"A human-faced spirit? What is that, Master Baishi?" Mr. Nakano asked curiously.
He was oblivious to the fact that Baishi Shū had been zoning out just now. Even though Baishi Shū was young, in his eyes, he was a real holy monk with great spiritual power. When he remained quiet along the way, he exuded a calm and level-headed aura. Therefore, Mr. Nakano didn't think too deeply into it.
Hearing his question, Baishi Shū wiped out his grin as he answered, "A human-faced spirit is a type of ghost. It's not formed by the soul of a deceased human, but parts of other living creatures, like their fur and feathers. They are usually the pets of humans, their lives having been claimed by death. They get turned into human-faced spirits due to an array of reasons and roam about the realm of the living."
"Like the Jinmenken?" Mr. Nakano asked, finally seeing the light.
The Jinmenken was one of the most popular Japanese legends, having been around since the Edo era. Mr. Nakano would never have expected that the evil spirit haunting his company was a beast spirit with the facial features of a human. The fear in his heart decreased greatly after the realization, as he found there was nothing to be afraid of from the soul of a pet. Even if it had the face of a human, fundamentally speaking, it was just a pet. Besides, it was rare to have wandering souls in this world, and he believed that there was always a reason for the birth of the dead souls. With that in mind, he had a pretty good idea about the real identity of the human-faced spirit.
Baishi Shū missed the answer Mr. Nakano gave to a question Asada Senna asked.
"Nakano-san, have there been any animals that have passed away in your company lately?"
"Erm… Yes, one. I used to have a Siberian Husky called Pi-chan. Half a month ago, I brought him to the company, hoping that he could have fun with my staff and help them relieve some stress. However, Pi-chan accidentally consumed dyestuff that we kept lying around. They were highly toxic and it was too late by the time I found out. Even if I had rushed him to the veterinary clinic immediately, the doctors would not have been able to save him. Pi-chan had been my trusted companion for years. His death, coupled with the recent haunting event, hit me hard. I am really worn out and I don't know how long I can keep going…"
There was a high probability that the human-faced spirit was Mr. Nakano's pet, Pi-chan. Throughout the years, the bond between him and his dog had grown so much that he regarded him as one of his family members. Hence, he was devastated by the unexpected death of his beloved pet.
Right now, the slightest bit of fear leftover in his heart was gone as well, replaced with a desire to see his companion once more.
"Master Baishi, can I be there tonight when you guys are exorcising the human-faced spirit?" Mr. Nakano asked sincerely.
"That human-faced spirit… it's most likely Pi-chan. I want to see him once more!"
Truth to be told, Baishi Shū wasn't surprised by the request. However, he didn't respond immediately, instead of casting a glance at Asada Senna. There was one thing he was very certain of—although Mr. Nakano was their client this time, the person in charge was actually Miko Asada.
Mr. Nakano could only give him a one-off job, but Miko Asada could raise his fame and bring him countless more job opportunities.
Hence, he figured that he shouldn't steal Asada Senna's thunder. He was even willing to step aside and watch from the sidelines, seeing if she could handle the evil spirit on her own. After all, given her current strength, he foresaw that in the near future, she would come across an evil spirit she wouldn't be able to handle...
Asada Senna squinted her eyes.
'I have been noticing you for a long time, Nakano-san. You kept buttering up Baishi-san and ignoring me the moment you saw the two of us! Hmph! So what if his spiritual power is slightly better than mine, with better grades and more knowledge than me? Add to that a clean, fresh appearance and a nice voice. What is so special about him? He is just a stupid monk with a no-good brain! Do you really have to flatter him so much?'
While she thought that, Asada Senna whipped up the warmest smile she could muster onto her face and said, "Of course, Nakano-san! You can stay with us."
Mr. Nakano was exhilarated when he got a positive answer from Asada Senna. Bowing several times, he said, "Thank you Master Baishi, and thank you too, Miko Asada-chan!"
'Miko Asada-chan?'
Asada Senna kept the smile on her face and continued, "But since you are a normal human, you wouldn't be able to see spirits and ghosts under normal circumstances. So, to help you reconcile with Pi-chan, I will give you a clairvoyance talisman. Put it on and look around to try and get used to it."
"I am counting on you, Miko Asada-chan!" Excitement flared in Mr. Nakano's eyes. This was something money could not buy! Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he acquired some funds from his family after he graduated and had established an animation studio. He never expected that he would have the chance to see the mysterious world with his own eyes.
"Am I doing it right?" He asked with bated breath as he put the clairvoyance talisman on his forehead.
"Yep, you're doing great," replied Asada Senna with a nod. The smile on her face widened as she activated the talisman.
At that moment, an entirely new world appeared before Mr. Nakano's eyes. It was dark, gloomy, and scary, full of cold and resentful Yin energy. The ceiling, the floor, the walls, every spot his eyes could reach was covered with malformed handprints and footprints. He even occasionally saw some scratches and bite marks. The scene was so frightening that anyone with trypophobia would pass out, just like Mr. Nakano did.
His eyes rolled upward and he fell onto the floor with a loud thud.
As it turned out, ordinary people could not withstand the shock caused by looking straight at Yin energy unless they had a strong spirit.
...
After a while, Mr. Nakano regained consciousness, the terrifying scene still clearly vivid in his brain. He could not settle himself down, and were it not for the aid of Asada Senna's calming talisman, he would have gone completely insane. At that moment, he finally understood how he had truly underestimated the spirits and ghosts.
"Nakano-san, even if it was a pet during its lifetime, even if it used to be very docile, once it turns into an evil spirit, it will no longer be a pure soul. Instead, it is a manifestation of resentment and Yin energy. Under these circumstances, a human-faced spirit would be driven by its natural instinct and react violently towards its surroundings. It will not be able to recognize you. So please, leave this to us, we are professionals," Asada Senna comforted him.
If she told him this before she showed him the truth of their surroundings, although Mr. Nakano would not persist, he would feel uncomfortable. He would not believe Asada Senna, thinking she was bluffing. However, right now, he trusted her from the bottom of his heart. He gave her a deep bow as he said sincerely, "Thank you for the lesson, Miko Asada."
The two people in front of him were real clergies with spiritual power. It didn't matter if it was Master Baishi or Miko Asada, both of them were able to face that horrible scene without breaking a sweat. Comparatively, even though he was older than the two of them, his reaction was very unsightly. Mr. Nakano felt really embarrassed.
Asada Senna was satisfied when she saw the look of embarrassment on Mr. Nakano's face. After the incident, she was certain that he would not look down on her anymore.
She had not taken advantage of her position to get even with Mr. Nakano due to her personal grudge. She had just forgotten to remind him that a normal human would be shocked when looking at the Yin energy through the clairvoyance talisman. That shock would not leave any bad effect on the onlooker, as those were just residual Yin energies. He just needed to get some rest and he would be fine.
This way, not only could she show him some color, but she could also persuade him to quit following them. It was killing two birds with one stone.
By the way, where was Baishi-san? He was too quiet.
With that thought in mind, Asada Senna turned her head around. She saw him holding the camera in his hand, but his face looked blank, as if he was daydreaming.
"..."
Asada Senna did not know what to say, so she just smiled.