"Long time no see."
Tetsuya raised a hand and greeted the Old Shrine Maiden who had pushed open the door.
The Old Shrine Maiden nodded slightly. "It certainly has been a period of time, but the things you've been stirring up lately have been anything but small.
"Even though this old woman has stayed here and never gone out, I often hear people mentioning your name."
"Not at all, not at all. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Tetsuya waved his hands repeatedly.
"Come in."
As she spoke, the Old Shrine Maiden took the lead in entering the room and sitting down.
She looked at Cynthia with a hint of surprise. "I never expected that, even in this day and age, someone would possess such exceptional and profound mastery of Aura Sphere.
"It seems you've had some remarkable experiences."
A trace of astonishment flashed through Cynthia's eyes.
Although the fact that she had mastered Aura Sphere was not exactly a great secret, fewer people knew about it than she could count on both hands.
Likewise.
Cynthia was certain that the elderly person before her was not among those who knew.
"I didn't tell her. You should know that I don't like talking to people about such things."
Facing her gaze, Tetsuya spread his hands and shrugged.
Cynthia nodded unconsciously.
That was true.
She had known Tetsuya for quite some time, and she considered herself familiar with his personality.
It was not that he was particularly tight-lipped; he simply did not like sharing other people's "privacy."
"The Old Shrine Maiden is very impressive." Tetsuya said with a smile, "Back when I didn't know I had Psychic-type abilities and Aura Power, she was the one who gave me a hint."
"Not me. It was the