"Wait, did we just gain another member?"
By the way, Inari is in a humanoid form, but she's shrunk down to the size of a small figurine so that she can sit on my shoulder without attracting too much attention, just like Terra.
Here I am, a grade-schooler with Inari on my left shoulder and Terra on my right. Honestly, it's a bit embarrassing to stand out like this.
"These are the members who will be playing today. Let's see… including you, Henry, that's eight of us," someone said.
That's quite a crowd. Will I be able to remember all their names?
"I'm Uganta," one boy introduced himself.
"I-I'm Musuri," another stammered.
"I'm Sanka!" a girl chimed in.
"I'm Tsuuro," said another boy.
"I go by Godsey," one more added.
"I'm Midoka," stated a girl.
"And I'm Akari," said the girl with a side ponytail, flashing a mischievous smile.
What easy names to remember. It's amusing how everyone else's names feel randomly assigned, while Akari seems different. Sanka and Midoka are pretty cute, but compared to Akari, they have a more generic vibe. Akari's charm stands out; she almost feels like an event character.
"I'm Henry. Nice to meet you all! So, what do we plan to do today?"
"Glad you asked! There's a shrine on the mountain, right? We're thinking of playing hide and seek there," someone replied.
Hide and seek? That's an interesting choice. It feels a bit risky to play that game at a shrine; it almost invites trouble, doesn't it?
"Well, now that we're all here, let's go!"
We started moving in a group. I walked beside Julie. She really is adorable. Her walking style isn't quick; it's more of a clumsy, whimsical shuffle. She has that kind of charm that makes you want to look out for her. It feels like if I took my eyes off her for even a moment, she might trip, and I'd feel a wave of anxiety watching her. Is this what it feels like to be a protective father?
As we switched our shoes at the entrance, a choice appeared before us. But there was only one option: to head up the mountain. I selected it, and in an instant, we were already at the foot of the mountain.
I spun around, taking in my surroundings. The once ghostly landscape of Sky was now shrouded in an overcast gloom. Even though it was still afternoon and we had time until evening, the darkening sky made me start to wish I could head home.
"Hm, how strange. I can't seem to find my power," a voice murmured. Is this a special field? I had a feeling something was about to happen.
The boys chatted about TV shows while the girls discussed fashion as we walked along the mountain path. Wait a minute... hadn't we come this way before? Something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
What was this unease? Something was different, but I just couldn't tell what it was.
I felt a frustrating sensation, as if something was stuck deep in my tooth. It was unbearable not knowing what was wrong. Carrying this discomfort, we finally reached the steps leading to the shrine.
"That's strange. I feel completely unscathed even though we're so close to the shrine," one of the girls remarked.
"I don't feel that prickling sensation on my skin either," another added.
Honestly, the trees around us had an eerie vibe. Uganta was moving ahead quickly, making it hard to alert everyone. Besides, it was probably an event, so even if I warned them, they wouldn't stop. Playing hide-and-seek in a place like this would be absolutely terrifying. Well, maybe I'd feel safer since it was Inari-san's shrine…
"Hey, what's going on!?"
Inari-san suddenly exclaimed in a panic as we climbed the stairs and approached the torii gate. The sight was shocking; the torii was utterly shattered, with only the remains of its pillars standing on either side.
Clearly weathered by time, this torii couldn't possibly be the one we had just seen at Inari Shrine. It looked as if it had collapsed over decades or even centuries, now resembling something entirely different.
"Wait, is that the shrine?"
It was no wonder Inari-san was in disbelief. We passed through the ruined torii and moved cautiously over the cracked stone path, revealing a decayed shrine ahead.
It was clear that there was no protection from Inari in this chaotic place. Fragments of a guardian dog lay scattered, while another dog had lost its head. This didn't feel like Inari's domain...
"This is bad, Henry! We're in the Eastern Mountain!"
"Huh? Mountains have directions?"
"From the elementary school where the master is, you can face either the Western or Eastern Mountain. I'm on the Western side! This place is bad—Inari's blessing is gone! We don't know what's lurking here, so let's get down the mountain quickly!"
This definitely felt like a serious crisis. Even worse, if I left, the others would definitely stay and play here. The thought of anyone going missing, especially someone I had just met, like Akari, weighed heavily on my mind—it was mentally draining.
"Tiki, can you scout for Inari? Terra, keep an eye on everyone using heat detection. Hannah, prepare yourself. I can't bear the thought of leaving them behind."
"Fufu, so be it. Until something happens, you can play. We'll support you with all our strength."
"Henry, hurry up! We'll decide who's the demon with Janken!"
"Ah, yeah. I'm coming."
With a sense of unease, I headed toward Akari. As Janken began, I threw out rock. Akari played paper and became the demon, while everyone else mysteriously chose scissors as if they had planned it. It seemed likely that everyone's choices would shift based on what I picked.
In other words, this is an event where Akari is definitely becoming the demon.
"Oh no, I'm the demon! Everyone, go hide!"
Everyone starts to run off, clearly excited. Akari begins counting out loud, facing the crumbling shrine.
Well, as for hiding, do I just conceal myself anywhere? Hmm, let's say I'll hide around here; getting immediately caught won't spell instant doom, right? In the worst-case scenario, I believe Inari-san will react...
I leap into the bushes and hold my breath.
Phew, in this world, ghosts are a common presence, making hide-and-seek incredibly terrifying. Seriously, how many years have I lived? But fear is still fear.
Right, let me change my skills.
I'll keep Luck and Spirit Vision as they are. I'm hesitant to remove Lucky Pervert, so I'll stick with that. Taming can wait for now; I'll also set aside my kicking and barehanded skills.
The new skills I'll equip are Intuition, Heat Detection, and Quick Nine Cuts.
I've heard that performing Nine Cuts at Inari-san's shrine is a no-go, but this one is crumbling and has lost its purity. Therefore, cutting connections here shouldn't matter. In fact, I should be able to sever only the bad ties.
The real issue arises if I direct the Nine Cuts at a person. It seems that not only will it sever bad connections, but it will also slice through any future good ones, leading to a lack of suitable marriage partners, misfortune in finances, and inability to focus on work—a recipe for a miserable life.
After getting thoroughly scolded by Inari, I definitely need to avoid using the nine-character incantation on anyone else. I've decided to make the class a group of shrine-goers, and my nickname will be "Boo, I'm Not Scared." I've prepared salt in abundance. With this, I should be able to handle any serious spiritual disturbances that come our way.
"Are you ready yet?"
"Not yet!"
Wait, is there still someone hiding? After a moment, I hear Akari's voice again.
"Are you ready yet?"
"Not yet!"
...Huh? Whose voice is that? It doesn't sound like any of the elementary school kids here.
"I'm ready to go!"
The moment I hear the voice, one of the seven heat signatures my thermal sense had picked up... disappears.
"Shah?!"
Terra reacts sharply. I try to move immediately…
"Oh, I found you, Henry!"
Akari's cheerful voice, completely unaware of anything amiss, calls out as she spots me. The spiritual pressure of Uganta… has vanished?
"What's wrong, Henry?"
"Oh, no, I was just asking Julie if she found anyone else."
"Hmm. Everyone's really good at hiding."
That's true, especially one person who's exceptionally skilled at it. They disappeared from both my and Terra's thermal scans.
"Oh, I found someone! It's Minaka!"
"Wait, really?"
No way, she climbed up a tree!? But this isn't just any tree; it's a tall, straight one that I have to look up to see.
"How did you manage to climb up there and hold on? You're just an elementary schooler, right?" I felt a chill as a little girl effortlessly descended. Elementary school kids are terrifying.
"I just wanted to hide up high like that! Skirts don't work for this!"
"Hehe, sorry, sorry! I'm really good at climbing trees!"
"Good isn't quite the word for it, is it?"
"Sh-sharp!?"
"Yikes! Was I just threatened by a snake!?"
"Oh, no, it's not that…"
The reaction of the second person suddenly vanished?
"Alright, who's next?"
"Hiro, I found Sanka-chan's spot! This way!"
"Julie, want to check over here?"
"Hmm? Sure!"
"Hey, Henry, don't give hints since Akari is the monster, okay?" Greenka followed along with an awkward smile.
Since two of them had disappeared, it was likely that Sanka would vanish as soon as we found Godsey. So, I thought we should find Sanka first. This way, the event should pause. What happens next would be better than having them disappear in order…
"Ah, gotcha! I found Sanka-chan!"
"What? No way!? I got found!? Why! Akari and the others went the other way!"
"Ah, you were watching us!"
With three girls found, though, the third one disappearing is…
"Not there! Alright, the event has stopped.
Next, let's look for Tsugirou instead of Godsey. If I find him, I should be able to locate Godsey too.
Tiki-san is moving around skillfully for my plan.
Hannah-san glares at the surroundings with a stern expression while Inari-san continues to think deeply.
"Inari-san, do you sense anything unusual or have any solutions?"
"Maybe over here?"
"It could be over there!"
I subtly guide Julie's actions.
Our destination is the place where Tsugirou is hiding.
And then...
"I found him!"
"Whoa?! You found me?!"
"Only three left now."
"Hmm, where could they be?"
We successfully found Tsugirou. This should stop the spiritual disturbances.
The real issue is what objects are causing this phenomenon and the whereabouts of the two who disappeared.
"Well then, maybe I'll search around that area."
Aki heads towards Godsey's location. She'll likely find him on her own from here.
The other two don't seem like they'll be found anytime soon. Are we going to keep searching like this?
"Oh, I found you, Godsey!"
"So I'm the last one?"
...Wait, what? Godsey, how do you know you're the last?
"Huh? Was it like that?"
"Let's see, there's Sanka, Tsugirou, Godsey, Henry, me... hmm?"
"Wait, it seems like we're missing someone?"
"Huh? Come on, you two! You're kidding, right?"
"Hmm, I think I understand based on their story."
"Inari?"
"The presence here is a malevolent spirit, specifically one that feeds on memories. Those consumed are treated as if they no longer exist."
"What a nasty entity! Wait, is that really going to show up in this game?"
"But what does it mean that it can't be detected by heat sensors or spirit detection?"
"That means it's neither a ghost nor a source of heat, right?"
"What kind of thing does that even imply? An entity that's neither a ghost nor a biological source?"
"If it's not a spirit, then the theory of a malevolent spirit falls apart."
"Hmm, if it's not a living being, could it be inorganic? But what kind of inorganic material can erase memories?"