortunately, that was simple enough. There were spells specifically meant for cleaning.
"Cleaning Spell!"
With a wave of Mei's hand, all the cobwebs and dust vanished without a trace.
The statue before them revealed its true appearance.
Rather than a Buddha statue, it was more like an evil demon.
It had the face of a hellish fiend and a mouth full of fangs. One hand clutched a skull, the other held a spiked hammer, and seven or eight