The Shrine Maiden’s Summons

Yuko sat quietly at her doorstep, cradling Little Qin in her hands. The lights inside her house were on, and she could even hear the faint, comforting murmurs of conversation from her parents. She stood up as if she had finally made up her mind, her small hand gripping the doorknob. But in the end, she didn’t have the courage to turn it. She was terrified—afraid that the people behind the door wouldn’t be able to see her at all, and even more afraid that the door was locked.

She took a deep breath, then turned around and whispered to Little Qin, “The rain has stopped. Let’s go to him. He might still be waiting for us.”

“Meow~” Little Qin looked up and meowed happily.

In the Cat King Bookstore, Qin An was quietly flipping through a book, doing his usual routine. Even though he had been splashed by a luxury car that evening, Qin Yage had actually taken on the task of washing his dirty tracksuits. Sister Yuqing’s jaw had nearly hit the floor when she saw it.

Although Yage had used the fully automatic washing machine, scooped out a massive spoonful of laundry detergent, and almost stuck her own hand into the spin cycle to scrub them, she had really grown up. The old her would never have done that.

A charming, familiar figure appeared at the bookstore entrance. The little black cat jumped onto the counter, then lay flat across the book Qin An was reading—a classic feline prank to attract an adult’s attention.

Yuko’s arrival still didn’t draw any attention from the few remaining customers.

“Have you had dinner yet? Is cup noodles okay?”

“Yeah!”

“Do you want orange juice or coconut juice?”

Yuko lowered her head, remaining silent for a long time. Then, with tears welling in her eyes, she asked, “Qin-kun, why are you so good to me? Just two days ago we were complete strangers. Someone like me… someone like me isn’t worth your kindness…”

“Well, how should I put it? Look into my eyes.”

Qin An gently lifted Yuko’s chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.

“Originally, we were indeed strangers. But from the moment I pulled you out of the water, you were no longer a stranger. You’re someone I saved.”

“But… but…”

“There are no buts. Remember, your life was saved by me, so your life is mine. I want you to live well, so you must live well. I don’t want all my efforts to be in vain,” Qin An said seriously.

“I’m sorry, Qin-kun. I will definitely live well.”

Yuko couldn’t help but cry. She tried desperately to wipe away her tears, but they still flowed like a spring.

Suddenly, the roar of motorcycle engines grew louder as they approached. Blinding headlights shone through the doorway, unbelievably harsh. The customers in the bookstore were terrified, assuming it was a gang fight. They gathered their things and fled at once.

The bookstore was left with only two people and a black cat. The cat was energetically fighting for the Sheba two-color crispy cream cookie in Qin An’s hand.

This snack had an outer layer of fragrant grilled cookies, wrapped with a creamy filling. It was delicious and nutritious.

“Qin-kun, it looks like trouble…”

“It’s okay.” Qin An carried Little Qin and walked out. The faces outside looked familiar. They were the Red Ghost and the Yellow Ghost from that rainy night. The difference was that now they had brought a large group of motorbike-riding delinquents with hair dyed in various colors.

“Kid, hand over that girl next to you. She’s the sacrifice for our summoning god.”

“Kid, we’ll count to three. If you hand over the girl, we’ll give you a chance to run. Whether you make it depends on your luck.”

Qin An scratched his ear. For some reason, this line felt incredibly familiar.

Before Qin An could come up with a plan to deal with them quietly, an arrow flew from the darkness and pierced the fuel tank of the Red Ghost’s motorcycle, causing pungent gasoline to spill onto the asphalt.

“Red Ghost, this is bad! That’s a shrine maiden’s arrow!”

“Yellow Ghost, let’s get out of here! The boss said to run the moment we see a shrine maiden.”

They immediately dropped their bikes onto the pavement and ran away without looking back, leaving their underlings completely stunned.

“Everyone, run!” someone shouted. That snapped the rest of the gang out of their daze. With a roar of engines starting, they abandoned their baseball bats, extendable batons, knives, and everything else on the ground, fleeing like soldiers routed from a battlefield.

Squelch, squelch.

Two girls in traditional red-and-white shrine maiden outfits walked over from the street corner, their wooden clogs splashing through the puddles on the ground.

The long-haired shrine maiden politely held her skirt and bowed slightly. “I suppose this is our first official meeting. We are shrine maidens from the Kamikawa Shrine. My name is Lingzi Akigawa, and this is my younger sister, Xizi.”

Xizi held her bamboo bow, looking at Qin An with a teasing expression.

“Xizi.” Lingzi gave her a warning glance.

“Sorry, my sister is always like this.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Qin An didn’t mind. In Japan, every major shrine had emissaries from Takamagahara—the shrine maidens—acting as spokespersons for the gods. The high-level psychics hid in the headquarters, drinking tea and doing nothing.

He gently pushed Yuko, who was hiding behind him, forward. “By the way, I’m Qin An. She’s Yuko Hirano. She’s the one you’re looking for.”

Lingzi said sincerely, “Miss Yuko, would you please come with us to the Akigawa Shrine? We can resolve your doubts.”

Yuko stared blankly at Qin An, not knowing what to do.

Qin An whispered in her ear, “Go ahead. If you go with them, you can cure your strange condition by tomorrow. That is, you can learn to manage your psychic power.”

“Um… can I go with him?” Yuko stepped back, tugging at Qin An’s sleeve, asking timidly.

“I’m very sorry, but no. Our grandmother did not invite him.”

“Alright, go on. I still have to tend the shop.” He placed the black cat back into Yuko’s arms, then waved and went back inside.

Yuko looked into the black cat’s emerald green eyes, then made up her mind. “I’ll go.”

Qin An sat back in his chair and found the store completely empty. It looked like he could pack up and go home early tonight, then explain the situation to the store manager tomorrow evening.

Qin An looked outside. Yuko had already left with the shrine maidens. Since they had found her, she would probably learn to control her ability by tomorrow. Then she would be completely out of danger. It looked like he could sleep in tomorrow afternoon.

In Qin An’s view, Yuko simply couldn’t control her newly awakened ability, which was why some people could see her and some couldn’t.

Yuko followed closely behind the two girls, cradling Little Qin tightly. Now, it seemed the cat was her only source of comfort.

Hundreds of vermilion torii gates formed a winding pathway leading to the top of Mount Inari, with dozens of fox statues flanking the steps. The Kamikawa Shrine sat majestically at the summit.

After walking up a long, ancient stone staircase, they reached the main torii gate. The gate was wrapped with a thick sacred straw rope. Passing through the torii, she saw a dense interweaving of old, faded dark red archways and bright, vivid vermilion ones. Beneath her feet was a long approach path, lined with stone lanterns and guardian lion-dogs. A soft, warm yellow light emanated from the main hall, deeply impressing Yuko.

This was Yuko’s first time visiting a shrine. She had never believed in gods or Buddhas; she liked watching romance dramas and shopping for pretty handbags. She was an extremely ordinary girl who had always played the role of a quiet passerby.

But two days ago, she had turned from a passerby into air. No one—not her parents, teachers, or classmates—could see or hear her. Until she met him.

Lingzi knelt on the tatami at the entrance and slid open the shoji door.

Inside sat a white-haired old woman leaning on a polished wooden cane. Her face had some wrinkles, but she still projected an imposing aura.

“Child, you’ve finally come. Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Yuko knelt politely on the tatami.

“Don’t be so tense, child. Relax.”

“Yes.” Yuko lowered her shoulders, and Little Qin meowed, jumping onto her lap to curl up and sleep.

“What an adorable child.” It was unclear whether the old woman was referring to Yuko or the cat.

“Child, I’m sure you’ve noticed some strange things happening to you recently.”

“Yes!”

“Actually, you are a chosen child. You have been granted a certain divine power.”

“Eh?” Yuko looked completely confused.

“Hehe, of course, that’s an old-fashioned way of putting it. In modern terms, you have obtained psychic powers.”

“Why do I have this? I’m so ordinary and inconspicuous.”

“In fact, many people in this world have psychic powers, including me.” The old woman tapped her cane on the floor, and immediately the entire tatami room began to shake violently.

“Meow!” Little Qin immediately straightened up, his fur standing on end as he bared his claws, facing the old woman warily.

“Although I didn’t use my full strength, if I did, causing a localized earthquake wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Old lady, you’re amazing!”

“Cough, cough, I’m old, no longer capable. The future belongs to you young people. In truth, humans have possessed psychic powers for about a hundred years. At first, it was called divine power and was unknown to the public. Those with psychic power were revered as geniuses, doing things that changed the course of history. It wasn’t until twelve years ago that scientists discovered the actual cause of psychic powers.”

“Why is that?”

“In fact, so-called psychic power is caused by a virus from space. It spreads through the atmosphere and infects infants. Most infants have strong natural resistance and neutralize the virus immediately, growing up to be ordinary people. However, some cannot neutralize it, and as they grow, the virus gradually alters their physical makeup. The transformation is usually complete around age fifteen, creating psychics.”

Yuko silently absorbed this overwhelming storm of information.

“Um… old lady, what is my psychic power?”

“Child, your power is highly specific. It makes you visible only to those who are also infected by the virus. It is officially classified as the ‘Psychic Power Detector.'”

“Does that mean… my parents will never be able to see me again?”

“I’m sorry, child, but yes. You will live in a world where you could be targeted at any moment. However, I called you here because I can help you return to the normal world. Are you willing to abandon all memories of this past week and start over?”

“Abandon all memories of this week?”

Forget everything about him? No. She couldn’t forget his smile, his gentleness, or his calloused hands.

“Yes. I have a way to seal your power, keeping it dormant forever. But the cost is losing the memories from the exact time your power awakened.”

“Old lady, can I have some time to think about it?”

“Of course. Xizi, take her inside to the guest room. Lingzi, stay here.”

The two sisters said in unison, “Yes, Grandmother.”

Once the sliding doors closed, Lingzi asked softly, “Grandmother, why don’t you let me just seal her power? With an ability like hers, sooner or later…” Lingzi unexpectedly began to cry, tears falling like pearls.

“Sooner or later, she’ll end up like your mother—imprisoned and used as a machine for the rest of her life?”

“Yes.”

“But isn’t it cruel to simply extract someone’s memories? Perhaps she still has many things she wants to say to someone very important to her.”

“But Grandmother, do we need to report to headquarters that several executives in Takamagahara are actually secret members of the Yomi?”

“No need. I’ve known for a long time that there are minions of the Yomi hiding within Takamagahara. That’s why our Chiba clan moved to Kamikawa City. Your father is also one of them. Even the supreme commander is compromised. Did you truly think everyone in the organization was pure?”

Lingzi bowed her head in silence, her tears flowing quietly in the dimly lit shrine.