A rush of ecstatic shock bolted through Asada Senna's body and compelled her to pull her hand out of Baishi Shū's grip.
She soon realized that she was being a little inappropriate, so she held back and looked sheepishly at him. "I'm sorry, Baishi-san. Shooting videos is just my hobby. Besides that, it isn't me who decides whether I can assist the police department in solving paranormal events. It's the shrine."
In other words, it was a "no". Baishi Shū felt disappointed. Then, he realized that he was acting inappropriately.
He took the liberty to offer himself to be her walk-on in her next video right after she apologized to him. Although he did not know Asada Senna, he felt he was being a little unappreciative. Besides, Asada Senna was a miko from a shrine while he was a monk of a temple. Both of them were from different religions, thus it would be inappropriate for them to work together. Even if he really wanted to be a walk-on for somebody, he should work with a monk or a nun.
"I apologize for my presumption," Baishi Shū said.
"How about this, Baishi Shū-san? Let's exchange LINE IDs. If I get another assignment for exorcism from the shrine, I'll contact you. When the time comes, you mustn't refuse me," Asada Senna said with a grin as she took her phone out.
LINE was the common communication software in Japan. Its positioning was similar to QQ or WeChat in the country across the sea. Even though Baishi Shū did not use his phone as much as he used to, he had downloaded the app onto his phone, not for any other particular reason but because it was more convenient.
After they had exchanged their LINE IDs, Asada Senna stashed her phone back and then turned to Baishi Shū. "Baishi-san, you are from around here, aren't you? Can you show me around? I grew up in the shrine and hardly had the chance to come to Shibuya…"
"I am sorry, Miko Asada, but my schedule is fully packed. I have to recite scriptures, pay my respects to Buddha, read, and study later. How about next time? I will surely walk you around Shibuya next time."
Baishi Shū turned down her invitation without hesitation. Without enough time to study, he already wished that there were 48 hours in a day for him to utilize, so how could there be any chance of him using his time to do something like having fun?
"Okay, fine. Remember your promise. As a monk, you mustn't lie. You have to show me around the next time."
'Stupid monk! I already took the initiative to invite him. How dare he turn me down? Including the previous time, he has rejected me twice!' Asada Senna chastised Baishi Shū inwardly, but she maintained a smile on her face.
'I'm a miko. I have to keep my cool. I'm a miko. I have to keep my cool…' She commanded herself to stay calm.
Since Baishi Shū refused to take her around Shibuya, Asada Senna did not linger around for long. After she strolled around the temple, she then bade goodbye to Baishi Shū and the old abbot.
Truth to be told, she was quite touched when she saw the group of workers that were repainting the wall. She could finally relate why Baishi Shū cared about money so much. It was not that he was fond of money. Instead, he just wanted to use the money to improve the environment around the temple. This changed her impression of him a little. The only thing that remained unchanged was…
"Wooden fish."
"Huh? I'm sorry, but can you say that again, abbot?" Baishi Shū looked puzzled at the old abbot.
Sitting cross-legged in front of Buddha, the old abbot smiled. "I said, can you hand me over the wooden fish?"
"Alright." With that, Baishi Shū handed a wooden fish to the old abbot.
Listening to the rhythmic hollow sound and the humming chants of sutras that spiraled in the air, Baishi Shū took out his phone and began to check the price of a camera. A lower-grade camera cost about 20,000 yen. Even though he found the price acceptable, considering the fact that a camera consisted of many delicate components and he did not have a background as solid as that of the Yotsuya Suga Shrine's, it would be very time-consuming for him to consecrate a camera to record evil spirits.
Baishi Shū thought for a moment, then put his phone away.
He gave up the idea of making a video by himself as he found that it was not worth his time. He could use the time to increase his spiritual power or even do some research or experiments on how to reform a place filled with evil and impurity.
Who would have thought that what prevented Baishi Shū from dominating the horror section in the video site was not his spiritual power but a camera?
He let out a sigh and cleared his mind. In his current state, no matter if he was learning or chanting scriptures, the effects of a lucid mind would be much better. It could increase the chances of enlightenment, and his mind and heart would become clearer.
Baishi Shū usually kept himself in this state as that was the secret behind his tremendous power.
Time: November 2016, Autumn.
Spiritual Power: 18,330 units.
Saving: 370,000 yen.
...
In the Yotsuya Suga Shrine, at the intersection of Arakawa and Shinjuku, Tokyo.
There was a long stairway in front of the Yotsuya Suga Shrine. The railing in the center was painted in red and divided the stairways into two directions. This was a typical staircase that one would find across entire Japan. However, it had become a must-see destination after being featured in the smash-hit anime "Your Name". This was because the staircase was where the star-crossed main characters finally intersected paths.
Asada Senna liked both the movie and the staircase a lot. Every time she mounted the steps, a strange feeling would stir within her. However, she disliked other movies produced by Makoto Shinkai because "Your Name" was the only movie that had a happy ending.
She continued to climb the stairs and walked over the torii. She beelined towards the area which was prohibited from unauthorized people and went into the Yotsuya Suga Shrine.
Soon, Asada Senna's silvery voice rang out, "I'm back!"
"Is that Senna-chan? How is your date with our little monk?" an elderly voice quipped. Then, an old woman came out of her room.
"It is not what you think, Grandmother. I just went to apologize to Baishi-san!" Asada Senna said, puffing her cheeks.
Grandmother Asada walked over and comforted her, "Alright, alright. I'll stop making fun of you. What happened? Why do you look so unhappy?"
'Of course, I'm unhappy. It's all that stupid monk's fault!'
Asada Senna pouted, but she did not reply because she did not want to continue the topic. She asked, "Grandmother, have you heard of Reimei Temple before?"
Grandmother Asada was Asada Senna's grandmother. She had been a miko in the Yotsuya Suga Shrine when she was younger, and she was now the elder priestess of the shrine.
This world was different from the other. The miko in this world possessed real divine power, hence only unmarried virgin women could become a miko. Once they were married or became pregnant, they would be removed from their duties as a miko and become a priestess to continue serving the shrine.
Besides that, all the shrine priests and priestesses were divided by ranks, and this applied to both worlds. There were a total of five ranks. From the lowest rank to the highest rank, they were Chokkai, Gonsenkai, Seikai, Menkai, and Jokai.
Asada Senna, who could handle a demonic occurrence alone, was a Chokkai, or an entry-level rank miko. On the other hand, Grandmother Asada was a Seikai-level elder priestess, and she was 73 years old this year.
At this point, Grandmother Asada was stunned when she heard Asada Senna's question. "Is the monk you mentioned from Reimei Temple? Has Reimei Temple found a legacy? Can it already start accepting disciples?"
"What do you mean, Grandmother? Why can't Reimei Temple accept disciples? Do you know anything about Reimei Temple?" Asada Senna's eyes shone as if she had discovered something interesting.
However, no matter how she begged Grandmother Asada to tell her more about Reimei Temple, the old woman just shook her head and fenced with her. Even if Asada Senna made her ultimate move and buttered Grandmother Asada up by hugging her arm, she just said, "Reimei Temple used to be a large temple comparable to the Meiji Shrine. It's even older than the Asakusa Kannon Temple… It's too bad… Is the old abbot still alive? He is a man with abilities."
After that, Grandmother Asada kept silent and said nothing, causing the curiosity in Asada Senna's heart to balloon.