C7 The Second Exorcism

Having finished her hamburger steak with utter contentment, Hoshimori Ayane was now sweeping the shrine grounds, still in her school uniform.

Traditionally, until the shrine closed its doors at nightfall, the sisters Hoshimori Shion and Hoshimori Ayane should have been clad in their miko (TL Note: A Shinto shrine maiden, who assists in shrine duties and performs sacred dances.) attire within the shrine, ready to offer guidance to any worshippers who came to pay their respects.

In recent years, however, apart from the annual festival, visitors coming to worship had become exceedingly rare.

Besides the festival, the only other time a noticeable number of worshippers might appear was during the New Year.

This led Hoshimori Shion to believe, for a time, that everyone thought Hoshimori Shrine had fallen into disrepair.

She later learned that fewer young people nowadays believed in deities; most who visited Hoshimori Shrine did so out of custom or for tourism.

Yet, in a small seaside town with few tourist attractions, the influx of visitors was naturally minimal.

Having just finished washing the dishes, Hoshimori Shion stretched with a wide, satisfying yawn before retreating to her room to change into her miko attire.

Even if few people believed in deities anymore, as the shrine’s miko, Hoshimori Shion still had to fulfill her duties.

After all, within the game’s setting, this world contained both malevolent spirits and divine beings, and without the protection of the gods, her power would be significantly weakened when performing exorcisms.

Hoshimori Shion gazed at her reflection in the mirror, having just donned her miko attire.

The pure white base and vivid red skirt, complementing her long, snow-white hair, evoked a profound sense of sanctity.

There was only one problem, however: for some inexplicable reason, the skirt of this miko outfit was exceptionally short—the kind of shortness where even a slight rise would be utterly scandalous.

‘Looking at myself like this, I feel quite lewd.’

‘Damn it! What am I thinking?’

Hoshimori Shion quickly banished those “colorful” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to erotic or suggestive thoughts.) fantasies from her mind.

‘A protagonist should act like a protagonist! What’s with these constant thoughts about myself?’

“Ayane, are you done sweeping?” Hoshimori Shion called out, having emerged from the living quarters into the shrine, now clad in her miko attire.

Hoshimori Ayane set down her broom, pulled out her phone, and instantly snapped a photo of Hoshimori Shion.

Caught utterly off guard, Hoshimori Shion instinctively tried to cover her face, but it was futile.

“Ayane, what was that for!” Hoshimori Shion cried out, a hint of bashfulness in her voice.

Hoshimori Ayane feigned an innocent expression.

“I think you look really pretty, Sis, so I took a picture.

Don’t worry,” she added playfully, “I won’t mosaic it and post it online.”

“My dear sister, you really are like a child who, left alone for three days, tries to climb onto the roof and remove the tiles (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘sān tiān bù dǎ shàng fáng jiē wǎ,’ meaning someone is mischievous and needs discipline.).”

Just as Hoshimori Shion feigned a move to strike, Hoshimori Ayane bolted out the door.

“You take care of things, Sis, I’m off to watch my evening drama!” she called back, leaving those words hanging in the air.

Watching Hoshimori Ayane slip away, Hoshimori Shion’s face softened into an indulgent smile.

Afterward, she made her way to the torii (TL Note: A traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, marking the transition from the mundane to the sacred.) gate at the shrine’s entrance.

There, at the temizuya (TL Note: A purification fountain found at the entrance of Shinto shrines, where worshippers cleanse their hands and mouth before approaching the main hall.), she ritually washed her hands and rinsed her mouth, commencing today’s solemn ceremony.

In truth, rituals for worshipping deities were usually presided over by a Shinto priest, but who else was there, when Hoshimori Shrine’s only official position was filled by herself?

Hoshimori Shion grumbled inwardly, all the while meticulously completing the ritual according to the prescribed route and incantations.

[Malevolent spirits are stirring, mild activity.]

The system reported the situation directly within Hoshimori Shion’s mind, nearly causing her to misrecite the prayer.

Hoshimori Shion silently cursed in her mind, yet the prayer on her lips continued without pause.

Finally, she bowed to the divine effigy, and the ritual concluded.

Hoshimori Shion let out a slightly relieved breath.

Although today marked only her third day here, this ritual felt as though it had been etched into her very genes, performed either every morning or upon returning from school in the evening.

This morning, she had spent a little too much time cooking for Hoshimori Ayane, leaving her with no choice but to perform it tonight.

However, she would have to perform an exorcism again tonight.

Hoshimori Shion wasn’t sure if the emergence of malevolent spirits was a daily occurrence or a random one, but it seemed they had no intention of letting her rest today.

Still, now was not the time for an exorcism.

The deepest hours of the night, when silence reigned, were when malevolent spirits were at their most active, and performing an exorcism then would take less time.

Moreover, it was best to wait until Hoshimori Ayane had gone to bed.

Although she didn’t know why Hoshimori Ayane, who had always lived with her, had remained unaware of her mission to perform exorcisms, Hoshimori Shion didn’t want to involve her sister.

At least according to Hoshimori Shion’s current understanding, only she possessed the spirit-suppressing constitution, while Hoshimori Ayane did not.

If Hoshimori Ayane were to learn about the exorcisms, she would most likely insist on accompanying her, and without the spirit-suppressing constitution, Hoshimori Ayane would be highly susceptible to injury.

Pondering this, Hoshimori Shion stretched once more.

‘Exorcisms can wait until later tonight,’ she decided.

“Ayane, let me copy your homework!”

“No way! Do your own, Sis.

I can teach you anything you don’t understand!”

****

Night deepened.

After bidding Hoshimori Shion goodnight, Hoshimori Ayane had already retired to her room to sleep.

Although Hoshimori Shion had just told Hoshimori Ayane that she, too, was going to bed, a little while later, she emerged from her room.

She sat in seiza (TL Note: A traditional Japanese way of sitting on one’s knees, often used in formal or meditative contexts.) before the enshrined divine effigy, a posture that allowed her to sense the intensity of the malevolent spirits’ stirring with greater clarity.

“Alright, it seems I have to go today as well,” Hoshimori Shion said with a sigh of resignation.

She bowed once more to the divine effigy, then, from the sword rack beneath the offering stand, picked up her blade.

The sword’s name was Reikiri (TL Note: Literally meaning ‘Spirit Cutter’), and as the name suggested, it was a blade used for exorcisms.

“Well then, let’s go.”

Hoshimori Shion took a deep breath and, with Reikiri in hand, stepped out of the shrine.

Outside the shrine lay boundless night, punctuated only by faint starlight scattered across the sky.

The shrine, built on a mountain, offered a panoramic view from its entrance, overlooking the sleeping town below and the calm, distant sea.

Afterward, Hoshimori Shion turned and headed towards the shrine’s back mountain.

In the deep night of the back mountain, only occasional bird calls could be heard, some mournful, others almost eerie.

Hoshimori Shion had walked for less than five minutes, yet the shrine behind her was already out of sight, replaced by an ink-dark forest that seemed to stretch boundlessly.

It was growing colder, Hoshimori Shion could feel it, a clear sign that the concentration of malevolent spirits in the vicinity was steadily increasing.

A black shadow darted past her, accompanied by a blast of icy wind.

Hoshimori Shion instantly drew her sword, holding it horizontally before her.

As the black shadow attempted to strike again, its impact slammed directly into Reikiri.

Hoshimori Shion felt a powerful force collide with her, and she was involuntarily driven back several steps by its sheer strength.

From Hoshimori Shion’s perspective, dozens of black, humanoid figures were already gathering around her, constantly closing in.

Her spirit-suppressing constitution, in areas where malevolent spirits congregated, had a powerful attraction to them.

‘It’s still a little less than yesterday,’ Hoshimori Shion thought, gritting her teeth.

Reikiri in her hand glowed with a silvery light as the surrounding malevolent spirits watched her with predatory eyes, closing in step by terrifying step.

The next second, the black figures, like a pack of wolves, lunged at Hoshimori Shion almost simultaneously.

Hoshimori Shion swung her sword with all her might, silvery blade light intertwining with the black malevolent spirits in mid-air, and she could distinctly hear their hoarse roars.